9 comments/ 33337 views/ 7 favorites Hell to Pay Ch. 01 By: woodmanone copyright January/2011 Constructive comments and emails are appreciated and welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my story. Please enjoy. ******************** The world has gone to hell, Casey Stewart thought as he made his way up the steep trail to his cabin in the hills. This area of southern Missouri was known as the Gateway to the Ozarks. The closest big city, St. Louis, was nearly two hundred miles away, the closest small town was fifty miles, and his closest neighbor was almost twenty. He turned to check on his fiancée, Dixie Martin, as she followed him up the faint game trail. Hell of a thing, he said to himself. There are just as many resources and supplies as before but people are going crazy because they're not as readily available. Civilization had started its downward spiral three weeks previously. There was a new 'virus' or 'worm' that had infiltrated most of the computers in the country and spread to the rest of the world. Government and private sector IT people had been unable, as of yet, to get rid of it; they hadn't even been able to stop it from spreading. No one knew where the 'virus' came from or how it started. Usually, when a 'virus' caused a lot of trouble, some group with an idiotic name like 'The People's Liberation Front' or 'Freedom Hackers' would claim responsibility for the bug. Someone or some group had implanted this 'worm' and they were keeping quiet about it so far. More important than who was responsible, was what they'd done. The bug basically froze the computers it infected; they just plain quit working. No amount of rebooting or scans cured the problem. By the time the IT gurus found out that it apparently had started with an email, it was too late. If someone opened the email, it made their hard drive self destruct. Before doing its dirty deed, the virus scanned and forwarded the email to every contact the person had listed. It seems that the worm would read previous emails and hide itself behind a person or subject that wouldn't make the recipient suspicious. That person would open the email and the bug claimed another set of victims. The bug was like a snowball on steroids, rolling downhill along the computer network picking up speed and size as it went. Firewalls and anti-virus software didn't even slow it down. Soon almost every computer in the nation was no more than a large paperweight. Some of the small towns, most of the bigger municipalities and all the larger cities had depended too much on computers. As a result of the 'virus', their infrastructure failed. Telephone and other communication services failed. People or groups who had access to battery powered short wave radios or walky talkies could still communicate. Food inventories began to dwindle; orders couldn't be made much less filled, and the distribution network came apart. The flow of water in homes and business stopped and electrical power became sporadic at best. Without electricity food stuffs in freezers and refrigerators spoiled; this happened to businesses as well as homes. The supply of canned goods rapidly disappeared. It became difficult to get gas from the underground tanks at service stations with no electrical power to run the pumps. The few stations that had hand pumps were sort of under siege with long lines wanting gas. There were serious arguments and more than one fight broke out over who was first in line. Some station owners were beaten because of the inflated prices they began to charge. And of course without gas, the cars and trucks stopped running. Casey had seen a Discovery Channel show that said most major population centers were, at best, two to three days away from food riots. He believed it because he'd seen it with his own eyes. People started hoarding food and those that didn't have food began to steal from their neighbors and from strangers. There were several instances of people being beaten and killed; both the victims and the aggressors had causalities. The local television and radio stations had emergency generators and were still able to broadcast; at least until the fuel for their generators ran out. Most stations began to ration their time on the air; they broadcast news and helpful information for an hour at a time, twice a day. Local stations took turns broadcasting but national news was limited and not always available. Casey was watching the news on the morning of the twenty first day. There were several reports of gangs roaming his city, beating people and stealing their food and supplies. Some home owners were even killed. As soon as he saw how dangerous the city was becoming, he made plans to head for his cabin hideaway. He packed his Ford F250 4x4 with supplies; the camper shell would hide the food and other items from prying jealous eyes. Casey took sleeping bags, several changes of clothes, his supply of freeze dried food, canned goods, and other foods that wouldn't require refrigeration; the exception being several frozen steaks and a couple of roasts. He hoped they'd have a chance to use it before it thawed; if nothing else he would use the roasts to make beef jerky. The last things he packed were a Weatherby .223 bolt action rifle, which he put in the gun rack over the rear window of his truck, and his three pistols He carried a Colt 1911A1 .45 pistol in the small of his back. In the lock box in the cab he put his Dan Wesson .357 revolver, and a .38 special revolver. In addition, Casey had several hundred rounds for each of his weapons. Dixie lived across the street and when Casey waved at her about noon, she joined him at the truck carrying her duffel bag. They started the long drive to Casey's secluded cabin. As they left the city they had to run a road block on the main road. Casey didn't know if it had been set up by the government or someone trying to capture food and supplies. It didn't make any difference who had set it up; Casey had no intention of stopping. He pulled his Colt and pushed the accelerator to the floor; heading for the middle of the roadblock. When he got within 50 feet he turned the steering wheel sharply to the right and squeezed the truck between a light pole and a building. After clearing the obstruction, he never slowed down. There were a few shots fired at them but they weren't hit. On the trip to his cabin, Casey explained that they'd stay there until things stabilized in the city. "We'll go back when things go back to normal," he told Dixie. "Or at least as normal as they can be after a situation like this." Driving secondary and back roads, it took Casey and Dixie a little over six hours to get to an unmarked, overgrown fire road leading through the forest toward the cabin. He drove to within a mile of the cabin; it was just on the other side of the ridge. Casey backed the truck into a gulley and after unloading some of the supplies, he and Dixie covered the truck with tree branches to hide it. She helped with the camouflage but asked why they hadn't driven all the way to the cabin. "I don't look for it to happen but if we have to get the hell out of Dodge I don't want to find that someone waiting by the truck or that they've disabled it," Casey replied. "If we have to run, we'll come down that ridge line, grab the truck and get gone." He pulled the ignition coil, put it in a zip lock bag, and hid it under a nearby rock. "Now no one with be able to steal the truck if they find it" "Do you really think things are going to get that bad?" Dixie asked in a worried voice. Casey hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "I just don't know. It's been less than a month and we're already having food riots, looting, and some people have been killed for what was in their panty." He stopped for a bit and said, "There's food and supplies in the cabin to last two people for a long time." Casey took Dixie's hand and added, "We'll be okay up here honey." Dixie was happy that she and Casey had a safe haven to go to. She knew he had bought the cabin and the surrounding acreage when got home from the Army a couple of years ago. The first time Casey brought her to the cabin, Dixie had asked him if it was a hunting lodge. "The only hunting I do now is with a camera," he replied. He hesitated and continued, "I don't hunt anymore for two reasons. Never liked the taste of venison, elk or smaller animals and I feel it shows a lack of respect to kill them for sport unless you eat the meat." "And the second reason?" Dixie had asked Casey. "I saw enough killing when I was in the Army." "You still carry a gun though," she said pointing to the rifle slung over his shoulder. "I said I didn't hunt anymore but I don't claim to be a pacifist. I don't hunt but during this mess I don't want to be hunted either. At least this," he said hefting the rifle, "will even the odds some." Then the lights in Casey's eyes went dim and Dixie knew he was off somewhere. Dixie interrupted his reverie. "Earth to Casey. Hey, where are you?" Casey had been staring at her, off in a world of his own. Her question brought him back to the present. "I'm sorry, I was reliving how we met," Casey replied. "And why we're here." Casey looked at Dixie and thought for the thousandth time how lucky he'd been to find her. It was more than the fact that she was very attractive, although that didn't hurt he admitted to himself. But more important was the independence, intelligence, and the way she handled herself. They had met on a hike down the Kaibab Trail at the Grand Canyon. He was a loner and she was part of a group from work. It was apparent by the time they got to Cedar Ridge, that this would be a short hike for most of her group. Cedar Ridge was about a third of the way down to the bottom of the Canyon and the majority of the group was already complaining. They bitched about the steepness of the trail, how tired they were, and that they were short on water. Casey chuckled to himself. If you think it's bad now wait until you start the hike back to the rim, he thought. The group made a rest stop at Cedar Ridge and questioned if they should continue or turn back. Casey learned that the only three that wanted to go on was Dixie, Sally, and her husband Mark. He heard the other members of the group call them by name. The discussion continued on past the fifteen minutes they'd allotted for the rest stop. Finally Dixie stood, donned her pack, motioned to Sally and Mark, and they continued down the trail. "The rest of you can go back or just sit here and bitch, but we're going on," Dixie said as she walked away. Casey wasn't far behind them and watched as she followed her friends. He'd been attracted to Dixie because of the way she looked. She had long auburn hair worn in a pony tail hanging down between her shoulders. Dixie was tall, about 5' 9 and slender; she looked she looked athletic instead of anorexic like