The Blue Ridge Resistance Page 4

  Jason smiled and understood completely what he meant. They both nudged their horses forward and continued down the road. As they approached the spot where they left the food, they heard a man’s voice say, “Wait… please wait.”

  They brought their horses to a stop and looked over as a thin, disheveled man, stepped out onto the road. “Is that her?” he asked, pointing to the body on the packhorse.

  “Yes, it is,” Evan replied.

  “What are you going to do with her?” the man asked, unable to hold back his own tears.

  “We are going to give her a proper burial,” Evan said.

  The man took a step towards the packhorse, stopped, and said, “Can I say goodbye? She was my wife. I’ve completely failed her in life. She didn’t deserve this. It should have been me,” he said with tears running down his face. “Please just let me say goodbye.”

  Evan motioned his horse forward, pulling the packhorse along, and brought it to the edge of the road. He tied the reigns of the packhorse to a tree branch and said, “Take all the time you need.” He then nudged his horse forward and motioned for Jason to follow. They rode to the next bend in the road and dismounted, tying their horses to a tree and sitting down on the hillside in the shade.

  They watched as the man cried uncontrollably, holding onto her body, begging her for forgiveness. Two small children then came out of the woods crying. He picked them both up as they shared the agonizingly painful moment together.

  “Do you think they are her children?” Jason asked.

  Evan poked a stick at the ground and said, “It sure seems that way.”

  The grieving lasted a few more moments, and then another man and the woman who had gotten the food, came down to the road with the third child to pay their last respects.

  The other man then nudged at his friend to come on. He sat his children back down on the ground, held both of them by the hand, and the group started walking down the middle of the road in plain view. As they approached Evan and Jason, they paused for just a moment, and the husband of the dead woman looked over to Evan and said, “You were right. You were right about everything.” With that, the group continued down the road in broad daylight, no longer in hiding.

  “Hopefully they stay out of the shadows from now on,” Evan said.

  “I have a feeling they will,” replied Jason as he patted Evan on the shoulder and stood up. “Now let’s get going.”

