like everyone else. He ended up with pink socks and underwear. He still remembered the shock and outrage he had felt over that. No way was he wearing pink socks and underwear. A girl he had a crush on had seen what happened and explained to him about separating the colors and things. She also had him rewash the pink stuff with some bleach. They came out almost perfectly white. A few more times with bleach would do the trick she told him.

It seemed everyday brought new things to his attention that he had to make a decision about. It sure was hard being an adult. But it was fun too. He could go to parties and not have to worry about a curfew anymore. His whole dorm was a party sometimes. And there were lots and lots of girls. He had his eye on a pretty blonde named Gayle down the hall from him. She was his dream girl. She had helped him with the problem of his pink underwear and socks. She hadn’t tried to make him feel like a moron for not knowing about separating the colors. He was working up the courage to ask her out. He kept kicking himself for not having the courage to ask her out when she helped him with his pink laundry. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to take it if she turned him down. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t ruin his dream of her. Maybe he shouldn’t ask her out after all. Maybe it was better to just leave things as they are. She does say hi to him when they see each other in the hall. They also shared a couple of classes. He wasn’t sure if she even knew that. He sighed. Sometimes things just seemed so complicated. When he was in high school if you asked a girl out and she said no it was no big deal. The guy’s would rib you about it for awhile but that was it. This was way different. This was the big league. If he got shot down now everyone in the dorm would find out about it. They would label him a stupid loser. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face something like that. He had seen how a few other guys had been treated after they had been shot down. Oh well, he would leave that alone for now and make a decision about it some other time.

He was looking forward to seeing his dad. He hadn’t seen him since he started college. He had come to his high school graduation. He was very glad he had. There had been a few awkward times between his dad, his mom and his stepfather. He chose to spend as much time with his dad as possible. His mom and step father hadn’t liked that at all. They had made plans for dinner and such after graduation. Well, that was just too bad. They hadn’t asked him what his plans were. They just made the plan without consulting him as usual. Mom always resented the time he spent with his dad. He was glad that his stepfather got transferred to Hawaii. Now they were far enough away that he could breath. They were always telling him what he was going to do. No asking him what he wanted or anything. Now they were far enough away that they couldn’t call him all the time either. The time difference definitely worked to his benefit.

Earlier this morning a main water pipe had broke in his dorm. Water was everywhere. It had flooded the carpets in the halls before they had been able to get it turned off. What a mess. Some rooms had water a couple of inches deep in them. They closed the whole dorm down. Told the students they had to leave for a week so they could repair it. They were going to have to tear some walls down while doing the repairs. They were afraid that there might be asbestos in the walls. They would have to get someone out to inspect them and everything. They were excused from classes for this week too. He had called his dad and asked if he could come out and bow hunt with him since it was bow hunting season. He thought he would miss out being in college this year. He had been planning on coming out for Thanksgiving to hunt this year instead. Now he would be able to do both. He was very happy the way it had worked out. He loved being with his dad.

He saw the road sign for his turn to get to his dads place. He turned and drove down the two track dirt road that led to his house. His house was so cool too. His dad had all this stuff hooked up to be self sufficient. He loved looking at the systems his dad had rigged up. His dad was really smart. Someday he was going to find out how his dad had done all of it. He had been asking him for years and his dad just laughed and said he had done a little of this and a little of that and put it all together to make this. He was curious about how it all worked. He was determined that one day he would find out. He was really curious about why his dad was so mysterious about it all. That made him more determined than ever to find out. He had inherited his love to tinker with things to see how they worked from his dad.

He parked his truck by the garage entrance and turned the engine off. He gathered his stuff and walked to the front door. He set his stuff down and went over to the rock his dad said the key would be under. He moved the rock and there was his dad’s key ring. He picked it up and walked back to the door. His dad had said he would be out on the evening hunt by the time he got here. He had said to go ahead and get comfortable. He would be along as soon as it was dark. Unless he got his deer, then he would be back sooner and expect him to help haul it out of the woods. He smiled at that thought. Just like old times. He hoped his dad did get a deer. As he was unlocking the door he thought, “I’ll surprise him and make dinner and have it waiting for him when he gets back.” His dad had taught him how to cook. His mom never cooked anything. He didn’t even know if she knew how. Growing up they had had a woman that came in to clean and cooked dinner before she left during the week. On the weekends they went out to eat or ordered in.

He walked inside and locked the door. His dad was firm about that. Always lock the door. He put his stuff into the bedroom he had there. He walked into the kitchen to see what his dad had that he could cook up. As soon as he got close he could smell the stew that was all ready cooking in the slow cooker. It smelled real good. He was hungry. He also smelled bread baking. He looked at the bread machine and the loaf would be done in a half hour. Oh boy, dad had made fresh bread too. He couldn’t wait for him to show up so they could eat. He decided to set the table and have it ready so they could just sit down and eat when he got back. His stomach rumbled. His dad was a great cook.

He went into his bedroom and got one of his text books. He would read while he waited. He didn’t want to fall too far behind. He was engrossed in his book when he heard a key turning in the lock on the door. He closed his book and stood up. His dad came in with his bow. They hugged and his dad said, “It’s good to see you Junior.” Junior was what his dad always called him. It was ridiculous to call him George Junior all the time. Sometimes he called him son too. Those times just made Junior’s day. Junior said, “Did you see any deer out there?” His dad said, “Just one little doe. I’m still waiting for that old monster buck to come by. I saw him just before hunting season opened up. I just haven’t figured out what time he is coming through. I’ll get him yet.” Junior looked around the living room at all the deer racks his dad had and said, “I bet you do get him.” His dad said as he was taking his coat and boots off, “You hungry”? I made venison stew and baked some bread for dinner.” Junior said, “I know I can smell it and I peeked in the kitchen at what you had cooking. I’m starved. When can we eat?” His dad laughed and said, “Boy, you are always hungry. When I know you are coming I make sure to go into town and stock up on food or you would eat me out of everything with those two hollow legs you have.” Junior laughed. It was an old joke between them. His dad said, “Come on I’m hungry too. The bread should be just getting done about now. It’s the best time to eat it is when it’s freshly done.” They walked into the kitchen. His dad saw the table was already set and laughed and shook his head. He turned to the counter to check on the bread. It was done. He got the bread out of the machine and sliced it up and put it on a plate. He brought it to the table. Junior already had the butter out and took the plate from him and started buttering the pieces for them. His dad then took the two bowls and filled them and brought them over to the table. He went to the refrigerator and got the milk out. He poured them each a glass. They sat down and dug in.

They didn’t talk much while eating. They both were hungry. After Junior had three bowls and several pieced of bread he was finally full. His dad had two bowls of the stew and finished the rest of the bread. They both loved fresh baked bread. His dad always made some everyday when his children were visiting him. His dad said, “I have half an apple pie in the refrigerator and some vanilla ice cream in the freezer we can have for dessert later.” Junior perked up at that news and said, “Apple pie. It’s my favorite. Is it homemade or store bought?” His dad said, “Homemade. So is the ice cream. I made it last night.” Last year his dad had bought a hand cranked ice cream maker. When the kids were visiting they made a lot of ice cream. They all loved ice cream. It was something they all could share together as a family.

Junior said, “Go ahead dad and go on into the living room and watch TV I’ll clean this up.” His dad had taught him how to do dishes. It was a chore he shared with his dad when he visited. His dad had told him when he was younger that he didn’t intend to wash all the dishes he dirtied because he ate all the time. He had gone through several growth spurts. He was now six foot one inches tall. So his dad had showed him how to clean up the kitchen. The deal now that he knew how to cook was that they took turns who cooked and who cleaned up. Since dad started out by cooking it was his turn to wash dishes.

As he was cleaning up the kitchen he thought about how his dad was going to get a laugh out of the story about his pink socks and underwear. He had to tell him because there was no way he wasn’t going to notice the slight tinge of pink on them. He also wanted his dad to look at the engine in his truck. It had been making a noise and he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. His dad had taught him all the basic car stuff but this was out of his league. He sighed. This is another thing he can thank his mother for. It she wouldn’t have been messing around with the Lt. Commander he would have had his dad around to teach him all about cars and trucks. No, he wasn’t going to start thinking of that. He was in too good of a mood to even start to think about his stepfather. He was just glad that they were far, far away now.

He finished up and went into the living room. He sat down in his favorite chair. It was a chair he had found one day at the Goodwill when they had been browsing around town. He asked his dad if he could have it. It was a recliner like his dads. After hunting they would take naps in them. He smiled at the memories. He had so many good memories with his dad. His dad was interesting and not boring like his mom and his stepfather. His dad was watching the news. He did this everyday at this time. It seemed like the world was going insane. Another city had started to riot and burn things down. Why are people doing this he wondered? It seemed like a nightmare. Why would they burn their own neighborhoods down? It seemed very nuts to him. Had the people in these cities contacted some kind of disease or alien virus like in the movies? They sure were acting like it. Maybe it was even something like in the movie of the “Body Snatchers” or something. Maybe they aren’t even real people anymore. They sure were acting like something other than human. Maybe they had been turned into animals.

His dad said, “Things are getting real bad. These people are so stupid. The more they riot the longer it is going to take to get food to their city. I don’t think they even have an intelligent thought in their heads. Look at how they are acting.” Junior said, “I was just thinking the same thing. It’s like the movie of the “Body Snatchers”. They aren’t even acting human anymore. It’s like they have some kind of sickness or something that is making them crazy.”

His dad sighed and said, “You are not too far off. They have what is called mob fever. They work themselves up into frenzy and they just start hurting each other and burning things down. They act more animal than human. Just remember all the things I told you and showed you about surviving. The way things are going these people may cause some kind of a money collapse that will take our government down with them. The total of rioting cities is well over one hundred now. You still have your bug out bag with you?” Junior said, “Yes dad, I don’t go anywhere without it. I have kept my promise to you.” George Sr. said, “Good. Keep it that way. I think this could be it. I can’t see how we will recover from all of this. The monetary amount is in the billions now. With the businesses that were destroyed because they couldn’t get supplies, the trucking companies going broke, the food distributors going out of business because they can’t get their supplies out to the stores, the property damage, and the list just goes on and on. I don’t see how we will be able to recover from this at all. If things get bad son in the city where you are going to college you immediately get into your truck and drive straight here. Okay?” Junior said, “Count on it dad. I will be up here as soon as possible if anything happens there.”

