by Zack Finley
“How were people armed?” I asked.
“Don’t know about the cops in the Walmart, although they are supposed to have automatic weapons like the sheriff. Everyone else wandering around has a pistol and some type of rifle or shotgun,” Joel said. “I suspect a lot of them are once-a-year deer hunters and a few are probably veterans.”
“Any sign of NVGs?” I asked.
“Nope,” Joel said. “I think there was a mass exodus in the first week of the crash. Everyone who had someplace to go, left. The cold saps people’s strength. Outside of downtown, you see smoke coming from a few chimneys, so some people are keeping warm. Most of these are older homes on small farmsteads. In town, some of the rich folks must have fireplaces, because their houses have smoky chimneys, too. Any survivalists are keeping a low profile as you’d expect. Plenty of water around, but few people are boiling or disinfecting it.”
“It sounds like the cops won’t be welcome to stay, but is there anyone organized enough to make them go?” I asked.
“If the cops had a way to leave, I get the impression they’d take it,” Joel said.
“We found all the Mecklin County school buses,” I said. “If we gas one up and park it in front of Walmart with the keys, do you think they’d leave on their own?”
“Maybe,” Joel said. “Especially if we gave them a deadline and let them take what they can carry. Tell them to go north, there is an easy side road around the blocked highway, that could easily be blocked after they leave.”
“Would you expect any gunplay?” I asked.
“A few weeks ago, maybe. Now, everyone seems to be going through the motions,” Ben said. “We actually hung out with some of the guys staying in the firehouse across from Walmart. They had a burn barrel they kept going in front to keep warm. I’m told folks raided Tractor Supply and a few other outlets for kerosene heaters. Most ran out of kerosene and switched to diesel siphoned out of big rigs and such. The firemen think that switching fuel caused some of the fires, but they are only guessing. Some people had propane heaters, but they ran out. After they cleaned out Walmart and a few locals with small tanks, they were screwed. The nearest big propane supplier is in Kentucky or Jacksboro.”
Enticing the cops to pack up and leave was one way to eliminate that future threat. They sounded like the only group in Oneida with enough organization to make an effort.
Supper was still being served at the cafeteria. This time it was a pulled pork in a tangy barbecue sauce, potato salad, and a corn tortilla. It was a pleasant change that was much appreciated by the group.
The radio hut sent me my dad’s location, and I trotted to meet him. The rain was starting to peter out. I was already quite wet, so it wasn’t enough to make it worse.
My dad, Roger, and Uncle George were in Uncle George’s storage room. While it was where he did all of his paperwork and scheduling, one couldn’t call it an office. It was where George stored his specialized tools. It was an impressive collection of whatnots and doohickeys, he had acquired over the years. If it had a name you could recognize, then it wasn’t stored here.
I hadn’t been in the room for many years. It looked much the same, though a bit more crowded. I waited for their conversation to conclude. My information could wait.
After a few minutes, I got the gist of the conversation. My dad wanted to ramp up meat and egg production faster than George. I knew if George held firm, my dad would back off. I also knew that Uncle George would then try his damnedest to meet my dad’s production goals. It was a well-worn game they played. They didn’t need my input. I saw Roger rolling his eyes, knowing the two brothers had to play the scene out in full although the outcome was already set.
Once they concluded, my dad dragged Roger and me back to the food court, leaving George to piss and moan.
After the briefing, Roger endorsed giving the Oneida cops a way to leave without confrontation. He liked that it only cost us a tank of gas and a Mecklin County school bus. If we acquired the Norfolk-Southern fuel truck, it wouldn’t even reduce our fuel supply.
My dad was intrigued by the rail cars and engines stacked up at the Oneida railyard. Knowing him, he was considering salvaging the materials now ruining in various Oneida businesses. He agreed the first priority was ridding Mecklin County of our ersatz cops. “Be sure to spell out the requirement they drive north and never return,” my dad said. “Warn them they will be shot if they return. I’m not saying we’ll definitely do that, but I hope it motivates them to leave the area.”
“Should we stop them from hauling stuff away from Walmart?” I asked.
“Don’t know how you’d make that stick. If they are limited to one busload, even if it is stacked full, let them go,” Roger said.
My dad looked offended but agreed. “I hate rewarding violations of the public trust, but if they hit the road, we’ll just have to worry about people from outside the area.”
“If you two will write up the offer, I’ll get my guys ready to do this tonight. I’d rather not do this during daylight,” I said.
“Fair enough,” Roger said. “I’ll bring it to the armory within the hour.”
I called Ben, Craig, and Razor to meet me at the armory for a mission back to Oneida. I wanted at least one of the men from the Oneida operation with us to minimize problems. But the others deserved some R&R.
We’d take several 10-gallon cans of diesel to fill up the school bus. I didn’t necessarily want it full, but we needed the cops to get far enough away, they wouldn’t return. I doubted they would agree to drive off with an empty tank.
