by Warren Ray
Laney looked at her watch. Ugh. What felt like an hour to her, had been only thirty minutes. Still another two and-a-half hours before Collette’s turn for guard duty. This was going to be a long wait, so she grabbed the backpack Sergeant Armstrong gave them and rummaged through it. She smiled as she pulled a bag of Hershey Kisses out. The man knew exactly what teenaged girls liked.
Chapter 67
Jackson Michigan
Scar was confident after firing a grenade at the cops that it would scare the hell out of the rest of them, at least for a while. He left Bassett and Burns to hold down the fort down while Meeks drove him and Amber to the other side.
As they were coming up to Waldron Road, they spotted a couple more pickup trucks filled with town’s people coming down the road. The trucks hit the brakes when they saw the cop car, but Meeks threw his hand out to wave at them.
“Hell, I’d think we were cops too,” said Meeks.
The lead truck got the message and picked up his speed pulling out behind them as they passed by.
They reached Taylor’s position and pulled up to them. Rounds flew over their heads as they got out and shuffled over to them.
“They seem pretty optimistic,” said Taylor.
“How many?” asked Scar.
“Not sure but from all the gunfire, probably six, maybe seven.”
Scar hoped there’d be more but no matter, they’d fire a grenade into their midst and shut them down for awhile. He wanted to get back into town and get a SITREP. As it was, he was hearing second hand reports that were being relayed to him because they were out of radio range. What he did know was that most everyone was out of the hospital, but causalities were high. The remaining personnel were regrouping with Eddie.
There was still no word from Nate, Elliott or Reese. He was holding out hope, but he had it in the back of his mind that they were dead. There was no time to mourn, and he wouldn’t stop hoping until he knew for sure.
Scar pulled the launcher out and grabbed a grenade. He peeked over the hood of the car and calculated the distance. He pointed it up and squeezed the trigger.
The grenade landed right on the top of the cop car with another spectacular explosion. It took out all the cops, and suddenly there was an eerie silence as flames shot up in the air.
“Damn, that thing is something,” said Taylor.
“Yeah, it is,” Scar responded. “Badger, I need some of your guys over at Bassett’s position.”
“Whaddya got in mind?”
“I need to get back into town.”
“Gonna leave me that grenade launcher?” asked Taylor.
“Ah…no. Besides, you’ve got the SAW.”
“Never hurts to ask.”
“Just keep this exit open.”
“Not a problem.”
Scar looked at Meeks and Amber. “Let’s go.”
Meeks raced up South Jackson Road and barely slowed down as he took a right on Kimmel Road, which paralleled the college campus where everyone was gathering. He was pleased to see Nordell’s Block Captains had coordinated transportation up and down the road to pick up anyone on foot. They would deliver them to the college and then head back out to look for more stragglers.
Every time Meeks passed someone they would run and hide from them because of the squad car they were driving.
“Got to ditch this damn thing,” said Meeks.
“Still might come in handy,” said Scar.
“Where we headed?”
“Downtown. Last I heard, Nordell was still holding firm.”
They were still six miles away and out of range of the small radios. The closer they got to town the more chatter they were able to hear.
Scar keyed the radio.”
“Gunny, Gunny, this is Scar, over.”
It took a couple of tries before Nordell replied.
“What’s your status?” asked Scar.
“We’ve got ourselves a Charlie Foxtrot.” Nordell was using a polite way of saying they were screwed. “Ali Baba has us surrounded. Anyone that escaped from the hospital headed to Eddie’s position. He’s leading a force down my way right now.”
Scar nodded at Meeks.
“What’s your fix?” asked Nordell.
“Coming up Business 127 in about five.”
“Roger that.”
Scar lowered the radio. Nordell took a chance to give his fellow citizens as much time as he could. It was a risky gamble but worth it to the retired Marine. His only concern was the safety of his people. Now, he would need help if he were going to make it out of there.
He looked inside the bag at the remaining three grenades. He would need to pick his targets wisely.
Scar turned to Amber in the back seat. “Where’s that map?”
Amber dug it out of her bag and handed it to him.
“Meeks take a left on High Street. I want to come up Francis, which goes right into downtown.”
“Whaddya got in mind?”
“Won’t know till I lay eyes on the situation.”
Meeks flipped on the blue lights as he turned onto Francis Street. So far, they hadn’t run into any Jijis. The quiet residential neighborhood was abandoned of all signs of life, which was a good thing because it meant the citizens were gone.
Meeks slowed down as they passed through the Morrell Street intersection. They didn’t see anyone, but Meeks proceeded even more cautiously as they approached the downtown area.
“Up there,” said Scar as he pulled his binoculars out. “On Washington.”
“I see ‘em,” said Meeks.
Two vehicles were blocking the intersection with four Jijis manning the blockade.
“Take a left here.”
Meeks turned onto West Franklin Street and drove a block and a half before finding an ideal driveway in which to hide the squad car. He pulled it into a dirt driveway between two houses and parked it in the back.
“Let’s go.”
