Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie

by R Kralik

  Several other hostages were recognized as badge carrying participants from two more survivor groups. Chris wants them all back alive.

  Chris and Josie are debriefing the first crew that went out this morning. They've been locked in the radio building for an hour. I wish they'd hurry up so I can drill Josie with questions. I have no idea if she'll answer any of them, but it's worth a shot.

  The teenagers came in for lunch, scarfed down pinto beans and rice, and headed back to Soo's house. They all say they're really enjoying the lessons from Shawna and Lisa.

  Jesse and Jeremy are out for hay. I noticed that the trailers are filling up fast and that's a huge blessing.

  Rona says there’s a dozen more quail in the freezer but she's lost count, so she wants to get in there and recount. I wish we could figure out something very special to feed the soldiers when they bring Mick and Dane back. Maybe Hisa can open more chicken breasts and use powdered cream cheese to make her pesto chicken dish again. I'll ask about it

  Josie told me that Chris has a medic, trained in field combat situations, on the way. That sounds scary, like they’re expecting a big fight. Josie says it's normal procedure and not to worry. That's like telling a fish on land not to jump back into the water. “Worry” has become my middle name.

  I just want Mick back. I fear my heart is turning black.

  I feel sick, and hot, and unsteady. I'm going to the reefer trailer and step inside to see if it helps. Hopefully, I'll hear something from the radio building on my way there.

  See ya later.

  11:00 PM...

  Oh My God. Josie just filled me in on things she probably shouldn't have filled me in on.

  Mick and Dane are being held in a large freight trailer about half-a-mile from the rock quarry.

  The huge rock quarry is full. It's full of HDI's. The recon team suspects there’s over a thousand HDI's in the quarry. Now we know where the town HDI's went.

  The HDI's are pushing up against the cliff and smashing the front lines to mush. Every HDI is trying to get “into” the walls of the rock quarry. More HDI's are arriving by the hour.

  There's mostly limestone and marble found in the quarries around here. What could be drawing the HDI's?

  Chris Knellson has called for cluster bombs to be dropped from the air into the quarry simultaneously with the attack on the fake National Guard camp. He believes the group will be caught off guard by the explosions from the quarry and won't expect a ground attack on their camp. Diversion, anyone?

  I'm not surprised that we still have planes in the air. We haven't seen, or heard, any planes fly over the compound, but I knew they were out there, especially since the well-supplied and efficiently run military unit stopped by for a visit. Colonel Thompson? Pffft, he's just a hood ornament.

  The only problem with planes? After the government uses up all its fuel stock, the planes will disappear unless there's a huge underground city making more. I hope they're using it wisely and not flying lazy diplomats to and fro.

  During the explosions, perimeter guards will be taken out one way or another. The camp will be infiltrated and tear gas will be utilized. Since the hostages are locked in the trailer, the soldiers hope that any effects from the tear gas will be minimal for them. The soldiers will be wearing gas masks and night vision goggles.

  Bad guys who can be put out of action with stun guns and Tasers will be hog-tied and left on the ground to collect later. Bad guys who cannot be taken that way will be shot in the head. No exceptions.

  It'll basically be a shootout, but the soldiers will be wearing all their protective gear. Hopefully, the bad guys, having been caught off guard, have continued their habit, observed by the recon team, of lounging around in t-shirts and camo pants.

  Evacuation of hostages will occur as soon as the top ranking officer feels confident enough to remove them from the trailer.

  During the battle, soldiers near the trailer will yell instructions for everyone inside to get on the ground. Hopefully, they’ll hear and comply.

  They plan to take as many of the bad guys as possible alive, but they have no qualms whatsoever about taking them out if there's no other option available.

  Our compound is the nearest civilian safe zone, according to Chris. The rescued hostages will be brought here for debriefing and evaluation and then, taken back to their own respective compounds or camps if so desired.

  The attack will begin after sunset tomorrow night.

