by Eric Vall
“Couldn’t they be listening to us right now?” Tara asked.
“They could,” I said. “But the chances are slim since they were here last night.”
“So, who is going to go with you?” Paige whispered.
“I’ll just go--”
“You can’t go alone,” Bailey protested.
“We should come with you,” Anna agreed.
“Okay,” I said, and I bit my lip while I thought. “All but two of us will go and scout it out.”
“So who’s going to stay with me?” Rolly asked with a smile.
“I’ll stay,” Paige offered.
“Thank you,” I told the brunette.
“What if we act like we’re going for a run?” Anna suggested.
“Good idea,” I agreed.
“We can’t go do reconnaissance during the day, though,” Anna said with a frown.
“Night would be better,” I said. “But we would need a way to sneak out.”
“You might be able to go during the day,” Paige said.
“We would lose a lot of cover that comes with darkness,” I told her.
“Yeah,” Paige said. “But the place is boobytrapped right? If you can’t see the traps that would be worse.”
“You make a good point,” I said.
“Should we go today then?” Tara asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said, and I shook my head. “If they overheard us last night, then they’ll be expecting us to attack today.”
“But if we don’t attack won’t they come back here to look for us?” Anna asked, and her eyebrows pinched together.
“Probably,” I told her.
“We could trick them,” Tara said.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked, and I smiled at her.
“Well,” the platinum blonde started. “We could act like something went wrong here so we couldn’t go.”
“That would be the only believable thing,” Anna agreed. “If they heard our plan last night, then they already know that we know where they live.”
“Right,” I said.
“We could say the horses got out,” Paige suggested.
“That wouldn’t take enough time,” Rolly said, and he shook his head.
“Yeah,” Tara agreed. “What about if we made it seem like we were low on ammo?”
“We don’t want to open ourselves up like that,” I said, and I pursed my lips.
“What do you mean?” Paige asked.
“If we tell them we’re low on ammo, they could think that’s a prime time to attack,” Anna explained.
“That’s right,” I said and I smiled at the redhead.
“An injury,” Paige said, and she snapped her fingers. “We could say that somebody got hurt really badly, and we had to go help.”
“That might work,” I said with a nod.
“Guys,” Bailey piped up, and I realized it had been awhile since she spoke. “We can’t leave Briar there any longer than we have to.”
“She’s right,” Paige agreed with a frown. “He’s in serious danger.”
“Yes,” I said. “But if we walk into an ambush, then we’re no good to anyone.”
“Can’t help if we’re dead,” Tara muttered.
“Bailey’s right though,” Anna said, and she looked at each of us seriously. “Briar is one of our own, and we need to get him back. That’s our first priority.”
“You are right,” I told the blonde hippie, then I turned to the rest of the group. “We need a better plan.”
“They’re expecting an attack today right?” Anna asked, and she looked at each of us. “We could do reconnaissance while they’re on guard.”
“That’s far more dangerous,” I said. “But it would give us a chance to see them at full power.”
“Exactly,” Anna agreed. “And we can make it quick so they’ll never know we’re there.”
“Okay,” I said, then I turned to Rolly. “You and Paige will stay here for the day.”
“Understood,” the old man agreed.
“We’ll lock all the buildings before we leave,” I said. “So nobody can sneak up without you noticing them.”
“Okay,” Bailey said. “Winchester will be here with you guys too.”
“It’ll be good to have the guard dog around,” the old man said.
“Alright,” I said, and I looked around at my team. “We have our plan, let’s get going.”
“I made breakfast,” Tara said. “Should we eat or not?”
“We can eat,” I said, and I smiled at the platinum blonde. We would need our energy for the day.
Tara and I retrieved her meal, and we ate in silence on the roof. I could tell that everyone was too scared to speak above a whisper, and our typical cheery demeanors were gone for the day, instead they were replaced with looks of nervousness and determination.
After breakfast was done, we all went into the dorms to get kitted out, and after I had strapped a weapon to just about every limb I had, I headed downstairs to the truck.
Anna was the first of the girls to come out, and she had on a pair of black athletic pants, a light black sweater, her kevlar, and a pair of running shoes. Her long red hair was pulled back in its usual braid, but today there were no loose strands to blow around her face, it was all business.
“You ready?” I asked the redhead as she made her way to the truck.
“Hell yeah,” she said, and she smiled at me.
Bailey and Paige were next to come out of the building with Winchester following them. They each wore a pair of jeans, but Bailey had on a tight long sleeved black shirt, and Paige had opted for a dark gray hoodie under her kevlar. Paige’s hair was in its usual messy bun on top of her head, and Bailey’s blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. They each had on a pair of hiking boots, and Paige carried her shotgun while Bailey had her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder.
Rolly made his way out next wearing his typical gray newsboy cap and a work outfit of all denim. He walked slower than the girls, but he had a hard look on his face that told me he was unusually sour about our latest bout of trouble.
