Forsaking Home (The Survivalist Series) Page 19

  She shook her head. “No, but I want to try it.”

  Danny looked at me. “You never took her hunting?”

  I laughed. “She never wanted to get up early enough to go. Plus, she’s been fishing with us before, and we know how that goes.”

  “Hey! What do you mean?” Taylor shouted, half smiling.

  I did my best to mimic a teenage girl voice. “I gotta pee, can we go to the boat ramp?”

  Danny started to laugh. “Yeah, she never would use the can in the boat. But you’re one to talk, you can’t piss out of the boat either!”

  “Hey. That’s not from lack of effort, it’s the whole bobbing-up-and-down thing,” I said.

  Taylor rolled her eyes and Mel hit me in the arm playfully.

  “Ew, Dad. But yeah, I still want to go hunting, though,” Taylor said.

  “You’re quick to volunteer for things that involve guns,” Danny said.

  “She does like her some shootin’ irons,” I said. Taylor smiled. “You know you can’t use that machine gun to deer hunt.”

  “I know, I know, I just want to go.”

  “I think we can work it out,” Danny said.

  We drove on, chatting. About a half mile down the road, I pointed out a large patch of leafy greens.

  “Ooh, we gotta stop here on the way back and pick that,” I said, pointing to it.

  “What is it?” Danny asked. “Mustard?”

  “It’s in the same family and tastes a lot like it. It’s called winter cress.”

  “Yuck, mustard greens are gross,” Taylor said.

  I looked back at her. “Shoot, when you were a baby you would sit in my lap and eat them as long as I would feed them to you.” I knocked on the window, gesturing toward the greens. “You ate that very type all the time.”

  “I remember that! You were so cute, Tay,” Mel said.

  “Well, I ain’t a baby anymore,” Taylor replied.

  Chase’s place wasn’t that far from our camp, so it didn’t take long to get there. As we got closer, Danny told me to slow down.

  “Let’s see if anyone is around before we go running up in there.”

  I stopped and we watched the place, looking for any sign of life. After a few minutes I honked the horn. The front door opened slowly and Chase stepped out holding his turkey gun.

  “Hey, Chase. It’s me, Morgan!” I called out. “Can we come up?”

  Chase looked around, then waved us up.

  “Hey, Chase, how you been?” I asked as I got out.

  “We’re doin’,” he replied.

  Seeing it was safe, his wife and daughter came outside as well. The ladies started to chat while Danny and me talked to Chase.

  Looking around, I asked, “Where are the boys?”

  “They set out on their own.”

  “Really, just left?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah, ’bout a week ago. Said it was boring around here.”

  “Where’d they go?” I asked.

  Chase shrugged. “Got no idea, haven’t seen hide nor hair since they left. Andy’s momma’s a little worried about him, told him it was a bad idea, but he’s pert near growed and left anyway.”

  “How have you guys been here?” Danny asked.

  Chase scratched at what was now a very full beard. “We’re all right. I manage to get enough out of the woods to feed us. Sure could use some vegetables, though.”

  “You see them patches of winter cress down the road?” I asked, pointing back the way we came.

  “What? That green stuff on the west side?”

  “Yeah, they’re kind of like mustard greens.”

  “Good to know. I thought it looked like mustard greens but wasn’t sure and didn’t want to get anyone sick,” he said.

  “It’s good to eat. We’re going to pick some on the way back,” I said.

  “Some fresh greens would be good. I found a lemon tree and we been eating them—sour as all get out, but we need it.”

  “Wow, a lemon tree, that’d be nice,” Danny said.

  “It has been. I’d trade you some but we’ve ’bout cleaned it out now.”

  “Thanks anyway,” Danny said with a smile.

  “How’s your daughter been feeling?” I asked.

  Chase looked over at her. He wasn’t the type of man to show emotion, from what I gathered, but I’m sure he was smiling on the inside.

  “She’s been real good. Boiling the water really helps and that bleach idea y’all had really helped out too.”

