Overthrown The Death of America...Book Five

[day late]

I thought I was through with this. I guess The Lord has different ideas. As usual if anyone has comments please start a seperate thread.

Overthrown,
The Death of America
Book Five

The Occupation

by Travis O. Dean


Chapter One


"Mom it's getting kind of late. Is Dad home yet?"

Sue wished her fourteen year old son, Sean, hadn't mentioned that. She knew it was late and the sun was getting quite low in the sky. Curfew would begin soon and her husband was still out there somewhere. She had warned him not to go to the disbursement center today. They still had enough to get by for a few days, and after what happened yesterday she didn't like the idea. People leaving the center with what they had been able to get from the government were attacked by a roving gang of thugs and had everything stolen from them. Most were simply beaten half to death. A few of them who had resisted were killed on the spot. Even those who had willingly turned over what they had were beaten or threatened to remind them to hand over everything they had the next time the gang came through. There was no reason for Larry to take such a risk. But his reasoning was his own.

"Honey, those hoods got what they wanted yesterday. So they won't be out there today. Besides, I heard that new deliveries were made last night. You know how it is. The first in line get the most and the best of what they have. Don't you worry. I'll be safe, but even more important I have The Lord watching my back."

He always had to bring God into things. How he could believe such nonsense was beyond her. Still, he was a good husband. Before everything fell apart he had always been a good provider. He had never been abusive to her or Sean. She actually did love him very much, and knew he felt the same about her. He had never given her any reason to doubt that and had proved it on more than one occasion. She honestly believed the man would step in front of a bullet for either her or their son and count himself lucky to have had the privilege.

"Mom?"

"I heard you, Son. I know. It is getting late. But what can I do about it? Your father has the car, so I can't go out looking for him. We just have to wait."

"But Mom, he could be in trouble."

She slapped down the knife she was using to prepare the evening meal.

"Don't you think I know that? But you heard your father. He just had to go and he is certain that God will protect him. I couldn't have stopped him with a hammer."

Sue also knew what her son was thinking, Even though he wouldn't say it. Things were turning ugly. This used to be a nice neighborhood. People knew each other and would lend a helping hand when asked. Now it was as if everyone was afraid of their neighbors, and people barely even spoke to one another any more. She had seen how people she had once considered her friends now eyed her suspiciously whenever she stepped outside. And it wasn't just her. They looked at everyone that way. Of course the number of break-In's and home invasions that had happened recently didn't help matters. The police couldn't do anything to prevent them and the fact they seemed to have even less interest in solving the crimes didn't help at all. Nobody was invited into someones house any more. People were afraid that their neighbors would see what they had and come back later to steal it. At least that's why Sue didn't invite anyone over. And she was convinced that's why nobody
asked her to drop by like they used to do.

As if to confirm her dark thoughts, in the distance she heard what sounded like an explosion. She had no idea what it might mean, and wished that Larry would hurry home. She didn't feel safe without him around. What if those thieves came here? She wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them. What would they do to her son? For that matter what would they do to her? The thought chilled her to the marrow. It was then that Sean spoke again and surprised her.

"Mom? You heard about what happened to the Fraser family, didn't you?"

She'd heard. They had been the most recent victims of a home invasion. It had been brutal. Mr. Fraser was shot as soon as the invaders came through the door. His wife and their two daughters were bound and held in a back room while the thieves ransacked the house. Then one at a time they had been raped and tortured, repeatedly for the rest of the night. By morning, only the older girl was alive. Being traumatized by the abuse, she was of no help to the police. The girl was taken to the hospital, the house was sealed and nothing more had been done about it. That had been only a few days ago.

"Yes, I heard about it. But I'm sure the police will find whoever did that. You don't need to worry about it."

She had lied to Sean. She had little faith that the police would do anything. They were too few and spread much to thin to spend much time working on things like that. They were more concerned with protecting their own families and the disbursement centers.

"What if they don't catch them? What if they come here?"

"Sean I'm sure those people got what they wanted and they would be foolish to do something like that again in this neighborhood. People will be watching for them."

"People may be watching, Mom. But what can they do to stop them? As far as I can tell they pretty much do what they want now a days."

The maturity of his statement caught Sue off guard. She looked at him. He shouldn't be thinking like that at his age. He should be thinking of getting good grades in school, sports and, even though she hated to admit it, girls. He shouldn't have to be concerned about the crime rate.

"Well, I'm sure they won't come here. And if they do, your father knows what to do. he will take care of us."

"Mom, I was thinking about that. He isn't here right now. Shouldn't we get Dad's gun out? Just in case I mean."

"SEAN. You know how I feel about those things. I've asked your father to get rid of it a thousand times. And I don't want you anywhere near the thing. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. It's bad enough that he keeps it around. The last thing we need is for you to get your hands on it and maybe shoot yourself or somebody else. So we'll have no more talk about it. "

Sue turned once again to getting the food ready, as Sean left the room. She realized she would need to keep an eye on him for a little while. If he was talking about it, she knew he was thinking about it as well. He just might decide to educate himself with the weapon when no one was looking. And that would lead to disaster. Glancing up through the window in the kitchen she could see the sun beginning to go down below the horizon. In twenty minutes or so it would be all the way down and curfew would begin again. If Larry didn't make it home soon, he would have to seek shelter some place for the entire night. Again the Fraser family came to her mind and a chill once more ran down her back. She was so engrossed with her gloomy thoughts that when a knock came on the front door, she jumped at the sound.

"I'll get it." Sean yelled from another room.

"No you won't. I'll get it. You stay where you are."

She really didn't even consider that this might be someone trying to break in. That happened at night and besides, those people didn't knock. But Sean was still young and might open the door too far or invite someone in. There wasn't any point in allowing others to get a look at what they had. They just might be tempted. She opened the door, slightly and stood in the gap blocking whoever was outside from seeing much of anything. She found Danny, their next door neighbor, standing there. A look of concern on his face.

"Hi Sue. Is Larry here?"

"He's out at the moment. But he should be back soon. I'll tell him you are looking for him." She wasn't exactly cold, but she didn't want to give Danny a better chance at looking into their home. He seemed okay, but these days you never knew.

"I was afraid of that. Sue, look I'm sorry to be the one to say this, but He might not be coming home."

"What are you talking about? Of course he's coming home."

"Look Sue. I was coming back from down town a little while ago. There was some kind of trouble over near the center. I don't know exactly what it was but there was some shooting and something happened to a car over there. It was burning and then it just exploded."

"What does that have to do with Larry?"

"Like I said. I'm not sure. The car was burning and pretty badly messed up by the time I came past it. And I have to tell you I wasn't going too slowly either, There was still a lot of stuff going on, but it looked like it might have been Larry's car."

The words hit Sue like a tone of bricks. It couldn't be true. Larry was always such a careful man. Everyone liked him and he wouldn't do harm to anyone.

"I don't believe you. That couldn't have been Larry. He's just late getting home. You're lying to me."

"Sue, believe me. I wouldn't wish this on anyone for all the world.

"You said it LOOKED like his car. You didn't say it was his car. Tell me exactly what you saw."

"Sue, do you really want to discuss this right here on the front porch? Why don't we step inside so we can talk in private?"

Again something brought Sue up short. Danny had a reputation. There had never been any proof, but people said he thought of himself as something of a Don Juan. He would use any excuse to get what he wanted from a woman. And being their neighbor she had noticed him giving her the eye. More than once. What if this was a trick? but how could it be? At this time of day everyone was home because of curfew. Danny knew that. That meant that he knew if Larry was coming home he would be there soon. Surely he wouldn't try something in a situation like that. Then she thought better of it.

"Sean is home. If you are wrong, I don't see the point in getting him upset over nothing."

She could see the look of disappointment in his eye. Whatever had happened, he had been planning something. He just needed to get into their house to pull it off. Well that wasn't going to happen. Not today.

"Really Sue. Don't you trust me? After all these years of living next door to each other? I wouldn't lie to you. What kind of a man do you think I am. I'm trying to help you." He reached out and gently laid his hand on her shoulder

"Help me?" She answered as she pulled his hand loose from her. "How? By telling me my husband is dead when you don't even know? That's not helping me. Then you try to talk your way into my home, I guess to offer me a shoulder to cry on if I needed it. Danny I think you had better leave."

Again, he looked disappointed but he stepped back from the door and told her.

"I admit it. I could be wrong. If I am, I'm sorry for having said anything. But if I'm not, well you know where to find me if you need me."

And with that he turned and left. Sue closed the door behind him and went back to the kitchen. While she didn't want to show it to Sean, she was completely rattled by what Danny had said. It wasn't like Larry to be this late. She was very concerned.

Sue managed to get the meal on the table, without burning anything. The sky outside was rapidly turning black. There still was no sign of Larry.

"Aren't we going to wait for Dad?" Sean wanted to know.

"Son, sit down. We have to talk."

He did so but didn't even look at the food on his plate.

"Where's Dad?"

"I don't know, Son. Maybe something happened to the car and he had to stay in town tonight. His church is near the center, maybe he is staying with them tonight instead of doing something that might get him arrested."

"Why didn't he call then?"

"You know how bad the telephone service has gotten. He might not be able to call us and let us know he's alright."

"Do think he is okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine. And I know he wouldn't want us to sit around going hungry just worrying about him. Now we will eat our dinner and then play a few hands of cards. Then we'll make an early night of it and I'm sure he will be back in the morning. Alright?"

"Well, okay. But I still think we should wait."

"Sean tomorrow is still a long way away. If he doesn't get back before then you are going to be very hungry. Now, eat your dinner and let's act like your Dad is in bed and asleep already. Tomorrow will be here before you know it and he will come walking through the door like nothing ever happened."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The rest of the meal was eaten with almost nothing said between them. And the attempt at playing card games failed miserably. Neither of them had their mind on the game. Before long Sean announced that he did still have a little studying to do that he wanted to get done before bed. Sue said alright and off he went to his room.

Sue sat in the living room trying to read, but after she realized she was reading the same page for about the eighth time, she gave it up. Looking at the clock she realized the it was almost nine, and Sean needed to go to bed. Quietly she moved down the hallway to his door and listened briefly to see if she could hear him. She could tell by the lack of light from under the door that the lights were out, and if he was already asleep she didn't want to wake him. She did hear something. It sounded like Sean was talking to himself. Gently she opened the door.

"Sweetheart. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine Mom."

"I thought I hear you talking to yourself. What's going on? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No. Really Mom, I'm okay."

"Who were you talking too?"

"I wasn't talking to anyone."

"Son I heard you."

The boy sighed and answered. "I was kind of praying."

"Praying! Son tell me you don't really believe in all that silly nonsense that your father does."

"Mom, I don't know what I believe. I just figured it couldn't hurt. I mean if Dad is right and there really is a God, then He can help Dad come home. If not, then it doesn't really matter anyway. Does it?"

She smiled at his question. "No. I guess it doesn't hurt. Just try not to put too much faith in something that isn't there."

"I won't. Good night, Mom."

"Good night sweetheart."

With those words she closed the door and returned to the living room. One thing she knew for certain. When Larry came home in the morning, the two of them were going to have a serious talk about this. She would not have him impressing his superstitious beliefs on their son. It was fine if he wanted to believe like that, but her son was going to be raised believing in science just as she did. Not stories written by ignorant sheep herders from centuries ago.

