The Shadow Patriots Box Set 2

by Warren Ray

  Scar went through it crouching low to the ground. He peeked around the corner and looked both ways on Washington Street. Jijis were at all the intersections as far as he could see.

  There were so many different ways for the enemy to come in that it was going to be difficult to take them all out and stay alive. They needed to hit them fast and get the hell out of there.

  Scar keyed his radio and called Nordell. “We’re up on Washington on foot between Jackson and Mechanic.”

  “And Ali Baba?” asked Nordell.

  “They’ve got all the intersections blocked on Washington. I’ve got an M three-twenty with three grenades left.”

  “Three huh? I still got one RPG.”

  “Get everyone together, and we’ll take out the barricades on either side and slip your guys between them.”

  “Eddie here. We’ll keep ‘em busy on this end.”

  “Roger that and whenever you’re ready. It’s getting hot in here,” finished Nordell.

  Chapter 68

  Ending the transmission, Nordell had a decision to make. He had one more RPG and needed to use it shrewdly. He had ordered his sharpshooters down from their perches, but it was leaving them exposed on all sides. However, Eddie’s guys could keep the enemy busy on the north side while Bobby’s could regroup and return to hit them on the east side.

  The west side was his main dilemma because he had a lot of guys two blocks down and a whole lot of Jijis still coming in.

  He turned to see Hollis running across the parking lot with his squad. That was the last of them on this end. Now they could move down the street to help those guys escape.

  “Let’s grab these vehicles and move ‘em down the next block,” ordered Nordell. “I want to clog up that intersection. Let’s move!”

  Nordell wanted to draw the enemy down Michigan and hit them with the last RPG before attempting an escape down a narrow alley. The alley ran straight across three blocks and passed right by Scar’s position.

  Pickup trucks, vans, cars of all types peeled down Michigan and parked end to end blocking the street. Nordell then ordered the rest of the vehicles to be used to escape through the alley.

  Satisfied with their exit Nordell led half his men west toward the approaching Jijis, while the other half kept an eye on the east side.

  A feeling of relief washed over Nordell as his sharpshooters began to exit the last two buildings. The last thing he wanted was to have the enemy surround the building cutting off all exits. Thankfully, none of them was wounded. Despite losing many of his men, none of the remaining had serious injuries. This was because of the enemy’s use of the RPG’s. It didn’t injure only killed. So far, their gunfire had been mostly ineffective but was mainly an attempt to scare his men away. However, Bobby had reported several casualties on his team.

  In the distance, he could hear the sound of M4’s chattering away. Eddie’s guys were finally engaging.

  Nordell grabbed his radio. “Bobby, Bobby, are you in position?”

  “We are Nick.”

  “Then light ‘em up,” responded a frustrated Nordell.

  The crackling of gunfire erupted on the east side.

  “Scar, Scar, come in,” said Nordell.

  “Gunny.”

  “Be ready to take those barricades out. We’ll be coming down that alley next to the parking lot.”

  Scar took a peek. “I see it.”

  “If you don’t hear from me, do it when you hear the boom-boom.”

  “Roger that.”

  Nordell then began to engage the enemy along with the others. He fired only a few rounds as he was unable to acquire any clear shots. He just wanted to keep their heads down for a few more minutes. They still had four men coming down from City Hall building. It was a thirteen-story building and was a bear if you were out of shape.

  “Nick,” yelled Hollis. “They’re coming in.”

  Nordell turned to the east and saw them gathering on Michigan Avenue. He lifted his binoculars and saw at least twenty Jijis take up positions on either side of the street.

  “That didn’t take long,” Nordell grumbled to no one.

  Hollis and his squad opened fire on them, stopping their advance.

  Nordell was running out of time. They needed to leave now before the enemy swept around them and cut off the new exit route.

  He jogged half-way down the block and took another look through his binoculars. He spotted their leader yelling out orders to the others.

  “What would you do in this situation?” Nordell asked himself. “I’d call for an RPG and take out the barricade.

  The revelation caused Nordell to scream his orders. “Fall back, fall back now.”

  Hollis got the message and ordered his squad to move back.

  Just as they did, an RPG came racing down the street. It hit the middle car and blew up in an ear-piercing explosion.

  Nordell dropped to the ground knowing what was coming. He looked up to see that the concussion had knocked some of the fleeing men to the ground. They were rolling around in pain but didn’t appear to be seriously wounded.

  Nordell ran toward them and saw Hollis moaning on the ground. His eyes were glassy, so Nordell folded him over his shoulder and took off with him using a fireman’s carry as others carried the rest of the dazed men. He plopped him in the back of his pickup truck and left him there. He didn’t have a spare moment to see how he was doing.

  He grabbed the last RPG and jogged back over to the smoldering barricade. He used the smoke as cover as he scanned his targets and picked one. The man holding the RPG launcher was reloading.

  Nordell shouldered his and took aim all in one concise movement. He didn’t have to be too accurate. He just needed to hit the side of the building. He pulled the trigger and watched the bluish white smoke stream behind it. He squatted down and covered his ears just as it impacted the brick building.