  “Good, glad to hear it,” I said.

  “Hey, Chase, you seen anyone around lately?” Danny asked.

  “’Bout a week ago a couple of fellers come through here. Said they was from Orlando, had to get out ’cause it got so bad there.”

  “Did they say where they were heading?” I asked.

  “Naw, just said they was passing through.”

  “Did they have any guns?” Danny asked.

  “One of ’em had an old H&R single-shot shotgun. Why? They give y’all some trouble?”

  “Someone was sneaking around our place at night, then the next day they took a shot at Danny with some sort of shotgun.” I left out the part about Danny shooting up the creek.

  “I think I heard that, heard a whole bunch of shooting one night not long ago.”

  “Yeah, that was probably it. I was just curious if you’d seen anyone around,” Danny replied.

  “Not since them two fellers, but they came through ’bout a week before I heard the shooting, so I don’t think they’re your guys,” Chase said.

  We talked a little more about what each of us was doing to get by. I told Chase about the squirrel snares and explained the concept to him. He said he’d give it a try. He’d been concentrating on hunting, shooting deer and even a turkey.

  “Bet that was nice,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, it was. I cooked it on the grill, best meal we’ve had in a while.”

  “We haven’t seen any turkeys yet. I’d like to, though,” I said.

  “I’d like to see more of ’em myself. I’ll fight you for it,” he said with a chuckle.

  “How are you fixed for ammo?” Danny asked.

  “Been doing most of my hunting with my .22, trying to save the shotgun and rifle ammo. I still got a couple hundred .22s and a couple boxes of birdshot, some turkey loads and slugs and buck.”

  “If you get to where you need some, come by. Ammo is something we’ve got,” I said.

  Chase smiled. “I figured you for the type to hoard ammo.” He nodded at the carbine slung across my chest.

  After talking a little longer, we said our good-byes and got back in the buggy. Everyone wanted to ride a bit longer. They weren’t ready to go home yet. I told them we could for a little while and we continued on the road away from the camp. There were several houses in the area, though none of them seemed occupied. All the homes showed the lack of human attention, leaves piled up all over the yards and roofs, lawns composed almost solely of weeds. The dirt road met a paved road at the transfer station in Paisley. As we passed the site, Danny suggested we ride over to Clear Lake Campground. As soon as he suggested it, there was no getting out of it, as it was met by cheers from all the girls.

  We rolled down Highway 42 at a good clip. The ride was so smooth that I was soon going seventy without even realizing it. Just as I started to slow down, the sign for the campground came into view.

  The campground was much like I remembered it, just with an air of neglect about it. The small shack at the entry was actually lying on its side. All the windows had been knocked out and shards of glass littered the ground. I stopped beside it.

  “You think it’s a good idea to be here?” I asked as I looked at the broken glass.

  “Yeah, it doesn’t look like there has been anyone thr
ough here in a long time,” Danny said.

  “Let’s ride through, just check it out,” Bobbie said.

  We drove past the gate and down the narrow paved track that was now covered in leaves and other natural debris. The namesake for the park, Clear Lake, sat on the west side of the campground. On our way there, Bobbie suddenly shouted, “Stop!”

  I slammed on the brakes, looking for whatever she saw. Bobbie was pointing to a small building.

  “A bathroom!”

  Bobbie’s idea was immediately seized on by the rest of the girls, so I pulled up to it and everyone got out.

  Danny and I cleared it, then waited by the buggy.

  “Wonder how the fishing is in the lake now?” Danny asked as he leaned over the front end of the buggy.

  “You’d think it’d be better with fewer people around now,” I replied.

  A breeze picked up, blowing through the trees and dropping even more leaves down on us. It carried with it the very familiar smell of woodsmoke.

  “You smell that?” I asked.

  Danny stood up and looked around. “Yeah, I do. Wonder where it’s coming from.”

  We looked around for the source, but couldn’t get a visual on anything or anyone.

