by Bobby Akart
Palmer got settled in and surveyed the spartan interior. The military Humvees were short on luxury and geared toward simplicity. Even the seats were somewhat uncomfortable. She imagined what a date would look like in a military vehicle like this one. She glanced up at the turret, which led to the fifty-caliber machine gun. Then she laughed a little. They’d have no problem getting a parking space near the front door.
After Espy settled in, they made small talk about the weather and laughed about Riley’s grumpy attitude, which had quickly spread around the ranch. It was a reminder to Palmer of how close-knit the entire group had become in a short period of time.
Finally, she could tell Espy was easing into the point of his wanting to speak with her alone. He was nervous, and she was enjoying watching him squirm.
“Palmer, I really like you. You know what I mean? It’s just kinda weird with how we met and, you know, all of this.”
Palmer tucked a leg under her and turned to face Espy. She reached forward and fiddled with a handheld radio that had been left on the truck’s armrest. Apprehensive, she began to rotate it in a circle. With each successive effort, the radio spun a little more on its axis.
“I really like you, too. This whole world is convoluted. How do you act normal when any minute we could be getting shot at?”
Espy chuckled. “What is normal anymore? I tried to be normal once. It was the worst three minutes of my life!”
His joke took the edge off, and Palmer responded with a hearty laugh. She playfully swatted at his shoulder, and he pretended to defend himself. In reality, Palmer knew that Espy wanted her to touch him, even if it was a playful brush across his uniform.
“I grew up living in the moment,” she began. “Normal was waking up, spending time with my brothers, and thinking about rodeos. If anything, the EMP and then the attack the other day has forced me to grow up. Espy, I’ve killed people, and I didn’t bat an eye. Oddly, I have zero remorse for taking another human being’s life because they were trying to kill all of us. It’s not something I dwell on. Every day since, I’ve gotten out of bed, helped Momma around the house, and thought about what our future looks like.”
“I believe your future is brighter today than it was a week ago,” said Espy. “Your dad is going to be the new vice president. Duncan, who I love like a brother, will be a national hero after he drives the North Koreans out of here. Can you see that?”
“Yes, but honestly, that’s their lives. I think about my future too. Truthfully, I never have before in a serious way. It’s always been about the next rodeo or state fair. Not about the important things in life.”
“Like relationships?” Espy went for it.
Palmer stopped twirling the radio. With her head still tilted downward, she looked up at Espy with her blue eyes. Then she smiled. “Yeah, like relationships,” she replied with a soft voice. She hesitated and gave him a smile as she asked, “So, you wanna play spin the radio?”
Espy beamed. “You betcha. As I see it, I can’t lose.”
Without spinning, Palmer set aside the radio and leaned forward to kiss him. She closed her eyes, and a feeling came over her that she’d never forget. In that moment, she fell in love for the first time.
Chapter 41
January 30
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
It took a few days for Major and Lucy to have the time, and the courage, to enter Preacher’s home and pack up his things. Neither had visited him there in some time, and they were astonished at how simply he lived. There were very few photos, mementos, or collectibles in sight. His space was filled mostly with books.
Major had learned over the years that Preacher was a reader who admitted to enjoying disaster thrillers and post-apocalyptic fiction. During their rides around the ranch, Preacher would often cite something he’d read in fictional accounts of end-of-the-world scenarios. He’d once posited that one way to learn what to expect during the apocalypse was through well-written prepper fiction. Apparently, he’d taken it to heart.
“I guess he liked this guy the most, since he’s filled up three bookshelves,” Major said as he directed Lucy’s attention to the built-in containing books, a few photos, and a television.
Lucy laughed as she picked up a book and showed it to her husband. “He didn’t think too much of the guys in this stack on the floor. Look, he even wrote CRAP in big letters across the front covers.”
Major chuckled and shook his head as he ran his fingers across the three dozen titles on the shelf. “Look here, Miss Lucy. This set is about Texas. Maybe we should read it to see how it turns out?”
“Forget it, Mr. Vice President–designate, or whatever your official title is. You best be studyin’ up on your grandparentin’ skills.”
“What? Do you know something I don’t know?”
“No, Sook’s not pregnant. She’s savin’ herself for her wedding night. But we don’t have any birth control around here ’cause, frankly, I didn’t think we’d need it anytime soon. Big mistake on my part for overlooking such a simple thing.”
“Well, you didn’t know Duncan would be bringing his future wife back to the ranch. Do you think they’ll have kids right away?”
“Maybe. She’s excited about the prospect of having babies with Duncan, but she hasn’t discussed it with him. Sook’s very levelheaded, and after the last several days, she understands the impracticality of bringing a child into this world.”
Major set the boxes on the kitchen table and began to remove Preacher’s clothes from the closet, leaving the hangers behind. With each piece of clothing, he paused as he tried to remember when his old friend wore the item last.
He snapped back into the present and continued. “We didn’t think it was practical to have a baby right away either. Do you remember?”
