Avenging Home (20 page)

Aric waved at him. “Come on, let’s go get us some. I’m starving!”

Sarge looked over at me. “Tomorrow we’re going to town with Mike and Ted to work up the plan to hit the Elk’s Camp.”

I nodded. “Good. We need to go early so I can drop that pig thief off with Cecil.”

Sarge shook his head. “Damn shame losing that hog like that. Thad said he shot one of them. Said he’d hung a boy out in the woods somewhere.”

“Yeah. We found the guy hanging and buried him. It really messed Thad up, but I guess he finally dealt with that demon.”

Sarge was nodding his head while he thought. “I’m guessing he’s going on the chain gang?” I nodded and he asked, “How long you going to keep him there?”

Shrugging, I said, “I don’t know. He’s got to work off eleven hogs.”

“A damn shame,” Sarge said.

“They won’t go to waste. Thad collected them and we’ll feed them to the dogs,” I said.

“Them dogs been eating pretty good lately,” Sarge said.

“If you’re going to stay here and bullshit I’m going to get me some dinner,” Aric said.

Sarge twisted his face and replied, “Oh quit yer bellyaching.” Looking at me, he said, “I’ll see you in the morning.” I took the small radio from its pocket on my vest and pulled the antenna out. Sarge added, “You better write down any messages you hear.”

Taking a pad and pen out, I smiled and said, “Way ahead of you.”

Sarge snorted. “If you was ahead of me, we’d have the last message.” Then he looked at Danny. “Will you please keep him in line.”

Danny shrugged. “Many better than me have tried and failed.”

Sarge laughed as he and Aric headed for the house and a warm bowl of stew. Danny and I settled into the normal routine of preparing for the maddening onslaught of mosquitoes. But this time, I had a secret weapon. Reaching into my shirt pocket, I pulled out a small wadded mosquito head net. I’d found it in one of the boxes from the shed. It was a cheap piece of fine mesh with elastic around the top and bottom. I pulled it over my boonie hat and pushed it down into my collar.

“That’s much better,” I said as I rolled down my sleeves and put on a pair of gloves.

Danny looked at me. “You suck.”

Smiling, I said, “Hey man, don’t hate the player.”

We tried to get comfortable and took turns scanning the country with the NVGs. We talked a little about the kids and the forthcoming confrontation with the DHS. Neither of us was particularly excited about it. It was certain people would die. It was simply too big a group to take on and not expect casualties.

“What about the girls?” Danny asked. “You going to let them go?”

“I don’t want to, but I know they won’t be left behind either. And as much as I hate to say it, we’ll need every trigger-puller we can muster.”

Danny grunted. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Let’s just hope the old man comes up with some sort of amazing plan. You know he doesn’t like a fair fight.”

The night wore on and clouds moved in, blocking out the stars that filled the sky in unfathomable numbers. When it was time for the radio broadcast, I turned the little radio on. Static poured from the small speaker and I wondered aloud if there would be a broadcast or not. But just when I felt there wouldn’t be, the speaker crackled and the Star Spangled Banner began to play. I set the radio on the bunker and leaned beside it to take in the news.

You’re listening John Jacob Schmidt on the Radio Free Redoubt broadcasting to all of you in occupied territory as well as those outside the wire. Bringing you the news you need in these uncertain times. We have urgent news for all you patriots out there tonight. The UN Security Council rejected the resolution to send peacekeepers here. This is good news. The fact the international community joined together to renounce sending armed forces into the US is positive for us. Several nations agreed instead to send aid in the form of food, medicine and clothing. Unfortunately, however, the Russians and Chinese have stated they will act unilaterally and send troops here at the request of the president.

The request was made after the president released launch codes to NORAD with instructions to launch against the patriotic forces of our military. Upon receiving the launch codes, NORAD placed themselves under the command of General Buster Peters of the Air Force, who is a steadfast patriot and firmly set against the plans of the Federalists.
The voice chuckled.
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall of whatever hole that bastard president of ours is hiding in when he got that message!

