The Western Front: Parts 1-3 Part 11

The boats foolishly pushed deeper into the cutoff, not realizing the snare that they had already stumbled into. The rear boat had caught up with his companion vessel. They were navigating the waters almost as one boat, blindly urging each other onward. The crew of the front boat looked back just in time to see their compatriots collide with a submerged stump and turn skyward, before rolling towards the trees along the submerged bank. The intense spotlight from the first boat found and tracked one of the victims as he was slung through the air in a sweeping arc. The body collided with a cypress tree in a sickening crunch, before disappearing into the dark waters.

The first boat slowed and spun around to rescue any survivors. As they idled back to the scene of the accident, they panned their light and searched for their comrades. They followed the sounds of the panicked screams and found the bobbing head of a lone man. He thrashed violently in the water, terrified of unseen monsters that were surely lurking an arms-length away, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He pleaded desperately for them to pull him to the safety of the boat.

As he reached the side of their boat, his friend stretched forth his arm and began to pull the hysterical survivor aboard. As he tugged at the man for leverage, a shot rang from somewhere in the darkness. The man went limp and fell headlong overboard; the survivor sunk back into the murky depths.

He screamed in horror as two more reports echoed through the night. Two more bodies collapsed on the boat somewhere nearby. As one of the men fell, the spotlight he had been holding plunged into the water and was immediately extinguished. Darkness rushed in and filled the swamp again.

The man cried out for mercy as he struggled to climb into the boat. As he pulled himself up and over the sidewall, eight more shots rang out. The bullets perforated the boat and its motor. Again, eight shots again rang out in the same manner, ravaging the vessel's hull. The panicked survivor pressed himself against the bottom of the craft. He lay in complete silence, gasping for shallow breaths, fearful of another barrage.

"Your friends're all dead. Their blood is already inviting all manner of creatures to this place. I don't have to tell you what's coming, because you've already imagined them, eh?"

The man remained in the bottom of the perforated boat, too afraid to respond. Water was beginning to seep in.

"Your boat's disabled; it's not going anywhere 'cept straight down. There's nowhere to run and no one to hear your cries for help. You're surrounded by water on all sides. Even if you could make it to higher ground, every river bend and every third tree in the swamp looks exactly the same. But you're too frightened to even consider making a run for it, so here you'll stay."

The man said nothing.

Clayton turned his boat back around and silently trolled away from the wreckage. After several a short while, he climbed back to his seat and prepared to continue onward. As he prepared to start the motor once again, a fearful voice cried out, "You're not going to leave me here to die, are you?"

"You wouldn't be so lucky. I've some business to attend to first, but I'll be back. Then we're going to talk and talk, almost like old friends almost. I can't wait to hear all about you and your friends. But until then, don't go anywhere."

Chapter 17.

Jake Mississippi Jake, Kate and Geram were having much better luck by the light of day. They had been driving since dawn's first light and had only seen a handful of vehicles on the road. Parts were getting increasingly difficult to locate, so as vehicles started to break down, they were often simply abandoned.

Besides the difficulties a.s.sociated with repairs, fuel had priced out of reach of all but the wealthy, or the scarce few that were still employed. The only people with jobs were the ones that worked for the government or critical infrastructure such as energy and utility companies. Even those workers had seen their salaries eroded away, but at least it still provided them a meager income. Some companies had forgone payment with currency altogether, and were compensating their employees with food and water.

The families along their chosen route were probably faring better than most, Jake a.s.sumed. They saw the occasional father and son tending to livestock, or a garden, or the numerous other activities a.s.sociated with rural living that demanded daily attention. They even saw a tractor being used sparingly by an old farmer. The old man most likely had a large store of fuel on his farm that he was rationing as best he could.

The scenery had not changed much during the day. There were more forests now, but pastures and fields were still abundant enough. They had noticed several country stores at some of the more major intersections that appeared abandoned, but they had not dared to stop and investigate. The trials of the night before were still fresh on their minds.

The Bronco had been mostly silent for the last hour or so. The conversations of earlier had faded as each had turned to other preoccupations. Kate quietly read her Bible in the back as Sasha rested her head in Kate's lap. Geram had relieved Jake of driving for a while so he could study the old Army Ranger Handbook that he had found in Frank's vault. Jake was currently reading about combat patrols. Sasha lifted her head as Kate broke the silence and said, "Hey babe, listen to this: 'The sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flas.h.i.+ng spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness; you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.

Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in G.o.d my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.'"

"Where is that from, Revelation?" Jake asked.

"Nope, it's from the Old Testament."

"Really? What's the story behind it?"

"It's pretty interesting," she replied, "it's from Habakkuk. He was a minor prophet in the Bible but this wasn't a prophecy, it was part of a debate between him and G.o.d."

