Chapter 19: Preparations
As soon as one of his scouts reported movement out of the Escape, Rick mobilized his troops. He commanded about fifty trusted men, all well-versed in guerrilla tactics; it was this force that had executed the successful ambush of recent days. Due to extreme fortune and enemy incompetence, they had incurred no losses and only a couple of minor injuries. Wholesale slaughter, but really only because they were idiots, he thought.
Rick's group hurriedly moved down the streets, in a half-crouch, clad in black and gray camouflage. Due to there not being a huge amount of weapons, or ammunition for that matter, they carried an assortment of rifles, pistols, and submachine guns. He received another radio transmission, giving him rough estimates of enemy troop numbers. He slid the radio back into its pouch and clenched his jaw. This isn't going to be easy, he thought. Hopefully, Miguel's people didn't get caught with their pants too far down. As much as he hated to admit it, he would probably need their help.
His scouts reported in again, saying that the flow of soldiers out of Purgatory had appeared to have ceased, totaling about four hundred well-armed soldiers. Yep, definitely going to need their help. A couple dozen or so of them had remained behind to garrison the Escape building, and they appeared to be setting up for an extended stay.
Rick paused, considering his options. He called together his squad leaders for a quick conference. He always tried to keep an open policy with them, giving them every possible piece of information, and their insight was often valuable. He was unquestionably the leader, but he never operated with a tight fist.
After he finished speaking, there was quick, unanimous agreement about his proposed first objective. It would entail a delay in getting set up to assist Miguel's forces, and it involved a great deal of risk. If they succeeded, however, they could do a great deal of damage to the enemy's position.
When they finished speaking, they started down the street again. He radioed to his scouts, and told them to get into position to hit Purgatory.
Uprising Page 29