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  Disgusted, Amber pushed the corpse to the side.

  She lay down to pull her jeans back on and to recompose herself. She took a couple of deep breaths before holding a third one for a moment. Killing this guy reminded her when she wrestled with her first kill. A cop had come out of the bathroom surprising both of them. It was up close and personal like this one and had triggered the same desperate feeling. Kill or be killed.

  A car burning rubber interrupted her thoughts, and she sprang back up. She struggled to see in the dark and had to get on her hands and knees to feel around for the goggles. It took what seemed like an eternity, but she finally brushed up against them. She threw them back on and found the bag and her weapon. She then continued through the woods to Bassett and Meeks.

  “Hey,” whispered Meeks.

  Amber didn’t say anything and wrapped her arms around him.

  “You alright? You’re shaking. What took so long?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m alright. Had to take care of something first,” said Amber not really wanting his pity. She just needed a comforting hug to help her calm down. She was still high from the adrenaline rush but began breathing in short gasps.

  Bassett reached into her bag and found the night vision goggles. He put them on and looked at Amber. “You’re bleeding!”

  “Am I?”

  Bassett pulled out a bandage from his pack. He blotted the blood from her forehead before putting the bandage on. “Let’s give her a minute.”

  “No. Really, I’m alright.”

  “Drink this,” said Meeks as he handed her a canteen.

  Amber gulped down the rest of the canteen. The cool water helped clear her mind, which made her realize she was not operating at full capacity.

  They gave her a few minutes before heading back toward Scar. Bassett led the way, and they soon came upon the dead Jiji lying face down. Bassett bent down and pulled the knife out of his neck. He cleaned the blade off and handed it to Amber.

  “Lose this?” asked Bassett.

  Amber took the knife and put it back in her boot.

  “He gave you that?” asked Meeks pointing to her forehead.

  “Yeah, I kinda ran into him and then he tried to rape me.”

  Meeks shook his head. “Dumbass.”

  Bassett gave her a firm nod and said, “good job.”

  Amber returned the nod and was glad they didn’t coddle her but simply treated her like one of the guys. Granted they still looked after her and Reese, but both had proven themselves enough to earn their respect. Just being out there with them had given the girls a degree of credence, but their performance was what made them one of the guys.

  Chapter 25

  Nordell and Burns were to stay until they heard that Scar had gotten Bassett and Meeks back to safety. Push come to shove; they could drive up to where he was and assist them if need be. They were still sitting in the car they had hijacked earlier in the day. Since Nordell was familiar with the track, having test-driven cars on it over the years, he knew of a good place to hide until it got dark.

  They had been going stir-crazy waiting for the sun to set and Nordell cursed himself for not bringing night-vision goggles. Never again would he go anywhere without them. Of course, this was supposed to be a quick mission. However, like any operation, something can, and quite often does, go wrong. Running into an area, the bad guys used as a latrine was a new one though.

  Had Reese and Nate not stumbled onto them and brought help, Nordell had thought about driving their new ride during the daylight. It had tinted windows and would have given them decent cover, but nighttime was the better move. He fantasized about cruising over to some of the Jijis and shooting them in a drive-by fashion. They would have no idea the approaching car had been commandeered by their enemy. He let out a chuckle thinking about it.

  Burns turned to him. “Care to share?”

  “Oh, just thinking about killing some of these guys is all. You know, do a little “Gangsta” drive-by. Maybe run over a couple of them.”

  Burns let out his laugh. “I’d be up for that.”

  “Would you, now?”

  “Gunny, we’ve been sitting in this hot car all damn day. I could use a little reward.”

  Nordell slapped the steering wheel. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  Both needed to vent and shooting the enemy would release that valve.

  Back in Vietnam, Nordell liked to go out on patrol and engage with the Vietcong. He liked it so much he volunteered for a second tour. He’d learn a lot about himself and was surprised at how good of a fighter he was at it. He’d even earned a bronze star on his second tour.

  He continued musing about his career in the Corps and how difficult it was to transition back to civilian life. He’d taken up woodworking to give him something to help pass the time. His wife insisted he start doing something physical, if for no other reason, to keep him out of her hair. He never thought he’d have another chance to fight for his country. But, here he was fighting for his fellow countryman, which still seemed surreal. It was almost unbelievable to be fighting devious Americans in order to defend innocent Americans. They were in a bloody civil war that very few people even knew was being waged.

  Thinking about it always made his blood boil. Damned bastards were setting this whole thing up so they could take over the country. What kind of maniacal person would do something like that? And what kind of people were these National Police or the Jijis that would turn on their fellow Americans? Nordell let out a sigh because he knew the answer.

  They had been fed a bunch of anti-American propaganda from the time they entered grade school until they graduated college, so it was easy to turn them. Add in a little greed here and there, and you got your answer. Little did they know how much worse it was going to be for them once their task-masters were in charge. They would have to do what they were told to do or suffer the consequence of death.

  Nordell almost felt sorry for them to be under such disillusionment. Almost was the keyword. Better to just kill the whole lot of them. They would be a lost generation, but in the bigger picture, it would be worth the price to save their country.

