Anthony Newman - American Survivor

Joe searched each room, and then it dawned on him that while things were broken, the house and furnishings were not broken. Trash was piled on them. He knocked the newspapers, torn drapes, and empty vegetable cans from the couch and it didn’t have a stain. He used the toe of his boot to nudge a pile of crap and wasn’t surprised that it turned out to be fake. The opened vegetable cans were clean inside. Now he smelled a rat.

Then it all came together. The place was staged, and the people that lived here were probably still here and hiding. He walked through the house again and saw the closet under the stairs. He had opened the door and looked in the closet before but only saw a few coats hanging with stacks of boxes and books behind them. Joe shoved the coats out of the way and tried to lift a box of the books and found the box wouldn’t move. He took his flashlight from his shirt pocket, examined the wall behind the boxes, and discovered the wall was a doorway.

Joe tugged and pulled on the boxes and books until he heard a latch click. He pulled the boxes to him, and the wall opened like a door on hinges. He looked into the dark room behind the fake wall to see a room about the size of a bedroom. There was a bed, sleeping bags, and boxes of food to his right and a small table and chairs to his left.

He saw a slight movement and then saw the woman and two kids behind the food boxes when he shined his flashlight from above them.

“Mister, please don’t hurt my kids. I’ll do anything you want but don’t hurt my kids. Take our food and leave us alone,” the frightened woman said.

The kids stopped crying when Joe said in a very calm voice, “Lady, I’m not here to hurt you or the kids. I won’t take your food. I thought I was searching an abandoned home. You need to make the place look dirty, so others won’t find you. You did a good job making the place look looted, but it’s too clean. The house next door has human crap on the floor, and everything is covered in filth.”

“Then go away and leave us alone,” the woman said.

“Is there anything I can do for you? Is your husband here,” Joe asked?

“These are my grandkids. I was babysitting while they were visiting friends up in Portland. My son will be back soon,” the woman said in an unsteady voice.

Joe asked, “Do you have a gun?”

“I do at my home in Medford, but my daughter in law is one of those anti-gun nuts and won’t allow them in her house. I feel naked without one.”

“Here take this pistol and box of bullets. I found them today and don’t need them,” Joe said as he handed the gun and bullets to her.

“Thanks. Have you seen any police or people around out there?”

“Lady, the good people are hunkered down. There are plenty of bad men and women burning and looting. I see a new large fire in town and over toward Medford every time I look. I’m leaving now. Stay hidden as long as possible and perhaps the crazies will move on,” Joe said.

Joe opened the garage door and backed the Jeep out on to the driveway as he watched for trouble. He sped down the back road stopping just long enough to gather his bag and tools. He made the turn off to Dead Indian Road and headed up the access road that went back to his property. He passed the old quarry and doubled back quickly to see if it would make a great hiding spot for the Jeep.

One of the equipment sheds backed up to the massive hill behind it. There was just enough room to drive the Jeep behind the shed. He took his bags out of the Jeep, parked it behind the shed, and covered it with brush. Upon exiting the Jeep, he raised the hood and removed the battery cables, which he placed in his bag.

The bags were heavy, but he quickly covered the two miles back to the cabin where he found Madison cleaning the inside from top to bottom. She only had a t-shirt on, and every time she raised her arms above her head, he saw what had made him temper his thoughts about running her off. Joe slapped himself and walked around to the front of the cabin. He stomped his feet loud enough to alert Madison and dropped the bags on the porch.

A minute later Madison came through the door wearing her skirt on over the t-shirt. She was barefooted but helped him take his boots off

“I’m sorry I have been too clingy. I’m so sorry, but I have been scared to death since this crap happened. I promise not to bother you, and I will work my ass off to help you. Just tell me what to do, and I will do it to make your burden lighter,” Madison said with tears in her eyes.

Joe stood up, pulled her close, and hugged her. “Madison, I’m also sorry. I just suffered a terrible tragedy where my fiancé and best friend died on the same day and lost my Grandma a short while later. I took my anger out on you and will do better in the future. Be yourself and don’t try to play me and we’ll get along just fine. Oh, I brought some things home that you need.”

“Hon, we’ll look at them later. You look exhausted and need to sit down and prop your feet up by the fireplace. I’ll have supper ready for you when you are rested up a bit. I wish I had a Bourbon and coke to share with you,” she said with a laugh.

Joe reached into one of the bags and brought out the Wild Turkey and said, “Pour us a stiff one and sit beside me on the couch so we can relax for a minute.

The drink was what Joe needed, and he filled Madison on every detail of his trip. She put supper on the table, and Joe ate as if he’d not seen food for a month. He helped her clean up after supper, and then they both sat on the couch and had another glass of Bourbon.

“Madison, I thought about you quite a bit while I was gone and got these for you,” he said as he handed the pillowcase.

She smiled when she pulled out the winter boots and the clothes but jumped with joy when she pulled out the panties and bras. She held up a pair of French cut panties and kissed Joe on the cheek.

“Joe, I’ve had to wear the same pair since the crap hit the fan. I have to go commando while they dry each day. Thank you so much for thinking of me,” she said before pulling his head to her and giving him a long hot kiss.

Joe pulled a black thong from his pocket and said, “See I was thinking of you.”

Madison stood up, dropped her skirt to the floor, and lifted her t-shirt above her head exposing her naked body. She took the thong, stepped her long legs into them, and drew them slowly up her legs while Joe watched with an open mouth. She moved to him and straddled his lap as she smothered him in kisses. She unbuttoned his shirt and then unfastened his belt in a fever as they writhed in heated passion. They were soon naked on the couch making love for the first time of many times that night.

The early spring weather warmed suddenly during the night, and Cobie woke up to the sound of rain hitting the tin roof. She thought the sound was beautiful because it meant spring wasn’t too far away. She noticed a noise coming from the inside of the cabin that sounded like water splashing and jumped out of bed to run to the kitchen. There were several steady drops of water hitting the floor in every room. Cobie grabbed buckets and pans and placed them below the drips to catch the water. Now the dripping noise sounded like a symphony of musicians playing out of sync.

Cobie lay down in her warm sleeping bag but could not go to sleep until the constant drumming noise from the rain on the tin roof lulled her back to sleep. When she woke up the snow was gone, and it was 45 degrees outside and sunny. Cobie and her daughter made the most of the warm weather. They shucked their parkas and Cobie took Cloe hunting after being cooped up in the cabin for several days. Cobie knew that the men that killed those people could easily track them in the snow. They had stayed in the cabin playing games during the daylight hours and smoking meat in a makeshift smoker inside the hearth. Now the rain had melted the snow, and they could venture out.