Revenge in the Homeland (16 page)

“Oh fuck, brace yourselves.”

He quickly turned the plane, aimed it alongside of the highway and brought it down. The plane bounced hard back into the air about 20 feet and hit hard again. The noise was deafening as the plane skittered on the rocky ground. It hit a shallow ditch and the left wing dug in and broke off which opened a large hole in the side of the plane. The plane finally stopped when it crashed into a dry creek bed.

Joe yelled, “Is everybody alright?”

John responded, “Grab your gear and get the fuck out of the plane before if catches fire.”

Everyone grabbed their Bug Out bags and the guard’s weapons and ammo and scrambled to get out of the plane.

Steve tried to stand up and fell back in his seat yelling, “I need help. I think my leg is broke.

Joe went to his aid and helped him get out of the plane.

They all moved about 50 yards from the plane watching to see if it would burst into flames. Beth and Imelda began checking out the wounded and bandaged them the best that they could. All of the bullet wounds were clean through so there were no bullets to dig out. John’s was the worst with the bullet going clean through his left shoulder just below his collar bone and out his back. Beth poured disinfectant on the wound, applied pressure and put his arm in a sling. Imelda’s wound was a half inch below the surface and had stopped bleeding. A pressure bandage and some pain pills took care of her. Joe had a bullet graze to a rib that left a furrow in his side. She cleaned the wound and bandaged him up very tight.

Joe was inspecting Steve’s leg when Beth joined him.

She examined the leg and said, “Looks like a simple fracture to me. Let’s set it and put some splints on his leg.”

“That’s what I thought also. I’ll take care of him.”

Joe set Steve’s leg while Imelda found some sticks to use as splints.

Beth passed out pain pills to the wounded and sat down to rest for a minute.

“John, I was looking out the side of the plane until right before we landed and I only saw a few lights back towards the mountains. It’s freezing out here and I think we should use the plane to get out of this freezing wind.”

“Beth, I agree, but let’s make sure that there won’t be a fire first. Joe could you go back in the plane and grab any blankets, coats or anything else to help protect us until we are sure the plan is safe.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

Janet went back into the plane with him. They came back with several rucksacks, coats and ponchos from the four dead guards plus blankets and pilot's coats. They moved into the creek bed and huddled up against the side to protect themselves from the wind. Joe and Janet checked out the plane several times over the next few hours and found no issues.

John got their attention and said, “Let’s move back into the plane and I’ll send Joe and Janet out scouting the area for any danger or food and water.”

Joe and Janet helped them settle back into the plane and then started searching the area around the plane. Joe travelled west along the highway while Janet went east. They agreed ahead of time to walk for 30 minutes and then Joe was to circle around the south of their position while Janet circled north around their position. Joe wanted to quickly know if there were any people still living in the area and any immediate threats.

Janet walked east for about a mile before seeing a sign that said Highway 14 and another half mile before seeing another sign that said “Enfield 12 miles”.

She said aloud, “Who the hell would name their town Enfield?”

She laughed and headed north. There was nothing to see for as far as she could see. She looked at the winter sun and guessed that it was about noon. That reminded her that she was cold and hungry. The damn wind was blowing hard and even though the sun felt warm, the wind blew all of her heat away. She saw a few rabbits, birds and perhaps a coyote, but no homes or signs of people other than some tire tracks in the dirt. The land was rough and covered in scrub brush with several washes and gullies to traverse. She arrived back at the plane at about 2:00 p.m. and compared notes with Joe.

As she walked up to the plane, she saw Imelda on guard sitting on the stub of the left wing with an M-4. There was a fire by the door and Beth was seated by it sorting through the gear from the plane. She said hi to them and quickly told them that she hadn’t seen anything and went in to fill John in on her reconnaissance.

“I found a sign that said, 'Cody 21 miles' west of here and covered my half circle without seeing any evidence that anyone has been through here in months.”

Janet added, “I saw a highway marker that said, “Enfield 12 miles” but nothing else. Jack rabbits, birds, a coyote and some old tire tracks. This place is cold, windy and forsaken."

“I had Beth search the plane for a map and she didn’t find any. Hell, I always have maps on my plane, but I don’t have all this fancy communication gadgets. Let’s eat, make plans and get a good night’s rest before we do any more recon.

