There it is… ‘The Shift.’
Even after all of these years, it still amazed Mars how quickly Xander could calm himself when needed, no matter the situation. Mars could always tell when ‘The Shift’ was occurring, but had found them impossible to predict. This was mainly because they always seemed to happen at the most unexpected times. It worked in either direction, of course, but instantly turning into a raging lunatic was easy. Most of the men he knew did that on a regular basis. It was Xander’s ability to immediately relax that Mars found so fascinating. He had tried to emulate Xander in this regard, but he had never quite gotten the hang of it. Once Mars got his adrenaline pumping there was simply no turning it off.
“Alright, sweetheart, nobody’s going to hurt you. What’s your name?” Xander asked.
“Linda.” She replied.
“You able to tell us what’s going on here, Linda?”
“How should I know?” Linda asked in return. “I didn’t think you guys were showing up until after dark. Wasn’t that your men that started all the shooting?”
All of them turned their heads to the sound of Ken and Cam starting their sleds. Then they watched for a moment longer as they pulled away.
“We still don’t know who started this.” Xander replied. “Can you at least tell us who’s inside?”
“What…? You’re kidding, right? Who the hell are you people? I thought you were here to help us.”
“Answer the damn question!” Mars shouted, already tired of the confusing back and forth. “Who… the fuck… is in that barn?”
“The North Koreans!” Linda shouted back. “There’s 50 soldiers in there!”
“Shit.” Tom said. “We could be in some serious…”
“…When the hell did they get here?” Xander asked, taken completely by surprise. “Where did they come from?”
“They showed up a couple of weeks ago in a bunch of old plow trucks.” Linda replied. “They killed most of the men and made themselves at home. I have no idea where they came from and I don’t give a shit. We just want them gone.”
“Are they all in that barn, Linda?” Xander asked. “Are there any more of them back at those cottages?”
“Oh, those bastards are all here alright.” Linda replied. “None of them speak a word of English, but they all love a good party. This was all set up, so we could take care of them tonight. We already have the barn door chained up around back. We planted a pipe just under the snow by the base of that big tree over there. If you want, you can use it to hold that door shut instead of those snowmobiles.”
Xander looked towards the front of the barn. Ken and Cam had already parked their sleds across the doorway and they were currently sliding them over against the door. As he and Cam started running back, Xander turned to Tom.
“Do it, Tom. Find that pipe and brace it against the door. Get those two to help you, but tell them to leave the sleds where they are.”
“On it.” Tom said as he took off.
“Mars, keep your rifle trained on that door.” Xander said. “You see anybody stick their head out, North Korean or otherwise, you can go ahead and remove it.”
“You got it, boss man.” Mars said.
“Linda, this next question is extremely important, so please listen carefully.” Xander said. “We’re here looking for our friend, a fella by the name of Braydon. He normally goes by Bray. Do you know if he’s been here?”
Linda didn’t know it, but her answer to this seemingly simple question would dramatically effect Xander’s interest in remaining involved. If Linda said that she didn’t know who he was talking about, Xander would immediately order their withdrawal. They would all hop on their sleds and move on down the road leaving these people to their fate.
As nice as it would be to finally rid the Earth of these North Koreans pricks, he had no interest in risking his life or the lives of his men by doing it himself. To Xander, Canada was already gone and he didn’t consider its defense any of his concern. In fact, the country being in tatters was an important aspect of his operation. Xander had already made his mind up about this particular issue months ago. He would run The Company and leave the hero work to the ‘sir, yes sir’ crowd.
Linda did know who he was talking about, though and that would influence Xander’s response immensely.
“Shit… you’re Xander.” Linda said, suddenly realizing who she was talking to. “Of course, Bray is here! He set this whole thing up!”
“Your reputation precedes you.” Mars said from behind the scope of his rifle.
“Where is he?” Xander asked, ignoring his number one.
“He and his men have been living in a cabin out in the bush.” Linda replied. “When the soldiers showed up, they…”
“…Hey! Can anybody hear me? I need help over here… Now!”
They all looked towards the side of the barn and Easton’s call for help.
“Sounds like those guys are still alive.” Mars said.
“Go grab Cam and give them a hand, Mars.” Xander said. “Tom and Kenny have us covered.”
“You’ll find another big steel pipe beside a boulder” Linda said as Mars moved out. “You can use it on the side door.”
Without saying a word or acknowledging what Linda had just said in any way, Mars ran off while shouting for Cam to follow. He had no intention of doing a damn thing other than finding their friends and getting the hell out of there. He had no idea, of course, that Xander already had other plans.
When Mars rounded the corner of the building, however, it was obvious that the steel pipe might come in handy after all. Easton had his back up against a pile of bodies and he was losing his battle to keep the men inside from pushing the door open. As they drew closer, Mars and Cam noticed that Luke was one of said corpses.
“Guys, give me a hand over here!” Easton shouted, relieved to see that he finally had some assistance. “I’m out of ammo! Spray some lead inside there, so I can get this door closed again!”
Ignoring Easton’s ‘orders’ completely, Mars ran over to a large rock and began kicking through the snow.
