Dark Titan Journey: Wilderness Travel (12 page)

Wanting Jasmine to understand, Nathan walked over to her and pulled her to the side of the road so they could see the cop car. “Look at the bullets in the door and the cases on the ground. They had automatic weapons. They may have been trying to kill cops, but I think they wanted the weapons,” he said.

Jasmine nodded her head. “Glenda wrote that they yelled that to her,” she said.

“So you want to leave it for them?” he asked.

“I was going to take it anyway but I’ll bury the shit before those assholes get it now,” Jasmine said.

“Let’s get this stuff and get the hell out of here,” Nathan said.

“Nathan, we just can’t leave them like this. Please,” Jasmine begged, looking at the officer on the ground and off into the woods where Glenda’s body was.

Shaking his head, Nathan moved over to the man and started rolling him up in the tarp. “If those shitheads show up while we do this I’m spanking your ass,” he told Jasmine. They all ran over to help. John struggled gamely but then threw up from the smell, and Amanda threw up as they put the body in the backseat. Nathan went back to the woman’s body and picked her up in a fireman’s carry and laid her gently on top of her partner in the backseat.

Nathan closed the doors and walked to the front of the car. “Put the notebook in the front seat and let’s get the hell out of here,” he said, grabbing a bag. Everyone loaded up their arms and walked away, leaving the memorial to the officers.

Before the car was out of sight, Jasmine glanced back and looked at it one last time. She hadn’t told Nathan what the Gordon brothers told the woman they were going to do to her after they got her gun. Jasmine didn’t want to scare Amanda. “That’s not going to happen to me or Amanda,” Jasmine whispered and trudged onward, saying a silent prayer and hoping Glenda’s husband would find out what happened to his wife.

They had spent way too long at the car and Nathan stopped and looked at his map. There was no way they were making their site with all the extra crap they were carrying. There was a small ravine off the dirt road half a mile before it ran into the paved road, and Nathan decided that was the camp spot for the night.

When they reached the small ravine, Nathan stopped and looked down in it and nodded. They climbed down into the ravine and started laying out the equipment. Nathan had never been so happy to see ammo till he started counting it up. The can that should’ve held a thousand rounds held only three hundred. The male officer’s vest was full with five hundred rounds. The female’s vest only held a hundred.

Nathan made Amanda load the empty magazines while Jasmine and John cleaned the weapons. They each took a Tac vest and pistols, with Jasmine keeping the pistol John had given her. The female’s spare fatigues fit Jasmine perfectly except in her chest, and she couldn’t get the concealed vest to fit for the same reason. The tah-tahs were too big.

Standing there in a t-shirt, she looked over at Nathan, who was just smiling. “Don’t worry about that vest. The Tac vest will stop a rifle round but it’s heavy. If you want, you can shed a few pounds by taking off the shoulder, groin, and neck guards like mine,” he offered. She smiled and did comply with his instructions.

“Amanda, take off your vest,” Nathan said, grabbing the one Jasmine had thrown down. By the time he walked over to Amanda she was stripped down to her t-shirt. He put the new vest on her, crossing the straps and pulling the side panels closed. It fit. It was a little big, but at least it didn’t wrap around her twice. “Oh, I like this one,” she said till she smelled it. She wrinkled her nose but kept quiet. Nathan nodded approvingly. She was learning.

With the gear divided they all started to clean it up. Since they were in a ravine, Nathan let them use light. They were done before midnight and had started getting ready for bed when they heard a tractor going down the paved road half a mile away. They listened as it continued down the road, passing the dirt road without turning.

“Think that was them?” John asked.

“Don’t know and we aren’t going to find out,” Nathan said. They agreed on the guard shift with John demanding the last one. Nathan just nodded and lay down and was asleep before he knew it.

Chapter 8

Day 14

Nathan’s eyes shot open as he felt Ares’ chest vibrate with a low growl. Reaching over, he grabbed his rifle and sat up. Seeing Ares still lying down, he relaxed a little. “If you woke me because a deer was close, I’m eating your breakfast,” he told Ares.

