by Mark Goodwin
“Yes, sir.” Jack’s eyes showed that he was shocked by the harsh reprimand, but he seemed to be ready to fall in line.
“Chris, do you understand?” Danny scowled.
“Yes, sir.” His response was less instantaneous than Jack’s, but he also seemed prepared to respect Danny’s instruction.
Danny’s jaw was rigid as he spoke. “We’ll stay together, advance to the north, and circle back around to hit the main house. Keep your eyes peeled for the resistance force from the airport. They’ll all be wearing white headbands.”
Danny led the team out of the ravine, and north through the forest. He paused every fifty yards to see if they were being followed and to listen to the chatter over the airport frequency. “It sounds like Schlusser’s men are still looking for us in the sector near the generator. That means the main house has less protection than it did.”
Danny pointed at Chris. “Your team will cut around to the north side of the house and draw out guards by laying down heavy fire. My team will sneak up from the east and pick off any guards that come out from cover. Your team will shoot four round bursts. Three rounds, pause for a moment, then the fourth shot. My team will use that pause to take kill shots from cover without them being able to identify the direction of the sniper shots. Keep moving, but stay away from us. Any questions?”
“No, sir,” Chris said.
“Good. I don’t see the resistance fighters yet, but hopefully, they’re on the way. Ben’s men should be here any minute as well. Our job is to keep Schlusser’s men running in circles for now.” Danny pointed at the wooded area on the north side of the main house. “Go now.”
Chris, Jack, and Catfish headed toward the trees.
Danny pointed to Antoine and the girls. “When you see a target, line up your shot, wait for a pause in the cover fire, then pull the trigger. And spread out. Put twenty or thirty feet between each shooter. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
Danny found a low branch on a live oak. He climbed up on it for a better vantage point. The limb was low enough that he could drop down and take cover behind the trunk of the tree, in the event that he were to be spotted by Schlusser’s men. Danny watched and waited as Chris’s team moved into position.
Finally, Chris, Jack, and Catfish opened fire on the main house. Seconds later, men in black polos were streaming out the back of the house and rushing up the side to return fire. Danny identified a three-round burst coming from a rifle on Chris’s team. He looked past the iron sights of the AK-47 and squeezed the trigger. The guard closest to Chris’s team fell. Two more guards dropped as Antoine and the girls mimicked the process. None of the guards seemed to suspect that they were being sniped off. Danny’s team slowly eliminated fifteen guards in this manner. Danny watched as a guard coming around the corner from the back of the house fell as a result of a bullet from his team. That guy was too far away from the source of the cover fire. Immediately, Danny knew the guards would figure out that they were being sniped from the woods. He gritted his teeth. I should have been more specific with my instructions.
“Snipers!” A guard pointed toward the forest.
Danny keyed the mic. “Fall back to the ravine.”
“Roger,” Jack said over the radio.
Danny yelled to his team and motioned for them to get closer. “Tighten up near me. Cover Chris’s group until they get behind us, then the two teams will leapfrog back to the ravine.”
Danny, Antoine, and the girls laid down heavy fire while Chris’s fire team retreated into the woods. They eliminated two more guards, but the rest found covered positions from which to return fire.
Jack’s voice came over the radio. “Set!”
Danny motioned to his fire team. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” He led them deeper into the forest as Chris, Jack, and Catfish continued shooting at the main house.
Danny’s group fell in fifty feet to the left, behind Chris’s team. Danny pressed the talk key. “Set!”
Danny’s team began firing while Chris’s group melted further into the trees.
Seconds later, Jack called over the radio. “Catfish is limping. I think he caught one in the leg.”
Danny called back over the radio. “They’re not chasing us. I’ll send Antoine to fireman carry Catfish. Let’s just hustle back to the ravine, bounding overwatch, each fire team in V formation facing the main house.” He looked at Antoine who gave him a nod and split off from the team. Danny motioned for the girls to follow him. Once they were in position, Danny let Chris’s team know he was set. While he watched and waited, Danny called to check on his relief. He set the radio to the channel designated for the Pickens Company. “Ben, Lucas, how are you guys holding up?”
Lucas’ voice came back. “Their force has proven to be a pretty tough nut to crack. We took out most of the men being sent to reinforce the airport. Some got away, they bled into the bush. We took heavy losses and have a lot of wounded. Half of the team is evacuating the injured, the rest of us are headed in your direction now.”
Danny replied, “We took out several hostiles, but we were getting overwhelmed and had to fall back. Let us know when you’re in position, and we’ll re-engage. The sooner the better. There’s no telling how many troops are still holed up in the main house.”
“Roger that,” Lucas said.
The two fire teams eventually made it back to the ravine. All of them were winded. Danny looked at Catfish’s leg. His overalls were soaked with blood. Danny lowered his night vision scope and pulled his individual first aid kit from his pack. He retrieved the EMT shears and cut away the bloody leg of Catfish’s pants. “Looks like it went straight through.”
Catfish winced in pain. “It hurts like the dickens.”
“I’m sure it does.” Danny bandaged the wound with an Israeli battle dressing.
