ALONG THE ENDLESS RIVER

Years before the world went crazy, Paul Kemper spent just another Saturday at a University of Kentucky football game with his wife’s brother RJ. It had been in beautiful mid-September, with the smells of cut grass, leaves, and stadium grills swirling in the air.

RJ, or Bobby as Elizabeth called him- he called her Bethy, was two years older than his sister, which made him the same age as Paul. Within a month of meeting Elizabeth as a junior at the University, Paul was introduced to RJ. They had hit off immediately. It turned out that they had played against each other in the state quarterfinals as seniors in high school, and each remembered the other’s number. They both were crazy about sports, drank beer, loved horse racing, and playing golf. It was a match made in heaven- and Paul was pretty sure he was falling in love with Elizabeth, too. From that point on, Paul and RJ were much more like brothers than brothers-in-law. So close in fact, that Paul nearly asked RJ to stand in as best man at their wedding, until Elizabeth pleaded him not to pass over his own brother for the honor.

That Kentucky game was the 50th game they had attended together. RJ loved keeping track of things like that. Typically that would have meant RJ would have demanded they celebrate by running up a bar-tab of exactly $50.00 before the game or there would have been some bottle of 50 year old tequila at the tailgate. Not to mention, it was the Louisville game, which always ratcheted up whatever intensity was already in place. But, he had been surprisingly subdued considering the circumstances. They hung out in the parking lot, nursing beers and taking note of the prettiest co-eds as they strolled by. RJ always enjoyed that sport as much as the football game.

Eventually they made their way into the stadium, passing crowds of growingly intoxicated students along the way. Frat boys in sport-coats, sorority girls in dresses, and countless students in t-shirts and jeans chanted and cheered, as they drained unidentified alcohol from red Solo cups, littering the ground with their empties as they began to file into the stadium’s gates.

Once inside, they settled into RJ’s seats, which were on the stadium’s lower level, around the 35-yard line. The view was excellent, and the team introductions were stirring, players charging out onto the field while the band blasted the school fight song. Kickoff ensued, the crowd was on their feet cheering, and it wasn’t until about halfway through the first quarter of the game that both men finally took a seat. It was then that RJ leaned over to Paul with a knowing smile showing out from under his sunglasses.

" I didn’t forget what game this was today- number 50! Unreal, man. I have something special planned for later bubba. ”

Then the game kicked into gear and not another word was said about RJ’s big surprise. RJ had plenty to say about the hated Louisville Cardinals, their reputation for dirty play, their recruiting violations, and he was able to point out several more sorority prospects he hoped to ‘recruit’ for his own team. At halftime RJ disappeared and came back with a couple of stadium hotdogs, which never tasted better than they did in the sun at a football game.

The battle itself was back and forth, with Kentucky sealing the victory in the fourth quarter on a tipped pass interception. The drama of the play and the victory had driven the crowd into a frenzy, and it was amidst a crowd of fans still cheering from the excitement that they left their seats and started the journey on foot from the stadium.

They made their way back to RJS truck parked in the grass, stepping around the Solo cups and campus fliers that littered the ground. Still laughing about the good fortune of the game, they climbed in and carved their way out of the parking area. Weaving through a sea of drunken students holding beer bottles and chanting, they worked their way into and then out of town, and back towards I-75. Surprisingly, as they headed out towards the highway, RJ took a detour and began a trek that took them out into the rolling horse country around Lexington.

“Is this part of the surprise?” Paul had asked.

“Its sure is brother. It sure is.”

They drove for a solid thirty minutes, and the countryside around them began to change. Rolling green fields and horse fences gave way to a thickening tree line that grew closer to the road as they drove. RJ made a couple of turns, each time the road getting a little more narrow and little more embedded in the woods around them. Finally, they arrived at a gravel turn off and RJ slowed the truck.

A heavy gate with a pair of industrial locks blocked the gravel drive. RJ put the truck in park and turned to Paul.

“Man, have you ever thought about heaven and hell?”

Paul was struck by the left field question. “What?” he asked shaking his head with a puzzled grin.

But RJ just kept looking at him, like a dog waiting for a ball to be thrown, so he paused a minute before answering.

" I think so RJ. I think I have an idea of what I believe. I mean, I don’t think it ends here if that’s what your asking?”

Now he was waiting. Waiting to see where this strange question was leading. RJ, tilted his head , letting his eyes meet Paul’s , peering out from the top of his sunglasses.

“Well, what is that look like to you? What do you truly believe?”

