Militia (5 page)

Chapter Six

N
ot long after
they had cleaned the crime off of their streets and claimed their first victory, the President of the United States ordered the remaining National Guard troops to begin collecting up all personal firearms across the nation. The militia had already planned for this and had dug in hiding spots deep in Mike’s woods where they kept every last weapon and every piece of ammunition hidden. When the National Guard arrived they found nothing but what Mike wanted them to find, a bunch of broken or otherwise useless guns and nothing more. With the National Guard troops coming into town also came the rumors of a national identification card that was supposedly going to become mandatory in the near future.

When the last of the National Guard soldiers had left town thinking that all of the weapons had been handed over Mike called the militia to a meeting on his front lawn. There were some big decisions that had to be made with the recent rumors and government actions. When the Middle Militia was assembled Mike had them sit down.

“First let me start by thanking each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication. You have all trained as hard as any soldiers I have ever worked with and that took a determination that few of you knew you had. You have all given your bodies, minds, and most importantly your hearts to our efforts and I am proud to call myself a member of the Middle Militia. What I am about to talk about is something many of you will not like but we have to make some decisions about our futures and our families futures right now. We have all heard the rumors of a national identification card that is going to be forced on us in the coming months. I feel very strongly that this is the beginning of the end. A national identification is the first step to total government control that has never been seen in our free nation. I think it is time to decide on our future as a militia operating under the Constitution and our future as a community. What I am proposing is that we pack up our families and head to the middle of nowhere, getting off of the governments radar before we are stuck in whatever mess is coming.”

As Mike finished speaking he watched as the men began talking amongst themselves. He gave them a minute to discuss what he had said before asking his leaders to talk amongst their platoons and report back to him with their unit’s questions, concerns, and input. After some time with their troops Steve, Mark, and Tom reported back to him.

“Mike, we all agree with you but we started this to be able to stay in our town and defend it if necessary,” Tom said, “we are all willing to follow you to the end of the earth but isn’t this town the whole reason we are here right now?”

“I understand where you are coming from Tom, but the way I see it the town is actually the people in our community not the location of those people. If we stay together we will still be the people of Edinboro regardless of what piece of earth we inhabit. I know it is a lot to ask to give up our homes, and uproot our families but if we stay here we could lose everything anyway.”

“Shit, Mike, I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Steve said. Mark simply nodded his head in agreement.

“Oh hell, Mike, I guess I see your point but it is still a lot to ask from people, many of which have been here for three or more generations,” said Tom.

“I understand Tom, but this might be our only chance to watch future generations grow and know some kind of freedom. Moving is not going to be the end of this community but instead a new beginning. We cant make anybody leave but get back with your platoons and get me the numbers of the ones who want to go with us.” Mike wasn’t sure how many would leave but he assumed most of them would agree to it. When his platoon leaders reported back it had been decided that they would all stay together and follow Mike wherever he led them.

“Listen up Middle Militia,” Mike sounded off in his best command voice, “you have three days. Go back to your families and talk it over with them. After three days time we meet back here at five in the morning as usual. If you are not here nobody will think any less of you. Pack your vehicles with items that you will need. Bring as much bottled water and canned food as possible as well as warm clothing. We are going to stay off of the main roads to avoid being stopped and searched. The rifles are going to be split up into three trucks one for each platoon and every one of you will carry a handgun on your person for the trip. If we get stopped we may need to fight back to keep from having our arsenal taken but let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that.”

The next few days were spent planning each leg of the trip with his platoon leaders, packing, and trying to relax as much as possible. Mike knew exactly where they were going and nobody would be looking for them much less finding them there. Fort Jefferson was not only in the middle of nowhere but was surrounded by some of the most dangerous and grueling terrain in the nation. It was going to be hard but by arriving in early spring Mike felt that they had a chance to be ready for winter. Not only would they be cut off from civilization and hidden from the government but they would have access to all the training grounds that had been abandoned when Mike’s unit was disbanded and possibly any equipment that might have been left behind on the base.

The night before they were to leave town Mike started carrying his bags downstairs when he noticed that neither one of his parents had packed anything. He set his bags down and looked at them sitting peacefully at the dinner table.

