Missed the other parts? Find them here:
- Check out Part 1
- Part 2 is here.
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6
- Part 7
- Part 8
- Part 9
- Part 10
- Part 11
- Part 12
- Part 13
- Part 14
- Part 15
- Part 16
- Part 17
Dear Diary,
It’s me, Jessica.
We got a cat.
No. Wait. That is not right.
As Mom said, “The cat adopted us.”
I was helping Mom weed the gardens when I turned around, and there was this cat, out of nowhere, walking cat-like up to me and gave a small, “Meow.”
I bent over, and it let me pick it up, putting its head on my left shoulder as I scratched it behind its ears. It let out a purr like a small motor. Carefully rubbing its belly, I turned it over to check its sex. It was female. I carried her into the house to feed it some of the leftover cured and hot smoked chicken Dad made yesterday. She eagerly took the strips of chicken as I fed her. She had a very interesting “splotch” like black and white pattern, so I decided to name her “Oreo.”
I wanted to keep Oreo with us in the house, but Mom said,
“No. I do not want a mess in the house, and she needs to earn her keep by being a good mouser.”
I was about to argue with her when something Billy said came to mind, “All the livestock earn their keep. Cows, sheep, goats, hogs, rabbits, and chickens turn forage into milk, meat, or eggs. The horses and beasts of burden are transportation or provide labor we cannot do at their kind of strength unless we use the tractor. Eventually, we will run out of fuel. They all fertilize the fields or provide compost for improvement of the gardens.”
As much as I wanted Oreo to sleep with me, out she went.
I fed her every day with whatever we had for breakfast and dinner. Otherwise, she was left to her own devices. Dad built a small “house” for her on the front porch where she would sleep during the day. I kept a bowl of water on top for her. I would find “gifts” from her on the front porch in the form of a dead mouse or mole. I saw her with a good-sized rat in her mouth as she took it away.
Oreo gets a few ear scratches every day from me, and treats too. Joanna said she saw her around her house and garden too, sometimes finding a “gift.” I asked her not to feed Oreo as I wanted her to be “my” cat. Joanna smiled and said okay.
Dad had finished his outdoor oven and stove and was doing his first firing to “cure” it with a very intense fire when they also held the first community council meeting in our backyard. It was a open meeting for anyone in the community to attend, but seemed kind weird. The council stood and talked about what they were thinking as a group to everyone else who attended, sitting in camp chairs or even on the ground.
HAM guy reported they were still working on the community’s version of a Constitution.
Rae reported school would start the following week for the children. We learned who was teaching what, and who was coaching sports or other activities. I was assigned to teach reading to those under the age of ten and marksmanship with Jack. For the past two weeks, Jack had been training me on how to be a good marksmanship instructor. Breathing, natural point of aim, sight alignment, sight picture, squeezing the trigger, focus on the front sight, and, of course, safety. It was only to be a basic course on marksmanship. Advanced marksmanship would be taught at militia training.
Dad pointed to his oven and stove with their hot fire and said everyone was welcome to use them if they brought their own fuel and cleaned up afterward.
Mr. Miller talked about how he and the other farmers were planning on bringing livestock and crops to our community for trade and working with Sean to Four Corners. He also spoke of how the farmers were putting into place a “breeding” program of livestock, horses, and even working dogs. Jack had traded for two German Shepard puppies to raise and train as trackers and guardian dogs from one of the outlying farms. The woman he traded the puppies for asked Jack to ask around at the market if anyone else had German Shepard dogs that could breed. She wanted to avoid inbreeding and diversify the line.
Samson did not seem thrilled as the puppies playfully bit at his ears. A low growl from Samson seemed to get the message to the puppies not to “play” with him.
Diary, the puppies were so cute! But their teeth were sharp! I could relate to Samson as one of them attacked my shoe. Its teeth went through the nylon mesh and nipped my big toe.
Entry two
It had been about two weeks since we had been to market, and what a change!
