A NEW WORLD:

TAKEN

A Novel by John O’Brien

This book is dedicated to my grandparents, William Nelson Park, Sr. and Doris Park. You taught me so much and for that I am grateful. Poppa, you taught me the outdoors and the love for wildlife. Noni, you taught me patience and unconditional love. May the both of you rest in peace.

Author’s Notice

The New World series is a fictional work. While some of the locations in the series describe actual locations, this is intended only to lend an authentic theme. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I wrote this series with one thought in mind — What would I actually do in the event of an apocalyptic event? This story and series being true to actual skills and experiences I possess. No super heroes or someone possessing miraculous abilities, just a normal person seeking to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Being an ex-Air Force pilot and operating in the special operations arena, the experiences I have gathered lend themselves well to surviving in a world such as I have presented, those skills being advantageous in certain aspects of survival.

Written in the first person, it takes you through an accounting of what that world and survival might look like through the eyes of someone being suddenly thrust into a situation that looks normal from first glance, with regards to the physical environment, but with a terror lurking underneath and survival in question at every turn.

Imagine yourself looking out of your window and everything looks the same; buildings stand tall and straight reflecting sunlight from their exteriors; trees sway in the morning breeze, cars sit silently in parking lots; a bright, blue sky looks down and the air is clear of smoke from burning fires. All normal with the exception of one simple but huge difference, there is nobody around. The plausibility of the scenario and premise make this a truly unique story and interesting read. I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

John O’Brien

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This story rather took off on its own. The central aspect of this book was only supposed to encompass about a fifth of the pages but it launched itself into being the core of the entire book. This story seems to do that. I plot out the story line and begin typing. The story then weaves and turns as it will without my seeming to have any say in the matter. To that extent, the story line that was supposed to be in this book will now be in the next — hopefully. It changed so much that I had to rename this book to ‘Taken.’ ‘Awakening’ will now have to be the fifth book. Yes, there’s a spoiler for you. There will be another coming.

As usual with all of the books, I would first like to thank my mother, June O’Brien for the many hours she has spent editing. This is besides finishing the first book of her series, ‘The Blue Child Series.’ I encourage you to take a look at the first book in her series, ‘On the Mountain.’ It is sincerely a great read for science fiction and fantasy readers.

And then there is once again my son, William, who helps through tough places in the overall plot line!

I want to give a very warm thanks to the review group. Your insights and catching the things I missed, and there were a number of them, was a huge help. Thank you for all of your wonderful ideas and chats. Alex Ranka, Andrew Johnson, Andy Bilton, Craig Vitter, Dan Shaw, Gregory Norris, James Jackson, Jessica Woodman, Joe Mahoney, Johnny Clark, Larry Sullivan, Monica Brennan, Russell Hicks, and Wendy Weidman. Thank you!

I have to throw Jay Dixon in this mix. No, you aren’t depicted as a love god in the books nor is there a special needs helper. But your insights into how to make the books better and your ideas are priceless. Thanks man!

A big thank you to SM Reine for putting up with me through the cover art design. I’m a pain and fully realize that. There are many iterations tossed back and forth and then you bring out your wand and weave your magic. The result is truly incredible and I thank you for your time and effort.

I am truly appreciative of all of the messages and mentions. I enjoy each and every one of them and would like to thank you all for writing. I enjoy the chats and messages we pass back and forth and it makes my day to receive them. I hope this book is as enjoyable to you as the previous ones were. This is a cliché but so true, I write this story for the readers. If it wasn’t for you, this story wouldn’t be what it is.

Okay, enough of my ramblings. On with the story!

John O’Brien

Prologue

Rising later than usual, Gonzalez finishes her shower and heads outside. The sun has risen above the mountains to the east and rains warmth down on her shoulders as she steps out from under the building entrance overhang. For the first time in many days, which seems like weeks or months considering the trials and stresses the change in the world has brought about, she feels a semblance of peace within. The sun shining upon her adds to the calm feeling. With the wall being finished yesterday, the thought arises that they will have a better chance at surviving in this new world.

She lifts her face to the sun in gratitude for its blessing; its cascade of beams fills her. She is thankful. Her thoughts turn to her family, her mother, father, and sister, and a knot tightens within. She turns to the south, toward New Mexico, as if this will bring them closer and an answer as to whether they were able to survive the chaos. They haven’t been far from her thoughts but the experience and events of the last months have driven them below the surface. Now, with time and a semblance of security, those thoughts rise again to the surface. With the immunity of the vaccine being hereditary, there is a chance her family is still alive.

She and the rest of Red Team, along with other soldiers, discussed this during the minimal downtimes they’ve had. Thoughts rise as to whether she should ask for some time and a vehicle, now that this place has been secured, to travel and find an answer. Maybe McCafferty will go with me since her family is in Texas, she thinks continuing to look south. She knows the question of families weighs on the minds of the other soldiers in their group; all of them want to at least know what happened. With what she has seen so far, the chances are minimal that they are still alive but she, and the other soldiers, need to know for sure.

“Corporal Gonzalez?” A voice behind her asks rather timidly bringing her back to the here and now.

Turning, she sees Robert with Michelle and Bri beside him. She notices how similar to Jack both Robert and Bri are and how they’ve changed in the short time she’s known them. For some reason, she has a special fondness for Bri. Perhaps it’s the way Bri reminds her a little of her sister. Or maybe the way she has taken to the training Sergeant Connell has been putting them through. For whatever reason, the attachment is there.

“Yeah, what can I do for you?” She responds to Robert’s question.

“We were thinking about going down to the waterfront but my dad wants you to go along if we go,” Robert says. Gonzalez detects a note of embarrassment. Perhaps that his having to ask makes it seem like they need a babysitter. She knows the feeling well as her dad was a little protective of her as well. That’s one of the reasons she joined the Army to begin with; to show she can take care of and protect herself. And, in the process, she found a second home. Just like she feels with the current group.

“You know, I’ve been thinking on how to spend today and I’d love to go. Thanks for asking,” she responds. With a last thought of her family and a desire of finding out about them soon, she gives Bri a smile and follows them into Cabela’s.

“She said she’d go. Do you want to come along, Dad?” Robert asks after they find Jack upstairs.

“I’d really enjoy that but there are a lot of things to do around here yet. You guys go have a good time,” Jack answers.

Gonzalez notices Jack nod to her wanting a private chat. Stepping away from Robert, Michelle, and Bri, Jack tells her to keep an eye out; that if anything looks or feels wrong, to return immediately. She knows Jack’s meaning with him having recently lost one of his daughters. A tightness clenches her stomach with the responsibility. She’s seen Robert in action more than once and is assured by his ability but she’s also seen that anything can happen at any time in this changed world.

“Yes, sir,” Gonzalez replies as they join Robert, Michelle, and Bri once again.

“Okay, Gonzalez here is in charge and what she says, goes,” Jack says.

“Okay, Dad,” both Robert and Bri reply.

Outside again, with soldiers taking in the sunny morning, Gonzalez, Robert, Michelle, and Bri angle towards the nearest Humvee parked in line with the rest of the vehicles; the sun bouncing brightly off its tan exterior.

“Do you want to drive?” Robert asks her.

“Nah, that’s okay, you know where you’re going so you can,” Gonzalez answers.

They climb in with the metallic sound of the shutting doors ringing across the still morning. The small number of soldiers, relishing their first day without having to worry about duties related to their survival, is startled and turns their heads at the sharp sounds. Gonzalez, sitting in the passenger seat, loosens her vest and places her M-4 at her side. Robert starts the vehicle as Michelle and Bri get settled in the back. The heavy thrum of the diesel engine vibrates the interior and Robert pulls out of the parking lot. Glancing in her side mirror, Gonzalez watches Jack grow smaller as they pull over the small hill and he disappears from view.

They drive to the heavy steel gates drawn across the entrance road. Robert pulls to a stop near the barred gates and two soldiers, these from Horace’s Green Team, lift the cross beam and swing the gates open. The heavy steel bar holding the gates fast has a fulcrum on one end to make the lifting easier. Gonzalez gives a wave to the two soldiers as they pull through the opening and out onto the road that eventually connects with the Interstate.

Turning southbound on the Interstate, they head toward town. The smell of smoke lingers in the air from the neighborhood burns they conducted earlier but the brownish haze has vanished, replaced with pristine scenic views of the mountains to both sides in the distance. The grass in the medians between the north and southbound lanes has grown measurably since their arrival and threatens to cut off the view of the other lanes. There’s a freshness to the air that she senses; perhaps in part knowing they are more secure in their environment.

Their initial conversation centers on her asking how their training is going but that drifts off as each folds into their own thoughts; hers wandering back to her family. She sends a silent prayer out for them as they progress down the highway with the sun streaming in the side windows. She feels thankful for the group of survivors and for Jack’s and Lynn’s leadership in getting them to this point and place but there’s a hardness settling in about finding her family; the determination to do so getting stronger. However, she also has a sense of responsibility to the group and won’t venture off on her own. If they don’t let her go, she’ll stay but knows the gnawing inside her will remain until she knows for sure.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she rolls down the window to allow fresh air in and relishes in the pervasive energetic feeling it gives her. It’s good to be out for a leisure activity; something she didn’t think would ever happen again. Although confident of her own and the group’s abilities, the events and frenzied activity of the past months left her feeling like they were running on borrowed time. The completion of the wall changed that. Though there are still a lot of things that need to be put in place before they are totally secure, finishing the wall is a relief to them all. Now if we can just get ourselves into a place where we don’t have to go into buildings, then I’ll feel much better, she thinks as she watches the trees by the side of the road flash by. If I never have to set foot into another darkened building again, I’ll feel fortunate.

She watches as Robert turns off the highway and heads further into Olympia, progressing through the outskirts of downtown and onto a road paralleling the open bay to their left. The road is two lanes abutting the bay, the edge giving way to the burned out hulks of houses on the waterfront. A steep cliff rises to the immediate right of them. The ditch alongside the road under the cliff is deep making her think that there must be a lot of water that flows down during the rainy season. She watches the sunlight sparkle off the waters of the large bay; the open water calm with only a hint of waves. The sound of the tires humming along the pavement echoes off the dirt cliff just outside of her open window. The beautiful scene across the shimmering waters, the purr of the wheels kissing the road, the vibration of the Humvee’s powerful motor felt through the soles of her boots, the sun-filled day and fresh air blowing in gives her a sense of peace and calm. A pack of dogs enter the road from the burned structures ahead and take off up a side street that climbs the steep embankment; the pack pausing only momentarily to view the approaching Humvee.

A flash of movement in the side mirror catches her attention. Leaning forward, she sees the front end of a red pickup truck following them and watches it closing in. “We’ve got company,” she tells Robert as she reaches for the microphone.

She hesitates a moment analyzing the situation. The truck is closing in quickly but she isn’t sure of the intentions of the driver or the passengers she sees clearly now. After all, they are still on the lookout for remaining survivors and these people may just be trying to catch them with the same thought in mind. However, until she knows better, she’ll treat the situation with caution particularly given the rate at which the truck is closing in. She starts looking for a side road to take in order to get them out of here. Her plan is to head back to Cabela’s and, if the people right behind her are friendly, they’ll ascertain that when they arrive. However, all of the side roads seem to have vanished and only the steep dirt cliff remains.

“Robert, speed up and keep your eye out for a road. We’ll take the first one that presents itself,” Gonzalez says setting the mic down momentarily to slide the bolt of her M-4 back, chambering a round.

The truck is directly behind them and she turns to look over her shoulder to get a better look. Both Michelle and Bri are also staring out of the back window. The chrome grill, headlights, and part of the windshield are the only visible aspects of the truck through the window. That’s just too fucking close, she thinks noticing also they aren’t honking or flashing their lights to get them to pull over. An uneasy feeling comes over her and she notices Bri turn and chamber a round in her M-4 as well. Robert has pressed down on the pedal gaining speed but she knows they won’t be able to outrun the truck.

Turning back to the front, she looks again for a road exiting off the one they’re on. Nothing ahead. Picking up the mic, she presses the talk button, “Base, Gonzalez here.”

“Base here, go ahead,” she hears a female voice answer through the speaker, thinking that it’s Kathy on the other end.

“We have a vehicle that has started following us. Large red pickup truck,” Gonzalez says glancing in the side mirror again.

The truck is not in her sight anymore. Looking to her left, she sees the truck is now in the other lane attempting to pass and almost right next to them. It’s too late to tell Robert to block their passage by edging into the other lane. A loud metal on metal sound erupts as the truck crashes into their side, attempting to force them off the road. The Humvee lurches to the right from the impact and Robert turns the wheel to try and keep them on the road. The Humvee’s wheels edge off the road and dig into the soft gravel and dirt alongside the narrow shoulder. Robert does his best to keep it out of the ditch but a mighty crash signals another attempt by the truck to force them off the road.

“Oh shit, they’re trying to force us off the road,” Gonzalez says in the radio. Her voice has taken on the higher pitched voice of excitement and adrenaline kicking in.

The Humvee wheels catch the steep incline of the ditch and begin to drag the vehicle quickly into it. Their vehicle lurches to the side at a steep angle. With the mic still unknowingly pressed, she tells Robert, “Turn the wheel to the…” She doesn’t get the rest out as another lurch and clang of metal tips the Humvee into the ditch. The view outside tilts and then rolls. The side fenders and hood catch the hard dirt of the cliff and she feels herself vaulted forward. The windshield quickly nears. She feels the impact with it and everything fades.

Through the Looking Glass

The click coming across the radio is a like a jolt of electricity running through me. I stare at the speaker as if my concentration will force Gonzalez’ voice through it once again but it sits on the desk in silence.

I grab the mic from Kathy’s hand. “Gonzalez, base here, respond!” I say hoping for a reply. Nothing but continued silence.

I drop the microphone on the desk and turning, I yell across the interior, “Lynn!”

Adrenaline, fear, and worry course through me along with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. My immediate thought is they’ve run afoul of whatever red truck Gonzalez reported. A dozen thoughts of who, what, and where race through my mind but the most immediate is to get everyone mobilized and for me to get in the air. I start running for the front door and see Lynn pounding down the escalator stairs. I slow to a brisk walk as she joins me.

“Something’s happened to Gonzalez and the kids. Mobilize the teams and get them into Humvees. Start southbound on the Interstate and I’ll contact you. The last transmission from Gonzalez said a red truck was following them. I’m getting airborne,” I say walking briskly to the doors.

“”What happened? Where were they?” She asks in rapid fire succession.

“I don’t know. The transmission went dead in the middle of their report. I don’t know exactly where they are or were but I’ll follow the route they should have taken. Just be on the lookout for either the Humvee or a red truck,” I say reaching the front doors.

“Will do, Jack. We’ll be on the road soon,” she says turning back to the interior.

“All teams, on me, ASAP!” Lynn shouts across the interior.

I do a quick check on my weapons and gear reassuring myself that all is in order and I have enough ammo should I need it. I wouldn’t want to locate the kids only to find I wasn’t able to help them because of my rush. Exiting into the shade of the drive-thru overhang, I spot Greg sitting on the curb apparently enjoying the feel of the sun bathing him.

“Greg, grab your gear, you’re with me. And hurry. I’ll explain when you get back. Meet me at the helicopter,” I say and head across the parking lot towards the Kiowa parked on the far side away from the other vehicles.

Lynn shouts across the lot for everyone to gather. I turn and see Greg looking my direction with a questioning look. I shake my head to indicate he’s to ignore Lynn’s request and follow me. Greg turns, exchanges a word or two with Lynn, and runs into the building. I run over to the helicopter, jump in, and begin the start sequence. Time is of the essence. If they’ve been taken, every minute means another mile or close to it in some direction. It will take time to trace their route in order to locate either them or at least find a starting point. And, if I choose the wrong direction, then that’s a lesser chance of locating them again.

The rotors begin spinning overhead as Greg runs out of the building and jumps in. He dons the spare helmet and I brief him as the rotors come up to speed. Lifting off into the clear morning air, I swing to the south to pick up the Interstate. Tense and anxious, I gain altitude in order to get a longer range of view. I need to find them or catch sight of the red truck soon or this will turn into an area search ordeal with each moment’s passing making the odds of locating them less and less.

I hook up with I-5 to my left and make contact with the base to establish communication. The gray road stretches north and south and is empty of movement. I search for movement and look for the Humvee parked to the side of the highway. Nothing moves except an occasional flash of white from gulls circling in random patterns closer to the bay. I know where the kids were headed so I fly up the Interstate to the exit Robert should have taken to the beach. Very small wisps of brown smoke drift lazily upward from a couple of points indicating some of our area burns are still warm.

The glittering waters of the bay past the outer vestiges of downtown Olympia filter in through the windscreen. The crisscross pattern of streets is empty of movement and mostly empty of vehicles. Some cars are parked in spots on the main thoroughfares but the ghost town atmosphere prevails. I dip the nose forward picking up airspeed as the helicopter responds to my anxiousness to find my kids. A road parallels the bay into Olympia from Puget Sound to the north. I pick up this road after downtown Olympia slides by to my left.

The foundations of burnt houses appear on the left side of the road with a large embankment on the immediate right. No indications of the Humvee or a red truck appear as I slow and we proceed up the road. There is a chance they took a side road after seeing the truck so I’ll check on the roads on top of the cliff after I reach the park where they were heading.

“Where the fuck are they?” I ask in a whisper; more talking to myself than conveying a message.

“Don’t worry, Jack, we’ll find them,” Greg responds hearing my whisper.

“There,” he says pointing.

Ahead, just around a corner of the road, I see a Humvee lying on its side in the ditch. I descend and come to a hover over the vehicle. Nothing is moving on the ground or inside. The front and passenger doors are open on the driver’s side, pointing upward. The vibrations of the helicopter, the rotors turning overhead in a blur, and the wrecked Humvee below us are the only company.

“Is that a red truck cresting that hill?” Greg asks pointing to his left.

I swing the nose around to get a better look. Sure enough, I see the back end of a truck disappear over a hill in the distance across the bay. It’s driving on one of the main roads toward the south end of town. I have a dilemma; check out the Humvee or follow the vehicle. The kids and Gonzalez may still be in the Humvee hurt and needing assistance or they may be with the truck. I look in our immediate area for place to land but see I can’t quite plant it without our rotor hitting some of the burnt structures still jutting into the air. I should be able to find the truck again if we’re quick, especially from altitude. If I’m careful, I can get within a couple feet of the ground without hitting anything.

“Greg, I’m going to get close but you’ll have to jump down and check on the Humvee,” I say looking for the best spot.

“Sure, no problem, Jack,” Greg replies.

I edge down the road a touch and find a spot close to the water where I can edge down. I have to keep over the water’s edge and bring the strut close to the small embankment rising from the inlet. The tide is in so I can’t put it down on exposed land. Greg opens the door and a wash of air rushes inside along with an increase in sound from the rotors slicing through the air. He removes his helmet and, grabbing his M-4, steps out onto the strut. Leaping the two feet separating the strut from land, he lands in a crouch, rises, and rushes over to the Humvee.

I angle away from the shore and watch as he reaches the Humvee. He runs around to the front to peer in then climbs onto the vehicle and looks in the open doors. Looking over to me, he shakes his head and jumps down. As Greg trots back, I edge over to the embankment once again. I feel the helicopter list as he clambers onto the strut and I try to counteract the increase in weight on that side. I’m not familiar with that aspect of flying rotors as of yet so Greg hangs on for dear life as we jostle around and move out over the water. I’m finally able to get some semblance of control and he climbs back in the cockpit.

“Well, that was interesting,” he says settling in and donning his helmet.

“Yeah, sorry,” I reply.

“No worries. I was just wondering if I was going to take a leisurely morning swim.” I chuckle but my anxiousness cuts that short. We turn and head south gaining altitude.

“Base, Jack here, over,” I say into the radio wanting to know where the hell Lynn and the rest of the teams are. There’s not much I can do in the helicopter even should we find the red truck again.

“Base here, go ahead Jack,” I hear Kathy respond.

“Where’s Lynn?” I ask.

“They’re all gathering in the parking lot now, Jack, and should be on their way shortly,” she answers.

“Okay, we’ve found the Humvee and no one is present. We spotted the red truck heading south through town and we are on our way to locate it once again,” I say, also giving the coordinates of the Humvee.

“Roger, Jack, I’ll relay that to her.”

“Thanks, out,” I say as the bay slides underneath us.

Gaining altitude, we head south down the main road where Greg spotted the truck disappearing. I don’t see anything and it underlies the feeling of loneliness the empty town gives off. I look down the side streets and mostly vacant parking lots as we accelerate. If they are speeding away, and they are easily able to so with the empty roads, they could be quite a distance ahead of us so I need to get a closure rate going just in case. It will give us less time to look in the immediate area but my thought is that we can search the area if we don’t find them on the road. At least we will have narrowed it down some if I don’t spot them.

Leaving the town behind, we manage to locate the red truck ahead of us as it leaves the road, turning onto highway 101. I drop down behind the trees and activate the overhead camera system. The camera is located in the housing above the rotors so we can remain invisible while still surveying the area. The truck is heading west to where the highway splits, either heading west to the coast or north up the Kitsap Peninsula, which, by the way, is the way towards my old house.

I hop from tree line to tree line keeping the truck in view. Magnifying the view, I see a couple of people riding in the bed of the truck but I don’t see any sign of Gonzalez or the kids. As we continue to follow at a distance, I see them take the exit heading north.

“What’s the plan?” Greg asks.

“I think for now we’ll just tail them until the teams arrive. I’m not sure what their response will be if they see us, especially if they have Gonzalez and the kids. And, there’s really not much we can do while they’re moving. We’ll determine their destination and go from there,” I answer and see him nod his reply.

“You know, we could pull ahead of them and take out their radiator and tires as they approach. Just a suggestion,” Greg comments.

“Yeah, I thought of that but we don’t know how many of them there are nor what will happen to Gonzalez and the kids if that happens. There are too many variables right now. The truck could even flip,” I reply.

“Jack, this is Lynn over,” I hear coming over the radio.

“Yeah, Lynn, this is Jack, go ahead,” I respond.

“We’re outbound with five teams. I left Alpha, Bravo, and Green behind with Drescoll in charge. What’s the situation?” Lynn asks.

“We found the Humvee. Did Kathy give you those coordinates?” I say in way of answering.

“Yes, Jack, I have ‘em.”

“Okay, send one team there and search the area. We’re turning north on Highway 101 following the truck at a distance. We’re about thirty minutes ahead of you. Keep coming and we’ll find out where they’re going and formulate a plan at that point,” I say.

“Copy that, Jack, we’re on our way,” Lynn replies.

Greg and I continue to tail the truck as it progresses along the highway. We watch through the camera-provided images on the screen, until the truck disappears from view, then pop up and find another vantage point behind trees or the occasional building along the way and repeat the process. At one point, we draw close to where Nic is buried and I send a mental prayer her way, the sadness of missing her fills me and makes me all the more anxious to get Robert and Bri back. If anyone harms them, they’ll find a world of hurt on both themselves and everyone they know. I’ll absolutely rain pain and destruction on their world.

“If they took them, Jack, they’ll pay,” Greg says as if reading my thoughts. I look over and realize we aren’t that much different in our ways of thinking or experiences. We’ve talked some and I know he’s seen some pretty serious things himself. It’s good to have him along and to know that Lynn is not far behind. Looking at the truck in front of us, racing along the road at a pretty good clip, the people inside have no idea what is behind them. If they did, they wouldn’t have done what they did — if they did anything that is.

I wonder how long they’ve scouted us or what they know, I think as we hop behind yet another stand of trees. It’s apparent they must have been watching us and I think back to those movements on earlier trips this way when I felt uneasy. We watch from a distance as they go past the first Shelton off ramps and then exit at the third one leading to the north part of town. Looking on, I see them turn by the high school and I take notice of the fenced-in grounds. Wooden observation towers have been recently erected in the corners and at various intervals. Guessing this is where the truck is headed, I turn on the recorders, making sure to keep the truck in sight but also making sure I record the entire area.

As guessed, the truck turns and passes through gates into the high school complex itself. I maneuver slightly and zoom in. The truck stops by what I remember as the main office building. The two people in back hop out of the bed and open the doors. Zooming in closer, I watch as they pull Robert and Gonzalez from the rear seats. It appears they are either sleeping or unconscious and it’s all I can do not to race to their location and erupt in a frenzy. I know that I can get them back now that I have a location but I’ll have to play it smart. I continue to watch as Michelle and Bri are pulled out in the same manner, although Michelle looks as though she can walk with some assistance.

My heart beats faster and my anger rises seeing them like that. Greg reaches over and grabs my arm. I hadn’t noticed but I had edged the helicopter closer as if it could feel my desire to swoop in and get them.

“Easy, Jack, we’ll get them. They have to be okay or they wouldn’t have bothered carrying them this far or handle them like that,” he says not releasing his grip until I stabilize the helicopter once again.

“I know, thanks,” I reply taking a deep breath.

Grabbing the mic, I say, “Lynn, this is Jack, over.”

“Go ahead, Jack,” Lynn responds.

“What’s your location?”

“We’re just passing that creek before the casino,” she answers.

“Okay, stage there. It looks like they have some sort of encampment here. I need to analyze it more. We’ll come up with a plan afterwards,” I say.

“Okay, Jack, we’re staging off the road and will await your call,” Lynn replies.

“I want to get a look at the other side and get a recording of the entire camp,” I tell Greg.

“Okay, it looks like we can sneak around to the east and cut behind that far tree line,” he responds pointing to a band of trees in the distance.

The camp around the high school itself is surrounded by a chain link fence with barbed wire encircling the top. Constructed back a little from each corner is a built up, covered observation platform. An overhang stretches around the exteriors and it looks as if the ladders can be pulled up creating bunkers that can’t be scaled easily. To the extent that I can see from this vantage point, the platforms are also constructed at intervals around the perimeter and the corner ones are manned. A string of pole-mounted lights also line the perimeter with what appears to be small spotlights on the towers themselves.

“Okay, let’s try and sneak around that way,” I say agreeing with Greg and wanting to get a recording of the other side as well.

I swing the nose around to the east keeping below the camp’s line of sight and far enough away that I believe the sound of our engines and rotor won’t be heard. Hopping over various tree lines and buildings, we make our way around, looking ahead through the camera before our next hop.

“Whoa, what’s that?” Greg says as we settle behind one particular line of trees.

I look down at the screen and see movement in a large clearing ahead in the distance. Working with the zoom controls once again, I see people scattered across the field. Some appear to be working on fields that have obviously been plowed while others seem to be working on structures in various states of construction. The people, for the most part, appear unarmed with others standing around are obviously armed. Yellow school buses dot the entrance.

“What’s that look like to you?” I ask Greg. I have my own ideas from years of experience in the field but perhaps my view is biased.

“Well, it could be that those standing around are keeping guard and a watch out for those working in the fields and buildings, but I would think they would be more on the perimeter if that were the case. Instead, they seem to be focused inward so my best guess is they are guarding the people working. Their stance and positions are more in line with people guarding prisoners,” he says after looking at the screen for a moment.

“That’s what I think as well. That sort of fits in with the apparent attack on Gonzalez and the kids,” I reply.

“Yeah, it does fit in with the overall theme. So do you think they’re capturing people to work on their farm or whatever it is up there?” He asks.

“So it would seem,” I answer. “Let’s work our way further south and east around this and come at the camp from the north.”

“Sounds good to me. I count about twenty guards and at least fifty people working. It’s hard to get an exact number from here,” Greg says.

“That’s about what I have. It would be hard to assault with the guards inter-mixed the way they are,” I say edging the aircraft back after recording the scene.

“Yeah, there might be some collateral casualties depending on the guard’s reactions,” he replies.

“Let’s see what we can see from the other side and regroup,” I say hating to even voice those words. I am wanting my kids back and to see how they are but know that this has to be played right. Rushing in could make it much worse. We swing further south and I relay the latest information to Lynn along with my thoughts.

“Okay, Jack, just don’t get it in your mind to go in and play hero,” she responds.

“No worries, we’re just going to get video and survey the camp,” I say.

“I know you, Jack, just make sure that’s all you do. We’ll be standing by,” Lynn says.

Edging around the entire area, we come up on the camp from the north, stopping a distance out but where we can get an effective picture of the layout from the this side. It looks pretty much like the south with towers and fencing. The only difference is the fence’s closer proximity to the buildings as opposed to open fields on the south side. I’m not sure how they are keeping the night runners away just using a chain link fence but they’ve survived this long so they must be doing something right.

Completing our surveillance, I circumvent the camp to the west wanting to get an overview of the entire surrounding region. I’m pretty familiar with the area but I want to get a better picture and leave the recorder on as we pass by on our way back towards Lynn. I feel very reluctant to leave and I have a knot in the pit of my stomach but I know it’s for the best. Still leap-frogging along, I set the camera on thermal looking for any outriders from the camp remembering the movements I saw previously. Nothing shows up but in the event they do have people watching the roads, I know back ways in to avoid them. I let Lynn know we’re on our way back and eventually spot the heated outlines of the Humvees in the distance parked on a side road.

“Lynn, let’s regroup back at base, look at the footage, and go from there,” I say coming to a hover close by.

“Copy that,” she responds. I see soldiers gather in the vehicles and turn back towards Olympia.

Greg and I are mostly silent on the quick flight back to Cabela’s. My mind is racing through ideas and scenarios, keeping some and discarding others. What I really want to do is sneak into the encampment and bring Gonzalez and the kids out. I store that away. I am eager to get back and get a plan underway. My landing on the hard surface is indicative of my anxiousness as I compress both Greg’s and my spine with the firm landing. Team members left behind to guard our sanctuary are gathered outside waiting to hear any news. I’m sure they have been monitoring the radio but we didn’t really say much over it.

The rotor winds down slowly, far too slowly for my liking but they eventually come to a stop and I hop out. I pull the tape from the Kiowa and walk to the crowd gathered. Giving a quick synopsis of what we found, I stroll inside and gather several camp tables together in the middle of the first level. I ask Bannerman for a laptop from the several he has acquired during team outings for supplies along with a VHS player we acquired from Fort Lewis. Hooking up the player to the laptop, I plug the tape in and test it. The imagery isn’t exactly like the high definition we had become used to in the last years before the change in the world but it is clear enough for what we need.

Greg and I, along with others looking in over our shoulders, begin to go through the recorded footage, waiting for Lynn and the other teams to arrive. We begin mapping the encampment to the best of our ability on a large sheet of wrapping paper Bannerman procured. Frank begins taking notes as we discuss the layout.

A surge of engine noises drift in through the open doors signaling the arrival of the other vehicles. The faint sound of doors banging closed follows shortly thereafter. Lynn and the other team leaders crowd around the small screen as the images are replayed numerous times. The camp layout is eventually put down on the paper and plotted along with the outlying farm. The farm, while looking through the images, has a similar chain link fence surrounding it. There doesn’t appear to be any of the tower structures nor do any of the structures appear to be living quarters. From the buses parked at the only entrance, it’s apparent they drive over to tend to the fields from the nearby high school.

“Well, thoughts?” I ask after watching the video replays for about an hour.

“Looks like they have about thirty armed guards between the camp and the fields. There may be more depending on whether they have shifts and a night watch,” Lynn says starting off our conversation and planning process.

“And those lights along the perimeter indicate that the camp is lit at night, assuming of course they are functional and have power,” Drescoll chimes in.

“I noticed the guards at the field weren’t paying too much attention to the perimeter but more focused on the people working. But that is only from a moment’s observation,” Greg says.

“And all that is working with some basic assumptions, that they are treating the people as prisoners and using them like slave labor. If our assumptions are incorrect, and I’m not saying they aren’t, then we could be making a big mistake,” Horace adds to the conversation.

“I think we’ll have to work with the assumption that they aren’t up to any good with the way they ran Gonzalez, Robert, Michelle, and Bri off the road. But I could also be biased here,” I say in response. My gut clenches with the thought of the kids still being held captive and being taken like that.

“I agree,” both Drescoll and Lynn say.

“Until we know otherwise, we’ll have to operate with what we know,” Lynn adds.

“Agreed. I see very few options. One, assault both places at once. Two, assault the main compound and wait for the buses to arrive and take them as they come in. Three, conduct a night assault on the compound. Four, take the farm, then the compound and hope they don’t radio in advance. We could use a jammer if we find their freqs and if they are using radios. Five, infiltrate at night and either bring Gonzalez and the kids out or take everyone out. Assuming they need rescuing that is. Six, pull up and negotiate. Or, we could do any combination of these. It basically comes down to an assault, infiltrating, or talking to them,” I say.

“With the assault, we could consider the use of Bradleys or Strykers but that would up the risk to others around,” Lynn adds.

“I would love to go swooping in there and have it over and done with quickly but we don’t know what their reaction will be with the people they have. I hesitate to use the word “captured” but that’s the only way I can think of it considering what happened on the road. It would seem they capture others to use them for their slave labor,” I say.

“We can’t forget about the night runners. That pretty much leaves night operations out of the question,” Franks adds rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“True. We don’t know what they’re doing about those. Those fences won’t keep any night runners out for long, especially with the gaps between the towers,” I respond.

“How about using the M-110’s? We could sneak up pretty close to the field, have teams take out those they can from a distance using the silenced 110’s, and then assault with frequency jammers in place,” Greg mentions.

“All great ideas. Everything depends on what their reaction would be towards the assumed prisoners. Will they turn their guns on them? And there is also the variable of collateral casualties with a direct assault. I think we should take a small team and observe to find patterns. I think we’ll come up with a better plan if we take a closer look for a short time,” I say.

“So, what are you thinking then? Take the helicopter and observe daily?” Lynn asks.

“No, I was thinking more of taking a small team and observing. I know a hill that overlooks that area with plenty of cover. Plus, there’s a back way in so we can get into position without being observed. I also want to know what the night runner activity is like at night and how they’re dealing with it,” I answer.

“And that small team wouldn’t happen to include you would it?” Lynn asks knowing fully well that I intend to be a part but voicing her concern in a roundabout way.

“Um, yeah, I was thinking I would take Red Team to scout it out for however long and come up with a plan based on what we find,” I reply. “Oh, and I’ll be taking Greg along. I’d take you but we still need to get a lot done here before winter sets in.”

“Now why is that such a surprise?” Lynn says with a grin. And with that, our gathering breaks up.

I notify the rest of Red Team, giving them a synopsis of what happened and what our plan is. We begin loading supplies in the back of the two Humvees we plan to take. We would fit in one but two is better in case of a breakdown — two is one, one is none. Plus, we’ll need room to stretch out as I don’t know how long our little excursion will take. I am terribly anxious to get going and be there as if my proximity to the kids will help.

Finished with loading gear, Lynn, Bannerman, Frank, the team leaders and I gather. The goal is to talk about our next phase hoping to secure long-term survival needs and prepare for the winter months. We have plenty of MRE’s and food we’ve scavenged but we will still have to scavenge more from the darkened buildings if we are to make it through. Water shouldn’t be a problem as long as we have power. The sun won’t be as prevalent and with the days getting shorter, we’ll be relying more on the generator if the sunlight won’t keep the batteries charged through the solar panels. We also need to begin building fencing for cattle and horses along with stables, barns, a greenhouse, chicken coops, and farming areas.

“Bannerman, were you able to get spare parts for the water pump?” I ask opening our meeting. I want to hurry this up so I can get a move on but I know this is important to our ultimate survival as well.

“I did. I also have spare solar panel replacements in case we lose some,” he replies.

“Good. I figure if we lose a generator, then we can pick one up and just replace it rather than tinker with it,” I say.

“I already have a couple unbolted and ready to go,” Bannerman says to which I nod.

“Frank?” I ask wanting to hear what he has from his end.

“Well, we’ve picked up a lot of night runner bands and they seem to have settled down to a specific area but there are still roving bands. I haven’t been able to isolate anything down as yet. There isn’t a particular pattern emerging from any of the bands although it does seem that the major streets are utilized to a great extent. The band sizes seem to change from time to time with no pattern there either. I think the roving bands we see are moving because of food. My guess is that their food is becoming even scarcer within the city, especially with us picking up other survivors in the area. We’ll probably start seeing them move out into the country. We’re continuing to set traps but finding they’re being tripped with less frequency. Our cameras have picked up a couple of packs trying to scale the walls at night but their visits are infrequent. As far as we can tell, they’re pretty much leaving this area alone for the time being,” he reports.

We seem to have reached a status quo with regards to the night runners. They have the night and we have the day. We still have to tread into their dangerous domain for supplies and will still need to do that, regardless of our food stores. Hopefully the trips will be less frequent once we get our long-term food needs in order. Thoughts of clearing the area of night runners still runs through my mind but the enormity and anxiety over the kids is my most prevalent thought right now. At least I know where they’re at and that gives some relief; not much, but some.

“Okay. So, what’s our priority then?” I ask. I know my thoughts but I want to hear their concerns as well.

“Well, I’d like to get the wind turbines and water tower in place so we don’t have to rely on the generator so much. The diesel, even with treatments, isn’t going to last much longer. We basically have until next summer and then our mobility will be decreased substantially. That is unless we want to explore Bio-diesel options. That will require more trips into buildings for supplies and growing crops specifically for that purpose,” Bannerman answers.

“Okay, we’ll need to research how to create that as I have no idea, well, next to no idea, what that process entails. Bannerman, will you see if someone knows about that. I suppose we could raid a bookstore or library and see if we can come up with something there as well,” I say.

“Personally, I think we need to get the food supplies and greenhouse going. The sooner we can get that established, the sooner we can stay out of the buildings. At least to a greater extent,” Drescoll offers.

“I agree. I think that should be our priority. I believe we are in a good position now to start building for the long-term. I’m not in disagreement with our need to create alternate water and power supplies but we have that now. We need to keep in mind that the night runners may be adapting to this new world as well and we don’t know what that means. We’ve seen their ability to adapt quickly to situations in fights and don’t know how that will translate to other things. The timing is right for getting our food supplies in order before something else comes up. That’s what I think anyway,” Frank says in support of Drescoll.

“I’m not saying we don’t need that. We just need those other things as well and I’ll be more comfortable knowing we have a more long-term solution to getting our water supply. That could be the turbines or Bio-diesel. Food, we can hunt for if necessary but if we lose our water supply, then we may find most of our day spent around gathering enough of it,” Bannerman replies.

“How long would it take to get the turbines and water tower in place?” Lynn asks.

“Good question. Both Frank and I have discussed it to a degree and we think maybe three months all told. That’s disassembling one, hauling it back, and setting it up. That’s a conservative estimate but it’s better to plan that way. Another factor is that, as of now, we only have a little time left with usable fuel. After that, hauling anything is out of the question,” Bannerman answers.

“How many people do you think you’ll need?” I ask.

“Well, the nearest wind turbines we know of are down in the Columbia Gorge so travel there daily isn’t an option. So, we’ll need security, equipment; meaning cranes and transport vehicles, and teams to operate the equipment. The same teams could do the dismantling. The security is because they’ll have to stay down there until it’s finished. How long is anyone’s guess. I would say three teams minimum depending on how much security you want them to have. The security would have to include night shifts so my thinking is, one team dismantling and loading, one team for day security and one team for night security,” he answers.

“That would leave us with five operational teams here. I think we could get along with that. What do you think Lynn?” I ask.

“I think we can manage but, if we do this now, remember you’re taking one team with you. That leaves us precious little for any other operations. The people we picked up will be able to help with building and such but they won’t be ready for any combat-oriented aspects for some time,” she replies. “I also have to say I’m not all that keen on leaving those teams out for an extended stay. I mean, if I’m hearing this right, they’ll be gone for three months?”

“No, I don’t think they’ll have to be gone for that long. Most of the time mentioned will be setting the turbine up on this end and attaching it directly to the pump,” Bannerman answers.

“Then how long do you see them being out on their own? We won’t be able to respond quickly if they need help,” Lynn says.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what it will take to dismantle one. I can’t see more than a week. If it takes longer than that, then we’ll have a different set of problems and the project may be more complex than we’re capable of doing. We can always put a time limit in place and if they aren’t finished by that time, then they come home,” Bannerman answers.

“I’m a little more comfortable with that. If they do go, then we should head north and pick up some Stryker vehicles for them to hole up in during the night and for added protection,” Lynn says.

“I agree. I’m not terribly comfortable with them being so far away from help, especially considering what we just had happen. And the radios might be spotty if functional at all. We need to think about getting longer range, more effective communications set up prior to sending them down. Maybe set up UHF with remote antennas on a hilltop. The gorge itself will make it hard to get radio signals in and out of,” I add.

“That might work. I’ll talk to Corporal Taylor and see if he has other ideas as well,” Lynn says.

“Okay. So, is everyone in agreement about doing both then; looking into a wind turbine and finish setting up shop here?” I ask. Everyone nods in agreement.

“Lynn, I’ll leave you to it,” I say giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Greg, you’re with me. I’ll go find Red and we’re off.”

“Jack, can I talk to you for a sec?” Lynn asks.

“Sure, babe,” I answer. “Greg, find Red and I’ll meet you out there.”

“Sure thing,” Greg responds.

“What’s up?” I ask with Greg’s boots clicking across the floor on his way out.

“I’ll come right to it. You’ve been a little distant since Nic. I know that was hard and you’re still hurting inside, but you’ve shut me out, or at least starting to. I want to be a part of the solution, not someone to keep at arm’s length. I just miss being close like we were,” she says.

I sigh heavily thinking she’s right. It’s just the way I am to a degree. When something hurts like that, I tend to keep everything at a distance until the pain subsides. A defense mechanism I guess. And now with the kids, well, the walls are wrapped pretty tight. Lynn continues looking into my eyes knowing that I’m thinking. She knows I like to take my time answering questions like that.

“You know, you’re right and I’m sorry. I just don’t want to feel that kind of pain again and I’ve been insulating myself against it. And now, well, it’s doubly so. I’m sorry, hon, it wasn’t right and I’ll try,” I say wrapping my arms around her and bringing her close.

“I’m not so sure I really like this new world,” I whisper into her ear. “I’ve done nothing but make mistakes and it’s eating a hole in my gut.”

Lynn pushes away but not out of my arms. “Jack, you know very well that’s not true. We’ve all made mistakes but that’s expected with all of the unknown we’ve had to deal with. I think we, and that includes you, have done a fine job getting us to this point. We’re alive and that’s what counts.”

“Nic isn’t,” I say softly.

A tear forms in her eye. “I know, Jack, and I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean, well, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I meant to say that we’ve come through a lot and I don’t think we’ve made mistakes doing it. We’ve just had to deal with some pretty majorly fucked-up shit and made the best decisions with what we knew. Ask anyone here and they’ll agree that you’ve made great choices. Now get the fuck out of here before you make me cry,” she says pushing away.

“Oh, and Jack, don’t go in there by yourself, please,” Lynn adds.

“I can’t promise anything but I won’t do anything rash. How’s that?” I ask.

“I guess it’ll have to do,” she answers leaning forward to give me a kiss which I happily return and hold her close once again. Separating, I tell her I think I’ll take all of Greg’s team along with Red to scout with if she thinks she can spare them.

“I’m glad you’re taking more and don’t feel you have to, or can, do this alone. We’ll be just fine here. What about taking a Stryker or two yourself?” She asks.

“Too big and noisy. We’ll be fine but I’m taking three instead of just the two Humvees,” I answer.

“Okay, Jack, I love you,” she says as we part.

“I love you too.”

I meet Greg close to the entrance and inform him of the change. He heads off to gather the rest of Echo Team while I inform Red Team of our plan. Emerging from the building into the brightness of the sunlit morning, feeling the light, fresh breeze as it drifts across the tall brown grass of the adjacent fields, I see Bannerman standing with his face skyward, letting the sun fall on him. I am hesitant to interrupt his obviously serene moment. He has done so much to help after our rocky start that he deserves any moment of serenity he can get. I do feel an anxiousness wanting to get a move on but I know that feeling of peace and those times where you just want to experience the moment and let it fill you. I wait until I see him take a breath and sigh. Coming out of his reverie and looking around, he sees me standing to the side and nods.

I had a thought emerging from the building and approach. “Wish we could just take this day to relax and enjoy this sunny day,” I say.

“Yeah, perhaps someday we’ll be able to do that once again. I hope so anyway,” he says. “But you didn’t come over just to discuss wishful thinking, did you?”

“Well, yes and no. Under different circumstances, yes, but I was wondering if there were any fiber-optic snake cams in the crates we gathered from the armories?” I ask.

“Yeah, we found some unpacking the crates. We only have four but we could find some additional ones I’m sure if you need them. How many do you want?” Bannerman asks.

“I’ll take the four we have now,” I answer. “Also, we could use some of the walkie-talkies from the store if you could drum some of those up.”

“I can do that. Let me go get them. I’ll be right back,” he says.

My thought is that the people at the compound have to communicate in some fashion and would most likely use walkie-talkies using generic and open frequencies. I want to use the radios to monitor their calls if they are in fact using those. Anything to get a better picture of what we are facing. Waiting for Bannerman to return, in a similar manner that he was, I relish the warmth bathing my face. The knot in my stomach doesn’t allow complete relaxation. The tension and worry inside feels like every muscle in my body is clenched.

“Now, Jack, you aren’t planning to go in by yourself or anything, are you?” Lynn’s voice asks behind me, interrupting my reverie.

“Someone’s been telling on me,” I say without turning.

“Bannerman might have mentioned a thing or two,” she says.

“Not planning on it, but if the opportunity presents itself, I want to be ready,” I answer her question.

“Jack, that’s your way of saying yes,” she says as I turn toward her.

“Seriously, I am not planning on anything but getting a better look at what we are facing, but if there’s a chance of getting Gonzalez and the kids out, I’m taking it. Believe me, I’m not going to jeopardize their safety to alleviate my own anxiety,” I say.

“What about the others in the compound?” She asks. “And before you answer, I know the kids and Gonzalez are the priority, but the others deserve a chance as well.”

“I’m not completely heartless and have given them some thought as well. My hope is that we can find a way to get everyone out, assuming of course that we’re right about what’s going on, but the kids come first,” I answer. “And Gonzalez.”

“Just be careful, Jack, and I know they come first. I want you to come back as well,” she replies.

“I will, hon. I will,” I respond and give her another kiss. “I want more moments with you and I’m not looking to depart this world so soon. Even if it is a rather fucked-up one right now.”

Echo Team, with Greg in the lead, emerge from Cabela’s with their gear and head towards one of the Humvee’s with Red Team, or what is left of them, gathered by it. Bannerman follows shortly on their heels and hands the fiber-optic cams and radios over for which I thank him. We talk about switching our tactical frequencies. If the kids and Gonzalez were taken, then our radios will be in the marauder’s possession giving them ears into our conversations. We settle on a primary and secondary frequency.

“Okay, time to go. I love you,” I say to Lynn.

“I love you too.”

With that, we pile in the Humvees, the diesel engines cranking over and spilling their throaty roar across the still parking lot. Small amounts of dark smoke exit the exhausts and drift on the morning breeze before dissipating altogether. The day has warmed the interior of the vehicles and I feel a trickle of sweat roll down my neck and a slight sting as it crosses the still open scratch on my neck. I usually heal quickly but this one doesn’t appear to be closing anytime soon. I put my hand to the bandage covering the wound. I have been pouring antibiotics over it daily and taking them as well. At least it stopped oozing, I think remembering that night in Portland and how close we came to becoming just another pile of corpses in some remote location. The periodic headaches, which I have associated with the slow-healing wound, have diminished to an extent as well.

Shrugging and forgetting about it as we pull out of the lot, I set my mind on the task ahead. The tension centering in the pit of my stomach tightens as my thoughts center on what lies ahead. I would like nothing more than to take some Strykers and Bradleys and wipe the people, who took my kids and possibly harmed them, off the face of the earth. I know that isn’t the solution but that doesn’t alleviate my anger, worry, or desire.

We turn south on the Interstate, staggering our small convoy in case others happen to be around. I thought about taking the helicopter and proceeding ahead of the group to scout for anyone watching or waiting, but that would mean I would have to return and proceed on my own presenting an easier target. It must have happened so fast, with Gonzalez and the kids, that they didn’t have a chance to get on the M240 mounted on top. That would have taken care of the truck in short order. I’m actually surprised the truck took on a Humvee to begin with but they must have planned it well and given them little time to respond. With that thought, I radio the others following to make sure the guns are manned at all times as we transit.

I shake my head. I should have thought of this earlier and made it a priority. I guess I wasn’t thinking other survivors would do something like kidnapping and felt that the day was relatively safe. Not anymore. Any dealings with any other groups will be treated very cautiously. We will have to be as cautious during the day as we are at night. I mean, as if it isn’t dangerous enough with night runners, we have to deal with this as well. That is seriously messed up.

