by Warren Ray
Scar stood and pressed the binoculars to his eyes. “Captain, they’re headed north.”
Winters grabbed his radio. “Nate, you seeing this.”
“We see him alright.”
“Meeks, get your map out.”
Meeks reached into his jacket and pulled out the map. “They’re turning onto 140, which will take them to Interstate 94.”
“Okay, then let’s go,” said Winters who repeated the order to Nate.
They made their way down from the rooftop and piled into the SUV. Excitement filled the cab as they all thought about what was to come. They desperately wanted to know what was happening to their fellow Americans.
Elliott kicked dirt up as he pulled out and across the field. As he got onto 140, Nate came up behind them.
Not wanting to alert the cops, they kept their distance from the convoy. The road was a straight shot with no turns and had weed filled fields on either side.
After a few minutes, Elliott noticed the convoy slowing down.
“Are they stopping?” asked a puzzled Elliott.
“Is that the interstate up there?” asked Winters.
Meeks looked at the map. “It should be.”
They came to a complete stop.
Winters grabbed the binoculars “Doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.”
He couldn’t believe they had already reached their destination. “Is there a town up ahead?”
Meeks looked back at the map. “Yeah, Watervliet but it’s one that’s already been crossed off.”
“This can’t be their destination,” said Scar.
“I don’t like this,” said Winters. “Something’s not right.”
Nate walked up to Elliott’s window. “Whatcha guys thinking?”
“Not sure, thinking maybe they got engine problems,” said Elliott.
Scar put his hand forth. “Hand me those binoculars, Captain.”
Scar got out of the vehicle and climbed on the roof of the SUV for a better view. He scanned up ahead noticed the transports were moving. “They’re turning left.”
Winters stepped out and looked up at Scar. “What’s over there?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see over the trees.”
Scar was just about to climb back down when he noticed one transport take a right and head towards the interstate. “Captain, one’s headed east onto the interstate.”
Scar jumped down. “What do you want to do?”
Winters thought for a moment. “Let’s go see what’s up to the left.”
Everyone scrambled back in. Elliott put the SUV in gear and took off. They came to where the transports had taken a left.
“This is a sandpit,” said Elliott with a concerned tone.
“Pull it in Elliott, everyone get ready, I don’t like the looks of this.”
Elliott swung the truck onto the dirt road. He came to a fork in the road with tire tracks veering to the left. Once around the bend, the road became wider, and the tracks went around a big sand dune. He came to an abrupt halt.
Winters thought about what to do next then a sickening feeling overwhelmed him.
“Everyone out!” ordered Winters.
Chapter 12
Washington D.C.
Green drove away from the Lafayette building with his mind racing faster than he could comprehend. He needed time to think about what all this meant and how to access his options. He could hand in his resignation but wasn’t sure if it might not raise suspicion. They might question him more and maybe even interrogate his mother. If he stayed, he’d have to continue to promote the lie about his loyalties to the National Government.
On the other hand, this position would allow him to see firsthand what they were up to. He might even be able to get messages to Winters. This is why he wanted one of his men with him. He would choose Josh Bassett, his young corporal. He was someone he knew he could count on. Bassett had already met with Scott Scarborough, on several occasions passing messages back and forth. He was devoted to Green and loved his country.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became, knowing he might be able to discover their end game and maybe even be able to stop it or at the very least expose it.
He turned off H St, merged onto I-395 and headed home. He looked forward to another meal with his mother. She would be interested in how things went with Reed, and though she wouldn’t ask, he knew she’d want to know all the details. Pulling into the driveway, he got out and found her in the kitchen making lunch.
Sarah Green smiled at her son. “How’d did it go?”
“Well…on one hand it went easier than I thought.”
“And on the other?”
“They’re reassigning me here in D.C.”
She looked surprised. “To the Pentagon?”
“No, not the Pentagon. The Lafayette building, it’s where Reed has his offices and he’s the one I’ll be working for.”
“Isn’t that where they do international banking?”
Green nodded.
“Strange place to have an office for someone like him. What’s your assignment?”
“They want me to coordinate the capture of the Shadow Patriots.”
“Sounds like they want to keep an eye on you.”
“I don’t think so. They’re still hot on catching them and I’m the only one who has met Winters in person and knows what he looks like.”
She didn’t respond.
“They know who he is now.”
“How?”
“They sent someone out there snooping around asking questions.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Help my friends any way I can.”
“You’ll be putting yourself in danger, John.”
He paused. “I know, but I have to help them.”
“If the situation escalates, John, at some point you’re going to have to make a decision, which will expose you. You need to be ready for that.”
“If that happens, there’s a good possibility they’ll come after you.”
“There are other options we can consider.”
Green stood there impressed with his mother.
Chapter 13
Eau Claire Michigan
As soon as the Shadow Patriots bolted out of the SUV’s, they heard machine gun fire echoing throughout the sand pit. They stopped and looked at each other.
Scar pointed to a small hill. “Up there,” he yelled.
