299 Days: The Community

Chapter 98 No Kings (May 9)

After talking to Lisa about his new job and assuring her how safe he would be, Grant only had a little while before he had to go back for the 7:00 meeting at the Grange.

Grant and the Team would go early to get ready for the meeting; it would be an important one. There would be more people at this meeting than the one the night before; they met people all that day who said that they hadn’t been to the first meeting, but would be coming that night. The Team would be introduced by Rich and—Grant felt like he’d said this to himself a hundred times in the past few days—first impressions were everything. The residents of Pierce Point had to trust the Team and want their help.

Grant was still elated that Lisa had agreed to be a doctor out there. Part-time, of course. He knew that “part-time” would become full-time very quickly. He was happy for three reasons. First, it anchored Lisa into Pierce Point. She had a purpose to be out there. It would be harder for her to wish things were fine and that she could go back to Olympia when she had patients to see. Second, she would save lives out there. There was no question about it. She regularly saved lives when she was in a fully stocked ER, but out there, with primitive conditions, her knowledge would save even more lives.

Finally—and Grant was embarrassed that the politician in him actually thought this—having a doctor out at Pierce Point would be a huge political asset. It would be another reason for the residents to buy into the plan to have as self-sufficient community as possible. A Patriot community. Not in a giant ideological sense of “Patriot.” People didn’t need to walk around Pierce Point reciting the Federalist Papers or quoting Ludwig von Mises, but they needed to pick sides: Patriot or Loyalist. Grant knew that the more security, food, and medical services that Patriots could provide—contrasted with the security, food, and medical services the Loyalists were failing to provide—the more people would gravitate toward the Patriot side.

Grant had studied Mao and had a copy of his book “On Guerilla Warfare” out at the cabin. In it, Mao was crystal clear: a guerilla movement succeeds or fails depending on whether it can give the population what they need and treat them fairly. (Once Mao took power, he didn’t care so much about the fair treatment part.)

The military side of a guerilla movement is just that: a side. A part of it. Warfare is political. It’s about giving people a reason to fight and die for your side. Feeding them and protecting them are a huge part of that. And, as Mao made clear, successful guerillas focus on practical things, like food and security. They don’t talk about politics.

Grant heeded this advice. He would not even mention politics. He wouldn’t lie to people about his Patriot beliefs, but he wouldn’t dwell on them. “Politics”—officials spending money they didn’t have and grabbing power—had caused this Collapse. The people knew it. The last thing people cared about when they were hungry and terrified was “politics.” Not again, they would think, we have just been through that crap. But, over time, they would see one side was helping them and the other was bullying them. Having a doctor was a big part of showing people that the Patriots were helping them.

There wasn’t time for the usual group dinner at the Colsons’. Manda and Cole made spaghetti for the whole family that night. Manda was so good about getting Cole involved in everything. Grant had stored forty pounds of spaghetti noodles in vacuum-sealed pouches and had those cans of sauce. That was a lot of food for cheap and it stored forever. Grant was proud of himself for having all that food out there. Not in a “pat yourself on the back” way but in a “so glad I can be taking care of my family” way.

Dinner was quick, but great. The Matson family all talked over their meal. Like they had…well, never. Back in Olympia, they always had work or ballet or whatever going on.

Drew and Eileen were there, too. They were doing fine. Both were finding plenty to do out there and were really working well with the Morrells and Colsons. Grant couldn’t remember a time other than Thanksgiving when the whole family was together eating and talking. It felt great; like how things were supposed to be. It took a Collapse to get us to eat dinner together, Grant thought.

After the quick dinner, Grant went over to the yellow cabin. The Team was there, except Chip. He had been hanging out more with the older residents like the Morrells and Colsons. He could keep up with the Team, but everyone could tell he wasn’t trying to be a full-on member.

Grant told the guys, “We’re being introduced tonight as a SWAT team, so let’s look the part. Full kit. Strap on your ARs. Empty mags in, actions open. You can bring loaded mags in your kit, but we’re around a lot of people and no discernible threat. So empty mags in. Wear your pistols, of course.” Grant realized that he and everyone else on the Team—and many other males in Pierce Point—were wearing pistol belts all the time. It was starting to look weird to see people without them.

The guys looked very professional with their full kit and ARs. Grant had seen them like this on Sundays at the range, but he realized how someone seeing them for the first time would react: these guys know what they’re doing. Not in a “playing Army” way, just in a “we’ve done this hundreds of times” calm and understated, but comfortable, way.

Pow even had a hunter camo shirt in the Mossy Oak Real Tree pattern. He must have gotten it from Mark. Grant was embarrassed to note in his mind that it looked odd to see a Korean guy in hunting clothes. Grant, too, had a hunter camo shirt. It was amazing how hunter camo made these strangers with sophisticated weaponry fit in with everyone else.

The guys were eating some sandwiches that the ladies at the Grange must have made and given them for the road. Somehow Grant had missed out on them. Oh well. He got to have his kids make spaghetti and eat dinner with the whole family. That was what it was all about.

It was time to go. Lisa got on the nicest outfit she had out there, which wasn’t nearly as nice as the ones she wore to her old job. But still, she looked very professional, and pretty.

Mark was driving and Lisa got to ride in the front cab of the truck. John and Mary Anne were in the back cab. The Team piled into the back of the truck at about 6:15 p.m. Paul was on guard duty back at the shack.

