Authors: Ron Foster
Farley drove on further into the campground area, past RV pads and outdoor public restrooms.
“I doubt we’ll see anybody but if we do we’re going to give them a wide berth and ya’ll just be careful. Damn, I hate this. I wasn’t looking for this kind of adventure with you two today.” Farley said driving the van down a trail marked primitive campgrounds.
This was the tent area for the campground and he doubted anybody would be staying down this way, and after he passed a number of sites he stopped and pulled his map back out.
“Let’s figure out where we’re at here. The way I see it, we can park this van somewhere next to this trailhead up here and just walk on down to the main cabin area. If there is anybody around here, that’s where they’ll most likely be staying. Hopefully, if there is anybody here, we’ll see them before they see us and we can just back out quietly.” Farley said laying out his plan for them.
“Sounds good to me. Look Farley, there’s a lake on this thing. A resort on a lake with its own separate lake. Why would they do that?” Becky asked eyeing the map.
“It is probably stocked with fish. Military bases usually provide some kind of recreational fishing lake so I guess here they are just improving their guests’ chances of having a good time.” Farley said.
“That’s good for you to know I guess, that is if the fish are not biting on your end of the lake.” Jeremy said.
“Well let’s go for a walk.” Farley said leading the way down the trail after locking the van up.
“This place is kind of nice; I hope nobody is staying here.” Becky whispered walking along the trail.
“Yea me too, I could see moving over here if it’s safe.” Farley said watching the trail and the woods carefully.
“When we get closer you should let me go sneak up and take a look around first. If there is somebody staying up there they might not be as apt to chase a boy.” Jeremy said.
“Thanks, but I prefer to do that job of scouting myself.” Farley said after considering the proposal.
They came up on the trails end much sooner than they thought and a road leading to 10 cabins appeared. “You all stay here for about 15 minutes; I am going to go get a closer look.” Farley said after seeing no visible vehicles at the cabins that he could see from his vantage point.
“Ok, be careful Farley!” Becky whispered and he set out to quickly walk towards the back of the first cabin for a better look. Each cabin had some lake access but nothing else. The map he had listed two fishing piers on the main lake further up and he figured if anyone was living around here that was a likely place to look for them and kept on moving in their direction after seeing the cabins were unoccupied and as far as he could tell the locked doors were unmolested.
No one appeared in his quick perusal of both piers and he headed back to round up Becky and Jeremy. They saw him walking up the road and came out of the woods to greet him.
“No sign of anybody, Farley? “ Becky asked, relieved.
“No, I haven’t seen anyone, I guess we can go back and get the van and explore the rest of this place. I got to thinking, there should be a caretakers place or something around here but there isn’t any shown on the map. Neither is any kind of utility shed where they would keep mowers and cleaning supplies and such. I guess we are just going to have to look for both as we look over this place further.” Farley advised.
They got back in the van and visited the swimming beach and next to it they saw a small boat rental facility. The door to the place had been crudely jimmied open Farley guessed from someone like him looking for gas. All of the gas tanks for the small outboard Jon boats were missing and that struck Farley as somewhat odd.
“
They must keep them inside the office or back in that garage, Farley figured but he didn’t see any signs of them after investigating further. There was a gas pump on the side of the building but without power it wouldn’t do him any good unless there was gas in the locked tanks below ground that he decided he would figure out how to check on them and get any gas out of them later. Evidently who ever stole the gas for the boats had taken the cans also but for the life of him he couldn’t envision somebody needing 7 boat gas cans. Seems like they would have poured some of it in their own vehicles gas tanks rather having to transport that many cans but who knows.” Farley thought still very curious about that fact.
“Well, there is just the inner lake and searching around for any other buildings not on the map, I guess.” Farley said still puzzled about the gas can situation.
As they traversed their way to the inner lake, Farley noted a gravel road leading off the main one and caught a glimpse of a white building.
“I want to go check that place out, you all hang tight here a few minutes and I will be back shortly.” Farley said and went to walk up the driveway.
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Wood smoke! I smell wood smoke!” Farley thought.
“Shit, I hope they don’t have dogs!” he considered wishing he had his axe with him but comfortable he had his .22 rifle and .380 pistol in his waist band.
“Now what? Do I stay, go or sneak up quietly for a better look.” Farley thought getting off the road and into the concealment of the woods a little.
“Might as well have a look.” Farley decided wondering if he should have left his keys in the van, but dismissing that thought again for the second time today. Leaving his car keys with someone that wasn’t a hundred percent mentally stable was a risk he was unwilling to take these days.
Farley stayed low and moved a little and watched and then paused and listened a lot as he approached what appeared to be an older wood frame house that belonged to the caretaker, he guessed. There was an official camp pickup truck in the driveway and small regular car in the driveway. Off to the left was a fire pit with a small grayish haired woman tending it.
Farley watched her for a few moments and it appeared she was cooking something but he couldn’t tell what. Throwing caution to the wind he decided to get back out on the road, lower his rifle and approach openly announcing his presence.