Then off in the distance Nathan heard a tractor and his pulse quickened. Straining to listen, he noticed the noise was starting to get fainter. Rubbing his face, he laid back down, seeing John in the starlight looking at him. Nathan waved and John waved back.

Nathan started thinking about their route for the day. From the sound of the tractor they were going to be close to that area, but was it the same group? It could just be a farmer, he thought. The alternate route added another day of travel and took them close to three big towns. That was the reason he’d chosen this route; they only came near small villages of a few thousand. The closest town to them now was Jasper, and it was well over ten miles away.

Thinking about it, he concluded they would hear the tractor and be able to hide long before the men driving it would see them. Smiling to himself, Nathan stood up and grabbed stuff for coffee. Sitting down at the end of the ravine with John, Nathan started the coffee up, wanting to hurry up and start the day. Granted, they had scored big time, but it had cost them a half a day’s travel.

Noticing the sky was getting brighter, he looked at his watch to see it was almost six. Hearing movement, he looked toward the end of the ravine where Amanda and Jasmine were sleeping. He saw Jasmine stand up, clothed just in her bra and panties, and caught his breath again. Looking at Jasmine, Nathan knew if there was a God, he was a man. Only a man could put together a woman like that. Glancing at John, Nathan saw him with his mouth hanging open and his arms just hanging by his side. A look of blessed peace was on John’s face, along with a little drool coming out of the corner of his mouth.

Nathan would almost swear the boy wasn’t even breathing and he tried not to laugh and spoil the moment. Glancing at Jasmine, Nathan saw her bend over as she grabbed her jogging pants; John stumbled back as he looked at her butt. She dressed and walked over to them, patting John on the arm and squatting down by Nathan.

Jasmine looked at him laughing silently. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Just remembered a joke I heard a while back,” he said, not wanting to spoil the moment or embarrass John or himself.

“Oh tell me, I really need to laugh,” Jasmine pleaded, pouring a cup of coffee.

The laughter left Nathan’s body as he panicked. “I don’t tell them very well and only screw them up,” he lied.

“Please,” she begged.

“It’s not really proper,” Nathan lied again, hoping she’d quit digging.

“I can tell you some raunchy ones,” Jasmine assured him.

Letting out a long sigh, Nathan racked his brain. “Okay. A construction worker on the fifth floor of a building needed a handsaw. So he spots another worker on the ground floor and yells down to him, but the man can’t hear him. So the worker on the fifth floor tries sign language.

“The man on the fifth floor pointed to his eye meaning ‘I,’ pointed to his knee meaning ‘need,’ then moved his hand back and forth in a sawing motion. The man on the ground floor nods his head, pulls down his pants, whips out his tube steak and starts masturbating.

The worker on the fifth floor gets so pissed off he runs down to the ground floor and says, ‘What the fuck is your problem! I said I needed a hand saw!’

“The other guy says, ‘I knew that! I was just trying to tell you: I’m coming!’” Nathan finished and Jasmine fell back on her butt laughing and John joined in. Nathan sighed and thought about telling Jasmine the truth later, but figured, ‘No, this is too good.’

Sitting back up, she looked at him, smiling. “Thank you. I really needed to laugh,” she said.

“Glad I could help,” he said, pouring a cup of coffee.

Jasmine sat there staring into her coffee. “Do you think we’ll see those guys?” she asked.

“I sure hope not, and if we hear a tractor we hide,” Nathan educated her.

“Even after what we saw?” she asked.

“Especially after what we saw. We don’t have the ammo or the time to right the injustices of this new world. If we come upon someone we can help, we will do our best if it doesn’t involve too much risk to us, but if we can’t, we leave. A bunch of guys on a tractor with guns falls into the chapter entitled, ‘Leave those shitheads alone,’” Nathan said.

Jasmine let out a long puff of air. “I guess you’re right,” she concluded.

“Hey Jasmine, I’ve just taught you how to operate your weapon and you’ve only fired mine three times. You’re not ready to start getting into some shit, girl. I’m teaching you so you can stay alive, not get into a war. At least not yet,” Nathan informed her.

“I know, it just seems unfair,” she whined.

