War Dogs Heading Home

by A J Newman

  “MMax, Out! …MMax, Watch him!”

  Karen yelled at the man. “You are nothing but a worthless drug addict and pervert! I’ve seen how you leer at my girls!”

  I aimed my gun at the man’s forehead. “Karen, you need to have the girls look away while you keep on guard for any more assholes like this one.”

  Karen barked orders to her girls and stood watch while I interrogated the man. “How many more thugs like you are in this neighborhood?”

  “I don’t know. Some drifted in when they escaped from the Tennessee State Prison, and some others came up from the Rutherford County Jail. Maybe twenty to twenty-five.”

  “Is there a leader?”

  The man laughed. “Yes, a black man called Big Gun. He’s due here any minute, and he’s my friend. If I were you, I’d get the hell out of here.”

  “So I should be afraid of this thug? I don’t think so,” I said.

  The man sneered, “Big Gun will like your women, especially the young ones.”

  I thought about Big Gun being in the area, so I quickly drew my knife as I sidestepped around the man. I then yanked his head back by pulling on his man bun and drew my blade across his throat. Blood squirted from his jugular vein, and he collapsed as he tried to yell for help. Only bloody froth came from his lips.

  I heard several gasps and turned to see Karen staring at me while Chrissy puked her breakfast up and out on the deck. I wiped my blade on the man’s shirt. “Ladies, I warned you to look the other way. Karen, if there is anything in that house you want, I’d get it now. I need to get you to safety. The man might have been lying about Big Gun, but we can’t take a chance.”

  Karen turned to the girls. “Trust me; there is nothing in house that you want anymore.”

  “Mom, what about our family photos?”

  “They have been destroyed. Let’s go now. I’m sorry, but we have to go,” she said as tears poured down her cheeks.

  The girls started crying, and I gathered them all together in another group hug. Trust me, I am more at home, killing the enemy or drinking with my buddies than soothing a crying woman. My fellow lady soldiers told me several times that I needed to show empathy and be caring when a woman cried or was upset. I just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge when I saw tears and crap like that. Several told me I needed housebreaking, and they pitied the poor lady who took on that task.

  I took the pistol from the man I’d just killed and searched his pockets for more ammunition. He had one more full magazine. Karen found a small .380 Auto on the other man and a handful of loose bullets in his pocket.

  “Come on with me. MMax and I will make sure those men can’t get to you,” I said.

  ☆

  Chapter 12

  We went back by the same route and only saw a few people stirring around their homes. I saw a couple of gang banger types when we crossed on to Highway 41, but they were busy beating on the door to a small shop. I kept the ladies moving, and we were soon back at my parent’s home. The girls slumped down on the couch, and Karen leaned back in Dad’s recliner. They were mentally exhausted, so I put a cold but filling lunch together. Sliced Spam, crackers, and leftover sweet tea would have to do for now.

  I served them and then sat in Mom’s recliner next to Karen to eat. No one spoke at first, and then Karen broke the silence. “Girls, there were a lot of good things that happened today.”

  The girls looked at her as though she was a two-headed hydra monster. Karen went on. “None of us were injured. MMax saved you two from the bad men, and Jason and I disposed of them. We still have clothes on our back and food to eat. Now, you might ask the question – where will we stay?”

  I butted in and said, “I want you to come to my parents’ farm until you figure out what you want to do.”

  Karen replied, “I hoped you would keep the offer on the table. We will work hard to help your family and won’t be a burden. I do think we need some additional training to help us survive. I hate to admit it, but I think down deep inside, I felt this whole apocalypse thing would blow over and things would get back to normal. Having to shoot that man drove home to me how precarious our situation is now.”

  I shook my head. “Yes, I agree. I think we need to teach the girls how to shoot and defend themselves before we leave here. We can teach them more advanced survival skills when we get to the farm.”

  Karen asked, “Won’t practicing shooting use up valuable ammo and attract unwanted attention?”

