by AJ Newman
I gave Pete three and kept two of the Lascassas folks. We advanced slowly and found the fighting to be centered around the heart of the manufacturing area at Highway 266 and Rhodes Lane intersection. I instructed Pete to circle around the fight on the north side while my team did the same from the south side. This pincher attack had worked before, and we’d use it again to ambush the raiders. This time we synchronized our watches, and I told everyone we would begin the fight in precisely one hour.
We could see the General’s men were pinned down between three burning Humvees and a collapsed building. Neither group had the advantage, but the raiders had some of the LAWs rockets and fired one when needed to thwart any counterattack by the General’s men. Neither side appeared eager to press the fight, so a stalemate had developed. The General’s men could withdraw through the destroyed building, but the raiders were trapped behind a few stalled cars and their own vehicles.
I only had thirty minutes left but sent Ross through the back of the ruined building to tell the General’s men not to shoot at my guys. Ross disappeared while we moved on around the raider’s position. Ross finally signaled with two-shots at the enemy and then one shot.
With a few minutes left, we took aim at the raiders and waited for the hour to be up. Only a few of these men wore body armor, and none of them watched behind themselves. They obviously weren’t trained soldiers and should have been easy to destroy. I looked at my watch, and there was only one minute left before the attack started. We now had twenty-two rifles aimed at the dozen or so raiders. A few seconds before we were to shoot, I said, “Aim for the men closest to the green tubes. Those are rocket launchers. Stay behind your cover and… three… two…”
Gunfire erupted from the other half of our group. We joined in shooting the raiders. One of the men dropped behind a car, and a few seconds later, there was a whoosh and then an explosion at my other team’s position. There were screams, and I knew we’d taken casualties. We had to stop those rockets.
I couldn’t see the man but knew he was behind the large truck. Another rocket hit a truck where I thought Pete was located. The explosion threw the truck into the air, tumbling before falling to the ground. I placed my M4 on full auto and sprayed the street under the truck hoping one of the bullets would hit the asshat with the LAWs.
I yelled, “Cover me. Fire!” and ran into the fight. I shot two of the wounded raiders when they tried to cut me down with their M4s. I rounded the truck and saw the bloody man try to lift another LAW rocket launcher. I shot him between the shoulder blades just as he pulled the trigger. He fell forward, and the rocket launched into the three remaining raiders, blowing them into chunks of bloody meat. The fight was over.
I didn’t know Kat had run behind me shooting at the raiders. She pulled me down just before the rocket exploded. “Jason, what the hell were you thinking, going all John Wayne on those thugs?”
I felt a pain in my left arm when Kat hugged me. Then she said, “You’ve been hit.”
Kat tore off a piece of her t-shirt and used it to put pressure on my wound until Billie arrived with some clotting powder. I said, “I didn’t want those asshats to kill my friends. Kat, you should have stayed behind your cover.”
Kat kissed me on the forehead and said, “You were just recovering from the fight with the lions. I see your bandages are leaking blood. Ding-a-ling, you just don’t get it. You are my life. I would rather die with you in battle than survive and not have you.”
“Kat, don’t say that. I’d give my life to save you. Don’t ever risk your life again.”
“You’re still a dumbass. Jason, every day has risks now that we’re at the end of the world. Just living is a risk.”
I said, “I get it. Now, let’s check on our friends.”
Billie said, “Jason, it’s bad. We lost Pete, and three of the Lascassas people. Missy and Barry were wounded. Missy was hit on the shoulder by a chunk of concrete from one of the explosions. She’ll recover quickly. Barry took a round to the right leg and was lucky it missed the femoral artery. He’ll be out of commission for several months.”
The General’s soldiers came out from hiding and thanked us for saving their asses. One private asked, “Who are you, and why did you save us? We’re not always the most popular people at the party.”
“We came to help our Lascassas friends and saw you were pinned down. You were fighting to help the Lascassas community, so we naturally came to help you. Tell the General that Jason Walker sends his regards.”
***
Maria was crushed by Pete’s death. It took a long time for her to get back to her normal self. I had known they were close, but it had never dawned on me that she actually loved him. Maria took a couple of days off and then reported to work. We buried Pete in the back pasture, where there would be many more graves over the following years. Life was tough and getting tougher.
There was no doubt that Barry and my sister were together now. She moved him into her room in the house to take care of him. Mom wasn’t happy but understood the need for Michelle to nurse the poor man. It would be several weeks before he could get around on a walker. Of course, Mom dropped numerous hints about them getting married. I was just pleased that Michelle was the happiest I’d ever seen her.
Karen freaked out when she heard Missy had been wounded. Her motherly instincts went into overdrive, and she almost smothered the poor young lady. Both Chrissy and Karen waited on Missy and spoiled her rotten. I had to intervene and force them to back off, so Missy could resume her usual chores.
Kat made me rest and recover from the slices in my left forearm and leg from the lion attack and the through and through bullet wound to my upper left arm. My arm was pretty much useless, so I played with the pups and walked around supervising the new folks. Kat mothered me the best she could. I resisted a little, but she always won. Actually, I enjoyed Kat taking care of me.
