Then Came War

by Jacqueline Druga

  Hating to just say ‘No.’ George informed everyone that one of the scouts had spoken to an American soldier and the soldier referred to the enemy as the ‘Ranuelans.’

  That was all the scout had learned before he was told he had to leave the area.

  The scout told the soldier about their town and people there, and then returned. He could have taken a ride with the American forces to a safe camp. It was offered to him, but he had declined.

  “Ranuelans?” a man asked. “What the hell are Ranuelans?”

  “Has to be a combination of names,” said another. “You know, like the tabloids do for celebrity romances.”

  Harry started thinking about it and breaking it down. It was as much a puzzle to him as the rock was to Tyler.

  Then her voice emerged from the back of the room. “I don’t know who the second party is,” Lana stated. “But think about it. I was in the media, though fashion. When we gave code names, the first two or three letters belonged to the first party, in this instance that would be R…A…N. My guess would be Iran. We put those harsh sanctions on them. Someone said that the invaders want our president to step down. We tried to get their president to step down. The second half of the name, I’m clueless, but I’m guessing the bigger part is Iran. You realize their army is almost twice the size of ours.”

  Someone else spelled the last portion and with the letters guessed it could possibly be Venezuela.

  Everyone laughed.

  The man who made the suggestion didn’t think it was funny. “They have two million soldiers. I saw that on the news a few weeks ago. All are rebels. We tried to oust their dictator. They claimed we incited a war there, too.”

  “Wait a second!” An older guy called out, “Venezuela and Iran? What the hell is taking us so long to kick their asses?”

  “Seven million soldiers,” Lana stated. “A combined force and my guess is they have North Korea helping them, would give them over 9 million soldiers. That’s a lot of manpower. Have we thought of that? If the combined forces send only one third of their forces here, they will have matched our army man for man.”

  George added, “We don’t own the air yet. But when we do, I believe that’s when we’ll have the advantage. It’ll still be tough. They marched in and took three states.”

  The meeting continued on. The identity of the invading enemy was still only a guess. Those in Agabarn were deep in a media blackout.

  Once the meeting was over and the pudding had been served as desert, two of the women took the children to The Tap for arts and crafts and some karaoke.

  One hundred and thirty-three people remained in the fire hall.

  Each one of them was waiting to learn the tactical plan.

  And that’s just what they were about to develop.

  They wanted a plan in place in case the enemy invaded or struck Agabarn. Everyone felt that once the US started fighting back and pushing the enemy from the front lines, the front lines would move east.

  It was inevitable.

  The citizens and refugees in Agabarn could run or they could stay and fight.

  There was no question about what they would choose to do.

  An escape route was planned for the children.

  Each person would have a post, be issued a weapon and told where go.

  Some would have explosives.

  It was an army of farmers, just like the revolutionary war.

  Harry was on distribution, should fighting break out. His eyesight wasn’t the best anymore. He probably couldn’t fire a weapon accurately, and he certainly couldn’t toss a homemade grenade, but he could pass out things and dictate where people went.

  Folks were lining up to register for duties based on their strengths. Harry was one of those people registering strengths and deciding if they were better on a gun, grenade or explosives. Or would they be better at just helping evacuate those who couldn’t fight.

  After they had registered strengths, people were going to stick around, clean weapons, and work on separating ammo.

  A full fight was planned.

  Harry was surprised to see Lana in the line. She was three down the line when he noticed her. When she arrived at his desk, she smiled. It was a tired smile.

  “This is a surprise,” Harry said. “Are you registering a strength?”

  Lana nodded and sat down across from Harry.

  “Where’s Ben?”

  “He went to The Tap. He opted out of dinner and the meeting.”

  “But he was okay with you being here?”

  “I told him I was dying for spaghetti.”

  Harry laughed. “And you stayed for the meeting.”

  “Yes. He believed I was going back to the school to rest.”

  Harry leaned back in the chair. “What’s going on?”

  Lana folded her hands. “I come from a very rich family. When I was ten I had been shooting for a year. I took highest shooting marks in the junior competition. I was the youngest ever to hold that title. I held the championship for six years until Liam Wayne snatched it from me.”

  “Wow,” Harry said. “Rifle? Shotgun?”

  “You name it, I’m good with it. My father was president of the local NRA.”

  Harry whistled. “Wait a second. Ben said you don’t believe in guns.”

  Lana nodded. “I stopped believing in the right for every man to carry a weapon when some man with road rage unloaded a clip into my father. Harry, this is my country, despite what Ben says. I live here, I reaped its benefits and I’ll be damned if I am going to stand idly by or run to Canada without fighting for this country.”

  Harry smiled. “What about Ben?”

  “I love my husband. But I’m not going to run. I’m not.”

  “Does he know this?”

  Lana shook her head. “Not yet. He will. I’ll tell him. Hopefully, he’ll stay and fight, too. That’s what we have to do that’s what we should do.”

  “It takes a lot of guts to do that.”

  “My father … was a patriot. He would kick my ass if he even heard me mention Canada. From that he taught me, from all that he bestowed in me, I know this is what I should do for him, for me and for my country. There is no other choice.”