There was something different in RJs voice- a sincerity- that made Paul aware that his answer here would be taken to heart.

" I guess I believe that there is a life beyond this one. I think I have to, for Elizabeth and the kids. I do believe that this life is only a part of what we will experience. It makes sense to me that eternal peace, should be the reward of a life well lived. Being surrounded by your loved ones. And if that’s what we get for a life well lived, then I suppose there is a similar fate for people who choose a darker path in life. Does that answer your question?”

From behind his sunglasses, Paul could see RJ’s eyes were still totally fixed on him. He was smiling a little, thinking about what had just been said.

" Yeah bubba, I think it does. But I also think that something else has to happen. Something is coming Paul, something that will sort out here on earth who is going where. Could be the Wrath of God, could be some sort of cosmic judgment. Maybe The Rapture. I don’t want you to think I am crazy or that I have gone and found Jesus- but I know in my bones that something is coming.”

The comment was so unlike RJ, that time in the cab of their truck stood still. Long, quiet seconds hung in the air as Paul found himself looking out through the windshield at the heavily fortified gate. He had talked about God, death, and religion before with RJ over too many beers, but this was something different. The silence was broken by the sound of RJ popping open the truck’s console compartment.

With a key chain in hand, RJ slipped out of the truck and opened the bulky locks on the gate. He swung it open, returned to the truck and pulled through. After closing the gate behind him and returning to the driver’s seat, RJ finally spoke again as he put the truck in drive.

" What you are going to see here, I have never showed a single soul. But, I built this for us – you, me Bethy, Jake, and Mal. So now it’s time that you see. Its time for you to know, because it’s ready.”

The truck pulled down the winding gravel drive, and the gate disappeared behind them. They swept around a bend to the right and the woods opened up to reveal a clearing. Another gate appeared- same as before, but with a razor wire roll along the top. RJ hopped out again, opened the gate pulled through, and closed it behind them. They pulled up a small hill in the clearing and a handsome little hunting cabin appeared, with a large aluminum storage barn thirty yards behind it. RJ pulled the truck up to the end of the gravel and put it in park.

“What is this RJ? Do you own this place?”

RJ smiled and pulled his sunglasses off, sticking them in the collar of his blue polo shirt.

“I bought it about six years ago. Been working on it ever since. In fact, I consider this my life’s work.”

They hopped out of the truck and walked toward the cabin’s small, covered porch. RJ was looking around, checking the tree line of the clearing, the barn- just making sure nothing looked out of place.

Paul wasn’t surprised that RJ had gone and bought a camp in the country. RJ had liked to hunt occasionally and he loved getting away from the city. He wasn’t surprised at the cabin or the barn either. RJ had a degree in construction management, a very successful contracting business, and could build or fix anything. What surprised him was that RJ had owned this place for six years and never said a word. Until now, that was.

As they stepped up onto the cabin’s elevated porch, Paul could see the door was deep-set and heavier than expected. RJ fished out the same keychain from the gate and unlocked the deadbolt and handle locks.

“This is a security door mounted direct into concrete under the siding here. All bolted into the concrete.”

RJ pointed at the doorjamb with his finger.

“You could kick the shit out this thing, beat it with a sledge and its not giving in. The guy I bought it from told me it could take a police ram if you set it up right.”

RJ turned the handle and Paul saw him press his weight against the door to push it open.

“Whoooeeey. You can smell the country out here.”

RJs was chuckling a little as he said it, the musty air of the cabin filling their noses as they stepped inside. The light of the late afternoon poured through the cabin’s windows and Paul could see the work RJ had done in the place.

A double bed rested against the far wall, with a small rug beside it. There was a square table and four chairs on a larger rug in the middle of the room, with a pair of arm chairs with small ottomans and a coffee table in an area just inside and left of the entry. A floor to ceiling bookcase had been built against the near wall behind the armchairs, the shelves filled with books of all sizes. The cabin’s front wall was fitted with cabinets, a countertop, a steel tub, and an old unplugged fridge. There were oil lamps on the small tables and countertop, and on the small nightstand beside the bed. In one corner of the cabin’s back wall was a built out bathroom with a door, while the rest of it had been a built out as a closet. The walls were adorned with prints of various Kentucky wildlife, a chess set sat ready on the dining table and a half dozen photographs in frames were set out on shelves and countertops.

Paul was taken aback by the lived in look of the cabin, though the construction seemed as new as the revelation of RJ’s secret hideaway.