I have Greg, in the third Humvee, take a large lag position as we turn onto the highway heading toward the encampment. I want to be able to catch anyone following or at least be alerted if we are located. The plan is to take the back roads, mostly power line roads, and get into a position on a hill overlooking the compound. The hill is far enough away and forested so we shouldn’t be seen if we are careful but it will allow us to observe.

I plan to keep two of the Humvees on the back side of the slope with one just on the edge where we can observe from the relative safety of the enclosed vehicle at night. I’m not sure what the night runner activity is but I don’t want to be caught out after dark. We should be safe enough with the Humvees locked down. Of course, if the night runners do find us, they’ll also be giving away our position to those in the camp. I’m hoping they haven’t ventured this far outside of the cities as yet but I keep Frank’s evaluation in mind; that they’ll be moving out into the country to hunt. Hopefully they already aren’t doing so.

We pull off the road, head a short distance up one of the side roads, and pull onto a power line service road. McCafferty is driving and we slow to a crawl so we don’t kick up a dust trail. The fine dirt covering the road doesn’t have any fresh tracks so I am moderately convinced no one is using or monitoring this road. Greg reports our tail clear as he enters the road a short time later. I’m not sure of the patrol pattern, if any, by the people at the camp but it certainly wouldn’t do for them to come across our trail if they happen along the side road. I radio Greg to find some large, leafy branches to tie just behind the rear tires of his vehicle. This should partially erase the tracks of our vehicles or at least not make them as apparent. Being the trail vehicle, this should cover all of our tracks. It will stir up more dust but if we go slowly enough, it should be negligible. My main concern is the noise as we creep along but there are hills between us and the main road which should hide any sound we are making. If they’ve posted lookouts on the taller hills, we will be spotted though. I turn on one of the walkie-talkies and set it to scan.

Every once in a while, as we slowly thread our way through, around, and over hills, a burst of static or a hint of a word comes through the radio in my hand. I notice it stops at channel seventeen each time. I take a second one out and set it to that channel while allowing the first one to continue scanning. The day is heating up and, with our vests and full uniforms, it causes sweat to form under our armpits and a drop or two to run off our brows. The bandage on my neck becomes soaked and the stinging brings awareness of the scratch from time to time. The sun shines brightly through the dusty windshield and seems a touch overly bright. Not the distinct brightness like when I had the “vision” outside of the Safeway, but still a touch intense.

Our wheels continue to turn slowly on the dusty road as we pass tower after tower; the steel monoliths no longer doing the job they were designed for, or, I should say the large, heavy lines they are supporting aren’t. The towers now sit as remote reminders of a time past; forgotten in the hills through which they wander. We eventually arrive at the bottom of the hill I plan to observe from. I have McCafferty edge off the road and maneuver through the trees until we come just below the crest. I get out and walk to the top, being careful not to silhouette myself against the skyline. The location provides an open view but the trees give enough of a cover so we can remain concealed. I guide McCafferty to a piece of flat ground from which we will be able to view the encampment. The two other vehicles pull alongside just behind the crest.

We gather branches around the area and throw them around the Humvees to conceal them further. A big concern is any glare from the windows reaching the compound. I’ll keep the windows covered during the day on the camp side to prevent the sun from hitting them at the wrong angle and giving our position away. We’ll rotate shifts. Two will be outside observing through binoculars and another two monitoring the radios. We’ll monitor the walkie-talkie radios and record our observations with times and activity. The shifts taking the night positions will rest during the day and observe from the lead Humvee at night. We’ll close up the vehicles at night and keep the windows up. This is to minimize our scent being transmitted outside and to ensure we are secure in case any night runners show up. Hopefully any scent we do leave during the day will have dissipated. We will also make our restroom activities a good distance from our location.

With the vehicles concealed but still allowing easy entrance, I radio base to let them know we’ve arrived. With the rest of the team, I climb to a place where we can overlook the camp with ease, crawling the last few yards. We won’t be able to make out the farm because it lies in the distance to the east beyond several tree lines. We may have to head over that way later but that will take some time to sneak over unseen and I don’t want anyone to get stuck outside after the sun sets. The initial look through the binoculars is as I remember it. The fence with the rolls of barbed wire along the top, the wooden towers built a little ways back from the fence with lights mounted, and pole-mounted lights at intervals along the perimeter.

The difference is that, looking at the perimeter lights, I see now that they are the lights construction crews use working on the roads; generator-powered and able to cast a great deal of light outward. It remains to be seen just how much of the perimeter is lit at night. There are people in the corner towers; two to each tower. We’ll see whether they man all of the towers at night or randomly selected ones. There are a few armed people walking outside close to what used to be the main office building in the center of the campus. Very few others are seen anywhere. No sign of Robert, Michelle, Bri, or Gonzalez. Thoughts of taking over the compound during the day and setting into the others as they arrive settle in and I stow them in the back of my mind. We’ll just have to see what patterns emerge. My guess is that a majority of the guards and the others are at the fields working. There may also be night shift personnel resting. Whatever plan we come up with will have to minimize variables that could cause collateral casualties. It may be that I go in and just pull the kids out prior. Time will tell.

There is very little traffic on the radios but it appears they are using channel seventeen at the moment. Whether that changes on a daily basis or they also use others for different communications remains to be seen so I leave one on scan just in case. I don’t like burning up two sets of batteries at once as I don’t know how long we’ll need to be here but the need to gather any and all information dictates the necessity. We still don’t know if our assumptions are correct and it could be as easy as walking up to the front door and introducing ourselves. That we will be introducing ourselves is a given, it’s just a matter in which form.

The shadows are at their shortest as the day transitions from morning into afternoon. We edge away from our lookout location and set up camp. Looking around the area, I decide on a slight change of plans with regards to our shifts. I want someone overlooking the back road in the direction we came and also further ahead. I send two in each direction to find a concealed spot in which to observe the dirt road. With two overlooking the camp and two monitoring the radio traffic, there are two left for the night shift. I should have brought another team but any increase in numbers would mean an exponential increase in sound and smell in the area and leave less at base to accomplish the other things we need. We’ll just have to make do with what we have.

My anxiety hasn’t lessened any as I don’t have a clue as to how the kids are doing but I feel better being here and at least I’m doing something. We’ll have a better idea about how to proceed with a few days of observation. I’m especially interested in how the night goes. The fences they have won’t stop night runners for long, especially with the length and how close to town it is, but it’s obvious they’ve managed so far somehow. My initial thought is a night operation but the night runners make this a very risky proposal. Thoughts circulate in my mind around a multitude of ideas including bringing in an AC-130 and just leveling the perimeter. My worry leads to all sorts of options but I throw many of them out knowing that sheer firepower may not be the solution here.

With everyone in place, it’s now a waiting and observation game. Nothing much changes during the day. We observe people heading into Wal-Mart at one point and emerging again carrying boxes. They are apparently using the store as a storage facility of some sort. My guess is food and other supplies. Several trucks and vans are in the school parking lot but none are used during this first day. Late in the afternoon, while I am taking a shift observing the camp with Greg, a large red truck drives up the highway from the north and pulls into the gate leading into the parking lot. Lying on my stomach, I set the binoculars in front of me and shoulder the M-110. Rotating the scope setting to 20x, I see three men emerge from the cab.

I center the cross hairs on the driver as he swings the door closed. His upper torso and head fill my sight with the juncture of the hair-thin lines centering on his face. The silencer on the end makes the barrel a little heavy but not to the extent that I can’t keep it steady. I feel Greg’s arm lightly touch my arm as my finger caresses the trigger guard.

“Not to worry, Greg, I’m not taking a shot. Just making myself feel a little better by centering on that asshole’s head,” I say without removing my eye from the scope. “Besides, it would be a long shot with the suppressor attached. Still, I’d like to put one in the groin and call it poor bullet drop compensation.”

Greg removes his hand with a chuckle as I follow the three men across the lot where they meet up with several others emerging from the office building. An apparent conversation is held. One of the men pats the driver on the shoulder and all of them head inside. My finger caresses the trigger observing the obvious “job well done” pat on the shoulder. With the semi-automatic nature of the 110 and the fact that they wouldn’t hear a shot, I could take out at least four of them before they knew what was happening. This knowledge does little to alleviate the deep-seated anger that rises from seeing the pat. Job well done my ass, I think as they disappear into the single story structure.

“Did you notice several of them toting M-4’s or at least some variant?” Greg asks.

“Yeah. My guess is they are AR-15’s picked up locally but we’ll have to assume they’re autos,” I answer.

The afternoon passes on towards evening. The heat that had built during the day begins to cool as the sun descends to the top of the hills behind us. The shadows of the trees envelop us as they stretch to the east. The birds, which have only uttered the occasional call, begin their evening chorus and take flight searching out their evening meal. Squirrels hop from tree to tree above. Scratching sounds fill the forest on occasion from the squirrels climbing or descending the trees, their tiny claws gaining footholds on the bark.

Our binoculars pick up a convoy of school buses heading towards the school from the direction of the fields and turn into the lot. We note the time and count twenty-four armed guards exiting first followed by sixty-three people. They are followed by another guard contingent who shepherd them into various buildings. From the gym and classroom buildings, another group of people appear in the open area on our side. It takes on the appearance of a prison yard with people in the middle milling around and guards on the perimeter keeping a close eye.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but did they just separate the males from the females after they exited the buses and herd them into different buildings?” I ask Greg while still observing.

“That’s what it looked like to me. They took the males into that roundish building and the females into that long, rectangular building,” he answers.

“That roundish building is the gym and pool. I believe that rectangular building is where most of the classrooms are. So, they appear to segregate genders? Interesting,” I comment. Thirty minutes later, the ones gathered outside are guided into what used to be the school lunch room along with the other prisoners from all of the buildings.

“Guess it’s dinner time,” I say.

“Guess so,” Greg responds.

Following their apparent dinner, everyone is herded into the gym for a short time and then the females are brought back to the classrooms. There is still no sign of the kids or Gonzalez. The tower guards are exchanged and, close to the sun disappearing over the hills behind us, the rest of the wooden towers are manned. The faint sound of generators reach us and the perimeter lights turn on shortly thereafter.

“Okay, time for us to get our own bite to eat and close up shop,” I say standing and brushing off pine needles and dirt.

“Sounds good,” Greg says rising as well. “We’ll compare notes and times with any radio calls.”

I pull in the outlying guards. We gulp down our meager dinner while taking a look at the radio logs and compare them with our observations. We remove the tarp from the windows and the night shift takes over, continuing to watch the camp from the Humvee windows. We gathered a fair bit during the afternoon but not enough for any pattern to emerge. The night should prove interesting though. I’m almost eager to see what happens. This will make a huge difference in what we do. If we have to go in during the day, I’m thinking we’ll take the camp first and wait for the buses. With the guards so close to the prisoners, that will be a risky proposition to say the least. At no time did I notice the guards separate, which means there is a high potential for collateral casualties. Maybe we’ll have to take the field out first or a two-pronged attack. I’m just not sure at this point.

I stay up with the night shift to observe the night activities. We parked the Humvee so that we can see into the camp from the cab and laid branches across the top to disguise the silhouette. The vehicles are sealed in case any night runners appear in our location. If we have to, we’ll start up and leave. Night descends slowly, blanketing the area first in the blue shadows of dusk as the sun vanishes behind the hills, casting reds and oranges in the sky, deepening to the brilliant orange-red of the sunset as the sun says its goodbye to the day. Darkness envelopes us as our time of relative safety ends. With little surrounding light to blanket them, the stars twinkle brightly overhead against the velvet sky.

The camp itself is bathed in the same darkness as ourselves. I see the gray outlines of the buildings within a field of surrounding blackness. The perimeter lights cast arcs of light outward to a considerable distance, illuminating the fence and surrounding area in a crisp silver-white light. The lights leave no areas of darkness except a small area on the west side where the trees have been cut back. A small gap in the light protection exists. Not a big one and more of a gray shading than complete darkness, but a gap nonetheless. However, spotlights, either handheld or mounted, stab out into the area from the towers. Their lights venture further into the darkness than the perimeter lights reach.

Several very faint shrieks reach our location, seeming to come from further to the south towards town. The night runners are out. This is the part that I’m most interested in seeing. The lights stabbing out from the camp won’t harm the night runners, at least that I know of. Perhaps it’s the brightness of the lights that keeps them away although our lights in the buildings didn’t seem to bother them in the least. I focus my binoculars on the area just outside of where the perimeter light boundary is.

“There. Can you see them? Just on the outside of where the lights reach,” I ask Henderson who is sitting beside me monitoring the area as well.

“I don’t see a thing, sir,” he answers.

“They’re right there. Five night runners milling just outside of where the light ends on the south end,” I say directing him to where the night runners are.

“Still don’t see a thing,” he says as he reaches for the night vision binoculars by his side.

I don’t understand why he can’t see them. I distinctly see their gray shapes moving back and forth in a parking lot across the street from the camp. I certainly can’t see them with the same clarity that daylight affords, but their gray outlines are clearly visible.

“Oh, yeah, there they are,” he says focusing the night vision binoculars on the area I indicated. “How in the world could you see that?”

“They’re faint but pretty clear,” I answer wondering how bad his night vision has to be not to see them.

I am thinking the light beaming from the stars overhead is enhancing the light in the area. I grab for another pair of night vision binoculars and the area becomes even clearer through the greenish glow. I don’t know why the night runners aren’t attacking the fence as I’ve witnessed them do many times before. They seemed to be relentless in their attacks but here they are just milling around. Occasionally one bends forward with its mouths agape, apparently issuing its all too well-known shrieks; the shrieks again faintly reach our ears moments later.

One of the night runners steps into the light. A spotlight immediately focuses on it and a flicker of light emits from the closest tower. The night runner is flung back into the darkness and the sound of the shot echoes a split second later. The other night runners turn and flee, vanishing behind a building as they run further into a residential area of town. My thought is that the night runners have learned not to go close to the camp at night and prefer to find easier meals elsewhere. An occasional shriek resounds through the night but is not as prevalent as I would have thought. I am thinking that the people in the encampment may have cleared out an area and have been alert enough to take on any who enter into the light at night. I am also guessing there weren’t that many night runners here to begin with and the people in camp haven’t seen the hordes we have witnessed. If night runners were here in the numbers we have seen, those fences and towers would have quickly been overwhelmed.

The fact that the night runners are staying away from the camp may be both a benefit and a danger to us. The benefit is that we may still be able to conduct a night operation against the compound. However, if there are still a lot of night runners in the area, they may be venturing out into the country for food which means possibly out our way. The fact that there is some loitering in the shadows on the edge of the light may make that a danger zone if we try to infiltrate through that area. I’ll have to see what happens on subsequent nights as a one-time thing doesn’t mean a pattern. The night runners coming close to the camp may just be an out-of-the-ordinary event. We listen to the radios as the towers check in seemingly every hour on the hour. The only exception to this pattern of radio calls is when one of the towers reports the sighting and shooting.

I turn it over to the night shift and head into the back to rest. My headache has returned but is only a light throbbing. I lay back but rest doesn’t come easy due to my anxiety and the night passes with only restless bouts of sleep. By morning, my headache has diminished and the faint glow of the dawn appears in the eastern sky. My back is sore from sleeping on the hard metal of the Humvee. I’m way too old for this, I think making sure the area is clear and slowly exit. I work the kinks out as the sun begins to crest the mountains sending rays of light streaming through the gaps in the trees. Wisps of mist rise from the plants and forest floor where the light strikes. Summer is ending and fall is near.

I check in with the night shift to find they really have nothing out of the ordinary to report. The pattern of check-in calls from the towers holds to form and there is no report of additional night runner sightings. They did hear faint shrieks throughout the night but nothing emerged within their range of visibility. I grab a quick bite and down it with a swig of water. Throwing the tarp over the vehicle once again, I head with Greg over to our previous observation point, settling onto the ground. The chill of the ground seeps through my shirt causing an occasional shiver to run up my spine.

With the coming of the sun, we observe people being guided into the old lunch room. The pattern of the morning resembles the events of last evening except in an almost reverse order. Lunch room, gym, and then they are herded onto buses. The buses exit through the gate and disappear eastward. I don’t see any of the kids or Gonzalez boarding the vehicles which adds to my worry. If I could at least see them, I would know they were alright. Others are brought outside into the fields in the same manner as last night.

Peering through the magnified lens of the binoculars, I see Robert, in black shirts and pants, gathered with others in the open field by the gym. Taking another look, I see Bri, Michelle, and Gonzalez. My anxiety is relieved to a great degree seeing them whole and what I assume to be okay. Robert walks with a limp when they move around and Gonzalez rubs her shoulder and head from time to time. A guard heads over to their group and, after what I assume is a discussion of some sort, they separate. The sight makes me want to head down right now and get them but sanity prevails. At least I know they are alive. I watch as they are led back into the buildings after about an hour outside.

“I’m going back to get some rest. Looks like I may be a little busy tonight,” I say to Greg lying by my side.

“Planning a little excursion are we?” Greg asks setting his binoculars down and looking my way.

“Perhaps,” I answer.

“Want some company?” He asks.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. But thanks. Besides, I need you here just in case,” I reply.

“Lynn’s going to piss herself when she finds out,” he says with a little chuckle.

“She’ll only find out if someone tells her,” I respond.

“Well, if you don’t make it back, she’s gonna kinda know,” he states.

“If that happens, then I won’t have to worry about it,” I say mimicking his laugh. “I’m not going to do anything rash. I just want to get a look and see what their setup is inside.”

“Yeah, heading inside an armed camp alone and venturing into possibly secured buildings isn’t doing anything rash,” Greg says turning back to his binoculars. “Just kidding by the way. I totally get it.”

“What about the night runners?” He asks turning back to me once again.

“Well, I figure I’ll edge up to the tree line to the west just on the edge of the demarcation area of the lights at dusk and wait for dark before moving in. I’m hoping there won’t be any activity that close. If they show up and they aren’t too great in numbers, I’ll hopefully be able to take care of them. If there are too many, I’ll head into the lights and hope the guards help out. Then you’ll be rescuing five instead of four,” I answer, still wary of my plan.

“Thought this one through all the way, have you?” He asks rhetorically with another laugh.

“Maybe not so much,” I answer with a quiet laugh.

I pat him on the shoulder and tell him I’ll send someone to take my place. Greg nods and I crawl backwards until my silhouette won’t be seen from below. The closest Humvee is just behind and I send another Echo Team member up to Greg. Before lying down on the ground warmed by the sun reaching through the trees, I gather items I’ll need for my evening excursion. Besides ensuring my mags are loaded with ammo and dumping the shell in the chamber — night moisture and cold can warp the round inside the chamber — I stack my night vision goggles, a fiberscope, a chemical spray designed for breaching fences, and a few scraps of metal wire. I also gather some of the scent eliminator gathered from Cabela’s. I won’t be able to make a fire to eliminate my odor here so it will have to do.

With my things for the evening gathered, I stretch out on the soft fir needles of the forest floor. My mind does its normal pre-operation thought patterns of visualizing scenarios that I will likely encounter and my reaction to them; or how to avoid them altogether. A ray of sun slanting through a gap in the trees strikes my face. My eyes are closed but I feel the warmth. With thoughts racing through my mind, I can also hear the occasional movement of the team members and forest creatures around. A “cawing” of a crow, most likely resting on one of the branches close by, echoes throughout our little hideout. An infrequent, quiet burst from the radios, as someone from the camp or fields makes a call, intrudes on the stillness of this late summer day.

As the day slowly passes, I drift in and out of sleep or actually more of a deep form of relaxation. The area is quiet and has the feel of a slow, lazy day. I could just soak up the warmth if it were any other situation. I still feel the knot in my stomach making me restless. I want to do something just to ease some of the tension and make the day go by faster but I know that resting, even if I don’t get a lot of sleep, is for the best.

The shadows of the trees and power line structures slowly transit across the ground as the sun moves across the blue sky and eventually fall to the east. I rise and brush the dirt and needles off. It will take me a couple of hours to make my way down to the tree line. Moving slowly and in the deepest cover I can find will help keep me from being spotted. Plus, I want to give myself some additional time. We haven’t spotted patrols heading out from the camp but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. The only thing we observed leaving the compound, besides the buses, is the red truck heading out of the gate just after everyone was shepherded back in. Arriving too early will also increase my chances of being spotted so I may have to lie up a short distance away and wait for dusk.

I am eager to be off and I gather my gear. I already notified the team members of my plan which they seemed to take in stride. I edge up to Greg to see if anything of interest transpired while I was resting.

“Nothing much,” he answers. “The group came out again around noon and went back in an hour later. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet.”

“Okay, I’m off. I’ll be back a little after dawn,” I tell him. “I want to be out of the camp prior to dawn and lay up again until the sun breaks.”

“Sounds good, Jack, we’ll be waiting for you. Give a ring if you need any help and good luck,” he says.

Giving a last minute check, I head off to the north. I don’t want to head toward the camp directly from our position so I plan to circle around to the north. I’ll then cut over to the spot I identified on the west side of the fence. This will take me north of the Wal-Mart and enable me to circumvent it. The greatest risk will be crossing the highway as it is wide open at that point. I’ll have to see what it’s like when I get there and may have to lie up and cross close to dusk. The sun will be in anyone’s eyes looking out from the camp so that is in my favor.

I walk slowly to the north keeping just below the hilltop. The air is still beneath the tall trees. It isn’t old growth timber but they do stretch a ways toward the blue sky peeking through the tops. The silence is encompassing. An occasional flurry of activity, as something scampers through the brush at my approach, is all that accompanies me. The smell of the firs and cedars releasing their scents reminds me of my love of the woods and outdoors. The ground is dry so I take care of my footfalls in order not to snap branches under my boots. The hill ends and begins a descent towards flatter land on the same level with the camp and surrounding area.

Beginning my descent, one of the team members on guard waves from behind a tree where he is keeping watch on the dirt road further up from our camp. I wave back and continue down the hill. Passing the outpost, I slow and begin to take my time on the descent. I move a few yards and pause, listening and watching the surrounding area for any sound or movement. The sun heads further down toward the horizon to my left. The warmth it sent down during the day is trapped beneath the trees causing beads of sweat to form on my brow and trickle down. Near me, a couple of birds flit from branch to branch as if following or leading me; they wait until I am adjacent to them and then take off to the next branch a few trees ahead. I am sure they are trying to lead me away from their nest but it’s nice to think they are just keeping me company. I see the dirt road following the power lines through occasional gaps in the trees and then it disappears altogether as it and I take different paths.

I arrive at a point I think is adjacent to where I want to be and start a zigzag path keeping in the general direction of the camp. This allows me to pause at each turn and observe my back trail. If I had others with me, the last person would erase the signs of our passing. Solo, it would divert my attention from observing as I move and it would take forever to reach my location. I come across a few game trails but nothing anyone has used. No tracks or sign of passage so I’m reasonably sure the people from the camp don’t come out this way but if they hunt during the day for game, anything is possible.

The trees thin and I see clear sunlight where they end just prior to the highway. I ease up to a position just inside the trees and glass the area to my front on the other side. It appears much the same as on mine; a stretch of tall grass next to the two-lane highway. I search for some time looking for movement. If they are watching this part of the road, they are keeping well-hidden. It is only a little over three hundred yards to the camp perimeter from here so I decide to wait for the sun to get a little lower in the sky before venturing further.

As I wait, the sound of a vehicle approaching penetrates my little hideout. I am nestled behind a downed log next to a tree. Peeking out as the sound increases, I observe the red pickup truck pass by. The sound then diminishes. I barely see a part of the overpass leading from the highway to the north part of town but it is enough to see the truck momentarily as it crosses. The noise of its engine fades and then disappears entirely. I figure this is as good a time as any to cross. The sun has lowered to just above the hills to the west. Nighttime is approaching.

“What in the world am I doing?” I say softly to myself thinking about being out at night.

The night runners aren’t fun when in a group. Being out solo with no place to go is a nightmare. I think back to Greg’s comment about not thinking this all of the way through. At this moment, I’m not so sure I did. It sure seemed like a good idea at the time. With a last listen and look across the road through the scope of my M-4, I rise and creep to the very edge of the trees. The tall grass waves very slightly from a gentle evening breeze; almost unnoticeable. The gray highway stretches left and right out of my line of sight. I would prefer to cross on a corner but seem to be short of those right now.

Hearing nothing, I rise and proceed at a crouch through the tall grass raising the stalks behind me to minimize my trail. Gathering myself at the edge of the road, I dart across when I’m reasonably sure the coast is clear. Heading through the grass on the other side, I make for the opposite tree line and settle in just inside. I look back and see a trail through the grass on this side. It just looks like a small game trail but if anyone is looking for something like that in particular, they’ll know someone passed recently. The trail will disappear by morning as the evening moisture weighs the grass down. When it rises in the morning with the coming of the sun, my passage will be completely obscured.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you run like the exact opposite of a gazelle?” Greg asks through the radio.

“Congratulations! You’re the next contestant on kissmyass,” I respond pressing the mic.

“Good thing I shaved nice and close this morning then,” he replies.

“Hope you have plenty of Chap Stick handy,” I return.

“Greg, this is Lynn,” I hear on the radio and think uh oh.

“This is Greg, go ahead, Lynn,” I hear him respond. I want to crawl deep into a hole right now.

“I heard your last transmissions, is Jack going in?” Lynn asks.

“Who said I was talking about Jack?” Greg replies.

“Because I know how he runs. Is he going in?” I hear her ask again.

“Well, um, yeah,” he answers. Thanks for the sell-out, I think but with a kidding aspect. As a team, we can’t hold anything back and I should have let her know.

“How many are going in with him?” She asks. I’m not worried about anyone else hearing our conversations as our tactical radios don’t have a scan function. We switched frequencies so anyone would be hard-pressed to find our current one. Lynn knows this as well or wouldn’t be asking for information like that.

“Hang on, let me count,” Greg responds. “One.”

“One! Are you kidding me? He’s going in alone again. Jack, this is Lynn, over,” Lynn calls. I press the mic and make static noises.

“Jack, I know better than that. Nice try,” she says as I release the button and stop transmitting.

“Hey there, hon. Sorry, little trouble with the radio cords,” I say.

“Uh huh. I can’t leave you alone on the playground for a minute can I? What are you doing and why are you going in alone?” She asks.

“I’m just going in for a look around, that’s all,” I answer.

“I know your ‘that’s all’, Jack. It means you’re going in with a half-assed plan and will wing it if something happens. Jack, really, be careful, okay?”

She knows me too well, I think. “I will. I promise. I’ll call you when I get back,” I reply. I don’t hear a response but picture her words, “fucking men,” as she strolls briskly away from the radio.

I sigh and wait for a moment listening and looking to see if my crossing has been observed. Assured that I wasn’t seen and am the only one in the vicinity, I edge back out along my trail in the grass to the edge of the road. I backtrack, again raising the stalks to the vertical position erasing my trail; or at least making it less visible. Close to the trees, I gather several clumps of grass. I find a concealed place to hole up in until dusk approaches. Separating the grass stalks, I remove my vest and insert them into the back molle straps, taping them into place before donning the vest again. I spray on the scent mask making sure to run it through my hair and hoping the odor of the people in the camp helps mask my individual scent as well. I wrap a shemagh around my head. I use the shemagh outdoors depending on the circumstances. If there is a chance of a chill out, not only does it keep you warm but it also minimizes the steam emitted when breathing out in cold air. The cloth traps the moisture and minimizes any visible breath. Every little bit helps.

The air chills as dusk begins. The sun once more gives warning that its time is drawing to a close. I rise from the bushes and slowly make my way to the edge of the trees. I see the chain link fence through gaps ahead and look to make sure I’m close to where I saw the limited gap in light coverage.

“I’m at the edge of the tree line between the second and third towers,” I radio Greg.

“Copy that, Jack. Good luck and call if you need,” he responds.

A View from Inside

She isn’t out for long. The sound of the van door opening intrudes upon her darkened world. A dull, throbbing pounds inside her head accompanied by an occasional sharp, shooting pain as if an ice pick is penetrating her skull. Her eyes are open but the blackness remains. The fear inside heightens as she recalls the attack and what she assumes is her subsequent capture. She remembers heading out in search of her kids and her fear mixes with anxiety about finding them.

A pair of hands folds under her shoulders and she feels herself lifted. The bag over her head is removed and the blinding light of the day increases the pain already in her head. She is helped to her feet and she glances around as best as she can squinting from both the increase in light and the pain. She recognizes that she is at the high school and therefore knows she wasn’t out for long. Standing on her shaky legs with a man on either shoulder helping her, she is walked into what used to be the main school office. Confusion reigns as to why she was attacked and why they are keeping her. She is brought into the main secretarial office and placed in one of the brown plastic seats lining the walls.

“Don’t struggle or try to get away and it’ll go easier for you,” one of the men says.

The threat in his voice unsettles her even more. She knows she is not in a good situation. Due to the drastic change in her cicumstances, the room looks so unfamiliar from the many times she has visited the school for one reason or another. The office reminds her of her kids and a knot of worry forms in her stomach. She just wants to get out of whatever she has found herself in and go find them. Balance would be restored to a large degree if she could just find them or at least know where they are and how they are doing.

The man who talked to her leaves and enters one of the other offices only to return a short time later. “Come with me,” he says standing by her shoulder. He and another man help her to her feet once again.

She is placed in another chair and faces a man in camouflage fatigues sitting behind a desk. The rays of the sun outside filter in through open blinds behind him. Dust motes sparkle in the air where the bands of sunlight find their way in. The mostly balding, slightly overweight man stares at her for a moment with his chin resting on steepled hands. Lifting his head and sitting upright he clears his throat.

“Do you mind telling me what you were doing walking around alone?” He asks.

“I was looking for my kids,” she replies.

He shakes his head in confusion momentarily. “How is that you were able evade the ghouls for so long?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t evaded anything. I woke up this morning and my kids were gone. I set out to look for them. You wouldn’t happen to have seen them would you? Two girls and a boy, teens. My son is about six feet tall with blond hai..” she begins to say.

“That doesn’t matter now,” the man says interrupting her description. “What matters is that you follow the rules around here. You’ll be put on a work team as soon as your head heals to the point where you can work. Breakfast is just after sunrise and dinner when you return from the fields. No congregating or talking. Any attempt to escape will not be a pleasant experience for you so you can get that out of your head right away. If you have to use the bathroom, you’ll notify one of the guards and be escorted. And, there will be no slacking. Do you understand what I’ve told you?”

She nods not trusting her voice. Tears well up in her eyes thinking she might not get out of this or see her kids again. The frustration she felt at not being able to find her son and daughters when she awoke builds along with the anxiety and a feeling of complete hopelessness. She wishes she could remember anything prior to this morning. She does remember the flu and some of the past but there is a blank gap between seeing her kids to bed at night and waking this morning. It’s obvious something has happened and time has passed but she can’t remember any of it.

“Show her to the women’s quarters and put her in with the other injured,” the man behind the desk says addressing the two men standing just behind her shoulder.

The light isn’t as brilliant and blinding as she is taken outside and over to one of the classroom buildings. Her headache dissipates to a degree but the knot in her stomach, her confusion, the worry, and hopeless feeling remain.

She is guided to a classroom filled with other women and girls who are either sitting on cots or lying on them. The desks have been removed and replaced with cots covering the linoleum of the classroom floor with small lanes between each row. A guard with a gun leans back in a chair behind what once was a teacher’s desk in the far corner of the room. She is given a cot and she lies down staring at the drop-down ceiling and hanging florescent lights. Her mind is both numb and racing a hundred miles an hour. The soft breathing of the others in the room, accompanied by an occasional moan, is the only sound. Sunlight pours through the open windows and a slight breeze blows sporadically across her face.

In the late afternoon, she is gathered with the rest of the women and taken outside to the fields just south of the gym building. They are given some time to walk around. She is still numb and merely wanders from place to place staring at the chain link fence in the distance. Freedom lies just on the other side; so near and yet so far away. The guards keep a close eye on the group and they aren’t allowed to venture far into the field. Heartache fills her. She sinks to her knees, starts to cry, and feels an arm wrap around her shoulder. Through her blurred vision, she turns and sees an elderly lady.

“It’ll be okay, hon. You’ll get used to it and it won’t be so bad,” the elderly woman says quietly to her.

“But I don’t know where my kids are,” she says with the tears streaming once again down her already wet cheeks.

“There, there. You just focus on staying alive for them,” the woman says. “Keep the faith that you’ll see them again. Hold onto that.”

She hears vehicles approaching, turns, and watches a line of school buses drive along the street in front of the high school. Her eyes stay on them as they enter through a gate and park along the entrance drive. People emerge and she watches intently for any sign of her son and daughters. Many people exit but none that even slightly resemble her kids. The helpless feeling sinks even deeper.

They are rounded up and taken into the cafeteria building where they sit quietly at tables after getting their food. Several people next to her attempt to engage her in conversation but she feels too low to respond. After their meal, they are taken to the gym and allowed to shower. Fresh clothes are dumped in a pile and there is a scramble amongst those there for clothes that fit. The posted guards chuckle at the frenzy.

“I’ll never stop being amused by that,” she hears one of them say quietly to another.

She doesn’t have the energy to fight over clothes so dons her old ones. They are taken to their rooms and that’s where they remain for the night. The only difference being there are two guards during the evening sitting behind the desk. At one point, she has to go to the bathroom and asks one of the guards if she can go. He rises and escorts her across the hall to a door marked “girls.” To her horror, he enters along with her. He doesn’t enter the stall but she is mortified having to go with a man so close.

During the night, she hears faint shrieks rising in the darkness every so often and wonders what those are. She worries they are torturing people or found someone escaping. They don’t sound like shrieks of pain but she can’t figure out what else they could be. Rising in the morning, she undergoes the same routine; breakfast, shower, field, and then back to the room. Time passes slowly and depression sets in; a constant, tired feeling mixed with restlessness. She is told in the evening that she is being assigned a work team and guided to a different classroom after her shower.

The next morning, she is shaken awake early, taken to breakfast, showers, and then is guided to one of the parked yellow school buses. They are driven to an open field with partially completed structures and tilled soil. She is assigned to work in the fields preparing the ground for planting or picking from crops already sown. The guards around the perimeter are intermixed with the various groups working. It’s hard work and a long day but at least she isn’t given too much time to think; the work occupies her mind. Over time, she comes to learn what happened to the world and hearing that makes her even more anxious for her kids. The sun lowers to the west and they are herded back into the buses for the trip back to the compound. This is how her days and weeks continue.

* * *

Gonzalez awakes. The pain is immediate and unrelenting. Her head throbs with her heart beat and it feels like someone stuck a stiletto in it; starting at her forehead and driving it through her brain and down her neck. There is first the dull, throbbing pulse followed immediately by a sharp, penetrating pain through the entirety of her head.

With her eyes still closed, she raises a hand and feels a tender bump on her forehead just above her right eye. Her foggy mind recalls seeing the windshield of the Humvee closing in quickly. She opens her eyes and the bright light sends pain shooting through her head. She groans and squints through one eye. The sight confuses her for a moment. The white ceiling and part of a hanging light fixture doesn’t fit with the thought of her in the Humvee. She remembers the red truck and knows she was pulled from the wreck. But to where? She thinks.

At first she thinks her and the kids were taken back to Cabela’s but the sight above her doesn’t fit. Oh shit, the kids, she thinks and begins to rise. The pain intensifies and she is struck by an instant bout of nausea. She lies back down and the pain and sick feeling subside. She turns her head to one side and sees Michelle sitting upright on a cot with her head in her hands. Glancing around the room as much as her head allows, Gonzalez notices rows of cots in what looks like a classroom of some sort. The bookshelves in the back and chalkboard up front give her that impression. Rolling her head in the other direction, she sees Bri lying in a cot next to her with her eyes closed. She also sees an armed man sitting behind a desk by the blackboard. Sitting up slowly and fighting pain and nausea all of the way, she reaches a sitting position and leans over until the intensity of both subside.

“Ah, you’re up. Good,” she hears the man at the desk say. She gives a grunt in reply.

“Okay, listen up because I’m only going to tell you this once,” he continues.

She listens but his words don’t really penetrate. He seems to be telling her rules of some kind. She hears and takes it in as best she can with her mind feeling like a ball of cotton. From the substance of the rules, she gathers they have been captured and are being held. That is in line with their being run off the road. She looks down and notices her gear has been removed. Gonzalez then sinks to her knees on the floor and shuffles over to Bri to check on her. She notices Bri’s chest rise and fall beneath the black fatigue top. Lying on a basic olive drab cot, Bri seems to be just sleeping.

“What are you doing?” The man asks rising from his chair.

“I’m just checking on her,” Gonzalez replies although her voice seems to come from a thousand miles away and as if she has a mouthful of marbles. She knows she has a concussion.

“Okay, just this time and no whispering. If you talk, I want to be able to hear it,” he says sitting back down and bringing his semi-automatic pistol up.

At Bri’s side, Gonzalez notices cots taken up by other women and girls. They are either sitting like Michelle or lying on their cots, all watching Gonzalez. Looking over to Michelle, who is now looking at her, Gonzalez asks if she is okay. Michelle nods but the movement makes her turn pale and she immediately covers her mouth. Michelle glances around anxiously, rises, runs over to a small garbage bin, and throws up what little she has in her stomach. The guard rises and watches alertly. Finishing and wiping the tears away, Michelle stumbles back to her cot.

“Just lie down, Michelle,” Gonzalez says. “It will pass.”

Turning back to Bri, Gonzalez looks her over for any obvious injuries. Her skin color looks good and she doesn’t find anything apparent. Patting Bri lightly on the cheek, she whispers but loud enough for the guard, who is beginning to sit once again, “Bri. Bri. Wake up.”

* * *

Bri feels something tapping against her cheek and hears her name being called. It seems from so far away but becomes clearer with each call. Pain in her arm flares and the dull throbbing pulses her head in rhythm with her heartbeat. She opens her eyes and sees Gonzalez above peering down at her. The fear of the chase and waking with a different view causes a jolt of adrenaline. Seeing Gonzalez above her calms her to an extent but her mind fills with questions.

“What happened?” She asks.

“I’m not exactly sure. Are you okay? Anything hurt?” Gonzalez asks.

“My arm hurts,” she answers.

“Which one? And where?” Gonzalez asks looking down.

“My left arm. On the forearm,” she replies.

She watches as Gonzalez unbuttons the sleeves of her top and gently rolls the sleeve up. The left forearm is swollen and red at about the midpoint.

“Flex your fingers for me, Bri,” Gonzalez says.

Bri brings her fingers to a fist but it’s difficult and increases the pain to the point that beads of sweat break out on her forehead. She groans as she brings her fingers to a fist once again.

“That’s okay, Bri. Relax them. You may have a fracture so don’t move your arm,” Gonzalez says beginning to unlace her boots.

“Hey you! What are you doing?” The guard asks once again.

“This girl may have a broken arm and I’m making a splint for her. Can you see if there are any rulers in the desk I can use?” She asks the now standing guard.

He eyes her suspiciously for a moment and then reaches down to open a drawer. Rummaging around, he places two long rulers on the edge of the desk.

“You can come up and get them but if you try anything, I won’t hesitate with this,” he says waving his gun.

The guard backs away from the desk and motions for Gonzalez to approach the desk. She rises feeling the sharp pain shoot through her head. Nausea grips her. She pauses to get her balance and waits for the feeling to subside. The guard gestures impatiently and Gonzalez holds out a hand asking him to wait a moment. Her equilibrium restores and she walks slowly to the desk retrieving the rulers.

Removing her socks, Gonzalez has Bri hold the rulers in place making sure the ends extend past the wrist in order to keep the forearm as immobilized as possible. Bri grimaces as Gonzalez ties the socks tightly against her arm.

“If you feel your fingers go numb or tingly, tell me or, if I’m not around, loosen the socks and retie them looser. How does that feel?” Gonzalez asks.

“It’s still throbbing but better. Thanks,” Bri says giving Gonzalez a smile which she returns.

“Where are we?” Bri asks looking around.

“I’m not sure to be honest,” Gonzalez answers.

“Where is everyone else?”

“Michelle is here behind me but I’m not sure where Robert is.”

Bri sighs and stares at the ceiling. What she took to be an adventure at the start, with the exception of not knowing where her mom is and the possibility that she turned into a night runner, has turned into anything but that. First her mom, then Nic, and now Robert. She feels a terrible sadness thinking she is the only one left. A tear runs down her cheek. Gonzalez gently wipes it away.

Gonzalez looks to the guard, who is staring out at the sunny day, and whispers, “We’ll get out of here, you have my word on that.”

“It’s not that. I’m the only one left,” Bri says as another tear follows the first.

“Now Bri, I’m sure Robert is fine. I think they segregated us. Look around, there’s only women here,” Gonzalez whispers. Bri turns her head and looks around slowly. A small vestige of hope rises as she verifies Gonzalez’ words.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Bri asks focusing once again on Gonzalez.

“We’ll worry about that when we rest up and feel better. And, don’t forget, there are the others. They’ll find us,” Gonzalez says.

“How will they find us?”

“I was able to get a radio call out and your dad’s a very resourceful man,” Gonzalez answers to which Bri smiles. The tears clear up but her thoughts still remain on her mom and Robert. Looking around further, a light bulb goes off in her head.

“I know where we are,” she says quietly. “This looks like Mrs. Watford’s classroom. I think we are at my high school.”

“That’s enough! I said no talking unless I can hear you. Back to your cot,” the guard says coming out of whatever reverie he was engaged in.

With a gentle touch on Bri’s shoulder, Gonzalez retreats back to her cot. They are held in the room for the rest of the day, the only break coming when meals are brought. They and the others in the small classroom eat their meals quietly. Sitting in the classroom, Bri verifies they are in fact in her “old” school. Michelle is withdrawn but when Bri tries talking to her, she finds that Michelle is also worried about Robert. She repeats Gonzalez’ words about the appearance of being segregated. Bri watches as she sees the same hope, which she had upon hearing those words, leap in Michelle’s eyes.

Another guard joins them in the classroom for the evening. Bri hears a few night runner shrieks erupt during the night along with a gunshot. Her fears come alive knowing there are night runners about and she hopes those that have taken them know how to handle them. She realizes she feels naked and vulnerable without the familiar feel of her M-4. The feeling that she has become so used to it surprises her. Not that she’s been in any firefights like Robert and her dad but she likes the feeling that she could attempt to defend herself if needed. The training Lynn gave them and their solo training times with her dad has elevated her confidence to a great degree. She holds onto the reality that she can’t storm a night runner domain by herself, but the confidence is there.

She has a sleepless night. Her arm throbs throughout the whole time; sometimes intensely and other times settling down to a low ache. Her mind also races; her mom, Robert, how to get out of this place, the night runners she assumes are outside, along with remembrances of Nic. Her feelings follow these thoughts and tears silently form remembering Nic. She feels like a hand is gripping her heart tightly. She wants to wake up from this horrible dream and find herself tired but rising to her alarm to get ready for school. The reality that this isn’t going to happen settles and her mind heads back to thoughts of escaping.

She wakes to Gonzalez lightly shaking her shoulder. Apparently I did fall asleep, she thinks opening her eyes to a room lit by the sun cresting the eastern horizon. Her arm still aches and she repositions the makeshift splint with help from Michelle. They are guided into a cafeteria and are the only ones seated. Afterwards, they are brought into the gym and allowed to shower. Bri dons her black fatigues afterwards wishing for a change but knows there’s nothing she can do about it. She slowly pulls them back on being careful with the rulers tied to her arm.

They are then led outside, the bright light blinding her momentarily. Standing, her arm throbs even more with it below her heart. With her good arm, she cradles it against her chest. She sees they have been joined by others but stays close to Gonzalez and Michelle. Bri eyeballs the fence across the fields and feels a yearning to be on the other side; yearns to be free. The guards seem much too aware for her to make a break for it. Plus, the distance she’d have to run and the fact that her arm wouldn’t allow her to climb the fence once she arrived keeps the desire in check. She notices the wire stretched across the top of the fence. That’ll slow me down a bit, she thinks focusing back on the others in the yard with her.

She notices they are all inter-mixed; men, women, boys, and girls. A familiar dark blond, short-haired head rises above several others a short distance away.

“Robert!” She cries and takes off towards the familiar head. She is instantly reminded of her arm and, with a cry of “Ow,” slows to a brisk walk.

Robert turns at the sound of his name and walks towards her. She sweeps her good arm around him as they come together and feels his strong arms tightly envelop her pulling her close.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says sobbing slightly as she presses into his chest. “I was so scared something happened to you.”

“I’m so happy to see you too, Bri,” she hears him say. They pull away and he turns to embrace Michelle. She watches as Robert and Michelle hold each other tightly and each with a big grin.

They quickly catch each other up on their previous day and evening with not much having to be said. It’s apparent they’ve been captured and are being held. Robert shares that the guys are being kept in the gym with at least one guard looking over them at night from an upper gym balcony.

“We need to get out of here,” Robert says. “Bri, how is your arm?”

“Gonzalez thinks it’s broken or fractured,” Bri says. “But I’ll manage. Do you have a plan?”

“Look everyone, we’re not going to do anything right away unless the optimal opportunity comes up. Bri is in no condition to move like we’ll need to and we don’t know what the others are up to,” Gonzalez says.

“We don’t know if they even know where we are,” Robert says. “We have to do something.”

“Give it a few days until Bri’s arm is better and we’ll know if the others are around by then. Until then, we don’t make any waves,” Gonzalez says.

“I think I can get out of the gym anytime,” Robert says.

“Okay, we’ll use that if we need to,” Gonzalez replies.

Bri notices a guard making their way through the people gathered. “A guard is coming.”

“Say what you need to and quickly. We’ll talk when we can,” Gonzalez says.

Bri notices Robert looking off toward a tree-covered hill in the distance. “What are you looking at?” She asks as the guard nears.

“Looking for dad,” Robert answers.

“Break it up. You know the rules, no gathering,” the arriving guard says.

They split and soon their time outside comes to an end. They are shepherded back into the classrooms and Robert disappears into a set of doors leading to the gym. Just before entering the classroom building, Bri glances back towards the hill Robert was looking at and smiles thinking her dad might indeed be sitting there watching them. She’s been very surprised in the last months at just what her dad is capable of.

The day comes and goes. They are allowed another hour outside around noon and talk quietly amongst themselves until they are broken up once again. With her arm bothering her, Bri thinks of taking a towel if they are allowed to shower to make a sling. She wants to be as ready as she can if an opportunity arises. If Gonzalez sees a chance for them, or Robert for that matter, then she doesn’t want to be the reason they don’t take it. She, Gonzalez, and Michelle are moved into another classroom in the afternoon.

She hears the sounds of vehicles arriving through the partially open windows of the classroom. They are soon moved to the school cafeteria and join others being held in the camp. She sees Robert and they all sit together. They whisper amongst themselves about escaping and how to do it but nothing clearly presents itself. They have to stop talking every once in a while as guards make their way near the tables. Bri looks over the large gathering hoping to see one of her friends.

Her glance passes many faces, stops, and backtracks to one in particular. Her mind and her eyes aren’t in agreement with what they see. Her mind tells her that what she sees is impossible. But there it is, right in front of her. Well, almost. Sitting four tables away, a very familiar length of blond hair hangs over a tired face with an almost lifeless expression; the hands appear to be just going through the motions of eating but Bri’s heart jumps at the sight.

Robert is engaged in a whispering conversation with Michelle. Bri elbows him and whispers briskly, “Robert! Robert!”

“In a minute, Bri,” he says turning back to Michelle.

“No, Robert. There’s Mom,” she says elbowing him once again.

“What?!” Robert says turning and looking to where Bri is nodding her head.

“Be careful you two,” Gonzalez says listening to their conversation and nodding towards the guards scattered around the room. “I am so happy for you two but be careful.”

Bri barely hears Gonzalez. “Mom!” She calls out loudly.

The woman looks up from her tray and searches about. Bri waves her good arm. The woman focuses on her and stares. Recognition flares in her eyes and her face lights up. The tiredness and long face vanishes as if it were never there. Tears form and run down her face in streams. The woman rises and begins to rush over. A guard grabs her shoulder and tells her something. She elbows the guard and continues her dash. Bri and Robert rise and they each hug their mom tightly as she arrives. The guards rush in their direction but stop when they see what is going on. They remain close but see it’s not someone trying to escape and leave them in peace.

Bri sobs in her mother’s arms and hears Robert crying as well. She feels, on her fine blond hair, the drip of her mother’s tears as they fall. She doesn’t ever want to let go. Her heart lightens to a considerable degree. She hadn’t even realized she was carrying so much anxiety and stress. Her heart feels so full that it may explode from joy and happiness. Her arm hurts from the pressure against it but she doesn’t care and continues to grip her mom.

“I was so worried I’d never see you again,” her mom says as they finally separate.

