Sharecropping The Apocalypse: A Prepper is Cast Adrift (8 page)

“To be honest with you David, I am very glad you got lucky and got yourself a deer today. I was hoping you were not  just out squirrel hunting and maybe had a bit of something from your hunting efforts I could talk you into to sharing with us. Food is getting mighty tight over at my place and the deer around my place are so skittish and high strung with all the hunters in the woods that I haven’t even seen a clear shot or for that matter a deer in days.  My cold bones have been sitting out on my stand every morning and dusk watching and waiting for nothing.” Mike said forlornly.

“Well then it’s your lucky day my backwoods buddy, that’s a fine of a 6 pointer deer that you will ever see that I managed to shoot this morning. There he is lying over there by the gully. See him?” David said jubilantly as he now let Mike take a turn and pull the two wheeled cart down the forest trail instead of him. David was always good at instigating or conniving to get younger folk to use their youthful muscles and enthusiasm to perform a task regardless whether or not he could easily do it for himself.

It was to him, a sort of southern respect your elders’ thing that he sort of did to have some mischievous fun while playfully cajoling or tricking someone into sharing the harder part of a task that David needed to work on and that he just as soon get out of.

“I take it that Mike you didn’t get much of a chance to prep for hard times as bad as these ones we are going through now” David said cautiously wondering if Mike had prepared for himself and his family much at all.

“Well David you know how it is; new shoes and clothes for kids, low pay etc. Just seems like every time I was planning on making some prepper purchase something would come along and take away all the extra money. Seems pretty much every time I turned around, just simple everyday living or unexpected bills and expenses would pop up and short sheet my bank account.” Mike said wistfully.

“I got some stuff put back for this apocalypse that I might be able to let you borrow, but nobody, I am telling you now, nobody unless they were Rockefeller could afford to prep for something of this magnitude. You wouldn’t believe how much it would cost to even try to and like you say a dollar doesn’t go very far anymore. The only reason I have the amount I have is that I started prepping several years earlier.  You will however be happy to know though that I planned on my stored food running out and prepped extra food procurement items like traps and snares enough for the both of us to use if you’re up for it. My motto has sort of been “have it on hand when you do not need it, but get it when you can find it and afford it so that you will have it around before you actually need it.  I need you Mike, one man is not going to be able to provide food and security around here by his lonesome. We got to team up together and practice some community survival as I told you a long time ago” David said warily watching Mike’s reaction.

Authors note:
One of the most basic rules in preparing and acquiring things for SHTF is that you need to have it before you need it. You may think „oh, but that is so obvious“yes and no. Sometimes it is not. When the poo hits the fan you may find out that it is very important to have any number of things you can no longer buy. You need to think and explore more about what weaknesses you have in your own preps and how to fix them before SHTF. Also do not think only about „ what things do I need”? You should feel free to think about what things are other people maybe going to need? “Because you are going to trade in these kinds of items with others if you can.

If you look around at society in general and keep in mind when SHTF actually does occur the term “useful things“ takes on a whole new light and meaning. Now we are not talking about the fact that for some people it is priority to loot the mall and steal useless TV sets, stereos or something similar first chance they get. Hopefully during this period of craziness a lot of ammo gets wasted on them idiots from law-abiding folks and by the hoodlums themselves in internal squabbles with their own evil elements. Candles, batteries, lighters, canned food, spices, small tools, pocket knives etc. you know small concealable things are what is valuable and good for barter. Acquire things that are easy to carry and easier to sell later now when their priced cheap. I would say even get visionary about it if you got the bucks or barter. I bet condoms will still sell. Also think of things that you think will gain value over the time, possibly even multiple times over in value. Stuff like seeds, plants and knowledge about medicinal plants and herbal teas for healing etc. When a few months pass and people finally realize that the lights are going to stay out for a longer period than they can imagine and no doctors, no hospitals etc occurs, then diseases will also start spreading of course and you will see that homemade remedies suddenly become very popular and at the same time much more expensive to procure. That is if you can find any or anyone selling such.