They all ran toward it and started to climb up the sand. It was slow going up the hill. Gunfire kept crackling. As they got closer to the top, they could hear screaming echoing through the sandpit.
Winters mind flashed back to the train station where he had heard that same type of rapid firing.
They all reached the top of the hill and stopped in horror.
The National Police and what looked to be Jijis had lined up close to two hundred women, children and old folks. Executioners stood behind them. Spent cartridges flew out of their automatic weapons as they swung them back and forth firing at their victims.
Winters was the first to bolt down the hill. He swung his M4 off his shoulder and threw the bolt back. He raised the rifle and started firing.
The others fell in behind him. All were firing now in mid-stride.
The executioners didn’t expect anyone to interrupt them and were surprised at the sudden attack from the rear. Their reaction was slow at first, and a couple of them fell dead on the sandy ground. Then they quickly scattered. Some ran toward the transports, others retreated in the opposite direction, all while trying to return fire. Their aim was rushed and not accurate.
Nate ran up and stopped. He held his M4 to his side, pushed the switch to full auto and emptied the magazine in seconds. The barrage of rounds knocked over two bad guys and in one swift motion, he ejected the spent mag, slammed in another and pulled back the slide taking aim at two more with the same results.
“Over to the left guys,” yelled Winters to Scar.
Scar and Meeks swung left to outflank a group trying to escape. They both fell to a kneeling position to take better aim at six fleeing killers. Meeks held his MP5, 9mm and flicked the switch to a three shot burst. He took aim, pulled the trigger once and dropped one and then another. Scar the better shooter fired his M4 one at a time. He shot at one who fell against his friend tripping him.
“Meeks, go for the right side,” ordered Scar.
“I got 'em.”
Meeks shot another three shot burst and then another. Both hit their marks.
Scar aimed at the one who tripped by his fallen friend. The cop was on all fours struggling to get up. Scar fired into his backside. The cop screamed in pain. Meeks ran up to him and finished him off.
Burns and Murphy swung towards the transports trying to cut off an escape route.
Two Jijis knelt down and took aim at them.
Bullets flew by them.
“Get down Murphy,” screamed Burns.
Both of the Army vets fell to the ground.
“Damn bastards,” said Murphy.
“Go auto,” ordered Burns.
They both pushed the switch on their M4's.
“Now!” said Burns.
They lifted up and sprayed the ground in front of the two Jijis. Sand flew up around them as the lead found their marks. Burns stood up and emptied his mag.
“Over there,” said Burns pointing to the right.
Three Jijis made it to their vehicles. One got into a squad car and two others into one of the transports.
Burns looked at Murphy. “I got the car, you go for the truck.”
Murphy jumped up and sprinted towards the truck.
Burns threw in a full mag as the car peeled out. He raised his carbine and emptied it into the driver’s side as it spun around. Projectiles struck the whole side taking out the glass. The dead Jiji lost control and his foot jammed into the accelerator. The car crashed into a sand dune where its engine raced. Tires dug into the sand, but it went nowhere.
Murphy sprinted up behind the transport as it backed up. He swung to the driver’s side, dropped his rifle and pulled out his Glock 30. He flicked the safety off as he rushed up to the driver’s side, jumped on the running board and grabbed the mirror bracket for support. He raised the pistol and fired into the cab, killing the driver. Murphy looked up and could see the passenger trying to get control of the transport. He kicked back up, swinging from his arm on the bracket, and fired point-blank at the Jiji.
Winters turned to Elliott. “I’ve got the right.”
Elliott was just behind Winters as they approached the five cops using the dead as cover. Bullets whizzed by him and he fell to the ground to take cover. He dropped his rifle and pulled out his Taurus 1911. He aimed at an exposed cop and fired three shots. The third hit the cop in the chest. The impact threw the man backward.
Winters kept pushing forward with a crazed look on his face. Rounds flew by him as he fired his M4. He emptied the mag, taking out two who were hiding behind their victims. A panicked cop jumped up and threw his rifle as he tried to make a run for it. Winters took out his Colt and dropped the fleeing cop. He then swung right and aimed at the last Jiji. The Jiji put his hands up as if to surrender, but Winters didn’t feel merciful. He exploded a round into the man’s head. The Jiji jerked backward.
Then it was over.
Scar and Meeks came up and checked to see if anyone was still alive. Meeks went to one side and Scar the other. They looked at each other and shook their heads.
Winters, breathing heavily, stood in silence looking at all the carnage. The enormity of the scene overtook his senses. Children lay dead in the embrace of their fallen mother’s arms. Old ladies with their husbands lay holding hands. Some bodies lay sporadically in different angles. The scene reminded Winters of his friends being slaughtered back at the train station. Memories poured through his mind of the screams as he had helplessly watched them die.
Winters’ legs felt like rubber. Elliott came up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. In an attempt to bring him back to reality, said, “Captain, we need to find that other transport.”
Winters looked at him with a blank stare.