Sadly, intense fighting is raging in the ports of Long Beach and several other California ports between the thug Federalists and noble Patriot military forces, in what we can only assume is an attempt to prepare a beachhead for the arrival of the invaders. But now that we have control of our nuclear arsenal, those commies will have to think twice about actually trying to land troops.

The language being used was striking. While I’d only heard a couple of these broadcasts, there was certainly a change in the language being used. We were now the Patriotic forces fighting against the Federalist forces. But I guess it had to happen at some time. Eventually there would be a drawing of sides and the propaganda machine was now beginning to move. And while I firmly agreed with the portrayal of the Federalists as thugs, I had to keep in mind that it was still propaganda and must be digested as such.

On the home-front, great strides have been made against the Federal forces. With the liberation of Denver, the western states, with a few exceptions, are now all firmly under the control of the Patriot Military. Of course, California is still heavily contested. And with the news from China and Russia, we can only expect things to get worse there before they get better.

Guerrilla fighters in the Carolinas and Tennessee have pushed the Federalists out of those states entirely, with staggering losses of Federal troops. One report we received said you could walk for a mile on the dead and never touch the ground. Patriot losses were high as well, with over a hundred men and women giving their lives for their neighbors. Thankfully, their lives were not lost in vain, as the states are now free of oppression.

Relief supplies are beginning to land in the southern and eastern ports. Yesterday, fourteen-ship convoy from England docked at the port of Tampa, carrying relief supplies as well as unspecified military aid.

Danny looked at me. “Tampa! Maybe some help is finally coming.”

The report continued.
Tampa was chosen because of its proximity to Patrick Air Force base, still the home of SOCOM, or Southern Command, because of their ability to provide security. SOCOM claims to have nearly eliminated all Federal forces in the state.

“That’s bullshit!” I shouted. “There’s still plenty of them around here!” But I was not looking at the big picture. A hundred or so Federal thugs in my neck of the woods wasn’t a problem for SOCOM, but it damn sure was for us.

Mayport, in Jacksonville and home of the fourth fleet, is also receiving supplies. Naval Air Station Jax is ferrying those supplies to their final destinations. A huge amount of equipment is said to be on its way to the port after being reclaimed from bases around the globe. The Navy claims it’s been a herculean effort to get the equipment loaded, but they met the challenge and hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks are on their way. Naval and Marine personnel are working feverishly to ensure that all the equipment is ready to roll as soon as they’re unloaded.

In other news, a sabotage attack at the Lake City Arsenal caused minor damage and one fatality. The perpetrator was caught in the act of trying to set an explosive device. He was forced to detonate it prematurely, which resulted in only minor damage to the ammunition manufacturing plant. The terrorist was taken prisoner, and I’m sure will be questioned extensively.
John laughed again.
What do you want to bet in some dark hole somewhere that bastard’s being water-boarded as I speak! That’s it for tonight’s update. Tune in tomorrow for the news you need in these uncertain times.

Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” began to play. I really liked the song. I turned the volume down a little as I looked at Danny.

“If those Russians and Chinese get here, it’s going to get really, really ugly,” I said.

“Yeah, but he said they were fighting in California. Not here.”

“You really think they won’t try and eliminate Mayport, NAS Jax, SOCOM, not to mention, Camp Riley? They’ll have to. This place will be a damn battleground.”

Danny nodded. “Plus, there’s Homestead.”

“Exactly. All of that would have to be hit before they could even dream of landing troops.”

Danny was staring out into the darkness. “You thinking nukes?”

I shrugged. “I sure as hell hope not. The only thing we can really hope for, is that they have other motives, which we know they do, for sending troops in, and that they wouldn’t nuke us. It would make it harder for them as well.”

“Kind of screwed up, hoping they’re coming here to try and take the country, an actual invasion.”

Rubbing my face, I said, “Better than being nuked.”

When the song finished, I turned the radio off and stuck it back in its pocket. It’s kind of amazing, something as small as this little radio opening up the world to us as it was. Information and communication are so important. If it weren’t for this radio, we’d be completely in the dark. Going from a world of near instant communication with anyone, anywhere on the planet to a total vacuum, was hard to adjust to at first. Now I was on the other end of that spectrum, where It seemed odd to me to hear what was happening in other places and made me think,
that doesn’t affect me.

