by Mark Goodwin
Alisa took off without saying a word. Danny slowly emerged from Pinnacle to make his way toward Alpha. JC and Jack were coming down the ramp as he was coming out.
“You think it’s something?” JC asked in passing.
“Yep.” Danny quickened his pace. Just before he reached his fox hole, Danny saw a ’78 white Ford F150 four-wheel drive, coming down the hill, moving slowly on the other side of the hedgerow. He pressed the talk key. “We’ve got company.”
He moved faster toward Alpha position, still looking at the truck through the hedgerow. Another old truck was following the Ford. Maybe an old Chevy. Danny keyed the mic again. “Multiple vehicles traveling in our direction.”
Just before he jumped in the fox hole, Danny saw the dreaded Humvee with the large machine gun mounted on the back. He pressed the key once more. “This is it. Get the children inside and everybody man your station. We’ve got several vehicles coming in, including the Hummer with the .50 cal!”
Danny took aim. It had already been discussed that they would not try talking themselves out of the situation. Everyone was to commence firing the moment they felt like they had a kill shot. The white Ford turned on to the gravel drive first. Danny could see the driver from a distance and tried to make a running calculation of the bullet drop. He aimed high to compensate and pulled the trigger. The driver hit the brakes and began to back up. Danny fired again and the truck began to careen backwards toward the hedgerow. The driver was no longer in control of the vehicle.
Alisa found her position right behind Danny, and Dana arrived soon after. Danny began firing at the men exiting the Ford. One jumped out of the cab and six more came out of the bed of the truck. Alisa and Dana opened fire, as well as the shooters from Pinnacle and Bravo, killing or injuring four more men. The second truck was trying to back out of the drive but was blocked by the Humvee. Danny focused his fire on the driver of the retreating Chevy. Once the second driver was taken out, more men tried running for cover fleeing from the cab and the bed of the Chevy. Shooters from the compound quickly eliminated six more men.
Then, the Humvee pushed in and the gunner up top opened up, spraying the compound with heavy fire. Danny grabbed Alisa’s arm and pulled her down inside the fox hole, away from the gun port they’d been shooting out of.
JC’s voice came over the radio. “I need you guys to keep making noise. Jack can take the gunner out, but he needs cover fire so they can’t pinpoint his location.”
Danny looked at Alisa and Dana. “Just stick your guns out the hole and fire in their general direction.”
“What are you going to do?” Alisa asked.
“I have to try to pin them down, so they don’t try to fix our location. While no one is looking, their troops could be moving up the creek to flank us.” Danny peeked out and watched the gunner. He listened for when the heavy fire swept by, then popped out and started taking shots at the men all around. He heard the shot from the .308 that dropped the machine gunner. “Good shot, Jack.” Of course Jack couldn’t hear him, but he said it anyway.
Pinnacle, Bravo and Alpha all opened fire on any target they could see until the machine gunner was moved out of the way and replaced by another man. “Let’s run that drill again.” JC’s voice came back over the radio.
Danny tried to perform the same maneuver, but now, more enemy shooters had emerged from a fourth vehicle, an old white van, and were focusing fire on his gun port. Danny keyed his mic. “They’re pinning us down! I can’t do much.”
“You have to keep shooting.” JC called back.
Nick’s voice came over the radio. “Rocky is hit. Looks like the .50 got him. He’s hurting pretty bad. Cami is going to see what she can do, but I need someone else up here to help me lay down fire. Korey, can you get to me?”
“And leave Jason here alone?” Korey’s voice sounded worried.
Nick’s voice came back. “If we don’t hold this fort, you can’t help him anyway. He’s got a whistle. Tell him to blow it if he sees anything and you’ll come running.”
“Okay,” Korey responded over the radio.
