Travelers had warned me that most of the civilian survivor camps in Idaho were run by ex-militia members and the rest had been founded by extremist religious cults. In both cases, I’d been told, the members were paranoid and heavily armed, not good news for a stranger seeking refuge. Though no one wanted to talk about the afterwitches, much less disclose the confidence that she or he was one, I got the distinct impression it was better not to offer that information.

When I met the Warriors, I understood why.

***

Most of the camps I’d run across were clearly marked, with signs offering either welcome or discouraging visitors. The compound housing the Warriors of Blood was unmarked, and the way in and out was littered with booby traps, some obvious, some not. When I saw the...

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