Forsaken World (Book 1): Innocence Lost

by Watson, Thomas A.

  Letting out a gasp, Jennifer’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit, we killed his nephew.”

  “Fucker shouldn’t have tried to break in. That’s on his stupid ass,” Lance huffed. “Shit, the Borg Queen even gave him a warning.”

  “What are we going to tell him?”

  “I’m not telling him shit. The only thing we’re going to say is, ‘Go Away,’” Lance told her.

  Watching the screen, Jennifer sighed with relief when the group left the powerhouse. “They didn’t touch it,” she said, flopping back in the chair.

  “Just means if this goes bad, we have more to shoot,” Lance said.

  “Lance,” Ian said, turning to face him. “Should we let them go? They know the layout around here, and if they do enough scouting, they will find the cameras and motion detectors. It wouldn’t take much for them to just lay in wait till we are outside working and pick us off. They are right where we pulled Glen’s UTV from. They knew where he parked it, I’m betting.”

  “We don’t know if they would do that,” Jennifer said, sitting up and clicking another camera to watch the group angle up the slope toward the steppe the cabin was sitting on.

  Giving a grunt, Ian said, “Damned if I want to find out.”

  Lance nodded. “Yeah, if they don’t just leave, let’s just shoot them.”

  “They haven’t shown any aggression,” Jennifer said, watching the group ease past the camera’s field of view, and she clicked on another camera.

  “Jennifer, there is no running from here,” Lance said. “We have nowhere to go. We either live or die here. Now, are you with us?”

  She whipped her head around so fast her blond hair wrapped around her neck. “Of course,” she snapped. “I just want us to be sure. But even Doug said material things weren’t worth dying for.”

  “That was at home in a place that wasn’t safe. This one is,” Lance said, looking at Ian. “We need the ones with rifles first. Try to wait for me to take out Donald. He seems to be the one leading them. But if you have to start before me, radio me if you can.”

  Ian nodded as Lance turned back to the monitors. Jennifer clicked on another camera. The group stopped at the bottom of the steppe just out of view of the cabin. Several in the group pointed at the fence they could see through the trees. Ian looked at the original cameras that were already up and couldn’t see the group. “I know it isn’t my imagination. They stopped out of the field of view of the original cameras. I really think they knew about them.”

  “The fence could’ve made them stop that far down,” Jennifer offered but didn’t really believe it.

  “They are like a hundred yards from the fence,” Ian said, watching the group circle around the man he could now tell for certain was Mr. Donald.

  “Yeah,” Jennifer said in a low voice. “Remember, I sat down here watching you two put up that fence. I know the view from each camera by heart. They don’t want to be seen.”

  “Seems they don’t like our work, Ian.” Lance grinned, seeing the group’s looks of frustration as they pointed at the fence.

  With a grin spreading over his face, Ian said, “I feel a little bad for cussing that razor wire now. Want to get set up?”

  “Let’s watch and see what they do?”

  Ian reached over, opening Lance’s small pack, and pulled out a small, hard case. “Here’s your monocular for the AR. Get mine,” Ian said, turning around. Lance pulled it out and handed it over. As they watched, two men broke away from the group, each one heading in opposite directions around the fence. Lance and Ian mounted the night vision monocular in front of the scopes on their rifles.

  “It’s awful dark out there now to be running around in the woods,” Lance said as they turned to the monitors on the wall, watching the two men move up around the fence. “Now I understand why Uncle Doug wants all that crap out in the woods outside the fence.”

  Ian watched the man easing up the west side fence trip and bust his face. “All that crap is going to take us some time to make,” he said, wincing as the guy fell. “That looked like it hurt.”

  “He’s tough,” Lance said, watching the man halfway up the north fence stop. Lance turned to the screens with the original cameras’ displays. “They all know where the cameras are on the cabin and outbuildings, not just Donald.”

  “Yeah, the man on the west side went back further in the woods so the camera on the RV shed couldn’t see him,” Jennifer said. “You think they’ve been inside or hacked into the surveillance?”

