The question took shape slowly.
What would sandhill crane taste like?
He tried to shoo away the thought, but the birds stopped directly in front of him. A voice inside him whispered, “Eliza and Raeleah will think it’s wild turkey.”
A single gunshot killed the larger of the two birds, then Zaakir got to work gutting it.
( ( ( 79% Complete ) ) )
158C
DESPITE HER NEW HIDE and two trip wires, Abby’s uneasiness had mushroomed. She felt jittery, unable to dispel the notion that an attack was imminent, unable to erase Bradley’s words from her mind. I’m counting on you to keep everybody safe.
She needed a force multiplier, a strategy that would give her an edge, even when outnumbered.
We should’ve invited that Fern Ridge family to stay with us, she thought. They could have used the AK-47s stored in Gramps’ garage. More defenders could have prevented a concentration of firepower, prevented Abby from getting pinned down the way Bradley had.
But it’s too late now, she thought.
Or is it?
Inside Gramps’ garage, she dug through the heap of rifles until she found a fully automatic AK-47. From beneath the workbench, she extricated a rectangular, plastic recycle bin, dumping aluminum carcasses onto the floor.
With her tactical knife, she cut a circle directly below the bin’s molded handgrip, careful not to create stray slits that could split open. She angled the AK-47 barrel through the hole then carved a slot into the opposite end to cradle the butt stock. After a few adjustments, the rifle was suspended perfectly level, and she added a dime-sized puncture across from the trigger.
Pleased with her progress, she swiped a ball of twine from atop a stack of newspapers and tossed it into the bin along with a loaded thirty-round magazine. Then Abby carted her ballistic Frankenstein to its new home, thirty feet below her hide and twenty yards west.
She fished the twine through the tiny hole, then tied a slipknot around the trigger and pistol grip.
“Abby, what the heck are you doing?” Gramps asked, his voice muddled by the static hiss of the walkie-talkie.
She unclipped the transmitter from her waistband, squeezed the press-to-talk button, and glanced toward overwatch. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching for bad guys?”
“I’d swear I’m looking at an AK-47 pointing in my direction.”
“I hear the eyes are the first to go when you get old.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with my smart-ass grandson!” Gramps’ laughter evolved into a phlegmy cough.
Grinning, Abby continued preparing the rifle for a dry-fire test.
“Seriously though,” Gramps said, still trying to clear his throat. “That rifle’s gonna dance like a Mexican jumping bean.”
Abby drew the walkie-talkie closer to her face. “I know. I’m gonna weight the bin with sand and countersink it into the hillside to absorb the recoil.” She yanked the twine, and the trigger engaged. It worked!
“You’d better be damned careful because I’m too old to be dodging bullets.”
“And too damned distracted to spot the bad guys!”
“Abigail, nothing gets past me.”
Smirking, she said, “Gramps, I could sneak past you carrying a pink Volkswagen with the radio blaring and the four-ways flashing!”
“Sounds like you need some tough love, wisenheimer. 1800 hours, after my shift ends. I say you can’t make it halfway up that hill ... even with a ghillie suit.”
Abby could hear the dare in Gramps’ voice, could picture him across the street, playfully waggling his fist like a cartoon villain.
“I love you too, Gramps,” she said, giggling. “But you’re gonna eat those words!”
159C
OMID GHORBANI COMBED the ground, painstakingly advancing a meter at a time between circular indentations. He had nearly overlooked a southerly bend in the trail, a blunder that would have taken them off course, missing their prey by kilometers.
Cresting a rolling hill, his eye was drawn to it. The crepe-myrtle crutch was broken, its V-shaped end tethered by a white towel wrapped with thick silver tape.
Dismayed, he examined surrounding trees for amputated limbs; the ground, for the scars of combat boots. Omid strained to listen above the swish of wind for voices or footsteps, anything out of place. He sniffed the air for fires, body odor, or even a decaying corpse, any indication people were nearby, but the trail had just evaporated.
“Should we continue on this bearing?” Hamid asked.
Omid leaned against an oak tree, arms folded in front of him, pondering the question. The trail could veer off at any moment. Unless they discovered another marker, they would be wandering aimlessly.
