A Long Lonely Road (2 page)

It is funny that she never knew Johnny Walker was the name of some pretty good booze!! Lol… I think my ol man was still dodging stuff to the day we planted him .

Mom is living on the homestead in Texas with our friends and family all around . I’m not going to worry about them .

I have my hands full figuring out how I’m gonna get home. It’s a long ol road from here to there and it’s looking like I either look for an old truck or car that didn’t fry or start walking . 

I’m not gonna try bullshitin anybody. I’m damn near “old” and still a bit over weight, not like a year ago but still…

Walking is out at least if I try to take all my road supplies with me.. And I’m sure not looking to leave any of it..

I was shooting in matches while up here and have several weapons and a lot of ammo with me and also did some hunting which reminds me . I have a lot of meat in my ice chest packed in dry ice so I need to figure this thing out and while I’m thinking I best get to trying to smoke some jerky..

I’d never made jerky over an open fire and that thought just reminded me I have 2 full propane tanks and an oven in the trailer , neither of which needs electricity !!!

First I needed to thaw out enough meat to get the first batch going so I did that. I’ve never been one for wild meat roasts even though I’m a pretty fair hand in the kitchen . I just couldn’t seem to make one that wasn’t day as a desert breeze . But I did cut some because the ladies at home do like it so that’s what I thawed first .

I figured it would take me a few days to get it all done and that would give me time to do some recon to see just who and what is around..

First thing though I took my Swede saw and started cutting what folks up here call squaw wood. Meaning dead limbs and such that’s still attached to the tree.

It’s good dry wood and I need it to do some of the jerky making. If I wait for the trailer stove to do it I’ll be here when first snow falls which ain’t very damn far off !

After I got the wood back to camp I set about enlarging the fire pit. After that I went to the creek and cut arm loads of willows which I used to build a rack to hold the meat while it dried .

Next on my list was to scrounge thru the trailer cabinets for whatever spices I could find which turned out pretty good. I had plenty of pepper and salt ,  powdered garlic and taco and chili seasonings which I could use to fix food to eat while I was working.

One nice thing about this was that it kept my mind off just how bad things were going to get real soon. Not to mention it’s keeping my mind off the folks back home.

I waited until the roasts were thawed about half way and sliced them as thin as I could. When the meat is half froze it’s easier to slice thin . I figured about a ¼ inch is about right so I went to work on that and it worked just like it should have.

After I had sliced a bunch I got a pan and added water and salt and pepper to taste and added some ketchup and then what the hell I dashed in some honey mustard and soy sauce from take out in the little packets we all save for some damn fool reason. Now I know why.

I let the first batch soak for a couple hours and turned the oven on to 200 degrees. I laid the meat on the oven grating and shut the door.  Timing it was gonna be a bugger but I figured done was done so I won’t worry about the small stuff.

While the meat was soaking I had started the fire and keeping it small I had an area around 7 feet long and 3 feet wide , over that I would build the willow frame .

As I said earlier I’ve never done this kinda jerky making but I’ve read a hundred books describing how the old Mountain men and Indians did it and at least I knew it would be better then letting it spoil.

Not to mention when I leave this place I may not dare fire a shot for fear of attraction unwanted attention .

Although I do have the means to do so, more about that later.

I don’t feel like I ever thought I would if this happened , I guess because I’ve spent damn near 40 years thinking about it. I know what I have to do and I have a pretty good idea how to do it and I believe I’m up to the task .

It ain’t gonna be easy, but life never is as a rule but if a person just stops jumpin around screaming “ I’m so screwed “ They will find there is a lot they can do.

I’m not young , but I’m not old , I’m able to do all I can do today and then maybe a little bit more and tomorrow a bit more until it’s done, whatever it is. Right now my life just got harder but also got simpler , head South , stay alive , stay healthy , and I’ll see my people again . Simple..

Well I have to report the first batch of Jerky turned out pretty good. A bit too much pepper and maybe a bit too much time in the oven .

But Miz Molly likes it!! She eats a chunk and heads for the creek…lololol , she thinks I hate her but she won’t stop taking it. Hell I even ate some to show her it was ok. I beat her to the creek!!

It’s been 4 days since I woke up to a world where time stopped . And there is nothing to report except to say the jerky making is coming along real well .

I also had a real brain storm! I had made a lot of  deer sausage and wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Then I remembered a few years back somebody made a little machine that pressed burger into strips and folks made burger jerky or some such .

Well I tried it , and it kinda worked out ok , I used a cookie sheet and laid the little ropes of sausage out and then into the oven .

I had to dump off the fat that cooked out of the meat but I mixed it into Molly’s food and she loves me again .

When it was done it was kinda like those pepperoni sticks they used to sell in the bars because if you ate one you had to have three beers to wash it down .

What in the hell am I gonna do with all this stuff? I can’t carry it on my back and I never got a deer cart ( Note to self…a deer cart would be pretty handy!!) but I’m not beat yet!

Panic Mode!!! Heard shots last night! From the highway direction . Molly and I have been sleeping out from the camp in a spot I found that was pretty good defensively .

It took a bit of work but it ain’t like I’ve got anything better to do between changing out the jerky.

It was a low spot with a tree that had fallen across it so I shoveled it out until I could sit up under the tree and could lay down and sleep pretty good .

I had the mattress from the camper and my covers and Molly to stand guard so I was doing just great.

I used the excavated dirt to build up a ramp to fill in some of the space between the tree trunk and the ground .

