The Fall of America: Premonition of Death (10 page)

Sandra was the first to walk from the trees, with Dolly at her side, and she smiled at me briefly when she saw I was safe. Then, Alisa and Vickie came, both in tears.

"Where's Carol?" Sandra asked as the two neared.

Vickie, upset, replied, "She was hit in the chest and she's in the woods. W... we tried to move her, but she's too heavy."

"You all stay here, while Sandra and I check her out. Tom lost his wife, so I need all of you to be ready to fight in case those men return. Dolly, stay."

Vickie nodded in understanding, but Alisa was still crying when we left.

I followed the trail for about 100 feet and found Carol lying on her back. She'd taken a slug from what looked like a 30.06 in the chest and was bleed copiously. Sandra took one look, gazed into my eyes and shook her head. I knew then the injury was just too severe for us to bother with, so I said, "Medicate her."

"It won't do any good, because I can't stop the bleeding."

"I guess I didn't say what I meant, over medicate her. We can't help her and I'll not see her put through hours of pain just to die in the end. End this, so we can move." I realized I sounded cold, but I had the safety of others to consider.

Sandra opened her medical bag, removed the medication bottle and a hypodermic needle. A few minutes later, she stood and met my eyes. She was crying, but not making a sound, and I knew what she'd just done was hurting her. I pulled her into my arms and whispered, "Baby, we did the right thing. She would have died anyway and we need to move. Do you understand?"

She nodded and I heard a weak, "Y... yes, let's move."

Once back at the tree, I took Vickie with me and gathered up the weapons and ammo dropped by the dead men, and discovered the injured man dead. Most of the ambushers carried shotguns, so we kept them, but one had carried a compound bow with about two dozen arrows. I placed it behind my saddle and tied it securely.

Tom was standing now, his face streaked with tears, and while I felt his pain, we had to move. "Tom, we need to move and do it now. Are you okay?"

He nodded, but I knew he'd be useless on point or walking drag, so I turned to Vickie and said, "You cover our rear. I need you to stay about a 100 feet behind us and when we stop, you stop. As we move, check the sides of our trail and at times our rear. If you see anything, try to move quickly to the main group. If you can't or don't have time to move, shoot and we'll get the idea quickly enough." I then handed her one of the shotguns taken from the dead men, along with a vest full of shells.

"Tom, we need to move. You understand that, right?" I asked.

"I'll move."

"Aren't we going to bury our dead?" Alisa asked as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

I was growing tired of having to explain everything to the new women, so I replied, "No, we are
not
going to bury any of our dead. In a few minutes those men will be back with others, likely a larger group, and I'd like to be far away from here by then. Now, there has been enough chatter, so let's move people!"

*****

Darkness found us still moving and I guided the group away from any lights I could see, but there were not many. I couldn't trust anyone, so I avoided everyone. At one point, I moved back beside Tom and asked in a low voice, "You doing okay?"

"No, not really. You'd figure a tough old war dog like me would be used to death, but the death of a loved one is difficult."

"Tom," I said, feeling his grief, "if you need to talk later this evening, I'm here for you, buddy."

He gazed into my eyes and said, "I know that, only I'll be okay."

I broke eye contact and moved to the point position once again.

Near dawn I moved into some heavy pines and oaks, where I said, "We'll rest here for five hours, then move again. I want two people on guard at all times. We'll all pull two hour shifts and since there are only five of us, I'll pull the first shift with Tom, and I'll help cover the last shift. I want the changes after that to be Sandra and Alisa, then Vickie and I will cover the last hour. If there are no questions, no fire and if you want to eat, eat it cold, and then get some rest."

I was concerned about not having a fire, because it was perfect weather for hypothermia, between 35 and 40 degrees and still drizzling rain. I sat beside Sandra under a large oak and pulled a pair of dry socks from my pack.

"Lawdy, I miss a good hot bath." Sandra said, and then giggled.

I slipped a sock on my right foot and pulled her close as I said, "Hopefully, God willing, there will come a day in the not too distant future you can have that bath."

"I hope so, but rough days are still in front of us. Have you given thought to where we are heading?"

"Right now any direction is good, because we may have men on our back trail. I'm not certain of that, but I suspect we do. Those men who ambushed us yesterday and Patton's men may not be able to follow our tracks in the rain, but both are looking for us."

I released her and slipped the other sock on my left foot and placed both boots on. As I laced them, she said, "Who would have thought America would turn into a place like this? I mean, we were the world leader in everything, but now we're a country of blood-thirsty animals."

