by John O'Brien
“Okay, let’s head east and then swing back north to the highway past the town,” I radio.
Horace and Greg copy and we exit the fray on the other side heading across the fields with the town sliding behind us on the left. Horace and Greg are in a staggered formation in line with us separated by about a hundred meters. McCafferty closes the distance and we head back towards the highway at a slower speed so we don’t launch Henderson or have him drop a kidney. Behind us, dust hangs in the air with darker columns of smoke drifting lazily in the air.
We pull to a stop outside of the town’s view. Setting a perimeter with the top guns manned, we walk around the vehicles inspecting each for damage. Besides the starred driver window, there are only a few pock marks where rounds found their way to us. The race across the fields sucked down our fuel to an extent so we’ll have to fuel up along the way somewhere. The sooner the better in my opinion as it keeps the options open.
The sun hangs in the mid-morning sky as we climb back in to resume our journey. The adrenaline is winding down and I am more aware of the stifling heat inside the Humvee. I notice the spent casings on the floor in the back and wonder what our return trip will be like. I definitely plan to circumvent the town. Taking side roads around would be the best option but this place is very much lacking in any kind of side road. Looking at the map, we’d have to travel far out of our way if we used roads. We’ll head into the fields much earlier and try to stay out of sight as best as we can. We’ll kick up dust for sure but I’d be surprised to see whoever was in that town come chasing after us. But then again, I’m sure they’re plenty pissed off. I just hope their fear outweighs their anger.
Heading out in a staggered formation again, we head down the road. The light gray lanes stretch out ahead straight as an arrow as is common with the freeways of western Texas. There’s not much to impede or cause the builders to make curves. The warm wind blows in my open window and brings a sour tang. The smell grows stronger the further down the road we go. I know this smell; it’s the smell of rotting flesh. It’s not as strong as I’ve noticed before heading down residential streets but it’s noticeable.
I look around for housing areas or something that could cause that stench. The flat plains and fields are the only thing I see. Surely this can’t be coming from one of the small towns that dot the highway or be drifting from the larger town of Lubbock many miles ahead, I think still surveying the area. This is much like some forays into other countries where, during our infil, we would catch the same odor. Those times it was because we were close to a mass grave or where a lot of people had been killed and just tossed to the side. I’m really hoping we aren’t about to come up on something like that. That wouldn’t bode well for our continued progress at all.
We come upon the source of aroma soon enough. Cattle yards off to the side of highway. We pass by a few of them with hundreds and thousands of dead cattle lying in the enclosed pens. They must have died a while ago and I’m grateful we didn’t pass by here earlier. I sincerely doubt we would have been able to get this close because of the overwhelming stench. The disease rampant in those yards must be great. I can almost see the clouds of flies that must inhabit the air above those lifeless black dots; some in piles. The smell is strong enough to bring a gag reflex and make my eyes water.
McCafferty speeds up unconsciously as I roll up the window preferring the heat to the odor. Henderson and the others on top must be green. We eventually pass by the multitude of pens and the freeway bends around a larger town. There is no evidence of others but we circumvent the city warily and on the alert. On the far end of town, I see a few semis parked in a lot close to an off ramp. We aren’t that far down on fuel and could stop on our way back but it looks clear for now and, well, we’re here. I know I would feel better having full tanks again.
I radio the others and we exit the highway. Going back under the freeway, we pass a McDonalds on the right and turn into a small truck yard. We pass between two warehouse buildings before entering the yard proper. Several trailers are backed up to the loading docks with five tractor trailers parked in a line in the dusty lot. Grime coats their windshields and hoods. The fields beyond shimmer in the increasing heat. We park with Greg’s Humvee covering the single entrance. Horace parks in the middle covering the rest of the surrounding area while we pull up to one of the semis. We’ll refuel in shifts making sure we are covered with our last little adventure strong in our minds.
Stepping out, the lot and surrounding buildings have that same desolate feeling that every other abandoned place holds. I really wonder if this feeling will ever go away whenever we embark into areas that were once inhabited by mankind. Perhaps it’s the memories of the places or the energy of people gathered in one place that was suddenly whisked away. I’m more thinking it’s my mind that is still sorting through seeing the relics of our civilization without the people that created them around. It’s seeing things and what I still expect to associate with them. The sound of Gonzalez tapping down the fuel tank of the truck we’ve parked next to brings me out of my reverie.
I’m a touch nervous about having to be in this place for so long. Cities, especially strange ones, have a negative connotation for me. There is no knowing what to expect and having to be constantly alert is draining. The heat also tends to lull the senses. I almost wish I had the capability of sensing other people rather than night runners. I’d rather not really be able to do even that but it is what it is. It takes some time out of our day but we are eventually on the road again without anything tragic befalling us. It feels good to be on the move once more. According to the map, Lubbock is not that far down the road and the freeway circumvents the towns along the way.
A few miles later, small housing development areas appear. They are still sparsely located but they become more frequent the further to the southeast we travel. Right after one of the developments, McCafferty turns off the highway and we start along a narrow country road.
