by Lee West
“Looks like your stuff is chambered in the usual calibers—9mm, .223, .308,” said Reynolds. “Ammo won’t be a problem. We have plenty of that around here.”
“Excellent,” said Charlie.
“These weapons are amazing. Where did you get all of them?” asked Simmons.
“It’s my private collection. I’m a little into guns.”
“A little? For our first date, he took me to the shooting range,” said Gayle to a round of laughter.
“Damn right. And the minute I realized you could outshoot me was when I also realized you were the woman for me.”
The men dug into the weapons, each choosing one.
“What’s the status of the run into Porter? Are the cops ready to hit the New Order? We’re getting tired of sitting around here, knowing those assholes are in our town,” said Reynolds.
“I’m not sure how much you guys know, so here’s the status. The Evansville police chief had most of their cops relocate to a kids’ camp near Lake Sparrow. It’s just north of Porter and East of Evansville.”
Moving the guns and ammo to the side, Reynolds said, “Here, use this.” He stretched a map on the table.
“Thanks.”
“The HQ is in this location. Although it isn’t marked on the map, the old horse trail snakes through the forest in this direction. We have two safe houses, here and here,” said Charlie, pointing to the map.
“Let’s mark it up. I’ll grab a pen,” said Reynolds, handing Charlie a pen.
“The chief moved approximately eighteen officers to this location on the trail,” said Charlie.
“But the New Order attacked the house, killing four officers and seriously wounding another two,” said Mark.
“Damn them,” said Gayle. “Who went down?”
“Peterson, Green, Maeve and Kreen. Avery and Sinclair are injured. As far as we know, they were taken to Memorial,” said Charlie.
“I’m so sorry. Were you guys there when the house was attacked?” asked Simmons.
“Mark was, and he apparently put an end to the active shooter threat with one well-placed piece of lead.” Charlie looked at his new friend with admiration.
“What’s the status of the hospital?”
“We don’t know,” said Mark.
“Do you know how the attack on the town is supposed to go down and what role we should play?” asked Reynolds.
“The chief plans to split the team at the house, one group going south on the trail, a second group arriving by car. He hoped your team could be in position, here. We would then have a three-pronged attack,” said Charlie.
“That could work,” said Reynolds, considering the marks on the map.
“When the chief made the plan, we didn’t yet know that the New Order has men posted all over town in concealed sharpshooter positions. We need to modify the plan or it won’t work,” said Charlie.
“How do you know about the sharpshooters?” asked Gayle.
“Marta has a man on the New Order side that gave her the information,” said Charlie.
“Can we count on it? Or is this some sort of trap?” said Gayle, wary of trusting any New Order man.
“We aren’t sure.” He drew out a map indicating all the sniper locations. “Apparently, he intervened, neutralizing the sniper in this location just as Mark and I arrived at Marta’s back door.”
“Or he told you he did that only to win our trust. I don’t know. Trusting one of them is something I’m finding hard to do. I’d hate to divert our team to look for nonexistent snipers,” said Gayle.
“I agree. I think we should split off into four squads. Two squads will neutralize these sniper locations first, if they exist, and the other two squads will push into town from this direction as the chief planned,” said Reynolds, pointing to the map with the sniper locations.
“Hitting those two sniper nests will open up the town for the cops pushing down from the north,” said Mark.
“Exactly. Those two locations would help the inbound cops the most, so we’ll clear their path; then the two squads can circle back through town, hitting these spots in this order.” Reynolds pointed to the map, outlining his plan. “One, two, three. That should clear the southern route for the vets too.”
Charlie considered the plan and knew it would work. The anticipation of winning their town back fueled him even after the day’s grueling hike.
“Alright, tonight we’ll let HQ know the plan and that we’re ready when they are to execute it. We’ll have to relay the information from Marta to the safe house and then HQ. Your signal isn’t great. My guess is that the chief will want to move forward tomorrow morning,” said Charlie.
“That should work. We’ll take care of sending the information tonight. We’ll get the word out so that everyone is ready for action in the morning if the chief green lights the plan,” said Reynolds.
Getting up from the table, Charlie asked, “Do you have a well or stream? I need to wash up.”
Gayle took his hand and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to the stream.”
The two walked out of the musty-smelling cabin into the twilight of the forest. Walking hand in hand, Charlie kept looking at Gayle. He knew how fortunate they were to still have each other. Things could have turned out much differently for them. Smiling, he remembered the ring in his pocket.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked.
“You and me.”
“Me too,” she said, squeezing his hand.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Bet sat alone in the dim, stiflingly hot communications room at the Porter police station. He had been assigned to this location ever since the Boss made him “help” Brown with the radio. Night and day he and Brown sat together, adjusting dials, getting nothing but static. Bet started wondering about Brown. He wondered how loyal Brown was to the Boss.
Brown had started acting really nervous yesterday and then failed to come to the station. He still wasn’t anywhere in sight, even though it was almost midnight. Something had to be up with him. Or maybe he ran away like some of the others. Bet had no intention of running. Where would he go? Back to his mom, in the dingy apartment they shared in the city? She was probably so wasted on meth that she might not even know the lights went out. No. Bet would stay with the Boss—his only real family.
