by Warren Ray
With the Chinese Army fighting the Americans on the West Coast, the Canadians took no chances with their security. With its common border, many Americans had fled to Canada seeking refugee status. This became a logistics nightmare. Canada had no quarrel with the American people and helped them in any way they could.
Winters ran into the woods thankful to have escaped the farmhouse. Had the cops been better organized and more patient, they would have had the whole place surrounded. Of course, if he had been smarter, he would have had his men guarding the perimeter, and this would never have happened. Winters had felt safe and hadn’t even considered having guards on duty. He wondered how the National Police were able to locate them. The house was out in the country with no close neighbors. They hadn’t been firing any weapons, which could have attracted attention.
“Another mystery,” thought Winters.
Scar had his men set up just inside the woods, to see if any cops would give chase. More cars came barreling up the driveway, while the original force was still firing on the house and barn.
Scar chuckled to himself. They had no idea the place was empty.
They kept this up for another five minutes before they finally stopped. Immediately, the cops spread out all over the property. Four of them came out of the back door of the barn and headed into the woods where the Shadow Patriots had made their escape.
Scar looked over at his men.
Nate loaded an arrow onto his new compound bow, began to pull the string back a bit and fluttered his eyebrows at Scar.
Scar signaled him to wait.
The four cops moved into the woods with trepidation. Thirty yards in, they stopped and looked around. They stopped talking and strained their ears listening for any unusual sounds. After a few moments, they continued their advance.
Scar, Meeks and Nate followed the four National Policemen leaving Burns and Murphy to continue monitoring the entrance to the woods.
They moved from tree to tree while keeping an eye on their pursuers. The four cops split up into two groups.
Nate whispered to Scar and Meeks. “I’m about done with these guys.”
Scar agreed and handed Meeks his bow. “Here, you’re better at this than I am.”
Meeks and Nate each strung an arrow, moved out from their cover, and came up behind the two closest cops. They both took aim. A whoosh broke the silence, as they launched their arrows at the same time. The two cops fell to the ground with a thud. One cried out in agony sending out an alert.
The remaining two turned and ran toward the cries. They came over a small ridge with drawn pistols leading the way and saw their friends on the ground. They darted their heads looking for the enemy as they rushed to their fallen comrades. As soon as they reached them, Meeks and Nate slipped around their cover and let loose a second pair of arrows.
One of the cops fell dead to the ground when the arrow passed through his body. The other one dropped his gun in shock looking at the metal shaft halfway through his stomach. His hands trembled attempting to grab it in hopes of pulling it out. This only increased the pain, and he dropped to his knees, moaning in agony.
Nate sprinted toward the cop and kicked the arrow shaft so that it completely penetrated the man's body. He yelled out a torturous cry before taking his last breath.
“Bastard,” said Nate.
Meeks turned to Scar with a surprised look.
Scar shrugged.
Before they started to head for Burns and Murphy, they grabbed the gun belts off the four bodies. Suddenly, gunfire interrupted the silence of the forest. It had come from the direction of the farmhouse, and they immediately ran toward the noise.
Moments later, Burns and Murphy came running toward them, with cops not too far behind. They took up positions and waited for Burns and Murphy, whose faces lit up when they saw them. Then they opened fire on the pursuing National Police.
Chapter 55
St Paul Minnesota
Boxer sat impatiently in an office he commandeered at Police headquarters in downtown St. Paul. He was waiting for news from Stiver, about the farmhouse when the phone finally rang.
“This is Boxer,” he answered.
“Commandant, it’s them all right. They just took out six of my men, but I’ve got another twenty on their tail as we speak. I’ll have all my men in the area within hours, sir.”
“Best news I’ve heard all day,” said Boxer gleefully, not caring in the slightest about the six dead men.
“They’re trying to make a run to the border.”
“How far is it?”
“Depends on which way they go, it’s at least twenty miles or more. The good news is, they’re on foot.”
Boxer started laughing. “They’re on foot? This is going to be a piece of cake. Let’s get out ahead of them. We’ll shut off their escape.”
Boxer depressed the cutoff switch on the phone, then dialed Reed’s office. He couldn’t wait to tell him. He worried the longer it took for good news, the more likely he’d lose his standing in the district. This was not something to leave to chance. Rumors flew around Washington like a tornado—fast, uncontrollable, and devastating.
“What’s your status?” asked Reed.
Boxer tried to contain himself as he spoke. “Sir, we've got those old bastards trapped in between Big Falls and the Canadian border, which is twenty miles away. The best news is that they’re on foot. So, we’ll have them in no time. I’ve got men coming up from the rear and more being transported north of their position.”
“Excellent news, Boxer.”
Chapter 56
Koochiching County Minnesota
Winters led the escaping Shadow Patriots away from the farmhouse at a quick pace. He had no doubt they would invariably be pursued, and he wanted as much space between them and the cops as possible.
