The initial assault was lead by Xander and Mars in the plow truck with Tom leading the 11 Minecats in support. With Xander beside him in the passenger seat, Mars approached from the west, so the gates would be on his side of the truck. Tom held the 11 Minecats back a fair distance away and had them all sitting at idle. Each driver sat alone and ready to rush into the battle when they heard the first gunshot.
Ken wouldn’t be participating in the assault at all. He had the tanker stopped a full kilometre back to prevent it from getting damaged by random gunfire. He was instructed to sit tight until someone came back for him.
Like Ken, Geoff wasn’t assigned a direct role in the attack either, although he would be much closer to it. He was hunkered down in the camper behind the plow truck with the three captive women. His only job was to keep them quiet and under control. Xander doubted that Geoff could handle even this relatively menial task on his own, but everybody else was busy. If he screwed it up, Geoff was fully aware that there would be hell to pay.
While Xander ducked down, he ordered Mars to drive slowly past the gates to have a good look at what they were dealing with. Seeing only four armed guards, Mars offered them a friendly wave and smiled devilishly at Xander as he slowed to a stop. He then raised the plow and reversed back to the gates where the guards watched cautiously with their rifles held at the low ready position.
Xander knew that he and Tom would be recognized immediately, but they would have no idea who Mars was. None of these people had seen this plow truck or camper before either. As far as Xander was concerned, they would have no reason to suspect what was about to happen to them.
Mars stopped beside the gates, rolled down his window and shouted the friendliest greeting of his life. The gesture was so foreign to him that the words brought him physical pain as they left his mouth.
“How you guys doin’ this fine afternoon?”
As one of the guards began to answer, six gunmen suddenly rose up from behind the heavy steel wall of the dump box and opened up on them. Before they were able to get a single shot off in their defense, Cam, Easton, Finn, Tyler, Owen and Curtis ripped the unsuspecting guards to pieces.
The instant they ceased fire, a bullet struck the top of the steel wall right between Finn and Tyler. Looking towards where the shot had come from, a second shot removed Tyler’s right ear.
“Son of a bitch!” Finn shouted as he and the others turned their attention towards the roof of the house. They continued to spray lead at the unseen sniper until a man’s limp body began rolling down from the roof. Bullets followed him all the way down to the ground.
Seeing the Minecats rushing down the road behind them, Mars backed the plow truck up a small amount and angled towards the entrance. He then dropped the plow, revved the engine and slammed into the gates. They burst open effortlessly sweeping the bodies of the guards away with them. Mars continued into the parking lot while the men in back reloaded and prepared to shoot at anyone that dared to oppose them.
Corporal Collin Stantz was on guard duty as well. The only reason he was still alive was because he had walked off to use the facilities a few minutes earlier. Upon his hurried return, he found himself staring down the barrels of six rifles. As the truck rolled to a stop beside him, he knew his only option was to surrender. Collin tossed his AR-15 aside, kneeled down in the snow with his fingers locked behind his head and hoped it was enough. By some enormous stroke of luck, it was.
Nate Bishop wasn’t so lucky or so smart. With his family unable to hold him back, he ran foolishly towards the truck with his pistol in his hand. He was shot several times before he even got a chance to raise it. The last thing Nate would ever see was his terrified daughter screaming back at him as Nora dragged her back into the house.
The Minecats poured in moments later and raced straight down the driveway towards the lake. Exactly as planned, while the men in the plow truck handled things up by the house, Tom and his assault team would get things under control at the cabins.
It wouldn’t take long for Tom’s men to successfully complete their surprisingly easy assignment either. By the time Xander stepped out of the plow truck to say hello to his old friends, all of the people down by the lake would find themselves with a rifle pointed at their heads. With every weapon the residents had stationed up by the house, they hadn’t been able to launch any resistance at all. Other than Seth’s wife, Amy, being struck and run over when she couldn’t get out of the way quick enough, nobody else had gotten hurt.
