“Okay, stud, time to get to work. Get up, and let’s go set up.”
I rolled onto my stomach and tried getting to my knees, but my left knee wouldn’t bend. I started to get worried when I remembered I had put the baton back into its holster without collapsing it first. I removed it and left it on the roof as I got to my feet. I stretched back and tried to release cramps that had set up camp in my back. After I finished my stretching routine, I picked up the baton and collapsed it to its proper size and holstered it.
I looked around and found Apache on the far end of the roof on her knees, using her glasses to check out the small village below. I made my way over to her slowly and removed my pack, placing it next to hers. I went to my knee and waited to be told what to do next. She continued to look around, then stopped, and handed the glasses to me. “Look over there by the crossroads. See that building there?” I nodded my head yes. It looked like a restaurant perhaps. “Over near the entrance, do you see the truck in the parking lot?” I found the truck pretty quickly, since it was the only vehicle in the parking lot. “Watch the driver’s side for a bit.”
I focused in on the windshield and watched for anything. Suddenly, I saw what I thought was a red light come brightly to life then die. It would rhythmically pulse to life then die again. Then it hit me. Someone was smoking in the truck. “I see the cigarette.”
“Good, now swing back to the building, and pay close attention to the side entrance.” I focused on the area she suggested and waited. The door opened, and two people came out carrying rifles of some sort. They walked to the back of the building and out of my view.
“Two people carrying rifles just came out and went behind the building.”
“Excellent. Brian was right. You are very good at noticing things. Brian and I counted about fifteen different individuals coming in and out of that building. Add in the idiot in the truck, and now we have sixteen. From here, we can’t tell if they are Ridder, regular townfolk protecting their area, or a band of scum.” She reached over and took her pack, pulling it closer to her. She removed her rifle, a pair of gloves, and some kind of dark grey clothing. “Here is what I needed you for. I’m going to go down there and figure out what’s going on and who they are. I need you to sit up here with my glasses, scoped M4, and your radio. You are going to watch these people and be my back up, along with keeping me informed of movement.”
I looked down at her while she fitted something on top of it. I took my MP5, placed it next to me, and slid on my tactical gloves. “I’ll do my best, but I have never used a scope.”
“Super easy, Dan,” she handed the gun to me and continued speaking. “Lift it to your shoulder and look through the eye piece.” I did as she said and, except for only seeing through one eye, it was like using the glasses. I sighted in on the truck again, but this time I could see the person behind the wheel.
“Wow, I can see the guy in the truck with this.”
“Good. Okay now, if you need to fire on anyone, just remember to keep both eyes open. Don’t pull the trigger. Just squeeze it slowly, and let it surprise you. I’ll teach you how to truly use this thing later. I doubt you’ll need it. Just follow me with the scope, but keep your finger off the trigger.” She stood up and pulled on a hood that covered her neck and face. So that was what that grey clothing she took out was. She took her braids and tucked them up into her hood. “I’ll be right back.”
With that, she climbed off the edge of the roof and disappeared. I kept watching the street and surrounding area but couldn’t find her. I finally gave up and watched the truck and its driver. The radio startled me when it clicked on and Apache’s voice came over it, “Dan, you still awake? Over.”
“Nope, taking a nap. Over.”
She chuckled over the radio, “You watching the truck? Over.”
“Yes, I lost sight of you the second you left the roof. So I settled on the truck. Over.”
“Then I did my job right. Move your scope to the right of the truck and over to the corner of the building. Over.”
I moved the scope to the direction she indicated and found two men standing there. “I see two men, one in a cowboy hat. Over”
“Watch them for me, and let me know if they move. Over.” I moved to a more comfortable position and watched the two guys stand there. The one in the cowboy hat lit a cigarette and leaned against the restaurant facing me. His buddy took off his backpack and laid it on the ground, then bent over and started going through it. He removed two cans and handed one to his friend. My eye caught movement behind them, and I watched as Apache moved quickly, disappearing behind the building.
I watched the two guys for another ten minutes standing around, finishing the drinks, and smoking two more cigarettes. My body was on fire, and my arm was becoming numb holding the rifle up. The guys turned quickly, as if hearing something. “Apache, those two just turned quickly and look like they are about to go behind the building. Over.”
Nothing but silence came through the radio as I watched the cowboy move and disappear behind the building. His buddy raised a gun and slowly followed him. I was tempted to shoot them but was afraid of what would happen if I missed. I sat there for a couple more minutes of silence and dread as I kept the scope on the building’s corner.
“Thanks for the warning, Dan. I am on my way back to you. Keep watch on the guy in the truck again. Over.” Apache put no emotion behind her words, so I could not gauge what she found. I moved the scope and my body again, shifting my sight back onto the truck and driver. I felt my bladder protesting its need for release, but I ignored it and would not let Apache down.