“I told you David I would be here for a disaster and now here I am on your doorstep ready willing and able.” Mike said with a smile while helping David hoist the deer on the cart and balance the load.

“I know you are buddy and I thank you, but there are a few things we need to discuss further such as just how screwed we are at this very moment and how hard it will get for us to even get out of bed in the morning and try to hunt later .Or for that matter for us to even attempt to make a crop in that big field you have. I know that sort of work don’t sound like so much now, but we will soon be expending more calories trying to get food and stay warm than we will be getting from our efforts. We need to watch that. It don’t take very long to over exert yourself or become malnourished just trying to survive. We also need to consider how desperate everyone has become around us now or is going to be getting all too soon and try to make ourselves a plan. You know that right now, this minute, some single mom somewhere is probably sitting down with the last can of peas in the house and divvying it up between her three small starving children… Some father or grandfather is pissed about that and out hunting to feed his family and he knows coming back empty handed is not an option….The crack heads and looters are starting to do day time break-ins to businesses and those thieves already rule the night so you got to worry about the home front as well when you are out in the woods. I am telling you the pins already been pulled out of the hand grenade and its smoking!” David said resolutely and pulled the cart along with Mike’s help back to his house.

“David at least we can take satisfaction in the notion that we got ourselves deer and other critters to eat in the woods for now and count our blessings. I imagine we should be alright for some time to come as long as the other hunters don’t wipe out or scare off all the game in the area”. Mike said confident that he thought that between the two of them that they could procure enough food to feed themselves and their families.

“Hey, David, did you hear on the radio about China invading and taking the island of Taiwan and the Chinese’s also shutting down the
Panama Canal in South America? What’s that all about anyway?” Mike said as they parked the deer trailer and went in the house for coffee.

“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Hell
the Chinese already controls the canal. They have inserted more than 200,000 Chinese into Panama over the years. Lots of folks are going to take advantage of this situation like I said. Supposedly China declared that they traced their own terrorist cyber-attack on their grid system back to Taiwan but that could be anything from truth to propaganda. China has been spoiling for a reason, pretty much any reason to do just what they are doing now and invading that country for a long time.
Don’t worry; this global war has just begun! I doubt anyone will start slinging nukes or are contemplating having themselves much of a traditional Land, Air and Sea war or anything to dramatic, nope asymmetric strategic warfare will rule the day and you don’t know where it’s coming from and it’s damn hard to identify by whom.
The insertion phase has been successfully completed
for the long asymmetric strategic warfare plan and we have now moved into that
final year
operations phase
. It’s kind of like the horseman of the apocalypse got together for a game of chaotic chess.” David said letting his statements sink in and thanking Julie for the steaming mug of black coffee she handed him.

“So in your opinion what’s next in this ‘war of the worlds’ scenario buddy? I mean you mentioned that we already had plenty of insurgents, terrorists, mole spies, radical religious groups and every other kind of nut case running around here in this country with the lord knows what kind of weapons of mass destruction. You think some kind of WMD is next?” Mike asked very carefully trying to not appear as rattled as he actually was about that insidious notion.

“I have been thinking on that thorny subject quite a bit lately and have concluded that basically it just depends on who whacked us and why. Somebody is pissed off at us that is for sure, just depends now on who and what for. That there will be more attacks and that will create more anarchy is an assured outcome, yes most definitely assured I am sorry to say. However, I sure hope and pray the shit doesn’t start falling like dominos around the world with every evil soul taking up arms to take advantage of a situation and drag the world down into a deeper burning hell with them. Think about it this way, in Los Angeles you got to contend with on any given normal day the armed gangs who roam the streets and terrorize the neighborhood. Every few inter city blocks are controlled by one of more than 30 armed different factions doing some kind of warring drug lord thing while murdering and robbing folks.

