Chapter 22Shenandoah II - Friday, August 3rd to Sundy, August 5th
Dawn came, but it was hard to tell. The sky was full of angry looking clouds and after the Party had packed up and ate a simple breakfast, the rain started. The drops were big, and thunder announced its presence all around them. Everyone donned their rain gear, and they started out.
Last night’s dream was still a foggy memory in Fic’s mind that put him in an uneasy state. He felt like they should keep moving as fast as they could. He had a strong feeling that something was wrong at home. “It’s just a dream,” he told himself. “Just a dream.
The trail was just as good as it had been, and they moved along as best they could in the rain which had become heavy at times. After a few miles, they came to what used to be Skyland Resort. It had been burned to the ground. Something that had become a common sight in this new world of chaos and killing. They picked around the ruins for a while before moving on, finding nothing of value.
As the Party ascended Stony Mountain, the highest point on the trail in the park, the storm started to worry Fic some. The lightning seemed to be all around them, and the thunder came very close to the flashed. The storm was on top of them.
They hurried along, getting away from that high point as fast as they could and pushed on. They came to Birds Nest Hut and decided to take a long break and eat a late lunch. The all huddled in the shelter. The air was warm, but they were all pretty much soaked. They decided to cook something warm, to help their insides fight off the damp coolness of being wet.
They all sat in the cover of the shelter, looking out into the forest where the rain just kept coming down. Buckets. The trail had once again transformed into a river, and no one wanted to go back out into that torrent.
After about an hour, the rain seemed to slack off and after a short discussion, the Party decided to get a few more miles in. The road to Luray was only a few miles up and after that another shelter that they could get to.
Compromised rain gear was thrown over wet shoulders one more time and packs were hefted and buckled into place. Onward they went.
When they arrived at Thornton Gap, the rain was coming and going every twenty minutes or so. They gathered in a picnic pavilion at the parking area near the road that went into Luray.
Fic looked over at Daisy, who had taken off her wet hiking shoes and was gingerly picking at a couple of blisters that the wet day had aggravated. “Are you sure you don’t want to go into Luray to check out your house, Daisy?” Fic asked. He kind of wanted her to say no, so they could keep heading towards his family. That uneasy feeling had returned.
“No,” she replied. “There’s nothing there I need. It’s a pretty far walk to my house anyway,” she added. “Besides, these blisters are kind of slowing me down.”
“Ok then,” said Fic. “If everyone is ok with the plan, we can head to Pass Mountain Hut for the night. I think it is only about a mile more.”
Everyone nodded their heads, and you could tell that they just wanted to get the day’s hike done. The storm and steady rain had taken all their energy on this wet day. They just wanted to get into their down bags and get some more warm food into their wet bodies.
The last mile seemed the hardest as they made their way to the hut. Daisy started to limp a little as the blisters she was nursing had become more painful. The trail was taking its measure of pain and blood that it always demands. No one felt good, but she was feeling the worst.
They finally arrived at the shelter and set up camp. Kitsune and Rodent Whisperer went and gathered some wood. It was very hard to find anything that wasn’t damp or downright wet, but they managed to gather a stack of wood that may possibly be coaxed into some kind of fire. After working at it for about thirty minutes, they had a small flame kindled. The fire struggled to stay lit and put out a steady hiss of wet water turning into steam and ash. Everyone gathered around the pitiful blaze and tried to warm their wet, wrinkled hands. Stoves were fired up and dinner was made and consumed in silence. It had been a hard day.
With the sun going down and the rain reduced to some sprinkles from time to time, some of the Party retired to their beds. Fic, Kitsune and Brown Shades huddled around the small fire, feeding small damp sticks to keep it going.
Fic decided to tell the other two about his dream. “I had another strange dream last night,” he began. Brown Shades gave an understanding nod.
“Was it about a Black Knight and two brave warriors?” he asked, already guessing at the answer. “I’m assuming those two warriors were your children.”
