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  This afternoon’s visits to the border revealed troubling signs that the Jijis were going to attack soon. Scar had received other reports of meetings being held by a commander.

  This raised alarm bells in his head, so he decided to have Bassett beef up security tonight. He didn’t want to take any chances especially since they hadn’t had any success since Winters had gone. The fact they were moving citizens across the border was not lost on him. The last thing they needed was to fail at something they had done many times before.

  They saw Badger at a work bench drinking a bottle of water. He waved and then came out of the entrance of the garage.

  “How’s my honey badger?” asked Taylor referring to their on-going joke about how there can only be one honey badger.

  “Am I officially a honey badger now?” asked Reese as she hopped out of the truck.

  “Honey, you’ve always been a badger…consider yourself a honey badger in training.”

  “Oh, I am on my way. I’m so excited,” said Reese as she gave Taylor a hug.

  Taylor looked the truck up and down. “Did you actually wash this thing?”

  “Yeeess,” said Reese in a defensive tone.

  “Hmph. Well, anyway, I got your new tires right here.”

  “And rims?” asked Reese looking at the new wheels.

  “Yep. Don’t have the time or energy to take the tires off the rims, so you get new ones.”

  “I love ‘em.”

  “Good, cause you’re gonna put them on.

  “I’ve never changed a tire before.”

  “I figured that. But every girl needs to know how to change a tire.”

  “Did you teach your daughters?”

  “Damn right I did. Hell, they can change their own oil too.”

  Reese’s grin grew excited since she never had a father around to show her mechanical things or anything else for that matter.

  “C’mon, we’re going to do it with the jack that comes with the truck, so you know how to use one of those as well.”

  Taylor grabbed the bottle jack from the back seat. She nodded each time he gave her the next set of instructions. She first loosened the nuts by stomping on the lug wrench with her foot before jacking the truck up. By the time she finished the second wheel, she was able to do the last two without his assistance.

  Scar watched and was impressed she didn’t complain about her injured leg even though she struggled at times to lift the wheel onto the hub. He also was impressed the way Badger handled her with kid gloves. Something he didn’t do with many other people.

  He didn’t talk about his family and Scar didn’t even know he had daughters until Reese had just mentioned them. From the way he got along with her, it was apparent he had raised daughters, not sons.

  Taylor stood by Scar. She’ll never get stranded with a flat.”

  “No, she won’t,” responded Scar.

  “So, what’s the latest?” asked Taylor. “Nordell came by earlier and said we’re taking out a convoy out tonight.”

  “Yeah, I wanna lighten the load on the food supply.”

  “Good idea. I figure with the short-buses he’s bringing over and the gas we siphoned, we can do right around a hundred people.”

  Scar nodded with a troubled expression.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “There seems to be activity around the borders. I think the Jijis are up to something.”

  Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Think they’re getting ready to attack?”

  “They can’t wait forever.”

  Taylor scoffed. “Let them. I’m sick of waiting around for them anyway.”

  “Yeah, I hear ya. I’m about tired of this myself.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry about the convoy. They won’t fight us at night anyway.”

  Scar gave him a dubious look. “There’s a first for everything.

  “Yeah, I suppose so.”

  “Either way, I’ll send Meeks and Amber over to Hanover Road to reconnoiter the area before we move them across.”

  “What about Bassett and Burns?”

  “They’re headed out early in the morning to scout out the supply line again.”

  “Good luck on that.”

  Scar let out a frustrated sigh.

  Reese stood up holding the tire iron. “All done.”

  “Let me check those lug nuts,” said Taylor grabbing the wrench. He squatted down to tighten them. He could barely move each one a quarter turn. “Not bad, honey.”

  “I can still give a good kick,” beamed Reese.

  “Yeah, I can see that,” said Taylor as he picked up the old front wheels and threw them in the back of the pickup. “Now you got a couple of spares. They’ve still got good tread on them.” Taylor then grabbed five-gallons of gas and poured it into her tank to top it off.

  Reese wrapped her arms around Taylor. “Thanks so much.”

  “Your welcome, kiddo. You coming out tonight?”

  “No, I promised Nate I’d hang out with him and Elliott.”

  “You’re not playing poker with them, are ya?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Well, you just be careful around that Nate.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re just playing for chips.”

  “Alright,” said Taylor squinting his eyes.

  “I’ll see ya in a couple of hours,” said Scar getting back into the old Chevy.

  Taylor nodded and waved to them as Reese backed the truck out of the big garage. She cracked a mischievous grin before slamming it into drive and squealing the tires.

  “I had to break them in,” she said with a coy look.

  “But of course you did,” chuckled Scar.

  Reese sped down the road and glanced over to see Scar smiling. “What?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You’re smiling about something. You care to share?”

  “I was just thinking that I’ve never seen Badger treat anyone better than you. He’s usually quite the grouch.”

  “Oh, he’s harmless. He’s like a squishy marshmallow.”

  Scar let out a belly laugh. “A marshmallow, huh?”

  “A squishy marshmallow,” Reese corrected him holding up a finger.

  “Aren’t all marshmallows squishy?”

