Action
Within ten minutes of the children's departure Kate Daniels and her two older boys arrived at the house followed soon after by Melinda, Heather, Jimmy Bryant and his brother Don who had come to stay with him. Not long after Ann came back with two more of their neighbors - Ed Strickland and Rick Young. Their faces grew grave as John explained to them the encounter he'd had with the soldiers and the implications it held for them all. They'd just begun to discuss possible options when Robert and Lisa came back in the truck with four more in the back. John knew the name of only one - Steve, who he'd met at Miguel's from time to time - and three others who he'd seen in Archer but had never spoken with before but who turned out to live between them and Miguel. He explained the situation to them and just as he was finishing Miguel arrived driving a large flat bed Ford with his sons Roberto, and Albert and seven others John assumed were Miguel's neighbors. Once again he launched into an explanation of the National Recovery Executive Directive and its implications.
Jimmy said, "Goddamnit! The Sheriff's Posse just killed four men for rustling and here comes the government to do the same thing and call it 'requisitioning'! We're all going to be hard put to avoid starving before next year's crops come in if the winter is as bad as John says it's going to be. If they take what they please of our livestock and feed we'll starve for sure!"
"Well, there are a lot of refugees in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, up to Newberry, over to Palatka and probably a lot of other places that I haven't heard of.", a woman said who John hadn't met before but who had come with Miguel, "The government's got to feed them. It's only natural they look to area farmers for the food."
"But that's just the problem Angela," Miguel explained, "Except for Ed here, none of us here *are* farmers. I doubt that any of us here have made more than pocket change from what we raise on our land and with grocery deliveries stopped we're eating it all. Even that's not quite enough. Maybe Ed here has enough cattle that he could let some go but what are they going to pay for them with and how are they going to determine their worth? Do you know what a dollar is worth now? Government price controls won't let food products be sold for more than ten percent over what they brought a month ago but there's very little to be bought from price controlled suppliers. Flour went for a dollar twenty five a pound at the new Archer market last weekend. Next weekend I expect it'll be at least a dollar and a half, maybe more. Since this is the government they're going to pay what the price control board says the cattle are worth and pay for them with dollars that lose value every day. They'll pay a pittance for what they take and we'll be short of food with no way to get more"
Rick said, "They're not searching my place and that's a fact. I've got my sister and her kids with me and we're all losing weight as it is. As soon as the weather gets cold we're going to butcher my two pigs so we can stop feeding them. Like as not we'll be eating the pig feed before anything we can plant comes in."
Ed Strickland joined in, "Well…, I'm willing to sell them cattle. What with having lost that last cutting of hay to the rain and the possibility of a prolonged winter I'm not going to be able to feed them all so someone might as well eat them. I'll be damned if they'll just waltz in and tell me how many I'll sell and for how much though! I'll sell for a reasonable price but I'll decide how many I'll sell, not them."
Kate Daniels said, "John, I've got a message into Mike over the radio to come here right away and I told him what Heather and Mel told me. He said he was on the way but he didn't know what he'd be able to do. Do you have a plan or anything?"
John paused for a moment before speaking, "Well, the most important thing is to not let them take the food we're going to need to survive the winter and the second most important thing is to make sure no one gets hurt. I can't help but think that if the whole community presents a visibly united front they'll listen to reason… They'll probably listen better if we can get them at a disadvantage though where they can't damage our homes."
He turned, looked at Jimmy and asked, "You were in the infantry in Vietnam so you've had some experience in this. Is there some place we can box them up and make them listen to us?"
The man considered for a moment before replying, "Yeah, I think if we can barricade the road on just this side of Skunk Bend where the tree line crowds the road on both sides we can block them there. Of course, it all depends on what they come with. Nothing we have is going to trouble even an APC much less any real armor. A few Hummers and a couple of trucks or something we can make an attempt with."
Ann put in, "Well, when they left all they knew they were dealing with was just us and Lisa. If they think there's just four adults and a couple of kids would they send a lot of troops with the situation in town being as bad as we keep hearing it is?"
Jimmy said, "You might have a point. They're really short on manpower from what Mike tells me so for just one family of holdouts they may not send more than a couple of Hummers. We can probably deal with those if it we get them at a disadvantage. I'll go get my chainsaw and John you get your Stihl and let's head to Skunk Bend."
The group nodded. Miguel said, "If there's anyone that doesn't want to be a part of this say so and I'll drop you off. I'm going back to my place so Roberto can get the other truck. John, we'll meet you at Skunk Bend. Vaya con Dios!"
- - - -
"Sergeant," the man in the right seat asked, "how far out of Archer did you say these people were?"