Fic looked at him for a long while as Kitsune nodded in acknowledgement that he too knew about the dream. “Yes,” Fic replied. “I’m not feeling too good about this one, as we have seen how the others have played out. I feel that I really need to get back home as quickly as possible. We are only a few more days hike away.”
“I understand your concern, and I understand if you want to move ahead without us,” Brown Shades began. “But I think we need you as much as you need us right now. Daisy is dealing with some blisters and who knows what is waiting for all of us along the trail. It’s your decision again, but I hope you stay with us and we can arrive at your place. Slow going will be the remedy for Daisy’s feet.”
Fic thought about Brown Shades wisdom for a couple seconds and agreed with his logic. He tried to relax a little. For now, he would stay with the Party.
“So where is your farm again?” Kitsune asked Fic. “I know you mentioned Millwood as your town, but do you live in the town or nearby?” Kitsune continued to seek some details.
“We are a little outside the of the town proper. Past a small stream called Sprout Run about a half mile or so. We have a long driveway and a large red barn next to our small farmhouse.” Fic described his homestead.
Kitsune seemed satisfied with the details and grew silent again, placing another small stick into the fire.
Eventually there were no more semi-dry sticks to put into the fire and the fire slowly reduced itself to ashes.
The three men retired to their sleeping places. Kitsune had once again set up his hammock to the side of the Hut. Away from the others, but close enough if needed. Brown Shades had elected to stay in the shelter again and not have to deal with a possible sopping wet hammock in the morning.
A small sprinkle fell around him as he climbed into the hanging shelter. He lay in his hammock for about ten minutes and then got out again and walked into the nearby forest, disappearing from view.
The Party stirred and arose from their beds. They started slowly getting their things together. The storm was gone, and the sun was shining through the trees. They sat together for breakfast and then packed all their gear. When they were ready, they hefted their packs and headed back to the trail. Today Fic was hoping to hike out of the park and get as close to home as they could.
Fic went over to Daisy to ask her about her blisters. Her reply wasn’t very positive.
“I think I can hike, but they are still a little sore,” she said. “I had to put a pin in another one last night, but the two on my left foot seem to be getting better. Hopefully I can keep my feet dry today and that will help.”
Fic patted her on the shoulder and said, “Just let me know if you are having any trouble. I’m hoping to get out of the park today, if we can.”
She nodded and hefted her pack. Moving out behind the others. Fic stood watching the Party move back to the trail and start to spread out. He hefted his pack and followed them.
The day was much better than the day before. The storm had moved away, and the sun was shining. Most of the puddles were drying up and the few that remained were easily avoided. Fic was still walking drag, trying to walk slow enough to not overtake the others, but his worry had increased. He just couldn’t get his family off of his mind and wanted to walk as fast as he could to get home. Keeping his pace slow was becoming a hard thing to do.
After a couple hours of hiking, he came upon Daisy. She was sitting on a log and her right boot and sock were off. She was inspecting the side of her heel. Fic stepped up and saw the red rawness of one more blister that was starting to rise there.
“I’ll be fine Fic,” Daisy said. “I just gotta put a pin in it and put some mole skin on it.”
Fic helped her tend to her foot and after a few minutes, she was ready to go again.
They walked together. Fic stayed behind her to keep her company and make sure she really could make it. After another thirty minutes, he started to worry that she couldn’t.
She kept trying to hide her pain from him, ensuring him that she was ok and could go on. Fic saw right through her ruse and when they came to the road where the others were waiting, he suggested they head to the nearby Elkwallow Wayside to see what they could find, take a break and eat some lunch.
Everyone agreed, and they walked a short way down the road to the wayside.
The building seemed intact but had been breached as the others. They went inside and looked around. Rodent Whisperer seemed to find something in the back storeroom but had placed it in a bag he had found and was hiding it from the others as they were looking, saying it would be revealed after the search was complete.
They once again found a small can of blackberries and a few other items.
The Party moved to the picnic tables and showed what each had found. Some trading went on for a thing or two, while Rodent Whisperer sat quietly, with a smug smile on his bushy face.
With a flourish, he pulled a sixpack of 24 oz Yuenglings from the bag with a loud “Ta Daa.”
