Apparently, the big guns were the two men riding horseback with them.
This just might be the worst news of Leo’s entire life, which was saying something.
“We’ll explain all the details when we get back to your base of operation,” Griggs said. “We’ll want to lay out the full details of the plan with whoever is in charge of your group.”
It was a measure of the situation that Jennifer made no comment to this. Leo didn’t bother correcting Griggs; his mind was too busy working overtime to reassemble a new world view. He’d never dreamed things were so bad.
“When we first heard Deejay Sniper broadcast, it was a huge morale boost,” Spill said. “Knowing there were civilians out there fighting the good fight—Jennifer, stop.” He drew his handgun, aiming at a cluster of trees a few hundred yards up the road.
Leo and the others were instantly alert. He raised his rifle, studying the road ahead of them. There was a tight cluster of eucalyptus trees growing beside the road.
“What is it?” Leo asked.
“I saw a guy,” Spill replied. “He’s armed.”
“Soviet?” Leo said.
“Not sure. He didn’t have a uniform, but he had a machine gun.”
“Just a single guy?” Jennifer asked.
“Yeah. One guy.”
Leo decided to take a chance, even though it would tip their hand if he was wrong. “Tate,” he called. “Tate, is that you?”
A second later, an answer came. “It’s me, Leo. You guys okay? Who are those guys with you?”
Leo’s shoulders slumped with relief. “We found the paratroopers, Tate. They’re with us. It’s safe to come out.” He lowered his weapon.
Tate popped out of the trees. Griggs and Spill remained wary. They lowered their weapons, but didn’t put them away.
Leo watched Spill and Griggs size up Tate. He could understand their wariness.
In less than twenty-four hours, Tate had permanently changed. Losing Jim had transformed him. His eyes were hard and flat. He stalked down the road like a predator, holding his machine gun like he was ready to deliver major damage.
Tate stopped when he was ten feet away, sizing up Spill and Griggs much the way they were sizing him up.
“You guys the soldiers who jumped out of the plane?”
“Yeah.” Spill holstered his weapon, apparently deciding Tate wasn’t a threat. “I’m Lieutenant Spillane. This is Lieutenant Griggs.”
Tate grunted. “You guys here to bring reinforcements?”
“They’re here for our help,” Jennifer said.
Tate grunted again. “Figures.”
“Where are your parents?” Leo asked. “Did you get them up to the cabin?”
Tate’s lips compressed into a thin line. “Dad won’t leave the farm.”
“What?” The KGB had paid them a visit, for crying out loud. Leo couldn’t think of a better motivation to get the hell out of Dodge. It had been dumb luck the plane had arrived before things went sideways on the Craig farm.
“Dad won’t leave the farm,” Tate ground out. “And Mom won’t leave Dad. Dad says the farm is his home and he won’t leave it.”
“We have to convince them,” Jennifer said. “It’s not safe. What if more KGB agents come back to interrogate them?”
Tate’s eyes hardened. “You ever try to convince a third generation Irishman to do something he doesn’t want to do?” It was clear from the look on his face that he’d done everything he could to convince his parents to leave. “He thinks he and mom have enough plausible deniability to satisfy any other KGB agents who come their way.”
Leo didn’t know what to say. He knew for certain he wouldn’t want his family members on the Craig farm.
“We could ... force them,” he offered. He didn’t like the idea, but he’d do it for his friend.
Tate shook his head. “Dad made his decision. Come on, let’s get back to the cabin.” He retrieved the stocky mare from the eucalyptus trees.
“You sure?” Leo had a sick vision of himself and Tate forcing the Craigs to leave their farm at gunpoint.
“I’m sure.” Tate rode away.
Jennifer and Leo exchanged a long look. He saw his worry etched in her expression.
“It’s not safe for them,” she said. “They must know that.”
Leo sighed and shook his head. “It’s not our decision. Come on, let’s get home.”