  “Good girl.” Harry patted her hand. “Now you said you’re an expert shot. If I were to ask you what I should do with you, what would you say?”

  “Honestly?” Lana asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Put me in a sniper position.”

  “Holy Be Jesus!” Harry chuckled. “You ain’t kidding around.”

  ***

  Ben felt bad knowing that Lana was back in room 101 of the grade school, sleeping on a cot or reading. He left her note stating that he wanted to wander around the town a bit, visit The Tap. It seemed odd to him to walk into an adult drinking establishment and see children. But the woman in there told him that most of the adults were at the fire hall, working on weapons and learning what their part would be in case of attack.

  Ben got a glass of bourbon and spotted Tyler sitting off by himself next to the jukebox holding a big tin box. He was keeping his distant from the other kids and Tyler just didn’t strike him as an antisocial child.

  Then again, Tyler had lost both his parents.

  Ben took his drink and walked over to the table where Tyler was seated.

  “Can I join you?”

  “Sure,” Tyler responded.

  “Do you hate me?” Ben asked.

  “No. You helped my dad.”

  Ben nodded. “If I didn’t help your dad, how would you feel about me?”

  “Why are you asking me?” Tyler questioned.

  “Just making conversation,” Ben said.

  “Harry said to be nice to you and stop bitching about you.”

  Ben chuckled when Tyler swore. “I appreciate it.”

  “Sure.” Tyler rolled up a drawing.

  “What’s that you got?”

  “You really wanna know?” Tyler asked.

  �
��Yes. I do.”

  “It’s a box. Harry says it’s very important. Well, the contents are. He was giving it to his friend Leo when the attack happened. Harry says the box is I …. I … ron …”

  “Ironic?”

  “Yeah, that’s the word he used.”

  “Did he say how come?” Ben asked.

  “Because of all that’s going on now.”

  “What’s in the box?”

  “It’s something special. And I’ve been adding to the box. Harry said future generations need to know about the box, especially now, because it deals with war. I’ve been making pictures to keep in the box. Just to add some extra stuff. The box is bigger than the contents. My plan is to pass it on. Harry says it’s a good plan.”

  “It is.” Ben reached for the box. “May I?”

  “Sure.”

  Ben slid the tin box to him. “This is beautiful.” His hand ran over the wording on front. “Did Harry have this engraved?”

  “Huh?”

  “Did Harry have these words put on here?”

  “Yeah,” Tyler nodded. “He made the box himself.”

  Ben lifted the lid and smiled at the drawing inside. He reached in and lifted the stone. “Wow. How cool is this. It’s a piece of the Berlin wall.”

  “The Berlin wall?”

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, the Berlin wall. See this.” He grabbed the envelope. “This is documentation. And this …” He lifted the photo of the man holding a sledgehammer and gazed at it. “This is a guy taking a swing at it, knocking it down. The Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany—Communism and Democracy. It truly stood for a divided world, especially during the cold war years when the use of nuclear weapons was a very real threat. The wall coming down showed the end of communism and the end to the threat of nuclear war, at least for some. It symbolized peace. President Reagan initiated the tearing down of the wall. And Harry’s right. It is truly ironic that this box and its contents have found their way to this time and place.”

  Tyler just stared at Ben.

  “What’s wrong?” Ben asked.

  “Did you just tell me what the rock was?”

  “Yeah, didn’t you know?”

  “No. Gees. I was trying to figure it out on my own. You spoiled the ending for me. Like a movie.”

  “But all you had to do was read the documentation.”

  “I was trying to figure it out myself.”

  “I’m … I’m sorry.” Ben put the rock in the box. “I am. But it’s really cool. Those pictures you made and your plan on passing this along, that’s a great idea.”

  “Thanks.” Tyler grumbled.

  Ben finished his drink. “Well, listen, I’ll let you alone. If you have any questions, you just ask me.”

  Tyler nodded.

  “I’m gonna head over to the grade school and be with Lana. I’m sure she hates being alone.”

  “She’s not there.”

  “Sure she is.”

  Tyler shook his head. “She’s at the fire hall.”

  “No, she was. She had dinner and went back home.”

  “No, she didn’t. She stayed for the meeting. Or at least she was there when I left.”

  “Are you sure?” Ben asked.

  “Positive.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Ben stood. “You think the meeting is still happening?”

  “Harry’s not back, so I’ll say, yes.”

  “Thanks.” Ben laid his hand on Tyler’s back. “And sorry about spoiling the ending for you, I mean, about that rock.”

  Tyler shrugged. “It’s ok. Are you going to the meeting?”

  “Yes,” Ben answered.

  “So does this mean you’re gonna stay and fight.”

  “No.” Ben shook his head. “But I need to find out why Lana is there.”

  Leaving the boy alone with his art and box, Ben left The Tap. In his mind he was convinced that Tyler was mistaken. There was no way Lana was at the fire hall with a militia meeting taking place. No way. Not when she had agreed with him that it would be best for them to seek sanctuary in a new country.

