by Lee West
Turning to Linc and Bet, he shouted, “Now!”
Creating a shield with the bodies of Linc and Bet, the Boss slowly moved his way out of the building.
~ ~ ~
Kara Lovell and her team waited in concealed locations behind the police station. Too distracted by the shooting at the front of the station, none of the men had attempted to flee yet. Once the gas started pouring out of the windows, Lovell knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the men inside ran out, right into her squad’s bullets.
She watched as two officers appeared near the side of the building and lobbed tear gas grenades inside. Soon the entire building would be filled with smoke. Within a few minutes, men started to scramble out of the toxic building, coughing and rubbing their eyes while firing blindly. Her team took them down without suffering any casualties.
Immediately after the first wave of men poured out of the building, a group of three emerged from the darkness. They wore tactical gear and carried ballistic shields, which she knew would be all but impenetrable to their rifles. Barely visible through the shields, she spotted a tall muscular man wearing a gas mask. The three moved in unison toward the parking lot. Bullets sparked off their shields, unable to reach the men behind them. Lovell knew they needed to do something fast or the men would get away. Before the squad could reposition, the tall man threw a grenade toward them, and her squad ducked. The grenade detonated with a flash and a deafening noise. She looked up in time to see another canister sail in their direction, forcing her to take cover again. The second grenade exploded in a billow of thick white smoke, partially obscuring her view of the tight phalanx of shields moving deeper into the parking lot.
Through the confusion, one man bolted out of the smoke toward a large black SUV with heavily tinted black windows, the engine roaring to life moments later. The two men he left behind threw down their bulky shields and ran after the SUV, but they fell victim to her squad’s rifle fire before reaching their destination. Lovell concentrated her fire on the SUV, but failed to stop it. Bullets thumped into its sides and rear bumper as its squealing tires carried it out of the parking lot.
Other New Order cars screeched through town, heading in the same direction. Lovell heard the sound of bullets hitting the vehicles and assumed the veterans were shooting at the retreating men.
Bodies littered the back parking lot. The station’s windows continued to billow acrid smoke. Slowly, the sound of nearby gunfire started to slow and then cease altogether.
Lovell’s hands trembled as she gripped the handle of her weapon. She tried to focus her mind on her team’s next move. The stress of battle left her momentarily stunned. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.
Chapter Fifty-One
Gayle and her team of veterans spread out along the main road leading out of Porter, spaced evenly behind trees and bumps of earth along the ground near the shoulder. She worried about Charlie. From the sound of the gunfight in town, the battle had been ferocious—but quick. It would just be a matter of time before her team would be needed.
“Charlie! What’s the status up there? Over.”
“The nests are clear, and the fighting has centered on the station. Over.”
“Roger that! We’re ready if they make a run for it.”
Turning to the men and women near her, she yelled, “They’re fighting at the station! We may get busy soon!”
The message was passed down the line. Surveying the people around her, she knew the veterans would do whatever it took to win this fight.
Less than a minute after Charlie’s transmission, a large black SUV careened around the distant corner, heading straight toward them at an alarming rate of speed. A small sedan and a minivan followed the SUV closely. When the SUV straightened after the turn, it slowed and let the other vehicles pass. Gayle gave the order to fire when all three vehicles lined up to run their gauntlet.
The veterans started shooting immediately, striking the first vehicle with a maelstrom of lead. The windshield disintegrated from dozens of bullets, the sedan careening to the right and slamming into a ditch. Bullets pelted the minivan that followed, shattering most of its windows instantly. The occupants returned fire, skipping bullets off the ground and over the veterans’ heads, but the heroes continued working their weapons, oblivious to the threat.
Without warning, the minivan swerved left and came to a sudden stop in the rough field. The exposed sliding door opened, disgorging a man with a shotgun, but he was dropped to the dusty ground before firing a shot.
The massive black SUV followed the minivan, but didn’t have any trouble pushing through the field. It raced past the disabled vehicle, leaving a thick trail of dust in its wake. The veterans, encouraged by the defeat of most of the convoy, leapt out of their positions and advanced, firing bullet after bullet into the stopped vehicles.
“Get back to your positions! There may be more vehicles inbound!” Gayle shouted to the vets that ran after the retreating sedan.
The men and women quickly jogged back to their concealed places behind the trees or in the ditch.
“Gayle! What’s your status!” shouted Charlie over Gayle’s radio.
“Three cars headed in our direction. We were able to stop two of them but the SUV made it past us. Over.”
“Injuries?”
“None.”
The fog of adrenaline started to wear off, leaving Gayle nauseous and exhausted.
“We’re going house to house, sweeping. Maintain your position until updated.”
“Roger that. Over and out.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Grant stood motionless in the warehouse, watching for New Order men through the window. Since Mark and the other veteran had left him alone in the building, he’d alternated between the front and back windows. The back of the building gave him a view of the surrounding neighborhoods. Mark told him to watch the streets and take out any New Order men he saw. So far, he was able to stop several of them as they raced down the street, heading to the police station.
