by Akart, Bobby
“Do you think that’s our guys across the river?” asked Chepe.
“No way. That was rapid fire. This operation has just turned into a gunfight. Listen, we’re gonna need to split up. I’ll take the main house and you take the barn.”
“What about the cabins?” asked Chepe. “That’s where you think Cortland lives.”
“Ethan wasn’t totally sure about that, and we’ve got the shooters on the hill plus the two end teams who are responsible for taking the cabin. We need to stick to our plan and move. Now!”
Chepe nodded and began to step out onto the road.
Frankie rolled his eyes and shouted to him, “Stay under the tree canopy. The drones will see you in the open.”
Chepe backtracked and began to work his way through the underbrush, darting from tree to tree as he went.
Frankie looked for a trail that carried him toward the main house, where he expected to find the women and children. He didn’t care much about Cortland or fighting any political battles on behalf of someone he didn’t know. He was interested in getting revenge against Will Hightower, and the way to do that was to draw him out in the open by snatching Karen or one of his kids.
Chapter Forty-Three
The Haven
Ryan grabbed his AR-10 rifle and put on his chest rig. He had purchased his tactical vest online at a law enforcement supply store. It allowed him to carry extra rounds of ammunition and a compact nine-millimeter handgun to supplement his regular sidearm. He gave instructions to Alpha over the two-way radio, completely disregarding normal communications protocols due to the circumstances.
“You get your security personnel in place and the drones in the air. I’ll head to the front gate and see if this is related to what X-Ray has told us. Who’s got the riverbank?”
“Tom and Cort,” replied Alpha. “Bravo and Charlie will meet you at the gate, and then I think we should send them to patrol the outside perimeter, including the bridge. I’ll put my two seasoned vets up against anybody who wants to get into this place.”
“Okay. What about you?”
“I’m with Foxy. We’ll be focused on the interior perimeter. If someone comes across that wall, we’ll put ’em down. I’m out.”
Ryan signed off and turned to Blair. “Gather them all back to the house. Keep X-Ray in cuffs and tied to the post in the holding cell out back. He understands why and shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
“Ryan, I’ll shoot him if he does. Without hesitation.”
“I know. I’m assigning Delta to handle security here.”
“But—” began Blair before Ryan raised his hand to stop her.
“No arguments. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Where are you headed?” she asked.
“I’m gonna check the front gate and then I’m going to retrieve Cort. I’d feel better if he was here, under your protection, with Delta’s help. I’ll work with Tom to watch the river activity and then bounce around as needed.”
Blair kissed Ryan. “It’s gonna be okay. I love you.”
His brow furrowed as he spoke. “We’re gonna have our hands full today. I love you with all my heart.”
Blair pointed her finger into his chest rig. “Don’t talk to me like you might not come back. Go out there, watch your six, and take care of business.”
This drew a laugh from Ryan. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
“Go!” she ordered and backed on to the front porch, her eyes scanning the grounds in front of Haven House.
Alpha bellowed as he entered Haven Barn. “Let’s go, Foxtrot! We’re goin’ huntin’!”
“Hunting for what?”
“I don’t know yet, just a gut feel,” he replied. While she hurriedly went through her security locker and donned her gear, he explained X-Ray’s revelation and the sudden occurrence of events at their main gate, the bridge, and along the river. She reached the same conclusion.
“They’re trying to draw our attention away from the wall.”
Alpha helped her adjust her gear while he spoke. “That’s what I think, too. If that’s the case, we’ve overreacted by sending so many people to the river and the gate.”
“So send them back to their assigned posts,” she suggested.
The sounds of the drones from outside Haven Barn grabbed their attention as they simultaneously looked outside to see them lift off.
“I can’t, just in case I’m overthinking it,” replied Alpha.
Hayden studied Ethan as he gave the kids instructions. “Are you sure we can rely upon him?”
“I don’t have a choice. I’ve got all of the adults either working security to guard our buildings or assigned outside of their normal responsibilities to act as warm bodies if we need backup somewhere.”
“What about Haven House?”
“Blair and Delta have that covered, along with Echo and Charlotte.”
Hayden checked her weapon and confirmed that her rig was full of extra magazines. “Then it’s just you and me, big guy,” she said with a chuckle.
“Just the way I planned it,” he added. “Listen, stay frosty. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Let’s roll, then.”
Hayden and Alpha took off in a slow trot down one of the trails leading away from Haven Barn. Just as they entered the woods, they heard the first rounds of gunfire.
Alpha immediately stopped. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a hot war.” He reached for his radio, and before he could call for a situation report from his assigned posts, Ryan contacted him.
“Alpha, this is Ryan. Over.”
“Go ahead.”
“We’ve got a breach on the southernmost end of the wall. We’ve got a man down, and two hostiles are dead.”
“Roger that.”
Ryan added another piece of information. “They were armed with AKs and had a ladder to scale the wall.”
“Have you advised Blair? We’re gonna need the eyes in the sky.”
Ryan replied quickly, “It’s my next call. She’ll advise us both. Out.”
Alpha looked to Hayden. “There’s gonna be more. Are you ready for this?”
