by W. R. Benton
*****
Once back at camp, I pulled the women near as Tom pulled guard. I explained what we'd found on the recon and that we needed to move out of the area. The only problem that concerned me was where were we to go? So, I asked the women and waited.
"We want to stay in the woods, if we can." Sandra added, as soon as I'd finished speaking.
Carol frowned and said, "My old place is in the woods, but I'm not sure how safe it is."
Sue suddenly grinned and said, "How about Jackson?"
Alisa shook her head and said brusquely, "Sue, do you know how stupid what you just said sounds? Jackson? Do you really want to live in Jackson with no police? Hell, I wouldn't live there with the police."
Sue lowered her head. "I'm tired of living like an animal in the woods. We can make peace with people and stop the killing. I think it'd work."
"If we moved to Jackson, you wouldn't have to worry about living anywhere for very long." I said, and then quickly asked, "Any other ideas?"
"Maybe those men you saw were friendly." Sue said as she raised her head and smiled.
"And," Vicki said, he eyes narrowed in anger, "maybe you're a damned fool! I saw those guys and they were hard looking men. I have no doubt in my mind they're killers, just by the way they moved. They'd kill John and Tom, and then use us for sport! I think we "
To defuse the situation I said, "That's enough! We can't risk contact with them and it's not likely they're friendly anyway. Since things ended we've been alone, and I want to stay that way if we can. Small groups can move, hide, and be fed easier than large groups."
Sue crossed her legs and arms, glared at Vicki, so I added, "Look, I don't care if all of you like each other or not. However, I suggest very strongly that each of you try to avoid arguments in future, because we must be able to depend on each other or survival isn't possible. And the first serious problem I have, both parties will be banished, understood?"
Sue stood, and in the heat of anger asked, "You'd banish people over an argument? I thought we had the right to argue! This is America, right? I know my rights!"
Dolly, not liking the tone of Sue's voice, growled.
I gave a light smile at her stupidity, because this woman needed to wake up and smell the horse apples scattered all around us. "No, this is not America, or at least as we remember our country! We have no government, so you have no rights." I felt my anger growing so I continued, "I am the leader and what I say goes, or you can leave right this minute."
I knew if she left, Tom would go with her, so I was as surprised as her at my words. I didn't care if Sue left, and took her liberal attitude with her, but Tom I needed. But, I'd already spoken, so I waited.
After many long minutes she sat in the dirt and lowered her head.
I wasn't sure what to say next, so I did like I had in the military, I issued an order. "Let's get all our gear packed, horses ready to go, and get some food in us. We're leaving today."
*****
Five hours of hard riding placed us a little over ten miles. While the trip had been rough, we'd not moved as quickly as I'd have liked due to the shortage of horses. Starting tomorrow, the horses will carry our loads and all of us will walk, I thought while dismounting in a light drizzle. Turning to Tom, I said, "Circle this place and let me know what you find. We'll hold off on a fire or food until you get back."
"I'm cold now." Sue said, and glared at me.
"Honey," Tom said, "John is right. We can't have a fire, until I make sure this place is safe. So take your pretty little butt and sit under a tree until I get back."
Tom pulled his horse to the left and disappeared into the drizzle, while Sue stomped off in the direction of a huge oak tree. I had a silent chuckle and then pulled the saddle from my horse.
Ten minutes later, Tom returned, shook his head and said, "Not good. I spotted movement and followed trail for a bit. About a half a mile north is a house with a group of men moving in and out. I have no idea how many are there, but more than we can handle."
I turned to the women, all of which were now under the oak with Sue and said, "Two hour break for the horses, then we'll load our supplies and start moving, only this time we'll walk."
"Walk? Why do we need to walk when we have horses?" Sue asked as she stood with her hands on her hips.
Annoyed by her question, I managed to answer with an even tone, "Because we can't keep riding double on the horses. If we walk we'll be able to cover more ground and right now we need more distance from our last camp."
