by Warren Ray
“Well, it’s officially a party then,” replied Nordell. “Listen up, I know this area well. We’re stopping to take cover in a wooded area. It’s about a five-hundred yard stretch of woods to Jackson Road…Badger, are you there?” asked Nordell.
“I’m here,” said Taylor over the radio.
“I need you to go past Harper Road. As soon as you pass by the wooded area, get into that field and keep going until the woods ends. Then hang a right, they’ll be a small line of trees that’ll keep you hidden, and that’s where I want you to open fire.”
“Hell ya, that sounds like a plan,” laughed Taylor.
“Scar, can you come in behind them?”
“You got it, Gunny.”
Nordell stopped his truck on the narrow dirt road. There were so many trees on either side of him that they kept direct sunlight from getting into the area, leaving it in constant shade. He had chosen the area on purpose because he knew the advantages of being covered on both sides and putting his enemy at a disadvantage. They would think they were protected, but they wouldn’t know just how thin their cover was. A friend of his had owned the property on either side of the road and he used to come down here for target practice.
He grabbed the SAW from the back and ordered his guys to dismount. He had them line up in the woods. The enemy was approaching so Nordell directed a salvo at them in case they didn’t see him. They immediately stopped.
He then designated a man to go out through those trees to flag Badger in. He didn’t want him to get lost.
His pursuers began to open fire, so he stood behind a tree like the rest of his guys were. He’d let the Jijis get it out of their system for a few minutes while Badger flanked them.
His radio then came alive. It was Badger. “Keep your heads down boys.”
Nordell let out a snicker and yelled out to his guys to get ready.
A moment later, the SAW opened fire and began the deforestation of the thin trees as branches snapped and dropped to the ground. Badger swung the big gun back and forth. Beside him were four others who started shooting their M4’s.
Screams pierced the air as rounds ripped into the enemy from a non-stop fusillade.
Nordell swung around from the safety of his tree. He started marching toward the Jijis’ position while firing the other SAW. The rounds penetrated the front end of the first SUV and took out two Jijis who were using it as cover from Badger’s gunfire.
The engines of two squad cars came to life as the cops were desperately trying to flee the battle.
Meeks saw the backup lights down the tree-covered road. “Got a couple of pansies coming our way,” said Meeks.
“Pull in there,” ordered Scar.
Meeks tore into the driveway of a farmhouse.
They got out of the car and hustled up the road each taking cover behind a tree.
Their hearts began to pound as they waited for their prey. Meeks wiped the sweat from his forehead and pushed his blonde hair back. The cars would pass him first and then Amber before going by Scar. Like the other day while in Port Huron, he would have to fight the urge to open fire on the first car.
He peeked around the corner of the tree and saw it coming. There were two cops inside, looking discombobulated and scared. Badger must have really put a hurting on them for them since they were taking off like this.
The second car was now coming by him. He nodded at Amber, and all three came around at the same time with guns blazing. They were only a few feet from the cars, and it didn’t take but a couple of three-round bursts to take them out. Blood splattered the interior as the bullets passed through their bodies, killing them instantly. It was messy but effective.
Chapter 70
Once they finished killing the two fleeing cops, Meeks drove up to Nordell’s position. Scar got out of the cruiser keeping his weapon at the ready as he walked toward the perforated and smoking vehicles.
Bloodied bodies lay everywhere, but still, he wanted to be careful. It didn’t take too long to see he was overly cautious. The devastating effect of the two big guns on these vehicles cannot be described other than to say it was complete. Everyone was dead including the vehicles. It was total destruction.
Scar looked up ahead and saw Nordell coming his way holding his SAW and then he heard Taylor stomping through the woods.
“Dumb bastards didn’t stand a chance,” said Taylor as he broke through the tree line with his guys.
“Hell no. Thanks for coming in,” said Nordell.
“Oh, hey, thanks for the invite,” smiled Taylor.
“How many have come through your exit so far?” asked Nordell.
Taylor scratched his head. “Hard to say, but probably three hundred maybe a bit more.”
Nordell grimaced. It wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t sure how many were already dead or had taken off in different directions. He wanted to keep the exit open as long as they could, but his wishes were dashed when Bassett’s voice came over the radio.
Scar answered the call.
“Our position is collapsing. Hadley hauled ass up to us. The cops have broken through the barricade by using an armored bank truck. They are headed to our position, and there’s going to be too many for us to handle.”
Everyone scrambled back to their vehicles.
Scar was conflicted because he wanted to fight the cops, but at this point, he needed to make sure he could still get his men out of there. If the cops had the forethought to have an armored truck on hand, then they might now be flanking them. If that happened, they’d all be done.
They reached US 12 and took a left to where Bassett had moved to in order to monitor their precious exit.
Scar got out and greeted him.
“I sent Burns to recon it, and he’s coming back now,” said Bassett pointing down the road.
“When did they come through the barricade?” asked Scar.
