By the Dawn's Early Light

by David Kershner

As he approached, he hastily asked, “Do you have your sidearm!”

  “Yeah, I always do. Why?”

  “Get on!”

  “Wait!” she bemoaned and grabbed a backpack from Scott while he kick started the small bike.

  “Hey!” her fiancé cried out.

  “Gotta run! I’ll find you later!” she decreed as she leapt onto the back of the seat. Their combined weight fully compressed the aging shocks with a thud.

  Her father quickly worked his way through the downtown streets until he was headed north on Route 93.

  When they were finally on open road he opened the throttle. He glanced down at the speedometer. The needle wouldn’t budge beyond thirty miles per hour, even when on the downhill.

  “Where are we going?” she half yelled in his ear.

  He turned his head slightly and responded in kind, “Charlie Whiskey Two was spotted and she’s running. Charlie Whiskey Three is on his way to help her.”

  “Who’s she?”

  “Heather!”

  Before Katherine could process the information, her father wailed, “Can’t this thing go any faster?”

  “It’s a glorified moped without liquid fuel. Sorry. Maybe if I add more peat,” she concluded as she slid the backpack in front of her.

  “A little at a time. You don’t want to smother the fire.”

  She did as instructed, but it only helped slightly.

  It took a full twenty minutes to reach the crossroads near Logan. As they approached, Josh slowed the motorcycle. He was surprised at how quiet the machine was. Once he pulled the bike onto the shoulder, he crept up to the intersection from behind the dense cover. He stopped it several dozen yards short of the old stop sign and shifted into Neutral.

  “Wait here,” he whispered as he dismounted and un-holstered his weapon. Katherine did the same.

  Josh slowly placed one foot down before moving the other, ever careful to avoid a noisy footfall that might give away his position. He kept his head on a swivel looking for the men and their vehicles. The protective father carefully pulled a heavy flower laden limb down a little further for a better sight line while still remaining concealed.

  In front of him, approximately seventy-five yards ahead were three cars and a lone sentry. He quietly observed for a minute from his vantage point and saw no other movement.

  He cautiously released the branch and started to turn to give Katherine a message via hand signals. He was startled to see her standing five feet behind him.

  “I told you to wait!” he whispered harshly.

  She shrugged and replied, “Just the one?”

  Her father answered, “Hm hmm.”

  Over his daughters head, Josh noticed the last of the smoky whispers from the burning OP. He nodded in its direction.

  “I saw,” Katherine responded. “Which way did she go?”

  “South. Brent said Hoplite was headed north toward her. I’m guessing that they figured out a means to communicate while they were on station.”

  His daughter flashed a knowing smirk at him. Josh just shook his head.

  “We have to get around this guy first,” she remarked.

  After a few moments, almost in unison, they both decreed, “I have an idea.”

  His youngest deferred with a hand gesture.

  “I’ll go over there acting like I looking for my dog. You cut the corner through the woods behind him. We can’t afford to have a gunshot so just crack him in the back of the head with your pistol.”

  “Seriously? That’s the best you’ve got?” she remarked, turned, and started walking to the motorcycle.

  Her father followed suit.

  When they reached the bike, she quickly unbuttoned her top shirt, threw it on the seat, and grabbed her pack.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Boobs,” she answered flatly.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You heard me,” Katherine retorted.

  Josh had never looked upon his daughters as a sexual object. His only concern had been that they were healthy and well adjusted. Sure, they were pretty, but he hadn’t ever noticed just how physically attractive and toned they were. All three were athletically built and modestly developed.

  “Hell no!” he decreed. “Absolutely not!”

  “How about you not argue with me. You and I both know that if a man walks around the corner, that guy is gonna shoot first and ask questions later. However, if a young buxom woman asks for help, he’s less likely to do so, don’t you think? Besides, I’ve seen Heather do this to Hoplite dozens of times.”

  Josh thought about it briefly. She does have a point.

