Preparing

Day Thirty-seven, 3:22 PM

"Well, this is where they came from," I said.

I stood there looking at the empty pallets and the two remaining SEMCO's hot air balloons from the 1960s. The pallets looked like they originally held twelve of the balloons in their baskets.

Turning, I started walking further, and came to some open crates that contained M-16s, and Colt .45s. I knew if I could sell them back home I would make a killing. I passed ripped open crates of clothing, survival gear, and weapons. I even found four M9A1-7 flamethrowers strapped together. I knelt and checked each carefully and they were full. I didn't find any corrosion that I would expect from weapons that had been sitting so long. Standing up, I turned around and screamed as I bumped into Kalib.

"DON'T FUCKIN DO THAT!" I snapped out as I tried to get my heart under control. He just stood there looking at me and then smiled.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I would scare you. Everything in the plane is useable by you. I would suggest getting it all to your cave and stored before they get here. There is a lot of stuff that you will not want to fall into other hands.

"You also need to start making some allies with the natives. I would suggest you take some other women as your wives. You may need to kill a few of the men to do so. But that's the way it is here. You kill the mate, and then you're responsible for the spouse and children. I would" Kalib said.

"Wait a minute. Before who gets here?" I asked.

"The Army of John!" he stated as he picked up one of the pistols.

"Ah shit. How many. When and how soon will they be here?" I asked as I sat on a case of C-Rats.

"About four hundred. It will be about thirty days until they get here. They are coming on horseback," Kalib replied as he dropped the pistol back in the case.

"Four hundred? I can't fight that many armed people. Especially if they have guns," I said.

"Yes you can, there are only about thirty rifles and pistols among them. The rest are armed with bow and swords. All you need to do is take out their leaders. I gave you the tools to do so..."

"I can't be ready in that time. We are going to have to flee, and flee far," I snapped out and interrupted him.

"Why can't you be ready?" Kalib asked.

"You want me to move all this stuff, and disarm the bombers out there. We need to gather that corn out there, as well as the fruit, before it spoils. Then we have to store it for winter. Plus we have to go out and hunt and slaughter meat, and either smoke it or freeze it for the winter.

"It just can't be done. This plane will take days to unload and store the stuff in the cave. I don't think the ground would handle full trailer loads. We would have to unpack the remaining crates, and distribute the weight between the vehicles. Then we'd have to drive them to the cave. We would then have to unload them, store the stuff, drive back, and start over. I am only one fucking man!" I snapped out in anger.

"I can help with three things. The planes ... modifying your cave ... and I will get you a 600C Series Corn Head John Deer combine. You can use the trucks with plywood walls to carry the corn. Everything will be done tonight, but you must be ready, I cannot interfere ... Shit! I have to go, my captain is looking for me," he said and vanished.

"Uh oh, looks like he's in trouble," I said as I started examining more of the boxes. I was opening a case when gun fire shattered the air.

Jane

I yanked Charlene and Kari down when I saw the three men coming towards us through the corn. Each was holding a rifle in their hands as I fumbled the safety off on the Chinese made AK. Taking aim I shouted, "Drop the weapons."

The three men didn't even listen to me. They just dropped to the ground as their weapons snapped up to shoulders. I pressed the trigger as James had taught me. They opened fire at the same time as I did. I saw the first man go down as I heard a scream beside me. Ducking down for cover, I saw Charlene scrambling to Kari. More rounds hit the side of the truck. Sticking the gun over the bed of the truck I fired again, as James hit the side of the truck.

Rounds ripped into the corn that was piled up in the bed as he reached into the truck's cab and pulled out his AK.

"How many?" James asked.

James

"Three, I hit one of them," Jane said as she fired again.

"Ok, stay here," I said and ran to the other truck firing as I went.

Bullets kicked up dust around me as I reached the tail of the truck. I had noticed only two rifles returning fire, so I darted into the corn and started working my way around as two AK's opened up from the other truck. I saw movement and I dropped to my belly as five more men came into view. They were lugging a fucking heavy machine gun and several ammo cans. I flipped the selector up to full-auto and fired. I burned through the entire clip catching all five men in a death dance of 7.62 rounds.

Dropping the clip, I started circling again as I reloaded. I heard running and angled towards it. I had reached the cemetery when the two men came running out and I started to yell to them to drop their weapons when I remembered Kari lying on the ground bleeding as Charlene tried to stop it, so I pulled the trigger and stitched both of them as I roared in anger. Dropping the gun, I walked over to the men and looked down at them. One was quite dead. He had taken most of the clip. The second was still alive, but not for long as I pulled out my twenty-inch bowie knife, and knelt beside him.

"Tell me where you came from? Are there anymore of you nearby? What do you want with us?" I screamed in anger.

He spit on me and in anger. I brought the blade down and pierced his chest. I struck a dozen times, until his chest was a mass of bloody meat. I leveled the blade and brought the blade down like a guillotine on his throat severing his head from his body with one angry strike.

His blood had sprayed all over me. I stood up with his hand holding his head by it's hair. I screamed in anger once more. Turning, I walked to my gun, and picked it up. I started walking back to the trucks.