some models. Now Casey was impressed with her attitude and refusal to give up her plan. She didn't need or want the approval of the group she was with. We'd fit well together, he thought and then chuckled. Don't be a dummy, you haven't actually met her and you don't know anything about her. He was interested anyway. Maybe we'll get a chance to talk at Phantom Ranch if she stays over, he continued his thought. Dixie had noticed Casey too. She'd seen him as they started the hike down from the South Rim; mostly because he was the only stranger hiking with the group. Dixie saw him watching with a small smile and a look of contempt as she debated with the group about quitting. Her first thought was that he was what would be called ruggedly handsome. But his face was dominated by sad looking blue eyes. He looks like he's seen too much or had too much happen to him, she said to herself. After the debate at Cedar Ridge she saw him stand to continue the hike. Oh good, he's at least 6 feet tall. I can wear heels when we go out, she thought. Then laughed at herself. We haven't even met and I'm already thinking about wearing heels for him. She was right; Casey was 6' 1 with 190 pounds on his frame. Casey blue eyes stood out because of his dark hair and tanned face which showed he spent a lot of time outside. The foursome stayed overnight at Phantom Ranch and had dinner together. As they sat down to eat Casey said with a smile, "I know you're Dixie, Sally, and Mark but I haven't introduced myself. I'm Casey Stewart." Dixie returned his smile and shook hands with him. "I'm Dixie Martin and this is Mark and Sally Jennings." Casey nodded and as they ate dinner he learned that Dixie lived and worked in the same city as he did. In fact she lived about two miles from his apartment. Mark and Sally were Dixie's high school friends and now lived on the west coast. "It's a small world," Mark said. "I mean you two live and work in the same city but hadn't met until you both decided to hike the Canyon on the same day." He laughed and added, "It's almost like fate." After dinner Dixie told Casey that she and her friends were going to hike back up the Kaibab to the real world the next morning. She invited him to hike with them. "Thanks, but I'm hiking over to Bright Angel and go out that way," he replied. At their questioning looks he added, "Its two to three miles longer but a lot easier than hiking back up the Kaibab. Besides, I don't know if I'll ever be down here again and I want to look around a little." The next morning Dixie and the others joined Casey and hiked back up the Bright Angel trail. They had a chance to talk as they hiked along the Colorado River toward River Rest House. Overall they spent better than 25 hours together including the evening at Phantom Ranch. By the time they finished the hike back to the South Rim of the Canyon, Casey knew he wanted to see more of Dixie. They began dating, first meeting for lunch then going to dinner and a movie. Six months later Casey asked Dixie to marry him. She made him wait almost three seconds before she said yes. They could have moved in together but both felt it was better for each to maintain their own place until after they were married. Dixie did move in across the street from Casey's place. The computer virus put a crimp in their plans three months after they got engaged. *************** Casey and Dixie stopped at the top of the ridge to catch their breath. "About another mile," he told her. "It's just down the ridge on the valley floor. We'll rest here for a few minutes and then start the last section." Dixie had been to the cabin several times but they'd always driven right to the cabin. This time they came in from the other side of the ridge line. As they rested Casey thought back to the events that caused him and Dixie to make this trek. Casey led the way up the steep ridge and down the other side to the cabin. When they got to the clearing the cabin sat in, he held up his hand for them to stop. He knelt down in the tree line, took off his pack, and pulled Dixie down beside him. Speaking in a very low voice instead of a whisper, which would carry farther, Casey told her to stay put. "I'm going to scout around a little and make sure nobody beat us here. Wouldn't be healthy to walk into an ambush." Dixie was beginning to get worried; the fifteen minutes that Casey had been gone seemed like hours. She saw him step out in front of the cabin and motion for her to join him. Dixie picked up his pack and went to him. She hugged him when she got there. Casey smiled and returned the hug. "Sorry to worry you but I had to make sure it was safe. C'mon let's get inside and get something to eat. We've got a lot of work to do before dark." Entering the cabin, Casey and Dixie pulled back the heavy inside shutters and opened the windows. It let light and fresh air into the cabin so it didn't take long to air out. The cabin had one very large room plus an enclosure for the bathroom. Kitchen and dining area took up the rear portion of the room. The front section was divided on one side into a seating area with a sofa and two easy chairs. The other side was the "bedrooms" with a double bed and two double size bunk beds. The sleeping area could be partitioned off using sliding curtains like the ones found in hospitals. In fact Casey had bought the drapes and supports from a hospital supply warehouse. Dixie asked, "What kind of work are we going to do?" "Well, we need to get the place ready to live in," Casey replied. He showed Dixie how to bring the solar cells on line, primed the water pump in the kitchen, and made sure the composting toilet was working. Finished with making the cabin livable, Casey grabbed a ball of heavy twine and a big box full of empty cans. "Now we're going to set up a perimeter guard," he explained. Dixie followed him outside and over to the tree line. Casey tied the twine about ankle high to a tree and stretched it to another tree. He did the same thing all around the clearing, leaving one or two hidden walkways. Then Casey had Dixie tie cans to the twine every few feet and put several small stones in each can. "If anyone tries to sneak up on us they'll hit the string and rattle the cans," Casey explained. "There's something else you need to know about in the cabin Dixie. Follow me." Casey led her back to the cabin and over close to the heavy wooden table. He pushed the table closer to the wall and moved a small throw rug that had been under the table. This uncovered a trap door which was barely visible given the floors normal wood grain. "This opens onto a tunnel that goes about a hundred feet to the south. There's an opening just beyond that big rock down the hill behind the cabin. It's a way to get out of the cabin if for some reason we can't use the door or windows." "Why couldn't we use the door?" Dixie asked. "If the cabin is surrounded by....let's call them unfriendly refugees, we can escape down that tunnel," Casey replied. "I've rigged it so the trapdoor can be opened from the underside and it blends in with the rest of the floor. If anyone breaks in it will take them a while to find the door. By that time we'll be long gone over the ridge and down to the truck." Dixie didn't know what to say and watched as Casey closed the trap door and moved the rug and table back to conceal it. He acts like he expected something like this computer virus to happen, she thought. Casey put their packs in a corner and began to fix a late lunch or early dinner. Dixie offered to help but he told her to rest after their difficult hike over the ridge to the cabin. "You want me to unload the packs while you're getting lunch?" She asked; Dixie wanted to do her share of work. After all without Casey, she'd still be stuck in the hell hole that the city was becoming. Casey smiled and shook his head. "The packs are for our escape if we have to run. They have most everything we'd need to get by in the woods. At least for several days anyway." After the meal, Dixie insisted on helping clean up. "I'm just not another pretty face you know," she teased Casey. They sat in front of the cabin after eating with cups of coffee. "Did you expect something like this to happen?" Dixie asked. "This cabin, the supplies, the escape tunnel, and everything else make it look like you did." "I didn't think of this exactly but I prepared this place for some kind of breakdown of civilization." "You said you planned for a breakdown. What do you mean?" Casey sighed and answered, "I was in the Army when the big uproar about Y2K came up. As you know nothing happened but it got me to thinking. I realized that everyone, the whole country, even the Army, was too damned dependent on computers and if the computers went down so would civilization. When I was discharged in '08, I bought this place. I've spent two years making into a haven where I can be safe or make a stand. You know just in case, for whatever reason, civilization went to hell." Hell to Pay Ch. 01 He shook himself and smiled at Dixie. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you." "You didn't. I was scared down in the city but I feel safe now," she said hugging him closer. Dixie was deep in thought for a minute and then asked, "Why isn't the government doing something? What if it doesn't get better for months? How long can we stay up here?" Casey took Dixie's hand. "The government, in its own fumble fingered way, will finally get things under control. It might take a while for them to find their ass with both hands and a road map, but they will." He chuckled and went on. "We've got enough packaged supplies and food for several months. But if things don't get better within, say a month, I'll hunt to supplement our supplies." "But you gave up hunting," she objected. "I gave up hunting for sport. If it's hunt or go hungry, I won't have a problem hunting," Casey replied. After locking up he said, "C'mon let's get some sleep. I've got a lot to show you about our hideaway tomorrow." The other times he'd brought Dixie to the cabin it seemed like a good place to spend a weekend or a few days together. They'd taken advantage of the seclusion and the romantic setting offered by the woods and the valley. But this night, they slept with their clothes on and just held each other. Casey's weapons were never more than an arm's length away. The next morning Casey was up at daybreak. He hiked to the top of the hill that overlooked the rear of his cabin. Hidden in a tall oak tree was a radio antenna. Under a brush pile, covered by a waterproof tarp was an AM/FM/SW radio that could be powered by a hand crank or solar energy. He didn't have to worry about batteries for it. He attached the antenna leads to the radio and waited for the morning news broadcast. As long as the stations continued to broadcast he would be able keep aware of what was going on in the city. While he waited