by Mark Goodwin
“Fire!” Danny began shooting at the barrage of men bolting towards the house. The rest of Danny’s team did likewise.
“Prioritize!” Danny issued his directive as he continued shooting. “The closer to the house, the more important they are to kill. Once they get inside, they’ll be up here in a second!”
“Changing.” Danny emptied his mag and made a quick recovery. “Set!” He resumed firing.
Danny watched as Lucas swung in with his men from the woods. “Remember to stay in your lane of fire. We don’t want to hit any of our guys.” Danny continued to shoot as more and more enemy vehicles approached the property. Mason’s team engaged the incoming vehicles, killing several, but the stream of Humvees and military personnel trucks seemed endless. Soon, the enemy was fighting from the cover of the massive convoy. They laid down heavy fire pushing Lucas and Mason’s teams back.
Danny continued to send bullets out the window and toward the approaching hostiles. “A four-man team just got by. They’re coming in the house! Sly, go pull the team from the next bedroom and defend the stairway. Don’t let them get on the stairs, no matter what.”
“You got it, Danny.” Sly ducked down and ran out of the room.
Danny continued to shoot as a second four-man team got past the wall of gunfire. A Humvee pulled up to the drive with a .50 cal mounted on top. Danny shot several rounds at the man turning the big gun toward the window, but he missed. The machine began angrily barking off a storm of large projectiles.
Danny pulled Javier to the floor. “Get down!” He yelled too late. Sam was violently flung backward by a bullet to the forehead.
Friendly turned his attention from Sam’s dead body to Danny. “What now?”
“We can’t compete with that thing. The house is getting ready to be overrun. We have to hold the stairs until Parnell arrives.” Danny led Friendly and Javier to the doorway where they’d have clear shots to enemy ascending the stairs.
POW! POW! CRACK! CRACK! POW! Danny watched as a hail of gunfire ripped through Sly and the other men who had been defending the stairs. Danny’s heart and mind filled with a flood of rage and desperation. He pulled the trigger repeatedly, mowing down five men on the stairs. Three more men navigated over the corpses of their fallen comrades, shooting at Danny and his team on the way up.
“Two men shooting, one man in reserve. We don’t want to all run empty at the same time.” Danny reloaded his magazine and ducked behind the wall until the next rifle ran out. He did not want to make the same mistake twice.
Javier rolled to the side. “Changing.”
Danny dropped down in his place and resumed firing. “Stay there until Friendly’s magazine is out.”
“I’m out.” Friendly took cover to reload.
“I’m in!” Javier rolled back into position and started shooting.
The team was functioning well, but they’d been through several magazines each. Danny tapped out and reloaded for the final time. “This is my last magazine.”
“I’m out after this, too.” Javier’s voice was sullen.
Friendly’s rifle ran dry. He patted his pockets for another magazine, but found none.
Danny slowed his pace, making every bullet count as he launched his last volley of bullets. “It’s been an honor knowing you guys.”
Emotion welled up in Danny’s soul as he counted down his remaining shells. “Please God, let Parnell get in here in time. I want to go home to see Alisa, and I want to hold my baby when it’s born.”
Three men breached the top of the stairs with rifles blazing. Danny centered the iron sights of the AK-47 on the forehead of the man closest to him and squeezed the trigger. CRACK! The man fell backward. The other two came around either side of the dead assailant. Danny pointed the gun at the one on the left. CRACK! A piece of the man’s skull flew off of his head, and he spun a quarter turn before dropping to the floor. Danny quickly turned his rifle to the last man and pulled back on the trigger. Click. The AK-47 was empty.
The man gave him a hideous grin and leveled his rifle at Danny’s head.
Danny prepared for the inevitable. He looked to Heaven as if to offer up his spirit. He closed his eyes and breathed out. He had lived his life with honor. Since coming to Christ, he’d done the best he could to learn the true words of the Holy Bible and live according to it. He had loved his wife and been loyal to his friends. He had no regrets. He didn’t want to die, but in that moment, he wasn’t afraid. He was at peace with his God, and with his family. Danny Walker was at peace with himself.
POWWWW!
Danny was unaware of any change. He’d heard the shot, but never felt a thing. That wasn’t so bad. I guess I died instantaneously. He waited, unsure if his soul would drift away, be swished down a dark tunnel to a bright light, or be escorted home by some celestial being.
“Danny,” A familiar voice said.
He was conscious that he still had sight on this side of the veil, but was hesitant to open his eyes. “Yes?” He opened his eyes slightly. “Deputy Douglas?”
