WWIV - Hope In The Darkness

by E A Lake

  With only seconds to spare, they heard someone call out from the yard. “Okay boys, let’s give them a couple rounds so they know we mean business.” No sooner had the last word died in the air than the first arrow crashed through the window next to Mary. Glass spread widely as the arrow struck the wall across from the screaming teen.

  A second arrow shattered the far window from Karen’s position. The projectile dropped harmlessly on the floor just on the other side of the chair from Hunter. He looked at Karen as she steadied herself and bobbed her eyes back in his direction. She was ready for the fight.

  The third arrow came in through the kitchen door leading to the back porch, skidding to rest halfway into the dining room. Theresa studied the short dark arrow as a fourth shot crashed through the south window of the living room plunging into the wall above the couch. Hunter stared at that shot. This one was shot from a closer range than the others.

  With the sudden lull in the action, Hunter looked over at Mary. She composed herself and peered carefully out the corner of the window. Hunter spoke softly to her. “Keep your head down, Mary. Don’t give them anything to shoot at.” Mary nodded at Hunter and knelt back down. She spoke in a small voice to the group.

  “One of the two from out front changed positions. I only see one by the well now. The other is directly in front of Karen about 50 yards out. Behind that little group of trees.” No sooner had she finished speaking, the second storm began. Projectiles struck similar positions except for the window by Mary. This time that person had shot through the front window of Theresa’s room. The second shot from the south came closer to Hunter’s position. This arrow struck the wall at the same height; only this time about three feet closer to him. That told Hunter that man had moved slightly east of his original position. After the four arrows struck, quiet came again.

  “Okay,” Hunter began. “It seems like they have four crossbows out there. All these arrows are short, and it takes a while between shots. They have to re-pull the string back to the firing position. After the next volley, I’m going to sneak over to the south window and try to figure out where that guy is.”

  Theresa shook her head wildly at that comment. “No, that’s not safe. Don’t you think you should stay down?” She peeked around the corner at Hunter as she spoke.

  He waved her off. “They can’t shoot again so quickly. If they all shoot together again, that gives me a minute to do some investigating. We need to get rid of a few of those clowns before darkness sets in.” An arrow crashed through the wall in front of Theresa, exposing the tip a good six inches before stopping. Another few inches, and it would have gone into her head.

  “Hunter,” Theresa spoke, frightened.

  He looked her way. “Don’t sit so close to that wall. Mary, you and Karen need to back up a little, too. Hurry up.” Everyone scooted back a foot or so. “Those things won’t make it all the way through, but they might get close.” Another arrow crashed through the other kitchen window, shattering glass and sticking in the wall just above the top of the stove. “It appears the guy on the north side is getting closer, too.” Hunter waited for the next two arrows to come from the south and east.

  The arrow from the east hit high on the window across from Hunter and stuck in the wall two feet above his head. Nervous now, he crouched further down and frowned. They needed to slow this down. The final arrow from the south struck the outside of the house but didn’t penetrate. Hunter thought he heard it hit a stud.

  Hunter rose and looked out the south window. The man to the south was on the opposite side of the garden. Their opponents were pinching on the two ends. Hunter watched the man as he struggled to re-cock his bow. Carefully Hunter raised his rifle and shot. The man collapsed to the ground.

  “Okay, the south is clear. As long as they don’t sneak one of those guys from the east over there, we’re all clear from that direction.” Three arrows immediately crashed into the house. Hunter knew he’d waited too long to shoot and flopped to the ground, caught off guard. Fortunately, the man furthest south on the east side had shot through the window furthest from Hunter. Otherwise, the results may have been different.

  Theresa crawled over to Mary and peered out her window. “No movement out front, Hunter.” She spoke softly so only the people inside, her family and Hunter, could hear her words.