They ate the meager inflight meal that was to be served to them while Beth gave them an inventory of their food, water, supplies and weapons. The food and water would only last a couple of days, but they had first aid kits, winter clothing 10 M4s, 16 9mm pistols and plenty of ammo. Each one of the six also had their concealed carry weapon plus two magazines. Beth found a survival kit in the cockpit with the usual Bug Out gear and a Henry .22 survival rifle and 500 .22 LR bullets.

John kicked off the planning meeting with the Lord’s Prayer and then said, “We are damn lucky today.”

Several laughed.

“I am serious. All six of us survived a hijacking, a close quarter firefight in an airplane and a crash landing within a few hours. We do have a few scratches, but God must be looking over us and I don’t want to let him down. Now what do y’all think we should do next?”

Joe jumped in with, “We need to find water and food if possible. I don’t want to shoot any game until we know if there are any hostiles in the area. We need to find an abandoned house with a fireplace while we search for a way to signal home to get rescued.”

“I agree. There won’t be any search party looking for us way up here and a search party would have to be within a few miles to pick up the signal from the black box. I don’t know how they pulled it off, but I’ll bet the other Gulfstream that took off before us was a decoy that took our F-18 escort with it. We will have to carry Steve when we find a better location. I think Janet and Steve should stay here while the rest of us split up and go to the nearest towns in both directions. Beth and I will take east and Joe and Imelda will head west. We’ll leave at sunrise and report back before sundown on the second day.”

Beth added, “Imelda, you can have Joe and I’ll take this crippled old geezer. Is your leg okay?”

“Yes, it was only a graze.”

“I’ll geezer your ass if you keep messing with me young lady. Let’s turn in early. I’ll take the first two hour watch and everyone but Steve takes a turn.”

John’s turn at guard duty was non-eventful and he woke Beth up to replace him at midnight.

“John, you were supposed to wake me at 10:00.”

“I know, but I’m not sleepy and I want you rested for our hike tomorrow. We may have to winter in this area before trying to head home. Colorado Springs was nuked early on and I don’t know of a friendly military base within a hundred miles of this place. I hope we get lucky and find some vehicles and fuel or a ham radio. Perhaps we can just drive right home without any trouble.”

Beth laughed and replied, “Sorry John, but we attract trouble like a magnet.”

They didn’t see anything and woke Joe up for his turn. They went into the plane, got under several blankets and coats and slept until Janet woke them up at 5:00 a.m.

They each took two bottles of water, enough food for a day and their weapons and headed out on their scouting trip.

John looked back at Steve and Janet and said, “Y’all need to watch out for the bad guys, so no hanky panky.”

Steve gave him a finger and replied, “Screw you, Mr. President, but in a very respectful way. Stay safe.”

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Chapter 20

“The plane crashed in the Gulf about a hundred miles off the Texas coast at Brownsville. I have three ships and eight search planes looking for survivors. We sighted several floating objects and a seat cushion from a Gulfstream. Unfortunately, the pilots of the F-18s report that it slammed into the ocean at full speed. We just don’t have the equipment to perform a major salvage operation.”

“Admiral, I know what the facts are, but I just don’t believe John and his team were overcome and then the plane crashed that much off course. I don’t know what happened, but as the VP, I have authorized Gus to do what it takes to determine what happened and to get John and our people back to us safely.”

“I hear you and I have a hard time believing that anyone could get one over on John Harris, but other than the ocean and our investigation at San Diego what do you suggest?”

Gus interrupted and said, “I think there is a traitor at the Naval base and I am confident that the four guards were working for one of our enemies. We interrogate anyone who had anything to do with John’s flight home and we will find John. Hell, he may still be in California.”

“I agree. Do you want to take charge of the San Diego investigation?”

“Yes, I will send my team out there and would like Ensign Teller to join them with your permission.”

“Of course and I do hope that you are right about John and his team being alive.”

***

“Scott, I want you to take charge of the investigation in San Diego. I am promoting you to major, so you will have enough rank that you don’t get pushed around out there. You deserve it and probably would have gotten it sooner if you weren’t John’s son. Some SOB knows where John is and about the plan to kidnap him. In my heart, I know your Dad and Beth are alive. Go find them. Pick your investigation team and when needed, you will have the 82
nd
Airborne at your command for the search and rescue. I will discuss with General Moreland today. Oops, I am promoting him today also. Carry on.”

“Yes sir. I plan to take Marvin, Sammy, Joan and about 10 others along with Rogers.”

“Good choices. George will kick your ass if you don’t bring his sons back. Report back to me by 1000 Pacific time every morning with a Sitrep.”

