War Dogs Trilogy: Wounded Warriors of the Apocalypse

by AJ Newman

  John woke up about three o’clock in the afternoon when he heard the rolling thunder and the house shake. Then, it abruptly stopped. John had never been deep into hot rods, but he did know the sound a big block engine made when it roared to life. Before he could pull himself upright, Karen burst through the door. He said, “Let me guess. You found a car that runs, but it’s a tad noisy. Right?”

  “Oh, no, that was my stomach growling, Sherlock. Damn, I busted my ass to change the batteries and didn’t notice the sucker didn’t have a muffler. I’ll look again while you sleep.”

  “Karen, we need to get as far from here as possible. That engine starting was heard by everyone for miles. Please help me up,” said John.

  “Okay, I guess you’re right and we can’t take that earsplitting hotrod. Crap! My feet can’t stand much more of this.”

  They gathered their things, and Karen strapped some water jugs around her neck. They snuck between houses and used alleyways until they were a couple of miles northwest of Beech Grove. This took several hours, and Karen was exhausted when they found an empty barn. Karen propped John up in a chair with his M4 and found some hay bales to sleep on. Her sleep was dominated by nightmares about never seeing her girls again.

  Karen woke up with a fight or flight mentality. Jason had taught her to lay still with her eyes closed. Of course, she forgot this most of the time, but not today. Her body ached from the rough treatment she had received from the gang and the wreck. Her muscles ached from helping John walk. She didn’t know why, but she’d liked this guy from the first time she’d seen him helpless in the pile of brush and limbs. She heard someone breathing close by and knew it was John. She heard a faint noise in the background and struggled to hear what it was.

  She opened her eyes and then saw John looking into them. Karen said, “You do know it’s rude to watch someone sleep.”

  John said, “No, it’s not. I could have looked in many different directions, but I chose the one with the most beautiful scenery.”

  “Look, bub, that kind of line might work on a starry eyed young woman, but I’ve had experience with smooth talking guys like you.”

  John said, “Apparently, they were bad experiences. I might be a smooth talker, but I’d never hurt you.”

  “Said the snake to the frog,” she answered with a grin.

  John noticed she kept looking away and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Karen, I was wounded in a fight. My face took a beating, and I don’t blame you for looking the other way.”

  Karen lied to him. “John, it’s not your face. I’m just not used to the flirting and flattery.”

  John said, “Thanks for being nice. We need to find a way to help me walk by myself. You’re getting worn out helping me. I need a horse, car, or at least a set of good crutches.”

  “We could have taken the hotrod,” Karen said.

  “The engine’s noise would have had every raider within ten-miles chasing our butts.”

  Karen nodded her head. “I can’t argue with that. That'll be hard to do and stay hidden from the gang members. Do you really think you could ride a horse with three holes in your butt?”

  John said, “There have to be a hundred older cars, hot rods, or projects in the garages and barns. Let’s search every one of them on our way back to Smyrna.”

  “Hold on there, buster. I’m going back to Walter Hill, where my two girls and friends are living.”

  “Hey, it was worth a try. You’ve already found one suitable but loud vehicle. We can find another. We’re about twelve miles southeast of the outskirts of Murfreesboro, and houses are sparse out here but will be more densely packed close to Murfreesboro. We need to cut north about two miles southeast of the city, so we can avoid any raider or local gang issues.”

  Karen said, “I thought the General’s men had control of Murfreesboro. Aren’t you one of the General’s men?”

  “Yes, but you knew that.”

  Karen fished. “What do you do for the General?”

  John said, “Anything my officer tells me to do? In the military, you jump when they say jump, and it’s wise not to ask questions.”

  Karen said, “The General wants us to join his group. Would that be a good move for us? Hey, why does the General want a small group like us to join his team?”

  John said, “I’m just a little fish in that group, but I think it could be safety in numbers that drives the General. Perhaps the General set out to conquer the world and found out he’d bit off more than he could chew and needed help. We troops fight every day and can’t grow crops to feed ourselves.”

  Karen asked, “But will he force us to grow crops for him?”

  John answered. “No, I don’t think so. Look at Russia. They had some of the best farmland in the world but couldn’t feed their own people. Forced labor works for a short time but never succeeds.”

  Karen said, “I don’t know much about how the world works. I was a high school chemistry teacher when the crap hit the fan. I just wish I could be a teacher again.”

  “One of the General’s highest priorities is to get the schools open again. He said the world can’t afford to lose a generation of learning.”

  Karen thought for a few seconds. “You’re showing me a different side to the General than I’ve heard before.”

  “Perhaps we all change and adapt. Now, let’s get moving and find an old car with a muffler this time.”

  Karen couldn’t remember, but something nagged at her about the man with a disfigured face.

  ☆

  Chapter 18

  East of the Walker farm

  The only family Karen had was her girls after Murph had been murdered by that madman. She wasn’t interested in anyone and had focused on her training and her daughters. Kat and I tried to get her out of her shell without success. But for the grace of God, I would have been with Karen instead of Kat. I didn’t love her, but rather, I cared for her and the girls like an uncle. That’s the best way to describe my feelings for Karen and the girls.

