by Eric Vall
I walked over to where the red-bearded man had pointed, and I picked up the contraption of dynamite and C4.
“Is this stable?” I asked warily.
“Yeah,” he said. “It won’t go off until it’s shot.”
“So we do have to shoot it?” I asked. The kind of C4 we used in the military couldn’t activate unless a detonator was used, but I knew civilian construction C4 was more sensitive.
“Right,” Jeff said. “I didn’t have the proper wiring to make the greatest detonator.
“Will it work?” I asked.
“I believe it will,” he said with a nod.
“Good enough,” I said.
“I hope so,” he said. “‘Cause that’s all we got right now.”
“Let’s get these down to the bridge,” I said. “What can we use to attach them?”
“Rope will work just fine,” he said, and he pointed to a small metal piece on the homemade bomb. “But you can’t cover right there.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s hop on an ATV and get down there.”
“I’ll grab the rest,” the red bearded man said, and he picked up two of the bombs and headed outside.
I grabbed the last one and carried my two out with me, then we hopped on the ATV, but just as we got on it I heard gunshots from the bottom of the hill, so I turned the key over, pulled out my pistol, and sped down toward the bridge.
The snow was already sticking, but the ATV was handling it like a champ, even with my side arm in one hand. I plowed down the driveway quickly, and as I reached the bottom of the hill, I realized I was going a bit too fast, so I hit the brakes, but we started to slide.
“Hold on,” I said, and I cut the wheel to turn into the slide.
“Jesus,” Jeff breathed behind me, and he gripped my stomach tighter.
We came to a stop finally, and Tara, Justin, and Bailey came out of the trees.
“I heard shots,” I said, and I turned the ATV off. “What happened?”
“More Canadians,” Tara said angrily, and she pointed to some fresh bodies in the road.
The snow on the ground had turned red around the corpses, and I did a quick count showing that there had been five of them.
“Yeah,” Bailey said with a nod. “Five altogether.”
“There were more, but the others ran off,” Justin said.
“I figured we had scared them enough,” Bailey said.
“And they were already gone by the time we took the others down,” Tara informed me.
“Good work,” I said.
“You guys ready to set up the bridge?” Justin asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Do you need help?” Bailey asked.
“No,” I said. “Just keep guard. We can’t have anyone interrupting us.”
“Alright,” Tara said, and they all headed back to their posts.
“Do you really think we’ll be able to reach them?” Jeff asked as he inspected the bridge.
“It’s possible.” I nodded. “If we can fit our arms through the bottom slats here.”
“Worth a try,” Jeff said.
I lowered myself to my stomach, and the snow melted against me, sending a chill through my body. Reaching out, I tried to fit my hands through the slats on the bridge to reach down to the support beam. I could barely graze it with my fingers, so I pushed harder, but to no avail.
“Fuck,” I breathed.
“I can’t get it over here either,” Jeff said hurriedly.
“How much rope did you bring?” I asked.
“Quite a bit,” Jeff said, and he pulled a few bundles of paracord out of his backpack.
“We’re going to make a rope climbing system,” I told him.
“What?” he asked with wide eyes. “I’ve never been rope climbing, I wouldn’t know the first thing about that.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll tie the ropes correctly, all I need you to do is help me to get down and up.”
“Alright,” he said with a nod. “I can do that.”
He passed me the paracord, and I quickly created an adjustable leg harness.
“Will that stuff hold you?” Jeff asked.
“It’s not ideal,” I said. “It isn’t standard issue for rock climbing, but it will get the job done if we do it right.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Maybe I should go down there, I’m probably lighter than you are.”
“Probably,” I chuckled. “But you don’t have any climbing experience.”
“What about one of the girls?” he asked. “They’re lighter.”
“They don’t have much experience either,” I said with a shake of the head. “And I’m not going to put them, or you, in danger.”
“Alright,” Jeff sighed. “Just tell me what to do.”
I fastened the rope to the top of the bridge and slipped on the makeshift leg harness.
“I’m going to have to move myself down manually,” I said.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means I’m going to have to move the knot down by hand,” I told him. “I’m not going to be able to rappel in one jump.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod. “What can I do?”
“I need you to watch the rope up here,” I said. “Any sign of breakage, you let me know right away.”
“Alright,” Jeff said, and he looked over the bridge to the rushing water beneath. “Be careful.”
“Always,” I said with a grin, and I threw one leg over the ledge, then the other.
The snow came down heavily onto my face and shoulders, and I slowly worked the harness down to where I had a good reach of the support beam. My fingers were freezing from the cold air, they were red and stiff and each use of them was becoming exceedingly difficult, but I pushed on. I could hear the rush of the river below me, and that accompanied with the wind was all I could hear. Once I was in place, I had Jeff pass me the first of the two bombs, and I secured it into place with the excess rope we had brought, making sure not to cover the small metal piece in the center. Then I had him pass me the second one and I maneuvered myself around to put it on the opposite side of the support beam.
