by Steven Bird
“Sorry about that,” she said, reaching in to shut off the van.
“No big deal. We’ve got plenty.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
After having driven the old Ford van down several small dirt backroads to intercept Highway 184, Jessie and Ash were parked behind a cluster of mature trees, in what was now an abandoned RV campground. The campground sat on a hill that overlooked the road to the north below. Jessie felt that the campground gave them an excellent tactical advantage for an ambush, as it was located on a position of elevation over their target, and since it was designed to accommodate and grant ease of access to large recreational vehicles with a road leading in and a road leading out, they were not boxed in by one entry point, should they need to escape.
From their vantage point on the hill, they could clearly see Highway 184 from a distance, keeping an eye out for signs of the other members of Wolf’s gang.
Leaning back against a large shade tree, sitting on the ground in one of the campsites while admiring and inspecting the rifles found inside the van, Jessie huffed under his breath.
“What?” Ash asked.
“Wolf,” Jessie said with a chuckle. “What kind of name is that anyway? Probably some sad attempt at looking tough to hide the insecurities of a battered childhood and failed adulthood or something.”
“Wolf?” Ash queried.
“Oh, that’s what they call the older guy with the mostly gray beard.”
With a scoff, Ash replied, “I guess I haven’t gotten to know them quite like you. I’ve been keeping my distance. My run-in with them was brief.”
“Well, you didn’t miss anything. Or rather, you missed a lot, I guess. I don’t imagine you would have enjoyed your stay.”
Glancing over at the van, Jessie said, “You know... it’s funny.”
“What’s funny?” she asked, confused by Jessie’s statement.
“In all of the post-apocalyptic movies, like Mad Max, for example, people are always running around in old vehicles they patch together, siphoning gas from other cars to keep going, but in reality, they really wouldn’t last that long.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, first off,” he said, standing to join her as she stared intently at the road, “the gas would go bad after a while without some sort of stabilizer being added to it. Fuel you find in a storage location may have been treated, but no one puts that in the vehicle they’re driving, so if you find an abandoned car on the side of the road, it was almost certainly not treated. Also, since the government mandated the use of ethanol in pump gas, fuel that sits in a ventilated tank too long will collect moisture from the air at a much higher rate than straight gasoline. I bought an old beater truck once that had been sitting for a year. It started up and ran fine, but on my way home, the fuel-pickup screen became completely clogged with rust particles and it left me stranded on the side of the road. The tank was so rusted on the inside from all of the moisture, the fuel came out looking like milk mixed with rust.”
Stopping to swat at a mosquito, he continued, “Not to mention the fact that the tires, belts, hoses, and non-lubricated and protected seals would all dry rot, leading to all sorts of mechanical failures. Yeah, for the first few years the plunder would be good, but after a while, people would find themselves back on horseback. I suppose the same future will befall us if the world doesn’t somehow get straightened out.”
After a brief pause to look around, Jessie gathered his thoughts and said, “And to tell you the truth. I think I’d like it that way. Without the advantages of machinery, the bad men among us would have a harder time imposing their will.”
“I don’t look forward to a world without medicine, though,” Ash added. “Sure, the frontiersman way of life had a certain romance to it, but without things like modern medicine a lot of people simply won’t make it.”
“Yeah,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I guess you’re right.” Changing the subject, Jessie said, “So anyway, come over here and I’ll give you the low-down on our weapons score.”
Joining Jessie, she said, “That’s an AK47, right?”
“Almost right,” he replied. “Well, for all practical purposes you’re right. It’s an AKM. Basically an early update from the original 1947 design. Most people still call anything that even remotely resembles an AK an AK47, though. Anyway, here’s how it works,” he said as he began to give her a run-down on the rifle’s basic function and operation.
“It’s no sniper rifle, but it will eat any crap ammo you feed it, as long as it’s the right size, of course, and will run well even if it’s dirty and abused. That’s why it has been so popular around the world, especially with the groups that had less than perfect supply chains and training programs.”
Checking to ensure that the weapon was unloaded and clear, Jessie handed it to Ash, saying, “Here ya go, run through the basics of what I just showed you. Get the feel of everything. Don’t be easy on it, either. You can’t break it with your bare hands. If you’re gonna cycle it, cycle it hard. Don’t half-do things when it comes to a gunfight.”
Taking the rifle and holding it up to her shoulder, she said, “It fits me nice.”
“Yeah, it was designed to fit a malnourished third-world conscripted soldier,” he replied. “It’s short and small. By the way, what’s your experience with rifles?”
“My husband and I used to go shooting a lot. He had several hunting rifles. He didn’t have anything like this. He was mostly just a hunter and not a recreational shooter. But I always went to the range with him. To be honest, I was a pretty damn good shot,” she said with a smile. “Often times better than him.”
Returning the smile, Jessie laughed and said, “That’s usually the case. Women are naturals.” Noticing the large man’s watch dangling loosely from her wrist as she held the rifle, Jessie asked, “Where did you find that? It doesn’t seem to fit. You might want to put that in your pocket or something so it doesn’t clank around if you’re trying to be stealthy in a sticky situation.”