Danny continued to look for opportunities to shoot, but by this time the men were well hid in the hedgerow and not nearly so easy to spot. He continued to stick his head up and then back down. He felt like he was in some morbid version of whack-a-mole. Finally, on one of his trips to peer out of the hole, he saw a distinct muzzle flash. What was even better, he knew exactly which tree the flash came from. It was one of the trees on the range card and he knew exactly how far away it was and precisely how high he had to shoot to get the bullet to drop to the target. He raised up and fired. He hesitated too long to see if he’d hit his mark as a bullet smashed into the sandbag right by his cheek spraying dirt into his eye. He ducked down to wipe the dirt.
“Danny! Are you hit?” Alisa squealed.
“No, it’s just dirt in my eye.”
Dana handed him a jug of water. “Here, rinse it out.”
Nick’s voice came back over the radio. “Korey, where are you man? I at least need somebody to shoot while I change mags.”
JC echoed Nick’s request. “Korey, we need you at Bravo. Are you there? Just tell me what’s going on.”
Once Danny had his eye cleared, he took over shooting out the port. Alisa had covered while he cleared his vision. Danny saw the muzzle flash from the same tree. He took cover, visualized himself taking the shot, and then with lightning speed, he took the shot again. He didn’t wait to see if it hit, but somehow he knew he’d eliminated the target. Danny ducked down and let Dana cover as he changed magazines.
JC’s voice came back. “Nick, how is Rocky looking?”
“Not good.” Nick replied.
“Look behind you and see if you can get a visual on Korey,” JC said.
“Negative.” Nick’s voice came back over the radio.
JC’s voice responded, “He’s either down or they’re in his fox hole. I’m sending Steven to tap Catfish to come to you. As soon as he gets back, I’ll go see where Korey is.”
Dana snatched the radio from Danny. “Steven, keep your head down. I love you!”
Danny hated what was happening. Rocky was down and in bad shape, Korey wasn’t responding to the radio, and there was no end in sight. Every time Jack took out the machine gunner, it bought the compound less than a minute of respite before the heavy machine gun fire resumed at the hands of a replacement gunner.
Nick’s voice came back over the radio. “You better get Catfish over here fast. I just took one in the right shoulder. I’m done shooting for the day. I can pull the trigger with my left hand, but that’s about it. I wouldn’t hit the broad side of the barn.”
“10-4. Have Cami take care of you. If she can’t help Rocky, just let him go. We can’t lose you both,” JC called.
Steven’s voice came over the radio. “Hey, I found Korey, he’s gone. I’ve got his radio. What should we do about Jason?”
JC called out. “Let’s keep him alive and worry about grieving later. That’s what Korey would want us to do. Get back over here. Is Catfish heading to Bravo?”
“Yes.” Steven said.
“Why don’t you head on over there with him. Jack and I can cover the Pinnacle.”
“Okay.”
Danny continued to return fire, but there was very little progress. The simple fact was that the compound was outmanned and outgunned. “Alisa, I need you to start reloading magazines for me. I’m getting low.”
Alisa wasted no time opening the ammo box and beginning to fill Danny’s spent magazines. The sound of the .50 caliber bullets raining against the dirt wall of the trench shook the earth, kicking up such a cloud of dirt and dust that it was difficult for Danny to even see a target on the rare occasions that he could stick his head out long enough to take a shot.
JC called back over the radio. “Catfish, Steven, are you guys in position?”
“. . . here but the boy done got shot.” Catfish was speaking before hitting the key so it was
cutting off the first few words of his sentence.
Dana screamed. “Steven!”
“Where is he shot?” JC called.
“. . . leg, right where he got shot last time.” Catfish was still talking before keying his mic.
“Is it bad?” JC asked.
“. . . worse, but he’s still conscious.”
Dana took Danny’s radio again. “Steven! Can you hear me?”
Steven’s voice came back. “Same leg, same spot. What are the odds?”
“Quit trying to be funny and get somewhere safe!” Dana barked.
Danny was happy that Steven was still alive, but the reality was that they were getting eaten alive. It wouldn’t be long until the goons made an advance to breach the compound. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long at all.
Dana handed the radio to Alisa. “I’ve got to go check on Steven. He’s probably bleeding really badly.”
