American Meltdown: Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles (11 page)

CHAPTER
21

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

-Benjamin Franklin

Matt and Karen returned from Adam's house early Sunday evening. Matt still had to get his equipment ready for training the next morning. Adam would be picking him up at daybreak to rendezvous with their platoon.

Matt's phone rang. “It’s Jack again,” he told Karen.

"Hey, buddy," Jack said.

He was normally much more enthusiastic when he spoke, but to Matt it sounded like it took all the energy he had to just get out the few words.

"You guys able to get out of there yet?" Matt was concerned.

Jack replied, "I got about four gallons out of Trevor's car. I traded some hand tools for three more gallons from some of the folks around the block, but no one really wants to give up
their gasoline unless it is for food. We barely have anything to eat, much less to trade."

"How is Tina holding up?" Matt asked.

"Not too good." Jack sounded even more discouraged. "We have both lost a lot of weight. I guess I had more to spare. She looks kind of sick. She is always kind of nervous. We’re both on edge all the time. This is a very stressful situation. I suppose I always thought that everything would be fine, and if it wasn't, we would be dead. I didn't really think about things being like this. We aren't dead and things ain’t fine."

Matt asked
, "So what is your total for gas?"

Jack said, "I'd say about
twelve gallons."

"Did you rig up any type of trailers for the bikes?" Matt inquired.

Jack answered, "I did. I took the wheels off the garbage cans and used some PVC like you suggested. We have everything we need in a backpack and a duffle bag. We don't have a tent, but I took the tarp off the top of my car canopy. It’s waterproof. I just cut a tent-sized piece out of that. We can rig up that piece of tarp with some rope and a few pegs. It will be better shelter than nothing."

Matt asked, "Do you have a water filter? If you have to travel a distance on bikes, you won't be able to carry enough water for the journey. You
’ll need to collect it on the way."

"Didn't think of that
," Jack said.

"Well," Matt replied
, "get some bleach. It won't taste good, but it will keep you alive. Eight drops per gallon of clear water and sixteen drops per gallon of cloudy water. Find a few clean bottles to fill up and take with you. When you empty them, fill them up every time you come across a fresh water source. Take a clean cloth to drape over the bottle to filter out large sediment."

"We don't have any bleach
," Jack said.

Matt said, "You are going to need something. Look around at Blaine's and see if he has any Pool Shock. I doubt the vandals would even know to take it. I don't know how much to tell you to use. I guess you'll figure it out. It probably won't take much. If it's too strong tasting, let it sit over night with the cap off and some of the bleach from the Pool Shock should dissipate. I don't think you guys will make it all the way up here on bikes. It
’s going to start getting pretty cold once you pass Daytona. I spoke with my buddy in Saint Augustine. He has a team that is going to be making their stand there. He said they could use a good handyman on their team. You would be expected to train with their militia and be ready to fight. You would also be expected to work hard. In exchange, they’ll feed you and put you up in their garage. He said they have some extra furniture and will try to make the space livable for you."

Jack questioned, "Saint Augustine? Who do you know up there? Not that crazy Italian guy?"

Matt laughed. "Frank mellowed out. He gave his heart to the Lord and he is a totally different guy. Of course you still wouldn't want to get on his bad side."

Jack was silent for a moment. "Is he planning to fight against the government? I don't know about all that."

Matt replied, "He is planning to stand his ground like the rest of us. His group is not going out to look for trouble, but they are not going to be enslaved. You would be in the same situation if you were able to get up here. Everyone is expected to stand alongside the militias.  I know you don't have internet right now, but Paul Randall gave a very good speech. He explained that the militia are the ones with the Constitutional authority. The present administration is the real enemy of the state."

"What about Tina?" Jack quizzed. "She can't fight in a militia."

Matt said, "The girls will have other tasks in the militia effort. Nurses, food preparation and such."

"Well," Jack said after a moment. "We
’re dead if we stay here, so I guess we’ll take Frank up on his offer."

