Chapter 10: On the Offensive
After dropping Hurk and Sharky off at the marina, Kyle and Jess headed back to Dutch's bunker.
"So, what's the plan now?" Jess asked
"We're going to put a big hurting on John. And I mean a big hurting."
A grin appeared on Jess' face. "I like the sound of this plan. Could you give details?"
"You're going to have to wait until we get to Dutch's."
Jess playfully hit him on the arm. "Bastard."
They arrived back at the bunker and found Dutch waiting for them in the command room.
"Welcome back. Everything go alright?"
"For the most part." Kyle walked over to the large map to study John's region. "So Dutch, I think its high time we teach John a lesson."
Dutch cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"
"Well it seems that John has most of his strongholds here, in the north. They all seem to be off of this main road here. So I propose it that me and Jess go to town and hit these places one by one."
Dutch smiled. "That's going to rile up John quite a bit. He's going to send a lot after you."
Kyle finished looked at the map and turned around to face Dutch. "That's exactly what we want. Once we start hitting the places closest to us, John will send his forces at us by way of the main roads. They'll all be perfectly lined up. That's when we have Nick swoop from the air to take them down. Meanwhile, anyone we have at Falls End or Nick's place can fan out and cause chaos in the area while the majority of forces are focused on us. To make it even better, we'll attack early in the morning when they're tired so they definitely won't be effective."
Dutch rubbed his chin. "Sounds like a really good plan kid. I do have one concern though. What if John send his planes as well?"
"That's also a reason for attacking the morning. Most likely the pilots will be groggy and won't fly very well. But if worst comes to worst than Nick can just land back on the ground and we'll ambush the ground forces as they come for us."
"You have a sharp mind kid and a lot of confidence. Let's hope this plan of your works."
Kyle nodded. "Let's get in touch with the crew so they know when to attack."
Dutch went over to the radio. It was a short time before he managed to get Mary May on the radio. He then stood aside for Kyle to speak.
"Hello? Dutch?"
"Actually Mary, its Kyle. How are you guys holding up?"
"Oh Kyle! We've been holding up okay. John's getting bolder since you left the area. We've been able to hold our ground at Falls End and Nick's place but its gotten dicey at times."
"Well I'm back in the area and I've got a plan to fuck up John Seed. Are Grace and Nick with you by any chance?"
"They are. They stopped by for some grub before they were going to head back to the Rye hanger."
"Make sure they hear this, its important. So the plan is this: Jess and I are going to start our attack from the north. We'll be hitting every stronghold he has along the main road in the northern region. When our attack starts, John will probably send a majority of his forces toward us. Most likely they are also going to use the main road to get to us. I'm going to need Nick in the air to take them out while they're all lined up on the road. While this is going on, John should be weakened well enough that you can send a team to hit the cattle farm that's southeast of Falls End. The whole goal of this operation is to take out all of John's strongholds save for his ranch and bunker. After that, we'll go from there.
"That's a pretty ambitious plan Kyle. But I think it might work."
"I like the plan brother! You can count on me to take out those peggies and provide air support!" Nick shouted from the background.
"Mary, could you put Grace on the line?"
There were a few moments of static. "It's a pretty good plan Kyle. Very strategic. What did you need?"
"I was hoping you could lead the attack on the place to the southeast of Falls End when the time comes. I know that you're a pretty good shot so I have confidence that everything will go well if you do."
"You got it. So when is this all going down?"
"Tomorrow morning at around 5am. We'll hit them early when they're tired and still waking up. Like I said, Nick should be up in the air shortly after we start so he can hit the reinforcements. Once they are taken out, he should radio you so you can begin your attack."
"Roger that. We'll be ready. You be careful Kyle. Here's Mary again."
"Kyle? You sure about this? This seems like a pretty big attack out of nowhere."
"That's why I think it'll work. John has his guard lowered and the surprise of this attack will really hammer it home."
"Alright, if you say so. There's one more thing. The peggies took my dad's truck, the Widowmaker. I'm pretty sure they have it stashed at the grain elevator. It's a semi-truck and its got mounted guns on the front. Would make your next attacks much easier."
