blackguard
Veteran Member
Withdrawal Chapter Twenty Two part one
Chapter 22
A few days later the Hamilton group acted on the recommendation to check out their neighbors to the south of the Holski farm after extensive patrolling of the areas in between the two locations which was important to do anyway. The region was still primarily farmland mixed with some homes but it did have some scattered areas that could be used as a means to hide a few people. Each of these spots which were mostly patches of high growth and some scattered trees were checked carefully, it was determined that no one was currently using any of them so each was safe for the time being. However one of them showed signs that it had been used at some point in the recent past, possibly as recently as four days previous but no one was currently there. A suggestion, quickly agreed on, was made to check these same locations on a regular basis since they were close to both farms. It was a real wake up call for both farm groups to realize that someone had been that close and had gone undetected.
The modest sized housing development south of both farms was an entirely different issue and so a change was made in how it was to be scouted. A decision was made to only use a two person reconnaissance element to watch the housing development in place of a larger group. The consensus was by using just two people to observe the settlement for an extended period to gather whatever information they could they stood less chance of being detected.
This small patrol consisted of Daryl since he had the most experience and Katarina so that there was a person from each household present. This helped to reduce the manpower burden on both households during the prolonged absence which turned out to be slightly more than thirty hours. The job of the patrol was to try and gather enough information to determine if those living at the development were a threat and if so how serious. It also provided an excellent training opportunity to Daryl’s way of thinking. He didn’t say that aloud in so many words but facts were facts. It was a good refresher for him as well, there was a big difference between doing it here than during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton out in California which is where he had been stationed most of his time in the Marines apart from his tour in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf war.
Before the two left the Holski farm Daryl had a long talk with Katarina about what he felt they should and shouldn’t do. As they talked he was going through their gear double checking all their equipment to make sure what they had what they needed with them. Notebook, pens, food, water, matches, binoculars, blanket, medical kit, hygiene supplies, ammunition and…Daryl reviewed the overall plan for his partner as he worked. They would move slowly but steadily heading south away from the Holski farm to pass to the west of the housing development, cross the road and continue to circle the group of homes to wind up at a position east of the settlement. This way they could see all four sides of the settlement during the patrol. They would periodically stop to observe whatever activity they could, being careful to write down their observations. The information was potentially too important to be forgotten or details omitted.
Daryl took a few extra minutes to review their communications plan as well. They would be taking one of the handheld radios with them along with a charged spare battery. They would be checking in every thirty minutes but not on the hour. If someone was out there listening on a scanner or using a frequency counter better to make them work for any information they wanted. The patrol would check in at twelve and forty two minutes after the hour while keeping the transmission as brief as possible.
Daryl was careful to explain to Katarina that she needed to make sure to not make assumptions about anything she was seeing. She thought this was a curious statement so she asked him why not? The one time infantryman explained that it was easy to fall in the trap of forming opinions before hand and then to only see the information that supported that assumption in place of all the available data. Daryl used the time to quietly and carefully review what type of information the pair was seeking, number of people, were they armed and if so with what, layout of the buildings, what level of physical condition did the people appear to be in was some of what he told her. Daryl stressed the importance of writing down what they saw. Memory was too inconsistent to be relied on for facts and details later on.
Once finished with the check of the equipment Daryl urged to Katarina to use the bathroom even if she didn’t have to go. Having to slink away to take care of bodily functions could be a hassle that could lead to problems. She nodded and went to the outhouse to do as he suggested Daryl did the same after she finished.
Biological needs satisfied for the time being the pair put their packs on then took up their weapons. He had his customary AR-15 while Katarina was carrying a lever action ‘30-30 rifles borrowed from Miguel each of them also had a pistol. The patrol was about reconnaissance but it was important to be able to defend themselves since it was only the two of them. The information wouldn’t do anyone any good if they couldn’t bring it back safely.