Everyone was delighted to see his take, and one each was divided up to the adults in the party. Rodent Whisperer offered one to Kitsune, who declined with a soft smile, and the tweens were given the blackberries to share as their treat.
Everyone enjoyed their special lunch, and after a while, it was time to go.
Fic looked at Daisy and asked, “Can you make another five miles to the last shelter in the park?”
“I think so,” she replied, a stubborn look on her face.
“Okay, lets get going,” he said.
The Party moved along slowly with Daisy in the middle, intentionally walking slow, so she could make it without too much pain.
After a few hours they had arrived at Gravel Springs Hut. This was the last shelter within the park. They would pass one more before hitting the road, but it wasn’t within the park boundaries.
They set up camp and gathered wood for a fire. The day had been nice, and they were in a better mood. All except Daisy. Her pain was all over her face.
While Kitsune and Brown Shades made the fire, Class Room nursed Daisy’s feet. She cleaned everything up, drained another one that had popped up on her little toe, and placed mole skin and band-aids where they were needed. Class Room put a pair of her own socks on Daisy’s feet that were thick and dry. A look of relief was now on Daisy’s face. The thanked the young woman and gave her a hug.
Everyone ate their dinner and sat around the fire for a while before moving off to bed one at a time. Fic, Kitsune and Brown Shades were once again sitting around the fire.
Fic started telling the other two that he was feeling anxious and really wanted to get home. It was so close now. He had hiked about a thousand miles to get to this spot and he could see the end. He brought up his dream again and how it had increased his unease.
“The power of our dreams and the fact we are all sharing them is something to take notice of,” Brown Shades said. “There is no denying that they have had a prescient note to them.” Kitsune looked on with a slightly concerned look on his face, but he said nothing.
“I don’t want to keep pushing Daisy. I know she tries to hide her pain, but I know she is hurting. I’m playing with the idea of heading out alone, while you guys come as you can, helping Daisy along the way.
“I don’t think you should go alone,” Brown Shades said as Kitsune nodded his agreement. “You know there is a lot of danger out there and having backup can be the difference between success and failure.”
“I’ll go with you,” offered Kitsune. “I can be your backup.”
“I can come too, said Brown Shades, but my knee had been hurting some and I have to say, the easier pace today felt good, so it may be hard to keep a quick pace.”
“I think you would be better, leading the others to my place,” Fic suggested. “I’ll ask Rodent Whisperer if he wants to come tomorrow.”
A voice came from the edge of the shelter. “Come where?” Asked Rodent Whisperer. He came over to the others, scratching his long, shaggy beard. “I heard my name mentioned.”
Fic relayed his plan to Rodent Whisperer, and he agreed to come with the other two before Fic could finish his plan. “Ah, you’re worried about your two warriors and the Black Knight,” he said as if it was a natural thing now to know each other’s dreams and to share them each night.
“It’s settled then,” said Fic. “Tomorrow us three will head out after breakfast and try to get as far as we can. Hopefully, all the way to my home. I figure it is about thirty-three miles. I don’t think we can do all of that, but hopefully most of it.”
The others agreed with nods and assurances.
The fire was stirred into steaming coils of smoke, and everyone went to their sleeping places.
Kitsune went to his hammock and sat inside for about thirty minutes as the forest darkened. When he had deemed the wait long enough, he exited his hammock and walked into the forest. Disappearing behind a large pine tree once again.
The cardinal was flying in the dark. The clouds had broken up from the storm and a waning moon shone in the sky. The bird was flying north steadily on a path. A mission.
The cardinal flew down near a highway that crossed the trail. There were a dozen jeeps and Humvees parked along the road. As the cardinal circled around the vehicles, many soldiers could be seen moving around the vehicles and up and down the road near the trail. There were several tents in a field to the west of the trail. Lights shown all around. It was a very busy place.
The red bird climbed up into the air and headed north again. He followed the mountain as it rose up and down, and eventually he came to a mountain pass with a road running through it. Off to the left the cardinal could see a river, and he headed that way. The bird followed the river for a while until it saw a small creek entering the river and then he followed that. When the creek crossed a road, he followed that.