I also used my spare time to start training the pups. I started with Mom and Kat’s dogs, since the others were in their new homes. There wasn’t much to do at this early stage in their lives but socialize them and teach them to fetch. All three showed the signs of making a decent war dog.
The people from Lascassas moved permanently to the farm. I wanted to kick half of them out for not helping us kill the raiders. Mom thought they’d done their best in the initial fight, and I should cut them some slack. I kept an eye on them to make sure they pulled their weight.
MMax came limping to me when we arrived back home. He sniffed my new wound and yawned like the warrior he was, and then licked my face. He stayed close to me for the next week. MMax is always close to me. We’re best friends, but he hovered over me almost as much as Kat.
Well, that catches you up on our progress since the Battle of Lascassas.
☆
Chapter 15
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
“Jackson, it’s good to see you again. Miller, I think you know Lieutenant Jackson and Colonel Griggs.”
Miller nodded, “I’ve served with the lieutenant on several missions.
“Now, Jackson, what the hell happened over in Lascassas?”
“Sir, my platoon heard gunfire coming from Lascassas, and I ordered them to approach and see if we could assist the citizens. We were ambushed by a large force of the people raiding south of our area. They took out all three of our vehicles with LAWs. I was thrown from my vehicle and was unconscious during the entire fight. All of my NCOs were dead or wounded in the first five minutes. My troops fought bravely, but over half of them died. They were pinned down because of the rockets. We were saved from sure death by a local militia. I believe you know their leader, Jason Walker.”
The General’s face glowed red. “Son of a bitch! This is the second time Walker has saved some of our troops. Miller, is this why you dragged a wounded man in front of me?”
Miller kept his face from grinning. “Sir, we need Walker and his group to join us ASAP.”
“I know. I know we need them. Those raid
ers are growing in strength faster than we are. Go take Walker more gifts and set up the meeting with him and his mother. Does he really take orders from her?”
“Yes, sir. There are many strong women in this group. In fact, most of their warriors are women. They’re competent and vicious fighters.”
The Colonel scoffed at the idea of vicious women warriors. “I doubt they’re as vicious as you think they are,” said the Colonel.
General Long nodded, but then he remembered that hot Latin warrior, Maria McGill. She could kick anyone’s ass. He had lusted after her most of the time they’d served together. He’d never forget when she almost broke his arm for pinching her on the butt. She’d been lightning fast and had him on the ground with her boot on his neck, and his arm twisted like a pretzel.
The General said, “Don’t underestimate the women in Walker’s command. I served with Walker and a woman sergeant in Europe. She could easily take down any one of our men in a fight. With proper training, women are any man’s equal in a war. They tend to use their brains more than brute force.”
The colonel chuckled and said, “I haven’t experienced any women warfighters. I know there are a lot of them on the European front.”
The General, John Long, said, “Miller, you can leave now and go make the Walkers happy and part of our team. Miller, I want to travel over to Walter Hill and perform a bit of scouting. Put a five-man scout team together for tomorrow morning.”
The General sat in the second Humvee watching the scenery roll by as the vehicle moved down Highway 266, heading to Cut Off Road. Miller had given Long the location of the Walker’s farm, and he wanted to see if they were worth the effort. Miller and two of his other leaders had had nothing but praise for their efficiency and the size of their operation.
They drove southeast about a mile below the Walker farm so they could walk to the hillside to the east of the farm and get a better view of the operation. They parked on a side road that went on up to a couple of mansions that had belonged to the rich and famous from Nashville. They hid the vehicles with brush and trudged west to a spot where Miller had said they could see most of the farm.
They arrived, and the view was much better than General Long had hoped for during the trip. One of his men sketched the layout to scale while the others watched the high level of activity. People weeded the crops with hoes. Children fed the hogs and chickens while several women on horseback herded the cattle out to the grassy range northeast of the buildings.
After an hour, General Long said, “Jackson, let’s head home. I’m very impressed with this operation, and we should encourage them to join us.”
One soldier took the point for the quarter-mile trek back to the vehicles. Another took a position behind the General and his two guards. These two went everywhere with him and were his best fighters. They proceeded through the brush and trees toward their vehicles when the point man raised his left arm and clenched his fist, telling them to halt. There was a gunshot, and the man dropped to the ground, mortally wounded.
The General and the other four soldiers dove behind a pile of downed trees and searched the woods for the enemy as bullets peppered the logs in front of them. There was a thud and explosion of red mist, bone, and chunks of flesh beside the General, and the guard to his left fell dead. Just when the General felt all was lost, he heard gunfire behind him and saw two of the attacking force fall. Someone friendly had just joined the fight.
The General’s most trusted guard took his shirt off and said, “Take mine. Trust me. You don’t want them to know who you are.”
“Butch, get your ass back to headquarters and bring back help.”
The sergeant crawled through the brush and then ran down the hillside.
☆
Chapter 16
East of the Walker farm
“Karen, would you escort Sydney back up the hill to her home? Please?” I asked, and then added, “I can’t listen to her BS any longer.”
