Home Invasion

by A. American

  Chuckling to himself, Sarge took it over to his Hummer and set it in the passenger seat.

  CHAPTER 2

  Sheffield and Livingston showed up shortly after noon. We were all out at the shed where the deer was being finished up. We’d cut every piece of usable meat we could from the carcass. Even the bones were going to be used. Miss Kay already had them in the kitchen boiling away in a large pot. Nothing would go to waste. The heart and liver were set aside for stews and the rest of the entrails would be fed to the dogs.

  “Where’d you guys get a deer? Nobody has seen one in a while now,” Livingston said.

  Dalton was cutting sinew from one of the front quarters. He looked up and said, “They aren’t hard to find.” Pointing at it with his knife, he added, “This one came to us.”

  Livingston was obviously confused, so I saved him the headache of sorting out Dalton’s riddle. “We hit it with the truck. It was running from some dogs and ran right out in front of us.”

  Dalton smiled. “Committed suicide.”

  “Damn,” Sheffield said. “What are the odds of that today?”

  “That’s what everyone says. We were probably the only truck on the road for a hundred miles. And yet it managed to run out in front of us.”

  “What’s so important to bring you fellers all the way out here?” Sarge asked.

  Sheffield was looking at the meat on the table. Sarge’s comment brought him around. “Oh, uh, yeah. General Fawcett called. He needs us to take a look at something for him.”

  “And just what does the good General need us to look at?”

  “They’ve lost contact with some Army Corps of Engineers that have been maintaining the Crystal River nuclear plant.” Livingston said. “They haven’t been able to reach them for a couple of days and have asked that we send someone over there to check on it.”

  “What?” Sarge barked. “They’ve got far more assets than we do. Why don’t they use some of their damn people?”

  Livingston crossed his arms and pushed the dirt with the toe of his boot. “Well, we said the same thing to them. They told us they were utilizing their assets. They see us as one of their assets.”

  “Bullshit!” Sarge barked.

  “Look, Linus, we don’t like it any more than you do. But they are pretty tied up right now. He said they are chasing Russian advance units all over the state. They can’t spare anyone at the moment and we’re the closest people they have.”

  “Russian advance units?” I asked.

  Livingston nodded. “It looks like they have some pathfinders on the ground.”

  Sarge’s spine stiffened. “So, who are you sending? You’ve got plenty of people.”

  Sheffield took a deep breath to brace himself for what he knew was coming. “That’s why we’re here. We want you guys to go.”

  Sarge ripped his hat from his head and threw it. “You sum bitches! Why the hell are you asking us to do something like that? You’ve got ten times as many people as we do! Use your people. Morgan is the local Sheriff.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Sheffield, “And you damn well know I’m retired!”

  “You and I both know that retired shit went out the window when all this started. And you know I wouldn’t ask for your help. Fawcett has specifically requested you and your people do this. You and these idiots you have are better suited for this kind of thing than our guys. Our people are National Guard. They aren’t trained for this sort of thing. Mike and Ted are. It’s what they live for.”

  Dalton was still cutting meat. He looked up and said, “Fuck it. I’ll do it. I could use a walk-about.” Sheffield looked at him but didn’t reply.

  With his hands on his hips, Sarge was shaking his head. “This is bullshit.”

  “Bullshit or not, you’ve been tasked with it. It’s out of my hands. Fawcett needs you to go over and see what’s going on. They’re afraid the Russians have moved on the facility. He needs to know what the situation on the ground is.”

  “And what if the Russians have taken the plant?” Dalton asked.

  “You’re to simply observe and report. Do not take any action if there are Russians at the plant. We can’t risk damage to the facility. A meltdown is the last thing we need right now.” Livingston replied.

  Dalton looked at Sarge and winked. Sarge rocked on his heels as he glared at Sheffield. After a moment, he asked, “Fawcett really wants us to do this?” Sheffield nodded. “He asked for us personally?”

  Sheffield nodded again. “You know this wasn’t my idea.”

  “When?” Sarge asked.

  “He said as soon as you can. We’ll provide you with fuel and ammo. Whatever you need.” Livingston added.