I watched as another man came from the building’s front entrance approach the truck and relieve the man inside. The dome light came on the truck, and I could see the man inside was actually a woman. She had short, pink, dyed hair, and her arms were covered in tattoos. She kissed the man relieving her passionately and headed back to the building. I transmitted over the radio, “Apache, the driver of the truck was just relieved by someone inside the building. Over.”
A man’s voice in the ear without the radio said, “I don’t think I like her hair color.” I turned quickly, reaching for my Kabar, but was pinned by a boot to my chest. I stared up into the barrel of a large silver-barreled handgun. The man was huge, his clothes strained at holding his muscular body. His long hair fell down around his shoulders, his arms covered in tattoos. He wore a long goatee, bushy almost to his chest. “Now what the hell fell into my spider web?” he laughed with evil.
A knife appeared against his neck just under his chin. His hand holding the gun tightened as if he was going to pull the trigger, but never stood a chance. Another hand appeared and ripped the gun sideways, breaking his finger inside the trigger guard. The gun then flew from his hand and across the roof, landing and sliding to the edge.
“I think it is I who caught something in my spider web, asshole. You ok, Dan?” Apache kicked the man’s left knee, sending him to the ground.
“I think I may have peed myself a little, but I’m ok.”
“Shit happens. Stand up and point your gun at this guy. If he moves in anyway, shoot him in the crotch.” She removed her knife and put it back into her vest. I stood up, pulled my 1911 from my leg holster, removed the safety, and pointed it exactly where she told me. The man’s eyes went wide with fear.
Apache moved her highly practiced hands over his body and removed a knife and another handgun from his waist and yet another one in an ankle holster. She then removed a radio and a baggie filled with pills and other things. The man seethed in anger and looked like he was about to yell out loud when Apache swung her gun butt into his temple knocking him to the roof, unconscious. She removed some zip ties from her vest, tied him up, and left him face down on the roof.
Apache looked up at me finally and motioned for me to put away my gun. “I don’t have a gag, so figured I’d just knock his ass out. Sorry he got to you before I could get to him. I watched as he climbed onto the roof and hurried my ass to you.”
I gave a finger telling her to wait a second as I walked to the back of the roof and relieved myself over the edge. I came back and smiled, “Sorry, I’ve been waiting to do that for a while. So what did you find?”
“These guys are up to no good. Behind the building is a bunch of vehicles covered in blood and torn to pieces. I think they are capturing people as they try and cross the bridge. Then they kill and rob them. We will need to take care of them before we try and pass over the bridge. I have a feeling there may be more of them on the other side of the river, also. We will wait for this asshole to come to, and I can question him. In the meantime, why don’t you lie down and get some rest. I’ll need you refreshed and ready to go back to camp later.”
I hadn’t felt tired until she brought it up. I didn’t question her. I grabbed my pack and moved away from them and lay down. I fell asleep within minutes. The dreams came back. I found myself in the woods, explosions and screams shattered the scene. I was kneeling in snow holding someone in my arms. Their blood was coating my arms and running down my legs, staining the snow. I couldn’t see who it was I was holding because they were blurry. I raised my eyes and looked off into the distance. The team was firing into the woods and having to fight off a hoard of the zombies.
I looked down into the snow and find my MP5. I felt a scream escape my chest and erupt outward. I dropped the body in my arms, raised my gun, and started taking out the zombies my team was fighting. I moved on automatic taking shots and destroying heads. My hands acted on their own. A mag emptied and I pulled and dropped it into the snow removing one from my vest, slamming it home, and continuing to fire. Zombies were falling with every shot. I continued to scream, but I could finally make out what I was saying. One word, no.
The MP5 clicked empty, and I had no more magazines in my vest. I dropped the gun into the snow and burned through my 1911 and all of its magazines. I could feel tears burning down my cheeks. I watched as the team is taken down one by one. I roar dropped the 1911, pulled my batons flicked them out, and ran toward the hoard. Just as I was about to be enveloped, I heard my name and awoke covered in sweat, my jaw clenched grinding my teeth, and a gloved hand covering my mouth.
I opened my eyes and stared into Apache’s warm, brown eyes. The corners of her mouth pushed up into a smile. “It’s just a nightmare, Dan. Shh, everything is ok.”
I sat up and squinted through the darkness, examining the roof and looking for the prisoner. “Where did the guy go?” I croaked out.
“Don’t worry about that. We need to have a talk and report back to Kuppers.” She handed me a canteen of water, and I took a big swallow and stretched out my back.