The road led to a driveway, and the driveway led to a farmhouse with a red barn next to it. The cardinal landed next to the porch of the farmhouse.
The cardinal had been there the night before but was unable to see anything as the house was dark and the curtains had been drawn then.
The cardinal pecked at the ground for a bit and then looked at the house. There was now a light on at the back. The bird flew onto the back porch and fluttered up to the windowsill. It appeared to look into the window.
Inside was a woman who looked frantic. She was washing out a red substance from a rag in the sink. She turned and looked towards the window as if she had heard something, but then dismissed it. She picked up some bandages that were lying on the table and went back into another room.
The cardinal took flight and circled around the house until it came to another window. Inside, the bird saw the woman placing the bandages on a young man who appeared to be unconscious. The cardinal looked intently into the room. The young man opened his eyes and said something to the woman. She nodded her head and said something back to him.
The cardinal turned and took flight, disappearing into the darkness to the south.
In the morning, Fic waited until everyone was up and had eaten their breakfast before telling the others of his plan to move ahead with Kitsune and Rodent Whisperer and how the rest of the Party would come as best they could with Brown Shades leading them. Fic had given him detailed directions to his farm.
Kitsune looked a little concerned and said to Fic. “I don’t know how I know, but I have a strong feeling we might have some trouble today. I think the rogue shoulders are up ahead somewhere. We may have to sneak around them.”
Fic looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. “How strong is this feeling, young man?”
“I think there may be a roadblock up ahead. Or a trail block if you will.”
“We’ll figure that out when we have to,” replied Fic.
Kitsune nodded his head, but he knew that they would be dealing with something today. He looked at Fic for a while with a worried expression. He appeared to be ready to say more, but then his facial expression became neutral, and he remained silent.
Fic, Kitsune and Rodent Whisper were all ready to go while the others were still finishing up their packing. Fic looked at the two men, raised his eyebrows and said, “You ready?”
Two nods answered him, and they all donned their packs and headed out as a trio. The rest of the Party said goodbye for now and promised to move as fast as they safely could with their injuries and such.
The three men moved off at a fast clip. Fic was leading now, and he felt like he was being pushed from behind by an invisible hand. He kept up the pace for a few miles before calling for a short break.
When the break was done, they moved on once again at a fast clip, but now Kitsune was leading the threesome.
Another few miles down the trail they came to a small kiosk that marked the border of the park. They were now back on regular Appalachian Trail property.
Another mile up the trail and they came to the Tom Floyd shelter. They stopped here to eat a quick and simple lunch and after a short break to stretch out and loosen overworked muscles; they continued on their forced march.
A few more minutes down the trail, they came to a small forest road, a small footbridge over a creek, and then the trail started up a smooth incline, climbing a hillside. As they moved away from the stream, they started to hear noises. The noises were sort of like road noise, but it sounded like large trucks or maybe bulldozers or some other construction vehicles.
Fic looked over at Kitsune and saw a strange look on his face. He didn’t seem surprised at the noise, but he didn’t mention it to either of the other two men.
The men continued, growing more cautious as they got closer to the noise.
The trail topped the rise, and they could tell the road, and that noise was just over the hill. Slowly they crept up to the top and carefully looked down towards the road.
Down below was a huge camp that straddled the road and spread up both sides of the hills surrounding the road cut. There were bulldozers doing something off to the left, and the entire area was swarming with men in uniform. There were several tents on both sides of the road and an impressive looking roadblock on Route 522. They even had one of those gates that they could raise and let a vehicle through, if they so choose. There were sandbag barriers on either side of the barricade, and both had manned machine guns by the looks of it.
After taking a good look at the strength and location of the setup, Fic motioned the other two back below the rise and off the trail to have a little parley.
“This looks pretty big,” said Fic.
“I agree,” said Kitsune. “I think it goes at least a half of a mile each way.” Once again revealing knowledge that Fic found interesting in how this boy seems to know so much about stuff.
