The Days of Noah, Book Two: Persecution

by Mark Goodwin

  “Most of you have already heard that we’ve solicited some help because this op is a little more than we can handle by ourselves. That’s why Sarah and I won’t be drilling with you guys tomorrow. I’ll be drilling with some guys from the Sheriff’s Department. And Sarah will be working with a team from Tennessee Wildlife. The people in this room are going to be the primary fire team. Sheriff’s Department and Wildlife are going to be taking out the bridges. For obvious reasons, the less you know about the identities of the other teams and the specifics of their leg of the operation, the better.”

  Isaiah raised his hand. “I know you asked us to trust your judgment, but if we take out the bridges, all those people are stuck over there.”

  Kevin closed his eyes, then looked up at Isaiah. “I respect what you’re saying, and believe me, this wasn’t an easy decision. But, the reality is that those people are stuck already. The bridges are important for this operation, but taking them out will also serve to quarantine the threat of the DHS lockdown from affecting South Knoxville. So far, the lockdown has been confined to downtown, but like a cancer, it will spread. When you’re dealing with an aggressive disease like DHS, sometimes you have to sacrifice the healthy cells that are already doomed.”

  Isaiah ran his hand through his white hair. “I understand. Thanks for explaining.”

  Kevin smiled. “Wildlife will also be helping us drive some of the evac boats across the river. We’re going to ‘borrow’ a tug and a construction barge from up the river as well. It can be used to evacuate up to 100 detainees to the other bank. Sarah and I will be driving the tug. Isaiah, I’ll let you explain the overview of the underground railroad, and then Sarah will explain everyone’s role in the mission.”

  Isaiah sat back. “Thanks, Kevin. The Underground Railroad was a series of safe houses used prior to the Civil War to help escaped slaves make it to the free states where they could start over and live as free people. Pastor Barnes is going to have buses and vans on the other side of the river to take the liberated detainees to safe houses. Since we’re involved in the assault, none of us will be participating in that part of the mission. Like Kevin said, it’s best not to get into specifics, but the detainees will be taken to larger locations where they’ll be given different clothes. Next, members of our underground railroad will take them to their own houses until they can connect with family or friends. The central locations won’t be churches, of course, since that will probably be the first place DHS will look for escaped Christians.”

  Sarah sat in her chair next to the coffee table so she could place the plastic army men on the map. “We confirmed that all three of the sports fields were holding detainees. The baseball stadium, which is right here, farthest to the west, looks to be housing around 80 detainees. The soccer field in the center appeared to have around 100 prisoners. The other soccer field, farthest to the east, only had around 30, but we suspect that it is likely where new inmates are coming in as they’re captured, so that number could go up. We’ve planned to have enough boats and underground railroad operators to handle up to 250 fugitives.

  “Let’s start with positions. Kevin and I will be to the west of the ball field. We’ll move the two lengths of track necessary to derail the train. Then, we’ll fall back to the river bank, nearest to the southeast corner of the field. The rest of you will be positioned at this water treatment plant, just south of the soccer fields.”

  Sarah placed army men on top of the roof of the water treatment building, left to right. “Isaiah, Benny, Elliot, and Jim, you guys will be on top of the building to give cover fire to the fence cutters and fleeing prisoners. We only have around 26 guards, so from this position, you should be able to keep them pretty well pinned down. I’ll be laying down cover fire for Kevin while he cuts the fence for the ball field. Isaiah, you’re on the northwest corner of the building, so you can help me out with that if you see Kevin is in trouble. Otherwise, you and Benny will be covering David, who’s cutting the fence for the center soccer field. Elliot and Jim, you are covering Noah, who will cut the fence on the camp farthest to the east.

  “Everyone will be in position ten minutes early. When the first rail car comes off the track, that’s your cue to move. Fence cutters, you’ll run to your area and cut the fence. The three of you will have backpacks like this one.” Sarah opened a classic woodland camo backpack and took out what looked to Noah like a flare gun. “Each backpack will have ten redneck liberators like this one for you to toss over the fence to the men in the back of the line.”

