Cowboy Read online

  The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual names, persons, businesses, and incidents is strictly coincidental. Locations are used only in the general sense and do not represent the real place in actuality.

  COWBOY

  By

  JERRY D. YOUNG

  Creative Texts Edition

  Copyright 2015

  By JERRY D. YOUNG

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Published by

  CREATIVE TEXTS PUBLISHERS

  BARTO, PA

  www.creativetexts.com

  COVER PHOTO USED BY LICENSE

  CREDIT: Woody Hibbard

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jenny groggily reached for the telephone, trying to read the digital clock on the bedside table. It took a moment for her to focus, but finally she had it. 5:37 am. She picked up the telephone receiver, ready to rip into whoever was calling at this hour.

  But when she heard the only words spoken she was suddenly wide awake. “Six lanterns,” and the phone clicked. It was enough message for Jenny to activate her emergency evacuation plan.

  “Must be bad,” she thought as she climbed out of bed and went to her bedroom closet. “Six Lanterns!” It was the MAG’s threat assessment team’s take on Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride. One if by land, two if by sea…

  A one lantern warning was simply to be extra aware of what was going on. Six Lanterns was impending doom of one sort or another, with heading for the MAG’s retreat property advised.

  Jenny hesitated for a moment. The weather had been marginal at best when she went to bed. Best be prepared for the worst. She put on silk long johns over her underwear, added silk liner socks and then heavy wool socks. She added sturdy cotton blend khaki pants and shirt. A million things running through her head, Jenny sat down on the bench at the foot of her bed and put on her hiking boots.

  Hesitating only a moment, Jenny went to the walk in closet again and opened the small free standing fire-resistant safe and took out everything it contained. Her grandfather’s pair of old Walther PPK .380 ACP pistols. One was in a small-of-the-back paddle holster. The other was in an ankle holster. She set them on the bed for a moment. There were twelve loaded spare magazines for the PPK’s, four of them in two paddle style two magazine pouches, two in an ankle double magazine pouch, plus six without pouches. They also went onto the bed.

  One tube of gold American Eagle one-tenth ounce gold coins she opened, and after taking off her Orvis leather pants belt with the hidden zipper, thumbed the gold coins into the hidden compartment, zipped it up and put the belt back though the belt loops of her pants. Another tube of one-tenth ounce gold Eagles, two tubes of pre-1965 silver dimes, two tubes of pre-1965 silver quarters, and one tube of Silver Eagle one-ounce rounds went on the bed. So did a Spyderco Harpy pocket clip knife.

  A cloth money belt with important papers and a disappointedly small amount of US currency she put on under her khaki shirt. The debit card she kept for emergencies she put in a shirt pocket. Jenny had a feeling it was going to see quite a bit of use.

  She put the one PPK holster in the small of her back, with the two double magazine pouches to the left of the holster. The second PPK went on her ankle with the other two magazines on her opposite ankle. The Harpy was clipped inside her right hand pants pocket.

  Taking her leather shoulder bag and her safari style jacket from the closet she put the items on the bed into the bag and put on the jacket, looping the bag strap over one shoulder.

  Jenny closed and locked the safe. She checked on Craig and Julie. Both were still sleeping soundly. Working quickly Jenny loaded up the Subaru Outback with the plastic totes containing the family’s emergency supplies.

  She took a pair of empty totes and emptied the refrigerator into them and added both to the others in the Subaru. From the small utility shed in the back yard, Jenny carried four five-gallon jerry cans of gasoline and a receiver hitch mount carrier to the SUV. After mounting the carrier she loaded up all four cans of gasoline.

  Jenny started the SUV to let the interior warm up. Then she went to wake the children, eight year old Craig first. “We’re going camping, Sweetie,” she said as he came awake. His eyes brightened. He liked camping. “It’s cold, so wear your long johns.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Craig said, already sensing the urgency in his mother’s voice before she spoke again.

  “Please hurry,” she said, getting up off the bed where she’d been sitting. Jenny hurried to Julie’s room and began the difficult task of getting her five-year old up and moving at the early hour.

  Jenny glanced at her watch a couple of times during the process. Even with the still half asleep Julie’s slow reactions, Jenny felt they were still doing okay on time. She helped Julie get dressed in her warm ‘camping clothes’ as her outdoor adventure clothes were called.

  When the two entered the living room hand-in-hand, Craig was watching the television. It was an early morning children’s program. Everything seemed so normal, Jenny thought. Yet she’d received the call from the threat assessment team.

  “Are we having breakfast, Mother?” Craig asked.

  “On the road, Craig. Better turn that off so we can leave.”

  “McDonalds!” Julie said, loudly.

  “We’ll see,” Jenny said softly, tugging Julie’s hand gently to get her started toward the front door of the duplex she leased.

  Craig followed along without a word, after using the remote to turn the television off.

  Jenny got both children buckled in, and then grabbed the emergency shut off tool she’d put on the front seat of the Outback while loading the SUV.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Jenny told her children.