Leaning over the table, he considered the radio again. He had no idea what any of the dials did, but had watched Brown enough to know that he needed to adjust them to look for a clear signal. The problem was that there never was a clear signal. It was almost as if the antenna was broken. Getting up from his chair, he leaned over the table and inspected the wires connected to the radio. Everything looked fine. He must just be getting paranoid. Sitting down, he again tried the dials, getting nothing but static, as usual.
Bored out of his mind, Bet knew he couldn’t leave the radio room or the Boss would have a shit fit. But continuing to turn dials and listen to static had a way of making a person bonkers. Leaning back in his chair, he pulled out his lucky quarter and started flipping. Ever since he was a child, he’d always flipped the quarter. He would guess heads or tails and even make bets with himself. The simple act distracted him and calmed his mind, even during his mom’s violent fights with her boyfriends.
Flipping the quarter with his thumb and forefinger, the quarter flew into the air just beyond his grasp, landing on the linoleum floor with a soft thump. He quickly grabbed his flashlight and leaned under the table, looking for his lucky quarter. Wait a minute. What do we have here? A single thick cord dangled from the back of the desk area, like it had been pulled out of the radio. He quickly grabbed the antenna, snaked it up to the back of the radio system and plugged it in. He swiped his lucky quarter off the floor and kissed it before putting it back in his pocket. Once again, it had brought him luck.
Things sounded different when he adjusted the dials. He could hear some spots that were not just static, but a clear signal. No wonder Brown was acting so funny. He’d probably d
isabled the radio. Bet determined to stay at least another hour before joining the guys in finishing the booze. He listened intently, finally hearing nameless people communicating through the dark night.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jane walked into the shed, anxious for an update from the rest of the team. If all had gone as planned, by this time Mark and Charlie would be with the veterans. The chief had briefed Charlie on the plan of attack so he could coordinate with them. If Charlie and Mark did not make it, they would have to rework the plan to exclude the assistance from the veterans. She also wanted to hear from Sam. Being apart from him under these circumstances became more taxing as time stretched the distance between them.
“Hey, guys,” she said to the chief and the two men seated at the radio.
“Jane, you must be exhausted. You don’t need to be here; we can fill you in,” said Joyce Rolz.
“I’m good. I’m anxious to hear if everything went okay with the hospital run and if Charlie and Mark made it to the vets in one piece.”
“I think we’re all sitting on the edges of our seats, hoping for the best on both accounts as well,” said Joyce.
Jane watched as the two radiomen adjusted the communications rig. Tension over Sam and Charlie mounted as they waited until just after midnight to call out into the darkness.
“It’s twelve fifteen. Anytime you’re ready, you may proceed,” said the chief.
“Blue Jay, this is Eagle’s Nest. Over.”
“Blue Jay, this is Eagle’s Nest. Over.”
“This is Blue Jay. Come in Eagle’s Nest. Over,” responded a man from Doris’s house.
“Status report?”
“The hospital run was a success. No information yet from Overlook One. We’re still waiting for her check-in. Over.”
“Let them know they should contact us once they have a complete status report. We’ll be on again at twelve thirty. I don’t want to run the radio any longer; we need to reserve our fuel,” said the chief.
“Blue Jay, check in again at twelve thirty with full status report,” said the chief’s radioman.
“Twelve-thirty check-in, roger that. Blue Jay out.”
The radioman put down the receiver and turned off the radio.
“All we can do is wait,” said the chief. “If everyone is in place, I’d like to commence the operation tomorrow morning. There’s no reason to delay. Once the New Order starts to run out of food, they’ll expand their range further out. The last thing I want is for this scourge to spread to other towns. I’m sure people are dealing with enough; the last thing anyone else needs is a visit from the New Order.”
“Amen to that, Chief,” said Joyce.
“Assuming we’re moving forward tomorrow, Jane, I’d like you to move down to Doris’s house. They’re cut as thin as possible. I don’t want to leave them wide open to a counterattack while most of our guys are in Porter. I would like you to head up the squad that stays behind at Doris’s house. We need to hold that location, even with a reduced presence.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be ready to go before sunrise. I should be able to get there mid to late day,” said Jane.
“We have two bikes left; I’d like you and Rapp to ride down there as fast as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jane stood still, stunned by the chief’s orders. She had not anticipated being in the middle of a gun battle. Nor did she want to leave Lea behind. The HQ seemed safe enough, but Jane knew that the safety offered by the HQ was just a thin veneer over a dangerous world. The world as they knew it was no longer safe, for anyone. Keeping her family together once again rose to the forefront of Jane’s concerns. Maybe Sam was right; maybe coming to HQ was a mistake. What would happen to Lea if she or Sam or both were killed.
Joyce put her arm around Jane and whispered, “Don’t worry. Lea will be fine.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Just a little. You turned white as soon as the chief gave you the order. I’m a mom too. I get it. She’s safe here at HQ. There’re plenty of people watching over her. It’ll be okay. You and Sam will be back in a matter of days. And I’ll keep her close to me.”
