Lost Shadows Page 5

  “Well, how nice of you.”

  Simpson pulled Reese’s hand and guided her over to a chair. “Come, sit down here.”

  “Mayor, I brought you a gift,” said Scar handing him several packets of coffee.

  “Oh my, Mister Scarborough, thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  “Would everyone like a cup?” asked Simpson moving over to the coffee pot he had hooked up to a car battery with an inverter. He emptied the contents and poured the water before moving back around his desk.

  Scar sat down next to Reese amused at how excited the mayor was with his gift of coffee. It was sad yet fun at the same time. Sad they were running out of what was now a rare commodity but fun to see the excitement and appreciation at the same time. The smell of coffee began to permeate the office and Simpson got back up and poured a cup for everyone.

  Simpson inhaled the aroma before taking a sip. “It’s the little things in life that give us the most pleasure.”

  “Indeed it is, sir,” said Scar thankful he thought to bring the coffee. Despite the mayor’s overall optimism, the poor man looked to be on edge and needed a boost.

  After a few sips of coffee, Scar briefed him on their trip to Canada and apologized for the failure.

  “Please, don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. We’re all just grateful for your help.”

  “Well, we might have a solution albeit a temporary one,” said Scar.

  Simpson’s bushy eyebrows rose high on this face.

  “We’re gonna see about raiding the Jijis’ supplies.”

  “Oh, that sounds like a grand idea,” said Simpson.

  “I have a squad scouting it out as we speak.”

  Simpson toasted Scar with his cup before taking another sip.

  After they finished their coffee, Simpson offered them a refill, but Scar declined the offer and explained he had other things to do.

  “Yes, of course, you do,” said Simpson rising up and thanking them again for their help as he walked them out to the hallway. He grabbed Reese’s hand and said with a glint in his eye, “I look forward to seeing you race your truck around town some more.”

  Blood rushed to Reese’s cheeks, and she said in an apologetic tone, “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

  “I know you will, dear,” he responded with a wink.

  Scar waited until Simpson walked back into his office before turning to Reese. “Getting a little reputation, I see.”

  “Oh, my gosh. I am so embarrassed.”

  “You probably scared the wits out of some little old lady,” said Scar.

  “I know, right.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  They got to the staircase, and Reese opted to get on Scar’s back this time. She handed him the crutch before wrapping her arms around him. Reaching the first floor, Scar opened the door, and they walked outside.

  “Thanks for helping me up there. I just love visiting him. He reminds me so much of my grandpa,” said Reese.

  “Does he now.”

  “Yeah. They’re so much alike and both so sweet.”

  “He’s a very kind man. I just hope he can hang on. Every time I see him, he looks older than before.”

  “He’s stronger than you think.”

  They hopped back in the pickup.

  “How long has it been since you’ve seen your G’pa?”

  “Oh, he’s been dead, like, eight or nine years I guess. I was, like thirteen or fourteen, I think. He died not long after my G’ma died.”

  “They lived near you?”

  “Yep. Just down the street. I used to ride my bike there all the time.”

  “Well, that’s nice.”

  “Yeah, it was. I really relied on them a lot when my dad left us.”

  Scar hadn’t known her dad left her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s okay. You get used to things and then move on.”

  Scar sat in the passenger seat admiring Reese’s inner strength. She was beaten to hell but still carried on trying to help in any way she could. Winters departure had initially affected her attitude negatively, but it had changed to a more positive one over the last couple of days. He was glad he had carried her up to see Simpson. He could see it helped her to be there, as well the mayor, who was obviously excited to see her. The mayor had been right; it is the little things that give the most pleasure.

  Chapter 14

  Chelsea Michigan

  The sound of voices got louder as a group of ten Jijis came towards Bassett and Meeks. They had just let another group of four go by in hopes of staying hidden, and were still a mile from their ride. They had hoped to get there without having to engage an overwhelming force. They were in a precarious position not knowing where the Jijis were waiting. Also, there were four more roads to cross, which meant a lot of open ground.

  Bassett raised his head and saw the tall Jiji he had been hunting earlier. He was leading another group, and it was too late to try to sneak off, as they were too close to them. They had no choice but to engage.

  “I’ll take the tall one,” whispered Bassett. “Hit the left side.”

  Meeks nodded.

  “We’ll have to head south right after.”

  Bassett lined up his first shot. The tall Jiji in charge of these men needed to be taken out first. Bassett let out a breath and squeezed the trigger. A three-shot burst hit the man center mass throwing him on his back. Panic ensued as the others stared at him for a split second before trying to take cover.

  Meeks switched his rifle to full auto and emptied the magazine sweeping it back and forth. With such a large pack to aim at, he justified wasting the precious ammo by hitting three Jijis. He ejected the empty mag and shoved in another as he looked for more targets. The rest were taking cover, and not a single one dared to return fire. Meeks wanted to flank them to take out a couple more, but Bassett tapped him on the shoulder to move out.

  In situations like this, Meeks always showed deference to the more experienced Bassett and was glad he was on their team. He followed him out on the dirt road just as he let loose a burst on the group of four they allowed to pass by earlier. Blood-curdling screams came from the group as they all took bullets to the chest. Bodies spun around before collapsing to the ground in a bloody heap.

