by Warren Ray
Bassett eased off the brake to pull out of the driveway and back on Confederation Street. It was only another six blocks before they came to the end of the road and Quinn told Bassett to take a right turn on Christina Street. As soon as he made the turn, they could see a cop car in the distance with its flashing lights on.
Quinn leaned forward. “That’s one of Wilson’s.”
“How do you know?” asked Scar.
“He’s got his lights on, but we haven’t heard anything on the radio, which means he’s still keeping this quiet.”
Quinn pointed to the left, and Bassett made the turn into a sandpit.
“Isn’t this where we landed?” asked Burns.
“Yes.”
“This is a dumb place for us to be,” said Nordell.
“No, it’ll be alright,” said Quinn. “Go left here.”
“Explain,” ordered Nordell.”
“We’ll be on the other side, it’s more than three hundred yards away from where you landed.”
The big sand mounds reminded Scar and Burns of their two battles in sandpits. The first one resulted in a couple of hundred deaths by execution. The sight of gunmen shooting innocent women, children, and the elderly in the back was not an easy thing to handle for any of the Shadow Patriots. They had gotten there too late to prevent it but ended up killing the executioners. It was only a small victory considering all the people who had been murdered in cold blood. It was at that moment when they learned what the National Police were really up to when they came in to clear out a town of its citizens. It was also that day when they saved six girls, including Amber. The other battle was after they rescued the girls from the party house. Both battles resulted in the murder of many innocent lives and forever seared the atrocities of this war in their memories.
Bassett came to the water’s edge and pulled the car around before backing it up. As soon as he stopped, Scar got out and looked around through the darkness. The white sand grabbed whatever light it could and reflected it off the ground. This was where night vision goggles came in the handiest. With the top of the line optics they had, they could see everything, and it always gave them an advantage over their enemy. General Standish had been gracious in supplying them with the best their military had to offer.
Burns unhooked the boat and the five of them manhandled it to the water. Burns jumped in the boat and after two tries had it started.
“Get in, Quinn,” ordered Scar.
Scar waited for Bassett and Nordell before squeezing into the small skiff. He sat in the back with Burns, who piloted the small craft into the dark waters. The light chop rocked the small boat from side to side.
Scar leaned toward Burns. “You remember where we were?”
“Yeah, just up this way,” he said pointing a little north.
They weren’t but fifty feet away from shore when Bassett shouted out. “We got headlights over there.”
Scar looked ahead. “Damn it.”
“More than likely from Detroit,” said Nordell.
“What about Don?” asked Bassett.
Scar considered his options. Whether they had Hadley or not, they still needed a vehicle to get back to Jackson. They were going to have to engage with whomever was over there. They didn’t have much in the way of weapons and would have to come in stealth. He turned to Burns. “Come in a little to the south.”
Burns nodded and steered the boat to the left. Everyone kept their eyes on the headlights, which grew bigger the closer they got. Scar continued to stare across the water when blood rushed to his face as muzzle flashes lit up the night sky followed by the cracking of gunfire.
Chapter 61
Port Huron Michigan
Hearing that cops had shown up where the girls were made Meeks realize they had more to contend with than he initially thought. The ones that drove by earlier hadn’t come back yet. He was sure because he had a pair of spotters watching the bridge, and they reported that no one had crossed back over yet. This meant more cops were in the Port Huron area perhaps because they knew Scar and company had escaped. If that were the case, they’d try to get back across the river by whatever means available, even if it meant swimming. He radioed Eddie, who was a mile from Amber and Reese, to hurry to them. He decided to gather his force and go there himself when his spotter called back.
“Detroit is crossing, I say again, Detroit is crossing.”
Meeks grabbed the radio. “How many?”
“All four.”
Time slowed down as Meeks realized he wouldn’t be able to help the girls. He threw his hands up at Taylor. “What the hell, Badger.”
“We can’t chance it,” said Taylor.
“Damn it.”
“I know, I know, damned if we do, damned if we don’t.”
Meeks’ chest tightened as he grabbed the radio. “Alright, everyone, get ready.”
Taylor wore a scowl on his face. “We’re too far away to help the girls anyway.”
Meeks nodded trying to convince himself of the same thing.
They jogged out of the woods and across the interstate to the big snowplows where the rest of the guys were already in place. He chambered a round in his M-4 and leaned against the front of the truck. Up ahead he had four guys lying in wait amongst the tall grass with another group behind him. He had assigned each group a sequential target.
The bridge was just a mile away, which meant the cops would be here in seconds. Meeks took a deep breath when lights broke over the horizon. One of the men shouted they were coming. Meeks patted himself on the back for putting the snowplows on the road. It gave them the perfect hiding spot while forcing the convoy to slow their speed.
