The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set, page 42
part #1 of The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set Series
“This is Pace. We have vehicles approaching from the south. Repeat, vehicles approaching.”
“Identity?”
“Not sure yet,” said Pace, his voice cracking with strain.
A group of three vehicles slowed and then stopped on the main road just in front of the driveway to the camp. An interior light illuminated in the lead car. He could just make out the faces of the men in the soft light of the interior overhead lamp. It was the New Order.
“The New Order is here. They’re outside the gate. I repeat, they’re outside the gate!” he screamed into his handheld radio.
“What’s their status?” said one of the remaining officers.
“They appear to be looking at a map. Shit! One of them is pointing in this direction. They’re running the gate!”
He quickly dropped his radio and started shooting at the lead vehicle as it barreled toward the gate. Round after round punctured the frame and shattered the windows, but the pickup didn’t stop. As it got closer, one of the men in the exposed bed of the truck screamed and flew backwards out of the vehicle, followed by a splatter of blood on the passenger side of the front windshield. It wouldn’t be enough. In a few seconds, they’d be through the gate and speeding toward the camp.
Determined to take down as many New Order men as possible, he quickly reloaded while the first truck smashed through the gate—fully intending to do something the chief would call “inadvisable.” As the pickup regained momentum, he stood up and braced his rifle against the tree, rapidly firing one well-aimed bullet after another into the vehicles flying past him. Fully exposed to their return fire, Pace continued to fire as bullets snapped closer and closer until one of them ripped through his neck—ending his brave fight.
Chapter Ten
Jane had been tasked with leading the group of families on bikes to Doris’s house. Between the camp’s and the Evansville police officers’ supply of bikes, they barely had enough for everyone. She’d carefully selected the worst bikes in the bunch and left them behind, bending their tire rims to keep the New Order from using them. She prayed that no one popped a tire. Her fellow officers had exhausted their supply of tire-patch kits over the past few days.
The group made slow but steady progress to Doris’s house, each person struggling to ride over uneven terrain with their heavy packs. Overstuffing the packs had been necessary in order to bring all the remaining supplies with them. Darkness was the biggest factor slowing them down. Almost everyone had a helmet equipped with a headlamp, but the darkness of the forest seemed to swallow the weak light from the lamps, barely illuminating the bike in front of them.
“Jane! Jane!” yelled Sam. “Jane! Slow down! We can’t keep up!”
Jane heard Sam yelling for her and turned her head back to respond. “What?” she yelled.
“Slow down! We need a break, and you’re too far ahead!”
Another break? For heaven’s sake. Sam had been riding at a snail’s pace, requesting breaks the entire trip. At this pace, the trip would take all night. Applying her brakes, she slowed the bike, a branch stinging her cheek a moment later. If she had been annoyed a few seconds ago, she was red-hot mad now.
“Okay. We’ll take five,” she said, barely disguising her impatience.
“How about fifteen? The kids are falling way behind. Even Chief Carlisle looks like he’s getting weary,” said Sam, with a nod toward the chief.
The chief was off his bike, standing with his hands on his knees, inhaling deeply. She glanced around at the bobbing headlamps. All of the riders were dismounted, catching their breath.
“Okay, maybe you have a point. We’ll take fifteen.”
“How far do you think we have until we get there?” asked Sam.
“At least several more hours. More if we keep stopping,” she said, without thinking. “Sorry.”
“I know our progress is frustratingly slow. But look what we’re dealing with,” said Sam.
“I know you’re right. It’s just hard to go at this slow pace. We’re very vulnerable out here. Here comes Lea. She looks fine.”
Lea walked quickly to her mom and dad. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?”
“Just peachy,” said Jane.
“Your mom is sour because we had to stop. You know how she gets when she wants to get somewhere.”
“Oh boy, do I know. I have some serious bladder control thanks to our numerous nonstop car trips.”
“Very funny, you two. Lea, how are you holding up?” asked Jane.
“Fine. It’s a little weird riding in the dark with just this little light, but I’m getting used to it,” she said, tapping her lamp.
Chief Carlisle walked up to the group and said, “Thanks for the stop, Jane. I really needed it.”
Just as Jane was about to respond, the sound of gunfire shattered the otherwise quiet night. The kids screamed out loud at the shock of hearing the violent sounds. The parents gasped and quickly scrambled onto their feet, unsure of what to do. The relentless gunfire continued for what seemed like an eternity, and then silence returned.
“Chief! I’ll head back! They’re under attack! The New Order must’ve found the camp!” said Jane.
“Mom! No! You can’t go! It’s too dangerous! They’re shooting!”
“Sir! What’s your command!” said Officer Lutz, running toward the chief.
“Take Cranz and bike back to camp as quickly as you can. Let us know what you see. We’ll be ready to move out and back up the others.”
Lutz quickly jogged back to grab the other officer. Jane could barely see their retreating bodies. She wished the chief had picked her to go. She felt useless sitting here while others were fighting for their lives. The gunfire erupted again, causing another ripple of screams throughout the tired group.