  “You might be – … wait, what did you say?”

  “Oh, Daddy. Sometimes you are so blind. Here,” she declared. “Take this,” and yanked a crossbow pistol from her pack.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Evan confiscated it from some looters about two months ago. What do you think I’ve been using for all of the small game I provided?”

  Her father just shook his head.

  “You and I need to have a nice long talk young lady.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Help me push the bike back to that thicket.”

  The pair quickly stashed the motorcycle out of sight then Josh began his methodical movement through the woods. When he was in position, he made his distinctive bird call.

  On cue, Katherine started hollering for her imaginary dog.

  “Dusty! Come here boy!”

  The sentry immediately arose to slowly head in the direction of her voice.

  “Dumb dog, where are you?” she called out as she came up to the intersection.

  Once she saw him, she took a few steps toward him and stopped. His weapon remained lowered, but he appeared ready to fire in an instant.

  “Hey, Mister! Have you seen a scruffy brown dog come through here?”

  Taken aback, he replied, “No can do on the pooch,” as he glanced left and right. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here all by your lonesome?”

  “I’m just looking for my dog. You sure you haven’t seen him?”

  The man started toward Katherine, looking her up and down and licking his lips. Then he made a sound like he was purring.

  “You have some car trouble? I don’t think I’ve seen one of those things moving through here in about a month.”

  “Oh, my buddies are off trying to catch some lunch.”

  Liar, she thought. Then in a move that baffled her father, she changed tactics and started walking toward him as well.

  “They left you out here all by your lonesome, sweetie?”

  “Sure did,” he replied in a pouty playful voice.

  “How about I give you something they won’t find in those woods,” Katherine suggested as she awkwardly struck as seductive a pose as she could muster.

  “What did you have in mind,” the sentry answered as he continued toward her.

  “Put that weapon away and I’ll show you. Guns make me nervous. Besides, we wouldn’t want it to go off… unexpectedly,” she concluded with a wink as she pulled her tank top taught over her chest and accentuated her assets.

  “Sure thing, honey,” he replied as he leaned the rifle against the rear quarter panel of the car.

  Josh let him get a little closer before he loosed his bolt from the contraption. At one hundred sixty feet per second, the tiny six inch dart hit its target in no time.

  The man hollered in pain as he looked down to see his thigh pierced by the small impaling object just above the knee. Before he had time to think straight, Katherine pulled her Glock from her back and drew down on him.

  “Men are so obscenely predictable,” she declared as her father exited the woods.

  He quickly took the man’s weapon, cleared the loaded round, and withdrew the magazine.

  “Don’t move,” he growled. “On your knees.”

  “I can’t! You shot me!” the sentry bemoaned.

  Josh was in no mood to waste any
more time. He swung the rifle like a bat and struck him in the back of the legs sending him to the pavement in a lump.

  “Your stomach works just as well,” he declared as he started looking for something to tie him up. “Cover him,” he commanded as he went to the car. Lying on the floor was a mostly used roll of duct tape. This’ll work.

  “Where are your friends? The ones who came in the other vehicles?” he asked as he securely fastened the man’s wrists and ankles together.

  “I’m not telling you jack!” he declared.

  “Is that right,” Josh responded as he searched the wounded man’s pockets. He forcefully rolled him over. Before the prone man could adjust himself to a comfortable position, he was cracked in the face with a quick right jab. His head bounced off of the pavement.

  “Now, shall we try that again?” the father asked as he continued searching the man’s remaining pockets.

  In all, he removed a dime bag of weed, three silver coins, and a small Swiss Army knife.

  “He’s clean. Go check the cars,” he ordered as he grabbed him under the shoulders and sat him up against the rear tire of the vehicle.

  Dazed, the sentry mumbled, “Do you what you want with me. I’m a dead man anyway.”

  “Is that so,” the protective father replied as he unbuckled the man’s belt and wrapped it around the bleeding thigh. Without warning, he yanked the bolt from his leg.

