The Solitary Man’s Refuge (33 page)

They all complained to the man, that thinking about
Cannibalism, death through starvation, grass salads and
eating garbage were more than fleeting thoughts to them
and that’s the crux of the problem. WE got people now in
this city that are sinking into some very nasty mind frames
and it’s not safe for us here even if it’s only a dozen or
thousands that are becoming unpredictable as to when
they might go over the edge. There is a saying, that when
people lose everything, they lose it. I think lots of people
didn’t have but three days worth of food in their houses
weeks ago and I bet the atrocities have already started
with missing pets etc. first, and maybe for some people, it
might be a missing neighbor next that is considered as a
menu item. We already have a population segment
dependant on psychotropic drugs to get rid of “bad
thoughts” or voices in their heads and I don’t want to hang
around to find out what that might mean about right now to
my safety, so I am leaving, it’s as simple as that. People
are becoming very mentally ill and desperate. You got
anything to needing to go to my place, make up your mind
now. I doubt I will be coming back this way for sometime to
come.” Donald said laying it all on the line while presenting
a heart rending choice for both of them to separate a
beautiful friendship.

“I can’t leave now! Momma and my sister haven’t
said what they are going to be doing yet in regards to
bugging out. Stay another day PLEASE! I will talk to them
and tell them the dangers of staying here, I promise. Oh
Donald, this is too hard of a decision to make a snap
judgment on. Come by here in the morning. I want you to
take some stuff with you now because I WILL be coming
by your place one day to stay, but let’s not end us like this.
There has to be something we haven’t thought of yet or
figure out how to bug in here longer.” Janice wailed all the
while soaking his shoulder and chest with salty tears.

“I don’t see it sweetie, I got to see to my preps and
family right now and a delay is not an option I care to
consider. My door’s always open to you, as you well know,
but I am kind of like a guy that has seen a fuse lit leading
to a whole keg of dynamite and decided to make tracks. I
can’t get out of the area fast enough to suit me or wait on
any stragglers that haven’t started running for cover yet.
You decide and I will abide, but my truck and my mom will
be packed in the morning when I come by and you know
how I am when I am in a hurry.” Donald somberly related.

“Sandy and I talked about this whole thing of
leaving in a hurry some while you were gone and we
decided that when it was time to absolutely go, we are
going to basically kidnap momma. Here is the plan. I am
going to go over there and try my damndest to get her to
leave on her own. If she doesn’t listen to us, Sandy and I
are going to spike her tea with sleeping pills or something
and carry her out of the house and to the country. We will
drop her off with the Kin folk in Ramer and we will both see
you in two days at your farmstead.” Janice said now dry
eyed and looking as confident as she could under the
circumstances.

“Let me get this straight, Janice. Are you actually
saying that you and your sister are actually going to drug
your Mama and drop her off with relatives and then you
and your sister are moving in with me?” Donald said, both
confused and alarmed at the prospect.

“You got it; we will hang around until she wakes up
in Ramer with the relatives and have another talk with her
but not for long. Sandy will help me settle in with you and
may or may not go back and stay with her depending on
how the whole kidnapping thing goes over. Mamma has
got lots of relatives her age around there that she grew up
with and is tight with them younger cousins, nephews and
nieces of mine she has got around that community to take
care of her and we think that will be the best thing for her
survival. You take that batch of preps I got sitting over in
the corner of the living room by the TV and Sandy and I
will load our two cars with the rest of what’s in the second
bedroom.” Janice said resolutely and motioned towards 8
large cardboard boxes.

“Damn. I got crap of my own to move, but the old
lady will have her car, too, to carry some of the overflow of
it. That ought to be cute getting her to follow me in her car
on that interstate to my place. She is going to be upset and
constantly falling behind in back of me no matter what I do.
Ok, what’s in those boxes and don’t tell me it’s just heavy
shit like ammo cans and camping equipment. If you are
coming to stay with me long-term, then you best be food
heavy in what you are bringing.” Donald said not at all
pleased the sister was now one of his charges. She was
nice enough but she was also moody as hell on a good
day in his opinion and he dreaded having her in the close
confines of his home when he wouldn’t have the patience
for her to decide on her own to go to her own house to
satisfy her realization about how aggravating the three of
them could be to one another.

“She can work harder in the garden than me
because of my back and is a good shot with no qualms
about using a gun if necessary. She is an asset we have
already thought of this and discussed the possibility.”
Janice began before Donald cut her off.

“I said I would take her in, I didn’t say I had to like it
or she didn’t have to change her attitude some. I am not
worried about her. What I am worried about is you
separating your guns and ammo in a move. I know you are
keeping a certain amount of shells or bullets with each
weapon, but in spite of yourself you never really picked up
on the difference between all the different rounds I bought
for you and what purpose they do best.” Donald
complained.

“Yes, I did too listen, remember I marked the
cartridge boxes so I could remember later what was best
to load and for what purpose.” Janice said as she started
to go open a cardboard box with two ammo cans in it that
probably weighed 45 lbs at least.

“You don’t have to show me. I remember your
ammo filing system.”
Donald grumbled reminiscing that
after 5 years of trying to explain the differences in ammo
specifications none of it had sunk in. The boxes were
basically marked, practice, hunting and defense and he
doubted she had a clue which to use for what in spite of
long conversations that NATO ball 9mm was hotter than
regular practice full metal jacket 9mm or that ball ammo
might be a better choice to shoot through winter multiple
layers of clothes than hollow point defense ammo. Or that
the 9mm carbine fed better with one round or another and
increased bullet speed where a soft point was better so
they didn’t break up when hunting deer but use Ball on a
big hog’s armor plated by gristle shoulder that could take
small buckshot with little damage at a distance.

