“Nothing has got in,” Lilly said.
Buckling his helmet on, “So?” Lance snapped. “When the holes are filled, we are putting four more strands up for eight.”
“When we refill the rolls, we are putting four more,” Ian said, tightening his gloves and then moved to check the buggy.
Moving over to Allie, Lance checked her gear and worked his hands under the vest they had modified for her, tightening the bulletproof vest she wore under her shirt. Because of her size, the vest almost wrapped around her twice, like she was wearing two vests. They’d had to cut and reshape the vest for both ladybugs.
Bending down, Lance retied her boots. “We want a wall of barbed wire around us,” Lance smiled, tying a double knot in Allie’s boots.
Satisfied with Allie, Lance moved to Lilly and checked her gear. “How many strands are we talking about?” Lilly asked as Lance jerked on her gear.
“Sixteen strands, six inches apart,” Lance replied, tightening the strap to Lilly’s helmet.
Smiling as Lance walked behind her, “Yeah, that would look intimidating as hell,” Lilly chuckled.
“Yep,” Lance said, walking around Lilly and then held out his arms as Ian checked his gear. When Ian was done, Lance checked Ian’s.
“Buggy is good,” Ian said as Lance finished. “You want to engage the Nazis?”
Everyone froze as Lance headed for the front passenger seat, “If they get in our way, hell yeah,” Lance said, climbing in.
Ian climbed in behind the driver’s seat. “Lance, you didn’t hide the dummy cameras worth a crap. If they didn’t find them, it just proves stupid breeds fast,” Ian cried out.
Carrie ran inside as Lilly climbed into the driver’s seat and Jennifer and Allie sat behind Lance. “So, you think problems tonight?” Jennifer asked.
“Hell, I think problem every patrol,” Lance said. “Allie, are you expecting problems?”
“You tell that bitch to be cool!” Allie sang out gangsta in her little voice and Lance chuckled.
‘I’m hiding the movie before they get back,’ Jennifer promised herself.
When Lilly stopped at the gates, the mood instantly changed in the buggy as Jennifer climbed out. “The tigers are by the stream lying down,” Carrie called over the radio.
Lance climbed out to cover as Jennifer opened the inner and outer gates. Dino and George trotted through the gates and stopped as Lilly pulled through. Lance stood facing the woods as Jennifer closed the gates. “Stay safe,” Jennifer called out softly behind him and Lance waved, then climbed back in the buggy.
Turning left, Lilly rode along the front fence and then rounded the west side, heading up behind the cabin. Even with the diversion fence, everyone was alert and aiming weapons out as Lilly drove along, keeping her speed just over 5MPH.
Reaching the top of the ridge, Lilly drove along the diversion fence until she came to one of the slanted chute gates. Lilly stopped on the inside of the fence, seeing Dino was stopped and blocking them from moving as he looked down the slope. Everyone caught the ‘eau de stinker’.
“You want first or second?” Lance asked.
Grabbing his bow, “I’ll go first, one miss to change,” Ian called out the rules for today’s game.
Moving in front of the buggy, Ian looked down the slope and paused. Spinning around, Ian walked back and leaned over the front of the buggy, staring at Lance. “We don’t have enough arrows to play the game today,” Ian gasped in a very low voice and Lance climbed out of the buggy.
“Just how many are we talking about?” Lance asked, creeping down the slope and heard leaves rustling and twigs breaking. Ahead, he could see movement. Before Ian could answer, “That’s a lot of cock munchers,” Lance mumbled, realizing the movement at the bottom of the slope wasn’t one, it was a column.
Turning to the north where the column was coming from, Lance lost sight of the column with the trees. Pulling Ian close, “I bet the diversion fence turned them at that saddle,” Lance whispered.
“Lance, I’m not sure we have enough bullets on us for that many,” Ian said. “It’s like a stinker march for rights. We are heading back.”
“Okay, we’ll head to the field and stay in the tree line and see if they are using the road,” Lance said, climbing back in.
Walking over, Ian stopped beside Lilly. “Sorry, I want to drive,” Ian said.
Terrified, Lilly moved to the back as Ian climbed in and backed away from the chute. “I have trouble going forward,” Lilly mumbled as Lance keyed his radio.
“This is away team. Borg are close. Going to check road,” Lance called out.