Sue continued to try to find something to occupy her time, until much later that evening. There was little point in going to bed. She knew she would be unable to sleep. Before she realized how late it had gotten, the clock showed it was a little after eleven. Sue had run through every excuse that she could imagine for Larry to not have come home. Yet every time she did she could still hear Danny telling her of the burning car. What if it had been Larry? What was she going to do? How could she provide for the two of them?

"You know where to find me if you need me."

Danny's words ran through her mind. What about him? What if all the stories were just that, stories? If they didn't have a shred of truth to them she may have misjudged him. That wouldn't be fair to him. Maybe he was just trying to be helpful. After all they had lived next to him for years and he had never tried anything with her. Yes, he gave her that look, but then so did other men. While she wasn't conceited about it, she knew that she was better than average looking. Many men felt it only reasonable to give her a second look. What if Danny were only doing the same thing, only more often because they lived next to each other.?

Sue made up her mind and quietly checked her son to be sure he was sleeping and then silently let herself out the front door. She knew it was illegal to be out at night, but she was only going next door and was hardly likely to be caught doing that. As she walked across the yard she saw the lights were still on in Danny's house. She stepped up onto the front porch and almost timidly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Danny's challenge filled voice came from inside.

"Danny, it's me. Sue from next door."

"Sue? Just a minute." She heard him moving around inside and soon the lights behind the door went out. Once it was dark there Danny opened the door. "what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to apologise for the way I behaved earlier. It was rude of me. But can you tell me why you turned the lights out to answer the door. The seems a little strange."

"Not at all. With the lights on it's easy to see when someone opens the door at night. With them out it isn't so obvious. Please, come in and we can talk in the light where we can see each other."

"Thank you."

Sue stepped inside and when the lights came back on she could see that Danny's house was about what she had expected. Clean but cluttered and unkempt. Typical of a man living alone.

"I can't stay long. I don't want Sean to wake up and find me missing. He's already upset that Larry didn't come back from the center today."

"That's alright. I understand. I mean it's not like I was giving the best news in the world. I'm just one of those people that thinks knowing something is better than knowing nothing. I'm sorry if I've made you worry over nothing."

"I suppose you're right. At least this way I can prepare myself if Larry doesn't come home tomorrow. That will be a help in dealing with Sean."

"You know that I'm fond of the two of you. You've been great neighbors. If there is anyway I can help with him either, you just let me know. Alright?"

"That's a comfort. I just hope I won't need to get you involved with something like that."

Danny again laid his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember what I said, because I mean it. I'm here if you need me. I'm here for Sean as well."

"Thank you. You are too kind." Sue moved foreward and briefly hugged Danny. For a moment, it felt like his hug in return was a bit more than it should have been, but when she pulled back he released her willingly.

"Would you care for a cup of coffee or something?"

"No. Thank, you but I really need to get back home before Sean knows I'm missing. Again let me apologise for my behavior."

"Don't worry about it. There is nothing to apologise for."

"I'd better leave."

Let me turn out the lights first. We wouldn't want a passing cop car to take you down town."

The lights went out and Danny returned to her.

"Let me help you. Wouldn't want you to trip over something in the dark."

His arm went around her waist. It seemed to her that he held her a little closer and tighter than was necessary, but she accepted the help without comment. She stepped outside and was on her way back home feeling somewhat better. If something had happened to Larry at least she had someone to help her get her feet back under her.

For his part, Danny stood in the doorway, watching her go. The smile on his face was unseen by Sue, but clearly showed he was enjoying what he was looking at.

[day late]

Chapter Two


Despite the comforting words of Danny, Sue still found it difficult to sleep that night. She continued to roll around in the bed until quite late. The clock next to the bed read three ten A.M. the last time she looked at it before finally drifting off to sleep. Her dreams did nothing to help her rest. She would see Larry in a ditch somewhere wounded, bleeding and barely alive. Then see would see what was left of him still behind the wheel of the burned out car. She saw him in a hospital bed with all manner of tubes going into or out of his body and electrical wires connected to machines of which she had no idea what they were for. Once she even saw him in the arms of another woman. That dream brought her out of her sleep briefly, and she immediately dismissed the thought from her mind. Larry just wasn't that kind of man. As a result, she over slept in the morning. It wasn't until Sean burst into the room, shortly before ten, shouting at her that she
awoke.

"MOM! Dad's coming."

"What? Son are you sure?"

"Yeah. Listen. You can hear the car."

Sue sat up and turned her ear to the outside. Their car had an annoying squeak in the front end that Larry hadn't been able to find and eliminate. It only happened at slow speeds, and she heard it now, growing ever closer to the house. Quickly she jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. Honestly she didn't know if she should be happy at his return, or angry he was only coming home now. He had some explaining to do, that was for sure.

Before Sean reached the front door, Larry parked the car in the driveway and got out. As he walked past the front end of it he looked at it and said more to himself than anything else,

"One of these days I'm going to find you and fix it."

"DAD!" Sean shouted as he ran to his father and threw his arms around him.

"Hey. Son. Good to see you. Did you miss me"

"Boy, I'll say. We thought something happened to you."

"Well, something did. Otherwise I'd have been back last night. Where's your mother?"

"I'm here." Sue said from the front porch. "What happened to you? Do you know what a fright you gave us?"

Larry turned to his son. "Sport, I think your mother and I need some alone time. Do you mind?"

"Sure Dad, I understand." With those words he turned and went back into the house.

"Honey, I'm sorry about that. But there really was no other choice. I would have called but the phones at the church weren't working. Please forgive me."

Sue had walked down the steps of the porch while he was speaking and now stood in front of him.

"So what happened? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Why didn't you let us know?"

"Sweetheart, there wasn't any way to let you know. The phones weren't working and nobody is allowed on the street after dark. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I know you must have been worried, but there was nothing I could do."

"So what happened? Why are you so late"

Larry looked sheepish. "Believe it or not, I got a flat. When I had to change it almost in the dark. But I was lucky. I was trying to get it changed while the sun was going down, and a cop car came up on me. They stood there watching me change the tire. Then they gave me an escort to the church. If it wasn't for them I would have probably been arrested for violating curfew."

"Why didn't you call us? We were worried half to death."

"I spent the night at the church. I don't know about this area last night, but their phones weren't working. I know, I tried several times." Larry sighed and held his wife. "Honey, I'm really sorry, but it couldn't be helped. If I tried to get home, they would have arrested me for curfew violation. I thank God the cops that found me were feeling reasonable and let me change the tire and at least go to the church for the night. But it wasn't a total loss. I got to work in the kitchen, feeding the homeless and other stranded travelers."

"Oh no. Don't tell me you gave away our food."

"No. Of course not. The pastor wouldn't let me even if I tried, considering the number of times I've done volunteer work. No, I just worked passing out food to people and doing the dishes. The good news is I made a couple of contacts that might just be helpful in the future. Honey, I know you were worried about me and I'm sorry about that. I really am."

"You don't know how scared I was. Danny came over last night and told me he thought our car had been blown up and burned. I didn't know if you were dead or alive."

"He did? I can't believe that. Yeah, a car got blown up and burned. It was even a model similar to ours, but it wasn't the same and it was a different color."

Sue wondered about that. Why would he say something like that? How could he make a mistake like that and scare her like that? What was he up too?

"I guess I'll have to have a talk with him. Right now could you help me getting our stuff from the car?"

Together they went to the car. Larry opened the door and moved the seat forward to reach the boxes in the back. It was then that Sue remembered his comment.

"So who and what are these useful contacts you made?"

"Their names are Joe and Charlie. Joe is a plumber and Charlie is a carpenter. I've agreed to help them out in exchange for their services from time to time."

"Larry, you're an electrician. How do you think you are going to be able to help them?"

"Both of them use electronic equipment. I can repair it when it goes bad. That will be a lot less expensive than buying new equipment. As a matter of fact after we ate last night I took Charlies skill saw and fixed it by taking it apart and doing a little work on the brushes inside it. So he already owes me one."

"It seems to me that fixing a saw can't be worth much."

"But you are mistaken. For a carpenter, that saw is vital. Just as important as a hammer or nails. He has to cut the boards to the right length. Otherwise nothing will work out right. By fixing the saw, I helped keep him working."

"If he's working, what was he doing in the churches overnight shelter?"

"He is working, it's just that there isn't much work going on right now."

"And how do you think he is going to help us?"

"I've been thinking, especially after last night, about what happened to the Fraser family. I'm sure he can come up with a way to re-enforce the doors on the house to make it harder for someone to break in. Maybe he can even come up with something to protect the windows."

Sue thought about it. She too had been thinking about doing something to make it harder for anyone to break in the door. But she hadn't even considered the windows. Clearly, Larry was thinking ahead and as usual thinking about her and Sean before anything else. Then something else came to mind.

"How are you going to get the wood he's going to need? Shouldn't he bring his own wood and things?"

"If times were normal, he would bring his own supplies, and then he would charge us for them. But times are anything but normal. I've got a line on how to get the wood. That's through the pastor. The church has always been involved in helping build homes for those in need, or refurbishing existing homes. So I'll do some electrical work for him and he will get the wood for me."

"Well, if you ask me since you are fixing this guy's equipment he should bring his own wood."

Larry looked at his wife. He never could understand how she could evidently believe that the world owed her a living. She was a lovely woman and she couldn't be touched in the kitchen. She could give professional chefs cooking lessons in his opinion. She was a good and loving wife and mother. But her opinion of herself was much too high. Humility wasn't something she was familiar with.

"Honey, fixing his saw is worth something, but it isn't worth him going into debt over it. This is a case of bartering. I have to put something into the pot. You can't expect to get something for nothing."

"I'm not. But I think you let people take advantage of you, and that costs us. That's not fair to us. You should stand up for yourself more. You just said that without the saw he couldn't work at all. You are keeping him in business so he should be more willing to do something for us."

Larry sighed. "Honey, be reasonable. All I saved him was the cost of a new saw. That might be worth a little work, but not everything you think or want."

"We'll talk about this later. Right now let's take care of this food."

As they had been speaking they had walked into the house and into the kitchen. They set the boxes on the table and together began to put things away. Larry thought about what Sue had said about Danny. It didn't make sense that Danny had said such a thing. Maybe there was a reason for it, but he needed more information.

"Honey, what exactly did Danny say last night about me?"

She paused for a moment to recall what he had said.

"Well he did say he wasn't sure. But he thought the car that was burned was ours. He did say that he was in a hurry to get out of there. I guess there was some trouble still going."

"That wouldn't surprise me. The rioting went on until well after dark. But I still want to have a word with him. He shouldn't have scared you like that."

"Don't be too hard on him. I think he believed you were dead. He was just trying to prepare me for the worst. I mean imagine how difficult it must have been for him." She paused for a moment, then asked him. "What was the riot about?"

"Oh, the usual thing. People are hungry and scared and think the government should be doing more for them. But I'll never understand their reaction to this situation. I mean what do they expect? The economy is almost non-existent. Unemployment passed record levels a long time ago. Nobody but the big corporate farmers can afford to raise food in anything like meaningful amounts, and even they can't keep up with the demand. Naturally, that means people are going to have to get by with less. Even those who are blessed by still have a job. So, what do they do? Do they pick themselves up are keep on trying? No. They blame the government and start making trouble and when the police come to stop it, they target them like they are responsible. They take out their anger on them. I just don't understand people anymore."