“Did you see those machine guns,” Rodent Whisperer said. A look of concern in his shaggy face.
“We will have to try and circle around,” Fic said. “Which way would you recommend all-knowing Kitsune?” Fic asked the young man with a small grin.
“To the east,” he replied confidently.
“Alright, let’s go,” said Fic. Moving off to the right to try and pick away through the thick underbrush on the side of the trail.
After they bushwhacked for about fifty meters, the forest opened up some, making travel a little easier. They continued downhill and east. Staying far enough away from the road to stay out of sight.
After moving along for what Fic estimated at about a half mile, he headed towards the road. As they got close, the brush was thick again. They slowly made their way through the brambles and small trees.
The brush thinned about thirty yards from the road, and they came to a clearing. Slowly, Fic approached the road. Suddenly he heard someone shout at him from his left.
A soldier was standing there with his rifle pointed at them. “Don’t move,” he shouted in a shaky voice. “I will shoot you.”
Fic looked back at the men behind him and only saw Rodent Whisperer. Kitsune was nowhere in sight. Fic had shouldered his shotgun to make his way through the brambles and knew it would be foolish to try to swing it around. The boy might be nervous, but he still had the drop on them and all he had to do was pull the trigger and bad things could happen.
He raised his hands and said quietly to Rodent Whisperer “It’s just us two.”
Rodent Whisperer understood what he meant and nodded his head as he too raised his hands.
The soldier approached them and told them to place their weapons on the ground in front of them, step back, and to get on to their knees.
They complied, and the man came closer and gathered the shotgun, small axe and two knives. He conducted a quick frisk of the men and found only a wallet on Fic and another knife on Rodent Whisperer. He pocketed the items and looked back to the men.
“What are you two doing out here?” The young man asked.
“Just hiking, Private,” said Fic.
“With a shotgun?”
“Yes, we were looking for some squirrel or something. Food is scarce now days,”
“I need to take you to see the major,” the soldier continued. “He can decide what you are doing out here with weapons and trying to sneak by our checkpoint.”
The soldier had the two men walk in front of him back to the edge of the military operation. There was a large tent on the side of the road, and he motioned for them to enter.
He pointed to the corner of the tent where there were two folding chairs in front of a crate that was acting as a table. “Sit there.”
The Private went over to a locker and pulled out a small handheld, turning it on and said, “Delta one, this is East Side Sentry. Do you copy?”
The radio answered back, “Copy East Side. Send your traffic.”
“I need to talk to the Major. I picked up a couple of stragglers who were trying to sneak around the checkpoint.”
“Delta six is off sight currently. Keep the captives secure and stand by for further instructions.”
“Roger that. Standing by.”
He hooked the transceiver on his vest and came over to the men.
“Y’all just sit tight there for a bit. We will sort this out ASAP. Just don’t try to get tricky or anything.”
“What base are you out of Private?” Fic asked the soldier in his Sargent voice.
“We are outta We…, Hey, that is not any of your business where I’m outta. That’s classified,” he stuttered a bit. Looking closely at Fic for a good five seconds.
“You look familiar, do I know you?”
“Never met you in my life,” replied Fic.
The soldier waved his hand at him in a dismissive gesture and moved over to one of the three cots in the other corner of the large tent.
He sat on a cot, his weapon still slung and at the ready.
Fic looked at Rodent Whisperer and gave him a nod. “We need to get away from these people,” he said very softly. “They are probably from Mount Weather, and they may know me.”
“Quiet,” the Private yelled from across the room.
Fic wondered who this Major was. He had no idea if the soldiers who were stationed at Mount Weather were in on the coup, if they had been caught up in it somehow, or if these were brand new rouges who had taken over the base. He needed to find out. He also realized that his military ID was in that wallet the Private had taken from him. He kicked himself that he was still carrying something that could identify him so easily.
An hour went by, and the three men just sat there. No one talking. Rodent Whisperer decided to lay on the ground next to his chair, using his pack as a pillow and catching a few winks. Fic could feel the seconds ticking away and each minute made his anxiety about getting home more intense.