“I guess I’ll do it if you promise to help me with my radio project and Mark’s project. Billie said he needs some tactical advice.”
Karen had gathered electronics and non-functioning radios on every scavenging trip we’d made. She had found some old magazines on how to construct your own radio from a kit. The magazine’s plans were from the 1960s but should work, assuming we could find the right parts. Kids back then were amazed at modern electronics. I didn’t know what Mark’s project was. I should have asked.
I replied, “I’ll do it, but we need to find an electronics repair shop or perhaps one of those kid’s store that sells science projects to get parts.”
Karen said, “I’m certain I have everything we need.”
“We’ll see,” I said then added, “Take Michelle and two of Maria’s trainees with you. Those raiders could show up anytime.”
“I’ll take Missy and Chrissy along with the two trainees, if it’s okay with you.”
I smiled at the woman who’d made the change from a meek lady to a lady warrior. “Your choice. Just bring my girls back safe.”
***
Maria sent Maggie and Beth to go with Karen on her trip to escort Sydney back up the hill. They had come with Fred’s people from Norene and had become very proficient fighters. Maggie was so good at hand-to-hand combat that Maria had certified her as an instructor. Karen quickly briefed them on their mission. “Ladies, we’ll escort Sydney up the hill to her place, and then we’ll check out the water distribution pipes at the lake. Father James told me the water flow had reduced by half. Let’s go.”
The trip up the hill was uneventful, except for everyone getting sick and tired of Sydney’s constant complaining. About halfway up the slope, Karen scolded her. “No one cares about how close you and Jason once were. Kat is his wife, and we all love her and hate you. Shut up, or I’ll stuff a dirty sock down your throat.”
Sydney finally shut up, and they walked on to her front door. Sydney said, “This walk will be horrible this winter. Maybe I can get one of those trailers for Jay and me to live in. I’m scared up here by myself. Jay stays down at the farm most of the time…”
Karen made the timeout sign. “Shut up, Sydney. We don’t care what you think. Goodbye.”
Sydney started protesting, but Karen and the others walked away while the red-faced woman ranted and raved. Sydney had been the center of her parent’s world, and except for Jason, they had given her everything she asked for. She wasn’t used to people saying no to her.
“Karen, there’re some men up ahead walking toward the road. They’re dressed in soldiers’ uniforms,” said Maggie.
Karen replied in a loud whisper. “Drop down and take cover. Let’s see what they’re up to.”
Karen counted five of the men. One was about ten yards in front of the others with another bringing up the rear. They were all well armed but didn’t have backpacks or duffel bags. She wondered if they had vehicles nearby. They moved out of sight, so she motioned for her team to follow them. Karen led the way and soon had them back in view. They didn’t speak, and the tall one seemed to be in charge. He was a handsome man who carried himself as though he was born to lead men into battle.
Karen stared at the man when gunfire shattered the peaceful woods. One of the soldiers dropped, and then one of the soldier’s head exploded next to the tall man as he crouched behind a log. The gunfire was now fierce, and she decided to withdraw. She said, “Not our fight. Let’s vamoose.”
Missy said, “Mom, look, it’s those raiders. That man behind the tree has the jail tats.”
Karen saw more men about to flank the soldiers, and then two soldiers fell to the ground. She said, “Pick a target and drop the bastards.”
All five of the lady warriors fired as a well-drilled unit and dropped five of the raiders with the first five shots. They started picking off others as the men switched their aim to the ladies. The women gave more than they got, but there were just too many of the raiders. Missy was hit by two pellets from a shotgun, and Maggie di
ed instantly when a bullet hit her in the center of her chest. Karen shouted, “Fall back!”
Karen tried to join her team in retreat, but the withering fire trapped her beside the logjam, where the soldiers had been mowed down. Karen crawled into the pile of trees and came face to face with the tall man. He was unconscious and wounded. She covered him with brush and pitched two M4s and a couple of pistols beside him. She then crawled under the leaves with him trembling, as she heard the enemy close in on their position. She heard them finish off the wounded with bullets and then heard, “I think we killed all the soldiers, but who were the ones in the woods shooting at us. I thought I saw several women.”
Another man called out, “Come here. What a waste. This was a hot chick before that bullet blew her back out. Damn, I could’ve used her in my business.”
The one who appeared to be the leader said, “I think they were from that farm below the hill. I’ve heard they have been training their women to fight. We’ve lost the advantage of surprise. Grab their guns and ammo, and let’s take their Humvees back to camp. Move it.”
One of the men said, “What about the women who escaped? We can always use some more females.”
The leader laughed. “Those girls would shoot you on sight. Let’s go to our base and come back with a much larger force.”
The leader was only a few feet from Karen. She held her breath and cupped a hand over the soldier’s mouth to keep him from moaning. The raiders left, and Karen took the time to check his wounds. He had a gouge on the side of his head and some buckshot in his butt. The buckshot wasn’t much of a problem, but she thought the head wound might be severe. He was too large to carry and too heavy to drag. She checked her backpack for her first aid kit and poured the blood-clotting agent on his head wound.