The bombs were heavy, and my fingers were growing redder and colder by the minute, but I got it strapped into place, then worked my way back around to the other side of the beam.
“Okay!” I called out. “This side is done.”
“Alright,” Jeff said. “Do you need help up?”
“Nah, how’s the rope looking?” I asked.
“It’s tight,” he said. “But it seems to be holding up.”
“No fraying?” I asked.
“No,” he said loudly over the wind.
“Alright,” I said. “I’m coming up!”
I planted my feet against the support beam and used my arms to pull myself up until I could reach the top of the bridge. My fingers were so cold it was hard to keep my grip, and the top of the bridge was slick with snow, so when I first tried to grab it and heft myself up I ended up slipping and catching myself with the rope.
“Give me your hand!” Jeff yelled. “I got you!”
I grabbed him by the elbow, and he grabbed mine and pulled me up as I threw my legs over the side.
“How’d it look down there?” he asked. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said with a smile.
“Onto the next?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “But I need to warm my fingers up first.”
“I’ll untie the rope from over here,” he said, and he knelt down to get the paracord while I shoved my hands up inside my shirt and into my armpits.
My fingers stung from the warmth, but I knew that if I didn’t get them warm, they wouldn’t be of any use to climb down on the other side, and we needed to get this done. I was not about to allow these assholes to keep coming up here and fucking with my home.
“Got the rope,” Jeff said, and he held up the paracord.
“Good job,” I told him, and then I s
lid my fingers from the warmth of my underarms and took the rope from him.
I secured the rope to the support beam on the opposite end of the bridge and tossed it over the side.
“I have the stuff here whenever you’re ready,” Jeff said, and he crouched down by his backpack.
“Thanks,” I said loudly over the wind.
The snow had accumulated just in the time I had been securing the first two bombs, and already an inch and a half or more laid on the ground around us. Hopefully the snow would deter the people walking. Luckily nobody had shown up while I had been on the other side, but we had already been working on this for fifteen minutes or more and we needed to get it done quickly.
I slipped on the makeshift harness, breathed into my hands and rubbed my palms together quickly, then I threw my legs over the side of the bridge, made sure my rope was secure, and started to lower myself once more.
The water rushed below my feet in an angry mess of frothy black that was unusually high from the constant rain we had been getting lately. My fingers had been warmed some from being in my armpits, but they were still stiff from the cold, and every second out in the wind and snow brought them back closer to how they had been before.
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the right spot on the support beam and I stopped to catch my breath.
“Ready!” I called up to Jeff.
“Here!” he yelled. Then he held down the rope for me to grab and then lowered down the bomb. “Got it?”
“Got it,” I said, and he let go of the device and I felt the full weight of it hit my freezing hand.
I could see my breath as I worked, and it came out in large clouds of white that disappeared quickly into the flurry of snowflakes that came down around me.
Once the first bomb was in place, I had Jeff pass me the second one, and I carefully made my way around to the other side of the beam while I held the bomb securely against my chest with one hand.
I had just finished tying the second bomb into place when I heard Tara yell out.
“Jeff, get down!” the platinum blonde screamed, and I heard a thud above me.
Shit.
I peeked around the corner of the pillar to see if I could spot anything.
Sure enough, I was able to see the legs of people walking on the road toward the bridge.
I waited patiently and counted the people passing by. I felt my breath grow heavy once I hit number thirty. This was a huge group, and I was stuck below the bridge.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I was happy that Bailey was on sentry at the moment, she was our best shot, and I was confident she could take out anybody with a weapon. Tara was a decent shot too, and Justin had proven himself to also be fairly decent, but Jeff was down there as well, and I knew he hadn’t had a chance to get to where the others were. Hopefully he had taken cover nearby in some trees, but as long as he stayed out of the way of the others he wouldn’t need to do much.
There was a chance these people would pass by, but I wasn’t counting on it.
I could hear muffled voices above the wind, but it was hard to make anything out, so I waited to hear a shot.
A few moments passed as I listened to the muffled voices, but I hadn’t heard a shot yet.
Just then I heard Bailey’s rifle crack, and it was followed by a loud female scream.
Bailey’s rifle was followed by Tara’s and Justin’s, and they all went off in sequential fire. I could hear bodies dropping on the bridge, but the firing continued.
I couldn’t sit there and do nothing, so I checked the road to make sure I didn’t see anyone, then I maneuvered back around to the other side of the support beam and slowly started to make my way up.
The gunshots were becoming fewer at a time, but they hadn’t stopped altogether. Once I was up far enough, I lifted my head just enough to see through the bars on the bridge out toward the campus. There were fresh bodies on the ground, but I counted five people still running, one of them was even carrying another body as a shield.
Jesus, these people were desperate.
I pulled my pistol off my hip and took aim at the guy with the body shield. I waited for the shot, then pulled the trigger slowly. The guy fell forward with a spray of blood, and the body crumpled on top of him.