Jane screamed when she saw me. I'm sure she thought I was hurt, but I wasn't. Going to the truck, I climbed in, and started the engine. I drove away leaving the girls working on Kari. I drove over to the where I had ambushed the first group of men. Stopping, I climbed out and tossed the cases of .50 caliber ammo into the back seat of the truck. Then I added the tripod for the fifty caliber heavy machine gun. I bent down and picked up the machine gun itself in my hands, as Jane walked over.

"James, are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I said as I searched the bodies and recovered everything that was usable. I then piled the bodies up on the hood of the truck and lashed them down. "Is Kari ok?" I asked as we walked to the dead I had killed in the cemetery. I wouldn't leave them there to pollute the sacred ground of American airmen.

"She's, fine. The round went through her upper arm. It hurts, but should heal fine. I just need to check it out when I get back to the RV," she replied as we came into the clearing and she gasped out at the blood bath I had caused.

I handed Jane the 30.30 Marlines that the two men were carrying and I grabbed the bodies and the head. I started dragging them to the truck when I heard Jane getting sick behind me. Tossing the bodies onto the hood, I went and grabbed the last one and his rifle. Dropping the gun in the truck I looked at Kari.

"Are you ok my love?"

"I'm fine, but you need a shower," she replied.

I watched Jane come over, I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"I will shower when my work's done. Girls, get the dogs, and the kids loaded. I will follow you to the cave. I will unload these assholes into another trailer and truck and deal with them while you all stay in the cave," I said.

I lifted the last body to my shoulder and went back to my truck and tossed him on the pile.

"Ok, but what are you going to do?" Charlene asked as she walked over.

"Take this garbage back to them ... or part way, that is," I said.

Climbing into the truck, I started it as Jane climbed in hers with Kari and the two girls, while Charlene climbed in hers and called the dogs with a whistle. They came running from wherever they had been and I noticed both had drying blood on their mouths.

I drove the way the intruders had come and found two more dead. I added them to the pile and took their rifles. We headed out through the canyon and started the drive home. I stopped as I looked at the twenty horses tied up. I was about to stop when two arrows hit my windshield and bounced off. It startled me so much, that I swerved the truck away from them. Grabbing my AK, I stepped out and started firing at the nearest one and he took off running. The rounds stitched his asshole to his neck, killing him instantly. The second one moved from cover to cover and I was taking aim on him after reloading when he went flying as a single round was fired.

Turning my head, I looked and saw Charlene with my sniper rifle and I realized I wasn't even in my truck. Shaking my head, I walked over to the men and dragged their sorry asses back to the truck and tossed them up on the uneven pile. Looking at them, I realized I had a lot of work coming in the next few hours as I stood there tying them down.

I finished strapping the last one down when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, turning I went towards it. I stepped around a boulder and looked down at two woman huddled there. Both of their faces were bruised and one had a dirty piece of cloth wrapped around her arm.

Kneeling I said, "Hello, my name is James."

"Jita," said the first one in fear as she looked at me.

"Litta," replied the other as she clutched the other girl and I looked at both and noticed they were twins.

"Jita, Litta, I promise that I won't hurt you. Please come with me," I said as I walked over to Jane. I didn't even look back. I knew they were following me as I came to a stop.

"Jane, these are Jita and Litta. Can you look at them? See if they are ok. If so, we will try and get them home to their families," I said as the two girls joined me.

"I sure will. Now get home, and get rid of the bodies. I will deal with them and the horses," Jane said.

She turned and stuck her head and the truck and Kai and Noka jumped out and ran over to Charlene's truck while she then helped the two girls into the truck.

I drove away as Jane and Charlene was loading everything that the bad guys had with them into the trucks. I didn't know how Jane planned to get the horses home. All I knew, was that I needed to get rid of the bodies.

I drove home quickly and pulled up to the cave an hour later. I walked into the cave and jumped into my dad's old truck and hooked up the big trailer. I tossed the posthole diggers in the back of the trailer, as well as the chainsaw, a set of sawhorses, a hammer, 12 twenty-penny nails went into the cab of the truck, and lots of rope. I also grabbed a prepacked backpack with supplies and a box with cooking gear, and one of the large sleeping bags to sleep in because I knew I would be gone overnight. I climbed into the truck and pulled out to the other truck as Vala came out and looked at me.

"Are you ok my husband?" she asked as she watched me.

"I'm fine!" I said as I worked.

She was looking the way I drove in from with concern, and asked, "Are the rest ok?"

"Yes, they are coming, love. Now I need to deal with this scum before they get back," I replied as worked.

"Then I'm going with you," Vala stated as she ran into the cave. She talked with David and Donna and they nodded their heads as she picked up her web belt, her AK-47, and went into the house. She was in there for a few minutes and then came back out with a backpack and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Going with you. Someone has to watch over you while you do whatever you are planning," she stated as she climbed into the truck and looked at me.

"Women!" I snapped.

I climbed in and shifted into gear. We headed back to the ramp, coming up to the girls. I saw they had tied the horses in a long chain and to the back of Jane's truck. Kari was now driving the second truck, and Charlene sat in the back, on top of the corn with her rifle in her hand.

We pulled up beside Jane, and Vala jumped out and ran over to talk with her. She was back in a moment later and we drove up onto the plateau. We continued past where I killed the first one and came to a stop at the edge of the pine forest.