  With that, they mounted their horses, gathered the packhorse, and resumed their journey to Daryl’s home.

  ~~~~

  The rest of the ride was uneventful and quiet, with both men keeping a vigilant eye out for trouble while pondering the day’s events. As they approached Daryl’s place, they noticed a new and not so welcoming sign at the entrance to his property. It read, “Unannounced trespassers will be shot. Ring the bell to make yourself known.”

  Jason read the sign, chuckled and said, “Looks like we had better ring the bell.”

  “I reckon so,” replied Evan with a chuckle.

  Jason pulled his horse alongside the sign, where Daryl had attached an old cowbell to a chain. He rang the bell, looked at Evan, and said, “Now what?”

  Evan looked at the sign again. “I guess we wait.”

  It was only a moment later when Daryl yelled from the bushes, “I guess the sign works.”

  Evan shouted back to him, “Yep, as long as your visitors aren’t up to no good and as long as they can read English, I reckon it will.”

  Daryl came bounding down out of the woods and said, “Well that’s the idea. If I hear the bell ring, I have a chance to check out who it is before they see me. If I see someone poking around and never heard the bell, I assume they are up to no good. As a one-man show out here, I have to devise my own force multipliers.”

  The men shared a laugh as Daryl noticed their cargo on the packhorse and the mood quickly got back to business. “Who is that?” he asked.

  “A decoy for some thieves,” Jason replied.

  “What?” Daryl said, confused about what Jason had just said.

  Evan and Jason then began to tell Daryl the story as it had been told to them, as well as their encounter with her family on the road. Once Daryl had all of the information, Evan asked, “So what do you think we should do with her?”

  Daryl scratched his beard for a moment, and said, “Well, I think you gentleman handled everything pretty well, and you are right about needing to give her a proper burial. There is a secluded patch of woods in between Blue Tick Road and Tackett’s Creek Road. There isn’t much that I could think of that we would need that land for in the future. I think that would be a suitable spot for these types of folks. Burn the hell out of the bodies of the true scumbag-types though. Rapists and murders don’t deserve to have a shovel lifted in their honor.”

  “Amen to that!” said Jason.

  Daryl accompanied Evan and Jason to the burial site, bringing along several shovels. They fashioned a marker for her grave from a tree branch, and whittled into it, “May she rest in peace,” along with the date. They didn’t know her name, unfortunately. They didn’t think to ask her family when they crossed paths with them earlier.

  Daryl placed his hat over his heart as they piled rocks on top of the freshly covered grave, and said, “It’s a shame we didn’t know more about her, or even her name.”

  “Yes, sir, it is,” replied Evan with a heavy heart. “What’s worse, though, is that her situation in life prior to the collapse didn’t have her prepared to deal with the new world we all live in now, without having to turn to petty crime. It’s a shame that the values that make self-sufficiency possible for people like us were lost in a single generation full of dependency. Whether it was dependency on government, society, or technology; in one generation, people left behind the ethic and skills it takes to survive in this cruel world. I’m sure before that society was taken away from her, she was probably a wonderful, typical American woman any of us would have been proud to call a friend.”

  “Amen to that,” added Jason.

  After a moment of silence, Jason said, “We should probably be getting back home. It’s getting late and our wives are probably getting worried.”

  “Yes, I’ve got to get back home myself,” said Daryl as he put his hat back on and turned to his horse. “I had some homemade soap cooking on the fire that I just remembered. Jason, after you guys discuss the Muncie and Murphy properties, let us know what you decide.”

  Jason shook Daryl’s hand, and said, “Yes, sir, I will, and thanks.

  With that, the men mounted up and went their respective ways. Daryl rode back to his place while Evan and Jason rode back towards the Homefront. After a few miles, Jason broke the silence of the somber evening by saying, “So what do you think? Should Griff and I move our families?”

  Evan replied, “The selfish side of me wants you to stay onboard with us. We’ve gotten quite used to having the extra hands running the place and the helping out with security. That and you’ve become a part of our family. However, you deserve to have your own place. Your family left behind everything you had to join up with us. If everything settles down someday, you will need a place to pass on to your boys, and they will need a place to raise their families. That being said, barring some unforeseen event, I think you should do it. You and Griff can both take a portion of the animals at the Homefront to help get you started as well. The only reason we have as much as we do now, is because you helped us raise and acquire it all.”

