It had been dark when Raylan and Grace reached Nick's place and now as the deputy and pilot rode deeper into the woods on their mission the moon was high and fully illuminating the forest. At least they weren't far from the ranch where they meant to get back the plane. As they rode though Raylan could tell things were still kinda tense after their last talk so he eased his horse back to ride alongside his friend "So, Nick Rye father huh? And it's a full two years since you were married. Who woulda thought?"
Nick perked up and beamed now, more than glad to discuss his wife and impending child. "Oh yeah man, it's great. Like, you hear about neighbors helping out and things but it's been crazy. Ever since we told folks that Kimmy was expecting everyone's been coming by with all kinds of baby stuff, and some of the clothes are downright cute. Wish I was small enough to wear em".
Raylan chuckled and shook his head "I know most folks figured that you, marriage and kids would be an odd combo and if it ever came together it was gonna be a shotgun wedding."
It was Nick's turn to laugh "Once upon a time you woulda been right. Man back when I was in school or when I got my wings, I thought, Nick Rye you ain't never let nobody tie you down. You are gonna be flying and stealing hearts all over Montana and beyond. Oh yeah"
Raylan was glad to see his buddy back in good spirits "So what changed?"
Nick looked up at the dark, starlit sky and sighed happily "Kim. Like, we dated a little in high school but I was an idiot and was too busy running around with every girl I could. One day I'm down at the Eagle just having a beer and taking it easy when I seen her. She was in this sweet yellow sundress and she smiled at me. Came walking right up and asked if I ever been to Snowshoe Lake. Told her I hadn't but there ain't nowhere with water me and Carmina can't get to. So we went back to the air strip and took off. Shit, we didn't even wait for the sun to come up. We flew way up into the Whitetails and man the way she smiled to see all that from up high. Made me happy. Not like usual when I'm just waiting to get in a girl's pants. Naw this was more like, two people just happy to be where they were."
Nick had paused his story and looked whimsical for a moment, no doubt reliving all this in his mind. "Anyways, we finally found it. It was way up in those mountains. We danced around in the water under the moonlight, went swimming and finally she kissed me. We didn't do nothin' else just laid there on the shore kissing as we watched the sun come up. And right then I decided I was gonna spend the rest of my life with this woman. Plus she likes the beard, other girls asked me to shave it."
Finally both men back were back to smiling as they passed under the trees. Nick turned to face Raylan and asked "How about you man? You been gone for years, must have been some cool stuff you got into besides all that badass fighting for the flag"
Raylan mused for a moment before replying "Well they shipped me out to San Diego where I did my basic training. After we had finished some of the guys offered to show me how to surf so we went down to the beach a couple times to do that"
Nick burst into a laugh at picturing this "You? surfing?".
Raylan took his hat off and scratched his head a bit "well I think I spent more time falling off the board than riding it"
"Anyway, after my first tour I managed to get a short assignment to Germany. Turned out all they had me doing was standing around at attention in dress uniform at the US embassy in Berlin. Glorified security guard. But I will admit the night life was great. They got some great night clubs and a never ending supply of all kinds of beer. I walked along some of what's left of the Berlin wall, saw a lot of old buildings. Even got myself invited along to join some fella's up in the mountains for a red deer stag hunt. Beautiful countryside. And nobody but nobody does Oktoberfest like they do it in Munich." Looking back the deputy was glad he'd spent his teens drinking shine or he may have died trying to match drinks with the locals.
"After that I was back in the sand box a second time. When I finished that tour my colonel offered me a special assignment. Basically body guard for some D.C. bigwigs on a trip they were taking to Japan. Had to go around in a suit for a week glued to these idiots. Guess one of em had requested a seasoned marine to watch their back. I got lucky because they wound up flying back before too long and I got two weeks I could stay in Japan. Rented a motorcycle on my days off and toured through the mountains. Real pretty, got to see a lot of temples, old villages, hot springs. Guess I got a little culture."