  It was a bit more than a minute, but Jenny had all the utilities turned off in the house. Just in case.

  Julie was getting a bit pouty when Jenny got back in the SUV. Craig asked, “Mother, is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know, Craig. You know my friends… The ones we camped with that time? They think there is and I trust them to know.”

  “We’re going to that special place we aren’t supposed to talk about?”

  Jenny glanced at her very perceptive son in the rear view mirror. “Yes. We are. Just in case.”

  Craig had been leaning to his left and forward so he could see his mother’s face in the rearview mirror. He sat back and tried to remember some of the things he’d heard when they’d been with the MAG, as his mother sometimes called the group of friends that went camping together sometimes.

  Julie was getting fidgety when Jenny saw the McDonalds. It was open. She pulled into the drive through and quickly ordered breakfasts for all three of them. “Help your sister please,” Jenny told Craig as she pulled back onto the street, her own breakfast already forgotten.

  They were seldom allowed to eat in the Outback, so Julie was considering it quite a treat. Craig helped her get her breakfast sandwich unwrapped and ready to eat. He put the straws in her juice and her milk cartons for her and then turned to his own breakfast, noting that his mother wasn’t eating.

  Jenny was watching for a service station. The one she usually used wasn’t open yet, but down the street was an open-all-night station. She pulled in and used the debit card in the reader to fill the tank of the Outback. It didn’t take much, but she wanted a full load of fuel before she got out of town.

  Next, Jenny stopped at a grocery store open all night. She took both children in with her and put Julie in the cart seat. “Craig,” Jenny asked, “Can you push a second cart for me?”

  Eagerly Craig agreed. He was very careful to keep the cart out of the way of the few other shoppers in the store, and not run up on his mother’s heels.

  Jenny walked the isles quickly. She was very selective in what she put in the c
art, but when she did pick an item she put several in the cart. It was mostly canned entrees, canned fruit, and snack foods that Julie, and to a lesser extent, Craig liked. Craig’s cart was loaded lightly but full of paper products, particularly toilet paper, and feminine hygiene items.

  When she saw the total bill Jenny flinched slightly, but knew there was enough in the debit card account to pay for everything. But it sure didn’t leave much in the account.

  The sky was beginning to lighten in the east when Jenny turned the heavily laden Outback toward the MAG’s retreat. It was a good two hour drive. Jenny said a silent pray, “Please, God, let me get my children to a safe place before anything happens.”

  Jenny waved at the truck that pulled up and stopped behind her at the gate at the end of the driveway to the retreat. “Do you know what it is?” she called back to Jim, the driver of the truck.

  “No. Just got the emergency alert call and bugged-out,” Jim replied. “Go on through. I’ll lock the gate behind us,” he added.

  Jenny opened the high security combination lock and rolled the gate sideways. She got back in the Outback and pulled through. She left enough clearance for Jim’s truck and waited until he was in and the gate locked again before she headed up the driveway that wound its way through the trees. Jenny was sure there was at least one, probably two, guards somewhere close, out of sight, watching the gate, but she didn’t see anyone. Which was good.

  The guards at the entrance to the walled compound were evident. One stayed in the armored kiosk, shotgun at the ready, while the other, armed with a holstered pistol, checked Jenny’s ID against a list of MAG members. She motioned for her partner to open the gate and waved Jenny through. Jim pulled to a stop and began going through the same process.

  There were already an even dozen vehicles in the large gravel surfaced parking lot when Jenny parked. “Angela!” Jenny said as the tall, statuesque woman approached. “Can you tell me what’s happening?”

  “The assessment team believes there is a high chance of a terrorist nuclear attack sometime in the next three days. In the city.”

  “The city! Why there? We’re nobody!”

  “I don’t know,” Angela replied. “But Harvey is convinced.”

  Jenny glanced at her watch. “I’d better call in and let them know at work I won’t be in for a few days.”

  “Will that be a problem?” Angela asked.

  “No. I work my own schedule. I just like to keep them informed when I’m not available for a specific time.” Jenny was a contract editor for an internet POD publisher.

  Craig had unbuckled himself and exited the car when his mother had. He went around the Outback and began the process to get Julie out of her car seat while Jenny was talking to Angela. When Craig set her down on the parking lot Julie ran around and grabbed Jenny around one leg.

  “Mommy!” she said adamantly, “I have to go potty!”

  “Craig, would you mind taking her?”

  “No, Mommy! You! Craig’s a boy!”

  “Okay, Sweetheart,” Jenny said, holding back the sigh. She knew this day would come. Craig had always been good with Julie, but apparently some aspects of that were over. Taking Julie by the hand, Jenny led her toward the retreat’s community building and the restrooms inside, Angela walking along side.

  Craig needed to go, too, but he decided to wait until his mother came back. In the meantime, he began to take off the elastic cargo net holding down the items his mother had put in the roof rack of the Outback. He had to get a step stool from inside the SUV, but he was able to start unloading.

