The Fall Of America: Fatal Encounters Part 13

The Master Sergeant laughed and replied, "If you can find anything dry enough to burn, sure, but it goes out at dark." These men are such fools. It has been raining hard all day and unless they look under big trees, they will find no dry wood.

One of the privates said, "I see a nice log over there."

He moved forward and suddenly he erupted in a sheet of fire, his body coming apart before it flew into the air. Men fell to the ground and once the noise of the explosion, as well as the dust, died down, Durchenko said, "Keep your eyes open for mines, anytime you are in the field. Is anyone else hurt?"

"We have two others down." A junior sergeant said, who Durchenko knew was their medic.

"Well, see to them, fool!"

"What if there are more mines?"

"You'll be safe enough, if you stay behind the dead man. It's not likely the ones we follow placed a mine field around here. It was designed to slow us down, so check my men."

The medic cursed under his breath and then moved to the injured men. He squatted by the first man, shook his head, and opened a bag he carried, and removed a needle. He gave the man a shot and then moved to the next man. After a few minutes he returned to Durchenko and said, "One will die, he has been hit in the gut, and the other has a slight head wound. I have dressed the head wound."

"And, Doctor Sergeant, what makes you think the belly wound will die?"

"The blast took a big chunk of his spine out and even on the base, a doctor could do nothing for him. He will be dead in a minute or two."

I think you have given the man too much morphine for his pain, so he will die for sure. I would want you to do it to me, if I was hurting and had no chance to live, Durchenko thought and then removed a ration from his pack.

Near midnight, while all were asleep, one of guards opened fire at something he thought he saw moving in the water of the swamp.

"What in the h.e.l.l are you shooting at?" The Master Sergeant said as he stood, weapon in hand.

"I think I saw a man swimming toward us in the water, so I shot."

Durchenko moved to the edge of the water and saw a huge alligator dead near the bank. The body of the animal was leaking blood from a half a dozen bullet holes. He laughed and said, "Come here, fool, and see your man."

The guard, visibly shaken by the experience, walked to the edge of the swamp, looked into the water, and then said, "It looked just like a swimming man."

"Alright, everyone back to sleep." Durchenko said and then turned to the young guard, "When you are tired, it's late and dark, your eyes often play tricks on you. The next time, wake someone instead."

When morning arrived, fog draped the swamp and low areas in a veil of white that looked to go forever. The men ate and then relaxed as they waited for word from the base. The radio man neared Durchenko, who was making coffee, and said, "This fog will not be gone until around 10 hundred hours. Weather says a cold front collided with a warm one, which is causing the current conditions."

"Let them know we are ready to move when they give the word."

The rain had eased and was more like a mist now, but each man wore a poncho. The man with the belly wound had died the night before, as well as the man with the head injury. The old Master Sergeant knew head wounds were tricky and sometimes the best medics didn't understand a head didn't need to be b.l.o.o.d.y to be a serious injury. But, he hadn't known the names or anything about either of the dead, so he forgot about them. I need to concentrate on keeping these men alive and not worry about the dead. They are beyond worrying over now, he thought as he picked up his canteen cup.

An hour later, at 0900, the radio man neared and said, "Weather is breaking near the base, so a helicopter will be airborne shortly."

"Do they want us to enter the swamp now?"

"No. We are to wait until the pilot contacts us before we move in any direction."

Durchenko nodded and then said, "Check your gear and make sure nothing rattles. When we enter the swamp, keep a close lookout for snakes. Most of the water snakes in this part of the country are poisonous, so watch where you place your feet and hands."

No sooner had the fog dissipated than the Master Sergeant heard noise from the radio. The radio man grinned and said, "I understand."

"Well?"

"We are to wait here until the helicopter checks some areas in the swamp." The radio man said and then added, "We might not have to enter at all, not the way things are looking."

"We will enter. The aircraft is checking now to see if he can catch anyone out walking. I do not think he will be an hour checking either, so get rid of the grin."

"I can hope, Master Sergeant."

The radio squawked and when the man answered it, he spoke for a minute or two and then said, "We are to enter. He claims the area looks clean and informed you to not go more than five kilometers in to this place."

"Alright, don your packs and gear. I want a man on point with good eyes, and another man on drag."

Soon they were moving down a trail, but there were no tracks or marks indicating anyone had ever been here before. Mud was ankle deep and it slowed the men down. The chopper kept flying near and at times he'd drop low to check out suspicious looking area or to break the boredom.

The man on point covered about two kilometers when he suddenly stopped and said, "Tripwire."

Durchenko moved forward, looked at the wire, and marked it with a stick in the mud in the middle of the trail. "It is marked, so move forward, but keep your eyes open at all times."