From behind the wheel the non-com replied, "About five miles out of town to the southwest down the county road. Nothing much out there but scattered houses, barns, gardens, pastures, and woods. Other than planted pine and maybe hay I didn't see a terrible lot of what I'd call real farming. If you don't mind my saying so, this fellow Horne may be right."
"That's not for you or I to decide," said Captain Frank Swift, "we've got very clear orders from Blanding and fifty five thousand hungry refugees in Alachua county alone that have got to be fed. If we let this fellow Horne get away with this it'll spread across the whole damned county and the entire effort will collapse. We're going to inventory his place and get this program back on schedule!"
Sgt Nichols sighed, said "Yes, sir.", and drove on. He darkly thought to himself, "Christly way to save the nation. Wish I was back in Arkansas."
The convoy of three Humvees and sixteen troopers passed unmolested and apparently unnoticed through Archer, they saw no one on the street or in their yards even though it was early afternoon and not raining. The sergeant shifted uneasily in his seat. "Captain," he asked, "When did you join the Army?"
Swift frowned slightly and replied, "In 1995 after I graduated. Why do you ask?"
"Just trying to make conversation. Me, I enlisted back in the eighties, just in time to be sent to Panama. Spent some nasty time in Haiti and like to have sweated to death in Saudi during the Gulf War. Figured we'd be for Afghanistan this year or next some time but with the Impact and all I suspect we'll be pulling out there. Here's the county road. We turn left here and it's about five miles to Horne's place. White house with dark green trim. Barn in the back painted the same way."
"We'll pull up out front and have the troops deploy." The captain explained, "This Horne fellow doesn't sound like he really wants a fight. Once he sees there's sixteen armed troopers surrounding his place he'll listen to reason and you can get on with your inventory. I'm surprised you weren't able to handle this yourself sergeant."
Nichols sighed again and said, "yes sir."
At about three miles out of Archer the road passed between a thick, mature stand of planted pine on one side and a heavy stand of oaks and tangled undergrowth on the other. The road began to bend more to the south and the trees crowded close. As they were halfway around the bend they saw a number of pine trees felled across the road making a barrier too high for the Humvees to climb over. A man sat on top of the trees, his hands resting on the trunks, apparently unarmed.
"That's Horne, captain," the sergeant said, "but I don't see any of this family. We're still a good two miles or so from his place."
"Stop a hundred feet in front of him sergeant." The captain instructed, "I'll get out and talk to him." He picked up the radio mike and spoke with the other two vehicles. "Have all the men get out when we stop, but keep their rifles slung. We're just going to put on a little show of force but I don't want anyone getting hurt."
The sergeant did as he was instructed, stopping short of the trees. The captain stepped out, leaving his rifle in the vehicle and approached the man on the trees.
At about ten feet he stopped and asked, "Are you John Horne?"
John replied, "I am he."
"Mr. Horne, I'm Captain Frank Swift, Eastern Recovery Command. My sergeant tells me that you refuse to cooperate with the national recovery efforts. I'd like to try to resolve this impasse."
"Not at all captain," John replied in a light tone, "We're quite happy to assist as much as we are able in the national recovery. After all it's in our interest as well as everyone elses. I'm just not going to cooperate in the endangerment of my family, dependents, and neighbors."
"Mr. Horne, no one is going to endanger anyone as I'm quite certain the sergeant has tried to explain to you. All we want to do is carry out our orders under the National Recovery Executive Directive so that we can keep fifty five thousand refugees here in Alachua county from starving. Surely you don't want to see that. We're all reasonable men here."
John shook his head, "Of course I want to see these people fed Captain but by now you've got to know there is no way they and the resident population of the county are going to be fed on what's to be found here. We're not farmers, we don't grow crops, nor raise livestock for the market. All that we have goes to feed my family, the family we've taken in since Impact, and my near neighbors. We have no surplus to share with the government and we're not going to allow you or anyone else to forcibly take from us what we have to have to survive."
"Mr. Horne, surely the sergeant explained the experts at the Recovery HQ will only direct the requisition of your surplus food and you will of course be paid for it. We're not thieves here. No one will be left to starve nor anyone's property taken without recompense."
With a sigh his opponent responded, "Captain, you and I both know that these 'experts' at your Recovery HQ are going figure us all subsisting on some starvation diet no better than the refugees are getting now in order to maximize the amount of 'surplus' they can requisition. And once they've figured what they can take from us through an involuntary sale they're going to calculate some price controlled rate for our animals and feed far below what these commodities are currently bringing on the *real* market. Having done that they'll pay those prices in paper dollars that are losing value by the day so that when what little you'll have left us finally does run out we'll have nothing with which to try to by what little food there is left to be found in any market - price controlled, the black market, or otherwise. In a nutshell Captain, we are not going to cooperate. We'll help where we can but not at the price of starving my family, dependents, friends, and neighbors."