In the end, the attack had cost Weyr Resort the lives of six of its residents. Retired Staff Sergeant Russ Binford and his wife, Daniella, Private First Class Seth Niederman and Reservist Sienna Brown had all been killed almost instantly at the gates. Sienna’s husband, Corporal Jamal Brown, was shot and killed soon after when a lucky shot found him where he hid on the roof. The last death had been that of Amy Niederman, unintentionally pulled under Tom’s Minecat before she even realized that she had been widowed only seconds earlier.
By contrast, the assault had cost Xander’s men precisely one ear.
Going door to door, Tom’s men began pulling everybody out of their cabins and forcing them to walk up to the house at gunpoint. Leaving the men to their work, Tom drove his Minecat to the end of the row of cabins, anxious to reunite with his big brother. What he saw when he pulled to a stop, however, was not at all what he was expecting. He couldn’t believe the condition of his Mick’s cabin. It looked as though every single one of these people had taken a shot at it. The blood stained deck had been cleaned up, but they hadn’t done anything about the shattered rear window or the dozens of bullet holes that decorated its exterior wall.
While the men marched their prisoners up the hill to Xander, Tom went through Mick and Joe’s cabins. Finding both empty with no signs that anybody had been in them recently, Tom hurried to his truck to get back to the others. He had no idea where his brother was, but he intended to find out immediately.
When Tom stopped his Minecat and hopped out, he saw several of the men standing over by the back deck of the house. Xander was shouting at Hal as he pointed down at the pile of weapons that his men had collected. It didn’t take Tom long to figure out why Xander was so angry. Like his boss, Tom knew for a fact that these people didn’t have any black rifles at their disposal. When he and Xander had left them, all they had were a few hunting rifles, a couple of shotguns and a few old SKS rifles that they had picked up somewhere.
Looking down at the assortment of weapons, Tom could clearly see that they now had four AR-15s and a strange looking little bullpup with an extended magazine. It was possible that these assault style rifles had come from someplace else, but not their pistols. The four Sig Sauer M17 handguns that also graced the pile were even equipped with Laser Max pistol lights. There was no doubt that they had belonged to Mick and his men.
What Tom had feared appeared to be true, his brother and his friends were dead. There was no way that Mick would have allowed his men to surrender their weapons let alone give up his own. They had been killed down at that cabin and stripped of their guns. Where their bodies were now remained to be seen, but their killers would soon be joining them… or so Tom believed.
Tom would be surprised to learn that Xander wouldn’t allowed him to press the issue. Hal told Xander that Enzo had been lost when he put his snowmobile through the ice out on the lake. The other three were killed during a dispute with some of the others. He said that his own sister had even been killed in the fight. Tom’s suspicions only grew when he heard Hal list the dead guards as the ones responsible.
Xander may have been willing to accept Hal’s unlikely story and leave it alone, but Tom absolutely refused to. He had no trouble believing that Enzo the idiot had somehow managed to kill himself, but the rest was extremely suspect. He found it far too convenient that his brother, Joe and Larry had been killed by the guards that had already been eliminated. Eventually, he would turn these people inside out until he got the answers he was looking for
. Somebody here had played a part in killing his brother and that person was about to be introduced to a world of pain.
◆◆◆
“I’m getting really tired of repeating myself, assholes. If one of you doesn’t tell me what I want to know someone’s gunna die. Where… the fuck… is that little bitch?”
“I already told you, even if I knew where she went I wouldn’t tell you.” Hal said.
“And I suppose you don’t have anything to say either?” Xander asked, turning to Rob.
“Oh, I got plenty more to say… but none of it’s about my niece.” Rob replied.
“We’re not gunna help you bastards hurt that little girl.” Hal added. “You might as well get on with it because we don’t give a damn anymore.”
“What the hell is it with these guys?” Xander asked, turning to Mars.
“They still think we’re playing with them.” Mars replied.