At first he worried he would have trouble identifying them. However, the New Order men were the only ones outside, except the cops. Besides, most of the men had a hard unmistakable meanness to them. Looking through the scope of his rifle, he focused in on movement from inside one of the houses. He could see the curtains being opened and closed like someone was trying to carefully peek outside. He’d keep careful watch on the house. Apparently, the New Order had moved into a lot of the houses downtown. He might’ve stumbled on one of their hideouts.
Carefully sighting the neat brick patio, he waited for the inhabitants of the house to make their move.
~ ~ ~
Marta and Brown spent the night in the basement. Brown insisted they go down there at night and not come out until the shooting ended. Marta thought it was a little bit of overkill but was happy to have someone thinking about her safety. After years of having no one to watch over her, Brown’s attentions made her feel safe.
They set up sleeping bags in the dark, cramped basement. The sound of distant gunshots woke them just as the sun started to peek above the horizon. They only had two small basement windows to peer outside. The windows provided them with nearly no visibility to the streets. As the fighting intensified, she was happy to have only those small windows as the single vulnerable spots to their location.
Once the sound of fighting started to slow down and eventually stop altogether, they became restless.
“I’m going to check out what’s happening,” said Brown.
“No! You can’t! It’s not safe up there. We need to stay put. You said it yourself.”
“There haven’t been any gunshots for at least thirty minutes. Sounds to me like everything has ended.”
“But who won? You can’t go out there. If the cops are in control, they’ll kill you.”
“And if the New Order is in control, they’ll do worse to you before they kill you,” he said, pleading to her.
Marta knew B
rown was right. She needed to stay safe until the police gave her the all clear to leave her house. Otherwise, she could walk into an angry mob of New Order men.
“Come on. You can come upstairs and look outside with me. If the coast is clear, I’ll just go out the back door and have a look up and down the streets. I’ll be gone for just five minutes.”
She knew his plan made sense but still did not want to chance the safety of her new friend. Finally, out of curiosity more than anything, she relented.
“Okay, but just five minutes. Take a quick look, that’s all.”
“Yes, ma’am!” said Brown with a quick salute.
The two ascended the creaky basement stairs and emerged into the sunny kitchen. Marta pulled back the curtains from one of the back windows and carefully peered out. Brown stood at the door, looking out.
“You see? Nothing is happening. I’ll just be a minute.”
He opened the door and slipped outside onto her brick patio. She watched him move from the patio to the side of the house.
Suddenly, she heard the loud sound of rifle shots. Glancing at Brown, she saw him spin around in a strange dance. What is he doing? Then she realized he had been shot.
Without thinking, she opened the door and ran outside, screaming, “No! Stop shooting! Stop shooting!”
The rifle went silent, replaced by Marta’s loud sobbing.
“Are you okay? Brown!”
He looked up at her and smiled slightly. “Could be better.”
“Just hold on. I’ll take care of you. Just hold on.”
Looking at Brown’s chest and shoulders, Marta knew there was nothing she could do for him. His injuries would require immediate medical intervention. Something she could not offer.
“Just hang in there, buddy,” she said, cradling him.
His breathing became raspy as blood filled his lungs. Tears flowed freely from Marta’s eyes, hitting Brown’s face.
“Thank you. Thank you,” she said over and over again.
He opened his eyes and said with a shaky, raspy voice, “For what?”
“Being my friend.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Sam tried to keep his mind off the day’s events by busying himself in Doris’s garden. Before leaving HQ, Doris had given Sam very strict instructions on what needed to be picked, pruned, watered and dug up. So far, he had been able to keep the garden in workable order. Although he guessed Doris wouldn’t see it that way. Surveying the large garden, once again Sam was impressed by how easy Doris made it all seem. The garden was immense, more than a handful for even the most experienced gardener.
Standing by the well, Sam splashed large cups of water into his mug. The cool water was a welcome relief on such a hot day. Glancing at his watch again, he began to wonder if Jane would be one of the people sent to the house from HQ. If they were on bikes, they should have been to Doris’s house already. He decided to check on Pritty in the comms shed to see if he’d heard anything.
The team decided to turn the radio on for fifteen minutes on the hour, every hour until the end of the thrust into Porter. Glancing at his watch yet again, it was five minutes until the top of the hour. Pritty would be turning on the radio and waiting for a signal from Porter. The few men and women left behind to guard Doris’s house were nervous about this morning’s operation. No one liked the odds. The police and veterans were outnumbered by the New Order men.
A damp, musty smell hit Sam as he opened the old wooden door to the shed. Closing the door behind him, he paused to give his eyes a moment to adjust to the gloomy interior. The sound of the generator outside became louder as he moved toward the portion of the shed occupied by the radio rig.
“Hey, Pritty. Hear anything yet?”
“Nothing for the last two check-ins. I’m worried about them. It’s been hours since they should’ve moved into Porter. What do you think is happening?”
“I don’t know. You’re definitely right. I thought we would’ve heard something by now.”