I spread dead ground cover over it and tossed a few dead limbs on that then stood off and looked at it . Damn I’m good!! And having way too much fun with this .

After hearing the shots last night I never slept a wink wondering when the shooters were gonna come down the road.

I knew damn good and well they would so I needed to be ready no matter when they came.

Walking around the area I located other places where I could and did stash some weapons . My AK with 6 loaded magazines went behind a concrete outhouse with heavy brush behind it so I took my hatchet and cut a narrow pathway thru the brush in case I needed to beat feet .

I placed a Remington 870 loaded with slugs and a dump bag full of buckshot back a bit further into the camp ground since there was only one way in and if they were driving I figured the slugs just might ruin their day or at least their ride!

I carried my AR with me everywhere I went. 10 feet or 100 yards, it went along as did my Para.

In my sleeping bunker I had my ace in the hole, my Ruger 10-22 with the beautiful suppressor / can, from Elite Iron over near Potomac Montana.

It’s a dream!! And even with super sonic rounds is still quiet.

I have another few tricks up my sleeve but unless they come in force I doubt I’ll need to use them. I do have a devious mind!

My jerky making has improved greatly and the meat is about all done which is damn lucky because the dry ice is done for.

I’ve kept the ice chests out of the sun and covered with extra sleeping bags and a tarp which seems to be helping.

Soon I’m going to have to really get out and patrol, I’ll admit I’ve been hiding out of fear of what I may find or maybe what might find me .

Regardless I plan to go on an extended patrol at first light and set up an outpost where I can watch the highway for a few hours and see who’s playing Road Warrior out there and for this I’ll load for bear .

This going to bed at dusk and up at day break ain’t all that bad nor is being active all day. I know I’ve lost more weight, had to take the gun rig up a bit and the old knees seem to be better, all in what?? Damn a week? Time flies when it don’t matter coz ya ain’t got a watch nor a reason to be looking at it.

After a good nights rest and a pot of coffee with some sausage and eggs for both of us and a fast visit to the outhouse we were off. for this little trip I took along my other ace in the hole .

I’m packing my Savage heavy bbl 308 complete with it’s super neat Nam era Tiger Stripe paint job done by a friend in MT and the beauty of it is the other can from Elite Iron .

I have some sub sonic loads that will do very nicely to a point and some super good rounds by Federal that just shoot one hole groups all day long .

I figger if the shooters come around and need be I can deal with them from a ways off.

And who knows I may get a set of wheels out of the deal which means I’m almost but not quite as bad as they are.

Except they will have the opportunity to show me they are not the AssHats I believe them to be .

After making a slow stalk to the road with my lead scout out front I found a hide and settled in to observe which is about as boring as watching

Paint dry .

There was nothing to watch.  no cars and of course nothing moving except the trees swaying in the breeze which was turning pretty damn chilly I might add .

After several hours I gave up and eased out of my hide and had to wake up Miz ever alert who was not bored in the least. I could learn to hate her!

I was stiff as a board and cold and gimpy and enjoyed a childish smirk when I saw Molly kinda gimping along , guess we both got old. But we have it to do and we are gonna do it.

One thing is for sure, we will either grow stronger every day or it will kill us and we ain’t going easy. But for now the walk back to camp is not a lot of fun.

The good news is the jerky is all done! I may not be able to carry it but at least I’m trying!

I’ve been going thru my gear trying to figure out what I can’t do without and what I will have to leave, this is not an easy task.

It’s really only been about a week since “ IT” happened but seems at times like yesterday and at other times like a year ago.

I’m sure when I leave my safe little hide out I’ll not be so comfortable .

Just before dark I again heard shots from the same area and can’t understand what anybody would be shooting at. It’s only a few shots but it is becoming a common thing around this time of day.

After another good nights sleep I got dressed and grabbing the AR I legged it up the road staying real close to the woods on the side.

After I got where I could see and it was all clear I eased out toward the car with the dead man. why I have no idea but he’s the only thing around that might attract any attention .

I stayed low and belly crawled ( rolled might be more accurate ) until I could part the weeds and see down into the ditch , he was still there but he had been shot to pieces !

All around his body was 9mm brass which made me think the folks who killed him might be really pissed off at his for shooting one of them and stop once in a while and use his own pistol to remind themselves they are the top dogs.

Well I gotta say this didn’t sit too well with me and after looking at him for a while I decided I was gonna do something about it. I headed back to my camp and grabbed my shovel and a hunk of 2x6 I used as a jack pad for the trailer. I also took a magic marker.

After getting back to the body and making sure nobody was around I started digging a grave which was hard doing .

And frankly he didn’t smell good even though the week had been cool.

And the Ravens and Magpies had been at him, poor bastard.

I did the best I could for him and using the shovel I rolled him into the hole and covered him and placed some rocks over him to maybe help keep the critters off him.

Then I took the marker and wrote on the 2 x 6 in large letters  “ RIP Stranger. Murdered by low life scum. I figured this just might bring them looking and I planned to be ready for them.

I joined the Marines when I was 17 years old and that was a long time ago but as the old saying goes, Once a Marine, Always a Marine .

And along with that I had also been a City cop and a Deputy Sheriff and an active shooter all my life so I figured I could hold my own if I planned this right.

We legged it back to camp and I quickly fixed us a good meal and packed us

Food for tomorrow morning . I didn’t plan to move from the hid until late.

It turned out that the morning snack wasn’t needed, about an hour before dark I heard a vehicle coming pretty fast so Molly and I got into the bunker.