for the morning broadcast he thought, I didn't tell Dixie the whole story when I said I didn't hunt anymore. It was true that he thought it was disrespectful to kill animals and not use the meat. It was also true that he'd seen a lot of killing in the Army. But the real reason he didn't hunt was that he'd been responsible for a lot of men's deaths and would have been responsible for more; except for what happened on his last mission. Casey had been a sniper. And a damn good one, he admitted to himself. One shot, one kill is the sniper's creed and Casey lived up to that creed. It was on a search and destroy mission that his career came to an end. Casey and his spotter, Tommy, had trailed their human target to a jungle hideaway. They spent three days in the hide they'd chosen before Casey got the shot. The distance was just under a half mile. He was using a Remington Model 700 Tactical rifle with a noise suppressor; the round would take four point three seconds to travel that distance. The man was kneeling talking to a young boy and Casey planned to fire as the target stood up. What he hadn't counted on was the man picking the boy up as he stood. Casey watched through the scope as the bullet hit first the boy and then the man; both were dead before they hit the ground. Tommy had to pull Casey away before they were spotted. When they made it back to base, Casey and Tommy made an after action report and Casey applied for a transfer out. He followed the chain of command up the ladder and told his First Sergeant, his Lieutenant, the company commander, and the Major commanding the brigade that he'd gone on his last combat mission. Over a period of two weeks, they all tried to reason with him and tell him that he couldn't just quit. The Major suggested a week of R&R in someplace like Spain. Casey's response was "Transfer me or send me to the stockade, but I've done all the killing for you that I'm going to do." Casey had been decorated several times and the powers that be decided it wouldn't look good if such a decorated soldier was court marshaled. They discharged him and sent him home. ******************** Right on time the news broadcast began; pulling Casey back from his memories. The news wasn't good. Armed gangs of looters were taking over the city and people were running with no idea of where to go. There was no mention of the National Guard or the police or any other group trying to establish control in the city. After an hour Casey shut the radio down, covered it, and returned it to its hiding place. Looks like we might be up here for a bit, he thought. He chuckled and said softly, "It's a good thing I fortified this place. Like it was Fort Apache or something." Using a propane camp stove, Dixie had fixed a breakfast of steak and eggs while Casey was gone. He sat down at the table and she said, "The steaks were starting to thaw and we don't have a way to refrigerate the eggs so I thought we had better use them." Casey nodded and started eating. "After breakfast I need to show you a few things about the area around the cabin." Later Casey led Dixie to a stand of trees growing close together. He took her hand and led her through a small aisle between the trees and a rock bluff. Behind the trees there was a room size cavity in the rock. Set in the wall at the back of the cavity was a steel door. Casey showed Dixie the combination to the lock and opened the door. "This is my storage area," Casey said pointing to a long room cut in the rock. Dixie looked around, surprised at the size and length of the room. "Did you dig all this out?" "No, it's an old mine shaft actually. Don't know what they were looking for but I guess they never found it. It had been abandoned for years when I bought the place." Casey had picked up a flashlight just inside the doorway and now led Dixie further into the mine. About a hundred yards into the mountain the shaft sloped gently downward. "You can't see it but there's an underground stream at the bottom of the shaft. Guess that's why they stopped digging. The water is safe to drink." Casey and Dixie retraced their steps toward the door. "I thought this would be a good place to cache stuff so I put in that steel door to keep people and varmints out." Although Dixie had been to the cabin several times, she'd never seen this storage area. There were twenty or so large metal boxes with hinged lids. She opened one and saw it was full of military type MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Others had sacks of beans, oats and rice in them and still others had dehydrated food packages. Dixie looked at Casey with a question in her eyes. "Told you we could hold out for quite a while up here," he said. Smiling he continued, "I may have gone a little overboard preparing this place as a refuge but I'm glad I did now." Let me give you a running inventory of what I, I mean we, have here." Casey unfolded a camp stool and offered the seat to Dixie. "As you've seen before, there are solar cells on the south facing roof of the cabin. All they really can do is work the water pump and give us lights at night; there's not enough power to run a refrigerator or anything like that. Further back in the mine and one level down is my "cool room" where I keep perishables," Casey said and led Dixie to a portion of the tunnel that slanted downward. "As a backup to the solar power, we have several kerosene lanterns. During the rainy season or cloudy weather there is a gas powered generator for backup. It's a small one but it can charge the batteries in about two hours. We can use that old wood burning stove to cook on and it'll heat the place in cold weather; if we have to stay here that long. I cook on the grill or over an open fire as much as I can. And we have a deep well with a hand pump in the cabin for water in case the electric one shoots craps." Casey stopped to think for a few seconds. "C'mon, one last thing to show you." He took Dixie's hand and pulled her to her feet. Still holding her hand he led her into a small side tunnel. "I know what that is," Dixie said. "It's a gun safe. Although I've never seen one that big." "To me it's an arms locker," Casey said smiling. "But gun safe is right too. The combination is the same as the one on the main door and the door to the cabin, 7-4-17-76. July 4, 1776; go ahead, open it" Dixie worked the combination and opened the heavy door. Inside were several weapons of various types; including a bow. Casey took a pistol with a belt and holster and handed it to Dixie. "Put that on," he ordered as he handed her the belt and holster. Then he handed her the pistol. "Be careful, it's loaded. "That's a .38 Special six shot revolver; it has semi wad cutters in the cylinder. They'll hit hard and make a big hole. I want you to wear that rig every waking hour and when you sleep keep it within reach." Casey smiled as Dixie put on the gun belt and stuck the pistol into the holster. "You look like Annie Oakley," he teased her. "I gave you a revolver because they don't jam. It's double action so all you have to do is pull the trigger. You've got two speed loaders on the belt. We'll do some target shooting this afternoon so you can get use to reloading in a hurry and get a feel for the weapon." "I know how to shoot Casey," Dixie told him. She laughed at the surprised look on his face. "My Dad wanted a son but he got me instead. So he treated me like a boy until I was about 15." Dixie stopped for a moment and smiled. "Then he began to treat me like a little princess." Casey smiled and reaching into the safe, he pulled out a Remington 887 tactical 12 gauge shotgun. He gave Dixie a quick lesson on where the safety is, how to load it, and the use of the weapon. "I've loaded it with double aught buckshot so it has got a range out to about 150 feet. Just point and pull the trigger. Pump the action," he said demonstrating, "and you're ready to shoot again. It holds five shells in the magazine and one in the chamber. Got it?" Dixie nodded and Casey added, "There's also a Ruger .22 Magnum SR-22 rifle back at the cabin over the door. I hope you won't have to use the guns but if you do have to use them at close range, keep pulling the trigger until you're out of ammo. Don't stop to warn anyone, don't stop to threaten them and don't stop to see if you hit anything, just keep shooting." "I know Casey, I know," Dixie responded. "Daddy taught me how to shoot most of the weapons you have here." Before Casey closed the arms locker he ran his hand over the Remington 700 he'd used in the Army. He'd made a deal with a compassionate (and greedy) ordinance sergeant and brought it home with him. He'd used the 7.62 NATO round in the military which was the same as the .308 available commercially. A ready supply of ammunition was one of the reasons he'd brought it home. But the main reason was that he hated to think of "his rifle" being used by another sniper. Dixie didn't see the gesture or the extent of the small arsenal inside the locker. For the next week, Casey and Dixie spent some time cutting firewood and stacked it behind the cabin with a small supply beside the stove. He also set up his BBQ grill under the covered patio at one side of the cabin. Casey, and Dixie, would use the wood stove or the grill to cook most of their meals. Even though the cabin had a 250 gallon propane tank, he wanted to save as much of it as possible for cold weather. During that time, Casey listened every morning and evening to the news reports. The situation locally and from what he could tell around the country, was still deteriorating. The military had been deployed in the major cities to put down the riots and looting. But it's a big country and not all areas had been stabilized. At the start of the second week Casey decided to make a trip back to his truck. Dixie looked at Casey with apprehension. "Look Honey, I don't know how much longer we're gonna have to stay up here," he said taking her in his arms. "There are supplies in the truck that can stretch our food for a long time," he told her. Among other things are cubed beef, oats, rice, and some vegetables." "Stay close to the cabin and if anybody shows up lock yourself in," he ordered. "It's next to impossible to break into the cabin. Anyone that tries will go crazy." He hugged Dixie and kissed her. "I'll be back in about an hour. Okay?" Casey left at a ground eating trot. Better make time now, he thought. I won't be able to keep this pace coming back. ******************** Raff Talbert looked alertly out the passenger window of the Jeep Cherokee. His brother Sam was doing the same thing from the back seat. The driver was Ted Adams and they'd just met him a few days ago. Raff and Sam had been living in the city. They had run a family out of their house and taken it over; that included the food and supplies the family had cached. A larger gang of thieves and looters had moved