Book 1: Ch 5

We found a nice spot overlooking the overturned wagon blocking the road and the area around it, but first, we thoroughly scanned the chosen vantage point as any advantageous positions are just as likely to be taken by the enemy. The spot looked to be empty, and we slowly approached it by looping around coming from it’s blindside, confirming it. We settled, laying under a fallen log and pointing our optics on the area in front of us. “Were in position, observing the area now.” I said to the radio, keeping Nick informed of our progress as hell be likely to be on edge.

It looked empty at first, but then wagons do not simply overturn themselves and conveniently block a road. It took us a while, but we found it. A well camouflaged spot also overlooking the area around the wagon. It was so well camouflaged that the only thing that gave it away is that one of the ones inside decided to go out of the hide and take a piss. I spotted the guy, and waited as he was done with his business and went back to the camouflaged position. If I’m right, it is most likely an observation post as no one would like to spend their days sitting in a hole in the ground if they could help it. Now, the problem lies to where the others are camped out.

I left Ron to watch the observation post to get a closer look, as I am the best in our group regarding tracking, I was to find some tracks leading away from the position, which would surely be there. Humans are creatures of habit, likely to use the same routes when going places and are likely to leave a well beaten track if given enough time. Fortunately, I was able to bring and wear appropriate camouflage clothing giving me an easier time to come close enough to the observation point that I was able to find what I was looking for.

I notified the two of the discovery and followed the path. Keeping a slow pace, soon I was able to catch a whiff of smoke along with some voices carried over by the wind. I went further, came in even slower and finally found their camp. It was located in a small Cul-De-Sac surrounded by a set of small hills covered by thick vegetation. Looking at it, it was well hidden from any angle, the light of the camp fire and the noises of the men were blocked by the hills surrounding the camp. It is also close the road making it a perfect hideout for anyone wishing travelers ill will. There were around twenty of them gathered around the fire or roaming around the camp. There may be more inside the tents that make up the structures in the camp but it shouldn’t be a lot. What worried me though, is that at least a quarter of them had rifles on their backs, one even had a musket, while the others were hanging swords and maces on their belts and bows on their backs. Their clothes were a ragtag collection so I guess the chance of them belonging to the local law around here is slim. Leaving them to be bandits, thieves, murderers, maybe deserters, a group no one would miss in case we come to that.

I looked up and saw the sun was already falling under the forest canopy, the last rays of the sun bathing everything in twilight. It’ll be dark soon, better to move then when there is a lesser chance to be discovered. It would also give me more time to scout out the camp in case anything develops. But nothing else happened and I quietly slipped out into the darkness, marching out into a random direction then making sharp turns and continuing on as to discourage anyone who might be following.

I called in my findings and finally went to the direction of the trucks, thankful of the fact that I carried my new NVD. The going was tough, any sound would be carried far during the night, but I persevered, managing to reach the trucks with minimal noise. It would be troublesome if I would lead an unwelcome guest back to our camp. I called in my arrival within the vicinity and approached.

It was dark, and no one came to welcome me. Fair enough, I raised my monocular NVD to search for the two when I saw a bright spot coming from a small light source. I lowered my monocle and the pitch dark night was all that I could see. Infrared light, invisible to the human eye. I homed in to the source to find the two hiding in a nook between two boulders, it was big enough to fit all of us with room to spare. It is also well hidden, giving us at bit of security.

Ron passed me pack of MRE as I closed the flap serving as the nook’s entrance, there was a flashlight hanging on the ceiling with a red filter serving as our light. I looked at the writing dubiously causing Ron to chuckle, it was to recommended to be eaten sometime next year, “Sorry for the present accommodation, it’s just that I couldn’t book a hotel reservation. I would prefer a comfortable bed and a hot shower, but this beats sleeping in the trucks.”

“It’s not that.” I said, “I just find the military version of spaghetti to be the worst thing they could make.” complaining as I poured water into the heater packs.

Ron grinned, “Well tough shit, I find it to be the best flavor. That’s why I took about three of ‘em with me in case of an emergency.” He then scooped up a spoonful of it and put it in his mouth, closing his eyes with an expression of contentment, not a face you’d expect from someone so well off.

“I find okay to be honest,” Nick added, keeping the pack in between his knees and using his left hand to feed himself, “I’ve had better, but I’ve also had worse.”

