A New World: Sanctuary (13 page)

Gonzalez walks over to Robert and pats him on the back.
 
“Nice job in there.
 
Good shooting,” she says with a nod.

“Thanks,” Robert says with no small amount of pride surfacing.
 
He is walking a little straighter and I can tell he is beaming.

The vests add to the heat of the day and, with the sun shining upon us and the after effects of the adrenaline, sweat is streaming down our cheeks and forehead.
 
The others pull up in the vehicles parking in front.
 
I pull the Jeep into the now lit shop, stopping just shy of the night runner bodies lying on the floor.
 
Several already-made security pull-down doors line the wall to the left.

“Will you see if there are some that will fit what we need?”
 
I ask Bannerman and point to the doors.

“You bet,” he answers and heads over to the doors with Frank.

I see Mom, Nic, Bri, and Michelle with Robert and assume they are seeing if he is okay.
 
He is using his hands while talking and I watch him as he describes the action.
 
Michelle moves closer to him and gives him a hug as he apparently finishes his story.
 
The rest of Red Team squats by the entrance door, taking a rest and talking amongst themselves.

“We found some that will work,” Bannerman says coming up behind me.
 
“We even found the mounting brackets and hardware.”

“That’s great.
 
Let’s load them onto the Jeep rack,” I say and motion for Red Team to help.

“We even found some shutters that should work for the windows,” Bannerman adds.

“Even better.
 
Will they fit in the Humvees?”

“They should,” he says.

“Okay, let’s get loaded up and head back.”

“Are you okay?”
 
Mom asks walking over from Robert.

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine thanks,” I say.

“I was worried when we pulled up and I saw blood on your face,” she says staring at my forehead.

“Oh,” I say wiping an arm across my face but only manage to smear it more because of the sweat already there.

We finish loading the doors on the Jeep and the shutters in the Humvee, tying the doors down with 550 cord.
 
Piling back into the vehicles, we caravan back to Cabela’s, arriving just before 1630.
 
The sun is wending its way across the sky quickly and I’m thankful for the summer days allowing us longer periods of daylight.
 
This would have been impossible if all of this happened in the winter.
 
I am still worried about getting finished here and being able to get down to Portland to help Kelly.
 
So much to do and seemingly so little time.
 
The night will come, whether I want it to or not, and with it, the night runners.
 
If we don’t have a secure place by the time the sun goes down, we’ll be screwed.
 
We can head back and stay another night in the 130 but I’d rather not.

I’m a little concerned that Lynn hasn’t shown up yet.
 
We’ll have to clear this building or at least see if it can be cleared.
 
We have enough people to do this but the inside doesn’t really support a section by section clearing.
 
The open interior and the fact that a second floor overlooks the main floor won’t be an easy task if a multitude of night runners are housed within as the footprints seem to indicate.

I turn my phone back on and check on Kelly’s text.
 
She wanted to know if I was on my way so I text back “soon.”
 
While the others offload the equipment and lay them on the ground, I lean against the Jeep staring at the structure waiting for an answer or plan to spring forth.
 
The only thing I know at this point is that it will be dark inside so the NVG’s and gear we picked up from the armory will be extremely useful.
 
All of the nooks and crannies created by the rack of clothes and shelves of equipment scattered throughout the facility will make it very dicey to keep all angles covered.
 
I wish I could tell better just how many are inside by the tracks near the door but that just isn’t possible.
 
If they were made in the dirt or some other soft substance, then yes, but the fact that they’re all over each other and made with dried blood makes it a difficult task.
 
I’m rather hoping they aren’t in the numbers they were in the CDC.
 
If they are, then we are in trouble and might have to find another place.
 
I was really hoping this would be easier.

A plan for the inside begins to form in my mind just as I hear the sound of approaching vehicles.
 
Turning around, I see the nose of a Humvee cresting the hill on the long driveway.
 
This is followed by a host of other vehicles behind.
 
Lynn has arrived.
 
I notice the transport trucks piled high with equipment as the convoy pulls up and parks in the large lot by the other vehicles.
 
Doors opening and closing resound across the lot.

Lynn steps up and tilts her head to the side quizzically looking at me.

“You have blood on you.
 
Did you go in anyway?”
 
She asks referring to my promise not to go into Cabela’s without the rest of the teams.

“Nope,” I answer wiping my face with my arm once again.
 
“Better?”

“Yeah,” she says and looks over at the doors by the Jeep.
 
“I take it the building where you obtained those was occupied.”

“No, um, yeah,” I answer.

Lynn gives a soft sigh before saying, “Jack!?
 
I can tell I’m going to have to be very specific in getting those promises.”

“Well, we needed the doors and really couldn’t wait,” I say.
 
“Any word from Craig?”

