by Millen, Dawn
"Steady boys, just keep calm. They are going to try and get in. We have to do our best to stop them. There are others in the cottages too and they will be fighting just as hard as we are." I speak clearly and calmly hoping the nerves that are jumping in my throat don’t show in my voice. Amazingly it sounds as calm as I want it too even though I am terrified.
"Okay Jenn. I’m alright, a bit scared, but I am okay." Thomas says through the open door between the rooms.
"K, Jenn. I’m fine. Kyles voice comes from the lounge room.
"Here we go again. They are attacking the gate." Ernie’s voice carries across the compound, still strong despite his wounds. The words are accompanied by another volley of shots and Ernie goes silent.
Break through and they are swarming through the gates. A dozen men scamper towards the cottage where we are holed up. Arrows fly as fast as I am able to pull back the bow string and they start to fall.
Thomas is firing rapidly too and I hear the twang of Kyle’s bow string frequently from the front room. Bodies are piling up around the cottage now, still they come. More and more of them. The supply of arrows in my quiver is now getting low, but I cannot worry about that.
A large man enters the compound through the shattered remnants of the gate. His dark hair hangs down to his shoulders, his tattoo’s writhe around his arms and earrings glint in both his ears. Grant Francis has entered Gordon. His presence in the village makes my blood boil and I knock one of my few remaining arrows. Holding my breath I pull back on the bow string. Releasing the breath I was holding at the same time I release the arrow I watch it’s flight. Straight and true it flies until the last second when a small puff of wind diverts it slightly and instead of the heart shot I had aimed for it goes through his upper arm. The roar as he realises he has been hit is loud and long. His mouth straining open and the muscles flexing in his neck.
He is immediately surrounded by a group of men. A bandage is applied tightly around the arm above the arrow and then snapping the arrow they pull the two pieces away. Blood pours from the wound and drips on the ground.
"Get who ever is shooting at us, do it bloody now." He roars as he watches the blood drip and the wound is dressed.
"Yes Grant." A voice says and a group of five break away from the main party.
"Thomas, front room now." I snap as I whirl around and head towards Kyle’s spot. "Ready boys?" I ask. Both nod and we stand side by side with our weapons ready as the men approach the barred door of the cottage.
The first kick at the door is ineffective. The second starts to crack the bracket holding the bar away from the frame. Kick number three and it is almost off. Number four shatters the frame and the bar falls to the floor. The door opens and the first thug into the room is dropped by an arrow through the throat from Thomas. He falls heavily onto his front pushing the arrow further through his neck and his gurgles accompany the desperate few minutes that follow. Again and again we shoot the men as they enter the cottage. Five in all were dispatched to finish us off and five bodies now lie in the doorway of the cottage.
"We are going to have to run for it now boys. Straight to the armoury and don’t stop. Ready. GO."
We hurdle the bodies in the doorway and flee across the compound heading towards the armoury and the chance to replenish our weapons. Bullets start to fly around us as we run and we find ourselves zig zagging to become a more difficult target.
"Run Jenn, Thomas, Kyle. Over here!" Gavin’s voice comes through the fog that has descended into my brain as I run. I spin to the left and take off towards the side of the building, skidding to a stop as I turn the corner, almost falling straight over Gavin’s foot. Thomas thunders in beside me and Kyle is just a split second behind him.
Chapter 16
I’ve followed this gang all the way from Sydney. Watched them attack settlements, abuse women and murder the men and children in every settlement they have been through. So many times I have been almost close enough to see their deeds, but more often than not I have arrived too late. The gang is huge and is growing faster by the week. I am finally close enough to smell them, see them, touch them. Today I will kill Grant Francis and his deputy Colin Brown and my quest will be over. This gang will become rudderless and will disperse. Those that the fighters here do not kill. This is the first settlement I have seen fight so hard for their place. They are doing well, holding them off and are dropping many of the gang as they fight for their homes.
