Hell in the Homeland

by A J Newman

  ***

  Gus’ team came charging in on the west side of the Compound; Roger’s team attacked from the east side of the compound and the DHS men were caught in the middle. At the same time, the Apaches came in strafing the DHS positions. There were fifteen minutes of wild chaos with bullets flying in all directions then the firing subsided. The resistance crumbled and the enemy threw down their guns and surrendered. The Compound was in Gus’ control.

  Gus called Bob, “Damn, Bob, we caught them with most of their men in the barracks. There are thousands of body parts lying all over the compound. Those damn trucks obliterated the building and the troops. It was a slaughter.”

  “Great job Gus, pass on my compliments to your team! How many losses are on our side?

  “I don’t have a count yet, but only a couple dead and a handful wounded, so far. I’m still nervous that this has been too easy.”

  Gus ordered the men to search each building and warned them to watch for booby traps and officers. He wanted to interrogate the officers and try to get Intel on the DHS in the rest of Alabama and the surrounding states. Gus walked around the corner of the building and saw Scott tending to Ginny and Jim hovering over Imelda. He ran over and took over caring for Ginny. The bullet just creased the top of her left shoulder so the medic only had to apply antibiotics and a bandage. He made her take a couple of pain pills and released her.

  Gus looked at her and said, “Hey Ginny, did you forget to duck? I’m calling for a car to take you back to the bunker so your mom can look after you.”

  “Gus, I want to stay here with you. I feel safer with you.”

  Ginny, I know you do, but your mom will raise hell with me if I don’t get you home.”

  He kissed her on the forehead and she grabbed him and planted a deep kiss on his lips. He then helped her in the Humvee and waved goodbye.

  Sally had Beth and twelve other women set up around the compound ready to pick off any DHS men who got past the attacking force. They decided that there would be no attempt to allow the DHS to surrender while deserting their own friends and fellow soldiers.

  They steadily picked off DHS men trying to escape the battle. Alice had killed over twenty by herself while the others had five to ten. Alice and Beth covered the West entrance to the compound and had a steady stream of DHS trying to desert.

  Alice pointed towards the compound and said, “See those people? They are walking slowly and I think the men are each carrying a very heavy bag. Let’s shoot most of them and keep a couple to interrogate. Don’t shoot the women unless they are hostile.”

  Sally agreed and they waited for the group of men to get about twenty yards away when they started shooting them. The men were caught by surprise; all, but two, were shot dead and the two were wounded. They ran over to the men, tied the two survivor’s hands behind their back and then tied their feet. The women fell to the ground and begged for mercy.

  Beth looked in one of the bags and exclaimed, “Damn, the bag is full of gold coins and jewels.”

  She poked one of the men in the stomach with her M4 and said, “Where did you get the treasure? Bastards, did you rob the people of Mobile? I should kill both of you right now. You are just thugs and don’t know shit about the DHS operations.”

  She aimed the rifle at the big black man and he began begging for his life.

  “Don’t shoot me please; I’m an innocent civilian and have not hurt anyone.”

  “He’s a lying bastard! He is Deke Jones, the field Marshal. He was in charge of all of Alabama and he tortured us.”

  Beth questioned the other women and their stories matched. She called for Bob and filled him in on the captives. Beth then asked the women what they meant by torture.

  “The SOB raped every woman that he got his hands on. He had us beaten and then passed us around to the guards to be gang raped.”

  Beth told the women, “There he is. Don’t kill him, but make him wish he was dead.”

  The women took turns kicking Deke in the balls or slapping his face. He passed out a couple of times before Beth asked them to stop.

  Beth said, “He will be questioned and shot. I will promise that!”

  A squad of Marines appeared in about thirty minutes and took all of the captives. The squad leader thanked the women and slipped into the darkness.

  Bob’s men used the same tactics as John had successfully used. They knocked down the fences with the five-ton trucks as the snipers and helicopters took out the guards. Meg’s team switched from taking out the guards to picking off any DHS thugs that raised their heads Alice continued to lead the pack in kills, but the others were quickly catching up to her body count.

  Bob had fifty marines and fifty local recruits charging into the Camp expecting a major firefight and heavy losses. They walked in and found almost no resistance. They used their normal urban tactics utilizing as much cover as possible, but only encountered a dozen thugs and killed them quickly.

  Bob waved at John and said, “Let’s check on the prisoners. I’ll bet they have no idea what is going on out here. Let’s meet with them and explain how we plan to free them."

  The plan was to interview every single detainee and weed out the problem people first. Crooks, gang bangers and thugs would stay in prisons. Police, firefighters, doctors and nurses would be released first. Then essential workers would be released to get the city running again. They would release the rest as needed.

  As soon as the area was secured, the Navy planned to bring in a ship with a large nuclear reactor to supply enough electricity to get the essential infrastructure back in operation until their engineers could get the Mobile power plants back in operation. Only about twenty thousand people were still alive in the Mobile area with another fifteen thousand in Pensacola. The Navy had the same plan for that city.