Gonzalez scoots over to make room and they sit. The guards, seeing all is well, leave to continue their watch over the tables.

“We thought you had turned into a night runner,” Robert says finally able to find his voice. He is still choked with emotion.

“A what?” Their mom asks.

They begin to tell their story, each breaking in to tell their version of a particular instance and events. They catch her up on the world in general and what they’ve been through. Their mom doesn’t have much to offer as her memory of the events of hasn’t returned. She is surprised to hear about the long time frame of her memory gap.

“So, your dad is still around, huh?” Their mom asks.

“Yeah. He is. Robert thinks he is nearby and will be here with the other soldiers soon,” Bri answers.

“Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Corporal Gonzalez,” Gonzalez says introducing herself.

“Call me Julie,” she responds taking Gonzalez’ outstretched hand.

Julie looks around the table after their stories are finished. Bri knows exactly who she is looking for. Tears come to her eyes thinking both about Nic and how this will devastate their mom. She doesn’t want this happy moment to have unhappiness intrude but knows the next question.

“Mom,” Bri says sniffing, “There’s something…” She doesn’t finish as she feels Gonzalez touch her good arm.

“Julie, I have some news that Robert and Bri didn’t share with you. I hate to bring sorrow into this happy moment,” Gonzalez says staring into Julie’s eyes. Gonzalez sees Julie’s eyes tear up once again as she knows the words that will come next, “but, I don’t know how to say this, as if there’s really any way to say it.” Gonzalez sighs heavily. “Nicole died saving one of the soldiers.”

Julie stays silent a moment and then erupts in a keening wail that pierces the heart of everyone hearing. She grips her stomach and folds over crying so hard that she has a hard time catching her breath. Robert wraps his arms around her and Bri her good one as they join her; crying for the loss of Nic.

Into the Lion’s Den

Lying on the dry ground under the trees, shielded by bushes, the sound of vehicles in the distance intrudes upon my thoughts as I run through various scenarios. I picture in my mind the buses arriving, proceeding through the gate, and shoveling everyone out for the evening routine. I’m assuming it is a routine as we’ve only monitored them for a very short time, but the process did seem to flow smoothly. The smoother something like that happens, the more likely they’ve done it that way for a while. I don’t want to make any assumptions about anything but I like to keep all of the players in my mind as to their possible locations at all times. Noting routines, where people go or should be at a particular time, helps keep situational awareness. That, however, doesn’t make everything written in stone.

My chief apprehension centers on the night runners behaving themselves. Yeah, when have they ever done that? I don’t want to be caught outside with a horde of night runners closing in. I’d rather have a prostate exam although it really amounts to the same thing.

The noise of air brakes squealing, people gathering, and doors opening in the distance goes on for some time and settles down as the sun sinks behind the hills. It’s as if the day waits in hushed anticipation of the night to come.

The sky above darkens to a deep blue and the first stars shine. Generators start up in the compound and the perimeter lights flash on; flickering at first and then coming on with their full intensity. Armed guards walk across the fields in the gathering gloom, mount ladders leading into the towers, and, just as last night, pull the ladders up with them. I see the gap I noticed from the overlooking hills just off to my left almost in front of the third tower. I pull back into the trees and move over adjacent to the gap.

Aside from being out in the gathering darkness, I am also not so keen on having to traverse open ground in front of a guard tower. Guards typically tend to focus their lights on the area immediately in front of them. It’s a psychological thing; that’s where they think the greatest danger lies. Hopefully they sweep their spotlight over a wider area. I take the remaining grass talks I gathered and quietly tape them along my arms and legs so they are pointing to my rear. Lying down, I want to look as much like the grass field as I can. Luckily, they haven’t cut or burned the tall grass. This will give me a little advantage should a spotlight come across me.

The twilight deepens into the darkness of night. A few faint shrieks sound in the distance as the night comes on fully. They seem as if they are coming from the south, in the direction of the main town. Nothing too close. The stars are out, twinkling brightly across the black sky. I wait a moment for the guards to get settled into a routine. Spotlights from the guard towers move erratically through the night air. The one in front of me transitions slowly from left to right and back again without any noticeable pattern. I lower my NVG’s. It’s time to move.

“This is Jack, I’m heading in,” I radio whoever has the radio watch.

“Copy that,” I hear Greg respond. I should have known he’d be up if a member was out. I’m guessing he’ll be up all night.

The crickets and other night animals pick up their evening sounds. They are comforting as I know nothing in the predator category lies near. It’s a two-edged sword however because if I happen to get close to them, then they’ll go silent and notify anyone that something lurks nearby. I watch the spotlight trying to gauge a pattern but I don’t pick one up. With a deep sigh, I sink to my stomach and edge out of the trees.

I slowly part the grass ahead of me and wiggle forward, coming to a rest after my movement. I can’t see the guards in the tower past the light so I have to assume their eyes are following the path of the light. Another parting of the grass and movement brings me a foot and a half closer to the fence. That will be the most interesting part, getting through the fence directly ahead of the tower. Timing will be critical.

The only pattern of light I notice is that its beam stays mostly outside of the fence line. Once inside, I should have no worries about it. Then it will be primarily keeping quiet as I make my way past the tower. The beam swings in my direction. Here’s the real test. It will either pass over me or a shot will ring out that I will never hear. I try to wiggle even closer to the ground; trying to press my rear end through the hard surface. I fold the grass stalks over me without bending them too much. The light draws ever closer. I bury my head both to remain invisible and to not cause a white out of the NVG’s. I also don’t want the light to reflect back off the glass front.

I notice my headache coming on again. Great, like I need that, I think with head pressed into the dirt. I watch to the side for the light to come and pass. As the light draws closer, the dirt and grass begin to lighten. My body tenses anticipating the light stopping and a searing pain to enter my body. It grows brighter and the dirt below my eyes suddenly becomes like day. I’m just the grass, I think. I’m afraid the black of my fatigues might be too black. I always preferred a charcoal gray at night as black is sometimes bright and easy to see in the light. The brightness seems to linger forever. Pass on, I think putting all of my focus into not moving. I only exhale in short breaths not wanting any steam to escape. It’s not cold enough for that but old habits die hard.

The light fades, passing off to the other side. I raise my head catching sight of the light transiting to the right. I part the grass ahead and maneuver ahead. I keep a look out for any freshly turned earth or mounds of dirt. I wouldn’t think they would have mined the outside. They would have had to raid an armory for that and their weapons don’t indicate they had but one can never be too careful. Especially when it comes to explosives and the possibility of having one’s limbs being separated from the rest of the body. The light stops and swings back, this time focusing further in the trees. I freeze as it crosses above me, once more pressing down into the ground. This cat and mouse game continues for a period of time until I find myself next to the fence.

Several shrieks pierce the night. Some close and others answer from far away. I don’t know if it’s me they’re howling about or if it’s just my anxiety of being out in the night with them. Either way, I’m ready to be on the other side of the fence. The grass truly is greener on the other side. The light pans out to the left focusing on the tree line. I take out the can of chemical spray and spray upward close to a fence post. Spray is a misnomer as it actually comes out in a stream. Reaching a height tall enough to sidle through, I start across the chain links; they separate immediately. The spotlight begins in my direction again and I bury myself in the grass that abuts the fence. Once it passes, I quietly push the “door” through the fence inwards lifting it slightly to minimize any noise. The light comes back and stops on the trees to my immediate rear. I crouch through and close the “door.”

I’m hoping they haven’t spotted a trail I left but I don’t dare move to see what they are focusing on. I hear voices drift down from the tower twenty yards ahead of me. It’s too faint to hear any definitive words. I ready myself for any alarm. If it comes down to it, I’ll do what I can and slip back through the fence and lose myself in the woods. The game will be over though as they’ll know we’re here. Plan B will then be in effect. Plan B is anyone’s guess at this point.

The voices stop and the light moves on. I relax a touch and sigh. I put the fence back as close to natural as I can and wrap small pieces of wire to the corner ends. This will enable me to undo them quickly while hopefully preserving the naturalness of the fence. Now the tricky part; skating by the tower without being seen or heard. The grass fields around are illuminated in green but I know that it is dark outside of my NVG’s. There’s a small copse of trees between the gym and the tennis courts sitting close to the fence. That’s my next stop.

Slowly move and pause, move and pause. I angle away from the tower towards the relative safety of the trees. It’s not that the trees provide great cover as they are spread out a bit but I hate open areas. At least I can get behind a tree if needed. Out in the open, there’s nowhere to go if they decide to check on the interior for any reason. Slowly, the trees get closer, or, should I say I get closer to them. It’s not as if they are walking towards me. That would be nice however but then I would hope they were friendly. The last thing I need now is a group of walking trees that are hostile.

After what seems like hours, I reach the first of the trees and sit on my heels behind a towering fir, putting it between me and the roving spotlights. From here, I am able to see further into the campus. The tennis courts to my left and the outer wall of the swimming pool, attached to the gym to my right, mark the boundaries of the school proper. The first of the single story classroom buildings is across a paved road ahead. I see the main office building at an angle across from the gym past the same road. A faint light glows through the windows of the office building. That’s a good thing as, with a light on, they won’t be able to see outside very well. I ponder my next move; to head into the classroom buildings or head into the gym.

“This is Jack, I’m in,” I whisper pressing the push-to-talk button.

“Wow! Really? I had the area glassed the entire time and didn’t see you,” Greg calls back after a pause.

“I used magic,” I whisper back.

“Everything looks normal from here,” he says.

“Okay. I think I’ll check out the gym first,” I say.

“Roger.”

My head is pounding as I leave my little sanctuary and sidle over to the pool wall. It’s lost in the shadows of the night but shows up clearly in my vision. A large green dumpster lies halfway along the wall and I crouch where the corner meets the wall. Looking around, I see the spotlights panning the perimeter a distance away. Nothing else moves. I take that back. A small shape flitters in the air across my vision. I see another shape move swiftly through the night, banking and disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Bats are out, I think. Here I sit in midst of an armed compound, keyed up on adrenaline, and there they are flying about as if this night is not any different than the others. Everything is a matter of perspective I guess, I think refocusing.

I hear a shuffling of feet. I’m surprised I can hear them over the pounding in my head and I notice the scratch on my neck burns a little more than usual. I shrink further against the corner making sure not to put too much pressure against the dumpster. The last thing I want is to press too hard and cause it to move. Not like I’m the man of steel but the thought forms anyway. I hear the shuffling draw closer but don’t see anything appear at the corner. Odd, I think. I should see something as the sound seems to be coming from just around the corner. I fold quickly to the opposite side of the dumpster and become just another dark space in the corner.

A minute passes. I take out my signal mirror, move forward, and hold it toward the bottom of the large green dumpster. A light forms at the corner of the building, swaying back and forth slightly; common to a flashlight being held by someone walking. Great. We sure missed any roving patrols. I’m not sure this area was visible from our position but we should have spotted lights moving about. Perhaps it’s not a regular patrol. Maybe the tower did report something odd when the light stopped behind me and someone is checking it out.

The light pans across the trees I was in a few moments ago and then sweeps in my direction. I pull the mirror back in order not to cast a reflection and move back to the corner. Stowing the mirror, I grip my M-4; keeping it closer in order not to create a larger profile but ready to use. The light casts its beam on the dumpster; illuminating the ground directly in front of me, creating a shadow of the dumpster that envelops me. I slowly reach down and quietly loosen the knife wrapped around my ankle. This is the part of my winging it, the aspect Lynn so fondly referred to, that I’m not a big fan of; the waiting for a situation to develop.

The light begins to swing. Whoever is holding it is on the move again. It’s not aimed directly at the dumpster anymore but the round spot is on the ground directly in front of me. It does move forward with each slight sway of the light. I’m not overly worried about whoever is holding the light, unless there is more than one, but more of what will happen afterward if I have to take them out. Will they make a lot of noise, which I can minimize to an extent if I don’t have to fire, or will the flashlight beam bounce and catch the attention of the tower guards? Crazier things have happened. This is one time I wish I had three arms and hands. But I’m stuck with the two I came with. One will be guiding the knife and the other to prevent a scream the “guiding” will most likely produce. I would use my suppressed sidearm but I want to completely minimize sound and the flash, although limited, may catch someone’s attention.

The light continues to advance along with the faint swish of feet moving through the grass. A foot steps into my view by the outside corner of my little hideaway. This is quickly followed by another foot swinging in step and the guard comes fully into view. I keep my head lowered yet keep the guard in view through the top of my goggles. Any facial registration of surprise or head movement in my direction on his part will cause an eruption of movement on mine.

He is carrying a pistol in one hand but in a relaxed manner. He also has a bolt-action rifle slung over his shoulder. This is indicative that he isn’t expecting anything but this doesn’t make me relax any. My heart is pounding with the increase in adrenaline which isn’t doing my head any good. I don’t notice as most of my focus is directed to the ten feet in front of me. He stops.

Sliding his handgun into the holster, he reaches into an upper pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Cradling the flashlight in the crook of his arm, he pulls one out and jams it between his lips. A flare of light from a lighter follows. I’m thankful for the light he has chosen to shine in his own eyes killing any night vision he may have acquired. The cigarette flares in the view from my goggles, he gathers his semi-auto pistol, and moves on leaving a trail of cigarette smoke scent behind.

Idiot, I think. You really have no grasp or concept of night runners. If a horde truly gathers and there is no telling if or when that could happen, as they are wily, this place will be overrun in moments. The thought penetrates that I should just take care of him here and now as that kind of stupidity or carelessness shouldn’t be allowed to propagate any further. I am relieved that he moves on though. He rounds the corner and disappears from sight. I still hear the swishing of his feet moving through the grass for a short time and then all is still again. I slide my knife back firmly into the sheath.

I wonder if he is doing circuits of the gym, the entire campus, or if it is a one-shot deal. I radio Greg and advise him of the guard. Edging to the corner where the guard went, I am just in time to see him swing one of the gym entrance doors open and disappear inside. The soft tink of the door closing reaches my ears moments later. I notice a light over the top of the door casting a large spot of light around the entrance. Well, that way is out, I think slinking back to the dumpster.

Gathering my thoughts, I crouch to the opposite corner of the gym wall and peek around the corner. There is another light by the opposite entrance to the gym but the door to the pool, lying closer to my position, is concealed in shadows. That’s my way in.

I quickly move against the wall to the door and listen. The gray metal door doesn’t disclose anything that may lie inside. I crack the door thankful it’s unlocked. There’s no sound and I see the soft shimmering of water reflecting off the concrete brick walls. I open the door and slip inside coming to a crouch just inside. The lights of the large pool are on. Ribbons and streams of light from the pool bounce off the ceiling and walls reminiscent of an aurora borealis light show.

A small office jutting out onto the concrete flooring is dark as are the entrances to the locker rooms and showers on the far end to the left. Okay, let’s do this, I think observing no movement within. The lights from the pool are my only company. I walk quickly in a crouch across the hard floor, making sure to keep my footfalls silent, and come to rest against the wall leading to the first locker room. The problem with these concrete enclosures is the complete lack of anything to absorb sound. And sound bounces off water to a greater extent. Have you ever been out on a boat in the middle of a lake where you can hear voices from a campground far away? It’s the same with locker rooms; nothing to absorb sound. This is either a benefit or liability depending on the situation.

Nothing but a slow drip of water comes from within. I slide into the dark room. I feel anxious about being in a dark interior but that is only from prior experiences with night runners. I’m pretty sure there aren’t any night runners about so I shake off the increase in anxiety. I don’t know what’s worse; marauders with guns or night runners. At least I know about the marauders, along with a little more knowledge about their capabilities, and human nature to an extent so I think I’ll take them over the night runners. Yeah, I’ll take that any day.

The usual showers along one wall with stalls, sinks, and benches fill the interior. A wheeled basket with towels is shoved up against one wall. The smell of soap and the humid nature of the room let me know it’s been used recently. This must be where they take the “captives” after their meals and let them clean up. A pile of dirty clothes sits in one of the corners. I slink through the room to the other entrance door.

I know there is a long hallway past the door leading to the entrance doors of the gym. There are also doors at the far ends that lead into the gym entrance foyers. I crack the door and put my signal mirror out into the hall. I would use the fiberscope but the doors are too tight fitting. The hall appears dark with exit lights shining at either end. A small amount of light streams in from small windows inset into the gym entrance doors and hits the wall in an elongated rectangle. Most importantly, no one is in the hall. There aren’t any places of cover though. From here on out, if I encounter anyone armed, they go down.

My thumb caresses the selector switch making sure I’m on semi. If I do meet up with anyone in the hall, hopefully the sound will be contained within. I can switch to auto if needed but the sound of one round is much different than that of auto fire and can be dismissed by anyone hearing. With a deep sigh, I snake into the hall. Next time, I’m going to be the one sitting on a hill watching others do this.

I creep down the hall with periodic looks behind. Nearing the light from the door’s window casting a dim outline of the window against the opposite wall, I ready myself for it to swing open. That seems to be the way my luck runs. I sneak a peek through the window. The mirror might cast a reflection inside so I use my Mark 1 eyeball. The gym is dimly lit by a few overhead lights hanging from the ceiling far above. A row of folded bleachers sits just inside with cots spread in lines across the wooden floor. Lumps on the cots indicate they are occupied. An upper gym overlooks the main gym on the far side and two guards stand by metal railings. I look at the lumps on the cots searching for a telltale head. Those I can see appear to be males.

There, on the second cot down in the first line of cots closest to me, is the familiar short hair of Robert. My heart soars at the sight of him. The thought of darting in, grabbing him and vanishing in the darkness of the compound enters my mind. Or, I could take the guards out and do the same. This thought however subsides as there is Bri, Michelle, and Gonzalez to get out as well. Any action taken now will result in our presence becoming known and make it more than doubly difficult to get any of them out.

I head to the doors a short distance away at the end of the hall. The metal doors, with larger panes of glass set into their upper frames, look over the entrance foyer. Two guards sit in plastic chairs by the front entrance. I’m conscious of the one roving guard from earlier and check the hall behind. Empty. I head back to the door to the gym. Waiting for the guards overlooking the main gym to both have their attention focused elsewhere, I slip inside and ease the door shut as I fold into shadows of the bleachers where they meet the wall.

I turn off and raise my goggles. The inside is in fact very dimly lit but I’m able to see clearly regardless. I kneel and wait for another opportunity. I may not be able to take Robert out on this trip but I at least want him to know I’m here. The guards become involved in a conversation and I slide out to the first cot, coming to rest on my stomach adjacent to it. The cot shields me from the guards above should they look in this direction.

“Mister, what are you doing?” A voice whispers just above me.

I look up and see the face of a young lad peering down at me. “Shhhh… Lie back on your cot and go back to sleep,” I whisper. The face sinks back to the cot.

I look to Robert on the next cot down. He is looking right at me and smiling, apparently alerted by the youth above me talking. I place my fingers on my lips and he nods. I raise my head a touch and see the guards still locked in conversation. I slowly slide until I’m next to Robert; our heads only a foot away.

“Are you okay?” I whisper.

“Yeah. I figured you’d be here. Are the others with you?”

“No, it’s just me for now,” I answer. “There are a couple of teams in the hills close by. Where are the girls?”

“They keep them in the classroom buildings. Gonzalez says there are two guards in rooms at night and one during the day,” he answers.

“Good to know,” I reply. “Are they okay?”

“Bri might have a fracture or broken arm but other than that, they’re fine,” he answers in a whisper not moving his head off the cot.

“Fuckers! Payment’s coming. What’s the story here?”

“Two guards are always on the balcony with two more at night at the entrances as far as I can tell,” he answers. “The guys are kept in here and the girls in classrooms.”

“And, Dad, Mom’s here,” he adds with excitement edging into his voice.

“Really? That’s great,” I answer with a touch of confusion. I could have sworn that was her in the house when I went to get the kids. I truly thought she had been turned into a night runner. This evening just gets crazier.

“Yeah. Pretty cool. What’s the plan?” He asks.

“Well, I think I can get you out of here. I’m not sure about being able to sneak in the classrooms and getting the girls though. That’s my next stop,” I answer.

“I’m not leaving without Michelle,” Robert replies.

“This is no time for heroics or the knight in shining armor bullshit. When I say so, roll off the cot and follow me,” I say.

“Dad, I’m not leaving her,” he whispers adamantly.

“Ah, fuck! Dammit! Okay, fine,” I say fully understanding. I mean, I went half way across the world for that very same reasoning. “I have to go check the classroom layout. We’ll be back in two nights. Don’t do anything foolish and stay under the radar.”

“I will, Dad, and thanks,” he replies.

“For what?” I ask.

“For coming,” he answers. This confuses me to an extent as I can’t fathom doing anything else. I guess it’s my night to be confused.

“The second night. Tell the others if you can. I love you, Robert.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

I reach up and grasp his shoulder for a moment and then slip back to the first cot when the opportunity affords. I’m over to the bleacher corner and out of the door with a heavy heart. I really wanted to bring him with me and I feel a weight settle in leaving him. I understand but still feel like heading back in and knocking some sense into him. With a heavy sigh, I retrace my route carefully and am back outside with the resolve that, if I can extract the girls safely tonight, I’ll be back for him as well. Lynn’s words of not doing anything foolish echo in my mind.

I was just planning to look around and that still may be just all that I do, but seeing Robert in the gym and knowing Bri is close by alters some of my thinking. I know this puts the others captured at a greater risk and would make it hard to also get them out. I feel a quandary as to what the right thing to do is. In a perfect world, it would be to get everyone out but this is far from a perfect world and I am far from perfect myself. If I have a chance to get my kids, Michelle, and Gonzalez out, I’m doing it. I guess that also includes their mom. I would feel their wrath and disappointment if I didn’t bring her as well, especially after they have just found her. That is still confusing. If that wasn’t her in the house, then who was it?

I listen for any sounds of disturbance or of my potential roving friend. It appears everything is the way I left it. With my goggles back in place, I see the doors to a classroom building across the dark road. I know it’s dark but they are all visible in the green glow of my vision. I’ll be a visible shadow crossing the road though. I move over to the trees that are close to the pavement and cross quickly. Against one of the double-entry doors, I peer in through the glass pane that occupies the entire upper half of the door.

A long hallway stretches away with lockers placed up against the walls. The only break in the line of lockers is where classroom doors exit off the hall. I see the pale glow of the starlit night enter another set of doors at the opposite end of the hallway. Nothing moves within. I raise my goggles for a quick glance and see it’s pitch black inside. The green glow comes alive again as I lower them back into place with a soft click. Testing the door closest to me, it opens easily and I slip inside.

Silence reigns in the darkened interior. My pulse rises yet again at being in a dark building. My heart hammers in my chest knowing that discovery is only a quick coincidence away. I slide softly across the fake tile floor to the first classroom door and listen. Nothing. The small-paned windows are frosted so I can’t readily see inside. I do notice a gap between the floor and bottom edge of the door. Withdrawing the fiberscope, I slide the end under the door, keeping a large part of my senses oriented to my environment. The viewing screen will cast a small amount of light around me so I listen for any doors opening or hint that the hall is about to become occupied by someone other than me. What I really hope for is that, if any door is going to open, it won’t be the one directly behind me.

With another look around, I turn on the screen. The image becomes instantly visible. The low light capability of the scope shows the interior of the room. A little grainy but objects are distinctly visible nonetheless. Cots similar to the ones in the gym appear and seem to be formed in two or three rows. I see a lump on the one closest but can’t discern anything other than that from the low point of my view. Bookshelves line the rear of the classroom and I see the blinds over the far windows are closed. The vantage point doesn’t allow me to see the front of the room clearly. Movement in the room. A guard stands in the far corner. I make ready to pull the fiber out and beat cheeks outside.

He leans back and is apparently working kinks out of his back. I’ve seen enough here though. I won’t be able to see where anyone is unless I can gain a different angle. That may be difficult as I don’t see any apparent gap on the sides or top of the door. I mark this room as occupied in my head and move across the hall to do the same.

The first four doors, two on each side are subsequently marked as occupied as I slowly progress down the hall. The fifth door is across from another frosted paned door marked “Girls.” Sliding the fiber under the fifth classroom door, I hear the handle move on the next door up the hall. I quickly turn off the screen and pull the fiber out from under the door. I see the door swing open into the hall and creep to the corner where the line of lockers, between me and the door, meets the wall. The beam of a flashlight sweeps out across the floor. I have the lockers between me and yet another flashlight holder.

“Make this snappy,” I hear a male voice echo in the hall.

Footsteps make their way closer; one is the sound of boots stepping heavily on the floor and another is the soft padding of bare feet. Yeah, bare feet slapping on the floor in a darkened building does nothing to steady my nerves. I know it’s not a night runner but it dredges up bad memories anyway. The beam and footsteps draw rapidly near. Once they reach my position, it won’t take much to see me. Maybe I’ll just wave politely and all will be good. This stress must be taking a toll psychologically.

The light flashes on the bathroom door across from me and a young girl, silhouetted in the beam, reaches out to open the door. She steps inside and the man follows; the door closing slowly behind them. The light glows faintly from behind the window pane, catching and keeping the man’s silhouette. What is it with everyone having to go to the bathroom when I’m in a hallway? With a moment of revulsion, I rise and gingerly step further down the hall closer to the entrance and once again seek a corner of the locker and wall. If I was to stay in my previous location, it would have been a given that I’d be seen when they emerged. I do listen closely for any signs of foul play; a scream or a pleading whimper. If that happens, all bets are off and the rain will begin.

I have my signal mirror out close to ground level looking down the hall. A muted sound of a toilet flushing a minute or two later is the only noise that comes from the bathroom. The light against window brightens and the door swings open. The young girl yawns as they both tread back to the classroom they originally exited from. No use looking in that sixth room as I now know it’s occupied.

It is, however, the last room in the building to be occupied. The remaining rooms consist of boxes and assorted goods with the very last two still having their original desks in place. I exit quietly and proceed to the next classroom building to find it is being used as a barracks; at least as far as I can tell. This must be where the dayshift guards stay; maybe trading off with the nightshift. The third classroom building is unoccupied except for several rooms full of boxes. I leave and find myself back at the dumpster outside of the gym.

It’s here that I realize Greg was correct in that I didn’t think this all of the way through. Getting back out will be in the same manner as my entrance. However, that would put me outside in the night with the possibility that night runners are about. I can’t very well wait it out and stroll out through the front gate during the day. I sit and ponder the options. I could take my chances with the night runners but that doesn’t leave me with warm, fuzzy feelings. I could hole up and wait until the day and try to sneak out then. The side towers would be vacant and, if I can make it to the fence, then I should be able to get out okay. The problem with that is the daytime activity is increased. I could wait until Greg and crew assault but that isn’t a very happy thought either.

I guess a third option is to start taking guards out now but my sneaking around would end with the first shots. Yeah, didn’t think this one all of the way through for sure. How did I not think about this before? Wanting to get to the kids blinded my usual pretty thorough planning process. I only thought about getting in. Getting out was obviously left as an afterthought. Well, I guess it’s get out, stay close to the lights, and take my chances with the night runners. Being caught inside certainly isn’t going to do me any good.

With my mind made up, I creep slowly until I’m adjacent to the third tower. On my way across the open ground, I hear shrieks from time to time around the camp. The very sound freezes my soul, especially thinking I’ll soon be on the absolute wrong side of the fence. I should listen to Lynn better, I think crouching close to the tower. I notice the spotlight is fixated on a point in the woods. I crouch and wait.

A loud shriek erupts from within the woods. The spotlight swings a few feet to the left. “See, I told you I saw something,” I hear a voice say in the tower. “Base, we have company in the woods outside of tower five.”

I don’t hear the reply as I’m already on my way back to the copse of trees between the tennis courts and gym. Well, that’s not going to work, I think leaning against one of the trees. Think, Jack, think. I ponder many courses of action but find problems with each one. The best option I come up with is to find a place to wait out the night close to the fence, wait for the guards to leave the side towers during the early hours of morning, and make my way back. It will be riskier with more light but not riskier than wandering through woods loaded with night runners. Several shrieks echo in the forest as if in answer to my thoughts.

The lack of gunfire from the towers tells me the guards can’t see the night runners. Believe me guys, they’ll find a way in through your fence given time, I think looking around for a suitable place to hole up in. I see a depression in the ground close to the tennis courts and just inside the small stand of firs. I edge over. It appears to be used for drainage and is actually fairly deep. I crawl in and up to a point where a couple of bushes overhang the depression.

I look around. From my new vantage point, I should be fairly invisible from the classroom doors and hopefully away the route the guards will take from their towers. With it being in close proximity to the tennis courts and out of the way, no one should venture this way unless they have a specific reason to do so. I cradle my M-4 without silhouetting myself and prepare to wait.

“Greg, this is Jack,” I whisper into the radio.

“Yeah, Jack, Greg here,” I hear him answer.

“I’m going to be a little late,” I say.

“Anything wrong?” He asks.

“I seem to have gotten myself stuck,” I answer and give him a synopsis of my situation. I also quickly brief him on what I found and the layout of the facility just in case.

“Copy that, Jack. I’ll move the teams closer when it gets light,” he replies.

“Okay. If you see a guy dashing madly through the trees like his ass is on fire, be ready for company just behind,” I say. “Oh, and please don’t shoot at said madly running guy.”

“Not to worry, we’ll be able to spot you by the way you run,” Greg responds with a chuckle.

“Very fucking funny. Jack, out,” I reply.

“You know, it’s a very good thing they decided to end radio calls with ‘out’ instead of ‘off’,” he says chuckling.

“I only have one thing to say in regards to that and it involves the process of biting and my ass,” I respond.

“See you in the morning, Jack,” Greg says with a final laugh and signs off.

The night passes slowly. Shrieks and howls come periodically from near and far. I’m rather thankful I didn’t venture out. There’s only one interruption to my otherwise semi-peaceful evening is from the ever alert and vigilant guard making another round. Yeah, that was sarcasm. The sky to the east lightens with the coming dawn. The screams and shrieks end along with it. The coast is clear. Well, at least as far as outside of the fence.

I hear movement over by the towers as ladders are lowered. My headache has returned but not the deep pounding it was. Voices drift across the fields as guards begin to make their way back to the central compound from the various towers. I know the corner towers will remain manned but that shouldn’t be a problem. The eastern sky has the bright blue portending the sun’s appearance. I watch as the guards skirt the copse of trees and head toward the inner buildings. So far, there isn’t any other stirring from within. I raise my head and see the fields are clear of movement.

“This is Jack, I’m moving out,” I say.

“Copy that, Jack, we’re on the move as well,” Greg replies. His voice sounds as tired as I feel.

“Is anyone still overlooking the camp?” I ask.

“Henderson is with the radios and Denton is on overwatch,” he answers. “They didn’t want to but stayed anyway.”

“Good. I may need eyes on the towers soon. Out,” I say.

Lying on the ground and being up all night has taken its toll. My eyes feel gritty from the lack of sleep and I don’t even want to think about how my breath smells. I know my senses will be off so I need to take extra care. A tired mind misses aspects and that could end up being a very bad thing. I almost wish for the “pep” pills we used to take that would help out in these situations. They made it rough on the appetite and body in general but kept us alert in the field.

I look around once more and know I have to be off soon before the activity of the day starts. That won’t be far off. I rise slowly feeling every bone creak in protest. The sounds are similar to gunshots going off. At least that’s the way it feels and sounds. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear some of the cobwebs, I move slowly through the remaining trees. I skirt the tennis court keeping low. Adrenaline has found its way into my body once again but it seems to do little as I just want to lie back down and go to sleep.

At the fence, a short distance away from my ‘door,’ I lie down and creep along close to the edge. I think about just spraying another opening at my present location but the risk of discovery of a fence breach increases with each one created. I reach the opening and uncoil the wire holding the corners together. This is where the chance of discovery increases with it being so much lighter. A fence being peeled back will be easily seen from either corner tower should they look in this direction at the wrong time. The sun hasn’t crested the mountains as yet but the pre-dawn light definitely makes it easier to see.

“Denton, this is Jack,” I say lying alongside the fence.

“Go ahead, sir,” I hear him reply.

“Can you see the corner tower guards clearly?” I ask.

“That’s affirmative, sir,” Denton answers.

“Okay, tell me when they aren’t looking back along the western fence line,” I say.

“You’re good to go, sir. They’re not looking your way,” he replies.

I quickly bend the fence back and slip through. Immediately falling to my stomach, I pull the fence back and coil the wire once again. I play the same game of parting the grass and moving forward using Denton as my eyes on the towers. Slipping inside the tree line never felt so good.

“I’m out,” I say. “Thanks for your help.”

“My pleasure, sir. Glad you made it,” Denton says.

I edge deeper into the line of trees between the camp and the road. Footprints show in the dirt and needles strewn across the forest floor. The night runners have been busy here. I’m guessing there was a lingering smell from my passage and I make a mental note to put on the scent eliminator earlier. I seem to be making a lot more mental notes these days. Hopefully some decide to stick around.

I arrive at the grass strip separating the trees from the road. Two heads rise from the tall grass on the other side of the road close to the highway.

“I’m in the edge of the trees across from you,” I say into the radio.

“We see you. It looks clear from here,” I hear Greg respond.

The sun crests the hills. Sunlight spreads through the trees and beams of light paint strips of brown grass in their radiance. Small wisps of steam begin to rise from where the limited sunlight strikes the stalks. I edge toward the road pulling the grass up behind to cover my tracks. Reaching the road, I sprint across. I’m so tired that it feels like I’m running in slow motion. My legs feel like I’m dragging a block of cement behind but I eventually reach the far side, leap over the ditch, and climb the small embankment. With McCafferty and Greg following, we make it into the trees. Greg covers our tracks and we head out for our little camp.

Arriving in our concealed spot, I tiredly remove my gear and drop it in the back of a Humvee. I see dark circles under Greg’s eyes and imagine mine are the same. I want nothing more than to just drop to the ground and sink into a coma. I have a few more items to cover before that happens though.

“Lynn, this is Jack, over,” I say with my eyes feeling like they are going to close on their own accord.

“I take it you made it back, Jack,” she responds with the same tired voice we all have. I should have known she’d be up the entire night monitoring as well.

“Yeah, hon, I’m back,” I reply.

“Good. I’m glad. Shall we have a discussion now about going off with half-assed plans?” She asks.

“I’d prefer not to thanks but point taken,” I answer. I’m still a little surprised at myself for not taking the exit into account. To be honest, I feel a little ashamed.

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Jack. What’s the plan?” She asks.

“Well, I think we’re going to need two more teams up here to do this right,” I say.

“That will leave us a little thin here. Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams left heading south to see about a windmill,” she says.

“Okay, one team then and we’ll make do,” I say giving directions and caution her to travel slowly on the access road. I mention dragging branches behind to cover their tracks.

“Okay, Jack, I’ll send them out pronto,” Lynn says.

“Can you have them bring ladders? We’ll need collapsible ones like the portable tactical assault ladders. I think they might have them or something close in the armory or at the store,” I say. “Oh, and a few slabs of thawed meat in airtight bags.”

“Do you want scones and glass of milk as well?” She asks with a small laugh.

“If you have them, that would be great, thanks,” I answer.

“Anything else?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah, the silenced M-110’s, long links of light but sturdy chain, C-clamps, all of the 550 cord you can get, at least ten claymores and a corresponding amount of 30-minute fuse pencils,” I answer adding a ‘pretty please’ at the end.

“Okay, I have to ask. What in the hell do you want the slabs of meat for?” Lynn asks.

“I’ll tell ya later,” I answer.

“Okay, Jack, I’ll see what we can dig up here and be out shortly,” she says signing off.

“Does that mean she’s coming out with Black Team?” Greg asks.

“I’d place money on it,” I reply.

“What the hell do you want the meat for?” He asks.

“Just an idea I have,” I answer. He shakes his head and walks off to rest.

I settle to the ground after seeing our day shift is covered and relish in the simple luxury of being able to lie down and rest. I watch as the occasional bird wings across the open space of the power lines looking for better hunting grounds. I look up through the boughs of the tree above and watch a squirrel launch from one limb to another. I think how nice it would be just to enjoy that freedom. I realize this is a rather simplistic thought as their world is just as fraught with danger; finding food and surviving. A day of planning, another night and day of watching and then we’re going in. I drift off as beams of sunlight stream through the air above.

I drift in and out, finally waking in the late afternoon. I realize I heard a radio call from our outpost indicating a Humvee was pulling past. Our backup has arrived. Through the trees, I see the vehicle slowly moving up the road. In periodic glimpses through the gaps, I see an extendable ladder strapped to the top. I bet that was fun, I think rising. Others guide the Humvee under the trees and Lynn steps out. I brush the needles, twigs, and other assorted objects off my fatigues and meet her with a hug and a kiss. The rest of Black Team exits and we cover the vehicle with branches in a like manner to our own.

With a yawn, I try to banish the remnants of my nap. The day is another warm one but the breeze blowing lightly through keeps it cool enough in the shade. The black fatigues hold the heat however and I soon feel like another nap would be nice.

“What’s the plan, Jack?” Lynn asks after situating herself and I take a look at the gifts they brought.

The ladders are extendable and fold down to about twelve inches. The extension ladder is a monster and will take some doing to get it through the woods quietly but it won’t be taken all of the way inside so it’ll work. I gather everyone around and give a basic layout of the area, both inside and out; drawing a diagram of the camp in the dirt.

“They number their towers in order starting from the southwest corner,” I say pointing to the rocks I put to designate the towers.

“They’ve separated the men from the women. The men are being held in the main gym and the women in the first six classrooms of the middle classroom building. The far end classroom building is being used for a barracks as far as I could tell. The office is manned and lit at night,” I continue outlining guard positions and describing my observations in detail complete with night runner activity.

Lynn stares at the twigs, rocks and lines in the dirt. Well, we all do as if a magic answer will appear. I see the cogs turning in her head to the point I’m surprised wisps of smoke don’t appear from her ears. She rubs her chin in contemplation. “Day or night?” She finally asks.

“You know, I have a plan in mind but I’m not really sure to be honest. Day will eliminate night runner risks but will definitely make it harder. If I knew what their reaction on their ‘guests’ would be, it would be an easier choice. They keep them covered pretty well so collateral casualties are a real possibility if we go in during the day. That’s something we avoid at all costs,” I answer. Everyone gathered nods in understanding.

“So it’s a night op then,” Greg states.

“I think so but the night runners being in the woods last night have me worried. We’ll have to infiltrate quickly and our timing will have to be spot on,” I reply.

“You said you have a plan?” Lynn asks looking up.

“Well, it’s not much of one but it’s the only plan I can think of without truly knowing their patterns and I’m not leaving the kids in there long enough to find each and every one of them. I think the location I went in is the best place to infiltrate. We’ll have to minimize our time in the trees and make it a bit quicker than last night. The last thing we need is to be trapped between the night runners and the camp. We’ll approach the camp toward dusk and wait for deep twilight. Two of us will creep up to the fence and gain entry. Once inside, who are the two best shooters here?” I ask looking around.

Everyone looks at everyone else. “I’m a pretty decent shot, sir,” Henderson finally speaks up. “And Denton is pretty damn good.”

“Okay, you two are it. Those 110’s are sighted in but I want everyone with a 110 to head off tomorrow and get them sighted in,” I say turning back to describe the plan using the diagram etched in the dirt.

“Yes, sir,” Henderson responds. “What distance are you thinking?”

“100 yards but test your bullet drop compensators out to 250 yards,” I answer.

“Hell, sir, I could throw a rock with deadly accuracy at that range,” he says. “But okay.”

“Once inside,” I continue, “and by tower 5, Henderson and Denton will take out the two guards. They need to be further back in the trees to minimize noise but with a good line of sight. We’ll be packing one of the tactical ladders and once the guards are down, one of us will scale the tower and take over the guard functions. We’ve monitored enough of their radio traffic to fit in. The rest will then hurry through the gap in the fence. I want Henderson and Denton on tower 5 replacing the initial team member there. We’ll then make for the trees between the gym and tennis courts. Everyone clear so far?” I ask.

“Who are the initial two in?” Lynn asks.

“Myself and Greg,” I answer. “The tower transmissions we’ve picked up so far have all been male so we need a male voice in the tower in case they notice the spotlight not conforming to its usual search pattern and call to find out what’s going on.”

Lynn nods and I continue. “Last one through closes the fence. Henderson and Denton will keep an overwatch but make sure you also watch the perimeter. We don’t want any night runners interfering with this flawless plan,” I say with a chuckle. Lynn shakes her head. Yeah, I don’t know why she puts up with me either.

“Once in the trees, we’ll split. I’ll take McCafferty and we’ll head into the gym. Lynn, you and Greg will head into the second classroom building with Black and Echo Teams. My thinking is to take the rooms with the women at once. Rush in together by twos, take out the guards and calm the captives. There’s just enough to take on the six rooms,” I say.

“Do you want us to start taking out the guards in the towers?” Henderson asks.

“No. Here’s the funny part. They’ll be helping to keep the night runners at bay if they show up so we need them in place for the time being,” I answer.

“And you two will be taking on the gym all by your lonesome?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah, it’s not really guarded well and we should only need two. I would like more but it’s more important to hit the classrooms at once. The suppressed shots shouldn’t be heard outside of the building but they definitely will within it,” I answer. “Now, we’ll have to clear the gym first because you’ll then bring the women into the gym so I want you to wait under the cover of the trees until we finish and then head in.”

“Why don’t we just bring the women out the way we went in? We’ll have the exit covered with Henderson and Denton,” Greg asks.

“Night runners,” I answer.

“Ah, yeah,” he says with a nod. “Okay then, how do we get everyone out? And what about the other guards?”

“Well, here’s where it gets a little quirky,” I answer. Lynn bursts out laughing and it takes a little time until she can get herself under control. By the end, she has all of us smiling. Laughter is contagious that way.

With more people and the lack of night runners, this would be a piece of cake. Well, nothing like this is a piece of cake but it sure would make it easier. Go in, take the immediate guards out and extricate the captives. The night runners throw a real wrench into the works.

“How many slabs of meat did you bring?” I ask Lynn.

“You’re kidding right?!?” She asks in return. “I thought you were just joking about that.”

“But you did bring them right?”

“Yes, Jack, I brought six big steaks but really?!”

“I’m afraid so,” I answer. I now have everyone’s attention. Heck, I even have my own which has to be a first.

“Henderson and Denton will carry two of them, Lynn, you will have the rest. When we’ve cleared the rooms, Lynn, you and Black Team will proceed to the barracks and block the doors open. Take one steak and set it in the hallway. Drop another outside on your way back. Greg, Echo Team will escort the women to the gym. Henderson, Denton, once we’ve extricated the women and they’re safely in the gym, one of you will then open the fence and toss one into the woods and leave the other by the opening,” I say having a hard time holding back a grin. “Black team will hold up in the woods to cover you as you both quietly make your way there and link up. Once you’re linked up, leave another steak in the woods. Once everyone is in the gym, we’ll seal it up with the chains and wait the night out. The night runners will be drawn in by the steaks and take out the guards for us,” I finish almost out of breath.

There is a stunned silence as I complete telling my plan. I let the silence settle for a moment.  I’m once again having a difficult time keeping the laughter inside. “Any questions so far?” I ask close to not being able to contain myself.

The stunned silence continues. “Yeah, um, I have one,” Lynn says finally. “Are you out of your fucking mind? I swear, Jack. If I didn’t know you better, I’d swear you carried around a paper bag full of paint fumes. Does this just come naturally to you or do inner voices speak to you? Did they really used to let you out to play during the day? Please tell me you are kidding!?”

“Yes, I’m kidding. I’m just letting off some tension,” I reply and see other shoulders sag in relief with my answer.

“You do know you aren’t funny right? So what are the steaks really for and what’s the real plan?” Lynn asks.

“I am going to leave early and drop them off in the trees on the other side of the compound in an attempt to draw the night runners off,” I answer. “Okay, for real, the plan is the same up to the point of getting to the trees, clearing the gym, and then the classrooms. The women will be escorted into the gym by Echo Team with Black Team maintaining a defensive line between the gym and barracks close to the first classroom building. Echo provides escort. We’ll bring them through the pool entrance so they won’t become exposed to the guards by the outside lights. Clear so far?”

Nods indicate they are still with me. I continue, “Okay, once we get everyone in the gym we’ll move onto phase two which will be the tower guards. At this point, we’ll start taking out all of the perimeter guards. We’ll be packing the 110’s. Black and Echo team, along with Henderson and Denton, will start taking out the tower guards. Work out amongst yourselves exactly which towers you will take, two guards to a tower so two guns per tower. Move quickly onto the next towers. That will leave the perimeter unguarded so Henderson and Denton, head to the gym as soon as the towers are clear. McCafferty and I will be conducting phase three which consists of the guards sleeping it off in the barracks. We’ll place the claymores with the fuse pencils in the guard rooms and meet you in the gym. Once we’re all in the gym, we lock it down with the chains, C-clamps, and 550 cord on the main gym interior doors and wait til morning.”

“That’s much better, Jack,” Lynn says.

“Yeah, I have to say that’s a much better plan than your, um, first one,” Greg says.

“So, I won’t be taking any meat with me?” Henderson asks.

“No, you won’t be packing around steaks,” I answer chuckling. “Questions so far before we move on to contingencies?”

“How are we going to keep the ‘guests’ quiet? They’re not exactly going to react well to fancily clad people strolling into their rooms in the middle of the night shooting,” Greg asks.

“That’s up to each team pair to do. Quiet them down immediately and let them know you are there to help but they have to be quiet,” I answer. “Ask for help from the older women if there are any young girls, or anyone else, who can’t control themselves.”

“Anything else up to this point?” Shaking heads answer. “Okay, contingencies. We’ll be formed up in a box in the woods during the initial penetration. If night runners appear while we’re still outside, we’ll fold up to the highway in a box pattern. Once on the highway, we’ll make our way to the overpass. That way we’ll only have two approaches to cover. The gig will be up and we’ll figure something else out afterwards. Let’s make sure to carry plenty of ammo.” I look around and see everyone nodding.

“Any roving guards are to be left alone for the time being. Let them pass. If discovery is imminent, then they are to be taken down as quietly as possible and the body or bodies hidden. If we get involved in a firefight, we’ll gauge our options at that time. We’re greatly outnumbered with shooters on high ground all around us. Henderson and Denton will start taking out the tower guards if that happens. Again, the gig will be up and we’ll weigh our options if we’re discovered; whether to press on or engage in a fighting withdrawal. If we’re discovered rescuing the women, we’ll hustle them into the gym. At that point, we’re committed. We’ll need to help Henderson and Denton out as their asses will be flapping in the breeze. Echo, that’s your job. Greg, get the captives in the gym and then you’re out with your team clearing the towers,” I say.

“Gotcha,” he says.

“One last thing, if it looks like the tower to the south will be a problem upon our entry, then we’ll take it out the same manner but with Henderson eventually manning that one and Denton in tower five,” I add.

“Thus the second ladder,” Lynn says.

“Yep, thus the second ladder,” I say nodding.

“My jaw aches from so much talking so it’s your turn,” I say addressing the group as a whole.

“I don’t really have anything to add,” Lynn says.

“Me either,” Greg comments with the rest shaking their heads.

“Let’s rest up, keep our watches, and brief your teams when they come in. Oh, and keep my fine work of art clear to use for your briefings or if you need another look or two,” I say.

The rest of the afternoon floats by lazily yet with a prevalent tension knowing action is coming up. We have another night and day until we go in but there is always a certain amount of anxiety present when a known operation is on the horizon. Part of it is the ‘let’s get on with it’ aspect. The waiting game is a hard one. I sit for most of the time staring down at the diagram looking for something I’ve overlooked or missed. Lynn sits quietly with me; our hands clasped. We chat, share a laugh or two, or talk seriously about a variety of subjects but my mind is never far from my kids or the plan.

The evening and night passes in much the same manner as the one prior. It’s hard to sleep on the hard floor of the Humvee even with the cushion of a sleeping bag nestled below. Couple that with the aroma of a few people who haven’t been introduced to a shower in a couple of days and it makes it a very interesting place indeed to try to rest. The morning dawns with a few yawns and a scramble to get out of the Humvee. Apparently, several others share my thoughts on the locker room smell and are in need of some fresh air.

We head off in a couple of vehicles to sight in the 110’s leaving a skeleton crew behind to monitor the camp. We head slowly down the access road and up the side road for several miles finding an old rock quarry. The sun beams brightly as we shoulder our M-110’s and begin sighting in. A line of clouds paint the sky to the west indicating a front coming in. I monitor them and notice they aren’t advancing quickly so we should have a clear night. I’m anxious to be done here and get started toward the compound. It’s going to take me some time to maneuver around the camp and place the steaks.

