JAA Ch. 01: Aftermath

"Not so fast Bill, there needs to be an explanation and you're elected."

"Come on Cappy, pick someone else."

"Sorry you're it," Cappy told him. "Waylon go tell the Colonel he and his men can join their families. You, Stella, get these tables cleared and cleaned...get whoever to help, you're in charge." Stella turned and headed for the door to the kitchen and started yelling at the people inside.

"Now Bill, what the fuck was going on?"

"Two hundred and forty-five people, you brought two hundred and forty-five people into our valley."

"Bill, just two months ago you were one of fifty people we brought here."

"I know, but two hundred...they were all afraid there won't be enough food for us let alone two hundred more."

"You go tell them...all of them...that there is plenty of food for everyone. You got that Bill...it's your responsibility to tell them. Now go spread the word and tell them all, if I ever see something like this again I will personally shoot them. Clear?"

"Clear," Bill said as he headed for the door.

"Trouble, Cappy?" Lonny asked.

"Some, but nothing we can't overcome."

"Are we going to be a burden?"

"Colonel, absolutely not, now go, sit and eat. Then we'll discuss where you and yours will be building their homes."

"Homes? That sounds good to me."

Chapter 24

There were three of them. Cappy watched as they crept closer and closer to his position. Rudy was growling deep in his chest as Cappy held his collar to keep him from charging out after them. Slowly, Cappy pushed the muzzle of his rifle through the bush in front of him. Looking through the scope, he lined the crosshairs up on the lead soldier. A flat Chinese face met his gaze.

Turning he looked Rudy in the eye. Cappy let go of his collar and pointed to the left.

"Protect," Cappy whispered.

Rudy turned and ran the way Cappy pointed. Cappy knew Rudy would eventually turn toward the soldiers so he had to hurry. Looking back through his scope he found the lead soldier, he lined up the crosshairs and gently squeezed the trigger. The rifle report echoed in the canyon as Cappy searched for the second soldier. Cappy found him squatting behind a rock. As the soldier's head slowly came up to look around Cappy squeezed the trigger again and went on to search for the third soldier.

What Cappy found instead was Rudy standing over the prone body of the soldier. He stood there waiting, listening, watching. Moving his scope to the direction Rudy was looking, Cappy found the fourth soldier on one knee pointing his rifle in Rudy's general direction. Cappy squeezed the trigger and the soldier went down in a heap. Cappy whistled and Rudy came running to lie down beside him again.

Looking through his scope Cappy searched for more soldiers. Rudy lie next to him panting but calm, which to Cappy signaled there were no more soldiers nearby.

"We better get moving, no telling how many more might be out there, somewhere, looking for us," Cappy told Rudy. He just licked Cappy's face as he got up from the ground. Turning, Rudy and Cappy started back home.

They were five klicks from home but to go there directly would lead whoever was following them to someplace they did not want them to be. Cappy headed north for five klicks before turning them for home. By going north, Cappy hoped to avoid any more patrols of the Peoples Liberation Army, sent here by China to assist the people of the former United States through their troubled time.

Five years ago, the supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park erupted sending the world into a nuclear winter beyond all estimates. What happened was the Northern hemisphere went into another ice age. After first melting, from the tremendous heat released, the arctic ice cap reformed. The ice cap then grew over the next couple of years to engulf all of Canada and the northern tier of states in America.

Cappy and his group of survivors had moved south into the Texas Bad Lands. They only ventured north to pick up survivors stranded in the wasteland there. Cappy and Rudy had been part of a bigger group when they had encountered the Chinese patrol. Cappy and Rudy had led the patrol on a route away from the main group. The main group would now be around the southern terminator of the snow line.

It was time for Cappy to head for home. Four hours later as darkness was approaching Cappy and Rudy were starting up the rise toward the pass through the mountains surrounding their valley. With the shift in climate, the Texas badlands had become lush and fertile in the summer months. In addition, over the years Cappy's group had built a thriving community in this all but hidden valley.

"Halt, who goes there?" a voice came from the brush up ahead.

"Michelle, what are you doing up here?"

"Cappy!" A small middle-aged woman, still in winter clothing, popped out of the shrubs in front of Cappy.

Rudy barked at seeing a friend and Cappy, almost bowled over by the petite woman, as she rushed into his arms. She hugged him, hanging on his neck as she kissed his face. Cappy had to literally pick her up and place her on the ground to get her off him.