  Reese thought for a moment. “Not if they’re stale.”

  “Well, that would fit him perfectly,” Scar quickly responded.

  “Okay. That, that was a good one,” said Reese holding out a closed fist and opening it to drop an imaginary microphone.

  Scar laughed proudly at his retort. Still, he wouldn’t say anything to anyone as he didn’t want to ruin Badger’s reputation. He liked having that attitude around the guys because it helped keep some of the newer guys in line.

  Since being in Jackson, they’d picked up quite a number of volunteers, and they didn’t have much history with them yet. They lacked discipline and training and didn’t always listen.

  Once, they were done with Jackson, he’d take them up to Winnipeg and get them properly trained. They also needed to go up there for more supplies. Thankfully, they still had plenty of ammo but could use more RPG’s and whatever else Nordell wanted. He had mentioned the other day while they were in Sarnia he had some weapons in mind that would make their job easier.

  Chapter 36

  Winnipeg

  The Canadian supply sergeant grabbed the chrome handle on the back of the twenty-six-foot box truck and jumped on the bumper to pull the door down. He then handed Winters a list of supplies each of the three vehicles contained. The former rental moving trucks were loaded with food, medicine, weapons, ammo, and fuel.

  “Here you go, Captain,” said Sergeant Armstrong. “I’ve even added a few surprises for ya.”

  “Oh?”

  “You’ll have to wait till you get back though,” said Armstrong who then turned to the girls. “And I’ve got some gifts for you girls as well.”

  “Us? Gifts?” asked Laney.

  “Can’t
let you girls leave here without a little something,” said Armstrong as he walked over to a table that had a couple of backpacks sitting on it. He handed each girl a black backpack. “We didn’t have pink, but they’re filled with toiletries and such.”

  “Oh my God, I love it,” said Laney. “Thank you.”

  “I love black,” said Collette flaunting her black spiky hair. “Thank you so much.”

  “I’ve got some other things in there as well like some granola bars and chocolate, a first aid kit, a tactical knife.”

  The girls started squealing as they began pulling items out of the bag as if it was Christmas morning. In many ways, it was since they hadn’t even seen some of these things in a long time.

  Armstrong sidled up next to Winters. “I’ve got a couple of other things to give them as well.”

  Winters gave him a sideways glance.

  “It just doesn’t sit well with me what these girls went through,” said Armstrong.

  “Nor me, Sergeant.”

  “Besides the M4s we’ve already given them, I’ve got a couple of Glock 17’s to give them and their own night vision goggles.”

  “Oh?” asked a surprised Winters. He had hoped to get more goggles but wasn’t able to because of a delayed shipment to the base.

  “Word got around the base what these girls went through, and some of the guys…let’s just say…found a couple of pairs currently not being used.”

  “They’ll love ‘em.”

  “No sense letting someone sneak up on them at night.”

  The girls plowed through their bags setting everything out on the table and continued to squeal as they emptied the contents.

  “Thank you so much,” said both girls as they rushed over to give him a hug.

  “I’ve got two more things to give you,” said Armstrong.

  The girls looked at each other wide-eyed as he reached into a cabinet and pulled two Glocks 17’s out, each in a Kydex holster.

  “Yes, I love it,” said Laney as she took the magazine out of the pistol.

  Armstrong pulled out some loaded spare magazines and said, “One more thing.” He handed each girl a pair of ATN PS-15-WPT NightVision goggles.

  The girls’ mouths went slack-jawed as they took hold of the goggles knowing how special they were.

  “Do me a favor,” said Armstrong as he looked around. “Put those in your bags and don’t let anyone know that you have them. Okay?”

  “Oh, we won’t say a word,” said Collette. “Thank you so much.”

  “I put some solar chargers in there so you can charge the batteries,” said Armstrong who then turned to Winters. “I got a little something here for you too.” He pulled out another holster with a Glock 17 pistol and a Silencerco Osprey suppressor in a side pouch. “There’s ten of these in the back of one of those trucks, but I wanted to give you this one.”

  Winters grinned at his new weapon. “We’ve needed suppressors.”

  Armstrong took the weapon and threaded the suppressor onto the barrel of the Glock before giving him instructions.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” said Winters.

  While the girls were repacking their bags, Winters took his jacket off and strapped on the new holster. He took the suppressor off and slipped it into the side pouch. He liked the fit and gave Armstrong a nod of approval.

  He then looked inside the cabs of the three trucks. Only one had a bench seat, and he told the girls to put their bags in that one.

  Afterwards, Winters got the girls back to the infirmary to say goodbye to everyone. He didn’t look forward to it because goodbyes were never easy. Thankfully, Sadie has a new friend, who will make the goodbye easier than usual, at least he hoped.

  They reached Finley’s room, and everyone stopped talking when they walked inside.

  “It’s time?” asked Sadie.

  “Afraid so, kiddo,” said Winters.

  She got up and wrapped her arms around Winters’ waist as he expected she would. He soaked in all that she had to offer, even more so now that Cara was dead. She had become his surrogate daughter, and he cherished the special bond they shared.