The lead squad car was not Meeks’ assigned target, his was the second car and he fought against all his instincts to not shoot. It flew by and Meeks turned the corner of the truck with his rifle to his shoulder for the second car. He pulled the trigger and muzzle flashes lit up the night as hot shell casings flew into the air. The magazine emptied and Taylor came around, stepping into the lane shouting as he fired point-blank into the car. The car veered to the right as it slowed down.
Gunfire continued as all the groups engaged their targets filling the squad cars with lead and killing anyone inside. Meeks slammed a fresh magazine in and came back around because the third car was still coming at them. He grabbed Taylor’s jacket collar and yanked him backward. The third car then crashed into the side of the plow before bouncing away.
“Damn you, you son of a bitch,” Taylor yelled pulling out an empty mag and throwing in a full one.
Tires squealed and Meeks turned around, as the paddy wagon drove over the grassy median and onto the opposite lane zooming past them. He raised his rifle up but backed off when he realized he could hit the backend where his friends would be sitting if they were in there. He yelled out when a shot rang out from the top of the roof across the road. Hollis found his target with a single shot into the driver’s window. The van sped up but started to swerve heading back into the median. The driver had lost control and the van flipped over on its side.
Meeks’ jaw dropped and he ran toward it with his rifle to his shoulder. The way the van flipped, at the speed it was traveling, was going to cause some serious injuries. His friends would have broken bones and concussions. This was the last thing they needed since they were hours away from their doctor in Jackson.
He approached the van in a cautious manner and looked in the windshield. The dead driver had blood running down his face. A bullet hole in his shoulder bled down his arm. The passenger waved his hand to surrender when Meeks came around holding a gun on him. He then rushed to the back and pulled open the door. Relief swept over him when he found it empty.
Taylor came running up. “I guess they did get away.”
“Yeah, I guess they did. I got a live one up front.”
They circled back around only to find the passenger had died.
“That’s that,” said Taylor. “We need to get to the girls.”
Chapter 62
While watching the water for any sign of Scar crossing in a boat, Amber and Reese had spotted a few Sarnia cops taking an interest in the shoreline. Neither one of them noticed that Detroit cops were approaching from behind. Two squad cars came down Griswold Street and passed by the garage where they stashed their supplies. As soon as the cars reached the end of the street, they started coming across the tall grassy field toward the girls. They had nowhere to go as the cops split up and approached them on either side of their position.
“Let’s back up,” whispered Amber, as she turned the volume down on the radio before throwing the binoculars back inside the waterproof case and snapping it shut.
Reese nodded and they began crawling backward into the tall grass while dragging their stuff down a slight decline. The closer they got to the river, the sound of splashing water grew louder. It only took a few seconds before the water seeped into her boots, stealing what warmth remained before climbing up her legs. She gritted her teeth as the water started to soak the front of her shirt exploding goose bumps on her skin. It reminded her of when she and Meeks had been on the run and fell into a pond before the rain started. The cold water would make her shake and sap her energy like it did that night. How she and Meeks ever made it out of there was a miracle. She wanted to jump up and empty a magazine into the cars, but she’d be out in the open between the cars and didn’t know how many cops there were. If there was one thing she had learned over the past couple of months, it was to be patient and not to panic. Take a few moments to assess the situation, find out their numbers, and remember you still had the element of surprise.
Car doors opened and slammed shut while Reese looked at Amber mouthing four cops. She raised her head and looked through the night vision goggles. The car headlights beamed across the water, which kept them in the shadows.
Reese froze when one cop started walking toward them. She didn’t dare look away for fear of making a sound or moving the tall grass. Reese stared at the approaching cop and recognized him. He had been at the party house and had been with her on one occasion. She remembered he had been quick and didn’t linger too long. It had been early in the evening and he had just gotten started. He was one of the ones who liked to visit as many girls as he could in one night rather than stay with just one or two girls all night. At least he didn’t beat on her like some of them did. She remembered every single one of them and experienced the pleasure of killing several of them. This would be another notch on her belt. She wouldn’t be satisfied until they were all dead. She felt Mister Hyde wanting to come out and play, but she tightened her muscles to contain him while fighting off the shivers that were spreading through her body.
The cop came closer and was now a mere ten feet away.
Reese could hear Amber’s rapid breathing. She was fighting off the cold as well, but this would disappear as soon as they opened fire and the adrenaline took over.
“You see anything, Eric?”
“No, man,” said the cop, now standing right above Reese.
She nodded remembering the name. She didn’t know all their names but remembered their faces.
“Maybe we should shut the lights off,” said another cop.
Eric looked down at the shoreline.
Reese’s eyes grew wide when the cop noticed something didn’t look right. He stared right at her but was unable to figure out what it was. Reese tightened her grip on the Colt M-4 when he went for a flashlight on his belt.
The cop turned the light on. “What the hell?”