“Copy, away team,” Jennifer answered, wanting to know more but didn’t ask.
Ian drove through the woods, weaving around trees and traps and passing the east killing area the tigers used to use to catch stinkers. “Ian, hold. I’m easing up,” Lance said, then keyed his radio. “Enterprise, where are the kitty cats?”
“Still at the stream, laying on that big rock overlooking that small pool,” Jennifer called out.
“Lance, nobody goes anywhere alone,” Ian said, climbing out.
Not in the mood to argue, Lance nodded and looked back at Lilly. “Stand outside the buggy. You see us running back, jump in to drive us home,” Lance instructed and Ian grabbed Lilly’s arm.
“No, you get in the back because we aren’t going to take the time to weave around traps,” Ian told her.
Agreeing whole-heartedly, “I’ll jump in the back,” Lilly said breathlessly, grabbing George’s collar so he couldn’t follow.
Moving through the underbrush with Dino beside them, they froze when they saw the diversion fence ahead. Stinkers were pressed against it, walking along and following the ones in front of them to where the ground sloped away from the fence, steering them to the bottom of the draw behind them.
They carefully backed out and fought not to run back to the buggy. “Holy nipple twister!” Ian gasped, jumping behind the steering wheel. When Lance was in, Ian headed to the field below the cabin.
Seeing both boys panting, sweating, and pale, Lilly and Allie didn’t want to know and kept quiet. Reaching the field, Ian stayed in the trees at the bottom of the valley where the road ran to the property. When he’d crept around the curve enough to see the fence and gate they’d put in, Ian stopped.
He didn’t need binoculars to see the stinkers eight hundred yards away. Ian’s mouth went dry as Lance lifted the binoculars. “Holy shit, there’s so many that they have pressed some stinkers into the fence, using it like a cheese slicer,” Lance said.
“Enterprise to away team,” Jennifer called.
“This is away team,” Ian answered.
“Getting reports from Devil Lords’ safe house to the south, survivors to the north, and Nazis about major numbers of stinkers,” Jennifer reported.
Pressing his PTT, looking at the side of Lance’s face as he gazed at the mass of stinkers with the binoculars, “Away team copies,” Ian called back.
Looking between the boys to the fence ahead, Lilly started panting and felt panic fill her being. “Let’s go home,” Lilly breathed, afraid the stinkers might hear even that.
Staring at the fence ahead, “That’s why the tigers are at the stream. That treehouse is less than a hundred yards from the diversion fence,” Ian said.
“And two gaps,” Lance nodded, looking ahead with the binoculars. “The fence is working perfectly because it’s slanted. It’s acting like a funnel and not a stop. The stinkers are packed shoulder to shoulder sixty yards across and go back as far as I can see and the fence turned them perfectly.”
“Please,” Lilly breathed behind them. “Can we go home?”
Letting the binoculars down, Lance turned around and saw tears running down Lilly’s face. “Ian, get us home,” Lance said, cradling his AR.
Backing up, Ian drove home slowly just in case. “Open gate,” Lance called out, glancing back at Lilly and her normal skin’s healthy tone and color was now
gone. Her skin looked pale and clammy. “Lilly, breathe,” Lance said, knowing Lilly was reliving her event of being trapped in a car with her dogs. Stinkers had filed past for three hours. There had been so many of them, they had actually moved the car sixty yards along the backroad it was on, pushing it into a ditch.
When Ian reached the gate, Lance jumped out and covered Jennifer opening the outer gate. When Ian pulled through, Lance ran in and stayed covering until Jennifer closed the outer gate. Waiting until Jennifer was in, Lance closed the inner gate and jumped on the buggy, standing in Lilly’s door.
Pulling around the back, Lance dropped down and grabbed Lilly’s hands, prying them off her AR. “Lilly, it’s okay. I’m here,” Lance said as Lilly just stared ahead, trembling. Shoving his arms around her, Lance grunted and picked her up.
With all her tactical gear on, Lilly’s tiny frame had some weight. “Ian, two-man carry,” Lance grunted, feeling his arms getting weak. Rushing over, Ian grabbed Lance’s arms and they carried Lilly inside. Moving to the sectional, they put Lilly down and Lance stood in front of her.