"Rest of the time they had me in all kinds of training, mountains, swamps, deserts. I shipped out for my last tour and came straight back here when it was done. The army let me out of my contract month and half early on account of I was just gonna finish it on personal leave dealing with the funeral and all." They were quiet for a few minutes before Nick spoke up again "I was sorry to hear about your folks Raylan. They were never anything but nice to anyone." Raylan gave the man a nod of thanks as they rode on.
Finally they reached the river, just down stream from the Seed ranch. Once they were dismounted Raylan checked his watch "It's 1 am now. Sun'll be up at 7. We'll get some rest for now. Move in at 6."
Nick rubbed his legs after the long ride. "why then? Why not now?"
As Raylan backed off the girth on Ace's saddle he replied. "I want us both rested and ready, they will be still be in a deep sleep then and have a hard time adjusting to any attack. It will also be easier to fly the plane out. The horses need a rest in case a quick getaway is needed and last, I wanna get a look at the ranch in daylight."
Raylan loaned Nick the bedroll from his saddle. Using his coat for a pillow he bunked down under a tree, at least he was used to sleeping on the ground. Boomer curled up against him and between them the cold wasn't too bad. Nick slept pretty deeply, snoring like a chainsaw but after being trapped in your house by crazies for a couple days anyone would be dog tired. When 6 am came they grabbed their gear and left the horses behind. Raylan handed off his rifle and gear bag to Nick, who'd brought along an old Winchester 1912 pump action.
Taking the lead with his bow, Raylan moved down the river banks. Sure enough as they neared the ranch they could see the dock once used to tie up a fishing boat was now playing host to Nick's beloved plane Carmina. One of the cult's men stood on the dock while another one was pacing the shore. Raylan waited until the man on shore had turned his back and then let fly with his first arrow at the man on the dock, striking his target in the neck. The man crumpled to the wooden boards with a gurgle. As the second man began to turn back and saw his fallen partner a second arrow came flying out of the tree cover and took him through the eye.
Nick and Raylan approached the plane, tossing both bodies in the water and loading their guns into the back of Carmina. As Nick took stock of his aircraft he noted that the cult had made some modifications. Specifically two mini guns that had been mounted and a set of iron bombs now attached to the underside of the wings. "Damn hope they didn't damage my crop sprayer when they took it off, I still gotta make a living when this is over." Nick muttered as he began to check the rest of the aircraft over.
Raylan kept watch was the pilot worked, crouched down with his rifle at the ready, but so far it didn't seem like anyone else was coming or had heard them take down those two guards. "Nick, you think you can use those weapons they put on there?"
The other man climbed into the pilots seat, examining the controls these peggies had installed in his plane. "yeah, yeah they seem simple enough. Why, what are ya thinking?"
Raylan put down his rifle and began to go through his gear bag. "I been to this ranch a few times back when the old owners had it, for barbecues and such. Place is huge, no doubt to me they're probably using it for storing their stuff and as a barracks for their men. I figure I'll go in there and lay down some explosives, blow the place to hell and back, shoot a few and cause a stir. When you hear me call you on the radio or the shooting starts, whichever happens first, you fire this thing up and start swooping in to attack. We hit from two sides, raise some hell, do a bunch of damage and then be gone before they know what's hit em. You fly on back to the air strip and I'll double back to the horses and meet you there."
Nick gave the man a thumbs up and went back to work preparing his plane. He had to make sure the engine was totally good to go when the time came. It wouldn't do for anything to go wrong when the action started. Raylan placed his bow inside the plane's cab and emptied out most of his gear bag into the back seat. He slung a bandoleer of magazines for his rifle across his chest, placed his shotgun on his back before grabbing the now almost empty bag. Now the bag only held his grenades and sticks of dynamite. He checked his zippo to make sure it was working before taking a deep breath, no point in waiting any longer.