Tara was last, of course, and she came out in a pair of ripped up black skinny jeans, a dark gray turtleneck, and a pair of black hiking boots. Her Ruger was strapped to her hip, and an assault rifle hung over her shoulder. Her long platinum blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her soft features were hard with anger.
“Okay,” I said after everyone made their way to the truck. “I packed extra ammo, but is everyone ready?”
“Yup,” Anna said with a hard nod.
“All good,” Bailey said, but she frowned.
“I’m ready,” Tara told me with a grin.
“Good here,” Paige said, and her small brown eyebrows were pulled together.
I said goodbye to Rolly and Paige and sent them to the roof after we locked all the doors to the buildings on campus.
“Let’s get going,” I said after I was done.
Then we all climbed into the truck, and I took off down the driveway.
Shit kept getting more and more complicated with these backwoods hillbillies, and I was already beyond pissed, but I took the short drive to Briar’s as an opportunity to clear my head.
I knew my team, and I knew we were ready for anything, and that thought put me at ease as I turned into the long driveway of the farm that was surrounded by open fields.
“You think they’ll be okay?” Bailey asked as we drove.
“Yeah,” I assured the pretty blonde. “These hillbillies aren’t the smartest bulbs in the shed, but I don’t think they’re dumb enough to attack the campus.”
“They’re smart enough to set up booby traps,” Anna muttered.
“You don’t have to be particularly smart for that,” I chuckled.
We pulled up into Briar’s driveway, and I stopped next to the old farm house and hopped out of the truck.
“We’re going in hot,” I told the girls, and I looked each of
them in the eyes. “We are here for reconnaissance, but if you get into trouble, don’t be afraid to take someone out.”
“Try to use your knife if you can,” Anna added.
“Yes,” I said, and I smiled at the redhead. “If we can avoid a full on attack today, we will. We need to gather more information.”
“What if we have an opportunity to save Briar?” Bailey asked.
“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it,” I told her.
“Okay,” the pretty blonde said with a frown.
“Hey,” Anna said, and she put her hand on Bailey’s shoulder. “We’re going to save him.”
“I know,” the blonde said with a nod.
“Damn right we are,” I said. “Now let’s go.”
Chapter 10
I led my girls through the woods and was careful to look out for any boobytraps we may have missed last time. The forest was dense and damp from the autumn, and the ground was littered with old leaves and pine needles. There was a distinct musky smell from the moss that covered the trees, and the trees shielded us from the sunlight and reminded me of a horror film. It was about an hour-long walk to the place, but we kept pace and in about half an hour we arrived at the boobytraps I had seen with Bailey and Anna.
“Girls,” I whispered behind me.
“Is it the trip wire?” Anna asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Be careful and watch your step.”
We made our way past the trip wire and continued on, but before we got to the mud trap, I noticed fresh leaves and pine needles on our path.
“Wait,” I said, and I held up my hand for the girls to stop.
“What is it?” Tara asked, and she came forward to crouch by me as I inspected the area.
“It’s a punji stick trap,” I said with a hard voice as I moved the leaves away.
“Holy shit,” Anna breathed. “Good thing you saw it.”
“What’s a punji trap?” Tara asked over my shoulder.
“They used them in Vietnam,” I informed the group. “It’s basically a hole that has a bunch of sharpened sticks at the bottom. And they cover it with easily breakable sticks and leaves so when you walk over it you fall in.”
“Jesus,” Bailey said, and I looked over to see her staring at the trap wide eyed.
“They must have known we were here,” I said.
“Could we have missed it yesterday?” Anna asked.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “This is new.”
“Fuck,” the redhead breathed.
“Shit, Tav,” Bailey said. “They heard our plan. You were right to be cautious.”
“Yes,” I said gravely. “But that means they’ll be in full defense mode.”
“We’ll be able to see what we’re really up against,” Anna said.
“Right,” I agreed, then I stood up and faced the girls. “Everyone stay behind me and don’t walk too close to each other.”
The girls nodded, and I half expected to see fear on their faces, but as I looked around at them I was reminded of the warriors they were. Each of them held an expression of cool anger and determination.
I continued to lead us toward the camp, but I was on edge as I looked out for traps. One wrong move, and we could not only give away our presence but also get very seriously injured.
I came to the mud trap we had seen the day before, and maneuvered around it as well as the pressure plate trap nearby, but once we were almost to their camp, I noticed another tripwire between some trees.
“Halt,” I said out of forced military habit, and I held up my hand once more.
“Is that another tripwire?” Bailey asked as she looked at the ground behind me.
“Yes,” I said. “It looks like this is a mouse trap trip wire.”
“What does that mean?” Anna whispered.
“Look,” I said, and I pointed to the trees on either side of us, then I stepped over the string and walked to the tree on our right.
“Are those BB gun pellets?” Bailey asked as we inspected the trap.
“Yes,” I said. “If we pulled that string they would’ve sounded off and alerted them to our presence.”
“These people are seriously deranged,” Tara whispered.
