EMP 1500 MILES FROM HOME

by Mike Whitworth

  The rest of the slaves scattered into the desert as fast as they could run. Max managed to get several plastic gallon jugs of water and Dave took the guard's lunches, which they carried in a motley mix of containers. We hightailed it into the desert only a couple of minutes after the rest. We went north, because we thought that would be the way that the Boss and his crew would be the least likely to look.

  We traveled two hours on foot before we heard it. We all looked to the rear at the same time. "Shit," Max said, and then some words in a language I didn't know. It was a pair of Humvees on our trail. One of them appeared to have a 30-caliber machine gun mounted on the roof.

  "Just where the hell are these things coming from?" I asked.

  "Probably from White Sands Missile Range south of here," Dave replied as we ran for cover.

  Julie

  We arrived at Ambrose's ranch. He greeted us as we rode into the ranch yard. I asked, "is Wayne here?" even before anyone exchanged greetings.

  "I haven't seen him. He was supposed to drop by but he hasn't been here yet."

  I slumped in my saddle, a cold mantle of worry weighing me down. I didn't even hear the greetings as all the men shook hands. I searched for The Knowing but got nothing. It was completely gone for the moment. I was devastated. I couldn't think. Yeti encouraged my dad to immediately turn around and backtrack to see if we could find any sign of Wayne. I followed without saying a word.

  I knew I was in love with Wayne, but I had no idea how deeply his loss might affect me until now. Was this what it felt like when someone loses a spouse—or is it much worse because more time with someone you love just makes you want even more?

  Wayne

  The Humvees were coming fast. We looked for an escape. I saw a deep arroyo about a hundred yards to our right. I shouted and we all ran for it. Dave was moving as fast as he could but Max was moving faster so he just picked Dave up and brought him along. I slid down the almost vertical wall of the arroyo and turned just in time to slow Dave's descent. Max was right behind us. We sprinted down the arroyo and around a bend. With a push from Max, I climbed the opposite side of the arroyo. He pushed Dave up the slope and I dragged him the rest of the way. Max jumped and caught my hand. I started sliding from Max's weight when Dave caught my leg. Max managed to scramble up with our help and we ran for a low hill that would give us some cover.

  I motioned for the others to stay below the top of the hill as I crawled upwards to find a vantage point. With just my head showing next to a rock that I thought might help hide me, I looked for the Humvees. They were stopped where we entered into the arroyo. I slid the 30-30 into position. It was a hundred yard shot with a rifle I had never fired. Darn, I seemed to be making a few shots like that lately.

  I fired and missed. The bullet struck about six inches to the right of the machine gunner. I immediately corrected my aim and fired again. The bullet struck the machine gunner just as he fired a burst that only missed me by seven feet. I slid back down the hill as the machine gunner collapsed. I had two rounds left in the 30-30.

  We hunkered down behind the hill and looked around. I knew that the Humvees, as good as they were off road, could not cross the arroyo here. It was too deep. However, it would be an easy matter for them to backtrack and find a place where they could cross.

  About then the machine gun started firing. We could see the dirt fly on top of the hill. Both sides of the hill were covered by the machine gun. The only way to go seemed to be behind us. I looked back and saw that the ground sloped up behind us to an even taller hill. We were pinned down.

  We heard the other Humvee drive away, most likely looking for a way to cross the arroyo.

  "Looks like we are pinned down," I said.

  "No shit?" Max said.

  "Let me crawl around a bit. I have an idea," Dave said. We watched as Dave crawled away from the hill. After a bit we couldn't see him any more.

  "The little fellow can hide better than us," Max grinned.

  "Yeah, maybe he will make it if we can't."

  "Max nodded. "That would be good, but I am not ready to give up."

  "Me either."

  Ten minutes later Dave was back.

  "You guys crawl after me. Keep as low as you can. There is a small feeder arroyo over there that will take us back into the big arroyo out of sight of the Humvee. Maybe we can run along the arroyo and find a better position." Max and I nodded and we started after Dave.

