Everything else on it worked normally. He added roll cage protection and hand holds. The rear seat was a special touch. It could flip over and face backwards. This vehicle was painted flat black. Everything on it, bumpers, rims, everything. He didn’t have the top and didn’t care to worry about that. Canvas was useless for anything but wind and water protection. He folded the windshield down.
They pulled out onto the road and headed south. He went east at the next road and then north at the next one after that. He did this for the neighbor’s sake. They were at Rob’s in 35 minutes. They pulled in and he angled the Jeep for a quick easy escape. He didn’t expect this to be the case. He walked up to Rob. They shook hands and went into his pole barn where he had set up an office.
Randy stood guard with one of Rob’s sons. The kid was 16 actually, his younger brother was 15. Randy called the younger son over. He pulled the bucket out of the Jeep.
“Go put this in your house. Do not tell anyone about it.”
“Is it going to blow up?” the kid asked.
Randy looked at him funny. The kid had a point. “No, it’s not. It’s for you guys after we leave, but do not tell anyone but your mom and dad.”
In a bid to keep Rob on his side, he had brought him a welfare bucket. He didn’t like the idea, but it was a needed evil. Feed the animals and they won’t go away is what he always said. He needed a couple of pets right now and Rob was footing the bill nicely. He almost felt badly, but after what he did for these guys, it was no big deal. He actually needed Rob more than he let on.
Rob had the wood burner going. It was nice and warm. He had a map of the area up as well. “Nice map Rob, where’d ya get it.”
“My store. I used to sell them to the tourists. Want to buy one?” Roger flipped him off. “Nice to see you too.” Rob said.
“Well, we’re here on business.” He looked at a guy next to Rob. “I don’t think we met. I’m Roger.”
“Everyone calls me Brad?”
“Brad?”
“Ya, it’s Bradley Brady.”
“Ahhhh, the hunting shop owner.”
“Yes, sir. I’m helping Rob out with planning and everything.”
“You have any info on the militia? Anything at all?”
“We have a couple guys watching them at the compound. Writing down everything they do, how many people we think they have, vehicles, the same thing you did basically. The most accurate info we have is a body count. They have 31 adult males, 25 adult females, 10 male teenagers, 12 female teenagers, around eight younger boys and maybe five younger girls. Give or take a few people I think.”
“Damn, 78-80 fight capable people? That sucks, I underestimated their troop strength. One of them is my neighbor’s daughter; the girlfriend of the kid you guys cut loose.” Rob looked down at the table. “Sorry, sore subject, huh?”
“Ya, we should have hung that kid.”
“We had that talk, Rob. Rules of engagement, the law, but it’s a thin line here and hard to interpret. Any more people signed up with you?”
“We have a good 60 we can count on.”
“Not enough though. Not yet.”
“I promised my wife the boys wouldn’t leave the house, though.”
“Fair enough Rob, keep making your rounds and recruiting. Spread the word.”
“What about the prisoners?”
Rob looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Oh ya, the people in the building next to their barracks or housing units or whatever the hell they call them. We haven’t seen anyone go in there at all. I’ll double-check but I’m pretty certain.”
“Rob, they have prisoners in there. If no one is going in there they are either dead or they aren’t feeding them.”
Rob asked him what they wanted them to do about them.
“Nothing right now. They’ll have to wait it out until you guys get in there.”
“What do you mean ‘get in there?’”
“Rob, you guys will have to go in there.”
Rob said, “We don’t have the people for that, they are just too many.”
Roger looked at him squarely, “You can take half. That’s all you’ll have to do. The other half are going to come gunning for me. So, let’s lay down the plan. It’ll have to be activated at a moment’s notice. You will have to be ready at all times.”
Rob and Brad both looked at him. Brad said, “You’re kidding right?”
Roger said, “No, not at all. Listen, you guys have the advantage.”
Rob asked him, “How the hell do we have the advantage? You’re defending your house; we have to attack an airport.”
Roger spoke calmly and almost condescending. “Exactly my point guys. We are pinned down and you guys have the whole town to run away to. Not to mention, you have that same town to use to your advantage.”
“I just don’t know about this,” said Rob.
Roger leaned back in his chair. “Hell guys, what do you want me to say here? You want me to tell you that this is all going to be hugs and bunnies? We invite them out for smores and hot cocoa? It isn’t going to work that way. Rob, you have to know after watching them gun down Jim that they are going to do whatever they want.”
“That propaganda they are spitting out is a ruse to buy them some time. They are buying themselves time so that they can counterattack. That means me and my group, and you guys too. Don’t think for a minute that they are going to let you all walk away like it was a bad family reunion and they’ll see you next year hoping things changed. They can’t have you guys out there rebelling against them. You want 10 of them knocking on your door?”
“Roger is right Rob, we need to get this handled now before winter sets in or we ain’t gonna make it.” Finally, Roger thought, someone is getting it. “We have about 5 to 6 weeks before it’s too cold to really move around, and plus we have to think about food and water.”
Roger told him, “That’s my point exactly, and they know that too. They’ll let you wait and they’ll let you waste away while you’re waiting.”
Roger stood up and stretched. They had been there for almost four hours. But they covered a lot of information and it was time to go. He had to get back and make sure things were getting done at the house. They all shook hands and wished each other luck. Roger and his group went back to the house and Rob and Brad started making their rounds and getting their plans in order.
When they got back to the house, they saw that everyone was working. He noticed that someone was in the crow’s nest. Looked like it was Kayla. Next to him, she was the best shot out of the group. Ahhhh, best to get that done quickly too, he thought. He would be setting up a small range and conducting some rapid courses on marksmanship, fields of fire and such.
Kevin walked over. “Uncle Roger, the wicked witch of the south came out by the road. She leaned up against her fence and sat there and watched us while she drank coffee. She had to have been out here for a good three hours total. What we would do, though, is block areas with the ranger and smaller utility trailer.” No sooner had he finished telling him that when Roger thought he noticed her standing in the window.
“She knows we’re on to her.”
The grass was long and hid the foot spikes quite well. They had placed them strategically around each of the firing positions. They used them in areas around the wood line as well, anywhere there was a path. The group knew if they ran to the woods not to use the paths. They also knew once they got out of the firing positions, there was a specific route to take. These were meant for close proximity deterrents though.