"I think you already have your answer. You just don't want to accept it. Larry you are a good man, even though there are times I'd like to hit you with a hammer. You aren't like most people these days. You believe in personal responsibility, while most people think someone else is responsible for taking care of them. When that care fails, they get scared and then angry. After that they become violent. But you just keep on trying no matter what happens. I've never understood that about you, but I am grateful for it and love you all the more because of it."

"Oh, that's just a matter of my faith. The Bible teaches;

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There's no doubt these are evil times. I believe that Satan is the one responsible for all of the bad things that are happening. So I have to wrestle with him, and then do all I can to stand against him. All is a pretty broad term. It covers a lot of ground. And it always seems there is one more thing I can do, so I do it. The funny part is that when I do, The Lord always opens another door for me. So I just do what I can."

"I think it's just a matter of your stubbornness. You don't like to fail and just keep at it. And you've been lucky, if that's the word for it. Because you work so hard at achieving what you want you always find new opportunities. God has nothing to do with it. It's all you."

"I know how you feel, but God willing one of these days you'll see things the right way."

"Larry, we've been over this before. So let me just say that one day I think you will see things in the right way and leave it at that."

"Alright, for now. Tell me something. Did Sean hear anything that Danny had to say?"

"I don't think so. I kept Danny by the front door and we kept our voices low. Sean was in his room, so I don't think he heard anything."

"I think I'll go check. No need for him to be upset about anything."

Larry left his wife and went in search of his son. He found Sean sitting in his room with a book in his hands. He smiled.

"You know that's one thing I'm glad about with the power problems we've been having lately. You actually sit down and do some reading. How are you doing Son?"

"Hi, Dad. Yeah I'm alright. I was just looking for something to do and this seemed like a good idea. Nobody ever goes out to play baseball or basketball anymore. Funny thing is, I kind of like it. It's like you're going places in you mind that you never will never get the chance to see for real."

"I've always felt that way. What are you reading?"

"It's one of your books. I hope you don't mind." Sean closed the book and handed it to his father.

Larry turned it on edge and looked at the binding. It was 'The Odyssey' by Homer.

"I don't mind as long as you take care of them. But don't you think this is a little out of your usual reading?"

"Maybe a little. But it is exciting. I can't wait to see what happens at the end." Sean got quiet for a moment and looked as if he had something on his mind. Larry decided to wait for him to bring up whatever was bothering him. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Anything Son, you know that."


"Well while I was reading this one, they talk about all of the gods and goddesses and how they are supposed to be so great. But the more I read about them the more they seem to be just really big people with super powers. Is that what your God is really like?"

"Oh no, Son. God is nothing like the false gods you read about in these books. For one thing His Son came to earth to die for our sins. You don't see any of these pretend gods doing anything like that, do you?"

"No."

"For another, in The Bible, God tells us over and over again that He loves us. The so called gods you read about in here don't love people. They consider them to be servants at best. At worst, people are an annoyance to them. And as you have noticed yourself, those supposed gods act like spoiled children most of the time. The real God doesn't do that. He cares for those who worship Him."

"Don't the old gods do that too?"

"Not really. They might show favor as long as they were worshiped, but as soon as they felt that humans did anything that might be insulting to them they would do terrible things to punish them."

"What about your God? Isn't He doing the same thing now? I mean with everything that's going on."

"This might be a little hard for you to understand, so bare with me for a moment and I'll try to explain. You see those false gods demanded obedience and worship. The one true God doesn't do that. He lets us all make our own choices. Do we want to follow him or not?"

"If that's true, why are things so bad now. I mean if He lets us choose what we want to do?"

"He does let us choose, Sean. But He also holds us accountable for what we choose to do. Remember when school was still open all the time and you were told to do your homework? Now you knew what you should do, but if you didn't do it, you had to pay the price for being disobedient. Do you remember what happened to Jenny down the street a few years ago?" Sean nodded. "She knew not to run out into the street without looking both ways first. But she didn't do it. So she ended up in the hospital after that car hit her. Thank God she didn't die, but she still walks with a limp, doesn't she?"

Again he shook his head and continued. "So if we choose to do the wrong thing God lets bad things happen to us?"

"Not always, but quite often, yes He does. He doesn't cause them to happen, but because we chose to do wrong He doesn't stop them from happening either."

"Oh. I think I see. That is different from those guys." He pointed at the book.

"Well I hope you understand. just remember, if you ever have any questions don't be afraid to ask. That's what I'm here for."

"Okay. Thanks Dad." Once more he paused. "Dad? Last night when you didn't come home, I prayed for you. Was that wrong?"

"No Son. Praying for other people is never wrong. You just have to make sure the One you pray to is listening."

"How do I do that?"

First you have to believe there is a God. Then you have to ask Him to save you and agree to follow Him."

"Is that what you did?"

"Yes it is. What about you?"

"I don't know. I mean sometimes Mom makes a lot of sense with the evolution stuff she talks about, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do. And your right. Sometimes it does make sense. Sometimes it doesn't. But God makes sense all the time. Tell you what. We'll talk about this more later. Right now just think about what you've learned and see if it makes sense to you. I'm always here for you." Larry started to leave. He stopped at the door and looking back at Sean he said, "By the way. Thanks for praying for me. I appreciate it."

Sean just smiled at him as he walked out and closed the door behind him. Larry called out to Sue as he headed for the door to let her know that he was on his way to speak with Danny.

His main concern was he scare that Danny had put into his wife. While he hadn't directly asked, Sean seemed to know nothing about the incident, so that wasn't a reason to bring it up with him. But still it bothered Larry that his neighbor could play fast and loose with the truth like that. He walked across the front yard and up to Danny's front door. While he didn't exactly pound on it, he knock was loud and insistent. Soon Danny answered him.

"Larry! Man it's good to see you. I was afraid something had happened to you."

"So I heard. What did you mean telling Sue I was dead?"

"Now Larry, take it easy. I didn't say you were dead. I said I thought you might have been in that car near the center. Believe me I'm happy I was wrong. I just thought that it was a good idea to let Sue know things might not be very good. I mean better to hear it from me than from some cop who doesn't even care about her, Right? Shoot, for that matter these days the cops might not even tell her. She'd be left wondering what happened to you."

Larry thought about it. It seemed reasonable in a grisly sort of way, but he still didn't like it.

"I feel like Mark Twain."

"What?"

"Once, when he was on one of his many travels the story got started somehow that he had died. It was in all the newspapers of the day. He sent a message to the people who first reported him dead saying, 'the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated'. Now I know how he must have felt. Alright. I believe you meant well, but next time you want to pronounce me dead, ask me about it first."

"Thanks for being so understanding, Larry. I really did mean well. And it's hard to tell your friends wife that you think he's dead. Maybe I should have done it differently, but this was my first time doing it." Danny stopped for a moment and then continued. "Listen Larry You work in the construction field don't you?"

"Sort of. There isn't much of that going on these days. Why do you ask?"

"I've been thinking about what happened to that family down the street."

"You mean the Fraser's"

"Yeah, them. Anyway I started looking at my place like I was someone who wanted to break in and I realized that there are a lot of ways that could be done, even if I had all the doors locked. So I was wondering if you might know someone who could help me make this place a little more secure."

"As a matter of fact, I have someone coming over to my place for the same reason in a day or two. I can ask him to look at your place. But you realize he isn't going to work for free."

"How much do you think he will charge?"

"Are you kidding? with the way the dollar is dropping like a rock, I don't think he is going to be interested in money at all. But I know he will barter his skills. Do you have anything to trade?"

"Not really. Anything of value I have I want to hang on to for now."

"You are in the food service business, right?"

"Yeah. I take orders from restaurants hotels and places like that and make the deal with suppliers."

"Does anyone owe you a favor?"

"Yeah. there are a couple of people who owe me one. Oh! I get it. You think that if I can come up with some meat or something like that he will work for it."

"That's the idea. I think maybe it would be a good idea to call in a favor or two and see what kind of arrangement you can work out with my carpenter."

"That's a good idea. I'll get started on it right away. Thanks Larry. Let me know when your guy gets here. You say I have a day or two?"

"Maybe more than that. He's going to do my place first, then he will see about yours."

"Sounds good to me. Excuse me. I have to talk with some people."

Danny turned and went back into his house, looking for his car keys. He knew he didn't want to talk with someone over the phone about this. Assuming that they were working today. It was better to speak face to face. Besides, if the guy Larry was talking about were available, and he probably was, he might be willing to work for his contacts. That would be a favor he could call in later when he needed it. This could just work out in his favor. If so, he might not have to hit on Sue again. A lot of these people had cute secretaries working for them. Not they would order them to do anything, but they should be able to put in a good word for him. The false reporting of Larry's death already forgotten.

"Larry. Could you come here for a minute?" She asked as he came into the house.

"Sure. What do you need Honey?"

"I thought I heard you talking to Sean about your God earlier. Is that true?"

"Not really. He's reading Homer's 'Odyssey'. He was asking about the difference between the old Greek gods and what I believe."

Sue eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure you weren't preaching to him? You know we agreed we wouldn't do that one way or the other. We would let him make up his own mind."

"I wasn't preaching, just answering questions."

"You don't need to do that."

"Yes I do. How can he make his own choice if he doesn't have any information?"

"Maybe. But I don't like it."

Sue then left him in the living room and he had a scripture run though his mind.

1Cr 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

He prayed once again that his son would come to The Lord by following his example.

Larry had returned home wondering if he had done the right thing by Charlie. True, like everyone else he could use the work, but was Danny the right person to work for? He had heard things about him. He'd heard that sometimes Danny would manipulate events and people to his advantage. He could only hope and pray that Danny would do the right thing. Still, all in all things were looking up. He was getting needed work done with only an investment of his time, and very possibly helping out someone else with jobs that he needed. He also had the possibility of getting more work for himself which would place him in a better position later on. In truth he was beginning to like the idea of bartering skills for necessary things. It was beneficial and low cost.

For now he needed to get his tire fixed and see the pastor about working around the church or in the homes they had worked on. Now if only the mechanic needed some electrical work done.

[day late]

Chapter Three

It was three more days before Charlie showed up at Larry's home. But that didn't bother him. As it turned out there was a little work for him in one of the refurbished homes that the church was sponsoring Larry set to the work with a will, and had it done within two days. But as fast as he was, by the time he was finished, after a day and a half, the Pastor was waiting for him beside a truck in the church parking lot.

"Brother Larry, I can't tell you how happy I am that you finished this job so quickly. I only hope that this load is enough to meet your needs." He waved his hand at the back of the truck. "This is what was left over from the last house we built. Do you think it will be enough for you?"

Larry looked into the back of the truck. He saw sheet after sheet of heavy duty plywood and quite a few 2X4's and even some pieces of trim that would normally be used as base board and cabinet trim.

"Pastor, I have to ask if you want some of this back. This should be far more than I need."

"No, son. You take it. If it stays here someone is going to throw it on a scrap pile and burn it. There's no point in that if you can use it. Besides if you ask me, you've earned it. Now why don't you head on home and the men in the truck will follow you there and help unload it."