A group of men used axes to fell trees. Another group would strip all the branches into a single long log. Depending on the size of the branches some would be made into lumber, others used as firewood. Nate took old sheets of thin metal and used hack saws to cut teeth into the sheets. He then used files to sharpen the teeth, and attached wooden handles on both sides to make an eight-foot long wood saws. He then made a “jig” to keep the saw straight while cutting the lumber out of the tree log. Men would swap out as they tired from the effort of sawing a big log, giving the others well-deserved rest. Another pair of men used files to sharpen the saws for maximum efficiency and swap them out when a saw became noticeably dull from the effort.
There were a number of carpenters in the market who used their trade in trade to build weather-tight small stalls along the main road. Some of the carpenters would build a stall with no trade for some of those who could or did not have the resources on hand out of charity. Some of those who could not trade for their work, offered credit in the form of food as harvest came in, handmade clothing, or their own skills. To ensure people kept their “word,” they would go to Sean to tell him of the deal, he would enter the deal into a ledger he began to keep, they both would sign the deal and he would after them. While one’s word was generally good in Four Corners, this backed it up and ensured fair trade in the market.
All of the carpenters used nails until all the nails had been used. Then, they all got together with Nate to discuss how to solve their new problem. One of the carpenters had been to Japan. He took a tour of old temples and even some castles built with nothing so much as intricate wooden joinery that made dovetails look simple. After much debate, they settled on a joint that would be strong, efficient and easy to construct. Depending on the size of the structure, the main members would have to be larger to support both the cross members and the “skin” of the structure.
With the lumber available, a group of carpenters could put up a small structure in a few hours. Even two or three a day.
Dad and Jack have never ridden horses or were comfortable on them. When Mr. Miller and Billy arrived at our house that morning with the horses for Rae and me, Dad and Jack had already left on foot at daybreak for the market. We passed through East Gate giving our thanks to Tom and Collins and the others as we passed through, Tom, as always, noting on Rae and I “lovely presence,” with his flourishing bow of his ball cap.
Collins just said, “Good morning.”
Once out of earshot from East Gate, Rae leaned over to me and said, “I can’t decide if I am going to slap Tom or give him a kiss!”
We rode up to Sean to find he had expanded from him simple “log,” at the four corners, to his own covered “shack.”
A half dozen people were sitting on small logs before him, waiting to confirm a “deal.” His banjo nowhere to be seen.
After we tied up the horses to the picket line behind his shack, with a few other horses from other owners, I shouted from behind the logs that were waiting on Sean, “Dad?”
“Nate,” he responded and hiked a thumb Southward.
I nodded and gave him a thumbs-up in thanks. He did not respond as he addressed the next “deal.” Mr. Miller caught Sean’s eye and nodded, meaning he wanted to have a word with him. He took up an empty space on a log and chatted with the others.
I found Dad with Nate going over their drawings to build some kind of “mill” powered by the river for everything from lumber, to grain. They kept going between three drawings and then penciling in for a new one, taking the best from the others. Dad looked up to see I had arrived and gave me a quick smile. Nate gave a similar smile then they both went back to their intense discussion of how to build the mill.
Knowing Dad and Nate were in their engineering mindset, oblivious to everything around them Rae, Billy and I set off into the market to trade. That is when we heard someone shout, “Trouble at North Gate!”
Entry three
Word passed quickly through Four Corners by word of mouth. Someone would shout out what the issue was and where, and the next person who heard it would then repeat it.
In less than thirty seconds, the whole market knew something was up.
People began running in all directions. It seemed to me that everyone should be heading for North Gate, but I later learned that Sean and the sheriff had assigned everyone to a gate in case an attack at one gate was a “distraction” from the real threat.
Having no assignment, Rae, Billy, and I ran for North Gate with others, unslinging our rifles as we went. We arrived to find Jack and Samson already there in a rusted-out van that made up part of the Northern barrier. Jack was looking through his binoculars through a broken-out window and, without looking at us, said, “Armed men on horseback. I count fifty-three of them. Wagons behind them. This might be the group HAM guy heard about on the radio nets.”