“I do know too, I shot better than you before you got
your eyes fixed, remember and you told me bullet
placement was the key anyway no matter what type of
bullet I was shooting.” Janice demanded.

“Yea, you are right about that, but some of that stuff
is a safety issue to remember. You remember the
difference between high brass and low brass shotgun
shells or not to shoot those damn viper 22 rounds in my
charter arms survival rifle but CCI mini mags were fine and
that target pistol of yours Ruger could shoot anything you
got in the .22 caliber selection you have?” Donald fired
back.

“Well, I remember most of what you said and
marked all different boxes back then for daily carry or
hunting. Every gun I got that I am carrying in the car has
50 rounds with it split down the middle. Those guns are
already loaded and Sandy knows where they are at if
needed. I am not a gun Prepper, I told you that many times
before, it’s not interesting to remember all those facts you
told me as you acquired those bullets way back then.”
Janice told Donald to his exasperation and he had to
renew this education once again and for everyone in the
circle of friends that might inadvertently try to load some of
the exotic but practical ammo he had been a connoisseur
about buying for Janice to increase each weapons
potential or usefulness according to his research in
applications.

“Take the extra ammo and heavy stuff, Donald. It
was your crazy ass that duplicated things like two sets of
cast iron cookware or needing a tripod for them to sit over
a fire, but I know why you did it so we both were equal in
preps and have already given you my thanks. Do you want
me to offer those types of items and duplicate preps if I
stay with you to the neighbors or my family so you don’t
have to haul them with you, or are you going to bitch and
ask me where something is at if we leave preps behind?”
Janice said doing the damned if I do and damned if I don’t
look at Donald.

“I can see your point. Damn this house was
prepped for a stand alone bug in plan and it would take a
U-Haul to carry everything you got around here. Think
about it this way to load that damn little Honda skateboard
car of yours. I will fit and secure on your car that roof rack
bag I bought you at the Wal-Mart clearance sale. Those
three big black nylon footlocker sized bags full of Mountain
House cases of food will take up your backseat and maybe
if you pack well, you could fit another 6-8 individual box
cases in that tiny vehicle plus your bugout bag in the front
seat. The trunk, if it was left open and tied with a cord, you
might get a few pillow cases of canned goods from your
pantry and a few more boxes of food and your winter
clothes stuffed in as well as your Stove Tec stove. No
other tools, no linens and minimal personal crap. That
means before you start whining, take your portable easel
and paints even though I doubt you will have time to be
painting pics anytime soon. Get your sensible clothes
together but don’t be packing a bunch of bulky suitcases
full. You remember how you tried to load that booger just
to go on vacation for 3 days with me? Now, I hope like hell
you listened to me about practicality as well as timing.
Don’t be spending three days talking and thinking about
what to load. Just do it and be done with it! Its Beans,
bullets, and bandages and light on the med preps except
all your moms prescription medicines you need to be sure
to gather. If you can’t eat it and/or make your load lighter
by not taking it, don’t tote it. We are in Solar Max space
weather event and if we get another CME of this size or
larger it will be within the next 90 days. We are very, very
lucky cars are still working now to transport some of this
crap we are going to need. If a Geomagnetic solar storm
hits again, which by the way is entirely possible in the next
few days and your vehicle don’t work, you remember what
I told you.” Donald gave as his final advice to his close
friend before he had to leave and see to his other plans
and preparations.

“I will be on time, don’t you worry; you are scaring
the crap out of me. You be careful, too. Lets get your truck
loaded and you can help me load up my car some too.”
Janice said showing him she was committed to the idea of
getting the hell out of dodge too.

An hour or so later, Donald then drove his heavily
laden truck to his moms’ house so he could begin packing
her car and ready for the big bug out he contemplated
undertaking the next day.

“You got back a little quicker than I thought you
would. Nobody was at the office, Donald?”? His mom
inquired of him.

“I didn’t go there, Mom. I got a little bit nervous
about going downtown for no particular reason other than
all those side streets crossing my direction of travel with no
traffic signals and came back directly after visiting Janice.
Streets were not too bad out in the city, all in all, and I
made good time. I saw a few looted stores which is to be
expected, times being what they are and told Janice that I
thought it might be time for her to be thinking of leaving the
city.” Donald said carefully broaching the subject of leaving
in the morning.

“No, just an indication it’s getting harder for the law
to control folks from taking what they want or need.
Looting will be eventually less localized and more
widespread and when there is nothing more for them to
loot in the stores is when you really got to worry about any
unwanted visitors. No one will be trying to go house to
house or anything for some time thinking of robbing or
stealing I don’t think for a few weeks so we will be ok.”
Donald said only mildly assuaging her fears.

“Well, if you didn’t go to the office, I must assume
we are leaving soon for your country place, am I right?”
Mom queried resolved that escape seemed to be the best
option right about now.

“Yes, we go in the morning. We may as well start
living the country life for a while and I got lots of projects
that need me seeing to about there.” Donald replied
keeping the conversation calm so as to not alarm his
mother about anything unduly.

“What does Janice say? Do her Mom and sister
want to leave the city soon, too?” Mom said fishing for
outside confirmation that somebody besides Donald
thought leaving was a good idea.

“She was heading over to talk to her Mom when I
left. Evidently her Mom is willing to go because she said
she would be at my place in two days time. They are going
to drop her Mom off in Ramer and move some supplies up
to my location; I got a partial load of Janice’s preps in my
truck... Her Mom will arrive with her own supplies to stay in
Ramer with the relatives and Janice and her sister will be
moving in with us for a while to help me get my place
running. Lots of garden work and other things to do.”
Donald said twisting the truth a little and trying to make the
move as casual as possible for his mother.