War Zone: Homefront

by Thomas A. Watson

  Taking a sip of coffee, “Anyway,” Tim continued. “We already had all the primary stuff loaded. Aiden and I had taken all the horses up the day before. Thankfully, our truck was in your garage, and Sherry and I decided to go ahead and load up. I know you wanted us to wait, but Sherry and I agreed, you had too much shit at your house we needed.”

  “Guys, I wanted you safe, not the stuff,” Nathan said with an irritated tone, looking down at Emma sleeping on his shoulder.

  “We know, but when we got up here none of the guys were here, so we unloaded the trailers and went back to the house. When we got to the house, I left Sherry and Nolan there and headed over to Bill’s. Let me tell you, he was ready to beat the kids for leaving the ATVs outside the shed, since it was hardened like your house, but both four-wheelers were dead. We loaded them up anyway and I think we can get them running again, but there’s been too much going on here. As of right now, only your ATVs and carts, along with Aiden’s are working. So far, only your vehicles and my truck are working, but Bill is sure he’ll have his Bronco running this week,” Tim said, taking a deep breath.

  “How did the guys get their kids home from school?” Nathan asked, taking another sip of coffee.

  “They had to go and get them,” Tim answered. “It was midnight when I brought everyone back here. Bill wanted to use your truck, but I told him over my dead body, and let him use the farm truck.”

  “Billy boy knows better than to ask to use my truck,” Nathan scoffed.

  Tapping Nathan on his belly with her foot, “The truck your mom and dad bought you?” Jasmine asked.

  “Yeah,” Nathan nodded, and waved his hand over at Tim and Sherry. “They are the only ones besides me who get to drive my graduation Blazer.”

  “I let Sherry drive it up here with Nolan after we loaded up. But with my truck, the farm truck, and your Blazer, we had more than enough room,” Tim said, then sighed. “When we got here, is when Vince told Bill about the compound’s tractor. Ephraim was using it down in the valley, since his was broken.”

  “Ephraim’s done a lot for us, so that’s just bad luck. I hope nobody got mad at Vince,” Nathan said.

  Sherry gave a grunt. “You know Anita did.”

  Trying to put faces with names, Jasmine held up her hand. “Okay, Vince is the guy with the silver hair, right?” Jasmine asked.

  “Yeah, he’s a doctor and was voted chief of the compound at the last meeting,” Nathan told her, then looked over at Tim and Sherry. “Were Floyd and Anita there when we got here last night? I didn’t remember seeing them.”

  Nodding with a lopsided grin, “Oh, yeah. Anita was some kind of pissed,” Sherry snorted. “She’s been trying to say because you weren’t here, all your supplies became compound assets.”

  Holding his hands up, “Hold on, Sherry. Let me get Nathan caught up before you unleash on the slut,” Tim said quickly.

  “She wishes she was a slut,” Sherry scoffed. “Nobody wants her nasty ass.”

  “Will you please point her out?” Jasmine asked with a malevolent smile, and Sherry nodded.

  “Anyway,” Tim sighed, rolling his eyes but feeling no remorse for Anita. “We carried the empty trailers back to your house and loaded up your tractor, after making sure it worked, then everything else from the house and barn. Including both shipping containers, it took us two more trips. The only place we didn’t empty was the storage area in the barn. Bill wanted to, but you always said that cache was our last backup.”

  Nodding in agreement, “Tim, you were able to get the shipping containers here?” Nathan asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah, but had to have the five ton pull them up the mountain to the compound,” Tim chuckled. “I didn’t want to risk hurting the farm truck, it’s only a two ton. But by day three of the event, we had everything from everyone’s homes that we needed. Then we started the protocols here.”

  “Anyone not make it?” Nathan asked, dropping his hand to Jasmine’s legs and rubbing them.

  “Yeah, Jeremey and Vicki,” Tim sighed. “They were in Belize. Vince talked to them the day before the event. They weren’t due to fly out for seven days.”

  Shaking his head, “Damn, that sucks,” Nathan sighed. “So, any from Jeremey’s group show up?”

  “Nope,” Tim said with despair.

  “So, we are down three fighters and six trigger pullers right off the bat,” Nathan moaned as Tim glanced at Sherry winking, then cut his eyes over to Nathan caressing Jasmine’s legs.