It was then I saw movement from the corner of my left eye and when I turned I was able to see a man moving in the brush. I bent down, as to pick up my saddle, and in just above a whisper I said to Tom, "Movement."
Tom walked toward the women and didn't appear to have heard my warning, but I knew he had. He was moving to a better firing position. As he approached, Sue turned and started moving away from the tree. I wanted to warn her not to move, but there was nothing I could do.
From the brush behind me there sounded a rifle shot and Sue collapsed in the mud at her feet, unmoving. I swung around and fired my shotgun, heard a scream from the brush and then rushed into the trees. The area was suddenly alive with rounds ricocheting from rocks and trees, as the air filled with the loud booms of shotguns, sharp cracks of rifles, and lesser pops of pistols. I heard screams of pain and yells as orders were given from the brush. And then, it grew quiet.
I guess the whole thing had lasted less than five minutes, but combat was like that at times, and it was usually after a battle that fear struck me hard. Knowing the women would be scared and unsure what to do next, I swallowed my fear and yelled, "Stay where you are until I check things out."
I quickly circled our temporary camp and saw bloody tracks of two men moving away from us, four bodies in the brush and one man yet alive. He'd taken a round about seven inches above his belly button, so he wasn't a threat. I disarmed him and then moved to the oak where I'd last seen the women. Tom was on his knees beside Sue, crying hard, so I knew she'd been killed. I spotted Marty's body near the tree and didn't bother to check her pulse, she'd taken a round in the center of her face. I waited a second for my nerves to settle and then called out, "Everyone come to the oak where you were when the shooting started."
Sandra was the first to walk from the trees, with Dolly at her side, and she smiled at me briefly when she saw I was safe. Then, Alisa and Vickie came, both in tears.
"Where's Carol?" Sandra asked as the two neared.
Vickie, upset, replied, "She was hit in the chest and she's in the woods. W... we tried to move her, but she's too heavy."
"You all stay here, while Sandra and I check her out. Tom lost his wife, so I need all of you to be ready to fight in case those men return. Dolly, stay."
Vickie nodded in understanding, but Alisa was still crying when we left.
I followed the trail for about 100 feet and found Carol lying on her back. She'd taken a slug from what looked like a 30.06 in the chest and was bleed copiously. Sandra took one look, gazed into my eyes and shook her head. I knew then the injury was just too severe for us to bother with, so I said, "Medicate her."
"It won't do any good, because I can't stop the bleeding."
"I guess I didn't say what I meant, over medicate her. We can't help her and I'll not see her put through hours of pain just to die in the end. End this, so we can move." I realized I sounded cold, but I had the safety of others to consider.
Sandra opened her medical bag, removed the medication bottle and a hypodermic needle. A few minutes later, she stood and met my eyes. She was crying, but not making a sound, and I knew what she'd just done was hurting her. I pulled her into my arms and whispered, "Baby, we did the right thing. She would have died anyway and we need to move. Do you understand?"
She nodded and I heard a weak, "Y... yes, let's move."
Once back at the tree, I took Vickie with me and gathered up the weapons and ammo dropped by the dead men, and discovered the inj
ured man dead. Most of the ambushers carried shotguns, so we kept them, but one had carried a compound bow with about two dozen arrows. I placed it behind my saddle and tied it securely.
Tom was standing now, his face streaked with tears, and while I felt his pain, we had to move. "Tom, we need to move and do it now. Are you okay?"
He nodded, but I knew he'd be useless on point or walking drag, so I turned to Vickie and said, "You cover our rear. I need you to stay about a 100 feet behind us and when we stop, you stop. As we move, check the sides of our trail and at times our rear. If you see anything, try to move quickly to the main group. If you can't or don't have time to move, shoot and we'll get the idea quickly enough." I then handed her one of the shotguns taken from the dead men, along with a vest full of shells.
"Tom, we need to move. You understand that, right?" I asked.
"I'll move."
