by Victor Zugg
“Will do,” Chet said, as he shifted the truck into gear, turned the wheel, and accelerated.
“We’ll check in at the cabin, grab something to eat, and head back into town,” Sam said. “Tonight could be critical.”
Hank nodded and then rubbed his face. “Okay.” He turned to stare out the window. “Can you stop by the lodge?”
“Can do,” Chet said, as he spun the wheel and pulled into the parking lot.
Hank opened his door and stepped out. “I’ll only be a minute,” he said, as he marched off. He disappeared inside the front doors.
“I’m not getting a good feeling about this whole operation,” Tiff said from the back seat.
“I know what you mean,” Sam said.
Chet glanced at Tiff and then faced Sam. “Twenty-eight thousand people in Marysville. Most will try to hang onto their homes and die in the process. But a lot of those people will head for the hills. This town and your cabin are between them and the hills.”
Sam rubbed his face with one hand and then massaged the back of this neck. He stared at Chet for several long moments. “Any thoughts?”
“The only thing we can do,” Chet said. “Make a stand here as long as possible, and then fall back to the cabin.”
“We need to create some firing positions, dug in around the cabin,” Tiff said.
“Good idea,” Sam said. “And we could use some extra manpower.”
“The cabin is crowded with just us,” Chet said.
Sam turned around to face Tiff. “What do you guys think about inviting Juan, Pete, and Diego to join us? We could fix up a place for them in the garage.”
“We’ll be coming into town most days,” Chet said. “Pete could still serve in the militia.”
“And if we don’t drive into town, they have their truck,” Tiff said.
“Settled then,” Sam said. “We’ll stop in town and talk to them.”
Sam glanced back when the rear door opened and Hank got in.
“Well?” Sam asked.
“Steve and Tom were taking a nap,” Hank said. “They should be well rested for the night. They’re heading back to the barricade.”
Sam saw the two men, each carrying a rifle, exit the lodge and walk toward the barricade.
“Semi-desertions already,” Chet said.
“No, just bored and lazy,” Hank said. “They know the drill; they’ll fall in when the chips are down.”
Sam ran the idea about Juan, Pete, and Diego past Hank.
“It’s up to them,” Hank said. “I have no problem with whatever they decide.”
“By the way,” Sam said, “you, Bill, Wanda, Lance, and Jimmy are welcome at the cabin as a fallback position, if it comes to that.”
Hank nodded. “Thanks, Sam. We’ll certainly keep that in mind when the time comes.”
“I notice you didn’t say if the time comes,” Tiff said.
Hank raised an eyebrow and winked with the other eye.
***
Chet pulled to a stop in front of the cabin and then motioned out his window for Juan, driving his pickup, to pull alongside.
Juan pulled up next to the Hummer.
Engines clicked off, doors opened, and Chet, Sam, Tiff, Juan, Pete, and Diego poured out of their respective vehicles.
The cabin door swung open and Charlie and Emma stepped out with eyes fixated on Juan, Pete, and Diego.
Both Charlie and Emma looked to Sam, but didn’t say anything.
“Charlie, Emma, this is Juan, Pete, and Diego,” Sam said. “They are related to the Marysville police chief and Juan helped with the raid on the distribution center. Since the chief was killed, they have no other family. Marysville is in chaos, so we’ve invited them to stay with us here.”
Charlie stepped forward, shook their hands, and welcomed their arrival.
Emma hesitated a bit and then did the same. “Charlie got a couple of rabbits and I made a stew with canned tomatoes, potatoes and carrots, so there’s plenty to eat. Rice on the side. We need to eat the potatoes and carrots you got before they go bad.”
Chet made a beeline for the cabin. “Fantastic, I’m famished.”
Sam motioned for the newcomers to join them and everyone fell in behind Chet.
The group squeezed in around the kitchen table while Emma ladled stew and rice into bowls by the light of a gas camp lantern.
Chet started eating as soon as a bowl was pushed in his direction.
Sam took a bite, chewed quickly, and swallowed. “How are we doing on propane?” Sam asked.
“Your tank out back is nearly half full,” Charlie said. “We’re only burning gas to cook, so it should last a while longer. We have several canisters for the lantern. And I was able to assemble several water filters. Don’t need to boil water for drinking any longer. I’m sure the filters make it safe to drink, but I would still recommend a couple of drops of bleach for every quart.”
“Excellent,” Sam said. “Where did you put the filters?”
“I have some set up to catch the rain,” Charlie said. “We can take a look after dinner.”
“Unfortunately, we have a potential crisis brewing in Townsend and we need to head back into town.”
“Everyone? Tonight?” Charlie asked.
“Well, me, Chet, Tiff, and Pete. Pete will be serving in the militia they’ve formed,” Sam said. Sam looked at Juan. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for you and Diego to hang here. I’d feel better with the extra hands around. Pete can ride with us, so you’ll have the truck for emergencies. We’ll drop him off at the police department so he can get situated with the militia. He may or may not be back with us tonight, or whenever we get back.”
Juan dropped his chin a bit, but finally nodded in agreement. “So we sleep in here?”