“Wow, you said you bought this six years ago?”

RJ closed the door behind them and crossed the room to look out of the back window. He ran his hand along the drawn curtain.

“I bought the land six years ago. This cabin is really less than four years old. Check this out. Bulletproof. Got these windows direct, from the factory in San Antonio. Same place outfits the President’s cars.”

Paul looked up at RJ tapping his finger on the window and an unsettling feeling came over him.

“Bulletproof? And a security door? I saw razor wire on that gate...what the hell is this place RJ?”

RJ turned to face him and their eyes met for a second. Then he walked from the window back toward the bathroom, looking inside for a quick inspection.

“Well man, I don’t need to be mysterious about it – so here it is. I told you how I know something terrible is coming. Well I have felt that way for a while now. Since after Mom and Dad died. So, some years back I decided to do something about it.”

RJ went over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and continued.

“See, when this parcel went up for sale I knew that this was my chance. I’ve got almost one hundred acres here, and this little clearing sits right about in the middle. This cabin is our safe house Paul. Nobody knows about it, I did all the work myself, with my equipment and only two Mexican boys to help me. Those boys are long gone back to Mexico now. Anyway, they couldn’t find the damn state of Kentucky with a GPS. So, it is safe.”

“Safe from what?” , Paul asked, pulling up a chair from the dining table.

“From whatever is headed this world’s way. I can’t stop it from happening, but I decided that I was going to do whatever I could for you and Beth, Jake, and Mal...for me.... whatever I could do to protect us. Like I said, I think this is my life’s work, my calling. Come over here and take a look.”

RJ stood back up from the bed and motioned Paul to come over. He opened up a closet door along the back wall and stepped inside, leaning his back out to make sure Paul was behind him, watching. RJ knelt down inside the closet ran his hand along the inner wall. With his palm he pressed against a spot on the wall, and a four-foot wide panel cracked open revealing a hidden door.

Paul’s heart was starting to pound. The whole situation was unsettling, but exciting too. Surely RJ could see the nerves on his face as he turned back to him.

“Now before we open this up, let me explain some things. “, he began, looking up at Paul from one knee.

“The cabin upstairs here is designed to be comfortable. To feel more like… a home away from home. That’s why there are comfortable chairs and shelves of books. The bathroom is functional, and I have a tank for the shower that runs from the shed out back. Its safe, the walls are thick, the windows can take almost anything, and I already told you about the door. I think of it like the first line of defense, a cozy little guard shack. It needs to keep the appearance up- and its needed to keep this out of sight. ”

RJ reached behind the panel and pulled it open, revealing what looked like a bank vault door lying on an angle. He glanced at Paul, making sure his brother –in-law could see the shelter’s entrance.

“Because this is the main event.”

Stepping down inside the shelter it felt much larger than Paul would have expected. RJ had intentionally dug out an additional twenty feet from where he knew the cabin would end, to give him additional space. The ceiling was eight and half feet high, and everything- walls, ceiling, floor was smooth concrete.

Paul scanned the room and found he was smiling in disbelief.

“This is unreal RJ. How did you do this?”

RJ had a proud grin on his face as he tried to follow Paul’s eyes around the room.

“Once I had everything built, I just started getting things together. That was kind of the fun part.”

There were six single mattresses on small frames, no box springs, with three running long-ways against each of the two long walls. Between each mattress was a set of rubber shelves, which held blankets, pillows, and bed linens sealed in bags. There were also hunting boots of assorted sizes on those shelves, as well as a space heater on each bottom shelf. In the middle of the sleeping area was a long folding table, a larger heater, and RJ could see six folding chairs tucked in a corner.

Beyond that area, the extended part of the shelter began. There were shelving or pressboard cabinets covering every space along the sidewalls. In the center of the room was a cluster of wooden pallets, loaded with sealed boxes and drums, which extended all the way to the back wall. RJ walked ahead of Paul and began the personal tour.

“These cabinets and shelves are all from Home Depot, just right out of the box. So don’t load them up too much or bang them around too hard. ”

He started on the right hand side, motioning at the first set of shelves.

“This is where I have the hand tools, a few power tools, small electronics, you see the TV with a DVD player, radios, flashlights, camping lanterns, a nice super-powered high beam light, and on the bottom there are two Xantrex power packs....those are battery powered generators. You can also re-charge them from the propane-powered generator I have in the barn or from a vehicle. They can run anything on this shelf, the two floor lamps upstairs, the Frigidaire if needed. Then this shelf here is nothing but backup power cells for them and batteries. Lots of batteries.”

