Fighting for War

by W. C. Hoffman

  Fighting for War

  Collin War Chronicles

  W.C. Hoffman and Tim Moon

  Published by 2 West Press, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 W.C. Hoffman and Tim Moon

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, products, and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the authors.

  Connect with Hoffman: Website | Twitter | Facebook

  Connect with Moon: Website | Twitter | Facebook

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  CHAPTER ONE

  The water was loud. Roaring. The rush filled the valley with the sound of snapping trees, crumbling buildings, torn houses, and the fading cries of those caught too far from the safety of the surrounding hills and mountains. All Collin could do was stare at the devastation as water continued spewing from the shattered dam.

  No one swam toward them. The current was far too swift as the rising water charged downstream, erasing Goshen and the surrounding forest from the land as though it never existed.

  "Collin, we should go," Tiny's booming voice said behind him.

  Collin ignored him and stood transfixed by the sight. He took two steps toward the shore as if he had any hope of finding someone, anyone to pull from the chilly water. But no one was there.

  A hand gripped Collin’s elbow and he turned slowly to regard it, fighting the urge to crush it. His eyes met with Julie's. The tension in his chest melted as the tears in her eyes broke free and trailed down her cheeks. He turned slightly and pulled her into a hug. Holding Julie close to him, he felt her body tremble as he stroked her hair.

  After a few minutes, Collin pulled back. "We should search the new shoreline for any survivors." He patted her on the back and pulled out of the embrace. Looking down into her eyes, she met his gaze with a strength that belied her grief. She clenched her jaw and nodded without a word.

  Turning to look at the rest of his group – Julie, Koby, Tiny, Frank and Jeb, and of course, Brady and Hunter – he felt so grateful his friends all made it, especially his son and grandson.

  As soon as he admitted that to himself his chest clenched painfully, and it almost took his breath away. They had survived, he had survived, while so many suffered.

  What I have done to deserve so much heartache?

  Sucking in a breath, he rubbed his chest.

  “You okay?” Julie asked softly behind him.

  Collin gave her a look he knew she would understand before raising his hand to the others. He motioned along the new shoreline created by the rising waters. "Check the shore for survivors. See if anyone made it to the edge or close enough that we can get to them."

  Collin saw Jeb's head drop a little and shake, but he complied. Tiny glanced at Koby. Koby frowned.

  "Let’s get started," Julie said as she started walking along the water's edge as best she could. Her shoes made squishing sounds when she got close to the water, heading up river.

  "Julie, it's pointless. No one in the initial rush of water would be this this far up river. We only survived because we were on the hill. Anyone else would've been pushed downstream.” Kobe shifted his weight to his good leg. He spoke with an uncharacteristically serious tone. “If there's anybody left at all.”

  Koby’s new leg attachment glistened in the sunlight. Collin had a fleeting thought that Kobe would have to do something about that polished metal because it could give away their position in a fight. And there would be a fight. Probably many fights.

  Instead, Collin said, "Then we will search downstream." He glowered at the others even though he knew they meant well. He couldn't accept not trying. With the number of people who were in Goshen at the time, surely some made it to safety. It was inevitable. During any major disaster or accident, whether it was earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, or tornadoes, someone always survived.

  Tiny wrung his hands together and looked uncomfortable as he met Collin’s gaze. "In the best of circumstances, the chances of surviving such an accident hover somewhere under eight percent. We’d be lucky to have half that. Had Goshen sat farther away from the dam itself, things might be different. We need to come to terms with the fact that we may be the last residents of Goshen."

  Collin gasped and shook his head, covering his mouth for a second before he stroked his jaw. He couldn't accept that. Before he could speak, Frank said, "Well, any way you cut it, we can't sit around here. May as well look while we move out."

  "He's right, Collin. We ain’t doing no good sitting ‘round here. And HAGS is sure to come back to tally up the bodies. You heard how crazy Dr. Dipshit was about keeping count of people, right?" Jeb asked.

  When Collin turned and waved, Julie back she threw down her hands in exasperation and gave him a pained look.

  He sighed. "They’re right, Julie. Survivors wouldn’t to be this far up river. Look how fast the water is moving. Even if somebody was only a hundred feet out swimming straight toward us, they would be pushed down river at least three hundred feet. We can check the shoreline as we exit the valley. It's the direction we wanted to go anyway, right?"

  Julie slowly started walking back toward them. Collin turned and motioned for the others to move out. As he reached the top of the hill to rejoin the others, Brady stepped beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. Collin pulled him into a hug.

  "I'm sorry this happened,” Brady said. “But will get them back. These bastards will pay. Just like you said."

