by A J Newman
“Does he drink,” asked Joan
“Like a fucken’ fish. Pardon my French, young lady.”
“George, I once was a lady; now I am one of Bob’s warriors.”
“And a pretty one I might say.”
Joan replied, “Bob, George needs to meet Helen.”
“I’m sure you can arrange that meeting,” Bob answered, and then said, “George, she’ll have you married in two months.
George laughed and said, “There are worse things that can happen to a man these days. I got to get back to work and my new spy job.”
Bob handed him a walkie-talkie and said, “Call me every morning at 4:45 sharp until this mission is over.”
Bob met with the Sheriff about the Hog, and afterward, the Sheriff took Bob over to the Mayor’s office and introduced him to Edgar Lawrence the DHS officer assigned to this area.
“Hello, Mr. Karr, the Mayor, and Sheriff have told me a lot about you and what you have accomplished in such a short time. My mission is to scout the Middle Tennessee area and determine how FEMA and the DHS can help you survive until we get the country back on its feet. What does your community need the most?”
“Nothing from the government. The only thing you can do is to get the people north of us farming their own food instead of trying to steal our food. Every person in the USA needs to be growing their own food and ridding the country of all criminals. If you have seeds, guns, and ammo you could pass them out to the citizens, while the military roots out the criminals, gangs and want a be dictators trying to take other people’s land and food.”
“Well, we agree with most of what you say except for handing out guns. As I was telling the Sheriff, the President has declared martial law, and all but hunting guns are to be turned into the county officials so they can be picked up by the DHS.”
Bob smiled and said, “Well lucky for me and my little community we only have a few squirrel guns and shotguns. You need to give us some M4s and Ma Deuces to fend off scumbags like Senator O’Berg and his henchmen.”
“Sir, I’ll have you know that the Senator is the reason that the Director of the DHS sent me out to Middle Tennessee. I am to meet with him and discuss his needs so he can govern and get this area back in the 21st century.”
“Then you’ll have to go to Hell.”
“I beg your pardon.”
“That’s where the Senator is. Hell. He plundered and killed hundreds of the people around Lebanon, and they rose up and killed the worthless bastard. He was a crooked politician and thank God he was an incompetent crook as a dictator.”
“Well, the Director will be very unhappy with my report.”
Shorty took the first watch out on the road into the mine at 10:00. The air was a bit cooler when Bob felt someone lay down beside him and snuggle up to his back.
Bob said, “Damn, Shorty, you are supposed to be on guard duty.”
Joan replied, “So you prefer Shorty to a naked woman in bed with you out under the stars?”
“Joan…”
“Bob…”
Shorty came back to camp a few hours later and saw them snuggled up together under a sheet on Bob’s sleeping bag and let them sleep until wake up time at 4:00.
Bob woke to the sound of Shorty singing a country love song and found Joan’s head on his chest as she struggled to wake up.
“I let you two love birds sleep through the night, and each of you owes me a turn at guard duty. Boss, it’s 4:00 and I’m going to check the road again while you two put some clothes on your ‘necked’ bodies. There is some jerky, biscuits, and coffee for breakfast,” Shorty laughed and said as he left the camp.
Bob rolled over, held Joan in his arms and said, “This was probably too soon for me to forget Jane, but I have grown fond of you and I really ain’t good at the mushy stuff.”
“Bob, you’ll never forget Mary or Jane. I don’t want you to push them out of your mind; I just want you to let me in.”
“I think you got in last night.”
“You know what I mean. In your heart, not just in your bed.”
“Joan I care for you a lot. Just give me time, and I hear time cures all wounds. Do I need to give you a ring because we are going steady?”
“No, but I’m moving my things into your room when we get back.”
“That will make tongues wag. I joke, but I don’t care. I want you with me because you make me feel great and your smile brightens my day.”
“George, when does the DHS officer want to see Lebanon or the Horseshoe?”
“That’s funny that you ask, he’s changed his plans and wants to see the Horseshoe and then Lebanon today and leave tomorrow without seeing the rest of the Middle Tennessee area. Something has him nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
“We will head to the Horseshoe as soon as we finish talking. Try to get him to the Horseshoe no earlier than 9:00.”
“Will do. See you shortly.”
“Shorty do you feel comfortable visiting your old buddy Eddy today?”
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Bob handed Shorty one of the mason jars with the moonshine and said, “Perhaps this will loosen up his tongue a bit.”
✼
Chapter 16
Day 162 – Spy vs. Spy
Jack, Harold, and Jo met George and the DHS officer at the front gate and welcomed him to their community.
“I hear that you are from the government and you are here to help us,” Jack said as he sneered at the man.
The officer looked around at the guards and the numerous weapons they carried and said, “It appears that you can protect yourselves, perhaps we can determine how we can discuss how we can work together to feed the massive amount of unfortunate souls that are starving in this area.”
They drove out to the barn on Greg’s property to meet, and Jack replied, “So we will trade them food for usable goods?”
“Well, no. They don’t have anything of value because most are homeless.”