  Dave seemed at home on all fours. Here, his short arms and legs were not a hindrance. They helped him stay low to the ground and he made quick progress. Max and I could barely keep up with him until we began to copy his movements. Then, like a trio of sand crabs, we hurried off to the arroyo. Dave picked the path well. We were not seen.

  Once in the main arroyo, we ran as fast as we could. This time I carried Dave. We made almost a mile before we slowed down. We rested for a couple of minutes and then climbed out of the arroyo. The arroyo was wider here and the walls were not as steep. They were still too steep and soft for a Humvee to climb though. We made our way about a quarter of a mile to another low hill that overlooked another bend in the arroyo. I wanted to stay in rifle shot of the arroyo in case they followed the arroyo on the other side. I was hoping I could pick them off one at a time, at least until we ran out of bullets.

  I still wasn't sure if we could escape, but my hopes were a bit higher.

  "Either of you guys know how to get us the hell out of here?" Dave asked.

  "No," Max and I said almost in unison.

  "Why don't you guys go that way and see if you can find us a more secure position,” I said. “I will get to the top of this hill and keep an eye out."

  "That is as good a plan as any," Max said. Max and Dave took off as I made my way to the hilltop.

  From the top of the hill, I could barely make out the roof of the Humvee. If I could see them, they could see me. I waited. It was all I could do for now.

  After 15 minutes, I heard the Humvee's engine. They were on the move again. I hoped they would go away from us, but no such luck. I watched as the Humvee came in and out of sight as it followed the arroy. Once I saw the Humvee stop and the driver climbed onto the roof. I assumed he had binoculars.

  In ten more minutes, the Humvee was on the move again.

  I was hoping Max and Dave would find a better position, but I couldn't go looking for them right now. I needed to keep an eye on the Humvee. I glanced behind me, but there was no sign of Max or Dave.

  It was a waiting game. Dave estimated the other Humvee would need to backtrack almost ten miles before they would be able to cross the arroyo. Dave was the geologist. I had no idea. I simply took his word for it. That meant we had as little as 20 minutes, or as long as 30 minutes before the other Humvee might appear.

  When the Humvee stopped on the other side of the arroyo, I saw only the driver. I knew I had nailed the machine gunner. Maybe there had only been two men in this Humvee?

  If I could kill the driver, we might be able to get to the Humvee and use it to escape. I scanned the terrain on the other side of the arroyo. There were a few places I might have a shot if the Humvee stopped again. The farthest one was over 350 yards and the closest was still over 200 yards. None were within the ideal range of an iron-sighted 30-30.

  I was glad for the long hours of practice estimating ranges that Cap made me go through. I thought it was silly at the time, but now I didn't. If I had known what I would be up against, I would have been the best student Cap had ever seen—and when I got home, I promised myself I would give Cap 100 percent of my attention and my best efforts when he wanted to teach me something.

  Cap also taught me a memory system. I found that part fun. Cap made me memorize ballistic data for all of the American, Russian, and Chinese weapons, as well as for all of the popular hunting rifle calibers. I learned a ballistic table by associating sounds to each number between 0 and 9. Then, by making up phrases, which I linked together in my head using another memory technique,
I memorized the table. I then reproduced the table from my head ten times in a row on paper. Next I waited an hour and did it again. In another six hours, I did it again. This went on at increasing time intervals until I reached one month. After that it was a simple matter to run over the table in my mind every six months or so to retain it in my memory. As the result of many hours of memorization, I knew the ballistics for the 30-30 and the ballistics for many other rounds as well.

  I remembered arguing with Cap in the beginning. I said I could just carry a small book of ballistic tables in my gear. He said, with my luck, I would never have the book when I needed it. As usual, he was right.

  Cap also made me practice shooting at extreme ranges with iron sights. With Cap's 30-30 and iron sights I routinely hit paper plates at 400 yards. Cap often played a game in which he would hand me a rifle that I had never fired before and I would have three shots to get on target. Sometimes the sights were correct, but usually they were off. Once he even handed me a rifle with no rear sights. Somehow I still managed to hit the target on the third shot, at 300 yards. I think that was a turning point with Cap and me, but I wasn't sure what kind. I just noticed that Cap seemed more pleased with his son-in-law after that.

