Storm Front

by Thomas A. Watson

  Dragging the blade across the man’s chest to leave a deep gash, “Wake up, bitch,” Michelle snapped. Nuke’s eyes popped open and he opened his mouth to scream before Michelle slapped her gloved hand over his mouth, muffling the scream.

  “Don’t like people touching you, do ya?” Michelle said, leaning over his face and smiling. The scream stopped in Nuke’s throat as he gazed in Michelle’s eyes. Suddenly, Michelle felt his body buck and Nuke screamed into her hand. Looking down, she saw Ashley had buried her knife in Nuke’s stomach.

  Ashley leaned over, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. An evil grin was on her face as she looked at Nuke. “See, you don’t like people shoving shit in your body,” Ashley said, yanking her knife out.

  Nuke stopped screaming into Michelle’s hand as Ashley yanked the knife out, only to have Michelle bury her knife in the side of his abdomen. “What? You don’t like me shoving a rod in you, cocksucker?” Michelle asked with a smile as Nuke screamed into her hand.

  “Move your fucking hand,” Ashley said, grabbing Nuke’s flaccid cluster with her left hand. Swiping her knife down, Ashley removed Nuke’s frank and beans, covering Matt in blood. Nuke screamed out in a high-pitched voice as Ashley shoved Nuke’s cluster in his mouth. “See, you don’t even like it when it’s your own!” Ashley said, holding her hand over his blood-filled mouth.

  Nuke gagged as Ashley held his bloody cluster in his mouth. “Bitch, you’re lucky we’re on a timeline,” Michelle growled, shoving her knife in Nuke’s belly and twisting the handle.

  The little girl had raised her head, watching the spectacle in awe as Nelson came over and untied her. When Ashley gave Nuke a free sex change, the little girl saw a shiver run up Matt’s spine as Nelson picked her up.

  Gerald and Ronald stepped into the room as Michelle and Ashley used Nuke’s belly as a pin cushion. Turning, Gerald closed his eyes to see the small form in Nelson’s arms. “I have the woman from downstairs talking to the ones we found at the end of the hall,” Gerald said and then opened his eyes. He saw the small battered and bruised girl watching Michelle and Ashley.

  Turning back to the floor, Gerald saw Nuke was choking, but didn’t know from what. “Don’t try to spit it out, fucker!” Ashley snapped, moving to his face. “I’m sure you shoved this in someone’s face, now you have to suck it.”

  As Nuke fought to breathe, Ashley pushed the tip of her knife in Nuke’s eye and stopped, pinching his nose closed. Nuke inhaled deeply through his mouth and bloody cluster as Michelle dragged her knife across his belly, disemboweling him.

  Hearing the unmistakable sound of duct tape being pulled, Gerald turned to see Matt tearing off a piece and handing it to Ashley. “Here, sweetie,” Matt said. A shiver ran up Gerald’s spine when Matt moved and he saw just what was in Nuke’s mouth.

  “Thanks,” Ashley said, grabbing the tape and using it to hold Nuke’s frank and beans in his mouth. Wrapping the tape around Nuke’s head, Ashley grabbed the top of his head. “How in the fuck do you scalp somebody?” she cried out in rage. Sean leaned over and gave her instructions.

  “Yes,” Ashley sang out and Gerald looked up to see her holding Nuke’s scalp.

  Michelle realized Nuke wasn’t fighting much anymore and pulled her knife from his pelvis. Standing up and looking down at Nuke, “I want you men to piss on him,” she growled. “He has one eye left and before he dies, I want him to know what we think of him.”

  Nelson shoved the little girl in Gerald’s arms as Ronald pushed pass them. Gerald walked out as Matt stood up to undo his pants. Gerald’s last glance saw Sean, Matt, Nelson, and Ronald pissing on Nuke’s face.

  Chapter 17

  As Nelson and Gerald had crept up on the house, Scott was leading his group up the other hill. At the top, they could see firelight playing on the trees and had to turn down the intensity of their NVGs, so they wouldn’t shut off.

  Jacob eased up beside Scott as voices filtered down the hillside. “Scott, that’s more than two people,” Jacob whispered.

  “I know, but we need to see how many,” Scott said, looking up the hillside. “I would hate to have to leave.”

