Chapter 8

November 28, 2013, South Fork, Day Creek – 45 Miles east of Tonasket, WA

The faint orange glow on the side of the tent told Josh it was nearly sunrise when he woke up. Molly's body was pressed up against him, undoubtedly for warmth. Josh's exposed nose and cheeks told him that the temperature had dropped since they went to bed. It must be in the single digits.

Josh's body reacted as you might expect when a cute coed was plastered against his body. He got hard. Josh was trying to will his swollen organ to go down when he realized Molly was shaking. Molly sniffled a couple times and whimpered as Josh shifted to hide his erection.

"Molly, are you awake?" Josh asked softly. Molly's headed nodded up and down as she sniffled again. "Are you cold?"

"No," Molly answered softly. She tried to stifle a whimper, unsuccessfully.

"What's wrong?"

"It's ... it's ... the ... soldier," Molly sobbed. "I ... I ... killed him."

"You did," Josh confirmed. He pulled his arms out of his sleeping bag and wrapped them around the girl. "You had no choice. You killed him before he killed us." Molly pulled her arms out of her sleeping bag and clung to Josh as she cried. Josh kept repeating, "It's all right. You had to kill that guy. You saved our lives."

Josh held the sobbing teen for about five minutes before she calmed down. Molly continued clinging to Josh after she stopped sobbing. Josh held her and waited. After a minute or so he asked, "Are you OK now?"

"I'm ... OK," Molly managed to squeak out. "Was it this bad the first time you killed a chink?"

Josh's mind wandered back to that first day on the Chilliwack line when his unit counterattacked a Chinese penetration. He had used the bow machine gun to mow down almost a squad of Chinese infantry that were heading for his platoon's position. Josh had felt revulsion initially until Lt. Williams praised his work. Josh never had time to really process or accept what he'd done. Crisis upon crisis kept the "Homewrecker" and its crew too busy for introspection.

"It's real hard," Josh answered, feeling a little guilty for the white lie. "You did what you had to do to survive. You're alive and he's dead. War is like that. This is the reality we face every day until we can kick the damn Chinese the hell out of our country."

"Yeah, it is," Molly agreed.

"I may need you to do that again," Josh added. "Can you?"

"I think so," Molly agreed. She hugged Josh and gave him a kiss ... on the lips. Both felt a jolt of electricity as their lips met. They pulled apart quickly in shock. "Thank you for everything you have done for me, Josh."

"No problem," Josh mumbled as he disengaged from Molly. She let him dress first. Josh took care of his morning business and retrieved their packs from their hanging spot by the time Molly emerged from the tent. The pair enjoyed some of Lydia Dahlstrom's homemade gooseberry jam on home-baked bread Anna Kelly sent with them. It was a far superior breakfast to eating one of their MREs.

Josh and Molly followed the gravel road as they climbed higher into the mountains. Numerous dirt and gravel roads branched off. Josh and Molly turned onto a dirt road as they passed a cabin. The dirt road led them uphill on a shortcut before rejoining the gravel road they had been on.

There had been patches of snow on the ground back where they camped. The snow cover filled in the bare spots. They climbed on, their boots crunching in the snow covered gravel. They turned and followed another gravel road soon after they returned to the first. Josh's maps showed most of the roads on this side of the mountain dead-ended, presumably at old mine sites from before the area was turned into a national forest.

The pair followed the narrow gravel road about a quarter of a mile until it crossed a small frozen-over creek. This was the spot where Josh needed to demonstrate his map and compass prowess. The road network on the west side of the mountain did not connect with the roads on the east side. They needed to hike cross country up the mountain side until they found the next road. The map showed the gap between roads was about a quarter of a mile and a three hundred foot climb.

Josh and Molly climbed slowly straight up the steep mountainside, through deepening snow. They were nearing the top of the mountain twenty minutes later without finding the road they were aiming for. Josh knew they had walked over the snow covered road they wanted, so he led Molly towards a saddle in the ridge nearer the small stream they had paralleled as they climbed the mountain. It took the pair a few minutes at the saddle to locate traces of the roadway.

