by Eric Vall
“Don’t worry, three hours isn’t that bad,” Anna said. “Though I’d imagine the first and last shift are a bit better. At least then you don’t have to interrupt your sleep.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” Bailey said. “I’m starting to get used to the sort of weird hours that we have to keep sometimes.”
“Good, because we might want to start keeping watch on campus,” I said.
“That makes sense,” Rolly said. “I mean, if more people are going to filter this way, we need to make sure we’re always ready.”
“Exactly,” I said before I let out one last yawn. I climbed out of the back of the truck and took in a deep breath of fresh morning air. The sun sat bright against a cloudless light blue sky, and there was an eastern breeze that rustled the leaves and kept it from feeling too hot. It looked like it was going to be a nice day.
“So did you come up with some awesome plan while we you out here last night?” Paige asked as she climbed out.
The others followed shortly after her.
“I have a couple ideas, yeah,” I replied. “I just really hope that these guys actually send out a group to check on their caravan.”
“Me too,” Bailey said. “The fewer guys we have to deal with inside, the better.”
“Agreed,” Anna said. “So what’s the plan, then?”
“We’ll talk as we march, but first let’s do a final gear check and lay our trap for the ambush of the caravan,” I instructed. “Check the action on your firearms, make sure they are loaded, and double check your ammo reserves. Then make sure you have enough food, water, and supplies to last you for at least two days, and then go through and check everything again.”
“How are we going to set up the trap?” Paige inquired.
“We’ll make a blockage in the road just like those Canadians did,” I said. “We want to move the truck a ways down and block the road so there’s no chance of anyone at the outpost hearing our gunfire. But first, check your gear.”
I went over my gear while Rolly and the girls went over theirs. My rifle was the first thing I checked. I worked the smooth well-oiled action, caught the ejected bullet, and tucked it into one of my front vest pockets. Then I pulled the action open just enough to ensure I had another round in the chamber before I let it hang off my shoulder again. Next I did the same thing with my pistol. The recently cleaned and oiled top slide worked buttery smooth, and I had a grin on my face as I slid it back into my thigh holster.
There were few things in life better than a well maintained firearm.
After I was done doing a check of my weapons, I went through my bag. I had food, water, rope, and some basic medical supplies. My vest held three extra magazines, my knife, a single spare 5.56 bullet, and my map and compass. I took one of my water bottles and shoved it into an empty pouch on my vest for the hike. The armored rig was heavy, but the weight was warmly comforting since I knew I would be going into combat again.
The last thing I checked was my belt. My two spare handgun magazines were in a holder on the hip opposite my sidearm, and the other side of my belt held three grenades.
I sighed as I looked at the green explosives. Things would be a lot easier if I could open up this assault with the grenades, but the presence of non-combatants made that an impossible option. Still, there was a chance they could come in handy, and at this point I would hardly notice the extra weight.
I looked up and found my team finishing up their gear check. Tara and Anna both hopped inside the truck real quick and came out a moment later with more water. They helped each other load the water into their packs before they gave me a nod.
“Everyone ready?” I asked.
“Hell yeah,” Rolly said. The gray haired man had a small grin on his face as he replied, and his eyes were full of the same eagerness that had filled him the day before.
As I looked at the girls, I noticed that they too seemed to look a little more determined. A bit of sleep had done them some good. There was a good chance that confidence wouldn’t last the whole day though. If we got the chance to take out a portion of the enemy ahead of time, it might help to steel them for the larger conflict to come. It was funny how much more imposing an enemy seemed when they weren’t throwing themselves recklessly into your well laid defenses.
“Seems it’s time to get a move on,” I said.
We pulled all the camoflauge off our truck and drove it down the road a couple of miles. Since we were cutting through the woods to the outpost, it wouldn’t add much time to our hike back. Once we had the truck in position, it really was time to start the day.
“Let’s head to the outpost,” I said. “Anna, take point.”
The redhead nodded and immediately jogged into the trees.
The rest of us followed after her, and we started the hike back to the outpost once more.
“Now would be a good time to eat some breakfast,” I said a few minutes into our trip. “You might want to eat a little extra even. Who knows when we’ll get the chance to eat again, and you’re going to need the energy.”
Everyone pulled out some of our salted meat and dry goods like crackers or packages of ramen. We all ate in silence, but once we finished Anna turned to look at me.
“So what have you come up with as far as a plan so far?” She asked.
“We need to wait for the caravan,” I said. “Once we see them prepping to go, we’ll run back to the road, and ambush them when they get out to check the road block.”
A short while later we found ourselves back on the same ridge up on the backside of the Guard outpost. The six of us fanned out along the ridge and hunkered down low as we went back to watching.
The place hadn’t changed much since the night before. The civilians were out again, and they looked to be working on small houses that were probably meant to replace the tents that dotted the area. We could even hear faint shouts as the soldiers berated the civilians when they stumbled or faltered.