As he began to climb the hill towards the ranch Nick called after him "oh hey!" Raylan returned to the plane where Nick was holding out a flare gun and several rounds for it "hey you wanna scare the piss out of em, a big red fireball might come in handy" Raylan nodded and smiled his appreciation and tucking the extra weapon into his belt.
He headed up the hill with Boomer in tow, sticking to cover to avoid being seen by any lookouts. Once he reached the house without incident he looked around for an easy way in. Most of the lower doors were locked but it looked like the upper balcony door had been left open. Going to the back porch he stood on railing and placed his rifle and bag up on the balcony. Looking down at Boomer he picked the dog up and gave him a boost. The mutt scrambled up onto the ledge before Raylan pulled himself up as well. Swapping out his rifle for the shotgun he approached the door and flattened himself against the wall outside. The short scattergun would be easier to handle in such tight spaces. Easing himself inside he began to recon the place. The first bedroom he checked was sure enough full of weapons, many no doubt confiscated from their new unwilling followers.
Once upon a time the ranch had been used for cattle and tourists. Folks wanting to come get a real backwoods experience without giving up comfy beds and catered meals. Raylan had been to a few cookouts they'd thrown and tried to remember the ranch layout as best he could.
As the deputy made his way down the hall he heard a woman's muffled scream. Next bedroom down. The door was partway open and peek inside was all he needed. A captured woman was on the bed, bound and gagged, the peggy standing over her was stripping out of his clothes. For a bunch of religious nuts this didn't seem quite right. Raylan took out his knife and stepped inside. The woman's eyes went wide seeing him come in but the man's back was to the door so Raylan simply put one finger to his lips. The bearded man laughed "now sinner, it is time for your punishment" as his hand went for his pants. Raylan stepped up and buried his knife in the man's back, other hand clapped over the cultist's mouth. "And this is yours" he whispered to the dying man as he gave the blade a twist.
Wiping off his knife he knelt beside the bed and cut the zipties from the woman's wrists and then freed her legs. She tore off the rag tied around her mouth "oh god thank you. Did you get the others?"
Raylan looked up with worry in his eyes "Others?"
"Yeah, there were about 20 or so folks tied up in the basement with me before that creep dragged me up here" she said looking worried. "My parents are down there"
Fucking Fuck. This was not part of the plan, he couldn't blitz this place with explosives and then try and make a mad dash for the woods with 20 people in tow. And if Nick was gonna start dropping those iron bombs he couldn't risk friendly fire. Shit, how in the hell was he supposed to handle this? Taking the dead cult members rifle he handed it and his knife to the girl "alright here's what I want you to do, go down to the basement and cut the others loose. Bring em up here, there's a bunch of guns in that last bedroom. All hell is about to bust loose so just keep..." Raylan heard a floor board creak and had just enough time to turn and fire at the door as a peggy took aim at his back. Both men's gun roared at once but Raylan was on his mark, though he felt the wind off the dead man's bullet pass his cheek before it punched into the floor.
"Shit!" he cursed out loud before looking at the girl "Go! Go! take my shotgun too and that guys gun, Move!" and with that he was off and running down the hall. Grabbing at his radio he yelled into the mic "Nick! Nick it's go time but you can't hit the big house, there are friendlies inside, I repeat friendlies inside" As he burst out onto the front balcony he could see men scrambling down below. Pulling the pins on two grenades he threw them into the chaos that was the yard.
Nick's voice came back over the radio "ok what do ya want me to do?" The grenades went off sending shrapnel flying at the men below.
Keying his mic once more Raylan barked into it "Raise hell" The plane's engine could be heard at the river and some of the cult looked towards the sound, wondering which thing deserved their attention more. Raylan used this moment of pause to fire into their midst. Flipping the M14's selector switch to full auto, shell casing flew away from his rifle as he emptied a full magazine at anyone he could see below.