The rest of the Party had taken their time getting ready to go but got onto the trail only an hour or so after the other three men had left.
Their day went very similarly to the other group, but at a slightly slower pace. They took their break at the same place, and Daisy reported that her feet were feeling much better today. They had just arrived at the Tom Floyd Shelter to eat lunch, when Kitsune came walking quickly down the trail from the north. He had a worried but determined look on his face as he came into the camp and took a seat. He didn’t have his pack with him.
“The soldiers, they got Fic and RW,” Kitsune said with panting breath. “I got away and stashed my pack a ways back. I was able to see where the soldier took them. We need to get them out.”
He continued to tell them what had happened at the road and what to expect over the next rise.
Brown Shades looked concerned, and you could tell he was weighing options on what to do. “Well, I guess we need to go rescue them.”
The Party quickly finished off what was in their hands as they hurriedly got their gear back together and ready to go.
Kitsune led the way back towards the roadblock up ahead. He veered off the trail at about the same point and led them back around to where they had been discovered.
Hanging back, he described the area in great detail. He drew a little picture in the dirt of the road the tent and the other nearest structures. He gave an estimate of how many soldiers were in the general area and where they were.
Brown Shades studied the drawing and stroked his beard as the wheels turned in his head.
“Can I borrow your shotgun, Joey?” he asked the boy.
“I want to come on the rescue,” Joey replied.
Brown Shades turned to the boy and bent down so he was eye to eye. “I need you to stay back in reserve while Kitsune and I go and attempt the rescue. You, Class Room and your cousin will observe our progress and come to our rescue if needed.”
Joey thought a second and handed Brown Shades the shotgun. Daisy took out her revolver and handed it to Joey. “Here, you can have this until this is over,” she said to her cousin.
Brown Shades explained his whole plan to the others. He looked at Class Room and gave her a nod. She understood that she had to keep the kids safe. She drew her pistol, Kevin, and kept it in her right hand at the ready.
Brown Shades handed the shotgun to Kitsune. Kitsune turned and entered the bush again. Heading towards the tent at an angle, so he could come up to it from behind, near where he had told the others he thought Fic and Rodent Whisperer were being held inside the tent.
Brown Shades waited for about five minutes, until he saw Kitsune come up to the edge of the brush next to the tent. He steadied himself, stood and started walking towards the tent. Making no move to keep concealed.
He walked up to the tent and tapped his staff on the wooden frame. “Hello in the tent,” he said. “Can you help an old man out?”
Inside the tent, Fic and Rodent Whisperer watched the soldier give a start when the knock came. He got up and told them to “stay put”.
Brown Shades heard some movement in the tent and a muffled voice that he couldn’t understand and then the door opened.
The Private looked out at the tall man with the dark glasses and asked, “What do you want old man?”
“I just have some questions. I was walking up the road and I think I may have missed my turn.”
He continued telling the guy some long made-up story that was pretty convincing. He was playing the confused older man to perfection. The soldier listened for a while, but you could tell he was starting to think of some way to get this guy who had a big old walking stick to go away.
The men inside the tent got ready. Checking that they could grab their packs and get moving fast.
As the man went to the door and started talking to Brown Shades, the two men watched as a slim blade punctured the tent at about waist height and moved down to the ground, making a large hole in the tent.
Fic and Rodent Whisper grabbed their packs and slipped through the slit as quietly as they could.
The Private heard them move or saw some movement and he looked back just in time to see the dark-haired shaggy guy slipping out of the tent.
“Hey,” he yelled, turning back inside the tent and hurrying to the corner, seeing the hole, he turned around to go outside and just as he turned, a large wooden staff came swinging in, connecting with the left side of his face and dropping him immediately.
“Sorry about that, son,” Brown Shades said. “You had my friends, and we can’t let you keep them.”
Just then, the door opened and in came Fic, Kitsune and Rodent Whisperer.
Suddenly, the radio on the soldier’s vest squawked. “East Side sentry, this is Delta one. Delta six has returned and wants you to bring the captives to the command tent.”
