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Pricey Diary,
It’s me, Jessica.
Daniel, Savannah, and a number of other others had arrange fires again and to the far aspect of the barrier. Over the fires, that they had giant pots of boiling water. They have been sitting on logs with medical shears and knives, reducing a pile of mattress sheets into strips for bandages. It should have been a lesson discovered from the Battle of 4 Corners. They might then boil to sterilize the bandages and allow them to cool in different clear pots.
Jack walked alongside the barrier, passing the phrase for everybody to examine their reloads, to “make prepared,” and to not waste ammunition on machine gun nests except that they had a superb, clear shot. He gave phrases of reassurance, even making jokes to ease the strain within the air. A number of started to joke again with him or to others round them.
Then, Rae began it in her wealthy, Southern voice,
“I admit, at first, I used to be afraid; I used to be petrified.”
It was the opening track line from that soccer film we had line danced to, I Will Survive.
I joined in.
Surprisingly, so did Sean.
Then others throughout the barrier.
Savannah received up from her log and started to line dance.
Rae and I each hopped out behind our positions and synced with Savannah. So did Sean and some others.
Jack facepalmed, however I might see his shoulders shaking with laughter.
It might not have been a battle hymn, however it was 4 Corners.
The sharp bark of a brief burst from the machine gun on the hill ended our track and dance routine as we jumped again into our positions.
The cell machine gun nests have been on the transfer. Beneath the burden of the heavy wooden and the plate metal, the lads pushing from the rear slowly superior them towards the barrier. After they have been a few hundred yards, the nests stopped, and the machine weapons opened fireplace with a roar. There have been two medium machine weapons in every nest. Every gun fired different lengthy bursts all alongside the barrier. Bullets slammed into the barrier, and the steel construction of the automobiles that made up the barrier ripped via the air simply above our heads as we took cowl.
We heard a protracted burst from our personal machine gun, together with single pictures from the marksmen. The lads who pushed the cell machine gun nests tried to run again to their strains, however just a few of them received reduce down; the remaining stopped and ran again to take cowl behind the nests.
Behind the cult’s wagon strains, a pole was raised with two flags on it. The higher one was purple, and the decrease one was white. The machine gun nests paused. All 4 weapons pulled again into the nests.
Within the sudden deafening silence, Sean requested, “What are they doing?”
“Swapping out barrels,” Jack responded. “Loading recent belts.” Jack shouted to the barrier’s left and proper, “Stand prepared!”
The barrels of the machine weapons reappeared. All 4 weapons fired in longer bursts all alongside the barrier. Nobody might return a shot and not using a actual likelihood of getting shot within the head. From their wagon line, a dozen or so males shot at our machine gun place at fast fireplace, pinning them down.
Two teams of 4 riders from all sides of their wagon line got here round, beneath the duvet of the machine weapons, and rode proper between them. Their horses simply jumped over our defensive trenches. Grappling hooks have been tossed over the picket panels Jack and the others had put in throughout the evening. The hooks rode up on our aspect of the wooden, as soon as they topped the panels and the riders “set” them. A second later, the panels have been ripped down.
These of us who noticed what occurred cried out in alarm.
“It’s okay,” Jack shouted. “They did the work for us!” He then turned, going through South, and shouted, “Ship them! Ship them!”
Others who took cowl alongside the North Highway, handed the phrase down the road.
The machine gun nests continued to fireside as their riders returned to their strains. As soon as once more, they paused to swap out barrels and reload recent belts.
Jack nodded to nobody, stepped out into the now empty area the place the picket panels stood just a few moments in the past, aimed a rifle with a grenade launcher beneath the barrel at one of many machine gun nests, and fired a grenade. Whereas Jack had probably the most expertise with a grenade launcher, it fell simply quick and impacted beneath the entrance of the cell machine gun nest. The end result was nonetheless devastating. The explosion flipped over your complete nest ten toes within the air, touchdown simply behind the place it was. The lads taking cowl behind the nest who weren’t killed within the explosion have been crushed because it crashed down on prime of them. The nest field collapsed beneath its personal weight and the results of gravity.
Jack famous the grenade’s impression and stepped again behind the barrier, adjusting to the grenade launcher sights and reloading multi function swift motion. He then stepped again into the open area as he shouldered the rifle. The barrels of the machine weapons reappeared. Jack took the shot.
