Story Arizona Tunnel Rats

[ComCamGuy]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chapter 11 B

They both noted that there had been many sorties toward the ranch and the raiders were only a few feet from the walls of the outlaying buildings. Someone on the ranch had been a naughty boy or girl. Croft and Daniel glanced at each other and grinned. That was the sound of a 50-cal machine gun. Most likely one of the only things that was keeping the attackers at bay as much as they were. It wasn’t going full bore and they weren’t into wasting the ammunition that they had, just spurts when up to five invaders tried to rush in. At one time there were far more of the scum and not just the ones attacking from the perimeter at this time. Bodies could be seen laying around the outside of the ranch. You would have thought with the number of fellow raiders that they had lost that they would have just given up and slunk away to one of their holes.

Croft, Daniel and the Chief’s nephew Carl Arrow Johnson had decided they would come in behind and in turn hit the four sides of the marauders. Mountain Mike would lead the fourth group. They had wondered if the ranch could be radioed to notify them that help was on the way but thought the raiders might also have radios and find the right channel and be warned, so that was out. Nate joined Mike’s and Marge joined Croft’s crew as the rescuers slowly but surely made their way closer to the battle. They didn’t want any type of noise to tip off the opposing side.

The signal was given in the way of two clicks and the crews started the counter attack. The rescuers in in shooting and almost all were doing back shots. The bad guys were going down but not for long. That’s when Croft and the others figured out the raiders had bullet proof vest on. All was going according to plan as our crews got closer to the so called mortally wounded men and women. That was until the raiders started to get back up. Then a lot of the fighting became hand to hand.

Croft thought to himself, “Another lesson learned.”

He felt the burning as he was sliced across the thigh as his knife went into the chest of the man he was fighting with. The slice didn’t come from this guy but a woman who had quickly side stepped and did it. He turned and took her out but as he went down with the loss of blood, he felt a bullet enter his side just before he passed out.

He missed the ranch folks coming out and helping take out the attackers and how happy they were after it was all done with. He even missed out on how many of our people had gotten wounded as he never really came to on the way home.

**
Croft slowly came awake even more. I sat and waited beside his bed. The more he woke up the better and then the more he would remember me talking to him. I kept it light talk wise and just told him Kate and were okay and everyone here at home was fine also. How very glad I was to have him come home to us. Then he slid back into sleep and I departed the room to look in on the other wounded. Yeah, I know it sounds cut and dried but the emotions were running high for all of us and I was doing my best to stay calm. It wouldn’t do any good for me or anyone else for me to be running around like my hair was on fire or going woe is me. Croft volunteered to go and I needed to be supportive of him and all the rest that went with him. This is what we had decided to do to help those around us and we know we may have to pay the price in lives and wounds.

My days went mostly like this as the days went on. Take care of Kate, do my chores, help in the cook cabin, and look in and talk to Croft along with the other wounded. Everyone else seemed to be getting along good in healing, but not Croft. He ended up with a fever and slowly his body started to shut down. I ended up spending more time with him while he was awake. As the days wore on he was awake less.

Doc Carter was beside himself with grief in not being able to pull Croft out the downward spiral. We just didn’t have the kind of modern medical equipment or medicines that were needed for this kind of problem. It was an infection in his liver and doc hadn’t know it soon enough. It wasn’t healing itself but dying. Clark came by daily, as well as many of the folks here. Chief Owen spent as much time as he was able. He would go by me and just pat me on the should as he left. He told me, “I will be back shortly young one, we need to do a ceremony.”

I guess he could call me young one as he was my senior by a few decades. True to his word and I don’t know how he accomplished what he did but in 20 minutes he was back. He wasn’t alone either. It looked like half the tribe and many of our side of the shelter were with him. I found out later he had gone straight to the radio room and put out an all points call. It brought more tears to my eyes to find out what the Chief was ready to do. I had been in the hallway for a bit when they came. He and I walked arm in arm into Crofts room. The doc and his wife were surprised not only with us but to see Chief Owen in full regalia. Right behind us was Tye Flying Fox the tribe medicine woman, she was also one of the EMT’s. She was around fifty years old but looked at least thirty-five at the most. Her white wings of hair were swept back with the rest of her hair and were stark against her black hair.

Doc started to tell the rest of the people to not come in but the Chief signaled everyone in that could fit in the room. The door was left open so many others could hear what was going to take place and then relay what was said to others who were on guard duty. This was also being done over our intercom system.

Clark and Gin were soon beside me on the left of me, having worked their way through the crowd. Everyone had let them pass in quiet tones. The Chiefs closest family members were behind him.

Croft’s eyes came open and he seemed to be a little clearer in his thinking. I knew what this meant for him and I. I had been told been told by others many years ago. That before a lot of people pass on that they seem to have more clarity. I couldn’t stop the tears from running down my face and if I had turned around, I would have seen the same for everyone else.

Owen and Tye began the ceremony to adopt Croft and I into the tribe. I knew it was shortened one before of what was happening with Croft and later Owen told me that he knew this had to be down quickly. Everyone in the whole camp was included in the next part of the ceremony. A pin was used on Croft’s thumb, mine and the Chief in the next part and we mingled blood with Chief Owen. We had been adopted by him and were now part of his immediate family.

Yes, this was unusual and not the normal way things were done in the tribe. But because of conditions Owen had decided this one time to do things different because of time and it wouldn’t hurt anything. He later told me that sometimes one has to be flexible.

Croft had a small smile and I leaned down and kissed him on his lips. He whispered, “This is good, I knew the Chief had planned this for another time but it is good to it now. Now we can get on with another part of our lives. Maybe we can have a bigger ceremony when I’m up and around. Give Kate a kiss for me darling.”

I smiled at Croft and agreed. Everyone slowly filed back out but in the same quiet way they had entered. I stayed and held his hand and as the next hour wore on, he slowly went back to sleep.

I looked up at doc and with a sad continence shook his head in the negative. In the many moments that passed Croft’s breathing slowed and became shallow and then stopped. He never opened his eyes again. My sweetheart had joined our son in the hereafter. All I could do is stand there beside his bed holding his hand and cry.

I don’t know how long I stood there, but when hands reached up onto my shoulders and turned me around, I did notice Croft had been covered with his sheet. Only his arm on the hand I was holding was bare. I also noticed how cold his hand had become.

I know there was a funeral for my beloved but it seemed to be mostly a blur for me. Kate still took up most of my time and helping with chores, others as well as mine. I had less laundry to so and I missed Croft so much that at times it was hard to breathe. But Kate and the whole place needed me. I know they kept me busy and yes, it did help.

I miss him so much it’s hard to sleep at night. My heart feels like a big chunk of it is missing. I roll over to cuddle up to him in my sleep and wake when I can’t find him beside me. My sleeping mind just can’t seem to remember he is gone from us.

I will have to remember to show Kate pictures of her daddy as she grows up. Most are on a thumb drive with the few real pictures we have in an album from years ago before digital and thumb drives. We make enough electricity with our solar for now to charge it and to view the pictures on it and if I somehow lose the ones on the laptop. Backup on my thumb drive is always good. Those are down in my shelter room to keep absolutely safe.

End cha 11 B

the love was for the story elements, not the demise of the character

 

[2T2-Crash]

That last chapter tugs at the heart, I just buried my cousin last week, he was 36. All I can think about is his absence and how it must be for his wife and three kids, one on 2 years old.

 

[Griz3752]

That last chapter tugs at the heart, I just buried my cousin last week, he was 36. All I can think about is his absence and how it must be for his wife and three kids, one on 2 years old.

Might not be the right place but, condolences on your family's loss . . .

 

[2T2-Crash]

Thankyou.
Sssarawolf’s writing is so well done it connects the reader with the story.

 

[sssarawolf]

My condolences as well. Hard on everyone.

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 12 A

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and soon it had been a year since Croft’s death. Before the year passed, I had decided to put his clothes and footwear in the share out supply room. It was a hard thing to do but I did it. Not a few tears left my eyes as I packed his things into tubs. Not just for the years we had together for the good but also for the difficult. That same day I even slipped my wedding ring off my finger and put it in my small jewelry box,, seems another reason to cry. I had thought we would go into our old age together like my parents had done and my grandparents before them. But the Lord had other ideas for how this part of my life would be. I was happy to have had Croft in my life as long as I did, the same for Croft Jr. I won’t begrudge them being out of the mess the world is still in.

As the time flew past our people went on four more rescue missions during those months. The powers that be were getting frustrated and were falling apart. Which was part of the good news. We heard the so-called President for life was assassinated and the one after him. Then many of the other politicians went the way of the earth. Some because of age and others in a hail of bullets and the blast of bombs. No one really knowing which side did it or the who.

We lost three more of our people during these missions, it could have been far worse. All the training really helped and they were trained to not just look at the enemy at face value or their positions on the field of battle. Everyone including the young were cross trained depending on their maturity. Old ways, military, even some martial arts were thrown in for good measure.

More folks were married, more babies were born, some passed away from accidents, and through it all we endured. I have to call us the Tribe as we were all considered part of family. So, the tribe grew and flourished even with our setbacks.

There were a few of the young set that Chief Owen had to set straight when they didn’t like it that we were part of them. Him being one quarter white and telling them that they may not be all Apache themselves helped matters. So therefore, we were all now the White Mountain Apache, get over it.

We all joined in on lessons and ceremonies so we would know the history of the people we now belonged to. It didn’t matter what race or background or even if someone came from another tribe. They considered themselves part of our tribe now. It was a different world that we now lived in and sometimes one had to bend to changing times and ways. If we were to survive, we would have to do it together.

Okay, I need to get back on track. Clark and Gin had another boy, Neil Clark had joined the family. Mountain Mike and Paula had a boy also and there were so many others babies born it was hard to keep track.

The good-looking young grandson of Chief Owen Butch Lightening Johnson had chased May Mourning Sun Lucas until she caught him. Afterward when we told him that one, he never believed it. He said, “What are you talking about? I had to convince her I was serious.” But we woman knew. He had so many young women falling all over him all the time. May was the only one that pretty well ignored him on purpose and that caught his attention more than being fawned over.

The next spring, we came up more permanently to our cabins. More cabins were built surrounding the camp ground. Cabins were going up under and around the trees at the other end of the tunnel system where the tribe had first moved to when they came to live with us. The log cabins were new but we did the best we could to make them look old.

Watches and scouts were still kept as nothing was certain. Via the shortwave we learned that the drags of the military who were really recruited gang members, out of the prisons were getting desperate as the so-called new government wasn’t supporting them anymore. In fact, they were being arrested when found. We knew we would most likely be fighting nests of vipers for years to come. They were worse than ever and still killed without qualms. Black hearted souls. I will assume these are the new pirates, only land pirates. I can only guess at what is going on again on the oceans.

Nothing was going to change back to what was thought of as the old normal. Too much had been destroyed as far as our country’s infrastructure was concerned. Not to mention that to many regular folks had lost the trust of politicians and their promises when we heard they were flapping their gums again. Even new ones in office and how they got there we couldn’t figure out as there hadn’t been any kind of elections for a few years now. Even when we could we knew something funny was going on and they were in for years and everyone said they hadn’t voted for them. I think this is another soap box rant of mine. Sooooooooo.

We haven’t had any drone or plane fly overs for over two months, not that I’m complaining. Makes all of us feel better, but we are still prepared to do what we must. There is no sense in being stupid about it and getting complacent.

Kates getting to be a handful these days now that she is up and walking and some days, she is a fast little bugger. I had to make a play yard for her to be in with some three-foot fencing and three-foot t-posts. It is 6x6 in the side yard where I wash clothes in good weather. An old wringer hooked onto a metal tub. One tub for washing and another for rinsing. Thanks mom and Dad.

End 12 A

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[Griz3752]

An old wringer hooked onto a metal tub. One tub for washing and another for rinsing. Thanks mom and Dad.

https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/index.php?attachments/pic-2-wash-jpg.360042/

My job was to turn the crank handle.....and keep out of the way

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 12 B

Kate was growing so fast; she now had the deep walnut brown hair with stark deep blue eyes. I could see so much of Croft in her and some of his personality.

Then one day I was washing some extra dirty clothes I had worn while working in the gardens. I had my back to the play yard when I should have been facing it. All of sudden I realized it was awful quiet behind me. I quickly turned around and her yard was empty. “I knew I should have fenced the whole yard as well with some higher fencing.” I told myself out loud.

I kicked myself for not doing what I had told myself to do for just in case as I started looking and calling for her. I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest. Others started to look for her when they heard me calling for her and telling others that ran up that Kate had gotten out somehow.