Fighting off the nervous energy brought on by anticipation he felt the familiar mix of emotions that always showed itself just prior to a mission. A sensation he hadn’t felt in years but he recognized it for what it was. No helicopter or other vehicle to take them to where they wanted to go this time, LPC’s again he mused using the military slang term, Leather Personnel Carriers for shoes. Finally it was time to go, handshakes and hugs all around then the two headed off. Petr and Anna Holski watched as their daughter left, possibly going in harm’s way. The two were silent but their body language said all that needed saying, his arm around the shoulders of his wife who had her hands clenched in prayer. Walking away from the house Daryl and Katarina moved toward the four strand barbed wire fence that separated the yard from the field south of the house. The pair slipped carefully over the pointy barrier and into the field which was overgrown with weeds and grass instead of the usual crop of corn. The grass and weeds came to nearly knee height so it did little to hide them while they walked but once they went to ground it should conceal them some Daryl reasoned as he continued to head south. He was in front with the Holski woman about ten paces behind him. The former Marine had been very explicit in this, Katie was to not be any closer than ten paces while they were moving so one group of shots couldn’t get them both.
The Holski daughter had swallowed hard when Daryl explained his reasoning. A bright woman, it didn’t take much convincing to get her to comply. Staying alive was pretty good incentive. He had explained that unless he said different he would always be in front because of his experience. Katie asked if at some point if the situation allowed could she take the lead? Daryl’s reply was that they would have to see not totally satisfied with the answer but realizing it was the best she was going to get she accepted it. The two moved slowly continuing their way south. They would move for several minutes then stop, kneel down and wait and watch for several minutes to determine if any threat was present. From Daryl’s perspective the start-stop walking was very useful, he was in unfamiliar territory with someone with no training and it had been a loong time since he himself had done any of this type of work. So being careful was good as far as he was concerned. Having the responsibility for another person weighed on him, it wasn’t even close to the first time he’d another life to be responsible for but it was still a load to carry.
During the next hour or so the pair slowly moved into a position to be able to begin their observations of the housing area which went on for several hours from their current location. The two traded off between watching and taking notes or resting. Daryl knew that the adrenaline would wear off and when it did that the physical affects would hit hard. At one point while Katarina, her friends called her Katie, was observing she saw something and woke Daryl who had been asleep for about ninety minutes. Daryl’s head popped up with a start at the nudge from his partner hand reaching for his rifle. A gentle hand laid on his calmed his initial reaction. Once he was fully awake she handed him the binoculars while pointing at what had caught her attention. Rolling into a better position Daryl blinked hard to clear his vision trying to see for himself what she was talking about. The view of the southern end of the housing development was a large stone wall about seven feet high. What had caught her attention was that the lone sentry they had observed earlier had been joined by three other people. A scan of the area that the two could see from their position revealed nothing amiss that could account for the sentry being joined by the others. This was the first time the sentry had been visited by anyone else since they had begun watching so having three people show up was unusual enough for her to have wakened him. She had wavered a bit before reaching over to shake him but was now glad she did.
Daryl told her to double check their gear just in case they had to leave in a hurry which Katie did without question she was a little frightened, this was not something she had ever envisioned herself doing but here she was. Her life before hadn’t been an easy one, earning her Masters degree in Agriculture while helping with the day to day operations of the large farm had its own costs. Not enough sleep, lack of a substantial social life and still living at home at twenty eight! Of course having society collapse wasn’t something she had ever thought would happen either and yet here we are. Daryl continued to watch to try and determine the reason for the increase in people but saw nothing out of the ordinary; their body language didn’t seem to be agitated or anxious. The additional three adults stayed with the sentry for twelve minutes from the time he starting watching according to Daryl’s watch. He asked Katie to write down the time when the three left. She did so without hesitation.
Once the three left the area near the front of the housing development Daryl suggested that they move further south to try and get an idea of what might have caused the others to join the sentry like they did. Granted the three didn’t seem upset but Daryl wanted to make sure that they wasn’t anything south of them that he couldn’t see from their current position. “How soon do you want to move?” Katie had their gear ready as he had asked. The response was a bit slow in coming as Daryl continued to scan the area with the binoculars.
“Now is good a time as any.”
So they carefully made their way south which was part of the plan anyways so this wasn’t a change in thinking. It took the pair over an hour to move approximately one hundred yards or so. This put them next to the ditch along side the east-west running road that passed in front of the housing development which was known as Silver Springs. Daryl told his companion that they would hold up there for at least an hour before trying to cross the road. He had previously explained that getting across the road, not only once but twice would likely be the most dangerous part of the patrol. Moving across the road would force them into the open even though it wouldn’t be long. There was no cover or concealment moving across the pavement to the opposite side.