"Thank you Mary, we'll kept an eye out for it. Get some shuteye and good luck on your end."
"Thank you. Good luck on your end too Kyle. Be safe and don't push too hard." There was obvious concern in her voice. The line then went dead.
"Well looks like you got your crew ready to go kid. You and Jess better get some sleep early. You're gonna need all the energy you can spare for tomorrow. I'll be here monitoring things. I'll let you know if for some reason any reinforcements come from Jacob or Faith's region."
"That helps. Thanks Dutch. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow."
Kyle made his way toward the bedrooms. He was joined by Jess on the way.
"So we're hitting them bright and early huh?"
"That's right. You'll be able to get enough beauty sleep, right?"
Jess punched him playfully in the right shoulder. "Asshole. Don't oversleep and make me have to wake you up."
"Yeah, Yeah. Night Jess."
"Night."
The sun was still going down, by like Dutch said, they would need all the energy they could get. Holland Valley was going to get a rude awakening.
The next morning at the planned time, the sky was still dark. There was a gentle breeze blowing on that early May morning. Jess and Kyle were up early, earlier than their planned time. They were sitting in the car waiting to move into Holland Valley.
"So how exactly are we going to do this?" Jess inquired. "We just going in gun and bow blazing or we doing this sneaky?"
"We're gonna make sure those bastards know we're coming for them. The more alarms we set off the better. They need every reason to send their forces to us so we can take them out efficiently."
"Sounds good to me. Those fucking peggies are going to get what's coming to them. I know you're as excited about this as I am."
"You have no idea Jess." He checked the clock. "Its time. Let's kick some ass." They then made their way off Dutch's area and over the bridge that led to John's territory. The first target was the Gardenview Packing Facility which was across from where the two had rescued Boomer. It was right off the main road so it would be an easy first target. As it was still dark, what patrols there were on the streets would assume that Kyle and Jess were just civilians out early. Thus the two would catch the first base completely by surprise. The peggies heard a car thinking it was one of theirs coming back from patrol. They were soon proven wrong when the car parked and they began taking bullets and arrows from its occupants. Cult members went down without even knowing that there were enemies in their midst. But the sound of gunfire attracted those still alive to its source. One of the peggies sounded the alarm and radioed for help.
"We're under attack! Send reinforcements!"
"How many are there?" Came the reply.
More gunshots rang out followed by screams and shouts of people dying. "I have no idea how many there are! They just came out of the dark! Send everyone you have! No idea how much long we'll last!"
"Rodger that. Help will be there soon from the south. Hold until then!"
The peggy got off the radio to carry out his instructions but fell after a burst of bullets hit his skull. Soon there was no more noise other than the loud alarm blaring in the background. Kyle and Jess checked around for any more hostiles. When they found that there were no other living souls, they met in the middle.
"So what do we do with the bodies?" Jess inquired
"Leave them. Someone can clean them up later." They headed to the car when suddenly, Kyle tossed Jess the keys. "You're driving from now on, just in case we encounter some resistance on the way there."
Jess looked slightly annoyed. "Fair enough. Shall we?"
The next target was Copperhead Rail Yard. The defenders there were a little on edge. But even though they had heard the alarm, they were told to stay put while reinforcements came from further south.
"What do you think it could be?" One of the guards asked another.
"Its probably that sinner that everyone keeps talking about again. I've heard rumors that Jacob almost trapped him up north but he managed to escape."
"Huh, I've heard that he was in Faith's region. Spooked her so bad that she abandoned the hotel."
"Well, wherever he's been, we need to stop him if he comes here."
The peggies were ready for anything that came along the road. They even hand a .50 cal stationed on the roof. Then an arrow came and hit the .50 cal gunner right in the neck. The others only knew about it because the unlucky victim stumbled for a bit before falling off the side. But when they heard the noise, a burst of gunfire from the north took out another. The peggies were in disarray as they blindly fired in every direction hoping to hit their assailants. But their attackers had already moved in and were taking out the defenders one by one. It only took a few minutes before Eden's Gate was cleansed from the railyard. The sun had risen a bit more which illuminated the bodies that now dotted the area.
