Matthew Mark - Dark Days Rough Roads

“Hello ma’am, nice to meet you.” She just stood there. Roger repeated the introductions. There was an awkward pause and they were about to just say goodbye and leave.

“Where you guys from? How long you staying? Who else do you have up here?” It was three quick questions. Haliday knew it was her that had been out there last night.

He answered her questions, but fairly generically in nature. “The suburbs. A few weeks until things settle down in the city, I suppose. Couple others with us.” He answered the questions curtly.

“You have a lot of people over there,” she said.

“Well, my family is all. They want to be safe, too.”

“Ya, I guess family being safe is important,” she said.

Roger’s turn to ask some questions. “Is it just you two here? Don’t you have a daughter?”

“She’s at her boyfriend’s for a while,” she said.

Roger played coy, “Oh, ok, just remembered seeing her around before. Well, anyway, we’re going to get going, nice meeting you. We’re across the street and if you need anything let us know.”

“You too. We’re fine.” Her answers were just as quick and almost rude. She walked away.

The guy looked at Roger and shrugged his shoulders. He then opened the door some more and extended his hand. “I’m sorry, I’m Lance,” he shook everyone’s hands. “Take it easy,” he said,

“See ya around, Lance.”

They walked back to the house. “That was weird, Dad.”

“I agree with Kayla, Roger, that lady is a little bit off.”

“I would expect so.”

“Why is that?”

“When the husband opened the door to shake hands, there was a picture on the end table.”

“Of what, or of whom?”

“Her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend.”

“So what’s that mean?”

“They were standing next to a quad, wearing Russian camo. I believe I met him the other night.”

As soon as they walked into the house he called another meeting. “The lady across the street is watching our every move. I don’t know what the husband is all about,. I don’t think he cares. I’m not sure he even knows what’s really going on. But she is definitely buying into the BS the militia offers because Blakey boy here tried to kill her daughter’s boyfriend the other night.”

Blake said, “huh?”

“Ya, the kid on the quad,” Roger said.

He sat down at the radio and called Rob. “Rob, has there been any movement from the militia?”

“No, none at all that we’ve seen. They haven’t left the airport at all.”

“Rob, can we meet?”

“Sure, when and where.”

“Your house, I’m on my way. Don’t panic I’m bringing friends.” Haliday called Blake, Randy and Dawn over, “get your gear together, firearms only. Dress warm too. Grab me a welfare bucket, meet me in the pole barn.” He left a list of chores for the rest of them.

They met him in the pole barn. He went over to his Jeep and started it up. This was a 1982 CJ7 with soft top. He had redone the tub on it and fixed the rust. Instead of going with a lift kit, he actually lowered it an inch. He added 200 pounds of skid plating underneath for added weight. This was to lower the center of gravity and help prevent rollovers in fast or tight turns.

Everything else on it worked normally. He added roll cage protection and hand holds. The rear seat was a special touch. It could flip over and face backwards. This vehicle was painted flat black. Everything on it, bumpers, rims, everything. He didn’t have the top and didn’t care to worry about that. Canvas was useless for anything but wind and water protection. He folded the windshield down.

They pulled out onto the road and headed south. He went east at the next road and then north at the next one after that. He did this for the neighbor’s sake. They were at Rob’s in 35 minutes. They pulled in and he angled the Jeep for a quick easy escape. He didn’t expect this to be the case. He walked up to Rob. They shook hands and went into his pole barn where he had set up an office.

Randy stood guard with one of Rob’s sons. The kid was 16 actually, his younger brother was 15. Randy called the younger son over. He pulled the bucket out of the Jeep.

“Go put this in your house. Do not tell anyone about it.”

“Is it going to blow up?” the kid asked.

Randy looked at him funny. The kid had a point. “No, it’s not. It’s for you guys after we leave, but do not tell anyone but your mom and dad.”

In a bid to keep Rob on his side, he had brought him a welfare bucket. He didn’t like the idea, but it was a needed evil. Feed the animals and they won’t go away is what he always said. He needed a couple of pets right now and Rob was footing the bill nicely. He almost felt badly, but after what he did for these guys, it was no big deal. He actually needed Rob more than he let on.

Rob had the wood burner going. It was nice and warm. He had a map of the area up as well. “Nice map Rob, where’d ya get it.”

“My store. I used to sell them to the tourists. Want to buy one?” Roger flipped him off. “Nice to see you too.” Rob said.

“Well, we’re here on business.” He looked at a guy next to Rob. “I don’t think we met. I’m Roger.”

“Everyone calls me Brad?”

“Brad?”

“Ya, it’s Bradley Brady.”

“Ahhhh, the hunting shop owner.”

“Yes, sir. I’m helping Rob out with planning and everything.”

“You have any info on the militia? Anything at all?”

“We have a couple guys watching them at the compound. Writing down everything they do, how many people we think they have, vehicles, the same thing you did basically. The most accurate info we have is a body count. They have 31 adult males, 25 adult females, 10 male teenagers, 12 female teenagers, around eight younger boys and maybe five younger girls. Give or take a few people I think.”

“Damn, 78-80 fight capable people? That sucks, I underestimated their troop strength. One of them is my neighbor’s daughter; the girlfriend of the kid you guys cut loose.” Rob looked down at the table. “Sorry, sore subject, huh?”

“Ya, we should have hung that kid.”

“We had that talk, Rob. Rules of engagement, the law, but it’s a thin line here and hard to interpret. Any more people signed up with you?”

“We have a good 60 we can count on.”

“Not enough though. Not yet.”

“I promised my wife the boys wouldn’t leave the house, though.”

“Fair enough Rob, keep making your rounds and recruiting. Spread the word.”

“What about the prisoners?”

Rob looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Oh ya, the people in the building next to their barracks or housing units or whatever the hell they call them. We haven’t seen anyone go in there at all. I’ll double-check but I’m pretty certain.”

“Rob, they have prisoners in there. If no one is going in there they are either dead or they aren’t feeding them.”

Rob asked him what they wanted them to do about them.

“Nothing right now. They’ll have to wait it out until you guys get in there.”

“What do you mean ‘get in there?’”

“Rob, you guys will have to go in there.”

Rob said, “We don’t have the people for that, they are just too many.”

Roger looked at him squarely, “You can take half. That’s all you’ll have to do. The other half are going to come gunning for me. So, let’s lay down the plan. It’ll have to be activated at a moment’s notice. You will have to be ready at all times.”

Rob and Brad both looked at him. Brad said, “You’re kidding right?”

Roger said, “No, not at all. Listen, you guys have the advantage.”

Rob asked him, “How the hell do we have the advantage? You’re defending your house; we have to attack an airport.”