Fire From The Sky | Book 10 | Damned Nation

by Reed, N. C.

  “Perfectly,” Adcock nodded firmly. “I really do get it, Clay. I promise. If it’s within my power to do, they’ll get it, whatever it costs me.” Clay studied the other man for a few seconds before nodding his appreciation.

  “That’s all I can ask.”

  At the Grey Ghost, everyone was making a final check of their gear. Suppressors for rifle and pistol, knives, a compound bow for Kevin Bodee, field rations, water and filters, everything the six ‘hunters’ would need to stay in the field for days.

  For the shooters and their spotters, the list was different. Rifles, of course. Heath carried a Remington .308 as well as the huge Barrett .50, with plenty of ammunition. He didn’t bother with an M-4, and in any case, Samantha would have her Mini-14, along with her .243. Their gear was more in line with camping rather than living in the woods. A small stove and canned foods along with utensils, as well as water and filters.

  Kurtis elected to carry his Grizzly single shot despite having been offered a Barrett by Clay and Jody. Kurtis preferred to stick with a rifle he was accustomed to for something with so much riding on it. Along with the big Grizzly, Kurtis carried another rifle that also reflected his time spent tracking and killing dangerous predators. An Accuracy International AXMC338. Frightfully expensive, Kurtis had managed to pay for the rifle with trophies taken from predators killed by order of the various wildlife services he contracted to. It was by far the finest rifle he had ever owned, and he would use it every time unless the harder hitting Grizzly was required.

  Jose would accompany Kurtis and serve as his spotter. He carried on his M4 and handgun. His work would be done with a long-distance spotting scope.

  Finally, everyone and everything was loaded. Clay looked at the big MRAP with misgivings, but he had given his word he would allow everyone to make their own choices, and they had. Kurtis was behind the wheel as the big rig set out behind Adcock’s Hummer on the drive to Lewiston.

  Clay turned away before watching them out of sight. Just in case.

  -

  Jose had gathered the younger members of his team near the back of the Cougar as they made their way toward Lewiston. Adcock had arranged for three trucks and another MRAP to meet them so that the subterfuge for the hunters to slip into the woods could be executed. As they made their way south, Jose eyed all of them but most especially Gordy and Zach.

  “This isn’t a game,” he told them softly. “This also can’t be about revenge for your friend,” he added, catching each teen in the eyes and holding their glance until he was sure he got his point across.

  “I know that all of you have combat experience at this point. I’d give pretty much anything for that not to be the case, but it is what it is. That said, this is different from any other operation or engagement you’ve been a part of. The word of the day is patience. You cannot let yourself get into a hurry. Sam, Heath will be looking to you to be sure that he’s engaging an enemy and not one of our own. You can’t allow yourself to be distracted by anything. That has to come first.”

  “Yes, sir,” Samantha nodded, carefully not looking in Gordy’s direction.

  “I know you two are a couple,” Jose said next, looking from her to Gordy and back. “Leave that on the bus when you dismount. You can’t be distracted by that in the field. Gordy, if you’re out there worried about Sam, then you may make a mistake that will get you, Kevin or both of you killed. Sam, if you’re worried about Gordy then you may hesitate to call out a target, or else miss one altogether. You might only get the one shot, so it has to count and you can’t miss it.”

  “All of the shots have come from the south side of the town,” Jose reminded them. “We will therefore begin on the assumption that this is where the shooters are. You may well stumble across their camp, or they may be holed up in a house. Nowhere you go will be safe or clear until you’ve cleared it yourself. Even then, you can be caught asleep, or be surprised just as much and as easy as they can. Stay, alert.”

  “Radio traffic will be kept to a minimum, with hourly check-ins and no more unless there’s something to report. That will let the guys in the field keep their radios off when not in use to spare the batteries. A gunshot will be a perfect reason to turn on your radio to listen in and see if it was one of your teammates. Remember your earbuds and keep them taped to the radios so they don’t get pulled loose as you go through the trees. Keep your gear taped down to avoid rattling. Listen to the guys you’re with when they tell you something. They’ve done this kind of thing all over the world. Be confident in their ability to steer your right.”

  “Please be careful,” his voice softened some at this point. “Neither Clay nor I wanted to do this. It’s not personal, it’s just that this isn’t our issue. We didn’t want to risk any of you for the sake of others who probably won’t appreciate it. That doesn’t mean we don’t respect your loss. It just means we wanted to avoid losses of our own, nothing more. Don’t make me have to go home and tell someone you aren’t coming back. Please.”

  Jose shifted on his feet as the Cougar headed up the ramp and onto the road into Lewiston. He saw Adcock’s Hummer stop next to another MRAP with three trucks behind it, and then move out again. Tandi pulled in behind the first truck since the idea was to hide the Ghost to allow the hunters to slip away unnoticed.

  All too soon they were coming to a stop once more.

  “Wait,” Jose ordered, staying down. As the waited, perhaps thirty soldiers got down from the trucks, complaining, stretching and some using the restroom. All were careful to stay in pairs, but to also make as much noise as possible without it being obvious.

