Forsaken World:Coming of Age (9 page)

As he drove down the dirt track to the cabin, Lance saw Ian hit a tree with his trailer and started worrying. Taking the turns as wide as he could, Lance was getting ready to stop below the rise so Jennifer could get the gate open, but Ian never slowed pulling up and over the rise.

Pulling though the gate, Lance saw Allie and Carrie holding it open for him. Steering the truck behind the cabin, Lance saw Ian pull over to the southwest corner and stop. Slowing down until he was next to the shop, Lance turned the truck off and climbed out but didn’t hear any engines. He looked at his watch. “Done before noon,” he grinned then walked over and climbed on the other electric buggy.

As he drove around the cabin, Ian jumped on and they found Jennifer at the gate with the girls. Lance slowed down and said, “We’ll be right back.”

“I’m sending the girls to watch the monitors,” Jennifer said, and Lance waved.

Slowing down before he came out into the field, Lance let out a yelp as Dino trotted past him. “People better start telling me when animals are around,” Lance snapped and followed Dino out of the cedar trees.

“Sorry about the pigs; they just left after we loaded up what we needed,” Ian said with his eyes scanning everywhere.

Seeing Dino trotting along in front of them, Lance relaxed. “No harm no foul, but I almost shit myself when that pig grunted behind me.”

Pulling past the old fence that marked the edge of their land, Lance pulled on the dirt road and sped off with Dino breaking into a run. When they came up on the other buggy, they could tell in the daylight just how hot the fire had been that burnt the pile of bodies.

“There’s nothing left but powder,” Ian said, getting off.

Nodding, Lance looked down the road and didn’t see anything. “Hop on, and I’ll follow you back. I’ve had enough of outside today.”

Like they were being followed by the demons of Hell, the two sped back to the cabin. Slowing down as they drove up the hill and coming over the step, they saw Jennifer opening the gate. Pulling through, they stopped and waited on Dino. After he trotted through the gate, Jennifer closed it and climbed on Ian’s buggy.

As they pulled into the ATV shed, everyone jumped as phones vibrated in pockets. Lance pulled his out, and the others dug in pockets. “Motion detector 197, that’s the west line,” he said as Allie’s voice came over the radio.

“The computer beeped that a motion thingy on the right side of the map went off.”

“Good girl,” Lance called over the radio looking up at Ian. “That’s the area where that doe and her fawns were.”

Ian just stared at his phone. “Yeah, but the motion detector is still going off.”

Looking back at his phone, Lance saw it was still blinking with the same message. “The first line of detectors on the west side starts over a thousand yards away. That is where that gentle slope is with a game trail.”

“I know,” Ian said, looking up. “Let’s go look at the map. I don’t like it that the same one is going off and the ones beside it aren’t. A deer can’t walk a straight line if its life depended on it. Then throw in fawns, and the chance it’s deer really disappears.”

“Good point,” Lance said, spinning around and heading to the cabin. As they walked down to the bunker, their cellphone alerts quit. They found Allie and Carrie staring wide-eyed at the monitors.

“The motion thing just turned off,” Carrie said, staring at the screen. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

“Why don’t both of you go eat,” Jennifer said. Lance dropped down in the chair as the girls left.

Pulling the map up on the large screen, Lance looked at the outer ring of detectors. “If something was walking toward that detector, they will have to go down this steep gully here,” he said, pointing at the map.

Ian studied the map as Lance took off his pack. “Lance, the only way they could set that one detector off would be coming over the ridge and down this steep draw; otherwise, the ones to the side would’ve gone off,” Ian said as he sat down beside Lance.

“Yep,” Lance said, getting up. He walked over to a shelf and pulled down another laptop then grabbed wires.

“So you two think it’s a person?” Jennifer asked with a quivering voice.

Opening the laptop he pulled off the shelf, Lance nodded. “Pretty good chance,” he said with indifference. “They were moving slow down a steep incline, and I don’t think a stinker can do that.”

