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Sean wiped the sweat off his brow with the bottom of his t-shirt. It was mid-May and he was about three feet deep in a hole. After the strong spring storm the night before, a warm front was passing through so the temperature was unseasonably warm. There had been a leak in the water line running from the retreat’s rooftop gutters to the holding tank and they were trying to find it. He handed the shovel to Caleb, who helped pull him out of the hole before hopping down to take a turn at the soggy ground. With only another foot or so to the pipe, they didn’t want to take the risk of using a digging bar. Sean looked down the hill at Peter’s farm. There were over a dozen bodies hand tilling the two acres they had fenced in. They were utilizing the section of field furthest from the main road and closest to the retreat’s location. Long rows of raised beds were taking shape in the last section of the field and almost ready to see the last round of spring planting.
The retreat group had made a few more friends with some of their closest neighbors who were all pitching in. With the neighbors included, their group had become their own community of nearly thirty. Two more watchtowers had been built by the newest members about a thousand yards apart: one at each end of the road overlooking the four farms that were clumped together in the valley below the retreat. The towers had been built using chopped-down telephone poles and spare lumber from one of the dilapidated barns on a deserted neighbor’s farm. Special care had been taken to build them in the tree line and to camouflage them as best as possible. One of the neighbors, Butch, who had helped build the hidden watchtowers, also had a large greenhouse that had been bartered for. A greenhouse had been one of their major oversights.
Peter had told them in late December about the importance of a greenhouse to allow a head start on the growing season. They had scouted the area at night looking for something suitable and were lucky that a neighbor just down the road had a large one behind his barn that was in excellent shape. Contact had been made and after bartering for some food, a Ruger Mini 14, and some extra ammunition with the promise of mutual use of the greenhouse, they had been allowed to relocate it. It was placed on the hill in the open ground next to the retreat to allow it the most southern sunlight. Emily had chosen the book on gardening which had a couple chapters dealing with greenhouses. Between her and Peter, they had been having huge success. The greenhouse currently held almost a thousand various vegetables of a hearty nature that were almost two-thirds through their growing cycle. They had also replanted twice that many into the field in stages. Sean had been amazed at how well plants could grow in a greenhouse during the late winter months, even though it was at a slower rate.
Their first addition to the greenhouse had been raised wooden shelves about two feet wide around the inside perimeter so they could start seedlings for the garden. Peter had shown them how keeping a pile of manure in the corner would help raise the temperature in the greenhouse and add some moisture to the air. There was so much knowledge needed to live off the land. It had given Sean some perspective and respect for his forefathers who had perfected the simple tasks they were just now learning.
Their new community had also experienced tragedy recently and was just getting back to normal after their shootout with a roving gang of looters a few days before. Sean had been awakened by the sound of the car horn alarm from Peter’s farm. A gang of twenty or more looters had snuck inside the perimeter of watchtowers during the early hours of the morning. Darren had been on watch at Peter’s Farm and was the first to spot some of them crawling over the white picket fence that surrounded the farm house. Darren set off the alarm immediately and together with Kathy, Peter, and his wife they had barely made it into the basement before the intruders broke through the front door. An AR500 steel target had been mounted to the inside of the basement door just below a loop hole, allowing Darren to defend the narrow stairwell leading down to the basement door. He had quite a harrowing experience and had a pretty sustained gunfight, going through two boxes of 00 buck shot before the intruders had given up trying to get down the narrow stairwell. They had found one of the looters the following morning in the back yard with a mortal shot to his femoral artery. Darren was pretty shook up over the ordeal and was really battling the idea of taking another person’s life when he had devoted his entire life to saving people.
As the group was making their way to the farmhouse from multiple directions, a second alarm went off from the watchtower nearest Sean’s position. He made the decision to veer off on his own and see what he could do. He silently moved across the open at a half jog back towards the tree line to skirt his way over to the other watchtower. A group of six men were in the open field in a pitched battle with the two guards manning the watchtower. Sean engaged them from over a hundred yards away with an ATN PS22 night vision scope attachment he had attached to the front of his Tikka .308 deer rifle’s scope.