  Nodding, Jacob looked back at the others as a woman screamed and the hilltop erupted in laughter. “I’ll go,” Jacob said, turning to look up the hill.

  Putting a hand out to stop Jacob, Scott shook his head. “No, I’m over this group. I’m going,” Scott said. “If shooting starts, just go.”

  “What, and have Alanna kill me?” Jacob grinned as Scott moved off.

  “My wife would never do that,” Scott chuckled, moving off.

  Motioning the others close, “Spread out, Scott’s going to see how many there are,” Jacob told them in a low voice as another scream split the night.

  “We aren’t leaving,” Amber said, looking up the hill.

  “Damn it. Watch around us, so one doesn’t sneak up on us,” Jacob hissed and the group formed a circle back-to-back, waiting on Scott.

  Creeping up on his hands and knees, Scott’s massive form barely rustled the forest floor. Nearing the top, Scott dropped to his stomach, feeling the ammo carrier on the front keep him off the ground.

  Lifting his body a few inches off the ground, Scott slithered forward silently. Moving around a tree he stopped, seeing a group around a large fire. There were six men and four women laughing, then Scott noticed two nude forms tied up on the ground outside the circle.

  One of the women stood up and moved over to the two forms and started kicking them, making them scream. As the two tried to roll away, Scott saw both were young women in their twenties. Another woman came over to help the first kick the two and the others at the fire hooted and hollered, cheering them on.

  The two women only stopped when the two captives stopped screaming, knocked out from the blows. A chorus of boos sounded as the two women rejoined the circle. Moving back, Scott watched one of the men shove a needle in his arm and let out a satisfied groan.

  Controlling his breathing, Scott backed up and moved around the group to the far side of the hill. He froze, looking out at the school. A massive bonfire was in the small parking lot and people were everywhere. It took him a few seconds to find the massive speakers spewing out the blaring music. Even with the music blasting, Sean could hear faint screams below and tried to shut the images from his mind. With the gaggle of people moving around, Scott gave up trying to count them and eased back, circling around the group at the top of the hill.

  Jacob saw Scott coming and tapped the others to let them know. When Scott stopped beside him, Jacob saw Scott was pale. “Well, do we bug out?” Jacob asked as the screams started again and he saw Scott wince.

  “There are six men and four women,” Scott said.

  Amber leaned closer, “Are those the ones screaming?”

  “No,” Scott growled. “When I was up there, they were the ones causing two young girls to scream.”

  With a scowl filling her face, Amber looked up the hill. “Let’s take these fuckers.”

  “Amber, we only have five and they have ten, that’s more,” Jacob spat. “If we can’t take them quietly, not only will we die but the others will also.”

  Scott’s son closed his eyes as the screams continued. “Dad, if we leave, this group could find us,” Larry said. “They aren’t doing that to my family.”

  “Damn straight,” Amber said.

  Giving a sigh, “Guys, I want to hit them but remember, we are part of a team here,” Jacob said, looking at Amber. “You’ve been in the same Army I was and you should know better.”

  Amber just snarled at Jacob as he looked over at Scott. “How are they set up?” Jacob asked.

  “Around a fire, sitting in a circle about ten foot across,” Scott said as the screams stopped again.

  “Weapons?” Jacob asked.

  “All of them had pistols on them but their rifles, mostly AKs were leaning up against a tree,” Scott said.

  “How far away was the tree?”

&nb
sp; Closing his eyes and picturing the hilltop, “Near twenty feet from the closest one,” Scott answered.

  Slowly nodding, Jacob turned to look back up the hillside. “What condition are they in?”

  “Huh?” Scott said.

  “Are they drunk? Some asleep? Others reading? You know, how are they acting?” Jacob clarified.

  “Oh, all are sitting around the campfire talking. The ones I saw stand up were very unsteady. The only one not drinking a bottle of alcohol was using a needle, giving himself a shot in the arm,” Scott said, seeing where Jacob was going.

  “The captives, are they close to the group?” Jacob asked.

  “No, south side, fifteen feet away from the circle, both nude with tied hands and ankles,” Scott said and Jacob nodded.

  “Scott, it’s a risk, but I think we can take ‘em,” Jacob said softly.

  “Everyone have a knife?” Scott asked and everyone looked at him like he was stupid.

