by Warren Ray
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Amber.
“Let’s get ‘em behind the fence,” he told her.
She moved to open the gate while he began dragging the bodies, which left a trail of blood. Nate found a water hose, which he turned on and washed the blood off into the grass.
“No sense in making it easy for them.”
Gunfire up the street made Nate pause. “Looks like they’re starting.”
“What do you want to do?” asked Amber as shots rang out to the west.
“That’s gotta be them,” said Nate. He pulled out the map of Jackson. “We’re here and that gunfire sounds like it’s right around there. We’re not too far away and I want to keep it that way. Let’s hang out here. We can keep watch from upstairs for anyone else coming this way and if we need to, we can go out the back into the woods.”
After banging on the door, they were satisfied no one was home and broke a window pane out of the back door to enter the two-story house. It had an open floor plan with the stairs at the entrance. It didn’t look like anyone had lived there for some time as a thick layer of dust covered the banister. They dashed upstairs and found windows on all sides of the house. Nate took the bedroom that overlooked the driveway and Amber went to a back bedroom.
Nate thought about radioing Winters but didn’t know if he had the volume keyed down. He figured they were in a gunfight and wouldn’t want to give away their position if they were hiding. He was itching to reunite with them but knew it was impossible to cross Robinson Road until after dark. He looked at his watch. It read five o’clock. They had four long hours before they’d be able to use their infrared goggles. He couldn’t wait.
Chapter 95
Manassas Virginia
Major Green and his mother, Sarah, arrived at Senator Abby Seeley’s home in Manassas, Virginia. They were the last ones to arrive at the secret meeting. He knew something was wrong when Senator Seeley greeted them. She was subdued and offered no pleasantries, which was odd for someone who was normally so amiable. She had been a three-term Senator and had started her political career in the state legislature, where she had been a rising star. Her outgoing personality allowed her to warm up to anyone and was an asset on the campaign trail, or when she was needed to get some bill passed. Once the government nationalized, it took away all her support in the Senate and her hope for the country. She resigned out of self-preservation as she saw what was happening around her. Colleagues, who at one time had been friends, became enemies when she wouldn’t go along to get along. Many principled and staunch Senators suddenly became malleable to the new government’s power. Her good friend, Senator Kelly, from Florida, was killed in a car accident under suspicious circumstances. She knew there was nothing left for her to do up on the hill, as the leadership had become more of a dictatorship. When she started getting death threats over the phone and subtle hints from people she once trusted, that she needed to stop being so outspoken she became afraid for her life. So, with a heavy heart, she gave up her seat and retired to her home in Manassas.
Green walked in and saw his friend, Sam, sitting with John Osborne, who also worked at the State Department, but at a higher level than Sam did. Osborne had worked there for thirty-five years and knew many important people from around the world. His lanky physique didn’t dissuade the gravitas he had exuded. He always took command of any room he was in, regardless of whom or how many were there. He had a full head of snow-white hair that matched his thick white eyebrows.
The former Assistant Director of the FBI, Jacob Gibbs, stood up, walked toward Green and held out his hand. “Major, sorry for the short meeting we had the other day.”
“Not a problem, sir,” said Green who could see Gibbs’ demeanor had changed since the last time they met.
Senator Seeley offered a drink to the new comers and then sat down in the living room.
“I’m afraid we started without you,” said Gibbs. “But don’t worry, I’ll bring you and Sarah up to speed.” He turned to face everyone. “As I was saying earlier, we’ve been able to break into Pruitt’s computer and have discovered some devastating information and damning evidence against Reed and Perozzi.”
Major Green leaned forward in his chair assuming Gibbs was going to talk about the bombings.
“After discovering this information, I was quite shocked and didn’t want to believe it, which is why, Major, I was acting strange the other day. I had a recording of Perozzi discussing a deal, but I needed an extra day to verify what was on it. So, I went to Mr. Osborne and he enlisted an old contact in the State Department to help with that effort.” Gibbs paused for a moment. “I’d rather tell you what’s on it first, then we can listen to it. What you’re going to hear will shock you at first, but after you give it some thought, it won’t really be too surprising, especially when you consider the type of people we are dealing with.”
Green looked around the room, observing no one moved a muscle while waiting for Gibbs to finish. He made eye contact with Sam who gave him a knowing nod.
Gibbs continued. “Mr. Perozzi has made a deal with China, a real estate deal, the biggest real estate deal since the purchase of Alaska.” He paused again. “He has promised them the state of California as payment for the trillions of dollars we owe them.”
Green shook his head in confusion. Did he just hear what he thought he had heard? “But we’re at war with China!”
“Yes, and that’s the rub,” said Gibbs. “It’s a secret deal, a deal that very few people are aware of and it’s supposed to be kept that way. Part of the deal was China would need to come in as invaders and take the state by force, otherwise, the American people would never condone, nor tolerate, such an outrageous proposition.”
