After the Fall: Jason's Tale (19 page)

“You be safe. You come back to us,” she whispered. There was
a harsh, fierce tone in her voice.

“I hope they don’t come. I hope you all just wait for
nothing,” Sarah joined in.

Jason hugged Anne, “I’ll come back, don’t you fear. This
threat ends today.” His face remained dark and his voice was distant, as if he
was already gone.

“I love you, remember that,” Anne said.

Jason nodded.

“We need you,” Sarah added.

He nodded to her and then walked to the pickup. Catherine
gave her mom and Sarah hugs and also headed to the truck. Anne and Sarah waved
as the group of men and women drove off. They looked like such a small force
against a large gang of outlaws and killers. Anne put her arms around Sarah as
they watched the trucks roll down the hill.

Big Jacks stormed around the camp trying to get everyone
organized and ready to depart. Some men still had to be chosen and
assembled—that task hadn’t been finished last night. Fuel and ammunition were
still being collected and loaded. It would be hours before they would be ready
to go. Big Jacks was fuming. He was in a hurry to go on this killing spree.

It was still early when the defenders arrived at the gorge.
Jason directed Andy, Ray, Billy and John to the ridge on the west side of the
road and he, Catherine, Tom and Betty took the ridge to the east of the road.
Andy volunteered to take the position closest to the bridge. He could shoot and
having been instructed on the semi- automatic .223 carbine, he felt he could
fire more rapidly than Ray or Billy with their bolt action rifles. Ray and
Billy spaced themselves behind Andy, with John last in the line.

On the east side, Tom suggested he be first in line, but
Jason wouldn’t allow it. “The M60 has the range, and you will be less likely to
be pinned down and hit if you’re further back. We’ll need that gun in action
all the time,” he said.

Jason placed himself first. Catherine insisted on being next
behind him, which put Tom in the third position. Betty stationed herself behind
Tom. On each ridge everyone was spaced about fifty yards apart.

Jason brought a couple of shovels and extra burlap cloth
along. “Use the shovel to pile up some dirt to make a rest for your rifles. And
cover the dirt with the cloth. It’ll keep down any dust from the shots. The
dust gives away your position. And remember, if your position gets too hot
don’t stick your head up. Just crawl back from the cliff edge and move to a new
location. Then you can return fire.” There was no dissenting opinion from
anyone. The group was solemn as they split up and staked out their positions
for the ambush. Soon this little gorge was going to be filled with shooting and
killing.

With everyone in position, there was nothing to do but wait.
The sun rose higher, the sky was clear; the hum of the cicadas grew louder.
There was little breeze. It was going to be a hot day.

It will be hot in more ways than one
. Jason lay on
the ridge with his rifle ready. His stomach churned as the doubts began to rise
up again. He forced them down. This wasn’t the time for doubt. That time was
past. Now was the time to fight—to fight for their lives.

An hour passed. Jason remained patient and still. He was
used to waiting. On the other side of the ridge, John squirmed where he lay in
the leaf mold, peeking out from under a bush. Sweat ran down his face. Every
minute he waited he imagined greater and greater scenes of carnage. His
breathing became ragged and a panic rose inside. His body began to itch in odd
places. He thought ants were crawling under his clothing. Andy, like the
others, remained tense. He wouldn’t allow himself to imagine what was to come
and kept telling himself over and over to relax.

Finally John yelled out across the ravine, “Are they coming?
How long should we wait?”

His answer came quickly from Jason, “Quiet!”

John squirmed and tried to control his growing panic.

Catherine lay in the brush at the edge of the cliff. She
kept repeating, “Just hit a target and move on. They don’t know we’re here. We’ll
catch them off guard.” Any words to hold back her own terror.

Finally they heard the faint sounds of the convoy of trucks.
Everyone knew what that meant. The gang was coming; the battle was soon to
begin.

The trucks arrived at the intersection. Everyone waited. Tom
pulled back the charging lever on the M60. Andy crossed himself. Betty tried to
not hyperventilate. Catherine slowed her breathing down as she had been taught;
now focusing on the fight to begin. Everyone looked down their barrels, through
their sweat, sighting the lead truck.