Reese sprang up pointing the rifle at him and pulling the trigger. The M-4 was in single shot mode, but the one round was all it took to bring him down. It hit him right in the gut and he cried out in pain. Reese took a quick look at him to see he wasn’t going anywhere. She flicked the switch to full auto just as Amber jumped up and started spraying the squad car to her left. Reese took the car to her right and found an exposed cop, but she was too late and he dropped to the grass and scooted out of the way.
The cops began returning fire, and the girls slid back down into the water. Adrenaline raced through them allowing them to ignore the cold. Bullets whistled by, and a splash of water shot up in front of them. All the while the wounded cop continued to scream out in pain.
Reese wanted a moment with him to let him know who was about to kill him. She shook her head realizing that was Mister Hyde talking, and she no longer wanted any part of him. She raised her weapon and finished him off with a three-shot burst.
“How many did you get?” asked Amber.
“Just that one, you?”
“None. Bastards ducked out of the way.”
“Where the hell’s our back up?”
“Good question,” said Amber, as she pulled out the radio. “Eddie, where are you?”
It took a few seconds before he returned. “Hold tight, we’re running as fast as we can?”
Amber shook her head at Reese knowing they’d have to hold tight for at least another five minutes, which in a gun battle was an eternity. She rose up and fired a three round burst taking out the headlights. “Take those out.”
Reese nodded and shot out both lights blinding the enemy and giving them a slight advantage with their night-vision optics. It wasn’t much, but they’d take what they could get. The cops still knew where they were.
“I don’t wanna, but we need to get further out,” said Reese.
“Yep.”
The further they waded into the water the more the current tugged at them. They only dared to go waist deep, which put them about twenty feet away from the shore. They moved out far enough to see the cops had opened their doors and were now using them as cover. If they opened fire now, they’d give away their new positions. Muzzle flashes began to appear and rounds ripped into the shore where they had just been. The cops began using automatic weapons and took turns firing a wide swath. Rounds started splashing in front of them again.
Reese shook her head at what they had to do. “Go, Amber, we’ve got to flank them.”
Amber nodded and floated down the river.
Chapter 63
Burns pointed the eighteen-foot skiff toward the American shore and was fifty feet out when they noticed headlights shining across the water. Scar ordered Burns to come in a little south so they could sneak in to see who it was. No sooner had he altered course than muzzle flashes appeared. They assumed cops had snuck up on Hadley.
“We’ve got two returning fire,” yelled Bassett.
“Can’t be Hadley then,” said Nordell, “unless he’s got help.”
Everyone stared at the shore when the return fire started lighting up the sky.
“It’s more than one cop,” said Bassett.
“They must be out looking for us,” said Nordell.
Scar turned to Burns. “Can’t this thing go any faster?”
“This is it.”
Scar took a deep breath trying to calm down. This wasn’t an ideal situation as they didn’t have a lot of weaponry unless their stash was still in the garage. They weren’t even sure which ones were the bad guys. They would be there in a few more minutes and he needed to figure out what to do with Quinn. Should he just let him go now or make him wait until they had more intel? Despite the help he had been giving then, he still didn’t trust him.
The shore was about seventy-feet away when a barrage of gunfire fired echoed across the river. Whoever it was, wasn’t taking any chances.
Burns landed the boat at a pier about a thousand feet from the gun battle. Bassett hopped out first, followed by Nordell, who motioned at Quinn.
“Tie the bastard up,” said Nordell, “we’ll come back for him.”
Scar looked around and found a small tree to use. He ordered Quinn over to it and then used his own handcuffs on him.
“But you said you’d let me go.”
“I will, just as soon as we figure out what this is.”
Bassett tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back.”
They started toward the gun battle to find it was cops firing from behind their cars. Scar led the way keeping low to the ground as they got closer. He looked out over the water but couldn’t see who the cops were shooting at. It had to be Hadley, but why were there two shooters?
They were about five hundred feet away when something in the water caught Scar’s attention. He froze while throwing his hand up motioning to the water. He pointed the Sig Sauer he had confiscated from the cops. He squinted his eyes and watched a shadow come out of the water. It was too dark to make out who it was, but the person squatted down and started walking toward the gun battle.
Bassett grabbed Scar’s arm. “That looks like Amber.”
“You sure?”
“I’d know that figure anywhere,” smiled Bassett.
Scar cupped his hands to his mouth. “Amber.”
The shadow stopped walking before turning around and recognizing her friends through the goggles. “I’ll be damned.” Amber ran to them. “Hell, am I glad to see you guys.”
“What’s going on?”
Amber gave them a quick rundown. “Reese is flanking the other side. She’s got two to deal with.”
Scar looked at the soaking wet Amber and figured her energy was drained. No telling how tired Reese was and if she’d be able to hold up. Scar asked for her radio and called out to Meeks. He didn’t pick up, which meant he was being held up.
“Bassett, take the goggles, I want you to go around and catch up to Reese. We’ll take out this one.”
“You got it.