Embers of Empire

by Mark Goodwin

  Ava tore her eyes from the computer and reached for her crutches. Buckley’s vocalizations grew more agitated. “I said, I’m coming!” Ava worked her crutches to get to the front of the house as quickly as possible. Once there, she looked out the front window to see a blue Honda Civic coming down the drive, in front of a white box truck. “That doesn’t look right.”

  CHAPTER 4

  The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

  Psalm 11:5-6

  Men with black hoodies stepped out of the Civic. Ava counted four, the two from the rear of the car had AK-47s slung over their shoulders. Two more came out of the box truck. Likewise, they wore black hoodies and bandanas. The one from the passenger’s side of the vehicle held an AK-47. Unlike the others, it was shiny; stainless steel.

  Ava turned toward the stairs and shouted, “Foley! James! We’ve got trouble!”

  One of the men from the Civic yelled. “Anybody home?”

  Ava ignored the call and started up the stairs.

  The man called out once more. “If anyone is home, you better come get your dog before I shoot it.”

  Ava’s stomach sank. “Foley! James! Wake up!” She pivoted on her crutches, shaking her head as she went back to the door. She looked out to see that Buckley had pushed the men back to their vehicles.

  POW! The spokesman for the group fired one round from a large pistol in the air. “That was my only warning shot. The next one is going in the dog!”

  Ava gritted her teeth as she opened the door. “Buckley, come here, boy!”

  Buckley continued to bark and growl at the men.

  “Buck! Now! In the house!”

  Buckley snarled and showed his teeth at the men but reluctantly obeyed Ava’s command.

  The man asked, “You here alone?”

  “No,” Ava answered.

  He looked at the man next to him. “Really? Other people are here, but they chose to send out the beat-up crippled girl to see what all the commotion was? Put your dog in the bathroom so I don’t have to shoot him.”

  Ava hoped Foley would come down soon. She put Buckley’s leash on him.

  The men walked up on the porch as if they were going to follow her inside. Buckley began barking wildly again.

  “You have to stay outside!” Ava yelled.

  The man pointed his pistol at Buckley. “I’m just going to shoot him.”

  “No, please! I’ll put him up!” Ava held Buck’s leash as she pulled him to the bathroom. She considered going inside with him, but she was afraid the men would just pepper the thin door with gunfire. Once he was inside, she turned back to the man. “What do you want?”

  “We’re taking up a collection, for the cause. Thanks to the right-wing lunatics, all the grocery stores in Austin are closed. We need food, provisions, guns, ammo, anything you can spare.”

  “We can’t spare anything,” she said defiantly.

  “Oh, I’ll decide that.” Even though his mouth was covered, the lines on the sides of his bloodshot eyes showed his sinister grin.

  POP! POP! POP! Two of the men who were standing near the bottom of the staircase fell to the ground. Foley rushed down the stairs firing on the other four.

  POW, POW, POW! The man with the shiny AK-47 stepped back out the front door, kneeling behind the door frame for cover as he returned fire.

  Foley ran past them toward the kitchen, shooting as he moved. POP! POP! POP! He gunned down one other man before taking cover behind the counter.

  The man with the pistol kicked Ava’s crutches out from beneath her and grabbed her from behind by the throat. He pulled her to the floor, hiding himself behind her body. “Take it easy. If I die, you die.” He held his pistol to the side of her head.

  BANG, BANG, POW, POW, POW! An exchange of gunfire went up and down the stairs between the man with the shiny AK and James. The stainless AK dropped to the ground just outside the door. It glistened in the sun as a growing pool of blood ran out onto the porch.

  Buckley barked and growled like a rabid dog from inside the bathroom.

  Ava’s captor called out to Foley and James. “Good shooting, guys. But the fun is over. I’ve got the girl, and I’ll put a bullet in her head unless you do exactly as I say.”

  Foley yelled, “Okay, let’s work this out. I’m putting down my weapon.” Foley placed his AR-15 on the floor. He stuck his hand out from behind the counter.

  “Good. Come on out, slow and steady.” The man pressed the pistol against Ava’s temple with the barrel pointed toward Foley. “Let’s stand up,” he whispered to Ava.

  “I can’t, my foot!” she protested.

  “Suck it up, or that foot is going to be the least of your problems.” He stood against the wall and pulled her up.

  She winced in pain and cried out in agony. “OUCH!”

  “You’re fine. Stay cool.”

  “Just walk away. It’s all good.” Foley stood with his hands up.

  “Not that easy.” The man shook his head. “You and the gunslinger up there are going to load up my weapons, your weapons, and all your provisions in that white box truck out there. Me and your little punching bag here are going to drive out to the road. If I don’t have any issues, then I let her out.”

  “You’re not leaving with her, and she’s not my punching bag. I didn’t do that to her,” Foley argued.

  “Brother, I get it. A man’s gotta relax. Whatever. I’m not here to get in your business. But let’s just get this over with and we can all be on our way.”

  Foley replied, “Okay. We’ll do what you asked, but she’s not getting in the truck with you. Agreed?”

  The man looked at Foley. “Just tell your boy to bring his gun down here.”