Black smoke climbed high in the sky as sporadic gunfire echoed throughout the area. Everyone grabbed their gear and scooted between houses to reach Wesley Street. They ran down the street before coming to a narrow stretch between two buildings, which was blocked off by a fence with a wooden door.
Scar went through it crouching low to the ground. He peeked around the corner and looked both ways on Washington Street. Jijis were at all the intersections as far as he could see.
There were so many different ways for the enemy to come in that it was going to be difficult to take them all out and stay alive. They needed to hit them fast and get the hell out of there.
Scar keyed his radio and called Nordell. “We’re up on Washington on foot between Jackson and Mechanic.”
“And Ali Baba?” asked Nordell.
“They’ve got all the intersections blocked on Washington. I’ve got an M three-twenty with three grenades left.”
“Three huh? I still got one RPG.”
“Get everyone together, and we’ll take out the barricades on either side and slip your guys between them.”
“Eddie here. We’ll keep ‘em busy on this end.”
“Roger that and whenever you’re ready. It’s getting hot in here,” finished Nordell.
Chapter 68
Ending the transmission, Nordell had a decision to make. He had one more RPG and needed to use it shrewdly. He had ordered his sharpshooters down from their perches, but it was leaving them exposed on all sides. However, Eddie’s guys could keep the enemy busy on the north side while Bobby’s could regroup and return to hit them on the east side.
The west side was his main dilemma because he had a lot of guys two blocks down and a whole lot of Jijis still coming in.
He turned to see Hollis running across the parking lot with his squad. That was the last of them on this end. Now they could move down the street to help those guys escape.
“Let’s grab these vehicles and move ‘em down the next block,” ordered Nordell. “I want to clog up that intersection. Let’s move!”
<
br /> Nordell wanted to draw the enemy down Michigan and hit them with the last RPG before escaping down a narrow alley, which ran straight across three blocks and passed right by Scar’s position.
Pickup trucks, vans, cars of all types peeled down Michigan and parked end to end blocking the street. Nordell then ordered the rest of the vehicles to be used to escape into an alley.
Satisfied with their exit Nordell led half his men west toward the approaching Jijis, while the other half kept an eye on the east side.
A feeling of relief washed over Nordell as his sharpshooters began to exit the last two buildings. The last thing he wanted was to have the enemy surround the building cutting off all exits. Thankfully, none of them was wounded. Despite losing many of his men, none of the remaining had serious injuries. This was because of the enemy’s use of the RPG’s. It didn’t injure only killed. So far, their gunfire had been mostly ineffective but was mainly an attempt to scare his men away. However, Bobby had reported several casualties on his team.
In the distance, he could hear the sound of M4’s chattering away. Eddie’s guys were finally engaging.
Nordell grabbed his radio. “Bobby, Bobby, are you in position?”
“We are Nick.”
“Then light ‘em up,” responded a frustrated Nordell.
The crackling of gunfire erupted on the east side.
“Scar, Scar, come in,” said Nordell.
“Gunny.”
“Be ready to take those barricades out. We’ll be coming down that alley next to the parking lot.”
“I see it.”
“If you don’t hear from me, do it when you hear the boom-boom.”
“Roger that.”
Nordell then began to engage the enemy along with the others. He fired only a few rounds as he was unable to acquire any clear shots. He just wanted to keep their heads down for a few more minutes. They still had four men coming down from City Hall building. It was a thirteen-story building and was a bear if you were out of shape.
“Nick,” yelled Hollis. “They’re coming in.”
Nordell turned to the east and saw them gathering on Michigan Avenue. He lifted his binoculars and saw at least twenty Jijis take up positions on either side of the street.
“That didn’t take long,” Nordell grumbled to no one.
Hollis and his squad opened fire on them, stopping their advance.
Nordell was running out of time. They needed to leave now before the enemy swept around them and cut off the new exit route.
He jogged half-way down the block and took another look through his binoculars. He spotted their leader yelling out orders to the others.
“What would you do in this situation?” Nordell asked himself. “I’d call for an RPG and take out the barricade.
The revelation caused Nordell to scream his orders. “Fall back, fall back now.”
Hollis got the message and ordered his squad to move back.
Just as they did, an RPG came racing down the street. It hit the middle car and blew up in an ear-piercing explosion.
Nordell dropped to the ground knowing what was coming. He looked up to see that the concussion had knocked some of the fleeing men to the ground. They were rolling around in pain but didn’t appear to be seriously wounded.
Nordell ran toward them and saw Hollis moaning on the ground. His eyes were glassy, so Nordell folded him over his shoulder and took off with him using a fireman’s carry as others carried the rest of the dazed men. He plopped him in the back of his pickup truck and left him there. He didn’t have a spare moment to see how he was doing.
He grabbed the last RPG and jogged back over to the smoldering barricade. He used the smoke as cover as he scanned his targets and picked one. The man holding the RPG launcher was reloading.