"They have to know we're coming now right?" Jess was searching the bodies for ammo for Kyle.
"Hopefully. It will be more of a pain if they stay put and are fully alert." Just then, some static could be heard from Kyle's radio.
"Kyle buddy, you there?"
"I'm here Nick. What's going on?"
"Looks like you were spot on. I have three trucks and a van moving north towards where you guys are. But don't worry, I'll take care of them."
"Thanks Nick. Good luck." Kyle turned to Jess. "Looks like they're coming. You ready?"
"Always." She tossed him a few clips for his MP5 then started for their next target. A few moments after they left the railyard, they heard a large boom.
"Crossing my fingers that they didn't come on the road we're on." Jess mused.
"If they were, we would have seen fire. I think Nick took them out at the other road."
More time passed, more explosions were heard. If Kyle's memory was correct, the next area they would attack would be the grain elevator which would be good since the windowmaker was there. It was then that Kyle had an idea. It would make the next attack go smoothly.
The cult defenders at the grain elevator were waiting. They had just seen a convoy pass a few minutes ago. But soon after that, they too heard the explosions and feared for the worst. Their fears were confirmed when they saw a plane that did not bear their marking flying in the area. They radioed in the plane so the chosen could deal with it. But they still had to be wary of the sinner who was rampaging from the north. A sound was heard. It sounded like a vehicle. All guns pointed towards the road as the sound got louder and louder. When the vehicle came into view, everyone opened fire.
The car was riddled with bullets but eventually came to a stop right in front. The cultists were cautious.
"Did we get them?" One asked.
"Go look!" Another ordered.
The first cultist slowly made his way forward so he could get a better view of the inside of the car. He saw that the car was smoking but when he looked inside of it, there was no one inside and there were no visible bodies around.
"Hey, there's no one in the car!"
"What? Then where the hell are they?"
One unlucky cultist that was standing by the warehouse door found out when he got his throat slit by Jess. She laid the body down then searched his corpse for the key which she found. Jess then unlocked the door and headed silently inside followed by Kyle. The cultists outside were still trying to find out where they were.
"They have to be close! Find them!"
The peggies searched everywhere in their area but could not find the sinners. Then the garage door to the warehouse opened. There was a truck horn followed by s spray of bullets that killed anyone in front of the door. The survivors returned fire but mostly hit the grill of the truck. Arrows started flying from the side, hitting the cultists as they were distracted. One final burst of gunfire by the driver ended the last remaining resistance. Jess then went and knocked on the driver side door which Kyle opened.
"Dude, this is awesome! I know I've said the bow is best killing weapon but this thing is a beast!"
"Then come my lady, and we shall ride this beast to victory." Kyle did his best dramatic voice.
Jess was so excited she didn't even care about Kyle's antics. She ran over to the passenger side and hopped in. Just then, there was some noise over the radio.
"Kyle you there?"
"Whats up Nick?"
"I saw some Peggie roadblocks by the fertilizer and auto areas. I think they're meaning to stop you on the roads. I was going to take shots at them but some chosen showed up. Its only two on one so I think I should be fine but I wouldn't be able to provide any more ground support for a bit."
"That's alright Nick, I think we'll manage" Kyle said smiling at Jess. "You be careful up there."
"No worries here partner. Nick out."
As Much as Kyle wanted to get going, he had to make another call first. "Mary, you there?"
"I'm here Kyle."
"How goes things on your end?"
"Grace just left a few minutes ago with a team. Things seem to be going according to plan. We've seen Nick a few times battling in the air with some of John's planes."
"Well you'll be happy to know that we have Widowmaker and we're about to kick some serious ass with her."
"Excellent! That was my dad's pride and joy. I'm sure she'll do just as well for you and she did for him. You take care of yourself Kyle."
"You too." Kyle got off the radio and started moving forward with Widowmaker, crashing through the fence. They headed for the fertilizer plant which was not too far away.
