by Dirk Patton
Precipice
V Plague Book Nine
DIRK PATTON
Text Copyright © 2015 by Dirk Patton
Copyright © 2015 by Dirk Patton
All Rights Reserved
This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright holder or publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a critical book review.
Published by Voodoo Dog Publishing, LLC
2824 N Power Road
Suite #113-256
Mesa, AZ 85215
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1514624593
ISBN-10: 1514624591
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, brands, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
Also By Dirk Patton
Afterword
Author’s Note
Thank you for purchasing Precipice, Book 9 in the V Plague series. If you haven’t read the first eight books you need to stop reading now and pick them up, otherwise you will be lost as this book is intended to continue the story in a serialized format. I intentionally did nothing to explain comments and events that reference books 1 through 8. Regardless, you have my heartfelt thanks for reading my work and I hope you’re enjoying the adventure as much as I am. As always, a good review on Amazon is greatly appreciated.
The victor earns the title "The Great"
All the mysteries get unlearned
All the history just becomes a string of dates
The hordes overrun in a clean sweep
Destroying everything that was built
Where's the glory in making mothers weep?
Kongos – Hey I Don’t Know
1
The grenade launcher thumped as I fired the first round. I immediately pulled the trigger again, sending a second HE - high explosive - round on the way to the open troop compartment door of the crashed Russian helicopter. The grenades travel fast, but not as fast as a bullet, and are so large they are visible in flight.
Tracking the first one with my eyes, I watched as it reached the door and impacted the figure of the man who had just hammered the damaged exit into the open position. The grenade detonated with a thunderous explosion, the body disappearing as it was shredded. A moment later the second one arrived and sailed into the maelstrom of the first.
It detonated deeper inside the heavily armored helo, the entire craft shaking from the blast. The ballistic glass windshield, divided into sections and braced with heavy metal frames, was blown out by the force of the expanding shock wave and cartwheeled across the surface of the lake. It struck the water with a large splash and quickly sank. Then the Hind’s fuel tank ruptured.
The entire aircraft shuddered before disappearing in an intense ball of flame and I spun behind the rocky outcropping to shield myself from the overpressure wave. It raced across the water and slammed into the snow-laden trees on the shoreline, blasting them clear of snow and snapping several smaller trees off at ground level. I checked on Rachel, Katie and Dog, relieved to see all three of them safe in the shelter of the terrain.
I started to poke my head out for a look, but decided to stay where I was for the moment when another explosion caused the trees over my head to sway. Munitions aboard the helicopter were cooking off from the intense heat of the fire. No one aboard could have possibly survived, and there wasn’t any point in me risking being hurt or killed, so I stayed where I was.
“Everyone OK?” I called out to Katie and Rachel.
“We’re good,” Katie responded, she and Rachel moving to where Dog lay in the snow.
Katie took his face in her hands and gently petted him, Rachel checking his injuries from the fight with the wolf. I was worried about him, but they didn’t need my help and it had been a while since anything additional had cooked off so I stepped out and surveyed the still fiercely burning aircraft.
The shell of the Hind was fully engulfed in flames that were burning so hot the icy lake water was flashing to steam where it touched the white hot metal. The steam mixed with the thick black smoke from the burning fuel and a massive column rose high into the air, clearly marking the site of the downed aircraft. Shit! If there were more Russians in the area they’d zero in on the location in a hurry.
“We’ve got to move,” I shouted to the girls as I ran to where they kneeled over Dog. “That fire and smoke will be visible for miles.”
They didn’t argue or question me, both with concerned expressions when understanding of what I was worried about dawned on them. With their help I got Dog up and on my shoulders, his belly against the back of my neck and each set of legs gripped in front of my body. I knew he was hurting because he didn’t try to resist the awkward position.
Turning, I began retracing my steps along the shoreline. I could feel Dog’s racing heart against the back of my neck. Occasionally he whined softly and I had no doubt he was hurting like hell, but he stayed still with his head resting on his shoulder, muzzle next to my face. From time to time his wet tongue licked my cheek.
As we moved, Katie took up position in front of me in case we ran into anything that wanted to do us harm. Burdened as I was, with both hands needed to keep Dog in place, I wouldn’t be able to respond and fight if needed.
“Faster,” I panted in the thin, mountain air as I struggled to catch my breath.
I had no idea if there were more Russians in the area, or even why they were here in the first place, but if there were I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere close when they arrived and found the crash. I desperately wanted to listen for the sound of rotors, but between my labored breathing and heart pounding in my ears I couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of my own footsteps as I loped along the shoreline.