into the neighborhood which forced Raff and Sam to leave. On their way out of town they saw two men trying to pull another man out of the Cherokee. Raff shot the two thieves. He was going to shoot Ted too and steal the SUV but decided that a willing third man could be helpful. The three men formed an uneasy alliance and left the city. Raff had been in the military and had learned a little about scouting before he was dishonorably discharged for desertion and commission of a felony (grand theft auto). He'd been stripped of rank and benefits and sentenced to two years in the stockade. Sam, although a civilian, had been part of the same operation and had done time in a state run jail. They had both gotten out only four days after the computer virus attacked. That had been almost three weeks ago. Now they were following old faint tire tracks along a forest service road. Raff had said that there had to be a cabin or lodge along the road. He hoped they'd find one with food and a place to stay for a few days. As the Jeep made a sharp turn another narrow road branched off and went up a small ridge. "There," Raff said. Pointing to the narrow path, Raff order Ted to take it. The 4x4 topped the ridge and the three men saw a cabin in the small valley on the other side. "Told ya there'd be something up here," Raff bragged. "Stop the car and let's do a little reconnaissance," he ordered, using a term he'd learned in the Army. The three men slowly made their way down the ridge to the valley floor. Raff directed Sam to one side of the cabin and Ted to the other side. He walked just inside of the tree line until he could see the front of the cabin. Sam and Ted tried looking in the windows but they were mostly covered. They walked to the front corner of the cabin and peeked around at the front door. Raff began to inch his way through the trees toward the cabin. He was picking his way as quietly as he could but suddenly there was a loud clanging and banging; Raff had tripped one of the perimeter wires that Casey and Dixie had set. He was about forty feet from the cabin door as it opened. Raff saw a young woman step onto the porch. Damn, he thought. She's a looker, maybe we'll get more than just some food and a place to stay. The woman put her hand on the pistol. "What do you want?" She challenged. "Hoping to find some water and maybe a little food Miss," Raff answered. He gave her a big smile and held his empty hands out to his sides trying to reassure her that he was friendly. He took three or four more steps toward the cabin. Dixie didn't hesitate and pulled her pistol, pointing it at Raff. "Stay where you are," she warned. "You out here all on your lonesome?" Raff asked taking another step toward the young woman. "I told you to stop," Dixie told him. "Don't make me shoot you Mister." Raff stopped and she added, "My fiancée is hunting and will be back any minute." "All right Miss. Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Raff said. He took a step back and asked, "Can you spare some water and a little food. It's been a couple of days since I ate." The man was smiling and seemed to be harmless but Dixie didn't trust his looks. He doesn't look like he's missed many meals, she thought. Pointing down the ridge line, she replied, "There's a spring at the bottom of the hill; the water's safe to drink." Dixie took a couple of steps back toward the doorway. Reaching inside she pulled out a can of beef stew and threw it to him. "That's all we can spare. Now be on your way." "Thank you Miss. Can I borrow a can opener?" Raff asked, still smiling. "Use the knife on your belt to open it," Dixie answered. "I don't want you any closer. Now one more time, get going." "Yes ma'am. I'm leaving," Raff answered. As he turned he made a motion with his right hand. Dixie heard a noise off to her right. She turned and saw Sam creeping toward her. Before she could bring her pistol up to cover him, another man grabbed her from behind. When Ted put his arms around her, Dixie fired a shot at Sam. The bullet hit the log wall, narrowly missed him. As she and Ted struggled, Dixie remembered the lessons that Casey had taught her early in their relationship. She stomped on the instep of the man holding her and threw her head back quickly, head butting him. Blood gushed from his nose and his grip loosened. Dixie almost broke free but Raff had closed with them and pulled her in close to him. Dixie tried to shoot him but he knocked her arm away just as the pistol went off a second time. Raff was 6' 3 and weighed well over 200 pounds. He easily lifted Dixie off the ground holding her in his arms. She kicked and made hard contact with his shin. Raff dropped her to her feet, turned her around and backhanded her to the ground. Dixie dropped the pistol as she fell. "Now Missy, let's just see what else you can spare," he said kicking the can of beef stew to the side and picking her up. To be continued Hell to Pay Ch. 02 copyright December/2010 Please read Chapter 1 to understand the characters and the events in the story to this point. Constructive comments, critiques, and emails are very welcome and appreciated. Thank you for taking your time to follow this tale. Please enjoy. ******************** Was that a gunshot? Casey asked himself. There's another one, he thought. Casey had just begun the trip up the ridge on his way back. He dropped his backpack which contained two twenty five pound bags, one of oats and one of rice, and ten cans of a variety of vegetables. I can pick it up later, he thought as he started to run toward the cabin. All he carried now was his .223 rifle and the Colt 1911 in the small of his back. Casey stopped just below the crest of the ridge twenty minutes later and looked down at the cabin. It was quiet and at first nothing seemed out of place. There was no sign of Dixie, but he'd told her to stay close to the cabin. Then he saw a can of food lying on the ground to the left of the door. Dixie wouldn't leave a can of food out there, he thought. Snipers, the good ones, the ones that live, develop a "sixth sense" that alerts them when situations or areas aren't what they appeared to be. Casey had developed that internal warning skill; he still had it. He could feel that something wasn't right. Casey backed down from the crest and slowly made his way to the hill behind the cabin. Being very careful where he placed his feet he crept down the hill keeping behind the trees or boulders. Finally after twenty minutes he got to the rear wall of the building. He stood to one side of the window and then quickly peeked into the cabin, withdrawing his head almost at once. That quick peek told him that he had been right; things were not as they seemed. Inside the cabin he'd seen three men and Dixie. The largest of the men was sitting at the table with a bottle of Casey's Jack Daniels in front of him. One of the others was at the sink running water and the last man was looking out one of the front windows. Dixie was sitting on the edge of one of the beds. Another quick look showed that Dixie's face was red and swollen on one side and she had a small trail of blood at the corner of her mouth. Casey's face hardened and his blue eyes burned with an angry intensity. One of those sons of bitches hit her, he thought. Payback's a bitch and then you die, he said to himself as he looked at the three men. A small deadly grin came over his face. First I'll try diplomacy and if that doesn't work I'll deal with them the sniper's way. During his military service, Casey had never been known to be diplomatic or tactful. He had a tendency to tell ranking Sergeants, Lieutenants, and even higher ranks what he thought. If their orders or actions were bull shit he told them so. It was one of the reasons he survived the sometimes idiotic missions. His outspoken opinions were also the reason that kept him from rising about the rank of buck Sergeant. This is gonna be a bitch no matter which way it goes, he told himself. Casey made his way back to the trail leading to the front of the cabin. Standing in the tree line he loudly yelled. "Hello the cabin." He waited a few seconds and yelled again, "Hello in the cabin." The door opened and Raff stepped out pulling Dixie with him. The other two followed and spread out to either side of the big man. "Where are you and what do you want?" Raff yelled back. Casey stepped from behind a big oak tree and faced the three men. "I'm right here. This is my place and what I want is for you to leave and let us be." He saw the one holding Dixie laugh as he said something to the others. After several seconds Casey said, "But I guess you're not going to do that so I'll ask you to let the lady go and we'll be the ones leaving." One of the men laughed, "Hey Raff we gonna just leave like he asks?" That brought a smile and a laugh from Raff. "I don't think so Sam. It appears that we hold all the cards here," Raff replied and laughed again. "We got the cabin, the food and the woman. I don't think we'll be leaving." While he was talking Casey looked the three men over. The man called Raff had a nine mm stuck in the front of his pants. He had his right arm around Dixie's waist and his left hand held the nape of her neck. It looked like he was caressing her. Casey knew that Raff was using the hand to control Dixie. In his right hand Raff held the Ruger .22 Magnum SR-22 from the cabin. The man on his left held Dixie's .38 in his right hand, and the last man had what appeared to be a .22 semi automatic pistol. Casey knew he could take out one of the men before the others could get back inside the cabin, maybe he could get two. Don't think I can get all three though, he admitted to himself. Raff would have to be first, he thought. It's an easy shot even with him holding Dixie in front of him. He wasn't sure what the other two men would do if he attacked. If they ran for cover inside, Dixie could get away. But they could panic and shoot Dixie. I can't take that chance; not now, not yet. "Hey pal, drop your rifle and leave and we won't kill you or the woman," Raff ordered. "If you let the girl come to me, I'll tell you the combination to that food locker in the cabin," Casey bargained. "That locker is three quarter inch steel and you'll never break into it" "How about you tell me the combination and I won't hurt the girl?" Raff counter offered. When Casey shook his head Raff said, "Okay pal enough talk. Drop your rifle and leave." Casey stared at the man for about five seconds before he answered. Raff was the dangerous one; he was the smartest and the one in control. "Don't think I'm gonna leave my rifle for you big guy," Casey replied. "If you don't drop your rifle, I'll kill the girl," Raff threatened. "You'll probably kill her anyway and then come after me," Casey responded. "Don't think I want you on my trail if I'm unarmed. Let the girl go and I'll give you that combination. When