by E. E. Borton
We made our farewell short. I picked up my rifle and gear and headed outside. Gunny and Perry were talking at the end of the platform.
“We’ll be a few hours behind you,” said Gunny. “It’ll take us most of the day to get to the dam. We’ll be setting up three kill zones and fallback points along the tracks. At last count, we’ll have forty-six shooters at the dam.”
“If you see them come across before you see us,” said Perry, “take them out.”
“Just make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Gunny, extending his hand. “Godspeed, my friend.”
“Same to you,” said Perry.
As the sun crept higher in the sky, I removed my jacket and stuffed it into my pack. We were confident there would be no trouble on our path to the dam, but decided to walk in the tree line along the tracks just in case. Doug and Daniel were on either side fifty yards ahead of us. They were good on point, but they were no JD and Tucker. I had no idea where they were; I just felt better knowing they were close.
With blue skies above us, along with no signs that was going to change, we made great time to the dam. As before, we approached it with caution. Doug and Daniel crossed first as Perry and I watched over them. When they were safe on the other side, we followed.
Once again I found myself moving through unfamiliar territory. There was only one road leading to the dam from the interstate. My uncle told me it was three miles of nothing but woods. Based on what Major Whitaker told us, the larger force would be using the road for faster travel. There wasn’t much out there a well-armed group that size would fear other than being exposed to the weather. With that in mind, we had a few ideas about where they may be camped.
We weren’t a large, well-armed group, so we stuck to the cover of the woods on either side of the road. As I walked, I kept scanning the higher ground for JD and Tucker. It didn’t surprise me that I couldn’t find them. I was glad they were out there, but I didn’t take it for granted. I told Doug and Daniel to slow it down.
“Everything okay?” asked Perry, taking a knee beside me.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ve never been up here before. I want to make sure we see them before they see us.”
“Okay,” said Perry, “but we’re out in the open here. There’s a fireworks store and a truck stop near the interstate about two miles away. That’s our only shelter if the weather turns on us. It’s a pretty big covered space, so they might be there as well.”
“All the more reason to take it slow, Uncle.”
“If there’s anyone ahead of us, JD and Tucker will let us know.”
“What?”
“Come on, Henry. I knew they were coming before they did,” said Perry. “I haven’t seen JD, but I spotted Tucker moving up a ridgeline a while back.”
“I told them to stay behind us,” I said. “Where did you see him?”
“I didn’t,” said Perry, smiling and punching my arm. “I had no idea they were out there until now.”
“You’re good, old man.”
“I know.”
“You’re okay with that?” I asked.
“I am,” said Perry. “Let’s bring them in and put them on point. We’ll get to shelter much faster.”
“I’m on it,” said JD, kneeling twenty feet behind us, giving me a heart attack.
“Jesus Christ, man! You’re a freak.”
“That’s what she said,” said JD, patting us on our shoulders as he walked between us. “Hubba, hubba, gentlemen.”
“I’m glad that man is on our side,” said Perry, standing as JD disappeared into the bush ahead of us. “I was trying to give him a little downtime because of what happened at the farmhouse. I know that hit him pretty hard.”
“I believe this is his downtime,” I said. “If he’s out here watching our backs, he’s not thinking about what happened.”
We covered the two miles to the fireworks store with speed. JD doubled back to let us know it didn’t look occupied, but we still needed to clear every space inside that could conceal a human. The unbroken windows were tinted, but the bottom half of the glass front door was shattered. After slinging my rifle across my back and pulling a pistol, I eased inside while trying to avoid stepping on the broken glass.
Moving in silence, JD, Tucker, and Perry came in behind me. We all took a knee and aimed our weapons at an opening in the main room. We waited like statues until our eyes adjusted to the low light. There was nothing but empty packing on the shelves. There wasn’t a firecracker left inside.
Once our eyes adjusted, we snaked through every room in the building. There were no signs of permanent residents or recent squatters. When the inside was secured, Doug and Daniel gathered material to barricade the front entrance. My uncle made the decision that we’d be staying the night. He was confident we would make contact with the militia in the morning. I was sure of it once I made my way to the roof. I called everyone up when all the doors to the building were secured.
I motioned for them to stay low when they came up through the hatch. There was a short wall around the perimeter of the roof. With my rifle poking through an opening for drainage, each member of our team looked through the scope. The militia was camped at a truck stop across the interstate three hundred yards away.
“I count sixty, maybe seventy, tops,” said Daniel, moving over so my uncle could take a look. “That’s a much better number if things go bad.”
“We don’t know how many are inside,” said Perry. “There’s also another building next to them, and I saw some movement. I still think there’s at least a hundred of them.”
“You wanna stroll over there now?” asked JD.
“No,” said Perry. “Looks like they’re setting up camp, not breaking it down. This is a good spot. We’ll leave two pairs of eyes up here to watch them and make sure nobody comes up on us. I’d like to know a little bit more about them before I pull the trigger and walk over there.”
“Poor choice of words, Uncle.”
“You know what I meant,” said Perry.
