Vigilante (Book 2): Into the Fray

by Cliff Deane

  Everyone liked this plan and approved it without further discussion. Details were sent out to retrieve five of these huge earth movers.

  *

  1 October 1500

  Check Point Charlie

  West of the Bunker

  Wrapped in a silver thermal blanket Simon slept, but fitfully, as he waited for other members of his battalion to arrive. A massive depression began to creep into his mind and soul as the realization that he was the sole survivor of the breakout bored its way into his very being.

  Anger and a white-hot rage that demanded vengeance became the focal point of his life.

  He had earlier dug up one of the aluminum cylinders which held survival gear. His first needs being food, and protection from the elements. For an additional weapon, he chose a silenced and scoped M4A1 rifle.

  Check Point Charlie was five miles from the Bunker, in one of the first aid stations alongside a ski slope.

  Simon knew that he should head south and west to meet up with Colonel Steiner, but the overwhelming desire to wreak vengeance on the commander of the gray soldiers made any other move impossible. He would kill the commander and then make his way to Arizona.

  On 2 October Simon spent the day zeroing his M4 to a distance of three hundred yards. By day’s end, he could successfully place a bullet to the head at his designated range of three hundred yards. He spent the evening cleaning his weapons and refining his plan of attack.

  On 3 October he would make his way back to the Bunker Complex.

  *

  2 October

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  ROA Occupation Zone

  Kate needed something to occupy her time, and decided to put the tracking classes she had only recently taken to some use. She looked at the exit door which had seen such horror just the day before and decided to see if she could find any evidence that someone may have escaped the area and made their escape into the woods.

  She donned her armored vest, load bearing equipment (LBE), and carried her much lighter scoped M4A1 rifle, which was far better suited to the confines of a densely forested area.

  As she made her way around the western side of the Bunker, she could see a narrow path through the waist high weeds

  Realizing that someone had escaped, Kate quickly made her way back to the FTOC in an attempt to find Levi. Her dad was not there, but the Sergeant Major smiled at her and asked if he might help her with something.

  She told him about the trail leading into the woods and asked if he would pass this information on to Levi.

  The close relationship the Sgt Major had with Colonel Levins had also manifested itself onto Kate, as he could see the way she and Levi were both saved by their near instantaneous Father/Daughter relationship.

  He told Kate, “Not only will I pass the word on to your dad, but I’ll also send out a patrol to see where it leads. Good job, Katie, thanks.”

  Kate could also see the deep affection between her dad and his Sgt Major, Bradley Cobb, and she had begun to call him Uncle Brad.

  It took Uncle Brad about three seconds to accept this honor and took the title to heart. In fact, when she asked if it was all right to call him Uncle Brad, the tough old soldier had to fight back the tears that fought to blur his vision.

  Katie might come across as cautious and standoffish at a first meeting, but the loyalty and love she had for Levi proved to be infectious to everyone who knew her.

  Katie kissed her Uncle Brad on his cheek, and as she left the FTOC, she heard the Sgt Major say, “Jonesy, get with the Reaction Force NCOIC and let’s generate a patrol to follow that path.”

  Sergeant Jones chuckled and said, “Sure thing Uncle…”

  The Sgt Major cut him off in midsentence with, “Finish that sentence, and we’ll be calling you Private Jones.”

  Sgt Jones apologized while trying to hide his own infectious smile saying, “Sorry Boss, I was only kiddin’.”

  “I know, Jonesy, but let’s not cross that particular line. You feel me?”

  And with that, Sgt Jones assured his Sgt Major that he did, in fact, ‘feel’ him as he scooted from the FTOC and headed for the Reaction Force tent.

  As he returned to the FTOC, he could smell fresh muffins. He decided to get back on his Sgt Major’s good side by taking him a muffin; he might even grab one for himself.

  Bradley Cobb; respected and feared by most everyone in the 1st Cav to the rank of Captain. Majors and above just held him in greatest admiration. Bradley Cobb judiciously wielded a lot of power in ‘his’ 1st Cav.

  Kate meanwhile decided to set up her own little sniper’s nest with a good view of the narrow path. She found her spot on a small wooded knoll about four hundred yards south of the trail.

  One of the sharpshooter classes that she took back in Defiance centered around making a garment called a Ghillie Suit. The course wasn’t required, and only offered to those who were true sniper material; Kate was…”

  Her suit was made from burlap and provided not only near absolute safety from visual detection, but also proved to be warm on these cooler fall nights.

  Returning to her Uncle Brad, she showed him exactly where her nest was located and volunteered for OP duty.

  He agreed and was assured that she had an I-R scope mounted on the Picatinny Rail of her M4. After her departure, Uncle Brad made sure that her position was well covered by a nearby Observation Post.

  Kate’s presence did not require any additional personnel as her choice of positions was tactically ideal and nearly merged with a scheduled posting. The biggest concern for the OP was that her Ghillie Suit made her invisible.

  When Levi returned to the FTOC, the Sgt Major informed him of the recent events and Kate’s OP position.