He forced the Craigs from his mind, but sick dread for their safety lodged in his gut.
Chapter 29
Soldiers
TENSIONS WERE HIGH at the cabin. Leo, Tate, and Jennifer had been gone for hours. Much longer than necessary to deliver news of a deceased loved one.
And then there had been that plane, the one shot down from the sky. To Cassie, it looked like the missile had come from somewhere near the Craig farm.
Everyone was dealing with the stress differently.
Anton and Bruce, who had returned from their supply run, sat on the porch cleaning every weapon they could get their hands on. Nonna and Amanda were busy inside making more bombs. Dal and Lena had joined Cassie and Stephenson. The four of them were busy organizing the supplies Anton and Bruce had brought back. Even though the two guys had been forced to travel by bike, they’d brought back an impressive amount of supplies.
They’d filled several large duffel bags with food, which they hung on either side of the bikes like saddlebags. They filled backpacks and hung them from the front handle bars. Another backpack went on each of their backs.
They’d even managed to catch three chickens. The birds had been tied around the ankles and lashed atop the duffel bags. They now pecked and scratched around the yard. Nonna worried they’d attract coyotes and mountain lions, but even she couldn’t argue against fresh eggs. They would just have to lock them up at night and hope for the best.
As Cassie sorted through a large pile of bagged rice, she kept thinking about Leo and Jennifer. She tried to be positive, but doubt and fear crept in. The idea that something may have happened to one or both of them had her close to tears several times. If Stephenson hadn’t insisted on alphabetizing all the supplies, she’d probably be losing her mind right now.
She listed out all the reasons why Jennifer would make it back alive.
a) She was smart.
b) She was athletic.
c) She didn’t like it when anyone told her no. In fact, if she heard the word no, she went to great lengths to disprove the word.
Cassie wracked her brain for more reasons. There had to be more. Luck didn’t count. How about beauty? Did that count as a skill? Cassie decided to go with it.
d) Jennifer was beautiful. Things happened for her purely because she was beautiful. Just because looks hadn’t saved anyone from zombies didn’t mean it wouldn’t save Jennifer. Right?
And how about Leo? There was a long list of reason why he would be okay.
a) He was good in a crisis.
b) He was strong, smart, and decisive.
c) He was practically invincible.
d) He was Leo Cecchino, for crying out loud.
She was desperate for them to be okay. They had to be okay.
Cassie had just added the rice count to the inventory sheet when a shout went up from outside.
“They’re back!” Anton cried. “Guys, they’re back!” His footsteps thumped on the stairs overhead.
Cassie dropped everything and rushed outside. She emerged into the sunlight just as Leo, Jennifer, and Tate rode onto Pole Mountain. All three of them were dirty, bruised, and bloody. What the hell had happened?
As she ran to the horses, she didn’t know who to hug first: Leo or Jennifer.
Leo made the decision for her. He jumped off Stealth and swept her up, lifting her feet a few inches off the ground as he squeezed her in a hug.
“It’s so good to see you,” he murmured, planting a kiss just below her earlobe.
“What took you guys so long?” she asked.
Before
he could answer, Jennifer marched up to them. “I said you could date her, Leo, not hog her.”
Cassie grabbed her sister in a hug and asked her the same question. “What took you guys so long?”
That’s when she noticed the newcomers. Soldiers. American soldiers, from the looks of their uniforms.
There was a dark-skinned Filipino man whose name patch read Spillane. The other man had dark hair and a very large nose. His patch read Griggs.
The clearing went quiet as everyone gaped at the soldiers. Cassie’s face broke into a grin. This is what they’d been waiting for since the start of the invasion: help. Help had finally come. With any luck, this war would be over soon.
The man with the big nose ruined the moment. “Jesus Christ, you’re all a bunch of kids. Who’s in charge around here?”
That earned him a ferocious whack on the back of his head from Nonna. “You will not take the Lord’s name in vain around here,” she said severely.