“That makes them all the more dangerous,” I said.
“Wait,” Anna said, and she looked over to the trees. “What’s that sound?”
“It’s like a machine,” Tara said, and she turned her head to listen.
Sure enough in the distance I could hear something that sounded like a small car running.
“Could they have a vehicle?” Bailey whispered.
“It’s possible,” I said with a nod.
“All their cars out there are plenty old,” Anna smirked.
“Let’s get a closer look,” I said. “Stay behind me, there could still be traps ahead of us.”
I led my team around the way Bailey, Anna, and I had come the previous day so we wound up at the back of the junkyard. Then I peered through the trees and saw that there was a woman in the tower today, but it wasn’t the same woman we had seen the day before. This girl was much younger, in her twenties maybe, and her long hair was so blonde it was almost white. She sat, staring out around her, but not really scanning the area.
“Briar’s still there,” Bailey whispered, and she pointed to the same chair he was in yesterday.
“I don’t see anyone else out here,” Anna said in hushed tones.
“Neither do I,” I said, and I scanned the area once more. “There’s an old GM truck over there, that’s where we’ll head.”
“Why don’t we go to the boat again?” Bailey asked.
“I don’t want to go to the same place twice,” I whispered.
“Question,” Tara said, and she raised her hand like this was school.
“Yes?” I asked, worried that something was wrong.
“Which one is the GM?” the platinum blonde asked, and I stifled a laugh.
“The orange rusty one,” Bailey explained, and she pointed for clarification.
“Thanks,” Tara said.
“Wait for my signal,” I said, and I looked back to the woman in the guard tower.
The young blonde woman was now filing her nails, so I threw two fingers toward the truck and quickly made my way over to it. My team followed behind me, and as I crouched behind the truck, I set my hand on the side and felt paint chipping right under my fingers. When I removed my hand, it was stained an ugly orange color, so I wiped it on my pants.
“I still don’t see anyone,” Anna whispered as she looked over the bed of the truck.
I stuck my head up, and just then the door to the shack burst open.
“Damnit Ma!” the greasy old man from yesterday yelled.
“Don’t you talk to me like that,” the large woman followed him out of the house.
“Just let the menfolk take care of things,” he snapped.
“Trouble in paradise,” Anna muttered, and Tara snickered at her joke.
“Ladies,” I said with a hard look, and they both looked down and blushed.
“Terry-Ann, you get down from that guard post!” the man yelled at the young girl in the tower.
“Fine!” The snow-blonde woman snapped as she threw the nail file at him. “I didn’t wanna be up here no how.”
“You get back in the house with Ma and get the chores done,” he said, and he pointed to the open door of the small shed. “And send your brother out here.”
Even from a distance I could see the young girl roll her eyes, but she hopped down from the tower and headed inside with the larger woman they called Ma. A minute later the blonde boy from the day before stepped out of the house with a piece of what looked like raw meat in his hand.
“What do you want Daddy?” the young man asked, and something in the way he spoke made me feel like he wasn’t all there.
“Get up in that tower boy,” the dad snapped.
“What about him?” the boy asked, and he pointed to Br
iar, then took a large bite of meat. Blood ran down his chin, and I knew the animal meat must have been raw.
What the fuck.
“They’ll come for him alright,” the dad said. “Don’t you worry, just get up in that tower.”
“Alright,” the young man said, and he took another bite of raw meat, and I felt my face pull into a grimace.
“There,” Anna whispered, and she pointed to the right of the house. “They have a generator.”
“Holy shit, it’s working,” Tara said as we all looked at the piece of equipment.
“It is,” I said with surprise.
“There’s another one behind it too,” Anna said.
“How did they get working generators?” Bailey asked, astounded.
“I don’t know,” I said, and it made me wonder what else these hillbillies were capable of.
“Ain’t nobody comin’ for him,” the tattooed man that was in the tower the day before said as he came out of the house.
“Mind your business,” the dad snapped once more. “It’s my plan, not yours.”
“They don’t care about this old man!” Tattoo yelled as he pointed at Briar.
“JoGene said they was plannin’ to come for him today,” Daddy said.
“Well, they ain’t here,” Tattoo said, and he gestured all around. “None of our booby traps have sounded.”
“They’ll come,” Daddy said, and he walked toward Briar.
“We should just kill him,” Tattoo said as he followed what I assumed was his father.
“If we kill him now, they won’t give us no supplies,” Daddy said, and he hit Tattoo on the head with the palm of his hand when he sounded out each word.
“What makes you think they’ll trade him for supplies anyway,” Tattoo taunted him.
“Yeah,” blondie in the tower said with a disturbingly slow laugh. “We shoulda got one of them girls instead.”
“He was just waitin’ to be taken,” Daddy said. “He was out there all on his own.”
“Exactly!” Tattoo yelled. “They don’t care about him. Let’s just take him out.”
“That group is protective,” Daddy said. “They’ll be pissed if we kill one of their own.”