“Hey, I’ve gotta lot of built-up frustration. I’ve got no problem hunting bad guys. Let’s go!”
The two of them separated slightly and moved more deliberately down the trail, walking heel to toe in a low crouch. After a couple of hundred yards, Alpha dropped to one knee and raised his fist, causing Hayden to stop.
She immediately lowered herself and turned to monitor the trail behind them. Satisfied that no one had snuck up behind them, she turned her attention back to Alpha, who held up two fingers and pointed off to his left. That was when Hayden heard the crunching sound of feet shuffling through the woods. The intruders were not experienced hunters or military. Their heavy feet gave away their position.
Alpha inched forward and kept his rifle trained on the location where the sound emanated from. A cross-trail cut through the woods, giving him a clear line of sight if they attempted to go through the clearing barely wide enough to accommodate a four-wheeler. He steadied his aim on a spot in the center of the trail. He intended to wait until all of the intruders were visible in his sights.
Several tense seconds later, the first and then a second man walked across the trail, headed toward Haven Barn. Alpha didn’t hesitate as he squeezed the trigger. Unlike the other AR-platform weapons in the Haven, Alpha had installed a bump stock on his before they were banned by the government. The rapid fire generated by the weapon recoiling off his shoulder sounded like a machine gun and was just as effective.
The two men’s bodies exploded in blood, parts of their chest and neck shredding into ribbons of goo. Alpha inched forward, looking for any kind of movement from the two men. He relaxed slightly as he rose out of his crouch.
“Two dead guys,” he said proudly before his words were muted by the sound of Hayden’s rifle.
“Make that three,” she said. Another man, one of Ch
epe’s ladder team, had snuck down the trail, carrying a lead pipe, and had planned on attacking Alpha. Despite his close proximity to her partner, Hayden had confidence in her aim and quickly dispatched the attacker.
“Thanks, Foxy. I think we’re just getting started.”
Chapter Forty-Four
The Haven
Tom and Cort were patrolling along the banks of the Henry River, discussing X-Ray’s statements to Ryan. Cort tried to shrug it off as most likely being his father-in-law keeping tabs on his family. Tom wasn’t so sure, especially in light of the activity at the gate and bridge. Cort countered that it was probably the people who were here before, looking for a way in to steal food. Both men stopped their debate when they heard the rapid gunfire emanating from the southern end of the Haven.
“Cort, we’ve got to get you to safety,” implored Tom.
Cort was about to respond when a reflection of light caught Tom’s eye from the hill across the river. He didn’t hesitate, using remarkably fast reflexes for his age. He shoved Cort toward an old decorative wishing well, and just as he did, two gunshots rang out.
The first shot caught Tom in the back of his right shoulder and spun him around. The second bullet whizzed by his head and embedded in the wet ground.
Tom screamed in pain as he tried to roll his body toward the well. Cort rose on one knee and returned fire, shooting wildly in the direction where he thought the shots came from. With two more three-round spurts fired toward the hill, he broke cover and helped Tom crawl to the well.
Within seconds, other residents of the security team who’d been patrolling up and down the riverbank came racing toward them. They took up positions near the well, using boulders and four-wheelers for protection.
“The shot came from the hill!” shouted Cort.
He fumbled for his radio and tried to gain his composure to contact the hospital. Tom was covered in blood and his eyes were beginning to shut. Finally, he called out to the other residents surrounding him.
“Call medical! Tell them we need Tyler for a gunshot victim!”
He purposefully didn’t say that it was Tom who’d been shot, because he knew Donna was at the hospital. She’d insist upon joining Tyler, and there were still snipers across the river who could begin to open fire at any time.
Cort turned his attention to Tom. “Tom, hang in there. I’ve got help coming. Can you hear me?”
Tom nodded.
“Okay, good. I need you to sit up against the well. There’s still a gunman over there and—”
“Two. There’s two.”
“Okay, two. Come on, let me help you. We need to raise the wound above your heart.”
As Cort helped Tom sit up so that he was propped against the brick structure, he checked for an exit wound. “Good, Tom. The bullet went in and out again.”
Cort removed his Yale sweatshirt and began to apply pressure to both the entrance and exit wounds. Tom grimaced as the pain began to overtake him. “Tell Donna I love her,” he said breathlessly.
“You’re gonna tell her your—” Cort wasn’t able to finish his sentence as gunfire erupted from the woods up the bank. They were being fired upon and found themselves caught in a crossfire.
Cort scrambled to all fours and looked around. His only hope was to get the four-wheeler parked forty feet away. With his tall, lanky frame he made for a bigger target than most men, but he had to create some additional cover between Tom and the shooters in the woods.
Without further hesitation, Cort bolted for the four-wheeler as a trail of bullets tore up the turf at his feet. He slid to a stop on the river side of the John Deere Gator and crawled into the seat, keeping his head as low as possible. He started the engine, and using his hands to press the gas pedal, he drove the Gator next to Tom.
More bullets rained down on them, blowing out the left side tires and ripping into the machine’s fenders. But the green-and-yellow utility vehicle provided them added protection.
“Cort, this is Tyler. Over.”
