Defending Home

by Jeffrey Miller

  “Ben, we have to get back and then figure some things out. I’m sure there are several people worrying about us right now,” Nate explained.

  Ben nodded his head.

  “Dillon, I do want to help you, but we need to have a plan first,” Nate stated.

  Chapter 5

  Loaded for Bear

  The darkness and cold would be coming in a few hours. Nate and Ben didn’t have a lot of time to get back home. Before leaving, Nate briefly told Dillon and the others that he could help, but that he needed to get back home and bring back reinforcements. Nate and Ben then took off down the mountain moving at a good pace. Ben seemed eager; perhaps thinking he would be allowed to go help. Nate knew he would have to break it to Ben gently that he couldn’t allow that. For now though, he needed Ben to maintain the energy level he had to get home.

  Dillon sat down at the table in the ranger cabin. Becky brought him the rationed coffee each was allowed. She sat down across from her husband. His large hands encompassed the small cup. It was very warm.

  “Do you think he will come back? He seemed honest,” Becky asked.

  Dillon sipped the hot black coffee. There was something familiar about Nate, but he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it yet.

  “Yes, oddly yes…I think he will help us. He seems very confident. If these guys are Russian – and we don’t have any idea how many there are – then we will need help. I just hope they are still around,” Dillon replied.

  Becky started to tear up. “You don’t think they are using her for sex, do you?” she asked.

  Dillon had hoped she wouldn’t ask that. It was the thing her feared the most. He didn’t see any other reason why they would take her. He was certain that’s why they did. The thoughts pained him to the core and he felt helpless.

  “I pray not, Becky; but Audrey is so strong, she was raised right…and don’t forget she is a black belt,” Dillon said smiling, trying to give Becky some reason to be hopeful. It seemed to work as Becky smiled and grasped Dillon’s hand harder.

  It was very late when Nate and Ben walked up to the house. Henry was on the porch with his rifle.

  “Where the hell have you two been?” Henry said. “Everyone is worried sick. I thought you were just going to shoot and train some?” Henry continued.

  “Dad, let’s go inside, I will explain everything,” Nate said, walking up the steps. He was surprised when he walked in saw Sammie sitting on the sofa waiting also. She jumped up and hugged him. Nate hugged her back, it felt good.

  Nate and Ben took off their coats and sat down near the fire. Betty brought them both a hot cup of chicken broth. Nate began by telling them where they had gone and exactly what happened while they were there. At first everyone was pretty upset with because Nate and Ben’s abduction, but once they realized the reason why their captor did what he did, the attitudes changed from anger to compassion for the missing young lady.

  Sammie spoke up. “They are up at Ranger District 47. I know that place. You guys were a good distance away then. How many people are living there?” she asked.

  “At least five; maybe six. They were traveling back to North Dakota but ran out of gas,” Nate explained.

  “Guess you know what they are going through, and then some, on many fronts,” Henry stated.

  Nate nodded his head. Henry could tell Nate was holding something back, something he hadn’t mentioned yet. Henry knew what it was.

  “So, you told them you would help them, right?”

  Nate looked up and everyone was looking at him waiting for an answer. Odds were they all knew his answer, but they wanted to hear it come from him.

  “Yes, I told them I wanted to help. How can I not? So many people helped me and Ben get home. There is a young girl out there with God knows what happening to her right now. If this nation is to ever get back to any sense of normalcy, then good has to win over the bad,” Nate finished.

  Silence fell across the room.

  *****

  The next morning Nate woke up early. He was thinking things over in his mind about the best way to proceed in locating the remaining Russians. He figured it was very likely they were still higher up in the mountains, and aware of the failure of the invasion force. Their goal was probably to remain out of sight as much as possible. If he were in their shoes, that’s what he would do also, but Nate would be thinking about trying to obtain clothing from the locals and blending in. It would be very hard for them – if not impossible – to ever return home. He had a lot of ammo and full auto rifles that he had taken off of the Russian soldiers who were killed. He also had several explosive devices and communication radios. It never occurred to Nate to turn them on at the time to monitor traffic, but he was likely out of range now. However, those items could help in locating the girl.

