by Warren Ray
During the drive, Bassett learned that Hadley was twenty years old. This was only three years younger than he was, but lacking his combat experience, the kid seemed much younger. Hadley was a transplant from Waco, Texas, and had the accent and manners to prove it. Three months after he joined the force, they transferred him to Michigan. He didn’t like having to move but didn’t have much choice in the matter. They told him the National Police needed a larger presence in Michigan. He hadn’t made any friends and his colleagues made fun of his accent and called him a hick. They had given him desk duty and made him do all the paper work.
Having played soccer in high school, he suffered a severe knee injury, which required a replacement. The surgery had left him with a slight limp. This injury kept him from joining the military, despite their desperate need for men. Still, wanting to be of service to his country, he decided to join the National Police. They overlooked his injury because they also needed considerable personnel.
By making the decision to help him escape, Bassett knew Hadley’s parents raised him to do the right thing, no matter the personal consequences. He admired the kid’s courage.
Basset turned onto Route 23. They passed through Granger, Indiana, and then turned onto 331. Once they reached the campus, they began zigzagging through the streets looking for any signs of life. It was a daunting task because of the enormity of the place. They concentrated on looking for vehicles in empty parking lots but it was dark, which forced them to go slowly. Bassett was getting nervous. He knew locating them would be a challenge. He just didn’t realize how much of a challenge until now.
Hadley yelled out. “Look over there to the left. I see some lights.”
“I see 'em,” he said as he made a left and inched forward.
“Look at all the cars,” said Hadley.
“This is it,” said a relieved Bassett.
He stopped the car and they got out. Bassett did a quick scan of the area but didn’t notice anyone. He whispered to Hadley. “Come on.”
They started to the double doors when they heard the cocking of a rifle. They both froze.
Chapter 39
South Bend Indiana
Stiver got on the radio and announced to his men that they would be going in without the help of Michigan’s finest. The radio came alive with excited yelps from the Stiver’s men. He put the mic back in its cradle and glanced over at Durbin who nodded with a smile on his face. They took a turn onto Business 31 and headed south. He looked at his watch and saw that he had an easy thirty minutes if not more before Cox would arrive. Stiver had a hundred men with him, which he thought was more than enough for a surprise attack. Thankfully, Cox had revealed the Shadow Patriots’ location. What an idiot he thought to himself. After being briefed on Cox’s plan of attack, he realized that his unit was to be utilized for support only. They would not be included in the actual assault. Little did Cox know how much capturing these men meant to him. The rebels had eluded him twice, once in the Chippewa and then the Peterson farm. He needed this more than that idiot from Michigan did. No longer would they remember him as the guy who allowed the Shadow Patriots to escape when they were right in his grasp. The rebels had been lucky. This is what he had been telling anyone who confronted him about it. Well, their luck was about to run out.
“Where do I turn?” asked Stiver.
Durbin extended the map and pointed to their location. “We’re right here.”
“Damn if you ain’t taking us the long way around.” Stiver studied the map of the campus for a few more moments. “To hell with that, we’ll just take the damn bike path. Besides, then we can use these buildings as cover.”
“We should send some of the others to flank their position so we can surround them,” said Durbin.
Stiver gave that some thought before getting on the radio to order one squad to go to the left and a second one right to get behind the rebels in order to cut off any escape.
Stiver slammed the gearshift into drive and proceeded down the narrow path. It took them past the main building with its glorious golden dome. He grinned to himself at his genius as he turned to the right and followed the path. When Stiver saw a set of trees, he stopped and grabbed the map. “It’s just up ahead. Get out and see if you see any one.”
Durbin took off with a flashlight and came back after a few moments.
“Well?” asked Stiver.
“Lights are on and I see movement.”
Stiver got on the radio to find out if the others were in place. After receiving confirmation, he told them what he wanted everyone to do.
Chapter 40
Bassett turned to the sound of the rifle and yelled out. “We’re here to help.”