My mind whirls as I belly crawl towards the large dead tree 100 yards from the settlement. I’m sneaking up on the gang, but I need a vantage point to shoot from. My Landtec, Remmington 700 is loaded and the scope is clean and ready. All I need is to gain the tree, climb it while the gang are busy getting into the settlement, then I will be able to find both men and finish this task. Ten yards of hard crawling and I’m there. Slithering up the trunk for the first few feet until a fork enables me to perch for a moment. Breathing slowly I start to climb, pausing and checking on where the gang are situated often. I continue to climb until I am above the level of the walls.
My camouflage clothing hides my body as I climb the tree, slow gentle movements to decrease the chances of detection. I lie out along a stout branch, gain my breath again. Pulling the rifle from my back I stretch out along the branch and cuddle it into my shoulder. Closing my left eye I bring the scope up to my right. The world comes close and the little village becomes a vivid place of broken bodies and damaged buildings. The sloped roadway to the gates is littered with broken vehicles and bodies lie among the wreckage. Some moving, some not. They have some serious fire power to do that sort of damage.
The gates to the village are hanging off the outer wall and the gang are pouring through the gap. There is a huge resistance being put up at the cottages along the first row inside the gates. There are bodies everywhere. As I watch I spot Grant Francis. He is standing just inside the gate. He is surrounded by a group of about ten men and is bleeding heavily from an arrow lodged in his upper arm.
As I watch the group around Grant Francis splits and five of the men head towards the first cottage. They start to kick the door in and a few hard kicks later they are streaming into the cottage. I see a couple of them fall backwards through the door. Arrows are lodged in their bodies and they lie still, ominously still. Suddenly three people erupt from the building, zigging and zagging across the ground as they head towards the large building. A blonde woman leads two teenage boys in a fast and furious race for safety. At the last moment they veer to the left and vanish around the corner.
I can hear yelling, but cannot clearly make out the words over the distance. Grant Francis is now heading towards the building, Colin Brown is hot on his heels and they are both angry from the looks on their faces. Yells and bellows drift across the air and I wait for a few moments for them to stop.
Grant has a pistol in his right hand and Colin is carrying a rifle. They near the corner of the building where the woman and young boys ran to and draw to a stop. There is a huddle for a few moments before they start to move towards the corner of the building again. A shadow moves around the corner and a tall dark man moves from behind the building. A massive long bow is over one shoulder and a quiver of arrows on the other. In his hands is a pistol. Light glints off his glasses and he strides with confidence towards the group of men. Grant Francis lifts his pistol towards the on coming man. The man stops and speaks then moves forward again. Moments later he is on the ground, shot through the leg.
Time to act Sloan, I think to myself. My body already moving through its well remembered paces. I sight through the scope. Grant Francis looms large in the sights and I line up the side of his head in the cross hairs. He is pointing his pistol at the man on the ground. Time to act. I draw in a breath and hold it before I gently squeeze the trigger and let the breath go. A millisecond later the head in the sights is no longer there. Grant Francis is on the ground beside the man he shot. With no time to pause I then line up on Colin Brown and drop him quickly too.
Lining up again I drop two more before I start to slither down the tree and crawl away through the long grass.
No one knows my name, no one saw me coming or going. I fade back into the shadow world where I have lived since the earthquakes in 2013.
Chapter 17
The shots rang out, first the light shot of the pistol that sent Gavin crashing to the ground. Lying there holding his leg and waiting for the second shot that would kill him. The volley of shots that followed were deeper, from further away. Grant Francis was standing one second and a body on the ground shortly after. What little was left of his head seeping blood and grey brain matter into the dirt beneath him. The second man fell almost as fast his head also a mess of blood and brains. Others fell quickly and silently around Gavin as I watched from the shelter of the corner of the armoury.
The members of the gang that were still standing start to mill around and question the shots. Heads turn as they seek the direction and try to find the shooter.
"Go for them now Jenn, attack and don’t stop." Gavin’s voice filled with pain barks an order.
