Survival Family

By Stephen Brandon

You may have noticed I'm using a plain green cover. I lost my cover designer. However, I think that the story is more important than the flashy cover.
The short stories are about four families that prepare for the worse. Some deliberately, some just fell into preparing. Enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Brandon
• Release date: Jul 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370570997

Stephen Brandon

I've loved westerns and science fiction since I picked up my first book at the public library. I've been writing on my computer for years. I never planned on any of my stories being published, just to be read by myself, family, and friends. The base journal is on forty spreadsheets with links to about a thousand files of short one day paragraphs plus other stories. {My claim to fame, written by someone else. Thanks.} "As an earthbound retiree, Stephen writes mostly science fiction and short stories. He is a voracious reader and has written for a few years, publishing his stories on Smashwords."

Book preview

Prologue to Fire Plug

Short skinny kids never have it easy in school. They are easy prey for those bigger that have no core values. I'm not just talking about the schoolyard bullies. I'm talking about every m&%^#$r f&#*#$r that feels superior because they're taller and have more muscles.

In the fifth grade one of the schoolyard bullies, after knocking him down said he looked like a fire plug with his red hair. Later that year this group of bullies caught him on the way back from the store, knocked him down and standing over him, they peed on him. One even stood on one leg and barked like a dog. At that point humiliation turned to anger and a desire for revenge.

One day the leader of the bullies made a mistake when taunting him, he said he'd never amount to anything because he couldn't fight.

Some schoolyard bullies mature and repent of their youthful ways, but others simply grow up and learn new covert methods.

* * *

Chapter 1 Thought

James Theodore Brown was born on a Wednesday, the 29th of February. Two years after he was born his father lost his job and was only able to find a minimum wage job, and his mother also had to work just to make ends meet. After struggling for years, his father finally started making enough so his mother didn't have to work any more. As an only child he was the apple of their eyes. His school grades were above average. His small frame kept him out of sports and made him the target of bullies.

The Saturday his father caught him crying behind the lawn shed was the day his life turned around. His father knew a friend that was ex-army. After talking to him he agreed to teach James self-defense.

Between formal fighting lessons and disabling blows he also taught James how to survive in the woods and wilderness.

Within a year James developed enough automatic reflexes that one afternoon when he was attacked in the school parking lot he effortlessly broke the lead bullies collar bone and knocked another down with a leg sweep before he realized what he'd done. Standing back up he told the other two bullies to take their friends and go. They went.

That evening as he was telling his father about the attack there was a knock on the door. It was a big man and he demanded that James's father punish his son for breaking his sons collarbone and pay the doctor bill or he was going to the police. James's father called James to the door and told him to tell about the attack in the school parking lot. James's mother listening to the threats the big man made called the police and told them that a stranger was threatening her son. They arrived just as the story was ending and the big man started ranting and raving. After taking the details they told both fathers to be at the school in the morning with their sons. Then they told both fathers that they could either arrest both boys for assault or let the school principle handle the punishment.

The next morning James and his father were sitting in the school office when the two injured bullies arrived with their fathers. Both their fathers were talking about suing James's father when they walked in. When James stood up and they saw that he was smaller than either boy they looked at each other and then their son's. The other bullies father turned to his son and said, that little punk is the boy that cracked your skull, just wait until I get you home.

In the principles office with the two cops in attendance he listened to one of the bullies tell his tale and then asked James to tell his side of the story. Then he had all three boys stand against the wall and commented, well unless James had a crowbar, I don't see how he came out uninjured. A teacher reported the attack and the other two boys haven't been identified yet. James, you're suspended for one day for fighting on the school grounds. You two are suspended for the rest of the year for assault on school grounds unless you want to let the police handle the punishment. Your fathers can arrange tutors, at their expense, for you or you can repeat the grade next year. I'll allow you to take the finals in five weeks and advance to your senior year, if you pass them. This report will remain in your school records and if you come on school grounds while suspended I'll have you arrested. If James is assaulted or harassed in anyway for the rest of the school year you boys will be the prime suspects and the first the police will arrest. Do you boys or your fathers have any questions?

That summer his father's friend took James to Montana for the summer.

* * *

Chapter 2 Pebbles

The summer for James started off with two weeks camping. Bill told James that they had food for a week and in that week he showed James how to make a bow and set traps for game. They made two bows and a dozen arrows. Bill taught James how to recognize edible plants and construct snares and dead-fall traps along the game trails.

At the end of the second week a friend of Bill's stopped by and took the tents and sleeping bags. When they returned to camp all James found was his back pack, a small shovel, a new knife, his canteens, and a note stating that at the end of the next week Bill would disappear. After that he would start hunting James and take anything that he left unsecured.

When James asked Bill what was going on, Bill simply replied, this summer you learn to survive completely on your own. My friend is an expert, and he'll steal the meat right off your fire if you turn your back.

Three days into his solo survival, James went to relieve himself just outside his camp and when he returned the rabbit cooking over the fire was gone. All he found was one footprint at the edge of his fire. The next morning he followed the trail of drippings to a spot near his camp. Other than a few bones nothing else was visible. After searching the area for an hour he still couldn't find any trail leading away.

James moved his camp and set new snares. That night he went to sleep hungry.

He started moving his camp every few days and setting new snares until the day he got a small deer with an arrow. Taking three days to dry the meat he watched for his tracker. On the third night his drying rack collapsed when one of the trip wires was tripped. All he caught sight of was the back of the tracker leaving his campsite with one handful of meat. The next morning he packed up and moved his camp to a small cave he'd spotted several days before.

The cave looked small from the outside. It was much deeper than he originally thought and near the back he found evidence of a camp fire that was only a few days old. After a more careful search he found a weapons cache along with food. The cooler still had ice in it. After two days of a cold camp surviving on dried meat and what was in the cooler he heard a noise near the front of the cave.

An individual entered and started toward the back after dropping a small load of firewood at the old fire location. James let him take several steps before he cocked the revolver. The intruder froze and then slowly turned. As he turned around all he said was damn. James immediately realized it was a girl from her voice and figure.

All he could think of saying was, You owe me some meat.

She laughed and replied, Nope that was my pay for catching you unawares, although that trick with the drying rack was really cool. Dad never taught me that one.

Who's your dad?

"Bill, our teacher.