Can We Survive II

Can We Survive II

I had been thinking about and smelling the items the girls parents had sent for them. I dug a hole in the front yard. Then I called all the girls and the boys out side. “ I want all the deodorant, Cologne, perfume and all forms of makeup and scented soap . I will pick up the plainest soap I can find as well as unscented laundry soap. To speak plainly no sweet smelling things we are in the woods the only scents we will use or allow is pine and natural scents. Girls dump your bras and skirts. From now on you will wear pants, If we had to leave it will be at a moments notice and no time to change. As far as the scents …I depend on my nose to get around and to feed us. You need to learn that also.


A week had passed and Dad had not returned. I got a 4 wheeler (li’l Mule 4 seats with small bed ) ready and the boys readied a trailer I told Rose I was going shopping and to check on Dad, I took Tom with me. We weaved through the trees and around to enter from the north side.

The town had an eerie feel to it, the silence was deafening, I heard a rifle bole being cycled. I looked over at Tom he had the rifle sweeping back and forth. There didn’t seem to be anything alive or they were well hidden.

I guess it is time to tell you a bit about my home town. It is a small town which was built in the late Eighteen hundreds. At that time the town was there to support the logging industry at the hey day of the lumber boom the town had a population of about thirty thousands. After the boom was over there was enough industry to maintain a town…. but just barely. The population dropped drastically then rose and leveled out at about 11,000 hard working people.

The town was built in a very large box canyon with a River across the opening. There were trails out in other areas but only two highways. One to the North and one to the Northeast and they were a 100 yards apart at the entrance, Really it could be considered one highway, they joined together in the center of town.

The nearest City to the North was Sandburg, 64 miles. To the Northeast 90 miles was Sparta… I guess you can say we were remote. I think that was why it had not been reoccupied…I mean…why would they. I noticed something different about the speed limit sign. I call it to Tom’s attention and asked if he noticed anything about it. He looked and looked I could see him getting frustrated then he face lit up.

“Upper right corner a faint scratch.” I nodded “But what does it mean.”

I explained it was a symbol that my Dad and I had developed. We marked our trail when we were on a lone hunt in case we were injured or just to give directions. The scratch on the sign was clearer as we got closer. I explained the meaning The scratch was in the form of a square. The top line of the square extended to the left Inside the square was the number 3. The 3 was a measurement since we were in town it would mean blocks. We were to go 3 blocks and turn left.

We followed these directions and made our left turn. Tom caught sight of our next sign a few blocks later he spotted a square on a store front. The store was a sporting goods store. Inside the store was another square with the arrow angling down. We looked in other rooms for a door into a basement we found it

We searched the basement and finally found Dad’s Cache it was all kinds of weapons and ammo. As well as knives. Another area held backpacks and sleeping bags and other camping items. We decided to look the town over before loading up. I knew Dad would leave me a more detailed message some where.

We circled around town for about 3 hours and nothing we were at a Kawasaki dealer I was getting a 4 wheeler set up with a trailer for Tom. “Jake did you notice the American flag and the school flag are flying at the School, but it doesn’t look right.”
I stepped outside and looked at the flags flapping in the breeze. At first I saw nothing wrong, then I laughed and slapped my fore head. I knew Dad would leave me a sign. The school flag was flying above Old Glory and that was a no no. We went to the school and lowered the flags, attached to the school flag was a leather bag inside it was a note from Dad.. Before reading the note I raised the flags in the correct order..
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The message: Jake I am taking these kids out of here we are going South over Tipple Top, (Which was the clearest trail to the south, If careful small 4 wheelers and three wheelers could travel it.) I can’t leave these kids none of them has the least bit of training. One of the girls has a bit of leadership ability but no practical Idea of how to get by.