11-26-2021, 05:22 PM
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed my rifle as I had no idea if this was another threat. I could tell it was human shaped and strained my eyes to watch for hand movements while telling Sally keep out of sight. I could tell that the figure walking toward us had there arms out to the side not exactly up but non threatening while remaining cautious. It was a woman with long blond hair wearing white yoga pants with a matching athletic top, making the .38 in her black leg holster and AR-15 very evident. She came toward us in a confident manner, the sunlight shining on her causing a halo effect. Then I saw something that took my breath away. Before I could make sense of it Sally broke cover and started running toward the woman.
“Cally!” she shouted as she fell on the ground and hugged her friend tightly. I almost wanted to do the same but one of us needed to keep our wits about us as we didn’t know who this woman was.
The woman smiled at the scene and said “So this is what you were so worked up about.” She smiled and said “I heard the shots while I was out picking berries then this one came running at me. I almost ended her myself but she rolled over and showed me her belly. I took her back with me but she was insistent on coming back here to check”
“But how?” Sally asked, her eyes wide and wet with tears. “That man killed her, we buried her there” she said pointing to the spot where we had placed a coyote body, one that apparently hadn’t belonged to Cally.
The woman said “Her being with you must have meant she’d been shunned by the pack, she probably made it to the tree line and noticed another coyote and played it cautious. Then when the gun fired it frightened her into running in the woods.”
That explanation made as much sense as anything else and I would take it. It was nice to have one spot of happiness in this hell. The woman began to look over Dennis and had the nerve to “Tssk” at me as she lifted his hoof. A knife appeared in her hand from out of nowhere as she started digging at his hoof and popped out a rock. She then asked for our stories.
It was a little disconcerting the way she stared at me while I spoke. She waited until I’d finish and asked “ You’re name wouldn’t be Jacob by any chance would it? If so I have something for you at my place.”
We cautiously followed the woman to an area where there were a lot of trees, many of which had fallen and were left there. We squeezed passed these and came to a gate that was almost completely concealed. She opened it and called out “It’s me and two friendlies!” A giant of a man stepped out of the shadows with his gun pointed to the ground. He bent to give her a kiss and she said “This is Tyler and I’m Brianna. I would have introduced myself earlier but John said it was urgent to give you this package before he and his wife rented out their place to the Lewis couple and hightailed it out of here.”
She motioned us on and Sally clung to me and whispered “Oh my God, he looks like Thor.”
I was shocked when I saw the house. It was built into the side of the hill and like the gate was almost completely concealed. The woman noticed and said “My grandfather started building this during the Cuban Missile Crisis and my father did more work after 9-11.”
We went inside and Cally immediately trotted over to the sofa, hopped up and laid down next to a huge black mastiff and a calico kitten. We were offered showers and a change of clothes which we accepted gratefully. I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that John might still be alive.
We later sat down with Brianna and sipped tea that she had made while we cleaned ourselves up. After awhile Sally went over to the sofa and fell asleep holding the kitten. I told Brianna about my plans. She said that she had a plane in an emp fortified hanger and I was welcome to it if it was still there and wasn’t bombed to hell. We slept in real beds that night and were ready to be on our way at first light.
Tyler and Brianna followed us outside to see us off and surprised me more by offering the use of one of their ATVs. Then she looked at Dennis and Cally, “Jacob, it really isn’t safe to have them with you. You can leave them here and I’ll look after them. You can come back and get them when all this is over.”
I agreed and she hugged Sally and I goodbye as Tyson handed me a solar powered shortwave radio. “There may be someone who figures out how to get something running again soon, you’ll be be able to listen in for any signals if they do”
I mentioned that I wasn’t sure what I was even doing. Brianna smiled and said “This is your story Jacob, you’ll figure it out and it will be epic.”
I started the atv and with Sally headed toward the airport and hopefully answers.
“Cally!” she shouted as she fell on the ground and hugged her friend tightly. I almost wanted to do the same but one of us needed to keep our wits about us as we didn’t know who this woman was.
The woman smiled at the scene and said “So this is what you were so worked up about.” She smiled and said “I heard the shots while I was out picking berries then this one came running at me. I almost ended her myself but she rolled over and showed me her belly. I took her back with me but she was insistent on coming back here to check”
“But how?” Sally asked, her eyes wide and wet with tears. “That man killed her, we buried her there” she said pointing to the spot where we had placed a coyote body, one that apparently hadn’t belonged to Cally.
The woman said “Her being with you must have meant she’d been shunned by the pack, she probably made it to the tree line and noticed another coyote and played it cautious. Then when the gun fired it frightened her into running in the woods.”
That explanation made as much sense as anything else and I would take it. It was nice to have one spot of happiness in this hell. The woman began to look over Dennis and had the nerve to “Tssk” at me as she lifted his hoof. A knife appeared in her hand from out of nowhere as she started digging at his hoof and popped out a rock. She then asked for our stories.
It was a little disconcerting the way she stared at me while I spoke. She waited until I’d finish and asked “ You’re name wouldn’t be Jacob by any chance would it? If so I have something for you at my place.”
We cautiously followed the woman to an area where there were a lot of trees, many of which had fallen and were left there. We squeezed passed these and came to a gate that was almost completely concealed. She opened it and called out “It’s me and two friendlies!” A giant of a man stepped out of the shadows with his gun pointed to the ground. He bent to give her a kiss and she said “This is Tyler and I’m Brianna. I would have introduced myself earlier but John said it was urgent to give you this package before he and his wife rented out their place to the Lewis couple and hightailed it out of here.”
She motioned us on and Sally clung to me and whispered “Oh my God, he looks like Thor.”
I was shocked when I saw the house. It was built into the side of the hill and like the gate was almost completely concealed. The woman noticed and said “My grandfather started building this during the Cuban Missile Crisis and my father did more work after 9-11.”
We went inside and Cally immediately trotted over to the sofa, hopped up and laid down next to a huge black mastiff and a calico kitten. We were offered showers and a change of clothes which we accepted gratefully. I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that John might still be alive.
We later sat down with Brianna and sipped tea that she had made while we cleaned ourselves up. After awhile Sally went over to the sofa and fell asleep holding the kitten. I told Brianna about my plans. She said that she had a plane in an emp fortified hanger and I was welcome to it if it was still there and wasn’t bombed to hell. We slept in real beds that night and were ready to be on our way at first light.
Tyler and Brianna followed us outside to see us off and surprised me more by offering the use of one of their ATVs. Then she looked at Dennis and Cally, “Jacob, it really isn’t safe to have them with you. You can leave them here and I’ll look after them. You can come back and get them when all this is over.”
I agreed and she hugged Sally and I goodbye as Tyson handed me a solar powered shortwave radio. “There may be someone who figures out how to get something running again soon, you’ll be be able to listen in for any signals if they do”
I mentioned that I wasn’t sure what I was even doing. Brianna smiled and said “This is your story Jacob, you’ll figure it out and it will be epic.”
I started the atv and with Sally headed toward the airport and hopefully answers.