“I’m not going to ask you again! Surrender your weapons or die!” The two men in the back got up on their knees with their hands in the air. One was a really large black man which Sean could only guess was one of the men who broke into Luke’s house the night before. “Keep your hands up and get down out of the truck!” They did as they were told and stood there with their hands in the air. “Lift your shirts up and turn in a circle!” They complied again, this time Sean saw a glint of silver in the other guy’s waistband. “Slowly take that weapon out of your belt and toss it in the bed of the truck as well as any other weapons you may have!” The young man did as he was instructed. “Now walk five paces away from the truck and get down on your knees keeping your fingers interlaced on the back of your head.” They started walking away from the truck and Sean turned his attention to the two men left in the cab.
“Driver, step out with your hands held high!” An older grey-haired man stepped out with his hands held high. He slowly took out his side arm and tossed it in the bed of the truck and pulled his shirt up spinning in a circle. Without further instruction he walked over to the other two and knelt down next to them.
The passenger suddenly burst out of the passenger door and held his hands high, “Hello, Gentlemen!” Mr. Andrews walked to the center of the road in his usual confident gait. He was acting like he was in charge of the situation but Sean could tell he was nervous. “You are to be congratulated on a well-coordinated ambush!” Mr. Andrews was yelling in his direction, but Sean could tell he wasn’t exactly sure where the group’s men were hidden exactly. “I am acting Mayor of Tionesta. I could really use a squad of men with your skills! What do you say we parlay and discuss your future working alongside me? You are free to take our guns and ammo if it would make you feel safer, but I have a lot more, even better weapons for you at my retreat. I have tons of food and gold as well! Why would you want to suffer, living out in the woods like this when you can come and work for me? Come down here. We’ll take you back to my place and discuss this like gentlemen over a nice cup of coffee!” He paused for a few moments and when he didn’t get a response he continued. “I also have a few ladies that are staying with me that I’m sure would love you and your men’s company. I’m sure you’ll find them very... accommodating.” He smiled really large, trying to act as smooth as possible.
“We can discuss that shortly, now lift up your shirt and turn in a circle!” Sean yelled again. Mr. Andrews complied and took out his sidearm and tossed it in the back of the truck without being asked. “Now join your friends!”
Mr. Andrews hesitated and looked over to where his men were kneeling on the pavement. “Relax, mister. We’ve been cooperative to your requests so far. I don’t feel very comfortable negotiating off my knees, if you know what I mean.” He laughed out loud like he had just told the funniest joke in the world.
“I could have both your legs blown off at the knees if that would make you more comfortable!” Sean yelled back. “Now get over by your men!” Mr. Andrews sulked over towards his men with the same expression Sean had seen from him days before. “This guy thinks he can control every situation and isn’t used to being talked down to,” Sean thought to himself. “Now, I have offered not to kill you and so far you are all doing very well, so let’s keep it going so we can go enjoy that cup of coffee you were talking about. Next, I want you all to spin around facing the river. Stay on your knees and keep your fingers interlaced behind your skulls!” They did as they were told, so Sean broke cover and came down the hill, positioning himself behind a large tree only a few yards behind the kneeling men. Brody moved quietly alongside him, motioning Andrew to come as well.
Once Andrew was in place next to Sean with his weapon covering the four men, Brody whispered in Sean’s ear. “Cover me. I’m going to go check the truck with Damian for any surprises.” Sean nodded back while Brody motioned to Damian and made his way towards the rear of the truck in his typical rolling steps, his AUG at the ready.
“Okay guys, just stay relaxed. We’re going to check you for any more weapons in a moment, and then everyone can relax.” Sean wasn’t entirely telling the truth. He was sure they were going to be far from relaxed once they discovered who had ambushed them. Brody stopped near the bed of the truck, waiting on Damian. Once Damian joined him, they made their way to the passenger side door which was still wide open.