"We're about as low as people who can communicate can get right now, except most of us are simply attempting to survive. Most kill others out of fear, because it's safer to kill people you don't know than to let them live. Now, let me get to where I'll pull guard, because I don't like spending time here."

Sandra leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. Pulling back she said, "John, be careful, and remember I love you."

I stood, gave her a tired smile and said, "I love you too, now you try to get some sleep if you can." Seeing her smile, I moved toward Tom.

Tom was under a large Pine tree and alert, which was good to see.

I sat beside him and asked, "Do you know this area?"

"Hunted it a few years back, oh, maybe five years ago. From what I remember, there aren't many people here."

"I'm sorry about Sue. I know we argued, but I liked her a great deal."

He gave a dry chuckle and his eyes watered as he said, "She just never understood why people could not sit down and discuss things in a rational manner until they reached a happy agreement. Sue saw the good in everything and never really had a chance once the end came, only I think she knew she'd not survive. Her and I argued all the time about things, but I loved her, John."

His voice had started strong, but gradually lost its power as he spoke until at the end I could barely hear him. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm moving to the other side. You see or hear anything, let me know."

The time passed uneventful and five hours later we were moving once more.

*****

Again we traveled all night, and near dawn the next day, I moved deeply into some trees, found a small clearing and said, "Tom, check around us and take Alisa with you. We'll have a cold camp until you get back." They both moved without a word.

It was still drizzling rain and I prayed we had no river or creeks to cross, because they'd be swollen by now and we'd be trapped on this side. I'd just pulled my canteen from my horse when a man I didn't know stepped into our clearing. Dolly jerked the leash in Sandra's hand and started growling.

CHAPTER 10

H
e was thin, like most of us, about six feet tall and dark eyes. While his clothing was a mixture of military and civilian, he wore an old feedlot ball cap on his head. I noticed a shotgun hanging loosely from his left shoulder by a strap.

"If you move, I'll kill you." Vickie said with narrow eyes, and I saw the shotgun in her hands.

Raising both hands slowly, the man said, "I'm no threat to you. I'm lookin' for my dog is all, so go easy with that scattergun."

I pulled my pistol and commanded, "Move to the log and have a seat. Vickie, you take his shotgun as soon as he's on the log."

As soon as the man was disarmed, he turned to me and asked, "What unit were you with?"

"What makes you think I'm prior military?"

He chuckled and replied, "I been watching y'all since you walked in here and I know military when I see it. My names, Cotton, James Cotton and I'm a retired E-9. Spent my whole career in the 82nd Airborne. I served in Vietnam near the end of the war and Desert Storm."

I didn't know or trust the man, so I replied, "Well, good for you, Mr. Cotton."

"You're a tight lipped man, I see, and that's good. So, now you have me, what'll you do next?"

"Maybe shoot you."

"No you won't, or I don't think you will, not once we talk."

"Keep quiet."

Dolly growled a warning.

"Okay, but your man and the lady with him will be back in a few minutes. They'll tell you what they found. They found a farmhouse, it's mine, and it's flying 'Old Glory' from a flagpole in my front yard. Listen to me son, I'm a patriot and love this country."

I flipped the safety off my shotgun and said, "Shut your mouth."

Dolly stood waiting my command.

Cotton smiled, but said nothing.

Tom walked into the clearing glanced at Cotton and said, "We've a farmhouse near, it's flying our flag and a U.S. Army flag, but I didn't see anyone around."

"That's because I'm here, Tom." Cotton said and then broke out laughing.

Tom stared at the man hard for a few minutes and then asked, "Top?"

Still smiling, Cotton nodded and said, "It's me, son. How have you been? I'm glad you're still alive, but we need to talk when we get a chance." He then glanced at me.

"Do you know this man, Tom?" I asked.

"I spent part of Desert Storm with 'em, and he was our top sergeant. He's a good man and no threat to us."

I shrugged my shoulders and then said, "Give Top back his shotgun, Vickie."

Looking at Dolly, who was sitting and watching him closely, Cotton said, " Uh, would you do something about your dog? I don't think she likes me much."

"Dolly, come." As soon as she was at my side I patted her head and said, "It's okay, girl."

Cotton took the gun from Vickie and then said, "I'm just an old man now, not a top sergeant. Well, not like I was before anyway."

I met his eyes and said, "Once a top sergeant, always a top sergeant."

Cotton lowered his head, but didn't say anything. I suspected he was remembering his days as the top enlisted man in the unit and I respected him, because I knew exactly the kind of cloth he was cut from and would be until his death.

