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Expensive Diary,
It’s me, Jessica.
Joanne received sick. Some type of respiratory an infection. Had it been me, I might need been down for a number of days after which bounced again. However at Joanne’s age, that is one thing totally different.
HAM Man went on the native nets on the 5 within the afternoon ‘group’ assembly, asking if anybody had antibiotics. A man within the metropolis HAM Man knew got here again and stated he may be capable of prepare a commerce with one of many native gangs. Our HAM Man stated he would discuss to Jack and get again to the town man tomorrow on the seven within the morning HAM group assembly.
Jack put out the phrase to the neighborhood that he would take one of many remaining gang vehicles and go to the town to see what he might discover or commerce for antibiotics. He requested for volunteers. I shouldn’t be stunned, however practically all the lads and some ladies, together with Rae, volunteered. There have been so many who Jack determined to take two of the vehicles, fill them up from the opposite vehicles’ tanks, and use the remainder of the gas for commerce with another issues.
Jack picked fight vets who had been most bodily succesful. In the event that they needed to ‘hump’ it again from the town, it might be a three-day ‘hump’ assuming a tough ten miles a day with their packs, water, meals, ammo, and weapons. Diary, it’s humorous to consider that. Dad used to drop me off in school after which drive to the manufacturing facility within the metropolis one other twenty-five minutes down the street. Now by foot, it’s a three-day ‘laborious hump.’
Entry 2
Expensive Diary,
It has been 4 days since Jack and his group of 9 males left.
HAM Man reported he heard from the town man, they usually had gotten to the town three days in the past.
Nothing since.
Joanne has gone from unhealthy to worse. She is coughing quite a bit. So laborious that her face typically turns purple. She has a fever. The chills. Generally, she appears delusional. We’re doing all the pieces we will to maintain her comfy, but it surely doesn’t appear to be working.
Kathy, one of many ladies Jack and his assault group freed, was a pharmacist earlier than the facility went out. Kathy made up some natural tea that appeared to assist some. I’m afraid it isn’t sufficient. We want Jack and his group to return with the antibiotics and shortly.
Dad and I had been on the Miller’s, mucking out one of many barns with Billy, Olive, and Daisy, once I requested Billy about homeschooling. He requested why, and I informed him Rae wished to start out a college within the neighborhood and had stated how vital schooling was. Diary, truthfully, it by no means occurred to me the significance of schooling until Rae spoke about it. I at all times thought college was a drag, my buddies had been extra vital than some dumb numbers, lengthy useless guys with unhealthy hair and unhealthy poetry or performs, planets and stars tens of millions of miles away, issues so small we want a microscope to see, and the best way to formulate a sentence accurately. In comparison with different languages, English is admittedly dumb. Till now, our social media connections appeared extra vital.
Rae stated in her Southern accent,
“Honey, I’ll have been raised in a single extensive, by no means attended considered one of them fancy universities, however I’m removed from ignorant. My grandpappy and momma made positive I studied laborious and received good marks, or there’d be a whipping.”
Diary, I’m not positive what a ‘whippin’ is, but it surely doesn’t sound nice.
Rae stated it was our accountability to make sure the following era didn’t slide again into ignorance. Again within the Darkish Ages the place solely a small elite group was allowed to be educated and used that energy over those that weren’t. Utilizing leeches to attempt to remedy the black plague or different technique of bloodletting. Okay, I do recall leeches do have some sensible medical makes use of, I get it. However to grow to be so ignorant, we expect the climate is dominated by unseen gods that require sacrifices of vestal virgins thrown right into a volcano for rain? Fortunately, we don’t have any volcanoes round right here.
Billy informed Mrs. Miller what I had stated, and she or he stated she want to meet Rae and perhaps even assist Rae to determine a college in our neighborhood. Diary, I have no idea why, however I supplied my assist to show. Mrs. Miller smiled at me and stated I used to be a ‘outstanding’ younger woman, no matter which means.
The subsequent day, Mrs. Miller and Billy confirmed up at our door. I took them to fulfill Rae. Mrs. Miller and Rae hit it off. They talked at a fast tempo about the best way to arrange a college, what to show, the best way to train it, and extra. Being principally ignored, Billy and I went for a stroll across the neighborhood. Diary, it was so unusual to be strolling with a boy, each of us with rifles slung over our shoulders, and immediately we had been holding palms! It simply occurred! I didn’t look, however I might nearly really feel our neighbor’s eyes searching their home windows to see what was occurring and smiling. Diary, I’m blushing even now!