“Just before I called you.”
Nordell parked his pickup and joined them as Burns came speeding in and screeched to a halt.
“There’s two of them,” said Burns.
“Armored trucks?” asked Scar.
Burns nodded. “They’re side-by-side with a bunch of pickups and cruisers right behind them.”
“How many cops?” asked Nordell.
“Probably all of them. I couldn’t really count ‘em. There’s a bunch of them on foot in between the vehicles, and behind them. They’re moving at a steady clip.”
Scar hoped Nordell was thinking the same thing he was. They were done here. Their responsibility had shifted from protecting the fleeing population to getting their men out of there. The town was lost, and anyone who was still there was on their own.
While they could take on the cops, they would only be able to hold them off for a little while, but by doing so, they’d endanger their own exit. The cops would eventually flank them, and they’d be forced back into town where the rest of the Jijis would pick them off one by one.
He looked at Nordell who was staring through his binoculars while waiting for the cops to come around the bend in the road.
“Gunny,” said Scar.
Nordell turned to him with a dejected look on his face. Scar knew then that they were on the same page. Fight another day.
Scar turned to Bassett. “Corporal, let’s pack it up.”
Bassett nodded and grabbed the radio to call Hadley, who was now at the other barricade, and tell him to get his men out of there.
Meeks and Amber stood with Scar as he waited for their last vehicle to turn south onto Waldron Road, which would take them to the Ohio border.
He looked down the road and saw the armored truck coming around the bend. He had an urge to use his last grenade but thought better of it. Better to escape without the cops knowing where they were than to engage them in a quick act of revenge.
He fell into the seat and leaned his head back. They had lost a lot of good people today, but the frustrating part was not knowing who was hiding, dead or taken prisoner.
His forces were now either scattered or lost, and his dwindling supplies were non-existent, since they had left them back in Jackson. He had to take solace that they helped a large number of towns people escape and stayed alive while doing so.
Chapter 71
Iron River Wisconsin
A fly landed on Winters’s face waking him from a deep sleep. He shooed it away and looked down to see Laney’s arm across his chest. He was confused for a few seconds because he’d fallen asleep next to Collette. He looked at his watch and was surprised to see it was three o’clock. He’d been sleeping for nearly six hours and hadn’t awakened once.
He slid her arm off him, got up and grabbed a bottle of water before heading outside to look for Collette. Clouds had moved in and turned the sunny morning into a dreary afternoon. He looked over to where he had kept watch but didn’t see her. He then looked down the field and saw her standing on the road. She didn’t appear distressed, therefore it didn’t concern him. She was probably just bored, so he headed down there to meet her.
She waved her hand as he approached. “Hey, Cole.”
“Well, hey there yourself, Cole…ette,” said Winters.
“Ah, I love that our names are, like, the same,” she replied as she gave him a hug.
“You know, I’ve never met a Collette before.”
“And I’ve never met a Cole.”
“So, anything happened out here?”
“Nope. Those Caddies never came back, and I’ve not seen anyone else either.”
“How long have you been out here?”
“A couple of hours. Laney woke me up, and we hung out for, like, a little bit.”
“If you want to get some more sleep, you can,” said Winters.
“Nope. I’m good. I, like, slept really good and no spider bites.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“I’ve been, like, walking around with the binoculars, and looking at stuff.”
“Guard duty can get pretty boring.”
“Tell me about it,” said Collette as she moved back into the field. “But these binoculars are really cool though. I saw a bunch of birds and a fox. I think it was a fox. It was kinda small and reddish with a bushy tail.”
“Sounds like a fox to me.”
“It was really cool,” she said with obvious joy reflected in her face.
Winters had gotten a kick out of her ever since her acting stunt the other night. She poured her heart out yelling for help so he could save Laney and Finley, both of whom had been taken hostage. She did this after being held hostage herself when her john used her as a shield. The poor thing was so terrified when Winters had put a bullet into his head that she couldn’t even move. Now, she stood her ground and was a creative thinker.
“C’mon let’s get something to eat,” suggested Winters.
Collette nodded and began to head back when a chill ran down Winters’s spine. He saw in his peripheral vision a car speeding towards them. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around Collette and dropped to the ground. The vehicle zipped by without slowing down, so Winters lifted his head and saw that it was a pickup truck with some gang-bangers in the back.
Winters pushed off her and rolled over to watch the truck. He then turned to the other direction to see if another one was coming and saw nothing but an empty road. Collette crawled on her stomach beside him with the binoculars pointed at the truck.
“Looks like the same guys.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”
Collette lowered the glasses. “Guess they’re pretty pissed off at us, huh?”
“Probably so. That and they want these trucks.”
“How did they know? Didn’t we kill them all?”
“One or two probably escaped out the back.”
“Well, that sucks.”
“Yes, it does. But thankfully, we pulled over.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, there’s no way we could have outrun them.”
“So, what are we gonna do then?”
