Chapter 20

Bennie said, "Gentlemen, you have a couple of choices. One is to join Preservation on a probationary basis. If you do that and screw up, you'll be killed. If you do that and don't measure up, you'll be exiled. Second choice is to leave out of here and head into the Carolinas realizing that, if we ever see you again, you'll be killed. The third choice is for me to kill you right now but I don't think either of you want that choice. So, what will it be?"

Elroy said, "I would like to join Preservation because I hope that I can rescue Mary from the Penn's. I think they will attack you. I can live with your rules."

"Okay." Bennie said and nodded at me. I untied Elroy's wrists.

I looked over at Ed, "What's your choice?"

He looked troubled, "I think I will try to live on my own. Preservation has too many rules and I don't want to fight anyone."

I untied him and said, "Go in that direction. Greenville is up the road but will be a source of fighting as the Penn's come through. You'll be best off to go to Columbia. Good luck and good bye."

He started to go back toward the office when Bennie said, "Wrong direction. You leave going in the direction Janice pointed with the clothes on your back or you can die"

Ed looked shocked but turned going over the bridge and then southeast as instructed. We never saw him again.

I said over the radio, "Amy, bring everyone up to the road and then to the rest area. We have it secured."

"Okay, Janice. We're packed and ready to go. Give us a few minutes and we'll be there."

A few minutes later, they arrived. We set the HF and its antenna. When we called Preservation, we found Jim was keeping watch. He responded inquiring on how we did. He had been listening earlier when we called in so knew everything up until then.

We told him what had happened. He was a little troubled about killing Jason but said that our action fit the rules of Preservation because we handled and resolved our problems not leaving them to fester or for someone else to resolve. I guess I really understood that since I had been the subject of the first time those rules had been put into effect as they were made many years ago.

There was no question that our small group could not hold the road. The questions that Poppa would have to address were our future action and Preservation's course in the matter. I'm glad he made those decisions and not me. Bennie and I had decided to try to help Elroy somehow no matter what Preservation did officially. We just were responsible for us, not everyone.

Poppa came on the radio and said, "Bennie, Janice, this is Jack. Jim briefed me. I am guessing that you cannot defend in the event of a scouting party's determined attack. Is that correct?"

Bennie replied, "Yes, Sir. We aren't sure we could hold out and successfully retreat from the watch force's replacements unless we surprise them."

"That's what I thought. Abandon the area and stay out of trouble as best you can. Do you have any paint for signs warning trespassers?"

"Yes, Sir. As soon as it's light, we'll paint another sign and get out of here. Remember, we lost two and they may have reconnected with the Penn's. If they listened to them, then someone knows we have radios but no specifics."

"Okay. I am sending Jim and twenty or thirty up by truck in the morning. They will monitor simplex for you. Please be listening for them."

Jim came on, "Bennie, determine where we should set up. Do you have a convert?"

"Yes, Sir. He's a probationary member of Preservation. Janice and I are going to try to help him rescue his girl. We are going to clean up so they won't know what happened here, also."

"That's good." Poppa said. "I want them to be worried."

"Jim, when you come, bring some chains so we can drag cars and trucks for a road block."

"Roger, Bennie. We should be there by noon. It will be a speed run. Jack has had us preparing for trouble since your earlier message."

Okay. We'll be ready. Bennie out."

"Jack out."

"Jim out and working."

"Michael monitoring."

We packed the radio and Bennie and Elroy dragged Jason's body out into the woods and covered it with a branch or two. Amy helped me clean up the mess. We left and set up a camp off the Interstate for the night. Mac, George, and Tom took turns on watch, just in case. Bennie and I slept through until just after first light.

I woke to the smell of coffee and looked up. Amy was standing over us with two mugs of coffee. "Good morning, Sleepyheads."

"Good morning to you," I said.

We got up and got moving. Dawn had definitely broken but it was still early. We gathered everyone together and Bennie said, "As you heard last night, we can't hold this position by ourselves so we leave in ten minutes. We will move back and off the road and hide. If the Penn's come, we will bet on them not being able to find us. Also, we are waiting for Jim and a group from Preservation to come. That means that Janice and I will be scouting. You will have to be careful with fire and noise. With vehicles, they can outrun you. We don't want them to know we are here by accident. Gather everything and mount up."

We left the rest area heading along the road and tried not to make noticeable tracks. Bennie spotted a knoll on the south side of the Interstate and we went up there by the back to get an idea of a bit more of the lay of the land and routes for a retreat if that should become necessary. We didn't plan on being seen and having to retreat but Bennie had been a Boy Scout before the Day and took their motto seriously. Life could be exciting enough without surprises you could prevent beforehand.

We were most of the way up the knoll when Bennie stopped us. There was a small creek and a flat spot in and among the trees for a camp. We began to set a camp. Bennie sent Amy and me to the top of the hill to watch for whatever might be seen. We found a good observation spot that was well hidden from the Interstate and other parts of the landscape. We settled in and I talked with Amy about observation dos and don'ts as well as making one call on two-meter simplex for Jim that went unanswered. I scanned the band for any activity and heard faintly Jim talking to Poppa. We had line of sight but the distance made transmitter power an issue. I had no thought to try with a handheld.

We watched the roads and talked quietly. Amy asked about my story and I told her about my life before the Day and how Poppa Jack and Mama Shirley brought change into my life. She wanted to know how I caught Bennie and I told her that neither of us caught the other but that our relationship and love evolved over time. I also told her that he knows every bit of my history, good and bad.

She was surprised, "Don't you have any secrets?"

"From Bennie, no. He is my husband, my lover, and my best friend. We keep no secrets from each other. We take that attitude from Poppa and Mama. That is a tale of love pretty much at first sight. They are an amazing couple. Even though they are young, they lead our community and do it well."

We stopped talking and I could hear the distant sound of a motor. A moment later, Bennie came up and asked, "Can you see them yet?"

"Not yet. The sounds are coming from South Carolina so it has to be a Penn contingent. It does show how much sound carries." I said that as much for Amy as anything else. Her eyes widened as she realized how true that was.

The three of us waited staying down even though we had no thought that anyone could be searching for us but, if you are used to being unseen, you will have a better chance of being unseen when someone wants to see you.

No one saw us but we watched as a SUV came to the rest area and two men went in. They came running out and it appeared there was a conversation that took place with other occupants of the SUV. After a while, the SUV left and the two men stayed behind.

Bennie grunted, "Guess we will have to pay them a visit tonight. I really don't want them to be observing from there. Amy, will you stay here and watch and listen for Jim and his guys coming up from the south? They need to be warned to hold off until Janice and I can clear this group. Sooner or later, someone stationed here will have a radio of some kind and we'll have a real problem."

Amy nodded and we left for the rest area. We had our earpiece radios but knew that Amy would be able to make contact long before we would. We went back to the camp, told everyone to be careful, and for all of them to wait in place. If they had questions, they were to talk to Amy up the hill. We kept going and found a place to cross the Interstate out of sight of the rest area.

We came at the rest area on foot from the back. It was designed to face the parking lot and didn't offer a good view at the back. I marked in my mind that the back of them was not good for defensive reasons. We came up to the walls and began to transit the sides to the front. We could see inside and saw the two left were sitting around without really watching other than an occasional view out the window to check for the non-existent traffic.