That’s when I saw her bouncing up and down on someone’s shoulders. In fact, she was on the shoulders of a gentleman I had seen around from time to time on work crews. His name was Luke Wolf Graham. I’d say he was at least six feet tall, very lean, with black mixed in with his gray hair. He had light brown eyes and a straight nose. He wasn’t the handsomest but not bad in the looks department either. I had heard he was a widower of seven years. It’s a wonder some woman hadn’t snagged him up by now. Dang, I thought, mind where your mind is going girl.

I walked quickly toward them with a ton of relief. “Thank you so much for catching my little escape artist. I don’t know how she did it but it won’t happen again. How can I reward you? I was trying to take her down while I talked and she started screaming she wanted to ride her horsey.

He laughed and told me, “It’s okay Ora, I’ll bring her along. Let’s just go back to your place.” I didn’t know he was thinking, this was a great excuse to get to know this woman better, thank you little one for escaping your mom.

It was fine with me with him calling me by my first name. All of the adults were on a first name basis. Everyone under sixteen used Mrs., Mr., or Miss with our last names. We weren’t having any trouble with respect at all or any rebellion in the younger generations. Being here and learning to survive with the rest of us had knocked some wisdom in a few heads.

Kate continued to bounce with Luke giving her a little more bounce to his steps. She was one excited little girl. She was squealing with delight.

“I really appreciate this Luke, who knows where she would have been if you hadn’t caught her?”

He replied, “It was my pleasure, she was just passing the cook cabin when I spied her moving as fast as those little legs would take her.”

We went around to the back side of the house and he sat her down in her play yard with her toys. He walked a few feet over and sat down on the steps of the porch and told me. “You just go ahead and finish your laundry and I’ll keep an eye on her and see if she will climb back out again and how she managed that feat.”

Of course, I was a bit embarrassed. “I can’t do that to you Luke, I’m sure you have plenty to do yourself. I’ll just make sure that I don’t get distracted and do better at watching her now that I know she can escape. And here I thought I had a good thing going with this play yard for her. I’ll just have to put up a higher fence and something my little miss can’t climb out of.”

He grinned at me and still proceeded to sit on the third step up. “This is no problem at all for me. I need a little down time anyway and this is a perfect excuse. Now just finish what you were doing and without having to worry about Kate, you can get it done faster.”

I went to the washing and hanging and it was done faster than normal. I still felt a bit foolish for my inattention and letting Kate slip away.

When I finished Kate was still in her yard and all I could do is shake my head. Luke saw what I doing and came over and helped dump out the last of the water into my five-gallon buckets that would go in the garden. We couldn’t waste water. With no attention being paid to Kate when we turned our backs the little dickens started to climb the field fencing. But this time she was caught. I went over and grabbed her before she went over the top and told her, “NO Kate.” I don’t think that would stop her from trying again but she needed to get used to being told no and learn to not do things that would get her hurt.

The wash tubs were put on the small back covered porch and Luke and I smiled at each other and said our goodbyes, with me thanking him again for rescuing Kate. He went on his way and around the side of the house and off to where he lived. It was nice to have someone around for a bit and not make it not so lonely. I wondered if he thought the same thing. He had been alone a lot longer than I have been. It is so true that one can be alone in a crowd.

As normal the next morning I made Kate and I a small breakfast and headed off to help at the cook cabin. A small 12x12 room had been built onto it and was used for a play/babysitting room. We had a roster of helpers that changed every two days so no one person was taken advantage off in babysitting department. For the older children we had rooms that were turned into school rooms for the time being. Ours weren’t the typical class room fare. School lasted three hours in the mornings and then the children went off to one type of practice or another and then onto their apprenticeships. This was switched off during the week but kept them interested and busy. As they got into their mid-teens, they could gravitate to the things they liked the best but they were still required to know how to do the other jobs. They also had to learn different fighting techniques.

By around ten am I collected Kate and we were off to our house again. As I got closer, I could hear hammering. I thought, how odd. But didn’t think it was coming from my place. Only it was. Most of a four-foot wooden slated fence was all but done. Only a few boards to go and I saw a gate was being fashioned by Mountain Mike and Nick Rosenberg. Nicks wife Nancy was helping with the fence. Nancy was or is a plumber but she was no slouch at this either. I counted three more hammering slats up with Luke going to town on his part.

Henry Barker was a master carpenter and it showed. A swing set was being made and set up with some type of tree house type house about three feet off the ground on 4x4 stilts about three feet off the ground. Steps were already made and being fastened on as I watched. I could see one side of the sort of tree house was getting some siding and the main frame had been made of wooden pallets. I guess dad had scored every free pallet there was.

I didn’t know at the time how this could be made to look abandoned and old. But just maybe we wouldn’t have to worry about that much longer. I was just standing on the outside of this gaping for several minutes when Kate got squirmy, and noisy, and wanted down. When Luke heard Kate fussing, he looked over at me and smiled. I know I grew red in the face but I couldn’t help it.

Everyone else had looked over at us as well and just grinned at the look on my face. I made my way into the middle of the yard via the still open part of the fence for the gate and just kind of stuttered. This was just so amazing I was at a loss for words. Instead, I started crying.

Nancy hopped over to me and gave me a hug saying, “When Luke asked for helpers putting up a fence and told us what happened with Kate, we couldn’t help but want to do this for you. This was such a great idea we have decided we are going to do this for some of the other families with little ones. So, they have a place to keep them out of trouble when their parents are working at home. We’re also planning a bigger play ground near the cook cabin and shelter. The big one most likely will be surrounded with a chain link fence. We went hunting in the tunnel rooms and found rolls of it and the posts. Your mom and dad were sure forward thinking. We’ll also get others to help with the big one and the one that needs to go up outside of the other end of the cave system for the folks over there. We got to talking with others as we were hunting around and they thought this was a grand idea.”

She talked a bit more and we both realized the fence was finished and the gate was on, we both laughed and I went around thanking everyone that had helped. I just couldn’t believe they all had been so generous with their time.

I was still holding Kates hand and she had been watching all of the work going on and so was content while it was going on that she hadn’t tried to pull away. But that had come to an end and she wanted loose. Since we were closed in, I let her have her way. The only one that hadn’t left yet was Luke and he was making sure all was as it should be not just for the fence but for the new play house. I think he was doing this so he and I would be the last adult in the yard. Or am I just being stuck on myself and misreading him and the situation? Then why am I even thinking about it?

By this time Luke was beside me watching Kate climb around on her new playground equipment in her yard. She couldn’t seem to make up her mind what she wanted to play on and went from one thing to another. He smiled, “I guess she likes it.”

I laughed, “I’d say so Luke. This was so unexpected. How can I thank you for this?”

“Well, Ora I think a nice dinner would be fine. What do you say?”

“I’d say that sounds fine. How about tomorrow evening around 5:30?

So that’s what we did and I was surprised at how much we had in common after coming from two different backgrounds. He lived in this area most of his life except when he was in the Marines. He went to college in Phoenix, Arizona and met his wife there. He was an electrical engineer by profession and had a side profession in construction. He and his wife Marjorie had never been blessed with children but worked with youth at a halfway house. Neither one of them liked the way the world was going and had decided to move back to where he was from among the White Mountain Apache. Then eight years ago she took ill and by the time they found out what was wrong it was too late and she passed away.

End chapter 12 B

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 13 A

As the winter progressed it was colder than normal but still no real snow besides just a few flurries off and on the last two weeks, nothing stayed on the ground but for a few hours. More and more folks moved down to the shelters with the cold seeping into their cabins. This helped everyone stay warmer and also helped to keep the wood smoke to a minimum and any type of detection. It was so easy to stay tunnel rats.

It was the week before Christmas and so many of us were trading clothes, toys, small bows and arrows, and or small 22 rifles for larger ones or larger caliber rifles for the young and teens. Along with making gifts for them and our loved ones when a plane flew over. Like way low over the encampment, reach out and touch someone low. The scouts and guards all called in on it and we had no idea what it meant. This seemed like a weird time for someone to be out and about in a regular two engine propeller plane. There were a few people living in their cabins in the forest but not many. Some couldn’t take the tunnel life for too long at a time. Fireplaces were going along with those scavenged or homemade wood stoves. The smoke didn’t hardly show among the trees but maybe enough had, we would have to wait and see what the outcome was going to be.

We found out three days later when it was radioed in by one of our scouts that it looked like the same plane was making another run over us and coming in from the north. Oh, just hunky-dory. Apparently, we had been detected as this time whomever was in the place dropped a bunch of leaflets right over the campground and the forest area.

Several of the yellow papers were brought inside. But what was written on the was very strange. They all had the same thing printed on them. ‘Never Fear Gilroy Is Here 2x8’ A few of the papers were quickly taken to the gathering leaders as word was passed through the tunnels and over the two-way radios. Many of us remembered the old saying from WWII, ‘Gilroy was here.’ I hadn’t heard that in decades.

Dan came in with a smile on his face, he had just gotten off duty from the gate and had one of the notes in his right hand. Why he had a smile on his face was a quandary for all of us. What could be good about being found by who knows who?

Holding that piece of paper in the air in front of him Dan told us, “This my friends and family means we are not alone in trying to fight what’s going on out there.” He then took off running for the closest radio room where one of the now two shortwaves was stationed. We had found another one month’s back on one of the outside missions.

Many followed him, especially those next in line in the leadership, Clark, Luke, me, Chief Larry Cat Johnson, the other sub chiefs, and Mountain Mike and his lieutenants. The rest know they would hear what was going on when all was said and done. There was no need to have way too many people crowd into and around number one radio room.

Priscilla Denton was on station today on her shift time. Dan looked at her and began to give orders while explaining to the rest of us what the message meant.

“Gilroy was my Captain over in the sand box. His name is Casey Gilroy. Before I came home the last time Gilroy had a field promotion and was made a one star general. I know it sounds crazy. But the reason was is this. It wasn’t advertised that everyone above him was killed when our headquarters was blown to smithereens. All their loved ones were told that they had been killed in a military accident.

You see there had been a leak of our headquarters whereabouts by a so called friendly but he had been an infiltrator. The next snafu was that no one had been notified that one of our own drones had been stolen and was being sent back to us. A large bomb attached to it of course. By the time our people had been informed it was incoming it was just seconds before the drone slammed into the building and just about everyone in the building died. Captain Gilroy was still on the other side of the base doing an inspection. When the whole base was rocked with the explosion.”

Now Pris, I need you to go to Chanel 32 for me.”

She dialed it in mere seconds and Dan picked up the mic. “Pretty boy Floyd calling Gilroy. Pretty boy Floyd calling Gilroy. The lost are found, I repeat the lost are found and Gilroy did not sleep here, over.”

We just about held our breath waiting for an answer back as Dan stood in front of us waiting not so good-naturedly.

“Hey Floyd, we have our ears on. Gilroy needs a bed, repeat Gilroy needs a bed, over.”

That gave Dan a huge smile. “Inform Gilroy, N. 70.296568 x W. 222.1302598 100 as the crow flies west, over and out.”

Dan put the mic down and turned to see us all staring at him. His numbers had made no sense to us at all, even the ex-military folks. He just laughed at the looks on our faces. I had never seen Dan this overcome with joy. He looked right at me and smiled and I just had to smile back.

“To all of you that are wondering what all that was about just go in the opposite direction and divide in half. Gilroy will find us with no problem just in case there are problems. Like their plane went down or got shot down before he could report. I know he pretty much knew where we were when these papers were dropped on us.”

I noticed some folks were making faces in not knowing if this was good or not.

Dan continued, “You see I had kept contact and talked with some others that were in our platoon and were still active duty. I gave General Gilroy a general area of where I was going to be when I got out of the service. I had no problem doing this because I know for a fact who this man was and is, a true patriot.”

“But he is the kind of person who likes absolutes but doesn’t take chances. He will want to take a roundabout way to us so we won’t know what direction he and his men (and women) will be coming from. Let’s see how good our scouts are now why don’t we. I sure would like to surprise him instead of the other way around. I say starting tomorrow morning we put a few more of our people out in the field of forward scouts.”

This ended up agreed to and it was going to be like some kind of contest on who spotted whom first. Like a war game. Volunteers were called for and for a surprise those fourteen and above were allowed to participate in this little exercise.

End chap 13 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Canning today, Oregon grape jelly.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 13 B

The speeches and orders were given, no fooling around, stay attentive etc. etc. This could be a training exercise for the future to see who could be depended on to stay on course in any serious situation. Even if it was also just a routine shift. This may also mean they could start to be considered adults sooner and have more privileges. Which also meant more responsibilities and consequences for them and everyone else if they screwed up. This was not to be taken lightly. This would be a great training exercise for many.

We didn’t know it at this time but this was the beginning of a future division of an elite scouting clan called the Wild Wolf clan. It became a combination of all the families that first settled in the camp with some of the new militaries children as time went on.

