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  “I’ve received orders to pull my men out and travel to a secret location on the east coast where our government is in hiding. They want to start a new country with the remaining resources and screw the rest of the country. About half of the military won’t go along with that. We plan to leave tonight and take you with us. We have a small group here that will relocate to my homestead, and we want you to join in our larger effort to make Middle Tennessee a safe place to live.”

  “I can’t speak for all of our people, but I like what I have heard, and I’m in if what you say is what you really mean and aren’t trying to become some kind of military dictator.”

  “I guess the proof is in the pudding. You get out of this place, and I hope you join us.”

  “Sounds good to me. Will, what do you think?”

  “I’m in, and it looks like we have two new allies.”

  Bob asked, “What’s next?”

  Hines answered, “You four eat up, get rested, and be ready to leave tonight. We will supply everything needed for the trip. I can’t give you your exact same weapons, but we will have M4s, Glock 17s and plenty of ammo for you when we let you off at the Horseshoe.”

  Bob looked over at the Major and said, “So that’s why you bugged our bunks. You wanted to see if we can be trusted.”

  “Are you ex-military?”

  “82nd.”

  “Good man. We can use a man like you. What was your rank?”

  “Lt. Colonel.”

  The Major saluted Bob and told them that the Sergeant would give them updates as needed.

  ***

  Hines escorted them to a room in the Major’s private tent and told them to make themselves comfortable. There were two larger beds and one single bunk like the one they had been sleeping in. The room also contained a table with snacks and drinks, a pile of magazines, and a bookshelf full of books.

  Jane looked around and said, “I’m going to get caught up on my sleep,” and laid down on one of the larger beds.

  Bob started perusing through one of the magazines and sat down on the bed with Jane. Maddie and Will lay down on the bunk bed, cuddled up and tried to go to sleep in their usual position.

  “Children, there are two beds. Maddie, you can have your own bed.”

  Maddie laid her head on Will’s chest and gave Jane the finger as she said, “Mom, we’ve gotten close over the past few days, and I like it.”

  “Me too,” Will said as he rubbed Maddie’s back.

  Bob chuckled and said, “I’ll bet. What are you too going to do when we get back home, and Will’s Mom hears about the sleeping arrangements?”

  Maddie replied, “I think Jo will understand. We love each other, and no one knows how much time we have left on this Earth. We plan to live life to its fullest.”

  Lunch and dinner were served per the regular camp schedule without them seeing anyone except the orderlies who served the food. Then at 9:00 pm, the Sergeant appeared and gave them an update.

  “We are leaving after the guards are changed at midnight. We will take two Humvee and an M35 truck. Our cover story is that we have six captives who have intelligence vital to national security and have to take them to Memphis to get them passed on to Headquarters. We have two men that will head on to their home in Indiana plus you four. Of course, we’ll get lost along the way and disappear.

  The deuce and a half will be loaded with supplies along with you four and the other two. Your weapons will be in the back of the deuce and a half.”

  “We’re bored here and ready to go.”

  “I’ll come back at 2330 with two guards to escort you to the vehicles, and there shouldn’t be any trouble from the camp. Be ready for any and everything from the civilian population. Those folks are starving and desperate.”

  “Papaw, about how long will it take to get back to the Horseshoe?”

  “My guess is the better part of the night. It’s only a four-hour drive in a large truck; however, you saw how bad the roads are, and I believe the Sergeant is correct about being attacked by starving mobs. Chill a while longer and be prepared to go.”

  Will and Maddie passed the time playing checkers while Bob slept with his head on Jane’s lap. The two and a half hours dragged on forever, but finally, the Sergeant and two female guards appeared to take them to the trucks.

  They walked past the Humvee with the Major and his daughter, and the girl waved at Will and said, “Hi Will.”

  Will walked on as Maddie whispered, “Bitch.”

  They climbed into the back of the truck with four armed guards, and the small convoy drove toward the front gate. The guards challenged the lead vehicle and let them pass when they found that the Major was in the convoy.

  There were only a few people walking on the roads, and the convoy was able to move along at a good rate of speed until they were on the outskirts of Tuscumbia where there was a roadblock in the middle of the highway.

  The Sergeant walked up to the back of the truck and said, “Bob, there is a bad bunch up ahead who won’t let us go through unless we give them one of our vehicles and half of our supplies.”

  Bob replied, “How many are manning the roadblock?”

  “We count nine out in the open and think there are a dozen more behind some stalled cars.”

  Bob replied, “Well we can’t let these outlaws stop us this early. Let us out here, and we’ll come up on their right flank and pick off a bunch of them, and perhaps the others will skedaddle out of here.”

  “Tom and Alice go with them. Bob is in command. We’ll wait until you surprise them and then pick off any survivors if they stay and fight. Here take these Night Vision Goggles.”

  Bob and the others snuck away from the truck staying in the shadows as they worked their way around the roadblock and came in on its right side. The barrier was made up of several cars that had been pushed across the road and had a string of cars blocking any path around it.

  “Look, there are several men and women sitting around that fire fifty yards back of the roadblock. They don’t appear to be very concerned about us attacking them,” said Jane.

