When I drifted in here a decade or so back, I introduced myself as one of the "Bad guys" That being a militant survivalist with plans of looting and scavenging to supplement my status quo after TSHTF and there is no longer any normal because there is no new normal. Hanging out with you guys kind of mellowed me a bit, changed my attitudes a bit, that and declining health will work wonders on an attitude, I'll tell you! But anyway, I've been meaning to make this post for some time, frankly because I'm right fond of you guys, and I want you to know who and what you're up against. forget for the next few paragraphs that I'm your buddy Magus, trying to share what he knows to help good folks get by and maybe pad his all too soon Karmic debt before I end up just a story around a campfire. forget you sort of know me, I'm going to show you the least of what's coming for you, so lets pretend together shall we? get the vision in your mind's eye:
I'm Lee, I'm former military, a bit of a thug in with a tough crowd, I probably have access to military type hardware and tactics, maybe I just went AWOL and took whatever I could lay my hands on, I have a family, but the lights went out a month ago and the sound of a baby that hasn't eaten in three days it ripping my soul out, and the sound of your rooster crowing sounds like a dinner bell to me and my crew! Now since we've not turned into animals yet and most of our humanity is intact and we're not killers yet... YET, the ideal is we walk up under a white flag and ask if there's any work you need done for food, maybe even become friends and hang out and protect you and help you hunt and grow crops and we all sing Kumbaya around the dinner fire at night. yeah, ideally that would be nice.
Now Imagine I've always been an animal and an opportunistic scumbag with equally trashy friends, the word family is a joke to me, a bitter one at that, and we just followed your daughter and grand kids home from berry picking. Now IF I have any military training or even street smarts, we're going to have a look around, see what kind of people are here, how many, and how much trouble we're going to have getting to your stuff, livestock or anything else we might have a liking for. Do you have dogs and are they loose? how many and what kind? are they ankle biting noise makers like a poodle or will they sneak up in a pack and rip my boys to ribbons before we even know they're on us like German Shepherds? Something in between? can they be silenced? we might have a crossbow or a suppressed weapon, might not. How many vehicles are there? we don't want numbers against us, we're punks after all. do we see anything like a military flag indicating you served? you likely have very deadly guns and know how to use them, hell. you might even have a grenade or two or even a machine gun! Lets look at the basic security, any visible cameras? that front and back door look to be steel! No kicking that in, in the middle of the night! The house is underpinned, so a gas bottle will have little immediate effect! So looking things over, we decide there is at least one former military person on premises, three very large dogs that run free, you'll likely see us coming on the cameras, there's more of you than there are us, we're hungry but not suicidal, but if the chicken coop and or barn are far enough from the house, we might try that, might not. chances are a small group will move on and let you be, but if our numbers increase, we'll remember where you are!
The last is probably the most dangerous, its a sucker's bet he's trained in anything, he used to sell kids sneakers, but his family is gone and he's seen enough death since the lights went out, he no longer cares and he knows how to move unseen! That goat that went missing last week? he BBQed it up in his den, he probably has a gun, but not much ammo, so he's not out for an open conflict, but he will use it if cornered! He'll be around for weeks sneaking a few vegetables and an egg or two, maybe a hen that missed lock down, but make no mistake, he's in survival mode, he's desperate and he's dangerous! by now he's realized he could be shot for what he's doing. If you're real lucky, he'll get his strength up and move on, if not, and decided there are easy pickings here, you'll have an unwanted and potentially deadly guest for some time, know how to get rid of him before he even moves in? put good locks on anything he might need or want and let the dogs loose at night. if he can't operate in quiet or thinks you're on to him, its a good chance he'll go on his way.
Then there are gangs, not 4-5 but 10-20! their M.O never seems to change, ride in like locusts, kick the doors in, rape, murder, steal, burn what they can't carry, you've seen the recent riots. if they think you have something you want, they're coming in unless you make every inch they grab so expensive they have to flee or die! the only way to do this is from hardened, armored positions with heavy weaponry, which they likely will also have, and make no mistake, they WILL be back!
There now, I think that's enough nightmare fuel for you, but think about it.
I'm Lee, I'm former military, a bit of a thug in with a tough crowd, I probably have access to military type hardware and tactics, maybe I just went AWOL and took whatever I could lay my hands on, I have a family, but the lights went out a month ago and the sound of a baby that hasn't eaten in three days it ripping my soul out, and the sound of your rooster crowing sounds like a dinner bell to me and my crew! Now since we've not turned into animals yet and most of our humanity is intact and we're not killers yet... YET, the ideal is we walk up under a white flag and ask if there's any work you need done for food, maybe even become friends and hang out and protect you and help you hunt and grow crops and we all sing Kumbaya around the dinner fire at night. yeah, ideally that would be nice.
Now Imagine I've always been an animal and an opportunistic scumbag with equally trashy friends, the word family is a joke to me, a bitter one at that, and we just followed your daughter and grand kids home from berry picking. Now IF I have any military training or even street smarts, we're going to have a look around, see what kind of people are here, how many, and how much trouble we're going to have getting to your stuff, livestock or anything else we might have a liking for. Do you have dogs and are they loose? how many and what kind? are they ankle biting noise makers like a poodle or will they sneak up in a pack and rip my boys to ribbons before we even know they're on us like German Shepherds? Something in between? can they be silenced? we might have a crossbow or a suppressed weapon, might not. How many vehicles are there? we don't want numbers against us, we're punks after all. do we see anything like a military flag indicating you served? you likely have very deadly guns and know how to use them, hell. you might even have a grenade or two or even a machine gun! Lets look at the basic security, any visible cameras? that front and back door look to be steel! No kicking that in, in the middle of the night! The house is underpinned, so a gas bottle will have little immediate effect! So looking things over, we decide there is at least one former military person on premises, three very large dogs that run free, you'll likely see us coming on the cameras, there's more of you than there are us, we're hungry but not suicidal, but if the chicken coop and or barn are far enough from the house, we might try that, might not. chances are a small group will move on and let you be, but if our numbers increase, we'll remember where you are!
The last is probably the most dangerous, its a sucker's bet he's trained in anything, he used to sell kids sneakers, but his family is gone and he's seen enough death since the lights went out, he no longer cares and he knows how to move unseen! That goat that went missing last week? he BBQed it up in his den, he probably has a gun, but not much ammo, so he's not out for an open conflict, but he will use it if cornered! He'll be around for weeks sneaking a few vegetables and an egg or two, maybe a hen that missed lock down, but make no mistake, he's in survival mode, he's desperate and he's dangerous! by now he's realized he could be shot for what he's doing. If you're real lucky, he'll get his strength up and move on, if not, and decided there are easy pickings here, you'll have an unwanted and potentially deadly guest for some time, know how to get rid of him before he even moves in? put good locks on anything he might need or want and let the dogs loose at night. if he can't operate in quiet or thinks you're on to him, its a good chance he'll go on his way.
Then there are gangs, not 4-5 but 10-20! their M.O never seems to change, ride in like locusts, kick the doors in, rape, murder, steal, burn what they can't carry, you've seen the recent riots. if they think you have something you want, they're coming in unless you make every inch they grab so expensive they have to flee or die! the only way to do this is from hardened, armored positions with heavy weaponry, which they likely will also have, and make no mistake, they WILL be back!
There now, I think that's enough nightmare fuel for you, but think about it.