  Noah interrupted. “I’m sorry, a what?”

  Sarah smiled. “Redneck liberator. During World War II, the Allied forces would air-drop hundreds of thousands of cheaply-made, single-shot, .45 caliber pistols to resistance fighters who could then use them to kill an occupying soldier and take his weapon. They were called FP-45 Liberators. Ours are heavy-duty flare guns with a single shotgun shell. We fabricated reinforced tubes to insert in the barrel, so they won’t blow up when they’re fired. If any of the guys in the rear of the line get left behind, at least they’ll have one shot. That’s why it’s super important to throw them over the fence to the guys in the rear of the escape line. Additionally, if guys in the front of the line start trying to get hold of a weapon, it’s going to slow down the whole evacuation process.

  “Once you’ve done that, the fence cutters will fall back to the river bank and provide cover for the guys on the roof until they can get back to the banks. Then, we’ll get as many guys as we can on the boats and roll out exactly fifteen minutes after the first car comes off the rail. Any questions?”

  Elliot raised his hand. “You think we’ll get everyone out in fifteen minutes?”

  Kevin answered. “We hope so, but that’s the amount of time we’re estimating to have before the choppers are airborne. We can take out the bridges to stop DHS from rolling in on the ground, but we can’t stop choppers. And once we get three or four gunships over that open space on the river, we’ll all be sitting ducks. Benny will have a transmitter to broadcast an EM wave, which will jam the guards’ radio frequency. That might buy a few more seconds, but even over the chaos, soldiers on the other side will hear the gunfire. If all other access is cut off, Command will send air support to check out what’s happening.

  “Shooters, once we’ve been made, shoot to kill. Every man you leave alive is going to be killing stragglers. The life you save might be your own.”

  Jim took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. “These are American troops. Can’t we just pin them down?”

  Kevin took a very somber tone for his reply. “Sarah and David and I are American troops. Everyone in this room is an American troop for that matter. Regardless of the uniform, the men guarding those camps have violated the Constitution in the most seditious way possible. They are holding US citizens, the very ones they took an oath to protect, without charges and without giving them a trial. Even if they believed these trumped-up charges against the APC, these men know they are violating their oath. That makes them traitors, not US troops.

  “A car is not simply the steering wheel—it’s the engine, the transmission, the wheels, every wire, every bolt, and every piece of metal that works together so the car can perform its function. Likewise, the enemy is not President Clay alone. The enemy is each and every person who props up this treasonous regime, allowing it to overthrow our country and strip us of our freedom.

  “With that said, we will have zip-tie restraints, so if any of them have an epiphany and decide to surrender by laying down their weapons, we can accommodate them.”

  The room was quiet for a moment. Noah understood what Kevin was saying. It seemed that everyone else did as well. But, Noah did not relish the thought of shooting anyone, especially someone in a US military uniform.

  David cleared the plastic army men off of the map and folded it up. “Our team will go over the particulars in greater detail tomorrow. Let’s try to enjoy the rest of our Thanksgiving.”

  Noah got
up and went to the den to get Cassie. “Candy Land? No fair!”

  Cassie, Lacy, Becky, and Lynette were playing the classic children’s board game on the carpet.

  “I’m winning, Daddy. You can play next,” Lacy said.

  Noah sat down on the floor to wait his turn. As tired as he was, as preoccupied as his mind had become, he knew it could be the last chance he’d have to play a game with his daughter for a long time.

  Noah played two rounds of Candy Land with Lacy and Lynette. “We better get going. We all have to get up early tomorrow. You and Mom are going to the cabin.”

  Lacy looked at her friend. “Are you going to the cabin?”

  Lynette looked at the plastic token from the game in her hand. “Yes, but Dad’s not.”

  Lacy grabbed Noah and hugged him. It had already been discussed that Noah would not be going to the cabin either.

  The ride home was quiet. Once there, everyone got ready for bed and turned in. It was still relatively early, just before ten o’clock, but it had been a long day. Noah’s mind was filled with worry and his heart with anxiety. He closed his eyes but knew it was pointless. Noah remembered a Bible verse he’d memorized long ago. It was from the old King James version of the Bible. He whispered it softly. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Isaiah 26:3.”