“Oh, you mean the government is going to pay us for our crops?”
“Well no, but as US citizens you will gladly share your bounty with the less unfortunate.”
Jack stopped the truck and led the Officer to the barn where Bob, Joan, and Jo joined them. The officer saw Bob and said, “I see you made it back home in time to meet with me.”
Jack interrupted and said, “This fool thinks we will turn over most of our crops to the DHS to hand out to the starving masses.”
Bob walked up to him and said, “Sit down and tell us all about how socialism and serfdom work.”
The man slowly reached for a pistol hidden under his shirt when Bob quickly shoved the barrel of his .45 1911 into the man’s forehead and said, “Move, and you will have two new holes in that dumbass head of yours. Jo, take his gun and frisk him.”
Bob shoved the man down into a chair and bound his hands and feet to the chair before beginning the interrogation. The man turned white as a ghost, started to stutter when Bob slapped him across the face, and said, “Shut the fuck up unless I ask a question and then you’d better speak up and tell the truth. Now, who do you really work for?”
The man replied, “The DHS. I work for the DHS.”
Bob punched him in the gut hard enough to make the man vomit down the front of his clothes, and then asked, “I’ll ask again and don’t lie, or the beatings will continue until you tell the truth. Who do you work for?”
The man winced and said, “Fuck you. I work for the DHS, and you are a dead man.”
“Harold, I don’t think this asshole understands that we mean business. Go get our little persuader.”
“Okay Bob,” Harold said as he left the room and quickly returned and said, “Ben hasn’t been fed in a week. He’s a bit weak, but he can eat, well, like a rat.
Harold showed the man the rat crawling around on the bottom of a five-gallon bucket and said, “We’ve notched the bucket on both sides so it will fit over your shoulders. We took
bets on if he’ll eat your ears or your eyes first. I’ve got a pint of moonshine that says the ears go first.”
“You wouldn’t do that. I’m a federal agent. The Army will wipe this place off the map.”
Major Ben walked into the room in his uniform and said, “I’m the commander of the local garrison, and these men are volunteers with my force. I told them that my people would interrogate you, but they insisted they had much more efficient means to get the truth from you. I believe them now. Oh, by the way, I have a case of .556 bet on the rat eating your tongue first. Not to worry. You can always answer our questions with written answers.”
“Fuck all of you.”
“Harold, place the bucket over his head,” yelled Bob.
The man went berserk as the bucket was flipped over his head onto his shoulders. The poor rat was scared to death and ran around his head as the man pissed his pants and begged for mercy.
“I’ll talk. I’ll talk.”
“Remove the bucket.”
Harold pulled the bucket off the man’s head, and the rat ran down the front of his shirt biting him as he went. Harold reached down the man’s shirt, caught the rodent by the tail, and left with the bucket and rat.
Bob sat down next to the man and said, “Tell me a story. Lie, and the rat comes back.”
“Let me clean up first. I soiled myself.”
“Yes and you smell like shit, but first we hear the truth.”
“Okay, I was with the DHS until the Event. Then as everyone else did, I hid in the mountains of West Virginia until everything settled down. I ran into a friend of Senator O’Bergs, and he talked me into joining them in building their own country. They had a year’s warning that this was going to happen but didn’t know the exact date, and I think it caught them by surprise.”
Bob asked, “How many troops and what type of weapons do you have?”
“There are 400-500 in the main force and several groups of 100-250 branching out to seize more area to farm. I am the point man for Middle Tennessee. They have pistols, M4s, and Humvees with machine guns.”
Jack asked, “When will you report into your boss?”
“Not until I can get back to the West Virginia border, so make that four days. My radio won’t reach that far, and I have to report in person so no one can intercept the report.”
“When are they coming to our area?”
“There are half a dozen spies in the area now, but the larger group doesn’t arrive until the end of the month.”
Jack asked, “How can we find the spies?”
“There is a folded piece of paper in my wallet with the spies’ names, locations and when I’m scheduled to meet with them tomorrow.”
Bob smiled at Jack and said, “Bingo, then asked, “Do any of these spies know you or would recognize you?”
“No, I never met any of them.”
Jo asked, “Will the fake DHS people bring their families?”
“Yes, but only after they have eliminated all threats and opposition. Each family will get 150 acres and ten men to work the land.”
Bob gagged and said, “You mean they will make slaves out of us?”
“No, you will become indentured servants and get to keep a part of the crops you grow.”
Bob was steaming as he asked, “How will you keep us from rebelling and overthrowing your sorry asses?”
“The men will have shackles on their legs, and the women and children will be held in work camps with armed guards. If you escape, they will kill your kids and later kill your wives.”
Bob kicked the man backward, drew his .45, and shot the man between the eyes as he fell back.
Harold yelled, “Damn I didn’t see that coming.”
Jo choked and said, “I did, and it still sickens me to see a man’s brains blown out the back of his head.”
Joan walked outside, leaned up against the barn, and puked until nothing came up anymore. Jo went over to her with a bottle of water and said, “I’m sorry you had to see that. Bob is usually very kind and sweet.”
