War Dogs No One Left Behind
Page 19
“Did you slit his throat?”
“No, I didn’t kill him.”
“Maria?”
“No, babe, MMax killed him. The bastard killed Tina before he started the attack. MMax ripped his throat out and pissed on his head.”
Kat turned her head, and we kissed, and she asked, “Does this mean …?
“Yes,” I said as I kissed her.
Then she said, “Remember that puppy with Tina’s body and MMax’s color?”
I replied, “Yes, I do. The one you wanted?”
“Yes, I want you to start training him to be MMax junior. I know he’s not a Belgium Malinois, but he’ll be mine and can protect me when you’re gone.”
I said, “MMax takes a firm hand. Will you be up to it?
“I caught and tamed you.”
“Yes, dear.”
Kat kissed me. “See? You can be trained. Jason, the crap is still hitting the fan and won’t stop anytime soon. I never want to have a man overpower me again. I want you to take up where Zack left off and train us ladies to be Amazon Warriors.”
The End
of
War Dogs
No One Left Behind
Don’t Stop
A sample of American Apocalypse
American Survivor Book 1
Follows:
Thanks for reading War Dogs: No One Left Behind, and please don’t forget to give it a great review on Amazon. Book 3 should be published by the end of fall 2019.
I kinda like the title “War Dogs Amazon Warriors” for the title of Book 3. We’ll see.
Remember to read my other books on Amazon.
AJ Newman
If you like my novel, please post a review on Amazon.
To contact or follow the Author, please leave comments at:
https://www.facebook.com/newmananthonyj/
To view other books by AJ Newman, go to Amazon to my Author’s page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HT84V6U
A list of my other books follows at the end.
Thanks, AJ Newman
Sample of
American Apocalypse
American Survivor Book 1
The end of the world started a month before the actual events that caused the apocalypse. The events that led up to the apocalypse appeared the same as a thousand other events that occur daily. A cyber-attack, China threatening Taiwan, Rocket Man threatening to nuke the USA and you know the rest of the large list. The point is that most average citizens were fatigued by the constant barrage of doomsday news and didn’t key on the actual events that were the warning signs to prepare for doomsday.
February 21, 2038, was the day that Joe found out his best friend for life had been seeing his fiancée, Gwen, and the bad news was Joe couldn’t thank the unlucky bastard. Later that week, his beloved Grandma died, and the world ended, as he knew it. His Grandma dying was a tragedy but turned out to be a bit of good news for Joe. The world ending as he knew it was a bad thing for Joe and much worse for most of the rest of the world. Joe was just an auto mechanic and regular guy without any military training. He had never been a prepper type. He was an unlikely candidate to survive the apocalypse, but here I am telling you about his adventures many years later.
Now back to the girlfriend and best friend. (I’ll get to Grandma in good time.) Not only were the two caught with their pants down, but they were also the two unluckiest lovebirds in the world. Both were buck naked in the back of Joe’s Explorer in a thunderstorm, with the back seat folded down doing what lovers do in the back seat of a car. The storm raged as the two made love passionately without regard to the storm or anything else. Unfortunately, a huge tree toppled over, crushed the SUV, and pinned their naked bodies together in death a week before Gwen and Joe’s wedding.
The State Police ran the plate, found Joe’s name, and went to see his next of kin. They went to his mom’s home to break the bad news to her and his dad about Joe’s death. Thank God, Joe was sitting there when she was told he was dead, or the poor women would have suffered a stroke. The rest of that part of the story went downhill quickly as the Trooper took Joe to the scene of the disaster to ID the victims. The roof was crushed down so only Darren’s head, and shoulder could be seen until the rescue crew used the Jaws of Life to extract both bodies.
It took Joe a minute for the light to switch on in his head, but Joe began thanking God that his best friend had stolen her away from him. Then he kicked his dead friend’s body for sneaking behind his back when he would have gladly given Gwen to him. Joe had been tired of her bossy, manipulative ways for some time before the accident. She expected Joe to jump when she snapped her fingers. He didn’t miss her at all but was sorry they died even though he couldn’t help but laugh.
Joe Harp was 30 years old, five feet ten inches tall, and 220 pounds when his world went to crap. He had blue eyes and brown hair. He was a good-looking man, although a bit overweight from too much junk food, beer, and pizzas. Joe didn’t care about politics and was a very nice guy who would help anyone in need. He hated college, but his girlfriend pushed him to go, and he was a lackluster student. He cracked jokes and loved to pull pranks on his fellow workers. He always had a smile on his face before the apocalypse.
Joe wasn’t into watching sports on TV and was never personally involved in sports after he graduated from high school. He lived alone in an apartment in Smyrna, Tennessee close to the golf course. He spent his free time camping, fishing, hunting, and playing golf. He didn’t think golf was a sport since he was able to ride in a cart and drink beer with his buddies. He was free except when his longtime girlfriend, Gwen, didn’t have plans for him to jump through some new hoop for her snotty friends. She was trying to add culture to Joe’s life without much success. Joe did pretty much whatever she said just to keep her happy. A common phrase heard from Joe was, “Yes, dear,” to avoid an argument.
