Early one evening, about ten days after Maria and Michelle had joined the group, they were all gathered in the general store. Kathy and Tim were trying to quiet the younger children in order to get them ready for bed, when Maria started to ask Bob questions.

"Bob, I've been talking with Kathy. From what she, and Tim tell me, You have had some kind of answer to every problem that you have come across. Like the smoke grenades you used at a checkpoint that you ran into. So I'm wondering what else you might have tucked away somewhere in your brain for problems we may have in the future. I'm also wondering how you managed to come up with all those answers so far."

Bob fed another piece of wood into the pot-bellied stove before he spoke.

"I have to tell you that much of what I've done so far was a combination of my own experiences, and The Lords' inspiration. Not so much that He put the answer into my brain, but that he led me down a rather rocky road to prepare me for this time. And I'm not the only one. You weren't there when we crossed the Mississippi River. The Captain of the 'Molly B.' is a good example."

"How so?" She asked.

"It's simple. It is like I've said before. Misdirection is a very powerful friend when used correctly. You see, Jim never answered a single question straight. He only led the men in the patrol boat to believe that he was making a trip for Director Claire. So they didn't want to inspect the 'Molly B' too closely. They were too afraid to do that.

But there are other ways to misdirect someone. For example, let's say that you are a farmer. Let's also say that the area you live in is under enemy occupation or martial law. Then, all of a sudden, a fuel/supply depot blows up in the middle of the night, and burns quite merrily for hours after that. Needless to say, they are going to want to know who did it. Now here is the problem. YOU were seen outside after curfew, and the local commissioner has a few questions. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to convince him that you are innocent. Especially under 2 circumstances.

1. You ARE innocent.

2. You AREN'T innocent.

Human nature being what it is, he is already convinced of your guilt. After all you WERE out after curfew. Soooo....make the evidence point to a lesser crime, like this.

'Why were you out after curfew?'

'Sir, I'm supposed to provide you and your men with eggs. Records show I have 40 chickens. If you look out in the yard. You'll find 50 of them.'

'You mean you were stealing chickens?'

'It's the only way to meet my quota.'

You'll get a slap on the wrist, and maybe lose a few birds, but that is better than what could happen. It also diverts suspicion from you for whatever you actually were doing. Like arson."

"But how could you hide 10 extra chickens?" Michelle wanted to know.

"When was the last time you counted the number of chickens on a farm?" Bob asked.

"I can't say I ever have." Michelle answered.

"Neither have they." Bob said. "But there is so much more to it than that. Take for example the matter of watches. After the Russians and Chinese set off the E.M.P. bombs, everything electronic, that was unshielded, died. Yet my watch is still working, because it is an old fashioned wind up mechanical watch. Now a watch might not seem to be too important. But if you are in a city under enemy occupation, or martial law, and the announcement comes out that food will be handed out at exactly nine o'clock in the morning, wouldn't it be nice to know when nine o'clock gets here? If curfew is exactly at 5:30 P.M. it would be wise to be off the streets at that time. On top of that, if you are actively working against your enemy, a watch or clock, can be used as a timer for any number of things. Anything from coordinating an attack to setting off explosives, by removing the crystal and connecting the wires to the hands. When they meet, everything goes off at
once.

Please understand, I'm not here to teach anyone how to become a combat soldier. Yes, I am a vet, but that is why I won't do it. There is a reason why people in the service are considered old and past it at the ripe old age of 36. Things such as combat are best carried out by young professionals in the prime of their lives, I regret to say. Mainly because they have the stamina. And at my age, I don't have it anymore.

Even so, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Kathy, you know how I've been teaching everyone how to use a bow and arrow?"

Without a word Kathy nodded.

Bob continued, "A good bow, or crossbow, has the same range of a shotgun at least. For a good archer the range is much further than a shotgun. Plus they are a lot quieter. Sometimes being quiet is a good thing. Also, if the need arises, the arrows or crossbow bolts, can be made instead of purchased."