Brody pulled out his Glock side arm and crawled into the passenger seat to look into the extended cab portion of the truck. He immediately jumped out and yelled, “Darren, get down here on the double! You too, Luke!” Sean looked at Brody questioningly but Brody was focused on the road as Darren and Luke appeared out of the woods down the road. “Give me a hand,” he heard Brody say to Damian. Brody holstered the Glock, pulled out his pocket knife and crawled back into the truck. He could hear voices coming from inside the truck, but they were quiet and muffled.
“What’s going on guys?” Sean asked anxiously. A moment later Brody and Damian helped a disheveled Beth Ann from the back seat of the pickup. She leaned on Brody’s shoulder as he walked her to the side of the road and helped her lay down. He shot Sean a menacing look. “Is she OK?” Sean asked concerned.
“She will be now,” Brody responded. Darren came running up the middle of the road right between Sean and the men on the ground, forcing him to drop his barrel so as not to flag the doctor. He obviously didn’t have much tactical training or he would have circled behind them.
“Is that my daughter?” Luke said as he followed the doctor’s footsteps.
“No,” Sean answered him. Luke stopped right in between Sean and the four men on the ground. Sean broke cover and hustled forward to Luke so he could cover the four men again. “No, it’s not her,” Sean said consolingly, “but we’re just about to find out where she is.”
Mr. Andrews turned his head around to try and figure out what was going on. “You!” he spat venomously when he saw Sean’s face.
“That’s right—me!” Sean said back with equal venom. Sean didn’t get a chance to say anything else or start searching the men when Luke struck Mr. Andrews in the face with the butt of his Tikka, knocking the older man onto his back.
“Me too, you son of a bitch!” Luke said as he unceremoniously dropped Sean’s rifle onto the grass and straddled Mr. Andrews. Luke started throwing haymakers at Mr. Andrews’s head as the older man tried to cover up and squirm away. “Where’s my daughter?!” he repeated over and over as he punched.
Mr. Andrews’s men looked at each other and the one with the pony tail looked as if he was about to act. “I wouldn’t,” Sean said as he pointed his rifle at the man’s chest with a sinister smile. “We only need one of you alive to tell us where your compound is.” The gruff biker-looking man relaxed back onto his heels but was clearly uncomfortable watching his boss get beat up. Without looking over his shoulder, Sean spoke sarcastically, “Andrew, would you please come over here and remove Luke from Mr. Andrews before he kills him? Feel free to take your time.”
Andrew walked around behind Sean with a smile and pulled the enraged Luke off Mr. Andrews. Mr. Andrews was quite a sight. His greasy hair was all messy and had grass all through it. The front of his shirt was ripped and a large bump was already forming on his forehead from the butt stroke. He rolled around on the ground trying to get back onto his knees.
“I would appreciate it if you would pick my rifle up off the ground,” Sean said to Luke with a smile. “You two keep an eye on these three. He turned his attention back to Mr. Andrews who was now on all fours. Sean knelt down in front of Mr. Andrews. “Remember me?” he said with a menacing grin. Mr. Andrews looked up furiously but didn’t say anything. Sean continued, “What do you say we go have that cup of coffee at your place now?”
“Screw you!” Mr. Andrews spat, causing some blood to run down his chin from his busted lip.
“Not on your best day,” Sean said as he put his knee in the middle of the man’s back taking him roughly to the ground with his k
nee painfully digging into the man’s spine. He thoroughly searched Mr. Andrews for any other weapons then zip tied his hands tightly behind his back. He repeated the process with the other three men, only finding a pocket knife on one and a boot knife on the biker. Once they were all face down on the side of the road, he left Andrew watching over them and went to check on the others. Randy and Caleb were just walking up as he made his way around the pickup. Randy had his rifle in his hands with the Barrett strung over his shoulder. It looked awkward sticking up two feet above his head. Sean walked over to Beth Ann who was quietly speaking with Darren. Sean squeezed Brody’s shoulder as he walked by. Sean had sensed previously that Brody had some feelings for the girl, but he had never brought it up. Brody truly looked in pain as he stood by letting the doctor examine the patient.
