“Everyone, keep your eyes open for the smallest differences in the soil you're about to step on. The last thing you want to do is step on a trap. When we attacked the farmhouse a month or so back, they had pits dug with rattlesnakes and copperheads in the holes. One man fell in the pit and as far as I know, he's still there. I can assure you, it's a bad way to die.” one of the older men said.
“S . . . snakes, Je-sus. I hate them bloody things.” Another man was heard to say.
“Let's move, but watch for more booby traps. Losing a ball is bad enough, but he had half his pecker shot off!” was heard as they continued moving.
“I Just heard a buzzing sound.” Dick said, “Did you hear it too?”
The man behind him shook his head and said, “No, but it could have been a bee. The weather is nice enough for them to be out.”
“This was no bee, but I'm not sure what it was.” Dick said and then added, “All of you, listen for a buzzing sound. I just heard it but I'm not sure what it is.”
On they walked, unaware that Dave and Dan had them all on the drone camera, and already the adults where hunkered down in fighting positions with guns ready, the safeties off. Years prior Dave and Dan had taken the drone camping. They had a hard time keeping the batteries charged, which his father fixed by ordering a solar powered battery charger online. The cost was small and the charger was always kept with the drone. Now, the battery was paying for itself by giving them advanced warning of visitors, and keeping cell phones charged too.
While taking a five minute break, one of the men with Dick stepped from the trail to pee, and when he did, his foot fell into a hole and he landed on his butt. It was then he heard the buzzing sound of many rattlesnakes. He then felt the first bite, rapidly followed by countless others.
He began screaming, “H . . . help me, please!” he crab crawled away from the hole but as he moved, three snakes were pulled from the pit, their fangs deeply in his calf and foot. Less than a minute later, the snakes moved away from him and blended into the leaves and brush. When the snakes moved from the man, the others in the group moved to give them plenty of space. No one in the group liked snakes.
His leg was swelling as Dick knelled beside the man and cut his jean pant leg leg to mid-thigh.
“Jeez, he must have 30 bites on him.” Someone said.
“There is nothing we can do for this man. I'm positive no treatment on earth can save him.”
“K . . .kill . . . me.” the injured man was able to get out between his clinched jaws.
“I don't know if I can do that. To kill you would be murder and you're one of us.”
“I . . . I h . . .hurt. Give me . . . pistol. Ple . . . ase. I . . . hurt.” the wounded man said and then his bladder relaxed and he peed in his jeans.
Dick looked around and everyone was nodding, knowing the man had made the right choice. Dick handed the man his pistol, turned his head, and seconds later heard a gun shot. He glanced back at the man and most of his skull was missing.
“Keep your eyes open. One minute of distraction or daydreaming and you're dead, got that? Now, let's move.”
They'd moved maybe a hundred feet when a slight tremor was felt under their feet. The men stopped and looked around, and then a much harder shaking took place. Seconds later the ground began to bounce and shake as an earthquake struck. Trees began to fall and long wide cracks opened up in the ground all around them. Dust from the openings in the earth and falling trees filled the air. Men screamed in fear as Dick stood confused. He could handle combat, but not an act of God.
“Move, move down the trail and do the job now!” he screamed.
“Lawdy,” A Southerner yelled, “there goes Pete! That hole in the ground just swallered Pete!” The men then began to run down the trail, jumping over a number of open spots in the ground. When they reached a safe area, at least from cracks, Dick saw only a third of his men were with him.
“What now?” one man asked as the shaking began to slow a great deal. Looking at him, Dick slightly remembered him as Oats or Oaks.
“We continue our mission and see if the cattle and horses are still there. Your name is Oats, is it not? Nothing has changed, except we have to remain unseen. There, do you hear it? It's that buzzing sound.”
“Yeah, I'm Oats and I hear it, but have no idea what it is.”
“It's the same sound we heard earlier.” Dick replied.
One of the men pointed overhead and he said, “It's a toy of some kind, but it flies.”
Using the scope on his rifle, Dick saw the thing was no play toy, but a workable drone and most had cameras. He knew then his element of surprise had been lost and the mission was over.
He took his cowboy hat off, ran his fingers through his dirty hair and said, “We head back to the barn. Our mission has been compromised by that drone. They have been watching our every move, so lets return, and one or two of us will visit these folks tonight. Dang, not good.”
Oats said, “Do you think we need to call it off, just because they may have seen us?”
“I have no idea if that drone has a camera or not, but I suspect some of them are ready for us near the cows and horses. Only a complete fool would walk into a trap on purpose. There is always a small chance it doesn't carry a camera, but I'm not willing to bet my life on that. We return to base and now.”
*****
Dave, who'd been monitoring the drone and camera said, “The leader just lost about two thirds of his men to the quake and he spotted the drone too. It looks to me like they are turning back.”
“Keep monitoring them until they are out of range. The rest of us will stand down, but remain near our fighting spots. They may leave and then double back. We'll know in an hour or two.” Dan said.
