"I'd say we’re two blocks away, three at most. We could slow down, I suppose, but we’re better off getting to the hospital quickly than walking ‘em. If some shit goes down, we don't want to be caught with our britches ‘round our ankles when we've got perfectly good horses. Besides, if anyone is here they would've already noticed our presence. And I don't think HAGS is going to be much of a problem right now."
“What makes you say that?” Julie asked.
Jeb turned a little in his saddle. “If HAGS swooped in and took out the Maniacs, they ain’t likely to be back for a while. They have no reason to think we’d be coming into town.”
Julie grunted and nodded her head. “Makes sense.”
“You make some good points,” Collin said. “Let’s double time it to the hospital.”
A few minutes later, with the hospital looming ahead of them on the right side of the street, Collin began to slow down. The buildings looked as dark and foreboding as they did the first time.
"We should get out of the open and undercover, sir." Jeb gestured toward the entrance where the ambulances used to pull in. “We can put the horses over there.” He pointed to the breezeway between the main hospital building and the parking garage. It was lined by small bushes, flowers, and a narrow strip of grass. The area was mostly covered and had a handrail where they could lash the reins.
"Great idea.” Collin gestured for everyone to follow as he nudged his horse forward. When they were close, he didn’t waste any time sliding out of the saddle. His legs felt a bit stiff, so he hobbled for a few steps before things loosened up.
I’m getting too old for this shit, he thought.
"Do you know where I should focus my search?" Julie asked. She had been quiet for much of the trip other than occasional comment or question. Collin didn't want to press her on it in front of the others so he maintained a polite distance, even though what he really wanted to do was wrap her in a hug, hold her tight, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
"Great question, Doc. We moved much of the useful supplies upstairs to the top floors to keep them out of easy reach. Obviously the first places people would look when their raiding would be the emergency room, the labs, and places on the first floor. We never figured anyone would want a centrifuge, though,” Jeb said with a wink, lashing his horse to the railing. “You'll have to take the stairs to the seventh floor, room 708.”
"Thanks," Julie said, patting him on the shoulder as she walked by. "You boys have a good time and hurry back. I don't want us to be stuck here alone after dark." She gave Collin a slight smile before she spun away and marched toward the hospital armed with a flashlight and a backpack.
Hunter raced after her. He carried a pistol in a thigh-holster and a knife on his opposite hip.
Collin watched them go. Jeb was watching the road, remaining vigilant for anyone who might sneak up on them.
"Still no sign of the Maniacs,” Jeb muttered. “And it's starting to boil my soup."
Collin arched an eyebrow at that, wondering what Jeb meant exactly, even though understood his frustration and concern about his people.
“We’ll find out what happened,” Collin vowed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"I'll be honest, man. This isn't what I expected to see," Kobe said, kneeling carefully behind a bush, leaning heavily against a pine tree.
Kobe, Tiny, and Brady had finally arrived. The town in Delta Sector, called Marlon according to a big green sign along a small highway they crossed, lay below them as they began their recon. The edge of town butted up against a small range of mountains giving them a fantastic view from the ridge.
"Didn't you mention something about binoculars?" Brady asked. He gestured at Kobe to hand them over. "Let's have a look and see what's going on down there. I see quite a bit of movement."
Kobe slapped Brady's hand, giving him five, before he shifted his position. Koby slid off his pack and dug through it for the binoculars. Once he found them, he laid on the ground at the edge of the tree, opposite the bush he knelt behind. Brady scooted over to make room for him.
A few feet in front of their position the ground turned rocky and dropped away at a sharp incline, yet not quite a cliff. The rock field meant no trees grew there, giving them a wide, unobstructed view of the valley where the town sat.
Tiny was taking care of the horses. The man apparently had a soft spot for the creatures and had volunteered to take over the care and maintenance of them. He must have finished because Koby could hear him creeping up behind them.
