Liberty or Tyranny (28 page)

“Just lie on these pine needles. We’re going to rest now.” Caroline offered her a drink, but the little girl just wanted to sleep.

Everyone but Nate dropped to the wet ground and shed their packs. They lay on their back, their rifle in their hands. Nate looked around for trouble. “We shouldn’t stay long if we’re going to travel anymore today. Our bodies will be so stiff in a few minutes we probably won’t be able to move at all. Best to get going soon.” He was answered by the sound of snoring from Brian and Samantha.

Deni spoke while she lay flat on the ground. “Give me a minute and I’ll take first watch. I think we’ve gone as far as we can for a few hours.”

Taking everything into consideration, Nate relented. “Okay. We have a small child with us, and she’s been through too much already. We’ll stay here awhile… if they let us.”

To Nate’s surprise, it was Brian who relieved him and took the next watch.

Brian said, “Fix your pack if you’re not going to rest. I’ll stand watch.”

Shunning sleep, Nate cleaned his rifle first. Afterwards, he got out a sail needle and twine. In 15 minutes, he had both straps on his pack repaired.

While Nate and Brian kept watch, Deni cleaned her rifle. Caroline took the clue and cleaned hers, using Deni’s cleaning kit.

Deni saw Caroline’s wound and did her best to clean it and close it with sutures. She put a bandage on it that wouldn’t come off.

A series of booms in the distance, in the direction of the river, caused temporary alarm, until they realized how far away it was. Samantha slept through it all.

“What does that mean?” Brian asked. “They have no idea where we are?”

Nate and Deni looked at each other, puzzled.

“Don’t know,” Nate answered. “Maybe they found someone else to kill. What’s the difference? We’re no threat to anyone. They might as well go after the next person as us.”

Deni rubbed a sore shoulder. “I guess we should be on our way before we stiffen up.” She sighed and stood. “Samantha’s asleep. If she’s carried gently, she might not wake up.”

Nate slipped his pack on. “I’ll carry her. Caroline’s arm must be about to fall off. Someone will have to take point, though.”

Deni reached over and touched Samantha’s forehead. “She’s a real trooper. Been through hell. What a world she’s growing up in.”

The miserable group forced themselves to start again, with Deni in the lead, using a compass to follow a course Nate told her to stay on.

Samantha slept, her head on Nate’s shoulder.

The rain-heavy trees drooped, and the very air seemed to weep. They went on, inching their way through the streaming black night, wet and chilled to the bone. And scared. More scared than they had ever been in their lives.

Nate thought about how this little skirmish might be insignificant and would remain hidden in the shadows of history, never to be recorded or recognized as playing any part in the coming civil war, but he was proud to be married to a woman such as Deni and have a son the caliber of Brian. Caroline, he thought, was as good as they come.

It could have been the 1700s all over again. It seemed that once more, a pigmy militia of untrained civilians would soon stand against an army of professional killers and look tyranny in the eye. The weeks and months ahead would determine the fate of the nation and whether freedom would die or live on. He tried to penetrate the blackness around them with his eyes, and he felt the great gloom of the tall forest of ancient trees that were alive when squirrel hunters fought the Brits to defeat. It was an appropriate setting.

Col. Greene walked into Kramer’s room. “It’s not safe here any longer. We have to move you.”

Before Kramer had a chance to speak, a nurse was disconnecting monitoring instruments.

“We’ll take good care of you,” Mel said. “You just might help to prevent a civil war.”

Kramer turned paler than he already was. “So you’ve gone against Capinos? The whole Guard? What about the Army and other branches?”

Greene checked his watch. “No time to answer questions. The longer we stay here, the shorter our life expectancy is.”

Kramer persisted. “What made you decide to mutiny?” He groaned when Mel and another soldier lifted him and put him on a gurney.

Greene stepped back so the soldiers could push Kramer past him. “I’m a sloppy sentimentalist. I believe in doing the right thing as I see it. The puzzle is knowing what the right thing is.” He gave Kramer a hard stare. “That’s what took me so long, in case you wanted to know.”

