Blue Plague The Fall

by Watson, Thomas A.

  “When did you find out this?” Bruce asked.

  “I’m not real sure, but I know I have not seen you since I found out. Sorry dude, I just collapsed and woke up here on the desk. Did you put me here?” Mike asked.

  “No, I went to sit down, and you were on my desk. That’s when I found Angela laying on the floor behind the desk and put her in the chair,” Bruce told him.

  “Have you got any sleep?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah, I fell asleep on the toilet taking a shit. I woke up when I hit the floor. I then had to lie on the damn floor until I got feeling back in my legs,” Bruce said in a pissed-off voice. “Everyone falls asleep where someone picks them up and puts them in a chair or on a desk. I fall asleep on the toilet and fall off. Then I have to wait until I can move before I can get off that nasty floor.”

  Mike chuckled. “Well, it could have been worse. So what is the plan?” Mike asked in a hushed voice.

  “We are leaving in the morning. Wake Angela. I want you to offer to take her and her family out to the farm. They are both from Ohio and grew up on farms, so they know how to work. She can’t say anything to anyone. I will tell you both of my plans tonight. Now, let’s go see some patients,” Bruce said.

  “Bruce, does it bother you leaving everyone and the patients here?” Mike asked.

  “Leaving the patients, no, I took an oath to help them, not to die with them. Where the hell are their families? I have been going for over seventy hours with only a nap on a damn toilet that crippled me. I have a family to get to, as do you. As far as our coworkers, yes, I might feel a little guilty. But I may have a plan to help them escape, but we come first. Meet me in the break room at ten o’clock tonight,” Bruce said without any hint of guilt in his voice.

  “Okay, brother, I’m with you as always. Saturday will be our last day here, or we will die trying,” Mike said as Bruce knuckle-bumped him, walking off. Mike woke up Angela to ask her what she wanted to do.

  Chapter 23

  Debbie was sitting in the fort on her watch. She had just received a text from Bruce that they were leaving tomorrow. With the spelling and tone, Debbie knew that Bruce was exhausted. Since they had left Tuesday, she had talked to him once, Wednesday night. She had called him just to hear his voice. She told him Stephanie had made it in and was already fitting in her role as part of the family. Bruce said he was happy that she had made it okay. Debbie told him everyone here at the farm was doing well and she could not wait until he got back. They said good-bye, and she cried herself to sleep again that night. She had gotten several texts from him, and Nancy had received several texts from Mike. Debbie was grateful for Stephanie getting here, because she was everywhere, helping everyone, taking her turn on watch, and feeding animals.

  Everyone in the family had taken turns over the years that Stephanie stayed at the house teaching her what they had learned. Stephanie could shoot an M-4 pretty good and could field strip it faster than several of the kids. Debbie had given her one of her tactical vests she did not wear anymore. Bruce always picked some up at gun shows plus his demo trailer was full of them; Debbie knew she had six still hanging in her closet not counting the ones in storage. Then they took Stephanie out to the clothes’ storage, picking out two sets of the four kinds of BDUs that the family wore. Stephanie was her relief when her shift was over this afternoon. She glanced down to the video monitors that Matt and Jake had placed in the fort. There were only two screens, but they could switch between all thirty cameras. She had the screens on the cameras that looked down the road. They had not seen a car since the day Stephanie had pulled into the driveway. She really hoped it stayed that way.

  Debbie was dreaming about Bruce coming home when she heard the tractor crank up in the back part of the property. She got on the radio, trying to tell them to shut it off. David was in mission control and said Danny and Mary had gone out to feed the horses. Debbie called on the radio for Steve. When he answered, he told Debbie he was filling sandbags. She told him to run up to the fort; she was going to the back of the property to shut the tractor off. She opened the door, slinging her AUG across her back, and slid down the pole. Taking off at a full run to the house so she could jump on an electric buggy, she passed Steve running up to the fort with his M-4 in one hand and his tactical vest in the other. Reaching the house, Debbie jumped on the buggy, flooring it to the back of the property. People could not believe how big 110 acres was until they had to walk it. She was so glad they did not fence in the whole property; those walks would drop you on a hot day like today. Passing the barn, she saw Danny and Mary unloading hay to put in the horse stalls. Debbie jumped off the buggy, jogging up to the girls waving her hand across her throat for Danny to kill the engine. Mary saw Debbie first and pointed at her so Danny could see her. When Danny saw Debbie, she cut off the engine.