"Make some space for the big guy," Tiny said with a smile in his voice.
Kobe shoved his bag aside so it was behind the tree. He grinned at the sight of Tiny crawling forward toward the gnarled roots and small rise in the ground they hid behind for cover. It was like seeing a bear crawl up next to them. A big friendly bear. When Tiny laid down on the other side of Brady, Koby estimated his shoulders took up nearly as much space as him and Brady combined.
Koby shook his head. "If anyone spots us we know it was this guy's fault." Kobe jerked a thumb toward Tiny.
"If anyone hears us it'll be because your mouth is always running." His deep voice rumbled.
Brady didn't need to say anything. He just grinned as he lay there watching the movement in the town along the section of gated perimeter closest to them. At the angle they faced, they could also see a heavily defended gate.
The obvious difference between Goshen and Marlon was that Marlon had a roughly fifteen foot tall chain-link fence topped with coils of razor wire. The fence apparently ran along its entire perimeter, based on what Koby could see.
Both of the towns were roughly the same size in area. From that elevation there was only a small corner of Marlon to their far left that was blocked by trees on the hillside they occupied. In all, they could see roughly three-fourths of the town.
"Looks like they've run the fence around the entire town," Koby said. "There's no way my crippled ass is climbing over that thing. I hope one of you guys brought wire clippers because that’s the only way I'll be getting in. I don't think they're going to take too kindly to us just waltzing in there."
“You waltz?” Brady asked with a grin, reaching for the binoculars.
Koby slapped Brady's hand away again. "No means no, mister."
"Come on. What do you see? Are there people down there? Is it only HAGS personnel? Do you see soldiers or other types of security?"
Koby scanned the town, reporting back what he saw in a hushed tone. "People are walking along the streets. They seem to be going about business as usual. Nobody looks to be threatened. Other than the heavily armed dudes near the gate, I don't see any kind of security presence in the town itself. Of course they could all be security personnel. Perhaps this is where they keep the helicopters and refuel or restock them?"
"Do you see any guard towers or patrols along the perimeter of the fence?" Tiny asked.
"Give me a second." Koby searched the fence line for anything that suggested patrols or guard towers or other type of manned positions, but it appeared as though the fence was just there as a deterrent in and of itself. "Unless they have landmines hidden along the perimeter, I don't see anything."
"Does it look like the fence is keeping people out or keeping the residents in?" Brady asked. He sighed. "You know this would be much easier if you stopped hogging the binoculars."
"You know this would be easier if you had thought to bring your own binoculars, right?" Koby said in a sarcastic tone. He felt a twitch in his leg. Grimacing, Koby adjusted his position, reaching down to his injured leg and rubbing the outside of his thigh. He handed the binoculars off to Brady so he didn’t drop them as he rolled onto his back and began to massage his thigh muscle.
"Are you okay?" Tiny's deep voice rumbled.
Brady and Tiny gave each other a look.
Koby gasped at the phantom pain in his stump but managed to squeak out something that resembled a “yes.” Beads of sweat popped up on his face and bre
aths came in short, quick gulps.
"Here drink some water." Brady offered him his water canteen.
Koby waited until the pain began to subside before he took a long drink and handed it back. "Thanks," he said, wiping his mouth.
“What happened?” Brady asked.
"Sometimes the pain just rushes over me.” Koby continued massaging his leg. “There's not much I can do about it."
“Massaging like that is a good idea. Applying heat can also help. Those are probably the two most practical methods,” Tiny said. “You know, people used to believe phantom pain was a psychological problem. It’s not,” he said, glancing at Koby. “The pain originates from the spinal column ...”
“We’re good, buddy.” Brady patted Tiny’s shoulder.
Tiny grinned.
Koby rolled back over onto his stomach. He glanced over his shoulder briefly as he adjusted himself and saw the horses lashed to a thick branch. They looked content where they were, completely oblivious to Kobe's pain and their plans for the town.