They had been together since they were juniors in high school, and Gwen was the ambitious one of the two. She attended Middle Tennessee State University and earned her Master’s degree in Computer Science from Vanderbilt. She had a high paying job at a bank in downtown Nashville and wanted Joe to move there when they were married. She never paid attention to his protests and knew he’d do whatever she asked. She had changed over the years while Joe remained the same good old boy from Tennessee that loved fixing cars. She had recently become ashamed of what she considered his lowly mechanic’s job.
Gwen wanted a large wedding even though her parents were from a modest background and had to take out a second mortgage on their home. Gwen had been so wrapped up in her own success and ambition she didn’t notice that she had left Joe behind her. One day she told Joe what changes he had to make in his life and was shocked when he sat her down and said no to every one of her demands. Joe’s “Yes, dear,” days were over.
Gwen realized the wedding was a mistake over wine with Joe’s best friend the night of the storm. He worked in the same building where Gwen worked, and they soon became very close. They shared many of the same beliefs and ambitions. They kept their secret from Joe until the tree fell and crushed their world.
Joe took a couple of days off from the Ford Dealership, where he worked as the lead mechanic, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He stayed home grieving the loss of his best friend and thanking God, he hadn’t married Gwen. He tried to act as if he was grieving for Gwen but figured she was already bossing everyone around up there and possibly down there.
Joe was one of the good guys and always helped his friends and even strangers. His dark brown hair was in contrast to his blue eyes and fair skinned complexion. His face turned red too quickly to suit him, and he always had a smile on his face. He was overweight, and Gwen often got after him about overeating junk food and pizza along with his favorite beer. Joe had laughed it off and told her to find a skinny guy because he loved his pizza and beer. After seeing Darren and her in the wreck, he felt she must have taken his advice. Darren was six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds w
hile Joe was 5’10” and weighed 210 pounds.
Joe knew people were laughing behind his back, and he expected memes of their naked butts to be on Facebook any day. He didn’t give a care about Gwen but didn’t like being the butt of the jokes. Then a real tragedy occurred that had a silver lining and a second disaster that killed billions of people.
Joe was out on his patio, drinking too much of his favorite IPA while stuffing his mouth with pizza celebrating his freedom when his music stopped, and the announcer mentioned something about a potential cyber-attack overseas. Joe changed the channel to another country music station and grabbed an ice cold beer. The IPA bit his tongue as he downed a mouthful and tickled his nose. He heard a noise from his driveway, and his dad drove up and parked.
“Dad, have a beer.”
“Not now, son, your Grandma has passed away in her sleep at Aunt Jane’s home.”
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. I loved Grandma and will miss her a lot. Dad, I know you were closer to Grandma than I was, but I will miss her very much. Her quick wit and ballbusting my cousins and your sisters made my day at every family event.”
“Yes, she was a character, but you are wrong. You and mom were much closer than she and I ever were. I spent too much time rebelling against her and her way of doing things. She doted on you and took a much softer approach with you. You should have been raised in her house. She kept things lively and would bust your ass in a skinny minute if you broke the rules, but she would also stand up for us kids when we needed it the most,” his Dad said with tears in his eyes.
“Dad, we need to celebrate. Grandma wasn’t someone to want people to sit around moping. She would want something like an Irish wake. Have a beer,” Joe said.
Grandma had been 97 but was very active up to the day of her death. Joe had been very close to her since he was young and still called her every week to see how she was doing. She had taken him for long hikes in the Oregon woods on their property and paid for the plane tickets to fly him out for a month every spring when he was in high school to help her around the ranch. She paid Joe to help tend the cabins in the woods east of Ashland and to cut weeds and trees down to keep the area around the three cabins cleared.
Joe’s Grandpa had died when Joe was nine years old, so he didn’t remember much about him. He dimly remembered the walks in the woods that his Grandpa had called, digging for treasure. His Grandpa had always stuck something in the hole instead of taking anything out. Grandpa had made a fortune in lumber, and before he died, they owned one of the largest sawmills in the state, plus several large tracts of land with cabins and houses.
Grandma taught Joe about hunting, fishing, and hiking from an early age until Joe got out of college and was busy working. He only saw her for a few days each year at holidays or funerals but never missed calling her and talking for hours. Sometimes she would rant about politics and how the world was going to hell in a hand basket or give Joe tips on which stock to purchase. She always sent him one share of her latest hot stock for Christmas, and he still had every one of them.
Joe didn’t go to his fiancee’s funeral but forced himself to go to his friend’s funeral, before flying out to Oregon with his parents for his Grandma’s funeral. His Grandma’s funeral went as planned; however, his greedy assed relatives were salivating over Grandma’s money and land. His cousins were on the internet, ordering fancy trucks and sports cars, but he and his parents only wanted Grandma back.
That afternoon Joe and his dad went to the liquor store and brought back enough beer, wine, and liquor for a small army. They invited everyone back to Aunt Jane’s home for a celebration of his Grandma’s life. Aunt Becky and her wimpy husband thought they were insulting her mom’s memory. They apparently didn’t know Agnes Pearl White very well because she would be cracking a joke and drinking heartily.