  “I’m not going.” I said. “I’ve got too much to do here. Fawcett can kiss my ass.”

  Sarge looked at me. “That’s fine, Morgan. You need to stay here. This isn’t your job anyway.”

  Dalton jabbed his knife into the table. “Well, I’m going. I want in on this.”

  Sarge nodded. “I’d like you to go. Mikey, Doc and Ted. That’ll be enough.”

  Thad cleared his throat. “You know Jamie is going to want to go.”

  Sarge shook his head. “She ain’t a hundred percent yet. I know she thinks she is, but she ain’t. She’ll have to sit this one out.”

  “I don’t care who you take. We just need you to get over there and put eyes on the plant.” Sheffield said. “They’re really worried about this. The fear is that the Russians have moved in on it and may try and cause a meltdown. It’d be a giant dirty bomb.”

  “Why though?” Thad asked. “What would be the point of doing something like that? We’re already down.”

  Livingston shrugged. “Who knows. And that may not even be what they’re up to. But we need to make sure the plant is secure.”

  “We’ll handle it,” Sarge said.

  I was watching Sheffield. He was still staring at the venison being cut up on the table. I picked some up and asked, “You want to take some of this with you?”

  Sheffield looked surprised. “Uh, yeah. I mean, if you can spare it.”

  “We’ve got plenty. I’ll go get you something to put it in.”

  Livingston smiled. “Fresh meat. Man, that’s going to be good.”

  I went to the house and asked Bobbie for a plastic bag. These crappy little shopping bags that people used to bitch so loud about were now very useful. Not to mention becoming a rarity. People used to throw them away. And in the early stages of the event they seemed to be everywhere. Being blown around by the wind. Now they weren’t seen at all.

  Coming back out to the table, I loaded some of the cut-up venison into the sack and handed it to Sheffield. “Here, don’t say I never gave you anything.”

  Holding the bag up, he smiled. “Thanks, Morgan. I appreciate it.”

  Livingston rubbed his chin. “You know, maybe we should come out here more often. Every time we do, we either get fed or get something to take back with us.”

  “Don’t get used to the idea,” Sarge barked back. “It’s only ‘cause we take pity on you.”

  Sheffield opened the bag and looked in. “Call it what you want. I’ll take it.” He looked at Sarge and asked, “When do you think you guys will head out?”

  Sarge scratched his head. “I don’t know. We got to get some things together. I’ll need another truck though. I want to take two.”

  Sheffield nodded. “Not a problem. Like I said, whatever you need.”

  “When we’re ready here, we’ll come to town. I’ll also need plenty of fuel for the truck, as well as lots of ammo.” Sarge replied.

  “We’ll have it ready,” Livingston said.

  Sarge nodded. “alright. We’ll see you when we’re ready.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” Livingston said. “Shane wants to know how much longer he’s going to have to deal with that prisoner, Dave, I think his name is.”

  I nodded. “Dave Rosa. The one that killed his girlfriend. I guess we need to address his execution.
”

  With a look of mild contempt, Sheffield asked, “And just how do you plan on carrying that out?”

  Not giving him the fight he may have been looking for, I replied, “That’s a civilian matter. We’ll sort it out.”

  Sheffield held the bag of venison up. “Thanks for the meat. We’ve got to be getting back.”

  “Thanks for coming out, Captain,” I replied.

  “We’ll be in touch,” Sarge added.

  Sheffield and Livingston got back into their Hummer and headed back to town. We watched them as they left. As they were passing in front of Danny’s place, I said, “Well, they were just full of good news.”

  Sarge waved the comment off. “This ain’t no big deal. We’ll go over and have a looksee.”

  “And what if you find it full of Russian Spetsnaz?” Dalton asked.

  “Sheffield said we were supposed to observe and report.” Sarge said with a smile. “But Fawcett knows me better than that. If the place is full of commies, we’ll deal with it. At the least, we’ll cause them some heartburn.”

  Slightly concerned, I said, “I don’t think a nuclear power plant is the right place for your type of mayhem.”