“We’ll probably be in town most of the night, so there will be plenty of room tonight,” Sam said. “But I was thinking we could arrange some space in the garage.”
“We can all pitch in tomorrow,” Tiff said.
“I was going to make a trip into the mountains to see a guy named Toby Thomas about helping with the militia,” Sam said. “But that will have to wait.”
“What kind of accommodations did you have in mind?” Charlie asked.
“There’s some stuff at Dave & Tina’s we could use,” Chet said. “Furniture and stuff.”
“Who are Dave and Tina?” Pete asked.
“My nearest neighbors,” Sam said. “Or, at least they were.”
“Dave, Tina, and their son Bobby, were killed by some thugs trying to take over Townsend a few days ago,” Chet said. “They were the ones who killed Chief Daniels and his officers.”
“Are those thugs still around?” Pete asked.
“They’re dead,” Chet said. “Dave’s house is not being used.”
“Why don’t we just stay there?” Juan asked.
“We likely have a lot of people headed our way,” Sam said. “I think we should consolidate our forces. Make a stand here. Plus, this property has better access to water from a stream out back.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Pete said.
“We’ll need to set up defenses,” Tiff said, “firing positions, fields of fire. Trying to fight from the cabin would be a mistake.”
“Start by building out the garage for some extra living space,” Chet said. “Use the pickup to ferry anything you need from Dave’s house. And then we’ll come up with some defenses.”
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Emma said.
“If we’re late getting back tomorrow morning,” Tiff said to Juan, “my Dad can take you to Dave’s house and help get things started.”
Charlie nodded.
“You’ll need lumber, nails, beds, chairs, anything you think will be useful,” Sam said.
Charlie looked at Juan and Diego. “We can handle that.”
Juan and Diego nodded.
When everyone finished eating, Sam pushed back from the table and stood. “Emma, that was delicious. Thank
you.”
“Ditto,” Chet said.
Emma smiled and started moving the bowls to the sink.
“We should probably head out,” Sam said.
Chet, Tiff, and Pete stood.
“We’ll be back as soon as possible,” Sam said. “Probably sometime in the morning.”
Charlie walked Sam, Chet, Tiff, and Pete to the door. “How serious is this?” Charlie whispered.
“Don’t know at this point,” Sam said. “We just know there are people from Marysville headed for the mountains. The road to Townsend is the most likely route. We already had some show up, a group of men, women, and children. About twenty. We let them through, but we expect much larger and probably more rowdy groups, maybe as early as tonight.”
“It’s better to make a stand in Townsend where we have help,” Tiff said. “But our barricade, and the militia, won’t keep them out for long.”
Sam opened the front door. “Keep the windows covered and lights low.”
“Will do,” Charlie said.
CHAPTER 12
Tiff squinted through the windshield at the dim outline of the barricade cars ahead. “I’m glad to see they don’t have the place lit up with a fire,” Tiff said. She wasn’t an expert on tactics, but she knew enough to know that illuminating your position in combat was not a good idea.
“Did they set up a command structure?” Chet asked. “Who’s actually in charge?”
“Well, Hank seems to be the point man on most issues,” Sam said. “But I think he acquiesces to Bill’s recommendations, especially when it comes to the militia and tactics.”
Chet pulled up to the barricade, made a u-turn, and then parked the Hummer off to the side, facing toward Townsend.
Armed with their rifles, pistols, and extra magazines, everyone exited the truck.
Andy stepped away from a group of men bunched in the middle of the barricade and walked toward the Hummer.
“Any problems?” Sam asked Andy as he approached.
“Nah, pretty quiet,” Andy said.
“Bill or Hank around?” Chet asked.
“They were earlier, but they left about an hour ago,” Andy said. “Bill said he needed to assemble some guys for a quick reaction force.”
“So you haven’t had any visitors?” Tiff asked.
“Well, about fifteen minutes ago we had two men and a woman,” Andy said.
“What did they want?” Sam asked.
“Wanted in,” Andy said. “We said no, and they left.”
“No argument, they just left,” Chet said.
“Yep.”
“Were they armed?” Tiff asked.
“No. In fact, they didn’t carry anything.”
“Doesn’t feel right,” Chet said.
“Could be a scouting party,” Tiff said. “I don’t like it.”
“It was just two guys and a woman,” Andy said. “They asked, we said no, they left.”
“Maybe,” Tiff said. “Maybe not that simple.”
“What do you think?” Sam asked Chet and Tiff.
“My motto is to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst,” Tiff said.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Chet said.
Sam turned to Andy. “Did Bill say when he might be back?”
“Didn’t say,” Andy said.
“Any kind of assault will go for the flanks,” Tiff said.
Sam nodded. He thought for a moment. Glanced down the road past the barricade and then back to Tiff and Chet. “How about if you two take up a position about a hundred yards up on the left. Andy and I will do the same on the right, along the Little River. I’ll let the rest of the guys know what’s happening, spread them out along the barricade, and get them ready for anything.”
Tiff nodded, glanced at Chet, and they marched off.
Tiff brought up the rear as Chet led the way around the panel truck.
