War Dogs Trilogy: Wounded Warriors of the Apocalypse

by AJ Newman

  ☆

  Chapter 21

  Highway 41 south of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

  The home was one of those cheaply built 3D structures with three bedrooms, two baths, and an attached two-car garage that was built in the mid-2020s. The mixture of wood pulp and plastic made for a very durable structure, but it just didn’t look right to the eye. There were no crisp, sharp lines. Every corner was rounded. Since the walls were a continuous print, there was no outline of bricks or siding. The contractor had added a brick-like texture by rolling red-hot rollers over the outside, thus burning a pattern into the brick. The house yelled, “I’m a cheap 3 D Printed home,” to all who saw it.

  Karen helped John through the door to the home and then helped him sit on the couch. “I’m going to search the home and then the garage. Please sit and rest.”

  John gazed at Karen and felt a longing for her company. He missed her when she wasn’t by his side and wanted to be with her forever. He had fallen in love with the tough but gentle woman who had saved his life more than once. John was a bit confused because he’d never felt love before. Lust, he knew very well and knew he’d let it get the best of him on several occasions. He wanted Karen to like him more than he wanted to have sex with her. This was new to John.

  This was the fourth home they had entered that morning. Karen was surprised the house hadn’t been ransacked but was then surprised there was very little food in the home. The cupboards were practically bare. Two boxes of cereal, a jar of peanut butter, and a dozen cans of soup were all she found. There was a six-pack of beer and two bottles of wine in the refrigerator, but she hid them from John. He was flirting enough without alcohol. She didn’t want to have to hurt the only friend she had.

  The master bedroom had plenty of clothes that would fit her, but none looked large enough for John. Karen opened one of the nightstands and grinned. There lay a Keltec P11 9mm and two full magazines. She tucked the 9mm into her gun belt and covered the weapon with her shirt. The two mags went into her back pocket.

  Karen opened the walk in closet door and found some clean jeans, panties, shirts, and some hiking boots. She grabbed what she needed and turned to see a 12 gauge pump shotgun in the corner. It had a bandolier with sixteen shells. Karen dropped the clothes, picked up the shotgun, and jacked a shell into the chamber. She held it with her right hand and made a fist pump with her left hand. A noise caught her attention. It was a thumping sound coming down the hallway. She heard a thump outside the bedroom door and dropped behind the bed with the shotgun aimed at the doorway. She saw a leg in the doorway and heard, “Karen, I found…”

  John stopped talking when he saw the shotgun aimed at his chest. His eyes grew large, and he didn’t blink. He said, “You wouldn’t shoot a crippled man just for trying to charm you. Would you?”

  Karen saw John had found a crutch and lowered the shotgun. “I see you found a crutch.”

  He said, “I see you found a shotgun and some very sexy panties.”

  “I found clothes to wear. Mine stink and are covered in dirt. You don’t smell so good yourself. I’ll lay some clothes out on the bed, and you can change into them the best you can.”

  John flirted again. “It would be much quicker if you helped me change my clothes.”

  Karen frowned. She liked John, but this was more than enough. “John, you seem like a good man, but you don’t know when to stop with the flirting. That might work on young ladies or ditzy women, but it turns me off. Just try to be yourself and not a lady killer, and we’ll get along much better.”

  John’s face turned red. He worked himself on to the bed. “Please, just help me take my shoes off and put them back on later.”

  Karen untied his boots. “I’m going out to the garage to see if I can find some transportation. Here, take the shotgun.”

  John said, “No, you need it more than I do. I have the M4.”

  Karen lifted her shirt and handed the 9mm to John. “The M4 only has four or five bullets. I’ll take the shotgun. You take the pistol.”

  The attached garage told the rest of the story about why the home was so bare. There was a realtor’s sold sign leaning against a pile of furniture, unopened boxes, and sporting goods. The people had obviously just started moving into the house. Karen saw a couple of backpacks, some walking sticks, and bicycles. Her eyes lit up, seeing the bikes, but she knew John couldn’t ride.