We finally finish and make our way back to camp. The going is slow so as not to raise a dust cloud and to also erase our tracks. We pull up with the heat of the day climbing. There is a palpable increase in humidity and I glance again at the clouds on the horizon. They haven’t moved. We clean our weapons and I begin to gather my gear. I’ll be meeting the rest of the teams in the woods close to the camp after I finish. I think about taking Lynn or McCafferty as more eyes are better, especially seeing I’ll have to transit outlying residential areas to the north of the high school. I’ll have to swing very wide of the compound and come down from the north so I’m not seen from the towers and then exit in the same manner. The one aspect about heading through residential areas is that no one is likely to be around. Our lookouts monitoring the camp will be able to let us know if someone heads in our direction.

I talk to Lynn about taking someone with me. After she recovers from her shock and actually reaches up to my forehead to see if I’m alright, she mentions she’d like to go. As she so delicately put it, “I’ll be there to be the ‘anti-stupid move or decision’ person,” she said with a big smile. We kid each other a lot but never really mean it. Our skins are thick enough to handle a little fun sarcasm.

“Are you saying I don’t make good decisions?” I ask giving my fake shocked look.

“Jack, you attract all sorts of odd situations,” she says.

“Huh! Name one,” I reply.

“One!? Why don’t you make it a little more difficult? Okay, how about everyone needing to urinate when you’re in a hallway,” she says and is on the verge of listing more. I’m sure she has quite the list stored up.

“Okay, point taken,” I say leaning over quickly to kiss her on the forehead.

“Are we ready?” She asks patting her vest and checking her mags.

“Just about,” I say reaching in and cutting a couple long strips of cardboard from the boxes we brought supplies in.

Lynn watches with her head tilted to the side wondering what is in store. I have a theory that she only stays with me to see what ridiculous idea I’ll come up with next. It’s like I have an entertainment value for her. I call Henderson and Denton over. I grab a roll of duct tape, roll the cardboard strips around the muzzle of the 110’s they’re carrying, and tape them securely into place. Even Greg has taken an interest in the proceedings. The rifles end up with a cardboard tube extending approximately a foot and a half from the muzzle.

“What’s that for?” Lynn asks.

“It’s an old trick I learned. It helps to keep the muzzle flash from being seen from the side. When we take out tower five, the flash won’t be seen from the other towers to the side,” I say handing Henderson’s weapon to him and begin working on Denton’s.

“You’re such a dork, Jack,” Lynn comments smiling at my handiwork.

“Hmmm… Rather ingenious. Does it work?” Greg asks.

“Well, it did to an extent. Can’t completely cover any flash but it did minimize it to the side. Of course, the light is then focused to the front making it much more visible to those in front but I’m more worried about it being seen from the side towers,” I answer. “If the guards in tower five see it, it will be followed shortly by the cause of the flash thereby rendering the sighting moot.”

I check my equipment and prepare to head off with Lynn. “You do know I’m kidding when I make those comments, right?” Lynn asks making sure her words are for my ears only.

“Of course. I wouldn’t have you any other way,” I answer seeing a hint of worry in her eyes. The worry vanishes with my words and is replaced by those blue eyes I just melt in.

“I love you,” I say.

“I love you too, Jack.” I still can’t figure out why but that’s not important.

“Shall we,” I say offering my elbow.

“Why of course my charming prince,” she says taking my arm.

“Oh, shit, forgot our beef,” I say turning back.

Gathering the steaks wrapped in large baggies, I look for where to stash them. I eventually decide to put some inside my vest and Lynn does the same. “I know where I’m going for dinner,” I say watching her stash two bags in the top of her vest.

“You wish you were so lucky,” she says and starts off.

We maneuver through the trees and shrubs, passing where I headed into the school grounds, until we get to a point further north. We then cut to the east and cross the highway without problems. Pushing slowly through more trees and ground covered in large bushes, we arrive at a wooden fence. The length of it, stretching away to the right and left, seems to be the boundary of a housing development or a series of backyards. Whichever it is, I don’t see an entry point along this length.

“It’s over we go I guess,” I say.

“We could try going around,” Lynn suggests.

“True. I think we’d find the same thing though. Time is not our friend,” I say. “Here, let me boost you up and take a peek.”

I lace my fingers together and form a cup for her to step in. She slowly edges up until she can barely see over the fence. “It looks clear,” she says after a moment and steps back to the ground.

“Okay, boost me then I’ll lift you up,” I say.

Shouldering my M-4, I step into her cupped hands and lift myself up. Straddling the fence, I lie across it to minimize my silhouette.

“Geez, Jack. Have you been eating everything that isn’t nailed down?”

I take Lynn’s 110 and loop it over one of the wooden fence posts as she shoulders her M-4. We lock hands to elbows and I lift as she pulls. She is over the fence in a short time. She grabs her M-110, shoulders it, and cradles her M-4 as I drop to the ground. We enter a backyard and scan the house we so rudely intruded upon. Nothing moves. The red swing set sits still, reminiscent of better times. The laughter of kids playing should be filling this yard but it is now only filled with memories. An inflatable pool is empty with one side deflated as if mimicking this new world. Scattered toys lie where they were last played with and forgotten.

A faint, rotten smell wafts through the back yard. We move to the side fence that opens to the street in front. It’s a shorter version of the wooden fence surrounding the rest of the yard. Pressed against the house, I look out from the corner. A street stretches straight ahead with similar houses lining it. A couple of streets branch off to the sides. The main street ends in a cul-de-sac in front of the house we are at and terminates at another main street in the distance; a red stop sign indicating its end.

“It looks clear. We’ll take opposite sides of the street and do a bounding cover advance up the street; two houses at a time,” I say. “I’ll go first on the right.”

Being on opposite sides of the street will give us better and wider views of the area and allow us to see things from different angles. I don’t think anyone is still around given the nature of the neighbors to the south but better safe than sorry.

“Okay, Jack, let’s do this,” Lynn replies.

I open the small gate and step out, keeping to the front of the houses as I make my way around the cul-de-sac. I come to rest by the corner of the second house and look over the area. I nod when I’m reasonably sure it’s clear. Lynn darts out from the yard, passing me on the opposite side of the street, and takes up a position at the corner one house down. She looks for a moment and nods. I rise and stop in a similar position two houses later. I check the side yards, windows, cars, and listen. I nod and Lynn proceeds. In this fashion, we reach the end of the street.

The street ahead of us is the main road that runs by the high school. The sun is almost directly overhead. The afternoon has begun. We’ll have to move slower as we get closer to the camp. We have time but not enough to set up camp and tell war stories. The red truck cruising around has never left my mind and, for this reason, the road in front of me has me nervous. We’re far enough away and around a bend in the road from the towers so I’m not worried about being seen by anyone there. It’s the truck and any other wandering patrols they might have.

“You watch, I’ll go,” I say into the radio.

“I’ve got you,” Lynn responds.

I rise and, with a look to the left and right, dash across. Going slow or creeping across a road is a truly useless action. I settle into bushes on the far side and wait. Nothing.

“Go,” I say.

Lynn dashes across and joins me. We enter a small band of trees and turn south, entering another neighborhood and make our way slowly through. Nearing an area adjacent to the school, we scale another fence and enter a large wooded expanse filled with trails. The area between the various trails is dense so we should be able to keep from being seen as long as someone from the compound doesn’t decide to take their afternoon power walk. I always thought it was crazy to have a densely wooded area across from a high school but maybe that was me being jealous that I didn’t have one like it when I went to school. On further thought, it’s probably a good idea there wasn’t.

We find a secluded spot and settle in. “What are we doing? I thought we were going to leave these and head back,” Lynn asks taking out the steaks.

“We made better time than I thought and we have time. If we put these out too early, I’m afraid any animals or wandering packs of dogs might get to them rendering the whole idea moot,” I answer. “They still might but at least the smell may linger.”

“Good point,” she says settling in next to me.

We wait out the afternoon listening to the squirrels and other small animals scurry about. I’m surprised to an extent that there doesn’t seem to be a population decrease with night runners about but I guess they would only be an additional predator to them. Or the night runners haven’t ventured here as yet. A thought occurs wondering how long the night runners can live if they can only hunt at night. There aren’t really that many predators that hunt at night for the very reason that a lot of prey has gone to ground. I mean, the large prey can’t so maybe they’ll survive. I wonder how the behavior of animals will change with a dramatic increase in the amount of night predators. Lynn always said I had too much time on my hands and these thoughts are the result of said time.

Afternoon rays of sun reach the forest floor in small strips of light and take on a more brown-orange tint as the day heads into late afternoon. Rising from where I had laid down, I mention it’s time to go. We take out the steaks which have turned from the delicious looking red to a less delicious brown-gray. Tossing them into the surrounding brush, we retrace our route to a point close to the highway and turn south to rendezvous with the rest of the teams.

The sun is behind the hills turning the surrounding area into the blue-gray shade of dusk. All of us are in the trees just out of sight of the camp in a box formation. We’ll move up just before the pure dark of the night in order to situate ourselves. My nerves are riding high. Being out in the dark with this many bodies and night runners possibly lurking in the area makes me extremely nervous. We sprayed the scent eliminator but who knows just how helpful that is with the tremendous capabilities of the night runners. Greg and I have also donned our stalks of grass. Waiting has always been the hardest part for me. Let’s just get it done one way or the other as far as I’m concerned.

Darkness closes in and faint shrieks reach our position in the trees as if vocally signaling the official beginning of night. Other shrieks sound from the east; across the compound. It’s only a matter of time before the night runners venture this way.

“Henderson, Denton, do you have shots?” I ask quietly.

“Yes, sir. They’re all lined up as long as the spotlight is to the side,” Henderson answers for both.

“Okay, Greg, let’s move,” I say grabbing a ladder.

I move out the same as I did two nights prior. Only this time I have the ladder underneath me as I move forward lifting me a little higher than I’d like. The lights pan across a couple of times and I bury myself as far into the ground as I can get. The beam focuses primarily in the trees but this time, on the third pass, it is sweeping directly across the grass. Uh oh, I think lowering my head. The pounding in my heart increases to the point that I hope I’m not shaking the grass nearby. The ground lightens as the spotlight inches closer. Well, it pans but it feels like it moves in inches. The ground grows lighter by the second until I am bathed in its radiance. The light stops.

The individual stalks cast their own shadow in the beam’s intensity. I can’t see much as the goggles haven’t adjusted to the intensity of the light change as yet. I have my head burrowed so I haven’t achieved a white-out condition but the clarity is gone. Thoughts wonder as to why the light has stopped but deep down, I know we’ve been spotted. Rise now and take the shot? Why hasn’t Henderson or Denton taken the shot? I don’t dare move to press the mic button to tell them to do so before the guards get a radio call out. Lynn is there and she’ll make the right call. My job is to lie perfectly still. The light stays.

Minutes pass — actually seconds. My nerves are on the highest edge and my mind warns my body to be prepared for pain. I just hope the team can get the kids out. I don’t care so much what happens to me just as long as they’re safe. The light beside me dims and darkness takes its place. I raise my head and see the light moving off to my right. I’m surprised my sigh doesn’t blow a six foot deep hole in the ground. A quick wave of nausea passes through me and I start to move again. I have just taken twenty years off my life but I’m still around.

I reach the fence and slide through at an opportune time and hold it open for Greg. We close it without sealing it and stalk up to the base of the tower. My whole body is still tingling from the close call but is settling down. I set the ladder down and lie in the grass with Greg by the opposite post. I give a thumbs up and see his in return through the green glow.

The spotlight is still off to the side panning around in the trees. “Henderson, Denton, when you have a moment, we’re ready,” I whisper into the radio.

Two soft claps reach out along with a corresponding double flash from within the depth of the trees. The claps are so close together they sound as if it’s almost one. The two 7.62mm rounds streak toward their destination uncaring what that might be. The first strikes one of the guards just to the right of the bridge of his nose and is deflected to the right ever so slightly. It mushrooms only a bit and the now slightly warped bullet passes through the tear duct meeting little to no resistance as it destroys the eye before entering the brain and impacting the rear of the cranium at a high rate of speed. There, it mushrooms fully and explodes out of the back taking a significant amount of the skull with it. A chunky spray, consisting of brain matter, blood, flesh, bone fragments, and hair, blows backward. The guard never knew what hit him. The nerve signals from the nose began their travel to the brain at light speed, firing several synapses along the way before being unable to continue. If the feel of the bullet striking the nose was even registered, it was so quick as to be non-existent. The guard was checking for movement along the beam of the spotlight and then all went black. Nothingness.

The second round hits the other guard in the middle of the forehead. The upward trajectory of the streaking projectile causes the bullet to angle sharply upward. The thick bone of the guard’s forehead mushrooms and splinters the shell as it penetrates the skull. Taking a sharp upward angle, the steel-core round slams into the top of the cranium and exits taking a large part of the guard’s head with it, splattering the ceiling of the guard tower with gore. The first guard’s head snaps backwards. His body follows and he drops from sight. The second guard’s body stands for a moment as if not believing it’s been injured and then falls heavily to the floor.

The spotlight flashes skyward and is lost from sight. The beam comes to rest, shining upward onto the ceiling of the tower. Greg and I rise as one and quickly pull the tactical ladder into its full upright position and attach the small hooks on the end to the tower overhang. With me holding the ladder, Greg quickly scales quietly upward. The ladder is made of hardened plastic which allows for a silent climb. I hear faint static from the radio above. The spotlight beam moves and is once again panning the area, carefully avoiding the team that has crept to the edge of the trees.

Another burst of static from the radio. I hear Greg faintly, “Yeah, it’s all good. I dropped the fucking thing.”

“Okay, Lynn, go,” I say lying once again in the grass at the base of the tower.

I sight in on the other side tower — tower four — and see nothing amiss. The soft sound of grass swishing against pants legs penetrates the area around the tower but not loud enough to be heard from any distance. I watch as Lynn slides through the fence and holds it open for the others. She then heads by me, pausing only to give me a firm hand squeeze on my shoulder, and, with the other team members following, makes her way slowly to the trees. McCafferty crouches beside me. Henderson and Denton arrive and quickly scale the tower as I hold the ladder steady. Greg climbs down and the ladder is pulled up. We are in and it was like a mist flowing rapidly onshore; swift and quiet.

A shriek echoes through the trees we just vacated. That was cutting it a bit close and other shrieks respond from the woods across the compound, seemingly from the area Lynn and I were in earlier that afternoon. That ought to keep the guards busy for a while, I think watching the spotlights swing in the direction of the howls. Greg, McCafferty and I creep slowly through the grass and arrive in the trees. The only indications that the copse is occupied are the lumps on the ground behind trees. I only know they are there because of the NVG’s and, well, because I know they are supposed to be there. I guess if there were a tension meter present, that would indicate we were there as well.

“Okay, Lynn, keep ’em down. We’re heading to the gym,” I say once we all settle into place.

“Copy that, Jack. Good luck,” she whispers back in the radio.

I tap McCafferty at my side. She nods and, rising, we head in a slow crouch to my favorite dumpster and fold into the corner. I take a step toward the pool building corner when I hear the faint crunch of a footstep. Fuck! Really?! I think as I turn and quickly motion McCafferty back to the dumpster. The step sounds close. I direct us quickly to the opposite side of the dumpster. We don’t really fit as there are two of us but we really don’t have much of a choice. We’re both hidden by the large green container but not as well as I’d like. I hear the very faint shuffling of footsteps.

“Jack, what’s up?” Lynn asks whispering.

“I hear footsteps,” I answer quietly.

A pause. “Jack, there’s no one there,” Lynn says.

“I swear I hear faint footsteps,” I respond but am confused. I don’t doubt Lynn’s words but they aren’t corresponding with what my ears are telling me.

“I don’t see a thing,” she replies. “Oh, wait, one guard just entered the light by the main entrance. How in the fuck did you hear that?”

“You got me,” I whisper. Funny thing is that I don’t hear the steps anymore. What I do notice is a slight headache but that has become the norm lately. I also know I’m in for the ‘you can hear just fine’ conversation later. Providing there is a later.

Lynn keeps me abreast of the guard’s position and it’s obvious my roving friend has returned. He is heading our way and the teams in the trees make themselves deep, dark holes. The flashlight arrives in much the same manner as the previous evening. McCafferty is behind me in the corner. I whisper that we’ll let him pass but if we’re spotted, I’ll take him. If there isn’t time or I’m too slow, she’s to take him out. I quietly hand her my M-4 and take out my six-inch, double-bladed knife. The flashlight on the ground in front of me advances.

My adrenals kick into a higher gear. Guards close by tend to do that. I take a deep breath to calm myself, releasing it through the shemagh wrapped securely around my head. Then it’s back to the short breaths. My body is both tense and relaxed as the beam moves closer, lighting the ground in front of me. The radiant light it casts illuminates my knees but only barely. This location isn’t the best for two people but it’s what we have.

The light advances slowly and the guard comes into view. The grip on my knife tightens. I’d prefer to let the guard pass as he’d be missed soon if we were to take him out. He stops, occupying almost the identical spot as before only this time it isn’t for a cigarette. It’s apparent his subconscious has told him something is amiss. Whether that came from a glimpse out of the corner of his eye or otherwise, it’s there. He turns his head in my direction.

I uncoil and launch at him. My movement causes him to take a step to the side in an attempt to face me. His light starts a quick pan towards me and his hand reaches for the handgun in a holster at his side. Thank goodness for small miracles, I think closing the space between us quickly. Time slows. I see the beam of his light coming around as his other hand fumbles for his gun. His eyes widen as he sees a shape rise out of the darkness so close and flash toward him; knowing he won’t get his gun free in time. Knowing this doesn’t change his attempt to do so however. His mind is locked on what it knows. He throws his arm holding the flashlight up at the last moment to ward off the dark shape closing in on him. Fear and panic are written all over his face.

I notice he isn’t wearing a vest nor is there the bulk of one under his shirt. I bring my hand up over his upraised arm on my second step and fold around behind him. My hand goes to his face covering his mouth and I pinch his nostrils closed. Stepping behind him, I draw my knife back and, holding the blade horizontal, plunge it under his rear rib cage on the right striking upward. The horizontal blade is in case I miss the bottom of the rib cage. If that happens, it will allow the knife to continue on its path through the ribs. I hold the knife firmly but with a loose grip in case I strike directly on the rib. This allows some flexibility to the blade and lets it to fold over or under the rib if needed.

My strike is true and the razor sharp edges rip through his shirt, pierce the skin, and enter the kidneys. The kidneys have a lot of blood vessels and nerve endings. A knife to the kidneys causes so much pain that the person becomes almost immobilized and bleeds out quickly. I feel the guard’s body stiffen in my grasp and any struggle that was there before ceases. I quickly twist my knife from side to side and then vertical. Warm blood washes over my hand. Another spasm and the guard begins to go limp, dropping the flashlight to the ground with its beam illuminating a small path toward the tennis courts.

I withdraw my blade, pull the body tightly against me to prevent it from falling, and drag it quickly into the trees. McCafferty is right there, reaches down, and turns the flashlight off. Easing the body to the ground in the trees, I know that our time is now limited. The guard is expected back by someone at some point. My feeling is that point in time is not far off as I remember him entering the rear entrance shortly after passing by me two nights prior. I do a quick search, find his radio, and turn it off so the noise of any radio calls won’t put the teams still in the trees in danger.

“We have two choices,” I tell McCafferty as she returns my M-4. “We can either go in with our previously planned entry or go in the rear entrance. Whoever is there will think it’s their buddy coming in and, if there are only one or two guards, we can clear it quickly. He’s going to be missed soon.”

“I think our original route is the safer and easier way, sir, but if the alarm is sounded or his buddies go looking for him, that changes everything,” McCafferty replies.

“I agree. I’m not a big fan of the light over the entrance. I think we should go in as we planned. We’ll have to be quicker than I like inside but I don’t see that we have a choice,” I say.

“Lead on, sir,” she responds.

We rise and head to the corner of the pool building with Lynn and the group helping to keep a watch. Several shrieks sound from both sides of the camp and faint ones answer from farther away. The night runners may or may not help. They will at least keep the tower guards busy looking outside the camp but if there get to be too many night runners, then the guards may wake the others. Maybe the steak idea wasn’t so great after all.

I slip around the corner and head quickly for the pool entrance door. I hear the soft tread of McCafferty’s boots behind.  A quick listen and peek inside shows nothing but the same pattern of lights from the pool splashing against the walls and ceiling. We fold inside shutting the door quietly. Quickly slipping up to the locker room, I listen and edge into the darkened room lit only by our goggles. My pulse is racing. I don’t like to move too fast but sometimes situations dictate moving quickly. This is one of those times. If the guard’s friends start roaming around looking for him, noise is bound to happen.

I grab a couple of towels and stick them in my vest. A quick listen at the hallway door and we are in it. I go to the right this time heading to the rear entrance. I have McCafferty keep an eye behind as we slink down the long hallway. A faint pattern of lights splay against the side wall by both the small window leading into the gym and the larger ones leading into the rear entrance foyer. I glance quickly into the gym. The two guards are still watching over the main gym from the upper level. I move on. I look into the foyer through the nearest large glass pane of the double doors. A guard is peering out through one of the exterior door windows with his hand cupped around his eyes. His head looks back and forth apparently searching for his friend.

“There’s only one and he’s anxious,” I whisper to McCafferty. “Handguns only. I’ll take him and you cover.”

We crouch under the glass panes with our shoulders to the door. I double one of the towels over my gun leaving the barrel free, nod, and we push outward. The guard turns at the opening of the doors but is too late. I center on the mass of his body. A clap fills the foyer as my sub-sonic round leaves the chamber and intersects with his chest staggering him backward into the doors. He kicks a chair and sends it scooting a short distance across the linoleum floor. Recovering quickly from the light kick, I aim again and I press lightly on the trigger. Another clap and blood erupts from his face spraying a pattern on the glass pane. The tinkling of the brass cartridges hitting the floor follows but stops after a couple of bounces. He slides down a metal pole between the two doors. His feet kick out and he falls to a sitting position, resting momentarily, and then slumps over.

I point to the heavy steel doors and windows leading into the main gym. McCafferty edges over and peers in. She turns and gives a thumbs up indicating that no one seems to have heard our little ruckus. I nod and walk over to the body keeping my gun ready in case the guard decides to rise and give us trouble. I see a small hole in his shirt from the first round entering just offset from the sternum close to the heart and a large part of the left side of his face torn asunder by the 9mm colliding with it at high speed.

With McCafferty watching into the main gym, I holster my Beretta and drag the body into the hallway. I take a towel and swiftly wipe the blood streak across the floor. With the other towel, I try to erase a large part of the blood splatter that is now running down the door and window in streaks. Giving a quiet “tsk” to McCafferty, we withdraw back to the hallway. I toss the towels on the body and stalk toward the other end. The timer, meaning our previous short measure of time available, has stopped. We are now back on our own schedule to an extent.

I make a hurried stop in the locker room again to pick out a couple more towels from the large, wheeled bin. A look to make sure all is as it should be in the main gym, with a glance at Robert lying on the same cot he was in before, and we are at the doors leading to the main foyer. Two guards are sitting in plastic chairs close to the main entrance.

“I’ve got left, you have right. As soon as they’re down, get your M-4 and keep an eye on the gym as before,” I whisper to McCafferty. She nods and we gently lean our M-4’s against the wall.

I hand her a towel and we drape them over our Beretta’s. A nod and the doors are pushed open. She is quicker than I as I have to come around the opening door. The subdued sound of two rounds leaving the chamber echoes off the blue-painted tiles of the walls. The two guards, whose heads were just beginning to turn toward us, are launched off their chairs. One chair slides a couple of feet across the floor as its previous resident tumbles to the floor. The other guard takes his chair over with him. Both hit the floor with solid thumps. One guard attempts to roll over. Two additional subdued claps fill the foyer followed by a faint metallic “tink”. The moving guard collapses.

I point to the window and walk steadily across the foyer pointing my handgun at the unmoving bodies. Small pools of blood are forming around both. Again, small holes in their shirts indicate where rounds entered. McCafferty’s second round hit the guard in the throat and a large pool forms joining the smaller one. My second one took the guard in the soft spot under the chin. The open eyes are filled with blood indicating massive trauma inside the head. A large sound emanates from one of the guards and an atrocious smell fills the air. Yeah, that’s the part I absolutely hate!

My nose is assaulted and nausea quickly rises. I know, it sounds strange with all of the other sights but this affects me to the greatest degree. I back away glancing at McCafferty who gives me another thumbs up that all is well inside. She heard the sound as well, watches my reaction with a smile, and turns back to the window. I give a report to Lynn, pick up the guard who hasn’t shit himself yet and drag him into the hallway. Looking down at the other guard, I take a deep breath and drag him across the floor. The trail he leaves behind is a significantly different color than the first one. If anything, the stench gets worse. I drop him on his buddy, grab my M-4 and exit the hall with speed.

Doing my best to not silhouette myself in the door windows leading outside, I do a hasty cleanup with the towels using my boots to scoot the towels along. I am not cleaning that up with my hands.

“You okay?” McCafferty asks as I join her.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I answer. “The only way to the upper gym is by a flight of stairs on either side of the main gym. You keep a watch and signal when they’re not watching. I’m going to the far door and I’ll enter when you tell me.”

“Why don’t we just take them out from here? It’s an easy shot, sir,” She asks.

“There’s a chance, slim as it is, that we could miss or only injure them and they could call it in. Our M-4’s are significantly louder and our shots may cause some of those inside to yell, scream, or otherwise make a fuss. One screams and it’s like a fast-moving virus. It’s contagious. Anything heard outside of the building and their cavalry will come running. We can’t afford that. The teams outside are vulnerable,” I whisper.

She nods and I head down to the main gym entry door closest to the stairs. It pulls outward and I grab the handles waiting for McCafferty’s signal. My impatience grows as the others are still outside and, although hidden, at risk of discovery. McCafferty finally raises her arm and brings it down sharply, pointing at me. I pull the door open quietly, slip inside staying against the wall, and quickly move in a crouch to the door leading to the upper gym stairs. The main gym is still dimly lit but my vision is clear. Reaching the door, I know I am hidden from the guards by the folded bleachers.

“You’re clear,” McCafferty’s voice comes quietly through my earpiece.

I look over at Robert and see him, across the gym floor, staring up at the ceiling. He moves his head looking around. Soon, Son, soon, I think slowly opening the stair door. I creep silently up the stairs. Reaching the top landing, the doors are the same as most of the other gym doors, a small window inset to the door that limits the view. I suppose this configuration cuts down on the glass repair purchases by the school district but it certainly isn’t helping me.

I can’t see the guards no matter how much I twist and turn my head in the small window even with the goggles up. I ease the door open a crack and am rewarded by a view of the guard’s backs.

“If they turn quickly, enter and take a shot,” I whisper to McCafferty.

“Will do, sir,” she replies.

I leave my M-4 against the wall and ease the door open more. It’s an awkward angle as just the slightest head turn will allow either one of them to see me in their peripheral. It’s dim here as well but I’m anything but invisible. I edge quietly and directly to the middle of the floor to prevent that slight head turn from seeing me. They are standing close together but I can’t hear any of their conversation if they are having one. I have my Beretta aimed directly at them in case of a creaky board or they suddenly decide they’d like to see what the far wall behind looks like. One small, silent step after another. My sights are visible in the greenish glow and centered on the guard to the left. I edge closer.

* * *

Robert lies on his cot feeling anxious. It was no surprise his dad was able to get in and see him two nights prior. He said he would be back with the teams tonight. Waiting for something to happen is making time pass ever so slowly. He glances up at the guards overlooking his area and looks around hoping to see some sign of a team member. One of his worries is not knowing what to do when they do come. Should he just stay put or attempt to help? Not that there is much he can do without a weapon. Maybe they’ll bring him one and pull him into whatever their plan is.

He stares at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. His thoughts race. Two prominent ones stand out. The first is hoping that Michelle, well, along with Bri and his mom, is okay and they all make it through. He thinks about his mom and finding her again. His heart lifts at the thought and knowing she is okay. The other prominent thought is trying to visualize what plan the teams will come up with. Will they be bursting in at any moment and take the guards down or will it be more of stealth approach? His plan would be of the stealth variety such as his dad used with the night runners in the CDC. Night runners! How are they going to handle that? He’d swear his dad said they were coming two nights hence. The fact that his dad was just a foot away from him in an armed camp brings a smile to his face. He sure would like to hear stories of his dad’s past but he stays pretty tight-lipped about those.

He hashes and rehashes the conversation but still comes up with that his dad said tonight was the night. He was able to tell Michelle, Bri, Gonzalez, and his mom. Gonzalez reminded them not to try anything even if an opportunity arose. He carefully looks around the gym again. He doesn’t want to look too much or try to make it obvious he’s looking for something. It looks just as it did before with no sign of anyone. There’s no sound of gunfire from outside either. He thinks about the night runners and how they’re going to get past them or, for that matter, exist outside the fence at night. There doesn’t seem to be any way the teams could get in during the day without being seen. No, his dad said they were coming in at night.

I guess they could set up a distraction of some kind, he thinks as time passes. Robert occupies his time by coming up with his own plans about how he would assault or infiltrate the school. He discards idea after idea as he comes to an impasse or an obstacle that prevents a successful conclusion. He’s been with his dad for many years so knows how to think unconventionally. That’s one aspect his dad set firmly in him; the ability to think outside of the box. If there was a conventional way of doing things, you could bet his dad would be doing something completely different. Robert’s thoughts go back to how he would plan it. He would take out a section of guard posts first. Of course that would depend on how they operated at night and their radio procedures if they had any. This place wouldn’t be too hard but the classrooms would be a different story. There are a lot of guards around so it depends on their response. The plan in Robert’s head centers on locating and taking out the barracks first. Keeping the hostages out of the line of fire would be important as well. He starts calculating the number of teams he would need in order to do all he’s come up with.

The young kid closest to the door stirs. Robert turns his head slowly to look thinking perhaps his dad is slithering on the floor coming to let him know he’s here. If his dad offers to take him and help free Michelle, he’s definitely jumping on that. He doesn’t see anything other than the boy settling back down and pulling the thin cover up having apparently rolled over. A bit of wind escapes from the boy and Robert shakes his head. He focuses back on the ceiling to continue his thoughts; waiting. He looks over the far side of the gym momentarily. A glimmer of movement catches his eye. Was that the door to the upper gym closing? He thinks so but he’s not really sure he even saw anything move. His thoughts idle back to the number of team members he’d need as he ponders where he’d put them and what they’d have to do to get everyone out. Two muted claps in rapid succession echo from the upper gym followed by two equally muted thumps. He looks to the upper gym railing to see the guards have vanished. He smiles. The teams are here.

* * *

The two guards drop heavily to the floor with most of their faces obliterated. The two rounds entered close at the base of their skulls and traveled upward by the angle of my shots. The exit wounds removed most of their sinus cavities on one side. They will definitely need closed-casket funerals. A little of the fine red mist still hangs in the air before gravity takes effect and brings the tiny droplets downward joining the meaty chunks that have already fallen. I’m not concerned about hiding the bodies as the gym is now clear. If anyone who matters makes it this far, we’ll have already been done for.

“Lynn, the gym is clear. You’re up,” I say. “Bring everyone in via the gym door so we aren’t spotlighted by the outside light.”

“Copy that, Jack, we’re heading in. Keep the doors open. Call you soon,” she responds.

I head downstairs to see several people have woken and are sitting on their cots. McCafferty has entered and is going from cot to cot waking the young, old, and middle-aged, holding a finger to her lips as she wakes each one. Robert is mimicking her actions. I walk over and give him a big hug.

“I wasn’t looking hard but I never saw or heard either of you,” he says as we release each other.

“Well, I’m certainly feeling the age thing and definitely not as quick as I used to be. We were almost caught a few times,” I say smiling and give him a quick rundown of the plan.

“I ran it through my mind and would have taken down the barracks first,” he replies after I finish.

“Yeah, I thought about that and there’s more than one way to do something,” I respond.

We wake the rest of the people in the gym telling them to keep the noise down and not to move. There’s a propensity to start talking quietly in gatherings such as this, especially with tension present, which quickly grows to a murmur and eventually ends in an all-out roar. Any voice is hurriedly squelched. I hand Robert my M-110, a spare radio I packed along, and have him guard the south entrance telling him to stay out of sight. I put McCafferty in a similar position by the north entrance door. I head into the pool, gagging on the horrible stench in the hallway as I pass through, and wait by the pool entrance door.

* * *

“Lynn, the gym is clear. You’re up,” Lynn hears Jack over the radio. “Bring everyone in via the gym door so we aren’t spotlighted by the outside light.”

“Copy that, Jack, we’re heading in. Keep the doors open. Call you soon,” she responds.

She takes a last look around to assure herself that all is clear. Several shrieks emanate from the woods to both sides of the camp. The sounds make her heart beat a little faster. The adrenaline, increased with Jack’s call, now heightens even more with the sound of the night runners so near. She rises and dark shapes hidden beneath the trees rise with her; the shapes transitioning from invisibility to darkened silhouettes.

Black and Echo teams dart across the road in pairs and come to rest against the walls of the classroom building where the women are being held. Lynn looks through one of the entrance door windows to a long hallway filled with lockers. It’s dark inside but it shows up in the glow of her goggles. Nothing moves. She slowly opens the door. The teams slip quietly inside with Black team kneeling by the lockers on either side of the hall covering the length. She crouches at the head of the line and listens. Nothing. The silence wraps around her. Action is close by and the tension can be felt in the darkness.

She knows the timing will have to be right to prevent any collateral casualties. Somewhere in the unlit classrooms lie Gonzalez, Bri, and Michelle. This has the potential to get ugly quick if any noise is made. The sleeping guards are just a building over and if they’re awakened by any noise, the teams will have their hands full in a short period of time. If that happens, she’ll have Greg and Echo Team pull the captives out quickly while she and Black Team cover their withdrawal. She’ll set up a line of defense and go from there.

She rises in the pitch-black corridor that once housed boisterous students moving from class to class; exchanging greetings, stories, and plans. Lynn moves silently next to lockers that are now forever silent; another testament to a time past. As she passes each classroom door, she points and assigns two team members to each starting with Greg and Echo Team. That way, they’ll have a leader at each end. She creeps silently down the hall assigning doors until she reaches the sixth and kneels with another Black Team member at the entrance. The silence and tension filling the interior of the hall is palpable.

Her heart pounds as she reaches the door. She doesn’t know exactly what she will see once the door swings open but is relying on Jack’s description. She would use the fiberscopes but knows, with the low point of view, that it will not give her what she needs. She feels her heart pounding; felt even in her cheeks. The plan is for all teams to open the doors at the same time, rush in, and clear the guards quickly. It’s important to immediately start quieting the people lying on their cots inside. The sight of strangers rushing in with their goggles on and firing is sure to cause a panic if they aren’t quick with their reassurance.

Lynn looks back down the hallway. She sees just a part of each team member pressed close to the doors awaiting her command. At each door, one soldier stands a little ways back, leaning forward with his or her M-4 pointed down, ready to rush in while the other has the door knob firmly in hand. She sighs deeply to steady the tension and adrenaline coursing through her. Her thumb checks that her trusty carbine is on semi and raises her hand to the mic button.

“All teams, go!” She whispers firmly.

The once silent hall fills with the turning of latches, the slight squeal of doors being swung rapidly open, the metallic rattle of sling swivels moving as weapons are raised, and the squeak of boots moving on the linoleum floor. The rush of movement is felt more than heard. An almost imperceptible rush of air fills the corridor with the opening of six doors at once. Twelve bodies, once just darkened silhouettes against the classroom doors, vanish.

The soldier standing next to Lynn swings the door open on her command. The rush of air brushes by her cheek but it goes unnoticed as her focus is on the next three seconds. Reflex, movement, what her eyes tell her, followed by her body reacting. She sees lines of cots filling the room with drawn blinds across the windows; bookshelves to her left and right line the outside walls. With her M-4 at her shoulder and infrared aiming point on, she enters the room. Two men look up from behind a desk and begin to rise. A lit cigarette falls from the mouth of one, striking the desk with a small burst of sparks. She quickly moves further into the room with her companion close behind; the scuffle of his boots the only sound.

“What are…” Those are the only words one of the guards gets out as the thin light of her laser centers on his chest and her finger twitches; once, twice.

The two loud coughs of her carbine charges the room with energy. Two similar sounds erupt next to her right shoulder. The first guard is thrown backward into the chalkboard with a loud crash. Her bullets fly true, impacting in close succession on his chest. They rip past the rib cage and through the soft lung tissue before exiting the back and hitting the blackboard with two thudding collisions. Two blood spots flower on his chest as he hits the board and falls. He hits his chair off center and collapses sideways sending it scooting into the desk.

The second guard is hit in near identical locations and hits the chalkboard sending an eraser and several sticks of chalk flying. He too falls over his chair and to the floor with a thump. This scene is repeated in five other rooms. It’s all over quickly. There is no sound from the other classrooms. The sound of her suppressed gunfire covered any others. That’s a good thing, she thinks knowing that means they struck simultaneously.

Heads look up from the cots with her entrance, the guard’s attempted question, and the sound of their gunfire, quiet as it was.

“Everybody stay down and be quiet. We’re here to help,” Lynn says addressing the group as she directs her team member to assure the bodies are down for good. Lynn checks in with the other teams and they report the rooms are clear. Phase two is off to a good start.

One guard is apparently still in this world as she hears a gurgling emitting from behind the desk. It’s dark to the others in the room. The only sense they have available is the sound of her voice. There is a whimper from the far side of the room.

“It’s very important everyone stay quiet,” she says. “We’re here to get you out but we need your help.” Another shot rings out and the gurgling stops. Squeals erupt with the gunshot.

“Be quiet!” A voice commands from the darkened room.

“Gonzalez?” Lynn asks in a questioning voice and then locates her sitting on her cot.

“First Sergeant,” Gonzalez answers rising. The sound of one of their own talking to the invading strangers quiets the room.

Lynn walks over, shakes Gonzalez’ hand, and then pulls her into a quick embrace.

“Where are Bri and Michelle?” Lynn asks.

“I’m not sure. We were separated after dinner,” Gonzalez answers. Lynn gives a very quick synopsis of the situation and plan.

“Greg, start rounding up our guests. Black Team, fall back to the hall,” Lynn says into the radio.

She directs four of her team to the far end to cover the entrance and keep an eye out to see if they’ve drawn any attention to themselves. She keeps her partner with her to be able to support either team. Echo team members enter the hall and begin escorting the women out.

“Jack, we’re secure and bringing you company,” she calls.

“Roger that. Bring ‘em out. The outside looks clear,” Jack responds.

The hall fills with the shuffling of feet and murmurs of quiet conversation. Lynn breathes a sigh of relief. It’s not over by a long shot but they have the captives, are safe for now, and are on plan.

* * *

I step out into the dark night letting the door close silently behind me and crouch by the corner of the gym looking over to the office. I’m the eyes outside and I send prayers and good thoughts to those in the classroom building. I put a special wrap of protection around Bri. If anything goes wrong, she could be in the direct line of fire. I just don’t see any other way to get the kids free. I know the teams will do their best but once the first round leaves the chamber, all plans fall to the floor and variables are introduced.

I hear Lynn give the command on the radio. Seconds later, a series of quick strobes flash from the nearest classroom windows. It’s a rapid series, almost non-existent, and all falls dark once again. I check the office to see if the lights have drawn any attention. The same dull glow emits from the windows with no movement. I hear Lynn check in with the teams. It’s done. They have the rooms under control.

“Jack, we’re secure and bringing you company,” Lynn calls.

“Roger that. Bring ‘em out. The outside looks clear,” I respond.

I see the entrance doors open slowly. Two members of Echo exit and dart across the pavement to take stations near the edge of the trees. They will guide the captives to the pool door. The stars above provide a little light but the absence of the moon makes for a darker night. Two others exit and head to opposite corners of the building while Greg and the remaining Echo Team member crouch at the entrance door itself. Faces appear at the open doors. Greg gestures and a small group runs across the street to the trees and is guided to the door.

I tell each group to wait in the pool area as they pass by. I see Bri run in with one of the groups. I rise and meet her as she approaches, giving her one mighty hug. My heart soars at the sight of her. A tear of joy wells up in my eye and I feel the tension of worry evaporate. My kids are okay.

“I’m so glad to see you,” I say into her ear continuing to hold her close.

“Glad to see you too, Dad,” she replies.

I want to continue hugging her but time isn’t stopping for me. I release her and usher her inside. Michelle stands close by and I give her a nod, thankful she is safe as well. Julie stands in the background waiting for Bri. I can tell she’s a little confused. After all, I’m not her most favorite person in the world but the teams and I did just bring her out of the classrooms. Perhaps she doesn’t know what her position is with regards to the kids in this new world. I don’t know. She ends up giving me a tight-lipped look and turns with Bri toward the pool. I give Gonzalez a pat on the shoulder as she passes. The last of the groups cross the road and are followed by Echo Team. I tell Greg to have his team drop the claymores they are carrying by the door and escort the others into the main gym. He disappears and the door shuts.

“McCafferty, they’re on their way in and we’re up. Meet me outside of the pool,” I whisper.

“On my way, sir,” she replies.

“Lynn, they’re in. Head back and meet me at the pool door,” I say.

“Copy that, Jack. We’re on our way,” she responds. McCafferty arrives at about the same time as Black Team.

I have Lynn and her team help carry the claymores to where the guards have established their barracks. We creep through the silent building where the women were housed. The faint smell of gunpowder lingers from each open classroom door; a reminder of the quick assault. Wait about thirty-five minutes and there’ll be a lot more of that smell, I think passing the last open door.

We check the area before exiting the building and proceed quietly up to the doors of the barracks. I have Black Team leave the claymores and head back to the gym to help out Greg.

“Get everyone ready to start taking out the tower guards. Wait until you hear the first of the claymores go off and then start. McCafferty and I will wait here and clean up any leftovers,” I tell Lynn.

“Will do, Jack,” Lynn says giving me a quick kiss with her fingertips. Yeah, it’s awfully hard to kiss with NVG’s on. Black Team backtracks and disappears into the building we just traversed.

Crouching by the doors, with McCafferty keeping an eye out down a hall very similar to the one we just came through, I pull out the fuse pencils and line the claymores up. Taking a pair of pliers, I crimp each of the fuses and then place them in the fuse wells. I am crimping all of them quickly as the desired result is to have the claymores all go off at once. Any time delay between crimping them will result in that much time difference between the mines going off. It wouldn’t do to have the first one go off and the others explode into empty rooms. Kind of defeats the purpose.

Finishing with the fuses, I peer into the corridor through the window. Not only does the unlit building give me the creeps because of the experiences with night runners, but my proximity with people apparently causes them to have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be loaded down to a degree with the claymores which will slow any reaction time. I won’t have the time to place a set, go back out, grab more, and place them. Thirty minutes may seem like a long time but it passes by quickly when you are trying to be stealthy.

I edge along the lockers to the farthest door housing the guards. The stillness of the interior belies the beating of my heart. This is just something that, although one may get used to it, it never reaches the totally comfortable zone. Discovery can happen at any moment. And it’s sudden. A door opening just in front; a chance encounter that you can’t prepare for. If we’re discovered, the whole scenario will change and we’ll be on the defensive. Plus the fact that it will be hard to get out of this building in one piece.

Crouching near the door, I want to take a quick peek with the fiberscope. Time is not standing still so I can’t afford to take long with each room. The view is the same as the night previous; guards lying in their cots asleep. No one is moving. McCafferty is keeping watch in the long corridor. I remove one of the mines and extend the legs. They are capable of being set on solid ground and I want to place them up high to give an angle of coverage. Placing them on the ground will just take out the nearest guards. Granted, the others will be in a state of shock but they will recover from the deafening explosion.

I ease the door open hoping the maintenance people who prowled these halls at one point were liberal in their use of oil on the hinges. I step silently inside ever mindful of the guards sleeping just a couple of feet away. I gingerly place the mine, angling it slightly downward, on a bookshelf close to the door. I step back out hearing a few snores change patterns. A rustling of blankets. I stop and look about the room anticipating one of the guards rising; waiting for the shout of discovery. I’m ready to drop the other mines and begin a delivery of rounds into their midst.

I see one of the guards roll over and pull the blankets up closer to his chin. He hasn’t quite reached the realm of the awake. He stops moving and is soon joining the chorus of snores about the room. I ease out of the room and gently close the door. Time presses on and I’ll have to hurry the process. The last thing I’d want is to be given notice that the thirty minutes is up while I’m only partially finished. That would be a hell of an alarm clock - the remaining mines I’m carrying going off almost simultaneously. I’d just be a vaporous red mist and a memory. One minute creeping down the hall and the next a spray pattern on the walls, ceiling, and floor.

I hand McCafferty several of the claymores and indicate for her to take one side and I’ll take the other. She shoulders her M-4 and crosses the hall. We finally reach the last doors having placed the mines in similar locations within each room. No one enters the hall on a midnight bathroom run. Our alarm clock doesn’t trigger. We made it in time. McCafferty and I unshoulder our carbines, lie on the cold, hard floor facing down the hall, and wait. I ease the entrance door open a touch with the soles of my boots and ready myself for the concussive explosions about to occur.

Even though I’m ready for it, the massive explosions that fill the hall and surrounding area startle me. That many claymores going off close to the same time creates one continuous, rolling boom. The building shakes and the floor beneath me vibrates as if the linoleum is made of water. Glass blows outward into the corridor from the window panes. If anyone was caught in the hall, they would have been chopped to pieces. The intensity and noise of the explosions can’t be adequately expressed. It’s deafening. Smoke rolls out of the rooms and fills the hall. The back blast jars several of the doors open causing them to slam against the lockers with a metallic clang. At least that would have been the sound if I could hear. All that’s left of said hearing is a deep ringing.

The last tinkle of the glass, hitting the opposite walls, lockers, and doors, ends as it falls to the floor. Well, we just rang the doorbell, I think as I look for anything emerging from the rooms into the smoke-filled hall. I don’t see how anything could leave the rooms after that. After all, seven hundred ball bearings, propelled by a pound and a half of composite C-4, just erupted in each room. Anything left in the room will be leaving in a bucket.

“Time to go,” I say loudly to McCafferty. Anything below a shout wouldn’t be heard and there’s not really a need to keep quiet now. She nods and rises along with me.

We head across the lawn in the middle making directly for the office. Several flashes of light strobe above the roof of the classroom buildings; evidence of Black and Echo Teams, along with Henderson and Denton, dealing with the guards in the towers. I watch for any guards that might have been roaming through the camp but there is only the sight of spotlights in the towers either falling or pointing skyward. The ringing in my ears diminishes to a degree but is by no means gone. I look in the corner of one of the office windows. The main desk and area is lit by a single desk lamp. No one is in view.

This could mean several things, they could be hiding or out checking on the noise. I don’t have time to figure out which as I observe the last of the tower spotlights tumble over the side sending its beam of light twisting and spinning before hitting the ground. This is followed immediately by an increase in shrieks emanating from the woods surrounding the school. I see several night runners flash in the perimeter lights as they cross the street. The fence isn’t going to keep them out for long.

“We’ve got company coming. Everyone back into the gym pronto. Henderson, Denton, beat cheeks. Echo, keep them covered. Lynn, get inside and start wrapping the chains around the inside door handles,” I say rising.

With McCafferty on my heels, I dart around the office and toward the gym. Looking to the fence where I spotted the night runners, I see they are scaling the fence with some landing inside. The race is on. I’m just glad I have a head start but it’s even odds whether we’ll get the doors secured in time. More night runners enter the lights around the perimeter and race toward the fence.

They seem to spring out of nowhere, I think crossing the street. Night runners are pounding down the entrance road and across the parking lot; their pale faces glowing in my goggles and an occasional sheen from their eyes. They look like a horde of demons pouring from the bowels of the earth. Yep, I’ve been seen and am seemingly their entire focus like I’m the finish line they’re in a hurry to cross. I look to the gym nearby seeing faces in the windows and a flurry of movement as they hurry to seal the doors. Hopefully with me on the other side of them though.

I race through the doors and almost trip over lengths of chain lying on the floor just inside. Black Team has just finished wrapping chains around two of the four sets of double entrance doors and locking the chains with C-clamps. There’s no way in hell we’re going to get all of them sealed in time. Looking out of the windows, the first of the night runners are crossing the street just in front of the gym.

“Are Henderson, Denton, and Echo Team in?” I shout at Lynn.

“I don’t know,” she yells back answering. Adrenaline is peaking.

I grab a length of chain and start wrapping it around the push levers of the fourth set of double doors. Black Team crosses to the third set and drapes the first links through the push bar as the first of the night runners slams into the doors. The doors in front of Black Team begin to open.

“Hold them tight and get that chain on,” I yell as the same slam occurs at mine.

