Fighting for War

by W. C. Hoffman

  Collin grunted and clambered to his feet as best he could. “Fine.”

  This was turning into a shit show. Moving carefully up the next few stairs, he made it to the fourth floor landing. He rubbed his knee, which felt tweaked. Other than that he was fine.

  Once he was safe on the roof, Collin said, “We’re not going down that way. That’s for goddamned sure.”

  Most of the roof was open, but there was a stairwell off to his left and some air vent stuff near the middle. Another small concrete structure looked like it held some machinery, maybe a cooling system or something.

  Hunter and Julie were standing at the edge of the building near the small structure.

  “See anything?” Collin asked.

  Julie turned with tears in her eyes and nodded, covering her mouth.

  Collin rushed to the edge and looked over. His breath caught. Am I really seeing this? he thought.

  Several blocks away he could see the train station. He didn’t know HAGS still had so many soldiers. Especially in Missoula, which had largely been controlled by Frank and Jeb’s Maniacs. A quick guess gave Collin the impression that at least forty or fifty soldiers secured the area.

  The train cars had their sliding cargo doors open. Soldiers guided people onto the train at gunpoint. These people, his fellow Americans, were now prisoners being packed onto a train like cattle. A pile near the boxcars caught his eye.

  “My God,” he breathed.

  His stomach clenched at the sight of a crudely stacked pile of bodies. It explained the gunshots.

  Soldiers were splashing something on the bodies; gasoline perhaps? Collin clenched his teeth and squeezed the grip of his rifle, anticipating retribution. The pile burst into ball of flame as thick, dark smoke rose like a specter.

  “Ain’t nothing gonna stop me –” Jeb started to say. A door slammed open behind them, tearing them away from the horror.

  Six soldiers poured out of the stairwell at the far corner of the roof.

  Collin cursed, pushing Hunter and Julie toward the concrete structure. “Stay there.”

  “Enemy!” Jeb shouted, firing at them.

  Collin moved out to help lay down fire.

  Jeb noticed him and said, “Get back, sir!” He rushed over to Collin.

  Something wet struck Collin, causing him to flinch. He blinked quickly, wiping at his face. Like slow flashes from his damaged memory, he saw Jeb falling to the ground.

  “Hands up! Drop your weapon!” came a chorus of shouts.

  Collin stared down at his dead friend. Jeb’s eyes were still open in surprise underneath a missing chunk of his forehead. Glancing down, Collin realized he’d wiped his friend’s blood off his face.

  When he looked up, he saw soldiers holding Hunter and Julie. “No!” he shouted.

  “Drop your gun and get down!” came the response.

  Collin dropped to his knees as three soldiers rushed to secure him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The sun had nearly ducked below the horizon when Koby heard rustling in the bushes nearby. His heart leapt at the sound, and he quickly put away the binoculars and pulled himself into a seated position, cradled his rifle at the ready.

  Leaning against the tree where he’d spent most of the day observing the town, he was mostly hidden from view by several nearby saplings and a big cluster of undergrowth. If somebody other than Brady or Tiny approached, he would be able to get off several shots before they even realized he was there. Koby was no sniper, but from that position even he couldn’t miss.

  A small rock gave way with a gritty scraping sound under what could only be human footwear. Shrubs quaked as whatever approached struggled in the dim light. Koby, breathing hard, eased the safety off his rifle. Using constant pressure with his thumb, he could reduce the tell-tale click, just the way Collin had shown him. Koby shouldered the rifle and placed his finger on the trigger.

  Just then, he heard Brady call his name in a loud whisper. Koby released a huge sigh of relief, flicking the safety back on and lowering the rifle. “Over here, man,” he said in a low voice.

  They must not have been concerned about security because that was a terrible way of trying to find somebody. Of course, he also knew they didn't want to get shot.

  Brady emerged from the bushes much closer to his position than Koby expected.

  “Goddamn ninja,” he gasped.

  Brady chuckled while Tiny stepped out from behind some trees, gave him a quick wave and walked over to tend to the horses.

