TOCABAGA (Revised Edition) (Book #1 of The Tocabaga Chronicles) (2 page)

April 11, 2025

6 Days Earlier

We heard the helicopters coming before we saw them. Security ran out into the street, guns ready, to see who dared to fly over our island. To our surprise they were Army Black Hawk helicopters, which relieved our fears so we didn’t shoot at them. We had never seen Army choppers over our island. They flew by, circled around, and then came back lower than before.

The four
Black Hawk UH 60 choppers hovered at about one hundred feet in the air and started to land in the street, creating a whirlwind of dust. The people who gathered there to watch them land backed up a few hundred feet to get out of the way. We were all surprised and wondered what they wanted. As far as we were concerned the Army was on our side.

The Black Hawk helicopter is armored to withstand hits from 23 mm shells, and its airframe is designed to crush on impact to protect the crew. The pilot and co-pilot have armor plated seats. The helicopter also accommodates door gunners, who provide security for the crew and aircraft using machine guns.

Upon landing, eight Army Rangers jumped out from each chopper in full battle gear, pointing their guns at the crowd that had gathered. Everyone, including me, started to back up and give them space; most of us with guns raised our hands to show we meant them no harm. I was thinking, w
hat the hell is going on. Why are they pointing their guns at us?

The Ranger motto is,
“Rangers Lead the Way.” They are tough as nails. This was the first visit by the Army and we wanted news from the outside world to learn what was occurring out there. We had heard over the radio that the Army Special Forces were now involved fighting for the common American citizen.

As the chopper motors wound down and the noise reduced
, a Ranger Captain approached us and asked, “Who is in charge?”

I was standing there with Rick,
Robbie and Eddy. I stepped forward and said, “We are in charge Captain and you are a welcome sight. What can we do for you?”

The Captain
replied, “First of all, please instruct your people not to point any guns towards my men. Keep all rifles slung over your shoulder and handguns holstered as we don’t want any accidents to happen.”

I yelled out his instructions for everyone to hear as I did not want any accident to happen
either. Rick, Robbie and Eddy walked around the crowd making sure everyone complied with this order.

After a few minutes the Captain seemed satisfied
as our people laid down their guns or slung them over their shoulders and he said, “We heard about your little compound and since we were flying by on our way south; I decided to drop in to find out more about this location and the people living here.”

I said, “Captain, may I suggest we go inside
in the shade and talk?”

The Captain told his men to stand down and they stopped pointing their
weapons at us. They still stood there on each side of the choppers, watching everyone, guns at the ready.

Four of us, along with the Ranger Captain and one Ranger Master
Sergeant, went into what was once the local bar.

After proper introductions and handshakes, Captain Sessions said,
“Rick, please tell me a little about this island compound, what laws you follow, how many people live here and how it generally functions.”

Rick said, “We are
all property owners living here and I am the President and Jack is Vice President and Director of Security for our compound. We are governed by the state and county laws and for law enforcement, we fall under the County Sheriff Office. Twenty-five of us are Sheriff Deputies. We follow the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. We have a Board of Directors that is elected by the people living here.

“There
are twenty-five military veterans on our island, Marines, Navy, and Air Force but most are Army vets. Most vets were only in the military for four years but they know how to follow orders. Three of our men are retired from the military; Ron a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer, Bob a retired Marine; and Mike retired from the Army. Their knowledge and combat skills are helpful to everyone. Tommy Gunn was a Marine Scout Sniper and won the Silver Star. They drilled our security team into shape and set the rules of conduct and rules for engagement with any possible enemy.”

We held a vote for President of our compound and Rick won. Not many wanted that job. Everyone likes Rick and he has a certain way of making you listen to him. Maybe it is his deep voice and reasonable logic. Rick has a brother who is an FBI agent but he hasn’t seen him for years. Rick is a self-made millionaire who used to own a tow truck company. He has no military experience.

I was elected Vice President and
Director of Security because no one else wanted the job and maybe because I had the most experience. I had actually killed more people than anyone else, other than my son.

I have had many different jobs in my life. I spent four years in the Army as a Military Policeman. I ha
ve been trained to use handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and in hand-to-hand combat. I once worked for a government Contractor in Security and had a DOD (Department of Defense) secret clearance and AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) security clearance.

I
obtained a degree in Engineering, but I never lost my fondness for guns and shooting. I joined gun clubs and shot in the IDPA for ten years. The International Defense Pistol League or IDPA has you practice drawing and shooting once or twice a week. You become a very fast draw and a very accurate shooter. I was also a range officer for ten years. I would go shooting with many friends, some of whom were retired Navy Seals, Army Rangers, Marines, DEA Agents and Police Officers. I shot with some of the best shooters in the area. One thing I know about is guns. I have shot almost every type of gun made at one time or another. Not only do l know how to use them, I know how to fix most of them and can sight in rifles with or without scopes.

My main job here is teaching people how to shoot and clean their weapons. I want everyone to know how to use a gun. In addition I pull security duty when it is my turn. Since I know something about security, I helped set up our security system for the compound.

I once shot a taxi driver in Mexico who tried to rob me. It was 5
am and I was in a taxi going to the Mexico City airport, when the taxi driver decided to take me down some dark road and rob me of my money. He stopped the car in the middle of nowhere, got out, and pulled a gun, commanding me, “Get out, Senor,” which I did.

As I stood
there within reach of his gun, he ordered me, “Give me your money and wallet.”

I said,
“Sure, just don’t shoot me.”

