by Eric Vall
Tara had heard enough. She shoved her gun into the face of the first guy, bared her teeth, and pulled the trigger. The floor behind him was painted with blood, brain, and bone.
“Come on, please don’t do that to me!” the second guy begged. “I’m not like him okay. I never wanted to be part of any of this. I spoke out several times about how we were treating civilians, and I never once touched a girl who didn’t want me.”
I shook my head, raised my gun, and put a bullet into his heart. The man slumped forward and started to bleed onto the carpet again.
All the color drained from Tara’s face as she looked at me. She looked down at the gun in her hand like it was a snake and quickly set it down on a nearby chair.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I think so,” she whispered as she looked at me with wide eyes. “I just got so damn angry. Did I murder him? I just acted without thinking. Fucking-fuckers-asshole-shithead-cunts. Fuck those guys.”
“You had a good reason to be angry, and I don’t think anyone would blame you for doing what you did. Also, if you hadn’t shot him, I would have.”
“Are you really sure?” she sighed.
“Yes,” I said as I picked up her pistol. “Don’t forget why we are doing this. We had to kill them. There was no other choice. You did good.”
Tara wiped away the tears that had started to form in her eyes and nodded. “You’re right. We’re so close to getting Jenny back.”
“Yeah we are,” I said. “Even with all we know this is going to be dangerous though, and I need to know that you’re going to be able to back me up.”
“I can do it,” she said as she took back her pistol. “I’m sorry I freaked out, but I’m still the girl for the job.”
“Good,” I said with a smile. “Let’s strip all the soldiers of their gear and come up with a plan.” I peeked out a nearby window and frowned. Darkness had started to creep into the orange sky. “Let’s do it fast though, Jenny doesn’t have much time.”
As we headed back towards the back, I looked over my shoulder at Tara. She looked happy enough at the moment, but I was still worried about her. The blonde had crossed a line back in the house that she had never had to before. I knew that her intentions were good and that putting a bullet in that asshole’s head was the right thing to do, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t bother her for a while. All I could do was hope that my words of encouragement had bolstered her enough to keep her steady for the rest of the day.
Taking out this convoy wouldn’t be easy, and I worried that we might not get out of this one unscathed. We didn’t have a choice though, and even if we did pull this off, it seemed we had even bigger things to worry about. The local outpost the National Guard set up would have to be dealt with, and that would probably only piss off the larger force working in Vermont.
I was just glad that I wasn’t alone in all of this, and I hoped taking on the bikers had done enough to prepare my girls for the fight to come.
We collected the gear from all the Guardsmen and ended up with eight M 4A1s, eight M9 pistols, and ten fragmentation grenades. Each of the soldiers also carried three spare magazines for their rifle, and one for their pistol. I also pulled the kevlar off the dead men. I kept one for myself, gave one to Tara, and tossed the rest into the back of the closest truck. These could be invaluable, and would also serve as amazing trade goods with how violent everything seemed to be getting. We’d have to come back for them though as there was no way we could haul all this gear and sneak up on our target.
As we picked the guys clean, I noticed that none of them had a service patch on their uniform. Not a single one of these guys had ever seen any real action. That explained a lot of their amateur behaviour. However, I wasn’t surprised. So far these guys all seemed like the type who’s only real service had been weekend drill every couple weeks.
“So what’s the plan?” Tara asked as we headed back towards the house with an armful of guns.
“Well, we’re outnumbered, so a frontal assault is off the table,” I said.
“So what, sneak up on them and try to take out as many as possible before they realize what’s happening?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, something like that is our best chance,” I said. “No matter what we do it isn’t going to be easy.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we get Jenny back safely,” she said.
“I know, and that’s why we need a solid plan,” I said. “We know where these guys are so getting to them won’t be much of a problem, but we can’t take a vehicle. Not if we want to get close without being noticed.”
“So we hike through the woods then?” Tara asked.
“Seems like our best bet,” I said. “We’ll still need to be careful once we get close. I don’t know how attentive these guys are going to be.”
“I’ll move quietly then,” Tara said with a smirk. “What about once we get there? Is it as simple as finding a good spot and opening up on them?”
“Kind of,” I said. “We want to focus on whoever has the machine gun first, and if you see an officer, make sure you try to take him down.”
“What exactly does an officer look like?” Tara asked.
“Just target anyone telling others what to do,” I said. “That’s a lot easier than trying to read the soldiers' patches in the middle of a firefight.”
“Alright, that seems pretty easy,” Tara said with a nod.
“We’ll want to hit them hard and fast,” I said. “Try to change spots often if you can. That will help you stay safe and also give the impression that there are more of us than there are.”
“What if they pin me down, and I can’t move?” Tara asked.
“Then I’ll do what I can to help you,” I said. “One thing we really need to focus on is landing our shots though. We don’t want to hit Jenny or any of the animals so make sure you don’t go too wild with the shooting.”