"A debate?"

"Yeah, he starts off questioning G.o.d as to why He wouldn't do something about all of the evil in Judah. G.o.d replied that He was going to send the Babylonians to conquer them. This left Habakkuk even more confused. He wondered why G.o.d would send a nation to destroy them that was even more corrupt than they were."

"I can see the man's point." Geram interjected.

"I know, right?" Kate replied, "What I read was from the end of the book. He ultimately learned to trust G.o.d regardless of the circ.u.mstances. Even though everything was failing around him, G.o.d still had a purpose and a reason."

Geram asked, "What was the purpose?"

"It doesn't say," she said, "but I think that's the point. Habakkuk didn't know the purpose, and we don't either. It's not for us to know."

"Maybe the purpose was that Judah had run out of chances."

"Maybe so."

Suddenly, the radio-frequency scanner on the dash crackled to life. Jake grabbed it and turned up the volume.

"...is Checkpoint Two, we're under a.s.sault! ...taking heavy fire; may have to fall back! Send reinforcements immediately!" Gunfire was readily apparent in the background of the broadcast.

Kate said, "What was that?"

"Sounds like some locals're under attack," Jake replied, "We're just a few miles outside of Decatur; it could be there."

Geram began searching the channels on the CB radio for any other communications.

"What're you doing?" Jake asked.

"We need to find that channel." Geram scanned, but found nothing. "Must be on some other frequency," he reasoned, "Hopefully they've got a CB too."

"Wait," Jake interjected, "is that safe? We could be getting in over our heads."

The scanner chirped again. "Checkpoint Two, this is Town Hall. One is taking fire too. I'm sorry, you're on your own. We've no one to spare. Hold out as long as you can."

Geram turned to Jake and said, "That town is about to get overrun. There're innocent people that'll die if we don't help; I know that for sure. I don't know all the details, but I reckon we should help if we can."

Jake glanced back at Kate. She nodded in agreement. Finally, he relented. "You're right, let's do what we can."

Geram keyed up the CB. "Checkpoint Two this is a southbound civilian on Highway 15. State your location and we'll aid you."

He repeated the broadcast several times without any response. Each time, he would flip to the next channel and repeat himself. As he was about to change the channel again, a voice crackled through.

"Civilian on Highway, 15 this is Town Hall, what's your purpose?"

"Town Hall, we wish to aid Checkpoint Two. All you have is my word, but we mean you no harm."

"Describe yourself Civilian."

"We're a tan Bronco southbound on Highway 15, approximately five miles north of Decatur."

"Continue south, Civilian; you'll find them. Will contact Checkpoint Two."

Immediately afterwards the scanner barked to life.

"Checkpoint Two, this is Town Hall; you have alleged friendly support two miles to the north. They're in a tan, Ford Bronco and are willing to provide you aid. Do you copy?"

"Copy Town Hall, send them on; we'll take what we can get. It can't get any worse."

After a short while, they approached the scene. Checkpoint Two was several police cruisers parked across the highway. The a.s.sailants were a dozen men hidden behind a deuce and a half with an M2 Browning mounted in the back of the truck. Checkpoint Two was utterly and helplessly pinned to the ground by the machine gun's fire.

Geram pulled off the highway a little less than a thousand hundred yards from the attackers. He eased the Bronco behind a thick stand of trees that acted as a wind break for one of the fields along the road. Sasha whined in protest as they left her in the back seat.

They moved along the woods line on the right-of-way of the road. The gunfire ahead of them was brutal.

Geram explained his plan to Jake and Kate, "We stay low and out of the checkpoint's line of fire as we approach. When we get a couple hundred yards away, we find a safe position in the woods and start picking these guys off. As long as they don't see us coming, we should be fine."

As they neared the predetermined distance, they searched and found a fallen oak tree not far in the woods. The thick trunk provided excellent cover. There was a narrow gap between the ground and the tree that was suitable for firing through.

Geram removed the night-vision scope from the FAL and peered through the rear aperture sight. He searched for the gunner on the M2 atop the deuce and a half. Jake and Kate had matching, scoped AR-15s, and had already settled on their targets. The a.s.sailants' backs were fully exposed. They were so confident in their superior firepower, and focused on overrunning the checkpoint, they failed to consider a counter-a.s.sault from the direction they had come from.

On the count of three they fired simultaneously, downing their marks. As the sound of the Browning faded, the raiders looked about in dismay. One man left his position to climb up to the gun, but Geram caught him mid-stride. Kate and Jake had also found and dropped their second targets. The attackers were now in a full panic. Half of their group and been killed in a matter of seconds and they had no idea where the gunfire was coming from. One man tried to run to the woods on the opposite side of the road, but was downed by a member of Checkpoint Two.