“Go ahead, Tyler.”
“I’m at the trail opening just to your left. Can you see the front of my cart?”
Cort replied, “Yeah, but, Tyler, they’re in the woods. You can’t come out here.”
“I know. Just hang in there. Help’s on the way.”
Neither man was able to speak again as gunfire exploded in the trees. The sounds of men screaming in pain filled the air as the relentless onslaught of bullets ripped through tree branches and bodies. After a minute, the deep baritone voice of Alpha came across the radio.
“Hold tight, buddy. We’ve gotta mop up and then we’ll get your partner to the hospital.”
Cort realized that Alpha didn’t use their names, something a seasoned military veteran would know, but Tyler would not.
“Roger,” replied Cort.
The drones flew overhead, and one hovered for a moment above his position. Cort looked up and gave a slight wave as single gunshots could be heard coming from the woods. He presumed the words mopping up could be equated with finishing off.
Seconds later, Tyler came racing down the hill, his cart bouncing off the bumpy terrain of the riverbank until he reached their position. He and Cort placed Tom on the stretcher and began to load him onto the medical cart when he noticed Alpha and Hayden slowly backing out of the woods with their weapons, scanning the trees for any signs of movement.
The gunshot wound gave Tyler a sense of urgency. “Come on, Cort, we need to get Tom treated.”
Cort grabbed his rifle and joined Tyler. He tried to snap out of the shock of seeing the man whom he’d been told to trust with his life gunned down by a bullet meant for him. When he heard more gunfire off in the distance, he sensed it wasn’t over.
Chapter Forty-Five
The Haven
Ethan heard the gunfire first. “Did you guys hear that?” he asked as he flew his drone along the northwestern quadrant of the Haven, which covered the area that included Haven House.
“Hear what?” asked Kaycee, who was still trying to learn the operation of the quadcopter. “These things are pretty loud.”
The last drone, operated by J.C., lifted off the ground and headed north toward the area where the wall runs into the river. He and his sister were responsible for the entire riverbank and also the bridge, although it was outside the Haven’s property.
Hannah had volunteered to be the rover, the person responsible for replacing drones as their batteries began to die down. She and Skylar had recently swapped positions, with Skylar taking the controls for the area above the main gate.
Suddenly, the two armed guards assigned to watch over the drone brigade and Haven Barn closed ranks around the kids. Almost simultaneously, their radios exploded in chatter, as did Meredith’s, who had elected to hang around the barn rather than join the others at Haven House.
“We’ve got gunfire in the southwest quadrant,” a man shouted into the radio. “We need eyes!”
“Who has the southwest quadrant, near the front gate?” asked one of the security people.
“Me,” replied Skylar. “Ask them if they’re near the river.”
Skylar used the motion of her body to simulate flying the drone in a cockpit seat. As she turned the drone to the right, her whole body, together with the controller, would lean right with it. The determined look on her face indicated that the technique worked for her.
“Meredith, can you read?”
“Hey, that’s Mom!” exclaimed Kaycee.
“Go ahead, Angela.”
“We’ve got two injured men coming our way from just past the front gate. When they get here, Donna and I could use an extra set of hands.”
Meredith didn’t immediately respond, choosing instead to study Hannah and the other kids. She thought for a moment, but Angela interrupted her.
“Meredith, are you there?”
“Hannah,” Meredith said as her daughter ran to her side.
“Mom, we’ve got this. The guys need me, and these men
will protect us.”
“Honey, I don’t know …” Meredith’s voice trailed off.
“Meredith!” Angela shouted into the radio as more gunfire pierced the air, except much closer this time.
“Go, Mom.”
Meredith nodded. She bent down to kiss her daughter and climbed onto her four-wheeler. Seconds later she was out of sight, about the time that Alpha and Hayden opened fire on the intruders at the back side of the barn.
The gunshots drew the attention of the armed guards, who cautiously approached the barn and separated. They began to investigate, leaving the children alone. Ethan was the first to notice.
“Okay, you guys. We’ve got this. We know what to do. Our job is to give Blair or whoever is watching in the main house the best view we can of what’s going on.”
“Yeah, let’s roll!” shouted Kaycee enthusiastically. The kids came together as a team and followed Alpha’s instructions. Discipline. Patience. Focus.
Barely a word was spoken between them as they flew the drones within their quadrants, periodically stopping in order to get a better look at something of interest. The high-resolution cameras enabled the kid to determine if movement on the ground was a resident of the Haven or one of the intruders.
J.C. was operating the drone that covered the riverbank near the cabins. “Oh no! One of our guys got shot!”
Ethan quickly attempted to calm him down. “Okay, okay, J.C. Slow down above him and give Blair a good view of what is happening around where he’s located. Turn your camera angle around slowly so that she can get a good view. Maybe she’ll see where the shooter is.”
“I understand.” J.C. furrowed his brow and concentrated as he slowly lowered his quadcopter to provide a better perspective of the woods and the hills across the river.
“Good,” said Ethan. He provided J.C. some additional direction. “Stay with it for a little longer and then make a quick sweep of your quadrant before coming back.”