Families First: A Post-Apocalyptic Next-World Series Volume 6 Battle Grounds by Lance Ewing (best non fiction books of all time txt) 📗

“Wrong,” said Mike, spinning his captive in a split second and grabbing the other man in a chokehold. “Stay right here and don’t make a sound,” he instructed.

The man he held first watched helplessly as his comrade slowly lost consciousness. “This would be it if he hadn’t spit on me,” said Mike, continuing the chokehold for another minute.

“You’re not asking me to stop; that’s interesting. Either you’re too scared, or you two just work together and you could care less what happens to him.”

“Bo…both,” the man choked out, not moving a muscle.

“It’s good you didn’t run,” said Mike. “Now, I may be a lot of things, but I’m no liar. You tell me what I want to know and help me out and you can wake up tomorrow with a hangover and a bad memory of tonight. Your choice. I don’t much care either way,” he spoke casually. “Oh, and I need your radio.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you whatever you want,” he begged. “Just let me live,” he added, holding out his shaking hand with the radio.

In the span of ten minutes, Mike had more information than he had before and felt it credible, for the most part.

“Watching another man die right in front of you gets a man talking,” he would later say to Sergio.

“I hear all the machines, including this one,” Mike said to Hanson, poking his head out from underneath the tarp, “are ready to fly.”

“Maybe this one,” said Sergio, coming up from behind, holding the filled gunny sack with black, red, and blue wires poking out the top, “but not the others.”

“Sergio,” said Mike’s new friend in a gasp, “I didn’t know you were here! Please,” he continued before Sergio could reply…“please don’t tell Colonel Baker we’ve been drinking. We just got carried away is all. It won’t happen again.”

“What have you heard about me?” asked Sergio, wondering if it may be a ruse.

“Well, we haven’t met because we’ve all been out at the airfield for the last month, but I know you carry the brand and are number four to the top. I guess I’m not surprised the Colonel would send one of his top guys to oversee our progress.”

“How did you recognize me?” asked Sergio, still on the fence.

“They made us memorize all of the Colonel’s top men and their ranking. He said some of you might check on our airfields, and we should follow orders like it came from him. Plus, I saw you at the field with Colonel Baker a week ago, and you, too,” just realizing it and looking at Mike.

“How many others are here?” asked Sergio.

“Just the drivers and a few more to start plowing the runway into the field.”

“Stand over there,” commanded Sergio, pointing about ten yards away, “and don’t move.”

“I’ve got a better idea than flying one chopper out of here,” he spoke quietly to Mike and a relieved Hanson. “Let’s see what the other guys know.”

* * * *

They all four walked towards the house, with Sergio holding his rifle down but at the ready. Gathering everyone from the house of Hanson’s former friend and those near the now nearly dry river, they had a chat with Sergio’s former crew inside. They all cowered at his presence, giving Sergio the confidence that they hadn’t heard about his defecting from Baker just yet. He gave Mike a subtle wink.

“When the Colonel finds out you all have been boozing it up, he will have your heads. You know that, right gentlemen?”

Most stood with blank stares, and a few shook with the realization they had been caught.

“Now, before you go trying something stupid, I’ll tell you I’m not Colonel Baker, and I’ve been known to have a drink or two in the past. We have a change of plan. I just got the orders from the Colonel, and we are moving the trucks to a safer place, for now, just a couple of miles up the road. He wants it done by noon tomorrow, but I have other things to do, so I want it done tonight. Give me a hand with it, and I’ll pretend I never saw a bottle to your lips.”

He whispered something to Mike and they walked out of the house before speaking again.

“All those who are ready, line up here,” said Sergio, stepping back inside and pointing towards the east wall of the medium-sized living room lit by two antique gold lanterns. “Those who are not, stand over there,” he added, pointing towards the far wall.

To his surprise, one man lined up opposite the others.

“Are you sure about your decision, son?”

“Yes, I’m tired, and I don’t drink,” he replied, keeping a straight face.

Sergio thought about handling it as an example to the others but ended up just smiling, saying, “All right, get some sleep. The rest of you will be back here in a couple of hours, and you can sleep off your hangovers then.”

* * * * * * *

Chapter Seventeen

The Valley ~ Colorado

Mike got to the trucks first, as instructed, moving all four bodies far enough under the trucks to be hidden from the drivers.

“Now, where are the truck keys?” asked Sergio.

“Inside,” said more than a few men together.

“All right. This will be easy,” he said, walking them up to the lead truck.

“There are eleven trucks and twelve of you. One of you can ride shotgun, I’ll take the first truck. Hanson, you ride somewhere near the middle, and Mike rides in the rear. Take it slow. There’s no hurry. And if any one of you wrecks a truck or what’s on the trailer, the drinking will be the least of your worries.”

The caravan headed slowly up