It was important to cross over to not only observe the development from that side but to also get a look at the area south of the road. There were some houses scattered about which might still be occupied. If they were going to patrol then it was important to make it worthwhile since no one from either farm had been in this area since everything had gone to hell. Night was falling fast which Daryl knew would help their cause. It was often difficult for the human eye to see well at twilight. Settling in near the ditch the pair checked the area carefully as they prepared to cross the road. While still at the Holski residence Daryl had carefully explained why it was important to take the risk of crossing the road. James had asked the question as Daryl was reviewing the plan for everyone. In order for the patrol to be as thorough as they could make it viewing the settlement from all sides was vital. Would there be risk? Yes but given the way the world was going right then what wasn’t dangerous? An observation that no one present chose to dispute.
Daryl estimated it would take approximately ten seconds at a dead run to get through the ditch, across the two lane road and then through the small ditch on the other side to reach some measure of concealment. Katie asked if he thought it would be better to go together or one at a time. Mouth opened to speak Daryl paused then closed his mouth. He was going to say one at a time but considered the other option further. Not entirely sure what was going to work best he asked for her opinion.
Katie was a little surprised by his question up until this point he had made all the decisions. Thinking about the choices for a moment she told him that maybe it would be best to have one person over at a time. Suddenly smiling Katie said, “Now might be a good time for me to lead. You can cover me.” Alluding to their earlier conversation about her being able to take the lead position she was working at switching roles with him. Daryl saw the ploy but had no reason to dispute the logic of her statement so told her she could go first. They watched till the sentry was looking away. Readying his rifle in case of trouble Daryl tensed up a bit, this could be ugly he told himself. Here we go, as soon as the sentry turned away Daryl hissed “Go!” Katie ran as fast as she could. Eyes fixed on her destination she looked neither left nor right as she ran. It felt like her heart was going to burst from chest because it was beating so hard. The dash across the open space only lasted for seconds but to her and Daryl it seemed like hours Katie would remark later that she had never felt so exposed or vulnerable in her entire life as at that point.
As she reached the other side or the road Katie awkwardly slid down into the shallow ditch her backpack sliding high on her back. Once down she hurriedly looked across the road but couldn’t see Daryl. The absence of street lights or lights that would normally spill out from occupied houses added to the darkness. Daryl was carefully watching the sentry through his binoculars to see if they had seen Katie traverse the road. There was no indicator that she had been seen. Daryl felt the tension of his body release some realizing that the two of them were still for the moment, safe. Time for him to go.
He continued to watch the sentry waiting for them to once again turn their back. Almost, almost, now! Daryl leapt to his feet and hit the ground running. He kept his head down, binoculars in one hand, rifle in the other. Nearly half away across the road Daryl stumbled but didn’t go down. The off balance man slid down into the shallow ditch nearly face first. Katie grabbed him to keep him from rolling over. Both of them were conscious of the noise the fall created, the fear in their minds amplified the amount of clamor to rock concert levels. Anxious eyes stared toward the spot where the sentry was likely to be. Ears were pitched to hear any sound of alarm but nothing was heard.
“Let’s not do that again huh? C’mon, let’s get outta’ here.” Daryl urged. Katie completely agreed and the two moved out of the ditch and headed south to put some distance between them and the housing development. The remainder of the night was spent alternating between watching and sleeping. At one point Daryl let the tired woman sleep for three hours straight before rousing her. The adrenaline rush of earlier was gone and in its place, fatigue. Nothing of concern was noted during the night. The sentry was changed out several times during the course of the night which gave Daryl a feel for the length of shifts as well as some ideas on their manpower resources.
About four a.m. Daryl told Katie that he wanted to cross back over the road and get set up on the east side of the subdivision. She understood immediately, no way to cross the road unseen during daylight hours. The trip took approximately fifty minutes as they moved some distance and went across the road together without incident. Daryl was careful not to stumble this time when crossing the roadway. The first glimmer of daylight was just showing in the eastern sky as the pair snuck into one of the houses that had not been completed. The entire row of five houses on the block had been unfinished and had suffered extensive fire damage some months earlier. The damaged structure offered a good hiding spot.