They followed the road east a few hundred feet below the crest of the mountain. The view down below of the Lone Trail Creek Valley was amazing. The valley was covered in a blanket of pure white snow. Green pines stuck up through the white hillsides, draped in garlands of snow. The pair spent most of the day travelling along or near the top of the fifteen hundred foot high ridge overlooking the valley. The roadway was ankle to calf deep with snow, slowing their progress.

They stopped to eat lunch near one of the mountain tops. The view was gorgeous. The valley floor was slowly rising to meet them. Josh and Molly trudged on through the snow after eating. Thankfully the road they were on was near the top of the mountain, so they didn't need to worry too much about avalanches. Mid-afternoon they did hear the rumble and crashes of an avalanche on the far side of the mountain.

Josh and Molly had hiked about ten miles when they reached the head of the Lone Pine Creek as it crossed under the roadway. Both hikers felt in good shape, so they pressed on. Another small creek would cross the road a couple miles ahead, just below Green Mountain.

Josh and Molly reached the creek an hour and a half later. It was frozen over. They evaluated the site and decided it was as good a place to camp as anywhere. It would be at least another day before they could reach the Kettle River and get out of the high altitudes.

The temperatures hovered between fifteen and twenty degrees most of the day. It dropped as they climbed up towards Green Mountain as the sun set. They were in shadows by the time they reached camp. Molly glanced at the thermometer on her pack as she took it off.

"Seven degrees," Molly moaned. "You better plan on sharing your sleeping bag tonight. I'll freeze my ass off if we don't huddle together to stay warm."

"Are you sure, princess?" Josh asked. He was still smarting from the silent treatment Molly gave him after she tried to kiss him the night before they reached Loomis. "I wouldn't want to annoy you like I did five days ago at that last park we camped at. It's lonely enough trekking through the mountains without you giving me the cold shoulder too."

"Giving you the cold shoulder?" Molly snapped back. "What in the hell do you mean about me giving you the cold shoulder? I offer you a kiss to thank you for everything you've done and ... and ... well to offer you more."

"More?"

"It's silly, never mind," Molly answered.

"No ... what?"

"I hoped you'd want to be more than friends when I offered you that kiss," Molly replied. "It was stupid. You made that clear enough when you yelled at me about the kiss."

"I wasn't yelling about you kissing me," Josh answered. "You acted like you expected us to stroll into Loomis the next morning to a grand parade to city hall where the mayor would give us the keys to the city. You were counting too heavily on getting back to civilization the next day. I was trying to temper your hopes in case there were Chinese in Loomis. I didn't want you going to pieces if we found them in the town."

"That's all you meant?"

"It was," Josh replied. "I was startled when you kissed me. I thought you still considered me to be a muscle bound, dumb soldier who wasn't good enough for the well-to-do daughter of Sedro-Wooley's finest family."

"I don't think of you like that at all, Josh," Molly said. She stared down briefly before looking back into his eyes. " ... at least not anymore. I was a dumb girl who risked her life to get a hair dryer back then. I should be on a truck or bus right now, heading for Oregon or California and safety with my family. Instead I'm here with you ... and very grateful to be here too. I'd be dead now if it weren't for you helping me through things I couldn't have ever imagined doing a month ago."

"I couldn't leave you behind," Josh said.

"Yes, you could have," Molly retorted. "I never in my wildest dreams imagined I could camp in sub-zero temperatures, hike through the knee deep snow and climb mountains this time of year. You helped me survive through all of this. You are anything but a muscle bound, dumb soldier. I've learned enough to know when to say thank you."

Molly wrapped her arms around Josh's neck, pulled his head down and planted an intense kiss directly on his lips. Josh was staggered by the heat of the kiss.

"Um ... um ... you're not the stuck up little girl I thought you were when we met," Josh stammered. "I didn't mean stuck up ... uh ... um ... and you're not a little ... um..."

"Shhhhh!" Molly responded as she held a single finger up to Josh's lips. "You were right. I was a silly girl when we met three weeks ago. You ... this whole experience ... it taught me what really matters. You made me grow up very quickly."

"I understand," Josh said. "Look at me. I should have started college this semester. Instead I'm a soldier who had to command a tank. I'm too young for all the shit I've had to do too." Josh stared square into Molly's eyes. "This war is forcing us to do anything that we need to do to survive. Do anything. Just survive."