All right then, back to writing about what life brought to us next. I am getting a head of our story.

It was the fifth day when Cree Wright now 20 years old called into the radio room. Speaking in Klingon of course, so if anyone did happen upon the channel, they were most likely 99% not be able to understand what he or any others were saying.

He gave his call sign, 2 clicks and said, “pa` = there here, ra` wl` Vo` `oyl maH = coming from north west. TLHUD = E. T. A. in tugh slp =10 minutes. jlH neH jlH neH = I am one mile out.”

As soon as the direction was known Dan took off like a shot informing his second in command to take over at the camp. He told the scouts, tayqeq = hold positions.

They heard back, “Qapla”

By the time that Gilroy’s three forward scouts appeared Dan was sitting on a tree stump just lazily waiting for them. They looked a little shocked but were trying to keep straight faces.

With a grin on his face Dan greeted the military scouts. “Welcome guys, were you looking for us? I’m 2ed Lieutenant Daniel Red Wolf Locke retired. You can notify General Gilroy his bed is ready and waiting.”

Sergeant Neilson put his hand out and shook hands with Dan and introducing himself. “I will Lt. Locke.” Manley talked in his attached mic. “Captain Foster, please let our boss know we found his special prize. He says the boss’s bed is made and ready to occupy.”

The reply came back, “Six by six Colonel.”

Dan knew just what that meant and he would continue to wait for General Gilroy to appear in 26 minutes. And that’s what they did.

The General was surrounded by many of his people. But many militaries were still out bound scouts that were still all around investigating the whole area to make sure we were on the up and up. But those scouts didn’t know that they were in turn being watched by the camp scouts. Even Casey’s people who were in ghillie suits hadn’t stood a chance of not being seen by these exceptionally well-trained men and women. After this maneuver the younger ones would no longer be considered mere children.

The General didn’t just have a few men and women with him but a company of nearly two hundred and thirty soldiers, they had joined him for this little trip.

General Casey Gilroy was a hands-on type of soldier, he personally hated the fact that so many of the higher ups led from behind. They didn’t know the real problems so of their people faced and treated them like cannon fodder, people to be used and thrown away. By dog, he hadn’t been that kind of man before and he sure wasn’t going to be as a general either.

Casey wasn’t the type of man that stood out. He was average in height around 5 foot 10 inches and normally weighed in around 165 pounds. These days he was slighter that that like most of his people, he was a very slim 145. He had dark brown eyes, brown hair, what folks used to call a polish nose, not straight but not turned up either with full lips. Just a man no one would pick out as being extra ordinary unless you knew him personally. He’d always been a go getter, once he had a goal he pushed through until he could accomplish it or as close as he could come.

Casey like his people was all done out in camouflage head to toe. He walked up to Dan and saw Dan was also in cammo, but it had a bit a difference. Dan’s clothes were leathers dyed in more of a pattern in accordance of where we live. He had a muted colored net type cap on that Casey just wondered about but didn’t ask for the time being.

He did ask, “Dan I’m curious, how did you know right where to meet one of our scout crews?”

Dan smiled, reached his right hand to his left shirt pocket and gave a click on his radio. Cree Wright stood up from the small bush he seemed to be a part of not ten feet from not only General Gilroy and the men with him but Cree was less than six feet to the left from Sergeant Neilson. Talk about some shocked people. You should have seen their faces when three more ghillie looking forms stood up from the bushes and two from the small trees. All Dan did is continue to have a cat eating grin on his face. Especially when he looked at Gilroy’s face. Dan didn’t outright laugh but he was sure tempted to do that very thing.

Neilson’s mouth dropped open when Dan’s cousin Mayville Moon Johnson 17 years old took her netted hat and face screen off. Her long black hair and dark blue eyes were such a contrast that he had a hard time taking his eyes off of her. Dan noticed right away. She was such a beauty even three years ago that he, the other cousins and her brothers knew they would be beating the men off with a stick and it came true.

All over the area the camp scouts were notified to come out of hiding and escort the military people to the camp ground. Men of women stood up to the surprise of Gilroy’s forces to take them to their new home. Thy so-called special unit had been surrounded the whole time they had been near and on camp ground land.

End chap 13 B

 

[larry_minn]

Kind of a shock to realize your Kung fu is not the strongest. Especially when it was your career

 

[sssarawolf]

Oh, OH, don't put up stuff when your not really with it. lol That chapter above is not 13. I don't know hw I did that. Here is the real 13.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

13 A for real

I awoke with a start. There was someone banging loudly on my front door. This also woke little Kate up. I grumbled, “This had better be good.” I hadn’t heard anything come over my two-way radio so I really didn’t think it was urgent. I had made sure it was charged before coming in and going to bed last night. I didn’t have much electric from our system but it was enough to charge the FRS radio and have one lamp to use in the bedroom.

Kate’s bed wasn’t far from mine in our room as this was a one-bedroom home. Croft was going to put on an addition, but that didn’t happen. I went to the door saying loudly, “I’m coming, I’m coming.” If I hadn’t mentioned it before our back door happened to be in the bedroom. We had found the blueprints and it hadn’t before dad and mom bought the place but dad had changed it to be this way when he had added on. I figured the best thing for Kate was to just leave her in her bed for now. She was yelling mommy. I quickly went over to her and had her lay back down. “I will be back soon, please be quiet Kate.” She did quiet down thank goodness. I had pajamas on so it was okay to go to the door.

As I unlocked the door and pulled it open, I noticed right off that it was still dark but couldn’t be far from morning. My attention was drawn back to the person at my door. I found an upset Gin had already been talking to me. She had to repeat, “Ora it’s an emergency, why didn’t you answer your radio? Everyone called in but you after the emergency notice went out. No one could get ahold of you. We have incoming raiders.”

I must have had a very worried questioning look on my face. Her face changed from upset to a grin figuring I must have slept right through without hearing it.

“I must have been hard asleep Gin because I didn’t hear a thing until you started to bang on my door. Did you say raiders incoming? Let me grab Kate and a couple of things and we’ll head down to the tunnels.” That’s what we did with Gin helping.

Clark was already down there and he greeted us at my shelter entrance below the house. Their boys were asleep in the shelter nursery with sitters. The nursey room where I headed with a now half-asleep Kate.

Yes, I was still in my PJ’s but had my shoes on, I had quickly pushed my clothes, pistol and belt into a bag with a few more of Kate’s things. Her favorite small toys for instance. There were some down her in our room but kids at this age go from one thing to another very rapidly and get bored easily. Depending on how long we would be down here I would end up trading toys with other moms.

While I was still in the nursery as I had put Kate into a crib, she fell asleep almost right away. I changed into my day clothes and put my holster and pistol back where it belonged which was right around my hips. I did another glance at Kate and nodding at the sitters I left to take up whatever my duties would be during this attack. I couldn’t help but think, how had we been found out here in the middle of nowhere?

Via the radios we found out that the raiders were coming right up our front driveway. They must have cut the fence before the pipe gate somehow since it was heavy iron pipe. I didn’t think they could get that gate opened without knowing how it was done and trying to drive through it wouldn’t work at all. We always had guards down in the bushes by it. What happened to them?

Later I found out that one of the guards had radioed up and told of the renegades. They had just happened upon our gate even if the roads and driveway didn’t look very well used. He had heard them talking about how desperate they were to find a place to hold up. The monsoon storms were hitting more and more and they wanted out of the weather in anything they could find.

As soon as they started with the bolt cutters on parts of the fence Allen Henry knew this was going to be trouble and sent out the signal. They had counted too much on being safe behind it, that shouldn’t have happened and our guards should have radioed up as soon as the raiders were known to be on the road. Big mistake. There were to many for Allen and Sam Samson to take care of but they tried. They notified the next level of protection that they were wounded but alive. Neither one was mobile. Allen told us there were anywhere from 40 to 60 invaders. Neither one of the gate guards had gotten a real good count being night and all. They hadn’t had night goggles on. That needs to be a new change on moonless and or cloudy nights.

The best shots were picked to go up through all the shelter tunnels that were hid all over our campground and beyond. Folks in the tunnels just made sure they were all armed up no matter who they were including eight years old and above. The younger ones were in the rooms designated for them had older guards 12 and up. Many of the expectant mothers were also in there with them and many had gone to the nursery fully armed as well. There wasn’t quite a panic but I could see we needed more practice for the unexpected. No one thought it would really happen here, after all this time. So many even of the adults didn’t take it as serious as they should have. I bet they will from now on. They felt very safe here.

I made it all the way to the stairs that went up to my home and was determined to be of help to not be taken over. I got a few let’s just say looks that said, what are you doing here. One man opened his mouth when he saw me ready to go up the stairs and I just told him, “Don’t bother to say a word.” He shut his mouth back up in a hurry. I knew women all over the camp including the rest of the other side were doing the same thing. Think you can invade our home do ya? Well, they’re going to have to think again. They are going to wish they had just kept on going.

End real 13 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Real 13 B

Arizona Tunnel Rats

13 B

Many of the Chiefs family now lived over here on our side in new cabins so these invaders were going to be in for a very big surprise. I had noticed when I was down in the tunnels that many of us and a few of this side of the tribe had been painting for war.

As we went up into my home, I had a stupid thought for a time like this, ‘I’m glad I keep a clean house.’ I shook my head and knew I had to keep my thoughts and wits about myself.

I could already hear guns shots going off as we came upstairs through the trapdoor and a bunch of screaming. Mostly I heard screams or really war cries. Wait until they get a gander of Mountain Mike in his war paint. A giggle almost escaped when I saw him running through the tunnel system. He had been making for the stairs to the bachelor quarters where he used to live. I am so glad he is on our side.

Now as we quietly left my home, I could hear cries of pain. Being the first house, I came to find out that there were already three or four bodies lying on the ground not far from it. As I got closer to one man, I could hear a man moaning with pain as he had an arrow sticking out of his stomach.

Fisher O’Toole made sure that the injured man wouldn’t be moaning anymore. Yes, this is a hard life but you can’t be so soft as to take care of these murdering scum permanently so they don’t get up and stab or shoot you in the back. These people were here to take and kill. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know we lived here. Once they knew someone was here by the skirmish by the gate, they would do what these people had done now for over three years, pillage and murder. There would be no giving quarter and driving them off for them to gather more like them and come back to attack us again.

There were still more marauders coming into our camp ground and bullets were whizzing from them and bullets and arrows from our side. They had just found themselves in a world of hurt. Not one of them would survive to live another day if we had anything to do with it.

All of a sudden, I was thrown to the ground, I grunted with the force. I had been tackled to the ground but still had my pistol in hand. I also managed to keep my wits about me. I hadn’t been tackled hard enough to take my breath away, it just surprised me and felt like it must have bruised my right shoulder. I turned my gun and shot throwing the guy off of me. I was glad I couldn’t really see his face. I didn’t need to remember it. If I had seen it, I probably would have.

I was getting back up off the ground when a bullet grazed my left upper arm, it hurt alright but with my gun still in my right hand it’s not like I could clutch my arm so I tried to ignore it the best that I could. I guess the three-quarter moon had been behind some clouds as at that moment it decided to make its appearance. It turned everything silvery gray. Just then I saw a man not but a few feet on my left take aim at me and sneer. “You just killed my brother witch, now I’m gonna kill you.”

He didn’t get the chance; I brought my pistol up further and was aiming right at him to do the same to him when the man was shoved down hard. His shot just missing me and me him when I returned fire about the same time he did. Luke was standing over him and just plain shot the guy in the head. Wham, done for and joining his brother.

The fighting was still going on all around me. I gave a nod to Luke and I noticed he didn’t go far but returned to what he had been doing, which was taking care of every raider within his sight. I needed to be doing the same thing instead of watching him.

When all was said and done and the battle had stopped it had only taken just under an hour from start to finish but it sure seemed like a heck of a lot longer. For some reason my mind was telling me the hostilities had been going on for over four or more hours. Talking about time slowing, gads.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in the dirt being dizzy. I thought, “This just won’t do. I need to check on others and my baby girl.” But I just couldn’t seem to move from where I was. I didn’t even know when Luke sat down beside me and I realized I’d had a blanket thrown over my shoulders and wrapped around me. ‘Oh yeah Ora, real observant there, not.’

I guess it was Luke talking to me that brought me out of whatever stupor I had been in. I turned and looked at him as he had been looking right at me and talking to me. He smiled, “I see you’re back with us, good.” I must have made a face because he laughed. That’s when I started to get upset at myself and he noticed that to.

“Whoa, there woman. No need to get upset, you did just fine when the battle was raging. You seem to be the type that during a crisis you handle it well but it’s after that your body and mind shut down. Nothing wrong with that, my mother was the same way. Now let’s get you up off the ground and to the aid station. It’s been set up under the picnic shelter, we’ll see if they can do a better job on your wound then I did?”

