by Payne, T. L.
“It’s too risky. We only have four weapons,” Will said, moving toward her.
“They could need help.”
“Or, they could be trouble,” Jason said.
Walker had the engine running before Will and Isabella reached the pickup. Will held his hand out to help Isabella into the bed.
She stiffened and her eyes grew wide. “Will!”
He spun around, raising his rifle as he turned.
“I got them,” Jack said, unslinging his rifles.
“Everyone with a rifle, just hold it at the ready so they can see we're armed—but don’t point it at them unless we get fired upon. We don’t need a confrontation right now—we’re on a mission.
“What are we going to do?” Isabella asked.
Will counted five men and three women. All were armed with bats and clubs, walking toward them. At least they weren’t carrying rifles. If they had been, Will and the others could be dead by now.
“We’re leaving,” Will called to them. He pushed Isabella back behind him. “And we won’t be back.”
“Right on,” Kathy said, brandishing her rifle at the ready.
The group said nothing but continued advancing.
“Get in, Will. Hurry!” Savanah said.
Jason reached down and grabbed the back of Will’s shirt. “Let’s go, man.”
Will made sure Isabella and the others were all inside and then hopped onto the tailgate. Jack slapped the side of the bed and Walker hit the gas. The advancing group stopped in the parking slot they’d just occupied. Will studied their blank expressions. He saw no fear. Not like when the military rolled through. He also saw no desperation. He considered that as the rest area got smaller and smaller in the distance. Then it dawned on him. They’d likely been living off of the supplies in the trucks at the rest area. They’d been watching Will and the others as they rifled through the trucks. The group knew they weren’t armed and therefore not much of a threat.
“There are likely other places with trucks filled with stuff we could use,” Will said.
“And they all likely have people guarding them just like the ones back there,” Jack said.
Will nodded. No doubt about it. The military had either missed this group when they did the sweep of the area or they’d arrived at the rest area later. That meant there could be far more people living in the countryside than they thought. That could put their new community at significant risk. It was unlikely the army would sweep through Williams Junction again. They had no reason to. Will and the others would need to thoroughly clear the area—and the area around the area. It was vital to know who their neighbors were, if any. There’d be no way he’d leave his family there without that information.
“Hey, Jason. We need to see if we can get some of our platoon to take a trip over to Williams Junction,” Will said.
Jason nodded. “It’ll cost us. You got anything we can trade for hooch? I got a source.”
Savanah’s eyes widened and she pursed her lips.
“Not for me. For the ole boy also trades in knives. He’s a blacksmith,” Jason assured her.
“I can find something. What will it take?” Will asked.
“He asked me about getting some grain.”
“That would be tough,” Will said. “They have the horse feed locked up tight.”
“Robertson does enjoy moonshine, though,” Jason said, and smiled.
“True. How much would we need for a trade.”
“I bet a ten-pound bag would get enough to hire most of the squad.”
Savanah threw her head back and ran a hand down her long braid. “What happened to military brotherhood and looking out for one another?”
“We’d be asking them to risk a lot, Sis,” Will said.
Jason shifted his position on the wheel well and turned toward Will. “You thinking we’ll run into trouble?”
“I’m thinking there are a lot more people out there in the countryside than we came across when our unit ran through the area. I’d like to take a second look before we establish ourselves and take our families there. We need to know if there are large groups or dangerous individuals to contend with.”
“I hope there aren’t from a security standpoint, but it would be nice to have established farmers and homesteaders with whom to trade,” Savanah said.
“That would be nice,” Isabella said.
“Not everyone out there is a threat.”
“That’s true, Sis, but the problem is, they don’t wear uniforms with “Good Guy” or “Bad Guy” written on them.”
Savanah rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him, dismissively. “You tend to see only the bad in people these days.”
Will supposed she was right—for the most part. He had to acknowledge he may be a bit overly cautious these days—even of the soldiers in his unit. Most had been drafted like he and Jason, and not all were happy about it. He wasn’t thrilled to be serving so far from his family, but he understood the need. He would have volunteered once he’d been able to get his family settled outside the camp, though. The military just couldn’t—or wouldn’t—wait.
Nine
Will
Williams Junction Crossroads Store
Williams Junction, Arkansas
Event + Nine Months
Walker stopped the old pickup truck a quarter mile from the junction of Highways 9 and 10. Will and Jason jumped from the bed and sprinted toward the crossroads store at the intersection. They stopped just as the building came into view and dropped to one knee along the edge of the road.
“See anyone?” Jason asked.
Will scanned the front of the convenience store through the scope of his rifle. It looked deserted, but it had the last time they were there, as well. An image of Corey popped into his head. She had lost her life, that fateful day.
“The weeds sure took over the parking lot quickly,” Jason said.
“Is that the store?” Jack asked as he dropped down beside Will.
Will would have preferred for Jack to have stayed with the truck. He wasn’t able to keep up with Will and Jason. He would have been a better asset keeping guard on the truck and the ladies with Walker.