  “That’s because they have a Ma Deuce sticking out of the back of that RV to the left of the roadblock. See that pickup out in front. It is shot full of holes. We’ll take out the machine gun, and the rest will be easy.”

  Will looked around and found two mason jars and a garden hose.

  “Papaw, “I’m making two Molotov Cocktails, and we are going to have an RV roast.”

  “Son, be careful. They aren’t paying much attention, but if you’re caught out in the open, it could get dicey.”

  “Papaw, when the RV blows up; start shooting.”

  Will and Maddie filled the jars from the nearest car’s gas tank, cut holes in the lids and stuffed strips of their shirts into the holes. Will started to go without Maddie, and she quickly got out ahead of him as they slinked their way around the stalled cars to the RV.

  Maddie was several feet ahead of Will when suddenly a man jumped out from behind a car, grabbed Maddie, and held her at knifepoint.

  “My, my, what a sweet piece of meat I’ve found. I don’t believe I’m going to share you with the others.”

  Will saw the man and charged up behind him. He grabbed the knife with his bare hand and stabbed the man in the side. He pushed the knife up into the man’s kidney and held him as he died. The man was so surprised he didn’t udder a word.

  Maddie tore a piece of her shirt off and bound Will’s left hand tightly. She made Will close his hand around the cloth to stop the bleeding. They picked up the jars and headed to the RV. Maddie waved at Will and showed him that the RV’s windows had been knocked out. They lit the makeshift fuses and threw the jars into the open windows close to the machine gun.

  One of the jars exploded in flames instantly, and the RV had a fireball on the machine gun end of the RV; a few seconds later the entire RV exploded in a mushroom of fire and smoke. A few men tried to get out of the RV, but they were on fire. Maddie and
Will started shooting at the men and women by the fire from behind a cargo van and scattered them like ants.

  Bob and the Major’s teams saw the explosion and began picking off any of the assholes who were unlucky enough to make themselves targets. The fight was over as quickly as it started when the survivors waved a white flag, threw their guns down, and fled the scene.

  Hines directed his driver to push the vehicles out of the way while Bob’s team collected the arms and ammunition that the criminals had left.

  “Sir, there are 39 dead, and we have two wounded women.”

  “How bad are they?”

  “Not life threatening, but the trouble is that they were hostages. What do we do with them?”

  “Jane overheard the conversation and said, “I’m a nurse, let me examine them.”

  “Sorry, but we have to get back on the road.”

  “Put them in the back of the truck and give us a flashlight. I will patch them up, and then you can decide what to do with them. They were hostages.”

  “Private, make room for them and load them up into the truck. Get the nurse a First Aid kit. Good luck.”

  They all loaded back into the vehicles and headed below Muscle Shoals to Highway 101 where they headed north and crossed the river.

  “The two women were a mother and daughter who had been captured by the gang that afternoon and had been wounded when the group they were traveling with tried to walk around the roadblock.

  “Hello, I’m Helen Jackson, and this is my daughter Gabby. Thanks for helping with our wounds.”

  Maddie introduced everyone and Jane jumped into treating their injuries, which weren’t too severe. Helen had a sprained ankle and a gash to the back of her head while her daughter had a flesh wound on her back from a ricochet she received during the fight at the roadblock. Both would recover quickly.

  One of the soldiers gave each woman an MRE, and they ate as though they had never seen food before. They were both dirty and worn out from their travels.

  “Maddie, hold the flashlight while I clean this gash. I can suture it if the damn truck doesn’t buck too much.”

  “Helen, where are you two from?”

  “We live in Oregon but were on a trip to Mobile when we were stranded at the Huntsville Airport. I don’t know if we’ll ever get home. My husband passed away several years ago, and I was looking at moving to the Gulf Coast for a change of pace. I write romantic novels for a living and work from home.”

  Helen asked, “Where are you guys from?”

  Our family is spread out from Middle Tennessee through Northern Kentucky, and we are currently living in the Nashville area when we’re not out rescuing damsels in distress,” replied Jane.

  “Thanks for saving us from those scumbags. They didn’t beat me as long as I did whatever the leader wanted. I just hope I don’t get pregnant. I won’t even try to guess what would have happened to my daughter if you hadn’t come along.”

  “Where will you be heading now that you are back on the road. We are moving to the Nashville area.”

  “I wish I knew. Obviously, we can’t make it to Oregon or Mobile for that matter. Right now, we’d settle for a place with food and a place to sleep.”

  “Would you be willing to work on a farm tending crops working from sun up to sun down,” Bob asked?

  “Yes! Neither of us is afraid of work. Gabby and I have a large garden in Medford, and Gabby works at a nursery tending the plants. I won’t lie. We’d do about anything to get a safe place with food.”

  ✼

  Chapter 5

  Day 10 – They return.

  Jack said, “Son, I’m going up to the gate to check on the guards; would you come with me.”

  They were only half way there when there was a frantic call from Izzy at the gate. He said, “Send help, they’re staging vehicles to hide behind as they snipe at our guards.”

  “We’ll be there in five minutes, and I’ll call out the rest of the guards. All guards come to the fence now. You heard Izzy. We are under attack.”