While in the remains of the house it was difficult to move around much without running the very real risk of creating noise. This was the closest that the pair had been to the houses themselves so noise discipline was paramount. They took turns observing through the pair of small binoculars that Daryl habitually carried in his tactical vest. The optical device wasn’t of the highest quality but for the distance they were at they proved more than adequate. They continued their pattern of one person using the glasses while the other took notes as necessary and looked around to ensure their security. The pair checked in via radio with the Holski farm per the schedule. Having the sentry atop the tall silo made this easier. Since the radios had limited range being in an elevated location increased the reception and transmission ability. The radio call was relayed to the Hamilton farm from there so that both households knew that for the time being their people were alive and well.
They stayed in the remains of what looked to have once been a modest three bedroom single story till just after it was fully dark. They had been able to watch the housing development from all four sides for over a full day at this point. Numerous pages of notes had been collected. Double checking the area to make sure they were leaving nothing behind the pair exited the burned shell of the house after full dark. They kept the bulk of the structure between them and the housing development as they moved east. Once they moved far enough away from the development that Daryl was comfortable the two slowly rose and staying in a partial crouch moved further away. They didn’t head straight back toward either of the two farms. Katarina was curious about this, asking Daryl why the detour. In a low voice he patiently explained that if they had been seen then it might mislead whoever was watching into thinking that they were from someplace else. The bright woman saw the logic in that immediately. They continued to slowly move away from the area. No alarm of any type was raised so both felt that had managed to get away without being detected something that to Daryl was good and bad.
Good in that if those now living at the development were bad guys the pair got away without being seen. Bad in that if it was the original residents of the subdivision their security wasn’t that good. Both pieces of information needed to be factored into the decision regarding who the people were. Daryl was fairly comfortable with his analysis but he still wanted to get input from the others before making any kind of a definitive statement. Stopping near the blocked gate of the Holski farm Katie notified the duty sentry via radio that the two were crossing the fence and coming in. When they reached the house everyone was waiting for them. Hugs and handshakes all around as the pair was warmly welcomed back. Daryl was offered a ride home so he could clean up and rest but he politely refused opting to walk the distance. A full report on the patrol findings was slated for the following morning.
Continued...
Chapter 22
A few days later the Hamilton group acted on the recommendation to check out their neighbors to the south of the Holski farm after extensive patrolling of the areas in between the two locations which was important to do anyway. The region was still primarily farmland mixed with some homes but it did have some scattered areas that could be used as a means to hide a few people. Each of these spots which were mostly patches of high growth and some scattered trees were checked carefully, it was determined that no one was currently using any of them so each was safe for the time being. However one of them showed signs that it had been used at some point in the recent past, possibly as recently as four days previous but no one was currently there. A suggestion, quickly agreed on, was made to check these same locations on a regular basis since they were close to both farms. It was a real wake up call for both farm groups to realize that someone had been that close and had gone undetected.
The modest sized housing development south of both farms was an entirely different issue and so a change was made in how it was to be scouted. A decision was made to only use a two person reconnaissance element to watch the housing development in place of a larger group. The consensus was by using just two people to observe the settlement for an extended period to gather whatever information they could they stood less chance of being detected.
This small patrol consisted of Daryl since he had the most experience and Katarina so that there was a person from each household present. This helped to reduce the manpower burden on both households during the prolonged absence which turned out to be slightly more than thirty hours. The job of the patrol was to try and gather enough information to determine if those living at the development were a threat and if so how serious. It also provided an excellent training opportunity to Daryl’s way of thinking. He didn’t say that aloud in so many words but facts were facts. It was a good refresher for him as well, there was a big difference between doing it here than during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton out in California which is where he had been stationed most of his time in the Marines apart from his tour in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf war.
Before the two left the Holski farm Daryl had a long talk with Katarina about what he felt they should and shouldn’t do. As they talked he was going through their gear double checking all their equipment to make sure what they had what they needed with them. Notebook, pens, food, water, matches, binoculars, blanket, medical kit, hygiene supplies, ammunition and…Daryl reviewed the overall plan for his partner as he worked. They would move slowly but steadily heading south away from the Holski farm to pass to the west of the housing development, cross the road and continue to circle the group of homes to wind up at a position east of the settlement. This way they could see all four sides of the settlement during the patrol. They would periodically stop to observe whatever activity they could, being careful to write down their observations. The information was potentially too important to be forgotten or details omitted.