  Hunter crept low into the dining room. “I’d expect one or two more volleys from them, and then they’ll slow down. They just want us laying low until nightfall, so they can sneak up closer in the dark.” Hunter studied the doorway leading to the kitchen. “I’d really love to get a peek at that guy on the north side. I’d love to know how close he is.” As he finished, three arrows struck the house simultaneously. None of the three did any damage, Hunter assumed. That’s when Hunter saw Mary laying on the floor clutching her head, crying.

  Hunter and Theresa scrambled over to check on their brave soldier. Fortunately she’d only been struck in the cheek by flying glass, not an arrow as they had both assumed. Theresa grabbed the supplies that she had set in the corner on her side, and tended to Mary’s wound. The cut was bloody but non-fatal. Mary insisted on staying in the fight.

  A good twenty minutes passed without any shots from either side. The group sat quietly waiting for the next volley that didn’t seem to come. Mary eased up from her position and snuck a peek out her window. A man standing 25 yards away in the open watched with a crossbow pointed at her. She ducked down as the arrow crashed through the corner of the window where her face had been a nanosecond before. Window glass showered Mary. She screamed.

  “Whoa, that was way too close!” Mary said. “Hunter, we got a problem over here. That guy was standing in the middle of the front yard, waiting for me.”

  Hunter shook his head at Theresa as she tried to calm Mary’s nerves. “Can’t move. There are still two loaded crossbows out there just waiting for someone to stick their head up.” A second shot crashed through Karen’s window showering her with more glass.

  “Hunter! They’re picking on me. Do something, PLEASE!” Karen shouted, more perturbed than scared. Hunter snuck a peek out the front porch and saw two men, much closer than he expected. The first man who’d shot at Mary saw Hunter move and let a shot go through the screened porch. The shot came through the open front door and struck the cast iron stove, ricocheting toward the back wall. Hunter collapsed onto the floor.

  Hunter grimaced from his position. Three men with crossbows were keeping three people, with fully loaded guns, pinned down. He needed to change the tide of this fight or they might not make it to nightfall.

  Sara called up from the basement finally. “Are we okay up there?” She sounded tiny and scared. She had every right to be.

  “We’re holding our own. They’re down to three shooters, and we haven’t lost any.” Theresa filled her in like it was the score of a game. That was the only way for Theresa to deal with the current situation. She had to take the human element out of it, but that was proving hard with each passing moment. She too feared the worst if they didn’t change the flow of things before nightfall.

  Hunter crept away from Theresa toward Karen in the living room. She could hear him speak softly to her. “Karen, when I reach two, I want you to pop up away from the window and blast three shots at anything standing out there. Got it?” Theresa couldn’t hear any response but assumed Karen nodded to Hunter’s request.

  Hunter came back to the dining room and repeated his plan to Mary. “On two, though. They’ll be expecting me to count to three I bet. So when we pop up, just a split second early, we should catch them off guard.”

  Mary shook nervously. Hunter slid both girls an extra box of shells.

  “Don’t shoot more than four times. I don’t want your guns dry and have something happen. When you stop shooting, get back down and reload right away.” He spoke loud enough for both girls to hear. “And remember, you have to pump the shells out after each round and push that slide forward. Otherwise, these just turn into fancy
single shots.” He nodded at Mary and called out for Karen. “Ready in there?” He paused briefly getting to his feet in a crouching position. He planned on being the first one up and spraying the yard in front of them with at least five of his seven shots.

  “One, two…” The group rose to open fire on the men in front of them.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  What Hunter saw as he sprang up, just before the count of two, stunned him. There, some fifteen yards in front of him, stood three men. Two with crossbows trained on the house and a third, the older toothless man, standing between them. Hunter was caught so off guard that he failed to pull back the hammer on his rifle before raising it up to shoot.

  “Damn it,” he swore quickly, as Karen squeezed off a shot from her position in the living room. The men scattered to retreat. Karen’s first shot merely cleaned the window of any remaining debris. Her second shot caught the man closest to her partially in the leg. At least some of the many pellets from the 12-gauge shell found their target, and the man began to limp.

