by W. R. Benton
John nodded and said, “Watch your ass, buddy.”
He turned, motioned his group forward and in a few short minutes, they were gone.
“We'll give 'em fifteen minutes, then I want Jay on point, and Margie on drag. Jay, keep your eyes open and stop if you feel something out of place. Just because they're in front of us, doesn't make us any safer.” He said and then scratched Dolly's head.
“What direction?” Jay asked.
“West for a mile or so. I want to be in position before darkness catches us unprepared.”
“I hear ya.” Jay replied, and then stuck the mines back in his backpack.
Two hours later, they were in their night position, Claymores were in place, and John established a guard schedule. The weather was warm, but not hot, and the overhead sky was clear. Those who'd not eaten before, now had chow. He opened an entree` and placed it in front of Dolly, watching it disappear in seconds. He smiled when she turned and stuck her big head in his lap.
Sandra, who was sitting beside him grinned as she said, “She's always been a daddy's girl, but you know that, huh?”
“She loves you too, but she knows she's special to me. At times, I really miss the other dogs, especially Newt and Skillet.”
“I do too, but we'd better stop the chatter, because it's hard to say who we share these woods with tonight.”
She made sense, so he didn't reply. Newt, you were such a lovable and fun dog, he thought and then remembered Skillet. He was huge, well over 150 pounds, and a big baby. I don't think he ever realized just how big he was, but then I remembered the day I put him down. Enough of this, you need to get some sleep.
He pulled a blanket from his pack and was asleep in seconds.
He had no idea how long he'd been sleep, when he felt a gentle tap to his left boot. He opened his eyes and saw Jay. He leaned close, cupped his hands around John's ear and whispered, “I just heard one hell of a fight north of us. Gunfire and explosions. It was too far away to estimate distance.”
His mind shifted to Holland and his group. He whispered back, “Wake another person and two on guard for the rest of the night. We can't help whoever stepped in the shit, so keep your eyes open.”
John saw him nod in the moonlight, so he went back to sleep.
Dawn arrived with gray clouds moving fast overhead and it brought a threat of rain. He donned his poncho, took a sip of water from his canteen and then said, “We'll move back on our original course this morning. Now, according to Jay, a firefight took place far enough away that he heard it, but not close enough to wake any of us. If we come to the place where the fight occurred, do not touch anything and keep moving. It is very likely the bodies will have booby-traps, and keep your eyes open for mines or lines running across the trail. I don't know what we'll find, so stay alert this morning.”
“Why don't we just move off a bit when we come to it?” Sandra asked.
“We may do that, but a lot depends on what I feel and see when we're there. Now, let's move. I want Tom on point and Jay on drag.”
Less than an hour later, Tom stopped and motioned John forward. They could see bodies and the dead looked to be Americans, but who John couldn't tell. He pointed at Tom and drew a circle in the air. The man nodded and moved away, to return about ten minutes later.
“It looks like it's clear. As near as I can tell, they were ambushed while moving.”
“Any idea who they are?”
“It was Holland's group, but the only body I got close enough to see was Brown's, the man they had on point yesterday. I spotted other bodies in the brush, but didn't want to do more than just look right now.”
“Jay?”
“Yo.”
“You and I will enter the kill zone and check to see what happened. We might find someone wounded, so go easy with your trigger finger. Tom, I want you and the rest to provide us security. I'm sure the killers are long gone, but they may have left some wounded that are determined to take an American to hell with 'em.”
“I hear you.” Tom replied, and then began positioning folks so they could cover them. Of the folks providing protection, John liked Kate the best. He'd actually seen her nail a dime at two hundred yards with her scoped rifle.
Both men immediately saw where the Russians had used a NON-50, their copy of the Claymore and many of the bodies were riddled badly. John looked around and quickly spotted where they'd been placed in trees, pointing downward, to give them a better dispersion of fragments when exploded. The dead had been walking one minute and dead the next, and it was a better death than most.
Dolly, who was walking beside him froze and was looking at something in front of her. John strained his eyes and eventually spotted a thin line stretched across the trail. He suspected, but damn sure wasn't going to check, it was a NON-100 anti-personnel mine. I need to warn Jay not to touch anything, and to keep his eyes open for wires, He thought.
John turned and was looking at the man, about to speak, when a loud explosion filled the air and the man flew apart from the blast. John fell to the ground and heard a loud ringing in his ears. Dust, blood and bits of flesh rained down on him as he covered his head with both hands. He knew the danger was over, but survival was his only thought. John was lucky the mine had been positioned toward Jay, so he'd missed the main force of the blast.
“Tom, keep everyone where they are!” John commanded and then stood on shaky legs. I don't need a bunch of folks running in here and triggering more mines, he thought.
“I hear ya.”
He glanced at Jay's body, or what little remained, and from the knees up, he was blown away. He must have been close to the mine, because his jeans were smoking. He looked in the direction he'd been moving and saw two dead bodies. He moved around the trip wire in front of him, and walked forward, slowly. He encountered no more wires or pressure activated mines, and didn't find Lieutenant Holland's body. John didn't think he'd been taken prisoner, but he may have. It's more likely he was unhurt or maybe injured and got away. It all depends on where he was when the blasts went off, he thought as he called Dolly and moved back to his people.
