World War III

by Heath Jannusch

  “That’s because we just recently met mom, a couple of weeks after everyone vanished. There’ll be time for us to catch up later, but right now we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Yes, yes of course Alex,” coughed Beth, “I suppose you’re right. What can I do to help?”

  “How long have you been ill mom and what exactly are you sick with?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, a few days now I suppose. I’ve lost track of time. Everyone in camp seemed to get sick at the same time. It was right after Jasper gave us the flu shot.”

  “Flu shot?” asked Cleo, her brow furrowed.

  “Yes, they forced us to take it. When I refused and spoke out against it, Jasper had his men pull me aside and then he himself injected me,” explained Beth.

  “He forced you?” repeated Lex, his voice as cold as ice. “I look forward to meeting this Jasper fellow.”

  “I told him you’d be upset,” giggled Beth, followed by a coughing fit.

  “Damn straight,” hissed Lex. “Alright, let’s forget about him for now, we need to get moving before the guard change. Are you ready to push that button I told you about mom?”

  “I’m ready,” she whispered, stifling another cough.

  “Alright,” smiled Lex, “here’s what I want you to do. Cleo and I are going to take out the two guards at the front gate with our rifles simultaneously. In the same instant that we fire, I need you to push that button, okay?”

  “Sure,” said Beth, “what’s going to happen when I push it?”

  “There’s gonna be a loud explosion, followed by a lot of fireworks,” answered Cleo.

  “Oh, okay,” replied Beth. “Are we leaving in the trucks?”

  “No mom, everyone else is using the trucks,” answered Lex. “We’ve got a dune buggy hidden close by, that’s what we’re leaving in.”

  “I’ve never been in a dune buggy before,” exclaimed Beth.

  “Don’t worry love,” smiled Cleo, “just think of it as ride at Disneyland.”

  “Of course,” smiled Beth, “don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

  “Everyone get ready,” Lex whispered to the prisoners, as they huddled close to the door. “And remember, go straight for the trucks and then head east. Don’t stop until you’re in Nevada.” He turned and looked down at his mother, “Are you ready?”

  “Ready!” said Beth, her finger hovering over the button.

  “Your mum is too cute,” Cleo whispered to Lex, as they picked up their rifles and took up a position at one of the windows.

  “Thanks,” smiled Lex, peering into the scope on his rifle. “She likes you too.”

  They each took careful aim at the two soldiers guarding the front gate. Lex aimed for the one on the right and Cleo for the one on the left, and in the same breath they fired. Both guards were hit square in the chest, falling dead to the ground before they knew what hit them. At the same time Beth pushed the red button on the detonator, causing a series of explosions. The guard towers and troop barracks burst into fiery balls of flame and were instantly destroyed. The loud boom caused by the detonation could be heard from miles away.

  “Alright everybody let’s go!” shouted Lex, as he watched a Russian soldier emerge from one of the troop barracks. The man was ablaze from head to toe and screaming from the fire that scorched his skin. Lex took careful aim at the man’s head and gave him mercy, with a bullet to the brain.

  Lex and Cleo were the first two out the door, their rifles held ready. Standing on either side of the door they kept watch, as the sick and weak American prisoners erupted from the barracks and headed for the trucks parked close by.

  “Cleo,” shouted Lex, above the commotion, “take my mom to the dune buggy and come back for me. I’m gonna stay and help these people get loaded into the trucks.”

  “Will do mate,” said Cleo, wrapping one of her arms around Beth. “Come with me love, we’re gonna go on that ride I was telling you about.”

  “Oh I just love your accent,” giggled Beth, as she followed Cleo to the dune buggy.

  Five minutes later, Cleo and Beth came crashing through the front gates, riding side-by-side in the dune buggy. They pulled to a stop in the middle of the camp and Cleo jumped out, leaving Beth alone in the passenger seat. Lex was helping to load the last truck, when he saw Cleo running towards him, shouting and waving.

  “We gotta get going!” she yelled. “There’s a convoy of military vehicles headed this way!”

