Uncertain Times: A Story of Survival Read online

  “We need to establish a perimeter,” Jim said, his military mind kicking in.

  “How many of us do we have here?” Matt asked.

  “Including Bill and Terry, we have a total of nineteen people living in the cabin and tunnels at this point.”

  “Out of those, who could fight if it came down to it?” Rick asked.

  “We have nine men and four women if you count the older boys and the oldest girls.”

  “Some of the younger kids know how to use guns, but they would be a last resort.”

  “I don’t even want to consider any of this unless we have to,” Mary said as her and Alexis brought coffee over to the appreciative group.

  They sat around the fire, talking and watching the flames dance. Some of the younger kids came over to cuddle up with their parents. “I’m scared,” was heard more than a few times.

  Most of the adults started the day since they were already up. A few left to go back to bed. The shock and horror made them ponder their future. Plans to start preparations were made throughout the late afternoon and into the evening.

  The next day, they began making traps for game, as well as possible trespassers. Rabbits and marmots would help supplement their food stores. Traps were placed in a half-mile radius around the cabin over the course of the next week.

  “We need to draw a map with the type of traps and their location so we can avoid them,” Jim brought up. “They would also need to be checked when we patrol the perimeter.”

  They knew animals could set off some of the smaller traps, but the larger ones had been made for their new enemy — whoever that might be.

  “We need to break into groups and run drills in case we’re attacked up here or need to go on the offensive sometime down the road.” Rick suggested after the perimeter had been established.

  “Do you really think all of this is necessary?” Danny asked.

  “Not only will we be ready in case something happens, it will also keep us busy. So, yes, it is.”

  “Each team member will be trained for a specific task, similar to a military fire-team,” Jim said. “Rick and I will put the teams together. With the light machine-guns we acquired; we will also be able to provide suppressive fire to support one another.”

  “I don’t fully understand.” Naythan said, confused.

  “Rick and I will go over it as often as we need to,” Jim told him. “The information you receive will be redundant and you will have a hard time forgetting it.”

  “Weapons and gear will be kept in each member’s room, as well, so you can be ready at a moment’s notice,” Rick said.

  “Designated snipers, — that’s Rick and Matt, for now. You will displace and cover each team according to where we’re attacked from,” Jim pointed at a map of the area.

  Over the next couple of weeks, they were getting better at maneuvering and working together, under the direction of Jim and Rick, who had the most recent military experience in the group.

  They built an observation post in a large copse of trees a few hundred yards north of the cabin and reinforced it with logs for concealment and protection. From the hidden post, the lookout could see for miles in any direction.

  During lunch one day, Susan asked, “Is this preparation really necessary?”

  “Yes, it is,” Jim told her matter-of-factly.

  “We know U.N. troops have landed on U.S. soil, but why?” Rick took over. “We’re doing this because of what they started.”

  “Maybe they’re here to help,” Susan said.

  “Whatever the reason, it would have to be extremely bad here for the U.S. to bring in foreign troops which happens to be an act of war, no matter how you look at it or try to validate it,” Bill told her.

  “Why do you believe they bombed Anchorage?” Terry asked.

  “Do you think they did it because of the Army and Air Force bases up there?” Danny wondered.

  “As I’ve already said, speculation’s what we have for now,” Bill told them.

  “Where is the U.S. military and why is this being allowed to happen?” Mary asked.

  “We should go into town and try to get some information,” Jim said.

  Most of them agreed, but some, like Susan, were skeptical.

  “There’s no reason to go looking for trouble,” she said.

  “But what if it’s over?” Danny brought up.

  “It’s not over bud. This is only the beginning,” Jim told him.

  “We don’t even know what’s really going on,” Jessie interjected.

  “Which is why we’re going to town,” Rick said. “We need to know.”

  “What if it’s not safe down there?” Mary said.

  “Efforts will be made and precautions will be taken to ensure nothing happens to us,” Matt attempted to reassure them.

  “That’s right. We will be extremely vigilant and will head back up here immediately if it doesn’t look right,” Jim added.

  The conversation continued throughout the evening until people had heard enough and headed to bed.

  They settled in the best they could in their temporary home and hoped they were ready for at least most scenarios. They feared their preparations could be put to the test at any time.

  “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.”

  —Alexander Fraser Tyler (1770)

  Chapter Seven

  Two hours before daylight on a cool, foggy morning, five of the men descended the mountain on four-wheelers using night-vision goggles to see their way across the rough terrain. The quiet mufflers they had added to the four-wheelers on previous hunting trips helped their goal of stealth. It was slow going due to the fog, but they weren’t on a schedule.

  Minutes before they made it to the grocery store by the highway in Ninilchik, they decided to stop and conceal the four-wheelers. Shortly after daybreak they began to see people walking and driving around. Everything appeared relatively normal, as far as they could tell. They quickly devised a plan to enter the store one at a time.