The sounds of a gun battle began to erupt from the direction of the farmhouse. The inevitable wasn’t long in coming; Scar and his men were being engaged by the cops. He ordered everyone to pick up the pace while he and Elliott rushed back to their aid.
Winters stopped when he saw them approaching. “Everything good?”
“We're good. Took out a bunch,” said Scar.
“Yeah, they'll tread lightly but they'll still keep coming after us,” declared Burns.
Winters nodded. “I need scouts on either side of us and behind us.”
Scar turned to Burns and Murphy. “Meeks and I will cover our six if you two will guard the flanks.”
Burns and Murphy readily agreed.
Winters jogged back to the front completely lost in thought. The Shadow Patriots started out as the hunters but were now the hunted. Again, not what he had envisioned at the beginning when they “volunteered” him to be the leader. Having cops on their tail meant a loss of control, which went against the bookkeeper in him. Every number had a place and he had known where to put it. Now, they didn’t stand a chance and he was unsure of what to do. They were on the run pretending to be able to escape to Canada. He would keep up this charade up for as long as it gave the men hope, but in all likelihood, their journey would end either tonight or in the morning.
Winters turned to Elliott. “What would you do if you were them?”
Elliott thought for a moment. “I’d be getting a whole bunch of guys up in front of us.”
Winters took a deep breath. “Yeah, that’s what I’d do too. So, we’re pretty much walking right into their hands.”
“Yep.”
“I’m going to have to make up something to tell the men, cuz by morning we're done for.”
Elliott didn’t respond.
They stopped talking as they continued to walk both lost in their own thoughts and wondering the same thing—when would the cops capture them?
Winters looked back and saw Mr. Peterson. He wondered if he would be able to hack it. The man had been so gracious with his hospitality, and now was being punished for his good deed. As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. No truer w
ords were ever spoken.
Winters slowed down and to walk beside him. “How are you holding up Mr. Peterson?”
Peterson cocked his head smiling. “Are you kidding? I’m thinking I could still kick your ass.”
Winters grinned in agreement.
Peterson spoke in a more serious tone. “Cole, this is the gutsiest thing I’ve done in a long time.”
“And what would be the gutsiest thing you ever did?”
“Vietnam. This one time, our platoon was out on patrol, my squad got separated, and before you know it, we were ass deep in Charlie, got ourselves completely surrounded.”
Winters' interest increased. “What did you do?”
“Waited till nightfall. Night can be your best friend or your worst enemy. We made it our friend. We created a diversion and found a weak link in their force. Once we had the diversion up and running, they let their guard down and we slipped right on by them.”
Winters’ eyes grew big and a shiver ripped through his body.
“Mr. Peterson, I could kiss you.”
Peterson wrinkled his forehead.
With an excitement written all over his face, Winters ran back up to Elliott and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“What’s with you?”
“I’ve got an idea. We need to get everyone together before sundown. Where’s Nate?”
Elliott started to answer but Winters had already taken off to find him.
He raced past the men who were still moving forward. Most greeted him while others simply nodded as he hurried by. He found Nate and told him to go find Scar and Meeks and get them up here on the double. He also sent another volunteer to go get Burns and Murphy.
Twenty minutes later, away from the others, they all waited for Winters. He joined them and asked for their individual reports on the movement of the National Police.
Scar spoke first. “Well Captain, Meeks and I have noticed as the day wore on, the slower the cops moved. They’ve fallen further back than I would if I was them.”
“We scouted our flanks, Captain,” said Burns. “They have more men to the west of us than the east.”
Winters nodded. “And we can assume they’ve got plenty of men waiting at the border. So, they’ve got us surrounded. They’re doing exactly what we would do if we were chasing them. Now if they have more men to the west, they must be thinking we’ll likely be heading that way.”
“A lot more trees over that way,” said Burns.
Scar added. “Don’t forget we’re between two rivers.”
“And just before the border, it’s big open ground,” said Burns.
“The border agents will have no problem picking us off,” said Scar, snapping his fingers.
Nate bristled at this and offered. “We should keep to the trees and have ourselves another old fashion shootout.”
Meeks looked at Nate. “I’m with you again brother. Let's go down fighting, rather than be captured.”
“Yeah, you can count me in too,” Scar said raising his weapon.
Winters waited patiently for them to finish. “Guys, I’ve got an idea how we can get out of this.”
Nate gave a half smile. “Here we go again.”
Winters raised both of his index fingers at Nate. “Yeah, I know, but hear me out. Burns, you say they have more men to the west. So, it would make sense for us to go and try to break through their lines on the east, correct?”
“Yes,” said Burns while the others looked at each other in agreement.
“Well, instead of us trying to break east, we go west. They’d certainly never expect it.”
Burns gestured with his hands. “But how?”
