“That’s enough,” the downed man said, slowly getting up. “We don’t want any part of this—right, guys?”
“No! No! Not me!” they all agreed.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning, either way,” continued Mike, “but I always leave a memory. It’s good or bad, depending on who you ask. Yours won’t be good, but the rest of you will remember the lesson for a very long time.”
Mike took his knife to the first two fingers, sparing the man’s thumb. In a moment, they were off with a split second of crunching bone. The man screamed as he was let up, and he ran frantically back to his base.
“He’ll live,” said Mike to the others. “You all can forget about the women and children you left behind. You’re not husbands—or fathers, for that matter. I want you all gone from this lake before morning. If I see one of you here before I leave tomorrow, hell is going to get some new recruits. Come back after that, and these boys will shoot on sight,” he said, pointing to the new leader and security detail.
“You don’t need those guys hanging out around here,” Mike said aloud to the new leader, tossing the bloodied fingers towards him as he quickly stepped back.
* * * *
“Did he just cut that guy’s fingers off?!” asked Aiden, walking up with his own monocular.
“It appears that way,” I told him, “and it looks to be about the end of it. He always ties up loose ends before moving on. We’ll be back on the road tomorrow.”
“Can I ask him about it? I mean, what the hell?!” inquired Aiden.
“No!” we all said together.
“Don’t ever bring it up unless he does,” I told him. “And also, don’t spread it around camp.”
“It’s done, like it never happened,” added Vlad.
* * * *
“Here he comes,” said Jake, “straight for us.”
“All right, everyone. Just keep cool,” I told them.
“Hey guys, what’s shakin?” asked Mike, walking up.
“You okay?” I said, pointing to his blood-stained hands.
“Oh sure, just a cut is all. Let’s get back to fishing,” he said, rinsing his hands in the lake.
* * * *
We fished another two hours, switching poles, so everyone got a chance. In the end, we had enough for everyone to have their fill in both camps.
The new leader of the Lake Pueblo Occupiers gave a sincere apology for what happened over the last few weeks.
“As most of you saw, the threat has been eliminated, and we will start anew. We wish our new friends strength and luck as they make their way north through the mountains, and we thank them sincerely for righting the tragedies we have endured under the former rule.”
The new leader vowed to have his men handle security for both groups tonight.
“No need on our behalf,” said Mike. “We’re always prepared.”
My trust level with them, and Joy agreed, was north of 50 percent but not much over the threshold. With our main group and newer Airstream travelers, we were able to cut our security to one hour per person, and we all voted to give Mike the night off.
* * * *
The gunfire started around two in the morning, and it was all coming from the other camp. I counted at least fifteen shots from two or more AR-15s, followed by a 30-second pause, with another burst nearly the same. I had finished my shift two hours earlier and was in a dead man’s sleep when it started. My leg had just started feeling better before I banged around in the dark looking for my flashlight that I always had right beside me.
I heard shouting nearby, sounding like women’s voices, and those farther around the lake like men. Ringo and Mini were barking loudly.
Mike was the first one out of his tent. “So much for a night off,” he said to Sheila. “Stay inside with Javi. I’ll be back soon.”
“What’s going on?” I asked Shane, remembering he was on duty now.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Aiden and I heard shooting from the camp towards the other guys Mike was messing with earlier, I guess. Hard to see, even with the night goggles, but it looked like two women shooting.”
“Of course it is!” said Mike, laughing.
“What do you mean?” asked Vlad coming around on his crutches.
“They’re pissed off is what I mean. They probably started out in denial when it first happened. Each of them went through the five phases of divorce: first there’s denial, then anger, followed by bargaining, depression and acceptance. I think they just went out of order and skipped the anger part until they weren’t scared anymore. Then it’s all about revenge, and they have every right to do so. Take a couple of rifles off sleeping guards and let all hell break loose. Really, who’s going to blame them?”
* * * *
“All good?” asked Mike, sneaking right up behind the leader and giving him a jump.
“Yeah, just a couple of the women got some guns off the guards, but they weren’t trying to hurt us.”
“I know, and they will be free to go, right?”
“Yes, of course. Unless there’s more to the story.”
“There’s not, and your men dropped the ball,” pointed out Mike.
“I told you before, we’ve got security tonight.”
“No, you don’t,” replied Mike, “but you better get it in check soon or you will be sleeping every night with one eye open. I’ll be interested to see if they hit any in the dark. We will swing by in a few hours before we head out. Try to keep the noise at a respectable level,” he added, walking back towards his tent.
* * * *
“All good?” I asked Mike.
“Yep, just a little payback, long overdue. Let’s get some sleep.”
The dogs were back on their beds in front of