"Michelle, listen, I'm tired and hungry and I want a shower...so quit hanging on me, please."

"I'm sorry. I should have known," she said with a sad look on her face.

Cappy bent slightly and kissed her on the lips gently. She kissed him back.

"Now let's get something to eat," Cappy said.

Michelle smiled and turned toward the valley below.

"Did everyone else make it back okay?"

"Yep, all safe and sound," Michelle blathered. "Susan and Linda are giving them the once over. The two kids were fine so I sent them off to school and came up here to wait for you. George is the teacher today so I had the afternoon and evening free. Oh look, Sunny is here to greet you and Rudy."

A brown dog of non-descript lineage came bounding up to Cappy and Rudy. She nipped at Rudy and whined at Cappy to pet her.

"Good girl," Cappy told her as he scratched her head and walked. "Did you have fun today?"

"She had a wonderful time taking care of us on the way back. Twice she took us on detours to avoid us running into strangers. And then when we got closer to home, she chased off old man Jenkins, the nosy old coot." Michelle's laugh was like music that plucked Cappy's heartstrings.

"She did! Good girl Sunny," Cappy told the squirming dog at his side. "And how are you and her getting along Chelle?"

"Okay, she has quit nipping at me." Michelle smiled.

"She only does it because she knows you're afraid of her. Whereas Rudy knows I like you so he leaves you alone and will follow your every command as if it were mine."

"Oh she followed my commands out in the field, it's when we get home that she tends to ignore me and only listens to Jenny or Sue."

"Ah, we'll have to fix that then. Later, though, I'm starving."

"Okay, mess hall should still be serving dinner." Michelle grabbed Cappy's hand and walked with him to the mess hall.

Once inside Cappy pulled a tray from the pile by the door and stepped up to the serving line. A grumpy looking old woman and a perky young woman manned the line. Michelle followed Cappy with her own tray.

"You haven't eaten either?" Cappy asked.

"Nope was waiting for you."

"What'll it be Cappy?" the old woman asked.

"Whatever is still warm, Marg."

"How 'bout you Doctor?"

"Same for me too, Marge," Michelle replied

"Bessie, get these good people some of our finest. The gruel is still hot!"

"Marge quit teasing them. Folks I have a couple of steaks and some mashed potatoes back here, with some green beans. Sound good?"

"Sure does Bess, thanks," Cappy told her.

Chapter 25

Jenny was out looking around the far end of the valley with Sunny. Rudy had wanted to come, but Cappy, her husband, needed the dog to go with him. Sunny was her dog, she would go with her everywhere, except when Cappy needed her. As they explored the far end of the valley Jenny had the feeling she was being watched, yet Sunny gave no indication that anyone else was around.

"Sunny, scout," Jenny told the dog.

Sunny went running ahead and started to cast back and forth looking for anything that might be a threat to her mistress. Jenny casually walked along behind her not paying too much attention to her surroundings. She had thinking to do and wanted to get away from the rest of the group for some time now.

The snow had finally melted and the sun had started to peek through the ever-present gray ash clouds that floated overhead. Things were starting to look up, the future did not look so grim to her anymore. She had a husband who loved her. Friends, she could talk too. And more children to look after than a grandmother could ever want.

Yet there was something missing, not in her relationships, in her life. The security she once felt, so long ago, was not there. At any moment, things could change drastically and she was not quite used to that. Although it had been a long time since she felt secure it was starting to come back, yet she knew deep down inside that security was an illusion, but it was an illusion she relished.

She stopped in a quiet clearing where the spring that fed the stream running through the valley bubbled up out of the ground, it was a peaceful place, which she had found several weeks ago and to which she liked to come.

"Sunny, come," she shouted.

The dog came running out of the woods further up the valley to sit at her feet. She smiled down at the canine and ruffled her ears.

"Protect," Jenny, told the dog. Sunny went to the spring and took a drink of the cool, clear water as it exited the ground, then spun on her heels and took off into the woods.

Jenny laughed at her antics and sat on the cool ground next to the spring. She sat there a long time gazing at the small sprouts of grass trying to grow alongside the slowly running stream. Her thoughts wandered to her husband and her new friends and families. She thought about long gone family and those who had forsaken the route their father and mother had taken. She missed some terribly and others, not at all, she was amazed at where her thoughts wandered.