“Are you trying to say I’m a bad shot?” Tara asked as she looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“No, but things are going to get hectic,” I said. “Come on, let’s make sure we have the gear we need and head out. We can work out the rest of the details on our trip.”
I pulled six spare magazines from the M4s, tucked them into my pockets, and attached two grenades to my belt. After that I did a quick check of my other equipment. My pistol was clean, loaded, and ready for combat. Dried mud clung to parts of my rifle, and while it had worked earlier, I wished I had a chance to clean it before our next fight. There wasn’t enough time for me to stop and do that now, but I cycled the action several times, made sure there was no dirt in the barrel, and called it good. The thing had been reliable so far so I just had to trust that it would keep going.
Tara traded out her M16 for one of the M4s. It was a lighter and easier to handle option that would fit the magazines she had brought along with her.
“You think we should take some grenades?” the platinum blonde asked.
“You know how to use them?” I asked.
“Just pull the pin and throw, right?” she asked.
“That’s the general idea, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to bring one,” I said. “They can cause a lot of damage, and it’d be too easy to hit Jenny or the animals by accident.”
“Sad,” Tara said as she set down the one she had been holding. “I was kinda hoping I’d get to blow a couple of these bastards up.”
“Another day,” I said. “We’ll have bigger problems that will require bigger weapons.”
“Well, I think that means I’m ready to go,” Tara said. “Got more than enough ammo, and a nice new gun.”
“Same,” I said. “We should be able to follow the driveway through the woods and towards the main road. We’ll just stay in the trees and make sure the driveway is in sight.”
“Lead on then,” Tara said as she nodded to the gravel path.
We slipped into the woods and moved far enough away from the edge that it would be hard to
see us.
I pulled out my map and checked it against where I knew we were. The driveway was only about a half mile long, so I figured we could make the trip in under ten minutes if we ran.
“We’re not far away,” I said. “We’ll run there, see if they are still waiting at the end of the service road, and then take them on.
“What happens to our plan if they’ve moved?” Tara asked.
“Then we’ll run back to the ATVs and chase them down,” I said as I gestured to Tara, and we continued our run through the trees.
The forest felt peaceful and alive as plants and animals enjoyed the warmth after the rain. The sun that streamed through the canopy was warm and I wished that today had taken a different turn. Maybe then I would have been able to enjoy what was around me.
I shook my head, kept my rifle at the ready and focused on the fight ahead. We were up against steep odds, but I couldn’t fail. My heart raced as my mind was filled with dozens of ways this whole plan could fall apart.
I let out a slow breath and forced myself to calm down. My heartbeat slowed as I pushed out the fearful and worried thoughts. They would do nothing but slow me down and cause me to make stupid mistakes. Instead, I focused on bits of my past training. I thought about how to line up an accurate shot, how to move without being heard, and in what order to take out my targets.
“Hey, you okay?” Tara asked.
I nodded and opened my eyes.
“Alright, it just looked like you kinda zoned out there for a moment,” she said. “Was afraid you might run into a tree,” the platinum blonde grinned.
“I was just going over some things in my head,” I assured her.
“You ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I can be,” I said.
“That’s not what I hoped to hear,” she said.
“Sorry, but I’ve made a habit of not lying to you guys, and I’m not going to start now,” I said.
“I appreciate it, but sometimes I really wish you would just lie and tell me everything’s going to be alright,” she laughed.
“I’d rather you know what you’re getting into,” I said. “We have the element of surprise and a whole range of trees to use as cover though. I think our chances are pretty good.”
“You think?” I asked with a frown.
“Nothing’s certain, but you saw how we handled those guys at the farm. There aren’t that many more of them here.”
“Yeah, but we can’t pick these guys off with knives before the shooting starts,” Tara said.
“We don’t know that for sure,” I said. “They might have some sort of perimeter guard. We could try to take them out first like we did with the guys in the barn.”
We both fell silent as we got closer, and soon enough I could make out the trucks and troops through the trees. I could hear the faint sound of laughter and smell cigarette smoke.
I sunk into a crouch and moved slowly through the trees until the convoy was in full view. Then I moved onto my belly and crawled a little closer.
All sixteen soldiers milled about the area but Jenny was nowhere to be seen. Eight of the guys sat around a makeshift table in the middle of the trucks and played a game of cards while they smoked. Four soldiers seemed positioned as guards to watch both sides of the road but no one seemed particularly interested in the surrounding forest. The last of the Guardsmen all stood around the back of one of the trucks. One of the four, a broad shouldered man with a grey flattop haircut, had a lieutenant patch on his uniform.
“That’s their officer,” I whispered to Tara as I pointed him out. “We’ll want to take him down first.”
“Where’s the big gun?” She asked.
“I don’t know yet, but you’ll know it when you see it,” I replied.
We sat there for a few more minutes and just observed the caravan. None of them seemed particularly on edge and the guards even walked off from time to time to chat with one of their friends. The entire thing was sloppy, unprofessional, and easy to exploit.
