Jack and the other four men in their group sat down at the long table. Both group representatives and Joel gave a report on the amount of weapons and ammunition they possessed. Jack explained that all of his family participated now in the security of their compound and could contribute to a militia. The leader of the church group nodded to Michael. He reported that their group numbered about thirty, but only fifteen men were trained with guns. However, perhaps five more, some women included would be willing to learn to use weapons. Joel spoke, “It is only me at my home. I am trained and I am willing to participate in the security of our area. I do know of an older man. He lives near me, back in the woods, on his own. He basically is a hermit, I have had contact with him, though. I know he is armed and I think he might be willing to join with us.”
Jack said, “Then we might have a force of thirty five to forty, with weapons for the whole. I have discussed with my son-in-laws Jason and Lee, who have military training, what type of security team, would be feasible. We could establish our neighborhood as a northern border and your compound as the southern border. To the west would be Joel's home and hopefully his friend's. The main highway would loosely be the eastern boundary. We, of course, will all need to continue to protect our homes and compounds. While we could not actively guard those borders, we could have a system of co-operation and communications. We could send out patrols. If any of us are threatened or if we hear of a bad element moving into our area...such as those kidnappers in the development...we could use our combined force for protection. Before we discuss that group and what action we will take, my grand son-in-law Tate, has something to add.
Tate stood, he was a little self conscious, “Well, um-m,...if we are going to have security within our borders, I believe that we will need some up and running vehicles. Not only to reach each other quickly, but to cover our area. And, no question, as time goes on we will have to venture farther out to acquire supplies or other survivors to barter with. We have the old wagon. I know Michael has an SUV and I believe I heard you mention an old truck”.
One of the men at the table said, “Something is not quite right with the truck. I am a decent mechanic but I have not really been able to get it running like it should.”
“Do you have any other mechanics in your group?” said Tate.
The man said, “There are a couple of guys who are pretty handy.”
“Jack is a good mechanic, he has built race cars from the bottom up. I am not great, I do know quite a bit about the old workings. We need to get the truck running. We could use it to tow and get parts and equipment. There is a double garage attached to the second house in our compound. We could make it a shop. We suggest that we build or re-build, at least two, maybe three vehicles. That would give all of us and the security force, mobility. After we discuss the other immediate issue, I would be willing to sit down with any of you that are interested and talk about details”
There was a rumble of discussion. The leader spoke, “I think these are very good ideas. We can form some committees from all of the alliance and iron out details to make this happen. I don't think we can put if off any longer. We must address what we can do about the group that kidnapped our child. They are a menace within our borders, right now.”
Jack nodded to Lee. He stood. “If a couple of your men will volunteer we can do some recon on the group. I believe we can approach the development with good cover, from across the meadow. The grass is very tall now. We will not know exactly which house or houses they are inhabiting. That's the kind of info we need to gather.”
The father of the kidnapped girl rose from his chair. “I will go, I know the neighborhood.” Another man rose and volunteered.
Lee said, “After these meetings we will need to take our folks back home. If Michael will bring you to the church lot that runs behind our compound, we will meet you and leave from there.”
They divided into some smaller groups for planning. The mechanics to line out their requirements. Some folks that were good with communications to make plans for inter-group contact. Everyone in the alliance needed a short wave and there would have to be codes for communication. Jason, Lee and a large group met to talk about the logistics of keeping the borders patrolled, how they would all continue to prepare and would unite if a threat was imminent. Some of the women and others talked about gardens and the exchange of food stores. Kat and her small med group made some plans for sharing and for Kat to get a little more training.
Shawna had met the young teen girl. They hit it off pretty well. Shawna actually got her to smile as she told her, “I will teach you how to kick somebody's ass. You won't have to be afraid of this happening to you again.”
Jack and the leader talked with each other, at the end of the table. They both knew that this alliance was very important to the long term survival of the groups. They had not planned it but they both had taken on the burden of their people looking to them for guidance. There was some comfort in uniting with partners for a shared purpose. A three square mile township was being born. By the time another six months had lapsed in this new after, the residents would come to call the town, Unity.
Chapter Four
THE MOBILE MILITIA
Michael pulled the SUV around to the back of the church lot and delivered the two volunteers. Jason and Lee were waiting for them. Lee leaned down and said to Michael, “when we have finished, we will bring the men back to your compound.” He nodded and pulled away, he didn't want to make any unnecessary noise or attract attention. The four men moved through the woods to the edge of the meadow. With their rifles slung on their shoulders and side arms, they stayed as low as they could, creeping into the layers of tall reeds. The golden grasses rustled as they tried to move quietly through. They neared the development. The father of the girl said, “That red brick house was ours. It is not nearly the biggest in the neighborhood. They probably did not choose it to squat in.”