“Who are you?” said a man emerging from around the corner.
“I’m Bassett, and this here is Hadley,” he answered as he tried to make out who held him at gunpoint.
“Bassett? As in Corporal Bassett?”
Bassett was relieved. “Yes, yes, I’m Major Green’s, man. Who are you?”
The man walked up to him. “Well, well, young Corporal Bassett, it’s me, Bill Taylor.”
“Oh, Mr. Taylor, I’m so glad it’s you,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.
“What are you doing here?”
“To warn you guys. You have a whole army of cops coming here any minute. Where’s Captain Winters?”
Taylor took a moment to digest what Bassett was saying. “He’s upstairs, come on I’ll take you.”
The three of them rushed inside.
“Get up, get up everybody.” Taylor looked like a madman as he ran into the dining hall yelling out what was happening. Everyone immediately got up and scrambled to warn the others. Bassett and Hadley followed Taylor as the older man bounded up the stairs like a gazelle. He ran down the hall still yelling the warning. They reached Winters’ door and Taylor pounded on it as he swung the door open.
“Captain, Captain, get up! We’ve got trouble.”
Winters sprang up. “What’s going on?” he asked in the darkness.
“Corporal Bassett is here.”
“Bassett?”
“Yes sir, it’s me. Your location has been compromised. You’ve got a couple of hundred cops coming any minute.”
“Damn it,” said Winters, as he jumped out of bed. “Taylor, go get Scar and Meeks and get everyone down to the dining hall. Corporal, I can’t thank you enough.”
“You can thank this guy. This is Don Hadley. He’s a cop, and believe me, if it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t be here.”
Winters looked at the young man as Sadie came running into the room. “What’s happening?” she squeezed between Bassett and Hadley to reach Winters.
Winters felt her arms latch around him. He told Bassett he’d meet them downstairs. Bassett gave her a glance and then an affirmative nod to Winters as he and Hadley exited the room.
Winters squatted down. “We need to leave this place, and we need to leave right now, so let’s get your stuff.”
Sadie ran into her room and grabbed her jacket, gun holster and her string. She threw on her shoes and rushed back into the hallway. She grabbed Winters hand and followed him down the stairs.
They entered the dining hall and saw the men scurrying around with their weapons and backpacks. There was hardly any chatter among the men as they got themselves ready. Winters sensed their nervousness. Scar and Meeks came in and approached Winters.
“Captain, they’re already here, we could hear trucks moving around.”
Winters let out an anxious breath, thinking about what to do next. “Okay, we need to tell everyone.” He jumped up on a table. “Guys, the cops are just now getting here. So we need to move fast before they can set up a perimeter.”
Scar spoke up and suggested a rallying point.
Winters nodded in agreement. “Let’s say we rally in Paw Paw. The place is already burned down. They’d never think to go there. Good luck and Godspeed.”
Winters hopped down. “Meeks, get Ambe
r and Reese with us.” He grabbed Sadie’s hand tightly and headed toward the exit. As he got to the door, he bumped into Bassett and Hadley. “Corporal, once again, I can’t thank you enough.”
“Wish we could have gotten here sooner.”
“Where are you going to go?”
Bassett looked at Hadley. “For now, we’re with you.”
Winters patted his shoulder.
They scrambled out the door into the darkness and ran across the parking lot. As Winters reached his SUV, gunfire rang out.
Chapter 41
As soon as Winters heard the first shots, he pushed Sadie down to the ground. He looked up and saw muzzle flashes coming from the corner of a building across the street. A second later, the Shadow Patriots returned fire. Ten men at first, then more poured out the dining hall and joined them laying down a barrage, taking out windows and small tree branches. They kept firing for close to a minute giving cover for everyone to get to their vehicles.
Winters ran with Sadie in tow and hopped into the SUV from the passenger side. Scar and Meeks arrived with Amber and Reese. Winters climbed over the console into the driver’s seat, started the truck and threw it in drive. He bounced over the parking lot curb, floored the pedal, and shot up the street.