  The radio came to life interrupting Nordell’s thoughts.

  “We are out. I say again, we are out,” said Scar. “Gunny, you and Burns head out and we’ll cover you.”

  Nordell started the car and put it in drive while Burns racked the slide back on his M4. He took a right knowing the exit was just under a mile. They passed a couple of cars and Nordell tapped the horn at them.

  “Look at ‘em, just standing around,” said Nordell.

  “Where do ya want to hit them?” asked Burns.

  “I know just the place,” said Nordell. “As soon as we get out of here, we’ll take a right on Manchester Road. The first road south of the Grounds is Lehman, and they’ll have a bunch of people there.”

  “Cool.”

  Nordell approached the exit and tooted the horn a couple more times at the Jijis who thought he was one of them. Once on Manchester Road, he picked up some speed and passed by more parked cars. The men just stared at them as he drove by.

  “These guys are idiots. If they had any sense, they would have stopped us,” said Nordell.

  The mile and half drive to Lehman road took a couple of minutes, but finally, their targets were up ahead. Fifteen guys were leaning on cars or standing in small groups on Lehman road.

  “You got nothing up ahead,” said Burns.

  “Perfect. We’ll go through, stop the car and get out to take ‘em down. We’ll take a right on the next road, which is just up ahead.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  Nordell slowed the car down and passed through the intersection. He again tapped the horn and waved at them through the dark tint. A group of four had to move out of the way to let them through.

  “Thank you, boys,” grinned Nordell. “You ready?”

  “Good to go, Gunny.”

  Nordell came to a stop and threw the ca
r in park. He grabbed his M4 and switched it to full auto. They would have only a couple of seconds before the Jijis realized what was happening.

  Nordell was the first to get out and waited for Burns to get around the back of the car before pulling the trigger. Some of the Jijis turned around to see what was going on as Nordell squeezed off the first shots.

  The intersection erupted in strobes of muzzle flashes as Burns and Nordell emptied their magazines. The hail of gunfire took down the group of four who had moved out of their way. Death curdling screams were heard over the ominous sound of the rifle fire.

  Nordell yanked out the empty mag and slammed in another one. They agreed on just one reload before they hightailed it out of there. He aimed at three Jijis who tried fleeing in the field. Unfortunately, for them, a car’s headlights pointed in their direction, exposing them. He squeezed the trigger and took them down with one sweep of the rifle.

  Burns crouched down after reloading and aimed under the cars. He fired and took out two as he flattened the back tires. He got back up and angled around the car to finish them off.

  The intersection went quiet but for the groans of dying men.

  “Let’s go,” ordered Nordell.

  Nordell spun the tires and sped off toward Grass Lake Road. There was no one to stop them or get in their way.

  “Boy that felt good,” yelled Burns.

  “Damn right it did. Damned bastards.”

  It was just what Nordell needed to work out his frustrations and not have this be a wasted day. Any day his enemy died was a good day for him, and he looked forward to having even more good days.

  Chapter 26

  Jackson Michigan

  Amber struggled to get out of bed because her head was still hurting from running into the Jiji last night. She looked in the mirror and removed the bandage. The blood had clotted, but there was a sizable bruise around it. She needed some painkillers and left to go to Reese’s room to get some. She knocked on her door a couple of times before Reese opened it.

  “Amber,” said Reese as she rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “I don’t know. Early I think.”

  “Come in. Sorry, I fell asleep before you guys came back.”

  “That’s alright. It was late when we got back anyway.”

  “How did it go?” asked Reese reaching for a water bottle.

  “Good. We got ‘em out. No one got killed…so a good night.”

  Reese took a gulp and invited Amber to sit with her on the bed. She then looked at her closely. “You look like hell,” she said with a disarming smile. “What happened last night?”

  Amber started fidgeting

  “You have a cut?” asked Reese motioning to the bandage on her forehead.

  Amber nodded and then cleared her throat before blurting out, “I was almost raped last night.”

  Reese’s left eyebrow hiked at the news. She grabbed Amber’s hand and squeezed it. Her friend had come to the right person to get this off her chest. She would let her tell the story at her own pace.

  “We were deep in the Proving Grounds, not too far from Bassett. I offered to go to them because I’m faster than the guys are. So, I was running across the road like I was stealing home plate and then ran headfirst into the catcher. I didn’t see him until, like, the last second and bang. I mean I hit him so hard that I flipped over him. I landed on my back, and all I saw were stars. Lots of stars. I didn’t know what was what and then he jumped on top of me. Friggin bastard put a knife to my throat and ordered me not to scream.”

  Reese continued to hold her hand and didn’t interrupt her. She remembered how she liked to get things off her chest with Cole because he never interrupted her. He was a good listener and didn’t always offer advice, which was good because, mostly, she just needed to vent.

  “And of course, the first thing he does is start grabbing my boobs.”

  Reese formed an uneven smile and nodded.