Fic quickly went to the unconscious soldier and removed his rifle and sling. He looked in his vest and grabbed an extra magazine for the M-14 and also grabbed his 9MM he had holstered at his hip.
Rodent Whisperer grabbed Fic’s shotgun and his hatchet and made for the door.
“Do you copy, East Side?”
Fic grabbed the transceiver and keyed the mic. “Roger that, Delta one. I’ll be there in five mikes.” He shoved the radio into his pocket and followed the others out the tent door.
“We got about ten minutes before they figure out I wasn’t the Private. Let’s get outta here.”
The three reserve hikers had seen the commotion and had come down to the tent. All back together again, the Party crossed the road and entered the forest moving as fast as they could to put as much distance between them and this road as they could before trying to find the trail, where they would be able to move fast again.
Daisy moved quickly, without a limp. It looked as though the excitement had made her completely forget her blisters.
The Party moved into the woods and disappeared from sight. Fic realized that in the intense action of the rescue, he had forgotten to retrieve his wallet. Oh, well, he thought. Can’t go back now.
Fic led the Party along the side of the hill, checking his compass every so often to ensure he was still paralleling the trail about a half of a mile to the east. They came to some residential streets and followed them past empty looking houses that had long driveways and wooded lots.
The road continued, leaving the bulk of the houses behind. When Fic noted that the road was turning south again, he led the group back into the woods and up an incline.
As they had moved through woods and roads, they monitored the radio. The command had radioed the soldier a few times, asking where he was and why he was taking so long. About ten minutes later, more traffic came over that clearly indicated they had found the unconscious soldier and discovered the captives had escaped.
Fic listened as they issued orders over the net, sending patrols in all four directions. Most likely along the trail where they were making their escape. They would have to move fast for a while to put some distance between themselves and the check point.
After climbing up the mountain for a few hundred meters, they came upon the trail. Fic let out a sigh of relief when he saw the white blaze on the big oak tree next to the trail. He turned right on the trail and told everyone that they needed to make some good, fast time for a while to get away from the search.
Fic’s radio squawked a few times and he realized they had sent vehicles out to try and head them off at the next major road crossing.
Fic was also starting to recognize a lot of landmarks now. This was his usual stomping grounds. He had hiked out here many times, both alone and with family and friends. He was getting so close; he could taste it.
After they had moved fast for about an hour, they came to the entrance trail to the Jim and Molly Denton shelter. Fic called a halt to rest, check their weapons and gear and discuss the plan. They had hiked over eighteen miles on this day.
“How are the feet, Daisy,” Fic asked the girl.
She nodded her head and said, “They’re fine. I guess adrenaline is a healing hormone. Or at least a pain killer. I think I can keep going for a while.”
Fic took stock of their weapon situation. Things were getting intense, and he wanted to make sure they were as prepared as possible.
He retained the M-14 with two full clips of thirty rounds. By far their best weapon. Kitsune had given Joey his shotgun back and had taken the 9mm that Fic had relieved from the soldier. Rodent Whisperer had grabbed Fic’s shotgun when they hightailed it out of the tent and Fic gave him the shells he had in his pocket. A hatchet will no longer be sufficient in the current peril.
Class Room still had the 9mm she had used on the guy who had attacked her so many miles back, breaking the struggles she was having dealing with having to shoot people. Daisy had retrieved her revolver from her cousin. Brown Shades was the only one in the group who didn’t have a modern firearm. His staff could be deadly, and it had been wielded by him and others to that very effect and he was ok with keeping that as his weapon.
They ate a quick meal. Everyone was ready to go. Each hiker now looked like a warrior, keeping their weapons ready or within easy retrieval. They had turned their alertness up to an eleven. Fic could also see that today was taking its toll on the group.
“Let’s move a little further on and make sure we haven’t been headed off at the pass,” said Fic. “I haven’t heard anything on the radio in a while.”