“Yes it is and that’s what sucks. Life is unfair and good people get the shaft,” he let her know.

She nodded her head. “Thank you, and you have my permission to spank me if I try to do something stupid,” she said.

He thought for a minute. “Damn, didn’t know I needed permission,” he said.

“Well you have it so it doesn’t matter,” she said smartly.

“Alright, let’s get the firecracker up and get the morning stuff out of the way,” Nathan told them.

An hour and a half later they were on the road. Jasmine and John were now decked out in tactical gear. John had sucked and pulled till he got the clothes to fit. Looking at Jasmine, Nathan had to admit Jasmine looked hot in the gear. She kept looking down at the drop holster on her thigh then back up. It had taken Nathan an hour last night to show both of them how to draw the pistol out of the holster by pressing a release and for them to get used to it. Jasmine and John both had the officers’ messenger bags for tote bags. They left everything they couldn’t use in the ravine, hoping it could help someone else someday, although they did take Nathan’s concealable bulletproof vest. Leaving something like that was just too much for Nathan. He could leave some of the guns, but not the vest or ammo.

With Nathan in the lead and Ares next to him, the others stayed in a staggered file behind him. It took Nathan awhile to explain that in single file one bullet could take out most of them. Glancing back, Nathan watched little Amanda looking around like she was told to. She had informed everyone that she wanted a gun like theirs. Nathan had promised he would do his best to get her an M-4 and she accepted that, but Nathan secretly had little hope of ‘finding’ another one. To be honest, Nathan was tickled pink they had what they had.

They had walked for an hour when Ares let out a soft growl. Like a switch, Nathan dropped down into a crouch then eased into the ditch, telling Ares to follow. Looking behind him, he saw the others follow his lead. Looking down at Ares, Nathan saw him staring intently off to the side of the road. Fearing an ambush, Nathan scanned up ahead with his binoculars and didn’t see anything. The other three moved up to him.

“What’s wrong?” Jasmine asked.

“Don’t know. Ares smells something he doesn’t like,” he said, looking at Ares. “Follow me and be ready to run,” he told the three. “Ares, easy show,” he commanded and Ares started walking forward. As they moved up, Nathan saw where a tractor had been coming and going out of the woods. Dirt on the road showed it had been going right and left, but the wettest, freshest tracks were heading away from them.

“What, Ares?” Nathan asked as Ares looked past the dirt road into the woods.

“Come on, let’s get the hell out of here,” Jasmine said, a slight tremor in her voice as she looked at the impressions in the dirt from a tractor.

“Ares doesn’t like something,” he said.

Nodding as she looked up at Nathan, Jasmine said, “Right, all the more reason to leave.”

“Just stay quiet and follow me,” he told them and eased down the driveway. They followed the twisting dirt track through the woods for half an hour then heard what could only be a kid scream off in the distance to their front. Nathan led them off the dirt path into the woods and motioned them around. “I’m going to see what’s going on and you three stay here. If I’m not back in three hours, leave. If you hear a lot of gunfire, leave; and if Ares comes back and grabs his pack, leave. Go to the rally point and wait till morning. If I’m not there by that time, leave,” Nathan told them in a commanding voice.

“Wait. Let me come with you?” Jasmine begged him.

“That is a no,” Nathan said.

“What about ‘We can’t save the world,’” she said.

“Unless we are at a spot we can help, I’m going to see what’s going on to find out if we can help. If we can’t, be ready to leave when I get back. Now if I can take them out, I’ll send Ares back to bring you. He’ll probably go to Amanda. Bring my pack and his and hurry,” Nathan said, handing her the map. “If something happens, make sure you get my pack. There is stuff you’ll need in it.”

Tears started welling up in her eyes. “Let’s just go,” Jasmine begged. Amanda came over to them.

“Come on, let’s forget this and leave,” Amanda said, trying to convince him.

“Guys, we’re wasting time. We know some of them are gone. Stay here,” Nathan said, dropping his pack and reaching over to undo Ares’ pack. “Stay safe,” he said then started walking away, staying inside the tree line beside the dirt path.

