Ashes - Survival In The Ashes Part 27

"Why?"

"I must have time to think on it. You're asking me to change a life-style that I have practiced virtually all my life."

"A life-style that is wrong, d.a.m.nit!"

"I was taught that it was right."

"You cannot believe that the eating of human flesh is in any way right."

"But I do."

"Is that your answer."

"I will not change, General."

"That's firm?"

"That is firm."

Ben looked at the man and shook his head.

"You just signed your own death warrant."

Ben and the Rebels waited until the area had burned down to the point where it presented no danger of spreading before pulling out. He then ordered all troops in the southern part of the state to begin working their way north. Search and destroy.

Some of the buoyancy had gone from the Rebels after hearing of the ma.s.sive numbers of Believers still alive, not just in America, but around the world. But the missing buoyancy was quickly replaced by a feeling of determination and resolve. All right, so the bat- tie isn't very nearly over, as we thought. We'll just keep on fighting until we win, was the single thought in Rebel minds. The thugs and outlaws and punks and creepies are wrong, we're right, andwiththe help of G.o.d, we'll win.

So let's go!

The Rebels never missed a bet on their move up north. They checked out every road, paved, gravel, dirt, or gra.s.s comif it looked as though it had been recently traveled comall the way to trail's end. And in doing so, they made some thugs and outlaws who thought they were safe very unhappy for a moment, and very dead for a long time.

Ben had taken his contingent north by Route 95, while Ike had taken Highway 55 which connected with 95 at New Meadows. Ben would send troops checking out county roads to the east while Ike sent troops to the west. Five and Six Battalions had already cleared everything in their sector along Highway 93. They had backtracked into Montana and picked up Highway 473, which ran west for a few miles before turning into an unimproved road, which eventually and very slowly, would take them to Highway 14 at Elk City.

Ted Ashworth had seen the writing on the wall and had packed up and pulled out of Lewiston, slipping across the border into Was.h.i.+ngton and taking his outlaws with him. Ted wanted no part of Ben Raines and his Rebels.

North of him, Larry Rafford had different thoughts, those thoughts brought on with a slick and quiet maneuver from General Striganov.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n Russian b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Rafford cursed, after his patrols west out of the city came staggering back in, all shot to h.e.l.l and gone.

Georgi, with time on his hands and nothing to do except wait for Ben to push north, had sent the troops under the command of Rebet and Danjou first west into Was.h.i.+ngton, and then south down to between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, sealing off any escape by Rafford.

Danjou's men had blocked all exits west from the Was.h.i.+ngton state side, while Rebet had placed his troops in a defensive line against possible attack from the creepies in Spokane.

Larry Rafford's arrogance had sealed his fate.

Ben cut off Highway 95 and took a rutted old county road west, which finally changed to blacktop, and came up under Lewiston from the south. Ike took his troops on up 95, crossed the river, and pulled up on the east side of Lewiston.

On their way in, they had been met by several hundred men and women, who had been forced by the outlaws to work on farms, producing food for the punks and various other crud. With the advance of Ben's Rebels, the outlaws had fled the countryside, heading for Lewiston, leaving the now freed prisoners to fend for themselves.

Most of them bore both old and new scars on their backs from the frequent use of whips, their captors trying to get more work out of them than was humanly possible.

"Nice folks that we'll be facing in the city,"

Ben observed. "Real salt-of-the-earth types."

"How big was this place, General?" Cooper asked. "Back when."

"About thirty thousand. It won't take long to bring it down. Corrie, is everybody in place?"

"That's ten-four, sir."

"We'll strike at dawn. I want those sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in there to sweat some."

They were doing more than sweating inside the small city.

"Well, I ain't never dealt with none of them cannibals!" an outlaw who had just come in from the interior yelled at the leader of the outlaws who had taken refuge in the town. "And by G.o.d, I'll surrender if I want to, and I want to!"

"You're part of my bunch now, d.i.c.k" Jenkins told him. "When I took you and your boys in, you swore loyalty to me, and by G.o.d, you'll d.a.m.n well keep your word."

"Screw you, Jenkins! I'm callin' it quits. Man, it's a d.a.m.n death trap in here."

"It's a death trap out there, you fool!" The outlaw waved his hand. "Raines will never believe you didn't deal with the creepies. Besides, you've heard them talkin' on the radios. They're deliberately talking on an open frequency so we can hear.

Anyone who kept forced labor is to be dealt with the same as those who helped the creepies. And that's you, d.i.c.k. You! Think about that. I'm not going to be put up against a wall and shot. I'm going to die on my feet fighting that son of a b.i.t.c.h Ben Raines. And if you got any b.a.l.l.s, you'll do the same."

"Yeah, yeah, Jenkins. I know how tough you are and all that happy c.r.a.p. But if you think Raines is going to send troops in here to fight us, you' re crazy as a road lizard. All he's going to do is sit out yonder and blow us all to h.e.l.l and gone with artillery; just like he's done all over the d.a.m.n state. What's so glorious about dyin' like that, huh?"

"It beats bein' put up against a wall, d.i.c.k.

Not by much, I'll admit. But some." He shook his head. "There just ain't no stoppin' the man."

d.i.c.k turned to leave the room.

"Where the h.e.l.l are you goin'?" Jenkins shouted.

d.i.c.k slowly turned around. "To make my peace with G.o.d, pal; if He'll listen to me. "Cause this time tomorrow, we all gonna be dead."

