C.O.T.V.H. (Book 2): Judgment (28 page)

"Hmm," she said, thinking it all over.  “I see your point.  But do you think being locked up in your grandfather's dungeon is any better?"

“I don’t know.”  Jake shrugged.  “Man it feels really good to get that out!”

"Well thanks for dinner," she said, closing her Styrofoam container.

"No problem," Jake said, dropping the fork and knife to his own container.

“And thanks for your trust.  I promise I’ll never tell anyone.”  She smiled. 

The lock on the door turned and Buck suddenly walked in.  He looked at them, his eyes filled with rage.

"Hi Buck," Amber said.

Without saying a word he turned and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.  "Well that was . . . awkward," she said, rising to her feet.

"Yeah just a bit," Jake said, blowing out his breath.   

“I should go Jake,” Amber said uncomfortably.  “This isn’t right.”

“Amber, we’re just talking,” Jake said gently.

“I know . . . but I should really go.  You two are friends and . . . it’s just . . . I like you Jake, I do.  It’s just confusing right now.”

"Okay.”  He smiled.  “It’s okay, really.  Want me to walk you back to your room?"

"That would be nice.  But . . . let’s take the long way.  I really enjoy talking with you."  Together they walked down the hall and out into the courtyard, then around the pool.  Soon Jake’s hand was intertwined with hers.  But all too soon, it was over, they were back at her room.  "Damn I forgot my key," she said, digging in her pockets.  Sighing she knocked on the door three times.  Diana in a long blue T-shirt opened the door.  She looked at both of them still holding hands and her eyes grew wide.  A smile reached her lips.  "Well hello you two!"

Amber rolled her eyes, "Thank you Diana!" she said, pushing past her.

Jake turned to walk away, feeling more than a little sad that their night was over.  He walked a few steps before Amber came back out.

"Jacob!" she called out.

"Yeah." He turned loving the sound of his name on her lips.

"Thanks again." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Uh.  No problem at all!" he stammered.

She laughed and touched his chest with her hands.  "I'll see you tomorrow.  Get a good night's sleep, okay?"

Jake nodded dumbly.  She walked back to her door and giving him one last wave pulled it shut behind her.  Just before it shut, she heard Diana yell out, “Oh my god!  You and Jake?!”

  Jake stood there dumbstruck for several long seconds.  "Better get some sleep son." John said, coming behind him and slapping him on the back.

"Uh, yeah Dad," he said, coming back to his senses.  "Headed that way now."

"You stay safe tomorrow kiddo.  Watch your back, keep your team safe."

"Thanks Dad you too.  I'll see you in the morning then."

"Goodnight son," he said, opening the door to his room.

Jake walked back into his room to find Wes Turner sitting on his bed.  "Uh . . . hey Mr. Turner,” he said, closing the door behind him.  “What's up?"

"Where's Buck?" he asked coldly.

"I don't know.  He left a little while ago."

"That so?  Well you tell him I'm looking for him."

"Yes sir.  Will do."

Turner nodded then got up and left. 
Weird.
  Jake thought as the door closed.  He showered quickly then brushed his teeth before heading to bed.  

He lay there thinking about Amber and the next days’ big hunt and didn't fall asleep until nearly 4:30am.  Buck didn't come back the entire night.

Chapter 11

Jake

The Cattleman Inn

Twister, Oklahoma

July 20, 2001 6:45am

Jake woke up the next morning to a dull gray sky.  The unmistakable sound of thunder rolled in the distance.  Sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers, he peered through the slight crack in the curtains.  Lightning flashed in the distance. 
Well this can’t be good.
He glanced over at Buck’s still made bed and sighed.  Now not only did he have to worry about vampires, he’d have to worry about a confrontation with Buck as well.  “Great,” he said, running his hands through his messy hair.

Standing up he walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open.  All of the teams were loading their gear into the vans, trucks, and Humvees in the parking lot.  

Jake dressed in his chosen battle attire.  A full body suit made of a lightweight material the military had recently developed.  It was heavy, but not nearly as bulky or cumbersome as flak jackets or the preferred chainmail lined dusters his dad and Ben Morris wore.  Presumably they would stop even the strongest of knife blades.  The price tag was somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty thousand dollars per suit.  Expensive as it might be, it itched something awful. 

