Rescue: Book 3 in the After the Fall series

by David Nees

  “There is a military convoy on its way from Knoxville. They are headed here and we have to assume their intention is to attack us. They’re equipped with two artillery pieces and a tank. This along with mortars, machine guns and rifles. We don’t know how many there are, but I estimate from the number of vehicles in the convoy, they have over two hundred men.”

  Kevin noted that all the clansmen came with their backpacks and some form of bedroll and tarp for sleeping and protection from rain.

  “This force assembled here will go out tomorrow morning,” he continued. “Those in the militia will be provided backpacks. You’ll carry rations for five days. You’ll have water and purification tablets which will let us drink from available ground water sources. You’ll carry extra ammunition in your packs.

  “This is going to be a guerilla campaign. We don’t have the forces to directly engage the enemy in any frontal assault. We’ll attempt to stop the convoy from reaching our city by ambushing them. If they attack, we retreat. Then we come back to do it again. They will have the superior numbers and weapons but we will use the forest to our advantage.

  “We’re defending our city, our families, the progress that we have made. If anyone feels they can’t go, you can leave now. There will be no repercussions, but everyone going must be committed to not letting this force reach our city. Their guns and their tank can destroy us. We can’t let that happen.”

  There was shuffling amongst the crowd. Four men left, quickly and without incident. The rest were told to get their packs, load up with food and ammunition, and wait in the courtyard.

  Kevin moved to a separate room with his officers to organize the group, with Jason and Clayton joining him.

  “I’m going to divide the men into two groups,” Kevin said. “Each group will position themselves on either side of the interstate. We want to be able to fire on the convoy from both sides. I’ll coordinate overall between both forces. Rodney Gibbs will lead one group and I’ll lead the other. We’ll communicate by radio between the two groups. We’ll be most effective if we coordinate our attacks.”

  Jason took Kevin aside for a moment. “I’m going to grab the M107 .50 cal rifle in the warehouse. I’ll place myself way ahead of your forces and start sniping them. I’ll leave tonight so I can be in position ahead of you. I may be able to give you more time to find a good spot to set up. Good job with the plan. Just be sure to get out on time.”

  Kevin nodded and Jason left the meeting.

  He hurried to the warehouse to retrieve the M107 and ammunition.

  When Jason arrived at the house, Anne met him at the door.

  “What’s going on? I saw some of the police going down the street, knocking on doors.”

  “They’re rounding up all the militia members who were not at the barracks.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Knoxville is on the march. They’re coming to attack us.”

  “Oh no!”

  “Our scouts saw them, a sizeable military convoy from the description.”

  “What does that mean for us…for you?

  “I don’t know. The council will blame me, but I don’t know what they’ll do about it.”

  He brushed past Anne and headed to the bedroom. Anne followed.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “We have to stop the convoy before it gets here. They have some heavy weapons that can destroy the town.” He rummaged through the closet and pulled out a gun case. “I’m going to go up the highway and try to slow the convoy down by sniping them. Shooting from the surrounding hills.”

  “Haven’t you done enough?”

  Jason stopped and turned to his wife. He took her hands in his. “This is about saving you and our family…as well as saving the town. They’re really one and the same now. I can help with that by doing what I know how to do. What I was trained to do.”

  The concern on Anne’s face did not disappear. She sighed.

  “I don’t want to lose you, that’s all. I need you, Adam needs you, and the girls still need you.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “The best way to do that, to protect all of us, is for me to help out how I can. Kevin’s leading a group that will go out to fight the convoy. They’ll use ambushing tactics and avoid a direct confrontation. My shooting will only help.”

  “Does Catherine know what’s going on?”

  “I assume so. I haven’t talked to her.”

  “It sounds dangerous…what Kevin is doing.”

  “More dangerous than what I’m going to do, really. I’ll be fighting from a distance, he’ll be much closer.”

  Just then the front door opened.

  “Jason,” a voice called out. It was Catherine.