Larry decided not to argue about it further and lead the truck home. Once there he opened his garage and the lumber was neatly stacked inside. He offered to pay the men, but both refused, citing the fact that they felt they owed him for work he had done at their homes. During the process, Sean came out of the house and in spite of his best efforts, was helpfully unhelpful, getting in the way more than doing anything actually useful. But Larry and the men praised him for his assistance and they were soon on their way. After the job was finished, Sue came out and looked at the supply of materials.

"Do you mean it's going to take all of that to secure our home?" She asked.

"I doubt it, but the extra material can be used to barter for other things."

"Like what?"

"What do you need?"

"You said that someone else you met was a plumber, didn't you?"

"Sure. That's Joe."

"Well just today the faucet in the kitchen started to leak. Do you think that this Joe person would be interested in the extra wood?"

"Next time I see him, I'll ask. That is if something more important doesn't come up first."

"What about the leak in the kitchen?"

"We can always shut off the water by using those little spigots under the sink. Don't worry. The faucet comes first as long as nothing else needs to be done."

"Well, as long as the kitchen comes first."

The next day Charlie came by the house and Larry met him in the front yard. The two men walked around the house inspecting it as if they wanted to break in themselves Charlie already knew what Larry wanted and viewed the house very critically. Once they finished he asked Larry simply.

"Want do you want first? The good news or the bad?"

"Lets get it over with. What's the bad news?"

"There's a lot to be done. The good news is that none of it should be to difficult. And you even have a few options on what you get done. For example, those windows. The most secure thing you could do is to install burglar bars. Now most of them are put up on the inside of the window so someone outside can't remove the bolts and take them down. But even if you have the kind that can be removed quickly in case of fire or something, they have to be maintained. The next option is to put up a swinging panel to cover the window. Now you can put one up on the outside and maybe even decorate it like an awning. That way it won't look too bad. But being outside, it's possible that it can be ripped down or pulled loose.

The other option is to put them up inside so they swing down from the ceiling. Not exactly eye pleasing for the people inside, but a lot safer, since nobody can get at the hinges or get leverage to pry it down. You have to choose. One thing I'm glad to see is that you have solid doors without those decorative side lights. Since the doors are solid they should hold up alright, but you major concern will be the lock. The door frame is wood. With enough effort not even the best lock is going to hold forever. The choices there are a little different. The first is you put in a jamming device on the door, near the bottom. Then even if the lock is destroyed, the door still won't move. The other choice is just a good old fashioned bar laid into hooks that are bolted to the wall, on either side of the door. Again, not eye pleasing but it should hold up against anything short of a battering ram. The question is, what do you want to do?"

"Right now, I want you to repeat all of that to my wife. I've got a feeling she isn't going to be too happy with your ideas."

The men went into the home and Larry called Sue into the living room. Charlie went over the options once again and answered Sue's questions. It turned out that she did ask the right ones, and accepted Charlies answer when she saw the logic behind it.

"So why wouldn't panels outside be as safe as ones inside?"

"Because if they are outside, someone could slide a crow bar or something like that under the edge and pry them loose or right off the wall."

To Larry's surprise, Sue wanted the house to be made as secure as possible. If that meant having wood panels about the windows on the inside of the house then so be it. When he asked her about her choice later Sue's answer was short and to the point.

"I don't want us to end up like the Fraser's. Besides, when things get better we can always take those things down and have someone patch the holes."

Charlie got started on the work at once. Sheets of the heavy duty plywood were attached to the ceiling above each window by hinges, which would allow them to swing down to cover the opening. The barrel bolts were screwed into place so the panel could be secured. I rope was attached to each of them and fed through w pulley set in the ceiling, so they could be easily pulled back up after the need for them was over.

The next thing was to secure the front and back doors. Larry found some left over pieces of metal pipe from when he had a chain linked fence put up around the back yard. It took both men and a bit of time, but the pipe was bent into four S type shape hooks. Then using a metal cutting blade on the newly repaired skill saw the long end cut off. After that, large holes were drilled into the pieces and heavy bolts called wall anchors were screwed through the holes and several inches into the door frame. The result was an upward pointing hook in which a 2X4 was snugly placed. Even with the doors unlocked, they wouldn't move an inch. Charlie had been right. Nothing short of a battering ram was going to get the doors open now.

While all of this was going on, Danny had come over to speak with Charlie about doing the same for his house. Charlie agreed to have a look at it after he finished, but told him that before any work was to be done, some kind of payment would have to be agreed upon And, of course there was the matter of materials. Was Danny going to supply them as Larry had done, or would Charlie have to bring his own? Unfortunately for him, Danny had planned on getting the left over materials from Larry. For some strange reason Danny felt he had a right to them. Or at the very least be allowed to trade for them. The men nearly came to blows when Larry refused. He was able to eventually make Danny see reason, when he explained about bartering for the services of Joe.

Danny wasn't completely without resources to get what he needed, but still felt like he had been unfairly denied what he needed by his neighbor. He left early during the work to see what he could do about finding the supplies. He was however wise enough to get an estimate of the amount of things he would need before he left.

It was during a break for lunch, which Sue had made for them all, that Larry got some news he wasn't expecting.

"It looks like by the time you're done we aren't going to have anything to worry about. This place will be a fortress."

"You're wrong, Larry."

"What do you mean? I thought this place would be burglar proof by then."

"There's no such thing as burglar proof. With enough men and equipment you could break into Fort Knox. But, with an entire armored division guarding the place you would pay a high price for it. Just listen for a minute. You mentioned a fortress. Why do you think they invented catapults? To knock great big holes in the walls of a fortress so they could be invaded, that's why. No. There is no such thing as burglar proof. What we are trying to do is convince people that there must be an easier target somewhere else. If we make it not worth the time and effort to break in here, they won't. But that doesn't mean you can walk around with your head in the clouds and not be concerned about it."

"I see. Well just how secure can we expect to be after all of this?"

"Oh you will be well protected. The windows are high enough off the ground that it would be very hard to get at the panels to break them in. And the doors are going to be as solid as they can be. It's unlikely that anyone would try something unless they had a lot of people with them. But then that turns out to be self defeating. Any loot they might get from you would have to be divided between them. By the time that was done there wouldn't be enough for anyone to make it worth their while. But never believe that behind these walls you will be untouchable. You won't be. Again, look at the castle ruins in Europe. Most of them have walls that were eventually breached."

"Well, I just hope that whoever decides to pass us by doesn't go after my neighbors."

"There's nothing you can do about that. So try not to worry about it. But that does bring up another point you have to think about right now and decide what you are going to do later."

"What's that?"

"Before we are done today I'm certain a number of your neighbors are going to figure out what's going on. Now, let's say there is widespread rioting and looting. How many of those people are you going to allow into your home so that they can remain safe? Bare in mind they will be begging and pleading for you to let them in. They will beg you to at least take the children into your home. Of course as soon as you open the door to do so, they will rush you and be inside with you. How are you going to handle that?"

"I hadn't thought of it."

"Then think about it now. When the time comes, and it well may, it's going to be too late to start thinking about it then."

"What would you do?"

"If anyone asks, I'd suggest that they do the same thing you are. If they don't, just keep your mouth shut. Don't even join in one of those 'what if' conversations at work or the church. The fewer people who know about this, the smaller your problem is going to be."

"So you think there will be a problem."

"Convinced is more like it. I've seen this kind of thing happen before. When things like Hurricane Katrina happen, those that haven't prepared believe it is the duty of those who have to protect and otherwise care for them. After all you are the one who has what they need. They will try to force you to give it to them or at least share what you have. The problem with that is if you do try to help others, then more people find out and they will come by to visit as well. Pretty soon you are being forced to take care of everyone in walking distance of your place. I don't think you are ready to do that, are you?"

"Not hardly."

"There you go. You need to decide now what you will do then. To do less is to invite disaster."

Larry thought about how Danny had reacted just such a short time ago, and realized Charlie was right. There had already been major riots in some of the larger cities as various social services began to break down. In some cases the violence had gone on for days and was only ended when the National Guard was called in. While there hadn't been anything as big as that going on around his town, there had been some rioting for the same reasons and it didn't look like it was going to get better any time soon. If anything like that were to happen here, they would very likely be on their own. In a smaller town like this, the Guard wouldn't be sent in until they had completely pacified the larger cities. He and Sue needed to talk about this, and they needed to do so tonight. Then he thought about Sean. How could he explain that his friends wouldn't be allowed into the house with something that bad going on? maybe he should be a part of the conversation as well.

"Larry, those doors aren't going to take care of themselves while we sit here and talk. Let's get back to work." Charlie said.

They returned to the job at hand and by working together they managed to finish up by mid-afternoon. Charlie was packing his tools back into his truck when Larry came to him.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you've done here today. I feel like I've been overcompensated for fixing your saw. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"You already have done something. Thanks to you, I have another job next door before the end of the week, and he is promising me a box of frozen steaks. He also said he might be able to hook me up with some other people who have the same idea as you. I'm fine. Don't you worry about it."

"Well, thank you for coming here. It takes a lot off of my mind."

Charlie finished packing up and left the family to discuss things between themselves. It was just after supper that evening that the three of them sat at the table to talk about it. Larry did his best to explain to a very reluctant Sue the wisdom of keeping things quiet and if things went bad, of looking out for themselves first.

"Larry how can we turn away our neighbors if they need help? That would almost be like murdering them."

"Sue, if you were on a ship that was sinking and you already had a place in a lifeboat, and that boat was already filled to capacity, would you try to bring more people on board with you, knowing that too many people would swamp the boat? It's the same thing here. This house is our life boat. If and when people try to get in, they aren't going to come with a car load of food and water. They are going to come in a blind panic trying to escape whatever is happening. How much of our food are you ready to give away to people who have done nothing for themselves and arrive with only an empty stomach?"

"I can't believe things would get that bad. This is America, not some backwater third world banana republic. People are more civilized here. That wouldn't happen."

"Mom, I think maybe Dad is right. Remember when they had the riots in New York last month? It took them more than a week to get things under control, and that was with the Army helping them."

"Sean, you're not really old enough to understand things like this. Don't believe everything your father says. Sometimes he can get, well, a little over protective of us."

"You mean like the work that guy did today? I thought you said you wanted him to do it."

"That's different."

"How? Isn't that the same thing Dad is talking about now?"

"Not exactly. This isn't New York. We don't have as many people here for that kind of thing to happen."

"Mom, we don't have as many police to stop it from happening either."

"Sean has a point, Honey. We don't have as many officers, city and county put together to stop that kind of thing. The only reason the riot from the other day wasn't worse is because a lot of people just stayed inside and watched it happen. I think it is only a matter of time before there are too many people on the street to stop in without a lot of people getting killed. And you can bet the military won't be sent out here. Not until things are under control in the cities. There just aren't enough of them to be everywhere at once."

"Then that's all the more reason we have to help our friends."

"Now we are back at the lifeboat. How many do you think we can care for with what limited supplies we have?"

It took a little time, but Sue was finally forced to admit that Larry was right. After all they couldn't take care of everyone on the block. And as soon as people in other areas found out there was food or shelter at their house they would come as well. They simply couldn't care for everyone. Openly she finally agreed to the idea, but inwardly she still held out hope of having some of the people she knew join them. Especially Danny. He had already committed himself to look out for her and Sean. If something happened to Larry, she didn't want to drive him away.

It was less than twenty-four hours before Joe showed up to work on the leaky kitchen faucet. After inspecting it, he announced it was a simple fix.

