Enforcing Home

by A. American

  “Yeah, how’d you come up with that?” Fred asked.

  “I read a lot.”

  “Yeah; too much,” Mel added.

  I smiled, “not anymore.” Looking at Kay, I said, “thanks for dinner; it was good.” Then I got Danny’s attention, “we have to go to the barricade.”

  “What? Why you? You need to come home with us,” Mel shot back.

  “I’m sorry babe; we have to go. The guys are going out to find the rest of the group that came after the girls; and someone has to watch the barricade.”

  “Why can’t Thad do it?” She asked.

  “He’s already down there.”

  “Why not Tyler and Aric?”

  “Tyler is already down there too,” I replied.

  “I can go.” Aric offered.

  “Me too; I’ll go,” Fred added.

  “I know you would,” I replied with a halfhearted smile. “But we’ve already discussed it, and we don’t want any women down there right now.”

  Jess jumped to her feet, “What! We’re just as capable as you are!”

  I did my best to explain the situation as delicately as possible. “I know you are. It’s not that I think you are not up to the challenge. These guys aren’t looking to take food or weapons.”

  Jess crossed her arms indignantly, “We can still do our part!”

  I walked slowly to her. “I know; but these guys are looking for women. They were trying to take the girls; do you understand that?” She stared back at me for a moment, “what do you think they wanted them for? Think about it for a minute; what do you think they would do with you.” I pointed at Fred, “or her,” then at Mel and Bobbie, “or them?” Lastly, I pointed at Little Bit, “or her and her sisters?”

  I watched their faces and could see the realization slowly come over them collectively. Jess relaxed; she had her demons already to deal with. She knew the horrors I was trying so hard not to say. She slowly sat down beside Mel and looked at Little Bit, “Let him go.” She looked back at me, “he’s only trying to take care of everyone.”

  Mel let out a loud sigh, “I know he is; but why is it always him?”

  “It’s not just him; I’m going too,” Danny said.

  I looked at Mel, “And it’s not my ass on the line really. Ted and Mike are going out tonight to find these guys.”

  Jeff’s voice came from the kitchen, scaring the shit out of everyone in the room. “Me too; I’m going with them.” All eyes were now on Jeff. He smoothed his beard that was now down past his collar, “I know you think Morgan is always hanging his ass out in the breeze, that he takes a lot of risks; but the reality of the situation is just the opposite.” Jeff nodded at me, “We’re all here because of him in one way or another. It’s like he’s got some weird gravitational pull that holds all this together. We all owe him. I know I do; he saved my life, took me in here.” He looked at Jess, “He looked out for you, got you to your family; shit went south and now here you are. Brandy, I know you haven’t said anything, but he’s saved your family as well.” Brandy nodded slowly. “We all take risks today; it’s just the way of it.” He finished what he had to say and shrugged, “jus’ sayin’.”

  Jeff’s statement shocked everyone. He’d never said so much at one time before. Once again the room fell silent until yet another voice surprised everyone.

  “I agree; I know he saved me.” It was Mary. She was sitting on a chair against the wall; and until that moment, I had no idea she was even in the room. She was dealing with her own demons.

  The sudden realization that Mary was there caused me to jump once again. I looked around the room, “Is there anyone else here I don’t know about?”

  “I think this is everyone,” Jess said.

  “You gals think you’re not being allowed to participate; but it’s quite the opposite. We have no idea where these guys are going to come from. I seriously doubt they are going to come through the front door. They’ll probably watch us for a few days and find a soft spot to come through, probably through the woods somewhere.” I scanned the room, “it will be up to you gals to stop them if that happens.”

  “They’re going to sneak in here?” Little Bit asked as she shrank back against Mel.

  “They’re going to try kiddo; but we’re going to stop them,” I replied with a smile.

  “Yes we will,” Jess added.

  “Until this is over, everyone needs to be extra careful. Stay close to home, and never go anywhere alone. We have to stay together; if anyone is alone, he or she runs a risk of disappearing.”

  The room was full of solemn faces, the weight of the situation settling over them. Danny and I needed to get to the barricade, and Jeff needed to hook up with the guys. Mel decided to stay at Bobbie’s. Brandy would wait there until Tyler returned from the barricade, then they would go home. Jess, Fred and Aric would all go home; Thad would be there as well. It would be better to have everyone together in groups.

  I kissed Mel and Little Bit. Lee Ann never was much of one for a kiss on the cheek; but she did stand up and give me a hug. I smiled and razzed her, “Awe, I feel so special.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she replied as she twirled and walked away. I knew then she was going to be alright.

  It was still raining, so I ran home quickly and put on my rain gear. A poncho serves its purpose well and has many uses aside from wearing, but I hate the damn things. You’re always wet from the knees down, and they seem to be a perfect gutter for directing water into your boot. I put on my rain gear. It was expensive when I bought it, but Blackhawk makes some awesome gear. Once dressed, I wandered back across the fence. Danny and I loaded onto one of the ATVs, headed for the barricade; and Jeff took another and headed over to meet the guys.

  “Miss Kay has dinner waiting on you guys,” I said when we stopped.