Running back inside the deputy threw a fresh mag into the rifle. Good thing to because as he reached the hallway several cult members were coming out of the bedrooms, struggling to wake from a deep sleep, get dressed, ready their weapons and find the threat. Raylan's rifle might not have been easy handling in such tight areas but here he was able to level and dump a volley of high powered rounds into the men.
He dashed downstairs in time to shoot the first man who barged through the main doors of the big house. Running to the open exit, Raylan knelt behind the door frame and began firing at the men he could see, putting the rifle back into semi auto. His number 1 priority now was to keep as many as he could out of the house. The girl needed time to get downstairs, cut those people loose, start arming them and move them upstairs. Several more rounds later the rifle locked open on empty and he had to reload once more.
There was a roaring sound of Carmina going all out and Raylan knew that Nick had just taken off the water. People were converging on the lawman's hiding spot and soon the little cover he had would mean nothing. Pulling another grenade he lobbed into the front yard, sending men scattering as they tried to find cover. Using the moment of distraction, the lawman headed for the one side door, shooting off the lock as he ran so it made shouldering the door open much easier. Looking back inside at Boomer he gave the dog an order "Stay Boomer, stand guard!" The dog was torn between wanting to follow or obey but he remained within. Raylan knew the dog could help but he couldn't risk Boomer being shot with so much open area.
Once outside he ran for a long waist height wall of stones and mortar to use as cover. Seed's men were pouring out of the two main bunkhouses, but the entrances made for only one man at a time to come out. Using this to his advantage Raylan worked his rifle sights between the two doors, shooting any man who emerged. Some who were already outside began to flank around to his left and he worried how long before they had him boxed in.
Some of the cult's men made a run for the big house and Raylan shot the first 2 as they crossed the open stretch of ground. But the third man made it to the door. Raylan cursed under his breath just before he heard a bark and the man howled in pain and terror. Good call leaving Boomer inside.
These thoughts were cut short though as a yellow sea plane swept low, firing two machine guns at the crowds of enemies. Raylan's radio crackled to life "Yahoo!" Nick yelled to his comrade "Don't worry buddy, just like Han Solo dude I got ya covered." he said before cutting loose one of the iron bombs from his wings. The explosive landed right on the roof of one bunkhouse, blowing open a gaping hole, sending shrapnel of all kinds within the building. "man you better watch your ass, all those little cabins out in the tree's, they are spitting out more of these boys, you really kicked the anthill here." Nick said into the radio before he did another attack run at the ground, firing the mini guns and dropping another bomb that blew a hole in the earth and some men.
Raylan wished he had time to appreciate the pilot's wit but right now he was still too busy trying to keep these peggies at arms length. He was going through grenades and dynamite fast but with such open areas and so many enemies he needed ways to suppress them. The ground around him was becoming littered with grenade pins and spoons, landing among the shell casings from his rifle. Taking another stick of tnt from the bag he lit the fuse and hurled it towards some of the cult's men.
Suddenly a volley of LMG fire started tearing at the wall he was behind and the air around him. Ducking back down he took a quick glance and saw two men with belt fed machine guns were concentrating fire on him. The same wall Raylan hid behind was shaped in a horse shoe around the yard and these boys were using the opposite side for cover, same as he was.
The sound of a helicopter rumbled into the air and Raylan looked up to see the peggy chopper swooping over them, two armed men firing out of the open sides. Grabbing his radio he yelled into it "Nick, we got a fucking chopper! Take it out!"
Nick's replied quickly "you got it man, this dude ain't no match for Rye King of the Sky" the yellow plane swooping in with a flurry of bullets as the dog fight began.
Raylan knew he needed a way to bring those machine gunners down but they were farther away than he could throw an explosive. His eyes fell on the massive barbecue to their left, the big one used for cooking meals for guest's and parties. It had a propane tank the size of a small car but without flame or explosive to light the gas he could do nothing with it. His rifle would penetrate the tank but not ignite it. Machine gun fire from the plane above was helping to keep the crowd from flanking him for now but it wouldn't last forever. His hand fell to his belt and the flare gun Nick had given him. Was worth a shot.