"Yeah," Molly acknowledged quietly.

"The next thing we need to do to survive is to get camp set up," Josh suggested. "I can just taste Mrs. Dahlstrom's jam on more of the homemade bread Anna sent with us."

"I can too," Molly agreed.

The experienced pair of campers set things up quickly. Josh put a pot of snow on the fire to melt into drinking water after they found the small creek the map showed near their campsite was entirely frozen over.

Night falls quickly in the mountains in late November. The pair had their packs hung and headed to bed immediately after dinner. It was too damn cold to hang out outside, even by the fire. Josh climbed into their shared sleeping bag first. Molly shimmied into the tight space after him.

--oooOooo--

"Don't shoot him!" Josh's eyes shot open as he scanned the darkness for the threat. "NO! Don't kill, Josh!" Molly trembled and then threw an elbow back into Josh's side. Josh relaxed a little as he realized she was having another nightmare. He wrapped an arm around Molly's bare torso and leaned his head in close to the frightened girl.

"Shhh ... It's OK," Josh murmured into her ear as he gently rocked her. "Wake up, Molly. You're safe. I'm safe. We're OK."

It took about thirty seconds for Molly to come to and relax. "It's OK," Josh murmured reassuringly in her ear as she calmed down.

"Thank you," Molly said quietly. "That Chinese officer was going to shoot you again."

"It's OK," Josh soothed as he cuddled against Molly to reassure her. "He's dead. You shot him. We are safe, both of us. We're OK."

Josh Warner was a normal, healthy, twenty-one year old male. He hadn't gotten laid in months. He hadn't jerked off in over a week. His mind was focused on comforting Molly. The rest of his body ... Hot Damn! Here's a cute, sexy, nearly naked girl rubbing against us! Josh's cock flushed with blood and grew to a hard erection.

As luck ... or fate would have it, his cock was pointed straight away from his body as it grew. It thrust forward directly into the V where Molly's thighs met. Josh's eyes shot open in embarrassment. He tried to back away to free his hard-on. Molly's body backed up with him to keep the comforting contact.

Molly Lawrence was a normal, eighteen year old girl who was sexually experienced. She knew what was trapped between her legs. She had been with her former boyfriend more recently than Josh had been with a girl, but she was used to regular sex; had been for the last year and a half.

Molly wiggled her bottom to allow Josh's cock to penetrate further between her legs. She felt a rush of warmth run through her body as she felt the obvious sign of desire from her protector. The man who was saving her life saw her as a desirable woman.

Molly squeezed her thighs together and reached down with one hand and grasped the head of his cock and began rubbing.

"Molly ... noooo..." Josh moaned. "Please ... nooooo..."

Molly had been with less experienced boys. She knew this was nervousness talking not a lack of interest. She continued rubbing. Josh lasted a minute or two at the most. His panting turned to a long, low moan as he shot a load of cum into Molly's hand.

Molly had been in this situation a couple years ago on dates before she went all the way with guys. You couldn't let the guy's cum splatter all over the car's upholstery or carpet. She had gotten used to swallowing. Molly brought Josh's load of semen up to her mouth and licked it clean. She kind of liked the funky sweetness of it. She rubbed her hand against her belly to dry it when she was done.

"Why did you do that?" Josh murmured as he recovered from his climax.

"I wanted to say thank you for everything you do to protect me," Molly answered back.

"No, thank you," Josh replied. His now limp cock slipped from between Molly's legs. He left his arm draped over her side, his hand resting on Molly's tummy as they fell asleep again.

--oooOooo--

November 29, 2013 – Below peak of Green Mountain, 10 miles east of Curlew, Wa.

The sun was peeking over the pass between Green Mountain and Marble Mountain to the south when Josh and Molly woke up. The morning wasn't as cold as Josh and Molly expected, around 11 degrees. Josh built a nice little fire to heat coffee for them before they enjoyed more of Mrs. Dahlstrom's jam and bread.

While they were eating Josh commented, "You didn't need to do what you did last night."

"That hand job?" Molly answered. "I thought you would enjoy it. I just wanted to say thank you for everything you're doing to save my life."

