“Sir, our men have been encountering troubles here and there, but they have always been successful in setting up contact. I thought it wasn’t a request that needed your approval.”
“Major, I can’t stress enough the importance of chain of command. If it pertains to large-scale operational decisions, you must run it by me,” Barone chastised.
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, what do we have?”
“As you know we have had small engagements with civilian gangs throughout Oregon. What makes this different is they encountered another military force.”
“Marines, is it the other ARG?”
Ashley looked at the other men and Simpson, then turned to Barone and said, “No, sir, these are not Marines. These aren’t U.S. forces at all.”
“What happened to our men?”
“The patrol in Eureka was ambushed after meeting with the mayor there. We lost five men. Outside of Redding, our patrol came upon them along the side of the road. When our troops pulled up, this group opened fire. Our men returned fire and destroyed them. We know they’re not U.S. because this is what was transmitted back.” Ashley took the remote and clicked a button. The screen flipped from the map to a picture of a light utility vehicle with a machine mounted in the back.
“What is that?” Barone asked, leaning in to get a closer look.
“We didn’t know right away either, but we found out once we ran it through our database. It’s a Tiuna UR-53AR50.”
“Was that the only one?” Barone asked.
“Sir, we recovered everything from the engagement. This was a military recon patrol too. They had three vehicles, a dozen men, arms, et cetera.”
“Where the hell are they from?” Barone asked.
“They’re Venezuelan, sir.”
“I’m sorry, Annaliese. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but I can’t have you go with me,” Sebastian said. He was sitting next to her on the bed. He reached over and grabbed her hand.
At first she flinched from his touch, but she gave in and took his hand. She looked at him and responded, “I know what you have to do. I’ve known from the first day I met you that you’d have to leave. I’m not arguing with you about your decision to go search for your family, I just want to come with you. You’re my husband now and I need to be by your side,” she said as a tear began to slide down her cheek.
“Oh, honey. Don’t cry.”
“You tell me you’re leaving and I don’t know when you’ll return. What do you expect me to do? I love you. I don’t want to lose you,” she said as more tears came.
“Come here,” he said as he leaned in to give her a hug.
“I’m sorry if I’m emotional. I need to be stronger, I know, but I just can’t imagine life without you. We have a good thing here. We’re safe and we have plenty of supplies to last for years.”
“If there was another way, I’d do it. I need to go find my brother.”
“I know, I know.” She wiped her cheeks and eyes and sat up straight.
“Your uncle is providing me with a tremendous amount of support. I’ll be fine. He gave me a handheld ham radio to communicate with you. I’ll check in daily to let you know my whereabouts.”
“I know you’ll check in, but I just know how bad it is out there. At least see if anyone wants to come with you.”
“This is my job. I need all the able-bodied men to be here, to protect you and your mother.”
“I can handle myself out there. I’ve proven that. Please, don’t leave me here,” she said, gripping his hand tighter and looking deep into his blue eyes.
“Your place is here. With your family.”
“You are my family. My place is by your side!” she said, more impassioned.
Sebastian let her last comment sit for a bit before he responded. He did believe that when a man and woman marry, they become family and go into the world together to forge a new life. But in this new world, the road was a dangerous and unpredictable place to be. He didn’t want to put his new wife in danger.
“Sebastian Van Zandt, I’m your wife. Wherever you go, I go. I’m not going to hear anything else about this,” she said defiantly, her posture stiffening.
This was the Annaliese that Sebastian knew and loved. She was tender but also tough; brilliant, but never tried to upstage anyone. She was beautiful but never flaunted it. She was just perfect.
“Anna, please don’t put me in this position,” he pleaded.
“What position is that? One where you stand up and insist to my mother and uncle that your wife goes with you, that one?” she said sarcastically.
“You know how they feel.”
“I don’t care how they feel. I’m not married to them and you’re not either. Listen, you can’t say that you’ll be safe, nor can you guarantee my safety here. You don’t know how long you’ll be gone. If you go by yourself, your odds of something bad happening increase. With me by your side, we can do anything.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but smile at her. He loved her spunky attitude.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just love you so much. You’re amazing. And you’re right, we can do anything together,” Sebastian said as he placed his hand on her face and leaned in to kiss her.
Smiling, she stopped him and said, “So, when are we leaving?”
Nelson finished up helping Eric with a patrol, and was walking up to the house. He was thinking about Samantha and Haley. Samantha was so difficult to talk to lately, and it was clear that Haley needed her mom’s attention. As he walked up to the back deck, he saw that the sliding back door was open. At first he thought nothing of it, but when he walked into the kitchen and saw the can of sardines on the floor and a trail of blood, he knew something was terribly wrong.
“Samantha! Haley!” he called out as he navigated from the kitchen into the living room. There, he ran into the body of the man who had attacked Samantha, a large pool of blood encircling his head. “Samantha! Haley!” he yelled out again.
From the position of the man’s dead body he could tell that he had fallen down the stairs. He ran up the stairs and went directly into Haley’s room. It was empty. Nelson was now in a full panic.
“Samantha! Haley!” he screamed as he bolted out of Haley’s room and down toward Samantha’s room. The bloody hallway directed him toward what he now knew had been a horrible confrontation. As he took the last step and entered the room he prayed that he would find them alive. His prayer was not answered as he found another empty room. “Damn it!” he yelled.
“Where could they be?” he asked out loud. Fear then gripped him as visions of them being taken filled his mind.
He ran as fast as he could out of the room and back down the stairs, over to where the body was lying. He turned the man onto his back, desperate for any clues. The stench of alcohol emanated from every pore on the man’s body. A thorough examination wasn’t needed. The crochet needle sticking out of the man’s head told him cause of death. Nelson checked all the pockets but all he found was a Swiss Army knife and lint. Nothing on the man identified who he was or where he came from.
Frustrated, he took off in a sprint toward Scott’s. The icy cold air filled his lungs. Fear and panic engulfed him. What was he going to do if he couldn’t find them?
He reached Scott’s front door, and before he could knock the door opened.
Scott gestured. “They’re inside.”
Nelson ran in and saw Samantha sitting in the kitchen, being treated by Lucy.
“Oh my God, Sam, you all right?”
Samantha looked weary and beaten, literally. “I’ll live.”
“Where’s Haley?” Nelson asked, concerned.