  “I’m in the bedroom. Come on up.”

  Catherine walked into the room. She had her backpack and rifle with her and looked ready to head into battle.

  “Where are you going?” Jason asked.

  “I heard about the convoy. I’m going with you.”

  “Did you talk to Kevin about this?”

  Catherine nodded. I saw him just after you left. He told me what you were going to do and I want to go with you.”

  “Now both of you are going?” Anne said with alarm.

  “I can’t stay out of this fight,” Catherine replied. “Kevin agrees. I was in more danger during our fight with Stansky.”

  “She’s right,” Jason said.

  He kissed Anne. “We have to get going. We have to get out in front of our ambush force. We’ll try to slow the convoy down. That’s the role we can play. You take Adam and Sarah and go to the south side of the town. You’ll be farther away from any shelling if the convoy gets through. Find a basement to stay in.”

  “How much time do we have?” Anne asked.

  “If we don’t slow or stop them, three or four days. Check with Steve. He’ll probably be initiating plans to get as many people to safe areas as possible. If the town is overrun, get out and head to the valley. The others there will help you. We’ll meet there if things go bad. Your job is to protect Sarah and Adam.”

  Anne nodded. The fear on her face was now replaced with determination. Jason could see her courage rise to the challenge they faced. It was the same when she fought with him to defeat the gangs that had attacked their farm in the valley.

  “We have to go,” Jason turned to Catherine. “You take my M110. You used it well before. I’ll carry the M107.” He turned back to his wife. “Take your rifle and pistol with you when you go to find shelter.”

  With Anne’s help they packed some food and water bottles along with purification tablets. Both brought waterproof ground cloths, a thermal blanket, and change of socks; dry feet were important in the field.

  “Kevin gave me one of the cars the police use. It’ll help us get down the highway quickly.”

  “Is there danger of any outlaws ambushing us?” Catherine asked.

  “Always. Chance we have to take. We need to move fast.”

  They both kissed Anne goodbye and headed out the door.

  Jason would risk using the headlights during the night. He knew it would alert anyone watching the interstate but he needed to move fast. When the moon rose later, he would try to turn them off and navigate by moonlight.

  Catherine kept her M110 ready in the front seat. The big .50 cal M107 was laying alongside of her where Jason could reach it if they were attacked.

  “Watch the overpasses and interchanges as we approach. They’re favorite spots for ambushing. We may get lucky and no one will be out at night, but we can’t be too careful,” he said.

  Three hours out, Jason saw a barricade of cars set up just before an exit ramp for the small town of Chamberlain.

  “That’s not just abandoned cars. That was set up.” He slowed the car down and brought it to a halt in between two abandoned cars. They were sixty yards from the barricade. “We can jump out and get cover behind these cars if there’s someone at the barricade.”

  The
y sat and watched. Jason cut the engine. Catherine quietly unlatched her door. Jason cradled the .50 caliber rifle in his lap and did the same. They rolled their windows down. The night was still. Nothing moved.

  “Should we go ahead?” Catherine asked.

  “Just watch for a few more minutes. Someone may be trying to figure out what we’re up to. If there’s someone there, I want them to show their hand while were in a good defensive position.”

  Then they both heard it. It sounded like footsteps on pavement, up ahead, behind the car barricade. Then they saw a shadow move past a gap in the cars. After that, nothing. No sound or sight.

  “Someone’s there,” whispered Catherine. “Do we just wait?”

  “Patience. They’ll show their hand soon enough. We can’t go forward. We’ll have no cover once we’re past these cars.”

  Catherine remembered Jason’s mantra, “Let the enemy show itself.”

  Finally, a shadow emerged over the trunk of a car. “Come out with your hands in the air and you won’t be hurt,” it called out. The shadow included what looked like a rifle aimed at them.

  Catherine looked over at Jason.

  “Let me go first,” he said. “If they shoot, I’ll draw the first fire. You go a second behind me. Get behind the hood of the car next to you. You’ll be protected by the engine.”