Junior was thoughtful for a few moments and then said, “Dad, on the way up here I saw several fast food places that had signs up saying they were closed until they could get a delivery.” His dad said, “I was expecting that to happen sooner or later. The fast food places are franchises and they can only sell the supplies they buy from the franchise company. They can’t just go to any store and buy what they need. With the trucking companies going out of business they might not be able to find anyone who can move the supplies to the places that need them. Just remember what I said son. These are dangerous times we’re living in.” Junior said, “I won’t forget. I have all of that to remind me.” Junior gestured at the TV. He continued, “They aren’t really talking about any of this at the college. I think that’s kind of weird. There has never been as much civil unrest as right now in our country and no one there even mentions it.” He was thoughtful or a few moments then said, “Now that I think of it, it’s kind of creepy. In a way it’s like one of those Twightlight Zone episodes.” His dad smiled at Junior and said, “Life does seem that way sometimes. I’ve had a few days that I thought would make a good episode.”

They sat thoughtful for awhile just watching the TV. His dad said, “People react in strange ways to these kinds of things. Most people just want to stick there heads in the sand like an ostrich and pretend none of this is happening. They feel that if they don’t think about it, it will just go away all by itself. The rest of the people react like they are spectators at the Roman Coliseum. They are panting in anticipation of the next spectacular gory thing that will happen. They cheer for whatever side they are on too. It will either be for the police and the violence they have to use to try to stop these people that are rioting or for the rioters and the violence they are just plain doing to each other. I think they are sick in the head. This is an awful thing to have happened and you don’t hear anyone really wanting it to stop or even do anything to help it to stop. Our whole society is really messed up.” The telephone rang. His dad got up to go answer it. While he was gone talking on the phone Junior decided to get back to his text book. He picked it up from where he had set it down earlier and started reading.

His dad came back into the living room and sat down in his chair. He put his text book down again. His dad cleared his throat and said, “I have a woman friend in town and she just called. She invited us for dinner tomorrow night. I told her I would call her back and let her know. I wanted to talk it over with you first before accepting her invitation. I met her in town. She is a nice lady. She is a widow. Her husband was killed by a bull. He had been a manager of a ranch out here. We get along real well. I really like her. I hope you will too. Her name is Marion.” He said, “Wow dad. I thought you swore off women after that lazy other woman you had living here was trying to kill you for this property.” His dad blushed and said, “I know but Marion and I just clicked, you know. I get lonely out here sometimes.” He said, “Call her back dad and tell her we accept her invitation for dinner. I have to see the woman that could make my dad blush just talking about her.” His dad laughed and said, “Kids!!! Can’t live with them and can’t kill them either!!! I guess I’m just stuck with you then.” He laughed too. He was intrigued about this woman in his dad’s life. She seemed important to him. He would try to like her for his dad’s sake. His dad got up and went into the kitchen to call Marion back.

He picked up his text book again. He was chuckling as he started reading. He just hoped this Marion person was nice to his dad. He couldn’t concentrate on his book. He closed it and set it down again. His curiosity was up about her now. He wondered what she was like. He hoped she was a lot better than that other woman had been. He hadn’t liked the way she had treated his dad. When they came to visit she ignored him and Alicia as if they didn’t exist when his dad was around. Alicia hadn’t been very nice to her at all. Called her names and did all sorts of rotten things to her. That woman had kept telling them she was going to make their dad stop seeing them whenever his dad was outside or went to town or whatever. They both had just laughed at her because they knew how much their dad loved them. That of course, just made her mad at them. She had said some hateful things to them. Basically they ignored her back. She didn’t like that. She tried to boss them around too when dad was gone. They didn’t listen to her. She once almost slapped Alicia and he reminded her that if she did his dad would have her out the door before the paint on her fingernails dried. He laughed remembering that. Another thing Alicia did was make her cry. Sometimes he had almost felt sorry for her.

Alicia could be vicious when she wanted to be. His parents divorce had really messed Alicia up. And his mom wouldn’t take her for counseling. She said Alicia is fine that it was just a stage she was going through. Well it had been years now and she was worse instead of better. She was into drugs and she didn’t go to school if she didn’t feel like it. She was always skipping out. She would stay out all night drinking and who knows what. He had tried to talk to her many times about it but she would just turn around and attack him when he tried to get through to her. He kept telling his mom that she needed help but she doesn’t want to deal with it either. His mom is afraid the counselor will blame her for all of it. The counselor would be right too. His mom is so busy impressing everyone else that she doesn’t have time for Alicia or her problems. That is what his mom always said. They were Alicia’s problems. She acted like she had nothing to do with them at all. His mom was seriously messed up too. He thought, “Talk about a dysfunctional family and his would be right up there at the top.” His stepfather was even worse. His theory about Alicia is that someone should slap her and make her stop acting like she does. He thought, “Like that would really work.” His stepfather was such an asshole. He didn’t know how to help her either but, he kept trying. His dad too tries all the time. Alicia won’t even come and see him anymore. Dad put his foot down about her behavior when they visited him. He doesn’t put up with her fits and loud mouth. Alicia hadn’t talked to their dad in a year now. She just flat out refuses to see him or talk to him. According to her he abandoned them. He had been trying to figure out how she could even come up with that one. Dad had no other choice but to leave. He understood that. He had tried to explain it to her a million times but she won’t listen at all. She just takes another pill and goes off into her own little world.

His dad came back and sat down in his chair again. He asked Junior, “What’s wrong? Have you changed your mind about going over to Marion’s?” He shook himself. He came back to the here and now. He said, “No. I haven’t changed my mind at all. I was just thinking about Alicia. His dad looked sad and asked, “She still won’t talk to me?” Junior said, “I doubt it. She doesn’t talk to anyone except maybe her friends.” The last time I saw her she wouldn’t even say anything to me. I saw them all off at the airport when they left for Hawaii. She totally ignored me and just acted bored with the whole thing about them leaving. I keep expecting a call that she’d OD or something. I’m really worried about her.” His dad said, “I’m worried about her too. Your mother won’t listen to me about her needing counseling. We got into a big fight right before they left for Hawaii over it.” Junior said, “I know she called me up and told me.” His dad said, “I’m sorry son that you keep getting dragged into these arguments with your mother. I was trying to get her to see reason about getting Alicia help. She told me that Alicia doesn’t have any problems. That if I would just leave her alone it would all go away. She said that I was making a big deal out of nothing. That the only problem Alicia had was me bugging her to talk to me. That I was the problem not Alicia.” Junior said, “I know dad. I’ve tried to tell her over and over again but she won’t listen to me either.” They both sighed. There really wasn’t anything either one of them could do about the situation. They sat quiet for awhile deep into their own thoughts. His dad got up and went into the kitchen.

George took the apple pie from the refrigerator set it on the counter. He got two small plates down and put a generous piece on each plate. He put them into the microwave to heat them up. He wet over to the freezer and got the ice cream out. The microwave dinged. He took the two plates out and put ice cream on top. He put the rest of the pie back into the refrigerator and the ice cream back into the freezer. He picked up the plates and walked back into the living room and handed Junior a plate. Junior’s eyes sparkled as soon as he saw what was on the plate. He took it from him and said, “Thanks dad.” He devoured the pie and ice cream in a few bites. George sat back down in his own chair to enjoy his piece of pie.

His dad finally said, “Are you sure you want to meet Marion tomorrow night?” Junior laughed and said, “Dad you’re acting really strange about this. Is it really that important to you?” His dad said, “Ya, it is. I want you two to like each other.” Junior was grinning at him. Hid dad said, “What? Why are you grinning like an insane clown?” Junior laughed real hard and then said, “Dad you’re acting like this is your very first date or something.” George looked at him and said, “That’s it. I’m going to bed. You’re acting insane. Morning comes pretty early and we’re both going to be up soon so I suggest you get some sleep too.” He heard junior laughing all the way to his room. “Damn kids,” he thought shaking his head. “What in the world is wrong with wanting those two to like each other? He wanted two out the three most important people in his life to be around each other and to get along? Kids!” he thought.

The next morning they rose a long time before the sun came up. George always wanted to be in the tree stands and well settled in before daybreak. Junior got the coffee going and His dad started making toast. They always had a big breakfast after they came back from the morning hunt. They usually only had toast before they left. His dad asked, “Did you sleep okay?” Junior said, “Ya, I slept like a log.” His dad said, “Good. Now don’t fall asleep in the tree stand again. You will probably break your neck if you fall out of it again. I still can’t believe you didn’t get any broken bones or serious injuries when you fell.” Junior laughed and said, “Thanks for reminding me, Dad. You will never let me live that one down will you?” His dad laughed and said with a grin, “No way. I will remind you of that every year when we go hunting.” Junior laughed and just shook his head at his father. They grabbed their gear and walked out the door.

They both just stopped and stood still for a moment to breathe in the crisp chill of the morning air. It was a ritual of a sort that they shared whenever they were on the morning hunt together. Father and son just absorbed the quietness of the woods and the feeling of being a part of nature. “This was what life was all about,” George thought to himself. The feeling of sharing this special moment with his son made him feel that all was right in the world. At least it was for that very moment. He sighed to himself and said to Junior, “Come on. The sun will be rising before you know it if we don’t get a move on.” Junior smiled and said, “Right. Let’s go.” They took off at a fast pace. They came to the fork in the trail they followed and each went a different way to their tree stands.

George got to his tree and hooked his bow and other gear to the rope he put up each year on a pulley to haul his stuff up to the stand. He climbed up the tree. He sat down and started pulling the rope slowly so he wouldn’t bang his things around and make a lot of noise. He secured the rope and grabbed his things. He put them all into place. He smiled as he did this. It was a very superstitious thing he did every year. Everything had to be just so or he wouldn’t get a deer. He believed this whole heartedly. A few times he was rushed and didn’t set up just right he didn’t even see a deer. This proved his point. “If it works don’t mess with it,” he thought with another smile. He settled in his seat and got comfortable. He was trying to concentrate on clearing his mind and being calm and serene so his thoughts didn’t scare a deer away. This was another thing he believed. If his thoughts were chaotic he wouldn’t even see a deer either. If he just sat still and concentrated on feeling the woods and the sounds he heard he believed the deer wouldn’t notice him. That is when it would happen. A deer would caustically sneak by the trail his tree stand was on and he would be able to decide if he wanted to take a shot at it or not. It depended on what kind of deer tag he had that hunting season. He usually took the first one that came by that was the right gender he was hunting. He wasn’t picky. He was hunting for meat. He always bought Junior his deer tag too. Then he would have two deer to put in the freezer. He was very happy to be out in the woods in his tree stand and know that his son was out here too not very far away in his tree stand enjoying the same things that he did. Well, almost all the same things. “Junior wasn’t superstitious like he was,” He thought with a grin.