“Jo, I love Bob just the way he is and wouldn’t change him. He has the guts to do the hard tasks. I’m not as strong as the rest of you, but I’ll do what it takes to make sure no one harms our family. I might puke afterward, but I’ll do my job.”
“You are strong because you can do what’s needed. Hell, I’ve been a cop for many years and still vomit when I see someone killed. I also think my Mom would be pleased that Bob has met someone who will love him and work with him to protect our family.”
“Thanks, that means so much to me.”
Bob came over, took Joan in his arms, and walked her to his truck so he could take her home. As he left, he said, “Let’s meet at my home after lunch so we can send teams to go interrogate and eliminate the spies.”
Shorty’s man, Eddy, was a treasure trove of information about the questions asked by the fake DHS agent and had one fact that surprised everyone.
Shorty reported, “Bob, Eddy says one of his fellow deputies was on a routine patrol and ran across a camp in the woods with about twenty men dressed in black battle dress uniforms. They were armed with M4s, side arms, and turret mounted SAWs on top of three up-armored Humvees. They also have one five-ton truck with a trailer.”
“Mr. DHS failed to tell us that little tidbit.”
“My friend went on to say that he reported it to the Sheriff and was told that he must not tell anyone about the men because of national security.”
“Thanks, Shorty. Now, we know the Sheriff, and probably the Mayor know about the DHS, but what we don’t know is if they know these are fake DHS or have been fooled.”
Ben had a worried look on his face and said, “We have to take out the men in the camp and the six spies now. Those Saws could wipe us out in a frontal assault so we need a plan to kill as many as possible before they can react.”
Bob thought for a minute and said, “Jack’s team should eliminate the spies, and Ben your men plus some of us should take out the troops. We have four or five proficient snipers that could decimate their ranks quickly while your guys do their thing.”
Jack replied, “I agree. We could probably find a way to kill them all but would lose too many people doing the job. I’ll kill the spies and leave the heavy lifting to Ben and his crew.”
“I’ll take you up on the snipers and any other experienced fighters to help mop them up when we hit the main group. I don’t want any of them escaping.”
“Papaw, this is Will.”
“Go Will.”
“You were right. I chased down the Assistant Police Chief, and he filled me in on what he knows and what he suspects. First, the Mayor and Sheriff are working with the DHS man and have been promised high positions in the new territory he is to be in charge of after all resistance has been eliminated. Second, they may not know if he is fake, but they are in bed with him on killing any people who resist and placing the general population into work camps. Papaw, these assholes have to go.”
“Will, take them out tonight and then get your team back to the Horseshoe. We have a problem to attend to in the near future, and I need your help.”
“I won’t fail you.”
“I know son.”
Bob called all of the other teams back to the Horseshoe to give them their assignments. They met that afternoon without Will’s team, and Jack made the following assignments for the spy hit teams:
Jack’s Team – Will and Sally
Harold’s Team – Zeb and Shorty
Bob’s Team – Tony and Joan
Snipers assigned to Ben – Jo, Maddie, Oren, and Ted
Others assigned to Ben – Matt, Sue, and Helen
Jim Dickerson brought 39 men and women from his team to join Ben along with the five men from Pleasant Shade. Ben brought four of his soldiers and 15 men and women from Lafayette for a total of 66 fighters plus 4 Snipers for a total of 70 against about 20 of the fake DHS.
Will waited until he saw the Mayor’s lights go out in his
office and had the team follow him and his guard out the back door to his truck. It was about 10:00 and they were able to stay in the shadows as they approached the Mayor. Will had the bodyguard in his sights when Maddie and Oren launched themselves at the Mayor. Will shot the man twice in the chest and then once in the head as the man lay on the ground. Oren cut the Mayor’s jugular, and then they hid the bodies under a pile of garbage behind a nearby store.
Maddie hung a sign around the Mayor’s neck that said, “This criminal has been executed by the Wraith.”
They walked a few blocks over to the Police Chief’s house, and Will threw a nice chunk of venison laced with sleeping pills over the fence to the Doberman. They waited for half an hour, and Oren picked the back door lock to allow them entrance to the kitchen.
The Police Chief lived by himself, so they were shocked when they heard a ladies voice coming from the bedroom. They heard, “Fred, I was doing my duty this morning when we were interrupted by two people who want us to spy on the DHS and local officials.”
“What the fuck? They caught you screwing Allan?”
“Yes, he is going to do the spying for them and screw up your plans to take over Middle Tennessee with that ex-DHS thug. Aren’t you glad you had me spying on him?”
“Why the hell did you wait until now to tell me now? I have that asshole thinking that I believe he is from the DHS and I don’t mind his guys doing the killing so I can keep my hands clean. We need to….”
Maddie walked into the room and shot both twice in the chest and once in the head with Jane’s silenced .22. Will took the duct tape from his backpack along with the quart jar of gasoline and fashioned a time-delayed bomb by suspending the jar several feet above the hardwood floor with the duct tape and linking another piece about a foot long into the tape holding the jar in the air.
