Fighting for War: The Collin War Chronicles Book Three

by W. C. Hoffman

Koby glanced at Brady who gave a small shrug. “That way.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

  “Show us the goods, funny guy,” the guard on the other side said. All the guards held their weapons at the ready.

  Koby climbed out to show them as requested.

  “Whoa.” The guard raised an eyebrow at his leg, and Koby frowned. “Sorry.”

  The rear hatch clicked open, swinging up to reveal their bounty. Koby lifted the edge of the tarp that wouldn’t reveal Tiny and said, “It’s all good, man. Everything is here.”

  Tiny stayed put.

  “Okay, let’s get this to the storehouse,” the guard said.

  Koby let out a quiet breath, and the tornado in his stomach eased. As he walked back to the driver’s seat, they all heard footsteps and heavy breathing behind them. He glanced back, scowling.

  “Wait,” a voice shouted. “Hold! Code red!”

  Koby recognized the voice and limped forward as fast as he could. The guard on his side of the car stepped up and slammed the door shut. He cursed and slammed his hand on the car. “Pop goes the weasel!”

  The SUV rocked when Tiny sat up. He aimed his rifle and fired through the window from inside. The guard on Brady’s side dropped. Brady’s door flew open and he hopped out, firing his rifle.

  Koby whipped his knife out of his pocked, slashing the guard who shut his door. There was more shouting. More shooting. He ducked as rounds pinged against the SUV. Fear gripped him for the first time since he was tortured in his cousin’s cabin all those years ago.

  The guard he slashed tried to kick him. Koby raised his leg to block with his shin, like a kickboxer. The man squealed in pain when his leg connected with Koby’s metal prosthetic. It threw Koby off balance, but he was able to grab the man’s rifle and yank it from his hands. Turning the rifle around, he pulled the trigger and fired three rounds into the guard’s abdomen.

  Tiny was out of the SUV now and the man who’d broken their cover lay dead in the road behind them.

  “Hurry, the gate!” Brady shouted as he ran forward to stop it from closing.

  Koby heard it clattering shut, but he was too slow to get there in time. Instead, he climbed up and leaned on the hood. He shot one of the guards closing the gate and another one running up to reinforce his friends. The man tumbled to the ground and rolled to a stop.

  Tiny slammed another guard against the SUV, his head shattering a rear window. Now everyone who’d emerged from the gate earlier was dead. The three survivors had dismantled the entire guard unit in a minute that felt like an hour.

  Flood lights snapped on temporarily blinding Koby, and he threw his hands up to protect his eyes. A loud speaker boomed, “Stop, now!”

  Koby squinted through the light. At least half a dozen vehicles faced them with their bright lights on. He could just make out people standing between the vehicles. They were trapped.

  “Fuck,” he said, drawing out the word. Koby dropped the rifle and leaned against the tire, wishing they’d just killed the driver in the first place. His chest heaved and sweat trickled down his back. He wasn’t made for all this action shit. I ain’t Denzel.

  The gate opened again, and dozens of people with weapons rushed out to secure them. Brady and Tiny were forced to Koby’s side of the SUV and pushed to sit next to him.

  “We almost had it,” Koby said bitterly.

  “Shut your mouth,” a man growled. He strode toward them, and the other guards parted. The man had gold stripes on his sleeves and a fat dip of chewing tobacco. He pulled a pistol out and aimed it at them. “You dirt bags care to explain why ya’ll killed my men.”

  “We’d have killed more if we could,” Brady snapped.

  The man put his pistol against Brady’s forehead.

  “Noooo!” Koby shouted.

  Click.

  “Sonuvabitch.” The man glared at his pistol like it’d just spit in his face. “Too many assholes, not enough bullets.” He motioned for the guards to take them into town as he spat a dark glob of tobacco juice.

  Marching through the streets at night was like walking through a ghost town. Torches lined the main avenue. Shadows flickered giving the place an eerie feeling. Koby followed his friends, glancing at the buildings and homes they passed. He failed to spot any of the residents from earlier in the day.

