Wisconsin Outpost. Chapter 16

I have to think back to what exactly happened. As I said it was as if hell itself opened up. Believe it or not what saved my ass, was the wall. The whole wall. I awoke to sirens and explosions. I could not hear well and I thought we were on fire. This was not true, oh there was fire, Fire and the cold wind as it stated snowing. It took me the longest time to figure out where I was and what had happened. The fog of the blast had taken its toll on me. I drifted back and forth for what felt like an eternity. Consciousness played in and out.

I awoke again, my wits addled. I tried to move and found I couldn't. My brain wasn't working right. I knew I was in trouble, but I didn't feel in danger. I keep running through my head, I was Jack Moon I lived and 304 Franklin street, my next of kin was Mary..........., a groan escaped my lips. “Mary's dead “ the thought hit me like a hammer as it all came back. I can not explain in enough detail the emotional toll that weight was. My Mary, My Love, My Queen. With her death, emotion welled up in me not to be suppressed. Then just as suddenly an image of Hades body. Christ, Hades offed himself. Hades shot himself and then there was an explosion. I tried to focus on where I was. I tried to get up again and fear flooded in me as I imagined I was on the ground. I didn't worry about whether or not I was all there. I just knew I was alive and I had to get up or Zack might get me. But pain shot through my leg again. I grunted in pain as I came to the realization that I was trapped. It took a minute but I focused my mind. On what was happening around me. I could see. Clearly it was day. And the cold air told me winter was here.

Not freezing but the first fall of powder. The I heard the moans, Zack was moaning. I could smell smoke, the kind that's not from a normal fire. I turned my head to the right as I realized I was pined under a section of wall. It took me a minute to figure out I wasn't in the back yard as I would have suspected. I was, I believed, I was in the back kitchen apparently, I had been blown in the back and the wall came with me, or I with it. I laughed, My thoughts were clearing as I mentally corrected my grammar. I could see the tops of the main street building. The air as I said was crisp and cool. I couldn't move my left arm or legs. I was pinned. “Fuck!” I am going to die in the snow. What a fucked up day. I thought in ironic humor.

I mentally took in account my body. I could breathe, I did not feel the cool wetness of blood, but yet I could not feel one leg. I calmed my panic. I twisted my hips the best I could and tensed.. Apparently not a lower spinal injury, I wiggled my toes and knew there on my right lower leg, I was not in the best shape. After I shifted feeling came and I knew shortly I would be in pain. My leg was asleep. I tried to move my knee to the left and couldn't. I shifted to the right and screamed. Fuck. Mother fucker. Right down my shin, the pain came to me, I was hurt. Fearing a break I calmed myself down.

“Your alive ole boy.” I croaked. Its all down hill from there. “ I reassured myself. I did not know where anyone was but I did know I could not dwell on it. No one had called out when I screamed but a few moans were added. I could move my right arm and shifted to the opening. I bit the pain that fired in my leg. I could move in that direction. I shimmied my torso about two inches but my right leg was pinned. I pushed on the part of the wall I could and screamed again. I was levering it into my leg. I lay there half laughing, half wanting to cry. I could feel tears of frustration and pain tried to release I screamed mentally at myself “Come on solider. They can't get to you, figure a way out. “What a fucked up day.” I told myself.

The shifting gave me some room. I felt at my tomahawk. Now as my wits came back I realized my shotgun was uncomfortable under my back. I was suddenly thankful for the shoulder lanyard. The tomahawk was cockeyed under my back, but still in the sheath. With some concentrated effort I arched my back enough and fought through the pain, enough to unsnap it free. I laying there panting exhausted. Tomahawk in my hand. I rested for a moment. Not that it would help me muc,h but the uncomfortably was some small win.