Nordell shouldered his and took aim all in one concise movement. He didn’t have to be too accurate. He just needed to hit the side of the building. He pulled the trigger and watched the bluish white smoke stream behind it. He squatted down and covered his ears just as it impacted the brick building.
It blew out a hole in the building spraying chunks of rock in all directions. Bloodied Jijis lay dead on the pavement. It had done its job.
Scar heard the first explosion and ordered Meeks and Amber to cover him.
The three walked with purposeful steps out into the street as Scar held the loaded M320. It was five hundred feet to one target and three hundred to the other one. He opted for the one furthest away first. Still an easy shot. He kept his heart rate and breathing under control and pulled the trigger. It thumped out and sailed through the air in a slight arc before landing dead center killing everyone around it.
Amber kept watch on the other target and saw them turn their way. She opened fire, and emptied the magazine as Meeks joined her. They continued to suppress any return fire as Scar reloaded.
He didn’t want to rush it, but at the same time, he needed to hurry. They were exposed out in the middle of the street. He locked his big frame in place and tightened his grip before squeezing the trigger.
It took off in the same slight arc and exploded with the same deadly effect as the last one; bloodied corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.
“Come on,” ordered Scar as he began running toward them. He wanted to see if the Jijis had any grenades left over. He was the first one there and looked inside the burning car.
Nothing.
He then looked down at the next intersection. Three Jijis were coming their way.
He raised his rifle and picked the middle one. He fired a three-shot burst. The first bullet hit him the chest while the other two blew through his face.
The remaining two Jijis split off in opposite directions. Amber swung her rifle toward the one veering left and led him by a step. She squeezed the trigger on full auto and knocked him over. He tumbled to the ground covered in blood as she riddled him with bullets.
Meeks stayed on full auto as well but was behind his target as he ran toward a parking lot on the right. Unfortunately for the fleeing bad guy, there was a chain-link fence. As he started to climb over it, Meeks caught him in his side. The Jijis head fell forward, and the body dangled mid-stride over the fence. He fired again for good measure.
They heard vehicles echoing between buildings and watched as Nordell’s guys came screaming down the alley to zip across Washington Street and head south.
The relief for Scar was brief because they still needed to get back to their squad car. Amber led the way, and they ran back the same way they had come. They crossed over Wesley Street and through a big parking lot which exposed them again. Their anxiety didn’t abate until they finally reached a small passageway between two houses and then across the street to their ride.
Just as they plopped down in their seats trying to catch their breaths, the radio came alive with Nordell calling Scar.
“We are away, but it looks like we got ourselves a tail.”
Chapter 69
Nordell led his men south but was being followed by two vehicles.
“We’ve got two tangos on our six,” he reported over the radio.
“What road are you on?” asked Scar reaching for the map sitting on the dashboard.
“We’re coming down Francis.”
Scar didn’t like where they were headed. The college was just a couple miles away, and there might still be people still trying to escape.
“Whatever you do, stay away from the college. Do not go that way.”
There was silence.
This would leave Nordell with little choice but to go down 127, which would ultimately lead him to the cops. Their pursuers needed to be taken out before then; otherwise, they’ll be surrounded…again.
“Roger that. We’ll head down 127.”
Nordell’s convoy consisted of six vehicles, one of which was a cargo van, crammed with his men. They had two enemy SUV’s following them. They were staying a good way behind, but were still firing at them. All they needed to do was to keep
pushing them until they drove them to the cops. It was risky to pull over and engage them because Nordell wasn’t sure, whether or not, if they had an RPG. Chances were high they did.
Scar turned to Meeks. “Let’s go.”
Meeks started the car and crept down the driveway. His pulse quickened as he exposed the squad car by backing out onto the street. He hung a left on Jackson Street and stomped on the gas.
Scar picked up the radio. “We are away. I repeat, we are away. Everyone get out while you can. I repeat, abandon the town.”
The radio stayed alive with dispirited acknowledgments.
Scar turned to Amber. “You got any power bars?”
“Yep. Meeks?”
“Yeah, I could use one.”
Amber handed them out.
They woofed down the much-needed food in silence and drank copious amounts of water to wash them down.
The further they got from downtown, the more Meeks was able to relax. This road went through an isolated part of Jackson with houses that were sheltered in a stretch of woods. He was familiar with the area because he’d been down here many times. He was surprised they hadn’t run into any fleeing citizenry although it had now been over three hours since the attack started. He figured they were either gone or hiding.
They came up to Francis Street. Meeks took a right then sped down the street.
“Find out how far up the road they are,” said Meeks.
Scar keyed the radio. “Gunny, Gunny, what’s your fix?”
“Getting ready to take the curve onto McDevitt.”
“We just passed the cemetery,” Scar answered back.
“You’re about a mile back.”
Meeks floored the gas pedal. The engine on the cruiser roared like a lion as he pushed the needle past a hundred miles per hour. He let off the gas when he saw the road curve away in front of him as it merged into McDevitt. The tires squealed in protest as he swung around the bend. He over-steered causing the rear of the car to fishtail. He then had to wrestle the wheel to regain control before punching the accelerator once more.