  The unopened boxes were soon opened, and the contents strewn around the garage. There were a lot of things she wanted but nothing she needed. Karen left the garage and walked to the door to the outside. She slowly opened the door and checked for any dangers before moving on to the pole barn. She glanced up and saw a sign over the middle garage door. “Red’s Welding and Auto Repair.”

  The building was thirty feet wide by sixty feet long. The sides were tan with a dark green roof like most pole barns in the south. The door wasn’t locked, so Karen entered cautiously with the shotgun barrel leading the way. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust when something hit her chest, almost knocking her to the ground. She grabbed the furry object and held it at arm’s length with one hand. A black house cat had scared eight of her nine lives to death. She held the cat to her breast and stroked its fur.

  Karen’s eyes had adjusted to the dimly lit garage. She unlocked one of the overhead doors and opened it to let some light into the dark room. She turned away from the door and grinned like a boy at Christmas with a new BB gun. There was a machine shop at the front of the garage, but both sides were lined with cars and trucks. These weren’t new 2038 cars and trucks, but much older. Some were very old. Karen didn’t know cars, but she’d seen some documentaries about old car manufacturing and recognized the 1957 Thunderbird, the 1960 something Corvette, and the Model T.

  This was an automobile restoration shop. The only new vehicle in the shop was a 2032 F150 Raptor that had a body wrap with a T-Rex on its side. It also had a sign on the doors advertising the shop’s work. This was a fancy shop truck. The rest must have been the clients’ cars. There were five work bays per side and all but one contained a vehicle. Karen walked down the right side and wanted so desperately to find a running vehicle. The engines were out of most of the cars. A couple of the bodies were on a rotisserie frame, so the body could be turned to make repairs much more accessible.

  An old Ford truck was all there, but the steering wheel lay on the front seat. Karen’s heartfelt heavy as she thought about walking home again. She glanced around the shop and saw there was an overhead door at the far end of the building. She raised the door only to see a pitch black room. Karen went to one of the mechanic’s bays and found a working flashlight. She walked back to the dark cavern and turned the flashlight on to see a large showroom with six cars. These were the oldest cars in the building.

  All but one of the cars was raised off the floor on jacks. The old Model T pickup truck sat in the middle of the showroom and looked like it had just come off the assembly line. Karen wondered if John knew anything about old cars.

  John struggled but was able to change clothes through the pain. By the time he finished, his butt and head throbbed. He experienced extreme pain when he bent to tie his shoes. He bore the pain and got the job done. Now, finished dressing, he was worried that Karen had been gone too long. He hadn’t worried about anyone but himself in his entire life. John was anxious about Karen’s safety and forced himself to walk one painful step at a time to the garage. She wasn’t there, so he walked on to the pole barn and entered the door.

  John saw the shop with all of the cars and cheered up, thinking one might take them home. He saw movement about halfway down the right side of the shop. His body tingled, and the hair on his neck stood up when the person’s actions alarmed him. The dark figure was stalking a person walking in his direction. John raised the crutch to avoid the bumping sound and ran to the dark clad person.

  Karen didn’t see the stalker but saw John running at her. Her mind went wild as she drew her pistol to protect herself.
Just before she moved her finger to the trigger, she saw a person step out from behind a vehicle with a spear-like weapon. John crashed into the attacker before the person could stab Karen. There was a crash of bodies, and John fell on top of the much smaller figure. Karen heard, “Don’t hurt me; you can have the cars! Please let me go!”

  Karen shined the flashlight on the person and saw a young man under John. John had his arm around the man’s neck, and the guy gasped for breath. Karen pointed her pistol at the man. “John, let him up. Mister, if you try anything, you will be dead before you take a step.”

  John allowed the guy to stand up, and Karen searched him after kicking the spear away. “Now, help my friend to his feet. John, that was very brave of you to save me from this thug.”