Damian’s contribution of the night vision scope attachment had proven to be a game changer. The men had tried to duck down and some even lay prone, but they could never figure out exactly where the shots were coming from. A few of their rounds had been fired in his general direction, but nothing that made him too nervous. He was able to take his time and place his shots precisely. Afterwards, Sean made his way over to Peter’s farm where he had been hearing a lot of gunfire, but it was over by the time he reached the house. Andrew, Caleb, and Brody had left Sean to deal with the watchtower and had just been getting ready to make entry when the looters came out of the farm house with arms full of food and supplies. They were cut down before making it off the front deck.
Damian and Randy had encountered five other members of the gang making their way through the woods toward the main retreat. Again, a handheld night vision monocular used by Damian combined with Randy’s silenced M1A had easily tipped the battle in their favor. One of the other farmhouses had been attacked also, but the looters were fought off there as well. They assumed only one person got away because the following morning they found a late 60s Chevy Impala and an early 70s rusted out Ford Bronco parked about five hundred yards away, just off the road. There was also a third set of tire tracks but no vehicle. If there had been more than one escapee, then they surely would have taken their other vehicles.
It wasn’t all good news though. Butch, the man they had bartered the greenhouse from, had been shot in the head while in the watchtower before Sean had a chance to get into position and take out the threats. His wife had been on watch with him and she was found clutching his body in the silence that only shock can produce. He was still breathing when Darren arrived at the watchtower with his medical bag. Unfortunately, Butch had sustained massive brain damage and there wasn’t much Darren could do. Butch continued breathing for almost an hour, which seemed like an eternity. It was only when he stopped breathing that his wife realized the finality of the situation. Sean could still hear her wailing in his head.
They had buried Butch behind his house under a large oak tree and held a small service for him the following day. Sean had been to multiple funerals while growing up, and even though he and Butch hadn’t been close, this one was by far the hardest and most gut wrenching. Butch’s wife was in her mid-thirties and refused to leave their home even though it was outside of the small community’s perimeter. The women of the retreat had been taking turns visiting her the last couple days with an armed escort, taking over food and trying to sooth her. By their accounts, she was severely depressed and they all worried about her. Even though she refused to leave her home, Sean knew they would have to make her at some point in the near future. She wasn’t safe alone and they just couldn’t risk making daily trips off the reservation like that.
The last few days everyone had been on edge. How did the looters know about or hear about their community? They must have been scoping them out ahead of time. Were there more of them? Would a larger group come back for retaliation? Sean assumed not but wasn’t for certain. He figured the man that had escaped must have told his group about the total annihilation of their raiding party. Only a very large group would try again, especially at night, and if it was a large group, why hadn’t they sent more manpower the first night? The last few days had been spent mostly indoors on lockdown with extra watch duties. There had been some discussion about sending a team to canvass the surrounding areas to make sure the looters hadn’t moved in somewhere locally, but it was easily voted down due to the excess risk it presented. For now they would stay put and hope that the rest of the outside world stayed away from their budding community.
The previous night had also brought more disturbing news. One of the newest members had taken in his sister from Tionesta. Even though it was against the rules to bring in an outsider without a vote, it was overlooked since she was a close family member in need and because of the terrible circumstances of her arrival.
A young girl in her early twenties, Beth Ann had been questioned by the retreat members about the current situation in Tionesta. Sean had always wondered how well the small town was getting along after the EMP. She said that even though there was massive suffering there, the town was still functioning. Apparently, someone had taken charge and was making sure people were getting just enough food to survive by operating a soup kitchen downtown and issuing rations to some others. This man had pulled together a large police force that was mostly keeping order. They had locked down the town after bringing in all the supplies and livestock from the neighboring farms. They also had a large greenhouse in use and growing vegetables. She wasn’t sure where the seed had come from though. She said the people were actually all pitching in and adapting to the challenges.
