Last Stand: Surviving America's Collapse by William H. Weber Read Free Book Online Page B

neighbor over the years and I want you to at least be somewhat prepared.”
    Al nodded, vaguely.
    “Good. Now, after you’ve secured those entryways, you need to think of a safe place in the house you and Missy can flee to in a worst-case scenario.”
    “We do have that guest bedroom in the basement.”
    “Perfect! You’re going to turn that into your safe room. Use that wood you mentioned to reinforce the door and the frame. Then add a doorjamb that you can bolt to the floor. Bring down a cache of food and water so you can wait out any bad guys who show up.” John produced the Ruger SR22 and the box of ammo. “This here is your last resort and it sure beats the hell out of that baseball bat you’re using now.”
    “Oh, John, you know I don’t like guns.”
    “Yeah, I know, but liking’s got nothing to do with it. If someone breaks in here and means you or Missy any harm, you need to be ready. A .22 caliber bullet won’t cut a man in two, but it’ll be enough to wound and maybe even kill.” John took a minute to show Al the basics of how to use it. Loading the magazine, flicking the safety on and off, pulling the slide and how to control his breath when squeezing the trigger. “Once you’re done, that safe room will become your new bedroom. No more sleeping upstairs. It’ll take you too long to get down there if someone comes in the middle of the night. You finish all that and then if you have time you can start booby-trapping windows and doorways. Nail boards at the foot of every window, upstairs and down, are a nice easy deterrent. Use your imagination.”
    Al was holding the gun as though it were a venomous snake.
    “Handle her well and with the respect she deserves and she won’t bite you, I promise.”
    “Sounds like something my wife would say.”
    The two men laughed and John could only pray that Al would implement what they’d talked about.

Chapter 11
    J ohn, Diane and the kids busied themselves over the next few hours fortifying the house. The strategy was similar to what John had recommended for Al. The truth of the matter was, if bad guys wanted to get into your house, nothing was going to stop them. You might reinforce your front door and add ballistic security glass, but what good would all that do when someone drove a truck in through your living-room wall?
    John recalled seeing house -to-house searches conducted in Iraq. Many of the families there lived behind walls with strong gates and the Marines had simply knocked the gates down by smashing into them with their Humvees. If there was a will, there was a way. That was what made John’s approach somewhat different from many of his colleagues in the prepping community. Funneling intruders into designated kill zones was part of his strategy. Forget trying to keep them out. Wound them getting in with razor wire around the inside edge of windows and sharpened nail boards designed to pierce all but the toughest boots. Then lead them down a hallway where the barrel of a shotgun awaited them.
    Ironically, John’s strategy meant slightly breaking his own rules. The sliding door and windows at the back of the house would all be boarded up on the inside a nd out. The front of the house—the side visible to the average passerby—would look normal. Criminals who snuck around back would become discouraged and opt for knocking down the front door or breaking a window. If the first few obstacles didn’t deter them, then John’s next trick would surely do the job. A single hallway led from the front of the house to the kitchen and the basement. It was a nice choke point where John had installed a five-by-five-foot AR500 ballistic steel plate with a gun port and a slit allowing him to see. The metal plate was speced to withstand most small arms.
    If that didn’t stop or dissuade the intruders, then they could flee to the basement and the pod. The pod hatch was set in the floor behind a false wall. Anyone who chopped through the basement door and