I turned my attention to the terrain around us. The side of the woods we were on had a small ridge off to my right, an outcropping of rocks a few feet in front of us, and several dense clumps of foliage that would be easy to hide in. There were also a good number of trees that would not be hard to climb, but they didn’t provide nearly as much protection.
The terrain on the other side of the road was even better for an ambush. It was hillier, had several nice sized rocks, and would allow us to get an elevated position to fire from.
“Alright, so here’s the plan,” I whispered. “I’m going to head up towards that ridge.” I pointed to my right. “Once I’m in place, I am going to try to take out the officer.”
“Where am I going to set up?” Tara asked.
“Over there,” I said as I pointed across the road. “These guys are not very attentive, and once I start shooting, they’ll be focused entirely on me. After I start, you take advantage of the chaos and slip across the way. Take position by those rocks over there. Then we can catch these guys in a crossfire that they can’t hide from, and our angles will put the trucks between us so we won’t accidentally shoot each other.”
“I’ll get into position,” Tara said with a nod.
“Good, be safe and aim true,” I replied.
She smiled, gave me a thumbs up, then started to crawl towards a dense patch of brush nearer the edge of the woods.
I turned my attention to the ridge on my right. It would be a slow climb as there was not as much cover leading up to the top. Thankfully once I was there, I could use the rocks and one tree truck to hide myself from view.
I checked the caravan one more time before moving. Not much had changed. The four soldiers still half-heartedly watched the road, and the laughter around the game of cards had grown louder. The officer was done talking with the guys he was with before and now did a circle through the area with his hands behind his back. The last three Guardsmen seemed to be in a defensive position at the back of the same truck I had seen them by earlier. If I had to guess I’d say that was the one Jenny was in. I made a note to be extra careful when firing in that direction.
I wormed my way through the woods and started my slow ascent towards the top of the ridge. The journey was painstakingly slow, but I moved from sparse cover to sparse cover in such a way that it would be almost impossible for anyone below to see me if they happened to glance my way.
By the time I got to the top my arms and legs were a little sore, but I pushed my discomfort aside and set up behind a small selection of basketball sized stones. Then I took a second to let my body relax and force my heart rate down before shifting my rifle into position.
I sat there and patiently waited for the officer to wander into the open and started to line up my first shot.
Then I let out a slow breath and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 11
The Lieutenant’s brain blew out the back of his skull, and the rest of the caravan jumped into action as his body tumbled to the dirt. The men all grabbed their guns, screamed, and took cover. Most of them used the trucks as they scanned the area and tried to find out where the shot had come from, but since I’d only fired a single shot, they didn’t know exactly where I was.
Soon, they’d figure it out.
I moved my sight over to a man who had taken cover with his side to me; it was a less obvious shot than the few assholes who were taking cover with their backs completely exposed, so I reasoned that it would confuse them even more. I took the shoot, and the bullet ripped through his neck and ended him.
“God damnit, where’s that coming from?” one of the soldiers shouted out, and the others screamed as they searched the treelines.
I pulled the trigger again and took down another soldier. He fell to the ground screaming as blood poured out of a couple fresh holes in his arm. With another shot I silenced his screams.
“Shots came from the left side!” a Guardsman screamed as he moved to inspect his dead companion
, but I pulled the trigger on my rifle again, and those were the last words he spoke.
I stayed low and tried to line up a shot, but the remaining soldiers shifted quickly into proper cover and started to return fire. Their shots were still wide, but at least I had their attention, and they were all turned in my general direction.
I saw Tara dart out of her hiding spot and rush across the road a little ways away from the soldiers. Her timing was perfect, and none of our enemies even noticed her slip into the trees on the opposite side. Now I just had to keep them busy while she found a good spot to shoot from.
“Get that MG setup!” I heard one of them shout. “Position it to aim at the left side! You even think you see a muzzle flash you open fire.”
Three guys disappeared inside one of the trucks for a moment and came out with more gear. One of them carried the M249, and the other two, a tall lanky guy with buzzed blonde hair, and a stern looking guy with a face tattoo, carried olive green ammo cans.
Several other soldiers started to pull wooden crates from a couple of trucks and set up a small barricade for them to place the machine gun behind.
The man with the machine gun was doing a quick check of the weapon as I lined up my shot.
I let out a slow breath and pulled the trigger.
The gunner screamed and fell forward onto the crates as blood streamed from his shoulder.
The gun clattered to the ground, but was scooped up by another soldier. He went to set it up on top of the crates but I took him down with a well-placed shot to the head.
“God damnit, he’s up on the ridge, pin him down!” one of the guys yelled.
All the soldiers popped out of their chosen cover and started to pour fire in my direction.
I ducked down and gritted my teeth as I heard shots fly over me.
Someone must have picked up the machine gun because I heard it roar to life and spray the hillside and forest around me with constant gunfire.
I pressed my face into the cold stone as leaves, bark, and dirt rained down around me.