“Shhh! We need to be as quiet as possible!” said Sam to the group.
“Jane, I need you to continue with the group south to Doris’s house. Get these families as far from the New Order as possible. The last thing we need is for their screams to alert the New Order to the location of the trail leading south to Doris’s house,” said the chief.
“Sir, I need to be here to fight with the rest of the officers,” she said.
Normally she would not have said anything to her commanding officer, but in this case she felt the need to fight, not run.
“I appreciate your bravery, but we’re here to serve and protect. I need you to do just that by getting these civilians to safety. You know the route better than anyone. Without your help, they may not make it to Doris’s house,” said the chief.
“Yes, sir,” said Jane, knowing he was right.
“I’ll get everyone up and ready to go,” said Sam.
More shots rang out in a sporadic volley. The slowing pace of the gunshots sounded as though the fight was ending. She looked over her shoulder and noted that the parents and kids were ready to pull off on their bikes. Glancing at Sam, he nodded and winked at her. She led the little ragtag group of families onward.
Chapter Eleven
The chief and several of his officers waited in the trees next to the path to hear from Lutz and Cranz. The time dragged on slower than ever as they sat, not knowing the fate of their fellow officers. Mosquitoes buzzed by his head. He tried not to notice the annoying bites, which now covered his neck and arms.
The men and women with him were tense, looking to him for leadership.
“Check your weapons again. We might be heading into a fight,” he said. “Or it might be heading for us.”
The sound of gunshots had ended. The chief knew the officers at the camp must have been killed, but he needed to keep the team busy and not allow their minds to lock up with fear.
“Chief, it’s Cranz and Lutz. We’re on our way back.”
“We’re three-quarters of the way to you from where you left.”
“Got it. We’ll be there shortly.”
Looking over the faces of his officers, he tried to project calm resolve in order to reassure them. Several tense minutes later, he heard the sounds of footfalls and rustling leaves in the distance. The officers slowly lowered their bodies into crouched positions, weapons pointed at the noise.
“Take it easy,” whispered the chief. “We don’t need a friendly-fire incident.”
Two dark figures appeared on the trail, walking briskly in their direction.
“Chief! It’s us!” said one of the men in a loud whisper.
“Keep walking,” said the chief.
Cranz and Lutz reached a spot on the trail illuminated by the moon, confirming their identity.
“It’s them. Stand down,” said the chief. “What happened out there?”
“The New Order is everywhere. They overran the camp,” said Lutz.
“Can you tell what happened to the others? We left four men behind to watch the camp. Did you see them?” asked the chief.
“We saw Parker, Carter and Mackenzie,” said Lutz solemnly.
“We assumed they’re dead. They were immobile. Bodies crumpled in unnatural positions. But without checking them, we can’t be one hundred percent sure if they’re dead or alive,” said Cranz. “There was no way to get to any of them to check.”
“New Order men were grabbing their weapons, basically picking over their bodies for usable weaponry and ammo,” said Lutz, visibly shaken.
Thinking for a moment, the chief said, “I want to clear out as many of those assholes as possible. Those goons need to be taught to respect the law again. We jog back, spread out along their flanks, and kill as many as we can! Let’s move out!”
The men and women responded quickly, lining up and taking off down the trail, with the chief leading the way. As they got closer to the camp, he held up a fist, and the officers gathered around him.
“Lutz and Cranz, take the left flank; Phillips and Jerd on the right. The rest of us fan out across the middle. We’ll move up together, one line, until we get within accurate firing range. Then we’ll take good, covered positions and light their asses up!”
The men and women spread out in a long line and started walking toward the camp. From his vantage point in the center of the line, the chief could see several New Order men sitting on a flat bench, digging through a backpack. Some were milling about, heading inside the former communications hut. Others were on the deck of the lodge. He glanced left and right, guessing that his officers had settled into their assigned positions. All movement had stopped.
The chief picked a target on the bench and centered his M4 rifle’s illuminated reticle on the man’s chest, slowly pressing the trigger. His first bullet knocked the man off the bench and set off a torrent of gunfire from the rest of the officers. The immediate, overwhelming volume of fire caused the New Order men to scatter, unsure where the attack had originated.
Many dropped as they scrambled for cover, immediately taken down by accurate police fire. Some of the New Order thugs shot wildly into the forest, emptying their rifle and pistol magazines in every direction, but never focusing on any of his officers. By the time the gunfire dwindled to a sporadic crackle, they had eliminated six New Order men and wounded at least five more, who were helped away. The chief knew this would barely put a dent in the New Order’s numbers, but it was a good start. At the very least, it sent the New Order an unmistakable message. The police weren’t afraid to hit back and hit hard—when they least expected it.
***
Whitey and his crew were halfway back to their truck when the shooting resumed. He figured the Boss’s idiots were firing shots into the air, as they seemed so fond of doing. Then he heard what he could only describe as sporadic, confused return fire. He stopped to better analyze the situation.
“Something’s off,” said Whitey, listening intently. “Let’s get outta here!” he yelled, taking off again. “Someone just spoiled this party.”