Junior got to his tree and started climbing up. He hadn’t come out last night and set up a rope and pulley for his things. He would do it after the morning hunt before he left this morning. He reached his seat and sat down very carefully so he wouldn’t make any noise and scare the deer away. He took his backpack off and placed it under his seat. He then pulled his bow case close so he could see what he was doing. He opened it up and took his bow out. He quietly set it aside as he adjusted his bow and got an arrow ready. He leaned back against the tree and settle in to wait. He loved it up here. You could see for a long ways in both directions. If a deer came down the trail this morning it would be his. He grinned at the thought of getting a deer and his dad not even seeing one come down the trail by his stand. He thought with a grin on his face, “’Like that would ever happen.” His father was in his element right now. He was a woodsman through and through. He had never known of anyone else that could blend into the woods like his father could. You would not hear him or even suspect he was anywhere near you. Then he would say something in a whisper and scare the daylights out of you. Junior had learned not to jump when his father did that to him. He had come to expect it. It was a mighty strange day when his dad didn’t find the opportunity to sneak up on him. He hoped that one day he could be even half as good as his father was in the woods. That was his goal. When it came to the outdoors there wasn’t much his father didn’t know or understand. It was like he was truly part of the forest. Sometimes it gave him a chill down his spine at just how good his father was. He started thinking about the dinner tonight and wondering what kind of woman this Marion was to have captured his fathers’ interest. Usually if he brought up anything about his dad finding a girlfriend or anything his dad would change the subject. He wanted his dad to be happy and he sometimes worried about him living out here all alone.

His father loved being alone in the woods except if he was with him. His dad would always say to him, “That if two were in the woods together it was one too many.” His dad was a true, blue loner. He walked to the beat of a different drum than everyone else. He tried very hard to be like his dad in every way he could. His mother would ridicule him about it. She always made him feel bad about trying to be like his father. He loved and respected his father as no other person on this earth. All she said fell on deaf ears. This was all her fault anyways. It was her and the Lt. Commander that got them into this mess. From the very first day he found out about why his dad had moved out of their house and into his hunting camp he had wanted to live with him and not his mother. His mother would not let him go. If she could have stopped him from seeing his dad she would have. She told him so many times. She thought his dad influenced him way too much and was turning him into being just like him. Like he would choose to stay with her after what she did. She was the one that refused to face the truth of the situation. She refused to even believe that she was the cause of the divorce. She said it was all his dads’ fault. “Right, like he really believed that,” he thought in disgust. He sighed. He was just going to clear his head and enjoy this time and not think about any of that. The sun was starting to rise. It was beautiful. He could never understand why more people didn’t take the time to watch such a spectacular sight as this. It was going to be a great day.

At midmorning they met up at the fork on the trail as they always did. If his dad got there first he would wait for Junior to join him. They walked back to the house. He asked, “Did you see one this morning?” His father said, “Yes, that little doe came by again.” He said, “That may be your sign dad that you are supposed to take her this year.” His father answered him, “I can take either gender this year. I am waiting for that monster buck to finally show up. I want him. If he doesn’t show up I will have to settle for the doe. I know where she hangs out so if I have to settle on taking her it won’t be too hard to still go after her.” Junior said, “I didn’t see or hear a thing this morning.” His father started laughing and said, “Did you fall asleep again?” Junior sighed and then said, “That is not funny anymore dad. I did not fall asleep. I watched the sun rise and watched the dew collect on the leaves. I didn’t even hear a squirrel or anything. It was down right quiet this morning out here.” His father said, “There are still a few days left of the season. We’ll get our deer this year. Count on it. Let’s get inside and eat. I’m hungry as a bear.” He said, “Me too.” His father laughed and said, “You don’t count. You are always hungry.” He laughed too because he knew his father was right.

They made breakfast and ate like they hadn’t eaten in a week. Both of them could pack away a lot of food. Junior got his appetite from his father. They loaded the wood stove up and curled up in their recliners for a short cozy nap. It was what they always did after the morning hunt. They snuggled under a throw blanket and slept. Junior was having a real crazy dream about a squirrel that would not go away when he up in his deer stand. He kept trying to get it to go away but it refused to leave. It just kept yelling and scrambling around him. He swung his arm out to shoo it away and yelled when his arm hit the ground. He thought he was falling out of the tree stand again. He sat up abruptly. “Wow,” he thought. His heart was still pounding in his chest. He was sweating. He looked around the room and realized he was in his chair. He looked for the squirrel. No squirrel. “Thank goodness it was only a dream,” he thought. That was some demented squirrel. He got up and stretched. He picked up his text book. He took it to the kitchen with him and decided to read a bit while he waited for his dad to wake up. He put more coffee on and started reading.

George woke up from his short nap and went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. He could smell it was freshly brewed. He saw junior reading at the table. George walked up behind him and said, “Why aren’t you out there earning your keep?” Junior jumped in his seat knocking his textbook over. “Do you have to keep doing that?” he asked. George laughed and said, “I walked in here to get a cup of coffee. It is not my fault if you didn’t see or hear me. Pay more attention boy to your surroundings and what is happening around you.” Junior said, “I was just reading about building steel bridges. It is very interesting. I was really concentrating because I want to remember this. It’s all pretty cool how it is done.” His dad shook his head and thought, “He is still so damn young. He’ll grow into it.” He said to Junior, “I am sure it is pretty interesting but we have work to do before we have to go to Marion’s for dinner.” Junior closed the book and looked at his dad for a moment. He then asked with a gleam in his eyes, “Okay, what do you want me to do first? Rake the leaves up for your composite pile or chop wood? I didn’t get started on it because I didn’t want to wake you up from your beauty nap. You do want to look your very best tonight for Marion, don’t you? You need all the help you can get dad. You’re old.” His father chocked on the swallow he was taking and started to cough. When he could get a breath in and out without coughing he turned to Junior with an evil twinkle in his eyes and said, “You mister have just crossed the line. For that smart ass remark you get to do both jobs all by yourself.” He reached over and picked up junior’s textbook and said, “I’ll be in my chair resting my old body and reading about steel bridges.” He turned and walked back out of the kitchen. Junior sighed. He stood up and walked over to his coat. He picked it up and put it on. He reached for his gloves and hat. It was a bit nippy out there today. He grinned. He would enjoy it though. When he was with his mother or now that he was at college he didn’t get to go out and just do stuff like this.

George settled into his chair and started reading about the history of steel bridges. After the fourth chapter he thought, “Junior is right. This is very interesting.” He started thinking about all the things his son was going to be learning about at college. He was excited for him. Junior loved to tinker with things. He always had to find out how it worked and why it worked as it did. He still remembered the time when he came back from an assignment when junior was four years old. His ex had met him at the door and screamed at him about his son taking her expensive calculator apart. She showed him all the pieces and yelled at him, “How was she supposed to use it now that his son destroyed it?” He had asked Junior to explain why he had taken it apart. Junior told him, “He wanted to see what was inside of it.” He still laughed after all this time. It was the moment he knew his son was going to be like him in that department. He always wanted to know how things worked too. Junior had stayed with it and never lost interest in the how it worked and why it worked in the things around him. He was glad. When other boys were out stealing cars and God knows what else, Junior was taking things apart and putting them back together again behind his mothers’ back. If she had known she would have had a fit. He really laughed at that thought.

Junior had been working for a few hours when his dad called him to come eat lunch. His dad had made grilled cheese and ham sandwiches with homemade vegetable soup he had made and froze earlier in the year. It was delicious.

George was still amazed at how much that kid could eat. Junior had eaten three bowls of soup and four sandwiches.

Junior watched his dad searching for something in the cupboards. His dad said, “I know I have some chocolate chip cookies here somewhere.” Junior definitely perked up at that news. He poured another glass of milk to go with the cookies when his dad found them. When his dad found them he placed them on the table and junior smiled and said, “Thanks dad. They are my favorite. They are the soft kind.” His dad just looked at him and said, “Where do you put all that food?” He laughed and said, “I worked hard out there. Wait until you see how much wood I chopped. You know that pile you had stacked that you said you would save until you really needed it?” His dad nodded at him. He continued, “I chopped most of it. I just have to go out and stack it now so it will dry out really good. It will be ready for whenever you need it.”

George looked at him and wondered where on earth he got the energy for all of this stuff. Maybe junior was right and he was getting old. He said to Junior, “Thanks I really appreciate it.” He hated to deal with the over large pieces and the ones with several knots in them. They were a real bit-h to split. He had pulled a muscle doing it a couple of years ago.

His son was constantly amazing him these days. He was growing up. He was a young man now. Junior thought of himself as a grown up man. But he knew his son wasn’t yet. He thought, “It will happen. Yes, it will and it will be sooner than I probably want to admit too.”

Junior stood up looking at his dad with a sly smile and said, “Thanks for lunch. I’ll do the dishes as soon as I get done out there. Then I’ll hop in the shower and get spiffy to meet your lady friend. You better start now dad, it’s going to take you awhile to get spiffy looking.” His dad glared at him and said with a laugh, “Out. Out. Get those chores done now. Get.” Junior laughed all the way outside.

George laughed after he left and thought, “And to think I missed him and wanted to see him. I must be crazy. Yes, that is it. I am finally losing my mind.” He went into his bedroom and thought about what Junior had said. He looked in his closet and wondered what he should wear to impress the ladies. He still hadn’t told junior that Marion’s daughter was up visiting too. That was kind of weird. Both their kids were in college and both were having a visit at the same time and it was not a holiday. He didn’t really think that hard about it. He was still looking in his closet and wondering if he should dress up or just wear what he usually wore. He finally decided on wearing a new pair of black jeans and a new dark gray long sleeve wool shirt he had gotten from L. L. Bean. That would do. That was about as dressed up as he got since getting out of the military. He lived as he wanted to live and didn’t pay any mind to fashion and such nonsense. He would be comfortable. Marion liked him just as he was. Just the other night she had said so. She had also told him she liked his hair longer too. “In fact she giggled when she said it,” he thought smugly. He wouldn’t mention what they were doing at the time. He didn’t pay attention to the length of his hair. He had it cut when it started sticking out all over and got in his way. It was long enough to tie back with a leather strap he kept for that. Now that he decided what was what he gave it no further thought.

Junior finished up outside and was doing the dishes now. He had stopped to watch a rabbit make its way down the trail and that had put him behind schedule for tonight. He was in a hurry to go see this Marion woman. He could tell that his dad was excited about tonight. He was hoping to get his dad to stop at the grocery store in town and pick up some flowers for her. He had over heard some girls talking in their dorm room about how wonderful it was for guys to bring flowers and candy. It may be old fashioned but they still appreciated the gesture and it made them feel special. Maybe he could coach his dad on a few things. He was probably pretty rusty in the woman department. He thought about how he could approach his father with his suggestions and came up with an idea to help him out. He would ask his dad to stop at the store and he would go in and buy one of those wrapped up flower things and hopefully he could find some candy too. He would tell his dad to give them to Marion. He wanted to help his dad as much as he could with this. This seemed very important to him. This Marion woman better treat his dad right. That was what he was afraid of. He sure hoped she was a nice woman. His dad deserved to have a woman in his life and be happy. He finished the dishes and went to get showered and changed. He didn’t want to be late and create a wrong impression.