  “I want you to find one person in our family that doesn’t have a knife on them.” Amber said. “My six-year-old daughter carries a pocketknife.”

  Pulling his bowie knife out and holding it up, “A pocket knife won’t work here,” Scott said. The knife was massive but in Scott’s hands, it looked rather small. He watched the other four pull out sheathed knives. “Wish we had brought our bows,” he mumbled.

  Taking off his backpack, Jacob held up a hatchet. “I have this,” he grinned and then Larry pulled a hatchet from his backpack.

  “Can you two hit something with those?” Amber’s husband, Curt asked.

  “I can throw it and kill a hog. Let me see a man walk away,” Jacob snapped, very offended.

  Scott looked over at Curt. “Larry has won several logging contests doing the hatchet toss,” Scott said with pride. “Okay, the one sitting on the west side seems to be in charge. He has a shaved head and a tattoo of a spider on his cheek. The man with long brown hair doesn’t seem as drunk as the others. Jacob, you take out baldy and son, you take out long hair with your hatchet.”

  Watching both nod, Scott looked around the group. “Attack the men first. If the women scream nobody will notice, but if a man screams it will draw attention,” he said and everyone nodded. “Amber, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to handle those four women until we can help. Don’t let any draw a gun or we’re dead. If you have to shoot them, I don’t know if the group below will respond to a suppressed shot. But I can guarantee you, they will come up here if a gunshot sounds off.”

  Looking at Scott, Amber nodded. “I’ll handle them, Scott.”

  “Amber and Pete, you will move in from the south. Larry and I will come in from the west and Jacob, you come in from the east. When Larry throws his axe, move in,” Scott said.

  “How close you want us to move in?” Amber asked.

  Thinking for a few minutes, “Twenty feet and be ready to charge in,” Scott said and the others nodded. Holding out his hand, “Good luck,” Scott said and each one put their hand on his.

  “Let’s go,” Jacob said as they released hands. Slinging the M60 across his back, Jacob moved up the hillside with a hatchet in his right hand and a knife in his left.

  Amber watched Pete move the M60 he was carrying across his back. When he was ready, Pete nodded at her and they moved up the hillside.

  Scott and Larry eased up to the top and slowly stood up, hiding behind trees. Since both were so big, they had to choose carefully which trees they moved to. When they were twenty feet away, Scott looked over at Larry and then at the man with long hair. Watching the man tilt up a bottle, Larry nodded back at his dad.

  Glancing over the fire, Scott saw Jacob slip behind a tree that was less than ten feet from the group. Praying the captives stayed still, Scott searched the south side and saw Amber hiding behind a tree.

  Looking back at Larry, Scott mouthed, “Now.”

  Stepping out from behind the tree, Larry reared his arm back and tossed the hatchet. Scott watched the hatchet flip end over end with the firelight glinting off the sharp edge. The blade struck with a dull thump in the back of long hair’s skull.

  None of the others seemed to notice as Jacob stepped out, throwing his. When Jacob’s hatchet hit baldy, it split the skull and the blade poked out under baldy’s nose. The group became quiet and all turned to baldy.

  Before any of them moved, Scott and Larry yanked two of the men’s heads back, dragging their knives across their throats. It wasn’t the fastest way to kill they knew, but it was the quietest. It was hard to yell with your throat cut.

  When Jacob moved toward the group, the others were still looking at baldy and saw a massive shadowy form walking into the firelight. Two of the women stood up, taking a breath to scream as Amber came up behind them, stabbing one in the back and yanking her knife out. Grabbing the other woman by the hair, who was a foot shorter than Amber’s six-foot-one, Amber swiped the blade across her throat and then tossed the woman down.

  Walking past the woman she’d stabbed in the back, Amber lashed out and kicked her in the mouth. Leaping over the fire, Amber dove on the last two women as they both screamed.

  Pete grabbed a man by the head and plunged his knife into the base of his skull. Feeling the man go limp, Pete yanked his knife out as Amber dove over the fire. Seeing Scott and Larry moving to help Amber, Pete stopped at the woman who Amber had stabbed in the back. Leaning over, Pete saw her eyes rolled back. “Today is your lucky day,” he said, burying the knife in the woman’s skull.