  “You making it back home more than makes up for that,” Sherry laughed, nodding at Tim.

  Looking off as he caressed Jasmine’s legs, “I don’t see Jeremey and Vicki making it home, guys,” Nathan sighed. “I know we killed over a hundred easy. I was starting to get worried about ammo. And from what we’ve heard, Mexico is a hundred times worse. So unless they got on a boat, they’re screwed.”

  “Yeah, we’ve heard some bad stuff from Mexico,” Sherry said, getting up. “Two weeks ago, they were reporting massive body burns.”

  “So, any problems around here?” Nathan asked as Sherry headed to the kitchen.

  “Nothing close to us, but Coeur d’Alene’s had some trouble. Food ran out there a month ago. There was a detachment of UN troops there and everyone attacked them,” Tim said. “Missoula is basically gone. They welcomed in the UN troops and everyone in Montana got pissed off about that. From what we’ve heard, three quarters of the city has been destroyed. To our west, Spokane is a war zone. We’re dealing with mostly Chinese troops here, but two weeks ago, we started hearing about troops from Indonesia landing.”

  Laughing quietly, “Yeah, we heard they tried to send Chinese troops down into Utah, but everybody and their mother took shots at them,” Nathan said.

  “Not just there. Snipers are taking out UN troops and loyal military troops by the truckload. From what we heard on the radio, it’s like people are at the county fair expecting prizes for how many UN troops they knock down,” Tim added as Sherry came back with another cup of coffee. “Reports from overseas are the Chinese aren’t sending more troops because of massive riots at home, and they tried to invade Japan.”

  Turning to Sherry, Nathan smiled. “So I take it, you and Anita had words?”

  “Yeah, she tried to say since you weren’t here, your stuff belonged to the group,” Sherry said, taking a sip of coffee. “Before I could get cranked up on her ass, Vince shut her down and then Lanny unloaded on her.”

  “Lanny is the black man, right?” Jasmine asked, really wishing Amanda was there to keep her up on all the people.

  Patting Jasmine’s leg, “Yes,” Nathan told her. “He’s the pastor and also the treasurer for the group.”

  Glad she’d gotten that right, Jasmine smiled at Nathan. “Sorry, I only worried about remembering your friends,” Jasmine said, then turned to Tim and Sherry. “Most importantly, you two and Nolan.”

  Tim and Sherry both smiled at Jasmine as Nathan set his coffee down. “What are you trying to avoid telling me?” Nathan asked.

  “Hell, I knew he would see it,” Tim groaned, looking away and taking a deep breath. “The, ah, sheriff is staying at your house, with seven deputies and their families.”

  “Excuse me?” Nathan mumbled, cocking his head to the side.

  “Don’t be mad at us. Bill said they could until you came back and gave your decision,” Sherry added quickly. From the looks on Tim and Sherry’s faces, Jasmine could tell they didn’t want Nathan pissed at them. She could remember giving that look to her mom and dad when they asked about her brother.

  Cringing, “Nathan, I’m sorry, but I agreed with Bill on this,” Tim said, and Nathan raised his eyebrows. “We know who’s there, and I would prefer them to squatters we don’t know.”

  “I take it, they thought they would find a house full of stuff and aren’t happy?” Nathan asked, and Jasmine could feel his body tighten up.

  “Yes, and no,” Tim said slowly. “They’re ecstatic about the garden, but disap
pointed about all the stuff being gone.”

  “When did you find them there? And just why the hell are they at my house?”

  “Went to check on the houses and yours was the only one that hadn’t been ransacked. Aiden’s was burned down,” Tim told him. “The sheriff has been ordered detained, along with all deputies. Your house is still registered under your parents, and your legal mailing address is a P.O. Box. You have Bill’s address as your contact.”

  “Yeah, but you know how much shit I’ve ordered and had delivered to the house?” Nathan chuckled. “I guarantee you, the feds know where I reside.”

  “I know. The sheriff said the same thing, but the feds would also know you were in Atlanta, so your house would be vacant,” Tim said, and the smile vanished from Nathan’s face. “The sheriff said when you got home, if you wanted them gone, they would leave. But, Nathan, we have someone protecting the place. Holy shit, you should see what someone did to Bill’s house. It’s going to be cheaper for Bill to just buy a new house. Every wall, commode, sink, and window was broken.”

