by Rob Buckman
“What!”
“Now!” Decker called, and they all heard the snap-crack of weapons being cocked behind them. One slow careful look showed at least ten weapons pointed at them. “Meet the well-armed lambs.”
“Baa.” Several of the girls said.
“Well fuck me… they are all bitches…”
“Armed bitches, asshole!”
“Hey, look. You want to pass, that’s okay with me, but my boss is going to be pissed if I let you go without collecting something.” Even in the cold air and dawn light, Decker could see that Jocko was sweating. This hadn’t turned out the way he expected.
“Still want to argue about ownership of the sheep?” Decker asked.
“I get it… look, you let us go, and you can take off to where ever it is you’re going, okay?” Jocko took a step closer and fired. It was a desperate move on his part, expecting momentary confusion and hesitation on the part of the girls, and if it hadn’t been for the alien body armor, they might have had a slim chance of escaping. The three-round burst hit Decker in the upper chest in a classic body shot, and he took a step back. What happened next went by in the blink of an eye, the look of shock on Jocko’s face when Decker didn’t go down, the rest of his team opening fire the moment they heard the shots, and the ‘puzzt’ sound of the silenced weapons ripping them apart. All five hit the ground, head shot, and dead, no longer thinking about freshly grilled lamb chops.
“We’ve got movement on the road!” Joann reported.
“Discourage them, over-watch.”
“Ten-four.”
“Grab their weapons - all teams move out as fast as you can.” Somehow, the assholes managed to get a message off, something Decker was hoping to avoid. All they could do now was get pass the junction between highway 395 and 203 that led to Mammoth, before the bad guys cut off their line of march.
“All scouts and Alpha Team with sniper rifles run for the knoll due north and put down covering fire. We need to keep those assholes back until we are up 395!”
“Ten-four, Wolfman.”
“All flankers move to the left-hand side of the Pack, the rest of you start running. If the sheep can’t or won’t move, carry the fucking things.”
They started running at a steady trot, the scouts, and point outpacing them as they ran flat out for the knoll. By staying on the old highway, the rolling terrain kept them mostly out of view, but in the strengthening light, once the bad guys reached the high point they’d be in view. Their one advantage was that the bag guys didn’t know how many of them there were, nor what their goal was. It might be they’d think whoever it was would run the other way down 395 to get away from them, not up into the mountains. Decker saw someone small trip, and fall and he quickly changed direction and scooped them up in his arms. It was one of the kids and she clung to him for dear life, sobbing against his shoulder, scared out of her wits.
“its okay, Chiquita, I’ve got you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tighter. Decker felt as if the muscles in his legs were on fire, and gritting his teeth he kept running. It couldn’t last before someone started firing at them, but he was way too far away for accurate shooting. Not so Joann, and Decker saw the person flip backward as she took him out with a head shot. A few more went down, and the group slowed, seeking cover and shooting in their general direction.
“Second group of assholes cutting across country to cut you off. I can’t stop them all, Wolfman.” Joann called.
“Don’t have to, scout and point are running to take up a position ahead.” He panted.
“Ten-four.”
“Joann... you bug out the moment they start firing, you hear?”
“Yes, Wolfman. You worried about me?”
“Damn you girl, keep your mind on your shooting.” They made it as far as the junction, but the girls were running out of steam, and unless the snipers could get into position and into action, they’d be cut off.
“Scout leader to Wolf Pack leader - in position.” Krista radioed, panting for breath.
“Do your worse, Krista.” It was still a thousand-yard shot from where they were to the new group, not impossible for a good shooter, but the main purpose was too slow or stop the other group from cutting them off. In that, they succeeded and once the team got behind the knoll and safe from direct fire, Decker stopped and put the little girl down.
“You think you can find your team, little one?”
“Yes, sir. I can find my Mommy. Thank you.” She pulled him down further and gave him a kiss on the cheek before running off.
“Flankers with rifles, follow me, the rest get the Pack up the road as far as you can. We’ll meet up with you.” He radioed, not bothering to wait for a reply before panting his way up the knoll.
“Shit! I’m getting to old for this crap.”
“You can say that again, old man.” One of the flankers called as she ran by him.
“Cheeky little devil!” He muttered.
Decker flopped down before the crest and crawled the last few feet to look over. At least a hundred people were running towards him, using the classic scoot and shoot, leapfrog method he was use to seeing from infantry soldiers. Whoever was in charge over there had installed fire control discipline in his people.
“Find a target and let him know you’re here.” Decker yelled. Just then, he heard someone scrambling up the slope behind him, and looking around he saw Joann crawling up to him.
“Thought you’d like your baby, Wolfman.” She said, holding out the L115A3 sniper rifle.
“Nice of you to return it, short legs.”
“Long enough to wrap around you.” She chuckled. Decker winced, hearing the girls laugh.