  "Anything happen?" Brady asked, still grinning at the look on Koby's face.

  Koby relaxed his posture and let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Just a few vehicles going in and a few coming out of the gates. Other than that, nothing interesting. How about you guys?"

  “We followed the edge of town all the way to the far side. The view was great. We were able to see the area hidden from here. It looks like they might be using the football field at a high school as a makeshift helicopter landing pad. But we didn't actually see any choppers, just some equipment and people.” Brady took a knee to stay out of sight. “On the other side, there is a small gate but it's nothing like this one here. We figure that means this is the main gate."

  Koby grunted. “Based on all the goddamn activity, I would agree. There's more cars rollin’ up on this place than a crack house."

  “Tiny and I were thinking it’d be a good idea to ambush one of the incoming vehicles tonight. We’ll be hidden while they drive up, and we’ll have plenty of heads up since they’ll have headlights on.”

  Koby held up a hand. “You think they’ll continue whatever it is they’re doing at night?”

  “Why not? Who’s been able or willing to resist them all these years?” Brady asked. “It’s not like we’re taking a whole convoy; we just need one vehicle.” Brady paused for a moment and tilted his head to the side. “Actually, have you seen more than one vehicle enter at a time?”

  “Nope, just one and done.”

  “Okay, great. That actually works in our favor.” Brady gave him a slick smile. “You up for an evening of infiltration?"

  “Sounds hot. I thought you would never ask.”

  Tiny returned from tending to the horses, looked at the two men snickering and shook his head.

  Koby snapped his fingers and pointed at the others. “All the drivers appeared to be in some sort of uniform. Now that works out nicely for the two of us, especially since I’ve returned for Sarah Connor," Kobe said, gesturing at his silver Terminator-style leg. Brady had a look of confusion. At that moment, Koby realized his cultural comedy references fell flat with a friend who had been raised in the forest since age ten. Koby decided to let it go rather than trying to explain his joke and redirected the conversation by pointing at Tiny. "But I don't think we’re getting this guy into a uniform.”

  Tiny was clearly lost in thoughts unrelated to their conversation. He must have felt them watching him because he looked up, blinked, and narrowed his eyes at them. “What?”

  Koby grinned. “I was just telling Brady we’ll have a hell of a time getting your giant ass to fit into any of the uniforms those HAGS assholes are wearing.”

  “I suppose I could just hide in the trunk then.” Tiny flexed his muscles, making his shirt stretch to contain his bulk.

  “We’re fresh out of semi-trucks,” Brady said. “I don’t think any car known to man could fit you in its trunk.”

  “More importantly though, how are we going to ambush a vehicle without shooting it all to hell?” Kobe asked.

  “Brady suggested putting a log across the road to make the vehicle stop,” Tiny said, barely holding back a chuckle as he rolled his eyes.

  Brady folded his arms over his chest. “I was obviously joking about that.”

  "Were you?" Tiny laughed even harder, covering his mouth to keep the sound from traveling farther than they wanted.

  “I think we should scope out an area and decide how to do it based on the layout.”

&nb
sp; Brady and Tiny looked at Koby with approval. “Sound plan.” Tiny cleared his throat and stood up.

  “Wish you’d thought of it?” Koby smirked at him.

  Tiny blinked, turned, and walked toward the horses.

  With darkness upon them, the three men made their along the ridge away from town. Koby noted the many advantageous points they could choose. However, they had to move far enough away that their trap wouldn’t be detected by the guards.

  The horse moved confidently through the darkness. Koby was grateful he didn’t have to try walking, his leg ached like mad even though he spent most of the day laying down observing the town.

  “This is perfect.” Tiny stopped his horse and swung down to the ground.

  Koby barely heard him. “What?”

  “Halt,” Brady said, sliding out of his saddle.

  “Look at this S-curve through this canyon. It’s perfect, don’t you think?” Tiny asked, looking up at Koby who remained on his horse.

  “For what?” Even in the dim light it was clear Brady was confused.

