Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie (74 page)

No one asked about his injuries.

Emma and Marisa made copious amounts of pancakes for breakfast, and sent half of them to the Special Forces guys.

They're camped in tents behind Emma's building. I saw several of them this morning in the radio building with Josie, Ian, and Rick. Major Chris Knellson has his own tent and a young soldier at his beck and call. I believe Josie stayed with him last night. I
think Josie likes him more than she's willing to admit.

They're preparing and planning. I believe they'll head out tonight
, but I'm not sure and none of them would tell me. That includes Josie, Rick, and Ian.

Josie and Major
Knellson (oh please, I'm just gonna call him Chris) will stay in camp and man the radio building.

The only thing I can do is worry, pace, and try to find something to do. I'm trying to send vibes to Mick that we're coming for him. I know he's alive. I can feel it.

Carisa's about to come apart at the seams, so I sent her with Shawna and Lisa to practice martial arts and archery all day. Nicholas, Jesse, Deuce, Luke, Larson, Anna, and Sabrina are with them.

Elaine's still in bed and won't speak to anyone
except Jesse.

I'm doctored up with a blue Xanax. Otherwise, I'd be pulling my hair out and probably someone else's as well.

Chris said that none of us are allowed in town today. The Special soldiers will be working in and around there. He says it may take two days to get Mick back because the group has recon and planning to do based on the information they gather and observe.

One of the small vehicles pulled out and headed toward town. I don't know how many soldiers are in it
, or what they're gonna be doing, but I'm assuming it's a recon mission.

I don't know if I can stand it. Maybe Hisa will knock me out for two days. Whatcha think? Nope? I don't think she will either.

I clung to Carisa and Marisa all morning, and Amber sat in Mick's recliner with me while breakfast was being prepared.

I'm headed out to pretend I'm working and try to sneak around and find out things.

See ya later.

2:00 PM...

The little vehicle that left this morning returned, refueled, and headed back out with three fresh soldiers on board. I hoped
they got lots of information. I asked Chris to, at least, tell me if they'd found where Mick was being held. He said yes. HE SAID YES!

Several other hostages were recognized as badge carrying participants from two more survivor groups. Chris wants them all back alive.

Chris and Josie are debriefing the first crew that went out this morning. They've been locked in the radio building for an hour. I wish they'd hurry up so I can drill Josie with questions. I have no idea if she'll answer any of them, but it's worth a shot.

The teenagers came in for lunch, scarfed down pinto beans and rice, and headed back to Soo's house. They all say they're really enjoying the lessons from Shawna and Lisa.

Jesse and Jeremy are out for hay. I noticed that the trailers are filling up fast and that's a huge blessing.

Rona says there’s a dozen
more quail in the freezer but she's lost count, so she wants to get in there and recount. I wish we could figure out something very special to feed the soldiers when they bring Mick and Dane back. Maybe Hisa can open more chicken breasts and use powdered cream cheese to make her pesto chicken dish again. I'll ask about it

Josie told me that Chris has a medic
, trained in field combat situations, on the way. That sounds scary, like they’re expecting a big fight. Josie says it's normal procedure and not to worry. That's like telling a fish on land not to jump back into the water. “Worry” has become my middle name.

I just want Mick back. I fear my heart is turning black.

I feel sick, and hot, and unsteady. I'm going to the reefer trailer and step inside to see if it helps. Hopefully, I'll hear something from the radio building on my way there.

See ya later.

11:00 PM...

Oh My God. Josie just filled me in on things she probably shouldn't have filled me in on.

Mick and Dane are being held in a large freight trailer about half-a-mile from the rock quarry.

The huge rock quarry is full. It's full of HDI's. The recon team suspects there’s over a thousand HDI's in the quarry. Now we know where the town HDI's went.

The HDI's are pushing up against the cliff and smashing the front lines to mush. Every HDI is trying to get
“into” the walls of the rock quarry. More HDI's are arriving by the hour.

There's mostly limestone and marble found in the quarries around here. What could be drawing the HDI's?

Chris Knellson has called for cluster bombs to be dropped from the air into the quarry simultaneously with the attack on the fake National Guard camp. He believes the group will be caught off guard by the explosions from the quarry and won't expect a ground attack on their camp. Diversion, anyone?

I'm not
surprised that we still have planes in the air. We haven't seen, or heard, any planes fly over the compound, but I
knew
they were out there, especially since the well-supplied and efficiently run military unit stopped by for a visit. Colonel Thompson? Pffft, he's just a hood ornament.

The only problem with planes? After the government uses up all
its fuel stock, the planes will disappear unless there's a huge underground city making more. I hope they're using it wisely and not flying lazy diplomats to and fro.

During the explosions, perimeter guards will be take
n out one way or another. The camp will be infiltrated and tear gas will be utilized. Since the hostages are locked in the trailer, the soldiers hope that any effects from the tear gas will be minimal for them. The soldiers will be wearing gas masks and night vision goggles.

Bad guys who can be
put out of action with stun guns and Tasers will be hog-tied and left on the ground to collect later. Bad guys who cannot be taken that way will be shot in the head. No exceptions.

It'll basically be a
shootout, but the soldiers will be wearing all their protective gear. Hopefully, the bad guys, having been caught off guard, have continued their habit, observed by the recon team, of lounging around in t-shirts and camo pants.

E
vacuation of hostages will occur as soon as the top ranking officer feels confident enough to remove them from the trailer.

