A Private War (10 page)

"Might come in handy," Jill said with a smile," let's get going!"

Fires burned out of control near the center of town and pirates ran from building to building with grenades and bottles filled with gasoline. Running to the next building, one pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade and threw it through a window. The other pitched a Coke bottle, filled with gasoline, right after it. Then ducking, they ran as the front of the building just as it exploded outward into the street with a great belch of flame and debris. Seeing this, Jill fired at them with the shotgun as the pirates ran in front of their position in the alleyway. Then pumping another round, she fired again. The first blast ripped into the chest of the lead pirate and bits of blood, bone, and vital organs sprayed out his back. The impact of the 00 buckshot lifted him off his feet and out into the street. The second blast hit the remaining pirate low in the face and his head exploded outward like an overripe melon. The headless body took one step and fell at Kate's feet.

"Neat job, but I get blood on my boots from the last one," Kate said as she turned toward Jill's horror filled face, “Come on, I think I saw Gaylon and Peters on the next street over."

And laying a hand on Jill's arm, pulled her down the street.

Eerie light dawned across the fire lit street as Gaylon and Peters moved down the sidewalk passed the center of town. Sighting a lone pirate hiding in a doorway, Gaylon fired his M-4 from the hip. Bullets stitched a red line from the pirate's right hip to left collarbone. The pirate screamed and pitched head first down the stone step and rolled across the sidewalk into the gutter. Then Gaylon, pivoting right, raised the M-4 to fire again and stopped. Smiling, Gaylon called to Kate and Jill, as they ran across the street to join him. Kate ran to Gaylon and throwing her arms around Gaylon's neck, hugged and kissed him.

"Hey, I could use some of that!" Peters explained. And laughing, Kate released Gaylon and gave Peters the same treatment. Then turning, Kate told Gaylon about the fight at the crossroads and how Jill had helped her. Gaylon waited until Kate was finished and turning, looked at Kate's companion with respect and understanding.

"I know how hard all this must be for you and I want to thank you for helping Kate", Gaylon stated and cupping Jill's chin in his hand, gave Jill a kiss on the right cheek. Jill smiled and blushed red in the firelight.

Chapter 16  

The fire raced from rooftop to rooftop as Gaylon and Kate crossed Center Street and headed toward the location of the food warehouse that Peters had told them where the final stand would be made.

"Gaylon, if we lose that warehouse, there won't be any survivors come spring. Everything we have is stored there and this fire is headed right towards it."Peters shouted over the roar of the flames. "Teams Three and Four should be already there, but that's not enough men to hold that building!"

"I know, we'll just have to hurry!"

The sound of gunfire reached them as they neared the location of the food warehouse. Stopping at the corner of the block building, Gaylon looked around the corner and across the street. Men and trucks were racing toward the front of the warehouse as Peter's men fought for their lives and the lives of their family. Gaylon swore under his breath and turned towards Peters.

"Listen, it's bad, the two fire teams are pinned down and there isn't any way that we can reach them from here. Is there any other way into the warehouse?"

"No, we closed off all the other doors and windows when we took over the building right after the war," stated Peters," we had trouble with people stealing food."

"Ok, then we'll have to think of something to distract them long enough for us to get across the street," Gaylon said as he looked back down the street at the fire racing toward them. Kate leaned against the building, her knees against her chest, and stared at the manhole cover in front of her. Then getting an idea, Kate smiled and waved at Gaylon to get his attention, then pointed at the manhole cover. Gaylon looked at what Kate was pointing at and getting the idea, smiled too.

"Peters, does the sewer system go under the warehouse, too?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" Peters almost shouted.

"Ok, then here's the plan."

Flashlights reflected off the slime covered walls as Gaylon, Kate, and Jill moved forward down the sewer pipe. Gaylon could feel the air on his face as the fires behind them sucked the air out of the system.

"Peters said he needed about thirty minutes to set the charges. We have to give them that much time somehow." Gaylon said as he stopped under the opening in the ceiling of the sewer and turning to Kate and Jill, "It's not too late for you to escape back down the other way."

Kate looked from Gaylon to Jill, "Jill, we may die up there, and Peters said he could get you out of town to safety. Do you still want to do this?"

