by Newman, AJ
“Smartass.”
“Mom, we don’t use that word around the children.”
Several hours later, Samantha’s microphone’s picked up men’s voices approaching from the west. She listened carefully before sending a voice message to Jon. He heard the radio beep several times and keyed the mic. “What’s up, Samantha?”
“Intruders are approaching from the northwest. They’re talking about how easy it will be to overrun the people in the farmhouse. They haven’t cleared the tree line yet, and you have time to mount a defense.”
Jon woke Barbara and told her to quietly dress and get her weapons without turning the lights on. Jon then went door to door, passing the message on to the others. Charlie radioed Bob and informed him of the situation. Bob was at the front of the property, and he hadn’t seen any activity. Granny Jane radioed the other members of their Mutual Assistance Group and warned them of the pending attack. All but one pledged help would be on the way.
Charlie told the others, “We need to spread out around the barn and ambush these bastards. They can’t be anyone from our MAG and are up to no good. It’s probably some assholes trying to steal some cattle. Let’s go.”
Charlie saw Barbara toting her rifle and said, “Women need to stay in the house where it’s safe.”
Cindy hefted her shotgun and stood beside Barbara. Barbara said, “Dad, the world has changed. I’m fighting alongside Jon, and that’s that.”
Charlie gulped and knew not to argue with the fiery redhead. Granny Jane passed out rifles and shotguns to the other women and Bobby Jr. “Ladies and little Bob, take a rifle or shotgun and prepare to defend the farm. We’ve drilled on this a bunch of times, and y’all know the rules. Number one. Don’t shoot Granny Jane. Number two. Don’t shoot anyone in the family. Number three. When in doubt, refer to rule number one. Now move it.”
☣☣☣
The five men waited behind hills inside the tree line, watching the pasture and barn ahead of them. The meadow was a valley about a half-mile across and fifty feet deep in the middle where a narrow creek flowed. The leader said, “Frank, flank the left side of the barn. Jim, take the right side. The rest of us will go up the middle. Remember, do not kill anyone.”
“Greg, we need the damned night vision goggles.”
“Shut up and move out. These are civilians, and they’ll be easy to ambush.”
The men crept forward, staying below the top of the tall grass, which had not been cut and baled. There was a storm heading their way, and the front was just starting to pass. The wind picked up and blew the grass back and forth. The motion would help hide the men’s movement. Their leader was very confident they could sneak up on the target since the wind blew in their face as they moved down the hill. He was pleased the family dogs wouldn’t be able to detect them. He’d already started thinking about the beer back at the truck.
Samantha’s IR vision cameras were intended to detect deer and other animals. The feature was an integral part of her collision avoidance system. They quickly showed the men creeping through the weeds toward the people she was charged to protect. The images of her friends on the other side of the valley were only blobs of a lighter color on a green-lit screen. She couldn’t tell Jon from the others. Samantha calculated the probability of doing nothing versus taking action and decided to take action.
The signal to the rear brakes actuated the release of the brakes, and Samantha began slowly rolling downhill. The three men in the middle were moving in a single file directly ahead of her. The wind kept them from hearing her disturb the grass. She was only fifty feet behind them when she started her engine, increased speed, and turned on her headlights and fog lamps. Her engine roared as she charged down the hillside.
The men turned in time to see the lights run them over but not soon enough to save their lives. Only the leader got off a wild shot that missed Samantha by twenty feet. Samantha couldn’t feel but felt the vibrations in her sensors as she crushed the men beneath her. She felt satisfaction that she’d helped protect her humans.
☣☣☣
Jon and Barbara were behind a wagon, waiting to see the attacking men. “Jon, I never thought I could kill someone. This apocalypse has turned me into a hardened killer. I just think of these men as a scourge to be eradicated from the earth.”
“Honey, you’re still the same sweet girl I fell in love with and will always love. You’ve just adapted to the reality that we must protect our families and ourselves if we want to survive. Don’t dwell on this when it’s over.”