the little bit of food in the cabin runs out you're gonna wish you could get into that food locker." The big man hesitated and Casey asked, "Why not let the girl decide who she wants to be with?" Sam and the other man looked at Raff, almost pleading with their eyes. They wanted what was in that food locker and they weren't sure Raff would share the girl. Raff tightened his grip on Dixie's neck and ordered, "Tell him." Dixie hesitated and then said, "I think I rather stay with Raff and his boys Casey. I mean there are three of them and they have all the guns that were in the cabin. Raff promised me he'd protect me until we can go back to the city. So I'm gonna stay with him. You better leave." Raff smiled at Dixie and pulled her closer to him. He turned back toward Casey saying, "Okay buddy, drop yo..." He stopped because Casey wasn't there anymore; he had disappeared. "Get back into the cabin," he yelled at Sam and Ted. He stepped back toward the door holding Dixie in front of him like a shield. As Raff was closing the door, Casey hiding behind the big oak yelled, "If you hurt her or abuse her there'll be hell to pay Raff, hell to pay. And I'm the paymaster." Inside Raff ordered, "Sam, take the rear windows and look for our friend out there. Ted you get the side window over there. You can look across the room and watch the other side window too. I'll cover the front." He pushed Dixie towards one of the beds. "You sit there and don't move." It had been over two hours since Casey vanished and Sam was bored. "That guys long gone. Can't we get something to eat?" "Okay, but stay at the window. Raff turned to Dixie, "Fix us something to eat girl and hurry up." Dixie stood and slowly went into the kitchen area. She got two big cans of stew from the pantry and emptied them into a large saucepan. I may have to do what you say but I don't have to jump just because you say to, she thought. As she walked back toward the stove, she saw the trap door beneath the table move about an inch. Smiling to herself she realized that Casey was in the escape tunnel. He didn't leave me, she thought. In spite of what I said he's still here. I loved him before but now I may adore him. Maybe I can help, she said to herself. If I get a chance to get away, I'll take it. Dixie heated the beef stew and cut some hard crusted Italian bread. She put all the food on the table and stepped back. If I get them to over eat maybe they'll get sleepy and I can sneak out of here, she said to herself. Dixie sat back on the bed as the three men sat and began eating. "Damn this stuff is almost burnt," Sam complained looking at Dixie. "I think you did that on purpose." "I never claimed to be a cook," Dixie replied. "If you don't like it do your own cooking." When Sam finished his meal he belched, stretched, and walked over to Dixie. He ran his hand over her shoulder and laughed when she pulled away. "If you can't cook, your boyfriend must keep you around for your other talents. C'mon honey, show me what you can do," Sam said as he sat down next to her on the bed. He put his arm around her and tried to pull her closer. Ted sat down on her other side and ran his hand along her leg. "Get the hell off me," Dixie said. She slapped Sam's face and hit Ted in the chest with her elbow. Sam drew back his hand to slap Dixie. "Leave her alone Sam," Raff ordered. "You too Ted." "Are you saving her for yourself?" He asked complaining. "It's not fair Raff. Me and Ted deserve the same things you get. We're partners after all." Ted nodded his head, agreeing with Sam. "You're both idiots. Do you really think that guy, what did she call him, Casey? Do you really think that he just walked off and left his girl and his place?" Raff waited for their answer for a few seconds. "He's out there right now waiting for us." "So, he's out there and we're in here," Sam said. "Yeah Raff, what can he do against the three of us?" Ted asked. "Did you notice how he scoped us out? Did you notice how he called my bluff?" Raff asked and then went on when the men looked confused. "He wouldn't leave his rifle even when I threatened to kill the girl. The guy was cool and didn't panic. I bet he's had training, probably military, and he won't leave until he gets a chance to get the girl back. We're gonna have to leave sometime," Raff continued. "If he's still out there in a week we might need the girl as a hostage. And if we hurt her...well, I don't think we'll like his response. You heard his threat if we get rough with the girl." Raff pointed at the rear window. "Sam, close the shutters on that window. We don't want him to sneak up and shoot us." As Sam closed the shutters Raff said, "I'm going to take a nap. When I wake up it'll be your turn Ted and Sam after you." "Why can't we all take a nap?" Ted whined. "Because we have to stay alert so the guy that owns this place doesn't surprise us." Raff explained. "And boys, you better leave the girl alone or Casey won't be the only one you have to worry about." ******************** When Raff had turned to congratulate Dixie on her acting ability, Casey stepped behind the big oak. He saw two of the men follow Raff's orders to retreat into the cabin. Raff followed holding Dixie as a shield. "You guys have just made a bad career move," Casey said softly. You should have just kept going and left us alone." Moving backwards and keeping the oak between him and the cabin Casey climbed to the top of the ridge and began a circuit of the valley and cabin. He followed the ridge line until he was opposite the rear of the cabin. Casey made his way down the hill to the boulder that hid the entrance to the escape tunnel. The tunnel was five feet tall by three feet wide so Casey had to bend over or stoop when he used it. It was cut through the rocks and dirt and supported by cross beams overhead. Leaving his rifle just inside the entrance he quietly made his way to the trap door. Pushing the door up about an inch, he was able to see Dixie sitting across the room on the bed and hear the men talking. Casey heard Sam's offer to "entertain" Dixie and the sound of her slapping him. He pulled his pistol and was about to push the trap door open when he heard Raff order the other two to leave Dixie alone. Protecting Dixie from those two may have saved your life Raff, Casey thought. Then again you're the one that knocked her down. He settled back onto his knees and continued to listen. "Later this afternoon we'll go get the Jeep" Raff said. "I want it close by in case we have to take off again." "I don't to be out there where that Casey guy can get to us," Ted complained. "He won't attack us as long as we have our insurance here," Raff explained pointing to Dixie. Casey made his way back out of the tunnel. Picking up his rifle he climbed back to the ridge line and began a search for the men's car. He found the Jeep, opened the hood, and pulled the ignition coil disabling the vehicle. They won't be using that to get away, he thought. Or take Dixie with them. He had no doubt that when Raff and the others decided to leave that they would take Dixie; both as a hostage and because she was a very attractive woman. If they took off in the Jeep they'd figure they could outrun him and leave him behind. Then they'd feel free to do whatever they wanted with Dixie. Not on my watch, he promised himself. Casey returned to the area around the cabin and went to the storage area carved into the rock bluff. He went to the arms locker and surveyed the weapons available. He stowed the .223 and took out his hunting bow. The bow was a compound with a 90 pound pull. Casey added a side quiver that held six hunting arrows tipped with broad heads. He also took a shotgun with a sling that let him carry it over his shoulder and down his back. Casey took to bow because it was a silent weapon and for the shock value. He could put an arrow into the ground at the men's feet or into a tree next to them from better than seventy five yards and they'd never know where the shot came from. It's highly demoralizing to be shot at and not know where your attacker is, Casey said to himself with a grim smile. He planned to shadow the men as they went to the Jeep. When they found it wouldn't start he would get their attention with a couple of arrows to spook them. Casey doubted it would work but he hoped to scare them and then offer to return the coil so they could leave. Of course they would have to let Dixie go first. Casey loaded the shotgun with slugs, which gave him a range of about 150 feet. If things get hairy I want more firepower than the bow will give me, he thought. He took one other item from the locker, another thing he'd brought home with him when he left the military. His camouflage covering known as a ghillie suit; with it he could make his way very close to the group. It was the same camo suit he'd used to get within 50 feet of several enemy targets to use a silenced .22 Ruger pistol. He locked the steel door to the storage area and went to the trail the men would have to take to the Jeep. Casey squatted down in the brush behind some trees and waited. ******************** Around two PM Raff opened the front door of the cabin. "Hey Casey, you out there?" He called. Not getting an answer he yelled again. "I know you're there somewhere. He still didn't get a response and continued, "We're going for a little walk and we're taking the girl with us. If you try anything I'll shoot her and then deal with you." Raff tied Dixie's hands behind her and pushed her through the door in front of him holding his pistol on her. "Remember if you try anything, I'll shoot your woman," Raff shouted again. From behind a stand of oak trees Raff heard from Casey. "And you remember Raff, I told you that if anything happened to her there will be hell to pay. Count on it" Casey followed just inside the tree line as Raff, leading Dixie, hiked up the valley toward the break in the ridge line that would lead them to their SUV. Sam and Ted were several yards in front, nervously looking from side to side. Maybe I should have brought the Remington, Casey thought. With them separated like they are I could service Raff and get the other two before they could get to Dixie. No, I'll try to get her out of this without killing anyone, he said to himself. If needs be I'll take them out but I have to try the other way first. As his thoughts continued he couldn't help but remember the boy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It took Raff and his crew forty five minutes to get to their SUV. He placed Sam and Ted at different points as a perimeter guard and walked to the driver's door. He opened the door, placed the key in the ignition, and turned the key; the engine turned over but wouldn't start. "Damn it," Raff shouted. He had a feeling that Casey was responsible for the car not starting. Raff came around to the front of the Jeep and opened the