I’m holding the doors closed but they are slowly opening. I’ve given up on trying to loop the chain as all of my focus is on holding the door tight. It’s not enough. The doors are slowly creeping open. McCafferty is straining at the other door next to me. The linoleum floor isn’t giving us any traction and we are slowly sliding forward with the combined pull of the night runners outside. Their gray snarling faces are pressed close to the windows; mouths opening with strain and howls. Their stained teeth gnash as they sense victory and feeding time; their eyes alight with hunger.

I set my feet against the steel support pole between the doors and pull with all of my might. My arms, shoulders, and back strain with the effort. I see McCafferty slide a little more along the floor.

“Hook your feet like mine,” I shout and strain harder.

I don’t feel the door open any further but it isn’t closing either. It’s taking everything I have just to keep the status quo but I feel my strength and energy fading. My entire back and arms muscles are locked and my arms start to shake. McCafferty is holding her own as well but I see the beads of sweat form on her brow from the effort.

“I need help over here,” I yell knowing there isn’t any help to be given. I don’t know where Echo or the rest of Red Team are and Black Team is locked in a battle of their own.

Thank goodness there is only the small handle on the other side or this would have been over long ago. I see the night runner I am having a tug of war with directly in front of me. He is snarling with the effort. His eyes lock on mine. They are full of confidence and hunger and tell me he knows he will win this battle. They are eager. I see another reach down to the handle and begin pulling. I feel the door start to give more. My legs are locked and the strain is intense. It will end quickly with my body just giving out all of a sudden. Our attempt at rescue is for naught and brought even greater harm.

The night runner’s eyes open a touch wider. I see a set of hands close on the push handle next to my white-knuckled ones. I briefly glance to my side and see Robert leaning back; adding his effort to keep the door closed. The opening stops momentarily. In my peripheral, I see Gonzalez step in to aid McCafferty. We have reached a new status quo but the night runners are stronger. Although we have leverage on our side, it’s still only a matter of time.

The windows are full of faces of night runners trying to gain entry. Behind the initial front, other heads bob and move about trying to gain the doors. The press of the others behind is actually hindering the pull of the ones in front. If it weren’t for that, the door would have been whipped open and I would have been launched into the next county. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing considering the position we’re in, I think feeling my hands slipping. I don’t dare release to get a better grip. The howls and shrieks, scant inches away, are deafening.

Another set of hands settles on the push bar. I glance over to see someone I don’t recognize. Another joins with McCafferty. “Get the chains around the handles,” I yell through clenched teeth.

“We’re in and the back doors are sealed,” I hear Greg say in my earpiece. I can’t respond. Sure wish I had turned the VOX on.

The new set of hands leaves and I close my eyes focusing every ounce of my being and soul into the strain of holding the doors. I hear the rattle as links of chain are threaded through the handles.

“The doors are chained,” I faintly hear. My ears are roaring with the strain.

“Find the C-clamp,” is all I have the energy to say. My teeth are clamped tight and it feels like my head is going to rupture from the pressure. My fingers ache beyond any knowing. The muscles in my back feel like they are going to let go at any moment. I can already hear the ‘twang, twang” of them snapping.

“It’s done,” I hear.

The pressure on the door from outside releases and the door, only open a couple of inches, slams shut. The night runners have released the doors as if they know they are sealed. The noise outside rises as they howl and shriek in frustration. They begin hammering on the windows. Black Team has finished chaining their door as well. I can’t release my fingers as they are cramped on the door handle. Faces press against the windows as if they can force their way in. Their frustration is evident.

“Thanks,” I tell Robert and the others who showed up.

He and the others merely nod. The fact that night runners are this close is unnerving for all of us. I hope the doors hold or we’re going to get a much closer look. I’d rather that not happen.

I slowly pry my fingers from the door and am struck with the agony of unbending them. I straighten my back and know it will never be the same. My muscles are screaming. A wave of nausea passes through. The doors rattle back and forth as the night runners renew their efforts but the chains hold. I see several take off to the left. Oh shit! I forgot the pool door. It was my plan to seal the door there upon arrival but the effort here distracted me to the extent that I wasn’t able to get to them.

“Lynn, the pool,” I shout.

She is bent over with her hands on her knees catching her breath. She looks up at my call and glances outside to see night runners peel off in the background.

“Greg, if there is any chain left, start sealing the inner doors. If there isn’t any chain, use 550 cord,” I say into the radio. “Lynn, you and Black with me.”

“Lead on,” Lynn responds tiredly.

“Will do, Jack,” Greg replies.

“Gonzalez, McCafferty, Robert, help Echo with the doors,” I say pointing to them.

We turn and leave the snarling mass of night runners at the windows. The screams escalate as we turn toward the main gym doors. I have to admit it is very alarming to have so many night runners pounding on the windows and doors; their faces pressing against the glass. The doors rattle in their steel frames even harder. Time is not our friend right now and I hope the night runners haven’t entered the pool area as yet.

Entering the gym, I see Echo Team, with help from some of the others we’ve brought in, begin wrapping lengths of chain around the double doors leading into the gym proper. I head to the side entrance doors expecting a rush of bodies to blast the doors open. The doors open inward so there isn’t any way to seal them. We’ll have to seal the pool door itself. I look through the small window but only see the small band of light from the window, with my silhouette, against the far wall.

I cautiously open the door. The smell from the hall launches an immediate assault upon my senses. The muscles in my back, shoulders, and arms are tight from the previous strain. My hands are shaking a little on the door handle. My legs protest the first step into the hall. Nothing is moving down its length. The locker room doors open up to the side just ahead but only the occasional drip of water can be heard from within. The ringing in my ears has subsided but I can still sense more than hear the roar from the night runners so close just moments before.

Easing to the first locker room entrance, I crouch and listen. There is only faint sound of the pool lapping on the concrete sides. No slap of bare feet. No howling shrieks. Just the melancholy sound of empty rooms. Black Team enters the hall behind. I have Lynn post two team members in the hall covering the other locker room entrance and ease inside. Stepping quietly around the wooden benches bolted to the floor in the middle, I am startled by the sound of a door slamming.

The booming noise echoes in the air from the pool interior. Shrieks emanate from within. I rise and dash out into the pool proper knowing fully that night runners have just gained entrance. I knew the plan to rescue those held was going too well. No plan survives from first to last encounter. I had no idea the night runners would scale the fence and be upon us so quickly. The thunderous roaring of the claymores certainly gave them notice something was up but to react so quickly wasn’t something I was expecting.

Racing out into the pool proper, I go to my knees and see night runners pounding down the concrete floor by the side of the pool. The smell of chlorine is sharp as is the distinct odor of unwashed bodies. This is startling as I have never had such a sharpness of smell before. I feel a slight pounding in my head announcing the beginning of another headache. There are only a few night runners inside but I sense more entering. This is the first trickle of a potential flood. Their screams ring out and echo loudly off the hard walls at the sight of me. The sound of boots falling in behind me mixes with the feet of the night runners hurtling in my direction.

I thumb the selector to auto and fire a quick burst, sending the first stream of bullets in the night runner’s direction. My M-4 kicks into my already sore shoulder sending a spasm of pain down my arm. The rounds forcefully impact the lead night runner in the abdomen and chest. It spins in mid-step and falls into the pool face first. The splash causes ripples of light from the pool to dart across the ceiling and walls. The body floats on the undulations in the water its fall created. Crimson flows from the large holes in its back and spreads out from the bobbing body. The night runner twitches and then is still.

All of this is unnoticed as I switch to the next night runner in line. The pathway beside the pool is narrow allowing only two to three night runners to span its width. Muted barks of other carbines joining in sound out beside me and behind. The night runners in the front line are jerked from their feet to fall on the hard surface. One twists violently and falls half in and half out of the pool. It slides slowly, inch by inch, into the pool where it joins its comrade. Others fall to the floor slowly or impact hard with meaty thuds.

The second line goes down in the same manner. The shrieks of those entering override the sound of our cartridges bouncing off the walls and floor. I quickly look to make sure no one is directly behind me. I don’t want to rise in the path of a bullet intended for a target different than the back of my head. It’s clear as the soldiers to my rear are off each shoulder.

I rise and step forward delivering bursts of rounds into the nearest night runners. It’s important to push them back before they can mass in the pool area. If that happens, we’ve lost the room. Their massed attacks have pushed us out of every building we’ve been in before. If we didn’t have to reload, it would be easier.

Splashes erupt from the pool again as another night runner takes the plunge with its bullet-ridden body. The pool has turned to a light pink with the streamers of light on the ceiling and walls mimicking the change in color. More night runners pour in but we are effectively pushing them back with our combined efforts. The door is only twenty feet away. If we can get to the door and close it, we can hold it and tie it off.

I feel a hand grasp my ankle and begin tugging. The surprise and jerking pulls me off balance. I look down to see a night runner in the pool, one that I thought was out for the count, reaching up and trying to pull me in with it. The side of its head explodes splashing the water beside it with a chunky mass of flash, brain, and blood. It releases its grip and sinks below the surface only to rise bobbing in the swells of the pool. I look back at a Black Team member behind me and nod my thanks.

Lynn stands beside me delivering burst after burst into the midst of night runners entering the doorway. Her lips are pressed together in grim determination. The strobes from our weapons firing bounces off the walls; their white flashes in stark contrast to the gentle crimson streams emanating from the pool. I look up from the night runner that was inviting me for a swim towards the open door. My stomach is gripped by a sudden tightness at the sight. I notice with horror that night runners have fallen in the doorway itself. There is no way we’ll get the door shut. We won’t be able to pull the bodies away while holding the door. A sickening feeling descends; beginning at my heart and ending in my stomach.

“Jack, this is Greg. The night runners are pulling away from the entrance and heading your way,” I hear loudly in my ear piece. I stop.

“Pull back to the gym,” I yell to Lynn.

“Why?! We’re almost to the door,” she yells back.

I point to the bodies in the doorway and see the problem register. She stops with me and I see her shoulders slump although she and the others keep up their fire.

“Greg, get everyone into the upper gym and hurry. We’re going to be coming in with company. Take Echo and cover the far door from the hallway. Red Team, take 110’s and head to the upper gym railing,” I say as quickly as I can.

“Will do, Jack,” Greg responds.

I eject my mostly empty mag and replace it. There is a pause where everything is quiet except for the clatter of my mag slowly bouncing on the concrete and the lapping of the pool. Even the night runners have gone silent. It’s just one of those weird moments when all is quiet in the midst of incredible noise. It’s like when a room goes quiet just when you shout something inane. The night runners act as if they are confused as to why we stopped and are trying to figure it out. As quick as the silence came, it ends with a rush of noise; night runners howling and carbines firing with suppressed claps. Smoke hangs motionless in the air. Light bounces off the walls. Bodies float in the red tint of the pool.

My thoughts reach out to the next few moments. We’ll have to hold the doors leading from the hall to the gym. We lose those and we’ll lose the gym. We can retreat to the upper gym if we have to but the night runners will also be able to climb the bleachers with ease. We’ll take down a few more but the end will be the same. If it reaches that point, we’ll only be prolonging the inevitable if we aren’t doing that very thing right now. Right now we have to buy time for Greg.

A light goes off in my head brighter than the strobes flashing against the walls. I almost do a face-palm maneuver. We have the upper hand here and only one door. Why defend two doors when we can defend one. This is the only way in. I feel so stupid for not thinking of it before. My mind must be tired.

“Greg, belay that last. Get everyone into the upper gym and beat cheeks to the pool. Red Team, keep watch the outside entrance doors,” I say into the radio.

“Copy that,” Greg says but I can tell there is a little confusion in his tone.

Lynn pauses and looks at me in askance. I point to the pool entrance, “One door.” I point to the gym, “Two doors.” She shakes her head slowly. I can tell she is having the same reaction as I did only a moment before of, ‘why didn’t I think of that.’

“Hold this door,” she yells to her team.

Volley after volley center on the small entrance. Night runners are thrown back into the arms of those behind and begin to pile up at the door. I had a quick thought of using Echo Team to pull the bodies out from the doorway and Black to hold it shut but that thought evaporates as the numbers pile up. Minutes pass.

“Where do you want us?” I hear Greg shout above the din of firing and shrieks.

“Across the pool. Keep the door clear,” I shout pointing across the red-tinted pool.

The mound at the door piles up to the point where night runners have to climb over their own dead and wounded. The screams are deafening inside but our ears have become almost oblivious to them. One loud shriek seems to rise above the others. As if on cue, the night runners vanish from the doorway. The sound of our gunfire dies along with it until only the last clink of a shell hitting the floor is heard. It stops and silence descends. Now it’s my turn to be confused.

My trust factor with the night runners is not high. I don’t think they’d actually leave although they might go in search of something easier. It could be a change in tactics or they could just be going to feed on the marauders we left them. Whatever it is, we have a little reprieve.

“McCafferty, be on the lookout, they’ve left the pool area. Watch the ceilings, floors, walls, and everywhere else. Check your pockets just to be on the safe side,” I say.

“Okay, sir,” she replies.

We wait a few minutes but nothing is heard or seen. There are no distant howls or shuffling sounds by the door. Nothing whatsoever. It’s like they vanished into thin air. An occasional moan, whimper, or cry from the wounded is heard. I gather Greg over.

“I don’t like this. Thoughts?” I ask Lynn and Greg. They both shake their heads in puzzlement.

“Okay, let’s be cautious but let’s clear the bodies from the door and tie it shut. Greg, have Echo remove the bodies. Lynn cover them,” I continue.

We check our ammo supply and edge to the door with carbines at the ready. I am fully expecting some sort of trap or for them to anticipate us coming to the door and rush us from the sides. It’s an uncomfortable feeling to say the least. I’m almost ready to just sit in our positions and cover the door but I don’t know what they’re up to and want the teams to be ready and available for the unexpected. If we’re stuck having to cover the open door and they find another way in, we’re screwed.

“McCafferty, is there anything at the doors?” I ask.

A pause. “Nothing, sir. There’s not a thing in sight,” she answers.

The smell of the dead washes over me. The strong scent comes on quickly. It’s as if I have my nose stuck in amongst the bodies. It leaves as quickly as it came leaving just the smell of gunpowder in the air. I shake my head trying to ward off the atrocious smell. Stepping forward, I ease up to the doorway. The green glow remains clear of movement and only the still of the night greets me. One shriek lifts above the night. It sounds as if it is coming from the far classrooms but my ears are still ringing from the constant noise. My back feels like it’s going to seize at any moment.

Closer to the bodies, the smell of them once again comes over me but being this close, that’s expected. The smell of bodies long removed from their last introduction to soap; bowels releasing in death; bodies torn asunder. A few move slowly in the pile. I pull out my suppressed 9mm as I am hesitant to make any more noise than I have to. The night runner interest in us has vanished for the moment and I do not want that attention restored. Claps echo in the pool as I finish off the last of the wounded. Now only silence prevails.

The bodies are removed without any further assault. There are a few screams that rise in the night from closer by but nothing around our building. We close the door and tie it off with 550 cord on concrete bolts set into the pool walls. I feel a little more secure but the uneasiness remains. It’s not like the night runners to stop and give up. They behave like a wild pack without cognitive thoughts. Well, that’s not entirely true as we’ve seen them change tactics, but to give up and as one, that’s just not normal. My thoughts are still centered on them changing tactics and I’m trying to think on what those could be. Roof? Another entrance I don’t know about? Tunneling? Perhaps they’ve discovered artillery. I can’t think of a one that makes sense.

“Let’s head back to the gym,” I say feeling my headache worsen. The smell of the smoke and noise certainly hasn’t helped that any.

* * *

She sits in amongst the trees and waits. She senses other night runners around as she gnaws quietly on a piece of meat she smelled and located in the woods. She smells other pieces nearby but her small pack is busy with those. The lights from the two-legged camp can be seen as a distant glow through the trees. She and the other night runners have become cautious of being in those lights. She has seen the images from other pack members as some have wandered into those lights. The sharp sound and loss of another.

She is confident they could easily storm the camp and overrun it but is leery of running with the other packs. They are led by males and she is wary of them trying to take over. Some have learned the hard way to leave her and her pack alone though. The small one in her stomach warrants her care and caution. She will protect it above all other things but she, her small one, and the other pack members need to eat. And for that she has stretched her usual territory. The smell of the fresh meat was too enticing. Still, she sits warily.

There is a restlessness in the packs she can sense around her. She feels it herself but isn’t sure where it’s coming from. Perhaps it’s the faint scent of the two-legged ones she can smell around her. There aren’t any closer than the lair in the distance but some definitely passed this way earlier. The faint odor of them remains in the dry air.

Chewing on the meat, she reflects. Yes, she reflects. Not as you or I would but she has some of that capacity. She has a sense that she was someone or something else. Perhaps even one of the other two-legged ones at one point. If so, there are only a few vague memories of that time. More of a sense than a memory. Still, she is caught with a flash of an image from time to time; looking down and seeing small hands brush over a clean, white dress and knowing there is joy in the newness of it, a waterfall and glimpse of two-legged ones standing around smiling as her feet enter a cool, clear pool, a male hand reaching out to tussle her hair and she knows she is smiling.

She grabs the remains of her slab of meat and, sending a picture image of her small pack to follow, she edges cautiously closer to the lair ahead. She doesn’t know why, she just does. She settles back from the edge of the trees, just outside the light, and begins chewing once again. She sees the metallic objects that the two-legged ones sometimes get in and use to move about; that they use on the hard trails. She remembers and knows about some things. She remembers their purpose but not how to use them. That is far beyond her ability. Well, maybe not that far as there is a tickling inside her head, as if the ability to use them is just beyond reach. It’s both near and far away.

A thunderous noise reaches her sensitive ears and she shrinks back behind a tree; peering around its large base. Smoke rolls above one of the buildings far to her right. The sound is similar to the noise the sticks the others carry around that taught them the caution of the lights; similar but much louder. The sounds rolls through the woods; echoing off the massed tree trunks. Images of fear fill her mind from both her pack and the others lying close by. She blocks the images so they won’t overwhelm her, much as we block out the sounds around us, seemingly at will.

She looks into the large lair and around the edge to see if she can gain any clue as to what the noise was or meant. She knows that kind of noise is destructive but not what it occurring now means. Flashes of light emanate from a large, round building and she ducks further behind the tree; the meat falls to the ground forgotten. Some of the moving lights in the tall buildings that dot the edge of the lair tumble to the ground; waving their beams of light in random directions as they fall. Others tilt upward and the beam rests on the top of the structures. With her hearing, she can hear the firing sticks but they sound diminished in some way. The noise they usually make doesn’t fit in with the distance in which she sees the flashes of light.

Gunshots! That’s what they are called, gunshots. And those sticks they carry are guns, she thinks as another memory surfaces. And those are dangerous indeed. She senses uneasiness mixed with fear in those around her. Yet underlying those basic emotions is eagerness. Food has been scarce and if there is a chance to get into the lair where so much food resides, well, that’s where the eagerness comes from. It’s more anticipation than anything. And hunger. She herself is hungry and the one she carries inside must be fed. Still, caution and wariness carry strongly. Protecting her young one is at the foremost of her mind.

A hint of blood in the air reaches her nostrils making her edge further around her protective tree. The sight and smell of the two-legged ones causes something inside to rise; something primal. The two-legged ones heighten her already ferocious nature; multiplying it to a great extent. Their scent triggers this primal aspect and the sight of them drives the basic urge to attack and feed. Yet, they’ve learned. Oh yes they have. The primitive urge lies within her but fear and experience has tempered it to a more controllable nature.

The lights continue to fall around the edge. The smell of blood thickens. It’s apparently too much for some of the packs as they shriek and head out into the light streaking for the fence. Yes, she knows what a fence is. Their shrieks combine with their footsteps across the hard path in front of her. She looks into the compound and sees two of the two-legged making their way across the middle. Eager images reach her mind from her own pack. Wait, she sends back.

The other packs have seen the two and the primal urge within them takes hold. The first ones across scale the fence with ease but some become entangled in the wire on top. More packs emerge from the trees as the characteristic gunshots don’t materialize. Their hunger overrides fear as they see their fellow packs reach the fence and climb over. She hears howls from the other side of the large lair as others emerge from the trees there. The many packs scale the fence and it topples under their weight. She watches as the two she saw earlier run for the round building. The eagerness from her pack increases. Wait.

She isn’t certain of the two she saw. There was something about them that caused an uneasiness in her mind. It’s almost as if she could hear what one was saying. A picture image from the two-legged one almost forms in her mind, as if it just brushed or tickled against it. It gives her a troubled feeling. Her protective nature also holds her. She sits and waits.

Packs stream across the lair and pound into the circular building door where the two ran. Images form of a struggle to open the doors. She rises but still waits. The others with her want to be off to feed but they also have a respect for her; if respect is something they can even feel. She has led them well so they wait with her. She does sense the eagerness and hunger fill them as she rises. They want to be off and they feel her rising is a sign that they can join the multitude already at the doors.

She senses the struggle at the doors is about over. The images are basic ones but the overall tone is that they are about to break in. She trots across the hard trail, enters the lights still shining around the edge, and crosses the downed fence. She is eager herself but knows there is enough inside to feed all of the packs beyond their fill. They’ll get theirs but she is yet cautious. Too many close calls with the two-legged kind have made her this way. She has an inkling of their capabilities. Another quick image brushes against her mind. The image is of someone looking at her own kind. It’s gone as quickly as it arrived; almost as if it weren’t there to begin with. It isn’t an image from any of the packs. It’s different. She slows.

The howls from the horde around the building fill the night air. Eager, hungry. Suddenly, the shrieks change from anticipation to vexation. The ones in front of the building portals, doors, begin pounding on the glass in their frustration. The doors have been shut. She stops. Several break away from the rear to each side of the building. She knows they will search for another way in. Lowering herself to the ground, she sits and waits.

The ones in front continue to hammer the doors while the ones behind press inward. She pats her stomach and watches. She has known a few futile attempts to gain entry into lairs before. Mostly she has been successful at it but there were a few times when she has had to give up and look for food elsewhere. But in those nights of frustration they always found food. That’s why the ones in her pack have remained. Others would have joined but she is not a male.

Shrieks of discovery rise from the far side of the building. She rises. The picture images in her mind tell her another way in has been found. She can’t figure out why the images sent by the others are so, well, primitive. She can send out much more complex “thoughts” that convey so much more but she restricts herself to sending those to only the ones with her. She doesn’t want to draw attention to herself and be swept up and forced into another pack. She rises. They have left her alone and that is good enough for her.

Shrieks on the far side rise and packs peel away from the main doors racing around the side. Those diminished gunshot sounds rise above the tremendous volume of screams periodically. She trots to the side but far away from the main body of packs. A door is opened and pack members stream inside the door. Gunshots meet the screams and images of pain flash through her mind. More enter and more of the same images reach out. She watches and waits.

That primal urge has taken hold of the other packs. Once it lets go it’s hard to turn off. Still, she doesn’t understand how the others can’t see the futility of what they are doing. While they had a chance earlier, it is obvious by the bodies piling up at the door and no apparent gain that any opportunity to get in through this particular place is gone. But the urge is driving the pack. The night air is filled with screams, gunfire, shouts, the smell of blood; the blood of her own kind. Through all of this, the faint scent of the prior explosion drifts into her nostrils from time to time.

Wait, there, just below the surface is another odor. Fresh blood of the two-legged ones. She turns her head from the carnage and rises. Lifting her nose high into the air to catch that elusive scent, she sniffs turning her head to the left and right. Her pack rises with her and sniffs the surrounding night air having caught that faint smell as well. A small eddy of wind, so tiny as to not really be noticed, more a small pocket of air replacing another, brings the scent on it.

With a last look at the bodies piling up and another thought about how the others cannot see the futility of what they are doing, she heads into one of the nearby structures. She opens the door and that scent, once elusive, fills her senses. She knows fresh meat lies within. She raises her head and shrieks loudly. She would like to be the first there and get her fill before letting the others know what lies within but this is also a primal urge, the shriek notifying others of food nearby, and she can’t help herself. This is more deeply ingrained than the urge to attack the two-legged ones. Her scream echoes against the brick walls of the building rising above all of the others.

Silence settles for a moment across the large lair. The others have heard and have seen the images she sent forth. Complex images of available food and futility. She turns to see what remains of the other packs running across the hard trail close by to join her. Turning once again, she enters the building and runs down the long, dark hall lit in shades of gray. She enters the first room. She and her pack are the first ones in. The settle in and begin feeding. The remnants from the packs follow closely and begin feeding in other rooms. The images that are sent to her are reassuring. She has brought them out of danger and to food. They will follow her. She has her fill and leaves the room. Entering the hall and listening to the sounds of feeding mixed with the occasional shriek of satisfaction, she heads toward the entrance doors. Outside, she squats on the hard path leading to the building and looks to the round structure where the two-legged ones are laired. She ponders, in a much different manner than we are accustomed to, the brushes against her mind she felt earlier from one inside. She sits, she watches, she waits.

Are We There Yet?

Entering the gym, I notice our “guests” are crowded into the upper gym. I’m thankful the night runners didn’t get in and that we didn’t have to retreat and defend that high place. I didn’t realize we had brought in so many and that it would be so crowded. It would have been a slaughter as there just isn’t any room to maneuver. The main gym is empty with the exception of Red Team; complete once again.

We gather in the middle of the floor threading our way through the cots and keeping an eye and ear out for additional night runner attempts. The vanishing all at once has me worried. I’ve seen them change tactics too many times in a similar manner — all at once — to believe they would just go away. I hope that’s the case but the occasional muffled shriek from nearby tells me it’s not. They are still around but it’s anyone’s guess as to what they are up to. I have only known them to be relentless and persistent. This vanishing all at once is a new trick but if they’re willing to leave us alone, I am all too willing to let them do just that.

Coming down off the high rush of adrenaline, I suddenly feel very tired and plop down on one of the cots. The hard, wooden floor below is still polished to a sheen but scuff marks mar its once pristine surface. The others sit in a cluster on the cots around. I have two members of Echo keep a watch on the doors. I want us close together because I have no idea just where the night runners will emerge from next and want to be able to respond in force in any direction.

Sweat still drips off my forehead and temples running down my face in single streams. Some run under the bandage still at my neck and sting the scratch that just won’t completely heal. It has to a large degree but not as fast as I normally would. My headache is fading again and I wonder if I still don’t have an infection of some sort from the scratch. The quick comings and goings of it are getting quite annoying to say the least. I shrug inwardly, I’m still breathing and my kids are safe — at least for the moment.

“I have to tell you, that was a close one,” Henderson says quietly amongst the group breaking through my thoughts.

“Yeah, no kidding,” I hear McCafferty say. “They almost got in. My back is never going to be the same.”

“Yeah, that one too. I was talking about the spotlight when we were going in through the fence though,” Henderson states.

“Oh, shit yeah,” Denton chimes in. “That was fucking close. I thought they had you for sure.”

“Yeah, you had me scared spitless, sir,” Henderson adds.

“You thought you were freakin’ worried. I was laying there waiting for you to take the shot. I was like, ‘Why aren’t you shooting this guy? Shoot this fucker dammit.’ I didn’t dare move to call though,” I say. “To me, it was obvious he had us in his sights. But in hindsight, obviously not.”

“Well, we were going to. Both Denton and I had headshots lined up and were about to pull the trigger when Sergeant Connell told us to hold off and she would make the call,” Henderson replies.

“I could see their faces clearly through my scope. They were curious no doubt but they weren’t registering that they actually discovered something. Not to worry, Jack, I plan to keep you around a little longer. They didn’t have weapons trained on you and I would have made the call to fire if they made any movements in that direction,” Lynn says.

“It was a good call but I’ll need a new pair of shorts pronto,” I say as several chuckles break out. “Plus, that spot won’t need to be watered for a while.”

“That’s true. I’ll attest to that. I was in the direct line of your, um, inadvertent discharge,” Greg says with a huge grin.

“Then you should be thanking me for the bouquet of flowers I sent in your direction,” I counter. Amidst the chuckles, I catch Lynn’s eye as she nods. That nod tells me she wants to talk alone so I rise and meet her off to the side, out of hearing range from the others.

“Jack, I didn’t want to bring this up in front of the others but how in the hell did you hear that guard walking? I mean, he wasn’t even in sight,” she asks looking up with worried eyes. I notice her quick glance to the now soggy bandage at my neck. I knew this was coming but expected it later; like during one of my ‘I didn’t hear you’ moments.

“I don’t know. I heard the scrunch of footsteps and it sounded like it was just around the corner. Must have been a trick of the night air, wind, or something,” I answer.

“I didn’t hear it, ‘trick of the night air’ or not and I was nearby,” she replies.

“I honestly don’t know,” I say.

“Can you hear anything out of the ordinary now or something you can’t see?” She asks.

I think for a moment and actually try to hear something I shouldn’t be able to. Nothing. Just the murmuring from the teams and those in the upper gym. No distinct words or similar hints of superior hearing. “I hear myself wanting to walk away from this conversation and wanting this night to end,” I answer.

“Jack Walker! Stop it. I’m worried about your headaches and now this. And your wound isn’t healing right,” she says.

“How do you know about the headaches?” I ask astonished. I had mentioned having one a time or two but nothing to account for her knowledge.

“I see you scrunch your face up and rub your temples. You think no one’s watching but I’ve seen you do that frequently,” she answers.

“Hmmm... Well, I can’t hear anything out of the ordinary now. As a matter of fact, my ears are still ringing from the claymores going off and the recent noise in the gym,” I respond.

Her sparkling blue eyes, now slightly bloodshot from the smoke irritating them and from being so tired, look up into mine with that look that says she doesn’t completely believe me but also tinged with worry.

“The headaches aren’t bad and they go away quickly. It’s nothing. If anything, there may be a touch of infection left over. That’s all,” I add. The look of not believing me continues. She tilts her head and purses her lips.

“Okay, Jack,” she says with a sigh escaping, “tell me if it gets worse.”

“I will,” I reply.

“Yeah, right,” she says rising on her toes and kisses me.

We make our way back to the cots. Robert and Bri come and sit next to me. I fold my arms around them grateful they are okay. I feel the absence of the stress and worry I had about their well-being. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of stress but it is over what the night runners are up to and if we are completely safe yet. I feel Bri wince as I hug her tightly. I release my hold and look down to the rulers tied to her arm. A touch of anger builds toward those who hurt my little girl. They had better hope the night runners get them because they aren’t going to like it if I find any alive, I think looking at the socks securing her make-shift splint.

Bri notices me looking at her arm. “Gonzalez made it for me,” she says.

“How does it feel?” I ask.

“I hurts a little but it’s okay,” she answers.

I take her arm gently and look at it closer. I feel her wince again but it’s more from the anticipation of pain than anything actually hurting. Her arm is slightly swollen and red at about the midpoint of her forearm. I touch it softly and feel an increase in heat around the swelling.

“Move your fingers slowly,” I ask. She opens and closes her fist. “Does that hurt?”

“Only a little but it’s better than it was,” she answers.

“Okay, it looks more like a fracture than a break. Keep the splint on and take this,” I say reaching into my pocket and pulling out a pain pill. I break it in half.

Yes, I brought some. Force of habit I guess. We always brought some on missions and took them when there was a threat of action. That way you wouldn’t feel the damage and could keep going. I thought I had left those habits behind - the habits of mission preparation. I really thought that part of my life was over. I was happy living the relaxed life and those habits returning so readily and easily is not a comfort.

The murmuring from the upper gym increases. I send Gonzalez and McCafferty to calm and quiet them. The night runners know we are in here but there’s no use advertising our presence loudly. Plus, the people need some reassuring. Their lives have been turned upside down quite a bit in the past months and this is just one additional episode. They can’t be having very warm, fuzzy feelings right now. I don’t want them thinking they’ve gone from one armed group to another with the same intentions.

As the two women make their way to the side doors, a gentleman exits and passes them intent on coming to our little group. Gonzalez looks back and I nod. They let him continue. The man, dressed in jeans and a plain gray sweatshirt, makes his way to us. He looks to be in his late forties or early fifties and is in a modicum of good shape. His salt and pepper hair is cut short with what once must have been in a professional manner but now has tufts sticking out as if he has just risen from bed; which, he has. I rise and make room for him sweeping my arm in an inviting manner. He works his way through the cots and team members. I introduce myself and those around.

“Bob,” he says shaking hands. He sits.

“What’s the plan with us, young man?” Bob asks addressing me. If Lynn had been drinking milk, it would have flown out through her nose.

“We have a place built just north of Olympia and you’re welcome to come with us if you want. You’ll be free to go your own way but you are invited to come,” I answer ignoring Lynn’s, um, startlement. “That is when morning arrives. Our plan for now is to wait out the night and hope the night runners don’t find an alternate way in. Do you know this place well?”

“Night runners huh? Innovative and it fits. We’ve just taken to calling them demons. And yes, I know this place well. The only ways in that I know of are the pool and main entrances,” he answers. “And, I just wanted to make sure we weren’t being held here. There’s a lot of talk about ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ so to speak.”

“No one is being held against their will. I mean, we’ll have to stay in here tonight but come morning, everyone is free to do their own thing,” I state.

“I’m glad you fine folks happened along. What brought you here if you don’t mind my asking?” Bob asks.

I reach over and pat Robert and Bri, making sure to avoid hitting her arm, on the legs. “They took my kids,” I answer. Bob nods. No other explanation is necessary.

“So, what happened here?” Lynn asks.

“That is a long, sad tale,” he answers and proceeds to tell us.

The gist of the story is that the townspeople, or what was left of them, gathered together. They held up in the auditorium at night, built the fences and scrounged for food, water, and supplies during the day. They constructed the towers and accumulated firearms to protect themselves. They sealed the auditorium doors in much the same manner we did with the gym. Then, when they felt secure enough, they cleared the area as best as they could; bringing in the lights and generators and manning the perimeter at night. It was hard going but eventually the ‘demons’ started leaving them alone. The townspeople started building a farm on the outskirts of town.

Then the others came. Just a couple of them arrived at the gates. They seemed friendly at first and were invited in for a meal. They were invited to stay but said they had other friends to check on but that they might be back. That was the last they saw of them until one day, they returned from working on the farm and they were there in force. They had come in during the day, killed or captured everyone left behind, and waited for the others to return. There wasn’t much resistance as they were surprised and the marauders had planned the ambush carefully. After that, they were forced to work in the fields.

A few tried to escape early on but were summarily gunned down. They separated the men from the women knowing the men would never leave without their kids, spouses, or loved ones and vice versa. They would go out and bring in others from time to time. That’s the way it has been until we arrived.

The soldiers gathered just shake their heads. For the life of me, I can’t figure people out sometimes. I mean, a forced labor camp when we’re in the midst of this world changing event where our very survival is in jeopardy. How do they not see beyond their own noses? Seriously, wouldn’t it have been easier just working together? Once a bully, always a bully.

“Well, I guess I had better get back to the folks upstairs and tell them what’s up. I wouldn’t want anyone doing anything stupid. We have a couple of hotheads there,” he says rising after finishing his story.

“It’s a pleasure, Bob,” I say rising and extending my hand. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

“I look forward to it,” he says taking my hand and heads to where the others are waiting. He passes Julie who has entered the gym and makes her way to sit by Bri. A soldier moves over for her. Julie doesn’t even look my way as she pulls Bri close and starts a whispered conversation. Robert rises and sits next to his mom. Silence descends on the group. Lynn looks my way with her eyes squinting in a quizzical manner. I merely raise a brow and shrug. Yeah, this is going to be interesting. Well, I’m just glad the kids have their mom back. I can’t even imagine the stress, worry, fear, and sorrow they’ve been keeping inside. Julie and the kids rise and start away from our little gathering. I can tell Julie is uncomfortable being around the others, especially seeing I’m a part of them and leading.

“Don’t go far,” I say to their retreating backs. Julie ignores me but Robert and Bri turn to give an, “Okay, Dad.”

We continue sitting on the cots, wary of our situation but feeling a little more secure than we were just a short time ago when the lights begin to flicker. It’s dim inside to begin with but it’s definitely a noticeable change. First, it’s just a quick flash of the lights going off and then back on. Then, they begin to flicker in earnest with the dark winning out over the light. The darkness comes in longer intervals casting the entirety of the gym in an inky blackness with short glows of light in between.

“Goggles on. Greg, take your team and cover the far doors and keep an eye on the entrance doors as well. Lynn, take Black and do the same for this end,” I say. Clicks of goggles being set in place are the only response.

“McCafferty, tell those up there that it’s just the generator powering this place running out of fuel,” I tell her over the radio.

“Will do, sir,” she replies.

I am hoping it’s just the generator going out and that the night runners haven’t figured out how to manipulate them or gnaw through electrical lines — that move will be a self-critiquing one for them if they do try something like that. The knowledge and ability to manipulate machinery wouldn’t bode well for us at all. The gym is plunged into darkness as the generator, or whatever caused the loss of power, gives up entirely. The murmuring that was prevalent before falls to an eerie silence. It’s the silence of knowing something is about to happen. Nothing moves in the green glow as we observe the area beyond our little hideout.

Only the slight rustle of cloth rubbing and boots squeaking on the hardwood floor is heard as team members shift positions. Not knowing where or when the night runners are going to come from is driving me crazy. There’s not a sound or sight of anything. I’m sitting with Lynn waiting for the first shriek of discovery. The thought that this could go on for an eternity, this worrying about night runners, is not a pleasant one and makes me even more tired than I already am. Is this to be our new life for all time - this sitting in wait and worrying about a night runner attack? This is definitely a different feeling than sitting all cozied up at Cabela’s with tall walls all around us. I’m going to have to accept that the night runners are now just a fact of life. Marauders of the type we just rescued the others from, well, I guess rescue isn’t the right word just yet, will unfortunately be a part of this world as well.

“McCafferty, any sign up there?” I ask.

“Nothing, sir. Quiet as can be,” she answers.

“Okay. Have everyone up there sit down in case any shooting starts and tell them to stay down if something does happen,” I say.

Copy that, sir,” she responds.

“What do you think?” I whisper to Lynn.

“I’m not sure. It seems like it may have just been a generator dying,” she answers.

“Yeah, maybe,” I say as the scream of a night runner faintly reaches inside. It sounds as if it’s coming from one of the campus buildings as before. It’s a reminder they are still out there.

“Sir?” I hear McCafferty say in my ear piece.

“Yeah, go ahead,” I answer.

“Um, there are several people here asking to go to the bathroom,” she says hesitantly.

“You’re kidding me,” I say. “Can’t they hold it a little longer?”

A pause ensues. “Well, there does seem to be some urgency with some,” she answers.

“Can’t they find a discreet location somewhere up there and just go?” I ask.

“There’s not really a lot of room up here,” McCafferty answers.

“Stand by,” I say. I look at Lynn and shrug as if to say ‘what the fuck do we do about that?’

“We could escort them into the bathrooms,” she suggests answering my shrug.

“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of that,” I say thinking the night runners are still up to something. I don’t like the idea of splitting our teams up nor having the others wandering about.

“What else are we going to do about it?” Lynn asks.

“Fuck, I don’t know. What is it with everyone having to go to the bathroom when I’m around?” I say.

“Maybe it’s your personality,” she says shrugging.

“Yeah, funny,” I reply. “Okay, take Black, secure the closest locker room and escort them. But Lynn, if anything happens, get back here. And I want you to be ready to come back on a moment’s notice if we need you in here.”

“We will, Jack,” Lynn says.

“Okay McCafferty. How many need to go?” I ask.

“Sixteen, sir,” she answers.

“Sixteen?! Really?!” I say shaking my head. “Okay, bring them down.”

“They’re on their way, sir.”

I lean over to Lynn and whisper, “It’s going to be crowded in there. Team integrity is your priority if something happens.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Jack?” Lynn asks. “Are you asking us to just leave them if something happens?”

“No, I’m saying get them out as best you can but if you are about to be overrun and can’t, well, there’s no fucking way we can hold this place with just Echo and Red. All will be lost if it comes down to that,” I say knowing it’s a harsh thing to say but the reality of the situation dictates. All because people have to go to the bathroom.

“Jack, that’s not what we are about — abandoning people. We are meant to defend them,” Lynn says adamantly.

“I know that Lynn. It’s about defending all people. If something does happen and you aren’t able to help, then we lose everyone,” I say hating the words coming out of my mouth. In all honesty, it’s a tough choice. Knowing you did the right thing but losing everyone in the process. There is no right choice but there is a lesser of two evils. I’m just not comfortable with Black Team being split off with all that has happened and only a few chained doors lying between us and a horde of night runners. The ones in ‘dire need’ arrive at the doors to the main gym led by Henderson and Denton. It’s pitch black to the others so they need to be guided down.

“Well, Jack, our guests have arrived. What do you want us to do?” Lynn asks. The question comes from her being uncomfortable with what I said about perhaps having to leave them.

“Take them and keep them safe but tell them if something happens then they are to stop what they’re doing and head back immediately. Laggers will be left behind,” I say wishing for a different situation.

“Okay, Jack,” she says and brings out her penlight to guide the others over.

She tells them to wait and heads out into the corridor with Black Team. They secure the locker room and guide everyone in. I keep Henderson and Denton with me to keep watch over the area. Silence continues to be our guest. Minutes pass.

“You hear or see anything, Lynn?” I ask.

“No, it’s all quiet here. Well, mostly quiet,” she answers with a chuckle.

They return several minutes later without any night runner interruption. The night passes with only the occasional shriek issuing from the darkness. The first faint light from the coming morning begins to show beyond the windows. One last loud howl is heard and the blackness of the night transitions to the gray-blue of morning. We have made it and now the outside is safer than the darkened buildings. We unchain the doors and the teams exit still wary of any marauders that might have also made it through the night. Cautious of an ambush, we set a perimeter around the main entrance — now exit — doors.

The clouds that were distant before now cover the once clear blue sky. It’s a light gray covering but it feels like it may bring rain later. The chill of the morning air tells me that summer is quickly winding down and fall is near. My eyes adjust to the morning light as I doff my NVG’s. Every muscle in my body aches and I become aware of some I didn’t even realize I had. My back and shoulders feel strained and every step is an effort. We do a check within the campus perimeter without going into the buildings. I have no idea what they have inside now that the night runners have access and I don’t intend to find out. I send Greg with Echo Team back to our previous hideout to bring the Humvees and gear back.

“What’s the plan for everyone? How do you plan on getting all of them back?” Lynn asks as I try to work the rest of the kinks out of my back.

“With those,” I answer pointing to the yellow school buses in the lot.

“Those’ll work,” she replies. I have everyone assemble in the parking lot. Gathered together, there are a lot more than I noticed last night.

“Listen up, everyone,” I shout above the heads. “We’ll be leaving here soon and everyone is welcome to come with us. We have a place set up in the old Cabela’s just north of Olympia. We’ll be using the school buses for transport and load up as soon as the others arrive.”

“What about our stuff?” One voice calls out from the crowd.

“Yeah, will you be heading to our places to pick up our things?” Another asks.

“No, we won’t be heading to each individual place to pick up belongings. We have what you need back at our base,” I shout answering. This creates a ruckus and various murmurings amongst the crowd.

“We should be able to go get our belongings and personal stuff,” one voice rises. Other voices say much the same thing but this is only from a few. The others in the lot are mostly quiet but I see a few nods of agreement with others shaking their heads.

“Look, we can’t risk going into darkened buildings. The risk of running into night runners is too great and…” I start to say.

“You can’t stop us from going,” a voice loudly interrupts.

“I’m sorry, did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours? In answer, I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. You are free to go your own way and do whatever you will. If you want to go get your stuff, it will be without our help. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. I’m not going to risk any of us going into dark structures. Feel free to do so if you want but I wouldn’t highly recommend it. Those of you who want to go with us, be ready to board the buses when the others arrive,” I say.

Silence descends for a moment as they digest this information. Then various murmurings occur. Some words of ‘this is ridiculous’ and ‘I thought they were here to help’ rise above the background noise. These are only some as I do hear many others voicing thanks and gratitude.

“Stop it. These folks have come and helped us and all you can do is bicker. If your stuff is that important to you, then go get it and don’t take these people’s hospitality. But at least thank them for giving you the freedom to voice your bickering’s. Seems to me you were a lot worse off yesterday. Go if you want, stay if you want but it seems to me you’d all be fools not to go along,” one voice shouts above the rest. This quiets the crowd and I look over to see Bob, standing with his hands on his hips, nodding after having said his piece.

The crowd quiets again. “Those who go will be expected to do his or her fair share of work and we have a basic training program which everyone is required to go through but anyone and everyone is free to go whenever they want. We don’t hold anyone against their will but there are rules to follow. I’m just saying because I want to be up front from the very get-go. But we do have food and shelter,” I say into the quiet.

“Those of you staying with us, please stay here in the parking lot. Those of you who want to head out on your own, well, I wish you the best of luck,” I add.

Most stay but there are a few who head out on their own. One apparent family heads off with the wife pleading and pointing in our direction. The man just shakes his head and plods steadily on. The little boy trailing behind looks back at us once and turns to catch up with his parents.

“Shouldn’t we do something?” Bri asks.

“What can we do, hon? We can’t force them to stay,” I answer.

I see Bob heading across the parking lot towards the family and pleading wife. He catches up and I see he is trying to talk them out of leaving. At least that is what it looks like to me. He is talking to the younger man, pointing at the woman and child and back in our direction. The voice of Bob and the younger man rise but the individual words are indistinguishable. It’s pretty obvious an argument of some sort is taking place. The scene has drawn the attention of the entire crowd.

The woman appears to be pleading but the man is not paying any attention to her and is intent on arguing with Bob. Bob yells, points to the woman, and back to the crowd. The man shakes his head and yells back. It’s pretty obvious the situation is getting a little out of hand but it’s just an argument. It’s not like it’s two gunfighters about to draw on each other. I begin to edge in that direction to try and simmer them down.

The woman sweeps her son behind her in a protective nature. With a last shout, Bob grabs the woman protectively about the shoulders and begins walking back with her and the child. The man reaches behind him and whips out a handgun. The crowd witnessing this altercation uniformly gasps. I stop and do a double-take not knowing how in the hell this man has a gun after being held captive.

He draws the gun up and fires. The resounding crack of the gunshot echoes across the parking lot. A pink mist forms in front of Bob. His head is thrust forward and he staggers a step, another, and then falls to the ground. The woman screams which rises above several other screams from the crowd. She looks down at Bob in shock and then back to her husband who is standing with the gun in his hand; a small wisp of smoke still streaming out of the barrel. He lowers his gun and shouts at her but the words are lost again.

She lets go of an agonizing scream, runs back to the man, and begins pummeling him on the arms and chest. The young boy just stands where his mother left him and stares at the body on the ground. The man tries to ward off her blows and finally shoves her away. She staggers back and turns toward her son.

“Say the word, sir,” I hear Gonzalez say by my side.

I look down and see her kneeling on the pavement sighting down a 110. Her, McCafferty, Henderson, Denton, and the rest of Black are also kneeling with their weapons trained on the man. I am standing with my red dot centered over his body. The man shouts again but she ignores whatever is said. I flip to the 4x setting on my scope and can see the uncertainty on his face. I have the feeling he is deciding whether to force them to go along or just head out on his own. Uncertainty while holding a gun is never a good thing. Anything can happen in that situation. He takes a step toward the woman.

“Drop the gun,” I shout.

I’m not certain he can hear what I said as I couldn’t hear any of his shouting words but he definitely hears the yell and looks our direction. He stops. Apparently seeing ten armed soldiers with weapons trained on him halts any notion he might have of going to the woman. Again that uncertain look materializes. With her son by her side, the woman stops and kneels next to the unmoving body of Bob. A resolute look comes over the man’s face and he takes another step towards his apparent wife and child. I seriously can’t believe we are in this situation and it boggles my mind that we are. It’s so out of the blue but here it is nonetheless.

“Gonzalez, one round on the ground in front of him if you would, please,” I say.

The loud clap of a 7.62mm round leaving the barrel fills the parking lot startling the gathered crowd. The echo of the shot covers the loud intakes of breath from many of them. A spark flares off the pavement of the entrance road just inches in front of the man’s foot as the round strikes hard and ricochets off into the distance. He may not be able to hear our words but there is no mistaking the communication we have just sent. The man jumps from the impact and the whining of the round as it is off to find another target.

I see the startle register on his face as he looks in our direction. Our eyes appear to meet in the scope. He looks to the woman and child and then back to us. The boy is looking at his dad and shies behind his mom. The woman, having been drawn up from weeping at the side of Bob by the sound of our shot, is looking over at the man.

I don’t want to shoot the man, especially in front of his son. Some people are just so driven by anger that it consumes them and leaves them with only that emotion. I’m guessing the forced captivity he endured built it up until it has to be released. But it’s obvious the woman doesn’t want to go with him and the man is volatile. I do not like this situation one bit! The man’s lips tighten and the muscles of his cheeks define more as he clenches his jaw in anger. His eyes narrow. Uh oh, I think trying to gauge his reaction. He looks to the woman and begins to raise the gun.