"Top, can we go to your place or do you want to talk out here?" Tom asked.

Raising his head, Top said, "My place. These ladies can have a bath, eat some hot food and sleep in a warm bed."

"How many others live with you?" I asked.

Standing, Top said, "Since Angela died, it's just me and Jesus, son. However, I'm rarely alone and I'll explain all of this later."

As we moved toward the farm, the women grew excited about a hot bath, food and sleeping in a real bed. The noise got to the point Top commanded, "That's enough chatter! We don't have any idea who we share these woods with right now. The next woman who opens her mouth before we get inside my place will not get a bath today."

I moved up beside Top and said, "We might have some men on our tails."

He waved his hand as if it meant nothing and then asked, "Are there more than a thousand of 'em?"

"Closer to fifty or so."

"Don't worry about 'em then. Now, when you open the gate at the fence that goes around my house, do not wander off the walkway approaching the porch. There are mines in the front yard, and I have an alarm system that I can never remember the code for, but it's loud. I have two big mix-breed dogs in the backyard, but I'm sure they'll be no problem for your Dolly."

I saw the American flag flying on the flagpole and gave it a salute, as did Tom. Sandra gave me a look of pride, and I think she felt the deep love I still have for this great nation.

We walked into the house and the living-room looked like an armory, with ammo stacked in boxes and weapons mounted in a dozen display cases.

"Y'all follow me back to the kitchen and I'll warm up some coffee."

The kitchen table was huge, about twenty feet long, and there were a good dozen chairs. The second thing I noticed was a shortwave radio and clock on a counter-top. Top caught me looking at the radio and said, "It works and I use it all the time. My power comes from solar panels on the roof and generate enough juice to even have lights, but I don't use 'em much. Now, y'all take a seat."

Tom sat and asked, "Who do you talk with on the radio?"

"Friends of mine, but we'll get to that in a minute." Top moved to an electric coffee pot and turned it on.

After we were all seated, Top said, "I communicate with the local patriot forces in the area each evening at 1800. I can contact them anytime, but I'm not to do that unless I have an emergency."

"Patriot forces, who's that?" Sandra asked.

Dolly'd been smelling boxes and containers, so I motioned with my hand for her to sit, which she did instantly.

"Men and women, most are veteran's of one war or another, who have gathered together to take this country back. We've members from all branches of the services, including airborne, special forces and Seals. We're mostly young men and women, however some are older than me, but the thing to remember is, we're an organized group of about two thousand."

Tom gave a low whistle and said, "That's a lot of folks."

Top grinned and said, "I'm the Command Sergeant Major, we have a commander, executive officer, and all the rest. We've even establish a table of allowances for supplies and such. If you didn't know better, you'd think we were a military unit."

"How'd this commander get his position?"

"Frank's a retired airborne infantry brigadier general with three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we thought he had the most experience for the job. The exec is a retired special forces light colonel, and he got the job because no one carried more rank than him while on active duty, except Frank. All of our positions are based on the individual's prior military rank and experience. Now, keep in mind we're scattered to the four winds most of the time, but we do gather now and then to clean the area of riffraff."

"What about supplies, gear and fuel, Top?" I asked.

He gave a cackle and said, "When the local reserve unit was told to secure all supplies and leave, the unit didn't do that and stayed together. Most of the supplies are stored in underground storage bunkers, but our supply commander has the keys."

"Fuel?" Tom asked.

"We don't have a great deal of fuel, but some. We have some tanks and other heavies, including two rescue choppers that belonged to the Air Force, but we've never moved any of them. Once a month we start each one, check the idiot boxes on the consoles and then shut 'em down."

"Is this area safe?" Sandra asked looking over the rim of her coffee cup.

Top's eyes narrowed as he said, "It was until a couple of weeks ago, when we spotted what I think was another military unit scouting our lands."

"What makes you think it was a military unit?" I asked.

"They moved like a military unit, with a man walking point and one on drag, and they didn't bunch up like civilians do when on patrol. I heard no talking and all communications was done using their hands."

"What kind of weapons did they carry?"

"All weapons were military and I even spotted LAW and M-60 machine gun in the group, which worried me, because that means they're being well supplied from some place."

"Maybe one of the pentagon generals maintained control of a large group. Or is that even possible?" Sandra asked.

"Anything is possible, but when things went to hell right after the fall, people scattered just so they could find enough to eat. Nobody lives in large cities or towns now, because they'd starve to death. I don't think there is a huge group living anywhere," Tom said, glanced around the table and then asked, "Right?"