  They got John to his feet when the young man said, “I’m not a thug. You broke into my dad’s home and garage to steal a car. You are the thugs.”

  Karen said, “Sorry, but how do we know this is your dad’s place?”

  “Here’s my driver’s license. Check my address, and you’ll see I live here with my dad.”

  Karen looked at the address, and sure enough, it matched the street. She asked, “Where’s your dad? We need help.”

  Karen could now see the boy was in his late teens or maybe early twenties. He had tears in his eyes. “Dad left to go on a fishing trip with his buddies the day before the war started. He never came back. My dad is a great outdoorsman and would be here by now if he wasn’t dead.”

  “My name is Karen, and this is John. We were kidnapped by some bad people and need a car to get back to Walter Hill. The bad people shot John, and he can’t walk. Do any of these cars run?”

  “Why should I help you? You’ll just take my car and leave me here to fend for myself.”

  John said, “Why don’t you come with us? I’m sure you’ll be safer with one of our groups. Karen’s community also has some young ladies that’ll be glad to see you.”

  The man was a bit scared. “I’ve been getting along very well on my own.”

  Karen checked the man out and said, “You’ve lost twenty pounds since the shit hit the fan and are scared to death the raiders will find you. You’ve had some friends killed or disappear, and you can’t sleep at night. Come with us where you can get a good night’s sleep and be safe.”

  The young man said, “Did y’all see any of the tigers?”

  Karen frowned, “No, but we killed several lions over the past several weeks.”

  “I’m Bobby Jones, and I want to come with you. Only the Model T pickup runs. It won’t go very fast, and we’ll have to avoid potholes.”

  John shook Bobby’s hand and said, “Gather your belongings and load them in the bed. I plan to leave tonight to avoid as many people as possible. Do you know a short cut to Walter Hill? We can’t go through Murfreesboro.”

  “I know how to get there on the back roads. I buy parts for my car from a guy who lives just north of Walter Hill on Lebanon Highway. I don’t have much, but I’ve got some food and a couple of guns.”

  Karen and Bobby helped John back to the couch, where Karen had to hold pressure on John’s wounds again to stop the bleeding.

  John opened his mouth to say thanks when Karen said, “Don’t make a wisecrack about me playing with your ass, or I’ll hit you where it hurts.”

  John chose his words carefully. “I was only going to thank you for doctoring me. I would be dead without you, and I know it. Thanks.”

  Karen held her hand pressed against the wound for much longer than was needed as she tried to make up her mind about John. Since she’d chastised him for flirting so much, he’d behaved himself. He was much better to be around now. She found herself attracted to him and felt a strong magnetic force drawing her to him. She kept the pressure on the wound until she fell asleep with her head on his back.

  The sky was clear without any clouds, and the stars twinkled with unbelievable clarity above them. There was only the faint light of a candle or campfire every now and then to remind Karen there were still people left on the earth. The night was warm but not too humid in Middle Tennessee for that time of the year. Summer was just around the corner. There were no sounds of modern society in the air, but it wasn’t silent. The sounds of tree frogs, crickets, and the screech of an occasional owl filled the night air.

  The cab of the one hundred and twelve-year-old pick up was very narrow compared to modern trucks. The three of them could barely fit in the truck, and Karen was plastered to John’s left side since she was in the middle. Bobby drove while John and Karen kept watching for anything dangerous. Karen knew John was miserable sitting in the cab, but the bed was full of their supplies and Bobby’s things.

  “John, I know this is uncomfortable for you. Maybe, I could try to fit in the bed with the cargo to give you more room.”

  John chuckled, “No, I’m fine, and you would be miserable back there. I can stand this as long as you can.”

  Karen missed his meaning, “John, I’m fairly comfortable and not in pain like you are.”

  John said, “I’ll be okay. I like having my nurse beside me to take care of me.”