“We don’t fight them, we slip by them like we did the other day. We create some kind of a diversion to the east, which will make them think that’s where we’re trying to break out. Their guys to the west will either let their guard down, or get all excited, and head east to try to help. In doing so, they’ll pass right by us.”
Scar was the first to see the simplicity of the plan. “It’s brilliant, Captain. We just need something convincing that they’ll fall for, hook, line and sinker.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how you keep coming up with these ideas of yours.”
Winters laughed. “It’s just half an idea though. We still need to come up with the diversion half.”
Nate replied. “Believe it or not, I think I got the other half. And no, it doesn’t involve attacking them head-on. Well, it kind of does, but not really.”
“I’m all ears,” Winters said.
Chapter 57
Elliott walked across a small field and found Winters sitting down, still removing bullets from their casings and emptying the gunpowder. A light wind made the work tedious. The sun had set, and it would be completely dark in thirty minutes.
Winters heard Elliott approach and asked. “Everyone in place?”
“You betcha, Captain, found a bunch of thick trees, that’ll keep them hidden. What about the others?”
Winters stood up. “We’re almost done.”
“Think this will work?” asked Elliott.
Winters shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal way.
“Got to hand it to my buddy, Nate,” smiled Elliott. “His gung-ho attitude finally came in handy.”
Winters let out a breath and nodded in agreement.
The two of them sat down and finished filling the last sack of gunpowder. Burns and Murphy had returned and were ready to pick it up.
“This wind is blowing from the west,” said Winters.
“Couldn’t have asked for better weather, no rain and windy,” said Burns.
With little sunlight left, they plodded through the woods to the field where Scar, Meeks and Nate were finishing the set.
Upon arriving, Winters spoke quietly. “Are we ready gentlemen?”
“We’re good to go, Captain,” said Scar.
They all walked to the center of the open field, which was approximately fifty yards long and a hundred yards wide.
Scar began the instructions. “We got ten separate stockpiles of various weapons, five on each side of the field. As you can see, we put strips of white cloth on some branches, so we’d have an easier time finding them on the run. Once we begin, we’ll give it ten minutes or so before Burns and Murphy start the fires. After that, everyone run back here. Any questions?”
They all looked at one another and shook their heads. Elliott and Nate then hiked across the field to the west side, while the others advanced to the opposite end.
The plan was a simple one. They hoped to draw the National Police in by setting up a fake gun battle. Each man would run back and forth to each of the stockpiles of weapons and fire them. This should create confusion in the ranks of the cops as they listened to the different types of guns that were engaging in the deceptive faux battle. Winters was relying on the fact that the police would think their fellow officers were involved. They would want to help them and be eager to finish off the old men at the same time.
The cops on the west side of the river would want to get in on the battle. The location of the fight wasn’t going to be too far from a county road that had a bridge crossing the river. This was where the rest of the Shadow Patriots would wait for the cops to abandon their positions. They would then have the safe passage they needed to get to the border.
Burns and Murphy, using gunpowder, would set a fire along the edge of the field, and with the slight breeze from the west, would carry it into the woods. This would add to the confusion by igniting two piles of ammunition they had left behind. The additional gunfire would continue while the seven of them would head back across the field to meet up with everyone else.
Meeks was the first to fire his weapon. He pointed it toward the sky and let off a couple of spurts. This was followed by Winters and Scar. Finally, Elliott and Nate got in on the ruse. They all ran up and down the field, spreading the gunfire around as much as they could, trying to convince the cops there wer
e more than a few men involved. The gunfire echoed high in the sky. There was no doubt the other side was listening intently and wondering what was going on.
Chapter 58
Lieutenant Stiver sat down to get something to eat, which he desperately needed. There had been little time since they started hunting the old men. He felt confident they would soon capture these so-called Shadow Patriots. He had them boxed between two rivers with cops on either side. He also had plenty of men ahead of, and behind them. They had no chance of escaping.
The sounds of battle rudely interrupted Stiver’s meal. He immediately got up and joined his men to try to determine where the shooting had come from. Everyone had a different opinion about what types of weapons they utilized.
Stiver grabbed his radio from his side pocket and pushed the button down. “Durbin, what’s going on over there?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“My men are spread out over a lot of ground. I don’t know where they’re all at.”
“Same here,” came Hoyer on the radio. “I can’t say for sure where everyone is either. We’ve been behind them all day, so there’s no way they’ve backtracked on us.”
Stiver spoke earnestly. “Well, it sounds like someone got a little too close.”
The radio squawked. “What do you want us to do, Junior?”
“I’m thinking,” said Lieutenant Stiver pacing back and forth among his men who stood and waited for an order.
The gunfire continued to rage on.
“Give me a map,” said Stiver.
He unfolded the map while someone beamed a flashlight on it. Stiver got back on the radio. “Durbin, there’s a road up ahead. It’ll get you across the river. Get over here ASAP. Everybody move in, I repeat move in.”
Stiver spun the rifle off his back and ordered an all-out attack.