“I do,” I said. “Doug, how about you and your brother take the first shift?”
“No problem,” said Doug.
“I’ll bring you a pen and something to write on,” I said. “I need you to get a solid count of how many are down there. Write down the type of weapons they’re carrying and if you see anything heavier like machine guns, RPGs, or mortars. We need to know what kind of firepower they’re bringing.”
“Figure out who’s barking orders and who’s taking them,” said Perry. “It would be nice to know who’s in charge before we go over there.”
“Keep an eye on how they’re setting up camp,” I said. “I want to know if these guys are professionals or weekend warriors.”
“You need to know everything,” said Daniel. “I get that. I was in a Navy Construction Battalion for eight years. I did three tours overseas.”
“You’re a Seabee?” I asked, cocking my head.
“I was,” said Daniel. “So was Doug. He did ten years.”
“That explains a lot,” I said, grinning. “I’ll shut up now.”
Chapter 18
The Dying of the Light
I slept well, but my uncle didn’t. After brushing my teeth and splashing a little water on my face, I found him on the roof with JD. He greeted me with a smile as the sun was rising, but I could see the concern on his face.
“Anything interesting?” I asked, sitting next to him with my back against the short wall.
“They don’t seem to be well organized,” said Perry, peering through his scope. “According to Doug, only a handful of them are military. They’re sleeping inside the truck stop while the rest of them are in the tent city around it. Take a look.”
I saw only two large tents that could pass as military. The rest were a mix of colors and sizes set up around smoldering fires. Containers, cans, and bottles littered the ground at each site. Clothes were hanging on support lines, and buckets were stacked at two washing stations. If it was a
n organized fighting force, it didn’t show with their camp.
“Good morning, shipmates,” said Doug, joining us on the roof. “Are the girls up?”
“A few,” I said. “Most are still asleep. I just got up here. What did you see before it got dark?”
“Most of them are civilians with bolt-action hunting rifles and shotguns,” said Doug, “but I pegged about eighteen of them as vets or active duty. I could tell by their uniforms and weapons.”
“What kind of weapons?” I asked.
“Different variations of M4 carbines,” said Doug. “Two of them have M203 grenade launchers.”
“That sounds bad,” I said.
“Not as bad as you think,” said Doug. “They won’t be able to hit us from across the dam. To be effective, they’d need to get within one hundred yards. I’ve seen JD and Tucker pick guys off at five hundred. No, the real problem are the SAWs.”
“What are those?” asked Perry.
“Squad automatic weapons,” said Doug. “It’s a light machine gun, and they have two of them. If the operators are decent, they can hit us hard at three hundred yards out. We’ll need to figure out a way to take them out first if they try to cross.”
“All the more reason why we need to avoid a fight,” said Perry. “We don’t have the manpower or firepower against a group that size.”
“Actually, we do,” said Doug. “Our .50 cal Brownings can reach them at two thousand yards out. We get one of them in a good firing position, and they’re going to have a very bad day.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” said Perry.
“What’s the plan for today?” I asked.
“You and I are going to make contact with them,” said Perry. “The rest of you will cover us from here.”
“JD and Tucker can make those shots all day,” said Doug, “but my brother and I need to get closer.”
“Okay,” said Perry. “You and Daniel head out as soon as you can. Henry and I will leave about thirty minutes after you do. Will that give you enough time to get into a better position?”
“Plenty,” said Doug. “Try to keep yourselves out in the open so we’ll have clear shots if things go tits up. You end up inside the truck stop or a tent, and we’ll have no idea what’s happening.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Perry. “They’re going to be pointing a lot of guns at us as soon as we get there. Don’t open fire unless they do, or you see us running back this way.”
“Got it,” said Doug. “I’ll let my brother know the plan, and we’ll get moving. Good luck to you both.”
“No offense, Uncle,” I said, “but that’s not much of a plan.”
“Then you won’t like this part either,” said Perry, “We’re leaving our guns here.”
“All of them?”
“Yes, Henry. All of them. I don’t want to come across as a threat to them. Soldiers carry guns. We’re not soldiers.”
“Why do you hate me so much?” I asked. “Why are you always trying to get me killed?”
“Cut it out,” said Perry, grinning. “It has more to do with me not wanting to lose them. They can’t take what we don’t have.”
“That makes a little more sense,” I said. “I still don’t like it.”
“You’re going to have to rely on your deadliest weapon,” said Perry, tapping the side of his head.
“His deadliest weapon ain’t loaded,” said JD, offering me his pistol. “You might as well end it now.”
“I appreciate your confidence, buddy,” I said, smiling.
“We’re going to be fine,” said Perry. “They want something from us. They’re here for a reason. Killing us wouldn’t make sense.”
“Says you.”
We waited thirty minutes after the Kramer brothers left before we headed out. It was too much time for me to think about all the things that could go wrong. I pushed those thoughts out of my head as we crossed the interstate and made our way up to the truck stop. They were cavalier with their perimeter security and didn’t see us with our hands up until we were in the parking lot.
“We ain’t got nothing for you,” said a gun. “Keep moving or we’ll kill you.”
