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Sergeant Mays led his scouts following the tracks until they came to a large rock, really a boulder. Mays walked through the deep snow wondering how the tracks ended at the giant rock. Mays didn’t understand it until he leaned on the boulder and it moved. “Son of a bitch.” He pushed against the rock, “Get over here and push this damn rock, it’s a fake!”
Four soldiers pushed the rock to reveal a large opening. Mays thought, either a sink hole or cave. I wonder if they’re living down there. Mays called six names, “Get down there and see what you learn. I have a bad feeling about this. Make sure you have an extra flashlight.”
A corporal asked, “ROE?”
“Kill ’em all. Locate our people and save any still alive.”
The six dropped ropes into the hole and climbed down. They saw ladders resting next to the hole. A private shook his head, “That’s how they move up and down. I wonder how deep this hole is.”
“Looks at least one hundred feet. Be prepared for anything when we get close to the bottom. Glad our rifles are suppressed or the sound down here would be deafening, even with our ear plugs.”
They saw a group of men at the bottom of the hole with rifles and side arms. The corporal said, stop here and drop one grenade each. We should be high enough to avoid the blast.”
The six explosions ripped through the opening. The sound shook the walls of the opening and it was followed by screaming. “I guess we got some of them,” smiled a private.
When they reached the bottom, they had to be careful to not slip on the thick layer of blood and body parts blown off by the six grenades. They turned on the lights attached to their M4s. The bright light blinded many of those who lived underground and weren’t used to bright lights, as most of the light in the underground area came from a few candles. The six followed their orders and shot anyone they saw. Some attempted to attack the soldiers with spears, arrows, and useless gun fire. Two were hit in their vests. The small caliber handguns didn’t stand a chance penetrating the new vests which had been redesigned to protect American soldiers against the new Chinese rifles.
The six walked through the cave as a phalanx and shot everyone. They tossed flash bang grenades into rooms which blinded and knocked over the people in them. The soldiers then entered and killed them. They’d discovered a small village underground. Over thirty rooms, each with as many as twenty people jammed in them. The last room they entered was a sort of kitchen with large in ground hot coals with strips of meat hanging on a grill. They discovered rows of their fellow soldiers and a box filled with dog tags. They took the dog tags. They also found a few books which they took. The corporal who led the mission said, leave the thermite grenades on timer fuses so this hell hole is destroyed when we leave.”
Ten minutes after leaving the cave a huge tongue of flame shot into the air from the opening. Mays smiled, “I don’t think anything could have lived through that. Good job. What did you find?”
They handed Mays the box of dog tags. “Shit! Anything else?”
“They were eating our people.”
“I never thought I’d see cannibalism in our country. Let’s return, hopefully the Colonel and the convoy has arrived.”
Mays heard the footsteps through the deep snow and snapping of dead branches before he saw the approaching people. He held up his hand and motioned his people to the sides of the trail, he sent half to each side and pointed to their rifles silently explaining they were to get ready to launch an ambush.
Mays held up his hand, his teams would open fire when he dropped his hand, his hand began to move when he did a double take, he raised his arm and stood up yelling, “Friendlies, don’t shoot.”
Colonel Spivey stepped forward, “Sergeant Mays thank you for not shooting me.”
“Sir, I’m sorry…”
“You did the right thing. You would have caught us in a classic ambush. If I’m angry at anyone, it’s myself for not watching out for one. Is there anything I should see up ahead?”
“No, sir. We should talk at the base.”
“Excellent. Let’s go.”
Chapter 24
The Coats family was reunited in the mess hall while the cooks prepared a meal and vats of hot coffee. Jon overheard one say, “I don’t understand this, whoever hit the base left the freezer full of food and a warehouse full of MREs and coffee.”
The other cook laughed, “I’d leave the MREs too.”
“Ha, the new ones aren’t that bad, all you need is some hot sauce to make them edible. There must be five hundred cases of them stacked floor to ceiling in the warehouse. Given the temperature in there, I bet they’d stay good for one hundred years.”
Jon smiled thinking, I hope they serve us real food. I’ve already had my fill of MREs. It’s so good to be together with the girls. I need to go over and thank Frank for saving my life, but I don’t want to interrupt the kiss that may not end between him and Trinity. Erin’s changed my mind. we are in a new world. I have to change my ways and be flexible if we’re going to survive.
A moment later armed MPs entered the mess hall, “Mr. Coats, could you please come with us. The captain would like a word with you.”
“Sure.”
Erin and the girls looked up, Jon motioned for them to stay. The MP said, “Mrs. Coats, this
