Chapter 6

We started to settle into something of a rhythm over the next few days. As someone who had been alone for over a month without seeing anyone it was quite the wake up. Lindsey quickly got herself settled in and we started divvying up some of the normal chores around the place. After a tour of the garden and fruit trees she was quick to lay claim to those as a primary responsibility for herself.

In addition to dividing up some of the regular chores we would have to help make the place more manageable with now the two of us, we also talked about ways to improve our position. One recommendation was possibly improved weaponry. 5.56 and 9mm I had chosen as a good base because I had them already and the ammunition for each was relatively easy to access. Now we had official confirmation there were some hostile people around and who knew what type of weaponry they had.

I had a 7.62mm sniper style rifle, but we decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and get more rifles and get ahold of more ammunition for them as well as a 50 cal upgrade option. We had already had proof now that there were some not so friendly people out there. While yes, the 7.62 would probably punch through a Kevlar plate, the 50 cal would punch through it and possibly the engine block in front of it as well. I had been a Ranger in the Army and had fired all the varieties of rifle we had, so I was familiar with the sniper rifle variants. In the right situation I could make shots at over a half mile away, but then regular Army rifle qualification had targets out to 300 meters, and that was for any soldier to shoot at regardless of actual job.

The thought of the different weaponry brought another thing to mind, especially for the sniper style shooting: suppressors. They would aid in limiting muzzle flash and help being spotted when firing by also limiting the sound of the weapon firing. Anything beyond about 30 yards they probably wouldn’t even hear them being fired.

The nice thing of my having been stationed at Fort Hood for a good while was my familiarity with the area and base specifically. I should have thought earlier about upgrading my weaponry, but having ammo aplenty was an important early task. So it was that we planned another trip going out. However, it was reluctantly agreed to go separately. That way I could go out while Lindsey stayed back to make sure the cabin was protected. Not having backup, I would be cautious. If I saw signs of people, I would make sure to avoid giving away our cabin position. Sure, it would get out eventually, but for now I was more than content to be the hard target people would steer clear of while going after easier targets instead.

This being Texas, there were a variety of firearms stores or professional ranges that would most likely have suppressors available. There were also some specific units on post that would have some in arms rooms. Since I had already penetrated the Ammo Supply Point and had knowledge of what arms rooms would have the type of rifles and suppressors I was after, I knew I was headed on base again. It did give me a pang of regret: I knew the ASP as well as I did because I’d spent time as an ammo NCO and so knew the people. People that were most likely dead and gone.

Once I was prepped and ready to go I was a little surprised by the farewell from Lindsey: She gave me a tight hug and then a kiss on the cheek. “Come back safe. I just found a partner, not ready to lose you.”

I gave her a smile and then a light squeeze against me. “I’ll be back, don’t worry. I know how to be safe on my own.” I loaded up from there, once again wearing or carrying my plate carrier, rifle, and pistol. Like the first time I’d gone on base for ammo I made sure I had a heavy duty angle grinder included as my means of access.

I decided to make my start at the arms room of one of the SpecOps units on post. Like most of the units, it was located within their company building. After first checking the door, I used the grinder to remove the hinges before going in. The door to the arms room took a little more work for obvious reasons.

Within about a half hour I was in, grabbing several 7.62 sniper rifles as well as a couple 50 cal sniper rifles. I was also able to find suppressors for both the 5.56mm M4/AR platform, the 7.62mm and the 9mm pistols. Those I made liberal use of and loaded up a bag of suppressors so I could keep them on weapons as an “assigned” piece now. While I was here I had another thought and stocked up on more scopes as well, with focus on magnified red dot style scopes for rifles.