  Karen realized John wanted her against him and probably felt about her as she felt about him. She yawned, and her head bobbed. John said, “I wish you could lay your head on my shoulder and sleep, but we both need to stay vigilant. This bucket of bolts hasn’t got enough power to get out of its own way, much less outrun another vehicle.”

  The engine turned faster, and the vehicle picked up speed as if it had heard John’s last words. Bobby said, “You know this tin lizzie is the only thing keeping you from walking back to Walter Hill.”

  John said, “Keep driving. I’ll watch the complaints. You’re doing the best you can under the circumstances.”

  John moved his arm off the top of the seat and placed it on top of Karen’s shoulder. Karen didn’t say anything, and they drove on into the dark. The roads had numerous twists and turns as they snaked their way north to Walter Hill. Bobby was surprised by a few of the turns, and the motion threw Karen against John. John wrapped his arm around Karen and held her tight against him. She slid her arm behind him and held his side. Both had smiles on their faces, and the little truck chugged on through the night.

  Karen didn’t want to like this man so much, but couldn’t help herself.

  The old pickup hit something and bounced in the air. Bobby slammed the almost useless brake pedal to the floor and slowed the vehicle. Then before they came to a halt, something hit the rag top over their head and screamed an unearthly yell. Karen pushed the button on the flashlight only to see the outline of a dark object with long white teeth in the dark. She drew her pistol and took a shot at the beast.

  Another black cat took a swipe at Bobby from above, narrowly missing his face. John drew his pistol, swung it across Karen’s front, and shot twice as fast as he could. He yelled, “Floor it, Bobby! We’ve got panthers after us!”

  The truck picked up speed, and their pistols belched fire through the night as the big cats tried to catch their prey. The old truck finally pulled away from the cats and turned a sharp corner at full speed. There ahead was a roadblock.

  John recognized the sergeant in charge, thanks to the light from the fire in the fifty-five-gallon drum. “Don’t shoot! I’m a soldier with the General’s group!”

  John got out of the truck and walked to the sergeant with his hands held high. John spoke softly. “Don’t address me as General. Treat me like your other soldiers and take us to the Walter Hill folk’s farm. You’ll get credit for saving me if you play along.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The sergeant saluted. John said, “Son, you don’t salute a regular soldier.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  John then said, “Thanks, we’ll follow you to the Walker farm.”

  John hobbled back to the truck. “They’re the General’s men and will take us to your home. Karen, you’ll sleep in your bed tonight. Do you think I could stay with you until I
can walk a bit better?”

  Karen said, “Surely, the General has better medical facilities than we do.”

  John said, “I’ve tried not to flirt with you, so don’t take this the wrong way. The General’s hospital doesn’t have a nurse like you. I’m kind of fond of how you’ve treated my wounds.”

  Karen squeezed his side and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt safe with John.

  John was nervous and wanted to make sure he told Karen that he was the ‘General’ before Maria or Jason squealed on him. He pushed his head against hers enough to wake her.

  “Darling, I need to tell you that I’m…”

  Suddenly lights surrounded the vehicles, but the commotion ended without gunfire. Then Karen heard my voice. “Ain’t y’all out here a bit late?”

  The sergeant said, “We’re escorting one of your people and one of our wounded to you to tend to tonight. I hope it’s not too inconvenient.”

  Billie, Ross, two of the ladies, and I had lowered our barrels when Ross said, “It’s Karen in the truck.”

  Karen practically climbed over John to get out to her friends. They mobbed her and asked where she’d been for the past few days. Karen was about to speak when John came up behind her and said. “This beautiful lady saved my life several times and has been nursing me since the fight up on that hill over there.”

  Bobby looked on as Karen placed her arm around John to help steady him when I said, “Well, well, well, one of my people saved your sorry ass. Sounds just like over in Europe.”

  I extended my hand. “My friends, this poor excuse for a human being is the General we’ve all been cussing and discussing.”