When Billy and I received again, Mrs. Miller and Rae had a pointed define for the neighborhood college on a number of sheets of paper. They’d put out phrase of the necessity for somebody within the neighborhood who had expertise in instructing some topics. The draft outlined curriculum had the same old topics: studying, writing, math, sciences, and historical past, however a number of I used to be not anticipating, like first help, gardening, hearth beginning, and even marksmanship.
I used to be shocked to search out I used to be on the define to show studying and writing, and I used to be to be Jack’s assistant instructing marksmanship! No worries, Diary. In any case, I’m a ‘pure.’
Different after-school actions had been a number of sports activities, artwork, horseback using, and a few actually out-there ones like chess, card video games, and drama. I’d be a part of the drama membership.
Mrs. Miller and Rae suppose it’ll take one other few weeks, perhaps even months, to get the variety of academics per class measurement, develop a curriculum, and we will discover books!
Diary, I’m kinda excited to have the ability to train!
Entry 3
Expensive Diary,
They’re again.
However not all of them.
And so they appear like they’ve been by hell.
However they introduced again various medical provides and ‘broad-spectrum antibiotics,’ no matter these are. Kathy gave Joeanne a ‘bolus’ of antibiotics and did the maths for the dosage Joeanne must take for at the very least per week. A number of hours later, Joeanne’s fever broke, and she or he appeared extra comfy. Kathy stated it was ‘promising,’ however Joeanne was nonetheless not out of the ‘woods.’ Time would inform.
A number of the group went house to their households. Jack requested if he and the 2 remaining guys might get some scorching water from us to wash up and a chunk to eat, after which they’d sit down and inform us all what occurred. Here’s what he informed us
They drove to the bridge with the roadblock on the close to finish. An ‘open-air market’ had sprung up with folks coming to commerce issues. There, they met the ‘sheriff’ of the market, Andy. Jack stated Andy appeared cheap but in addition shifty sufficient that he didn’t belief him. Jack and his group totally ‘kitted’ out with weapons and tactical gear might need had one thing to do with it. Andy and his deputies did what they might to maintain issues from outright lawlessness however on the identical time did what they did to maintain themselves ‘comfy.’ Just like the roadblock. They appeared to don’t have any downside making the most of these to pay to move. Extra so if they might not pay, however that stream of ‘income’ appeared to have dried up when winter set in with the occasional snow and colder temperatures.
Since then, Andy had launched a ‘buying and selling’ tax on all those that traded on the ‘market.’ Andy and his ‘deputies’ would patrol the market, even double taxing these they didn’t like, which was practically everybody. Jack stated there was a pressure within the air when Andy and his ‘deputies’ had been about.
Jack waited until twilight and drove slowly throughout the bridge with their lights out. Midway to the town, they pulled off the street into the woods to make camp for the evening. At pre-dawn twilight, they’d a chilly meal, broke camp, and continued on to the town slowly with lights off. After they reached the town, they hid the vehicles in a warehouse on the sting of the town.
To maneuver quicker, Jack opted for him and the group to strip right down to the naked ‘minimal’ of drugs, hiding their different gear and provisions on the far finish of the warehouse from the vehicles. And, in fact, the issues to make use of for commerce for medical provides and antibiotics.
At seven within the morning, Jack and the group went to a location the town HAM man informed Jack to go to and used a handheld radio to speak with him.
They used predetermined phrases and names for ‘OPSEC.’ As soon as identities had been verified, the group fashioned up and went to the town HAM man’s location. It was just a few blocks, but it surely appeared to take ceaselessly.
The streets had been affected by autos in numerous states of destruction. Some had been burned out. Others appeared to have been in violent collisions with different autos. Quite a lot of had a number of to dozens of bullet holes in them, the perimeters or windshields. Jack didn’t trouble to examine the gas tanks. A number of autos that weren’t burned out, the fuel caps had been flipped open. Doubtless, all of the tanks have been drained way back.
Practically all of the outlets, shops, and residences had been topic to some type of destruction. Home windows busted out. Indicators of looting. One constructing suffered a large hearth. One constructing’s total entrance, from the bottom to the highest ground, collapsed. Trash littered the streets like leaves within the fall.
There have been our bodies in numerous levels of decomposition as effectively. A number of wore military-like uniforms, most of which had no title tapes or rank, however one had a language and rank Jack didn’t acknowledge. That’s after they got here as much as what seemed like a tracked army automobile on its aspect. Your complete entrance finish had been blown off.
