THE TOCABAGA CHRONICLES: (BOX SET PART III - BOOKS #9-10)

by Thomas H. Ward

  “I’m at home.” he replied.

  “Did Rick talk to you?”

  “No, I haven’t seen Rick. Isn’t he with you?”

  That’s why I never like anyone to travel alone. Murphy’s Law states: ‘anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’

  “Rick left here over an hour ago. Get the Hummer and come to Gulfport. We’re at 58th Street and 11th Avenue. Hurry up.”

  “Roger that. I’ll bring Mike along.” I hung up.

  I called Rick’s phone but there was no answer. I tried the radio but there was no reply.

  I told Tony, “Something has happened to Rick.” Then I raised my M4 and looked through the FLIR scope. I saw the heat signatures of eight people lurking in the woods.

  “Tony, there’s eight people back there, about 50 yards away.”

  Tony looked through his scope. “I see them. What do you wanna do?”

  Then I remembered. “Stay here with Adolf while I check out the front door.”

  Tony replied, “Ok, be careful.”

  Dashing to the front door I quickly surveyed the situation. There were five men across the street with guns. I needed to kill these guys before they could get any closer. Hiding in the shadows of the doorway, I saw two men on my left. There were two more men standing behind an old car across the street. I had a shot at their chest or heads. One man was in the front of the car.

  I figured if I shoot the two behind the car first then I can pick off the guy in the front. After that I’ll nail the other two before they run for cover. The distance was only about 100 feet. I had to shoot fast and couldn’t miss.

  I flicked off my safety and took careful aim at the man nearest the driver’s door. I aimed at center mass hoping for a heart shot. I was lucky to have my silencer on which reduced noise and muzzle flash.

  Looking through the scope I took a breath and slowly let it out. Then I squeezed the trigger. I fired two shots at each man. I quickly moved from man to man shooting all three before they knew what happened. They all went down.

  The two guys on my left looked around trying to see where the shots came from. They dropped to the ground. These dopes didn’t even try to run behind the car for cover. The dorks had no idea where I was. They started to crawl away, but didn’t get too far. I placed one shot in each of their heads, blowing them apart like a watermelon.

  Carefully moving out the door I checked around for any more Free Roamers. There weren’t any so I went up to each man and shot them in the head to make sure they wouldn’t wake up. I was very careful not to come in contact with their bodies or blood.

  Looking at them I wondered who they were and where they came from. Were they part of the horde? Do they have Ebola?

  I got on the radio to Tony. “I just killed five Roamers who were sneaking up on us. What’s going on back there?”

  “So far, nothing.”

  “I’m gonna stay here and watch the front.”

  “Ok. Adolf and I are fine.”

  The sun had just set when it started to rain. I could tell a front was moving in because the wind kicked up out of the northwest. Clouds were blocking the moonlight. The weather turned into a miserable mess.

  Maybe the rain would force the people in the woods to leave and seek shelter. I heard a vehicle coming. It was Tommy and Mike. Now we had some man power.

  Tommy drove his truck up and parked next to the front porch. I filled him in on the details of what was going down. He saw the five dead guys and said, “I see you already took care of a few.”

  I asked, “Did you see Rick?”

  “No, we didn’t see him. I got some more bad news … we saw the horde.”

  “Where at?”

  “They were on 34th Street north of here. It looked like they stopped for the night.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “I don’t know, they were too far away to see anything.”

  “So you came here using 34th Street. Rick must have used Gulf Boulevard to go back to Tocabaga.”

  “Yeah, that’s why we didn’t see him,” Mike said.

  “We need to find Rick. First let’s eliminate the guys in the woods behind the house. Maybe they’re part of the horde.” I said.

  “Ok, what do you want us do?” Tommy asked.

  “Move the Hummer up to the chain link fence and see if you can get a bead on them with the fifty. When they hear that gun, they’ll start running. Maybe we’ll kill a few in the process.”

  “Alright let’s do this,” Mike replied.

  “Don’t shoot until I tell you. I’m going to the back yard for a better view.”