A few minutes later, Brady handed the binoculars to Tiny who made the binoculars look like a miniature set made for children.
"Look! There's a truck driving toward the main gate." Tiny grinned behind the binoculars.
"What's happening? I can't see it clearly from here. The truck and people all look like ants," Kobe said with a hint of the whine creeping into his voice.
Once the binoculars got back around to Koby, the truck passed through the gate already. So he continued his scan of the town, watching the people go about their lives. He even caught a glimpse of a vehicle driving down the street which was more exciting to him than he would have expected. It was the first moving car he'd seen since Major Logan and the Eagles saved his ass all those years ago.
"Look over here," Tiny said. He reached over Brady and nudged Kobe on the shoulder.
Koby raised his head from the binoculars to see what his friend wanted. He followed the man's outstretched finger toward the main gate and the road leading to another vehicle approaching.
Brady raised his rifle which panicked Koby just a little. He was in no condition to be getting into, or trying to run away from, a fight. “Hold on there, turbo! Let's see what's going on with them.”
Brady looked at him as if he was crazy. When he saw Koby staring at the rifle, he grinned. "Of course, man. I'm not going to start shooting; I'm using my scope to watch what's happening." Brady chuckled when Kobe let out a heavy sigh of relief. "It's not much magnification, but it's enough to provide a clear picture. Don’t worry, man. I'm not trying to get any of us shot up. We still need to make it back to Missoula.”
“Good idea. I’m surprised I didn’t think of that myself." Tiny reached around beside him and pulled his rifle out. Now everyone could tune into the action down below.
The vehicle turned out to be an SUV proceeding toward the main gate, slowing as it neared. Security guards scurried around to open the sliding gate and raise a barrier that crossed the road. To Kobe it looked like a large metal pole that would discourage people from ramming the gates.
“Decent security,” Brady mumbled to himself. He raised his voice. “You guys notice they were a little slow to move around though, right?”
Koby and Tiny grunted.
The driver rolled down their window, put their arm out, and waved a few times at the guards. The logo on the side of the SUV proclaimed it as “Property of HAGS” and was clearly marked with a bright white logo that stood out against the glossy black paint.
Koby frowned for a moment. Then it hit him. “Have you noticed how nice and clean everything is? It’s like they didn’t suffer a moment of downtime. That SUV looks like it just rolled off the lot.”
“Yes, that is odd,” Tiny said. “Makes me wonder what kind of resources they really have. And what we can do to stop them.”
Koby grimaced at the thought that HAGS may simply be too powerful for even a coordinated resistance to succeed.
Several guards stepped out of the safety of the gate and waved the vehicle forward. They held their rifles at the ready, even though it obvious by their posture that they recognized whoever was driving. Without stopping, they eyed the vehicle as it simply rolled at a slow, steady pace until it passed through the gate, at which point the three guards followed the vehicle inside the perimeter. The sliding gate rolled into place and the guards lowered the heavy bar that straddled the road.
“If we lay eyes on Dr. Dennard at any point, I’m definitely going to snipe that motherfucker," Brady said. “Fair warning.”
The comment made Koby smile.
“It’s clear they’re controlling access. None of the civilians have approached the gate, which makes me wonder if the fences are actually keeping people inside. I’m not convinced they’re free to come and go,” Tiny said.
Koby muttered, “And I thought pastor had things fucked up for us.”
“Don’t judge them too quickly,” Brady warned. “Things aren’t always as they seem.”
“Fair enough,” Koby admitted.
“If they are being contained, that is to our advantage.” Tiny shifted and swung his rifle to look toward the town.
Koby knew they would need warriors to help take out HAGS. At this point it looked like their mission had become infiltration as well as intelligence gathering and recruitment. On the other side of the razor wire topped fence was an army in need of a leader. Koby believed Collin was that leader.
“This might get interesting,” Brady said.
