David flew out the front door and was gone before the sound of the slamming door quit echoing through Jennifer’s mind, her maternal fears imagining every conceivable threat her son was off to face.
Emma had the bottle filled and was back on the couch holding the baby close and watching her mother. “I’m scared, mom,” she whispered. “Is he going to be alright?”
Jennifer tried to fake a smile. “I hope so, Em. I really, really hope so.”
CHAPTER 39
Thursday, February 16th
Deer Creek, MT
David flew down the street, running as fast as he was able with his gun in one hand and his backpack thrown over his other shoulder. He spotted men coming from two other streets and was overtaken by a man on horseback who galloped past, shouting words of encouragement.
A garage a half-mile from the militia house, designated as the mustering point after the previous incident made it apparent that the militia house was too close to potential threats, was his destination. David, breathing heavily when he arrived, listened to the men already present as they speculated about the situation, though none of them really knew much of anything.
David was standing off to the side and trying to catch his breath when someone shouted to quiet the group. Voices quickly went silent, and everyone strained to hear, listening for anything out of place. David heard a low rumbling just as someone blurted out “engines!” Another man confirmed it. “I heard it too. It sounds like more than one.”
A nervous murmur rumbled through the twenty men who were gathered. Craig Reider, now standing at the front of the group, spoke. “Listen up! Sean has gone ahead to the militia house to find out what he can. He said the rest of us need to be ready for action as soon as he gets back.”
Craig spent the next few minutes confirming weapons were loaded and ready and everyone was primed to shift into action once Sean returned. David was focused on Craig’s instructions when someone alerted the men. “Here comes Sean, and he’s moving pretty fast.” David turned towards the militia house and saw Sean sprinting down the street. Sometimes the militia jogged around the area to get in shape, but never a full on sprint, and it scared him.
David felt a hand grab his shoulder, startling him. He jumped as he turned and saw Ty Lewis giving him a reassuring smile.
“How you doing, David?” Ty asked, his eyes on Sean sprinting towards them.
“Alright, I guess,” David answered, his attention re-focused on Sean as well. David tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry, like at the end of an August football practice. He licked his lips and waited for Sean to reach them.
Sean didn’t break stride or slow down, arriving at the mustering point less than two minutes after he was first spotted. The ragtag groups of soldiers watching in silence as Sean hurried towards them.
Sean slowed to a walk just in front of the garage, fighting to catch his breath as he stepped in front of the group. “Okay…I’m sorry, but this doesn’t look good… From the upstairs window…” he took a couple of deep breaths between each phrase, pushing himself to relay the information as quickly as he could. “I could see a…dump truck and maybe a tour bus…coming down the freeway from Missoula. …with the spotting scope, I could see damage to the vehicles … looked like bullet dings. We won’t know until they get here…but they don’t look friendly.”
The men shifted anxiously from foot to foot. David was nervous as well, though maybe less so than some of the others, he thought, since he was one of the few people in the group who had actually shot a weapon in combat. Most of the men had done nothing more violent than take down a deer in hunting season, and some of them not even that.
“This is what I need,” Sean said, finally able to talk without stopping for air. “I need four men to head to the barricade on the road from Missoula on this side of the river. I don’t expect anything to happen there, but we need to be ready just in case. You come and back us up if we get into trouble by the bridge.” Craig indicated a group he had formed before Sean’s arrival, and the men started to leave. Sean called them back, instructing them to wait until all assignments had been made.
“I want twelve men for the barricades by the bridge, six on each side. You’re our first line of defense. The crew from the militia house already has four men there, so that’ll give us sixteen, plus there are two more upstairs with bigger weapons.” Craig walked through the group, picking out people as Sean spoke, including Ty, who still stood beside David.
More militia members continued to arrive while Sean gave directions. David estimated that their numbers had grown to over thirty. “I need four to head south to the Shipley Ranch. I don’t anticipate any trouble there, but make sure Bryan and his boys are armed and ready, just in case. Who has the horse?”
A hand was raised, and Sean pointed at the man. “Is it fast?”
The man nodded. “She’s young, but she can move.”
“Good. I need you to stay close to the militia house. Be ready to run messages and respond to gunfire anywhere it’s not expected. Who’s a fast runner?”
No one responded, so David hesitantly stuck his hand up.
“David, I need you to take the back way to Clinton as quickly as you can. Let them know what’s going on over here. You can take one of the bikes, but with the snow, I don’t know that you’ll be able to ride the whole way. You may have to do some of it on foot. See if they can offer any help, then come back this way down the freeway if they get a group together. That’s a lot of distance to cover, but we need to get word out. Wait and talk to me before you take off.”
David nodded, feeling his heart already begin to race.
Sean counted heads. “You six, divide yourselves between the bunkers along the river. Two in each. Stay there unless instructed to reinforce somewhere else. Craig, you stay here. As more show up, I want you sending half of everyone to us at the bridge, then spread the rest out to reinforce.” The deep, steady rumble of the engines was increasing, as was the sense of dread that hung in the air.
“Alright!” Sean said, raising his voice. “This is what all our drills have been about. We get a chance to protect our homes. I don’t know what’s in store, hopefully it’s a false alarm, but remember, we don’t have unlimited ammo, so if it comes to shooting, shoot to kill. No pray and spray out there, and don’t waste bullets on someone who isn’t a threat. Stay where you’re assigned, unless you’re directed to leave or you can’t hold your position. I don’t know how big this group is that’s coming in. It might be just a couple of folks who are lost, but I doubt it.”
David looked around at the nervous faces. The group was mostly men in their thirties and forties, though there were a few women and several men whose hair was solid gray. His legs trembled, and the memories of the night on the mountain came rushing back, adding to his anxiety. At least this time I’m not the only one who knows they’re coming, he thought.
Sean continued speaking to the group. “We need to hurry and get into position. I know most of you have never shot a man before, and it will be really difficult if it comes to that. Remember, these people have come here, to our homes. We’re not doing anything more than defending ourselves, and we’ll do whatever we have to do to defend our families.” He scanned the group, noticing tension, fear, and nervous resolve in his men.
Someone in the group shouted out, “Try and imagine them with antlers, they’ll be easier to shoot that way.” Sean smiled and several let out a low chuckle.
“Are we ready?” Sean called out, his voice growing stronger. The group responded half-heartedly, so he repeated, as loudly as he could. “I said, are we ready?!” This time the response was surer, with men waving their rifles in the air, shouting, and cheering.