The Guardians (13 page)

"What they did," insisted Nate.  "I had no part of that.  I sat in the truck as instructed and just watched the entire horrific scene."

"Well, either way, it's not like Gutierrez didn't deserve it," Luke said.  "Turn coats like him are responsible for thousands of horrific deaths at the hands of the cartels.  We've got to cut them from the herd like you guys...I mean, they did.  The problem is, we aren't the only ones who have spotters there.  That info was evidently relayed to the cartels.  They have eyes and ears everywhere and were probably able to put together a probable route from a series of reports and set up an ambush for you.  You're the lucky one, being pinned underneath that truck in the ditch.  Looks like all but one of your group went down in the firefight; one unlucky SOB was cut up pretty bad.  The cartels are full of sadistic scum that relish in every moment of human suffering."

"That was Shockly I believe.  I heard a lot of what went on.  I've never heard screams like that.  What did they do to him?" asked Nate.

"The basically gutted him like a deer, the packed his mouth and throat full of his own bowels.  It appears he suffocated from that before the gaping stomach wounds got him.  The other guys, except the guy in the truck with you that they apparently couldn't get out, were all beheaded and their heads were lined up in the road and shot up like tin cans.  It was a revolting scene.  It took us a while to clean it up.  If they knew you had survived and were under there, they would have hacked you up as well.  It's their way of trying to scare our guys off."

"No wonder Sargent Wilson and the others seemed so crude.  You'd about have to be a hardened SOB to make it out here," said Nate as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Our guys barely found you in time.  They hooked a winch to your Humvee and began to just drag it up out on the ditch when they saw your boot and realized someone else must be in there.  They stopped the winch to double check and found you," explained Luke.

"How did they see my boot if I was inside the truck?" asked Nate in a confused manner.

"Your lower leg was sticking out of the rear side window and was pinned between the bank of the ditch and the truck.  We weren't able to save it by the way.  Your bones were riddled with fractures and the weight of the truck had cut the circulation off for too long.  There was nothing they could do," Luke said to his brother with a sorrowful tone.

Nate raised the bed sheet and saw a bandaged stump, about six inches below his left knee.  He just laid back on the bed to soak it all in for a minute.  He started to well up with tears, but then shrugged it off and said, "At least I didn't end up like Shock.  That had to be an unimaginable hell he suffered through.  Losing my foot saved my life.  If I wasn't pinned down, I'd have got up to fight, then I would have been killed or worse as well.  You can't wish to undo a situation.  What you think would have been a better turn of events, could have gone a whole different way than what you have in your head," Nate said.

"That's a fine way to look at things," said Luke.  "So back to my first question, what the hell are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you little brother.  I've spent the better part of the last year doing and seeing the worst in humanity to get to you.  I figured once I found you, we could team up and go and get Mom and Dad," Nate said.

"Mom and Dad?  Have you heard from them?" asked Luke.

"No, but I hadn't heard from you either, but here you are," replied Nate.

Luke just sat there for a moment, then turned to Nate and said, "I can't go with you.  These guys are like a family to me now.  I can't just walk away from everything we've done here to chase an impossible dream.  We don't know where they are.  They may have took to the sea for all we know.  Virginia is a long way from here."

"Mom and Dad aren't LIKE family, they ARE family, THE family," Nate said in a stressed manner.  "I had no idea if I would find you, where you were, or if you were even alive, yet here we are, in the same damn room!  What's wrong with you Little Brother?  If God brought me to you, it was for a reason.  It was so that we could go and help Mom and Dad."

"Well, if there is a God why are we going through this?  If this is the rapture he sure forgot a lot of us," Luke said looking visibly distraught.

"These guys may have done a lot for you over the past year, but don't forget what Mom and Dad did for you your entire life.  You wouldn't even be here if they hadn't cashed out some of their retirement savings to put you through medical school.  Besides, it's not like these guys gave you a free ride.  You've done a lot for them as well.  You've earned your keep and then some saving lives.  As soon as I can hobble on crutches, I'm heading east.  I may or may not find them, and I may die trying, but at least I'll die with self respect knowing I put my family above all else," Nate said as he slammed his head back in the pillow.

Luke just sat there staring at the floor.  After a few moments of silence,  he said, "OK Brother, you need your rest.  You've got a lot to soak in and there are a few other patients that I need to help out with.  Get some sleep and I'll be back in the morning."

As Luke got up and walked out of the room, Nate just laid there clouded by both physical and emotional pain.  He knew most everyone had changed over the course of the past year.  They pretty much had to in order to be tough enough to make it.  He just had no idea that his brother, his dear younger brother, could have changed so much that he now doubted his faith and was not equally motivated to help him find their parents.  He ran through the events of the past year over and over again in his head.  He could not help but wonder if his brother would do the same.  He said a little prayer, asking God to guide his brother Luke back to him, and to move him to join his quest for their parents.

After he said his prayer to himself, he resolved that no matter what his brother's decision turned out to be, he would continue his quest, with or without him.

****

Chapter 13: Trespassers

It had been a week since Molly and Judith had accompanied Evan and Griff to the Thomas Farm to meet and welcome young Haley into the group.  The two women had been working hard making her some clothes from the measurements they took.  They felt it was important for her to be able to feel lady like after her ordeal.  They made her a few sets of pajamas, several blouses and skirts, two casual dresses, and three pairs of pants.  In addition, they made her some underwear out of t-shirt material and elastic band material.  Having came into their community wearing nothing but chains, she needed a little of everything.

The group was discussing their next trip to the Thomas Farm to deliver her clothes.  Judith said to Jason, "Jason, you definitely need to go this time.  Haley was asking about you.  I think you need to go and say hello."

