“I don’t see it.”
“Look for the trail of smoke.”
“Got it.” Rick gave the binoculars back to Ben.
“Do you know where that is?”
“I know the vicinity.”
“Let’s go.” Ben raced to the ladder at the edge of the roof and quickly climbed down.
He wasn’t even supposed to be in town, much less standing roof watch, but he had abandoned his plans for Canada when the fighting grew worse and closer
The war used to be far in the distance. If everyone was very quiet, they could hear far off gunshots popping here and there.
Now, it was close. It came from all angles.
Early morning the sky was lit up as jets engaged in battle. Somewhere to the northwest, the enemy fired antiaircraft missiles at the American and British planes.
They had seen one go down.
It was an American jet. Ben and Rick wouldn’t have cared had it been a Ranuelan plane, but it was American and they had to find the pilot. Ben swore he saw him eject.
They moved with urgency, fearing the Occupiers would get to him first. Ben and Rick rushed from the roof top of Jerry’s Hardware, called for replacements and hopped in the pickup.
They would have gone on horseback, but decided to take the truck in case the pilot was injured.
It was the first US plane they had seen go down all morning.
Another explosion sent Tyler scurrying to Harry’s side, cuddling next to him for support.
He was scared.
The days of living a quiet existence were over.
Until everything calmed down outside, everyone was moved to the basement of the school.
It happened so fast.
One day they were fine. They saw the planes, but it remained quiet. Then suddenly the war wasn’t just west of them, it was at their door.
They didn’t even have time to relocate or move the children.
Where would they go?
Harry told Tyler that the gunfire wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, that it was all part of the war. The farther east the fighting moved meant the farther the United States was pushing the enemy out of the country.
“Could we die, Harry?” Tyler asked.
Harry didn’t want to answer that question, but he did. And he did so honestly. “We could But we’re gonna try not to. We’re underground in case they bomb us.”
“I heard George saying that the Utah guy said the enemy is storming towns and just shooting people and taking only a few prisoners.”
Harry nodded. “That’s what they’re saying. But I can guarantee you, if they try to storm this town, they’ll have a hell of a fight on their hands, that’s for sure. None of us, Tyler, none of us are going down without a fight.”
She screamed in pain and there was nothing anyone in the bunker could do to help her.
Her labor was intense and Judith could hear her crying.
The bunker was all that small, but it wasn’t big enough to hide the noise. Not even the fighting above them was big enough.
They had ventured from their own room into the recreation family room which happened to be just down the hall from the small medical office.
Doc Baker was summoned and made his way underground to assist.
But the young woman was still some time away from giving birth.
The doc stated he hoped he didn’t have to do a cesarean section, not that it looked like he would, but he was fearful.
The war was so close; the battle was right above them.
No one dared move.
Another cry and Judith closed her eyes.
“Are you all right?” Foster asked her.
“Yes, yes. I just feel so bad for her.”
“We all do, and in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she doesn’t have the conveniences of modern medicine, and she’s having a baby in the middle of a war, literally in the middle of a war, Jude.”
“It sounds so close,” Judith said.
“I heard trucks when I was in the garage.”
Judith, who had been pacing, grabbed her chest, felt for the couch and sat down. “Let’s just hope those trucks are our men. I don’t want the enemy rolling down into the garage.”
“The garage and bunker doors are sealed. If anything, we’re trapped in here.”
“Oh, great,” she commented with sarcasm. “That makes it better.”
Foster chuckled. “Wanna go to the garage and listen?”
“To what?”
“Listen to the sounds of the battle.”
Judith shook her head. “No, that sounds….” She winced at another cry from the laboring woman. “You know, what, sounds of the battle might be better. Yes. Let’s go.”
“In other words it’s better than listening to her?”
Judith hesitated before answering. “It’s just that as a mother, it’s a pain you quickly forget but when you hear sounds like that, you remember how bad it was. Does that make sense?”
“Not really.”
“It brings up bad memories.” Judith clarified and held out her arm. “Lead the way Foster. Shadows still all look the same to me.”
Foster took her arm. “I can’t wait to meet your daughter. You’re so funny. What is she like?”
“Linda…. Linda is sensible.”
Foster waited. Judith added nothing further. “Sensible? Just sensible?”
“Yes. She’s an accountant. She’s not a risk taker and that’s the reason I think she’ll believe I am dead.”
“If I were your kid…”
“You are,” Judith corrected. “I adopted you. It may not be legal but in my heart it is. Continue.”
Foster laughed as he led her. “Thank you.” Then he continued. “If I were out there as your kid and not in here, knowing you as I do, I would doubt highly that you had died.”
“Really? With all the destruction and death, you would believe I lived?”
“Absolutely, because you’re the strongest woman I have ever met in my life. You don’t rely on drugs or anything, just God and inner strength. To me, I wouldn’t doubt for a second that you weren’t kicking, screaming and fighting your way to stay alive.”
“Funny,” Judith said. “If I was out there and you were my kin in here, knowing you the way I do, I would say the exact same thing. Nothing would keep you down.”
“We’re a good pair.”
“No, we’re a great pair.” Judith patted his hand and continued her walk with Foster.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Judith’s one and only daughter, Linda Freeman, had a very good position. She was the Assistant Chief Financial Officer at a huge Vegas Casino put her in touch with the right people.
She had a lot of time on he hands, at least in the first week or so after the attacks. Air travel was suspended. No tourists felt like gambling and the sin city was a dead city.
She hoped it would not be so for too long. She expected things to pick up soon.
Linda was certain, felt without a shadow of a doubt, that her mother was alive somewhere in the occupied territory.
Her father, on the other, hand, she felt certain was gone.
She waited every day for the phone to ring. She also waited every day for the medical blackout to be lifted. Since the first attack there had been no word. Initially the media reported the attacks on the states and named the cities that were hit. Though her mother lived in New York, she was on the outskirts and in the area where they claimed people could have survived the attack.
The owner of the casino had received word from the head manger that Linda’s mother was in New York. He told her to have faith and offered to help in any way he could stating the standard, ‘if there’s anything I can do.’
And there was something he could do.