“Cami will look after him. He made it to Bravo. No sense getting yourself killed.” Danny took another quick shot into the cloud of dust that was now acting as concealment for the invading force.
Dana protested. “No, Danny, I have to go.”
Danny took another shot, then ducked back down. “No, Dana, you’re not going. What we really need right now is another one of your miracles.”
“My miracles?”
“Yeah, for whatever reason, God chose me to have dreams and visions. He chose Alisa to interpret those dreams and I think he may have given you a special gift to pray for miracles.”
“Oh no. I pray for stuff all the time that doesn’t happen.” Dana shook her head.
Danny took a deep breath, took another shot, and then continued speaking. “Last time when Steven was shot, you prayed. And like a minute later, Catfish showed up with his truck. You know it was a miracle.”
“That was one time.” She took a quick peek out the gun port, then fired her rifle.
Alisa handed Danny three of the reloaded magazines. “Dana, Danny is right. If we don’t get a miracle, we’re probably all going to die. Do you think God saved us from the bandits on the way here and delivered me from the hands of the kidnappers only to let us die in this dirt hole?”
Dana took another shot then ducked back down. “Okay, but you pray with me. I don’t think I’m anyone special and I don’t think God hears me anymore than anyone else.”
Danny fired several shots then changed magazines. “Okay, quick prayer. We’ll all pray.”
Alisa began. “God, we’re in big trouble. We really need your help. Please save us.”
Danny went next. “God, you’ve delivered us before. We know you created the heavens and the earth. It would be a simple thing for you to save us again. Yet not our will, but yours be done.”
Danny tapped Dana on the shoulder as he stood back up to fire three more quick shots.
Dana prayed. “God, I love you so much. And I thank you for saving my soul, so that whatever happens on this earth, I know I’ll be with you in the end. Maybe today. But I’m scared God. I’m afraid, and I love Steven.” She broke down into a violent sob. “Please God, please save us one more time.”
Danny pursed his lips. Her earnest plea brought a tear to his eye. He wiped his eye and continued returning fire.
JC called out over the radio. “Danny, do you think the girls can hold Alpha if you come over here? I’m going to send Jack down to help Catfish cover Bravo.”
Danny looked at Alisa and Dana. “Can you guys do it?”
Alisa nodded. “Don’t forget your magazines.”
Danny began stuffing the reloaded mags in his pouches on the front of his vest. “You be safe. Quick bursts, then duck back down.”
Alisa held his face with both hands and kissed him. “I love you, Danny Walker, you come back to me, okay?”
He handed her the radio then gave her one last quick kiss. He knew it could be their last but he quickly chased that thought from his mind.
Danny low-crawled up against the sandbag wall of the compound to the Pinnacle.
“How are you set for ammo?” JC asked when he arrived.
“Alisa just reloaded a bunch of mags for me.”
A loud whistle rang out from behind the house. The whistle was followed by several shots.
JC lowered his head as he sighed. “That was Melissa. If she blew that whistle, that means she’s got troops over there trying to flank us.” JC keyed his mic. “Jack, sorry son, I’ve got to move you again. Mom’s got company and I need you to get over to Charlie. You should have two radios, so take one with you.”
JC set the radio back down and leveled his rifle at the dust cloud to begin assaulting the void once more. “I have to be honest with you, Danny. We can’t see what we’re shooting at, they’ve got us out gunned, we’re dropping like flies, and we’re eventually going to run out of ammo. This probably isn’t going to end well.”
Danny took his turn to fire at the billowing veil of dirt. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
JC snorted. “I like your optimism.”
Danny took another shot into the shroud of dust. This dust was brown and dirty, not like the blood red dust he’d seen in his dream. But nevertheless, this was indeed, the dust of war that the vision had foretold. He could feel it. The cloak which hid his attackers was the very same curtain of war. Would God give him a vision for which he could do nothing but perish? Why would he bother warning Danny through the nightmare if it were only a prophecy of his demise?
Danny ducked down as he heard what sounded like heavy debris raining down on the bunker. Typically a succession of rounds from the .50 cal hitting nearby would kick up a shower of dirt and debris but it would quickly subside. Then he smelled it. “Rain.”