The gangs have been able to survive and shoot at each other every single day for decades and that’s mainly because they were being only somewhat marginally contained by the cops and the modern legal system. Now it’s a no holds barred world for them without law and order and it takes just one firebomb (which you know somebody will think to use) to set the whole city on fire because the fire department can’t respond etc. So the survivors of this damn cyber-attack in LA are toast now because somebody else’s political agenda or culture tried to take advantage of the situation for a little revenge or to influence a little druggie control over another warring faction. What freaks me out is that
Smallpox
is already in the hands of the worlds terrorists, and it is the nasty
Soviet-modified kind
that is resistant to most countermeasures. I can tell you from my emergency management studies that whenever smallpox is unleashed in a single large city anywhere on this planet, it will eventually kill one-third of the human population. Things are going to get real freaking strange around here no matter what happens and we may as well plan to be pretty much on our own for the rest of our lives in my opinion. But then again I must say it’s a wait and see affair whether or not it ever escalates into WMDs, all I can say now is pray it don’t.” David said ominously to his evidently shocked and afraid listeners.

“That bad? Really, David? You
really
really
don’t know the chances of someone taking advantage of this situation like North Korea or Iran attacking us with biological agents either directly or through one of their proxies? Those fanatics are not sane on a good day I remember you saying. ” Julie asked somewhat confused that he hadn’t given a comparative statistic or risk assessment on the probability of the situation.

“Too many if`s, ands or but’s in the works to give you any kind of decent percentage guess of that possibility Julie. I am sure both countries are making noise and saber rattling right now to do something just like that, but they do that kind of threatening all the time anyway and then we threaten them back with massive retaliation, but we just do it not as publicly or as aggressively.” David said dismissively before resuming his banter.

“Propaganda takes on many different forms and I am guessing about right now that we will be hearing lots of it on the radio soon from everyone with any kind or type of agenda to serve. I believe all of them lousy bastards, the government, the terrorists and the huge utility corporations as well as the sorry ass media will just talk about turning off and on the lights slowly before the whole works goes poof! The government and FEMA will hand out little pocket lights of hope so that people can peek at a small area around them, but they will never give the people enough light to see the big picture of a permanent blackout occurring and lasting for years. We will all have to try to endure varying degrees of the slippery slimy slow descent of this societal collapse until we get to the point of complete anarchy worldwide. The Dark Ages will look like a romp in the park by comparison to the crap we got coming. Does anyone really wonder why it is increasingly only the ignorant and oblivious that still trusts the government anymore?” David said going into the kitchen to retrieve a dark curve bladed Old Hickory brand skinning knife from his kitchen drawer that he had honed to a razors edge.

“Mike checks this out. If I am not out in the field or woods using my sheath knife, then this is my blade of choice for the tasks at hand of skinning that buck neatly.“ David said changing the subject and showing Mike the knife.

“Dang that thing looks older than my Grand Pa, how long you had that weird looking knife David?’ Mike said seeing that the dark blade had been significantly thinned over time from constant sharpening, but the edge looked true and it looked like it could split frog hairs if David had a mind to.

“I don’t know, I have had it 20, 25 years maybe? They still make these knives you know and their reasonably priced special carbon steel blades that gets dark with age and that aspect of them reduces rust. “David said taking the knife back.

“The sharper your knife, the easier your life.” Mike quoted peering at the assortment of blades David had in a kitchen drawer.

“Hadn’t heard that one before Mike. That saying makes a lot of sense though.” David replied pondering upon its country wisdom meaning.

“Did you ever end up deciding whether or not you’re going to clean that deer here on the property David? I thought you said you were going to take it down to Mike’s place to do it?” Julie asked while trying to speculate on what it David was had in mind to do with the deer at the moment and why.

