by Davis, James
"I said, do you understand me?" Joe said, getting nose to nose with Theo. Joe drew back once more.
"I understand bro, chill out." Theo exclaimed, not interested in being slapped again. Joe's thin lips curled into a grin as he gave Theo a quick pat on the shoulder,
"Good, you have to remember your place Snapper." Raina’s voice sounded from the open bathroom door,
"You better leave him alone Joe, he saved my life!" she exclaimed as she feebly made her way through the door. Both men rushed to her, supporting her on either side and helping Raina back to her bedroom.
"So what are we gonna do about the bunker?" Theo asked, as they helped Raina climb into bed.
"I'm working on that. We need a few guys and some guns." Joe said, as he tucked the blankets gently around his sister.
"We can go see if my cousin Spanky wants to help." Theo replied. Joe scoffed,
"Cousin Spanky? What the hell are you talking about? Listen, I know a couple of guys, real badasses. Won't think twice about commandeering some family's bunker, as long as there's something in it for them." Theo's face twisted in confusion
"What's in it for them?"
"A spot in the bunker dipshit, I need you to keep up. I'm gonna go see who I can dig up right now. Take care of my baby sister Snapper." Joe leaned in and kissed Raina's forehead,
"I'll be back in a little while Rainy."
"Be safe out there, Joe," Raina replied.
"Yeah, yeah." Joe replied, already heading for the door.
"I mean it! Watch your back!" Raina called after him as he disappeared, slamming the door shut behind him.
"I guess I'll let you get some rest." Theo said, making his way toward the bedroom door.
"You can stay, I'm not really tired." Raina replied quietly.
Theo stopped and turned to face Raina.
"You sure?"
Raina smiled and gestured for him to take a seat.
"Of course. I'm tired of resting, sit down and keep me company."
Theo clumsily dropped to the floor and sat with his legs crossed, determined to accept the invitation before she could change her mind. The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Raina finally spoke up.
"I didn't really thank you before. You know, for saving my life."
"It was nothing, I look out for my friends and I ain't gonna let nobody hurt you," Theo replied.
"Well, it means a lot to me, Theo, it really does. You're my hero."
Theo's cheeks turned red as his gaze turned toward the ground.
"Nah, I ain't a hero, I just never wanna see you get hurt."
"Well, thank you, all the same." Raina winced as a pounding sensation returned to her head.
"You ok?" Theo asked anxiously, jumping to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine, the meds must be wearing off."
Theo reached into his pocket and retrieved an orange prescription bottle. He unscrewed the cap and dumped two into his hand before extending his hand to Raina. She took the pills, popped them into her mouth and chewed them up.
"You better get some rest, " Theo said, shoving the bottle back into his pocket. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it up, covering most of Raina's body. Raina leaned up and wrapped her arms around Theo's neck, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you, for everything." she said softly.
Theo wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace. As Raina released her grip and sank back into the bed Theo moved in closer, seizing an opportunity he may never have again. Raina let out a gasp as he pressed his lips softly against hers. It only took a second for Theo to realize what he had just done. His eyes tightened as he winced, expecting the burning sensation that was surely in his cheek's future after the inevitable slap landed, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see the corners of Raina's mouth turned upward into a beautiful gappy smile, and her eyes looked just a little softer than he remembered.
"Shit, I'm sorry Raina." Theo stammered, backing away.
"Goodnight Snapper." She almost giggled.
A few hours later Joe burst through the door like Kramer from Seinfeld, laughing and carrying on with what sounded like several other people. He made his way into Raina’s room where he found Theo passed out on the floor next to Raina’s bed. He kicked the bottom of Theo’s foot and said in a loud whisper,
“Get your ass up Snapper, I got some people I want you to meet.”
“You don’t have to whisper, I’m awake.” Raina’s groggy voice sounded from the bed.
“Sorry sis, didn’t mean to wake you,” Joe said, giving Theo’s foot another kick.
“It’s fine, I want to get up anyway.” She replied, watching Theo stand and attempt to stretch the kinks out of his back.
“Raina, Theo, this is Frank, John, Brian, and Justin. They all came to help us with our little bunker expedition.” Joe stated with a hint of satisfaction on his face. They all exchanged pleasantries then retreated out into the living room as Theo helped Raina get settled with everyone else. When they were all seated, Joe stood and started to speak,
“Alright guys listen up, the bunker we’re going to take isn’t just going to be a smash and grab type of situation. It’s going to take some methodical planning. The people that own said bunker aren’t pushovers, and will not be swayed easily. Over the next week or so, we’ll have to pair up and watch the place so we can get to know their routines. That will give us the best chance of pulling this off. Anyone have any questions so far?” Joe asked as he looked around the room at everyone. Seeing that no one was going to reply, he laid the plan out for them in as much detail as possible.
“Once everyone is in position around the property we’ll wait for the hunter to go out on one of his daily hunting trips and grab him. With the right persuasion, I’m sure he’ll sing like a canary and give us the security codes for the doors. From there, two people will sneak up behind the bunker entrance while the rest of us move in from the front hard and fast, just as they start to pile out.