Taking the rifle, Decker checked the mag and reloaded with one Joann held out for him, handing her the half-empty one. He now had five rounds to make someone's life miserable. Using the integrated range finder he checked the distance, finding the BG’s were 857 yards out. Not a really long distance shot, and checking through the scope he adjusted the elevation clicks until the enemy came into clear focus. He’d have to waste one shot to see how far Joan had moved it to fit her shooting profile, finding it not far off from his own. He made the adjustment and took aim at the guy he’d just missed. There wasn’t much to see as the person in question had ducked down behind a rock, but Decker was in no hurry and just waited for him to stick his head up. He did but only for a second, not long enough for the round to travel that distance and hit him. Decker waited after jacking another round into the breech, breathing deeply to bring his breathing rate back down to normal after the climb. His wait was rewarded as the guy stuck his head up again from between two rocks, even going so far as to stick his weapon out before ducking back. Decker picked a spot in the center of the Vee between the rocks and waited, taking up the slack. This was one feature he loved, as having reworked the trigger latch to remove any last burrs and tooling marks, the let off was clean and crisp with just a light pressure. The moment he detected movement he held his breath and gently squeezed the trigger that last fraction of an inch, feeling the rifle buck back into his shoulder. The moment he came back on target he knew he had a kill, seeing the man flip back, blood, and brains spraying out behind him.
“Nice shot, Wolfman.” Joann murmured. Any qualms about killing a man long gone. Decker just grunted as he came back into the moment, hearing the other rifles firing around him. He hadn’t realized his concentration was so total that he hadn’t heard them until now. Decker scanned the ground looking for his next target; snapshooting someone in motion doing the scoot and shoot maneuver, dropping him to the ground. Now precision fire was coming their way, most of the people were smart enough to go to ground and shoot back, picking their shots instead of just spray and pray. A radio crackle to life and Decker knew it wasn’t his TAC system, looking around for the source.
“Did someone pick up one of the bad guy’s radios?”
“I did. Thought it might come in handy.”
“Pass i
t over.” Wendy Henderson, Alpha team number two tossed it over and Decker held it to his ear. There was a lot of back and forth chatter with orders for the people to keep their heads down, others yelling about snipers. Finally, a deep voice cut across the chatter.
“Shut the fuck up and give me a sit-rep.” For a second there was silence.
“Not sure. The scout team said something about finding sheep before they went off the air.”
“Did you say sheep?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Sheep don’t carry automatic weapons and sniper rifles… what else?”
“I saw a bunch of… sheep… people, I don’t know, running up the old highway. Looks as if they were trying to get up 395.”
“Okay, how many?” Again, silence. “Well, someone must have seen them, how many?”
“I don’t know… about fifty or sixty?”
“Fire team x-ray, work your way round and up Sawmill Road and see if you can cut them off at McGee Creek RV Park. We’ll hold them down here.” That worried Decker, as with the intervening trees and scrub brush they couldn’t see the bad guys, team x-ray, or much of the opposing force now they’d gone to ground.
It was a sure bet they were working their way towards him, so staying here long wasn’t an option. A quick look at his map-pad and he saw what the leader on the other side was talking about. Sawmill road led directly up into the hills near Mammoth with a track leading to this McGee Creek RV Park. Switching the hand radio off, he keyed the TAC system.
“Team Leader to Echo Team leader.”
“Echo Team here, Wolfman.” So much for radio protocol.
“Heads up guys. The bad guys have a kill team working their way over the hill above you to try to cut you off at a place up the road called McGee Creek RV Park, up 395. Get there before them and set up an ambush. Let me know as soon as you are in position so we can bug out of here.”
“Ten-Four, Wolfman. Echo Team out.”
Half an hour passed with just a few probing shots exchanged between them, so whomever they were facing knew their business, and with winter cammo and a slow stalk and they could be within range very soon. The only place they might be vulnerable was when they crossed 395, as the asphalt road didn’t give them any cover, unless they were wearing active cammo like his. He couldn’t rule that out as from the sound of it and the weapons they’d captured, there were at least a few Spec Ops yahoos over there.
“Krista. I need you to take your team, and the flankers and bug out to the McGee RV Park.”
“And you?”
“Between Joann and me, we can keep the assholes busy for a while. The moment we get the word Echo Team is in position we need to be able to run out of here.”
“Ten-four… but I don’t like leaving you two here…”
“This isn’t open to discussion team leader!” Decker snapped. Krista shot him a look and gritted her teeth. He’d reminded them at the beginning he expected them to follow his orders no matter what.
“Yes, Sir!” She snapped angrily, wiggling backward with her team and the flankers. Margery Cummings grabbed Joann’s Bergen and slithered back down the slope. She took off running behind Krista and the rest and for the first part of the run, they were out of sight behind a low rise beside the old highway, and it was enough for them to get clear. Decker brought his attention back as Joann fired the Dragunov, and let out a little squeal of delight.
“Got the fucker! Head shot.” Decker slapped her on the butt hard. “Ouch!”
“Joann! Don’t take such delight in blowing the poor fuckers brains out.” Joann pouted and scowled at him. “Just take a certain degree of professional pride in a good shot.” Decker swept the terrain, seeing a slight movement just on the other side of 395. Someone was getting careless and paid the price. The L115A3 bucked back into his shoulder.
“Got the fucker!” He growled, his lips pulled back in a grin.
“So much for professional pride.” She sniffed.