  Leaving the tactical gear and rifles behind, they took only handguns which were easily concealed under their jackets and moved toward the store.

  Once inside, the five men spread out around the building, which had been relatively picked clean of merchandise.

  Jim walked up to the counter to talk to the skinny clerk with uncombed blonde hair.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” Jim said. “I don’t mean to bother you, but I’ve been wandering around the mountains since my truck broke down and I’m wondering if you could tell me what’s going on around here?”

  The clerk pursed her lips, then asked Jim, “Are you serious.”

  “Yes ma’am, I am.”

  She called him over to the side of the store to tell him the information she knew. After a few minutes, he shook her hand and left the store. The other four followed as they had come in, one at a time and in different directions.

  “OK, Anchorage wasn’t bombed. An electromagnetic pulse was detonated to cripple the electronics of the local populace,” Jim said once they’d regrouped at treeline down the road.

  “I knew it would be an EMP,” said Matthew with a toothy smile on his face like he’d recently won the lottery. “It’s what I’ve been telling you guys for years now! If they want our land, then bombing us would just be stupid. By setting off an EMP, they could come in and take over, and we wouldn’t be able to do much about it because all of our electronics would be useless. That’s why I only use peep sights on my rifles.”

  “Well, it’s good that they didn’t set it off down here, buddy,” Jim said, patting Matthew on the back while shaking his head. “Apparently a few unlucky passenger jets and ci
vilian aircraft fell out of the sky because of their avionics getting fried. That must have been what we heard and felt the morning after the attack started. The United Nations has sent in troops in order to keep the peace for the transition that’s supposed to happen.”

  “What transition?” Rick asked.

  “Well, apparently, we no longer live the United States of America.”

  “What the hell do you mean?” Terry asked.

  “One World Government, One World Power. Ring any bells?”

  “You’re talking crazy!” said Rick.

  “Well, if it’s happening, like they say, then I’m glad we’re prepared,” Matt chimed in.

  Waiting for nightfall felt like an eternity for most of them. Jim and Rick were accustomed to the hurry-up-and-wait concept. They just sat under the trees and moved as little as possible, until darkness enveloped them.

  “OK guys,” Jim whispered. “Activate your night vision goggles and focus them.”

  “Is everyone awake and good to go?” Rick asked.

  After receiving confirmation, they climbed on the four-wheelers and slowly made their way up the bumpy gravel road. Sometime later, they saw flashes of light in the distance in a few directions and heard faint explosions and gunfire echoing through the valleys. They stopped and shut off their machines. Most of it they heard off in the distance, but some closer.

  “What do you suppose is going on?” Rick asked Jim.

  “Maybe the enemy has met some opposition, or people could be fighting amongst themselves. It’s hard to tell.”

  “Should we go see?” Terry asked.

  “We should stay clear unless we have to. We have it good right now. Let’s not risk the exposure,” Jim replied.

  They started the ATVs up again and continued on.

  Roughly an hour later, when the cabin came into view, Jim turned on his radio and squelched it twice to let Bill know they were approaching. Infrared light flashed back toward them twice to tell them all was clear. They continued toward the cabin and put the four-wheelers back in one of the outbuildings.

  After washing up and getting something to eat, everyone gathered at the fireplace. Jim told them they were in for a long winter.

  “So,” said Bill. “This is it? The apocalypse has begun?”

  “From the sounds of it, countries have simply been handed over to the United Nations coalition by the respective federal governments,” said Jim.

  “Is every country around the world on board with this?” Mary asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” Jim told her.

  “I’m not a conspiracy nut like Bill and Jim, so can you spell it out for us?” Rick asked.

  “This globalization has been going on for decades,” Bill said. “It couldn’t be done overnight, or there would be too much opposition. The newest item is the National Defense Authorization Act for each Fiscal Year. It’s a law here in the United States which has hundreds of pages covering numerous topics. I’ll read you some of it; the most significant parts really.”

  Bill looked through his desk in the corner of the room. Once finding what he thought was pertinent, he addressed the group.

  “OK I found it. The act primarily authorizes funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad; crucial services for service members and their families, and vital national security programs which must be renewed. The Act also contains critical administration initiatives to control the spiraling health care costs of the Department of Defense, to develop counterterrorism initiatives abroad, to build the security capacity of key partners, to modernize the force, and to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of military operations worldwide. The provisions which have received the most attention since 2012 and generated the most controversy can be found in Title X, Subtitle D, and entitled ‘Counter-Terrorism.’ In particular, subsections 1031 and 1032 which deal with the detention of persons the government suspects of involvement in terrorism and have generated controversy as to their legal meaning and their potential implications for abuse of Presidential authority. The detention provisions of the Act have received critical attention and raise concerns about the scope of the President’s authority. This includes contentions for those who may be held indefinitely and could include U.S. citizens arrested on American soil. U.N. Agenda 21 for the 21st Century is a major step, the International Small Arms Treaty and…”

  “Wait,” interrupted Susan, “Isn’t Agenda 21 only about the environment?”

