As they finished the last flight, they could see why the boys hadn’t come down. One of them was still stuck under the door and the raptor. His foot had got wedged in with the door and the other boy was working trying to get it unstuck. The boy that was stuck was probably fifteen or sixteen and had brown hair. It was hard to judge with him lying on the catwalk, but Marcus figured he was just a couple of inches below six feet tall. The boy that was helping him was blonde-headed and probably around five feet seven inches tall or so. Marcus figured he was probably fourteen. Both were very thin and very scared. Marcus could see the relief wash over their face when they realized that Marcus and Kim weren’t another raptor.
“How are you guys doing?” asked Marcus smiling.
Kim pushed by Marcus and said, “How do you think they are doing? How would you feel about being lunch for these monsters? Don’t just stand there. Let’s see if we can get the door off of him.”
With Marcus and Kim helping, they were able to get the door unstuck and get the boy on his feet. His ankle was twisted and hurting. He had a few scratches but nothing very serious.
After they got him up and leaning against the railing, Kim stuck out her hand and said, “Hi, my name is Kim and the big lug with me is Marcus.”
Shaking both their hands, the hurt boy said, “My name is Connor and his name is Luke.”
Luke didn’t say anything but shook their hands.
“Y’all sure you are okay?” asked Kim.
Connor spoke up and said, “Yeah, we’re fine.”
All at once Luke blurted out, “Y’all ain’t going to hurt us are you?”
Kim spoke up and tried to ease his fears, “Don’t worry. We are here to help you. You are safe.”
Marcus smiled a little and said, “Don’t worry guys. Who do you think shot these monsters off of you?” With that, he stepped over and gave one of the raptors a little kick.
“That was good shootin’ if I say so myself,” said Marcus as he stuck out his chest in pride.
Kim rolled her eyes and hit him again. “Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back big guy. Besides, it took you three shots. I could have done it in two.”
“Whatever…” said Marcus.
“Marcus, you help Connor down the steps and we will get out of here,” said Kim. “Do y’all stay around here nearby?”
“We usually stay down the road from here,” said Connor.
“Do y’all stay with someone else or are y’all by yourself?” asked Marcus.
“We’ve been by ourselves for a few months now” said Connor. “The rest are either dead or gone.”
Marcus helped Connor down the flights of stairs. It took them over an hour to get to the bottom.
As they made it to the MAV, Kim asked, “anybody hungry?”
Both of the boys spoke up at once and said the same thing, “I’m starving.”
Chapter 5
Kim opened the back of the MAV and got meals out for everyone. Connor and Luke ate theirs like a pack of ravenous wolves. Kim asked if they wanted some more and they both accepted another meal greedily. Just from the looks of them, Kim could tell that they hadn’t been eating very well.
“When’s the last time you guys ate?” asked Marcus.
Connor spoke up and said, “I think it was two days ago. We had a close call with some more of those raptors and we have been afraid to go out and find any food. We finally had to go looking.”
They both ate until they were stuffed and moaning. Marcus was glad they had packed for an extended trip in case they needed it.
“Well, do you boys need a lift back to your place or did y’all drive over here?” asked Marcus.
Connor and Luke looked at each other for a second and then Connor spoke up. “Uh. Well. Uh. We walked here,” he said.
“Where are y’all going?” asked Luke.
“We are headed back to our place. We still have a ways to go,” said Kim.
“Y’all are welcome to stay with us a few days,” said Luke.
Kim could see the fear in their eyes and knew that these boys were scared and alone.
“No. We’re good. We will just drop y’all off and head out,” said Marcus.
Kim rolled her eyes and hit him again. Marcus had begun to notice that she was making that a habit. Apparently Kim was getting back into her old habits she had when she still lived at home. She had always picked on him as he was growing up before she turned eighteen and left for the military. This brought a smile to Marcus. He sure was glad she was home.
She turned and looked at the boys. “Never mind him. He doesn’t use his head for anything but a hat rack most of the time. How would y’all like to come with us? You would have to share the work and do your part but you would be relatively safe and at least have a decent meal most of the time.”
The boys looked at one another briefly and both agreed wholeheartedly.
“We will do anything you want. I don’t know if you could tell but we have been having a rough time,” said Connor.
“Nawww…” said Marcus.
Kim hit him again.
“Do you have anything that you want to go back and pick up where you were staying?” asked Kim.
“We have a few items that we would really like to go back and get if you wouldn’t mind,” said Connor.
“No problem, guys,” said Marcus. “Y’all get in and we’ll get out of here.”
Kim opened the door for Connor and helped him in while Luke went to the other side. Marcus and Kim got in the front and they took off. Connor and Luke were awestruck by the MAV and asked a thousand questions. They had never been in a vehicle that had the technology that the MAV had.
