“Fire makes smoke and smoke attracts people,” River said.
“But there are no people around here. Nobody is looking for you anymore.” Dallas pointed out. The guy had been living a certain way for years. Even when the world changed it would be difficult for this man to change. Dallas couldn’t figure out how this man was able to live out here for so long.
“More important,” Clive asked, “where is the shitter?”
The men kept an eye on River as they reluctantly made their home of the camp. They were still planning to move towards the coast. The question now was to bring River or not? Would he be a liability or an asset? The immediate answer was a liability. The man appeared unpredictable and mentally unstable. Dallas kept a close eye on him, not trusting him as far as he could throw him.
Dallas and Clive talked at the opposite side of the camp and discussed their plan for their mission.
“I suppose we could split up,” Dallas suggested, not liking the idea at all.
“I have to say I’m not a fan of that,” Clive said. “We could send out two guys and hope for the best.”
The plan was shot down without them saying a thing. They all went or nobody went.
After a light dinner the men took turns keeping watch throughout the night. River slept in his bed made up of sticks, leaves, and a sleeping bag that he stole from god knows where. During the evening, the men tried to bring up the attack on Washington D.C. and the EMP that theoretically happened. As Dallas mentioned the theory he thought about the radar operator that shared their theory and how they knew. Was that person dead along with the rest of the base on the side of the road? There was no way of knowing who survived, if anyone had. In the past, he had thought about the five of them being the only remainder of the base, but it wasn’t until now he realized that it was likely true.
The next morning the camp was left for the destination of the coast. Why set your sites on the next town when you can aim long and eventually be stopped by a vast ocean? River was reluctant at first.
“I can stay here. I don’t need to know what happened.” River was grabbing some supplies as he said it. His actions and his words didn’t match. It was as if he was arguing with himself to get out of the camp even for a little bit. Was this something that he did every time he had to leave the comforts of his own place?
“You were wrong about Fukushima. What’s the harm in coming?” Budd tried to work with the man not realizing he was working the thought himself.
“Good thing he didn’t know about Syria.” Kelly added. After he said the words he noticed it wasn’t a thought in his head but that he had said the phrase out loud.
“What happened with Syria?” River stopped and asked staring at the men. “Is that in the Middle East?”
The men looked at one another and Dallas noticed they were burning sunlight.
“Look, grab your things and we will tell you all about it. We are wasting time here.” Dallas strapped his bag on and started to walk down the trail heading west.
“That’s the harder trail if you’re going that way,” River hollered.
“You want an easier trail, hurry your ass, we ain’t got all day,” Budd hollered back following Dallas and the rest of the men.
Eventually River caught up to the men and diverted them to a more gradual trail that had an easier descent and cut their time. That afternoon they were already in the valley and moving towards a pass. They avoided roads and walkways in an attempt to stay hidden. If an EMP was detonated over the country then an army would likely be coming to reap the rewards of that event. That’s what America would do.
The men traveled three days on foot, only stopping for meals and rest. As they reached more populated areas they slowed their pace waiting for the eventual moment they came across other people. Would they look like a bunch of freaks running around in the woods with long beards, camouflage, rifles and smelling of a week’s worth of muck? River, the Bigfoot of the woods, as Budd referred to him, wouldn’t help the situation on first contact.
On the side of a mountain, a harbor and city came into view. The image was cloudy, covered by a haze floating in from the ocean. Further in the distance on a clear day Mount Reiner would be visible, standing as a reminder of the wild country where man was trying to set up shop. As they stood looking at their destination, still miles away, the men felt a boost of energy. Imagine running a marathon and seeing the finish line after 20 plus miles of endless roads. The jolt of energy had the men back on the march and working towards their goal.
A few miles later everything changed. Moving along a trail on the side of a hill, Dallas looked down after something caught his eye. His arm went up in the air with his hand in a fist. The rest of the men, including River, stopped and slowly lowered themselves to the crowd, taking a knee. Dallas watched as the movement continued, rustling branches and the sound of whispers and breathing. Popping the covers off his scope he looked through them at the possible enemy moving around in their woods. A girl emerged with a young man. They were both in their teens and covered in dirt with their torn clothes. They were not dressed for the woods and Dallas could not imagine they had been out here long. Dallas pointed to his eyes then the two people below them in the woods. The men nodded and they descended the hill to trap their prey.
“I don’t care I’m not going back,” the girl said as the boy tried to convince her of something.
“Look maybe if we go back they won’t notice we left,” the boy said.
“They already know; they are probably looking for us now.” The girl turned to talk to him then turned around to see a man standing before her, but she wasn’t sure if she really was seeing a man or hallucinating. The rustle of leaves next to her caught her attention and she turned to see another man emerge, this one also wearing a long beard and carrying a rifle.
“They got us,” the boy said. He tried to turn and run, only to be tripped by a third person wearing a shorter, but bushy beard.
“They who?” Kelly asked the girl. She gulped in response but then realized the man was speaking English.
“You’re American!” she said surprised and switching the question to a statement.
Kelly placed his finger at his lips and nodded for everyone to follow him back up the hill to where River and Dallas overlooked them.
