Nation at War
Chapter 1: It begins
5/28/13
In a clearing up in the mountains off of a little known trail by a creek a young woman crawls out of a tent. She yawns and stretches as she stands up, her brown eyes blinking in the sunlight through the trees, her shoulder length sandy brown hair tied lightly behind her. Her husband a little taller than herself comes out of the tent right behind her. His hands start rubbing his eyes. He looks up at the sky with his brown eyes to judge the time of morning.
He runs his hand through his dark brown hair and looks over at his wife. "Time for breakfast or are we going to eat when we get back down to town?" He asked as he pulled a bag out of the tent and sat it down beside a stump they had used as a table the past couple of day's.
"I think town will still be there after we eat." his wife said with a smile moving back over to the tent to retrieve her bag.
"Good I really didn't want to wait." He said as he moved over to the spot they had made for their camp fire. He stirred the coals and put some new tinder on the coals to get the fire started again.
"I know dear. Do you want the Grits or the Oatmeal?" His wife asked as she grabbed a water pouch from her bag and two packs of instant oatmeal and some sugar.
"Oatmeal's fine dear." he said with his back to her putting some larger wood on the small fire now going and she smiled.
"I know." she said when he turned around to see her holding the Oatmeal.
"I see I had no real choice. I love you too dear." He said mockingly as he stood up and walked over to her.
"I just know you can't eat the same thing for 3 mornings dear. And I do love you." she said and smiled as he hugged her then picked her up. Spinning around in a circle like silly school kids.
After breakfast they cleaned out and tore down their tent restoring in into his pack. They pored the last of their water onto the fire pit to make sure it was completely out with no chance of restarting. They walked down to the creek and refilled their water pouches.
"Ok time to get started Will. Lets go home." The young woman said as she stood and walked back up the small bank.
"Right behind you Marie." the young man said as he fallowed his wife back up to their camp.
"How did you like the wild? No cell phones, no computers, no electricity, and no work." Marie asked as they started back down the trail. The trail was so small that they were only able to walk down single file.
"It was great, a nice break in the monotony in day to day life." Will said and smiled as they rounded a bend in the trail. The trail wound It's way down the mountain for a mile and a half before it merged into an actual main trail for people to hike up into the mountains.
"I can't wait for a shower though." Marie said with a laugh when her husband agreed without a seconds delay. They traveled for about four hours before they got to the area where they parked their truck.
"Just drive with the windows down?" Will asked once they got all their stuff stored in the truck.
"Yep, I'd say the air conditioner will be to cold at first it's been day's since we've used one." Marie said as she got in and he cranked up the truck. A cream colored new Toyota Tundra.
"Ah just leave it Marie we'll get it tomorrow." Will said once he parked the truck in the driveway and walked around to go unlock the door.
"Famous Last Words." Marie said and laughed as she climbed into the back of the truck. "Here catch!" she hollered as she tossed his pack to him.
"Thanks dear…" Will said with a grunt as he caught his pack just before it hit him right in the gut.
"Welcome, I love you!" Marie said with a smile and jumped down from the truck with her pack slung over her shoulder.
"I love you to dear." Will said with a smile. They walked over to the door and unlocked it then walked into the house.
"Take the packs to the laundry room babe. I'll start laundry before we go to town." Marie said as she handed him her pack. "I'll go ahead and pull down the food to restore our packs with."
"Alright. Then I'm going to go to the bathroom." Will said as he walked down a hall way.
It took them probably an hour to get the packs restored with food and the clothes they had worn moved over to the dryer.
"Alright lets get to the grocery store. The clothes should be dried by the time we get back." Marie said with a smile to her husband. She turned and walked to the front door where they hang their key's and waited for him there.
They made it to the town's only grocery store in about ten minutes. They walked into the store to hear a bunch of people saying "Hey! Their back!"
"The problem with working here…" Marie mumbled under her breath with her husband smirking at her. "Hey!" she said friendly to her coworkers as they walked over to them.
"So how was your trip boss?" one of the cashiers asked and the others looked at him then nodded.
"It was great like it usually is. Can't wait to go back next month." Marie said with a smile.
"You've got to tell us where you go once a month you always come back looking relaxed." another cashier said.
"Yeah… no… that's why I'm relaxed you people aren't around." Marie said with a small laugh as she looked around at everyone laughing at her joke. "Well time to shop." She said gently reminding everyone they are at work.
After about twenty minutes of shopping the PA System went to static, then the lights and computers shut down. Cans and boxes of food started to vibrate right off the shelves. Marie clung onto her husband as a new sound appeared to be right on top of the store. Marie looked up at her husband eyes very serious and nodded. They took off running back up to the front of the store. She pressed herself against the window to look up.
"Military planes and lots of them." Marie said and looked back at her husband and all the people in the store.
"Who's?" Will asked trying to see the planes as they came over the store.
