When all three were on the other side. They waited ten minutes, and still there was no movement from the building. As they walked, Bill cringed at every step because of the crunch of gravel under their feet. The sound was amplified by the adrenalin that was building up in his bloodstream. When they got to the chain-link gate, Cootch expertly picked the lock and slowly pulled the heavy chain out one link at a time. With the chain finally removed, he slowly lifted the gate as he pulled it open so it didn’t scrape the gravel. Bill was focused on the door in case it opened suddenly, and Q was watching down the street.
Time seemed to stand still as they approached the door and Cootch picked that lock. There was a small click, and Cootch ducked down and then froze. After a thirty count, when no one came bursting out, he reached up and opened the door. Bill pushed it open with his right shoulder while looking down the barrel of his Sig 556. Cootch leaned to the left until he was out of the way and able to bring his rifle up.
Bill took a knee, and Q swept his rifle from left to right, inspecting the small space filled with power transfer equipment. Bill stepped into the room and to the right as soon as Cootch was ready. Then Q took a step to the left so he could see down the other aisle. He saw two shirtless men standing there with their hands high in the air.
“Don’t move,” Q instructed.
“No worries, dude. We’re on your side,” said the taller one.
“What are you doing here?” Cootch asked.
Bill walked up the first isle while the other two were doing the questioning and came around behind the two men. He saw an RPG launcher, a box of RPGs, and a couple of M4s. He didn’t walk up behind them, because, if Cootch and Q opened fire, he didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.
“We are supposed to kill you guys and or keep you from turning off the power to the town,” the shorter one said.
“Who are we? And why are you expecting us?” asked Q.
“You’re the RV people, right?” the shorter one asked. “We are some of the Billings people. We convinced GM and Vinny that we would be willing to do whatever was needed to keep you away from here. My name is Abe Salazar, and this is Alex Nicolato. They figured you would want to cut the power to make it easier to attack them. It seems like a pretty basic concept of war.”
“You sure are doing a fine job of keeping us out,” Cootch said sarcastically. “I take it you knew we were coming in just a minute ago?”
“Yea, we watched you on the security camera by the front door,” Alex said as he nodded to his right. “We wanted to make sure you knew we weren’t a threat. That’s why we took our shirts off, so you could see that we’re not hiding a gun anywhere. We are so glad you’re here. Our friends have been taken captive, and some have died already.”
“I know. I’m sorry, man. We were at the theater a little while ago,” said Bill.
“Holy shit, you should have seen it. That guy GM is a fucking psycho. The things he did to those guys is going to haunt my nightmares for as long as I live,” Abe said.
“I believe it, man. Put your hands down and get dressed. You are coming with us. We have work to do.”
Chapter 8. Battle of Billings. Nighttime.
Back at the farmhouse with the rest of the team, Alex and Abe filled everyone in on what had happened the past few days and how they’d gotten in the predicament they’d been in.
“You never did find out what happened to Olivia, did you?” asked Charity.
“No. I hope we find her tonight, and I hope she is ok,” said Alex.
“So do we, buddy. So do we.”
Abe and Alex gave them the lay of the land on the atlas Bill had brought. They discussed the plan and any possible backup plans.
Over the next couple of hours, a few people on the team took naps. They changed the bandages on Bo’s bullet wounds, and he took his antibiotics. Everyone ate a high-energy dinner, and right at sunset, they had everything packed up and were ready to go.
“Everyone know what their part of the plan is?” Bill asked.
Everyone nodded.
“All right, synchronize watches. I know it sounds cliché, but if we’re going to pull this off, we need to be exactly on time. On my mark… Now. Everyone good?”
Everyone nodded again.
“All right, then. Let’s fuck this chicken.”
The RV people loaded up in the Humvees, and Alex and Abe got in the truck they’d taken from the house next door to the substation. Alex had parked the truck back where it had been when they’d returned so that it looked like it had never left. All the Humvees were parked around behind the trailer house to hide them.
