by Nathan Combs
Wade smiled. “Trust me, Stuart, I’d like nothing better than to be able to take a hot shower with genuine water pressure.”
Chapter Fourteen
Flickering Light
It took three trips to the elementary school to salvage their gear, and Nina was busy examining what was left. Because so many of her people were dead, there was an abundance of clothing and footwear for those who survived. The murderers had removed the firing pins from the majority of their weapons, but they found sixty still functioning, plus hundreds of rounds of ammo. Everything was inventoried, and they had more per person now than before. The important items they salvaged included thirteen functional headsets, seven night vision devices, five solar battery chargers, twenty-two micro-water filters, plus an assortment of knives and other valuable tools and gear. Heather found Nina’s leather outfit and sword, and also brought her personal items that survived the blast.
Deep in thought, she pondered her next move. If she was going to have her revenge, she could not afford to make a mistake. Realizing it was necessary to change the way they operated, she thought, The first thing I need is a true right hand. Someone I can trust implicitly. And she was pretty sure she knew who that person was. Rising from her reverie, she took one last look at her cache of gear and went searching for Heather.
Nina was elated. The night spent with Heather not only provided her with a new right hand, it produced the best lover she’d ever had. She spent the next three days reorganizing what was left of The Light. Heather became her second in command, and she promoted Cougar to head scout and advisor. Meetings were held every night, and she constantly reassured and motivated her people, hammering the idea of revenge into them.
They responded. Nina was, and always would be, their beloved queen. They worshipped her and would follow her blindly, never questioning what she said or did.
Certain things had to be changed immediately. She needed a plan that would work where-ever they were, and decided the past version of The Light was too big, too incompetent, and just too difficult to feed. The new version had to be a lean, mean machine, with a core group of people she could trust. They needed a diet that didn’t consist exclusively of meat and needed to be trained in military tactics. They needed better equipment and definitely needed to be more covert. She also realized it was the roasting ceremony that did them in. They had become too big and too visible. A totally new look was needed and she had to figure out how to utilize Saadeh’s juice to her advantage.
A knock on the door interrupted her reverie. It was Cougar. The scouting party brought back three people, and he wanted to know how she wanted to proceed.
“We aren’t going to assimilate anyone until we get our act together, Cougar. Put two on the menu for tonight, and save one for tomorrow. We’re stopping the roasting ceremonies for now. You know why. Cook them in the woods away from the school. I don’t want the smoke attracting attention.”
Cougar didn’t know a lot about military tactics, but he was smart and knew how to use concealment to his advantage. Prior to the collapse, he worked construction and spent his free time in the woods. Six days after he found the “murderer’s lair,” he was teaching two of his scout recruits how to select a position, blend in, how to move and watch, when one of them said “Cougar, look,” and pointed to the north. Coming down Tapoco Road was a column of horsemen. Cougar’s first thought was that they were coming back to finish off the rest of them.
Turning to his men, he said, “I have to alert Nina. You guys stay here and keep an eye on them. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Nina told Heather to get everyone into the woods and take everything of value with them. “Stay hidden until we find out what they’re going to do.”
Turning to Cougar, she said, “Show me.”
They watched as the horsemen passed the elementary school and continued down the highway. They were nearly out of sight when Cougar said, “Those guys are DHS. They’re not here for us, Nina. They’re going back to those military guys.”
Nina was incredulous. “They’re going to fight those guys with fifteen men on horseback. That isn’t very smart.”
“Maybe that’s not what this is about. Should I track them and find out?”
Nina said, “Yes. But, Cougar, don’t take any chances. Just observe and get back here.”
Cougar almost stumbled into the sight line of the EOP, but his instincts, and Lady Luck, saved him again. He was about three hundred yards behind the horsemen when they stopped to water their horses. When they left, they were flying a white flag, and he stayed where he was and watched as they entered the forest service road. He remembered how the track twisted and turned, so he entered the woods on the right hand side. His intent was to secure a better vantage point. Topping the small hill above the trail, he looked back at the blacktop and immediately crouched down. He could just make out a new OP. Pulling out his binoculars, he focused on the man inside. Sweating, he thought, Whoa, that was close, again.
When he looked back at the trail, the column was stopped and the military guys were talking to them. He couldn’t hear, but watched them shake hands, and knew this meeting had nothing to do with The Light. Following them back to Robbinsville, he watched until they disappeared north of town.
“So what’s your best guess, Cougar?”
“That meeting had nothing to do with us, Nina. I’m absolutely positive about that. It’s like you said, they think they killed us all. I think the same guy I initially followed brought those horsemen back here. I don’t know what that meeting was about, but it wasn’t hostile.”
“Maybe it’s some sort of an alliance,” suggested Heather.
“That’s a good possibility. But if it’s an alliance, it’s not against us.”
Nina told Cougar to expedite the scout team’s training that now numbered four, and set three watches. One on the hill above the high school, one about a mile north of town adjacent to Tapoco Road, and one about two miles away, on a hill with a good view of the town and surrounding area. Under ideal conditions, their two-way radios had a range of about one mile, but ideal conditions almost never existed. The effective range was only about one-quarter mile. The watch above the school could maintain radio contact, but the two outliers had to run reports back. Nina wasn’t happy with that scenario, but realized until they could obtain better radios, it was the best they could do.