June moved to the campfire and made a fresh pot of coffee and started breakfast. They would eat in position, but they'd eat well. Breakfast was beef steaks, fried potatoes, the last of the eggs, and fresh milk. Many did not like fresh milk, because it wasn't processed and ruined by some company that changed the composition and taste of the natural drink. They accepted the changed milk as being normal because they'd grown up drinking pasteurized milk. June trusted few foods in a grocery store and bought organic when she could.
After breakfast, as the women cleaned up, Dan, Gene, and Dave, picked up their rifles, checked their side arms, and then left the camp. They were going to make sure Dick had really left the area. Dan thought them gone, but it paid to make sure in this day and age. One small mistake could get all of them killed. The women were all armed with pistols and shotguns. With a scatter-gun a person didn't need an accurate aim, just point and pull the trigger.
The ground was still vibrating at times, with the aftershock of the earlier quake. The men moved slowly toward the spot Dick and his men were seen. Each held their guns at the ready and while they thought the men were long gone, it might have been a trick. They may have moved back a few yards and then blended into the brush, to complete their mission at night, maybe.
A half an hour later, Dan signaled for them to stop. Dave recognized the spot from the video of the men and said as much.
“My God, look at this.” Gene said as he pointed to two hands coming from the dirt. The man was dead and mostly underground, because he'd fallen into a fissure and as he was attempting to crawl out, the earth had slammed shut, killing him instantly. Only his hands, from the wrists up, remained above ground.
“Check for weapons and supplies left behind.” Dan whispered.
Minutes later, with only one old pistol recovered, they continued, now following the fresh tracks left by Dick's group. They followed them until two miles later when Dan said, “They have returned and most likely to the barn. We need to head back. I don't like the women being there alone and while they're with the four men you brought, Gene, I have never seen them fight. Oh, the women will fight tooth and nail, but I just feel uncomfortable away from them.”
In camp, June was sitting on the log they used as a sofa. Sh
e liked the cabins they'd built, but the morning was warm. Now the danger of the quake had passed, she wanted to relax, and there was no better way to do so. The movement of the ground terrified her, because there was nothing she could do to save herself other than try to avoid any openings. After seeing Dan's vehicle with loaded trailer swallowed in Rolla, she knew then the quakes could be deadly.
“The men are headed back. I just got a phone call from Daddy and they found no one on the trail.” Gene's daughter Ann said as she neared June.
“Go tell Bubba to bring the other men back into camp. The worry over an attack is over for the time being. The four new men did a great job and I need to tell Dan when he returns.”
“They're all prior military with all of them being Marines, except Cecil and he was Army. He did some tours in the middle east. I think the others did too, but they rarely talk about their service time.”
“Good, we need experienced men and women with us.” June said as she picked up her shotgun and slipped the safety back on. She was tired of living like she was and dreamed of the days she used to have nice long hot baths, put her makeup on, and then go out for supper with Dan. She missed those days so badly, and at times she ended up in tears just thinking about them. The world was in such a mess that everyone was trying to survive, and being a lady was no longer important. All that mattered now, was survival.
Dan materialized from the brush, followed by Gene and then Dave. They smiled and moved to the fire, where Dan poured all of them a cup of hot strong coffee. The guns were placed leaning against the log June was sitting on and the men relaxed a little.
“How did the other four men do? Bubba was in charge, because he's been in the army.” Gene asked.
“When you left, they moved out about 100 feet and dug in waiting for someone to attack. Of course, nothing happened, but it could have. If it had happened they were ready to fight. We got some really good men when they joined us.”
Gene grinned and said, “All four are my nephews, but they've all been in combat zones before, so they know what to do. My boys are on their own and I tried to reach them by phone, but no luck. I left a note in my home that we were coming here, so they may show up one day. I'm worried, but there is nothing I can do to help them. Bill is in North Dakota and Benny is in Texas. I'm sure the roads are in terrible shape and travel cannot be done yet. I just pray both are able to survive long enough see me again. There is nothing I or Lisa can do about the boys, except pray.”
“God hears our prayers.” Dave said.
Wanting to change the subject because thinking of death was not healthy for the living, Dan said, “I think in the next day or two, we need to hit the barn with all of us and hopefully take it over again. Once we do that, we need to burn the barn down and that will prevent it from being used again.”
“They're probably using it as a staging area when they come looking for us.” Gene said.
“Gene,” Dan said and met his brother’s eyes, “they know exactly where we're at and have even been here. They took June from the RV and it's still where they burned it, but it looks nothing like the $50,000 vehicle I paid for. Now it's just a burned up pile of black rubble.”
“How many men are in the group?” Gene asked.
“There used to be about 10 of them but I'd not be surprised if there were fifty now. He knows all our beef and horses mean a lot of meals for hungry folks, so he's probably using what we have to bring more men into his gang of cut-throats.” Dan said.
“Well, it's not totally empty promises, because if they kill us, all we own will go to them.” Dave said, his serious tone indicating he was concerned.
Chapter 20
“Son, always remember, defense is easier than offense and while the offense can always beat you, if you're dug in deep it will probably cost most more than they are willing to pay in human lives. Most leaders will stop an attack, if possible, due to heavy losses.” Gene said.
“Dad, when do you want to attack the farm?” Dave asked.
Dan gave a sly grin and said, “I was thinking about tonight at 0100, when most of them will be in bed and asleep.”