A week or so ago, HAM Guy got reports of a cult-like group who claimed, in the name of God, to convert sinners to their religion. It was some kind of weird mash-up of different religions. There were snakes involved. Those who did not convert were killed in a ritual, sacrificed, or taken as slaves. Especially women or young girls. HAM Guy heard one report they would even sacrifice young girls and boys, but he thought that was really “out there.” Jack said he would not be shocked or surprised if they did.
After what she had gone through when she was taken as a slave, Rae agreed with a cold look in her eyes.
Winded, Sean ran up to the van. “What is going on, Jack?”
Jack handed him the binoculars but kept his eyes on the men on horseback.
“Fifty-three of them. Armed. Likely more in the wagons behind them.”
“Think they will attack?”
“Unless there are many more of them in the wagons or they have heavy weapons we’re not seeing, no. Be stupid to attack a fortified position like this.”
Then two men trotted their horses up, stopping just shy of the defensive trenches. One was dressed in all black, with a wide-brimmed hat and a white collar like a preacher. He held a book to his chest with what looked like a cross on it. He was surprisingly young.
The other man wore a long-sleeved white button-up shirt tucked into black pants. He was older, with a touch of gray in his short hair. Both were clean-shaven.
In a clear, commanding voice, the man in black announced, “I am the good reverend, Ishmael. I lead the Children of Light, spreading the word of our Lord to all those we cross. It was all our sins that turned us away from the face of our Lord. Our hedonistic ways! Our debauchery! Turning from His Face, to technology for false salvation! For our sins, He punished us by plunging us into darkness! But not all is lost! Just as it is the darkest before the dawn, a new day is here! Lay down your arms, open your hearts, and welcome us to relieve you of your sins!” He raised the book in one hand. “It is our Lord’s will for me to show you the error of your ways! To show you the righteous path! To forgive you for your sins! To show you the light of a new day!”
Those behind him, some bowed their heads. A few cried out, “Amen!”
“I stand corrected,” Jack said. “They are not stupid. Worse. They are zealots.”
The reverend, Ishmael, held his bible up before us all along the Northern barrier like a talisman.
“Well, I am the mayor,” Sean said. “I suppose I should go out and talk with him.”
“I will go with you,” Jack said.
The two of them ducked out of the van, reached a narrow opening in the barrier, and walked up to the defensive trench, crossing the two men on horseback.
“I am Sean, mayor of Four Corners. This is my good friend Jack.”
“Mayor, Jack,” Ishmael nodded. “I have been sent by the good Lord to show you and the people of Four Corners the light of His word! To forgive them of their sins!”
“I was raised as a good Irish Catholic. I know the good Lord’s word. But some may not be so inclined to your interpretation of the good Lord’s word. Nor would I.”
Ishmael eyes hardened. He leaned back in his saddle, holding the bible close to his chest.
“All need forgiveness for their sins. I am here to give it.”
“Methinks they do not need your forgiveness. They can do it themselves.”
Jack watched them and the other man closely. He later said the reverend, Ishmael, and Sean then began to exchange a flurry of bible scriptures, each trying to one-up the other in their religious debate Jack could not follow. Jack was never religious but, as he said, “After my first firefight, I became spiritual.”
Sean outmaneuvered Ishmael with script to the point that Ishmael got red in the face. The other man seemed to make a motion for his pistol, but Jack made a slight but equally meaningful motion with his rifle. Jack and the other man exchanged a long, hard look.
Ishmael took notice and looked around, seeing how exposed they were to the Northern barrier. He then leaned forward, “It is our Lord’s will that I shall bring forgiveness to you and the people. Accept it or face His wrath!” The two men then spun their horses around and galloped off.
Sean and Jack watched as they went.
“That went well,” Sean said ironically.
“We have a problem,” Jack responded. “The gang was one thing. These are true believers. He is a religious leader but the other was a military tactician. And a true believer. That’s a dangerous combination.”
Sean turned and walked back to the Northern barrier, Jack next to him. “What do we do?”