Top replied, "I doubt the cities are populated, but it's possible to a limited extent."

"I don't see it. There is no food in the cities anymore, so folks have moved to the country. Top, do you think those men you saw noticed anything?"

"No, I don't, but only because they didn't come close enough. About three miles from my farm they turned north. Our special forces guys trailed them that day, the remainder of the night, and returned saying the group had finally turned east."

Unexpectedly the radio erupted, "Falcon 6, Falcon actual. Falcon 6, Falcon Actual."

Top moved quickly to the radio, picked up the microphone and replied, "Actual, this is six, over." Then, turning to the women, he smiled and said, "Actual is the general."

"Six, we're under attack from a large unknown force." Gun shots could be heard over the radio and then, "We may have to escape and evade in your direction, copy?"

"Roger, copy." Top said, and then shook his head as he looked around the room. While I could see his concern, there was nothing we could do to help.

"Six, move to the trail and help those you can moving your way. I suspect " A loud explosion filled the speaker.

"Actual, this is Six, over." Top repeated numerous times, but there was no response. Placing the microphone on the counter, Top ordered, "Grab your gear, and I want everyone to follow me! Let's move people, lives may depend on how quickly we get to the trail."

All of us followed the man out the door, down the sidewalk and into the woods. On the way out the door, Top grabbed his shotgun, a vest full of shells, and his boonie hat. Now he fumbled to don the gear as he ran full speed, down a meandering trail that reminded me of a cow path.

After we'd covered about a mile, Top stopped on a hill and I could see a much wider trail winding through the woods below. In a voice near a whisper he said, "Tom, you and I will move to the side of the trail and pull anyone off who is wounded. But, before you move from your cover beside the path, wait for my okay, because it might be a bad guy. Understand?"

"Sure, Top, you'll clear 'em and I'll pull 'em from the trail."

From the strain showing on Top's face, I began to wonder if coming with the man had been a good idea from the start. If a force of over two thousand could be wiped out, I didn't want any group large enough to do that job on my ass. Only he said most of the men were scattered, so I'd have to wait to see how many had just been killed.

Turning to the rest of us, Top ordered, "Spread out and provide security as we assist the wounded. No shooting unless I fire first." Then, patting Tom on the shoulder he said, "Let's move to the trail."

Long minutes passed before I spotted movement on the trail. I flipped the safety off on my shotgun and waited. I spotted three men moving toward us. Two of the men were supporting an injured man in the middle and the injured man's head was hanging loosely. He was covered with blood and I could hear him moaning with pain as they neared.

"Stop!" I heard Top call out.

"That you, top sergeant?" The man on the left asked as his rifle came up.

"Williams, stop and I'll send a man to you."

Tom moved from the brush and approached the three in the road. I wasn't able to make out what was being said, but soon the small group entered the thicket. Tom moved back to the road, picked up two handfuls of dirt and slowly sprinkled it on the boot tracks. Within a few seconds the trail was clean, but only the last fifty feet or so.

Top and Tom soon walked toward us and I noticed the three from the road were with them. Lowering the injured man on his back, Tom said, "Sandra, take a look at this man and let me know his medical condition. "

"Barnes," Top said, "are you and Jones injured?"

Sandra moved to the injured man's side and started her examination.

"Not a scratch on either of us, but don't expect anyone else to come down this trail. The attack was fast and brutal, and over in just minutes. If the three of us hadn't been near the barn when it happened, we'd not be here right now."

The one I now knew as Jones said, "I don't think the attack took more than five minutes and from what I saw there were no survivors, except us."

"How'd Tompkins get hit?"

"We'd just reached the woods when he went down from rifle fire. So they know some of us got away."

"I covered the tracks and blood back a ways, Top, but I couldn't cover it all." Tom added, and I could see concern in his eyes. He knew as I did that an experienced tracker would find where they left the road and even this very spot. Most civilians don't understand that even covering tracks leaves signs they've been doctored to an experienced eye.

Sandra looked up, shook her head and said, "This man is dead. It looks like he bled to death or maybe had a weak heart."

"Damn!" Top swore and then added, "Let's get back to my farm and decide our next move, but I suspect we don't have much time. I think the attackers are already on the blood trail."

*****

"Okay," Top said, "Barnes, I want you and Jones to leave within the next few minutes. I need the two of you to locate Willy Williams and let him know what's happened. I want him and his men to find out who the attackers were. Tell Willy to try and locate a main staging area or camp, because it's payback time."

"Come on, Jones," Barnes said, "let's go now."

"What about us, Top?" Tom asked as soon as the two men left.