  He fought to control his own tears as hers began to run down the sides of her face. This started the tear fest as all the girls started crying as they said their goodbyes to each other. Even, Collette’s mom shed tears as she hugged her daughter goodbye.

  Winters leaned down to give Finley a hug. “I’ll be seeing ya.”

  “You promise?”

  “Absolutely. I want to see what those scars are gonna look like.”

  “Oh me too! I mean, like, they’re gonna be so badass looking, I can’t wait to, like, watch ‘em heal up…”

  Winters let out a chuckle as she started talking a mile a minute again.

  She realized what she was doing and put her hand to her mouth. “I’m doing it again.”

  Winters nodded.

  “Oh, Cole, here’s all my cards,” said Sadie as she handed him a large envelope stuffed with homemade cards.

  “I’ll be sure to give them to everyone.”

  It took another five minutes before he was able to pull Laney and Collette out of the room and back to the garage. It was just getting dark, and he wanted to be on the road sooner than later. It was going to be a long night driving the five hundred miles to Iowa, which he expected to reach by morning.

  They would be driving with their headlights on, which wouldn’t be a problem. All the times Winters had made this trip, they had never once run into anyone on the road, but still, their cargo was valuable, and he needed to be wary of hijackers.

  Winters entered the garage and nodded to Armstrong who was still there keeping an eye on the trucks, as he was responsible for them until they left the premises.

  “Girls, I got your rifles in the truck,” said Armstrong. “Remember, you never leave ‘em behind. Always be armed and never hesitate. Understand?”

  “We won’t forget,” they both responded as they gave him a final hug.

  “Your weapons are loaded so just remember your training, and you’ll be fine.”

  The girls got into the cab, and Armstrong shut the door. He walked over to Winters who was standing in front of the truck. “They’ll be alright, then?”

  “They will now, thanks to you.”

  “Got two of my own, you know, about their age too. I just can’t imagine it.”

  “Yeah, well, I couldn’t either. But they’re strong.”

  “Still, they’re just kids.”

  Winters didn’t respond. He was right they were just kids but had been forced to grow up in a hurry. No longer would they be able to be just kids, without a jaded attitude. Their recent experiences will affect everything they do for the rest of their lives.

  Winters let out a silent sigh thinking about all the young lives this war has affected. The sad reality of war is that no one escapes it. A door opening in the back snapped Winters out of his thoughts as his three new volunteers entered the garage.

  “We all ready to go?” asked Butler.

  “Just waiting for you guys,” said Winters.

  The third man, whom Winters had never seen, approached and stuck out his hand. “I’m Pete Cochran. Sorry, we haven’t met yet.”

  “Glad to have you aboard,” said Winters.

  “Which truck is mine?” asked Cochran.

  “Well, I’m taking the first one so you guys can decide on the other two.”

  “Where are the girls?” asked Fowler.

  “Sitting in my truck,” said Winters remembering what Murphy had said to him.

  “They’ll be riding with you then?” asked Fowler.

  “It’s got a bench seat so yes, of course.”

  “Okay, cool,” said Fowler as he turned to Cochran. “I got dibs on driving.”

  Cochran shrugged his shoulders.

  Winters cleared this throat. “So, listen up guys. I’ve done this route several times and have never had any problems so we’ll be running with our headlights
on.”

  “Is that wise? Shouldn’t we have some kind of night-vision wear?” asked Butler.

  “I’m afraid that’s not an option. But, like I said, we’ll be fine,” said Winters. “We should make Iowa by early morning, and we’ll rest up there before we continue to Jackson. Any questions?”

  Everyone shook their heads, so Winters climbed into his truck and looked at the girls. “We ready?”

  “We’re good, Cole,” said Laney who sat in the middle.

  “Alright, well let’s get this show on the road,” said Winters as he started the truck. When he pulled out of the garage, he saluted Sergeant Armstrong.

  Chapter 37

  Jackson Michigan

  Reese decided to check on Amber before she left with Meeks for the night. She hadn’t seen her since this morning and wanted to know how she was holding up after last night’s incident. She hoped this morning’s crying session did the trick but wasn’t so sure. Amber was smart and stronger than she knew, but still, anytime you have an up-close fight it affects you, especially if they’re trying to rape you.

  She knocked on her door and heard her say it was open. Reese pushed the door open and found her checking her backpack.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” asked Reese as she went in for a hug.

  Amber squeezed her hard. “Good, good. Just huh, getting ready for tonight.”

  “You doing okay, then?”

  Amber moved her bag and sat down on the bed. “I am. Cried a couple more times, but I think I got it out of my system.”

  Reese sat next to her. “Don’t be surprised if it sneaks back up on ya.”

  Amber turned to her and nodded. “I won’t, but like I said, I think I’m good.”

  “Glad to hear it. Did you go see Doctor Lunsford?”

  “I did. Everything is good. No concussion to worry about. I took another Motrin and a long nap. What about you? What have you been up to?”

  “Oh, I was out with Scar. We washed my baby and then checked in on the borders.”

  “Wait, what? Your baby?” Amber asked in a confused tone. “That…that truck?”