American Survival (DeLeo's Action Thriller Singles Book 5) Read online

  “Maybe a little, but I don’t think those two Marines had night vision goggles and rocket launchers.”

  “No, but they weren’t facing attack helicopters either.”

  “Anyhow, we’re in it until it ends now,” Jack replied. “What we were able to do tonight makes me believe we have a chance to get the kids through this.”

  Chapter 5

  The Reason and Survival

  The two brothers walked on for a time in silence. Paul looked up from the path for a moment. “I wish I knew where the hell our intelligence outfits were when the Chinese infiltrated through the base we gave them in LA, and set off those bug bombs.”

  “Hell,” Jack said angrily, “with Clinton selling out the country as fast as he could sign executive orders, the CIA might as well have been the girl scouts. At least the Chi-Coms shared the country with their buddies from the Middle East, and South America. What those boys don’t know yet is when they get done with us, if ever; the Chi-Coms will turn on them like rabid dogs. The Chi-Coms do not share.”

  “They ain’t winnin’ here, bro,” Paul stated. “All they got with all this shit is a foothold. Like you said, there are more of us believers than they know.”

  “They got more than that Paul. We’ve been on the run for years, with no word, other than Clinton and all his cabinet got it in their nice safe bunker, along with most of the Armed Forces Chiefs. The place I’ve been in contact with since I left the city fighting, still will not tell me if anyone has taken charge for sure. There are only rumors about General Anthony. They only know the Nuclear Subs, we had out on the line, are the only things between us, and annihilation. I have had a new contact named Kardel the last couple years, and I believe he knows more than he lets on - but when you think about it, why tell us. We don’t need to know information they can torture us for anyway.”

  “The Chi-Coms miscalculated on what the military would do on their own. Even with Clinton and all the gang dead with the bug, they had to resort to a conventional takeover. At least the chicken shit Russians stayed out of it. They know they’re next, when the Chinese get done with their allies. I cannot believe how stupid the Iranians are. Do they really think they’ll get a slice of the pie when this ends? Hell, I bet the Chi-Coms have missiles, guided by our technology, aimed at them right now. Lucky for us, our subs took out everything in the Chinese Navy, and hit their main communications with tactical nukes. It will take a while for them to get back on line now. I guess the bastards didn’t know about everything. That asshole Clinton died before he could surrender for us all. They can’t export troops by sea, and they can only get small numbers transferred by air, because our carriers own the skies. If not for all the Middle East, and South of the Border infiltration, we would not be in too bad of shape.”

  “The confusion really fucked us all up for a while,” Jack continued. “It’s a good thing the military works without orders, but they can’t do this without supplies and bases. I figure they have only another few months left. We have to get back into control. The Chi-Coms know it too. We intercepted the antidote to the bug bomb they’re bringing in through San Francisco, and plan on dropping in our reservoirs. No way they would have ever sent a team like they did, after a bunch of rag tag hayseeds like us, if they weren’t worried about word getting out about their little surprise. I wish we had searched the trucks over more carefully. I got lulled when I saw all the weapons. I saw just what they wanted me to see.”

  “If we had the antidote they were carrying, we would be shittin’ in high cotton,” Paul agreed. “Sometimes, it just is what it is – a gigantic cluster fuck we have to battle through.”

  “We didn’t have any time to fool around, or even think, after I found out what they had planned.”

  “What do we do then? This country can’t take another plague. We will all be dead. We have to do something. Do you really think the San Francisco angle will be what they use?”

  “I don’t know what to believe, Paul. First we have to get somewhere we can radio ahead. We can do that safely if we get to the trucks, and get on the move. I believe we will be in time, if we stick to our plan.”

  Paul shook his head. “I have to say, brother - take a chance away from the kids, and just open a channel now.”

  Jack stopped, and turned to his brother. Paul stopped just in time to keep from running into him. “Listen meat-head, if I thought we could pull off something like that, do you think I would hesitate? Hell, they wouldn’t get our signal from here, and you and I would probably be dead, and no one would know. Maybe it would be worth the gamble, but the chances are too slim. We won’t be any good to the kids dead out here.”