  He turned on the lamp next to his bed. He opened his Bible and began reading from the Book of Psalms.

  Cassie rolled over and looked up at him from the pillow.

  Noah glanced down at her. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. Did I wake you up?”

  She smiled and put her hand on his arm. “No. Can you read out loud?”

  Noah placed his hand over hers and began to read. Soon they were both resting in that perfect peace promised by God’s Word.

  ***

  Noah’s alarm went off at 4:00 AM. He said a quick prayer before rolling out of bed. He started his coffee, got dressed, and grabbed his gear. Training was to start at five o’clock in order for the light conditions to be similar to those of the actual operation the next day. Noah went back into the bedroom and kissed Cassie goodbye. “I’ll come out to the cabin when we’re finished to drop off the keys to Isaiah’s truck. I also want to make sure you know where the cache is buried.”

  Cassie reached up and ran her hand through his hair. “Okay, see you then.”

  Noah filled his coffee Thermos and grabbed a package of Pop Tarts to eat in the truck.

  Everyone but Sarah and Kevin were at David’s when Noah arrived. David had constructed four lengths of a chain-link fence on holders so he and Noah could practice cutting fence and tossing the liberators over.

  Benny carried his transmitter and power source for jamming the frequency. Jim and Isaiah carried a ladder to access the roof of the water treatment facility. Everyone carried 10 thirty-round magazines. They also wore gloves. While everyone had dump pouches to collect any magazines emptied while providing cover fire, David instructed them to leave the ones they dropped while shooting on the move. The gloves ensured no fingerprints would be left behind. All their gear was wiped for prints, including the 300 rounds of extra ammunition each team member was carrying.

  The team practiced sprinting the distance to the tree line and then high-crawling to the chicken coop, which was serving as the water treatment building for the training exercise. The cover team practiced climbing the ladder, while David and Noah practiced sprinting to the fence and cutting it.

  David had them drill the same movements over and over: sprinting and crawling, climbing and cutting, changing magazines and reloading, and laying down cover fire while the other members retreated in leap frog fashion.

  On the sixth time, Jim looked at Noah and said, “Wash, rinse, repeat.”

  Noah laughed. It was becoming monotonous indeed.

  They ran the drill two more times, and it was obvious that everyone was running out of steam.

  David took his gear off and addressed the team. “You guys did good. I know you’re tired of doing the same thing over and over, but what we did today is develop memory muscle. Tomorrow, when your mind is too scared to remember what to do, the training will take over. Go home and get some rest. Be back here at midnight. We’ll run the course one more time in the dark; then we’ll be ready to move out.”

  Isaiah grabbed Noah. “No rest for you; we have a truck to stash.”

  Noah smiled at his friend. The thought of tomorrow’s mission was terrifying, but he found much comfort in the fact that he would be with this group of men whom he’d come to trust with his life. “Let’s get going then.”

  Noah followed Isaiah to the gravel pit since he was more familiar with the area. They drove up to the gate and confirmed that no one was around before Noah cut the lock. Isaiah found a good place to park the truck, down in a gully, which made it less conspicuous. Noah parked his vehicle up on the road and walked down to help Isaiah.

  Isaiah took a shovel out of the back and started throwing mud and dirt on the top of the cab and the windshield. “You want to let some air out of that back tire?”

  Noah bent down to remove the valve stem cover. “Just messing the paint up with the sander made it look pretty rough. This might all be overkill. That mud will wash off with the first good rain.”

  Isaiah took a can of rust-colored spray paint and began to tag the fenders and areas around the hood. “If rain washes the mud off the windshield, it will run down from the top of the cab. The worse it looks, the better chance it has of being here when Cassie and the girls need it.”

  Once Isaiah was satisfied with his masterpiece, they replaced the lock on the gate and took Noah’s truck to the cabin.

  Lacy ran out the door when Noah pulled in the drive. She squealed, “Daddy!”