“Will do. I have planes being prepared and will come back with Dad and the others.”

“Go get 'em son.”

***

“Bo, what do you mean that you lost contact with the plane carrying Harris? I was just praising this operation to my staff.”

“The pilot sent a distress call that was cut off in mid-sentence. His few words and the sound of gun fire in the background suggest that Harris and his crew may have tried to break free of their guards and take the plane back. The plane went off radar over the Rockies and we believe it crashed. It’s winter with no hope of a rescue. I think John Harris is dead or dying. He will be out of our hair even though we can’t use him as a hostage.”

“Bo, he had better not show up alive or I may start to think that promoting my son in law was a big mistake.

***

“Shit it’s cold and that fucking wind never stops blowing in this God forsaken place.”

“Damn, Imelda, don’t hold back...tell me what’s on your mind. Don’t let a little bit of cold air ruin your day.”

“Damn it Joe, I like the South and warm sunny beaches. The Gulf in spring is a bit nippy for me and my damn knee hurts like a son of a bitch.”

“Girl, I am originally from Derry, New Hampshire and this is like a spring day up there. I walked in snow …….”

Imelda interrupted Joe with “I know you walked in snow up to you ass uphill both ways five miles to school and back.”

“Hey it’s starting to snow. Yeah, we can build some snowmen.”

You can shove that snowman up your……. Hey is that a house on the right up ahead?”

“I think it is. Let’s be careful and sneak up without being seen.”

They ducked behind some brush to avoid being seen. Joe pulled out his binoculars and studied the house and the area around it.

“There’s no smoke coming from the chimney and I don’t see any signs of life. Let’s be careful anyway. I don’t like surprises. See that gully running from your left going past the house and into the woods?”

“Yep, I’m with you. We’ll keep low until we get into the pines and then come up behind the house.”

“Let’s do it.”

The gully ran from six feet deep to just a little over two feet deep so they had to crawl in the low places.

“Damn Joe, I’m freezing my tits off. Jim is going to be pissed at you if I lose them.”

Joe started laughing and couldn’t stop for a minute. He lay on his back chuckling and snorting.

“Darn Joe, it wasn’t that funny. Was it?”

“Imelda, what was funny is that I was going to say the same thing about a certain body part that I’ve been dragging through the snow.”

Imelda took a minute for his words to sink in and her face turned warm and she snickered, “I hope your girlfriend doesn’t get mad at me if you lose a couple of inches.”

Joe grabbed some snow, threw it at her and said, “I don’t have a girlfriend, but I heard that will change quickly when we get back. Don’t ask.”

It took about an hour before they arrived behind the house and hid behind a large stack of wood. The backyard had a child’s swing set, several trees and a big propane tank. Joe looked in the windows with his binoculars and couldn’t see any movement. The snow was two inches deep and piled up against anything in the winds path.

“Cover me when I knock on the door.”

He ran the 30 feet to the back door and knocked. No one answered so he waved for Imelda to join him. He pulled the screen door away, turned the doorknob and the door opened. He took his hat off and waved it in the open doorway. Nothing happened so he cautiously walked through the door into the kitchen of the house. Imelda followed to see a neat orderly kitchen that looked like the family had just cleaned up after lunch and drove in to town to see a movie.

“Joe this is eerie. I’m used to seeing houses like this all trashed and looted. Everything is neat and tidy. The clothes are folded in the drawers and others are neatly hung in the closets. There is plenty of canned food in the pantry and assorted boxes of everything from macaroni to cereal. Oops, the mice got the cereal.”

“Yes, this is spooky. Let’s try the well.”

Joe pumped for a while and gave up. The damn thing won’t work.”

Imelda took her last bottle of water, poured it down the top of the wellhead and then started pumping. At first, there was a sucking sound and then dirty water started flowing. After some vigorous pumping, the water was crystal clear. Joe tasted the water and gave it rave reviews.

“How’d you know to prime the pump?”

“Duh, how many times have you used the words, 'prime the pump' to get something started. Do I have to show you how to start the kitchen stove?”

She walked over to the stove, lit one of the burners and then lit the oven.

She stuck her butt up against the open oven door and said, “Now that hits the spot. I’m going to fix us some soup. Go close the door to the living room so we can keep the heat in and set the table.”

‘Yes dear!”