“Hello the house! Hey there! Farley coming up!” He yelled out startling the women, who grabbed her spatula and held it protectively in front of her before she started hollering at him in a decidedly Asian voice.
“What you want here?! This park closed! You go away. ” The woman shouted taking a step forward.
“I am a friend, let's talk.” Farley called back continuing in her direction before the woman quickly stepped back a couple paces and started hollering to what sounded like to Farley’s ears “WHOO! Whoo! Whoo!
Farley looked around to see what kind of a critter a Whoo! Whoo! was while watching her cautiously before a man in a black shirt and khaki pants stepped out of the woods to his left with a bow and notched arrow that got his attention quickly.
“You drop that rifle or I skewer you! I am expert in ancient martial art of archery!” An older Asian man said looking fiercely in Farley’s direction.
Farley studied him but a second before voicing his own warning. “I ain`t nothing but a half ass shot but I can put six rounds in you at this distance before you can hit me with that kid’s toy!” Farley said raising his rifle and giving the man what he called his thousand yard stare.
The man reluctantly lowered his bow and asked Farley what he wanted while Farley scanned around for anymore “wild Indians” coming out of the woods threatening him with mischief before he lowered his own rifle in a less aggressive manner.
“I don’t want anything but to maybe talk to you for a moment and then I will be on my way.” Farley called back keeping a close eye on the man in case he could actually get a quick accurate shot off at him with what appeared to be a single limbed long bow versus a compound bow that you would find at Boy Scout Jamborees and campgrounds like this.
“Nothing to talk about, you are trespassing on Government property. These campgrounds are closed. How did you get on this place anyway?” the man said back in perfect English spoiling his old martial arts master impression with whatever accent he was using earlier.
“I told you that Kung Fu crap of yours no work, Charlie! You a stupid head old man!” The woman said now threatening him with her spatula instead of Farley.
“O.k., so I am not a Chinese archery master, you just leave mister and I won’t report you to the authorities, ok?” A totally different man said meekly.
“Report me to who? There isn’t anybody around here for miles. I am a friend I told you, Let me approach your campfire and we will talk a bit and I will be on my way, ok?” Farley said as nicely as he could with a smile.
“You can come by fire and talk but we got no extra food for you!” The old woman said in her sing song voice.
Farley walked to the fire pit with his rifle pointing towards the ground eying the pair suspiciously but openly friendly and when the man reached out to shake Farley’s hand Farley hesitated before doing so. The old man’s remarks about knowing a martial art and Farley’s stereotypical mind said maybe he ought to be cautious about grabbing the man’s hand before he found himself flying through the air.
“Charlie Wu.” the old man said still extending his hand.
“Farley Wilkes.” He said taking his hand but squinting at the man warning him he better not try anything.
“This is my wife, Feng, not Fang even though she acts like she has some.” Charlie said in what must have been a time worn joke he had used on her before.
“You big Karate man, Ha! You lucky he no shoots you!” Feng said before changing her demeanor to all sweetness and giving Farley the once over.
“You a tall man and a crazy head sneaky one! You like to scare poor old Miss Feng to death.” She said flashing a warm smile before giving him a very soft handshake.
“Your husband gave me quite a start also I must say...” Farley began before she interjected.
“He a lumbering ox, you must be going deaf, Mr. Farley, not to have heard him coming.” Feng said bedeviling her husband before hugging him around his waist.
“Did you drive in the front gate or walk in?” Charlie asked scrutinizing him.
“Well I uh, where the hell did you get a hamburger at?” Farley said looking incredulously at what Miss Feng was about to cook.
“I told you we have no extra food for you!” Feng said sharply and Charlie looked like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“I don’t want any of your food, I just ain’t seen a hamburger in I don’t know when.” Farley said.
“And you won’t see another one! Now how did you get back in here?” Charlie said regaining some of his composure.
“That’s kind of hard to explain, sort of like those two hamburgers.” Farley countered trying to get the attention off his breaking and entering and the amazing fact someone actually had what looked like a pre-processed burger in this post apocalyptic world.
Everyone eyed each other suspiciously for a moment not wanting to show their hand before Feng started up on her diatribe about “No Hamburger for Farley” and he should leave soon etc. before Farley finally relented and told them he had thought the place was abandoned and had busted the lock on the front gate.
“That’s bad, very bad; I could put you in Leavenworth prison for that!” Charlie began before Farley leaned his rifle against a tree and mockingly put his hands and wrists out to accept some imaginary cuffs which made them all laugh.
“Did you close the gate back? There are bad men about.” Charlie said somberly catching Farley’s attention.
“I closed it and put the lock back on it so it looked like it was still secured. What bad men are you talking about?” Farley asked thinking he better tell them about Becky and Jeremy soon before they did something foolish or got worried about him but not yet. There might be other people around this place that this inscrutable but as far as he was concerned genuinely friendly couple around. They seemed nice enough but that might be a ruse, that old China man sure did look fierce enough earlier.