“Crap, headlights are coming down the hill,” said Jon.
“Darn, the vehicle just knocked a man up into the air.”
Jon yelled, “It’s my truck running the intruders over. She’s mowing them down. Look, she turned, and there’s a man. I got him.”
Jon’s and Bob’s rifles barked at the same time, and the man fell to the ground dead. Jon was surprised to see Samantha had made a U-turn and headed across the field. Flashes split the dark ahead of the truck. After Jack and Cindy fired a volley of shots at the remaining attacker, only the tree frogs and chirping crickets filled the night air.
Jon and Barbara cautiously walked out to meet Samantha. Jon said, “Thanks for routing the enemy and cutting their numbers down. Are there anymore lurking in the tree line?”
“None I can detect. I can drive up there and check.”
“No, wait a minute so we can gather their guns.”
Samantha’s headlights helped find the weapons, and all but one M4 were undamaged. They also searched the bodies and only saw the usual documentation until Bob brought some papers over to Samantha’s headlights so he could read them.
“Damn, they had pictures of Jon, Barbara, and another two women. These men were searching for you.”
Jon examined the photos and said, “That’s Jill and Gina. They must’ve taken these when they captured us north of Mobile. The men were part of the rogue government group that tried to take my blood.”
Jon and Barbara got into the front of the truck with Charlie and Jack in the bed. Jon said, “Take us to where the men staged their operation. Hey, how could you see the men before you turned your headlights on?”
“Jon, I have IR and night vision capability.”
“Turn your lights off and drive to the spot where the men crossed the tree line.”
“Roger dodger, my captain.”
Jon and Barbara watched the path ahead on the large monitor on Samantha’s dash. It was on night vision, and everything was an eerie green. They drove slowly into the tree line and saw where the men had cut the fence. Jon told everyone to be cautious since the men had planned to capture them and take them back to Atlanta. They had to have a couple of vehicles nearby.
They drove on through the fence and followed the men’s trail. Jon heard a bang on the roof, so he had Samantha stop. Charlie said, “The old Suski place is about a quarter of a mile in the direction these tracks are taking us. I’ll bet that’s their staging area. Keep your guns ready. If anyone’s there, they’ll think it’s their people returning.”
Chapter 7
Lake Tangipahoa – September 2038
Jill and Gina stayed behind to guard the plane, which was hidden in a cove and wasn’t visible from the air or the other shore. The others had been gone for several days to visit with Barbara’s family and determine how to help them if they were still there and alive. Jill had been nervous when they’d left her and Gina alone to guard the plane. Gina wouldn’t be much help in a fight with her arm still hurting, and Jill worried she would have to protect Gina and the plane.
A strange sound woke Jill in the middle of the night, but the sound stopped before she was wide-awake. Something inside her felt there was impending danger. She reached out to find Gina wasn’t beside her. The cabin was warm, even with the windows open. She wondered if Gina had gone out to take a dip. Jill was scared because the lake was infested with alligators. The locals had done an excellent job keeping gators out of the lake
, but now, no one had the time or inclination to do the job. They had seen several over ten-feet long during their plane’s pass above the lake before initially landing.
Jill slipped her shorts and t-shirt on before strapping her gun belt around her waist. She stepped on her sneakers to make sure no ugly bugs or spiders had taken up residence before inserting her feet. The air was soupy thick and had the smell of magnolias. Mosquitoes immediately swarmed Jill. She had to stop to spray repellent on her exposed flesh before going to find Gina. Her friend wasn’t on the deck facing the lake, but Jill thought she’d seen a light flicker at the other end of the lake. She watched for a while and saw several lights darting around the area.