  “Someone’s out here,” I said.

  “Yeah, let’s keep our eyes open.”

  “You still want to go through or do you want to leave?” I asked.

  “Naw, I don’t want to leave yet. Let’s just see who’s here.”

  When all the girls finished using the facilities, we loaded up. I told them about the smoke and asked them to keep their eyes peeled.

  “I can smell it too,” Taylor said as she adjusted the sling on her H&K. She had the slightest bit of worry on her face.

  I pulled back out onto the road and continued to follow the loop around toward the lake. I was driving slowly, not wanting to run into an ambush, which was a strange thought in itself. A few months ago I would never consider an ambush a potential road hazard, but that was the reality in this new life.

  “There! There,” Mel said, pointing to a campsite just beyond the woods.

  I stopped the buggy and Danny and I got out to look the camp over. There were two tents as well as a lean-to-style structure that appeared to be used for cooking. It was then that Danny noticed four people down at the lake—a man, a woman, and two children, from the looks of it.

  “Let’s go say hi,” Danny said.

  “I don’t want to get shot. You and me coming up to them like this through the woods isn’t going to look very friendly. Why don’t you get Bobbie and you two walk out and call to them? I’ll cover you from over here,” I replied.

  “They’ve got kids. I don’t think they’re a threat.”

  “Yeah, well, better safe than sorry.”

  “All right, all right, let me get her,” Danny said.

  Danny and Bobbie walked out through the campsite while I took up a position where I could cover them but hopefully not be seen. They held hands as they walked. Danny had his carbine slung behind his back to look less threatening. When they got to the edge of the campsite, Danny called out, “Hello!” and waved.

  The people at the water’s edge immediately looked up. The woman grabbed the two kids and pulled them behind her, while the man moved to pick up a rifle leaning against a chair. I raised my carbine and drew a bead on him. If he shouldered it, I would have to shoot him, not something I wanted to do in front of his kids.

  “Can we come down?” Bobbie called out.

  The two exchanged words for a moment, then the man said something I couldn’t hear. Danny and Bobbie started walking toward them as the man walked to meet them, still clutching his rifle. They stopped a short distance from each other and talked, Danny gesturing toward the campsite. After another minute of talking, the man called to the woman and motioned for her to meet them. Holding the kids’ hands, she cautiously made her way toward Danny and Bobbie.

  When I saw Danny and Bobbie start back up toward the camp, I headed over toward the buggy.

  “What’s going on?” Mel asked.

  “I think they’re coming up here.”

  “Is everything going to be all right?” Little Bit asked.

  “I think so, don’t worry,” I said to her as I rubbed her head. She smiled but didn’t really look like she believed it.

  Danny and Bobbie came up. “Are they friendly? What are they doing?” I asked.

  “They’re coming up to meet everyone.”

  “What’d he say?” I asked.

  “Not much, just that we scared the hell out of him.”

  “Good thing he didn’t know I was watching, or he would have really been scared.”

  The couple came to the edge of their campsite and stopped. They were looking us over when a little girl about Ashley’s age grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mommy, can I play with her?” she asked, pointing at Little Bit.

  Her mother looked at Ash, then at us. “Uh, I don’t know.”

  Mel looked up. “Oh, they can play. They both could probably use some time around other kids.”

  The woman smiled. “Okay”—she looked down at her daughter—“go ahead.”

  The little girl ran up to the buggy. “You wanna play with me?”

  Little Bit looked up at Mel, who nodded at her. She smiled and jumped out of the buggy and they ran back toward the tents.

  I smiled at them. “We should all be more like kids.”

  “Kids are lucky, they still retain a little of their innocence,” the man said, sticking his hand out. “I’m Tyler, and this is my wife, Brandy.”

  We did a quick round of introductions and they invited us into their camp. We took seats on a couple of logs they’d dragged around the pit. Brandy was very obviously uncomfortable with the amount of weaponry sitting across the fire from her. Everyone except Lee Ann and Little Bit had at least one firearm, and Danny and I each had two. I couldn’t blame her: I’d be nervous too.