Patting her shotgun, Jill smiled, "Yes".

Gunfire could be heard as Gaylon pushed the manhole cover up and out of the way. Climbing up quickly, Gaylon scanned the rows of boxes and containers. Then signaling to Kate, motioned her to follow him. Smoke and flames greeted them as they moved toward the front of the warehouse. Stepping forward from behind a truck parked inside the building, Gaylon waved to one of the men on Peter’s team that he knew.

"Tommy Thompson, this is Kate and Jill, we've come to help you!"

"Gaylon, Thank God! Over half of my men are either dead or wounded but we're holding for now. But, I don't know for how long." Tommy stated, "We've all ready repelled five attacks and the last one almost over ran us."

"Well, more help is on the way, but we have a big fire moving this way. I don't know if we can stop it or not but we're going to try."

"Fire, shit! That's all we need!"

"Yeah, things could be better! So Peters has sent some men in the sewer tunnel below us to help move as much of the food to safety as we can. He found some of the town’s people to help also. Make sure they move it as far down the line as they can before the fire gets here!”

Gaylon took a pair of Bushnell 8 X 35 binoculars out of the case at his waist and raised them to his eyes. The sky was bright with smoke and flames as the fire filled his vision. Sweeping down and across, Gaylon saw someone shouting and waving at the pirates from the back of a jeep, Murdock. Blood covered a crude bandage on his bicep and he had his arm jammed into his coat front. 'So, I didn't kill the bastard after all.' Gaylon thought to himself and dropped the Bushnells back in their case. Picking up his M-4, Gaylon flipped the lens covers up and sighted on the distance figure. "Damn, he's too far!" Gaylon swore as flipped the lens covers back down and stepped back from the window high on the front of the warehouse. Reaching into his coat pocket, Gaylon pulled out a walkie talkie and keyed the mike.

"Peters, how's it coming? Murdock is psyching up his people for another attack."

With a rush of static the speaker came back with Peter’s voice. "Gaylon, it's slow going, I would say another twenty minutes."

"Ok, make it 0130 hours, that's about twenty minutes from now. We have a lot of the food already in the tunnels," Gaylon stated.

"Roger, and Gaylon, good luck!"

"You too, buddy, out."

Reaching the floor of warehouse, Gaylon walked over to Kate and Jill as they treated the wounded.

"Peters said it would be another twenty minutes before he'll be ready", Gaylon stated," and our friend, Murdock is out there getting his troops ready for another attack."

Kate looked up into Gaylon's eyes, understanding filling her heart. 'Twenty minutes, so close!' Smiling Kate reached out her hand and Gaylon took it. Minutes later gunfire and grenades exploded as Murdock's Pirates rushed the warehouse. Gaylon broke the remaining glass out of the window on his second floor perch and fired his M-4 into the street below. Truck mounted M-60 machineguns raced by below, firing at the warehouse with everything they had. Other trucks ran behind them, grenades arching over the sides as men lay in the bed of the trucks with bags of grenades beside them. Tommy and his men returned fire from behind bales and boxes, a lone M-60 adding its song to the roar. Changing magazines, Gaylon fired again, and again, and again. The fire roared as it rushed toward them. Below, Kate shot one magazine empty and punching it out, rammed home another one. Shivers of wood and glass cut her face as a grenade exploded to the right of her. A man nearby screamed and fell, one arm off at the elbow. Kate crawled toward him as he screamed again. Taking a piece a wire and picking up a shiver of wood off the floor, Kate placed a crude tourniquet above the wound and twisted it down. Then pulling back a blood covered right fist, came back with a right cross and put the man out cold. Picking up her M4, Kate went back to her position at the barricade and opened fire. Above her, Gaylon changed magazines again and putting the M-4 on the wood floor, reached in his coat and pulled out first one and then the other of his Kimber CQP II's. Firing the Kimber in his right fist, Gaylon sighted on the M-60 gunners as they raced by. One man fell, the .45 scoring in his right eye and exploded out the back of his head. Another fell with blood pumping out of the side of his throat from a torn jugular. Changing aim, Gaylon sighted on another man lying in the back of a truck, a grenade in his hand, ready to throw. Gaylon fired. The bullet passed through the top of the man's skull and out the base of his neck. The man jerked and the grenade fell free, rolling next to the bag of grenades. The explosion lifted the truck off the ground, pieces of metal and bodies raining around it. Then crashing back to earth it rolled over and over down the center of the street, spilling gas and fire everywhere. Gaylon fired again and again at the screaming mass rushing the warehouse. Killing one and then another. Ducking down to reload, Gaylon looks at his watch, time to go.

