H.I.B.A.S Chapter 5
#6 of How I Became A Soldier
So it Begins
"The adrenaline rush that battle gives you is like no other."
- Rodgers (Foxtrot 2)
In the town of Broomall, a fierce battle has been sparked. It will decide the fate of southwestern Pennsylvania; if it is lost it opens the door to Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Der Armee fur Amerikas Zukunft, the Army for America's Future, is far more than the crude paramilitary force it once was. Quickly sprouting from four hundred to an estimated five thousand soldiers, people to suspect outside help as they begin appearing in battle wearing their own equipment and uniforms. National Guard presence in the area immediatley increases after the January 4th firefight.
It's a cold morning, around 0600 hours. Snow falls lightly but the heavy winds force it sideways making it pile up against houses and cars making drifts up to three feet high. At number forty Evergreen avenue, sandbags two layers thick with plywood in between them rest against the front of the house. On the porch roof, new bars over the windows and sandbags on the window sills finish the second floor. And in the house two young fighters sleep with their rifles after a hard nights work. It's only been a day since Rodgers return and only a mere twenty two hours since he fired his first shot, marking the beginning of a very costly battle between rebel D.A.F.A.Z forces and the government in Delaware county.
Seth's dog, Dillon, walks over to Rodgers and nudges him with his nose and he awakes. "What do you want dog?" He pushes Dillon away, but Dillon comes back and pushes him harder. "Coleman! The fuck does your dog want?"
Seth grumbles and rolls over right off the couch and lands with a crash. "Fuckin' ow! Ah, Dillon you fuzzy lump a' shit, get outta here."
Dillon sits there, wagging his tail furiously. He growls and walks away, headed up the stairs. Rodgers sits up and puts on his gear, he cleans and loads his rifle.
"Seth, what's the plan today? Should we go around and see if everyones alright after yesterday?"
"Um, sure," Seth sits up and yawns, his spine cracks loudly as he does so. "Let's split up for this, I'm not exactly sure if this goober can get across the 'Pike without getting shot. If those Dazis* were camped as close to the area as that Corporal said they were, I don't wanna go near there just yet."
"Understandable. That means this sumbitch," Rodgers pokes himself in the chest, "will be going. I'm gonna head to Rainone's place first. From there I can get to Alex."
"Sounds good to me. Let me check my gear then I'll get going."
Rodgers just walks out the back door without another word. He keeps low and his rifle shouldered all the way down the street. From the corner he can see Guard positions down the road, the nearest one stopping at the Evergreen Apartments driveway forty meters in front of him.
Off to his left he sees a body that wasn't there yesterday. It was a National Guard soldier. Still wearing all his gear and the blood soaked snow partially coated with another layer, Rodgers could see through binoculars the man was dead for at least twelve hours. He thinks there may be a sniper out there.
Only one way to be sure, he thinks to himself. He grips his rifle tight and gets ready for a sprint. He pushes off and shoots forward moving fast for all the gear he is wearing.
A sharp crack in the distance, followed by an odd buzz.
"Shit!" yells Rodgers. The snipers round was insanely close to his nose. He stumbles but regains balance and dives onto the opposite sidewalk and rolls through the snow behind the fence seperating the Evergreen Apartments driveway from the gas station. The sniper fires again and the round goes through the fence and misses by a full meter.
"Holy fuckin' christwagons..." he says to himself, breathing hard.
He gets himself back together and starts a run through the complex, making his way towards Delmont avenue. He hops the last fence and drops into a trash filled yard. Being careful not to make too much noise, he carefully steps around everything. It takes ten minutes to move 30 feet.
He stops at the street, laying down flat, waiting to cross. He's not sure if there are any other Dazis around or where the sniper even is. For all Rodgers knows, there's a team of two. He slowly snakes his way across the street, keeping his rifle flat in front of him. He crosses another yard, then another street. Doing the same as before, he reaches James' back door without any trouble. He taps out a beat on the glass of the sliding door and almost immediately the curtains are thrown back and the door opens, theres a machete with dried blood on it only an inch from his face.