  “Not until you agree to my terms. She stays here.”

  “Okay, she stays here. But no more negotiating. Get him down here now, with his rifle, before I end this.”

  “James, come on down. Put your rifle on the ground.” Foley looked into Ava’s eyes, as if to reassure her that they’d get through this.

  Ava knew the situation wasn’t going to end well. The man hadn’t frisked her and knew nothing of her Glock tucked inside her sweatpants. But if he saw her reaching for it, she’d never get off a shot. She’d be dead.

  James came down the stairs, still holding his AR-15 at a low ready position. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Foley. Once I put my gun down, he can just shoot all three of us!”

  Ava’s captor acted anxious. “Put it down, or I’ll shoot all three of you anyway!”

  “Relax!” Foley said to the man, still holding his hands up. “James, it’s fine. Put down your gun.”

  James looked stressed. His hands were shaking, which made the invader even more nervous. He pointed the pistol at James. “Put that gun down or everybody is going to die.”

  Ava saw this distraction as her only chance. She held on to the man’s arm with her left hand while the other slowly lifted the tail of her shirt. She felt the handle of her small pistol. She pulled it out of the holster.

  James’ voice became louder and high-strung. “Let her go, and I’ll let you go. But I’m not putting down my gun!”

  “How about I just shoot you, then?” The man’s reply sounded jumpy. “If you take a shot at me, you’ll hit the girl!”

  Ava felt sick to her stomach. The tension of the moment was more than she could handle. She watched the man pointing the pistol at James. She couldn’t see his head, but she could feel his breath against her neck, so she knew about where his face was.

  “Last chance, guy!” the intruder yelled right beside Ava’s ear.

  “No! Everybody just calm down!” Foley pleaded with James and the hostile.

  Ava flipped her arm up, praying silently as she did so. Please, God! Let me kill this man before he ki
lls James. Ava imagined the man’s head directly behind her own, and a little to the left. She took a deep breath and held it tightly, closing her eyes and clenching her jaw as if she could will the bullet to find the center of the man’s brain.

  BANG!

  The weight of the man with his arm around her neck pulled Ava to the floor.

  Instantly, Foley rushed forward and kicked the pistol from the invader’s hand. He lunged on top of the assailant and twisted his arm around to the back, while pushing Ava away from the fallen man in one singular, fluid motion.

  James doubled over and vomited.

  Ava watched as Foley restrained the man with the hole in his head. Her body shuddered at what she’d just been through. “I think he’s dead.”

  CHAPTER 5

  The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

  Proverbs 13:22b

  Ava held Buckley’s leash tight. He barked frantically as Ulysses’ new truck sped down the gravel drive to the house. “It’s okay, Buck. Friends.”

  Ulysses and Sam Hodge both jumped out of the truck with weapons drawn. They ran up to the porch, pausing at the doorway.

  Sam looked down at Charity who was mopping up blood from the hardwood floor. “What happened?”

  “We got hit.” Ava used all her strength to control Buckley who was still acting erratically.

  “Where’s Betty? Is she alright?” Sam stepped over the mess.

  “A little shaken-up, but otherwise she’s fine. She’s lying down. None of us were injured,” Ava said.

  Sam hurried past Ava toward the master bedroom.

  Ulysses calmly put his hand out for Buckley to sniff. “Everything is okay, fella.” He looked Ava in her eyes. “Are you good?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. They came out of nowhere.”

  “Hey, you guys made it back.” Foley stood at the door. His hands were covered in blood from hauling out the dead bodies.

  “Where did you put the dead?” Ulysses asked.

  “Around back. James helped me get them out of the house. Betty was freaking out. I figured we’d ask Sam where he wants us to bury them.”

  “How many?”

  “Six.”

  Without asking, Ulysses took control of the cleanup operation. “We’ll throw them in the back of the box truck and take it to a public spot. We can set it on fire and save ourselves the trouble of digging a hole.”

  Foley tilted his head to the side. “That truck might come in handy for something.”

  Ulysses shook his head. “It might get us caught. If the rest of their people come looking for them, that truck will stick out like a sore thumb. We have to ditch it, and the Civic.”

  “What about the guns? We can keep those, right?” Foley seemed reluctant but fell in under Ulysses’ assumed command.

  “Yeah. Guns, ammo, load-bearing equipment, and anything else they have of value. But the vehicles have got to go. We passed a concrete plant out on 71. We’ll drive out there and burn them.”

  “Okay.” Even battle-hardened Foley put a grim expression on his face at the harsh directive. Ava had only given Foley a brief synopsis of what her father used to do for a living.

  Then, like a switch had been flipped, Ulysses took Ava’s hand with all the gentleness of a tender father. “You had to kill one of them?”

  She nodded.

  “It’s tough.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “You might be now, but this kind of thing has a way of sneaking up on you when everything is quiet. Remember, you did what you had to do.”

  “I know. And I’ll be alright. I had to shoot someone before.”

  “Oh?”

  “Antifa thugs tried to jump us after the Ross rally.” She’d violated her pact of silence with Charity and James, but the vow had been made when she’d thought Austin PD was her worst problem. Things were different now.