“Kate, everyone fall back, fall back!" He yelled.

Kate picked up her empty magazines, jammed them in her coat, and grabbing the unconscious man by his good arm, dragged him toward the rear of the warehouse. Thompson's men were jumping over fallen comrades as Gaylon dropped the last six feet to the floor of the warehouse. Diving over a barricade of sand bags, he covered his head with his arms just as a massive explosion blasted every piece of glass and loose material like buckshot across the entrance of the warehouse. A second blast, more massive then the first, shook the ground and Gaylon was lifted off the ground and bounced across the concrete. A ball of flames, twenty feet or more across, roared through the open entrance, setting countless small fires. A third explosion raised timbers and bits of metal and stone up and down the street. Gaylon shook his head as he raised himself to his knees and looked about. The entire front of the warehouse was covered in flames and smashed equipment with bodies and parts of bodies mixed in. Getting to his feet Gaylon made his way to Kate and checked her condition. Blood ran down the side of her face from numerous cuts but her pulse was strong and getting stronger. The man next to her was dead. Kate moaned and Gaylon rushed back to her as she opened her eyes.

"When Peters said he would do it, boy, did he!"

"Kate, are you ok?" Gaylon asked, "You have some bad cuts on your face."

"Yeah, I'm ok, just bruised all over."

"Ok then, we need to get out of here, the building is on fire. Get the men to the sewer entrance and have them continue moving as much of the food as they can down into the sewer. If they lay some boards down across the pipe they can keep most of the dry goods out of the water. I'm going up front and see what's happening in the street." Gaylon explained as he picked up his M-4 from where he had dropped it. "And check on Jill too."

Gaylon made his way to the front on the warehouse and looked out into the street. All the houses that were across the street were gone. Just gone!. Huge holes were all that remained of more than half a dozen brick and stone buildings. Fires burned here and there amidst the destruction. Bodies covered the front of the building and sidewalks, arms and legs jetting out of burned and charred flesh. Nothing moved. Turning, Gaylon looked down the street toward the spot where Murdock had been standing. Overturned and burning vehicles lay across the road like dominos. But there was no sign of Murdock. Peters and his men showed up as Gaylon tried to fight the flames with a fire extinguisher. Pointing to the flames Gaylon directed them to do what they could.

"We have to give them as much time as possible to move the food out or we'll lose it all. Do you have any more C-4 explosive left?" Gaylon asked.

"I guess about ten pounds but I don't know what good we can do now?"

"Ok, then get two of your men to string a row of charges across the support beams over our heads and at the base of the front and side walls about fifty feet back. We have to try and drop this whole section into the street. And no, I don't know if it will work or not, but we have to try or more people are going to die." Gaylon stated as the fire at the front of the warehouse burned higher. A row of small charges ran across the beams of the warehouse and around the main support struts. Gaylon and Peters sat over the detonator and took one last look over the sacks of flour and sugar that they used in place of sandbags.

"Guess this is it, cross your fingers!" Gaylon smiled and pressed the switch. Dozens of small explosions rained dust and debris down upon them, then nothing. Looking up at the front of the building, Gaylon and Peters saw that a whole sections of the roof was gone but the main strut charges had failed to blow. "Shit, I don't believe this! That should have gone up with the rest!"

"I'll have to fire it by itself," Gaylon said.

"No way man, I see at least half the wire is gone. You don't have time to rewire it. You'll be under it when it goes."

"I wonder how fast I can run?!" Gaylon found as much of the detonator wire as he could and spiced it together. About thirty feet was all he had. Gaylon ducked his head and fired it. The blast blew him off his feet as the main spars sheared off at their base and the roof started to fall. Gaylon got to his feet and started to run. Beams and timbers fell all around him as the front of the warehouse collapsed. Gaylon leaped the last ten feet to safety just in time.