Taking his rifle in one hand he rested the barrel on the top of the wall, allowing him to aim the heavy gun with one hand. With his empty left hand he drew the flare gun. Once he was ready, he leaned up and fired two bullets into the tank. Both shots penetrated the side and gas began to pour out. Raylan fired the flare gun shooting a bright red fire ball across the yard and past the two machine gunners. As it reached the tank the gas caught and with a whoosh, erupted. The blast knocked the two men down while engulfing them in flames.
His moment of glory short lived though as something made a horrible cry and tackled him to the ground. Raylan found himself struggling with something he would have a hard time still calling a man. The guy's head had been shaved bald, skin blistered, eyes bulged out and blood shot. Was this guy carrying rabies? Growling and drooling the mad man wrestled with the ex soldier. Raylan managed to break them apart and twice he smashed his opponent in the face with the butt of his rifle. It didn't even faze this freak! The feral human was on him again and in the struggle Raylan had to let go of his rifle when the nut tried to bite his face off.
Finally he was able to reach his tomahawk, and used a MCMAP hold to pull himself on top of his attacker and arm bar him down. Raising the hatchet above his head he brought it straight down between the man's eyes. The black blade split open the man's head killing him. Raylan jerked his head up just in time to see a man jump the wall and try to level his pistol at the deputy. With only micro seconds to spare he let fly with the tomahawk which embedded itself in the peggy's chest. Not a bad throw.
Overhead there was a sound of steel shredding and Raylan looked up in time to see the helicopter's tail rotor sheer off from a blast of Nick's mini guns. The chopper began to spin out and landed in the field with a crash on top of two men, sending pieces of deadly steel flying in all directions.
He looked around for his rifle and saw it had landed just beyond the end of the wall. When he tried to grab for the M14, bullets almost cut his arm off, making him jump back. Drawing his 45 he took off down the wall, grabbing his tomahawk back out of the dead man's chest. With a mad dash he was able to reach the one barn, as one of Nick's iron bombs hit nearby, splitting the air with a deafening boom. Gun in one hand and tomahawk in the other as he rounded the corner, there were three men in his path. Raylan swung VTAC tomahawk into the closest one's stomach while he shot the other two.
More men were converging on him as he shot the pistol the way only trained solider could. Putting his tomahawk back into it's holster he switched his pistol to a two handed grip. His drill sergeant's voice echoing in his ear "Breathe! Squeeze! Kill! Repeat!" But even Raylan knew that he could only keep them at bay with a handgun for so long. Like a gift from above rifle and shotgun muzzles began to flash from the upstairs windows of the big house, bullet's aimed clearly the cult "Hot damn she got em to the guns"
The odds were shifting now. The peggies torn between trying to kill their original attacker, shoot at the plane which was strafing and bombing them or try and deal with the almost two dozen shooters inside the house. Raylan was trying to work his way back towards his rifle when machine gun chatter forced him to take cover behind a tractor. The cult had brought in one of their trucks with a mounted gun in the bed. The gun turned on the windows of the house,, spraying them down with automatic fire. The truck was at least a hundred yards off and a handgun with open sights wasn't gonna cut it. Several men with rifles were working to keep Raylan pinned down. Raylan did his best to make use of the protection the piece of farm equipment provided while taking shots at them.
Shit what he really needed right now was a rifle. That belt fed gun was gonna cut those folks to pieces inside. As the deputy debated a dash across open ground to a long gun, a cold nose bumped his hand. Spinning around he yelled and almost shot Boomer "Goddamn boy don't be sneaking..." The dog was wagging his tail, blood covered his muzzle and an M4 was gripped in his teeth. "Good dog" Raylan smiled as he took the short rifle and rubbed the mutt's ears. Leaning around the tractor he drew a bead on the two men pinning him down and shot. He got one with the first two rounds before having to duck the other's fire. Popping up like a jack in the box again he snapped off 3 more shots, hitting his opponent.