“What are we going to do?” Jennifer asked, watching Lance turn on the laptop and run cables to the ham radios.

Shrugging, Ian said, “See what they do, and if they get close, kill them.”

Feeling helpless, Jennifer moved over and sat on some boxes. “Why can’t we just be left alone?”

“That would make me happy,” Ian huffed, watching Lance. “What are you doing?”

“Using one of the other laptops to monitor and record the radios. I’ll set it in multi-channel scan and record on the more used bands,” he said as he sat down. “We need to hear what people are saying and if anyone is close.”

“How can you tell if they’re close?” Jennifer asked, trying to forget that someone might be coming.

“Triangulation,” Lance said. “The main retractable antenna is up on the ridge, but we have the one here mounted behind the ATV shed. It’s only thirty feet tall, so it will have trouble picking up anything from the other side of the ridge if it’s close.”

“I’m not following you,” Jennifer sighed, knowing Lance was going to make her feel stupid.

Never stopping his work, Lance said, “Remember those bikers we ran into used radios. Most people will, just like we do. I’m sure anyone moving by vehicle will be using CBs. When they get close, we can listen and pinpoint them.”

“Can’t they do that to us?”

Turning away from the monitor, Ian looked over his shoulder at her. “We told you the radios we use close to the house can’t be picked up from very far.”

“Yes, I remember, and the ones we use going out can be picked up like five miles away, but could they find us like this?”

“Yeah,” Ian said, turning back to the monitor. “But you have to have long transmissions, and that’s why you keep them short from here.”

She glanced over at Lance to see him turning on the laptop and pulling his own laptop from his pack. “And they can’t find us with you just listening?”

“Nope,” Lance chuckled. “You have to transmit to be found, and that’s why Uncle Doug said no transmissions on the ham.”

Staring at the monitor, Ian shook his head. “Dude, if it’s a person, they are slow as hell,” he said. “It’s been half an hour since the last one went off and the next circle is only three hundred yards away. Hell, an old lady with a walker could make that in no time.”

“Unless they are purposely moving slow like they expect to find where all that noise from engines came from,” Lance said, turning on his laptop.

Ian let out a groan. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

“You two thought this might happen?” Jennifer asked, looking from one to the other.

“It was a big risk,” Ian said.

“You didn’t think to voice this risk?” Jennifer asked.

From upstairs, Allie yelled, “Lunch is ready!”

“If that’s the case, we should’ve just stayed our ass up here,” Jennifer snapped, standing up.

Turning around, Lance looked up at her. “It was worth the risk. The longer we go, the quieter the world is going to get. We needed the animals, and the other supplies will help.”

“But—”

Ian turned, holding up his hand to stop her. “It’s done, so forget about it, and concentrate on the now,” he said.

Taking a breath, Jennifer nodded. “You’re right,” she said. “Let’s get some food and get those damn goats out of the trailer.”

“Just let them run around the yard,” Lance said. “I’ll be down here for a little while, then I’ll come and help with the pig pen.”

When Ian and Jennifer reached the kitchen, the four screens in the living area blinked, and one lit up as their phones vibrated. Not saying anything, they both turned and ran back to the bunker. Lance was looking at the main screen and had a camera view pulled up on it. “That detector is on the other side of this small clearing, and I don’t see shit,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the fifty-inch screen.

Looking at the other screens, Ian found that camera on the map. “There are detectors on both sides, so they have to go through that clearing,” he said, leaning over Lance’s shoulder and studying the screen.

“Bro, if they are there, they have an invisibility cloak,” Lance said, not looking away.

Jennifer looked up at the clock. “It took them an hour to move two hundred yards?”

“Hey, I want to tell them to speed it up, because they are just drag assing,” Lance said.

“If I let the pigs out, can we lead them to the pen after we build it?” Jennifer asked.

“Yeah,” Ian huffed. “You have food, and pigs will follow you anywhere.”