Bob paused to take a sip of his coffee, and feed yet another piece of wood into the stove before he continued.

"One of the things I've always had an issue with is the way people relied more and more heavily on modern technology. Technology can and will fail sooner or later. Look at the state this country is in right now. And it happens every year in different places for different reasons. Hurricanes in the south would take out electrical power. In the affected areas, only people with generators managed to keep their cold things cold, and could heat up food for a hot meal. Even then, there were reports of generators being stolen in the middle of the night, and such like. But either way, very few people were ready to have to cook over an open fire. Technology failed, and people suffered because they weren't ready to do without all of the modern comforts. The same is true for just about every area of the country. Snow storms would take out power lines, and people would die because they weren't ready for it."

"Take this fire for example." Bob said. "We didn't use any of our limited supply of matches to start it, I used my lighter. Of course, there isn't any fuel in it, but by spinning the wheel backwards, I made a spark that lighted the starter material I had put in the stove. How many people have gone hungry and cold since all of this started because they depended on technology? You see, once the fuel in a butane lighter runs out, people throw them away. They never even think about spinning the wheel in the wrong direction to get a spark to start a fire, they just get rid of them because they relied on technology, instead of their wits and The Lord."

At this point Alex spoke up.

"I have to say that Dad is right about that. When I was younger, Dad and I used to go on what he called 'survival' camping trips. We'd go off into the woods with almost nothing. No tents, no food, just some fishing line, hooks, and a couple of belt knives. We'd use the knives to make a lean-to shelter, and fishing poles. After that, we'd find some worms or other kind of fish food and use the line and hooks to catch our meals. Well, that and native edible plants. You'd never believe how many plants are actually good to eat. Sometimes, when the fish weren't biting, we had to rely on the plants to keep from going hungry."

"So, that's why you were in such good shape when we found you." Kathy said.

"That's about it." Alex agreed. "Dad also used to teach me other things as well. Like how to navigate without using anything like G.P.S. or a compass. I was so surprised at how easy it was. What was it you used to tell me about finding my direction, Dad?"

"If the sun comes up on the right, and goes down on the left, you're facing north. The same is true for the moon, of course. Once you know which way you are pointed, and you know where you want to go, you can get pointed in the general direction you need to go."

"That was it. And just like you told me, it never failed."

"That sounds like a good way to never get lost." Michelle said.

"I'd be happy to show you how it works. Care to go for a moonlight stroll?"

"Sure." Michelle answered.

Bob watched carefully as the two left the store together. Turning to Maria he said, "I don't think our warnings are doing much good."

"Well, at least now that his arm is out of the sling, he knows better than to try anything."

"Maybe so." Bob answered, "But I think we might want to keep an eye on those two. For someone who just got over being hurt, he seems pretty willing to risk it again." He shook his head and continued.

"Getting back to the subject of navigation and traveling, You folks may have noticed that many times I put a premium on remaining un-noticed when all around you is coming apart. This comes from the position of,

'They can't shoot or arrest you, if they don't see you.'

Most people have never considered that power lines, gas lines, rail lines, etc. all lead into town, but they also lead out. Most people didn't even think about such things when everything started to come apart. They all tried to get on the interstate, or other major roads to get away from whatever trouble was coming their way. When the soldiers or law enforcement officers manning roadblocks turned them back, very few took the service roads under the power line, or next to the gas lines, etc. They never considered them as a good means of avoiding unwanted confrontations. Now I admit those service roads are almost always very rough. And not every car can make it down them, but with care and effort most vehicles can."

"I remember, the same thing happened when coastal areas would try to evacuate when a hurricane started to get too close. The traffic jams would close down roads for miles." Maria agreed.