"I just need to re-pack this thing."

"What's that mean? It sounds painful." Sue observed.

Joe smiled. "Not at all. You see inside the faucet there is what we call packing. It's kind of like a gasket. As lot as it holds out, there's no problem. But when it gets worn enough it lets water seep through and you have a leak. All I have to do is shut off the water, open the faucet and remove the old packing, then put in new packing and put it back together. It should take about an hour, give or take."

Joe got to work and soon had everything taken apart. He was working on putting the new packing in when Larry stopped by.

"How's it going? Need any help?"

"I've got it. No problem." Joe glanced around quickly and then spoke to Larry in a hushed voice. "I see you have some serious security around here."

"Yeah. Charlie came by and installed it for me after I fixed his saw."

"I see. Tell me, do you happen to have any scraps left over to trade for my work? I think I'd like to have Charlie do something like this for my place."

"I've got plenty. But you realize that what I have is probably worth more than a leaky faucet."

"I'll take your word for it. So what do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. What do you have to offer?"

Joe looked at Larry for a long moment before answering. "Tell me. How serious at you about defending this place?"

"Can't you tell?"

"That's not what i mean. I asking if you are going to be satisfied by sitting inside while the mobs are outside or are you ready to be more aggressive in defending yourself and your family?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family. Why? Do you have something in mind?"

"Let me finish with this, and then come out to my truck and I'll show you."

Larry left him to complete the job, which actually was done in about an hour. Then the men met outside by Joe's truck.

"So what were you talking about?"

"This." Joe reached into one of the many boxes on the back of the truck and pulled out something that at first Larry thought was a pipe bomb. When he asked, Joe set him straight.

"No! It's not a pipe bomb. It's more like a miniature cannon. You see one end is open. You put your propellant in that end and then put in anything else. Small rocks, pieces of broken glass, nails, anything that will do damage. When you set off the propellant, it all blows out the open end like shotgun pellets. And God help anyone who is on the wrong end of this thing when it goes off."

"How do you set it off? Blasting caps? They are kind of hard to come by."

"Believe it or not, you use a sparkler. You just push the sparkler into the bag holding the propellant, and attach two wires to it. Then when you want to use it, you plug the wire into the wall or use anything that will generate enough juice to start the sparkler. Those little generators that people use to power the head light on their bicycles would probably be enough."

"Isn't this illegal?"

"Yes. And if you ever tell anyone you got this from me I'm going to look you in the eye and call you a liar. That's why I asked how serious you are about this. Now do you want a couple, or should we just forget about it?"

Larry thought about the possibilities.

"Can I get two? I need one for the back door as well."

[day late]

Chapter Four

"So how do you reload these things?"

"YOU don't."

"What do you mean? Are they only good for one shot?"

"No. They can be reused, but You don't reload them. It's best to leave that to people who know what they are doing. If you do it wrong, you could lose anything from a couple of fingers to your life."

"I see. So who does the reloading?"

"Don't ask. Some things are better left unsaid. And you can't tell what you don't know."

"Alright, I won't ask, but I want you to tell me something. Why all the secrecy?"

Joe studied Larry for a moment before answering. "Larry, since we met at the church, I know you are a believer. The question is, what exactly do you believe is happening right now? Biblically speaking, I mean."

Now it was Larry's turn to study Joe before he spoke.

"You know, I've been waiting a long time for someone to ask that question. Joe, I've been a student of Biblical prophecy and modern prophecy for longer than I care to admit. I've never been able to talk with anyone about it without them looking at me like I'm crazy. Since you've asked, I'll tell you. I believe this nation is under God's judgment. I believe that what has happened so far with the earthquake that hammered California, the drought that has hurt the fruit and vegetable producers so bad, and everything else, is just the beginning."

"How far do you think this punishment will go?"

"The Book of Revelation says,

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

I don't know about you, but given the description of Babylon the Great it can't be any place but America. If that is true, then this nation will not survive."

"I see we are of a like mind. Larry, if things are only going to get worse, then we need to be ready for it. That means we need things, each other and to know when to ask and not to ask questions. This is one of those do not ask times."

Larry decided not to install the devices right away. First of all it would be a bit obvious in the middle of the day, and secondly he really didn't want to explain this to Sue at the moment. Sean he felt he could trust. He was mature for his age and getting more so every day. He was certain that there would be no problem with Sean. He could explain about them and he would leave the explosives alone.

He once more walked around the house, thinking where he would place the devices. Joe had told him that while they were devastating things, they were also rather short ranged. It wasn't that they couldn't still do damage at longer ranges. But with an opening so large, the projectiles would scatter widely after a short distance, making them virtually useless at greater ranges. He stood at the back door looking across the yard. It was wide open and anyone approaching the house could come from any direction. He stood on the back step and tried to figure the best way to point the device. As he did so, he noticed something that disturbed him.

On the next street over there were some people who clearly didn't belong in the area. It was a comfortable middle class neighborhood. Many of the homes had swing sets in the back yard. A couple of the homes had a pool. Whoever these guys were, and there appeared to by five or six of them. their clothing and attitude was completely out of keeping with the area. If anything they looked like the kind of people he would cross the street to avoid. They were tough looking and seemed to have no regard for anyone except themselves. They casually walked down the center of the road, looking at the homes in the neighborhood with an unusual interest it seemed to Larry.

He also noticed that from time to time one or another of them would point at a house and then they would all scrutinize it. It made him uncomfortable. He watched them until they had moved out of sight and then he walked around to the front of his home to look for a place to put the second device. He noticed that Charlie, who was at Danny's house, was just coming out to go to his truck. He threw his tool belt in the back and turned to get in. That's when he saw Larry. Smiling he walked over and shook his hand.

"Good to see you again. I just wanted to say thanks again for the line on these jobs. It's working out pretty well. Including your house I've already done three and have people lined up for another five."

"I'm glad it's working out for you." He pointed at Danny's house. Is everything alright over there? You looked like you were upset when you came out just now."

"Oh, your friend in there needed to be reminded of how much he agreed to pay me. He thought that recommending me to a few other people was worth a sizable discount."

"Oh. I see. Did you hurt him?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just pointed out that since I put everything up, I knew the fastest way to take it down again. Once he realized I was serious, he paid what he promised. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

Larry smiled. He was about to answer when he noticed the same group of young men walking down his street. They were acting just as they had when he first saw them. He began to feel even more uncomfortable. Charlie saw the change on his face and turned to see what he was looking at.

"Now THAT, looks like trouble." He said to Larry. "I'm glad we got your place done first."

"You think they might be looking for something to get into?"

"Some place, yeah, I'd say so. Those guys just don't belong here. I think they are scouting out the area."

"I kind of got that feeling myself."

"Larry, you don't have to tell me, but have you got anything more than that wood to keep these guys out of your place?"

"I've got a pistol."

"I hope you know how to use it. Because you may just have to."

As the two were watching them walk down the street, one of them noticed they were being observed and Challenged the men.

"What do you think you're looking at?"

"Strangers that don't belong in this neighborhood." Larry told him.

"Yeah? Well we belong anywhere we want to go. So you can stop looking at us."

"When you leave, I'll stop looking. I've got a family to watch out for."

"I said stop looking at us, or I'll make you stop."

By this time the other men were listening to the exchange. The one who had been speaking started to move in Larry's direction, when another one caught his arm and stopped him. Larry could by no means read lips, but it was obvious to even him the second man said quietly, "Later. We come back later."

The hot headed man didn't like what he'd heard, but it appeared that the second man must be in charge, because he stopped in his tracks. At first Larry thought the guy was going to argue about it, but he seemed to think better of it and continued on with the group after first pointing at his own eyes and then at Larry. The meaning was clear. The group continued down the street as before. Like they owned the area.

"I don't think you won a friend today. But I think you sure influenced someone." Charlie told him.

"I think you're right. But what else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. If you backed down, there's no telling what he might have done. Maybe he'll just forget it."

"I hope so."

"One thing for sure. If I were you, I'd start making sure your place is sealed up tight at night from now on."

"Already part of the plan."

"Well, I've got to get going before my pay starts to thaw out." Charlie once again shook hands with Larry and added in parting, "Good luck, and may The Lord watch over you."

"And you."

It was shortly before dark when Larry went through the house putting down the panels over the windows and bolting them shut. He also put the bars in place on the front and back doors. When Sue found out what he was doing she was more than a little up set.

"What are you doing? You can't tell me you're that paranoid already."

"You don't understand, Sweetheart."

"You're right. I don't understand why you are so scared."

"Honey, listen to me. There were some people in our neighborhood today that didn't belong here. I think they were looking around for some place to break into. So I think it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Oh come on. You want to box us in because you THINK those people don't belong around here? How many times have we cut through an unknown neighborhood? People didn't act like this because we did that."

"Times were different then, and you didn't see those guys. They looked like gang members if you ask me."

"I can not believe you."

"Look just humor me for the next couple of nights. Besides why else did we put these things up?"

"Fine, fine. You want to be afraid, go ahead. But you will see, just watch."

As it turned out, Sue was partially right. Nothing at all happened that night. On the following night she again gave Larry a hard time about things when he closed them in for a second time. And again nothing happened. On the morning of the third day, she was barely speaking to Larry because of what she thought of as his obviously unfounded fears. It was after they went to bed on the third night, once again securely sealed in their house, that they were awakened by the sound of gunshots nearby.

Larry jumped out of bed and grabbed his pistol. Then he went to Sean's room and got him into the bedroom with Sue. He told them to close and lock the door behind him, just in case. He then went to the living room, but with no way to see what was happening outside, he pressed his ear against the door and tried to figure out where the noise was coming from.

He could tell it was close by, but exactly where it was coming from he couldn't say. He thought about his neighbors and who's house would have been the easiest to break into. Then he remembered the Mr. and Mrs. Simmons. They were retired and she was really into plants and gardening. When they bought their home a few years back they had done a lot of modifications to it in the form of adding more windows so the plants could get enough light while inside. That home would not present a challenge at all. Larry didn't know if Mr. Simmons owned a weapon, but he supposed it didn't matter. The gang members would have brought their own.

He could hear the sound of people outside. It sounded like someone was doing their best to totally destroy the Simmons house. When he first got up, he'd heard a woman's scream, but now there was no trace of a female voice. Only men both laughing and cursing. He stood in the dark wishing there were something he could do. But his pistol only held six bullets. Even if the attackers were just the ones he had seen before, he couldn't afford to miss even once, and he had never spent very much time at the shooting range. Not to mention they would be shooting back at him, and there were more of them than there was of him. He wasn't a coward, but he wasn't foolish either. He could do nothing and he knew it.

Suddenly he heard a mans voice shout.

"Yeah that's the one. Now I'm going to show him. Grab that and come on."

Larry didn't have to wait long before he found out what the voice was talking about. He heard the glass in the living room window shatter, and saw the wooden panel shudder as something heavy hit it from the outside. He backed away from the front door and placed himself just in the hallway leading to the bedrooms in the back of the house. From that position he could cover the front door and the window with his weapon, if he had to do so. The panel shuddered again as it was struck a second time. Then a third and a fourth. Then someone said,

"Forget it. Try the door."