  Jack arrived and saw a wave of men charging the gates as men and women behind the cars sniped at the people from the Horseshoe. The cars were being pushed toward the gate, and there were five to six people pushing while several others shot from behind the protection of the slow moving vehicles.

  Suddenly there was a wave of people rushing toward the gate with their hands in the air. The guards wouldn’t shoot the unarmed people, and Jack saw they would be overwhelmed in seconds. Jack began shooting the people closest to the gate. Tony and Izzy joined in, soon there were two dozen dead people piled up in front of the gate, and there was a mad rush of most of the people away from the gate.

  Suddenly three shots rang out and one of the guards dropped.

  Jack yelled,” Kill the SOBs.

  Jack saw that several of the cars were now only 50 yards from the gate and killed one of the snipers with his first shot. Only three of the six guards fired at the attackers. The gunfire from behind the cars kept Jack, and his men pinned down as two more cars were being pushed toward the gate. To make matters worse, Jack saw a dump truck backing across the open field toward him. The truck bed was filled with armed men, and they were using the thick steel bed to protect them from the guard’s gunfire.

  Several of the guards were down, and Jack picked up his radio and screamed, “All fighters to the gate. We’re being overwhelmed. Get your asses here now.”

  Jack ran over to the guards that weren’t shooting and yelled, “These assholes are going to kill you, and then your families. Either start shooting or join them. You either fight or die.”

  The three men reluctantly began firing at the enemy, but the team was losing the battle. A dozen men and women joined the fight, and the best they could do was hold the attackers at bay. The 9mm rounds just bounced off the dump truck bed, and the civilian .223s weren’t much better. The cars had stopped advancing due to the guards shooting the tires and the men that pushed the cars; however, the dump truck was still slowly moving closer.

  It had been stopped a couple of times when the guards in the tower killed several of the drivers. More men just took their place, and the truck continued the attack. The dump truck was only a few yards from the gate as the battle became touch and go as to who would win when the truck suffered several explosions. The entire battlefield in front of Jack was riddled by heavy machine gun fire. All of the men behind the cars and the people in the dump truck were dead.

  Jack saw a Humvee with a turret mounted machine gun firing at the men massed toward town getting ready to charge the fence. The men and women fell like trees in a southern tornado. Another Humvee joined in and chased the people out of sight. The rat, a tat tat of the machine gun, continued for several minutes from the direction of Dixon Springs.

  The first Humvee rolled to a stop by the gate and Bob, and a soldier jumped out and walked to the gate.

  Bob said, “Looks like y’all been a bit busy lately. I’m sorry we ended your little turkey shoot, but I had to get my family back home and didn’t want to wait for you to kill all of this riff raft.”

  “Thank God y’all arrived. They were overpowering us and would have overrun us in a few minutes.”

  “Greg, where are the rest of the fighters? Didn’t you call all hands on deck?”

  “About a third didn’t get here.”

  “How long ago did you put the first call out? We heard several of your pleas for help twenty minutes ago. Everyone should have been here in ten minutes.”

  Greg stuttered and finally said, “I think a couple of our men talked some of our team from fighting. They told everyone that we were killing innocent people.”

  “Jack, why didn’t you shoot the SOBs?”

  “Jack wanted to, but I wouldn’t let him. I thought we could reason with them,” Greg replied.

  “Well damn it, Greg. You almost got everyone killed.”

  “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I think most of us never saw the threat as clearly as you a
nd Jack did. I would have never believed those people would run into gunfire just to get our food.”

  “You’ve never starved before or watched your kids slowly die. Greg, this can never happen again, or people die.”

  Bob was interrupted as the deuce, and a half truck drove up, and Jane, Maddie, and Will climbed down and joined the group.

  “Oh my God. What happened?”

  “The team fought off some very desperate people, and we helped finish off the resistance. Let’s go home and get a bath and a change of clothes. Jack, please bring anyone twelve, or above up here in the next hour to see what happens when you let your heart overrule your head. How many wounded and dead on our side?”

  “One dead and six wounded.”

  “Are you and Izzy in the count?”

  “Well no, we only got hit by ricochets.”

  “Don’t downplay your wounds. People will be dying from less after we run out of antibiotics.”

  “Tell everyone that I will conduct a meeting at 8:00 am sharp and don’t be late. Make sure those do-gooder clowns are present and up front. Oh, I’m very sorry. I forgot to introduce Major Ben Payne. We met him at a FEMA camp, and he and his group are joining us for a short while and then heading on to their home.”

  Jack, Greg, this is Helen Jackson and her daughter Gabby. They will join us and will stay in a trailer at my place until we sort things out. Greg, please have the team move two more of the extra campers over to my place.

  ✼

  Chapter 6

  Day 10 – Bob Takes Charge

  Jo headed south on Highway 43 and continued to encounter desperate people and stalled cars along her journey. She got off Highway 43 and headed over to Highway 101 hoping to have an easier time crossing the 101 bridge instead of the bridge in Florence, which was in the middle of several cities. The bridge on Highway 101 was actually on top of the Wheeler Dam and was out in the sticks with very few people around.