  “What the hell are you two doing?” Debbie asked.

  “We had to bring some hay back here. The horse stall was empty,” Danny replied, getting off the tractor and slinging her rifle across her back.

  “Baby, what did we say about noise discipline?” Debbie asked, keeping her temper under control.

  “Daddy said we could use it in the morning, Mama,” Danny said.

  “Danny and Mary, it is eleven o’clock. He meant while it was still dark outside. I heard that tractor in the fort with a fan blowing on me. That means anyone within several miles could hear it also. In the morning before the sun comes up, the air is denser next to the earth and sound does not carry that far,” Debbie explained to both girls. As she looked at both of them she could see they had tears in their eyes. Not because they thought they were in trouble but because they had let everyone down and put the family in danger.

  “It’s okay girls, no harm, no foul,” Debbie said. Just then her radio went off; it was David.

  “We have a cop car that just pulled onto our road and is stopped at the curve where the first camera is at,” David reported.

  Debbie’s heart froze, and panic crossed her face. Then just as suddenly it was gone. “Girls, get in the buggy,” Debbie said as she ran for the buggy. All three got in the buggy and raced for the house. When they pulled up to the house, they ran to mission control. David was sitting looking at the monitors. Everyone was there standing behind him, looking with him at the cop car. It had now pulled past the curve and was at the corner of the hayfield. It was just sitting there.

  “Steve said he could see him real good with the spotting scope. He reported that it was a constable car from Red River parish, Mama Debbie,” David said. Constables in Louisiana were referred to as fake cops. They served papers for the court but nothing more, and Red River parish was below them; they lived in Bienville parish. What was he doing here? The car started to slowly pull forward at a crawl down the road.

  “Okay, Danny and Mary, you two get on the west side of the house and find some cover. Matt, you and Jake get on the east side and get behind cover. I am saying cover, not concealment. I want you behind something that will stop bullets not just hide you. None of you will shoot unless I or Nancy starts shooting. Now move and do like you are told, and be careful,” she said to them. Each of the kids checked weapons as they hurried out of the room.

  “You don’t expect to have a shootout do you, Debbie?” asked Stephanie.

  “I don’t know what to expect, but after what Bruce, Mike, and you have told me, we are taking no chances,” Debbie said. Debbie picked up and keyed her radio, “Steve, how many are in the car?” she asked.

  “Only one,” Steve replied.

  “I want you to listen to me, okay? We are going to act like we are not here, but if it becomes an issue, we are going to let him in. Nancy and I will meet him in the driveway and see if we can make him leave. If we can’t or things start to look bad, I’m going to brush my hand through my hair; that will be the signal for you to kill him. Do you understand, Steve? If it looks like I can’t give you the signal, then you take your shot. Just make sure we are not hit by crossfire,” De
bbie said, giving Steve his rules of engagement.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied with no hesitation.

  Nancy was just looking at her then looked down and checked her weapons to make sure everything was ready. A potential threat had come to the farm, and now it had to be dealt with.

  “Tonya, you and Stephanie will stay here. You will back up whoever calls for assistance first,” Nancy told them.

  For the next ten minutes, the patrol car just rolled down the road until it came to the driveway. The patrol car sat there for several minutes until he pulled up to the gate. He rolled down his window, and Debbie got her first look at him. He was a big man in his upper fifties, balding and very overweight. He leaned over and pressed the call box.

  “This is Officer Jenkens. If someone is there, open the gate,” he said over the call box.

  They all waited, staring at the officer on the monitor, waiting to see what he would do. He again leaned out and held the talk button. “This is Officer Jenkens. If this gate is not opened in the next few seconds, I’m going to ram it and arrest everyone on this property. Do I make myself clear?” he yelled into the call box.

  Debbie walked over to the desk and pressed the talk button, “Officer Jenkens, this is Debbie Williams, the owner of this property. My husband is not here right now. He is a reserve officer for Caddo and was called in to assist them. How can I help you, sir?” Debbie said, letting the button go.