Fucking assholes.
As we watched, one slave dropped what looked like a bucket of nails, and an armed soldier came over and smacked him with the butt of his rifle.
“Jesus, this is awful,” Anna muttered. “These people are being treated like animals. No one should have to live like this.”
“Compared to what the women have to go through, I bet the working and the beatings are a dream,” Tara muttered.
“This sucks,” Bailey said. “How come so many people have turned into such monsters?”
“Haven't you ever read Lord of the Flies?” Paige asked. “People do fucked up shit when they are left to their own devices.”
“She’s right,” I said. “I’ve seen this sort of thing happen before. Without structure people kind of just do what they want to do. Usually what they want to do is violent and awful though.”
“I’m glad we didn’t turn out like that,” Tara said.
“You guys are good people,” I said. “I don’t think that would have changed even if I hadn’t come along to help you.”
“You’re right,” Bailey said. “Though I have had to become more violent to survive.”
“Defending your home, your territory, and your people does not make you violent,” I said.
“I guess that’s true,” the blonde hippie admitted.
“Well I’m glad we didn’t sit this one out,” Anna said. “I can’t wait to get in there, help some people, and take out some bad guys.”
“Me too,” Paige said.
“I just hope it goes smooth,” Rolly added.
“We’ve got Tav here, how bad can it really go?” Tara asked as she looked at me and smiled.
“Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves,” I said.
“Yeah, even with Tav we are going up against steep odds,” Anna said.
“It’ll make one hell of a story once it’s over,” Paige said.
“Yeah, are you going to write it down?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know, I could,” Paige replied with a shrug.
Everyone went quiet again, and I pulled out the binoculars to get a closer look at the outpost.
As I watched the camp, I kept an eye out for anyone who might be The Colonel. I didn’t know much about him, but based on what I had been told there was a good chance he was the type to wear his full uniform on a regular basis.
No one stood out though.
A couple of the soldiers seemed to yell to direct some of the others, but they couldn’t have been anything more than a sergeant or lieutenant. I was too far away to make out any real details on the Guardsmen’s uniforms so I couldn’t know for sure, but not a single person in the outpost carried themselves like a high-ranking military officer. The fact that this man didn’t spend time among his troops only made me hate him more. He was probably watching over everyone from a comfortable and safe location inside the main building while his troops did all the work.
I scanned the windows of the two story brick structure but didn’t see anything. The sun caught the windows just right making it nearly impossible to see what was inside.
I gritted my teeth and let out a low growl, but no one said anything. As I looked at the rest of my team, they looked to be as upset as I felt. It was hard watching normal people get treated like garbage, and it was clear that neither Rolly nor the girls liked it.
“Hey, I see movement by one of the trucks,” Paige said.
I snapped my focus on the trucks in the playground area. A bunch of soldiers gathered and one of the two remaining cargo trucks rumbled to life.
“Looks like they are sending some guys out after all,” Bailey said.
“How many are they sending?” Rolly asked.
“Around a dozen,” I said as I watched them load up. “It looks like maybe they are just taking basic gear. I can’t pick out any heavy weapons or anything.”
“That’ll make things a bit easier,” Tara said.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I tucked my binoculars away. “Let’s go.”
“Split up and cover both sides of the road,” I said as we ran. “Once they stop we just wait for them to get out and then take them down. If we can be quick, they might not even get a chance to return fire.”
“Can we use grenades?” Paige asked. “I mean, you didn’t see any of their workforce going with them did you?”
“I didn’t, no,” I said. “Grenades might be a good idea here. If you notice any of them group up behind cover and can’t get a good shot, then feel free to toss one in.”
“Anything special we need to know about using them?” Anna asked.
“Pull the pin and throw it away from you,” I said. “Don’t try to get fancy and cook them off or anything. Just put them downrange. You don’t want to be anywhere near one of them when they go off.”
“I believe that,” Tara said.
My heart started to race as we continued on through the woods. This fight shouldn’t be difficult. We had all the advantages and were only barely outnumbered. Still, one mistake here could ruin the entire assault.
I pushed the doubts out of my mind as I ran. These girls had taken on far tougher tasks than a roadside ambush, and as long as their aim was true, we’d be fine.
A short while later the whole group of us came to a stop at the edge of the forest where we could see where we parked the truck this morning.
“Wait a second, we don’t want to rush out there if they’re close by,” I cautioned.
For a couple minutes we just sat there in silence and listened, but nothing happened.
“Alright, let’s post up in the woods,” I instructed. “Anna, take your team and head for the left side. I’ll take right. Spread out so that you can create nice overlapping fields of fire. Careful as you shoot though and know that we’re in the woods across from you. There is no reason we should need to worry about friendly fire.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll only shoot the bad guys,” Bailey said.
“That’s what I’m counting on,” I said with a small smile.