“Gonzalez,” I say with resignation.

Another loud but muted clap. This time the heavy caliber round isn’t issued as a warning. It streaks out with deadly purpose and closes the distance quickly. A splattering of blood sprays lightly into the air from just beside the nose. The large bullet flattens from the tremendous force and continues into the sinus cavity before rocketing out of the back of the head. The air is filled behind with a chunky mass of red tissue. The man falls hard to the ground on his side.

“Gonzalez, McCafferty, go see to the woman. Henderson, keep them covered,” I say bringing my M-4 down. The women rise and run to the woman and child.

“Okay, how the hell did he get a gun? Did we recover the guns from the guards inside?” I ask addressing Lynn.

“I’m guessing not,” she answers.

I shake my head. I should have taken their weapons but with everything happening, I didn’t get around to it. I feel like shit because this tragedy could have been avoided if I’d paid attention. Disarming a group of people should have been a natural thought but it just plain slipped mine. So many other things to do last night but I never thought to separate the people we were rescuing from any weapons; didn’t think about them using those weapons to harm others in the group. I should have considered of it nonetheless.

“It’s not your fault,” Lynn says seeing my downcast eyes and putting a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m not so sure about that,” I say. “I should have at least thought about it.”

“Jack, that guy wasn’t right and it doesn’t matter if he had the gun or not. He would have found something to use and we’d still be facing the same situation except without your guilt trip happening,” she replies.

“Anyone else armed,” I say looking up and shouting to the group. One hand raises skyward.

“Lynn,” I say nodding toward the young gentleman with his arm in the air. She advances and retrieves another handgun.

McCafferty and Gonzalez arrive at the woman and child, put their arms around them, and guide them back to the group. They return after making sure there is someone to look after the woman and child. They mention that the woman was Bob’s daughter. They noted there were some ‘he had it coming to him’ and similar comments. The sound of vehicles approaching stirs the air. I see the Humvees driving by the far end of the field and they soon enter the parking lot now having to drive around the two bodies in the entryway.

“That looks like it was an interesting story,” Greg says stepping out of the vehicle parked close by. Lynn shakes her head as if to say ‘it’s not the right time or place.’ She takes Greg to the side and catches him up on our recently transpired events.

“There are some seriously stupid people in the world,” Greg says as his only response.

I make contact with the base and catch Drescoll up on our situation. I ask if he feels like he can do without one additional team and to send them our way with some transport vehicles. He says they were just holding down the fort for the day and they would be on their way shortly. I ask the crowd to start loading into the school buses. Several people from the crowd break off and find a tarp over by the stadium. They return, wrap Bob’s body up in it, and place it on one of the buses. Robert and Bri walk with Julie. I see them talking by the front door of one of the vehicles. Well, it looks like it’s mostly Julie talking and Robert and Bri shaking their heads. After more talking and shaking of heads, they hug and Julie gets on the first bus. Robert and Bri walk back and sit by Gonzalez and McCafferty. The others load into two school buses and I send Greg and Echo Team back with them as an escort. I let Drescoll know he’ll have company soon. I would wait until the transports arrive but don’t want Drescoll to be short-handed for long as this has taught us a valuable lesson; there are threats other than the night runners about.

The buses leave with two of the Humvees and, after Greg and Echo Team pull the remains out of the way, head out of the downed gate. A chill wind starts blowing across the lot. The rest of us, Red and Black Team, gather by the remaining vehicles and watch the area. I have seen neither hide nor hair of anyone since last night but that doesn’t mean some of the marauders didn’t make it and are still around.

Lynn and I are standing a little off from the others. Robert and Bri are with the other team members telling war stories or exchanging recipes. I’m not sure which as the hand motions could mean either one and they’re too far away to hear.

“So, what do you think about heading out when Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Teams return and try to find out about the soldiers’ families?” I ask during a moment of quiet.

Lynn pauses for a moment, no doubt thinking of her own family. “What brought that about, Jack?” She finally asks.

“Well, a couple of things actually. One, we’ve been helping out those I know and my family for the most part. I just thought it fair to see about the others as well. We don’t have that long until the jet fuel degrades to the point where we’ll be earthbound and the weather will be setting in soon,” I say looking at the overcast sky.

“Well, Jack, we still have a lot to do but I think the others will appreciate an effort. We’ve been so busy setting everything up and focusing on survival that I think that thought has been pushed down for a lot of them but it will surface eventually,” she answers without really answering.

“That’s my thought as well. So, what do you think?”

“I think we see what we have to do, prioritize, and if we can, then bring it up. If we do go, that will draw away a lot of our teams. I’d like to see us get a few more through training first so we have some semblance of a force ready to deal with things in case something like this,” she answers encompassing the area with a swing of her arm, “occurs again.”

“Yeah, you’re right but we can’t wait long. The weather will set in soon and our chance will vanish with it. It’s not that we can’t fly in it but getting down might not be so easy. I’m not a fan of flying without weather reports and there won’t be anyone to keep the runways clear,” I say.

“Let’s talk about it at our next group meeting,” she says and goes silent.

I know I shouldn’t have brought it up as it has made her think of her own family. I can certainly stick my foot in my mouth sometimes. I look over at Robert and Bri chatting it up with Gonzalez and McCafferty. I am so thankful they are okay and I feel a warm flush of love flood my heart. They are the world to me and I’ll go to any length to see them safe. That warm flush is mixed with a touch of concern though. Seeing the makeshift splint on Bri’s arm reminds me of the same old quandary; keep them safe yet let them get experience and learn. This isn’t the same as watching them drive a car for the first time and letting them stall it out.

“I don’t know what to do,” I say quietly.

“What do you mean?” Lynn asks coming out of her thoughts. I thought I had said that to myself but apparently not.

“I was just thinking about the kids. I don’t know what to do with them. Training is one thing but how much do I let them actually participate and get experience,” I say.

“Jack, they’ve done very well in training. I don’t rightly know how to answer that for you but face it, you’re not going to be around forever, Jack, and they have to learn,” she says watching them with me.

“You’ve changed your tune. But what is the right amount of participation? That’s the one that has me stuck,” I reply.

“I don’t know that there is a right answer to that one. Robert has seen a lot of action and he has done well but you know anything can happen at any time regardless of the where or what. I’m afraid you’re on your own with this one,” she answers.

“Yeah, thanks,” I respond.

Movement in my peripheral catches my attention and I whip around bringing my M-4 up. Lynn, seeing me move like that, turns, and just as quickly, goes to her knee with her weapon ready. I see three people walking slowly across the far end of the parking lot by the auditorium. They freeze at our movement.

“You over there,” I call out. “Hands where I can see them and walk slowly over.”

The raise their arms and begin walking toward us. I see in my peripheral that my shout has caught the attention of the others and they are kneeling by the vehicles or sighted across them. I turn quickly and check out behind us in case this is a ruse but see nothing.

“Red Team, keep a watch behind us,” I shout over to where they are focused on the three walking. They begin scanning the surrounding area.

The three make their way across the parking lot. As they approach, I see that one is the driver of the red truck I had in my sights. The picture of Bri and her injured arm enters. My anxiety and a rush of adrenaline are quickly replaced with growing anger. I told you that fear turns to anger when a situation stabilizes somewhat. My red dot is firmly placed on his head and my finger tightens on the trigger. Lynn senses the change in my aura and glances over to see my finger wrapped firmly around the trigger. She reaches out and touches my arm.

“Jack?” She asks as if to ask what’s wrong.

“That’s the driver of the red truck,” I answer. I haven’t released the pressure on the trigger but I haven’t tightened it further either.

“Jack, let’s see what they have to say first,” Lynn says but keeps her hand on my arm.

“I’m not really that interested in hearing anything except my round leaving the chamber,” I reply.

“Jaaaack,” Lynn says.

“Okay, fine,” I say releasing a little pressure. They draw within twenty feet. The two on the outside are clearly fearful but the one in the middle, the driver, is scowling. Not exactly his best move ever.

“That’s far enough. Kneel with your hands on your heads,” I tell them. The two do as I say immediately but the driver continues to stand although with his hands on his head.

“Get your ass down while you still have the choice of standing,” I say with a growl. This man ran my kids off the road and hurt my little girl. My patience and tolerance of him is not at an all-time high.

“You’d best do what he says asshole. He’s not in a very good mood. Now get down,” Lynn calls out.

He slowly sinks down to his knees on the pavement. His glower doesn’t let up though. I know this type; headstrong and not much else. He doesn’t like to take guff from anyone and the fact that it came from a woman doesn’t sit too well with him. He’ll try to maintain what he considers his manliness to the bitter end. I’m also guessing he has a thing with authority. I don’t know about you but if I have someone with a gun pointing at me and telling me to get to my knees, I may not like it but I’m not so weary of this world that I’m in a rush to leave it. Well, maybe a little but there are the kids and Lynn to think of. I’m kinda fond of being around them.

I rise and head to within five feet of them. Not so close that they can lunge but close enough that the hole at the end of my barrel looks mighty large. Funny how intimidating such a small hole can be. The hands of the man kneeling to my left are shaking. The driver stares straight into my eyes with a deep set anger. He’s a bully, although a dangerous one, and doesn’t like his situation one bit. He will wait and look for the first opportunity — that I know.

“Care to share your story?” I ask.

“Well, mister, we were….” the man on the right starts up but is silenced by a look from the driver.

“You killed our friends in cold blood,” the driver says still glaring.

So, that’s how it’s going to be. Take the offensive. Make yourself right. Honestly, I don’t see how this tactic will work but I have time to kill before the transports arrive.

“Really! So I suppose that justifies you holding those people against their will, kidnapping others, and forcing them to be your slaves,” I say nonchalantly.

“They were weak and needed someone to take charge to make them stronger; to be able to survive,” he counters.

“And you consider running people off the road and kidnapping them to be helping them huh? You just wanted to make them stronger, is that it?”

“We were helping these people and you have no right to hold us here,” he says.

“You mean like you were holding the other people against their will. You mean like that? You do understand your life is hanging by a very thin thread right now?” I say.

“Only the strong will survive in this world. It’s always been that way,” he says.

“This world has no place for the likes of you. You’ll apologize to my daughter for hurting her you before you leave,” I state.

“I’ll do no such thing,” he replies.

I pull my Beretta out and place it close to his forehead. Not directly against his head mind you. Placing the barrel of your gun against something hard and pulling the trigger is not a good way to keep your gun in one piece. A little distance keeps the slide attached to the gun and keeps it from slamming into your face. Over-pressurization of the barrel and chamber does nasty, nasty things to a gun.

“You might seriously want to rethink that answer,” I say holding my hand steady.

Lynn steps up and places her hand on my arm. “Jack, he’s unarmed,” she says drawing me away.

“This world doesn’t need people like him in it,” I counter.

“But killing an unarmed man when he’s surrendered isn’t right even if you don’t like him,” she says. “You know that.”

“You’d better listen to your bitch,” the driver says. Lynn’s lips tighten and her blue eyes blaze with anger. I could think of no way to leave this world quicker than to utter those exact words to Lynn. This man must have a death wish.

The subdued crack of a gun booms across the otherwise silent lot. The driver’s throat sprouts a bright blossom of blood which sprays both men kneeling beside him. His hands fall to his ruined throat attempting to stop the damage already done. He gurgles once and slumps forward to the ground; his head hitting the pavement with a crack. Blood quickly fans out to either side; so thick the breeze causes ripples across its surface. I lower my 9mm with a wisp smoke still trailing out of the suppressor.

Lynn lowers her M-4. “Jack?”

“I beat you to it,” I say.

“How did you know….” she says with her voice trailing off.

She realizes we know each other so well that I knew what she was going to do and did it myself. I knew she would agonize more over her action than I would so I shot him first. I didn’t want her to get caught up in her own guilt. I knew I’d get over it much quicker; so much so that I’m already over it. Well, maybe not altogether as I’ll ponder whether I did the right thing from time to time.

The radio squelches with an incoming call. “Everything alright, sir?” Gonzalez asks.

“We’re good here, thanks,” I answer.

I look at the other two kneeling on the ground alternating their stares from the body of their comrade and the bloody pool, now slowly streaming as the lowest parts of the pavement dictate, to us. They are obviously scared.

“You have twenty seconds to be out of my sight,” I say.

“Take us with you,” the one with the shaking hands says.

“Yeah, I don’t think so and you’d best use the fifteen seconds remaining to you wisely,” I reply.

There is no hesitation as the two rise and start running across the lot toward the downed fence line. I shake my head as I watch them bolt across the pavement, out of the gate, and down the road. There’s a definite surreal quality to the events of the past few days. I mean marauders, night runners, and having to rescue our own from our own backyard. I’m ready to wake up now.

“This is like the Wild West stories; handing out justice at the end of a gun,” Lynn says.

“He did have it coming. He practically begged for it and to be honest, I’m a little jealous,” I reply thinking he doesn’t have to deal with this messed up world anymore.

“I’m not saying he didn’t. It’s just, well, fuck, I don’t know exactly,” she responds.

“Lynn, truly, what were we to do? Take him back and lock him up? We don’t have the facilities or manpower to do something like that. And lock him up for how long? If we let him go, he would have just continued in a similar manner as before. Think about the ones who left to try it on their own. He would have found them. We probably saved a soul or two as he was a dangerous sort,” I say trying to make some sense of it.

“I know all of that, Jack. But where do we start and end with it? Do we just go around dispensing justice to those who think differently or don’t agree with us?” She asks.

I can tell she is having a hard time with the outright shooting of someone, especially as they were unarmed. I know she has no qualms whatsoever in battle or if someone is endangering those around her. I am honestly having a hard time with it as well. What is the line? To me, if they represent a danger to our survival, the answer is clear.

“We’ll just have to deal with it as it comes I guess. I don’t think there’s a right answer here. At least not yet,” I say.

“Yeah, true. Let’s start getting those portable lights so we can get out of here when the transports arrive,” she says coming out of whatever hole she climbed into momentarily.

We gather the lights and long cords that led to a number of generators placed around the field and wait. Waiting makes me feel like a seven-year old on a family road trip — are we there yet? I want to get back to base and figure our next steps out. I feel the exhaustion set in. The post adrenaline and time awake is taking its toll. The chill of the morning air gives way to a warmer but humid mid-morning. The transports arrive and we start the laborious process of loading them up.

We arrive back in our own compound. It feels like weeks since I left but it is in fact just a matter of days. The place, although similar, has undergone and is still undergoing quite a few changes. I see people out in the grass fields to the south working on fencing. A lot of fences have gone up in the fields and a large concrete slab sits next to the parking lot to the north. They’ve been busy. The school buses are parked next to the other Humvee and transport trucks.

We help offload and then it’s time for rest. My muscles are still screaming their protest from the night prior and I feel the fogginess of no sleep settle in. Inside, the compartments Bannerman had constructed for quarters are complete. Bannerman and Frank are talking with the new arrivals to the side and I assume arranging places for them. We now have close to two hundred people with us. Lynn’s going to be quite busy with her training. I trudge upstairs past the congregation, find my cot, and collapse.

I finally awaken and spend a little time with the kids on the roof. The clouds have thickened and promise rain soon. A chill breeze blows across the rooftop but it’s nice to spend the time with them and I’m thankful we are able to do so. We chat for a while and head down earlier than we normally would as there is no glorious sunset to send the day off with. Robert and Bri eat and chat with Julie during our dinner and our leadership group meets afterwards. It seems like longer since we’ve met as the enormity of events over the past few days makes it seem like more time has passed.

I start by giving a synopsis of our little outing to catch everyone up on my side. Bannerman then relates the events here.

“We’ve started the fences and such for the livestock as I’m sure you saw upon your arrival. I expect we’ll be finished with those sometime tomorrow. We’ve also poured foundations for several large greenhouses. I found quite a few big ones at various nurseries that can be dismantled and carted easily. We can start bringing in any livestock that are left within the next couple of days. Building barns and stables will be next but with the amount of people we have to help now, that should be short work,” he reports.

“Nicely done! What about Watkins and the teams getting the windmill?” I ask.

“They report they’re able to remove the turbine and truck it north in pieces. They should actually be finished there in the next day or so,” Drescoll says.

“The challenge will be to engineer a solution for the water pump,” Bannerman adds. “But we’ll figure something out.”

“Good. How about supplies?” I ask.

“Well, we’ve gathered quite a few and have hit most of the stores around here and cleared out quite a few of them. To be honest, with this greater influx of people, we should start thinking bigger, Jack. We have enough food to get us through but feeding two hundred people a day will hit us pretty hard. Plus, there is a storage problem with that many. I worked in supply for a while so I know about that,” Bannerman says.

“So what are you suggesting?” Lynn asks.

“Well, first, we should be hitting any distribution centers in the area. They’ll have anything the stores have but in much greater quantities. Plus, I talked with Frank here and we think the there’s a chance that the security of the distribution centers should be in effect limiting any night runner activity inside. They are also usually built away from heavily populated areas. I think we should grab all we can, load them into trucks and haul them back. As far as storage, well, we should also grab shipping containers. They have some that are refrigerated as well,” Bannerman answers.

“Let’s not forget about hospital and medical equipment either,” Drescoll chimes in.

“They’ll have a lot of basic medical supplies plus meds for the pharmacies,” Bannerman replies.

“But I mean more of hospital equipment, you know, tables, and stuff like that,” Drescoll clarifies.

“Yeah, we’re going to need items like that as well. With the influx of people, and I think we’ll see more as time goes on, we’ll have to think about housing for all of them. It’s getting a little crowded here using this for storage and housing,” Frank adds.

All of these ideas and suggestions being thrown out are taking a toll on my psyche. Still so much to do and each will take time and resources. I’m pretty much done being in charge now and I’d like to go home. These are all valid points but it’s a matter of putting them into a priority basis. The problem is that all seem to have an equal priority. Food, water, and shelter remain high on the list. We have winter coming which means much shorter days and we aren’t in a position to be self-sufficient as yet. One thing is certain and that is we’ll have to have the barns, stables, greenhouses, and other buildings for the livestock in place before winter sets in.

“Well, I think we continue with the building of the fences and structures for food supplies. Horses are a great idea as who knows if we’ll be able to manufacture bio-fuels and the bio-fuels will only provide for the diesel-powered equipment. However, even with that available, we won’t have manufacturing to replace broken equipment although we can scrounge for quite a while longer in that area. As far as the rest, I’ve had a couple of thoughts in mind and want to throw those out and see what everyone thinks,” I say.

“I see we have two choices as far as a permanent residence goes. We can stay here and build what we need, apartment buildings, storage, water towers, and such or we can begin fortifying the Fort Lewis and McChord areas. Seal them off as we did here, remove the night runners from within, and move up. We’d have to start off by sealing off and clearing smaller areas like the housing, armories, vehicle storage and maintenance areas, and the hospital,” I continue.

There’s a silence as everyone ponders the idea. “I’ve honestly thought along those lines as well,” Bannerman finally says. “There are advantages and disadvantages to that. The disadvantages are fairly obvious I think. It’s mostly about clearing those areas. We’d have to have the manpower to do it and keep it clear. Time and resources as you put it.”

“But we’d basically have a functioning city if we could do it,” Drescoll says.

“Keeping it clear and patrolling that vast of an area sounds like it would suck up all of our resources if we could even clear it sufficiently,” Lynn chimes in.

“We’d have to take it in stages and base out of here while we were doing it,” I say. “Then we could keep this area as our food supply although there are enough open areas up there to do that as well.”

“It’s ambitious, I’ll give you that but if we could do it, I think it would be worth it,” Greg says.

“Everything is already in place there. The advantages I see are that the power is in place. Bases were meant to be self-sufficient in that and other regards. We’d have tools, storage, and armories right there. Plus, they already have the water tower in place. We could have a large field of those wind turbines by the airfield and vast arrays of solar panels. There are also fuel depots we could utilize. The disadvantages, like Lynn mentioned, are keeping the night runners out and patrolling. And clearing it to begin with. That will be a major undertaking in and of itself,” Frank says.

“Even putting the night runners aside, I think we may be able to keep them out like we’ve done here, but marauders will be a different story. We don’t, and I don’t foresee us having, enough to keep the entire area patrolled. We could be easily infiltrated,” Lynn replies.

“How many of those concrete wall parts are still in place up north?” I ask.

“I see where you’re going with that and I think there are still miles of them left according to the teams that were up there. I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding enough,” Bannerman answers.

“So what about starting with the housing and hospital and go from there?” I ask.

“Probably feasible and we could have the walls up in a short time with all of the help we have,” Bannerman again answers.

“Will that affect the work started around here?” Robert asks. All heads turn in his direction as this is about his first utterance in one of our meetings. I wanted him and Bri in them to learn and by his question, he has done just that.

“I don’t see a problem with that. We’ll have a learning curve but we should be fine,” Bannerman responds.

“Okay, so we find and hit a distribution center, or centers, train some to drive semi’s and bring back shipping containers, continue to build the livestock facilities and greenhouses, and start putting the walls up around the hospital and housing areas up north. Sounds easy,” I say with my head starting to bleed from all of it.

“That will put us mighty thin on the teams,” Lynn adds.

“Yeah, we’ll need a team to escort the trucks hauling the containers. I want them to convoy with a team of Humvees for protection. We’ve at least learned that from recent days. Any traveling group will have the top guns manned at all times. Then at least one team for the crews gathering the concrete walls, and one for the group setting them in place. One team for the night watch and one on standby. That leaves three teams to help with supply runs. That does leave us pretty thin. When will the first training class be finished?” I ask turning to Lynn.

“Well, the first class is almost through phase 1. Phase two will take a couple weeks following. Then we can begin the next group,” Lynn answers.

“The distribution centers will have to be an all-out effort once the storage containers are in place then,” I say. “I’m sure we’ll find plenty of empty containers in the Seattle shipping yards. Will three teams be enough for you Bannerman?”

“Should be. There are a few things Frank and I have thought about getting but some of the others can get them without having to go into buildings; or at least the dangerous ones,” he answers.

“So, do we have enough supplies now that we won’t have to ‘shop’ around here?” I ask.

“I think we’ll have to make some more runs but not many,” he answers.

“Okay. There’s one other thing I wanted to bring up. That is taking time to search for the families of soldiers. If we decide to do it, we’ll have to do it soon; before winter sets in and before the fuel goes bad. I think it’s only fair to them to at least have an answer. I’m also thinking there could be some who might leave to find out on their own if we don’t,” I say.

“How would we do that with us already stretched thin?” Greg asks.

“Well, I was thinking when we could take a small break in operations. Like maybe after the shipping containers were brought in or after we hit the distribution centers. We’d have to set a time limit and any families we go looking for would have to reside within a set distance from a military airfield,” I answer.

“I, for one, think it’s a great idea if we can afford the manpower. How many Humvees can the 130 take?” Greg says.

“Two to three depending on how we load them. I would think two with the teams we’ll be taking depending on how many want to go. I envision each place will take two days. One for air travel and one for driving to and back,” I answer.

“We should bring it up to the soldiers,” Frank says.

“Okay, so tomorrow, let’s start our truck driving institute and carry on with the fences and buildings. We’ll start on operations after they’ve become proficient and after Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie return. In the meantime, we can also expand our search for any other survivors. My thought is to use the helicopter to fly over an area and make a loudspeaker broadcast identifying a rally point for at a set day and time. We can use the school buses to meet in a mall parking lot or other such places we locate. I think we’ll use the three teams who aren’t on fence and convoy duty and set up a perimeter at each rescue site just in case we call on someone who has different ideas other than being rescued. Each day we can cover a different area. Anyone have any questions?” I ask.

“I like that plan. Where will we start looking for others?” Drescoll asks.

“I’ll leave that up to Frank. If we have any maps of the area, we can designate areas to cover and mark them off afterwards,” I answer.

“I’ll start looking at them when we finish here,” Frank replies.

“Any further questions or thoughts?” I ask.

There aren’t any replies and we break for the evening. I’m still tired and I feel a headache coming on so I sit and chat with Lynn for a while. Robert is off with Michelle and Bri with Julie. The interior settles down for the night. It’s comforting inside not having to listen to the perpetual banging of night runners trying to get in. I ease off into dreamland.

* * *

She wakes the next night conscious of the many around her. Many had lost their pack leaders and joined her but several pack leaders joined as well. Still aware of the tickle across her mind the night before, she heads out with her pack. There is still food available where the other two-legged laired and she will start the night’s hunt there. She hopes the other two-legged ones haven’t recovered and are defending their lair as they had before.

She trots through the darkened town with a drizzle starting to fall. The wet slaps of feet behind let her know the others are following. The wet will dampen the ability to find prey to an extent but she isn’t worried. She has more mouths to find food for but the young one riding along with her is the most important. She knows a couple of other females in her pack are also carrying young ones. The gray shapes of various buildings pass by as she heads up a steep hill on her way to observe the two-legged one’s lair.

She senses a couple of other smaller packs prowling the neighborhoods she passes. She sees the compound and halts. The lights that once bathed the perimeter in their glow are gone. The tall structures by the fence are empty and the air is free of their scent. She cautiously edges forward. There is no resounding bang of a gunshot or cry of alarm as there had been in previous nights when she ventured close.

She trots around the fenced area to the place it was brought down last night and enters the lair. There is one of the two-legged lying on the ground by the entrance. The sniffs the air and catches a faint scent but it is an old one. The drizzle has vanquished most of the smell but it’s still there. She doesn’t smell anything fresh or recent. With a look around to check for movement, she begins feeding. The males let the ones carrying young to feed first. Some are eager but she sends a quick message and they back off. The others find another lying on the ground nearby and set in.

Sated, she rises and guides the pack to where there is a smell of old blood. In the rooms of the building, her pack feeds on the remnants of bodies that were torn apart in some fashion. She remembers the mighty explosion the night prior and knows she found the aftermath. The why or how still eludes her but she is content that the pack won’t have to hunt all night for food.

She trots with several of her pack to the round building where the other two-legged ones laired. There’s no sign or scent of them. They have gone. She remembers almost ‘hearing’ the one and is intrigued. Well, intrigued is not perhaps the right word but she is curious and, for some reason, feels a pull towards that one. I guess that does mean intrigued. Perhaps it’s that she could almost communicate or understand that one. It was a new and different sensation but she also knows that the two-legged ones are dangerous and will shoot on sight. She has her pack and young one to think of.

She enters the building and finds more food for her pack inside. They will eat well tonight. The old scent of the others that were here is stronger making her a little more cautious but she hears nothing that indicates they are still around. Entering a large room, she looks up and sees another room overlooking. If she could smile or knew what that was, she would for there is the perfect lair. No light during the day will reach there and it’s big enough for all of them to sleep. She has found a new lair for them.

As they settle into their new place, her thoughts momentarily stray towards the one that was here and then trickles back to her young one. Their new lair is warm and they are all fed. She rubs her stomach gently and is content.

* * *

I wake early the next morning and head out with the rest of the teams for training. My muscles aren’t quite as sore and my back seems to be talking with me again. Well, at least acknowledging me if not outright friendly. Others begin making their way out into the drizzly morning heading off to the fields surrounding our haven. The clouds overhead are a darker shade of gray that promises more rain before the end of the day. Or, this being the Northwest, it could be minutes away. It’s a light training morning and we are soon finished. We head for the showers and a change of clothing. I know I am in dire need of one if the odor that seems to be following me around is any indication.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, the teams separate into tasks that Bannerman has assigned. The sound of the few semi’s we have parked outside cranking up filters inside denoting that the truck driving institute’s first class is about to begin. I check in with Frank to see where he wants to begin our search. He has chosen the south end of Olympia. I doubt we’ll find anyone as they should have heard our activities and filtered our way by now. Our burning endeavors didn’t extend that far and we haven’t been through the area as yet so it’s as good a place as any.

The ever-present headache is accompanying me as I head out to the helicopter to warm it up. Robert is accompanying me and I will switch the days off with Bri, when her arm is better, giving them somewhat of a lesson as we go. Yeah, like I’m remotely ready to give lessons but you only have to be one step ahead of those you teach. Frank has chosen the Capital Mall as a rallying point for any survivors and we plan on an afternoon meeting given it is so close.

The rotors come up to speed in a circular blur overhead and we lift off into the drizzle. The downwash of the blades keeps the windshield clear as we head over the brown fields where people are pounding metal fence poles into the ground. Several look up as we pass over. I rock the Kiowa as best I can to say hi. We head to the south end of town. The paper-strewn streets of downtown pass below. Memories surface of times out with the kids for dinner or my occasional foray into the town for a drink or two. That’s all the streets and town holds now — memories. Well, that and night runners.

I search for any barricaded locations that will indicate people are still surviving. I think the best place to search will be the residential districts but the night runners have proven to be quite innovative and it would be difficult for anyone to completely barricade a house against them. Still we pass over the forlorn housing areas and send our broadcast.

“Any survivors, we offer food, shelter, and protection. Meet at the Capital Mall at 3pm. If you can’t make that, we are located at Cabela’s. Any survivors….”

It’s still pretty early in the morning and that should give them enough time to get there by whatever means of transportation they have available. I mean, there is plenty just lying about. Of course, getting keys if you don’t know how to hotwire could be a tricky endeavor. We don’t see anyone exit the houses but cover the entire southwestern side before heading over to the warehouse district. It’s here that I would think people would more likely be able to hole up. We broadcast our message and head south to cover Tumwater.

I let Robert fly some but make sure we have a little more altitude. We can’t go too high as I don’t want to lose contact with the ground but high enough so that we won’t contact the ground immediately. I’m not proficient enough to recover should we decide to do a maneuver that alters the flight characteristics of the helicopter. Yes, that means out of control. We start off like a small skiff bucking high seas but he eventually gets the hang of it. By getting the hang of it, I mean like I did when I first began. That means we aren’t about to test the theory that the ground is harder than an aircraft nor are we in jeopardy of hitting inanimate objects.

The areas we cover give the same picture; streets filled with scraps of paper, parked cars, seemingly empty buildings with their dark windows staring back. With the gray skies and drizzle coming down, it truly looks like an alien world. Like ours but with the lack of movement or people about. It has a very depressing nature about it. It makes me thankful that it’s not like some books I’ve read where there is only one person left. Nice to think about but it would absolutely suck. We are social creatures by nature, with exceptions, and the lack of social interaction would drive anyone crazy in a short period of time.

We finish with the east side of town and overfly some of the outlying areas. We broadcast but the extra flying is to give Robert some stick time. He’ll be starting phase two of his training shortly and I want to give him whatever training I can while we are able. After he and Bri finish with that training, I’ll also be taking them out for some additional training. Bri brought that up again last night during our evening time together. Her arm seems to be healing to a degree now that she has a proper splint on it. She’ll be able to attend the class part of her training and thankfully that is mostly what phase two involves with some walk-throughs of what they learned.

We head up north to refuel and make our way back to the base. We spot several trucks on the Interstate, with their accompanying Humvee escort, as the drivers continue their training. The drizzle has turned to rain as we land in the parking lot, the wash from our rotors driving sheets off the pavement. I make a mental note to change out our helicopter after tomorrow’s flight. I have no idea what maintenance is required per flight hour with these, or really anything else for that matter, and I’m not into finding that answer the hard way.

The parking lot is empty as we make our way inside. I brief Frank on the areas we covered and grab a bite to eat. It’s early afternoon and Lynn is getting the teams ready to rendezvous at the mall. I don’t expect much but at least it’s a start. We should be able to cover a wide area before Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams arrive back. Then, it’ll be a busy time again. Bannerman informs me that Watkins and the others are having a more difficult time getting parts of the wind turbine taken down and loaded. They’ll be a few more days at least. They report that it’s been quiet around them in regards to both people and night runners. Their food and water is holding out but he notes they should have brought more clothing. I can only imagine what the inside of the Strykers are like at night.

Lynn gathers her Black Team along with Horace’s Blue Team. I hope that’s not an ominous sign — Black and Blue Teams. I am taking Red Team. Outside, the rain brings that smell that a first rain brings; the smell of freshness. The plants and trees give off their scents of joy in response to the refreshing water. I am not as joyous with the rain as I’m not particularly fond of getting wet. I’ve lived in the Northwest long enough to get my fair share so if I were to give off a scent, and I do often, it would be more one of dread and yuck. I wonder what smell hunkering down and trying to pull your collar over your head gives off. We board the buses and, along with three Humvees, start the progression south.

The rain lightly pounds against the metal roof and comes in through the top hatch. We have the gun manned so the warmth and shelter from the downpour one expects in a car is sorely lacking. Our tires purr on the wet highway. We come to the slight blockage of cars as we near the hospital off ramp and pass slowly by. Streaks of water pour off their windshields and rear windows. Some, with their windows down, absorb the water inside. It won’t be too long before these become rusted heaps in the road. The salt air and constant rain of winter will see to that in short order. That’s why we’ll have to get the secure areas in place around the vehicle depots at Fort Lewis soon; so we can park as many vehicles as we can indoors.

We pull off the freeway and make our way through the main boulevards until we reach the mall and park by the main entrance. I note the broken glass doors in front. The hair on my arm and neck come to attention as I know what that means or at least think I do. Night runners are inside. It could be from people scavenging but I’m not really interested in finding out for sure right now. We make sure to stay a distance away from the doors just in case it happens to be a marauder home. I radio base and leave a message for Frank to annotate this as possible night runner location.

We have arrived a little early and don’t sight anyone in the lot. Lynn sets a perimeter with her and Horace’s teams. The Humvees are parked in a circle around the buses with Henderson, Denton, and McCafferty manning the M-240’s on top. The rain lets up and a hole opens above us sending beams of sunlight down onto the paved surface. Wisps of steam rise slowly from where the sunlight strikes the wet surface. The day isn’t cold but warm and humid. Stifling almost but the sunlight feels good. The cooler rain felt good at first but that quickly passed.

Lynn is on top of a Humvee surveying the area with a pair of binoculars. A flock of crows heads across the lot on their way to a destination only they know. They rise above a line of trees marking the south end of the large lot surrounding the mall and are lost from sight.

“Anything?” I call out. She shakes her head and continues her surveillance. Lynn gives note of a pack of dogs trotting up one of the streets nearby but that is all she calls out. The minutes pass without seeing a soul.

“There’s someone coming up the road on a bicycle,” Lynn calls out startling us from our reveries. It’s not that we aren’t paying attention; it’s just that our thoughts meander when we’re still for a period of time.

“Wait, there’s a couple more behind also on bikes. They just rounded the corner,” she adds.

We turn in the direction she is pointing and see four people pedaling with effort up a short hill leading to the mall. They see us parked in the lot and stop. The person in front points us out to the others as they catch up. They start off again heading in our direction. It soon becomes clear that it’s a man, a woman, and two children, if children is the right word. They look to be in their early to mid-teens. They pull up at the edge of the lot and the man pedals forward.

“Are you the ones who gave the announcement earlier?” The man asks. I can tell he is wary by the way he left what is apparently his family at a distance. Not that it would do any good seeing we have vehicles but it’s a cautious move nonetheless.

“Yeah. Nice to see someone else has made it. I’m Jack,” I call out.

“I’m Calvin. Well, people call me Cal,” he shouts back. He doesn’t make a move toward us but stays in place straddling his bike.

“You’re welcome to join us, have a bite to eat, or just chat. You and the others with you won’t be harmed,” I say.

I see some hesitation but he lays his bike down, points to the others telling them to stay put, and walks into our circle. We shake hands and introductions are made. Gonzalez brings over a MRE and hands it to Cal. He tells us of their story of barricading their second story apartment and surviving night after night of night runners. He doesn’t use the term night runners but picks up on it as we mention it. Each day was filled with scrounging what they could from the corner marts and gas stations and repairing any damage to their fortifications.

We give a short version of our experiences in return. He waves his family over following and we are introduced to Janet, his wife, Peter, his fourteen-year old son, and Mary, his seventeen-year old daughter. They each take a MRE and devour the contents in no time flat. They agree to come with us as the thought of shelter without the nightly attacks is very much agreeable to them. Cal tells us it was only a matter of time for them and they feel lucky to have made it this far. There were a few others holding out in the same complex but they were overrun a while ago. As far as they know, they are the only ones left.

His conversation is interrupted by the sound of a vehicle approaching. A blue king cab pickup truck pulls into the lot with people piled in the bed. They pull to a stop just outside of our circle and seven people exit from the bed and interior. Again, introductions are made and we find that they are group of people that came upon each other while foraging and holed up in an aircraft hangar during the night.

The afternoon passes without a sign of anyone else. That’s all we find on this first outing; eleven people but that’s more than I expected. Cal and his family, along with some of the others who rode in the bed, board one of the buses. Simon, the driver of the truck, does not want to part with his truck so he drives behind the buses as we make our way back to Cabela’s. I inform Drescoll of our find and he passes it along to Bannerman and Frank.

Bannerman is present at the entrance to greet the newcomers as the bus pulls under the covered entrance. The rain has started again and we trudge through puddles after parking our vehicles in the lot. The crews working in the fields make their way through the mud and grass. I note the semi’s parked in a row on one side of the lots having apparently finished with the day’s training. I would say the sun was setting low in the west but there is no sign of it. The clouds cover us delivering their droplets in showers. The sky begins to get a darker shade of gray as our day winds to an end.

Our meeting that night is just a recap of the day with Lynn throwing in that phase two training for the first group will begin in the morning after the team training and formation.

“So, what’s the plan for those who finish the training? Are we planning on throwing them on existing teams, using them as replacements, hopefully we won’t have to deal with that, or creating new teams?” Lynn asks.

“I guess we should probably cover that. My initial thought is that we have everyone trained as some form of militia, so to speak, but the ones that excel or want to be on teams can be considered. We’ll need more than just armed teams running around. What do you think?” I ask.

“I’m with that thinking. Train everyone that comes in but they’ll have their own tasks or work groups run by Bannerman. The ones that want to be and qualify for a team should be put on one. Although we have eight teams now, we’ve found times, like those coming up, when we’ve been spread pretty thin,” Lynn answers.

“So we denote who is ready to lead a team and form others when we have people ready right?” I ask.

“That sounds like a good plan to me. I know for one that Jordan is ready,” Drescoll says.

“What about Gonzalez?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah, she’s ready but I’d like to leave her in place as she pretty much leads Red Team when I’m not there,” I answer.

“Okay, I think Watkins mentioned something about Cressman and that she may be ready,” Lynn says. “We’ll fill out the teams as we need and as people become available.”

“Let’s keep in mind that we need others to work in other areas. This isn’t only about filling and creating teams,” Bannerman states.

“Agreed. So we keep it to those that want to and excel in the training,” Lynn says.

“I’ll leave that to you then,” I say.

“Yeah, gee, thanks, Jack,” Lynn says as yet another thing is heaped on her already busy plate.

Bannerman clears his throat to change the subject and adds, “Well, we finished the fences today and will be starting on the structures tomorrow. I’ll need some people to head out with flatbeds to pick up a great deal of lumber from the surrounding yards. And some others to start taking the greenhouses down. We won’t be able to put up more concrete pads until the rain clears. The training today with the trucks went well and they should be able to make their way down the road without dropping transmission pieces all over. We still have some work on backing up with a trailer but I don’t foresee that being a great problem tomorrow.”

“Jack, I have something that’s been bugging me. Well, not exactly bugging me per se but rather that’s been on my mind,” Drescoll says and looks at Robert and Bri before continuing. “Forgive me if this comes out wrong but didn’t you think that was, what was her name, oh yes, Julie. Didn’t you think that was her in the house when you told your story of getting Robert and Bri?”

“Yeah, I thought it was for sure but I’m guessing I was wrong and not for the first time,” I answer.

“What if you weren’t wrong? I talked some with her and there seems to be a huge gap in her memory,” Drescoll states.

Silence settles among the group as the ramifications of what he is saying is slowly absorbed. Bri tilts her head and looks at me in askance. Robert stares with his mouth open slightly and turns looking for his mom. The others have a glaze wash over their eyes as they draw inwards thinking of what Drescoll’s question implies.

“I just had to be wrong, that’s all. We would have seen others I think if that were possible. I mean, we’re talking about a genetic alteration. I don’t know but that doesn’t just disappear, does it?” I say but not terribly sure of what I’m talking about.

“Think about it,” Drescoll pushes on. “That means she would have to have some sort of antibodies or something. If that were true, couldn’t we use that to reverse the whole process?”

“I am no physicist or geneticist. Or kind ofany ‘cist’ for that matter. I wouldn’t know the first thing about that. Or how to use it or synthesize it. I don’t know that anyone here would either. That’s a pretty big ballgame we’re talking about. And we’re not even sure that’s what happened. She could have just hit her head or something. I wouldn’t even know how to check for something like that,” I answer. “Anyone have anything even remotely close to an answer?”

Everyone shakes their head. Frank said he’d ask around to see if anyone had any expertise but I’m highly doubtful. Anyone with that kind of knowledge would be working for the CDC or some research facility although the University of Washington had a pretty good medical department and medical research going on. My knowledge is frightfully small in that area other than knowing that genetic changes are possible. One only has to look outside at night to know that. All I know about it could be crammed into a thimble with room left over for a finger.

A thought runs through my head that we’ve all seen too many movies about this very thing and it seems so easy on screen. In real life, like many things, not so true. My realm of expertise on the subject would be to draw someone’s blood and shoot it into one of the night runners and see what happened. I mean besides pissing it the hell off. Nope, not into running around with a pissed off night runner just to see what his or her reaction would be. The ramifications that Drescoll has brought up is making my head hurt again. I check my ears for a trickle of blood.

“Well, one thing we aren’t going to do is experiment with people but if we do find someone with some knowledge, I’d be happy to hear them out,” I say after another long bout of silence. We don’t have a final word but just drift away as our thoughts about what Drescoll said almost paralyzes any other process.

The next morning dawns with mostly clear skies. It’s obvious it rained through the night but the clouds have parted leaving only faint reminders they were there. A few clouds still gather but for the most part, it’s another nice day coming our way. The sun glistens off the wet pavement as I gather the teams together before our daily training.

“I just want to let you know that I haven’t forgotten that you have families as well,” I begin addressing the group in a semi-circle around me; some kneeling on the still wet parking lot while others stand cradling their M-4’s. “I plan to take the 130 out when we can afford the time but it’ll have to be soon.” I see several faces light up.

“Now, there are limits we have to observe. First, any home or place we go has to be within 100 miles of a military airfield. We have to have JP-4 available. We can obviously only use the daylight and we have to be able to get there, search, and return by nightfall. We have to stay west of a line running from the middle of Texas due north to the eastern border of North Dakota. The majority of nuclear power plants lies east of that line and has most likely rendered the eastern part of the country inhospitable,” I continue.

Several faces fall at the news of the limitations. McCafferty raises her hand. “Sir, exactly what is the limit for Texas?” She asks with a hint of trepidation in her voice.

“What place are you thinking about?” I ask in return.

“Lubbock, sir,” she answer.

“That should be far enough west,” I say seeing her eyes light up.

“I’m sorry for those that have family outside of those areas. I truly am and if we could, we’d go find out about everyone but the hard fact is that we can’t risk going east of that line,” I say.

I feel sick at heart looking at some of the crestfallen faces. I’d like to say I know of that feeling and could empathize with them but my kids are safe. I could perhaps share in the anxiety of not knowing they are safe given recent events but to totally not be able to find out or know for sure, no, no one who isn’t going through that could possibly know.

“Sir, are you sure the power plants melted down?” One soldier asks.

“I’m pretty sure,” I say looking to see who asked so I can address them directly but I can’t tell. “All of the safety systems and triple-redundant fail-safes relied on their own generation of power. When that power isn’t available, then the chain reactions start. I’m quite sure they are all in the process of melting down if they haven’t already. With the predominant eastern flow of wind and the numerous plants on that side of the country, well, the coverage has to be almost complete and we wouldn’t know until it was possibly too late. I’m truly sorry.”

The silence is complete. There’s a shifting of feet as some are eager and others saddened. To say this situation is awkward is to put it mildly. I would rather be in the midst of a proctology exam than be standing here telling the ones that have family in possible radiation zones that we can’t go there.

“So, I need a show of hands of who wants to go and who might have family or loved ones within those parameters,” I say wanting this awkwardness to be over.

A few raise their hands. I notice all of Red Team have their hands in the air. That makes it easy, I think counting the others. I ask Lynn to contact Watkins down in the Columbia Gorge with the information to see how many he has that can and would like to go. In all, we find twelve that can and are going. I let them know that we’ll have to wait for an opportune time but that it’ll also have to be soon. If we miss our window for any reason, we won’t be able to attempt it and to also prepare for that eventuality. Several ask about heading out with ground transportation if their homes are too far from a military field. I answer that we may be able to do that in the future but depleting our already thin resources for the period of time it will take isn’t possible at this time. I leave them with the, “we’ll have to see what the future holds. If we can, we will do just that.” The throaty roar of semi’s starting punctuates the atmosphere. Clouds of smoke rise from their stacks.

“Okay everyone, form up and let’s get on with this morning’s training,” Lynn says saving me from any further discomfort.

I had thought this would be mostly good news for the soldiers but it’s mixed. Even the ones who can go feel bad for the ones who can’t. There is a lot of shoulder patting as the teams head across parking lot. I suddenly feel very tired.

“Coming, Jack?” Lynn asks over her shoulder as she walks along with the others. I nod and head over to where they’re gathering.

After training, I lift off in the helicopter and head north. I’m solo today as Robert and Bri are starting the second part of their training today. I still have a queasy feeling in my stomach from this morning with the soldiers. I don’t think they have any hard feelings toward me but sometimes the messenger is associated with the feeling of pain or anguish. I felt bad seeing some of their faces as the hope of finding their loved ones, slim as it may be, was dashed. Sure, there were the vague promises of heading out over land but they know the line across the country still stands. Lynn and I had a private chat after training to be prepared for some leaving. Even knowing the extreme dangers in all of the forms this new world presents won’t stop the pull of wanting to know. I have no doubt that some will leave. However, it’s my hope that the camaraderie found with their colleagues will keep them here.

I head into the clear sky and am presented with the wide open wilderness of it all. The blue sky above with a scattering of clouds; the tail remnants of the front that came through. The vast area around is devoid of any form of life. No movement; just the open areas, the waters of the Puget Sound and the rivers feeding it, the brown fields, the houses nestled in amongst trees, the backyards that hold memories of days past. Even the birds seem to have disappeared. It brings a lonely feeling.

Frank picked out an area around Fort Lewis. I’ll cover the base itself, although we traversed it once seemingly years ago, and the surrounding towns of DuPont and Tillicum. The rally point will be the main entrance to Fort Lewis; actually, the Interstate just in front but the main gate will be a recognizable description to anyone in the area. I fly over the empty towns and base, once busy centers of activity, and broadcast the same message as the day before. I land at Gray Army Airfield and switch out helicopters before making my way through the bright morning back to base.

Bringing it in for a landing, I see Robert, Bri, and a few others in the brown field sitting in a semi-circle around Lynn next to my landing spot. They are beginning the next part of their training. Another larger group is gathered around several other team members. It appears Lynn has started another phase one training group and is leaving it up to the teams to teach this portion. I bring it in and set it down with the group holding onto anything that might blow away and disappear in the tall grass. Lynn looks over with an irritated look and I just shrug. That look tells me it’s a good thing I didn’t follow through with an earlier thought of hovering right over the top of them.

I shut down and head inside to gather the three teams to meet at our broadcast time outside of Fort Lewis. It’s much the same as yesterday except we head north. We only find five people who answer our call; one husband and wife with their young daughter and two other men in their mid to late twenties. None come from the base but I’m happy to be finding some survivors still existing in the world.

I take Robert and Bri aside that evening instead of heading to the roof so we can go through some additional training. My hope is to pass on what little wisdom and knowledge I have. My overall plan is to combine tracking, stealth, and tactical techniques with some discussion thrown in. This training will now encompass our evenings together but we can still go to the roof when the training only involves discussions. I’m not a master of any of these but, like I mentioned before, you only have to be one step ahead to teach.

The evening is more of a recap with Bannerman telling of progress with the buildings. A lot was accomplished in getting one of the large greenhouses apart and that should be finished within the next couple of days. Several large lumber yards were found, thank goodness for being in the Northwest, and he’ll start hauling the material back the next day. He tells of Watkin’s status and that he should be finished and on his way soon. I’m a little edgy about them staying away for so long seeing there is the very real potential of marauders but I’m sure the sight of the Stryker vehicles will make anyone think twice. At any rate, I’ll be happier when they return.

“When Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie return, we’ll start on the walls around the hospital and housing areas,” Bannerman finishes.

“We found a ham radio and are in the midst of setting it up. That will give us UHF, VHF, and side-band capabilities,” Frank adds.