  I moved to the back porch as Tommy drove the truck up to the fence. I spoke in German as I approached Tony and Adolf. “Good Dog, Adolf.” He looked at me and wagged his tail.

  “Tony, they still there?”

  “Yep. They’re just standing there waiting for something.”

  I told Tony the plan was to terminate the threat using the fifty and then move out to find Rick.

  Tony asked, “What about the dogs?”

  “We’ll have to bring them along.”

  “Great, I’ll take care of them.”

  Tommy who was 50 feet away said, “We see them. Should we open up?”

  “Go ahead,” I advised.

  Mike opened fire and we could feel the blasts vibrating through the air. I watched using the FLIR scope and saw four of them fall after 50 rounds. The others made a run for it.

  Adolf and the other dogs were barking like crazy. I knew the loud bangs from the fifty caliber hurt their ears.

  The threat was neutralized. I said, “Let’s move out.”

  We let the dogs out and they followed us. Tommy and Mike were sitting in the truck when I brought the dogs up. I introduced them to the animals before we climbed inside. It was important they at least knew the dogs’ names.

  I was crammed in the back with the four Shepherds. They just sat there as I spoke to them using what German I knew. Tommy was driving and Mike sat in the gun turret. Tony was riding shotgun. We were speeding down 22nd Avenue heading for Gulf Boulevard which runs the length of St. Pete Beach. We reached the beach but didn’t see any sign of Rick.

  As we slowly proceeded down the street we spotted a group of people near the old Tower Hotel. It was the same hotel that the BOKO KANG gang occupied at one time. The Chinese Army attacked the gang here not long ago.

  Tommy stopped behind some shrubs 100 yards away from them. “What do you wanna do?” he asked.

  I could hardly hear him as the rain beat down on the roof of the truck.

  We all looked intently at the group of about twenty people. I said, “That might be KANG gang.”

  Tony said, “Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe they captured Rick.”

  “Look over there on the right side of the street, by the corner of the building. It’s our Hummer,” Mike commented.

  I dismounted for a better view. Using my night vision binoculars I spied the truck. I stared into the crowd and observed that most had a weapon of some kind. They seemed to be searching for something.

  They still hadn’t spotted us. It was dark and the rain was pouring down. The group moved off the street seeking shelter inside the hotel. The hotel main lobby was a good 200 feet from the road. I didn’t see anyone standing guard.

  “That’s our truck alright, but where’s Rick?” I asked.

  Tommy said, “We can’t let these guys keep our Hummer. We need to get that truck first and then find Rick. Jack, you dismount and sneak up on the west side of the street. If anyone comes out the front door take them out. We’ll drive up to the Hummer and Tony will grab it. Then I’ll you pick up.”

  I interrupted, “What about Rick?”

  “Let me finish. Once we got the truck we’ll come back and find him.”

  I didn’t like that idea but we had no choice.

  “Ok.” I opened the back door and ordered Adolf out. He eagerly jumped out into the pouring rain. I told him to heel. I figured the
dog could see things and hear things I couldn’t. He could be a big help if I got into a bind.

  The Shepherd stuck close by my side as we moved to the edge of the street. We had to cover 100 yards. Jogging in a slow trot, I reached a point that offered me a good view of the front door. I was undercover behind some large bushes. The wolf dog was sitting by my side. The rain was starting to subside.

  Suddenly Adolf was restless. He got up and started to walk away. I ordered him to stay, but he just turned and looked at me, as if to say follow me. Adolf smelled the ground as he slowly moved toward a clump of over-grown bushes.

  I raised my M4 and flicked off the safety. Adolf stuck his head into the bushes and I could see his tail wagging. I thought, what the hell? I pushed aside some limbs and bent down staring into the bushes to see what was there.

  Rick looked up at me. “What the hell took you so long?”

  “Holy crap! You’re alive.” I stuck out my hand to help him up. He grabbed it and I pulled him up.

  Rick said, “I can’t walk. I think my ankle’s broken.”

  I got on the radio. “Tommy, bring the Hummer up here; I found Rick. He can’t walk.”