To the rest of the team, he said, “Take a drink of water, check your mags, and dump your empties into your assault backpacks. And do it fast. We may be back in the fight sooner than we hope.”
Danny peered through the night vision scope and watched for incoming enemy fighters.
Antoine tapped him on the shoulder and pointed. “I saw movement, to the south.”
“That’s not good because I’ve got a squad coming straight at us from the house.” Danny took his eye off the hostiles he’d just spotted to look in the direction where Antoine was pointing. He saw several more men creeping through the woods. “The second we shoot, they’ll know our location. Chris, you and Jack take the team coming up from the south. We’ll take the ones coming straight at us.”
Chris looked through his night vision scope mounted on the top of his AR-15. “There’s too many. We can’t stay here.”
Danny’s jaw tightened. “Catfish can’t run.”
“We have to do something, they’re coming in fast! They’ll be on top of us in less than a minute.” Antoine took aim.
“You youngins get on up out of here.” Catfish positioned himself with his AK-47 pointing over the top of the ravine. “I’ll hold these heathens off.”
“We’re not leaving you, Catfish.” Danny took aim. “Fire!”
Danny’s squad sent a hail of bullets out toward the approaching threat. Enemy fire came back through the trees, forcing Danny and the others to get as low as possible in the ravine as they continued to battle it out with Schlusser’s goons.
“Changing!” Gwen dropped behind cover to switch out a mag, then popped back up to continued firing.
“Changing!” Danny was next to reload.
“Changing.” Chris’s mag emptied right after Danny’s. He took cover beside Danny as he ejected his magazine. He grabbed Danny’s arm before he could re-engage. “You’re the boss, but they’re closing in. They’ll have us fixed in about five minutes if we don’t move. I’ll do whatever you say. Even if it means death.”
The tension weighed on Danny like an anchor from a battleship. He felt the blood draining from his face as he pressed himself to
make a decision. “You’re right. We have to move.” Danny stuck his rifle out and resumed firing. He paused for a second and glanced over at Catfish. “Old friend. I hate to do it, but I might have to take you up on that offer.”
“You get on out of here or I’ll shoot you myself. All of you! I mean it!” Catfish kept shooting. He wouldn’t look at Danny.
Danny’s lower lip curled beneath the upper one. His cheeks involuntarily pressed upward like a vice squeezing his eyelids closed, sending tears downward as the sorrow welled upward from his center. He ran the back of his hand across his eyes to clear his vision. Danny could not fathom leaving Catfish behind, but if he did not, all of them would die. He had a choice. He had to condemn the old man to death or watch as Antoine, Gwen, Dana, Jack, and Chris were shot and killed, one by one while the ravine was overrun by Schlusser’s henchmen.
Danny composed himself. “Thank you, Catfish. I want you to know that we’ll destroy these guys. I’ll make sure everyone knows about your sacrifice.”
“There ain’t no time for all that. You just get on out of here, Danny. Let me get a fresh box of bullets in my gun, and you get goin’.”
Danny nodded and swallowed the knot in his throat. “Let me know when you’re ready.” Danny let off another volley of shots while Catfish reloaded.
“I’m ready. Now scat!”
Danny put his arm around the old man and hugged him close.
A faint smile came across Catfish’s face as he hugged Danny in return. “You take care of that little girl of your’n, and that youngin you’ve got comin’. Tell Miss Jennie I love her, and I always will.”
Danny fought back the tears as he nodded. “I will. Thank you so much. I promise your sacrifice will not be in vain.”
Catfish took aim. “It won’t be. You all just whoop this Schlusser fella, then go on to live your lives to the fullest.”
“We will.” Danny signaled for the team to prepare to move out. “Dana, you’re on Chris’s team. On my signal, we’ll fall back with no return fire, bounding overwatch. We need to get out of sight.”
Everyone on the squad said a quick farewell to Catfish as they laid down suppressive fire. Danny took a deep breath and said, “Go!”
CHAPTER 10
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13
Danny led his squad deeper into the woods and away from the pursuing threat. His heart sank as he counted off the shots from Catfish’s AK-47. “26, 27.” Danny quickly picked his way through the dense underbrush of the woods. CRACK! CRACK! “28, 29.” CRACK! “30. Catfish’s magazine is empty.” Danny knew the old man probably wouldn’t have a chance to reload before Schlusser’s hooligans fell on him like a school of piranha, stripping the meat from his bones. As Danny expected, the woods erupted with a storm of gunfire. The rifle shots slowed then fell silent behind him. Grief and mourning combined with the thick brush to make Danny’s retreat more difficult. Guilt, for having abandoned one of his men, sunk its steely teeth into his flesh, like a sewer rat latched onto a wedge of stale cheese. “I should have stayed with him. I should have fought to the death by his side.” Danny’s pace slowed.
Antoine put his hand on Danny’s back and gave him a gentle push. “Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don’t stop now. We’re all counting on you. You promised Catfish that his death wouldn’t be in vain.”