Junior stood looking at the choices they had of flowers. He picked some nice carnations and daisies for the ladies. His dad had mentioned that Marion’s daughter was visiting her on the way into town to go to dinner. His mother had taught him to be polite and it was not nice to give one person something without having something for the other person too. He found some nice boxed Whitman’s candy and got them too. They sure were expensive. He could understand why the girls had appreciated getting them when they did. A guy couldn’t keep this up for long. It was way more than he could afford to do. But this was special. It was for his dad. He sighed. He would have to make sure that he didn’t miss any meal times when he got back because he would be broke for awhile and he wouldn’t have money for the food machines. He worked at the college student program and he wouldn’t get paid for another week and a half. If it helped his dad and this Marion woman it would be worth it. He went up to the cashier and paid for his things. He went outside to his dads’ truck. He got in and told him he was ready to go to Marion’s. His dad looked at him and asked, “What was so important that you had to stop right now? I will be coming back into town tomorrow to pick up the mail and to get more groceries. You could have gotten whatever it is you needed then.” Junior smiled and showed his dad what he bought. His dad looked at the flowers and candy and looked back at him and said, “You bought flowers and candy for the ladies?” Junior said, “Yes, I did. Girls think these things are important dad. You got to learn about this stuff if you plan on keeping your girlfriend.” His dad started laughing and just kept on laughing. It was making Junior feel a bit odd. Had his dad lost it? He said, “Dad what is so funny?” His dad just kept on laughing. He started the car and drove out onto the street. Every time Junior thought his dad was done laughing he would start up again. He finally decided to just ignore him. He took the price tags off the flowers and candy. He looked over at his dad to see if he was through laughing yet. As soon as their eyes would meet his dad would start laughing again. Junior didn’t get it. What was so damn funny?

They pulled into the driveway of a pretty white house. It had a picket fence and everything. Just like in the books. They sat there for a few moments and his dad tried to compose himself. His dad finally chocked out between laughs, “Okay, how do you want to do this flower and candy thing?” Junior just stared at him and said, “Would you please tell me what is so funny, dad? I really did hear some girls talking about how important flowers and candy are for girls, you know. I am not making this up. It is the truth.” His dad took a few deep breaths and let them out. He then said, “We will talk about that later okay? But right now we have to go greet the ladies so please tell me how you want to do this?” Junior was puzzled. His dad always answered his questions promptly. This was very unusual. He finally decided to just go with it. He turned to his dad and said, “You give the flowers and candy to the ladies. It will make them feel special. It is a polite thing to do. It will impress Marion that you included her daughter too. Mom always told me when you are invited over to someone’s house for dinner you should bring a gift. It would not be polite to just bring Marion something and not her daughter too. So, I got two of everything so you would make a good gesture to them.” His dad thought about it for a few moments. He reached out and patted junior’s shoulder and said, “That’s good thinking son. Thank you for doing this. I appreciate your thoughts and help. I didn’t mean to laugh so much. I will explain when we get home. We don’t have time right now. The ladies are waiting for us. Okay?” Junior smiled back at him and said, “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go.” They got out of the truck. Junior handed the flowers and candy to his dad as they walked up to the front door. His dad knocked on the storm door as best he could with his arms full.

The door was quickly opened. A pretty older woman stood there smiling at them. She opened the storm door and said, “Come in, come in and get warm. It’s freezing out there.” She stood back and they came in. His dad said, “Marion this is my son George Junior.” He turned to Junior and said, “Junior, this is Marion.” She held out her hand and Junior shook it and said, “Please to meet you ma’am. You have a real pretty house.” She smiled at Junior and said, “Thank you George Junior.” Junior said, “Just call me Junior ma’am.” Marion beamed at him and said to George, “My, you have a very polite young man there.” She turned around and yelled up the stairs to the second floor, “Honey come on down. Our guests have arrived.” George handed the carnations and a box of candy to Marion and said, “These are for you.” Marion took them and smiled real pretty up at him and said, “Thank you. They are lovely. You brought me flowers and candy. That’s really thoughtful.” She smelled the flowers and giggled. She looked up at George again and said with happy tears in her eyes, “Nobody had given me flowers and candy in a very long time. This means so very much to me. Thank you again.” George was getting a bit embarrassed now and said, “You’re welcome Marion. Your special and you deserve them.” George and Junior shared a smile. Junior winked at his dad.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The stairs were on their right and George was standing the closest to them. He was just enough in front of Junior that he wasn’t seen from the stairs. He couldn’t see who it was either. Marion turned around and put her arm around a girl and turned to George and said, “Honey I would like to introduce you to George.” She turned to George and said, “This is my daughter Gayle.” George said, “These are for you. “ He handed her the daisies and the box of candy. She smiled deeply at George and said, “Thank you. This is very nice of you.” Marion turned to Junior and pulled Gayle over so she could see who was standing there. Junior and Gayle just started at each other for a few moments and then they laughed. They each said, “Hi” at the same time. Then both of them laughed again.

Marion asked, “You two know each other?” They both said at the same time, “Yes.” Gayle turned to her mother and said, “He lives in the same dorm as I do. His room is down the hall from mine.” Marion said, “Imagine that. Wow. You two know each other.” Marion and George shared a strange look. They all stood awkwardly for a few minutes. Finally Marion said, “Good grief. Where are my manners? Take your coats off and have a seat.” They took their coats off and their boots. They followed Marion into the living room. Marion noticed that they took off their boots. She was glad. It told her that they were comfortable enough to do so in her house. Also, it would be less of a mess to have to clean up later. She said, “Have a seat please.” The men sat down on the couch. Marion sat down in the chair at the end of the couch near where George was sitting. She said, “Can I get you something to drink? Dinner will be ready in a half hour. I have beer, pop or water.” George looked at her and said, “What no coffee?” She laughed and said, “Got you. Of course I have coffee made. You were coming over right?” He laughed and said, “Yup.” She looked at Junior and asked, “What can I get for you to drink?” He said, “I’ll also have coffee, ma’am.” Marion said, “Okay, two coffee’s coming up.” She walked out of the living room holding her flowers and candy. Gayle had sat down on the chair that was at same end of the couch that Junior was sitting on. She said, “It’s nice to see you. Wow. This is a surprise.” Junior grinned at her and said, “Yes, it is a surprise. I had no idea it would be you when dad mentioned that Marion’s daughter was visiting her.” She said, “I just can’t believe it. Did you grow up around here? I don’t remember seeing you at school.” Junior said, “No. My mother and dad are divorced and I went to school somewhere else. I came to visit on weekends and holidays. He lives pretty far out and we didn’t come into town much. That’s why you probably don’t remember me from around here. This is some coincidence, huh?” She said, “Ya, it is.” She smiled at him and said, “I’m going to put these in water. I’ll be right back.” She got up holding the flowers and candy and walked over to George and said, “Thank you again for the flowers and candy. No one has ever given them to me before.” He said, “Every woman should receive flowers and candy every once in awhile from a man. Isn’t that right Junior?” Junior said, “Yes. I do believe so.” He smiled at her. She blushed a bit and left the room.

Marion came back into the living room and set down a tray on the coffee table. She sat down in the chair that she had sat in earlier. It was the one at the end of the couch where George was seated. On the tray was a pretty ceramic coffee server with matching coffee cups, cream, sugar, spoons and cloth napkins. She poured a cup of coffee, picked up a napkin and handled it to George He said, “Thank you Marion.” Marion then filled another cup and handled it to Junior. He also said, “Thank you.” She poured a cup for herself. She sat back in the chair and said, “Go ahead and help your selves to the cream and sugar. Gayle will be right out with the flowers.” She turned to George and with a mischievous gleam in her eyes said, “I still can’t believe you brought me flowers and candy. That really made my day. Thank you George that was so thoughtful of you. I didn’t know you had such an old world charm side to you.” George was getting very uncomfortable with all of the references to the flowers and candy. He looked at Junior and he smiled at him as if to say, “See I was right about this.” George cleared his throat and said to Marion, “Okay, you found me out. The flowers and candy were not my idea. They were Junior’s. He made me stop before coming over here and went in and got them. He never mentioned what he was going to do. He just did it. He said a woman thought they were special and that we should get some for you and Gayle to make a good impression on you.” Marion laughed and said, “I thought it was something like that. It just seemed out of character for you to have done it.” She turned to Junior and said, “Thank you young man for thinking of us and wanting to make us feel special. I appreciate the thought and gesture.” Junior smiled at her and said, “You’re welcome ma’am. I just wanted to do something nice for you and your daughter.” She grinned at him and said, “You succeeded. You are a real charmer.”

Junior was staring at the coffee server and coffee cups. He said to Marion, “The coffee server and cups are real nice. What kind of plant is that?” Marion looked at them and then looked back at Junior and said, “That is thyme. It is an herb. Do you really like the coffee server and cups?” Junior said, “Yes, they are real nice. Where did you get them? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before.” Marion smiled real deeply at him and said, “I made them. I own the ceramic shop here in town. I designed them and then made them.” Junior looked around the house and saw a lot of other ceramic things that were really well made. He said, “Wow. That’s great. How do you make them?” She looked at him for a few moments with a thoughtful expression on her face and said, “They are not hard to make. Would you like to come sometime to one of my classes and make something for yourself?” Junior said excitedly, “Yes. I would very much like to know how they are made and everything.” George Sr. said, “Watch out Marion this is the boy who takes everything apart to see how it works. He has to know the hows and whys of everything. You might not like what he will do to your wheel. He always gets these ideas that he can make it do something better or something it is not supposed to do. If he comes to one of your classes you better watch him like a hawk.” Marion laughed and said, “He can’t be that bad, George.” George said, “You have been warned. I do not want to hear anything about anything he does there from you. I have warned you. That is all I can do. Do not let his innocent expression fool you. He is obsessed with knowing how things work.” Marion said to Junior, “You’re welcome to come to my classes anytime.

Gayle walked back into the living room carrying a vase with the flowers in it. She had arranged them real nice. They looked pretty. She set the vase down in the middle of the coffee table. She walked back around to sit down in the chair by Junior again. Marion said, “Thank you Gayle they look really nice there.” Gayle smiled at her mother and nodded her head in thanks. Marion said, “I’d better go get dinner ready to serve. Help yourselves to more coffee.” She got up and left the room. Gayle turned to George and said, “My mother told me you live in a really neat house and you have all these gadgets hooked up for electricity and water and things. Are you using wind power?” George said, “No. I use solar panels and batteries.” Gayle said, “I always wanted to know how that would work. I mean have you ever just looked at a solar panel. It certainly doesn’t look like you could get electricity from it. It looks much too fragile for something like that.” George laughed and said, “I never really thought of what the panel’s looks like.” Junior said, “Gayle, are you really interested in solar panels?” Gayle said, “Yes, I am.” Junior said, “I could explain it to you if you want me to.”

