Dark Toll

by Warren Ray

  This news sent a chill through Green. He didn’t really give much thought that what they were going to do would have such worldwide consequences. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He wondered how many countries were involved in this scheme. He knew then that his mother was right; many people were going to die in their takedown of the National Government.

  Chapter 14

  Manchester Michigan

  A full moon tried to break through the cloud cover in the east as Bassett and Burns walked out of the hospital and crossed the parking lot. The lack of moonlight made navigating through the parked cars difficult as they looked for the Toyota Prius Bassett wanted to take. The battery driven car didn’t make any noise, even when you floored the pedal, and it was black, which made it practically invisible at night.

  He threw his rucksack in the back seat along with his M-4 rifle, and his favorite weapon, a tactical tomahawk, which he incorporated into his martial arts training. Besides the devastating effects of the axe, his speedy explosive moves with the weapon instilled fear in his enemy. He didn’t plan to use it tonight but never went on a mission without it.

  They only needed to know where the enemy’s weak points were. They wouldn’t bother going up to the interstate because they knew the Jijis occupied the whole road, as did the cops on US 12 to the south. What they didn’t know was how many were on the east and west sides of the enemy’s perimeter.

  They drove east toward Michigan Highway 52 with the AN/PVS-24 night-vision goggles on. The quiet car passed through the small town of Napoleon like a ghost, alerting no one to their presence. All the homes looked abandoned, which made Bassett, wonder if anyone had decided to stay and wait out the enemy. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least that some of the citizens had been stubborn and decided to go at it alone. Many people still didn’t want to rely on anyone, especially the government for help. The ones who stayed in the Midwest through the long brutal winters were those types of people. The new national government suggested everyone move to the south where they could find refuge in government camps. Most left, but many refused to leave their homes and toughed it out. In the current situation, the people of Jackson had realized that staying together was the better move. They needed everyone to stay and fight together to ensure safe passage for all.

  So far, Bassett thought the citizens had performed magnificently. They came to the town’s defense and even helped in the big battle on Robinson Road led by the hard-nosed Nordell. By covering the rear of Scar’s assault, it allowed for his rescue along with the rest of the trapped force.

  Bassett was impressed with what they accomplished that night. Despite being outmanned by a much larger force, the Shadow Patriots stuck together, never gave up, and fought hard, harder than their enemy. Even while fighting in the Middle East, Bassett had never seen such a lop-sided victory. They had killed hundreds of Jijis while suffering only minor losses. Bassett knew the defeat hurt the Jijis’ psyche and would either demoralize or motivate them. He hoped for the former but knew that a charismatic leader could motivate and re-energize a beaten army, and wondered if Mordulfah was such a leader. Did he recognize the needs of his army, or would he falter in his leadership and make the grievous errors common to arrogant commanders.

  Bassett looked over at Burns, the green glow of the night-vision goggles lit up his eyes as he stared through them. The older man impressed him last night with his fighting skills. His performance was not only brilliant, but also heroic, and knew he would always be able to count on him. He had put himself in danger on more than one occasion helping to ensure the Jijis didn’t overrun their position.

  They drove on Austin Road, which would take them to the outskirts of Manchester, Michigan, a town that was completely empty now. Bassett came to an intersection and stopped the car. They both got out on the dirt road and walked over to the street sign.

  “Bowens and Schleweis,” said Bassett.

  Burns pointed to the map. “We’re right here. Not much further to 52.”

  “Cool. We’ll stop here on Van Tuyle and go from there.”

  They inched their way along the heavily wooded area of the dirt road. Burns decided to put on the thermal goggles in case any Jijis were hiding along their path.

  “We’re looking good, Corporal.”

  As they passed Van Tuyle Road, a big empty field opened up to the right. Bassett decided to take the small car across the field hoping to not run into a patch of mud. A car this small would get stuck easily and it wasn’t as if they could call a tow truck.

  The field was still a little damp from an earlier rain but firm enough to be navigable. Bassett pulled the car right up to the tree line that bordered Michigan 52. Without saying a word, both men exited the vehicle and grabbed their Colt M-4 rifles. Burns also picked up a pair of night-vision binoculars and tossed them to Bassett. They found a small opening in the brush and Burns took point with his thermal goggles. He took his time scanning the area looking for the distinct white glow of warm bodies. Not seeing anything, he hunched over and inched his way through the brush. The heavy foliage kept them out of sight from anyone who might be near. Bassett followed closely and within a couple of minutes, they found themselves on Michigan 52. They sunk to their knees when they came to the roadway. Immediately, they spotted two cars at the intersection of Bowens and 52. Bassett raised the binoculars. Four men stood together chatting while two of them puffed away on cigarettes.

  Bassett then turned to look south and spotted other cars about a mile down the road. He couldn’t tell how many, only that there was more. He wondered if they had them posted every mile. He and Burns hustled back to the car and continued south through the empty field. The field ended at Allen Road where they stopped the car, got out, and scurried across the grass. There wasn’t as much brush to keep them hidden, which forced them to keep their distance. Bassett raised the binoculars and looked past the car sitting at the intersection of Allen Road where four more Jijis stood. He could see another car in the road approximately a mile away, which gave him a good idea they had posted guards every mile. He figured they were about two miles away from US 12 and didn’t see this as a viable option. He motioned Burns to head back to their ride. They jumped into the car and Bassett turned the key. Nothing happened.