  The truck raced up and Tony jumped out to help me put Rick in the vehicle. Adolf and I jumped inside next to Rick. Tony ran to get the other Humvee about 100 feet away.

  We had no sooner jumped in and started the motor when rounds pinged off the bullet proof skin. Mike followed the incoming tracer rounds to the source and opened up on the location with the 50 caliber.

  As both trucks sped away a group of men came running out of the hotel firing at us. It was too late because we were out of range. Heading home felt great. We were lucky, very lucky, or maybe it wasn’t luck at all thanks to Adolf.

  Riding home Adolf was licking Rick’s face. Thank God we brought the dogs along. It seemed amazing that the big Shepherd was able to smell Rick in all the rain.

  I asked Rick, “Are you shot?”

  “Yeah, in my left arm. It’s just a flesh wound, but my ankle is killing me.”

  “What happen?” Mike asked.

  “I was driving back and three little kids were in the street. I didn’t see anyone else so I stopped to help them. I got out and asked them if they needed food. They backed away from me and started to run. I chased them for a little while, but stopped when I realized I didn’t have my gun.

  “Like a dummy I left my rifle, phone, and radio in the truck so I turned around to go back. That’s when I saw five guys at my truck. It was a trick. They turned their guns on me. I ran like hell as they were shooting and jumped over a wall, landing the wrong way on my ankle.”

  Britta and Adolf were licking Rick’s face like it was a piece of cake. Finally Rick had to tell them nein (no).

  Laying there in obvious pain, Rick continued his story. “Anyway, I managed to crawl into the bushes and hide. They came looking for me, but gave up when it started to pour.”

  “You’re one lucky S.O.B.,” I told him.

  “Yeah, I didn’t know what I was gonna do. It looks like Adolf saved my life. It’s a good sign. We saved his life and he saved mine.”

  I hadn’t thought about it that way, but Rick was right. We did save the Shepherds lives. They truly are man’s best friend.

  We rushed Rick to Doc Scott’s office. Doc had a lot of work to do on Rick with dog bites, a bullet wound, and a possible broken ankle.

  Tony and I had to find a place for the dogs. I suggested why not put them in the jail at the fort for the night. Tony agreed and grabbed some bowls for water. He wanted to stay with the dogs all night.

  Tony asked me, “What are we gonna feed them?”

  “I suggest some boneless meat of some kind. We feed our little dog strips of chicken and fish mixed with some bread. They pretty much eat what we do. I’ll arrange for some food in the morning.”

  I went back to the Green Room. Mike and Tommy were waiting for me. We had a drink and all agreed that Rick was a lucky guy. If it hadn’t been for Adolf he would have been killed for sure.

  This reinforced my thinking that we should never go on a mission alone. Even with three warriors you run a risk of getting killed. You never know what’s out there. You never know who’s trying to kill you. It’s not safe on the streets and it hasn’t gotten any better in years.

  Tommy and I went home but Mike went to visit Lisa. I think that’s going to be his new home.

  JULY 17, 2025

  I woke up and had a cup of coffee while making a list of what needed to be done today. First and foremost we had to make a kennel. We needed to select men who would be the handlers. I had to check how Rick was doing.

  First things first, I got on the radio. “Rick, come in.”

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Not bad. My ankle isn’t broken. It’s just sprained, but I can’t walk too well.”

  I replied, “Tony stayed with the dogs in the jail last night. We need to get a kennel built. You got any ideas?”

  “We’ll build it in the baseball field parking lot. There’s a lot of trees there to provide some shade. I’ll get Stan on it right away. He made the kennel for my dogs.”

  “Ok. Thanks, Rick. I’m gonna check on Tony now.”

  The radio hissed. “I heard you guys talking. I’m doing fine,” Tony said.

  “How are the dogs?” I asked.

  “Hungry. Could you bring some food for them and me?”

  “Ok, I’ll be there in about an hour.”

  While saying good-bye to my wife she commented, “I had a German Shepherd when I was a kid. I loved that dog. Someone broke into our house and killed him when we went to the store.”