Eden's Gate had indeed set up a roadblock on the road in front of the plant. Everyone was there to man it. Their strength was two trucks with mounted guns along with 10 defenders, along with a few make-shift barricades. Unfortunately for the cult, they were distracted by the air battle going on between Nick Rye and two chosen planes. The chosen had intercepted Nick right before had was going to strafe the roadblock. The peggies watched their saviors battle against Nick with neither side seeming to gain an advantage. But than when it seemed like the stalemate would last, Nick got behind one of the chosen and managed to hit their wing. The ground forces watched with horror as one of their planes headed right for the ground in flames. But their day was about to get a lot worse. As they were distracted by the air battle going on above them, they did not notice the huge semi-truck with guns barreling toward them. Only when its horn blared did they turn around. But then it was too late. Fire from the truck's guns raked the barricades killing a few of its defenders. The truck then smashed into them, sending trucks, debris and bodies, flying in every which direction. It was almost fitting that the first plane that had been shot down exploded right when the widowmaker smashed through the blockade.
"Man! Mary's dad had one hell of a truck. I'm surprised the cult didn't try using this themselves." Kyle exclaimed after they had smashed through.
"Shouldn't we stop to finish off any survivors?"
"Nah, there probably aren't many left anyways. If there are any, we can just clean them up later anyways. Right now we have momentum. Let's keep going."
The last target was U.S Auto. Like the cultists at the plant, but upon seeing that the air battle was turning against them, they resolved to at least defend as best they could on the ground. The peggies did not know exactly what to expect but they felt confident enough that they could repel the sinner. If he broke through here, then he would have a straight shot to the bunker.
As soon the windowmaker appeared, the guards opened fire with everything they had. Unfortunately, they were lacking rpg support, but they hoped that perhaps their bullets would kill the driver and/or passenger. What the cultists did not know was that the windshield of the widowmaker was also bulletproof. Thus there was a feeling of dread when after taking so many bullets, the windowmaker eventually turned and came face to face with the stronghold. The vehicle stopped, but its guns did not. Furthermore, Jess had gotten out of the passenger side and started hunting down the defenders who had scattered to the sides. Kyle also started shooting from his side out the window at the guards who had scattered to his side. After a few minutes, every cultist was dead, either riddled by bullets or had an arrow sticking out of them.
Kyle turned off the truck as Jess came over to meet him on the side.
"Well I think that went well, don't you?" They suddenly heard a noise and looked up. Nick had just shot down the other chosen plane which was now heading straight toward the open fields. Its meeting with the ground ended with a fiery explosion.
Jess smiled. "I can definitely say that this was the most fun I've ever had."
Kyle laughed. "It'll be hard to top this, that's for sure." He then got on the radio to check in with Nick. "Hey there flyboy, looks like you didn't have any trouble at all huh?"
"Not at all partner. These chosen may seem scary, but once you get in a dog fight with them, they soon shit their pants."
"Against you in the air, who wouldn't? But Nick, could you fly over and take a look by Sunrise Farm? We bypassed it on the way here. If Grace took the cattle ranch, we'll probably meet her over there to finish the job."
"Roger that. I'll head over there now."
Kyle then switched to contacting Grace. "Grace, you there?"
There was a short pause before there was an answer. "I'm here Kyle. How are things going on your end?"
"We cleared everything up to U.S Auto. What's the word on the cattle farm?"
"Cattle farm is secure Kyle. Peggies seemed distracted by what was going on up north. I also think they sent some of their own up there because there weren't too many. We have one injured but thankfully no fatalities."
"That's great. Hey, could you meet us at Sunrise Farm? We bypassed it and it's the last place."
"Sure, we'll be there soon."
Kyle got off the radio and turned to Jess. "One more bout of fun?"
Jess didn't even answer him, she was still smiling and raced to the passenger side and hopped in. Kyle turned the truck around and started heading back in the direction of the farm. About halfway there, there was some noise on the radio.
"Partner, its Nick. Just did a circle above the farm. It looks like the place is deserted by I can't tell for sure. The peggies might be hiding in the buildings. Be careful."