Katie ran lightly, frequently turning her head to check on Rachel and me. I was glad she was because I had no idea what condition Rachel was in and wouldn’t have known if she’d dropped out. After what seemed forever we reached the campsite and I called out for Katie to stop. With her and Rachel helping we lowered Dog gently to the ground.
“Why are we stopping?” Rachel asked, sweat running down her face despite the frigid temperature.
“It’s all uphill from here,” I said, drawing my knife and starting to work on the parachute canopy she had strung between the trees for a windbreak. “Need a better way to secure Dog. Keep an eye and ear out for more helicopters.”
“OK, we’ve got about five miles straight up this ridge,” I said, pointing. “Katie, you lead. Rachel, watch our backs.”
They both nodded and helped me hoist Dog in his sling onto my shoulders. Once he was up, I was able to wrap the canopy lines around my shoulders and secure them over my chest. This held him in place and freed my hands if I had to fight.
I was still breathing hard and a film of greasy sweat covered my face as I started forward. Nearly stumbling, I caught myself and had to wait a moment for a wave of dizziness to pass. Katie had already stepped off, but Rachel saw me falter and moved next to me, grabbing my arm.
“Are you OK?” She asked, concern on her face.
“Fine,” I said, swallowing hard and trying to catch my breath. I looked up and saw Katie coming back to where we stood.
“I’m fine. Let’s get…” I stopped when the low thrum of a distant rotor reached my ears. I didn’t bother to turn and look.
“Move!” I said, pushing myself forward.
Katie turned and sprinted up the slope, rifle high and tight across her chest. I followed her steps, bent forward at the waist to counter Dog’s weight on my back. At first I tried to keep my head up to scan the area ahead, but quickly realized it was slowing me down. Lowering my gaze to the ground I focused on Katie’s tracks, concentrating on keeping my feet moving.
Where the slope grew steeper I had to resort to using my hands to help climb, scrambling in the snow for something to grip and let me pull myself another step. My back ached and my quads were on fire. My breath was ragged, my chest hurting with every breath of the cold air I took, but I pushed the pain down and kept going. There were occasional shelves where the incline flattened for a few yards. Unfortunately, they were few and far between.
I lost track of time as we climbed. Every ounce of my consciousness was focused on staying on my feet and continuing forward. Sweat was pouring down my face and dripping off my nose and chin in a steady stream. It was getting harder to take a breath and all I could hear was the rush of blood in my veins. My vision was starting to tunnel, limited to the ground directly in front of my feet.
After what could have been hours or even a day, Katie suddenly appeared in front of me, placing a hand on my chest to stop me. She was saying something but I couldn’t hear her voice. My head felt like it was wrapped in thick layers of cotton and I wasn’t sure whether or not I was standing still. I could see the concern on Katie’s face, then Rachel moved into my field of view and both of them were reaching for me as everything went dark.
-----
Katie tried to support John as he collapsed forward, but the best she could do was slow his fall. She and Rachel dropped to their knees on either side and worked the sling loose from his upper body, Dog stiffly stepping out of it and walking a few feet before lying down in the snow. Gently, they rolled John onto his back.
“He’s burning up,” Katie said when she placed her hand on his face.
Rachel touched his other cheek then wiped pink forth off his lips. She quickly opened his snowsuit. His heart was racing and his pulse was erratic. Working her hand inside his clothing she placed it on his chest and held it there for a few moments.
“Fluid in his lungs,” she said. “I think it’s high altitude pulmonary edema. Never saw it in Georgia, but I studied about it in medical school.”
“What’s that and what the hell do we do?” Katie asked, the fear clear to see on her face. John coughed, more bloody froth appearing on his lips and chin.
“Over-exertion at high altitude. It’s cold as hell. He just ran up a five mile hill with Dog and his pack on his shoulders. He’s got fluid building up in his lungs and his heart’s working overtime trying to get oxygen to his body. We need to get him to a lower altitude and get him on some O2. Actually, right now, we need to force some air into his lungs so he can breathe.”
Rachel wiped John’s mouth clean again before bending over and placing her mouth over his, and began forcing big lungful’s of air deep into his chest.
“How did you get here?” She asked Katie in between breaths.
“We’ve got a Jeep at the bottom of the slope.” They had crested the ridgeline that overlooked the lake before John collapsed. “How dangerous is this?”
“Very. Is there a town close?” Rachel turned her head and spit out a mouthful of blood tinged saliva.
“Not close, but we passed through one after we got into the mountains,” Katie said. “Maybe an hour or two with the snow.”
