by Warren Ray
Gunfire erupted across the street from his friend Hollis. This gave Nordell some relief, knowing that his guys were engaging.
The building was on fire, and the smoke wafted over his head. He used the smoke as cover and crawled over to the edge to take a quick look. Just as he expected, Jijis began pouring out of vehicles in various areas.
More gunfire from his guys up high kept the Jijis ducking for cover, but it wouldn’t last forever. If they were willing to waste an RPG on him, then no doubt they’d start using them on his snipers.
The sound of both M4 and AK-47 was now echoing throughout the downtown area as his guys on the ground were getting into the mix.
With the fire consuming the building Nordell didn’t have too much longer before he would have to vacate his position. Before he did, though, he’d continue to use the smoke for cover to look for another target he could take out. He’d only be able to do one more before the men in that third vehicle realized their RPG hadn’t taken him out.
He grabbed his binoculars and scanned the area. He wanted a target with multiple Jijis.
He finally found what he was looking for. Two more pickup trucks had just turned onto Cooper Street from Washington Avenue. They stopped in the middle of the street giving Nordell the ideal target.
The Jijis in the back were sitting still, waiting for the trucks to start moving again, not realizing they were sitting ducks.
Nordell grabbed one of his last three grenades and loaded it into the launcher. He got into a kneeling position and mounted the launcher on his shoulder. He took a breath before squeezing the trigger.
The rocket bolted out of the launcher and sliced through the air leaving a trail of blue and white smoke. The round was on the money. It landed right in the bed of the first pickup tearing it off the vehicle and setting off a secondary explosion in the gas tank. The force of the explosion threw bodies out of both vehicles and a rolling fireball curled up into the sky.
Nordell studied the area but didn’t see anyone looking in his position. Smoke from the fire was just over his head giving him complete cover. A slight breeze had moved his way, blowing the smoke right at him and making a hot day even hotter.
Keeping his head low, he grabbed the SAW deciding to take advantage of his position one more time. He looked around for another large target but could only find small pockets of Jijis.
Better than nothing.
He took aim at three Jijis hiding behind a concrete building across the street. He fired a quick short burst. The first rounds hit high throwing rock chips at his targets. He readjusted and fired again. These shots took out two forcing the third to run. Nordell tried to follow but was too late before one of his guys hit him in the chest.
He wondered which of his snipers got him. Didn’t matter, he’s dead.
The smoke was beginning to choke him. It was time to go. He got up and grabbed his gear.
Overall, it hadn’t been too bad a firing position. The fire was forcing him to leave, but these types of positions were never long-term anyhow. You squeezed out what you could before getting the hell out of there. He had successfully taken out three vehicles and killed an untold number of Jijis. Not bad.
Once on ground level, he scooted out the back door into a small alley and jogged back over to Michigan Avenue. So far, their vehicles blocking the street were helping, but he realized Jijis were everywhere now. He dumped the remaining grenades in his pickup and grabbed another box of ammo for the SAW.
It was about to get messy with up-close fighting. It would be block-to-block style and floor-to-floor.
He pulled his radio out to get a SITREP from his guys.
Not everyone reported in, which meant he had casualties. He looked up at the top of the building where Hollis was when he reported in.
“We’ve taken out a quite a few, but there’s just so many of them.”
“Tell me where.”
“Cooper Street. They’re trying to find ways to get across the river. They’re jammed up there because we’ve got Francis covered. Get over there, and you’ll find them starting to come in.”
If the Jijis could cross Cooper Street, then they’d be able to get over to Washington Avenue, which was now open to them. That revelation hit him hard because the enemy would eventually figure out they could come in from behind his guys. Bobby reported fifteen vehicles and only five had exposed themselves, one of them was the third vehicle which was still hiding. This one would probably be the first to realize that they could come in from behind and take out a barricade.
Nordell looked down Michigan Avenue toward city hall. He still had shooters in those tall buildings that hadn’t engaged yet. They had a nice size kill-box waiting for the enemy to drive into. They would wait until they had a large number before firing.
He yelled for some of his guys to jump in the back of his pickup. He then hauled ass over to where the third vehicle was still hiding.
He turned the corner and saw it up ahead. He yelled for his guys to be ready. He slowed down as he closed in on it expecting to be fired upon.
“Where the hell were they?”
He stopped his truck fifty feet away from the third vehicle. He jerked his head from side-to-side looking for them. Not seeing them made him realize they were already sneaking in on the barricade just up the street.
Again, blood rushed to his head as he let off the brake and floored the gas pedal.
“Hang on,” yelled Nordell as he made a hard left turn.
There they were. There were three of them, and one had the launcher on his shoulder getting ready to fire.
Chapter 65
Nordell floored the gas pedal to reach the Jijis before they could fire on the barricade but it was too late. The RPG took off before he reached them. However, it didn’t prevent him from ramming the Jijis who were standing in the middle of the road admiring their handiwork. They were sitting ducks.
