Chapter 27
It took a few hours on horseback to reach the rocky outcropping where Vin and Jolon crouched, binoculars in hand. They had left their horses nearly a mile back, content to set out on foot and gauge the enemy stronghold.
It was still awkward for Vin to consider his former home, the ranch where he had lived since the earliest days of his teen years, as an enemy base of operations. But this world had reshaped his entire concept of what was possible or impossible several times already.
From this distance, it looked as though new fencing had been erected around the compound, and Vin held his binoculars up to take in the changes, holding his breath to prepare himself for the worst.
It was worse than he had imagined.
There was an enormous wooden and steel fence surrounding the ranch, with massive double doors like the gates of some medieval kingdom. Along the top of the barrier, there was razor wire running in every direction, preventing anyone from trying to scale the battlements and gain access.
“Lots of guards,” Jolon remarked, looking through his own binoculars and shaking his head at the situation.
Vin grunted in agreement, noting the walkway that had been built just beyond the razor wire. Armed sentries patrolled the perimeter, most of them dressed in the leather biker vests of the Chain Gang.
“Fuck,” Vin growled under his breath, saddened but not shocked by this level of security.
He looked beyond the wall to see a wealth of activity spread out along the ranch grounds.
There were new buildings constructed and several more under construction.
There were also fox holes and defensive positions, including barricades with barbed wire erected on the other side of the gate.
Chainz had transformed the ranch into something horrible, ugly, and evil. He had built a fortress capable of withstanding a medieval siege, and lord only knew what was waiting farther into the property, in the places Vin couldn’t see from this vantage point.
He silently hoped that Deb and Jimmy were all right and alive somewhere within that compound. Of course, he knew that if Sean were still breathing that Deb and Jimmy were likely all right. But he wondered suddenly if Chainz had kept Sean alive after getting everything he wanted from him.
Sean had proved to be a profitable investment for Chainz, even before the EMP had changed the face of the world forever. Vin also didn’t believe that Sean would be foolish enough to challenge Chainz or try to counter his authority in any way once he had taken over the ranch.
Deb, on the other hand, might have tried something.
Vin was certain Deb would have protested this occupation of her property.
She would have fought back against this deal Sean had made.
And if she had resisted too mightily, Chainz wouldn’t hesitate to gun her down in cold blood no matter what Sean had to say about it.
But there was one factor above all else that would keep Deb in line, and Vin took some comfort in knowing that.
Jimmy.
Deb would do what needed to be done to ensure their son remained alive and well, even in this horrible environment. Of course, Chainz was not above threatening the life of a child, and he would use Jimmy as collateral to ensure the cooperation of both Deb and Sean.
There were also the matters of the ranch hands and all the people who called the property home.
The same people Vin had spoken to more than half a year ago, telling them everything would be fine.
He believed Chainz would still need them to tend the land, farming crops that would then go to feed his army.
It was altogether possible that some of them had been executed early into the occupation if only to keep the others in line. The thought of it boiled Vin’s blood.
But these were all what-ifs and guesswork. He had no way of knowing what was actually going on within those gates. Not yet anyway.
“Freeze!” a voice said from behind them, and Vin smiled to himself.
They were right on time.
Vin knew that Chainz undoubtedly had people patrolling the outskirts of his territory, but it was unlikely that he had such a surplus of men that he could afford more than a skeleton crew.
He had a city to hold down and a fortress to defend.
So, Vin knew these patrols searching for trespassers might be one lone person or two at the very most.
“I said freeze, assholes!” the voice said again, taking a few steps closer.
Vin looked at the ground. The sun was behind them now and cast the man’s shadow beyond their position. Vin only saw one shadow, only heard one set of footsteps scraping against the dirt and stone.
That was good.
“All right, partner,” Vin called out, looking over at Jolon, who was frozen beside him. They had talked about what they would do when this inevitably happened, and Vin hoped the young man was going to be able to keep his wits about him once the action started.
Jolon was a protector of the reservation, but Vin was unsure as to whether he had actually been in a firefight before. However, when Vin had explained how this was all going to work, Jolon assured him that he was in this 100%.
Vin took note of the shadow on the ground and how it laid out in relation to the sun. He could see it was holding a handgun that was pointed right at him. Vin slowly stood, keeping his hands at waist level.
Jolon was standing as well, still holding his hunting rifle.
“Drop the weapon,” the man commanded from behind them, and Vin saw the shadow turn to take aim at Jolon.
That was when he sprang into action, spinning around and drawing one of his pistols in a flash, taking quick aim and firing off a shot aimed right at the sentry's arm.
The bullet slammed right into his elbow, and the man cried out in terror and agony as the joint completely shattered and his limp fingers let go of the gun. Jolon then sprang into action, turning and leveling his rifle, letting loose a shot that blasted into the man’s knee.
The screaming guard dropped to the ground, and Vin sprang forward. He kicked the man hard in the face, rendering him unconscious, and then got to work. He pulled two lengths of rubber tubing from a pouch on his belt and threw one of them to Jolon.
The two of them got right to work, tying off the tubes on the man’s bicep and thigh, creating makeshift tourniquets that would ensure he didn’t bleed out before they got everything they needed.
“All right,” Vin said, content that the man’s life was in no immediate danger. “Let’s move this son of a bitch out.”