“Who else would we be?” a shorter man emerging from the brush asked in a low whisper.
Above the small field the Rangers and their two prisoners stayed hidden behind the brush, against the wall behind them. Dallas took over the questioning.
“Where did you come from?” Dallas asked.
The young man was already acting resistant and he didn’t talk to him. The girl appeared to be eager to get away from wherever she came from.
“The refugee camp in Seattle. Where the Chinese put everyone,” she answered. “The city was rounded up, ‘for our own good,’ and people slowly disappeared over time. I knew my time was coming.”
“Describe these camps,” Dallas continued.
“Barb wire, guard towers, shitty tents they have everyone sleep in.”
“Sounds like a damn FEMA camp,” Budd chimed in.
“When did the Chinese arrive?”
“A few months ago. They waited over six months to arrive. At first they handed out food and supplies. Said they were a humanitarian aid mission, then it all changed.”
“Fuckers,” Kelly added his two sense.
“How did you escape?” Dallas needed to know how this girl was able to sneak past the guards and the fence without being shot, if any of her information was true.
“One of the guards had a thing for me. I guess they don’t see too many blondes in China.” It wasn’t until now that Dallas noticed she was a blonde. The dirt and wetness of her hair had hidden its true color.
“And?” Dallas continued. She wasn’t getting off that easy on explaining herself.
“And I told him that we could have a go. He took me out of the population and brought me back to his
place. I waited for the right time and hit him over the head with a tea pot. Chris here, was working the camp as sanitation and he saw me running through the camp.”
“Getting out wasn’t difficult if you don’t mind wading through shit,” Chris added. This was the first piece of information that Dallas had received from him. “The Chinese use the harbor for shipping and receiving, plus disposing of waste.”
At that moment a noise could be heard from the below. The same spot the girl and boy were found, Dallas watched as the image repeated itself. Whispers could be heard, but they weren’t in English.
Safeties were clicked off and the men waited to see what would emerge. Branches parted to show a Chinese soldier combing through the woods with an AK-47. His uniform was olive green and he was clean shaven. The Chinese were able to adhere to dress code, and if one breathed in the air they could smell the cologne the soldier wore. Idiot, Dallas thought. Only an amateur would walk through the woods smelling like a cheap whore and expect to walk out in one piece. The men didn’t move, waiting to receive their orders.
More men emerged from the woods and soon the small opening was filled with five men only a dozen feet below them. Clive forgot to breathe as he stared at the men. Two of the soldiers started talking to each other and one of them looked up at the ridge the Rangers stood on. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder the soldier grabbed a vine and started to climb up the ridge.
The men looked at Dallas who was poised and aimed at the spot where the soldier would emerge. At his feet the base of the vine swung as the soldier climbed. Grunts and groans grew louder until the young man’s face appeared and the look of surprise on it was priceless, seeing a M14 aimed at his face by a man that blended in with the colors of the hill.
Dallas knew at this point it was game over. At least for this guy, this poor sack of shit was about to drop to the forest floor dead and he would not be returning home in one piece. The price you pay for coming to somebody else’s country and thinking you can take what you want.
The M14 discharged with a soft thump of air escaping from the silencer at the end of the barrel. The back of the soldier’s head exploded outward releasing all the contents of his skull into the green of the landscape. All the hopes and dreams he might have had in coming to America had disappeared and would slowly decompose into the ecosystem.
As the body fell, the other soldiers noticed but didn’t realize what was happening in time. The Rangers opened fire into the forest floor dropping the remaining soldiers in a few seconds. They had the element of surprise and took full advantage of it. The smell of cordite in the air and the copper taste in Dallas’ mouth helped him realize what had just happened. The girl was gripping his shirt sleeve and he jerked away to get a better look at the man he just killed.
The loud crack of gunfire exploded from the bushes across the forest floor. Sticks, leaves, and dirt flew in the air as a hail of gunfire traveled through the forest at the Rangers. Everyone dropped to the ground, except for the girl and Chris. In the panic of the moment they stood frozen, unable to move. Chris even put his hands up in the air to surrender while lead traveled his way. Bullets tore through his body as he tried to give up to an enemy that was hidden in the green canopy. The girl didn’t feel anything after one of the bullets hit her in the face, sending her body limping to the ground. It wasn’t the only bullet that had hit her but it was the one that ended her life. The Rangers moved to higher ground leaving the bodies behind. River moved quickly as if he had done this before. The gun fire continued, tearing up the side of the hill where they had been. Taking a higher position, the Rangers waited to return fire on the enemy in the forest.
Voices hollered out in Chinese and emerging from the brush came nine more soldiers in the same uniforms and carrying AK-47s. Some of the men were still reloading as they emerged, confident that they had killed whoever was in the woods. The Rangers opened fire as the last known member of the group stepped out. Two of the soldiers were able to return fire, but their bullets buried into the side of the hill thirty feet below the Rangers.
Everyone stood silent for over a minute. It was the longest minute of their lives. Adrenaline pumped. Clive and Kelly pissed themselves at some point. They would never figure out when exactly it happened. Dallas was the first to reload his rifle and the rest of the men followed suit.