The Rebels waited for the signal to destroy the town. They had rolled out of their bedrolls long before dawn, eaten breakfast, and cleaned their weapons.

Now they waited.

The gunners manning the artillery drank coffee, relaxed, gossiped, and waited for the general's signal.

Ben turned to Corrie, standing beside him, wearing a headset. "Everybody in place?"

"Yes, sir. All exits blocked."

"Let's get it over with then. Bring the city down, Corrie."

The earth trembled as the big guns unleashed their destructive fury against the outlaws and thugs trapped inside the town.

Fifty sh.e.l.ls, most of the warheads containing HE charges, struck the town. The second barrage from the guns with that capability was napalm, and the third was Willie Peter. Ben kept up a steady barrage for one hour then ordered the gunners to stand down.

"Take the point, Buddy," Ben said, after pulling the plugs from his ears. "Find out if there are still any snakes wriggling in the pit."

"Prisoners, Father?" the young man questioned.

Ben cut his eyes to his son. "No," he said flatly.

What was left of the town was put to the torch while Georgi and his men moved against those troops still ma.s.sed around Coeur d'Alene. Many had fled Rafford's command, running off in small groups. Some made a successful escape. Most did not. The Russian was just as ruthless as Ben and by mid-afternoon, the small city was rapidly becoming no more than a fading memory as the afternoon skies filled with greasy smoke.

Ben and Ike had pulled their columns up 95, clearing towns as they advanced north. They stopped at the junction of 95 and 5 and waited for word from Georgi.

"The town is finished," Striganov radioed. "I just hanged Larry Rafford."

"That's ten-four, Georgi," Ben told him.

"Hold what you've got until I get there.

Spokane is not going to be an easy ride." He turned to Buddy. "Take the bikers and work your way around to come up on the city from the west.

Check out this old Air Force base. Secure anything we might be able to use and wait there. Work your way in close to Spokane but do not enter the city unless you get orders from me. Draw supplies and take off."

At the time of the Great War, Spokane was a nice-size city, with a population of nearly two hundred thousand. It had colleges, a university, museum, and an international airport.

"We can expect a lot of creepies in this city,"

Ben spoke to Ike. "And they're very heavily armed. The Judge told me that they keep their breeding pens and food factories inside the city, so standing back and destroying it is out. We're going to have to take it nose to nose with the uglies."

"Be like old times," Ike said with a smile.

"Back when we knocked heads daily."

"Yeah. And you keep your big a.s.s out of the line of fire. No heroics, Ike."

"Look who's tellin" someone to be careful," the Mississippi born and reared Ike said. "Talk about the pot callin' the kettle black!"

Ben ignored that. "Cross over the line and take your people up 195. Pull up about ten miles south of the city and b.u.mp me when you're in position."

"I'm gone," Ike said, tossing him a grin and a very sloppy salute.

Ben got Georgi on the horn. "Georgi, swing your people around and come down Highway Two, approaching the city from the north. Cec, you're going up Highway Twenty-seven. West, go in on Highway Fifty-three. Five and Six Battalions stay in reserve. I'll go straight in on the Interstate. Take off and get in place."

Ben got a mug of fresh coffee and wandered around, looking for Doctor Chase. He found him sitting under a shade tree. "Alert your people to expect a lot of wounded, Lamar."

"We going in nose to nose?"

"Yes. They're holding captives in there.

We're going to have to take it block by block."

"Can you delay for a day?"

"Yes. Why?"

"That will give me time to get whole blood flown in here."

"Tell me when you're ready, Lamar."

"No, you tell me when you've got a toehold so I can set up a field hospital close in."

Ben laughed at him. "You're a hard-to-please and cantankerous old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you know that?"

"Stick it up your kazoo, Raines!"

Ben walked through the busy camp, chatting with Rebels as he went, Jersey and Corrie shadows beside him.

"I better not find anyone without their body armor when we go in," he warned platoon leaders. "Or they'll be back in the mess tents was.h.i.+ng dishes."

To Thermopolis: "You ever been to Spokane, Therm?" "No."

"You're about to get the scenic tour."

"Don't tell me if you've planned a welcoming party. I like surprises."

"We'll see in a day or two."

To Emil: "Ready to go, Emil?"

"Forward to victory, Great General Raines! We shall rid the land of the hordes of barbarians and restore America to its former greatness!"

"Right, Emil."

"We'll strike them down with a mighty sword and trample them under our boots."

"Don't get too carried away, Emil. Save your strength for the creepies."

"When I'm fighting on the side of righteousness, I feel I have the strength of ten men, the courage of an eagle, and the heart of a lion."

"One thing about it, Emil," Ben cut him off before he could really get wound up, "we have to pa.s.s right by Mich.e.l.le's position."

Emil froze rock-still for a moment, his eyes glazing over at just the mention of her name. Back in New York, he had fallen a.s.s over elbows in love with a French-Canadian lady named Mich.e.l.le Jarnot, part of Danjou's troops. Sadly, his affection was not returned, and Emil had moped around for days.

"Oh, my Mich.e.l.le!" he wailed. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

While Emil was counting, Ben quick-stepped the h.e.l.l away from that area.

Chase informed Ben that the whole blood had arrived and to get this G.o.dd.a.m.n campaign in high gear. Whole blood doesn't keep forever.