  Katherine was unprepared for the blood curdling screams of agony emanating from the wounded sentry. Josh quickly covered the man’s mouth.

  “Glad to see you’re still awake. Now, where are your friends and why are you a dead man?”

  “They’re off chasing some bitch through the woods. Just having a little fun is all.”

  “That ‘bitch’ is my daughter and fun is not what they have in mind,” he declared and cracked him again. His head ricocheted off of the car from the blow.

  “All right, man! All right!”

  “That’s better. Now, how long have they been gone?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe half an hour. She took off through the woods after she wasted our vehicles.”

  Josh leaned back and glanced at the disposition of the three cars in the road. Two were leaking radiator fluid and all had at least one flat tire. Damn it. Hoplite trained her too well!

  “You stay here! We’ll continue this discussion later,” he declared and then pistol whipped the man into unconsciousness.

  As he stood he called out to Katherine, “Anything in the cars?”

  “Porn mags, beer, and bullets. Just what every redneck needs!”

  “Grab the bullets! Let’s go!”

  Before exiting, she thought she should at least try to start it. The alternator spun a few times, but it eventually caught, and started the engine.

  Her father quickly turned toward the now running car.

  She immediately popped out of the driver seat, “I have an idea!” she declared. “Help me swap out this flat!”

  During the five minutes it took to change the tire, Josh and his daughter quickly formulated a plan.

  Katherine would give him a several minute head start before following suit. This gave him an opportunity to make it the mile or so down the road and stash the motorcycle. They both agreed that this was Heather’s approximate range on foot through the woods in the time allotted.

  Once her timer reached zero, she would crank the car back up. The tire noise would almost certainly be heard. The only real question mark was Heather. Would she bother to look through the scope at the driver or would she just open fire?

  Chapter 17

  Hoplite looked off in the distance and identified the Rocky Boot warehouse as his landmark. His exit was only a quarter mile away. The twenty pounds on his back hadn’t slowed him as much as he’d thought. He covered the last stretch as fast as he could and then took the old quarry access road off into the woods.

  As he used the shadows of the hedgerow to break up his silhouette, he quickly made it to the edge of the Hocking River in a just a few minutes.

  From where he sat, he could see up the waterway a fair distance. He quietly observed for movement across the impediment. There wasn’t a sound to be heard outside of the wildlife. Diagonally across from him, the tributary to the Ohio River gradually bent and changed course. In its wake it left a small sandy area.

  Hoplite lifted his weapon and used the scope to examine the shore. There were tracks in the dirty sand, but he couldn’t tell if they were human or animal given the angle. Following the impressions back into the woods, it became clear that a game trail exited at the location. As he examined the area, suddenly, something flashed through his optics.

  Heather!

  He quickly started searching behind her for a target. Trailing by several hundred yards, two men were giving chase. It looked like one had a handgun while the other had a hunting rifle. Both were sweating profusely. Good girl, give ‘em a run for their money!

  Hoplite waited for them to get a little closer before taking a shot at either. Abruptly, the pistol wielding pursuer stopped and called out to his buddy, “Just shoot her! I’m done chasing this bitch!”

  With their appetite for carnal pleasure exhausted, the only thing the two wanted now was blood.

  The second man took his stance and hefted his weapon in Heather’s direction. Before he could pull the trigger, Hoplite put a round in his chest. The round hit him below his outstretched stabilizing arm. The bullet ricocheted off of bone and pierced his heart, dropping him instantly.

  His partner didn’t wait for the body to hit the ground. He took off like a jack rabbit toward Heather.

  Carlos reversed course and sprinted the length of the unplowed field down the east side of the river trying to catch up to her. When the waterway abruptly turned and formed a peninsula, he launched himself down the riverbank and into the muddy water. Not worrying about noise, he quickly waded through the knee deep coolness and made it onto the far bank.