Paul had a million questions, but he decided to let the tour continue. He simply nodded along.

“OK, got it.“, he said.

RJ moved to the next stop, another set of shelving.

“Here is the doctor’s office. Not today, but in time we will review everything that is here. I have all the basic stuff, first aid, syringes, tape and dressings, every kind of over the counter thing you could need. What we need to do is talk about the stronger meds here on this shelf.”

RJ pointed to the middle row.

“Bethy took enough nursing classes to know what is here and how to use it. But, I want her to go over it with you and the kids eventually so everyone knows and understands.”

Paul almost cut him off.

“The kids? What are you talking about RJ? I don’t want the kids involved in this.”

RJ locked eyes with Paul. He looked confused, and more than a little hurt.

" “Involved in this?′ What in the hell does that mean Paul? I did this for them, so at some point they will need to be involved in this. They need to know how everything works, so one day they can use it.”

Paul felt his uneasiness giving way to anger. His voice began to rise.

“You have some sort of survivalist fetish that has gone bonkers here RJ. I don’t care; it’s your business. But we are not bringing my kids into it! ”

RJ could see Paul was upset and he took a step back from him. The air was heavy in the shelter, and an uncomfortable quiet settled in. He lowered his tone before he spoke. He was obviously choosing his words carefully.

“I get it man. This is a little overwhelming. What I am saying is, that if you ever need to use this place...when that day comes....then Bethy needs to explain this stuff to everyone. I agree the kids don’t need to know about this place until the time comes. I agree 100%.”

The tension in the room subsided, and Paul felt himself settling back down. He looked at RJ, who was waiting for his response. Paul knew this man, knew what was in his heart. Suddenly, he felt foolish for being defensive with him.

“OK. OK. Sorry for getting upset. But, you’re right- this is overwhelming. I didn’t mean to get loud, because its obvious you thought through things here. Let’s keep going.”

Pointing at the lower shelves of the medical area, RJ continued.

“Down here are all the soap, shampoo, cleaning products, detergent, syphoning kits, and the water filtration unit, spare filters.”

They moved to last set of shelves and the tall gun cabinet that stood next to it.

“Defense and hunting materials. I have field jackets and waterproof camo here. Lots of different gloves, hats. Kevlar, gas masks, holsters, binoculars- night vision and regular. There are even two haz mat suits with boots down there on the bottom. Extra rounds for everything in the cabinet on these two shelves. Lots of rounds.”

“What is in the cabinet?“, Paul asked, a little afraid of the answer.

“Well, there are two Colt AR-15s, pre-ban, a Browning with a fixed 4X scope, a Mossberg 500 tactical, and four Sig Sauers . P250′s. I also put my Horton in here, along with more than enough bolts. The girls could use that if they had to. Some hunting knives and Ka-Bars. Like I said, there are plenty of extra rounds-thousands- in the cabinet as well as what’s on the shelf here. Cleaning kits. I might have gotten carried away on ammo, but it was fun.”

Paul looked at the small arsenal inside the cabinet. He recognized the deer rifle and the crossbow from RJ’s hunting days. The assault rifles, shotgun, and black handgun cases all looked like new additions.

They went over the palletized supplies in the center of the area. There was an enormous amount of canned emergency food stores, sealed drums of water, and several cases of red wine and bourbon. The shelves along the opposite walls held additional clothing, blankets, some fabric and sewing supplies. There was a small cooking stove with fuel canisters, reach lighters, can-openers, pots and pans, utensils, bowls, plates, water bottles, plastic cups, and a huge supply of toilet paper.

RJ showed Paul a water pump in the back corner, a drain that could be used for fluids, the air intake with hand operated filter, as well as the shelter’s exhaust. There was even a large emergency human waste tub with an air tight seal if needed.

Finally, they went through the last sets of shelves which held an array of backpacks, duffels, water-tight diver’s bags, coolers, tents, hammocks, and bedrolls. One shelf held a collection of marked Tupperware containers that held hundreds of seed packets. Another shelf held a big plastic bag full of maps, stacks of writing tablets, a bag full of pens, pencils, and sharpeners, several decks of cards , and a big sealed Tupperware tub full of matchbooks. Leaning up against the final set of shelves was an old guitar case.

After they had seen everything, Paul turned to RJ in amazement.

“This is incredible. I really don’t know what to say. How did you do all this? How did you buy all of this?”