“This skirts Lubbock to the north. My parent’s house is on the east side a little out of town,” she says as we journey through more farmland.
The country road eventually ends at a T-intersection with another freeway and we turn to the southwest and back towards Lubbock. The sun has risen overhead pouring its rays directly upon us and the surrounding land, turning it into an oven. The sky remains clear and for that I’m thankful. I’m anxious to search for McCafferty’s family, get back to the airfield and be on our way home.
The stress of still having so much to do is weighing on me. It’s not the intense feeling I had on our first arrival back to the northwest after our trip to Kuwait but it’s there anyway. That was more about our short-term survival and setting up a place of safety and this is more about developing our long-term needs. The stress is from the upcoming winter and our losing our long-range mobility option due to weather and then the lack of fuel. I’m hoping Bannerman can come up with a Bio-diesel solution so we don’t lose our power and ability to be somewhat mobile with vehicles. If we lose that, it will infinitely be more difficult to provide for our basic needs.
We quickly come upon an area of houses and mobile homes set loosely apart and seemingly at random. Each abode is in its own dusty lot with a few trees growing from the otherwise barren, dusty yards. Many of the places have old cars parked in the yards and several of the houses also have semis parked alongside. McCafferty pulls off the highway and negotiates several streets before pulling up to a house set back from the road.
“This is it, sir,” she says with the Humvee idling just before the driveway. I watch as she scans the yard, house, and several buildings further back in the lot. A few cars are parked near a large garage structure.
She looks back and apparently notices my checking the lot and cars. “My dad likes tinkering with cars,” she says putting our vehicle in gear and entering the lot.
The adjacent houses and area are devoid of any movement. This is a place where you would expect barking dogs to greet you, whether one
s at the house or from the neighbors. Nothing. We are still a little ways from Lubbock and, from the look of the development, it is secluded so I half expect McCafferty’s parents to walk out of the house to greet us. I am wary that there are sights tracking us but I also think that her family would know a military vehicle and, with her in the military, would assume she was coming to check on them.
McCafferty pulls into the dusty yard a short distance from the front of the house. Greg and Horace park on the road in opposite directions covering the surrounding area. A puff of dust rises from my boot as I step out. The others follow suit and exit. The wind blowing in the window kept the heat at bay as we were driving but here, with us stopped and very little shade, it hits with full force. Yes it’s a dry heat but it’s like being baked instead of steamed. The day already seems long with the drive and our little adventure but the sun’s position overhead shows this to be an illusion.
With Echo and Blue teams covering, we approach the house. The windows and front door are closed so that’s a good sign. Dust is gathered on the covered porch with none of the tell-tale footprints that normally come with night runners being inside. Wind could have obscured them but the air is still and if there were some inside, there should be some indication of them coming out at night.
Sweat forms from the heat but is quickly evaporated leaving white rings and streaks on all of our fatigues. Checking our equipment and ensuring rounds are ready in our M-4’s, McCafferty climbs the concrete steps to the porch. We can’t see directly inside as curtains are pulled across the windows. I open up a touch to see if I can sense any night runners within and come up blank. For one of the first times I’ve opened up in this fashion, there aren’t any images or sense of others around. It’s just a blank space.
I look across the lot behind us and catch Gonzalez’ eye. She looks at me questioningly as to whether there are any night runners inside. I shake my head letting her know I can’t sense any. Gonzalez steps up next to McCafferty by the front door. McCafferty leans in to whisper in Gonzalez’ ear.
“Will you do the same for me?” I pick up McCafferty’s whispered question. I’m guessing she is referring to her putting Gonzalez’ night runner father to rest.
“Of course,” Gonzalez whispers in return and puts her hand on McCafferty’s shoulder. I have Horace direct one of her Blue Team members to man our gun and bring Henderson and Denton up with us.
“Well, here goes nothing,” McCafferty says.
I literally feel the tension radiate from her and completely understand. It’s a horrible feeling not knowing about your family and on the verge of finding out, especially with what we have seen in the few months since the world ended. We have found some family members alive and well but others that haven’t made it. And it’s not just from the night runners. The groups of people who feel like the world is now a place to do as they please and take advantage of others are just as dangerous as the night runners, if not more.
The others of Red Team ready themselves on the porch as McCafferty opens the screen door. Its squeaky hinges are loud in the surrounding silence. She knocks on the front door. We stand in alert silence waiting for the tell-tale approach of footsteps, the door opening, or even perhaps a call of “Who’s there.” No one answers. She reaches down to find the door is locked. She looks back at the rest of us and I see the disappointment in her eyes mixing with lines of tension.
“Do you have other family or friends around? They might have gone there,” I ask.
“We don’t have any other family close by and they aren’t ones to head to anyone else’s house. They would have stayed here regardless,” she answers.
“Let’s take a look around the house,” I say thinking maybe the back door might be unlocked. Even if they aren’t here, we can perhaps find some clue as to what happened to them or where they might have gone.
