The Dancing Man, Redemption and Shifters by D.A. Sanford - HTML preview

3. The outside world

We have been here for almost all the summer and have not seen anyone, let alone coming in our area. I think it is time for a scouting run so I get all four of us together.

“We have no indication of how the world is fairing. Are there any signs of life other than the animals? I need to go for a day. I want to go four hours out and then return by a different route. We get our gas from the small town. That is totally without human life. If I don’t find anything in a few hours, I will scavenge for more necessities. Take an inventory of what you think will be needed. I will be taking that Jeep I got from that same town.”

They had no real objections with the exception of me being careful. “Take your pistol and that AK.”

One of my rules is to be observant. I have been in violation of my own rule. I am driving through the town that we have gone through many times. What was I going to do? See if I could find people and hope that they are friendly. I have my pistol and AK just in case.

I have stopped the Jeep and I am laughing hysterically. I get out my tools. It took me the better part of the day but the item is actually light weight. I went into the house and made sure that I had everything. With it strapped to the roof and the inside of the jeep full. I started the short trip to the cabin.

Julie was outside with her mother. She is in utter delight when she sees the Jeep trundling up to the cabin. Every bump, we sway to the point that either we tip over or loose the load. I finally stop and everyone is peeing their pants at the sight. Jackie finally asks

“What the hell do you have there?”

“I went to see if there was anyone out there. I never made it out of the town. This is a ham radio antenna with the radio and a short wave set up. I know that you all were worried about contact with others. With this, we can just stay here.

Once this is set up, we can just listen. Scanning the frequencies. Military has their own style. A repetitive recording, we will not answer. True ordinary people will be on the ham talking back and forth. You can get to know them before you ever answer. All from the safety of here.”

Then I go to the Jeep and bring out a large box. I squat down and talk to Julie. “I did find a hidden treasure in the house. Just for you.”

I set down the box and let her open it. There were coloring books and quite a few boxes of crayons. I also found some dolls and stuffed animals. She was in over load. Kathy told her that they would bring it inside so she could sit at the table and draw.

Over the next few days, I reassembled the antenna and raised it. It was a lot easier with the three helping. Julie held the bolt bucket for me. When we raised it, I had her stand back until it was upright. Then she handed me the last two bolts. All we needed was the anchors.

Everything was hooked up, we decide to first listen to the short wave radio. That will give us a general knowledge of how the world is fairing. There were a few signals, mostly foreign language. We tried different times and heard England.

They were not in any better position than we are. Their government had failed along with most of Europe. People were starting to gather for mutual aid but the remnants of the armies were now trying to become rulers. They were finding that the people are prepared and fighting back.

Then they said that they had heard from the Americas. Scattered populations but the conflicts are not as bad as over there. They said the deciding factor was the number of firearms we have in private hands. More than the army, besides that, most of the soldiers turned on the officers that tried to prevent them from going to see if their families were safe.

I remember those after the bomb movies. I sit at the ham radio and turned it on, then pushed the scan button. Almost immediately it stopped. There, over the speaker, was a conversation between a few people. None of them giving their location or maybe they already know. The talk is friendly. It’s about conditions, how they were fairing but no numbers.

One of them asks if anyone has heard anything about violence. Most in the conversation said that they were more interested on survival. There was one that said

they were attacked by a gang but those are no longer a threat. He said that the ones that he has heard are the type that are just a mob. Fire until you see no one standing. “It is just a pain in the ass burying them.”

Another said that just dragging them off stinks up the area and attracts the real threat.

Carnivores, predatory animals. Those are now the greatest danger.

I noted the frequency.

After hearing that, I took the box truck and raided the big box lumber company. They have those propane forklifts. Every roll of chain link fence, tallest polls, all the hardware and all the cement bags. They had a rental place so I grabbed two post hole diggers.

Now we have an eight foot fence all around the entire acre yard. The gate is large enough for our vehicles but has a smaller gate for foot traffic. I did find razor wire and was able to top the fence with it. I feel a lot better about our safety. Especially Julie’s. I shudder to think about her getting hurt or worst.

We listened to quite a few frequencies and found that people would only say, I’m New England, Down South, West Coast. All general areas that were enough for you to understand their general area but never specific locations. No one seems to want to visit. Caution.

The ham is the replacement for the social network. Information.

At a meal, I ask them, “I think that I want to talk to them but I want to get your opinion on it. My biggest worry is that once I broadcast, we can be triangulated, we would be found. What do you think?”

Kathy sums it up best. “What do you want to talk to them about that you haven’t already heard? I suggest that you write down what they call each other. Making note of new ones calling in. Of the several groups that you listen to, see if any of the new ones stop calling. If they are luring people in, the new ones will just stop calling after a few times.

Look for a pattern. Be the guardian of the air. If you see a pattern, then you broadcast a very short message saying that the group is a trap.”

She is brilliant. Sure enough, one of the groups I hear does fit that pattern. I have written the briefest message. I pick up the mic.

“Attention to anyone listening, this group is a trap. They seem to be preying on the people who call.”

I release the button. All hell breaks loose. I hear denials but one of them fucks up.

“How dare you fuck up a good deal. Callback, face us!”

I don’t fall for that.. A ten second call out was not enough for them to find me. Now I need to stay off the air for a while. One thing to note, they no longer are at that frequency. My call was relayed and I heard thanks over the different frequencies. Quite a few said that they knew of groups being attacked. Now they knew.

Over a time period, I heard the same pattern of talking but calling out for anyone to join.

Time after time, more brave people would do what I did. After another frequency change, I was going to call out but that group went off the air.

One of the ones that I recognize as one who called them out, came on the air.

“We used their tactics and found their locations. You will never hear from them again.

Thanks go out to the first one who called out. We thank you for being the Watch Dog.”

I press the button, “The Watch Dog thanks you. Bark, bark” I release the button and I hear quite a few different people calling me out basically saying the same thing. “Keep watch” then a bark or a howl.

After a while there seems to be a whole network of people watching. Soon there is no longer reports of people being attacked. Could that be the last remanent of the army are gone? I tell the world that I am signing off for good. Now all we do is listen. I no longer want to answer.

I really do not care but the fence was the best idea that came out of the whole thing. We have had some wildcat’s prowl. Their hides have made winter clothes for us.

I found a tractor with all sorts of attachments and a trailer. It was an interesting trip home but we have a deer that Jackie bagged. Would have been illegal in the old world but now, she stopped the car and shot it through the Jeep window. It was gutted and we hung it up to bleed out.

I had found some propane refrigerators and freezers. There was a propane delivery company in the next town. It’s a good thing that no one lives there. I stunk up the place learning the way to fill a tank truck but now we have two trucks and even a propane stove to cook on.

The deer went into the freezer. Tanned the hide for future use.

Back to the tractor. I had to cut some dead trees down and also wanted to make a root cellar for the crops we will be planting in the spring but we also have harvested the gardens that people planted before they died.

The tractor sure as hell beats hand digging. I did use it to trailer a large prebuilt shed here that I could park the tractor in out of the elements.

With all this, I finally tell them that we are now what was called an off the grid self sufficient homestead. “I don’t see any reason for us to leave this area. I have cleared a very large area of anything burnable. The fence keeps the animals out of here.”

They all agree.