Chapter 215

Louis finished his coffee and set the mug on a table. “I’m going to check on our boys.” He walked to the door.

“Can I come with you, Louis?” Donya asked. “I made some sandwiches for them.”

“Sure.”

Donya followed him with several lunch boxes. “I hope they like it.”

“They’ll love it, Donya.”

He stepped out of the RV. Two Dominion Guard soldiers in full combat gear were standing guard. “Sir.”

“You two are with Field Marshal McCarthy? Louis asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Who’s on duty?”

“Our team, Sergeant Petrov and Sergeant Zhang’s team.”

Louis nodded and walked to the nearest SUV with Donya. Sergeant Zhang was in the passenger seat, looking at a laptop. Two of his men were sleeping in the back. He saw Louis and lowered the window.

“Sir.”

“How’s it going, Sergeant?” Louis asked.

“All quiet, sir. We have multiple drones in the air. Our motion sensors haven’t picked up anything. And I managed to get into the Nauvoo Legion’s encrypted network. They are mobilizing in Camp Williams, about sixty miles southeast of here.”

“What are they planning?” Louis asked.

“They are securing the city and trying to restore order,” Zhang said. “They haven’t made any statement about the Prophet King yet. Or about us.”

“Keep an eye on them,” Louis said. “Let me know if anything changes.”

“Understood, sir,” Zhang said.

“How are you holding up?” Louis asked.

“I’m good, sir,” Zhang said. “I took some rest back at the hotel.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Louis said. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet, sir,” Zhang said.

Donya stepped forward with four lunch boxes. “Here. Please, share these with your men.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Zhang said, taking the lunch boxes. “This is very kind of you.”

“We appreciate what you’re doing for us,” Donya said.

Zhang smiled. “We’re just doing our jobs, ma’am.”

“A very good job,” Louis said. “Keep it up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’re going to find Sergeant Petrov, do you know where he is?” Louis asked.

“He’s hiding in a small hillside about two hundred yards to the south,” Zhang said, pointing. “With his spotter. They have a good view of the area.”

“Alright,” Louis said. “Tell him we’re coming.”

“I’ll let him know, sir.”

Louis and Donya walked toward the hillside. He took her hand. “That was nice of you, Donya.”

“They are putting their lives on the line for us, Louis,” Donya said. “It’s the least we can do.”

“I agree. It’s hard to find good men like them.”

“It is. And it’s sad that they have to be in this situation because of us.”

“They are soldiers. This is what they do. They fight for the Dominion, which means us.”

“I know,” Donya said. “But I still worry about them. What if one of them gets hurt or killed?”

“That’s a risk we all take, Donya.” Louis sighed. “We just have to accept it.”

Donya looked at the ground as they walked. “You were almost killed today, Louis. I saw the bullets hitting you. I was so scared.”

“I was scared too. But I’m okay now.”

“But what if you weren’t?” Donya asked, her eyes wet with tears. “What if you didn’t wear a vest? Or if he aimed at your head?”

“Don’t think about that, Donya,” Louis said, squeezing her hand. “It didn’t happen. I’m here. And I’m with you.”

“I know,” Donya said. “I just can’t get it out of my head. Daniel Lee was trying to kill you two days ago, but he missed. Today, a so-called ‘president’ was trying to kill you, but your vest saved you. How many more times are we going to be this lucky?”

“As many times as we need to be,” Louis said. “They are scared of us. And we’re going to hunt down every single one of them until they’re all dead.”

“Then what, Louis? Then we can finally live in peace?”

Louis nodded. “Yes.”

“I hope so, Louis.”

They walked in silence for a few more minutes. Louis saw the flash of redlight from a distance. “He’s there.”

They walked toward the light and nearly missed him. Sergeant Petrov and his spotter were almost invisible in the darkness. They were lying in prone position, their rifles aimed toward the only road into the island.

“Sergeant,” Louis said quietly. “Nice position you have here.”

“Sir,” Petrov said without moving. “A good place for hunting.”

“How’s it going?” Louis asked.