  Catherine nodded. Jason sprang from the car, Catherine a moment later.

  Shots rang out and the bullets whistled past as Jason and Catherine ducked behind the cars.

  “Stay down,” Jason called over to her.

  He crawled around the backside of the car which was stopped partially sideways on the highway. He peeked around the front tire. There, silhouetted against the night sky, was the figure doing the shooting. Jason aimed his rifle, the figure dropped behind the trunk. Jason lowered the rifle and fired three rounds through the trunk at the level he guessed the figure was crouching. He heard the clatter of the rifle on the pavement.

  Not hearing or seeing any other evidence of another shooter, Jason called out to Catherine to cover him and ran forward bent low to the pavement.

  As he expected, the man behind the trunk lay in a bloody heap. Two of the .50 caliber rounds had hit him. They were powerful enough to penetrate an engine block. They had easily gone through both metal sides of the car and torn apart the body.

  “Don’t come back here,” Jason called out. “It’s not pretty.”

  Catherine stopped short.

  “The .50 cal makes a nasty mess when it hits soft tissue.” He looked around. “Someone’ll be coming soon, they’ll have heard the shots. Let’s get this car moved,” he pointed to the compact on the end of the line. “We can drive around on the shoulder if we can push this farther off the road.”

  They got the car in neutral and both of them put their shoulders to the car to get it rolling. They ran back to their vehicle and started it up. Jason threaded it through the blockade and accelerated down the road. Shots rang out behind them. Catherine ducked down to the floor. Jason’s weaving through stalled cars had the effect of blocking a clear shot at their fleeing vehicle and soon they were out of effective range.

  “Desperate times still,” he said as they motored on.

  “There can’t be much to steal from anyone now,” Catherine replied. “There’s fewer people on the roads and fewer supplies. You’d think they’d just start farming somewhere.”

  “I guess some of them don’t know how or can’t imagine doing anything involving hard labor. Frankly I’m not that interested in their motivation, just in avoiding them.”

  They pressed on through the night. Jason killed the headlights when the moon came up. He had to go more slowly, but it felt better not to advertise their passing so clearly.

  By daylight Jason was getting worried.

  “We’re closing in on the convoy. Both of us are moving towards each other. We can’t get caught on the road, so I have to guess when it’s time to bail on the car and take to the woods.”

  “How far have we come?”

  Jason looked at the speedometer. “About sixty miles. It’s slow going with all the abandoned cars and trucks.”

  “What do we do when we stop? Do we set up there?”

  “We’ll go into the forest and keep moving forward as fast as we can until we encounter the convoy. Then we go to work.”

  Chapter 40

  ___________________________________

  G eneral McKenzie felt good. He was moving at a steady pace even though he was taking the time to clear vehicles from the interstate. It was a time investment for the future. When they had Hillsboro under control rapid transport between the two cities would be helpful. He stopped the convoy each night to keep his troops rested and to make sure they did a good job of clearing the abandoned vehicles. It was work better done in daylight.

  He thought about Jason’s comment that Tom Horner had related to himsef and Phillip about Hillsboro having a Swiss-style armed civilian militia. Fat lot of good that’ll do them. Wait until they experience the 105 Howitzer. His two artillery pieces, even without the tank, would bring Hillsboro to its knees. They would be begging to discuss terms with him.

  McKenzie let himself have a moment of thinking about the accolades he would receive for subduing Hillsboro without a major conflict, loss of life, or property. Proper intimidation, that’s the key. It would all be played out in four days.

  In the evening he let his mind wander to how the capitulation would play out. He imagined bringing Jason and the other man back in chains to parade in front of the town’s people as example of their power…his power. Maybe he would bring back the current mayor and some other leading figures as insurance of the town’s compliance with whatever he ordered. A smile crossed his face when he thought about that scene; like a Roman general returning from his conquests.