“I don’t like it. We may have to go on the offensicee. I have always been one to defend a person’s freedom of religion even if I do not agree with that religion, but when it comes to someone forcing their religion on others, I cannot abide it.”
“Things are going to get ugly.”
“If Four Corners wants to survive, yes, it will.”
Diary, after Jack said about not being shocked or surprised and Rae agreed with that look in her eyes, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine, but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills.
Great plot twist—-looking forward to the next installment! Thanks for sharing this story.
I just turned 80, survived 9 months of hospitalizations, and returned to my farm. No matter how overwhelmed I am feeling, on Saturdays I must have my dose of “Shenanigans”.
I love a good cliffhanger! Can’t wait for the next episode! 🙂
Ooh… the plot thickens! I am enjoying seeing how trades are so important for the community.
I am a true believer, in what the Bible has to teach. I am also an amateur observer of history. I realize that 1stMarineJarHead is a denizen Down East, the area of the country that has the reputation of being the most ignorant of the Bible and of Christianity. No offense intended, but that description of that cult is unlike any “Christian” cult in the history of the U.S. Either Jessica has a very garbled report of the group, or she has misidentified it with another religion.
If she had identified it as an Islamist group, then it fits historical accounts of Jihad. With the large number of Islamists that our politicians have imported into this country, that is possible. But then I would have expected beards. Violence, killing non-believers, taking women and girls to be sex slaves–these are all practiced by Islamists in Africa, Middle East, and elsewhere. There have been a few cases here in the States too.
In the Bible, the instructions for getting new “true believers” is through quiet conversations or at the loudest public announcements. Because of these instructions and historical widespread knowledge of the Bible here in the States, even none of the cults who claimed to be Christian but weren’t, went into the practices listed by Jessica. (There was a cult that played with snakes, but a few bites have cured them of that.)
I am not talking about the past outside the U.S., so please don’t bring them up.
Well, my lord. Allow us to identify the Christian that only has one way. North, south, east, west, you just made the damn point. Isn’t your stripe, Isn’t your version, Isn’t true. Everyone else must be a damn muslim. Glad we found the one with the golden stone in the group.
I suppose someone should bless your heart.
As I wrote, I am a true believer in what the Bible teaches. It is the Bible that defines what is Christianity and who is a Christian. I am not free to make up my own definitions.
How is your statement, “Everyone else must be a damn muslim.” not offensive to atheists, Hindus, Buddhists and other religions honest enough not to pretend that they are Christian?
Then you aren’t nearly as schooled in history as you think. Savanarola, crusades, Salem witch trials, snakes and tongues. The NE is ignorant of the Bible? This chatacter isn’t ignorant, she’s seeing what’s in front of her. Glad we cleared that up. Go back to school.
Ghost viking: seeing as the Bible defines what are Christian actions, and thereby Christian groups vs. cults that call themselves “Christian” but aren’t, he needs to show where each of what he lists are found and approved in the Bible. He hasn’t done so. Now I don’t want to start a religious war on this forum, so I haven’t named names, but he has, so where are the Biblical approvals for those actions? You can take your time.
What names? And you do realize that you are asking for a realistic, good story to meet you particular requirements? Again, hope that stone is in gold or judgment is going to suck for you.
Love this, as always! This is quite the predicament, and it’s going to be a long 2 weeks to see how it plays out. In real life, we will never know what to expect each day. Life goes along well, then a rider appears out of nowhere… or 50. Thank you!
This just got even more interesting!
It sounds like excitment has found our folks. Hmmm.
Oh my, quite the cliffhanger! And despite what RO said, I think the description of this new group is quite apt. Ppl in shtf are going to grasp onto and cling to things that are familiar, even as they are ‘different’. There are many similar scenarios in post apoc fiction, where a megalomaniac uses ‘religion’ as a guise to satisfy their own twisted beliefs. And I for one, think it is not too far from true.
I’m willing to give Jessica the benefit of the doubt, that what she has reported is garbled rumors conflating different groups.