  “You're kidding, right?” asked Burns when no interior lights come on.

  Bassett tried it again. Nothing.

  “I thought this had a full charge,” said Burns.

  “It does and there’s gas in it. Where’s Nate when you need him.”

  Burns laughed. “I don’t think he’d be caught dead in one of these.”

  “Well, we’ve got two options. We can either hump it back or confiscate a new ride.”

  “Ha, that’s a tough one.”

  Bassett reached back for his tomahawk and held it in the air. “This should do the trick.”

  Burns grabbed Bassett’s arm. “We could just ask them nicely.”

  “You know, I had not thought about that.”

  “Well, with you, it is always, kill, kill, kill.”

  “Are you trying to appeal to my softer side?”

  “Do you have one?”

  “Only when it comes to girls.”

  “But, of course.”

  They slipped through the brush to where the Jijis still stood around the car talking. They were no more than thirty feet away from the rear of the car, which sat in the middle of the road, pointed south toward 127. Bassett flipped up the night-vision goggles to check for visibility. The pitch-black conditions didn’t allow you to see more than three feet in front of you, which made it ideal for a surprise attack. They just needed the right kind of distraction. It didn’t have to be fancy, just something to get their attention in one direction as he came from the other.

  Bassett looked around, found a small stone, and handed it to Burns motioning him to throw it at them as soon as he was in place for an attack. He then skirted across the road and drew out his tomahawk and an eight-inch kn
ife.

  Burns waited for Bassett to get in position before tossing the rock at the car. The men stood at the front of the car where two of them sat on the hood. Burns crawled a little closer through the tall grass and threw the rock. It hit the fender above the right tire with a loud ping.

  The Jijis sprang into action to investigate and turned on a flashlight. The beam of light came around the side of the car and then out into the field. The four Jijis gripped their rifles tighter as they stood looking out into the darkness. They didn’t hear the footsteps behind them.

  With his tomahawk in his left hand, Bassett rushed in, swinging the axe across the back of the neck of the Jiji on the far left, while thrusting his knife into the side of the man next to him. Both grunted in pain as they fell to the ground. Bassett didn’t have time to worry about whether they were dead as he advanced to the next Jiji, who turned around to see what happened. Bassett could feel his heart pumping in his chest as he swung the axe upwards catching the Jiji in the jaw. A scream echoed in the night air as Bassett then swung the deadly axe around back into the Jiji’s head. The impact to his head threw the man sideways as blood flew in different directions.

  Burns sprang up and used the butt of his rifle to charge the Jiji holding the flashlight. He smashed him in the face and then swung the rifle across his face knocking him to the ground before coming down hard again, shattering his teeth.

  Then a shot rang out in the still of the night.

  The second Jiji Bassett had attacked pulled the trigger again before Bassett finished him off with a blow to the head.

  Burns came around the front of the car and saw headlights turn on down the road. From the north end of the road, more headlights turned on. They had less than a minute before they would have company.

  Chapter 15

  Bassett hopped into the car and reached for the ignition hoping the keys were there. The cold metal jingled between his fingers. The Ford Taurus started right up. While waiting for Burns to retrieve their gear they left on the side of the road, he adjusted his goggles. Bassett heard Burns smashing the taillights before getting into the car. Burns jumped in and slammed the door. Bassett backed it up a few feet before turning the wheel to avoid running over the dead Jijis and turned down Allen Road as the approaching car came straight at them.

  “I need a route,” Bassett ordered.

  Burns grabbed the map and quickly found their location. “Take the first left and then a right one klick up.”

  Bassett stopped before taking a left on Van Tuyle Road and looked in the rearview mirror to see if anyone was going to follow them. A car turned down Allen Road and then another.

  “All right you sons-of-a-bitches, game on,” said Bassett flooring the pedal.

  He slowed down before taking a right on Lemm Road and then flew down the dirt road kicking up dust, which made him wonder if the Jijis could track the dust trail. They had to be wondering how they were driving with no lights on.

  Burns turned in his seat to watch if they came down Lemm Road. One car continued down Allen, while the second followed them.

  “Lost one. Other one’s coming in fast.” He looked down at the map. “This road will curve to the right and then the left.”

  “Should we have a little fun with them?” asked Bassett.

  “As appealing as that is, we’ve got places to go.”

  “You’re just no fun, Dad.”

  “I know.”

  Bassett wasn’t too disappointed because there’d be other opportunities later tonight. He hoped they’d be able to find an escape route so they could start moving some of the women and children to safety tonight. It would make the situation easier knowing the townspeople were out of the way. They could then use all their resources to fight the enemy and take out as many as they could before moving on. He wondered if Winters would then want to attack Mordulfah back in Grosse Pointe. If they could take out the majority of his men, it would be difficult to recruit more this late in the game. Plus, nobody wants to fight for a loser.