  I'm scared outa my skin that one of those cluster bombs will miss the quarry and land in the camp.

  I'll have to act normal tomorrow, and not let on that I know all of this. I may have to stay in my room under the influence of doctored tea.

  This is it. This is our best chance to get Mick back alive.

  I asked Josie how we'll know when the battle starts. She said “Oh, you'll know. The radio will come to life. Chris will have his nose in the microphone and we might hear the aircraft.”

  I need tea.

  Bye for now.

  Monday, April 14

  Today, I get Mick back. That's the only thing I can think of.

  It was the first thing that popped in my head every time I opened my restless eyes last night.

  I’m gonna go crazy, sitting here all day, waiting for our special folks to leave the compound. I don't know what to feed them or do for them to make them ready for battle. I don't wanna feed them something heavy because I want them fully awake.

  Oh, who am I kidding? I have no idea how to “ready” men for battle. I'm pretty sure they won't build a bonfire, paint their bodies, eat raw meat, and run around beating their chests. Nope, these are modern warriors. They'll be geared up and rarin' to go without my help.

  I could see a difference on Rick and Ian's face and the way they carried themselves at breakfast this morning. They looked distracted, hard, and confident. They ate breakfast faster than I've ever seen before and then, disappeared into the abyss of the big green military vehicles. I wonder if they'll sneak away from here without any of us knowing.

  Chris and Josie are no longer trying to hide their affection for one another. Chris spent the night in Josie's motorhome and they came in for breakfast together this morning. No one said a word about it. Hey, good for Josie. I hope she and Chris can make something happen. I wonder if she's told him about her pregnancy. That's none of my business I suppose. Besides, I'm still ticked off at him about the “grow onions for the gubermint” dealio.

  Marisa and Carisa were both edgy this morning. They know something’s up for today. They probably felt the vibes from my fast beating heart and wide awake brain. I feel like my body is “zinging.” Is that a good word for it? Well, it's the best I can come up with at this point.

  Jason and Isaac are taking Emma on a mission in the opposite direction of the rock quarry. They plan to go back to Emma's little camp and dig up the weapons she took from the men who killed Cleve and changed her world forever. Those weapons will put us well over the top. We'll have enough rifles for every person here and then some.

  Emma and Nana have decided that they are the “Queens of the Kitchen.” At least one of them will be involved in every meal and the rest of us will be on rotation as their “assistants.” That sounds good to me. I'm happy that someone around here enjoys making sure there's enough servings for a large amount of people.

  Oh, how it breaks my heart to remove Isabella from the list. She was a quiet, subdued young lady who liked to spend time by herself. We loved her. She was part of our family. Every member is important, and Isabella was just as important as anyone here. We're all still grieving.

  Work has not stopped around the compound. The hay crew has been busy. The garden crew has been busy. The preserving crew has been busy. Watch duty rotation has continued, and looting has continued.

  There are lots of things I haven't heard about or seen. I suppose my brain has “stepped out for a minute.” I am nothing without Mick. I'm not productive. I don't smile. I barely eat and sleep.
I'm focused on getting him back where he belongs.

  The teenagers will have more martial arts lessons from Shawna and Lisa today. They can't get enough.

  Marisa and the kids plan to help Pop in the garden while Emma's gone and Nana's watching over the kitchen. I'm sure Rebecca will be helping. I don't know if Elaine crawled out of bed or where she is. She may be in Clinic Diane. I have no idea.

  Hisa, Soo, and Merry are living in their house. Merry has her own room and loves it. She constantly invites the other girls to stay over. I think she's proud to have a house and happy to be living with her Mom and Dad again. I know Hisa's happy.

  I can't think of anything else to write about. My mind won't stay focused.

  I'm heading out to see if I can nose around and figure out anything new. See ya later.

  3:00 PM...

  Yep, it's gonna happen. The air is electric. Good looking men are running all over the place and I can't even appreciate them because I want Mick back so bad.