“Jesus, lady, I—”
Nonna whacked him a second time, this time harder.
Leo rested a hand on Griggs’s shoulder. “I’d listen to her, man. She’s not being metaphorical.”
The two soldiers stared at them, realization finally dawning in their eyes.
Cassie could understand their shock. Hell, they were a bunch of kids. Although Cassie was technically old enough to vote, she was still a senior in high school.
She wondered what was more shocking. The fact that they were all really young, or the fact that they were young and looked like battle-hardened soldiers.
Anton and Bruce both held machine guns, looking ready to charge into battle at a moment’s notice. Dal and Lena, who both had rifles, could clearly hold their own. Even Nonna had a rifle in her hands. Hell, even Amanda had come out of the cabin with a .22. Tate looked downright scary. Losing his older brother had changed him. Of everyone here, only Cassie and Stephenson were unarmed.
“Who’s in charge around here?” Griggs demanded at last.
Everyone turned to Leo.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Spill asked.
Leo shrugged. “Sorry, Spill. I wasn’t sure you’d believe me until you saw for yourself.”
“These are the Snipers?” Griggs said. “A bunch of kids and an old lady?”
“We disrupted a major military operation in Hillsberg yesterday,” Anton said coldly. “Before that, we launched an offensive in Bastopol that took out troops and allowed us to send out a broadcast.”
“Fuck me. We are so fucked. We came all this way for nothing.” Spill looked like he needed to sit down. Or maybe pour himself a stiff drink.
All he got was a whack in the back of the head from Nonna.
“We do not tolerate that sort of language on Cecchino land,” she told him flatly.
“Nonna, is there any food?” Leo asked. “These guys have come a long way for our help. Then they were shot out of the sky by Russians. They’ve had a long day.”
Nonna’s lips compressed. “There’s food inside for anyone who has manners.” Her gaze was severe as she sized up the two soldiers.
“Griggs, Spill, think you can keep a civil tongue?” Leo asked. When they nodded, he said, “Great. Let’s go inside and eat.” He took Cassie by the hand and led her inside.
Chapter 30
Photos
THE MEAL WAS A DEMORALIZING one. All this time, they’d been waiting for American troops to arrive and save the day.
Instead, all they got were two soldiers from a military safe zone in Nevada. Rather than bringing news of impending hope and triumph, they brought news of a full-scale invasion that reached far beyond the scope of West County, as well as a raging war against the infected.
“We have new information on the mutants,” Jennifer said.“The Russian vaccine doesn’t work on them.” She told everyone how they’d seen mutants attack and kill Soviets.
“That’s a good piece of intel,” Anton said. “Maybe we can figure out how to use it to our advantage. Dal, make sure you don’t broadcast that.”
“We need to keep this to ourselves for now,” Leo agreed.
His free hand kept straying under the table to touch Cassie’s knee. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort her, or himself.
“Which one of you is Deejay Sniper?” Spill asked.
“Me.” Dal raised his hand from the end of the table where he sat with Lena.
“We heard you all the way in Nevada,” Griggs said. “It’s the reason our commanding officer sent us here.”
“What’s the mission you need help with?” Leo asked.
“We should speak alone,” Spill said.
“What we have to say is classified,” Griggs added.
A ripple of discontent ran around the table. Jennifer looked like she was considering scratching out the eyeballs of both soldiers.
Leo shook his head. “Everyone you see here fights the Russians. We risk our lives every day for our country. No one on my team operates in the dark. You speak to all of us, or none of us.”
A silent exchange passed between Leo and the soldiers. Leo stared at them without blinking. Griggs looked like he wanted to push the issue, but it was clear there was no way to do that without getting into an argument. Which would just make him look stupid.
“Fine,” Spill said at last. “We’ll do it your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. What we have to say is disturbing.”
Cassie couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer. “Define disturbing,” she said. “You might be surprised by what we’ve seen that qualifies as disturbing.”