After a few hundred yards he could make out some people talking and laughing. Seeing the hair on Ares’ scruff starting to stand up, Nathan reduced his pace and eased forward.

In about fifty yards he reached a slope, where he hit his belly and moved carefully to the top. The voices became more distinct, and he heard more laughter. Then Nathan heard a man yell and others laughing. A gunshot split the quietness of the morning, and he heard several kids screaming. Not being able to take the kids’ screaming, he moved forward at a snail’s pace with Ares staying right beside him.

Coming over the rise, Nathan crept forward very carefully through the bushes. Looking out onto a plateau next to a small meadow, he saw three men seated in chairs around a camp fire. Several more chairs stood empty. A man was standing over another, who was spread-eagled and tied to stakes driven into the ground. The man was aiming a pistol at the person on the ground and was holding a bloody hand to the left side of his neck; blood was oozing out from under his hand.

They were still about sixty yards away and Nathan couldn’t hear what the man was saying, but he sounded pissed off. Clearly the other three thought it was funny. Then the person on the ground screamed and Nathan realized it was a woman. Lifting up his rifle, Nathan turned the focus up on his scope and the figures became clearer. Scanning around, he spotted another group off to the side: a man, a woman, and two boys, all tied up with tape over their mouths.

Looking for the kids he’d heard screaming, Nathan found them tied up on the other side of the circle; behind the man with the gun. Finishing his search, Nathan aimed at the gun-wielding man.
I’m fixing to die
, Nathan thought, taking a deep breath. Moving his crosshairs from the three men sitting and the one standing, Nathan was sure he could get two before the other two moved, but they had M-4s or AR-15s. He could see them leaning against the chairs.

“Ares, protect the group,” Nathan whispered and calmed his breathing. Aiming at the gun holder, he flipped to burst just as the man lifted up his arm and aimed at the woman. Nathan squeezed the trigger and didn’t even wait for impact before aiming at the next man and squeezing.

Moving to the third man, Nathan saw him turning, pulled the trigger and advanced his sight to the next, only to find him standing up and aiming an M-4 in his direction. Nathan calmly squeezed the trigger and watched all three rounds hit him in the belly. The man dropped his rifle and collapsed, screaming shrilly.

“Ares, come,” Nathan said and took off running, praying none of the men’s companions were close. He could hear two of them screaming as he came up to them; he shot them both in the head, silencing them.

The woman started to babble and Nathan put his fingers to his lips. Ares was looking off to the left toward some buildings. Nathan could tell there was something he didn’t like over there. Crouching down next to the woman he pulled his knife out and started to cut her loose. She’d been shot in the abdomen. He whispered, “Stay quiet, the dog senses something over there.” Then Nathan moved to the man, woman, and two boys.

He pulled the tape off of the man’s mouth. “How many in those buildings?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t know!” he whispered back.

“Where are the other five then?” Nathan asked and the man looked at him with astonishment. “There are nine chairs around the fire, and I only killed four,” Nathan said, rolling him over and cutting his hands loose.

“They left right at dawn,” he told Nathan.

“Cut everyone loose and be ready to run,” Nathan said, handing him his knife before moving towards the buildings.

“Ares come. Find,” he said and Ares slinked ahead of him with his head down. One of the buildings was like a small house with a shed beside it, and the other two were large and made of metal. They bordered the side of a large field. Ares moved toward the two metal buildings and led Nathan between them.

As Nathan came around the corner, he found a man hanging from a rope which tied his wrists together; he was covered in blood. He didn’t have a shirt on but Nathan could tell by the pants that he was a cop. Taking off his glove, Nathan felt for a pulse and couldn’t find one, but the man was still warm. Nathan backed away as Ares smelled the man’s legs. “I’m sorry, friend. If you’d lived another few minutes you would’ve known I got some of ‘em,” Nathan said.

Pushing the anger away, he looked inside the metal buildings to find them piled full of stuff. Not taking the time to look at what it was, Nathan moved to the house. Opening the door, he froze. Everywhere he looked were guns and stacks of boxes. Making sure there was no place for someone to hide, he stepped back out. After checking the small shed, Nathan headed back to the group and noticed giant mounds of supplies around the entire area.