by Zack Finley
Uncle George now let the better-behaved hogs out to forage for acorns in the surrounding woods for several hours a day. I knew we were planning to harvest this year’s crop of pigs during the first sustained cold spell.
I was confident we’d get through the next two years, but if our crops did poorly, we might be down to one sparse meal a day. I knew my mom was trying to be sure before offering refuge to anyone else.
I didn’t even know how many people were now living in the valley, I knew it was getting pretty crowded at my house. I suspected the same in the others. My grandma announced she was giving up her home and she, Uncle Bob and Aunt Clarice were moving in with my dad.
I wasn’t sure what Bob and Clarice thought of that, but I knew they were all moving in the next day or so. The six men from Force Beta newly assigned to my house were settling in tonight.
We needed to get the second floor of the newer homes emptied of supplies and ready for residents.
I was glad someone else was dealing with Frank and Frosty. Keeping them alive was dumb, but killing them was so final. I witnessed the downside of catch and release overseas.
I wouldn’t want to explain killing them to my girls. I never wanted them to have to make that kind of choice, but I didn’t want them living in a false fairyland either.
I missed the supper bell and went to see what they had left to eat. Corn tortillas, refried beans, lettuce, and some type of ground meat, hot sauce and a cup of coffee.
My injured guys were back from seeing Dr. Jerrod. Both with visible stitches. I learned we were conserving Novocain for more severe injuries. Both would have preferred butterfly bandages, but we were saving them, too. My guys learned the sickbay had plenty of thread and needles. Dr. Jerrod cleaned the cuts before stitching them up, concerned about possible infection. When they complained that they preferred scars than going through all that, she told them she couldn’t afford to treat anyone for an unnecessary infection.
That was a new aspect of the future I hadn’t really thought through. I was glad Dr. Jerrod was keeping track, but it seemed pretty brutal.
I offered to show the two men their new bunks, and they followed me to my house. The stuff from their apartments wasn’t available yet, so they only had what they were wearing. I showed them the converted dining room. They evaluated what they needed to bring from storage, then trotted off after claiming their bunks.
The house was empty, everyone else was still working. I went out to finish the defense platform. I tagged four guys to help. We got the steel for the low walls up and used hand tools to finish it off. The roof was two pieces of 4 ft by 8 ft. exterior grade plywood with some type of rubbery goop painted on the top side. I cheated and used the portable drill to secure them. I just hoped the bent angle-iron supports would keep the roof from acting like a wing in the wind. I might look at it sometime next year.
A 4-inch-wide piece of channel-iron topped off the three-foot-high steel walls. This would make a reasonable shooting support, although I suspected my guys would drag a few more sandbags up here. A few benches and maybe a folding chair or two would make this a comfortable observation perch.
It wasn’t clear whether we needed to staff this position all the time or just during an alert. Something I needed to talk about with Craig and my other snipers.
I checked in on the crew at the middle school via CB radio. There’d been no sign of anyone all day. We left them some electronic help for monitoring their perimeter, they now had it operational.
I designated tonight’s on-call quick reaction force to respond to any threat. I remained on this, but my dad ordered me to plug someone else into my regular guard spot. He wanted me to get a full night sleep.
I hung up my armor and put the rifle in its rack by the door in the mudroom. I plugged in my radio to be recharged and walked into the central part of my house.
I needed a shower but would just have to learn to live in grunge. I’d done it before, but not in my own home. Another new reality. I didn’t know what the kids and ladies were doing. I just never thought about it until night time when there was no hot water.
We had nearly a full house. Our new Force Beta housemates were on their bunks, reading or just resting. They’d stuffed a few chairs into the room. They found some special LED lights for bunks in storage somewhere. The lights provided enough directed light to read but could be turned on or off separately for each bunk. They’d scrounged six lockers somewhere that were now lining the hallway. We needed some for the boys’ and girls’ dorms.
Craig was hanging with them, sitting in one of the chairs and reading a book.
I went into the family room and learned why. All the kids were standing at a slouchy attention with their noses touching the wall. I nearly said something, but Mandy gave me the high sign. We slipped out and stepped into the mudroom.
“They were all pains in the ass,” Mandy said. “If there were enough corners, they’d each be in one. So, they are suffering administrative punishment for the next 15 minutes. Everyone is crowded, no one likes the food, everyone wants a shower, everyone wants clean clothes. I didn’t know what else to do; physical punishment doesn’t make sense. Steve critiqued their form of attention, but he was mostly playing it by ear.”
“Sounds like you did fine,” I said. “I’ll support you; however I can.”
“Your guys have been great,” Mandy said. “They wanted to know if they could help, but I just told them we had this.”
“Let’s see how this develops,” I said. “I’ll follow your lead.”
