After the Republic (14 page)

“Good job, Martin,” Bob said.

Jack laughed. “You guys scared the heck out of us!”

“I think we’re all still on edge in general,” Joshua added. “Bob, can you guys pick a spot a bit out of the way and clean the deer? One far enough away that it won’t bother the ladies?”

Bob chuckled. “Yes, and away from that Thompson boy?”

Joshua cringed. “Thank you. And good job, Kane.” He headed back to the cabin, where Rebecca had been watching from the porch. She was seated in one of two rocking chairs from their farmhouse.

Joshua’s brow furrowed and he pointed at the rockers. “How did these get here?”

Rebecca smiled. “Thomas had room in his van and he snuck them onto the porch a few minutes ago. Thought I’d surprise you.”

“I love you.” Joshua leaned down and kissed his wife. “You sure know how to make a guy feel at home.”

An hour later Bob and Kane returned with the venison from Kane’s kill. Rebecca prepped some of the meat for the grill and stored the rest in their refrigerator.

Joshua looked at his watch. “I’m going down to the lake to set up a trotline.”

“I will assist,” Bob said. Joshua retrieved his tackle box from his utility trailer. Bob returned with a bucket containing some unusable portions of the deer and they headed down the trail to the edge of Lake Fontana. They walked along the shoreline about 100 feet away from the trail until they found a small clearing.

“This is the place,” Bob said. They constructed a trotline with five hooks, using deer parts as bait. Joshua dropped a piece of the leftover entrails, which Reagan promptly snatched and bolted into the woods.

“Nasty dog!”

Bob laughed. “I’ve eaten worse.”

Joshua shook his head. “Somehow, I believe it. You’ve probably eaten things that would make Reagan puke.”

Joshua floated the trotline out into the water. “We’ll come back tomorrow and see if we’ve caught any fish.”

They arrived in camp just as the sun was setting. Jim and Jack were hard at work grilling the venison. Perry and Chuck cleared leaves and straw, created a fire pit and built a fire. As Joshua walked onto the porch he overheard part of a conversation between Rebecca and Caroline.

“You’re
really
going to eat deer meat?” Caroline asked. “What will there be for
me
to eat?”

“I’ve eaten it plenty of times. Look, I know you’re a vegetarian, but at some point you may
have
to give it a chance. It’s not
that
bad, and we’re not going to have a lot of options here.”

Caroline frowned. “Yuck!”

“We’re
all
going to have to do some things that are different than what we’re used to,” Rebecca said. “It’s really a matter of
survival
, Caroline.”

Did I make a mistake bringing these people here?
Joshua thought.
If they can’t adapt this could turn into a total disaster.

CHAPTER 7

Joshua shot out of his bed, jarred out of a deep early morning sleep. Unfamiliar with his surroundings, it took him a moment to realize he was in the master bedroom of his new cabin. Rebecca was asleep beside him. “What was that?” he asked.

“What was what?” Rebecca rolled over and rubbed her still-heavy eyes.

“That sound. I heard something.”

Rebecca sat up, her eyebrows furrowed. Joshua grabbed his pistol as he walked to the bedroom door and opened it. “Who’s there?”

A man’s voice came from behind the closed door to the front bedroom. “It’s John and Ruth.”

Joshua lowered his weapon. “I forgot they were staying with us.” He exhaled a deep sigh of relief. “Guess I’m a bit jumpy.”

“Don’t shoot our new houseguests.” Rebecca chuckled. “That’s not much in the way of southern hospitality.”

Joshua took his Bible and coffee onto the front porch. It was still dark out and there were no sounds of civilization, only the winter breeze whisking through the treetops. He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the cool mountain air. Off in the distance he heard what sounded like a wolf howling. A squirrel rustled in the nearby undergrowth. This was the perfect time of day.

Half an hour later Rebecca and Reagan joined him on the porch as sunlight slowly invaded the pre-dawn sky. “It feels like we’re light years away from the life we were living just a week ago.” Joshua sipped the still-warm coffee.

“It is a different world, but so far it’s peaceful here,” Rebecca said. “Based on what we saw before we made it here, I am guessing it’s
not
so peaceful out there.”

Joshua pursed his lips. “I’m just worried that we’ll have to face what’s happening out there sooner than later.”

Bob and Kane emerged from the woods and raised the Stars and Stripes. The flag began snapping in the mountain breeze. “Martin, conduct perimeter security sweep.”

“Yes, sir!” Kane disappeared into the woods.

Joshua polished off his coffee. “Bob, let’s go see if we caught a fish last night.”

They made their way down the trail to the lake. The incline was steep, and the winding trail was so narrow that they walked single file. Trees that seemed as tall as the mountains crowded them on either side. As they made the quarter-mile trek, the incline gradually leveled out and the expansive lake came into view. The trotline they had set up the night before was washed up against the shore, tangled up in some limbs.