“Yeah. Stay here and watch the front of the store. Whistle if you see anything,” Will said, motioning for Jason to follow him as he crossed the roadway and approached the side of the store.
After a thorough search around the outside of the building, Will and Jason cleared the inside. The smell was awful. Someone had been living there after the lights went out. The odor of human feces was overwhelming. They made quick work of their search and left quickly. Jason ran to the edge of the parking lot and bent over, emptying the contents of his stomach into the tall grass.
“I sure hope the buildings in the compound smell nothing like that,” he said, straightening and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I think that group was smart enough to use an outhouse,” Will said, crossing the parking lot and moving toward the roadway. He stood in the intersection of the highways and turned in a circle scanning through the rifle’s scope. They’d been fired upon from the northwest corner last time they were there. Of course, that was after they’d engaged in a firefight with the store’s occupants. They had been in uniform and driving military vehicles. It was obvious they were with the government yet the survivors had seen them as a threat.
Jason joined Will in the intersection.
“You okay to continue?” Will asked.
“I’m fine.” Jason gestured with his hand for Jack to join them. When Jack finally limped up beside him, Jason said, “Run back to the truck and tell Walker it’s safe to pull ahead. Tell him to stop the truck here in the store’s parking lot and join us. You stay with the vehicle. We’re going to continue west on Highway 10 another quarter mile. Listen for my signal and then pull down the road to meet us.”
Without a word, Jack turned and walked as fast as his legs would allow. Will knew Jack just wanted to contribute and he’d be a
great asset once the group got established, but this was no place for someone who could barely walk, let alone run. There were too many unknowns.
Will pulled a notepad and pen from the side pocket on his tactical pants and drew a diagram of the intersecting highways, including the store and boulders from which they’d been fired upon previously. He turned in a circle, looking for other positions of cover from which to monitor the intersection. The trees that lined the road were too thin to provide sufficient concealment. He turned to his left and studied a taller tree back away from the road.
“I’m going to check out that tree,” he said, pointing.
Jason moved to the opposite side of the road and scanned the area as Will disappeared into the woods. Will slung his rifle around to his back and leaped, taking hold of a branch, then pulled himself up. A few seconds later, he was sitting with his back to the truck, observing the intersection. He could see only about fifty feet east of the store, but he could see at least a quarter mile in each direction along Highway 9. Will climbed down, marked the position of the tree on the pad, and labeled it with “OP” for Observation Post.
“Let’s check out the north side of the intersection,” Will said.
From the boulders, the compound’s security forces would have had an unobstructed view of their approach. Observers would have been able to hear their vehicles for some time before their arrival. They would have had plenty of time to send word back to their compound, yet they had encountered no resistance so far. There were no physical obstacles to prevent anyone from approaching on foot or by vehicle. They had relied solely on a few firing positions from the boulders. They seemed to have been somewhat prepared for a small group attack. But they weren’t expecting the Army. Their mistake and one Will’s group wouldn’t make.
When Walker had joined them, the three men pushed westward toward the compound, stopping as soon as the driveway came into view. They separated, with Will taking the north side of the road and Jason moving to the south. Walker remained on the pavement to watch for anyone exiting the driveway.
Will dropped to one knee beside a clump of bushes. He watched as Jason moved back into the undergrowth beneath a large oak tree. He was fairly well concealed. They waited, listening for manmade sounds that might come from an occupied compound. Will doubted the original occupants would have returned.
Will heard footfalls on the asphalt and spotted Walker approaching them in a jog. Will stood and waved Walker over to him. He pointed down the road. “The entrance to the compound is just over that rise. We’re going to inch our way toward the drive and then move along the east perimeter fence to a clearing near the back of the property. A creek runs along part of the west side, and the property backs to a cliff that overlooks a valley with a view of a pasture below.”
“Sounds like an easy place to defend,” Walker said.
“Yes, but not as easy to escape from if you’re overrun.”
“You probably outnumbered and out-gunned them by a lot. We aren’t likely to encounter the same numbers or anyone nearly as well armed.”
“Let’s hope not, but we’ll be better prepared,” Will said, moving back onto the roadway.
Will, Jason, and Walker cautiously moved to the corner of the compound. The trees bordering the place prevented a view of the grounds. Will stood still, listening. When he’d been there before, he’d heard nothing but gunfire. Had they approached them quietly, the unit could have heard children playing or some activity. He held his breath and cocked his head to one side. All he heard were crows and squirrels barking their alarms. No human noises. He exhaled and scanned the fence line. It was still intact. If they made the place their home, he’d want to make the fence taller and place perimeter defenses along it for early warning. They’d have OPs, of course, as well as LPs—Listening Posts—but their group wasn’t large enough to cover a lot of ground. That was a problem he’d need to creatively solve. He pulled out his sketch and made a note to talk to his first sergeant about perimeter defenses.