  Jason rode silently for a moment, taking it all in and said, “Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I can’t imagine what this entire ordeal would have been like if we weren’t in it together. Just imagining the escape from New York without another armed and like-minded friend is hard to comprehend. We made it out of there the way we did because we were together. My wife could have ended up just like the woman we just buried—desperate to feed our kids if I hadn’t made it home to her.”

  “Same here, brother,” Evan re
plied. “So are you going to do it?”

  “I think so,” said Jason. “Unless Sarah absolutely objects, but I’m sure she will feel the same.”

  “Well, good,” Evan said. The two men quietly rode the rest of the way home, each silently reflecting on the events they had struggled through as a team, beginning that fateful day that started out as a routine layover in New York, when everything changed forever.

  Chapter 6: The Unexpected Visitor

  Just as Evan and Jason were nearing the Homefront, they heard an aircraft overhead. Both men were caught off guard, as the skies in their area had been silent for quite some time. The aircraft was flying low, barely above tree top level, and the unfamiliar sound startled the horses.

  Looking frantically to try to get a view of the aircraft, Jason said, “What the heck? Do you see it?” he asked.

  It was hard to spot the aircraft right away due to Evan and Jason’s position in a heavily wooded area, surrounded by hilly terrain. Just as Evan started to reply, the single-engine airplane came into view over a ridge and flew directly overhead. Evan exclaimed, “Holy Crap! Was that the Maule?”

  “Our… I mean… Judith’s Maule?” Jason asked.

  “I think so,” replied Evan as the aircraft flew out of sight.

  “No way. Is that Ed?” Jason asked in disbelief.

  “It has to be,” replied Evan, hoping his assumption was right. “We did leave him a map of our location and told him he was welcome to join us if things got too bad for him in Ohio. He’s probably looking for a place to land. This is some rough country compared to Ohio; he may have a hard time, especially with it getting dark.”

  “Well, we can’t follow him on horseback with this terrain. Let’s hurry home and get on the CB. We can see if the other homesteads can get a visual on him and get us a position,” Jason said as he nudged his horse and rode hard for the Homefront with Evan in trail.

  Upon reaching the Homefront, Evan and Jason rushed into the house where the women were gathered around the radios in the basement. “Thank God you’re home,” Molly said. “Several of the other homesteads have reported a low-flying aircraft in the area and they are a bit concerned, to say the least.”

  “Get the Thomas farm on the radio right away,” Evan said to Judy, who was sitting at the radio operator’s desk.

  “Okay, but what’s going on?” she asked.

  “It’s Ed Savio… Just get them on the line quick before he runs out of gas or daylight.”

  Judy hailed the Thomas farm and received a quick reply from Judith. Evan reached for the microphone as Judy quickly handed it to him. “Judith, this is Evan. Ed Savio… from Ohio, is in your plane, and may be looking for a place to land. Get Luke or Nate to go outside and keep an eye and an ear out. When they see him, pop one of the flares that are in the basement down by that old water heater. Ed is probably looking for a friendly place to land, and your back pasture may be the flattest clearing we have around here.”

  “What… my plane? I don’t… Oh! Of course!” Judith replied as it dawned on her what Evan was saying. She had all but forgotten about trading the Little Angel for the Maule, as she felt it was more a symbolic gesture than an actual transaction. At that time, she was just happy to be a part of a group and saw the trade as merely her finally being able to contribute. She quickly ran down to the basement and began to look for the flares. Finding them exactly where Evan had said, she grabbed several and ran back up to the porch, calling for both of her sons.

  Nate came running from the barn to see what she was shouting about, fearing that they may again have intruders. “What? What is it mom?” he asked frantically.

  She tossed him the flares and said, “I’ll explain later. Run out to the back pasture and stand in the middle. If you see a white and red airplane, a little one, pop one of the flares to get his attention. If he sees you, try and wave him in to the pasture. He’s a friend. That’s the plane I was telling you about that we left in Ohio!”

  Nate turned and ran out to the back pasture as his mother had requested. As he quickly made a turn through one of the fence gates to get to the open pasture, he lost his footing with his prosthetic lower leg, slipped, and fell, dropping the flares into a puddle of mud and water. As he struggled to get back to his feet, he cussed under his breath at his clumsiness and heard the low RPM hum of a small single-engine aircraft as it neared the farm. “Crap!” Nate said, realizing that he may miss his window of opportunity.