A single gunshot severed his thought.
“That was close by. Let’s go.”
After trekking stealthily toward Lake Apopka, Omid spotted a man gutting a large bird. Of Middle Eastern descent, he was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. An AK-47 rested against a tree beside him.
“Allahu Akbar! We have stumbled across a sleeper cell to aid our mission.”
160C
SANDWICHED BETWEEN MARINE and Ranger, Kyle crouched and ducked behind vehicles, shrubs, and trees; his back and legs aching.
The day’s events were surreal, a fragment from a bizarre dream, a scene from an action movie. Rescuing an Army Ranger? Shooting savages? That was not who Kyle was; yet he’d done it, driven by a compelling desire to see his wife and daughter again.
Grateful that Abby was safe at home, he glanced at Bradley then winced, suddenly having a clearer understanding of the firefight at Haywood Field.
The three men meandered through Tavares, their route chosen to avoid multistory buildings, ideal real estate for would-be thieves and terrorists. Kyle grimaced at the irony. All government symbols of justice and public safety—the courthouse, corrections facility, and sheriff’s office—were now a criminal’s proving ground.
A set of train tracks led north, past a triangular lake with an unnatural ninety-degree angle. They followed the lake’s bend west to a grove of withered orange trees that bordered a car dealership. Ahead, Tavares Medical Center towered above the single story Dodge showroom, and Kyle stared at the concrete Goliath, wondering if it held salvation or damnation.
He followed Bradley past rows of Jeeps and pickup trucks, all with smashed windows and hoods propped open like gaping mouths, their batteries extracted. The rear door to the service center hung open.
“Hold these while we clear the building,” Ryan said, handing Kyle two Army helmets with night-vision gear.
Feeling like a pack mule for unwanted equipment, he reluctantly complied and watched Bradley and Ryan swivel into the doorway, rifles raised.
Kyle lagged behind them. The air felt thick, heavy with the greasy odor of oil. Looters hadn’t just scavenged for resources to stay alive. They had trashed everything for sport and left ankle-deep debris on the floor. Did his dealership suffer this fate?
A narrow hallway led into the showroom, and he stopped midstep. Across Route 441, an eight-foot, whitewashed plywood fence surrounded the hospital. Its blue lettering read: Welcome to the Central Florida Civilian Assistance Center.
Men dressed in U.S. Army uniforms were distributing bottled water and food from several large pallets. Refugees expressed their gratitude with handshakes and hugs; and the cluster of jubilant civilians wormed forward, turned left, and moved out of view.
Behind that plywood wall civilization existed. No more looting, firefights, or fear of starvation. Destruction had given way to reconstruction. Americans were rebuilding society, and Kyle took it in with ravenous gulps, the hope he had been desperately craving.
Bradley brushed past him, saying, “It’s here somewhere.”
“Try the garage again,” Ryan said, two steps behind him.
“What are you looking for?” Kyle asked, joining the procession into the service department.
“Roof access,” Bra
dley said.
“No problem. Follow me.” Kyle led them through the pillaged garage into the parts warehouse, a windowless room with two skylights. Toppled steel shelving created a metallic maze. Spilled engine parts carpeted the floor, rising and falling like windswept sand dunes, and they advanced through the mess, attention divided between watching their step and scanning for threats.
Kyle opened the utility-room door and pointed to a steel access ladder bolted against an exterior wall. It extended past the ceiling into a recessed square hatch.
Ryan vaulted past an overturned water heater and climbed the ladder. “It’s locked. You have a sidearm?”
Bradley handed up George’s 1911 Springfield.
“Make sure you hit the hinge side,” Kyle told him.
“Been there, done this,” Ryan said. A booming thud resounded, then a column of sunlight pierced the small room.
Kyle was last to ascend the ladder, emerging onto a flat roof enclosed by a two-foot wall. He scurried toward an outcropping of air conditioner units where Bradley and Ryan waited. A rectangular façade stretched five feet above the roof like a chimney, housing the building’s main entrance and a semicircular window.
Bradley sighted his rifle on the hospital rooftop, ready to provide suppressing fire in case enemy snipers were lying in wait.
