by N. C. Reed
“Thank you,” Regina smiled. “I guess we’ll need to learn to use guns as well?”
“Won’t force you,” Rhonda shrugged. “Happens you’re against it. But we can’t always be lookin’ out for you, either. Like I said, we all got things that have to be done. Every day. We’re surviving, but it’s hard work. And it ain’t never done, seems like.”
“We don’t mind working,” Regina assured her, stifling a yawn. “And, you’re right. After today, I think learning to use a firearm should be high on our list. We lost. . .well, we lost pretty much everything,” she sighed, tears again streaming.
“Don’t worry over that right now,” Rhonda patted her leg gently. “Just get some rest. We’ll be here. No worries.”
“I think I will,” Regina nodded, rising from her chair. “I have no way of thanking you, you know. I mean, if not for those men, and now you, we’d be dead, or wishing we were. Or at the least, homeless and without anything.”
“Don’t think on that right now,” Rhonda urged, smiling. “Rest, relax, and recover. We’ll worry on replacing what you lost, or getting what you need, when that’s done. Deal?”
“Deal,” Regina smiled. With that she headed off to the bedroom she’d picked out for herself. After she had gone, Amanda looked at Rhonda.
“She’s had it rough,” the teenager said.
“They all have, but her most of all,” Rhonda agreed. “She feels responsible for the adults, and the children all. Too much for one person alone.”
“Well, we can help,” Mary said, looking again at the tiny infant. “And things will be better for them.”
“Yes, sweetie, they will,” Rhonda nodded. “They will.”
*****
The sun was creeping over the trees as George, Terry and Peter prepared to depart. George looked at Billy.
“You see anything, you let us know. And be ready to support us if we come in running, or come get us if we need to scram.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Billy assured him. “Ya’ll be careful.” George nodded, then looked to his friends.
“Let’s boogie,” he ordered.
“Keep the fires burning,” Pete joked, and led off.
Billy and Toby watched them out of sight, then headed up stairs. They settled in by the window overlooking the street.
“One of us is here, all the time,” Billy told Toby. “The other can make checks out the other windows, and make sure we stay clear. Got your radio?” Toby nodded, holding the small FRS radio up for Billy to see.
“Make sure it’s on when you leave the room. Might not want to shout, if someone’s close.”
“Okay,” Toby agreed. “If they find that bunch, what are we gonna do?”
“Reckon we’ll see.”
*****
George watched as his two comrades leap-frogged down another street. They were three hours into their sweep. In another two hours, they would need to head back, if they wanted to be near the house before it was dark. Thanks to Billy, they had night vision equipment, almost as good as they had used in Iraq and Afghanistan. George didn’t really want to know how or where Billy had managed to get them. He was just grateful to have them. If need be, they could stay out as long as their batteries held on.
He was about to move when Peter Two Bears’ hand came up, balled into a fist. He opened his hand a second later, spread as far as his fingers would allow.
Spread out.
George and Terry immediately went to cover, each one moving to a different side of Two Bears’ position. Peter ducked low, looking to see if he had their attention. Then his hand started signing.
Three Tangos. Armed. Moving across our path.
Both men signaled they understood, then hunkered down to watch. In less than a minute, three unsavory looking characters ambled past, talking among themselves, and making far too much noise. One was armed with a sawed off shotgun, another with a lever action rifle, and a third with an AR.
“Boss is some pissed about Shorty and them, sneaking off the way they did,” Sawed Off remarked, walking along without a care in the world.
“Sure is,” Lever Action nodded. He wasn’t paying any more attention than the first man. “I sure wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, they show back up. He’ll probably shoot’em all.”
“Shut up, and watch where you’re goin’,” AR ordered quietly. “We’re supposed to be on patrol. Act like it.”
“Aw, there ain’t nothin’ out here,” Sawed Off responded. “We do this shit ever day, and don’t see nothin’. Ain’t nobody left. Not no more,” he added, giggling. George was pretty sure Sawed Off was a meth head.
“Just because nothing was here yesterday don’t make it so today,” AR shot back. “And keep your damn voice down. Noise carries long way nowdays.”
“Give it a rest,” Lever Action snorted. “You always act like you’re King Shit on Turd Mountain, playing like you know so much. You ain’t no soldier, and besides, no one died and put you in charge.”
“Keep talking, lard ass,” AR growled, fingering his rifle. “I’d as soon shoot you two as look at you. Tell the Boss you ran out when I wasn’t looking. Or,” he grinned evilly, “tell him you was talking about running off to join Shorty, and I shot you for that. Might get a reward for that.”
The argument continued, but the three were moving away now, passed the three former soldiers’ position. Two Bears watched them for bit longer, then looked to George. George nodded, and flashed a sign.
Follow them.
He could scarcely believe their luck. If what they had heard was accurate, they had just stumbled upon the perfect resource. A trio of idiots who would lead them exactly where they wanted to go.
Can’t count on stupidity, though, he warned himself, getting ready to move. Someone in there at least has enough sense to send out a patrol. And the one with the AR seems like a dedicated Mall Ninja. He might have some decent firepower. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.