We walk around looking for open windows or some sign the house is inhabited or was recently. Dry, brown bushes lie against the outside walls along one side, evidence that McCafferty’s parents once tried to give the place some color. As it is, the white house with peeling paint in places sits on the quiet lot keeping its secrets if it has any. McCafferty describes the layout as we progress. It’s basically a large open room containing the living room, dining room, and kitchen on the right with a hall leading to three back bedrooms and a bathroom on the left. It is close to the same layout as other houses we’ve been in. The back door is locked. We complete our circuit around the house with only the small puffs of dust from our footfalls and the heat keeping us company.
Back in front, McCafferty retrieves a key from under a rock lying where the steps and porch meet. The fact that the doors are locked is a good sign with regards to night runners. I don’t want to rely on whether I can sense them or not as fact. I figure if I can shut it away, then so can they. At least that’s what I have to assume. Ugh! I so dislike that word as I don’t like to assume anything but we have to in everyday life to some extent.
With Henderson and Denton against the wall next to the front door and me holding the screen open with my shoulder and aiming inside, McCafferty kneels and inserts the key into the lock. Robert stands behind me ready to enter on my heels. Bri will stay at the door. The house isn’t overly large and too many inside will actually hinder movement and coverage rather than help. We’ve done this so many times together that we each know our place and initial movements so very little briefing is needed. “Remember, McCafferty’s parents may be inside so no itchy trigger fingers. Verify your target quickly though,” is the only thing I need to say.
A click from the door lets me know McCafferty has unlocked it. I scan the area quickly and focus back on her giving a nod. She turns the handle and swings the door inward. Dropping my NVG’s, I am by her in a flash with Robert on my heels. I rush in about ten feet and drop to my knees scanning the large, open room. Robert drops in beside me. A rustle and the sound of boots hitting the wooden entryway floor lets me know Gonzalez, Henderson, and Denton have entered and are behind me and to the right. The coolness of the room is a refreshing reprieve from the heat outside although I don’t notice it much with the adrenaline flow that entering any darkened and strange building brings.
The rustle of clothing stops and the quiet we’ve felt in other houses settles in. Our lasers dance about the room as we search for movement or anything to indicate we are occupying the same space with something or someone else. The room holds silent with no movement. An island sits in the middle of the kitchen and dishes are stacked beside the sink. The dining room table is off to the side of the kitchen. The room has a sense of being lived in and I half expect the TV to be on with viewers sitting on the couch and easy chairs. It doesn’t quite have the loneliness the other houses had but that feeling is still strong.
McCafferty enters and kneels down beside Gonzalez. I get McCafferty’s attention and have her gather close.
“Do you want you and Gonzalez to check out the hall and bedrooms or have Henderson and Denton go instead?” I ask.
I know what happened to Gonzalez in her parent’s house and want to give her the choice in case the same thing has happened here. I don’t think any night runners are inside with the doors being locked but that doesn’t mean they aren’t. It has to be hard not knowing but it would be harder being directly confronted with it. I can’t imagine how devastating that would be to see your parents as night runners and then be the one to have to put them down. For some reason, and maybe it’s only me, it would be easier if someone else did it. On the other hand, I’m also thinking I would rather be the one. I want to give McCafferty the option that feels most comfortable to her.
“I’m good, sir. We’ll go,” she whispers looking around the familiar room.
Henderson and Denton cover the large room as McCafferty and Gonzalez edge toward the hall and check out its length. I stand close behind ready to give additional cover should they need it. Looking down the hall, I see all of the doors are closed which is either another goo
d sign or a bad one. If there are night runners inside, then they’ve learned to operate doors and locks and that wouldn’t be a comforting thing to say the least. I would head over to open the drapes and let the light in but I don’t want the light differential to interfere with our NVG’s. I have mine on because of what Gonzalez said and trying to be less conspicuous.
I watch as the two women enter the hall. Their thin points of light swing from door to door as they edge down the narrow corridor. I keep expecting to hear the familiar shriek or pounding against one of the closed doors but the house remains quiet with the exception of my heart pounding in my chest. I’m sure I’m taking years off my life by the constant adrenaline we seem to use up on an almost daily basis. I used to love that feeling but now it just makes me feel old and tired. I so wish for the peaceful retirement I had going. I guess this is supposed to be a constant in my life for some reason. I can’t imagine choosing this. I must have misread the line I was standing in. I had thought I left this life behind and was settling into a peaceful existence but the world spoke up and said differently. I wonder if I’ll ever reach that point again. I wish I was younger though. It sure would make this a lot easier, I think watching McCafferty and Gonzalez get ready to enter one of the rooms on the right.
McCafferty swings the door open and Gonzalez swings her M-4 side to side clearing the room. I can’t see what kind of room it is but I’m assuming it’s a small one as Gonzalez reaches down a moment later to touch McCafferty’s shoulder. McCafferty closes the door. They cover each room in the same manner with the same result, there’s no one here.