“Hey,” he said and tilted her face until her eyes were pointed at him, but weren’t focused. “Lilly, nothing is going to get my girl,” Lance smiled. “I have Ian, the ladybugs, and Jennifer at my back.”
Blinking her eyes, Lance saw them lock onto his face. “They’re going to push the house down,” Lilly whispered.
“Then I’ll have to teach them a lesson,” Lance said, caressing her cheek. Lilly lunged, wrapping her arms around him and started crying. The unending weeks alone, living in constant terror had finally caught up to her.
“Shh,” Lance said, hugging her back.
Everyone moved over and hugged Lilly with Lance as she cried. Even the dogs came over, pressing against everyone’s legs.
***
Seeing the stinkers coming, Lilly jumped up and screamed. “Lilly!” Jennifer yelled and Lilly spun around with wide eyes seeing Jennifer and then turned around, looking for the stinkers.
“Where did they go?” Lilly said, lowering her voice knowing sound meant death.
Grabbing Lilly’s shoulders, Jennifer shook Lilly. “You had a nightmare, you’re safe,” Jennifer said and Jennifer felt the coiled muscles release in Lilly’s body and Lilly almost collapsed back onto the sectional. Holding Lilly’s weight, Jennifer guided her down to the sectional.
Sweat beaded on Lilly’s face as she started panting. “They know I hid and got away. They were coming for me,” Lilly mumbled.
“No, we heard reports on the radio of a huge group passing and heading north. There are, or were, people calling from Williamsburg to the west to the Nazi compound twelve miles to our east. Lilly, that is a forty-mile front,” Jennifer explained, easing Lilly down on the couch.
“George? Judy?” Lilly asked, lifting her head.
“They’re here,” Jennifer said and the dogs jumped up on the couch with Lilly.
“I almost killed my dogs,” Lilly wailed, hugging them. “I was scared they would make a noise!” she wailed, burying her face in their fur and they both whined.
Hugging Lilly tight, Jennifer rocked her. “You’re here now, Lilly. I don’t know how you survived, but you did,” Jennifer said softly, swaying Lilly and the dogs. Feeling Lilly relax, Jennifer rubbed her head. “You’re safe now.”
Hearing running footsteps, Jennifer looked back and saw Carrie coming up the basement stairs. “Lance wants to know how she’s doing,” Carrie asked in a quiet tone.
“Tell him she’s awake and doing okay,” Jennifer replied and Carrie ran back downstairs.
Lifting her face from the dogs’ fur, Lilly patted them and they laid down beside her. “I’m sorry,” Lilly whimpered.
“Lilly, you lived out there in hell, it’s okay,” Jennifer said, still hugging and rocking Lilly.
Suddenly Lilly jerked, making Jennifer squeeze her again. “Where’s Lance?” Lilly cried, looking around. “Where’s Ian and the ladybugs?!”
“Shh, Lilly,” Jennifer said. “You might scare the ladybugs.”
“Are they okay?”
“Yes, they are in the bunker, manning control,” Jennifer said and Lilly glanced at the clock on the entertainment center.
“It’s 0500?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jennifer said, relaxing her hug.
“Where are Lance and Ian?”
“They went out after midnight,” Jennifer said and felt Lilly turn to stone. “Lilly!” Jennifer snapped. “Relax!”
“We have to get them!” Lilly cried out, trying to move away and Jennifer held her tight.
“Lilly, if you go out there like this, you will get them killed!” Jennifer shouted and Lilly froze. Looking down at Lilly panting, “Sorry, but you have to calm down. You are safe. Remember, we have two of the baddest man card holders on the planet.”
“They are okay?”
“Lance just called to check on you,” Jennifer said, seeing Lilly take deep breaths.
Closing her eyes as she breathed deep, “Are they coming home?” Lilly asked.
“I don’t know. I’m up here with you and you aren’t going near that radio or the ladybugs until you relax. Allie and Carrie wanted to run off and shoot stinkers for scaring you like that,” Jennifer told her. After Lilly had passed out, Jennifer and the others got to relive Lilly’s most terrifying moments when Lilly talked and moaned in her sleep.
“Can we call them?” Lilly asked meekly.
“Lilly, you know unless it’s an emergency, we don’t call out. They just called,” Jennifer repeated, letting Lilly go. Sitting behind Lilly, Jennifer pulled her head down to her lap and caressed her face.