When I opened my eyes again it was night. I did not remember falling sleep. Fuck where did the time go. I did not dwell on it I felt the tomahawk still in my hands. The moans seemed closer, but they came from all over as well. I checked my watch. I could not make the light dials out that well. I dug out my pen light and covered it with my hand and depressed the switch. I had to shift my wrist to make it out. I stared at what I saw. It was ten thirty PM and the date was November twelfth. It wouldn't click. I shut it all off and laid there. Four days. Four amazing days I was out. I did another body scan and only my leg hurt. Hurt like a mother. I recited different poems, the presidency, my age, my house address, all Mary's and Johnny's info. Ran through all the events leading me here. Satisfied my brain wasn't broken I thought how to free myself.

With my right hand I slid the tomahawk as far down by my right leg as it could. Using the spike on the floor I slowly applied pressure down ward. The wall shifted but not enough before the blade cut in to the old plaster waif . Letting go of the tomahawk and getting mad, I pushed hard on the wall. Pain shot up my shin. But I kept trying to sit up and press the wall off. I began to grunt at the pain and redoubled my effort till I screamed in pain and rage. I was not dying like a trapped rabbit. Fueled my rage and indignation I finally got my foot free. Shifted it up and to the side, then collapsed as pain shot through it again. It hurt. I tried too wiggle my toes as I fought through the pain. I could move my ties and flex my ankle, but the pain through my shine was incredible. I did not even account for the moans. I lay there awhile waiting for the pain to subside screaming at myself to move. Slowly I crawled out from the wall.

I stood the, half the second floor missing, dark as sin. The power out, but a few lights. From this vantage point I could make out some faint lights, those occupying second and third floors of the downtown area. Which wasn't much as the downtown area is maybe a strip a half mile long. Trees and darkness obscured anything else. A moonless night. I couldn’t tell if the garage was up yet, nor if a vehicle was left. My leg hurt bad. It was not broken, but the indentation of the wall hurt like a mother. I looked at my watch again. The illuminated dials told me it was eleven fifteen. I was cold and hungry. I felt for my left pocket and found a power bar and ate it as I stood. I wasn't just hungry, I was starving. How long had I drifted in and out? Where was the crew? I hoped they were alright. But I worried. Susan, Joe and Sissy? Were they alive? I did not know. But I knew I was. The moans were all around me and I knew they were out there, around the house.

I had gotten out from the destroyed wall. The front of the house was missing. The stair well disappeared into the first floor and was gone. Just gone. I could see the faint glow of what looked like a rig, there were faint glows of what I assumed were fires were scattered throughout the landscape, It was surreal, like a dream not making sense. I figured the bathroom and the spare closet were open yet. Hades was dead in the bath room and I wasn’t going to move him by myself. The man weighed twice what I did and I did not want to go in there. Emotions threatened to bubble, but I forced them down. “You hold steady Sarge.”‘ I reminded myself, "continue with the plan. Safety, shelter , water, Fire, food” I recited mentally.

At the moment. I was safe, Zach couldn’t reach me, and hopefully if I made myself invisible, he wouldn’t. Shelter, I reminded myself. I ran through what was left of the house. The spare closet was the only hope. I couldn’t chance running around the destroyed house. But in there I could cover up and collect my thoughts. Water and fire I had. Morning I would survey my surroundings in the light of day. I made my way carefully back to where the spare closet was. It was pretty much cleared out and I could open the door and I got in. There was enough room to lean my back against the wall and stretch my legs out. It hurt like hell yet, and getting down caused me some discomfort. But there was nothing to be done for it. I had my carharts on, so the chill didn't gripped me I figured I would be stiff in the morning but I wouldn’t freeze. I had a spare sterno, and if need be I could light it and warm it up a bit but I didn’t want to waste it. Winter would only get worse as the days went on. I felt the safety on the shot gun, making sure it was in the safe position.

I figure the moans and creeks of the house would keep me up. I was surprised when I awoke in the dark with a start. Someone was knocking. No not a knock ,as it was a non rhythmic thud, ..thud, thud, …thud. I cracked the door to be welcomed by light. It was morning and the moans were coming from all around.