As I pulled my money out of my pocket, I dropped it on the ground and his eyes looked down at it
, giving me a split second to use a trick I learned from a Navy Seal, which is how to disarm and kill someone within your reach. As I grabbed and twisted the gun barrel it fired, the bullet hit his head and I pulled the gun from his hand and fired two more times into his chest.

He was dead.
I said to myself, maybe out loud but I don’t recall, “See you just killed yourself, you fucking dummy!”

I looked around to see if anyone else was nearby, but since gun fire in Mexico City is a common
sound, no one paid any attention. In addition, most people don’t want to get involved.

I
used to practice this disarm move all the time with Robbie and my buddies at our fight club and it was drummed into my muscle memory. Once you make the move you have to complete it or you will get shot. You swat the inside of the gun hand at his wrist while at the same time grab the gun barrel, turning it in and up towards the gunman’s head. Of course the gunman is going to pull the trigger but muscle reflex reaction time is not fast enough and by the time he pulls the trigger the gun barrel is pointed at his own head. Bam, he shoots himself in the head, it works almost every time. You carry through by twisting the gun out of his hand, which breaks his finger because it is in the trigger guard, and the gun falls into your hand; while stepping back, you shoot him again to make sure he is dead, just in case the head bullet missed.

I wiped off all fingerprints in the taxi and from the gun, throwing the gun on the ground next to his hand. I took off his white gloves that all the taxi drive
rs wore in Mexico and put them on. Now I looked just like a cab driver. I jumped into the taxi and sped away, leaving his dead body lying on the side of the road, and drove myself to the airport, pulling up right in front at the drop-off zone. To my surprise a Mexican cop was standing there looking right at me.

I grabbed my bag
from the back seat and walked inside to the ticket counter, leaving the cab sitting there, without making eye contact with the cop. I watched the cop out of the corner of my eye, as he was walking away, paying no attention to the cab. He thought I was just another poor cab driver. It was a good thing I had on those white gloves, jeans, and a ball cap. As the plane rose into the air I thanked God I made it out of Mexico. I never felt any remorse for killing that jerk because he most likely would have killed me.

Rick and I own a lot of guns. We have collected guns and ammo for over 25 years because we like guns and always thought
of them as the best item to own in a crisis. No question, a gun is the one item to own. Think about it, if you have a gun you can protect your family and hunt food. One time Rick asked me if he should buy some gold for emergency situations and future worth. I told him no, buy guns and ammo. If you don’t have a gun then someone can take your gold. I once heard there are three hundred-fifty million guns in the United States, which means one gun for every man, woman and child living in the good old USA.

Between
Rick and I we have 55 guns; you name it, we own it. We have shotguns, AR15 rifles, AK47 rifles, a Cobb 50 caliber long range rifle, 308 sniper rifles, HK 93 and HK 92 battle rifles and all kinds of handguns. Most handguns are 9mm along with some .380, .357 and .45 ACP colts. We have a lot of ammunition for each gun and can do reloading of spent shells. At our location we have a total of 465 guns, almost one gun per person.

I carry at all times a Glock 17, 9mm with 3 mags and a Colt AR15 carbine 9 mm with a red dot low light scope
along with three 30-round mags in a leg pouch strapped to my left leg. In addition, I carry a double-edge Black Bear Bowie knife. You never know when a good knife will come in handy. Ever since I stabbed the junkie who broke into my house, I’ve always carried some type of knife. I keep my Glock in a Kydex plastic holster on my right hip. The plastic holster keeps the gun secure, allows for easy access and a fast draw. Every security person here carries a gun at all times as you never know when you may need one.

Captain Sessions said, “That is what I wanted to hear, you follow the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, along with local laws. You are not an outlaw band keeping people here against their will.”

I said, “We can assure you everyone is here of their own free will. Go around and talk to anyone you like. The people living
here can leave anytime they want. Most of the people that previously lived here have already left to go live in the green zones, leaving us with a total of 556 people in our compound.”

Sessions replied,
“We’re already interviewing your people while we are sitting here to check out your story.”

I thought this guy was smart. H
e had a plan all along.

We all started to laugh.
Robbie raised his beer and said, “A toast to freedom and the Constitution.”

Everyone
clinked their glasses together and said, “To freedom and the Constitution.”

We had no sooner made a toast and in the door came a Ranger who advised the Captain that they had talked to twenty people who all stated they were here of their own free will. It felt great to gain the Rangers
’ trust.

The Captain replied,
“Good then, we have confirmed your story, now let’s see your compound. First tell me about any problems and dangers you may have here.”

I replied
, “Captain, here is the situation. Empty homes are being taken back by the jungle. Grass and weeds have grown so high that you cannot walk through them without fear of getting bit by a snake. We have a large number of rattlesnakes for some reason. I killed two of them on my patio the other day. Every day I see at least one snake.”

Robbie butted in, which he does all the time,
“Sometimes the electric power comes on for a few hours a day but not enough to cool a house. We are blacked out for hours at a time. You never know when or for how long the power will be on. That means no electric lights at night and everything is black. At night it gets really dark and this is when snakes come out to hunt so not many people move around at night. If you walk around at night you need to stay on the sidewalks and roadways.

“There are a few generators which we use for running a small air conditioner, charging cell phones and tablets. Yes, we have cell phone service every now and then and are able to
access the internet for news. What we see and hear is not good. We can also charge our phones using car plugs. We made some windmills and solar cells to generate 12 volts of power to run 12-volt lights and fans. A small fan can reduce the heat index by about 10 degrees, which makes a difference. Almost everyone has a fan.”