RJ nodded along at the question and started walking back towards the shelter’s entrance.

“Well, the cabin and barn took awhile, but like I said I had those Mexican boys helping me. Once it was all built, I just started coming out here after work, or in the morning on weekends. Just bring things one load at a time. I found out I was what is called a ‘prepper’.”

“A ‘prepper’?”

“Yeah, as in ‘to prepare’....see?....and it turns out there are lots of preppers out there who gave me ideas or put things on websites as advice. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop until I felt like I had everything I could think of. Until every base was covered.”

Paul was following him, but he was still baffled at the amount of investment RJ had made.

“But the cost of this?”

RJ shrugged a little as he pushed against the vault door release, opening it so they could return thru the hidden closet entrance.

“Business has been good bubba. That Anderson contract I landed back in ’02 really got things rolling. And, unlike you, I got no kids, no woman to spend up my dough. So, in some ways, the money was the easy part.”

With that, they climbed up the steel ladder and back into the world above.

Outside RJ showed Paul the barn first. Sitting on a slab, it had the same type of heavy grade bar locks across the doors, and once it opened up, Paul realized why. RJ’s old Bronco sat inside, and along one side of it sat a dirt bike, an old grill and a quad that Paul had thought he sold to a buddy named Pepper.

“I thought you got rid of this thing ,” Paul said patting the Bronco’s hood, “and that too.” This time pointing at the four wheeler.

“Nah. I brought them out here as soon as this went up. They both are running real nice. Took a little work, but I have them humming now.”

Along the other side of the truck was a big rolling craftsman tool cart , a large propane generator , a welding torch, a full set of truck tires, and a mounted wall rack holding a chainsaw, pickaxe, shovels. RJ jumped behind the wheel of the Bronco and pulled it forward out of the barn. Along the back wall was a thick steel shelf holding tanks of propane and a huge, horizontal 275 gal tank with a pump attachment.

RJ pointed to the ceiling vents in the barn as he caught Paul appraising the fuel.

After locking the barn back up, RJ and Paul headed over toward the tree line. As they walked along the edge of the clearing, RJ pointed out his final defensive measure. All along the perimeter, an eight foot chain link fence had been put up, with a coil of razor wire on the top and another skirting the bottom, woven into the links. RJ had painted it to make it blend in to the trees. The fences came around to the gravel road entrance, where they stopped at the gates posts. Paul had not noticed them on his way in, and he had also not noticed that just inside the gate, the ground had been trenched almost five feet deep and six feet wide on either side of the gateposts. If a vehicle tried to squeeze in between the gatepost and the tree line, it was going to get dropped into a hole – that was if it got through that nasty fence.

RJ went back into the cabin, made one last check and locked everything up. He walked over and checked the barn lock a final time, then pulled down the tailgate of his truck and retrieved a small cooler from his back seat. They sat down on the back of the truck and RJ produced two cold bottles of Corona from the cooler.

“The way I see it”, RJ began, “the biggest thing we will ever have to worry about is other people.”

He handed Paul a church key and then took it back to open his own beer.

“If something big does happen- say it’s a nuclear or a chemical attack- then we go underground until its safe to come back out. At that point, there will likely be other folks who weren’t as ready as us, but survived anyway. And they will be desperate to get to what we have . People will lose their minds. So, the point will be to keep them out.”

Paul was still taking everything in, but he found a little humor in RJ’s assessment.

“I think you have that covered. This place is like Ft Knox. Or Mad Max. Maybe its RJ’s Thunder-Dome. No one enters, no one leaves.”

They both got a kick out of that and snorted a little between sips of Corona. It was getting late in the day and the sun was started to sink overhead. Paul found himself surprised by his best friend, amazed that the man had kept something like this so secret for so long. The amount of time and work out into the project were incredible, and he realized that RJ was the kind of person who could and would do anything he put his mind to.

Talked turned back to the football and Kentucky’s chances of making another bowl game. In between the small talk, it was obvious that something sacred had been shared today, and that the bond between the two was now strengthened beyond anything that existed between friends. They truly were brothers, trusted to each other with everything the other held dear. It was an unbreakable bond and both men knew it without it ever needing to be said. There was a little more discussion about how and when they would tell Elizabeth, as that part would take time and require the right timing.

Then they finished their beers and headed back toward the road, the highway, and home. The sunset was casting a ruddy pink glow on the thin clouds overhead, and Paul just wanted to hug his children, kiss his wife, and hold everybody close before the night settled in.