Now for the machine gun, it had to go next. Pressing his barrel against the side of the tractor for stability Raylan set his sights on the man firing from the truck bed and shot. The man collapsed, ending the guns barrage. The truck backed up, tried to turn and drive off. Raylan fired 6 more rounds into the windshield at the driver. The truck slowly rolled forward till it banged up against a tree and stopped.
The cult's men were trying to reach a panel van for a getaway. Raylan looked up in time to see Nick coming down to drop a bomb. His aim was getting much better as this one landed right on the van's roof, blowing it and the men inside to pieces.
Raylan stepped out from cover to survey the fallout from the battle. The one bunk house was blown to hell and back, bodies and shell casings littered the yard. Holes were blown in the ground, buildings and fences from explosives and the main house was shot full of so many holes it looked like swiss cheese. But it was over and they'd come out on top. He heard his radio crackling from his bag over by the stone wall and went to retrieve it "Raylan? Raylan you still alive?" Nick asked
Picking up the radio the tired man returned the call as he sat back against the stone wall "Yeah, somehow. That was some damn good work Nick, your dad and granddad would be proud."
Nick was laughing as he banked the plane in a circle over the ranch "Way to go man, I'll see you back at my place. Woooo!" Raylan watched as the plane shot over the trees, headed for home. The flaming wreck of the cult chopper lay in the field, several men around it had been torn to bits by the flying blades as they had broke off in the crash.
Walking back to the main house he stepped inside and was greeted by friendly faces, led by the woman he'd saved upstairs. They all looked shook up, some laying against the wall wounded as others tried to tear clothing into makeshift bandages "Was that it, we get em all?" She asked
"Seems we won. We either killed all of em or a few may have high tailed it out but in the end we won. Anyone hurt real bad?" Raylan asked. One woman lowered her head and Raylan walked past her into the hallway. Two men, one old enough to be a grandfather and the other in his 30's lay dead on the floor. Raylan slammed his fist against the wall "Fuck!" He'd failed, this blood was on him.
One older man in a flannel shirt lay a hand on the deputy's shoulder "It ain't your fault son. They died fighting for their home, their families and lives. Better to go on their feet than be executed by these nuts or forced to join em. Listen, lot more folks would be good as dead if you hadn't done what ya done. You were a damn one man army out there, putting your life on the line for decent folks. Hold yer head high and don't let no one tell you otherwise."
Raylan let himself take a few deep breathes "who were they?"
The man answered pointing to the younger dead man first "Joe Cob. Bit of a loner, worked down at the feed store. Came out here bout 10 years back. Decent guy but no family I know of. The other one.."
A voice behind them spoke "My granddaddy." One young man stepped forward, about age 17. The kid had on a John Deere cap and a few pimples showing. "He was a war hero in Naim." the kid was stifling back tears and choking on his words as a woman, who Raylan assumed was his mother, took him in a hug. "I'll kill em. I'll kill all of em" the kid sobbed into his mothers neck as she tried to soothe him.
The man who had been talking with Raylan gestured to Boomer. "That's some dog ya got there. We were coming up from the basement when that one man came through the door. I thought he had us until Boomer here put him down. Rae Rae raises some damn good dogs."
Raylan thought once more on the bodies in that cold cellar he would have to deal with "She sure did."
...
Later on, after folks who needed tending to had gotten some first aid, Raylan helped some into the pick up and a car that were left. Some of the folks had opted to stay at the ranch, to keep the Seeds from taking it back. Raylan promised to send reinforcements from Falls End fast as he could. Once the vehicles were rolling out Raylan walked back into the woods where he and Nick had left the horses.
Finding Ace and the gelding where they had been left, Raylan saddled up and rode, leading the extra horse behind him. Checking his watch the deputy let out a tired sigh as he turned Ace towards Nick's place "All this and it's only 9 in the goddamn morning."