Danny felt confused and stopped short of asking Al Douglas if he were an angel. He was a fine enough man, but seemed an odd choice to be his escort to Glory. If God were to send anyone he’d know from the last life, Danny was quite certain it should have been Steven. Perhaps there was a mix-up, or perhaps Steven was off on another mission.
“Are you alright?” Douglas let his weapon hang from the single point sling and bent down to offer Danny his hand.
Danny looked to his right. Javier was there. He looked exhausted, but he was alive. Danny turned left. Friendly had an expression of relief and of sorrow. Danny glanced forward. Not six inches from his nose, the lifeless face of the assailant with the hideous grin lay at the top of the stairs. His eyes were cold and dull. Blood leaked out of the back of his head. It had been the rifle of Deputy Douglas which Danny had heard. Danny was still alive!
CHAPTER 12
Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 28:1-8
One year later, Danny meandered around the courtyard where the reception was being held, with his four-month-old daughter, Grace, in his arms.
Jack kissed Gwen, who was dressed in white, wearing a crown of wild flowers on her head. Jack pulled away to get close to Danny. He spoke softly. “I want to thank you for convincing me to stay pure until our wedding day. I didn’t show you much gratitude, but deep down, I appreciated it.”
“God will bless you for trying to live according to his Word.” Danny smiled.
Eight-year-old Kalie and four-year-old Emma Reese walked up to Danny. Kalie asked, “Can I hold Grace? I don’t know when I’ll get to see her again.”
“Sure.” Danny carefully passed his precious little girl to Kalie. “But Charlotte isn’t that far. We’ll see each other often.”
Kalie held Grace and rocked her in her arms. “It seems a lot farther when you’re in a wagon being pulled by a slow horse.”
Danny grinned. “You’ve got a point there, but we’re always as close as your heart. Just close your eyes and imagine, and you can see baby Grace anyti
me you want.”
Antoine walked over to the picnic table where Danny had taken a seat with Alisa, Dana, and Chris. The big man was well dressed and was holding hands with Tracey Reese.
Tracey held out her hand to show Danny a diamond ring. She was smiling from ear to ear.
“Congratulations Tracey! And to you Mr. Mayor,” Danny said.
Antoine shook his head. “It’s just Antoine to you. Besides, mayor is a little misleading. I’ve only been elected to preside over Fort Charlotte, which includes the airport and surrounding neighborhoods.”
“For now. But, the territory is growing every day.” Danny turned to Tracey. “So you’re moving up to Fort Charlotte?”
“Yes. Long distances relationships were never easy, but it’s nearly impossible in this day and age. But, don’t worry we’ll have separate houses.”
“We’ll do things the right way, Danny,” Antoine added.
Dana had been sharing a piece of cake with Chris. She pulled the plate away as if she intended on finishing it herself.
“Hey! Where’s my cake?” Chris protested.
“Where’s my ring?” Dana hurriedly finished the desert.
Chris’s eyes looked as if he’d just seen a purple pig flying through the air, leaving a trail of pink pixie dust. “Your . . . I . . . you never told me.”
“I shouldn’t have to,” she said with a mouth full of cake.
“You said you needed time. You were still grieving over Steven. I didn’t want to pressure you.”
“Well, that was a year ago. I’m ready to move on.”
If Chris felt any shame at being publicly berated for not having perfected the art of reading the mind of the fairer sex, he didn’t show it. His eyes glowed. His cheeks became rosy red, as they could not endure the size of the grin, growing larger and larger across his face. “Okay then. I’ll start working on getting you a ring.”
Dana’s scornful look faded and was quickly replaced with an expression of new love. She wrapped her arms around Chris and pulled him close.
Parnell moseyed over to the group, with Deputies Grisham and Douglas at his side. “Y’all are gonna have to start coordinating these weddings. We can’t be runnin’ up and down the road every other month. Might I recommend getting married at Christmas? We could kill two birds with one stone.”
Alisa’s forehead puckered. “Sheriff, a wedding deserves its own special day and bears no similarities to the killing of birds.”
Dana added, “We’re not waiting until Christmas.”
Chris raised his eyebrows. “Oh? When did you have in mind?”
“How fast can you find me a ring?” She bit her lower lip.
Chris looked at Danny. He was speechless and appeared to need help.
Danny shrugged. “We could go to the flea market tomorrow.”
“Could we go in the morning?” Dana asked.
“Why? You want to get married tomorrow?” Alisa inquired.
Dana looked at Chris.
He stuttered, “Uh, y . . . yeah, yes, yeah. We could get married tomorrow.”
Alisa put her hands on her hips. “Well ask her first. Don’t just assume she’s going to say yes.”
Chris got down on one knee. “Dana, will you marry me?”
She nodded as her eyes welled up with joy. “Yes.” She put her arms around his neck.
