by Chris Bostic
Mouse tugged on his wrist, which looked like a kid trying to pull over a tree. “Let’s go, Big A. We’re the fastest, the sneakiest, the bestest…”
Her voice faded away as they skipped off downstream.
“She’s a bundle of energy,” Katelyn said softly.
“Wish I had some of that.”
“I kinda like you the way you are.” She smiled demurely. “I’m not sure I could handle you that amped up.”
“Well, I don’t skip,” I said,” but it sure is funny watching Austin try to keep up.”
We hadn’t been loud, but my mom shushed us again. I nodded apologetically. With one hand on my rifle and the other locked in Katelyn’s, we moved down the river. The cold water was generally right below the tops of my boots, but every now and then a deep pool would submerge them.
I curled my toes and tried to keep the blood flowing, but my feet felt numb—and heavy as concrete blocks.
We didn’t make it terribly far before Mouse came skipping back the other way.
“What now?” Katelyn asked, but any further words caught in her throat.
Shadows moved behind Mouse. I wasn’t imagining anything that time. The shapes gradually morphed into three distinct figures in addition to the scouts, and Katelyn took off running. I let her go.
She reunited with her family at the edge of the river below a fairly steep bank. A tree leaned hard to the side to where the leafy part draped toward the water. Katelyn disappeared from sight for a moment as she snuggled up against the bank under the shade of the tree. I redoubled my pace to reach her.
She was locked in a hug with her mom and dad. Her brother stood to the side while Mouse chattered with Austin. John seemed genuinely relieved to meet back up with us.
“Hey, bud,” he said, lighting up upon seeing me.
“You made it,” I replied, but held back awkwardly while waiting for Katelyn. “We, uhm, we’ve been waiting.”
“C’mon, bud. Hug it out.” John spread his arms out wide. “I’ve missed you guys.”
“Good to have you back.” I dipped in for a hug and quickly pulled back before it grew awkward. “Was it tough?”
“It got a little hairy crossing the road. Some Humvees came across right when we got there, and we were pretty much right up against the field a lot of the time.” He looked to the top of the bank and marveled at all the trees. Then he patted the knees of his pants. They were totally soaked through. “There wasn’t much cover. It’s pretty much just a shallow ditch that runs over to the river.”
“So you were crawling?”
“A lot of it, yeah.” He looked at his parents and grinned. “The folks held up pretty good considering all that.”
“And the bombs are set?”
“Oh, yeah. Right under the road, so they’ll never know what hit them.”
“This is getting close,” I said. My whole body jittered with excitement. I imagined the chaos that would break loose when the bombs went off, and saw myself sliding down into the river as gunshots ripped through the trees.
Good thing there seemed to be plenty of nighttime left. I expected we’d probably have to belly crawl like John for hours just to get away from all the soldiers.
CHAPTER 34
Spotted Owl joined up with us. While John described his journey through the ditch and back to the river, the big man listened intently. But he grew visibly excited when John mentioned a new crossing over the river.
“So what’s this about a temporary bridge?” he asked.
“It looked like the soldiers put in one of those quick metal bridges over the river.” John pointed over his shoulder. “Maybe a hundred yards back…not too far from the end of the historic village.”
“There’s never been a bridge there before,” Spotted Owl replied. I could practically see the steam pouring from his ears as the wheels turned. “There’s an old Job Corps camp back in there, where kids used to go work for the summer. There’s dormitories and a school building, but last we knew it wasn’t being used for anything. It’s been vacant for years.”
“So how do you get there?” my mom asked.
“Used to be off Big Cove Road coming out of Cherokee. It’s a dead end, but we’d blown the bridge at Cove anyway. Didn’t think we needed the soldiers trying to set up a more permanent base in the old dorms.” He glanced into the woods across the river from the historic village. “And I didn’t think they had, but they might be thinking about it now if they just built a new bridge. It would be closer from here to back there than taking Cove Road.”