“All quiet,” Petrov said. “No hostiles in sight.”

“Good,” Louis said. “We brought you something.”

Donya handed them the lunch boxes. “I made some sandwiches and fruit for you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Petrov said. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“We appreciate your service,” Donya said. “And we want you to know that we are grateful for your protection.”

“It’s our honor, ma’am,” Petrov said.

Louis looked the spotter. “What’s your name?”

“Corporal Paul Lewis, sir,” he said.

“Where are you from, Corporal?”

“Eugene, Oregon,” he said.

“Nice town,” Louis said. “I’ve been there. A lot of hippies.”

“That’s why I joined the Guard, sir,” he said.

Louis laughed. “I see.”

Donya looked at Petrov. “Where are you from, Sergeant?”

“Los Angeles,” Petrov said. “I grew up in West LA.”

“We’re neighbors then.” Louis smiled. “I should invite you over for a BBQ when we’re back.”

“I’d like that, sir,” Petrov said.

“You saved our lives more than once, Sergeant,” Louis said. “I won’t forget it.”

“I was just doing my job, sir,” Petrov said. “I’m glad I could be of service.”

Louis nodded. “Take a break. Eat. Donya and I will stay here for a while.”

“Thank you, sir,” Petrov said. He slowly sat up, taking a bite of a sandwich. Lewis kept his binoculars focused on the road.

“You’re a good shot, Sergeant,” Donya said, sitting next to Petrov.

“I’ve been trained well, ma’am,” he said. “And I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“I’m glad you’re on our side,” Donya said. “Is your family from LA too?”

“My parents are immigrants from Russia,” Petrov said. “My father was a pilot in the Soviet Union.”

“Wow,” Donya said. “He must have seen a lot of changes.”

“He has,” Petrov said. “He came to the US in the 90s. He worked as a flight instructor.”

“Where are they now?” Louis asked.

“They died in 2011, sir,” Petrov said. “In a riot in LA. Mobs were targeting immigrants.”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant,” Louis said. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, sir,” Petrov said. “It was a long time ago. Now we have the Dominion. And we have order.”

“We do,” Louis said. “And we have our share of enemies.”

“Which is why I’m here, sir,” Petrov said, finishing his sandwich. “To protect you. And your family.”

“I appreciate that, Sergeant,” Louis said.

Lewis looked through his binoculars. “Movement, Sergeant.”

“Get down, sir, ma’am,” Petrov said, lowering himself back to the ground.

Louis and Donya lay flat on the ground. Lewis handed the binoculars to Petrov. Petrov looked through them for a moment.

“Ten o’clock. On the lake. A boat,” Petrov said. “Three men. Armed with rifles.”

“What are they doing?” Louis asked.

“Patrol. Nauvoo Legion,” Petrov said. “By their uniforms.”

“Are they a threat?” Donya asked, her voice trembling.

“They’re heading to the island,” Petrove said. “But they are still half a mile away.”

“Should we take them out?” Louis asked.

“No, sir,” Petrov said. “They might just be scouting. And we don’t want to reveal our position.”

“Then keep an eye on them,” Louis said.

“Will do, sir,” Petrov said.

Donya looked at Louis. “I’m scared.”

“I know, Donya,” Louis said, putting an arm around her. “But we’re safe with them.”

Petrov looked at them. “I’ll take the shot if they get closer, sir. I promise you that.”

“Do what you have to do, Sergeant,” Louis said. “Give me the binoculars.”

Petrov handed them to Louis. Louis looked through them. He could see the boat clearly. It was a small patrol boat with a mounted machine gun at the front. Three men were on board, wearing Legion uniforms. Someone pointed at the light of the RV.

“Shit,” Louis said. “They spot us. Take them down.”

Petrov aimed his rifle. Lewis held a range finder. “Seven hundred and fifty yards. Wind is 5 miles per hour from the west. A little high and to the right.”

“Got it,” Petrov said. He held his breath. The rifle cracked. A figure in the boat fell into the water. The other two men grabbed their rifles and looked around wildly. Petrov fired again. Another man fell.