  Sarge laughed and slapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Morgan ole buddy! You forget, I’m a professional!”

  Thad laughed. “I think that’s what he’s worried about.”

  “At least I ain’t got to go. You boys have fun and stay safe,” I replied.

  Sarge nodded. “We’ll set up a comms protocol before we leave. We’ll stay in touch with you.”

  “You want to take Hummers and not the smaller buggies?” Dalton asked.

  Sarge thought about it for a minute. “The war wagon is good. But for a trip this far from home, I’d rather have the Hummers. We can carry more fuel and ammo in those.”

  “We’re going to need to get you guys some food as well,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about grub. We’ll get some MREs from Sheffield.”

  “Morgan, how do you want this cut up for that Biltong you talked about?” Thad asked.

  I held my fingers up, “Just about three quarters of an inch thick. This can be thicker than jerky.”

  Sarge clapped his hands. “You making Biltong?”

  Surprised he knew what it was, I asked, “Yeah. What do you know about Biltong?”

  “Shit. I’ve been eating Biltong since you were shittin’ yella! You sure you know how to make it?”

  Nodding, I replied, “Hell yes. I’ve made it before. I just need some vinegar, salt and coriander.”

  Sarge smiled his toothy grin. “That’s what I wanted to hear. I worked in South Africa for a while and was introduced to it there by some Afrikaners. Good people.”

  “Is there any place you haven’t been?” Thad asked.

  Sarge shook his head. “Nope. At least no place worth going to.” Sarge let out a long breath. “I guess I’ll leave you boys to it. I’ve got to go get Mutt and Jeff ready.”

  “I think it’s BS you’re even going. Why don’t they use some of their own people?” I asked.

  Sarge shrugged. “Don’t know. But my guess is they are pretty busy. And if that is the case, that they’re so busy they can’t spare anyone, then we need to keep an eye out around here.”

  “Have you heard anything recently on that radio?” Dalton asked.

  Shaking my head, I replied, “No. Nothing new. But I’ll be sure to catch the next broadcast.”

  “I’ll come check in with you before we leave,” Sarge said with a wave as he headed off.

  “I’ll get my gear together and meet at your place,” Dalton said as he headed off as well.

  Thad watched as Sarge disappeared. Once he was out of sight, he said, “I’m worried about them on this one. Crystal River is a long way from home.”

  With a nod, I replied, “Yeah. But if anyone can get there and back, it’s them.” I pointed at Dalton, who we could still see. “That’s a formidable group of men. I wouldn’t want to come up against them in a dark alley.”

  Thad added, “I wouldn’t want to come up against them in broad daylight in an open field!”

  I slapped him on the shoulder. “Me neither, buddy. Let’s go make some Biltong.”

  We carried the meat into the house. Miss Kay smiled when she saw it, “Oh, what do you have there?” She said as she reached out for the big bowl containing the lean venison.

  I pulled it back, saying, “I’m going to make something with this. You get what Thad has there.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “What are you thinking of making?”

  “Biltong”.

  “Oh no. Not that again?” Mel moaned.

  Miss Kay looked at her. “What is it?”

  Mel pointed at me. “The last time he made that, it hung in my kitchen for weeks.”

  Kay looked at me. “You hung it in the kitchen?”

  “Yeah.” I replied. “Biltong is a kind of jerky made in South Africa. You treat the meat then hang it up and let it dry for a couple of weeks.”

  Kay scrunched her nose. “That doesn’t sound safe to me.”

  “It’s one of the oldest methods of storing meat there is. It’s perfectly safe. I ate the last batch I made and I’m still here.”

  “You aren’t hanging it in my kitchen!” Bobbie called from the sink where she was washing dishes.

  “I’ll do it at my house,” I replied.

  “Good!” Bobbie called back.

  “Miss Kay, I need some apple cider vinegar, coarse salt and coriander.”

  “Well, we have all that. Let me get it,” she said as she went into the kitchen to find what I asked for. She returned with the spices and handed them to me. “Here you go. Just bring them back.”