“It was my husband’s,” she replied with a somber demeanor. “It’s all I have left of him.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jessie replied softy.
Picking up the other rifle that he had found in the truck, Jessie said, “This is an FAL. It has substantially more power than the AK. They both shoot a 7.62mm projectile, but this one has nearly double the case capacity. Hence, its cartridge is called the 7.62x51 NATO or .308 Winchester.”
“Case capacity?” she asked.
“Yeah. As in room for more gunpowder in the cartridge case. It basically has more power and a lot more kick. It’s better at long ranges, but up close and personal, it’s hard to beat that AK there,” he said pointing to the weapon in her hands. “The 7.62x39 Russian that it fires has adequate knock-down power and the recoil is manageable enough to be friendly to well-placed rapid-fire shots.”
“So what’s the plan?” she asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he replied, leaning the FAL against the tree. “Not knowing exactly when the other group will come through, or if we’ve even already missed them, it’s hard to put anything together. The only place we can really nail something down is back at the water treatment plant. We know where they are there. We were lucky with our first ambush, but we need to step it up a notch and we can’t keep risking you as bait.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I can handle myself,” she quickly replied.
“Oh, I know you can,” he said while rubbing his head and smiling. “I can still feel the beating you gave me when we first met.”
“If that’s the role I need to play, I’ll play it. I want to get these filthy monsters. They took everything from me,” she insisted.
“Yeah, I know. But we stand a much better chance taking them all out if we don’t do something reckless that will get one or both of us killed too early in the fight.”
“So, again, what’s the plan?” she asked impatiently.
“These guys se
e themselves as the predators, and everyone else is the prey. A wolf pack operates in an offensive manner. They don’t really set up much of a security strategy around their own den because, well, they’re at the top of the food chain. The deer, elk, and everything else don’t plan many counterstrikes. These guys seem to think the same way. Just look at how those dirt-bags handled the situation where they thought you were a poor defenseless woman there for the taking. They thought they would take you easily, and they died because of that miscalculation.”
Interrupted by the sounds of vehicles approaching in the distance from the west, Jessie and Ash both ducked behind the trees and quietly watched the dust trail that kicked up as the vehicles approached. Looking through the binoculars recovered from the van, Jessie said, “Looks like their friends to me. One of them found himself a Harley. What a moron,” he said.
“Why does that make him a moron?” she asked.
“It’s hard to defend yourself when you need both hands to ride,” he replied. “I bet he feels cool, though—the wannabe outlaw biker that he is and all.”
Picking up the AKM, Ash said, “So, I guess this is it,” as she rocked a loaded thirty-round magazine into place, and cycled the action, chambering a round.
“No, wait,” he replied.
“What? Why? We’ve got the element of surprise,” she said.
Jessie then explained, “When I was being held by them, one of the things I noticed was a complete lack of discipline. They got drunk and partied all night. Their security was lacking, to say the least. All these guys have going for them is pure ruthlessness and a desire to commit violence on others. Unfortunately, that’s all it takes to get by for many in a situation like this. He who acts first and with enough aggression often wins. Anyway, if these guys bring back supplies, they’ll all no doubt live it up again, feasting on their new ill-gotten gains. Let’s let them make it back. And then tonight, when the night is winding down for them and they’re either drunk or tired, we’ll slip into their den and show them what it’s like to be the prey instead of the predator. Besides, one group not making it back on time is one thing, but if neither group makes it back, it may signal to the others at the treatment plant that something is afoot, causing them to be more on-guard than usual. If we want to get all of them, we need to keep them believing they’re at the top of the food chain.”
Pausing to watch the group drive by, an old Dodge pickup truck following along behind the Harley, Jessie counted five men total, two in the cab, two in the truck’s bed, and one on the motorcycle.
“Looks like they’ve got a truckload of booty,” he said, noting the boxes and bags in the back of the truck. “Ah, hell,” he said in a defeated tone.
“What. What is it?”
“They’ve got a girl with them.”
“What? A girl?”
“Yeah, looks like a young girl is hogtied between the men in the cab. Those two guys in the bed of the truck also have rifles in their hands. They could return fire pretty quickly if need be.”
“We’ve got to do something!” Ash said in an anxious voice. “You know good and well what is gonna happen to that girl when they get her back there. There is no damn way I can allow that to happen.”
“No!” Jessie replied forcefully. “We’ll wait until tonight and strike them when and where they least expect it.”
“But—ˮ she said, attempting to interrupt.
“Listen, we can’t fire on the men in the cab of the truck. She’s sitting right next to them. There is no way we could get them separated from her while fighting off the others. We have to be smart about this. We won’t leave her with them. I promise.”