Matt said, "I don't know if
twelve gallons will get you there or not. It should get you close. I would leave early in the morning so you still have some daylight to travel by if you have to ditch the van. Keep your Sig in your waist and keep your Benelli shotgun in the duffel bag, on top where you can get to it quick. Do you think Tina would be able to shoot if it came down to it?"

"I don't think so," Jack said. "She has sort of froze up every time someone around here has been murdered. It takes her a day or so to even start communicating again."

"We'll be praying for you both," Matt said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it
," Jack said. "I've never thought too much about spiritual things before all this happened. I hope we get some divine assistance. We’ll need it to get us to Saint Augustine."

"He is always there Jack. All you have to do is ask." Matt didn’t say it, but he knew Jack’s chances were slim without God’s intervention.

CHAPTER 22

"That the people have a Right to mass and to bear arms; that a well-regulated militia composed of the Body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper natural and safe defense of a free state..."

-George Mason - Father of the Bill of Rights

Matt was still in a zombie-like state when Adam and Wesley arrived to pick him up for training at the break of dawn on Monday morning.

"Will you have a cup of coffee with me,
Cousin?" Matt asked.

"Just a quick one…" Adam looked at his watch. "We have to get on the road soon."

"I brought a thermos full of coffee," Wes replied.

Matt said, "Help me drink this pot and I'll take a few swigs of your coffee on the road."

"Sounds good." Wes smiled.

Adam did a pre-combat inspection of Matt’s and Wes's gear before they left. He checked their walkies, extra socks, medical kits, rifles and magazines.

On this training, they would not be taking tents or food. They would have to forage and build their own shelters.

Adam asked Matt, "Do you still have your pellet gun?"

"Yes," Matt replied. "What good will that do?"

"We are going to be running silent," Adam answered. "If you take any game, it will have to be with a snare, bow or a pellet gun."

"How am I going to carry two guns?" Matt considered the logistical challenge.

"Bring your Pellet gun in here," Adam said.

Matt did as he was instructed.

Adam took out a length of paracord and quickly wove what looked like a spider web on the side of Matt's ALICE pack. "Just loosen these two slip knots when you are ready to take out the pellet gun and it will slip right out."

"That’s ingenious." Matt studied Adam’s contraption.

"It looks a bit more presentable when it’s done on a MOLLE bag, but it still works," Adam said.

Matt went to the bedroom and kissed Karen on the head and pulled the cover over Miss Mae. Karen whispered, "Be safe," and went right back to sleep.

The guys loaded up the truck and headed out.

Adam told Wes and Matt, “Gary’s place is big enough that the platoon can break up into squads and still have room to operate without stepping into one another's area of operation.”

When they arrived at Gary’s farm, t
hey met up with the other men from Bair platoon. Adam went over the training activities for the day. He did a quick inspection and the platoon split up into squads. Adam would be leaving Gary’s and making rounds all day to see how the other two platoons in London Company were working out.

Wesley and Matt were assigned to Bravo Squad with the men who were their closest neighbors. Gary Brewer was on their squad.

Gary whispered to Matt and Wesley, “I have a good idea where we’re most likely to find wild edibles and game. I also have a good spot for a shelter. It has a bluff overhang that would help keep us warm.”

Matt smiled slyly. “It’s
a bit of an unfair advantage to have the guy who knows all the good spots on our squad, but I’ll take it.”

Wesley was assigned as
the Bravo Staff Sergeant since he had the most experience with the Eastern Kentucky Liberty Militia.

Bravo Squad found a good place in the woods with not too much snow to practice their individual and group troop movements. They practiced hand signals and the guys with earphones and headset mics practiced radio communications with as little peripheral noise as possible.

Adam returned to Bravo after making his rounds. He was spending the rest of the day with Bravo since this was the group he would be fighting with, if it came down to that. They spent the rest of the afternoon on camouflage and setting up ambushes. By late afternoon, they were all famished. 