hood. He wasn't a true mechanic but he did know something about cars. He inspected the engine and he saw the missing coil. Raff pulled Dixie closer to him and shouted, "Damn you Casey. Give me the ignition coil or we'll end this right here." He pointed his pistol at Dixie's head. "Give me the coil," he repeated. "Or I'll shoot the girl." As Raff finished shouting an arrow suddenly struck the fender next to him. He stepped away from the car pulling Dixie with him. Raff turned his pistol and fired into the woods. Before he took more than three steps another arrow stuck in the ground, quivering between his feet. Casey's voice came from an unknown direction. "You might want to rethink your position Raff. I told you, if anything happens to her well... you won't like the consequences. Let her go Raff. I'll fix your car and give you some food. But most importantly I won't kill you. You can get out of here in better shape than when you came in. Let her go Raff." Raff called to Sam and Ted. As the two men returned to join Raff, Casey using the stealth learned as a sniper and made almost invisible by the ghillie suit crept within twenty five feet of the three men. He knew he could take them down using the bow and then the shotgun but he would have to be fast. The chance of hitting Dixie was too great so he decided to wait to see what developed. Casey heard Raff softly tell Sam and Ted, "I'll drop my gun and try to get him to come out into the open. I'll tell him we need to talk face to face. When he steps out you guys open up on him. We'll put an end to this right now." Raff had bent over to talk to the men and stood up. "Hey Casey, come on out so we can talk face to face. Here I'll put my gun down." He stepped forward, laid the pistol on the ground and stepped back. "C'mon guy we can work something out." Several minutes went by with no reaction. Casey was close enough to see the beads of sweat on Raff's forehead and his frustration. Raff shrugged his shoulders, picked up his gun, and motioned for everyone to move out. Ted pulled Dixie along holding her arm while Raff and Sam lagged behind and kept an eye on the tree line. Casey let them get a head start and came out of his hide. He circled to the right and ghosted after them. Dixie noticed that Ted would look back over his shoulder every three or four steps and waited for her chance. The next time Ted looked back Dixie stuck her leg out in front of him. He tripped over her leg and fell, letting go of her arm. Dixie was off like a shot running toward the trees on her right. "Son of a bitch," Ted yelled and started after Dixie. It was hard to run with her arms tied behind her but she made it to within 70 feet of the trees. Ted caught up, tackled her and they both went to the ground. He recovered and straddled Dixie immobilizing her. "You bitch" he yelled and drew back his hand to hit her. Dixie closed her eyes. Hell to Pay Ch. 02 She heard Ted scream and opened her eyes to see an arrow sticking in his shoulder. The arrow had gone partially through his body. Ted screamed again and fell to his side and off Dixie. She could see that about four inches of the arrow protruded out the back. Before she could get up Raff and Sam caught up to them. Raff saw Ted lying on the ground clutching his shoulder. He turned and pointed his pistol at Dixie and then he stopped. Raff knew that Casey could just as easily put an arrow into him if he harmed the girl. He picked Dixie up, set her on her feet, and started down the valley toward the cabin. "Help him up Sam," Raff ordered over his shoulder. "Let's get him back to the cabin where we can tend to his wound." He took several more steps and then turned and yelled back toward the trees. "Damn you Casey." Raff heard a voice from back in the trees answer, "I told you what would happen if you hurt her. Your man's lucky to be alive." Then there was silence. ******************** Casey followed the men and Dixie back to the cabin. He stood behind the same big oak he'd been behind earlier that day and watched as Sam helped Ted inside. Raff shoved Dixie through the door and slammed it shut. Casey smiled to himself and circled around to the storage cave. Inside he went to the arms locker and returned the bow, quiver, and the remaining three arrows. He also stowed the ghillie suit. He reloaded the shotgun with double aught buck shot and took it with him. Time to escalate the situation, Casey thought. If I don't get Dixie out of there soon, she's gonna get hurt, really hurt. Raff will stop bluffing at some point and I can't let it get that far. He put a dozen shotgun shells and two full clips for the Colt in his fanny pack. Casey also checked his Colt 1911. He knew both it and the shotgun were loaded but making sure was something every sniper did before a mission. Casey went weapons hot by jacking a round into the chamber of each weapon, closed the locker, and left the storage area. He just pushed the main door closed because if everything went according to plan, he and Dixie and might need to get inside quickly. He went to the entrance of the escape tunnel and slowly crept to the trap door. After listening to see if anyone was near the trap door, he slowly raised the door about an inch and peeked into the cabin. Ted was lying on his side near the front door moaning and saying he was gonna die. Raff yelled at him to be quiet and Sam was looking out of a small opening of the shutter at one of the front windows of the cabin. Raff knelt down by Ted and using a towel to hold the razor sharp broad head while he slowly unscrewed it. Then he grabbed the arrow near the fletching and sharply pulled it out of Ted's shoulder causing him to scream. "Is there a first aid kit?" Raff questioned Dixie. She nodded. "Get the kit, some towels, and heat some water. Make it quick," he ordered. Dixie got the first aid kit from one of the cabinets, grabbed some towels, and took them to Raff. She walked back to the kitchen to heat water. As Dixie passed the trap door, Casey threw it open knocking over the table while shooting several rounds into the ceiling with his Colt. In the commotion of everyone ducking for cover he grabbed Dixie, pulled her down into the tunnel and slammed the door back down before Raff or Sam could react. Casey quickly latched the door from underneath, gave Dixie a quick hug and pushed her down the tunnel. Picking up the shotgun, he took her to the old mine storage area. Reaching the old mine shaft, he turned on an electric lantern then closed and locked the steel door behind them. "We'll stay here tonight and decide what to do about our 'guests' tomorrow." Casey and Dixie ate some dinner and he unrolled two sleeping bags. Every few minutes Dixie would reach out and touch Casey. "What?" Casey finally asked with a smile. "I can't believe you got me out of there," she answered. I can't believe I'm safe again." Casey's smile got bigger and he hugged her. "I promised I'd take care of you," he stated simply. "Casey?" Dixie said. "Yes." "Are you going to kill them?" Casey stopped and looked at her. He stared for several seconds, shook his head, and answered. "I don't know but probably should. The last thing we need is for them to come back and ambush us." "But," Dixie said. "Yeah, but," Casey replied. "It's one thing to kill a man in a fire fight or protecting your friends and something altogether different to stalk and execute one." "You could have killed Ted. Why didn't you?" Casey shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "You're right, I could have. Just move the target area a few inches and he would have been dead." He gave Dixie a small and frightening smile. "You might not like this, but it was a tactical decision," he told her. "I knew I could stop him from hitting you by putting an arrow into his shoulder." Casey paused for about five seconds and added, "And I wanted them to worry. I wanted them to worry about where I was, what else I could do to them, and when I would do it" Casey saw a thoughtful look on Dixie's face. "I took a calculated chance that Raff wouldn't hurt you," he said. "He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but he knows that if anything happened to you, well...I wouldn't have any mercy on them." Still looking thoughtful Dixie said, "I know I'm supposed to be the gentler sex but for the last 24 hours I've lived what seemed like a week in almost terror. For my part, do what you think is right. If they have to die so be it. At least they won't do this to anybody else they run into." He paused for a few seconds surprised at Dixie's statement. "Let me think about it overnight." Casey and Dixie zipped the two sleeping bags together so they could sleep closer to each other. There wasn't anything romantic about it, they just held and comforted each other all night. The next morning when Dixie woke, Casey handed her a cup of coffee and a big piece of beef jerky. She smiled and asked, "Are all of our meals at this resort going to be this decadent?" "Nothing but the finest for you Honey," Casey replied returning her smile. Then his face sobered. "I've decided what to do about Raff and the other two. Got an idea that should get rid of them." Casey handed Dixie a pistol and holster to replace the one Sam took from her. "That's a Glock 19, 9MM. with a 15 round clip. It's loaded with hollow points which give it more stopping power. You carry the shotgun in case we get into close range." Dixie nodded and Casey said, "I'm gonna carry the sniper rifle. I think it'll make Raff think about things a bit more. Especially when I put a round through the peephole in the front door." They left the storage cave and slowly made their way to the trees opposite the front door of the cabin. On their way Casey made a small detour to the front porch. He laid the ignition coil for the Jeep in plain sight. Back in the tree line, Casey positioned Dixie behind a fallen oak and stepped into the open holding the Remington 700 with the noise suppressor attached to the barrel. He put the rifle to his shoulder and fired a round striking the peephole dead center. "Hey Raff," he yelled. "Did that get your attention?" ******************** Raff and Sam ducked when the trap door sprang open and knocked the table over; Ted was in no condition to respond. Before either of them could react, Casey had fired several shots then grabbed the girl and disappeared back into the hole in the floor. Raff stood and started toward Casey but the trap door slammed shut before he could get there. He heard the latch shoot home locking Raff and Sam in. "Damn it," Raff yelled. Motioning to Sam they turned the table upside down and placed it back over the trap door. "If he used it once he can use it again," he explained. They stacked some of the firewood on the table to weigh it down so Casey couldn't open the door. Sam looked at Raff in disbelief. "What happened?" "Casey just made off with