One managed to jump out of the way, as Nordell slammed into the other two. One flew up in the air before landing on the hood. His bloody corpse slid off the passenger side while the wheels on the driver’s side bounced up and down as the truck ran over the second Jiji. The guys in the back opened fire at the third Jiji as he tried to run away. Multiple rounds dropped him like a sack of flour.
The celebration was fleeting as the RPG they fired had taken out all of the guys manning the barricade.
Nordell shook his head in frustration. His position was quickly becoming untenable. In no time, the rest of the fifteen vehicles would be coming down Washington Street and would overwhelm them. On the other side of the burned out barricade, that other company would soon approach them as well. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be stuck between them. His only option was to take out what he could from the approaching convoy and then get the hell out of there.
He stopped his vehicle and surveyed his surroundings. He looked to his left and liked what he saw. It was a three-level parking garage. It was a perfect place to take cover while firing at the enemy.
He hit the gas and did a U-turn. He swung two hard rights before entering the darkened garage. He stayed on the first level and parked in the middle after turning the truck around for a quick exit.
He had six men with him and told them his game plan. They ran and each lined up behind a cement barrier.
Nordell marched to the one nearest Washington and saw the remaining ten vehicles of the convoy coming. He popped a grenade into the launcher and shouldered it. He locked his legs while he followed the van as it slowly went around the still smoldering barricade. Nordell could see some of his men bloodied and dead from the explosion.
Just as the van, came around the barrier Nordell pulled the trigger. The rocket took off speeding through the air covering the seventy yards in mere seconds. It struck the van and turned it into a bonfire instantly killing everyone inside.
The convoy of vehicles stopped dead in its tracks. This is what Nordell wanted to happen. Make them flinch and throw them off guard. They may have super
ior numbers, but he would make them pay dearly for every inch of ground.
Nordell yelled to his guys to open fire.
The earsplitting gunfire echoed throughout the garage as a non-stop hail of bullets began hitting the convoy.
Some of the Jijis began pouring out of the vehicles while the ones at the backend of the convoy peeled off to get behind buildings for cover.
Nordell bent down and picked up the SAW. He racked the slide back and opened fire. The effect was devastating as rounds ripped into the vehicles puncturing tires, windows, and anyone still inside.
While the gunfire continued to wreak havoc across the street, no one noticed four Jijis coming in from the other end of the garage. They opened fire and immediately took down two of Nordell’s men.
The surprise move caused some of this men to panic, but the rest of the guys fired back at them. It was to no avail, however, since the Jijis had taken up defensive positions behind the concrete pillars.
Nordell needed to recover from his mistake. He should have had that entrance guarded. He swung the SAW over at them and pulled the trigger. The rounds began chewing through the concrete throwing rock chips in all directions. Nordell marched toward the Jijis while yelling at his guys to fall back. The report from the big gun was so loud that he could hardly hear himself let alone his men. They weren’t paying attention to him but were still firing at the enemy. He had to stop for a second to get their attention.
Only three got the message before the fourth was cut down while trying to flank the enemy. Nordell could see he was dead and was forced to be satisfied he still had three men with him.
At this rate of fire, there was no way, he’d be able to reach the enemy before running out of ammo. He began backing up. He looked across the street to see the Jijis from the convoy regrouping. This position was no longer advantageous. They needed to get out of there and fast.
“Let’s haul-ass out of here,” he yelled. “Get that launcher!”
Nordell still had one more RPG and wasn’t going to leave the valuable weapon behind.
Once everyone was loaded, Nordell jumped in and peeled out of the garage. He half expected to see the exit blocked off but was relieved no one was around.
He came up to Washington Street and looked across the way. Jijis were coming across the Grand River in droves. Their superior numbers would soon overwhelm them, but he just needed to keep them off balance to give everyone time to get out of Jackson.
Additional gunfire echoed in the air. It was coming from the kill-box Nordell had set up. They had strict instructions to wait until they had a sizable number inside the box before opening fire.
He took a right and headed back to his original position. The building he had initially been using was engulfed in flames. The fire would jump to the next building, which would eventually spread throughout the whole downtown.
He came up to Michigan and pulled his binoculars out. He looked down at the kill-box. Jijis from the west must have hurried towards the fight because they were spread out all over the place. His guys in the tall buildings were firing down on them and doing their best to hold them off, but there were just too many bad guys to handle.
Nordell hopped out of his truck and got in the bed to scan his surroundings. He didn’t like what he saw. The enemy was starting to close in on all sides.
He yanked out his radio and called out to Hollis.
“John, what’s it look like?”
“Not good, Nick. They’re everywhere with more coming up from the hospital now. Way I see it, we don’t have much time before they have us surrounded.”
Nick’s mind raced around considering the situation. He had no doubt they were going to lose the town. It wasn’t a matter of if but when.
Colonel Ali Baba had come up with a solid attack plan and had plenty of men to use as pawns to get what he wanted.