This time, the grenade struck the nest slightly below the gun slot, and the entire entrance finish was destroyed. The drive of the explosion launched the nest again a number of toes, killing a number of the males taking cowl behind it and maiming others.
Everybody on either side was in shock as to what simply occurred. Nobody moved, nobody stated something.
Then I felt it earlier than I heard it. The bottom was rumbling. What appeared like thunder within the distance grew nearer. I turned to look. Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, Billy, Janet, and Justin have been driving what needed to be 100 head of cattle up the North highway towards the barrier at a run.
It was a stampede. As they approached the barrier, the cattle noticed the opening the place the picket panels had been and funneled themselves via, previous the defensive trenches and towards the cult’s wagon line. With no opening, the cattle stampede straight via. Among the wagons have been overturned. Others have been tossed to 1 aspect solely to be thrown once more by different cattle. Some males on their line tried to shoot the cattle. They died first, both beneath an upturned wagon or beneath 1,200 kilos of hooves. Others turned and tried to flee, solely to get run down. The 2 smaller tents have been razed. One-half of the massive tent got here down. The horses that pulled the wagons, feeling, listening to, and seeing the oncoming stampede, all pulled on their picket strains on the similar time, northward and ripped the anchors for the picket strains out. The horses ran away in a panic.
It was absolute chaos.
“Yeah,” Jack stated aloud, watching from the open area within the barrier, rifle butt on his one hip, the sound of the stampede receding within the distance.
“That turned out higher than I deliberate.”
Entry two
Jack handed the phrase for everybody to keep up their positions and maintain watch. He referred to as for a “injury” report. Regardless of the machine gun fireplace, nobody on the barrier was harm or killed. Other than Jack, nobody on the barrier even received an opportunity to return fireplace. The positions on the hillside have been the one ones who did. Two of the marksmen on the hill took hits however weren’t severe. Jack merely stated, “We received fortunate.”
We might see some motion. A number of undamaged wagons have been connected to the rider’s horses and turned away from their line. After an hour, Jack turned to me, held out the binoculars, nodded towards the hillside, and stated, “Test it out. Take your time. Make sure that of what you see.”
“On it, Jack.”
I didn’t hassle to low crawl this time however sprinted as much as the hillside place. After about thirty minutes of watching via the binoculars, I returned to report.
“I didn’t see any motion. Plenty of our bodies on the bottom, possible extra beneath the overturned wagons or within the tents. A number of useless horses and cows.”
Jack nodded. After a second, he referred to as up three groups to recon the state of affairs. One to every aspect of the highway, one up the center.
Jack lead the center crew, I used to be at his one aspect, my rifle at “the prepared,” as was the remainder of the crew.
The remaining wagons have been in varied circumstances of destruction. Some may very well be salvaged. Others have been firewood. As I reported, there have been some useless males beneath the wagons. There have been many extra between their line and the tents.
Jack stopped and stood over one physique.
I solely acknowledged him by his clothes. The pinnacle and physique had been smashed so many instances by the stampede, driving the physique practically flush with the bottom.
It was their army tactician.
We discovered different our bodies in related situation. Those who weren’t completely crushed clearly had extreme head wounds they died of or have been twisted and mangled in unimaginable positions.
A kind of our bodies twisted and mangled into unimaginable positions was Sarah. I knelt down over her. I reached out to show her over however stopped myself. I didn’t wish to see what was left of her face. I pulled my hand again.
Diary, I didn’t really feel completely satisfied, glad, or triumphant at that second. We had received, with no losses. However kneeling over her physique, I might solely really feel unhappy for her. For what she should have endured beneath the life within the cult. Getting used as a spy. Solely to die like this.
Entry three
After our sweep, we discovered solely the useless. The cult’s survivors had taken what they might with the remaining wagons and left. Reverend Ishmael’s physique was not among the many useless. Fortunately, neither have been the opposite two spies, Samuel and Abigail.
We took the horses and cows that died and would have our personal celebration after we had a funeral pyre for his or her useless. By our rely, thirty-four of the cult members died – largely males however just a few ladies too.
Whereas many ate nicely, drank, sang, and danced, I sat down subsequent to Billy with a plate of steak and roasted greens. I knew I used to be hungry however didn’t really feel it.