  Mary fired a wild shot that sent window and wall flying in all directions. She hadn’t pointed correctly out the window and caught too much of the house on her volley. She collapsed onto the floor as the wall exploded all around her. Hunter finally got off a shot at the wounded limping man, who then fell dead to the ground. The other two made it back to safety as Karen touched off her final, harmless round.

  A projectile crashed through Theresa’s north bedroom window and struck the door, exposing half an arrow to Hunter. He ran for the kitchen hoping to catch a glimpse of the fleeing man. He fired a quick shot as the man rounded the corner down by the barn, some 60 yards in the distance. Even though he missed, Hunter was glad he had at least caused that antagonist to retreat.

  Theresa bent over the wailing Mary, and Hunter came back to the dining room. The battle could be only classified as a disaster for Mary. And now she felt blinded by the plaster and wallboard that exploded after her shot. Theresa consoled the poor teen. Hunter shook his head looking at the damaged wall.

  “What’s her status, Sister?” He knelt by the teen, as well.

  Karen called from the other room. “Did she get hit?”

  Hunter called softly back to Karen. “No, just some debris that came off the wall when she shot. She’ll be okay, but I think she’s done for now.” He glanced at Mary again who was pleading with Theresa for help.

  “I can’t see out of my right eye at all, Sister. Look at it. Please tell me it’s all right?” Mary was frantic. Theresa inspected the eye closely.

  “As far as I can tell, it’s just dirt and plaster, Mary. Once we get it cleaned out and rested, I’m sure your sight will be fine.” Theresa inspected the cut on Mary’s cheek. It was bleeding again. “I’m going to send you downstairs with some medical supplies. Sara and Emily can help bandage you up for now.” The nun and the teen crawled over and grabbed some supplies before steering Mary into the basement. “They have a lamp down there with them, so they’ll be able to see and help you. Try not to worry Mary. You’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

  “Hunter?” Mary called out for their only man. “I’m sorry.” Hunter thought he heard the dark haired teen start to cry again.

  “You did fine, Mary. Really. You’ll live to fight another day.” Hunter picked up Mary’s gun and handed it to Theresa. “Eject that spent shell and get that safety back on. Load another shell in while you’re at it.”

  Theresa shook her head at the man. “I know what to do, Hunter. You don’t need to give me orders.”

  Hunter was already onto his next thought. “Karen, did you reload yet?” She’d shot at least twice, he thought. Maybe even three times. She needed to reload.

  “Yes I did, Hunter. And I have my safety on.” Karen answered from her hiding spot as Hunter nodded at the staring Theresa.

  “Good. Well done. Be ready for anything now.” Hunter exchanged glares with the Sister. “What?”

  Theresa pointed at his shirt. “Where’d that hole come from?” Hunter glanced down. Somewhere in the middle of all the excitement, someone had come close to hitting him with an arrow. He pulled up his shirt and inspected his left side where the arrow had passed. His eyebrows rose as he looked back at the startled nun.

  “Well, that was close. I never felt a thing. Must have been the one on the left while I was shooting at the one Karen had nicked up.” Things were dicey. At least they were all still in one piece. “And there were seven of them to start, not five or six. I wondered if that guy wasn’t lying to us.”

  Two hours passed, and daylight began to fade. Hunter and Theresa sat quietly exchanging occasional glances. Every so often, Hunter would peer out the window that Mary had blasted, but saw no movement. Karen sat quietly in the living room, in her corner. Every so often, Theresa could hear Karen’s soft prayers.

  This was the waiting game that Hunter feared. Now the tables would be turned, and the men outside would have the advantage in the dark. Hunter looked over at Theresa again. “You ready to use that if you have to?”

  Theresa’s head moved slightly. Soon, she thought, they wouldn’t be able to see each other’s faces. She worked hard studying her friend’s face. He seemed calm, almost serene. Though he had adamantly tried to avoid this exact situation, here he was, standing firm to help protect what once were eleven strangers to him. Hunter smiled back at the tired nun.

  “We’re going to be all right. We’ll get through this.”