Mel and the other soldier pushed Kramer into the hall and disappeared with him around a corner.

~~~

Col. Donovan kept his composure, but he stressed his need for air support. In satellite phone contact with General Bernard Myers at Fort Benning, he yelled, “God damn it. The Air Force reports several missing rotorcraft and planes, and half a dozen drones. I’m not worried about Capinos’ private army, but one air strike could wipe us out. We’re not setup for air defense. My Apaches and Black Hawks can’t stop a JDAM or missile coming in from 20 miles away.”

Myers answered, “You will just have to disperse your assets and deny them such a juicy target.”

Donovan was incredulous. “Sir, I’ve already done that as much as possible. Any more dispersing and I won’t have a base.”

“It’s your decision,” Myers said. “But you’re not going to get air support for a while, so use your judgment. I have to go.” He terminated the call.

Donovan shook his head. “He must think I’m a damn fool.”

Sergeant First Class Quint Bartow smiled. “It’s a hell of a revolution, ain’t it?”

Donovan’s blood pressure dropped, and he slapped Bartow on the shoulder. He raised his voice so all of the officers and noncoms around him could hear. “Spread them out all over town. Set up individual defense perimeters and camouflage the positions as best you can. Remember, we’re under threat of an air strike.”

Sergeant Dean Sullivan spoke up. “We don’t have enough radios for that many separate teams.”

Donovan rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. “I know. The fact is, though, a small team can handle a ground attack long enough for help to arrive. You hear shooting, be ready to join the team that’s under attack.”

Sullivan responded, “Yes sir. We’ll be ready for trouble. It’s the confusion at the top that bothers me. We don’t know what the hell’s going on.”

A noncom quipped, “Will someone in Washington please just shoot that bastard Capinos and his cronies in Congress before America starts bleeding?”

~~~

Mrs. MacKay listened to the Apache gunships fly over. She looked around at all the frightened faces. “We better get the people fed.” The shack they were in had been turned into a temporary kitchen. It was surrounded by other shacks, spread out under trees. Most of the children and older adults, as well as the sick, were assigned a shack to be shared with as many others that could be fitted in. Everyone else would sleep in tents. Only 25 of her people were with this group. The others were in similar-sized groups, spread out in hiding places as much as ten miles apart from each other. All of their vehicles had been driven away, hidden under trees. Stocks of food and other supplies were piled under tarps, also hidden under trees.

The large wood stove they were cooking on had the shack scorching hot inside. An elderly woman collapsed to the floor. “Get her out of here,” MacKay ordered. “Anyone else feels faint, go on outside and cool off.”

A man sitting in front of the shack scraping corn off the cob looked up from his work and yelled through the open door, “You might take your own advice. I can feel the heat in there from here. Besides, someone’s got the radio working and there’s a general talking about what’s going on in Washington.”

MacKay rushed out the door. “Where?”

The man pointed to an old oak tree. “Radio’s over there where the crowd is.”

She got to the tree as fast as her old legs would allow and listened in.

A man she later learned was a general was finishing up his message to the people. “The situation is fluid and developing fast, but I can tell you that most of the military has joined in an effort to force President Capinos out of office. He was never elected by the people and has proven himself a would-be dictator, ordering the summary execution of innocent officers, as well as the outright murder of many civilians. We can no longer tolerate the deteriorating conditions in Washington. The American people need and deserve a real leader to help us out of this hell we have all endured for so long.

“Please do not fear a long, bloody civil war. Almost the entire U.S. military is united in this effort, and we are not going to go to war against each other or the American people. We are part of the American people, no different from civilians except for the responsibilities we have sworn an oath to carry out. There will probably be some sporadic, limited fighting, because Capinos has hired a private army. It is small in number and weak in weapons, so all they can do is cause trouble for a few individuals. The handwriting is on the wall; they will be much better off if they quit now and walk away with their lives. Any murders they commit from now on will be punished when they are captured. If any of them are listening, they need to think long and hard about their futures and stop taking orders from Capinos, a man who will not be in power much longer.”

He stopped for a few seconds to think about what he was going to say next. “Another worry I’m sure is keeping people awake at night is the question of what next. Are we going to have a nation under martial law? Will we ever have free elections again? We are at this moment working with local and national leaders to formulate plans for elections ASAP. Anyone interested in running for president or Congress should file the paperwork and start building their campaign committee. Let’s get a new Congress and president elected in less than six months!”

People around the radio cheered.

MacKay rubbed her chin. “We’ll see. I pray he’s telling us the truth and it all comes to reality. Some men don’t like giving up power once they have a taste of it.”

A woman standing nearby who had a baby boy in her arms asked, “Can we go back to the farm now?”

