Part 34 (1/2)
”Start engines?”
”No. I'll give the signal.”
”Creepies have stopped forward advance.”
”They're puzzled as to why we have not opened fire. Hold all fire. How does it look to the east?”
”Grim.”
”I love your succinct reports, Corrie.”
”Thank you,” she said dryly.
Twelve minutes to bug-out.
”Therm and his people?”
”Loaded up and ready to go, sir. Dan is b.i.t.c.hing about you pulling out last.”
”He'll get over it. Have the creepies resumed advance?”
”Negative. Bikers have loaded their motorcycles onto trucks and are on board.”
”Lamar and his people?”
”Loading now, sir.”
Eleven minutes.
”All units load up except for us, Corrie.”
The minutes seemed to tick by at a crawl.
”Let's go, people,” Ben finally ordered. ”Time to wave bye-bye to the creepies.”
Full dark outside. Ben held the door for Jersey. ”Ladies first,” he said.
”Move, General,” she told him.
Ben stepped out into the rain and staying low, ran to the wagon. He opened the door. ”This time, Jersey,”
he said with a grin, ”you have to go first.”
Two minutes to bust-out.
”Masks on and start engines,” Ben ordered.
Dozens of engines burst into life, filling the air with roaring.
”Here they come,” Corrie told Ben, listening through her headset. ”From all sides.”
”Fire gas.”
One minute.
”They're in the perimeter!” Corrie said.
Zero.
”Go!” Ben said, his voice m.u.f.fled through the gas mask.
Dozens of tanks, trucks, vans, Jeeps, Hummers, and APC'S rammed their way out of concealment as the gas canisters exploded, filling the rainy air with choking tear gas.”Hit the smoke!” Ben gave the orders.
Smoke canisters were exploded and everybody who could began throwing smoke grenades. The smoke only added to the confusion caused by the swirling tear gas.
”Just follow the lights of the truck in front of you, Cooper,” Jersey said. ”Don't get too close, but don't get us lost either.”
”I hate backseat drivers,” Cooper said. Then he slammed on the brakes to keep from plowing into the rear of the Jeep.
”Wonderful,” Jersey muttered. ”The man is a real whiz behind the wheel.”
The creepies were shooting wildly, but hitting nothing. Tears were streaming down their eyes and they were staggering around blind.
”The last vehicle is clear of the compound,”
Corrie said.
”One s...o...b..-doo, two s...o...b..-doo,” Ben started counting, as Linda stared at the commanding general.
”s...o...b..-doo?” she said.
Ben reached ten and said, ”Let ”em bang, Beth!”
She twisted the handle on a small box and the entire compound erupted into sea of flames and explosions as the Claymores were electronically detonated.
Barrels of gasoline had been left behind, and the buildings had been soaked with gas just seconds before the bug-out.
The entire area the Rebels had occupied was turned into a blazing, raging inferno. What the Claymores didn't kill, the flames engulfed and destroyed.
Clear of the blinding, choking gas, Ben pulled off his mask and said, ”You can relax now. We're clear.”
”Relax?” Jersey said. ”We're not a mile away and there must be two or three thousand of those creeps back there.”
”Yeah,” Ben agreed. ”But they don't have vehicles close by. By the time they get to their cars and trucks-if they have any at all-we'll be on the Interstate heading north.”
”We'll have to deal with them someday,” Cooper said.