When they are all focused on us, the two people in the back will come around from behind and take them down before they have a chance to retreat back into the bunker. Remember, they think they are safe there and that no one knows about that place. Once we have their attention we can use the hunter for leverage. Frank, Justin, I want the two of you going in from the back. The rest of us will be out front causing a diversion.” Joe said before asking if any of them had questions. They all just looked at one another in stony silence.
“Good. Now rest up. The next few days are going to be vital to the entire mission.”
chapter 10
After several days of watching and learning the habits of most everyone that was at the camp, Joe and his group were finally prepared to take the bunker. Raina was up walking around on her own now, and the bruises on her face were clearing up nicely. Joe had been spending a lot of his time gathering guns and ammunition from the local pawn shops around the city. He had acquired everything they were going to need. The rifles were well used and scuffed up but they seemed to work just fine. Joe gathered his team in Raina's living room to go over the plan one last time and to distribute the weapons. He had gotten three AR-15's, one AK-47, several pistols, and a couple of AR-10's. The AR-10's were setup for long-range shots but Joe didn’t think the snipers would be needed.
It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Joe thought as he shoved rounds into his magazines. He looked around the room at each one of his teammates, who were following his lead loading up mags. Everyone except Theo, that is. Theo was busy staring at Raina as she loaded her own mags. He had a big dumb grin plastered on his face, the moment he noticed Joe staring a hole through him he quickly straightened up and started loaded his mags again.
"Ah shit, sorry Joe," he said with a flushed red face, clearly embarrassed at being caught. Joe chuckled and shook his head,
"Fucking Snapper!" That night they all checked their weapons and gear several more times before going to bed. Everything had
to be perfect in order for them to pull this off.
The next morning the small apartment was buzzing with activity. Everyone was putting on gear and checking their weapons one final time. Joe made his way to the living room and cleared his throat loudly to get everyone’s attention,
“Everyone listen up!” Theo shouted when they all ignored Joe’s throat clearing. They all turned to look at Joe as he started to speak,
“Alright folks, you all know the plan. We’ve been over it numerous times, so I trust you all know your positions. These people aren’t going to just hand over the keys, so some of us will have to do some killing. The kids are off-limits. The adults are fair game. If they are willing to leave on their own you do not harm them. Everybody got that?” A chorus of “Yeah” and “We got it” came from the group.
“Alright then, let’s load up and get on the road. I want to be there and done by lunch.” Joe said as he headed for the door.
*****
The past few weeks had been good at the bunker, a welcomed change from the days prior to arriving at their home away from home. The group was enjoying as much normalcy as possible, given the circumstances above ground. Reports over the ham radio suggested that the rest of the country was in really bad shape with looting and killing so they all felt blessed to be safe and enjoyed the hot showers, comfortable beds, and clean water. Chris had returned from his hunting trip the day before with a large doe. After they skinned it and quartered it out, Clay prepared his self-proclaimed ‘world famous’ deer stew.
They made deer jerky and smoked most of it, then put what was left in the deep freezer. Emma and Toby enjoyed a steady showing of old Disney DVDs. Even Bella and Sarge were content, lazily enjoying what remained of the spoils from Chris’ hunt. Things definitely seemed to be taking a turn for the better. The best part, they all agreed, was that not a single gunshot had been heard since they arrived. Morale was high, bellies were full, and the garden was coming along nicely. The next morning everyone was in the kitchen eating breakfast. Chris pushed away from the table
"Thanks for a delicious breakfast ladies. You did an amazing job as usual," he said, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and heading for the exit.
"We're good on meat for now, you don't have to go hunting today." Hank said through a mouthful of bacon.
Clay nodded,
"I’m takin’ the day off myself, we've been working that garden every day for weeks now."
"Yeah, it’s probably best to take it easy at your age. Wouldn’t want you to keel over out there," Chris teased, "I'm going hunting though."
Clay quickly jumped up from his chair and lunged toward Chris, who bolted through the door and toward the ladder at the end of the hallway, laughing the entire way.
"You better run you little bitch!" He heard Clay shout from the kitchen. Chris climbed up the ladder and exited the shed. The morning sun warmed his face and the crisp morning air filled his lungs.
“It’s going to be a great day!” he said as he shouldered his rifle and headed for the forest.
Mornings like this were Chris’ favorite. It reminded him of sniper training back at Camp Lejeune with his old spotter Mike. He wondered if Mike had made it through the current disaster as he transversed his usual path through the woods. He stopped suddenly, noticing a few things that seemed out of place. The path was lined with boot tracks heading away from the camp, and a Snickers wrapper had been discarded a few feet ahead. He knew they weren't his tracks by the tread pattern that was left behind and that definitely wasn't his wrapper.
He scanned the area, fully alert now and slowly advancing forward to the tracks, keeping his head on a swivel. Dropping to a knee, he examined the tracks. They looked fresh, no more than a few hours old. He lifted his head and listened closely. Whoever it was, might still be close and he could probably hear them moving through the forest if he was quiet. It didn't take long to pick up the sound of leaves crunching not far away. He eased forward, using the toe to heel steps he learned in the military to move stealthily through the woods. The scent of tobacco filled his nostrils as he made his way further down the path.
