As his picket line kept firing, Patton made his way to the right, making sure to remain hidden. He heard the crack of a bullet just over his head and realized he’d been spotted. He ducked lower and kept moving forward, making his way around to the enemy’s left flank. There was a pause in the firing and he could see some of Asher’s men stand and continue to press forward their attack.
Patton crouched down and removed one of his non-lethal claymore mines from his pack. Bullets impacted the ground behind him as he scurried to set up the device. Patton attached the blasting cap and ran the line back behind a large boulder. He attached the clacker and set it on the ground. He peered around the boulder and watched as the attackers progressed up the hill, most of them firing from the hip. A scream emanated from behind where Patton stood. Someone in his group had been hit.
Patton rolled over to his back and removed two of his non-lethal grenades from his cargo pocket. He returned to his knees, depressed the button on one, and threw it towards the further group of skirmishers. He quickly followed with another grenade at the group closer to his position. The first grenade detonated, sending a gout of dirt, rocks, and grit into the air. Several of the enemy went down with the concussion. The second explosion had the same effect. Patton waited for the dust to settle. Only a handful of men rose to their feet and continued their attack. Patton reached out and grabbed the detonator and squeezed the trigger. There was a slight delay, but the explosion was deafening. What was left of the attackers following the grenades was now decimated. Once Patton regained his wits, he could hear the groans coming from up ahead. Rather than lend aid to his enemies, he made his way back to his makeshift fighting position.
“Is everyone okay?” He yelled, hobbling as he went.
There were screams and moans from several members of the party.
“Patton!” screamed a woman to Patton’s left, up the steep rise.
When Patton reached her, he saw that she was holding a woman in her lap. Her face was pale, her body limp.
“She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay right Patton? Patton!”
Patton kneeled and looked at the distraught woman.
“Nancy? Nancy, you need to calm down.”
Patton reached out and felt the limp woman’s neck. There was no pulse. He pulled his hand away slowly.
“Patton?”
He looked at her and then down at the ground. He just shook his head, not able to look her in the eye.
“She’s dead?”
Patton nodded and stood.
“Sorry Nancy. She’s gone.”
Patton moved on to check the other members of the group. He could hear Nancy wailing from behind him. The woman was the only death, but she wasn’t the only casualty. Two of the men on the front lines had been hit, although they weren’t seriously wounded. After assessing the damage to his own people, Patton made his way back to his previous hiding spot. He could see that many of the attackers were making their way down the hill towards their vehicles. Patton shouldered his rifle and made sure he had good cover.
“You make a move towards us and I’ll kill you!” Most of the men ignored him and continued hobbling down the hill. “You tell Asher that next time he sends you people you won’t be coming back!”
Ten minutes later the bruised and battered attackers were gone. Patton continued to scan the area, ensuring they weren’t coming back. After another half hour, Patton made his way down to the last enemy position. There were no bodies, which was a relief, but there were a few patches of blood scattered around the ground. Although his weapons were supposed to be non-lethal, they could still do some damage. Patton looked back up the hill and looked at his beleaguered party, filled with regret. These people had been through so much. Now someone was dead. He thought back to when Jennifer suggested they buy their way out of the experiment. Patton seriously considered it then and now he wished he’d done it.
Tears sprang to his eyes as he hobbled up the hill towards his group. He couldn’t afford to wallow in self pity. He had to keep moving and get these people to safety. If there was one thing his Army training had taught him, it was resiliency. Self recrimination could come later. Now he had to be the hero. One last time.
The sun was setting over Blue Creek. The sunsets were always remarkable here, David Asher thought. His balcony outside of his City Hall office gave him a great view. He liked to sit outside and watch them alone, especially when pondering bad news.
The last patrol he sent out—one that was actually able to locate Larsen and his merry band—had returned an hour before. Those who weren’t in the hospital were at home being nursed by wives or girlfriends. Everyone he had sent to kill or capture his elusive enemy was either dead or wounded and out of commission. He barely had enough agents to keep order in town. He couldn’t afford to lose anyone else in the pursuit.
Governor Asher was beginning to resign himself to the fact that Larsen was gone. Asher ultimately had the advantage, however—he still had Larsen’s wife. He also had most of the Insight Resource spy network in his prison. No, he realized, Patton Larsen would come to him eventually. He had to.
The group was in rough shape following the last firefight. Several were immobile for various reasons. All were hungry and dehydrated. During the ordeal, Patton had come to rely upon one of the men. He was tall, strong, and mentally tough. His most remarkable feature was his bright red hair. Patton had jokingly called him Ginger. He had come to see him as a valued comrade, similar to his brothers in his old unit.
Patton approached Ginger, who was sitting on a large rock and cleaning some gear.
“We have to make our move today,” Patton said grimly.
Ginger looked up at him, squinting in the way that made Patton laugh. Ginger nodded.
“If I have to go alone I will. I can find help and we can come back for you all,” Patton continued, sitting next to his lieutenant.
“They still won’t like that idea,” Ginger said, nodding towards where the others were milling about. “They’re scared.”
Patton nodded, but was about to disagree. Ginger stopped him before he could speak.
“If you go, we’ll go with you. It’s not like you’re in better condition than we are.”
Patton surveyed the camp. Three people were on makeshift stretchers. One of them had already been left behind in a shallow, hastily dug grave. They shared what water they had left. Someone had found a bag of melted M&Ms and were passing them around. They didn’t look like much, but Patton was impressed with these people. He nodded and stood.
“Okay, but we have to go. Right now. We leave everything, including those on stretchers. We’ll build them some shelters to keep them out of the rain and sun. But if we don’t find anyone, they are going to die, and maybe us too.”
Ginger stood and set down the pot he had been cleaning.
“I’ll tell them,” he said, feeling a burst of adrenaline. It was now and never for them. Fail now, and not many of them would make it.
Two hours later, after having moved south and west over some rough terrain, they reached the top of a rise. Forty feet below was a wide, well-kept gravel road. It was obviously used by local farmers. It was the first promising sight they’d seen in days. Patton looked at Ginger and smiled. He instructed everyone else to hunker down and wait for him to return.
Patton and Ginger descended the hill without incident. Patton’s heart was thudding in his chest, thinking that this could be their salvation. That thought was tempered, however, with the realization that Asher’s people could be patrolling that road just as easily as anyone else. There was no telling what the enemy was up to. They would have to be cautious.