The Fall of America: Fatal Encounters (Book 2) (13 page)

“I do not believe a word of this.  It cannot be possible.  How did these forty Americans die?”

“Sir, a Lieutenant Yevseyev, working on intelligence provided by the Colonel, caught the Americans crossing an open field just after dawn.  Using his guns and rockets, he was able to complete his mission successfully.  A detailed after-action report is on its way here.”

“I will be damned. That must be the largest kill for a single man to date.”

“It is, sir, but it is yet unconfirmed.  The bodies will add credibility to the report.”

“When are these bodies to be delivered here?”

“The Colonel didn't say, sir.  He just instructed me to pass the kills on to you during the staff meeting.”

“Well,” Vetrov said, “finally some good news.  Sergeant, bring us a few bottles of vodka, this deserves a celebration!”

I hope there are at least forty dead Americans or Vetrov will have me and Pankov hanged from the highest tree
, the Major thought, as he gave a false smile.

Glasses were handed out, drinks poured and then Vetrov stood, and said, “To a quick Russian victory over the Americans!”

“To Mother Russia!”  A Captain responded as he held his drink high.

The drinks disappeared and then the Sergeant said, “Sir, I am to inform you of three helicopters due here in five minutes.  According to the message I have, the aircraft are carrying dead Americans.”

“Here?  Why here?”  The Colonel asked.

“I have no idea, sir.  Your captain asked me to inform you.”

That damned Pankov is doing this on purpose, so he can show me the dead
, he thought and then said, “Gentlemen, shall we go outside and watch the delivery?”

Due to his rank, no one refused, but most didn't really want to see the blood and gore.  They were members of the commanders staff, not combat troops, and few had served in combat.  They left the room, went down a flight of stairs and out to the lawn.

It was a nice day, with a few clouds hanging high in the sky to the west, but otherwise clear.  The air was warm, but not overly hot, so most of the staff enjoyed a light breeze that blew.

“To the west, I see three aircraft.”  Someone in the group said.  As all looked in the direction the small points gradually grew larger.  A few minutes later, three helicopters were seen, and each had a big net hanging below.

The first aircraft flew to the center of the big lawn and slowly descended until the net touched the ground.  It continued to lower, until a private on the ground disconnected the net from a thick cable.   The aircraft started up and in a matter of a minute or two, it was gone and another started toward the lawn.  Ten minutes later, the three aircraft now gone, the staff stood in shock.  Blood covered the bodies and dripped to the grass, pooling in puddles.  Arms, legs, and heads had been thrown onto the net loosely, so many had rolled off once the net was released from the aircraft.  The heat, while only warm, intensified the coppery smell of blood, urine, and human waste.  A young lieutenant turned his head to the left and puked.

Vetrov was smiling as he walked to the first net and saw the devastating damage done by just one helicopter.  He then turned and said, “I want intelligence to pull these bodies from the nets and count them.  I want an estimate on ages, determine the genders and any other intelligence you can gather from the remains.  That means going through their pockets and gear.  I want an exact count of the number dead.  Major, you will give me a detailed briefing as soon as the information as been gathered.  For the rest of you, dismissed.”

J
ohn liked the cellar, but knew if they were all caught inside they'd be easily killed. The top was covered with dirt and grass had grown high on top, along with brush.  No one had walked around it in years.  The trees from the forest, over the years, were slowly moving toward the cellar.  From the forest proper, John guessed it was fifty feet, which was a short run, but if trapped inside, the same run could take a lifetime.  The two doors were hinged with a cross bar of metal that held the door securely against high winds, but it offered no protection at all against weapons, not even small arms fire.

As they worked, Joshua said, “Me and my daddy, God rest his soul, grew a lot of cotton here one time, way before the fall.  Cotton paid my way through college and made me a good living for a long time. Then, one day when I was about twenty-three, I got me an idea to join the Army. Just like that, I was gone. Daddy did fine for a couple of years without me, then due to his age, he had to quit.”

“Did you grow up here too?  I mean in the house?” Tom asked.

“Nope, but my daddy and grandpa did, and his father before him.”

“That's a lot of years in a piece of land. I'd imagine your folks put a lot sweat into this place.”

“I've never given that part much thought. We made a better than average living from this land, so I think we got out of it what we put into it.  We were all hard workers and I can remember many a day coming home tired and beat.  Those were good days, only they're lost forever now, because this country will never be what it was before.”

“By God, ya got that right, but once we clear the invaders out and get started up again, we'll need some good people.  We'll need folks to represent us that really care about us and our country.  Just before the fall, all the politicians were in the business for the money.  Hell, it didn't make much difference if they were Democrat or Republican, money bought their votes.”

“I hear ya. I was always confused about how we could give billions of dollars to other countries, but yet had to make cuts to programs that helped our veterans and old folks.  We should have taken care of our own before helping anyone else.  My daddy always said, 'Charity starts in the home.'”

“Actually, when you're running a government and run out of money, you can't keep spending.  No money, no spending, pretty simple in my mind.”

John, who'd been guarding outside stuck his head in and said, “Tom and Joshua, I want the two of you to circle this place and make sure we're alone.  Start close, then slowly widen your search.”

“Come on, Joshua.” Tom said as he picked his rifle up and moved for the door.

Once out in the fresh air, Tom said, “John, check the air vent, because the air is stale in the hole.  I suspect some critter has made a nest in the thing to keep dry.  We'll be back in a couple of hours.”

The two men stepped into the woods and were soon lost to view.  

John found a nest of some kind in the vent and Sandra said it was rats.  He removed it and then moved to the old house to see if anything could be found they might be able to use. He had Margie and Sandra on guard and when he'd looked around earlier, he'd seen no tracks or evidence to suggest others were around.  Dolly had circled the place with him and she'd not alerted to anything.