“Come on guys, where the fuck are you?” Decker muttered. The guy he’d just shot was only three hundred yards from their position, and any closer they’d be below his line of sight in the trees.
“Echo leader to Wolfman. We are in position.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he muttered before keying the radio, “we’re bugging out.”
Joann didn’t need an invitation. She could read distance as well as he could. They both fired one more round and slithered carefully back so as not to raise any betraying dust, and then ran diagonally down the backside of the hill. They hit the old highway at a flat run. Without packs, they could run at a steady pace trailing their rifles, and they made it out of the danger zone without taking fire. Once out from behind the long ridge, there was a long stretch of open ground with little or no cover until they reached the fir trees in the distance. It was a long shot, but a good sniper with a decent weapon could still hit them. Decker used an old trick and suddenly changed directions with Joann following close behind or beside him. He turned first one-way, and then another, then the same again so there was no predicting which way he’d turn next. He wasn’t far wrong as they both heard the double crack of the 7.62 round breaking the sound barrier as it whizzed by.
“Oh shit! Sniper.” He yelled, not that he needed to. Now they both zigzagged more and more and speeded up or slowed down to throw the sniper off. It worked, and they both breathed a mental sigh of relief as they made it to the trees, panting for breath. Decker immediately dragged Joann to the ground, knowing they still weren’t safe if the sniper had infrared sights on his rifle. He did and a couple of rounds thudded into the tree right above their heads.
“Son of a bitch! How did you figure that?” Joann asked, shooting Decker a startled look.
“I have the same sights on this, didn’t you know?” He said, pointing to his rifle.
“Shit no. You never said a word about that.”
“Your fault, you should have check the rifle out when I gave it to you, girl.”
“Can we shoot back at the asshole?”
“No. Why tell the enemy what you have if you don’t need to.”
“Oh right. Keep it as a surprise for his birthday.” She chuckled.
“Something like that. Follow me.” Decker elbowed his way deeper between the trees and patched of dirty snow until he felt it safe to stand, and took off at a lope. They crossed 395 half an hour later and slowed to a walk, motioning Joann to stay behind him. Oddly, he hadn’t heard any shooting, so he approached the area with caution.
“Sit-rep!” He asked on the all-hands frequency. A patch of dirty snow grew an arm and waved at him, and they moved towards whoever it was with care.
“We took the assholes down as they scrambled down the hillside. Got all but three and they're holed up behind a pile of rocks a few hundred yards from here.”
“Okay, and?”
“Didn’t want to risk any of the Pack until you got here.”
“Good, but where's the RV Park?”
“Don’t know. Don’t see one around here.”
“Someone is working off the same map-pad as me and it looks as if it’s just a place name on the map. Wait here…. You too Joann.”
“Spoil sport.” She muttered but took a knee beside the other girl.
“Heads up people. I’m moving up, so don’t shoot me by mistake if you see me.”
Switching on his active cammo, Decker pulled the head netting over his face and moved steadily through the trees. Several times he startled one of the Pack members as he brushed by, or side stepped someone laying in hiding. Hunched over he moved to a slightly higher elevation, spotting the pile of rocks and the three men hiding there. It wasn’t hard to move behind them, and his only concern was making any noise. Even so, the men were looking around, and each time they did he froze in place, even if it was out in the open between trees. The active cammo would make him look like part of the forest or background depending on what was around, or behind him. Crouching, he took up a position ten yards
behind them and took a careful look. All three were dressed in military gear with similar weapons to his M4A1 assault rifle, including the sound suppressor system, but from the look of them, something told him they weren’t Special Forces. At this point, it might just be better to shoot them, and be done with it, but the thought of all those armed people in Mammoth bothered him. He didn’t want to spend the next week or so watching his back trail to see if they were following.
“So you want to die here?” He asked softly while looking the other way. That would make it difficult for them to know exactly where the voice was coming from.
“What the fuck!” All three looked around, looking scared.
“I asked you a question, asshole. You want to die here like your buddies?”
“Fuck no!” One said.
“Then lower your weapons, and walk down the slope. You do anything else and I’ll kill you.”
“Who… who the fuck are you people?”
“You don’t want to know, dickhead. Now move it!” Decker keyed the radio. “They’re coming out, so hold your fire and stay hidden.”
Hesitantly the three men stood, one sporting a shoulder wound evident by the amount of blood on the front and back of his jacket. Stepping out, he deliberately made a noise so they’d looked towards him as he switched off his cammo. All three gasped and turned a little white, understanding just how close he was, knowing he could have simply killed them. Decker motioned them down the slope with the tip of his rifle, and followed them, being careful where he stepped.
“Who… who the fuck are you people?”
“You don’t really want to know, dickhead. Now move it!” Decker keyed the radio. “They’re coming out, so hold your fire and stay hidden.”
Dropping his weapon onto its sling, he took off his helmet and replaced it with his sand colored beret. As he did, the three men looked around, trying to see who else was there. He hadn’t told them to drop their weapons and he could see them wondering if they could take him, even though they knew there were more people around somewhere.
“We’re just holed up in Mammoth, trying to survive.”