by Cory Mccoy
Just getting out of city limits took over 3 hours. Every road was packed. People were panicking to get out, yet had no clue where they were even going.
This part of the Columbia river basin is almost always under a light cloud cover, it's rare that you see more than a quarter of the sky. Tonight was an exception, as if the fighting had torn a hole through the clouds. Smoke billowing from all directions, the sound of fierce fighting in the distance. I barely recognized the city I called home. This was merely the beginning of many battles to come, no one could have really understood why at this point.
The air smelled of gunpowder, quiet Portland had been turned into a battlefield. The quaint skyline of this trendy northwest town, now scarred. Everyone in this city now knew the horrors of war. War was no longer just a story they heard about on the evening news, it was no longer far off and inexplicably justified. This was the cruel reality of man, innocence brutally ripped from those lucky enough to still hold onto it. This was the cruel face of hatred, unknown to these ordinary people until today.
War changes a man, even the youngest soldiers. That first battle, those first shots fired into the heart of the enemy will define a man for the rest of his life. Every decision he will ever make past that point, will be influenced by what he learned and saw that day. It is not something you can find in a classroom, this is an intimate understanding of your limits. You can not hope to look death in the eye and come out unscathed. Even those lucky enough to survive do not escape with their soul intact.
Jesse and Liz were both exhausted, they couldn't have been prepared for this kind of trauma. They tried to get a little bit of sleep while I drove. The magnitude of this new war had not yet sunk in. I don’t think I even understood yet. How could I have? An attack of this scale was unprecedented. Easily the largest military operation in the history of mankind. It was mind boggling just trying to figure out how the PLA could have coordinated it all. It must have taken years to plan, I wondered if they even remembered why they set upon this course to begin with.
Our arrogance had defined this country for far too long. We lived our lives under the misguided belief that some how, for some insane reason, God had chosen us. That he elevated the United States to unparalleled might. We even believed that every action we made was driven by purpose. That somehow, we were better than the other nations we tried to police and bend to our will. We could not have been more wrong.
I wasn't sure how far a full tank of gas would take us, or even how to get where we were going. The safest bet seemed to be taking the back-roads through a few small towns until I could hit 503 and take the long way around Mount St Helens. It was far enough inland that there would likely be no fighting. If anything happened the extensive hiking trails or service roads that would start in Gifford Pinchot National Forest could take us all the way to the Canadian border. Where Gifford Pinchot ended, Mt Baker National Forest begins, following a series of state parks all the way to the border. We could follow them to about a hundred miles east of Seattle if the main roads weren't an option.
"Hey guys," I said waking up Jesse and Liz, "Look alive, we're about to head through Woodland. We should be able to get to 503 on the other side of town, but we're going to have to take it slow to be safe."
"Hurngh, wha-" Jesse said as he woke up, "What the hell would they want with podunk ass Woodland?"
"What does anyone want with it?" I laughed, "but the truth is we don't even know what the hell they want with us in the first place, so we can't afford to take any risks."
"Yup," Liz said groggily "He's right, maybe they came for the scenery."
It was extremely quiet, as if the whole town was abandoned. Not a single light was on in the houses or businesses along the main road. Occasionally I could see I-5 in the distance, it was almost completely barren, only a few broken down cars to be seen. The PLA must have found a way to blockade the main interstates just outside the city. We were right to have taken the back-roads.
"Hey! Hey," Liz squealed, "Look over there, that restaurant is open!"
"Oh man, I’m so hungry" Jesse said, " Can we stop and get a bite?"
"What in the hell?" I replied, shocked that a single restaurant was open in this ghost town. "Yeah, let's go in, maybe someone can tell us what's happening."
I pulled into the drive way, the place was packed. It was surreal seeing this packed parking lot and no other signs of life except for it. Clearly, this was going to be interesting.
"Ok, guys, listen" I said after we pulled in. "We do not leave this vehicle without a weapon, under any circumstances. Got it? No matter how safe it looks, I never want you to open those doors without a gun in your hands."
"Yeah," Liz said "Who knows when or if we'll run into that army again."
"They're looking for us," I said "Well, they're looking for me anyways, it's a matter of time before they figure out what I look like so we need to keep moving, no staying in any one spot for long, OK?"
"Yeah yeah," Jesse grumbled, "Let's go get some food, Rambo."