Kyle followed Ryan to the façade, and while the Ranger covered Bradley, he gawked at the scene across the street. Parents with a teenaged daughter were celebrating their arrival, arms entangled in a group hug, rocking and bouncing.
Kyle felt an empathetic bond with the father, who had succeeded in keeping his family alive. Slipping into a daydream, he envisioned walking that path, embracing his own wife and daughter. He could see Jessie’s relieved smile, could hear excitement bubbling in Abby’s voice, could feel a burdensome weight lift off his shoulders.
Able to peer above the eight-foot wooden fence, he watched soldiers frisk the family and impound their personal belongings. Firearms were placed inside a red shipping container; suitcases and bags, inside an open-topped blue dumpster. Then soldiers ushered the family into a large white tent with plywood walls.
Seizure of property and gun confiscation?
Kyle thought back to the boy with the stuffed animal bomb. Is that the justification? To protect civilians from suicide bombers and armed terrorists?
The prospect of relinquishing his M4 sent a pulse of dread through him; and Kyle shook his head, wondering when he had become so attached to that rifle.
Behind the tent, he spotted a generator and two fuel trucks.
Army tankers, Kyle thought. This has to be legit.
Bradley continued sketching a map onto a Tavares Dodge notepad while Ryan fed him details—distances, fence locations, and guard positions.
Why the hell are they doing that?
Through a doorway on the left side of the tent, Kyle saw the same family exit, their celebratory mood extinguished. Heads down, shoulders stooped, the contrast was striking, from hopeful to hopeless.
The air suddenly became too thick to breathe.
The father he had identified with, the family he had likened to his own, had exited the tent with their arms bound in front of them.
161C
AFTER GUTTING THE sandhill crane, Zaakir plunged his hands into the lake and rubbed vigorously to clean away the blood.
A full stomach should appease Eliza, at least until tomorrow, he thought.
“Asalaam Alaykum!”
Zaakir turned toward the voice and replied, “Wa ‘Alaykum Asalaam!”
Two men were approaching. Both appeared to be U.S. Soldiers. They had olive complexions, dark eyes, and Persian facial features at odds with the surnames on their uniforms—Miller and Taylor.
After an exchange of introductions, the man whose real name was Omid Ghorbani said, “Where is the rest of your cell?”
They think I’m a jihadist, Zaakir thought. “I was hoping you could tell me. I lost contact with them a couple days ago.”
“Allahu Akbar,” Hamid said as he commandeered the pile of raw meat. “Come, dine with us.”
Feeling as though he had no choice, Zaakir grabbed his AK-47 and followed Hamid through the woods. Omid trailed a few yards behind, stealthy and intent, his rifle poised to engage any threat.
Damn it, Zaakir thought. I can’t shoot Hamid without Omid shooting me.
They entered an abandoned house, a two-story Colonial that faced the lake, and quickly built a fire on the lanai using children’s books and the legs from kitchen chairs. Smoke rose then wafted along the ceiling, and within minutes, the aroma of roasting meat was moistening Zaakir’s mouth.
I have to get out of here, he thought, without them tracking me. He couldn’t risk exposing his family to these barbaric men.
“So, Zaakir, who is your commander? Mullah Abassi? Or Mullah Turani?”
He stared wordlessly at Omid, his heart pounding, fearful of offering the wrong response. “Mullah Abassi,” Zaakir finally said. “A wise and noble leader.”
The two jihadists exchanged a glance fraught with animosity; then they seized Zaakir’s AK-47 and forcefully escorted him into the kitchen.
A rifle barrel dug into his cheek.
“You have lied to us,” Omid hissed. “There is no Mullah Abassi.”
The saliva in Zaakir’s mouth turned to acid.
Hamid bound his wrists with the electric cord of a lamp then tramped deeper into the house.
“I ... I lied because I was ashamed. I was too cowardly to join the jihad.”
Disdain and hatred hardened Omid’s expression. “We are hunting American ground forces. They could be black ops, Snipers, Rangers, SEALs, or military Veterans.”
The word Snipers struck Zaakir like a fist. Thank God for the Sniper of Sugar Lake ...