After he was dressed, he laced up his black steel toe hunting boots, and then stared at himself in the mirror. 
Something is missing.
 

Digging through his bag, he pulled out his overly large AC/DC T-shirt and slipped it over his suit.  “Now, that’s better,” he said, grinning ear to ear.  “Time to put up or shut up!” he said, jumping up and down trying to loosen up the suit.  “You looking at me?” he said, at his reflection.  “That’s right bitch!  It’s Jake Bishop!”

Raised voices in the hall outside his room drew his attention away from the mirror.  He opened the door to Colonel Judge and Billy Williams arguing down the hall.    

"We can’t call this off Williams!  We can’t!  If we do we won't get another shot at this."

"If this storm comes in we could lose the sun, and if that happens we are in big, big trouble.  You do know what that means don’t you?  That is our
only
edge, Judge, our only retreat.  We go in there without a way out, and we’re going to lose
a lot
of men.  Not just my men, but your men as well.”

“Goddamn it Williams!  Do you think I value my men’s lives anymore than yours?  If we could do this without getting anyone killed, I’d be dancing a jig!  But you’re living in a fairytale if you think that’s going to happen.  Sun or no sun we’re going to lose some men!”

Billy turned to walk away, and then turned back.  “All of your planning, your Intel, your . . . your bullshit satellite imagery and building schematics and you didn't bother to check the local weather reports!  This is ridiculous Judge!"

"The mission is on Williams.  If you want out, pull out. We’ll do this our damn selves!"

"If you do this alone you will all die.  You know that.  You need us just as much as we need you."

The Judge rubbed his hand over the top of his shaved head. "What do you want me to do?  If we pull out now, how many people will die when these bloodsuckers go to feed again?  If there are fifty then at least that many humans will be dead by tomorrow morning."

Billy took a deep breath shaking his head.  "If we lose the sun, bottom line, this is a suicide mission."

"Get your team together.  We're leaving in twenty."

Billy walked away clearly furious.  Jake jogged after him.  "Billy what's going on?"  He asked.

"Hey Jake,” he said, clearly exasperated.   “We've got a massive line of thunderstorms moving into the area.  If it keeps on track, we'll be under heavy rain about an hour after incursion.  If it's severe, enough we could lose the sun completely.  But Colonel Hardass over there, says game on, so it's game on.  We can't pull out now, not without leaving a hell of a lot of army guys to their deaths.  I just wish I wasn’t sidelined for this!  I hate not being there when I'm sending in so many of our guys!"

"It will be okay Billy,”  Jake said, laying a hand on his shoulder.  “Dad and the others will get them through it."

"I sure as hell hope so Jake,"  Billy said. "If not we’re going to lose a lot of guys. Anyway son, get your gear we're heading out."

"Yes sir," Jake said, with a nod then jogged back to his room.  He ran into Donnie along the way.

"Hey man what's going on?” Donnie asked zipping up his vest.  “Everyone seems more on edge than I thought they'd be." 

"Yeah, it's something to do with the weather," Jake said, walking backwards to his room.  "I'll see you out there okay.  I still have to get my gear together."

"Cool,"  Donnie said, stepping back into his own room.  "I'll see you out there."

Jake got back into his room to find Buck already geared up sitting on his still made bed.  In his left hand sat his sawed off shotgun. 

Ah shit.  This could have happened at a better time.
  "What's up Buck?" Jake asked nervously.

"Did you screw her?" Buck asked his eyes focused on the shotgun.

"Watch your mouth." Jake said, a fire erupting deep in his chest. 

"Did you?"

"That's none of your damn business," Jake responded.

He flicked the safety off the gun then stood up.  "Well I hope you like sloppy seconds.  Best lay I've ever had."  He smiled.

"You're a real tough guy pointing a shotgun at a man's chest,” Jake said, with his fist clenched tightly.  “How about you drop the gun and we handle this like men."

"Bishop you little prick, I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back."

"Then why don't you put the gun down and show me."

A loud knock sounded behind him.  Buck quickly flicked the safety back and holstered it.  John opened the door looking them over.  "You guys are late for the party." He asked, “Everything okay?"