Marion called out that dinner was served. They got up and Gayle led them to the dinning room. Marion motioned where everyone should sit. They sat down. Marion had made a pot roast with potatoes and carrots, gravy, biscuits and a salad. They passed the food around and everyone started eating. They talked about the weather and other community concerns throughout dinner. Marion had made an apple pie for dessert. Junior told her it was his favorite kind of pie. George laughed at that. Marion said they were to go into the living room again and she would serve pie and coffee there. She got up and everyone went into the living room and sat down. She returned with the pie and more coffee. Gayle went and got the dessert plates and helped her mother serve the pie and pour the coffee. Junior was in seventh heaven having apple pie two nights in a row. He had two pieces.

Gayle asked to be excused. She was going to do the dishes. Junior said he would help her and give Marion and his dad some time together. Both George and Marion looked grateful for that. They went into the kitchen and Gayle was surprised at how efficient Junior was. He explained about his dad teaching him how to clean the kitchen. They talked about school and solar panels throughout the rest of the cleaning up.

George and Marion talked quietly together in the living room. Marion was expressing how surprised she was that Junior ate so much. George said, “I told you he eats a lot.” She laughed and said, “Every parent complains about how much their kids eat. Most parents exaggerate about it. But you didn’t. When you said to triple everything I was making, you were not kidding at all. I am totally amazed. I thought for sure we would have tons of leftovers.” George laughed about leftovers. There really wasn’t any when Junior was around. They talked about how nice they thought the meeting of their kids went. George yawned. He was tired. It had been a long day. He joked to Marion that just watching Junior and all his energy made him tired. Their kids joined them in the living room. George said they had to be going. They were getting up early to hunt. They said their thanks and goodbyes to each other. George and Junior left.

Both of them were pretty tired. They talked about Marion on the way home. Junior told his dad how much he liked her. George was teasing him about Gayle. He finally admitted that he had a crush on her. He also told his dad she was the one that helped him with his pink underwear. His dad had a big laugh about that too. His dad explained about the flowers and candy to him. How old fashioned it was and that most guys didn’t do that anymore. And that he told him he knew more about dating than his son did. He had been doing it a lot longer. Junior reminded him that both of the women had liked his gesture of feeling special. He felt pretty smug about it. His dad agreed that it had gone over well.

They both went straight to bed when they got home. When you get up before the chickens you tend to go to bed pretty early. They were both up and eagerly looking forward to getting to their tree stands. It was a typical hunting day. They had no idea what this day had in store for them. They met back at the fork at midmorning like usual. They ate breakfast and had their nap. They did a few chores around the place. After lunch they decided to go into town.

They got into George’s truck and it started right up without a problem and they drove to town. On the way into town they saw a few cars and trucks broke down along the way. That was not unusual enough to call much attention to it. As they approached the town they could see something was wrong. The street was clogged with cars. People were standing around all over the place talking, shouting and they could see a fist fight had broken out down the street. Did some kind of accident happen? Something was terribly wrong. The traffic lights were not working. Power was down in the whole town. George inched his way closer to the grocery store. They got out and walked up to the front and saw that the store was closed. They were walking back to the truck when a woman stopped them and asked, “How come their truck was running?” George asked her, “What do you mean?” The lady explained that all the power in the whole town was out and that the vehicles had stopped working all at the same time. George got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He told her, “Do you have on an electronic watch?” The lady was looking at him strangely trying to figure out why he wanted to know what time it was when much more important things needed their attention. She said, “I don’t know what time it is. My watch stopped working at the same time as everything else. Why do you want to know what time it is? The cars not working are a more serious problem then what time it is.” She stomped angrily away.

George turned around and saw someone trying to steal his truck. He grabbed Junior’s arm said, “Come on hurry, someone is trying to steal the truck.” They ran back towards the truck as fast as they could. The guy trying to steal it saw them and backed up. He turned around and ran away from them. George said to Junior, “Get in the truck. Hurry. Lock your door too.” He got in and pushed the lock button. Junior looked at his dad and asked, “What’s wrong? What has happened?” George looked at Junior hard and after a few moments said, “This is the worst day of your life. This is the day the whole world will be without power.” Junior asked, “What do you mean the world will be without power?” His dad said, “Someone set off an EMP.” Junior stared at his father in shock for a few moments. He shook his head and said, “I couldn’t have heard you right. Someone was crazy enough to push the button?” His dad said, “Yes, that is what I said.” Junior sat in total shock for awhile. He looked at his father and said, “Everything electronic is fried right?” His dad said, “I’m afraid so.” Junior said, “Shit.”

Someone pounded on the driver’s side window. They both whipped their head’s around to see who it was. It was the mayor. They couldn’t make out what he was saying. George rolled down the window an inch and said, “What do you want?” The mayor said, “That lady over there said your truck is still working. Is it?” George said, “Yes, my truck is still working.” The mayor said, “Get out of the truck. I am taking this truck over.” George and Junior didn’t do anything. They just stared at him. The mayor started beating on the window again and said, “Get out of the truck.” George said, “No.” The mayor looked like he was going to have a fit. His face turned an ugly shade of red. He started beating some more on the window. He stopped and grabbed a guy who was walking by and said, “Get the sheriff. I have a job for him.” George and Junior looked at each other in panic. They were not armed. George started the truck up. The mayor grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door. It wouldn’t budge. He grabbed on to the top of the window so fast his hands were a blur. He said, Get out of this truck right now.” George said, “No.” He started moving forward. A crowd had appeared around them. He kept moving forward. The mayor said, “I’m not letting go, so stop the truck right now.” George gunned the engine and moved forward faster. The mayor was trying to push the window down now. He really gunned the engine and started moving faster and faster forward. The crowd parted like the red sea for them. Most people were staring at the mayor like he had lost his mind. George said to the mayor, “Let go of my window.” It was the mayor’s turn to say, “No.” George said, “You have been warned.” He really started to pick up speed now. He told junior, “Reach across me and roll up the window. It will cut off the mayor’s fingers.” Junior reached across his dad for the window handle to roll it up when the mayor let go. They both watched him bounce around and come to a stop with one boot missing. As they rounded the bend in the road he was blocked from their view.

George cut down a side street that looked pretty empty. He swung the truck around so they could get onto another street. He turned to Junior and said, “I’m heading for Marion’s to get her and Gayle and bring them with us to the house. It won’t be safe here for long.”

They pulled into Marion’s street and stopped at her house. The whole block looked deserted. They didn’t see anyone. It was so very quiet. They approached her door and it flew open and Marion looked out at them and smiled. She said, “Get in here you two and hurry. You’re letting the cold inside.” She stepped back and they entered the house. George shut and locked the door. Marion looked at him and raised an eyebrow in question. George said, “Where’s Gayle?” Marion said, “She is downstairs in the basement getting the wood stove going so we can get the house warmed up. We waited over two hours for the power to come back on and it hasn’t yet.” George said, “That is what I wanted to talked to you about. Can you please call Gayle up here?” Marion said, “What in the world is going on George?” He said, “Please tell Gayle to come up here.” Marion could hear the seriousness of his voice. She looked at him and said, “Okay, I’ll tell her to come join us. Have a seat while I get her.” She walked away and went through the doorway into the dinning room. They sat down and waited. They sat in silence both of them thinking of the implication of what this will mean. They heard both of the women coming. They stood up. Marion and Gayle walked into the living room. Gayle said, “Hi. What do you need me for? I need to get back down there and get the wood stove going. It’s a temperamental beast and it’s being real stubborn today.” George said, “Can we all sit down for a minute?” They all looked at one another and then sat down.

George said, “We were just in town and things are not going too well there.” Marion said, “What do you mean George? Not going too well.” George sighed and said, “Let me tell this as it happened and you can judge for yourself, okay?” They explained all that happened. Marion starting laughing and said, “I swear I would’ve paid a thousand bucks to have seen that arrogant, obnoxious jerk bouncing around. But George this will get you in trouble with the law. That jerk of a mayor holds a grudge. He will probably have you arrested. You better go some place and hide out for awhile. Oh, you’re an outlaw now. I’m dating a bad boy.”

“Mother, please. Don’t do this in front of junior and myself. You may scar us emotionally for life,” she said with a laugh. Marion and Gayle started to discuss if Marion was flirting or not in front of them. George whistled to get their attention. Both woman jumped and looked at him in surprise. George said, “Ladies please listen to me very carefully. An EMP has been set off and this is the start of the world being without power. This date will remain in everyone’s mind for many years to come.” Marion said, “What do you mean an EMP was set off? What is that exactly?” George said, “An EMP is a high altitude nuclear blast. It burns out anything that has electronic parts. Everything we use has electronic parts.”

Marion said with a shocked look on her face, “Someone set off a nuclear bomb here?” George calmly said, “Yes.” Marion asked, “Where? Where did they set it off at?” George said, “Over the United States Of America.” Marion said, “Wait a minute I’m confused now. How can you set off a nuclear blast all over America and we can still be here alive?” George said, “It was a high altitude blast way, way up there in the sky. It won’t do anything to us except fry every single electronic component in America.” Marion sighed. She threw her hand over her heart and said, “What are you trying to do give me a heart attack? You said a nuclear blast. That means a bomb.” George said, “It was a bomb.” Marion said, “But we’re still here. How can that be then?” George said, “Marion you watch too many movies. An EMP is made to fry electronic components only not to kill people. Indirectly an EMP going off will eventually be responsible for killing most of the worlds’ population.” Marion laughed and said, “George you’re confusing the hell out of me. If it doesn’t kill people how can it kill off most of the world’s population?” George said, “It will happen because the world will fall into a very dark place. No power, no lights. It’s the light that keeps most of the monsters hiding in the shadows. Without lights how can we scare away the monsters now?” Marion shook her head and said, “I’m not understanding anything you’re saying here.” George said, “Marion, listen to me. You and Gayle go pack a bag and come back to the house with Junior and me. Things are going to get a little out of hand everywhere now. Without the police around to help with the monsters it is going to get very bad for everyone. But, it will be especially bad for women. I know what I’m talking about. I am retired from the Navy, Marion. I’ve seen this before. Plus, nothing electronic is working. Everything is dead that uses electronic parts. That is everything we use Marion.” Marion asked, “But you drove here. How come your truck is working when you said everyone else’s vehicles won’t work? I tried my car earlier and it won’t start just like you said.” She looked at George awaiting his answer. George said, “My best guess on that is it might have been because my garage is a metal building that is grounded on all four corners or it was the hilly terrain that stopped the blast from reaching my garage. I am not really sure.” Marion said, “What does that mean? You are guessing at this?” George sighed again deeply and said, “Okay Marion I’ll start over and try to help you understand what this entire situation means.”