  “Yes, it would, if we were going to shoot real guns. We have the pellet pistol and my old pellet rifle in my Dad’s gun safe to use. They will come in handy for hunting small game also. I’d like for you three to rest a while, and then we’ll go into the back yard and practice.”

  Karen jumped out of the recliner. “Kids, get your butts in gear. We are now beginning your lady Amazon training.”

  The sudden movement received a low growl from MMax, which reminded me that Karen and the girls would be spending more time around MMax than I initially thought. I said, “Ladies form a circle with me. MMax, heel.”

  With MMax at my side, I explained that I was going to help MMax know the ladies were his friends. “Girls, I’m going to pick MMax up and place him in your arms, one at a time. You will hold MMax for a short time and then give him back to me. Do this exactly how I just said. Also, remember MMax is not your play friend. He is a Working Military Dog and only plays with me and no one else.”

  I picked MMax up, being careful to support all four of his legs, and handed him to Karen. MMax looked Karen in the eye and then looked at me. I took MMax back and then gave him to each of the girls. With MMax back in my arms for the last time, I placed him on the ground.

  “Now, MMax knows you can be trusted and won’t growl at you unless you threaten him or me.”

  Tina looked at us as if to say, “What about me.” I patted her on the head and said, “Good Girl.”

  Chrissy asked, “Can we pet MMax?”

  “No. MMax is not a pet. MMax will now protect you and tolerate you, but he doesn’t think of you as someone he can play with. Now please remember what I’m about to say. When MMax sits down and points at danger, I’ll call out “My dog alerted.” This means you should take cover or drop down and be ready to fight.”

  Their eyes grew in size, but all agreed to obey my instructions.

  I had the girls find several coke cans while Karen looked for some boxes for targets. I took a folding table from the garage and set it up in the backyard. We had acquired a small arsenal, and I laid all the weapons and ammo on the table. There were five 9-mm pistols, two .38 pistols, two Ruger 10/22 rifles, and a 20-gauge pump shotgun spread out on the table along with their magazines and loose ammunition.

  I decided to keep my M17 9-mm pistols, and gave a 9-mm pistol to each of the girls and Karen. Then, I gave Karen the 20-gauge and the girls a Ruger 10/22. I’d keep the .38s hidden in the cart for backup weapons. Now that each of the ladies had their guns, I taught them how to field strip their weapons and clean them. Then we covered gun safety several times. I didn’t want to get shot in the ass by an overeager teenaged girl.

  We moved on to the range, and I showed them how to handle the pellet pistol and rifle, along with the correct sight picture. The ladies took turns shooting the air rifle first, and all were soon good shots with the rifle. The pistol was a bit more challenging, but they got the hang of it in a half an hour. Karen was a crack shot with either pellet gun and came clean about shooting with her grandfather many years ago.

  While the ladies were blasting away at the targets, I trained Tina to obey several basic commands. She already knew to fetch, so I taught her to sit and stay. Tina was eager to learn, but I ould be able to train her to alert on explosives. I’d have to settle for alerting on ambushes and thugs.

  “Karen, you shoot like a pro. Did you have any guns in your home?”

  She frowned at me. “I had my own 12-gauge pump, a Glock 17, and a Ruger 10/22 target rifle when I married the jer
k. He hated guns, so I left them at my parents’ home. The girls never shot a gun until today. Hey, I was also on the girl’s archery team back in high school and college. Find me a bow, and I’ll help provide game for the table.”

  I smiled at her and said, “You surprise me every day. Ya did good back there on the deck. You shot the bastard before I could clear leather. Are you okay?”

  Karen chuckled. “I drew my gun when I heard MMax bark. Yes, I’ll be okay. I won’t lie. Shooting that man made me want to throw up, but I’m afraid he won’t be the last. Did you have to kill many of the enemy?”

  I said, “That’s not something I like to talk about. Yes, it was kill or be killed every day and sometimes every hour. I hate to say it, but I was very good at killing. I hate killing.”

  Karen looked at the floor. “I hate killing also, but it’s not a bad skill to have these days. Do you have nightmares?”

  “Bad ones.”