The door too vibrated with the impact of something heavy. Whatever it was, Larry couldn't tell. The one thing he did notice oddly enough was that all of a sudden his mouth was incredibly dry. He licked his lips and prayed that the door would hold up against the assault as the window panel had. After what seemed like forever and an uncountable number of blows to the door, someone called out.

"Man, forget this. Let's get out of here before the cops show up."

The sounds outside became less and less until he could hear nothing more, except what sounded like a fire. Larry waited for a long while and the quietly pulled back one of the bolts holding the panel closed over the window. He pried at it gently and peeked through the narrow opening, only to have pieces of broken glass tinkle down onto the floor. Across the street the Simmons house was completely engulfed by flames. He eased the panel closed again and secured the bolt.

Larry picked up the phone to try calling the fire department only to find, that as he expected, it wasn't working. There wasn't anything he could do, except return to his wife and son. He knocked quietly on the door and said,

"Sue. It's me. It's alright, open up."

He heard the door unlock and he stepped inside. Sue was clearly frightened, and Sean was also visibly upset.

"It sounded like someone was trying to tear the house down out there. Are they gone?"

"I think so. I took a peek, but I didn't see anyone."

"What's that smell?" Sean wanted to know.

"Whoever it was, they set the Simmons house on fire. I tried to call the fire department, but the phones aren't working again."

"What do you mean you 'took a peek'? They could have broken in when you did that."

"Don't worry. I waited until things quieted down. I didn't take any chances with our lives. That's why we got the house boarded up, remember?"

"I still don't think you should have done it."

"Look, it's late. We're safe, and it's still several hours until dawn. Let's try to get some rest. I get the feeling it's going to be a long day tomorrow. Sean, do you want to sleep in your room or in here with us?"

"I think I'll sleep in my bed Dad. That's got to be better than all three of us in one bed."

"Alright. Just remember if you feel uncomfortable, you can still come back in here."

Sean glanced at his mother and answered. "I think I'll be more comfortable in my bed."

While Sue had missed the look, Larry didn't. "Alright, Son. Sleep well."

Larry returned to bed and laid quietly next to his wife. She was silent for a while and then said, "He's quite a young man. It takes something special to go back to his room after this."

Larry smiled. "Yes, he's quite the young man."

The idea that it was going to be a long day was the right one. Once the front door was unbolted Larry and Sean stepped outside and looked around. Debris littered the street in both directions, and the Simmons house was nothing but smoking ash by this time. They found a bench in the front yard that Larry knew used to be in the Simmons front yard for the couple to sit on and enjoy the late afternoon and early evening hours. He wondered about it and then got an idea. Turning around he could tell by the marks on his front door that it had been used to try to break the door down.

There were a few similar marks on the panel from the bench as well. It was clear that Charlie had been right again. The bottom edge of the window was high enough that the bench had to be lifted above waist level to be able to hit the panel. That made it difficult to use the bench against it. Now he knew why the thugs had given up on the window so easily. But that hadn't stopped them from breaking every piece of glass in the window. Shards of glass were everywhere.

"Dad, wasn't Mom saying that you were kind of scared that something might happen?" Sean asked.

"Yes, she did."

"I guess she was wrong and you were right. How did you know?"

"I believe The Lord warned me. Your mother doesn't."

"I guess it's a good thing to get warnings like that, isn't it?"

"I think so. Let's get busy."

He warned Sean to be careful of it and try to only pick up the larger pieces of glass, while he checked the rest of the house for any additional damage.

He didn't find any physical damage, but he found that the gang members had brought spray paint with them. He also learned that they were both obscene, and poor spellers. He wondered how he would ever get his house repainted in a situation like this. As he came around the house, he found Danny doing the same kind of inspection on his own home.

"Quite a night, wasn't it?" He asked Larry.

"Yeah. quite a night. Did they try to break into your place too?"

"No. But like you, those artists used my place for a canvas."

"Have you got any idea what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Simmons?"

"The cops came knocking on my door this morning, asking questions. They say that those people broke in and shot Mr. Simmons as soon as they made it through the door. It seems Mrs. Simmons was beaten unconscious and left for dead. When they found what they wanted, they burned the rest. Mrs. Simmons was taken to the hospital."

"Do you know if she has any family?"

"A couple of kids on the other side of the state from what I hear. I guess the cops will notify them."

"Looks like we got hit pretty bad last night. What do you think? Will the police step up patrols in this area?"

"How? They don't have enough men now. Things have gotten pretty bad out there."

As the men had been speaking they had moved between the houses and back into the front yard. Sean called for his father's attention as they reached it.

"Hey Dad. Look at that." He pointed to a police officer who was tacking a notice to one of the trees lining the street. Together the men walked towards him. He turned to leave just before they reached him and Danny called out.

"Hey Officer. What's going on?"

The Officer looked at them, then hooked his thumb at paper and said, "Read it for yourself."

They looked at the paper and read.

NOTICE!!!

Due to the increasing levels of lawlessness in the United States, and due to the increased threat this lawlessness poses to the general population, the President of The United States and the Governors of all States and Territories have declared a State of Martial Law now exists within the boarders of all States and Territories. A dusk to dawn curfew in now in effect. No person shall be outside their homes after sundown. Anyone found in violation of this curfew is subject to immediate punishment up to and including the use of deadly force. No person shall leave their city, county or state without express written permission of the military governor of the area in which they live.

To better effect these measures for the sake of the American people, The President has requested additional military forces from our allies around the world. Also in order to stem the rising tide of violence, all residents and citizens are required to report to the nearest law enforcement agency and turn over any and all firearms in their possession.

By Order of The President of The United States.

Larry turned to Danny. "I think things have just gotten worse."

"Yeah, I guess so. What are we going to do living under a total lock down like this?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to be spending a lot of time in prayer."

[day late]

Chapter Five

For the first few days after the notice things quieted down quite a bit, which was a relief to everyone. However no troops, either foreign or American, were seen on the streets. It turned out they learned later that the soldiers went to the larger cities and towns first. The immediate lack of troops was all that was needed to convince the gangs that it had all been a bluff. By the fourth night they were once again out in force, taking what they wanted from whoever they wanted to take it from. They had seen how many people gave immediate obedience to the edict and began to turn in their weapons.

After all, if they used them to protect themselves, they would end up going to jail for not turning them in. That meant there wasn't anyone who could possibly stand against them. They began to take advantage of the situation. When trouble started some place and the police responded, they wouldn't hesitate to open fire with the weapons they had no intention of handing over to the police.

The law enforcement community responded by sending what they thought of as overwhelming force to calls of a disturbance of any kind. The gangs had an answer for that. They began to set up ambushes for the officers. The first time they had one person call in a fist fight taking place in the street. Six officers in three cars answered. They found two men in the street appearing to be really going at it with one another. The officers got out of their cars and began to move in on the men, when suddenly both men dropped to the ground. At first the officers believed they were going to surrender. They didn't have time for a second thought as they were gunned down by other gang members hiding in the shadows.

By the time the officers were missed and more sent to the scene, their side arms were missing, the shotguns carried in the front of each car were also gone and the cars themselves had been striped of every weapon they, in both the front and in the trunk, as well as every round of ammunition contained in the vehicle. Anything and everything of value to the gangs had been taken by them. That included police radios, which gave the gangs an advantage in future confrontations.

By the end of the week, many places in town were a virtual war zone. Gangs roamed at will and with police radios in their hands they always knew when and where the police would be. With such victories to encourage them they had little fear of any military forces that might be sent against them. They were certain that they would know they were coming long before they got there. What they didn't count on was that the foreign troops were using frequencies that their stolen police radios couldn't pick up. They were equally certain that the soldiers would behave like the American National Guard soldiers did. They were equally wrong on both counts.

The first encounter between the two groups happened on about the tenth day of martial law. The gangs were having a field day in one section of town when the eastern European forces arrived. When they showed up it was in force with heavy weapons and armored vehicles to back them up. They were first noticed by the rampaging gang members when a voice cut through the noise of the near riot via a loudspeaker mounted on one of the vehicles.

"This is an unlawful assembly. Lay down your weapons and leave."

At first the gang members couldn't believe what they'd heard and nobody moved to comply with the demand.

"I repeat This is an unlawful assembly. Lay down your weapons and leave. NOW!"

One of the gang members who was more than a little the worse for the various substances he had taken earlier shouted back at the troops.

"You want them. Come and get them."

He leveled his pistol at the soldiers and fired one shot. The man it struck staggered backwards from the impact, but remained on his feet and unhurt because of his body armor. That was all it took. The commanding officer gave the order.

"Company, clear the street."

Machine guns mounted on two different vehicles opened up and cut a swath through the crowd of thirty to forty gang bangers. At least ten of them were on the ground either dead or dieing. Not prepared for such firepower, the gang bolted as one, headed away from the terrifying weapons. Again the had underestimated their enemy. The foreign commander was used to having crowds run once his men showed up. He had plans to deal with that. The gang soon found that he had divided his force, and half of the soldiers were now behind them. These men never asked the gang to surrender. They simply began to fire into the mass of humanity.

With soldiers in front and behind them the gang took the only option open to them. They dove for cover in and between the buildings on either side of the street. Some of them were fatally disappointed when they found the doors to some of the buildings locked from the inside. Others broke through the door or broke out windows to gain entry. Most of the shooting was over within minutes.

However the commander had his orders. He was not to allow any of the criminals to escape if at all possible. He ordered his men to first seal off every building on either side of the street. Then the men were to begin a room by room search of every building. At the first sign of resistance they were to use whatever force was necessary to overcome it.

That is where the surviving gang members made yet another mistake. They were used to the idea of taking hostages and negotiating a way out of almost any situation. Since the troops weren't American, they cared just as little for the hostages as the gangs. When one or two gang members warned that if the troops got any closer they would start to kill the innocent bystanders, the nearest soldier would pull the pin from a hand grenade and toss it into the room. After the explosion any still alive were shot without mercy or any attempt to find out who they were. The thought being that if they were so innocent, they should have fought harder against the hostage takers. Besides these were Americans. They had it coming.

After that first encounter with the foreign soldiers, the few gang members who had managed to escape let it be known far and wide what kind of an enemy they now faced. The result of that was an immediate and dramatic drop off in the amount of crime in the streets. Given what they had just been through, many people hailed these troops as their saviors, and welcomed them with open arms. People were no longer afraid to go out into the streets by day. But they did still remain indoors at night.

Sue was among those who saw the strange men with odd accents as people to be welcomed by every law abiding citizen. She no longer feared going to bed at night, since she would hear from time to time what she felt was a most comforting sound. She listened for the sound of the troop carriers driving down her street, and then slept soundly after that. She had even begun to suggest that the panels and bars that had been put up were no longer needed and should be taken down. Larry on the other hand told her that they should stay.

"Larry, we're safe now. Not only do they have men in trucks patrolling the streets, but I've even seen small groups of them on foot, walking down the road."

"Honey, those soldiers aren't going to be around forever. Once they leave we may need this stuff again."

That made her think and she backed off on the idea. Another of things she was very happy about was that after a week, it was announced that the schools would once again be open on a regular basis. True, they wouldn't be open as much as they used to be. That would come after things were a bit more pacified. But starting the next day they would reopen and attendance was mandatory for all students.