Danny forced his head to nod. Antoine’s words of encouragement were exactly what he needed to hear at that precise moment. He clawed through the remorse of losing Catfish, excavated through the anguish and regret to find an inward motivation and continue his mission. He summoned his will, and forged it like hot iron to meet its purpose. Soon, Danny’s mind was back in the game, and his feet were surging forward. He moved faster and faster as he waved his arm for his squad to keep pace.
The group reached the river bank on the back side of the peninsula. “I think we’ve lost them. Thanks to Catfish. We’ll start moving north and see if we can connect with Lucas’ platoon.”
Danny led the squad to the left and keyed his mic. “Lucas, they sniffed us out, and we had to fall back further. We’re going to try to circle back around to you.”
Lucas called back. “They had a counter ambush set up, waiting for us. They hit us when we were 100 yards out from the main house. I’m down to nine men. At this point, we’re retreating. I’d advise you to go all the way back to the tracks. I’ll meet you there. We need to connect with Ben and the rest of the Pickens company when they return from dropping off the wounded.”
Danny huffed and quickened his pace. “This is turning into a real mess.” He pressed the talk key once again. “Ben, did you catch all that?”
“Roger, I’m on my way, but we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before we can get to the rendezvous point. We’re on foot, just like you.”
Danny called back. “If you’re closer to the vehicles, you could probably take them back up South Point Road. If you cut back through that neighborhood, you’ll find an old distillery right on the river. It’s a few yards from the train bridge.”
“I’ll try that,” Ben said.
“If you cross the tracks on the north or hit the water on the east, you’ve gone too far. Otherwise, you can’t miss it.” Danny released the talk button. “My squad could use some 5.56 and 7.62x39 if you happen to have any.”
“Roger that,” Ben replied.
Danny and Antoine kept their night vision scopes on as they led the way through the wooded terrain. The squad eventually reached the tracks and scrambled westbound to connect with Lucas and Ben.
Danny’s radio chirped. He had the volume low so it wouldn’t give up their position. Danny held the walkie to his ear. “Is that you barreling down the tracks with the two night vision illuminators?” It was Ben’s voice.
“That’s us,” Danny responded.
“Okay then. We’re all here waiting for you.”
Danny could see the white light of several other IR illuminators through his scope. He picked up the speed of his stride, anxious to see friendly faces. He was careful not to get overly enthusiastic and consistently scanned the brush on both sides of the track, watching for a potential ambush. The squad finally reached the bridge.
Danny turned off his night vision and flipped up the scope. Ben, Lucas, and the other men wore grim faces. Danny looked around at the forty or fifty men on each side of the track. He panted to catch his breath. “Where’s the rest of your company?”
“This is what’s left of us. Everyone else has been killed or injured.” Ben’s voice was glum. He pointed to several backpacks sitting between the rails. “The first two packs have loaded magazines. The others have ammunition.”
Danny took a sip of water as he bent down and opened the first pack. “5.56.” He passed magazines to the rest of his squad. He looked in the second bag. It too had loaded AR-15 magazines. “Do you have any 7.62?”
Ben pointed at a gray backpack with red zippers. “No magazines, but plenty of shells.”
Danny sat on the rail and began refilling his magazines. “We’ve thinned Schlusser’s men out, but he still has plenty of troops holed up in the main house. Do you have any idea how we can get in there and clear them out?”
“I’m thinking about it.” Ben rubbed his gray beard.
Lucas took a seat next to Danny and assisted him in reloading the magazines for his AK-47. “Let me give you a hand.”
“Thanks.” Danny kept working. “Have you heard how the assault on the airport is going?”
“It’s a bloodbath.”
“For us or for them?”
“For everybody.” Lucas sounded disheartened.
Ben squatted down near Danny and placed a broken stick between the rails. “Here’s Schlusser’s place. His men saw Lucas retreat to the north. If they’re setting up an ambush, it will be for a second assault from the north. We’ll have to cut all the way around and hit them from the south. I’ll ta
ke my platoon straight in from the south. Lucas will hook right and strike the southeast corner of the house. We need a team to slide up the river bank and try to sneak into the house through a door or window. I’m hoping we’ll be such an overwhelming force that he’ll have to put every man he’s got on the southern and eastern side of the house.”
Danny continued to click more bullets into his magazines. “So what makes you think an entry team would stand a chance walking in the back door?”
“I managed to trade for some shock and awe with those boys down at the joint military base in Charleston.” Ben removed his pack and opened it for Danny to look inside.
Danny looked into the bag to see eight hand grenades.
Ben added, “They’re better than a brick for busting out windows.”
“And they draw a lot of attention.” Danny didn’t like the plan, but he could think of nothing better. He knew someone had to be on the entry team, but he wasn’t about to drag his squad into certain death. “I’ll be on the entry team. Chris, you take command of our squad.”
“I’m going in with you,” Chris said adamantly. “What about Antoine? He can lead the squad.”
Antoine shook his head. “If Danny goes in the house, I’m going in the house.”
“Me, too,” Jack said.
Danny put his hand up. “I need you to take command of a fire team. You, Gwen, and Dana.”
“So basically, you’re telling me to sit this one out.” Jack’s eyes narrowed.