  Henry agreed to go back with Nate because he knew Nate would need his sniper abilities. The hardest thing was going to be telling Ben that he couldn’t go along with them. Nate was finishing getting dressed when Ben walked into the room. Ben was already up and he brought Nate a cup of coffee.

  “Thank you, I need this today,” Nate said as he sat down. He noticed that Ben had his rifle slung over his shoulder as he came in the room.

  “Ben, I need to talk to you. Can you have a seat?” Nate asked. Samson came in the room and sat down next to Ben.

  “Ben, I think it may be very dangerous for you if I take you with me. Son, I can’t take that chance and I hope you understand,” Nate said, holding nothing back. Ben didn’t hesitate in his response.

  “I wasn’t planning on going. I think I can be of more use here, helping watch over things. I have a rifle now, and I can take my turn on the porch. I have watched you and grandpa, and I know what to do,” he replied confidently. Nate was surprised. He did not expect that response from Ben.

  “Besides that, Sammie said she would need my help also and I can help look after her. She really likes you and I hope you like her,” Ben stated. Nate closed his eyes and laughed to himself. In her own way, Sammie had helped Nate again by taking away the worry he had by leaving Ben behind.

  Nate gathered up the extra AK-47s and loaded magazines. The rest of the gear was set inside a large green duffle bag. The bag was strapped to the back of one of the two ATVs that Gene was letting them use. Nate spent a good deal of time with Sammie and her family explaining what was going on. They were supportive, and offered up extra food to take to the stranded family at the ranger station. Henry loaded up the other ATV with the donations as well as his own rifle and gear. The trip would take them long now. Nate hated using the gas, but he knew it was important. Once they arrived, they would not use the ATVs any further until they were ready to return home. The rest of their trip would be on foot.

  Gene came out and walked over to Nate.

  “Nate, please be careful. I know I don’t need to tell you that, but we all care about you; especially someone else,” Gene said as he turned to glance over his shoulder at Sammie who was bringing over a familiar looking paper bag that looked heavy.

  The last time Nate had seen a bag like that, was when he was leaving Gene’s home in his old truck after giving Gene and Mattie a ride home just after the collapse occurred.

  “I plan to be very careful. I know what I have here, sir…, and I haven’t been happier to tell you the truth,” Nate replied, shaking Gene’s hand.

  In silence, Gene was waiting for the day that Nate would open his eyes to his daughter. He could already see her attention toward Nate, and he knew that her heart was waiting for the same thing as his. Nate’s response had finally given Gene a good sense that Nate was completely aware of Sammie’s attraction to him, but just may not have had the time yet to act on it, given everything that had been going on the past month.

  Sammie walked up. “Well, I made you up a good bag of food for you and your dad. I know you like biscuits, so I made a few extras. Made them over the fireplace again to give them that extra smoked taste you like,” she said handing the ba
g to Nate.

  Nate couldn’t ignore the feeling any longer. “Come with me for a second, I want to talk to you,” Nate asked, putting the bag on the ATV and leading her away, around the corner of the house.

  Sammie was surprised. She didn’t know what was going on. She hadn’t seen Nate act like this before.

  When they reached a spot of privacy, Nate spun Sammy around and held her close to him.

  “Listen Sammie, I...” Nate stopped talking and moved in slowly to kiss Sammie. She couldn’t believe it was finally happening. She let him, and together they held one another close. She could feel the massive strength in his upper body as he held her. Nate loved how she felt in his arms, and often wondered what she used to make her beautiful hair smell so good. Slowly, their lips pulled apart and they just stood looking at each other.

  “I will be back,” Nate said again.

  “You better be back,” Sammie replied.

  “I will.”

  She stopped him and moved in to kiss him again. Nate didn’t stop her.