  It blew out a hole in the building spraying chunks of rock in all directions. Bloodied Jijis lay dead on the pavement. It had done its job.

  Scar heard the first explosion and ordered Meeks and Amber to cover him.

  The three walked with purposeful steps out into the street as Scar held the loaded M320. It was five hundred feet to one target and three hundred to the other one. He opted for the one furthest away first. Still an easy shot. He kept his heart rate and breathing under control and pulled the trigger. It thumped out and sailed through the air in a slight arc before landing dead center killing everyone around it.

  Amber kept watch on the other target and saw them turn their way. She opened fire, and emptied the magazine as Meeks joined her. They continued to suppress any return fire as Scar reloaded.

  He didn’t want to rush it, but at the same time, he needed to hurry. They were exposed out in the middle of the street. He locked his big frame in place and tightened his grip before squeezing the trigger.

  It took off in the same slight arc and exploded with the same deadly effect as the last one; bloodied corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

  “Come on,” ordered Scar as he began running toward them. He wanted to see if the Jijis had any grenades left over. He was the first one there and looked inside the burning car.

  Nothing.

  He then looked down at the next intersection. Three Jijis were coming their way.

  He raised his rifle and picked the middle one. He fired a three-shot burst. The first bullet hit him the chest while the other two blew through his face.

  The remaining two Jijis split off in opposite directions. Amber swung her rifle toward the one veering left and led him by a step. She squeezed the trigger on full auto and knocked him over. He tumbled to the ground covered in blood as she riddled him with bullets.

  Meeks stayed on full auto as well but was behind his target as he ran toward a parking lot on the right. Unfortunately for the fleeing bad guy, there was a chain-link fence. As he started to climb over it, Meeks caught him in his side. The Jijis head fell forward, and the body dangled
mid-stride over the fence. He fired again for good measure.

  They heard vehicles echoing between buildings and watched as Nordell’s guys came screaming down the alley to zip across Washington Street and head south.

  The relief for Scar was brief because they still needed to get back to their squad car. Amber led the way, and they ran back the same way they had come. They crossed over Wesley Street and through a big parking lot which exposed them again. Their anxiety didn’t abate until they finally reached a small passageway between two houses and then across the street to their ride.

  Just as they plopped down in their seats trying to catch their breaths, the radio came alive with Nordell calling Scar.

  “We are away, but it looks like we got ourselves a tail.”

  Chapter 69

  Nordell led his men south but was being followed by two vehicles.

  “We’ve got two tangos on our six,” he reported over the radio.

  “What road are you on?” asked Scar reaching for the map sitting on the dashboard.

  “We’re coming down Francis.”

  Scar didn’t like where they were headed. The college was just a couple miles away, and there might still be people still trying to escape.

  “Whatever you do, stay away from the college. Do not go that way.”

  There was silence.

  This would leave Nordell with little choice but to go down 127, which would ultimately lead him to the cops. Their pursuers needed to be taken out before then; otherwise, they’ll be surrounded…again.

  “Roger that. We’ll head down 127.”

  Nordell’s convoy consisted of six vehicles, one of which was a cargo van, crammed with his men. They had two enemy SUV’s following them. They were staying a good way behind, but were still firing at them. All they needed to do was to keep pushing them until they drove them to the cops. It was risky to pull over and engage them because Nordell wasn’t sure, whether or not, they had an RPG. Chances were high they did.

  Scar turned to Meeks. “Let’s go.”

  Meeks started the car and crept down the driveway. His pulse quickened as he exposed the squad car by backing out onto the street. He hung a left on Jackson Street and stomped on the gas.

  Scar picked up the radio. “We are away. I repeat, we are away. Everyone get out while you can. I repeat, abandon the town.”

  The radio stayed alive with dispirited acknowledgments.

  Scar turned to Amber. “You got any power bars?”

  “Yep. Meeks?”

  “Yeah, I could use one.”

  Amber handed them out.

  They woofed down the much-needed food in silence and drank copious amounts of water to wash them down.

  The further they got from downtown, the more Meeks was able to relax. This road went through an isolated part of Jackson with houses that were sheltered in a stretch of woods. He was familiar with the area because he’d been down here many times. He was surprised they hadn’t run into any fleeing citizenry although it had now been over three hours since the attack started. He figured they were either gone or hiding.

  They came up to Francis Street. Meeks took a right then sped down the street.

  “Find out how far up the road they are,” said Meeks.

  Scar keyed the radio. “Gunny, Gunny, what’s your fix?”

  “Getting ready to take the curve onto McDevitt.”

  “We just passed the cemetery,” Scar answered back.

  “You’re about a mile back.”

  Meeks floored the gas pedal. The engine on the cruiser roared like a lion as he pushed the needle past a hundred miles per hour. He let off the gas when the road curved in front of him as it merged into McDevitt. The tires squealed in protest as he swung around the bend. He over-steered causing the rear of the car to fishtail. He then had to wrestle the wheel to regain control before punching the accelerator once more.

  No one said anything but all were thinking the same thing. That was a Reese move, and they still had no word on her or Nate and Elliott.