Ralphie's Steak House, big gaudy neon sign and all. They were definitely open, I could smell the food wafting through the air. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was until then. We ate breakfast at nine or so, and skipped lunch to go to the movies. It was around eleven thirty now. This was no chain restaurant, it had that feel of a very successful out of the way joint that you only find when taking a break from the freeway. You turn off ready to hit the fast food place you saw on the sign a few miles back when that huge neon sign catches your eye.
The sign on the front doors said they were only open until 10 pm, but the place was packed. Waitresses flitting about from table to table like bumblebees. No one batted an eye as we walked in. Three banged up people, the biggest of which carrying an assault rifle. Hell, the teenage kid with a 9mm in his waistband, like a rapper, would have normally been enough to cause a commotion.
"Hooo, look at the gun that boy's got!" said an older guy at the bar, "Come here soon, come have a seat."
We made our way across the room, some people had started to notice us. A few were gawking, some even pointing. It was slightly uncomfortable, but then again I was the one with a gun. I'm sure it made them more uneasy than it did me. The man that called us over stood up to greet us, he was wearing cowboy boots and the biggest belt buckle I had ever seen. He was a little shorter than me, but rugged like a man who'd lived in the country his entire life. He could only be described as the good ole boy type.
"Where the hell did you fellas come from?" he said chuckling "How are ya miss?"
"We came from just outside of Portland." I replied shaking his hand. "I’m Connor, this is Liz, and Jesse"
"That's a mighty big gun for such a little lady" he said as he took Liz's hand. "Name's Ralphie, this here establishment belongs to me. Why don't y'all take a load off, you look like you need to relax a bit."
"Thank you, sir." I said as we sat down at the bar by Ralphie. "We've been driving for hours."
"I would imagine, what route did you take to get here?" He said as he called over a waitress. "Last I heard some Chinese assholes had shut down the all the roads just a few miles north of Vancouver."
"Yeah, it looks like it," I replied. "We've been snaking through the back-roads all night."
"Sweetheart," Ralphie said to the young waitress "Take these folks order, it's on me tonight"
"I know daddy," she said, "everything's on you tonight. We're gonna go outta business if we do this tomorrow."
"I'll have a burger and some iced tea." I said, turning back to Ralphie as Liz and Jesse ordered. "What made you decide to stay open, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, I figure people are gonna need a good meal right now." He said, "The whole town just about lost their minds and took off, who knows where the hell they think they're going? Me, I figure it'll be a while before those bastards even bat an eye at this town. Even when they do, what are they gonna do,
kill everyone? I highly doubt that, hell I got plenty of rice if them boys don't like steaks."
"Yeah, it seems like they were avoiding major confrontations for now," I said "They seem to have this thing pretty well planned out."
"That they do, that they do." He said "I heard they were trying to set up a base at some department store a couple miles from the airport, but they bit off more than they could chew... Now where does a fellow get a gun like that son?"
"Oh this?" I said as he gestured to the assault rifle. "This is a QBZ-97, let's just say the owner no longer has any use for it. I figured if we came under fire, I’m better off with their rifles because I can use their own ammo."
"I ain't even gonna ask how you and the owner came to that agreement" He said with a wry smile. "What's your poison?"
"Good old Jack," I said "but I’m doing the driving so I’ll have to refrain for now."
"Oh come on son, I insist" He said " You ain’t gonna insult me in my own bar are ya?"
"It's ok hun," Liz said leaning over to me, "You deserve to have a drink, I can drive for a little while and you can get some sleep."
"Alright, then it's settled" Ralphie said as he walked around the bar and grabbed an unopened bottle of Jack and a few glasses. "Do you take it straight or with soda?"
"Yea, some coke would be good" I said. Liz was right, I did need a drink. It had been a very long day. "thanks"
"So where are you folks headed?" Ralphie asked as he made the drink.
"Well, we were planning on taking the park roads around St Helens and head up toward Seattle." I replied, "The PLA wasn't able to take that port so it should be a good starting point. Not sure after that though."
"I never would have thought that bunch of liberals up in Seattle would knock back that kind of an attack," He said laughing "Hell, I never imagined anyone would have the gall to bring a fight to American soil."
"Yeah, people were fighting all over when we left," I said "I even saw some gang members helping out the cops, it's crazy"
"I usually put the T.V.s on ESPN, but I've had em on the news all night." He said, "Satellite TV, still running even after the Apocalypse."