"Yea, it's my turn to go on a run anyway," replied Jason.  "Peggy, you should go too.  Sarah can watch Zack with the boys, you need to get out and stretch your legs a bit.  You've been going through a lot lately and you need a break.  Having a lot of female interaction is probably what Haley needs right now anyway," he added.

"What about Sarah?" asked Peggy.  She may want to go herself."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to leave these two hellions with anyone," Sarah said.  "Not anyone we liked anyway.  They can be a handful.  They've got way too much of their Daddy in them," she said jokingly. "But Zack is easy, he would be a pleasure."

"I'm just afraid he would have one of his episodes while I'm away," Peggy replied.

"We've all been involved enough to be able to deal with it.  You need the break.  End of story," Sarah said with an insistent tone.

"Well...OK then, I'll go.  I'd love to meet everyone over there, and I could use a break," she said with a smile.

"That settles it then, Jason, Judith, Peggy, and myself are on the next run.  Griff will handle security with the boys, and Molly, Judy, and Sarah will handle the kids," Evan said.

"Hey Dad," said Jake who was listening in on the planning.

"Yes Son," Evan replied.

"Can I go too?" he asked.  "Haley is about my age.  It may help her if another kid is around to get to know and hang out with instead of always being in a world of adults."

Evan just looked at Molly and she nodded her head in approval, he then looked at Griff and said, "How are you looking for your security duties tomorrow?  Can you spare him?"

Griff replied, "We will manage.  I'll get Judy to cover for the rounds I had planned for him.  She needs to get out in the woods and more familiar with the outlying areas of the property anyway."

Evan then looked at Jake and said, "Sure, that sounds like a great idea.  Maybe we can even talk Mildred and Ollie into letting her come over to visit on occasion to socialize, when she feels up to it that is."

Everyone agreed and chatted for a moment.  They all enjoyed the sense of community that was building.  At least in their part of the world, a feeling of normalcy was beginning to return, sans the modern conveniences of mass communication, supply chains, and residential power, of course.

Evan then turned to the group and said, "OK then, I've got some chores to do so I'm gonna get busy.  Let's plan on the Thomas Farm group leaving right after breakfast in the morning.  We'll take the tractor and trailer again since we have a foursome.  Everyone bring your pistol, including you Jake.  And actually, Jake, you can bring a rifle as well.  Bring a VZ58 so that we will have common mags and ammo.  You can shoot as good as anyone can.  We might as well be as armed as we can."

Jake just replied with a huge smile from his sense of pride.  He loved how he was beginning to be seen as one of the men rather than just one of the kids.  He was also anxious to meet Haley, as he too was desperate for some social interaction from a peer.

With that being said, everyone went on with his or her respective busy day.  Homestead life, although rewarding, keeps everyone quite busy.  Nothing that benefits their daily lives comes without the investment of hard work.

Early the next morning as everyone ate breakfast, Evan went over the travel plan with everyone.  He insured that they all had everything they needed, and he briefed Judith and Peggy on what to expect and what to do if the unexpected were to occur.  "Since there are five of us and we have the clothes to deliver, we will go ahead and burn into our fuel stores a little more and take the tractor and pull the flatbed trailer.  I'll drive, Jason will use his scope to glass the areas up ahead, and Jake can be the proverbial trunk monkey and keep an eye out behind us.  You two ladies keep your eyes peeled as well.  Since there are two of you, one scan the woods and surrounding terrain to the left and the other can do the same on the right.  We can't afford an ambush with so many of us away at once.  If something were to happen to us, that would leave the manpower back here at the Homefront way too thin," he said.

"Why don't we just take a truck?" asked Peggy being new to going out on a run.

"Those Cummins diesels are pretty loud and can be heard a long way off.  The tractor is relatively quiet.  Also, that motor on the tractor just sips fuel so it will burn less into our fuel stores.  We are trying to save the diesel for the trucks and the generator.  The trucks are our emergency bug out vehicles, and the generator, well that's obvious.  All we use gasoline for is the tractor, and at our rate of consumption, that is what we have more of to spare.  Also, being an open top flatbed trailer, if something were to happen, we could all jump off and run in any given direction, whereas the trucks are a little harder to egress in a hurry.  The sheet metal doesn't provide any ballistic protection to speak of either, so it really just seems like a better idea to use the tractor for now.  If things get sketchy in the future, perhaps we would use Jason's truck with the shielding he already has in place on his over-the-bed rack."

"Egress?" she asked.

"To get out of in a hurry," he replied. 

"Oh, that's one of your terms like hand-railing," she replied.

"Yea, I guess so," he said.  "Don't worry, over time you'll be a tactical momma and have all of this stuff down and will be teaching it all to Zack," he said with a smile.

She just laughed in agreement and Jason added, "Yea, we will need Zack and the boys to provide us security in our old age if this stupid world doesn't get itself lined out by then."

"So if everyone is ready to go, let's get the show on the road," Evan said as he stood up.  They all grabbed the stuff they were taking along and headed out to the tractor.  Jason had his Remington as usual, Evan and Jake took along their VZ58's, and Peggy and Judith with their pistols and the clothing for Haley.

Everyone climbed aboard, Evan fired up the old tractor, and with a jerk of the clutch, off they went.  Being the first time Peggy had been away from Zack since they rescued him from Newport, KY, she felt uneasy and nervous, but was excited to see the change of scenery for the day. 

The first few miles were uneventful.  It was a beautiful fall day, the air was chilly and the leaves were beginning to turn.  "I love this time of year," said Judith.

"Me too," said Peggy.  "The fall colors are so beautiful."

Jason said, "The only drawback is that after the pretty colored leaves fall off of the trees, it looks like a nuclear warzone with everything being dead.  It also makes it damn near impossible to walk quietly through the woods with all of the crunchy leaves."