“I haven’t really had a chance to talk about that subject yet; we sort of got sidetracked dragging the deer back here. Mike I got lots of swamp deer that use my place as a trail crossing point from the woods to the paved road and up until now my land hasn’t been hunted in 10 years. What I propose to you is that you clean the deer up at your place and dispose of the offal and other nasty stuff on your property. If you want to use the scraps for snare bait we can do that also but you best keep track of whose dogs are out and about running loose.” David said not really wanting to have to deal with processing possums or getting involved with a lost neighborhood dog dispute just yet.

“I wish we had us some wild hogs close by. I could use them deer guts and such to attract them into shooting range with. I guess I will talk to my wife and see what pot she is willing to give up out of her kitchen and cook up something for the dog. I don’t want him eating raw meat and taking a chance on worms. Maybe if that husky gets a taste for venison he will become a good deer dog! Ha!” Mike said thinking that dang dog of his was fast enough already to catch one if he had a mind too.

“Hey, now that reminds me! Charlie up the road might know if there are some wild hogs in the area Mike. Me and him have got us a sort of prepper pact going on between us also. Me and him have drank ourselves many a beer and played with various prepper toys over the years while discussing how we might be able to help each other out in a situation like this. I thought that I would have seen him come around here to my place by now and come to think of it I am starting to wonder if he is even at home at the moment. He has been among the missing anyway. You want to take a walk up there with me before you head back or do you want to go ahead and get started on cleaning that deer? Hey. Charlie’s got himself a big barrel smoker by the way that we could use. That smoker would be handier than what I had in mind for preserving some of the venison.” David declared.

“Sure David, I will walk up there with you. I take it that since you are giving me half of that deer in barter that I am on my own to transport and butcher it?” Mike said not caring one way or the other if David wanted it that way, just as long as he ended up with some much needed food for him and his family.

“I can help you drag it up to your house. Besides I wanted to come down and say hi to your family anyway. I would even venture to say butcher it up at Charlie’s and we all have a big cook out, but I am not comfortable leaving my house unattended at the moment. I got some neighbor trust issues going on I need to remedy or at least get myself comfortable about.  By the way I have already talked to them questionable neighbors across the street from me, but I know little or nothing about them or the ones living on the other side of me. Charles knows the neighbors on my left personally and does not have much regard for them. He told me awhile back to steer clear of the “prison family” when I first moved down this way, but he never said much more to me about them. Wish I had of asked him for some more detailed information on them people now. That other couple who lives up from them on our road before you get to Charles place I don’t know very much about them either. I met the live in girlfriend from that trailer parked up there in the pines one time and she seemed a kind of shady character but she was nice enough. Talked a lot of alcohol induced trash about whom she knew was a prostitute or dope fiend up in the city that hung out around the day labor places if I remember that day correctly. I never have seen hide nor hair of her boyfriend though. He supposedly raised some bulldogs up there on that ridge but I haven’t heard much barking to support that theory and only saw the one dog next to their trailer when Charles ex-girlfriend had me give them a ride to take her home onetime. You can’t even see their place from the road at all.” David said envisioning the uphill walk to his friend’s house.

“I don’t know much about them folks next door to you either. The moms sickly and she has been to prison for something or the other and I heard they got one mentally challenged kid as well living there as well as the two brothers that have done some penitentiary time for drugs or burglary.  You never see them folks outside their house, kind of reclusive types. You have any problems with them people you let me know.” Mike said staring off at the couple acres of woods separating the neighboring house. You couldn’t see the neighbor’s house from David’s but it was easy enough to hear its occupants if their dogs barked or if music was played loud.

“Yea Mike we got to figure out for ourselves some kind of communication signals or something between us. Establish us some better communication between us someway. I got one set of Midland handheld radios that I figured we could share with Clancy at the entrance to the road but I haven’t thought that exchange all the way through as of yet. “That way if either one of us gets wind of suspicious activity we can warn each other. It’s beneficial to have an extra set of eyes and ears even if they don’t live right next door.