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Cabin in Kentucky
Coming out the back door, Lance checked his gear. Satisfied, he buckled the mask on while he walked over to the buggy as the sun set. Hearing the door open behind him, Lance turned around as he put on his helmet and saw Jennifer and Lilly come out buckling on their helmets with Dino between them. “They need to paint something on their masks,” Lance noted.
Sitting in the buggy, Ian gave a snort. “It won’t be a skull,” he said. “Jennifer gives me shit about ours.”
Climbing in the front passenger seat, “At least we look cool,” Lance chuckled behind his mask as Lilly and Jennifer climbed in the back and put Dino in the middle.
Ian turned on the batteries and gripped the steering wheel. “Let’s get this show on the road,” he laughed as he drove around the cabin.
“Gate,” Lance called into his radio.
“Opening,” Allie called back, and they saw the inner gate rolling open. Before it was halfway, the outer gate had already swung open.
Not waiting until the inner gate had opened all the way, Ian drove through the gap and turned right to follow the fence line. Lance glanced back to see the outer gate swinging closed just as the inner gate finally stopped fully open, only to start rolling back to close.
“Think I should speed the inner gate up?” Lance asked, gripping his AR.
“Nah,” Ian grunted. “We don’t have to do it, the outer gate closes so fast it scares me.”
Driving up behind the cabin, Ian drove over the ridge and into the chute for the barrier fence. “I still want a fucking gate here,” Lilly said behind them.
“We found one,” Lance told her over his shoulder. “Now that the greenhouse is done, we can start moving to other projects.”
Shaking her head as they came out of the chute, “Every time we complete something to take off the list, we add four more things,” Jennifer sighed. “Now I understand what Mom and Dad were always talking about; you can’t get ahead.”
“Yeah, having to be a grownup sucks ass,” Ian agreed.
Pulling out of the trees, Ian stopped in the yard of the ‘build house’ where they stored equipment. There were several side by sides parked in a line that had been moved from the cabin, just so they could have room. Lilly and Jennifer climbed out and walked over to one of the diesel Rangers with a trailer already hooked up to it.
While Lilly and Jennifer checked the Ranger, Ian turned to Lance. “With Lori, Denny, and Jodi at the cabin, I have to admit, they are doing a good job at helping out,” Ian said. Hearing what the boys were talking about, Lilly and Jennifer listened carefully.
“Yeah, and they better continue,” Lance told him. “I’m all for helping them learn, but they can’t slow us down more than they have.”
“Dude,” Ian huffed. “They haven’t even been there a week and they’ve already learned more than they ever did with their parents since they’ve been born.” Spinning away, Lilly bit her bottom lip to keep from busting out laughing.
“I know,” Lance nodded. “But they can’t stop because we can’t let anyone endanger us. Like we’ve always told Lilly and Jennifer, ‘We have to make sure we always see what’s around us before it sees us’.”
“Coming up,” Heath called over the radio.
Turning to the driveway, Lance grinned. “I’m so happy they baffled their rides.”
Putting his hands on his hips, “They wouldn’t be coming with us if they hadn’t,” Ian snapped as Lilly and Jennifer came over.
Lilly tapped Lance’s arm, getting his attention. “You sure about Rhonda riding shotgun with you and Ian?” Lilly asked.
Looking Lilly directly in the eyes, “To be honest,” Lance ranted. “No.”
When Lilly drew a breath to speak, Lance held up his hand to stop her. “But it’s the best choice,” Lance pointed out. “I know for a fact; you and Jennifer can cover your area at the back even with one driving. If Rhonda was back there so one of you could ride with us, that means one of you would be exposed, and neither Ian nor I can have that.”
“Oh, so you don’t think we have a right to bitch because our men are riding point with someone who hasn’t trained with us?” Lilly protested.
“We are in the front on point and that’s what we decided,” Lance insisted. “We’re over patrolling, so don’t start.”
Hearing Lilly getting ready to unleash, Jennifer grabbed her arm. “Don’t,” Jennifer warned. “We agreed to that and it’s sound reasoning, even if I don’t like it.”
Staring at Jennifer’s eyes behind the mask, Lilly finally nodded. “I don’t like my man in danger, but okay.”