“It’s not a real permanent looking bridge,” John said. “And it was dead quiet around there. The crossing is kinda low to the water, like a dozer had pushed around some trees and dirt to kind of ramp down from the field to the river.”
“But it opens up another huge field for them to camp in…and the dorms way in the back.” Spotted Owl fished a hand under his helmet to scratch at his temple. “Good thing they’re not using it yet. Guess we got here just in time to put an end to that plan.”
“I just wish we could’ve blown that new bridge,” John said. “I thought about going back to get one of the buckets from the culvert pipe, but it took forever to crawl through that ditch to get to the river.”
“You should’ve had two more,” Spotted Owl said. “You were going to set them in the field, by the equipment, right?”
“That was a no go,” John explained. “The ground was way too open to get close, so we just left all four by the culvert pipe. It was gonna be way too hard to crawl with the bombs.”
I wanted to tell him that it was no picnic trying to carry them up a greasy, ridiculously steep riverbank, but Mouse disagreed with John’s decision first.
“We can crawl, no problem,” she volunteered, tugging on Austin’s arm. “We can go get a couple.”
“Not now,” Spotted Owl replied. “We need to get our guys back before it gets any later.”
She looked like she was about to object, but quickly pinched her mouth shut. I thought it obvious that the rescue should come first, though once the bombs went off we would have no chance to destroy the new crossing. Spotted Owl provided a little more detail on the road to the old Job Corps camp, setting me somewhat at ease.
“The road doesn’t go anywhere, really. It runs kinda up toward Tow String, but not that close…maybe halfway. Like I was saying, the road dead ends at a fork in the river.”
“So it’s just a quiet, secluded camp?” John asked.
“Pretty much,” he answered. “In a valley with a bunch of buildings like a little college campus, but there’s nowhere else to go back there.”
“Good, then we forget that and get your guys back,” my mom suggested.
Mouse perked up again. “The cabin’s right up there. There’s a strip of trees at the top of the road, then the walking path. The cabin is right on the other side.”
“The front faces the field,” Austin said, “but it was easy enough to sneak across the path to the back side.”
“There’s this crappy old wooden fence out front. The timber type that’s all like rickety and stuff,” Mouse explained. “Past that we seen some Hummers lined up like there was a parking lot or something.”
“But it’s just grass…then all the soldiers and their bigger trucks and stuff past that, all out in the field.” Austin squinted as he added, “It’s kinda dark around the house, but I’d still stay away from the front.”
“Is there a back door?” Mom asked.
“Two, but like on the sides,” Mouse answered.
“She means one on each corner, but not on the back itself. So not like our house where our door was kinda in the middle.”
Mom laughed. “To use your favorite word…duh. It’s a log cabin, not in a subdivision. And there won’t be sliding glass doors.”
“No, definitely not,” Austin said sheepishly. “They look kinda solid, but you can almost see through the cracks in the one on the left.”
“Here’s the deal,�
�� Spotted Owl said. “I blow the bombs and we give ‘em a second to see if anyone runs outside. Hopefully they will.” He cleared his throat and firmed up his words. “Either way, we rush inside from the back. Half through each of those doors.” He looked over the group. “Agreed?”
“Yeah,” my mom responded. “That’s the best plan we’ve got.”
“And the escape?” Katelyn’s dad asked.
Spotted Owl deadpanned, “We run like hell.”
Right back through where we were currently standing, I thought. Spotted Owl confirmed that a second later along with a suggestion on a rendezvous point in the woods behind us.
I looked across the river, which seemed even wider at that point. I estimated fifty feet, but the depth was an unknown. It didn’t seem like it would be all that deep, but looks could be deceiving. With any luck we could just wade across at waist-height, though it would definitely be higher on Mouse.
Swimming was not my strong suit, but I was capable enough. It was more the idea of body armor, helmet, and weapon. Add in a couple battered captives from inside the building, and I figured it might be far worse than carrying buckets. No doubt slower, and that wasn’t encouraging.