our insurance policy." "Raff, what are we gonna do now?" Sam asked in a frightened voice. "Quiet, let me think for a minute." Raff thought for a couple of minutes. "He'll make sure the girl is okay and safe. It's getting dark so I don't expect him to do anything until morning." "But Raff..." Sam started. "Listen, there's nothing we can do right now," Raff interrupted. "He might still be out there waiting for us to run out of the cabin so we'll just stay put," he ordered. "You take the first watch and wake me in four hours. We'll switch in another four hours." Raff saw the worried look on his brother's face. "Take it easy Sam. It's all we can do right now." The next morning as Raff and Sam were drinking coffee a bullet came through the peephole in the front door and struck the back wall of the cabin. Raff and Sam fell to the floor. What the hell? Raff thought and then he heard Casey. He slowly stood and went to one of the front windows. Carefully he opened the shutter just far enough to look out. He saw Casey standing in the open with what looked like a sniper rifle propped on his hip. Raff opened the shutter a little more. A bullet broke the window pane and hit a cabinet. "Hey Raff can you hear me?" "Yeah, I hear you. What's on your mind?" Casey had to admire Raff's response. Not many would be that cool in this situation, he thought. Course maybe he's just too dumb to be afraid. "Raff, open the door and look at what I left for you," Casey ordered. "I'll hold my fire." Raff went to the door and slowly opened it. Lying on the porch was the Jeep's missing ignition coil. "Yeah, I see it. So what?" "I'll give you the same deal I offered yesterday. You three take what food you can carry, hike back to your car, and leave us alone." "Sure and as soon as we step out you'll shoot us down," Raff replied. "I give you my word that you can leave." Casey waited a few seconds and added, "It's the best deal you're gonna get." "We could just sit in here and wait you out," Raff offered. Casey noticed a movement at the window to the left. "Tell Sam to put his pistol down or I'll put a round through his head." He threw the rifle to his should and put a bullet into the logs beside the window. Sam ducked down and closed the shutter. "There are two reasons that won't work for you," Casey responded. "Do you really think that the food in the cabin is all I've stashed? And second, I've got enough C4 explosives to blow the cabin to hell and back." "You wouldn't blow up your cabin. Where would you and the girl live?" "There's another place where we can live with all the comforts of home. We stayed there last night in fact." Casey waited a bit and asked "What'da you say Raff?" "Why would you let us go?" Raff asked puzzled. "Other than when Ted freaked out, you didn't hurt my lady. From what she told me you kept the other two from abusing her. The deal is for what you did, or maybe I should say what you didn't do." Casey paused and then continued, "This is your payback." "Give us a minute to talk it over," Raff requested. "One last thing. When you leave, drop your weapons by the door. I want to see your 9MM, Ted's .22, and the .38 Sam took from the lady." Casey stepped back into the tree line and behind the big oak. It'd be sort of stupid to get shot now, he thought. He looked over to Dixie and grinned. "You think they'll leave?" Dixie asked. After a few seconds Casey answered. "It's their best move. If I don't blow up the cabin, they'll have to come out when the food runs out. I'll be there when they do." "Hey Casey," Raff yelled. "We'll take the deal. Give us the combination to the food locker and we'll leave." "Sorry, you can have the supplies in the cabinets but that's all," Casey answered. "Get the show on the road and come out." "We're coming," Raff answered as he opened the door. He was the first through the door, followed by Sam supporting Ted. "Drop your weapons," Casey ordered. Raff had a bed roll in his left hand and pulled his pistol with his right hand, dropping it to the porch. Sam and Ted each carried a bed roll and dropped Dixie's .38 down and the .22. They began walking down the valley toward the Jeep. Raff bent over and picked up the coil and looked up as Casey stepped out into the open. Nodding at Casey, he followed Sam and Ted down the trail. Casey waited until they were at the upper end of the valley and motioned for Dixie to go to the cabin. He slowly followed her keeping his eyes on the three men. As Casey got to the porch he picked up the three pistols and stepped inside. Inside the cabin he shut and locked the shutters. "Lock up behind me," he told Dixie. "I'm gonna trail them and make sure they leave. I should be back in an hour or two." Casey took a step toward the door and turned back to Dixie. "One more thing....I love you," he said and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her and left. Casey quickly caught up to Raff and the others even though he stayed in the trees. He watched as Raff replaced the coil. Ted climbed into the back seat and fell over. Raff got behind the wheel and Sam got in on the passenger side. As the men got into their SUV, Casey stepped out into the open. He wanted Raff to know he was being watched. "Wave at the nice man Sam," Raff said pointing to Casey standing just outside of the tree line. "Son of a bitch," Sam said grabbing a small .380 pistol from under the seat and started to get out of the car. "Don't be stupid," Raff ordered as he stopped Sam. "All we've got is his word that he won't shoot us. If you go after him he may decide to change his mind. He's got all the cards right now." "We just gonna leave?" Sam asked. "Where will we go?" "You want to stay and get shot or blown up?" Raff responded. "Once we lost the girl we lost our edge. Don't worry we'll find someplace." He started the Jeep, turned it around, and drove back down the narrow road. Casey stayed in the brush and watched the vehicle drive away. He followed it down the trial until it turned onto the forest service road. He had a small smile on his face as he returned to the cabin. Dixie had fixed a late lunch using MREs. Smiling Casey told her that was the best military issued packaged meals he had ever tasted. Together they cleaned up the cabin. While Dixie took the wood off the table and restacked it by the stove, Casey went around and back through the tunnel to unlatch the trap door. Never know when we might need it again, he thought. Late that afternoon, they went up the hill to the radio. Casey had missed a couple of days of the news. They caught the afternoon broadcast. The news was both good and bad. The National Guard had been deployed to the city and they were slowly stabilizing the area. The Guard had taken control of several of the food warehouses and was rationing food to the citizens. Everyone who came to the distribution points got something; maybe not as much as before the "virus" but more than they had been getting. Electricity and gas were still a problem but actions were being taken to improve the availability. One of the first things the government had done was to take control of the water treatment plants. They brought in gasoline generators to power the pumps and water was again flowing into the homes. However the Guard didn't control enough of the city to stop the roving gangs. That was still a big problem. The rest of the broadcast was basically horror stories of what was still going on in some parts of the city. Casey turned the radio off, disconnected the antennae leads, and hid the radio again. He and Dixie went back to the cabin for the evening. After dinner sitting at the table they talked about the last couple of days. "I'm sorry Casey," Dixie said. "I should have locked up as soon as I saw Raff, like you told me." "For what? Being human?" He replied. "You gave a man some food; that was a compassionate thing to do. They set up an ambush and took advantage of your good intentions." Besides you're safe now and that's all that matters." Dixie smiled her thanks. "That was a good shot, this morning. I knew you were pretty good but I didn't realize how good." Casey nodded and stared at the wall for a few seconds. "Dixie I need to tell you something. It might change your mind about me but I have to tell you." He hesitated and then told her about being a sniper. Casey described some of his missions and finally told her about the boy he'd accidentally shot. "That's the real reason I let Raff and the others go. I'm tired of hunting and killing men. Oh, I'll do it if needs be but I'd rather find some other way." He was silent for what seemed like an eternity and added, "If you want to go your own way after the crisis is over, I'll understand." Dixie stood, walked over to Casey, and sat on his lap. Putting her arms around his neck said "You're not getting rid of me that easy Mr. Stewart. I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for the next hundred years or so." The rest of the evening was spent celebrating. A bed's a hell of a lot better than a sleeping bag on a rock floor, Casey thought. He looked down at Dixie sleeping with her head on his shoulder and smiled. ******************** Raff drove for about ten miles and pulled into a clearing. Sam had been napping and woke up as the Jeep stopped. "Why are we stopping?" Sam asked. "We're gonna give Casey and the girl a chance to calm down and then we're going back," Raff answered. "But he made us leave our guns. What are we gonna do, talk him to death?" Raff smiled and got out. He went to the rear of the Jeep and opened the hatch. "Casey made a bad mistake. He forgot about this." Raff opened his bedroll to show Sam the .22 Magnum rifle he'd taken from the cabin. That with the small .380 pistol from under the Jeeps seat gave them incentive to act. "I was able to conceal it in my bedroll by collapsing the stock," Rafe said holding up the rifle. "We'll wait here for a few hours and go back. There's gonna be a full moon tonight so we'll be able to see the road to walk in." Sam smiled and nodded. Raff continued, "We'll set up in the tree line in front of the cabin and wait for morning. When Casey comes out I'll put him down and we can take over the cabin again." At midnight, with a full moon lighting the way, Raff drove back to where the Jeep had been parked before. The three men walked back up the valley but this time they stayed at the edge of the tree line. Raff pointed to the spots he wanted his partners to hide and he sat down behind the same big oak that Casey had used as cover. It was just after daybreak when Casey and Dixie walked out of the cabin onto the porch. There was no indication how long it would be before they could safely return to the city so Casey was going hunting. He was carrying a shotgun. "I'll try for a couple of grouse," Casey told Dixie. "Grouse?" She asked not familiar with the term. "They're like a partridge or pheasant," he