by Nathan Combs
Nina turned to Heather and said, “Grab your gear.”
Nina and Heather hurriedly saddled their horses, then stood watching quietly as Cougar led The Light toward the Highway 360 bridge. When the last one galloped out of sight, Heather looked expectantly at Nina and asked, “Aren’t we going with them?”
“No. We’ll meet them in Tellico Plains. We’re taking a different route.”
Hidden in a grove of trees west of the bridge approach, Cole watched from the Bradley’s topside gunner position as the mounted cannibal horde streamed out the back of the school. Bunched tightly, they came toward the bridge at a full gallop. One Hummer was shielded in a jumble of wrecked and abandoned vehicles littering the bridge approach but directly in the path of the unsuspecting Light. One man on the Browning fifty caliber machine gun and three more positioned around its protective armor with a SAW (squad automatic weapon) and M4s sporting M203 grenade launchers waited. When the last rider cleared the school, Cole goosed the Bradley and came up on The Light from the rear, and the remaining Hummers converged from their positions east and west.
“Weapons hot.”
The gunner unleashed the Bradley’s 25mm chain gun at 200 rounds per minute, firing a continuous and deadly volley into the bunched up cannibals. The Bradley’s 7.62 caliber MG and the Browning fifty on the Hummers joined in while grenades from the M203s exploded in the midst of the man-eaters.
The Light was shredded like cheese through a grater. The lead animals were cut down by the machine guns, and those in the rear were decimated by the Bradley’s chain gun. Horse patrols fired from the flanks and took out the few cannibals who survived the initial burst. Not one rider came close to the bridge. It was a bloodbath. The Bradley and Hummer continued to fire into the pile of bodies and horses for a full thirty seconds even though not one animal was standing and not one opposing shot had been fired.
When Cole ordered a cease-fire, the pile of dead was steaming and the coppery smell of blood hung heavy in the cold morning air. Jumping off the Bradley, he stood with hands on hips and stared. He ordered eight men into the carnage to dispatch any cannibals and horses still alive while shaking his head from side to side. Although they were ruthless psychos, his men were professional soldiers, not merciless killers. There were no cheers. Not one man said one word. While the mop-up team checked for survivors, he sent another eight men into the school to ensure every cannibal was dead. The remainder of the men set a perimeter and kept a watchful eye on the silent city streets.
Nina and Heather fast-walked their horses towards Niles Ferry Road. They’d gone twenty yards when the quiet of the morning was ruptured by the staccato crack of the Bradley’s chain gun. Mixed with the chatter of machine guns and the explosions of grenades, Nina knew none of her people were going to survive.
Heather was terrified. Her face was pale and drawn. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and she shook so hard her teeth chattered.
Nina displayed no emotion. She was at DEFCON One and concentrating on getting out of the red zone.
The gunfire stopped and the sudden silence was deafening and overwhelming.
Nina sniffed the air, realizing the strong smell of cordite and death. The quiet was disquieting.
Goosebumps popped up on Heather’s arms. “Are they all dead, Nina?”
Nina nodded. “We’re on our own.”
When they reached Niles Ferry Road, they mounted and headed south, staying in the grass at the edge of the road.
While Cole was annihilating The Light at the bridge, Bill was watching the front and right side of the school with his beloved Steiner binoculars. Movement in the corner of the right glass caught his eye, and he moved the optic in time to see a horse’s rump disappear around a bend on Niles Ferry Road.
Hustling back to the Bradley, he pointed and yelled, “A horse went around the bend on that road.”
The two Rangers remained with the mortar, and Randal and Bill jumped into the Bradley just as Wade cranked it up and hit the gas. The mini-tank bounced out of the grove of trees in hot pursuit, motor screaming, treads clacking. Cole radioed Wade with the news that The Light had been exterminated. Wade said, “A horse just disappeared around a bend in the road south of the school. Gotta be Nina. We’re in pursuit. Stand by.”
