The Invasion Trilogy (Book 2): The Shadows
Page 22
This time, he led the way, moving deep into the belly of the helicopter from the rear ramp, solemnly stepping by the black body bags of the platoon’s dead. Jacob dropped into the orange jump seat and sat back as the engines gained power. He turned to look out of the back ramp, watching the helicopter defy gravity and leave the ground before swiftly gaining altitude, banking, and turning to the west. As the helicopter circled, he caught a glimpse of a Delta mass moving along open streets. There were still thousands of them down there in the city; they would have been killed without the dioxin.
Jacob tried to clear his thoughts and take the time to rest. He tried to watch the blue sky from the small port windows. He saw that the other men around him were sleeping, heads heavy and leaning back. Jacob tried to relax and look away, but his eyes were always drawn to the black bags at his feet. He couldn’t sleep. His mind racing, his thoughts filled with ideas about the men they lost. Wondering how it was that he survived when people like Stephens, Marks, and Murphy didn’t. This war wasn’t about skill; it was all about luck—being in the right place at the right time. He lay back against the netting and turned his head to the side, watching the blue sky pass by.
Chapter 31
Jacob walked off the helicopter with the others close by. They were on a bustling air strip. All around them, helicopters were landing to be refueled before taking to the air again. From where he was, he could see and hear signs of the fighting—a black plume of smoke billowing up and drifting away, echoes of explosions, and the cacophony of distant gunfire. At the end of the tarmac sat a yellow bi-plane with other military helicopters parked close to it. Jacob stopped and stared at it, finding it curious that it was surrounded by so many modern military aircraft. A small orange fork truck raced by, turning sharply and expertly parking under the Chinook’s stubbed wing.
Members of the Chinook flight crew gathered around, helping cross transfer the MX4-filled extended fuel tank over to the smaller service vehicle.
“Careful with that, it’s not cheap,” James yelled out to one of them sarcastically. The driver of the fork truck flipped James the finger in reply, causing James to burst into laughter.
Jacob, feeling bold, took a step toward one of the flight crew. “Hey, what’s with the bi-plane? We haven’t gotten to using that in combat, have we?”
A crew chief began to speak but was cut off by the truck operator who looked at Jacob after finally getting the tank strapped to a rack on the small vehicle. “It’s a crop duster. Going to use it to wet down the Deltas with this stuff,” the man said, patting the extended tank. He turned away and jumped into the small truck, following the work party to the other side of the helicopter.
The group stood, watching them for a moment before heading to a tall hangar bay at the end of the tarmac. At the entrance, they were met by a man in camouflage pants and a black T-shirt. He wore a 1911 in a black nylon shoulder holster. When he saw Rogers, he rushed forward and grabbed the man in a stiff bear hug before greeting James the same way. He stepped back, looking the men up and down. “I heard about the L-Tee and Stephens,” he said. “Glad to see you two made it out.”
Rogers nodded and changed the subject, not wanting to think about it again. He grabbed at Jacob and pushed him forward. “Hey, meet Jacob, this is our cherry. Jacob, this is Alex. He works up at command; you heard his voice on the radio.”
Alex shot Jacob a sly grin. “Oh yeah, I heard a lot about you. Met your other guy earlier. The broken one, Jesse. He says—”
Jacob interrupted. “You mean Jesse is here?”
“Yeah, up at the hospital. He’s going to be fine, by the way. He refused to take the Medevac bird back unless they brought the other guy with him. He must be a tough negotiator, because it worked. I can take you there, if you’d like.”
“Wait, did they bring in the old man?” James asked.
Alex nodded. “Yeah, old man and a young woman. But don’t get too excited; they’re both headed back out once they stitch the old man up.”
James stopped and turned. “Hey guys, I have some things I need to do. Maybe run to the hospital for a checkup.” He shot a wink at Jacob, showing a toothy grin, before pulling on his rucksack and stepping off with Duke close by his side.