As the men passed them by and headed in the direction of the treatment plant, Jessie said, “Let’s take only what we need. The rest we can come back for when it’s all over. We need to travel quietly and light. That dust cloud they are kicking up on the road could be spotted from too far away, and if we drive there, we’ll give away our position in the same way. No, let’s get some rest and hike back to the treatment plant under the cover of darkness. Then, when the opportunity presents itself, we’ll turn the tables on them.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hiding in the darkness of the night, alongside one of the stagnant and foul wastewater treatment tanks, Jessie pointed and whispered, “You see that smoke?”
Squinting to see, Ash replied, “Yeah, I think I can make it out.” As a cloud drifted beyond the moon, allowing its light to once again shine on the main building of the water treatment facility, she said, “Oh. Okay. I see it now.”
“That’s coming from a basement level. That’s where they held me.”
“Do you think that’s where they have the girl, too?”
“That’s hard to say. But the way they act, they probably wouldn’t seek privacy to do what they’ll no doubt all want to do.”
Feeling sick to her stomach at the thought, Ash said, “So, now what?” Continuing to explain, Jessie said, “They build a fire down on the lower level where the floor is all concrete, and open that window to vent the smoke out of the building. We can use that to our advantage.”
“What do you propose?” she asked.
“Well, if they stick with their routine, that fire is their heat and light source for their late night shenanigans.” Looking back up at the moon, he continued, “It looks like things are clouding up. Without the moonlight to expose us, we should be able to sneak up pretty close to the window by the fire. It’s guaranteed to be open because they’d smoke themselves out without it. Hopefully, they’ll be half drunk, but even if they’re not, their eyes will be adjusted to the fire and they won’t be able to see into the darkness very well.”
Ash nodded, showing her understanding as Jessie continued, “If you follow that wall toward the river, there will be two more windows, however, both were closed when I was there. The one in the very corner of the basement, the furthest one down, is in a pretty dark corner. Most of the men will be positioned around the fire. I’ll create a diversion and start hitting them from the open window, causing them to disperse. I’ll then enter the main basement room through one of the windows and engage them head on. While their attention is on that area, you slip in through the door facing the river. If any of them try to flee the basement they’ll either do it through the hallway leading to that door or they will head upstairs and into the upper level.”
“What about the girl?”
“I’m getting to that,” he said. “Work your way through that hallway, which should be dark as it has no source of light that I know of, and try to find the girl. If you find her, get the hell out of there with her. Go to the river and run downstream on the riverbank. I’ll join back up with you down by the reservoir if I can. Find a place to hide, and if you don’t see me by sunrise, get the hell out of here and never look back. If you don’t find her in any of the rooms adjacent to the hallway, just keep pressing forward and we’ll eventually meet up in the main room where they have the fire. If we meet up there and haven’t found her yet, we’ll regroup and go with what we have in front of us.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a tremble in her voice.
“Are you okay?” Jessie asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ve just been waiting to face these monsters for so long. Hiding out in that basement all this time I’ve wondered what I would do when I was finally able to confront them. And now that the opportunity is here...well, it just doesn’t seem real to me yet.”
“It will soon enough,” he remarked. “Now, remember, if we don’t link back up and you don’t see me by morning, get the hell out of the area and never look back. You know where the van is. Take it and get yourselves as far from here as you can.”
“Be careful,” she said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, before slipping off into the darkness.
Looking up at the sky, Jessie watched a mass of clouds move in front of the moon, darkening the night sky. Taking a deep breath, he said aloud to himself, “Well, here w
e go.”
~~~~
Slipping silently down the hillside, working her way around to the side entrance of the basement, Ash made her way to the old concrete building. Being in a shadow of the moonlight, she enjoyed the benefit of the cover of darkness, even when the moonlight occasionally reached beyond the clouds.
Her heart was racing with thoughts of what she was about to do rushing through her mind. She had dreamed of the opportunity to strike back at this terrible gang ever since they stole her husband from her. Although she had helped Jessie kill the three men in the van, she had yet to inflict a deathblow on another human being herself. She knew she had it in her; she only hoped she would not hesitate when the time finally came.
With her back against the concrete exterior wall, facing the river, she could feel the familiar light breeze blow through her hair. Looking down at the river, which occasionally reflected the light of the moon, she thought to herself, This must have been such a beautiful and peaceful place to live, before—.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a thump immediately on the other side of the door next to her. Startled, she gripped her AKM rifle tightly, holding it against her chest. Releasing the pistol grip with her right hand, she slowly pressed the safety lever down to the fire position. As the thin, stamped, sheet metal lever clicked into the detent on the receiver, making the slightest metallic sound, she paused and listened, hoping someone on the other side of the door didn’t hear the click as well.
~~~~
Using the cover of darkness while the moon was hidden behind the clouds, Jessie crept over to the open basement window. With his back to the wall to conceal his silhouette as best he could, should the moon’s light return, Jessie quietly placed his bag on the ground and opened the main flap. As he listened intently to the muffled voices inside the building, he painted a picture of the scene in his head, using his memories of the night he escaped.