“My name is Perry, and this is Henry. We’re from Bridgeport and we’re unarmed. We’d like to speak with your commander.”
“Bridgeport,” said another gun, walking up to us. “That’s where the major was headed. Where is he?”
Shit.
“We didn’t come across anyone on our way over,” said Perry. “We left Bridgeport yesterday.”
Technically, it wasn’t a lie. I was glad my uncle recognized that honesty wasn’t the best policy during our initial introduction. The best thing for me to do was keep my mouth shut and follow Perry’s lead.
“I’m Sergeant Pine. Stay right here while I check with our captain.”
“Thank you,” said Perry.
I was surprised to see the men who stopped us turn away and follow the sergeant into the camp. My uncle’s intent of not being seen as a threat seemed to be working. A few other men were watching us, but they weren’t close enough to hear our conversation.
“They don’t come across to me as professionals,” said Perry. “That’s a good sign for us.”
“They don’t, but this guy coming does.”
Sergeant Pine was two steps behind a man who took his appearance more seriously. He drew his pistol and held it to his side as he walked closer to us. When he raised it, my first instinct was to reach for the gun that I didn’t have. The only choice I did have was to put my empty hands back in the air.
“Easy,” I said. “We’re unarmed.”
“Did you check them for weapons, Sergeant?”
“No, sir,” said Pine. “They came in with their hands up, and we didn’t see any guns.”
“What are your orders, Sergeant?”
“To not let anyone inside the camp, and check everyone for weapons,” said Pine, exhaling and looking down at his boots.
“One out of two isn’t bad, but you need to follow my orders to the letter. There’s always a good reason why we do the things we do. You understand, soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” said Pine, snapping to attention. “It won’t happen again.”
Sergeant Pine turned his attention back to us. After a thorough frisk, he stepped to the side. I was relieved to see the sidearm return to its holster. I was surprised when the empty hand was extended to my uncle.
“I’m Captain Russell Braun.”
“Pleased to meet you, Captain,” said Perry, shaking his hand. “My name is Perry Dawson, and this is Henry. We’re from Bridgeport, and we’d like to speak with your commanders about any intentions they may have of visiting our town.”
“Of course,” said Captain Braun. “I take it you made contact with Major Whitaker and his scout team.”
“We did,” said Perry. “It’s how we knew you were coming.”
“May I ask where the scout team is now?”
“With all due respect, Captain, I’d like to give that information to your commanders.”
“Very well, Mr. Dawson. Follow me, please.”
Once we entered the camp, there was no turning back. It took every ounce of restraint not to grab my uncle by the back of his shirt and run while we had the chance. He may have had confidence in his ability to reason with the militia, but I didn’t. My stomach sank as Captain Braun held open the flap of a large military tent that faced the entrance to the truck stop.
So much for staying out in the open.
Inside were three rows of folding chairs facing a map of the area pinned to a large corkboard. Captain Braun informed us it was their briefing tent. As we stood in front of the map, several armed men entered.
“General Castle will be joining us shortly,” said Captain Braun. “This is his security detail.”
After being frisked again, they folded most of the chairs to clear space in the middle of the room. They left two chairs for us and placed two more several feet away. Wh
en they finished rearranging the furniture, they stood in silence around us. My uncle tried to make small talk, but not one of them responded. We figured most of the men outside weren’t professional soldiers. There was no doubt in my mind these guys were the real deal.
Several quiet minutes later, Captain Braun returned with two older men in uniform. I knew one of them had to be the general when his detail snapped to attention. My uncle jumped to his feet, but it took me a second longer to get to mine. The new arrivals took the chairs in front of us while Captain Braun stood behind them.
“I’m General Castle, and this is Colonel Powers. You two have big balls, walking into my camp unarmed and asking for a meeting.”
“We tried calling ahead,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work.
“Well, you have my attention now,” said Castle. “I know your names, but who are you?”
“I represent the good townsfolk of Bridgeport, Stevenson, and Scottsboro, Alabama,” said Perry, extending his hand. “We’re a small alliance with big hopes of putting our lives back together as best we can.”
“We can skip with the formalities,” said Castle, taking a seat without shaking my uncle’s hand and then looking at me. “And who are you?”
“I’m the guy that tells bad jokes,” I said, taking my seat.
“I didn’t tell you to sit, boy,” said Castle.
“What?”
It earned me a yank from my uncle. I found myself back on my feet and looking around at stern faces with hands on their weapons. I needed to find another way to ease the tension.
“I apologize, General,” I said. “I’m not used to military protocol. I’m Henry, and my job was to guide Mr. Dawson to your camp. I just run errands.”
“Sit,” said Castle.
“We sent a scouting party ahead of our group to make contact with you,” said Castle before we settled into our seats. “Where are they?”
“That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come in person,” said Perry. “They did some things you need to be aware of.”
“What kind of things?”
“They murdered a group of unarmed civilians,” said Perry. “Those people weren’t looking for trouble and just wanted safe passage to Scottsboro. My boys were going to help them get there, but your men got to them first.”