Swift nodded his head, "OK, OK. Sergeant Nichols said you were a hard case and I didn't believe him. I'll have to apologize to him for my lack of faith. Mr. Horne, allow me to speak plainly here because your intransigence has sadly delayed our program and I'm here to get it back on track. Under the legal authority vested in this command by the National Recovery Executive Directive we have the right to inventory the livestock and grain stocks of all farmers in Alachua county. We *will* inventory yours then the rest who are on our list. Since you have chosen not to cooperate I'm afraid you leave me no choice but to resort to force. I've got sixteen armed soldiers here with me and if you do not IMMEDIATELY stand aside and allow us to get on with our business I will have you taken into custody. What will it be? Decide…. Now."
John eyed the angry military officer in front of him for a moment and then spit to one side. "Captain, I don't think you've understood my use of the word 'we' in this conversation." He reached into his shirt pocket and took out an FRS radio and keyed it - click. The sound of truck motors could be heard within seconds and a flatbed Ford and a panel van pulled out of the trees behind the Hummers and stopped, blocking the road and shoulder. The man keyed the mike again - click, click - and armed men and women began to come forward far enough to be visible but not out from behind the cover of the trees. All had their rifles and shotguns pointed upwards but in the general direction of the troopers.
"Captain Swift, I'd really, really like for this NOT to come to violence but these folks who are my friends, neighbors, and fellow community members are all agreed with me. We will NOT allow you or anyone else to take from us what we must have to survive - not for dollars, not for anything. If you force this issue we WILL use force to resist. Now I'm not much of a military man but it looks to me like you're surrounded. Will you reconsider your position?"
"Horne, this isn't going to work. I've got trained men here with automatic weapons. Even if you somehow managed to take us my HQ staff knows where I'm at and if I don't report back - soon - they'll send a reconnaissance in force to come look for me. You don't have anything that'll stand up against a helicopter gunship or armor. Tell these people to put their weapons down and I'll forget this ever happened."
"I'm sorry captain, but I can't do that. I've done my best to get you to listen to reason but if you intend to force this issue then force it'll have to be. You're right, we don't have anything that'll take an Apache but I do believe we've got enough to take you. You don't seem to be a man of much sense so I reckon you'll order your troopers to take us into custody or maybe even fire on us, we'll fire back and a great many are going to be killed. Not you though - we've all agreed not to shoot you - so you'll be able to go back to your masters at this Recovery HQ and explain to them how you killed a good many otherwise law abiding citizens in your attempts to forcibly take their food from them. You'll tell them too because we've made sure that several individuals who are not here are going to tell every damn soul they can find what we're here to do today and why. By this time tomorrow I reckon you'll be getting close to a general uprising and that *will* draw attention from all over I think" In the distance a siren's wail could be heard steadily growing closer. "Your call captain."
The captain's jaw worked for a moment and then spoke, "Sergeant! Place Mr. Horne under arrest and take him into custody! Do the same for anyone who attempts to interfere!" The sounds of the siren grew steadily louder. Sergeant Nichols and the two troopers who had gotten out of the lead vehicle were plainly reluctant to move forward. "Uhhmm, begging the captain's pardon sir," he said, "but this may not be the wisest course of action here."
"Sergeant!" Swift said in an authoritative tone, "I am not accustomed to discussing my orders. You will take Mr. Horne into custody or you will be relieved. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir, very clear sir." The sergeant stepped forward with a look of resignation on his face. After a moment's hesitation the two troopers began to follow.
To John it seemed as if everything had gone into slow motion. The sergeant stepped forward as if through thick molasses from a hundred feet away. "I'm about to get us all killed." flowed slowly through his mind, "This hasn't worked at all." Behind him Ann shouldered her rifle sighting in on the sergeant, Robert and Lisa did as well. After a heartbeat's hesitation the rest of the community shouldered their weapons and took aim. The soldiers began ducking for what cover they could find behind their Hummers and drew down on the treeline. Beads of sweat began to appear on the sergeant's forehead as he moved forward at a funeral cadence towards John.
He was just drawing even with the captain when a screech of brakes from behind the barricade was heard.
"THIS IS JOHN FREED - SHERIFF OF ALACHUA COUNTY. YOU WILL ALL LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS - THIS INCLUDES YOU SOLDIERS AS WELL!"