The ride to the Grange was spectacular, as usual. It was a little different this time, though. Instead of just being a bunch of well-armed comrades, this was a ride with Lisa, too. It felt like the “gun” part of Grant’s life was merging with the “Lisa” part. Finally. It felt like things were complete. It felt perfect.

Lisa had not been out of Over Road for the few days she’d been out there. She hadn’t seen all the people out in their front yards waving at the Team and giving thumbs up. She was proud of Grant and the Team. She didn’t want to tell him that, though; he’d just get a big head.

They pulled into the Grange. A few people came up to them and greeted them. They seemed so glad to have them there. That would only grow when they found out that the pretty lady was a doctor.

Rich, Dan, and Ryan were in the Grange going over a map. Ryan motioned for them to come over. Mark stayed with Lisa and was introducing her to residents. He wasn’t telling them about the doctor part. Grant told him that he wanted to surprise everyone at once with that.

Rich and the others had several large plat maps of all the lots in Pierce Point. The maps had lot numbers, which started at one end of the development and increased as they went farther out. It was a logical system, like street numbers. This would help them easily learn their way around the area.

The plat map and lot numbers would serve another valuable role: organization. The lot numbers could be used to conduct an inventory of skills, equipment, and medical needs. “Block watch” captains could use lot numbers to keep track of things in their little area.

Grant realized another use for the lot numbers. Eventually, if things went well and the whole community was pulling together, the lot numbers could be used to keep track of who donated to the group effort. Not “taxes”—that was a word so hated that it should never be uttered by anyone attempting to persuade people to join them, but contributions could be tracked with the lot numbers.

With the lot numbers, all it took was a series of index cards. There could be an index card called “Mechanical Skills” with a list of lot numbers, names, and specifics like “diesel mechanic.” Another set of cards could be “Medical Needs” with, for example, a list of diabetics, broken down by Type I and Type II. The index cards were cheap, low tech, and took up no space. They didn’t require electricity, which had been flickering on and off occasionally, but was still on most of the time, surprisingly.

Directly related to the organizational uses for the lot numbers was something just as important, at least in the long-term. Politics. Grant could foresee that Pierce Point was going to be a Patriot community. Probably not a full-on community with 100% participation; there would be many undecideds and even some Loyalists. But with an Oath Keeper like Rich in charge and Grant having a lead role, the leadership out there would be solidly Patriot. The Team were Patriots and they were taking a lead role, too. Dan and Ryan seemed solid, too. While Grant couldn’t count on it—in fact, it would take a lot of work—there was a good chance Pierce Point would end up being a Patriot stronghold.

Index cards and lot numbers could be used to keep track of the helpful Patriot households, helpful undecideds, freeloaders, criminals, and hostile Loyalists. Grand had no idea if the others in Pierce Point would be thinking in terms of Patriots and Loyalists, and it was way too early to start acting on those divisions, but he was staring at a map and lot numbers that could be used to keep track of the various factions.

The index cards with lot numbers would not become a “hit list” to get Loyalists. That was the revenge-filled French Revolution approach. Instead of directly targeting Loyalists, Grant wanted to use a more nuanced approach: favoring or disfavoring people based on their contribution to the effort. And by “contribution to the effort,” Grant meant whether they were a Patriot, undecided, or Loyalist. Grant wasn’t making an assumption that Patriots would contribute and Loyalists wouldn’t. Even Loyalist contributions would be rewarded. Fair was fair.

He wouldn’t try to shoehorn his politics into the all-important topic of getting Pierce Point running as a self-sufficient and peaceful community. His goal wouldn’t be recruiting ideologues. The decent people would rise to the top and be obvious to the rest of the community. Show the decent people why they are Patriots; maybe without them thinking of themselves as Patriots. Good equals Patriot. Show people the other side of the coin: freeloading shitbags are Loyalists.

There would be no waving of the Don’t Tread on Me flag. It would be more like, “This guy really contributed and needs a little gasoline. What do you guys think?” Then when he came to pick up the gasoline, a Don’t Tread on Me flag would be pinned up at the Grange for him to see. Nuanced. Practical. Fair. Effective.

This was the approach Grant wanted to employ out there. He didn’t have dictatorial powers in Pierce Point, so he would need to use those techniques to get people to follow his lead. He had no desire to be a dictator. He’d seen enough of that and had been on the receiving end of it. He didn’t like it one bit and was damned sure not going to impose it on anyone else.

Dictatorships were a real problem when a society breaks down. People in Olympia and Seattle were probably experiencing this. Grant needed a plan to handle any dictator who might spring up in Pierce Point. Back in the Cedars, he was hamstrung because he couldn’t just strap on an AR, gather up the Team, and go deal with a dictator. Out there, though, he had plenty of firepower to deal with one, but his firepower would make him a threat to a potential dictator, so he had to watch his back. That was yet another reason to approach the Patriot versus Loyalist thing slowly and subtly. The best defense against a dictator was a strong and well organized broad base of Patriots. That’s what Grant wanted out at Pierce Point. He didn’t want to be the king; he wanted to have a mini constitutional republic that didn’t need a king.

Yes. That’s why you’re here.

Grant physically shuddered when he heard the outside thought. He knew he was supposed to be doing this. It was an amazing feeling. Powerful, yet humbling; exhilarating, yet frightening.

Grant snapped back into the reality of the meeting that was about to start. He could feel that it was going to be a crucial evening. He felt like the bad guys out there were not going to give up easily and let the good guys start running things. He just felt it.