  A “cleanup crew” arrived this afternoon. They'll stay on the compound until they're needed to burn and count HDI bodies in the rock quarry. I'm guessing there’s 50 of them, both men and women, camped behind the trailer fence. They brought along their own food and they're setting up propane grills. Chris asked for permission to use water from the pools and of course, I said yes.

  Kevin is digging the hole for a fast outhouse, which will be enclosed with a small tent for now. My only request was that the outhouse be located on the opposite side of the driveway than the pools. I also want it down the hill farther than the pools. Chris assured me that they have the ability to determine the most optimal and safest areas for “latrine location.”

  I had no idea what to do, so I made up a couple dozen of those little fried apple pies and sent them to the “strike team” after lunch. I wanna make sure those men know that I'm extremely grateful to them. Maybe I'm a doofus.

  I know little pies won't do the job, but it's a start. I had to do something to keep myself from going insane.

  Jason, Emma, and Isaac came in about an hour ago with the weapons Emma had hidden. Jason said she had them folded up inside a tarp like a burrito. The hole they were in was a little wet at the bottom, but the guns were nice and dry.

  They found something scary along the way, and went to the radio building to tell Chris about it before they unloaded the guns.

  Twenty-five miles from here, you can find Sniper's final resting spot. Unfortunately, the two soldiers who were escorting him are there as well.

  Jason noticed a little plume of smoke and guessed it was about a mile away, straight down the two-lane road. He drove another half-mile, hid the Lexus in the trees, and got out. He, Isaac, and Emma went the rest of the way on foot.

  They hid behind trees and brush as they cautiously approached the plume of smoke. It wasn't long before Isaac spotted a military vehicle sitting in a ditch on the side of the road. It looked as though it was partially burned and smoke was slowly billowing upward into the sky.

  All three of them sat back in the trees and watched for quite a while. When they were satisfied that no one else was around, they approached the truck.

  They recognized Sniper in the backseat because of his left foot, which was missing a pinkie toe. The bandage around it was gone. The ashes were probably floating in the air around them.

  Plastic zip ties holding his wrists and ankles together were melted into his body. Isaac turned and vomited behind the vehicle.

  Two people were in the front seat. One of them had dog tags handing from his left hand which was lying over the windowsill of the passenger side. Jason took the tags and went around to the driver side to see if he could locate dog tags on the driver.

  The air smelled like burning flesh and rancid oil. He hoped the interior of the vehicle had been set afire after the occupants were shot in the head.

  He saw the tags around the driver’s neck, but they had sunken deep into his flesh. He tried to reach out and pull them loose but his stomach and brain refused to allow it.

  Emma reached in and pulled the tags from the driver’s body and over his head. Burnt skin and flesh came with them. She removed her little sweater, wrapped both sets of tags inside, and held it close to her chest. “Cleve was in the Army when the boys was little, ya know” she said to Jason.

  She suddenly stood as tall as she could and told Jason and Isaac to follow her back to the Lexus. She would take the tags to Major Knellson when they returned the compound. Jason said he and Isaac followed her like toddlers back to the Lexus. None of them looked back in the direction of the smoking vehicle, coming or going.

  After Jason, Isaac, and Emma left the radio building, Chris Knellson came unglued. I could hear loud cursing and banging along with several things hitting the walls. I was extremely concerned because I knew Josie was in there with him. I knocked on the door and no one answered. I knocked again and gave a three count before I opened the door and went inside.

  Chris was slumped over and sitting in a metal folding chair with his elbows on his knees. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was holding both sets of dog tags in his hands and they were dangling almost to the floor. Tiny bits of flesh and blood was stuck to his fingertips and he was staring at them. Josie was bent over him with her arm around his shoulder and her cheek pressed against the top of his head.

  He looked up and saw me. He stood, dried his eyes, wrapped the tags in a napkin, and placed them in his pocket. He turned to ask if I needed anything. His voice was calm, cool, and collected. I wondered if I'd imagined the entire thing.