  “I didn’t know that. What was its name?”

  “His name was Rex. Do you think we could have one of those Shepherds?”

  “I don’t know, Honey. We have little kids here and these are guard dogs. One of them is going to have puppies in a month. Maybe we can have one of them.”

  “Why don’t you take Johnny and Shanda with you? See how they react to the kids.”

  “Look, that’s not a good idea right now. The dogs are adjusting to a new home.”

  I walked out the door and drove to Steve’s restaurant to pick up some food for the new canine members of Tocabaga. While Steve was preparing the grub, I made a sign-up list for anyone who wanted to be a canine handler. I posted it in the Green Room. I knew Tony would take one dog which meant we needed three more people.

  My general plan was to use the dogs for patrols at the fort. These would be roving patrols so the dogs would get plenty of exercise. This would greatly enhance our security in that area.

  While I was at the Green Room Chris told me the radar was up and running. So between the dogs and radar we had the eight mile long beach covered. Everything was going as planned.

  I jumped in my truck with a 20-pound pot filled with food and drove to the fort. As I pulled up I observed that Tony had the dogs out in the field and was giving them commands. When they spotted the truck they ran over to it barking.

  I climbed out and Adolf immediately approached me wagging his tail. He jumped up and put his big front paws on my chest. I pushed him down and petted his head.

  I gave the pot to Tony and said, “How they doing?”

  “Great … I think. I didn’t have any problems.” We walked over to the jail where Tony had their bowls lined up two feet apart. Tony told them to sit stay as he spooned out the food. The wolf dogs sat there until Tony gave them the command to eat which is ‘essen’. They gobbled up the food quickly and wanted more.

  I pulled out a list of German training commands which were also in English. I said, “Every time you use a command in German repeat it in English. That way they’ll learn English words.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been doing that. I think they already know some English,” Tony replied.

  “That’s good.”

  “Hey, did you bring me anything to eat?”

  “Of
course I did.” I handed him a plastic bag which contained two fried chicken sandwiches and a few boiled potatoes.

  We kept the dogs in the cell while we went to the officer quarters so Tony could eat his breakfast. While he was eating, I laid out my plan for our new friends.

  “Tony, I’d like you to be a trainer along with Rick. Rick should be here tomorrow to help out if his ankle is better. The new kennels are being built as we speak.”

  “That sounds good to me. I like the Shepherds and they like me. What do you want me to do?”

  “Right now continue working with the dogs all day. Take one out at a time for a couple of hours and go over the commands in German and English. Basically these dogs are already trained; they just don’t know English. I want you to walk them down the beach and all over Fort Desoto. They need to know this island as well as us. After a week of that, take them around Tocabaga to each guard location. Let them meet all our security people.”

  “How long do you want me to do that?”

  “I think in a month they’ll be pretty well adjusted to their new home. Freda will be giving birth by then.”

  Tony took a big bite out of his sandwich and looked at me. “If it’s ok I’d like to keep Britta. We kind of bonded for some reason.”

  “Whatever dog you like is yours. Myself, I like Adolf because he’s older and well adjusted.”

  “Are you gonna keep him?”

  “I don’t know. My wife wants a Shepherd, but these aren’t normal dogs. I’ll see what happens. If Adolf can be trusted around my family then maybe I’ll keep him.”

  “Jack, I already made some leashes from some strap I found in the storage area. Let’s take Britta and Adolf for a walk on the beach.”

  Tony and I went for a two hour walk from one end of the beach to the other. The dogs loved it and especially liked going in the salt water. The salt water kills any fleas or ticks that they might have.

  Returning to the HQ room, Tony had found a couple of hair brushes. We gave both dogs a much needed soapy shower and brushed them until their coats were smooth. They liked the attention.

  I really liked Adolf, but I didn’t like his name. I guessed that Adolf was about five years old. He was smart as heck and friendly. Maybe he could fit in with my family. I’d have to discuss it with everyone before making any final decision. Once you take a dog they become part of your family, so you’d better be 100 percent sure.