  If a shot appeared, I was going to take it.

  While I was waiting, I reset the sights on the 30-30 for windage based on my estimate from my first miss when I fired at the machine gunner. I used a blade chipped from a chert-like rock as a screwdriver. It mangled the screw, but it worked.

  I watched as the Humvee drove slowly along the arroyo. After a bit, it stopped and the driver got out. The driver leaned his elbows on the hood and scanned the terrain with binoculars. The range was just over 300 yards. My first shot needed to be good.

  I aimed carefully and fired for center mass of his exposed torso. I hit him and he instantly collapsed. I rolled to my right about ten feet and watched the Humvee. At first there was no movement. Then another man got out of the Humvee and stooped to examine the body. Yet another guy stood up in the Humvee and turned the machine gun in my direction. I scooted off the hill as 30-caliber rounds ricocheted off the rocks around me. So much for that plan.

  New plan. I ran like hell toward where Dave and Max disappeared. I managed to stay out of sight of the machine gunner. I made about 300 yards before I heard the other Humvee. It was getting close.

  I ran up the hill before me, keeping as low as I could. I needed to see where the Humvee was. The Humvee topped the hill just as I did. I rolled to my left and it just missed running over me. I started running as the Humvee turned around. I made almost 100 feet before the gunner in the Humvee's hatch fired at me with his rifle. He fired bursts of three rounds, so I assumed he had a military-issue AR variant. I dodged and twisted while I ran but the Humvee was gaining on me. I saw a small arroyo on my right so I ran for it.

  Just before I reached the arroyo, I looked over my shoulder. The gunner seemed to have me dead in his sights. I dove for the arroyo as the gunner fired. I could have been mistaken but I thought I heard a heavier weapon fire just before the three round burst. I made it into the arroyo and ran.

  The arroyo was about seven feet deep with almost vertical sides. I heard the Humvee hit the arroyo with a thud and the gunner went silent. I glanced back and the Humvee was nose down in the arroyo with its rear wheels spinning in the air. I was glad these guys didn't know how to drive very well.

  I saw Max waving at me from a hundred feet away. I ran to him. Max motioned for me to follow him and led me back into the main arroyo around another bend. Dave was there holding a 30-30.

  "Did you see it Wayne? I nearly nailed that guy in the Humvee."

  "I thought I heard a bigger caliber round. Thanks Dave. You saved my life." Dave smiled and we started running along the arroyo. Soon Max picked Dave up and carried him so we could make better time. Dave didn't seem to mind a bit, nor would have I in that situation.

  An hour later, and at least six miles further along the arroyo, we stopped to rest. Max and I took turns carrying Dave almost the entire distance. The sand made the running difficult. My shoes were just about shot. I noticed Max's were too.

  We crawled out of the arroyo and looked for a hiding place. Fifteen minutes later we found an overhang in a smaller arroyo. There was a burrow under the overhang. Dave started enlarging it with his bare hands. The man dug like a wolverine. Max and I swept the dirt from behind him and spread it under the overhang. If we put it on the arroyo floor it would be too easily noticed.

  Before too long we had a small cave that would just fit the three of us. We crawled in and sat quietly. We were planning to remain there until after dark and then travel at night. We thought we would be better able to escape detection in the dark.

  We had been in our hidey-hole for three hours when we heard Humvees again. I guessed they managed to free the Humvee stuck nose-down in the arroyo.

  One sounded farther away and I assumed that was the Humvee on the other side of the main arroyo. The other Humvee passed so closely that some of the dirt crumbled and fell from the overhang. I was glad we spent some time hiding our tracks.

  After a while we couldn't hear the Humvees any more. We stayed in the hidey-hole. I figured it was what Cap would have done. An hour later we heard the Humvees once more. They were farther away this time. We heard them two more times that afternoon. It seemed to me they were searching for us using a pattern of some sort.