  Over the next several days, I drove MMax to the site of the gunfight and had him search for Karen. Every search ended the same way, at the driveway by the tire tracks where Karen had been loaded into a vehicle. I even drove MMax down every road going away from the area to see if he could pick up the scent. MMax didn’t alert on anything. On the third day, I gave up the search at Mom and Kat’s urging. I was confident I’d never see Karen again.

  “Kat, losing someone this way is much harder to take than knowing they’re dead. I can’t help but wonder what might be happening to her. Naturally, I always think the worse.”

  Kat gave me a hug. “Try to keep your mind busy with something else. We have dozens of projects that… Hey, there’s that Miller guy and a dozen soldiers with Mom.”

  MMax had alerted with his low growl. I slung my rifle and walked over to join them. “Sergeant Miller, what can we do for you?”

  Staff Sergeant Miller handed me a bag. I looked into the bag and was happy to see several boxes of antibiotics, wound clotting agents, and assorted medical supplies. I said, “Thanks, we really need these. What can we do for you?”

  Miller said, “We have a truckload of supplies, ammunition, and a few M4s and Sigs for you. We want you to join us, but more importantly, we need you to survive and trade food for other trade goods. This is just a goodwill gift from the General.”

  “With strings attached? How does the General know that we won’t use them against him?”

  “We aren’t a threat to you and have common enemies. We want you to live and thrive. Could I talk to you alone?”

  I started to move toward his troops, but he pulled me off away from everyone. “Jason, I want to talk straight with you. We know there was a fight east of here in the hills. One of our soldiers escaped the fight and told us about the raiders attacking our scouts. He also said that some of your people saved him and might have saved others. So, do you have any of our people?”

  I was shaken by these words. “No, i
n fact, we had one lady killed and another kidnapped. We searched and lost the trail when they loaded her into a vehicle.”

  “Jason, we don’t have search dogs. Could you use yours to see if our man was also taken?”

  I nodded. “Of course, if you bring a piece of clothing, I can have MMax search for your man.”

  Miller raised his arm to signal his men. One soldier stepped forward with a plastic bag and handed it to me. I opened the bag and removed an army OD green shirt. It had several large blood spots. “Oh, crap, it’s John’s shirt. Your General was on a scouting mission in the hills above our farm. He was spying on us, and the raiders were about to attack us and got caught up with the General’s scouting team.”

  Miller frowned. “That about sums it up.”

  I shook my head. “Why didn’t he just ask for a tour? We don’t have anything to hide. Crap, let’s forget our differences and see if MMax can alert on the scent.”

  I placed the shirt in front of MMax, and he became very excited. We got in Miller’s Humvee and drove to the battle site. I put the shirt under his nose, and he sniffed the air and then ran around the area in a big circle until suddenly he took off toward the woodpile where we had found the hat and bloodstains. Then he inhaled deeply several times, sniffing around the woodpile and ran towards the driveway. He stopped and sat, looking down the driveway.

  Miller and I had the same thought at the same time. “The raiders captured them together.”

  I said, “Karen and Long were taken by the same group of raiders. John had better not let them know he’s the leader of their enemy.”

  Miller said, “What can we do? The raiders have large bases in Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Huntsville. They own all the towns in southeast Tennessee. I have no idea where to look.”

  “Man, I’ve taken MMax down every road for miles trying to get him to alert on an odor. Today was the day I had planned to tell Karen’s two daughters that we’re giving up on finding their mother,” I said.

  Miller said, “I don’t envy you on that task. Now, we need to discuss a mutual issue.”

  I said, “How can we have a mutual issue beyond the raiders and gangs trying to kill us?”

  Miller said, “The General has softened a lot on his approach to building a new safe world. He started out using only brute force and eliminating those who opposed him. Now, he’s attempting to work with groups like yours to build a new world where everyone contributes, and they’re treated fairly. The problem is that his second in command agrees with him to his face, but actually wants to run roughshod over the surrounding communities.”

  I shook my head and said something I never believed would part my lips. “We have to find the General now. Hell, sooner than now.”

  Miller said, “Don’t panic. We have a few weeks before the Colonel will attempt to take full command. I’m in charge of finding the General and will feed him positive reports on our progress searching for the General.”

  I replied, “That gives us a week or so to either find the General or make other plans.”

  Miller said, “Very few officers or enlisted like or support the Colonel. So, we need to quickly have a doomsday plan. Let’s set up search parties, and that gives us cover to work together.”

  “Is there a good guy available who’s competent and could take over for the General?”

  “Yes, Major Tidwell.”

  ***

  Miller and his crew dropped MMax and me off and left. Most of the community wanted to know the results of our search. I said, “Hold it down for a second, and I’ll fill you in on my short trip. The soldiers who Karen’s team helped were from the General’s team. Staff Sergeant Miller asked for our help in searching for one of their officers. It appears that Karen and their officer were taken by the same group. I need to meet with our leadership team and figure out what to do and how we could help.”

  One of the new people said, “Why should we help them?”

  Missy yelled, “Because finding their man could also find my mom!”