  Theresa nodded back. She closed her eyes and prayed for the strength she needed to do the task at hand. She also asked that if possible, she not be called upon to take another’s life. But, she was ready if she must.

  As darkness settled in, Hunter snuck into the kitchen and grabbed three pieces of bread, and a jar of water to pass around. He knew they needed something to eat and definitely could use a sip of water. He shared his bounty with Theresa and Karen. Next, he took the remainder of the water and bread downstairs to the girls keeping watch over the little ones. He also brought with him some room temperature milk for the girls to try and feed the babies. And, as a final stroke of good fortune, he had grabbed a dozen or so diapers. The last for now.

  He spoke to Sara, Emily, and Mary seriously. “We are going to get through this. I promise you that. In the next 24 hours, we’ll be able to return to normal. Our usual normal at least. I’ll watch over those other two upstairs. You watch over each other and those babies. I’ll come and get you when this is all over.”

  He started to ascend the steep stairs when Sara called out one last time. “Hunter?” He looked back down at her. “We love you, Hunter. Really we do; all of us. Please be careful.”

  A lump formed in Hunter’s throat. A long time had passed since he’d heard those words spoken to him; he felt his eyes moisten. Finally, his gaze came back to Sara. “Same goes for me, girls. Remember that. No matter what happens.” Hunter trotted back upstairs without saying another word. He looked over at Theresa peering out her window. He could see Karen doing the same in the living room. Last light was fading fast. They needed to get in position for the night.

  “Theresa,” he said, “I want you in the southeast corner of the dining room. That way you can watch the kitchen doorway and the front windows. Karen, you’re in a good position. You know what to do. Anyone comes in those windows, pull the trigger. Same goes for Emily’s bedroom door. I’m going to get back in my original position so I can see the whole front of this place. Theresa, if you hear anything in your bedroom, wait for the door to open, then blast away.” Theresa agreed silently in the darkness, as did Karen. They were ready. As ready as two of the most unlikely warriors in the history of the world could be. Their saving grace, they knew Hunter had their backs, no matter what.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Hunter leaned in the corner and closed his eyes. He wasn’t trying to sleep. He listened for sounds, any sounds that might signal an attack. His mind wandered as he thought about his predicament…their predicament. If it was just Hun
ter, he could slip out a back window and disappear into the night. Alone, he could get far away from this trouble, all trouble. But that wasn’t possible any more.

  Around him, two soldiers needed his help, his instructions, and certainly his backup. If things started to get crazy, they’d expect him to take the lead. That was a certainty in his mind. He had no problem doing that; he, like the others, knew his role, a role he could have never imagined as little as a month ago. But this was now, and the war lay right in front of them.

  He glanced in Karen’s direction. He could see her outline squeezed into the far corner of the living room. Again he could hear her faint words. Prayer gave Karen comfort, strength. Hunter allowed his eyes to move to the dining room, focusing on Theresa squatting in her assigned corner. She seemed at the ready, ready for anything. From time to time, she whispered prayers as well. Prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of comfort, and prayers for strength. He certainly never would have chosen this setup, but Hunter was confident they would do everything they could.

  The pitch-black night allowed the men outside to get closer to the house. Now they could carefully peer in the windows that were shot out, both by their arrows and the occupant’s bullets. But the house was dark. Their targets weren’t as easy to see anymore. What advantage they had turned out to be small. The marauders would have to attack the house, room by room, to remove the occupants. They had crossbows and knives. The house occupants, their opponents, all had guns. One false move would bring a sure and swift death.

  Hunter sat and listened for the better part of an hour. He could occasionally hear movement outside. The bandits were preparing for their assault. Hunter knew they would attack soon. By 5 a.m., light would be back in this world, and any advantage the outsiders had would disappear. He spoke lightly, softly to his team.

  “Stay alert. Don’t let your guard down for a second. They’ll probably start soon. So be ready.” He couldn’t hear their silent responses, but he was sure both Theresa and Karen nodded their heads to confirm his words.