JAA Ch. 01: Aftermath

The soldiers stopped, the leader pulling out his distance viewer and placing them against his eyes. He scanned the snow and ice in front of him. His gaze past Cappy then swung back. A single shot and he went down a small hole in his chest. The other soldiers scrambled for cover where there was none. One by one, they dropped to the ground to make the smallest target as possible.

Michelle's rifle joined Cappy's and the soldiers were all dead within minutes. Cappy and Michelle slowly walked back to where the soldiers lay. Cappy prodded each with his toe as Michelle squatted to see if she could do something to help. There was not, as they were both crack shots. All the soldiers were dead. Cappy and Michelle turned and walked away.

Michelle and Cappy returned to the hotel the next day. They were exhausted and hungry. They went right to the dining room, got themselves some hot coffee, and sat at a table sipping the hot brew before anyone knew they were back. Susan just happened to walk into the dining room and stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth gaping at the two. She just as quickly disappeared.

Two minutes later George was hugging his wife as Cappy leaned back into his wife's arms trying not to spill his coffee. Susan stood just to the side of Cappy smiling widely. Waylon came striding into the room, his steps shaking the building.

"Waylon, send someone out to gather up all the radios you can find. We could have called for assistance when that SUV broke down."

"Right. Oh, right." Waylon turned and hurried out of the dining room.

Michelle giggled and Cappy smiled at his friend's consternation.

Chapter 10

The darkness of the night only made the bitter cold seem worse. Two figures huddled together under a tarp to conserve their body heat. Snow crystals started to drift, piling up against the white tarp. The two sat in such a way as their heads lay on each other's shoulder.

"I'm so cold," Michelle said, teeth chattering.

"Me too," Susan whispered trying to keep her teeth from clicking like Michelle's.

"I hope Cappy and Rudy are okay," Michelle said.

It was a statement and Susan had no reply to offer, she just hugged Michelle to her tighter. The women had been out seeing some of their patients in the surrounding area when they started home. Cappy and Rudy had been with them when a severe cold front had swept through dropping an incredible amount of snow in such a short period that visibility was zero for most of the evening. The women had become separated from Cappy quickly and were now hold-up for the night. They sat wrapped in each other's embrace to stay warm. As the night went on the snow slowly drifted over their tarp insulating them from the cold outside.

"Well Rudy, we'll try and find them in the morning," Cappy told his companion.

Rudy lay next to Cappy in the small tent he had erected to protect them from the storm. Once he had realized their separation, Cappy and Rudy had turned around and attempted to find the two women. Not only were they his friends they were his doctors and he loved them dearly.

Michelle woke with a start to the sensation that she was falling and had been falling for such a long time. She was startled when her head hit the snow. As she came fully awake, Susan's body fell against hers. Without waking, Susan mumbled something and drifted back into the darkness. Michelle found the position she was in was much more comfortable. She closed her eyes thinking how warm it had become inside the small tent over them.

"All right on three...one...two...three...heave," Susan said pushing, along with Michelle, with all her might against the tarp over them.

Both women were thrown onto their backs, as a corner of the tarp came loose. The snow, which had been covering the tarp, cascaded in chunks down upon them. They both lay under the bright white chunks of snow, laughing as the bitter cold hit them in the face.

"Shit, it's cold," Susan cried.

Reaching into the pile of chunks, she pulled out her and Michelle's packs, handing Michelle hers. Susan unzipped hers and pulled out a thermal blanket. She unfolded it and wrapped it around her body as best she could. Squatting down she pulled some tape out and started to tape the blanket closed. Seeing what Susan was doing Michelle followed suit. Before long, they had wrapped themselves in black.

"The shiny side should reflect our body heat back and the black side should absorb the heat from the sun, what little hits the ground around here." Susan slung her pack and stood looking to the west. There, not too far from them, a black shape was bounding toward them.

"There's Rudy," Sue said pointing.

"Do you see Cappy?" Michelle asked zipping up her pack.

"Not yet...wait...there he is." Sue stood on tippy-toes and waved to Cappy.

Michelle picked up the tarp and started to fold it up. Susan helped her and then they forced it back into Susan's pack. By the time they were finished, Cappy was standing in front of them.