I sat down in my chair and tilted it back. It was easy to act like I was resting because I was dead tired.
At the end of the set time, Steve advised the kids that the detail was over.
Under my lids, I saw Melissa dart over to me.
I sat up and asked, “How was your day?”
The two boys joined their parents on the couch where they were welcomed into open arms. Only Ellie, the apparent instigator, acted like the punishment was no big deal.
But Ellie wasn’t my top priority, My own kids needed tending.
Melissa settled into my lap and shared how unfair her punishment was. I asked her why. All she could say was she wasn’t as bad as Ellie. Jennifer didn’t say anything, she just sat on the arm of my chair and leaned into me.
I asked Melissa whether she’d rather be staying in the metal buildings. She explained why it was reasonable for her to stay with her great-grandma. She didn’t know what to say when I told her that grandma, Bob, and Clarice were all moving in with my dad.
“Honey these changes are hard, but we have it pretty nice, compared with others. You are in charge of your chicken coops, that makes you part of management. That means you need to help everyone do better. You can’t do that if you contribute to making people feel bad,” I said.
“But dad, it was all Ellie’s fault,” Melissa said.
“It takes at least two people to cause an argument. If Ellie causes trouble, just walk away from her, go to your own spot and mind your own business,” I said. “Now tell me about the rest of your day.”
I sensed Jennifer might be a bit tougher to distract. She sat on the arm of my chair and listened to Melissa chatter on.
“Dad, I don’t want to be like Ellie,” Jennifer whispered in my ear once Melissa wound down.
“It is hard on everyone. Our home may be crowded, but it is still recognizably our home. It is harder on Steve, Mandy, Ellie, Joe, and Billy. We need to help everyone settle in. If we don’t, we’ll spend all our spare time fighting with someone. I get enough fighting on the line. I prefer peace at home.”
“Ellie is a pain, but I’ll try to walk away and not argue, anymore,” Jennifer said.
“Thank you, honey,” I said, knowing it wouldn’t be easy and that not all future disagreements would be between kids.
I went up to the boys’ dorm and was pleased the guys set up six lockers there. I claimed one and cleaned up the clothes around my bunk. I encouraged Joe
and Billy to do the same.
Someone left each bunk an LED bunk light. I rigged mine up while Joe watched. He helped Billy set up their bunks.
Mandy helped the girls set up their room.
I’d look for a few chairs to put in the bedrooms. It might help if people could get some alone time. We had more room than we were using.
We called lights out. I set my watch alarm for dawn. Part of me hoped I would get a full night sleep and the other part wanted to settle the issue with Lloyd Mountain Militia.
◆◆◆
Chapter 12
My alarm woke me up. I should have felt rested, but the night was restlessly filled with weird dreams. I knew it was my mind’s way of making sense of all I experienced in the past weeks. Craig joined me at the lockers. We both slipped our pants on and grabbed the rest of our clothes. Joe and Billy never budged.
I posted a Force Beta conference for the armory after breakfast for everyone in the valley.
At the meeting, I briefed everyone on what we knew about Lloyd Mountain Militia. They were all aware we intercepted four LAWs and were using the middle school to sucker them into an attack.
We discussed the benefits of manning the defense platform and other tweaks for our base defenses. We agreed to add clearing the trees along our roadway to the list of things to do. We also decided that posting guards at the ambush sites was not a good long-term choice. Once we no longer had a presence outside the wire, we should pull back. We would still need to approach those locations with caution before sending our Humvees into harm’s way.
My guys weren’t keen on waiting for the Militia to attack us. They wanted to take the hurt to them. Positioning IEDs along the most likely routes the group would take from their compound was just one of many take-no-prisoners suggestions.
I wasn’t ready for roadside bombs but monitoring the Militia’s movements was a good idea. Blocking the only way out of their compound with their own broken vehicles was something to consider as well.
I tasked four men, not on the quick reaction force, to establish FOB George at the turnout into the Lloyd Mountain compound. For additional resources, I authorized pulling a SAW from the armory, four Ninjas, a captured truck, and two grenades each. I wanted them ready to hold their position for up to four days without relief.
I asked them to deploy as soon as they were ready. Each was to wear a personal radio, and the team would remain in contact with the radio hut via portable CB radio. I wanted them to give us a count on the expected attack force when the Militia left their compound. That would be the signal for the QRF to move into position.
Once the Militia attacked the middle school, I wanted FOB George to destroy any remnants returning from the primary battle.
The rest of us began clearing along the roadway. We checked out three chainsaws plus two crosscut saws and an assortment of axes. We parked the armed Humvee and the unarmed Humvee within easy access, along with our QRF gear.
The chainsaw team concentrated on getting the trees on the ground between our road and the river bank. The rest of us would turn it into firewood.