  “Since you didn’t empty the area in the barn, I take it you haven’t told the sheriff about it?” Nathan asked.

  “Hell, no. He may be my boss part time, but it’s your house,” Tim snapped.

  “Are they in yours and Sherry’s house?”

  “Yeah, two deputies and their families are in the guesthouse,” Tim answered.

  Closing his eyes and giving a long sigh, “Tim, that is yours and Sherry’s house, not the guesthouse. I’m not in the mood to go outside,” Nathan said flatly, and Tim smiled.

  Then like a switch, all expression left Tim’s face. “You’re fighting Sherry this time. She’s not pregnant.”

  “I’ll bite your ankles,” Sherry piped up, laughing.

  Jasmine laughed with them and looked at Sherry. Sherry was five-foot-six and built like the mountain woman she was. Her long, wavy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and Jasmine felt both Sherry and Tim were only a few years older than herself, but made a mental note to ask Amanda.

  All the guys’ wives were pretty, and all were built just like Sherry. Like athletes. At five-foot-four on a good day, Jasmine felt very short, since Sherry was the shortest wife of Nathan’s friends.

  “So, you think it’s worth it?” Nathan asked, looking from one to the other.

  “Nathan,” Sherry said in a low voice. “People are acting insane, just tearing stuff up. I agreed with Tim not to tell the sheriff to pack his shit. I don’t want to see your parents’ home torn apart. We know how much it means to you.”

  Nodding as he smiled at them, “I know you do and if they treat it well, we’ll let them stay,” Nathan said, then shrugged. “You know we can make them leave.”

  “I know, but I hope we don’t have to do that,” Tim groaned.

  “Think Chip will lay down on the couch?” Nathan asked, looking over at Jasmine.

  “Yes, why?” Jasmine asked, grinning.

  “I’m going to work out and wake up the kids,” Nathan said, getting up and putting Emma beside Nolan on the pallet. “I don’t like dealing with all of them alone.”

  “Oh,” Jasmine said disappointedly.

  As she put Chip down, Nathan leaned over. “I’m all for round two, but I want all my attention on you and right now, I can’t,” he whispered, making Jasmine giggle.

  “Let me go trade up on some clothes,” Jasmine said, and Nathan noticed she was wearing his boxers and t-shirt.

  While Jasmine headed to the bedroom, Nathan headed down the hall to wake up the kids. Sherry turned to Tim, shaking her head. “Holy shit, that girl has some knockers,” Sherry gasped.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The old rocking chair squeaked a regular rhythm as Rusty sat drinking his morning coffee, mulling over the events of the last few days. Nathan’s abrupt return, cutting weeks or even months off what the community expected, had been a welcome surprise. Though as a rule, Rusty never liked surprises.

  Russell “Rusty” Bertram was a big believer in having a plan and sticking to it. He also recognized early on in life, he wasn’t the most intellectually gifted of all God’s children. In school, he’d found he’d had to work twice as hard as some of his classmates to make the above-average grades his parents expected, and by the time he’d reached high school, Rusty’s dogged determination and sheer stubbornness had caught the attention of the coaching staff. That, in turn, brought him to the eye of the local Army recruiter who’d talked young Rusty into enrolling in ROTC while in high school.

  As a high school senior, Rusty stood at a somewhat-average five-foot-ten and weighed in at one hundred seventy pounds, soaking wet. While he was quick off the ball, his speed in the forty was nothing to write home about. In short, Rusty didn’t have a prayer to play at a higher level, but in high school, his hard work and willingness to sacrifice his body had given him the opportunity to make varsity as a sophomore, where he’d played tight end and middle linebacker.

  Rusty found he liked the physical nature of the game, but his size and lack of speed also reinforced the idea that football wasn’t his life. So he played, watched the cheerleaders, and enjoyed the experience. He especially found himself watching Elizabeth Hardigan, a tall, slender girl in his class who impressed Rusty not just with her high kicks and long legs, but also with her intellect.