Two days after setting the new watches, the school lookout radioed in. “There’s a bunch of guys coming down the highway on horseback, led by a truck.”
Cougar, Nina, and Heather hustled to the lookout and watched the procession come down the highway.
Cougar’s jaw dropped and he said, “That’s a Hummer, Nina.”
“What’s a Hummer?”
“It’s a military vehicle. It replaced the old army Jeep. They’re badass, and this one has a fifty caliber machine gun mounted on it. I count fifty-one men, plus whoever’s in the Hummer.”
Nina’s face showed concern, and Cougar gingerly touched her shoulder. “They’re not here for us, Nina. Trust me. I know exactly where they’re going, and I know what route they’re going to take. I can take you to a spot where you can watch them until they’re four or five miles south of town.”
Nina took Heather aside and said, “I need to see this. Protect our people. I’ll be back soon.”
In case it was necessary to send someone back with a message, Cougar picked one of his men to use as a runner and turned to Nina. “Are you ready?”
Nina nodded.
Cougar led them at a trot through town to a hilltop two miles away. Twenty minutes later, they were ensconced on top of the hill and could see the column of men coming up Snowbird Road. They watched as it turned left onto Hwy 143, and just as the Hummer approached the sharp curve in the road, a figure appeared out of the brush, held up his hand, and they stopped.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” muttered Nina. “That’s one of the guys who killed our people.”
They were less tha
n two hundred yards from the procession and could clearly hear the command given over the Hummers PA system.
“Well, well, well,” muttered Nina. “Isn’t this interesting?”
Although they couldn’t hear everything being said, the body language and actions of the men told the story. It looked like they were talking to them three at a time, and Cougar pointed out the DHS men with red on their helmets were a part of the takedown, since they hadn’t been disarmed and weren’t sitting with the other guys. There was a brief pause in the process, and the last three guys were taken to the interviewers. One of those men, a big blond haired guy, was obviously not a happy camper, but after one of the military guys got in his face, he shut up. As they watched, two soldiers escorted them around a bend in the road, out of sight of the others. Because of their elevated position, Nina could see what happened next. Three shots were fired into a tree, then they were escorted down the road, their handcuffs were cut off, they were each handed a knife, and—miraculously—they were released into the woods.
Nina said, “Can you track those guys, Cougar?”
“Yeah, no problem. What do you want me to do?”
Nina told the runner to get back to the school and get Cougar’s team. “I want them armed with night vision, rope, and radios. We’ll wait here. And hurry up.”
When the runner was gone, Nina told Cougar, “I want you to capture those men and bring them to me. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I can do that.”
“Good. Don’t hurt them. I want to talk to them.”
Turning her attention back to the highway spectacle, she watched the leader walk back to the hummer and grab the mic. What he said next put everything into perspective. She knew what the ORNL was, and where it was. If this bastard thought he could bring back the United States of America with a lousy two hundred fifty men, he was in for a rude awakening. There might ultimately be another country, but it wouldn’t be a republic.
It’s going to be a monarchy, and it’s going to be ruled by a queen.
She now knew who the enemy was. Fifteen minutes later, three of the SPECOPS guys, including their murderous leader, entered the Hummer while three more mounted the horses once belonging to the banished DHS men. The entire procession turned back toward Robbinsville.
They’re probably going to the ORNL, she thought. When she looked back to where the takedown took place, everyone had disappeared.
Cougar heard them long before he saw them. They were sitting in a small clearing, talking. Positioning his men, he stepped from behind a tree and pointing his AK-47, said, “Don’t move. Put your hands up. Lay on the ground.” One of his men tied their hands behind their backs. Standing over them, he said, “Someone wants to talk to you.”
Nina was jubilant as she waited on Cougar to return with the captives. Heather had never seen her so happy or motivated. She smiled at Heather and explained, “We’re going to use these guys to get what we need. They have military experience and must know a lot about the ORNL.”
“What if they don’t want to help us, Nina? What do we do then?
Nina put her arm around her, and said, “Trust me. All men think with their little heads. These three won’t be any different. I promise you. Go put on your sexiest outfit and get back here.”
Heather grinned, and said, “I got it. And if it doesn’t work, we can always eat them.”
Nina smiled back and sat down to wait for Cougar to bring her prizes.
Minutes later, Cougar appeared with the three men. Nina, smiling, sat in a reclining chair and watched as Cougar pushed them to their knees in the center of the room. Rising, she struted to a position directly in front of them and stood, hands on hips, smiling down.
The three captives stared.
“What’s your name,” asked Nina.
“What’s yours,” asked Horst.
Dressed in her black leather roasting ceremony clothing, sword in the scabbard on her back, face framed by her coal black hair, Nina smiled. Heather, dressed in a similar red leather outfit that left little to the imagination, stood at her side.
