“He rolled left; I’m on him.”
Springer rolled right hoping to swing in behind the fighters. He pulled hard straining as his G-suit tightened up around his lower body.
As he came around, he did not like what he saw. Not only was the Tomcat no match for turning inside the Iranian fighter, there was another one rolling in on Donovan, diving from the aviator’s right and behind him.
Too late, he called, “Donovan, break right. You’ve got one rolling in on you.” Donovan’s Tomcat disintegrated.
Joe called out, “I see two chutes.”
“Get rescue up here.”
“Will do.”
Springer had tone. By the time the first one hit, he had tone on the second target.
“Goodbye,” he said.
His thumb hovered over the firing button, but before he could hit it, “Break left, break left, now!”
He did so, and an Iranian fighter screamed over his upturned aircraft so close that the aircraft buffeted. However, the cannon fire missed him.
Springer easily slid in behind him and touched off another missile. “Keep this up, and you’ll be an ace before the day is over,” joked his NFO.
“We still got to find a place to land.” He checked his fuel. Not good.
“We need to get out of here Joe. The fuel situation isn’t looking good.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Springer rolled around looking for more targets and more pursuers. He knew he faced a serious problem. If he led his men toward land, some of them might not make it. They would find themselves in the Persian Gulf. He might save most of the aircraft.
If he led them back to the area where he launched from, helicopters from the task force would pick them up, but all the aircraft would be lost. At the court martial, everyone would be second-guessing his decision. Sometimes the brass is heavier than at others.
“Plot me a course for Dubai, he instructed Joe. Hopefully, all the speed boats were up in the northern part of the gulf.
“Heading 280 will take us to the nearest friendly airfield.”
“Okay people, we’ve played around here long enough. Break off and turn to heading 280. Engage the enemy only if he pursues. Acknowledge.”
The remaining flight crews checked in. The Iranians, who were also checking their fuel gauges, let them go.
“Boss, they’re breaking off. Must have had enough.”
Hubris is a dangerous disease, he thought to himself. For some reason they let us go. He suspected the truth though; they had been outfoxed.
“I’ve got rescue on the horn. They’ll pick up Donovan and his NFO.”
“What about the other one who called first?”
“Don’t know. I’ve got nothing on that.”
“Okay guys, let’s make for the coast. We’ve done all we can.”
Chapter 6 – Escape Overland
Slime spoke and jarred my mind back into the present. “Pacho, what’s wrong with you?” he demanded. While daydreaming I had fallen behind the others, and Slime brought our column to a halt.
“Sorry, I guess I let my mind wander.”
“Yeah, come on.” With that he started off again. This time I tried to stay focused and keep up.
Fortunately, my injury appeared to be from flying glass and Craig got the bleeding stopped before we headed out. It just throbbed, but what the heck. We had a job to do; get these prisoners to safety. Most of them were armed now, and many were veterans. I guessed we would quickly become a cohesive unit, or at least I hoped so.
As we followed the road up to the ridge one prisoner fell back beside me. “Hey what’s your name?” he asked.
“Pacho.”
“Yours?”
“Louie.”
“Nice to meet you Louie.”
“Who are you guys?”
“We’re just part of a growing resistance movement, and someone decided to bust you out.”
“I wish you had done this last week.”
“Why?”
“My brother died during one of their interview sessions, as they called them.”
“I’m sorry.” It suddenly dawned on me that there could possibly be plants among the prisoners. I fought down my concerns but made a note not to give away the store.
“We bought some land out in the country and were building up the place in case the whole thing collapsed. We were still living in our campers with our families when we were raided.”
“What happened to your wives and kids?”
“I don’t know. If I cooperated they said they would find out for me, but I was already too mad to play their little games. They finally sent me to the camp for hard cases.”
“Along with your brother?” I asked.
“Yeah. Well, thanks for getting us out.”
“Glad to help.”
In the distance I heard a chopper. It grew steadily louder. Slime said, “Quick get off the road and into the trees. Okay everybody, spread out and get under something if you can, and don’t move.”
It passed off to the south probably up another valley. I went over to Slime. “You think they got the drones out after us?” I asked.
“Don’t know. If they aren’t out now, they probably will be soon.” To the group he added, “Everybody relax and rest for a few.”
“We’ve got some people who are going to get pretty thirsty before too long,” I said in a low voice.
“Yeah, I think there are some cabins up here a ways. We might be able to find water.”
Then, in the distance, we heard gunfire. It went on for several minutes, sometimes more of it and sometimes it backed off, but it never stopped. We all exchanged glances. We knew one of our teams had run into a police unit.
“Okay people, let’s get moving,” ordered Slime.
We did but not in some disorganized gaggle this time. We moved out like an army unit in hostile territory.
About a half hour later we heard a vehicle engine. “Quick get into the brush,” instructed Slime.
After they passed, Slime added, “It’s just a couple of guys out riding in a pickup, but we’re not taking any chances. There is always the chance they might tell someone that they saw a group of armed men out in the woods.”
