Part Thirty-Seven
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1310 Local
At a shout from one of the buyer's men, Trask turned his attention from the sound of gunfire to see Tinker running. He was already past the van and almost to the opening between the buildings. The Reverend scowled and glanced over in time to see Preston open fire. A moment later, Tinker had disappeared between the buildings. Trask stared after him, irritated, what had gotten into that oversized cretin? The head rep for the buyers was yelling and gesturing angrily at his men. All four took off after Tinker. Then he turned to Trask in disgust, "Is this how you control your men?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Or is this some elaborate ploy to keep the money and the merchandise? He indicated the briefcase in the Reverend's hand, "I will hold that until you have fulfilled your end of the bargain... if that's possible."
Trask looked at him coldly, "You impugn my honor, sir."
The man snorted derisively, "You? A man of honor? If the price is right, perhaps... "
The Reverend's face darkened, "And insult me." He held out the briefcase and glanced over his shoulder. As the man reached for it, Preston stepped forward and opened fire. Trask leaned over the body and said softly, "And there will be consequences."
Looking back at Preston, he snapped, "Get some of the men and bring Tinker back. Alive. Don't bother with Colonel MacKenzie." He paused for just a moment, "Unless you and the men would like her." It was time to cut his losses, these military people had been nothing but trouble. He hefted the briefcase, 'Well, there'd been some profit... .'
Several more of his personal guard showed up and he watched Preston disappear with them between the two buildings. Trask turned around and headed back to his headquarters. Harper should have disposed of Rabb and Singer by now. He stopped when he heard the shotgun blasts and then smiled, 'That should take care of the rest of the buyer's people.' Preston was always good at anticipating his needs.
******
AJ was first to break the tableau. Lowering his weapon, he scowled at the men, "What the hell are you doing over here? For a minute, I thought you were the Feds." Behind him, Perez and Walters lowered their weapons as well.
The man in front blinked, slowly bringing his rifle down. He exchanged guilty looks with the others in his group. "We were... we were just gonna circle around and get in behind those guys." Behind him, the other men nodded vigorously.
"I see," AJ said judiciously. "Very well, carry on."
"Yes sir!" The men tried not to look relieved as they hurried past Chegwidden and his people.
Walters waited until they had disappeared around the far corner before looking over at AJ, "Thank god for desserters, sir."
"Yeah," AJ replied, "With a little luck, maybe we can encourage the whole damn camp." He continued along the alleyway, trailed by Perez with Walters acting as the rearguard. When they reached the corner, he stopped and motioned the others to come up and join him. The main thoroughfare of the militia camp looked like a disturbed anthill. No one paid them any attention. AJ looked over at Perez, "Did Tyler know where the main headquarters building was located?"
Perez shook his head. "No, the only place he knew for sure was the mess hall. That was relatively easy to spot, but I don't think he had time to check out anything else. He probably figured that once he found Cpl. Bell, Tink could tell him where they needed to go."
AJ thought for a moment, "Trask is the guy that's in charge of the militia?"
Perez nodded, "Reverend Trask."
Chegwidden stalked out into the crowd and grabbed the arm of one the men hurrying past. Before the man could protest, AJ was in his face, "Where the hell is Reverend Trask? I need to talk to him. Now."
The man glared at him in annoyance, "How in the sam hill would I know? He's sure as hell not where the fighting is going on." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Probably havin' his afternoon tea and doesn't want to be disturbed. Good luck gettin' past that lunatic watchdog, Preston." He yanked his arm out of AJ's grasp and took off. Chegwidden glanced back at Walters and Perez and then headed in the direction the man had indicated.
They hadn't gotten very far when the sound of a shotgun went off somewhere ahead and to their right. All three froze for a moment while the scurrying crowd of militia surged around them, and then took off at a run. They slowed down as they approached a series of small buildings. Reaching the first one, they cautiously moved to a corner and peered around. Seeing it was clear, AJ motioned Perez to take the point. Nodding, the captain carefully made his way down to the next corner and looked around. He gestured for the other two to join him. When they got there, he grimly jerked a thumb towards the corner, "I found the recipients of the shotgun blasts." He looked at AJ, "Tyler was armed with a riotgun. This could be him."
AJ peered around the corner and then yanked his head back. "Company's coming this way. They're not ours." They retreated back to a different building and carefully took up watch. There were seven men altogether, armed with automatic weapons and shotguns. Apparently they were equally wary about whoever they were hunting, their approach was excruciatingly slow. Finally they gained the corner where AJ, Perez and Walters had just been.