Jill strode down to the dock and was shocked to find the boat was gone. She searched around the cabin, didn’t see Gina or any signs of a struggle, then searched the area behind the cabin, and again found nothing. Suddenly, she heard the sound of metal hitting metal echoing from the water by the airplane. Peering through the brush and trees, she saw a person in the moonlight standing on the aircraft’s pontoon. Jill was shocked when she watched the dark figure swing an ax and hit the pontoon at the waterline. The person then crawled through the plane, and then Jill could hear the sound of chopping on the aluminum float on the other side. The aircraft began listing while the figure climbed back in the boat and paddled toward the dock and tied the boat down. It was dark under the trees, but Jill saw the person draw a pistol, head back to the cabin, and slowly open the door to reduce any noise.
Jill caught a side glimpse of the person and was confident it was a woman. She silently fell in behind the person as the person entered the bedroom where Jill and Gina slept. Jill heard the person say, “Jill, wake up. I have a surprise for you. We’re going back to Atlanta, where I’ll get a big bounty,” just before the woman turned a flashlight on and aimed it at the bed.
Jill knew the voice instantly. “Gina, drop the pistol, or you’re dead.”
Jill saw the sudden movement and shot twice, knocking her former friend and lover to the ground. “Why, Gina? Why?”
“Because they offered me a better life and immunity for my husband and kids. Your troubles have just begun. If the men don’t capture you, your life will be a living hell for a short time.”
“Your husband?”
“I’m a great actress.”
Jill shot Gina in the head twice, walked back out to the dock with a bottle of whiskey, and started chugging.
☣☣☣
They watched the old farmhouse and dilapidated barn for a short time and then split into two groups. Jon and Charlie led their people to the front of the garage, where a Humvee and a large van were parked. They searched the home and the barn. No one was around.
Jon said, “We need about fifteen minutes to a half-hour to transfer the fuel from the van into Samantha. Could y’all check the vehicles for weapons or anything we can use?”
“Sure thing,” Jack said, and then he started checking the van while the others checked the Humvee. Jon began siphoning the fuel into Samantha’s main fuel tanks while the others searched the dead men’s vehicles. While the pump transferred the fuel, Jon showed Barbara how to use one of the M4s they’d taken from the men. He was familiar with ARs, and this was just a fancy AR to him. He told her to keep the selector off auto-fire and then showed her how to aim and reload the weapon. Each of the men had had a loaded gun and six full magazines for the M4 plus a 9 mm Sig and three extra mags. Jon was relieved they finally had some serious firepower.
The van had more than enough fuel to fill up Samantha’s tanks, and when Jon finished, he joined the others. Jack frowned at his son. “We found more documents giving these men instructions on how to follow us. They were following a chip.”
“Oh, crap! Do you think they were following my extra Samantha chip?”
Jack said, “Sorry, son, but that’s a reasonable explanation.”
“Charlie, we need to go to Jill and Gina. They might have sent a separate team to get them.”
Charlie looked angry. “Go quickly and check on your friends. I won’t lie to you. This situation ain’t good. You led the assholes right to us.”
☣☣☣
The sky was clear that morning, and the mosquitos were just leaving their succulent meal when Jill’s bloodshot eyes opened. She itched all over and started scratching the insect bites. She tried to get up but was still a bit drunk. Her bottle was empty, and the alcohol had put her out for the night. Even the gigantic Mississippi skeeters didn’t wake her up as they’d gorged on her blood. Jill pulled herself up to a standing position but fell back to the dock floor, bumping her head. She bled a small amount of blood out onto the dock boards as she slept the night’s booze off.
She didn’t hear the big truck roar into the driveway or the slamming of the front door. Even Barbara and Cindy’s screams didn’t wake her when they found Gina’s bullet-riddled body. Calling her name didn’t wake her, nor did Bo running up and licking her face. Bo started barking furiously, and she came to and looked through bleary eyes at people running to her. She reached for her pistol but heard, “Jill, it’s me, Jon. Are you okay? What happened?”
Jill said something he couldn’t understand. “What did you say?”
“Water, I need water. An alligator crapped in my mouth.”
