“Very fucking funny. Jack, out,” I reply.
“You know, it’s a very good thing they decided to end radio calls with ‘out’ instead of ‘off’,” he says chuckling.
“I only have one thing to say in regards to that and it involves the process of biting and my ass,” I respond.
“See you in the morning, Jack,” Greg says with a final laugh and signs off.
The night passes slowly. Shrieks and howls come periodically from near and far. I’m rather thankful I didn’t venture out. There’s only one interruption to my otherwise semi-peaceful evening is from the ever alert and vigilant guard making another round. Yeah, that was sarcasm. The sky to the east lightens with the coming dawn. The screams and shrieks end along with it. The coast is clear. Well, at least as far as outside of the fence.
I hear movement over by the towers as ladders are lowered. My headache has returned but not the deep pounding it was. Voices drift across the fields as guards begin to make their way back to the central compound from the various towers. I know the corner towers will remain manned but that shouldn’t be a problem. The eastern sky has the bright blue portending the sun’s appearance. I watch as the guards skirt the copse of trees and head toward the inner buildings. So far, there isn’t any other stirring from within. I raise my head and see the fields are clear of movement.
“This is Jack, I’m moving out,” I say.
“Copy that, Jack, we’re on the move as well,” Greg replies. His voice sounds as tired as I feel.
“Is anyone still overlooking the camp?” I ask.
“Henderson is with the radios and Denton is on overwatch,” he answers. “They didn’t want to but stayed anyway.”
“Good. I may need eyes on the towers soon. Out,” I say.
Lying on the ground and being up all night has taken its toll. My eyes feel gritty from the lack of sleep and I don’t even want to think about how my breath smells. I know my senses will be off so I need to take extra care. A tired mind misses aspects and that could end up being a very bad thing. I almost wish for the “pep” pills we used to take that would help out in these situations. They made it rough on the appetite and body in general but kept us alert in the field.
I look around once more and know I have to be off soon before the activity of the day starts. That won’t be far off. I rise slowly feeling every bone creak in protest. The sounds are similar to gunshots going off. At least that’s the way it feels and sounds. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear some of the cobwebs, I move slowly through the remaining trees. I skirt the tennis court keeping low. Adrenaline has found its way into my body once again but it seems to do little as I just want to lie back down and go to sleep.
At the fence, a short distance away from my ‘door,’ I lie down and creep along close to the edge. I think about just spraying another opening at my present location but the risk of discovery of a fence breach increases with each one created. I reach the opening and uncoil the wire holding the corners together. This is where the chance of discovery increases with it being so much lighter. A fence being peeled back will be easily seen from either corner tower should they look in this direction at the wrong time. The sun hasn’t crested the mountains as yet but the pre-dawn light definitely makes it easier to see.
“Denton, this is Jack,” I say lying alongside the fence.
“Go ahead, sir,” I hear him reply.
“Can you see the corner tower guards clearly?” I ask.
“That’s affirmative, sir,” Denton answers.
“Okay, tell me when they aren’t looking back along the western fence line,” I say.
“You’re good to go, sir. They’re not looking your way,” he replies.
I quickly bend the fence back and slip through. Immediately falling to my stomach, I pull the fence back and coil the wire once again. I play the same game of parting the grass and moving forward using Denton as my eyes on the towers. Slipping inside the tree line never felt so good.
“I’m out,” I say. “Thanks for your help.”
“My pleasure, sir. Glad you made it,” Denton says.
I edge deeper into the line of trees between the camp and the road. Footprints show in the dirt and needles strewn across the forest floor. The night runners have been busy here. I’m guessing there was a lingering smell from my passage and I make a mental note to put on the scent eliminator earlier. I seem to be making a lot more mental notes these days. Hopefully some decide to stick around.
I arrive at the grass strip separating the trees from the road. Two heads rise from the tall grass on the other side of the road close to the highway.
“I’m in the edge of the trees across from you,” I say into the radio.
“We see you. It looks clear from here,” I hear Greg respond.
The sun crests the hills. Sunlight spreads through the trees and beams of light paint strips of brown grass in their radiance. Small wisps of steam begin to rise from where the limited sunlight strikes the stalks. I edge toward the road pulling the grass up behind to cover my tracks. Reaching the road, I sprint across. I’m so tired that it feels like I’m running in slow motion. My legs feel like I’m dragging a block of cement behind but I eventually reach the far side, leap over the ditch, and climb the small embankment. With McCafferty and Greg following, we make it into the trees. Greg covers our tracks and we head out for our little camp.
Arriving in our concealed spot, I tiredly remove my gear and drop it in the back of a Humvee. I see dark circles under Greg’s eyes and imagine mine are the same. I want nothing more than to just drop to the ground and sink into a coma. I have a few more items to cover before that happens though.
“Lynn, this is Jack, over,” I say with my eyes feeling like they are going to close on their own accord.
“I take it you made it back, Jack,” she responds with the same tired voice we all have. I should have known she’d be up the entire night monitoring as well.
“Yeah, hon, I’m back,” I reply.
“Good. I’m glad. Shall we have a discussion now about going off with half-assed plans?” She asks.
“I’d prefer not to thanks but point taken,” I answer. I’m still a little surprised at myself for not taking the exit into account. To be honest, I feel a little ashamed.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Jack. What’s the plan?” She asks.
“Well, I think we’re going to need two more teams up here to do this right,” I say.
“That will leave us a little thin here. Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams left heading south to see about a windmill,” she says.
“Okay, one team then and we’ll make do,” I say giving directions and caution her to travel slowly on the access road. I mention dragging branches behind to cover their tracks.
“Okay, Jack, I’ll send them out pronto,” Lynn says.
“Can you have them bring ladders? We’ll need collapsible ones like the portable tactical assault ladders. I think they might have them or something close in the armory or at the store,” I say. “Oh, and a few slabs of thawed meat in airtight bags.”
“Do you want scones and glass of milk as well?” She asks with a small laugh.
“If you have them, that would be great, thanks,” I answer.
“Anything else?” Lynn asks.
“Yeah, the silenced M-110’s, long links of light but sturdy chain, C-clamps, all of the 550 cord you can get, at least ten claymores and a corresponding amount of 30-minute fuse pencils,” I answer adding a ‘pretty please’ at the end.
“Okay, I have to ask. What in the hell do you want the slabs of meat for?” Lynn asks.
“I’ll tell ya later,” I answer.
“Okay, Jack, I’ll see what we can dig up here and be out shortly,” she says signing off.
“Does that mean she’s coming out with Black Team?” Greg asks.
“I’d place money on it,” I reply.
“What the hell do you want the meat for?” He asks.
“Just an idea I have,” I answer. He shakes his head and walks off to rest.
I settle to the ground after seeing our day shift is covered and relish in the simple luxury of being able to lie down and rest. I watch as the occasional bird wings across the open space of the power lines looking for better hunting grounds. I look up through the boughs of the tree above and watch a squirrel launch from one limb to