  As he sat and quietly observed, his heavy breathing became an annoyance unto himself. Suddenly, gun shots echoed through the full green canopy. He swiftly moved forward and repositioned himself behind the uprooted trunk of a tree. The four feet tall root ball made the perfect cover. Hoplite peered around the edge of the earthen mass in time to see Heather hurdle a fallen limb only thirty yards in front of him.

  Without warning, he popped out with his weapon leveled and barked, “Get down!”

  She threw herself face first toward the ground as he pulled the trigger and hit her pursuer in the abdomen. He quickly reacquired his target, but not before he squeezed off a round of his own on his way down. The slug hit Carlos in his chest plate.

  Heather looked up in time to see her savior wince and take a step back from the hit. She watched as he fought through the pain and fired again. The man, on his knees now, took Hoplite’s unsteady kill shot in the throat. The shot severed the spine from the brain stem as it passed through.

  “Got ‘em both,” he declared as he lowered his weapon and fell to a knee. He immediately started to inspect his body armor and assess any damage to his chest.

  “Carlos!” she gushed as she leapt up and rushed to him.

  She took just a few steps before two shots rang out, dropping Hoplite onto his back with a grunt.

  Heather cried out in horror and screamed, “Stop! Stop! Stop!” as she lifted her hands in surrender.

  “You sure are a runner,” the third unseen assassin declared as he removed himself from the safety of cover.

  With her arms raised, she stated, “I’m not armed, let me check on my friend, okay?”

  After a few contemplative seconds, without lowering his pistol, he motioned with his weapon and waved her over.

  As she placed herself between the fallen Hoplite and the last of her pursuers, she began checking him for wounds. Heather breathed a sigh of relief when she felt that he was wearing his body armor.

  “Took one in the ass,” he stated as he labored through the pa
in. “I think the other one went through my bicep and entered above my side panel. I can barely breathe. Damn it!” he bemoaned. “It’s probably in my chest.”

  She quickly checked the specified injury sites.

  “Two flesh wounds there,” she declared methodically.

  As she probed his upper body, Hoplite hollered out in pain.

  Heather gently rolled him away from their pursuer to examine the wound. He groaned loudly at being moved. While he was up on his side, hidden from view, she unholstered his Sig and slid it down his belly.

  She slowly turned toward her attacker and asked, “Can I at least treat him before you have your way with me?”

  The man walked over and snatched Hoplite’s bag and backed off. With his weapon still trained on Heather, he unsnapped the quick release and up ended the bag, dumping its contents on the ground. Once the first aid kit tumbled out, he put his foot on it.

  “You know, it didn’t have to be like this. We were just passing through til you started shootin’ at us. All we wanted was to have a little fun as payment for our shot up vehicles. What’s the harm in that?”

  “Harm? What’s the harm? It’s called rape you jackass!”

  “To you maybe. To me, it’s a trade. One car for one piece of ass.”

  “Don’t you have a soul?” she asked.

  “A while ago I might have. It’s survival of the fittest now, darlin’.”

  Heather exhaled loudly. There was no point in debating.

  “Please,” she implored him. “He’s bleeding pretty bad. Can I just treat my friend?” she begged. “Gimme five minutes then you can show me how much of a man you are,” she concluded with tinge of aggression.

  “What’s he to me? Let him bleed out. He killed my friends.”

  “She was going to be my wife,” Hoplite decreed in a dazed whisper as he rolled on to his back, concealing the handgun at his side.

  The assailant laughed raucously.

  “The hell you say, Mister. She’s way out of your league.”

  Heather had had enough. She quickly stood to confronted him.

  “Look you redneck moron. I’m not out of his league,” she stated as tears began streaming. “If anything, he’s out of mine. He represents everything that is kind, and good, and decent, and loyal in this God awful shitty mess… and you’re about to rob me of that. Isn’t that enough? Aren’t you satisfied?”