Geez Louise, I hadn’t even noticed when he had wrapped my arm with a strip of cloth to help stop the bleeding. That’s also when I began to look around the campground at all the dark lumps of bodies I could make out. I hoped and prayed that not too many of them were ours.

Well, if wishes were horses, I would have a corral full. I found out that we had lost seven of our people. Not the number the bad guys had at forty-nine but seven of ours was bad enough. It was heart breaking for all of us and of course more so for their families. To top things off as the morning started to make itself known and the rains moved in. We needed the rains but it just seemed to match our spirits at the same time. Everyone we lose is such a great loss to us all. Especially of the younger ones. We had many wounded but they would recover, thank goodness. We prayed that we wouldn’t have another attack too soon and the worst of the wounded would have time to heal.

Many volunteered to help take turns digging graves for our people. Even in the pouring rain they dug without stop. With the way things had to be done the burying couldn’t be put off. Not in the summer heat. The cloudy skies cooled things off some at least but not enough.

After my arm was properly bandaged and I was given some reconstituted orange drink to chug down they let me go. They didn’t want me fainting somewhere in-between here and the nursery. I took off at a slow pace to go check on Kate. It was going to be a joy I tell you trying to hold Kate with only one arm, and don’t forget that the other arm was bruised from being tackled. Just lovely. Yes, I tend to have a sarcastic type of humor. Luke had been with me while they looked at my arm and fixed up a new bandage but then he needed to go help with clean up. I had been told nope, no way, when I had started talking about how I should help after I had seen to Kate.

She had only been up about fifteen minutes when I got to the nursey and was ready to eat. Instead of going up to our house I took her and headed for the shelter cafeteria. No way did I feel like cooking right now if I didn’t have to. I also didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. Afterward her and I headed for our shelter room so I could grab some clean clothes and head for one of the bathrooms to clean up and change. I washed her up while we were in there and put her in her play clothes.

She stared chanting, “Swing, swing, swing mommy.” Goodness, I didn’t think I was up to that this morning but her day didn’t need to be interrupted too terribly much.

“We’ll take you to the swing in a little bit Kate but right now mommy has some people to see, first work and then play.” She stuck her bottom lip out but that was all. She will have to learn these lessons but we will start small. This was a different world anymore for the young.

Boy, oh boy was I tired. The adrenalin was all the way worn off and I felt like I was dragging. I could hardly wait for Kates nap time because I would be doing the same. We would stay down here for the day and tonight and then we would go back up to our house. It made me feel weak but I also needed the safety for both of us right now.

I just kind of went through the motions of the morning and then feeding Kate lunch. Like this morning I really couldn’t stomach much in the way of food.

I heard a deep voice from behind me. “Hey now, Ora that’s hardly any food at all for the both of you.” That’s when Luke slid in beside me on my right.

I told him, “It’s all mainly for Kate, I just don’t seem to have much of a stomach in the way of food today. I’m sure it will pass. It’s just been a hard morning and day today.”

“Just so that’s all it is. We don’t want you up and blowing away. And for your information it isn’t just you. Many are off their feed today.”

That saying actually made me chuckle, I hadn’t heard that expression since I had spent summers on my grandparent’s farm, and I told him so.

He was surprised. “You lived on a farm part time? I grew on my grandparents’ ranch. My father left mom and me when I was like eight years old and mom moved us back to her parent’s ranch. I think in the long run that was the best thing to happen to me. Later in life I saw how a lot of the young Apache boys and men turned out living in the city. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Way too many took to the drink and it ruined way too many lives. As you most likely know even those on the reservation went the wrong way in life. I’m not saying everyone went that way but sadly many did. Wow, I don’t think I have told much of anyone all of this in decades.” And he laughed when I smiled at him.

We hadn’t noticed what was going on around us. Some heads were doing the sideways thing in pointing over at us. While some single women’s faces weren’t very nice looking in the way of jealousy. Others noticed those faces as well and hoped nothing would come of that in the way of cattiness or being cruel. Not one of us needed that when we all lived so close to each other and needed cooperation with everyone else to survive. Hopefully they would just move on to vie for the next single man. But Chief Own, sub chiefs along with Clark and Daniel would need to be told what was happening, just in case.

In Daniel’s case he was very protective of me. The chief knew as he had watched Dan watch Luke and had smiled at Dan’s protectiveness. Owen pointed this fact out to his family and figured at some time Dan could be a Sub Chief as he had the right character.

Ora had been like a mother to Daniel ever since her son Croft Jr. had drug him to his house and introduced Dan to his parents. Dan had noticed days ago Luke’s interest in Ora and he was bound and determined that Ora wouldn’t be hurt in any way. He had already had a talk with Luke. It had tickled Luke to no end. Like Dan was the older brother or dad of Ora and he was the young man dating one of the females of the family. Dan made sure that Luke had nothing but good intentions. Luke honestly told Dan that he was just first becoming friends with Ora to see how they got along and if she might be just a tad interested in a relationship yet. He had his hopes as he really liked her and her strange sense of humor.
End real 13 B

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

14 A

We had piled up the raiders for a bit before we buried them in a mass grave away from the camp and also away from any of our tunnel system. That was after our dead were decently buried. We mourned, healed and went on with our lives the best we could.

Luke came to dinner once a week for the first few weeks. Half the time Daniel and his new girlfriend joined us. I was so happy to see that he may have found somebody to hopefully share his life with. She happened to be Brandy White also former military and only like four years younger than him. She had been here almost from the very beginning. Some evenings Clark, Gin and their boys joined us as well. Life began to seem kind of normal in how we lived.

Before we knew it harvest time was upon us and that was always so much work. Harvesting and butchering, storing what we could in the root cellars, canning, and drying. Some days seemed never ending. I would fall into bed dead tired and then it was time to start all over again the next day. There wasn’t much time for anything else even dinners with others for now. I was so happy when the last was put away and or drying. The smaller animals and poultry we all canned up. Thank goodness most of the large animals would be butchered in the colder weather this winter.

I made sure we just plain had a boring week for Kate and I. I rested as I watched her play in the back yard and napped when she did. That didn’t mean I was idle, there was always way too much to get behind in. There was mending, knitting, sewing, laundry. My arm didn’t like the laundry but before I knew it I was all the way healed. Kate dirtied a lot of clothes and the diapers wouldn’t just do themselves.

There was still any number of other things I could do while she played. The wool I had gathered for us from the wool bin would have to wait to be washed and carded. The other new craft I had learned was called nalbinding. Something that was very new to me but I had enjoyed learning. Spinning wool was an ongoing chore to do for quite a few to help keep folks in socks, slippers, hats, mittens, sweaters, and several clothing items. Cloaks in the winter were becoming an item we were enjoying as well. First, I had to make myself some needles. I found some old oak shims and they worked great.



My first cap didn’t look so neat but it was very warm. One could even cut it and it wouldn’t unravel like knitting did.



Luke would drop by now and then and we would talk some and then he would be off on one job or another. Even through all the harvesting people were out bringing in wood for winter, milking the goats and cows, making cheese and all that would be needed. Cutting and drying off grass for winter fodder and so forth was also important, but this was necessary for us. Not much I could have done with my arm healing anyway. But that didn’t mean I didn’t feel a bit guilty for not being able to help.

All that went on as scheduled and before I knew it, we were in the new year. The later part of February again brought sad news. Chief Owen had passed away in his sleep during the night. The grand old man was ninety-seven years and five months old. His life time of accumulated knowledge and wisdom would be greatly missed.

Daniel took it harder than he let it show as he felt he had missed so much and needed more time to really get to know his grandfather. This had been such a new experience for him to have such closeness to someone he knew was his blood. But the good thing is at least Dan got to know him after thinking for years he had no blood family. His uncle and cousins had been including him in many of the family dinners, activities and just talking things out since they had moved over here. He was even getting to know many of their traditions and knowledge of his ancestors. That did ease how he felt at a small bit.

This funeral was done in full regalia for all of the tribe and even some from us adopted. A ceremony was called for to have the Chief sent off to Heavenly Father and then the election of Steven River Johnson. For all of us it was another exhausting week.

I would be very happy when full winter hit and the snow flew. There was always less trouble happening then. Everyone everywhere was too busy trying to survive it. Even if it was just trying to not starve to death.

Another problem is how many roving bands of raiders are in the area. So many people would have made it if it wasn’t for them. You would think most of them would have been taken care of by now or left for greener pastures. They were rogue to begin with and there is no way they would obey any real authority. All I can think and pray about is to hope this isn’t how we will have to live for the rest of our lives. Oh, aren’t I having sunny thoughts, NOT.

We again were having dinners at my home, at least twice a week now but most of the time it was just Luke, I, and Kate. At times I felt kind of like I was being unfaithful to Croft with enjoying Luke’s company. It just plain felt funny to have the feelings I was having. Would Croft want me to find someone to love again and also help raise Kate? Would this be disloyal to him to have another man called daddy by his daughter. I know some of this thinking is dumb, even by me. I know Croft wouldn’t want us to be alone. He would want his daughter to have a father to love and protect her. I think I just answered my own questions. Heck, I don’t even know if Luke has any thoughts beyond friendship. I don’t think he has even had any thoughts further than that. He has never even put his arms around me for a hug let alone try for a kiss. Maybe I am letting my imagination get ahead of me. I should just let things lie as they are for now until I find out more. So, I came to a non-decision until something else happened between him and I.

End 14 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 14 B

Another Thanksgiving had just gone by. And yes, I was grateful for my life and Kates. Plus, the family of Clark and Gin and the nearly family all around us.

I guess Luke had finally figured out what his thoughts on us were and I heard a knock on my door around 7 PM. I glanced at Kate playing with her blocks on the floor first to make sure she was still where I had seen her last a minute ago I as I turned and walked to the door. I opened it to find Luke standing there and I would say he looked nervous. I had never seen that look on his face before. I didn’t even say hello but blurted out, “What’s wrong Luke?”

His face did a scrunch like, how in the world did she think there was something wrong? “That’s a fine hello Ora, just why do you think there is something wrong?”

Then I got concerned that maybe I had said something in the incorrect way to him. But added, “By the look on you face Luke it seemed like something was bothering you.”

Instead of explaining he smiled and that really confused me. Now I had a weird look on my face which made him smile even more. He asked, “May I come in Ora?”

“Oh, sorry Luke, yes please do come in.” He stepped inside the doorway and glanced over to where Kate was knocking her blocks over. That brought a smile to his face all over again.

I smiled as well when I saw what she was doing and looked back over and up at Luke. “Let’s start over okay Luke. May I ask what brings you here this evening and why did you have such a strange look on your face?”

Before he answered he looked over to see that I had left the door ajar just a few inches for proprieties sake, just in case someone had seen him come in. I didn’t want any more tongues wagging than I had already had from his dinners here.

Luke turned back to me and looked into my eyes. “Ora I’ve been thinking all these months and getting to know you better.” He was thinking, why do I feel like a school boy instead of an aged man? This is stupid to think like this at my age. I never thought I would find someone else I thought I would like to spend my life with.

He was quiet for a few seconds as he stood there working up the courage to ask what he wanted to.

“I’m just going to come out and ask you Ora. “I think we or especially me in this instance have wasted enough time. Time we could be spending together. We both know life can change in an instant.” He kneeled down on the rug I had in front of the door. “I’m afraid I don’t have a ring for you with the way things are but Ora would you consent to marry me?”

I kind of just stood there with my mouth open, this had been very unexpected. I thought, did I think enough of Luke to marry him? My answer I guess is yes. To top things off Kate seems to like him a lot, probably as much as I do. No, I take that back. I think I more than like him, more on the side of falling for the man.

He was starting to get up from the floor with a sad look on his face. Like this wasn’t the thing to do kind of look. I could see it in his eyes. I smiled at him.

“Wait Luke, not so fast. So, you know, my answer to your proposal is a very certain yes. I would love to marry you. I do have a question for you though. do you think you can raise Kate as your own even if we let her know that she had another father that loved her?”

It was his turn to smile. “That is an easy one Ora as I already love the little tyke. She’ll never want for protection and I will teach her all I can.”

We didn’t want to wait so three days later we had the chief marry us. It was three days later because many of the ladies and families wanted some time to prepare a nice celebration for the whole camp. We would have just settled for the next day, but nope the others wanted to join in on our joy.

I was now Orabell Nanvell Graham. I had to tell the chief what my full first and middle names were and thank goodness all he did is grin at me. He took out a special band and our hands were tied together with the native beaded, leather band. Luke never even batted an eye when the chief stated Orabell Nanvell Shaffer do you take this man Luke Wolf Graham to be you husband?