"It was appreciated but wasn't necessary," Josh replied. "I don't want you to feel pressured."

"It was just a thank you for all you've done," Molly answered. She gave him a wink. "Now ... if you should happen to want to return it with a little 'you're welcome, ' I won't mind..."

The whoop ... whoop ... whoop ... of approaching helicopters interrupted Josh before he had time to ponder exactly what kind of 'you're welcome' Molly had in mind – verbal or... ?

Both Molly and Josh hopped up and watched expectantly to the southeast. Half a second later four sunlit green choppers appeared over the dark mountainside to their south. Josh almost waved to get their attention before he spotted the big red star on the front of each chopper, just above the windshield.

"Down!" Josh commanded. Molly followed instantly. She saw the Chinese markings too. The four choppers headed almost over their position and disappeared over Green Mountain in seconds. Josh dashed for his pack and the satellite phone as soon as the choppers disappeared. Molly grabbed their compass and took a bearing on the choppers' direction of travel.

"58 degrees magnetic," Molly reported as Josh dialed the number for the Air Force.

"Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Sgt. Romano, how may I direct your call?" the voice reported when he accepted Josh's call.

"Frosty Boot calling for the duty officer," Josh responded smoothly.

"Good to hear from you, Frosty Boot," Sgt. Romano responded. "It's been a few days. Let me get Capt. Foster."

"Thank you, sergeant," Josh replied.

"Frosty Boot! Good to hear from you," Capt. Foster remarked enthusiastically when he got on the line. "It's been too long since we heard from you. What can I do for you?"

"I have an urgent sighting for you," Josh answered. "Four Zhi-8 transport helicopters flew directly over our position a minute ago, on azimuth 58 degrees mag." Josh relayed the grid coordinates to Capt. Foster. "These choppers are something new. We haven't seen them before today."

"You're over sixty miles east of where you reported five days ago," Capt. Foster noted. "You must have been humping your asses off to hike that far."

"No, we contacted some locals in Loomis," Josh explained. "They helped us to Tonasket, where more locals helped us out. One of them drove us out to Curlew a couple days ago."

"What intel can you give us about conditions in Loomis, Tonasket and Curlew?" Capt. Foster asked. Josh related the full tale of their adventures over the past few days. The fact that the local EMS and fire companies were acting as resistance to the Chinese was news to the captain.

The whoop ... whoop ... whoop ... of helicopters interrupted Josh's conversation with the captain. They were approaching from the northeast, the direction the four choppers had flown a few minutes earlier. The choppers flashed overhead again, heading southeast as the disappeared over the ridge beyond Mable Mountain. Two extra choppers accompanied the four transports.

"Captain, I have two Zhi-10 attack choppers escorting the four Zhi-8s," Josh announced into the phone.

"237 degrees magnetic, Josh," Molly added after checking the course of the choppers. Josh relayed the course to the captain.

"Any chance of getting a chopper to come pick us up, Captain?" Josh asked after he finished reporting on the Chinese choppers. "We're pretty far west of Omak and the anti-aircraft batteries that gave your guys so much trouble a couple weeks ago."

"Negative, Frosty Boot," Capt. Foster answered immediately. "Your report just now about the attack helos makes it highly unlikely. Our forces are stretched thin and our main focus has to be on the Pacific front. The Air Force has been tasked to provide maximum air cover for our rear guards as we fall back through Seattle. You and your young lady will need to continue hiking east."

"Understood," Josh acknowledged. "Could you help me with a personal message? I've been trying to get word to my family that I'm still alive and hiking east to safety. I've called my home but there is something wrong with the phone. I can't seem to reach them by cell phone either. Is that because they're evacuating?"

"I would assume it is," Capt. Foster agreed. "Civilians in that area were evaced a week ago. I'll have the public affairs officer interface with the Evac Coordinators to locate your family and get them word."

"Could you do the same for Michael ... uh..." Josh added.

"Michael R. and Sandra L. Lawrence," Molly added.

"Michael R. and Sandra L. Lawrence," Josh added into the sat phone. "Molly would like her family to know she's safe and going to get out."

