My continuing series of what has happened in my away up to this point. I will load all this into my NetBook and upload them when the up-links are clear.
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Fourth Morning
I get up early and take another look around town. It’s really quiet. Albeit the town is normally quiet but this is Christmas-Day-and all-the-Stores-are-closed, kind of quiet. I take a back street and go down by the National Guard Depot and have a look around. I have my AR-15 with me and some extra mags. Odessa does NOT know I am doing this. As I drive by I see there are soldiers there, but not really agitated or anything. So I decide to stop and have a chat. I am not really noticed until I walk up to the guy and say hello. He stares at me because of my non-accent (or Northern Accent as it were) I ask him how it’s going. He just kind of nods and looks around. He tells me that a lot of the brass are on the move but the National Guard in Kentucky is only activated around Louisville so far. He says a lot of people are leaving the cities. Official word is it is a terroristic act, just like on the news. He says he doesn’t believe it and he is getting his family and going East into the mountains until all this is cleared up. I ask about if he is afraid to be a deserter and he says better a live a deserter than a dead hero. His partner on duty just snorts and shakes his head. Thinks we are crazy and this will all be over in a few days. The guy I am talking to rolls his eyes and smiles. I bid a good day and leave.
That night we try the phones again with no luck. The power is getting spotty too. Odessa’s older brother the judge says the state police are treating it as a riot or civil disobedience. They were trying to blame all this on Tea Party’s getting out of hand. We had our first news about a small unrest (let’s call it what it was, an outbreak) in Lexington. I lay my plan on the table. Mr. Law and Order doesn’t think it will get that bad down here so he doesn’t think I should do what I am thinking. I talk to a friend of mine who works not far from me and he thinks’ it’s a great plan. His son is home from the Marines and they are coming with me on Friday morning.
Friday morning I met with my friends and we take our truck back to the National Guard Depot. We get there just after day break and discover it must be a good idea as other people have thought of it. Several pick up and a mini-van are sitting just outside the now unguarded gate. The gate itself has one side of the chain link off of the hinges and laying to the side. We cautiously get out with our weapons and even more cautiously creep up to the building. We can here several men talking, some yelling and even some crying (?). We come in the building at arms and notice no one is paying attention to us at all. There are a group of men standing around a table with a map on it and a woman with a crying child in one corner. The men are still arguing and pointing to the map. I clear my throat and suddenly everyone notices us. My friend John just looks at me with a ‘way to go’ smirk. They notice our weapons and scrabble to get theirs in line. I call out to whoa, whoa, take it easy and rest mine in a cradle in my arms. I tell them we are not here to fight and thought this place would be defensible against whatever is coming. An older, grizzled man with a beard (Whom I know I have seen in town. It IS a small town after all.) Claps his hands and makes a crazy sounding laugh. He says, ‘Son, we could use all the help we can get.’ John’s son the Marine is still a bit wary but was caught off guard by this reaction. Admittedly I thought people would fight over this place to keep it for themselves. I guess I was up North too long, sigh. We soon discover other like minded nuts, like us, came here and found the place empty. No guards, a few Humvees missing, some of the weapons lockers broke open that kind of thing. Only 3 men here are from the National Guard, they came back with the same idea. The woman and crying child is one of theirs. Since no fight is evident amongst us, we make plans.
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