Reaching out and grabbing Lilly’s hand, Lance gave it a squeeze. “Just like we don’t like our girls in danger, but we do what we have to,” Lance said as two more side by sides drove up. “If we had our way you two wouldn’t leave the cabin, but that would just put you in more danger if trouble found us.”
Leaning over, Lilly whispered. “We are curling up on the couch when we get home.”
Thankful the mask and fading light hid his blush, Lance climbed out as Heath and his wife Robin walked over with Rhonda. “Want me to lead?” Heath asked.
Shaking his head, “Nah, let us do it,” Lance answered, then turned to Rhonda. “You’ll ride shotgun with us. I’ll be standing and covering out the roof. Then Heath and Robin, next Dwain and Kathy, followed by Lilly and Jennifer,” Lance pointed as he gave out the riding order.
Seeing everyone nod, Lance continued. “This area is a mile and a half outside our three mile perimeter, so keep alert and call out anything. Keep your weapons ready at all times but I’m not kidding, you shoot one of us and we will shoot back.”
“We’ve been practicing,” Robin said proudly, then adjusted her tactical vest and M4. “We finally got that laptop you left for Denny hooked up to the big screen in the den and copied the lessons.”
Lance glanced over at Ian and nodded, very impressed by that. “Can I ask what Grady and his wife are doing?” Lance asked before turning back to Robin.
“Oh, Brenda practices with us, but Grady is adding more cameras to the security system,” Robin answered.
Stepping close to Lance, Heath lowered his voice. “We told Grady until he starts doing those videos on gun drills, he isn’t allowed to use a gun and if he hasn’t started in a week, he has to pack his shit.”
“Effective,” Lance grinned.
Stepping back, “Yeah, Brenda told his ass if he didn’t start working out in the gym, she was going to make him outrun stinkers for exercise,” Heath chuckled.
“Hardcore,” Ian laughed.
When Lance flipped down his quad tube, everyone else flipped down their night vision, even though Heath’s group looked on with a little jealousy, but they were still happy. Not from the gear the group had, it was the knowledge and confidence the group displayed. Before Lance and Ian, they’d had next to nothing, little knowledge, living in fear, and close to starving. Now, they felt they had a chance at survival.
“Dino,” Lance said, pointing at the backseat behind Ian and then climbed inside to stand out of the roof. Pulling up his AR, Lance rested it on the roof.
“You want me on this .22?” Rhonda asked, climbing in the passenger seat.
“Nope, stay on your M4,” Ian answered. “Big pussy may be around and the M4 will do more to run them off.”
Rhonda looked down at the gun the boys put together for her. “You and Lance refer to your guns as ARs, but ours M4s. Why?” she asked.
“M4 is just the military version of the AR. Uncle Doug had parts to upgrade our ARs. So we have full auto like yours, but also three round burst. Your barrel is only fourteen inches, our barrels are sixteen inches,” Ian answered, easing the buggy to the driveway and waiting on everyone to fall in behind him. “To be honest, we reference both the same sometimes.”
Turning to scan around them, “Do two inches make that much of a difference?” Rhonda asked.
Nodding, “If you’re shooting past three hundred yards, it does,” Ian answered.
When the others were behind him, Ian eased off down the driveway until he reached the valley below and found four stinkers in the road. As Ian slowed to turn right driving up the valley, the four stinkers’ heads exploded one after the other. In two seconds, Lance had all of them down and was looking around as he stood out of the roof.
“You guys are fast,” Rhonda said in awe.
“Hey, we normally shoot them with arrows,” Ian chuckled, and Rhonda glanced over and fought off a shiver to see the gray paint from the skull on the mask seeming to glow in her night vision monocular. As if the lifelike painting detail of the skull wasn’t terrifying enough, the glow gave it a supernatural terror.
Passing the mobile home where she had met Ian and Lance, Rhonda had to admit, since this had started, she really felt they had a chance to survive this now. Looking away from the mobile home, Rhonda saw Ian taking the small driveway that ran up a draw to the house they were using to run communication lines through. It was a nice house, and she liked the idea of them turning it into a meeting place or ‘clubhouse’ as they’d called it.
Passing the clubhouse, Lance looked around as Ian drove up the ridge to the crest. Glancing back, he saw everyone behind them with only five yards between each vehicle. Keeping his head moving side to side, Lance rotated his eyes over a two hundred degree arc, only occasionally glancing back.