  “Get going everybody!” shouted Lex. “There are more enemy troops on the way!”

  As the last truck full of American civilians pulled away in a cloud of dust, Lex turned and ran towards Cleo. They hurried back to the dune buggy and Beth, who was waiting patiently inside. Just as they reached the dune buggy, enemy troops appeared on the horizon, followed by all manner of armored vehicles. The Russian forces immediately fell into pursuit of the civilians, chasing after the trucks headed east. Which was also the direction that Lex, Cleo and Beth were planning to take.

  “Where’s Duke?” asked Beth, hunkered down in the passenger seat.

  “I’ve no idea,” answered Lex. “Where did you leave him?”

  “Back at the house,” she said. “They wouldn’t let me bring him. We have to go back and get him.”

  “There’s no time mom, we’ve gotta get out of here!”

  “Not without Duke,” insisted Beth. “He’s like family!”

  “Who’s Duke?” asked Cleo, completely confused.

  “The family dog,” answered Lex, considering their options. “He’s back there,” he added, pointing behind him to the west. “My mom’s house is within sight of the coast.”

  “Yeah,” said Cleo, “and so is the entire enemy force. You can’t be considering this? Only a fool would head in that direction!”

  “Look,” said Lex, pointing at all of the Russian vehicles chasing after the trucks loaded with civilians. “Do you really think we’ll be able to escape in that direction? Heading towards the coast would be the last thing they’d expect.”

  “That’s because it’s bloody suicide mate!”

  “We haven’t any other choice,” said Lex. “Get in!” With the decision made, he turned and jumped into the driver seat next to Beth, while Cleo climbed into the backseat. He slammed his foot down hard on the gas pedal and sped away, leaving the camp behind and heading west towards the coast.

  Two of the enemy’s armored vehicles spotted them and fell into pursuit. One was a Humvee and the other a jeep. Lex weaved back and forth in a zig-zag pattern, trying to avoid the machine gun fire coming from the .50 caliber on top of the Humvee.

  “Cleo,” shouted Lex, over the barrage of gunfire, “a little help please!”

  Cleo spun around in her seat, rifle in hand and took careful aim at the soldier manning the machine gun. She took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the soldier in the forehead and he slumped forward dead. She then took careful aim at the driver of the jeep and shot him between the eyes. The driver slumped forward onto the steering wheel, causing the jeep to roll over three times before coming to a stop in a cloud of dust.

  As they entered the San Diego city limits, the Humvee began to close the distance between them. Cleo watched as the dead soldier on top was pulled down from inside the vehicle and another soldier popped up in his place. The Russian immediately opened up with the .50 caliber machine gun, sending a wave of bullets towards the dune buggy. Cleo tried to shoot the driver of the Humvee, but unlike the jeep, it was bullet resistant and the bullets bounced off the windshield without causing any damage.

  “Bloody hell,” mumbled Cleo, dropping her rifle on the seat beside her and rummaging through her bag. “Resist this!” she shouted, as she withdrew a grenade from inside her bag and pulled the pin. She counted to five in her head and then tossed it on the street behind them. The grenade hit the pavement and bounced twice before the Humvee drove over it. When the grenade exploded, it sent the rear end of the Humvee high into the air
. The vehicle flipped over and landed upside down in the middle of the street.

  “Nice job!” Lex shouted over his shoulder, as they sped away.

  “She’s quite a spitfire,” observed Beth, glancing over at her son. She was so grateful that Alex had finally found a girl who could handle his wild side. She only wished her husband was still around to meet her.

  When Lex pulled to a stop in front of his mother’s house, he turned to look at her and asked, “Okay mom, where is he?”

  “I left him in the basement,” answered Beth. “He should still be there, hopefully.”

  “Alright,” said Lex, looking from his mother to Cleo and then back again, “you two wait here and I’ll go get him.”