The men picked up their pace and ran toward the bloodied truck that had blown through the camp gate. Just as they reached their truck, the Boss appeared out of nowhere and jumped into the driver’s seat of his vehicle, putting it into gear.
“We need to go, right fucking now!” said the Boss, his head out the window.
How the hell wasn’t he dead with the rest of his men? Whitey thought about it for a split second and started to raise his rifle. He could take charge right here. Before he could pull the trigger, several New Order goons jumped out of the darkness, carrying wounded.
“Let’s go,” said Whitey, heading to his crew’s vehicles.
He hopped behind the wheel of his own ride, right behind the Boss’s bullet-riddled vehicle, and jammed the accelerator. The wheels scrambled, spitting up rocks and dust behind them, as they spun around and followed the Boss. Whitey barreled down the narrow dirt road toward the entrance. Turning the corner, he nearly rammed into a red Trans Am that sat on the main road.
Picking up speed, the group fled down the main road, back to Evansville, with no food or additional resources to show for their efforts.
***
Tank and Bower sat in Tank’s car on the main road, looking at the broken fence. Earlier in the day when they drove past the entrance to the camp, the fence was intact. Now it was wide open and several of the chain-link sections were bent back.
“What the fu—”
The sound of multiple gunshots jarred Tank out of his thoughts.
“The Boss figured it out,” said Tank, pounding the steering wheel. “Damnit!”
“I don’t know what you’re waiting for! We need to get out of here!” shouted Bower.
“She’s there. I won’t leave until I have her!”
“Are you kidding? Even if she was there, she’s gone now or dead. Don’t you hear what’s happening? We need to get as far away from this as possible—now!”
As Tank weighed his options, a bloodied pickup truck carrying a group of heavily armed men flew out of the driveway, nearly hitting them.
“Shit! Move! If the New Order guys see us, we’re dead!” shouted Bower.
He threw the car into drive and sped away, still focused on Lea.
Chapter Twelve
Jane leaned her bike up against a tree and pulled out her handheld radio. Based on the time they’d spent on the trail, her group had to be close to Doris’s house. She needed to alert the crew of their arrival, to ease itchy trigger fingers. Glancing over the families and officers with her, she could tell everyone needed another break anyway. She would use the time to coordinate their arrival and figure out what happened to the chief and his counterattack.
“Blue Jay, this is Eagle’s Nest Two,” she said, slightly winded.
“This is Blue Jay.”
“We’re about thirty minutes from your location. Coming in with civilians. Eagle’s Nest Actual is trailing. Not sure how long he’ll be delayed.”
“We’re ready for you.”
“See you soon. Out.”
Jane switched off the handheld and put it away, but thought better of it. Maybe she could raise the chief on it to determine their status.
Switching on her radio again, she said, “Come in, Eagle’s Nest.” Jane waited, hoping they would hear her.
“This is Eagle’s Nest, come in.”
“What is your status?” she said, hoping for the best.
“We’re about an hour behind your team, likely traveling considerably faster than your group. Expect to close that gap.”
Looking over the weary group assembled behind her, she knew her fellow officer was right. The police in the second group were likely traveling at twice their speed.
Turning back to the radio, she said, “We’ll be expecting you.”
“Sounds good. Safe travels.”
“You too. Out,” she said, turning off the radio.
Sam jogged up from behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, momentarily startling her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to rattle you.”
“It’s not you. I’m just a little jumpy considering we were just attacked. The chief is about an hour behind us. I think we should get moving. I don’t want to hold up their team with our slow-moving crew,” she said.
“What happened?”
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask,” said Jane. “We’ll find out soon enough. I’m just glad we got out of there when we did. I’d like to get moving again.”
“Okay. Everyone should be fine to go the rest of the way. They’re completely exhausted, but everyone is excited to get to Doris’s house. I’ll get them ready.”
“Then we’ll move out in five minutes,” said Jane.
Jane watched Sam jog back to the group. She felt very anxious. The camp had been attacked only a short time after they moved out. The day could have turned out worse than it had. Once again, the chief had thought of something no one else did, namely whether the Starks had revealed the camp’s location to the New Order. Without the chief’s quick thinking, they could have still been at the camp when the men attacked. The Starks had unknowingly led the gang to the safety of the camp, forcing them to retreat hastily rather than their planned, slow move to Doris’s house. Jane prayed that the New Order men didn’t discover the trail leading south to Doris’s house. Given the amount of weaponry at their disposal, the police did not stand a chance to defend themselves or the citizens who counted on them.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie walked into the community center of the church, intent on finding Mark. Father Roy had set up a makeshift shelter, first aid station, and food bank for the citizens of Porter. Charlie was amazed by his resilience. Even in the face of everything the town had been through, Father Roy’s positivity and compassion served as a shining light for Porter.
“Hi, Father,” said Charlie.
“Hey, Charlie! How are things on your end?”
“Busy, like you. None of us have had a proper break in a long time.”
“Then you should take one now. No sense in exhausting yourself. The town needs you,” said Father Roy, pointing to a row of dingy, used couches that lined the room.