Our first night together Kate was in the nursery. We had a slew of volunteers for our wedding night up in what was my home, now ours. They made sure it was a couple of girls that Kate knew. Both of them mostly just had kind of had a two-girl pajama party for a whole hour before sleep took them. They then slept until Kate woke up.

The next day I found mom’s old type writer and a new ribbon and typed out a paper giving Luke guardianship over Kate if something should happen to me. Then if Luke would pass as well Clark and Gin would then be her guardians. As far as the campground and all it entailed above and below ground would be Kates with and Daniel Red Wolf Locke’s inheritance as this always being their home and the homes of their family. Luke would still be her guardian and caretaker as she grew to twenty-one and or married if he outlived me. He would also be part owner of all the land above and below.

The true White Mountain Apache not just the adopted in would always have lands and homes here as long as they wanted. No one would take over anyone else’s lands or homes. This would always be there home. The same for all who have moved here to survive the bad times and those born into the community afterward. We are not a commune but more of a dedicated community of equals.

I hoped that this didn’t cause problems down the road. The community would also have a consul of eight with one member from each family serving no more than five years on the consul as they were voted in. Then two in leadership rolls. So, ten members altogether. This would start next year. If there were contentions on say a person being elected there would be a run off and no one was to know who voted for him or her. If someone wanted to take us away from a Constitutional type government they were to be executed. Yep, tough but we didn’t need any kings or a dictatorship. The ones on the consul were representatives not leaders per say.

The more I thought about all this the longer my paper became. At first all I was going to do was make sure Kate would be taken care and Luke now as part owner as my husband. I would take this to the others who have been helping make decisions on what our next moves were for all of us civilian and former militarily. I would get signatures on this paper from many witnesses. At the last moment I made separate papers for Kate’s inheritance, Luke and her disposition as in Luke’s care and his ownership and witnesses read it and sign. Then what I wanted for Dan. In the end I had a small trash can of papers to use for fire starters.

Luke read them all over and looked at me in surprise that I had included that he was now part of the ownership of the camp. As the old saying goes, he was truly dumbfounded.

End chap 14 B

 

[sssarawolf]

Now what should have been Chap 15 A, maybe now this will make more sense.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chapter 15 A

As the winter progressed it was colder than normal but still no real snow besides just a few flurries off and on the last two weeks, nothing stayed on the ground but for a few hours. More and more folks moved down to the shelters with the cold seeping into their cabins. This helped everyone stay warmer and also helped to keep the wood smoke to a minimum and any type of detection. It was so easy to stay tunnel rats.

It was a week before Christmas and so many of us were trading clothes, toys, small bows and arrows, and or small 22 rifles for larger ones or larger caliber rifles for the young and teens. Along with making gifts for them and our loved ones when a plane flew over. Like way low over the encampment, reach out and touch someone low. The scouts and guards all called in on it and we had no idea what it meant. This seemed like a weird time for someone to be out and about in a regular two engine propeller plane. There were a few people living in their cabins in the forest but not many. Some couldn’t take the tunnel life for too long at a time. Fireplaces were going along with those scavenged or homemade wood stoves. The smoke didn’t hardly show among the trees but maybe enough had, we would have to wait and see what the outcome was going to be.

We found out three days later when it was radioed in by one of our scouts that it looked like the same plane was making another run over us and coming in from the north. Oh, just hunky-dory. Apparently, we had been detected as this time whomever was in the place dropped a bunch of leaflets right over the campground and the forest area.

Several of the yellow papers were brought inside. But what was written on the was very strange. They all had the same thing printed on them. ‘Never Fear Gilroy Is Here 2x8’ A few of the papers were quickly taken to the gathering leaders as word was passed through the tunnels and over the two-way radios. Many of us remembered the old saying from WWII, ‘Gilroy was here.’ I hadn’t heard that in decades.

Dan came in with a smile on his face, he had just gotten off duty from the gate and had one of the notes in his right hand. Why he had a smile on his face was a quandary for all of us. What could be good about being found by who knows who?

Holding that piece of paper in the air in front of him Dan told us, “This my friends and family means we are not alone in trying to fight what’s going on out there.” He then took off running for the closest radio room where one of the now two shortwaves was stationed. We had found another one month’s back on one of the outside missions.

Many followed him, especially those next in line in the leadership, Clark, Luke, me, Chief Larry Cat Johnson, the other sub chiefs, and Mountain Mike and his lieutenants. The rest know they would hear what was going on when all was said and done. There was no need to have way too many people crowd into and around number one radio room.

Priscilla Denton was on station today on her shift time. Dan looked at her and began to give orders while explaining to the rest of us what the message meant.

“Gilroy was my Captain over in the sand box. His name is Casey Gilroy. Before I came home the last time Gilroy had a field promotion and was made a one star general. I know it sounds crazy. But the reason was is this. It wasn’t advertised that everyone above him was killed when our headquarters was blown to smithereens. All their loved ones were told that they had been killed in a military accident.

You see there had been a leak of our headquarters whereabouts by a so called friendly but he had been an infiltrator. The next snafu was that no one had been notified that one of our own drones had been stolen and was being sent back to us. A large bomb attached to it of course. By the time our people had been informed it was incoming it was just seconds before the drone slammed into the building and just about everyone in the building died. Captain Gilroy was still on the other side of the base doing an inspection. When the whole base was rocked with the explosion.”

Now Pris, I need you to go to Chanel 32 for me.”

She dialed it in mere seconds and Dan picked up the mic. “Pretty boy Floyd calling Gilroy. Pretty boy Floyd calling Gilroy. The lost are found, I repeat the lost are found and Gilroy did not sleep here, over.”

We just about held our breath waiting for an answer back as Dan stood in front of us waiting not so good-naturedly.

“Hey Floyd, we have our ears on. Gilroy needs a bed, repeat Gilroy needs a bed, over.”

That gave Dan a huge smile. “Inform Gilroy, N. 70.296568 x W. 222.1302598 100 as the crow flies west, over and out.”

Dan put the mic down and turned to see us all staring at him. His numbers had made no sense to us at all, even the ex-military folks. He just laughed at the looks on our faces. I had never seen Dan this overcome with joy. He looked right at me and smiled and I just had to smile back.

“To all of you that are wondering what all that was about just go in the opposite direction and divide in half. Gilroy will find us with no problem just in case there are problems. Like their plane went down or got shot down before he could report. I know he pretty much knew where we were when these papers were dropped on us.”

I noticed some folks were making faces in not knowing if this was good or not.

Dan continued, “You see I had kept contact and talked with some others that were in our platoon and were still active duty. I gave General Gilroy a general area of where I was going to be when I got out of the service. I had no problem doing this because I know for a fact who this man was and is, a true patriot.”

“But he is the kind of person who likes absolutes but doesn’t take chances. He will want to take a roundabout way to us so we won’t know what direction he and his men (and women) will be coming from. Let’s see how good our scouts are now why don’t we. I sure would like to surprise him instead of the other way around. I say starting tomorrow morning we put a few more of our people out in the field of forward scouts.”

This ended up agreed to and it was going to be like some kind of contest on who spotted whom first. Like a war game. Volunteers were called for and for a surprise those fourteen and above were allowed to participate in this little exercise.

The speeches and orders were given, no fooling around, stay attentive etc. etc. This could be a training exercise for the future to see who could be depended on to stay on course in any serious situation. Even if it was also just a routine shift. This may also mean they could start to be considered adults sooner and have more privileges. Which also meant more responsibilities and consequences for them and everyone else if they screwed up. This was not to be taken lightly. This would be a great training exercise for many.

We didn’t know it at this time but this was the beginning of a future division of an elite scouting clan called the Wild Wolf clan. It became a combination of all the families that first settled in the camp with some of the new militaries children as time went on.

End 15 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

15 B

All right then, back to writing about what life brought to us next. I am getting a head of our story.

It was the fifth day when Cree Wright now 20 years old called into the radio room. Speaking in Klingon of course, so if anyone did happen upon the channel, they were most likely 99% not be able to understand what he or any others were saying.

He gave his call sign, 2 clicks and said, “pa` = there here, ra` wl` Vo` `oyl maH = coming from north west. TLHUD = E. T. A. in tugh slp =10 minutes. jlH neH jlH neH = I am one mile out.”

As soon as the direction was known Dan took off like a shot informing his second in command to take over at the camp. He told the scouts, tayqeq = hold positions.

They heard back, “Qapla”

By the time that Gilroy’s three forward scouts appeared Dan was sitting on a tree stump just lazily waiting for them. They looked a little shocked but were trying to keep straight faces.

With a grin on his face Dan greeted the military scouts. “Welcome guys, were you looking for us? I’m 2ed Lieutenant Daniel Red Wolf Locke retired. You can notify General Gilroy his bed is ready and waiting.”

Sergeant Neilson put his hand out and shook hands with Dan and introducing himself. “I will Lt. Locke.” Manley talked in his attached mic. “Captain Foster, please let our boss know we found his special prize. He says the boss’s bed is made and ready to occupy.”

The reply came back, “Six by six Colonel.”

Dan knew just what that meant and he would continue to wait for General Gilroy to appear in 26 minutes. And that’s what they did.

The General was surrounded by many of his people. But many militaries were still out bound scouts that were still all around investigating the whole area to make sure we were on the up and up. But those scouts didn’t know that they were in turn being watched by the camp scouts. Even Casey’s people who were in ghillie suits hadn’t stood a chance of not being seen by these exceptionally well-trained men and women. After this maneuver the younger ones would no longer be considered mere children.

The General didn’t just have a few men and women with him but a company of nearly two hundred and thirty soldiers, they had joined him for this little trip.

General Casey Gilroy was a hands-on type of soldier, he personally hated the fact that so many of the higher ups led from behind. They didn’t know the real problems so of their people faced and treated them like cannon fodder, people to be used and thrown away. By dog, he hadn’t been that kind of man before and he sure wasn’t going to be as a general either.

Casey wasn’t the type of man that stood out. He was average in height around 5 foot 10 inches and normally weighed in around 165 pounds. These days he was slighter that that like most of his people, he was a very slim 145. He had dark brown eyes, brown hair, what folks used to call a polish nose, not straight but not turned up either with full lips. Just a man no one would pick out as being extra ordinary unless you knew him personally. He’d always been a go getter, once he had a goal he pushed through until he could accomplish it or as close as he could come.

Casey like his people was all done out in camouflage head to toe. He walked up to Dan and saw dan was also in cammo, but it had a bit a difference. Dan’s clothes were leathers dyed in more of a pattern in accordance of where we live. He had a muted colored net type cap on that Casey just wondered about but didn’t ask for the time being.

He did ask, “Dan I’m curious, how did you know right where to meet one of our scout crews?”

Dan smiled, reached his right hand to his left shirt pocket and gave a click on his radio. Cree Wright stood up from the small bush he seemed to be a part of not ten feet from not only General Gilroy and the men with him but Cree was less than six feet to the left from Sergeant Neilson. Talk about some shocked people. You should have seen their faces when three more ghillie looking forms stood up from the bushes and two from the small trees. All Dan did is continue to have a cat eating grin on his face. Especially when he looked at Gilroy’s face. Dan didn’t outright laugh but he was sure tempted to do that very thing.

Neilson’s mouth dropped open when Dan’s cousin Mayville Moon Johnson 17 years old took her netted hat and face screen off. Her long black hair and dark blue eyes were such a contrast that he had a hard time taking his eyes off of her. Dan noticed right away. She was such a beauty even three years ago that he, the other cousins and her brothers knew they would be beating the men off with a stick and it came true.

All over the area the camp scouts were notified to come out of hiding and escort the military people to the camp ground. Men of women stood up to the surprise of Gilroy’s forces to take them to their new home. Thy so-called special unit had been surrounded the whole time they had been near and on camp ground land.

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[Griz3752]

Numbers, schmumbers its only the telling of the tale that counts.

Thank you Ma'am. . . . .

 

[Raymond]

Thank you Sara. I always like to read your stories.

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 16 A

We met with General Gilroy and his officers in the cook cabin. There was no need at this time for him or his people to know about our shelters or tunnels. Of course, he didn’t know how many people we had living here either. Cooking was going on in the different areas under the shelter and the other fire pits around the homes. This was a lot of men and women to watch and cook for and would have been worse if the general hadn’t had them chip in with what they were carrying.

Gilroy was watching out one of the windows of the and noticed that there weren’t any small children around. “Um,” he said, not realizing he had made that sound out loud.

Before the meeting started Dan looked at Brandy who was helping serve food this evening. She gave him a quick wink and a nod and he gave a wink back. They usually sat together when they could but it wouldn’t be for this meal. Gilroy didn’t miss the byplay by the lovely young woman and Dan. He thought good for him, it’s about time.