Xander and Mars had stopped Hal and Rob by one of the greenhouse entrances and were currently carrying out a rather intense interrogation. When they discovered that Olivia was missing from morning roll call, the others had been dismissed to begin their daily tasks while Olivia’s uncles were forced to their knees to answer for her absence. Answers, however, were not at all what they had received from the two belligerent brothers. Rob, having the bigger mouth of the two, had taken the brunt of the punishment. Apparently, what Rob lacked in negotiating skills, he more than made up for it in dangerously misplaced bravado.
“Harold, you really are a thick skulled son of a bitch.” Xander said. “I’m not gunna kill you two. You and your busted up little brother over there are the only ones that know how to keep this place running. Same goes for your old lady. Between her gardening and her cooking, I have no choice but to keep her around too. Every other piece of shit running around this place is 100 percent expendable though. You understand what that means, asshole? If I have to, I’ll order my men to kill every last one of them and you two fuckers are gunna watch.”
“We’re gunna leave in a few weeks and you and your friends can have this shithole all to yourselves again.” Mars added. “It’s entirely up to you whether or not there’s anybody left alive when we leave.”
“Just tell us where Liv went, shithead.” Xander said.
“Why, so you can finish off the rest of the family?” Hal asked. “You pricks have already killed her mother and her father. If she’s the only one that lives through this at least we’ll die knowing she’s safe.”
“How about you, Robby?” Xander asked. “You happy to just watch me shoot another one of your buddies?”
“Fuck you!” Rob replied. “If either of you were man enough to face me without a gun I’d show you exactly what would make me happy. Your buddies would find you with your own dick shoved up your ass.”
“Well… I guess I’ll take that as a yes.” Xander said, completely unconcerned.
Mars, on the other hand, was absolutely livid. He had given Rob a few good ones already, but had found that Rob had a surprisingly solid jaw on him. Other than drooling a bit of blood in the snow, Mars’ punches hadn’t staggered him in the slightest. No matter how much cooperation Xander managed to get out of these people, Rob was as good as dead. Mars would see to it that it hurt too. Instead of just shooting him and ending it quickly, Mars intended to set his guns aside and go at Rob with whatever blunt instrument he could wrap his hands around.
Forced to temporarily suppress the urge to bludgeon Rob to death, Mars opened the door to the greenhouse.
“You with the ball cap on, get the fuck out here… now!” Mars shouted to the first person he saw.
Billy Campbell immediately set down his watering can and began moving cautiously towards the door. Before he made it two steps, though, his father reached out and placed a hand on his son’s chest to hold him back. Whatever this animal wanted, Landon Campbell decided to see to it himself. He started towards the door as Mars looked on impatiently. Mars saw the two of them switch places and it infuriated him even more.
Nobody in this fuckin’ place knows how to just listen.
The instant Landon stepped outside, he was greeting by the muzzle of Mars’ handgun pressed up against his forehead. As the door swung shut behind him, Xander signalled for Mars to hold up. He wanted to give Hal one last chance to save the man’s life.
“Last chance, Hal.” Xander said. “Where’s Liv?”
“I honestly don’t know! She was already gone when we…!”
…Mars didn’t even let Hal finish his lie. He squeezed, the pistol barked and Landon Campbell dropped. Mars then immediately reopened the greenhouse door, pointed his gun inside and fired a round straight into Billy Campbell’s chest. The entire sequence occurred so quickly that Xander couldn’t have stopped him even if he tried… or cared to.
True, Billy was initially chosen entirely at random, but the selection had been made nevertheless. Mars didn’t see Landon stepping in for Billy as a father protecting his son. Such things were well beyond his ability to comprehend or to even recognize. Mars simply saw them as two more worthless idiots that still believed their lives had a modicum of value. It was a costly mistake that would see Mia Campbell left without her husband and her only child.
The Landon and Billy executions wouldn’t be the last and the beatings were far from over. On the contrary, the enslaved residents of the resort would soon find themselves living under an even harsher system of abuse. None of the resort’s women had been taken yet, the three that Xander had brought along tending to the needs of his men sufficiently, but it wouldn’t be long before that particular outrage was visited upon as well. Alyssa, Cathy and Hailey would soon add a fourth to their company of associates.