  Henry was sitting on the ATV, waiting on Nate, and not knowing where he had run off to. Then he saw Nate come around the corner holding Sammie’s hand. Henry pretended not to notice. After a few minutes, everyone else came outside to see Henry and Nate off. Nate saw Ben walking over, still with his rifle slung on his back.

  “Be careful dad, find the girl for them,” Ben said, not having to say come back safely. Ben, more than anyone there, had seen his father at work; he knew what Nate could do. Ben had no doubts that his father would return.

  Nate and Henry hugged everyone goodbye and started up the ATVs. In moments, they would be out of sight.

  The trail that Nate took was close to the one that he and Ben had taken the previous day. This time though, this trail was wider and easier for the ATV to use. Sammie had drawn up a map for them since she had been to the ranger station a few times in the past. Nate told Dillon, before they arrived, that he may be on ATVs. He told him to listen for the horn to sound five times before they would drive up. They didn’t wish to be shot at upon arrival. The trip only took about thirty minutes. It seemed much longer when they were on foot. Nate had not driven an ATV since returning home to Fritch.

  Once outside of the ranger station, Nate and Henry sat on the ATVs and honked the horn five times. The horn was loud, being an aftermarket deal that Gene put on. Nate had one of the Russian walkie talkies clipped to his coat and turned it on. So far, they had not heard anything come across the airway. Nate then heard on gunshot go off, indicating they were heard and to come on in. Slowly, they both drove down the trail that would take them right to the front of the ranger station.

  When they pulled up, Nate and Henry saw everyone standing around. Dillon and Becky were in front. Snow had fallen over night, and where it could fall through the thick trees in covered the ground well. They turned off the ATVs and got off.

  “Dillon, this is my father, Henry,” Nate said.

  Henry shook Dillion’s hand and then Becky’s. Nate noticed them all looking at the gear and rifles strapped to the rack on the ATVs.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you would help us. Are all of those from the Russians guys you killed?” Dillon asked.

  Nate turned to look at the ATV. Becky and a few others looked very uncomfortable.

  “Yes. Listen… these are soldiers that came to our country to wage war. They never had a chance and I can’t begin to know why they are here. We had to do what was necessary to protect our families just as you need to do. There is a good chance we can find your daughter…what is her name?” Nate realized he didn’t even know her name.

  “Audrey, her name is Audrey. Sorry, I thought we told you,” Becky replied.

  “We need to decide the best way to go about finding Audrey. It’s very likely they are still higher up in the mountains. Do you remember which way they went?” Nate asked.

  Dillon looked over his shoulder toward the northwest.

  “Yes, they went up toward the northwest,” he replied.

  Nate stepped to the rear of his ATV. He removed a few of the straps and the bag that held the loaded AK-47 magazines.

  “Do any of you have military training?” Nate asked, looking around at everyone. Henry was busy removing a few rifles and one very large duffle bag.

  Ray stepped over to get a closer look at the rifles. “I am the only one here with military training,” Dillon stated.

  Nate looked at him. “I suspected as much. What branch?” Nate asked, removing a few more items from the rear of the ATV.

  “The Marines; I was a Drill Instructor,” he replied.

  Nate turned to look at him.

  “Well, you and my father will get along just fine,” Nate said laughing.

  Henry looked over and the questions began. Henry was much older, and had served long ago, but that didn’t matter much.

  “Nate, what branch were you in, I mean…I assume you were in the military,” Dillon asked.

  “I figure you for the Navy,” Ray inserted before Nate could reply.

  “Army,” Nate replied as he handed Dillon and Ray an AK-47.

  “Army?” Dillon asked.

  Henry looked up and watched as Nate just nodded the affirmative.

  “Ok, guess that is better than nothing,” Dillon said. Henry started to say something, but Nate motioned against it.

  “Ok, well…if we all are done here, we need to formulate a plan,” Nate said.

  Dillon seemed aggravated and spoke up, “Listen Nate, I appreciate you helping and bringing in some weapons, but I think I should be the one deciding on a plan. I’m older and I…”

  He was cut off midstream by Henry. Henry was as tall as Dillon, and stepped up to him face to face. Dillon didn’t expect this, and he saw Becky step aside the person who was next to him.