No sooner had the Sergeant turned, than the point man took a step forward and a loud explosion filled the morning air. Durchenko was knocked to his face in the mud and there came loud screams, as debris from the mine fell from the sky. Slowly sitting up, his ears bleeding, the Master Sergeant looked around and saw over half of his men down. Unable to hear, the sergeant moved to the p.r.o.ne radio man and said, "Call the helicopter and ask if he can pick up the most severely injured."

When the man didn't raise his head, he turned the man over and discovered he was bleeding from his throat and as dead as it gets. Picking up the headset, the Sergeant said, "I have been wounded and cannot hear you. I am the ranking man on the ground and need you to take my wounded out without delay. I will need another aircraft, as I have many wounded. If you understand, move to my position now."

He grinned as the helicopter turned and made his way to him. Durchenko looked around, saw an uninjured private and yelled, "You, private, come and speak to the helicopter, it is time for you to earn your first medal. Come now, and be a hero."

He watched the private communicating with the aircraft and felt a dull pain starting in his lower back and his legs. He moved his hand to the spot on his back and when done, he noticed blood on his hand. The helicopter started slowly descending until the right skid was near the bank.

When the seriously wounded were gone, Durchenko said, "Get some defenses set up and cover our a.s.ses. The second aircraft will be here soon."

CHAPTER 13.

Margie made her way to John, touched his right foot and said, "I have movement, but I won't swear it's not a gator."

"It's okay to wake me. I'd rather you wake me than get me killed. Let's move to your window and check out the movement."

They moved to the window together, but John saw nothing, initially. He squinted his eyes in an effort to see better, only no luck. He waited, patiently. Finally, he saw movement and it looked to be human, too. If it was a person, they were injured, because they appeared to be crawling. John expected an attacker to be bent at the waist to make a smaller target, not crawling.

"I'm goin' out there." John said a few minutes later. A long finger of lightning flashed across the dark sky, followed by a sharp crack of thunder, and Dolly growled.

In the flash of lightning, Margie saw blood on the fallen form outside, and said, "Go, I'll cover you. I didn't see a uniform on the person."

"Dolly, stay." He commanded, and then stepped over the fallen door and made his way to the porch. Rain was falling with more force now, and the winds blowing hard as he stepped from the protection of the porch. He made his way to the downed person and, once there, rolled them onto their back. He saw a bullet hole high in the woman's left shoulder and it'd gone all the way through, because he'd seen the exit wound before he rolled her over.

Picking her up, she might have weighed a hundred and twenty pounds; John carried her to the house over his shoulder. He used caution on the steps, because they were weak, and he didn't want to fall through. He stepped over the door and carried her into the living room. He placed her on a blanket Margie had placed on the floor.

Turning to Margie, he said, "Look her over closely and treat her injury, because I need to get back to the window."

"I've been well trained, thanks to your wife, so I'll do what I can for this woman."

John moved to the window, sat on the floor and scanned the swamp. He saw little, due to the rain, except he knew it would be a good time to attack someone. Bad weather covered movements and approaches well, and if attacked, he'd not likely know it until the last second. Dolly moved to him and placed her head in his lap. He scratched her ears.

Margie removed the woman's boonie hat, s.h.i.+rt, and bra. She saw the path of the bullet had hit high, into the shoulder muscle, and not the bone. Pulling some medical supplies from her first aid pouch, she cleaned the entrance and exit wounds well, removing bits of clothing and other debris. Satisfied with her work, she wiped the injuries down with some alcohol pads and then bandaged the wound. Unless the wound became infected, she'd live.

She noticed the woman was young, still in her twenties, short blond hair, attractive, but not beautiful, and was about five feet six inches tall. Her face was covered in mud and grime, so Margie washed her face and hands. There, she looks better already, she thought, only she's lost a lot of blood.

Margie then moved to John and said, "She's still out, due to shock and blood loss, I think. The bullet pa.s.sed through the meaty portion of her shoulder, so she'll live. You can go back to sleep now."

John stood, yawned, and then said, "I'll do that." He handed her the AK-47.

With the coming of dawn it was still raining as hard as ever, but the wind was less forceful. John stood from in front of the window, stretched and then picked up his weapon. Making his way to the living room he asked, "How's our visitor?"

"I . . . I'm awake."

He squatted beside her and said, "I'm John, and the woman with me is Margie. You've been shot in the shoulder, but should survive. Now, who are you?"

"I'm called Sue, but it ain't my real name, only that's not important. I'm a member of the resistance, my commanders full name is Colonel w.i.l.l.y Williams, and you should know him."

"I know w.i.l.l.y and Top; are they both well?"

"They were the last time I saw them."

"What happened out there, Sue?"

"We attacked a small group of Russians in a wooded area just south of the swamps. There were ten of us and once I was. .h.i.t, I crawled under some brush to hide, and after a few minutes I pa.s.sed out. When I awoke, my cell was gone and a large group of Russians were unloading from choppers. I made my way into the trees and then the rains came."

"How'd ya get here?"

"Before the fall, I was an avid photographer and I wrote articles for a living. I'd been here before and had photographed the house many times."