"So it is," I said looking up, the screen was filled with images of fighting from all over the country. Pictures of people dead in the streets and pictures of victories as well. The ticker that runs across the bottom of the screen was listing the cities that had been attacked and their status.
Miami - taken. Savannah - Taken, with PLA moving into Atlanta by morning. Raleigh - Taken. D.C. - Taken, casualties thought to exceed 1 million. Annapolis - Still under siege, but believed to be turning the tide. Philadelphia - Free. Boston - Free. Atlantic City - Taken. Providence - taken. NYC - free and mobilizing defense to move into Albany. Albany - Free, but fighting is fierce with Canadian and National Guard expected to arrive within hours. Los Angeles - Free, but expected to be taken without reinforcements. San Diego - Free, attack was stopped within two hours by Marines and Recruits from the MCRD adjacent to the airport. Balboa Naval base took only minor fire. Fresno - taken. Oakland - Taken. San Francisco - free, Golden Gate Bridge was destroyed by the PLA to cut off aid to Oakland. Astoria - taken with devastating casualties. Portland - taken, but fierce pockets of resistance are slowing the Chinese advance. Olympia - taken. Seattle/Tacoma - Free, National Guard was able to mobilize before the PLA could take SeaTac Intl.
"This just in," blared the TV as Ralphie turned the volume up after seeing a picture of a devastated military base. "We previously reported that over 200 military installations were affected by some kind of chemical attack. Medical Personnel are now reporting that the soldiers who they were able to save seem to have been exposed to some kind of fast acting poisonous fungus. Not unlike the spores that were ravaging rural Oregon only a few years ago. This fungus is not believed to be contagious, but spread only by contact with objects in the vicinity of the bases. It is not yet known if this was carried out by Chinese personnel or how they ev..."
"Christ almighty," Ralphie said shaking his head. "So that's how they shut down the entire god damned army."
"Do you think, " Jesse said between mouthfuls of the steak he was eating, "They would use that stuff on regular people?"
"I don’t know Jesse," I said, trying to take in the fact that nearly the entire military was crippled. " I don’t think they would, why would they be taking major cities by force just to make them uninhabitable?"
"Hun, it looks like Raul is trying to call us," Liz said handing me the sat phone. "Why don't you take it? I wouldn't know what to ask him."
"Sure thing," I said turning to Ralphie, "Hey is there somewhere a little more quiet I can take this?"
"Yeah, why don’t you head into my office," He said pointing toward the kitchen. "It's right on the other side, you can't miss it."
"Thanks man," I said as I got up "I appreciate what you're doing for us."
"Hello? Can you hear me?" I said as I answered "Hold on just a minute, I've got to get somewhere I can hear." The place was packed, there had to be close to a hundred people here. It was comforting watching people eat and enjoy themselves as if the whole world hadn't just gone to hell. I wondered how long it would be until I had a chance to relax again without having to worry about some foreign army trying to kill us.
"Hey Raul, you still there?" I said after I closed the door behind me.
"Yeah, I’m here," he said, the line was a little staticy, but at least he could make a call at all. "Listen, I’ve got some really bad news Connor."
"I'd be damn surprised if you had any that wasn't"
"True enough, but this involves you." He said "The police have had interpreters trying to intercept radio signals and surprisingly the Chinese are using open frequencies."
"How does that involve me?"
"I'm getting there," he said, his voice starting to shake. "We all knew they were going to respond to the incident at Mega Mart, but we just weren't sure how... They're pissed man, they're out for blood. You killed one of their top brass when you guys were fighting your way out and they want to make an example of you."
"I'm going to assume they were able to recover the security tapes then..."
"Yeah, they were. They came straight to the hospital about two hours after you guys left. They said they only wanted the people who were in charge. We tried to cover, but they found that guy who was shot in the neck..."
"McDonnell, he was a retired Staff Sgt I think."
"Yeah, that's him. They tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn't. I'm not even sure he could have if he wanted to, he was hurt pretty bad. One of the doctors tried to stop them , but they shot him in the head right in front of everyone."
"Christ"
"They didn't get anything out of your friend so they just killed him. After that, the guy in charge told us that if they find anyone helping you they would be killed in order to show us how futile it is to fight back."
"Then what the hell are you doing telling me this?" I asked, I didn't want any more blood on my hands.