Rodgers shouts quickly "It's Rodgers, it's Rodgers! Take it easy!"
It's James. His face is covered in stubble, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a scar on his cheek. He glares at Rodgers before pulling him inside by the collar of his vest. The door is slid shut and a metal door made of multiple plates is slid into place behind it. James sets down the machete and looks at Rodgers briefly, then calls towards the front of the house "It's only Rodgers!"
He sits on the couch facing the T.V. and motions for Rodgers to sit down. When he takes a seat, James asks "I almost sliced you. So what the fuck's up brother? I thought your ass was dead."
They spend the next hour talking about the previous months and the recent firefight. They're only interrupted by one of the family dogs, a large German Shepard named Peyton. She jumps onto the couch and starts barking. James' sister, Kat, runs in to calm her.
She sees Rodgers, "Holy shit," and ducks into the bathroom.
James looks over and smiles. He points to the bathroom door and tells Rodgers to go scare her. Rodgers gets up, removing his helmet and shemagh and dropping his gear on the floor. He presses an ear up to the door and listens, he hears frantic typing on a cell phone. He throws open the door, Kat screams.
"Holy fuck who are are you!? RAPE! Gah!" She scrambles into the shower stall and shuts the door.
"Fucking shit! Get the machete James!"
James starts laughing and responds "It's Rodgers!"
Rodgers slowly opens the door and extends his hand out to Kat. "C'mon, get up I ain't here to bite unless ya ask."
She takes his hand and stands up. He leads her out of the bathroom where she turns him around and punches him in the shoulder.
"You dickhead! I thought I was fuckin' trippin' because I thought you were fucking dead and you scared the living shit out of me, you asshole!" she looks down and takes a deep breath, holding her head, "You asshole", she punches him again then pulls him to a hug, "Fucking dickhead, I missed your stupid ass."
She lets him go and sits on the couch, still cursing, clearly shaken. James is on the other couch closest to the sliding door, laughing like crazy. Kat throws a book at him and tells him to shut up.
She gets up and goes to her room.
"Damn Rodgers, that was funny shit. So what brings you here, this is dangerous territory." asks James, still laughing.
"I'm here to go around to the Goober Squad members and recruiting help. I got Byers and Coleman, so I'm here to ask you."
"Eh, I don't think so. Until I have a reason, I'm not doing shit. Kat wants to join the Army, ask her. Like, if they try and kill my dogs, or if they blow up my Toyota, then you'll probably get a call from me, but now? No, sorry."
"Okay, I respect that. I'll go talk to Kat another time. I need to go check on the rest of the squad, I'll be back."
He shakes hands with James and puts on his gear. As he walks out the door, James stops him.
"Take this, it was Jesse's," James hands him a satellite phone, "He kept it for emergencies." The look on James' face surprises him.
"Wait, he's...?"
James nods his head. "He didn't go out like you think he did, he got into a shootout with those fucking Nazis," the look on his face goes from sorrow to anger, "He got wounded, he called me on his cell in the middle and he said goodbye. He shot himself to avoid capture, and he would've died from his wounds anyway he said. So just take this, and I'll see you later."
Mood brought down significantly, he takes the phone and walks out into the cold. The blizzard has picked up and would provide enough cover for him to move about freely if he was careful.
Damn, I can't believe that motherfucker is dead, shit really change doesn't it? he thinks. His mind races with questions. He moves back through the yards the way he came and back up to West Chester Pike. He goes into a crouch and slowly starts down the road towards the Sovreign Bank on the corner of Anne Road, about a quarter mile.
I wonder how Dibono is doing, I hope his family is okay...
When he gets close enough to the Ford dealership he stands up and lets his rifle hang against his chest to avoid being shot by the Guard troops stationed there. He exchanges a "Hello" with a soldier sitting on an ammunition crate by the sandbags in front of the driveway. When Rodgers gets close enough to the corner by the bank, he raises his rifle again and turns the corner.