Daryl took a few extra minutes to review their communications plan as well. They would be taking one of the handheld radios with them along with a charged spare battery. They would be checking in every thirty minutes but not on the hour. If someone was out there listening on a scanner or using a frequency counter better to make them work for any information they wanted. The patrol would check in at twelve and forty two minutes after the hour while keeping the transmission as brief as possible.
Daryl was careful to explain to Katarina that she needed to make sure to not make assumptions about anything she was seeing. She thought this was a curious statement so she asked him why not? The one time infantryman explained that it was easy to fall in the trap of forming opinions before hand and then to only see the information that supported that assumption in place of all the available data. Daryl used the time to quietly and carefully review what type of information the pair was seeking, number of people, were they armed and if so with what, layout of the buildings, what level of physical condition did the people appear to be in was some of what he told her. Daryl stressed the importance of writing down what they saw. Memory was too inconsistent to be relied on for facts and details later on.
Once finished with the check of the equipment Daryl urged to Katarina to use the bathroom even if she didn’t have to go. Having to slink away to take care of bodily functions could be a hassle that could lead to problems. She nodded and went to the outhouse to do as he suggested Daryl did the same after she finished.
Biological needs satisfied for the time being the pair put their packs on then took up their weapons. He had his customary AR-15 while Katarina was carrying a lever action ‘30-30 rifles borrowed from Miguel each of them also had a pistol. The patrol was about reconnaissance but it was important to be able to defend themselves since it was only the two of them. The information wouldn’t do anyone any good if they couldn’t bring it back safely.
Fighting off the nervous energy brought on by anticipation he felt the familiar mix of emotions that always showed itself just prior to a mission. A sensation he hadn’t felt in years but he recognized it for what it was. No helicopter or other vehicle to take them to where they wanted to go this time, LPC’s again he mused using the military slang term, Leather Personnel Carriers for shoes. Finally it was time to go, handshakes and hugs all around then the two headed off. Petr and Anna Holski watched as their daughter left, possibly going in harm’s way. The two were silent but their body language said all that needed saying, his arm around the shoulders of his wife who had her hands clenched in prayer. Walking away from the house Daryl and Katarina moved toward the four strand barbed wire fence that separated the yard from the field south of the house. The pair slipped carefully over the pointy barrier and into the field which was overgrown with weeds and grass instead of the usual crop of corn. The grass and weeds came to nearly knee height so it did little to hide them while they walked but once they went to ground it should conceal them some Daryl reasoned as he continued to head south. He was in front with the Holski woman about ten paces behind him. The former Marine had been very explicit in this, Katie was to not be any closer than ten paces while they were moving so one group of shots couldn’t get them both.
The Holski daughter had swallowed hard when Daryl explained his reasoning. A bright woman, it didn’t take much convincing to get her to comply. Staying alive was pretty good incentive. He had explained that unless he said different he would always be in front because of his experience. Katie asked if at some point if the situation allowed could she take the lead? Daryl’s reply was that they would have to see not totally satisfied with the answer but realizing it was the best she was going to get she accepted it. The two moved slowly continuing their way south. They would move for several minutes then stop, kneel down and wait and watch for several minutes to determine if any threat was present. From Daryl’s perspective the start-stop walking was very useful, he was in unfamiliar territory with someone with no training and it had been a loong time since he himself had done any of this type of work. So being careful was good as far as he was concerned. Having the responsibility for another person weighed on him, it wasn’t even close to the first time he’d another life to be responsible for but it was still a load to carry.
During the next hour or so the pair slowly moved into a position to be able to begin their observations of the housing area which went on for several hours from their current location. The two traded off between watching and taking notes or resting. Daryl knew that the adrenaline would wear off and when it did that the physical affects would hit hard. At one point while Katarina, her friends called her Katie, was observing she saw something and woke Daryl who had been asleep for about ninety minutes. Daryl’s head popped up with a start at the nudge from his partner hand reaching for his rifle. A gentle hand laid on his calmed his initial reaction. Once he was fully awake she handed him the binoculars while pointing at what had caught her attention. Rolling into a better position Daryl blinked hard to clear his vision trying to see for himself what she was talking about. The view of the southern end of the housing development was a large stone wall about seven feet high. What had caught her attention was that the lone sentry they had observed earlier had been joined by three other people. A scan of the area that the two could see from their position revealed nothing amiss that could account for the sentry being joined by the others. This was the first time the sentry had been visited by anyone else since they had begun watching so having three people show up was unusual enough for her to have wakened him. She had wavered a bit before reaching over to shake him but was now glad she did.
