by Payne, T. L.
“Get him up,” the soldier standing over Pete said. Two more soldiers dropped down into the ditch and hauled Pete to his feet. A light was shone in his face, and he raised his arm to shield his eyes. The soldiers yanked his hands down and around behind his back.
“Where did you come from?”
“My cousin and some of his neighbors helped my team ambush two convoys of Chinese soldiers over on Highway One Eleven. We learned from an injured Chinese soldier that they were headed to Shreveport. We decided to try to stop them. It’s about time we send those MFers back to China,” Pete said.
“You were with that bunch that struck the convoys? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Our families are on foot, heading to Texarkana. The place they were staying at while we were away was hit by raiders. They had to flee. We’re looking for them.”
“Is that a large group with a bunch of women and kids?”
“Yes, have you seen them?”
“They caught a transport truck heading that way. Our colonel has a soft spot for kids.”
A surge of joy rushed through Will. They were safe and likely already in Texarkana by now.
“That is awesome news. My friends are going to be thrilled to learn about it.” Pete’s head swiveled searching for Will. “You hear that, Will. Your family is on their way to Texarkana in military transport.”
Will stood and slowly walked toward Pete and the soldiers with his hands in the air.
“That’s amazing news,” Will said. “You can’t get better news than that.” They wouldn’t have to walk with the kids, and they wouldn’t be at the mercy of marauders and outlaws. He was anxious to get there himself now.
“Jason,” Will yelled. “Did you hear? Savanah and the others are on military transport.”
Jason didn’t answer.
Will yelled again as he approached Pete. “Jason, it’s okay to come out.”
A round whizzed past Will and struck the burning vehicle. It was followed by a barrage of automatic gunfire. Was Jason firing at them?
Will dove into the ditch as the US Soldiers ran for cover and began returning fire. “Is that Jason?” Pete asked.
“I don’t think so,” Will replied.
The firefight lasted less than five minutes. The firing just stopped, and then the soldiers fanned out in search of the shooters, leaving Will and Pete standing in the ditch wondering what had happened to Jason.
Long minutes passed as the soldiers searched the field for enemy combatants. They returned with two injured Chinese soldiers who were taken to a truck and whisked off, no doubt to be questioned by professional interrogators.
“Sir,” Will said.
“Don’t call me sir,” the soldier said. “I’m Sergeant Hadley.”
“Sergeant Hadley,” Will said. “Did you see a white guy out there?”
“Private Young, bring that civilian over here.”
Jason was bleeding from the back of his head. He looked dazed as the soldier led him across the field. Will and Pete rushed to him, and each took an arm. “We got him,” Will said. “You okay, Jason?”
“The damn communist snuck up on me and conked me on the back of the head.”
“Did they tell you?” Pete said.
“Tell me what?”
“That Savanah and the others were on a military transport heading for Texarkana. Hell, they may have even arrived there by now.” Pete wore an ear-to-ear grin.
Jason’s head tilted up, and he looked from Pete to Will. “Is that true?”
“That’s what the soldier said,” Will replied.
“Oh, thank God!”
Will and Pete lowered Jason to the ground on the opposite side of the road from the burning Dongfeng. They were on foot now and had to decide what they were they were going to do. Back to Merryville to cause the Chinese more trouble or make their way north to Texarkana to be reunited with the families.
“Sergeant Hadley,” Will asked. “Did we do any good slowing down the convoy?” Will pointed to the Dongfeng.
Hadley smiled. “You gave us time to move in reinforcements to wipe out the rest of the units that had broken through our lines.”
“They won’t be making it to Shreveport then?”
“Not today. We’ve pushed them back across the Intercoastal.” Hadley turned to go.
“Can I ask you about the president’s plane?” Will asked. He knew the odds of getting such information from the soldier were next to zero, but he was dying to know about the Doomsday plane.
Hadley spun back around. “What? Where did you hear about that?”
“One of the enemy soldiers mentioned the airbase in Shreveport and the Doomsday plane.”
“He said Doomsday?” Hadley asked. He gestured for Will to stay put and walked back toward his Humvee. As he did, he spoke into his radio. “Tell Stephens and Lieutenant Sharp I have someone they’re going to want to talk to.”
Will was more than surprised to be sitting across a table from Analyst Rachel Stephens and Lieutenant Ryan Sharp from back in Houston. Stephens looked much better than the last time he’d seen her. The gash above her eye from when the air museum blew up on top of her had healed but had left a scar.
“So, how did you come across this injured Chinese soldier?”
Will told her the story leading up to him finding the injured soldier and asking the kid why they were in such a hurry to get to Shreveport.
“And he specifically mentioned the president?” Sharp asked.
“No. He mentioned the airbase and then Doomsday. It was Pete that said that the airfield there was where the presidential Doomsday plane might land. I put two and two together.” He smiled. “Was I right? Did the president survive this mess? Is he in Shreveport?”
Stephens slowly pushed her chair back and stood. “That’s classified.”
Twenty-Eight
Will
Fort Polk, Vernon Parish, Louisiana
Stephens left the room for a moment and then returned. She sat back down, but this time all she wanted to know was how Isabella and Cayden were doing.
