After the Fall (Book 1): Jason's Tale

by David E. Nees

  If we can keep this up, they’ll never get across. We can keep picking them off from the ridge. Jason could not stifle a surge of hope.

  Big Jacks shouted to Mo to grab the M2 and set it up on the bridge. “Get the big gun up front. Knock out that machine gunner!”

  Mo grabbed another gang member to help feed the belt and ran forward to the front corner of the lead truck.

  “It’s on the ridge to the right,” Big Jacks shouted, pointing out the direction.

  Mo opened up with the M2. Its rate of fire was slightly slower than the M60 but with a deep, booming ominous sound. The ridge exploded as the M2 rounds shattered the bank and tore through the trees. Tom quickly backed up, pulling the M60 with him and pressed himself into the ground when the big gun opened up.

  With the M60 silenced for the moment, Jacks ordered the lead truck to be started and put in gear. Without getting into the shot out cab, one of the gang reached through the open driver’s door and slowly guided the truck to roll forward. The pickup sheltered him and others as they slowly moved off the bridge. Once free of the narrow bridge, he turned the truck sideways giving the attackers a position of cover beyond the bridge.

  The M2 immediately changed the balance of the fight. Jason could tell it had shut Tom down, at least for the moment. We can’t let them spread out on this side. If they get to the woods, we lose.

  Even though the M60 was not firing, the rest of the defenders were doing their best to hold back the gang’s advance. Anyone who moved from the cover of the pickup did not get far before one of the shooters from the ridge hit him.

  The M2 stopped firing. Tom cautiously lifted his head from the dirt and leaves of the brush. Being on the receiving end of such a weapon terrified him. He could see how it had shredded up the bank of the ridge and torn out much of the cover. But Tom’s military training kicked in. He realized his group needed the M60’s firepower more than ever. He shifted his location, dragging the machine gun and the ammo belts to get into another firing position. He turned his attention on the last pickup in the convoy and disabled it with an intense burst of fire. Then he backed away as the M2 raked the ridge. Again, the big gun tore up the ground and vegetation, exposing Tom’s location. He began crawling to a new position.

  Jason realized that Tom had cut off the gang’s exit. If they could retreat, they could re-group and invade and attack the valley from another direction.

  Big Jacks saw that his men could not advance beyond the cover of the truck. Even with the M2 shutting down the machine gun, the other shooters were dispersed enough on both ridges that his men were lethally exposed. There was no cover beyond the pickup.

  He shouted to one of his captains, “Get some guys down in the river on both sides of the bridge. I want ‘em to climb the ridges in the tree cover. The road’s too exposed.” The man looked at him but didn’t move. “Do it now!” he shouted, pointing his rifle at the man who quickly ran back to the fighters jammed up behind one of the trucks. Shortly two groups descended the banks and into the river.

  Jason saw six men dropping down into the river on the west side of the bridge. From his position on the eastern ridge, he couldn’t see what was happening on the east side and could only guess that Jacks’ men were going to cross there as well. He hoped his shooters on the west side would notice the attackers going into the river east of the bridge and direct their fire at them. Wiping sweat from his face, he began firing at the men crossing in the water but they were shielded by the bridge. He was able to hit only one of them, who dropped into the current and was swept away.

  Catherine also saw the men going into the river and started firing at them. Between the two of them, they hit two more as they came out of the water, before reaching the cover of the trees on the steep slope. Climbing the slope would lead the gang to the ridge and from there they could attack the defenders from the rear.

  Did Andy and the others know the enemy was coming up to attack from behind? Jason’s frustration nearly overwhelmed him. He had no way of letting the shooters on the west ridge know the danger they faced. He could only hope that if they could see what was happening on his side of the bridge they would guess it was also happening on their side.

