The Shelter: The Aftermath

by Ira Tabankin

  Nancy hugs Lacy, “He’ll pull through. You’ll see. He’s a tough SOB, he’s not going anywhere. God doesn’t want him.”

  Nancy and Lacy hug each other unaware that two drones are recording the front entrance of the shelter. The shelter doesn’t have any sort of aerial detection system, they never thought about being bombed. John assumed a drone overflight would be during times when other systems detected a threat.

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  “Captain, we can’t maintain and hold contact with the farm. Our latest intel reports there are at least two and maybe up to five recon teams operating in central Tennessee.”

  “We’re screwed if we stay here, we’re screwed if we turn around, we’ll be breaking orders and if we advance we could be running into a large well-armed force.”

  “Sir, that pretty well summarizes our choices.”

  “2, here’s what we’re going to do. I want the recon team sent back to the farm, list it as a rear recon mission, send a heavy recon force ahead of us to make sure we don’t run into another ambush. We’ll leave an hour after the recon teams have departed.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I pray the farms aren’t the target of the recon teams we keep hearing about.”

  “Sir, me too.”

  “2, if they are the target, how could we support them?”

  “Sir, I’ll work on a plan.”

  “I want it by twenty hundred.”

  “Yes, sir.”

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  Al Afi replies that he’s sending a steam shovel supported by two bulldozers and two hundred additional people. They are coming from the east side of Memphis on trucks, they are expected to be on site within four hours.

  The scout leader smiles thinking to himself, very soon we’re going to see what’s under that hill. I bet it's stuffed with gold and pretty women.

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  On the other side of the farm, EL Chapo’s sends a message that his son is in transit to take command of the situation. He should arrive in four hours with reinforcements. He orders the scout group to wait for his son who will take over the mission.

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  “Jay, what are you doing back here? When I told you this wasn’t your time, I didn’t mean you should try to return in a weeks time. You don’t learn quickly do you?”

  “I didn’t want this. What happened?”

  “You’ve been poisoned,”

  “It’s not possible.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  Chapter 29

  Doctor Basco steps to the doorway where Lacy is sitting, “Lacy, he’s stable, he’s lingering on thin ice between life and death. There’s only so much we can do for him here. We’re not set up as a proper cardiac center. Jay stocked us to be a trauma center; take care of cuts, broken bones, gunshots. Everything that would be associated with living on our own. Cardiac is different. Frankly I don’t know why he’s not responding. I’ve given him enough nitro to keep a horse’s heart beating. It’s almost as if there’s a chemical imbalance blocking the nitro from working.”

  “Is there?”

  “You mean, is there a chemical imbalance? I drew blood, we have to wait for the nurses to run the tests. It shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “Is he in pain?”

  “I don’t think he feels anything. He’s in a semi-conscious state.”

  “If I talk to him, will he hear me? Will he know it’s me?”

  “It couldn’t hurt. Why don’t you move your chair next to him while I check on his blood work?”

  “Thanks.”

  Lacy reaches out to hold Jay’s hand, she leans over to whisper in his ear, “Jay, can you hear me? I’m here for you. You’re in the shelter with Doctor Basco. You’re going to be fine. All you have to do is fight. Fight to come back to me. Your girls want you back. We all want you back.”

  Doctor Basco walks to the lab where the shelter performs their medical testing, “Any word on Jay’s tests?”

  “Doctor, we can confirm he had a heart attack, what is puzzling to us is his blood work.”

  “Why is that? What have you found that’s unusual?”

  “I was just going to call you to ask you to draw another unit of blood. I want to compare the two units. I’ll do it, but first tell me what’s confusing you.”

  “I’ll show you. Look at the graph. What do you see that’s unusual?”

  His potassium level is way too high, it’s off the scale. He’d have had to ingest an entire bottle of potassium for it to be this high. I understand why you want another unit. Let me draw it, then we can compare the two.”

  Doctor Basco enters Jay’s room, he sees Lacy holding Jay’s hand and whispering in his ear. “Lacy, any change? Does he seem to know you are here?”

  “I can’t tell. A minute ago, I swear he squeezed my hand, I asked him to do it again, he hasn’t responded.”

  “That’s okay, just keep talking to him. I need to draw another unit of blood. We need to compare this unit to the units I drew when he arrived.”

  “Is something wrong? Did you see something in his blood?”

  “Lacy, I don’t know what we saw yet, which is why I’m drawing another unit. You keep talking to him. He may not show it, but I’m sure he knows you’re here.”

  “I will.”

  The doctor takes the vial of blood to the lab, he inserts it into the machine which will run a chemical analysis on it. A few minutes later the results match the first vial.