John awoke to the sound of his sons having an argument. He looked at the bedside alarm clock and the face of it was blank. He thought, “Oh this is just wonderful.” The voices were shouting now. He threw the covers back and got out of bed. What in the Sam he-l are they arguing about now? He put on his robe and walked past the window. He stopped and looked outside. The sun was pretty high in the sky. It had to be midmorning. Why are they still here? They should all be at work. He turned from the window and walked to his bedroom door. The yelling got louder the closer he got to it. Having his three grown sons and a daughter-in-law live here with him was not the nice peaceful existence he thought it would be. He must be crazy to have ever agreed to them all living here. He sighed and opened the door. He walked down the hall to the living room and stopped in the doorway observing the scene in front of him. His sons Tim and Phil were in each others faces screaming at each other. His youngest son Randy was standing off to the side waiting for a chance to try to calm them down. He had always been the peacemaker between all of them. He had had enough of this behavior.

He slapped the wall with his hand and said, “That is enough of this crap. Stop it both of you right now. This is no way for an old man to be awakened in the morning. Do you hear me? Do you? I will not put up with this.” He slapped the wall again. Both sons immediately shut up and turned and looked at their father standing there. He turned to look at Randy standing there and said, “Get me a cup of coffee Randy. If I have to sort this crap out the least you all can do is to get me a cup of coffee.” Randy said, “Sure thing pa. I would do so but we don’t have any electricity. I can’t make any coffee for you right now.” John sighed deeply and said, “None of you have even one brain cell between all three of you. Go out to the garage and get the metal coffee pot we used to make coffee with when we went camping. Start a fire in the fire pit out back and make me some coffee right now. Do you hear me?” Randy jumped at the tone of his father’s voice and ran outside as fast as he could to go do what his pa demanded.

John turned to his other two sons and said, “Let me sit down and then I want you to tell me what in the he-l is going on. I want one of you to talk and the other one to shut up and wait his turn. Do you hear me?” He walked over to the couch and sat down. The two brothers looked at each other knowing they were in trouble now. They were in big time trouble. Their pa was not a morning person at the best of times and he was not going to like what had happened this morning. No, he wasn’t going to like it all. They both started to talk at the same time. John held up his hand and they stopped talking. He looked at them and muttered, “I have to endure this and with no coffee too.” He sighed and said, “Tim you start because you are the oldest.”

Tim looked at his father with resentment. He always had to be the one to take most of his pa’s wrath in the mornings because he was the oldest. He hated being the oldest. His pa said, “Talk now.” Tim said, “We all overslept because our alarms didn’t wake us up. The power is out. We scrambled around getting ready to leave for work and none of our vehicles will start.” Tim pointed his finger at his brother Phil and said, “Last night he was outside by the vehicles. I saw him. He did something to them and now none of them will start. He won’t own up to what he did. He keeps saying he didn’t do anything to them. He is a mechanic and he is the one that did this to us. I’m probably going to be fired now because of him.” He sent a reproachful look at his brother. Phil rolled his eyes and said, “Pa, just because I’m a mechanic that doesn’t mean I’m the one that did this. My truck won’t start either. I don’t know what is wrong with all the vehicles. I don’t know who did this either but Tim won’t listen to reason. He just keeps saying I’m the one that did this and to admit it.” He threw his hands up in the air and said, “I have no idea what is wrong with the vehicles. That is the honest truth, pa.” Both sons stood there looking at their pa waiting for his judgment of the situation.

John looked at his sons wondering if they both had lost their minds. How stupid did they think he was? Like he was going to believe this load of crap they made up to get out of going to work. He had very lazy sons. They were always trying to get out doing anything at all. His main rule was they live here, they bring home a paycheck. He supported them till they got out of high school. He wouldn’t support them now that they had grown up. This was a very creative story. If they would apply their minds they would do better. This story proved it. They weren’t stupid, just lazy. He sighed and wondered who could have done this if Phil hadn’t? No, they were just making this up. Ahh, he just thought of a way to catch them in this made up story of theirs. He looked up at them and asked, “Did you try to start my car?” They both shook their heads yes. Phil said, “When ours wouldn’t start that is the first thing I checked. Your car won’t start either.” He didn’t believe it. They were sticking to their story. He got up and got his boots by the back door. He put them on. He grabbed his coat off the hook that held it. He took his gloves out of his pocket and put them on. He grabbed the keys off the top hook where he always put them. He opened the door and walked to the garage. He went in and opened his car door. He got in and put the key in the ignition. He turned it. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. He thought, “I know what they did. They disconnected my battery so I would believe them.” He pulled the latch for the hood to open. He got out and looked at the battery. It was still connected. Everything looked the same as last time he had looked under the hood. “What the he-l? he thought. He tinkered with a few things and tried to start it again. Nothing. “I’m going to kill them. What in the hell did they do to my car?” They are paying to get it fixed right now. He was enraged at what they had done just to get out of going to work.

He marched into the house and yelled, “That is it. I have had it with you two. You have gone too far this time. What did you do to my car you lazy sons of a bit-h? You had better get someone out here to tow my car into town and get it fixed right now. You two are paying for it too. I can’t believe you two would do this to me. He turned around and stomped his way into his bedroom slamming the door. The two brothers looked at each other in shock. They couldn’t believe it. Their pa really believed they had done this. They stood there for a few minutes. Phil finally said thoughtfully, “That’s a good idea.” Tim said, “What is a good idea?” Phil said, “One of us needs to hike to town and have someone come out here and tow our vehicles in. Then we can get them hooked up to the diagnostic machines and find out what someone did to them.” Tim looked at Phil for a few moments and said angrily, “I bet I know who is responsible for all of this.” Phil sighed and rolled his eyes again then said, “Don’t start with that old chief Johnson of yours thing again. We have much more important things to do and worry about then what he did to get you kicked out of the Navy.” Tim jabbed Phil in the chest. His whole body was shaking with rage. He said through clinched teeth in a very menacing voice, “Don’t ever talk to me that way again. Not ever.” He turned and ran to the door slamming it behind him as he left. The house shook. Phil took a shaky breath and thought, “Has everyone lost their minds this morning? And what happened to the vehicles?”

Tim was jogging down the road that led to town. The angry sound of his feet hitting the pavement echoed loudly in his ears was the only sound he heard. He knew that his old chief was responsible for this mess. He would get even with him he vowed. He would do whatever it took. He wanted him dead. His feet seemed to echo dead, dead, dead, with each step. He started thinking of his favorite daydream. He walked up behind his old chief and turned him around quickly and slammed his fist into his face making him fall to the ground. He would jump down and straddle him and put his hands around that bast-rds neck and squeeze as hard as he could. He would watch until he saw the fear in his eyes as he realized who it was doing this to him. He would laugh and tell him, “I told you I would kill you, you fu-king basta-d.” He could feel the delicious sensation of having the power of life and death over someone. When you take someone’s life you realize that you are a god. He laughed again thinking, “Ya, I’m the reaper god of death.”

He got close to town and noticed all the cars clogging the roads. The stop lights weren’t working. He began to wonder if they had lost power too. He headed down the street and was just about to turn the corner and go to the repair garage when he noticed that three guys were dragging the mayor between two cars. The mayor looked like he had been dragged behind a horse or something. He was missing a boot. He was yelling and screaming. He couldn’t make out what he was screaming about. Everything looked strange. There were people standing around huddled by each other in groups. He wondered idly what could have happened. He continued on his way to the garage.

When he arrived there the door was locked. He knocked and knocked and called for Fred to come to the door. He couldn’t see or hear anyone inside the building. He was really getting curious now about what could have happened that Fred wasn’t here and his tow truck was. He was going to explain to him about what happened and he could come see for himself about the vehicles not starting. It just might save Phil his job. He at least owed Phil that. He felt a little bad about turning on his brother like he had before he left. But Phil just didn’t understand that what happened wasn’t his fault and that stupid chief was responsible for the mess his life was in these days. That girl had asked for it. Everyone said so. Everyone except his chief and the officers, of course they had a holier than thou attitude. Their word was law and the truth and everyone else’s is a lie no matter what. They didn’t believe him that she asked for it. They were just assholes anyway.

He walked up to Main Street and looked around to see who was there that he could ask where Fred was. He decided to go to the courthouse to find out what had happened. Everyone was looking pretty bewildered and confused. What was up with that? And the why were all the cars just left like that everywhere? Whatever happened must have been something pretty big to cause such a reaction in all the people he passed by. He was a block from the courthouse when he spotted a guy he had gone to school with. He hurried up to him and said, “Hey Brian. What happened?” Brian turned to look at him and said, “Hey Tim, how are you?” Tim said, “I’m fine. Do you know what happened?” Brian answered, “I’m not really sure. Everyone is saying we were hit with an EMP and that is why nothing is working. I’m on my way to the courthouse to find out what they know about all of this.” Tim said, “Do you mind if I come with you? I was on my way there myself to see what happened.” Brian said, “Of course I don’t mind. Do you know anything about EMPs and what this means?” Tim said, “If we were hit with an EMP we are fu-ked, completely and truly fu-ked.” Brian said, “What do you mean?” Tim said, “EMPs are used to take out a country’s electrical grid. Everything with an electronic component in it is fried to a crisp. Everything we use these days has an electronic component in it somewhere. Nothing will work. Nothing at all. Not cars, or phones or TVs, or anything. Like I said, we will be fu-ked.” Brian looked shocked. He stared at Tim and asked, “How long until they can fix it all and get everything working again?” Tim said, “I don’t know. But it won’t happen quickly that‘s for sure. Do you realize what they would have to do to fix everything in the whole country?” Brian said, “That would take fifty years. So what do we do now? How do we get to work and home and everything?” he started panting and looked like he was going to pass out. Tim grabbed him and shook him a few times and said, “Brian get a hold of your self. You had better get what you need right now in town and get home with it before everybody else takes everything of use here in town and you are left with nothing of value to survive with.” Tim turned around and said, “I’ve got to get home right now.” He took off running. Brian called after him but he ignored him. The implications of the situation were starting to dawn on him.

Tim saw the sporting goods store up ahead. He ran along the building and around the side to the back. He looked around. He approached the back door and tried the handle. It was locked. He looked around again. Still no one was around. He stepped back and raised his foot. He aimed to kick the door besides the door handle to break the lock. The door swung inward.  He waited a minute to see if anyone was coming to investigate the noise he made. He saw no one. He went inside. He knew no one was inside the store. He saw how empty it was as he passed by on his way to the back door. He went straight to the backpacks. He picked out as big of a one as he could find. He went over to the counter where the ammo and guns were kept. He broke the glass and reached inside and grabbed all the ammo that was there. He made sure to take only the boxes that they had guns for. He next ran around the store and threw this in here and that in over there. A little bit of everything he thought might be useful. They could come back and take the rest of the stuff later. He put the backpack on and looked out the backdoor. No one was still around. He stepped out and pulled the door as closed as it would go. He took off running. He had to get home and explain the situation to his pa and brothers. They had things they had to do. He smiled. This was a golden opportunity to take out that basta-d. “Oh ya,” he thought. A plan was forming in his mind. I will get you and your place too. He laughed and ran faster knowing this was the best thing that could have happened for him.