“What gives? Are you not planning on bringing anything?” Mike asked.

“Mike, take a break and come sit down with us for a minute. You might be the leader of the Middle Militia but I am still your father and I say you have time to sit and have dinner with us.”

Mike did as he was told and sat next to his father while his mother put a plate of food in front of him.

“Mike, your mother and I have been talking and we have decided to stay here. Before you say anything please listen. We are both getting old and we have lived in this home for over twenty years. This is where we watched you grow into the man you are today and this is where we plan to spend the rest of our lives even if they are not as long, or as peaceful, as we had hoped. You have turned into an amazing man and one heck of a leader. We are both so proud of everything you have done and everything that you are doing right now. We love you very much, but our place is here and your place is with your militia.”

There never was room to argue with Mike senior and he had obviously made up his mind. Mike stood up, hugged each of his parents, and then sat down to what he knew might be their last family dinner together. After eating his dad helped him load up the old Ford and took him back to the basement for a few more beers together.

The next morning Mike awoke a little after four without needing his alarm to go off. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and headed downstairs. His parents were already up and waiting for him with breakfast. As five o’clock neared they said their goodbyes and walked out onto the front porch together. When Mike looked down at the still dark street he could see headlights all the way down both sides of his road. Parked right behind Mike’s truck was Steve and Mark Gilson.

“C’mon, Mike, what’s taking so long,” Steve laughed, “I was starting to think that you were gonna chicken out on us.”

“You don’t get my job that easily, Steve. Just don’t get lost I know how dumb you big jocks can be.” Mike said joking back.

As Mike pulled out of his parents driveway he waved to his mom and dad and did his best to take a mental photograph of how happy they looked standing on the porch of their home together. This was a memory that Mike wanted to keep as vivid as the memories of that last mission in Afghanistan.

Chapter Seven

T
he drive to
Montana took longer than usual. Not just because of the long convoy of vehicles and the loads they were carrying, but by taking all back roads, strategically planned out to avoid being noticed, they had to cover a lot more miles than they would have on the highways. The last thing Mike wanted was to run into a checkpoint and draw attention to the militia or the direction they were heading by getting into a gun fight.

It was now March and there was going to be a lot of work to do when they finally reached their destination. To avoid having to take the whole group to gas stations Mike had set vehicles that carried fewer people and belongings that were in place to be able to make gas runs and fill up truck loads of gas cans. They had mapped out the smallest towns on the route that would still have gas stations to avoid going into towns that were policed or hostile. Everything about this trip had been planned to the smallest detail, which allowed Mike to focus on their arrival.

There were so many things that needed to be accomplished before winter set in. They would have to build good shelters that would protect them and their families from the cold. There were a handful of carpenters in the group that had already been placed in charge of that. Next, they would have to go back to their human origins by hunting and gathering as much food as possible. They would also need to fortify their new town, not from human intruders as much as from dangerous and hungry animals.

As they drew ever closer to Fort Jefferson, Mike became more and more grateful for the diversity of the militia. On top of having carpenters they also had doctors, nurses, gunsmiths, and a lot of well trained hunters and woodsmen. Without that kind of diversity Mike feared that they would not be able to survive long where he was taking them. Diversity was one of the things that had made America such a great country and it was the same that would make their new town work.

When the convoy finally reached Montana Mike knew just where to start building. There were a few square miles just south of Fort Jefferson that were flat, had a reliable water source and were hidden in the mountains. His old unit used this area to train on and Mike was one of the only people in the world that could find it. Getting to it would be difficult but they would manage as best as they could.

As they came closer to their destination the terrain quickly worsened. Mike knew that most of the cars in the convoy could not go on much further so as planned he stopped the group and had everybody cross load themselves and their belongings onto the trucks and SUV’s. They did their best to push the abandoned cars out of sight from the roads and continued to make their way further into the mountains. Another day of driving got them within a few miles of their new home but these last few miles were completely undrivable for any vehicle. There were no more roads left and nothing but mountains as far as the eye could see.