  Paul grinned. “You look so cute when your eyes flash in anger, Jackie-poo.”

  Jack laughed abruptly, turned around, and continued on. “Sorry Paul, I wish we could do this without anyone else. Frankly, I need the kids, and Mitch, and that goofy dog, more than anything. We’ll save the world in good time. Once we get to the trucks, we can send, and then be gone before they get there. If they get the message, the pressure will be off, and we can stay careful all the way to HQ.”

  “Sure, everything will go just as planned,” Paul retorted.

  “Hey, we’re still alive. Back when you, Mitch, and the kids arrived, I would not have given any of us much of a chance. This life sucks. We freeze nine fucking months of the year, and even ten ambushes or operations a year should have had all of us below ground. I didn’t care when I did this on my own, but having you all with me, scares the crap out of me. They only came through this pass with their cargo, because we own the sea. They didn’t think we could undo our mistake at the LA base as fast as we did. The Navy took out all those old Russian Subs, and all their above water fleet quickly, once we got going. If only we had torn open some of those crates in the trucks.”

  “Do you have to tear the scab off that fucking wound every other minute,” Paul complained. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and let’s get back to the subject at hand.”

  “You re right. Keep it simple - get to the kids, radio ahead, and take off in the trucks.”

  “Do you think we may have gotten anything else out of old Abdul if you had refrained from crushing his skull?”

  “Well, we’ll never know now smartass,” Jack replied. “I knew I hit him too hard, but I was pumped. Man, my head feels just about the way his probably did for those couple of seconds.”

  “Let’s stop at the next drug store. I could use a couple of aspirin myself. My ears are still buzzing, but I can hear you better and better. I thought we would both be deaf.”

  Jack stopped, and motioned for his brother to turn around. He fumbled inside the small pocket of Paul’s pack, and pulled out a small first aid kit. He acquired six aspirin out of the kit, and handed his brother three. “Do you want some water or do you think you can take them dry?”

  “Oh yeah, I want to be rolling the taste of aspirin around on my tongue for the next couple of hours. Get the canteen open dufus.”

  Jack laughed, and handed Paul the canteen.

  They were walking methodically in the snow, with Jack checking the directional bearings periodically. Neither of the brothers felt like talking anymore, and the silence of the snowy night sky soothed them. Explosions and small arms fire drifted to them, breaking the serene quiet, and making their hearts begin to pound in their chests. Paul broke into a run only to be hauled up short by his brother.

  “Think Paul,” Jack said urgently. “If things are bad, all of the running in the world will not get us there in time. If we pick up the pace without killing ourselves, or tying a bulls-eye around our necks, we can get there in shape to take some lives.”

  “Or bury some. He looked at Jack for a moment longer, and then nodded. You’re right, Jack. You lead at however fast you think is safe, and I’ll be right behind.”

  Jack patted his brother's shoulder, and started out in the direction of everything in their lives they loved, knowing the likelihood of arriving in time
to do anything at all would be a miracle. He figured they were an hour away, even at a fast jog. They would have to slow occasionally, or stop altogether before they got there; otherwise, they would be in no shape to help anyone. If the snow kept falling, whoever was attacking them would have to do without air support. Jack wondered how in hell they found their camp. He hoped Mitch and the kids could hold on until they got there.

  The guns and heavy packs began to take their toll on the two brothers. Slowing to a fast walk, the two paced themselves for the next ten minutes, all the while listening to the small arms fire in the distance. Jack gauged the noise of the gunfire, and figured they were still about twenty minutes away. He quickened the pace again, as he switched shoulders with the sniper rifle. He could hear Paul's breathing, and did not need to waste the effort of looking back. The sounds of battle became ever louder, and the flashes continued to light the dark sky. Jack noticed the edges of light heralding the coming of dawn. He halted as the sounds began to drown out all other thought. Turning to Paul in the gray dawn light he drew closer to make sure his brother heard him.