  Chapter 14

  Founding Fathers and a Few Sore Heads

  Theodore, Alabama

  September 16, 2020

  Colonel Stokes’ group arrived at 1:00 p.m. in five helicopters and had a large security force. One helicopter took Deke and several of his top men back to HQ for interrogation. He quickly thanked the team for their successful elimination of the DHS and capture of the Camp. Colonel Stokes then asked for a meeting with John and Bob. He quickly got to the point.

  “John, we’d like you to take charge of the Mobile area which will stretch from Alabama to Louisiana and deliver a stable government until the citizens can have local elections. You can handpick the leaders of the states and their counties.”

  “Colonel, while I am pleased that you have that much faith in me, I really don’t have the experience to govern a large city much less the area around Mobile and two other states.”

  “John, you are right about that, but times are tough and we need a tough, but fair benevolent dictator to rule by decree until we have faith in the locals to elect an honest government. We need you to get them ready to govern themselves. We can’t have, and won’t tolerate, a lapse back into the socialism that Obama started and the last two presidents pushed until the country fell apart. We want to get back to the ideals of the founding fathers and start with our constitution as the law of the land.”

  John replied, “Okay, I really like the plan and want to be a part of this new country. I’ll do it the best that I can.”

  Bob and John walked to the front of the largest warehouse with a hundred armed men. They drove a flatbed truck to the front of the building and asked the men to round up all of the detainees. Colonel Stokes, John and Bob climbed up on the bed of the truck. Bob introduced Colonel Stokes.

  “Hello, I am Captain Robert Jones, and this is Colonel Hiram Stokes. Colonel Stokes is in charge of the lower Alabama relief effort.”

  Colonel Stokes said, “As you probably know by now, we have either killed or driven the rogue DHS troops out of Mobile. After the bombs fell, a rogue part of our government used the DHS to take over major parts of our country. Some of our senior elected officials were involved in the destru
ction of our country. Most of your military did not go along with this plan and we are taking back our country.”

  The crowd cheered.

  He went on to give them the plan to get Mobile back functioning properly and their orderly release. Many weren’t happy that they would have to stay in the warehouse for up to a couple of weeks, but understood the reasons. Colonel Stokes then went on with some requests for help.

  “First, we need to know if any of the DHS thugs are hiding in this group of people. Turn them in to us and they will receive a fair trial. Second, please go to the front east corner of this building if you have previous military or police experience. We need to secure this area before we start moving people out of here. Third, I’d like to introduce you to the interim Governor of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. This is John Harris; many of you know him through his local business or his radio show. What you may not know is that he has the leadership and military experience to lead you through the tough times ahead. Just as important, he does not want the job and will willingly turn the reigns over to the new properly elected officials when that time comes.”

  This started discussions throughout the crowd. Most appeared to be pleased and others were very angry.

  One angry man said, “We have elected officials; why can’t they take over their old jobs?”

  “That is a very good question and I will answer it very bluntly. Many of your senior officials turned against you and worked with the DHS. Most of them were killed in the battle to free this Camp and the DHS Compound. Next, the military must ensure that you build a strong city and militia to protect your city. Last, we want to ensure that the area gets back on its feet and elects the right people to keep you free.”

  Most of the crowd applauded; however, a few were still angry.

  John addressed the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to what I have to say about how we are going to govern this area. There are zero jobs and no long-term source of food. The DHS has left us approximately two months of food and the military only has MREs, but they have enough of those to cover us for another two months. We have to have a crash program to get farming and fishing back up and running quickly or starve. There is no welfare, food stamps or handouts. Except for the physically handicapped, you will have to work or starve. There will be no tolerance for anyone thinking the government will feed, clothe or provide housing for him or her. If you don’t have skills, someone will teach you.”

  There was a general buzz of agreement with what John had just said, but about a dozen men and women charged towards John yelling and shaking their fists. Four guards stepped in front of John to protect him. John waved them off.

  “Just what did I say that upsets you? The part about you have to work or starve, or the part about no welfare?”

  One spoke up and said, “This is inhumane and we won't stand for it.”

  John replied, “I agree with you. Now either get to work when work becomes available, or move to an area that will feed you while you lay around on your sorry asses. You won’t be allowed to stay here. We have vowed to start this country over as the founding fathers meant it to be - extreme freedom, hard work and very little government. Racists, criminals, wife beaters and pedophiles will not be tolerated. Everyone in this meeting is equal at this very minute. However, hard work and persistence will make some of you successful and others may just get by day to day. It’s up to you.”

  This brought a cheer from the crowd. They started chanting.

  “John” “John”, “John Harris for president!”

  John looked at the group that was angry and said, “Are you with us or do you want to go?"

  Most gave him the finger and started to walk away.

  John said, “Guards, take these men to get their belongings, give them two weeks food each and escort them out of town. Do not take them towards Pensacola. They don’t want them either.”