"Aren't we going to bury our dead?" Alisa asked as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
I was growing tired of having to explain everything to the new women, so I replied, "No, we are not going to bury any of our dead. In a few minutes those men will be back with others, likely a larger group, and I'd like to be far away from here by then. Now, there has been enough chatter, so let's move people!"
*****
Darkness found us still moving and I guided the group away from any lights I could see, but there were not many. I couldn't trust anyone, so I avoided everyone. At one point, I moved back beside Tom and asked in a low voice, "You doing okay?"
"No, not really. You'd figure a tough old war dog like me would be used to death, but the death of a loved one is difficult."
"Tom," I said, feeling his grief, "if you need to talk later this evening, I'm here for you, buddy."
He gazed into my eyes and said, "I know that, only I'll be okay."
I broke eye contact and moved to the point position once again.
Near dawn I moved into some heavy pines and oaks, where I said, "We'll rest here for five hours, then move again. I want two people on guard at all times. We'll all pull two hour shifts and since there are only five of us, I'll pull the first shift with Tom, and I'll help cover the last shift. I want the changes after that to be Sandra and Alisa, then Vickie and I will cover the last hour. If there are no questions, no fire and if you want to eat, eat it cold, and then get some rest."
I was concerned about not having a fire, because it was perfect weather for hypothermia, between 35 and 40 degrees and still drizzling rain. I sat beside Sandra under a large oak and pulled a pair of dry socks from my pack.
"Lawdy, I miss a good hot bath." Sandra said, and then giggled.
I slipped a sock on my right foot and pulled her close as I said, "Hopefully, God willing, there will come a day in the not too distant future you can have that bath."
"I hope so, but rough days are still in front of us. Have you given thought to where we are heading?"
"Right now any direction is good, because we may have men on our back trail. I'm not certain of that, but I suspect we do. Those men who ambushed us yesterday and Patton's men may not be able to follow our tracks in the rain, but both are looking for us."
I released her and slipped the other sock on my left foot and placed both boots on. As I laced them, she said, "Who would have thought America would turn into a place like this? I mean, we were the world leader in everything, but now we're a country of blood-thirsty animals."
"We're about as low as people who can communicate can get right now, except most of us are simply attempting to survive. Most kill others out of fear, because it's safer to kill people you don't know than to let them live. Now, let me get to where I'll pull guard, because I don't like spending time here."
Sandra leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. Pulling back she said, "John, be careful, and remember I love you."
I stood, gave her a tired smile and said, "I love you too, now you try to get some sleep if you can." Seeing her smile, I moved toward Tom.
Tom was under a large Pine tree and alert, which was good to see.
I sat beside him and asked, "Do you know this area?"
"Hunted it a few years back, oh, maybe five years ago. From what I remember, there aren't many people here."
"I'm sorry about Sue. I know we argued, but I liked her a great deal."
He gave a dry chuckle and his eyes watered as he said, "She just never understood why people could not sit down and discuss things in a rational manner until they reached a happy agreement. Sue saw the good in everything and never really had a chance once the end came, only I think she knew she'd not survive. Her and I argued all the time about things, but I loved her, John."
His voice had started strong, but gradually lost its power as he spoke until at the end I could barely hear him. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm moving to the other side. You see or hear anything, let me know."
The time passed uneventful and five hours later we were moving once more.
*****
Again we traveled all night, and near dawn the next day, I moved deeply into some trees, found a small clearing and said, "Tom, check around us and take Alisa with you. We'll have a cold camp until you get back." They both moved without a word.
It was still drizzling rain and I prayed we had no river or creeks to cross, because they'd be swollen by now and we'd be trapped on this side. I'd just pulled my canteen from my horse when a man I didn't know stepped into our clearing. Dolly jerked the leash in Sandra's hand and started growling.
CHAPTER 10
He was thin, like most of us, about six feet tall and dark eyes. While his clothing was a mixture of military and civilian, he wore an old feedlot ball cap on his head. I noticed a shotgun hanging loosely from his left shoulder by a strap.