  “Go,” Jose gave the one-word order and Kevin Bodee opened the rear door of the Cougar and slipped to the ground. One-by-one the others followed until they were all outside and hiding in the dark. Once Jose was satisfied that they were concealed and ready to be left on their own, he motioned to Adcock, who in turn nodded to Maxwell. Soon, soldiers were piling back aboard the trucks, still making noise and drawing attention to themselves. Once they were settled, the group of vehicles started on the way once more.

  Behind them, in the dark, all six of the stalkers activated their night vision gear and waited until they were acclimated before moving. Once they were ready, Nate Caudell looked at the group.

  “This is it,” he whispered. “Let’s go kill us some vermin.”

  With almost no sound whatever, the six of them crossed the road and moved into the brush, making their way south, the direction the shots into town had come from.

  -

  “Okay, we’re rolling into town now,” Jose mentioned. “The same soldiers from the trucks are going to form a big group and walk through this part of town. We’ll hide among them and then slip into our target buildings when we pass them. The three who are assigned to security in each building will help carry our gear. Once you’re on site, say that, once, over the air. After that, you monitor, but unless you have relevant information, you stay off the air. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir,” Heath and Sam both nodded.

  “Do not engage any targets until I give the weapons free call. After that, if you can identify it as a threat, nail it.”

  “How do we positively identify someone as an enemy combatant?” Heath asked. “I don’t know any of these people around here.”

  “If they’re pointing a rifle this way, assume they’re hostile,” Jose replied. “At the ranges we may be working, that’s the best I can give you. Remember that these guys so far have fired once, twice at the most, and then boogied. They may change that up, but don’t expect it. Any other questions?” There were none.

  “Then get ready.”

  Minutes later the convoy stopped in the road, vehicles seemingly haphazard, though that was by design. Six soldiers appeared to amble aimlessly toward the back of the Ghost, where they took equipment bags from the team they would accompany. Once everyone was on the ground and all their gear accounted for, they melted in with the larger group that was already making their way do
wn the sidewalk and partly into the street.

  Heath and Sam were first. Their building was a renovated Brownstone that had apartments on all levels, including the top floor, where they were bound. With soldiers at their front, back and sides, the pair slipped into their building without fanfare, followed by their security group. After that it was three-and-a-half flights of stairs and setting up shop in near darkness.

  Two blocks further east, Jose and Kurtis did the same thing just as smoothly. Jose had to hand it to Adcock. He had organized an excellent maneuver on the fly, and his men had executed it to near perfection. Their building was the former city services building, renovated top to bottom as office space. The top floor had been occupied by a small law firm and accounting group, complete with conference room and break area. None of the machines worked now, but the room was still nice to have.

  In each building, once the trio of soldiers had dropped off the bags they were carrying, they had retreated to the ground level, where they secured every entrance to the building. Both teams had then secured the doors to the stairwells that lead to their positions, ensuring that the only way to reach them would make enough racket to attract their attention.

  Thirty minutes after their arrival, both teams had their equipment out and set up, ready for action. At that point, there was nothing to do but wait, and sleep.

  -

  By the time the rifle teams had deployed and settled in to wait, the hunter teams were into the edges of their target area. They had decided to remain together for the moment, until or unless a reason for them to separate became apparent. The six of them moved in silence, Bodee leading the way with his bow at the ready while Mitch covered the back.

  The reason they had waited to divide into teams was simple. There had been no sniper fire in the dark hours. While some of the people taken directly from town might have fallen victim during the night, that was in town, not out in the woods. If there was a group of people doing this instead of just one or even a few crazies, then they just might be camped out somewhere out here beyond sight of the town. If that was the case, then catching them in that camp as a group would be most beneficial.

  The woods in this area were often thick with underbrush, but just as often consisted of evenly spaced pines planted for use as pulp wood to make containerboard. The team was beginning their operations based on the idea that whoever they were hunting would not want to make camp in heavy brush, which would invite ticks, fleas, spiders, wood scorpions and other kinds of bed partners that would make camping such a chore. Also, they were likely to need, or at least want, a fire, both as a light and to cook with. The fire might also come in handy early into the morning as the temperature was steadily dipping downward this far into autumn.

  After an hour of movement, Nate called a halt, using the cover of his own hat and his teammates to consult a map by red light. Satisfied he knew where they were, Nate decided it was time for the three teams to spread out. A series of hand signals sent each pair on a different heading, all with the same orders; if it looked like a threat, it died.

  -

  Bradley Haywood had been a prison guard for fifteen years. He had started working for the state of Georgia just out of high school and had worked at two different prisons before the lure of better money had led him to Waycroft. He had been there just short of two years when the lights had gone out.

  After a few days of confusion, Cartwright had come to them all with a plan. Haywood had not initially thought much of that plan, but he had to admit it was better than anything he had come up with, and it meant he kept eating and had a good place to sleep. He wasn’t completely sure that Cartwright’s fear of the surrounding populace was justified, but only a fool would take chances where he didn’t have to.

