they have the cops and the brainwashed idiots doing their fighting for them.”
“I’ve never heard you talk this way before,” said Rita.
“I know. Things are different now.”
Rita smiled. “Got anything to drink?”
“Come on inside. I have some beer in the fridge.”
Rita mostly listened to her sister for the next hour while enjoying a cold beer. Karen got Rita up to date on what happened, what was happening now, what might happen in the future. Rita realized just how much she had missed by not paying attention to the world around her. Now here she was in the middle of something really ugly and she never saw it coming. Not a good poker move, she thought. You always have to be careful of someone trapping you. Someone holding the hidden pairs that made their three of a kind, ready to bust your pair of aces.
After two beer each Karen needed to nap as she had to take a turn guarding the town in a couple hours. Rita went outside and unpacked her motorcycle. Sat on the front porch holding the rifle across her lap, sipping on her third beer. She didn’t know the caliber of the rifle and there were only a couple bullets remaining in the long gun. Maybe someone in town could supply some ammunition for the gun she hoped. After a few minutes she dozed off sitting in the large wicker chair, her beer half gone, the sound of birds singing in the trees that lined the main street that ran through the center of the village. The cry of an eagle above her.
Rita awoke as Karen touched her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes, looked at her sister dressed in blue denim, a rifle in her hands, her long blonde hair tied in a ponytail.
“I have to go, sis.”
“Can I come along?” asked Rita.
Karen nodded. “Sure. I’m going up to the top of the hill near the petroglyphs. There’s a barrier across the road up there now. That’s where I have to be for the next four hours.”
Rita stood to her feet slowly, still half asleep. She picked up her pistol from the deck floor. Looked at her chest. Decided to change her t-shirt as she had been wearing it since she left Black Diamond. She pulled the shirt over her head exposing her large bare breasts, reached inside her bag still sitting on the porch and retrieved a black cotton sleeveless blouse. Quickly donned the blouse and strapped the shoulder holster tightly. Picked up the rifle. Smiled at her sister.
“You still don’t wear a bra?”
“Like it matters?”
Karen grinned. “You won’t say that when you have to run and your tits keep hitting you in the face.”
“They’re soft.”
“Come on. Let’s go.”
The pair were soon at the top of the hill. Karen parked her car close to the two tractors blocking the road. Rita could see three people looking at them. Two men and a woman. They exited the car. Karen introduced her sister to the locals and the locals left soon after.
“Are you supposed to be alone here?” asked Rita.
“I’m not alone. You’re here.”
“But still. Shouldn’t we have more people here?”
“I don’t know where Bill is. He’s supposed to be here. He probably slept in or something.”
“Bill?”
“You met him last year. He was John’s friend.”
“I remember now.”
The two women stood behind the tractors, Karen using field glasses to look down the long gravel road. Looking for dust trails. Anything moving. Rita smelled the sage floating on the breeze, watched the insects buzzing around her head. Looked up at the cloudless blue sky. Glad she wore her sunglasses to shield against the dazzling bright sun, the July heat rising, sweat beaded on her forehead, her armpits wet.
“See anything?”
Karen kept peering through the binoculars. “Nothing so far.”
Rita looked behind her. “A gray truck’s coming up the hill.”
Karen turned to look. “That’s Bill.”
Rita said nothing, just waited for the truck to arrive. Watched a tall lanky middle aged, maybe slightly older man exit the vehicle, his smile bright as he recognized her.
“Hi Rita. Still beautiful as ever.”
She was surprised he remembered her name. “Hi Bill.”
“Come to fight the good fight have you?”
Rita nodded. “I guess.”
He looked at her rifle. “You have a good .308 there.”
“I only have two bullets for it.”
“I have lots.” He said hello to Karen, then fished inside his canvas pack and withdrew a box of shells, handed them to Rita. “Fill up your gun.”
“Thanks, Bill. Think we’ll have trouble today?”
“I doubt it. Satan’s stooges are still probably busy in the cities killing infidels.”
Rita had never heard that expression before. She said nothing, just loaded her rifle with ammunition. When it was fully loaded she held out the box with the remaining shells to Bill.
“Keep the box. I have lots more ammo.”
“Bill’s a survivalist, sis. Best armed man in St. Victor.”
“I’m not so stupid now, am I?” He winked.
“No, you’re not stupid, Bill.”
“I knew this shit was coming. Damn politicians.” He spit, shook his head. “From all sides.”
Karen smiled a little. “Yeah. I guess the only good thing is the muzzies will kill most of the idiot politicians. They deserve to be killed too. Probably a public beheading like they’re so fond of doing.”
“Useful idiots. That’s what the evil bastards count on. That’s how they gain control. Never a shortage of useful idiots around.”
“We live in an upside down world where stupid is the new smart.”
Bill laughed. “You can say that again.” He walked beside Karen and looked along the gravel road running in a southerly direction across the prairie.
Rita looked up at the sky, watched the crying eagle circle above them. Remembered an old Indian friend, Joe Redbone, tell her that an eagle brought good luck. If it circles above your head it means he’s welcoming you here. She didn’t know if that was true, but Joe had a way of talking that she believed. She wondered what ever happened to him. Probably dead now. Maybe.
Rita looked at Bill. “Surely all Muslims can’t be evil can they?”
Bill laughed. “Maybe one or two.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, Rita, that’s it. There are no good ones now. Probably never were any either. The only thing to do is kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out.”
“I hear there’s lots of them.”
“There is, but more and more people like us will rise up and fight the bastards. Unless its too late already. Anyway, its better to die on your feet than live on your knees. I’ll never submit to evil. That’s what they are.”
Rita remembered her young friend Sarah say the same thing. “We’re going to need more guns, I think.”
Bill smiled a little, he liked this woman. “Yeah. Just see what happens I guess.” He lifted his ball cap, wiped his brow, his longish graying hair, the day scorching hot now. “First thing will be the power going out. I’m surprised its still on. They’ll get to that eventually. Only a matter of time.”
Rita glanced