  Lance shook his head as the man on the north side headed back to the group. “No, it’s not hard to figure out where a camera can see if you know where it’s at.”

  “You think they can shoot in here?” Jennifer asked. “I know your dad told me these walls are thick, but those look like big guns.”

  Chuckling, Lance looked down at her. “Jennifer, there is nine inches of reinforced, hardened concrete with concrete filled cinderblocks behind it. Even the roof is six inches of concrete. Those damn guns will only knock chucks of wood out of the log siding.”

  “Well, they could shoot through the shutters and windows when you crack them open.”

  “Those shutters are over an inch thick of steel, doll,” Lance snorted. “The windows are Lexan and can’t even be opened. They would have better luck shooting through the walls.”

  Ian looked down at Jennifer and patted her shoulder. “Unless they have a blow torch or jackhammer, they aren’t getting in.”

  “Well, how are you going to shoot out if you can’t open the windows?”

  “There are air vents near the baseboard around the house and up in the loft. You unlock it and slide it open,” Lance said then shrugged. “Uncle Doug said they were there to let in fresh air since the windows couldn’t open. It sounded good because we knew the cabin was built strong because they always told us they were worried about someone breaking in and taking our hunting stuff.”

  Ian snorted. “Yeah, now I know what they are there for. I can’t believe we didn’t see it, firing ports.”

  “Well, if you can shoot out, they can shoot in,” Jennifer said, watching the two men trying to find where they left the group.

  “When you open one all the way, it’s only two feet long and about six inches wide,” Lance said, watching one of the men stand and look around in the dark. “You know, if they had night vision, we would be screwed. All these cameras put out UV light, and they would know where everyone was at.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Jennifer told him, “You can turn it off.”

  “That’s nice to know,” Lance nodded as the man that went up the west side found the group. “Let’s go, Ian,” Lance said, heading to the door. “Jennifer, you are our eyes now.”

  Running into the living area, Lance saw the girls watching a movie. “Allie, Carrie, in the bunker now with Jennifer. Hurry,” Lance said. The girls jumped up and ran past him with alarmed faces. Lance turned off the projector for the TV as Lance turned off the lights.

  “Shit, that’s dark,” Ian said, pulling his goggles down.

  “Good luck, Ian,” Lance said, moving to the front of the cabin.

  “You too, brother,” Ian said and ran up the stairs to the loft.

  Grabbing the handheld radio for the intercom by the gate, Lance turned it on as he got on his knees. A six-inch rod handle protruded from the wall with a thick hook that was bolted into the wall over it. Lance pushed the rod up and slid the handle to his right about a foot and felt the night air rush in and could see the starlight outside.

  Getting on his belly, Lance eased his barrel and suppressor out of the opening. The opening was six inches off the floor, and with his barrel resting on the bottom of it, Lance moved up behind his stock, turning the thermal monocular on his AR on.

  “This shit was made for an adult to shoot out of,” Lance grumbled, trying to keep the AR level, but he wasn’t as thick in the chest as an adult. Getting up, he moved over to the couch and grabbed a pillow, throwing it on the floor.
Laying back down, he found that helped a lot and keyed his radio. “Ian, get a pillow to lie on. It makes aiming out much easier.”

  Ian didn’t respond, but Lance could hear him moving up in the loft. Hearing something to his right, Lance looked and gave a jerk to see Dino looking at him. “Damn it, Dino, go to Jennifer,” he whispered. With a groan, Dino turned and trotted off. “Wish I could see like that in the dark,” Lance said, lifting his goggles and looking through the scope on his AR. Not seeing the group of people but knowing where they were, he kept his rifle aimed in that direction.

  It seemed like Lance had laid there for hours when he lifted his wrist up and pushed the button for his watch light. “Only twenty minutes,” he groaned. He keyed his radio. “Jen, what are they doing?”

  “Just sitting there talking,” she called back.

  “Ian, can you see them from up there?” Lance called out.

  “Yep.”

  “They still in the same spot?”

  “Yeah, and it looks like they are arguing and not talking.”