  “I did not fucking ask you where your husband was bitch, I said to open this fucking gate now!” he yelled into the box.

  “David, open the gate. Nancy, you come with me. Sling your rifle over your back. I don’t think this is going to end well,” Debbie said, walking out of mission control with Nancy behind her. Debbie and Nancy walked out of the door and stood in front of the house, waiting on the patrol car to make it to the end of the drive. Once the car was in front of them, Officer Jenkens turned the car off and got out, smiling at Nancy and Debbie standing in front of the house.

  “Now, don’t either one of you make a move for any of your weapons. Do I make myself clear?” Jenkens said.

  “Yes, sir,” Debbie said. “What do we owe this pleasure of your visit?”

  “In case you have not heard, there is a mandatory evacuation for all civilians to security camps. Martial law has been declared, and I can visit whoever I damn well please anytime I want to. Do I make myself clear?” he said, resting his right hand on his pistol on his belt.

  “Yes, sir,” replied Debbie. “We were just waiting on our husbands to get home, then we are going to the camps, sir,” Debbie replied, trying to make it sound believable.

  “Your husbands won’t be home anytime soon, sweet cheeks. Shreveport is a war zone, and no one is allowed to leave. Your husbands are fools for leaving two pretty things like you all by yourselves. I might just have to show you how a real man treats his women,” he said with a grin on his face.

  “That is quite rude, sir,” Nancy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Officer Jenkens pointed at Nancy with his left hand as his right grabbed his pistol. “Bitch, if you move like that again, I will shoot you. If you think I’m scared of two little ladies who got into their husbands’ gear, then I need to show you what scared really means,” he said, walking toward the women.

  “That won’t be necessary, Officer,” Debbie said, reaching up with her left hand and running it through her hair. Officer Jenkens was forty feet from both of them when his head exploded from the impact of the 5.56 hollow point just as he was about to say something. Neither of them heard the shot with the suppressor on Steve’s M-4. The shot was a little under a hundred yards for Steve as he sat watching through his scope. The headless corpse stood for a fraction of a second before collapsing to the ground.

  Nancy fell to her knees, throwing up, as Debbie walked over to the police car with her pistol drawn. Seeing Debbie walk toward the car, Nancy jumped up, unslinging her AUG and backing Debbie as she cleared the car.

  “Everyone not on station, come to the front yard,” Debbie said on her radio. Everyone except Steve and David were standing in front of the patrol car.

  “I want this piece of shit stripped and thrown in his trunk. I want the radios out and in the house. Everything that can be used, I want out of this car and off this body. We have thirty minutes,” Debbie informed everyone.

  No one asked questions, and they started on the task at hand. The car was stripped in less than thirty minutes. Nothing was left; even the spare tire was removed. They found a military M-16 in the backseat with a full auto setting, along with a shotgun in the trunk. Everything went into the house. Then they put the body in the trunk. They broke the rule of not leaving the property as Debbie drove the patrol car several miles from the house with Danny following behind in her SUV. They dumped it and torched it beside the road. Then they returned home with Danny crying.

  “Mom, I’m really sorry. I did not mean for that to happen. I would never put the family at risk on purpose,” she said, apologizing.

  “Baby, we don’t know if he heard you. I think he was just looking for people to do very bad things to and just found us. At least he won’t be able to hurt anyone now,” Debbie said to her.

  “What happens if someone comes looking for him?” asked Danny.

  “If someone comes and they pose a problem, then we will deal with it. But I doubt he reported where he was because he had planned to hurt someone; make no mistake. I could see it in his eyes,” Debbie told her.

  “I don’t care that we shot him. I don’t want you thinking I was being a bitch and doing what I wanted. I would have pulled the trigger on him Mom, without a second thought. Please don’t be mad at me and Mary,” Danny pleaded.

  “Baby, I am not mad at you or Mary. If it is anyone’s fault, it is mine. I should have made a time limit on when the tractor could be used. Both of you were doing your chores, and each of you had your guns on you like you were supposed to,” Debbie said, reaching over and patting her hand. “You did good today, baby. We all did. Evil came to our house and threatened our family, and it was dealt with,” Debbie finished.

