Camp Zero (Book 2): State of Shock (16 page)
T
he battle had intensified
. Unlike the previous two times where twenty soldiers had pursued Hank and his men, now there had to be seventy or more. They just kept coming like a river. No longer did we wait for a signal to fire, as we now had to provide cover for Hank and the few that were double-timing back on the horses. Some of them were shot. Out of the ten that had gone out, only four returned.
When they set off the mines, it was utter devastation as body parts, large chunks of earth, and dust filled the air creating a cloud. It had been effective at taking out a large number of the Commander’s men as they weren’t expecting it but we had already lost close to twenty people as they made it into Stockdale and the fight was taken to the streets. Fire raged in one building as a vehicle crashed inside. The same two people I had seen earlier must have been killed instantly. From above it was like watching ants spread in every direction. The tops of roofs spat chunks of rock down as soldiers tried to take out those who were laying heat down from above.
Hank and the others no longer needed to return to Hayden a third time as they were showing up of their own accord. Like a hornet’s nest that had been kicked, they swarmed in taking out those in the forest and trying to breach the bottleneck of the town. Explosives kept going off as large clusters of them pressed forward and stepped into the hot zone.
Owen’s father started yelling for people to get down and head towards the forest. That had been their plan all along. The initial wave of attacks was meant to pick them off, and draw the others out; the second was to inflict as much damage as possible, and the third was to prevent them from retreating.
As bullets snapped overhead, I slipped down the fire escape into the alleyway and stayed close to Owen. His father held the point as eight of us circled around and broke into the forest to join the others who were attacking the soldiers from the sides.
It was clear the Commander’s men weren’t all soldiers, I had met numerous military personnel growing up with my father and there was something in the way they operated. Their decisions were precise, logical and effective. His men acted like regular citizens, firing wildly and operating in a fashion that screamed disorganized.
Bark and foliage flew overhead as bullets tore into trees. When Owen’s father hit the ground, Owen dropped to his knees and grabbed a hold of him. He was coughing up blood and staring into the sky. I provided cover as he took his final breath. Owen’s response was to be expected but it was as foolish as his father’s decision to leave the safety of the roof. He stood up with his AR and began pressing towards the edge of the tree line, unloading round after round in a sweeping motion. No specific target. A flurry of hot golden shells spread like seed beneath his feet as he trudged forward with little regard for his own life.
“Get down, Owen,” I yelled repeatedly but he couldn’t hear me. No one could hear anything except the cries of the injured, and the sound of bullets. When the bullet struck him in the throat, and another one took off the top of his head, I squeezed my eyes shut to push away the sight of the horror. Around me men and women were yelling to keep fighting. I wanted to drop my weapon and run but they were relying on me as much as I trusted them with my life.
It was hard to say who was winning. It seemed as though for every two of theirs that went down, two of ours succumbed to death. The reaper swept across us all taking lives without preference. No longer were the Commander’s men trying to attack, they were hoping to survive long enough to retreat to the safety of Hayden.
But that was impossible now. The war had been brought to their door, and it wouldn’t end even if they made it back. This was it.
“Ally!” I heard Hank yelling my name as he came up behind me. I was still on my knees taking in the sight of the carnage. I guess he must have thought I was injured.
Ten others rushed forward and filled in the gaps between trees, laying down more heat from the side while he sprinted over to make sure I was okay. Just having him nearby and alive when others around me were dropping like flies gave me a second wind to keep fighting.
T
here was
no easy way to get them out of the enclosures. While most of the Commander’s men had abandoned their posts to join in the fight beyond the fence, others held their position.
“Shoot the locks off.”
I slipped down on the side of my leg across the grass, firing at three soldiers who were yelling at those inside to keep calm. The sound of gunfire and chaos was riling up those inside. When the three of them went down, I was about to fire the lock off the gate when I was hit from the side.
The AK45 flew out of my hand as the soldier landed on me. I caught sight of who it was before his boot kicked me in the face. It was Saxon. He didn’t use words and he certainly wasn’t looking for an easy kill, he’d wanted a piece of me from the moment I had been brought into the place. He landed on me hard with both knees and began beating down on my head. I flipped over and grabbed a hold of his throat. In the distance I saw another two soldiers come rushing up to help him. I was about to flip him over to protect myself from the bullets but it wasn’t required. Now maybe he had lost the plot, been engaged in warfare for too long or was just plain insane but he screamed for them not to fire. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to see if he could beat a SEAL.
That was a rookie mistake. Ego. It got even the best killed.
Inside the enclosure men and women gripped the chain link fence and began shaking on it like violent inmates demanding to be let out. The looks on the faces of soldiers who had remained painted a picture of how they must have felt. Anyone could see this was out of control. Like a heavy wave smashing up against a breakwater, those inside pushed into the fence and rocked it back and forth.
“Get back or we’ll fire,” one of the soldiers yelled.