  Thinking as he perched over his rifle, looking through his scope, Lance keyed his radio. “Jennifer, have any other detectors went off?”

  “No,” she snapped back. “I would’ve called you about that.”

  Giving a sigh, Lance rolled a little to his right and pulled a magazine out of his rig that was poking into his belly. “That would really suck lying on the floor,” he mumbled laying the magazine on the floor.

  Rolling back behind the AR, he looked down at the magazine. He quickly keyed his radio. “Ian, pull some of your magazines out, and put them beside you so you don’t have to roll and pull them out.”

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Ian called back.

  Pulling two more magazines out, Lance got back behind the AR and lifted the handheld unit, swearing he heard something. Peering through his scope, he could see the unit by the gate but nothing around it. Turning up the volume, he heard voices way off, and they sounded like they were shouting. “Ian, are they shouting?” he asked into his radio.

  “Oh, yeah,” Ian droned. “I think I’m about to watch a fight.”

  “Any idea what about?”

  “No, but Donald keeps pointing to the gate, and another man is shaking his head.”

  Toying with the idea to run up to the loft, Lance keyed his radio. “Can you get a better look at their weapons?”

  “Donald and two of the other men have bolt-action rifles. The other man has a lever-action rifle. The two women have shotguns: one’s a pump; the other is an automatic. All but one of the women have a pistol.”

  Sighing, Lance just stayed leaning over his rifle, looking at the gate fifty yards away. Lying prone behind his AR, Lance felt he had been there hours and wouldn’t be surprised to see the sun rising soon. “They’re moving,” Jennifer called over the radio, making Lance jump.

  “I see,” Ian called back. “Two men are moving up the rise to the cabin. The others are heading to the road.”

  Feeling entirely left out, Lance pulled the AR into his shoulder as his heart started pounding hard. “About fucking time,” he mumbled.

  “Lance, to the right, twenty yards from the fence, you see a big oak. One of them is setting up on the left side of it. The other is at that big tree, ten yards to the right,” Ian called out.

  Moving his scope, Lance swung over and soon found the first man. Even moving further over, Lance didn’t see the second man. He was about to call Ian when the man stood up behind the tree. It was a big tree, but the man was still to the side of it and wider than the tree. “I see you,” Lance grinned as the man looked toward the cabin with the scope on his rifle. “Ian, do they have night vision scopes?” he called out.

  “All of them look like a regular scope to me,” Ian called back as the man lowered his rifle.

  Swinging his rifle back to the first man, Lance watched him stand up beside his tree and move behind it. He keyed his radio. “I hope you’re right because the first one just got behind the tree where I can’t see him.”

  “They’re talking,” Ian called back. “I think they are talking about moving closer.”

  No sooner than Ian’s voice left the radio, the first man that stood up ran a few yards closer to the cabin, getting behind a tree that was half the size of the one he left. “Yeah, I can’t see you,” Lance huffed and turned to the other to see him run up behind a tree that was smaller. He turned sideways, trying to hide behind it, and was still wider than the tree.

  “Are you seeing this?” Ian called out.

  “Yeah, they’re trying to hide behind twigs.”

  “They aren’t even keeping the tree between them and the cabin.”

  “Fine with me,” Lance called back, watching the first one swing his rifle up, making Lance’s pulse increase. Just as suddenly, the man lowered his rifle and got back behind the tree. “Ian, I don’t think he was aiming at the cabin.”

  “He wasn’t. He was aiming beside it like where the Hummer is parked.”

  “Boys,” Jennifer cut in, making both jump. “The others are on the road now. They stopped, and it looks like they are talking.”

  “We’re getting attacked by a fucking debate club,” Lance called out over the radio and heard Ian laugh up in the loft. “Where are they on the road?”

  “At the turn before you come up that steep part before the flat area to the gate.”

  “I’m so teaching her land features,” Lance mumbled as Ian came over the radio.

  “They are just below the rise of the steppe we’re on, at the bottom and on the outside of the curve, Lance.”

  “Okay, mister Boy Scout, I tried,” Jennifer snapped.