MacKay shook her head. “No way. For all we know, there’s no farm left to go back to. We’ve been hearing explosions. Those weren’t leftover 4th of July firecrackers.”

~~~

Nate heard a slight sound to his left. He rushed to catch Deni and tapped her on the shoulder. Caroline stepped up to them, with Brian taking up the rear. He pushed them all down. Whispering, Nate said, “I heard something. Form a tight 360 and keep your eyes and ears working.”

A light rain had the dark night woods dripping and made it difficult to hear much else. Despite the rain, Nate heard a radio squelch. The others’ heavy breathing told him they had heard it too. Samantha slept on his left shoulder, and he didn’t dare put her down, she might wake and start crying. His mind raced. What would be the best course of action if shooting started? Should he put her down and shoot back? Or should he just run? If he ran, he would lose the others in the dark.

The killers passed them only yards away. Nate never saw or heard anything distinct, but he sensed their presence and knew they were close. It was then he knew they would never give up the hunt, never relent. He had no idea why these men wanted him and the others dead so much, and he almost didn’t care. All he knew was he had to stop them, to get them off their trail. Some way. Somehow. They had all the advantages. Training, equipment, numbers. They could even call in air support. With those odds, he would not willingly take them on directly. First, he had to leave the others in a safe place. Then he would begin his personal war.

He looked at the others, barely seeing them in the dark and rain. Standing before him, holding their rifles tight in the weeping woods, their wet clothes clinging to their skin, mosquitoes clouding around them, he could’ve thought of them as soldiers, like the ones he served with so many years ago in a different life. But only Deni was a soldier. The rest were civilians, a woman, a teen boy, and a little girl.
It’s not right,
he thought,
soldiers waging war on these people. Someone has to stop them.

After waiting ten minutes to give their pursuers plenty of time to put distance between them, Nate tapped Deni on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, “We’ll move out now. Head northeast.”

“What’s northeast,” Deni asked.

“Distance,” Nate answered. “It was sheer luck on their part that they got so close in the dark and rain. They’re certainly not tracking us at the moment. Besides, we killed their tracking team.”

Only two hours later, Nate realized they had to stop and rest. All of them were so tired they were stumbling in the dark and making too much noise. They rested until first light and then ate a quick meal. Samantha was in a poor mood and had every right to be. Unfortunately, her crying and complaining could get them all killed.

Mosquitoes feasted on Nate while he looked over a map. The day had broken clear and it looked like the rain was over. It meant their enemies could track them again. It also meant Nate’s poncho could come off of Samantha, which seemed to please her enough she stopped crying for a while. By three in the afternoon Nate’s poncho was back on her. Heavy thunderstorms moved in and drenched the woods once again.

“Well,” Brian commented, “It’ll wash away the tracks we left behind us this morning.”

Nate consulted his compass and checked his bearings. “The rain could not have come at a better time. We’re almost there.” They had been making their way deeper into rougher country for over an hour, and Nate had led them to a place he knew well.

“Almost where?” Deni asked.

“You’ll see,” was all Nate would give her for an answer.

An hour and a half later Deni lost patience. “Will you please tell us where the hell we’re going?”

Nate pointed. “Up that hill about 50 yards. That’s where we’re going.”

Deni looked where he was pointing. “All I see is a rocky ledge and a patch of trees about half way up.”

“Behind those trees is a good place to hide.” Nate stopped walking and motioned for everyone to gather close. “It’s a little steep climbing up. Try not to kick any rocks loose or leave any other sign we’ve been on that hill.”

Deni gave Nate a strange look. “There’s no retreat. If they discover us up there, we’re trapped.”

Nate feigned hurt. “You have no faith in my abilities, do you? It’s got a back door. Come on. We don’t need to be standing here.” He took Samantha from Caroline. She would have trouble enough with her artificial leg, without carrying Samantha too. Samantha couldn’t walk while wearing his poncho; it was twice as long as her. “It’s not raining much now, so we’ll take this off.” After helping Samantha remove the poncho, he allowed her to walk most of the way, until the trail became steep and Nate feared she might slip. It was getting to be a long way down by then. A slip could mean a long fall and roll downhill.

In the lead, Deni approached the stand of trees. She pushed limbs aside and disappeared. Twenty seconds later, the others heard her say something, but couldn’t make it out. She reappeared with a smile on her face. “Okay. Why didn’t you tell us about this place before? It would be a good spot for a cache.”

Nate climbed the last ten yards. “I didn’t think we would ever be this far north. The fact is I had forgotten about it. Haven’t been here since I was Brian’s age.”

Samantha grabbed Deni’s hand for support. Her eyes were wide as she watched Caroline climb. “She might fall.”

Caroline heard. “Nope. I’m not about to fall, just taking my time.” She nearly lost her balance when a blue jay fluttered out of the stand of trees. The pretense she wasn’t on edge and worried they could be under attack at any moment shattered, she smiled at Samantha. “I need to get some rest. I’m jumpy.”

Nate took Caroline’s rifle when she came within reach. “We’ll all be resting and out of the rain soon. Come on. Let’s get into the trees and out of sight.”

Making their way between close-growing trees, they found themselves on a level ledge and facing an enclave on the side of the hill that seemed to be the opening to a shallow cave with a 15-foot-high ceiling.

Samantha looked around, her mouth open in amazement. “It’s dark in here, and it’s not raining.”

Nate set his backpack down. “Anyone have a flashlight that still works? I want to look for rattlers back there before we settle down and get some sleep.”

“I have one, but I’m coming with it,” Deni said. “I want to see that back door you promised.”

Nate gave her a weary smile. “I think I’m going to start calling you Tactical Deni.”

“Just call me wise.” Deni pushed by him and aimed the flashlight at the back of the limestone enclave, keeping it low and partially covered with her hand to reduce the chance someone could see it through the stand of trees from a distance. “I don’t see any snakes and I don’t see any back door.” She turned the light off.