The first truck turned onto the bridge. Jason let it get
half way across; then he opened fire. A barrage of shots erupted from both
ridges, all aimed at the windshield of the lead truck. Immediately the
windshield was obliterated and the occupants of the cab slumped over. The truck
lurched to a stop against the side of the bridge. The men in the back jumped
out as the rest of the trucks stopped. The gang emptied from the other pickups
and began firing indiscriminately at the ridges. The shooting from the ridges
swept over the whole convoy. The noise from dozens of weapons firing was
deafening. From the ridge there was the steady popping of rifle fire and the
louder rapid staccato of the M60. The gang returned fire, but without being
able to see their targets through the cover on the ridge, their shots were ineffective.
They were pinned down at the bridge.

If we can keep this up, they’ll never get across. We can
keep picking them off from the ridge
. Jason could not stifle a surge of
hope.

Big Jacks shouted to Mo to grab the M2 and set it up on the
bridge. “Get the big gun up front. Knock out that machine gunner!”

Mo grabbed another gang member to help feed the belt and ran
forward to the front corner of the lead truck.

“It’s on the ridge to the right,” Big Jacks shouted,
pointing out the direction.

Mo opened up with the M2. Its rate of fire was slightly
slower than the M60 but with a deep, booming ominous sound. The ridge exploded
as the M2 rounds shattered the bank and tore through the trees. Tom quickly
backed up, pulling the M60 with him and pressed himself into the ground when
the big gun opened up.

With the M60 silenced for the moment, Jacks ordered the lead
truck to be started and put in gear. Without getting into the shot out cab, one
of the gang reached through the open driver’s door and slowly guided the truck
to roll forward. The pickup sheltered him and others as they slowly moved off
the bridge. Once free of the narrow bridge, he turned the truck sideways giving
the attackers a position of cover beyond the bridge.

The M2 immediately changed the balance of the fight. Jason
could tell it had shut Tom down, at least for the moment.
We can’t let them
spread out on this side. If they get to the woods, we lose.

Even though the M60 was not firing, the rest of the
defenders were doing their best to hold back the gang’s advance. Anyone who
moved from the cover of the pickup did not get far before one of the shooters
from the ridge hit him.

The M2 stopped firing. Tom cautiously lifted his head from
the dirt and leaves of the brush. Being on the receiving end of such a weapon
terrified him. He could see how it had shredded up the bank of the ridge and
torn out much of the cover. But Tom’s military training kicked in. He realized
his group needed the M60’s firepower more than ever. He shifted his location,
dragging the machine gun and the ammo belts to get into another firing
position. He turned his attention on the last pickup in the convoy and disabled
it with an intense burst of fire. Then he backed away as the M2 raked the
ridge. Again, the big gun tore up the ground and vegetation, exposing Tom’s
location. He began crawling to a new position.

Jason realized that Tom had cut off the gang’s exit. If they
could retreat, they could re-group and invade and attack the valley from
another direction.

Big Jacks saw that his men could not advance beyond the
cover of the truck. Even with the M2 shutting down the machine gun, the other
shooters were dispersed enough on both ridges that his men were lethally
exposed. There was no cover beyond the pickup.

He shouted to one of his captains, “Get some guys down in
the river on both sides of the bridge. I want ‘em to climb the ridges in the
tree cover. The road’s too exposed.” The man looked at him but didn’t move. “Do
it now!” he shouted, pointing his rifle at the man who quickly ran back to the
fighters jammed up behind one of the trucks. Shortly two groups descended the
banks and into the river.

Jason saw six men dropping down into the river on the west
side of the bridge. From his position on the eastern ridge, he couldn’t see
what was happening on the east side and could only guess that Jacks’ men were
going to cross there as well. He hoped his shooters on the west side would
notice the attackers going into the river east of the bridge and direct their
fire at them. Wiping sweat from his face, he began firing at the men crossing
in the water but they were shielded by the bridge. He was able to hit only one
of them, who dropped into the current and was swept away.

Catherine also saw the men going into the river and started
firing at them. Between the two of them, they hit two more as they came out of
the water, before reaching the cover of the trees on the steep slope. Climbing
the slope would lead the gang to the ridge and from there they could attack the
defenders from the rear.

Did Andy and the others know the enemy was coming up to
attack from behind? Jason’s frustration nearly overwhelmed him. He had no way
of letting the shooters on the west ridge know the danger they faced. He could
only hope that if they could see what was happening on his side of the bridge
they would guess it was also happening on their side.