To be sure, there were some stories that started to get around that these men would sometimes break into a house, take the occupants somewhere, but none knew where. Then they would help themselves to whatever they fancied from the house they had attacked. But the news always came out either the next day or a day later that the people taken away were in violation of the law in some way, and had been placed in custody pending a future trial. Sue also found the idea that these men would be so very concerned for the safety of everyone very comforting as well. Larry wasn't so sure.

One of the things that first caught his attention was when certain members of the church started to come up missing. No explanation was given as to why they stopped coming to church. Without exception they were all good honorable people. Nobody knew what had become of them. He also noticed that most of the people who had disappeared were veterans that were still young enough to serve if they were called up. And, of course, their families were gone as well. It wasn't anything conclusive, but to him it was disturbing that these people of proved loyalty would just go away and nobody knew anything about it.

He doubts didn't diminish any when Sean came home from school one day. He happened to be in the front yard as his son came walking up the driveway.

"Afternoon, Son. How's it feel to be back in school?"

"It's okay I guess. But it's kind of weird."

"How so?"

"Well, you know how the school always had a police officer or two around for safety?"

"Yes. What's the matter? Don't they have them anymore?"

"They have more now. But not the police. They have one of those foreign soldiers in every room."

"REALLY?"

"Yeah. And it was really weird when they started taking notes when we were talking with the teacher in class."

"Taking notes? What kind of notes?"

"I don't know. I mean they didn't show them to us or anything."

"When did they take notes? What were you talking about when the started writing?"

"Oh. That was in civics class."

"So you're saying they took notes on your knowledge and opinions about the law and society."

"Yeah. I guess so. I did notice that they seemed to like it when somebody didn't know too much about the subject. They didn't act like our teachers at all." Sean thought about it and then said something that took his father totally by surprise. "You know Dad, whenever our teachers corrected someone, the soldier in our class didn't seem to like it very much. It was like he didn't want us to learn anything."

Larry immediately had a scripture run through his mind.

Hsa 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

He also remembered from his study of history that those who conquered another nation always tried to eliminate the true history of the conquered people. It made them easier to control when they were unsure of their past. The concept of patriotism was slowly wiped out. He snapped back to the present and questioned his son one last time.

"Did they take notes on you?"

"Yeah, they did."

"Do you know what kind of notes?"

Sean looked down, as if he were ashamed of himself. "The soldier smiled when he took notes on me."

"Why? I thought you did pretty well in civics class."

"It made me feel a little creepy the way they were acting. So I acted dumb. I said the capital of Florida was Miami. I don't know. It just seemed to be the thing to do. Are you mad at me?"

Larry smiled. "No Son, I'm not mad. I think you probably did the right thing. But let's just keep this between us. I don't think your mother would understand."

"Yeah. I saw how she seems to really like these guys. They make me feel like I should hide or something."

"Oh, just to be sure, what IS the capital of Florida?"

"Tallahassee."

"Alright. Why don't you go on inside and let me get finished with this yard work?"

Larry noticed one other thing that was brought home to him in a personal way. He and some other men were talking at church one day when a man named Gus, who was also an electrician, brought a subject from out of the blue.

"So have these foreign guys asked any of you to work for them yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Larry asked.

"You haven't heard? Those guys are hiring people with certain skills that they need. Doctors, nurses, electricians, carpenters, all kinds of people. They aren't paying much, but I know a few people who figure a small pay check is better than no pay check. They've been taking the jobs."

"I haven't heard anything about that. How do you know?"

"They asked me to work for them."

"Did you take the job?"

"No. Actually I didn't. Maybe I should have, but something doesn't feel quite right about it."

"Like what?"

"For one thing the people I know who have accepted the jobs won't talk about what they are doing. It's kind of like it's all hush hush secret. It makes me uncomfortable. So I turned them down."

The conversation went on discussing the advantages and disadvantages of working for the foreigners and questioning what they must be up to that had to remain so secret. Larry took his thoughts home with him, but didn't share them with Sue. He became even more concerned when Gus and his family were absent from church the following Sunday. Once he noticed that, Larry really looked around for the first time. It shocked him when he found that the size of the congregation had shrunk by about thirty per cent. He knew people had stopped coming, but for the first time realized just how many people had gone missing. These observations he also took home with him but again didn't feel led to share with his wife.

It was a month after the occupation had begun that Charlie happened to stop by one afternoon.

"Hey, Charlie. How's it going?"

"Not bad, Larry. Not bad. I just wanted to make sure you were happy with what we did to your place. Any problems?"

"Not a one. You did a good job. Did you hear what happened out here?"

"Can't say I have. Anything important?"

"It sure was to me."

Larry went on to describe what had happened the night the gangs attacked his neighborhood and how the work that Charlie had done had saved them all from who knew what.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. A lot of people weren't as fortunate as you. They didn't take precautions and suffered because of it."

"You sure saved our bacon. I can't thank you enough for that. So, what are you up to these days?"

Charlie suddenly got a serious look on his face, glanced around as if to see if anyone was listening and then quietly asked.

"Have you heard anything about these foreigners hiring people to work for them?"

"I've heard a few things, yeah. Why?"

"Do you know what they are doing?"

"No. Nobody has said a word."

"Larry, I shouldn't say this. I could get into real trouble, real fast. But you have always been good to me, so I'll tell you. BUT you have to promise that you won't say anything to anyone else. Agreed?"

Curious, Larry answered. "Alright. I won't say a thing."

Again Charlie glanced over his shoulder as if looking for someone. "Larry, they are building camps. I mean barbed wire, guard towers and all."

"Are you serious?"

"I was working on the towers. We were installing mounts for machine guns after the towers were built. Does that sound serious enough for you? I mean I've seen the pictures of the Nazi concentration camps during WW II and these things are a lot like them. Including the furnaces for getting rid of the bodies."

"But how can they get away with something like that? For that matter who are they building these camps for?"

"Washington has told them that 'measures' need to be taken to keep the peace. And from what I hear the camps are for anyone that the government decides is a threat to them. That could be anyone. Me, you, or anyone who says anything against what is going on. They call them 'disruptor's' and they are being singled out for collection and imprisonment in the near future."

"They can't do that. This is America."

"I'm sorry to say, yes they can. A while back a bill was signed that allows the President to decide who is a threat and what should be done with them. Those people can be imprisoned, without charge, held without trial and for as long as the President views them as undesirable."

"I can't believe that."

"Believe it. It's the law."

"Then the law is crazy."

"I won't argue that. But listen to me. You keep a low profile. Believe me, the last thing you want is to go to one of those camps. The only way you will leave them is as a cloud of ash carried on the wind."

Larry was stunned. He couldn't have felt more lost if he'd been hit in the head with a brick.

"If all this is true, why are you working for them?"

"I didn't know what they wanted at first. When I found out, I also found out that if I quit, they would kill my family first, right in front of me, and then I would die. Look I can still get in lots of trouble for telling you this, but like I said, you've always done right by me. I couldn't let this happen to you without warning you first. You stay low and keep your nose clean, or join the resistance."

"Resistance? What resistance? I haven't heard anything about that."

"There are some people who are against what's happening. There aren't many, and right now they can't do much. But their numbers are growing. I can't recommend that you do that. Because whenever they are caught, they are shot on sight. But if you choose to go that way, you won't be alone."

"Thanks for telling me. I think. What are you going to do?"

"The same thing I have been doing. Making a living." Once more Charlie glanced around before speaking. "Listen to me close, Larry. If you ever find yourself in one of the camps I've been working on, take a good look at the southeast corner."

"What's that mean?"

"Just do it. Alright?"

"Southeast corner, I got it."

"I have to get moving. They don't watch me every minute, but they know about how long it takes me to get home from work. When I get there, someone will know. You take care. God Bless you."

Charlie turned to leave and heard Larry behind him.

"God Bless you too."

With his confidence shaken and his internal peace gone, Larry went into his home, wondering if and how much of what he had heard he should share with Sue and Sean.

[day late]

Chapter Six

"So what's the matter with you tonight? You seem a lot quieter than usual." Sue wanted to know, as she and Larry sat in the living room that night.

"I'm just wondering about how things have been going since these foreign soldiers have arrived."

"Much better, I'd say. We don't have to be afraid to sleep in our own beds for one thing. For another, we can walk down the street without being afraid of being mugged or worse."

"Well, that's true I'll admit. But what is going to be the cost when everything is said and done?"

"What ARE you talking about? Those men are here to help us. What kind of cost could there be? And isn't it worth whatever it might be to be safe?"

"Is it worth it? Benjamin Franklin once said that those who give up security for safety get neither. You say we are safe. What about all these people that keep getting taken away? Doesn't that bother you? And why do they always seem to do it in the middle of the night? Why are they afraid to let people actually see what it is that they are doing? That sounds pretty fishy to me."

"There you go, being paranoid again. You know as well as I do that every time that happens they always announce why the people were arrested."

Larry let the 'paranoid' comment slide for the moment. "Don't you find it strange that the excuse for arresting them is always one of the same two or three reasons? Either they are planning some kind of terror attack, they are hiding weapons, or they are helping someone that is planning a terror attack. Why aren't they arresting people guilty of fraud at the disbursement centers?"

"I guess because fraud isn't a violent crime like the others."

"Isn't it funny how the people arrested haven't actually done anything? They are always in the planning stages. I just find it unsettling. And by the way. I guess you could say that I'm just as paranoid as when I had Charlie put up those panels. Maybe I'm not so much paranoid, as I just have God given discernment."

"Oh. You have to drag religion into it again. Alright I'll admit you were right about the panels. But that wasn't 'God given' anything. That was just a combination of luck and foresight."

"So I have the foresight to protect us once, but I'm paranoid to be concerned about something else. Is that what you are saying?"

"Larry, I love you, but you are impossible sometimes. Like I said, these soldiers haven't done anything to us and they aren't going to because we aren't doing anything wrong."

"Honey, neither were the people at church that have suddenly come up missing. And that brings up another point. If they want to arrest these so called violent people, why are they taking their children as well?"

"Well they couldn't leave small children at home alone. I'm sure they are sending them to family members or putting them in some kind of juvenile facility. They aren't monsters after all. They take the kids so they can be looked after."

Sean had been in the other room listening to his parents. He now spoke up.

"Mom? If they are taking care of the kids like me, why don't they ever come back to school? I mean they are the ones who made sure everyone knew attendance was mandatory."

"They probably have a school for them where the are being taken, that's all. And it isn't polite to listen to other peoples conversations."

"I'm sorry, but you guys were kind of loud. That makes it sort of hard to miss unless I go outside."

Sue flushed red. She realized that she had been the one getting louder. As usual, Larry was the one who had kept his voice down. But she wouldn't admit that to her son and lose respect in his eyes.

"We're sorry Sweetheart. We didn't mean for that to happen. But this is an adult thing and you really shouldn't have to worry about it."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? I told you already, this is an adult thing. You don't need to worry about it."

"I think I do."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because when one or two of the kids at school stop coming, we aren't allowed to ask about it. no matter how many times it happens. If anyone tries to, the teachers make them stop. And if they don't, the soldiers do. Mom, there are a lot of people at school that are getting scared. That's why I need to worry about it."

"Sean, nothing like that is going to happen to you or us. As I told your father, we don't do anything to be arrested for."

"Neither did they."

"How can you know something like that?"

"Do you remember my friend Sharon?"

"Yes."

"Her father works in the kitchen at the hospital. She disappeared last Tuesday. All he did was cook. So why is she gone?"