Part of the roof to the house had fallen in, and the steps had rotted through in a few spots.  The door was missing and he discovered it on the inside, laying flat on the floor.  Old newspapers, paper cups and a few wine bottles were seen.  All of the furniture, pictures and all possessions were gone, likely taken when the last occupant left. Dolly sniffed at some old stains on the floor and then looked bored.

In the kitchen an old stove stood, and on opening the oven door, he discover an oven rack, so he removed it to cook on.  The roof had fallen in on the bedrooms, so he made his way back outside.  He  didn't expect to find much, but the rack would make cooking easier.  He bent down, removed four bricks from the yard to place the rack on, and returned to the cellar.  He then cleaned his weapons and checked his gear.

Tom and Joshua returned later in the day and reported they'd seen nothing. They did discover a dirt road to the north and Joshua said it led to pavement after a few miles and then went into Edwards.  

John thought for a minute and then asked, “What's left of Edwards now?”

“Well, likely not much, because it wasn't a big place before the fall.  The last I heard, all the towns between Jackson and the Mississippi River, on the main highway, are under Russian control now.  They send supplies up the Mississippi from the port in New Orleans. From Vicksburg, they can send supplies to any part of the state, or the South; why?”

“The last briefing Colonel Parker gave involving Vicksburg was bad news, because it was heavily guarded.”

“Vicksburg is out, but we might want to visit Edwards.”

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Probably not.  I'm thinking we can sneak around the town, get a feel for traffic going in and out, then ambush somebody.”

“Good, because I'll not enter a town without my guns. I thought for a minute there, you intended to actually go into the town and take a look.”

“He can't do that, but I'll bet I could.” Margie said, and then smiled.

“What makes you think you can do it, without being caught?”

“I'm a woman.  If I go in there begging, dirty and looking a mess, they'll not stop me. Now, if you send Kate, they'll line up to use her.  Soldiers can smell a pretty woman.”  Margie said, and then broke out laughing.

“Very funny. Besides, you're pretty, too.” Kate said and then shook her head.

“I'm not ugly, but I'd win no beauty contests, so let's be honest here.  I'm a plain looking woman.”

“Damn, Margie, do you realize the risk?”  John asked.

“I really haven't given it much thought, but I suspect it could be done.  Most soldiers don't see a woman as a serious threat.”

“Last I heard, the Russians haven't started issuing travel papers or any form of identification, so it might work.” Tom said.

“We need the intelligence, but I won't tell you to go, Margie. I still think it's a big risk.”

“Do we have anything I could trade that isn't military?  If the Russians run the place, there are sure to be booths for trading things.  Hell, I'm not even sure what they'd want to trade for anyway.”

“I have my lucky silver dollar from 1886, but that's all I have.”  Kate said.

“Gold necklace from me, but it's not worth much.” Joshua said and then pulled it from his neck.

Sandra said, “All I have is my wedding rings, but you'll never get them, so I'm sorry.  I once had thousands of dollars in jewelry, only lost it all when the house was taken.”

“I'm the same as Sandra.  We were forced out our home by a bunch of thugs and have nothing left, except each other and that's more than most folks have these days.”  John replied.

Tom tossed his wedding ring to Margie and said, “I don't need this, not since my wife was killed, and to tell you the truth, wearing it brings back too many memories of her.”

“I have some earrings my brother gave me. He died the first year after the fall, and I'll use them if need be, but with a silver dollar, gold necklace and wedding band, I should have plenty to trade with.  I'll try to get us some veggies or meat.”

“Horse trade with 'em, if you can, and talk.  Get them to talk about the town and how you're passing through looking for your lost family. I suspect there are a lot of lost folks these days.” Kate said.

“You know, I hope one day, if we ever get our country back, that people understand and know what we sacrificed for our freedom.  Freedom is just a word, until one day you no longer have it and then it's valuable.  I'm willing to die for our cause, because I believe in our future.  I want our future generations to grow up free, like we did, with the American flag flying high.  I want to live long enough to see that, but I'm willing to pay any price for freedom, including my life.”

“Hell,” Joshua said, “you should run for office, I'll vote for you.”  He then broke out laughing.

John was thinking about her words and realized he felt the same way.  He wasn't killing to kill, but to free his country.  He didn't hate the Russians, he hated occupation.  All he wanted was the Russians to leave and the world to allow the American people to rebuild their country.

John thought for a minute and then said, “Okay, Margie, you can enter Edwards, but I'll go with you part way.  I'll wait outside the town limits for your return.  Go in, trade a little, try not to use all the jewelry you have, and learn what you can.  The key is to get the trader to talking about all they know.  But, for God's sake, avoid the Russians if you can.”

“Do you have the clothes you'll need?” Sandra asked.

“I have most of what I need, but I could use a coat of some kind.”

“I have a jean jacket I usually wear under my uniform, but that's all I have of the civilian world any longer.” Sandra said and then pulled the coat from her pack.  Handing it to Margie she said, “I want it back when you return.”

“Okay, guys, lets go outside and let her change. Once you're a civilian again, we'll move to Edwards.  Now, if things get to feeling strange or not right, get the hell out and do the job quickly.  If the Russians approach you, try to talk your way out, but if not, use this.”  John handed her a snub-nosed .38 and then added, “It's loaded and ready to use.  Carry it in the small of your back.”

The walk to Edwards was nice, with the weather cloudy, but warm.  Dolly enjoyed it as she sniffed and scanned the countryside as they walked.  Margie was scared, but knew they needed to know what was going on inside the town, or they might not be able to plan well for any future attacks.  Poor planning would lead to deaths of some, if not all, of the group.