Sean knelt down next to the girl and looked her in the eyes. She had dark rings around her eyes and the one eye was blood shot. Her lip was busted open and there were dark bruises on both cheeks. He broke off the eye contact and looked down at the ground, not able to hold her gaze any longer, “I’m so sorry, Beth Ann.”
“I knew the risks involved,” she said courageously, “I’ll be okay.” Sean smiled back at her.
“Is she able to walk?” Sean asked Darren, then immediately felt bad about talking over her head and turned to her, “Are you able to walk?”
Beth Ann sat up a little more into a sitting position, grimacing. “Slowly,” she said softly.
Darren looked up at Sean. “Regardless of what she says, she shouldn’t be walking anywhere.”
“Alright Doc,” he said defensively, looking back at Beth Ann. “Just relax for now, we’ll figure something out.” He nodded at the guys and they walked back over to where Andrew stood watch and huddled up.
“We’ve got to move soon,” Brody said. “We’re far enough from town that I doubt they heard anything, but who knows with that cannon Randy was firing. They may have patrols around that heard us.”
“What about Beth Ann?” Randy spoke up. “Doc says she can’t walk right now.”
“I figure we have two options here,” Caleb offered. “We can either leave them behind with a man or two or we can carry her.”
“I don’t think carrying her that far will be much more comfortable on her than making her walk,” Brody said, shaking his head.
“I don’t want to leave anyone behind. I say we make a stretcher and have those vermin drag it.” Sean said, nodding at the four men on the ground.
“I like that,” Randy smiled.
“Okay, I agree with Brody. We’ve gotta make tracks. Luke, head up the road and try to bury the spike strips with as many leaves as possible. If someone comes along, it will be obvious that something is in the road but hopefully they won’t get out of the vehicle to check it out. Hopefully they’ll just slow down and drive over the pile of leaves slowly. Andrew, keep watch over these four. Keep some distance from them, and stay alert! Caleb, Randy, and Brody can pull the log out of the road with the block and tackle while I improvise a travois with the canvas tarp I saw in the back of the truck.”
“What’s that?” Andrew asked.
“It’s kind of like a stretcher shaped in a V. The American Indians used them on the plains to pull their supplies and the elderly,” Sean answered. “Once we search the truck for anything valuable we’ll push it into the river. Anything else we should consider?”
Caleb offered a suggestion, “What about some of our extra gear and their guns. I say we stash them somewhere nearby and get them on the return trip.”
“Good idea. Tell Darren to keep watch down the road and Luke you do the same in your direction. Let’s get moving.”
They split up and, after a few minutes, were pushing the pickup into the river. It bobbed once or twice and for a moment Sean thought that the cab would end up sticking out of the water, but eventually it sank completely. There was a large puddle of radiator fluid and oil on the side of the road which took them some extra time to clean up with leaves and water from the river. Lastly, they refilled their empty magazines and eventually they were ready to move. Sean had attached the travois to one of their back packs which they made the largest prisoner wear. Using seatbelt webbing, Sean had made straps which looped around the other two guards’ belts so they could help the big man pull. A slip noose was put around Mr. Andrews’s neck and he was led along by Luke who was enjoying the responsibility immensely.
The group made quick time and after a half hour of walking they were coming up on the first side road. Luke nodded to him inconspicuously to let him know it was the turn off towards Baker Hill. Sean and Luke had discussed this in private, and wanted to see if Mr. Andrews directed them to turn down the right road or not. It would be telling to make sure they weren’t being led in circles. “Is this the road?” Sean asked Mr. Andrews as they came to the side road.
“No, no, it’s a little further down,” he answered.
“Everyone stop!” Sean brought the procession to a halt. He walked over to face Mr. Andrews, held up his hand, and slowly pulled his tactical glove off his hand in front of the confused Mr. Andrews’s face. With a quick snap he slapped Mr. Andrews across the face with his leather glove. It wasn’t designed to hurt, just humiliate him. Mr. Andrews stared back at Sean with an icy glare. “No one likes a liar,” Sean smiled. He pulled his other glove off and then roughly gagged the struggling Mr. Andrews. He walked over to the large black man wearing the pack and looked him in the eye. The man kept his gaze reluctantly. Sean then stepped in front of the man with the pony tail who glared back at Sean with obvious hate. Last, he walked around to face the youngest man. He looked down at the ground meekly. “This is the one,” Sean thought to himself. He gently tapped his glove on the young man’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “Is this the correct road, young man?” he said gently. The young man never looked up but nodded timidly.