  Yeti

  I rode about 75 feet from and parallel to the road. One of the ranch hands was doing the same on the other side of the road. We were looking for tracks, horse tracks, wagon tracks, and footprints, any indication that Wayne might have been here before us.

  We rode this way for miles. We would not make it back to the ranch before dark, but George said he knew a good campsite that was invisible from the road. We would camp there. It would be more than an hour before we camped so I kept searching for sign.

  I am not a tracker, but I am a careful and thorough observer. I was watching as much for lack of sign as sign. Anytime the sand was clear of sign, I was suspicious and ranged farther to see more. So far I saw only a couple of open spots leveled by the wind, but I was determined to find signs that Wayne had passed, and determined to follow those signs until we found him. I also knew that I didn't know enough about tracking to do this by myself.

  Wayne

  We moved out about an hour after dark. There was just enough moonlight to see where we were going. We were careful to stay low and never silhouette ourselves at the top of a hill. We walked almost three hours before we saw the lights. They were in a low spot between two fairly high hills.

  "Boss's men?" I asked.

  "I don't know who else would be out here?"

  "Me either," Dave said.

  Cap would have thought their position laughable, but they had superior firepower. As best I could make out, there were three men in the camp. I didn't see a Humvee. "Sentries?" I asked.

  "Probably," Dave said.

  "Should we go around them?" Max asked.

  "No," I said, "you guys wait here. I am going to have a look." Max and Dave nodded.

  I backtracked a few hundred yards and climbed the hill to the north. I moved slowly, searching for trip wires and booby traps as I went. Cap taught me about booby traps and had me practice identifying trip wires in all kinds of light. Sure enough, I found a trip wire. It looked like it extended from their camp for several hundred yards. I guessed there were other trip wires too. Those guys were just waiting for us to trip a wire and then they would have the Humvees, and whomever else they had on call, after us. I guessed they were using EMP-proof military radios liberated at the same time as the Humvees.

  "What did you find?" Dave whispered as I returned.

  "Trip wires. I think they are the Boss's men."

  "What do we do?"

  "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am hungry. I want their food."

  "How do we get it?"

  "We kill them," I said.
/>
  "We have three rifles and only six bullets left? How are we going to do that?"

  "Quietly," I said, "very quietly."

  Julie

  There is still no sign of Wayne. My dad seems calm, but I can tell Yeti is worried. I thought I heard a machine gun off in the distance earlier today, but no one else heard it. Dad thinks I may be hearing things because I am stressed about Wayne. One time today he used the old 'there are plenty of fish in the sea' statement. I said, Dad, really? How many good men do you see knocking at my door? What would you have said if it was Mom out there? That quieted him down, but I think he believes Wayne is lost or has bugged out on me. Wayne and I have been through too much together. He didn't go anywhere. He would not do that without, at the very least, saying goodbye.

  I cooked the evening meal. I don't remember what it tasted like, but everyone ate well enough. Yeti and I will double the watches tonight. It was Yeti's idea and I agree. Something just doesn't feel right.

  Wayne

  We crept up on the men about 4:30 in the morning. I found the trip wires and showed Max and Dave how to avoid each one. Two of the men were asleep and the single sentry was nodding off with his back to a rock. He had his face toward the fire. These men were amateurs, but then so were we. That didn't matter much to me as I broke the sentry's neck, nor did it appear to matter to Max and Dave as they each killed their man with the butts of their rifles. Dave had a more difficult time of it than Max, but he got the job done.

  It occurred to me that what we had done, and the situation we were in, seemed more like a bad Hollywood fantasy than reality. I would not want my son to watch a movie like this.

  We gathered the food, water, matches, knives, guns, and ammo as well as blankets and whatever looked useful. I thinned the stuff down to just what we really needed and made blanket packs for each of us.

  There were three M4 carbines, each with three 30-round magazines. I shucked the shells from the 30-30s and put them in my pocket. Then I tossed the 30-30s into the desert.