Tom neared and asked, “And, Jay?”
“He triggered a NON-100 mine and we've lost him. I'm not sure, but it looks like they mined every other body or groups of bodies. The good news, maybe, is I didn't find Holland.”
“I think if you circle the ambush site, Dolly will pick up his scent.”
“I'd thought of that.” John replied and then looking at his dog said, “Come on Dolly, we're going for a walk.”
Dolly and John took their time and were about half way around the site, when she pulled him toward the right. “Tom, over here. But look for tripwires as you come, because I saw a couple behind me.”
When the group arrived, Tom asked, “Any sign of blood?”
“Nope, but I'm going to take the point and have Margie pull drag. It's possible we'll find him alive and if we do, he may be a tad trigger happy. No shooting, and if you see him, call out in English.”
Sandra moved to his side and said, “You be careful and don't be a hero. It's very possible the Russians know where he is and are using him as bait.”
“I've considered that, too, but find it unlikely, since the ambush happened in the middle of the night. Now, I know they've got night vision goggles, but for one reason or the other, I suspect he made a clean getaway.”
Tom gave him a crooked grin and said, “Assume nothing when you get near him.”
“If they mine the dead, use extra caution if Joshua is seriously wounded. They may have him mined as well. None of us are explosives experts, so use some common sense, if you find him.”
“Let's move and do the job now.” He said, knowing there were many variables in a given situation and a man needed to consider all of them, and quickly. He'd deal with Holland, if and when they found him.
They'd covered about a quarter of a mile, when he heard Kate say, “John, look, blood on a leaf.”
He stopped and he w
alked to her position. A fallen leaf had a slight blood stain, but it was impossible to tell if the injury was serious or not. It was dry and about the size of a dime.
“He's bleeding some.” Tom said.
“Okay, we keep moving.” John said and moved back into position. He suddenly heard a sharp crack of thunder and when he looked up, noticed rain clouds moving overhead. The clouds were dark gray on the outside and almost black in the center. He ignored the weather and followed Dolly.
It was almost another quarter mile before he heard her give him a low warning growl. He looked in the direction she was looking, but saw nothing. He raised a balled fist and everyone stopped moving.
John led Dolly toward the spot she'd been looking and saw the shape of a man wearing camouflage under a large pine tree. He was sitting on his butt, chin down, and knees up. He spotted a small patch of blood on his left arm and it'd been crudely bandaged. He held an M-16 in his hands and the barrel was pointing up. On Holland's black face, he noticed his eyes were open, and actually watched him blink a few times.
“Joshua, this is John, are you okay?”
“John?” He asked, and appeared confused.
“I'm a cell leader, like you, remember?”
Joshua gave a low chuckle and said, “My arm hurts, not my head. I'm in some serious pain and a bit messed up from blood loss.”
“Blood loss? We didn't see but one drop of blood on the way here. By the way, Dolly saved your ass.”
He gave a weak grin and then said, “I always did like her. I have three or four used bandages in the cargo pockets of my BDU's, because I didn't want to just toss them away. Ain't no need to make it easy for anyone trailing me.”
“Josh, is it safe around you? I need to know before I allow anyone forward to treat you. We found mines back at the ambush site.”
“Yep, it's safe, and no one followed me. I've been here for hours and ain't even heard a fly fart.”
John turned and said, “Sandra, I need your help.”
She neared and asked, “Safe?”
“He claims it's safe and he should know.”
Sandra moved forward and squatted at Joshua's side. Opening her medical bag, she then turned her attention to the injured arm. As she worked him over, John checked out his folks and they were all alert and watching the woods. Good bunch I have, and I hated to lose Jay, he thought and turned to see Sandra cutting the shirt sleeve. The bullet, from what John could see, was small caliber and had passed through the meaty part of his arm. While it'd bleed like hell and hurt, it wasn't normally a killing wound, not if kept clean.
“I need to get him to a safer spot and clean the wound.” She said a few minutes later, “It's got debris from his shirt and the soiled cloth bandages he used.”
“I used what I had and that was my tee-shirt.” Joshua said.
“I'm not complaining, just telling John what needs to be done.” Sandra said.
“Tom?” John asked.
“Uh-huh?”
“Set up a perimeter as Sandra works on Holland. Keep all alert and awake.”
“Not a problem.” He turned and walked away.
Less than an hour later, Holland was wrapped up nice and pretty, and Sandra said, “I can't give you anything for pain yet, because we're on the move. Once we're where we'll spend the night, I'll
take care of your pain. Right now, swallow these.” She handed him two pills, which John suspected were aspirin or some sort of over the counter pain reliever.
He nodded and then looking at John, smiled and said, “If you'll help me up, I'll join your group.”
John moved to his side, helped him to his feet and then said, “Pull 'em in, Tom, we're moving again.”
As soon as Tom neared, he took Holland from John and slipped the man's uninjured arm around his shoulder. John heard Holland say, “Damn, Tom, I had no idea ya cared so much for me.”