“Shut up, you big idiot!” the man with the pony tail yelled at him. Sean nonchalantly walked around to face the man with the pony tail. He slapped him roughly across the face with the hard plastic knuckles on his tactical gloves getting another icy glare in return. “Damian, if you would be so kind as to gag this man... tightly.”
“My pleasure.” Damian stepped forward, setting his pack down and rummaging through it. The big man in front watched as Damian came up smiling and his comrade had a sweaty socked shoved in his mouth and a tied tightly in place. The tough biker’s face turned ashen at the terrible smell and taste from Damian’s sock. Sean slowly walked back in front of the big man who didn’t hold his gaze this time and looked down at his feet.
“Doesn’t look very pleasant, does it?” Sean asked the big man. He shook his head side to side and continued staring at his feet. Sean took out his handkerchief and poured some cool water on it from his canteen. He gently wiped the big man’s face off which was covered in sweat from pulling Beth Ann. “Is this the right road?” he asked the big man. There was a pause before he nodded positively. “Okay, now that wasn’t so hard was it? How much further is it before we make the next turn?” The big man didn’t say anything, just kept looking at his feet. “Damian, can you hand me your other sock, please?” Damian quickly rummaged through his pack and handed Sean his other sweaty sock from that morning.
“Not much further now,” the man spoke up, staring down at the nasty sock in Sean’s hand.
“Be more specific, please.”
“It’s just at the top of the first hill here. You take a right just after the old falling down barn.” The big man still didn’t look up. “You go to the end of the road and his driveway is on the left right before the end.”
Sean walked back over to the young man, “Is he telling the truth?” The young man quickly nodded his head in agreement. “Look up. Look me in the eye.” He lifted his face and looked Sean in the eye. “Is he telling the truth?” Sean asked once more, slowly this time. The young man nodded once more and Sean could tell he was telling the truth. Sean changed his demeano
r and slapped him on the shoulder warmly, startling the poor lad. “Okay, great! Thank you for your honesty,” he said with a big smile. Sean handed Damian back the sweaty sock and rubbed his hand on his pant leg. “My Lord, Damian, your feet are nasty,” Sean laughed. “You need to have Doc take a look at those things.” Damian and the others chuckled as he put the sock back in his pack.
“Alright, big man. Mush!” Sean said, stepping aside and offering the road ahead. As the three men pulled the travois past, Sean lightly smacked the pony tailed man on the back of the head with his glove. “I said mush, boys! I have been up all night—I’m tired, irritated, and I’m looking forward to a hot cup of coffee.” He smiled back at Mr. Andrews as the other men picked up the pace. Sean took a teasing swipe at Mr. Andrews with his glove, causing him to clumsily stumble away from the swipe. This put tension on the noose around his neck, resulting in Luke giving it a jerk. Mr. Andrews gave Sean another icy glare. “You better get used to that noose around your neck, tough guy,” Sean said menacingly as Andrews was led away.
Brody came up behind Sean and clapped him on the shoulder. “Nice work,” he complimented in a whisper.
Sean smiled back. “I never got to use my interrogation skills in the old life. I have to admit it is fun.”
“I’m going to hang back a little with Randy and the Barrett. I’m guessing those deputies in town may come looking for Mr. Andrews before too long. If they do, I want to be able to try and stop their vehicles at distance before they see the whole group. Get the group up the hill quickly; we’ll be right behind you. Hopefully we can make it to his compound before they show up. If he’s made it this long without being overrun by looters, I’m hoping he must have some kind of defensible position.”
“That’s a good idea, but I don’t want you guys falling too far behind, okay?” Sean answered.
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