Since Dan was his contact, we were going to let him be the lead, we just let him do all of the talking at first. Luke gave Dan a nod to go ahead and answer whatever the general made that noise about.

“General Gilroy can I ask you what that um was about?”

Gilroy’s kind of made a mash with his mouth. He didn’t like being caught in anything particularly especially in something simple.

I guess I have to answer that one but I also have two or three other questions as well. “First, I don’t see any children under 10 years old, can you answer why not?”

With a slight smile Dan told him, “It’s not that we don’t trust you and yours General Gilroy we decided to just go by the abundance of caution scenario. They are under guard by others in our community. This makes sense to us as we haven’t had a lot of trust in what our military turned into. Next question general.”

“I can see how well trained even your young people are, most likely better than most of my soldiers. How in the world did your people accomplish that one? I also see many races among your people and as far as I can see so far all of you cooperate with no problems.

“To answer that one, you would have to see our training techniques and when we start that training. Our children are trained starting sooner than most think possible. We’re not big on busy work in the school setting. They all get the basics and some excel beyond that in education and that is even looked for. We have many teachers here on many subjects among other things. But the big but is we also make sure they know how to do almost everything here. They take turns at all chores. They also have apprenticeships. The other part of their days are spent in military and other special training. You’ll have to see it for yourself. That’s if we find you trustable.”

“I know what your next question may be. You are not seeing even half of the people that live here. They are being held in reserve in case of trouble.”

“Dan your right with the last answer. I was going to ask that. Also, so you know this isn’t all of my people either. We have another company that is being held in reserve. They are camped five miles away. We do have some transportation parked a few miles from here. We wanted to come in as quietly as possible.”

“Now how can I assure you we can be completely trusted? I just can’t figure that one out at this time. But you know me Dan and I am the same man I always was. I believe in God, my family who are my people under my direction and my country. I know you are just being the mouth piece and I also see you are related to some of the leadership here. The resemblance to Chief Johnson is astonishing. I will have to hear the story on this one when we have some down time.”

“Another thing, do you know anything about the group called the Tunnel Rats? We have heard bits and pieces from folks on the shortwave about how they have helped many by rescuing them from raiders. We would like to find them and join them in these rescue missions. We ourselves took out the so-called military soldiers at their new Flagstaff base. The less of these scum walking around the better I will like it.”

Everyone at the table kept a straight face when Chief Johnson spoke up. “We have heard of these people called the Tunnel Rats and caught calls for help going their way from time to time. We will see what we can do. We do know these Tunnel Rats are people you do not want to cross. We have heard they believe in fair play but give no quarter to those that oppose them and to those that attack the innocent for their own gain.”

Gilroy turned to everyone at the table they were sitting at. He saw they were genuine and felt this had been a good meetup. He had this funny feeling though that made the back of his neck itch. They were honest and telling the truth but there was still something that had been left unsaid and he could sense it.

He had been introduced to all of us in leadership already and he knew we would have to confer among ourselves. Not just about him but the whole two companies. This was a lot of people to absorb at one time. If that was even possible.

Dan turned to us and we stared to deliberate. We decided to go with Dan’s word on General Gilroy. He had trusted him enough to let him know where he would be in the beginning of this mess. We would go along with this for now unless otherwise proved wrong. The tunnel system would still be our secret for the time being.

End chap 16 A

 

[accountant]

Thank you Sara.
Great story.

A.

 

[Lake Lili]

Thanks Sara!
Lili

 

[Siskiyoumom]

Thank you so very much!

 

[nuflyr]

Great story, well thought out.
can we assume you meant to use Gilly instead of the wwII
Kilroy was here logo with fingers and top of head looking over a fence?
Not to rush you, but MOOOOOR please.

 

[ejagno]

Great addition!

 

[sssarawolf]

It was just a play on Kilroy for Gilroy and Dan to have their own secret words for contact.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 16 B

General Gilroy sent his men and women off to encamp a mile away about where they met up with Dan earlier. He didn’t want his people to overcrowd the campground.

Luke and I went with the general and gave him and his aid a tour of our gardens, animals and the different training rooms along with the ranges that we had up here on the grounds. Getting close to evening chores there wasn’t a whole lot going on in the training areas. He seemed very interested in all the different areas we had set up for butchering, tanning, the herbal cabin, and the craft areas and what we were teaching. But as the old saying goes, morning starts early and we needed to begin preparing for night. We all walked back to the cook cabin and he was delighted with the nursery/child care room right off of the cabin. It was connected by a short hallway but really wasn’t part of the cook cabin per say. We also introduced him wherever we went.

Luke escorted him over to the extra-long bachelors cabin he and the aid would be staying for the night and showed him the arrangement the camp had for the singles. He was given a bed in the bachelor’s quarters along with the aid. Both were bottom bunks since they had the extras. Luke also showed them where the shared latrine, showers and linens and so on were kept.

After Luke said his good nights, the aid acted a little put out because the general didn’t have any private quarters to sleep in as befitted his rank. He was grossing about it and whispering out loud how someone could have given up their cabin for the general. The general was in the what these people called a shared lavatory at the time and would have set Corporal Cooper Downing straight if he had heard him complaining. But it just happened to be Daniel Red Wolf Locke instead that heard the grossing. Dan had wanted to check to make sure that general Gilroy had everything he needed for the time being and knew when breakfast was served in the morning. The camps early morning hours shouldn’t hurt Gilroy at all as everyone here got up before day break. Being that he was still in the military he most likely got up then anyway especially out on maneuvers. If not, too bad, so sad.

Dan stood right behind the corporal and cleared his throat. The corporal immediately straightened up and turned around from where he was turning down the generals bedding. The corporal noticed that the former marine had a scowl on his face.

“So, you think that a family that has done it’s best to survive these last few years. Not to mention fought off raiders not but a few short months ago should give up their whole cabin so a high-ranking officer can have a room to himself. And let’s not forget so you can have your own room as well. I hadn’t heard one complaint from the general when he was shown where he would be bunking. I have known him for years and fought beside him in many a battle. He has never been a stuck-up type officer who thought he was above his people. So, what in the world is your problem?”

Cooper grew red in the face at that time. One of the reasons was that he had glanced up and saw that the general was now standing behind Daniel Locke. While Dan had talked Cooper couldn’t even look Daniel in the eye but had his own eyes downcast. Therefore, he hadn’t seen the general walk up. Talk about another quiet man. He didn’t know how they did that.

It was now general Gilroy’s turn to clear his throat. He was just barely able to look over Dan’s shoulder and straight at the corporal. The corporal swallowed hard.

Gilroy walked around Dan with a towel on his left shoulder. He was just in his t-shirt and pants, not even his socks adored his feet. He slung the towel onto a hook on the wall to the right of the bunk bed before turning to corporal Cooper Downing. Gilroy saw Cooper turn red in the face and knew the young man was embarrassed about the lecture that Dan had just given him and being caught in it.

Dan nodded his head at Gilroy and said, “I’ll leave you to it general, I just wanted to see if there was anything you two needed this evening before turning in?” Gilroy shook his head in the negative.

“Well then goodnight and rest well. I’ll see you in the morning; breakfast starts at 6.” Dan didn’t have to but he saluted, turned and left.

As Dan left and stood just outside the door. He needed to hear what Gilroy had to say about what Cooper had complained about. It would help to know whether Gilroy had changed or not. He was happy with what he heard. The other single men were just coming in to grab some sleep so there had been no interruption of Gilroy’s speech to Cooper.

**
Afterward Luke and I retrieved Kate and went to our home. That still feels weird to me, our home. We talked a few things over knowing we couldn’t absorb that many people in our current camp ground. We would just plain be overcrowded. A few more cabins could be built but not the amount we would need to house them all. We needed another solution. I had seen Carla and George Brown walk arm in arm for their small cabin and thought just maybe that my idea could be a solution. She had been one of the rescued and there was that deserted town just sitting a few miles from us. The people that just came in could use it as a home base.

I told Luke about my idea and he grabbed me and said, “I’m so very happy that I married me a smart woman.”

End 16 B

 

[Cedar Lake]

I told Luke about my idea and he grabbed me and said, “I’m so very happy that I married me a smart woman.”

Words to live by.

Cedar Lake

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 17 A

When his grandfather’s old wind-up pocket watch hit 5:15 AM Luke started to get a hold of the others that helped make these types of decisions. He wanted everyone that could come to meet up at the cook cabin as soon as possible. He wanted to tell them about what Ora had come with for an arrangement before the Marine fellows joined them for breakfast.

He himself had to put a bit of giddy up in his own morning to get there in good time. Ora was going to be taking care of Kate and letting Kate sleep until 6:30 while she did a few morning chores without little Kate so called helping.

Everyone that had been at the meeting the evening before was there this morning. They were really curious at what was up.

Luke didn’t take the credit for the idea but gave the credit where it was due, to Ora as he explained her idea. There was a few minutes of thought and many smiles started to appear. Chief Johnson was saying, “Not a bad idea at that, really smashing in fact. We shouldn’t have long before the general appears to have his say on what he thinks of it.”

Everyone else agreed as well that this may be the perfect solution. They had just stopped talking when Gilroy with his aid coming in behind walked through the door. He was another early bird as it was still a few minutes before breakfast would be served. There were already a few people picking up plates and silver ware and lining up at the counter.

Gilroy laughed to himself without it showing on his face, some things never change it seems. A different place same type of order, line up to eat. He knew this was also a way to make sure no one took more than their share and could complain that they got shorted. But he knew there were exceptions to the norm. This was a way to see that the bigger guys got just a bit more but didn’t overdo it. He couldn’t say anyone was getting fat at this civilian encampment. Wow, how big was the young man that just walked in, he looked like he was the size of a mountain.

Luke watched Gilroy as Gilroy watched Mountain Mike come in for an early breakfast. Mike was on duty shortly as a gate guard. With the little’s at home he let his wife and the kids sleep in for a bit longer and left as quietly as possible. They had built an extra room unto their two-room cabin and now the boys were in separate rooms and weren’t waking each other up constantly. Everyone was sleeping better because of it. The main room was their his and Brandy’s bedroom, kitchen and sitting room. One either sat at the table or on the bed.

Luke had to grin at how wide Gilroy’s eyes had gotten with the sight of Mike. Just wait until he saw how fast that big man could move. He was all muscle walking wall.

The group let Gilroy and his aid Cooper get in line ahead of them just to see their reactions to the foods eaten here. Luke watched Gilroy the whole time as much as he could.

Gilroy definitely didn’t have his poker face on this morning. Many a teenager were coming in to eat and then leave for their duty as scouts, they weren’t lollygagging one iota Gilroy. He was thinking these were the best camouflage outfits that he had ever seen anyone wearing. Even better that what his special unit wore. He had seen that one for himself yesterday but not to this extent. There hadn’t been a wasted moment around them yesterday and even Sergeant Neilson the best of them had not had any idea they were surrounded. And most of these scouts were so dang young.

Gilroy turned his attention to what was being placed on his large metal pie plate. He had picked a metal cup up as well when he stuck his silver ware in his pocket. But he did see he could have his choice of metal or plastic for a cup he preferred metal. No one hurried anyone through but didn’t doddle either.

Today there were scrambled eggs, some kind of spam, he later learned it was homemade and they made different flavors, regular, bacon, and spicy. With the biscuits you had the choice of gravy, butter, or jellies to put on the two he received. This was still a very good helping of food by anyone’s standards. There were three different jellies and he asked what was what. There was blackberry, dandelion, and corn cob jelly today. These had all been made with honey. But honey was a topping for another day.

“Um” was Gilroy’s comment on the jellies. He had eaten blackberry but never in his life had he ever had dandelion or corn cob jelly. He did admit to himself that they smelled pretty good. He had picked the corn cob just to be adventurous. Even the corn cobs didn’t go to waste here.

When they sat down Gilroy noticed his aid looked a little on the green side at the food. He couldn’t figure out why because he couldn’t say they had eaten the best of foods for the last couple of years after they went their own way. Away from military formal military command that is. I guess you could say they deserted their post. That’s if they had, had a post to desert from in the first place. They had been given orders to round up dissenters in the military units, ex-military as well as civilians and punish them accordingly. They had rounded them up alright, but then they were brought in under Gilroy’s command. These were patriots who had been deemed enemies. Now things were turning around again in the government and getting people back in that loved this country. Gilroy wanted to help in any way possible and that meant saving as many people as he could. He caught himself from ruminating further and started to eat before his food was stone cold.

End cap 17 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 17 B

Luke sat down to the left of the general to eat and inform Gilroy that a meeting had been called for after breakfast of the leadership. They had something to put to him for him and his people.