Tiff caught up to Chet. “Mount Luke Road up ahead is pretty much a driveway that parallels the main road,” Tiff whispered. “It runs far enough for our purposes. It will also give us the high ground.”
“Good idea,” Chet said, as he quickened his pace.
Walking on the asphalt of the side road made for an easy advance with almost no noise. And the thin line of trees between them and the main road provided good cover and concealment. They stopped every few steps to look and listen. A sliver of moon had popped up over the top of the trees and provided a bit of light. Not enough, really, to see anything out on the main road, but enough to keep from wandering into a tree.
At a hundred yards out, the barricade was no longer visible, even as a dark hulk. Tiff presumed the men back there had done what Sam told them and that Sam was somewhere on the other side of the main road. There weren’t a lot of trees or brush between the road and the river, so Sam would have to be much more careful as he moved through the dark. Tiff figured he had maybe gone fifty yards, maybe less, since they started out. That would put them well behind her and Chet.
Chet slowed, stepped to the edge of the trees, and took a knee.
Tiff crouched next to him. “Let’s move into the trees a bit,” she whispered.
Chet stood and moved farther into the brush.
Tiff was extra careful with each step. She didn’t want to give away their position, just in case there were actual marauders moving up on the main road. With each step she wiggled the toe of her boot through the layer of leaves and twigs until she felt hard ground before she put weight on that foot. And then did the same with the next step. Chet was making almost no noise, so he must have been doing the same.
Chet stopped ahead of her and leaned against a large tree.
Tiff stepped to an adjacent tree and peered into the darkness ahead. Tiff could just barely make out the dark asphalt of the main road below them, down a steep incline and about thirty feet out. Tiff relaxed a bit as she settled in for what might be a very long night.
Tiff wrinkled her nose at a sour odor drifting on the light breeze. She sniffed in every direction and determined that the smell was strongest in Chet’s direction. She thought back to when he had his last bath. It was at least a couple of days ago, maybe three. The same time she had her last bath. She took a whiff of herself and realized that being around her was probably no great joy either. She longed for a time when they would be able to follow some kind of routine. One that included frequent bathing and sleep. And food. A time when survival could be taken more for granted. She didn’t know how far off that time might be. Maybe never.
Suddenly, Tiff heard what sounded like a pebble skittering over the asphalt below, farther west down the main road. Her ears perked, and she focused her attention in that direction. She couldn’t see a thing through the darkness, but she felt it. Someone, probably more than one, was moving up on the main road toward the barricade. How long had it been since she left the barricade? Half hour. At least. About the right amount of time for the two men and one woman to walk back to the larger group, makes some plans, and then start moving forward. The question on her mind was how big a group. And how well were they armed?
Tiff heard a slight rustle to her left and realized Chet had shifted. Probably turned in the direction of the noise. He heard the pebble, too.
At that moment, Tiff heard a noise to her left, farther west down the side road, like a boot scuffing on asphalt. It was barely audible, but Tiff was sure she heard it.
She heard Chet shift again.
If there were invaders moving up, and she figured there were, they were doing what she would do. Split the force. Move one up on the north side of the main road, toward the right flank of the barricade. Move the other down the side road, toward the left flank.
Tiff slowly and carefully shifted her position until the tree she was behind was mostly between her and the side road. That group would pose the more immediate threat to her and Chet. Sam and the barricade could take care of the group moving up on the main road.
She slowly brought her rifle barrel up, pointed west d
own the side road, and waited.
***
Sam had made it only about fifty yards when he heard the rock skid across the asphalt a little farther up the road. He froze and then immediately put his hand back to stop Andy.
With his feet planted, Sam slowly crouched, taking Andy with him. Sam was only a few feet from the edge of the road, since along this section there were only a few more feet to the edge of the water. Sam peered through the trees at the dark void beyond. He saw a glint, a slight reflection of what little moonlight there was, off of some piece of metal. And then he saw it again. And then he heard footfalls. Sam estimated five, maybe up to seven or eight, people. They were creeping along the north edge of the road, the edge closest to where Sam and Andy stood. If they continued, the group would pass less than fifteen feet in front of Sam. Shoot first, or wait? That was the question rattling around Sam’s mind.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, between his eyes, and then massaged the back of his neck. He had no idea whether the group included women, maybe even children. Hell, he didn’t even know if they meant harm to the men behind the barricade. But he did know that those first three people, the two men and a woman, could well have been an advance scouting party sent out to determine the number and capability of the men behind the barricade. He also knew that an innocent group of people would probably not be advancing in stealth mode. And there was one more thing. He felt it. These people didn’t have good intentions.
Sam brought the barrel of his rifle up, not sure if he would pull the trigger first, or wait for them to start shooting. The men behind the barricade would not have heard the rock, and would not be able to see the group advancing in the dark. If Sam waited until the group passed, they would be close enough to the barricade to launch a surprise attack. They might get one or two of the defenders before Sam could react. And then he realized something else. If he were the one advancing on the barricade in pitch dark, squeezed between the river on one side and a steep hill on the other, he would employ two groups. He would have the second group move into a position that would flank the barricade when the shooting started. He would have that second group move up along the side road, on the south side of the main road. Right where Chet and Tiff were stationed.