"Will do, Frosty Boot," Capt. Foster acknowledged.

"Any chance of getting intel from you?" Josh asked. "What is the status of Northport? Is it in American hands or have the Chinese occupied it? It would be nice to know where we can find safety with friendly forces."

"I don't know," Capt. Foster responded. "I will get that information for you and have it ready for your next call-in."

"Thank you, Captain," Josh answered before ending the call.

Josh and Molly went back to finish their interrupted breakfast. They were packing their gear after breakfast when Josh commented, "We're going to have to be very careful this afternoon. We're going to cross I-395 and the Kettle River, which are a little less than eleven miles away."

"So we'll get their mid-afternoon," Molly added.

"Right," Josh confirmed. "We may need to hide out in the woods and wait to cross the highway and river after dark. I don't want to blunder into Chinese in the daylight."

"Good plan," Molly agreed. "I'm up for a little night hiking, if that is what we need to do."

"Let's do it!" Josh declared.

The trail wasn't difficult. They followed the snow covered dirt road downhill around the flank of Green Mountain and continued down, following the Middle Fork of Little Boulder Creek. The sky was clouded over with low gray clouds, but the temperature warmed anyway as they descended. A few miles down the hill they reached a paved, snow covered road. Their pace picked up.

Three and a half hours later the paved road they were following turned and headed uphill. Josh and Molly turned east and followed County Road 595. They followed this dirt road for about fifteen minutes before taking a break for lunch. They were getting closer to I-395 and it was time for caution.

Josh and Molly continued down the dirt road. The afternoon was warming even though the wind picked up. Snow was melting and little rivulets meandered down the roadway. Half an hour later they came to a ranch gate. The house was visible uphill a couple hundred yards through the sparse trees.

"Would this be a good place to hide out until dark?" Molly asked. Josh pondered the question for a minute.

"It may be," he agreed. "Be cautious. Is your pistol handy?" Molly patted her coat pocket. Josh had insisted they have the arms ready in case of trouble that morning. The two walked up the lane to the edge of the trees. Two German Shepherds were lying dead on the front lawn, halfway between them and the house. The front windows were broken and the door was kicked in, hanging only by its bottom hinge.

"What happened?" Molly asked quietly. Both could see that this was not an abandoned ranch. It was well cared for until ... whatever.

"Nothing good," Josh murmured back. "Let's get out of here. This doesn't feel safe."

"It gives me the creeps," Molly agreed. They quietly crept down the hill to the road again. They headed east, keeping to the edge of the road where they would be less visible. They hiked for an hour down the valley, encountering nothing but silence.

Josh and Molly reached the edge of the mountains and the half mile wide plateau before the river. They found another house close to the road on the right. The front of the house was riddled with bullets and the front door was flapping in the wind. All the front windows were shot out or broken.

"I think we better hide out here until dark," Josh suggested.

"What if they come back?" Molly asked. Josh could see the alarm on her face.

"If you mean the owners, I doubt they'll be back," Josh answered. "If you mean the Chinese ... why would they return? They seem to have taken care of whoever was here already. We're half a mile from the interstate here and I don't want to go wandering around too much longer in the open. We'll get spotted and picked up if the Chinese have patrols in this area."

"Which they probably have," Molly added.

"Exactly," Josh agreed quietly. He signaled for her to pull her pistol before taking his M-16 off his shoulder. They approached the house cautiously, guns at the ready. No one interfered before they reached the house. Josh gestured for Molly to press herself against the wall while he went in. He entered the way he was taught in basic training. He burst in the front door, stopped and scanned the room with his eyes and weapon.

A forty-some year old man was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. A deer rifle was laying on the couch by the front window. Josh scanned the steps for signs of life before advancing past the body into the next room – the dining room. A couple chairs were knocked over and a glass was broken on the floor but there were no other signs of people.

Josh advanced into the kitchen. There had been a struggle here. The flour and sugar jars were overturned and spilled on the floor. Chairs were overturned. Josh stared at the green and white checked table cloth over the kitchen table. It had spots of blood on it in numerous places. Near the edge beside the overturned chairs he spotted a few yellow stains on the white squares. Josh recognized these dried stains immediately. Sometimes as a boy he'd used a white gym sock to wipe up his cum after he jerked off. After a couple days they looked like these semen stains.