Alisa looked at Antoine and Parnell. “Can you all stay one more day?”
“I guess so.” Antoine smiled. “Miss Jennie is gonna be madder than a wet hen when she finds out she has to cook for all these people again.”
Alisa rolled her eyes. “Oh, please! Dana, Cami, and I did most of the cooking. She just does all of the fussing.”
“What’s all the commotion about over here?” Miss Jennie walked up to the table, waving her hands in the air.
Parnell nodded for Danny to follow him so they could speak in private.
Danny looked at Alisa as he followed the sheriff. “Kalie has Grace. I’ll be right back.”
Parnell adjusted his pistol belt. “Lucas is going to be the Pickens County representative for the Republic of Carolina. Javier is going to be the representative for Mecklenburg County. You should consider running for Anderson County’s representative.”
“I don’t know. The farm keeps me so busy.”
“The Republic of Carolina is going to have a very strict constitution. This time, we’re going to make sure government can never get so big that it can’t be drowned in a bathtub. The first congressional session might run a month or so, since we’ll have to iron out a constitution, but after that, we’ll limit it to two weeks. I’m talkin’ a very, very limited government.
“You owe it to Grace to get involved and provide her with a future that won’t be ruined by the mistakes of the past. You’re a strong Christian. If you don’t take the seat, someone with lesser convictions than yourself may get in. Take a peek in the rearview mirror, if we don’t get the constitution right in the beginning, our descendants will have to go through this all over again.”
Danny turned to look at his beautiful wife picking up their daughter from the hands of young Kalie Reese. He thought about Grace’s future, as well as the Reeses children. “Alisa has some ideas for the flag. She was an art major before the world broke in half.”
“If you’re a congressman, you’d be in a very good position to present her designs.” Parnell put his hand on Danny’s shoulder.
“I need to talk it over with Alisa. If I run, it obviously means more responsibility for her. Has anyone else expressed an interest?”
“No, but don’t think of it as me trying to persuade you because no one else wants the job.” Parnell winked.
Danny laughed. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Are you still considering JC to head up the army?”
“We’ll have to see how the wording comes out in the constitution concerning the armed forces. Most folks are in agreement that each county should have its own militia to run the way that county sees fit. Some folks don’t want a standing army, but the world is full of chaos. We’ve got a tough row to hoe. I can’t see the republic surviving without a strong military. As we speak, a warlord out of New Orleans is killing people by the thousands as he works his way north. He’s already taken Baton Rouge and Mobile. There’s another one out of Chicago. He’s even worse.
“How is JC doing anyway?”
Danny looked over at his friend. JC was carrying Annie around the courtyard, holding her close and tickling her with kisses under the chin causing her to squeal like an air-raid siren. “He’s back up to his normal weight. His back isn’t great, but he works more security shifts than anyone else.”
“Mentally and emotionally, I mean.”
“He’s better. If he’s hanging out with his wife and kids or doing something with his hands, he’s as happy as can be. When nothing is going on, he gets that thousand-yard stare. That’s why I hate seeing him work so many security shifts. We could manage without him on security, but he’d feel useless, since his back won’t allow him to do much farm work. If he had a job commanding the military, it would be good for him. It would keep his mind occupied. He can handle the pressure of the job. I’m just not sure he can deal with all that time alone with the memories of what Gorbold did to him at the peninsula.”
Parnell twirled the corner of his mustache. “I’ll go talk to him about it. Thank you, Danny.”
“Sure thing.” Danny walked back to the picnic table and took Grace from Alisa. “Walk with me down to the creek. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”
Alisa stood up. She waved to Gwen and Dana. “I’ll be right back. No wedding planning without me!”
“The clock is ticking. I can’t make any promises.” Dana grinned.
Danny carried Grace with one arm. With the other, he held hands with Alisa. The three of them took a stroll down by the creek. Danny led the way to the plot of ground he had chosen to be the graveyard. He told Alisa about Parnell’s suggestion
for him to run for office.
She listened quietly as she looked over the graves of their fallen friends and family. “I’ll support you, whatever you decide.”
Danny looked at Nick and Korey’s graves. He stepped through the neatly kept grass next to Rocky, Clay, and Catfish’s graves. He took a seat on a stool left by Dana near Steven’s final resting spot. Even though Grace couldn’t understand, Danny explained to her how these brave men had given their lives so she could live free from tyranny. He glanced up at Alisa, then kissed his daughter on the head. “And that’s why Daddy has to run for office. So I can honor these men by protecting the freedoms they fought and died for, so I can help to ensure the blessings of God by keeping his ways and his laws at the front of our legislative process, so mommy can be safe, and so you can have the hope of a wonderful future.”
Don’t Panic!
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