Texas Strong_Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction by Bobby Akart

Author:Bobby Akart [Akart, Bobby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-05-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

January 4

The Armstrong Ranch

Borden County, Texas

Major brushed off the cold and entered the ranch house after their day trip to Lubbock. The warm fire caused his face to tingle as he greeted his wife, who was monitoring the news. They had the AM radio stations reporting, and Riley showed them the shortwave frequency bands that produced the most conversation. Not all of them were part of the militia groups. Many were preppers from around America passing along both observations and rumors.

She stood and gave him a kiss before leading him to the hearth in front of the fire. He declined a cup of coffee, instead choosing to unwind and relay the day’s events to Lucy.

“This smaller slaughterhouse is not the greatest option, but we’ve made a deal with them,” he began. “They can handle eight of our big boys per day. We’ll truck them up there, have our hands wait until they’re butchered and processed, and then drive home the same day.”

“What’s it gonna cost us?” asked Lucy.

“We offered up a dairy cow for each trip,” replied Major.

“Will the Slaughters be okay with that?”

“Yeah, if he wants to eat our beef. I’ll need one of his men each day, and two of ours will accompany Antonio. Preacher will make the first run tomorrow to make sure the deal is kept.”

Lucy turned off the radio and set it on the cocktail table. She gestured for Major to sit on the seat, and she helped him remove his boots. “Major, are you sure this is necessary? It’s gonna use up a lot of diesel, put our men at risk, plus expose some of our valuable assets like the cattle and the trailer.”

“We talked about that on the way back,” he replied. “The only way to avoid this is to see Marion again and get a waiver. I’m sure I’ll have to stand in line behind a dozen other ranchers. We’ll provide Antonio several different routes between here and there so nobody can establish a pattern of activity. Also, he’ll be under strict orders to abandon the cattle and get themselves back to the ranch in the event of trouble. We’ve got more cattle, but good men and the trailer are in short supply.”

“What about the diesel?” she asked.

“We’re gonna have to go in the other direction for that,” replied Major. “When we were in Odessa, I spoke with one of the deputies, who told me Arnold Oil Company in Midland was supplying a lot of the ranchers who were their regulars.”

“Not us,” interrupted Lucy. “Remember how they screwed Pops over years ago?”

Major grimaced and nodded. “Yes, of course I do, and my reaction was the same when the deputy mentioned their name.”

Arnold Oil Company was founded in Corpus Christi after the end of the Depression. Over time, they expanded throughout Texas and continued with the Arnold family operating their locations for many years. During the boom of the oil industry in the eighties, the grandchildren of founder Gene Arnold began to sell off their locations to larger corporate interests.

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