“Yes, of course, but this is a lot different,” Lucy replied. “Although, our security situation is entirely better now. Perhaps a wedding will bring joy to the ranch, and then a baby on the way will make us all realize what life is truly all about.”
“We’ll let them work it out, and I’ll be there to advise them both if requested. You and I have done a great job in not meddling in the kids’ decision making in the past. I believe they’ve grown up into well-rounded, mature adults as a result.”
Lucy continued to use her right hand to load the crap books into boxes. She planned on offering them to the soldiers to pass the time, but out of reverence to Preacher, Lucy wanted to leave his favorites on the shelf.
She looked over to Major and asked, “Have you mentioned to Espy that we’re going to suggest he live here?”
“Not yet. I need to have a talk with him about something else.”
“Related to security?” Lucy asked.
“No, not exactly. A personal matter.”
Lucy stopped again and approached Major. “Don’t you scare that young man away from our daughter.”
“How did you know that was what I was referring to?”
Lucy quickly replied, “Your tone of voice changed from husband to father.”
“No tone,” he protested.
“Yes, dear. You had a tone. Palmer is a grown woman, and she can take care of herself. Don’t meddle, remember?”
Major shook his head and stopped for a moment. He reached to hug his wife, and she stepped backwards to avoid his clutches. “Miss Lucy, I’m gonna be polite. I want to honor him with this home, but I wanna make it abundantly clear that the words Love Shack aren’t written across the front door. He needs to respect my daughter while he’s here.”
“Major, you listen to me. I don’t even know if those two have told each other how they feel yet. I may be missing the signals, but Espy may not be interested.”
“Oh yes, he is interested. He’s already asked Duncan for permission to court Palmer.”
“See, he’s a gentleman. Have any of her other boyfriends come along to ask for permission to take our daughter on a date?”
Major cros
sed his arms. “She’s never had any boyfriends. In fact, I asked the boys if—”
“Yeah, I heard about that conversation. You’re lucky I didn’t give you a whoopin’ for that. Major, they’ll be fine. I’ll have a talk with Palmer when the time’s right.”
“How will you know?” asked Major.
“Mothers just know.”
Chapter 42
January 31
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
Duncan didn’t have to stress the importance of monitoring General Lee’s communications to Sook. She understood and was so committed to her duties that it was disrupting her ability to sleep. Finally, just before dawn, there had been a breakthrough.
During the past couple of days, she and Duncan had talked about the attack on the ranch and their battle to take it back. Sook had confirmed to Duncan what he’d already suspected—Holloway’s men were a far cry from the commandos under General Lee’s command.
Sook explained that many of the soldiers in the Korean People’s Army were simply peasants with a uniform on. They were used to bolster numbers in the eyes of the world. In reality, they were more likely to carry a hoe in the fields than a rifle on the shoulder.
However, those trained for military service, especially the commandos, were rabid fighters who’d die for Dear Leader or simply to honor their family. Holloway’s men were criminals, not the type of soldiers trained for combat like Lee’s men.
Duncan was beginning to understand the plan designed by Dear Leader many years ago. He just wasn’t sure how Holloway and his men fit into the overall scheme, not that it mattered at this point. He was focused on finding Lee and driving him out of Texas or, better yet, killing him.
When Sook had gently tapped on his door this morning, he was already lying awake thinking about his day. He was tired of waiting for Lee to make a move, and he considered pressing the fight. Duncan wrestled with his options and in the end convinced himself moving on Lee prematurely might force him to go into hiding. Then the frightened general would be a far more challenging adversary.
Duncan opened the door and allowed Sook into his room. She was carrying one of the MSAT G2 push-to-talk satellite radios utilized by the commandos. The devices were ideal for instant communications, but also had email capability, the ability to transfer files, and could download weather reports in areas where cellular service was unavailable.
“Good morning,” Duncan whispered so he didn’t wake up his parents. He and Sook exchanged a kiss. He turned on the kerosene lamp next to his bed and pushed the door to where it was barely ajar. At night, they didn’t run the generators to cut down on noise and save on fuel. “Come, sit down.”
“Duncan, I heard General Lee. I am sure of it. They didn’t use his name. They called him jeongbogja, which means conqueror. It is a term of great honor in North Korean history.”
Duncan repeated her pronunciation of the word. “Tsun-book-sah.”
“Yes, jeongbogja. He is in Baytown. Do you know this place?”
Suddenly excited, Duncan leaned over and gave Sook another kiss. “Did he say anything else?”
“Yes, he talked of another place. Arthurport? I am not certain.”
“Port Arthur. Very good. What did he say about Port Arthur?”
Sook referred to her notes. “He notified second unit to be ready at Arthurport, um, Port Arthur. First unit is located at Baytown.”
“Thank you. Thank you.” He kissed her a third time.
Sook giggled. “You are welcome, Duncan. I think you just like kissing me.”
After another kiss, he added, “I sure do. I have to call Fort Hood.”
Duncan grabbed his satellite phone and contacted the captain of his unit at Fort Hood. He put the team on full alert to move out to the two predetermined rally points outside the visible perimeter of the refineries. He instructed their liaison to contact the management teams of the Baytown and Aramco facilities and have them route all incoming employees through the rally points.