“Great, but first what did you do to the prisoner?”
She stared at me for a while without speaking. “Dan, I will happily tell you that after I tell you what I found.” I nodded ok and motioned for her to go on. “I made it into the building and found that it was actually a restaurant. In the back room, they have some prisoners, mostly women and kids. I’m not really sure what they are doing to them, but it can’t be good. All of the guards are men except for the woman you saw in the truck. I think they may be capturing people who cross the bridge and steal their supplies. I don’t think it’s been going on very long, though. I am a little confused on where they are getting their weapons. They’re a mixture of M4s and older M16s. No hunting rifles or shotguns, like I thought they’d have.”
“Ok, I understand now why you did what I think you did with our prisoner. Let’s contact Kuppers and put all this to a vote. I agree we should take them down.” I shook my head at the thought of the kind of people who tended to survive during tough times and how they always took advantage of the defenseless.
Apache clicked on her radio, “Kuppers, Apache, how you reading me? Over.” We waited a minute until an answer came back.
“Roger, Apache, what did you find? Over.”
“The building at the head of the bridge is occupied by fifteen heavily armed dirt bags and twenty hostages, mostly women and children. Looks like they are raiding people as they use the bridge. Over.”
We waited for a couple minutes, as we figured Kuppers was relaying what we found to the others. “Roger, all. We are talking over the facts now. What do you guys think we should do?”
Apache looked over at me and raised her eyebrow in a questioning look. I nodded my agreement. “We suggest that you bring the guys up here and we take these guys out. Over.”
I clicked on the radio. “I also think we should contact the General and his staff. He should send a group of men up to secure this important bridge crossing. Also, they can take back the hostages and the kids we found. Over.” I looked over at Apache, and she threw me a beaming smile.
“Roger, all. We will discuss it and get back to you. Over.”
Apache and I took turns looking through the scope and glasses, watching over the building and guards. Twenty minutes passed slowly, then our radios clicked on. “Okay, you two. We contacted the General’s staff, and they are sending two squads. I am bringing the whole team, except Cupcake. He is going to stay here and take care of the young ones. Leave Dan on station, and come guide us in. We will figure out a plan when we get there. Over.”
“Roger, Kuppers. See you guys in ten. Over.” Apache clicked off her radio and looked in my direction. “Okay, use the scope and keep watch on the truck for any guards coming out of the building. I should be back in twenty minutes. But keep your eyes open, and check behind you often.” With that, she turned and disappeared off the ledge.
I pulled my MP5 close and removed the safety. I then split the next thirty minutes going back and forth from the scope and my surroundings. I did not want to be surprised again. I kept my eye on the truck for a while until something caught my eye. I shifted the scope and watched as two guards walked the perimeter around the building three times. I swept back toward the truck and tracked four zombies crossing the road from a trailer park down the road and move toward the building. The guard in the truck tooted his horn once, and five guards came out of the building and circled them. They pushed around the zombies with their guns and flicked their cigarettes at them. They then fired into the zombies, killing three of them. However, one shot went wild and hit one of the guards in the chest. He went down, and when the man who shot him kneeled down to help him, one of the other guards pushed the surviving zombie down on him. I heard the high pitch scream as the zombie bit down on his neck. It then pulled up, wrenching free a chunk of flesh. Blood shot up and the man reached back and covered the wound with his hand. He looked up at the other guards. They grabbed the zombie and pushed it back down on him again.
I guess that is how they met out punishment. One of the men used his handgun and shot the zombie in the head, then shot the bitten guard in his. The man on the ground with the gunshot raised his hands looking for help, but the man holding the gun shot him in the head. I was blown away at how they treated each other. The remaining men then dragged all the bodies over to the bridge and tossed them over onto the embankment below. I heard a scraping sound behind me, so I grabbed my MP5 and turned quickly in the direction of the sound. A hand caught the barrel, and Senshi looked down at me.
“You’re getting better, but still would be dead if I was a bad guy. So what’s going on Dan?” Senshi sat down next to me, and I handed him the scoped rifle.
I relayed to him the scene I had just witnessed. He swept the area with the scope and rested on the truck. “Ok, get your gear and climb down the back end of the building. The rest of the team should be here soon. Relay the story to them, and they will fill you in on the battle plan.” He patted my back and then turned and went back to observing the truck and building with the scope.
I pulled on my pack and made sure my MP5’s strap was tight and resting against my chest. I climbed over the ledge and made sure to avoid the window I was grabbed from earlier. I dropped to a small ledge and was thankful I was able to keep my balance and not fall to the ground breaking my back. A tree with thick branches stood just feet away and, before I could think about it, I leapt into the tree and worked my way down the branches and trunk to the ground.