  They lost the pursuing Jiji on the back roads and made their way to the other side of the perimeter. Pulaski Road was the Jiji’s western border and ran from Michigan Highway 60 down to US 12. Michigan 60 ran parallel to Robinson Road, where last night’s battle took place.

  Bassett drove through the small town of Hanover, again wondering how many people were hiding in hopes the Jijis would eventually leave. What these people didn’t know was the Jijis were burning the towns out of existence. Bassett could only think Mordulfah did this to ensure the population would leave and never come back. It was a time-consuming strategy, but quite effective. With all the housing gone, what choice would any stragglers have but leave the area? Mordulfah obviously didn’t worry about rebuilding the area since he could do it in a way that could be used to control the people by assigning families and groups in particular areas.

  Bassett drove on Hanover Road and Burns had him pull over before they hit Pulaski Road. They got out of the car and crept through the fields taking enough time to assess how many men were guarding Pulaski Road. It didn’t take them long to discover the Jijis spread further apart than the others they had seen. Bassett figured every mile and a half as opposed to every mile. He believed they could bring a small number of people through here with no problems.

  Chapter 16

  Jackson Michigan

  Winters walked into the hospital cafeteria to find Elliott, Scar, and Meeks sitting together. It was the first time he’d seen Meeks out of his room. The frag he had caught in his leg from the car bomb apparently wasn’t enough to keep him off his feet even one day. He had slept most of the day and seemed to be ready to get back into the fight. Winters was glad to see him and only wished Nate was ready, but his wound would keep him out of the action for at least a few days if not more.

  “Captain,” they all greeted him.

  Winters sat down and placed the handheld radio down on the table. “Guys. Meeks, get enough sleep?”

  “Too much sleep if you ask me, but damn those painkillers buried me in that soft pillow. I couldn’t move for the life of me.”

  “He still can’t move,” laughed Scar.

  “A few more cups of coffee and we’ll see who can move,” said Meeks giving Scar a pat on the back.

  “How’s the leg?” asked Winters.

  “It’s stiff, hurts some, but I’ve 800 milligrams of Motrin running through my veins.”

  “Don’t push yourself.”

  “C’mon, Captain. You know I’m going to.”

  Winters turned to Elliott. “How’s Nate?”

  “Sleeping. That boy ain’t going anywhere.”

  Winters thought about bringing up last night’s battle but decided against it as they rarely ever discussed previous battles. They all just took it for what it was and moved on. Despite losing some men last night, they all knew how lucky they had been and didn’t want to jinx whatever it was they had going for them.

  “How’s Pieces?” asked Meeks, using the nickname he gave Reese.

  “Full of drugs and that’s got her feeling pretty damn good,” said Winters.

  Meeks directed a laugh to Scar. “Buddy, you need to try this wounded thing, the drugs are so worth it.”

  “I’m good, Meeks. I’ll let you be the druggie for both of us.”

  “Alright, suit yourself.”

  “So, what’s the plan, Captain?” asked Elliott.

  “Waiting for Bassett and Burns to get back first.”

  “We’re going to go get some payback, right, Captain?” asked Meeks.

  Winters nodded.

  “Good, cuz that’s kinda of why I’m up. Otherwise, that soft pillow is calling my name.”

  “And his name is, Wimpy,” smiled Scar.

  “Right now, I’m kinda good with that.”

  Winters rolled his eyes slightly seeing things were back to normal with these two.

  The radio sitting on the table came to life. Winters picked it up and acknowledge.


  It was Burns checking in. “Captain, we’re on our way back.”

  “How’s it looking?”

  “We have an exit.”

  “Copy, we’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

  Winters looked at Scar. “You wanna go and find, Nordell?”

  The four of them stood up and made their way to the lobby. Scar and Meeks headed off in a pickup to find Nordell, while Winters and Elliott decided to check on the wounded one more time.

  It was getting late in the evening and they found them all sleeping. Winters peeked into Reese’s room and found Amber holding a flashlight, reading a book. He could see the bruise around her eye from the punch she’d received from the cop she had killed the other night. She wore the same jeans from last night, but it looked like she had washed them. Her navy blue tank top was definitely new, as the one from last night had been covered with blood from helping Reese. She looked up and put the book down.

  “She asleep?”

  Amber nodded.

  “We’re headed out for the night. You gonna stick around or you wanna come out and play?”

  Amber didn’t hesitate, laying her book down as she jumped up out of her seat.

  Winters chuckled. “I kinda thought so.”

  “As much as I like looking after her and listening to Nate bitch, I’m going a little stir crazy.”

  “I hear ya.”

  She turned the flashlight off, set it down on the nightstand for Reese, grabbed her black nylon jacket, and followed Winters out to the dimly lit hallway where Elliott stood waiting. They then proceeded outside to wait for Bassett to arrive, which only took a few minutes.

  A Taurus pulled into the parking lot and Winters knew something happened because they had gone out in a Prius.