The Guardians (32 page)

Wanting to end the fight from the position of dominance, Griff popped the green flare and began his withdrawal.  Evan and the others saw the flare and began their withdrawal as well.

When Evan arrived back at the Thomas Farm, he found Griff and Daryl already there.  Charlie Blanchard showed up a few minutes later, with Billy Skidmore close behind.  Nervousness sat in while they waited for Jimmy, as he was the only remaining member of the raiding party yet to arrive.  After another fifteen minutes, he finally appeared out of the woods.  After the initial euphoria that they had all survived, an awkwardness filled the air.  Several of the men had never been involved in the taking of another life, and although their actions were justified, and it had been a complete success, it was a lot to take in.

Charlie Blanchard seemed to be in the worst shape.  He was pale and sick looking.  Evan asked, "Are you OK Charlie?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," he replied.  "I almost went into shock when I saw those men explode right in front of me.  I have seen stuff like that on movies, and had pictured what we were going to do in my head over and over again, but there is nothing like it actually happening in front of you.  Nothing could have prepared me for that.  I vomited right there on the spot before I could even start shooting.  I'm not sure I hit anyone, as a matter of fact I know I probably didn't, but I gave the back of the house hell."

"You did great Charlie," Griff said.  "You all did.  What we did today was knock those bastards off of their high horse.  We took away their element of security.  We took away some of their strength, and we showed them that their actions have lethal consequences.  Best of all, they have no idea who The Guardians are and what their composition and force strength could be.  All they know is that a beat down awaits them and anyone like them."

"OK guys," Evan said.  "We know we put a dent in them today, but we aren't sure how bad.  So when you get home, batten down the hatches and keep a vigilant watch on your families and loved ones.  If anyone runs into trouble, call for help on the CB right away.  Now get back to your families and keep them safe.  We will be in touch."

****

Chapter 33: Advice from a Stranger

Nate, Luke, and Rachel had been riding non-stop throughout the night since Lt. Colonel Jackson had dropped them off.  The trip had been mostly uneventful so far and the clear sky and bright moon light was a godse
nd for this part of the journey.  The ideal conditions allowed them to press on long after nightfall.  Lt. Colonel Jackson had started them off on a good route.  Highway 90 through Alabama was a sparsely populated rural farming area where most of the inhabitants had the ability to remain self-sufficient after the collapse.  Early on, people migrating out of cities such as Tupelo, Decatur, and Huntsville swarmed the area.  However, the local population banded together, and ensured the looting and squatting were kept to a minimum.  Eventually, most of the migrating masses moved on due to the vigilance of the local militia that formed just after the collapse.

They had not encounte
red very many people so far during the ride.  They did however have several armed individuals on some of the farms in the area take on an unfriendly and aggressive posture as they rode by.  It was a clear message that migrant travelers were not welcome.  This unfriendly behavior was understood and respected by Nate, having worked on a farm during his journey.  He understood the plight of a subsistence farm in today's world, and just how vulnerable they were to theft and looting.  Many people who had grown up in the cities and were indoctrinated with the entitlement mentality, had been conditioned to look at farms as public servants, as a place where the public's food is grown, rather than the private property of a hard working family.  This detachment from reality led to many a conflict between farmers and the hungry refugees from the cities.  The farmers, who otherwise would have been generous and helpful people, did not take kindly to having people make demands the fruits of their labor.

Highway 90 eventually merged into Alabama 21
, and after following that road for quite some time, the group decided to stay with the rural routes and connected with Alabama 424 and then on to Alabama 524.  This route paralleled Highway 24, which was a major arterial route, keeping them moving in the right direction, while avoiding other travelers and those who would make their living in this new world preying on them.

When passing through the town of Russellville, Alabama earlier that day, they found that a majority of the residential neighborhoods that were not abandoned and in a state of total neglect, had barricades constructed at the
ir entrances.  They assumed people were still living in those neighborhoods, and also assumed they were being watched, so they just kept on moving.  Towns like this had now become eerily quiet.  There were no sounds of vehicles, no dogs barking in the background, no children playing.  It was just like watching a post-apocalyptic movie, except there was no viral outbreak, nuclear war, or zombie horde; it was simply humanity tearing itself apart.  As they entered the center of town, they came across a man standing on a street corner handing out hand written flyers.  He welcomed them to town and asked them to please take one.  Nate had cautiously approached the man and accepted a flyer, while Luke stood prepared to act in the event it was a trap. 

The man was handing out flyers for a church revival he was helping to organize for that next Sunday.  Nate was polite with the man and struck up and conversation, explaining that they had to keep pressing on, otherwise they would have been honored to attend.  After a quick but pleasant conversation, the man warned them not to go through Huntsville.  He had said, "What's not ruled by the man is ruled by the bad man there."  Which confused Nate at first.  He then went on to explain, "The Federals have a heavy presence there because of the Redstone Arsenal. 
Redstone was home to many DoD assets before the collapse, and still is.  It's home to the Army's Missile Command, NASA has a presence there, and more.  That's where they developed a lot of the counter insurgency technology used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will now use on us if we were to ever start fighting back against their heavy handedness."

"How do you know so much about the place?" asked Nate, trying to figure out if the man
's statements were legitimate.