They walked another mile and crossed a shady country road. After they had moved back into the forest on the other side, they heard a vehicle on that country road. They moved off as the sound of the vehicle faded away to silence. All they could hear was the late day birds singing to each other and the whistling wind in the large pine trees that grew near the trail here.
Kitsune was walking drag and he pulled back some, letting the rest of the group move ahead.
The young man stopped and moved off of the trail. Sneaking back the way they had come, moving very quickly, but quietly through the forest away from the trail.
It didn’t take long for him to see what he suspected. He quickly tuned and moved back to the trail and took off at a run.
Kitsune overtook the group, telling each of them what he had seen behind them. “They’re coming from behind,” he told each of them.
Suddenly, a shot rang out from in front of them. It was way off target of any of the hikers, but it clearly was sent down range in their direction. “Quick! Off the trail and down the side of the mountain,” Fic ordered the others. He was impressed how quickly they responded and moved away from the trail and hopefully out of sight of whoever was shooting towards them. These guys are great. Fic thought to himself as he moved quickly down the mountainside away from the trail.
Fic had a quick sense of deja vu as they moved down the hillside. Almost the exact thing had happened to his squad when this whole thing started. It was hillbillies back then, not these rogue army, but the attack had separated him from his men. He hadn’t seen any of them since that fateful day when the attack started with an arrow striking his pack, followed by many gunshots.
“Stay together,” he commanded. Thinking about that last ambush once again.
They moved away and a few more shots sounded in the forest. Suddenly, more shots answered the first, this time, from the direction they had come from.
It appeared these two groups, both hunting the Party, had opened fire on each other, thinking they were fighting us.
The hikers moved further down the hill until they came to another residential road. This road was mere gravel. They huddled on the roadside, everyone at the ready, while Kitsune went out along the road and did a quick scout. He moved back and forth from bush, to tree, to shadowy nook, before disappearing around a turn in the road.
The firefight had stopped, but nothing had been said on the radio. Fic tried a couple of the other channels that the device had, but nothing produced any traffic to give them any hint of what was happening up the hillside.
After a few minutes, Kitsune came back. “There’s a farmhouse just up ahead. It appears to be vacant,” he reported.
The Party moved along the road and cut across a field to the back of the farmhouse. Kitsune had led the way back and he went to one of the back doors and pulled it open. “I took the liberty of opening this up on my scout,” he said, disappearing into the dark house.
The house looked like it had been vacant for a while, but also that some kind of trauma had happened just before it had been abandoned.
There was what appeared to be a meal sitting on the kitchen table, with pots and pans on the stove. There was something staining the floor, that was either dried blood or maybe spaghetti sauce.
They checked out the rest of the building and decided to bunk down in the large living room.
Class Room found some dark sheets and covered the windows of the living room to prevent any evidence of their presence to be noticeable from outside.
The sun had gone down and the last of the light of day was fading to the west on the top of the mountain. They each set up around the living room, first taking the two large sofas and then throwing down their sleeping pads on the floor.
“We will need to keep a watch tonight at the door, or maybe outside,” Fic said.
“I’ll take first watch,” Kitsune said. “I’m not the slightest bit tired for some reason.”
Everyone settled in the living room and once again ate a quick, cold dinner. Headlamps were used sparingly and on the red setting and everyone talked in hushed voices as the excitement of the day showed itself as frayed nerves and shaky hands.
Fic handed the M-14 to Kitsune. “Do you know how to use this?” He asked.
“Yes,” replied Kitsune. “My father is a cop. We have shot many different weapons together.” Kitsune went to sit next to the door. Weapon at the ready, but at rest.
The group settled down and eventually fell into an uneasy sleep. There was lots of tossing and turning as the night deepened.
Kitsune, sat at the back door for a couple of hours. He looked back at the sleeping hikers and quietly opened the door and slipped out, leaving the M-14 leaning up against the wall, just inside the door.
He stepped off the porch and looked up at the waning moon. It was just rising in the east and its sparse light shown over the trees in that direction.
He walked around the corner of the house and moved towards the front of the house and the road. After looking around once again, he moved into the woods across the road and disappeared.