Seeing as the resort had its first widow, the lovely Mia Campbell, Xander now had an easy target. A woman without any family in her life would always be first on the list. Xander knew that her neighbours wouldn’t kick up too much of a fuss, especially once they were reminded of the alternative. Their own wives would be more than welcome to take Mia’s place. In a dog-eat-dog world, even dog lovers would choose somebody else’s for consumption over their own. The residents here may not have come to grips with that sad fact yet, but Xander knew it all too well.
“Mars, see to it that these two idiots clean up this mess.” Xander said as he began walking off.
“Where the hell are you headed?” Mars asked.
“I’m gunna grab a couple of guys and go visit this dead shithead’s wife.”
Chapter 21
“Liv, it’s me… Leo. How are you feeling this morning?”
Leo smiled down at Olivia for a few seconds before giving up and turning towards the door. Even in the dim candlelight he could tell that Olivia was still out of it. It had been a restless night and Leo was still half asleep himself. With the sun still below the horizon he knew this was his best chance to beat everyone else to the bathroom. Judging by how desperately Jersey was struggling to get up, it was obvious that she was anxious to get outside as well. As Leo walked over to give her a hand, he got his first surprise of the morning.
“Like a sack of shit.”
Leo and Jersey snapped their heads towards Olivia’s bed both equally surprised to hear her actually respond.
Knowing that Leo was about to abandon his attempts to give her a hand, Jersey collapsed back onto the cot and waited for her next opportunity to void her bladder.
“Liv, it’s Leo.” He said, rushing back to her bedside.
“I heard you the first time, Leo.” Olivia replied. “Please keep it down… I’ve got a raging headache.”
“I’ll go get the doctors.” Leo whispered. “It’s really good to hear your voice again.”
“It’s nice to hear yours too, Leo.” Olivia said. “I really missed you. Now go get those doctors and tell them to bring drugs… lots of them.”
“You got it.” Leo said, only hesitating long enough to give her hand a gentle kiss.
He carefully scooped Jersey into h
is arms and carried her out of the med room with him. Leo was in a hurry now and waiting for his coonhound to stumble along after him was not going to cut it. The unexpected taxi service didn’t bring any complaints from Jersey, but if Leo didn’t take it easy she would be getting them both wet.
Leo hurried outside, set Jersey down to do her business and ran off towards the Jackson’s camper. He almost made it the entire way before his left ankle reminded him that he wasn’t quite at his best yet either. It jigged when it should have jogged and down he went. Leo bit his tongue to keep from screaming out in pain. He wasn’t sure if he had sprained his ankle, but he was certain that he had just slowed his recovery by a few days. He got up, brushed himself off a little and limped ahead the best he could.
“Terrell, Nichelle, Liv’s awake and talking!’ Leo shouted, pounding on their door. “Please hurry!”
Instead of waiting for someone to answer the door, Leo took the opportunity to hobble off behind a nearby tree to relieve himself. It was still pretty dark out, so the minor indiscretion probably wouldn’t be noticed, but it still made Leo feel uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as peeing his pants would have made him feel though.
“Leo, is that you?” Terrell asked, answering the door sooner than expected. “Where the heck did you go?”
“Sorry, man, I’ve got multiple emergencies going on out here.” Leo replied, balancing on one foot from behind the tree. “Liv’s awake and talking.”
“That’s fantastic news, Leo!”
“She says she has a splitting headache though. She’s asking for some pills or something.”
“Shit, that’s not good.” Terrell said. “Start the generator and get the place lit up. We’ll be right there.”
“Okay, doc.” Leo said as he finished up.
“I’m not kidding, Leo, move it!”
Doctors Terrell and Nichelle had never said as much, but they were a little more concerned about Olivia’s speech impediment than they had let on. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for a severely hypothermic patient to develop a debilitating brain aneurysm. Depending on its size and location, the bulging blood vessel could apply pressure to and thus affect neighbouring areas of the brain including those that control speech.
EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4 Page 33