Bailey, Tara, and Justin had taken care of the others in the time it took me to get the body shield guy, and another quick scan showed that there wasn’t anybody still standing, so I finished climbing up and threw myself over the top of the bridge.
My breath was heavy from holding myself up, but I didn’t have time to pause.
“We all good?” I yelled out, but I kept my pistol raised.
“All clear!” Tara called out from the trees.
“Did you get it finished?” Jeff asked, and he came out from behind a clump of nearby trees.
“Yeah,” I breathed, and I holstered my pistol.
“Sorry I wasn’t here to help you up,” he said.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “Come on, I want to talk to the girls.”
I walked toward the tree line and Justin, Tara, and Bailey met me there.
“Good shot,” Bailey told me. “I was trying to get that asshole.”
“The body shield was a nice touch,” I chuckled.
“Pretty fucked up if you ask me,” Tara said.
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “But it was pretty effective.”
“I figured as much,” I said. “I just happened to have an angle on him.”
“It seems like we’ve barely got a break in people,” Justin hissed.
“Yeah,” Tara agreed. “We had some right before you and Jeff left, then while you were gone. I think while you were working on the first one was the longest we’ve gone all day without an attack.”
“You’re right,” I said, and my eyes narrowed.
“Maybe the snow will slow them down,” Bailey said.
“Possibly,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “But maybe it will just make them more desperate.”
“It’s sticking pretty good,” Justin said, and he looked down at the two inches of snow on the ground.
“It is,” I agreed. “But I don’t think it will deter them as much as we need it to.”
“What do we do?” Bailey asked.
“We need a vantage point,” I said, and I looked around. “We need to see if we can spot how many people are heading this way.”
“How do we do that?” Justin asked.
“There,” I said, pointing to the top of the mountain. “We need to go up.”
“I’ll come with,” Bailey offered.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “We need you here, you’re our best shot.”
“You’re supposed to say no offense when you say something offensive,” Tara chuckled.
“Sorry,” I laughed.
“Does that mean I’m going?” Tara asked.
“Yeah,” I answered. “You’ll come with me. Jeff, can you stay here with Bailey and Justin?”
“Of course,” the red bearded man said.
“You don’t have your rifle, do you?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “Just my pistol.”
“Tara, give him your rifle for now,” I instructed, and the platinum blonde handed it to him.
“You two be safe going up there,” Justin warned. “Mountains are tricky enough, but this snow is only going to make that worse.”
“We will,” I told him. “We’ll stop by campus and send down three more people for sentry duty.”
“Alright,” Bailey said. “We got it covered.”
“Thanks,” I told the blonde hippie. “You’re in charge.”
“Okay,” she said, and her blue eyes widened.
“Nobody shoot until Bailey does,” I told Justin and Jeff. “But be ready.”
“Okay,” Jeff said with a nod.
“I’m on it,” Justin said.
“I have confidence in you all,” I said, and I saw Bailey smile at me.
“Let’s go,” Tara said, and she shivered. “I’m freezing.”
“It won’t be any warmer on the mountain,” Justin chuckled.
“When we stop at campus you can grab a heavier jacket,” I said. “And I’ll have whoever comes down bring you all jackets too.”
“Thanks,” Jeff said.
“Alright,” I said, and I turned to Tara. “Let’s go.”
We hopped on the ATV, and I took us up the hill to campus. The snow beat me in the face as I drove, and I had a hard time gripping the handles since my fingers were so cold, but I parked the ATV and headed into the dorm building while Tara ran to the gym to get winter coats.
Some civilians were sitting in the common area, still playing games.
“I need three volunteers,” I said to the group.
“I’ll go,” Dan said, and he stood up.
“Count me in,” Briar said in a gruff voice.
“Briar,” I said gently. “You’ve been through a lot recently, the best way you can help is to heal.”
“I’m fine,” the old man said with narrowed eyes.
“I’m sure you are,” I told him. “But please get healed before you go trying to fight for the team.”
“Alright,” Briar sighed after a moment.
“Good,” I chuckled. “Now, who else?”
“Me,” Mike said.
“Whatever it is,” Merideth said. “I’ll help.”
“Thank you,” I told them. “I need you all to get geared up and head down to sentry duty.”
“Are we relieving the others?” Dan asked.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “You’re joining them.”
With those words the eyes of the group widened, and a silence fell over the room.
“Has it gotten that bad?” Cathy asked quietly.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” I said with a small smile. “I’d just like a little more manpower down there.”
“Okay,” Cathy said, and she looked me over carefully. “You should get some rest, you look tired.”
“I’m alright,” I assured her. “Tara and I are going to head up the mountain to get a vantage point and see if we can spot how many people are heading this way.”
“Are there any trails up there?” Kimmy asked, and she pulled baby Anthony closer to her.
“We have the ATV,” I said.
“Hey,” Tara said as she came in the door with Anna in tow, both carrying heavy winter coats. “We got coats.”