  A recent transfer to their school when her father’s job had brought them to Rolla, Elizabeth had rolled into school her junior year like a minor celebrity. For all her good looks and trendy clothes, Rusty quickly discovered Elizabeth was also taking all the advanced classes their small rural school in Missouri had to offer. Rusty took many of these same advanced classes, but Libby, as she preferred to be called, made it look easy where Rusty sweated out each semester as he fought to just maintain a ‘B’ average.

  Even back then, Rusty had made plans, and as he’d gotten to know the new girl, he’d realized he had no chance with the talented and outgoing Libby Hardigan. Clearly, she was way out of his league. Except, of course, no one had told Libby that. So, truth was, sometimes Rusty did like surprises after all.

  Walking out onto the porch, Libby saw the look on Rusty’s face. “What are you thinking about so hard, man-o-mine?”

  Libby knew him and his quirks by now. Twenty-two years married and two kids later, she should. To Rusty, the years seemed to have left Libby untouched, and at forty-two, she still fit in her wedding gown. And that darned cheerleading outfit, when he could persuade her to wear it.

  “Just pondering if the return of our resident wild-child is a good enough excuse to break out the pom-poms tonight,” Rusty quipped, and he saw the familiar pink blush creep across his wife’s lovely face.

  “Honey,” she hissed playfully, “not where the boys might overhear.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Rusty responded, still feeling the thrill of teasing his wife. “I got you. Still, who’d have thought it? Nathan, the eternal bachelor, showing up and proclaiming all those children as his? And attached to a pretty girl, young enough to be…”

  “A pretty girl? Is that all you see, you old coot?” Libby fired back. “Just how pretty is she?”

  “Please,” Rusty said, holding up a placating hand. “Like I can even handle what I got here at home? And I was talking about Nathan. When did Nathan ever not have a pretty girl following around after him? Some of them, like that Patrice, were world-class beauties, and there’s Nathan, just about oblivious to them all.”

  “You’re right about Nathan,” Libby conceded. “But that Jasmine is something else. She’s not like any of those airheads Nathan usually ends up with. Even with those amazing boobs of hers. The whole time you men were gabbing, I was watching her. Her eyes never stopped moving, watching for threats and memorizing her surroundings. She has a brain.” Libby almost cheered the last.

  “Really?” Rusty asked, and he wanted to kick himself for not being more observant. Well, he remembered trying not to observe those bodacious breasts on the young lady, so ma
ybe he should cut himself some slack.

  “And that little one, Amanda? She was the same. Did you know she already knew everybody’s name before she even got here? Memorized who was who from the pictures Nathan had on his iPad. And she’s just thirteen.”

  “And an orphan,” Rusty added, his thoughts going back to some of the things Nathan had revealed. “Just like all those kids. Four of them, they had to watch when their Momma was murdered right in front of them.”

  “That’s terrible!” Libby cried out, her hands going to her lips as she spoke. “I didn’t hear Nathan say anything about that. Does he need us to take in some of them?”

  Rusty shook his head before he replied. “Nope. You heard them. Nathan and Jasmine. They’re all planning to stay with Nathan. Might be a tight fit with Tim and Sherry already there, but since his place is bigger than all the posse put together, there’s no way Nathan’s letting them get split up.”

  “I’m so glad they made it back, honey,” Libby nearly whispered. “It was torture watching Tim and Sherry fret over Nathan like they were, and I swear, even little Nolan seemed to understand something was wrong.”

  “Me, too. On top of everything else, I have some selfish reasons as well. With that trash floating out of Coeur d’Alene, having another two or three solid fighters backing us is all for the better,” Rusty admitted.

  “What? Who are you counting besides Nathan?” Libby demanded. “Not any of those children, Russell. Oh, you mean Jasmine, for one.”

  “Yes, Jasmine. Nathan won’t want her on the front lines, of course, but she can stand watch and fill a defensive position. And that John is hardly a child, honey. He might still be a little green, but you could see the way he carries himself,” Rusty said, cutting his eyes over to his wife before he continued.

  “Well, you might have to watch some of the kids too, or they’ll be gearing up the first time Nathan goes out on patrol. Again, that Amanda will be first in line. She was with him first, you know? Amanda followed Nathan all the way from Georgia, and he taught her to fight and survive the whole way.”