Once there, his men would replace the employees in their vehicles and make the drive into work as always. He believed Lee was very observant and would see through any change in routine. If Lee had the facility under surveillance, he was most likely tracking incoming and outgoing traffic. If his men followed the employees’ typical routine, then a petroleum engineer would be replaced by a highly trained ex-Delta Force operative.
After disconnecting the call, he asked Sook, “Are you sure you want to come with me? You can monitor the radio from here.”
“I made a promise to help you and my new country. I want to come with you.”
“Okay then, soldier. Get your gear ready. We pull out in fifteen minutes. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Sook said as she quickly exited his room.
Duncan watched Sook as she made her way through the darkened hallway. He was amazed at her dedication and unselfishness. He moved to the closet and retrieved his clothing. Anticipating an evening assault on the facility, he wore dark clothing and prepared his favorite tools of battle—two knives, a full-size sidearm, a concealed weapon strapped to his ankle, and his battle rifle.
As he walked out of the room, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He mumbled to himself, “You’re not indestructible, you know.”
Duncan chuckled as he walked into the hallway.
I am today.
*****
The entire Armstrong family got up to see Duncan and Sook off. The powerful helicopter threw dust and debris around the front yard of the ranch house as it lifted off to make the long flight to the rally point in Baytown.
His captain had chosen the Houston Raceway on the east side of the peninsula that jutted into Trinity Bay. The refinery was located on the water, and the bridge from South Houston to the facility could be easily monitored by Lee’s men.
Duncan’s unit traveled through Houston on Interstate 10. If Lee had scouts watching for troop movements, it would appear to the casual observer that a convoy was headed to their east. Once the convoy was past Baytown, part of the unit split off and backtracked to the racetrack while the rest made their way to Port Arthur, sixty miles to the east at the Louisiana border.
As he rode in the helicopter, he studied a map of the region. First, he tried to get in Lee’s head as to the goal following the attacks on the refineries. The I-10 bridge into Louisiana was heavily guarded, and Lee most likely knew that. There was a two-lane causeway that crossed Sabine Lake into Louisiana only a few miles from the Aramco refinery.
If he was the general, he’d attack Aramco second, creating a diversion. Hopefully, any security detail blocking the Sabine Lake Causeway would be drawn toward the activity to lend assistance. Even if they didn’t leave their post, Lee and his men could easily overpower the nominally guarded border crossing and make their escape into Louisiana.
This line of thought was bolstered by Lee’s reference to his Port Arthur team as second unit. The first target was Baytown. That was where Duncan would join the fight. Throughout the afternoon, he and his men would make their way into the facility and take up defensive positions around pipelines, critical operations systems, and in hidden positions to cut off Lee’s escape.
Duncan wanted to personally lop off the head of the snake and feed its carcass to the gators.
After he arrived at the racetrack, the captain assembled the men in the covered grandstand to avoid the slight drizzle, which preceded the cold air approaching the region. He studied the men he’d handpicked out of hundreds of personnel at Fort Hood. These guys were the best of the best and proud to be a part of the effort.
For the military personnel across Texas, fighting their former countrymen from the U.S. was difficult. They were used to deployments where the enemy, although difficult to define at times, spoke a language foreign to them and lived a lifestyle different from what they knew back home.
Guarding the borders against Americans entering proved emotionally difficult for them. But wi
th the downing of the Texas power grid, subduing their fellow Texans from rioting and looting was worse. It was a welcome change of pace for these highly trained soldiers to battle an enemy who was easily identifiable by appearance and language.
“Gentlemen, a little over two weeks ago, North Koreans attacked Texas. They ambushed our border patrols, leaving their families without a parent. They set about to murder innocent civilians who were simply doing their jobs of keeping the lights on for our fellow Texans. Then, in an act of terrorism in furtherance of their undeclared war against us, they destroyed the lifeblood of any nation—the power supply.
“We have credible information that attacks on the two largest oil refineries in Texas are imminent. I believe the first attack by General Lee, the leader of the DPRK Lightning Death Squads, will be initiated six miles down the road from here at the Baytown Refinery.
“This unit is here to end this war. The hopes of Texas rest on our shoulders as we do what it takes to protect our nation’s most valuable fuel resource. And we are the ones who will avenge the deaths of our brothers and the innocents who’ve lost their lives at the hands of Lee’s commandos.”
Duncan paused as the voices hollered, “Hooah!”
“Alright, gentlemen. We start this operation in two hours. Police your gear and get your heads right. Dismissed.”
Chapter 43
January 31
Baytown Refinery
Baytown, Texas
General Kyoung-Joo Lee, formerly a commander in North Korea’s Lightning Death Squads and now in charge of the entirety of the invasion forces within the continental United States and Texas, had spent the better part of a decade studying the habits and idiosyncrasies of Americans. His overall opinion was that Americans tended to overreact to a perceived crisis, and then as interest waned, so did their ability to respond.