by Warren Ray
The hospital was under attack. Was the whole town?
She laced up her boots while thinking what she needed. If it were a full-on assault, then she would not be coming back here. She shoved the knife down her boot, strapped on the Velcro holster holding her Taurus 9mm before grabbing her M4.
She looked around the room and decided to take a Motrin. She’d be running today and fighting off the pain. She took a tablet before throwing the bottle into her go-bag and putting her arms through the straps. She was about to grab her crutch but decided to leave it.
She burst out into the hallway to find several of the guys running toward the darkened stairwell. She followed them not questioning why they were going this way. She had absolute trust in these men and knew they would be heading toward the battle.
Because of her bum leg, she was slower than the others descending the stairs. Just as she reached the first floor, gunfire echoed through the halls. She was last one through the door as the rest had disappeared around the corner.
She came to the corner, and her heart was caught in her chest. Screams mixed in with the gunfire echoed in the hallway. Her friends were taking bullets, and one fell backward tripping her and knocking her to the floor. She had to shove him off before crawling to the corner on her hands and knees to see that the whole group was dead.
She flicked her eyes up ahead and could see why. There were at least twenty Jijis holding the advantage. Her friends hadn’t stood a chance.
Images of Robinson Road flashed through her mind. They had been outnumbered that night and lost a lot of good men. If the whole town was under assault, then they were going to lose even more. Nate had been wounded that night, and he would need help moving Elliott now. She had to go to help him.
A few rounds flew over her head, so she turned and moved back to the stairwell, which was dark because the electricity had never been restored. She opened the door and began taking the steps two at a time.
She heard footsteps below but couldn’t see anything through the dark. They were down there. It sounded like several different footsteps. She pointed her M4 down the stairwell and squeezed the trigger. Muzzles flashes lit up the darkened area with a blaring assault on the ears. She didn’t have time to see if she’d hit anyone and stormed through the door. She raced down the half-lit hallway with the morning’s rays spilling through the windows.
She ran into Nate going to Elliott’s room. “What the hell, Nate?”
“It’s a full-on assault. The bastards snuck in here before they attacked. Our guys are fighting ‘em everywhere.”
Nate shook Elliott. “Elliott, wake up. Wake up.”
Elliott struggled to open his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“We’re under attack, brother.”
“Oh damn.”
Reese kept watching for the Jijis who had followed her up the stairwell. She shouldn’t have come here, but it was too late for regrets. She heard a door close around the corner and moved over to see what was going on.
Her heart pounded like a piston, and a wave of sweat broke across her forehead as she peered around the corner and spotted four of them. She pointed the M4 and squeezed off a couple of three-round bursts. She waited for it and wasn’t surprised when they returned fire. The bullets ripped through a door behind her to the empty room next to Elliott. She ducked down to fire another burst.
She turned her head and yelled. “We need to get Elliott out now.”
There was no way Elliott could walk, and Nate couldn’t carry him. He turned back to Reese. “Go get a wheelchair. At the end of the hall.”
She threw down more cover fire before bolting down the long carpeted hallway. There were a few wheelchairs in a storage room at the end of the hall. Her heart was already pounding against her chest, but not out of fear, but frustration. They should have had a wheelchair ready to go for Elliott.
She reached the storage room just as Nate laid down his own cover fire to keep the advancing Jijis at bay. They just needed another minute before they could get Elliott out of there. She grabbed the wheelchair and struggled to maneuver it out of the room.
She cursed aloud as she yanked it through the doorway and started running back down the hall pushing it. Her M4 hung down from its sling bouncing between her and the wheelchair. She was twenty feet away from Elliott’s room when a grenade flew into it.
She didn’t have time to react before the explosion rocked the whole floor blowing the entire wall out into the hallway. As if in slow motion, Reese felt the impact to her left shoulder before it threw her against the opposite wall like a rag doll.
Several Jijis stormed over the fallen wall through the smoky debris into the hollowed out room. They fired their AK’s riddling Elliott and Nate’s already bloodied bodies until they emptied their magazines.
The thick smoke and dust swept around their jerky movements making it difficult to see as they looked around for anyone still alive. Satisfied with the results, they turned and headed back to their friends to kill more infidels.
Chapter 53
Iron River Wisconsin
The sun was starting to come up, so Winters took his night-vision goggles off. It had been a long night made even longer with the firefight. Killing those gang-bangers had taken its toll on him. He figured the girls were getting tired as well. They’d been driving all night and the adrenaline from the excitement was surely wearing off.
They were on US 2 going through Wisconsin where the landscape would change from woods to open fields and back again. There wouldn’t be anybody out on these roads, and it would take them right into Michigan.
They’d been on the road for a couple of hours and were far away from the gun battle. It was the girls’ first real battle, and their performance had been quite impressive. Sergeant Hicks would have been proud of them. He had trained them for just one day, but apparently, they caught on really quick. Collette stood her ground suppressing the enemy gunfire while Laney, who was always impulsive, acted decisively by taking out Butler. The poor bastard probably didn’t know what hit him. However, Winters hoped he had known and had a WTF moment before taking his last breath.
