War Zone: Homefront

by Thomas A. Watson

  “Nathan,” John called from the end of the table. “Tom and I aren’t kidding. We want brothers.”

  Moving Emma until she was in his lap, “I’m having doubts on kids at the moment,” Nathan mumbled, picking up the spoon and cranking up the airplane noise.

  Getting up, “I’m with Tom and John. I want boys,” Jasmine said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  It was ten o’clock when Nathan led his group out. The returning patrol told them about a group of tweakers just north of Belknap, holed up in a house. What pissed Nathan off was the patrol didn’t even engage the tweakers. They’d just sat and watched them for half a day.

  When Bill and Rusty heard the patrol giving the report to Vince, they got Aiden and Tim to join Nathan’s patrol with them. Vince didn’t say anything, but it was clearly evident, he didn’t like the fact they were going out to hit the group of tweakers. Those in Prichard, he considered a direct threat, but those in Belknap were further away, and over the mountains in Montana.

  With Apollo and Ares beside Nathan, he led the patrol along the mountain ridges at a casual pace. What shocked everyone was Nathan brought along Athena, who was walking just beside Amanda’s horse. Since this was the first time Amanda and Casey had been out on patrol, Bill, Rusty, and Aiden watched them closely. Tim lived with them and knew what they could do, so he just scanned the area while he rode.

  All the kids and Jasmine were always scanning. The reins were in their left hands, gripping the foregrips on their rifles. None of them appeared tense as they rode, just alert. Seeing Casey’s small figure riding in the saddle alone, holding her AR with a ten-inch barrel and a suppressor, just seemed unnatural to Bill, Rusty, and Aiden. They were at the back of the group, with John riding behind them.

  “Shit,” Aiden mumbled, pulling closer to Rusty. “Are you seeing this?”

  “What?” Rusty asked, glancing around.

  “Watch them,” Aiden whispered. “When Amanda looks to the right, Casey is looking left, Jasmine is looking right, Natalie is looking left, and Tom is looking right,” he said, watching the group in single file behind Nathan.

  Rusty watched when everyone slowly turned their heads to the opposite sides and Tom glanced back at them. When Tom leaned to the side, Rusty realized he was looking back to check on John, then he turned to see John scanning behind them. “Wonder how long that took them?” Rusty wondered.

  Slowing his horse, Tom waited on Rusty. “When we stopped in Arkansas, Nathan really went over patrolling hard,” Tom told him in a low voice, but never stopped slowly scanning around. “Then after Amanda and Casey got shot, he really went over watching your area and responding to attacks.”

  When he finished speaking, Tom sped up to get ten yards in front of Rusty. Rusty grinned as he adjusted his rifle across his chest and continued scanning. Being a cop meant watching, and the posse was good at it. It just amazed him the kids could stay on the boring task, because keeping watch was days and hours of boredom on end, then interrupted by seconds of sheer violence.

  After moving for three hours, Nathan stopped just under the crest of a ridge where a small stream started. Climbing off his horse, Nathan tied the reins to a bush and pulled out a map. Walking over to Natalie, Nathan pushed the map in her chest. “Tell me where we are,” Nathan told her, grabbing her canteen.

  Spinning Natalie around as she let out a groan, Nathan used her canteen to refill the camelback in her pack, then moved to the small stream. “Amanda,” Nathan called out softly as he filled the canteen. “Don’t help.” Everyone glanced over to see Amanda paused, but clearly heading for Natalie. Stomping her foot, Amanda turned around, still keeping watch.

  Picking Nathan’s canteen up, Jasmine refilled his camelback and then passed it to him when he’d finished filling Natalie’s. “How did you know she was going to help?” Jasmine asked. “You never turned around.”

  “Jasmine, you know as well as I do, Amanda wants everyone in her,” he stressed hard, “family and group to be the best. It doesn’t matter if it’s carving matchsticks, Amanda wants perfection. She’ll never admit it, but she’s the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

  “I know, but how did you know she was going to help Natalie? You weren’t looking,” Jasmine repeated.

  Pulling his canteen out of the water, “Someone in her group was given a task they’re weak at,” Nathan shrugged, and pulled Jasmine down beside him. Refilling Jasmine’s camelback, “You’re not drinking enough water, first warning,” Nathan told her, turning to refill the canteen.