“Thanks, Joyce,” said Jane, smiling slightly.
She could not shake the overall sense of foreboding. Somehow she knew she shouldn’t leave Lea alone. But there was no way she could use family as an excuse in their current circumstances. Everyone had family to protect. Everyone wanted to be safe. It was only if they all worked together that things would get better. She knew she had to go. Breaking the news to Lea would be excruciating.
~ ~ ~
Marta and Brown sat in her attic, chatting until it was time to call the veterans. The two had become close in a short period of time. She never asked Brown what he’d done to land in PrisCorp. In the beginning, it mattered to her because she hadn’t felt safe around him. All she could think about was his past. However, as the days went on and he proved his loyalty to the police over and over, worries about his past slowly faded in her thoughts. She knew eventually once everything went back to normal, he would be incarcerated again. On some level, she wished things would drag on as they were, allowing the friendship to continue to blossom.
“Alright, here goes nothing,” she said as she turned on the radio.
“Storm, come in. Storm, you there? Over.”
“This is Storm, reading you loud and clear.”
“Status?”
“The package arrived safe and sound.”
Tears pooled in her eyes at the report. There was a tightness and scratchiness to her voice as she said, “Great news!”
“We’re ready as directed.”
“Okay, I’ll pass it along. Over and out.”
“Storm out.”
“What did he mean they’re ready as directed?” Brown asked.
“The chief wants the attack on Porter to go down tomorrow morning. Everyone should be in place by then. Charlie had the plan of attack and is coordinating the vets with the cops heading in. I think you should stay put tomorrow. If all goes well, the streets won’t be safe.”
“You got that right! Man, will I be glad to get rid of the Boss. They need to know to concentrate on the police department downtown. Those shit bags always hang out there, like it’s their clubhouse or something. It’s just pathetic.”
“Will do. I need to call Doris’s house or Blue Jay, I think. Isn’t that what they’re calling it?”
“I don’t know. I thought you were keeping track of all the names,” said Brown, chuckling.
Smiling and swatting his arm, she said, “What good are you? Geez.”
Turning to the radio again, Marta called out to Doris’s house. “Blue Jay? You there? Blue Jay? You there? Over.”
“This is Blue Jay. Over.”
“Storm is in place and ready as planned. Over,” she said.
“Blue Jay is ready as planned too. Over.”
“There’s a heavy load at Steel and Magnolia. Over,” said Marta, hoping they would understand her cryptic message regarding the concentration of New Order at the police station.
“We anticipated it. It’s all good on our end. Over.”
Relieved, Marta said, “Godspeed. Over and out.”
“See you on the bright side, Blue Jay. Over and out.”
Turning off the radio, she sat still for a moment. The magnitude of the plan to regain Porter sat heavy with Marta. She knew the cops would be fighting for their lives and for the lives of all the people of Porter. The thought of more officers being killed by the New Order worried her. However, the prospect of the police losing this gun battle terrified her even more.
“Tomorrow morning, you need to be in the basement all day,” said Brown.
“And so should you. You can’t go out there; you’ll get gunned down. The cops have no way of knowing you’ve been working with us.”
“I can’t just hide in the basement like a scared little girl.”
“Hey, watch it. I’ll be in the basement.”
“Sorry, but you know what I mean. I should be doing something to help.”
“You’ve done a lot already. We both have. Now we need to sit back and wait for the cops to do their jobs.”
“I guess you’re right.”
There was no way Marta would let her friend go outside tomorrow. If the New Order won, they would all need Brown to help plan a second attack. Besides, she needed Brown.
~ ~ ~
Sam sat in the communications shed at Doris’s house. Hearing that Charlie and Mark had both made it to the vets gave the room a certain levity that didn’t exist before. Everyone knew that with the help of the vets, they would have a decent chance of winning.
“She didn’t mention anything about the package she had for Charlie. What do you suppose happened with that?” asked Donnelly, the radioman, to Sergeant Spencer.
“I was thinking the same thing. Whatever it was, Charlie has it and we have to count on him to know how to handle the situation on that end. It’s all we can do. It’s twelve thirty; let’s call up to HQ to confirm that the teams are ready to proceed in the morning as planned.”
“Roger that,” said Pritty, picking up the receiver.
“Eagle’s Nest, this is Blue Jay. Come in.”
“This is Eagle’s Nest. Over.”
“Status update, all teams ready. It’s a go.”
“Roger that. We’re sending a package to you. Over.”
“Does the package change the timing or plan?”
“Not at all. You’re clear to proceed. Good luck.”
“Blue Jay over and out.”
Sam wondered what sort of package the HQ could be sending. The supplies at HQ were thin at best, so he figured they weren’t sending food. It was likely more personnel. Despite himself, Sam hoped it was Jane who would emerge from the horse trail.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Henry Kreen sat in the upstairs bedroom of his house in Porter. Looking out the bedroom window, he waited for his friend Adam Fogel to flash his shades. The two grew up in the houses they now lived in. As kids they would signal each other by opening and closing the shutters of their shades. They’d worked out a complicated communications system that not even the most astute mother could detect.