Spotted Owl led our group to the base of the riverbank and looked up into a thin line of trees. Without further delay, we started up the slope in single file, but began to fan out before we reached the crest. I kept ahead of Katelyn and my mother. Austin and Mouse were right beside me, starting a second line, with Spotted Owl and John in a third one a little farther to my right. Spotted Owl stayed slightly in the lead.
The big man dropped to hands and knees before he crested the slope. I followed suit. As soon as my head popped over the top of the bank, I caught sight of the roofline of the cabin and immediately slumped back down. With so few trees lining the river, we were situated even closer than I had been at the Visitor Center building.
I slowly raised my head and watched the second story as the others all filed into a long line and stretched out on the slope next to me, shoulder to shoulder.
There was one window on the back below the peak of the roof. It was black as night. I needed to slink a little farther forward to see the first floor. Now that we were close, crushing anxiety had been replaced with an anxiousness to complete the mission. It was like I was drawn to the building.
No longer would I ask for permission. I army-crawled on elbows and knees, working my way into the thin line of brush along the river. Sliding around a thick bush, I should’ve gotten a clearer look at the building. Instead, two Humvees were parked on the walking path behind the house. They weren’t thirty feet away.
“Stay down,” I whispered harshly to the others behind me, most of whom were still below the top of the riverbank. I kept my helmet tipped low to where I could barely see underneath the lip, and zeroed in on the vehicles.
The rumble of motors from out on the field made it hard to tell if the Humvees were still running. The headlights had been turned off, as well as anything in the interior. So they seemed empty, but I couldn’t be sure. There was no way I was going to walk over to find out.
I leveled my weapon at the nearer of the two vehicles and peered through the scope of the military-style rifle. Unlike the hunting rifle’s optics, it was a stubby thing with a single red dot that shone in the middle much brighter than I’d expected. However, it did nothing to help me see inside the Humvee. If anything, the world seemed darker.
Leaves rustled. I twisted around to find Austin crawling up next to me.
“I thought the vehicles were out front?” I said softly.
“They still are,” Austin whispered back. “These two are new.”
Before I could ask my brother if he thought they were unoccupied, Mouse had already squirted on past. Weaponless, she slithered like a snake, super low to the ground and just as quiet.
“What the heck is she doing?”
Austin shrugged. “Scouting, I guess.”
“No sh-”
My outburst was cut short by the sound of a door creaking. Mouse was dangerously visible if someone came outside. Even at the edge of the woods, I was fairly exposed too. I crawled farther back into the tree line while keeping my eyes forward.
Mouse rushed on ahead. She cowered behind the giant wheel of the rugged vehicle, and slipped a knife from the belt on her pants. The blade shone in the moonlight.
The door slammed shut. Heavy footsteps closed on the Humvee.
CHAPTER 35
The door creaked again.
“Hold on,” called a man’s voice from the cabin.
I eased to the side to get a cleaner view around the tire Mouse had hidden behind. The high clearance of the vehicle allowed me to see a pair of legs from the knees down. The soldier had nearly reached the back of the Humvee, but spun around to head back to the cabin.
“These guys won’t break,” the man at the door said. “We’re gonna need to call in an expert.” The enunciation sent a chill down my spine.
“Yes, sir. I’ll grab the radio.”
As I watched, the man hurried back toward the Humvee. I trained my rifle on the rear of the vehicle, ready to protect Mouse if he rounded the corner.
The soldier stopped on the opposite side. He opened the passenger door and took something out of the front seat before rushing back over to the building. In the moment the interior lit up, I was finally able to see that the vehicle was indeed empty.
The cabin door clattered shut again. I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked to Austin. His weapon was still pointed at the Humvee. Mouse’s rifle rested in the weeds beside him.