"Because we can change things, Connor," he said "If you tell people your story, it can give them hope. You can give people a reason to fight, help them to see that it isn't pointless."
"How do you propose I do that?" I said, "After all I’m on the run and those bastards are probably after me right now."
"This isn't the 1950's anymore," he told me "These rat bastards can't control the flow of information. Don't you see? With today's technology they can't stifle our voices."
"Last time I checked they had done a pretty good job of blocking access to the internet," I said unsure of where he was going. "And if I go on TV that's only going to make myself and anyone around me more vulnerable."
"No, No we can't have them seeing your face," He said excitedly "You can be more than a just some guy, we can use you to represent an ideal. Let me record an interview and I can get it out online, I have contacts al
l over the country and in Europe and Asia, we can make this go viral. The Chinese were only able to completely knock out the Asian hubs. Our navy was smart enough to know that we had to protect ICANN at all costs.."
"Wait, what is that?" I interrupted.
"ICANN, it's the company that basically controls access to the internet" He said, "It's much more complicated than that, but if it were to be taken the entire world's access could be blocked for god knows how long."
"Ok, you said the navy responded? Where is it?"
"Well it's in Marina Del Mar, it's a half hour or so from LAX, on the coast. The government apparently had a contingency plan in case it was ever in jeopardy. Coronado had warships there before the Chinese could even get outside of LAX."
"What about LA?"
"I think they're rerouting some of the Marines up that way for back up, but LA has a huge police force so I think eventually they'll be ok. Besides people down in LA are mean as hell, they aren't just gonna let some assholes take over their city. They've got as many guns as the cops do, I'm sure."
"That's good, from what I’ve seen Seattle is in the clear. Maybe they'll be able to retake most of the west coast with such huge naval bases open, they must have forgotten to attack them."
"Nah, more likely too much wind to apply that shit they used on the army all over the country" he said. "So do you want to do this? There's no turning back once we do. You've already got the entire god damn Chinese army after you, but they'll really kick it into gear once this gets out."
"You're right, Raul." I said "If we're going to win this thing, we need to give people some encouragement."
"Ok good, just let me set up the recorder."
"Alright, tell me when" I said. I already had a target on my back, but it was about to get a lot bigger.
"Ok here we go, ready?" He said.
"America this is R.C., out of fear for my personal safety and that of my family I can not reveal my real name. Tonight, the world as we know it was torn asunder. Not just our great nation, but dozens of our Allies face the largest and most aggressive invasion in the history of mankind. So flawlessly was this attack executed, that the entire planet was taken by surprise. Hundreds of cities have fallen and probably millions of innocent people are dead as we speak. However, all is not lost. Tonight, I will give you a reason to believe. Tonight, we all become the resistance. Everyone who sees this, every man, woman and child will be part of the fight to retake our homelands."
"Tonight, I introduce you to your General. This morning, he was just an ordinary citizen like you and I, but all of that changed when the store he was in came under attack. This man took action without hesitation for his own safety in order to save the lives of dozens of other people in a Vancouver, Washington Mega Mart. For those of you who haven't heard of Vancouver, it is just across the river from sunny Portland, Oregon."
"How did you get that nickname, the General?"
"When we were attempting to secure the Mega Mart, there was no time for introductions so one of the employees there just started referring to me as General."
"How many people helped you take back that store?" Raul asked.
"Everyone there had a part in it. Every single person there was a hero tonight." I said, "But those of us doing the fighting, there was myself, another old Jar Head and about 10 other guys."
"How many died there tonight?"
"I’m not sure, we were able to save about 40 or so." I said, "However, I’m sure dozens, maybe more than a hundred more died. I don't really know how many were able to get out before they sealed the place off."
"How many soldiers did they send to take the place?"
"I think it was around two dozen. They sent them in there to slaughter us and then intended to set it up as a command hub."
"That didn't work out did it?"
"No, no it didn't. I heard the first shots fired when I was in the middle of an aisle and saw the first gunmen as he rounded the corner. I was able to take him out and grab his weapons. After that, I..."
"What happened then?" He asked as I paused.
"I, um, I was able to get a civilian into an office about 50 yards away." I said not wanting to implicate Liz, although I was sure the PLA already knew. "I was under pretty intense fire and would have been dead only a few feet from the door when a man, Jim was his name, came out of nowhere and nearly took a soldier's head off with a baseball bat.