  Fighting the urge to help Natalie, Tim eased up to Amanda. “What’s with the ‘first warning’?” he whispered.

  “Second warning, Nathan holds you down and pours a canteen down your throat,” Amanda answered. “Third warning, he stops at a river, throws you in, and holds your head under the water. John’s the only one who got a third warning and it was only once, so we don’t know if there is a fourth.”

  Glancing over and seeing Nathan refilling Tom’s camelback, Tim started easing closer to Natalie to help her. “Tim!” Nathan barked softly, and Tim spun away from Natalie like he wasn’t doing anything.

  Pulling John over, Nathan refilled his camelback and glanced over at Jasmine to see her staring at Tim. “That used to be the most competitive person I knew,” Nathan told her. “That’s why Tim and Sherry wrestle so much, she gets tired of it. And before you ask, yes, Tim can take her, but as you’ve heard, Sherry will bite the shit out of you to get out of a hold. I swear, she bites harder than Apollo.”

  Walking over to Natalie, Nathan leaned over her shoulder and she pointed at the map. “Close, but move one ridge south,” Nathan told her, and Natalie gave a dejected sigh. “Natalie, you did very well. If I had given you the compass, you would’ve got the right one. You just didn’t count that second creek we crossed. You just need to remember the lay of the land you travel through.”

  Somewhat mollified, Natalie gave him a smile as she folded the map. “I like roads for reading a map, but not for traveling on,” she told Nathan, handing the map back. Leaning down, Nathan gave her a hug and kissed her on the head, then handed her canteen back.

  “She mojoed him,” Tom sighed, and Jasmine gave a snort.

  Speed walking toward her horse, so she wouldn’t laugh out loud, Jasmine saw John step closer to Tom. “It’s not fair. We get to pee on a wall and girls get mind control,” John groaned.

  Bill, Aiden, and Rusty turned to Tim. “Don’t know, and I’m not asking,” Tim declared, spinning away and heading to his horse. Everyone mounted up and Nathan led them on.

  It was just after three in the afternoon when Nathan stopped again. This time, Tom climbed off carrying rope. He moved over with Natalie, tying it up between two trees and making a hitch line. Everyone tied up their horses and moved over to Nathan. “Tom, Tim, you’re guarding horses,” Nathan said, and both nodded. “If they’re there, we’ll take them out and call you to bring the horses, so make sure your radios stay on.”

  Bill took a breath to argue and Nathan jerked his gaze to Bill. “This is my patrol, and I’m in charge. On your patrol, you can be in charge,” Nathan snapped, and Bill just blinked at him.

  Turning to the others, “Staggered line behind me, five-yard spread. The house is just over this ridge, four hundred yards from the base,” Nathan said, jerking his thumb back at the slope behind him.

  “You brought us that close on horses?” Bill barked softly.

  Turning to Bill, “First warning, Bill,” Nathan huffed.

  “Nathan, want me to bring the sniper rifle?” John asked, grinning at Bill.

  “No, the trees block this house from any long-range shots. We have to move within a hundred yards to hit them,” Nathan said. “We’ll stop two hundred yards from the house, so I can ease up and see the easiest way to take it out.”

  Nathan’s group moved toward the slope as Aiden and Rusty moved over in front of Nathan. “Nathan, leave another of your kids, so Tim can go. We need sho
oters. Greg said he counted over twenty,” Rusty said.

  Leaning to the side, “Tim, get your shit, Rusty’s staying with Tom,” Nathan called out, and Tim nodded as Rusty sucked in a breath. “Bitch, what did I say? This is my patrol. You invited yourself, so back off,” Nathan spat. “Guys, keep on, and this’ll be the last one we go out on together.”

  “Can I just ask why?” Aiden chimed in.

  “If anyone sees these horses guarded by teens, they’ll be more likely to attack quickly, but a teen and an adult? They’ll be hesitant and plan out the attack. This’ll all be over in an hour,” Nathan said, turning to Bill. “For your information, we have to walk over a mile to go over this ridge and down into the valley floor on the other side. That’s not close. And before anyone asks, Tim was always going on this patrol, so I knew who was guarding the horses before we left, till Rusty wanted to intervene.”