Squatting in front of Horst, Nina said in a low, calm voice, “I will only say this one time, so I suggest you pay attention. I will ask the questions and you will answer. If you can’t control your mouth and it overloads your ass, or if your male ego can’t handle what’s happening, I can rectify both problems instantly.” She withdrew her sword and rested the point on his groin.
Horst stared at her.
In that instant, Nina instinctively knew he was not only a sadistic bully, but a coward as well. Both traits that are easily managed, she thought.
Horst was the first to break eye contact and Nina knew she’d won the first round.
“My name is Horst.”
“Excellent. Do you have a last name, Horst?”
“Of course. It’s Nagel.”
“Is that German?”
“Yes, it’s German.”
Turning to the man to Horsts’ left, she asked, “And what is your name?”
“My name is Dick Dunst.”
“Okay, thank you, Dick.”
Turning to the last man, she looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
“I’m Charlie Best.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard was it?”
Charlie and Dick shook their heads, but Horst just looked at her.
“Mr. Nagel, it appears to me that you have an attitude problem, which I must inform you, I will not tolerate. So, you can cooperate and listen to what I have to say with a good attitude…” Getting in his face, she yelled, “Or I can cut your nuts off and stuff them in your fucking mouth.”
Horst was totally unprepared for the vision of a beautiful woman standing above him like a wraith from hell. He was also unprepared for the naked fear that coursed through his body, and he almost pissed his pants. Gathering himself, he said, “I’m sorry. Really, I am. It won’t happen again.”
Nina spent the next hour with them, and it was readily apparent the crown jewel of this troika was Horst, providing she could control him. But she was satisfied with his demeanor right now. “So, the king of the ORNL has apparently been overthrown and the facility is now in the hands of the guy who banished you. Who just happens to be a Special Ops Captain? Is that about it?”
“Yep,” replied Horst. “That’s it.”
“One last thing, Horst. Why were the three of you cut loose while the others were given a second chance?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe they don’t like Germans.”
Nina possessed a very feminine, musical laugh, and Horst’s response caused her to unleash a mini version of it. It was totally unexpected and caused Horst to have a momentary relapse as to who was in charge. He asked, “So who are you?”
Nina was in his face in an instant, and screamed, “I told you once, Horst, I ask the questions. You provide the answers.” Then in a normal voice she said, “That’s the way it works. I won’t tell you again. If you ever speak without my permission, you will die. Is that perfectly clear?”
Horst’s scrotum tried to crawl inside his body and this time his bladder failed him. Looking at the puddle accumulating beneath him, Nina, face just inches from his, said, “You are disgusting.”
Nina took Cougar aside and told him to take them to separate rooms and keep a guard on them. “Give them some water. No food. Just water.”
After they were removed, Heather, in a quavering voice said, “Holy balls, Nina, you scared the crap out of me.”
“I’m sorry, but they had to be properly indoctrinated before we can get down to serious business. We’ll let them sit in their rooms for a few hours and wallow in their fear and uncertainty. Then we’ll talk to them again. And I am sooo sorry I scared you, baby. Let’s get you out of that restrictive clothing and your queen will make it all better.”
*****
The quarters at the high school were newer and arguably better than their old quarters at the elementary school, but Nina didn’t like the new lamp. It w
as too bright. She required something subtler so she repositioned it, leaving her features soft and subdued. An hour later, Cougar brought the three captives to Nina’s room where they were greeted by eye-candy from hell. Nina sat casually in the recliner, a leg draped over the right arm, and Heather lay on the floor at her feet, head resting on Nina’s thigh. The three men stood staring, mouths agape.
When Horst licked his lips, Nina asked, “Are you thirsty, Horst?”
Horst didn’t know if he should answer the question or not, so he just stood there.
“I asked you a question, Horst. It requires an answer. But in case you didn’t understand it, I’ll ask it again. Are you thirsty?”
Horst nodded eagerly.
Nina turned to Cougar and said, “Please get these gentlemen some water, and cut their ropes.” When they were freed and hydrated, Nina told them they could sit cross-legged on the floor.
With a smile she said, “We have business to conduct, gentlemen, and I want you to be comfortable.” She rose and stood above them. “Now, feel free to ask me any question you wish.”
She was greeted by silence.
“Surely you have questions? Please, ask them.”
The men were silent and Nina knew she’d won round two.
“Okay. I will provide the answers to questions that I’m sure must be ricocheting around inside your hollow little heads. My name is Nina, and this is Heather,” she put her hand on Heather’s shoulder. “The good looking gentleman with the AK-47 and interesting face is Cougar. A week ago, we were nearly a thousand strong, but the men who banished you—the SPECOPS guys—murdered all but about fifty of us. Now, because I am a student of human nature, I know you’re asking yourselves why. Why would a group of Special Ops soldiers murder—in cold blood, mind you—almost a thousand innocent people?”
She looked directly at Horst. “Why do you think they would do such a thing, Horst?
Horst replied, “I-I have no idea.”
“Well, I’ll tell you why they did it, Horst. They killed my people because we like meat. It’s that simple. They killed us because we like a diet that includes a lot of fucking meat!”