“I’m going to let the animals out since it seems we have uninvited guests,” she said and ran out.

When she was gone, Ian glanced at Lance. “Think that’s a good idea?”

“I’m sure the damn things are making a lot of racket in that hot ass trailer, and running around should make them quieter,” Lance said, still staring at the screen. “Even drag assing, we should still see them. Hell, it’s broad daylight, and even ninjas can’t do that.”

“You think a small animal could somehow fool the computer and set it off?”

Barely shaking his head, Lance mumbled, “No, it’s determined by volume of the field that’s broken to set off the alarms,” Lance mumbled. Ian glanced over at the other screens and saw Jennifer and the girls letting the animals out and pouring food on the ground.

After twenty more minutes, Lance reached over and grabbed the radio, calling out, “Jennifer, you and the ladybugs get to the bunker.” On the screens, Ian watched them run full bore for the door with Dino behind them.

“What are you thinking?” Ian asked.

“We need to go out there.”

“Bull fucking shit!” Ian screamed, jumping out of his chair. “It’s out there, and we are in here!”

Calmly, Lance pointed up at the clock. “Ian, it’s two, and as fast as whatever it is, is moving, it will be here at dark.”

“Fine, we stay our happy asses inside,” Ian snapped as the girls ran in, panting. “Dude, we can’t fucking see it with cameras in daylight. I don’t want to think about dark.”

“What—” Jennifer started.

“Jennifer!” Ian shouted, stopping her, but Ian was glaring at Lance. “Whatever it is can’t get in here, so it doesn’t matter.”

Slowly, Lance stood up with his body tense. “Uh-oh,” Allie mumbled, grabbing Carrie’s hand and pulling her back.

“Ian,” Lance said, shaking his head. “What the fuck did we bring here?” Stumbling back, Ian looked at Lance, confused. “That mini excavator and track loader
can
be used to break in here.”

With his knees getting weak, Ian collapsed in the chair, making it roll back. “I didn’t think,” he mumbled then looked up at Lance. “I’ll go and shoot the engines up then.”

With his voice getting taut, Lance said, “After what we went through to get them. You do that, and I’ll hit you in the jewels.”

Getting up, Ian was trying not to tremble. “You want to go out and hunt something we can’t see?”

“No, what a camera can’t see,” Lance said. “Get your camo on.”

“Wait,” Jennifer said, stepping between them. “Ian has a good point.”

“Yeah, wait till dark on something that our cameras can’t see with equipment now outside that can break in here,” Lance said, walking over and grabbing his AR. Pulling the charging handle, he chambered a round. “I’m not going to hunt it when it’s dark,” he said, walking out.

“Jennifer, all of you stay here watching the cameras, and let us know when or if you see anything,” Ian said as he followed Lance. “I don’t give a shit if you
think
you see something; call it out.”

Lance waited by the back door, patting Dino as Ian dressed in the 3D camouflage. When Ian was done, he grabbed his AR and chambered a round. “You have point,” he said as Lance opened the door. “The invisible fucker can get you first.”

“Fine by me,” Lance chuckled, pulling his hood up. “You always attack your enemy from the weak area, and that’s the back.”

Letting out a groan, Ian followed Lance to the front gate and had to kick at the goats to make them back up. When they closed the gate, they realized just how hard it was reaching through razor wire but didn’t want to call Jennifer away from the monitors.

With the gate finally closed, Lance leaned over to Ian’s ear. “Stay behind me just to my left about five feet back, and make sure you don’t shoot my ass,” Lance whispered, and Ian nodded, putting on his camo glasses.

Taking a deep breath, Lance followed the fence line and eased up the draw with Dino beside him as they headed up to where the last detector went off. Moving slowly for an hour, Lance eased to a stop and glanced down at Dino, who was looking off to the left. Lance held up his left hand and pointed down as he slowly knelt on one knee.

“Anything?” he whispered over the radio.