The thought made Winters smile. He had immense respect for the girls with what they had gone through and how they had helped him the other night. He now saw them in a much different light and felt better about bringing them into a war zone. They had proved themselves to be just as good as some of the guys he currently had in his group. They didn’t run away and wanted to get into the fight. They did what they were told and stood tall while doing it.
A lot of guys who had come through the group didn’t get anywhere near that. Some had talked a big game, but when the fight started, they ran away. Not that he blamed them. Hell, he had done the same thing himself at the train station. He ran away as soon as he could and didn’t turn around until his guilt got the better of him. It wasn’t something easy, and a lot of the guys died trying it.
Winters saw a barn up ahead with its roof partially missing. It sat at the end of a field about five hundred feet from the road and backed up to a wooded area. A demolished house sat across the road, and it didn’t look like anyone had been around for a long time. It was an excellent place to hide the trucks and get some rest. He slowed down and turned onto the grass-covered roadway. The two-story barn was eighty feet long and forty feet wide giving them plenty of room to park the trucks. He got out and directed the girls where to park.
There were old bales of hay still stacked against the south wall, and an old baler was buried beneath the collapsed roof. It looked like a tornado had come through the area destroying the house across the road and damaging the barn.
“This is a neat place,” said Laney as she hopped out of the truck. “Think it’ll hold up while we’re here?”
“Damn well better,” said Winters. “We need some rest.’
“Tell me about it. My eyes were starting to close.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
Collette climbed out of the truck. “I
hope there’s, like, no spiders. I hate spiders.”
Winters laughed. “It is a hay barn, so yes, probably so.”
“Ewwe.”
“C’mon girl,” laughed Laney, “look at all this hay we can make a bed out of.”
“But the spiders.”
“You just fought off a bunch of gang-bangers, and you’re afraid of spiders?” laughed Laney.
“Ah…yeah…duh.”
Winters shook his head and pulled out his knife. He grabbed a rectangular bale and moved it across the floor before cutting the twine. He then began pulling it apart and spreading it around.
“See. No spiders,” said Winters. He repeated it on four more bales and piled up a nice bed for the girls.
Laney let out a laugh while falling backward on it. “This is comfy.”
“I don’t know,” said Collette.
“You can rest in your truck then,” suggested Winters
“It’ll get too hot,” said Collette as she joined Laney in the hay. “It is comfy.”
“It’s the best,” said Laney.
Winters broke out boxes of food and found some MRE’s. They gladly ate the food before collapsing back onto the hay. He told them he’d take the first watch and let them sleep for a few hours. Both girls fell asleep within minutes, so Winters grabbed his rifle and headed down the driveway. He wanted to fluff the grass back up on the roadway to hide any indication they were there.
The tall grass came alive with every step as grasshoppers and ladybugs scurried out of his way. The morning dew soaked his pant legs by the time he made it to the road. He held the binoculars up and looked in both directions before fixing the grass at the entrance. It took some doing as it was still wet, but he added a fallen branch to finish off the deception.
He wasn’t going to take any chances with these trucks especially since they had been in a gunfight with a gang. He had no idea how big this gang was but didn’t think it consisted of just eight members. More than likely, it was part of a much bigger group, and they could be out looking for them. They were a couple of hours away from the battle, but there weren’t too many roads out of the area.
He had grown more paranoid recently, which helped him avoid some of the mistakes he’d been making in the past. Keeping watch while the girls slept was a more recent habit. He hadn’t always done that it and he had paid the price with the lives of some of his men.
He went out on the deserted country highway to take one more look before heading back up to the barn. He put the binoculars up to his eyes and scanned the horizon. Then a shiver shot through him when he spotted an object way off in the distance. He stepped over to the side but kept the glasses fixated on it. A car was approaching, and it was moving fast. Winters ducked down behind a bush and waited for it to pass. He didn’t have to wait too long before a Cadillac flew by. He barely had time to see the passengers but could make out that they looked a lot like the ones he had killed earlier. He was about to get up when another Caddy sped by.
They were out looking for them and would have caught up in no time. Thankfully, he decided to pull over to get rest because there was no way they could have outrun them in those slow trucks.
Chapter 54
Jackson Michigan
Having retrieved the grenade launcher, Scar fired it twice at the vehicles coming into the parking lot to stop their advance to the hospital. While inspecting the damage from the second grenade, Amber spotted two bad guys launching an RPG from across an adjacent parking lot.
Amber screamed. “Over there.”
Scar turned to see a Jiji holding a launcher and the rocket start to take off. He had a split-second decision to make as to which way to go. They couldn’t outrun it, and it was coming straight at them. He had only one option, and it was to head into the line of fire.
“This way,” said Scar grabbing Amber’s jacket.
Meeks followed them around the corner toward the Jijis who kept firing at them. Scar laid down cover fire as he pushed Amber around the other side of the building. The rocket flew behind them and missed the building they were using as cover but hit the side entrance they had just exited. The explosion ruined any chance of using it again.
