The Shelter: Book 1, The Beginning (18 page)

“I don’t disagree. In fact, I think you should order as much cement and reinforcing rods, sheet steel and sheets of plywood before they run out or the prices rise to a painful level.”

“I’ll place an order today.”

“Might as well sign and pay for the cement. When are the reinforcing rods arriving?”

“Within an hour, they’re coming along with 200 ½ inch sheets of steel and 400 sheets of plywood, nails, four air hammers and four small air compressors. If what we need isn’t local we’re not going to get it. I’m told the roads are too dangerous for any long distance deliveries. Most of the long distance truckers have gone home. Either they can’t afford the cost of fuel or they’re worried about being attacked on the open road.”

“Then order everything you can think of ASAP. I don’t want to be caught at a loss because we need some small part that we can’t get. Since the building materials are arriving, I assume this means you have the plans ready to show me?”

“Yes, we can review them right after the trucks make their delivery. We’re lucky that there’s a local cement plant, they were very happy to get our order. The manager told me he was going to close the plant due to low demand. With the stoppage of most construction, they have no demand for cement. We moved to the top of the line. As soon as you approve the plans and the hole is finished, we’re going to pour the foundation as quickly as possible so we get our order filled before the plant closes.”

“Franco, if you’ve found a local plant to provide us with cement, what’s with the pallets of mix cement?”

“Odds and ends, plus for the tunnels between your homes and the shelter. If things are going to get as bad as you say, we can never have too much cement.”

“OK, I’ll give you that one.”

Two hours later we have piles of cement, steel and wood stacked on the side of our garage.
I hope the Sheriff doesn’t pay us another visit before the shelter is finished, we don’t need him figuring out what we’re building or where the shelter will be.
Looking at the plans Franco placed in front of me, “Franco is this real? Can you really build this?”

“It’s going to be time-consuming because we don’t want to disrupt the farms any longer than necessary, plus we don’t want anyone knowing what we’re doing.”

“Did Lowes ask why you needed so much cement? Or why you wanted it delivered here?”

“I told them you were crazy rich, you wanted me to tear up your asphalt driveway and replace it with a cement one. Plus, you wanted a new parking area and a circular area built in front of your house. They laughed, saying I was going to need more cement than I ordered. I figured this was the safest way to respond to them. They ordered more cement which will be delivered here in two days from another one of their stores. I plan to build the shelter from cast cement forms and reinforced cement filled cinder blocks.”

“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but where are the forms and the cinder blocks?”

“On flatbed trucks, I’m hoping they arrive within the next three days.  I ordered them from different commercial suppliers, three of them are located south of Nashville, two are in Huntsville.”

“Are the ones from Huntsville going to make the ninety-five mile trip here? Is it safe enough for them?”

“They’re going to let me know. They told me, they’ve been making deliveries by sending their trucks out with armed security, if we elect to use their security, we have to pay their cost for the security people.”

“If it comes to paying for the security or not getting the supplies, agree to pay for the security. While you’re ordering supplies, I think you should order enough for your house foundation.”

“I found a much cheaper home, I ordered a used mobile home, all we have to do is install the foundation it will sit on, then hook up the electric.”

“When is this being delivered?”

“Next Monday. I thought you’d like us in our own home and out of yours as soon as possible.”

“Franco, you move very quickly, I like that. Are the three of you going to be enough to build the shelter?”

“That’s something else we need to talk about. I need extra hands.”

“That’s going to be a problem. I don’t want strangers here seeing what we’re building. When the shit hits the fan, they’ll know what we have and try to take what’s ours. There has to be another way. How many workers do you need?”

“It’s different at each stage of the project. I could use ten right now.”

“Damn it, ten?”

