“Okay. I think our best bet for getting water in the short-term is to hit the local stop-and-robs. I don’t think we’ll find much infestation in those locations. We’ll set up hitting the larger stores when I get back. Good point about the clothing. I really didn’t think about that one. Thanks. We’ll add clothing supply when we hit the armories. I’d like you to go with the teams we put together for the main divisional armories and get everything that might be useful that we can fit in the transports. If you can and time allows, try to get the weapon racks themselves so we can store the weapons neatly when we get to Cabela’s,” I say.
“Will do, Jack,” he says.
Lynn walks over dusting her hands off on her fatigue pants. “We’re all loaded up and ready to go.”
“We should hand out whatever antibiotics I pulled out of the hospital. They should be in the cardboard boxes I had stored inside,” I say. “We should all be in a position to administer those quickly if someone gets scratched or bitten by a night runner.”
“Okay, I’ll see to it. The trucks are all gassed up. What do you want to do with this?” Lynn asks nodding at the 130 beside us.
“Not much we can do I guess. I’ll grab the helmets with the NVG’s and we’ll just close it up. You never know,” I answer.
She nods and then asks, “So, how do you want to do this?”
“Well, you know where the armories are right?” I ask and Lynn nods.
“Okay, then we’ll convoy over to the special forces armory. Leave me Alpha and Red Teams and you take the rest over to the other armories. Does that sound good to you?” I ask.
“Sure. What about the goggles?”
“We only have twelve so let’s split them between us. Did we find any bolt cutters?”
“Yeah, Horace found a couple in the hangars so we should be good to go,” Lynn responds. “What about the others?”
“I’ll take the kids and Mom with me. You take Kathy, Little Robert, and Kenneth. We’ll also leave a team with a vehicle here for when Craig shows up,” I answer. Little Robert appears at the top of the ramp with Mike beside him. Mike trots down and sits at my side.
“I guess I’ll take Mike as well,” I add, smiling.
Lynn doesn’t smile back but directs her gaze to the empty skies around us. “If he can, he’ll be here,” I say putting my arm around her.
“I know,” she says still staring into the blue sky wishing her brother and mom would materialize.
“We can fly over and see if we can find him after we get back,” I say.
“No, I don’t think that would do any good and would be too dangerous anyway,” she says sighing.
“Okay, I’m sure he’ll show up, hon. When we’re finished with the armories, Bannerman mentioned clothing so if you wouldn’t mind gathering those as well. Afterwards, drive the transports back here and head out in individual teams covering both McChord and Fort Lewis to check for any additional survivors. Concentrate on the housing areas but don’t enter any of them unless you absolutely have to. It’s 1000 now so let’s plan to meet back here by 1400 and stay in radio contact,” I say trying to divert her worry and having my own worry about time.
“Explain to me why we’re taking the civilians with us if we’re leaving a team here?” Lynn asks taking her eyes from the sky and looking back at me.
“Good point. I didn’t really think about it and guess I’m a little focused on getting to Cabela’s,” I answer.
The NVG’s, medical supplies, and bolt cutters are distributed. Lynn gathers everyone, introduces Mom, and disseminates the plan. I must admit it feels a little strange being in this role with Mom here. I had always separated that aspect of my life from my family. Not that they didn’t know or anything, but more like I didn’t share much about it. It just feels a little odd, that’s all. Grabbing the helmets from inside, I detail Bravo Team to remain with the now disabled aircraft and the civilians. I hop into the Jeep with Robert as the other teams pile into the waiting vehicles.
We head across the ramp in a convoy with Lynn’s Humvee in the lead. We have the radios set on an agreed frequency but keep the airwaves silent. Lynn will be making radio calls over the various frequencies as we proceed through McChord and onto Fort Lewis to raid the armories. We wind our way through the silent streets. At least with the other vehicles on the road with us, there isn’t that lonely feeling of passing through a desolate place and gives a certain sense of normalcy. Well, riding through a base in a convoy is not really normal for me. It is just nice to see others around even if they aren’t the crowds that used to inhabit these streets.
Brake lights shine ahead and the convoy of vehicles comes to a stop. In a brown grassy field to my left, a hillock sits surrounded by a chain link fence topped with razor wire. Behind the fence and nestled at the base of the mound, a heavy set of double-steel doors sit embedded slightly into the hill. I park the Jeep behind the transport vehicle in front and jump out. Red and Alpha Teams exit their vehicles further up and Lynn walks back down the column in my direction.
“This is the main armory for the special forces battalion. We’ll make sure you get in before proceeding to the divisional armories,” she says standing in the shade of the transport.
“Okay and we’ll keep in contact with the personal radios. Give me a radio check once you get there. I’ll have someone standing by the vehicle radios just in case. Good luck and I love you,” I say feeling the heat of the truck exhaust against my pant legs.
“I love you too. See you shortly,” she replies and begins her stroll back up to the lead Humvee. I see her at one of the other vehicles momentarily to talk about one thing or another.
I walk to the double-wide gate in the chain link fence gathering Red and Alpha Teams along the way. The fence has a tempered padlock holding the two gates closed. Watkins brings the heavy duty bolt cutters and, with Calloway, attempts to cut the post on the lock. The two of them grunt and strain on the cutters and the lock eventually gives way with a resounding snap. The bolt cutters and the strength of the two men have won that battle. Watkins removes the lock and swings the gates open. The other members of the teams keep a lookout for anything in the surrounding area.
I’m not too concerned with night runners inside the armory as the gate was locked and, from my vantage point, the razor wire at the top is untouched. Remembering Lynn’s story of the night runners gaining entrance to the tower in Kuwait, there would be ample evidence that they had been this way. The razor wire would have been strewn with body parts lying on the ground. There is also the fact that there is an identical lock securing the armory doors. From experience, and I can’t assume this to be the case in every instance, the night runners leave clues that they have gained entrance to a building. I worry about their presence, especially seeing we haven’t secured a more permanent safe place yet, but will be doubly worried if they gain the ability to enter into locked places.
A paved drive leads from the gate to the armory doors. The sun is peeking above the tops of the nearby evergreens casting ribbons of light across our path. The idling of the vehicle engines behind interrupts the serenity that might otherwise be found on this calm summer morning. I find it a little odd that I am becoming used to that silence. The eeriness of the events is fading into the recesses of my mind. It still feels dream-like but not as much as it once did. Maybe because I am worrying so much about everything that my consciousness is not recognizing it to the extent it did. Not that I didn’t worry or wasn’t fearful before, it’s just that now I am really feeling the time crunch.
The scene at the gate repeats itself as the lock snaps under the effort of Watkins and Calloway. Alpha Team keeps their weapons trained on the heavy steel doors for precautionary means as Watkins swings one of them open. The squeal of the hinges rises above the idling engines as the door pivots fully open. A cool breeze rushes out from the dark interior, cooling us as it passes by. Seeing the dark interior, I expect to hear the shriek of a night runner even though the doors were tightly locked. Nothing. Calloway reaches in and swings the second door open to the sound of the metal hinges rubbing together.