"Which direction did you approach the house from, because I had mines on the southern trail?"

"From the west, the only way I know how to get here. I'm sure there are many trails that lead here, but that's the only way I know."

Margie asked, "Are you in pain?"

"Some, but not much we can do about that right now."

"I have some morphine I can give you for the pain, but it'll wipe you out."

"Use it, so maybe I can get some sleep, if it's safe here."

"It's as safe as it ever gets these days, which means our security is marginal at best. Take the drug, rest, and we'll leave in the morning."

No sooner had Margie administered the drug than the wop-wop of helicopters was heard off in the distance. John ran from the house, with Dolly behind him, and stood under a large tree, watching the two aircraft flying circles, to the south of them. After a few minutes, one of the aircraft slowly lowered until it was out of sight, but a few minutes later, he spotted it rising in the air. It continued up until it gained alt.i.tude and then flew to the south. Then, as he watched the second chopper did the same.

He walked into the house and said, "I think someone triggered one of my traps. I just watched two aircraft descend into the swamp and then leave a few minutes later. Then again, they may have been delivering supplies, so I'll go check it out."

"John," Margie said, "watch your a.s.s out there, because if they resupplied some folks they'll be armed for bear."

"Well, I doubt it was a resupply, because if anyone is on our a.s.s, they've only been trailing us for less than a day. Now, they may have been unloading more troops, but I don't think so. The birds I watched were in and out fast, like they do when they pick up wounded. I'll take no risks, but I'll leave Dolly with you."

John donned his poncho and left with the AK-47 in his hands.

The rain eased up and he moved through the mud to the b.o.o.by-trap, except he didn't like the tracks he left in the muck. On the way back, I'll have to cover my tracks or they might be seen from the air.

When he neared the spot he'd placed the b.o.o.by-trap, he slowed and scanned the area, but saw no one. Cautiously he moved forward, his weapon's safety off and his finger resting on the trigger. Glancing at the trail ahead, he saw a small crater where his mine had exploded. He stopped short of the crater and scanned the area. He saw part of a human hand, a foot still inside a laced up boot, and some discarded bandages. The blood had mostly washed away, leaving puddles of pink on the ground and pink stains on the bandages. However, by looking at the size of the pink bandage stains, some of the men had been hit hard. He knew from experience some men died, but it was hard to tell how many.

He pulled a stick from the water and began to move it from side-to-side in his muddy tracks as he moved back toward the house. The scratching of the mud alone would draw attention, but he hoped the falling rain would soon wash away all sign of his pa.s.sing.

Margie was guarding at the front window when he returned and gave him a questioning look when he entered.

Removing his poncho, he said, "Our b.o.o.by-trap exploded at some point today, but with the thunder we've had, we didn't hear the explosion. I have no way of knowing how many men were hurt, but I suspect a squad or two were taken out by choppers."

"I thought one mine couldn't do that kind of damage to a group of men."

"I had one Claymore mine using a tripwire and the second mine was an anti-personnel mine, pressure detonated. I rigged them so if the second mine exploded, the Claymore would also. I thought they'd find the tripwire easily, mark it, and then step over the wire. I planted the anti-personnel mine about a foot behind the wire."

"Nasty, huh?"

"Most of the blood had washed away, but they left some body parts behind. How's our new troop?"

"Sue is sleeping well, but she should be after I gave her the morphine. I think we can leave in the morning."

"We need a guard at this window all the time we're here. None of us should go outside either, in case they have choppers out looking for us. That means if you have to use the toilet, find an empty room to do your business. Tonight, we'll eat an early supper and then put the fire out. It's very possible they'll have infrared aircraft flying around looking for us. Guns.h.i.+ps and helicopters both carry the technology, but we want to avoid discovery if possible, so stay inside. NVG's I'm not too worried about, because we'll be indoors."

"Comforting thought, huh?"

John gave a low chuckle and replied, "Unless they spot this place and put men on the ground to look it over, we're safe enough. From what I saw when I neared, there are plenty of tree limbs, moss and other vegetation on the roof of this house. The roof almost looks like a brush pile."

"How good is the infrared equipment the Russians have? Do you think it could pick up our body heat inside this place?"

"Honestly?" John asked and then said, "I have no idea. I know just before the fall, the United States had some awesome stuff, but I couldn't tell you about the Russians. If they're like most military units, some of their gear will be new and some old."

"What now?"

"I'll eat and get a bit more sleep."

"I've got the window, so relax and rest."

Morning arrived with Sue still in pain, but not the deep pain she'd had the day before. Overnight she'd had a fever, but it broke about an hour after dawn. She was awake now, eating a breakfast of biscuits with chocolate and hazelnut paste smeared on top. A canteen cup of hot instant coffee was sitting beside her legs. The whole meal was part of a Russian ration.

John asked, "No dizziness or faint feelings when you used the toilet this morning?"