Lee said, “Let's spread out here along the edge of the grass cover. We will observe for a bit and see if we see any signs of where they are staying. I will give a long whistle to gather us back in view of the red brick house.” The men separated and moved along in the cover. There was actually one long street entering the development. Luxury two and three story houses rambled on generous lots, lining both sides of the street. Jason had moved into view of the dead end of the street. In the cul de sac, one massive home stood. A door on his side opened. A bulky man with wild red hair, walked across the back yard of the house to another good sized building, behind the pool. The windows of that building were boarded up. He took a lock off of a heavy latch securing the door. He came back out, his meaty hand clamped onto the thin arm of a girl. He replaced the lock and went back into the house, dragging the girl along. In the next few minutes, a male and female exited that door. They went to the back yard, near the slimed over pool and sat down. A few more people went in and out of the door, mostly men and a woman or two. Jason heard the sharp whistle. He crouched low and moved back toward the others.
When they were together, Lee said, “Let's move back into the woods.”
Back in the concealment of the trees, they sat down. Jason took a swig from his water bottle and then said, “Did any of you spot people in or around the houses?” They all responded negative.
Jason said, “I was at the end of the street, where it dead ends in a circle. I had a view of the house there.”
The girl's father said, “That's a huge place.”
“Yes,” said Jason, “There's a pool house in the back yard. One slug went back there, unlocked it and drug a girl out. He took her into the house. I saw maybe a dozen or so people going in and out. Mostly men, and a woman or two that obviously were fine with being there.”
Lee said, “So, it looks like the house at the end of the street is their lair. We are going to assume that the man we captured was close to accurate on their numbers. He said about twenty, but only six or seven that could really use the guns. We could stretch that to ten we
ll armed men. There are probably several women.”
Jason said, “I think we need an armed team of a dozen. Joel will come, we will send six and your group can send five. If we take them by surprise, we could either run them out or exterminate them. We could move up to the back of the property behind the pool house. We would need to free any captives from there first. If there is a door or window at the back, we could remove them that way. I think we should take Lynn and Dianne with us. They could take the captives back to the compound as soon as we free them. If we can pull off their release without notice, then we can move in from the back of the house.”
The father of the girl said, “It sounds do-able to me.” His friend and Lee agreed.
“Let's get you back to your compound. You give the report and choose your men. Those dirt bags most certainly party all night and sleep late in the mornings. Let's meet in the church lot again, in the morning at dawn. That's about 6:00 these days. Be armed and ready. If you are not there by 6:15, we will move out.”
***
It was cloudy the next morning so there was still very little light at 5:45. A shadow of a lone man walked across the church lot to the waiting militia. Joel was decorated like a Christmas tree with weapons. Jack grinned at him, “Man, you look like you could break in Fort Knox.”
“Hey, you said armed and ready.” said Joel.
There was some nervous laughter. Jason, with Dianne beside him and Lee, with Lynn were there. Eric was there. He and Trish had to make another of their difficult decisions, not to risk their children being without both parents. Cody and Dane, the oldest boys and actually the best shots, stood with pistols on their hips and rifles on their shoulders. They would cover from the house next to the lair and watch for no-goods, escaping out the front door.
At 6:00 the church group SUV eased into the parking lot. The father of the girl, his friend from the day before and two others exited the car. Michael slid from the drivers seat and closed the door. He and Jack didn't say anything, just shook hands. The team was gathered.
Jack said, “Does everyone understand the plan? Any questions?” No questions, just nervous anticipation. “Good, Jason will be in charge.” Everyone looked to Jason. Dianne stepped away from him.
Jason said, “I want everyone to stay low, weapons ready. We will move in two lines to the edge of the grass cover. When we reach there, Cody and Dane will move up and take their position, from the house next door. The rest of us will move around to the back of the pool house. I want Dianne and Lynn to hang back. Michael and your men, hold a line near the women as our back-up. Joel, if you will move to the front corner of the pool house and let us know if there is any sign of life from the house. The four of us are going to see if we can break in the back of the pool house. Clear?”
Mumbled affirmatives, they moved through the woods and into the meadow. At the edge of the cover, the boys moved forward to their position. The rest of them formed two lines, crouched in the damp grass and made their way to the back of property behind the house. The four men from Jack's family came up to the back of the pool house. There was a door, it was bolted and locked. A small window was boarded, not very well. That was their best bet. Eric moved up and took a crowbar from his back pack and pried on the boards. They came loose without much resistance. Jack tapped on the window. There was no response. He tapped a little harder and said, “Is there anyone in there? We are here to help you.” A face appeared in the dirty window. Jack said again, “we are here to help, unlock the window.” A thin hand fumbled with the lock. A very bedraggled young girl stood like she was in shock, her eyes squinting against the increasing light. Jack could see a couple of girls lying on the floor. Were they sick, drugged, dead? “Come here honey”, he reached for her, pulled her through the small window and placed her on the ground. “Who else, how many more?” he said.
She was crying now, “Two...no, she may be dead, I don't know...two, I think.”
Jack said to Lee, “Take her back to the girls.” And then, “Eric, we have to go in, can you get through the window?” Eric was the slimmest of them all. He took off his pack and began to squirm through the opening.