During this time Tom moved to a new point with the M60.
Meanwhile Betty was steadily focused on the men who had made it beyond the
bridge. She was farthest away, but her 30-06 with its scope was a fine weapon
for the hunt she was on. She was methodical and made each shot count. Anyone
exposing themselves quickly drew a shot or two from her, either hitting them or
coming close enough to pin them behind the truck. They risked their lives to
peek over the pickup and try to fire with any accuracy at the ridge.

Andy, Ray and Billy saw the men dropping into the river on
the east side. They knew what they needed to do. Two of the attackers did not
make it out of the river, which left three who reached the cover of the woods
on the slope leading up to the ridge. The men didn’t immediately realize that
the same attack was taking place on their side of the gorge. They continued to
pour shots at the remaining men jammed up at the bridge.

Tom set up a new position. He could catch glimpses of the
large man directing the attackers. Figuring this to be Big Jacks, he kept his
weapon aimed in his direction. When Big Jacks moved along the line of trucks,
Tom opened fire and sprayed the gap as he moved through it. He hit Jacks in the
leg dropping him to the ground behind one of the pickups. The M2 again opened
up. This time Mo spotted Tom’s position. Instead of ducking, Tom swung the M60
hoping to take Mo out. Before he could fire, the M2 raked his position with a
long burst, hitting the M60. The gun was flung from Tom’s grasp. A spray of
shrapnel tore open his left shoulder. He rolled back away from the ridge. The
bipod was shot out; the damaged pieces just missed taking off Tom’s hand.

At the same time, Jason got Mo in his sights and fired five
shots in quick succession. Two rounds hit Mo in his arm and chest. He fell back
from the M2, knocking it on his side. As he tried to crawl back, Jason shot him
two more times, one of the rounds splitting open his head.

Jason now dropped the M110 and took up his .223 carbine and
headed back along the ridge to where Catherine was located.

“Some attackers may be coming up from the river, through the
woods. We have to catch them while they’re together,” he shouted over the din
of the shooting.

Catherine nodded. Together they moved away from the edge of
the ridge and headed towards the river. When they got close to the edge of the
steep slope, they separated and took up separate positions behind trees. They
could hear the shooting, slower now, going on along the gorge. They waited in
silence ignoring the rest of the battle. The attackers would be most vulnerable
when they got to the top of the slope. They had to hit them there before they
could separate.

Tom cut open his shirt and tied it around his upper arm and
shoulder to stem the flow of blood. The M60 looked too damaged to shoot. Slowly
he made his way back towards Betty. He could hear her steady shots still
coming. He could not hear Jason or Catherine. The shooting from his side of the
ridge seemed to be only coming from Betty.

On the west ridge, Ray moved back to Billy. “They’s some
coming up from the river…through the woods. I’m goin’ after them,” he said.

“You think they’re on this side as well?” Billy asked.

Ray nodded to his son. “You comin’?”

“Yeah,” Billy said getting up.

“Be like hunting deer,” the old man said as they quietly
made their way through the woods towards the river.

Big Jacks leg was bleeding badly. Two of the M60 rounds had
smashed through his left leg, one tearing apart his knee and the other ripping
through his thigh. He needed to stop the bleeding. Yelling at his men, he got
one to crawl over to him. He tore a shirt and tied it tightly around the knee
area to keep the leg intact. He then tied another shirt around Big Jacks’ upper
thigh to stem the flow of blood.

At this point there were twelve men left with Big Jacks
behind the pickups, four men still alive on the valley side of the bridge and
three each climbing to the ridges on either side of the road. He noticed the
diminished fire coming from the ridges. On the west, only Andy and John were
shooting; on the east, only Betty.

“We’ve taken their shooters out. Get half the men across the
bridge and charge up the road. The rest will cover you. You get past the gorge,
then you can circle back up the ridge and finish them off.” Jacks yelled at the
man who bandaged him.

The man looked at him with panic in his eyes. “They won’t
listen to me,” he said fearfully.

Big Jacks gave him a hard look, snorted his disgust and
yelled to the rest of the men, “I want six of you across that bridge now.” He
pointed to two men, “You two and the four up front, run like hell up the road.
We’ll cover you.”