  "That's right,” Collin said, pulling back from the hug. Patting Brady on the back, he looked at Hunter with the best smile he could muster. "That's right. We keep moving. We leave ... this ... and HAGS will think their victory was complete. And they won’t know a thing; they won't be ready when we strike. They will pay for this."

  Collin’s teeth ground together as he watched the murky water raging downstream, cementing his resolve.

  CHAPTER TWO

  General Hopper leaned forward on the desk with his hands folded comfortably in front of him. Dr. Denard yammered on about his hard work, the research, the resources, and waste of manpower. Hopper had tuned him out and was merely enjoying the show. Denard whirled around to face Hopper, pointing at him before he threw his hands in the air and shouted, "What were you thinking blowing the dam?"<
br />
  Denard slammed his hands down on the table to emphasize his question as he leaned forward to stare hard at General Hopper.

  After a moment of stony silence, Denard spoke through clenched teeth. “We finally had the two groups together. They were at a point where they could begin growing their population. There were a healthy group and well-placed to survive. There was no reason to wipe them out like that." Denard glared at Hopper.

  The tirade was met with more silence.

  Dr. Denard stood up and began pacing back and forth. Eventually, the man lost steam. He stopped pacing and looked at General Hopper with one last hard stare before folding his arms over his chest and dropping his chin to his fist in contemplation, no doubt mulling over the options for moving forward.

  Hopper lowered his arched eyebrow and slowly stood up from his chair. He adjusted his suit, straightened his tie, and stepped out from his place at the table.

  "Are you finished?" Hopper asked with a smirk as he slowly walked around the table like a prowling jungle cat.

  Dr. Denard lifted his head up and glanced curiously at him. The general stopped directly in front of him and placed a hand on the doctor’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

  "The decision to below the dam did not rest with me. That decision was made by the suits in Sacramento."

  Dr. Dennard looked confused. His face scrunched up in confusion, and his head cocked to the side. "Sacramento?"

  "Yes, Sacramento.” Gen. Hopper gave the doctor’s shoulder one more squeeze before he stepped toward the conference room door. He pulled it open and motioned for Denard to follow him.

  Shaking his head as if to clear it from a fog, Denard slow unfroze himself and fell into step with Hopper. They walked down the hallway to a wall of windows that tilted out, giving the men a fine view of the factory floor below.

  “Look around you doctor. Where do you think all the funding comes from for this kind of work? How do you think we sustain our ability to employ these people, to create BT76, and do all the other work that we do?"

  Gen. Hopper waved his hand to direct Dennard's attention to the factory floor where hundreds of workers were busy operating the manufacturing equipment, labeling machines, sorting machines, and other various equipment to produce BT76 vaccine for people across the country. Their matching weight suits made them look like little termites bustling around the core of a tree hard at work with hardly a thought for anything outside their little world.

  “I know how the company works.” Denard shifted his weight slightly from one foot the other.

  Hopper knew that meant he was nervous, or perhaps he had to take a piss.

  "Denard, I know you're focused on your population studies and management. However, we have to keep the bigger picture in mind. We don't operate in a vacuum. Sacramento supports us, and we support them. They farm our food, we farm their people. It's the new fucked up circle of life."

  General Hopper smirked again at Dr. Denard, and the two of them slowly walked down the hall as the workers on the factory floor mixed, bottled, packaged, and boxed thousands of vials of BT76.

  Denard growled in frustration, balling his fists. "Fuck the funding! Fuck Sacramento. This is about rebuilding our population and reestablishing our country. And not just that, we can save the world."

  General Hopper regarded Denard with a pitying expression. With a sigh, he said, “It's hard to save the world from a factory in Montana when our funding and support comes from the suits in Sacramento.”

  Dennard scoffed. The general clasped his hands behind his back and scowled at him.

  Glancing from the workers to General Hopper, Denard said, “Why are you so willing to fall in line with these folks? Considering how you came into power here, why tie yourself so closely to their demands?”

  Hopper began walking slowly down the hall. Denard watched him go before rushing to catch up.

  "Last night the new Constitution was ratified, and the Republic of California is now official."

  "We are not in the ROC," Denard said with confusion playing across his face.

  General Hopper stopped in the hallway so abruptly that Denard continued on for two steps before realizing his boss had stopped. He jerked to a halt and turned around to face him.

  Hanging on the wall was a framed flag of the United States. General Hopper swung out like a karate chop to point at it with his whole arm. He looked at the flag with a certain amount of disgust.

  "There is no America," he barked in his Army voice.

  Denard’s eyes went wide at the burst of sound.

  Hopper lunged at the framed flag on the wall, tore it off its hook, and smashed it on the ground. Dr. Denard squeaked a little, with bulging eyes, as he jumped out of the way. He bit down on one of his fingers in embarrassment and began nervously chewing the fingernail. He glanced up from the disrespected flag and broken frame with fear glistening in his eyes.