It was raining again. The clouds that had made the morning so dreary were now a blessing from God that would soon settle the haziness from the dust being kicked up by the guns. Danny looked through the gun port and could finally make out the figure of one of his assailants as the murk dissipated. He took a shot, and then another, finally making his first kill in over two hundred rounds.
JC picked up the radio. “Let’s hit ‘em hard gang. We’ve got a window.”
Danny took turns with JC. There was another brief hiatus from the deluge of the .50 caliber machine gun. Danny and JC seized the opportunity as did the other teams. It was short lived, but two more men fell. Less than thirty seconds later, there was another intermission from the large machine gun.
“Wow, Jack is really hurting these guys.” Danny smiled at JC. The sudden excitement that they might actually live was overwhelming.
JC likewise couldn’t contain his emotions. He grinned. “It ain’t Jack. He’s got the .308 over at Charlie. Maybe the gun is overheating and seizing up.”
Danny leaned out for another shot and watched yet another man get picked off from the machine gun station. “Nope. Somebody is killing them.”
JC exchanged places and took another volley of shots. “There goes another one! Someone is picking them off as fast as they can clear the body and get another gunner up.”
JC took two more shots. “Here comes another machine gunner. I gotta watch this.”
“Don’t get shot!” Danny warned.
The bullets from the .50 swept across the wall of the compound then suddenly ceased, again. “There’s a sniper behind them!” JC sounded ecstatic.
“Who?” Danny was filled with hope. He had a new lease on life.
JC shook his head with an ear-to-ear grin. “I don’t know. It ain’t nobody from our compound. But whoever it is, he’s good. And what’s more, I don’t think Schlusser’s goons have figured out the shooter isn’t in our compound. So we have to keep giving this guy cover fire. We can’t let the goons figure out what’s going on.” JC keyed the mic. “All teams keep laying down heavy fire. Don’t worry about accuracy, just keep making noise.”
Danny and JC continued to shoot. Danny tried to keep the rounds going in the general direction of the enemy, but focused on shooting. On
e after the other, the machine gunners kept falling. Soon, the enemy force was dwindling. Danny saw a man make a motion and yell something indiscernible, then the remaining men began piling into the van and the Hummer.
“Oh no! They ain’t going nowhere.” JC keyed the mic. “Catfish, get your truck and get it up front. We can’t let these clowns get back to their base. Jack, grab the ammo from Charlie and meet Catfish at the truck. Alisa, bring the ammo from Alpha, we’ll reload magazines on the road.” JC tossed the radio on the ground and jumped out of the fox hole. “Come on Danny, we have to pull those grenades. We might use them yet.”
Danny slung his rifle and followed JC. The attackers were pulling away and someone was still firing at them from the other side of the road as they fled. Catfish was around front in about a minute, but the van and Hummer were long gone.
JC jumped in the bed of the truck. “Let’s move Catfish. They’re not expecting us to chase them, so they’ll slow down a few miles up the road. They’re heading to Greenville, so we know where they’re going.”
Danny, Alisa, and Jack all piled into the truck also.
“Hang on to your horses.” Catfish gunned the old pickup causing it to fling the freshly made mud several feet into the air as he sped off.
Danny held tightly to the edge of the truck bed. “Where’s Dana?”
Alisa braced herself for the bumpy ride as well. “She had to go check on Steven. I told her to go ahead.”
Danny smiled. “I think we have enough people for the clean-up run.”
Catfish quickly navigated around the Chevy which had been abandoned in the drive. The Ford was well out of the way as it had rolled to a stop against the hedgerow. The tires squealed as he took the turn onto the road.
JC banged on the side of the truck. “Stop!”
Catfish hit the brakes. “What is it?”
Two heavily camouflaged men came running out of the field with their rifles held over their heads as a signal that they meant no harm.
“Dad!” one of them yelled.
“Chris?” JC stood up in the back of the truck.
Chris and the other man ran up to the truck.