  “I’ll be damned. Where the he did all of that potassium come from?”

  “Is it dangerous?”

  “Yes, too much potassium causes heart failure. Normally I’d transfuse his blood, but after the last round where he got shot, we’re very low on blood.”

  “I’ll talk to John, he can put a wide area call out for blood.”

  “Yes, please do. I’m trying to figure out where the hell all of this potassium came from. Don’t we have a few bottles of it here?”

  “Yes, we use if to fight muscle cramps. I’ll show you.” Handing the doctor a bottle of potassium pills. Opening it, he says, this isn’t potassium, its aspirin. Someone pulled a swap. My gut says someone is trying to kill Jay.”

  Before he can continue the alarm from Jay’s room sounds, his only other nurse, yells, “CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!”

  Doctor Basco runs out of the lab towards Jay’s room.

  “Lacy, out. Right now. I need my workspace.”

  “I know what code blue means, he’s dying isn’t he?”

  “Not if I can help it, take your chair out of the room.”

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  Reinforcements arrived on both hilltops. Coming from different directions, neither saw the other. Both scouting teams decide to attack after midnight when the residents should be sound asleep.

  Todd pings John, “Todd, what’s up?”

  “Sorry to bother you, I know you just laid down, I’m getting some unusual hits on the hill tops.”

  Sitting up in his bed, John quickly comes full awake. His head instantly clears, “Can you define unusual?”

  “I’ve been running one of the new thermal cameras we installed two days ago. Every couple of passes I’m getting a hit on both hills.”

  “Todd, hit as in large animal?”

  “John, no, hit as in many thermal blooms.”

  “Shit, not again. I thought we were done with this for a while. I’m on my way. I want to see the recordings.”

  “I’ll have them cued up waiting for you.”

  John pulls his pants on thinking, damn it, there shouldn’t be anything on those hills. I planned on mining them. Anyone trying to use the hills to get a look at us would get a nasty surprise. It was on the to-do list for next week. It’s always the next weeks’ jobs that will kill you. First a gang, then Russians, at least the army was friendly, who knows who’s up there. I need to figure it out as soon as possible.

  “Todd, show me the recordings.”

  “Here they are. Notice the hits on the ridge.”


  “Damn it. I see them. You did good calling me. Issue the silent alarm. We’re about to come under attack. I think we might face an attack from both sides. Arm the mines and get ready to use the new surprises.”

  “Got it. Alarm issued.”

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  Red lights and loud beeping alarms go off in every home. Everyone knows this means they are about to come under attack. Todd sent a text message informing everyone the details they know. Two groups, each on a hill, most likely waiting for o-dark thirty before attacking. Everyone grabs their weapons, ammo and armor vests. They take up their fighting positions to oppose attacks from their two flanks. The recently installed machine guns are loaded and manned. Within five minutes, everyone sends a text message to the security computer reporting they are ready.

  “Todd, send everyone the thermal images, let them see what we’re seeing.”

  “Done. Mines are armed, machine guns report manned and ready. John, we’re as ready as we’re going to be.”

  “Man, I wish the Captain would have left us some mortars.”

  “I guess machine guns are better than nothing. We can reach out and touch them at a longer distance than our normal M4s.”

  “Todd, remind everyone those machine gun barrels get HOT really fast, we don’t have unlimited ammo for them. We’re in much better shape for the light machine guns they left us. The M249s use the same ammo as our M4s.”

  “I know, I’ve had four of the kids filling two hundred round magazines for them. We have twenty mags filled.”

  “Four M240s and two M249s wish we had mortars or a few cases of RPGs.”

  “John, sorry to interrupt your rant, everyone reports they're in position.”

  “Okay, now we wait and pray. Have you heard anything about Jay?”

  “No, I’ll call.”

  Before Todd can lift the handset they hear “CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!”

  John looks at Todd, “Shit, that’s why we haven’t heard anything, that’s not good. He wasn’t recovered from the gunshots.”

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  “Nurse, give me 20cc of adrenalin.”

  “Doctor, his heart won’t be able to take it.”

  “Nurse, he’s gone if we do nothing.

  Chapter 30

  Jay’s body jumps from the adrenalin and defibrillator‎,

  “Doctor, we have a heartbeat, his pulse is unstable bouncing between 20 and 40, blood pressure is very low.”

  “I wish I knew where the potassium is coming from, none of his meds would cause the increase, nothing he ate could increase the level of potassium. I’m at a loss. We have to stabilize him until we discover where it came from.”

  “Could someone have given it to him?”

  “Who would try to kill Jay? I can’t come to grips with it. If on the other hand, you know the old saying, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. Nurse, please call John, ask him to stop by to see me privately.”