Wade knew Nina’s MO was not to go with her people, so was positive it was her. Dammit, I should have kept a Humvee directly behind the school. He told Cole to have the Humvees join the search. He sent one south on Highway 411 for two miles, then cut back towards the Little Tennessee River. The other was ordered to head south too, but to parallel Niles Ferry Road to the west. Six horse patrols would spread through the woods south of the school and drive her into the guns of the Bradley or the Hummers.
Nina heard the Bradley start and led Heather off the roadway into the adjacent strip of woods. Cutting through yards and detouring around crumbling houses, debris, and fallen trees, they continued south, keeping the residential area’s woods between themselves and Niles Ferry Road as much as possible. Nina wasn’t worried about the Bradley sneaking up on them. It was loud even at idle. She assumed Coltrane’s men saw them and were conducting a search. For the moment, horses weren’t part of the hunt, but she knew that would change soon.
The Bradley stayed on the road, making Nina believe they didn’t know where she and Heather were. The Bradley’s sound indicated it had changed direction so she held up her hand and they stopped to listen. It was heading away from them. Moments later, sudden and overwhelming silence. The fighting vehicle had shut down.
Nina pondered her next move. She didn’t know how many men were in the Bradley, but assumed some of them would get out and hunt on foot.
If I was Coltrane and had his assets, what would I do?
She told Heather, “We have to get by the Bradley. They probably called in more armor and horse patrols to look for us. We have to get past it before they arrive. It’s roughly two hundred yards—maybe three hundred—ahead of us. They’ll be parked in the woods where they can see the road. It’s possible they put some guys on foot. If they did, that’s gonna be a problem. We’ll never see them. I spent time studying the maps of this area while we were in Kingston. We’re going to cut across here” —she nodded to her left—“and ride along the creek ’til we’re past the Bradley.”
Heather whimpered. Fear-etched lines were visible on her taut face. Shaking her head slowly from side to side, she said, “Nina, I lo—”
“No!” Nina whisper-yelled. “Don’t you dare! We have to go. Now!”
Five minutes later, they arrived at the river backwater and got off their horses. Leading the animals south along the bank, sacrificing caution for speed, they went as fast as they dared. They never stopped to listen. The quiet was disconcerting. Patches of fog lingered here and there, and snow flurries spiraled slowly down. Another five minutes and they came to the end of the backwater channel, emerging from the brush onto the side of Niles Ferry Road. They cautiously waded Four Mile Creek, mounted up, rode through the thin strip of woods separating the creek from a housing development, and emerged in a backyard apple orchard.
Pointing to the east, Nina said, “The Little Tennessee River’s in that direction; we have to make a break for it. When we reach the river, don’t hesitate. Ride your horse in. When she starts swimming, get off and hold on to the saddle. The horses will pull us across. Are you ready?”
Heather nodded.
Except for patches here and there, the fog had dissipated, but the low January skies were pregnant with snow and began to give up their burden in earnest. At a full gallop, they thundered through overgrown, weed-infested yards and around crumbling houses and piles of debris. As they came around the corner of a large, decaying two-story brick home, Nina’s horse stumbled and fell, pitching her head-first onto the concrete drive.
The sickening thud of Nina’s b
ody hitting cement exploded in Heather’s ears and she jumped off her horse. Nina was on her back on the driveway, blood oozing slowly from her ears. Horrified, she knelt and touched Nina’s cheek. “Nina?”
When there was no response, she sat, pulled Nina onto her lap, and cradled her in her arms. “Nina!”
Nina’s breath was ragged and shallow. Irregular. Thirty seconds later, she gasped and stopped breathing.
“Nooooo!” She continued to hold her, rocking to and fro. Her mind went blank. Time stood still. Infinity!
A million years later, a faint spark deep in her brain ignited. A fire started and flourished. Cognizance! She shook her head and the cobwebs melted. Her brain was back in gear and she shifted into overdrive. Nina’s dead? What do I do now? What would she want me to do? She sat for several minutes collecting her thoughts and trying to think like Nina. She shuddered violently. The tears stopped. Her face turned to granite. I will not let them find her and desecrate her body.