  The woman’s body became rigid and twitched a few times as he pulled his knife out and saw Jacob standing over a body. On the other side of the fire, a man with a needle stuck in his arm was looking at the group with wide eyes.

  “Sasquatch,” the stoned man mumbled, looking at the giants around him.

  Pulling his hatchet from baldy, Jacob stepped over. “Not quite,” Jacob said, burying the blade in the man’s skull.

  As Amber stood up over the one girl she’d stabbed, she turned to see Larry and Scott stabbing the other. “Told you we could do it,” Amber grinned as Scott stood up, rolling the body off of Larry.

  Giving Amber a nod, Scott motioned to the two girls tied up. “Talk to them and let them know what’s going on, but they have to stay quiet because I really don’t want that mass up here until we set up,” Scott said. When Amber stepped over to the girls, he moved back to the tree he’d left his backpack at and grabbed it.

  Walking over and wiping his hatchet off, Jacob pointed at the edge of the hilltop. “I’ll set my 60 up there and Pete needs to be on the other end. That way, we can keep the group boxed in as you, Larry, and Amber work on the middle,” Jacob said, looking to the west at the other hill. “Think Curtis and his boys can hit this group below us?”

  “Don’t know, but I know damn sure that Paw, Grant, Tony and their wives can,” Scott said.

  Giving a soft laugh, Jacob moved down the ridge, pulling his backpack off and setting up the M60. “Ready, Dad?” Larry asked, walking up and Scott looked at the scene of hell below them.

  “Yes, son. I am,” Scott said, moving down the ridge.

  ***

  On the other hill, Curtis blinked the tear from his eye that was blurring his vision as he peered through the scope. Never in his wildest nightmares had he thought that humans could do this to each other. Holding the crosshairs on the six men standing together on the roof, Curtis tried not to move his eye. But it would eventually drift down to number seven, lying on top of a woman and raping her.

  No sooner than Gerald and them had left, he’d watched the seven beat another woman to death. Or he thought she was dead and Curtis moved his crosshairs over the roof and saw her form still in the same position and its heat signature was slowly decreasing.

  After everyone picked a target, everyone in Dallas’s team, except Dallas stayed hunched over their rifle, watching. For the first time since he and his wife had started prepping, Curtis was sorry he’d bought the best scope money could buy. The thermal attachme
nt along with the scope, gave Curtis crystal clear, black and white images from the depths of hell.

  Curtis had never been a religious man but laying prone behind his scope on that hilltop, Curtis said a prayer to God, thanking Him for the day that Nelson and Michelle had stopped at his house and praying to God to watch over his wife and kids.

  “Wind’s changed thirty degrees, half value,” Justin called out, sniffling. Even after Justin had zoomed his spotting scope out, he could still see the scenes of horror better than the others. “Dallas, can we please engage?” Justin sobbed, seeing a man on the other side of the building beating a woman. His spotting scope was so good, Justin could tell she wasn’t much over a hundred pounds as the man kicked her through the air. It didn’t matter they were almost six hundred meters away.

  “Damn it, no,” Dallas snapped, refusing to look through the binoculars again.

  “Paw, please,” Grant whined, taking his eye off his scope.

  “If one of you shoots before they are ready I swear, I’ll shoot you,” Dallas snapped. “If you shoot now, Gerald and Nelson’s team could get cut off and Scott’s team overrun.”

  Everyone nodded and Grant put his eye back to the scope as Dallas moved up behind them. “And if that happens, we won’t be able to save those down there,” Dallas said softly.

  Bernard walked up and squeezed Dallas’s shoulder. “They won’t be much longer,” Bernard said, wishing he had never looked. “Remember, this isn’t our first time seeing this. But I will admit, it wasn’t this bad.”

  “I don’t know if it could get worse,” Dallas sighed. But his heart and mind both told him, it was going to get much worse the longer this went on.

  ***

  When Gerald had everyone downstairs, he turned to the woman and nine kids he’d found locked in a dark room. The first woman was still holding her daughter tight in her arms. Giving a sigh, Gerald turned to his group.

  “I want each of you to screw your fucking heads on right now,” he snapped. When Nelson and Michelle took a breath to retort, Gerald raised his hand. “You are letting emotions control you,” he said.