Adam said, “We’re going to split up into groups of two or three and go foraging. Wes, Lee Jessup and Eddie Cooper, you guys head out to look for game using Wesley's bow. Matt and Gary Brewer, see what you guys can take with your pellet gun.  JC Hunter, Bobby Mertz and Jeff Nolon, you guys team up and forage.”

The last team were all avid hunters, but JC was the only one proficient with a bow. They headed out to see what they could find. Bobby was well versed on wild edibles. There wasn't much, but if there was anything to be had, Bobby would find it.

Adam, Michael Marino and Brian Mitchum stayed behind to get a fire going and to construct a shield out of branches to lean up against the bluff and block the wind.

Matt and Gary headed to the oak grove. They walked slowly and quietly. Matt hoped to find a squirrel. Squirrels don’t hibernate, but they do stay inside to conserve heat in the winter. As they approached the oaks, Gary tapped Matt and pointed ahead. As Matt peered, he saw several black birds just ahead. Matt raised his pellet gun and took the shot. PING. The pellet hit the tree just beneath the bird Matt aimed for. That bird flew off, but the others were not overly disturbed. They settled back to the branches and Matt lined up another shot. Matt took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger slowly this time. POP. The bird dropped through the branches. The other birds must have found the sound of their comrade cascading through the branches to be more worrisome than the prior missed shot and flew away. Matt and Gary half-filled Gary’s day pack with acorns and several walnuts. On the way back to camp, Gary pointed out a few small doves on the edge of the tree line. Matt found the biggest closest target and took the shot. POP. Its wings spread out and it fell, limp, on the frozen ground.

They were the first ones back to camp. Matt started skinning the birds and Gary started hulling the nuts and digging out the inside of the acorns.

Adam had several small fires built very close to the bluff.

Matt asked, "I thought we were going to sleep next to the bluff?"

Adam replied, "We are, and it will be radiating heat for the first few hours of the night."

"Smart thinking," Matt said. "Why are the fires all burning in the holes?"

Adam answered, "Those are Dakota fire holes. It keeps the flames lower, so they emit less light to be seen by the enemy. They also burn more efficiently and less visible smoke goes up to reveal our location. These small holes a few inches from the fire pit are actually tunnels that go into the pit underground. That allows the oxygen to feed into the pit as needed."

"Very cool." Matt was impressed with the fire pits.

Wes, Lee and Eddie were the next group to return. They had two very big rabbits and a dove. They each started skinning one creature.

When JC, Jeff and Bobby returned, they had a selection of small birds and one squirrel. Bobby had also found some wild garlic under the snow. He brought back more acorns as well.

The rabbits were pan-fried with the wild garlic. The squirrel and the birds were cooked on spits over the open flames in the fire holes.

Gary mashed up the acorns into mush with a bit of water and cooked it for a while. He threw in the few walnuts as well. He kept the pan drippings from the rabbits and fried small cakes of the acorn and walnut mixture in the drippings. He had a pinch of salt that he obviously snuck in. Adam had made a requirement that no food items were to be brought from home, but the salt made all the difference in the world for the flavor of the meal.

Once fried into cakes, the acorn mush came out like coarse, brittle pancakes. The men ate the wild garlic, tops and bulbs; both cooked with the rabbit and some raw on the side.

Everyone sat down and had a satisfying meal. Matt was sure that Adam could taste the salt. Adam didn't say anything. He was enjoying the flavor as much as everyone else.

Adam, Mike and Brian took the flames from the Dakota fire holes near the bluff and lit fires in holes that were already set up further away from the bluff, on the outside of their sleeping area. The heat would continue to billow up to the overhang and keep them warmer than they would otherwise be. Then, they extinguished the fires near the bluff. The men settled into the lean-to shelters that Adam had devised. The rock wall of the bluff acted as a radiator through the first part of the night and the men slept well that night.