  Bassett jumped into the woods in a full gallop wanting to put as much space between them and the Jijis as possible. He wanted to get to the next road before they had too many of them on their tail. Taking out the tall one was critical and the others were icing on the cake. This would buy them a few extra minutes, plus some of those remaining were more than likely wounded, which always slowed down a team.

  Gunfire in the distance got their attention, and they stopped to listen. They recognized the different sounds of the M4 and AK-47 as the gun battle continued. The final sounds were from the Colt M4.

  “Sound like they took care of business,” said Meeks.

  “Yes, it does. Let’s start heading west,” said Bassett.

  Bassett was hoping Nordell and Burns could keep hidden and be able to get to the truck first. That way they could get in radio range and call for help. As things stood, it was reminding him too much of the Battle on Robinson Road. It was similar because the enemy had the opportunity to surround them in a small area. Granted the Proving Grounds was much bigger than the woods behind Robinson Road, but still, it was very reminiscent. The enemy certainly had the manpower to do so if they desired.

  Bassett looked at his watch, which read sixteen hundred hours. They had five hours of daylight left with no night-vision optics and not enough ammo. Thankfully, both carried a canteen of water and several snack bars.

  They reached the first of four roads they needed to get across. They stopped at the edge of the woods. It was a hundred feet of open ground with too many places for the enemy to be lying in wait.

  “What ya think?” asked Meeks.

  “Don’t like our options but we got no choice.”r />
  “One at a time?”

  “No. It’ll give them a heads up for the next guy.”

  “Alright. On three,” stated Meeks.

  Meeks counted down, and they bolted across the road each looking opposite ways for any signs of Jijis. Four seconds later, they reached the safety of woods with neither of them seeing anyone on the road. They continued running and quickly came to the next road, which was narrower than the last. They were about to cross when a loud popping pierced the air. It was a pickup with a bad muffler approaching.

  Bassett crouched down next to Meeks and watched a truck with armed men in the back zip by them.

  Meeks shook his head in disbelief. “Thanks for the warning.”

  The truck stopped several hundred yards south of them, and everyone disembarked. A few walked into the woods, but the rest stayed with the vehicle.

  Bassett lifted his binoculars and focused on the group. There were ten, and none of them were looking in their direction. It was now or never.

  “Follow my lead,” ordered Bassett as he started to do a low crawl across the road.

  Meeks usually beat Bassett or anyone else when they were running because of his athletic ability. However, this didn’t include crawling, which wasn’t as easy as running especially at his age. The much younger Bassett had him beat by a few seconds and had time to look through the binoculars again. No one took notice of them, and they dashed through the woods to the third road. They had just made it to the other side when their radio came alive.

  Chapter 15

  Washington D.C.

  Thomas walked behind Mordulfah after he exited the limousine in a warehouse district on the outskirts of Baltimore. The whole area was rundown but still had plenty of activity with tractor-trailers pulling in and out of the shipping docks. They were here to meet with Colonial Khan. He was the man Mordulfah’s uncle had put in charge of getting rid of the Shadow Patriots.

  They approached a door, which had a camera pointing down at the entrance. Thomas pushed the intercom button and expected someone to speak but instead, the door buzzed. He pulled it open and waited for Mordulfah to enter first.

  The two-story open interior was close to ten thousand square feet and had dorm rooms sectioned off on each level. Gym equipment sat in the back, with some men working out. There was another area for daily prayers and an open kitchen.

  Thomas was stunned when he realized this was where Colonel Khan had his men quartered. The conditions weren’t the best, but then they were probably used to much worse. The battle-hardened men stopped what they were doing and turned to watch Mordulfah.

  An older man approached them. He wore a beard, which he had dyed black. He was physically fit, stood five-foot-eight, and had an air of confidence about him.

  “Prince Mordulfah,” said Colonel Khan as he bent down slightly to show him deference. “I am Colonel Khan.”

  “Colonel,” said Mordulfah not bothering to introduce Thomas to him.

  “I understand I’m to help you with your situation in Detroit.”

  “Yes.”

  Mordulfah was putting his practice of silence to good use on the Colonel who was being forced to fill in the gaps. Thomas noticed Khan already had a slight change in his mannerisms.

  “Perhaps I can show you the men.”

  Mordulfah nodded.

  Khan looked over to his assistant and gave him an order in Arabic, which Thomas didn’t speak. The assistant then yelled out in Arabic, but Thomas didn’t need to understand the order to know what it meant. Khan’s men began pouring out of the dorms to line up. It was impressive to see how quickly and organized five hundred men lined up for inspection.

  Thomas followed behind Mordulfah as he walked from one end to the other inspecting the men. These were not like the rabble he had with him in Detroit, who mostly drifted in from the area looking for work and a chance to kill. These men standing at attention were experienced and maintained an air of serious confidence.

  “These men seem up to the task,” said Mordulfah.

  “They’re all battle-tested and are my best men.”

  “You’ll be up against a formidable enemy.”