  Most of the guards and vehicles that broke up their failed infiltration had dispersed. A quick glance told Koby only eight guards remained, including the man who tried to shoot Brady.

  They were herded toward a brightly lit area enclosed in chain-link topped with razor wire. When they got closer, Koby could see that there was a second enclosure nested inside. A pair of guards flanked an open gate.

  He felt sick at their situation. How were they supposed to recruit the townsfolk from inside a cheap prison in the middle of the town square? Not much of one for prayer, Koby nevertheless prayed that Collin and the others were faring better.

  The outer fence was four feet from the inner fence and created a walkway between the two. Once they entered the open gate, Koby and Tiny were led to the left while Brady was taken to the right. They circled around to the far side to a second gate that led into the inner cage.

  “Welcome to your new home,” the leader said. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

  One at a time, their cuffs were removed. The guards shoved them into the cage and then locked the gate.

  “Now what?” Koby asked his friends.

  Brady shrugged. Tiny was eying the fence and guard positions.

  Koby followed Tiny’s example. The fence looked to have been hastily set up and probably wasn’t used very often. From the side of their prison closest to the outer gate was a space of about five feet. Where the fence met the pavement between the posts, it looked loose. The poles had been set too far apart.

  The guard’s boss, the guy with stripes - a sergeant, perhaps - strode back toward them. He leered at them while the guards opened the outer gate. The sergeant stepped into the walkway space and stared at them.

  “I know I’m sexy,” Koby said sarcastically. “But can you take a picture and slither away already?”

  The sergeant’s jaw flexed. His eyes narrowed as he focused on Koby. He reached into his pocket.

  Koby threw his hand up blocking his eyes. “Keep it in your pants, man!”

  Brady chuckled.

  “Fuck you.” The sergeant held a knife he’d pulled from his pocket. “Around here you work for your keep.”

  “Meaning?” Brady asked, stepping closer to the fence.

  The sergeant dragged the blade against the chain link. “We have a thriving community here. You’ve killed some of my men which hampers my ability to do my job. We can’t waste resources keeping all of you around. I have to build up my security team.”

  He paced back and forth.

  “Since we killed more than three men, wouldn’t you say we freed up resources?” Tiny asked in a deadpan voice.

  “The point is,” the sergeant said, raising his voice, “you drew blood. So now we’ll draw blood. But you have to work for it. There are three of you. I have one knife. Whoever is left standing gets to live. The others will fertilize our crops.”

  “Not a very original idea, you know.” Koby rolled his eyes and leaned against the fence.

  The sergeant lashed out with the blade, and it scraped an inch away from Koby’s hand. Koby hopped back. Tiny caught him from tumbling to the ground. Brady kicked the fence between the two poles, and it flexed enough and knocked the knife out of Sergeant’s hand. Everything stopped as the weapon clattered on the ground.

  The sergeant and Brady glared at each other. The temperature seemed to rise as their fury became palpable.

  Koby whispered something to Tiny who grunted. Then Koby and Tiny flanked Brady.

  “Here’s the deal,” Koby said, taking a step forward. “You’re going to let us out and send us on our way.”

  The sergeant’s eyes snapped to meet Koby’s before returning to stare down
Brady. “You’re insane.”

  “You can let us go, or we’re going to tear you and all your men to pieces.” Koby said it with such force and malice that both Brady and the sergeant where staring at him.

  Tiny suddenly squatted down and heaved up the bottom of the fence with all his strength, lifting it up like a deadlift. He grunted with the effort but managed to create a gap of almost two feet.

  “Go,” Koby snapped, shoving Brady.

  Brady dropped and rolled underneath. The sergeant dove for his knife with a shout. The guards from the gate rushed in to help him, but Brady rose from his roll and kicked one in the nuts, dropping him. The other guy tried to strike Brady with the buttstock of his rifle. Brady jumped back.

  Koby was under the fence and back up in time to kick the soldier cupping his broken eggs in the head. His eyes rolled up as he went limp, and Koby yanked his rifle away.