  “What about if Todd has the watch tonight?”

  “Todd’s related to Jay, I can’t tell him. He could take it too emotionally. Right now I think it best if I only talk to John.”

  “Will do.”

  Picking up the red handset on the wall which automatically connects the hospital to the security room, the nurse says, “John, can you see Doctor Basco on a private matter?”

  “Please tell him unless it’s an emergency it’s going to have to wait, we’re on the verge of coming under attack.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, the alert alarm didn't sound in the hospital. Is it serious?”

  “We don’t know yet. I’ll stay in touch. I suggest you turn the alarm on so you know what’s going on.”

  “Thank you, I’ll do it right now.”

  She turns to the doctor, “John is tied up, we’re under attack again.”

  “Damn it, again? Who now? I’m getting tired of patching everyone up. I hope they're careful out there. Prepare a trauma kit in case we have to provide aid while they’re in the trench.”

  “It’s already packed and ready to go.”

  “If I have to run, you stay with Jay, no matter what, don’t leave his side.”

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  Both forces begin moving at 1:30 AM. They try to silently move down the hill towards the hill where the entrance of the shelter is located. John and Todd watch them descending the hill via their thermal cameras. Todd’s finger hovers over a newly installed blue button, he’s looking at John, waiting for the word.

  “Todd, is everyone ready?”

  “Yes, everyone has acknowledged the alert and imminent attack notice.”

  “Good, on the count of ten, fire the flares, I’ll tell the people manning the 240s to open fire. Maybe we can shock them and stop them in their tracks. I wish we had placed more mines on our flanks.”

  “I’m ready. Counting down, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, …3, 2, 1. Firing.”

  Large Roman Candles and fireworks had been modified into flares, when Todd depressed the blue firing button, five flare rockets on each flank fired. Their exploding warheads lite up the attacking troops making their way down the hills. The lights in the sky caught the attackers by surprise, just as the M240 machine guns did. Fred sat in a chair with a 50 caliber sniper rifle in front of him, he targeted anyone with a radio and everyone he saw who looked like a leader. The large 50 caliber bullets blew their targets apart. Bullets which can penetrate car engine blocks slice through a soft body with ease, the bullets continued through their targets, five times they struck someone behind the target. Fred was happy he got two for the price of one bullet. The attackers paused on the hill, they were surprised by the flares and machine gun firing. They froze in fear which cost many of them their lives. Even with many of the attackers killed, others picked up their weapons running down the hill towards the shelter.

  34 people couldn’t hold out against two attacks for long. The attackers ran into the mine fields which cut down a third of them. The mines were very efficient killers. Once they detonated, the follow-up attackers knew they were safe to continue their attack. Two of the machine guns needed to be reloaded, the community had no experience handling reloading M240s, they fumbled under pressure, they dropped the new ammo box, delaying the reloading process. While they loaded, they tried to scoop up the fallen linked rounds, the gunner picked up their M4, spraying bullets in short bursts at the attackers who are returning fire from their AK47 and 74s. A few kneel to fire RPGs which strike the barricade in front of the trench. The RPG explosions spray the defenders with shrapnel, causing three of them to seek medical treatment. Rifle fired grenades follow the RPGs sending two more to the hospital in the shelter.

  Doctor Basco and his second nurse are becoming overwhelmed with the wounded, their first task is to stop the bleeding while determining who can wait for treatment and who can’t. Arms, legs, and faces are being covered in bandages. A third of the injured turn around to return to the fight. People are running in and out of the shelter, some for medical aid, some for water and the teens collecting fired brass while bringing filled magazines to the defenders.

  The defenders are surprised when the cartel attackers drive four pickup trucks down the hill with the beds filled with fighters firing automatic weapons and RPGs on the move. Three of the pickups have steel sheets welded to their bumpers stopping most of the incoming rounds. The Islamic attackers took a different approach, they spread out running towards the fighting trench in a spread out line, the first line kneels to fire, the second line runs in front of them, they kneel and fire allowing the previous line to rush ahead, kneel and fire. This is repeated as they gain ground on the defenders. Most of the attackers are wearing body armor which stops most of the 5.56 rounds. Most of the machine gun rounds either strike the ground in front of them, or where they just were, the attackers knew as long as they continued to move they had a better chance to survive and win.

  The cartel’s attackers were less experienced than the Islamic attackers. Neither knew who the other was, their leaders accepted the assistance
from the other group attacking the shelter figuring they would deal with the other group after they defeated the shelter people.

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  Five miles to the west of the battle the US Army Scout platoon heard the firing, their LT ordered them to go as fast as possible to provide help to the shelters people. The LT knew his captain would be very upset with him if he allowed the shelter to be overrun with him so close.