They milled about uncertainly, seemingly unwilling to look further. That changed when an eighth man joined them. Obviously in charge, he growled orders at them and they split into two groups and headed towards a line of small, windowless buildings. AJ exchanged glances with the others and they drifted quietly after the militia men.
Storage Shed
Militia Camp
1330 Local
"My turn?" Tink said, looking leery.
Tyler glared at him, "Your turn. Don't whine."
Tink looked indignant, "I'm not whining. I'm just apprehensive. You're the backwoods country boy. How do I know you're not going to something weird like make me wear garlic or tie a string on my foot and recite the Gettysburg Address?"
"Bite your tongue," Tyler said with a mock scowl. "Besides, you ignorant Yankee, garlic is for repelling vampires and a string on your toe's for toothache. Now let me see your back."
Grudgingly, Tink turned a little and leaned forward. He focused on the Colonel while Tyler pulled his shirt away. She was still pale and her breathing labored. They needed to get medical help for her and himself as well. He wasn't about to say anything to Tyler; the ensign had enough on his mind, but the numbness seemed to be growing stronger. It was scaring the hell out of him.
Taking a breath, Tyler raised the shirt out of the way and took his first look. It wasn't what he was expecting, just a small, round hole with a minimal amount of blood. It already seemed to be clotting. Looking at the thick slabs of muscle across Tink's back, Tyler decided that the real surprise was that the bullet hadn't just bounced off. The entry didn't seem to be close to the spine, but God knows where it had gone after it hit. He gave himself a mental slap, of course he knew where it went, Tink said his legs were numb. That statement had scared him almost as much as the Colonel's condition. Adding to the stress was the fact that the men searching for them were going to find them sooner or later. It was just a process of elimination. He winced to himself, that was a poor choice of words.
Dropping Tink's shirt back down, Tyler said lightly, "Well, at least, the bleeding seems to have quit; but I think there's swelling where the bullet finally stopped. You should be happy I can't find any hog manure to put in your left shoe... "
Tink squeezed his eyes shut as he eased back against the shelf again. "I'm pretty sure that's about all I want to hear... where the hell do you get this stuff?"
Tyler chuckled, "Mostly my Great-Aunt Etta June. You haven't lived until you've gotten to wear a rhubarb root around your neck to ward off stomach aches. Life was never dull when we visited her."
A thump at the door of the shed brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. "Son of a bitch! Get down, Tink!" Tyler snapped as he grabbed the riotgun and scrambled to one side.
Outside, they heard a voice calling, "Tinker! You and whoever's in there with you, come out, there's nowhere for you to go!"
Tink glanced over at Tyler and then raised his voice, "No! You'll shoot me!"
The voice turned cajoling, "Aww c'mon Tinker, the Reverend just wants to talk to you. He's not that mad."
"He's not?" Tink paused a moment, "What about Colonel MacKenzie? I don't like those men."
"You can bring her out, too. Rev. Trask didn't like those men either, Tinker, and he likes having to wait even less. Now who else is in there?"
"It's just me and the Colonel."
"Don't lie to me, Tinker. Somebody's helping you. Somebody killed those men."
"I don't know who he was. I ran into him and knocked him down. He was really mad and then those guys showed up and started shooting. He hauled off and started firing that shotgun he was carrying. So I took off."
There was a slight pause, "Come out Tinker. I'm losing patience."
Tink looked over at Tyler again. He had stalled about as long as he could. Tyler nodded and then gestured to the floor while raising an eyebrow. Tink nodded back and carefully rolled down onto his side. He raised his voice again, "No! Go away!"
"All right, Tinker. I warned you." There was silence for a few brief seconds and then a barrage of shots hit the shed. The two men hugged the floor as the shooting continued. Finally, it came to a halt. Ears ringing, Tyler watched as the door was slowly forced open. He waited a few more seconds and then popped up and blew a hole right through the door and whoever was pushing it open. He heard the screams and obscenities as he fired two more rounds. Then the return fire started, heavier than before. Hugging the floor again, he exchanged a look with Tink. It was just a matter of time. The makeshift barricade wouldn't withstand this kind of fire for very long.
The fire increased in intensity and then inexplicably began to slacken. There was yelling and cursing and then that too died away. In the silence, Tyler looked at Tink again and shrugged, gripping his riotgun a little tighter. A shadow fell across the now open doorway, "Tyler? You in there? Is anyone hurt?"
Tyler sagged with relief at the sound of Gunny Walters' voice. He looked over at Tink, "It's the cavalry." He raised his voice as he started to sit up, "Gunny? I'm fine but the Colonel and Cpl. Bell need medical attention."