“What a mess.” Joshua frowned. “And no fish.”

“You untangle that. I’ll look for a better spot.” Bob walked further up the shoreline.

As Joshua struggled to untangle the matted fishing line he stepped in a hole, lost his footing and fell. A sharp pain pierced his right hand and shot up his arm like lightning. He let out a deep, feral yell. Frightened, Reagan ran the other way at first, then did an about-face and ran to Joshua.

Bob came running through the woods with his Springfield 1911 drawn. “What is it?”

Joshua held up a bloody right index finger that had been completely penetrated by a fish hook. The barb protruded from the exit wound and searing pain radiated up his arm.

Bob holstered his pistol. “That looks bad. I’d better get you back to camp
now
. We can fix this trotline later.”

Bob helped Joshua up. His entire arm throbbed in pain with every heartbeat. Increasingly short of breath, the relatively brief trip up the mountain to the camp seemed like an eternity.

“Are you OK?” Bob asked.

“I’m just not used to these hills,” Joshua panted.

The first person they saw upon entering the camp was Jim. “What in the world happened?”

Joshua held up his blood-covered finger.

“Ouch.” Jim winced. “I’ll go get Keri.”

Out of breath, Joshua sat on a log near the edge of the clearing, his head spinning. Reagan planted himself at his feet. Rebecca ran out of the cabin to meet her wounded husband. Jim and his wife, Keri, arrived moments later and Bob returned soon after.

Keri opened a small bag of medical supplies and examined Joshua’s hand. “That’s nasty.” She frowned. “The first step is to get the hook out, but we can’t just pull it back through because the barb will stick. We’ll have to cut it off.” Joshua cringed as Bob held up a pair of wire cutters.

“Joshua, we’re going to have to push the hook a bit further through so that Bob has enough room to cut it,” Keri said. “This is going to hurt.” Joshua nodded. Rebecca held his left hand and put her arm around him as Keri slowly pushed the hook further through to expose the barb. Sharp tentacles of pain streaked from his finger as the hook tore through the nerve endings. Joshua let out a muffled shriek, his finger throbbing violently.

“Hold still,” Bob slowly positioned the wire cutters around the end of the hook protruding from his finger. Joshua gritted his teeth as Bob gradually squeezed. The next few moments seemed like hours. Joshua’s arm jerked as the barb was severed, sending a fresh round of stabbing pain up his arm. He let out another screech and doubled over.

“I’m sorry,” Bob apologized in a rare moment of compassion. “It was harder to cut than I anticipated.”

Keri slowly pulled the hook back through Joshua’s finger, gently removing it. “We need to make sure that doesn’t get infected. Let’s go to your cabin and get it cleaned up.”

Joshua stood up for a moment and then sat back down. The clearing seemed to be spinning around him. “Give me a minute.”

Bob offered another warning. “We need to take care of this internally. We do not need to go to a doctor outside of this camp unless absolutely necessary.”

After a few moments Joshua forced himself up and trudged up the slope to the cabin, Rebecca at his side. Reagan took off and sprinted to the porch. Keri and Jim followed with Perry and Caroline, who had joined them.

Rebecca washed the wound and Keri treated it. Joshua let out a groan as the alcohol penetrated the puncture wound. The throbbing pain was replaced by a burning fire that radiated throughout his body.

“You need to keep this clean, and we need to check it and change the bandage twice a day,” Keri instructed as she applied the bandage. “And you need to rest it for a day or two as well.”

“I’ll try,” Joshua said unconvincingly. “It’s a good thing we brought a nurse along.”

Rebecca corrected him. “He
will
do what he needs to do to let it heal.”

Three strong knocks were heard on the door, and a deep voice boomed out. “It’s Bob.”

Rebecca invited Bob in. Upon entering he removed his hat and held it at his side. “Joshua, I just wanted to check on you and see if there is anything you need me to do while you are healing.” Perry also volunteered to help pick up any slack.

“Thanks, guys,” Joshua said. “Bob, we need to find a way to get that trotline set up. We need to start catching fish in short order. That’s all I can think of right now. I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
Please leave before I throw up. I just need to be left alone
.

“I will study more effective means of fishing, and Martin and I will organize the men who wish to hunt,” Bob said. “Get some rest.”

Joshua and Rebecca disappeared down the hall and everyone else left the cabin.

***

Joshua was in the recliner with his bandaged hand elevated and Reagan curled up on his stretched-out legs when Perry arrived later that morning. Rebecca took advantage of Perry’s presence to go out and check on the chickens.

“How’s the hand, buddy?” Perry asked.

Joshua held up the bandaged finger. “Still stings a little. The biggest challenge is remembering not to use it. I feel pretty useless today.”

“You’ll be fine. Bob, Jim and I got three trotlines set up, so hopefully we’ll start bringing in some fish.”