“Slime, the forest is not too thick up here, and we’re leaving tracks on the road. How about we stay off the trail for a while?” I asked.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”
We did so and actually made decent time. When we came to another dirt road, Slime stopped us. “I’m going ahead and find a place to cross where the ground is hard. Pacho make sure we don’t leave any tracks.”
The sun was starting to get low, and we still had five miles to go according to the GPS when suddenly we heard a car door slam. We dropped to the ground. The sound came from down the hill, and it wasn’t far away.
Slime signaled for me to go and check it out. I slowly crept through the trees and used the bushes as cover. I could hear voices, and in the clearing there was a cabin. It looked like a family loading up to leave.
I counted five people in all and a dog. If that dog got wind of us, it could become a problem. I did not want to let them know we were here. I quietly slipped back up to Slime, and in a low voice, “There’s a cabin down there. It looks like the owners are loaded up and about to move out.”
“We’ll wait till we hear the car engine before we go down.”
“I could take our containers and a couple of men and get some water,” I said.
“Can you do it by yourself? I don’t want any tracks left.”
“I could leave them in the woods near the house and get the water myself.”
“Okay, do it.”
I went and found two men who said they were vets. “Okay guys, we’ll go down when we hear the car drive off.” They nodded understanding.
We did not have to wait long. I motioned them to follow me, and we carried all the water containers we had. Even though the car had gone, I waited in the edge of the woods with my det
ail for a bit just to make sure no one had been left behind.
I said to them, “I’m no burglar, but I’m going to try the back door.” It was locked which was no surprise. Suddenly, I heard vehicles coming and quickly beat it back into the woods. We found good hiding places.
It was four sheriff’s department cruisers. The deputies got out, and we could hear them talking.
“Okay, we had contact with some of the escaped prisoners down here,” said one deputy while pointed at what looked like a map.
“We need to separate and move along these roads and keep an eye out for more of them.”
“Do you think we can see anything from over there?” another asked pointing to an overlook.
“I don’t know let’s go see.” They walked over to the front of the cabin.
“Yeah, I can see other cabins down there. We’ll have to check them all out. If we find any sign of them, they’ll bring up the horses.”
In a few minutes they drove away. Water was kept in a raised tank next to the well. I quickly filled all the containers, and we hot footed it back up the hill.
“What the heck happened?” demanded Slime.
“Four cruisers with eight deputies are out looking for us.”
He turned to the others and motioned them up close. “There are four vehicle patrols out looking for us. That’s what all the noise down below was about. We need to stay off the roads and away from cabins.”
One man spoke up. “I don’t know how much farther I can get. My shoes are wearing a sore on my foot.”
“Let me see,” said Slime.
“No, don’t worry about it.”
“Give me your dang foot!”
The guy sat down and took off his shoe. It wasn’t too bad yet. He looked at me. “Get me the kit.”
I fished out the first aid kit, and he went to work. One of the many things we had been training in was first aid.
“The rest of you set up a perimeter,” instructed Slime.
It had warmed up, and you could smell the pine. It was clear for now, just an enjoyable hike through the hills. It didn’t take long till he was patched up.
“Another chopper coming in,” warned one of the prisoners.
“Spread out and get under something,” ordered Slime. “And don’t move once it’s close,” he added.
We waited. The chopper circled around the cabin and then flew on toward the other cabins. Slime motioned me over.
“We’re almost there, but we could also hold out till dark.”
“You’re right, but it will get dark soon enough. We need to press on. Do we really want to move these guys across country in the dark?”
“Yeah, I know. Okay then, let’s move out.” With that Slime stood up and motioned for the small group to follow him. He was leading us up along the ridgeline. The going was rough and slow in places. In about a mile or so we started downhill steeply.
I slipped and fell, and for a moment thought I had twisted my ankle. A couple of others slipped and landed on their cans as well. I hoped no one was listening down below. Slime must have thought the same thing. He stopped the march and motioned me to join him.
“What you got?” I asked.
“We are making a lot of noise. If anyone’s down there, they’re sure to hear us. Can you get down there and have a look around without making too much noise?”
“Sure, I’ll do what I can.” I moved out alone. It was dusk and soon would be dark. Soon I could see the dirt track below me. There was also no way up the other side as it was vertical. I eased off to the left then froze as I saw headlights.
I could make out the cruiser clearly. This guy had his windows up and was moving at a pretty good speed. Maybe he didn’t really want to catch us. I moved out; there was a small opening in the cliff on the other side. I thought we might be able to get through it but had to make sure. I found some brush and used it to erase any tracks I left.
These were big boulders which had eroded from the cliff behind it, but there was a way through. Once out the other side it was a steep climb, but we could make it. I made my way back.
“Okay Slime, we can make it, but it won’t be easy. A patrol car passed on the dirt road. Let me lead the way and you clean up any footprints we leave behind, okay.”