There was a muttered expletive and then an 'Excuse me, sir.' A moment later, Admiral Chegwidden pushed his way into the shed. "Tyler?"
"Over here, sir," Tyler called. He moved over to give Tink a hand. The big man was trying to get himself back to sitting upright. Tyler looked at him in concern, "You probably should have stayed down. I don't think moving like that is a good idea."
"Why is that, Mr. Tyler?" The sound of Chegwidden's voice behind him made him jump.
Tyler whirled around to see the Admiral kneeling down near Colonel MacKenzie. He was looking at Tink and himself. Ignoring the warning growl from Tink, he said, "Cpl. Bell took a round in the back getting the Colonel away. Now his legs are numb."
AJ raised an eyebrow, "You didn't think anyone would notice, Corporal?"
Tink flushed a little, "It's not like there's anything that can be done about it, sir. Not here, anyway, and it really doesn't hurt very much. I was more worried about the Colonel." He gestured towards Mac, "I don't think those idiots knew what they were doing and gave her too much of whatever it was they drugged her with. Ensign Tyler got her to throw up a lot of it but she's still pretty sick. Right now, it seems like the only improvement is that she hasn't gotten worse." Tink trailed off uncertainly, suddenly aware he'd been running off at the mouth with a two-star.
AJ looked down at Mac, brushing her hair back before resting a hand lightly on her forehead. She barely stirred. He scowled and looked at the two young men, "The short version - what the hell happened?"
The two exchanged glances and then Tink cleared his throat, "Sir, it started when Reverend Trask requested the Colonel join him for lunch. I went with her to help her get to the dining room."
"She couldn't walk on her own?" the Admiral interrupted.
"Well, yes sir, she could but Cmdr. Rabb made them think she needed help. He knew I was one of the guards and he wanted to make sure she wouldn't be alone." The Admiral nodded, and Tink continued, "Preston called me in about an hour later, the Colonel was unconscious. There were some men in business suits at the far end of the room. That bastard... excuse me, sir... Trask had sold her to them. I was told to carry the Colonel to their van. When the shooting started, I just kept going. Then I ran into to Tyler and we wound up hiding in here. We figured they must have drugged her food or drink because we didn't think she'd go down without a fight."
"Admiral?" Perez appeared in the doorway, "I think we need to move to a new location, one of them got away." His eyebrows rose as he finally took in the scene in front of him, "Son of a bitch!"
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1310 Local
At a shout from one of the buyer's men, Trask turned his attention from the sound of gunfire to see Tinker running. He was already past the van and almost to the opening between the buildings. The Reverend scowled and glanced over in time to see Preston open fire. A moment later, Tinker had disappeared between the buildings. Trask stared after him, irritated, what had gotten into that oversized cretin? The head rep for the buyers was yelling and gesturing angrily at his men. All four took off after Tinker. Then he turned to Trask in disgust, "Is this how you control your men?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Or is this some elaborate ploy to keep the money and the merchandise? He indicated the briefcase in the Reverend's hand, "I will hold that until you have fulfilled your end of the bargain... if that's possible."
Trask looked at him coldly, "You impugn my honor, sir."
The man snorted derisively, "You? A man of honor? If the price is right, perhaps... "
The Reverend's face darkened, "And insult me." He held out the briefcase and glanced over his shoulder. As the man reached for it, Preston stepped forward and opened fire. Trask leaned over the body and said softly, "And there will be consequences."
Looking back at Preston, he snapped, "Get some of the men and bring Tinker back. Alive. Don't bother with Colonel MacKenzie." He paused for just a moment, "Unless you and the men would like her." It was time to cut his losses, these military people had been nothing but trouble. He hefted the briefcase, 'Well, there'd been some profit... .'
Several more of his personal guard showed up and he watched Preston disappear with them between the two buildings. Trask turned around and headed back to his headquarters. Harper should have disposed of Rabb and Singer by now. He stopped when he heard the shotgun blasts and then smiled, 'That should take care of the rest of the buyer's people.' Preston was always good at anticipating his needs.
******
AJ was first to break the tableau. Lowering his weapon, he scowled at the men, "What the hell are you doing over here? For a minute, I thought you were the Feds." Behind him, Perez and Walters lowered their weapons as well.
The man in front blinked, slowly bringing his rifle down. He exchanged guilty looks with the others in his group. "We were... we were just gonna circle around and get in behind those guys." Behind him, the other men nodded vigorously.
"I see," AJ said judiciously. "Very well, carry on."
"Yes sir!" The men tried not to look relieved as they hurried past Chegwidden and his people.
Walters waited until they had disappeared around the far corner before looking over at AJ, "Thank god for desserters, sir."
