A computer engineer, just a couple of weeks into a world-altering event, had murdered several gang members and done it in a very thoughtful and meticulous manner. John was impressed with the well-thought-out plan Jared had employed. He was even more impressed with how utterly focused and violent Jared had to have been to stay in the fight to the end even after being wounded twice.
John had been in plenty of close-quarter gunfights and knew all too well how frightening they could be. When you see the flash from your adversary’s weapon and hear his battle cry, it makes a man realize real quick just what he’d gotten himself into. John harbored no doubt Jared was terrified, but Jared had pushed past his fear and finished what he came to do. John admired Jared for his ability to immerse himself in an the unknown and triumph.
After the third day, John felt he had done all he could do with the limited ammunition they had at their disposal. The three spent a fourth day working on some movement tactics, which included hand and arm signals as well as some outdoor patrolling techniques. John explained that, while they were moving, they needed to be spread out a bit. John wasn’t too worried about a hand grenade taking the group out, but he knew from experience it was much easier shooting three guys if they were clumped in a group rather than spread out over several yards.
Near the end of the day’s training, Barry wanted to see the water source Jared and his people were using, in order to assess whether it could sustain crops if they decided to stay at the ranch house. John used this hike to polish their outdoor movement techniques. John, along with Jared and Barry, reached the creek, then followed it for several hundred yards to a twenty-yard-long riffle that ended where the creek smoothed out into a deeper pool where the water wasn’t moving as quickly. The creek had been flowing since Jared had arrived at the ranch house, which was a little past summer, but before the rain.
Most creeks in California were seasonal and would be dry at the end of summer and only come back to life after the winter rains began to fall. This creek was different because it was fed from a natural spring and appeared to run year-round. Barry was excited about the spring since this meant the property provided them with sustainability, meaning the group might not have to move. Barry immediately began jabbering about digging out a reservoir near the ranch house and pumping water so they would no longer have to carry buckets from the small stream.
“Listen,” Barry exclaimed, his voice ripe with enthusiasm. “We have a water source like a well, only on the surface. A well doesn’t gush water, it seeps it, and that’s what this natural spring seems to be doing; otherwise it would be flooding this area. It’s just enough to feed our creek with what I hope will be an endless supply of H2O, baby,” Barry exclaimed, the excitement evident in his voice.
John shifted the rifle on his broad shoulders, cocking his head toward Barry as if silently urging the man to get to the point.
“It’s all part of the big plan. We dig out a pool near the ranch house and set up a pump to draw water to the house for cooking, baths and drinking. Next, we set up an irrigation system and get ready to plant crops.”
Jared frowned. “There isn’t much flat ground around here for crops, man.”
Barry slapped his hands against his knees. “So what, man? We can grow crops wherever we want or wherever we can get water to. I say most of them would be along the edge of the creek in order to make watering easier. We can use a gravitational system, moving water from up top to plants down in the lower areas. Maybe we have a few things growing on the flat area around the house, and those would have to be watered using the gravitational system.”
John thought about this for a minute with his tactical mind working overtime. “I like the thought of growing our food right here and not out in a flat area, where anyone would be able to see it from miles away. We don’t have enough people to defend fields with crops, so we’ll hide them in the hills.”
All of a sudden, Jared felt like he was part of planning an illegal marijuana grow. It had to be hidden, it had to be protected, and their entire tribe could be killed over it. In the old world, being prepared meant being successful; in the new world, being prepared could spark envy in others and get you killed.
Barry nodded his head. “Yeah, exactly. I mean, they’d have to be in the open spots where the sun can get to them. Maybe we trim trees, I don’t know. We can deal with that when we start planting.”
John shook his head, turned and started back toward the ranch house. Jared glanced at Barry and then followed John. Barry stood for a moment before falling in and assuming his position in the patrol. He had tail-end Charlie, which was the position that kept watch over their rear as they threaded their way down the hillside, ending back at the ranch house.
Everyone relaxed as they arrived back home and dropped their weapons just inside the front door, as had become the custom and practice. Shannon was sitting with Essie, going over simple addition math, when the three came through the door. She got to her
