The Shelter: Book 1, The Beginning (20 page)

“Yes, you win the grand prize.”

“How large is it going to be?”

“Large, Large enough to hold 40 people for months.”

Ricky looks into the hole saying, “Why months? Are you again expecting the end of the world? More right wing bullshit?”

“Ricky, you and I haven’t agreed on politics or our views of the world. I like to be prepared, you think the government will protect you from anything that may happen. You forgot about Katrina and Sandy or Three Mile Island. You forget that the government doesn’t have the resource to help if something happens in the entire country. They had enough problems trying to support a small area of the country, there’s no way they can provide support for the entire country. We’re going to be left on our own to care for ourselves. Just a few days ago the National Guard showed up on my front door to demand I give them my crops to feed the local town. They were willing to use force to get what they wanted from me. Is this what you thought would happen?”

“Where’s your proof this happened? How do we know this wasn’t another example of your right wing bullshit?”

“Ricky, you can believe what you want, I’m telling you, and Mom can back me up, they came here to take my crops. They told me President Obama set aside the Constitution.”

“Dad, that’s a good thing, the Constitution is over 200 years old, it wasn’t written for these trying times. The needs of the many overcome the needs of the one.”

“What about my freedom?”

“Why should your freedom cause harm or the death of innocents? Why is your freedom more important that feeding the hungry.”

“I’m not doing anything to cause the death of innocents.”

“Yes you are, they’re hungry, and you’re refusing to give your crops to feed them.”

“You agree that the government has the right to take what it wants?”

“If it’s for the good of the people, yes.”

“I see, well, I hope you enjoy living in a communist country. I know I won’t. I expect to be paid for what people take from me.”

“It’s people like you that caused our problems. It’s always been all about you, you don’t understand sharing for the greater good. You don’t pay your fair share so everyone is fed and healthy. It’s people like you who have held our progress back.”

“Ricky, it’s impossible to hold a logical discussion with you. Why don’t you leave Sammi and Linda here and you return home? You go ahead and be a good little commie and swear allegiance to the President while being part of the death of the greatest country in the world.”

“Dad, you mean one of the most racist countries in the world.”

“Please leave, I don’t want to say something I know I may one day regret.”

Ricky tries to get the last word in, “Dad, stop with the end of the world bullshit. You scared the crap out of Sammi for most of her childhood, EMP, sun spots, nuclear world war, global pandemics, no more scaring us or Linda. We don’t want our daughter corrupted by your sick thoughts. You tried to scare Sammi and me into becoming preppers, you tried to convince us to spend more for a house that had a basement which you wanted us to convert into a shelter. We come to visit you to find you tearing up a perfectly good farm and making a shelter the size of an ark. Dad, you need professional help. You’re right, we’re not staying here, I wouldn’t have even come, except that Linda wanted to see her Papa Jay. Mom, please take him to see a doctor. He really needs help. If you don’t, Sammi and I may check into seeing if we can have him committed for observation.”

The patio is silent after Ricky’s outburst. I look at my son-in-law, lowering my voice to a whisper, I lean towards him, “Ricky, if you even try to have me committed, you will be very sorry. I think it's best if you and Sammi leave my house. I don’t want you under my roof. There’s a Hampton Inn about three miles away, I’ll make arrangements for you to stay there until you’re ready to go home.”

Lacy pats my arm, “Honey, calm down.”

“NO, Ricky, go upstairs and pack, I want you out of my house within fifteen minutes.”

Sammi gets up, she comes to me, she hugs me saying, “Daddy, we love you, we’re worried about you.”

“Sammi, you are my firstborn, for years my world revolved around you. I told you, I would always be here to protect you. I’m trying to protect you now. What’s my thanks? You and your husband want to put me in a mental hospital because I see things differently than you?”

“Daddy, we think you watch too much Fox news. We think you just need a little time to rest. No more of those crazy books you read, no more gun magazines, we think you just need a little rest. A man your age should have a hobby, something like golf, not playing with guns. Daddy, we’re worried about you because we love you.”

“Sammi, I’ll love you forever, you’re my daughter. But now, I have to ask you to leave my home.” I get up leaving everyone behind on the patio. Shelly looks at me, “Daddy, are you OK?”

“I’m hurt and don’t want to talk anymore. Sammi, Ricky, please leave my home ASAP.”

Lacy comes after me, she pauses in the doorway. She turns to look at Sammi, “See what you’ve done? We were so looking forward to having everyone under one roof. You’ve ruined all of Dad’s plans. I’m also hurt by you.”

“Lacy, it’s not like that. It’s just…”

“No more, do as your father said. Leave our house within fifteen minutes.”

Sammi and Ricky don’t look into Lacy’s eyes. They go to their room and pack. While they packed, I logged on and booked them a room at the Hampton Inn. Linda is upset having to leave her cousins. Linda’s eyes are full of tears as she drags her overnight bag behind her. “Papa Jay, why do I have to leave?”

“You don’t have to leave, your mommy and daddy are leaving. They don’t like their room. They’re going to a hotel. You can stay here if you’d like.”

She runs over to hug me. Sammi comes into the room saying, “Come on Lins, we have to go.”

“I said she can stay if she wants to.”