Joel hissed from the corner, “Jack, someone is outside.” Jack moved around to the corner and peered out. An unsteady figure moved to the pool, unzipped and peed in the pool. He then stumbled back to the side door and went inside. Jack moved back to the window. Inside, Eric had taken out a flashlight and was trying to rouse the girls. He cursed, “S---t, oh damn, this one is dead, Jack.” He felt nauseous. The girl was curled up and cold. He touched the other girl, she was alive. He gathered her up in his arms, trying to figure out how to pass her out the window to Jack. They managed to get her through and Jason took her. Eric stepped back and cast the light around the pool house, he saw no one else. “I think that's all.” he breathed out. Jack looked at Jason, “Take her and tell the girls to head back to the compound, it's just the two.” Eric pulled an afghan off the sofa and covered the dead girl. We have to get rid of these sick rats, he thought. He squirmed back out of the window.
Jason and Lee were back at the rear of the pool house. Dianne and Lynn had moved out with the rescued girls. One of the church group men had to carry the unconscious girl for them. Jack talked into a walkie-talkie, “Dane, are you there?”
Dane answered, “Yes, Poppa”
“We are going in that side door, you watch that front door. If someone comes out, you just shoot. You hear me, Dane? Shoot them.”
There was a slight pause, then, “Yes-sir, we are ready.”
Jack, Jason, Lee, Eric and Joel moved to flank the side door of the house. Michael and his three remaining men stayed low and moved to the back corner of the big house. Jack was raising his foot, to kick in the door, when Lee shook his head at him and charged the door. The door wasn't locked and Lee tumbled in, he popped up and the others were right behind him. Michael and men moved up to flank the door. The door had dumped Lee onto the kitchen floor, no one was in there. They moved through a swinging door that opened into an expansive dining and living area.
Two men were stretched out on long sofas. One was alerted, he sat up, raised a rifle from his side and fired. The bullet went wild and Jack fired his .45. The man fell back on the sofa. From behind an overstuffed chair, Jason took out the man on the other sofa, just as he pulled a pistol from the front of his jeans. Doors started opening, off of the big room. Three men exited from the doors. They were not exactly wide awake, but all three had a weapon. Eric had moved around the edge of the living room and flattened himself against the wall beside the doorway. An extended arm came into his view with a gun pointing into the living area. Eric knocked the gun out of the hand. The man scrambled away towards the back of the house. One of the three men followed him. Another armed man stepped towards the living room and Lee's shot hit him square in the chest.
There were several muffled shots outside, at the back of the house. The church group had made contact in the back yard. There were stomping feet on the stair landing that was open above the living area. On the landing, the red haired man, that Lee had seen taking the girl into the house, appeared. Two armed men moved behind him. The father of the kidnapped girl and Michael had moved through the dining room and into the living area. The red haired man fired the shotgun, the table and lamp beside Jack, exploded. Jack scuttled sideways, he fired up through the stair bannisters and one of the two men fell. The father of the girl shot up at the bulky man. He howled and rolled down the steps about half way. Michael fired and the second man went down. Michael with Lee right behind him moved cautiously up the stairs.
When the firing stopped, two girls came out of the upstairs bedrooms, screaming and moving to the fallen men. Lee ordered the girls to quiet down. They searched room by room for any others of the group. As they opened one of the doors, they saw two more men on a narrow balcony. The men looked back at them and jumped, more shots from the back yard. In one room, they found a young girl, her hands tied to the bedpost, clothed only in
her bra and panties. They kept reassuring her and untied the ropes that had rubbed her wrists raw. Looking around, Michael spotted some jeans and a blouse. He dressed her and supported her around her waist. Lee went to get the other two girls. One was trying to creep down the stairs. He pointed the pistol and said “Stop”. Michael helped the young girl down the stairs. Lee herded the other two girls down, moving around the heap of man on the stairs.
When the commotion had filled the living room and upstairs, one man and two women had slipped from the downstairs rooms towards the front door of the house. Jack heard the sound of shots as the front door slammed. He moved to the front door and saw the man they had previously captured and questioned and two females. Their hands were up and the man was saying, “please...don't shoot us, please”.
Jack stepped out, shouting, “Dane, Cody! Hold your fire!”.
Lee and Michael came through the front door of the house. They had the two females that had been with the armed men. Michael was supporting a third young girl. All of the team gathered on the front lawn of the sprawling house. The four females and the man were begging for their lives. They had been forced to their knees.
The team of militia men were blood spattered and disgusted. Partly from the battle inside, two or three had some minor wounds. Jack spoke, “Is everyone here and okay?” One of the church group said that they had a man down, in the back yard. He had been shot in the leg, they were not sure how bad he was. He gave a quick glance to Dane and Cody. He was relieved to see them safe. “This is what's going to happen, now.” he gave the man on his knees, a small kick in the behind. “We are taking you and your harem here, away from this area. You will never come back into this vicinity. Understand?”
No Normal Day II (Unity) Page 5