explained with a smile. He stepped off the porch a little way and turned to wave to her. A shot rang out and Casey dropped to the ground. Dixie screamed and ran to him. He was unconscious and had a crease on the side of his head where the bullet had grazed him. She heard someone running toward them and looked up. Raff, with a big grin on his face, along with Sam and Ted were running toward Casey and Dixie. To Be Continued... Hell to Pay Ch. 03 copyright January/2011 Please read Chapters 1& 2 to understand the characters and the events in the story to this point. Constructive comments, critiques, and emails are very welcome and appreciated. Thank you for taking your time to follow this tale. Please enjoy. Hell to Pay Ch. 03 She nodded and Casey continued, "I've got some walky talkies and we can stay in contact with you at the cabin while we're hunting. If anyone shows up give us a call and we'll come a runnin." Dixie had wandered over and said, "You help us and we'll help you. You'll have food and a safe place to live. Probably more important to you, your children will be safe too." "Think it over Sally," Casey said. "Sleep on it and give us your decision in the morning." Casey stood and stretched. "I'm done talkin ladies, I'm headed for bed. Y'all stay up as late as you want. Good night." The next morning after a breakfast of oatmeal and some canned bacon, Casey strapped on his .357 and picked up his bow. "I'm gonna check the snares," Casey told the ladies. "Should be back in about an hour, then we'll go listen to the radio and see if things are getting back to normal. Dixie you know the drill." "Yes dear," Dixie responded. "Stay close to the cabin and if anybody shows up call you on the Walkie Talkie." Sally nodded and watched the two say goodbye. It's nice of them offering to let us stay, she thought. It's nice that they've made up a story to make me feel useful if we do stay. I don't know how long it will be before we can go home or even if I want to go home. Stay or go, either way we're in better shape than when we got here. An hour later, Casey returned carrying two rabbits. John offered to clean them so Casey handed them to the boy. He and Dixie climbed the hill, attached the antennae to the radio and listened to the latest reports from the city and the country. The National Guard had begun to restore the infrastructure. They had managed to get the water plants fully up and running and would soon have the electric generating plants back online. Government IT people had finally found a way to eradicate the virus. It would take time to erase it from all computers and to repair the damage it caused but progress was being made. A government agency spokesman said that no group or one person had claimed responsibility for the virus. The agency believed that it was an experiment that had gotten out of hand. He said there was no indication that terrorists or hackers were involved. The spokesman added that the citizens who had left their homes could return safely. The gangs that had taken over the cities were being dealt with. There was still rationing of food and supplies but according to the reports everything would be back to normal in a couple of months. Then the people could go back to their lives. The radio station said the next report would be at midday and soon they would be broadcasting as they had before the virus. Casey disconnected the antennae and put the radio back in its hiding place. He looked at Dixie and shook his head. "Bullshit," he said. "It could take months before this is all sorted out." "You really think so?" Dixie questioned. Nodding his head Casey replied, "It will be quite awhile before the government can give up control over the cities and effected areas." He stared down at the cabin for a few seconds. "You really want to go back Dixie? We can stay here for a long, long, time." Dixie was quiet and then said, "We can't stay here forever." "Yeah, but by that time maybe things will be better in the small towns around here." Casey smiled and added, Casey saw Dixie's hesitation. "No matter what they say, your job at the bank won't be reinstated for some time, maybe months. But....If you want to go back, I'll take you." "Will you come with me?" "No. I'll get you back to a safe zone in the city and then I'll come back here." He shook his head. "I don't want some government bureaucrat taking my guns and food supplies and then telling me when and how much I can eat. I'll do better out here." Dixie stared at Casey for several minutes. He sat quietly and waited for her decision. Finally she sighed, took a deep breath and said. "I think I'd rather decide when and what I eat for myself too." She smiled and added, "I didn't like being in that office all day anyway." Casey grabbed her and pulled her to him. After kissing her he took Dixie's hand and led her to the storage cave. They spent a little over an hour in the cave; it was the only privacy they'd had since Sally and the children came into their lives. On the way back to the cabin Casey smiled and said, "If Sally stays we'll have to figure a way to get some alone time." Dixie nodded and returned his smile. Sally, John, and Mary were sitting in front of the cabin when they returned. She had a shotgun lying across her lap as she watched the children play. "Have trouble?" Casey asked. "No, but I remembered what my Dad taught me," Sally replied. Casey raised an eyebrow and she said, "He said that the only time you needed a gun was when you need one." Casey chuckled. "I didn't mention it before but if you want to go back home I'll take you there. Have you made a decision?" Sally nodded. "I think we'd better stay here and be your rear guard," she said with a smile. Maybe later we can go back to the city." John spoke up and said, "I want to learn to use your bow Mr. Casey." "I guess that decides it," Casey said and laughed. "You'll have to stay now." Hell to Pay Ch. 03 He quickly explained what had happened and loaded everyone into Sally's truck, leaving his Ford at the base of the hill. Casey drove along the fire trail until it bisected the road into Winona and turned toward the town. After coming out from behind the hill he drove slowly toward the town, blowing his horn every hundred feet or so. At Dixie's questioning look he said, "I don't want to surprise the guards while they're still on an adrenaline rush from the fight. The horn will let them know we're coming." He stopped about thirty feet from the Humvee and got out of the truck. Casey held his rifle in the crook of his arm. "Is Mayor Jackson around?" Jimmy, the guard that had met Casey before, was one of the men cleaning up after the attack. He walked out to meet Casey. "Hi Mr. Stewart," he said extending his hand. Looking at the rifle in Casey's arms he asked, "Was that you up on the hill?" Casey nodded and the boy continued, "Things were about to get right interesting before you jumped in. We were having a real problem with that machine gun." Tony Jackson arrived and asked the same question. "Was that you shooting from up on the hill?" Casey nodded again. "Thanks, we were getting the hell shot out of us. Is our Florence Nightingale with you? We could sure use her help right now. We've got several wounded." Casey motioned back to the truck. "Sally they've got wounded. Could you give them a hand?" Sally got out the truck and joined Casey and the Mayor. After Casey introduced her she asked, "Where are your injured people?" Jimmy looked at Sally, smiled, and quickly spoke up. "Follow me Mrs. Douglas; I'll take you to our infirmary. We can drop your children off at the school building on the way." Sally returned his smile. "Really Jimmy....Sally will do." Turning to John and Mary she said, "C'mon guys. You're going to meet some other children while I help these people." Tony Jackson was looking at the three vehicles that had belonged to the raiders. Two were beat up trucks, not much more than junk. He directed one of his men to siphon any gas and useable oil from the trucks and push them off the road. The Humvee was a different matter. Casey examined the Humvee. "This thing was stolen from an Army or National Guard base. It's about three years old at most." Turning to Tony he said, "You ought to use this in your roadblock. That SAW machine gun will be a great deterrent to anyone wanting to invade Winona." "What's a SAW?" Tony asked. "It's a light machine gun. SAW stands for Squad Automatic Weapon." "There's not much ammo left for the gun," Tony said. "It uses a 5.53 NATO round; that's the same as a .223," Casey told him. "I know you've got hunting rifles that caliber. Even if you don't, the sheer size of the Humvee and the fact that it's armored makes it a great barricade." "Sounds like you know more than a little about weapons and military pieces," Tony remarked. Casey slowly smiled and nodded. "I've had some training and experience." "Well drive your truck on in. We'll feed you a good meal and give you a place to spend the night," Tony offered. "It's the least we can do for your help." "The truck belongs to Sally. The truck, Sally and the kids are a package," Casey said with a smile. Dixie you drive the truck in I'll go get our truck and come back." Jimmy got back just in time to offer to go with Casey. On the hike Jimmy was full of questions about Sally. "Where's her husband?" Casey shrugged his shoulders and Jimmy asked, "Is she still married?" Casey told him the story that Sally had given him. "Anything else you want to know, you'll have to ask her," he said to Jimmy smiling at the young man's interest. Supper was a community affair. Everyone, excluding the people on guard duty, met in the school gym and ate together. Meals were packaged and taken out to the guards. The food had been prepared in the school kitchen from the town's combined supplies. Tony finally had to ask the people to leave Casey alone and let him eat. They all wanted to thank him for his help during the raid. Dixie smiled at Casey watching him blush at the compliments and thanks of the people. Sally and the kids joined their table shortly after they began eating. After a few minutes Jimmy joined them and sat next to Sally. Dixie and Casey smiled at Jimmy's attention and at Sally's obvious interest in the young man. If Sally stays, she won't be alone for long, Dixie thought. Casey and Dixie were given a bed in what had been a small office. "I think Sally will be staying, don't you?" Dixie asked. Casey smiled and answered, "Between the school and other children, being able to help as a nurse, and Jimmy I don't think there's a chance that Sally will come back with us." He hesitated and asked, "Now that you've seen the town and met the people, do you want to stay here Dixie?" She thought for almost a minute. "I want to be with you. We can visit every week or so. That's enough civilization for me." Dixie snuggled close to Casey and went to sleep.