“The All Mighty Lord,” answered Shiloh. “I was just telling Lex that I’ll be praying for you both.”
“Thanks mate,” smiled Cleo, dropping the duffle bags on the hardwood floor. “We could definitely use the extra help.” Cleo pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down, as Shiloh handed her a plate of food.
When they’d all finished eating, Shiloh walked outside with the couple and followed them to the barn where Lex’s dune buggy was parked. Lex dropped the duffle bags into the backseat along with a small arsenal of guns. When Kassie saw Lex was getting ready to leave, she began to bark excitedly. She quickly ran over to where Lex was standing and jumped up, with her paws on his stomach, and licked his face.
“Not this time,” Lex chuckled, rubbing her behind the ears. “Don’t worry girl, I’ll be back. Can you watch her for me till we return?” he asked Shiloh. “I couldn’t bear to bring her along and see her get hurt.”
“Of course,” replied Shiloh, “I’ll care for her as though she were my own. We’ll both be waiting here for you when you return.”
“Thanks!”
Shiloh shook Lex’s hand and gave Cleo a hug before watching them climb into the dune buggy. As they sped off towards town, Shiloh stood there alone waving goodbye. When they were gone and out of sight, he bowed his head in prayer.
“Dear Lord, thank you for everything that you’ve provided. Thank you for keeping our town safe and healthy during this time of peril, and please continue to do so in the days ahead. Please watch out for Lex and Cleo Lord, keep them safe and always in your embrace, as they embark upon this dangerous journey. Help them to find Mrs. Mancini alive and well. Please protect America from her foreign enemies and help our troops to drive the invading armies from our homeland, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
When Lex and Cleo drove into town they found the Marine convoy already in formation. Major Conrad and Lieutenant Sawyer were standing with Ian by the lead Humvee.
“Good morning,” greeted Ian, as Lex and Cleo dismounted from the dune buggy. “It’s gonna be a beautiful day!” The sun was beginning to creep over the mountains to the east and the warmth of its light felt good on their skin.
“Good morning mate,” greeted Cleo.
“Gentlemen,” said Lex, with a nod.
“Are you both ready?” asked Major Conrad.
“We are,” replied Lex.
“Good, then let’s mount up. We’ve got some miles to put behind us.”
“Where are you headed first?” asked Ian, mildly curious.
“Our orders are to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains and then swing southeast towards the coast. We’ll continue west until we come in contact with the enemy at which time we’ll engage them and attempt to push them back towards the coast and out of our country.”
“Good luck,” said Ian, shaking Lieutenant Sawyers hand, “you’re gonna need it.” Ian turned to face Major Conrad and added, “Thanks for all of your help.”
“No problem,” replied the Major, before he turned and climbed into the Humvee, followed by Lieutenant Sawyer.
“Give them hell,” Ian called after the soldiers, “and try to come back alive!”
“Oh we intend to!” laughed Lieutenant Sawyer.
After a quick embrace with Lex and Cleo, Ian stepped back off the street and watched as the convoy drove away.
World War III – Day Five
San Diego, California
After two solid days of fighting, Captain Yuri Petrov and Lieutenant Sasha Razin, along with thousands of Russian and Chinese troops, were finally able to secure the beaches surrounding San Diego. Both sides had taken heavy casualties in the battle, leaving the bodies of the dead littered along the sandy beach. American fighters occasionally passed by strafing the area, but most of the ground troops had already pulled back to secondary defense positions.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” asked Major General Putin, as he approached Yuri and Sasha, followed by an entourage of junior officers. Of course the Major General had not been directly involved in the battle. He and his officers had watched the fighting from the safety of a battleship off the coast.
Yuri glanced around at all of the dead and wounded soldiers strewn about and then his eyes turned skeptically back to Major General Putin. He struggled with the urge to express criticism towards the Major General and his staff, as a flood of anger and frustration coursed through his veins. But caution prevailed. Criticizing his superior’s courage and tactics would only end with Yuri relieved of his command, and most likely a one way trip to the gulag prisons of Siberia. Yuri’s grandfather had died in a gulag camp for expressing his opinions and Yuri had no intention of following in his footsteps.
“It could have been better,” mumbled Yuri, as another American fighter jet flew by, strafing the beach with cannon fire. Major General Putin and his entourage of officers immediately ducked for cover, even though the bullets sprayed the sand over a hundred yards away. Both Captain Petrov and Lieutenant Razin stood there, unaffected by the flyby, looking down with disgust at the cowering, superior officers.
“Nonsense,” said the Major General, as he stood up brushing sand from his uniform. “We’ve taken the beachhead and pushed the enemy back. What more could you ask for?”
“Perhaps less men lost in battle,” replied Yuri, apprehensively.
“Ah, yes,” smiled Major General Putin, “a necessary inconvenience of war and conquest. Just be thankful Captain that you and the Lieutenant here are not laying among the corpses of your fallen comrades. Now that we have secured the beachhead are you ready to complete your mission?”