  “Where are you guys from?” Mel asked Brandy.

  “Daytona, not too far from the beach.”

  “Did it get bad there?” Danny asked.

  “Yes and no. It was weird. The beach always draws a lot of transient types, so that became an even more serious problem. But the biggest issue was resources. There were so many people there, and not enough to go around,” Tyler said.

  “What about you guys, where are you from?” Brandy asked.

  “We live nearby,” Mel said.

  “Must be nice not to have to leave home,” Brandy said.

  “It hasn’t been easy. We’ve had our fair share of problems too,” Danny said.

  “That’s a nice Ruger, Tyler,” I said, pointing to the rifle in his lap.

  “Yeah, she wasn’t real happy when I bought it”—he smiled at her—“but it was worth it in the end.”

  “Yeah, sadly, guns are necessary tools these days.”

  “Mom, sorry to interrupt, but I have to use the bathroom,” Taylor said.

  “Oh, use the one right over there,” Brandy said, pointing to a nearby restroom. “It’s the one we use. It’s pretty clean.”

  “Lee Ann, go with her,” Mel said. Lee Ann didn’t reply, but did get up and walk away with her sister. As they walked, they came across the two younger girls, squealing and running. Ashley and Tyler’s daughter came running through the center of the camp, being chased by a little boy.

  “What’s your daughter’s name?” Mel asked.

  “Her name’s Edie, and her brother, the monster over there, is Jace,” Brandy answered.

  “They look like a handful. How old are they?”

  “Edie is seven and Jace is six.”

  This got raised eyebrows from Mel and Bobbie. “Wow, you’re brave,” Mel said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, well”—Brandy looked
at Tyler—“it wasn’t supposed to be like that, but it happened.”

  Tyler laughed. “It’s always my fault. If I remember right, you were there too.”

  Now I laughed. “Amen, brother, amen!”

  We talked for some time about what’s happened since that fateful day. They told us about their time in Daytona, of people taking over resources that should have been available to all and demanding payment in exchange for drawing water from a lake. There were also gang fights, wars as they called them, to control such resources. I asked about the beach, if they ever tried to get there to fish, but Tyler said it was impossible to get on the beach, even as a local. As we grew more comfortable, I told them of my trip home and about the raiders.

  “I’ve heard of the camp. We traveled with some people who were trying to get there. They said it was the answer to all of the problems they were dealing with,” Tyler said.

  “Yeah, I don’t think it lives up to the advertising,” Danny said.

  “That’s why we’re here and not there. I’d rather take care of my family myself.”

  “What’d you guys do for work before all this went down?” I asked.

  “I worked for the county in maintenance and Brandy was an elementary school teacher.”

  Bobbie looked at Brandy. “Oh my. What was it like in the school?”

  “Horrible. Despite all the preparedness crap they talked about, all the drills they did, they were totally unprepared. Even if it’d only been a couple of days, they weren’t prepared.”

  “What’d they do with all the kids?” Mel asked.

  “That whole shelter-in-place thing is such a joke. The first day there was nearly a riot because the administration wouldn’t release kids to their parents. We had used an electronic system for ID verification, and since it didn’t work they didn’t know what to do, and, of course, there was no backup. The water went out way faster than I would have thought, and things just got worse from there.”

  “Where were your kids?”

  “They were in day care. I managed to get home and then went to pick them up on an old two-stroke motorcycle I had. It wasn’t an easy trip, but we did it,” Tyler said.

  “What happened to all of your students?” Bobbie asked.

  “Tyler came to the school to let me know he had the kids. Once I knew they were all right, I stayed to try and help in the classrooms. They finally started letting kids go when their parents showed up with guns. I mean, I can’t blame them, I would have too. But when I left, there were still six of my students there.” Her voice grew softer. “I don’t know where their parents were. It was really sad. I hated to leave them.”