  Koby appraised the layout and nodded with a grin at Tiny. “Thermopylae.”

  “Exactly.” Tiny grinned.

  Brady glared at each of them. “First Terminator and now Thermop-whatever? Enough with the ancient history, guys.”

  When Brady wasn’t looking, Koby glanced at Tiny and held a finger to his lips, content to let Brady think he had made a good point rather than call him out on his lack of knowledge about ancient Greek battles. Tiny gave a slight nod. Both of them grinned.

  Brady sniffed and turned away from them, muttering to himself.

  A dark shape ahead caught Koby’s attention. Nudging his horse forward a ways, he saw just what they needed. “Tiny, think you can move that thing?”

  “Is a lightning bolt three times hotter than the sun?”

  How the fuck would I know? Koby thought as he gave Tiny an encouraging nod.

  Tiny put his hands on the rock and shoved. It moved a little. He squatted down, put a shoulder against it and shoved. The rock shifted forward. Tiny repeated the process, rocking the boulder a few times.

  Brady watched skeptically. “What is –”

  With a grunt, Tiny heaved. The boulder tumbled down the hill, kicking up a small trail of dust and dirt. Smaller rocks skittered downhill in its wake.

  Almost as if on command, the rock skidded to a halt in the middle of the road. A wave of dirt splashed across the asphalt, and their trap was prepped. Their landslide would give oncoming traffic pause as they checked for a way around.

  “That works,” Brady growled. “You couldn’t just say that, huh? Sometimes you deserve a good kick in the balls, you know that?”

  Tiny and Koby laughed. “Molon labe,” Tiny replied in a faux Greek accent.

  Brady turned away from them, muttering to himself, which only made the older men burst out laughing again.

  “Shut up!” Brady snapped.

  The trio lashed their horses to trees and made their way downhill to find hiding places. Koby struggled down the hill, but he didn’t want to miss out on the action this time.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Collin blinked his eyes and tried to sit up. He felt a gentle hand pressing against his chest.

  “Rest easy.” Julie appeared in front of his face. The light was dim and her nose wrinkled at the foul mixture of sweat, feces, and urine that seemed to burn Collin’s nasal cavity. “You were drugged, so just relax.”

  Colin moved with the gentle sway of the floor that rocked in time to the steady click-clack beat in the background. They were inside a train car. He squinted as he fought the fog that clouded his mind. The train in Missoula. They had heard it whistle and went to investigate. It came back in a rush of emotion. He turned toward the wall and tried to focus on his breathing. The air was stale and putrid. His body ached, and his head throbbed painfully with each heartbeat.

  “Where are we?” Collin asked.

  “In a train car headed for who knows where," Julie replied. Colin panicked. Bolting upright, he thrashed around and scanned the room with wild eyes. “Where's Hunter?”

  “Relax Collin; he's right here behind me.” A shaggy head peered around from behind Julie’s shoulder. It was Hunter all right.

  Colin leaned back on one of his elbows to catch his breath. “Oh, thank God. Are you okay?”

  Hunter nodded and gave Julie a furtive glance. Collin realized he never asked how she was.

  “I’m sorry. How are you?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.

  “We’re okay,” Hunter said as his head drooped with his shoulders. “You’re the one that took the beating, Grandpa.”

  “Guess that explains the pain.” Collin sighed and laid back down with a grunt and a wry grin. “Don’t worry; I’ll be fine.” He turned his head to see people huddled on the floor. Some stood, swaying in time with the container’s movement. “Where are they taking us?”

  “I have no idea. I’ve asked others and they don’t know, either.” Julie wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “Wherever it is, I hope it’s not far.” She grimaced.

  “HAGS soldiers?”

  She nodded. “There seems to be another group as well. Higher-ranking soldiers or something? I'm not exactly sure. Everything was a blur, and I was so worried about keeping Hunter with me and then trying to find you.” Julie sighed and leaned against the bench that Collin was resting on. “There wasn’t much of a chance to focus on anything else.”