  I told him I was just checking to see if Josie needed anything, and if she didn't, I'd leave them to their planning. He and Josie both said they had everything they needed. I left the radio building with the sudden realization that Chris Knellson was human after all.

  I felt uncomfortably satisfied that Sniper got his just reward.

  Time is flying by and I don't know what to do. I'm too anxious and restless to sit here anymore.

  I'm headed out to wander around the house.

  See ya later.

  11:15 PM...

  I have Mick in my bed. Oh my God in heaven. Thank you!

  Can you believe it? He's sound asleep and I'm wide awake and I can't stop looking at him to make sure he's still there.

  I want to touch him constantly. He needs sleep and I need to let him sleep.

  He was filthy when he arrived and I washed him in the big bathtub from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

  He's hungry, but Hisa says he has to take it slow. He's had only a few club crackers from the floor of the trailer, and drank four bottles of water while he was being held captive. Dane's in the same condition except for a lump on his head.

  They have bruises, bumps, and scratches. They're both having a little trouble adjusting their eyes to light and they're both weak, but other than that, they're fine.

  He's so beautiful. Oh Lord, I had forgotten how beautiful he is. Every inch of him is beautiful and every inch of him is in our bed. I feel like I've been put back together. In some way, everyone on the compound feels the same.

  It was dark when he got out of the truck. He could barely stand on his own and needed help walking a few feet up the sidewalk. I couldn't wait on the porch any longer. I ran to him.

  We fell on the ground, holding each other, touching, crying, and thanking God that we were back together. It didn't take long for Carisa and Marisa to join us. We stayed on the ground, wrapped and tangled in each other’s arms and legs, for several minutes.

  One of the soldiers asked if we needed help getting up, but Chris Knellson told him to stand down until we were ready.

  Slowly, without letting go, we climbed to our feet. I had one side of him and Marisa had the other. We made it to the porch and he wanted to sit in the rocking chair. We helped him get settled.

  Elaine wasn't here. She was still in bed. Jesse drove Dane down the path to Marisa's house so he could go to Elaine. We heard her s
cream out with joy while we were sitting on the porch.

  Folks began saying goodnight and heading back to their own little houses and motorhomes. Marisa and Carisa took the kids inside, and members of the strike team left the porch to wait near the truck. They told us to call for them if Mick needed help.

  Mick said that both he and Dane had been examined thoroughly by the doctor while the team “took care of loose ends.” The doctor said they'd be fine after a good scrub and a few days of food and rest.

  Mick didn't wanna go inside, so we used the golf cart to take him around back. He sat on the back porch, grinning from ear to ear, while Emma and Nana heated water and ran back and forth pouring it into the tub. I sat beside him and held on tight. When the tub was full, I helped him get undressed.

  I threw his clothes on the porch and managed to help him into the tub. When he was situated in the warm, clean water I slid the curtain around the tub, threw off my clothes, and climbed in with him. My body wouldn't allow me to stay away. I washed and he talked. We cried and laughed.

  I helped him inside and into bed. I put him in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Carisa brought in a mug of chicken broth and he sipped while he talked.

  Carisa hugged him goodnight with happy tears in her eyes. He held her for several minutes and thanked God aloud for his beautiful child before letting go.

  I can't sleep, so I'll write out what I know. I'll have the whole story tomorrow when Ian and Rick wake up. Mick knows what happened inside the trailer. He doesn't know what happened outside.

  He told me how he and Dane were captured. I know he has more to tell, but he's exhausted both physically and mentally.

  Mick and Dane drove into town and were shocked to see only a few HDI's roaming about.

  They decided to loot a couple of small pharmacies and shops while they could. They parked beside a small mom & pop pharmacy and got out to check the doors. The front door was thick metal and it was locked, so they decided to head around back. The back door was locked as well. Dane decided to shoot out the lock because the brick building had only long, narrow windows that neither he nor Mick could fit through.