He shook off those thoughts as Terry started moving. He was next. And he couldn’t be distracted right now. One thing at a time.
Find the ‘house’, and then worry about what they would be facing. Terry went to cover then, and George was moving. Trying not to think about the last time the three of them had done something like this. Far, far from home.
*****
Billy was starting to worry. It would be dark, soon, and they’d had no word at all from the others. Toby and he had shared the duty of checking the other windows, always careful to stay out of sight. They had lunched on MREs. Not exactly the quality of food they were used to, but they could heat them with the enclosed heat tabs, so they were at least hot.
Tasty wasn’t a requirement for MREs, Billy knew.
“Hadn’t they ought to be back, by now?” Toby asked, worry plain on his young face.
“Maybe,” Billy tried not to let his own concern show. “But they might have found something. And they weren’t on no set schedule, neither,” he reminded the younger man. “We’ll see’em when we see’em.”
“They could at least call in, let us know they was all right,” Toby observed.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Billy shrugged. “If they found what they was lookin’ for, then usin’ the radio might not be a good idea. We’ll just have to wait’n see. Don’t forget, them three was soldiers. Done been to war and what not. Ain’t likely they’ll run into somethin’ they can’t deal with.”
Toby nodded at that, and settled back in to wait. They didn’t have long, as their radio chirped a few minutes later.
“Coming in,” George’s voice was clear, but quiet.
“We copy,” Toby answered, as Billy took up his rifle. Soon, three shadowy figured emerged from the trees opposite the house, making their way in. Billy watched behind them, making sure no one was following.
Ten minutes later, they were all seated downstairs, the three tired men gobbling MREs as they filled their friends in.
“They’re in the damn Wal-Mart,”
George snorted. “All that talk about The House, and we find them living in a Wal-Mart.”
“Makes sense,” Billy mused, thinking. “Plenty o’ food, water, clothes and such. Guns, ammo, you name it. Pretty good idea.” The three soldiers stopped eating as one, looking at him.
“Well, it is,” Billy shrugged. Pete was the first one to speak.
“Son of a. . .I never thought about none of that,” he admitted. Terry chuckled.
“Me either. Billy, I ever tell you how much I like it when you’re around?”
“I. . .why?” Billy asked, cutting off his own answer.
“You always see through the smoke, that’s why,” George answered for all of them. “You see things plainer, easier, than we ever seem to.” Billy shrugged at that, not knowing what to say. Or if it was a compliment or not.
“Told you,” Toby smirked again at Two Bears, who threw the younger man a middle finger for his troubles, though smiling as he did so.
“Anyway,” George went on, “we watched the place for about three hours. It’s about an hour’s walk from here, if we’re humping good. We counted eleven men, in all. Just lounging around outside, sometimes, like they ain’t got a care of no kind.”
“They don’t think they do,” Terry shrugged. “No one’s opposed them yet. And they have no reason to think anyone will.”
“See any sign of people bein’ held?” Billy asked. George nodded.
“Saw one man who was a prisoner for sure, and five women. One teenager. Probably more inside, especially if Regina was right and they’re keeping kids in there. No way to see how many, though, from where we were. Or anywhere else. Not without getting inside.”
“And I can’t find a way to do that, without someone noticing,” Pete added. “They may not be all that sharp, but someone knows at least enough to keep all the doors guarded. We can take’em easy enough, but if they get off an alarm, then we’re looking at a gunfight. And the odds aren’t on our side.”
“So we got a plan?” Billy asked, leaning forward.
“Well, we got the start of one,” George nodded. “Let’s see what you two think about it.”
The talk lasted well into the night.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“Well, I think we’re about ready to go,” George announced.
It was roughly two hours until dawn. The plan was to be in place by sun-up. It appeared that this bunch liked to be up late at night, so they might just catch them still asleep.
They had a simple plan. Simpler was always better, in Billy’s opinion. Less to go wrong. Less to remember. Less likely to mess up.
The ‘red box’ had contained a number of goodies that the three soldiers in the group hadn’t counted on having, including three fragmentation grenades, and a half dozen of Billy’s homemade napalm bombs. All three had been impressed with them.
They also enjoyed the two MP-5's, complete with six mags each.
“Billy, where did you get this stuff?” Terry asked.
“Made them napalm jars.”
“What about these?” Pete asked, holding up one of the sub guns.
“Found it,” Billy shrugged, truthfully. All three snorted.
“Yeah, right,” Pete snickered. “Anyways, I don’t care. It’s nice to have.”
“True that,” George nodded. He was still carrying the M-4 rifle Billy had given him. He hadn’t bothered to ask again where it came from. He was just glad to have it.
“Okay, so we know what we’re doing, right?” Terry asked, getting the discussion back on track. Everyone nodded.
“Toby, you need to be ready at a moment’s notice,” George told the teen. “If we can’t handle this, we’ll need to scram out of here in a hurry.”
“I’ll be ready,” Toby promised.
“Billy, there’s a nice tall building nearby, maybe two hundred yards distant. I’d counted on you having Toby as a spotter, but it’s just you. Can do?”
“Reckon so,” Billy nodded in agreement. “Two hunerd yards ain’t no real shot,” he added.