"If you move, I'll kill you." Vickie said with narrow eyes, and I saw the shotgun in her hands.
Raising both hands slowly, the man said, "I'm no threat to you. I'm lookin' for my dog is all, so go easy with that scattergun."
I pulled my pistol and commanded, "Move to the log and have a seat. Vickie, you take his shotgun as soon as he's on the log."
As soon as the man was disarmed, he turned to me and asked, "What unit were you with?"
"What makes you think I'm prior military?"
He chuckled and replied, "I been watching y'all since you walked in here and I know military when I see it. My names, Cotton, James Cotton and I'm a retired E-9. Spent my whole career in the 82nd Airborne. I served in Vietnam near the end of the war and Desert Storm."
I didn't know or trust the man, so I replied, "Well, good for you, Mr. Cotton."
"You're a tight lipped man, I see, and that's good. So, now you have me, what'll you do next?"
"Maybe shoot you."
"No you won't, or I don't think you will, not once we talk."
"Keep quiet."
Dolly growled a warning.
"Okay, but your man and the lady with him will be back in a few minutes. They'll tell you what they found. They found a farmhouse, it's mine, and it's flying 'Old Glory' from a flagpole in my front yard. Listen to me son, I'm a patriot and love this country."
I flipped the safety off my shotgun and said, "Shut your mouth."
Dolly stood waiting my command.
Cotton smiled, but said nothing.
Tom walked into the clearing glanced at Cotton and said, "We've a farmhouse near, it's flying our flag and a U.S. Army flag, but I didn't see anyone around."
"That's because I'm here, Tom." Cotton said and then broke out laughing.
Tom stared at the man hard for a few minutes and then asked, "Top?"
Still smiling, Cotton nodded and said, "It's me, son. How have you been? I'm glad you're still alive, but we need to talk when we get a chance." He then glanced at me.
"Do you know this man, Tom?" I asked.
"I spent part of Desert Storm with 'em, and he was our top sergeant. He's a good man and no threat to us."
I shrugged my shoulders and then sa
id, "Give Top back his shotgun, Vickie."
Looking at Dolly, who was sitting and watching him closely, Cotton said, " Uh, would you do something about your dog? I don't think she likes me much."
"Dolly, come." As soon as she was at my side I patted her head and said, "It's okay, girl."
Cotton took the gun from Vickie and then said, "I'm just an old man now, not a top sergeant. Well, not like I was before anyway."
I met his eyes and said, "Once a top sergeant, always a top sergeant."
Cotton lowered his head, but didn't say anything. I suspected he was remembering his days as the top enlisted man in the unit and I respected him, because I knew exactly the kind of cloth he was cut from and would be until his death.
"Top, can we go to your place or do you want to talk out here?" Tom asked.
Raising his head, Top said, "My place. These ladies can have a bath, eat some hot food and sleep in a warm bed."
"How many others live with you?" I asked.
Standing, Top said, "Since Angela died, it's just me and Jesus, son. However, I'm rarely alone and I'll explain all of this later."
As we moved toward the farm, the women grew excited about a hot bath, food and sleeping in a real bed. The noise got to the point Top commanded, "That's enough chatter! We don't have any idea who we share these woods with right now. The next woman who opens her mouth before we get inside my place will not get a bath today."
I moved up beside Top and said, "We might have some men on our tails."
He waved his hand as if it meant nothing and then asked, "Are there more than a thousand of 'em?"
"Closer to fifty or so."
"Don't worry about 'em then. Now, when you open the gate at the fence that goes around my house, do not wander off the walkway approaching the porch. There are mines in the front yard, and I have an alarm system that I can never remember the code for, but it's loud. I have two big mix-breed dogs in the backyard, but I'm sure they'll be no problem for your Dolly."
I saw the American flag flying on the flagpole and gave it a salute, as did Tom. Sandra gave me a look of pride, and I think she felt the deep love I still have for this great nation.