Josh had a choice to go back to the stairs and living room or follow a door to what most likely was the pantry or laundry room. He went that way but stopped short when he poked his head in the door. A blond haired woman in her forties was lying face down, naked from the waist down on the floor. She had been shot, execution style with a bullet hole in the back of her head. Josh's guess at the table had likely been correct. This was the scene of a rape and two murders.

Josh turned back to the kitchen, bumping into Molly. "Jesus!" Josh snapped. "I told you to wait outside!"

"Is she dead too?" Molly asked, trying to hold her emotions together.

"Out!" Josh insisted. "This is no place for us to hide out. Out!"

Molly did as she was told. She and Josh exited the house and headed back to the road.

"She was raped, wasn't she?" Molly asked as they caught their breath on the road.

"Most likely," Josh agreed.

"Thank you for getting me out of Sedro-Woolley," Molly said. "You saved my life."

"And your virtue?"

Molly laughed. "You'll have to talk to Tom Alderston about that. He took it when I was in ninth grade."

"Your great Romeo?" Josh teased.

"No, it was more like the big old senior tailback on the football team and big man in school deigned to take a lowly freshman out one Saturday night."

"Bad first time?" Josh asked.

"No, not really," Molly explained. "He was a decent lover but a little too selfish. All he wanted to do was go out the bluffs, park and screw – first date, second date, third date. I got tired of it quickly. I wanted him to take me to a movie, hang out with friends ... you know, do more than screw."

"I was a nerd in high school," Josh answered. "I don't know. I got turned down by a lot of girls when I asked them for dates. I didn't get a serious girlfriend until I was a senior. Our first time was the night of the senior prom. Going all the way with Heather was sweet but awkward at the same time."

"That was all the other girls' losses," Molly said. "I'm sure you've learned to become a very considerate and thoughtful lover by now."

"I don't know," Josh responded. "I try hard. Let's get moving. That house is a bad place and I want to get out of here. Keep to the side of the road."

Molly followed Josh as they continued down the road. A third of a mile east they spotted the ruined embers of the next ranch across the valley. The blackened chimney and some wall studs marked the house. Remains of the barn and two sheds were visible. Josh and Molly continued down the road, careful to remain out of sight of the interstate ahead. They hiked ahead around a mile and a half, the road staying near the top of a small ridge as it intersected the interstate at an angle.

Josh's map didn't show any more little black squares that would indicate houses between their location and the Kettle River. The map was last revised in 1992, so there might be newer houses it didn't show. Josh decided they should duck into the brush and trees of a small creek about a quarter of a mile before they hit the interstate.

The pair ate a cold dinner of the last of Mrs. Dahlstrom's jam, Anna's bread and two cans of cold baked beans Mike gave them. Half a dozen times during the late afternoon and early evening groups of Chinese Humvees roared up or down the interstate. Most likely they were involved with the troops the four choppers had ferried in that morning, somewhere to their north.

Josh and Molly stalked closer to the highway after dark. The hills and interstate were quiet. The only sound was the gurgling of the water down in the river. Josh and Molly dashed across the deserted interstate after five minutes of watching for danger. No one challenged them. They hustled into the woods alongside the dirt road and worked their way forward, staying quiet and hidden as they approached the bridge over the Kettle River.

Josh made Molly wait while he crawled ahead to scout the bridge when they were a couple hundred yards away. He crawled on his belly from tree to tree, approaching the bridge stealthily. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the bridge. The Chinese hadn't felt a need to garrison this crossing. They felled half a dozen pine trees across the road to prevent any vehicles from crossing. He walked back and picked up Molly. The pair were across the Kettle River in five minutes time, safe as could be.

Josh and Molly hiked up the gravel road as it climbed into the hills ahead. The hill rose steeply on their left. A small creek tumbled down the hill in the woods on their right. About a mile up the hill they reached another house. The house appeared deserted.

"You ready for a break?" Josh asked. "We've probably put in fifteen miles since this morning. I think we need to hole up and rest until tomorrow night. We're not hiking on trails in the woods anymore. We need to travel by dark."