But that certainly wasn’t the case. These things would undoubtedly affect us. The DHS was bad enough, but at least they were our countrymen. I can’t imagine what Chinese and Russian troops would do. We humiliated the Russians in the eighties and ruined their economy in the nineties. Surely they would take their revenge. This thought sent a shudder down my spine as I remembered the atrocities Russian troops committed against German civilians, especially women of all ages, in a fit of retribution.

Then there’s the Chinese. We’ve been in an economic war with the Chinese for decades. They too are capable of horrific acts. There was a lot of talk in the Before about the Chinese trying to buy up our country. It was said they needed the resources, like coal. Maybe they would make a play to try and just take it and save themselves the money. One thing was certain though, neither of these nations had our interests in mind.

Danny and I talked of these things into the night, until Perez and Ian showed up to relieve us. Perez was in his usual state and I heard him coming before I saw him. The glow from the cherry of his cigarette showed where he was, and the hacking cough gave away his approach before we even saw it.

“You sound like shit,” I said as he walked up.

As he walked past me into the bunker, he said, “Maybe. But I can get better, and you’ll still look like shit.”

I laughed. “Touchy much?”

“Ignore him,” Ian said. “He’s just pissed he had to get out of bed.” Leaning over, he shouted into the bunker. “He’s the biggest damn baby I’ve ever seen!” Perez replied by flipping his cigarette out, its red tip cartwheeling through the air before bouncing off Ian’s chest. Ian brushed the ashes off and replied, “Damn baby.”

“How’s Jamie,” Danny asked.

Ian leaned his weapon against the side of the bunker. “She’s doing alright. Ornery as hell. She wants to get up and do something, but Doc is keeping her in bed.”

“At least she’s alright. Hopefully, she gets better quick,” I said.

“Yeah, I think she’ll be alright,” Ian said.

“Alright, I’m out.”

Ian waved. “Get some sleep guys.”

Danny and I walked home together. It was a quiet night and my gear was making noise. To me it seemed like a lot of noise. From my boots crunching on the ground to the nylon vest creaking and squeaking I felt like I was dragging a bunch of cans behind me. I waved goodbye at my gate and peeled off to the house. As I walked up on the porch, the dogs didn’t move. I shined my light on them and had to smile. Their bellies, all three of them, were still swollen from the huge meal Thad fed them earlier in the day.

Thad laughed when he told me about it, each of the dogs eating a couple of piglets and taking yet another with them when they finally wandered off. They were so full but couldn’t resist a doggie bag, pun intended. Now they were all laid out on the deck and couldn’t even wag their tails! It may sound kind of odd to be feeding piglets to the dogs. I’m sure back in the Before some PETA bleeding heart would call the police and there would be a damn good chance you could go to jail for such a thing.

But if you think about it, what better use for them? Today, we don’t have the luxury of going to the store and buying a sack of processed cornmeal to feed them. And I’m not going to let them go hungry, so they have to be fed. Meat is a precious resource and one not to be squandered. But I don’t think I’ll tell Mel and the girls about it. No doubt, they wouldn’t approve.

I didn’t sleep well. Every time I would drift off, I would have dreams, images of Russian or Chinese troops parading through Umatilla. It was striking to me that the images were always like the ones from propaganda videos and posters of my youth. The soldiers were always portrayed as ruthless brutes. These were the images that ran through my mind.

Finally, around five in the morning, I got up. I just couldn’t lie there anymore. I was going to have to get this sleep thing under control. Getting dressed, I wandered out to the kitchen. Lighting the kerosene stove, I set a pot of water on to boil. There was a dish sitting on the counter covered with a cloth. Taking a look, I was surprised to see several large pieces of cooked meat on it.
Well this is a nice surprise,
I thought. Taking out the half loaf of bread, I sliced off a thick piece and laid a piece of meat on it. Folding it like a taco, I ate it while I waited for the water to boil.