by P. A. Glaspy
Cody looked back at the occupants of the van and smiled. He turned around to the three men and said, “I think we need to talk.”
Chapter 30
Damon and crew made it through D.C. There were a few skirmishes with some of the people out milling about who thought they could take on three Humvees filled with military personnel. They found out they were mistaken.
Gun laws in the District of Columbia are some of the strictest in the United States. The laws within the district that kept citizens from possessing firearms, or made it almost impossible for them to obtain the licenses and registrations required, put the residents at a distinct disadvantage. They had no handguns — not legally, anyway — and with the police department being the final say as to whether or not a rifle or shotgun registration would be approved, the people’s Second Amendment rights were all but non-existent. Of course, none of those restrictions kept weapons out of the hands of the criminals.
The criminal element was emboldened by the lack of police presence and had been making its way through the city terrorizing and killing the unarmed for whatever supplies and valuables they had. As Hutch drove down Euclid, a nice area with neat houses side by side and late-model sedans parked on the street, Damon and his fellow travelers could see that the area had been under attack. Doors hung open, windows were broken out, and they saw more than one body lying on a porch or in a yard. Melanie tried to shield her son from seeing the carnage as the rest of them stared open-mouthed at the devastation.
“Dear God,” David Tanner said from the back seat. “Is there nothing that can be done to protect these people?”
“I guess that’s going to be one of the things you have to figure out, Sir,” Damon replied quietly. “This is why conservatives fight so hard against infringement on the Second Amendment. All it does is make the good people helpless, because the bad ones can and do still get guns. And at a time like this, good people need to be able to protect themselves from the bad people, because right now there’s no one else to do it.”
“I don’t think the lawmakers who came up with all those restrictions thought something like this could happen,” Tanner said.
Damon set his mouth to a grim line. “Yet here we are. And the people who those politicians were legislating so hard to protect,” he made air quotes on the last word, “are suffering the most.”
“Well, it’s clear to me that instituting martial law would have no effect,” Tanner replied. “As you said, criminals don’t care about laws. I’m just not sure how we can protect the citizens without a police presence. I don’t want to use the military. I don’t want to militarize this country. But I’m not sure what other options we’ll have in the immediate future.”
“That’s above my pay grade, Sir, but I hope you and those waiting for us at the White House can figure it out.” Damon’s phone rang just then. “Sorley.” After a moment, he said, “Yes, General, we’re almost there. We’re heading down 16th right now. It looks like there’s been quite a bit of criminal activity around town. If you have the people to spare, you might want to send some out to meet us. I’m not sure what we’re going to run into when we get there, but I imagine there will be people outside looking for answers.” Another few seconds passed. “Yes, Sir. I’d say we’re ten minutes out. See you then.”
As he was ending the call, Tanner asked from the back, “Were they aware of what’s going on out here?”
Damon shook his head. “No, Sir, I don’t think so. They’ve got a pretty wide perimeter around the White House secured, but they aren’t sending teams out for intel. I think they’re waiting for your arrival to determine what the next steps will be.”
Tanner was writing in a small notepad. Without looking up, he replied, “If nothing else, this trip has shown me we have a lot of work to do and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
They weren’t expecting what they saw when they reached the entrance to Lafayette Square. Marines were lined up, weapons at the ready, along the H Street side. There was a line of Capitol police in front of the troops in riot gear holding shields. Citizens were facing them, shouting and throwing trash, rocks, bricks — pretty much whatever they could get their hands on.
“Not good.” Hutch slowed down when the Humvee in front of them did. They heard Lundy’s voice come over the loudspeaker.
“Clear the road! If you do not make way, you will be run down. This is your only warning. We are coming through!”
The rioters turned their attention to the Humvee issuing threats. They rushed the vehicle and were pounding on its windows and body. The Humvee moved slowly, but it kept moving. A man standing by the front quarter panel screamed when one of the Humvee’s tires ran over his foot. The sound quieted the crowd as they took a step back. The lead vehicle pushed through the mob.
Seeing the camper behind the center Humvee, the irate citizens converged on it. They started pushing it from both sides, rocking it back and forth, which, since it was hitched to the Humvee, rocked it and its occupants as well. Damon watched in the side-view mirror as one of the windows was broken from the inside of the camper and a rifle barrel appeared. He couldn’t hear what was going on. He didn’t know exactly what lead up to it. But he saw the aftermath.
One of the people in the street tried to grab the barrel protruding from the window. In the struggle for control of the gun, a shot was fired — point blank into the face of the man trying to take it. Blood and brain matter splattered the people around him, and the crowd pulled back, many running away. Those who stayed retreated to the sidewalk, grumbling loudly amongst themselves.
The Marines and police took advantage of the mayhem and advanced to the caravan, pushing the mob back with their riot shields. As the three military vehicles came through the opening that had been created, the men on foot closed ranks behind them. They walked backward, keeping their eyes on the crowd until the caravan was inside the perimeter, then went back to their posts at the entrance to the square.
Once they got on the other side of Lafayette Square, the lead vehicle stopped just past the entrance to Executive Avenue. Hutch pulled up behind them and the follow vehicle came around beside the lead. Bird and Lundy walked back to Damon’s Humvee. Damon rolled the window down.