Uncle George sent Jacob Neufeld, his draft horse, and gear to pull the limbed trees into position to buck them with our crosscut saws. Jacob brought several of his apprentices with him. They pitched in with the limbing and bucking operations, too. We began filled his wagon with rounds, We were piling the last of the rounds into the cart when the meal gong chimed.
It would take several more days of work with hand tools to clear up the site, but it was a good stopping place for today. We returned the Humvees to their usual hidden locations and went to supper.
A call from the radio hut as we were heading up to split firewood sent us scurrying to mount up. FOB George reported a convoy of 20 vehicles left the Lloyd Mountain compound moments ago. George estimated about 60 people in a mix of SUVs and pickups. They turned toward town. George offered to have a scout follow them and report back.
It would be tough enough for the four of them to handle a group that size. I didn’t want them to split up.
The radio hut already warned the middle school they had incoming.
I left Zeke and Craig to mind the base and took the rest of Force Beta with me to reinforce the middle school. We should arrive at the middle school at least 30 minutes before the group from Lloyd Mountain.
When we got within radio range Buzzer gave us deployment instructions. Buzzer and his crew kept busy while they played bait. They hotwired vehicles and blocked some ways into the area. The attackers would now have to approach on foot or funnel into the area through two routes. The Ma Deuce was tasked with stopping everyone who used one of those entrances.
The other Humvee now sported an M-249 SAW in its turret. It would be our mobile reserve.
Three of us humped the other M-249 SAW and its ammo to the gym roof. With an unobstructed view in three directions, it was a perfect place to deploy. Ben covered the fourth direction from the middle school roof. All we lacked was the direction the attackers would arrive from.
Buzzer walked us through points of reference including distance markers and where friendlies were positioned.
Now, all there was to do was wait, watch, and listen.
We heard their vehicles first. The absence of ‘normal’ background noise was still difficult to accept. Just the wind in the trees and even that diminished with the dropping of most tree leaves.
I brought an MK17 SCAR with a 20-inch barrel and a sniper scope on this mission. Everyone on the gym roof carried one. The SAW would provide sustained firepower if we needed it, but I knew even hardened warriors struggled to hold steady with a sniper in action. A few nearby kill shots would break the less committed members of the troop.
As expected, the attackers arrived on the main highway. They seemed surprised to find downed trees and vehicles blocking the road. If the Militia insisted on coming at the middle school that way, they’d be on foot.
We soon had a lot of targets, milling beside their vehicles, stymied by the blocked road. We split the zones and started dishing out death at long range. Once the fools took shelter behind their vehicles, we picked them off through their cars. It didn’t take long before the living attempted to flee. The men blocked from our view by buildings or trees made it. Those we could see died.
While we didn’t spot anyone carrying a LAW, I was still reluctant to have either Humvee give chase.
Eric and Matt reported from the attempted breach point that the attackers were regrouping in a farm equipment yard on the other side of the trees. After a short meeting, the assembly split up, with one group choosing to infiltrate on foot through the woods. The other piled into vehicles and drove back the way they came at high speed. Eric relayed that the mobile force probably included all the vehicles that could still run.
Matt wondered if the Militia was returning to base, just abandoning the shooters in the trees. We gave FOB George the head’s up, just in case.
If they were continuing their attack, they’d return via the back roads, coming at us from another direction. Fortunately, only a few bridges cross the Mecklin River. Buzzer had the main one covered, thoroughly.
From the roof, we tried to spot those left on foot through the thick stand of trees.
Eric and Matt were a lot closer to the men hiding in the trees than we were. Whenever they spotted someone moving out of cover, they sniped. Eric and Matt were armed with suppressed M4s keeping the men hunkering down in the trees confused about where the fire was coming from. We kept the enemy focused on the middle school roof with an occasional shot. The attackers seemed unaware that small saplings did not stop all bullets.
Erik and Matt were ready with an egress route should their current position got too hot. They would move to the roof of a nearby church. Their ladders were already in place.
The rest of our outlying manpower was shifting to cover the southern approach, where we expected the next shoe to drop. The distance wasn’t very far as the crow flies, but it would take more
than half an hour for the Militia convoy to drive it.
I wasn’t worried, much, about them skipping the middle school and attacking the Valley. With us blocking the main highway, the convoy would have to loop around for nearly an hour to approach the valley. We’d get a warning of that because they had to travel past FOB George. We’d also get word from FOB George if the Militia retreated to their headquarters.
If we could crush them on River Road this afternoon, the middle school bait project would be successful.
Matt and Eric continued targeting the group hiding in the woods east of the middle school. They concentrated on those with AKs or who acted in charge. After they dropped five each, Matt and Eric backed out of their shooting position and ran to their next one.