“They all have expensive ARs and fancy magazine fed shotguns. My friend heard one of them say they broke into a gun store in Medford the day after the lights went out. They have tons of ammunition. You’ll be slaughtered.”
Tom rubbed his jaw. “These are just like the ones I purchased a month ago.”
Jackie pushed a finger into Jack’s chest. “How is June?”
“She’s been drafted to cook and clean up after the others. My friend James and his wife Alice are treated the same as June and me. We’re not slaves, and we can leave any time we want, but we’d have to leave with only the clothes on our backs. It was better to be servants than to be out in the cold.”
Jackie then surprised Tom with the next question. “Do these people know anything about ranching, or are they just killing cattle to eat?”
“They’re city folk. “I’ve had to butcher several cows for them. Why?”
“Do they know that most of the cattle are up in the high country grazing?”
Jack saw where she was going. “No, and I wasn’t going to tell them. I hoped they’d only kill the few cows around the barn and then have to move on. They didn’t plant anything or make an effort to make the ranch work for them. I think they planned on June and me doing everything on the ranch, and they didn’t have a clue what needed to be done. I go out and feed the horses and cattle while June feeds the goats and chickens.”
Tom tapped Rick on the shoulder. “Watch him while Jackie and I talk.”
“I just can’t believe Jack and June would turn against us,” Jackie pleaded.
Tom liked what Jack had said about the others, knowing nothing about ranching. “I feel the same way. I think Jack helped us a lot by not telling them about the stock up in the hills. Let’s give them a small test and see if they can be trusted.”
They walked back to Jack. Tom looked at Rick and said, “Jack, do you want to escape to a safe place or stay with these people?”
“I want to get away from here. My wife and friends want to leave, but we don’t know of a safe place to go to, or we would have already left.”
Tom tapped Rick on the back. “Okay, here’s the plan. When will you be on guard duty again?”
“Tomorrow at one am.”
Tom was pleased. “Tell June and your friends to be ready tomorrow at about two o’clock. Bring as many of the fancy ARs as possible, then leave the house and head east to the old Miller shack. You can walk under the electrical transmission lines to the bottom where we’ll meet you. Our temporary place is about a mile east of there. We’ll watch for anyone following you before joining you at the shack.”
Jack had a smile on his face. “I’m glad your family survived. June will be glad to see Jackie.”
Tom shook Jack’s hand. “We’ll leave now, and whatever you do, don’t let the thugs know about our plans.”
***
Tom led the other two back to their observation location and watched Jack until his turn was up at daybreak. Jack had completed his guard duty and hadn’t gone inside the house. Tom was pleased when Jack didn’t immediately run into the house and warn the intruders. “I think we need to keep an eye on them for a few more hours and then head back to the cabin. Jack has passed the test so far. If he’d told them, I think we would have seen an increase in guards at a minimum.”
Rick asked, “I would like to know what happens after we run off these squatters. Where will all of us live?”
Tom had been thinking the same thing. “I’ve given that some thought. There are seven of us and four of Jack’s people to house. Jack and his people can stay in Jack’s cabin. Our ranch house has four bedrooms. Granny B can keep her room, and Jackie can share a room with Brenda. Sam and Lucy will share a room, and Rick and I can share a room until we figure things out.”
Jackie blurted out. “What about the basement? It’s warm in winter and cool in the summer.”
Tom was upset but kept calm. “I guess the horse is out of the barn. We have a large basement and can easily make some bedrooms down there. Grandpa always preached, keeping everything secret, so I have a hard time giving up information.”
Rick said, “I don’t know if I have a vote, but I think we should stop adding people for a while until we figure out where we stand.”
Tom wanted to tell them that only Jackie, Granny B, and he had a vote in what happened at the ranch. Instead, he said, “I agree. I’m glad all of you joined us and will welcome Bill and Betty if they show up. We need to find out what our resources are and determine how many as yet unknown threats are out there waiting to smack us in the face.”
Everyone agreed, and Tom had finessed the matter of voting.
Tom and Rick snuck back down to their vantage point after lunch and watched the ranch for a short time. Both men noticed the group’s operational security was lax, and the guards took long breaks. The dumbasses even set up targets and shot their weapons a couple of times a day. The gunfire was bound to attract attention. Someone could sneak up close and attack them without much effort. There was nothing unusual happening, so Tom started to leave. Rick motioned for Tom to sit down with him. “Tom, this might be a bit quick on