They’re after our guardian angel, he thought, conflict roiling inside him. Betraying the man who had saved his family would be unconscionable; but endangering his wife and children would be immoral.
“I-I haven’t seen any U.S. Soldiers,” he stammered.
“We will need to verify that.”
Hamid returned, and Zaakir’s eyes locked on a rusty pair of bolt cutters. Searing hot fear spread through his body, sapping his strength.
“American forces?” Omid repeated.
Lips trembling, his voice failing, Zaakir only managed to shake his head.
The bolt cutters bit into his left arm just below the elbow, pinching and carving through tendons and nerves. He shrieked. Blood streamed down his arm and dripped from fingertips he could no longer control.
Omid wrestled Zaakir’s wedding band free and deposited it into his pocket.
A second bite tore open his right calf, and Zaakir collapsed.
Will they let me go if I give up Kyle, Dave, and Will?
Zaakir’s head slammed against the tile floor. He felt the scissorslike blades slicing through his ear. “Stop! I can’t take any more ... ! There-there is a Sniper ... A few miles from here ... At-at Sugar Lake.”
Hamid jettisoned the bolt cutters in favor of a butcher knife, and Zaakir expected him to sever the binding on his wrists. Instead, Omid knelt atop his chest, and Hamid began slicing through the gash on his forearm.
“By protecting infidels, you are guilty of apostasy!” Omid shouted. “According to Surah 5:33 of the Noble Koran, those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger will have their hands and feet cut off from opposite sides of the body!”
Writhing and screaming, Zaakir cursed himself.
I should’ve shot Hamid when I had the chance; I should’ve listened to Eliza and left for Tavares; I never should’ve betrayed our guardian angel. He saved us, and I’ve sent death to his doorstep.
162C
BRADLEY, KYLE, AND RYAN walked a mile to the east, out of view of the hospital, before crossing Route 441. The sporadic trickle of refugees was growing steadier, a parade of zombies, most in varying stages of dehydration and starvation.
Scenario
s flashed through Bradley’s mind, each more horrifying than the last. Were terrorists using hostages for human shields? For slave labor?
They crept into a strip mall adjacent to the hospital and made their way to the roof. At the western end, a decorative turret—with arched windows and a metal roof—extended ten feet above them.
Bradley locked his hands together, and Ryan lifted a foot into the stirrup. The Ranger’s left foot planted atop Bradley’s shoulder, using him as a human ladder; then he climbed into the tower.
“Can you do that, Old Man?” Ryan called down to Kyle with a ball-busting smile.
He responded with a one-finger salute, dropped the helmets, and struggled to haul himself into the turret.
Bradley handed up his rifle and attempted to scale the wall. Kyle and Ryan latched onto his arms, and as they hoisted him upward, his wound ached like it had been doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze.
Ignoring the pain, Bradley smeared the sweat from his forehead and studied the hospital. The ground fell away from front to rear, revealing a lower level not visible from the street. The back of the property was a construction site enclosed by a chain-link privacy fence that stretched back two hundred yards to a lake or, more accurately, a glorified drainage ditch.
Prior to the EMP, a massive hole had been excavated for an addition that would have jutted from the original building. The savages had removed a huge expanse of glass from the hospital’s second-floor elevator lobby, in perfect alignment with the pit.
A man appeared in the opening, wrists bound, his sneakers peeking over the edge of a dark, wet-looking stain.
An arm streaked past the man’s face.
Blood spurted from his throat.
Then someone shoved him forward, and the body tumbled into the excavated hole, now a mass grave.
“How is this possible?” Kyle slumped onto the floor, face ashen, breathing rapidly, his entire body shaking.
“Slow down,” Ryan said, kneeling beside him. “Breathe slowly.”
Bradley glanced back toward the hospital, and a heaviness permeated his chest. Auschwitz had come to America.
163C
ADAM WALKER WAS IN THE midst of his twentieth mission, copiloting a B-2 bomber. He had departed from McDowell Air Force Base in Kansas hours earlier, tasked with destroying a missile site inside North Korea, but that was about to change.
Powerless- America Unplugged Page 76