“Jennifer, they filled the valley,” Lilly panted, staring at the ceiling.
“I know,” Jennifer said because Ian had called back and said a path almost a hundred yards wide was trampled going up the slope, following the diversion fence. “Ian and Lance are checking the area,” Jennifer told Lilly in a soft voice.
“It’s my fault. I panicked and they had to bring me back. I should be with them,” Lilly said, closing her eyes.
“No, they wouldn’t let anyone go with them,” Jennifer sighed. “Those damn man card rules are chapping my ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
June 1
Walking slowly in front of the buggy, Lance pulled the bow back and released the arrow. Not watching the stinker fall he snatched another arrow, nocking it as the second stinker turned around. Releasing the arrow, Lance watched the stinker’s head jerk as it collapsed. “Fucking arm is getting tired,” he mumbled, pulling another arrow.
After Lilly had passed out, Lance had gone to the radio to listen and heard people screaming for help. Two Nazi patrols had been out and were held up in a house outside Dewitt; the small village you had to pass through to get to the cabin.
At midnight, they’d left on patrol to make sure the Nazis hadn’t moved from Dewitt. Dewitt was two miles outside their patrol zone, but they headed for it anyway.
They passed Donald’s house that was set just off the side of the road and found half of it was knocked down. But that was nothing compared to Dewitt. The largest building in the village was a school and all that was left was a trampled roof on a pile of bricks. Any house near the road was gone. “I can’t even imagine how many bodies it would take to knock down a brick building,” Ian mumbled with a shiver. “I don’t think the diversion fence could’ve taken those numbers.”
Sitting on the ridge overlooking Dewitt, Ian and Lance could see the trampled swath of ground with their NVGs that the stinkers had left. The valley’s twist and turns broke the group up into smaller and smaller groups. The group that wandered up into their valley had been nothing. “The only spot that would’ve had trouble, would’ve been the valley with metal posts,” Lance admitted. “The fence diverts them, not blocks them.”
The valley that led north from Dewitt was large and the small gap you turned off when heading to the cabin was narrow before it opened u
p into smaller valleys. The valley from Dewitt heading north was trampled flat with only large trees still standing. This was the same valley that led to the spot where they’d met Lilly and had set up a camera.
Knowing where the Nazis transmitted from in Dewitt, they found the house torn apart. There were greasy spots in the yard where dead stinkers had been trampled and crushed.
Yanking his arrows out, Lance didn’t even bother to fire up the bodies. Dead and trampled stinkers were everywhere below them in the valley. He and Ian had already changed shooting twice. Not because they had missed, but because their arms had gotten tired from pulling the bow back.
They’d both stopped counting when they broke a hundred, which was three hours after they’d left the house. Lance held up his hand for Ian to stop. Walking back, Lance put his bow on the hood of the buggy and pulled his AR from under his arm.
Easing down the slope, Lance stopped at a tree with branches forming an X at the base. Pulling out his handheld computer, Lance pulled the plastic bag off the connector and plugged it in. When his handheld blinked, Lance unplugged and re-covered the end.
They only had the last one to download, then they were heading home.
Walking back to the buggy, Ian climbed out. “I’ll take shooter,” he said, grabbing the bow.
Climbing in behind the steering wheel, Lance waited until Ian was in the buggy and then moved ahead, glancing out at Dino walking beside them on Ian’s side. “I love that dog,” Lance sighed.
“I say, we get him a card,” Ian said as Lance weaved around trees.
“We will make him one,” Lance grinned. “And hang it from his collar.”
Ian grinned and saw Dino stop. “This is a big dick sandwich,” Ian huffed, climbing out. Nocking an arrow, Ian moved ahead of the buggy with Dino beside him. Looking down the side of the slope, Ian noticed a tree knocked down. “Kind of far up the slope for them to knock down a tree that size.”
Easing down Ian stopped, seeing a stinker eating a leg. Pulling back the bow, Ian let the arrow fly. Moving down to the tree, Ian saw a leg trapped under it and knew it hadn’t belonged to a stinker. Looking at the leg the stinker had been eating, Ian saw it was a match for the other.
Forsaken World (Book 3): Rite of Passage Page 31