#206
Standing in the still dark room of the clinic, Mark had the flash of understanding of why Clora brought her treasured frying pan with her.
He could see the outline of his house in the flame light of Tess's burning house. It wasn't long before tongues of fire began licking at his place, the barn erupting all at once. "They must be using some sort of accelerant, barns don't burn that fiercely when they first catch on fire." he observed with suppressed anger.
"I notice that they are careful not to burn the storm cellars. I suppose the leaders have rightly figured that we would have moved all of our valuables to them. Either that or they have been observing us."
"Probably both," Toby watched as Andy's house went up in flame. "I don't believe we are dealing with stupid people. They hope to be creating frozen fear in us."
"I don't know about fear, but I'm so angry I could spit nails." Any walked in the room. He had been standing next to Donny, and looked out the broken window to see his house torched. "So I guess Toby, your house is next."
"Nope," Chuck interrupted, "Gary's, my place, Dory's and Reva's just went up."
Toby coughed, "they must have quite a crew to be firing all the buildings at once. There goes my place."
Gunfire erupted from the bunkhouse, and another pile of bullet fodder fell to the ground around Reva's cabin and another pile around Toby's.
"Ok, now we get ready to defend Seamus's place. If it goes up, this place will go also. That's their plan, to force us out and that's when the men get cut down and the remainder of the women and children captured." Mark gave the go ahead to shoot at will.
"Who ever the mastermind is, is tricky. None of the horses, or anything of value to them, has been harmed. I notice that there are piles of harness on the ground outside of the barns, and the wagons are not burned, they think they will need a way to carry off the plunder."
In the silence, Corbin leaned near a broken window and blew on the horn with all his might. There were shouts of approval and a volley of gunfire rained toward the woods. There was return fire, and those inside the clinic used their night vision to pick off individuals they could see in the distance.
The day started happening in earnest, and light overtook the shadows. Smoldering ruins dotted the landscape, the stench and burning haze roiling with the light breeze that swirled and eddied across the ground.
If there had been marksmen among the attacking force, they were over shadowed by the sheer volume of bullets fired at the clan and the wagon train men.
"This is it," Gary called out, "this is the push, they will try to overwhelm and overtake us. Seamus, get to praying; we need all the help we can get."
"Don't waste ammo, pick a target and shoot to kill," Mark called out seconds later.
Three hours later, the incoming fire power stopped. Don nearly jumped out of his skin when the face of one of Corbin's men appeared right beside him in the broken window.
"We're going after them, don't shoot us," he hastily yelled, and disappeared. Several minutes later a horrific gunfight erupted in the dense cover of the trees and brush. This time, there was a lot of screaming and shouting, flying bullets impacting trees and raising puffs of dust in the ground.
An hour later, the sounds of fighting had slowed to the occasional pop sound, and the screaming reduced to low moans of agony.
"I'm going to go out and check," Corbin announced, and was nixed by Don and Chuck. "We'll go, we're not married, so let us circle around and nobody take any shots at us."
The two men made it out the front door and got to the bunkhouse. There was a echo of a whizzing retort and Don crumpled to the ground. Corbin flattened himself against the wall, and felt a bullet come close to the side of his head.