  Levi, understanding Kate’s desire to help, coupled with her abilities, not to mention her cussedness, reluctantly agreed with the plan.

  ***

  Chapter 14

  Shut the Rat Trap

  2 October 1530

  ROA, FTOC

  White Sulphur Springs, WV

  Outside the Greenbrier Hotel, the EOD Team made final checks of the twenty, twenty-five pound shaped charges evenly spaced around the base of the hotel. The charges were directed inward and wired to all explode simultaneously.

  The fireworks were planned for 1600 hours.

  “Hey, Ronnie, do you think this building will fall straight down like in the movies, or more like the fails on YouTube?”

  Ronnie said, “Beats the hell out of me, but I don’t see why it won’t come straight down.”

  At 1550 hours everyone was under cover as the plunger wires were connected.

  At 1600 Ronnie shouted, “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” He waited for one second and depressed the plunger. The charges went off as predicted and the once beautiful Greenbrier Hotel dropped nearly straight down, sealing the inner door to the Bunker.

  Major Smith trotted over to Ronnie and said, “Wow; that was spectacular! I just wish we had a video of it. I could watch that over and over again. Great job.”

  *

  2 October 1600

  Inside the Bunker

  White Sulphur Springs, WV

  A loud and somewhat extended sound of an explosion, like thunder clapping sound directly overhead, reverberated through the Bunker, followed by the sound of the hotel landing on top of the Bunker near the inner door.

  Lt. Colonel Bart Mathers jerked at the unexpected sound. He called for his Sgt. Major to learn if he knew what the hell had just happened.

  “No sir, I don’t know what it was, but it appears to have been centered over the inner door. Maybe they are trying to blow the door.”

  *

  2 October

  Simon Titlow

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  Simon carrying his canvas Ghillie Suit stuffed into a backpack, along with seven extra magazines of 7.62X51 NATO Ball ammunition and three magazines for his 9 mm Beretta sidearm, began his trek back toward the Bunker.

  H
is plan was to slip into a well-sited sniper’s nest and wait until he could identify the Commander of these solid gray-uniformed soldiers. Once he was able to identify the Commander, Simon would take the kill shot, and then slip away in the confusion that he knew would follow. He would then make his way to Arizona where he intended to pay a similar visit to Colonel Rolf Steiner.

  *

  2 October 1700

  Outside the Bunker

  The day had gone well for the 1st Squadron, 1st ROA Cavalry Regiment.

  The twenty-five-ton blast doors of the Bunker; now sealed with acetylene welds and A D12 Caterpillar Bulldozer with the wiring removed and the engine riddled with 30 mm holes now rested securely against each door. A small trench designed to capture the tread, wedging the vehicle in place was dug and concreted in place. Minefields arced around each exit complete with signs facing outward warning anyone approaching the Bunker of the explosive dangers.

  The Command Team inspected the day’s work, and they were very satisfied that no one would ever leave this crypt for the next thousand years.

  Sgt Major Cobb somberly commented that the Rats were secured in their own trap.

  Levi added, “Yes, and they may live quite comfortably for many years before running out of food, or sanity.”

  *

  2 October

  Simon Titlow

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  Simon Titlow was at his best in deep jungle or thick forest. At roughly one mile from Check Point Charlie, he felt an enemy presence before he saw them by the reaction of the forest dwellers. Looking to the east, he saw birds flying into the air giving away the approach vector. He also heard squirrels barking at intruders into their territory.

  Donning his Ghillie Suit, he selected a well protected defensive position, then lay down to await whoever was approaching.

  The trail had gone cold once the patrol entered the heavy forest. Here, there were no tall weeds to be trampled. The Patrol Leader Sgt Frazer decided to continue on the same general compass heading. They had now traveled almost four miles from the Bunker.

  The patrol consisted of one Sergeant and three Privates, but none of them had any combat experience. Their noise discipline did not match the training they had received because the Sergeant Frazer did not enforce it. Two of the Privates carried their weapons, across their shoulders as if they were on a turkey hunt.

  Simon, on the other hand, had a wealth of experience in many combat environments.

  Just as the patrol entered Simon’s assured kill zone, the Patrol Leader ordered a halt for lunch. As the ROA troopers began to prepare to warm their MREs, they leaned their rifles against a nearby tree.

  If Simon did not have a strong belief in maintaining noise discipline, he would have laughed at these babes in the woods. He caught himself just before he chuckled at his unintentional pun.

  Simon held his fire until the soldiers finished their meal. At this point, all were full, tired and sleepy. The Sgt finally gave the order to saddle up. Once each man was standing, and in a tight grouping, Simon opened fire. He loosed four rounds and killed four ROA Troopers in only a very short span of time.

  He slowly rose to his feet and made his way to the bodies of these sad excuses for soldiers, where he searched each man for information. He found nothing but driver’s licenses and credit cards.

  This time he did laugh out loud as he said to himself, “Now there are two items one should never leave home without in a Post-Apocalyptic world.”

