experience inside the BX. I can’t think of a better plan than to establish a perimeter inside and have a couple of team members cart the goods out behind the perimeter. The aisles will limit visibility and that will be dangerous.
I feel the tension building. It’s similar to a high tension wire strumming in a strong breeze. My senses are vibrating inside. There is the unknown and the knowledge that this will be repeated again and again until we become more self-sufficient. Approaching the doors on the left side, there is the unmistakable evidence of night runner activity. Shards of glass litter the concrete sidewalk in front of the doors. One of the side panes has been broken out. The pieces of glass are dispersed so there isn’t the telltale sign of footprints written in blood. Looking in the broken pane, shards are scattered across the white and black tiled linoleum floor. There is a very faint outline of footprints but they appear old.
That aside, the signs are unmistakable. This is like a neon sign saying night runners are here. There’s a faint whirring at the door as the cooler air inside mixes with the warmer air outside. It carries the combination of mustiness and a rotting smell on the very light breeze. The radiant light streaming through the remaining glass doors and other pane cast a rectangular path of light about twenty feet inside. A gloomy gray extends a shorter distance past before the interior is swallowed up in darkness like a vast black hole.
No sounds come from inside but I know that doesn’t mean anything. I can barely see the end caps at the head of the aisles but not down the aisles themselves. The others are gathered behind me as I look around the establishment. The interior dictates a similar entry and formation as we had at the BX in the Azores but we’ll have to have a moving perimeter anchoring against the outside wall. The store opens up some to the left and, unless we take the time to clear the entire side, and still not know if the night runners can come around from that side, that’s our best shot. We’ll have to anchor around the door as well to preserve our path out of here in case something happens.
I pull away. Dizziness takes hold and I feel a moment of disassociation. Shaking my head to clear it, I turn to Watkins and the other team members. The sight of them standing in the parking lot with the sun shining through the opaque clouds seems a touch surreal; as if they all seem a little brighter than they should. The soldiers in their black fatigues, with their tactical combat vests secured to the outside; each either cradling his or her M-4 or grabbing it next to the lower receiver and holding it downward, their eyes all focused on me and the entrance waiting for instructions and the word to go, stands very sharp in my mind. Next to me, Robert looks much in the same manner as the others; a little too bright. It seems like a moment just prior to stepping through a time machine and into an unknown world.
I give my head another brief shake and orient my mind back to the mission at hand; the steel band tightens down. I send Watkins over to the door to get oriented to the interior as well and he returns shortly. We haven’t really worked together but I’m not worried as I’ve seen him work. I squat down on the pavement off to the side of the door and have everyone gather around.
“Here’s the way I see it,” I say starting a brief and then say to Watkins, “Chime in if you see something different or have other ideas.” Watkins nods his response.
“First off, the gathering of food will not be a quiet venture but we still need to keep the noise down as much as possible. Gonzalez, McCafferty, you’ll anchor the entrance doors and be the left side of our perimeter. We’ll anchor everything to the outside wall closest to us as best we can. Henderson and Denton, you’ll be on the far right. Watkins, I want you to follow in behind Robert and me and leave a person at the end of each aisle. Save two to gather food. Robert and I will take the last two aisles directly behind Henderson and Denton. Henderson and Denton, you clear each aisle as you come to it, wait for one of Alpha or ourselves to get into position, and then move onto the next aisle. We’ll be able to cover six aisles that way. Not much, but it’s the best we can do. Any questions so far or does anyone have anything to add?” I ask.
“No, sir,” Watkins answers. I see he’s back to the “sir” thing. Seems to be mission-oriented with him. Not that I mind either way, just continuing to notice.