  Tiny was heaving on the fence to make room for himself.

  The sergeant had the knife and strode toward Brady, his face a mask of rage. Koby fumbled with the rifle. Unable to shoot the man, Koby yelled a warning. Brady hurled the guard toward the sergeant. The larger man shoved his companion aside.

  The sergeant swiped at Brady who dodged aside. “I’m going to cut you to pieces, boy.”

  “Not likely.” Brady blocked another swipe. He followed it up with a right hook that grazed the sergeant’s chin. The man grunted but didn’t go down.

  Koby hobbled over to the other guard. His stump ached like a motherfucker. This was not the time to rest, though. He gritted his teeth and attacked. He jabbed the rifle at the man like a spear. The guard threw up his hands and blocked it. Koby stomped on the guy’s knee and heard something snap. A pained howl was his reward.

  Tiny was squeezing under the fence, but it had caught on his clothes and skin. Koby turned away from the guard and did his best to help.

  Brady and the sergeant were still going at it. The knife had been lost at some point, and they were duking it out. The sergeant bumped into Koby, lashing out in defense. Koby accidentally caught the wild strike in the side of the head. His vision burst with light, and his knees wobbled. He slid to the ground and was suddenly face-to-face with Tiny.

  Tiny managed to trip the sergeant with his foot. Brady was on him like a grizzly. He rained down blows until the sergeant was a mess of blood and his body went limp.

  With the two guards and the sergeant down, Brady helped Tiny free himself. The two men helped Koby back to his feet. They quickly set to work collecting weapons and cuffed their captors’ hands together.

  “Shouldn’t we just kill them?” Koby asked.

  Tiny looked at him surprised.

  “If we leave them alive like that asshole driver they’ll just want revenge and one of us, or our friends, will die.” Koby shook his head. “Trust me. It’s better to thin the herd now so we have fewer enemies coming after us.”

  Brady retrieved the knife and held it out for Koby. “Make it quick.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Lunch time had become one of Collin’s favorite times of the day. His new routine was waking up too damn early, eating a small, boring breakfast in his room, cleaning something unsavory, and marking time until the next meal.

  Collin walked through the lunch room, scanning for Julie. Seeing her was a nice surprise. It’d been days since they were taken away. He still hadn’t seen Hunter.

  “This seat taken?”

  Julie looked up. Her face brightened when she saw him. She motioned for him to sit, glancing around nervously.

  “We’re safe enough,” he reassured her. He scooped up something that looked like mashed potatoes. “How are you?”

  “Have you seen Hunter?” Julie asked, waving away his question.

  “No.” His voice was grim. “I sure do miss Doris, especially at times like this.” Collin sighed. “Do you feel any different?”

  Julie leaned down to her food and whispered, “No. You?”

  Collin shook his head, looking at the people sitting near them. No one seemed to be listening but that didn’t mean anything. HAGS probably had cameras and listening devices all around the room.

  “I’ve just been going with the flow, paying attention to details.” Julie sat up and took a drink of her juice. “Nothing interesting so far. I’m just working in the medical unit helping people with normal stuff like colds and cuts.”

  “Same here.” Collin restrained himself from frowning. “We have a whole lot of jackshit when it comes to answers.”

  “We do know something,” Julie said.

  Collin looked at her intently.

  “We know the - things,” Julie winked, “aren’t controlling us.”

  Collin took a bite of the mystery meat on his tray. The neatly formed patty of textured vegetable protein was drowning in a dark gravy that matched the meat. The flavor was decent enough. “How do you know they aren’t controlling us?”

  “The fact that we’re having this conversation for one. Have you had a meaningful conversation with anyone else in the last few days?” Julie asked.

  “No,” he admitted.

  “These people are like drones.” Julie jerked her thumb at the others. “They have no desires, no wishes, and no plans of their own. Yet for some reason we are still ourselves.”

  “So what the hell is going on?” Collin had noticed the same things. Now, he hoped she actually had an answer.