When Ian topped the rise and started down the slope, Lance felt Dino move and lean against his leg. Before he could glance down, Lance felt Dino’s chest vibrating against his leg. Jerking his eyes around, Lance was reaching for his PTT. “Contact right!” he yelled, pulling up his rifle.
Ian heard the shout in his earbud and rapid shots above him. Turning to his right, Ian’s mouth fell open to see dogs, a fuck load of dogs running up the slope toward them like a flood. “Fuck!” Rhonda shouted, lifting her rifle and starting to shoot.
Knowing the dogs were faster, Ian stomped and locked the brakes before he grabbed his rifle, aiming out the left side.
Just below the crest, Jennifer and Lilly heard the shout fine without the radio and shots. Seeing the others stopping and aiming to the right, Jennifer stopped and looked to the right, but couldn’t see over the slope. “Wh-,” Lilly started and then jumped out, raising her rifle and started snapping off shots.
With her heart pounding, Jennifer jumped out and opened fire, seeing the pack of dogs charging at them from the rear.
Lance dropped the empty magazine and slammed in a new one before bringing the stock to his shoulder and tapping the bolt release. Flipping the selector to the rear on automatic, Lance started squeezing short bursts at the dogs as they ran between the trees.
Hearing many yelps as dogs were hit, Lance kept his aim toward the front of the pack, seeing the charge falter. Now with everyone firing and dogs yelping everywhere, Lance moved along the pack, just aiming center mass. He saw a huge St. Bernard skid to a halt thirty yards away and he cut loose a short burst, watching the dog drop from the impacts and letting out a yelp. When the dog stood back up, Lance was already moving to another target.
As one, the entire pack turned and ran back along the slope. Holding his aim on the retreating pack, Lance cut loose two more bursts and was rewarded with two more yelps. Ejecting his empty magazine, Lance slammed in a new one and turned around.
His heart dropped, seeing Jennifer shooting behind them on their left side. Following her aim, Lance saw a dog drop and then try to get up, only to have Jennifer shoot it again. Quickly scanning the left side and seeing nothing moving, only several dead dogs, Lance turned back and saw Lilly lowering her rifle as she was aiming behind them.
“Heath!” Lance called out, since Heath was behind them but standing on the right side of his buggy. “What about covering all sides?”
Heath jumped in the air and aimed his gun at the slope on their left. “Jennifer covered your sector and she had to cover the rear all by herself!” Lance snapped.
“Sorry,” Heath panted. “I just saw a wave of dogs.”
“Well, if Jennifer hadn’t shot the ones on the left behind you, they would’ve got your ass,” Lance grumbled, climbing out. When he jumped to the ground, he saw Ian looking across the slope with his thermal. “How many you think we got?”
“Over forty. Luckily, none were coming in my area and I could help Rhonda by taking the front. I still had to swing back and take three that were in Dwain’s and Heath’s area,” Ian answered in a trembling voice. Lowering his rifle, Ian turned to Lance. “That was over two hundred dogs, Lance. Way over.”
Nodding, Lance turned to walk back to Lilly and Jennifer as adrenaline rushed his body. “I was hoping the lions and tigers would keep them away, but it seems the dogs scared off the pussy,” Lance called over his shoulder, then stopped beside Heath.
“Shit, I have a gun and thought about climbing a tree,” Ian mumbled, seeing Rhonda staring down the slope and panting hard.
“Heath,” Lance said in a low voice. “You have to make sure your left side is clear. We were point and responded to the threats. Ian’s area was clear, but he still kept track of the left side, including your area. I think the pack was heading to your place. Please tell me you have the animals locked up.”
“Yes, every day before sunset we lock up the chickens and goats,” Heath answered in a shaking voice. “You seem kind of calm.”
“Dude, I’ve had motherfuckers shoot at my ass,” Lance responded. “I’ll take dogs any day.”
“Sorry, it won’t happen again,” Heath said, flipping his monocular up.
Stepping up, Lance grabbed Heath’s forearm. “Heath, just relax and think because a mistake can get you or all of us killed. I’m not mad just disappointed because I should’ve looked back. I know your group hasn’t practiced this yet,” Lance said in a low voice. “Now, go to Dwain and go over your mistakes while I talk to Jennifer and Lilly. Reload your magazines and keep an eye out.”