“Okay, once we have the aisles covered, the two you assign will head down the first aisle and gather what you can. The one guarding that aisle will precede them up the aisle and follow them back down. Gather the food there and deposit it outside and proceed to the next aisle. We’ll get what we can and hope the first six aisles have something usable. If not, then we’ll look to the other doors. If there’s an inkling of any night runners inside, we’re out. If we have to pull out, Henderson and Denton, come back to me. We’ll then pull back and gather the next in line. Always keep your sector clear until you’re pulled back to and keep alert to the radios. Questions?” I ask almost needing oxygen.
“I think we’re good to go,” Watkins says.
I rise and am struck again by the starkness of how everything looks. It’s like everything is etched in the finest of detail but a little too bright. Watkins talks to Alpha and the team members organize themselves into order of entry. We do a quick check of everyone’s radios. We’ll be using the broken pane for entry. The soft clicks of sights being turned on and carbines being charged are the only sounds in the area. We’re ready and, with the charging handles being released, the game faces come on and they focus earnestly. The curtain is about to rise.
Henderson and Denton line up just outside the entrance with Gonzalez and McCafferty right behind. Robert and I line up behind the women and, behind us, the rest of Alpha gets ready in whatever order Watkins has assigned them.
“Go,” I whisper ahead to Henderson and he darts through the opening.
He is followed immediately by Denton slipping through. Gonzalez and McCafferty disappear within the building and I follow in, snapping my goggles down on entering. The first thing that assails me is the nauseating stench within. It’s the smell of rotting meat, milk, and vegetables. It hits like an invisible wall. I just about gag right there and then. We may have to think about gas masks for future entries as this can have a debilitating effect.
Henderson and Denton are on their knees just inside the door to the right. Gonzalez and McCafferty are aligned in the same way on the left. I tap Denton on the shoulder and point ahead. He and Henderson rise and move to the first aisle. Robert and I take the positions they vacated. Scuffling comes from behind as the rest of Alpha enters. They push up to the first aisle and, with a touch, I direct Robert out to the right. I plan to follow along with Henderson and Denton until we come to our aisles of responsibility.
“You stay close to me until it’s time to cover an aisle,” I whisper to Robert beside me.
“Okay, Dad,” he whispers back.
The store is set up like any other. Cash registers line the front of the store with a wide lane between them and the outside wall. Another wide lane separates the goods aisles from the registers.
“Small change in plan,” I whisper on the radio. “Robert and I will proceed adjacent to Henderson and Denton along the front lane until we come to our aisles.”
Clicks on the radio let me know the others have heard and understood. I glance ahead and see a small band of light from the far end doors. My adrenaline is keyed up and the darkness, showing green in our goggles, has that waiting feeling. I have a sense of night runners inside. The wretched smell of rotting goods is overwhelming any other scent inside the structure so I can’t tell if there’s that tell-tale body odor scent or not. Another item to know and it’s not to our advantage. The weight of the interior presses around us. It’s not quite as oppressive as being inside with only flashlights and complete darkness around but it still weighs heavily. It’s a feeling I know well. It’s the feeling of a building occupied and you doing your best not to be found.
Henderson and Denton clear out the first aisle and move up to the next. Robert and I rise and inch along in line with them. So far there isn’t a hint of movement or sound. The building itself feels dark and abandoned. The abandoned feeling comes from the building itself rather than a lack of occupants. There’s a tension in the air and it’s not only coming from us, although there is a fair amount of that. A scuffle of boots indicates Henderson and Denton moving up to the third aisle. I keep my head on a swivel and see the various laser aiming points move about the building from time to time. A stray beam will come over a covered aisle and streak through the interior, hitting the ceiling beams momentarily before disappearing.
The third and fourth aisles are cleared and then we’re up. Robert and I cross through an open cashier lane and join Henderson and Denton. Robert takes his place at the end of the cleared aisle and we move up. I stand in the next aisle only a few feet away. Henderson and Denton line the lane to my right. This is as far inside as we’ll get. I ponder whether to take the reserve team off that duty and use them for supplies. We’re not going to be able to clear an entire building of this size with only two teams. And by clear, I mean empty it of supplies. We’ll need