"You two okay?"

"Fine, you and Rudy?"

"We're fine. Ready to start back?"

"Indeed. Damn, it's cold."

The two women were shivering as Cappy helped them cinch up their packs. He then signaled Rudy to take the lead. He really did not expect any problem but you could never be sure nowadays.

"Let's go ladies." Cappy started walking back the way he had come, toward home.

Two hours later they stopped for lunch, Cappy pulled out a bowl and a small bag of dog food for Rudy. For himself, he took out a power bar, as did Michelle and Susan. After Rudy had finished his bowl of food, Cappy poured some water into the bowl for him and took a healthy swig himself.

Michelle checked Rudy's feet for frostbite. Then they all started back to the hotel again. Two hours later, they walked into the nice warm lobby.

"It's time Sue. Get Mark and your team together. Tomorrow you head south. It's getting too cold up here to stay."

"Right, a good night's sleep and southern bound we are."

Chapter 11

Cappy stood on the helipad as the pilot went through his checklist. Susan came out of the hotel followed by her team. She had chosen well and had added Jenny as an extra to the eight of them. Jenny was smiling as she walked out to the helicopter all decked out in her combat gear. As she approached her husband, she stopped and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. He hugged and kissed her back just as hard.

"See you in a week," Cappy told her.

"See you then," Jenny answered turning to catch up with the rest of the team.

"You watch out for her," Cappy said meekly to Susan as she waited for the team to climb into the helicopter.

"I will dear. She is, next to you and Michelle, my best friend. You had better take care of Michelle and George mister."

"I will personally, don't worry," Cappy answered.

Sue smiled at him, leaned in, and kissed his cheek. Cappy turned toward the helicopter and saw Mark watching. Mark nodded his head at Cappy then casually saluted him.

"You take care now, Susan Reynolds," Cappy said to her sternly.

"I will," Sue, answered turning and running to the helicopter.

Cappy watched as she climbed in after her husband. The pitch of the chopper motor rose to a scream as the beast rose from the concrete pad and took off into the air heading south. Cappy turned and hurried back to his room, there was a lot to do and not enough time to do it in. He hoped everything went smoothly for them as the sound of the chopper faded into the distance.

As the helicopter rose from the ground Susan saw Cappy turn and head back to the hotel. She turned to her left and looked at Jenny. Jenny smiled at Susan as she sat holding onto Mark. Mark smiled at his wife and shrugged his shoulders. It was no use trying to talk with the doors of the helicopter open. Even with them closed, it was difficult to talk to one another.

Susan sat by the open door and watched the ground swiftly flow by under her. A couple of times she saw people walking along the road headed south. When they heard the chopper, they would stop and wave their arms in the air. When it passed, their faces would have a dejected look on them and they would then begin to walk again. Sue felt disheartened not being able to help them. She was a doctor she had an empathic need to help people deep inside her.

The helicopter circled the place where it was to land. Sue was leaning out her doorway searching, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Henry was leaning out the other door doing the same. The pilot was scanning ahead of the chopper. There was no movement in the compound.

"All right Lenny put it down on the pad," Sue shouted into her mic.

The helicopter stopped circling, straightened out, and started to descend. It hovered for an instant then did a slow full three-hundred-sixty-degree spin. When it pointed back at the first cabin, Lenny gently dropped it the last few feet to the landing pad. The minute the skids touched the pad Sue and the first three people were out the door headed away from the chopper. Once they had taken cover, the rest followed.

Susan signaled Luke and they both started moving toward the first cabin. Halfway there they stopped. Sue signaled and the next two ran past them stopping halfway between the cabin and Sue. Sue jumped up and ran past Lacy to the cabin door. Luke was just behind her on the other side of the doorway.

Turning the doorknob slowly, Sue heard the click of the latch and pushed the door open. It was dark inside as Sue rushed through the doorway taking cover just to the right and scanning the inside. Her light on the barrel of her rifle followed her eyes. Luke was through the door and on the left when Sue's light stopped on four faces cowering in the corner of the cabin.