“You know of my orders sir?” asked Yuri, surprised. He’d been informed that only a select handful of high ranking individuals were aware of the top secret mission. The fact that this incompetent, Major General was also aware, was unsettling to say the least.
“Of course,” said Major General Putin grinning, “there is not much that I am unaware of. Now, where are the rest of your men? I was told you had a squad.”
“They’re all dead,” answered Yuri. Apparently the Major General was not aware of everything.
“Dead, what do you mean dead?”
“I mean that they are no longer alive,” replied Yuri, with a hint of sarcasm. From the corner of his eye he noticed Sasha’s smirk. “All that remain of the squad are Lieutenant Razin and I. The rest of our men were killed in the assault.”
“Ah, I see,” said the Major General, “well then, we shall have to endure without them. I will personally select some men from another squad to accompany you.”
“Major General Sir,” began Yuri, “I handpicked those men specifically for this mission. With all due respect, I’d rather not take men with me that I don’t know firsthand. Lieutenant Sasha Razin and I will complete the mission alone.”
“That is preposterous,” exclaimed Major General Putin, “two men are simply not enough to accomplish such a task!”
“Sir,” continued Yuri, respectfully, “if you are aware of the details of our mission then surely you realize it will be easier for two highly trained soldiers to sneak behind enemy lines, then it will be with a squad of men who are unprepared.”
“I suppose I see your point,” agreed the Major General. “Very well, it will just be the two of you then. But I warn you Captain Petrov, if you should fail, it will be you personally who is held responsible. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” acknowledge Yuri, saluting the senior officer before turning stiffly and walking away toward the supply depot. Lieutenant Razin followed close behind.
The two men grabbed extra magazines of ammunition and put them into their backpacks, along with several sticks of C-4 explosives. They also grabbed some extra food and water, but not much. Yuri intended to live off the land as much as possible and didn’t want to be burdened with the extra weight. Instead, he chose to carry as much ammo as possible.
“Should I bring a radio sir?” asked Lieutenant Razin.
“No,” answered Yuri, “this is strictly a black ops mission with no radio contact. We’ll either make it in and out on our own, or we won’t, but there will be no calling for help.”
“What if we need an extraction, sir?” asked Sasha, a little concerned.
“We’re on our own,” replied Yuri, not wanting to scare the Lieutenant, but not wanting to lie either. He was of the firm belief that people performed better when they knew what options were available to them at any given moment. “Let’s go!”
Both men slung their AK-47’s over their shoulders, before heading off towards San Diego. The American’s had been pushed back into the city and random shots could be heard coming from that direction. Yuri and Sasha would have to travel through the city, heavy with combat, to reach their destination.
“I never did like urban warfare,” mumbled Sasha. “It’s too hard to see the enemy, and far too easy to get killed.”
“We’ll be fine,” said Yuri. “Just remember your training and stay close to me. Watch the infantry,” he advised, “Allow them to cross streets and enter buildings before venturing out into the open yourself. We’ve fought foreign battles like this before and this will be the same.”
“Yes sir,” observed Sasha, “but many of those countries did not allow their citizens to own and carry firearms. I’ve seen the Hollywood movies and in them the American’s always have guns.”
“Not always,” pointed out Yuri. “Some of their States allow more freedoms than others. That is why the High Command chose California as a staging point for the western invasion. This State has more gun restrictions then most other States. With any luck, the entire western coastline will be under our control by the end of the week.”
They heard a loud whistle begin to blow and watched as hundreds of soldiers, both Russian and Chinese, slowly advanced in formation toward San Diego. The city appeared to be virtually deserted and conquered, but Yuri knew all too well that appearances can be deceiving. Sasha stepped forward with the intention of joining the soldiers, when Yuri suddenly reached out and put his hand on Sasha’s shoulder, pulling him back.
“Shouldn’t we advance with the rest of the men?” asked Sasha, believing in the concept of safety in numbers.
“Not yet,” said Yuri, shading his eyes from the morning sun. “Never be one of the first to engage,” he instructed, “for those are usually the first to die. Better to wait and watch.”
Yuri’s advice was not only good, but it may have saved Sasha’s life. The advancing soldiers were inside the city limits when suddenly all hell broke loose around them. Artillery shells began to light up the sky with one explosion after another, followed by a wave of deadly gunfire. The men at the front of the formation were gunned down instantly.
“You see,” replied Yuri, “the Americans will not forfeit their cities and homes without a fight. Would you? Whatever ground we take away from the enemy, must be paid for in blood.”
Then just as suddenly, the artillery barrage and gunfire ceased. Using a pair of binoculars from his backpack, Yuri began to slowly scan the city streets. He could see civilians fleeing from their homes and joining the American soldiers, as they pulled back, abandoning their defensive positions. Troops from the combined forces of the Communist Muslim Coalition continued marching towards the city. As they drew near the first outcroppings of buildings, they began to fan out.