“You should be good now, Major,” Bird said. “Just go straight and use the side entrance. I think General Everley is waiting for you there. And I just wanted to say again how sorry I am I left you back there. It didn’t register you wouldn’t be able to maneuver as well with the load.”
“It’s fine. We’re here. Thank you for the help, guys. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Damon saw that they were about to snap to and salute him. He waved them off. “No need for that. I’m pretty sure a bunch of the rules are about to change.” He gave them a nod and rolled the window up. They headed for the East Wing.
General Everley was indeed waiting for them. When he saw the Humvee’s approach, he pushed the door open and walked out onto the landing. The Marines, who had been standing guard at the entrance, fanned out to either side of him. His face broke into a huge grin when Damon climbed out and walked the two steps back to open the rear door. David Tanner emerged with his son in tow. Agent Stephens helped Melanie out on the other side. Once she had joined her husband and son, Damon escorted them up the walk. When he reached Everley he stood at attention and saluted him. The Guardsmen did the same.
“Major Damon Sorley, reporting as ordered with the incoming Commander-in-Chief.”
Everley returned his salute. “At ease, Major, and well done. Mr. Tanner, welcome to the White House. The rest of the Joint Chiefs and President Roman are awaiting your arrival in the bunker. We’ll take you there immediately.”
“Thank you, General. Excuse me for one moment.” Tanner turned to Damon. “Major, I want to thank you for all you’ve done to bring me and my family here safely. Well, as safely as you could.” He had a mischievous grin on his face. “You faced adversity getting to us and more getting us here. The two hundred
miles or so we’ve traveled together have been frightening and enlightening, and I can’t help but think that without your bravery and dedication, as well as that of those here in Washington, this country’s liberty was in jeopardy. We came two hundred miles for liberty. I believe it was worth the trip. Again, thank you.” He shook Damon’s hand then turned to Everley. “Lead the way, General. We have a lot of work to do, and we need to get started.”
Everley stood to the side of the open door. “Right this way, Sir.” He waited for the small family to get through the entrance, then looked back at Damon and the Guardsmen. “Outstanding job, men. Follow us down. We have barracks you can get some rest in, and we saved some chow for you.”
Marco rushed forward. “Food, Sir? Real food?” The group chuckled at his actions.
Everley squinted at him. “Yes, Sergeant, real food. Enjoy it while you can. We may be eating MREs and protein bars three times a day in a month or so.”
With a cheeky grin, Marco replied, “We’re good with that too, Sir. And we’ll definitely enjoy it while it lasts.”
Chapter 31
Taylor and his friends stared open-mouthed at Cody.
“So, what do you guys think of my plan?” Cody asked nonchalantly. He and his associates had gotten out of the van and were standing beside it.
“Um … I don’t think I can do that,” Taylor finally replied. “I mean, you want us to go over there and kick them out of their house? Where would they go?”
Cody shrugged. “Who cares? Your family would have everything you need to survive this mess. That’s what you want, right? You said you’d do anything to take care of them. Life is going to get messy real fast. Hell, it already has. You said you don’t know what you’re going to do for food and water. You’re going to have to be willing to do some things you might not necessarily like to do but need to in order to survive. You can’t worry about other people. You have to put your family first. It’s survival of the fittest time … or the strongest anyway.”
Jason stepped in. “And just how do you propose to get them to vacate the premises?”
“Well, we could ask them to leave nicely. But I don’t think that’s going to work. Looks like we’re going to have to force them out.” Cody leaned back a bit and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know there’s some chicks in there and, according to you, a couple of kids, so I think with you three and us four we should be able to persuade them that it’s best for everybody and safest for their women and kids to give it up. That way no one gets hurt.”
“I’m out,” Devon said as he turned to walk away. Taylor grabbed his arm.
“Wait, Devon! Where are you going? We need to talk this through.”
Devon snatched his arm out of Taylor’s grasp. “No, we don’t. I’m not going to be a part of forcing someone out of their home, stealing their supplies, and God knows what else just because they have more than me. That’s not how I roll. I’m surprised you’d even consider it, Tay.”
Taylor’s face turned red with either anger or embarrassment — or both. “It’s easy for you, Devon! You don’t have anyone depending on you. I’ve got a family to take care of. What do I do, let Wendy and the kids starve or freeze to death? You tell me — what am I supposed to do here?”
“Not this,” Devon said shaking his head. “You staying, Jay?”
Jason hesitated. “I don’t know. I need some place safe for Megan and the baby.”
“What makes this guy’s place any safer than your own?” Devon shot back.
“Well, for one thing, they have guns.” Taylor’s statement hung in the air.
Cody grinned. “Oh, yeah? How many?”
“I’m not sure but the old guy, Elliott, he said he was thinking about giving me one and teaching me how to shoot and hunt. So, I bet they have a bunch. Maybe we could keep some of them.”
“Or we could keep all of them.” Cody’s grin had turned to a sneer. “We keep the guns; we keep our new place.”