Not all the news was positive though. There were some other disturbing things Beth Ann had mentioned even though she didn’t seem to find them out of place. Apparently there was a dusk-till-dawn curfew in place across the entire town. She said this new leader, Mr. Andrews, held public meetings regularly and would give long passionate speeches about everyone doing their part. There were also occasional hangings for criminals in the town square and someone had even had some fingers cut off for stealing. Houses were only allowed one handgun or shotgun and limited ammo with the rest of the weapons and ammo stored in a guarded storage room at the municipal building. She said this was only for the town’s safety and security. Mr. Andrews had said in one of his speeches that fewer guns would help control the criminal activity and murders throughout the town. She said that the people had learned to follow the rules and not complain. She recited a list of “by-laws” that had been enacted while giving Mr. Andrews the authority to enforce them. She described the town’s security force as around thirty men who all wore green sashes around their waists and referred to themselves as “The Deputies.” Sean immediately got the mental image of “the cowboys” from the movie Tombstone. Beth Ann said they did what they liked and most people turned the other way or gave them what they wanted to avoid trouble or being “expelled” from the town. The people also couldn’t risk losing their daily rations at the soup kitchen.
When Randy asked her how they managed to feed that many people and where they were getting all their supplies, the woman just shrugged her shoulders and said that Mr. Andrews had said in one of his speeches that the surrounding farmers were doing their duty and not being greedy by “donating” supplies and livestock for the “good of the collective community.” Beth Ann said that most people didn’t ask questions about where stuff came from and that they were just happy to be helping out their community and receiving food in return for their labor. There were also a lot more disturbing details that were revealed, but she seemed to think of them as the new normal. When asked why she left the town if things were good there, she fell awkwardly silent and didn’t offer much after that.
The brother had pulled Sean and Randy aside later and informed them that his sister had been raped on numerous occasions and it seemed to be happening more frequently now to the single and unprotected women in the town. She said it was one of Mr. Andrews’ security team who was responsible, but she had no way to prove it. Without proof, she was afraid to complain as it might make things worse for her. So instead, she had fled her apartment.
After their neighbor and his sister had left the retreat cabin, there had been hours of discussion from their group about the situation. There wasn’t too much they could do at the time, and sending a scouting party was too risky with the amount of security she said the town had. It was really disturbing for the group to find out there was that sort of situation brewing less than ten miles away.
Things went back to normal after that—the new normal. From dawn till dusk there was work to be done. Everyone pitched in and everyone found a niche where he or she could contribute. The hunting forays had been completely stopped now. They weren’t having very much success lately and the risk was too great with a growing amount of run-ins with other locals hunting. Each instance had resulted in tense standoffs, but each time both sides had slowly retreated in opposite directions. The fishing was still ok, but it was a good distance to the river and there wasn’t a whole lot of enthusiasm from any of the retreat members to spend the day so far from home with such a small payoff. Sean had been surprised at the lack of conflict that was present. The men of the group had always been friends but the women had hardly known each other beforehand. After months of living together in close quarters, they truly were a family now.
A few weeks later, the alarm from the farthest watchtower went off, sending people scrambling from the fields and houses in multiple directions. After their run-in with the gang of looters, they had spent more time with their neighbors drilling on different scenarios. Their response to the first attack had been slow and somewhat disorganized, where this response was much quicker with everyone knowing their responsibility.
Sean ran through the front door of the cabin at the same time as Caleb was coming out. He grabbed the duffle bag with his name stenciled on it and rapidly pulled out his tactical vest, rifle scabbard, and ghillie suit. Maria came around the corner just as he was heading for the door. She grabbed her duffle and started pulling out her gear as well. For a moment, Sean thought she was going to make some fuss about coming with him. Being nearly full term, her responsibility was to stay put and protect the retreat cabin with the other women. Maria looked up at him as she pulled her vest around her stomach straining to clip it around her growing belly. She eventually took it back off and set about loosening the side buckles further. “Be careful, honey,” she said seriously. “We’ll be waiting here for you.”
Sean rushed back over to her and gave her a very quick hug and kiss. “I love you both,” was all he said before running out the door.
SEAN, RANDY, AND BRODY stepped out from the concealment of the trees and started making their way towards the pickup truck and the three men casually sitting on the tailgate. “We really need to build a gate,” Randy whispered as they walked. They had been watching the three men for about fifteen minutes from the cover of the tree line. They weren’t doing anything threatening but obviously weren’t leaving and wanted to talk. Ten minutes ago, Brody had sent Damian, Caleb, and Andrew on a wide circle to approach from the rear and make sure they weren’t ambushed by reinforcements. Sean pushed back the ghillie poncho’s hood and unfastened the front ties so his tactical vest was exposed and reachable. He swapped his rifle for the SU-16 from his back scabbard and clicked it into the wolf hook hanging from his vest.