They carefully checked the power transfer building to make sure that it hadn’t been tampered with. Q could not find any new tracks in the gravel to indicate that the Kentucky people had returned to check on the two guys. Bo agreed to stay there with Abe and Brad to guard the building. Alex took Bo’s place on Team H3 with Q, D, and Jane. Bo had lent his helmet setup to Alex so he could stay in communication with everyone.
From the substation, the four teams started walking northeast across the wheat fields that had been harvested for the year. Their feet rustled through the six-inch stubble left behind by the combines. Halfway across the second field, it was dark enough to flip down their NVGs. When they were a few hundred yards from the golf course neighborhood, the teams split and went separate ways.
Team H1 (Bill, Charity, Kathrin, and Shaun) were headed to Vinny and Charles’s house. They were still four blocks away and were using the houses for cover. On the other side of the same street, they could see Team H2 moving in parallel. When they got to the main street, they hurried across and went up a small berm that had been built up against the brick security wall.
“This has to be the worst security wall I’ve ever seen. Look, we can just hop right over,” said Bill.
He peeked his head over the wall to make sure the back yard was clear and then hopped over. The three backyards were conjoined, as there was no fence separating them. Bill hopped over the short wall and walked over to the back of the house. There, he crouched by the corner to wait for the others. Team H1 went to the front of the house and checked the road. They could not see anyone in the green glow of the NVGs since there had never been any streetlights installed on Calloway Boulevard.
They hurried across that street and over to the next house. At the back corner of the second house, they could see lights on in the third house they would encounter since entering the neighborhood. Bill flipped up his NVGs but could not see any shadow moving behind the curtains.
“Crap. We don’t have time to take out these guys. We need to find another way around,” said Bill.
“Why don’t we wait here till Abe cuts the power?” asked Shaun.
“Because, as soon as we do, either they are going to run for the hills or come out guns blazing. And I don’t want to be here when that happens. We have twenty more minutes to figure this out.”
“Let’s booby trap it so when they do come out, kablamo,” offered Kathrin.
“You’re a goddamned genius. Get out two packages of C4 and a couple of claymores,” replied Bill.
Once they had everything ready, Bill and Kathrin snuck over to the house. They pressed one block of C4 into the door jamb, stuck a blasting cap in it, and then wired it in parallel with the claymore stuck in the grass ten yards back from the door. Then they tied the detonator to the door knob in such a fashion that when the door opened, it would set off the whole kit and caboodle. Bill had the other two join them on the side of the house, and then the process was repeated on the front door.
They continued down the street and saw lights on in the next house, so they booby trapped it as well.
“Oh, man, I’m kinda sorry were going to be too busy to watch the show here in a few minutes when the power goes out,” Bill said.
“Yea, hopefully, we live to at least see the aftermath of our handiwork,” said Kathrin.
Bill looked out across the street from where t
hey were hiding behind some shrubberies. He saw Vinny’s house.
Team H2 went a few blocks further south and were skipping house to house along Masters Boulevard. Team H3 was hot on their heels. They cut across an empty lot and headed for the tree line at the edge of the fifteenth fairway. They had gotten to the fourth tree when Cootch froze. He put his right fist up to signal everyone else to stop. Then he made a downward sweeping motion with his hand, and everyone got down on one knee, looking in all directions.
Cootch pulled out his knife from his thigh sheath and slowly took seven very quiet steps. Then, with catlike reflexes, he jammed the knife up to the hilt in the back of a guy’s head and grabbed him with his left hand. He slowly guided the man to the ground. Cootch wiped his knife off on the man’s shirt and replaced it back in its home. Then he waved everyone forward. They slowly made their way up to the empty lot where GM’s minions had parked an assortment of vehicles. Cootch snuck up on another guy standing there smoking a cigarette and took him out too. Then he rolled the body under the nearest Humvee. While the two teams waited for the signal, Alex walked over to his car to make sure those guys didn’t wreck it.