Billy was form sufficient to note my temper. He informed me of how Jack talked along with his father, then staged the faux revelation in entrance of the spies, and he and his dad would truly go to the East to seek out one of many unfastened herds of cattle to carry them in for the stampede. Billy famous one, perhaps two calvings, and people unfastened herds would grow to be utterly wild. They might be just like the wild water buffalo of South Africa or the Bison of the American Nice Plains.
I noticed he was making an attempt to alter the topic and reached out with one hand to his and stated, “Thanks.”
I then modified the topic myself and talked about how I loved educating studying to my college students and marksmanship.
Diary, Billy, and I ate our dinner, talked, and laughed. We even danced later across the fires. Within the quiet moments, I couldn’t assist however consider Sarah.
Entry 4
Diary, it seems our home is now the central sq. of the neighborhood.
With Dad’s open invitation to make use of his out of doors oven and range, individuals have been consistently coming over to bake bread, cook dinner a meal, or smoke meat. Dad constructed a big picket desk eight toes lengthy by 5 toes huge. Folks would roll out their bread into loaves on both aspect of the desk whereas chatting.
Mother totally loved having individuals over to speak to. Some would carry baggage of tea for warm or chilly drinks. Others would make slightly additional of their breakfast or lunch to share.
HAM Man would come by sometimes to offer us the newest information he heard on the radio nets. Somebody would all the time give him a plate of meals or a loaf of bread in change.
A number of teams have been now declaring themselves as the brand new federal authorities, every with their very own president. Every is promising to rebuild and restore America to its former self. A number of introduced their very own separate nations completely. There have been just a few coalitions and one New England confederacy. HAM Man gave a snort on the irony of a New England “confederacy.” And one man has pronounced himself because the King of New America.
The HAM man within the metropolis reported there’s a flu going round. He says it doesn’t appear too dangerous however individuals with younger kids and the aged are retaining away from others as a precaution. The gang that Jack went to town to commerce for antibiotics has established their “turf” from different gangs. There may be an occasional battle between gangs, however issues are largely peaceable. They can not afford a chronic conflict and so they do need to commerce with one another typically.
Our HAM Man made a reference to a lady claiming to be from Eire. In keeping with her, the UK and the EU have collapsed into common chaos. Most of them nonetheless have energy however there may be numerous preventing within the streets. Gangs with weapons have overpowered native governments and have taken over total cities and cities in nations with strict gun management legal guidelines. There have been un-verified accounts of ethnic cleaning of all types. She additionally stated there was a conflict happening however nobody appears to know who’s preventing who or the place. So far as she is aware of, Iceland and Greenland are the one nations utterly unscathed. She heard studies that America was having its personal civil conflict.
HAM Man simply shrugged his shoulders and stated he would attempt to communicate together with her.
There may be rancher up north HAM Man was speaking to on the radio nets even earlier than the ability went out. He reported they already had snow. It’s a good two or three weeks early for them. He was fortunate he had a superb summer season and leftover hay from the earlier yr to maintain his herds fed, however he thought he must both cull a part of his herd or allow them to go wild. Culling the herd, there was no market to ship them to. He, his household, all of the ranch fingers, and their households couldn’t eat that a lot beef with out it going dangerous. Wild appeared the higher concept.
A man down in Texas reported at first, after the ability went out, the Mexican drug cartels got here throughout the border en masse and tried to take over total areas. Management corridors for his or her drug commerce. Then the Texas Nationwide Guard confirmed up and would shoot anybody and everybody who couldn’t show they have been Individuals. With tanks, APCs, helicopters, and troop numbers, the drug cartels have been shortly out-gunned and out-manned.
But HAM Man stated, “Right here is the actual kicker. With the ability out and all our infrastructure down, the drug cartels now not had entry to their market. There isn’t any means to promote to their consumers. Their consumers now not had entry to cash. And it didn’t take lengthy till cash had no which means. Everybody was preventing over issues like meals and gas. They left. There was no revenue in it. Then, they discovered themselves in the identical state of affairs as we have been in Mexico. No energy.
All of a sudden, issues received actual native, actual quick.”
The man in Texas even stated there have been studies of inexperienced card holders crossing again into Mexico as they felt it was safer there than in America.
Diary, how tousled is that?
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead will not be solely a former Marine, but in addition a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He presently resides within the nice white (i.e. snowy) Northeast along with his spouse and canines. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, sometimes hogs, cows and typically geese. He grows varied veggies and has a bizarre fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys studying, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, goal capturing, and is presently increasing his woodworking abilities.
