The Lone Man On The Ridge - Episode Eight: Leaving It All Behind

You can feel it from the first line: this isn’t a normal morning. We’re with Jack in total darkness as he wakes up on the ridge, hears the wood stove crackle, and realizes there’s no more time to stall. Dylan’s crew is coming, and whatever happens next, the off-grid cabin can’t be a prize they get to keep.

We talk through the brutal logic of leaving a survival shelter behind and why Jack chooses resource denial over wishful thinking. 

If you’re into survival fiction, prepping scenarios, off-grid living, grid-down barter, and the hard choices that come with bugging out, this chapter hits deep. Subscribe for the next part, share this with a friend who loves post-apocalyptic thrillers, and leave a review telling us what you’d do at that checkpoint.

Transcript

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This is the Lone Man on the Ridge, Episode 8, Leaving It All Behind. The sky was still completely black when Jack opened his eyes. He laid there for a moment, listening to the quiet crackle of the wood stove, and mister Rogers' steady breathing on the floor beside his cot. There would be no coffee this morning, no slow sunrise, no more putting it off. This was the day. Jack sat up and rubbed his face. He stood, lit a single candle, and began moving through the cabin with quiet purpose. He grabbed the handheld radio from one of the shelves and placed it into his pack. Before heading out, he did one final walk through the cabin. As he looked around at everything he was being forced to leave behind, a heavy feeling settled into his chest. On the first trip back up the ridge after dropping off his initial load at the truck, the thought kept gnawing at him. Dylan and his crew were definitely coming. When they discovered he was gone, they would either settle in or strip the place clean. Jack was nearly at the cabin when he stopped to take a rest. For a moment he seriously considered rigging a tripwire with a can of bear spray across the front door. But after thinking about it, he shook his head and decided just to take the bear spray with him. When Jack reached the cabin, he walked over to a table, tore a page out of his notebook, and wrote in clear, bold letters. Hope you enjoyed the long walk up here. I hope you enjoy sleeping in my bed. I will always be watching Jack. He folded the note and left it sitting in the middle of the table. Before leaving, Jack did one final walk around the outside of the cabin. He opened the spigots on both rain barrels, letting the water pour out into the ground. He then took out his pocket knife and made two quick cuts to the main cables of the solar array. Jack had made three trips to the truck and back with most of his supplies. He was preparing for the last trip down. Jack gave the cabin one long last look from the doorway. Then he turned and started the final trip down the ridge. Jack stopped at the small garden on the way down. He picked several ripe tomatoes, a few cucumbers, and a couple handfuls of green beans. When Mr. Rogers barked, Jack smiled and tossed Mr. Rogers the largest cucumber. Mr. Rogers caught it midair and carried it proudly down the trail like a trophy. When they finally reached the truck, Jack dropped the final load and spent several minutes securing the packs and plastic tubs with bungee cords. He placed his rifle and shotgun in the cab within easy reach. mister Rogers jumped through the passenger window and took his seat beside him. Jack turned the key and let the engine warm up while checking the fuel gauge. He was just under half a tank. As he put the truck in gear and began to pull away, he glanced in the rear view mirror. Three chicken heads were sticking out of a cardboard box in the bed of the truck, looking around very confused. Jack let out a tired laugh. Be careful back there, ladies. Buckle up, it might be a bumpy ride. Jack then started down the logging road. As he neared town he came to the Sitco gas station and parked near the pumps. He immediately noticed the two armed men who normally stood guard were nowhere in sight. He walked inside, the same lady behind the counter. Oh, you're back, she said. Jack nodded. I'm just under half a tank. If you have any gas left, I'll give you these two ounces of silver to fill up the rest of my tank. The woman agreed, checked out the silver rounds, and said that's fine. When Jack walked back in, he noticed a small display rack with some faded magazines and some North Carolina maps. How much for the maps? he asked. The lady waved her hands. Go ahead and take one. Jack thanked her, grabbed one of the maps, and looked back up with the lady and asked, Where are your two bodyguards? You know, the two guys that were standing out here last time I came by. The woman gave a small smirk. They went off to help a friend with a troublemaker