  By the time Jenny brought Julie back to the Outback a small group had gathered, ready to help. “Sweetie,” Jenny said to Julie, squatting down to talk to her face-to-face, “You remember Callie? She helped take care of you when we camped like this the last time.”

  Shyly, Julie nodded, and then took Callie’s hand. “I’ll take her over with the rest of the little ones,” she told Jenny. “You coming, too?” Callie asked Craig.

  “I’m helping unload,” Craig said, standing tall.

  “That’s all right,” Jenny said. “He’ll be fine.” It was all she could do not to send Craig with Callie and Julie, but the boy seemed to need to be doing something constructive. Jenny knew the feeling.

  With Angela leading the way, everyone picked up a tote or other item in the Outback and headed for the community building. Jenny had a storage room assigned to her and everything from the Outback went into it, except for the fresh food. That went to the community kitchen. The fuel cans were labeled and added to the rest of the stored fuel kept inside a tall, earth bermed enclosure.

  “I think that’s enough,” Jenny told Craig after he’d wrestled one of the medium sized totes all the way to the storage room. “I want you to get some of the smaller items.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Craig replied, trying to catch his breath. Perhaps it was best if he did. The last thing he wanted to do was drop something. The next trip was one of the duffle bags of clothing. It was much easier to handle.

  When everything was moved Jenny urged Craig to go play with the other youngsters. “Not the babies. Callie is the baby sitter. You can play with the older children.”

  “I’ll go find them,” Craig said, relieved he didn’t have to help Callie. He hurried off to let the adults do what adults do. He saw a boy about his age and hurried over to join him.

  “What do we need to do with the shelter?” Jenny asked Angela as the group that had helped her move began to break up.

  “The shelter is ready,” Angela informed her. “Let’s go get you logged in. Rebecca is getting frantic. People aren’t showing up as quickly as she would like.” Angel laughed. “But Rebecca is always frantic about something.”

  Jenny grinned. Angela had a point. It had been Rebecca that had gotten Jenny involved in the MAG. They’d met at a gun show when Jenny was looking for a knife with which to protect herself and they got to talking. It was some time before either admitted to being of a prepper’s mindset. Jenny bought the Harpy from Rebecca and they stayed in touch for a while. Once Rebecca thought Jenny was ready, she sponsored her for the MAG.

  It had taken a couple of months to meet the key people that would have the say whether or not Jenny would become a member, and at what level she would be if she did become a member.

  Everyone paid small monthly dues that paid for maintenance and upkeep at the retreat. There were several levels of buy in to the MAG, including the very basic. You brought camping gear and your own supplies and stayed in the campground area with access to a storage room, the community building, and the shelter in case of a CBRN event.

  There were additional steps, up to and including a full member with your own small earth sheltered dome home, and full access to all the facilities. Some had brought in small manufactured homes. Others travel trailers or motor homes they left year round. Still others brought RV’s with them when they came. And some, like Jenny, only had money to pay the basic fees for access to the retreat and camped out at the retreat during the crises.

  After Jenny logged in with Rebecca and they exchanged a few pleasantries, if their conversation could be called such, she went back to the Subaru and started it and drove to the tent camping area. When Craig saw he came running over. “I’ll help, Mother. You should have called me over.”

  “Well, you’re here now. Let’s get the tent up and the rest of the camp arranged.”

  “Do we set up the camp kitchen and chemical toilet?” Craig asked his mother a few minutes later.

  Jenny hesitated. They could use the community facilities or set up their own. Or use both as circumstances dictated, Jenny thought. “We’ll set up our own and use them when it’s convenient. Use the community building for showers and regular meals. Speaking of which, I need to transfer enough food for a couple of days from our storage room to the community kitchen.”

  “What about the fresh food, Mother?” Craig quickly asked.

  “I don’t really count that,
” Jenny replied. “It would be lost anyway.”

  “I see. I’ll help you with the food,” Craig said.

  Jenny started to say no, but having Craig close was a comfort. He was wise beyond his years, smart, and seemed to love to be doing something. “Okay, Sport. Zip up the tent and lets go.”

  Knowing everything was safe where they were, Jenny and Craig didn’t bother putting any of the ancillary gear in the tent before leaving.

  It took Jenny a few minutes to transfer items from several of the plastic totes to a single one that she put on a set of hand trucks. Craig helped her get the trucks leaned backward and held the doors for her as she headed for the kitchen.

  Maggie was on kitchen duty and signed in the food. “Going to really let us fancy up the red beans and rice and lentils most everyone else contributed.”

  Jenny saw Craig turn up his nose. Lentils he loved. Red beans and rice were another story. Jenny kept foods they liked on hand. Particularly for Julie. She was a picky eater. Craig took the empty tote back to the storage room and Jenny went looking for Julie. She could be a handful and Jenny wanted to make sure Callie was doing okay.