Winters looked at her face. She wasn’t anxious but more curious. “Not sure yet, but whatever it is I don’t think we should be in any hurry.”
“Well, we got more supplies than they do.”
“Yes, we do.”
“So, we can outlast them,” she said in earnest.
She was correct; they could outlast whoever was searching for them. They had everything they needed and then some. The biggest problem was not knowing where the enemy was and waiting for them to make a move. You never knew how long it would take. These gang-bangers could be well motivated to wait days, maybe even weeks. They may have roadblocks up ahead or to the south.
“Whatcha thinking?” asked Collette.
Winters hesitated, as it was too much to explain.
Collette tilted her head. “Road rules, Cole,”
“Of course, how could I forget,” conceded Winters, as he reached over and pulled some grass out of her hair.
Collette ran her hand through her black hair and shook her head. “All gone?”
“Yep.”
“Good. Now, road rules.”
Winters scoffed and then stated his concerns about their situation.
Collette nodded as she absorbed what he was saying. “Why don’t we find a car to steal and use it to look around?”
Winters raised an eyebrow impressed with what she said. “Now, you’re thinking like a good soldier.”
“So, I’m not just a pretty face?” she joked.
“Or a pretty princess.”
Collette laughed. “Oh, yeah, that shirt.”
“So, what else should we do?” asked Winters wanting to find out just how creative she was.
“Well, for starters, we should, like, mix up these supplies and put an equal amount in each truck and, like, hide two of the trucks. Back when we had to turn in our supplies, we hid some in separate piles, that way if they, like, came looking and found one, we’d still have more.”
Winters nodded. He had already thought about leaving two of the trucks behind and coming back for them later, though it would be better to get all three out of there. He needed more information before he decided which way to go.
For now, it was a waiting game, and he wouldn’t make a move until he was confident the way was safe for them. While he wanted to get back to Jackson and deliver much-needed supplies, another day or two wouldn’t be life or death.
Chapter 72
Green hopped into his car and pulled out of the parking garage to go meet with the former FBI man, Jacob Gibbs and his son Kyle. Gibbs had called earlier to say he wanted to show him something that couldn’t wait until their next meeting out in Manassas.
Green agreed on the condition that he and Kyle would provide the beer. He had already promised his friend Sam to go out for one. He needed one after learning what had happened today in Jackson.
The cops had assisted Mordulfah and his new army in storming the town and pushing the Shadow Patriots out. They took control of the small city and were in the process of rounding up any stragglers who weren’t able to escape.
Causality numbers weren’t in yet, but early estimates put the figure somewhere around forty. Green didn’t know if that included only Shadow Patriots or some of the citizens too. No telling how many of them had been taken, prisoner. There were probably enough young girls to satisfy Mordulfah’s perverted tastes. Green cringed at the thought but had to remember who they were dealing with and be honest about it. He was a pedophile plain and simple and needed to be killed.
The taking of the town had been devastating news and Green wouldn’t be able to relax until he had all the details. He didn’t know if Winters was one of the dead or if he had even made it back yet. When he last talked with him, he said he was bringing in supplies but had to go to Iowa first. He had a couple of teenage girls to return home before he went to Michigan.
Green did some quick math and didn’t think, with all the mileage, he could have made it
back to Jackson yet. If he wasn’t there, then how would he be able to find his guys? Will they have to come back to Winnipeg to regroup? That would take too much time, especially if they had prisoners to be rescued.
Mordulfah was the kind of man who liked to extract payment for deeds perpetrated against him. He’d make a big spectacle out of it by turning it into a celebration for his men. He’d already taken heads from his own men, so it wasn’t a stretch to think he would execute prisoners.
The thought sent shivers down his spine as he turned onto 21st NW to pick up Sam at the State Department. He saw him up ahead and double-parked.
“Hey, thanks for picking me up,” said Sam as he climbed in and gave Green a fist-bump. “Damn car is in the shop again.”
“No problem,” said Green as he pulled away.
“What’s up? You look stressed.”
“I do?”
“Yeah, man, you do, which is weird because you should be celebrating with all the talk around town about the street art.”
Green was surprised it looked so obvious. He gave Sam a brief summary of what happened in Jackson.
“Oh, damn. Man, that sucks, and you’ve no idea who was killed?”
“No, I don’t, but I don’t think Winters was there, and I’m pretty sure, if they had him, I would have heard about it.”
“Yeah, probably so.”
“But yeah, other than that, the street art is a major hit, even with Reed.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide. “You heard from him?”
“Yep. Said he was leaving the art alone for now, that it would be a good release of pent-up frustration.”
Sam started laughing. “Good thing none of them were of him.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll tell ya what though, it was all anybody was talking about at work,” said Sam.
“Yep, same here. Although it was more quiet whispers.”
“Well, ya, can’t blame them, seeing how Perozzi visits your building…often.”
Green chuckled. “Not anymore.”