It has been just over a couple of hours since the attack started and the enemy began moving away from the hospital. This meant Colonel Ali Baba must be confident enough with the situation to send even more men up here. Then again, many of the Shadow Patriots had already escaped from the hospital. This drew down the number of targets the Colonel had to shoot at.
They needed to hold this area for just a little bit longer, so he keyed the radio and called out to Eddie who was still up on the interstate.
“Gunny, what’s your status?” asked Eddie.
“Not good Eddie. We’re about to be surrounded. I need some help down here.”
“No problem. I got a bunch of guys here from the hospital with more coming in. They want some revenge.”
“Roger that.”
Nordell’s shoulders lightened a bit at that the news. Not only would this help give the citizens more time but also enable his sharpshooters to get down from their positions.
Chapter 66
Iron River Wisconsin
Winters sat at the edge of the woods about thirty feet from the entrance of the barn. He could see the girls sleeping on the hay while he kept an eye on the road. It had been three hours since he saw the two Caddies. They hadn’t come back yet, which worried him. If they don’t come back this way, then they might be waiting for him up the road. He’d have to take an alternate route. He’d been studying the map and didn’t see many choices especially the closer they got to Saint Ignace, Michigan where there was only one way to get across the water and onto the mainland of Michigan. If that gang were smart, they would keep watch on the bridge and ambush him there.
If forced, he could always go south, but that would take him around Chicago, which was the last place he wanted to go. Despite the radiation from the dirty bombs, there were still gangs roaming around the toxic city. He preferred to take the scenic route as it always meant fewer people on the road.
It was too much to think about right now because he needed to sleep. He entered the barn and knelt down next to Laney who had volunteered to take the next watch. She was sleeping on her back which was making her snore lightly. Collette faced the other way. He put a hand on Laney’s shoulder and shook it a couple of times while whispering her name. It took a few tries before she opened her eyes.
“Is it time?”
Winters nodded.
“Okay.”
Winters rose up and extended his hand. She grabbed on and stumbled while standing.
“Careful there.”
“Oh man, I’m tired,” she said while arching her back.
“You gonna be alright.”
Laney nodded and then yawned. “Yep. Just give me a minute.”
Winters gave her a bottle of water and led her outside telling her about the two Caddies.
Laney gulped down some water and asked. “So, like, how are we gonna get out of here?”
“Not sure yet. I’m hoping they’ll come back by, which is why I want you to keep an eye on the road.”
“I can do that.”
“At this point, we’re going to have to drive at night and hope not to pass anyone.”
“Okay. Go, get some sleep. I’ll get Collette up in a few hours.”
“Wake me if those cars drive back by.”
“I got this, Cole. Go…go…get some sleep,” said Laney as she shooed him away.
She sat down after Winters collapsed on the hay. It had been a long night, but especially for him because he had the extra baggage of worrying about them. He didn’t like the idea of bringing them into a war zone. He never said anything about it, but then he never did ask them to come either. If he had to begin with, she would have said yes in a heartbeat. Collette would have done the same thing.
Laney took the cap off the bottle of water and took a large gulp. She owed him. Hell, the whole town owed him and rightly so. Had he not killed the scum who took over the town, then right about now, she’d just be getting home right about now, after a long night of partying. She scoffed at the thought. Partying my butt. Fulfilling my duties was more like it.
She winced remembering when Fowler called her a prostitute
and made demands. “I’m not a friggin prostitute.” There wasn’t a choice in the matter but then she had to admit that there was a choice. It wasn’t a great choice because her family needed to eat. “Damn it. I am a prostitute. Hell, I even worked double for more food.” She slumped her shoulders in disgust. “They took my virginity and used me like a throwaway toy.”
She stood up and shook her arms while twisting around in a dance. All the girls did this as a way to fight off the negative thoughts. It was something to help remind them that those bastards forced them to have sex and would pay them with the food they had stolen. It was supposed to be food for the whole town, but they took it. They raped us and kept on raping us. We did not have a choice.
She stopped dancing and looked at the butterflies on her leg remembering getting them with Finley and Collette. It hurt at first, but then you got used to it. They agreed on butterflies because of the rebirthing metaphor.
She broke out in a smile because she was finally transforming into something much stronger than before. She wouldn’t let those bastards win and get depressed by something they did. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t Collette’s fault, or Findley’s fault or any of the other girls.
She took a deep breath to help calm down. She hated being alone, and this was why. Idle time produced idle thoughts. She sat back down and checked the M4 to keep busy. She relished the training Sergeant Hicks had given them. She thought her father and grandfather taught her everything there was to know about guns while she hunted with them. Sergeant Hicks, however, showed the best way to line up a shot, how to squeeze the trigger, to breathe, to field strip a rifle and most important, how to think while in a firefight. He kept putting them through the Urban Warfare course until they each passed with a high score.
The training helped immensely when she went after Butler as he was trying to escape. She knew just what to do to stop him. Then there was that creep Fowler. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation nor any regret either because he deserved it , just like all the others back home.