"I used to work there a DoD contractor.  I worked for an electronics company that had a contract to build components for those systems
.  So trust me when I tell you, if any Federals see you armed as you are, they will more than likely take you into custody on sight, if they don't engage you that is.  To the government these days, an armed citizen is a potential insurgent.  Besides just having that threat to worry about, Huntsville is full people who were simple street thugs, criminals, and drug dealer types before the collapse, but are now the kings of that place.  You wouldn't last five minutes with a pretty girl like that in your company," he said as he looked to Rachel, tipping his hat to her.

"But if there is such a large government presence, how do the street thugs get away with all of that?" asked Nate.

"The Feds only care about what goes on inside the fences of Redstone,” the man said.  "Outside of that, we are all irrelevant to them.  It's not like they have to win our votes anymore.  They do patrols outside of the perimeter and through town occasionally, which is how you could bump into them, but it's not to maintain order, they patrol for their own security."

After speaking with the stranger for a while, the group pressed on. 
Nate had thought about that conversation all night as they pedaled on through the darkness, guided only by the moon.  As the sun came up, they were all exhausted and sleep deprived.  Nate decided it was time for a break.  His prosthesis was beginning to irritate him and he knew the others must be nearing that point as well.  "Let's find a place to make camp and get some sleep," he said.

"Oh thank goodness, I need a break so bad," replied Rachel.

They were now just outside of Decatur, which was just across the river from Huntsville.  Nate said, "Let's carry our bikes into that thick vegetation over there behind that fallen tree to hide them, then we can hike back into the woods a bit to set up a quick camp."

"Sounds like a plan
!" said Luke enthusiastically.

Nate and Luke carefully carried their bikes over their heads and hid them where Nate suggested.  Rachel, being of small stature, simply didn't have the energy left to carry both her bike and her pack, so Luke went back and got hers and hid it behind the bushes as well.  They hiked back into the woods and found a bed of pine needles beneath a cluster of pine trees that would make the perfect camp.  Being evergreens, they still had their cover, whereas many of the deciduous trees had begun to turn color for the fall and lose their leaves.  They each unrolled the bedding they had packed
, and made a place to lay down for their nap.

"I'll tak
e the first watch," said Nate.

"Watch?" queried Rachel.

"Yes, we need to stand watch 24/7," Nate replied.  "We can't afford to have come all of this way only to let our guard down and end up just another group of victims in this mess.  Just remember, you are a hot commodity to all of the lawless scumbag men out there."

"Nate!" Luke said with a scowl on his face.

"It's true, you can ignore the reality of things or you can be prepared for it," Nate replied sharply.  "Either way, the reality is there."

"OK, well, wake me up when you need a relief.  I'll get the next watch," replied Luke in a defeated tone.

As Rachel and Luke quickly fell asleep after their exhausting night on the bikes, Nate studied his map and thought back to the advice from the man in Russellville.  Sometimes he felt like God was watching over them.  Was it just a coincidence that a man spreading word about a church revival would be on that street corner at that time?  Was it just a coincidence that he would have knowledge of what lies up ahead that can mean the difference between success and failure for Nate and his group?  Some things just felt like they were meant to be, he thought.  As he studied the map, he came up with an idea to keep making progress, while bypassing the city of Huntsville.

Now I just have to sell the idea to them, he thought to himself.

****

Chapter 34: A Victorious Return

After The Guardians' first raid on the Muncie gang, all of the men involved cautiously worked their way back to their own homes and families, being careful not to be followed or seen.  Upon Evan and Griff's arrival back at the Homefront, both men were greeted by their wives and children with open arms and tears of joy.  Although they had been through a lot during the last year, this is the first planned altercation, and Molly and Judith had both been worried sick since the plan's inception.  Sarah was relieved when she learned that Jason would not be participating, although she knew that deep down inside his heart wanted to be side by side with Evan.  The two had been through so much together, they had grown to become more like brothers than friends.

After the brief celebration of their return, Evan and Griff briefed Jason on every detail of the event.  They could see it in Jason's eyes that he was chomping at the bit to be involved.  Evan said to him, "That would have been one hell of a hike through the woods with your leg and hip hurting like that."

"I would have gotten through it," Jason replied.

"I know, but you'll be raring and
ready to go for the next one.

"When do you see that happening?" Jason asked the two of them.

"We've got to let the next few days play out.  The men can't stay away from their families that long, especially considering potential reprisals.  After a few days of guarding our own homes, we will regroup and hit them again.  The way it stands now, I would imagine we will continue the attacks until the threat is gone.  I'd rather not face off with them directly if we can avoid it.  These hit and run attacks will allow us to chip away at them from the safety of cover and at the time and place of our choosing.  I really don't want to lose any more people from this community.  I want short, strategic hits, keeping the momentum of the fight and the initiative on our side.  If we get down and dirty with them face to face, we give them the chance to turn the tables on us."

"Agreed," Jason replied.

"Now let's discuss what we need to do in regards to security around here," added Griff.

For the next hour or so
, Evan, Jason, and Griff discussed security at the Homefront.  They all agreed that, for the time being, any chores not directly related to food production should be halted, and those efforts turned to security watches and patrols instead.  Griff volunteered to sit down and work up a watch strategy to be implemented beginning that night.

"You two go get some rest," Griff said.  "We need our A-team on at night, when hits are most likely to come. 

"Roger that!" said Jason.

Evan and Jason left Griff to his task at hand and headed to their quarters. On the way, Evan got the ladies together and gave them a sanitized brief on what had transpired at the Muncie place.  They were all happy and relieved that none of the men involved from the confederacy were
hurt, and that it was a success.  However, they worried about what may come in the near future.  Momentum and control of the area was on their side for now, but would it remain that way they wondered?