“So, how would that work?” Taylor asked tentatively. “Like, how would we split up the living space? I’m pretty sure Wendy is going to want us to have a room of our own. It’d be nice if the kids could have one …”
Cody waved a hand at him. “We’ll work all that out when we get in there. One step at a time.”
“Well, good luck with that.” Devon started to walk away. The sound of a hammer being cocked stopped him.
“Afraid I can’t let you leave, friend,” Cody said as he pointed the revolver in his hand at Devon. “What with you knowing our plan and all. You’re going to have to come with us whether you want to or not.”
Devon turned around and stared at Cody, his gaze flitting from the man’s cold eyes to the weapon in his hand. He shifted his line of sight to Taylor, who was standing off to the side staring wide-eyed at the gun. “Is this what you want, Taylor? Is this who you’re willing to become?”
Taylor stammered, “I didn’t think … I can’t …”
“It doesn’t matter what he wants or what you want,” Cody interrupted. “This is the way it is. The three of you are going to help us take that place. Now, everybody get in the van.”
“You can’t make us shoot at people!” Taylor lamented. “I’ve never shot a gun before. I might shoot one of you, for God’s sake!”
“Don’t worry. Your guns won’t have bullets in them, just in case anyone gets any cute ideas.” Cody looked into the rear-view mirror to meet eyes with Devon. “You’re just for show … a show of force. We’ll handle the rest.”
“But they have guns, too — loaded guns! What if they shoot us because we threaten them?” Taylor sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
“Well, I’d suggest you stay behind a tree or something.” Cody looked over at Wayne with a smirk on his face.
Wayne chuckled. “Yeah, y’all best duck and cover,” he added.
Devon shook his head. “You guys are insane. What’s the plan? You think you can just drive up, point a gun at them and say, get out, and they’ll do it? They have the upper hand, morons. It’s their place. They’re inside. Who knows what kind of fire power they have?”
“What, are you some kind of tactical expert?” Bo countered. “How do you know so much about … what do they call it … oh yeah. Urban warfare. I bet you learned all that from playing Call of Duty, huh?” Cody, Wayne, and Doug joined Carl in laughing at his own remarks.
“No, I’m just not stupid like you. You’re going to get yourselves killed, and us along with you.” Devon turned away and looked out the back window.
“Well, I’m not planning on dying today,” Cody replied with a derisive snort. “I can’t speak for the rest of you.”
“I can’t die! I have to get back to my family!” Taylor was shouting in a panic-filled voice. “Just stop the van. I won’t tell anybody anything. I can walk from here, no problem. Please, just let me out!”
“Shut up!” Cody barked at him. “You’re staying. Besides, we’re here.”
Cody turned into the driveway and sped up, tires spinning in the slushy snow. The back end of the van fishtailed, sending the occupants careening into the sides and each other.
“Damn, dude, chill!” Doug yelled from the rear. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll hear us coming?”
“They’re going to hear us coming no matter what, Dougie,” Cody said snidely. “This beast ain’t exactly quiet. Just hang on.”
He barreled up the driveway, sliding to a stop as the house came into view. He threw the van into park, shut it off, then turned to the rest of the men.
“Wayne, hand those three the old guns we found. We’ll take the rest. Let’s rock and roll, fellas. Heads down, guns high.”
“No! I can’t do this. I won’t!” Taylor replied as he crossed his arms defiantly across his chest when Wayne tried to press the empty pistol into his hand.
Cody pulled his gun out and pointed it at Taylor. “You either do what I say, or I’ll take you out myself then go back and find that wife of yours and … well,
use your imagination.” He paused for effect and, with a sneer on his lips, added, “What’ll it be?”
Wayne proffered the gun again. Taylor slowly reached out a trembling hand. Holding the strange weapon out in front of him, Taylor whispered, “O-okay. Just p-p-please don’t hurt my wife or my kids.”
“You do what I say, and they’ll be fine. Now I want you three to hang out behind the van. We’ll take the side. This shouldn’t take long. They’ve got women in there to protect too, so —”
“How do you know they have women in there?” Jason cut in. “In fact, how did you know which house it was? Taylor didn’t point it out.”
With a sheepish grin, Cody replied, “Ha! You busted me. We were here earlier. We had an idea this would be a sweet score, but your man there sealed it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now. Let’s do this. Everybody out.”
Everyone climbed out, Cody and Wayne exiting the driver side, the rest out the back. When Bo and Doug had joined their buddies, Devon grabbed Taylor and Jason by the arm and pulled them close to him.
“Stay back. Lay those guns down. If the people inside come out, I’m going to let them know we aren’t a part of this. We have to stop this before someone gets killed.”
Vigorously nodding his head, Taylor added, “Especially us.”
~~~~~
Elliott was at the door with Ethan and Lexi. Aaron was right behind them, as was Amanda. Joel and Cameron were set up at the living room windows. Will was in the bedroom closest to the driveway.
Carly went to Aaron and hissed in his ear, “You are not going out there, young man! It’s too dangerous. Go help your Uncle Will.”
Aaron turned to his anxious mother. “Mom, I’ll be eighteen in a few days. You’re going to have to accept I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m not letting Pap go out there with just Da — um, Ethan. You stay here and protect Nana. I have to do this.”