  Smiling, Lance swung back to the other two and saw they hadn’t moved. “Ian, I’m staying on Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb behind the trees until the others get close,” Lance called out.

  “They’re coming,” Ian called back.

  “When you think I can see them, you take Dee and Dumb.” Moving his scope from one to the other, Lance started taking slow, deep breaths.

  “You can see them now,” Ian finally called out, and Lance moved his rifle to the gate. “I’m on Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb.”

  Lance saw the group slowly approach the gate, stopping a few times to look at the cabin with their rifles. When they were ten yards away from the gate, Lance watched the group stop and one move up to the gate. As the man peered through the razor wire at the lock, Lance saw it was Donald.

  Taking his left hand off the fore grip, Lance brought the handheld to his mouth, pressing the transmit key. “Don’t touch that.” Upstairs, Ian snickered as Lance’s voice boomed out of the intercom, scaring even Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb.

  The man jumped back with a cry Lance heard over the handheld and through the vent as those behind Donald dropped to their knees, bringing their weapons up, but didn’t point them at the house. Trying to be sneaky, the man with the women at the gate started easing off the road. “You move off the road, and you will be shot. We can see you just fine,” Lance announced, and the man moved back with the two women.

  Donald looked through the razor wire at the intercom where Lance’s voice was coming out. He reached toward the gate like he was going to attempt to reach through the wire. “Donald, just talk. You don’t need to press a button,” Lance said and released the transmit key.

  “We want to come in,” Donald said, looking at the cabin.

  “No. Go home.”

  “Let me talk to Doug,” Donald said, staring at the cabin.

  “He’s outside holding a rifle on you and your little group,” Lance told him. Donald took a step back, looking around the woods. “Don’t worry; I’m on the radio with him, but my dad and Mr. Bill have your two friends behind the trees in their sights.”

  “Have you seen my nephew?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  Taking two steps closer to the gate, Donald pointed at the intercom. “Listen, you little shit. I know my nephew came up here, and his
buggy isn’t where it was supposed to be. Now, have you seen him?”

  “Why would he come here? This isn’t his cabin.”

  “Listen, you tell Doug I know where your storage cellar is for food. Let us in, and tell me what happened to my nephew,” Donald shouted.

  Yeah, I guess someone could see the powerhouse as a food cellar, Lance thought as he pressed the transmit key. “Doug said as long as those two idiots are behind the trees, you get a no on both, so go change your tampon.”

  “Tony, Alex, they know you’re there. Come to the gate!” Donald called out.

  “You are either very brave or very stupid, Donald, making noise like that,” Lance told him.

  Through is scope, Lance could see Donald grinning at the cabin. “We can leave long before the sick people get here.”

  “Doubt that,” Lance chuckled over the intercom. “You have several tracking you on the trail you left now, and there are several dozen in the valley. We have cameras everywhere.”

  Donald and everyone in his group spun around, looking around the woods as Jennifer came over the radio. “Lance, I don’t see any stinkers in the valley, and nothing followed them.”

  Sighing, Lance put down the handheld and keyed his radio. “I know, Jen, but he doesn’t. I want him to think there is a time limit that he’s on.”

  “Let us in before they get here. They overran us at my house,” Donald said in a low voice as Tony and Alex rejoined their group.

  Lance keyed his radio. “Ian, you start on the right. I’m starting left after Donald is down. We can’t let one get away.”

  “Gotcha,” Ian called back as Lance grabbed the handheld.

  “Donald, Doug asked me to remind you that you never said what Glen came up here for,” Lance said.

  “Goddamn it, if you don’t let us in, we’ll go and destroy all your food in that cellar. Now, open the fucking gate.”

  Grinning, Lance keyed the handheld. “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin. You never answered the question.”

  “I don’t know what Glen came here for,” Donald said, spinning around and looking at the woods.

  “Yeah, they are getting close, Donald. Three stinkers are at the cellar already and coming up,” Lance said, putting the handheld down and keying his radio. “Ian, thirty seconds. We start after you answer.”