“Kelly,” Dallas whispered him over to have him check on Chris and woman who were hit. Kelly checked for pulses and quickly examined the wounds. Turning around Kelly waved his hand across his throat to signal they were both dead.
“Can we get the fuck out of here?” Budd asked keeping his voice down.
“You want to leave’ em” Kelly asked about the two bodies.
“Leave’ em” Dallas said. “Let the Chinese try to figure out what the hell happened.”
“Damn,” Budd said looking at the two bodies. “Didn’t even get her name.”
In the background, huddled against a wall River was rolled up into a ball afraid to move. Budd noticed the man and grabbed the fabric of his sleeve. “Hey come on, we have to move.”
River looked up and around, his eyes showed the level of panic he was in. Budd pulled on the man’s sleeve again and River rose to his feet.
Half a mile away Dallas stopped the group and dropped his pack.
“What are we stopping for?” Budd asked.
Dallas took out his canteen and emptied a packet of sugar into the water. Clive and Kelly followed his lead and they chugged their water.
“You should have some. The sugar will take the edge off the adrenaline rush.” Clive commented. Budd didn’t have any sugar to use, having consumed it long ago at the cabin over the winter.
“I don’t need any,” Budd retorted. “That was nothing.”
The men loaded their packs and continued on. River had trouble keeping up after his adrenaline ran its course. Now his body was urging him to sleep. Budd on the other hand dropped in mid stride, landing face first into the dirt.
“Looks like we’re setting up camp,” Clive commented, looking at the sight.
“Pick him up,” Dallas said. “We need to move.”
“I’m not carrying him,” Clive responded.
“What about his gear?” Kelly added. The question was to point out how illogical it was to carry a man and his gear, which was too valuable to lose.
Dallas was agitated at the questions coming his way. This wasn’t a democracy.
“I gave an order.” Dallas had little patience with the situation and wanted to be as far away as he could be with the Chinese in the opposite direction. Both men looked at Dallas then at the man who had fallen to the ground. “Fucking hell.” Dallas unstrapped the rucksack from Budd and handed the fifty-pound bag to River. The rifle was handed over to Kelly who slung it over his shoulder. Dallas removed the vest that carried Budd’s ammo and handed that to Ben. “Two more miles away from those guys and we set up camp. Clive, I’ll help you carry him.”
The two men alternated between carry the body by feet and armpits. Two hours later they didn’t feel guilty dropping the unconscious Budd to the ground. River was covered in sweat and exhausted since he was not used to carrying so much weight and traveled light in the woods. When the man bent his knees to set the pack down he fell back facing the sky. He couldn’t move left or right. Sitting up was impossible with the size and weight of the pack. Clive walked over, unlocking the straps. River rolled out of the rig and stood up, unable to believe how light he felt without the weight.
“We set up camp here,” Dallas said. “Who wants first shift?”
That night the men gathered around a fire pit to discuss what they had learned that day. Their country was in the first stages of being invaded. None of them had ever expected to be fighting a war on their home turf. After being overseas Kelly and Budd were in shock being in the opposite position from those they had fought. The Iraqis and Taliban had depended on outside sources for arms and weapons. Whatever they could not have brought in they stol
e or improvised in the country. It wasn’t uncommon to find century old weapons on the bodies of the dead after a firefight.
“So we’re going to war?” Clive asked.
“We are at war,” Dallas answered. Turning to River, Dallas followed up with a question. “Have you seen the Chinese out here? Is that who you thought we were?”
The look on River’s face said so much, but left unanswered questions.
“The man asked you a question,” Budd added with a slight drawl and still waking up from his nap. His hand was pressed against his forehead where he soothed a lump.
“They have been logging the forest. Hauling out large sections of the forest to take back to China. I thought that we were bad. These guys don’t care if they are giant ancient trees or saplings. They take everything.”
“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Clive asked.
Dallas answered instead. “He thought we might have been working for them. What have you been doing, sabotaging their operations?”
River nodded, apparently still afraid they might be working for the Chinese.
“Sounds like party time to me.” Budd had a slight smile appear on the corner of his lips.
“How have you been sabotaging their logging operations?” Dallas leaned over, eager to hear the details.
Chapter 11
Curled up on the bed, Sophie clutches the bed sheets tight around her body. A small space heater sits in the corner of the metal room. The week before she had gone into the closet and pulled clothing off the hangers to use for warmth. When the general came in he screamed, grabbing the pants and shirts from the bed. From his tone she could tell he was outraged. The room wasn’t heated and he expected her to stay there waiting for him, ready to have sex at any time. The only other contact she had with people was from the soldiers who brought her food.
The rapes happened like clockwork. She didn’t have a clock in the room. There was no sunlight to tell her what time it was. Her inner clock picked up on when he would arrive and she would sit up on the bed, waiting for him to walk through the door. Every time was the same. She would fight. He would hit her. She would end up chained or tied to something and he would do what he wanted. She had thought about ending it. Killing herself would be a simple solution. Instead, she looked at him. She memorized his face and knew at some point she would be able to kill him. She didn’t know how or when, but it would happen.
Homefront: A Story of the Future Collapse Page 8