  “It goes way beyond that,” Jim said. “The U.N. would like you to believe it’s only about the environment, but in reality it covers everything on this planet. They want to control as many aspects of your life as possible, from the food you eat to the job you have, who you marry, the amount of kids you have, their gender and so on.”

  “This is mega socialism on a global scale. We have stacks of literature around here somewhere explaining it,” Bill said. He rifled through some of his cabinets and pulled out an article, “Ah, here we go,” then read. “In 1987, Vice President of the World Socialist Party Gro Harlem Brundtland wrote a report for the United Nations entitled “Our Common Future” which explained environmentalism could be used as a tool to control each person in the world and establish a one-world government. According to the authors of Agenda 21, the objective of sustainable development will be to integrate economic, social and environmental policies in order to achieve reduced consumption, social equity and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Sustainablists insist each societal decision be based on environmental impact, focusing on three components — global land use, global education, global population control and reduction. This started with ‘eminent domain.’”

  “What’s eminent domain?” Mary asked.

  “I’ll read you the definition,” said Bill as he looked for another paper in the file drawer next to the desk. “The property of subjects is under the eminent domain of the state, so the state or he who acts for it may use and even alienate and destroy such property, not only in the case of extreme necessity, in which even private persons have a right over the property of others, but for ends of public utility, to which ends those who founded civil society must be allowed to have intended private ends which should give way. But, it’s to be added when this is done; the state is bound to make good the loss to those who lose their property.”

  “Essentially it means if they want what you have, they’ll simply take it,” Jim said.

  “Here’s some more pertinent information you need to hear,” Bill continued. “Following the establishment of the Council on Sustainable Development, J. Gary Lawrence, Council Advisor to President Clinton, revealed: Participating in a UN advocated planning process would likely bring out many of the conspiracy-fixated groups and individuals in our society. This segment of our society, which fears one-world government and a U.N. invasion of the United States, through which our individual freedom would be stripped away, would actively work to defeat any elected official who joined the conspiracy by undertaking LA21 [Local Agenda 21]. So we call our process something else, such as comprehensive planning, growth management or smart growth.”

  “This can’t be happening,” Susan blurted out.

  “Well, it is,” Jim said. “The move to a One World Government, One World Power has been carefully planned, slowly conditioning people, moving them step by step toward public acceptance.”

  “I knew some of you were skeptical, so we made this place a weekend getaway and hunting camp, too, to get you used to it,” Bill concluded, gesturing around the cabin. “This has all become reality, whether we like it or not.”

  Silence settled over the group. Needing time to digest the information, people slowly made their way to their rooms. Each couple talked in hushed whispers, desperately trying to understand how this had been happening right in front of them over the years.

  “I know you’ve talked about this before,” Mary said to Jim as they walked down the passageway. “But I truly didn’t believe it until now.”
<
br />   “Well, I didn’t want to believe it either, but I would rather be prepared, in case the worst happens.”

  The scope of their predicament finally sank in for the rest of the group who voiced doubts before. The whole group feared what would happen next, but knew it to be inevitable.

  “When injustice becomes law, then resistance becomes duty.”

  —Thomas Jefferson

  Chapter Eight

  The days passed with little activity. The people within the group tried to find their niche as they worked through lists of tasks they needed to do. Roving patrols for monitoring outside activity were assigned a rotation.

  One damp, drizzly, overcast day, several people heard their radios squelch three times.

  “Did you hear the radio?” Danny asked Naythan while they were playing a game of checkers.

  “What does three squelches mean again?”

  They looked at each other with wide eyes as they both remembered simultaneously. They jumped up, dumping the board and checker pieces on the floor.

  It’d been nearly a month since heading up to the cabin and until now, they hadn’t come across anyone else and no one had been by to see them. Until Now.

  Rick and Jim walked up to the front of the cabin to ask Bill, who’d been keeping guard, what he saw.

  “It’s the local law,” Bill said.

  “Do you think it’s routine?” Rick asked.

  “Only one way to find out,” Bill responded as he retrieved his olive drab Army coat off the rack by the front door.

  The Alaska State Troopers slowly made their way up to the cabin in a cruiser. Two men in military fatigues stepped out and viewed their surroundings. Bill walked out to greet them.

  After a few short minutes of conversation, Bill announced loudly, “You two need to leave!”

  They wouldn’t go away and insisted on going inside the cabin. The two lawmen slowly made their way toward the porch, despite Bill’s protests.

  Right as they approached the steps, Terry walked outside with Jim close behind and asked, “Dad, we going to eat breakfast or what?”