  “My men have all fought the American military. They do not frighten us.”

  Mordulfah turned and stared at the colonel for a moment. “These are not American military, but ordinary men, fighting for their homeland. They fight with a passion and have been quite successful. Do not underestimate them.”

  “I can assure you, we are up to the task.”

  “We shall see. Can you be ready today?” asked Mordulfah.

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll arrange transportation, and you can fly in tonight.”

  “Perhaps you could give me an overview of your situation?” asked Khan.

  Mordulfah turned to Thomas and motioned for his briefcase. Thomas held it open and Mordulfah took out a map of Michigan. It already had areas marked off where the Shadow Patriots were stationed and where his men were and the National Police as well. He gave him an overview of the skirmishes and how many men he had lost. Khan listened until Mordulfah was finished.

  He studied the map and asked what his total manpower was and how many of them were currently guarding the town. He then laid out a solid battle plan to force the rebels into a corner.

  Thomas had to fight to maintain a straight face because what he was hearing was disheartening and he realized the Shadow Patriots were in for an intense fight. This Colonel knew what he was doing and would show no mercy to the people of Jackson.

  Mordulfah nodded and headed back to the limo with Thomas in tow. Once inside the car, Thomas didn’t say anything but wanted to know if the prince liked what he heard. Mordulfah was difficult to read and seemed indifferent to Khan.

  “What did you think?” asked Mordulfah.

  “Sir?” asked a surprised Thomas.

  “Don’t play coy with me, I know you’re curious as to what I think, but first I want to hear your thoughts.”

  “Well, sir, I’m not a military man, but I’d have to say those were some scary looking men.”

  Mordulfah nodded.

  “They’re different from what we currently have,” said Thomas. “His battle plan seems sound as well.”

  “Indeed. These men are exactly what we need to break those rebels.”

  Thomas continued to watch Mordulfah for the rest of the trip back to Detroit and noticed the man’s spirits seemed lifted. Thomas began to formulate an excuse to leave Grosse Pointe on an errand so he could warn the Shadow Patriots. They needed to know an attack was imminent and they would be fighting an experienced army. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with any ideas and thought perhaps it was time to run off permanently.

  Chapter 16

  Jackson Michigan

  Reese was in her element as she tore down the street showing off her driving skills to Nate, who was the expert on cars. He never bothered to put his seatbelt on, mostly because the strap would have been agony on his damaged shoulder. Regardless, he was enjoying the company and the wind blowing across his face to worry about safety. He hadn’t been too active since the hospital attack where he fought a cop hand to hand. During the struggle, his stitches tore open and set his healing back by a few more days.

  Thankfully, the girl sitting next to him had pulled his butt out of that jam. Had it not been for her, he wouldn’t be here enjoying the drive. He glanced over at her and admired her tenacity. She went full on beast-mode by jumping on that cop and slicing his throat. Even after he slammed her on the table and punched her ribcage, she was still able to gather her wits and kill him.

  The separation between houses increased and they were now out in the country. Nate hadn’t been in this area before and didn’t recognize where they were. Not that it mattered much because that’s why they had maps.

  Reese wasn’t doing many turns because it put too much strain on his shoulder. He’d rather see her push the limits of the truck as it was something he did in his youth.
Burning rubber was a lot of fun and quite exhilarating. He let out a sigh because it was another thing to add to the list of things he couldn’t do.

  He wasn’t living up to the Attila the Hun moniker Bassett had given him. It was frustrating being a drag on the group, but mostly he hated missing all the action. This is what gnawed at him the most. So much had happened and he wasn’t able to get in on any of it.

  Lost in thought, Nate leaned his head back when he heard a noise in the distance. He sat back up and stuck his head out the window.

  “What?” asked Reese.

  “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?”

  “I thought I hear a gunshot.”

  Another round of popping got their attention. Reese slowed the truck down and then came to a full stop. Neither said anything but stared at each other while straining to hear. More gunfire erupted, and Reese let off the brake and continued heading east toward the shooting.

  “Isn’t Bassett and Meeks out this way?” asked Reese.

  “Yes, they are.”

  A shiver shot through Reese as she stepped on the gas. They were on Old US Hwy 12, which emptied out on the interstate.

  “How far do you want to go?” asked Reese.

  “In radio range,” answered Nate, as he grabbed the radio off the dash. He tried to raise Bassett to no avail. The range on the small handheld radio varied by fluctuations of line-of-sight, but typically, they were only good for a couple of miles at best.

  Reese reached into her backpack and took out a Colt .357 Python. The nickel-plated four-inch barrel was compact and easy to carry as a spare. Badger had loaned her the revolver to use while driving alone because it would never jam.

  She checked the cylinder before shoving it between her legs and then pulled a map out throwing it to Nate. “We’re on Old Hwy 12 and just passed Francisco Road.”

  Nate unfolded the map and quickly found their location. “We’re about four miles from the interstate.”

  Nate then put his Colt M4 on his lap and racked the lever back. Ever since the hospital attack, he never went anywhere without his weapon. It had been a painful yet valuable lesson, one he’d never forget.