The men and their families got out of their vehicles loaded themselves with what they could carry and continued on foot. Those with young children carried nothing but their kids, while the rest of the town tried their best to help. The few miles took almost two days to cross but they all made it without injury. Once in the location of their new town Mike led groups of the militia back to the vehicles to grab the rest of the belongings. It took close to a week but the convoy was emptied and abandoned with all remaining vehicles hidden as well as was possible.

Over the next few weeks the carpenters led their teams building log homes for each family. They were built to be fast and simple but still sturdy enough to make it through the long winter that awaited them. The hunters worked around the clock to gather as much food as possible, mostly with bows and arrows to avoid using precious ammo. Anyone who was left found tasks, like gathering a huge supply of firewood, helping to make jerky from the meat the hunting parties brought in, and making clothes out of the furs. Mike led a group to the nearest range that fortunately still had bails of razor wire lying around and started to make a safe perimeter around their camp. Everybody from the smallest child to the most disciplined soldiers found work to do.

By the time winter started they were more prepared than Mike had imagined they would be. It quickly became painfully cold but the cabins were built well and there was enough wood gathered to keep them livable through the winter. The doctors and nurses worked around the clock to treat even the smallest cold and flu symptoms and had managed to bring enough medicine for the more serious illnesses.

Mike sat outside of his small cabin home with Steve both men looking with pride at the town they had built so quickly. It was small and simple but it was a hell of a good start that they would be able to build upon in the coming years.

“You know none of this would have happened without you Steve.” Mike said.

“Yeah right Mike, this was all your doing buddy.”

“No man if it wasn’t for you and your dad I would have never even formed a militia much less moved an entire town all of these miles to start new. That meeting that your family organized started all of this in motion.”

“I guess you have a point Mike. Now where do we go from here? All of these people are glad that they followed you here but many of them look at this town as something that is temporary. They still have homes back in Pennsylvania that they dream of one day returning to but I’m not sold on things outside of these mountains ever improving.”

“Well that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. As far as this town is concerned I agree with you that things are not going to get better in this country and know that if these people want free lives they are going to be here for a long time. I keep thinking about the oath I took when I raised my right hand a swore to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic. I’m not sure that I can stay in these mountains forever even if that seems like the best thing to do. Part of me wants to convince the militia to leave once we have helped build this town up and take back what is ours. I’m just not sure enough people will be willing to follow.”

“If you leave then I’m going with you and I know that a lot of the people you have trained will feel the same way. Just give it time and we will evaluate our options when that day comes.”

The two men stood in silence for a moment before Steve told Mike goodnight and headed back to his own cabin. Mike stayed outside for a moment longer thinking about all they had lost due to a corrupt government and a nation that had chosen the side of greed and power rather that the freedom their founding fathers had envisioned.

As the winter wore on Mike kept the militia focused on training and looking towards the future as they planned for all possibilities. With the solar powered radio Mike had packed, he and his platoon leaders listened to any news they could pick up. The news only got worse. Just as they had heard their government had issued a mandatory national identification card to all citizens including all illegal immigrants living between their borders. At the same time the gang war which had been being fought in every city between the gangs and the remaining National Guard troops had grown much worse and was leaving a massive death toll on every street in America. It seemed obvious to all of them that they made the right decision to come here and hide from civilization.

Every news report brought out the desire in Mike to fight back rather than hiding and waiting, but he knew that the time was not here yet. The militia continued to train as much as they could during these long winter months but with a rationed food supply they could not train as hard as they were accustomed to. Once the temperatures started to warm and the snow melted Mike would lead the militia to Fort Jefferson to gather any useful equipment that might have been left behind.

What amazed Mike more than anything else though was how high the moral was not only of the militia but of every person in their town. The radio bringing nothing but bad news night after night seemed to keep everybody focused on living a free life in a free land. They were grateful for what they still had and what they still had was each other. Every time Mike looked around he realized that the people who had followed him here were filled with the same determination as the people who had first founded their once-great nation. Their desire to remain free was so strong that it kept them warm even on the coldest of nights. He watched as these people helped each other, their children played with each other, and everyone held each other while most people when faced with a similar situation would have done nothing but fall apart. These people were the Americans that our founding fathers had envisioned; they were one big family that would do anything for one another.