A man kneeled in front of a woman and two children. Sue watched his hands as he stretched his arms out to his sides protecting the woman and children. Sue stood, all the while pointing her rifle at the group. Luke also stood aiming at the man's head as Sue advanced toward them.

"Please don't hurt us, we're just trying to survive here," the man cried out.

Sue lowered her rifle as Lacy entered the cabin ready for anything.

"We're not here to hurt anyone. Is there anyone else in the other cabins?"

"No, just us but we didn't really go into any of the others as they were locked."

"Lacy, Luke, take the rest and check out the other cabins."

"Right, Sue," Lacy replied as she ducked out the cabin door followed by Luke.

"Get up, have a seat and tell me who you are and how you got in the compound?"

The four meekly rose from the corner and shuffled to the table where Sue stood tall and proud. Her eyes scanned the children. Although they were quite dirty, they looked healthy under the dirt. The kids huddled by their mother as she sat at the opposite end of the table from Sue. The man took a seat to her right.

"We are the Mendelssohn's. I'm Erica, this is Jacob and these are our children, Kaila and Micah. We came down from Wisconsin when the snow started to fall in June. Our car broke down just five miles from this place. When we got to the gate, there was a hole cut in the wire. We climbed through and have been here since July.

"Food has been hard to come by but, Jacob has provided for us, well. He fashioned a bow and some arrows and hunted wild game. There is quite a bit within the compound."

The lights in the cabin came on and the water splashed into the sink from the open faucet in the sink. Sue walked over and turned the spigot off.

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Get the lights on and the water to flow?"

"It doesn't matter. You all know where the showers are? Good. Go take a shower and get this cabin cleaned up." Sue walked to the cabinet against the wall and pressed in her code. The door opened effortlessly and she handed out soap and towels to the family. Then she set out cleaning supplies for them.

"So close yet so far away," Jacob said.

"Go, get clean, then I'll examine you. I'm a doctor by the way. Go!"

The four of them turned and headed to the back of the cabin and the two bathrooms there. Sue walked outside and hurriedly turned to the left. She bent over and started puking her guts out, the foul stench wafted out the door.

"Luke did the same thing," Lacy said to a surprised Sue.

"And you had no problem with the smell?"

"It stunk but, I've smelled worse."

"Good, then you can wait for them to finish taking a shower and bring them to the infirmary for me and go in there and find them something else to wear. I don't want my infirmary smelling like it does in there. And burn the clothes they had on."

"Sure thing Sue," Lacy smiled as Sue turned and headed to the next cabin.

"All the cabins are clear except for the one where you found that family."

"Thanks, Jenny," Sue said to her friend.

"We'll have to clean that pig sty out before everyone else gets here," Jenny commented absently.

"Yes we will, are you volunteering?"

"Heavens no."

"Good, because the family can clean it out with Lacy supervising."

"Phew. I thought for a minute we all would have to do it, together."

"I'm not setting foot in that cabin until that smell is eradicated."

Just then, Lacy led the family into the infirmary. She had them line up along the far wall.

"All washed and clean, clothes burned."

"Good. You, yes you get your ass up on the table here." The woman who Sue thought of as the mother slowly walked over to the table and climbed on. Sue took her stethoscope and placed it against the woman's chest. She winced in pain. Sue gently opened her blouse and saw deep tissue bruising. Closing the blouse, she turned and went to her pack hanging on the hook by the door.

Turning around she had her pistol pointed at the man. When he saw what Sue was holding in her hand he rushed toward the table and the woman. Sue fired, the report echoing in the large room. The man spun and hit the floor hard.

"Jesus Sue," Lacy cried out, now pointing her gun at the man almost at her feet.

Sue uncocked the pistol and shoved it in her waistband. Then walked back to the table and gently took the woman in her arms. She was silently sobbing as Sue held her.

"What the hell did he do?" Lacy asked.

"He's been beating her, probably these girls too."

Mark came rushing in his rifle at the ready. Then everyone was in the infirmary looking at Sue and Lacy.

"We have our first residents to protect. These three are now under my protection," Sue announced loudly.

"Mine too!" Lacy added as the two girls rushed to their mother.