“Okay kid.” Then he added, “You’re getting good at this.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
I led off; and we stumbled, slipped, and fell. Eventually we were down by the road.
“How are we going to get across?” asked one of the prisoners who sounded winded and near panic.
“I don’t want to go back in there.”
“You won’t. I promise,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Just follow me.”
“It’s dark,” he said.
“Makes it harder for the fat deputies to see us,” I said, smiling and trying to sound as if I knew what I was doing.
I could barely see the old beer can I left to mark the crossing point. “Come on, let’s go.”
That’s when I heard another vehicle coming. We quickly moved back into the trees. My heart raced, but it was another pickup, not the deputies. Once it was gone, we moved out again in single file. I didn’t stop until there was room for the group to get through the narrow gap. Now they would have to be standing on top of us to find us.
The GPS showed that we had scarcely gone two miles, and now we were climbing up a steep hill, though trees, in the dark. We had flashlights, but didn’t want to use them in case they could be spotted.
The going was rough, about as bad as I had ever seen. We had to stop more often now to let people rest. A couple of times someone would not want to go on, but we always got him motivated. Finally, we made the top; walking the ridges would be easy for a while until we hit another deep valley. When we did, there would probably be a dirt road through it and another chance at getting caught.
“Now it’s getting uncomfortably cool. I don’t suppose you brought jackets for us,” complained an overweight prisoner. He was balding, and his gut hung over the pants we had given him. He was wearing a green, long sleeved shirt, and had been sweating.
“No, and there’re no rations left. Even the water’s getting low,” another added.
Slime stopped the march. I could see the lights of cabins down below us. Why the heck do people move way out in the hills and put up streetlights? It makes no sense, I thought.
“Look people, this is some hard going, I know. We’ve only two miles left to go to the roadside picnic area where we’re to be picked up if all went according to plan.”
We started downhill again, and another one of the prisoners started complaining loudly. “Why don’t we just stick to the roads? It would be easier and quicker.”
“It could also get us caught,” Slime replied roughly and stopped. “All they’d have to do is wait till we walked right into them, and all this would be for nothing.”
“Relax Billy; these guys have done all right by us so far.” It was a prisoner who had spoken but little the whole time.
“I’m getting cold,” complained another.
“We’re all getting cold.” It was the prisoner who had just spoken up.
“What’s your name sir?” I asked.
“Amos,” he replied.
“Like the Old Testament prophet?” Slime added.
“Yes,” Amos replied.
“I’m cold and I’m hungry,” the complainer continued.
“Maybe you would like it back in the prison camp,” replied Amos.
“I thought you guys were supposed to be the hard cases,” began Slime. “Look, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Just suck it up. If you’re not tough, now is the time to get tough.”
Another prisoner spoke up. “It’s not nearly as cold as Valley Forge.”
The complainer quieted down, and we moved out. It had become cloudy, which was good unless it started to rain. All we needed was for it to rain a while then clear off. The temperature wou
ld crater.
Now, I don’t believe in action at a distance, but soon after this crossed my mind the wind picked up, and it started to sprinkle. Not much, just enough to soak us to the bone. Shortly thereafter it started to clear up. Not good.
Soon my teeth were chattering, and I started to get worried about hypothermia. That was another thing we had been studying as part of field craft. Note to self: don’t go out again without preparations for everything going to hades. At least I had a light jacket. The escaped prisoners had less.
Suddenly, someone turned on a flashlight with a red lens right in front of us. I nearly had a coronary. It was quickly switched off.
“Don’t shoot, it’s me.”
“Me who?” demanded Slime. Everyone had dropped down and was in firing position.
“It’s Tim, you guys.”
“Are you alone?” asked Slime.
“Yeah,” Tim responded.
“Come on, but don’t turn that light on again.”
“I won’t,” “Tim said as he came close.
I joined them. “What the heck are you doing up here?”
“Good to see you too. I was sent to find you. Your message got through, but cops are everywhere. We were run off from the picnic area, so I went and got survival blankets, jackets, a couple of rain ponchos, water purification tablets, energy bars, and anything else I could grab and carry.”
“Where’s Ricki; I thought you two were joined at the hip?”
“We are most of the time. She dropped me off, and I climbed up to the top of this ridge and waited for you guys.”
“Have any trouble finding us?” asked Slime.
“No, you guys sound like a brass band going through the woods.”
“We’ll have to work on that.” It was Amos; he had moved up and joined us.
“Tim meet Amos; Amos Tim.” Amos proffered his hand and Tim took it.
Slime spoke up. “Let’s see what you got and get some of these things passed out. We’ve got some people who are getting pretty cold.”
“We got one guy who’s in trouble,” said Amos.
“Okay, get him out of that wet shirt and give him this jacket and a space blanket.”
“Space blanket?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s what they were called when they first came out. Emergency or survival blankets will do.”
World War III - Home Front: A Novel of the Next American Revolution - Book One – As Day turns to Night Page 7