  When they got to the house, everyone was still in shock from the event. Sure, it had been prepared for, but they had drawn blood to protect the family. Debbie went to talk to Steve after Matt relieved him from guard duty. She asked him if he was okay. He told his mother he had no problem killing to protect the family and was ready to do it again.

  She wished Bruce were here to talk to him. She just wanted to make sure he was all right. There was no way she could say anything over the phone or text him about what had happened. It would just have to wait until he got home. Nancy stopped her in the kitchen and apologized for throwing up and not following her immediately to clear the car. Debbie told her it was okay, but Nancy had to be strong until the duo returned. Until then, they were responsible for the family. They could only pray that the officer had never reported his position. Debbie did not think he would have reported his position with what she clearly saw he intended to do on his face. If more came then they would deal with it. There was no turning back now. She sat down in the kitchen and fell asleep in her chair with her hand reaching toward where Bruce would sit if he were there.

  Chapter 24

  Bruce was in the trauma bay in the back of the ER checking on his six patients, who were on vents, what most people referred to as life support. All the machine did was breathe for someone who could not breathe on his or her own. After making sure everything was going good and checking all the IV infusions on each patient, he left to see the rest of his patients. It was 9 p.m. on Friday now; it had been almost ten hours since he had talked to Mike and Angela. The hospital had run out of vents a little after twelve noon today. Already they had lost seven patients because there was no equipment for them after they left the operating room. A person could only bag––breath for someone else––for so long before they got tired. Doctors were making rounds to see which patients were viable and had a chance o
f survival and which ones had little chance and taking them off the life support. The hospital had run out of blood Wednesday night, and the rest of the medical supplies were running low. Pain medications were almost nonexistent now. Even a level one trauma center could only do so much. Bruce was amazed that they had lasted as long as they did. One of the residents had counted the number of gunshots the hospital had received since Wednesday, and so far they were at 298. This did not count the stabbings and car wrecks that had come in.

  The other hospitals in town were already past the breaking point. Several had closed, and one had been overrun by looters looking for drugs last night. They had received three police officers from that shootout. Even though the ER had done everything that they could, they lost all three. They had just been down too long, and the ER was out of supplies. The ambulances that were still running could only pick up people and bring them in. But the hospital had not gotten an ambulance in over two hours. A lot of EMS units had just left. They were tired of arriving on the scene and getting shot at. Shreveport had already lost fifteen paramedics from gunfire. The entire city of Shreveport was a no-man’s-land.

  Bruce was walking back to the front of the ER when he heard automatic gunfire coming from the waiting area. He dove to the floor, crawling to the wall. He had his .45 in the small of his back in a body holster. It looked like a corset made of elastic that was held in place with Velcro. The suppressor was in a holster not attached to the gun; four extra magazines were on his ankles in similar holsters. He did not want to pull it out until he had a viable threat, so he reached into his pocket, pulling out his switchblade. He did not open it but did keep it in his hand.

  There was a lot of fire in the front of the ER. From the sound, more than a couple of dozen people were exchanging fire with each other. Then an explosion shook the floor. Then a long blast from a machine gun––only belt-fed weapon could fire for that length of time. The firefight lasted for about eight minutes, but it seemed like years to Bruce on the floor. As suddenly as it started, it stopped. Then there was single shot from M-4s and sidearms, and they were getting close. From the sound of it, the military was mopping up. Bruce had been in enough firefights in the Army to know the tempo of battle. For the life of him, he did not understand why the shots were moving closer. He pulled himself into a crouch, risking a quick look by standing up and getting back down. He had not seen anything in the doctors’ and nurses’ area. He crawled up to look out into the hallway when he heard a scream off to his left then another to his right. Whatever was to his right was closer, so he crept up to the doorway looking into the hallway. Bruce could smell something rotten that made him want to throw up. He risked a quick glance and pulled his head back. Two people were wrestling with a woman on the floor in the hallway; one appeared to be a man, the other one a woman. He risked another look and saw the blue-skinned woman attacker grab the person’s arm and bite. The scream froze his soul. It was filled with pain, hopelessness, and a terror that was impossible to describe.