Wolf Pack_Invasion and Conquest

by Rob Buckman

  “Heads up people, we’ve got company.” He called needlessly, hearing someone laugh behind the pile of cars. Whoever these assholes were there was something very intimidating the way they kept marching towards him in step.

  “Who the fuck are these people?” Jackson Pruitt called.

  “How the fuck should I know! You think I’m a fucking mind reader, asshole?”

  “I don’t like this Mason… why aren’t they slowing?”

  “Shut the fuck up Jackson. Pick your target and wait for my signal.” A slight wind blew across the road that sent a chill up Mason’s spine as it ruffled the odd, white hairy suits the approaching group was wearing. If they felt the cold, they didn’t show it. Mason thought it a little odd that the people on the left and right side had their weapons pointed out, not something you usually saw. That meant they were expecting trouble from their flanks, leaving the big guy to handle their front. That was a bit stupid if you asked him, as he had people on either side as a precaution. Twenty feet away the group came to a halt as one, and took a knee. The left and right flanks covering their side, while the front ten pointed their weapons towards the barricade. Even at this distance, it wasn’t lost on Mason that they all carried military grade automatic weapons. The big guy just stood there looking at him, weapon hanging down on its strap, both hands on the butt. His head swung back and forth, as if examining the roadblock, the mouth in the bearded face braking out into a smile as he slowly walked towards him. Mason swallowed, feeling intimidated despite the men behind the roadblock backing him. He shook himself to get rid of the feeling and gripped his M16 tighter.

  “Nicely done girls.” Decker muttered over the all-hands frequency.

  “Men aren’t the only ones who can march up and down and look pretty.” One of the girls called.

  “Did I say anything about you looking pretty?” Decker chuckled softly. “Maybe a bath and a bag over your heads might be an improvement.”

  “You wish.”

  “As your fearless leader, I on the other hand look smart and handsome all the time.” That produced a bunch of raspberries and catcalls.

  “I think you’re handsome, Boss.” Joann chirped up. Decker had to smile slightly hearing the girl’s reply to that.

  “Okay people, fun times over - heads-up, and pay attentions to your arc.”

  “I have the guy out front targeted, Wolfman.” Kim whispered.

  “Me too.” Joann added.

  “No need to fight over him, there’s plenty of other BG’s to take out.”

  “Bet I get him first.” Joann muttered. “He so much as lifts that M16 towards you and I’ll take his head off.”

  “Hold up there girl. Let’s talk first and see which way he jumps.” Decker whispered as he walked forward.

  “Spoil sport.”

  “Hi there.” He called, stopping ten yards away, feeling his stomach tighten, and the need to take a leak. Even with his alien body armor, talking to a man pointing a weapon at him made him feel uneasy and nervous.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Mason demanded, lifting his weapon a little.

  “Me? I’m your local State road block and asshole inspector.” Decker answered, smiling slightly, hearing a chuckle in his ear.

  “Huh? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “What it means dimwit. I’m from the government and I’m here to inspect your road block and your asshole.” Mason let out a snorted laugh.

  “And?” He asked as Decker moved his head back and forth looking over the roadblock once more.

  “Well, for one, I definitely know that’s an illegal road block, and two you’re an asshole.”

  “Shoot the fucker!” Mason yelled. A split second later his head exploded in a cloud of bone, brains and blood, and the firefight was on. Decker didn’t even need to order the girls to fire, switching on his active cammo as the man opened his mouth to shout, and dropped to the ground out of the line of fire, rolling sideways.

  “What the fuck!” Someone yelled as he vanished, but only for a second as the meaty thud of several rounds hitting him at the same time cut off anything else he had to say in this life.

  The cough of blooper round preceded the explosion as they landed a fraction of a second later, blowing the major portion of the BG’s to bits. Decker rolled over and came to his knees, checking for targets. For the most part the outgoing rounds from his people hardly made a sound. The few incoming shots from the sides quickly stopped as the right and left flankers took out the perps. Alpha team took care of anyone stupid enough to stick his head up to look and fire, not that many did as they took fire from Charlie and Baker teams in their rear. In less than a minute, the firing stopped, and silence as well as snow settled over the cooling bodies.

  “Well, wasn’t that fun?” Decker breathed, feeling his stomach muscles relax and the nervous tension dissipate. Even with the alien body armor, the thought of being hit wasn’t a pleasant thought.

  “Told you I’d get him first.” Joann laughed.

  “Like hell you did.” Kim shot back.

  “Can it girls - go active if you have them and sweep the place for perps.” Decker cut off the bickering. For his part, Decker carefully checked the roadblock for any live ones; shooting two that showed signs of life. They'd forfeited any mercy from him for what they done to travelers already.

  “Alpha team - head on up the road and see what you can find.”

  “On it.” Krista shot back, and with a few hand motions, her team moved out at a trot up I-395.

  “Grace, bring up the rest.”