Team H4 ventured a few blocks north and were making their way towards the back of a house that was next door from where team H1 were hiding. They cut from yard to yard until they reached the six-foot-high plastic fence that surrounded the back yard of their target. Abe had told them there were several guys living there and that they were in charge of different groups of minions. Team H4’s plan was to just blow the place up and call it a day. Mike looked over the fence and didn’t see anyone outside, so he hopped the fence and snuck up to the back door. He didn’t see movement inside, so he waved the others over.
They joined Mike at the back door, quietly pulled out a claymore, and placed it a few yards back from the door. Mike stuck a detonation cap in, and then he had Anne roll out the wire and toss it back over the fence. Team H4 snuck around the house and set up claymores at the front door and by the garage doors. They also stuck C4 along the foundation at several corners of the house and placed a few more claymores just outside several of the windows.
Back outside the fence, they wired everything up, and Mike handed Anne the detonators.
“You sure you’re ok with this?”
“Heck yes. God only knows what they would do if they captured me or any of us females. I’m all about making this a better world,” Anne replied.
“Well, I do know what they would do. That’s why I’m using one of the rocket launchers,” Shannon whispered back. “Because fuck these guys and fuck them for killing Brandy.”
“All right, everyone. Looks like we have two minutes left till lights out,” Shane said, hefting his rocket launcher up onto his shoulder.
“It’s go time, people. Remember, keep your battle buddy with you at all times,” Bill said into his headset com for everyone to hear. Then he stood up and ran to the front door of Vinny and Charles’s house. Halfway there, the lights went out. All around him, he heard a series of explosions and saw his shadow cast across the cement drive in three different directions.
Bill sighted through his red dot sight and sent one round through each window on either side of the front door. Then he shot the knob. He didn’t slow down as he kicked it with everything he had. The door flew open, and Charity, Kathrin, and Shaun stormed in while Bill regained his balance.
Kathrin and Shaun went right while Bill and Charity went left.
Bill saw a man standing in awe on the second-floor landing between the double stairways that dominated the foyer. He was staring out the windows above the door at the fireball, not down at the intruders. Bill quickly sent two rounds to center of mass and watched him fall over. Bill quickly checked the office along the left wall and found it empty. He left the door open and headed down the hall that led to the garage, checking each room along the way. Charity walked backwards to make sure that no one came up behind them. Bill found the weight room, a mini-movie theater, and laundry room empty. He poked his head into the garage just to check: it was empty.
Kathrin and Shaun surprised three guys in the kitchen who were using matches to desperately look for a flashlight. Kathrin quickly took them out. Then four more guys came rushing through the entryway from the living room, but they were bumping into walls in the dark. Shaun’s NVG washed out for a second from the muzzle flash of a handgun. He heard the bullet whiz past his head to the right. Shaun started shooting widely into the group of men until his gun clicked.
“Shaun, you got them. You need to swap out your magazine now,” Kathrin said.
“They must have heard the gunfire. I’m so glad we’re doing this in the dark. It really gives us the advantage,” Shaun said.
“It’s not like the other times we’ve had to fight bad people. It was shoot as fast as you can or you might die.”
“Wow. I had no idea that you have done this already.”
“Well, not like this. It was us minding our own business. Then some fuckers would show up and start shooting.”
“Damn.”
Bill and Charity ran up a set of stairs at the back of the house, taking them two at a time, until Bill’s vision crested the top. He slowed and snuck the rest of the way up. All four bedrooms were empty, but one smelled like sex and shame.
“This must be Vinny’s room. It smells like semen and shit in here. Where is that little cocksucker?”
“I don’t know. But I sure hope he doesn’t capture you again.”
“Yea, me too. Let’s keep going.”
Bill and Charity finished clearing the top floor only to find one guy sleeping.
“He sleeps like you do. Through anything,” Charity teased.
