A Private War (2 page)

"Kate, I'll watch ahead if you can watch the sides and Jimmy can watch our backs with his AR-15. Keep your voices low."

"Which way?"

"It's through the trees and around the side of the hill."

They were just reaching the rendezvous location as the paramilitary's armored car came into sight. As it slowed down a massive blast lifted it and tipped it on its side. Leaves and branches rained on them as gunfire came at them from all sides. Gaylon looked up after hitting the ground on his belly. The pirates had planted a homemade Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the side of the road, but the car's steel armor had protected the men inside. Thumbing the M-4's selector to full auto, he sprayed a group of pirates as they rushed towards them from the front. Behind him, he could hear the crack of Kate and Jimmy's AR-15s and Mary's shotgun. Between the three of them, they were putting out a withering wall of fire as first one and then another pirate dropped to the ground, dead. He shot the M-4 empty, and after dropping it, rolled on his back and grasped both Kimber .45's, pulling them free and rolled back on his stomach with both guns firing. A sudden noise caused Gaylon to roll back again. Aiming first one and then another, he fired at a pirate just as they stepped from behind a tree. The two rounds striking the man in the chest only inches apart. Rolling back he could see two groups of pirates on the move as they started to circle around behind them and Gaylon could see that if they succeeded, they would all die. Jamming the .45s into his belt he picked up the M-4, dropped the empty clip, and rammed home a fresh one then hit the bolt release. He opened up with full automatic fire from his M-4 in two long bursts of flame. In seconds the M-4 shot empty, but he had killed at least two and halted the rest for the time being. Thumbing out the empty, he reloaded and put the selector on semi and started firing by the use of the four power scope. Kate brushed the hair from her eyes and looked at him.

"I only have one more full magazine, so does Jimmy. What are we going to do! The pirates will overrun us in seconds if we don't get some help soon."

"They have more in the armored car; maybe they'll help us out. You take the M-4, I got two more clips for it in my pack next to your father. Cover me with it while I make a run for the car," Gaylon stated as he dropped the M-4 and pulled the Kimber .45s from his belt. Reloading both guns, he placed the half empty magazines in his back pocket and after jacking a round into both guns, stood up and ran for the armored car.

The air seemed to snap around him as the pirates fired at his running form. Shooting the gun in his right hand empty, he quickly placed it in its holster and changed hands just as he reached the armored car.

"Hey, it's Gaylon! We need ammo, you got any .223 and .45?!" Gaylon shouted over the gunfire coming from the men inside.

"Yes, come around the back and I'll throw some out. But, don't hang around too long, we called in a fire mission for the 105's back at base. They'll start dropping around here any minute."

As Gaylon ran around the side of the car, two pirates looked up from where they were placing a shaped charge against the bottom of the car. Gaylon fired his gun empty into one pirate killing him and dropping his Kimber he reached behind his shoulder and pulled out the Katana sword from its sheath. The other man stepped back and drew a gun from his belt and started to point it in his direction. Sweeping up across his body, the razor sharp sword blade caught the pirate's wrist and both gun and hand flew into the air. Reversing direction, he cut down into the man's neck with a brief crunch before continuing out the side. The headless body sprayed blood into the air as it fell on to its side. After a brief shutter the body stilled. Gaylon wiped the sword blade on the man's clothing and replaced it back into its sheath, its work done. Picking up the Kimber .45, Gaylon reloaded it and replaced it back into its holster. After reloading the second gun, he put it back in his belt and picked up the ammo cans. Running back to Kate and her family, he could hear the sound of artillery shells as they screamed in from the distant firebase. Like Manna from Heaven, they laid waste to groups of pirates to the front and sides of them. Kate gave Gaylon a brief smile as he dropped down beside her with fresh ammo. Using a reloading tool and stripper clips, he showed Mary how to quickly reload the AR-15 magazines. Taking a box of both .223 mm and .45, Gaylon started to load the M-4 and Kimber CQP II magazines while Kate covered them all with her reloaded AR-15.