“Huh?”
“Water . . . now!”
Cindy ran into the house and brought a bottle of water to them. Jon held Jill’s head up and held the bottle to her lips. Jon took the container away, but Jill said, “More! More!”
She sipped from the bottle until it was empty and then said, “Help me up.”
Jon helped her onto a deck chair where she held her head in her hands. Jon asked, “Did the same men who killed Gina hit you on the head?”
“No, I killed the bitch.”
Jon and the others glared at Jill as she tried to clear her head of the alcohol-induced stupor. Jill said, “Go look at the plane. She did it with an ax. The bitch was working for the same people trying to steal our blood.”
Barbara stayed with Jill while the others ran to the aircraft. Jack examined the damage. “Damn. She not only put holes in the pontoons, but she also cut through several of the struts. I could’ve patched the pontoons, but we’d need welders and other equipment to replace the struts. Jon, we’ll have to use the other plane.”
“Dad, we have to have a series of conversations with Barbara and her family. If those men found us and reported our location, this whole area is compromised. I don’t know if it’s wise to stay here.”
They came back to the dock, and Barbara said, “Jill, tell them what you saw early this morning.”
“There were lights down at the other end of the lake. I saw Gina rowing the boat back from their directions, and then I saw several lights moving around until I passed out.”
Jon said, “That’s about the same time the men attacked. We need to unass this place now.”
They loaded a still wobbly Jill into the truck and rode back to Barbara’s family home.
Chapter 8
McComb, Mississippi - September 2038
The conversation took a nasty turn when Charlie returned home. “Mom, we need a family meeting. One or more of Barbara’s friends had some kind of tracking device on them. Those men were from that rogue bunch of scientists trying to capture immune people.”
Granny Jane had to stop and think for a minute. Charlie was impatient. “Mom, I just said …”
“I heard you the first time. I wanted to think before jacking my jaws. Tell me what you think we ought to do.”
“When the other members of the MAG find out about them bringing in murderers into our community, they’ll throw us out of the group.”
“BS, son, this is our group. Without us, they would just be a mob.”
Pat said, “A mob with thirty-some-odd rednecks with guns, and who don’t care one iota about Barbara and her friends.”
Granny Jane said, “I’m more worried the men from that ro
gue CDC unit will come back here to get Barbara. There isn’t an easy solution. We need to keep our options open while we figure out what to. Do we hunker down or run like the dickens?”
The next morning, Betty radioed back to the others that Barbara and her friends were approaching. Charlie said, “It’s nut cutting time. Barbara can stay, but her friends have to go. When this leaks out, we’ll be lucky if the others in the MAG don’t lynch us.”
“Son, you’re a dumbass. I told you that Barbara would choose her man over the family when the shit hits the fan. Besides, I don’t believe for a minute any of these people knew those bastards were tracking them.”
Bob said, “Barbara’s my sister, and she wouldn’t knowingly put us in danger.”
Pat replied, “Tell that to our so-called friends when they arrive with pitchforks and torches.”
☣☣☣
Jon was silent during the first half of the drive to Barbara’s home. He was mulling over some thoughts about how the rogue group had been tracking them. “Listen up! Gina’s lying dead back at the lake, and any tracking device she had on her is still there. We can’t be tracked now, so maybe we can just leave and save Barbara’s people from this new danger.”
Cindy was confused. “If Gina had the tracking device, how did they follow you to the Payne’s farm?”
Jill said, “That’s a damned good question. Gina was with me the entire time after you left for the Payne’s place until we went to bed. I doubt if they had time to mount an attack in a few hours.”
The truck slid to a stop. “Samantha, you’ve heard the conversation. What are the top two explanations on how those asshats tracked us?”
“It’s obvious that one of you has a tracking implanted when you were unconscious at the compound in Daphne. The second is that Barbara had an implant all along. It was a method to make sure all the little scientists played well together and didn’t try to escape the sandbox.”