This is great news as we will be able to hopefully communicate with others, more on the civilian side, over longer distances. Hopefully there will be others set up like us and we can share ideas, experiences, and knowledge if not actually being able to meet. Frank also sets up the next area for us to cover for survivors; that being the south parts of Tacoma. We’ll meet at the Tacoma mall.

Lynn discusses the start of the training. She praises both Robert and Bri as they have taken well to both phases. Bri’s arm still prevents her from participating in any strenuous exercises but it is healing and she seems to be without pain; that is unless she whacks it on a wall or chair.

“There is one other thing I should mention,” Franks says. “We’ve been picking up a little higher reading on the Geiger counter. I take daily readings just in case and it’s been a little higher each day.”

“How much higher?” Greg asks. We all sit up a little taller and this definitely gets all of our attention.

“It’s still way within the safe margin. It’s just that I noticed a higher reading, that’s all. I don’t think it’s worth worrying about but it should be mentioned,” Frank answers. “And monitored.”

“Well, I suppose it could be from the nuclear power plants that fill Europe, the Eastern seaboard, the India/Pakistan region, and the Orient. Their radiation could be drifting on the wind currents and reaching us. I think most of Europe would be completely uninhabitable; if not now, then soon. We’ll definitely have to monitor the readings daily and think about contingency plans if it approaches the danger zone. Honestly, between us, if it gets bad here, I can’t imagine a place in the northern hemisphere that wouldn’t be equally affected. I think we keep this between us for now,” I say.

“I agree,” Drescoll replies.

“Let’s table this for now but keep us informed if it keeps increasing and by what degrees, Frank. If it continues to climb, we’ll have to think about what to do but for now, I think we continue with what we have going,” I add.

I feel like shit when I finally hit my cot next to Lynn. My head is pounding and my whole body aches. It doesn’t quite feel like a flu coming on but it’s not far from it. The thing missing is the associated nausea. We have a lot to do and I can’t afford to be sick. It’s not like I feel I have to do everything and I am completely confident of those around but I still want to be a part of what’s going on. I head off to a troubled sleep thinking it’s just the stress and long days. One day I hope we can achieve some stability where we don’t constantly have to do things in order to just survive. It feels like pushing a big boulder up a hill; always more to do and further to go. We have come a long ways from our jaunting from place to place in the 130 but as we finish one thing, two more jumps into its place.

The morning dawns like the others before it except my restless sleep hasn’t dissipated the aches and pains. My head feels like a drum corps is parading inside. My muscles feel like they’ve been beaten with hammers. Lynn stirs beside me going through her usual routine; clothes, boots, gun. She rises and wakes the other teams for their morning under her tutelage. She eventually heads back to where I haven’t moved a muscle.

“Jack, time to rise and shine,” she says.

My groan says it all. But just in case it doesn’t, I add, “There’s no rise or shine for me. Go have fun without me.”

“Now how can there be any fun without your mug present. If you don’t get up, you’ll be depriving the rest of us of your oh so charming personality,” she replies.

“Yeah, we can’t have that now, can we? But the fact remains that I don’t wanna.”

“Jaaaaaack, come on. It’s another lovely day in paradise.”

“Paradise?! Oh good, have I finally woken up from this horrid dream?” I say rising slowly. The move isn’t the best one as the drummers inside turn the volume up. I’m eventually able to put on my boots and tie them without it feeling like my brain is actually going to pound through my eyeballs. Lynn leans over to give me a kiss on the top of my head and then departs.

I trudge outside and the bright day, with a sun that has just crested the mountains and is sending its warm rays down, doesn’t help my head at all. It seems a little overly bright and I have to squint in order not to become blinded or have my head explode. I’m sure that might ruin many of the others’ morning; watching my head pop. Then again, maybe not. They may in fact cheer and strike up a week long party in celebration. Maybe even make it a national day of celebration in the future. There could be an effigy placed in Times Square with C-4 planted inside the head and set off at the appropriate time. Of course, it’s going to be a long time before Times Square can ever be used again.

Fuck I’m tired, I think realizing the thoughts coursing through my head. I would shake my head to clear the thoughts if there wasn’t the real possibility of my head just flying off. Plus, my neck muscles vote against the idea of moving. I think maybe I should take a day off flying but the idea that there are others out there possibly needing help keeps my feet moving across the sunlit, paved surface. I join the other teams as they form up to train but I’m mostly a bystander on this one. They take off on a morning run but my feet remain firmly planted where they are. Lynn turns to look at me as they take off but doesn’t say anything. My training today will involve me practicing my ‘going to a sitting position.’ This is a mostly overlooked but important training maneuver and I decide to practice it. And it’s a good thing too because I don’t execute it with form and grace but it’s more of a plop. I see I’ll have to work on this maneuver much more in the future in order to get it right.

I sit on the warming asphalt cradling my head until the others return. I decide I am quite skilled in standing and don’t feel like I need to attempt that particular maneuver so I remain sitting as they run through contact drills. They finish at the firing range before going through a quick debrief of the morning. I haven’t budged. The break up and head inside.

“Good training with you this morning,” I say as they walk in groups toward the entrance. I of course call out quietly.

“Are you okay?” Lynn asks squatting beside me.

“Yeah, I think so. I feel like I’ve been hit by a meteor though,” I answer.

“Maybe you should just rest and take it easy today,” she suggests.

“No, I’ll be okay,” I say rising. Apparently I do need standing practice as this maneuver isn’t conducted with any semblance of grace either.

“Jack, you can’t fly in this condition,” Lynn says.

“Well, it’s not like I can really fly anyway. Seriously, I’ll be okay,” I say kissing her and walking over to the helicopter.

I climb in and sit in the seat for a moment. I honestly think about getting back out but, with a sigh, I start the checklist. The headache has diminished to a degree and I don’t have to squint nearly as much. The rotors begin spinning up and my thoughts turn to flying. I push the aches to the back of my mind and focus on setting the panel up for my flight north. I watch Robert and Bri emerge from the building and they wave. I wave back and the skids go light as I twist the throttle and pull up on the collective. I swing the tail around and head north gaining altitude.

Each task seems to take an extra effort. Even reaching for the rotary switch for the outside speakers seems to take every ounce of energy I have. It’s not entirely that I feel exhausted, although there is that, it’s more just a rundown feeling. Every one of my joints feels like someone stole the lubrication from them. Even my teeth hurt and I’m pretty sure teeth can’t feel shit. The pounding inside my head isn’t as strong as before but I still feel like my helmet is the only thing holding the pieces of my skull together. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone up today but here I am and I might as well make the best of it.

The Interstate intersects Tacoma and I concentrate on the southern part west of I-5 marking the areas I cover on the map for Frank to update. Nothing moves below except the occasional swaying of the tree tops as gusts blow through. I am concentrating on the ground below and almost take out a flock of birds flying through the area. I know I’m thankful we missed and am pretty sure they are as well. I don’t think either of us would have appreciated the end result.

I finish broadcasting over the area and stop to refuel before heading home. The refueling seems to take forever. I stand in the silence of the tarmac with the wind blowing through. The buildings stand without the slightest bit of interest in what I’m doing. It’s just me on the ramp in the midst of nothing. The breeze feels refreshing to an extent and I feel some of the aches depart as if swept away. The only sound is the wind blowing around the corners of the structures and my clothes flapping.

A high pitch whine begins to intrude into the silence. At first it’s just a little here and there as if riding on the currents. Then it begins to pervade the area as if quickly approaching. I know that sound and look to the skies around. The large hangar buildings prevent much of a view toward the horizon to the south and I don’t see anything aloft. The buildings also make it hard to identify exactly where it’s coming from but, with the sound and my familiarity of it, I keep my attention focused to the south. I touch my M-4 hanging off my shoulder as if to verify it’s still with me. A pat on my vest pouches assure me there is ammo if needed.

Soon enough, the white shape of a larger business jet materializes from behind a far hangar on final for McChord. I watch it as it lowers itself toward the runway to the north; its gear hanging down as if groping for the earth. With a touch of excitement, tempered with a bit of caution, I walk toward the Kiowa that is patiently awaiting my return, jump in, and begin the start procedure. I hear the faint roar of thrust reversers just before my own turbine lights. Lifting off, I gain altitude and head north.

I hover behind a tree line with the camera focused on the jet that has taxied in next to the pair of C-130’s we parked earlier. The caution that underlies the excitement has me making sure of what actually just touched down, well, I know what but my concern is who. I see the nose gear compress as the brakes are applied on the biz jet. Still watching, I think about making a radio call to base but, if this is who I think it could be, I want it to be a surprise.

The jet door lowers. I zoom in and see a man walk down the flight of steps. He turns at the bottom and apparently says something to someone still inside. With that, he turns and heads over to the 130’s walking completely around them. Apparently either finding or not finding what he is looking for, he heads to the base operations building. I zoom in farther and see he isn’t armed; at least not that I can pick up on the camera. I lift the helicopter over the trees and the nose drops as I start forward. The man turns as the sound of the heli reaches across the ramp. He shades his eyes and, seeing me slowly approach, trots back to the jet.

This move doesn’t exactly give me warm fuzzies as I suddenly envision a large group of mercenaries lying in wait inside the aircraft. I pull back to a hover at a distance over one of the taxiways as he reaches the steps once again. I see another person come to the doorway. Zooming in again with the camera, I see an older woman wearing a large brimmed hat at the top of the stairs also shielding her eyes as she looks in my direction. Well, so far so good, I think starting the Kiowa ahead again. I don’t see anyone else and if I can’t take care of one guy and an elderly woman then my usefulness has come to an end.

I mean, granted, if there are others, then the game changes but I just don’t get that feel. The thought of a radio call strikes me again and that would be the right and safest thing to do; bring teams up here for support before contact is made. But when have I ever done the right thing. That’s another reason I am so grateful for Lynn; she keeps me real and grounded. But she isn’t here and I find the helicopter moving forward almost of its own volition. It’s not like I’ll just step out and lie down on the ground with my back to them, but I’ll set it down close and stay in with the rotors turning.

The woman climbs down the stairs and they both look over at me. We are both on the ramp staring at each other. Well, this is going nowhere, I think as I reach over and shut the helicopter down. If they were going to try something, they would have by now. The rotors wind to a stop and I exit. The sun’s rays are pounding down on the ramp warming the day up substantially. Wait, that’s my head that’s pounding. The sun’s rays are merely streaming down. I place my helmet on the seat fully expecting a greater portion of my head to still be in it. I walk over to where they are gathered by the stairs.

As I draw near and, as best as I can having to squint with the brightness of the day, I recognize Lynn’s mom under the hat. She recognizes me as well and runs over to give me a hug which I return but feel my joints and muscles squeal in protest.

“I assume you’re Jack,” the man says sticking out his hand.

“You’d be correct and I’m guessing you’re Craig,” I say returning his shake.

“The one and only,” he replies.

“Well, I have to say you’re going to make Lynn’s day,” I state.

“She’s here!” Lynn’s mom exclaims.

“She is,” I respond. Craig has to grab her arm as she almost buckles at the knees. Tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

“Where is she?” Craig asks looking around.

“We’re set up a little to the south. Getting you two there could be interesting though,” I reply.

“How so?” Craig asks confused.

“Well, I haven’t radioed in your arrival so we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” say.

“Okay, just curious, what’s the hard way?” Craig asks.

“The helicopter only holds two so I fly you down separately,” I answer. I think about us walking or flying over to pick up a vehicle but my pounding head vetoes that idea.

“And the easy way?” He asks.

“There isn’t one,” I answer.

“I guess that makes the choice a simple one then. Why don’t you take Mom down and I’ll lock up here,” Craig suggests.

“Sounds good. Are there any cats to transport?” I ask.

He laughs, “Nah, they didn’t quite make this trip.” I want to ask about their story, about the length of time it took for them to arrive, but time is pressing and I’m sure I’ll hear about it later. Right now I want to get back and get the teams north to see if my broadcasts reached any ears.

“I guess that’s a good thing because I suck at herding cats. Shall we?” I ask extending my arm for Lynn’s mom.

I crank up and turn south for the short flight to base. I can tell Lynn’s mom is eager to see Lynn but I can also tell she is very exhausted. Dark circles line puffy eyes. Part of the puffiness is due to her tears I’m sure but whatever ordeal they’ve had to endure the past months have also taken their toll. I’m just glad they made it and am eager to deliver them to Lynn as well. She needs an uplift. She hasn’t mentioned it but I know her family hasn’t been far from her mind and she’s been fretting about them. This only strengthens my resolve to search for the families the soldiers families when we can.

The scene is close to the same as I swing over the concrete perimeter walls; Lynn is with the training group. This time they aren’t too close to my landing spot having learned from the day prior. I settle the Kiowa down with a plop. I’m eager for Lynn to see her mom so I don’t exactly try to ease it in. I’m pretty sure I saw the skids level with my eyes for just a moment. I glance over with an apology for the landing.

Lynn looks over at the clang of my landing. She turns back to the group and then back again noticing I have a passenger. I leave the rotors going and tell Lynn’s mom it’s okay to step out. Well, maybe I should have shut down or maybe briefed her some about the physics of whirling blades overhead. Lynn’s mom steps out and her hat is immediately blown off her head and hurled into the grass. She looks after it sailing into the air but then spots Lynn and all thoughts of her hat are immediately forgotten. I hear her cry of joy as she runs toward Lynn.

I cringe in hope that she remembers to stay ducked and am about to lift off again when she clears the rotor’s edge. Yeah, sometimes I don’t think much. Lynn stands in shock seeing her mom running toward her. There’s not much that will shock Lynn or make her freeze. I believe this is one of the only times I’ve ever seen her do so. Well, that might not be entirely true. There was this time when a few of my buds and I returned after a particularly harrowing mission and relieved a little stress but we won’t talk about that. Let’s just say that we aren’t allowed back at that bar and it cost us a pretty penny to cover the fire damage. Yes, fire in a bar — go figure.

Lynn recovers and runs to her mom. They collide like two freight trains and envelop each other practically squeezing the breath out of each other. I feel a warm, salty droplet run down my cheek. I’m sure it’s sweat. I crank the throttle up and with a lift on the collective, I become airborne once again. With her head tilted, Lynn looks upward questioning what I’m doing. She’ll find out soon enough.

I head back north and radio in for the teams that are to rendezvous at the pickup zone to get ready and head out on their own if I don’t get back in time. I race across the northern part of Lacey; it looks completely different than it did a short while ago as most of the neighborhoods have been burnt to the ground and lie in charred heaps, and across the Nisqually basin. The river leading to the Puget Sound glistens in the sun. A few cranes now line the water’s edge and a couple take flight up the river with my low passage. I land to see Craig standing by the jet with a few bags on the ground beside. I shut down and join him.

“Anything in there you can’t possibly do without for a little while?” I ask pointing at the luggage.

“I suppose not,” he answers.

“Okay, cause I’m not sure where we’ll put them unless we want to duct tape them to the sides. We’ll have a team in the area in an hour or so and I’ll have them swing by and get them,” I say.

“Sounds good,” he replies.

The flight back is about the same as before. The Humvees of the teams heading north for the meet up are driving down the entrance road and I radio them to go pick up a set of bags on the McChord ramp. Craig exits as I begin to shut down. Lynn races over and another collision takes place. Lynn looks over as the rotors come to a stop with the most thankful look I think I’ve ever seen on her. She really does carry that expression a lot when we’re together but not like this. Yeah, I might be getting some tonight. She is there as I step out and throws her arms around me.

“Thank you so much!!!” She whispers in my ear as we hug.

“I found them wandering around. I think they’re strays. Can we keep them?”

“Jack Walker!”

“Sorry. I’m really glad they made it,” I say into her ear.

“You have no idea how you’ve made my day,” she says with tears still streaming down.

She then kisses me full on the lips and heads over to where Craig and her mom are standing. Yep, I’m definitely getting some, I think as I watch them walk inside. Lynn calls for Gonzalez to take over her class and instructs her to take them to the shooting range. I’m not sure if the dizzy feeling I have is from the joy of seeing Lynn so happy or from the total body ache I still feel. I practice my sitting maneuver again on the curb lining the parking lot. The headache feels like a dehydration headache or a lack of caffeine but I know it’s not that as I’ve had enough of both water and coffee.

I sit in warm sunlight. It’s a nice day and the breeze blowing across my body feels good. I feel a warm flush in my cheeks and seriously wonder if I don’t have a fever. It’s just a flu bug, I think as I rise to head inside to catch up on Watkins’ progress and hear if the teams find anyone. Gonzalez walks over. I think she should’ve been with the class and look over to see McCafferty standing with the group at the range.

“You should really come see this, sir,” Gonzalez says reaching me.

“What?” I ask feeling very tired and drained.

“You’ll have to see it for yourself,” she says.

With a heavy sigh, I follow her to the range. Robert, Bri, and several others are lying prone in their individual stations shooting at targets downrange. She leads me to Bri lying next to Robert. Handing me a pair of binoculars, she points to the target Bri is taking individual shots at. I bring the binoculars up and focus on the target. This seems to enhance the brilliance of the day and it takes me a second to adjust.

I see a large hole in the middle ring of Bri’s target. She’s placing every shot dead center at the 500 meter target. I hear the muted pop as she squeezes off another round. The target doesn’t move as the round passes through the already formed hole. Bloody impressive. I doubt I could shoot that well. I turn the binoculars to Robert’s target and find much the same result.

“Nice job, you two,” I say handing the binoculars back to Gonzalez.

“Thanks, Dad,” Bri says looking up from her prone position.

She still has a splint on her arm but seems to be able to fire well with it. Okay, that’s an understatement. Robert looks up with a grin. Yeah, firing a gun is fun and they are both enjoying their time on the range. I know I always enjoyed it. A warm flush spreads through my body and the dizziness comes on strongly again. It’s as if everything has lost clarity. I suddenly see dirt filling my vision but without any confusion accompanying it; it just is. I don’t even feel the impact with the ground as everything goes black.

* * *

Bri is out on the firing range again. She smells the dirt beneath her as she lies on the hard packed ground sighting through her scope. The targets are small in the distance but jump closer as she flips the lever on the scope to the 4x setting. She turns the dot intensity knob to a setting where she can see the dot and target without either overshadowing the other. Robert is lying next to her doing much the same. Gonzalez shouts telling everyone to load up and begin firing. She takes the mag and inserts it. Her arm still aches slightly with the maneuver and she pulls the charging handle chambering a round.

Gonzalez and McCafferty have taken them out for their training again today. Her dad is still lies unconscious on his cot and Lynn hasn’t left his side since yesterday. He had come out to see their shooting and fell to the ground shortly after praising them. One moment she is looking up at her dad smiling down at her with a pair of binoculars in his hand and the next he crumples to the ground. That image is stuck in her mind. Her dad standing with his M-4 shouldered, the suppressed barrel sticking up behind his shoulder, the binoculars in one hand, his ammo-laden vest over black fatigues, his tired eyes looking down and the smile on his face. And then watching as his eyes roll back and he falls limply to the ground with a thud.

She remembers the panic she felt watching his ungraceful slide to the ground. Gonzalez had shouted for McCafferty to go get Lynn as she knelt beside her dad. Soon Bri and Robert were kneeling beside him as well. His face looked red and his breathing came in gasps. Gonzalez checked his pulse and Lynn showed up. They retrieved a cot and carried him inside. They all sat with him for most of the night and Bri feels the tiredness of staying up so late. He didn’t wake up or move the whole night.

Those memories flash through her mind as she sights downrange and squeezes off the first round. She feels the small kick against her shoulder as her M-4 talks to her. She feels it become just another part of her as it responds to her wishes. The weapon against her shoulder is just another extension of herself. She feels a comfort with it in her hands. With each pull of the trigger, she feels an anger build within. She is like her dad in that manner; that fear will turn to anger. She has heard him mention that before but never really realized what he meant until now. It was one of those things she’d just shrugged off thinking it was just her dad talking.

She thinks of Nic and the anger builds. She is incredibly sad that Nic isn’t here and misses her so much. Tears well in her eyes blurring the target in her scope. She blinks them away but the feeling remains. She is oblivious to all around her except her thoughts and the target. The M-4 locks as she runs through her ammo. She inserts another mag lying beside her, flips the release and continues firing. Each round that exits increases the feeling inside; feelings of both sorrow and anger.

She centers the dot on the target again after recovering from the barrel raising a small amount. The sadness of remembering Nic folds into anger as she realizes that she won’t ever see Nic again. She has known that of course but locked it down for too long. The feelings she stowed away now surface. She is angry and fearful for her dad lying sick on his cot. She thinks it has something to do with the scratch he received on his neck some time ago that hasn’t completely healed. She knows several soldiers died from such scratches, well, really bites, they had received. Nic is gone and her dad is sick and who knows if he’ll recover. Both are a result of confrontations with night runners and her anger is directed towards them.

She resolves to see every night runner dead. They took her sister away and now possibly her dad and she’ll see every single one of them dead. The target in the distance becomes another night runner and her eyes narrow as she puts her dot square on it. She replaces another mag and continues firing. She feels an inner toughness build. The pain in her arm vanishes. There is only the night runner (target) in front of her, the red dot, and the trigger. A voice intrudes on the bubble she has created. “Cease fire, I said,” she hears Gonzalez shout.

Bri removes her finger from the trigger and looks up to see Gonzalez standing over her. Bri had become so focused on her feelings and the target — yes, they are only targets now — that she lost everything else. Even Robert is looking over at her from his position with a quizzical look. She feels the burning in her eyes from the tears and feels slightly ashamed of having them. She wipes her eyes and Gonzalez kneels down beside her.

* * *

Gonzalez calls for a cease fire but one gun still rings out with single shots one right after the other. She looks over to see Bri still sending rounds across the firing range.

“Cease fire, I said,” Gonzalez shouts standing over Bri.

Bri looks up and Gonzalez sees her red eyes with streaks of dirt trailing down her cheeks. Behind those red eyes though, she sees an inner toughness that she always knew Bri had inside but is now shining clearly through. She knows that look and what is running through Bri’s mind. She remembers a time when that came over her and what it could lead to. She’s seen it happen enough times to others; they can become so hardened they begin to shut out other forms of humanity. Any other feelings are overshadowed by that hardness that they become close to non-existent. Looking into Bri’s eyes, she remembers when that hardness came upon her.

She always had a certain strength growing up in the streets of the small town of Clovis, New Mexico. But that was made into something else during her tour in the sandbox. Her squad had been patrolling through the streets of Tikrit, as they had been for some time, when they were ambushed. Not wanting to relive the entire experience again, Gonzalez just focuses on the loss of her friends and the feeling of that steel settle within her. Yes, she knows the look in Bri’s eye. She had a Sergeant that took her aside and told her the same thing she is about to tell Bri. It made the difference for her and she has so far been able to keep the toughness and humanity in balance.

She kneels next to Bri. “Look,” she starts off quietly so only Bri can hear her, “believe it or not, I know what’s going through your mind. You want to kill everything and everyone that took away those you care about. I understand that. But don’t let it overwhelm your other senses. Hold onto the toughness but don’t let it dominate you. You don’t have to act like a guy or carry bravado to be tough. You don’t have to carry only that anger inside or be angry all of the time to be tough. Constant anger will eat away your soul. Be tough yes, but not to the extent of everything else. Keep your feminine side. Hold it close and wrap yourself in it but keep that inner steel too. Let them complement each other rather than choose one or the other.”

Gonzalez sees her words settle into Bri. With a nod, she rises. “Okay everyone. Mags and chambers clear. Let’s get these weapons cleaned and then we’re going for a nice jog around the compound.”

* * *

The shame Bri felt because of her tears vanishes with Gonzalez’ words. She feels the essence of what Gonzalez said sink in. The anger retreats to an extent. The fear and worry for her dad remains as does the sadness she feels for Nic but there is a settling within her that she feels to her core. That the night runners will die doesn’t leave but the deep-set anger is replaced by an inner calm. The anger doesn’t fade altogether and she can feel the fiery furnace just below but it blends. That’s what it feels like. Tempered steel comes to her mind. That’s what she’ll be. But she remembers the part about keeping her soft side. She feels a deep connection with Gonzalez and relishes Gonzalez’ ability to be tough yet still jokes around. Yes, tempered steel.

She rises and picks up her empty mags after checking that her chamber is clear. “Are you okay, Bri?” Robert asks rising with her.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just worried for dad,” Bri answers.

“What did Gonzalez say?” Robert asks.

“Nothing. Just for me to listen better next time,” she replies.

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” he says.

They clean their weapons and then drain buckets of sweat on Gonzalez’ “trot” around the compound. There isn’t enough air in the entire Northwest to fill their lungs yet Gonzalez runs beside them asking if they all have lead in their asses. Bri feels good with the exercise and delights in the feel of the hard run. If not for the lack of air, she would like to run more. She will build herself and she sends a thought out to the area as they finish — “Watch out night runners. I’m coming.”

Little does she realize Robert is having the same thoughts.

* * *

I feel awareness come back like after being under after an operation. It’s a sudden awareness as if the brain just turns on. There’s no dreaming or waking from a dream and the thought that you’ve woken up. It’s complete emptiness, nothingness, and darkness followed by awareness. It’s so sudden it’s startling. However, unlike the anesthesia, there is no slowness to the senses. I’m in a space of emptiness one moment and aware the next. I open my eyes and see Lynn sitting beside me looking to the side. I feel her hand holding mine.

“Wow! I must have been seriously tired,” I say reliving the last memory I have of becoming dizzy and falling.

“Jack?! Oh my God!” Lynn says turning her head quickly toward me. I see tears run down her face which startles me for a second. I mean, I’ve only been out for a short bit and only passed out. It’s not like I fell off the roof or something.

I start to rise but Lynn’s hand pushes me back. “Oh no you don’t. You just lie there,” she says.

“I’m fine, seriously,” I say trying to rise against her hand. I notice the IV in my arm and see the faces of Robert and Bri appear.

“Jack, you are not okay. You just lay back and rest,” Lynn says.

I feel fine. As a matter of fact, I feel great. The joint and muscle aches that have plagued me are gone and I notice the drum team in my head is silent. I realize the concern she has over anyone passing out and that they have to take it easy but I honestly feel fine and want to get up. It’s then that I notice the tears welling in Robert’s eyes and streaming down Bri’s cheeks. Yeah, now I’m really confused. People have passed out before without having these theatrics played out.

“Hon, I feel fine. Really. I just passed out from exhaustion or maybe dehydration but I feel fine. There’s a lot to do and I want to find out how many people the teams found,” I say trying to rise again. Lynn pushes firmly back.

“Just passed out, Jack?” Lynn says with a sniffle. “How long do you think you ‘passed out’ for?”

I think about it and how refreshed I feel. It’s that feeling like rising from a well-deserved nap and energy abounds. “Well, most of the afternoon I’d guess,” I answer.

“Jack, you’ve been unconscious for the better part of two weeks,” Lynn says.

I can’t even begin to describe the shock. There is no more trying to rise against her hand. I feel her hand squeeze mine as I try to comprehend what she just said. Two weeks? I think as my mind spins. I don’t even want to think of how they’ve fed me. Her words and my reality just don’t mix. I can’t fathom being out for that long and not being able to realize it. It truly feels like the same day. I mean, I do feel so much better and that’s one point lending favor to her words.

Thoughts race through my mind seemingly at random. Every once in a while, one will stick but not for long as another forms crowding the previous one out. What has happened since I’ve been out? How could I be out for so long? What was it? How are Lynn’s mom and Craig? What have the kids been up to? Did they complete training? Is my neck healed? Did Watkins make it back? What the fuck happened?!

Lynn apparently sees the thoughts flit through my mind. “Jack, don’t worry about a thing. Everything is fine around here. It’s just good to have you back,” she says leaning over to give me a big hug. The kids join her and I’m suddenly engulfed in a sea of bodies. And it’s a good thing.

“You just lay there and rest. We’ll catch you up on what’s going on later,” Lynn adds after the dog pile on Jack ends.

Yeah, there’s no way I could get up with the news that is still so surreal to my mind. On the other hand, I feel restless and want to get up. I was never very good at just lying down when I had energy to burn. Still, I think I’ll lie here and mull things over in my head.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Dad,” Bri says rising.

“Me too, sweetheart,” I reply.

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re okay too, Dad,” Robert says. I nod my thanks to him. I hear footsteps and watch as Gonzalez comes into my vision and kneels beside me.

“Good to see you’re okay, sir,” she says and reaches down to my arm. I watch as she removes the tape holding the needle in my arm and slides it out.

“Thanks,” I say. My mind is still reeling too much to say anything else.

A couple of hours pass and I can’t lie down any longer. I am feeling very restless and want to be up. This time, Lynn allows me to rise but is watchful. I’m sure at the slightest stumble, although that is something I do during the normal course of my day, she will have me back in the cot. I pay careful attention not to trip, falter, or even breathe for that matter because, as much as I like to think so, I don’t have the final say. As weird as the thought is that flies through, I think about having missed getting some — however long ago that might have been. I’m still not completely convinced that almost two weeks have passed.

One thing I am certain of is that I’m hungry. No, strike that. I’m ravenous. After assuring herself that I can still tie my shoes on my own, Lynn walks with me to the dining room. I can’t get enough to eat; however, I do get to the point where I don’t have a bottomless pit in my stomach. I see from the light streaming in the open doors that it’s still daytime and I want to go out. Not much is said between Lynn and me as she is still ascertaining whether I can walk on my own two feet. I get several pats on the shoulder as I pass others on our way out.

If I doubted that time had passed before, looking outside erases any and all doubt. They’ve been extremely busy. Where large fields of only grass once grew, there now stands several barns in various stages of completion. Looking north, large greenhouses stand in the fields. Near the walls and close to our sanctuary are lines of shipping containers with a dirt road in front of them. A mobile crane is situated next to them. As startling as the other sights are, the sight of a giant wind turbine next to the building is even more so.

“We still have to figure out the engineering to gear it into the pumps but we managed to get it upright,” Bannerman says behind me.

“Yeah, I, um, see that. Nicely done,” I say. I’m in awe of the change in our surroundings and that only adds to the confusion that my waking has brought.

“We also have walls around the hospital and are working on the housing development on McChord,” he adds.

“Maybe I should pass out more often,” I say amazed at the progress. Yes, that’s how I’m going to refer to it — passing out.

“Another day or two and we should be able to start bringing livestock in depending on how we want to prioritize that,” Bannerman says.

I’m still too stunned to answer. One thing that does come to my attention is the odor I’m emitting. They apparently fed me and took care of me, for which I’m thankful, but there was a distinct lack of clothing changed. I’m surprised anyone can stand within twenty feet of me. I turn to head in to remedy that. The sun is low in the western sky signifying this day, whichever one it might be, is about to end. I hear the approach of vehicles.

“Who’s that coming in?” I ask.

Lynn, Bannerman, Robert, and Bri all turn toward the entrance road. They stand shielding their eyes from the sun. “What do you mean, Jack? I don’t see a thing,” Lynn finally says.

That’s another thing I notice, the overly brightness of the day I had in the days previous, well, weeks I guess, isn’t as bad as it was. It still seems bright out but not blindingly so. “No, I mean the ones I hear coming in. Who’s out?” I ask.

Lynn looks at me with her sidelong expression that says she’s trying to figure something out. It’s her ‘what the fuck’ look. “We have teams out for the walls and escorts for the trucks. They should be returning shortly,” she answers.

“That must be them then,” I say. Now I’m getting funny looks from all everyone.

“What?” I reply to those looks.

“Nothing,” Lynn answers.

This is a day for confusion as I hear vehicles approaching and they should be at least showing up on the entrance road by now. I shrug and turn to head back in to take care of my offensive nature. Just then several Humvees appear in the distance over the entrance road hill. Following are several semi’s with shipping containers on their trailers. Lynn gives me her ‘what the fuck’ expression again.

“How in the hell did you hear them, Jack?” She asks.

“I just did. Must have just been a trick of nature, the way sound was carrying, or something,” I answer but am confused myself. It seemed so clear that they should have crested the hill long before they did. Maybe they stopped or something.

“Yeah, well, the ‘trick of nature’ didn’t work for me,” she says. “And I know your hearing ability, Jack. It’s non-existent.” I am about to do the ‘huh, didn’t hear you’ thing but realize this isn’t the time. I’m not in the mood to get my ass kicked just now.

“I really don’t know. I just heard them, that’s all,” I say fully realizing that my times of selective hearing are over.

“Hmm,” is her only response.

I head into Cabela’s to change as the vehicles pull to a stop outside. To be honest, I don’t feel very comfortable having heard the vehicles from so far. My hearing has been shot for years from jet engines and gunfire. I shrug the uncomfortable feeling away thinking it was just sound carrying on the wind. Sometimes one person will hear something another right beside them doesn’t due to whatever filters they have going on in their mind at the time.

In the shower, the thought returns and parts of previous missions filter through my mind. Most of the thoughts center around the senses and I think about the sights, sounds, and smells trying to fit them into hearing the vehicles from so far away. The dampness and heat of the jungle with its associated smell of mulch; the dry arid air of the desert. I think back and know I was always the first in our team to see movement but then I’ve always had good eyesight. I was also able to smell them first. Another funny thing is that, with my hearing loss, I was usually able to hear things out on a mission first as well. I know, go figure, right?

I remember one time when I first starting going out with the teams. Even though I had rank, that mattered little when out in the field. It was a matter of experience. With that, I was put in the fifth position — second from last — and carried the spare radio, batteries, extra med gear, and anything else the others didn’t want to carry. We were on a solely recon mission to locate the base camp of a local guerilla group. I won’t say where but let’s just say that it involved a lot of double and triple canopy.

We were paralleling a moderately used path in a small draw that ran between two steep ridgelines extending from an even larger ridgeline to our front. The terrain wasn’t too steep along the path that ran close beside a fast moving creek coming off the ridge; running over smooth gray, water-worn rocks and forming small pools with silt beds. Intel had put a possible location for the camp at the head of the creek and that is the area we were creeping toward. The path showed recent movement where we intersected it and began our climb. The dense underbrush made our going slow as silence was the key. It wouldn’t do at all for anyone to hear us and give them the advantage of knowing where we were without us knowing where they were.

It was later in the afternoon and about an hour and a half into our climb. The air finally started dropping from its sweltering temperature well into the nineties and humidity running around 267%. — well, that’s what it felt like. We made several forays to the creek, always careful to cover our tracks, to fetch a resupply of water. I remember thinking I really hoped the guerillas at the camp, which was supposedly at the head of the fast-moving water, weren’t using the creek as their latrine and laundry. With that thought, I plopped in another iodine tablet.

I suddenly had this bad feeling come over me. Not necessarily a sense of impending doom, but more that we were not alone and shared this vine-laden, towering tree-clad, tall fern and bush section of the world. With this feeling came the faint scent of unwashed bodies. I looked at our teammate in the drag position and then at the one in front. They gave no indication they felt or smelled anything. They just continued the climb with the person in the drag position covering our tracks. Being the newbie, I didn’t want to say anything about the feeling thinking it was just nerves as we closed in on the reported position. Still, there was the odor. I crept up to the fourth man in line when we halted for our usual twenty meter stop.

“What is it, Walker?” He whispered as I tapped him on the shoulder. He spoke over his shoulder still covering his area.

“I smell body odor,” I said. He sniffed several times and gave the ‘really, we brought this guy with us’ look.

“Seriously, I smell something,” I said trying not to shrink under the look but without much success.

“Eagle six, Comers here,” he said into his throat mic.

“Go ahead, Comers. What’s up?” Our team leader answered.

“Walker here says he smells something,” Comers replied.

I soon made out the crouched, shadowy figure of our team leader — I can’t for the life of me remember his name — make his way to us. He kneeled next to us and sniffed the air.

“I don’t smell shit. Did you overdo the uppers?” He asked thinking I was having a case of the nerves.

I could see the frustration and disgust in his eyes thinking he made a mistake in bringing me along. The jungle already smelled of rot and decay but there is a distinct smell that a body long removed from soap and water gives off. I could still catch an occasional whiff of that very distinct aroma.

“No, I haven’t taken any. Adrenaline is doing me just fine for now,” I answered. “With the cooling of the day, the air is settling into this draw. I swear it’s there,” I answered whispering. See, I had spent many hours with my grandfather in the woods. The amount of knowledge he had about the woods could never be imparted in a single lifetime but I absorbed all he offered and thirsted for more.

“It could be coming from the reported camp ahead then,” he said.

“It was stronger about twenty meters behind us so I think whatever is causing it is on the ridge line above us,” I said. Some of the previous disgust left his eyes but not entirely. I could see some indecision as he contemplated our next move.

“I could sneak up the ridge a ways and take a look,” I said quietly thinking that seeing I was already in for a penny, I might as well be in for the whole pound. I remember him calling to our point man to find a dense section of brush to hole up in.

“We need a rest anyway. Comer, go with him but Walker, if you’re wrong, this is your last time out,” he said and crept back up to his position.

I’ll never forget Comer’s look and the shake of his head. Here was a noob with a case of nerves and he had to go babysit. Looking back, I can’t say I blame him. We moved into thick brush before Comer and I moved out.

“Okay, Walker, let’s go look for your phantoms,” he said as we parted leafy fronds and slowly moved out. We crept up the steep ridge angling back toward where I first smelled them. We had made it about half way up the ridge when he turned.

“Okay, I smell them too,” he said and radioed back. “Eagle six, Comer.”

“Go ahead,” the reply came back.

“What do you know? The noob was right. Do you want us to proceed and get a visual or wait?” Comer asked.

“Come back and guide us in,” Eagle six responded. We found the camp about three-quarters of the way up on a flattened section of the ridge and reported its location. Nope, this wasn’t my last invite with the team and was eventually moved up to point before moving to a different team and set of missions entirely. I did seem to have elevated senses in the field so perhaps Lynn is right, maybe I do have selective hearing.

“Are you okay in there?” I hear Lynn call from the shower room door.

“Yeah, just fine. I’ll be out in a moment,” I answer although thoughts of inviting her in invade my mind momentarily. I hear the door closing shutting off my chances altogether.

I turn the water off and towel dry. Wiping the fog from the mirror, I see an entirely different person. Although there is still a hint of dark circles under my eyes, those have mostly vanished. I’m startled to notice the scratch on my neck has healed. I also notice my body has tightened up to a degree. I always tried to keep in shape but gravity seemed to be winning that battle as of late. However, the man looking back in the steamy glass is a previous version of me. The morning training seems to have had some affect.

I don a fresh set of fatigues and head outside. The smell of dinner wafts down from the restaurant upstairs. Lynn is ever present at my side not trusting my ability to move on my own. The kids and I meet as usual and I notice a different light in Bri’s eyes. I can’t quite put my finger on it but there is a definite sharpness to them. For that matter, there is the same change in Robert’s eyes as well.

Our meeting is the usual recap except it’s a bit longer and focuses more on the past to catch me up. Bannerman is working to engineer an attachment for the wind turbine to the water pump. The barns, stables, greenhouses, and other pens are almost complete. He notes that we are close to being ready to locate and bring in livestock in addition to starting to plant. He found a housing development area not far from our base and started clearing the land for agriculture. Frank mentions that the night runners appear to be carnivorous so the fields won’t need to be protected from them. Others in the area, meaning bandits and marauders, “well, if we want to protect against them, we’ll have to put up barriers.”

“We won’t be able to plant those fields until next year anyway,” Bannerman chimes in.

Bannerman talks about wanting to bring a water tower in next and have the turbine and water pump supply the tower. He also talks of having to treat the water in the tower but with the projects currently underway, he says this can wait until those are finished.

“Even if we do move up to the bases, we’ll still need a supply of water here for the livestock and greenhouses,” he says concluding his remarks.

Lynn tells about the first group completing phase two of their training ahead of schedule and the second group being a few weeks into their training.

“So, do we continue with our plan and move people up there? We can keep both places with this one mainly being for livestock though I see the need to keep people here as well,” I ask.

“I think we should finish the walls but I think it’d be better to wait until we have more teams trained before we think about splitting our resources,” Lynn says.

“You’re probably right. Besides, it’s going to take us some time to clear the housing areas let alone the other parts of the base we want to use,” I say. “Bannerman, you said the wall was complete around the hospital?”

“Yes, it’s been complete for a little while,” he answers.

“What about tackling this one and clearing it out before venturing to the distribution centers? I also haven’t forgotten about heading off to locate families,” I say.

“I suppose it’s as good as any,” Lynn says but I see Drescoll grimace.

“What’s the look for?” I ask.

“That place is huge. I’m not even sure we could clear that out with all of the teams we have,” he says.

“Let’s take the teams up tomorrow and have a look then,” I reply.

“Leaving two teams here for protection, right?” Lynn states.

“Of course,” I respond.

We break and head to our rooms for the night with me thinking they don’t really need me. They’ve accomplished miracles in my absence. It’s not that I feel useless. Quite the contrary, I’m happy they kept everything going. I feel a little tension leave my body realizing this place will continue to function and hopefully survive should something happen to me. It’s still my kids I worry about. They have their mom now so the question of being orphaned is less of a player, but I still have that parental side that I don’t think ever leaves.

I wake the next morning feeling even more vibrant. I head out for a training run with the others and am surprised when it ends. I do notice Bri’s eagerness during the training. Both she and Robert are right in front listening when they should and are totally engaged in the training exercises. They almost look disappointed when it ends.

“Dad?” Bri says as we are heading back in.

“Yeah, hon,” I reply.

“What team am I getting assigned to?” She asks.

This both startles and scares the shit out of me. I feel my heart leap in my chest. Well, it doesn’t exactly leap but more comes to a complete stop and then starts again after some hesitation. I guess I should have been expecting this but didn’t really. I just wanted them trained and never imagined her actually being on a team. Reasons why she can’t be put on one circulate. I think about pulling her age thing out of a hat.

“Talk to Lynn about that,” I answer.

“Oh, hell no, you are not throwing that on me, Jack,” Lynn says from behind me. There goes that brush off of responsibility. Ugh!

“Dad, I finished training and want to be on a team,” Bri says.

“I know, sweetheart, but you’re too young to be on a team,” I respond.

“Daaad?” She says.

There is that sad puppy dog look that has always worked in times past. I honestly can’t be trusted when that look comes around. That must be the same with every dad and his daughter the world around.

“Sir, she can be an honorary member of Red Team and hang with me,” Gonzalez says putting an arm around Bri.

I honestly had no idea Gonzalez was anywhere remotely close. I give her a look that would freeze fire. This is my girl and here she is offered something that will put her in danger when I just want to keep her safe. I feel the same regarding Robert but, well, this is different.

“If that’s okay with you, sir,” Gonzalez adds seeing my look.

“Pleeeease, sir,” Gonzalez continues mimicking Bri’s sad puppy dog look. My scowl vanishes and is replaced with a chuckle. I know I’ve been beaten and it wasn’t even that hard to do.

“Okay, but Gonzalez, she doesn’t go into buildings,” I say.

“Bri, you become permanently attached to her like you’re change in her pocket,” I add talking to Bri.

“Okay, Dad,” Bri replies with a grin.

Both her and Gonzalez walk off with Gonzalez’ arm still around Bri’s shoulder but not before I hear Gonzalez say, “See, just like I said, hold it close.” I shake my head having my complete lack of understanding women validated.

“Jack?” I hear Lynn, still behind me, question my decision.

“I don’t want to talk about it. It’s done,” I say and start inside once again. I feel sick to my stomach.

“You did the right thing,” Robert tells me as we head to the showers.

“I don’t know, Robert. I just don’t know,” I respond.

“Bri has done well in her training. I think she’ll surprise you. I know she has me,” he says to which I merely nod. This really, really sucks, I think as we open the locker room door.

We eat and the teams gather to head to the hospital. The sound of multiple metal doors shutting rebounds off the walls of our haven as we board Humvees. Pieces of machinery start up across our compound. In our little place in the world, sound accompanies a gathering of people bringing a little reality back into our existence. Driving out of the gate, our convoy turns north for Fort Lewis.

We pull onto the base and park near steel gates, similar to the ones Bannerman had built in our own wall. These aren’t nearly as wide but look forbidding nonetheless. The twenty foot concrete wall hides a lot of the hospital but the upper floors tower above the perimeter. The walls have been built around an oval road that encircles the complex. There is a giant lock on the bar holding the door shut. We undo the lock and open the heavy doors. Driving inside, I notice the gates have been constructed to be shut from the inside and out. Turning my gaze to the hospital, I am struck by the immensity of the place. If you’ve ever been to Madigan hospital, you’ll know exactly what I mean. The white, eight-story building in front shields a giant complex of buildings behind. I have driven by a couple of times but have never actually looked at it closely. Thus my, ‘why don’t we start here’ phrase the night before and Drescoll’s look.

There is absolutely no way we can take this place with the teams we have. We couldn’t clear this complex with ten times that. There is a multitude of supplies inside that we could really use but it looks like we may have to try a smaller hospital. The wall seems to have been a waste of time, I think climbing out of my Humvee at the administrative entrance. I’m sickened at the thought of wasting so much time and manpower to put it up. I should have known though seeing it’s one of the largest hospitals in the country. I just wasn’t thinking. I was too focused on the kids being back that I didn’t do a fair job of scouting it out before we started building the wall.

I look to the front doors and, of course, the glass panes are broken. I can’t even imagine how many night runners must be inside. I mean, there could only be ten but my imagination leads to thousands.

“Told ya it was big,” Drescoll says standing beside me. I’m sure he said that noticing my jaw hanging down to my knees. At least the enormity of it makes this one of the easiest decisions ever in my life.

“Well, I guess we’re not going in there,” I say to Lynn and Drescoll.

“We could get a diagram and find the pharmacy location. If it’s close, we could form a moving perimeter and get what we need,” Lynn suggests.

“Yeah, I suppose we could do something like that but we’ll have to plan that carefully. We definitely can’t go too far in or we could easily be cut off,” I say still in the mind that there’s no way we could step foot in this place.

“I’m thinking we should try someplace else. Like a small clinic or small-town hospital. They would have fewer night runners around and a place we could most likely clear,” I add still mesmerized by the size of this place.

“We could do that but if the stuff we need is near the entrance, then it’d be the same as going in any other place,” she says.

“True. Let’s drive around and see what we see. Let’s find the ER entrance and take a look. I’m still not going in without diagrams and a plan,” I say.

“Jack? Are you sure you’re okay?” Lynn asks chuckling. “That doesn’t sound like you at all. I mean, do you realize you actually used the word ‘plan?’ Did it really only take a fever to drive some sense into you? If I’d have known that was all it took, well….”

“You missed your calling doing stand-up,” I reply.

We head into the Humvees and drive around to the ER entrance. Several ambulances are parked in the large overhang of the entrance. We exit and I walk to the windows. The glass is broken here as well but either the rain or time has erased any sign of night runners. It used to be that the broken glass on the ground would be mixed with bloody footprints. I suppose the hospital could have been raided while the world was coming apart or after. That actually makes some sense. I step warily to the edge of the door.

The teams fan out around the entrance and the Humvee guns are manned. Lying on the tiled floor are the decayed remains of people. There really isn’t much left of them to decay other than some hair on the top of their heads. The rest has been stripped clean leaving just a few pieces of dried flesh and tendon clinging tenaciously to the bone. The clothes they once wore have been shredded and several of their bones lie a distance away from the rest of the bodies. Although the scene is similar to the one when I went into the hospital at McChord, the smell isn’t as bad as it was there. Time has seen to that.

The thought surfaces that this is a hospital and there could be so many other bodies lying inside. Diseases must be rampant. Of course I’m sure they must be in the same condition as the ones just inside the door if there are night runners present. A faint scent of body odor drifts out of the broken door. I nod; there are night runners inside. The smell replaces any lingering thought that the broken doors have been caused by raiders.

As with any building before, the light from the day fans a short distance across the linoleum floor. I step inside the door. The rest of the large room opens up. There are various pieces of artwork lining the walls with padded chairs and tables against the walls under them. Plants, wilted and brown, are set into corners and scattered about the room. They, at one time, must have given a more serene sight to this place of pain. I mean, that’s what an ER is. You don’t go to the ER if you’re feeling good just for a visit. And as far as I know, very few bingo games or family fun nights are held in emergency rooms.

A nurses’ station is situated against the far wall with swinging doors branching off the room in places. We could grab a diagram here, I think looking around the room for any sign of night runners lurking in corners. I’m still in the light so I feel relatively safe. The safety of daylight is just a couple of steps behind. I’m pretty amazed at how much light is actually penetrating as I can see most everything in crystal clarity. Yeah, it’s in shades of gray but I can make out magazines strewn on the checkered linoleum floor with some still opened on the tables in front of the chairs. It’s to the point that I think I have lowered my goggles. I reach up to raise them only to discover they are already set in the upward position. I look back to see Drescoll and Lynn hovering at the front door; silhouetted against the door with the light behind.