"Jenny," She heard her name called but was too deep in thought to place where it was coming from.

"Jenny, where are you?"

The voice sounded distant and very hushed. Sunny came running up to her and barked loudly startling her out of her reverie.

"Jenny, please respond!" It was her radio. Unclipping it from her belt, she pushed the button to talk.

"This is Jenny!"

"Thank god, Cappy has been hurt. Waylon took Sue and Michelle and Linda out to get him, Mark and Luke went with too."

"Oh my god, he's not hurt bad?"

"Bad enough he sent Rudy back to get someone."

"Okay, I'm on my way back. Sunny scout," Jenny told the dog and pointed back toward the settlement.

She and Sunny made it back in five minutes. She rushed into the radio room and listened in on the communications.

"Have three hummers ready to roll outside in two minutes. I want a driver and someone in the turret of each," she said to the room. Pointing to Phil she said, "Move."

Phil jumped up and ran out the door. Jenny impatiently listened to the sparse communications coming in.

"Do we know which way they were headed?"

"No Rudy ran out ahead of them to show them the way."

"Damn." Just then, three humvees roared up in front of the radio shack. "We'll stay in touch, you let us know the minute you have a fix on where they are you got that?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Jenny went out to the humvee's and climbed into the second one. She dragged Steve out of the turret and told him to stay as she climbed up and unlimbered the fifty.

"Okay, head on out and go west on Old Fallon Road," Jenny said over the radio.

The humvees started in the direction of the main gate.

"Sunny stay," Jenny yelled at the dog as she ran alongside the hummer.

Chapter 26

He lay there in pain, pain so intense that it was now his world. Not the gray sky overhead, not the dead grass beneath him, only pain. He crawled five feet more and stopped again, blinded by pain. His grip tightened around the metal barrel in his left hand. His right hand was useless. Pain, blinding pain, shot through his right arm. He rolled to his back and the pain lessened.

The bullet had entered the top right shoulder shattering the rotator cuff and continued down his side between the skin and his ribs, splitting the skin wide open. His right arm hung limply, without control. In the distance, he could hear a dog bark. A few seconds later he heard a man scream. The shooting stopped. Cappy lay there, on his back, staring up into the sky.

Minutes later a black muzzle appeared above him. Rudy licked his cheek.

"Good boy," Cappy croaked. "Find, Michelle, find Susan. Go!"

The head disappeared and Cappy was alone with his thoughts. Was this the end for him? He hoped not, there was so much to do and he still had so much love in him for...blackness overtook his thoughts.

"My god in heaven! Susan, get your ass up here, Linda, break out the plasma. Geez, Cappy, what the fuck did you get yourself into?"

"Wha..."

"Don't talk, just breath...no, no keep your eyes open dear, that's it, sweetheart. Crap."

Michelle, Susan, and Linda worked feverishly on Cappy to stop the bleeding and get him stable enough to move. For fifty minutes they worked, pumping him full of plasma and liquids to keep his volume up. They injected morphine to manage his pain, making him more comfortable.

When his eyes opened near the end of their work, he saw Michelle's smiling face hovering above him.

"He's awake," she said over her shoulder.

Susan's face appeared just behind Michelle's, then Linda's. He smiled weakly at them and closed his eyes again.

"How's he doing?" the deep, sinister voice of Waylon broke the doctor's thoughts.

"He'll make it now. Let's get him into the transport and back to base," Susan said.

Waylon and two other men picked up the stretcher and gently carried their friend to the waiting hummer. Jones was in the gun turret and Len would drive. Michelle and Sue would accompany Cappy in the vehicle, while Waylon, Linda, and Mark would have to hoof it back to base.

"Rudy, come," shouted Waylon.

A sleek black dog of mixed breeding came streaking out of the woods to sit beside Waylon.

"Okay let's go. Are you going to be okay Linda?"

"I should be able to keep up." She winked at Waylon with a sly smile on her face.

"You set the pace, Mark you lead off, I'll take the rear. Rudy, scout!"

Rudy sped off in the direction that Waylon had pointed followed by Mark, then Linda with Waylon bringing up the rear. The three disappeared into the woods.

Susan was trying to keep Cappy's head from bouncing too hard as the hummer bounced down the old fire road to the highway below. Both she and Michelle were worried about his wounds and the chance that they might start to bleed again from the bouncing around.

