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By the Creator of Pricey Diary: It’s Me, Jessica
Discover the earlier chapter right here.
Pricey Diary,
It’s me, Jessica.
We had simply made it again to the Northern barrier within the late afternoon. We made our strategy to 4 Corners correct to seek out Sean. Jack crammed Sean in on the gang being again and the way they kidnapped Mother, Rae, and me. Sean appeared us over, involved. With a wave of her hand, Rae simply stated we have been effective. Sean then name out for 4 Corners militia leaders to assemble and for others within the militia to North, East and South to strengthen the guards there.
As soon as the militia leaders have been gathered, Jack repeated what he instructed Sean. As soon as he was finished, the air felt thick with fear.
“So, Jack. What are you pondering?” Sean requested.
“I want intelligence. I’m taking my staff tonight to RECON. Discover their base of operations, their numbers, and the rest we will discover out. He was not anticipating us to ambush them on the hill and he ran. He thinks he is aware of me. However issues have modified since our final little get-together.”
A number of folks chuckled.
“Aye. We now have higher management over who comes and goes by way of the gates, and we all know nearly everybody who does.”
“Proper. I don’t assume he has the intelligence of what’s inside 4 Corners’ defenses and what numbers appear to be now. One in all his gang would have caught out to everybody instantly. I don’t wish to be caught like they did us the final time. We now have to take the combat to him. The earlier the higher.”
“Aye. However I don’t just like the sounds of it.”
Jack gave a easy nod of settlement.
Somebody let Mother borrow their bicycle. Jack was sending her again residence to inform the group and half of the militia to face up and hold watch if the gang tried to, as Jack put it, “make a go on the group.”
The opposite half of the group militia was to get to 4 Corners as quick as they might.
A bicycle can be quicker and rather a lot quieter than a horse. Jack thought Mother might be on high and even previous an ambush earlier than they knew she was there.
As soon as Jack knew what we have been coping with, we might both return residence or stay to assist guard 4 Corners.
Earlier than I even acquired an opportunity to step up, Jack ordered me to remain at 4 Corners as a guard. He didn’t need me on the RECON mission. I knew higher than to argue with him. He gave me one among his grins, and he and the RECON staff sat down for dinner. At nightfall, they might set out.
Sean and the militia arrange guard shifts on the gates, however everybody slept at their assigned gate. Rae and I and half of our group militia have been welcomed additions to the northern barrier. The times have been heat, however the nights have been nonetheless cool sufficient to wish a jacket or blanket. Each Rae and I wore winter hats to maintain our heads and ears heat.
Rae, I, and a few others have been woke up by the center evening guard shift to take the late, pre-dawn twilight evening shift. They handed phrase that there had been no exercise all evening and no signal of the RECON staff. We thanked them as they settled of their bedrolls to catch a nap earlier than daybreak broke the horizon, nonetheless an hour or so away.
Rifles identified the shattered home windows and bullet-pocked barrier from the Battle of 4 Corners and the firefight with the cult, we scanned the street earlier than us.
“You might be pondering one thing, Rae. I can nearly hear it,” I stated in low tones as to not disturb these nonetheless sleeping.
After an extended pause, Rae stated, “This feels completely different. Harmful. Jack stated we now have to take the combat to them. I don’t disagree together with his pondering, however rooster and biscuits, I don’t prefer it.”
“Rooster and biscuits is correct.”
“Jessica, I need you to take a seat this one out. Hear me out. We now have been by way of rather a lot collectively. You will have confirmed your self. You might be additionally the longer term. Your mother and father, Jack, I, Sean, and others are nearer to fifty than we’re to thirty. If the group of 4 Corners goes to outlive, we’d like and so they want younger folks such as you. No extra pointless dangers.”
“Is there such a factor as a obligatory danger?”
Even at midnight, I may really feel her giving me one among her “seems.”
“Okay, okay. I used to be kidding.”
As we continued our watch, pre-dawn twilight was approaching to the East. I may hear just a few birds start to fly about and sing. There was the distant sound of the river to the West within the gorge because the waters rushed previous. The sky continued to lighten, and the celebrities disappeared from the Jap sky. The scent of smoke was within the air because the folks of 4 Corners who weren’t part of the militia began cooking fires for breakfast.
We heard a low two-tone whistle after which a pause at midnight past the barrier. Then the identical two-tone whistle once more. It was Jack’s sign the RECON staff had returned. We shortly handed the phrase to others down the barrier line of the RECON groups’ return and to make weapons “secure.” Rae responded to Jack with a low three, lengthy, similar tones, signaling she knew he was there and it was all clear to method the Northern barrier.
Jack and one different member of the RECON staff emerged out of the darkness as they approached. With a smile, he stated, “We situated them.”
“I stored two of the RECON staff to maintain watch and double time it again in the event that they made a transfer,” Jack stated cross legged on the bottom, nonetheless in his Ghillie go well with as he ate scrambled eggs, meat, and potato hash out of his camp foldable bowl and spork. The solar had simply damaged the horizon and was slowly rising into the sky. Sean, the militia leaders, and several other others stood round him. He took a sip of sizzling tea and continued.“He put just a few of his guys on the home they occupied earlier than with lights as a distraction and lookouts. He arrange his essential physique simply to the North within the woods. The scent of their cooking fires gave them away.”
Jack set his bowl down, pulled out his lengthy, fixed-blade knife, and commenced to attract within the dust Previous River Highway North, the houses overlooking the river, and the gang’s base within the woods.
“He has not recovered males from the Battle of 4 Corners. However from what I noticed, they nonetheless have physique armor, communications, some medium weapons, and grenade launchers.”
“Jack, how did you see all that at midnight?” Sean requested.