She stood, and with a strength borne of desperation, grabbed Nina under the arms and walked backwards, dragging her to a patch of woods on the north side of the home. She didn’t see the small depression behind her, stumbled and fell, and the back of her head hit the frozen ground. Hot blinding pain shot through her temples and small white lights exploded across her vision. She lay on her back for several seconds, snowflakes gently kissing her cheeks. When the pain subsided to a manageable level, she got to her knees and shook her head. She gently pulled Nina’s lifeless body into the depression and rolled her onto her side. She sat staring at the body for an eternity, then pulled a bandana from her pocket and gently wiped the blood from her cheeks. On hands and knees, she kissed her goodbye.
“You’d never let me say it, but I love you, Nina. I always have. I always will.”
Rising, she covered Nina’s corpse with brush from a nearby slash pile and hurried back to the driveway. The horses were standing where she’d left them, but Nina’s horse was hobbled. It was done. The snow had increased in intensity, and an inch of white already covered the ground. She looked for blood where Nina landed, but her sword, partially covered with snow where it fell from her scabbard, was the only visible evidence. She picked it up. Nina would want me to keep the family intact. She decided if any of them survived, she would get to Tellico Plains and continue her legacy.
She led the crippled horse to another patch of woods on the opposite side of the house and, using Nina’s sword, sliced the animal’s jugular. She stood emotionless, watching Nina’s horse thrash about as it bled out. When the last breath left his lungs, she mounted and headed for the river.
Wade directed the Bradley farther south on Niles Ferry Road. A quarter mile past its intersection with Kahite Trail, they went east across a series of open fields and parked in a grove of trees a half mile off the road. A significant section of Niles Ferry Road was visible. The Hummers and horse patrols were working the area south and west of Niles Ferry Road, so the only area not under observation was behind them, adjacent to the main channel of the Little Tennessee River. When the Bradley shut down, Bill and Randal jumped out and started through the strip of woods towards a community on the other side while Wade kept a watchful eye on Niles Ferry Road.
Bill stalked silently through the thin strip of woods and came out on Kahite Trail.
A hundred yards east, Heather was in the process of checking her six. She saw Bill before he saw her and didn’t hesitate. Lowering herself to her horse’s neck, she urged the mare to run.
Almost out of sight, Bill made her. Snapping off three quick shots he knew missed, he fumed. “Fuck!”
Wade heard the gunfire and cranked up the Bradley. Within seconds, the fighting vehicle charged through the trees, jumped the ditch, bounced once, and came to rest in the middle of the street. Randal emerged from the woods to the north, climbed aboard, and manned the chain gun. Right behind him, Bill leaped onto the rear and, with his finger on the trigger of the 7.62 top gun, yelled and pointed. “That way!”
Wade radioed the horse patrols and Hummers the coordinates and ordered them to converge on the area. In hot pursuit, the Bradley headed north on Kahite trail.
Heather thundered out of the curve in the road at full speed and turned right down Kuni Trail. It was a dead end street, but she knew—hoped—she was nearing the river. The Bradley’s engine howled close behind as it gained on her at 45 mph. Snowflakes as big as quarters cascaded from the heavens, tearing her eyes. She urged the horse to run faster, slapping its cheeks with the reins and digging her heels into the animal’s flanks. As she approached a curve in the street, Randal had a momentary glimpse and triggered the chain gun. It was a two second window. Six 25mm rounds tore through the brush as she disappeared around a slight bend. One round found its mark and the horse went down. Heather landed in the snow at the edge of the ditch, bounced up, and ran blindly through the trees. Brush lashed her face and tore at her clothing. She ran wildly, pushing the branches away with her hands and forearms. She fell, got up, ran, stumbled, and fell again.