I pull my pistol from the back of my pants and leap around the corner of the shed letting off shot after shot as I move quickly from side to side. My magazine is soon empty, but by now others are joining the fight, they soon drive the attackers out of the village and down the road. The wounded and dead litter the ground. A trail of bodies from the gate to the bottom of the hill shows the progress of the battle. They flee, leaving everything behind.
I stay in the village and start to organise the assistance for the wounded as Steve leads the fight down to the river flats. The wounded are gathered up and taken to the hospital tent. Most of the village women are there to assist. Our own wounded are treated first and then the members of the gang. Patched up and taken down to the large sheds along the side of the hill the lightly wounded are left there with guards on the door. The more seriously wounded of the gangs are kept in a separate hospital tent under guard. Our own wounded are treated and either dispatched home or kept in the hospital tent so we can monitor them more closely. Gavin is among the ones kept in the hospital tent along with Ernie. Both men are conscious and both are giving the other cheek. I smile as I watch the banter between them. Two tough men who are battling their way through injury and helping their mate along at the same time.
Steve enters the tent and heads over to the two beds and the occupants both sit a little higher, eager to hear what he has to say.
"Where did those shots come from that dropped the leaders?" Were the first words out of his mouth as he drew up the old straight backed chair between the beds.
"Buggered if I know. I was too busy looking down the wrong end of that bastards gun." Gavin says quietly.
"Came from the direction of the old dead tree down at the bottom of the hill." Ernie pipes up. "Saw a bloke in Camo gear lying up in the tree. Thought it was one of theirs until he started knocking them over. Some crack shot he was too."
"I wonder who he was?" Steve asks.
"I don’t suppose we will ever know. Did you see what he looked like Ernie?" Gavin asks
"Small bloke, heavy set, long dark hair in a pony tail. Couldn’t see much more from where he was, just a bit far away. Watched him slide off through the grass though and it took some looking to see where he was. He was good. S.A.S or some other branch of top army I’d say." Ernie gives them the run down.
"I don’t care who he is, but would love to shake his hand. That man saved my life. I do hope I get the chance one day." Gavin’s quiet voice carries just a little past the end of the bed.
I go over and lean down to kiss him and then very quietly say. "I’d give him the worlds biggest hug. I could have lost you today if it wasn’t for him. Who ever he is the twins and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
The End
About the Author
Dawn Millen was born in North Wales UK has lived for long periods in New Zealand and was living in a small rural town on the beautiful Mid North Coast of New South Wales Australia when she first started writing after the death of her husband. Dawn has recently moved to the glorious Southern Highlands region and has found a new nest in a very pretty 200 year old cottage Dawn loves to travel and explore the local area with her much loved dog by her side.
For 25 years Dawn cared for her disabled husband and after his death started writing. Her first book, "Widowhood 101" was published in May 2012 and quickly followed by "Widowhood 102 – The Diary Entries" and "Widowhood 103 – Tears Grief". Widowhood 103 was written in collaboration with Annie Watson. These three books form part of a series of books describing Dawn’s journey through the death of her husband and the first year of widowhood. There are more books planned for the series over the coming years as the changes wrought by the loss of her much loved husband become apparent.
Dawn has also been writing poetry for many years and with her love of words draws pictures for others to see the world through her eyes. During 2012 she published many poems written over the years of caregiving and during the first two years of her widowhood. These are not gloomy poems; they are a collection of thoughts and impressions garnered through the years.
The books are
Random Rhymes
Every Day Poetry
Winter Memories
Sitting in the Sun
Sea Eagles and Quiet Hours
"Outback Exodus" was Dawn’s first venture into publishing her fiction work and the story has been written with a deep love of Australia that expands across the vast Outback and culminates on the beautiful East Coast Flood Plains. "Settled on the Coast" follows the progress of the group as they rebuild the world around them. "New Generations" follows the next generation of the families who settled in Gordon as they work towards a secure future.
If you enjoy the work please return to Amazon.com and leave a review.
Connect with the Author on line
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dawn.myfanwyn.millen
https://www.facebook.com/JourneyfromWetoMe
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008NF9JLK
Twitter https://twitter.com/stormbird_au