  He took one last look at his targets before once again moving toward the Bunker and his mission.

  *

  2 October

  Kate Levins

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  The warmth of the Ghillie Suit and the thick bed of pine needles made Kate quite sleepy. She reasoned that since it was unlikely that her quarry would make an appearance before nightfall, she decided on a nap in the mid-afternoon sun.

  She slept for three hours before waking refreshed and fully alert. Her internal alarm clock was right on time as she awoke precisely at dusk.

  The nearby OP held two troopers, a Corporal and a Private. The Private whispered, “That Kate Levins is amazing. She has held her position for hours without any movement. If we didn’t have I-R, there is no way we could find her.

  I always thought females had to go pee every ten minutes or so, but she hasn’t moved for a very long time.

  Ya’ know Corp, I was thinkin’ that, hell, I’m 17, that’s only four years older than her, and you gotta’ admit that she is really cute. Then again, there is that Darren Murtaugh dude. The word is that he’s made it plain that she will be his girl. He’s very quiet but as big as he is, well, I’d just hate to tangle with him. Ya’ know, I wonder if she knows that she is his girl.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” said the Corporal, she knows, now just shut up while I catch some zees. Wake me in a couple of hours, or if you get too sleepy. If I wake up and you are asleep, I’m going to kick your ass all the way down to the Troop 1st Sergeant. We good?”

  “Yeah, Corp, of course, I ain’t goin’ to sleep. Don’t worry; I got this.”

  “Okay, good man.”

  *

  2 October

  Simon Titlow

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  Simon was approximately one-half mile from the Bunker when he stopped to rest. He would hide his equipment here and slip to his sniper’s nest after dark.

  A silver solar blanket lined his Ghillie suit concealing him from thermal imagery. Anyone searching the area with Infra Red would see nothing larger than a cat, or so he hoped.

  He made himself comfortable under his G. Suit and fell quickly into a soldier’s sleep. Simon slept for seven hours and awoke, feeling refreshed and ready to crawl the last half mile to his nest which would give him a view of the FTOC.

  He was in no hurry and took frequent rests before reaching his nest, some three hours later and exhausted, he took another nap waking with the sun.

  *

  3 October

  OP & Kate Levins

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  The Corporal lightly touched his Private’s arm, and whispered, “Here, take a look at this and tell me what you see.”

  The Private wiped sleep sand from his eyes and peered through the Infra Red Scope.

  “Corp, I don’t see shit…no, wait, yeah there is something down there. It looks to be a cat, or maybe a small raccoon, Nah; it’s got to a cat. We’re too far from a stream for a possum or a coon. Yeah, it’s a cat.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right, go on back to sleep.”

  The Corporal continued to watch the cat until it finally seemed to lay down for some sleep. Still, something tugged at the back of the Corporal’s mind; he just couldn’t put his finger on what was troubling him about that darned cat.

  Kate had also spotted the small figure making its way through the tall grass. The size was right for a cat, but the movements were herky-jerky, not smooth like a hunting cat. Something stirred in the back of her mind, something her dad had recently told her about camouflage, but what was it?

  At 0530 Kate could still see the thermal image of a stationary cat. As the sky continued from the predawn to a rising sun, Kate changed from her I-R Scope to her daylight sniper’s scope.

  Kate turned her scope to where she knew the cat should be but saw nothing. If there was a cat there, it must be the invisible Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s, Through the Looking Glass. She again changed her scope back to thermal, and there was the heat signature of something no bigger than a common house cat.

  She thought for just a moment that what she was seeing was one of the OPs, but she quickly discarded that thought when she remembered how the figure had moved, as though crawling. No, this was no OP, nor was it a cat. This was a Jabberwock…a sniper!

  Kate considered firing at whatever it was but decided to wait until she was sure that she wasn’t just shooting a feral cat. She thought, If I shoot a cat
, they’ll never let me live it down, or let me do anything. So, she sat tight and kept her reticle centered on the cat.

  At 0700 Levi, Scott, Ben, and Gus met at the Mess Hall and immediately went in to sit at the Commander’s table where they had breakfast.

  *

  3 October 0700

  Simon Titlow

  Wooded area west of the Bunker

  Simon saw the meeting of these four men and through his scope could readily read the rank on their collar points. He now knew who his target was, and he waited patiently for Levi to finish his breakfast.

  The four officers came out of the restaurant and stopped to discuss something just a few steps away.

  Simon slowly eased the rifle just two degrees to his left to bring it to bear on the Colonel. He lined the crosshairs of his rifle scope onto the middle of Levi’s face. He took a deep breath, released half of it and began to slowly ease the trigger back with the pad of his forefinger.

  *

  3 October

  Restaurant

  ROA Encampment

  Levi had been absent-mindedly turning a coin over and over across the back of his fingers when he dropped it. He bent over just as a rifle roared and spat out a bullet which passed over Levi’s head, hitting Ben squarely on the right side of his chest, knocking him to the ground.