Winters kept his lights off and followed the two cars ahead of him. His left leg started to shake a little as he thought about what would happen if the cops were to catch them. He didn’t care about himself as much as he cared about the three girls. The cops had used Reese once before and Winters had a feeling she’d go down shooting rather than go back to that hell. He didn’t have any idea what Amber would do. She was certainly athletic and angry enough to put up a good fight. He was most concerned about Sadie. Her age and good looks made her an ideal target for the unscrupulous.
As he approached the intersection, he saw the lead car taking fire. Lights from a transport came on and Winters saw the cops had the exit blocked. He hit the brakes and swerved to the right entering a parking lot. The dark campus forced him to turn on his lights. It left them exposed and easy to spot.
“Take that bike path,” yelled Scar who sat beside him.
Winters yanked the steering wheel to the left, jumped another curb, and headed down the bike path. He drove through the overgrown grass and steered the SUV between two stone buildings, which led them to a drive. Up ahead was another parking lot and he decided to make a dash for it. He maneuvered across the drive and two more bike paths before reaching the parking lot.
Meeks looked behind them. “Got one on our tail.” He rolled down the window and moved his rifle to take aim. He fired a couple of shots.
Winters noticed another cop car ahead, coming in fast, trying to cut him off. He turned to the right heading south through another parking lot. Bullets pelted their vehicle. Sadie screamed as the back window exploded in a shower of glass. Amber was in the back with her, and they both got on the floor as they were now taking heavy fire.
Scar and Meeks both returned fire. Meeks turned to Reese and ordered her to open fire. She rolled her window down and took out the Glock 34 that Meeks had instructed her on and pulled the trigger.
Gunfire continued to erupt from inside the SUV as Winters tried to out run the two cars. He could hardly hear himself yell through the deafening reports of the gunfire.
Winters felt the SUV jerk right and sink low to the ground. The back tire had taken a bullet. Steering became impossible as the air bled rapidly out of the big tire. The two pursuing cars were right behind them.
“Take us over there,” ordered Scar. “We need some kind of cover.”
Winters drove the crippled SUV between two buildings and drove around back. He came to a stop. Meeks and Scar hopped out, ran around the side, and opened fire on the two approaching vehicles.
Winters pulled the girls out and took cover behind the SUV. He looked across the way to the football stadium, which gave him a general idea of where they were. He could hear more vehicles and gunfire in the distance.
Winters looked at the girls. “You guys stay right here.”
Sadie grabbed his jacket. “Where’re you going?”
“I just need to tell Scar that we’re going to go around this building.”
“Don’t leave me.”
Amber looked at her and volunteered to be the messenger.
Winters agreed and waited for her to get out of sight before ushering Reese and Sadie away from the firefight. Sadie grabbed Winters and Reese’s hands tightly as they hurried to the other side of the building. They ran across a bike path to a set of trees and he told them to lie down on the ground.
They could hear the gunfire continue from where they had abandoned the SUV. Winters could hear bullets hit the building and ricochet. A window shattered. The sound echoed between the tall structures. He grew worried not knowing how long he should wait before getting the girls out of there. Why hadn’t Amber come back yet? He wished he had grabbed the radio, but remembered they had only one with them. There was no way he could contact Scar or Meeks. He wanted to join them but didn’t dare leave Sadie and Reese.
The gunfire began to slow down and then stopped. A horrible thought crossed his mind. Did the cops overtake them? He grew anxious waiting. It was all he could do to not go check on them.
“Why did it stop?” whispered Sadie.
“I’m sure they scared them off,” he said lying.
“Shouldn’t we go find them then?”
“We’ll give it a few more minutes.”
The wait was agonizing for Winters as he lay in the tall grass trying to comfort the two girls. He felt helpless not being able to help his friends. Off in the distance, he heard whispers and muffled footsteps in the tall grass. The swishing of the grass became louder as the whispering came closer to them.