  He jumped out of the dune buggy with his 9mm Berretta tucked behind his belt and walked up the steps to the front porch. He found the door hanging slightly open and withdrew his gun. Using the muzzle of the weapon he pushed the door open and slowly entered. Once inside, he quickly scanned the house to make sure he was alone. Satisfied that no one else was there, Lex whispered, “Duke, Duke where are you boy?”

  Hearing his name, the dog began to bark. The sound was coming from beneath the house. Lex opened the door to the basement and Duke came bouncing out, his tail wagging behind him. Although Lex hadn’t seen the dog in years, Duke remembered him. The yellow Labrador jumped up with his paws landing on Lex’s chest, and began licking his face.

  “Alright, alright, I’m glad to see you too boy. Come on, we gotta get out of here.” Lex walked back through the house towards the front door, with Duke following behind, his tail swishing back and forth.

  “Oh Duke,” cried out Beth. “Are you okay?”

  Hearing his master’s voice, Duke charged the dune buggy and jumped up inside, showering Beth with kisses. Lex followed behind the dog and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “Now what are we gonna do?” asked Cleo. “To the east is the enemy and to the west is the ocean, we’re trapped.”

  “Why don’t we take a boat ride,” suggested Beth, while petting Duke and hugging him. Lex and Cleo looked at each other, considering the suggestion.

  “Ya know that’s not a bad idea,” said Lex. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s bloody brilliant,” replied Cleo.

  With that decided Lex started the engine to the dune buggy and headed for the coast, using residential streets and back alleys to avoid enemy troops. The city was swarming with both Russian and Chinese soldiers and road blocks were everywhere. Having already taken the city, the enemy forces had become confident in their victory and weren’t paying as close attention as they should be.

  When they arrived at the Mission Beach Marina they found a large selection of abandoned yachts and sailboats floating in the docks. Lex helped his mom down from the dune buggy, while Cleo scooped up their bags.

  “Take Duke and go with Cleo,” whispered Lex, giving his mom a snug hug. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Beth did as told and followed Cleo through an opening she’d cut into the security fence and onto the nearest sailboat, with Duke following close behind. The sailboat had the name ‘Shooting Star’ painted in large, white letters across the aft.

  Lex quickly scooped up the remainder of their supplies, including the rifles, and hurried after the two most important women in his life. As he climbed onboard the sailboat that Cleo had chosen, he asked, “Why a sailboat? Couldn’t you have found something faster like a speed boat or something?”

  “Sure, but then where would we get the gasoline to operate it?” asked Cleo. “This vessel may be slower, but it doesn’t require any fuel or make any noise.”

  Cleo was right, so Lex decided not to argue, even though he knew nothing about sailing. He quickly unfastened the rope connecting the boat to the dock and pulled the anchor up. As they glided away from the dock, Cleo started the engine and guided the vessel out of the marina. Preferring to not attract any unwanted attention, she headed north along the coast without deploying the sails. Lex glanced back longingly at the dune buggy he’d left behind. He was going to miss that buggy. After all, it had saved his life several times during the past few weeks.

  Prisoners of War

  World War III – Day Fifteen

  Clearview, Nevada

  When Major Conrad and his convoy returned to Clearview, he found the town well defended. Vehicles were strategically positioned in the middle of the street, blocking all of the roads in and out of town. Militiamen armed with automatic machine-guns were stationed behind the vehicles, with additional guards patrolling the streets. The Major could see bags of sand stacked on several rooftops, with .50 caliber machine-guns propped on top. What he couldn’t see were the ten snipers hidden throughout the small town. He was glad to see the citizens had taken his advice and fortified their home.

  Several people emerged from their houses and shops to watch, as the military vehicles drove down Main Street. With five hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred and forty-two refugees, fifty-five armored vehicles and two Russian prisoners, the procession looked more like a parade than a military convoy.

  The townsfolk were relieved to see the Marines and felt safe again, waving at them as they passed by. Little did they know Major Conrad had already received his marching orders, dictating his stay in Clearview would be brief. His orders were to re-supply, before heading south to reinforce Las Vegas, as the city was under siege.