  Ulysses didn’t interrogate her further. Rather, he gently put the back of his hand to her cheek. “Good girl,” he whispered with a wink.

  Ulysses walked to the door. “Charity, we’ll help you get the rest of this cleaned up when we get back.”

  “Please be safe.” She paused from her frenzied scrubbing to glance outside toward James. “And take care of him. He . . . isn’t like you and Foley.”

  “He’s tougher than you think, but I’ll look out for him.” Ulysses waved at Ava as he left.

  That evening, Ava did what she could to help an exhausted James and a weary Charity prepare dinner. Betty did not come out of her room all evening. Sam emerged from his room from time to time but spent most of the evening caring for his distraught wife. Ulysses set up the radios while Foley stood guard.

  Ava ate her evening meal on the porch with Foley to keep him company. “I could pull the night shift with you if you want.”

  “I’d like that. James will have a tough time staying awake tonight after an all-nighter last night and that adrenaline dump today.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be okay. He’s not used to these conditions.”

  “It’s been a while for you.”

  “You never forget.” The corners of Foley’s mouth turned down, as if he were forlorn. “It’s like riding a bike.”

  Ulysses came out onto the porch. “Foley, here’s a radio for you. I’ll take your dishes inside if you’ll hand them to me.”

  Ava passed her empty plate to Ulysses. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Foley, I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m going to go to bed in the trailer. My walkie-talkie is on if you even think you see something. You should use the room over the garage as your observation post. It has the best view of the drive, which is the most likely avenue of approach for any hostiles.”

  “Yes, sir.” Foley handed him his plate. “Ava volunteered to keep watch with me tonight since James may not be in the best condition.”

  Ulysses stared blankly at Foley. He said nothing for several seconds.

  Foley stood up and added nervously, “If that’s okay with you.”

  Ulysses broke his empty gaze and glanced at Ava then turned back to Foley. Finally, he ended his silence. “Sure. There’s an extra rifle by the window.”

  Foley seemed not to breathe until Ulysses had gone back inside.

  “What was all that about?” Ava let Foley help her up until she could get her balance on her crutches. “I just met the man. I don’t need his permission for anything. And neither do you.”

  Foley waited until Ulysses was out of earshot. “He hasn’t given me a lot of details about his old job, but he was obviously operating under much more lax rules of engagement than the regular military. Your dad . . . knows how to handle business. I’m guessing Tier 1 or private sector equivalent. Let’s just say I respect him and don’t want to do anything to get on his bad side.”

  “What happened when you guys took the vehicles to the concrete plant?” Ava followed Foley toward the garage.

  “He had us park both of them together. He knifed the tires, cut strips out of the tires, pierced the fuel tanks, doused the strips with the fuel as it drained, then used the strips of the tires as wicks. He took one strip of tire dipped in fuel and placed it at the base of each tire.

  “He didn’t talk, didn’t ask for help, and the entire operation took less than five minutes. By the time we were all in his truck and leaving the scene, both vehicles were engulfed in flames. This was something he’d done before.

  “He’d obviously made a mental note of the concrete plant’s location when he drove out to Marble Falls this morning. Very calculated.”

  Ava navigated her crutches through the side door of the garage which led up the stairs to the finished room over the garage, or FROG for short. “You’re frightening me.”

  Foley waited patiently behind Ava, shining his flashlight so she could see to climb the stairs. “I’m just glad he’s on our team.”

  Ava reached the top of the stai
rs and flipped on the lights.

  “Turn that off. We have to maintain light and sound discipline.”

  Ava quickly flicked off the light switch. “Sorry.”

  “I should have told you. It’s my fault.” Foley directed the beam of his light around the room. “See what I mean?”

  “What?” Ava followed the light as Foley directed it.

  Foley put the beam on the bed which had been pulled up to within a few feet of the window. The curtains were open just enough for a person lying prone on the bed with a rifle to have a wide field of fire, but not be visually exposed to an outside threat. “He’s got the FROG set up like a sniper’s nest.”

  Foley handed the radio to Ava. “You’re on comms.” He positioned some pillows to support the barrel of his rifle, then lay down on the bed, looking out the window.

  Ava put a pillow against the wall and lowered herself down onto the floor. “Let me know if you get sleepy. I can take over for you.”

  “I’ll probably take you up on that offer in a couple hours. Why don’t you see if you can get some rest in the meantime?”

  “Okay.” Ava had no intention of going to sleep, but in a matter of minutes, her eyes were closed and she was out.

  The first light of daybreak illuminated the darkness which Ava had been monitoring through Foley’s night vision scope for the past two hours. Her eyelids were heavy.

  Someone knocked on the door downstairs.

  “What was that!” Foley had been sleeping on the floor in the corner.

  “Somebody knocking.”

  Foley jumped up. “Did you see anyone approach?” he whispered.

  “No.” Foley looked cautiously out the window to see who was below. “It’s Betty.”

  Ava sat up on the bed. “She’s probably not much of a threat.”

  Foley smirked. “I’ll go downstairs and see what she wants.”

  Seconds later, Foley returned upstairs with Betty behind him. She carried a thermos of coffee and two plates of French toast.