  During this time Tom moved to a new point with the M60. Meanwhile Betty was steadily focused on the men who had made it beyond the bridge. She was farthest away, but her 30-06 with its scope was a fine weapon for the hunt she was on. She was methodical and made each shot count. Anyone exposing themselves quickly drew a shot or two from her, either hitting them or coming close enough to pin them behind the truck. They risked their lives to peek over the pickup and try to fire with any accuracy at the ridge.

  Andy, Ray and Billy saw the men dropping into the river on the east side. They knew what they needed to do. Two of the attackers did not make it out of the river, which left three who reached the cover of the woods on the slope leading up to the ridge. The men didn’t immediately realize that the same attack was taking place on their side of the gorge. They continued to pour shots at the remaining men jammed up at the bridge.

  Tom set up a new position. He could catch glimpses of the large man directing the attackers. Figuring this to be Big Jacks, he kept his weapon aimed in his direction. When Big Jacks moved along the line of trucks, Tom opened fire and sprayed the gap as he moved through it. He hit Jacks in the leg dropping him to the ground behind one of the pickups. The M2 again opened up. This time Mo spotted Tom’s position. Instead of ducking, Tom swung the M60 hoping to take Mo out. Before he could fire, the M2 raked his position with a long burst, hitting the M60. The gun was flung from Tom’s grasp. A spray of shrapnel tore open his left shoulder. He rolled back away from the ridge. The bipod was shot out; the damaged pieces just missed taking off Tom’s hand.

  At the same time, Jason got Mo in his sights and fired five shots in quick succession. Two rounds hit Mo in his arm and chest. He fell back from the M2, knocking it on his side. As he tried to crawl back, Jason shot him two more times, one of the rounds splitting open his head.

  Jason now dropped the M110 and took up his .223 carbine and headed back along the ridge to where Catherine was located.

  “Some attackers may be coming up from the river, through the woods. We have to catch them while they’re together,” he shouted over the din of the shooting.

  Catherine nodded. Together they moved away from the edge of the ridge and headed towards the river. When they got close to the edge of the steep slope, they separated and took up separate positions behind trees. They could hear the shooting, slower now, going on along the gorge. They waited in silence ignoring the rest of the battle. The attackers would be most vulnerable when they got to the top of the slope. They had to hit them there before they could separate.

  Tom cut open his shirt and tied it around his upper arm and shoulder to stem the flow of blood. The M60 looked too damaged to shoot. Slowly he made his way back towards Betty. He could hear her steady shots still coming. He could not hear Jason or Catherine. The shooting from his side of the ridge seemed to be only coming from Betty.

  On the west ridge, Ray moved back to Billy. “They’s some coming up from the river…through the woods. I’m goin’ after them,” he said.

  “You think they’re on this side as well?” Billy asked.

  Ray nodded to his son. “You comin’?”

  “Yeah,” Billy said getting up.

  “Be like hunting deer,” the old man said as they quietly made their way through the woods towards the river.

  Big Jacks leg was bleeding badly. Two of the M60 rounds had smashed through his left leg, one tearing apart his knee and the other ripping through his thigh. He needed to stop the bleeding. Yelling at his men, he got one to crawl over to him. He tore a shirt and tied it tightly around the knee area to keep the leg intact. He then tied another shirt around Big Jacks’ upper thigh to stem the flow of blood.

  At this point there were twelve men left with Big Jacks behind the pickups, four men still alive on the valley si
de of the bridge and three each climbing to the ridges on either side of the road. He noticed the diminished fire coming from the ridges. On the west, only Andy and John were shooting; on the east, only Betty.

  “We’ve taken their shooters out. Get half the men across the bridge and charge up the road. The rest will cover you. You get past the gorge, then you can circle back up the ridge and finish them off.” Jacks yelled at the man who bandaged him.

  The man looked at him with panic in his eyes. “They won’t listen to me,” he said fearfully.

  Big Jacks gave him a hard look, snorted his disgust and yelled to the rest of the men, “I want six of you across that bridge now.” He pointed to two men, “You two and the four up front, run like hell up the road. We’ll cover you.”