  “Good; I’m starving,” Tyler replied.

  “You think we should go warn Miss Gena and Dylan about these guys?” Thad asked.

  I shook my head, “I wouldn’t. They could be watching us; and we don’t want those guys to know they have anything to do with us. That could make them a target.”

  “I agree,” Sarge replied.

  “You guys take off; we’ve got this,” I said.

  “Sounds good; I’m hungry,” Thad replied.

  “And I’m wet,” Tyler replied.

  They loaded up and quickly left, leaving Danny and me in the dark as the rain continued to pelt us. Once they were gone, I went over to the war wagon and pulled the NVGs out. These things were amazing. I once heard someone say that having them made it unfair for those that didn’t have them. The device I held in my hand certainly proved that statement true. Third generation Mil-Spec equipment is light years beyond most of the commercial equipment available, though I was truly thankful for mine when I needed it. Had I known then what I know now about the quality of the equipment, I would have bought my own PVS-14.

  I took the NVGs out to the road, turned them on and scanned the road north and south, and then the field across the road. Seeing nothing, I turned it off and walked back to the barricade. Danny was tying a poncho up in the trees near the buggy, his headlamp illuminating the paracord he was knotting.

  “Good idea,” I said.

  “I thought it would be nice to have someplace out of the rain,” he replied. He finished the knot he was tying and let the limb go. It popped up, and the poncho snapped tight.

  Stepping under the poncho, I stuffed the NVGs into the pocket on my rain coat. Danny pulled his poncho over his head and hung it on a limb. “That’s better,” he said.

  I reached into the back of the wagon and grabbed a couple of buckets; they had lids on them and held an assortment of gear. Setting out our new stools, Danny and I took a seat.

  “I like the smell of the rain;
washes things clean,” Danny said.

  I looked out towards the barricade where the body of the man I’d shot earlier still lay, “Yeah, it does.”

  “There was an empty round in Little Bit’s rifle.”

  I looked over at Danny; all I could see was his silhouette, “I was afraid of that.”

  “Doesn’t really mean anything. She was out hunting; could have been from a shot at a limb rat.”

  “Could be. I’ll never know though; not going to ask.”

  Headlights suddenly illuminated us. I looked down the road and could see the other wagon coming towards us in the Hyena. The guys were headed out for some sneakin’ and peekin’. They pulled up and stopped. I got a chuckle looking at the three of them. They were all camo’d out, faces blackened with grease.

  “You know, with those beards you guys look like the cast of Duck Dynasty,” I said, getting a laugh out of Danny.

  Mike, who was standing up in the turret, stiffened. He ran his hand through his beard, “I guess I do strike quite a manly image; not as old as Phil, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

  Ted’s head rocked back as he looked up at Mike. “You’re no Phil; Si maybe.”

  Mike kicked the back of Ted’s seat, “I’m not Si!”

  Now Jeff’s head rocked back, “Dude, you’re Si, hands down.”

  Mike looked at Danny and me. I shrugged, “Sorry dude, Si all day long.”

  “I think he’s more of a Godwin,” Danny said. We all immediately started laughing.

  “No shit,” I nearly shouted, pointing at Mike. “He’s a skinny Godwin.”

  Mike shrugged. “Whatever Jack,” he said, getting us all to laughing even harder.

  “What’s your plan for the night?” Danny asked.

  “We’re going to move closer to them, then get out on foot and see if we can find a place to keep an eye on ‘em,” Ted said.

  “Be careful,” I offered.

  “Keep your radio close, we’ll check in every couple of hours,” Mike said.

  “What’s your call sign?” I asked.

  “Godwin,” Ted replied, starting to laugh again. Then he asked, “What’s yours?”

  “Boomhauer,” I replied before Mike could hang “Si” on us.

  Ted slapped the steering wheel, “I like it! Keep that radio close,” he said.

  As they started to pull away Jeff began to mumble like the character, straight faced; and I couldn’t even begin to understand him. I smiled as they turned out onto the road. The headlights cut out at the same time, leaving only the sound of the big wagon as they headed off into the darkness.

  Danny and I sat under the poncho for most of the night. From time to time I would wander out and take a look with the NVGs; each time there was nothing to see. The rain certainly was keeping everyone under cover for the night; though anyone that may be out would surely be up to no good. The guys checked in once, saying they were leaving the wagon and moving out on foot, while Jeff would stay to keep an eye on their ride.

  Returning from a survey of our surrounding area, I fell onto the bucket. Danny held his hand out, catching rain cascading off the poncho. “This is going to be good for the garden.”

  “Yeah; I just hope it doesn’t turn into a daily thing. Every three days would be good.”

  “Yeah, but you know what the summers can be like.”

  “Yeah, hotter’n the hinges of hell,” I replied. The mere thought of it made me start to sweat.

  Danny grunted, “Yeah, but the rain helps cool it off.”

  “Unless the sun comes out, then it just steams you in your hide.”

  “We’ll soon see,” Danny said. I rose to take another look.