  “My theory is a bit of a stretch.” Julie ate some of her lunch. Collin could see she was working out how to explain things to him.

  “Well? We don’t have all day.”

  “We’ve taken the serum I made. It’s the only difference between us and them,” Julie said, looking pointedly at the people around them. “That the three of us have in common.”

  Collin didn’t see how a disease immunity could protect them from an implanted device. She was right - it was a stretch of imagination. Still, something about it rang true.

  “Think about this.” Julie leaned in close. “What if the fever wasn’t meant to kill people? What if it was a mind control experiment gone wrong?”

  Collin snorted. That drew the attention of a few people sitting around them. One of them was Charlie. “Fuck.”

  Charlie beamed at them and stood up with his tray. He started toward Collin and Julie.

  “Zip it,” Collin said to Julie.

  They both put on passive faces and ate quietly. Charlie stopped next to their table. Collin’s gut churned, and his fingers curled around his tray. He wanted to smash it into Charlie’s face until he looked like the mystery meat. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked up at him.

  “May I join you?” Charlie asked in his typically cheerful tone.

  “Of course, friend.” Collin acted polite. This guy could become a source of valuable information. He’d take advantage of that.

  “Thank you.” Charlie sat down quickly and took a bite of his food. He nodded at Julie. “Doctor, I trust you’re well.”

  “Yes, thank you. How are you?” Julie looked at him with a pleasant expression.

  “Fine, thanks.” Charlie flashed a smile before glancing around the room. The guards stood in their usual stations. He turned back and looked directly into his own plate of food. “Okay, look, you need to stay calm.”

  Collin frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “Not everything is what it appears to be.” Charlie raised an eyebrow, still unwilling to make eye contact. “You have implants, like me. But they don’t work on us. I made sure of that.”

  Collin glanced at Julie. His stomach fluttered. Apparently it wasn’t Julie’s serum that helped them with the implants. This certainly changed things. “Hunter?”

  “He’s fine,” Charlie said through a mouthful of food, looking casual as possible.

  “Explain your intentions.” Collin’s voice was ice.

  “No time. Just know we aren’t the only ones, and our captors don’t know about us.” Charlie smiled and took another bite. He swallowed
and said, “I used to be with the company. You were the Secretary of Defense back then. You’ve moved up from what I’ve heard. We’ll talk again soon.”

  Charlie scrapped the last of his potato mush into his mouth while Collin recovered from the revelation. Charlie stood up to leave.

  Collin felt a swirl of emotions. It was the same confusing rush of information that struck him after waking up in Goshen. He knew when Charlie said the “company” he referred to the CIA. If he was an agent, Charlie would be a great ally. Collin’s desire to smash his face in with the lunch tray evaporated.

  “Very well. See you soon,” Collin said with a nod.

  “Have a great day,” Charlie said to them with a broad grin. He left to return his tray and silverware to the drones assigned to kitchen duty.

  They both watched him go. Julie spun back to Collin.

  “He was right about one thing,” she said breathlessly.

  Collin raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, and what would that be?”

  “Not everything is as it seems.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Hannah and Frank stepped up to the guard shack outside of Echo Sector eager to enter town and get some food. The wait in line had been long and tedious. People shuffled behind them, pressing close. Hannah hated it. Maybe if she mooed the human cattle would move faster.

  “State your business,” the guard said in a bored voice.

  “We’re weary travelers hoping for a good meal and a shower, if you have them,” Frank said. He had his arm around Hannah’s shoulders. As far as the guards were concerned, she was his daughter.

  The guard looked over his clipboard at them. “Where are you coming from?”

  “Nowhere in particular. We drift along with the seasons.” Frank gave a weak smile.

  They looked the part, so acting like poor travelers wasn’t difficult. Most of their gear was lost when they ditched the horses and jumped into the river. The cold water had been a cruel gift - claiming or destroying their gear yet leading them where they wanted to go.

  Grilled meat drifted on the wind. Hannah’s mouth immediately began watering, and her stomach growled so loud she could swear the guard heard. The town looked nice and well run.