"It's not our flag on them. Kids anyone recognize the flags?" Marie said glancing back at the high school kids she employed at the store.
The young man who had talked to them earlier stepped forward. "Red, White, Black stripes is Iraq I believe. Green, White, Black stripes is Afghanistan again I believe, Blue, White, Red stripes with a red star… North Korea that one I know we are learning about the Korean war in History right now. I didn't catch any of the others, but there were a couple more. What's going on?" he said.
"I don't know but everyone call your family's and tell them to grab everything guns, food, camping gear and get out of town." Marie said then looked back out the window to see things coming out of the planes. "Paratroopers." she said softly to her husband.
"My cell's not working." the young man said and looked back out the window terrified.
"Damn. Alright everyone here we go. Grab everything that you can possible think of to take camping, matches, lighters, fuel, any kind of food that won't spoil for a while and grab a lot of it. Then meet back here in five minutes. GO!" Marie said and ushered everyone in different directions. "Go get the truck babe and get our camping gear, guns, ammo, bows, radio, dryer stuff to. Ten minutes." she said to her husband.
"I'll be back." Will said to her and kissed her then ran out of the store. He jumped into the truck and took off.
"I'm counting on it." she said softly and watched him go leaving her behind with her employee's. "Get it together girl!" she berated her self, grabbed and bag and headed for the medicine isle. She grabbed everything she could think of cleaning off the shelves.
All the employees and shoppers met back up at the front of the store five minutes later. "Did anyone grab batteries?" Marie asked looking around at the crowd.
"I did. I took everything off the shelf." the same young man from earlier said.
"Good boy Kevin way to think ahead. Ok Oatmeal, Grits, pop tarts, breakfast bars?" Marie said looking around at everyone again.
"Got it, all of it off the shelves." an young girl around sixteen said.
"Great Kate, water, back packs, forks, spoons, can openers, can food?" Marie asked and looked around and several people answered this time one of which was and ex-Marine with a buggy full of water and she smiled and nodded to him. Bring your truck with you today Gary?
"Yes Ma'am always." Gary said, in his late fifties had his wife curled up around his arm.
"Good we can use that if you're coming with us that is." Marie said and looked at his terrified wife then back at him.
"I will do what ever it takes to keep Mary safe. Then I will take back my town alone if I have to." Gary said and placed a hand on his wife's.
"You wont be alone but would you like to bring it up to the front so we can load it. You too Kevin. And anyone else with a truck or an older vehicle." Marie said looking around at the crowd again. She watched as a half a dozen people ran out into the parking lot.
"Marie what about our families?" the young girl named Kate asked as she watched everyone start loading.
"Kate honey look out there." Marie said taking her to the window and pointing to where the town hall across town is supposed to be. They could hear a lot of gunfire, sirens, and see a lot of black smoke rising. "What do you think about heading into that to find them?" she asked softly and squeezed the girl when she felt her start trembling.
"I should be able to, but I can't." Kate said and started crying.
"Trust me baby, your parents would not want you to. They would want you to run like hell and get out of here. And that's exactly what we are going to do. We will be back for our family's but today isn't the day." Marie said softly as she held the young girl.
"She's right young lady we will be back and today is not the day for heroics." Marie looked up and smiled at Gary who had walked up very silently.
"Alright everyone gather up. Hand over your cell phones." Marie said looking at everyone again.
"My cell phone no way, I wont be able to call my parents." it was Kevin.
"They aren't working anyway Kevin. But they are traceable. Its only a mater of time before they track us down because of one cell phone, I-pad or some other junk like that. They can't come with us." Marie said as she looked at him then around at everyone else. "No purses they'll just get in the way. Stick everything you want in your pockets then leave them here. Take your ID's though and anything with your address on it!"
"She's right son give it up. We will slip notes and other stuff into town later." It was Gary again. And reluctantly everyone gave Marie their technology and she locked it all in the safe while grabbing all the money she could out of the safe.
"Come on lets go they are closing off roads and heading this way." Will said at the door.
"Alright everyone load up in the truck beds and cars lining the front of the store. Carrie front of our truck. Babe we are leading take us to the toughest trail possible." Marie said and pointed to one of her Front End Managers who is 6 months pregnant.
"Got ya. Only room for one up front though." Will said and looked at his wife worried.
"It's alright. Give me the shotgun." Marie said and held out her hand for the gun. Will handed it over to her. "Kate you are going to be beside me in the bed of the truck."
Kate nodded and followed Marie out of the store and hopped into the back of the truck beside her.
"Here you are going to have to hand me ammo ok." Marie said and locked eye's with Kate.
"You can count one me." Kate said with a new determination and drive about her. Marie nodded then looked forward over the cab of the truck. She beat on the top of the truck three times which told her husband it is time to go.
A line of fifteen vehicles left the stores parking lot heading for the nearest set of mountains. Marie standing feet apart bracing herself racked back the shotgun to load it and looked ahead of the truck looking for any sign of enemy.