Case:Black - 32. Chapter 32

Rural Desoto County

Near Hurricane Creek & Swamps

July 17, 2016 0035

Corporal Kevin Vance blinked back sleep in the passenger seat of a Humvee. The caffeine was wearing thin and it was very dark out on the back roads of rural Desoto County.

The terrain was full of small lakes, creeks and Cypress swamps. While most people would pass it by at high speed on the interstate, it was actually a redneck playground. Less than twenty-five miles from Memphis, there was wilderness. The country-side was spotted with hunting lodges and fishing camps.

His driver asked, “What are we supposed to be looking for out here?”

Vance said, “One of our choppers reported odd activity out here off Hurricane Creek Road. They sent us out to check it out.”

They hadn’t seen anything but fire-flies in the last twenty minutes when a glow appeared through the foliage.

They crested a small hill and Vance his driver said, “There is your odd activity.”

They were in a thick forest/bog of old Cypress and Oak trees. All along the bank of the slow moving river were houses built on stilts. There were probably a dozen boats and numerous cars and trucks parked off a dirt road that ran off the blacktop. A bonfire was burning with a score of college-aged kids sitting and standing around drinking beer out of red cups. Music was thumping out of the stereo system from a customized red Honda Prelude with a big Ole Miss sticker on the bumper.

Vance sighed and said, “Oh… a pasture party. Pull up. Maybe they’ll let us join them.”

The driver parked the Hummer on the shoulder of the road and Vance stepped out and walked to the bonfire. The group was all college kids: either in their late teens or early twenties.

You might have thought that an alien from the Andromeda galaxy had appeared when Vance stepped out of the dark in MOPPS gear. The college kid’s eyes got bigger than saucers and they backed away from their uninvited guest.

Vance asked in a loud voice: “Were any of you in Memphis today? Do y’all know what has happened?”

One of the older kids answered and said, “We’ve been here all week. We heard on satellite TV what is going on and figured we were better off out here.”

Vance took his mask and head covering off and noticed that if he wasn’t in the Guard, he would have fit right in with the crowd. Seeing that there was a real person under all that gear, and one that was almost their age, the tension in the crowd instantly drained away.

Vance said, “You’re probably right. Where are y’all from?”

The self-appointed spokesperson from the group said, “Everybody here either goes to Ole Miss or is a friend or family member. We’re from all over North Mississippi or the Memphis area.”

“I’m Kevin Vance from Hattiesburg”, he said and extended his hand.

The self-appointed leader took his hand and shook it. “I’m Jeffry Ballard. We’ve been coming out here since… well before my time. My granddaddy owns the land and we build a little more on the fish camp every summer.”

Vance grinned and said, “Yeah, we’ve got places like this down in Forrest County. If I wasn’t on duty I’d try to crash your party.”

Ballard grinned and said, “We would be glad to have you. Everybody is a little freaked out about what’s happening.”

Vance asked, “How are y’all set for supplies?”

“We’re good for a few months if we have to. A couple of our member families are full out disaster preppers.”

One of the kids said, “Maybe crazy, paranoid Uncle Claude isn’t so crazy after all.”

Ballard laughed and said, “I don’t know about that. Claude is still pretty crazy.”

Vance asked, “You got any weapons out here?”

Ballard asked, “You aren’t going to seize them like they did during Katrina are you?”

Vance made a disgusted sound and said, “Awe hell no. I just want to know if you can defend yourselves if you have to.”

Ballard visibly relaxed and said, “This is a hunting camp too.”

“Good. Look… You guys are probably in as good a place as you can be given what is going on. I’m going to give you my cell number. Call me if you need anything.”

Ballard took Vance’s cell number, put it directly into his phone and said, “Thanks man. I’ve got a lot of kids to look after.”

Vance asked, “How many?”

“There are forty-four of us from sixteen to twenty-four.”

Vance said, “We’ve got a lot of troops not far from here. Stay close to camp and be wary of strangers.”

Ballard said, “Sounds good. When this is over, come out and enjoy our hospitality.”

“It might be a while but I’m going to take you up on that.”