  "My God man, look around you." General Hopper waved at everything around them with a look of wonder. "There is no Montana, there is no HAGS, there is no United States of America. There is only the Republic of California.” Hopper stood at attention and bellowed, “God bless the Republic of California."

  CHAPTER THREE

  Everyone followed Collin along the water's edge until they eventually found several victims, none of them survivors. Just bodies trapped amongst the foliage and debris from the flood.

  Colin's clutched his chest as if he could wrench the cold fist of pain from his heart. Each body they found chipped away at his soul. Eventually, he turned away from the water and led the group into the forest. He didn't stop until the river was out of sight.

  Once the surge of grief abated, Collin raised his hand and signaled a stop. He looked around and immediately appreciated the beauty of the area. A light breeze blew, found the gaps in the canopy overhead, and brushed against his cheeks. The forest smelled rich and bright and comforting. It helped ease the heartache.

  So many lives lost so quickly. It was hard to wrap his head around.

  "Take a break," Collin said, waving his hand at the others and pointing to the forest floor. The group came to a halt, settling down on the thick carpet of dead and decaying leaves. Brady looked up and seemed satisfied with the cover the trees provided.

  “Good spot. If HAGS returns, the helicopters won’t see us,” Brady said.

  “Smart,” Jeb said with a sigh. He plopped down next to a tree and leaned back against its trunk.

  Collin stared out at the trees and bushes surrounding them and tried to push aside thoughts of the flood victims. It felt like ever since he woke up Goshen took hit after hit, decimating its population until there was nothing left. Guilt nagged at him.

  Despite himself, he pictured spending time with his family. Looking around at the area where his friends and family rested, he thought under different circumstances it would make the perfect place to have a picnic. Especially in the fall when enough leaves would have fallen to reveal the awe-inspiring vistas of the surrounding mountains.

  Colin cocked his head toward the sound of the rushing water. He found himself swaying slightly to the time of the tree branches and the rustle of leaves in the cool spring air.

  "Grandpa, do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

  Collin looked down and saw Hunter standing beside him looking off into the distance to see what he'd been looking at.

  "Nothing can spoil your appetite, eh?" Colin said ruffling the boy’s hair. He cast about looking for food when Hannah rushed over with a granola bar in her hand.

  “Here. This should help until we can settle down for a real meal," Hannah said with a tight smile, handing Hunter the snack. Her eyes flicked up to meet Collin’s, and he gave her a grateful nod.

  Since Hannah mentioned it, he wasn't sure when or where they would get their next meal. If it was just him he wouldn’t worry, but they had Hunter and that placed a certain urgency on it. Somehow they would manage to feed themselves.

  Hunter tore open th
e wrapper. The crinkly packaging sounded like firecrackers in the stillness of the forest.

  “Eww, is this even edible? It smells funny.” Hunter made a face and looked at Hannah skeptically. “Maybe it's for the horses?”

  Brady and Frank both chuckled at his response.

  “Pump your brakes, little man.” Koby stood up with a slight wobble, wincing at the inevitable pain in his stump, yet he still had enough spit and vinegar in him to say, "That's Doris's special recipe."

  "What does that mean?" Hunter asked.

  Koby snorted. "That means it's delicious. Eat up, kid. You don’t want twigs and leaves, right?”

  Hunter looked from Kobe to his dad, then up at Collin. He held the granola bar out for Hannah to retrieve.

  "Go on and give it a try,” Collin said, nudging the boy’s arm. “You’ll be facing far worse things than a granola bar in the future."

  Hunter seem to realize the truth of that statement. Although his face scrunched up again at the sight of the homemade granola bar, he finally bit into it and chewed for a few seconds before smiling.

  “Thanks,” Hunter said, walking away.

  "Kids, right?" Hannah said with a shrug and a roll of her eyes.

  Collin shrugged off his backpack and set it on the ground.

  A few minutes later, Jeb cleared his throat and gave a little wave. "Can I get y’all to come over here?" he asked.

  When Collin reached Jeb, he saw the man had laid out a military style sandbox with locations designated by twigs, pine cones, the wrapper from Hunter's granola bar, and a couple of small rocks. It was clear before Jeb launched into his explanation that these were locations on a map.

  What’s this about? Collin wondered.

  Before he could ask a question, Jeb explained what each of the features represented and described briefly what they knew about each of them. At a few points, Hannah and Frank spoke up to fill in details.

  "With Goshen gone we only know for certain that Missoula, Delta, and Echo are still standing. HAGS ain’t likely to destroy everything,” Jeb growled the last bit. He cleared his throat. “Least not with the way that crooked ass doctor was going on about population numbers. And none of these places have features like that dam.”