"Yeah," AJ replied, "With a little luck, maybe we can encourage the whole damn camp." He continued along the alleyway, trailed by Perez with Walters acting as the rearguard. When they reached the corner, he stopped and motioned the others to come up and join him. The main thoroughfare of the militia camp looked like a disturbed anthill. No one paid them any attention. AJ looked over at Perez, "Did Tyler know where the main headquarters building was located?"
Perez shook his head. "No, the only place he knew for sure was the mess hall. That was relatively easy to spot, but I don't think he had time to check out anything else. He probably figured that once he found Cpl. Bell, Tink could tell him where they needed to go."
AJ thought for a moment, "Trask is the guy that's in charge of the militia?"
Perez nodded, "Reverend Trask."
Chegwidden stalked out into the crowd and grabbed the arm of one the men hurrying past. Before the man could protest, AJ was in his face, "Where the hell is Reverend Trask? I need to talk to him. Now."
The man glared at him in annoyance, "How in the sam hill would I know? He's sure as hell not where the fighting is going on." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Probably havin' his afternoon tea and doesn't want to be disturbed. Good luck gettin' past that lunatic watchdog, Preston." He yanked his arm out of AJ's grasp and took off. Chegwidden glanced back at Walters and Perez and then headed in the direction the man had indicated.
They hadn't gotten very far when the sound of a shotgun went off somewhere ahead and to their right. All three froze for a moment while the scurrying crowd of militia surged around them, and then took off at a run. They slowed down as they approached a series of small buildings. Reaching the first one, they cautiously moved to a corner and peered around. Seeing it was clear, AJ motioned Perez to take the point. Nodding, the captain carefully made his way down to the next corner and looked around. He gestured for the other two to join him. When they got there, he grimly jerked a thumb towards the corner, "I found the recipients of the shotgun blasts." He looked at AJ, "Tyler was armed with a riotgun. This could be him."
AJ peered around the corner and then yanked his head back. "Company's coming this way. They're not ours." They retreated back to a different building and carefully took up watch. There were seven men altogether, armed with automatic weapons and shotguns. Apparently they were equally wary about whoever they were hunting, their approach was excruciatingly slow. Finally they gained the corner where AJ, Perez and Walters had just been.
They milled about uncertainly, seemingly unwilling to look further. That changed when an eighth man joined them. Obviously in charge, he growled orders at them and they split into two groups and headed towards a line of small, windowless buildings. AJ exchanged glances with the others and they drifted quietly after the militia men.
Storage Shed
Militia Camp
1330 Local
"My turn?" Tink said, looking leery.
Tyler glared at him, "Your turn. Don't whine."
Tink looked indignant, "I'm not whining. I'm just apprehensive. You're the backwoods country boy. How do I know you're not going to something weird like make me wear garlic or tie a string on my foot and recite the Gettysburg Address?"
"Bite your tongue," Tyler said with a mock scowl. "Besides, you ignorant Yankee, garlic is for repelling vampires and a string on your toe's for toothache. Now let me see your back."
Grudgingly, Tink turned a little and leaned forward. He focused on the Colonel while Tyler pulled his shirt away. She was still pale and her breathing labored. They needed to get medical help for her and himself as well. He wasn't about to say anything to Tyler; the ensign had enough on his mind, but the numbness seemed to be growing stronger. It was scaring the hell out of him.
Taking a breath, Tyler raised the shirt out of the way and took his first look. It wasn't what he was expecting, just a small, round hole with a minimal amount of blood. It already seemed to be clotting. Looking at the thick slabs of muscle across Tink's back, Tyler decided that the real surprise was that the bullet hadn't just bounced off. The entry didn't seem to be close to the spine, but God knows where it had gone after it hit. He gave himself a mental slap, of course he knew where it went, Tink said his legs were numb. That statement had scared him almost as much as the Colonel's condition. Adding to the stress was the fact that the men searching for them were going to find them sooner or later. It was just a process of elimination. He winced to himself, that was a poor choice of words.
Dropping Tink's shirt back down, Tyler said lightly, "Well, at least, the bleeding seems to have quit; but I think there's swelling where the bullet finally stopped. You should be happy I can't find any hog manure to put in your left shoe... "
Tink squeezed his eyes shut as he eased back against the shelf again. "I'm pretty sure that's about all I want to hear... where the hell do you get this stuff?"
Tyler chuckled, "Mostly my Great-Aunt Etta June. You haven't lived until you've gotten to wear a rhubarb root around your neck to ward off stomach aches. Life was never dull when we visited her."
A thump at the door of the shed brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. "Son of a bitch! Get down, Tink!" Tyler snapped as he grabbed the riotgun and scrambled to one side.