  “How long was I out?” Collin asked.

  “A few hours at least.” Julie patted his hand tenderly. “I think they gave you something.”

  Silence stretched out between them.

  “Poor Jeb,” Collin said with a thick voice. He sat up slowly and rubbed his temples. His chest ached at the loss of his new friend. Guilt crept along the edges of his consciousness, but he fought it back. Jeb would give him an earful if he knew.

  Hunter looked away and sniffed. Collin patted him on the shoulder.

  “We need to get out of here.” Collin examined the door and walls. He looked up at the roof. “Think we can pry open the doors?”

  “The door’s bolted shut,” Hunter said. “I already checked.”

  “Of course you did.” Collin grinned at him. “We have to think of something, though. Your dad’s gonna be pissed if I don’t get you back safely.”

  Hunter chuckled, and a tiny smile played across Julie’s lips.

  Since Collin sat up, there was room beside him on the floor. He scooted over and motioned for them to take a seat. Then he stood up, bracing himself against the wall, clenching his teeth against the nausea he felt, to give his spot on the floor to an older woman who needed it more than he did.

  Collin looked around the train car, taking note of the number of people which he estimated to be around forty or fifty people. Enough that there was space for many people to sit, but little extra room for laying down. He’d been lucky. The sheer number of warm bodies made it uncomfortable to breathe. What he wouldn’t give for an open window to cleanse the air? Collin ground his teeth against vivid flashbacks of the theater fire. The sense of being trapped with a group of scared people brought out the worst in him.

  A strange tingling started in the back of his mind. Something was very wrong about the situation, something other than the obvious. He looked again, carefully noting each person.

  All at once it became obvious. The passengers were old women, young girls and young boys, plus a few old men. In fact, now that Collin realized this, it was obvious how out of place he was. In their car, he was without a doubt the only fighting age male.

  Relief flooded him. Only a miracle kept him from ending up in the ditch along with the other bodies the soldiers tossed carelessly to the side. The ones they’d spotted from the rooftop. When Jeb was still with them.

  Collin clenched his fist and bit the inside of his cheek to maintain control. Now wasn’t the time. He’d bottle it up, let the sorrow and rage ferment, an
d when it was most effective he could unleash it on the enemy.

  Justice for Jeb was just one more reason to carry on the fight against HAGS. One more man among many thousands, millions even, who deserved justice. Collin vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to hold the company responsible.

  They spent some time examining the train car for a viable escape until the futility of it sank in, and they settled down to rest. Collin and Hunter found a spot on the floor next Julie and the old woman. Collin felt himself being lulled into a false sense of comfort by the rhythmic swaying of the train car.

  Seemingly minutes later, Collin, Julie and Hunter awoke to the grinding, metallic screech of the train’s brakes. Collin sat up with a start. Hunter clamped his hands over his ears, wincing at the harsh sound of metal on metal which Collin thought was perhaps the worst way to wake up.

  The trip was shorter than Collin expected. Based on the dim light leaking in, he estimated that it had only been a few hours at most.

  The train’s horn blared twice. Hunter leaned into Collin’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around the boy and smiled down at him, while the click clack wheels and the swaying motion of the train gradually slowed. When it finally jerked to an abrupt halt, Julie and Hunter were thrown into Collin who did his best not to squish the people beside him.

  The mood inside the car became agitated and a mummer of nervous chatter started up.

  Even though they’d only traveled for a few hours, there was no telling where they ended up. Without their horses, it may as well be the other side of the country. Collin didn’t know the exact speed of the train, but it was fair to say it wasn’t over eighty miles per hour. Not for a freight train like this. The thought of the long journey back to Missoula for the others made his heart race.

  Outside they heard shouting and the stomping of feet.

  “Stand back,” a deep voice shouted. Metal clinked, and Collin heard the snap of a lock.

  The doors opened with a flood of blinding light. With gasps, everyone either turned away or held up their hands to shield their eyes. Shadowed figures appeared in the doorway.