“Can you see the nurses’ station?” I ask.

“Jack, I can’t see shit past the first twenty feet,” Lynn answers. “Use your goggles.”

“Oh yeah, duh,” I reply covering the fact that I can see pretty well without them.

“Jack, are you sure you’re okay?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Just still stunned about the size of the place,” I say trying to cover an uneasiness that has come over me.

I turn back around before lowering the goggles. The room is like it was; in shades of gray. I lower the goggles and turn them on. The room brightens more but only incrementally and the gray changes to green. The shock I feel has nothing to do with the enormity of the complex. I really don’t know what to make of it. I lift the goggles and they shut off. Gray replaces green but that’s about the extent of it. I’m not sure I should tell anyone.

“You can use mine if yours aren’t working,” Drescoll says.

“No, I’m good,” I reply. I really don’t trust myself to speak and don’t know what to do or think about this. What the fuck happened to me?

I have a clue but I’m not about to voice it even to myself. It’s like thinking about it will bring it into reality and I’m not sure I want to do that. I can literally feel my body shaking. The filters in my mind shut out my completely focusing on it, but shit, what else is there possibly to think about that has a higher priority in my head? I hear a very faint shriek echo within the vast interior. Well, that has a higher priority, I think hearing the scream die away. It was very faint and seemed to come from the depths of the building.

“Okay, let’s get two teams in and let me see what’s at the desk,” I say.

I look at the enormity of the room and the many doors leading out. “Make that three,” I say. “I think someone knows we’re here. We have to make this quick.”

“How do you know we’ve been discovered? Oh never mind. I don’t want to know,” Lynn says and turns to Drescoll. “Go get Black, Blue, and Red teams.”

That’s not a good combo of colors, I think watching Drescoll walk quickly away from the doors. Wait, Red Team? No, wait, I think and am about to say something to Lynn before checking myself. This is only to the desk and back and the exit lies scant feet away. It’s as good an introduction as any and you can’t get much safer inside a building. The fear that momentarily struck my heart, and to be honest, still sits there, is because Bri is supposed to be attached to Gonzalez. Again that ‘no right decision quandary.’ Sure enough, Red Team approaches and there’s Bri right next to Gonzalez. I see the nervousness in Bri’s eyes. Or maybe it’s my own nervousness projecting outward.

* * *

Bri stands next to Gonzalez and Robert covering a section of the big parking lot. Her M-4 still is a comfort but this is the first time she’s been out as a member of a team. It was all training until now. Sure, she’s been around night runners during their trek across the world and felt the fear of those long nights, but this is the first as part of a team; honorary or not.

To Bri, Gonzalez looks relaxed but intent on scanning the area and Bri tries to mimic her. If she looks relaxed on the outside, it certainly doesn’t translate to the way she feels inside. She feels a tightness in her stomach and is apprehensive. She knows she can put a bullet on target but what if something does happen. Will she freeze? After all, the targets don’t shoot back or try to eat you. She looks to see the same relaxation in Robert. There is tension around his eyes but to all intents and purposes, he looks like he’s thinking about his favorite pizza. He’s alert but it’s a relaxed alertness.

“Don’t worry, Bri, we’re all nervous. It’s normal,” Gonzalez says beside her as if she has read Bri’s thoughts. Robert looks over at her and gives her a verifying nod.

The words comfort her and she feels like she can relax a little. Not much, but some. She still feels tight inside. Her thoughts go back to her training and she visualizes the scenarios Lynn put forth. She relives each one and what her reaction should be. Mostly, she will be keeping close to Gonzalez. That much her dad was very clear about. She actually feels a sense of pride fill her kneeling beside Gonzalez and Robert and being a part of a team. Not just any team but her dad’s team.

She sees Gonzalez turn as Drescoll arrives. “Jack is gathering Red, Blue, and Black teams to go inside. They’re at the entrance door,” he says.

“Okay, we’re on our way,” Gonzalez says and the entire teams rises.

Bri doesn’t get up with them as she’s not sure if she should be going or if being just an honorary member, as Gonzalez put it, means not going into buildings. That part her dad was equally clear about.

“Come on,” Gonzalez says clearing up Bri’s doubt about what she should do.

Bri catches up with Gonzalez. “I seriously doubt your dad will let you go in but if he does, you stay close to my left side. Always,” Gonzalez says.

Drescoll looks at Bri joining Red Team. He’s not sure if he should say something or not but then shrugs and heads over to relay Jack’s request to Horace’s team.

They arrive at the entrance doors where Black Team has already gathered. Bri sees her dad standing just inside the doors having a conversation with Lynn. He looks at her and then resumes talking and pointing to places within the building. She can’t tell what the look meant if anything. He seems a little distant, she thinks as his gaze leaves hers and glances quickly at Robert before turning back to Lynn. Her anxiety increases. So, this is what it’s like just prior to going in a building, she thinks feeling everyone’s tension.

Horace arrives with the rest of Blue Team. Lynn then outlines the layout of the room.

“Red Team enters first and takes up a position thirty feet in and covers ahead. Make sure all of the doors are covered. Black is in next and to the right. Blue, to the left. Jack is going to the desk at the far end to find a building diagram. If anything happens, cover the room until Jack is through our lines then withdraw to where the floor is lit and back out,” Lynn says.

Bri rises with the rest of Red Team. “Bri, stay here with Drescoll,” Lynn says. Bri’s shoulders slump a little but she understands. She actually wants to go in with the team. She feels that steely part, which was prevalent on the firing range, settle in.

“It’s okay, Lynn, let her go with her team. We’re only just a step inside,” Bri hears her dad say.

She watches as Lynn shoots him a look which he ignores. Lynn gives her a nod towards where Red Team is gathered at the door with the broken glass. Lynn takes Gonzalez aside for a moment but Bri can’t hear any of the conversation. She’s pretty sure what the gist of the talk is about though. She feels small and doesn’t like the feeling. Her heart is thudding hard as Gonzalez rejoins them.

“Okay, you heard Lynn. Red Team, stay to the right a touch so you don’t shoot me in the ass,” her dad says.

“I think they’re onto us. Let’s move,” her dad adds.

With a nod from her dad, Red Teams enters. Bri stays close to Gonzalez as she enters. The darkness beyond the first few feet is complete. Bri reaches up and brings her goggles down. The room lights up in a green glow. She sees Gonzalez go down on her knees and Bri slides down beside her. She hears Robert slide into position beside her a short distance away. He lifts his M-4 and concentrates on the several doors to their immediate front. Adrenaline courses through her as she brings her own weapon up lining up the IR dot on one of the doors. She sees the thin beams of the lasers move about the far wall and doors. Duh, she thinks reaching up and turning her own IR laser on.

“You and I will cover that main door,” Gonzalez says in her ear and points. Bri’s own thin line of light settles next to Gonzalez’. She listens as instructions are given to the other team members.

A rush of boots and swish of clothing fills the room as the other two teams enter behind. So, this is what it’s like? Bri thinks as the sounds stop and the room goes silent. She watches as her dad walks slowly to the counter close to the wall ahead and to her left. He has his M-4 up and ready. She feels her skin prickle with each small crack or groan of the building. Her imagination turns each sound into the start of night runner hordes pouring through the doors like she’s heard in the stories others have told. She knows it’s just the building heating up with the warming of the day but that knowledge doesn’t stop her skin from jumping with each one.

She looks down at the floor and sees a decaying body between her and Robert. Revulsion grips her insides but then she becomes intrigued and looks closer. It’s just a rib cage with the head still attached. The medium-length hair on top of its head doesn’t hide the white facial bones lying at an angle to her. The mouth is open as if in an eternal scream and shreds of skin are still attached in places. The grisly sight is almost too much but it has her attention as she wonders what it — she can’t tell if it’s was a male or female — did in life before all this happened. Did it meet a sudden and gruesome end as it looks or fall dead before being eaten? What dreams in life did it have? She shakes her head and looks back to the door.

* * *

The teams rush in and I see Bri hustle in behind Gonzalez, settling in right beside her and next to Robert. It’s just a quick in and out, I think watching. It’ll give her an idea of what it’s like inside a darkened night runner lair. I don’t have quite the warm, fuzzy feeling these thoughts indicate because I also have a feeling our entrance is known if the distant screams are indicative of anything. I mean, do night runners cry out in their sleep or have nightmares? I hear a repeat of that muted shriek. It seems to be closer than the last but it isn’t accompanied by the cacophony that I’ve come to know.

With everyone in place, I step forward into a room filled with dancing beams of light. I have both of the kids inside a night runner lair. I’m not comfortable with that idea and not really sure how it came to be. I do know I should kick my own ass but on the other hand, they do need to learn. I walk to the left of Red Team kneeling on the floor and up to the counter. Behind it are two more bodies lying on the floor next to chairs that look like they’ve been kicked to random places. The whole of the interior speaks of past mayhem. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be in here in the final hours. The desk itself is a mess of papers and charts. Another howl; closer this time. I brush papers off the desk frantically trying to find a diagram or directory of some sort. It’s not that important of a piece of info so I’m outta here if they do get close. I hear the pounding of feet just as I see a tan binder at the far end of the counter.

“They’re coming,” I say feeling my boot step on one of the bodies.

* * *

Bri glances at her dad as he starts rifling through whatever is behind the raised portion of the counter. He looks up and toward the door she and Gonzalez are covering. He glances back down at the counter and, from the looks of it, starts sweeping things off an unseen shelf. The next words send the adrenaline in her body into overdrive and bring rivulets of sweat to her brow.

“They’re coming.”

Her mind tells her to rise and flee. There’s a night runner horde on the way and it will engulf them; sweep over them like an unrelenting tide. The beating of her heart is so loud it should be shaking the building and she can feel the pulse of it in every fiber of her being. She glances at Gonzalez and notices the relaxed aspect has disappeared leaving behind a very steely expression. Her lips are tight and she is focused on the door a few feet in front of them. She glances to her dad and sees him dart to the other side of the counter. What does he see or is he running from something? He stumbles but recovers.

A look to Robert and she sees the same tense expression. The goggles cover his eyes but she can imagine they match the tightness of his mouth. She can hear the pounding of feet and screams issuing from behind the door. Why aren’t the teams running to get out of here? She thinks and then remembers they are waiting for her dad to get back behind them. Hurry up, Dad! A mighty bang startles her out of her thoughts.

The swinging wooden doors burst open as if by a sudden tornado. “Fire,” Bri hears Gonzalez shout. The doors banging open, Gonzalez’ shout, and the sight of night runners, pale in the green glow of the goggles, threaten to sweep her away. So many shocks at once. She feels frozen and doesn’t know what to do. This is so different than her vision of wanting to kill every night runner in existence she had such a short time ago. The kick against her shoulder feels foreign and at first, she doesn’t recognize it for what it is. Another one and she is just as surprised as when the night runners entered to find herself firing into their midst. She realizes she has been firing since the shout from Gonzalez.

Her mind settles to some extent but there is still the feeling of being overwhelmed. She doesn’t feel the kick anymore and has the dawning realization that she is out of ammo. Her mind settles even more as she ejects the mag and reaches for another. Burst fire, fire in bursts, Lynn’s instruction comes to her. Lynn had instilled that time and time again during their training. Trigger control. Bri realizes she’s burned through her entire mag without letting up on the trigger.

Slamming a fresh mag into the lower receiver, she hears the tinkling of expended brass as it scatters across the floor. The sight of so many night runners to her front, trying to pour into the room, almost brings the panic, held just barely below the surface, back up. She lays her dot on the horde at the door being met with a hail of steel as the other teams join in. Well, the one to their right anyway. A flash goes through her mind that this is because her dad is backing away from the counter and towards the door from the counter on her left, adding his own rounds to the mix. His position is preventing the team to her left from engaging. She realizes that her dad is actually angling toward her and Red Team.

Night runners are piling up on the floor at the door. Her mind calms. She pulls the trigger in short bursts; this time finding and focusing on individual targets rather than just firing a stream of bullets into their midst. She sees her dot settle on one face and she squeezes. The face vanishes behind a burst of something splashing in the air. She realizes it is blood and registers the fact that she has killed her first night runner. Sure she fired a whole mag into them but this is the first that registers in her mind; that she actually records as a memory.

Several night runners make it past the doorway and branch off to the sides. Bri alters the direction of her barrel and feels her finger press against the trigger. One of them falls to her rounds but others make it by. She continues firing into those that slide along the wall attempting to get around them. She has forgotten the fast beating of her heart and nervousness. The fear is still there but now is associated with action so it stays below the surface. There are only targets. She hears the muted barks of Gonzalez’ and Robert’s carbines to her side but those are only informational thoughts. She’s in a different world.

“Get out now!” She vaguely hears her dad yell as she fires at another night runner streaking along the wall in front. It slams against the wall as her rounds find the mark. She looks up to see her dad standing next to her, his boots straddling the dead one’s open-jawed head.

“Gonzalez, move back now. Robert, Bri, move!” Her dad shouts.

Bri becomes aware of the sheer number of night runners in the hall beyond the doors being held open by the bodies of the dead and injured. Many have also made it to the sides of the room but are taken down by the teams to the side and behind her. The dread of seeing so many night runners and the danger of her situation intrudes upon the other world she was in. She responds to the urgency of her dad’s voice and rises with the rest of Red Team. Together, they back towards the door still adding rounds into the fray. Bri stops firing when she sees her dad directly in front of her. It’s then that she notices the floor in front of her lit by the light coming in the door. Bri feels a tap on her shoulder.

She turns and sees Gonzalez motion her out of the door. Drescoll and Lynn are at the door guiding everyone out. Besides her dad, Red Team are the last ones still inside. Bri turns and runs out of the door followed by Robert and the rest of Red Team. Her dad is the last one out. Roars, howls, and shrieks pour out of the door with them. They’ve made it.

Bri’s awareness returns and she realizes she’s panting. She feels like she’s run for an hour and can’t catch her breath. Bending over, with her hands on her knees, she feels an arm around her. She doesn’t feel nauseous but vomits anyway. The eruption is sudden and unexpected.

“Happens to all of us the first time,” she hears Gonzalez say. “It’s the adrenaline.”

She feels another arm fold around her. “Are you okay?” She hears her dad ask.

“Yeah, Dad, I’m okay,” she answers wiping saliva from her chin.

“You should’ve seen this little warrior in action, sir. She took down the entire front line of night runners on her own as soon as they broke in,” Gonzalez says to her dad. “I’m not sure I’d even finished yelling ‘fire’ when I heard her gun start chattering.”

Her eyes light up with this little bit of unknown news. She had no idea. Her heart swells hearing Gonzalez call her a little warrior. She hears Robert tell her nice job and her heart swells a little more. If she could only remember; it all happened so quickly. Henderson and Denton add their kudos. “That was a lot like Robert during his first action,” she hears McCafferty say. “You two are kin.”

She looks up into the face of her dad standing before her. He is giving her a look over to see if she is in fact alright. He has always been protective of her and Robert in a loving way. Not too overly protective as he also lets them get into trouble at times. Nothing dangerous although some of the stories Robert shared of his and her dad’s time after a weekend together made her doubt some of that ‘not too dangerous’ aspects though. There were times when he was a little overly protective but those were infrequent. She feels this is one of those times and loves him for it.

“Jack,” she hears Lynn call. A momentary flash of fear crosses her dad’s face. Her dad looks behind him as if looking for a place to hide. Shrieks can still be heard emitting from inside the ER.

“We can’t call you a noob anymore,” Robert says as her dad walks away towards Lynn.

* * *

Needless to say, the ass-chewing by Lynn wasn’t pleasant but all-in-all, it wasn’t bad. I’ve had worse. My kids and everyone are okay and that’s what matters. The tan binder I found contains diagrams of the facility but I don’t know what good they’ll be. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to use the place. We won’t be able to clear this place short of using an entire battalion and that’s still even odds. I think of the hordes that poured in the door and both of my kids in the room. The memory still leaves me shaky. Yeah, Lynn’s ass-chewing wasn’t without validity. I told her they needed to learn and accumulate some experience but both she and I know that was just me making excuses. Part of what I said is true about wanting to give Bri some experience but not against a horde like that right off. Thankfully, the door was close and we could exit quickly.

I look over the parking lot and the expanse of the buildings. I’m standing with the others in our group and about to have everyone saddle up.

“Dad,” Robert says.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I ask thinking he wants to talk about the action or even my bringing Bri inside. Maybe to give some assurance that I did the right thing in letting her go or coming to Bri’s defense in some manner. None of my thoughts about what he wants pan out.

“If those walls,” he starts pointing the concrete wall surrounding the hospital, “can keep night runners out, won’t they keep them in too?”

The sheer brilliance of his unspoken idea, or I should say the sheer lack of my own, explodes in my mind like a firecracker. Duh, I think. The others stare at him as if saying the same thing and having their own epiphanies. Such a simple yet brilliant concept and one that completely slid by everyone present.

“You, my son, are absolutely right and brilliant,” I say. We’ll just keep the night runners locked up in here and visit in a few weeks after they’ve starved to death. Well, I hope it’s a few weeks and they don’t have some super hibernation skill that allows them to live indefinitely without food.

We head back to base. Next on the agenda is going out to look for the families of the soldiers who fit within the parameters. We’ll have to reorganize one of the teams so we’ll have two teams going out. All of Red Team is going but the others are scattered among the other teams. I may have another team go as added security. I’d like to get going soon. I’ll talk with the team members about where we need to go and begin flight planning. And yes, my kids are going because it’s damn tough to fly a 130 alone. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll miss our opportunity.

Talking with Bannerman that night, we make plans to hit the distribution centers upon our return as we have enough to keep us going for a little while. Not through the winter, but a while longer.

I sit with Lynn, Robert, Bri, and Red Team that night for dinner. The kids usually eat with their mom but with the action of the day, they seem to want to spend it with their team. There are a certain amount of war stories told with some embellishments. Well, maybe those were my own. A flash of a picture goes through my mind.

I look up from the fork that is half way to my mouth. Sure I have pictures and thoughts in my head all of the time. This is different. I don’t know how to describe it other than to say it isn’t my own. More flash through and I have a momentary feeling like I’m going crazy; you know, the voices in your head thing. But this is more than that. I can understand what they’re saying. I know, weird, but the pictures are like a language and I know what they are saying. It’s just an occasional flash but it’s clear nonetheless.

“Are you okay, Jack?” Lynn asks.

I don’t answer but rise and walk downstairs to the front door. I hear Lynn following with the “Jack, are you listening? I know you can hear me.” I wave her question away with my hand and hold a finger to my lips when we reach the door.

There, there it is again. It’s like I’m hearing part of a conversation. I can actually feel where it’s coming from. I know, this is weirding me out as well. I stand at the door with my head tilted; listening.

“Jack, what the hell is going on?” Lynn finally intrudes on my wish for quiet.

“They’ve cornered a small pack of dogs,” I answer.

I Shall Not Return

Chief Petty Officer Vance Krandle looks toward the compound a couple of hundred meters away from an overlook position they found a couple of hours ago. The dark jungle around them stirs only slightly with the animals of the night. They landed in this god-forsaken place two nights ago and made their way cautiously to this location. Avoiding the small villages along the rutted, rocky jungle road, they paralleled it here. He can’t see the other team hidden nearby but the others of his team lie close.

“What do you think?” His point man quietly asks.

“I haven’t seen any movement so far,” Vance answers.

“Do you think we have the right place?”

“Has to be. The coordinates match with the satellite Intel,” he answers.

“Yeah, but shouldn’t there be lights on or something? I mean, they don’t even have guards posted. Guard towers, yes, but guards, no,” the point man asks.

“Maybe they went to bed early but it does seem a little odd for the guards not to be out,” Vance replies.

“Think they know we’re here then?”

“I suppose that’s always a chance but I doubt it. They’d have hit us earlier or set an ambush,” Vance whispers not taking his eye off the compound.

He is relaxed but feels his nerves tighten. He’s seen a lot but there’s something about this that doesn’t seem right. Compounds of this nature always have lights on unless they’re trying to hide from overflights of aircraft or satellites. And to not have guards posted when it’s evident they are meant to be there adds to his worry.

They were alerted with little to no warning for this mission. That in itself wasn’t unusual and they all took it in stride. Satellite footage had picked out this encampment and Intel had it that this was the leader of a large group of terrorists that has been causing havoc in the local area for the Philippine government. A government asking for help wasn’t anything unusual either. Whether the U.S. responded with the help was a matter of whether the mission supported current doctrine or if the U.S. wanted an IOU in their back pocket. Apparently this fit into one or the other category. They were here and it didn’t matter why. This was their job. The State Department had their job and CPO Krandle had his.

They had five days to accomplish their task. Their mission was to 1.) Infiltrate to the compound and verify that the leader and group were indeed using this location as their base of operations, 2.) If the opportunity presented itself, to take out the cell leader, and 3.) Rescue the Australian journalist that the group was believed to have captured a week prior. The cell was also believed to be responsible for ‘intercepting’ a Red Cross shipment of flu vaccines and other medical supplies.

They would have five days to accomplish any or all of their mission before they were to meet up with a fast attack submarine lying off the coast. If they were able to take out the leader, well, it would be a big IOU by the local government. If they were only able to positively identify his location, there would be a lesser IOU. Rescuing the hostage would bring the thanks of the Australian government along with a big publicity coup. The State Department men, in their dark suits, that briefed them made it abundantly clear that the removal of the cell leader was the optimal solution.

“Blue Team, move to my location at the southeast corner,” a voice calls quietly in his ear piece.

“On our way, sir. Do want me to leave an overwatch at my location?” Vance whispers using his throat mic.

“Negative. Everyone goes inside,” Vance hears.

“Okay, guys, you heard LT, let’s go,” Vance whispers to his teammates.

“Shouldn’t we leave an overwatch,” his point man whispers back.

“The LT doesn’t think we need one, now let’s go,” Vance answers.

They make their way silently down the ridge overlooking the compound. The rough, rocky road lies to their left as it snakes its way down into the small valley. The dense vegetation shows with a green glow through their goggles and slows their progress. Six men silently creeping through the jungle growth; weapons ready for the first sign of violence and senses heightened. There’s a tension pervading the atmosphere as each feels something isn’t quite right about this mission. But they are professionals and have been in tight situations before. They continue.

“Coming in, sir,” Vance whispers in his radio as he draws near the coordinates given.

“Copy, come on in,” a voice answers. The point man takes several more steps before a head rises above a dense patch of foliage. They’ve found the other team.

The wooden walls of the compound lie just a few meters through the trees and across a small open area that has been cut back from jungle. Vance and the LT hunker down in the middle of the perimeter of men keeping a sharp eye on the surrounding area.

“How do you want to play this, sir?” Vance asks.

“We’ll creep up to the edge of the trees and take a last look at the guard towers. If it’s still clear, I want your team to cover as we go over the wall at the southeast corner, then follow,” the LT says.

“Okay, sir. We could just about stroll in through the front gate. Shit, they even left that open,” Vance replies. A scream from within the camp rises loudly and resounds across the jungle.

“What the fuck was that?! Sir,” Vance asks as he turns and aims his suppressed M-4 toward the sound.

“They must be torturing that poor girl. Or worse,” the LT responds.

“I have to tell you I don’t like this. No lights. No guards. Front gate open. Something just doesn’t feel right about this,” Vance adds.

“We have our mission and it’s obvious someone is in there,” the LT replies. “Let’s move.”

They creep to the edge of the jungle and observe the ten foot walls surrounding the various buildings within. Vance eyes the guard towers; the tops of which he sees over the walls. Nothing moves and he doesn’t see any sign of anyone occupying them. Another scream echoes from within the compound. It doesn’t even sound human to Vance and the adrenaline rushes through. He and his team keep an eye on the front and along the walls as the other team materializes from the undergrowth and dashes to the wall; silent shadows moving in the night.

He watches as they deploy tactical ladders and start quietly scaling the rough wall. They glide over the top and disappear into the compound.

“We’re in. Move up,” Vance hear the LT call.

“Okay girls, we’re up,” Vance says and mimics the other team to the wall and over it.

They pause at the top and pull the ladders up collapsing them as they do so. Vance is hesitant about not leaving anyone outside to keep watch and provide for an escape path but orders are orders. He drops to the ground and sees the other team spread in a semi-circle in the darkness close to the bottom of the tower.

Several more howls, apparently coming from the large building in the center of the encampment, echo out into the night. The sounds send shivers down Vance’s back and tighten nerves already stretched taut. The compound is dark and nothing moves. I’m getting way too old for this shit, Vance thinks as the echoes die down bringing silence to the area once again. He’s said that a number of times before yet the call always comes and he always responds. He isn’t quite done with the adrenaline rush as yet.

If you would ask him, he would say he does it for the country and because of the good they do but deep inside, he knows it’s purely for the adrenaline. Yes, there is a big patriotic motivation and that’s precisely why he joined years ago but he is also honest as to why he continues mission after mission. If it was from a purely patriotic nature, he could teach and has been offered those positions quite a few times but he would miss the camaraderie and being out in the field. It’s the ultimate rush and if truth be known, the ultimate competition.

He quickly checks his satellite uplink and finds no signal. That’s not unusual in some areas so he is not overly worried. They still have their radio so communications will be available should they need them. That is the part that is most important. He’s been in a couple of situations when they needed radio communication and it has failed them. Not a pleasant situation when you really, really need support. Not support in thirty minutes or last week but right fucking now. The thought of those times makes him want to do a comm check but he knows it’s just his nerves. The ‘something isn’t right’ feeling is making me paranoid, he thinks crouch-walking up to the LT.

“We’re going to make our way to the main building. Cover us and keep an eye out for that building. It looks like a barracks,” the LT says pointing to another building closer to them.

“Will do, sir,” Vance replies.

“If it looks clear, we’re going in. If you hear firing, grenades in the barracks and cover our withdrawal. We’ll exfil over the same wall. If we separate, rally point is the ridge of our previous overwatch position.”

“Copy that, sir. We’ve got your back.”

The main compound has three larger buildings built up on shorter stilts with stairs rising to the entrances. Scattered about are vehicles of every nature; from smaller Toyota pickups to larger, older transport vehicles. It’s not different from any other terrorist cell compound, Vance thinks as he watches the other team rise and proceed across the open area in the middle of the buildings. They keep to the vehicles as much as possible to minimize their silhouette and time in the open. Vance directs his own team into better positions to cover the team making their way slowly and quietly to the main building. Several shrieks rise in the jungle outside of the walls. They aren’t close but they aren’t far either.

“What the fuck is that?” His point man asks as he kneels near the rear bumper of a small pickup with his M-4 pointed toward the barracks building.

“Fuck if I know,” Vance answers. “Sounds almost like a large cat of some sort.”

“Yeah, right. If that’s a cat, it must be ten fucking feet tall. I don’t want to meet up with it if it is. And, it’s more than one,” the point man says.

“I know. Now shut up and pay attention,” Vance says wanting this to be over and to be out of here soon.

The other team makes their way to the base of the main building. Setting a perimeter around the front, Vance watches as the LT and another creep up the short steps leading to a porch with an overhanging cover. The LT sneaks to a window set into the building to the left of the main door and peeks in. Not knowing what he sees inside, Vance watches as the LT edges to the window on the other side of the door. The hush of the night is almost unsettling but Vance operates in the silences so it’s his friend.

The quiet is split by the sound of breaking glass as the window in front of the LT shatters outward. Vance sees someone vault through the opening and onto the LT before the last of the glass tinkles to the wooden porch. Vance watches as the LT is launched backward with the person on top of him. The other window shatters and screams pierce the night.

The main building front door opens and others rush out. Lights flash as the other team engages those pouring from the windows and doors.

“It’s an ambush. Gold Team, fall back to Blue Team. Blue Team, grenades at the barracks,” Vance yells both into the radio and out loud. Silence is no longer needed. He reaches out and taps his point man on the shoulder, “Get those ladders up.”

A loud scream rises above the compound from the direction where the LT is down with several people now bent over him. The other team members shoot them off the LT but he doesn’t rise after they go down around him. The barracks doors open and others emerge. Vance takes a grenade he set by his knee and arcs it toward the opening along with other grenades tossed by his team.

People are streaming out of the main building and barracks. He wants to lend his fire to Gold Team but they stand between him and the people running out of the building. He doesn’t want to risk friendly fire so he directs his fire to the ones coming out of the barracks. Five searing flashes of light followed by thunderous explosions fill the night. The horde coming out of the barracks building are thrown into the air or onto the muddy ground as shrapnel pulverizes their bodies.

Vance looks over to Gold Team. They are racing across the open ground firing behind them as they make their way toward Blue Team’s position. Vance directs his team’s fire to the sides as people are trying to catch up with Gold Team. He sees two trailing Gold Team members taken down from behind and are immediately engulfed by bodies. Their screams rise above the shrieking hordes racing across the compound from seemingly every direction. The strobes of Gold Team’s carbines flash through the night as they try to keep the onrushing mass of people at bay.

The stray thought enters that their attackers aren’t firing. Vance is confused by this fact but that is quickly pushed aside as he continues to add his rounds to the many streaking across the courtyard taking down dozens of the attacking horde. He wills the others of Gold Team to run faster but to no avail. Vance watches as the three remaining Gold Team members are taken down. The advancing mass slows as they pounce on the fallen members.

“Blue Team, disengage and over the wall. Now!” Vance shouts as more people join the masses. They are once more converging on him and his team.

“What about Gold Team?” One member calls out.

“They’re done for. Move! Now!” He calls out.

He watches and covers as his team pulls back and starts scaling the ladders leading over the walls. Vance is still confused about the lack of gunfire and really what is going on to begin with. The people charging his position are shrieking and screaming for all they are worth but not a one of them has a weapon. Through the charging crowd, he barely makes out huddled masses around where the members of Gold Team fell. A quick glance tells him two things: One, that they are done for and two, that it appears the people are bent over and biting at them. A part of his mind screams that he is seeing things distorted by the heat of the moment.

He keeps up a tremendous volume of fire while his team climbs. Still the mass closes in quickly. The click tells him it’s time to reload once again. The quick figuring in his mind, and with his vast experience, tells him they’ll be on him before her can jam another mag in and chamber a round. Even if he does manage that, there’s no way he’ll be able to hold all of them off. There’s just not enough firepower or ammo for that. His mind screams run but there is a part of him that wants to recover the bodies and make sure Gold Team is truly beyond help. The shrieks filling the courtyard make up his mind. It’s time to go.

He hits the mag release and runs for the ladders propped against the walls. The people after him are fast and he’s not sure he’s going to make it. The howls sound as if they are right on his heels. Expecting to be pulled down at any moment, he hears firing. He looks up and sees his team members at the top of the tactical ladders firing down on the horde closing in on him. The pops of rounds exiting barrels is barely heard above the screams just behind. The screams are a mix of eagerness and pain. He quickly throws his M-4 over his shoulder on the run and leaps for the first ladder he comes to.

Scaling quickly, he shouts, “Everyone over. Rally on the ridge.”

Reaching the top, he kicks the ladder to the side. Several people have already begun to climb after him. The ladder falls to the side. The others kick theirs as well and they jump to the ground. Screams and snarls sound loudly on the other side of the fence. He stumbles and recovers. Still not knowing what truly happened and only that they are in a fight for their lives, he heads into the dense undergrowth of the jungle. He feels better being in cover as he knows he and his team can lose their pursuers fairly easily. Speed is of the essence now though as he wants to get distance between them. The fence will slow the pursuit down and the team can go quiet later.

Shrieks, similar to the ones still emitting from the compound, echo in the jungle around him. The dense foliage makes it difficult to ascertain exactly where they are coming from but Vance and his team plows ahead following in the order they entered the jungle. They are noisy in their flight but that’s not Vance’s primary concern. They reach the location where they sat seemingly only moments ago overlooking the encampment. Vance pulls out his night vision enhanced binoculars and surveys the camp. There are six distinct groupings of the people who attacked them. A heaviness settles inside as he knows what they are grouped around. Others are streaking for the open gates and he catches a glimpse of some running up the rutted, dirt road. Shrieks continue to emit around the team; seeming to come from all directions.

“We need to move now before we get surrounded. Take us out quiet and slow,” Vance whispers to his point man. “Everyone pay attention to their areas.”

“They didn’t even fire a shot,” the point man whispers as he rises.

“I know. Let’s move,” Vance replies.

They move cautiously through the vegetation. Twenty yards and a pause to listen. They don’t have to listen too hard as the shrieks continue all around. They move through the jungle as if moving through a black hole. The sound of thrashing in the underbrush erupts behind them. They all turn toward it but see nothing in the greenish glow of their night vision. Hearts are racing and adrenaline fills each one. Faces, bright in their night vision and seeming to glow, suddenly appear.

Their pursuers lift their heads into the air in unison and shriek. The team has been found. Strobes flash off the surrounding bushes, tree trunks, and the vines hanging from overhead limbs as the team opens up. The faces quickly disappear in the maelstrom of fire the team puts out; many catapulted into the surrounding jungle. The team quickly disengages and the race is on again. They hear sounds in the jungle to their sides and behind as pursuit is continued. The ever-present screams continue to fill the jungle.

Their breath is coming quicker as they break through the dense underbrush. Vines grapple with their gear and bodies, attempting to hold them back, as they force their way through. The jungle itself has turned hostile. A small group enters their line of flight directly ahead. Vance, running just behind his point man, raises his carbine and fires. He places bursts on each one in sight and, along with his point man, clears their path.

The weariness is coming on quickly. Vance knows they can’t keep this pace up in this dense brush for long. He hears pursuit close but knows they have to stop for a quick breather. If they get completely winded, the game will be up and they will be on the losing side. He calls for the point to hold up. They all stand in a group with their hands on their knees trying to catch their breath. They all know they won’t have long to do it and must be on the run in a minute so all activity is focused on catching their wind.

“Get a claymore out of my pack and one other,” Vance tells one of his team. The whisper comes out in between pants.

He feels a tug on his pack and fumbles in his pocket for a fuse pencil. He keeps the short-timed ones in his upper vest pocket just for events such as this. The longer timed ones he keeps in a special place in his pack. He figures if he needs the longer timed ones, then he’ll have time to dig them out. Conversely, if he needs the thirty second or one minute pencils, well, those had just better be handy.

The shrieks and breaking of brush is close. He grabs the pliers out of his pocket, sets the claymores his team member hands him into the ground at angles but pointing mostly behind them, crushes the fuse pencils and quickly places them into the fuse wells.

“We have less than a minute. Go, now!” Vance whispers to the point.

The point man gets the idea and they move off in a hurry. They are still winded but feeling better than they did just a moment ago. They won’t be able to keep this up for much longer but they are alive and moving. The shrieks and sounds of pursuit follow.

Two back to back thunderous explosions fill the night. The team momentarily sees their shadows cast on the ground from the flash of light. Screams still sound off to their sides but they don’t hear much of anything behind them anymore. Not that they can really hear much above the sound of their own flight through the brush.

Feeling like they have a little room, they stop to rest. “One minute, no longer,” Vance says between breaths. Although they bought some breathing room, they still hear a mass of people to either side. “If we become separated, rally at the beach where we stashed our gear.” No one answers verbally as their panting breath won’t allow it, but all nod.

Fifty meters further and they break into the open. A small village appears ahead. They have come out of the jungle on the edge of it. The jungle road lies off to their right and runs through the middle with thatch huts lining both sides. Shrieks rise on the night air. Vance turns to look behind and sees a horde of people running up the road. There’s no choice but to make their way directly through the middle of the village. It’s that or through the jungle again and Vance doesn’t feel like they’ll make it far given how far they still have to travel and their weariness. They were not to be observed on this mission but that is now secondary to their very survival.

“To the road,” he tells the others and they make their way over the muddy ground and begin running down the road. Screams follow them.

Several doors open as the team passes; people rousted by the shrieks and coming out to see what is disturbing their quiet village. Vance glances over his shoulder and sees the horde that was following them fall upon those that ventured outside. Others change direction in mid-stride and pummel their way into other huts. Vance and Blue Team reach the far side of the village and notice they are no longer being pursued. Whoever, or whatever Vance thinks, was chasing them is now consumed with the village and villagers.

“Keep going but keep the pace to a jog,” he says. They continue down the road as the screams, echoing through the jungle, slowly fade behind them.

Vance and his team make their way down the side of the muddy road, darting quickly into the brush as the occasional vehicle passes by. Headlights are their early warning system and they watch from behind bushes as the lights shine on the slick surface of the road and head toward the village they left some hours ago. They rest up and take their ‘energy’ pills. Vance has no intention of stopping and replays the night’s events over and over without any of it making any sense. He can tell by the quietness of the others that they are lost in their own thoughts and confusion as well. Nothing is said about it during their rest and trek. It’s as if mentioning it will bring it back down on their heads.

They continue to make their way out of the mountainous jungle toward the coast line. They avoid any further contact with civilization staying well back in the jungle. The light of morning slowly filters its way through the trees rising tall above them. The jungle keeps its gloomy light as the triple canopy filters out most of the sunlight. Every so often, a stray beam of light finds its way through and brings the dull green to a brilliant radiance. Insects fly in and out of the beam, drawn to its light. Vance tells his point to find a secluded place to rest.

They find a thick patch of bushes and settle down. There is a little opening within for them to be comfortable. They clear the small sticks and leaves from the middle and collapse in their little hideout; lying in a circle pattern with their toes touching.

“We have time before we’re due at the beach so we’ll rest here. We’ll stand one guard with one hour shifts,” Vance says feeling exhaustion sweep over him. He lays out shift schedules and is immediately asleep. Not even the heat and humidity bothers him as he sinks into a coma-like sleep. The pills have worn off leaving him feeling like he hasn’t slept in a week. Normally his mind would play over the events of a mission but there is no staying awake this time.

Startled awake, Vance looks around in a panic. The feeling leaves slowly as he becomes aware of where he is and the sight of his team lying on the ground around him. The man on guard looks over his way and nods. The birds chirp a symphony around their small thicket of bushes. Brightly colored birds flit from branch to branch overhead. His fatigues are bathed in sweat and his mouth feels like someone poured sand in it while he was asleep. He sits up and takes a sip from his canteen, swilling it around his mouth before spitting it out. He then takes a long draught. Not so much as to bring on a stomach ache but enough to quench the great thirst he feels.

The calmness and spirited birds filling the air belies the events of last night. It’s a surreal world Vance wakes to and he feels like he’s woken in another universe. He’s used to that feeling — the one of an adrenaline-based mission followed by a cold beer — but not like what they experienced last night. The loss of Gold Team and the LT hits hard. They’ve lost people before, either due to action or accidents, but not a whole team. Yeah, there was the one aircraft accident a while ago where they actually lost several teams, but not an entire team to action. He runs the events through his mind expecting some of it to make sense but nothing of the sort materializes.

Vance wants to send a message letting command know of their disastrous mission but this was to be a silent op and communications were only to be made in the direst of needs. A rescue effort or any communications would be known. Even if the listening parties couldn’t know the exact content, they would get an idea that a team was in place by the coding. This information could then be given to other parties if they were financing or supporting a certain operation in any way. The thought of leaving the others isn’t sitting well and he feels a tightness in his stomach. Both from leaving comrades in the field and from trying to explain what happened. He doesn’t even know what happened so he’s not sure how his explanation is going to be taken. Fuck it, he thinks. My team and I are still alive and that’s what counts for now. I’ll deal with that other shit later.

He pats his team member on the back and indicates for him to nod off. He’ll take the remainder of the watch. He lies on the warm dirt and contemplates their escape route. He envisions scenario after scenario and how to counter them should the need arise. His mind drifts back to the night prior. Certain images stick in his mind. The sight of a mass of people surrounding and huddled over the bodies of Gold Team. How positive he was that they were biting and clawing at them. In the light of the day, he’s pretty sure he mistook what he saw but the images don’t fade away with the unreality of it. He trusts his eyes and knows that’s what he saw. The sight of the pale faces, glowing in his goggles, scaling the ladder scant feet below him; their eyes seeming to shine in the night like some night animal. That was freaky, he thinks as the image stays locked in his head.

The next hour passes by with these images circulating in his mind. He quietly wakes the others. They take a quick bite and drink; burying their wrappers in the soft jungle soil. They arrange the leaves and twigs leaving no trace of their being there and continue their trek.

They slowly make their way out of the mountains and down to the coast line without sighting a soul; or hearing one for that matter. Vance doesn’t trust much of anything after last night. They eventually come upon the supply cache they left upon arrival and he sends a coded signal. The signal says in effect that they are in position and will head out at night and rendezvous at the appointed time. The tail end of the coded signal tells of an unsuccessful mission. He hates to send that but that is also part of his job. Thoughts of looking into those instructor positions surface. Yep, I’m getting too old for this shit.

They find a concealed place to hole up and rest until the coming night. With the night, they slip on their dry suits, inflate their rubber zodiac, known as a combat rubber raiding craft, and make their way out into the Philippine Sea.

* * *

Captain Raymond Leonard, USN, commander of the fast attack submarine USS Santa Fe, sits in the control room. The freshly poured cup of coffee sits unnoticed beside him. His attention is on the flash transmission from the SEAL teams on the beach. They are in position and ready for recovery at the appointed time and place. But that’s not what has made him forget the much-needed caffeine by his side. It’s the second part of the message that clenches his stomach. It’s the ‘mission unsuccessful’ that has his attention. Rarely does he ever see one of those. And to see one on this mission. It was only a recon; more if circumstances allowed. He will send his own message when he recovers the crews. He sets the transmission down and tells the crew to be ready to board the teams.

The time arrives and he brings the sub to periscope depth. The periscope breaks the gently swelling waters of the Philippine Sea and he immediately sees one of the zodiacs. He flashes the infrared light once and sees the rubber craft turn in their direction. Scanning 360 degrees, he looks for the other boat but sees none. Bringing the scope down to minimize their exposure, he waits for the report that the teams, or team, are safely on board. He is definitely interested in the debrief although he also knows that some of the information may be limited. It just depends on whether he is on the need to know list.

“Sir, Blue Team is recovered,” a crew member informs him.

“And Gold Team?” Captain Leonard asks.

“No sign of them, sir,” the sailor answers.

“Very well. Have the team’s leader report.”

He has the crew maintain position and depth until he clarifies the situation. He’s not fond of staying so close to the surface as MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detectors) can easily pick his boat up here but he can’t leave without knowing where Gold Team is. Captain Leonard looks up as a very tired and disheveled SEAL team leader stands before him.

“Where’s Gold Team?” Leonard asks coming straight to the point. He wants to know if he needs to stay here or they can get to a more comfortable depth.

“We were ambushed and they were overrun, sir,” the Chief Petty Officer reports. He then proceeds to give a synopsis of the events as he saw them.

“You mean to tell me we have a team lying somewhere on that island?” Leonard asks after hearing the story.

In the depths of his mind, he wonders about the authenticity of the story. It’s an outlandish one that’s hard to believe. He looks at the CPO standing before him wondering if perhaps there weren’t a little too many pills taken on this one. The eyes of the team leader seem to be telling the truth but the truth will come out regardless of whether it is now or not. It always does.

“Yes, sir. We couldn’t get to them and if we tried, there would be two teams lying there,” the team leader says.

“And no part of the mission was successful,” Leonard asks.

“No, sir. We didn’t get any verification.”

“Very well. Get cleaned up and get some rest. You’re sure Gold Team isn’t coming?”

The team leader swallows before saying, “I’m sure, sir.”

Leonard nods and the team leader departs. He scribbles a quick message and heads to the communications room.

“Send this to COMSUBPAC,” he says handing the operator on duty the message.

He wouldn’t normally send a message as they were instructed to run silent out of respect for the Philippine government. They were to head to the Strait of Hormuz to monitor shipping, in particular any Iranian Navy activities, and then have a deep, silent run home to Bangor to drop off the team and report in. That part Captain Leonard will still accomplish. He dives the sub and they crawl near the bottom of the sea before hitting the Pacific. They spend their time monitoring the important passageway and then they run slow, deep, and silent for the duration of their crossing.

It takes time but they cross the large stretch of water. Most of it spent in the normal rut and routine of a mission complete; complete if not successful. He briefs each member of the surviving team; individually at first and then as a group. They each tell a similar story; a horde of people attacking out of the blue and not a shot being fired by the other side. They have either rehearsed their story to the nth degree or they’re telling the truth. Both have chilling ramifications and Leonard is hard-pressed to decide which one he believes.

The only anomaly for the passage is the complete lack of communications. They are deep so can only receive communications sent on the ultra-low frequency, which is especially for subs operating at low depths. They don’t get many communications in that manner but there is usually some. For the duration of the passage, they don’t receive even one which confuses Leonard to an extent.

“Check the comm gear,” he orders the chief of communications.

“Already have, sir. Several times,” the chief reports.

“Check it again.”

They arrive outside the entrance to the straights of Juan de Fuca. They rise to periscope depth and look for their escort. Not only does Captain Leonard not see the escort that should be waiting, as they have arrived on schedule, but there is a distinct lack of the normal shipping. This is a busy channel feeding Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., and all of the ports along the Puget Sound. The USS Santa Fe waits just off the normal shipping lanes. Nothing goes in and nothing emerges. Against protocol, Leonard sends a flash message that they are waiting. No message answers.

“Sir?” The Executive Officer says for direction.

“Take us in nice and slow. Avoid any traffic and continue to make calls,” Leonard finally says.

“Yes, sir.”

They ease the fast attack sub into the straights and proceed up the long entrance. The town of Port Angeles slides off to their starboard side and eventually they see the city of Vancouver off in the distance to port. They see this as Leonard occasionally raises the periscope to get his eyeball on things. The passive sonar indicates absolutely no traffic operating in their vicinity. Either all of the gear onboard has stopped working at once or there is no one around.

Time passes and they catch sight of Seattle through the periscope. The usual ferries are silent and a few plumes of smoke rise into the cloudy sky. Leonard can’t see the usual flotilla of sail boats or cargo vessels plying the waters. There’s not even the usual one or two kayakers out. He continues trying to contact the base on the flash channels but there is still no reply. His thoughts wander to the team leader’s story but his mind refuses to go in that direction. There has to be a plausible explanation, he thinks looking over the empty waters. They’re not entirely empty as he sees several vessels anchored but none are moving.

Perhaps there is a Homeland Security ban on these waters for some unknown reason, he thinks. But that wouldn’t explain the lack of communications. They would normally be squawking loudly with one of their attack subs breaking communication protocols. If it was any large-scale attack on the United States, they would have heard something and protocols would have been initiated.

They make the turn into Bangor. Through the periscope, Leonard zooms in on the base proper. Nothing is moving. The usual people walking amongst the building, the dock workers, the cars driving to and away from the bunkered docks are nonexistent. The look is one of total abandonment. He has the periscope transferred to one of the viewing monitors.

“What do you think?” Leonard asks his exec.

“Looks like no one is home, sir,” the exec responds.

“My thought exactly.”

“Well, what do you want to do, sir? Should we motor in?”

“Negative. Park us off the main channel. We’re staying here until we figure this out. Have communications send over the UHF emergency channel and see if we can pick up any military traffic.”

The communications operator receives word and dials up the UHF emergency channel, “This is the USS Santa Fe on UHF guard. Anyone read?”

# # #

About the Author

John is a former Air Force fighter instructor pilot who transitioned to Special Operations for the latter part of his career gathering his campaign ribbon for Desert Storm. Immediately following his military service, he became a firefighter/EMT with a local fire department. Along with becoming a firefighter, he began a career in the Information Technology industry starting two large casinos in Washington as the Information Technology Manager and becoming the Network Manager for the Washington State Legislature, the Northwest Information Technology Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Network Systems Manager for Hollywood Video. Currently, John is self-employed with his own Information Technology consulting company, consulting and managing various businesses with their information technology needs. He also volunteers for a local youth center managing their computer lab.

As a former marathon runner, John lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and can now be found kayaking out in the waters of Puget Sound, mountain biking in the Capital Forest, hiking in the Olympic Peninsula, or pedaling his road bike along the many scenic roads.

Connect with me online

Facebook: http://facebook.com/JohnWBObrien

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Web site: http://anewworldseries.com

Also by John O’Brien

A New World Series

A NEW WORLD: CHAOS

A NEW WORLD: RETURN

A NEW WORLD: SANCTUARY

A NEW WORLD: TAKEN

Copyright

Copyright © 2012 John O’Brien

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in review, without permission in writing from the author.

Cover art by: SM Reine

http://smreine.deviantart.com/

Content

A NEW WORLD:
TAKEN
A Novel by John O’Brien

Author’s Notice

AUTHOR’S NOTE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Prologue

Through the Looking Glass

A View from Inside

Into the Lion’s Den

Are We There Yet?

I Shall Not Return

About the Author

Also by John O’Brien

Copyright