Elliott said in a reassuring tone. “Cole, there’s nothing else we can do here. We need to go.”
Winters nodded.
Chapter 14
The Shadow Patriots tore out of the sandpit and got on Interstate 94 heading east. Chasing a slow moving transport, Winters didn’t think they would have much of a problem catching up to it and held out hope they’d be able to find them. He needed this. He needed some redemption for letting those innocent people die, while they stood around being cautious. He knew that decision would haunt him forever.
The atmosphere in the truck was in stark contrast to their usual friendly banter. Each was dealing with what had just happened. Instead, they focused on finding the transport as if it was the most important thing they had left to do in life.
As they passed the Hartford exit, Elliott slowed down and everyone leaned toward the windows to see if perhaps the transport had turned off. They spotted nothing. Elliott sped up, with Nate right behind him. They blew through another exit but still hadn’t caught up to them.
“We’re coming up on Paw Paw,” stated Scar matter-of-factly. “This is where we found Sadie.”
“Doubt they’ll stop there,” said Meeks stoically.
“Captain, I see them,” shouted Elliott.
Winters grabbed the binoculars from the dash. “It’s them.”
There was a noticeable change of attitude among them. They began to speak in a more excited but still reserved tone.
“How do you want to handle it?” asked Scar.
“We could try and flag 'em down.”
“It worked before,” said Scar, referencing the time they flagged a convoy down in Wisconsin.
Winters picked up the radio and told Nate to back off while they attempted to stop the truck.
Elliott soon caught up to the transport, pulled along side, while Winters rolled his window down and leaned out. He looked up to see the driver glaring down on him. Winters smiled and signaled him to pull over. The driver turned away and then looked back brandishing a gun.
Winters yelled to Elliott to stop.
Elliott jammed on the brakes as gunfire erupted.
“Not too friendly is he,” Scar said moving forward in his seat.
“I don’t want them to wreck,” said Winters.
“Let’s see if Nate can slow them down,” said Scar.
Winters radioed Nate forward.
Nate passed them and charged ahead of the transport, just as the driver began firing at him. He kept firing but Nate zigzagged all over the road. The transport sped up trying to ram him. Elliott got up alongside the truck, which then swerved into their lane, forcing Elliott to the shoulder of the interstate.
Burns and Murphy rolled down their windows in Nate’s truck, leaned out and started firing at the transport. Meeks joined in as Elliott pulled back up to the side of the big truck. The driver fired wildly at them. Meeks returned the fire.
“I think I got him,” said Meeks.
“He’s slowing down,” said Winters. “Back off, Elliott.”
The military transport swerved over into the medium and bounced a few times before coming to a stop. The passenger door flew open and out jumped a Jiji, shooting at them as he ran away.
Nate slammed on his brakes and swung his truck around, speeding the wrong way on the interstate toward the Jiji. Nate stopped short on the pavement. Burns and Murphy hopped out, and using the doors as cover and fired at the lone gunman. The man went down and didn’t move. Burns cautiously made his way over to him, checked him and signaled he was dead.
Elliott pulled up behind the transport. Scar and Meeks jumped out and ran to the driver’s door. Meeks waited a moment before climbing up onto the running board. With his arm extended, holding his Sig Sauer 9mm, he looked into the side mirror for any movemen
t. Then, taking a chance, he moved quickly to the window and found the driver slumped over dead.
“He’s a goner.”
The two of them joined Winters and Elliott at the back of the transport. Winters, throwing caution to the wind, jumped up on the bumper and moved the canopy. Inside were six young girls looking petrified.
“I’m not here to hurt you, my name is Cole. Are you ladies alright?”
They all nodded their heads.
“Okay, well, why don’t you guys come on out of there?”
Winters climbed down. Scar and Meeks undid the latches and dropped the tailgate. They each put their hand up and helped the girls down.
“Easy now,” said Scar to a young blond.
Meeks offered them water, which they readily accepted and hastily drank from the bottles. The girls stared at the Shadow Patriots suspiciously, not knowing what to expect. Winters sensed their mistrust, so he introduced everyone to them, and then explained what happened to the others.
Upon hearing the news of their families, the girls broke down in tears.
Winters stood off to the side with Elliott and Scar. “You notice anything unusual about these girls?”
Scar looked at them. “Yeah. All six of them are drop dead gorgeous.”
“And young,” added Elliott.
“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Scar.
Winters took off his hat and rubbed his forehead. “They were going to rape them.”
Scar turned to Winters. “We might even have some kind of sex trade happening.”
“Spoils of war,” said Elliott.
“What do you want to do, Captain?” asked Scar.
“Let’s get them out of here and then figure out what they want to do.”
One of the girls came walking toward them. She was the oldest of them, late twenties, with long brown hair and brown eyes. Her dark gray windbreaker couldn’t hide her figure. Even though she was considerably older than the others, it was easy to see why they selected her along with the younger girls.
“Thank you for rescuing us. My name is Amber.”