It's been almost three hours since he left the relative safety of the Coleman house, now jokingly referred to as 'the bunker'. Rodgers is now crusted with snow and frozen dirt, frost clings to the goggles he's wearing, forcing him to take one of his hands off the rifle and wipe them clean. He gets to the next corner and hops a fence into Alexs' neighbors yard, he walks around to the front of Alexs' house and knocks on the door, standing back just in case one of the family there has a weapon.
"Who is it?" calls a voice from inside. The voice is muffled and cannot be made out clearly.
"It's Rodgers, Matt. I'm here to see if you guys are okay, it's been a while!"
"Prove this!"
"I remember four bulldogs. Meaty, Princess, Hendry and Sal. Princess passed away from an infection and was replaced by Mable. Sal has a tooth missing, and Hendry is one hundred and ten pounds exactly."
"Unlocking the door, stand back."
The door opens and Richard DiBono appears. He wears worn BDU pants tucked into black combat boots with a ragged t-shirt that was at one point white. A salt-and-pepper beard covers his face and patches of wiry gray hair show on his normally clean shaven scalp. Mr. DiBonos tired eyes lock with his and he softly, but quickly, says "Come inside."
Rodgers takes a step in and Mr. DiBono closes the heavy door behind him. Before Rodgers has a chance to say anything he is picked up by Mr. DiBono in a huge bear hug. "You friggin' goober, you, so good to see your okay! And you can call me Richard now by the way, 'Mr. DiBono' is a mouthful when time is of the essence. I assume your not here for handshakes and hellos?"
"Partly. I just wanted to see if you guys were okay. You heard about the firefight up the way, yes?"
Richard and Rodgers sit down on two armchairs opposite of each other about ten feet from the front door. "Yeah, I heard about that. Alex told us about it when he was walking home from the store, he heard a group of soldiers talking about it."
Before Rodgers answers him, he can see Richard is eyeing the equipment he's carrying. He adjusts his pack and says, "If your thinking what I think you are, sir, I was involved in the firefight, I shot a DAFAZ captain. Seth and Dave took down two others."
"Oh damn it all, you're involved in this mess too?"
"Yes sir, you didn't think the rifle was just for protection did you?"
"Well, I don't know. Knowing your group, I don't question the things you do most of the time."
"If I were you, I wouldn't either. But yeah, we're in this shit too, knee deep. The Goober Squad is now active if ya hear me. I have Seth checking up on Dave and his family. After this I need to make my way to the Guard outpost at the old dealership and talk to Lieutenant Hayes about the squad."
"You're serious about this?'
"Yes sir I - "
Loud footsteps on the basement stairs interrupt Rodgers. Through the door comes Alex, he is dressed the same way as his father but his uniform is newer and he wears a 'Slayer' armband that looks home-made. He recoils at the sight of Rodgers, seeing his rifle he pulls out his knife, a very large Bowie knife with a handle similar to Great War era Mark I trench knives. A very vicious looking blade.
Rodgers calls out to him, "Hey Di-Boner, it's Rodgers!" Without a word Alex rushes over and almost picks Rodgers up off the chair in a hug.
"Damn niggah, don't you be dying on me! I'll kill your ass! Dave told me about all your fuzziness last night too, and the firefight," he pauses to take a breath, "It's so fuckin' good to see you again man, damn, it's been too long!"
Laughing Rodgers replies, "I agree, I agree. Look, I can't be here long, at all. I'm in a rush at this point now. I gotta stop in to see the L.T. on the way back to Coleman's place," he puts a hand on DiBonos shoulder, "I'll be back, you know where I'm at now. You need anything, send someone to me."
"Shit, alright man." he walks into the kitchen and returns with half a loaf of banana bread. "Take this, put it in your pack for later. My mom would have a shit conniption if she found out you were here and we didn't feed you."
Rodgers takes the loaf, wrapped in plastic, and puts it in his pack right next to the explosives. After handshakes and farewells are exchanged, Rodgers sets off in the blizzard once more. The wind has picked up enough that it almost knocks him over on the way out the door. Taking a sip of Monster from his hydration pack, he re-adjusts the sling that holds his rifle.