“I’m so sorry about Betley. I know that Isabella took it hard.”
They’d only known FBI Agent Betley for a few days when he’d been killed in the insurgents’ attack on Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base. Isabella had taken it hard. She also took it hard when the Chinese spy, Kim Yang, had been killed. She was a very compassionate person. Unfortunately, she’d seen so much death since then that it hardly fazed her anymore. They’d all been hardened by the violence they’d witnessed.
“I appreciate that, Stephens. I’d ask what you’ve been up to, but I know how you’d reply.”
Surprisingly, she began describing her trip to Fort Hood and subsequent trip to Fort Polk. Will had been so stoked about the military assets that had been sent to secure the command center at Texarkana that he barely heard her when she mentioned the recruiting mission the military was undertaking.
“We are so close right now, Will. So very close to winning and pushing the Chinese out of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It’s been citizens like yourself stepping up to defend their homeland that has made the difference. I heard what you and your crew did to stop the Chinese from reaching Shreveport. That was very brave.” She tucked a stray strand of her brown hair back into its bun and smiled.
“We couldn’t just let them take over the country without a fight. Unfortunately, Isabella and the rest of our group came under attack by bandits while we were fighting the Chinese. They were forced to flee, but the good news is that they were picked up by the military and—”
The door flew open, and a soldier rushed in. He saluted Lieutenant Sharp and handed him a piece of paper. He glanced over at Stephens. “I have to go.”
“Trouble?” Stephens asked.
His gaze switched to Will and then back to Stephens. “Alpha team just spotted an enemy unit about ten miles north of Roseville. They are engaged with some civilians. One of the civilians claims to be a Texas Ra
nger.”
“Texas Ranger?” Will’s heart sank. It couldn’t be. They were on their way to Texarkana.
“What is this Ranger’s name?”
Despite Sharp’s admonishment to stay put at the base, Will was determined to go. He needed a vehicle. But taking one of the military’s Humvees would likely get him shot. He found Pete and Jason eating MREs near the front gate of the post. They had to find a way to get to their families, come hell or high water. He had to get to them before they got caught in the middle of this damn war.
Pete jumped to his feet. “Hadley owes us.” He took off in search of Hadley though Will thought it was a waste of time. Hadley wasn’t going to let them tag along even if they had stopped a Chinese convoy heading for Shreveport. What they needed to be doing was scouring the area outside the base for a running vehicle.
“Wait up,” Jason yelled after Pete. Will threw up his hands in frustration and took off after the two men.
“Absolutely not,” Hadley said after they caught up with him preparing to leave.
“It’s our families. We have to go,” Pete said.
“But I don’t have to take you. I’m not getting my ass handed to me for breaking regs. You should stay put here and let us handle this.”
Pete stepped closer to the sergeant. “Our families are in danger right now because we chose to fight for our country. All we’re asking for is a ride. We aren’t asking you to give us weapons or anything.”
Hadley turned his back on Pete. He pointed to a military truck. “It’s a piece of shit. We borrowed parts from every vehicle on the base to keep it running, and it still runs like crap.”
Pete sprinted toward the truck with Jason and Will close behind him.
“I’m going to say you stole it if anyone notices it missing,” Hadley called.
“Whatever,” Pete said as he yanked open the door and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Pete pulled in line with the other military vehicles. Will had been shocked when somehow, by a miracle perhaps, they made it there. Pete stopped the truck in the middle of the road, threw open the door, and ran. Will, too jumped out and ran toward the fighting. Jason passed him. Will struggled to keep up. He was huffing and puffing as he dropped down beside Jason and Pete as they crouched behind one of the Humvees.
Hadley came up behind them. “I’m surprised you three made it. I was sure that old truck would leave you stranded on the road.”
Pete ignored him. “Where’re our families?” Pete asked.
“As far as I know, it’s just two women. The Ranger said they got separated from their group. They were on their way to meet up with them when they got surrounded by enemy combatants.”
Will’s heart sped up. He’d guessed it was Savanah and Isabella inside that building. They’d be the ones that would have made sure that the others made it safely away, putting themselves in danger. Savanah would have made sure her kids had an opportunity to escape the marauders back there at Roseville.
“The Ranger said they tried to make a run for it out a back door, but a barrage of bullets sent the ladies back inside. He was too far away to make it and had to dodge bullets to escape. Soldiers patrolling the area heard the firefight and found the Ranger up on the roof of a nearby building firing down on a team of Chinese soldiers. He had them pinned down while the rest of their unit fired upon the building where the ladies are.”
“They’re still inside?” Will asked.
“Yeah, but now the Chinese are firing at my guys. We should have them eliminated shortly. Why don’t you three go back to the truck and wait for us to take care of these ass wipes? We have things under control here.”
Will didn’t believe him. It sounded more like they were in a heavy firefight, and the Chinese were in control. Will was afraid that they might use mortars to take out the building where Isabella and his sister were holed up.
“We need weapons, Hadley. You need us, man. Look at this mess. They are eating your lunch,” Pete said, pointing to the burning vehicles.