“I spent an hour and a half at midnight, crawling right down to get inside listening distance of them. Then one other three hours crawling round their base to get eyes-on their numbers and weapons.”
“Aye,” Sean merely nodded.
“We’ll march up Previous River Highway until this level on the bend, nonetheless out of sight of the houses,” he pointed together with his knife. “Groups Alpha and Bravo will then flip and need to hump it up the hills right here. Alpha will method quietly down the hill from the East with 4 grenadiers and half a dozen marksmen on the hill to fireside down on the camp and act as overwatch. Group Bravo should proceed by way of the hills, then down, again throughout Previous River Highway, and set as much as the North of the camp. I’ll take a small staff and take out any lookouts within the houses. As soon as finished, the remainder of Group Charlie will use the houses to hide our method from the South. We could have them surrounded. Groups Alpha and Bravo could have two hours to get into place. On the appointed time, Charlie will launch the preliminary assault to distract and draw their consideration. Then Alpha and Bravo will assault, with our remaining machine weapons and grenades from the North and East. His solely avenue of retreat is off the cliffs to the West. We go in onerous, we go in heavy. No quarter taken. No quarter given.”
“Rooster and biscuits Jack!”
“We finish this. We finish it now.”
“When,” Sean requested.
“We march as quickly as I’m finished consuming.”
I used to be assigned to staff Charlie however in “reserve” with half a dozen others. We have been to hold again except completely wanted.
“Right here,” Jack handed me a small olive-drab ammo pouch containing twenty rounds as we made our approach again to the northern barrier to satisfy the remainder of the militia and start our march Northward.
“What are these?”
“Stable flat nostril bullets. They weigh extra and can recoil a bit greater than the opposite bullets you might be utilizing. However even with physique armor on a middle mass hit, that a lot kinetic vitality, it’ll really feel just like the world’s strongest man, took a full swing with a twenty-pound sledgehammer on to the man on the receiving finish’s chest.” [Editor’s note: Read a report in Afghanistan of a guy who took a shot from a 7.62x54R PKM. Even with the body armor, the strongest man and sledgehammer part is how he described it felt.] Relying on vary, shot placement, may knock the wind out of him, break a rib, possibly even make his coronary heart skip a beat.”
“Whoa. Okay.”
“I hope you don’t have to make use of them if issues go nicely.”
Jack referred to as for everybody to make a final weapons, ammunition, and tools examine. Then everybody shaped up into their groups, and we handed by way of the gate and up Previous River Highway at a quick march. The bend within the street got here a lot quicker than I believed it could. Jack gave the hand sign for everybody to halt. Group leaders and key assist gathered right into a small circle. Jack had them synchronize their watches, famous the time, and began the clock for 2 hours from that second for groups Alpha and Bravo to get into their positions. The groups set out up the hills.
Jack took 5 others, and so they crawled into the homes, discovering as a lot cowl and concealment as they might to take out the lookouts. Two of them had crossbows, leaving their rifles with us. They signaled when it was all clear for us to method.
The sign lastly got here after an extended, tense hour.
We settled up on the facet of the home furthest from the camp.
Now we needed to wait.
Ten minutes earlier than the second hour was up, staff Charlie’s essential effort moved up from the back and front of the houses, with us in reserve to carry again on the second-to-last home. Arrange behind no matter cowl and concealment they might discover, Jack dropped his hand, and Group Charlie opened fireplace.
There have been shouts from the camp, after which they returned fireplace. After 5 minutes, groups Alpha and Bravo launched their assaults. Even from a distance, the sounds and concussion of the grenades might be felt in my intestine.
Jack held Charlie again in order to not get caught in Alpha or Bravo’s crossfire. A number of quick volleys of machine gun fireplace and one other volley of grenades. A number of bushes fell. The gunfire slowed to some single pictures from completely different instructions, then silence. All of the return fireplace from the camp had stopped. The air was thick with the scent of gunfire.
Jack signaled for a ceasefire. Those that may see Jack’s signal repeated and handed the ceasefire sign. Jack gave the sign for Charlie to maneuver into the camp whereas us reserves moved as much as the place they’d simply been.
I took up a place behind a brief brick wall that enclosed the home’s again patio. There was about thirty yards of overgrown garden, then the treeline to the woods, and the camp simply past. It was onerous to see by way of the bushes, however I may make out a number of tents. All of us stored our rifles prepared, however didn’t purpose even within the normal path of the camp out of worry of by chance hitting one among our personal.
There was a shout. Then just a few pictures. Extra shouting adopted by extra pictures. Then silence.
Then I noticed one of many gang hidden himself underneath one of many fallen bushes. He stood up, aimed his rifle at somebody. I didn’t assume. I simply did. I stood up and did a snapshot a second after he started capturing.
Jack was proper. The ammunition he gave me had greater than just a bit extra recoil. Fairly than the delicate push I used to be used to, it was extra like somebody punched me within the shoulder. However the end result was just about like Jack described it could be. The bullet slammed proper into his physique armor in between his shoulder blades throwing him down violently. Out of behavior I racked the rifle motion and aimed on the empty area the place he stood only a second in the past. One in all Charlie shortly walked up together with his rifle aiming downward at what I guessed the place the gang member laid. He kicked one thing, then took a single shot. After a second he referred to as out, “All clear!”
Another person started to shout,
“Man down! Man down!”
There was a rush of exercise as one thing was occurring I couldn’t see.
Then two males have been on both facet of a 3rd, together with his head down, carrying him out of the woods.
It was Jack.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead is just not solely a former Marine, but additionally a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He presently resides within the nice white (i.e. snowy) Northeast together with his spouse and canine. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, sometimes hogs, cows and generally geese. He grows varied veggies and has a bizarre fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys studying, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, goal capturing, and is presently increasing his woodworking expertise.
