Chapter 14: Monday, November 19th, 2012 - 6:15 PM

Bill and Jimmy were on a quad right at dusk. Jimmy hadn't seen movement and no more bandits had shown up to investigate their missing comrades. Susan and Mary stayed in the lookout point to provide covering fire if Bill and Jimmy had to run for it.

Bill smiled to himself at the sight of Mary touching Jimmy's arm and telling him to be careful. Jimmy's chest had puffed out and he stood a little straighter but he didn't say anything. He only nodded and patted her hand on his arm before getting on the quad behind Bill.

Bill slowly drove passed the first vehicle that had crashed and flipped. He slowed farther when he came to the second rifle trap. Bill carefully put the rifle on safe and removed the trip wire. Driving on Bill made sure the quad tires were on the center and shoulder of the road to avoid the tire flattening bullets ... It was dark enough to need the night glasses after they safely passed the site and Bill slowly made his way toward the first ambush site.

"Let's walk from here," Bill said to Jimmy. "Stay behind me and carry that extra rifle." Bill shouldered a pack that had all he would need to set up more traps.

Bill quickly but carefully checked the dead men in the ambushed SUV. There had been four men in the vehicle. The rifle had killed the driver and a passenger in the back seat. He was careful where he stepped and instructed Jimmy to step where he stepped. "This is officially a mine field and we don't want to get caught in our own traps," he explained. The first man that had landed on one of the booby traps had been killed by a knife in the side. The man that had tried to get away had a hole through his hand and throat.

They skirted the area that had been mined to flatten tires and hurried to the early warning radio. First they replaced the batteries, tested that Susan had a good signal, and then reset the stick and line.

Bill found a spot for the third rifle a little more than 30 feet from the early warning radio. If they were lucky Bill would be able to hear whoever was leading them give orders. That would give Bill insight into the enemy's mind. Bill thought about it a few minutes after setting up the rifle. He thought there would be more vehicles this time so he buried about 20 single bullet booby traps in the ditch covering about 40 yards. He figured the vehicles would be moving fairly fast so he put more of the little mines in the road about 10 feet from the trip wire. He thought about how the men had jumped from the vehicles earlier in the day. They had scrambled from the vehicle and, after placing one foot on the road to spring, had jumped into the ditch. He put a few more on the side of the road where their feet should hit.

"That should do it," he muttered before turning and leading Jimmy back to the disabled SUV. The smell of the two bodies was almost overpowering. He ran another length of fishing line under the SUV and back inside. Bill tied it to the driver's belt and positioned the driver so when the door was opened he would fall out and fire the weapon. He was trying to keep from throwing up the entire time. Bill tried to figure out a way to booby trap the dead bodies in the ditch the way the Viet Cong had done but couldn't see a way to do it with what he had. He did put some more of the bullet traps close to the bodies and around the SUV. They left the dead bodies to the night after reloading the rifle and taking it off safe. They carefully made their way back to the quad and reset their last ambush site.

It was a little after nine by the time they made it back to the guard point and Bill was exhausted.

"Mary, do you think you could stand watch up here tonight," Bill asked?

The girl gasped and Bill could tell in the night vision goggles that her eyes had widened in fright. Jimmy must have seen it too because he said, "Why don't I stay with her Grandpa. It would be better if two were out here."

Bill just nodded his head and tiredly said, "If it gets too cold one of you can come down to get some sleeping bags. Better yet, I will ask Cherie to bring some bags up with something to eat." Bill hesitated for a long moment before continuing. "I think they will come a lot earlier tomorrow and I think they will come in force. There will probably be at least three vehicles. We will be back up here by five in the morning to make sure we are ready." He started to turn away, hesitated and then turned back. Stay sharp up here. You should probably try to sleep in shifts after Cherie gets some sleeping bags and food up to you. Someone will be listening on the radio down at the earthship. Don't hesitate to call if you are unsure about anything."