The Last Layover (21 page)

Evan, again hoping he understood Jason's message, placed his sights on the chicken coop. Jason topped off his Remington, took aim at the coop roughly where the man was hiding, and started a relentless pounding on the shack. Shot after shot after shot, the air around the coop was filled with feathers and flying wood debris. Finally, knowing he was not going to be able to hold out there any longer, the man bolted out of the coop. Just as Jason was about to pull the trigger to again fire on the coop, he saw him make a run for it. He adjusted his aim, and sent a round into his back, while at the same time Evan saw him break cover and begin to run, and he also put several rounds into the man. He was torn to shreds from both sides in an instant.

When the man's body hit the ground, Evan and Jason both just lay in wait, scanning the area, waiting for any signs of movement. They waited patiently for a little over a half hour before Jason got back on the walkie-talkie and said, “I think we got the whole herd.”

Evan responded, “Yep, I think so. Don't shoot me, I'm breaking cover.” He then yelled, “Molly! Are you in there?”

“Yes, yes, yes, oh my God, yes! Thank God you are here!” said Molly in a frantic, yet elated voice.

“Tell everyone in the house to hold their fire. Jason is going to cover me while I sweep the area to make sure it's clear,” he responded.

For the next twenty minutes, Evan carefully and patiently swept the perimeter of the house. He went in and out of the woods, all while Jason covered him from the stand. He counted eight bodies total. He yelled from the front yard up to Griff upstairs, “How many were there?”

“Not sure, couldn't see them all from here,” Griff replied.

Evan picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “Jason, what do you think?”

“Looks clear to me and I've got the best view in the place. I think we are good,” said Jason over the radio.

“Okay, then, I'm going in the house. You get out of that tree and go get your family and the rest. I'll have the front gate unlocked by the time you get back.”

“Roger Roger!” he replied.

Evan walked around to the back door, stepping over the two dead bodies. He rang the doorbell and said, “Hi, Honey, I'm home.”

Molly opened the door, grabbed Evan, pulled him inside, and collapsed on the floor with him while holding him tightly as she broke down into tears. Jake, carrying Sammy and Lilly, came running from behind as they were yelling, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” and they all joined in on one big group hug.

Griff came limping down the stairs and looked at Evan. He smiled and said, “I think we are even on the beer.”

“Yeah, well, heal yourself up quick. We are going to have a lot of work to do around here.”

*The End*

The New Homefront Series is continued in -
The Guardians: The New Homefront, Volume 2.

http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-New-Homefront-2-ebook/dp/B00L826G5W

A Note from the Author

First and foremost, I want to thank you for purchasing and reading this book. It has been a labor of love and an amazing experience for me to be able to put my heart and soul into a story that hopefully entertained and informed you. This story will be continued with new books coming out from Homefront Books in
The New Homefront
series.

I also want to thank Jason D. Jean, a good friend, who contributed his time and effort in helping me with this project. His knowledge and insight on many of the subjects contained in this book were key in the development of the story and the finished product of the book.

In addition to being a free-lance author, I currently work full time as a Captain for a large domestic regional airline. I served over twenty years in the U.S. Navy/U.S. Navy Reserve and retired as a Chief Petty Officer. In addition, I have both military and federal law enforcement experience. I am married with three children, and in my spare time I am an amateur competitive shooter and an avid hunter and outdoorsman. My wife and I share an interest in homesteading and self-sufficiency, and apply those interests to our daily lives on our property in East Tennessee.

Visit

http://www.homefrontbooks.com
http://www.facebook.com/homefrontbooks

or follow on Twitter @stevencbird for information and updates on the upcoming books to be released as part of the series. The sequel to
The Last Layover
is
The Guardians: The New Homefront, Volume 2
, which is available now, and
The Blue Ridge Resistance: The New Homefront, Volume 3
available January 2015.

Thank you very much, and I hope you return to read more of my books in the future.

Steven C. Bird