Randy and Brody walked beside him with a purpose. Sean knew that he had multiple rifles pointed in the direction of the three men, but he still had that itchy feeling. They slowed their pace as they approached the vehicle while at the same time not making any threatening movements. The three men just watched them approach with no alarm, as if they were expecting old friends. They stopped once they were within ten yards, forcing the older gentleman to hop off the tailgate and came forward. He smiled and extended his hand as he approached.
“That’s close enough,” Randy said firmly yet politely. “State your business.”
The man stopped as instructed. “I was just coming to introduce myself and see if I could offer any assistance to you fine people.”
“We’re doing pretty well on our own. What are you offering?” Randy asked.
“Well, my name is Mr. Andrews and I’m offering you to be part of our community, Tionesta, and part of the rebuilding of this great nation.”
“We already have a community,” Brody said frankly.
“So I’ve heard,” Mr. Andrews acknowledged while rubbing his chin as if in some great thought.
“Heard from whom?” Sean asked bluntly.
“Oh, that’s not important,” the man said while waiving his hand dismissively. “I’m here...”
“It’s important to me,” Sean cut him off. “None of us have been to your town, so I’m curious to know how you’ve heard of us?”
Mr. Andrews smiled at Sean’s directness. “We have security personnel that are in charge of keeping tabs on the locals and maintaining peace and order. They came across your farm a couple days ago while on patrol.”
Sean smiled back at him, “Where were your security personnel last week when we were attacked by a large gang of looters?”
Mr. Andrews put a look of concern on his face. “I’m currently stretched pretty thin and your community is a bit of a distance from the city limits. It makes it hard for us to protect you this far out. Is everyone alright? I hope no one was hurt too badly.” He tried to act seriously distraught over the news, but Sean could tell he wasn’t sincere.
“Nobody was hurt, but there sure are a lot of dead bodies,” Randy informed him dryly, “...including one of our own. And we don’t need nor do we want your protection.”
“Well, you’re going to need us sooner or later. How do you expect to survive out here all alone? At some point you’ll need food, supplies, farming tools, tractor, and vehicle repairs—all the things a modern town can provide.”
“We don’t need any supplies from you; we have plenty,” Brody offered. Sean had to resist the urge to give Brody a cross look. He wanted this man to know as little as possible.
“Is that so?” Mr. Andrews responded with a disarming smile.
Sean could tell that the man was just fishing for information at this point, so he just dodged reaffirming his question. “So if you don’t have any further business, then we’re going to ask you to leave now.” Sean said it politely but he could tell Mr. Andrews wasn’t the type who liked hearing “no” for an answer.
“Well, just a minute there. No need to be unfriendly, mister. I just thought I would come out and introduce myself to your little community here and let you know that we are willing to be of assistance to you if needed. I have been entrusted by the great people of Tionesta to look out for their interests, protect them, and help feed them till they can get back on their feet. The fact of the matter is that you fall within the county limits and under my jurisdiction for now.”
“So now you are King of the County as well, huh?” Randy sniffed. “Is that a self-appointed title?” Sean looked over to Randy with a disapproving look, trying to keep the conversation civil.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, partner. I’m not trying to claim anything or any title here, but I am the closest thing to government within fifty miles. I’m just trying to help my constituents and ensure their safety and well being. I think it would really be wise of your group to consider moving your enterprise into the city limits. We have tons of people looking for work and willing to help out their community. Just think what you could accomplish with our help. Maybe you would have a better chance against looters next time. Think of the poor man who left behind a pretty young widow...”
“How did you know that Butch had a widow?” Sean asked, irritated now.
“It’s my job to know these things if I’m to help the weakest amongst us. My men stumbled upon her yesterday while on patrol. You guys left her all alone with no protection where she could have been raped and murdered,” Mr. Andrews said accusingly. “We simply offered her a safe place to live, eat and receive some counseling from one of the local psychiatrists and she gladly accepted.”
