hundred, but most were always out on missions foraging for food, fuel, or women, leaving fewer than ten men at the house on most any given night. I hoped this night the majority of his men were gone, or we'd end up as dead as the Christmas goose.
I glanced at Dolly and Skillet, but both were stretched out beside me and unmoving.
The house wasn't anything fancy, just an old farm house with a stretched barbed wire fence around it. I noticed a bunkhouse out back, but no light was seen. Only one light burned and it appeared to be in the living room of the main house. Since no one had electrical power these days, it was either an oil lamp or a lantern.
Tom, who'd led a lot of ranger recon patrols in Iraq, would move in, check the place out and then return to brief us on what he found. We'd agreed that only one of us should go, so we'd not leave the women without an experienced fighter if things turned to shit. It brought back memories when I looked over at Tom and his face and hands were all camouflaged with burnt cork. We had a few bottles of wine left, so we'd shared a bottle for lunch, and Tom saved the cork to blacken his skin. Once he'd finished, all three of us applied blotches of black on all exposed skin.
From the light of the moon, Tom held his right hand up, with all fingers extended, then opened and closed the hand three times. He then pointed to his eyes with his index and middle finger. His meaning was clear, he wanted fifteen minutes to check the place out and then return. I looked at my watch and patted him on the back. Slowly he moved forward and in a matter of seconds he'd disappeared into the darkness.
As I waited, I didn't really expect gunfire, but if things turned rough, he'd find us willing to back him up as much as possible. The second hand of my watch seemed to move slower than usual, but it'd done that many times when on combat patrols.
Less than ten minutes later, Tom materialized from the darkness and knelt beside me, catching his breath. He nodded a few times and then motioned for us to follow him. Instead of moving toward Patton, he moved away.
Finally, after about a half mile, he stopped.
Giving me a goofy grin, he said, "I counted only ten men, but I have no idea if others are in some of the rooms of the main house."
"Should we go tonight?"
Nodding, he replied, "He can't know we are on to him, so surprise will work in our favor. I figure if there are more men sleeping in the place, we'll be inside and shooting before most of them clear their heads."
Sue asked, "You'll kill sleeping men?"
Tom chuckled and said, "Yes, when we're outnumbered by more than two to one, I surely will."
A silence followed, then finally Sue said, "It doesn't seem... right. Isn't there some other way?"
I knew she had started to say fair, but knew better, because she wanted to survive as much as the rest of us. While I didn't care to kill sleeping men, I'd do anything to protect us, and I started to state that, except my interrogation of Hanks proved it already.
Tom asked as he turned to me, "How do you want to do this?" Completely ignoring his wife's question. I figured he thought like I did, we'd tried talk before and it'd not worked. Now it was time to kick some serious ass.
"I think the best way would be for Sandra and Sue to cover us outside while you and I go right through the front door. Did you see a guard?"
"Actually, there are two. One walking around, while another was sitting on the steps to the front door.
"You take out the walker, then I'll take the man on the steps." I said and then turning to the women I added, "you two will remain outside the fence for fifteen minutes after we leave and then enter the barnyard. If anyone approaches from the road or the bunkhouse, shoot to kill."
Sandra said, "That's the only way I can shoot at night holding a 12 gauge shotgun."
Tom asked, "And, where will the dogs be?"
"They'll stay with me, until I enter the place, then I'll let them loose."
"You know
I glanced at Dolly and Skillet, but both were stretched out beside me and unmoving.
The house wasn't anything fancy, just an old farm house with a stretched barbed wire fence around it. I noticed a bunkhouse out back, but no light was seen. Only one light burned and it appeared to be in the living room of the main house. Since no one had electrical power these days, it was either an oil lamp or a lantern.
Tom, who'd led a lot of ranger recon patrols in Iraq, would move in, check the place out and then return to brief us on what he found. We'd agreed that only one of us should go, so we'd not leave the women without an experienced fighter if things turned to shit. It brought back memories when I looked over at Tom and his face and hands were all camouflaged with burnt cork. We had a few bottles of wine left, so we'd shared a bottle for lunch, and Tom saved the cork to blacken his skin. Once he'd finished, all three of us applied blotches of black on all exposed skin.
From the light of the moon, Tom held his right hand up, with all fingers extended, then opened and closed the hand three times. He then pointed to his eyes with his index and middle finger. His meaning was clear, he wanted fifteen minutes to check the place out and then return. I looked at my watch and patted him on the back. Slowly he moved forward and in a matter of seconds he'd disappeared into the darkness.
As I waited, I didn't really expect gunfire, but if things turned rough, he'd find us willing to back him up as much as possible. The second hand of my watch seemed to move slower than usual, but it'd done that many times when on combat patrols.
Less than ten minutes later, Tom materialized from the darkness and knelt beside me, catching his breath. He nodded a few times and then motioned for us to follow him. Instead of moving toward Patton, he moved away.
Finally, after about a half mile, he stopped.
Giving me a goofy grin, he said, "I counted only ten men, but I have no idea if others are in some of the rooms of the main house."
"Should we go tonight?"
Nodding, he replied, "He can't know we are on to him, so surprise will work in our favor. I figure if there are more men sleeping in the place, we'll be inside and shooting before most of them clear their heads."
Sue asked, "You'll kill sleeping men?"
Tom chuckled and said, "Yes, when we're outnumbered by more than two to one, I surely will."
A silence followed, then finally Sue said, "It doesn't seem... right. Isn't there some other way?"
I knew she had started to say fair, but knew better, because she wanted to survive as much as the rest of us. While I didn't care to kill sleeping men, I'd do anything to protect us, and I started to state that, except my interrogation of Hanks proved it already.
Tom asked as he turned to me, "How do you want to do this?" Completely ignoring his wife's question. I figured he thought like I did, we'd tried talk before and it'd not worked. Now it was time to kick some serious ass.
"I think the best way would be for Sandra and Sue to cover us outside while you and I go right through the front door. Did you see a guard?"
"Actually, there are two. One walking around, while another was sitting on the steps to the front door.
"You take out the walker, then I'll take the man on the steps." I said and then turning to the women I added, "you two will remain outside the fence for fifteen minutes after we leave and then enter the barnyard. If anyone approaches from the road or the bunkhouse, shoot to kill."
Sandra said, "That's the only way I can shoot at night holding a 12 gauge shotgun."
Tom asked, "And, where will the dogs be?"
"They'll stay with me, until I enter the place, then I'll let them loose."
"You know
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