  Over the last several months, Haywood had led a team of other officers and several trustees in raids around their area, though not encroaching into the counties where the prison’s lands sat. Cartwright had been very particular about that. Haywood’s team was far from the only one, but he felt that he and his men had done a fair job, all other things being equal.

  This new mission had left a sour taste in Haywood’s mouth. Not because of the violence. On the contrary, the violence was the least worry he had. His major problem was moving so far north, away from the power base they were using the prison for. His orders to extract a ransom if possible made sense to be sure, assuming the town was as well off as they appeared to be. No one looked sickly or malnourished. The town obviously had surviving authorities of some kind and was in good order. It made sense that they might well have the supplies to pay Haywood’s men to stop killing them.

  His men had killed twenty-seven people in total, so far. Many had been shot at long range by three of his men who were extremely proficient riflemen. The remainder had been killed in the town in silence, or else taken alive, killed out in the woods, and then returned to the town to be found.

  His attention was drawn to where several of the convicts that were part of his team were dancing around the fire, mason jars in hand. They had found a still on their way north and ‘liberated’ the supply of shine that had been found there. Normally he would chastise them for the noise they were making, but out here in the woods, who would hear?

  He let them party. Tomorrow would be another day of work, after all.

  -

  Gordy felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Kevin Bodee next to him. Silently, the older man pointed to a small barn type structure maybe fifty yards away and Gordy nodded. It would be sunup in a little more than an hour. They needed go to ground before then if they wanted to make sure they stayed out of sight.

  Less than a mile away, the other two teams were doing the same thing, checking small structures for threats before settling in for some rest. While they might not spend the entire day holed up and waiting, they wanted to be prepared for that eventuality.

  Once in place, they would wait. A good hunter was patient, after all.

  -

  Clay had spent a sleepless night sitting on his porch, thinking about the operation in the field. It had been thrown together far too quickly for his liking, especially when considering how little they knew of the situation.

  But he had seen the look on the faces of Gordy, Zach and Heath. There would be no denying them the opportunity to seek revenge for the killing of the young woman they had all known. He had been relieved that he hadn’t had to ask any of the others to go with them, but he was not really surprised. All of them would have seen this as nothing more than a chance to ‘get out and get some’, as they were fond of saying.

  In truth, Clay would have liked to have been with them. For the entire team to be on the prowl once more, doing what they did the best; hunting vermin down and exterminating them. But he had other responsibilities now, and he couldn’t throw them off just to do what he wanted. No matter how much he might want to.

  So, he sat on his porch, waiting for the sun to rise, wondering if his friends and family were doing alright.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jose Juarez watched the wood line in the distance become clear as the sun rose higher into the sky. He swept the powerful scope back and forth, looking for anything out of place. A splash of color, a horizontal line where they shouldn’t be one, a flash of light reflecting off metal or glass. Anything that might indicate someone was watching the town or preparing to target someone living there.

  “Anything?” Kurtis asked, sitting behind his .338, using the scope mounted on the rifle much the same way Jose was using the spotting scope.

  “Not yet,” Jose replied, never taking his eyes from the lens. “There may not be anything this early, anyway. Adcock said there’s been no real schedule so far with this. We could look all-,”

  “I’ve got movement,” Kurtis interrupted, his voice conversational. “One-seven-zero degrees, range four hundred, twenty-nine yards. Below the rise.” Jose turned his scope at once to find the spot Kurtis has seen.

  “Got him,” it took him less
than ten seconds. “I do believe the gentlemen is setting up to shoot, too.” He reached for his radio mike.

  “Target acquired, one-seven-zero, four hundred and a few yards. Weapons free at this time.”

  “Roger that,” Sam’s voice replied.

  “Kurtis, you can-,”

  The rest of his words were cut off by the booming sound of the big hunting rifle speaking with a full-throated roar.

  -

  Heath had found the target almost as soon as it had been called out, but held his fire, assuming that Jose would allow Kurtis to open thing up. He wasn’t disappointed as he heard the sound of a high-powered rifle echoing off the buildings in town.

  Ignoring the commotion this caused, Heath kept his eyes glued to where the shooter had been. Had been because the shooter was most definitely down. Heath had seen the spray of blood through his own scope as Kurtis’ round hit home. What Heath was waiting for was for-.

  There. Someone was running to help their buddy. Heath waited for the man to get where he was headed and stop for a second before squeezing his own trigger. The target never knew he was being shot at, the bullet arriving before the sound.

  “Target down,” Heath said aloud to Sam. “Scanning.”

  “Target down,” she reported to Jose, also continuing to search.

  -

  Haywood looked down the slope where James and Wilhoit lay on the ground, James dead and Wilhoit bleeding out, calling pathetically for help that wasn’t coming.

  “They’re just waiting for us to go and help him,” someone behind Haywood all but whispered.

  “You think?” another voice snorted. “What now, boss?”

  “We can’t have everything our own way,” Haywood told them. “We’ve taken a toll on them, we had to expect them to fight back at some point. Those two are history,” he lowered his binoculars and slid back off the lip of the ridge he’d been lying on.