They were vulnerable and exposed, and the Jijis took advantage by cutting them off from getting between two buildings for cover.
Scar was losing patience with the situation, so he decided to waste another grenade on them. It was more to put the fear of God into the men who were gaining the confidence to charge them, and to force them to keep their heads down.
Scar aimed it at a group who were using a van for cover. The grenade hit it and the explosion gave Scar enough time to go back to where they were before. Upon their arrival, he immediately decided to vacate the area. There were too many to handle, and their position was becoming vulnerable. Whomever had fired the RPG would soon try again.
“This way guys,” said Scar as he headed through a small grassy area between some trees past the rear entrance which had been obliterated. Up ahead was the F150 pickup that Scar had been using and knew the keys were in it. As much as he wanted to get back in the hospital, it wasn’t going to happen. He would have to trust his men still in there to do their job. He needed to regroup and figure out a new strategy. If the Jijis were attacking the whole town, then there would be plenty of opportunities to engage them. He needed to know their numbers and where they were but it was more important to get the citizens to safety.
Scar got in the truck and started the engine as Amber scooted in the passenger side and Meeks slid in next to her. He threw it in drive and tore out of the parking lot as more Jijis poured into it. He took a left on Ellery Avenue and hit the gas pedal.
Scar took out his radio that was alive with chatter from all who had them. Reports crackled in from the hospital stating that it was crawling with Jijis. Scar glanced at Amber and Meeks, both of whom were staring at the radio in a cold silence. Neither wanted to bring up who might already be dead but only hoped the best for all of them.
Scar keyed the radio. “Break Break. This is Scar. I’m with Meeks and Amber. We took out a number of them from the north side parking lot. But there are still a large number coming in from that side. You should abandon the hospital and get to your stations. Boys, they have grenades and RPG’s. I repeat they have grenades and RPG’s. We managed to get a grenade launcher and ammo.”
“Bassett here.”
Scar’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting him anywhere near Jackson. “Where are you at, Corporal?”
“I’m up on Lansing Road on the other side of the interstate. Eddie is holding firm, but the bad guys seem to want this bridge. We’ve got them pinned down but could use those grenades.”
Amber turned to Scar. “They’re trying to cut off escape routes.”
“We better get up there then,” said Scar.
It wasn’t too far away, and if they could control the bridge, then they’d have an escape route if they needed one. He keyed the radio again. “Eddie, we’re coming in, I repeat, we’re coming in, confirm.”
“We hear ya. It’s getting dicey up here. Park at least a block away. They’re trying to flank us.”
Scar put the radio back in his jacket. “How much ammo you guys got?”
Meeks patted his chest rig counting the magazines. “I’ve only got four mags left.”
Amber had just loaded her bag last night. “I’ve got ten.”
“We’ll reload at Eddie’s,” stated Scar.
Eddie Perlee’s men had plenty of ammo. Guarding the Jijis made for excellent target practice, and he always made sure he was fully stocked.
Scar made a right onto Lansing Road squealing the tires. It reminded him of Reese doing the same thing. He let out a breath hoping she was okay.
The worst part of being under a surprise attack was that you didn’t know where everybody was or how they were doing. It also made it difficult to get everyone rallied to different spots. Everyone was assigned an area, but not all would be able to make it
. They would do the next best thing and get to the nearest rallying point. Lansing Road was one of those places.
As they pulled in, they could see Eddie’s guys shooting into the foliage on the left side of the road. The thick foliage ran down an embankment to the interstate. The Jijis were climbing up the hill to flank them. At the entrance of the overpass, Eddie had parked a car sideways and was using it as cover from the Jijis on the other side who had done the same thing.
Scar pulled the F-150 into a lot behind a building. He grabbed the launcher and bag of grenades. “Alright guys, let’s go.”
They hopped out and ran toward Eddie. Gunfire was sporadic around the area. More of it sounded in the distance from all directions indicating the whole town was under assault.
“How we doing, Eddie?” asked Scar kneeling down.
“These bastards were smart but not smart enough. We didn’t suspect a thing because the ones on the interstate didn’t make a move. So, we had no idea they had a team trying to sneak around us. Had Bassett not warned us, then we’d be dead.”
Scar figured Bassett and Burns spotted the enemy coming down the interstate and hauled ass in.
“As soon as he gave us a heads up, I knew what they were gonna do. Hell, it’s what I would have done. I sent my men around our flanks, and sure enough, we caught them. Killed a bunch too but then all hell broke loose. We started firing down on the interstate, and that’s when the whole lot of them ran in from different directions to attack us.”
Scar tightened his jaw absorbing everything he was being told.
Eddie took a swig of water and spat on the ground. “We’re holding our flanks for now, but there’s just so damned many of them. I just sent more men down the street to guard our six.”
“We need ammo,” said Scar.
“Right there on the porch. Help yourselves.”
Scar and Meeks grabbed as many extra magazines as they could carry while Amber filled her backpack.
They moved over to look across the bridge. There was a whole nest of them waiting on the other side.