“Alright Lieutenant, let’s go,” commanded Yuri, returning the binoculars to his pack. With their guns held ready, the two Russian officers set off towards the shelled and burning city of San Diego. “Stay close,” Yuri reminded Sasha, “but not to close. We don’t want to provide a sniper with the opportunity to kill us both at the same time.”
Upon entering the city, they found the charred bodies of both soldiers and civilians alike. The streets were littered with the dead and dying. Russian and Chinese infantry units were slowly working their way east, entering and clearing buildings and houses, one by one. Two blocks ahead, Yuri watched in disgust as several Chinese soldiers, using rifles with bayonets, walked up and down the street plunging their bayonets into the wounded. The soldiers were indiscriminant as to whom they killed, soldier or civilian, man or woman, adult or child; it made little difference to them. The Chinese were notorious for not taking prisoners.
“It’s a good thing they’re on our side,” commented Sasha dryly, when he noticed the direction Yuri was looking.
“Perhaps,” replied Yuri, “it’s hard for me to respect men who have no respect for life. It’s one thing to kill a soldier who’d kill you given the opportunity. It is quite another to kill unarmed women and children.”
All of a sudden, a civilian armed with a 12 gauge pump-shotgun, emerged from his house, wearing a tank-top with board shorts and sandals. He looked like he may have intended to go surfing today, that is until the invasion changed his mind. Regardless of any previous plans, the man had no intention of giving up without a fight.
“Die you bastards! Die!” he shouted, as he pumped a round into the shotgun. His first shot caught an unsuspecting Russian soldier full blast in the chest. The soldier flew backwards from the impact, his rifle landing a few feet away. He was dead before his body even hit the ground. The civilian pumped another round into the shotgun and turned it on Sasha. But before he could fire, three bullets from Yuri’s AK-47 riddled the man’s chest, knocking him backwards into his house.
“Thanks,” said Sasha, as the realization that he’d almost died slowly sank in.
Yuri nodded and continued walking down the street with Sasha following close behind. They were near the spot where Chinese soldiers were bayoneting a wounded American soldier, when bullets suddenly sprayed the area around them. The two Russian’s immediately dove behind an abandoned vehicle, and watched as the Chinese soldiers were gunned down only a few feet away. Yuri realized with satisfaction that he felt absolutely no regret for the fate of his fallen allies. As far as he was concerned they had it coming, and probably deserved much worse.
“Did you see where those shots came from?” asked Sasha.
“From the roof across the street,” answered Yuri. “They’ve got us pinned down!”
“What are we going to do Captain?”
“You’re going to provide me with covering fire,” instructed Yuri, “while I cross the street! Are you ready?”
“Yes comrade!” answered Sasha.
“Good, then commence firing!”
Sasha popped his head up and began firing at the sniper position across the street. The Marines had the high ground, and thus the advantage. Sasha was not trying to hit anyone so much as he was trying to force them to duck for cover. He sprayed the top of the building with his AK-47 and didn’t stop firing until he’d emptied a magazine.
At the same time, Captain Petrov sprang from behind the abandoned truck and ran full speed towards the building where the Marines were hiding. Entering the building, Yuri could still hear Sasha’s AK-47 providing cover. The sound of the AK suddenly stopped and was replaced with gunfire from several M-16 assault rifles, as the Marines opened up on Sasha below.
Yuri carefully and quietly ascended the staircase of the apartment building, keeping an eye on his six as he did so. Some of the apartment doors were closed, while others were wide open. The building had seven floors and a flat top roof. When Yuri finally reached the top of the staircase he found a door leading to the roof. Above the door was a neon sign with the word, Exit glowing in red. He slowly opened the door, careful to make no sound, and peered out.
About twenty feet away and hunkered down behind the wall, were five U.S. Marines. They were so fixated on Sasha below that they failed to notice Yuri, as he stepped out onto the roof. Yuri realized that if he opened up on the Marines with his AK-47, there was a good chance that he might get shot before he was able to kill all five of them. So instead, he withdrew a hand grenade from his belt. Holding the grenade in his left hand and the AK-47 in his right, he used his teeth to remove the firing pin. He counted to eight before tossing the grenade towards the Marines.
One of the Marines noticed a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye, and he turned just in time to see Yuri throw the grenade. “Grenade!” he shouted, to his fellow soldiers while raising his rifle to fire.
Yuri pointed his AK-47 at the Marine and fired first, but only by a fraction of a second. His bullet hit the soldier in the stomach an instant before the grenade exploded, killing all five Marines. Yuri turned to leave, when he realized that he too had been shot. The Marine’s bullet had grazed his left arm, but after a quick examination he decided it was only a minor flesh wound. When Yuri reached the bottom of the staircase and exited the building, he found Lieutenant Razin waiting for him at the entrance.