Cam had no idea what Mars was up to, but he was immediately onboard with Easton’s request. He stuck the muzzle of his rifle in the open door crack and didn’t stop firing until his magazine ran dry. Then he ran around to Easton and took a seat at his side. Pushing together, they managed to force the door closed again. It wouldn’t be long before the soldiers inside cleared their wounded from the doorway and began trying to push it open again.
While they braced against the bodies with their backs and pushed with their legs, Cam handed Easton a spare magazine, so they could both reload.
“I got a pipe over here, but it’s frozen to the ground.” Mars shouted. “Come give me a hand, Cam.”
“You go, Easton, I got this!” Cam said. “Take one of those weird rifles with you to use as a pick axe.”
“What the hell is he…?”
“…Just go, man and hurry the hell up! They’re starting to push again!” Cam shouted.
Easton got up, grabbed one of the North Korean rifles and ran over to Mars. Looking into the hole that Mars had made in the snow, Easton saw exactly what had his captain’s attention. A 10cm diameter iron pipe was firmly cemented to the ground. He quickly found an end, slammed the muzzle of the Type 88 rifle underneath it and pried up as hard as he could. On the third attempt the pipe finally broke free of its icy grip.
Both grabbing hold, they lifted and watched as the snow surrendered the three metre long pipe. They each took an end and propped it up against the door. One end was now dug into the ground a little while the other leaned approximately two thirds of the way up the door. Mars then unslung his rifle and pointed it at the air gap between the edge of the door and its frame. Seeing only a sliver of the vigorous activity occurring on the other side, he went to work at giving the soldiers inside a well deserved rest. His efforts immediately alleviated the outward pressure coming from inside.
“Push no
w!” Mars said. “Give it everything you’ve got!”
Figuring that he knew the best way to help Cam get the door shut again, Easton jumped into the air and slammed both of his feet down hard on the pipe. Coming as no surprise to any of them, Easton immediately slipped from its icy rounded surface and cartwheeled straight into the urine and blood stained snowbank. His effort and sacrifice was not in vain, though, as the door instantly slammed shut again. After Mars quickly repositioning a couple of the dead bodies over the end of the pipe, the door was soundly secured… at least for now.
“Finally.” Easton said as he sat in the snowbank catching his breath. “Thanks, guys.”
“Don’t try hugging us, fuckface.” Cam said. “Look at the shit you’re sitting in.”
The men inside began slamming something into the door. What it was exactly, they had no idea, but it was hardly enough to cause them concern. That heavy steel door may not have been solid steel, but its core was made of something solid enough to stop bullets. Even the hinges were enormous. Whoever had built this barn was adamant that its contents remain the property of its owner. Whatever Bray, Linda and the rest of those people had planned for these soldiers, it looked like they still had some time to get it done.
“Alright, break’s over.” Mars said. “Get off your lazy asses, so we can get the hell out of here.”
Cam and Easton got up and followed Mars around front. By the sounds of it, the soldiers were concentrating all of their efforts on the side door because the one out front remained quiet. When they reached the line of Minecats, Mars ordered Cam and Easton to begin brushing the snow from the hood of the second one in line. While Tom and Ken targeted the front door from the hood of the first, Cam and Easton would do the same from the second.
Mars took a knee and joined Xander and Linda. He was surprised to see that Linda was now wearing Xander’s coat, as hers was left behind in the rush to get out.
“Where’s Luke?” Xander asked.
“He’s dead.” Mars replied plainly. “The guy’s got a dozen holes in his chest. They took out three of them though. There’s probably a few more dead inside too.”
“I assume that side door is secured.” Xander said.
“It’ll stay closed for a little while… unless they have a fork truck in there.” Mars said.
“They don’t.” Linda said. “We took out everything that could be used to bring down those doors.”
“They’ll find a way out eventually.” Mars said, dismissing Linda’s assertions to the contrary. “What are we doing out here, Xander? We taking off or what?”
“When were you expecting Bray to show up, Linda?” Xander asked.
“He said they’d be set up and waiting at sundown.” Linda replied. “That still isn’t for another hour though.”
“What was he planning to do exactly?” Xander then asked.
“They were gunna… Oh, shit… we’re all set to go here!” Linda said, realizing suddenly that everything was already in place. “Xander, you have to let me run back to the cottages to get the others.”
“Not until you tell me what you’re planning.”
“Bray has over a hundred wine bottles full of gas hidden in the forest. We’re gunna toss every single one of them in through there.” She said, pointing up at the barn’s high windows. “This shindig is about to become a pig roast.”
“Ha! Told ya it was a shindig, Mars.” Ken said, looking over from the hood of the truck.
“Eat shit, Ken.” Mars quickly replied.
“Molotov cocktails…? That’s your plan?” Xander asked. “You’re gunna set the place on fire?”
“If you saw what those assholes did to the men living here… you’d understand.” Linda replied.
“Oh, I understand just fine, Linda.” Xander said. “I just don’t think you understand how hard it is to burn down a concrete building. That’s not exactly an old wooden shack over there.”