Later after the meeting Gilroy was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He thought it was a bully of an idea. Dan and some of his volunteers would escort Gilroy and some of his people over there tomorrow. He had been told of the old towns condition but he was sure they could work with it. He had some talented people in his units and the camp folks said they would volunteer to help as they could.

Today he wanted a good look at how they were training in the different areas of combat, especially hand to hand, knife and etc. Dan told him they were just plain old training to survive another day. They walked by the bow and arrow range and he veered off to watch the 10 years old’s in a simi competition between them. He came to find out that the kids had been practicing since they were 7 years old. He saw to the right there was some different targets with what looked like tables that would hold equipment. That younger age group didn’t practice until after lunch. These 10 years old kids were pretty efficient he could say that. Not a slouch in the bunch. Early training seemed to really pay off.

Gilroy didn’t even realize that he was being used as a training exercise. All those extra bushes and tall grasses hadn’t made a move when he looked around. One of the things the camp ground didn’t want were bushes and trees for raiders to hide in or behind. There a few yes as that couldn’t be helped if you wanted a place to look more on the disused side, but not tall enough for adults to use to hide.

Quite a few of these bushes and tall clumpy grasses were the 12- to 14-year-old set of trainees. Like I said before, everyone that was able learned everything they could so they would be cross trained and be able to help when called on to do so. There was no complaining about being bored with our young people. No getting in major trouble or trouble makers either. The punishments were too severe as far as they were concerned. A little hijinks and teasing went on but that was just normal life.

Gilroy watched some of the jujitsu next and then some knife training. Before he knew it, he was being told it was lunch time. Everyone broke away from training for either the cook cabin or home. The teen boys were the fastest at getting away and Gilroy laughed. He could remember those days when he could eat anytime there was food around. He and Cooper who had been following along got another shock when seven bushes and three tall grasses got up and started taking off their netting and head gear, they were making a bee line for food as well. All Dan could do is laugh at the looks on General Gilroy and Corporal Downing’s faces.

Gilroy looked over at Dan and did a sort of snide, “Ha, ha, very funny, but a good one nether the less.” And smiled.

Then Gilroy laughed to himself and asked Dan. “Do you think your kids can play that one on my people? I’d love to see their faces to have someone sneak up on them and not even know they were there until you are I called them to get up. My scout unit already had a small taste of this when we first came in. But to know they could be out sneaked would make them see they need more practice than they have thought they needed.”

Dan agreed and he would ask for volunteers and set that assignment starting tonight so they could get over to the military camp. They weren’t just Marines for almost two years but a combination of different branches of the service.

Cooper was trying to stay out of it all, he had already made one mistake by talking to himself out loud and getting a lecture from an imposing figure and then the general himself. He had been kind of a go between on letting some of the other folks in the companies know what was going on to stay on top of information. But he decided with this one there was no way in hades he was going to give anyone the heads up.

Luke took over the touring for the general after lunch as Dan had a duty roast to go over and other assignments to make. Not to mention he was set to be a roving guard in the afternoon. He also wanted to take a little time to be with Brandy. He could hardly believe after pretty much being alone all these years, friends didn’t really count, that he had gotten used to her company and even craved it. He now knew that the other men he had known and some here loved being with what they called their better half. He got it now. He told himself, ‘Took me long enough now, didn’t it?’

One thing Dan noticed with everyone was that having General Gilroy and his company here led to more stress not less. Dan thought he himself felt some of it. It had been a very long time since they had any company, well in fact there hadn’t been any. The only new folks were ones that were rescued here and there. There was also the thought of being able to trust everyone under Gilroy’s command?

The next morning right after breakfast Dan was driving one of their jeeps with Gilroy as a passenger. Dan liked that Corporal Downing was in another vehicle. There was just something about Downing that rubbed Dan the wrong way. Or it could have just been what he had overheard from him the first night he was in the sleeping quarters.

There were three other vehicles with them with many of the company in the back of them. Gilroy was still laughing about what went down this morning.

General Gilroy with Cooper behind him had walked into the camp and stood among his people and looking around not only on the outskirts of the camp but in among the men and woman. Nothing looked out of place for being out in the field among trees, bushes and etc. He himself couldn’t see anything out of place or the slightest movement besides his people in camp. There were outlying roving guards that were called in to hear what the general had to say. They were getting a little tired of sitting around here and just going on guard once in a while as their turns came up. The general also had the former Marine with him Daniel whatshisname, which some thought was odd but they figured he was their go between with the civies in the camp. The whinny Downing was to the generals left, he had few friends and was known as a snitch. Most kept their distance from him. They didn’t know many of the men and women in that campground were former military themselves.

So there stood the general in the middle of everyone. No one understood the grin he had on his face while he seemed to be looking around rather purposely. He looked at the tall native American man from the camp and gave some kind of signal with the nod of his head. At that moment the man put a whistle to his mouth and gave two short blasts.

All of a sudden what looked like bushes and tall grass clumps stood up not just on the outskirts of the camp but on the inside as well. A very few of them had seen this before when they first got here and had been surprised when the camouflaged had made themselves known. That was before everyone went to the civilian camp to eat and do a little meet and greet. But nothing of this caliber. Not one of them knew they had been infiltrated starting in the wee hours of the morning to this extent. After being fooled once they didn’t think the campground folks could do it again. They now knew the signs, or at least they thought they did.

One of the campground scouts was again was young Mayville Moon Johnson. Sergeant Neilson looked her way and couldn’t make out any kind of emotion on her face. Man, he thought she was one beauty but he had learned that she was just 17 years old. He didn’t know that today was her 18th birthday. Mayville looked him straight in the eyes with her blank stare and he made an involuntary shiver. She noticed it and gave herself an inward grin. Ah so, my fine looken man you have noticed me. I think I am going to let him notice me some more and chase me until I catch him. Neilson wasn’t going to know he was already caught hook, line, and sinker.

Gilroy was having a good old time talking about the trick they had played on his people as they drove to the old ghost town.

End 17 B

 

[Lake Lili]

Thanks Sara! Hope you've had a great Labour Day Weekend!
Lili

 

[sssarawolf]

Thanks, you as well. Just normal days for us. But I did beat the 3 mules to the oat bowls to give them their morning treat before they could fight over them as I poured in the oats lol.

 

[sssarawolf]

Sheet changing, wash day and hanging same on the line, putting away extra into our linen and etc. storage containers from company and washing that as well first. The floors need a going over. I will see what I can get done before I poop out.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 18 A

People were assigned went every which way and the town was gone over pretty thoroughly. A lot of the buildings were pretty run down but had good bones. A few that had been lived in the longest as the last to leave would do for a couple of barracks and another could be fixed up to be a mess area, one wall was gone but that would still work for now. As the wells were uncovered and water found to get the hand pumps going the water was found to be pretty good as far as the test kits indicated. The good old boys in the group from the campground knew how to get those hand pumps working. Good thing they were around.

Gilroy asked how the camp had known about the old town and Dan explained all about the rescue of a few of the women that now called the campground home. Other soldier’s, men and women alike heard the story and looked at Dan with different eyes. The story about the man called Mountain Mike was a good one. A few of them had seen Mike and thought that was a good nick name for him.

Some of the lady soldiers had given Mike the up and down and were disappointed when Dan mentioned that Mike was a married man with a very pretty wife. No one wanted to be known as a home wreaker in a small community so they would find other prospects among the new folks. They knew these men they had been around all these months way too well and some were like brothers. The men were thinking the same thing about the new ladies they had seen. Some of them in the two companies already had wives, girlfriends, boyfriends or husbands in the companies.

The supplies they had been kept in the trucks, along with the folks that came to look were all unloaded. The drivers with a guard returned to the camp when Dan and Gilroy left and the general would return to the town with the last load of his people.

On the way back Gilroy wanted to know if the folks that were doing the training and or volunteers would come over and retrain some of his soldiers at some of the new stuff they were employing at the campground. Dan told him all they could do is ask.

While Gilroy and his aid went back to the camp ground the buildings were being cleaned out and cleaned up. A small attached shed on a smallish house for the general was designated the radio room. They would move the radio room later when they found or fixed up a better place for it. The truck with the portable kitchen would be coming over next, with all the work they were getting mighty hungry. MRE’s just didn’t cut it for long-term eating but were better than nothing in your stomach. Same with the food they had been scourging here and there. Older canned stuff, cactus fruits, snakes when possible and odd weed edibles. Just not too much grew in the desert areas one could eat. There had been a lot of what some folks called stone soup. Just a little bit of everything thrown together and lots of water added.

The ones that had gotten to join the camp ground folks had really enjoyed the fresh and homemade foods. Some of the foods were a bit odd but they tasted good. They hoped they would be able to have the same things at some point. The country men and women knew just what kind of work was involved in getting that food into the ground, taken care of through the good weather, harvested, and then processed.

Soon everyone in the Gilroy’s company had been transferred over to the old town. Gilroy was set up in his own house and they were surviving. So many wanted to know what to call it. They called a vote and the soldiers decided the town would be Fort Old Town. They thought it was as good as any name for their base.

Now it was time to send for the outlying people that had been guarding their backs and while that was going on a few more buildings were being made livable as they possibly could. More hands to help would be of great worth. As time went on more log cabin buildings were built as that was the easiest with trees not all that far away. Letting the trees dry was a practice in patience.

End 18 A

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap 18 B

We were passing along and sharing the seeds we could spare for the next growing season, wild foods that could be eaten, how to make certain kinds of traps. Also, our resident blacksmith and his apprentices were putting together cook stoves and pipe that would burn about anything put in them.

They even took the portable forge over to the base to work at times with what they needed.

​

We didn’t tell them we had confiscated what wood stoves and piping was still good and had been left in that town for our own people. Dad had collected a lot but not a never-ending supply.

Our carpenters and construction folk went over a couple times a week to help with whatever was needed along with bringing extra tools the military didn’t have. Other buildings were taken apart and the best of the boards and nails were used to make new buildings. Nails were pounded straight again and ready for reuse. It was a good thing the nails were older as they worked well to be re-straightened. Some small one-bedroom homes for the married people in their group were also put up. If there weren’t enough homes, they got one room cabins. We did hear a few complaints but Brandy, Mike’s wife put them straight right off the bat. They had started life out in a one room cabin and added on. Some couples where we lived were still living in one roomers. Like it or lump it.

One of the helpers that volunteered quite a bit was Mayville and she would just happen to walk by Sergeant Neilson from time to time. He would watch her walk by in rapt attention.

A month later we were contacted as per normal with one shortwave operator calling for help and another picking it up and so on until it got to us on our channel. This cry for help was coming from a small town called Shumway. Chief Larry said he knew it well and so did a lot of the tribe. Shumway normally had only between 300 to 400 citizens living there. At least they had before all this started. It was down on highway 77 south of Snowflake and Taylor. Fort Apache was south of Shumway with just a couple of small towns in-between. The chief also got a gleam in his eye and we could only guess that if we could pull off a rescue there, that it was like 20 miles to the edge of the White Mountain Apache grounds.

Depending on the battle and wounded we just might be able to go do a look see and take it back if it was still in the hands of the marauders that had chased them out of their home.

Now we were at the edge of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The White Mountains are to the east. So, it would be a roundabout trip to Shumway but we had people who knew of backroads that would make the trip faster.

It was Dan’s turn to smile and have an idea. One that would invite Gilroy’s army to join us in this adventure and rescue. He told us his idea and we enjoyed how we would introduce the Tunnel Rats to Gilroy.

Dan made his way to the radio room and called Fort Old Town. Gilroy was called to his radio room and a quick radio meeting was set up to do a bit of planning for this one. Dan also told Gilroy he would be meeting the Tunnel Rats. They would be coming to help. This needed to happen tomorrow morning and be on their way. The longer this took the more desperate the people of Shumway would be and the more that would most likely be killed or taken captive. The raiders would have had to gone through other towns to get to Shumway and the camp had heard nothing about it until now.

Gilroy agreed to meet in the wee hours of morning an hour before daybreak. He thought they should do more conferring and planning for most of the day. Dan told him that the Tunnel Rats would be ready to go after they met up. Dan thought that time was of the essence.

Gilroy hemmed and hawed a bit but told Dan he would call for volunteers to go on this rescue as soon as he got off from talking with Dan. But Gilroy also thought that he should be in charge as he was the real deal and in control of what went on in Arizona.

Dan got a bit ticked and told him, “The Tunnel Rats have done this many times and as far as he was concerned, they were the ones in charge of rescue operations especially in this area. They have been here a lot longer than you and your people have been.” This was their first disagreement.

Gilroy conceded a bit after that even if not very willingly and told Dan, “Well you introduce us and I will go along with it this time, depending on how things go with this mission.”