“Maybe not for you,” Terry snorted. “Seen some couldn’t shoot at two hundred feet.”
“I can,” was all Billy said.
“All right, then,” George looked around once more. “Toby, you make a good check here, make sure everything’s loaded, and we ain’t left anything behind. Billy, you come with me, and I’ll get you spotted. Terry, you and Pete go ahead and get in position, like we planned.”
“We do this right, we’ll be in and done before they know what hit them.”
*****
Billy settled in on the roof, putting the bi-pod of his rifle down. The Harris Bi-pod was a good platform. He made sure there was nothing underneath it, and then set a plastic cartridge box holding fifty rounds down near his right hand. He didn’t think he’d need so many, but he wouldn’t have time to dig more out if he needed them.
George had silently made his way down, and joined Terry and Pete.
The Wal-Mart was sitting among other stores in a large strip mall set-up. There were restaurants, convenience stores, and specialty shops. The Wal-Mart was one of the super-center type stores, and set alone among the other buildings. There was a Lowe’s across the way, as well. Billy used his binoculars to quickly scope the Lowe’s store. It looked intact. He filed that away for later, and turned his attention to the Wal-Mart. Using his rifle scope now, he looked over their target.
The parking lot had several vehicles in it, most appearing to have been long abandoned. Three four by fours sitting near the main entrances looked as if they were in use, the thin layer of dust, dirt, and leaves on the other vehicles being absent. Billy would have to watch those, he figured. If any of the gang inside tried to escape, that would likely be their first choice.
He continued scanning, locating a sleeping ‘guard’ in the entrance foyer. The man had a Ruger Mini-14 cradled in his arms. Billy decided he would probably have to be his first target, unless the others ran into trouble first.
During the night the decision had been made to enter through the garden center entrance. There had been no guard there the day before, and Billy couldn’t see one now, either.
The plan was for Billy to engage the front of the store, while the other three used that distraction to enter the store from the side. In the confusion, the three soldiers felt like they could whittle the numbers down some before anyone realized they were in the store.
Billy looked at the roof, next, and saw a problem. There was a small ‘knocked together’ shack on the roof. Not much bigger than an old phone booth. And there was a man inside it. A man that was looking at Billy through a rifle scope!
There was no time to warn the others. Billy took a breath, let half of it out, and slowly squeezed the trigger.
*****
“Okay, let’s. . . .” George started, only to be cut off by the sound of a high powered rifle.
“Damn it!” he swore. “Let’s get going!” The three men moved.
Their plan had been to enter through the garden center, and there wasn’t time to change that now. If Billy had fired, it was because he had too. They rushed the garden center door, hoping that the element of surprise wasn’t totally lost.
Another rifle shot boomed as they reached the doorway, and George hoped that Billy was keeping the attention of the store occupants. He entered the store first, followed by Terry and then Peter covering their rear.
A man dressed in filthy biker leather was just coming awake where he’d been sleeping inside the door. George didn’t hesitate, putting three rounds into him as the man struggled to escape his sleeping bag. The bag kept moving, and a woman’s head and upper body popped out, a pistol in her hand. The shock of seeing her made George hesitate, even as she brought the gun to bear.
A three round burst tore her and the sleeping bag to shreds. He turned to see Pete, MP-5 in his hands. George nodded his thanks, and Pete winked at him.
“Okay, so maybe all the women aren’t prisoners,” Terry interjected. “L
et’s keep that in mind, and get moving. They’ll be getting organized soon.”
The three men continued into the store.
*****
Billy watched the front door as he fed two rounds into the open action on his Remington. He’d taken the man on the roof, then the man at the door, and made sure they stayed down. He rammed the bolt home, chambering a fresh round, and sighted in on the door once more.
A large man with a shotgun came running into the foyer, kneeling to check on the guard. Billy let him stop moving, laying the cross hairs of his scope on the man’s chest. As soon as he was still, Billy squeezed the trigger. A second later, the man fell back onto the floor, a mist of blood spraying out behind him. Billy calmly worked the bolt again, and swept the rifle back and forth, watching for more movement.
He had to be careful at this distance. By now his three friends were inside. He didn’t want to make a mistake.
*****
The third rifle shot, muted this time, was obviously Billy again, the three decided.
“Sounds like he’s cutting the odds some,” Terry whispered. George nodded.
“Assuming one for one, we’ve still got at least seven targets,” he replied. “We’ll have to watch the women. Let’s go.”
Moving from the garden center, the three men worked their way through toys to the hardware section, and from there to sporting goods. As they worked to clear that area, another man jumped up in front of them. They recognized him as the man from yesterday with the AR, from the patrol they had followed.
The man opened fire with the rifle, shooting from the hip. George threw himself to the floor as the rounds chewed up the shelves around him. Terry Blaine raised his rifle, and three rounds tore through the ‘mall ninja’ in quick succession, putting him down for good.
Pete yelled a warning, and opened fire as two more men appeared, coming from the auto service area, one still in his skivvies. He liberally hosed the area with the MP-5 on full auto, cutting the two men down in a literal storm of bullets.