“Nice shot, Sergeant,” Louis said.

Petrov worked the bolt. “Thank you, sir.” He fired again. The last man dropped. The boat drifted on the lake.

Louis spoke to the Comms. “Captain, we have three hostiles down. A patrol boat. Half a mile west. Petrov took them out.”

“Understood, sir,” Yamamoto’s voice came, hoarse from sleep. “I will send a team to secure the boat.”

“Do it,” Louis said.

He gave the binoculars back to Petrov. “Good job, Sergeant.”

“Just doing my job, sir,” Petrov said.

Donya’s face was pale. “Are they all dead?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Petrov said. “Headshots. All three.”

Donya closed her eyes for a moment, her hands clasped together. “Allah, please forgive them. And forgive us.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Donya,” Louis said, his arm around her.

“I’m okay, Louis,” she said, opening her eyes. “Let’s go back to the RV. I think I need to pray.”

“Alright,” Louis said. “Sergeant, keep an eye out for more of them. And let me know if you see anything.”

“Will do, sir,” Petrov said.

Louis and Donya walked back. Louis spoke to his comms again. “Captain, I saw one of them pointed at our RV. They saw us. Should we change our position?”

“Negative, sir,” Yamamoto’s voice replied. “We have a good defensive position here. And the choppers will be back in a few hours. It’s better to stay here.”

“Understood,” Louis said. They walked back to the RV. The Guard soldiers at the door nodded. “Sir. Ma’am.”

Louis opened the door. Donya went straight to the upper lounge. Willa was on her laptop, while Angelique and Cherish were talking quietly on the sofa.

“How are you feeling, Donya?” Willa asked.

“Not good,” Donya said, sitting on a sofa. “We saw Sergeant Petrov kill three men. It was horrible.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Willa said. “Yamamoto told us.”

“Where are the others?” Louis asked.

“Glads and Savvy had gone to bed. Mae-Mae is taking a shower downstairs. They need some rest after today,” Angelique said.

“You need to rest too, Louis,” Cherish said. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“I will,” Louis said, taking a seat. “Soon.”

His phone rang. He looked at the screen. It was Robin.

“Louis,” Robin’s voice came. “We just landed in Nevada. We’re transferring the families to a larger transport to Sacramento now. Everything is under control.”

“Good to hear, Robin,” Louis said. “When are you coming back?”

“There are some complications, Louis,” Robin said. “The Legion’s air force is in the air. They’ve established a no-fly zone over Salt Lake City and the surrounding area ten minutes ago. Unless we want to start a full-scale war, we can’t send any more choppers through.”

“So we are stuck here?” Louis asked.

“Temporarily,” Robin said. “Your father and I are working on a solution. We’re trying to contact the Legion’s high command. Or whoever is in charge now. A diplomatic solution is still possible. And we need you to stay put. We’ll get you out of there. I promise.”

“Alright,” Louis said. “But I’m not sure how long we can hold out. A Legion patrol boat found us. Petrov took them out.”

“Yamamoto told me,” Robin said. “Good work. Now, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I have an update. Stay safe, Louis.”

“You too, Robin,” Louis said, hanging up. He looked at the others. “You heard that.”

“We’re stuck here,” Willa said, her eyes wide. “With the Legion looking for us. Great.”

“How long will it take?” Angelique asked.

“I don’t know,” Louis said. “But we need to be ready.”

“For what?” Donya asked, her face pale. “For a fight?”

“For anything,” Louis said. “We have enough firepower to hold them off for a while. We have enough food and water for a week. We can make it.” He paused. “And we have the war as a last resort.”

“The Rods,” Willa said.

“If it comes to that,” Louis said. “We already used one, we might as well use more.”

“But how many people will die then?” Donya asked.

“Then let’s hope they leave us alone,” Angelique said. “Now, we all need to get some rest. Our guards will keep watch.”

“I need a shower,” Donya said, standing up. “I feel dirty.”

“Me too,” Louis said. “Together? It’s been a long day.”

Donya blushed. “Okay.” He followed her to the upper bedroom.