Was it his friends? Winters didn’t know. He tightened his grip around his Colt as he waited for the figures to appear. A few more moments went by and then he saw them. Three figures, cloaked in the darkness, appeared. Sadie saw them too and stood up. Her movement caught the attention of the three figures. Then a flashlight turned on. It was then that Winters remembered, none of them had flashlights.
Chapter 42
The three figures moved in, pointing their weapons at Sadie as she got up to greet who she thought were her friends. The cops yelled out not to move and ordered them to put down their weapons. One of the cops grabbed Sadie, who immediately tried to pull away. She bit the man’s hand and slid out from his grip. Winters made a move to help her but stopped when another cop took ahold of her again and put a gun to her head. Winters didn’t have any choice but to drop his pistol. He motioned to Reese to do the same. The other two cops grabbed their guns and handcuffed Winters. The cop holding Sadie holstered his gun and dragged her because she had started to squirm away again. The cop wrestled her to the ground, breaking her gun loose, which bounced away in the darkness.
“Look here, little girl, don’t be trying that again, or I’ll give you a good smacking.”
“You like hitting little girls,” she responded.
“Got yourself a smart mouth I see.”
“Don’t push it, Sadie,” said Winters.
As the cops marched them to their car, Winters’ mind began to race on what happened to Scar, Meeks and Amber. Did they kill them or capture them? His optimism of seeing them sitting in the squad car disappeared when they got there and found nobody in the backseat. He could only pray they were able to get away.
He heard more gunfire of various calibers coming from the north end of the campus. This gave him hope his men were still fighting. Some surely died tonight but not everyone.
Winters got in the back seat between the two girls and couldn’t help but feel bad about their capture. The girls darted their heads from side to side with scared looks in their eyes as they tried to comprehend what was going on around them.
The cops took them back to the dormitory the Shadow Patriots had been using. He saw a cop standing at the entrance with t
wo dogs sitting on either side of him. The dogs barked at Winters as he emerged from the squad car.
“Well, who do we have here?” asked Stiver.
“Don’t know yet,” said the one who had grabbed Sadie.
Stiver sauntered up closely to Winters. “Well, I’ll be damned. Look at this. We’ve got him. We got ourselves the man himself.”
Winters didn’t respond.
“Mr. Cole Winters. I’ve been waiting for a long time for this moment.”
Winters glared at the bald headed man in the black tactical uniform. In the darkness, his shiny head appeared to be floating in the air.
“We got him?” asked another.
“Oh yes, yes indeed. Ever since you escaped into Canada, I’ve been hungry for your head.”
Winters let out a laugh. “Canada huh? You must be the dumb ass that let us slip through your fingers. That was a hell of a day for us. Thank you. We really couldn’t have done it without you.”
Stiver’s face grew red with anger. He wound up and belted Winters in the stomach.
Winters doubled over in pain trying to catch his breath. Having received a blow like this in high school, he knew the pain would subside in a bit. He raised his head up at Stiver and grinned. “Bet our escape didn’t sit too well in the office.”
“No, it didn’t, but look who gets the last laugh.”
“We’ll see,” said Winters who didn’t want to show any weakness in front of the two girls. He wanted to give them some hope.
“So, who else do we have here?” asked Stiver staring at Reese and Sadie.
“I heard him call her Sadie, and she’s got a smart mouth on her, Lieutenant.”
“Does she, now?” Stiver looked at Sadie. “You’re a little young to be running with these murderers.”
“They’re not murderers,” she retorted back.
“Oh, I can assure you they are.”
“You’re the ones, killing innocent people.”
“I’ve done nothing of the sort.”
Winters stood back up. “Yeah, but you stood by and watched it happen. Or have you forgotten about Brainerd?” asked Winters, referring to the town of Brainerd, Minnesota, where the Jiji’s had come in and shot the place up.