This was just what Joe needed to get back on track.
The next day the lawyer read Grandma’s will, and there were a bunch of pissed off people because the local animal shelter, Aunt Jane, Joe’s parents, and Joe were the only ones who received anything from Grandma. Joe received $30,000 and a large tract of land a few miles east of Ashland, Oregon.
Joe was dumbfounded. He was starting to offer to split the money and land with the others when his dad said, “Joe, you were the only grandchild that had contacted Grandma in the last five years, and the others only saw her on the holidays. You deserve the land and money. Hell, mom gave the animal shelter over a million dollars.”
Later, Grandma’s lawyer asked, “Joe, could you join me in the conference room. Your Grandmother was a wealthy and very opinionated lady. I knew her for over 40 years, and she loved you more than I can say. She left instructions to meet with you in private to give you this letter which explains the items on my desk.
The letter read:
Dear Joe:
As they say, if you are reading this, then I am dead. I had cancer that had metastasized, and Doc gave me about six months to live. I didn’t tell anyone because I’m 97 years old and that’s long enough. My only regret is that we won’t have our weekly phone calls, but so you don’t miss me I took some of my last days on Earth to write 134 letters to you that give you more of my wit, wisdom, and charm. Read one every week, and we will be able to continue our weekly chats. I hope you decide to stay and live on the property. I have loved and cherished that land for over fifty years. I have also added clues to enable you to find the most valuable treasure on this Earth. I have left my maps of the land and all of my favorite places on your property.
I only left you a small amount of money because I want you to struggle a bit as you make your way through life. Your Grandpa and I were broke many times during our marriage, and those were the times that brought us closer. You and your woman, when you get one, need the same opportunity.
Now for some advice. Never confuse lust with love. Sow your wild oats but never screw anything that can’t be unscrewed. Don’t marry a girl until you can’t stand to live without her. Last my favorite. Never eat the yellow snow.
You should be around 30 years old and should have a great life ahead of you. The stock I sent you over the years is worth a small fortune but never sell it. Save it to pass on to Joe Jr. I left you money, and now you have the thing that, other than you, that I hold most dear: my land.
PS There are five letters that you need to read this week. They’re in the front of the book.
I will be watching from above. Live a good life, and I know you’ll make me prouder of you than I already am!
Love Grandma.
Joe laughed several times as he read the letter and had tears flowing from his eyes by the end. On the table was a large three-ring binder with plastic pages that contained three sealed envelopes per side for a total of 134 letters and several paper maps. There were 30 letters to be opened one per day and then one per week afterward. A cover letter for the maps had in large letters, “Joe, your GPS doesn’t have the good stuff on it. You will need to use my maps with my hand printed notes to find my treasure, or should I say your treasure.”
Joe read the first letter. “Joe, now the fun begins. Go to the Outfitter store and purchase the items on the list below before you go to the property.
Love Grandma.
Joe took a gander at the list and saw several guns, ammo, a folding shovel, and lots of camping gear.
Joe’s dad and mom wanted him to go back home with them, but Joe was excited to go out and see his property, “Dad, I sat on my patio a week ago trying to decide if I should celebrate or be sad my two best friends were dead. Now I have land and some money out here in the woods of Oregon.”
“Son, do what you have to do, but where will you live?”
“I haven't been out to this tract of land in years, but I’ll never forget the main cabin that Grandpa built. Remember he was one of those people who thought the Russians were going to nuke us back in the day and wanted the cabin to be his retreat. I hope Grandma kept it and the other cabins up.”
&nb
sp; “Okay son, I’ll go through your things and ship the items on your list to you next week. I guess the good news is now I’ll have a place to go hunting with you.”
“Dad, we both love hunting but haven’t been in years, but I remember like it was yesterday the camping trips we took nearly every weekend; oh, yeah let’s not forget that weekend you made me camp by myself to get ready for my Boy Scout Order of the Arrow. Then how you made me skin and prepare the game, we hunted. You know what, Dad, I loved that time of my life, and thanks to you and Grandpa, I know I can make it up there on my own, Hell, I prefer my own company to ‘bout anybody, ‘cept you, mom, and Grandma. Hey, Dad, I’ll bet you a dollar that I lose this extra weight I’m carryin’ around, too.
I’m going to spend a little money on hunting gear and live off the land. I’ll even grow my own food and raise some animals. Come on out when you can, and we’ll have a great time.”
Joe took his mom and dad to the airport and then drove to the Ford Dealer in Ashland to buy a used 4x4 to help him get around.
“You work for Ford in Murfreesboro. I can get you a squeal of a deal on a new F150,” the salesman said.
“I want that old 1975 Bronco on the backlot. The mechanic said it was in perfect running condition and has new tires. It will do fine to get back to Ashland every once in a while,” Joe pushed back.
“Just trying to help.”
The Bronco was black with a black ragtop and soft full doors. It had a black interior and all the four wheeling goodies. It had a winch on the front bumper, and a handyman jack attached to the back beside a jerry can for gasoline. The tires were 35 inches, had massive lugs, and would go through any snow unless it high centered.