  In addition to striking both coasts simultaneously, the Communist Muslim Coalition had also launched an assault on America’s southern border. After breaching the poorly defended border, an army combined of Russian, Chinese and Muslim soldiers flooded into California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

  Although highly trained and ready for a fight, the Americans were vastly outnumbered. China alone had more soldiers to throw into the battle than a dozen other countries combined. Texas prevailed the longest, but even their tenacious fighting spirit couldn’t withstand the continuous wave of troops swarming across the border.

  Reports had been trickling in to Major Conrad, providing him with limited information on the three separate battlefronts that America now found itself struggling to defend. The boundary with Canada hadn’t seen action, but troops were still being held back and positioned along the border, in anticipation of an assault from the north.

  When Ian saw the convoy of Marines approaching, he walked outside to greet them. He was looking forward to catching up with his old friend, Lieutenant Jon Sawyer. When he found the Lieutenant he was talking with Major Conrad, discussing their two Russian prisoners and trying to decide what to do with them. Although they had been able to extract some information from Lt. Razin, Captain Petrov had remained silent, even under the cruelties of torture. The only information they’d been able to extract was his name, rank and serial number. Of course, they hadn’t had much time to work him over in the field, perhaps now they’d have more success.

  Even Major Conrad had to admit that Captain Petrov was a hard man to read. Torture had become a regular practice in the military, but the Major was not a fan, nor did he believe it was very effective, usually producing unreliable intelligence. He had however, on several occasions, used the method on prisoners. It was not something he enjoyed doing and he only did it when ordered to. Unfortunately, the Major had received orders to continue torturing both prisoners until he was certain they’d divulged all they knew. And he was pretty sure the Captain was hiding something.

  “Hello,” called Ian, as he approached the two officers. “How was it out there?” he asked, nodding towards the mountain range looming in the distance. “Did you run into any of the enemy?”

  “Hey Ian,” replied Lieutenant Sawyer, reaching out to shake his friend’s hand, as a grin flashed across his face. “We sure did! In fact we’ve got a couple of prisoners here with us. I don’t suppose you have a place where we can keep them, like a jail or something?”

  “We surely do,” answered Ian. “Although I must confess our Sherif
f isn’t worth a damn. You’ll be better off having some of your men guard the prisoners.”

  “‘That shouldn’t be a problem,” said Lt. Sawyer, looking to Major Conrad for confirmation.

  “Sounds perfect,” replied the Major. “It won’t be for very long anyway.”

  “Why is that?” asked Ian. “Aren’t you staying?”

  “No,” answered Major Conrad. “Las Vegas is under siege and we’ve been ordered south to help reinforce the regiments defending the city. The prisoners will not be traveling with us. My orders are to execute them, after they’ve been properly interrogated.”

  “Wow,” said Ian, “that’s a pretty stiff sentence. What’s their crime?”

  “They’re an enemy of the State,” replied the Major, “that’s all that’s required.”

  “But if we start killing their POW’s,” pressed Ian, “what’s to prevent them from killing ours?”

  “They’re already killing ours,” said Lt. Sawyer. “Besides, ‘ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die.’ At least I think that’s how it goes.”

  “You don’t really believe that do you?” asked Ian. “An officer should always question whether an order is right or wrong. Not only is it their responsibility to do so, but also their duty. Following orders has never been, nor will it ever be, a good excuse for killing the innocent.”

  “I see your point,” agreed Major Conrad, “but orders are orders, and these men are far from innocent. They were captured after killing a couple of my men in an attempt to kidnap me for information. They’ll get what they deserve. Besides, if I don’t follow my orders and shoot them my superiors will replace me with someone who will, possibly someone with less compassion. As you can see, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

  “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one,” replied Ian. “So, if you’ve been ordered to Las Vegas does that mean the enemy has already taken Arizona?”

  “Just about,” answered Major Conrad, his eyes full of dismay.

  “Really?” said Ian, trying to digest this new information.