The raiders' resolve had been shattered. They formed a circular pattern and began to frantically fire in all directions. Two more of the a.s.sailants were gunned down by Checkpoint Two, before the remaining three flung their rifles sidelong and lay p.r.o.ne on the pavement. As the gunfire subsided, a man from the checkpoint shouted, "Hold your fire, Bronco! I think that's all of them."

Geram shouted back in response, "You've got three down behind the deuce. Go ahead and retrieve them; we'll provide cover."

"Roger, coming forward."

The men of the checkpoint advanced and secured the remaining a.s.sailants in the back of one of the bullet-riddled cruisers. Geram, Kate and Jake appeared from out of the woods with their rifles slung over their backs and their hands skyward. Geram called out again, "Bronco, coming forward!"

"Hands down Bronco, that ain't how we treat our friends." The man was tall, uniformed and in his late fifties. Geram reasoned he was likely Decatur's chief of police.

"Bronco, I need to take several of my officers and check on the other side of town. Do you mind staying here with a couple of my men 'til we return?"

"Go; hurry," Geram replied, "We've got you covered."

Jake and Kate had already fueled up the Bronco from the town's reserves and were enjoying the tiny cafe's lavish, all-day breakfast menu. Geram and the police chief were riding around town, discussing more appropriate defensive tactics.

"I think you've got to cut off some of these roads leading into town. You can't defend them all. You've got how many, at least ten roads leading in?"

The man nodded. "We've considered it, but a lot of folks have been reluctant to barricade ourselves in like that."

"I think after today, they'll have a change of heart. If we hadn't showed up when we-"

"You're right son, don't even say it. I'd rather forget the whole experience. So, let's say we block some of these roads; what's the best way to do it?"

"You want to go far enough out so that if someone abandons their vehicle and tries to hoof it in to town, they'll be in no shape to fight by the time they reach you. I'd say at least five miles, but ten is better. Find a creek, a bridge, a bottom a natural choke point. Where we're from, we cut trenches across the road at points like that. You could also build an abatis, which might be even better."

The chief interrupted, "A what?"

"An abatis take for instance a wicker chair, you know how the material is woven?"

The chief nodded.

"Imagine that with ten or twelve trees across a road; you cut them so that they fall over each other and interlock, making a huge mess." Geram entwined his hands as an example. "Nothing around here is going to drive over that, and it'd take some serious effort to clear it."

"I like it."

"Remember, anybody can get through anything, given enough time. So don't completely forget about these barricades, just focus your people elsewhere and check on them occasionally."

"Makes perfect sense; thanks."

As they pulled up to the cafe, the mayor approached. The chief lowered the window and the mayor leaned, in smiling widely. "Is this one of the folks that saved my town?"

Geram smiled, "We helped, but your men did a lot to."

"Don't be modest, you saved us. Come on in, I want to buy you lunch, ahh, breakfast."

Chapter 18.

SPARC Team 2 San Francisco, California The men approached the bridge wearing hiking boots and backpacks. They split up and walked on opposite sides as they neared their destination. They waited until there was no traffic, which didn't take long at all. They removed the ropes from their packs and fastened them to the side rails.

After several deep breaths, they hopped over the edge and rappelled down to the bridge's pile caps. The men realized just how dizzyingly high they were. They placed the matching packages on their respective pile caps, right next to the bearings that the bridge deck rested on.

Once the packages were in place, they continued their rapid descent. As they reached the water's surface, a small skiff motored over and picked each man up in turn. Once both men were in the boat, the operator throttled the motor and disappeared into the thick, foggy night. The entire operation took less than an hour.

SPARC Team 5 Chicago, Illinois The driver pulled the ball cap down tightly over her face. She followed the pre-described route that offered the least chance of pa.s.sing through a checkpoint. Even if she was pulled over and searched, they would have to empty the entire contents of the fully-packed, box truck to find anything of suspicion. She rounded the final turn and took several deep breaths as she approached the end of her journey. She pa.s.sed under the large sign that read: Commercial Vehicles Only She pouted her lips and gave the security guard the most innocent smile she could muster. He blushed as he checked her credentials, before smiling and waving her through. She winked at him as she drove through the gate and into the delivery bay of the Federal building. She wasn't the normal driver, the guard realized, but she was just so cute. A girl like that couldn't possibly be dangerous. Maybe he would stop her when she returned and ask for her number.

She hopped out of the truck and glanced around. Not a soul in sight. She locked the door and trotted away. A forklift driver rounded the corner and shouted, "Ma'am, can I help you?"

"Oh! I'm sorry; I just needed to use the restroom. Is there one close by?" She pouted her lips and flashed the same smile as before.

"Oh, well, just up the hall and take a right. But hurry back; I'll get in trouble if the super shows up and you're missing."