“What got into him?” Alex asked.
Rogers grimaced, trying not to laugh. “Don’t even ask.”
Jacob shook his head. “Alex, I’d rather you took me to see my family. Can you do that?” Jacob asked.
“Yeah, sure, no problem. I can drop you off on the way to the unit building. They have your wife and kid staying over on the north side. We got them moved in to nicer digs. We like to keep all of the unit families together. It’s on the way.”
They followed Alex down the flight line, turning a corner to where a dark green open-top Jeep waited. As they strolled, a large group of soldiers in full kit passed by them going the opposite direction in a hurry. Jacob turned and saw they were moving to a flight of Blackhawks with the props already rotating.
Rogers threw a thumb over his shoulder and said, “They seem to be going somewhere fast.”
Alex glanced back but continued on. “Yeah. Headed back out to the chemical plant in Middleville. They need to recover the rest of the MX4. Looking to be an easy mission; the scout birds still report the area being vacant of Deltas.”
“We heard the base is in trouble. How bad is it?” Rogers asked, moving up alongside Alex, Jacob lagging back.
“The base is good for the time. The Deltas broke through our defensive lines at the border and have been massing against the forward deployed troops. That’s where the real fighting’s at. We’ve had massive assaults against the walls and stopped every one of them. As you can hear, they’re still fighting them.” Alex paused for effect, pointing a hand at the distant walls and the sound of the artillery explosions. “Command is in a rush to get the MX4 deployed. It’s going to be a game changer.”
“It works,” Rogers said.
Reaching the Jeep, Alex stepped into the driver’s seat with Jacob in the back and Rogers riding shotgun. He started the vehicle and took off. “Yeah, it works, but the problem is that might be all we got. Once they drain the tanks back at the chemical plant, there might not be any left.”
Jacob grabbed the seats with his hands and pulled himself forward, saying, “You mean here? They have to have it someplace.”
Alex shook his head. “No, that ain’t exactly over-the-counter stuff. They think there might be some in Buffalo, but nobody has confirmed it yet. The Germans used all of theirs. The last resource on the books is China, but we haven’t heard a peep from them in over eight weeks.”
“Can we make more?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know; do you know any chemist still alive?”
Jacob looked down. “Damn, there won’t be enough.”
“Don’t worry about it; we’ll figure out a way to make it work.”
The Jeep slowed and pulled into a tiny neighborhood of old, red-brick homes. Each one looked exactly alike. Alex wound down several streets before pulling into an empty driveway. “Well, Sergeant Anderson, this is you,” he said.
“Sergeant?” Jacob said. “No, I’m a private.”
Alex smiled. “Promotions come fast in the apocalypse, but don’t get too excited; it doesn’t come with a pay raise. Enjoy your family time—you’ve definitely earned it. I got you an eighteen-hour pass. I’ll send a vehicle for you in the morning.”
Jacob reached into the front to shake Rogers’s hand. He jumped to the sidewalk and lifted his bag with his right hand. “Take your rifle. Everybody on base is required to have a weapon at all times,” Alex said.
Jacob nodded, lifting his M14 from the back seat. The engine restarted and the Jeep drove away, leaving him alone on the sidewalk in front of a strange house. Jacob walked to the front door and set his bag on the sidewalk. He leaned his rifle against it and stepped to the front door. Raising his arm, he took notice of himself. His arms were covered in dirt, the front of
his blouse coated with dark stains and blood.
Running his hands over his face, he knew he must look like a mess; maybe he should have stopped to clean himself up first. He detected the steps behind the door. The knob turned. The door opened and he saw Laura standing feet away from him. She looked at him hard then her eyes filled with tears as she lunged at him, embracing him in a tight hug. Jacob held her back burying his face in her soft hair.
“I’m filthy,” he whispered to her.
“I don’t care,” she whispered back.