Daryl told her to double check their gear just in case they had to leave in a hurry which Katie did without question she was a little frightened, this was not something she had ever envisioned herself doing but here she was. Her life before hadn’t been an easy one, earning her Masters degree in Agriculture while helping with the day to day operations of the large farm had its own costs. Not enough sleep, lack of a substantial social life and still living at home at twenty eight! Of course having society collapse wasn’t something she had ever thought would happen either and yet here we are. Daryl continued to watch to try and determine the reason for the increase in people but saw nothing out of the ordinary; their body language didn’t seem to be agitated or anxious. The additional three adults stayed with the sentry for twelve minutes from the time he starting watching according to Daryl’s watch. He asked Katie to write down the time when the three left. She did so without hesitation.
Once the three left the area near the front of the housing development Daryl suggested that they move further south to try and get an idea of what might have caused the others to join the sentry like they did. Granted the three didn’t seem upset but Daryl wanted to make sure that they wasn’t anything south of them that he couldn’t see from their current position. “How soon do you want to move?” Katie had their gear ready as he had asked. The response was a bit slow in coming as Daryl continued to scan the area with the binoculars.
“Now is good a time as any.”
So they carefully made their way south which was part of the plan anyways so this wasn’t a change in thinking. It took the pair over an hour to move approximately one hundred yards or so. This put them next to the ditch along side the east-west running road that passed in front of the housing development which was known as Silver Springs. Daryl told his companion that they would hold up there for at least an hour before trying to cross the road. He had previously explained that getting across the road, not only once but twice would likely be the most dangerous part of the patrol. Moving across the road would force them into the open even though it wouldn’t be long. There was no cover or concealment moving across the pavement to the opposite side.
It was important to cross over to not only observe the development from that side but to also get a look at the area south of the road. There were some houses scattered about which might still be occupied. If they were going to patrol then it was important to make it worthwhile since no one from either farm had been in this area since everything had gone to hell. Night was falling fast which Daryl knew would help their cause. It was often difficult for the human eye to see well at twilight. Settling in near the ditch the pair checked the area carefully as they prepared to cross the road. While still at the Holski residence Daryl had carefully explained why it was important to take the risk of crossing the road. James had asked the question as Daryl was reviewing the plan for everyone. In order for the patrol to be as thorough as they could make it viewing the settlement from all sides was vital. Would there be risk? Yes but given the way the world was going right then what wasn’t dangerous? An observation that no one present chose to dispute.
Daryl estimated it would take approximately ten seconds at a dead run to get through the ditch, across the two lane road and then through the small ditch on the other side to reach some measure of concealment. Katie asked if he thought it would be better to go together or one at a time. Mouth opened to speak Daryl paused then closed his mouth. He was going to say one at a time but considered the other option further. Not entirely sure what was going to work best he asked for her opinion.
Katie was a little surprised by his question up until this point he had made all the decisions. Thinking about the choices for a moment she told him that maybe it would be best to have one person over at a time. Suddenly smiling Katie said, “Now might be a good time for me to lead. You can cover me.” Alluding to their earlier conversation about her being able to take the lead position she was working at switching roles with him. Daryl saw the ploy but had no reason to dispute the logic of her statement so told her she could go first. They watched till the sentry was looking away. Readying his rifle in case of trouble Daryl tensed up a bit, this could be ugly he told himself. Here we go, as soon as the sentry turned away Daryl hissed “Go!” Katie ran as fast as she could. Eyes fixed on her destination she looked neither left nor right as she ran. It felt like her heart was going to burst from chest because it was beating so hard. The dash across the open space only lasted for seconds but to her and Daryl it seemed like hours Katie would remark later that she had never felt so exposed or vulnerable in her entire life as at that point.
