50. The establishment
Coming out of the house Chloe and Zoey see the helicopter slowly descending just in front of the veranda. Batista and Buddy are highly agitated by the big, noisy, intruding bird that looks as if he wants to put his ass down in front of them. Ronnie also now emerges from his workshop to have a peep. This is not an everyday occurrence. They only last night adhered to Hunter’s strange request to put out all lights overnight and now this thing! What is going on?
The dogs storm the strange thing and bark at the passengers as it settles down so that Chloe must run after them and yells at them. Eventually, they hear her over the noise of the rotors when the pilot switches the engine off and rotors reduce speed and the dogs sit down and shiver of anxiety on her sides.
Out comes a short, sturdy fellow from next to the pilot and then they recognize Hunter behind him and also a black-haired lady and also a grey-haired man. They approach Chloe and Zoey and Ronnie also comes nearer. The rotors die down in short jerks and then stops.
Hunter introduces everyone by pointing his hand: “Chloe and Zoey and Ronnie; Colonel Joss Morrison, his colleague, Captain Hannes Haasbroek and Jane Starbuck is here with me.”
They all shake hands and Morrison asks in his heavy Texan accent: “Are you the owners? What lions are these? I thought we wouldn’t be able to climb out of the copter; they are looking like aggressive Bull Mastiffs?”
Ronnie speaks. “Lyle isn’t here now; he is the real manager of the farm. He is occupied at the vegetable tunnels at the moment, but yes, we are co-owners.”
He points at the dogs. “These Boerboels are specially bred South African farm watchdogs.”
He looks at Hunter and speaks in Afrikaans: “What is going on, Hunter? Who is this guy and why should we put all the lights out last night? We see these strange spiders falling from the sky all over the world on the TV. Is this visit in some way connected to that?”
Morrison is visibly agitated: “If you don’t mind, speak English so that we can follow you. Hannes, what did he say?”
Hunter ignores him and answers in Afrikaans: “I would have liked to tell you in my own way and prepare you for this, but this rude pig took over our plans and has international military backup, so my hands are tied.”
Hannes answers Morrison. “Ronnie wanted to know whether this visit is in connection with the spiders and what is going on and the major informed him that you have taken over complete control.”
Morrison looks very irritated with Hunter and Ronnie and make ticks in his imaginary black book but leaves it for now.
“I know this is your farm but I am going to be blunt because things are going to move quickly. I must be sure whether you put off all the lights on the farm Saturday night as requested by Hunter.”
They nod and he continues: “Friday evening those things that fell from heaven where there were lights are going to emerge from the drains and attack people. One bite will change a person within seven days into a highly contagious man-eating monster. Your farm is one of the chosen where we will establish an army base aiming to protect a community against the anarchy that surely will follow. We are here to plan with you how we are going to do things. Hannes is our civil engineer and will with you plan the best layout for our base. We are going to erect watchtowers and barricades around our base and I suggest that the farmhouse also falls inside the area for your own safety. I know it is a mouthful and sudden, but there is too little time left to waste.”
Astonished the owners look at the visitors before Chloe finds her voice: “How are you so sure this will be happening this Friday? What if it is only a false alarm?”
Morrison shrugs his shoulders concisely: “Let’s hope you are right. If so, the cost and disruption of all the people on their way here would be in vain. We will not know for sure before it could be too late and will have to safeguard the people here until we are sure everything is normal and it is safe for them to return home.”
Ronnie turns to Hannes. “Hannes, Lyle and I will gladly work with you to ensure that we protect the farm’s interests and that we will profit from your operations if it is a false alarm and you depart from here.”
Hannes smiles. “No problem, Ronnie, I will make sure that you will profit substantially and will be much richer after this adventure.”
Hunter smiles at Chloe. “Chloe, Jane is here to help Isaac to establish a clinic because she is a third-year student in pharmacology. She will also be on standby for we are going to be the police service to ensure law and order. Jane is a cage fighter. She has no knowledge of weapons and I want you to learn her somewhat. I think you two can teach each other quite a bit. I suggest she let you practice her techniques and you teach her your dirty tricks and also about firearms. Even your talent to survive in the wilderness might be of great advantage to her in the future.”
Chloe’s face brightens and she gives Jane a fist. “I thought I detected something in your posture, and now I know. Welcome, Jane. Lyle will be so excited to hear we have a real cage fighter in our midst. I think you can help us even to start our own gymnasium.”
Chloe turns to Morrison. “Colonel, you are casually taking over our farm; thus you are going to sponsor our gym. I am taking Hannes and Jane into town today in our truck. Jane selects what we need and Hannes sign for it. My husband is a medical doctor. You will, in the meantime, also arrange for a field ambulance, a chemist and a theatre that will be delivered here before Friday.”
Morrison nods succinctly: “I am very impressed, Chloe, and like the way you are thinking. Okay, but first Hannes, Ronnie, and Lyle must determine the places for the mobile homes and caravans. We suspect some of them might even arrive today and the rest definitely tomorrow and then there are also the army vehicles, building material, and army supplies. We will have to decide what barricades and constructions should be erected and their layout before you go into town.”
Chloe gives Morrison a fist: “Okay, Colonel, let us get into our kombi and drive over to the vegetable tunnels and do it as a team, alright?”
~*~*~
“Come on, Kadin!” Jack is becoming impatient with the women. If it is not damn makeup, it is the toilet.
Kadin comes running and jumps in at the back of the car. “It feels so wrong to leave the house like this, maybe for the last time, dad. There are lots of things left behind.”
“All useless, worldly things that we, in any case, never needed, my girl.”
“Dad, I hate this damn wristband.”
“My dear, at least we will now have a chance to see the farm.”
“Dad, I nearly fainted when those soldiers came to our house uninvited and put these things on our left wrists!”
“Kadin, that anti-terrorism leader, Morrison, doesn’t trust us and he suspects we have something up our sleeves. That is why they put on the wristbands on our eight’s wrists. They can now easily follow us and know where each of us is all the time because the wristbands signal our positions. If we fiddle with it, they will know immediately. We won’t get far then we will be caught and remember I told you they can possibly be listening in on US even now.”
Rene is more concerned about their present circumstances: “Darling, where are we going to get together before our long journey?”
“We decided on the road at Bay West that runs parallel with the N2. From there we are going to join the N2.”
“Won’t the procession be too long for that road?”
“Most families have, like us, ordered mobile homes to be delivered directly on the farm and are only travelling in one car. There are only a few caravans, as far as I know, my dear.”