During the battle, soldiers near the trailer will
yell instructions for everyone inside to get on the ground. Hopefully, they’ll hear and comply.

They plan to take as many of the bad guys as possible alive
, but they have no qualms whatsoever about taking them out if there's no other option available.

Our compound is the nearest
civilian safe zone, according to Chris. The rescued hostages will be brought here for debriefing and evaluation and then, taken back to their own respective compounds or camps if so desired.

The attack will begin after sunset tomorrow night.

I'm scared outa my skin that one of those cluster bombs will miss the quarry and land in the camp.

I'll have to act normal tomorrow
, and not let on that I know all of this. I may have to stay in my room under the influence of doctored tea.

This is it. This is our best chance to get Mick back alive.

I asked Josie how we'll know when the battle starts. She said “Oh, you'll know. The radio will come to life. Chris will have his nose in the microphone and we might hear the aircraft.”

I need tea.

Bye for now.

Monday
, April 14

Today, I get Mick back. That's the only thing I can think of.

It was the first thing that popped in my head every time I opened my restless eyes last night.

I
’m gonna go crazy, sitting here all day, waiting for our special folks to leave the compound. I don't know what to feed them or do for them to make them ready for battle. I don't wanna feed them something heavy because I want them fully awake.

Oh, who am I
kidding? I have no idea how to “ready” men for battle. I'm pretty sure they won't build a bonfire, paint their bodies, eat raw meat, and run around beating their chests. Nope, these are modern warriors. They'll be geared up and rarin' to go without my help.

I could see a difference on Rick and Ian's face and the way the
y carried themselves at breakfast this morning. They looked distracted, hard, and confident. They ate breakfast faster than I've ever seen before and then, disappeared into the abyss of the big green military vehicles. I wonder if they'll sneak away from here without any of us knowing.

Chris and Josie are no longer trying to hide their affection for one another. Chris spent the night in Josie's motorhome and they came in for breakfast together this morning. No one said a word about it. Hey, good for Josie. I hope she a
nd Chris can make something happen. I wonder if she's told him about her pregnancy. That's none of my business I suppose. Besides, I'm still ticked off at him about the “grow onions for the gubermint” dealio.

Marisa and Carisa were both edgy thi
s morning. They know something’s up for today. They probably felt the vibes from my fast beating heart and wide awake brain. I feel like my body is “zinging.” Is that a good word for it? Well, it's the best I can come up with at this point.

Jason and Isaac are taking Emma on a mission in the opposite direction of the rock quarry. They plan to go back to Emma's little camp and dig up the weapons she took from the me
n who killed Cleve and changed her world forever. Those weapons will put us well over the top. We'll have enough rifles for every person here and then some.

Emma and Nana have decided that they are the “Queens of the Kitchen.” At least one of them will be involved in every meal and the rest of us will be on rotation as their “assistants.” That sounds good to me. I'm happy that someone around here enjoys making sure there's enough servings for
a large amount of people.

Oh, how it breaks my heart to
remove Isabella from the list. She was a quiet, subdued young lady who liked to spend time by herself. We loved her. She was part of our family. Every member is important, and Isabella was just as important as anyone here. We're all still grieving.

Work has not stopped around the compound. The hay crew has been busy. The garden crew has been busy. The preserving crew has been busy. Watc
h duty rotation has continued, and looting has continued.

There are lots of things I haven't heard about or seen. I suppose my brain has “stepped out for a minute.” I am nothing without Mick. I'm not productive. I don't smile. I barely eat and sleep. I'm focused on get
ting him back where he belongs.

The teenagers will have more martial arts lessons from Shawna and Lisa today. They can't get enough.

Marisa and the kids plan to help Pop in the garden while Emma's gone and Nana's watching over the kitchen. I'm sure Rebecca will be helping. I don't know if Elaine crawled out of bed or where she is. She may be in Clinic Diane. I have no idea.

Hisa, Soo, and Merry are
living in their house. Merry has her own room and loves it. She constantly invites the other girls to stay over. I think she's proud to have a house and happy to be living with her Mom and Dad again. I know Hisa's happy.

I can't think of anything else to write about. My mind won't stay focused.

I'm heading out to see if I can nose around and figure out anything new. See ya later.

3:00 PM...

Yep, it's gonna happen. The air is electric. Good looking men are running all over the place and I can't even appreciate them because I want Mick back so bad.

A “clean
up crew” arrived this afternoon. They'll stay on the compound until they're needed to burn and count HDI bodies in the rock quarry. I'm guessing there’s 50 of them, both men and women, camped behind the trailer fence. They brought along their own food and they're setting up propane grills. Chris asked for permission to use water from the pools and of course, I said yes.

Kevin is digging the hole for a fast outhouse
, which will be enclosed with a small tent for now. My only request was that the outhouse be located on the opposite side of the driveway than the pools. I also want it down the hill farther than the pools. Chris assured me that they have the ability to determine the most optimal and safest areas for “latrine location.”

I had
no idea what to do, so I made up a couple dozen of those little fried apple pies and sent them to the “strike team” after lunch. I wanna make sure those men know that I'm extremely grateful to them. Maybe I'm a doofus.

I know little pies won't do the job
, but it's a start. I had to do
something
to keep myself from going insane.

Jason, Emma, and Isaac came in about an hour ago with the weapons Emma had hidden. Jason said she had them folded up inside a tarp like a burrito. The hole they were in was a little wet at the bottom
, but the guns were nice and dry.