"We've got to get out of here, those shells are getting too close," Gaylon shouted and turned to check on Kate's father. Ken's dead eyes looked back at him with his body covered in blood, "and there is nothing we can do for your father now, he's dead. I’m sorry but we’ll have to leave him for now."

"Can we come back later to bury him?" Jimmy asked as tears fell like rain form his eyes on hearing the news, "can we?"

"We'll sure try, Jimmy, we'll sure try."

Gaylon finished placing the reloaded magazines into his vest and small back pack and slung it over his shoulder by one strap. He looked around just as the artillery shells started to fall closer on their side of the road. He waved them to their feet and they started running back through the trees toward Granite House. A moment later, a pirate surprised them by coming out of hiding and shoot Mary twice in the chest with a shotgun. Gaylon fired a long burst with his M-4 and stitched the pirate from groin to neck and grasping Kate's hand ran on.

The cool reflective waters of the pool greeted them as they returned and Gaylon sank down into one of the overstuffed chairs with a sigh of relief. He looked at Kate and Jimmy as they sat at the edge of the pool and stared into its silent depths. Both too tired to even cry over the loss of both parents. With a low moan, he got up from his chair and walked over to his well stocked bar. Taking down a bottle of Jack Daniels, he found a clean glass and after reaching into the ice maker, dropped in some ice then poured a large shot of Jack and covered that with some Coke-cola. Stirring the drink with his finger, he belted down a big gulp. The taste cleared the dust from his throat, but not the bitter after taste of defeat that would linger for a long time to come.

"I'm sorry about your parents, I did all I could."

Kate and Jimmy said nothing, just looked into the water, tears streaming down their faces so Gaylon walked over to a control panel by the steel door and pushed a number of buttons. The panel controlled the special sensors and low light cameras he had installed after the war. They covered the area around the outside and in the tunnels. It also controlled an M-60 machine gun mounted outside the front doors. It was wired to fire by remote control. A low light camera was mounted next to the barrel and both were moved by the use of a joystick. Setting all of the controls on automatic, he told Kate and Jimmy not to go outside then headed off to bed. The next morning, the smell of bacon and eggs reached Gaylon's nose as he awoke. With a quick spring in his step, he raced through a quick shower and was just finished shaving when Kate called him in to breakfast. When he walked into the kitchen, he could hardly believe his eyes, thee was fresh eggs, bacon, and fresh baked bread. The last of his real eggs had been eaten months ago.

"Where did all this comes from, I haven't seen eggs and bacon in so long I almost forgot what they taste like. The few farmers I know had lost most of their chickens and pigs during the war."

"You forgot, we were farmers, too. This was in that sack you saved from the fire. I though we might as well eat it now," Kate stated as she sat down to eat herself, "the pirates got everything else."

"Well, with cooking like this, you can stay as long as you want. A man gets tired of his own cooking after a while."

Kate's eyes flashed," I'll be no one's maid and I'll have you know that I can dress out a deer or fix a flat as good as any man!"

“Whoa, I just said I like your cooking."

"Oh, don't worry about her, she's always been like that. If she gets too bad, just take her over your knee. That's what Dad had to do." Jimmy said with a smile that slowly faded as he thought about what he had said. Gaylon smiled back and said 'that he would have to remember that'. After they finished eating, and after helping with the clean up, he went into his workshop with his guns. He quickly stripped down his M-4 and both Kimbers and was just getting started on the two AR-15s when Kate walked in. He ran a patch through the barrel of Jimmy's AR while watching Kate out the corner of his eye. Seeing that she knew what she as doing, he went back to his cleaning. Then taking the Japanese sword from its sheath, he carefully cleared the blood from the blade and replaced it in it's sheath. After reloading and giving each magazine a quick slap against his hand, Gaylon reloaded both of the Kimber's magazines and jacked a round into the chamber then thumbed up the safety before replacing them back into their holsters and closed down the snaps. Taking the M-4, he checked the action and the magazine release, then lowered the bolt and placed a magazine in the well and pushed it home. The Gerber Mark II survival knife only needed a few passes with a stone to give it back its razor-like edge and a touch of oil finished the job. He then walked over to his gun cabinet and removed a handgun and holster, strapping it around his wrist. Popping open the chamber, he dumped the rounds into his hand and placed the gun on the table.