"Yeah everything is great."  Buck stepped past him.

"You alright Jake?"

"I'm fine Dad.”  Jake let the rage funnel out through several deep breaths.  “Just give me two minutes and I'll be there."

"Okay just hurry up okay?"

Jake nodded and his dad closed the door.  Jake strapped his sheathed knife to his belt and reached for his gun case, which oddly was unlocked. 
Strange,’
he thought to himself.  
I could have sworn I'd locked it back after checking them yesterday afternoon.
  Another knock came at the door this time it was Chris' voice, "Come on Jake!  Everyone's leaving!"

Jake grabbed up his case that held his shotgun, pistol and axe and headed for the door. "Alright, alright let’s go!" he said, rushing past Chris.

Together the two of them jogged down the hall and down the stairs then jumped into a large white van filled with their team plus Billy behind the wheel and Cort in the passenger seat.  Wes Turner sat next to his son, a sawed off shotgun gripped tightly in his hands.  The stock covered in notches.  

Amber, decked out in her own body armor gave him a bright smile when she saw him.  Jake couldn’t believe how amazing she seemed to look even under all that armor.  He smiled back until he saw Buck’s eyes locked on his face. 
We’re going to have to finish this.

Diana gripped her favorite weapon of choice, a trident with razor sharp barbs on its tips.  Along with that, she carried a crossbow.  She smiled at Jake and gave him a thumbs-up.

Whisper stared out the window gripping her compound bow tightly with both hands.

Jake took his seat next to Donnie who gripped Terry’s battle-axe in a white-knuckle grip.  Billy had given it, along with two Roman short swords, to him for his first big hunt.  He slapped Jake hard on the chest.  “You ready for this brother?!”

“You know it!” Jake said, slapping him back.

"You guys know the drill.”  Billy turned around in his seat.  “You are not to take part in this hunt.  You are here only to observe.  Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" they all echoed.

Cort turned around and gave a Jake a thumbs-up.  Jake gave him one back with a nod.  This is the moment he’d been training for.  He’d been ready for this day since his mom disappeared so many years before. 
Time for some payback!

The van pulled out onto the highway alongside six Humvees.  Two Black Hawk helicopters flew low overhead.  "Ah man, now that's the way to roll!"  Donnie said, straining to look out the window.  "Why can't we cruise off in a couple of Hummers, or better yet a helicopter?!"

"Maybe when you grow up!" Turner said, “Now shut your mouth and get ready for battle."

"Turner,"  Cort said slowly, but didn't turn around.  "Take care of these kids."

"I got this old man.  It ain't nothing but a cakewalk."

"I'm serious Turner.  You take care of these kids or I'll take care of you.  Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah,"  Turner said, turning to look out the back windows.

They sped down the highway past a barricade set up by the local police.  As far as they knew, there was some type of military training op going on.  Fifteen minutes later, the van pulled up outside the Sanitarium.  A massive barbwire fence surrounded the property.  The Judge's team was already settling onto the roof of the building in one of the Black Hawks.  John's team was rushing out of their Humvee, cutting through the fence with bolt cutters.  Everyone was getting into position.  Jake and the others climbed out of the van and loaded up their weapons.  

"Alright kiddies.  Let’s get to it," Turner said, pointing toward the hole in the fence.  “On me!  Double time!”  They ran in twos through the cut fence, across the weeded lawn, toward the looming building in front of them.  The van peeled off back to the mobile command post.  Jake’s heart was pounding with excitement.  They made it to the courtyard and set up defensive positions covering each of the two wings.  The calls starting going out across the radio, "Delta team in position.  Bravo in position.  Alpha team in position.  Charlie is in position."

"Echo team in position," Chris said, into the headset over his ear.

"All teams are green.  Breach, breach, breach!"  The radio officer's voice called out.  Explosions and gunshots rang out from inside the building.  The Black Hawks flew by overhead firing their mini-guns into the second floor shattering boarded up windows and letting in as much sunlight as possible.  After a few minutes, John’s voice came across the radio.  "This is Bishop!  This is Bishop!" then static. "We are experiencing heavy resistance in the east wing.  We have zero, I repeat zero human survivors in this area."