David Jones - Guardians of Rockport: The Redemption

The Guardians of Rockport

The Redemption

2023, David Jones

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-66788-398-4

ISBN eBook: 978-1-66788-399-1

The clock on the kitchen wall read nine-thirty in the morning. The minutes ticked down in slow motion as she anxiously waited to learn her familys fate. Nora tried to hide her emotions so as not to panic their twin, six-year-old boys who were so innocently coloring at the table. As a former 911 emergency operator, she knew that keeping calm was contagious. Adding panic to any situation would only make the situation harder to manage. Smiling as she watched the boys who looked more like their father every day, she couldnt help but glance out the window yet again. It was nerve wracking, watching the road in front of the old farmhouse waiting for her husband and father-in-law to return from town.

Three months earlier, when she worked for Mason County, Michigan, she had multiple ways of communication to keep her informed and help her manage emergencies from behind the scenes. But now, without radio, phones or internet, she was for the most part helpless and reduced to looking out of the window and hoping for the best. Even when she had modern communication resources, she endured many stressful situations, waiting for updates while the first responders were on the scene. Waiting on her husband today was reminiscent of a police officer not responding to her on the radio after a shots fired call. You prayed for the best but feared the worst.

If her husband and his father were not successful in making peace with the new group of refugees in town, the family would very likely need to flee for their safety. Their bug-out bag, containing only the most critical items, was packed and on the table next to the boys. Nora thought to herself how ignorance was bliss as she watched the brothers joking, oblivious to the situation they were facing. Glancing back out the window, she could now see a large cloud of dust rising in the distance. She knew this meant a vehicle was approaching at a high rate of speed on the dirt road leading to the farmhouse. Not sure if it was her husband or members of the group trying to harm them, she felt her side once again to verify her revolver was concealed in her waistband under her shirt.

Boys, time to put away your coloring books.

As the vehicle grew closer, she could finally determine that it was her husband. If he was driving that fast on the dirt road, things must not have gone well.

Boys, take your things and go wait for me out by grandpas barn.

But you said we could watch SpongeBob.

I said take your things and go wait for me by the barn. Right now, please, she added in a stern tone.

Moments after the boys walked out the back door, her husbands car slid to a stop in front of the farmhouse. She watched as her husband got out of the car and ran towards the house; blood covered the front of his white business shirt. His necktie was tied around his upper left arm, presumably as a bandage or a makeshift tourniquet. Once he came in the door, he moved past her to the closet and retrieved his dads Remington 870 pump shotgun.

They are right behind me! Take the boys and go to your Uncle Johns place. I will hold them off as long as I can, he said while ejecting the buckshot rounds out of the weapon onto the floor.

No! Come with us! she pleaded.

No time! They killed dad and they will kill the rest of us if you dont leave now. You need to get our boys to safety. After a brief pause, he said I will get there eventually. I love you.

Watching the father of her children preparing to hold off the violent group, she knew he was right.

I dont think I can do it, she said, starting to panic.

Yes, you can! Follow the plan and you will be fine. You know how to do this. Just follow the plan!

Watching her husband reloading the shotgun with rifled slugs, she knew he intended to hold them off at a distance as long as possible, giving her a chance to escape with the boys.

I love you too. We will see you in Wisconsin.

The two shared one last glance, before she ran out the back door, grabbing the bug-out bag in the process.

Running to the barn, the boys could now see that something was wrong.

Whats wrong, momma?

We need to go now, boys. Get in grandpas plane, she said while sliding the barn door open the rest of the way.

Confused, the boys looked back at the farmhouse, trying to figure out what was happening.

Henry! Jack! Pay attention. I need you both to get into the back seat right now.

Doing as they were told, the boys climbed into the single-engine Cessna 172. After removing the chocks from the wheels, Nora climbed into the front seat of the small private plane and tried to remember how to operate it. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling to calm herself, she glanced down at the index card her husband had taped to the controls for just this type of emergency.

Momma, you dont know how to fly an airplane, said Jack, laughing.

Sure I do, she said, trying to show confidence. Now make sure your seatbelts are nice and tight.

She had only flown the airplane twice before and most of her training was theoretical. She always assumed if the situation ever came to this, her husband or father-in-law would be the pilot. With no other options available, she followed the step-by-step instruction notes he left for her.

1. Open the throttle to inch.

2. Turn the master switch ON.

3. Turn the Pump ON.

4. Position the fuel mixture to full RICH.

5. Turn the beacon light ON.

6. Clear the propeller area.

7. Turn the ignition switch to start.

As she rapidly worked her way through the check list, she could hear the sound of her husbands shotgun firing in the distance. Once the engine came to life, the sound drowned out the gunfire. Trying to keep her mind focused on the task at hand, she pulled the small four-seat aircraft out of the barn and onto the large field that would serve as a makeshift runway. Turning the plane to the west, she started to accelerate in order to build up speed for take-off. As the plane got up to 65mph, she pulled back on the stick and could feel the wheels leave the ground. Her emotions were conflicted as she had saved their children, but very likely left her husband to perish.

Trying to stay focused on the next task and not get lost in her thoughts, she started to navigate. Her uncles farm in Rockport, Wisconsin was about one hundred and twenty miles away. The vast majority of that flight was over water. They would need to fly the width of Lake Michigan, which only added to her stress. Seeing the small harbor town of Ludington below them, she glanced at the directions her husband had written. Using the lighthouse as a landmark, she directed the small plane due west.

Now on course for Wisconsin, she said a fast prayer to herself. If she could make it over the water and eventually find her uncles farm, landing the plane safely would be the greatest challenge. Even if she got them on the ground successfully, she had absolutely no idea what awaited them in Rockport.