  I calmed the man down. “We plan to join the General’s group, and you know it. We can double the amount of effort searching for Karen by working with them. Now, I need the leadership council at Mom’s kitchen.”

  Michelle, Maria, Billie, Kat, and I sat around the kitchen table, waiting on Mom to join us. Mom started every meeting with a glass of her super sweet tea for everyone. I took a drink and almost spit it out on everyone. Judging from the looks on the other’s faces, I wasn’t the only one surprised by the awful taste of the tea.

  “Mom…err…the tea tastes a bit different.”

  Mom placed her hands on her hips. “I ran out of tea and made this brew from a mixture of sassafras, birch bark, and wintergreen. From the ugly looks on your faces, I’ll pitch that recipe.”

  Mom dumped the tea and poured us all a glass of a different beverage. “Here, try this and tell me what you think. You should like this better.”

  Kat took a drink. “Mom, this is great. It doesn’t taste like tea, but it’s got a wonderful flavor.”

  “Honey, my recipe is two cups of boiling water, one cup of berries. This tea had wild blueberries. Strain after thoroughly mixing and then add honey to sweeten it. You can add milk to taste if you like it that way.”

  I tasted the tea and said, “This is great. Now, let’s get down to business.”

  Mom ignored me, and the women traded their favorite tea recipes for another ten minutes. Kat kicked my foot every time I even thought about opening my mouth. Finally, Mom said, “Now to the second item on our agenda. The impatient Jason Walker will tell us about his meeting with the General’s people.”

  If this had been anyone but my Mom, I would have fried her ass with sarcastic comments. “I think I need another glass of tea to wet my throat before delving into the number two item on our agenda.”

  Mom sneered, “Get it yourself.”

  Okay, so that was the best I could do. I moved quickly to inform them about the General and Karen being kidnapped together, and our dilemma if the General goes away. Frowns were on all faces, and heads shook side to side as I rolled out the situation.

  Kat asked the best question of the day. “Does this mean we’re actually going to search for Karen and the General or just delay until we have a plan to get rid of Colonel Griggs?”

  I said, “Both. We’ll use their up armored Humvees and firepower to go places we wouldn’t dare to go. We’ll raid their outposts and hunt them down like dogs, just hoping we find Karen and the General. At the same time, Miller and I’ll figure out how to get rid of Griggs even if the General comes back. Oh, I just remembered, many of the men I led against the original fake FEMA leaders and commander of the Army troops are serving under the General. I trust the men I worked with to kill that scum.”

  Mom said, “That’s a game changer in several ways. One, we keep looking for Karen. I, for one, didn’t want to break the bad news to the girls. This should draw the General’s men closer to you, son. This plays right into our hands. Let’s tell Miller we have voted and are asking to join the General now.”

  I grinned as I looked around the table. “I’m glad you said that because I told Miller that I was sure we would be joining them this week.”

  Michelle asked the next question, and perhaps the most difficult to answer. “It just dawned on me, we don’t have any soldiers. Doesn’t this mean most of us will be out there attacking the raider’s camps? Even if we’re very successful, won’t we lose some of our people?”

  That simple question deserved a very complicated answer. “Yes, we face some losses, but we can minimize the losses since we’ll only perform surprise ambushes and attacks. We’ll hit and run them to death, much like the Viet Cong did to us back in the 1970s in Vietnam. I have some ideas but need some time with Maria before getting the rest of you involved. As a matter of fact, I think Maria should join us at the next meeting after I brief her.”

  Everyone agreed on bringing Maria into the resistance team. They weren’t s
o sure I could deliver on keeping casualties to a minimum. I knew we could do it if we never met them head on and bled them to death one base camp at a time. We had to cut their lines of communication and kill every raider without killing Karen and John. That last one was the toughest one to do. I had already been thinking about increasing our firepower and mobility.

  I invited Maria out to the tool shed along with Kat to have a private conversation about increasing our firepower and strategy for wiping out the raider’s gang. I started the conversation by giving Maria an update on the situation. She listened, her eyes popped open wide, and her nostrils flared several times. I finished, and she rubbed her knuckles on her chin. “I agree on the hit and run strategy but want to add one thing. Let’s vary our tactics and hit them and run, but let them chase us into a trap. The key is that no one survives from their group to give our tactics away. We need a way to cause mass casualties with little danger to us. Perhaps we draw them into a building that’s been booby trapped with jugs of gasoline. We don’t have explosives.”

  Kat interrupted. “I’m all for killing them, but do you think our crew can stand up to the screams and burning flesh?”

  I said, “I think we’ll have to work them up to that during our training sessions and see who balks. I want us ready for our first attack in four days. Miller has scouts out in the field, seeking our first few targets. The short version of our plan is to hit a half dozen of their outposts and base camps in a concise period. I know you and I can handle the tactics for the attack. I need some fresh thinking about developing more firepower and weapons of mass destruction.”

  Kat said, “You both know we do have a spy in our group.”

  I said, “We don’t have proof.”

  “Don’t be stupid, husband. We took in two dozen refugees in the last two months with no way to check them for loyalty to our group. I say we only use the people we are certain will follow through and not rat us out.”