  Stepping back and thinking about it, Rusty raised his eyebrows. “Damn, talk about psychology, that’s thinking on a scale I’m not used to from you. But yeah, it does make sense.”

  Looking at Rusty hard, “I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and so has my group,” Nathan grumbled.

  Holding up his hands, “That’s on me and you’re right, only one chief in the shit,” Rusty said quickly.

  “Why didn’t Rusty get a warning? I got one,” Bill huffed.

  Shaking his head at Bill, “Amanda, put your leash on Athena,” Nathan sighed. Patting his thigh, Nathan turned around as Apollo and Ares moved to either side of him, heading up the slope.

  “Guard my buddy,” Tim told Rusty, and winked at Tom.

  “If we would’ve said that to Nathan, he’d be spanking our asses,” Tom mumbled.

  “Tom, they haven’t been in combat together, but they’ve done hundreds of raids. They’re just giving Nathan a hard time to make him relax,” Tim told him. “He’s wound a little too tight for their comfort.”

  Watching Tim walk away, Tom turned to Rusty to find him grinning. “Nathan just seems like Nathan to me,” Tom shrugged.

  “Tom, the Nathan we knew would’ve ridden his horse over that ridge and attacked the group from horseback by himself with just his dogs,” Rusty told him, and Tom’s eyes got big in disbelief. “Then he finds a family and grows up… just a little, mind you,” Rusty said, glancing around. “Trust me, it helped relax Nathan. And when Nathan is, shall we say, calm, he’s a force of nature.”

  “So…,” Tom started, but didn’t know how to ask.

  “I know each of you can fight,” Rusty offered. “Granted, I never would’ve thought about the reason for leaving an old man with a young man.”

  “Just make sure you leave men to guard when others aren’t close,” Tom said with a shiver, and the smile fell from Rusty’s face.

  Easing up and over the slope, Nathan glanced back and saw the others moving like he’d told them. He couldn’t help but grin at Jasmine cradling the SAW. She practiced with the M249 all the time, refusing to carry an AR. Jasmine was adamant, she only wanted a belt-fed machine gun. When they'd left, Nathan had to tell her several times, she couldn’t take the M240 since it was heavier than the M249. He really didn’t want her lugging around an extra ten pounds for a gun. But here she was, carrying the SAW instead of her M4.

  Reaching the valley floor, Nathan moved through the trees and soon heard sounds of music. “These guys are fucking idiots,” he mumbled. Finding a small depression, Nathan waved everyone in and they set up in a circle before he moved off with Apollo, making Ares stay with Jasmine.

  John saw Ares turn his head thirty minutes later and following his gaze, spotted Nathan coming back through the trees. It took several seconds before John realized, Nathan was walking upright and using no stealth whatsoever.

  Stepping through the circle, Nathan went to one knee and started drawing in the dirt. “There are thirteen in the front yard, playing on a slip and slide or sitting under sprinklers. Amanda, Casey, John, Jasmine, and Natalie,” Nathan pointed to the drawing and indicated where he wanted them. “You will line up here, in that order, just inside the trees on the front of the house. There’s a pile of big-ass rocks in the front yard, so don’t let any get behind one and start shooting. Tim, Bill, Aiden, you’re taking the left side of the house here, so you can cover the rear. I don’t know how many are inside, but it sounds like a few,” Nathan told them, looking up. “Do I need to tell you where to set up?”

  “No,” Tim snickered then stopped, noticing something on Nathan’s face.

  Leaning closer to Nathan, “What’s on your face?” Amanda asked.

  “Probably blood,” Nathan shrugged, reaching up and wiping his glove across his face. “I found two out back when I circled the house.”

  “And you shot them? Without backup?” Amanda gasped.

  “No, I cut one’s throat and Apollo ripped the other one’s out,” Nathan answered. “Trust me, those guys were fucked up. Seems they’ve found some shrooms. They were both just staring at a garden gnome in the backyard like it was talking to them. To be honest, as wasted as they were, I don’t even think they know they’re already dead.”

  “You sure it’s the tweakers?” Jasmine asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” he nodded. “Bill will recognize one of the women running around the yard. Those in the front yard don’t seem as wasted, but they’re sucking some serious glass dick.”

  Glancing around timidly, “Glass dick?” Natalie asked in a small voice as she blushed.