“Bullcrap!” Brody said defensively. “She would have come to us first. We have been feeding her and offered her room and board here ourselves, but she refused. She just needed some time alone to mourn.”
Mr. Andrews waved his hand again dismissively. “I don’t really know why she accepted our offer and not yours. Maybe she just didn’t feel safe here anymore. Feel free to swing by town sometime and check in on her if you’d like. I could show you around town,” Mr. Andrews was still smiling and Sean had to really force himself to push down his anger.
“Mr. Andrews, I appreciate you stopping by today to introduce yourself, but we don’t need to take a vote or discuss your offer. I can assure you right now, that there is no member of our community that wishes to live under martial law and the unconstitutional by-laws you have put into place.”
“I see you have been doing some scouting on your own. I will need to have a talk with my deputies about our perimeter security.” He laughed good-naturedly as if he just told a joke. Sean was sure he was serious, though, and just nodded his head back not wanting to reveal that they actually hadn’t been into town.
He continued, “Well, since I can see you don’t want to be a team player, I feel that I should inform you that whether you like it or not, you still fall under our jurisdiction. You see Sherriff Branson over there?” he pointed to the pickup where Sean noticed the silver star on the man’s chest for the first time. “Well, I’m going to have him put together a welcome packet for you. It will have all the necessary information you need to comply with the new by-laws that are currently in effect. It’s also my duty to inform you that we have the ability to levy taxes for the general welfare of the people. Since paper money is pretty much worthless now, I will send a few deputies along with the good Sheriff to take inventory of your community’s assets, crops, and livestock. I trust we will have your full cooperation in this. At a later date we will return to collect the taxes for this year. I can assure you that they will be fair and just. You need to realize that you can’t shirk your responsibility to the community and break the law by not paying your fair share.”
Brody burst out laughing in response, which he instantly turned into a deadly stare. “Mr. Andrews, it is my duty to inform you that if your fake Sheriff or his deputies ever show their faces near our community again... well, you’ll need to find some replacements. We don’t recognize your authority, your jurisdiction, your by-laws, or your non-elected position. We follow the Constitution of the United States of America in this community and if you think we’re going to allow some Marxist Liberal hack....” Sean grabbed Brody’s arm to calm him down as he was starting to lean forward in Mr. Andrews’s direction, making his friends nervous. They were now standing up with their hands uncomfortably near their weapons.
“It seems as though you have your answer, Mr. Andrews,” Sean said calmly. “It’s probably about time that you get back to the safety and security of your town.”
Mr. Andrews’s face was flushed with anger. Apparently, none of the other local farmers had dared speak to him that way when confronted. He puffed up his chest and spoke with a manner of superiority. “You really leave me with no choice here, gentleman. I can’t allow a lawless armed militia to be living so close to our town and living outside the universally accepted by-laws that are currently keeping our fragile society in check. You are a danger to our town and your community is not above the law. You have already displayed your intentions of aggression by sneaking into our town and spying on our citizens. I will give you two weeks to mull it over. If you do not comply with the law, then you will have to pay the consequences, just like any other criminals.”
“What are you going to do, cut off my fingers?” Sean asked sarcastically. It got the surprised response he was looking for. He wanted Mr. Andrews to think he knew more than he actually did. “It is also my duty to inform you, Mr. Andrews, that we are not some local farmer that you can just push around and steal property from. Until the postman delivers a letter from Washington DC, I won’t be paying any taxes. And we won’t be paying any local tax, either, to some two-bit dictator with a bought Sheriff, especially without representation. Let me warn you ahead of time. If you choose to try and take our farm, you and your make-believe security personnel will die. I don’t care if you bring all thirty of your little deputies wearing their stupid sashes. I’m warning you now, do not underestimate the tactical capability of our community. Good day, Mr. Andrews.”
Mr. Andrews stood silent for a moment, glaring back at Sean. “I’m giving you two weeks to come to your senses, and then....” Mr. Andrews turned on his heal and headed back towards the pickup, which quickly sped off down the road.
“Mr. Andrews is going to be a serious problem,” Sean said to no one in particular.
“You got that right,” Brody agreed.