George said, “And that is the situation we are in Marion. Now will you please get some things together so we can leave before things get even crazier out there?” Marion smiled at George and said, “I thank you for your concern but, we will be fine here. Those in my family have never run from trouble. Not ever. I’m not going to start now. We stick like glue and don’t let trouble make up our minds for us. My family survived the Civil War and stuck together. We will stick together now too. I will not just run off and abandon my house to whatever might happen. Might happen, George. You don’t even know for sure if it was an EMP or not. I will not leave, absolutely not.” She stamped her foot and glared at him. “I have made up my mind and that is that. There is nothing that you can say that will make me change my mind either. I can’t even believe you would suggest such a thing to me. If we have hard times coming now my place is here in town. I will be needed here to help with this emergency whether this is an EMP thing or not. You expect me to just abandon my friends and neighbors. I can’t do that. I will not do that. I can’t believe you are selfish enough to even suggest that I abandon everyone and save myself. That would be a horrible thing to do. I am a Christian woman and I will not abandon anyone who may need my help. I will thank you to get out of my house now,” she yelled at him. She pointed to the door and said, “Get out of my house.”

Junior and Gayle had sat through this whole conversation between their parents and just looked back and forward as each of them spoke. Now they looked at each other. Gayle just shrugged her shoulders at him and said, “She is my mother.” Junior said, “Dad, you can’t just leave them here.” George looked at his son and then at Gayle. He finally said, “Gayle the invitation is open to you too. I hope you come with us now.” Gayle looked at her mother standing there and saw how angry she was. She sighed and said, “Thank you George. That is very kind of you to invite me after the way my mother is treating you. I can see that you have her welfare and safety in mind and that you care what happens to her. But she is my mother and I can’t just leave her here. I say we should go with you and junior.” Marion huffed out, “Absolutely not. We are staying here together. We will help our community through whatever crisis this is. We will never just abandon our friends and neighbors.” She glared at George and said, “I told you to get out of my house. I mean it. Go. And don’t ever come back again either. I can’t believe how you would just abandon everyone when they might need your help.” George said very quietly, “If I thought I could really help I would stay and help. I don’t think there is anything that I could do that will change what will happen here.” He turned to where Junior sat on the couch next to Gayle and said, “Junior let’s go.” Junior looked at Gayle and then at Marion and said, “Please come with us Marion. People can do very strange things and react in strange ways to this kind of situation. I learned that just watching all the people rioting on the TV. You could be in danger here. I don’t want to anything to happen to you or Gayle. Please come with us.” Junior stood up and walked over to her and said, “Please Marion.” He had a very bad feeling that if they didn’t come right now it would be too late to try later and nothing would ever be the same again. That something bad was going to happen. Marion looked at junior and her eyes softened a little. She reached out and patted his arm and said, “I can’t Junior. It would go against everything I believe in. I don’t believe anything bad will happen to us. We’ll survive as we always have. We’ll pull together as a community and get through this storm just as we have other storms and tragedies.” Junior sighed and said, “Marion I really like you. Please take care of yourself, okay?” Marion laughed and winked at junior and said, “I like you too. I will be careful. You do the same, okay?” Junior hugged her. Marion hugged him back.

He turned to Gayle and started to open his mouth to tell her to be careful when she jumped up and said, “I’ll walk you both to your truck. Lucky you. Your vehicle still works.” She walked over to the coat rack and grabbed her coat and scarf. She went out the door. Junior looked at Marion and his dad and just walked over to the door and followed her out. Gayle was pulling her gloves on as he walked up to her. He didn’t quite know what to say or do. He had never faced a situation like this one before. Gayle said, “I will work on her don’t worry. Why don’t you see if you can talk your dad into coming back in a few days? I am going to wear her down about this. I will be relentless in my pursuit to change her mind. I have seen all those end of the world movies too, you know. I have a basic idea of how this could play out. The whole world will be murder, rape and mayhem and all that. I can’t believe it just yet. It seems like a nightmare that you know you might have, but it hasn’t caught up with you yet. Sorry, I’m so shook up I’m not even making sense.” She gave a nervous laugh. Junior said, “Don’t worry about it. It does seem unreal like a bad movie or something.” He paused and looked at her intently and said, “Gayle I’m really worried. Believe my dad. He has never been wrong about what the military or government or anything like that will or can do. He has told me many times how situations will play out about things you hear and see on the news or internet. He has never been wrong with his predictions. Sometimes the details aren’t quite right but the base of it will right on target. Listen to him. If he says, go. Then you go. You can count on him to be right.”

George walked out he door and saw Junior and Gayle talking. He headed straight for the truck and got in and shut the door. Junior got in and shut his door. George started the truck and drove down the street. He asked his dad, “Were you able to change her mind at all?” His dad sighed and said, “No. She is a very stubborn woman. She says I am over reacting and I am unfeeling, cold heartless basta-d to abandon everyone. I asked her how I can be both at the same time and she started to scream at me to just get out.” Junior said, “Don’t worry dad, Gayle said she is going to work on changing her mind. I will quote her she said, “I will be relentless in my pursuit to change her mind.” Gayle seems to be very determined about it. She asked me to ask you if we could come back in a few days. She feels certain that she can change Marion’s mind about this.” His dad said, “I’m glad Gayle is optimistic about this because I sure am not. I really don’t think she can change her mind.” Junior thought for a few minutes and then asked, “Dad we are going to come back and get them aren’t we?” His dad looked hard at him and then said, “Junior, do you believe that I would just abandon them to face this by them selves and not try to help them?” Junior said, “No dad. But also know you will do what you think is right. If it is unsafe to come and get them I know you wouldn’t do it. You feel responsible for me. You wouldn’t put yourself in a situation to get killed because I need you to be there for me. You would put me first on your list as the most important person to you just as you are at the top of the list as the most important person for me too.” His dad said, “Junior I am so glad that you understand that. But I have no intention of abandoning them. I think things will begin to change tomorrow. People will be getting very angry that no one is doing anything to fix this situation. By the time a week has past by people will be getting down right desperate. Desperate people do very desperate things to survive. I think when Marion sees what people will be doing and saying she will change her mind about it all and come with us. We will come back and check on them every three days until she does change her mind. I won’t just abandon them no matter what she says.” Junior was very relieved to hear all of this. He smiled at his dad and thought about how lucky he was to have a dad like him.

They drove for a few miles and his dad turned to him and said, “We need to talk about this situation a bit. People are going to be very different now from what you’ve known them to be. Most people are not going to be able to handle what has happened to them. How everything changed in a blink of and eye. As time goes by people will become savage in their fight for survival. From this moment on you can not trust anyone but me. I really need for you to understand how very important this one fact is. Remember the people on the TV and how they were acting with the rioting? It will be like that and it will still get worse as time goes by. People will take anything you have even if they don’t need it. They will not be in their right minds. This situation that we are all in will change every single person on this planet. No one will get by without seeing, hearing or feeling something horrible at one time or another. It will affect us all. It will cause us to think differently, to react differently then we have ever had to before.”

He paused for a few moments then looked Junior in the eyes and said, “This is a fight to the death Junior, every single time you see another person. They will want what you have. They will try to take it by whatever means they have. They will use their bare hands if necessary. I need for you to understand this. You will not have a choice in the matter. You will either fight to keep what you have or you will die. Those are the only choices left now. The world you grew up in will never be again because everyone will have been changed by all of this. Even after things are fixed and working again people will still not be able to trust each other enough to let their guards down around other people. That world you knew is gone from this day forward. It will take decades for the human race to get through this. I don’t know how we can even recover from all of these things that will have happened to us. That will be the question. Look at the people of the countries who have had horrible things happen to them. They don’t get over it. It stays with them until they die. Only the next generation who has not had these things happen to them can move forward past all of it. They only know of it by second hand accounts because they were told or shown pictures. They did not live through it.” Junior stared at his dad and said, “We will be living in a horror movie and can’t turn it off, is that what you mean? His dad said sadly, “Yes Junior that is exactly what I mean.”

They were both deep in thought for awhile. His dad said, “When we get home we have to secure everything and prepare a few surprises for those who would think we are easy to take. We also have to brush out the tracks the truck made today. No need to advertise the fact we have a working vehicle to those who don’t already know.” Junior just nodded his head yes. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that had happened. He just wanted to get home and think about things a bit. He needed to put everything into perspective that he learned today.

They drove in the back way this time. His dad stopped the truck and turned off the engine. They could hear some noises coming from the front of the place. It sounded like they were trying to be real quiet. There was some whispering but couldn’t make out what was being said. His dad said quietly, “We’ll go in through the garage and see what is what.” Junior followed his dad and did everything exactly like he did. His dad stopped at some shelves and gently pulled them out towards them. He then reached back and worked the paneling out and set it aside. His dad reached inside and removed two SKS rifles, two chest pouches and two ammo cans. He handed one of each to Junior. He whispered into Junior’s ear, “Chest pouches have 200 rounds for stripper clips, ammo boxes have 1600 rounds.”

Junior was surprised. He hadn’t known there was a secret hidey hole in the garage. His dad looked at him seriously then bent over and whispered in his ear again, “We may have to kill whoever it is out there. We will give them the chance to leave peacefully but don’t count on it. Do you remember how to use the stripper clips?” Junior nodded yes. His dad whispered, “Load up your clips and put 10 rounds in the rifle.” They both got busy getting everything ready. George could see how nervous and alarmed Junior was so he leaned over and whispered, “I got these two as back ups at a gun show in the 90’s. I paid only $79.99 for each.” Junior gave him a nervous smile and whispered, “I’m impressed.” His dad said, “We can’t let them get in the house and seal it up. Even I couldn’t get in if someone did that. We would be left out here in the cold with no real supplies. You do understand why we have to stop them, don’t you?” Junior nodded yes. His dad smiled at him and said, “You do remember how to use an SKS?” Junior smiled more easily and whispered, “Of course, they are a blast to shoot.” His dad reached into his chest pouch and pulled out the camo face paint and started applying it to his face. He motioned for junior to apply some to his face too. Junior whispered, “Why are we using face paint?” His dad whispered back, “So we can sneak up real close before they can notice us.” Junior nodded and started applying the paint to his face too.

