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Authors: C. Henry Martens
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sling. The shells in the bag that fit the rifle said .250 Savage. They looked deadly. Deo didn’t know that this was the weapon that first broke the three thousand feet per second barrier. It took him some time to figure out the safety and then how to cock it, but his father had trained him well, so he understood the variety of options a rifle could have. He loaded it with four shells in the internal magazine and chambered one round.
Shotgun shells and no weapon in the closet meant that the shotgun would be concealed and available for quick use, most likely by the front door. The hall closet produced a pistol grip pump with a short barrel. It was not for hunting. Definitely a home protection weapon. They serviced it with the cleaning kit, finding it loaded with large caliber shot.
Lecti felt much better. She never felt good being without a firearm, even before leaving Roseburg. Early in their travels, they both left a weapon behind by accident, young kids being forgetful or disorganized. Both had quickly matured and made their armament a priority. Considering the situation Lecti assumed they might be putting themselves in soon, she really liked the shotgun.
It was getting late. Although Deo started out in a hurry, he was enjoying the search. As the overcast finally burned off and the day warmed, they slowed down, and now the low sun and their empty stomachs attested to the hour.
Deo wanted to go back to the old hospital now that they were armed.
Lecti objected. “Deo, look, if we go back now, it’s very likely they’ll be drinking. If they are, it will be more dangerous than if they aren’t. Tomorrow morning they’ll be sleeping off a hangover. Their reactions will be slow. If we get lucky, they might not even be awake or maybe even not armed that early in the morning.”
Deo pursed his lips and his brow furrowed. He really wanted to go in, go in now and take what he wanted. He hesitated. His maturity level was stretching and expanding. It was painful. As a child he always wanted what he wanted, now. This time he was listening to Lecti and appreciating the wisdom in her logic.
“How early, and how will we wake up?”
“Before daylight, and don’t worry, brother, I’ll wake you up if I need to.”
Lecti expected that Deo would not be asleep when the time came.
The decision made, they started to forage for food on the way back to their packs. A tiny stream of water afforded an opportunity to bathe. The water was cold, and it didn’t take long. Rinsing their clothing and wringing them out as well as they could, they wore them damp. They were chilled because the day wasn’t very warm, but it felt good to be fresh.
Full water bottles didn’t assuage their empty stomachs. They found nothing of any food value as they walked back to the previous night’s camp.
Deo brought out the barbecue grill in the carport closet when they got back. Dehydrated camping food and fresh water from their bottles filled pans from the kitchen. The fuel cell powered grill was filthy with twenty-year-old grease, but the food being in clean pans meant they could ignore the grime. After inspecting the hose from the fuel cell for cracks, the self-igniter was engaged and they were in business.
As they walked into the back yard to sit at the picnic table, they noted fresh tracks in the soil, still damp from the previous evening’s rain. A big cat had visited. Deo went back to where they left the packs on the big truck’s hood and now noticed light disturbances in the accumulated dust. The cat had investigated them.
Eating their meal in the fading light, the discussion was about the visitor rather than the impending morning. They were excited whenever they saw an elusive animal, and knowing that they had missed seeing the cat was disappointing.
They would sleep inside tonight with the door closed. They felt even better with their newly acquired arms.
A roof to the east of Lecti and Deo was warm and easily accessed by way of a
Shotgun shells and no weapon in the closet meant that the shotgun would be concealed and available for quick use, most likely by the front door. The hall closet produced a pistol grip pump with a short barrel. It was not for hunting. Definitely a home protection weapon. They serviced it with the cleaning kit, finding it loaded with large caliber shot.
Lecti felt much better. She never felt good being without a firearm, even before leaving Roseburg. Early in their travels, they both left a weapon behind by accident, young kids being forgetful or disorganized. Both had quickly matured and made their armament a priority. Considering the situation Lecti assumed they might be putting themselves in soon, she really liked the shotgun.
It was getting late. Although Deo started out in a hurry, he was enjoying the search. As the overcast finally burned off and the day warmed, they slowed down, and now the low sun and their empty stomachs attested to the hour.
Deo wanted to go back to the old hospital now that they were armed.
Lecti objected. “Deo, look, if we go back now, it’s very likely they’ll be drinking. If they are, it will be more dangerous than if they aren’t. Tomorrow morning they’ll be sleeping off a hangover. Their reactions will be slow. If we get lucky, they might not even be awake or maybe even not armed that early in the morning.”
Deo pursed his lips and his brow furrowed. He really wanted to go in, go in now and take what he wanted. He hesitated. His maturity level was stretching and expanding. It was painful. As a child he always wanted what he wanted, now. This time he was listening to Lecti and appreciating the wisdom in her logic.
“How early, and how will we wake up?”
“Before daylight, and don’t worry, brother, I’ll wake you up if I need to.”
Lecti expected that Deo would not be asleep when the time came.
The decision made, they started to forage for food on the way back to their packs. A tiny stream of water afforded an opportunity to bathe. The water was cold, and it didn’t take long. Rinsing their clothing and wringing them out as well as they could, they wore them damp. They were chilled because the day wasn’t very warm, but it felt good to be fresh.
Full water bottles didn’t assuage their empty stomachs. They found nothing of any food value as they walked back to the previous night’s camp.
Deo brought out the barbecue grill in the carport closet when they got back. Dehydrated camping food and fresh water from their bottles filled pans from the kitchen. The fuel cell powered grill was filthy with twenty-year-old grease, but the food being in clean pans meant they could ignore the grime. After inspecting the hose from the fuel cell for cracks, the self-igniter was engaged and they were in business.
As they walked into the back yard to sit at the picnic table, they noted fresh tracks in the soil, still damp from the previous evening’s rain. A big cat had visited. Deo went back to where they left the packs on the big truck’s hood and now noticed light disturbances in the accumulated dust. The cat had investigated them.
Eating their meal in the fading light, the discussion was about the visitor rather than the impending morning. They were excited whenever they saw an elusive animal, and knowing that they had missed seeing the cat was disappointing.
They would sleep inside tonight with the door closed. They felt even better with their newly acquired arms.
A roof to the east of Lecti and Deo was warm and easily accessed by way of a
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