“Try to kiss me and I'll beat your ass.” Tom replied with a big grin.
“Oh, never on a first date, I'm a man of honor.” Holland said and then gave a low chuckle.
It cheered John up a bit, hearing the two of them clowning around, and when he glanced at Sandra she was wearing a big smile. Gazing into his eyes, she winked.
John's mind drifted to the days just after the fall of America and the wonderful life he'd had. His first wife was a good woman, who was raped and killed while he was away from home one day. He'd gone out after the fall to horse trade some items and when he returned, discovered her bloody body. In the weeks that followed, he'd almost blown his brains out. Tom had helped him, a lot, but when someone you love deeply dies, you have to get your shit together on your own. He'd known Sandra for a while, they'd met in college, so one thing led to another, and eventually they'd gotten married. He quickly discovered a wonderful woman.
Sandra was beautiful, intelligent, hard working and a passionate lover. They'd grown very close and he missed their home and time alone. He'd often heard men say their wives were their best friends and always thought, “bullshit,” only that was the case with the two of them. He hid nothing from her, could speak his mind openly, and neither of them had a spark of jealousy. John had lady friends, as she had men friends.
John's long dead cousin had been a clinical psychologist and he'd told him years ago, “John, jealousy comes from a man or woman who is insecure or a person who is abusive, thus controlling. Or, maybe both. It's healthy for men and women to have friends of different genders. However, once trust is broken, it's impossible to regain. Always remember that and remain faithful to your wife.”
Thomas, his cousin, died when a gang of rednecks busted into his home, shot him to death with a couple of shotguns, and took his wife and daughters with them for sport. He'd heard nothing about the women since.
John missed the simple things; like cuddling up on the sofa with Sandra, glasses of wine in their hands, while relaxing and watching a good movie. Those days were long gone and he might never see them again. Alcohol, while available, was expensive, and few places still had electricity, so movies were long gone. Their lives would never be what they once were, just as the country, hopefully, would never be the same.
The insane bickering from both political parties over this bill or that bill they attempted to pass, knowing we didn't have the money to fund an outhouse, was over. America was no longer a superpower and all government was gone. Some politicians had died swinging in the wind, tied to the short end of a long rope, while others had been shot down in cold blood. A few escaped to Europe with their money, but their numbers were small, and the average American didn't care. Today people were scattered all over, formed into small tribes or quasi military units like John's, attempting simply to stay alive.
An hour before dusk they moved deep into the trees, away from the path. Tom rigged some grenades to tripwires on our trail and then placed Claymores around them. All hunkered down for the night, but John expected it to be quiet.
Holland had moved most of the day and while his pain must have been bad, John finally had to ask, “Josh, what in the hell happened?”
He looked at John, blinked back tears, and said, “We'd heard a chopper not long after we left you, after it turned dark. Since it seemed to be off in the distance, we kept moving. Brown warned me the bird might have infrared technology, but I didn't listen.”
“Why not?”
“I don't really know, but guess I didn't think the Russians had developed a thermal imaging system to the point I needed to worry about it. But, I was wrong, dead wrong. I suspect they flew in a circle, picking us out by body heat, then they simply watched us, plotted out our course on a map, and then placed troops on the ground ahead of us. I'm prior service, kind of; I spent three years on active duty, as an enlisted administration puke, and maybe my ignorance got my folks killed.”
“Want to tell me what happened?” John asked, knowing it would be hard for the man, but they needed the information.
CHAPTER 4
Colonel Georgy Vetrov wa
s so mad his veins were bulging in his neck, his face was red, and he had a difficult time speaking. He glanced at the four dead men who'd been left behind, as a convoy moved on, to repair a broken down truck. All that remained were the smoking shells of two vehicles.
Seeing something in a dead man's mouth, Vetrov walked to the body and removed a playing card, the ace of spades. He grew white as he held the card and threatened to execute thousands of Americans. Pankov shook his head, while safely on the other side of a burnt truck, and thought, You can kill as many as you wish, fool, only you will never kill their spirit. These Americans are proving to be much more than we bargained for and if we were smart, which we are not, we would leave today.
“Major Abdulov, gather some men and track those that committed this crime. I want their heads for this, do you understand?”
The major snapped to attention and replied, “Yes, sir. How long should we look for them?”
“Until you find them, fool. I want them caught, so we can make an example of them.”
“And, if we cannot find them, sir?”
“You keep looking until you find them. Do not return without the guilty ones! Stay out as long as it takes, but if you come back without them, I will have you executed along with some other fools I have in mind.”
“Lieutenant Ivanov and Master Sergeant Belonev, prepare the men to leave. Sergeant, do you have a dog on this trip?”
“No, sir, they were turned over to the guards at the new internment camp.”
“Go without the damned dogs, Major,” Vetrov roared in anger as he walked in circles. Finally, after the major walked away, he glanced at the card in his hand and said, “They taunt me, like a child. They think they can toy with a Russian Colonel like a small baby. I will show them.” He turned and yelled, “Pankov, collect forty Americans for me and do the it today. Tomorrow I want them executed at the Capital Building, just like the last ones. But, these I want decapitated. Do you hear me?”