  I walked out to the road with the NVG and scanned both directions again, just as I had several times before. Not seeing anything on the road, I scanned the field across the road. Off in the distance I saw a light. When looking through one of these you cannot mistake seeing light; it is literally blindingly obvious. I quickly lowered the device and closed the eye I was looking through it with. Using the other eye that still had decent natural night vision, no light. Taking another quick look, I could see it again. It was moving back and forth like someone using a flashlight. I turned and called Danny out; and he quickly trotted up.

  “What’s up?”

  I pointed in the direction I saw it, “You see anything out there?”

  Danny stared off into the darkness, “No,” I handed him the NVG. He took a look, then lowered them, still looking off into the distance, then raised them and looked again. “Why can’t we see it, too far?”

  “I don’t think so. I think it’s an IR light. I think someone out there is using night vision equipment and it’s an IR source.”

  “Why would anyone be out in this shit?” Danny asked aloud.

  “And why would they be out there?” I replied. The area the light was coming from was part of a large cattle ranch, empty open pasture land broken occasionally by bay heads full of palms and cypress.

  Danny lowered the optic again, “Yeah, there isn’t shit out there.”

  “I’m thinking tomorrow we’ll go out there and take a look around; I’d like to know who’s out there.”

  “Me too. There may not be anything to worry about, but the fact they have that kind of equipment makes me curious.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” I replied as I headed back for the cover of the poncho. “Let’s get out of the rain,” I called over my shoulder.

  Ted drove south, heading towards Altoona. The buggy was blacked out and he was using the NVG to see. Considering the danger of the mission at hand, they were all wearing radios with an earpiece and mic; stealth was a paramount concern.

  Keying the mic, Ted asked, “Where we headed there Pocahontas?”

  “Up ahead is a road called Demco; make a right on it. It will cut through an area of planted pines, They are somewhere west of a clear-cut,” Mike replied through the radio.

  “You don’t know where they are past that?” Ted asked.

  “No; we caught up to them near the intersection. We’ll just have to look for them.”

  Ted keyed his mic, “Jeff, we’re going to find a hide for the buggy; and you’re going to stay with it. Mike and I will move out from there.”

  Jeff fumbled for the PTT, or push-to-talk button, on a cord attached to the radio. Not used to the equipment, it took a minute to find it. “Whatever you boys need.”

  Ted rounded the corner at Demco and drove slowly down the narrow road. The right side of the road was open pasture. Large oaks broke up the fields and offered some character to what would otherwise be a very mundane landscape. It also offered points of concealment. The left side was just the opposite. Thick planted pines; even at only a few years old, they defeated any attempts at observation. The right offered an escape; the left, nothing but potential threats.

  After half a mile or so, the landscape changed. At a small bend, the road cut through an oak hammock, with trees no more than ten feet from the side of the road. Ambush alley, Ted thought.

  “Eye’s up Mikey,” Ted said into the radio.

  “Got it,” Mike replied.

  There was no ambush though, and the road slowly began to rise. At the crest of the small hill sat a house not yet completed. Ted drove up to the house and stopped out front. It was a large place, obviously someone’s dream home, or at least it was.

  “Jeff, you come with me. Mikey; cover us,” Ted said as he shut the buggy off.

  Jeff got out and joined Ted at the front of the vehicle. “We’re going to clear this house quickly; just follow my lead and keep your eyes open,” Ted said. Jeff nodded and Ted added, “you ready?”

  Jeff nodded; Ted looked at him, then at his weapon, “You sure?” He asked.

&nb
sp; Jeff looked down at his weapon and shrugged, “Yeah.”

  Ted reached over and flipped the large safety off on the AK Jeff cradled. “Now you’re ready. There’s no time for that shit if someone starts shooting in there.” Ted held his trigger finger up. “This is your safety; keep it off the bang switch unless you’re going to pull it.”

  Jeff nodded, “Ok, got it.”

  Ted started towards the house with Jeff right behind him. The house had a large three-car garage, and they entered through large opening where the doors would have been if things were different. Inside, the house was empty. The floors were bare concrete; and the walls were unpainted drywall. Using simple hand signals, Ted led Jeff through the house, and it was quickly cleared.

  “It’s clear; pull the buggy into the garage,” Ted called into his radio.

  “On my way,” Mike replied.

  They were standing in the garage when Mike pulled around. “Back it in,” Ted said into the radio. Taking a small light from his pocket, he used it to light the way for Mike, guiding him into the garage.

  Once Mike was out of the ride, the three gathered up. “Let’s take some time to look and listen. We don’t know where these guys are; so let’s see if they’ll give us some idea,” Ted said.

  The three men walked outside into the clear night. The moon was waning but provided plenty of light for the NVG devices to clearly see the land around the house. The area behind the house faded from open pasture to thick woods. Across the road and far off of it, was another house that ran east to west in front of them. Ted and Mike walked out away from the house a short distance and slowly scanned the whole of the area around them.

  In this new world the nights were so quiet that sound traveled a long way. Off in the distance behind the house the yipping of coyotes drifted through the night; a large pack from the sound, possibly carrying on over a successful kill. Ted scanned the area where the tree line met the sky, a trick very handy when using night vision equipment as any light on the ground would illuminate the canopy of trees above the source, as well as emit a glow into the sky.