The Bradley stopped momentarily by the dead horse and Bill and Randal jumped out and started through the woods. The Bradley continued up the street toward the house at the end. Heather veered slightly east. Seconds later, she burst out of the brush twenty feet from the Little Tennessee River. Adrenaline coursing through her veins at light speed, she threw Nina’s sword on the riverbank and dove in, then started swimming toward the distant opposite shore.
Randal and Bill emerged onto the bank a hundred feet north of where Heather entered the water. Barely visible through the snow, she was two hundred feet out and swimming hard. She looked back at the men, then dove and swam as far as she could before breaking the surface. She gasped and gulped in the life-giving air, then sucked in a lungful and started to go back under.
The lights went out.
Bill picked up Nina’s sword and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wade and Randal. The Hummers and horse patrols arrived and scoured the banks for the body. Using thermal imaging, they watched the water for fifteen minutes. Her body never appeared, and after twenty minutes, they reluctantly agreed they would never recover it.
Wade said, “Thoughts?”
Bill said, “She’s dead. Nobody can hold their breath that long. Not even you, Wade.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s a loose end. I don’t like loose ends.”
“Look, man. Here’s her sword.” He held it aloft like the trophy it was.
“You saw the bitch in the water. If it looks like a bitch, swims like a bitch, and sinks like a bitch, it’s a bitch. The bitch is dead. I’m satisfied it was Nina. It does kind of suck we can’t recover the body, though. I promised Sara I’d tan her ass and make a dartboard out of it. But she’s toast, so fuck it.”
Before they turned away, the sun broke through the snowstorm and beams of sunlight danced across the water, including at the exact spot where Heather disappeared. The water shimmered for several seconds in the bright light before the clouds reclaimed the sun.
Randal said, “Whoa.”
Wade said, “That was weird.”
“Yeah,” said Bill. “God works in mysterious ways. Now we know He works in weird ways too. Whatever. He just verified it. Nina’s dead. The Lights are out.”
Wade was thoughtful. Nodding perceptively, he said, “Let’s make sure we didn’t miss anything.” Turning to the horse patrols, he said, “Do a cursory check of the area to the west. We have to clean up the mess at the bridge. Then we’re going home.”
Chapter Five
Vigilance
Policing a battlefield is a distasteful task, and the carnage at the bridge approach was worse than most. But it was also compact and, before Wade got there, Cole made the decision to burn the bodies where they were. His men gathered dead wood from the surrounding area, broke up furniture from nearby businesses, and piled the bodies on to
p of it. Then they doused it with gasoline, stood back, and tossed a flare. With a loud whomp, the gas ignited and the wood began to burn. Within minutes, the stack of bodies ignited and the odor of crispy cannibals filled the air. The men stood back and watched.
Ten minutes after the fire was ignited, Wade, Randal, Bill, and the Hummers and horse patrols arrived and stood with the others watching the remnants of the burning cannibals disappear.
Wade stepped in front of the assembled group. “Well done, men. This mission is completed. I need three volunteers to remain here and ensure the fire doesn’t spread.”
Three FPS men stepped forward.
“Okay, guys. Thanks. Keep one of the Hummers. Everybody else saddle up. The Light’s extinguished. Let’s go home.”
Wade, Randal, and Bill went to Fort Hope’s command center, and Wade briefed Stuart on the mission. He was finishing up when Sara poked her head hesitantly through the doorway.
“Can I come in?”
Wade nodded and motioned for her to enter.
She stood before Wade with raised eyebrows. “Well?”
Wade didn’t answer immediately, and she held her breath until he nodded. With a whoosh, the air went out of her. Her knees buckled, and she grabbed a nearby chair and sat. “Tell me.”
Sara’s eyes never left Wade’s face as he described the action in Vonore. When he told her they didn’t recover the body from the river, Sara bolted out of the chair. “I’m sorry, Wade, but if you don’t have a body, you didn’t get her.”
“Sara, she did exactly what we expected her to do. She slunk off in the opposite direction while all eyes were on her clan. She was two hundred feet away when we shot her. I can’t guarantee you it was Nina because we didn’t recover the body, but it looked like Nina and her sword was on the bank.”