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Due to the world's economies coming apart, millions of people leave their homes in Central and South America heading towards our Southern Border. They believe they’ll be able to find a better life in America. They’ve been told President Obama will be granting amnesty to anyone who makes it across the border. Welfare, health insurance and free education for their children are all just across a line drawn on a map. Railroad trains are jammed with thousands of people traveling from their home countries to the southern American border. Many are carrying diseases not seen in America. A large number of the swarming young people are gang members. They know Americans are rich, and easy pickings to steal from. President Obama’s DHS is running short on funds to process the waves of people. His administration promised to hire immigration lawyers for the poor people who are just looking to improve their lives. President Obama asks Congress to increase the budget for the DHS, Congress refused the request due to the stress on the economy. President Obama tries to shift money from the DoD and HHS to the DHS to pay for programs supporting the wave of immigrants crossing the Southern Border. Congress quickly passes a law, which the President vetoes, forbidding the President from shifting funds between federal departments. Congress is united behind stopping the President from shifting funds as he alone sees fit. Congress overrides his veto with a vote in the Senate of 75 to 22 with 3 voting present. The American people are behind the Senate’s vote, which upsets the President who then announces he’s going to withdraw all border patrol agents from the Southern Border, saying it’s for their safety. Without sufficient funds to support the agents, he’s pulling them back out of harms way. Without any border patrol, 2 million people swarm across the border overwhelming the towns along the border in Texas, Arizona, and California. Locals are killed, their homes looted and burned. The states lack the ability to process the immigrants. The states lack the funds to provide health care or provide education for the new immigrants. Thirty states pass bills that outlaw illegals from receiving healthcare, free education or any type of assistance. President Obama asks the Department of Justice to overturn the state laws as being racist. The immigrants are poor and hungry and without a job or welfare, they turn to crime in order to feed their families. Shoplifting, home invasions, rapes and robbery increase over 1,000 percent in two weeks. Battles break out between American citizens trying to protect their homes and the immigrants who are trying to feed their families. The governors of Texas and Arizona, call out the National Guard to patrol the border. President Obama federalizes the Guard, ordering them to return to their homes and armories. Armed militias take up patrolling the border. Gun battles break out between the cartels and the militias, both sides crossing the border as the battle moves back and forth. In Texas, three families shoot illegals crossing the border on their property. The illegals fired on the homeowners who returned fire, hitting five of the illegals. President Obama ordered the FBI to arrest the homeowners. The FBI was blocked from issuing arrest warrants by the Texas Rangers. Upon hearing about the standoff, President Obama ordered the FBI to arrest the Texas Rangers and anyone else standing in their way to arrest the homeowners for murder. One of the FBI agents is shot by a homeowner who fired on the agent as he was breaking into his home. The agents behind the initial agent kill everyone in the house, later setting it on fire, burning it to its foundation. The media broadcasts the entire event live on the Internet and television until the FCC ordered the video taken off the air. The damage had already been done. Militias decide the Federal Government has declared war against the people. The militias attack Federal offices in revenge for the attacks on American citizens. America with a ruined economy is also on the edge of a civil war.

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Matt and Lou pull two of the black pickups we inherited from the gang that tried to invade us into Fred’s barn. The factory black paint is sanded before a gray primer is laid down in preparation for painting them white. I hope removing the window tint, and painting them white will hide them from the Sheriff’s notice. Sandy offered to find some out of state license plates to mount on the two repainted trucks. He got one set of plates from New Jersey and a set from California for the vehicles. I decide not to ask where or how he got them. The plates are new and even have inspection stickers on them. Matt plans to change the wheels on the trucks so the vehicles look completely different from the ones George used to bring his men to our property. Tomorrow we’ll drive one of them into town to see if anyone notices them. I’m still very concerned with supplying Franco with the number of workers he says he needs. Lacy spends every day converting more of our funds into precious metals and other assets we are going to need. President Obama announces the USA is stopping all interest payments in order to fund his social programs. Every week breaks the previous week’s record for newly unemployed and lower tax revenue flowing into the government. President Obama refuses to stop spending, he’s convinced he can spend the country out of its problems.

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On Sunday, May 17
th
China dropped a financial bomb on America, it would have been more merciful had they dropped nukes, they issued a formal default notice to The Department of the Treasury. They demanded immediate payment of the $1.4 trillion debt China holds. China offers the Obama administration the option of seceding Hawaii and California to China as payment for the country's debt. China gave America ninety days to make payment in full. The world’s economic markets are shocked by China’s demand. The US dollar falls to an all time low. President Obama thinks China is bluffing. The Secretary of the Treasury informs the President not only can’t America make the payments, but the country has also hit the debt limit and can’t borrow any more money. With the national debt standing at $20.8 trillion, the Republican-held Congress refused to increase the debt limit. They inform the President he should cut spending because there’s no way Congress is going to increase the debt limit. Most of the country agrees with Congress. President Obama goes on national television to announce he’s going to issue an Executive order to continue to pay the country’s bills and borrow money. China issues a press release saying President Obama may be breaking the US Constitution and they repeat their demand for repayment. With the falling value of the dollar, China demands payment in gold, sending the price of an ounce of gold to a new high of $4,000 an ounce.

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The day after China’s announcement has the entire world speaking about nothing else. A large and very wide flatbed truck arrives at our gate at two o’clock in the afternoon. Sitting on the truck is a steam shovel which Franco has been waiting for. I look at the monster machine asking,

“Do I want to know where this came from?”

Franco smiles, saying, “Not really and before you ask, I know how to use it.”

“Can you tell me if I own it or did I rent it?”

“Kind of like you found it.”

“Damn it, Franco, I don’t want to give that asshole Sheriff any reason to arrest me.”

“He won’t, the shovel won’t even be reported as missing. The construction company went out of business. A friend told me where to find it. By the way, a bulldozer will be here in a couple of hours.”

“Why do we need a bulldozer?”

“The price was right.”

Chapter 10

Paul, Randy, Fred and I are looking at Franco’s plans for our shelter when our gate alarm sounds. We look at the monitor seeing an Army HUMVEE at our gate. I ask, “Does anyone have any idea why the Army would be paying us a visit?”

Everyone shakes their head no. “Well, I guess we ought to let them in and see what they want. Randy and Fred, grab your battle armor and weapons and hide in the rear trench in case they’re not who they appear to be. Keep your phone on, I’ll call you and leave mine on so you can hear what’s being said.”