“Let’s go,” Spotted Owl whispered from right behind me. I wheeled around to see the man crouched on his feet ready to spring like a tiger. “It’s now or never.”
Spotted Owl urged us to line up behind the two Humvees and get ready to rush the building. My mom went to the left behind me, along with Katelyn and Austin. John and his parents slid to the right. Mouse slinked over to Austin and took her rifle back.
“You two stay out here and keep watch,” Spotted Owl told James and Noel. Neither had a weapon, and that was fine with me. Even though they hadn’t called out while the soldier had been outside by the Humvee, I still didn’t fully trust them and was glad that Spotted Owl apparently didn’t either.
I sat up, and turned to watch Spotted Owl fish a cell phone out of his pocket. He thumbed a button to light it up, and quickly scrolled through a menu to a list of speed dial numbers. With a grin creepily illuminated by the blue glow of the screen, he announced, “Cover your ears. Here goes nothing.”
“Better hope it’s not nothing,” I said, and wasn’t disappointed.
From way to our north, a flash like lightning split the darkness—coupled with a shaking of the earth. The boom carried to my ears seconds later.
“The bridge,” John said, but anything after was completely drowned out.
Off closer to our right, the world came alive with blast after blast of white fire. I hid my eyes as the buildings of the Visitor Center erupted.
Massive booms rocked the Humvee, shoving it against me. Though I had palms pressed to my ears, they immediately rang again. When the bomb at the barn went off last, I thought I’d been deafened once more.
The final shockwave shoved against my body. I teetered in my crouch, and held onto the shaking Humvee as wind whipped past like a tidal wave.
I wondered if the cabin still stood. When the glare cleared from my eyes, I found it framed by a fiery orange glow in this distance.
No one had come outside.
Spotted Owl was already on his feet, urging us to the doors. John slammed into the one on the right and burst it open. Spotted Owl went in behind him with weapon leveled. Austin and Mouse raced for the door closest to me, and I couldn’t let them go alone. I rushed after.
Shots fired from somewhere inside, mixed with yells. I surged through the opening right on Mouse’s heels, and saw nothing but close-quarters chaos. Two men tied to chairs had fallen over
onto the floor. Four uniformed men wheeled around, shooting wildly at the intruders.
The cabin was even tinier on the inside, adding to the confusion.
Austin and Mouse fired, but blocked me from getting a shot off. I could only watch the action as I rushed forward. A soldier slumped over. Then another one, as John and Spotted Owl came in from the right with guns blazing too.
John wrestled a man for his pistol, and recoiled when a shot echoed through the open room. To my horror, John slumped to the ground.
Austin had moved far enough ahead that I had a clean shot. I raised and fired before the man could draw a bead on my fallen friend.
I froze. Everything went slow motion. I could only watch as the soldier toppled over backwards.
To my side, Spotted Owl riddled a table with bullets as the final man tried to hide behind it. The soldier slumped, leaking blood from all over.
“Clear!” Spotted Owl yelled.
The gunshots ceased, and my companions went straight to the prisoners. I still stood, staring at the fallen soldier. The man I’d shot.
Katelyn bumped into me from behind as she rushed around me to get to John. I shook my head to clear it and chased after her.
“I’m okay,” John said through gritted teeth as he sat up.
“The hell you are,” Katelyn said, surprising me with her intensity.
I couldn’t get close enough to see him. Katelyn blocked me on the right, and I couldn’t bring myself to circle around to her left. The corpse of the man I’d cut down stretched out there. A pool of blood gathered, and leaked through the cracks in the floorboards.
“We need to move, people!” my mom yelled.
I knew the soldiers out on the field had to have heard the shots. It might take a moment for them to check out the cabin, but someone would definitely come. Possibly everyone.
“How is he?” I asked Katelyn.
John answered for her. “Just winged in the leg. I’m good.”
“He needs to put something on it besides his hand,” Katelyn said frantically. “We need a bandage.”