We continued to eat our meal in silence, finishing it off with a big swig of fresh water. I then reached into my vest and pulled out a notepad, ripping of the page where I drew a sketch of the camp. Ron and Nick looked it over and asked questions about their numbers and weapon composition. I answered every question they threw at me, but I am not a soldier, and so is the other two. We should be back on our homes or doing our jobs, not making a plan to raid a camp.

Of course we could just go around the roadblock, our trucks were fitted with powerful supercharged V8 engines, lift kits and winches, they are capable of going off road but it doesn’t mean they should. All it could take is one mistake and we could lose all three trucks. That left us only one other option.

We need to use the road, they are blocking it. They’re armed and so are we. Nick came up to one of them and he was shot. They used force on us, which means we should too.

I cleared my throat, taking the attention of the two. “I’d like to make this clear, as for us to not dance around the subject. We would be coming in there, with the intent of taking them out, and we would kill them. I am okay with that. I would not risk my life on the slim chance that Nick was shot in accident when he approached one of the roadblocks last night. It is us, or them. I’d rather choose us.”I said.

The two looked at me for a while, their face impassive then slowly nodded. Were not kids, were not idealists, we realize how dangerous this new world we find ourselves in and we know that we would have to be just as dangerous to even have a chance to survive.

Unsurprisingly, we kept our silence in that nook, deep into our own thoughts. Will I get shot? Will it hurt? Will I survive the encounter? I hope so.

My thoughts were then interrupted by a series of clicking sounds. I looked up and saw Ron in the middle of disassembling his rifle, he had his cleaning kit laid right beside him and I could just guess his intentions. Thinking about the answers to my questions, I resolved that it really didn’t matter what the answer is. If I happen to die tomorrow, then I would be dead, and the dead doesn’t have any problems. I happened to live, then all is good, worrying about it is just a waste of time and energy.

I looked down, laying my gaze into my own rifle, it’s already been cleaned. I know because I just did it this morning, right before we set off. Picking it up and feeling its weight, knowing that these well machine pieces of steel will be the ones who will stand between me and my death, cleaning it one more time wouldn’t hurt I guess.

One of the disadvantages I could glean from keeping a base of operations in a cul-de-sac is that the feature that is used to hide you could be used as a vantage point. I situated myself in the hill to the west of the camp, just below the crest and deep in the cover of the thick vegetation that covered it. The fire in the center of the camp has grown smaller as everyone not on guard duty is already on their bunks, asleep.

I held my monocle to my eye and saw everything under the dark night in grains and shades of green. Sentries were posted up all around the camp, every one of them looking sharp hinting some discipline in their movements. One of the sentries then dropped to the ground, falling down like a marionette with its string cut. That would be Nick’s doing, he called in a while ago that he took care of the two guys in the observation post and is now moving towards the camp.

Nick is carrying the only rifle we had chambered in .300 Blackout, a wildcat cartridge that is taking the civilian market by storm. The rifle is fitted with a nightscope along with a suppressor and is shooting subsonic ammunition, the combination of which I find scarily effective. Another sentry went down, unbeknown to his comrades. It’s just that shooting the gun in its present configuration would only give you a slight nudge in the shoulder and the gun giving off a sneezing sound, almost giving the shooter the impression that he isn’t shooting off a 220 grain hunk of metal in just under the speed of sound.

I crept slowly forward, keeping my weight on my back foot as I methodically advanced towards the enemy camp. My heart was running a marathon, and my mouth was bone dry. I took a knee just a few feet from the tents and I could just barely hear the crackle of the fire and the light breathing of the sleeping men, then followed by another faint sneeze in the distance. The radio crackled “Sentries out.” Nick said.

“Then it’s time to rock and roll.” Ron declared through the radio, followed by a dark figure sauntering off to one of the tents cradling something resembling and AK in his hands. It was Ron, and I could see from where I am the way that he shoved the barrel of his shotgun through the tent flap.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!*

The shotgun’s muzzleflash briefly lit up the tent’s interior followed by the gun’s boom. I flinched, anyone inside that tent would be experiencing the business end of a 12 gauge firing a double ought buckshot load. Another shot sounded, this time lighting up the tent more considerably and making it catch on fire. Dragon’s breath, 12 gauge shotgun shell filled with magnesium balls, burns really bright and real fucking hot.