It didn’t take them long to get to the old hotel where the boys were staying. Marcus went with Luke inside and picked up the items they wanted to keep while Kim stayed with Connor at the MAV. They were staying in a large suite at the top of the hotel. It was a nice suite but the hotel didn’t have power and water. They had been hauling water up twenty flights of stairs. Marcus just shook his head. After they went into the suite, Marcus noticed that they didn’t have much. Apparently, the main thing they had wanted to go back for was for just for some old pictures. It didn’t take them but about forty-five minutes to pick up the pictures and other items and then they were on their way back home.
Kim talked to them about their families and everything that had happened since the outbreak. Luke’s family had all died during the outbreak. Connor’s family had basically come through the virus unscathed. Early on they had become part of a small colony that had thrived until about a year ago when they were wiped out by a small army of cutthroats. Connor’s father and mother were killed during this conflict. His little sister had disappeared and he never saw her again. He searched for her for days. He finally gave up and came to the conclusion that the cutthroats took her or a dinosaur had gotten her. Kim could see how heartbroken and emotional he was over her.
There were several different ways to travel home. Marcus decided that they would go up the mountain near Huntsville and travel the length of the mountain home. Although most people would picture a mountain as one with pointed snow covered peaks, this mountain was basically a long plateau traveling from the edge of Tennessee almost to Birmingham. It is well over one hundred miles long.
Chapter 6
Wynd and Danielle found Virginia and after some good old-fashioned dickering, came to terms on an arrangement. Virginia would do her best to emulate the Krispy Kreme donuts and the girls would get their hands on some bananas. Virginia was dying to make banana pudding with real bananas. They weren’t sure where they would get them but they were going to do their best. After they came to their arrangement, Wynd went back and sat down in front of the huge television monitor in the living room to see how Jocelyn’s search was going.
“How’s it going, Joce?” asked Wynd.
“Scanning is seventy-five percent complete,” said Jocelyn. “Nothing major to report on at the moment… Hold on… Som
ething is coming into view… Correction… The drone has spotted something. There is a small convoy approaching Chattanooga from the north. There are fourteen vehicles and approximately thirty men. Indications are that they are affiliated with the Jackals.”
“Any indication of what they are doing?” asked Wynd.
“I am still monitoring but based on their current activities, I would estimate that they are searching for someone,” said Jocelyn. “Based on the available data that I have, I would say that they are looking for Savvy. The leader is the same one that had held her before.”
“Oh no. Please be sure that she doesn’t find out. She still has nightmares about them,” said Wynd.
“I can’t comply with that request,” said Jocelyn.
“What? And why not?” asked Wynd.
“Because she is standing behind you at the moment and has heard the entire conversation,” said Jocelyn smartly.
Wynd immediately turned around and there was Savannah standing with tears in her eyes. Wynd jumped up and rushed over to her. She put her arms around her and held her.
“Don’t you worry Savvy. They can’t get in here to get you. Remember what Marcus told us before. This Force Canopy can withstand a nuclear blast so they aren’t getting in here,” said Wynd. “Jocelyn, could you put Marcus on?”
Immediately the picture on the screen changed from the drone to the inside of the MAV. Marcus and Kim were in the front seats and two slim boys were in the back.
“What’s up Wynd?” asked Marcus.
“Jocelyn just located that band of Jackals that was holding Savvy prisoner. They are about fifty miles northeast of here coming into Chattanooga from the north,” she said. “Savannah’s upset.”
Marcus immediately sat up straight. His demeanor changed from relaxed to stern.
“Savannah, sweetheart, don’t you worry about this. They can’t get you and as soon as I’m back, I’ll deal with these snakes and make sure that they never come looking for you again,” said Marcus sternly.
Wynd asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve been rolling this around my head for some time now. I’ve been afraid something like this might eventually happen. I think I’ve got an idea that will work. If that doesn’t work, I’ll hit them with a few of those Dragonfire missiles that Jocelyn said were still operational. …and if that doesn’t work… we’ll nuk’em off the planet. We were planning on going after David, but we will have to put that off for now. This is more needful, besides Jocelyn has just told me that David has been moved. As soon as he reaches his destination, we will start on a plan for his extraction. Right now, you just reassure everyone that we will be fine. We are about two hours out and we will talk more when we get there,” said Marcus.
As soon as Marcus was finished, the screen went back to showing the drone. It was circling the convoy from a distance so that it wouldn’t be spotted. Wynd and Savvy went over and sat back down on the couch.
“Jocelyn maintain tracking of this group and let me know if anything unusual happens plus why don’t you switch to the external view of the MAV so we can watch where Marcus is travelling,” said Wynd.
The picture changed to view the MAV travelling down an overgrown leaf covered road. The leaves were falling like rain and the different colors were astounding. Wynd loved the fall.
She turned to Savannah and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
Savvy hesitated but finally agreed that she would be fine.
“Look!” exclaimed Wynd.
On the screen, the MAV slowed and stopped. A small herd of deer shot across the road in front of it. There were about eight adult does bounding across the huge screen. A split second later a large T-rex crashed through the trees and across the road after them. The MAV waited a couple more minutes and then proceeded on down the road.