  “Let’s eat a hearty meal and get some rest for our walk in the morning,” I said. I thought for a minute and added, “We need to start having a guard on duty twenty-four-seven. MMax is great, but by the time he wakes us up, an attack could be well under way. I’ll take the first and last two hours when an attack is most likely. I’ll wake Missy up, and two hours later, she will wake her mom up. Then it’s Chrissy’s turn. I’ll start at nine o’clock.

  The guard will stay in the house and look out the windows for intruders. Girls, help me string up some warning devices while your mom starts supper. Grab some empty cans and gravel from the driveway. I’ll get some strong fishing line, large washers, and a few pots and pans.”

  We ran fishing line all the way around the house, about fifty feet from the structure. I had the girls tie the cans with a few rocks in them from the line so they would clatter if the line was disturbed. I added one pan on the end of each line with a washer tied to the twisted string, so it would spin and beat on the pan if the line was hit. These noisemakers wouldn’t make much noise, but they would get MMax’s and Tina’s attention for sure.

  The night was chilly, and I hid in the shadow of the garage as I gazed across the back yard. The smell of lilacs in bloom filled the night air. I had been on guard duty for a little over an hour when I heard a squeak coming from the deck. MMax hadn’t growled, so I assumed it was Missy coming early to relieve me. I saw Karen with two cups in her hands. She searched the night to find my location. I whistled softly, and she walked in my direction. I pulled up another lawn chair and offered her a seat. “What tasty treat do you have for me? I see the drink, but I smell something chocolatey.”

  She moved her chair closer until they touched. “I baked some chocolate cookies from a box and made milk from that powdered stuff. It’s not great, but the cookies help cover the taste. I would have made you some coffee, but you need to be able to sleep. Crush the cookies up into the milk so you can drink them.”

  I took a bite from a cookie and washed it down with the milk. I stuffed another cookie in my mouth, and I saw Karen do a double take. I said, “I took the rubber bands off an hour ago. My last trial run went well, and one of the bands snapped. I decided to take a chance. Darn, it’s good to chew my food again.”

  I felt her head on my shoulder, and then Karen said, “I’m speechless. You sound much better. Sometimes I had to listen closely to understand what you said. I like the new Jason.”

  She leaned in, and I met her halfway. Our lips had just touched when I heard MMax growl. He walked up beside me and pointed at the back of the yard. One of the cans clattered, and then the sound of a washer beating on a pan split the night. I placed my fingers on her lips and slunk down to the ground with my weapon ready. Karen fell to the ground in a prone position with her pistol prepared for action. It was then, I heard another low growl coming from the deck.

  Before I could see the intruders, MMax alerted, and then I heard a man talking. “Martha, I know that woman must have some food and other supplies hidden around here somewhere. Those people were preppers. Zack was always trying to get us to put some food away in case of an earthquake.”

  “Bill, hurry up. Those looters might still be here.”

  I heard the lady and decided to scare the crap out of these wanna be robbers. I yelled, “Stop! Stop! The back yard has land mines. Don’t move!”

  The woman dropped to her knees and began crying. The man dropped his gun but didn’t move an inch. He pleaded, “Please help us. We don’t want to die.”

  I turned my flashlight on and aimed it at him. “Don’t move or you’ll blow up the entire neighborhood! My brother brought the landmines back from England when the bombs fell. Only he can disarm them, and he won’t be here until about nine am!”

  “Oh my God, I don’t know if I can stand here that long.”

  I yelled back, “Please don’t move until we get the heck away from here! Thanks!”

  By this time, the girls were on the deck, wondering what the heck was going on in the back yard. Karen told them, and it was all they could do to keep from snickering aloud. We were all up and wide-awake, so I proposed we should go ahead and travel over to my parent’s farm. We loaded the cart and pulled out a half hour later.

  Before leaving, I warned the man. “Now, don’t you move until Jason gets here to defuse the mines. I’m taking my wife and kids to safety.”