A few of us had been listening to the back-and-forth conversations and weren’t really happy about Gilroy’s tone. But we to decided we would also see how things went. The one problem was that once our people showed up and Gilroy and his company knew who we really were the cat would be out of the bag. We wouldn’t be anonymous anymore. We also know all it takes is a pair of loose lips to pass along information we don’t want let out. Good to have help with the scum that has been let loose among us but bad for people to know who we are at the same time.

We had quite a crew that volunteered. I can’t say a lot of the moms and dads were happy campers when their young men and women up and volunteered for this. But if they were going to be considered adults this was part and parcel of the job. You can be proud of their adult status and afraid at the same time.

At just before 3 AM our people pulled out of the camp headed for the rendezvous with Gilroy and men. The women counted themselves in as men of war and didn’t care what anyone else thought about it. They made that loud and clear the few times we met with some of them the last month. They were soldiers plain and simple, they knew they weren’t as strong and or sometimes not as fast, but they had their niche and did it well. When someone said, hey guys, they all turned.

When General Gilroy and his people rolled up the Tunnel Rats we already waiting. At first it was hard to make out faces and just who they were as he was not expecting the people, he realized they were.

As a search light on the Marine transport truck fanned over every one of the Tunnel Rats he saw they were decked out in full war paint and they were wearing those strange camouflage outfits he had seen the scouts wear minus the netting. But he saw there was a bunch of cammo disguised netting close to each person he could see, be they men or women.

He finally made out that Dan was driving the jeep he had ridden in a few times when Dan took him back and forth from the fort to their campground. He stared so hard at everyone and was so flabbergasted that he was at a loss for words for a few minutes. This sure wasn’t who or what he had expected. Then he thought to himself, just who was I expecting anyway?

Gilroy watched as Dan’s face turned from what we called a stone face to a smiling one when he saw the consternation on Gilroy’s. He even let out a snicker.

General Casey Gilroy got out of the passenger seat of the truck and walked over to Dan. He smiled back at him, “Old son, someday I’m going to get you back when you least expect it. But for now, let’s go over the map, the quick plan and be on our way. Flash lights were brought out and plans made with Dan and Dan’s young cousin Butch leading the way. Butch knew all the small roads to get them to where they wanted to go.

End 18 B

 

[sssarawolf]

Chores, chores, chores.

Arizona Tunnel Rats

Chap.19 A

It was full light when they watched with binoculars from the top of a small incline. There were enough bushes and scrub brush to hide them as they lay and watch if there were goings on in the town. A few trees dotted the town and it had been a nice-looking little town but not now. Businesses and homes were burned to the ground. Wreaked cars and trucks sat on the streets; and trash flew around everywhere. For now, it was quiet, the raiders must be sleeping as it was still pretty early and there was a slight chill in the morning air.

Butch nudged Dan and whispered to him, “Look to your 4 o’clock at the ballfield on the school grounds.”

Dan did and what he saw sickened him. Bodies of men women and children lay at all angles in death. They were too late to help those people. Hopefully they could save some that were still alive. Dan and many of the others continued to scan the area. They conferred and figured that the killers maybe lazy and just maybe wouldn’t be all that far away from their killing field.

Someone crawled up close to Dan, pointed and said look three blocks to the south. Guards were changing at the back of two large houses. Another two came out of the back door of each house and headed around the side, most likely headed for the front. Not but a few minutes later what must have been the front guards came around and went into the back of the homes. The only thing this could be is where the captives were being held. Gilroy who had shown up, along with Dan were sure that the remaining raiders had to be close by as well.

The scouts were given the signal and they started to make their way toward the housing section. They would leave some of the crew to watch the houses that the captives had to be in and the others would look for the remaining killers.

Mayville silently and slowly edged her way toward the side of a garage that was overgrown with all kinds of weeds and vines. The whole thing had weeds around it but this was the sun side so it had the tallest and thickest. Some were green and some brown so she fit into the color scheme just perfectly. This was one of the homes with what they assumed were captives. She stood and watched without a breath of movement on her part. Even when a slight breeze came up no one could tell her weeds and leaves from those on and close to the garage. The guards were inattentive and cocky and she smiled to herself.

Of the two slip shod guards at the back of the house one had just gone around to the left side of the house. The other one sat down on the back stairs and took a plastic container out of a cardboard box. He also lifted a metal coffee cup out of the box and poured himself some water. He sat for a few minutes before getting back up and starting walking towards where she was while unzipping his pants at the same time. She thought, gads can’t any of these types of people ever use a real restroom. Just go inside guy. But oh no, you can’t do that can you Mr. Piggy.

The only slight movement was her dark eyes. She glanced to see if the other man was coming back and she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him as yet. The walker came up and stood right beside her and slightly to the right. She could reach out and touch him with no difficulty at all. Again, another quick look and no one else in sight. Another grin while the man wet the ground with all his attention on what he was doing. So, with the ability to do so she did reach out and touch the scum ball but not with her finger. She unsheathed her 12-inch buck knife which was razor sharp, it so silently sliced across his neck. No one else as yet had showed, she caught him before he hit the ground and any blood he was losing was being soaked into his clothes. She knew behind her was the man-sized side door to the garage, she turned the knob and it opened easily. She hauled him into the garage and saw an old car. She again smiled and he was finally beyond life and on the heavy side. The driver’s window was down and she reached in and pulled the lever to open the trunk of the car. She heard it click open and drug/carried him to the back and threw him inside. Mayville made sure her cammo was still whole and returned to her position outside of the again closed garage door. Still no one.

It took another 10 minutes for his partner to come back around the house. He looked around the back yard, the other side of the house and then went into the back door before coming back out within a few minutes. He acted like he didn’t know what to do. Nelson wasn’t inside messing with any of the captives but he didn’t seem to be around the outside of the house either. Captain Budsley was gonna be mad. No one goes AOL on his watch. What he expected the rest of them to do about it he had no idea. They didn’t have the men to go out hunting for one man. There were only 37 of them left. Taking the two larger towns had whittled them down quite a bit. They hit the towns of Holbrook, Snowflake, and Taylor losing half of their soldiers in those fights alone. The civilians here also hadn’t taken kindly to being robbed, their children held to get them to cooperate and then killed anyway for resisting. If any of their women passed their requirements they were to be made into slaves.

As far as Budsley was thinking they could all hold up here for the coming fall which was soon upon them. Most of the men thought one of the bigger towns would have been better but Budsley was the captain and supposedly the brains. He Lance thought he knew where Budsley’s brains were and that wasn’t in his head. Fritz Budsley may have been a big man in prison, especially with his fists but when it came to common sense, he missed the mark.

End 19 A

 

[ted]

Those are the ones who think they are the smartest.

Thank you.

 

[sssarawolf]

Arizona Tunnel Rats

19 B

Lance thought just maybe he would look behind the garage, maybe he was just taking a dump. He really didn’t think Nelson was back there but he couldn’t think of anything else. He had to be able to tell the captain that he had looked everywhere.

Another body dumped in the trunk of the car making not much room for many more but it made Mayville a happy girl. This one she hadn’t outright killed but had wounded and hauled him into the garage to do a little talking. And talking he did indeed, with just a tad more prompting with her wee knife. She turned her radio on and did one click, when it was answered she gave her report. Then back to the post she had taken up. Two down, making two less to fight or use people for hostages. She watched and waited.

Her part wasn’t really engaging in the bigger battle but gathering information and just doing what she could. One of the things she had found out by her last catch was that there were eight guards and they did six hours each. She knew that the 12 noon guards were about due out. They always came out before the ones on duty went in.

She watched as the back door opened and a medium sized, thin man walked out onto the small back porch with a cardboard box. That box was almost the same size as the one that sat on the porch right now. His partner was right behind him and he was snarling into the back of the smaller man’s head. All she could think was, ‘how can I use that?’

The big man looked around as the small man but the box down. When he stood back up, he started to look around as well. She heard, “I’ll go around front, you check back here.”

All big guy met was the new guards sitting on the front porch and the old ones on the way back inside. No one had seen anything unusual. That’s what he told small guy. “The back guards must have gone AWOL. Small guy said, I find it strange because they never seemed the type.”

Big guy gives small guy a shove and small guy hits the ground. “How would you know what’s strange sleazeball?”

Big guy wasn’t ever going to get an answer to that question because small guy drew out a hand gun and shot big guy right in the forehead.

Well, well, thought Mayville, at least it’s one I won’t have to do anything about and not have to hide the body.

She watched as two guys ran around the side of the house from the front to the back and just stared at the big man on the ground and then back up and small guy who still stood there with his gun in hand. She heard, “You two want to do something about this or are you fine with it?”

They both held up their hands, turned and headed back around the house. At that time a battle was beginning a couple of houses down. At last, she thought, ‘past time to get this show on the road.’

The front guards ran back to the back yard and others came outside. They listened and then started to run the opposite direction and so did small guy.

She smiled again, not a nice one either. No honor among thieves and murderers. As they ran away all the shooting just stopped from the other homes. What she did is make her way via the overgrown fence line, then over to the house to look into a window. She saw nothing, well besides the mess that had been made of the inside. It was the kitchen and it was grimy. She waited another couple of minutes and decided she would be careful and had her gun in hand so no one could surprise her. But from what she had learned was that the only men left had now run off.

No one was in the kitchen, dining room or living room, that left the upstairs and the basement. The upstairs was where she went first. Her face was still covered with her cammo so when she opened the first bedroom door, she heard all kinds of squeals. At least it wasn’t outright screaming. All she did is look around at the young women all tied up, she closed the door and proceeded to do the same with the other three bedrooms. It was the same in them all. What she did in the last bedroom was lean down with her knife the girl shied away from her as she bent near her. She was going to untie her and let her loose the others.

“Hey there, the bad guys are gone. I’m just going to untie you so you can do the same to the others. Some of you will need to go to the next bedrooms and do some untying. I’m headed down to the basement to see if there are anymore of you.”

What she heard from the little redhead was, “Hey you’re a girl.”

“Yep, I sure am now start doing what I told you.”

Mayville let her and the others go to it and headed back down and found the basement door under the stairwell she had just came down. It smelled like copper the kind when there’s lets of blood. There was nothing in the main area but a door that was slightly ajar to the left. It wasn’t a good scene that met her. Two dead and one tied to an old-fashioned spring bed frame. She was alive but not in very good shape. The girl had been whipped with what looked like a wire off of an electric appliance. The girl looked up at her and even in pain her eyes grew wide.

Mayville thought, okay there’s no scum around I guess I will take my face cammo off. So, she did and stuffed it in a hidden pocket. Then the girls grew wide again but even more frightened and Mayville heard a noise behind her.

She didn’t even have time to think but used her muscle memory from all her practice. As she turned, she pulled her knife out at the same time. It was the small guy; he had snuck back and had just smashed into her with a snarky grin on his contorted face. He hadn’t even realized as yet that he had ran right into her knife. He didn’t have much time to gloat as the point slide up and into his heart. Mayville was leaning backward over the frame the girl was on and pushed him backward off of her and spit on him as he landed in a heap on the floor.

Out loud she said, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” With her knife she made fast work of cutting the girl loose and they headed upstairs with the girl leaning heavily on her. Here she thought that it was the big guy that had been the problem when it was the little creep the whole time. A lesson learned. The big ones aren’t always the bullies.

Mop up didn’t take long at all. The only one they couldn’t find at first was the so-called Captain. Young Neville True Blood followed an odd trail where someone was dragging a foot and it led to a dog house in the back yard of one of the houses the so called captain had been sleeping in. He was hauled out when Neville gave a signal for others to come. Neville sighted something that looked strange under the collar of Budsley shirt and pulled out a Native American necklace like they had sold at the store at the White Mountain Reservation and pulled it off of him. Were these the men that had pushed them out? If they were there were a whole lot less of them now than when they attacked his home. Budsley got his just reward a short time later.

In all 47 young women were rescued, it had been hard when some of them found out about the fate of their families. A few others had seen their families killed right in front of them. They were given the choice to be hauled to either the campground or be taken to the military base to see to their injuries. For now, all of them chose the campground, they had enough of military even knowing it hadn’t been the real deal. They had enough of seeing uniforms for the time being.

When the covered large Army truck pulled up to the first house where Mayville was escorting the women outside to be loaded up for the trip Sergeant Neilson was riding shotgun. This time when he looked at her, Mayville gave him a small grin. He smiled back at her before he looked down at her ghillie suit and saw the blood all down the front of it.

End 19 B

 

[Lake Lili]

The Sgt is about to learn just how dangerous Mayville really is...
Thanks Sara!
Lili

 

[Lake Lili]

repeat... apologies