  It was a mile and a half to 127. Nordell had slowed down a little to allow them to catch up, and Meeks was slowly closing in on the convoy. It was a gamble, but his guys kept the Jijis back with a constant barrage of gunfire.

  It took another minute before they caught up to them or so they thought. It was a van up ahead not an SUV. There was a third vehicle in the tail.

  “You got them blue lights on?” asked Scar.

  “Yep.”

  “Pull up beside them like you want to pass ‘em. Amber get your window down.”

  The air blew all around them as Scar and Amber lowered the windows. Meeks got in the other lane and had no problem powering up beside them.

  The van’s driver didn’t react as he would have had he known who was in the squad car. The Jiji put his hand out and waved for Meeks to pass.

  Scar nodded to Amber, and they both stuck their weapons out the window and started firing. Bullets ripped into the thin metal of the glassless van as brass shell casings bounced on the pavement. Both emptied their magazines in seconds forcing the van down into the culvert. The front end of the van then lifted up off its wheels before crashing into a tree and landing on its side.

  “There they are,” shouted Meeks as he overcompensated for the loss of hearing from the gunfire.

  The two SUV’s were just ahead.

  Meeks resumed his speed. They needed to hurry because they were coming to US 12 where all the cops stood guard.

  Scar keyed his radio again. “Gunny, we’re coming in behind them.”

  “About damn time.”

  “We had a third one to take out first.”

  “Great. We’re getting too close to 12. I’m gonna take a right on Harper.”

  “Roger that,” said Scar familiar with the road. “Badger, you there?”

  “We hear you. I see you’re bringing the party down our way?”

  “What’s the status of Waldron Road.”

  “Refugees have been trickling through. Cops haven’t been too interested in getting blown up, so they’ve been keeping their distance.”

  “Can you get up on Jackson Road and get over to Harper Road. Bring the big gun with you.”

  “I can do that.”

  Harper Road was a paved road but turned into a narrow dirt road that ran through the farm fields. There was nothing but barren fields and some wooded areas here and there.

  Scar let go of the radio and threw in a fresh magazine.

  Meeks continued to gain on the two SUV’s and was about to get over into the other lane but noticed muzzle flashes just before a round smashed through the back window and exited straight through the windshield.

  “What the hell?” yelled Scar.

  “Get down,” snapped Meeks. “There’s one on our tail. Damned bastard snuck up on me.”

  More rounds hit the bumper as Meeks swept the car from one lane to the next.

  Amber twisted around in the backseat and pointed her M4 at the back glass. She yanked the trigger and swept the gun back and forth to knock out the glass. Hundreds of tiny pieces of glass flew away from the spider-webbed window. She used the butt of her rifle to finish tearing out a section of the glass.

  She aimed at the front passenger as he leaned out the window of the Ford Expedition. He was just far enough out to become a big target, but she didn’t have a good angle.

  “Get over to the right,” she yelled at Meeks.

  He looked in the mirror and saw her dilemma. He pulled back into his lane.

  She squeezed the trigger spraying the Expedition. One of the rounds found its mark as the Jiji dropped his AK-47. It now hung on its sling bouncing against the door. The SUV slowed down, and the dead Jiji was pulled back inside. It then picked up speed again but kept its distance as the Jijis continued shooting at them.

  Meeks cursed in frustration as they began to take fire from the SUV in front of them as well. They were trapped between them.

  “Screw this,” yelled Meeks as he jam
med on the brakes. The wheels screamed for a purchase and then bit into the grass on the shoulder as Meeks swung onto the empty ground to the right. The rear end, once again, slid from side to side on the dirt before straightening out.

  Up ahead, Nordell’s convoy took a right onto Harper Road while behind Meeks, the big Expedition jerked into the field.

  “You two get ready,” ordered Meeks. “I’ll bring ‘em ‘round your side but brace yourselves, we’re going into a full spin.”

  Meeks had done this many times in the past as a youth. He and his buddies used to get out into the fields after the harvest and tear them up. They call it drifting these days but back then, they didn’t have a name for it other than just pure fun, especially after a few beers.

  He waited for just the right moment and then floored the gas pedal before turning the wheel. The rear end of big cruiser immediately started sliding in the dirt. Meeks had no problem keeping the slide under control.

  Amber threw her foot against the other door to brace herself. She had to fight the G-force but managed to hold on while continuing to fire her M4.

  Scar used the seatbelt to stay in place and it was easier for him because of his big frame.

  Both kept their weapons on full auto and sprayed the side of the Expedition as they whipped around it. The passengers on that side didn’t stand a chance as rounds slammed through the windows.

  Meeks kept pushing the cruiser and started to pull alongside the SUV. The surprise move caught the Jijis off guard, and they weren’t able to return fire. Scar and Amber peppered the vehicle killing the driver.

  The SUV came to a stop.

  Scar and Amber jumped out and ran to the SUV with their weapons at the ready. It was a bloody mess inside. All four passengers were honeycombed with gaping holes.

  “C’mon,” said Scar.

  They jumped back into the cruiser and Meeks was about to hit the gas when he pointed toward the other end of the field. Four cop cars were turning onto Harper Road.

  Scar grabbed the radio. “Gunny, you’ve got four cruisers coming in on your six.”