Leo’s face didn’t change, but Cassie could have sworn he saw a spark in his eye when he looked at her.
They all dispersed from the kitchen table, moving into the sitting area.
Cassie took her customary seat on the hearth, setting up her chess pieces. Leo stood above her, leaning with one arm against the mantle. Everyone else took seats on the floor and sofas. Spill and Griggs stood in front of the pair of bookshelves filled with back issues of National Geographic and spy novels with faded spines. According to Leo, Grandpa Cecchino had been an avid reader.
“It was your broadcast that tipped us off to the Second Offensive,” Spill began. “Our subs were able to take out most of them.”
“Most of them?” Leo said sharply.
Spill’s lips tightened. “Most of them,” he confirmed. He reached into a fanny pack that Cassie hadn’t noticed before. He pulled out a handful of black and white photos and tossed them onto the coffee table.
Leo picked up a few of the photos, holding them so Cassie could see. She paused her chess game just long enough to look at them. They were pictures of two very large cargo ships. The emblem of the USSR was emblazoned on the outside—and they were docked inside a port.
“These are satellite photos from just two days ago,” Griggs said. “Those ships are docked in Southern California. They contain the troops of the Second Offensive.”
Cassie saw soldiers in some of the photos as Leo leafed through them, but she saw regular people, too. Women and children.
“There are more than just soldiers on these ships,” she said. Black pawn to g4. White knight to c7.
“You’re right,” Spill said. “The civilians you see are the families of the soldiers.”
Cassie felt like the breath had been squeezed from her lungs. “Those are colony ships,” she whispered. Black bishop to b6. White pawn to g7.
“Bingo. Gold star for you, sweetheart.” Griggs took a step back when Leo leveled a glare at him. Leo might not knock people in the back of the head like Nonna, but his impact didn’t fall far short when he was angered.
Griggs plowed on, looking uncomfortably away from Leo. “The Soviets are planning a full-scale occupation.”
All the pieces snapped together in Cassie’s mind. Colonization. It all made perfect sense. The virus. The systematic infection. It was all part of a greater plan to seize American soil. This went far beyond a military occupation. This was a f
ull-scale takeover.
“That’s why they’ve been rounding up people and infecting them in large groups,” she said. White rook to a7. “They’re speeding up the annihilation. They’re sending colonists to West County, aren’t they?”
“This is farm country,” Griggs replied. “They need people to work the land. There are three busses of Soviet colonists on their way here. Even more are on their way to the Central Valley where there’s even more farmland.”
“It’s not just colonists,” Spill said. “There are more soldiers coming, too.”
“When?” Jennifer demanded.
“Lucky for us, Southern California is a fu—a fantastic mess.” Spill’s eyes darted toward Nonna before he pulled more pictures out of his fanny pack. “There are zombies everywhere. It’s taking them a long time to clear the roads.”
The next group of pictures he passed around showed bulldozers on the streets, rounding up dead bodies. The pictures after that showed giant funeral pyres where the bodies were burned. It made Cassie sick.
“When will the colonists be here?” Jennifer asked again.
“Two days from now,” Spill said. “Three at most.”
Black bishop to c5. “By the time the colony ships arrive, they expect most of the west coast to be empty,” Cassie said.
“The people need to know. I need to get on the radio.” Dal knotted his hands in Lena’s shoulders. Presumably he was massaging the tension out of her, although based on the wince from Lena, Cassie wasn’t sure it was working.
“This is why we need your help,” Spill said. “The only direct way into West County is over the Luma Bridge.”
Luma. It was a city perched on a peninsula on southern edge of West County. The Luma Bridge connected the peninsula to the entire Bay Area west of San Francisco.
“If someone were to blow up the Luma Bridge, there would be no direct access to West County,” Cassie said. “Getting rid of the bridge will hamstring their supply line. They’ll have to go miles and miles out of their way to transport resources out of here.”
Zommunist Invasion | Book 2 | Snipers Page 16