I wanted to take a Humvee with a Ma Deuce. I doubted we’d need the firepower, but it was added protection.
The whole Oneida team met us at the armory, to make sure we had the best intel. The railyard was close enough to Walmart, we agreed to hit it on the way back. At the Oneida team’s suggestion, we included an extra can of diesel for the fuel truck, just to avoid any delays. Razor was particularly adept at starting vehicles without the need of keys. He showed off his multitool and a small roll of electrical tape he carried in one of his pouches. While the Humvee had a tool kit, which included jumper cables, the guys recommended bringing a second set of cables.
“The batteries on either one could be discharged. We can use the Humvee’s battery to get them started, but we’ll want to minimize the time spent screwing with it,” Ben said. “Are we going to hotwire the school bus?”
“No need,” said Razor, showing him a key from his pocket. “We don’t even have to stop at FOB Justice to retrieve one.”
“Do we have any of that easy-start spray?” Ben asked.
I realized we probably had some in the barn where most of our farm equipment was stored. Starting farm equipment idled for months was a regular part of the annual farming cycle. Since FOB Justice stored a lot of material the sheriff retrieved from an auto parts store, I’d ask Steve to transfer any cans to the Valley.
“There is some in the equipment barn,” I started to say when Joel hopped up and ran to get it. Joel worked as a diesel mechanic after he arrived in Huntsville. I knew my mom had him slated to train some of our new inductees in the art of routine diesel maintenance. On his advice, we’d acquired some higher tech troubleshooting gear before the crash.
“Boss, we should consider bringing Joel, along,” Ben said. “If we have any trouble getting those engines started, he could save us valuable time.”
“You are probably right, I’ll ask him when he gets back,” I said. Having five on this op might be fine, especially since we’d be in two separate vehicles.
Joel came back at a dead run. He wasn’t even winded. “We should try to pick up more of these in future scavenging operations,” Joel said. “We have a case of these, but they come in mighty handy.”
“Ben thinks your diesel wizardry might help on this op, are you game?” I asked, knowing full well he’d walk through fire before skipping it.
“I can be ready in five,” Joel said and left again.
It was pretty straight forward, drive to Huntsville, pick a school bus, fuel it. Then caravan to Walmart, drop it, the keys and our nice note off at the front door. Drive to the railyard, steal the fuel truck, refueling it if necessary, and come home.
After Roger brought the note our brain trust created, there was no reason to wait until dark to prep the school bus.
The school bus tank was only half empty. We put in two cans of diesel to get it close enough to full, although adding the second felt like overkill. Joel did his magic and had the engine started moments later. The battery was weak after sitting in the cold for three months, but it had just enough juice to heat the glow plugs and kick the engine over twice.
While Joel was babying the engine, Razor and Craig began removing brake lights and other bulbs. We had no intention of letting an errant courtesy light defeat a semi-stealthy approach.
Craig stayed with Joel as we mounted up. I had Razor driving the Humvee with Ben riding shotgun. I rode behind Razor to keep watch and would man the turret if needed.
I radioed FOB Justice and told them we were leaving. Our Humvee had the new GMRS radio in it. With the repeater installed at Justice, I could now reach the Valley. It should even work from Oneida, but testing it was on this mission’s task list.
Darkness settled in quickly after sunset. We shifted to NVGs and drove to Oneida. The few inhabited houses along the way popped out on thermal scans. There were very few heated buildings left along US-27. In this part of Tennessee having one’s home next to a five-lane highway wasn’t something most people wanted. Besides, I was on the side of the road next to the railroad. On the way back, I’d check the other side.
Just into Oneida, I spotted signs of looting even visible in the dark. We crossed over the railroad and proceeded into the city. A lot of the older homes were glowing in my thermal sights. Most of them probably had a wood stove or at least a fireplace. Many of Oneida’s old houses were torn down after I joined the army and replaced by commercial buildings. Many storefronts looked like they were abandoned long before the crash.
A guesthouse offering fireplaces in their suites was doing a robust business if the smoke coming from its many chimneys was any indication.
As we approached the Walmart parking lot, Ben readied the note he’d tied around a small piece of wood. We’d approach the main entrance of the Walmart with the school bus on our left side. Ben would toss the note into the foyer while Craig and Joel scrambled into the driver’s side of the Humvee. Then we’d pull to a location to observe. We thought it would only take Craig and Joel seconds to make the transfer.
If we came under fire, we’d proceed away from the entrance, continuing to shield the bus from bullets. Our response would depend on the provocation.
The first sign of trouble was automatic rifle bullets stitching along the side of our Humvee followed closely by Ben’s sharp command, “Abort.”
By then I was in the turret and had the Ma Deuce charged and delivering lead into the entrance to the Walmart. Whether the masonry walls were thick enough to stop the bullets wasn’t much of a concern right then. I just wanted to protect Craig and Joel.