She pulled away, taking his face in her hands and locking eyes with him. “I can’t believe you’re back.” She stopped and hugged him again, crying. He held her until she stopped. Then held her even longer. She backed away and took his hand, leading him into the house. Jacob looked around the small space. It was nicer than he thought it would be. A quaint two-bedroom townhouse. A small living room and dining room off the kitchen with two bedrooms on the second floor.
Jacob saw an M4 rifle on the wall with a stack of thirty-round magazines on top of a bookshelf. Jacob pointed to the rifle. He smiled, remembering a time when Laura refused to handle a firearm.
“All of us have one. A man from your unit took us to the range and taught us to shoot,” she said. “The unit has been great. They upgraded our housing and the other wives helped us settle in. Katy is in school, and I have been helping at the hospital. All of us have a job here.”
Hearing tiny footsteps on the stairs, Jacob turned to see Katy running at him. He smiled and bent down. She jumped into his arms and held onto his neck as he lifted her high. Jacob smothered her with kisses and hugging her tight.
“Daddy, you stink,” she gasped, pushing away.
Jacob grinned, looking at Laura. “Dear, it is pretty foul,” Laura said, laughing, tears once again forming in her eyes.
Jacob, taking the hint, retreated to the shower. After shaving and changing into fresh clothes Laura laid out for him, he felt his body crashing as the exhaustion settled in. He moved back down the stairs and found a fine meal ready for him in the dining room. He stepped to a chair and stopped short, smiling. Suddenly, he felt as famished as he was tired.
“I wish there was more,” she said.
Jacob sat at the table and smiled when Katy pulled up a chair beside him. “This is fantastic; it smells amazing.”
“We’re all on ration stamps. This is probably three days’ worth of food,” she said, feigning laughter as she sat across from him and filled his plate with meat and potatoes.
***
After dinner, they put Katy to bed. Laura made a pot of tea and they dressed in warm, comfortable clothing. She led him by the hand to the backyard, moving to a wooden bench on the patio. It was cold. The temperatures had dropped rapidly, but they didn’t care sitting close together, nestled tight with a blanket wrapped around them. The sky was dark, but clear, the stars shining brightly and a full moon high in the sky. Far off, they could see plumes of oranges and yellows, followed by rumbles of thunder.
“It goes on all night,” Laura said, looking at the flashes of orange light. “The explosions from bombs and artillery; the sound of battle in the distance.”
Jacob didn’t speak; he pulled her closer and held his head against her. “What did you do out there, Jacob?” she asked.
He stayed quiet, starting to speak once before catching himself. “I… I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s okay; we can talk about it when you’re ready.”
They sat close together under the blanket watching the stars, Jacob not wanting it to end. He didn’t want to tell he had to return to duty the following day. For the night, he just wanted to be alone with her. To forget about the war.
She saw it first. The shooting star. She pointed at it as it swiftly passed overhead, shining bright, leaving a trail of silver in its path. More followed it, until suddenly the sky was filled with them. “Jacob,” she whispered, her amazement turning to fear, the fright building in her voice.
He watched the shooting stars as he held her tight, both of them knowing that it was a meteor shower that first brought The Darkness to Earth. He was terrified at what this might bring. The meteors seemed to be orbiting, not falling or getting closer but looping overhead as they were joined by hundreds more, their color changing from the silver sparkles to bright gold as they slowed down. They continued to shoot past, so many of them that they filled the sky. They slowed until they were hardly moving but still passing overhead, floating above them high in the sky.
Then suddenly they stopped.
Thank you for reading.
I hope you enjoyed The Shadows, and would consider leaving a review.
By. WJ Lundy
Other works by
WJ Lundy
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Series.
W. J. Lundy is a still serving Veteran of the U.S. Military with service in Afghanistan. He has over 15 years of combined service with the Army and Navy in Europe, the Balkans and Southwest Asia. Visit him on Facebook for more.
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Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Thank you for reading.
Other works by WJ Lundy
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Thank you for reading.
Other works by WJ Lundy