  We left by taking the dirt road behind the house. I helped the girls into the cart and let them catnap on the way. I hung several bags from the cart and piled the rest on the horse, so the girls would be comfortable. They slept the entire four-hour trip, which gave Karen and me some time to talk. The funny thing was that the almost-kiss didn’t come up in the conversation. We both kinda danced around the topic.

  There was silence for the first twenty minutes while I listened for anyone following us. I even pulled the cart off the path and into a thicket to double check. No one followed. With this peace of mind, I asked, “Did you find it hard to start dating again after your divorce?”

  She said, “Yes. My first and only date was two months ago with a man my girlfriend fixed me up with. He was her husband’s best friend.”

  “How did that go?”

  “He was great, and it seemed like we hit it off, but when we got back to my house, he expected to be invited in for drinks. I told him about the girls, but he still wanted to go into my home. I said no in the driveway, and he surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and kissing me. I shoved him away, and he got mad. Apparently, he wanted a lot more than a drink.”

  That pissed me off. “I hope you slapped him.”

  She laughed. “No, but I wanted to. He tried to run his hand … well, you know. I jumped out of the car and slammed the door when he reached for me. My girlfriend told me later the door hit his hand and sprained his wrist.”

  I said, “You should have hit him in the nuts.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt him since he was my friend’s friend. I told her about him, and she seemed surprised that I didn’t fall for his charming personality. Now I don’t trust anyone to recommend a man to me.”

  There was silence again, and then Karen asked, “What about your success in dating? With you being deployed so much, it must strain the relationship with your girlfriend back home.”

  I smelled a trap and responded. “I had a steady girlfriend when I joined the service, but she quickly decided to date boys at MTSU instead of waiting for me. I think that was best since neither of us was ready to commit. I avoided dating any of the women in our company, but did date a couple ladies in Echo Company. Military women aren’t my cup of tea.”

  Yes, I lied through my teeth. Military women were my type. They wanted what I wanted and rarely asked for more. I didn’t have to talk about my feelings or their feelings. Life was great until Maria dumped me, and I realized I wanted more.

  Karen bumped my shoulder with hers. “So you are afraid of strong-willed women?”

  “No, not at all. What I saw was the ones I was attracted to were too serious about their ca
reers or already had a boyfriend. I just wanted something on the side with zero commitment. I kinda wanted a girlfriend, not a series of one night stands.”

  She got quiet and then said,” I guess dating will be different in the future.”

  “Yep.”

  The almost-kiss from Karen made me aware of how much I was attracted to her. She wasn’t all girlie girl, and was easy to talk too on top of that. Damn the bad luck and piss poor timing. I think that moment made her feel vulnerable, and she overreacted by backing away from any relationship with me. It really didn’t matter because back then, I wasn’t interested in a relationship.

  I led the cart up the driveway to my parent’s farm and stopped about a hundred yards from the front door. “Karen, let’s watch the place for a while. It’s almost daybreak, and I want to see if my parents are here before barging in on the place. I pray my folks are here, but we both know anything could have happened, and I don’t want us to get all shot up. Why don’t you go take a nap while I stand watch?”

  She yawned. “That sounds good. Wake me up before you go anywhere.”

  “I will.”

  ☆

  Chapter 13

  Jan woke up before the sun came up as she had every day of her adult life. Her husband hated that she would wake up so early on weekends and even on vacation days. Jan had gotten used to making a pot of coffee and enjoying the silence before the kids and Zack stirred for the day. It was her time alone to drink her coffee and plan her day. Since the kids were all grown, Jan had much more time on her hands and had taken up gardening. At Zack’s urging, she specialized in heirloom vegetables and fruits.

  She had already planted the first round of vegetables. Beets, broccoli, carrots, spinach, and lettuce rose from the earth in nice neat and tidy rows. That had been accomplished the week before the lights went out. Now that the last frost was over, she transplanted the tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, squash, watermelon, and onions from her hothouse. Jan had never planted much corn, and only sweet corn at that. She broke into Zack’s survival cache and found the 5-gallon buckets of corn and wheat seeds. She decided to plant mainly sweet corn and then can it. She wasn’t sure she could thrash the wheat or grind corn or wheat into flour.