As winter came to a slow end, the settlers returned to working together to build up their town. They built a school house for the children, a large cabin to be their hospital, and a church to come together and give thanks in regardless of their religious beliefs. They worked together to build more permanent homes that would make the harsh winters more bearable. Cabins now had wood floors, stone chimneys, and even bathrooms (though running water was an obstacle that could wait). Even furniture was constructed to increase comfort, some of the beds and couches that had been built were quite impressive.

The settlers had voted on the town name and found it appropriate to call their town Middle for the working class community that they had once been a part of rather than to name it after the town they had left. They wasted no time in starting to prepare for the next winter and were quickly gathering more food and fire wood. Animal firs and skins were in abundance as the hunting parties became more skilled and everything from the hunts was put to good use just as the Native Americans had done for thousands of years and in every climate this country could throw at them.

Mike wasted no time in preparing his militia to defend their town. Towers were built to overlook the most likely paths that could be taken to their location and give the town an around the clock watch for any signs of danger. Booby traps were set up in strategic locations that were well hidden and would ruin any enemy’s travel miles before they would be in sight of Middle.

Scout teams were formed in each platoon and sent out in all directions to look for any signs of people. Mike lead a large group behind the scout team heading in the direction of his former base. When they reached the base they found it uninhabited as Mike had hoped it would be. It was very difficult to find and had not been around long enough for many people to know about. Each squad of men had been given specific instructions to search designated areas such as arms rooms and supply cages. Again as Mike had expected there were no usable weapons or ammo left but a few pairs of night vision goggles and a lot of equipment had been found. There were plenty of camouflaged uniforms and rucksacks for every person in the militia to use as well as many pairs of combat boots. They took every useful item they could carry and headed back to their new town to continue preparing for winter and the towns safety.

Upon returning to town Mike began hiding fighting positions in every possible area that an enemy could possibly approach them from and with the weather becoming warmer the militia continued to hone their soldiering skills. They trained hard during the day and manned watch posts through the night. They used the old training areas from Mike’s Ranger Battalion and picked them clean of anything that could be useful for the militia or the town.

Sooner than they would have liked winter was creeping back up on them. The winters were harsh as the people of Middle already knew but they had been through one and were prepared to endure many more. The news reports continued coming in with more bad news. The American people were suffering harder and being oppressed like never before. Crime from the gang wars had been eliminated through attrition but starvation continued to rise in the cities and branch out to even the smallest towns. Underground news reports brought to life the fears of the American people. Reports of people searching for their loved ones who had been missing, most assuming that they had disappeared after trying to cross a checkpoint with food or supplies.

February first, 2027, brought the news that convinced Mike it was time to fight. That night the President gave his last address to the nation. Apparently the government had become so in debt to China and so broken down, that in their inabilities to pay back any of their debt; China had seized ownership of the United States of America. Mike remembered hearing his father complain about the growing debt to the Chinese among other nations when he was just a young boy and had no understanding of the possible repercussions of such a large national debt.

For years politicians complained and debated over the money owed and the dependency on a government which many felt was more enemy than ally. At the same time these politicians continued to allow their wealthy, corporation running friends to send jobs the this possible enemy until every item in every shopping cart across America was being purchased from China. While our debt grew and our dependency on products (many of which had once been manufactured here) became a staple of the Chinese economy, the nation who owned both our jobs and our debt also sided against our best interest in most international decisions.

China had become a very powerful but extremely overpopulated country. Mike imagined that the government of China would want America not just for its natural resources (which had become very sparse in their own homeland) but also for its space. While they had a booming economy their people lived on top of one another and while America had nothing but debt we still had open spaces with plenty of room left to be populated. Mike remembered learning in science class that the species throughout history that populated the fastest typically pushed the less populated species out of the way in order to thrive while the other animals went extinct. Now it appeared to be happening within the same species as the Chinese thrived and pushed out other nations to make more space for their growing numbers.