“Dad, I know where Jonas and Mike have about 100 gallons of gasoline. I helped them hide it one day, but we will need a back hoe digger.”
“Oh, yeah? Where is it? That's a lot of fuel for three little dirt bikes.”
“I wasn't thinking of fuel but of booby traps and napalm, which Mr. Baker said they used in Vietnam when he was there during the war. He told me how to make what he called, 'homemade napalm.' It just takes some liquid soap, gasoline and big containers.”
“If we clear out the bad guys, we'll uncover the fuel and move it closer to here. I wonder if the back hoe digger still works?”
“There's more than just gas in that hole. I helped them position guns, dynamite, military rations, and all kinds of stuff in boxes wrapped in plastic bags. It's down about 6 feet or so.”
“June, I need you and the ladies to keep guard as we try to sleep and rest up for tonight's attack. I'll keep Cecil here with you ladies and the rest will come with me. We need what is hidden in the barn and some of it can be taken to Rolla and traded for things we need. I just hope there are less than 50 of them at the barn. Son, I want you to gather up all the spare gas we have. I also need empty glass bottles, so we can make some Molotov cocktails. We'll burn their buns out of that barn.”
“Dan,” June said, “I have about two dozen wine bottles that may or may not be suitable for your idea. Can you use them?”
“Get them, and wake me at 2200 so I can be up and moving before we leave. I have some surprises for them. All I need is gasoline and smokeless powder I use to reload with. I have about ten pounds of powder that Terry kept in the barn where he reloaded their ammunition. I'll tape nails, rocks, screws, whatever I can find to add to it's destructive force and to help it kill.”
*****
There was a full moon out when June woke the men, as Dave and Dan finished the Molotov cocktails and bombs with the gunpowder. The bombs had debris packed hard against the body of the bomb, along with four quart Mason jars filled with gasoline and capped so they would immediately cause a fire with the explosion. The jars were taped to the explosives. Dave added what little dish washing detergent June had to the gas, so the liquid would stick once it landed on something.
“Okay, we have the bombs done and while they're crude, they'll do the job. Use no gas or flammables at all, until the main bomb goes off. Then use it for difficult positions so you can get past them. No murdering tonight. If a man tries to surrender, let him, and we'll figure out what to do with them after the fight. Get your gear and then move for the farm. Dave, you go with them, as your Uncle Gene and I make a place to carry the bombs on the motorcycles. Once we're close, we'll park and then walk to the farm. I plan to place the big bomb against the side where I know men will be sleeping or working on things. Most of them should be asleep and the last time they didn't have a guard outside.”
“The side that hasn't fallen in would be the best spot to place the bomb.” Gene said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“That's what I planned.”
“Okay, lets get ready to move. I'll be on point, because none of you have been to the farm before.”
“Dan, let me go with you. I'm sure Mariann and the women will be safe here. I know the way to the farm and if anything happens to you, they'll be lost and we don't need that. We need to end this tonight, so we can start living again, like normal people.”
Dan said, “That's a good idea, June. Dave, take your mother with you, but June, he's in charge. I want him on point and not you, understand me?”
Nodding her head, June said, “Yes I understand you. I agree he's in charge.”
“Saddle up, we're moving in 5 minutes.” Dave said and his tone and behavior pleased Dan, because his son sounded like a man now and acted like one.
Dan and Gene mounted their motorcycles, adjusted the backpacks that carried both parts of the big
bomb and then started their bikes. After letting them run for a couple of minutes, Dan slipped his motorcycle in first gear and slowly drove from the camp. Gene followed him like his shadow.
At the farm, Gene spotted no guards outside and didn't expect to see one since they'd never seriously tried to take the men out. He and his brother moved to the standing wall, positioned the bomb, and then moved to the west side, where they were to meet Dave and his group. Dan planted the bomb early, so he would not have to worry about someone giving them away by accident. With most of the men not here yet, there was also less noise and movements to be seen by any of the guards.
Forty minutes later, Dave walked from the darkness and his silhouette was seen against the lights in the barn.
“Dave, here.” Dan whispered and his son turned and made his way to the two men.
Still whispering, Dan asked, “Any problems?”
“No, none.”
Get your men in position as I move to the bomb. Go.” Dan whispered.
Giving them about five minutes, Dan made his way slowly to the bomb and lit the fuse, which was made of rolled up paper with gunpowder inside. He had no idea how much time he had before the bomb exploded, so he ran away from the bomb as fast as he could.
As he ran hard for the brush someone must have heard him.
“I heard something outside.” an unknown voice said inside the barn.
“Probably a possum or a coon.” came a quick reply.
“Well, I'm going to check it. I don't need Matt on my rear because I didn't do my job.”
A minute later and man was seen at the corner of the building. He must have heard something, because he walked right to the bomb, rifle in hand and he yelled, “Looks like I got a bomb out —”
The bomb exploded, killing the guard instantly. Screams were heard from inside as well, as shrapnel from the explosion easily penetrated the thin aged wall, knocking men down as they struck them. One man, sleeping beside the bomb, but on the inside, simply disappeared, like the guard outside.
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