"Roger that Nick."
Jess and Kyle soon arrived at the farm and like Nick had reported it seemed deserted.
"I guess we'll split up and see if there's anyone here. Yell if you encounter any resistance."
Jess nodded and they both got out to do a sweep the area. Kyle checked the small buildings while Jess checked the main house. Kyle had his gun ready for anyone that might pop out but no one did. After finding no one, he headed back to the middle of the area to wait on Jess. Grace then showed up in a truck with her team.
"Look's like you beat us here Kyle. Anyone left for us?"
Kyle shook his head. "There was no one here when we arrived. I get the feeling that the place is deserted." Jess soon joined them.
"Find anything?" Asked Kyle.
"Nothing. I'm guessing they turned tail when they heard about everything happening. Fucking cowards."
"Can't blame them too much after everything you guys pulled off." Grace remarked. She then turned to Kyle. "Well it looks like everything went as smooth as we could have hoped. We've cleared the cult from every area except John's ranch and his bunker. So what's next?"
"We'll wait and see what the reaction is. There's still a chance he could ask for help from Jacob or Faith so we need to be ready in case any forces come from those directions. Once we're solidified then we can see what to do about the rest of the holdings here. By the way, could you send a few people to check on the fertilizer plant? We plowed right through it but we're not sure if there were any survivors. We're also going to need people to man these areas so the cult can't take them back."
Grace smiled. "You got it Kyle. With everything you've done, we can clean up what's left. Head back home and get some rest. I'll be in contact."
Kyle smiled back and after saying their goodbyes, he and Jess boarded the widowmaker once again to head to Dutch's.
"Do you think Mary will be mad if we keep the widowmaker a little longer?
Jess frowned. "After all we've done, she should just let us keep it."
"I wouldn't complain." The return journey was uneventful. The carnage was obvious. John Seed had been dealt a heavy blow.
*Later that day at Joseph's compound*
John Seed paced aggressively back and forth. Joseph and Jacob Seed were seated at the nearby table."
"How the fuck could this of happened?" raged John. "He disappears and then a few days later he shows up and fucks me over. Joseph, we need to do something about this sinner."
Joseph had his eyes closed with his chin over his hands. "First you need to calm down John. You're letting your temper get the best of you."
"How the fuck do you expect me to remain calm? I've lost about 75% of what I've held in one day!" John looked around the room. "And where is Faith during all this? Where the fuck is she?"
"She says she's still recovering from the loss of the hotel. She's trying to get everything back in order." Jacob answered.
John spit to the side. "Spineless bitch. She didn't lose anyone in that attack. Somehow, she knew they were coming and abandoned the place! That was all her fault! She hasn't lost anyone like you and me Jacob."
"John, you need to calm down." Joseph ordered again. "Raging about Faith isn't going to solve anything. She is doing what she needs to be done."
John took a deep breath and calmed down slightly. "Alright, but we still need to take care of this sinner. Jacob, didn't you almost get him?"
Jacob Seed nodded. "I did. But he had help. Jess Black managed to lure my force away and lose them. She's just as skilled as he is."
"Damn it! It's bad enough that he's so good but it seems every day he gets more and more support. We need to stop this before he ruins everything!"
"Indeed, we do." Joseph spoke. "By the way John, have you gotten any more information from your prisoner?"
"No I haven't! She's still being as stubborn as ever! I should just kill her and…" John then had an idea and chuckled to himself.
"What's so funny?" asked Jacob.
"I just thought of a way to at least reduce the sinner's support. We will expose him for what he is. A man that cares about no one but himself, that he's just using people for his own ends. Once we expose how vile of a sinner he is, he will lose his support and that's when we can strike back!"
Joseph nodded. "Very well John. Do what you need to do. But do not let your rage get the better of you. Be calm, and I'm sure God will reward you for your restraint."
John smiled. "I will brother. And I will be the one to take down the sinner."
Author's note: Many different things crammed into this chapter. The widowmaker mission plus a bunch of outpost liberation. All fun stuff. But what does John have planned for Kyle?