The recruits were coming along nicely too. Target practice in the park past the cul-de-sac had sent some of the neighbors scurrying for safety, but the truth was, he didn’t want them facing any kind of enemy intrusion without ever having fired a shot before. Ammo wasn’t in plentiful supply though, so each of the cadets was only allowed a handful of shots to become proficient. The truth was, they would need to head down to Gold N Guns soon, perhaps today, and see what they could get their hands on.
Frank had become a welcome asset to their security force. Although he was a little rough around the edges, his love of weapons shone through whenever he helped drill the recruits during target practice.
John had hoped the time he’d spent bonding with the Willow Creek defense force might soften his resolve to keep all his guns to himself. If an attack was coming, fending off a well-armed group with deer rifles just wouldn’t do.
John had insisted that Diane and the kids sleep in the pod at night. He on the other hand took a couch in the basement in front of the TV. Many a night in the past he’d spent dozing off to a late-night show, the room flickering with diffused light. But now the only things that chased away the darkness were the Coleman lamps that had been part of his prepper kit.
On the day John had assembled his deputies, Gregory had asked him if he could join. It was a question John had known would come sooner or later. He’d taken his son out shooting often and in many ways the kid was perhaps more proficient than some of the recruits, but the thought of putting a twelve-year-old boy behind a barricade with a rifle didn’t sit well with him. Had nothing to do with the fact that Gregory was his son. He’d told Peter to search out candidates seventeen years and above. If that minimum age was good enough for the United States military, it was good enough for him. Nevertheless, if a situation ever arose where they needed every hand on deck, Gregory would be able to handle himself just fine.
John was heading for the park when Peter intercepted him.
“I’ve got some deputies digging a foxhole on Bill Kelsaw’s front lawn. We’ll reinforce it with sandbags in case the perimeter is breached.”
“Excellent,” John said.
“Oh, and there’s something else. The rest of the security detail is almost done with the watchtower,” Peter said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. The old maple tree on Rose Myers’ front lawn had proven an ideal location. Willow Creek Drive ascended slightly as one made their way from Pine Grove east toward the park. A tree stand in Rose’s maple would be able to keep an eye on both approaches as well as the surrounding area. That the tree was older and had fewer leaves was an added bonus to visibility.
The bad news was that Rose’s back deck had been partially torn apart in order to provide the wood. The lack of power tools had also presented problems. At least half of John’s recruits had been sawing two-by-fours all morning to create the platform as well as the ladder which led to it.
A harness would also be added and tied around the tree, providing the person standing watch an added level of safety.
“What do you think?” Peter asked.
John smiled. “It looks great.” One of the recruits was already climbing the ladder. The tree stand itself wrapped around the entire trunk. The recruit accessed the platform by emerging through a square cut in the base. It was almost like a treehouse without walls. A wooden railing provided a shooting rest. The recruit walked a full circle around the stand.
“How’s the visibility?” John asked.
They threw him a thumbs up.
“There’s something else you should know,” Peter said. “A black pickup truck, late 70s model, drove past the western barricade twice today. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon.”
“How fast were they going?”
“Not fast at all,” Peter said.
“If they didn’t stop to say hi and reach out,” John said, “then I’d be willing to bet they were up to no good.”
“There’s more.”
“Go on.”
“Curtis and his fact-gatherers went out into the various neighborhoods of Lakemoor Hills and told us houses have been getting hit all over.”
“They went out without an escort?”
“Apparently.”
John sighed. “Some of these people still don’t fully realize what’s going on. They think they can’t be hurt, that the law somehow protects them. A human life is cheaper than a can of beans, that’s what they don’t get.”
“I’ll talk to Curtis,” Peter said, trying to cool John down.
“No, I’ll do it at the next committee meeting. Just get one of our deputies with a scoped rifle in that tree stand and make sure they have a fog horn in case there’s trouble.”
“Will do.”
John headed for the barricade at the corner of Willow Creek and Pine Grove. The slightly downward slope was another advantage for defending the street since attackers on foot would be on lower ground. In addition to blocking the street, the barricade now stretched across the lawns on both sides. Two-by-fours with nine-inch nails were placed a few feet back from the wall to puncture the tires of any cars or trucks that tried to ram through.
Frank and one of the older recruits, a man named Mavis, were discussing the difference in range between the average pistol and a deer rifle. Of course Frank wasn’t using a deer rifle. He had something from his personal collection. A Heckler & Koch G36 with a telescopic sight, a collapsible stock and a hundred-round drum magazine.
“You’re practically a one-man army,” John said, trying to clear his mind of the news about Curtis’ foolish adventure this morning.
Frank smiled proudly. “Anyone dumb enough to mess with us’ll get what he deserves.”
“Just remember when you’re turning the bad guys into Swiss cheese that those houses over there might be filled with innocent people.” John paused. “Listen, I want you two to keep an eye out for a black pickup Peter said was trolling through the neighborhood. If you see it, send word back to me straight away.”
“Will do,” Frank said. John was about to turn and leave when Frank called after him. “I know now’s not a great time, but there’s something I wanna show you.”
“How long will it take?” John asked.
“Not more than ten minutes or so.”
“Okay, come with me.” To the recruit he said. “Hang tight, I’ll send someone to replace Frank while he’s gone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Not long after they were in Frank’s unfinished basement. He reached into the right pocket of his cargo pants and fished out a set of keys. After undoing the latch, he swung the door open. The light from the Coleman lantern threw distorted shadows against the wall. But it was clear enough what Frank had wanted to show John. Hanging from mounts were the closest thing Frank had to children. Pistols, shotguns, semi-automatic rifles and boxes of ammo.
“I got most of the ammo when it looked like the president was gonna take it all away,” Frank started. “Did you know that the Department of Homeland Security purchased one point six billion rounds of ammo?”
“Yeah, I read something about that,” John said, wondering how much of that load had ended up in Frank’s basement.