  “What others refer to as the glass pipe drug heads use to get high,” Nathan explained. “Any questions?”

  “You see hostages?” Aiden asked.

  “Two tied up to a lamppost in the front yard. Looked like young women,” Nathan answered.

  “What about inside?”

  “I didn’t go inside and if some are there, it sucks ass to be them,” Nathan whispered rather loudly. Turning to Jasmine, “Jasmine, when those in the yard are down, I want you to start at the right of the house, aiming three feet off the ground, and use a whole belt just swinging down the house. When you set up, remember to tell Ares to ‘stay’.”

  He looked over at Bill. “When she starts, they should flood out the back. You’d better not let any get away because I’m not in the mood to chase,” Nathan stated.

  “He doesn’t have explosives, I checked his saddle,” Aiden grinned. “Between us three we’ll get them, unless a hundred run out.”

  “Front team,” Nathan said, looking at his group. “When Jasmine starts, I’m charging the front of the house and tossing in a flashbang, so watch your fire.”

  With a cheerful smile, “Can I pop the first cap on their asses?” Amanda asked.

  Looking at Amanda with no expression, Nathan let out a long sigh. “Bill, you’re over second team. Move out and get set up. Those in the front are spoken for.”

  Getting up, Bill led Aiden and Tim off while Nathan continued staring at Amanda. “Hey, Casey and I’ve missed how many patrols and ambushes?” Amanda ranted.

  “Amanda, gangster talk just doesn’t come off right for you,” Nathan finally said.

  Lifting her chin, “I like it,” she said proudly.

  “Take those in your own field of fire before engaging others,” Nathan said finally, turning to the others. “Remember, you have a team to the left and me to the right, so watch your fire.”

  Not seeing any signs of hesitation, which if he had it would’ve surprised him, Nathan got up and led them off. When they could see the blue wood house between small breaks in the trees, Nathan pointed to each and dropped them off at their area. When it was just himself and Amanda, he leaned to her ear and had to talk loud over the music. “When you see me give a wave, crank your gat,” Nathan told her, then patted her on the butt and slipped off with Apollo.

  Easing up next to a large pine as people hooted and hollered over the music, Amanda pulled the stock to her shoulder. “Athena, lay,” she commanded, and Athena laid down behind the tree. Seeing people running around and sliding
on the plastic slide, Amanda scoped her field of fire and counted six. Since most in the yard were naked, it was only on her second sweep when she spotted the two women tied to a lamppost in front of the house.

  Glancing to her right, Amanda saw Nathan moving closer to the house. Then she saw a group of ATVs on the right side and thought they looked really new. Not seeing targets, she turned and continued watching her area and saw one of her targets move out of her area and into Casey’s. “Damn it, hurry up, Nathan,” Amanda grumbled, and turned to her right again.

  She saw Nathan crouch beside a tree and he gave her a wave. “Bitches,” Amanda snarled, turning and lifting her AR. Sighting on the closest man, she flipped the selector to semi and dropped her finger on the trigger. Gently pulling the trigger back, Amanda felt it buck, then stroked the trigger again and saw both rounds hit him between the nipples. Because of the music, none moved, never hearing the sonic crack of the suppressed shot.

  Swinging her aim, Amanda sighted on a woman sucking a glass pipe, and shot her twice in the chest. Moving her aim, Amanda saw the group stop partying when other tweakers started dropping in rapid succession. Squeezing the trigger twice and moving her aim, Amanda worked through her area, taking five down.

  Not finding more targets in her area, she lifted her head from the red dot sight and scanned the yard. “Shit!” she spat, seeing all thirteen were down. Pulling a magazine, she changed while she had the chance, putting the partial in her dump bag. When the radio shut off because someone shot it, Amanda did give a startle at the sudden silence.

  Then, a steady stream of sonic cracks sounded, and impacts started at the right corner of the house. Like a demonic typewriter was going down the front of the house, Amanda watched Jasmine riddle the front with holes. A line of impacts six inches wide, three feet off the ground, worked its way down the house.

  When Jasmine started unloading on the house, Bill saw a large group pile out the back door, and they opened up, cutting them down. After eleven were cut down on the back patio, the others tried to scramble back inside. Bill’s group took down four more with only three making it inside.