***

The snow was blowing in their face as they walked along the highway. John guessed that they had covered about eight miles when they saw the cars blocking the road up ahead. He quickly got Beth off the road and hid behind some fallen trees. He opened his rucksack and got his field glasses to examine the roadblock up ahead. He scanned from left to right and didn’t see anything until he saw a couple of birds picking at something buried in the snow. He looked on up the road and saw several houses, but no signs of people.

“Beth, let’s sneak up on those cars and see what happened. Stay low and keep the cars between us and those houses.”

It took 15 minutes for them to crawl to the cars. One was riddled with bullet holes and another was a burned out hulk. The three behind them had a few bullet holes and most of their windows broken.

John looked inside of the burned out one and said, "Shit, Beth don’t look. There is a whole family inside and they are burned beyond recognition.”

Beth cringed and said, “John, look at the birds. They’re pecking on a human hand.”

They found several other skeletons in the snow.

“Someone has been blocking the road and robbing everyone who passes. Let’s be careful, but we need to see if we can find some food in those houses. Cover me while I make it to that truck about halfway to the house. I will try to keep the truck between the house and me.”

John crouched as he ran to the truck. Normally he would have crawled, but his left shoulder hurt like hell and was not much use. He arrived behind the truck and peered through the passenger’s side window at the house. After five minutes without spotting any movement, he waved for Beth to join him.

“Damn, John am I one of your soldiers now?

“You’ve been my best soldier since I met you in the Idaho woods.”

“Well please don’t get me shot playing soldiers in these woods.”

“Yes dear, now I’m going to run over to the oil tank on the left side of the house. Follow me when I signal.”

John crouched as he ran to the oil drum and arrived safely. He surveyed their entire surroundings to make sure there was no one sneaking up on them and saw nothing. He waved and Beth joined him again. They were just twenty feet from the house. The wind had picked up and was blowing a light snow into the area. John rubbed his hands together and got ready to go in the house.

“Beth, I want you to open the door, push it hard into the house and move out of the way so I can charge into the house. I will go to the right and cover the right side. You follow quickly behind me and cover the left side. Shoot anything that looks dangerous. Don’t think, just shoot. Our lives are more important than anyone in that house. We can’t take any chances. Ready, one, two, three, GO!”

John ran in and Beth was on his tail. Just as John turned and aimed his gun, Beth screamed and fired a burst from her M-4. John was ready for a fight when he started laughing.

“Darling, I think you killed that bear head on the wall. Shoot him again if it makes you feel good. Now let’s sweep the house and make sure there are no other bears around.”

“John, you said shoot if I saw anything scary. I shot that disgusting head. It scared the piss out of me.”

They checked the house and basement and didn’t find anyone. The house was trashed and someone had continued crapping in the toilet after the water stopped flowing. The smell was horrible. They checked the pantries and only found a few cans of soup that had fallen behind a garbage can. They also found about twenty jars of canned vegetables in the basement.

“Not much to show for our efforts, but I’ll start a fire if you cook the soup.”

“John, we just warm the soup up; there isn’t much cooking to it. We need to find some food. We can capture water from the snow, but I’m hungry.”

“Beth it’s snowing pretty heavy out there and the ground will soon be covered. I will be able to track a deer or perhaps a couple of rabbits if nothing else.”

They ate two cans of soup, placed the remaining cans and jars in an old gym bag and then started working on getting some water. John took several pans outside, scooped, some snow and brought it back in the house to boil. They found several empty water bottles and used some bleach to sanitize them before pouring the hot water into them. In a little over an hour, they had two gallons of water to take with them.

As they walked away from the house Beth asked, “If we can track a deer, can’t someone track us in this snow?”

“Yes they can. That is why we are going into the woods and walk along the road and not on it. If we stay a hundred feet or so off the road, we’ll have less chance of being spotted. We will have to be careful. If the snow continues at this pace our tracks will soon be covered.”

They walked another couple of miles and heard several gunshots. John picked a tree, which could easily be spotted, and hid the food and water close to its base. Then they cautiously walked towards the gunfire just in time to see a young lady and an old man dive behind a log right in front of them as two men shot at the two.

“Beth, we don’t know who the good guys are. Let’s watch for a minute.”

They watched for twenty minutes while the two men searched for the couple. The men weren’t in a hurry and appeared to be enjoying the hunt.

They steadily got closer to the couple and were only about a hundred feet from John when the closest man yelled, “If you don’t get your ass back in the house I’ll kill your dog and roast him for supper. We just want you to be nice to us. We won’t hurt you."

The man was obviously drunk and had sex on his mind. Beth and John crawled up behind the man and girl and caught their attention.