  I took them and said I was going to my house to prepare it. Thad said he was going to work on his garden and asked Mary to join him, which she did. Mel told me not to make a mess and have it done before she came home. I had to laugh, she really didn’t like it when I made Biltong. It bugged her to see it hanging in her kitchen.

  As I headed for the door, I looked at Mel. “Where’s Lee Ann?”

  “She’s out with Jess and Fred some place.”

  “Mmm. Keep an eye on them,” I said as I went out the door.

  Danny was sitting on the porch when I came out, watching the kids play in the front yard. Seeing me, he peered over the side of the bowl. “What’s that?”

  I lowered it so he could see in it. “We hit a deer this morning with the truck. I’m going to make some Biltong out of this. Miss Kay has the rest of it inside.”

  Danny laughed. “Only thing moving on the road and you still managed to hit a deer.”

  “Yeah. Dalton said it committed suicide. It was being chased by a pack of dogs. We had to shoot all the dogs. They were pretty aggressive.”

  Danny rocked in the chair. “That’s not good. At least they’re not an issue anymore. Where was it?”

  I pointed towards Altoona. “Just up the road near the fire department.”

  “Hmm, that’s kind of close.”

  “Yeah. But like you said. They’re gone now.”

  “How was the trip to town?” Danny asked.

  “It was alright. Typical shit at the Umatilla store though. Oh, and that General Fawcett has asked Sarge to go over to the Crystal River power plant. They say they can’t reach the engineers there and are worried there could be some Russians or Chinese troops.”

  Danny looked surprised. “No shit? Why are they asking him to go? Don’t they have people they could send?”

  I snorted. “I asked the same thing. Sarge thinks that since they’re asking him to go they must be pretty busy. Looks like this whole Russian thing could be real.”

  “Let’s hope they don’t show up here.”

  I looked around. “What the hell would they want here? There isn’t anything, any reason to come here.”

  “Let’s hope,” Danny replied.

  I looked at the bowl of meat. “Well,
I’m going to take care of this. I’ll see you later.”

  Setting the bowl on the counter in the kitchen, I sprinkled the vinegar over it and mixed it around. Now, it would sit in the fridge overnight. But for now, this was done, and I went to find Sarge and the guys. I wasn’t comfortable with them leaving like they were. I didn’t like the idea of so many of our people being so far from home.

  I found them at their house. The Hummer was pulled up into the yard near the door as they carried out various gear and loaded it into the truck. As I walked up, Mike came out the door with the Gustav slung over his shoulder.

  “Hey, Morg. You’re not going on our road trip with us?” He asked.

  I shook my head. “No. I’m going to stay here. I don’t even think you guys should be going.”

  Mike dropped the weapon into the back of the Hummer. “Ah, ain’t no big deal. We’ll just ride over there and take a look. No biggie.”

  “Let’s hope,” I replied. “Where’s the old man?”

  He nodded towards the house. “He’s in there.”

  I went into the house and found him in the kitchen filling a thermos with coffee. Seeing me, he said, “Hey, Morgan. You come to beg your way into this cluster fuck?”

  “Hell no. If anything, I’d try and get you guys to not go.”

  He screwed the lid on the thermos. “Don’t worry about us. This isn’t a big deal. We’ll only be gone a couple of days.”

  “Provided everything goes smoothly. It’s a long way over there.”

  He nodded. “It is. But things are a lot calmer now than they used to be. We shouldn’t have to worry about any bandits or anything like that. Besides, those guys at the plant are probably just having equipment issues. We’ll probably get there and find everything is just fine and turn around and come home.”

  “Yeah. Well, you guys need to call and check in with us every four or five hours. I’d also like to know the route you’re taking so if we need to come looking for you we’ll know where to search.”

  Sarge pointed at a map on the kitchen table. “Way ahead of you, and I’m glad you’re thinking. That’s your map. I marked our route on it along with waypoints. We’ll let you know when we reach each one.”

  I sat down and looked at the map. The waypoint names were written on the map in marker. They were names like Disney World, Six Flags and Universal Studios. I laughed, “Theme parks. Nice.”