A fist struck me under the jaw and sent me reeling back. Saxon landed on me like a pro wrestler. His leg landed, taking the wind of out of me. I grabbed on to it and turned his foot. All the while around us gunfire was getting closer. The soldiers who were threatening prisoners turned and rushed towards the east gate. Whatever was happening out there, they were gaining ground and now the Commander’s men were operating out of fear for their lives. In between fighting for my life, I saw a few drop their weapons and run. They were younger, and no doubt, weren’t ready to die. I felt Saxon bite deep into my leg, I screamed in agony and then thrust my heel into his lower jaw, splitting his lip apart as I kept a hold of his leg and twisted it until I heard the bone break.
He let out an ear-piercing cry and doubled up to reach for his ankle. I took the moment and twisted my leg over the top of him, bringing it down so that my calf pressed against his throat and pinned him to my other leg at the back of his neck.
The chants of those inside got louder as they cried out for his death.
“Kill him!”
And maybe I would have, if he hadn’t reached for his sidearm. The next sound of a gun going off made his body go limp. I turned to see Billy. His hands were shaking. Pushing Saxon away, I scrambled to my feet. My eyes scanned the immediate area for further threats before I scooped up my rifle.
“Stand back,” I yelled to those inside the enclosure. They all rushed away as I fired several shots at the lock and it broke away. The mass of people streamed out and fanned in every direction to join the fight.
Several died almost immediately as soldiers realized that the war was now inside the town itself. People didn’t hesitate. They grabbed anything they could find, rifles off the dead, knives, wood, metal bars and began to fight back.
It was a bloodbath of anarchy.
I
was at a disadvantage
. They had an arsenal of weapons and all I had was an AR with a minimal amount of ammo. Confused by the Commander’s request, Valeska took too long to react. The Commander grabbed a Glock and shot a bullet into his head.
“I’ll do it myself.”
My eyes widened as I saw him drop and the Commander unleashed round after round at me. I rushed back outside because there was little to no cover inside. When I broke out into the light of day, I thought I had just stepped out into hell itself. The ground was covered with the bodies of the dead. Men and women attacked his men like a mob out of control. I twisted around, keeping out of the line of fire, and returned several rounds haphazardly back through the doorway just as Billy and Murphy came rushing over.
There was no time to tell them what was going on. They took up position and covered my back against other soldiers who had now turned their energy to those inside who were attacking in the streets.
When no more bullets were returned, I snuck a peek around the edge of the doorway quickly and noticed that he was no longer there. A door at the far west corner was slightly ajar.
“He’s gone out the back.”
“Who?”
“The Commander.”
I rushed into the building sweeping with the rifle and heading towards the door. Outside, Murphy went around the side, and Billy held the rear providing cover for Murphy. When I reached the back door, I cautiously pushed it open but he was nowhere to be seen. Murphy had already made it around.
“Where did he go?”
Several rounds went off nearby. We set off in the direction of the manor. As we came around the corner lying face down on the grass was the Commander, looming over him was Shaw. She fired another round into him as Murphy came up.
“It’s okay, Kate. It’s over.”
Her head was shaking slowly. “It’ll never be over,” she muttered. Her eyes looked as lost as her daughter’s. As Murphy pried the gun from her hand and took her into his arms, we went off to help the others in a town that had turned into a war zone.
* * *
U
pon seeing
the loss of life, many of the remaining men under the Commander’s command laid down their weapons in the hope of being shown mercy by the very people they had shown none. Only hours after that the full truth about the Commander and the group came out. Many that had followed him had gone AWOL from the military; others had seen it as a means to survive when law and order no longer existed.
They had not been sent by the president or instructed to enforce martial law. Instead, they were functioning under the command of a coward. An ex-Army Reserve major that should have been coming to the aid of Americans, instead he chose to take advantage of a time when society was at its most vulnerable.
I hadn’t seen this much bloodshed since Mount Pleasant. How many other towns and cities had been turned into concentration camps under the umbrella of FEMA and martial law? How many were run by tyrants who hadn’t been instructed to take control but were using the nation’s moment of weakness to their advantage?
Murphy said it had occurred in World War Two. War crimes committed by German armed forces. Mass murders, deliberate bombings, massacres, rapes and widespread plunder and theft were prevalent.
This was no different, except it was happening on our doorstep, in the United States.
As more of the resistance returned to the town, Hank and Ally came through the gate on a horse. Ally dismounted, muttered something to Hank. He gave an aching smile and she raced up to her father who embraced her.
Tears flowed like a river that day.
Many more would fall as the reality of a nation thrust into darkness brought with it new horrors. Town folk looked upon the bodies of loved ones in a state of shock. Hank and the others would begin the arduous task of picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Whereas the initial attack on U.S. soil had started at the hands of hate-filled white supremacists, the aftermath and threats would come from others, even those meant to help.
And though a lack of trust would permeate all relationships thereon, hope could be found in the hearts of survivors.
If only for a while.
T
hank
you for reading State of Shock. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
T
hank you
—
Jack Hunt
T
hank
you for buying State of Shock, published by Direct Response Publishing.