Rebecca returned, a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua asked.

“Twelve hens, and not one single egg.
None.
”

Joshua shook his head in concern. “Seriously? Not good.”

“Not at all. If they don’t start producing soon we’ll go through our non-perishable food supply much faster than we’d like.”

Concern flooded Joshua’s mind.
She’s right. We really need to start generating a sustainable food supply. If not we’ll have big trouble.
He sighed, then picked up the remote and changed the subject. “Thomas got our TV working!”

He switched to a channel showing the local forecast.
Bitterly cold weather will drop down into the south this week. We are expecting sub-freezing temperatures, heavy snow and possible freezing rain in the Appalachian Mountains and into the Carolinas and Georgia.

Joshua shook his head. “Not the kind of forecast I like to hear. We should let everyone know.”

“Doesn’t sound promising,” Perry said. “Anything on the news that we should know about?”

Joshua changed the channel to a 24-hour news station.
British intelligence sources tell us that the AIS terrorist organization smuggled their suitcase nukes across our southern border, some as early as 2014 – the year our nation saw a flood of immigrant minors crossing the border. Additionally, intelligence sources tell us that the level of terrorist chatter remains high and that Americans should be alert for the possibility of more attacks on our soil.

Meanwhile, President Armando continues to face criticism for what some are describing as his “heavy-handed” use of military troops and Homeland Security police to quell unrest throughout the nation. The Governors of Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia have all activated the National Guard in response.
Joshua clenched his teeth as the station broke away to a clip of the governor of Texas speaking.
If American citizens are being terrorized by our own military and these so-called “Homeland Security police,” are we really any better than those who attacked us? I will not stand idly by and allow the people of Texas to be terrorized by this administration’s thugs, and our sovereign state is prepared to use the National Guard to defend our citizens.

“We’re on the brink,” Joshua said. “And they mentioned Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. We are close to all three states here. Maybe
too
close.”

***

That afternoon, three loud knocks echoed into the cabin from the front door. Rebecca opened it to find Perry and Caroline.

“Hey Rebecca. Perry and I are going to take a hike up the Appalachian Trail to the overlook before dinner,” Caroline said. “It’s probably a mile and a half. Do you want to go? Joshua, you’re obviously welcome as well. I think it’ll help get our mind off of things.”

“That sounds good, and I could use the exercise,” Rebecca said. “Josh, do you feel up to it?”

Joshua shook his head. “No, I’m going to stay here and rest. Doctor’s orders! But you go ahead.”

Rebecca put her Beretta in her back pocket and headed out the door. Reagan bolted after her. “Looks like you’ve got a security escort!” Joshua laughed. After Rebecca left he turned off the television, stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes, thankful for some much-needed quiet time.

***

The sun’s warmth more than made up for the cool temperature as Rebecca made her way up the trail. The hike energized her. In many places the trail was narrow and rocky, and some of the inclines seemed to reach to heaven. After fifteen minutes Perry and Caroline both stopped and leaned against the rocks, panting.

“I need to catch my breath,” Perry said between labored breaths. “This is a little different than the trails I’m used to in Raleigh.”

Caroline nodded and leaned against the rock wall, her hands on her knees. Rebecca stretched while Reagan nosed around, sniffing everything in sight. After a few minutes they resumed their trek up the mountain, stopping several more times along the way.

After an hour they arrived at a spot which offered a clear, unobstructed view. Wispy clouds intermingled with the rolling mountaintops, some of which featured patches of snow. In the valley below, Lake Fontana zig-zagged between the mountains and seemed to stretch to eternity. Rebecca and Caroline took a seat on a rock and admired the view, while a jittery Reagan avoided venturing too close to the edge.

“This view makes the hike up here worth it,” Caroline said.

“Just think, after doing this for a year we’ll all be in good enough shape to make this climb with no problem,” Rebecca said. “I wish Josh were up here with us.”

After some time Perry said, “Well, we’d better head back. We don’t want to miss dinner.”

Reagan led the way as the group headed down the trail. As they rounded a corner in a thickly wooded area the puppy froze in his tracks and began growling. Perry raised his hand and motioned for everyone to stop. Rebecca’s stomach churned as she spotted two black bear cubs on the trail ahead of them.

“Cubs,” Perry whispered. “If they are here then Mama can’t be far away.”

They slowly backed away. Rebecca’s heart leapt when a large bear bounded out of the woods in front of them. The animal’s barbaric roar sent a horrific chill down her spine. In lightning-quick fashion, the bear unleashed the full force of her maternal instincts with a vicious slap that began on Perry’s shoulder, slashed diagonally across his midsection and sent him careening off the trail. Rebecca heard several violent thuds as he crashed into trees along the way. Reagan let out a terrified yelp, ran between the bear’s legs and disappeared down the trail.