We were already out of range when a grenade exploded behind us.
Joel parked the bus on the downrange side of some abandoned cars, Craig would use the top of the bus as a shooting platform.
I used the Deuce to open up all the doors in the front of the building. I doubted the steel fire doors would stop a .50 cal. bullet and I knew the glass on the market entrance sure wouldn’t. This would distract those inside while Craig got into position.
“Boss, you got their attention with the can opener,” Craig said.
“Keep them pinned down while we get someone on the roof,” I said.
Ben had noticed several ways to get on the roofs of the other stores in the complex, but that needed access from the alley. We’d send Ben onto the roof and circle the building, giving them something to think of on the back side too.
We still didn’t know what caused them to shoot.
We stopped at the first ladder leaning against the wall. Ben was out of the Humvee and on the roof in moments, dragging the ladder up behind him. He intended to carry it with him toward Walmart, just in case he needed to get down quickly. We weren’t sure what store it belonged to, but it made getting on and off the roof easier.
We spotted three more ladders that could have served, each incrementally closer to the Walmart.
I switched the BMG to single shot, mindful of the need to conserve ammo. I hadn’t realized how many doors, including fire doors, a supercenter had. I systematically blew the lock in each one.
On our way past the front door, we lobbed a grenade through the shattered glass. I doubted it would catch anyone, but I wanted them to know we were pissed.
I asked Razor to park us on the south side of the building with a view of that whole side. This would let Ben monitor the back, us the side, and Craig the front.
I was annoyed and not sure what the best move forward was. I should take my toys and go home, but I didn’t want to face this group down the road. Especially if they gained reinforcements.
I needed to make the call.
“Taskforce to Hotel,” I radioed.
After a few ticks, I heard Sally, “Go for Hotel.”
“Scramble Beta,” I radioed.
“Scramble Beta, Wilco,” from Sally.
Nobody was going to get any sleep tonight. A scramble would send all of Force Beta my way and move Gamma to FOB Justice. Roger’s security forces would call out extras for the Valley’s perimeter.
“Guys, I’ve scrambled Beta,” I announced on our tactical radios.
I heard the squelch from both remote teams in acknowledgment.
Not long after my announcement came the crack of a sniper rifle.
At least it wasn’t raining anymore.
“Boss, Arriving with five. Where do you want us?” No mistaking Buzzer’s voice.
“Consider Walmart hostile. Stealthy approach. Do not enter the Walmart parking lot,” I said. We might not have mission maps, but at least everyone knew where Walmart was before the crash.
“Roger, stealthy,” Buzzer said.
“Take Walgreens’ driveway. Use the building to screen arrival at road south of Walmart,”
“Roger, divert via Walgreens to road south of Walmart,” Buzzer said.
“Razor and I are in Humvee,” I said.
With my forces arriving all I lacked was a plan.
I needed an incredibly smoky but low-risk fire. We now had a few tear gas canisters and smoke grenades in each Humvee, courtesy of the Mecklin County sheriff. I doubted they would clear out an area as big as this Walmart. But if we could augment them with some real smoke, that might be enough.
I sent Razor to monitor the north rear of the building. The shopping center designers had removed half a hill to fit the strip mall in with its vast parking lot. The remnants of that hill provided a great ridge to monitor the north and east walls. We had to have eyes on all the doors to keep the bad guys from flanking us. We’d already underestimated them once.
After Razor left, I got out of the Humvee, so I could watch for the arrival of our first reinforcements and also monitor the doors on the south side of the building. After Craig’s last love tap, the people inside stopped moving around where he could see them. Joel was now watching the grocery entrance, which was now mostly devoid of glass.
Buzzer made a stealthy approach for a Humvee, parking where the Walgreens building blocked sight of it from Walmart.
The Justice five joined me at my Humvee.
I quickly brought them up to speed. I sent men to cover the two potential blind spots Joel had identified on his route to watch the north wall.
Now we had reinforcements Ben wanted to know if I wanted him to stay on the roof.
“This roof is huge,” Ben said. “It has this lip on the roof that would be great for cover, not so great for watching anything going on in the doors.”
“Come on down and backup Joel and Craig,” I said. “Leave the ladder so we can get back up if we change our mind later.”
I had Tom stay with me and sent Buzzer to help cover the front and Matt to monitor the auto center.
When the rest of the troops arrived, we needed to verify the auto and garden annexes were clear because I intended to start there.
◆◆◆
Chapter 4
It didn’t take long for the team to arrive from the Valley. No surprise but both Scott and Mike came. I knew I’d have to take the heat from Dr. Jerrod, but both of them were well enough to take part in tonight’s gala. Scott was keeping up in PT each morning, so he was getting back into shape, even if he did get a little winded.