A small group was emerging from the forest along the road about two hundred yards from the gate. Koby gritted his teeth and zoomed in on the group. Pushing the focus knob with his finger, Koby focused the binoculars on them. They were ragged and a meal better than gaunt.
The group stayed close together as they approached the gate. There was some movement as the guards noticed the people in the road. A half-second later they heard a piercing whistle. One of the survivors moved to the front, apparently taking the lead role. As the group closed in on the gate, stopping mere feet away, the lead survivor began talking animatedly with the guards.
“Can you tell what they’re saying?” Koby asked.
No one answered him.
“Take the dicks outta your ears ladies.” Koby looked sideways at his friends. “Can you tell what they’re saying?”
“No,” they said in unison.
The gate opened just enough to let two security guys slip out. Koby looked into town to see if there was any reaction to the incident at the gate. Surely people heard the obvious shouting going on.
People continued going about their business. It was almost as if they were actively avoiding paying attention. Expressions were not as relaxed as he’d seen earlier.
“Here we go,” Tiny grumbled.
Koby looked back at the gate situation where a shoving match broke out in the few seconds he looked away. Two of the seven survivors knelt in the middle of the road facing the gate, praying.
“Do you know where these people are from?” Brady asked.
“Naw, man. They look like they’re just scraping a living off the land,” Koby said as one of the survivors unslung his backpack and pulled out some weapons. He reluctantly handed over a pair of what looked like grenades or possibly smoke grenades along with a pistol. “And scavenging weapons apparently.”
One of the two guards examined the stuff before handing it to the other guard, who ran it back to the gate. The chain-link gate slid open and the guard returned with a bulging plastic bag. The two people praying stood up, bowing to the guard with the bag. He held up a hand to keep them at bay and then handed it off to the leader.
“What do you think is in the bag?” Koby asked.
“Medicine,” Tiny offered.
“Hopefully some soap, too.” Koby sighed and rolled to his side, inching his way up to lean against the tree. “They’re dirtier than hippies with dreadlocks at the country fair.”
Tiny started laughing and Koby did, too
.
“Be quiet,” Brady snapped.
Koby rolled his eyes, but complied. “Sorry, boss.”
“Something’s happening,” Brady said.
“What now?” Still smiling, Koby raised the binoculars again.
“One of the guys dropped something. But I don’t think it’s a guy. I think it’s a woman,” Brady said.
Now the guards had their weapons up and pointed at the group. Even though they couldn’t hear any sound, it was clear there was a lot of yelling going on.
“That looks intense,” Tiny said.
The man who seemed like the leader stepped forward and shielded the girl from the guards. Three more stepped out from behind the fence, rushing the man and the woman who was too young to be his wife.
Perhaps his daughter? Koby thought.
One guard grabbed the girl while the other two beat the man. They dragged her away. Her face contorted into a mask of fear and anger. She began thrashing about until a guard brought the butt of his rifle down on her head. She went limp. Her father rose slowly from the ground. He fished in his waistband, pulling something out.
His body slumped to the ground a moment before the crackle of gunfire reached them.
“Oh, man. That’s fucked up,” Koby said with a groan.
Some of the group took off running. One younger guy, roughly the same age as the girl, fell to his knees sobbing, cradling the dead man in his arms. He didn’t put up a fight when the security guards came back for him.
“All those bastards are going to pay,” Brady growled, scowling down at the town.
“What’s your plan?” Koby asked.
Brady thought for a while. He crawled backward, away from the edge, before standing up. He began pacing while Koby and Tiny watched him.
“We have to get in there and free these people. Not just those kids, but the whole town.” Brady continued pacing.
“Agreed.” Tiny crawled back from the edge. He found a place to sit where he could lean on a tree like Koby. “How will we convince these folks to turn on their captors? Some may be okay with the status quo.”
“Hard to say at this point. We need more information,” Brady said.
Fighting for War: The Collin War Chronicles Book Three Page 3