  No one moved. Big Jacks pointed his .45 pistol at them and counted off six men in succession. “Now go, or I’ll shoot you right here,” he shouted. Slowly the two men crept over the bridge, joining the four at the front behind the lead truck. They stopped at its edge, afraid to step beyond its protection. Jacks yelled at them again, “Go maggots, or I’ll shoot you now.” And he began to fire over their heads. Figuring Big Jacks, being closer, could kill them more easily; the six decided to take their chances in the gorge and bolted up the road. Those on the bridge opened fire to try to pin down the ridge shooters. Andy dropped one of them right away, Betty hit another but he didn’t fall. John’s shots, unfortunately, missed. Andy’s gun went silent and Betty just missed another as the men ran erratically forward.

  The remaining five men sensed safety along the east side of the gorge. They splashed through the valley creek and hugged up against the cliff. There they were protected from Betty. She could not see them from her position. John had a clear view of them but his shots were off the mark. Still he kept firing and corrected his aim. Finally he dropped one of the men and wounded two others. They lay against the cliff. The remaining two ran until they reached the woods. John stopped firing. He was nearly out of ammunition and didn’t know what to shoot at. The wounded men were not moving, so he watched the bridge.

  The battle ground went quiet. There were no shots coming from Andy’s position. Ray and Billy were stalking the men coming up on the ridge, John was waiting, not sure what to shoot at. Jason and Catherine were waiting in ambush for the other outlaws who were climbing up the east side of the gorge. Tom was working his way back to Betty’s position.

  Betty held her fire, not having a target and not sure of what was going to happen next. She guessed some men had gotten past her, up against the cliff. They might be coming towards her from behind. She was close to panicking but didn’t know what direction to run. She just lay in the brush, not wanting to give away her position. Suddenly she heard movement in the woods, not from the rear, but from Tom’s direction. She readied herself, but waited, hoping it would be Tom. Sure enough, he emerged from the brush, bloody and injured, but alive.

  She ran to him, “Tom, you’re alive! I didn’t hear the machine gun and I didn’t know what had happened. I just kept shooting, doing my best.”

  “I’m alive, but the machine gun is out of commission. What’s going on? Is it over?”

  “I don’t know. John was the last one shooting on the other ridge, but he’s stopped now. I’m worried some of the gang may have made it past me. They could be coming up through the woods.” She pointed behind her.

  Tom had a .45 pistol he had pulled from Jason’s collection. “I’ll watch for them. You watch the bridge with your rifle.” They settled down to wait.

  When the three men got to the top of the slope on the west side they headed towards the exposed edge of the ridge. Following the sound of Andy’s shots, they crept up behind him. Andy heard rustling in the brush and swung around to bring his rifle to bear on the sound. The three men fired as he turned. He was knocked back like being hit by a powerful punch, and found himself looking at the sky instead of the brush where he meant to look and shoot. He wanted to aim his rifle and shoot the ambushers, but his arms wouldn’t respond. Staring at the sky; it looked so blue and calm. Why did he notice that? His rifle and the shooting were forgotten. As he stared, blackness began to close in from the edges of his vision and then it all disappeared.

  Ray and Billy heard the shots. They knew what had happened. Quietly they moved at an angle that would intersect the shooters coming their way back along the ridge. Hearing the men before they could see them, they crouched down, ready to shoot. First one came into view through the trees, but there was no clear shot. They waited until all three could be seen. Each picked a man.

  They fired and two of the three gang members went down. The third man dropped to the ground, out of sight for the moment. Ray and Billy waited, but the man was smart enough to lie still. Ray looked towards where they had shot, trying to see through the brush. He motioned for Billy to circle to the right while he went left. He wanted to box the third man in and not let him slip away.