"Shit!"

The women heard the exclamation from Len as the hummer took a leap into the air and landed hard. The vehicle stopped dead, with a sound of breaking metal.

"Shit, shit, shit," Len screamed as he pounded the steering wheel.

"What is it?" Sue asked.

"I didn't see that damn boulder out there and now we've broken an axle. Shit!"

"No worries, there are four of us, we can carry him out," Jones said.

"No Jonesy, he needs surgery as soon as possible, a two-day hike in the woods would be bad for him," Sue told him.

"Hummer four to base, come in."

There was nothing but static on the radio.

"Hummer four to Betsy five, hummer four to Betsy five.

"Betsy five, go."

"Betsy five, we've broken an axle, are you in contact with base?"

"Negative. What's your position?"

"Two miles from the highway on that fire road we drove up."

"We're coming to you, stay put."

"Roger. Staying put."

"Great. Just great. Will Jenny send someone looking for us when we don't show up in the next hour?" Len asked.

"She should, she knows that Cappy is hurt and if we don't show up on time she has to assume that something happened to us."

"I hope so, for all our sakes."

"I have movement in the tree line, five hundred meters to the east."

Jones was in the process of swinging the fifty around to the rear of the vehicle when they all saw a Chinese patrol break out of the trees behind them. Jones waited to see if the soldiers noticed them. Everyone was quiet. All of a sudden, one of the soldiers brought his rifle to bear on the hummer.

Jones pressed the trigger. The soldier with the rifle went down along with six of his comrades. The rest of the soldiers high-tailed it into the woods on the other side of the road, Jones followed them with the fifty. The rounds were hi-explosive rounds and you could hear the explosions of each bullet as it hit something in the woods. They also heard several screams.

Jones stopped firing. He had no idea where they were in the dense green of the woods.

"They will probably swing through the woods until they are to our south, then give us hell," Len said, moving from his driver's seat to the passenger seat.

Twenty minutes went by with no Chinese fire coming from the woods. Then, all of a sudden, a mass of small arms fire exploded downslope from the hummer. The fire kept up for a good ten minutes, then slowly petered out. After about ten more minutes, Rudy came bounding out of the woods toward the hummer. Shortly followed by Waylon and the rest.

"Are we glad to see you," Jones yelled to Waylon.

Waylon waved as he walked up the hill, Linda was behind him smiling from ear to ear. Michelle and Susan looked at each other, not really comprehending the reasons for the smile.

"Anyone in your group hurt," Sue called out from the back of the hummer.

"No," Linda called back flatly.

The group from below gathered around the hummer and wondered what to do.

"I'll go back up where Cappy was, we had contact with the base up there, and call for transport. The rest of you start downhill to the highway and I'll catch up. Then when the transport gets here we all ride home," Len said to the group.

"I don't know, now that we are all on foot I don't want to split up our resources," Waylon said. "But I guess we'll have to, but I don't want you alone up there, so take Susan with you."

Susan's eyes got wide as she looked up from where she was holding Cappy's head.

"Why Sue?" asked Mark.

"Because she is the best qualified and you know it," Waylon replied.

Susan leaned down and kissed Cappy's forehead, then got up, jumped out of the hummer and kissed her husband. She grabbed her pack and her M4 from the back of the hummer. She punched Len on the shoulder as she passed him and headed up the road where they had found Cappy. Len jumped up, grabbed his pack and ran after Sue.

"Len, Sue's in charge. You got that?" Waylon yelled after them.

"I got it, Waylon," Len answered, waving his hand in the air.

Without being, told Rudy went streaking up the road after Sue.

Sue crouched just to the east of where they had found Cappy. She surveyed the clearing before her. Rudy was by her side sniffing and watching the distant rocks. A low growl reverberated in his chest as Sue held him back.

"What are you waiting for?" Len asked.

"Quite, moron," Sue whispered back pointing to the rocks across the clearing.

"Son of a b...," Len whispered and un-slung his M4 and dropped to his stomach.

"They're going away from us, we'll wait a little bit before we try the radio. No Rudy, stay."

"Great."

Sue, Rudy, and Len watched the Chinese patrol carry their dead back over the rise they had been scaling when the three had arrived. Sue sat there scanning the woods around her, looking for any sign of the enemy. After ten minutes, Sue took the radio from her pack.