Outside, they heard a voice calling, "Tinker! You and whoever's in there with you, come out, there's nowhere for you to go!"
Tink glanced over at Tyler and then raised his voice, "No! You'll shoot me!"
The voice turned cajoling, "Aww c'mon Tinker, the Reverend just wants to talk to you. He's not that mad."
"He's not?" Tink paused a moment, "What about Colonel MacKenzie? I don't like those men."
"You can bring her out, too. Rev. Trask didn't like those men either, Tinker, and he likes having to wait even less. Now who else is in there?"
"It's just me and the Colonel."
"Don't lie to me, Tinker. Somebody's helping you. Somebody killed those men."
"I don't know who he was. I ran into him and knocked him down. He was really mad and then those guys showed up and started shooting. He hauled off and started firing that shotgun he was carrying. So I took off."
There was a slight pause, "Come out Tinker. I'm losing patience."
Tink looked over at Tyler again. He had stalled about as long as he could. Tyler nodded and then gestured to the floor while raising an eyebrow. Tink nodded back and carefully rolled down onto his side. He raised his voice again, "No! Go away!"
"All right, Tinker. I warned you." There was silence for a few brief seconds and then a barrage of shots hit the shed. The two men hugged the floor as the shooting continued. Finally, it came to a halt. Ears ringing, Tyler watched as the door was slowly forced open. He waited a few more seconds and then popped up and blew a hole right through the door and whoever was pushing it open. He heard the screams and obscenities as he fired two more rounds. Then the return fire started, heavier than before. Hugging the floor again, he exchanged a look with Tink. It was just a matter of time. The makeshift barricade wouldn't withstand this kind of fire for very long.
The fire increased in intensity and then inexplicably began to slacken. There was yelling and cursing and then that too died away. In the silence, Tyler looked at Tink again and shrugged, gripping his riotgun a little tighter. A shadow fell across the now open doorway, "Tyler? You in there? Is anyone hurt?"
Tyler sagged with relief at the sound of Gunny Walters' voice. He looked over at Tink, "It's the cavalry." He raised his voice as he started to sit up, "Gunny? I'm fine but the Colonel and Cpl. Bell need medical attention."
There was a muttered expletive and then an 'Excuse me, sir.' A moment later, Admiral Chegwidden pushed his way into the shed. "Tyler?"
"Over here, sir," Tyler called. He moved over to give Tink a hand. The big man was trying to get himself back to sitting upright. Tyler looked at him in concern, "You probably should have stayed down. I don't think moving like that is a good idea."
"Why is that, Mr. Tyler?" The sound of Chegwidden's voice behind him made him jump.
Tyler whirled around to see the Admiral kneeling down near Colonel MacKenzie. He was looking at Tink and himself. Ignoring the warning growl from Tink, he said, "Cpl. Bell took a round in the back getting the Colonel away. Now his legs are numb."
AJ raised an eyebrow, "You didn't think anyone would notice, Corporal?"
Tink flushed a little, "It's not like there's anything that can be done about it, sir. Not here, anyway, and it really doesn't hurt very much. I was more worried about the Colonel." He gestured towards Mac, "I don't think those idiots knew what they were doing and gave her too much of whatever it was they drugged her with. Ensign Tyler got her to throw up a lot of it but she's still pretty sick. Right now, it seems like the only improvement is that she hasn't gotten worse." Tink trailed off uncertainly, suddenly aware he'd been running off at the mouth with a two-star.
AJ looked down at Mac, brushing her hair back before resting a hand lightly on her forehead. She barely stirred. He scowled and looked at the two young men, "The short version - what the hell happened?"
The two exchanged glances and then Tink cleared his throat, "Sir, it started when Reverend Trask requested the Colonel join him for lunch. I went with her to help her get to the dining room."
"She couldn't walk on her own?" the Admiral interrupted.
"Well, yes sir, she could but Cmdr. Rabb made them think she needed help. He knew I was one of the guards and he wanted to make sure she wouldn't be alone." The Admiral nodded, and Tink continued, "Preston called me in about an hour later, the Colonel was unconscious. There were some men in business suits at the far end of the room. That bastard... excuse me, sir... Trask had sold her to them. I was told to carry the Colonel to their van. When the shooting started, I just kept going. Then I ran into to Tyler and we wound up hiding in here. We figured they must have drugged her food or drink because we didn't think she'd go down without a fight."
"Admiral?" Perez appeared in the doorway, "I think we need to move to a new location, one of them got away." His eyebrows rose as he finally took in the scene in front of him, "Son of a bitch!"