  Hillsboro for its resources, then Johnson City. With the eastern front secure, they’d go after Nashville and then on to Memphis. They could establish an empire from the Piedmont to the Mississippi. Tom’s vision seemed possible. And if the feds come around, they’ll have to deal with us. We’ll be too large and powerful to ignore.

  “Get some sleep,” Jason said. “I’m going to drive through the day and cover as many miles as I can.”

  “Will we stop after today?”

  “Let’s see how far we get. I’d like to get a hundred miles out. I don’t think we can risk getting any closer while on the interstate.”

  Jason drove on while Catherine tried to sleep in the back seat. By mid-afternoon, he stopped, exhausted. He’d been driving all day and the night before.

  “Can you drive for a while? Even slowly. I have to rest and we need to keep pushing out.”

  “You trust me behind the wheel?” Catherine asked with a mischievous grin.

  “You can drive. I showed you and I know Kevin let you drive the Humvees. If you can drive one of those, you can drive a car. This is much easier to maneuver. Just don’t push it. Pick your way along.”

  “Yes sir,” she replied giving him a mock salute.

  “Smart aleck,” Jason said. He climbed into the back seat and with a long sigh stretched out his body across the seat. “Nothing like these old cars with their long bench seats.”

  Catherine carefully threaded her way through the abandoned cars. In the few clear places she accelerated, briefly touching fifty miles per hour at times.

  “Don’t scare me,” Jason called out from the back seat.

  “Don’t be a back-seat driver. Just relax and rest. I’m slowing down when it gets crowded.”

  Three hours later, Jason awoke with a start. Catherine was slowly trying to make her way around a multi-car pile-up involving a tractor-trailer that had happened over two years ago.

  “Where are we?” He said as he sat up.

  “How would I know?”

  “I mean how far out are we?”

  She looked at the odometer. “About one hundred and twenty-five miles.” She pointed through the w
indshield. “This is going to be tough going. I may have to go back and cross over into the other set of lanes to get around this mess.”

  Jason looked at the sky and then his watch. “Let’s stop here. We must be getting close. We’ll go on foot.”

  He got out of the car and stretched. After shouldering their backpacks, they grabbed their rifles, headed across the highway to the west, and into the woods. They climbed into the hills before turning north to follow the interstate.

  “We have to move fast,” Jason said. “Cover as much ground as we can.”

  They set out at a trot, snaking around the dense brush and wild rose brambles. Catherine soon took the lead. She was light-footed and readily found a way through the trees and rocks. The two carried on with their rifles held low in one hand, swinging back and forth.

  Jason felt a surge of adrenalin coursing through his body. He had to hold himself in check to not sprint forward. Their jogging pace was one he could keep up for long hours. He could see by Catherine’s graceful, economic movements that she could as well.

  His whole body tingled with energy and anticipation. The fatigue that had enveloped him in the car was now washed away. The nap helped some, but Jason knew it was more than that. He was energized by being in the woods again; by being on a mission again, helping to save people. He was using his skills as a sniper and a woodsman and he had to admit that the effect was invigorating. His senses were sharpened. The complex smells of the woods: pine, leaf mold, an occasional whiff of a forest herb, and the dank and darker odors of a creek making its way through a hollow, all registered as they jogged along.

  His mind and body absorbed all his senses could distinguish. With a pang of guilt Jason realized that this experience, this type of mission, made him feel alive. He loved Anne, their son, Adam, and the joys of life with his family, but this, being in the woods, racing to do battle with the enemy, brought a sharpness to his being that city life could not give.

  They leapt the smaller creeks, splashed through the larger ones, never stopping. The climbs were slower, sometimes requiring them to scramble hand and foot up a slope. They would pause for a moment to catch their breath and, without a word, set out again. Throughout the afternoon they would occasionally head back towards the interstate which followed the river valley to scan the road for signs of the convoy. Then they would move back from the ridge and continued north. They jogged, slid, and clawed their way forward. Along the way, Catherine found some faint game trails which improved their pace.