Town HAM man’s place was a small house constructing the place the doorway and the 2 flooring above ought to have seemed like they had been hit with artillery hearth. Identical with one of many higher corners of the constructing. The concrete face was pockmarked with bullet strikes. Jack questioned if the constructing would come down at any time.
They went to the again loading dock to an enormous metal door. Jack knocked a sequence of knocks in a selected order and waited. After a couple of minutes, he tried once more. This time, the door opened.
A brief, skinny, balding man with thick glasses and a hoodie greeted them with a nervous smile. As soon as in, he closed the door, and a small cube-like LED lantern illuminated what seemed just like the utility part of the house constructing. He then secured the door with a heavy metal crossbar and two rebar rods into holes that had been drilled into the ground. He picked up the lantern and led them by the utility part to a set of darkish stairs. As they went, he defined the house constructing was deserted aside from him. Through the first three days, most individuals went about as regular as they might with the facility out. When meals in fridges had gone unhealthy, bathrooms started to again up, no water, issues began to go unhealthy. Meals riots on the grocery shops. Armed robberies for meals and bottled water. By the second week, some had been taking the chance to enterprise out for meals and water. By the third week, between the shootings and the shortage of recent water folks had been starting to die in numbers.
Jack famous the mute stench, like a port-o-potty that wanted emptying, as they made their means towards the highest ground. Town man talked about the scent was the worst on the bottom two flooring. Not a lot to note on the highest ground.
In regards to the fourth week, some army teams got here in with heavy weapons, and issues received even worse as they slugged it out with whole disregard for the native populace. Jack requested if he knew who they had been. He simply shook his head. He was not about to exit and ask with bullets flying and issues exploding. The HAM nets had been of no use. They had been an absolute mess, with some claiming it was the UN. Others, the Chinese language, the Russians, the North Koreans. Quite a lot of stated it was a civil warfare. Nobody actually knew.
As soon as in his house on the highest ground, the town HAM man stated he knew our HAM Man for years, a part of the identical native HAM membership. For his ‘providers,’ Jack gave him two kilos of dried beef jerky, a pound of espresso, and a bag of Halloween treats our HAM man promised. After that, the town HAM man relaxed a bit. He stated issues had settled down fairly a bit as soon as winter set in. Those that remained extra focused on staying house and heat as a lot as they might. He would use his radio to contact the gang to rearrange the assembly throughout the HAM midday group assembly.
Town HAM man had a setup like our HAM Man: totally different radios, totally different antennas on the roof, a photo voltaic array, and several other deep-cycle batteries. He had a rain catchment system on the roof that drained straight into water buckets in his house, the place he would then filter the water.
Metropolis ‘HAM’ man got here up on the native nets on the midday group assembly, organized the assembly with the gang, and radioed our ‘HAM’ man of Jack and the group’s arrival to the town and that each one was effectively.
Jack and the group went instantly to the assembly place, a metropolis park a number of blocks away.
As they made their means in ‘formation,’ they noticed a number of folks searching from unbroken home windows on the higher flooring of some buildings that weren’t as broken, one man ranting and raving whereas he staggard down the road with a baseball bat, and a girl and little one. The folks within the home windows simply watched the group go. The person ignored them and continued on speaking to nobody about how he tried to warn them about 5G, plastics within the water, Military lab-grown assault canines of surprising measurement, and planet X. The lady and little one, seeing Jack and his group, ran.
Jack and two others would go to the precise assembly with the provides for commerce. The remaining would place themselves across the assembly space in ‘tactical’ positions for what Jack said was ‘most gross software of violence,’ no matter which means. If issues seemed like they had been going unhealthy, Jack and the opposite two would drop to the bottom, and the others had been to ‘gentle them up.’
The gang arrived later, seven of them in a mixture of leather-based coats, gentle winter jackets or soccer group jackets, boots and excessive tops, tactical gear, and weapons. Their chief laughed at Jack and famous he and his two males had been ‘outnumbered.’ Jack shrugged and stated,
“Perhaps. However you’re surrounded,” and a purple laser dot immediately appeared on the chief’s chest.
The chief seemed down, noticed the laser purple dot on his chest, chuckled and stated, “Proper. We’re right here to commerce.”
They spent the following half hour haggling forwards and backwards. What the gang chief didn’t know is Jack was buying and selling for all the pieces for probably the most he might get. Jack didn’t need to need to haul something he introduced again. So, for gas, jerky, sweet, and low, they received an excellent quantity of medical provides and antibiotics.