"That is just the point. People are creatures of habit, and habit isn't always good for you. When it comes to survival, most people think you have to have a ton of gear to make it, and that is just not true. Alex and I would go for days with nothing more than knives, line and hooks. And those things weigh almost nothing, but they allowed us to stay alive, and in some places live rather well.

But, as they used to say on T.V., wait there is more. Traveling as light as you can is always a good idea. For example, There are many, many useful and even nasty things that you can do with a piece of wire. I'm talking about thin and flexable wire. In my kit I carry several guitar strings. They're good for snares, emergency repairs, trip wires, the list is almost endless. The point is, the only thing that can't either be taken from you, nor lost by you, is between your ears. The mind is the most dangerous weapon ever. But most people never learned to use it properly."

"What did you do about water?" Sam asked.

"Oh there are several ways to get it. You already know about water being underground, don't you?"

Sam nodded. "Sure. That's why they dig wells."

"Have you ever thought about digging a hole in moist ground and letting the water seep into it? It may not taste like what you are used to having, but it will be reasonably clean, and will keep you alive.

Of course where would we be without our veggies? I spoke earlier about the card deck that shows the wild edibles. Fact is that there might be some that you want to grow. Problem is, at a time like this, that neat rows are a dead give away, and easily seen from the air. It takes some practice, and a little work, but mixing veggies of your choice in with natural plants in a random manner will prevent them from being seen from the air. Also it makes it harder to find when on the ground. The down side, you have to spread these out over a much wider area. It's called 'guerrilla gardening'."

Bob paused for another drink from his cup before going on. "I think that it is safe to say that after the invasion, there are resistance movements behind enemy lines. I wouldn't join one. The sad fact is that through out history in all such movements, up to 1/3 of its' members, or more, are in fact spies for the enemy. They might be such for a number of reasons. Maybe they are forced to do it to save family members. Maybe they think the invaders are good for the country. Maybe they want power, or just extra rations. Point is, there are by now, spies in every neighborhood behind the lines.

The best advice I can give on this is actually two things.

1. Ask no questions.

Even if you think that your spouse, children, children in law, or grandchildren are involved in the resistance. ASK NO QUESTIONS! I'll explain in a moment.

2. If you must do something, like say, stealing chickens, Act alone, and tell no one. These two compliment each other.

The whole point is that it does not matter whether it is subtle questioning by the afore mentioned spies, drugs, or even torture, you can not give up secrets that you do not have. In the old film "The Longest Day" there is a scene that demonstrates this. The Frenchman comes home one evening and sits at the table. His wife brings him a bowl of soup, and as they listen to the radio, he hears the words;

"John has a long mustache"

He drops the spoon, jumps up grabs his hat and bolts from the room. Only to return, put the radio in a cabinet, lock it and run out again. His wife first tastes the soup to see if it is alright, then walks to the cabinet, and listens to the radio that her husband forgot to turn off in his excitement. Did you see it? She didn't have a clue why he was acting that way, and didn't ask. You can't tell what you don't know."

"Bob, in all the time I've known you, I'm sorry to say that I always thought you were a bit paranoid. Now I know you're not, and I want to apologize. But I have to admit, I never had the first idea you knew so much about this kind of thing." Kathy said.

"I told you. 'Act alone and tell no one'. What others know about you, can be used against you. If you run your mouth too much, the only hope you have is that God will either personally intervene for you, or allow your death to be as quick and painless as possible."

Bob had been mainly watching the fire as he had been speaking. Now he looked around the room and realized everyone there was staring at him. Sheepishly, he smiled at them and said,

"I'm sorry. I usually don't talk this long, and especially on subjects like this. It seems once I get started, I don't know when to shut up. Some times, people think I'm just a little bit crazy." He glanced at Kathy, and smiled. "But then again, in the end, I usually wind up with company when things go bad. So, I guess it's The Lords' way of balancing the books. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all."


BW, Vietnam Vet

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If you missed the beginning of this exciting series, it started with Overthrown – Death of America. You can catch up on all of the previous installments here.