  “Ok listen, have you ever served in combat?” Henry asked loudly.

  “Well no, I was a DI, but I...” Dillon was cut off once again.

  “There aren’t no buts…you might want to just listen,” Henry said and stepped back.

  “Dillon…I, we, you…none of us have time to measure who has the biggest resume here. I said ‘we need’ not ‘I need.’ However, I do have combat experience; twenty years’ worth. This man has the same in a different time,” Nate explained.

  “What do you think then that we need to do?” Dillon asked, still with a tone in his voice.

  Nate was trying really hard to ignore the apparent lack of appreciation that he felt was coming from Dillion. He didn’t know why he was acting like this.

  “Dillon, what is your problem? Ever since we arrived, you and that halfwit have been on my ass. Do you really not want the help? Because if that is the case, we can pack our happy asses back to where we came from,” Nate said with a loud tone.

  This time Becky stepped between them.

  “Nate, I’m sorry for my husband’s words and how he is acting. I think we are all just tired, and honestly feeling overwhelmed,” she commented.

  “You guys need to decide if you want the help or not. I will be honest with you…these men out there are professionals and they must be dealt with by professionals. We need to find them and strike hard, that’s the only way this will go down. You can’t talk to them or negotiate. I am surprised they didn’t kill you all the first time. That is the only thing that gives me hope that they don’t have great numbers and that they thought this place had far more guns pointed their way,” Nate replied.

  “What did you do in the Army?” Ray asked.

  Nate felt as though this all had become about the fact that Nate had bettered Ray up in hand-to-hand combat the day before, and now felt as though he was being told what to do by the same guy.

  “I was a ranger,” Nate said.

  Ray’s expression changed. Dillon didn’t say a word. He had a dumbfounded look on his face.

  “Well Dillon, I think we owe Nate a little more respect than you wanted to give him,” Becky said as she walked away,
obviously upset with him.

  “Nate, I am sorry. My wife is right; it’s been hard to deal with our daughter’s capture. I have felt handtied about it all. I was wrong with what we did yesterday, and how we have acted now. I may be an ass, but I can admit when I’m wrong,” Dillon stated. Dillon looked over at Ray.

  “Sorry…I guess I’m still not over getting my ass kicked by someone whose hands were tied up. I guess though it isn’t so bad…I mean at least I got my ass handed to me by a ranger,” Ray said laughing as he extended his hand to shake Nate’s hand. Nate shook his hand and smiled back.

  “I’m just glad you didn’t kill me,” Ray said.

  The fact was, in Nate’s mind, if he had of had a few seconds more to alert him to their presence, neither might have lived to see this day. What occurred was good for them even if they didn’t realize it.

  With the bad feelings set aside, everyone gathered around the large bonfire to relax a bit. The evening was coming in soon, and Becky was preparing a large pot of beans for dinner. Henry and Nate were busy going over the weapons they had brought with Dillon and Ray. It turned out that Ray was Dillon’s brother. He served during Desert Storm with the Army’s 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Ray was also a devoted uncle to his missing niece. Dillon was cleaning one of the rifles when Becky come carrying a large handle pot. She hung the pot over a smaller fire pit on a cast iron hook. She announced the soup was ready and that she would return with bowls.

  “So, do you guys have enough food? It will get harder once winter settles in,” Henry asked as he lifted the lid and admired the delicious looking bean soup.

  “We found several number ten cans of beans here when the park ranger left, and we have also managed to do some successful hunting. Number 10 cans were the very large cans someone would see at the bulk section of a grocery store. The number didn’t indicate weight but rather the type of can made by a manufacturer. Everything is rationed. Fortunately, the water isn’t an issue with all the nearby streams. We already had some provisions when we found ourselves stranded. There have been a few times that we went off on foot to a few other abandoned cabins we saw on the way to this point, and we found some food people have left there. We want to grow a garden in the spring, but we don’t have any seeds and are not sure what will grow locally,” Dillon replied.