When the offers had been accomplished, the gang chief gave Jack an extended look after which said they weren’t from across the metropolis. Jack stated nothing, however the gang chief requested Jack how issues had been exterior the town.
Jack was largely trustworthy with him. Lack of medical provides and antibiotics. No electrical energy or working water. No warmth besides what they might burn. He informed him in regards to the gang attacking distant houses and farms. The captivity and abuse of ladies. To Jack’s shock, the chief stated, “Slavers,” in disgust and spat on the bottom. They didn’t permit that type of factor.
After an extended second, Jack supplied his hand to the gang chief and stated, “Maybe we might deal extra sooner or later.”
“Maybe,” the gang chief responded taking Jack’s hand and shaking as soon as. He gave Jack a smile and chuckled, and he and his gang turned and walked away.
Jack wished to get again on the street and as removed from the town earlier than dusk when issues went ‘sideways.’
They picked up their different gear and provisions from the opposite website after they went to get the vehicles and received ambushed. Within the first few seconds, two of the group went down. The remaining took cowl. Regardless of the shut vary and factor of shock, their attackers appeared extra of the ‘spray and pray’ methodology ways than efficient hearth. Jack and the remainder of the group returned hearth with impact, taking out at the very least three attackers, and the others hid behind the vehicles. Sadly for them, except they had been crouched down behind the engine blocks or tires, considered one of Jack’s males had a rifle of a heavier caliber and sufficient punch to undergo the doorways, wounding two others. Understanding they’d restricted ammunition, Jack took out an HME, lit it, known as for protecting hearth, and tossed it underneath one of many vehicles. It exploded and likewise set off the gas tank in a large fireball. The 2 explosions ended the ambush.
As soon as the mud and particles had settled, Jack and the remainder of the group, on the ‘prepared,’ circled across the wreck and the opposite truck. There was nobody or nothing to salvage behind the truck that exploded. The opposite truck had harm to its entrance finish and was on hearth. They discovered two our bodies a number of ft from the entrance finish of the truck. Jack couldn’t inform in the event that they had been male or feminine, they had been so badly twisted and mangled from the explosions. They had been capable of take 4 magazines off of them and two rifles. Jack was known as over to the rear of the truck. There a younger woman was sprawled out on the ground. The correct aspect of her physique was badly burned and smoldering. Her respiration was labored. She was crying out of her remaining eye. Jack might inform she was fairly a couple of minutes in the past. After a second of them taking a look at one another, he knelt down subsequent to her and stated, “I can solely finish the ache.”
She appeared to know and made a weak nod of her head and sobbed. He stood up, unholstered his pistol.
“I’m sorry.”
Aimed and squeezed the set off.
Jack and the remaining group regrouped, took stock of their provides, loaded full magazines, and took a second of silence for individuals who had died. All of them.
None of them preferred the thought of leaving their comrades in arms behind, but it surely couldn’t be helped.
Then they got down to ‘hump’ it again house.
On the bridge Andy demanded half of what Jack had returned with, regardless of Jack pre-trading gas for passage again earlier than they left for the town.
What Andy didn’t know was Jack left two of his group, a ‘rear guard,’ hidden within the woods exterior the marketplace for ‘insurance coverage.’ Jack informed the ‘rear guard’ to return up on their handheld radios on the identical instances of day because the HAM guys’ group conferences and pay attention for his or her pre-designated code phrase transmissions for after they had been on the bridge and able to come again. The ‘Rear guard’ was to set themselves up for an ambush, if wanted when the group got here throughout the bridge to the roadblock.
Andy was the one one with any fight expertise. The opposite ‘deputies’ had been males who stood round, wanting large and unhealthy of their tactical gear. Jack’s ‘rear guard’ took out half of the ‘deputies’ within the first seconds of the firefight. Jack and the others attacked from the entrance.
Andy and two different ‘deputies’ survived. Legs and arms bounded, Jack tossed them off the bridge to the river rapids 300 ft beneath.
The folks on the market cheered as they watched on.
Diary, I’m not positive how I really feel about that.
Wish to learn extra of this story?
Take a look at Half 1
Half 2 is right here.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead just isn’t solely a former Marine, but in addition a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He at present resides within the nice white (i.e. snowy) Northeast together with his spouse and canines. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, sometimes hogs, cows and typically geese. He grows numerous veggies and has a bizarre fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys studying, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, goal capturing, and is at present increasing his woodworking abilities.