He was looking for his little boy, who had wanted to find a new toy. I tried to help him find the kid, but the soldiers were all over. Another guy managed to get ahold of a soldiers hand grenades." I said as I recalled what had happened. I hadn't thought about it until then. I did my best to keep my voice from cracking as the emotions came rushing to the surface. I had pushed them aside, knowing I would be dead had I let them get in my way, but I couldn't avoid them now. I didn't let it come across in my voice, but my eyes began to water as I told how Jim and so many others had died.
"That is an amazing story," Raul said as I finished telling him how we made it to the hospital. "I met you there, at the hospital. You came across harshly at first, but I can't blame you after all you've been through today. I would never be able to hold myself together like that."
"We can't have let them die in vain R.C." I said as a chill came over. I was beginning to feel a sense of purpose, beginning to believe what Raul had said about giving people a reason to fight. "Those bastards came looking for us and they killed an injured man along with his doctor in cold blood."
"Staff Sgt Michael McDonnell and Doctor Thomas Richards," Raul said, I hadn't even known McDonnell's first name. "They died today as heroes."
"And Jim, he gave his life to save us. We would have all been dead if not for his sacrifice."
"Yes, he's with his son now." Raul said, "Tell me, where do we go from here?"
"Know this, no man will fall in vein while attempting to restore our lives, at the same time no loss of life should ever be considered small. So many of us will die, so that our brothers and sisters may live. We must willingly face our end in order to give our nation a new beginning. Without a doubt, we must take back our country," I said "and after that, the homes of our allies as well. We all fall together and together we will all rise again. Today the Chinese government and those of their allies decided that we were not fit to lead anymore, not even fit to run our own lives. They sent in their armies to break our spirit, to punish us all for our ignorance. Not just us, but all free people. If we do not stand now, this authoritarian army of tyrants will wash over the entire world, killing and suppressing any who stand in their way. They intend to hunt me like a dog for the insults I have made against them."
"Are you afraid for yourself, General?"
"I am," I replied "I am afraid for all of us. We can not let fear dictate our lives, we must strive to control our own circumstance. If we give in to fear, we will be lost within months. If we stand aside, we will never again have a chance to take our country back. We must embrace this fear and use it, because it is only this fear that can remind us what is at stake."
"How should we fight back?"
"We face an army of an unprecedented size, no one knows exactly how large it actually is. However, they do not know these lands, they do not know our cities. They can not imagine how fiercely we will fight them to wrest control out of their hands. So let them hunt me, let them send their troops to find me. It is a fool's move to waste massive amounts of resources to find one man.
While they aimlessly attempt to track me down, we will be building ourselves up. We will organize to fight back. They have only been able to take major coastal cities, everything between the Cascades and the Appalachian mountains remains free. Within days our military will be mobile again. Our enemy is coming from across the seas, we are only witnessing the first of their massive armies, but it will take them time to move their Armada toward us. We must not simply bide our time, waiting for death to
come"
"Should we fight them at every turn?"
"No, no, we do not need people dieing for no reason. We need to use our cities and forests to our advantage. We can fight as guerillas, it is our time to use the urban warfare tactics we have learned over the last few decades. We can mount an urban counteroffensive the likes, they could never have imagined. We will not fight in the streets, we will use our heads. Our intelligence and resourcefulness are our most valuable weapons. There is no shame in retreating. Attack while the enemy is unsuspecting and move. Do not stay in any place longer than necessary, do not fight in the same spot twice. Always, always keep moving. Do not give your enemy time to breathe."
"So we are now the insurgents?"
"You could say that," I replied. "All of our lives are now intertwined. We can not let our enemy break our spirits. Even if I were to fall, let my death steel your hearts and cement your will. We are all the leaders of this new militia, they can not destroy us by simply killing one man. Let us strike fear into their souls. We will give them a fight so fierce that they will abandon their plans to conquer this land. Let our righteousness make this land untenable for them."
"We are running out of time here," Raul said. "It is unsafe for us to linger much longer, we will all become targets soon. Anything else you'd like to tell the people General?"
"Though the night may seem too dark to bear, remember that the dawn will always break. We are at a crucial point in the history of mankind, where all free people must fight to maintain their independence, we can not simply lay down and die. Embrace your brothers and move forward, in order to survive we must all resolve to stand as one. We are all the Resistance."
Chapter 6