Following Ron’s lead, I stood up and went to one of the multiple tents. I could hear confused voices coming from inside, and leveled my gun to their probable position and fired. *BOOM*. I must’ve missed since the occupants inside managed to let out a pained scream. I racked the slide, pulling at the vertical grip attached on the slide hard and sending it back forward with authority, making the distinct two clicks of a shotgun. The occupants then halted on screaming as they heard the clicks, then proceeded to scream incomprehensible words of which I could accurately guess of them saying no.

I might have spared them then, but I didn’t. Right then and there, I am a machine, an engine of destruction set upon these poor souls with the intent of annihilating all of them. I pulled the trigger, bathing them with a shower of burning metal and setting them along with the tent on fire. They screamed and it fell to deaf ears as I continued on moving to the next tent.

My shotgun was already aimed at the entrance when a man emerged crouching through the tentflaps. He seemed startled by my figure as he paused and looked up at me with surprised eyes. A fatal mistake.

*BOOM* the shotgun thundered, the man flinched and slowly sunk down inside the tent, followed by another blast of Dragon’s breath inside.

The fire is spreading fast across the camp, lighting up the tents and bringing a wave of panic and confusion among the men. Shadows were darting around, the men of the camp trying to quell the fire that is consuming everything in their path, and others were trying to make sense of the situation. It was time for a quick retreat, to reload.

I slinked back to the edge of the camp and crouched into the darkness. Watching the men as I unclasped a pouch attached on my vest, it opened up revealing rows and rows of double ought buckshot neatly secured in loops of nylon, their red coloration shining dangerously in the distant firelight. I then pulled at the shells and went to the motions of reloading my shotgun. *click* *click*

Some of the tents haven’t managed to catch fire, and I used the shadow it casted to stay in relative darkness as I crept in closer. There were about ten of them left, all of them were now reduced to milling around as all they managed was contain the fire and let it burn. No one seemed to take charge or order the men around. I smiled, my teeth glinting in the firelight as I took my aim at the gathered group. One of them managed to notice me and whipped around, pointing at me and trying to alert the others of my presence, but it was too late.

I fired, and with only a twenty foot distance between us it wouldn’t be hard to hit my shots, especially when shooting a shotgun. The man pointing at me flinched and a puff of dust and ash went off as the buckshot whacked into him and into the unfortunate guy who was too close to him as to be hit by the spread. I racked the slide and sent off another shell just before the first guy had hit the ground, and another pair went down screaming in pain while the others scattered, now finally knowing that there had been an attack. Like having a fire burning your camp and almost half of you number missing wasn’t enough to tell them that.

I felt something hard and powerful smack me in the gut, bowling me into my ass and knocking the breath out of me. It hurt, a lot, it felt like someone sent a haymaker down to my stomach. But knowing that it was a bullet sent my way with the intent to kill, I’d take that pain over the alternative anytime.

I laid there in the ground for a while, keeping my shotgun aimed up in case someone else comes to finish the job. Rounds snapped, brought the bullets breaking the sound barrier as they passed by overhead. The men up ahead were yelling at each other and screaming, probably pinned down by both Nick and Ron, it’s their job so they better be doing it.

Finally, I recovered enough to have my breath back. I then rolled over to my stomach and fast crawled to back to the darkness and safety of the night. The fires are now receding, having their fuels running out and making the darkness of the night creep ever closer to the camp. By then, these people would think the attack would be over, but it’s only just begun.

I did a high crawl along the perimeter of the camp with the intention to outflank them, and happened to be close enough that I could hear their whispered voices. They were arguing, probably discussing among them the topic of making a run for it. It would be the most logical choice, they were decimated by an unknown enemy, with unknown numbers and unknown intent, they could only be after our loot, its dark; and maybe we could make a run for it. I managed to have a guess of their positions from their voices and I aimed the shotgun at their direction, and fired.

Ron managed to synchronize his shots with mine, or maybe it was Nick? Well, It didn’t matter, what’s important is that we were sending rounds downrange to the enemy, fire superiority. I shot a whole magazine tube’s worth of shells, only noticing it until no more booms wanted to come out of my boomstick. I quickly crouched back down into cover and flicked the shotgun’s magazine tube selector, which was fully loaded with another set of buckshot, one of the advantages of owning a KSG, a bullpup double magazine tube shotgun.

Rounds continue to snap by above me, and I could hear less and less moaning and screaming coming from the bandits, thinking that my job is already done and it’s time to let the others take over and finish the job, I finally retreated back. The snapping sounds of rounds flying by getting fainter as I went further and further away.

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