“Now let’s get a move on,” I ordered. “These guys can’t be far away.” Then I gave a nod to Anna and headed off into the trees on the right side with Paige and Tara at my back.
We got into the trees and then split up.
I took the middle position and could see the girls on either side of me. We were no more than ten yards apart, but being spaced out would help us get more clear shots.
I sat there, with my rifle at the ready, and waited. Just when I was starting to think that maybe they had slipped past us I heard the faint rumble of engines in the distance. A nervousness took hold of my stomach as the noise grew louder. Taking out these guys was the official start of our assault. Once we started, we couldn’t back out or change our mind. If we gave the outpost time to realize that they had lost more soldiers they would only fortify their defenses and make things harder for us.
I let out a slow breath as the truck came into view. Little dots of sunlight speckled the slightly rusted, olive green exterior as it got closer, and there was a loud squeal as the brakes engaged, and it started to roll to a stop.
I gave a look to Tara and then to Paige that told them to be ready. They nodded to me and then focused their attention on the truck. I smiled a little and turned my gaze back to my enemy. Now all we had to do was wait for the perfect moment to strike.
Chapter 6
The driver got out first and approached our truck with his M4A1 up and at the ready. He looked confused and a little worried.
“Hello?” the driver called out.
“Anyone there?” one of the soldiers asked as he stuck his head out the passenger side window.
“I don’t think so,” the driver said.
“Well take a look,” the passenger soldier said.
“Get your fucking ass outta the truck and come help me,” the driver yelled.
Tara looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head. We wanted them all to get out of the truck before we started to shoot. Then we could take down more than one before the shooting started.
The passenger grumbled but opened the door and got out. He walked over to where the driver waited, and the two of them approached our truck together. Neither man seemed very happy with the situation.
They checked the cab first, found it empty, and then went around to the back. I couldn’t see them from my angle, but I heard one of them let out a low whistle.
“Looks like the guys found some good shit,” I heard one of them say.
“Yeah, but where the hell are they?” the other asked.
“It doesn’t look like they got in a fight,” the first one said. “I mean, there’s no blood, bullet holes or spent casings.”
“Maybe they took some crap and ran off on their own,” the other one suggested.
“Yeah right,” the first one scoffed. “We have a sweet thing going, why would they want to give that up?”
“You’re right, but we gotta figure out where they are,” the second one said.
“No duh, dumbass,” the first one said. “Let’s grab the guys and spread out. We’ll walk the road and check the woods. There’s gotta be some sign of them somewhere.”
The two men appeared again and headed back to the truck. They looked guarded, but not as suspicious as I would have been in this situation.
“Everyone out,” the driver shouted as he smacked the back.
The other eight soldiers filed out of the back with their guns in a ready position.
“What’s going on?” one of the grunts asked. “Did we find the other guys?”
“Not yet, but something is not right,” the driver said. “So what we’re going to do i---”
His words were cut short as my bullet tore through the side of his skull.
“Shit w----” the other solider who had been in the cab never got to finish his sentence. He had been interrupted by a small torrent of gunfire. A couple shots hi
t his chest and one tore through his upper neck.
Two more soldiers went down in the initial volley as the forest lit up with the sounds of gunfire.
I lined up a shot on a fresh target as the six remaining Guardsmen tried desperately to find cover.
The men’s training kicked in, and they instinctively returned fire as they moved. Bullets tore up the trees but these guys were only firing for effect.
I didn’t even bother ducking for cover. Instead I let out a slow breath and pulled the trigger. The shot caught a soldier in the shoulder, and a rapid follow-up shot to the head put him down and cut short his pained scream.
One of the remaining troops, a younger looking blonde haired soldier, grabbed a grenade off his belt, and pulled the pin. As he went to throw it, there was a burst of red as a round sped through his forearm. The blonde Guardsmen let out a scream as the grenade dropped from his hand and rolled under the truck. He slumped to his knees and desperately scrambled towards the small explosive.
The grenade exploded and tore apart the young guardsmen. Blood and shrapnel filled the air, but me and my team were well outside of the blast zone.
One of the soldiers threw open the passenger side door and tried to use it as cover but he took a bullet to his foot, fell, and was quickly ended as at least two more rounds tore through his grimacing face.
I lined up a shot on a very average looking man and tapped the light trigger three times. The first two thumped into his chest and were stopped by his armor, but the third hit him right at the base of the neck. The man staggered backwards, wheezed, and fell to the ground.
I pulled the trigger a fourth time and ended his suffering with a well-placed shot to the skull.
The last two tried to clamber up and back into the truck for cover as bullets whizzed past them and tore up the ground around their feet. The first guy got into the back and leaned out to help pull his friend up.
The girls were too fast and too accurate, and the friend never made it into the truck. The first shot hit the back of his knee, and as he fell forward, another tore through his shoulder, and a final one cut through his eye.
“Shit!” the last guy exclaimed as he retreated into the truck.