I wonder how long it'll take for me to cut through these yards, he thinks climbing over a near fence. He works his way through the empty yards and makes it up to the 'Pike without any trouble. Not worried about being seen by the enemy in the blizzard he casually walks up to the sandbag positions in front of the dealership.
He calls out to a soldier sitting by a burn barrel, "I'm looking for Second L.T. Hayes!" The soldier, startled, drops his coffee and raises his sidearm, an M9 Beretta. "Halt there, identify or be shot!"
"Tell the L.T. that Rodgers is asking for him, he'll recognize me. If he doesn't, I'll surrender my weapons and I won't fight."
"Aight then. . . ." Rodgers stands there in the cold counting footprints in the snow to pass the time. The five minutes the guard is gone seem like an eternity standing in the storm. A voice that sounds like the Lieutenant calls from inside the perimeter of the camp and he enters, hopping over the sandbags.
"Step inside Rodgers!" calls Hayes from inside the command tent. The sight of a cat walking through the camp draws the attention of multiple soldiers. None ask him who he is or why he is there, they just stare.
He pushes aside the tent flaps in step inside, snapping into a salute. "Sir!"
Hayes, still sitting, returns the salute and motions for Rodgers to sit down on the ammunition crate next to him. "What brings you here this fine day Rodgers? Do you need medical attention, food or water?"
"No sir, the Goober Squad is organizing. I wanted to see if you would'nt mind throwing some supplies our way, after we prove ourselves of course."
Hayes raises his eyebrows in surprise. He looks down at the pile of papers and maps on his makeshift desk and looks back up at Rodgers. "I personally don't have a problem with that," says Hayes, pulling a large map out of the pile, "But, like I think you already know, I want to be sure that nothing is going to waste. Take this map here, this shows the movements of small groups of DAFAZ troops. There aren't too many around here but with the snow we have trouble with movement. If you could do some reconnaissance on this group here," he points to a red dot by the old Gauntlett Center, "There are reports of a platoon size unit in this area, I want you to go to the Quartermasters tent and pick up an ACOG sight for that rifle of yours, take a pencil and pad take note of what you see, get me everything you can."
"Yes sir, I can do that. Also, a sniper took down one of yours and almost killed me, I believe he's up by the bus garage at the intersection."
"Yeah, you're gonna need that scope if you can't make it past him. So, you need anything before you head out?"
"No sir, except directions to the latrine."
"Right next to the Quartermasters tent."
"Thank you sir."
After relieving himself, Rodgers stops into the Quartermasters tent to pick up the ACOG, with that he receives a foregrip. He puts the now unused carry handle from his A4 into an empty pouch on his hip, he thanks the Quartermaster and exits the tent, sitting on a crate by the entrance to the camp. Taking out the satellite phone, not too familiar with how they work, calls Dave's house. Dave picks up, Rodgers can hear Seth being attacked by Daves dog in the background. "Hey Byers, it's Rodgers, sitrep?"
"Uh, Seth told me whats up, I only know as much as he does about what you're doing. What else? Uh, oh, I'm good for the fight now. Speakin' of which, who else you pick up?"
"The Rainones possibly, maybe Alex. But for now it's just us three."
"Shit, okay. Anything else? I can't talk long."
"Nah, nothing. I'm oscar mike, I'll contact you later" Rodgers hangs up and starts back towards Rainones house. The snow is picking up and he won't be able to do any recon in this weather, at least not without getting frostbite. To get to where he needed to be it could take an hour just to move 100 feet without being seen. Before he went though, he at least wanted to grab something hot to eat.
*Dazis - Term used by the Goober Squad, and later the National Guard, to refer to Der Armee Fur Amerikas Zukunft. Being that the group was originally a Neo-Nazi paramilitary group and a majority speak some German, the squad thought it fit. Coleman pointing out the fact that their uniforms and helmets were the same field-gray that the Wehrmacht in WWII used, they thought it made sense to call them Nazis before.