The group before Four Corners is well armed. Is it because they plan to attack? Or are they well armed to protect themselves from other, violent groups? Is their intent a violent take over of the town? Or is it merely that they want access to recruit to their group? Not that their recruitment is always pleasant. And the leader of the group is angry because they have not been given access to the town. 1stMarineJarHead has not given me enough information for me to know their intent.
On the other hand, tens if not hundreds of thousands of Islamists have been imported into this country. Right now the majority who are not Islamists, many of whom are well armed, hold them in check. In a SHTF situation, where there is no central power, how free will they consider themselves to carry out Jihad? Will there be roving bands of Islamists doing all the murders, rapes and other violence that Jessica reported? Not counting criminal gangs?
I am not worried about atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. because most of those religions don’t initiate violence.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22356306
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/special-report-buddhist-monks-incite-muslim-killings-in-myanmar-idUSBRE9370AT/
Yes, yes they do. So glad this student of history knows about Partition and the Indian Civil War. Welcome to the world, Bangladesh. You got the atheist part right. Guess that came up in Sunday school?
Ghost viking needs to answer, how did Islam come to the Indian subcontinent? Who initiated the violence? In Asia where desires for revenge can last centuries, what does he expect? Are we getting the full story?
Another question, does he really believe the BBC and Reuters give us the full, pure, unvarnished truth telling us the historical backgrounds of their reports? Or even the complete truth concerning present events? How are they not part of the cancel culture trying to shut down sites like this?
Gents! It is a work of fiction! Although as Grammyprepper pointed out, there could be people who use religion as means of power. I happen to know first hand by marriage of a woman who got sucked into the cult, The Way. Signed over her home to them and would give them most of her paycheck every week.
I remember “The Way” and similar cults, and I had some dealings with them. I saw the psychological games they would play on their victims insisting on things that the Bible does NOT command. There’s good reason that Jack and Sean would not want to let such a group into Four Corners.
What triggered me were the accounts of physical violence that Jessica recounted and implied were a “Christian” cult. I know of no “Christian” cult in the U.S. that has resorted to the types of physical violence that Jessica recounted. The claims of the physical violence specifically mentioned as connected to a “Christian” cult make the story unbelievable.
They could be a criminal gang that pretends Christianity to get their victims to let down their guard. I would think that such criminal gangs would be unmasked before long.
No matter what, the group needs to be vetted before being allowed into town.
A final point, the physical violence described is what is presently being practiced by Islamists in Africa and Asia. After a SHTF event in the U.S., would many of the Islamists imported to the States resort to the same activities?
Because this is Jessica’s story, I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she records a mish-mash of rumors conflating poorly transmitted reports concerning different groups.
As a Pastor’s wife, and long standing Evangelical Fundamentalist Bible believer, I beg to differ. Groups such as the Branch Davidian group and Mormon (LDS) groups claim to be “Christian”, as do Jehovah’s Witness. They have utterly skewed the bible to give evil men power over women, families, and communities. They use psychological warfare to control those who are not well grounded in the Word of God, dividing one from their family and friends, and twisting one verse or another to give control. One of the most telling signs of a cult is that women have been subjugated into breeders for the leaders children, and in the case of extreme LDS, are swapped into “marriage” with different men. This IS violence. It is completely rational to think of new cults forming and claiming “Christianity” as their philosophy.
I forgot to mention, since the BBC and Reuters have been identified as sources of fake news concerning other subjects, can we trust them here?
Hi there! I’d invite you to Google the word of life Christian church. As a provider on staff when one of the sons came in, one of the sons who was brutally beaten and tortured for 12 hours after him and his brother wanted to leave the congregation, I disagree with your sentiments that this group could not belong to the Christian faith. Christian cults exist among us today, we don’t even have to go back to the witch trials.
I am very excited to read more! This is a good story, and I appreciate the cult twist.
As a suggestion, what will they do when the bullets run out? Surely Jack is thinking about this! Crossbow? Long bow? Trebuchet? How does one hunt and fight? What about making their own black powder, like our founding fathers did? These are thoughts that keep my prepping mindset twirling with ideas. Think “dovecote”…