“We need to get him down there. Fast. I’ll have to keep up mouth to mouth while you drive,” Rachel said, standing and lifting up an edge of the parachute.
Working together, the two women spread the canopy out on the snow and rolled John’s unconscious body onto it. Katie helped Dog move, settling him on the nylon next to John, then grasped half the attached lines and pulled them tight over her shoulder. Rachel did the same with the other half and working together they began dragging John and Dog down the snow covered slope.
2
Katie and Rachel struggled against the weight of John and Dog. They were descending the north side of the ridge they had just climbed and the trees grew thicker and larger, forcing them to constantly navigate a weaving trek. Neither spoke as they worked together, both completely focused on getting to the waiting Jeep as quickly as possible.
Frequently they paused long enough for Rachel to breathe several times into John’s lungs, then she’d leap to her feet and they’d move another hundred yards before repeating. They began switching off rescue breathing when Rachel became lightheaded. Dog lay on the canopy, whining as he watched them work on John.
They followed the tracks John, Katie and Dog had left when they climbed earlier. Where the ground was sheltered by the forest canopy the trail was clearly visible, but when they crossed open areas enough new snow had fallen to completely obscure all signs of their passage.
On the drive in, John had commented about the depth of the snow on the road and Katie was concerned that enough additional had fallen to make it impossible even for the Jeep to move. As they approached the waiting vehicle her fears weren’t allayed as it was blanketed in a fresh coating and drifts had formed on the road, covering the rear bumper.
“I’ll keep breathing. Get it started,” Rachel said when they stopped a few feet from the Jeep.
As she bent over John, Katie dashed forward and pushed snow out of the way so she could open the rear hatch. A small shovel was clipped to the inside of the cargo area and Katie set to work clearing snow away from the exhaust pipe as well as digging out the bumpers and tires.
Rachel scooped Dog up in her arms and Katie held the rear hatch open while she gently deposited him into the cargo area. He shifted around to ease his pain then lowered his head with a whine. Closing the back, Katie moved to the driver’s door and started the engine before opening the rear door closest to where John lay.
“How are we going to do this?” Rachel asked as they stood and looked down at him. “He weighs as much as both of us put together.”
Katie looked around for a moment then climbed across the Jeep’s back seat and opened the far side door.
“I’ll get his back and shoulders up and in, resting on the seat, then come around to the other door and pull if you manage his hips and legs,” Katie said, squatting by her husband’s head.
Rachel nodded and kneeled, wrapping her arms around John’s hips as Katie hooked her hands into his vest. Together they lifted, both nearly falling over when they succeeded in raising his body off the nylon canopy. With grunts of exertion they managed to stand and Katie slowly stepped backwards, pausing when she bumped against the side of the Jeep. Carefully she turned and rested John’s shoulders on the edge of th
e seat.
“Got him?” She asked before letting go.
Rachel braced herself before nodding. Katie raced around the back of the vehicle and jumped in the far door, scrambling across the seat and grabbing John under the arms and pulling. With Rachel pushing, they finally got him fully across the rear seat, both of them breathing hard from the exertion.
Folding his legs inside, Rachel closed the door as Katie backed out and closed the other. They dashed around opposite ends of the Jeep, Rachel climbing in back as Katie slipped behind the wheel. Propping John up, Rachel pressed her mouth firmly to his and exhaled several breaths before pausing and pressing her ear to his chest.
“You know how to drive in snow?” Rachel asked when she saw Katie watching her in the mirror.
“I grew up in it, but its been a long time,” Katie answered, shifting into drive.
The Jeep was still in four wheel low from when John had driven them in and she hoped it would have enough traction to get them turned around and back out of the mountains. It took some doing, and several times Rachel thought they were stuck, but Katie eventually got them heading in the right direction.
16.3 miles. That’s how far they’d come on this road, which was really no more than a partially cleared trail through the forest. Clearing the trip odometer, she stepped on the gas and they slowly began moving forward.
The going was slow, the snow now at the mid-point of the front bumper. Somehow the Jeep managed to gain enough traction to force its way through, bulldozing as it went. Katie glanced up in the mirror when John coughed.
“Is he awake?” Katie asked, returning her attention to the road.
“No,” Rachel said, wiping more frothy blood off his lips and chin before struggling to sit him up higher in the seat.
“Should I stop?”
“Keep going. I can handle him and the sooner we get to a lower altitude, the better.”
Rachel struggled to lift John’s upper body. She had to settle for propping him up and using a seat belt to keep him in place, her arms wrapped around his chest as Katie drove. She looked over the seat back into the cargo area, Dog meeting her eyes and whining softly.