  He grabbed the flares, got back on his feet, and ran for the pasture. As he saw the plane come over the trees, he attempted to pop one of the flares to no avail. “Damn it!” he said, knowing that dropping them in the mud and water was the likely cause. The aircraft was now directly overhead as he attempted to light the second flare, and again nothing. He tossed it to the ground and attempted to light the last remaining flare; with a poof, it was ablaze with smoke and a bright red torch-like flame. He began to wave the flare frantically with his arms while chasing the plane. Just as it was about to clear the next tree line, he thought that he had missed the opportunity. The plane then made a gentle turn to the left and began to circle overhead. Nate continued to wave the flare to the pilot, as if to say, “Come on in.” After another circle overhead, the aircraft began to fly away to Nate’s dismay.

  As the aircraft flew over the tree line and the sounds began to fade, Nate tossed his flare on to the ground in frustration. As he stared at the ground and kicked the flare, he could hear the sounds of the aircraft’s engine grow louder once again. He looked up to see the airplane coming back towards the field with its main wheels just barely dragging the tree tops as it made an approach to the pasture. Once the airplane cleared the treetops, the pilot cut the power and slipped the aircraft in for a bouncy touchdown on the rough, old cow pasture, sliding to a stop in the wet grass.

  As Nate began to walk over to the airplane, his mother Judith came running up to him. “Oh, thank God! Yes, that’s him,” she said with a smile on her face. She grabbed Nate by the hand and ran towards the Maule as she saw Ed Savio climb out of the pilot’s seat.

  As he stepped out of the plane, Judith ran up, gave him a hug, and said, “Welcome to Tennessee, Ed.”

  “It’s Judith, right?” he said.

  “Yes, Judith Hoskins,” she replied.

  “I’m sorry, but our meeting back in Ohio was so quick and frantic that I didn’t really get a chance to commit everyone’s names to memory. But I sure do remember you,” he said.

  “What are you doing down here?” she asked.

  “Things aren’t going so good up north, or in a lot of places, for that matter. I’ll explain more in detail later, but my options were getting limited so I thought I had better take Evan and Jason up on their offer to meet up with you all down here before things got any worse. I also needed to get your plane back to you,” he said with a smile.

  Nate just stood there scratching his chin, trying to soak it all in. His mom had clearly been on quite the adventure to be the owner of an airplane, when she used to be afraid of flying.

  “Is Evan or Jason around? Is this Evan’s place?” Ed asked.

  “No, this is a dear friend’s farm. I live here now with my two sons and a few other people you haven’t met,” she replied.

  “You found your sons? What? How? Oh my God. How in the world did you do that? I thought they were out west somewhere with no contact,” Ed said, confused by the situation.

  “It’s an extremely long story,” she said. “We’ll catch up this evening. I’ll tell you everything.”

  “But wait, now that I’m thinking about it, weren’t you going to Newport with that young mother and her child?” Ed asked, confused by his cloudy memories.

  “Yes, Peggy and little Zack are down here with us as well. Newport wasn’t what we had hoped it would be,” she replied with a solemn look on her face.

  “Oh,” he said. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she replied.

  Nate then stuck out his hand an
d said, “I’m her son, Nate Hoskins. Pleased to meet you, sir. I don’t remember all of the details of the story, but I do know you helped my mom and the others make it down here to safety, and for that I will forever be in your debt.”

  “Well, son, if it wasn’t for your mother and her Maule here, I would have been stuck in Ohio with no way out, so I guess we can call it even,” Ed said with a smile as he returned Nate’s handshake. “And if you hadn’t flagged me down, I would probably be in the trees in a few minutes. My fuel tanks were on fumes and I only knew the general area where everyone may be, not the specific location, at least as it is seen from the air. It’s gonna be dark in just a few more minutes, and I would have had a hard time finding a friendly place to put this thing down. I would have had to just put it down on someone’s property and hope for the best.”

  “Let’s get you up to the house,” Judith said. “We were just about to sit down for dinner, and I’m sure you are starved after your long flight down. While we are getting dinner ready, I’ll set you up on the radio so you can contact Evan and Jason over at the Homefront. I’m sure they are dying to hear from you. They saw you fly overhead and called us on the radio, telling us to try and flag you down.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Ed replied. “And I can’t wait for you to catch me up on everything.”

  ~~~~

  Back at the Homefront, after having contacted Judith, Evan made contact with the other homesteads as well, asking for reports of any sightings of the plane. At this point, all they could do was wait and hope for some news. Evan and Jason were sitting in the basement near the radio station, monitoring the common homestead frequency while discussing what might be going on up north to make Ed pack up and leave his beloved property.

  “I hate being in the dark about what’s going on out there,” said Evan as he got up to pace back and forth to work off the stress of waiting. “Ever since our HAM guys have been dropping off of the air, I’ve had a bad feeling. I’ve tried to ignore it and hope it’s nothing, but I just can’t shake it.”