“They need to make it to Marta’s house to contact us. Maybe that’s the problem? Their handhelds won’t be powerful enough given the distance.”
“Good point. Have you been keeping the radio on until fifteen past the hour?”
“Yes, but I might extend that for the next two check-in points. An extra five minutes or so shouldn’t affect the gas supply too terribly.”
Suddenly, Pritty’s handheld crackled to life. The officers guarding Doris’s house used the handhelds to communicate with each other from their assigned lookout posts.
“Look alive, everyone, we have movement on the north trail,” said one of the officers.
“I can see them coming but can’t identify them yet. Hold one.”
Sam and Pritty tensed, unsure of what to do. The comms shed was not exactly the best location to be in the case of an attack. Sam would have preferred to be in the house or hiding in the woods. A few tense seconds passed as the two waited for clarification.
“I have positive ID. It’s Archer and Rapp. Repeat, it’s Archer and Rapp! Stand down!”
Sam turned and ran from the shed, excited to see Jane.
She and Officer Rapp were riding bikes through the field to the house. She looked beautiful.
“Jane!” he shouted, waving.
Jane pulled her bike up next to Sam, kissing him quickly but not letting him hug her fully.
“I’m gross. I’ve been riding all morning. We would’ve been here sooner, but I popped a tire. The trail is brutal on these tires.”
Sam didn’t care about how gross she thought she was, he pulled her into his arms and held her, closing his eyes.
“I’m so happy to see you.”
Finally breaking their embrace, he said, “Let’s get you guys some water and lunch. You must be starving.”
“Thirsty more than anything. We took some water this morning, but you know how it is at HQ. Boiling the water for drinking is such a hassle that we didn’t want to take all of their purified reserves,” said Rapp.
“Have you heard anything from Spencer or Charlie? How are things going?” said Jane as she leaned her bike against the side of the house.
“Nothing yet. We’re supposed to check in on the hour. Hopefully, with the next call in, we’ll get good news.”
The three walked around the back of Doris’s house to the well. Sam watched as Jane and Rapp each took deep gulps of cool water.
“What’ve you been doing? Your hands are mud crusted,” asked Jane.
“Gardening. Doris asked me to keep things going for her. I’m doing the best I can, but really, it’s a job for three people.”
“I’m going to check in with everyone. See ya, Sam,” said Rapp as he jogged toward the south entrance of the horse trail.
Sam and Jane moved to the rustic log seats around the unlit campfire. Sam gave her a couple of peppers and a handful of cherry tomatoes to snack on.
“How is Lea?”
“Worried. She didn’t want me to leave, understandably. Neither did I, but I had no choice. An order is an order. I needed to come down here to help.”
“I wondered if you would be one of the officers the chief sent. I hate having our family split up like this again. Once we get the all clear from town, we need to get back to HQ. I don’t like leaving Lea alone.”
“Me neither.”
Kissing Sam quickly, Jane got up from her seat. “I need to go and check in with everyone. We’ll catch up later.”
Watching Jane walking toward the communications shed, Sam once again thought about how fortunate he was to have her.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Sitting on a picnic table, Lea watched as the kids sat eating their lunch. The food supply at the camp was dwindling. The fresh produce was long gone. Followed by the flour they used to make rustic tortillas. Then went all the dried milk, coffee, tea and powdered fruit drinks. The camp had a small garden, which produced some tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, but nothing substantial. Lea figured that the k
ids must be hungry to eat white beans and canned tomatoes for three meals in a row.
“Can I have a popsicle?”
“We don’t have popsicles,” she replied with as little annoyance as she could muster. “Remember, silly, there’s no power for the freezer.”
The boy seemed satisfied with her answer. But she knew it was only a matter of time before a different child asked an equally out-of-touch question.
“Finish all the food you were given. Dinner is a long time away.”
Lea wondered where Tank and his men were. Did he stay in Evansville or move on to another city? While shackled in the basement, she’d overheard the men talking about their supplies dwindling. They were mostly complaining about the cigarettes and booze. However, Lea knew it was only a matter of time before all the food would be gone.
She focused on Tank, wondering if he thought of her. Wondering if he was looking for her. Fear gripped her as a mental picture formed in her mind of returning to Tank’s control. He was like a parasite that she just could not seem to shake off. Every time she pulled away, he pulled her back even harder. She felt reasonably safe at the camp. He had no way of knowing they were hiding there. Plus, with the guards posted around the perimeter, someone would see him before he made it anywhere near the camp. She hoped it was enough.
“Are you kids enjoying your succotash?” said Doris as she came out of the kitchen.
“Is that what you call this stuff?” said Lea.
“It is today,” said Doris with a smile. “When we can get out of here and back to my house, I’ll make you some real succotash with cornbread, right off my campfire,” she said.
“Popsicles too?” said a little girl.
“Well, now that would be good!” said Doris. “I asked your daddy to tend to my garden until I can get down there. I’m hoping the squash is still alive.”
“I don’t think my dad knows anything about gardening,” said Lea, laughing.