  “Ten-four - on our way.”

  Baker and Charlie teams moved in and stripped the dead of their weapons and ammo. The weapons weren’t much good, but a lot of the ammo they could use to replace the expended ammo they'd used in the firefight. Grace and June Landers arrived with the rest of the Pack in a clatter of snowmobile engines that left a cloud of blue, eye-stinging smoke hanging in the air, a sure sign they were on their last legs.

  “Reported as ordered, Boss.” June chuckled as Decker waved the smoke away.

  “I don’t like the sound of those units, June.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s different when you hear it all the time, but once you stop for a while and then restart them, you can tell they are just about worn out.”

  “Shit. Not good. Add to that, this snow is turning to slush.” He kicked a pile of wet snow to make his point.

  “While you and the others were up here having fun, I sent a team off on a reccy and I may have an answer to our transport problem, Boss.” Grace put in.

  “Do tell.”

  “The team came back and reported they’d found a bunch of horses in a corral near the edge of town.”

  “Now there’s a thought. How many?”

  “Twenty, so they said.”

  “That would give us pack animals and good cover, but it means we are back on foot again unless we can find more.”

  “We could still move a lot faster not having to carry our Bergens.”

  “True. Let’s go check it out. Anyone know anything about horses?”

  “A few of the girls have worked around them before. A couple can even ride.”

  “That should help, as I know damn little about how to handle horses.” Decker looked around, pursing his lips in thought. “June, hold a ten-man team here and set up a defense perimeter while the rest of us go look at these horses.”

  “Ten-four.” She turned away and motioned several people to gather around her, while Decker, Grace and the rest took off between the scattered houses.

  Delta team broke up into three man teams and moved cautiously through the tract, alert for any possible action from any concerned citizen. If they were aligned with the assholes on the roadblock they might contest their encroachment. None did, discretion being the better part of valor. That was until they reached the ranch house beside the horse corral. The first team to arrive received a warning shot from the house, forcing them into cover.
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  “That was your only warning. You try taking my horses and you’ll regret it.” A voice called.

  “Shit! That was close.” CC muttered from behind a brick wall.

  “Keep your head down, Mom while I get Wolfman on the horn and give him a heads-up.”

  “Okay, dear.” She laughed, wondering who was taking care of who now.

  “CC to Wolfman.”

  “Wolfman actual - go.”

  “Got a situation here, Boss.”

  “I heard the shot - I’m on my way - hold what you’ve have until I get there.”

  “Ten-four - me and Mom are keeping our heads down - out.”

  Decker switched on his active cammo, moving quickly to a vantage point where he could see the horse corral, and the ranch house. The first thing he noted was an open window on the second floor, suspecting a sniper. Not a very good one, as no one leaves a window open in this weather. He couldn’t see the shooter so that was one point in their favor, betting they were set back from the window in the darken room. An amateur would have stuck the rifle out the window, and given an open invitation to get shot. It would have been better to remove one pane of glass and shoot through, as he would have done or better still, a keyhole shot from behind a second wall.

  “Behind you, Mildred.” He called softly, not wanting to startle the woman as he moved up beside her. Ducking down behind the wall, he switched off the cammo.

  “What do we have?”

  “Not sure. At least one female guarding the horses.”

  “Yeah, and a second shooter behind that open window.”

  “Shit!” Mildred muttered. “I should have seen that.”

  “Not to worry.” He said, gripping her shoulder. Mildred patted his gloved hand. “Let’s try talking first and see where that goes.”

  “Better you than me, Wolfman.”

  “Hello the house! Can we talk?”

  “Nothing to talk about if you’re here to steal my horses.”

  “We could make it worth your while.”

  “You don’t have anything I want or need, dickhead.”

  “Not very friendly, are they?” He muttered to Mildred.

  “Probably had a bunch of people coming here to steal them before.”

  “Probably.” Lifting his rifle, Decker held it over his head as he stood. “Just want to talk is all.”

  “Say what you have to say and then get the hell out of here.” Decker set his weapon on top of the wall and walked out with his hands up, pulling the Ghillie netting away from his face as he did.

  “We had a run in with those boys guarding the road block.”

  “Any of them still alive?”

  “Sorry to say, no. Hope none of them were any relation to you.”

  “Glad to see the end of them.” Decker breathed a sigh, glad that none of them were her husband, son, or boyfriend.

  “We are heading up country and we were wondering if we could trade you for the horses.”

  “Like I said, they aren’t for sale or trade.”

  “Charlie and Delta Team in position to take the house, Wolfman.” June Landers whispered in his ear.

  “Hold what you have, June.” Decker walked out into the yard in front of the house, and sat on a snow-covered pile of something. Carefully reaching into his pocket under the ghillie suit, he pulled out a tin of short cigars, and taking one out he held it under his nose for a moment to breathe in the aroma. This was a moment to calm things down rather than escalate them and get people killed unnecessarily. The simple act of just sitting there and calmly smoking might just do that.