They pushed on but stopped abruptly when Will recognized the small clearing where Corey had fallen. Even months later, the area was still littered with used gauze pads and QuickClot wrappers the medic had used to staunch her bleeding. Will swallowed hard and looked away. He pushed past the grief and continued east along the fence line to the back of the property where it abruptly dropped nearly two hundred feet straight down. Will stepped up onto a large rock and scanned the valley below. Across the field was another creek. They could grow crops or graze animals here if they could find an easy way to get up and down the cliff. He imagined deer and other animals came there to eat too. So far, it was looking like a very promising spot to build their new homestead. He drew the field and stream on his map and stuck it back inside his pocket.
Will, Jason, and Walker walked back to the road and approached the front of the property. The flimsy pipe gate lay in the ditch by the road, having been destroyed by his unit when they’d breached the compound. They’d need to construct something more substantial at the entrance. Will thought for a moment, trying to recall where he’d seen sheets of steel. He pointed at the crumpled gate. “Remember that shop about two miles from here on the highway that had those heavy-duty steel-pipe gates?”
“Yes,” Jason said.
“What if we were able to get them and install them here? We should beef up the fence all along the road too if there is extra pipe there at that shop.”
Jason stopped, looked down, and scratched his head. “It’ll take time and muscle.”
“I wish we had machinery, but we don’t,” Jason said.
“There might be an old tractor around here somewhere,” Walker said.
“I thought of that. If there is and they still have diesel in them, the batteries might be dead.”
“Maybe not. My grandad had an old 1970’s Ford that he could go a year without starting and she’d crank right up and run all day long. It’s worth searching for one,” Walker said.
Will chewed on his bottom lip and glanced toward the barn. If there had been such a machine in the area, wouldn’t this group have found it? If only they had more time. They couldn’t count on getting another furlough for a while. Savanah and the others would be on their own to secure the compound. He didn’t like it. He’d need to convince Savanah to hold off a while longer in hopes they could come back after this mission Stephens said they were about to take.
“These sandbags will need to be refilled,” Jason said, moving toward one of the fortifications.
Bullet casings littered the ground. Empty rifle magazines still lay where they’d been dropped as the combatants had reloaded in the heat of battle. They had to have belonged to the compound’s occupants. The army wouldn’t have left their empty mags. Will stared down at a cluster of three AR-15 magazines. He wondered how many of his fellow soldiers this shooter had taken down to have gotten off that many rounds before falling himself.
Will, Jason, and Walker cleared and inspected the entire property. Most of the campers had bullet holes in them, but Will thought they could make a few of them livable again. The others could be moved to the edge of the property and used as cover and observation posts. An image of Dale from the zombie show, The Walking Dead, sitting in a lawn chair on top of his motor home popped into his mind.
The windows in the three-bedroom, two-bath house had all been boarded up by the previous occupants. The plywood had done little to stop the bullets from shattering the window glass. Savanah would want to be able to open the windows and let fresh air inside. But they would need window screens to stop the bugs from entering. He didn’t look forward to having that discussion with her—again. She’d won the last time when it had been her house.
“What do you think, Will?” Walker asked. He leaned his rifle against a woodpile and took a seat on a log.
All around it were wood chips where someone had been chopping firewood. There was a huge stack of wood between two large trees just behind the house. They’d be set for cooking
and heating water for a good while. But they’d need more before winter he imagined. It would be much colder there than any of them was used to. He had no idea how much wood it would take to heat a place in an Arkansas winter.
“Well, Walker, I think if we had all the time in the world, this would be a good place to put down roots.”
“What if we had help?” Jason asked.
Will scoffed.
“Are you thinking of hiring somebody to help build fences and fix up this place?” Will said.
“Savanah has some friends who aren’t too interested in being relocated to Houston or Dallas.”
“Do you mean that group of troublemakers? They’re all on house arrest. How are they even going to get passes to leave the camp? Besides, they’ll just make us a target of the new administration. You and I both know they aren’t going to be satisfied setting up here and letting Latham and his government do their thing.”
Jason stood a short log on its end and sat on it, leaning his rifle against his knee.
“Not all of them are anti-government. Most just don’t want to be forced into giving up all their freedoms. The government hasn’t done such a bang-up job of protecting the nation so far,” Jason said.
Will didn’t want to argue with his sister about all this. In many ways, she was justified in her thinking. She had been forced from her home and thrust into an overcrowded FEMA shelter. But on the other hand, they had repelled the Chinese invasion there and were now working to restore modern services. Will didn’t like their tactics any more than Savanah and her friends did, but he could see where some of the regulations would be necessary in the effort to restore the rule of law. As he recalled, the big cities had become more like the wild, wild west.
“I’m not comfortable with it, Jason. I don’t trust them.”
Walker nodded. “I agree with Will. Some of them are good, hard-working folks but others are more interested in fighting the system than rebuilding a country. They’ll be trouble for sure.”
“Honestly, I agree with you both, but Savanah and Gabby trust them. I respect them. Will, you know Savanah wouldn’t put the kids at risk.”