As soon as the words left his mouth, an explosion rocked one of the JLTVs. The gunner turned in the turret and began firing very close to the building. Isabella and Savanah were going to get caught in the crossfire. He had to do something.
“Jason, we have to get them out of there.”
Pete stood in a crouch and took off around a clump of bushes. “Follow me.”
Will did, but Hadley grabbed hold of Jason. That was the wrong thing to do. Jason hauled back and landed a hard blow to the side of the man’s head. As he went down, Jason, Will, and Pete took off toward the building.
Pete dropped to the ground behind an old beat-up wrecker. Two of its tires were missing, and the hood was up. Bullets bounced off the hood, causing sparks to fly. Will wasn’t sure what Pete had planned but hoped it involved getting some kind of weapons of their own because so far, this was looking like a suicide mission. Pete pulled his tactical knife and pointed to three Chinese soldiers pinned down by the JLTV’s machine guns about one hundred feet to their right. “I’ll be back,” he said. He took off in a crouch, running in a zigzag pattern as rounds whizzed over his head. ”
“What in the hell is he doing? Is he crazy?” Jason said.
“I think so.”
Crazy or stupid, Will thought.
Pete pounced on the soldier in the back, and in seconds, he turned the man’s rifle on his comrades. They went down, and Pete grabbed their rifles. He turned toward Will and Jason and waved for them to join him. Will and Jason stared at one another for a second before Will stood in a crouch. He took off running first, but Jason beat him to where Pete was gathering up ammunition for the rifles. Will was so winded by the time he reached Pete that he was lightheaded and breathing heavily. He felt so useless. Malnourishment had rendered him totally ineffective. How was he going to help anyone when he couldn’t even run fifty feet?
Pete shoved a rifle into his chest and then three spare magazines. “Put these in your back pockets,” he said. Jason was trying to find the button to drop the magazine on the Chinese-made weapon. Pete took it from him and depressed the button before dropping the magazine. He slammed a new one back in, pulled the charging handle, and then handed it back to Jason. “Watch yourself. They appear to jam a lot.”
Will pulled the stock to his shoulder and looked through the scope. The night vision illuminated several more groups of enemy fighters between them and the building. They seemed to be pretty well concealed from the US Soldiers along the front of the building. Will scanned to his left. A team of soldiers was slowly making their way around to attack them from the rear. He watched a second longer before Pete tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s move out.”
His stomach flip-flopped as he prayed he could find the strength to do what he needed to do. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out before falling in behind Jason. He ran with the rifle trained on the backs of the enemy and waited until Pete began firing to pull the trigger of his rifle. The rifle jammed! He pulled the charging handle as he ran, trying to remove the round in the chamber. It went flying out, and another one was chambered as he let go of the handle. He fired, and the round discharged. He couldn’t say if he hit anything.
Pete ran to the back of a pickup truck and dropped down to a crouch. He was firing over the hood when Will reached him. Jason was near the truck’s bed, firing at the same group of enemy soldiers. They turned their attention away from the US Soldiers advancing on them to return fire upon Pete.
Rounds peppered the truck, shattering all the glass that remained in the old pickup. Pete dropped down by the tire and switched out the magazine for a fresh one. Jason moved forward into Pete’s position and began shooting. Will placed the barrel of the rifle on the bed of the truck, looked through the scope, and found a target. He squeezed, and the soldier slumped forward. He found a second target just as rounds struck the opposite side of the truck. He ducked and waited for the fusillade to stop before returning fire.
The enemy soldiers pivo
ted to face the front of the building where Isabella and Savanah were hiding. Will scanned that direction. US Soldiers were nearing the door. They were out in the open. The Chinese fired, and one after another went down. US Soldiers were taking fire from two sides. Will couldn’t see the enemy that was firing from the opposite side of the building.
Will didn’t know why the Chinese were interested in either the building or his family. All he knew was that he had to do something to get to them. He took the opportunity to move up behind the enemy soldiers. Will squeezed the trigger, and the rifle fired on full auto. He sprayed the combatants as he ran towards them. Two went down. A third turned toward him. Pete ran past Will just as he fired. The round struck Pete, and he went down. Will returned fire, and the combatant dropped to the ground. The two other Chinese soldiers continued firing upon the army soldiers at the front of the building.
“Get to the back door, Will. I’ve got these two,” Jason said, hopping over one of the dead men. Will didn’t look back as he sprinted toward the building. He expected to be mowed down, but somehow, Jason must have distracted them or taken them out. Will’s already injured shoulder hit the back wall of the building hard, and pain shot through him. He fought back a wave of nausea and pressed himself against the building, wasting no time reaching for the door. He yanked on the doorknob, but it was locked.
“Isabella! Savanah!” he yelled.
Gunfire sprayed the windows of the building, forcing him to dive to the ground. He rolled then got to one knee. He couldn’t see where the rounds were coming from. He looked through the scope and scanned to his right slightly. Jason was in a wrestling match over his rifle. The combatant had both hands on the weapon and Jason was shaking him around like a rag doll, but he couldn’t seem to shake the man off. Will fired, and the man released his grip. Jason turned the weapon around and struck him in the face with the stock of the rifle. The man fell straight back and didn’t get back up.