  The crowd cheered!

  John replied, “We’re burning daylight. There are crops in the field just about ready to harvest and fish in the sea needing to be caught, so let’s get started. I need police, firefighters doctors and nurses to go to the front of the truck. The doctor will get y’all organized and get our health care system jump-started. Would all farmers, commercial fishermen, mechanics and truck drivers go to the back of the truck and meet with George Washington?”

  That brought a round of laughter and applause from the crowd. Then they saw this big black guy and went to see what he had to say.

  “Teachers and clergy go to the admin building and see Shirley Washington.”

  This went on until John had covered every skillset that the team had come up with in their rebuilding plan.

  John was pleased to see that the crowd was made up of about the same population mix as the general population was before the SHTF. He also thought that he would remind his team to watch for any signs of criminal behavior, racism or laziness.

  A short while later, Shirley walked up to John accompanied by two well-dressed older men who appeared to be nagging at her every step of the way. Just as they got to John, Shirley yelled, “Shut the fuck up and zip your lips. John, pardon my French, but these two are getting on my last nerve. I would shoot them, but God might not hate Socialists as much as I do.”

  She waved her M4 in the air and scared another ten years off the old fart's lives.

  “Shirley, what the hell did these two men do to get on your bad side? Oh, by the way men, before now, I have never seen her bad side and I don’t want to see it again. What is the problem?”

  “My dear sir, the problem is that this ruffian told us that there is no need for our courses and we have to find honest work. She obviously has no education and should not be the Secretary of Education.”

  “What courses do you normally teach the children?

  “We don’t teach kids. We are college professors, I teach the Fundamentals of Socialism versus Capitalism. I cover why capitalism has failed modern society. He teaches Modern Art.”

  “Well, I think I see the problem. Shirley, what did you recommend for these two esteemed men to do for a living?”

  Shirley replied, “I think that they should try farming. They have no useful skills.”

  “Did you ask if they could teach reading, writing or arithmetic?”

  “I did and they laughed at me.”

  “Well, kind sirs, it’s either farming or cleaning up rubble and then trash collecting.”

  Both protested and started yelling.

  John said, “Remember those guys at the first meeting who didn’t like what they heard? You can do what you are told to do or go join them. I don’t care what you do, but if you stay here, you have to perform meaningful work. Doctors, mechanics and nurses will be paid with potatoes and chickens. Who will pay you to teach that bullshit? Talk it over, but if you don’t work, you don’t stay. PERIOD!"

  Shirley poked one with the M4 and said, “Be back here in an hour with your answer.”

  They never saw the worthless bastards again.

  Chapter 15

  Don’t Mess with Texas or Rednecks

  Port Arthur, Texas

  September 19, 2020

  It was a little before midnight and the sky was clear and they could see jets flying in from the ocean towards Mobile. Johnson thought that these must be support from the government to help Deke stave off the impending attack. Johnson’s group was on Highway 10, just north of New Orleans camped for the night. Johnson watched as one of the Sergeants posted the guards and sent scouts out to ensure there were no surprises. Johnson just wanted to move his team to a town, take it over peacefully and live out his life without all this bullshit hassle. He had served in both Gulf Wars, the Canadian-Russian conflict and the Second War in Cuba.

  Johnson was too tired to sleep. He sat down by the fire and reflected on his past accomplishments and failures. He had risen to colonel in the Army, but one little issue in Cuba had ruined his career. The young girl was a piece of human trash and she died acci
dentally during rough sex in his quarters. It was a pure accident, but her dad was a high-ranking officer in the Cuban resistance. That fucking bitch had cost him his career.

  The moon was full and he could see the jet trails crossing the sky. He fell asleep and dreamed of being the leader of his own country and being able to have his way with all of the young women without someone stopping him. He did not hear the helicopters bearing down on him.

  A few minutes before the Apaches were to make their strafing run on the convoy, they received urgent orders to return to Mobile. The lead pilot fired two missiles and headed back home. The missiles struck their targets. One armored car and a Humvee disappeared in a blinding flash that killed over thirty men.

  Johnson woke up and went into action. He rallied the men and had them get Stingers ready for the next run on them. They stood ready for several hours, but nothing happened. Johnson had no clue what had happened.

  ***

  Jack Mays, the Mayor of Port Arthur, banged his gavel and started the meeting on time.

  “Come to order. That means stop yakking! We’re here to govern, not swap stories. Pete, I do want to hear about the widow over in Grove City after the meeting, but now is not the time. Let’s get our asses in gear and do some serious business.”

  His city had spent the last few months improving their defenses, preparing all adults to defend their city and increasing the amount of land being farmed. Every adult was required to be armed at all times, kids fourteen and above were trained along with the adults in gun safety, marksmanship and self-defense.

  “Y’all begin as usual and give us an update on your areas. I’d like to hear from Charlie first as usual.”