  “Wolfman - I have the shooter on the second floor in my sights - it’s a female, and she’s holding a hunting rifle with a big scope. From the angle, I’d say she had a bead on your head. Want me to take her out?” Joann whispered in his ear.

  “No, hold what you have and wait.” Decker whispered back.

  “Spoil sport.”

  “You might want to tell the girl on the second floor to ease off on the trigger a little.” Decker called.

  “What the hell… how did you…”

  “Well, that got her attention, Wolfman - now she’s shifted her aim and is looking for me.” Joann called.

  “Hope you are better hidden than she is.” Joann snorted in his ear.

  “What you think I am, a blooming amateur!”

  “Okay big man. You have my attention.”

  “Just trying to keep this friendly is all. Stand up and say hello girls.” Decker called.

  “Girls!” One by one, fifteen people came out of hiding and pulled back their Ghillie suits, and waved at the house. “I’ll be dammed.”

  “Like I said, we’d like to keep this friendly if possible.”

  “Who the hell are you people?”

  “Just a bunch of girls trying to reach safety is all.”

  “How… how many of you are there?”

  “In all, about sixty of us.”

  “All girls… women?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you just took out those assholes on the road block?”

  “True.”

  “There’s no way you are all military.”

  “Not true. We are now.” Decker felt a sense of pride as he said it. They were no longer just a bunch of frighten women hiding in a bombed out building. They were a fighting force to be reckoned with.

  “So… where are you going?”

  “To a place up north of here to safety.” At least he hoped it was as he answered.

  “So, what are you offering for my horses?”

  “A place with us.” That brought silence.

  “Let us think about it.” The unseen woman called.

  “No problem. Mind if we bed down here for tonight?”

  “No… just don’t try coming in the house is all.”

  “I understand.” Decker switched to the ‘all-hands’ frequency. “Heads up people, we’ll camp here tonight. June - Grace, get the camp set up in the yard and set up the guard rotation.”

  “Ten-four Wolfman.”

  “Make sure everyone knows to keep on their toes tonight. We don’t know how many other ‘tangos’ are out there.” It was needless, but he said it anyway.

  They all knew as well as he did the importance of protecting the Pack at night. After a few girls were caught sleeping on guard duty the first few weeks, no one wanted to be put on latrine duty, and have to dig the holes. The snowmobiles made such a racket driving into the yard it upset the horses. This brought an older woman running from the house to calm them down, after that she stood there with an astonished look on her face as the girls set up camp. Walking between the busy teams, she came over to where Decker was still sat, and eyed the two dogs sitting next to him warily.

  “You told the truth. They are all women… so what happened to all the men?” Decker shrugged, scratching Max and Goldie behind the ears to keep them calm. Max let out a low growl as the woman approached.

  “All dead one way or another, but I could ask you the same question.”

  “M… my husband and son went off one day just after all this started and never came back.” She answered, her lips squeezing together as if to stop herself crying. Decker nodded.

  “Same with all the girls here, one way, or another. My name is Decker, John Decker.” He said, holding his hand out.

  “I take it you’re in charge.” She answered, shaking hands. “My name is Clara Brunner.” She pointedly didn’t offer the names of the other girls in the house, and Decker didn’t press the matter.

  “I like to think so, but the girls might disagree with me about me being in charge.” He gave her a slight smile.

  “So, what’s the deal, and just what the hell is going on?” Decker pursed his lips for a moment, considering her question.

  “What have you been told about what’s going on?”

  “Lots of rumors flying about. With no TV, radio or telephone it's anyone's guess. We’ve been invaded by the Russians or the Chinese. And I hea
rd someone say we’ve been invaded by little green men from Mars, or some sort of crap like that.” Decker laughed.

  “Well, that’s not far from the truth. We have been invaded by ET’s, but where they are from I have no idea.”

  “You’re shitting me!”

  “No, they dropped EMP plasma bombs on us and took out all our long range comm systems, after which they bombed and shot the shit out of anything and everything military.”

  “And then?”

  “That’s the question. I think they are waiting until we have all gathered in places like towns and small cities before they start the next step of their invasion plan.”

  “I don’t get you, why small cities?”

  “Because they left them pretty much intact. The big cities are a mess after they drop large rocks on them. After that, you have millions of people all scrambling and fighting for food and survival as civilization broke down. Add to that the sickness and disease, dwindling resources, gang warfare, and with winter coming on you can imagine the results.” By the look on her face, she could. “Once spring comes they’ll start then next phase of their conquest.”

  “And that is?”

  “Wiping out the human-race.” He said softly. Clara Brunner’s face hardened, before she nodded in understanding. Decker’s lips twitched in a faint smile and his respect for the older woman went up. She didn’t break down and start weeping or carrying on, just accepted the news and thought about her next step.