She hangs her head and shakes it.
 
“No, but I left a note by the aircraft before we left,” she says.
 
I don’t say anything since there isn’t really much to say.

We stand in the afternoon sun briefing each other on the different events that occurred during the day
.
 
The search teams found five soldiers and six civilians holding out in various locations on the military installations.
 
Lynn tells me they were all found individually in different places.
 
That leads me to believe that some people are just holing up and trying to survive as best they can; not trying to go out and band together.
 
I’m sure some are grouping together as was evidenced by the marauders at Brunswick but it also seems like others are not venturing out.
 
We’ll have to search everywhere to find whatever survivors might be left.
 
The night runners have strength in their numbers and I feel that will be a large part of our strength as well.

“What do you say we put the additional soldiers you found in a team with Greg leading them?”
 
I ask Lynn after introductions with the newcomers are made.

“Yeah, I already thought about that but wanted to clear it with you first,” she answers.

“I guess we’ll keep with the phonetic designations as we seem to have run out of colors.
 
I mean, I don’t really want to say magenta or lavender team over the radio.
 
I’ll just flat out forget,” I say.

“Roger that.
 
I think we’re up to Echo.
 
What’s the plan?”
 
Lynn asks.

“Well, there are obviously night runners that we’ll have to clear out of here,” I respond having told her of the tracks by the door.
 
“Let’s get the team leaders together and talk over a plan.”

“Okay folks, this isn’t going to be a walk in the park especially if there are night runners in abundance inside,” I say to the group once the team leaders are gathered.
 
“The inside is cluttered with small shelves and aisles scattered throughout along with clothes racks.
 
This will make visibility limited in many areas and prevent clear lanes of fire for any distances.
 
We’re going in with all of the teams and it’s important to listen up on the radios and keep the communication short.
 
We need to keep the channel clear.”

Everyone nods their heads and I continue, “We’ll be going in with goggles on so that means all flashlights off.
 
There are two floors with the second floor overlooking the first floor in the middle.
 
There is also a large centerpiece on the first floor that prevents any vision to the rear of the store.”

I walk over and grab a notebook out of the Jeep.
 
I notice Robert hadn’t joined us for the brief and isn’t with Red Team and wave him over to me.
 
I am still not certain about taking him in but he has shown himself to be quite capable and I did promise him that he would be a part of Red Team.
 
I want him to at least be at the briefing so he can learn.
 
Centering on the group once again as we both arrive, I draw the basic layout of the store.

“Alright, the structure is rectangular with bathrooms to the immediate left and a small, enclosed snack shop against the right wall.
 
Echo Team will enter first and cover the immediate front just inside the interior doors.
 
Red and Charlie Teams will enter on your heels; Red covering the immediate left and Charlie covering right.
 
I haven’t checked to see if the front doors are unlocked as yet.
 
I know the side doors are.
 
Cressman, would you go quickly check and see if they are unlocked?”
 
I ask.

She stands and trots over to the front.
 
I see the doors swing open as she pulls on each set.
 
She then disappears quickly inside and emerges a few seconds later.

“Both the outside and inside sets are unlocked,” she reports on returning to our group.

“That’ll make it easier then.
 
Echo, enter through the left doors and Charlie through the right.
 
Red will enter on Echo’s heels.
 
Alpha and Bravo Teams will then enter, Alpha through the left doors and Bravo through the right.
 
Move past Echo and take positions in the middle to the left and right respectively.
 
There is a large set of stairs leading upward to the second floor balcony to the left by the centerpiece.
 
In addition, there is an escalator on the far left side that also leads to the second floor balcony.
 
Don’t go past the second floor overhang on the entry side.
 
Alpha, you cover the left side balcony and far side escalator.
 
Bravo, you cover the right and far side balcony.
 
Any questions so far?”
 
I ask drawing the annotations and positions on the paper.

“No, sir,” everyone responds.
 
I notice Watkins’ salutation.
 
Perhaps him resorting back to habit in the tension of what we are about to embark upon.

“Okay.
 
Blue Team, you’ll follow behind Alpha and take position at the foot of the first set of stairs and cover them.
 
Delta, I want you to follow Bravo through the right, link up with Charlie and then you both move out to the right covering the right side under the overhang.
 
Black and Green Teams, you’ll then move in and do the same for the left side.
 
Once everyone is in position, Echo, move up to the centerpiece and cover the near-side balcony.
 
Are we clear so far?”
 
I ask pointing to the various positions and entry sequence on the drawn map.

The team leaders look up from the map and nod.
 
I don’t bother talking about silence or the need to remain silent as I know it is next to impossible for fifty-four men and women to keep silent while deploying.
 
That is one reason why recon teams are kept small.
 
A small number of people can remain much more silent.