"This is one of my best guns, it's a Smith and Wesson .357 Model 66 with target hammer and trigger, zebra wood grips, and a gold Presidential Seal. With 158 grain three quarter jacketed hollow points, it will stop a man cold." Gaylon said as he quickly cleaned the gun and gave it a light coating of oil. Finished, he reloaded the gun and placed it back in its holster. Checking the speed loaders on the gun belt, he placed a few more into his pocket. Meanwhile Kate had checked and reloaded her AR-15 and was reloading more magazines and placing them into one of Gaylon's many assault vests she found on a clothes rack. She added a lighter, flashlight, small first aid kit, and other bits and pieces. Gaylon's eyebrows went up upon seeing the vest and magazines.

"Whatever you are thinking about, forget it, the answer is no!"

"What are you talking about and besides, who are you to tell me, no!"

"The one who saved your life the other day and who isn't going to let you start your own private war with the pirates. They'd cut you to pieces as soon as you started shooting and you know it. So, stay here and mind the store."

"Fine, get your own ass shot off because there was no one to watch your back. See if I care!" Kate shouted right back as she walked to the front entrance of the cave and dropped off her gear and rifle.

"Just stay here, and keep the outside gun on remote, I may need some help on the way back." He explained as he flipped some switches on the main control panel and walked out the slowly opening steel door. Kate mumbled to herself for a second or two then grabbed up two radios off the control panel she threw her gear and rifle ahead of her and ran out the door just before it closed again. The sun was shining with just a few clouds in the sky, but the wind had a chill to it. Kate saw Gaylon a short distance ahead and ran to catch up. As she did he turned, the M-4 pointed at her chest and his finger on the trigger.

"Look, didn't I tell you to stay behind." He snarled at her.

"Ok, I'm here now, so let's just go. Here, put this on," she said as she handed him a Yaesu 2 meter Shortwave radio. The Yaesu is a small FM radio that clips on your belt with an added throat mike and separate earbud. All that is needed to use it was to just talk, the radio was voice operated. He removed his hat and placed the throat mike so it nested around his Adam’s apple and then placed the earbud into his right ear. He reached down and turned on both radios and set them to VOX. A few more buttons pressed and the radios would only key on a special tone. So, their talking should not be heard by others.

"We've wasted too much time already, let's get going," was all he would say.

Twelve miles later, they approached an area where he knew the pirates had used as a camp before and even a mile away, they could hear the sounds of engines racing and drunken laughter. As they approached, he motioned for Kate to get down and they both belly crawled to the top of a rise. Gaylon counted at least thirty men and women along with over a dozen trucks and motorcycles loaded down with supplies. It looked like they were breaking camp, because most of the tents and crude shelters were down and were being packed away.

"I was hoping to wait for nightfall before we attacked, but they'll be gone well before then. So it's got to be now. Do you think you hold down this side of the road while I set up down there on the other side," He asked Kate as he checked his rifle to make sure it was set to fire.

"No problem, just give the word and I'll open up."

As he worked his way down the side of the hill, he thought that whoever had picked this spot for a camp, couldn't be too bright. The area used to be a small park before the war and all the small trees and brush had been removed to clear a large open area that was bordered on one side by a river and a hill on the other. The park was really nothing more than a point of land with a road in and a road out, like two choke points. A small party could cover both ends and have a killing ground in the center. Kate watched the pirates for a short time then moved behind a pile of rocks that over looked the park. As she checked her rifle and chambered a round, she could feel the Angel of Death looking over her shoulder and she was chilled to the bone. Having made his way down to the road and crossed without being seen, Gaylon crawled over rusty beer cans and bits of trash in the knee high grass. The strong smell of urine and feces caused him to change direction slightly as he moved near a fallen tree trunk at the edge of the park. He could see that many of the pirates were dead drunk and that several had bloody bandages under their leathers. Moving as close as possible, he quickly checked his guns and pressed the throat microphone firmly to his throat.

"Kate, can you hear me, ok?"