  Billy quietly crept to his right. Ray started left, but his old body sabotaged him. His knee gave out and with a grunt he stumbled forward. The gang member heard, then saw Ray stumble and shot rapidly at him though the trees. Ray fell. Billy now could see the man and shot him. As Billy was working the bolt on his rifle to chamber another round, the man turned to fire back when Ray fired. Ray’s bullet tore into the man’s right side, through his lung and into his heart.

  The remaining gang members just crouched behind one of the pickups with Big Jacks. “There’s no more shooting. Get up the road.”

  They didn’t move. More than half of those who charged lay dead. The odds didn’t look good to them.

  “Get your asses up the road. We’ve got the battle won.” He shouted again. Still no one moved.

  “Why don’t we wait here until the guys on the ridge signal it’s clear?” one of them offered.

  “You chicken shit. Get going,” Big Jacks shouted again.

  The man shook his head. “I’m not going out there. Most of those guys got shot.”

  Big Jacks turned his .45 on him. “You go or I’ll shoot you down like a dog.” His voice was dark and deadly.

  There was fear in his face, but still the man shook his head. “It don’t make sense. A lot of guys have been killed. Our guys will signal us when they finish them off. We should wait here.” He looked at the others for support, but they had separated themselves from him.

  “Coward.” Big Jacks said and fired. The man fell back with a large hole in his chest and blood spurting out of his back where the bullet exited.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, the rest of the men dove around the edge of the pickup and ran down the road away from the fight.

  “Come back you cowards,” shouted Big Jacks. He fired at them but missed. They ran towards Clifton Furnace as fast as they could go.

  Jason and Catherine waited silently. They could hear no more shooting from the gorge. Neither knew if that meant victory or defeat. That didn’t matter at this point. What mattered was they had to kill the men coming up the slope. They heard their approach well before they could see them.

  Suddenly one of the men appeared. As he got to the top, he moved in a crouch going from tree to tree. He was careful. Jason couldn’t see the other two. They’ve fanned out. Now we’re in trouble.

  There was more rustling to his left. Jason motioned for Catherine to cover the first man and he began to move to his left to intersect the second. The first man seemed to be waiting for the others. He crouched behind a large tree. Catherine could tell where he was hiding but could not see him clearly. He would have to move for her to get a shot at him, or she would have to move. She watched Jason quietly disappear, moving away from her through the brush. She was alone now.

  Jason hoped Catherine would not panic at this deadly stalking game. She had the advantage. She knew where the enemy was. He didn’t know she was near. As careful as the man was being, Jason understood he didn’t have any idea that death might be so close to him. Just be still, be calm.

&nb
sp; There was no plan on who would shoot and when. Catherine decided that when she had a shot, she would take it. She forced down her rising panic. She could now see her enemy, he couldn’t see her. She would use that advantage to the end. One shot when it was clear, and he would never know what hit him.

  Now unseen by Catherine, Jason moved forward and to the left of her position. He wanted to intercept the other gang member closer to the edge of the slope.

  The man Catherine was watching heard his companion moving on his right and started to go forward. Crouching, he stepped out from the tree and slowly began to go forward. Catherine steadied herself and waited for him to clear the brush. Her shot hit him in the side of his head and blew open the right side of his skull, just above his ear. He collapsed like a limp doll, dead before reaching the ground.

  The other outlaw stopped, then moved to his left towards the sound of the shot. His path would intersect Jason in twenty yards. Jason saw him coming and fired. The shot hit him on his right side, spinning him to the ground. Jason guessed it was not a kill shot, so he moved forward. He needed to finish this one off so he could concentrate on the third man. As he approached, the wounded man tried to bring his rifle around to fire at Jason. Before he could take aim, Jason shot him in the head.

  The third gang member, thinking the shots were from one person, figured the shooter had moved from in front of him to his right, the direction of Jason’s last shot. He headed towards the sound. Catherine saw him moving. She had no clear shot, so she set out after him. The man’s movement made enough noise that he couldn’t hear Catherine heading towards him.