Dumbass should know better than to fire up a smoke in the damn woods while stalking something. He thought as he gazed through his scope. He spotted the smoker almost immediately. The only problem was that the smoker had also spotted him. Chris dropped to a prone position and crawled over behind a large oak tree just as the first shot blew dirt up next to his leg. He peered through his scope, immediately spotting one of the attackers. A lanky guy with bright red hair and freckles covering his face. He aimed the crosshairs at the side of the man's head and tracked him for a few feet before drawing in a breath, exhaling slowly, and squeezing the trigger. The bullet slammed into the side of the man’s face knocking the cigarette free and caving the skull in on the impact side and exploding out of the other side, sending brains and bone fragments splattering all over the forest floor.
A woman’s voice cried out
"Theo!" As a slim blonde woman rushed to the side of the dead ginger, Chris scanned the woods ahead, searching for the other hostile. He spotted his target, just visible behind a tree but before he could fire, the ground next to him erupted, peppering him with dirt and debris. Chris rolled to his knees and fired from the hip before sprinting back toward the bunker. Bullets whizzed over his head as he ran. He stopped about fifty yards away from the shed, scanning the area for more threats.
Chris watched as two men approached from the south side of the property behind the shed. They sprinted forward through the garden and Chris trained his sights on the lead man but was interrupted by several more bullets slamming into the tree next to him.
"Shit!" He cursed aloud as he lowered his rifle and ran full speed through the woods. He ran upon a downed tree and dove headfirst over it. Rolling to a stop, he tossed his pack up to the tree and crawled back to it. Chris rested his rifle across the tree and waited for the shooters to appear. He watched for several minutes but no one ever came into his line of sight.
Shots rang out from the direction of the bunker causing Chris to shoot up to his feet. He shouldered his pack, and sprinted down and around the path he had just come through. He stopped at the edge of the woods noticing Clay and Hank bolt out of the shed and into the forest. Bullets ripped up the ground behind them as they ran. Spotting the shooter, Chris dropped to a knee and aimed his rifle at the man’s chest and squeezed the trigger. The rifle coughed and the man went down.
As Chris got to his feet and started to change mags he was tackled to the ground by a large beast of a man. They rolled down a small hill and stopped with Chris ending up on the bottom in full guard position. The man rained down blows but Chris managed to deflect most of them. He reached down to his boot for his K-Bar only to find the empty sheath.
Shit where is it? Chris thought as he felt around for the knife. The man landed several blows while Chris was fumbling around searching for his blade. He was seeing stars by the time he got his guard back up. The man threw a wild right-hand punch down at Chris’ face, but Chris managed to deflect the punch to the left and grab the man’s forearm. He threw his right leg up and twisted his body to the right at the same time which allowed Chris to get his right leg over the man’s face, setting himself up for an arm bar. Chris had the man’s arm between his legs, holding on to it with both hands. He pulled back on the arm and arched his back to get the maximum leverage.
The man tried to get back to his feet before Chris had the move locked all the way in, but it was too late. Chris pulled as hard as he could until he heard a sickening snap followed by the man’s screams. He rolled off of the man and lunged forward just as the man tried to get to his feet. Before the man could stand all the way up, Chris jumped on his back and wrapped his left arm around his neck. Placing his hand into the bend of his right arm, he used his right hand to push the back of the man’s head forward. He wrapped his legs around the man’s waist and leaned back as far as he could, setting the chokehold even deeper.
The man slammed himself down on top of Chris but it didn’t help. Chris squeezed as hard as he could, cutting off the flow of blood to the man’s brain and closing off his airway at the same time. He was dead in less than three minutes. Chris rolled the guy off of him and got to his feet expecting someone else to come after him but he was alone.
*****
Hank and Clay knelt behind a thicket of trees reloading their rifles, when suddenly several rounds from different directions exploded against the tree branches above their heads.
“We need to move!” Clay said, getting to his feet. Hank nodded and followed Clay deeper into the forest. The women and kids were locked inside the bunker so they didn’t have to worry about them.
Hank caught movement out of the corner of his eye and motioned for Clay to stop.
“Movement over there.” Hank whispered, pointing toward the clearing.
“I don’t see anything.” Clay replied. Chris burst through the trees from behind them, both men raised their rifles.
“You dumb shit, we almost shot your stupid ass!” Clay scolded.
“Calm down Nancy, I came over to save your sorry asses before you get shot.” Chris smirked, as he reloaded his weapon.
“Kill any?” Hank asked.
“Three." Chris replied.
"Let’s make our way back to the bunker and hold position there." Clay said as he started toward the clearing, his brothers following closely behind. They stopped just short of exiting the woods.
"I'll run over first and lay down some cover." Chris said. Both men nodded and readied their weapons. Chris paused for a moment before sprinting full speed out into the clearing. The moment he stepped out of the woods gunfire erupted from the tree-line, each bullet striking the ground behind him closer than the last. He reached a picnic table just short of the shed, quickly flipped it on its side, and ducked behind it. He popped out and began returning fire back toward the edge of the woods where the shots had originated.