"I'm sure there must be a reason. Did you hear anything in the news about them?"

"They said just what Dad was talking about. That her father was planning to do a terrorist attack some place."

"Well, there you go. He must have gotten into something he shouldn't have. Violent people like that need to be arrested."

"Mom. Her father is a conscientious objector. He wouldn't do something like that."

"I'm sure you're mistaken about that."

"No, I'm not. He came to speak at our school about it last year. He talked a lot about how war and violence were wrong and nobody should be involved in them."

Sue was lost. She knew her husband and son had to be wrong. These soldiers had done so much to secure the country. But she had no arguments to bring to the table.

"Well, you two just wait and see. You'll find out how wrong you are."

With that she left the room and went into the bed room to read. Larry and Sean looked at each other. Sean shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

"You never told me kids were missing from your class."

"Sorry, Dad. Before tonight I thought you would have said I was crazy or something. You never said anything about it either."

Larry smiled at him. "Parents are like that. They want to protect their children from everything. Maybe we're wrong, but that's the way we are. I guess you've been growing up faster than I realized."

"I think things have changed and I'm not going to have a choice."

"I hope you're wrong son. But things are changing. That's for sure."

"Dad, what do you think we should do?"

"For now, I think we should just keep doing what we have been doing. We need to protect ourselves. And I'll be praying about it."

Sean stared at his father for a couple of minutes before speaking.

"Dad, would you teach me how to do that?"

None of the trio knew anything about the patrol of ten troops walking down their street. Even if they had known, they wouldn't have understood the language they were speaking.

"What do you think, Sir? Are there any places on this street that need to be pacified?"

"Maybe. But this area isn't as rich as the others we've been in."

They continued to patrol the area for a few more minutes before another man spoke up.

"Sir? There's one thing I don't understand. How can these Americans be so blind about what is happening to them?"

"Didn't you go through the indoctrination before we came here? These people believe whatever their government tells them. They've never had an invasion in this country. So they think they are safe."

"Then why don't we just get it over with and take control of everything?"

"Simple. These Americans may be ignorant, but they are not stupid. If we tried to just take over they would fight us. And there are a lot more of them than us. So we do it quietly and slowly. The plan is that by the time they realize what is happening, it will be too late. But don't count on that. Some of them know what is going on."

"Sir, I'm sorry if I ask too much but how can they fight us? Their government has already taken away their weapons."

"You can't believe that. If it were true, then those criminals wouldn't have been shooting at us. You must understand. Before the start of the collapse, there were more unregistered weapons in this country than registered ones. It was only the registered ones that the government could find. Be sure there is probably at least one weapon in most of the houses in every city and town in this country."

"Then why didn't the government here just go house to house collecting them, like they would do back home?"

"Because this IS America. The government here knows if they tried that there would have been civil war. They didn't want that. They might have lost. They know that most American soldiers won't fire on their own people. If anything they would join them. That's why we are here. But with so many weapons out there, we have to be cautious and move slowly. Part of that has been the rounding up of those the American government thinks will fight against them and us. Those people would be leaders. If we take out the leaders, then there is nobody to follow, so the rest of them won't fight. Are you sure you had indoctrination? All of this was explained there."

"I'm sorry Sir. Hearing it and seeing it happen are very different things. It's hard to be believe they would fall for something like this."

"Trust me. The day will come when they begin to fight back. When they do, we will have our hands full."

"Why? They couldn't have anything like the weapons we have."

"You know why. They may not have automatic weapons, but it only takes one bullet from a sniper or an ambush to take anyone of us out of the fight. Then whoever shot you, will have an automatic weapon. YOURS. Now stay quite and and keep your eyes open for anything that might be useful to us or worth something. Then we come back later."

"Does that include the women?"

The officer smiled. "Of course. Soldiers a long way from home need their comforts."

The men laughed softly and continued down the street.

During the next few weeks, things began to settle down into something of a routine. Everyone who wasn't part of the occupying force was off the street by sun down. After that, only the foreign troops were out. A few of the braver souls did actually venture out at night, but never further than a house or two from where they lived, and only just after the latest foot patrol had passed by. The logic being that if they had just been through the area it would be a little while before they came back.

Most people tried to ignore the situation, which as it turned out wasn't that hard to do. Most people were inside by nightfall even before things went bad. During the day the foreign troops might once in a while stop someone for an identification check. Usually this was just a formality and people would be allowed to continue on their way. However upon occasion it would be more than that. The person showing the I.D. would be arrested and detained. Later that night, a search of their home and the detention of their families would take place. The neighbors of that person would remain inside, no matter what they saw or heard. They feared being arrested and taken away themselves and did nothing to help those who were so unfortunate.

Larry couldn't help but notice that more and more often the people being taken away were the ones who had publicly voiced their displeasure over the situation and their distrust of the alien occupiers. He learned that while he held the same feelings, it was proving to be wise to keep them to himself.

Sue went on day to day remarking how much better things were with the friendly foreigners. No longer was there a problem with going to the government disbursement center to collect their rations. She even wasn't afraid to go alone since there was almost no danger of being attacked by someone wanting what food and other items she had been able to get. She was disappointed that she was still unable to go out for an evening stroll as she and Larry had done from time to time in the past. But some sacrifices had to be made to make sure they all remained safe.

Sean found that other classmates still vanished from time to time, and had learned not to question it. He continued to present himself as just a good, but not too bright, kid. He also noticed that kept the guards at the school from watching him too closely. His grades fell off somewhat, but he still managed to keep them from falling too far. When questioned by his mother he told her that he was trying, but all the soldiers were a distraction. His father was told the real reason why his grades had fallen. That provided an opportunity for the two of them to spend more time together as Larry 'coached' Sean in his school work.

It was during these 'coaching' secessions that Sean asked more and more about God and His plan for people like them in times like these. Larry provided all the information that he could, and could tell that Sean was coming closer to a decision, which pleased him immensely. Sue was quite displeased when one Sunday morning Sean announce that he would like to go to church with his father.

"SEAN. Don't tell me you believe all of this superstitious nonsense."

"Mom, I just want to find out more about it. You always said that I should get all the information before making any kind of decision. Well, to do that I have to go to church. That's where they have the information about how we got here."

"Son, I told you about 'The Big Bang' and how evolution works. You don't need to go to church to know where we came from."

"Mom, you said that there was some kind of mass that exploded and it all became the planets, stars and everything else, right?"

"That's right. That's how it all started. Before that there was nothing."

"If that's true, then where did that big mass come from?"

"Nobody knows."

"Maybe they know at Dad's church. I'd like the chance to find out for myself."

The argument continued for a while, but in the end, Sean went with his father. Sue sat at home and fumed over it. It was bad enough that Larry believed this tripe, but there was no way that Sean should be persuaded to swallow it as well. And she couldn't believe how he had turned her arguments around and made her look foolish for what she believed. Time after time he asked questions based on her teachings that she couldn't answer. It made her furious.

After a time she decided that sitting inside wasn't going to do her any good. She walked out back and began to tend what was left of the little garden they had put in over the summer to help out with their food supply. A lot of the food had already been gathered, but there were still a few beans and pea pods left yet to bring in. They had decided to allow them to grow until they were mature or the weather would kill them off and make them useless.

"Bringing in the last of the crop?" A voice called to her.

Looking up she found Danny peeking over the top of the fence. She smiled and answered.

"There's no point in letting it go to waste. How are you set?"

"Well, you know me. I'm all alone over here. I didn't put in a garden. If I wasn't working, I was looking for work. I didn't have time for something like that."

"Oh you poor, poor baby." She laughingly chided him. "All dressed up and nowhere to go, is that it?"

"Something like that. You know, with the way you were going at it, I'd say it's a good thing you already got most of your crop in."

Sue stopped smiling and became angry again.

"It's Larry. He's got Sean believing all of that Christian mumbo jumbo now. Or at least he's trying real hard. Do you know Sean actually asked to go to church this morning?"

"I thought I heard some loud voices earlier. So that's what it was all about?"

"Yes. And I don't know what to do about it."

"There's not much you can, for right now. Later maybe. But not now."

Sue put the remainder of the vegetables in a basket she had brought for the purpose, and leaving it where it was sitting, stood and walked over to Danny.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sean wants to find out about these things, right. Well he's what? fourteen or fifteen now? That's normal. Learning about life is part of growing up. You can't stop it. And to tell the truth, the harder you fight against it the more you will drive Sean into it."

"So what are you saying I should do? Ignore it?"

Danny reached between the slats on the fence a placed his hand on Sue's shoulder. He looked her in the eye and spoke sincerely.

"Just like with so many of these things. You have to let nature take it's course. You can't change the seasons. You can't stop kids from playing doctor, and you can't stop a curious young mind from learning. What you need to do is wait. Sooner or later Sean is going to pray about something, or expect God to do something and he is going to be disappointed. When that happens you step in and tell him again that Larry is wrong about all of this and you try to help him out. THEN he will listen to you. But not before. I know. My parents tried to get me to believe all of that stuff, but I just couldn't buy into it."

Sue didn't remove Danny's hand. She found it comforting that there was at least one rational mind that understood her concerns. She placed her hand on top of his instinctively.

"Thanks for the advice Danny. I guess you're right. If you don't mind, I'd like to discuss it a little more with you at a later time."

"Not a problem." He agreed. "Anything I can do to help, I will. I hope you know that."

"Yes, I do. It would be nice to have a chance to discuss things with someone who understands." She smiled at him and took a step backwards. "I guess I'd better get those things in the house and get started on cooking. Those two should be home soon and I don't want to keep them waiting. They might start talking about that nonsense around the table. I'll see you later."

"Any time."

Sue walked to the remains of the garden, picked up the basket and started into the house. At the door she stopped and looked back. For some reason she thought that the remains of the garden reminded her of her marriage. It had started out growing and full of promise. It had produced many good things. A nice home, a wonderful son, security over the years and so forth. Now it seemed to her that like the garden, her marriage was dieing and there was nothing that could be done about it. It was as Danny had said. Nature had to take it's course. Maybe it could be saved. Plants could be sometimes if they were brought inside and protected from the weather. But it was a lot of hard work that as often as not failed to pay off in the long run. Maybe nature was taking it's course with her and Larry as well. In which case, was she willing to put in the time and effort to save something that might be beyond saving? She sighed and went in, so engrossed with her
thoughts she never noticed how Danny was watching her every move.

Sean was full of questions and even a touch of excitement as he and his father made their way home. They hadn't driven the car, since it was now fairly safe to walk the streets again. Also the fact that gas was becoming almost impossible to fins and the price was simply out of reach for almost everyone. So, as many others had done, they had begun to walk where ever they needed to go.

"You know Dad, things make a lot more sense the way the preacher explained them. I mean I always wondered if evolution was right, why did things stop evovling. Now I see where they never did evolve, they were made that way."

"It does me good to hear you say that Son."

"Dad? Why doesn't Mom believe?"

"I wish I could tell you. She has seen how The Lord has always taken care of us, but refuses to admit it. I think she just can't accept anything over which she has no control."

"That's a shame. Even I can see some times you just can't do that. I mean like our garden. We can't control what happens to it over the winter. We just have to accept it."

"I know, Son. But believe me if she thought she could control what happens to it, she would. Some times things just have to take their course."