Sammi looks up asking “Us too?”

“No, just her.”

“Daddy, please?”

“No. You made your decision.” I turn my back on my daughter leading Linda back outside to play with her cousins.

Shelly says, “Daddy, are you OK?”

“Yes honey, let me know when Sammi and her husband have left the house. I’ll be outside.”

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In Moscow, the Russian leadership held a war meeting in the command bunker located three hundred feet under Moscow. The Minister of Finance stood and looked around the room, nodding at the ministers he knew he could count on. “Mr. President, Ministers, we are poised on the eve of a historic event. We’re about to watch the Americans implode and collapse. Their economy is already over stressed. They're bankrupt and don’t know it yet. We’re going to help them over the edge of the abyss. We’ve spoken to the Chinese, who are also dumping their dollars. Europe is falling over the edge of a cliff, the EU will completely unwind within 90 days. The best way to cripple the West is to crush their supply chain. The American’s invented the art of logistics, our financial attack surprised them. They counted on China buying a new series of bonds they announced they’re going to issue. China surprised the hell out of the Yankees when they announced that not only they weren’t going to be buying any of America’s bonds, but they demanded full payment on all of their outstanding loans.” Laughing, Putin says, “The little yellow bastards even offered to take Hawaii and California off their hands in exchange for the full payment.  When their government isn’t able to fund any of their welfare programs, their people will riot like nothing the world has ever seen before. Their people will tear their own infrastructure apart. When things reach the eve of a civil war, when millions are dying of starvation, then we’ll move to help the poor Americans.”

The Party Chairman says, “Mr. President, Minister, think of it, America in ruins. Party Chairman Nikita Khrushchev told them we would bury them. He told the Americans that Capitalism would be their destruction. After seventy years, we’ll be enjoying a bottle of Vodka sitting in the President’s Oval Office while the American elites in Washington run around trying to kiss our asses.”

President Putin stands to address the Ministers, “Ministers, Lenoid is correct, we are watching America destroy itself. We won the second Cold War without firing a shot. I want the FSB and the Red Army to be ready to land in America.”

The Minister of the Interior stands with a shocked look on his face, “Mr. President, are you planning on invading America? That would be very dangerous. The one thing that will unite the different people of America is an invasion. It may be the only time their left and right will agree to the same course of action which is to unite to push us off their land.”

Putin laughs, “Ministers, please let me explain. We’re not going to be invading as in the military sense of the word. We’re going to land on America’s shores to provide aid to the poor starving sick people who learned their government and Capitalism can’t help them. We’ll land with food and water in our arms, not assault rifles. We’ll land with trucks full of medication in place of tanks. History has shown people will quickly trade their so called freedom for a full belly every day. We’ll let the American economy fail, their logistics train will fall apart from the nonpayment and the people in their cities will be starving and begging for anyone to help them. When a few million of them die from starvation, lack of clean water and lack of medications, then and only then will we move in to provide humanitarian help to them. Of course, once we’re in, we’ll never leave. We’ll control America.”

The Director of the FSB stood asking, “Mr. President, what price did the Chinese ask to support us?”

The war room becomes totally silent. President Putin stood facing the Director of the FSB, “We agreed that China can try to take the states of Hawaii and California. They plan to force Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and of course Taiwan to submit to their rule. They’ve already reached an agreement with Japan. The rest of Asia is ours, as is Europe.” The Ministers are shocked by the news. None says a word, they can each hear their partner’s heart’s beating. They knew a deal with China was going to have to be cut in order for them not to lose their largest trading partner.  None of the Ministers expected the price of the Chinese acceptance to be so high. Putin looked at the shocked and gloomy faces of his Ministers, “What the hell is wrong with all of you? China may end up with parts of Asia, much of which they are going to have to fight for while the Motherland ends up with our breakaway republics back, all of Europe and the largest prize of all, most of America. With America out of the way, Canada and England will fall our way as will New Zealand and Australia. The Chinese forgot to list Midway in their list. I want the Red Navy to send a task force to Midway to hold it against any attack from China. If we can hold Midway, Australia, and New Zealand, we’ll block China’s expansion. At the end of the day, we will rule the world.”

Sergey stands, “I suggest we replace our glasses of tea with good Russian Vodka! President Putin has brokered a deal to make the Motherland the most powerful country and empire in the world’s history. We’re about to rule the world. We all know the Chinese are a generation behind us in weapon design. Once we swallow the American military, we’ll add their technology to ours, we will easily be able to crush the yellow bastards at a time of our choosing. President Putin made an excellent bargain. The Chinese think we’re allies. They are going to get bogged down in endless wars in Asia while our military will grow stronger. Once we have firm control of the northern hemisphere, South America, and Africa will come begging us to join our Empire.”

Putin smiles, standing, he says, “I intend to treat Africa as a mine and a zoo. The only money we’ll spend there is what’s required to take their assets out of the ground, moving them to our factories. Let their people kill each other off or they can die of one disease or another. The Africans are not going to be allowed to leave their areas. We will enslave them, working them to their death. We’ll own the bulk of the world’s key minerals.”

Sergey motions to an aide standing by, carts of fresh black bread, caviar, and vodka are brought into the war room.