  “We go slow from here, or we could get taken out by our own kids.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “If we can come up behind these assholes, do you think you can act as a gun mount again for me?”

  “Hell yes.”

  Jack nodded. “I still have the silencer for the rifle, and I can pick them off one by one if I can see them, and then change positions in all the noise without them knowing.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s do it.”

  They almost walked right in on the first of the attacking force. Bullets were whistling around in the snow-covered woods, and Jack could see why they were not using grenades. They were still a long ways out from the camp. Jack grinned; knowing Mitch and the kids must have set up a perimeter after arriving in camp. Even if this bunch had mortars and rockets, there were too much woods between them and the camp, to make them useful at this range. Jack dropped his pack, and reached in it to pull out the silencer for the muzzle. Paul dropped on all fours, and locked himself in position. There were three targets within sight, about fifty yards away, spread twenty feet apart. Jack could only get one at a time, and then move slightly to sight the next. He sighted, and pulled the trigger on his first target. There was a small noise from the gun, but the same recoil. The head of his first target exploded. He patted Paul and motioned him to move slightly to the right a couple of feet. Sighting again, Jack squeezed off the second round with the same results. The third man noticed the death of the man beside him, and the sudden quiet from their weapons. He lifted his head slightly to get a better view. It proved to be his last as a burst of automatic weapons fire from the camp ripped through his upper body.

  Jack patted his brother. They began to circle slowly around to the right, keeping the same distance. They found their next targets, but they were closer together than the prior three. The brothers repeated their procedure, with Jack taking out the soldier furthest from his comrades. They moved again, and two more were down. Six more were grouped further on, not more than five to ten feet from each other. Jack told Paul they probably could only get one more, so they moved into a position where he and Paul could lay the AK-47's alongside of them. Paul set himself once more, and Jack blew the head off the soldier in the middle of the pack, drawing instant attention from the others. As they looked back, searching the woods behind them, he and Paul grabbed up their other weapons, and fired short bursts into the group. The last five fell without a shot, never knowing where the killing fire came from. Paul followed his brother down to where they fired into the bodies from close range, to make sure of their kills. They then stripped the bodies of grenades and ammo clips.

  Retreating into the woods, the brothers continued to circle carefully to the right. They were now fully half way around the front perimeter of the camp, when they came across a force of what Jack quickly counted as about twenty men. Without hesitation the two brothers began lobbing grenade after grenade along the line of men. The explosions ripped the men apart, and engulfed them in smoke and flying debris. Not wanting to waste the grenades until they had clustered targets, the brothers opened up with small arms fire. They began to take weapons fire from a force coming through the woods further to the right. The gunfire from the camp intensified as more targets became visible. Jack motioned to Paul, and they continued to move back, and out of range of any grenade throws, but well within the range of the big sniper rifle. The small arms fire from the attacking force remained focused on the spot Jack and Paul had vacated.

  Setting up again with a clear view of a small knot of soldiers, Jack again began his deadly accurate sniping. As the armored shells blew the soldiers away one by one, they began to try to break out of their positions, and into the woods, only to be met with grenades and automatic weapons fire. Jack gave up sniping all together, knowing the importance of not letting anyone get away. These were trained commandos, and they didn’t panic, even with indiscriminate death raining all around them. Paul followed his brother’s lead; moving constantly to the right, and providing cover, when Jack stopped to lob grenades. What happened next proved the concept of random chance. A white encased soldier popped up out of the ground beneath their feet just as Jack threw a grenade. His first burst ripped upward across Jack's chest, propelling him into the snowdrift in back of their position, where he lay still. In a split second, the soldier swung his weapon towards Paul, who had been running to catch up with Jack. Paul jerked his weapon up, praying his assailant would miss the first burst, and completely sure he would die in the next moment. A burst of fire blew the soldier's head almost completely off, and he crumpled to the ground. The burst from Paul’s AK47 jabbed the snow in front of the now dead soldier, as Paul pulled his finger back, and dived onto the snow covered ground. He lay there trying to find the source of the killing fire, but could not pick out anything moving.

