In the relative cool of the late, Arkansas summer night, Guillory and Carswell walk the block or so to the Methodist church in which the Cummings Village survivors are currently being lodged. They find the pastor, John Oakes, and a couple of female lay ministers doing their best to care for traumatized men, women, and children of the Alamo. Carswell examines each of the wounded in turn. His cursory findings are:
- Jamie Walker: serious gunshot wound to left clavicle (possible internal damage)
- Luis Para (volunteer corrections officer auxiliary): first and second degree burns on both hands, superficial gunshot wound to left side of neck
- Ronny Gilbert (aged 17): tips of left pinky and ring fingers shot off
- Dan Reeves: superficial gunshot wound to the side of the head
- Betty Reeves: shrapnel (glass and wood splinters) wound to left forearm
The survivors are exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Dan and Betty do their best to brief Guillory, but the couple's window to the last 48 hours' events was narrow- essentially a 50m radius around their house. What they saw in that little nightmare world will very likely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
The day of the initial riot at Varner was Dan's first day off of work in seven straight days. He usually worked at Cummings. When it became apparent that something had gone very wrong at the neighboring Varner Supermax, the alarm was sounded. Dan and another co-worker headed for the Cummings unit, arriving just in time to join the besieged. In a fortuitous mix-up, when the warden surrendered the prison to the surrounding inmates, four guards including Dan and Luis, were not informed. Consequently, they were able to avoid the treacherous massacre that followed. They snuck out of the prison under the cover of darkness and evaded rampaging inmates to join Betty and the rest of the family in the family home the Sierra Team later dubbed the Alamo. One of the four men got separated on the way and hasn't been since. Another was killed defending the homestead (his body was under the sheet in the Reeves' hallway).
While Dan was trapped in the prison, Betty tried to gather as many of her neighbors together- strength in numbers- as possible in her sturdy brick home (this was a contingency plan that the Reeves had worked out long before, pre-dating even the war) but quite a few prefered to hunker down in their own homes or try to escape on foot. As far as the couple knows, most, if not all, of these neighbors were killed, either overrun in their homes or hunted down in the fields just outside of town. One woman- a next-door neighbor- was tortured in the street in front of the Reeves' residence- a crude and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to guilt the holdouts into surrendering. She didn't survive the ordeal. None of the survivors seem particularly confident that they could positively identify any of the culprits of this, or any other crime committed during the inmates' 72-four rampage. It becomes apparent that in survivors' minds,
all of the inmates are equally responsible for everything. Dan, however, is quite familiar with the prison gangs' chain of command and will gladly point the ringleaders and their various lieutenants out, if any of them happen to be captured alive.
The rest of the night passes quietly. The feared inmate counterattack never materializes. Each of the Sierras is able to grab a quick cat-nap or two here and there, but all greet the sunrise bone tired. At least the Grady townsfolk could sleep well, literally resting assured as a result of their ASDF protectors' vigilance. Like clockwork, Captain Franks' phone rings at 0900 sharp, Governor Ralford on the line.
"Scott? Task force should be rolling out shortly. I just briefed the commander. He's an Iraq vet- should know his stuff. I consulted the brain trust, such as it is, and the consensus here is that the inmates are effectively insurrectionists. Unless they surrender, they are to be treated just like any unlawful, enemy combatant in an active warzone. That means the use of deadly force is authorized. No need to wait for them to point a weapon at you. They're armed, take 'em down. They run, take 'em down. If, however, an inmate surrenders, he's to be taken into custody and treated just like any other EPW. We'll deal with them up here.
The STAR team has about three hours until the ASDF task force arrives. Franks assures the Sierras that the Grady militia is on the job, the guests can stand down. This down time is spent breaking the fast (eggs bacon, and something called corn pudding, all you can eat, juice, and chickory coffee for anyone that wants it), cleaning personal weapons, showering, and/or sleeping. Skillins replaces Razorback's damaged tire with the spare. The patch will have to wait until after he's had some more sleep.
The ASDF task force (TF Cougar) rolls into Grady just before noon. It consists of a motley assortment Humvees (two armored, three not; some still sporing desert tan paint jobs), a few old M35 cargo trucks, a former-State Police BAE Caiman MRAP commandeered by the Guard, an ASP mobile command unit, and a mass casualty transport. The task force's heavy weapons include a couple of infantry mortars and a recoilless rifle.
TF Cougar's CO is Major Bill Simonton, who saw combat with the 1st Infantry Division during the Iraq War. He's in his fifties, slim, fairly fit, with an impressive, barely-regulation moustache and rapidly thinning grey hair, cut close. A Ranger tab graces one shoulder of his multicam combat fatigues. Introductions are made, Simonton is briefed by Cao and Guillory. Franks sits in in his capacity as the Grady militia leader.
"Alright. Here's what I'm thinking. Feedback is welcome. I'd like to send a reinforced platoon around behind Varner, using the 11 south and 114 east to Gould, then swing northwest on State Route 65 to about here." He points to a spot on State Route 65 about midway between Gould and Varner.
"I expect most of these inmates are will run when we show up on their doorstep, and I want a firewall between them and the next town [Gould]. You're familiar with the ground north of Cummings. The river's a natural obstacle, but its not impassable. I'd feel better with a unit in position north of the town, both to act as a backstop and, if the main attack force gets held up too long, as a potential flanking element. You up for the job?"
OOC: If you'd like to go back and handle anything covered in this turn IC, please feel free.
Your Turn
-
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:03, Wed 12 Sept 2018.