When Heath nodded, Lance left and found Jennifer and Lilly looking around, loading magazines. Lance turned to the left and saw six dogs laying still and four more thrashing about on the ground. “You two okay?” Lance asked.
“Lance, don’t be hard on them,” Lilly said, and Jennifer nodded. “I’ve been attacked by dogs several times since this started, but not by an army of them. It’s hard to force yourself not to panic.”
Walking past Lilly and patting her rump, like a guy would another guy, Lance saw several more dogs lying still at the crest of the ridge. “Not going to lie, I think I wet my pants,” Lance confessed, reaching over and patting Lilly’s leg.
“Take your glove off and move your hand over some more and you’ll feel I did,” Lilly informed him.
Leaning close, “You’re my girl, so your pee doesn’t scare me,” Lance whispered, and tapped the forehead of his mask against Lilly’s mask.
When he looked over at Jennifer, Lance could see she was still trembling from the adrenaline rush. “Hey, I wasn’t going to pull down my pants to take a piss,” Jennifer huffed. “I pissed my pants when you were walking back here.”
“Don’t you even start,” Lance huffed. “You peed on me before.”
Jennifer gasped in shock, cutting her eyes at Lilly. “Lance, we were in the swimming pool playing chicken.”
“And you were on my neck,” Lance hissed. “I don’t care if Beth was pulling your hair. I heard you scream, and the back of my neck got warm.”
Stomping her foot, “I said I was sorry,” Jennifer whispered harshly. “I tried to get Ian to be my partner.”
Cocking his head to the side, “Jennifer, you were in a small bikini,” Lance droned. “That’s why Jason had to team up with Beth and Ian was referee. Sorry, but when men have serious wood, we don’t like girls to know. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Lilly moved up beside Lance. “When we get a chance, that one pool in the stream is five foot deep now. How about you and I challenge Ian and Jennifer to a chicken fight?” Lilly offered.
Images filled his mind and Lance’s body gave a jerk as he spun to face her. “And who’s going to carry you?” Lance gasped. “I couldn’t. Just thinking of you in a bikini, much less sitting on my neck, gives me wood.”
“Just an idea,” Lilly responded, then patted Lance’s mask.
“We leave in five,” Lance said, spinning on his heel and storming off.
“I really didn’t mean to pee,” Jennifer said, shoving her loaded magazines back in her vest. “Jason was like a giant and Beth actually had to lean down to get me. She grabbed a handful of hair and it just came out. They kicked our asses so bad; I really don’t want to chicken fight swimming anymore.”
Patting Jennifer on the shoulder, “I’m getting the ladybugs to ask for a swimming pool,” Lilly chuckled.
Rolling her eyes, “You wait till we get caught up some because you know damn well Lance will build them one,” Jennifer snapped, climbing back in the side by side.
Stopping beside Heath’s side by side, Lance turned to Heath who was sitting behind the steering wheel. “If we run into an ambush where they shoot at us, don’t stop. If our vehicle stops, you drive around and get out of the kill zone. Just hold your guns out and start shooting,” Lance told him.
Nodding, “I remember that one and I’m glad Ian didn’t do that because if I could’ve gone around him, I might have tried,” Heath admitted.
“Dogs don’t shoot, but can outrun us in the trees. That’s why Ian stopped. If you had tried to outrun the dogs through the trees, you would’ve had dogs climb inside and munch down on you,” Lance informed him, and leaned down to see Robin trembling in the passenger seat. “Robin, relax and get your mind back in the game because we are still inside our three mile patrol area.”
A shiver ran up and then down Robin’s body. “I’ll be okay,” she assured Lance.
Heading back to the buggy, Lance found Ian standing at the driver’s door holding out a handful of magazines. “I loaded your mags,” Ian said, and Lance took them before shoving them back in his vest. “You went through four and I went through three. I won’t ever argue again about carrying twelve magazines.”
Climbing on the buggy and dropping his legs down through the roof, “Dude, the only reason I don’t carry more is because I want room to add a spot for the other magazines when we carry different weapons,” Lance told him. “You ready?”
Not answering, Ian just climbed back in the buggy and took the parking brake off. Scanning around, “At least pussy doesn’t travel in packs like that,” Lance mumbled as Ian slowly pulled off.