  “Yo, Pollywog, it’s me,” his brother Mitch said, as he raised his hand slowly from where he lay buried in a snowdrift.

  “Hell of a shot Mitch,” Paul shouted. “Jack's hit bad, I think. Don’t move. We’ll have to leave him for now. We need to get all these assholes.”

  “Let’s do it quick then,” Mitch replied.

  The brothers moved to the right, keeping their spacing, and watching for anything. No one had fired a weapon for the last few minutes. Paul figured they would come up against more like the last, who knew they could only hide, and wait for a chance. Mitch almost walked into the next bunch. He dived to the ground in time to avoid the first bursts, which would have cut him in half. Paul saw them in time, firing quickly, following his bursts with two well-placed grenades. Mitch moved immediately to a different position, and both concentrated their fire. After a few seconds, they ceased fire, and Mitch crawled forward into the area. He found no other live opposition. He raised his fist in the air, and moved on with Paul watching. They came up against the ravine, which provided protection from the rear of the camp. They then turned, retracing their steps the way they had come. They fired into every body they came across, as Jack had taught them long ago.

  Paul stopped when he reached the area, where Jack had been hit. He saw his brother groggily trying to sit up in the deep snow. Mitch had seen the movement, and ran back to join Paul. They approached cautiously, scanning the area as they made their way back, having spaced themselves for safety. They got within earshot, and Paul called out quietly, “can you hold on Jack while we finish? We don’t want to get our balls blown off playing Nurse Ratchet with you.”

  “Sure… take your fucking time,” Jack replied hoarsely. “I’ll try and hold my head together, while you romp around in the snow.”

  Having said that, he lay back down, and twisted around slowly. When he was facing the camp area, Jack looked up at his brothers, and waved weakly. They saw the blood oozing down the side of his face. Mitch started towards Jack, but Paul grabbed his brother’s arm.

  “Mitch, you k
now if anyone’s out here, the only reason Jack would still be alive, is bait to get us.” He glanced in Jack’s direction. “Hey bro, you got a weapon?”

  Jack lifted his head slowly. “Yep… but can you leave me a grenade so I can blow my own head off.” Having said that, Jack eased his head down into the snow.

  Paul motioned Mitch away to his right, and on the track towards the far end of the camp. They went more carefully than before, and jumped at every noise. Having reached the far side, Mitch again joined with Paul.

  “I’m going to get Wolf. I have him locked up with the kids. I knew he’d get wasted out here for nothing.” Paul nodded and Mitch called into the cabin. “Sarah, walk Wolf through the perimeter, and turn him loose.”

  As soon as Sarah and the dog made their way through the perimeter traps, Sarah set him free and returned to the cabin. Mitch, who had been watching his niece the whole way, whistled. Wolf ran towards them, and Mitch made a circular motion with his finger. Wolf tore off into the woods. The two brothers waited for fifteen minutes, but Wolf had not returned.

  “I’ll bet that fur ball found Jack, and the undisciplined little prick won’t finish his sweep.” Paul said smiling.

  “I think you’re right. Wolf won’t be much more help until we get Jack looked at.”

  They split up again, and retraced their way. As they neared the spot where they left Jack, the sounds of quiet cursing could be heard. Soon they could see Wolf lying next to Jack as he weakly turned away from the dog’s insistent tongue. Jack managed to turn weakly to one side, and shield his face. Wolf would then leap over to begin on him anew. Jack would again push weakly on the dog’s face, and curse him. Paul laughed at the sight, motioning for Mitch to approach, while he watched his back. Mitch nodded, and staying low to the ground, he zigzagged to Jack, and the pestering dog.

  “You okay Jack?”

  “Shoot this fucking dog right now, Mitch,” Jack ordered with a groan.

  Mitch laughed, and grabbed hold of Wolf. He looked in the dog’s face, and then twirled his finger around as he gently shook the dog’s head. “Do you know what this means Cujo? Get moving.” Wolf looked down at Jack once more, and then streaked into the woods.