  “About turned my stomach, but that’s when I started to regain my senses. Then he tried taking my jeans off and thank God they’re on the tight-side.”

  Reese let out a small laugh. “Gotta love tight jeans.”

  “The idiot actually asked me to take them off.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep. And let me tell ya. Once he saw my white undies that’s when I knew I had him. He was so excited and distracted that I was able to get the knife out of my boot. And bam! Right into the back of his neck. Bastard coughed blood on my shirt though.”

  “Gross.”

  ‘Oh, it was disgusting.”

  “Wow though! I mean, just wow, girl,” said Reese as she wrapped her arms around Amber and squeezed hard. “You’re so awesome. You did good.”

  “Thanks,” said Amber as she let her go.

  “Your head still hurts?”

  “Yeah, you got anything?”

  “Of course, I do,” said Reese as she got up and grabbed the 800mg Motrin. “This should do it. Take one and see how it does before you take another.” She got her a glass of water and handed her the pills. “You should have Doctor Lunsford take a look at that.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Amber after she took a pill.

  Reese sat back down next to her recognizing she had more to get off her chest. Amber was a tough girl and had gotten tougher over the past few weeks. Reese admired her calm nature and the fact that she was so intelligent. She was always coming up with good ideas for the group. However, she didn’t have the experience of being repeatedly raped. Not that she wished that upon her or anyone else.

  It was too horrific of an experience for anyone, but it toughened Reese up like nothing else could. While she knew she’d never get over it completely, she had come to terms with it. She was starting to recognize the anxiety symptoms, like shortness of breath or suddenly becoming claustrophobic in a room. Violent thoughts pervaded her mind as if it was normal.

  It was why she liked lots of action and hated sitting around. It was also, why she liked to burn rubber on crazy drives. The distraction helped her deal with the symptoms or avoid them outright. The look on Amber’s face told her she had some of those symptoms.

  Amber’s eyes began to water and a lump formed in her throat. “I wasn’t sure at first, you know.”

  Reese grabbed her hand again.

  “When he had that knife on my throat and told me not to scream. I was so scared, you know, because I thought, well, okay, he’s gonna rape me, but if I can just stay alive, maybe Meeks or Bassett will find me.”

  Reese continued to stay silent as more tears fell down Amber’s cheeks. She reached over to grab a tissue and handed it to her.

  Amber blew her nose. “But then when he undid my pants that’s when I knew I needed to calm down and think. But, that first minute, I just wasn’t sure, you know.”

  Reese nodded.

  “And he tried to kiss me…oh, his breath was disgusting.”

  Reese scrunched her face. “Eeeww.”

  Amber slumped her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I know, I’m whining about something that doesn’t even compare to what you went through.”

  Reese remembered the advice Scar had given her when she was complaining to him about feeling guilty in regards to Winters’ loss and his disappearance. He told her it wasn’t a competition and that his loss was his own. It was good advice, and it had helped her.

  “Amber, this isn’t a contest. What you went through was traumatic. It was real. It was personal for you, and that’s what matters. Okay?”

  Amber nodded. “Thanks. I just don’t how you do it.”

  “None of that matters right now. Okay? This is about you.”

  Amber threw her arms around Reese. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, girl. We’re family now, and we need to look out for each other.”

  Amber held onto her sister, grateful she had her in her life. Her admiration for Reese grew tenfold because of the
way she had just taken care of her. She was so unselfish when she had every right to think only of herself. Amber’s experience paled in comparison to hers, but it didn’t matter to Reese. She put aside her own damaged self in a genuine way to help her deal with a traumatizing experience. It was just what she had needed and after a good crying session began to feel better. The last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of the guys. That would change the way they saw her, and they might start treating her differently. She had worked too hard for their respect to let something like last night change things.

  Chapter 27

  Winnipeg

  Winters opened his eyes and realized he had slept through the night without any bad dreams or racing thoughts. His mind was at ease as he lay there but then the day’s agenda started to intrude upon his peaceful moment. He needed to get Laney and Collette set-up with some weapons training before he got with the supply sergeant to figure out a shopping list. Besides food, medicine was a top priority, so he decided to get some advice from a doctor. He also needed to go visit with Murphy who had been wounded in the Sandpit Battle. He was in physical therapy but would still be out of commission for at least another month.

  After a quick shower, he headed to the big cafeteria and grabbed a tray. The place was crawling with military personnel coming and going. He waved at a few and shook hands with some others. After filling up his tray, he looked around and saw the man he come to see. He was in charge of the training department and had been instrumental in putting together a program for the Shadow Patriots.

  “Captain, good seeing you again,” said Sergeant Hicks. He was a bulky man who specialized in training snipers, who were among the best in the world. He was also one of several who had been giving Sadie some lessons.

  “Sergeant, just the man I wanted to see,” said Winters shaking his hand before sitting down.

  “Let me guess? Those two girls you came in with?”

  Winters took a sip of coffee before answering. “Yes, sir. They’re in need of some training. Think you can you fit them in today?”

  Hicks nodded his head. “We can do that. What’s their story?”