  Noah put his finger over his mouth. “You’re going to scare the bears.” Operational security and noise discipline was a hard concept to explain to a seven-year-old.

  Lacy ran up to him and hugged his leg. Lynette Ray came out as well and looked around. When she didn’t see David, her expression changed to a look of disappointment. She turned to go back in the cabin.

  Noah called out. “Lynette, come here for a second.”

  Lynette turned and walked out to Noah.

  He bent down and gave her a hug. “Your daddy wanted me to give you a big hug for him. He misses you very much.”

  Lynette smiled. “Thank you.”

  Noah knew that David would have done the same for him if the shoe were on the other foot. Everyone walked inside.

  Isaiah said, “I’m going to find Sharon and say hi real quick.”

  Noah nodded.

  Cassie came down the stairs. “Hey.”

  Noah looked at the progress that had been made in stowing the supplies. “You got a lot done.”

  “Yeah, we’ve all been working together to get everything put away.”

  “Did you get everything out of the Santa Fe? Isaiah is going to drive it back to the house.”

  Cassie put her arms around Noah and laid her head on his shoulder. “Yes, it’s all cleaned out.”

  Noah just held his wife for a few moments, then handed her the keys to Isaiah’s truck. “Keep the bolt cutters under the bed, so you’ll always know right where they are. If you ever need to get that truck, you won’t want the added stress of looking for the bolt cutters.”

  Cassie looked at the keys. “Don’t I have keys to the gate?”

  “Yes, but someone else could come along, cut that lock, and change it as quickly as I did. When you come in the main gate, follow the road to the left about a quarter mile around. Off to the side is a gully. You’ll see the truck parked down there. We camouflaged it pretty good, so you might not recognize it as being Isaiah’s.”

  “Are you going to hang around for a while?”

  Noah shook his head. “I’ve got to get back and try to take a nap. We’re going to run the drill one more time tonight; then we’ll stay up until the raid tomorrow morning.”

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sp; Cassie nodded softly. “You take care of yourself. Be safe and promise me you’ll come home.”

  Noah swallowed hard. He wasn’t about to let Cassie and Lacy see him cry. He wanted to give them every reason to believe that he was optimistic. He forced a smile. “I promise. But pray for me. Pray that God will help me keep that promise.”

  Cassie handed him the keys to the Santa Fe and hugged him again. “I will.”

  “I love you.”

  Cassie wiped a tear. “I love you, too.”

  Sharon and Isaiah walked into the living room hand-in-hand.

  “Ready to go?” Isaiah asked.

  Noah nodded and handed Cassie’s keys to Isaiah.

  When the two men reached Noah’s house, Noah asked, “Would you like me to drive you home?”

  “Then you’d have to come get me tonight.”

  “You could take Cassie’s vehicle, but you’re welcome to hang out here until tonight. I’m not looking forward to being in the house alone. Even the cat is at the cabin.”

  Isaiah nodded. “Mind if I take a shower and crash out on the couch for a couple hours, then?”

  Noah opened the front door. “No problem at all. I’d appreciate the company.”

  An hour later, Isaiah was asleep on the couch. Noah took a shower and lay down on his bed. He was exhausted and knew he should try to take a nap, but he simply wasn’t sleepy. He looked at his rifle, boots, tactical vest, and backpack that he would be wearing to the raid in a few short hours. He closed his eyes and prayed silently for a while. His mind slowed, and he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

  Noah’s alarm went off at 10:00 PM. He jumped out of bed, afraid that he’d somehow overslept. He turned off the alarm and looked at the time. “Two hours before we need to be at David’s. We’re fine.” Noah’s head felt swimmy. He couldn’t remember ever being awakened by an alarm clock at this time of night before.

  He walked into the living room and gave Isaiah a gentle nudge. “Ready to go play cowboys and Indians?”

  Isaiah sat up and stretched. “I wish that’s what we were doing.”

  Noah went to the kitchen and started a pot of strong coffee. “Becky sent us home with a ton of leftovers from Thanksgiving. Can I make you a plate?”