up on the mountain. Jack nodded and waved. I'll see you later. Jack walked back to his truck, climbed in, opened up the map, and decided he was heading north. He needed to find Route twenty three. Jack started the truck and didn't get more than a few blocks when he came across a makeshift checkpoint blocking the road with four armed men. One of the men with an AR fifteen slung across his chest signaled Jack to stop. Jack slowed to a halt and kept his hands clearly visible on the steering wheel. The leader with the AR walked up to the driver's side window. What's your name? The man asked. Jack? Where are you coming from, Jack? I'm coming from the south. Just passing through, looking for twenty three North. The man stared at him, then shook his head. If you came from the south, you would have gone through our southern checkpoint. He stepped back away and keyed his radio. South Checkpoint, this is central. Have you seen a guy in a truck with a dog come through recently? Jack sat still as the man listened to the response. The leader's expression changed. He lowered the radio and looked back at Jack with harder eyes. South Checkpoint says they haven't seen any truck with a dog coming through. He took one step back and rested his hand on his rifle. So let me ask you again, Jack, where are you really coming from? Jack kept his hands visible and shrugged slightly. Well, I guess I must have gone around your checkpoint somehow, or maybe I took a different road. I don't know. Maybe the guys at your other checkpoint needs to get their eyes checked. The man stared at Jack for a long moment, then said coldly, step out of the truck. Jack complied, and the leader stepped forward him aggressively, getting right up into his face, the barrel of his rifle just inches from Jack's chest. D'y have any weapons in the vehicle? Jack didn't answer. I said, Do you have any weapons in the vehicle? Jack stared right at the man. Boys, check the cab and check the bed. When one of the men approached the passenger side door of the truck, mister Rogers began growling and barking. Jack put his hands up and said, Whoa whoa whoa, it's okay, boy. It's okay, just relax. The man stepped away from the door. The other two men looked at the bed of the truck and said, Just a bunch of gear. The leader told Jack, I want you to call your dog over here and put him on a leash, we're searching your truck. Jack stared at the man and said, You're not searching anything. The man snarled at Jack. I'm not giving you an option here. In one lightning fast motion, Jack's right hand shot out and grabbed the hand guard of the man's rifle, shoving it aside. At the same time his left hand drew his glock from the holster on his left hip and pressed it hard underneath the leader's chin. Jack yelled, Everybody freeze, nobody move. Jack's voice then dropped, low and serious. You boys throw your rifles into the bed of the truck, nice and slow, nice and easy. The three men complied and tossed their rifles into the truck. Mr. Rogers began growling loudly from the passenger seat. The leader, still being held at gunpoint, said, Jack, you're making a big mistake here. Jack gave a small, bitter smile. Well, just add it to the list because lately my luck has sucked. Jack kept the glock pressed underneath the man's chin. Use your right hand and slowly drop the mag from the rifle. The man complied, and then Jack carefully slid the rifle sling over the leader's head, clearing it from his body. Jack took two slow steps back and tossed the rifle into the bed of the truck. Boys, this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna get in my truck and I'm gonna drive away. Do not follow me. I'll go down the road a bit and I'll toss your rifles into the tall grass on the side of the road. You can come get em later. Do we have a deal? The leader gave a tight nod. Yeah, we got a deal. For now, Jack just shook his head. Jack slowly walked over to the driver's side and looked at all four men through his open window. Remember, don't follow me and I'll toss your rifles on the side of the road. Jack pulled ahead about fifty feet and just couldn't help himself. He leaned out of the window and yelled back, and don't forget to ask Dylan how his shoulder's doing. With that, Jack punched the gas and accelerated down the road. He glanced into the side mirror and saw one of the men draw a handgun and fire off a couple wild shots. Both missed. Jack stuck his left arm out the window and gave them a long middle finger salute. He looked back over at Mr. Rogers and said with a grin, Looks like we got four more rifles. Mr. Rogers barked with approval. Jack reached the on ramp to twenty one North, turned to Mr. Rogers and said, I hope you know what you're doing. Mr. Rogers stared at Jack and cocked his head to the side. This has been the Lone Man on the Ridge, Episode 8, Leaving It All Behind.