Junior then whispered, “What is the plan?” His dad whispered, “You need to get higher then me so you can cover me. So, I need you to sneak up to next year wood stack. You remember where on the little hill up there I cut that maple down?” Junior nodded yes. His dad continued, “Get behind the stack and put the gun over top of it. It will help you steady it. That should give you a clear view of the area too. I will come up on the left side down in the low area. If this turns into a shooting match don't hesitate at all and aim for the center mass. Okay?” Junior nodded yes.

His dad reached out and put his hand on his should and gave it a squeeze. He whispered, “Son, if anything happens to me the keys are under the front tire of the truck. You get in the house and shut it down tight. Don't come out for six months. The main chaos will be over by then. I left the manual for the house in my desk drawer. It will explain everything to you about all the systems of the house.”

He looked around and listened for a moment. He smiled and whispered, “They are sure having a hard time getting in, aren’t they? Now, when you hear me yell out that you are covered by five guys I want you to shoot in front of one of them. Hit the dirt. That will be there one and only warning. If it goes bad out there put them down just like you do a deer. Hopefully, we can convince them to move on without bloodshed. I’m going to go take a look out the window. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” His dad moved silently to the window. He stood with his back to the wall. He slowly turned around and peeked out the window. He drew back and waited for a reaction. After a minute he decided that they hadn’t seen him. He came back over to where Junior was. He squatted down. Junior whispered, “Do you think they saw you?” His dad shook his head no and said, “The sun is shinning right into their faces. I would’ve looked like a shadow if they saw me at all. There are three men out there trying very hard to get in the house. Let’s go ruin their day and make a statement that they definitely picked the wrong place to break into.” They quietly left the garage. George relocked the door.

They both snuck into their positions. George hid behind a large rock that was fifty yards from the front door. He looked up at where his son should be. He could just make out the tip of the barrel on top of the wood pile. Good he got there safely. One of them was trying to kick the door in. The other two were standing back and talking quietly. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. All three of them were armed and had hunting knives in a sheath on their belts. These guys were serious. This wasn’t a normal break in either. They wanted in very badly. “Sh-t,” thought George. I should have left junior at Marion’s. He wasn’t ready for the big time yet.

The guy that was trying to kick the door in was getting pissed. He was screaming and yelling and cussing up a storm. That made George smile. If he was alone he would’ve just stayed hidden in the woods until they gave up and left. But Junior was here and he didn’t know if he would be able to handle the pressure of staying in that position for hours without knowing where his dad was, or even if he could stay still for that long without giving himself away. Better not to take the chance of losing his son. That was one thing he couldn’t live with. Just thinking about it brought a cold shiver down his spine. He slowly moved a little closer around the rock to see if he could hear what they were saying.

The guy trying to kick the door down was screaming at the top of his lungs, “You son of a Bit--h, this isn’t fort Knox, you know. Why the hell doesn’t this door open?” He motioned to the other two guy’s and said, “Get over here and help me kick this door down. Get over here.” The other two hesitated. The first guy screamed at them, “Now.” They hurried over to him. Man, that guy was really pissed. George was quite pleased with the way his defenses had held up. He sighed. It was time to end this nonsense.

He stepped around the rock and yelled, “Freeze. Turn around.” They abruptly stopped what they were doing and whipped their heads around to look at him. They didn’t move. He said again, “Turn around slowly and keep your hands away from your sides. If you don’t move slowly I might mistake that for a move to go for a weapon. You three do not want me to think that, do you?” All three of them had long hair. Two of them had their hair tied at the back of their necks. The third one’s hair was all over the place. His hair was covering most of his face and clung in sweaty clumps. It was hard to see what he looked like.

George said again, “I will not tell you again so you had better comply this time or your blood will be soaking into the dirt by my front door. Turn around slowly. Keep your hands out away from your body. You are covered by five guns. A shot rang out and the dirt kicked up in front of the one in the middle. They turned around slowly.

George said, “Turn your weapons around to face you and slowly lay them down on the ground. What happened next is hard to explain. A woman stepped out from the woods ten feet from George and said, “Drop the gun old man.” She was holding a Ruger 10-22 on him. George wanted to laugh. He said to her, “Your friends will be let go just as soon as they place their weapons on the ground. Young lady put that gun down before someone get’s hurt.”

The punk on the left end yelled, “Shoot that son of a bit-h, Carol right now.” He lunged forward onto his left shoulder reaching under his coat. George was already swinging his rifle towards the young lady and didn’t see him lunge forward. Junior up on the hill couldn’t see what the guy was doing because the other two blocked his view.

“Damn,” George thought. He didn’t want to shoot a woman. He felt a tug on his jacket and a 40 SW slug caught him under the right arm. He didn’t feel any real pain. It was more like a stinging and burning sensation. He turned his head and saw the handgun in the hand of the guy on the left. Before he could react to the new threat the young lady started firing at him. He quickly dropped her with a double tap. He turned back towards the thugs and the one who was on the ground kept firing at him and yelling, “I told you I would kill you.”

 He felt like he was in a dark void. The only thing he could seem to see was the SW semi automatic kicking up as the thug shot at him. He felt another hit and a stinging, burning sensation in his stomach. Why didn’t he shoot? His finger was on the trigger wasn’t it? Then he realized that he was shooting. He got the thug on the left the one that kept yelling something at him about killing him. He shot him twice in the chest. He aimed at the next one and his vision blurred. He wasn’t sure if he got that one at all. He could feel something warm and wet running down his right side. The other two were scrambling for their guns. Why wasn’t junior shooting? Oh my God, what happened to junior? Then he saw the dirt kicked up behind one of the thugs. Junior, Thank you God. He was alright. He had to drop those two fast before they could get to junior. He tried to raise his rifle up to aim at the two thugs but his arm would not move. Everything was in slow motion. Why was he moving so slowly? He saw the sky and thought what a beautiful day it was. His last thought was, Oh God, Junior I failed you. He saw the darkness closing in.

Junior was shocked when his dad fell. Rage built in him until he couldn’t breathe. The second guy that his dad had shot at and missed when he fell to the ground fired at him sending splinters flying all around in the air in front of him. That broke him from his rigid shock. He quickly swung the rifle at the guy that shot at him and fired one shot. The guy went down. His rage kept building until he felt it would fill the whole world. He let loose a bellow of rage, a primal instinct in him that he thought he could never feel. He spotted the other guy running for the hills. He started pouring lead in his direction. He fired four shots. Three of them hit his center mass and he went down. His breach locked open. He bent down by the wood pile and reloaded the stripper clip. The click, click, click of it sounded very loud to him. When he had the last one in he yanked back hard on the lever and let it go. The bolt slammed forward putting a fresh round in the chamber. He popped backed up swinging the rifle and looking for threats.

He strained his ears to hear every sound that was out there. All he could hear was moans. He ran down the hill and over to his dad. His dad lay motionless. He felt for a pulse. There was a very faint one. He was still breathing. He heard another moan from one of them. If these four assholes hadn’t showed up he and his dad would be locked together in the house. They would have been safe from killers like them. His rage built until he couldn’t contain it anymore. He stood up and calmly, deliberately walked over to each of the killers and shot them in the head. He looked up and saw the woman that had shot at his dad and caused him to be shot. She was coughing up pink foaming blood. That was good, it was a lung shot. He walked over to her and kicked her rifle away. He yelled, “I hope you suffer a long painful death bit-h.” He could hear her straining for a breath.

He ran back over to his dad and checked his pulse. It was still faint but it was there. He was still breathing. He said to his dad, “Hang on dad. I’m going to get the truck to take you to the hospital. I’ll be right back.” He took off running to the truck. He grabbed the keys from under the wheel and jumped in. He had it started almost before he was all the way inside. The door was still open when he put it gear and took off. The door swung closed. He drove over the one killer that he had shot running away. He didn’t even give it a conscious thought. He pulled up next to his dad and jumped out. He picked him up and raced to the other side to put him in the passenger seat. He got the door open and set his dad down. He saw all the blood then. It was all over. Both of his hands were colored red with it too. He noticed his dad wasn’t breathing. He quickly felt for a pulse. Nothing. He tried again. Still nothing. He stood there and looked at hands. His dad was dead. He was now all alone.

He slid to the ground. His legs would no longer hold him. He realized he was crying. When did I start crying he wondered? He held his head in hands feeling so very lost. The full impact of what had just happened hit him then. The world was coming to an end. His dad was dead. What was he supposed to do now he wondered? He was in a very dark lonely place and just wanted to let go of all the confusion, pain he was feeling and suffering.

Many hours later after darkness had fallen for a few hours he stirred. He stood up and walked like a zombie to the front door. He then remembered the keys were in the ignition of the truck. He slowly walked back to get them. He saw his dad body and started to cry again. He cried great wracking sobs that shook his whole body. He was shaking so much. He grabbed for the keys and kept missing them. He finally was able to grasp them in his hand and stumbled to the front door. He had a hard time seeing through the blur of his tears where the key hole was.

He couldn’t get the key to go in the door. He just kept trying and trying. The damn key just would not go into the key hole. He threw the keys down in frustration and started to kick the door and beat on it with his fists. He was screaming and beating on the door until he could hardly feel his hands. He licked at the door and lost his balance and fell down. He just lay there staring at the sky. He really didn’t notice the stars or the moon or anything else. He just laid there staring at nothing lost inside his self. He became aware a lot later that night. He realized he was lying on the ground. He rolled over slowly and got to his feet. He looked around for the keys and saw them next to the rock that his dad had place them under just two days before so he could let himself into the house. He reached down to grab them and had a hard time getting his fingers to close around them. After several attempts he was able to snag them. He stumbled once again to the door. This time the key went right into the lock. He had a hard time turning the key to open the door. His fingers were so swollen and numb he couldn’t really feel them. He just kept applying pressure downward and eventually he heard the lock click open. He pushed on the door with his should and stumbled inside. He looked around for a few minutes in the dark and then walked into the kitchen. He knew where everything was in the house. He reached up above the refrigerator to the cupboard and fumbled around trying to grab the bottle of Canadian Mist. His fingers didn’t want to work. The bottle started falling out of the cupboard. He caught it and pressed it to his chest. He held it very tight. This was all that there was right now. Nothing else mattered. He dragged his body to the living room and sat down on the couch. He used his teeth to open it. He held it up with both hands and took a long hard drink. When he brought the bottle down to rest on his lap he noticed his dad’s empty recliner. He sat in the dark just staring at it. 

If You Like This Book Green Death To The World You Will Enjoy Getting This 7 DVDs Special.

The DVDs Will Teach You The Skills You Need To Survive When The SHTF.

These Vital Survival Skills Will Be Mentioned A lot In The Coming Chapters !

And With Only $8.90 Shipping ! A Great Deal.

I Would Like To Hear Your Thoughts & Opinions Of My Novel!!!

Please E-mail Me Below

Copyright © 2009-2010 to present all rights reserved worldwide. No part of this web site can be copied or reproduced by any means without written permission from the owner (Bruce Hemming.)