“We don’t need to burn it down.” Linda said. “We brought in straw to add to the whole ‘country jamboree’ theme. It’s sprinkled all over the floor in there. Even the tables and chairs are made from bales of straw. It looks like the set of ‘Hee Haw’ in there.”
“You turned the place into a tinderbox.” Xander said.
“It’ll probably be more like a smokehouse, I imagine, but either way… they’ll all be dead soon.” Linda said without emotion. “Smoke inhalation is a kinder death than they gave any of our boys. It’s certainly better than any of those bastards deserve.”
Xander shook his head as he considered what Linda had just told him. He and his men had left a lot of traumatized people in their wake, but he had never considered how sadistic their retribution would be. The suffering that these people had been forced to endure had filled them so full of hate that they were now perfectly at ease committing mass murder. Linda had unintentionally just forced Xander to completely reconsider his own approach in dealing with his victims. The prey advising the predator, as it were.
“Screw it. What the hell do I care?” Xander said. “Give me my coat back and go get your neighbours… and your cocktails.”
It hadn’t taken Linda more than 10 minutes to come jogging back with her milk crate full of incendiaries. A dozen women followed, each with a crate of their own. Assuming correctly what they were in for, the children had wisely been left at home. None of the cottagers imagined that the North Korean soldiers inside that barn would parish quickly… or quietly.
Once they were set up and ready to begin, Xander ordered his men to shoot out the windows. Without the panes of glass in their way, the gasoline filled bottles would stand a far greater chance of making it inside. It would also serve the side benefit of grouping the North Koreans towards the centre of the barn. As they ran from the shards of falling glass, they would also inadvertently be moving into the same area where the flaming bottles would be landing.
With that job out of the way and sunset closing in, Xander had his men step back and enjoy the show.
Some bottles were thrown poorly, exploding just below or slightly above the row of windows. As they spilled their flames harmlessly down the outside of the barn, they illuminate the area brilliantly. The pyro display wasn’t intentional, of course, but it at least served some purpose.
Unfortunately, two bottles had also been handled carelessly sending a couple of would be arsonists diving into the snow with their clothing ablaze. As their friends fought desperately to help smother the flames, it became obvious to Xander’s crew that these women had no idea what they were doing. The moderate chuckling coming from some of his men quickly ceased when they saw a woman peel off a melted polyester sleeve and the skin from her arm with it.
The vast majority of their Molotov cocktails sailed directly through the open windows and exploded upon contact with the straw littered concrete floor inside. They were all expecting the soldiers to kick up a fuss, of course, but the screams of terror and cries of pain that came out of that barn were truly mortifying. Before they were half way through their stockpile of liquid grenades, the women had stopped their assault. They stood and sobbed into their hands instead. None of them had ever contemplated participating in something so barbaric and the experience was proving to be deeply disturbing.
Taking that as a request for assistance, Xander motioned for his men to take over. They eagerly jumped into action lobbing fire bomb after fire bomb through the windows. Unlike the troubled women, that only months ago had been enjoying the simple life in Ontario cottage country, the men of The Company had no such apprehensions. Each time one of them managed a perfect toss he was immediately rewarded with a chorus of cheers from his buddies. The boisterous catcalls outside only slightly managed to drown out the unceasing shrieks of anguish inside.
Before long, the horrific screams were joined by the occasional and distinct sound of gunshots. As the mob looked at one another, wondering what the soldiers could possibly be up to, Xander and Mars shared a knowing glance. The two of them knew exactly what
was going on inside of that barn. The North Korean soldiers had officially begun the ‘put him out of his misery’ portion of their evening.
Suddenly finding themselves trapped and awash in rivers of flame, many North Koreans had managed to scramble into the few areas that were not yet on fire. As their burning comrades ran towards them pleading for help, they were forcefully pushed away and sent to their destiny. Finally, they decided to end their unimaginable agony in the only way available to them. One after the other, the soldiers that were on fire were shot by the ones that were not.
The loose straw on the floor had quickly been consumed by fire and eventually the flaming glass bottles had stopped coming in. This had allowed the fires to gradually die down, but the straw bales would nurse their brightly glowing embers for hours. Unlike the hot flashes of fire from the violently igniting gasoline, the densely packed straw bales barely burned at all. Instead, they smouldered and produced excessive amounts of choking smoke, smoke that only intensified with the diminishing flames. The air inside was already barely breathable, but the few soldiers that remained would soon find it impossible. They may have been able to shield themselves from the fires, but not the relentless roil of white death that mercilessly searched them out.
As the smoke began billowing thick and white from the windows, the murderous mob outside heard the final gunshots of the evening. Again from inside the barn, this time they came well spaced out and one at a time. They were fired not in anger, but in utter despair and directly into the soldiers’ own mouths.
The North Korean Army’s six month odyssey across North America was finally over. Of the 350,000 that had made landfall in Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington, only 215 had survived the battle in the Rockies. By climbing high up the mountain side and hunkering down, the few remaining soldiers had managed to evade the Canadian, American and British soldiers that hunted them. When they finally heard the U.S. commander over the radio calling his soldiers back down, they knew that their crusade could continue… however diminished.
EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4 Page 19