As she reached the other side or the road Katie awkwardly slid down into the shallow ditch her backpack sliding high on her back. Once down she hurriedly looked across the road but couldn’t see Daryl. The absence of street lights or lights that would normally spill out from occupied houses added to the darkness. Daryl was carefully watching the sentry through his binoculars to see if they had seen Katie traverse the road. There was no indicator that she had been seen. Daryl felt the tension of his body release some realizing that the two of them were still for the moment, safe. Time for him to go.
He continued to watch the sentry waiting for them to once again turn their back. Almost, almost, now! Daryl leapt to his feet and hit the ground running. He kept his head down, binoculars in one hand, rifle in the other. Nearly half away across the road Daryl stumbled but didn’t go down. The off balance man slid down into the shallow ditch nearly face first. Katie grabbed him to keep him from rolling over. Both of them were conscious of the noise the fall created, the fear in their minds amplified the amount of clamor to rock concert levels. Anxious eyes stared toward the spot where the sentry was likely to be. Ears were pitched to hear any sound of alarm but nothing was heard.
“Let’s not do that again huh? C’mon, let’s get outta’ here.” Daryl urged. Katie completely agreed and the two moved out of the ditch and headed south to put some distance between them and the housing development. The remainder of the night was spent alternating between watching and sleeping. At one point Daryl let the tired woman sleep for three hours straight before rousing her. The adrenaline rush of earlier was gone and in its place, fatigue. Nothing of concern was noted during the night. The sentry was changed out several times during the course of the night which gave Daryl a feel for the length of shifts as well as some ideas on their manpower resources.
About four a.m. Daryl told Katie that he wanted to cross back over the road and get set up on the east side of the subdivision. She understood immediately, no way to cross the road unseen during daylight hours. The trip took approximately fifty minutes as they moved some distance and went across the road together without incident. Daryl was careful not to stumble this time when crossing the roadway. The first glimmer of daylight was just showing in the eastern sky as the pair snuck into one of the houses that had not been completed. The entire row of five houses on the block had been unfinished and had suffered extensive fire damage some months earlier. The damaged structure offered a good hiding spot.
While in the remains of the house it was difficult to move around much without running the very real risk of creating noise. This was the closest that the pair had been to the houses themselves so noise discipline was paramount. They took turns observing through the pair of small binoculars that Daryl habitually carried in his tactical vest. The optical device wasn’t of the highest quality but for the distance they were at they proved more than adequate. They continued their pattern of one person using the glasses while the other took notes as necessary and looked around to ensure their security. The pair checked in via radio with the Holski farm per the schedule. Having the sentry atop the tall silo made this easier. Since the radios had limited range being in an elevated location increased the reception and transmission ability. The radio call was relayed to the Hamilton farm from there so that both households knew that for the time being their people were alive and well.
They stayed in the remains of what looked to have once been a modest three bedroom single story till just after it was fully dark. They had been able to watch the housing development from all four sides for over a full day at this point. Numerous pages of notes had been collected. Double checking the area to make sure they were leaving nothing behind the pair exited the burned shell of the house after full dark. They kept the bulk of the structure between them and the housing development as they moved east. Once they moved far enough away from the development that Daryl was comfortable the two slowly rose and staying in a partial crouch moved further away. They didn’t head straight back toward either of the two farms. Katarina was curious about this, asking Daryl why the detour. In a low voice he patiently explained that if they had been seen then it might mislead whoever was watching into thinking that they were from someplace else. The bright woman saw the logic in that immediately. They continued to slowly move away from the area. No alarm of any type was raised so both felt that had managed to get away without being detected something that to Daryl was good and bad.
Good in that if those now living at the development were bad guys the pair got away without being seen. Bad in that if it was the original residents of the subdivision their security wasn’t that good. Both pieces of information needed to be factored into the decision regarding who the people were. Daryl was fairly comfortable with his analysis but he still wanted to get input from the others before making any kind of a definitive statement. Stopping near the blocked gate of the Holski farm Katie notified the duty sentry via radio that the two were crossing the fence and coming in. When they reached the house everyone was waiting for them. Hugs and handshakes all around as the pair was warmly welcomed back. Daryl was offered a ride home so he could clean up and rest but he politely refused opting to walk the distance. A full report on the patrol findings was slated for the following morning.
Continued...