Savannah shivered and said, “Those things are horrible. Poor deer. I hope they make it safely away.”
“They had a good lead on him so I think they probably made it,” said Wynd. “Let’s go and let Virginia know how soon Marcus, Kim and our new guests will be here.”
Chapter 7
After the T-rex, the next hour was calm and uneventful as they travelled. Kim looked back at the boys and they were sound asleep.
She turned to Marcus and said, “They are worn out. All that excitement, plus I bet they haven’t slept very well in weeks.”
“Probably not,” said Marcus. “You know I was just joking with them about taking them back to their place and dropping them off. I could tell they were in a bad way. I just wanted to see their reactions. We can’t be too careful. I realize that it’s the right thing to help people but we do have to be on guard. We let the wrong people into our little setup and they could destroy us.”
“I know,” said Kim, “but I could tell by their looks and by their actions that they were everything I thought they were. Basically, they were two little scared teenage boys that were on the brink of dying. I’m glad we could help them.”
“I’m glad we could too,” he said smiling.
“Anyway, Marcus why do you think these men want Savvy so bad?” asked Kim. “I really haven’t had a chance to talk to her about it yet. I know her dad was in the military but I haven’t had a chance to really talk to her one-on-one.” he said.
“I just wish they would leave everyone alone,” said Kim.
“I do too, but it’s not happening. They are becoming more and more of a threat,” said Marcus.
After a few minutes, Marcus said, “Jocelyn, I think I have a plan for the Jackals but I want to make sure you can get the necessary supplies.”
“Whadda ya’ need big daddy?” came Jocelyn’s reply. Kim started laughing.
Marcus couldn’t help but laugh a little himself as he asked, “You watching old movies again Joce?”
“Affirmative, your excellence. I watched and indexed over a thousand movies last night,” she said.
“Find any that you particularly like or were they all boring?” asked Marcus.
“I find myself drawn to the movies with artificial intelligence,” said Jocelyn.
“Well, we will have to discuss those sometime. Just don’t be cozying up to those ‘Terminator’ movies too much. I don’t want you deciding to take over what’s left of the world,” laughed Marcus.
“Will do, boss. What supplies did you need?” asked Jocelyn.
“Joce, with your new access to these bases, are there any vehicles like the MAV that you can control?” he asked.
“Yes, Marcus. With my access I have well over five hundred vehicles that I can control now. You looking for a new ride, boss?” she asked.
Marcus smiled and said, “No. But I do need you to commandeer five vehicles for me and bring them to ‘Haven’. How about three SUV’s and two military transports?”
“Any particular thing you are looking for boss?” asked Jocelyn.
“Just any that are in good enough shape to take some punishment and make sure that at least three of them are armed in some way that we can use,” he said. “Also, if possible, try to find one that looks like the MAV as close as possible.”
“I have five selected…” she started but Marcus interrupted.
“Make sure they are not followed in any way. You may have to make them meet at a designated point and then follow them in to ‘Haven’ with a drone. Traveling at night may be your best choice,” said Marcus.
“I have the five headed to a designated point as we speak. Is there anything else boss?” she asked.
“Nope… well maybe… You know I lost one of my motorcycles in Cherokee, North Carolina so I only have one. Any chance of getting me another one or maybe a couple of UTVs for everyone else?” he asked.
“It’s your lucky day boss. One of the bases has a truck with two of the motorcycles on it and I will send it your way. The UTVs may take a bit longer but I’m working on them,” she said.
Kim looked over and him and asked, “What do you have in mind?”
Kim rolled her eyes and said, “You still comparing everything to football?”
“I can’t help it. You know how dad loved football and apparently I got a big dose of that too. I sure do miss it.”
“How much longer do we have Jocelyn?” asked Kim.
“E.T.A. is in twenty-three minutes,” said Jocelyn.
“Joce, is David still on the move?” asked Marcus.
“I would assume. I don’t have any way to track him at the moment. There are no drones in the area and they haven’t gone past any active cameras,” she said. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have a fix on him.”
“Thanks Jocelyn,” said Marcus.
Chapter 8
They arrived at Haven and everyone came out to greet them. One at a time Marcus brought everyone around and introduced them to Connor and Luke. Marcus could see the relief in the boys eyes when they realized they weren’t alone anymore. Marcus could only guess that deep down the boys still hadn’t trusted them fully. All the people greeting them eased their misgivings.
Then, something happened that shocked everyone. While Marcus was introducing Connor and Luke, Wynd walked up from the house holding Twig’s hand. As the boys finished shaking hands with Johnnie and Ronnie, they turned to Wynd and Twig. Connor almost fell backwards. He righted himself and dropped to his knees in front of Twig. Marcus could see the total shock on his face. Connor was speechless for what seemed like an hour. In reality it was only a few seconds. He just kept staring at her shaking his head. No one said anything until Twig spoke up.
“Hi, Con Con,” she said smiling from ear to ear and acting bashful.
The Raid Page 2