"What about him?" Mark asked pointing to the groaning man on the floor.

"He's not dead?" Sue asked. "I could have sworn I shot to kill. Take him out and shoot him."

"We can't do that!" Mark said.

"We can, there is no law anymore. We are the law now. Our moral compass is all that we have to guide us now. This man beat this woman more than once. He probably molested these girls," Sue watched as they nodded their heads, "he deserves to die. He is a predator of the worst sort."

"I agree," Lacy, said, "if you don't want to do it, I will."

Lacy walked to the man, grabbed his collar, and started dragging him across the floor. Luke rushed forward to assist. The rest of them just stood and watched. The man finally woke to his predicament, started to kick and scream, as they dragged him across the dirt path outside. The report of a gunshot quieted his screams. Lacy returned to the cabin shoving her pistol back in its holster.

"Luke said he'd get rid of the body," Lacy spoke directly to Susan who nodded her head in response as she hugged and comforted the women in her arms.

"There is work to do, get to it. Lacy, stay please and help me here."

"Sure thing Sue."

The rest of the people left quickly as they really did have things to do.

Chapter 12

All the trucks and buses were loaded. The group had grown since the catastrophic event just seven short months ago. Michelle was standing by the lead vehicle waiting for Cappy and Waylon. Her husband George was on the bus right behind the lead vehicle with their child and Susan and Mark's children. In fact, as she looked back at the bus her daughter was standing in the window, her father right behind her, waving at her mommy.

Michelle smiled and waved back. She then blew a kiss at them both. Waylon and Cappy sauntered up to the hummer. Cappy turned and looked at the bus and waved to George and the kids. Waylon climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine. Cappy took about ten paces to the side, put his hand in the air and spun it in a circle. All the vehicles in line started their engines.

Cappy helped Michelle into the back seat of the hummer and then climbed in the front passenger seat.

"Let's go, Waylon."

The hummer smoothly moved forward, slowly at first to give all the vehicles time to catch up, then faster and faster until they were doing a blazing forty-five miles an hour. That was the top speed of the fully loaded deuce and a half's.

"Is it going to be this cold for the whole trip?" Michelle asked.

Cappy turned in his seat and looked up at the roof of the hummer. He rose out of his seat, reached up, and pulled the top hatch closed.

"Better?'

"Yes, thank you."

The trip was going to take two days, two ten hour days, with stops every two hours or so for people to stretch their legs. Their first stop scheduled was when they reached the far south side of the city. Their route scouted out the month before, was supposed to be clear of any road blocking wrecks.

They had not been driving for ten minutes when they came upon a barricade thrown up across the road. Waylon slowed then stopped. Cappy and he slowly climbed out behind their doors.

"Stay here Michelle," Cappy told her.

The two men holding their rifles at the ready advanced on the barricade. Rudy, Cappy's dog, came running up the line from the bus right behind the hummer. As Cappy and Waylon advanced, Rudy ran ahead before Cappy could stop him and rounded the corner of the barricade. From behind the barricade, there were screams and shouts as the large black dog surprised whoever lay in wait.

Waylon and Cappy rushed to the opposite side of the barricade. Shots rang out from behind the obstruction. Michelle saw Cappy and Waylon duck back around the end of the barricade. Michelle saw Sunny come running past the hummer, on her way to help her master and Rudy. She rounded the corner around which Rudy had disappeared. Cappy was peeking around the end of the barricade, then stood still and fired several shots. Waylon backed up and went around the end of the barricade, firing as he moved.

Rudy came back around the end of the barricade dragging a kicking and screaming person. Michelle jumped out of the hummer and ran to his side with her rifle pointing at the individual on the ground.

"I got them, Rudy," she told the dog who let go and returned around the barricade.

As Michelle looked down, she realized the person she was covering was an adolescent girl. She bent down and checked her for weapons.

"I'm not with them, they grabbed me an hour ago as me and my sister were headed south, honest," she yelled at Michelle. Michelle helped her up still holding the rifle on her.

"Move, toward the bus," Michelle told her as she prodded her in the back with the gun. George appeared then, armed and ready to help.

"I'll take her from here," he told his wife.