  ***

  Colonel Hayes made a special point to go to Brendan once more and shake his hand. There was a general air of excitement in the hours before dawn. Things were about to happen.

  The strike was precise, the colonel told him.

  They were able to use bunker bombs to get into the tunnel system and then Special Forces took out an extra two hundred plus soldiers not killed in the raid on the tunnel base.

  The strike at the base camp in New York was the trumpet sounding off.

  Things were going to change.

  And they would change quickly, too. By dawn, a whole new phase of the war would begin.

  Because of that, the colonel had Brendan transported by air to Ohio.

  He apologized to Brendan for not being able to keep him close to the action, but it was uncertain how it would go.

  The colonel was confident that the front lines would move east, but there was always that chance that things could go wrong.

  Brendan understood. He understood a lot. He even understood why he would be kept at an Army camp. It was not only for his protection but also to guarantee his silence.

  ***

  She did it in seconds. Perhaps that was a slight exaggeration, but Harry bragged to all about Lana’s ability to take apart a revolver, put it back together, lock and load a matter of seconds.

  Lana was teaching a younger man how to properly hold a revolver and keep his stance when Ben came in.

  He stared at her across the fire hall.

  Harry saw this and approached him. “Hey, Ben. I thought you were at The Tap.”

  “And I thought my wife was sleeping.”

  “Nah, no one sleeps at night.”

  Ben gave a single nod. “I see. What’s going on Harry?”

  “She’s showing Bryan over there how to handle a revolver.”

  “I see that. I mean, why?”

  Harry scratched his head. “Maybe you need to ask her.”

  “I will.” Ben walked to his wife. He was torn with emotions.

  When last he spoke with her, she was on the same page as he was. They were leaving America. The attack on American soil was not their problem. It was poor politics.

  War solved nothing.

  Guns solved nothing.

  Fighting was a waste of time.

  But there his wife stood, holding a gun like a pro.

  “Lana,” Ben softly called her name.

  She didn’t look at him, but she did stop what she was doing. She whispered something to the young man and then took a deep breath and faced Ben.

  “Hey, Ben.”

  “What … what’s going on?”

  “I thought you were at The Tap.”

  “And I thought you were sleeping.”

  Lana walked over to him. “I stayed for the meeting.”

  “And they did what to you? Brainwash you into being a militant?”

  Lana chuckled. “Hardly.”

  “Lana, put down the gun. Let’s go.” He held out his hand to her.

  Lana put down the gun, but she didn’t take his hand.

  “What are you doing?” Ben asked.

  “Ben, listen to me.” Lana stepped up to him. “I think … I think we need to stay here. To stay put and fight, if need be.”

  Ben laughed. “You’re insane. You know what we planned.”

  “And I know what we need to do,” Lana whispered. “Ben, listen to me. We are at war. If we don’t bear arms when needed and stand up and defend our country, what kind of message does that send?”

  “It says we’re sane,” Ben stated. “Lana, listen to me. The enemy, whoever invaded and attacked the United States, took out two whole states. You want to stay here in this little town with two hundred people and lift your guns to the air, toss some homemade bombs and hope for victory? You saw how many planes they had. You saw what they can do. They aren’t going to come into this town to t
ake it. There’s nothing here they want. They’ll come in to this town to kill everyone. Homes can be rebuilt but they can’t be rebuilt without people. People are our best resource. They’ll take out our resources.”

  “It’s not about the town, Ben,” Lana argued. “That’s not the point.”

  “And what is?”

  “This is our country. It’s our land. Ours, Ben. They can’t just come and take what’s ours. And we certainly can’t just let them take it without a fight.”

  “A losing fight,” Ben inched up to her. “Lana, this is ridiculous. They will wipe out this town. If you stay here, and if they come, you will die.”

  Lana lifted her head. “Then I’ll die fighting instead of running.”

  “Why?” Ben tossed out his hands. “Why would you take that attitude?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?” she argued adamantly. “They killed my family and your family, too. They destroyed everything around us that we love. That’s why we have to fight. That is what this country is founded on.”

  Ben shook his head. “Was all you said to me about Canada a lie?”

  “I didn’t say anything, Ben. I just agreed. I was trying to be that good wife. Trying to be that woman you loved. I was losing you before this all happened and I didn’t want to keep losing you. But … if being a good wife means giving up what I believe in, then I can’t be that good wife.”

  “I see.” Ben placed his hands in his pockets and turned away.

  “Ben? Where are you going?”

  “Back to the science room. I’ll stay a few days, but then I am going, with or without you.”

  “I wish you would consider staying and standing ground.”

  “I wish you would consider leaving.”

  Lana walked up to him and grabbed his hand. “If you go, Ben, then we’ll end up being what we were before the attacks.”

  “Why does it have to be that way?” Ben asked. “Why is it, if I go? How about this, Lana? If you stay here, we end up being what we were before the attacks. I’m not the one who changed my mind. I’m not the one who said everything and then changed my mind. You are. And maybe… maybe four weeks ago when we filed those divorce papers, it really wasn’t a mistake.” He pulled his hand away and walked out.

  ***