Bill shot him in the head, and they headed downstairs to meet up with the other two. Bill check the bodies, but there was no Vinny or Charles.
Eyeing his watch, Cootch tossed a hand grenade at the front door to GM’s house three seconds before lights out. He heard it clink on the concrete, and then he and Sasha took off at a sprint towards the garage. Phillip and Tanya stayed behind some trees by the front door. Phillip watched the opening where the front door used to be while Tanya watched the fairway side of the house for anyone to come running around that side.
Cootch shot out the knob and kicked the door open to the garage. He saw that it was completely empty. They headed into the house and found the kitchen empty. Cootch and Sasha made their way through the dining room, living room, and office without running into another soul.
“Upstairs, watch our backs, small steps, and keep your back to mine if you need to,” Cootch whispered.
Sasha just nodded as Cootch started up the stairs. Going room to room, they found all but one room completely empty. Tied to a bed by its arms and legs was a naked female thriller.
“Oh shit. Based on the description Alex gave us, I guess that used to be Olivia,” Sasha said.
“What the fuck is going on? This shit is giving me the creeps,” Cootch said.
“Let’s check the basement. I saw the door to it back by the garage,” Sasha said.
“Sweet. You lead this time.”
Cootch dispatched the thriller with his knife before following Sasha.
She led them down the stairs and back into the kitchen. She stopped at the door and listened. Not hearing anything, she tried to open the door, but it was locked. Cootch worked his magic, slowly opened it, and then stepped aside. The green glow of the NVGs didn’t reveal anything until Sasha got halfway down the stairs.
“Holy shit. Cootch, we have ten women down here.”
“Are they dead?”
“No. Ladies, were here to help you. Please do not be frightened.”
There was no response. They were all huddled together with their faces towards the sound of her voice. They could not see who had just entered in the pitch black of the basement.
“Flip up your NVGs and be ready. I’m going to turn on my rail light,” Cootch instructed.
In the harsh white rays
of the high-intensity light, the ten women closed their eyes and turned away.
“Ladies, we want to rescue you,” Sasha started to explain. “We’ve heard about you are and here to help. These are good people. I’m a woman just like you, and they have rescued me and integrated me into their team.”
Finally, one held up her hand to shield her eyes and looked at Sasha.
“My name is Mary. GM locked us down here to protect us from fighting. You should go. He will be back soon.”
“We’re not leaving without you. So, sit tight. We will be back,” said Cootch. “Come on, Sasha. Let’s go finish this. They will be ok for now.”
“But they are cold. We can’t just leave them here.”
“I know, but right now, we need to focus on the task at hand. They aren’t going anywhere. It’s called Stockholm syndrome. We can lock the door to make sure that no else wanders in here.”
“Fine. I’m just going to have to trust you.”
Team H3 took off for the house that shared the cul-de-sac with GM’s. When Bill said it was go time, Q and D led the charge, with Alex and Jane in tow. Q stopped at a small retaining wall along the sidewalk and also threw a grenade to breach the front door. Before the debris had a chance to fall, he was sprinting up the three steps and towards the front door.
“GET DOWN! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND GET DOWN NOW!” Q yelled into the opening as he dropped to a knee just inside the door and faced left. D took a knee and faced right, and Alex and Jane sighted down their weapons over the top of them. The large entryway and what they could see of the main floor was clear. “You two go left. We’re going right,” instructed Q.
Alex and Jane slipped between D and Q and headed off to the living room. They found it clear and moved to the office next to it. As Alex opened the door, he saw movement behind the desk. He aimed for the knee space, fired three times, and heard someone cry out. Then, taking a wide, sweeping semicircle around to the side, he saw his target. He quickly checked for a pulse and then fired one round into the man’s head. Alex motioned for Jane to head back out to the living room. They crossed to a decorative stairwell and started up.
Beginning of the New Beginning Vol 3 Page 11