Gibbs turned on the recording and for the next fifteen minutes, it had the undivided attention of the room as they listened to Gerald Perozzi sell out the country. The jovial tone of the conversation was as disgusting as the content. Perozzi was talking with several Chinese diplomats about the strategy they would use and various alternative plans to pursue as different scenarios arose.
Green’s heart sank and he was lost in thought for a few moments, but then Gibbs was right, the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Why else was the military losing what should have been an easily winnable war? It would also explain why they had been downsizing the military for the past ten years. Green grew angry as he thought about all the men and women losing their lives in the defense of their country. They had taken thousands of casualties and that didn’t even include the massive civilian losses. It had to be in the hundreds of thousands. Green was getting dizzy thinking about it. He turned to his mother and saw tears running down her face. He glanced over at his friend, Sam, who looked as dumbfounded as he felt. After he was able to accept it, he grew steadily angrier and more determined to do something about it. He wanted justice but didn’t yet know how to accomplish it. The more he thought about the circumstances, the more he knew exposing Reed or Perozzi would be a monumental task.
Chapter 96
Detroit Michigan
Captain Vatter had been busy most of the day coordinating with the men surrounding Jackson. It wasn’t an easy task as some areas would be impossible to close. It was farm country and empty fields surrounded the town. After relaying his instructions, Vatter fell on the couch in his office to get some rest. He’d been up all night and desperately needed sleep. After his last phone call with Mordulfah, he was worried his position was in jeopardy if they didn’t succeed today. He wasn’t worried so much about losing his position except for the way he’d be forced to lose it with the possibility of losing his life. He didn’t think Mordulfah would hesitate to kill him, if for no other reason than to show what happens to those who fail him. He started to regret taking this job as he’d only thought of it as an easy way to make a lot of money. The Saudi prince did pay well and he had already made quite a bit, but it certainly wasn’t worth his life.
Vatter closed his eyes and
drifted off to sleep while he thought about his conversation with the rebels last night. Cocky bastard calling him Bladder as if he’d never heard that one before. All through school, he had to deal with that one, even getting into a few fights over the years. He hadn’t heard it in a long time, although, he knew people said it behind his back. He’d get even with them sooner than later because they had nowhere to run this time.
Vatter heard a knock on the door. He looked at his watch and saw that he’d gotten five hours of sleep, not enough but better than expected.
“Come in.”
Tannenbaum walked in. “Sir, got some stuff you need to know about.”
Vatter sat up and rubbed his head. “What is it?”
Tannenbaum told him they had Jackson locked down even though they were encountering resistance in some areas.
“Excellent news, Tannenbaum.”
“Got something even better.”
“Oh?”
“Got a message from Posey.”
“And?”
“Looks like the M and M’s have Winters cornered.
M and M was a nickname the cops had given Mordulfah’s men.
Vatter’s head jerked up when he heard the news.
“Yep, Posey overheard some of the rebels talking about how he’s penned in somewhere on Robinson Road.”
Vatter got up and pulled out the map of Jackson. “Do the M and M’s know who they’re sitting on?”
“Don’t think so, all they know is he’s killed a bunch of their men.”
Vatter needed to talk to Mordulfah’s man in charge. He couldn’t believe his luck in getting this information. Having Winters’ head on a platter would make up for the money he lost out on last night.
“We need to coordinate with them, I want as many men in that area as possible.”
Chapter 97
Jackson Michigan
Winters was apprehensive when they killed the four Jijis coming toward them. He hadn’t wanted to alert anymore in the area, but he had no choice. Sure enough, another group of bad guys was coming in. Winters thought fast, trying to decide whether they should confront this group or run. This group was bigger and he didn’t have the element of surprise. He decided to run. He motioned Elliott and Reese to follow as he turned east and started running toward Robinson Road.
He heard the Jijis yelling and figured they had seen them. Gunfire came from behind them and a round hit a tree close to his head. Winters ducked and turned right. Reese followed close behind him and Elliott brought up the rear. More bullets whizzed by, too close for comfort.
“Screw this,” he said stopping suddenly.
Reese ran into him knocking him off balance. Winters caught himself and raised his AK to his shoulder. “Spread out, guys.” He took a moment to find a target and fired off a three round burst. He missed, but it stopped the Jijis from advancing. Five yards to his left, Reese let loose a volley in the Jijis’ direction and Elliott followed suit. Winters heard no screams of pain. The only thing they were doing was making the Jijis be more cautious in their pursuit.
“Let’s move.”
They turned south with Reese in the lead as they zigzagged around trees and the thick foliage. Winters thanked God for the training they’d received from the Canadians. Besides rigorous workouts with weights, the Canadians pushed them through obstacle courses, which included running through deep mud. The training was paying off as they ran swiftly through the woods. He followed Reese and could hear Elliott right behind him. Off in the distance, more gunfire came from Robinson Road. Then unexpectedly, they ran out of woods and Reese stopped short of entering a backyard.
“Cole, look, over there,” said Reese pointing between houses at Jijis standing in the street.
“Hells bells, Captain,” said Elliott. “We’ve got nowhere to go.”
Winters then realized the woods were not very big. It was no more than a hundred acres forming a barrier between Highway 60 and Robinson Road. Just south was McCain Road, where Nate had reported more Jijis. This left them with only two options, they could fight or try to disappear. But, where could they disappear? He needed to come up with an answer fast because their pursuers would be on top of them in another minute. He looked around and came up with an idea.
Chapter 98
Winters hustled his team back into the thick woods to the west and found what he was looking for. He looked up and knew this was the right place to disappear.
“Alright guys, up we go.”
Elliott looked at him and then looked up. He shrugged his shoulders, swung his AK over his back and reached up struggling to get to the first branch. Reese let out a little laugh and moved in to give him a push. Once up on that branch, Elliott had no problem with the rest of the climb. Winters suggested they go up a different tree right next to Elliott’s. He cupped his hands to give Reese a boost. She grabbed onto the tree trunk while he lifted her up to the first branch. She anchored herself and lowered a leg so Winters could pull himself up and within a few minutes, the three of them were at the tops of two tall pine trees.
The trees swayed back and forth in the wind. It was amazing how the whispering pines had a hypnotic effect on them and they all broke out in smiles. They looked around and could see the Jijis rampaging through the streets. Winters felt bad for not being able to do anything about it. He couldn’t wait to get out of these trees to initiate chaos.
“This is pretty sweet, Cole,” said Reese. “Got to hand it to ya, this was a great idea.”
“Well, let’s hope the Jijis don’t find us.”
Reese looked down. “You can’t even see the ground, ain’t no way they’re going to find us.”
“We’re pretty high up, you should try Bassett,” suggested Elliott.
Winters reached into his jacket and pulled out the radio. “Bassett, come in, Bassett.”
He tried again but got no reply. However, Nate had heard the call and made contact. “Captain, you guys squared away?”
“We’re good, Nate. We’re sitting high up in the trees just northeast of the water tower.”
“Elliott, too?” asked a laughing Nate.
Winters glanced at Elliott who rolled his eyes. “He seems to be enjoying it. What about you guys?”
“We’re holed up in a house. Had to take out a couple bad guys first.”
“Us too.”
“Yeah, we heard the shots, figured it was you.”
Winters wondered what Scar was up to and tried to contact him but got no response. He was probably busy getting everyone prepared for the coming assault. He figured they’d put up a line of defense to hold off the enemy until it got dark, then they’d go on the offensive. It was something they had talked about the last time they were all together, which seemed like a long time ago but it had only been two days.
To pass the time, Winters asked Reese to tell him more about her little adventure with Meeks last night. He was hoping she would tell him about her knifing the cop back at the abandoned restaurant. Amber had previously told him how she’d had a crazed look on her face and seemed to enjoy it. She didn’t say anything about it and he wasn’t going to push it figuring if she needed to get anything off her chest, she’d tell him. Her story was in line with what Meeks had said albeit a little less dramatic, that is with the exception of “Jason.”
“So, exactly what were you thinking when you attacked, him?”
“I don’t know…he was just pissing me off. Kept calling me Missy, I hate that name and he wouldn’t listen to us. It was just so frustrating. And the thought of someone tying me up again just set me off.”
Winters knew that was what really did it for her. He couldn’t imagine what she had gone through when the cops had her tied up for ten days.
“I almost killed him.”
Winters raised an eyebrow.
She hesitated. “Yeah, after he punched me, he got on top of me and I went for the knife I have in my boot.” She paused for a moment. “Meeks yelled at me to stop.”
She loo
ked away for a moment. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m glad he stopped me, I mean the guy was just protecting his home.”
“Remember what I was saying about Jekyll and Hyde?”
She nodded.
“And when you fight, you fight for the right reasons. That was a perfect example of what I was saying.”
He could see a light go on in her head, as she could finally comprehend what he had meant.
“Hey, this is not an overnight thing, you’ll be dealing with this for a while, but you mustn’t let Mr. Hyde overwhelm you.”
She nodded in agreement
“Otherwise, you’ll end up with another shiner,” he said smiling, wanting to again lighten the mood.
She returned the smile. “You’re one to talk, yours looks worse than mine.”
He let out a laugh remembering Nordell’s sucker punch. “I don’t know about that. What do you think, Elliott?”
Elliott laughed. “Don’t get me involved with that, though if I had to judge, I think Amber’s is in the running, too.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Reese. “That cop she killed nailed her good. How bad is it?”
“It’s…” Winters paused for a second. “It looks as cute on her as it does on you.”
Reese slapped his arm. “Cole Winters, I never took you for a suck-up.”
Elliott bellowed out a hearty laugh. “Good one, Captain.”
Winters smiled and was glad when the radio came alive.
“Captain, Bassett here, come in.”
Winters reached for the radio in his jacket. “Corporal, where are you at?”
“We just left Leslie. Everything is good there. We took out a bunch of bad guys with no losses. Need to know what your orders are.”
Winters filled him in on the situation and Bassett told him they’d stay north of the interstate until after dark. Winters tucked the radio back into his jacket and thought again how tonight was going to be a bloody night.