Chapter 158: Kansas City Star

Editor: nnpdad

Brin woke me before my mid-watch started.

Something was wrong and he was agitated.

Something was wrong in the dark of a moonless night.

I took extra magazines and quietly chambered a round. The second watch was coming in. It was Jeb and Amos. They were supposed to wake Peter and me for mid. Sheriff and the Rabbi had the dawn or death watch. At least, in our world, that’s how it worked and was called.

I shushed them both and pointed to Brin who was still whining very quietly. We had to trust his instinct. This was dangerous ground, however we looked at it. Silence was our greatest advantage. We had to wake our men and keep them completely silent, even if this were a false alarm we needed the practice.

Jeb woke the rest of the captains and gave them almost silently whispered instructions, they disappeared into the dark to start waking the men. I simply followed Brin as he silently worked a trail leading us away from the camp and the Kansa River, he was a good dog and allowed me to move slowly behind him. I hadn’t brought much with me, just the M1911, my long knife and my ultrabright flashlight. My plan was to trust in Brin. The night sounds of the cattle and horses covered up whatever was happening back at camp, there weren’t any screams or gun shots so I thought we were still OK.

I followed Brin carefully, watching every footstep until he suddenly froze and lay low, I laid next to him. The night was dark and there was very little light to see by, the stars weren’t even much of a help with the sporadic cloud cover we had. But all the night critters had gone silent, something was out here. We were lying flat on the ground about two hundred yards from the main camp when I felt Brin start to growl deep down in his chest. I immediately shushed him and stopped breathing to listen.

They passed within yards of us as we lay there in stillness, Brin was quivering to be released and I simply soothed him and waited for the inevitable second wave. The second wave passed about twenty yards behind the first, I was sure the leaders would be behind them but I needed to focus on that second wave. Pete and I had discussed this, the first wave caused confusion and the second wave brought victory; that was their thinking.

I was now behind the second wave and waiting for them to pause as they held for the attack command. Brin and I got ourselves turned back around and followed them, we followed silently as they set up for the attack.

You could hear their night calls where the insects had gone silent.

As they paused, I readied myself and Brin; there were a few of the second wave warriors a couple of yards in front of us. When they gathered themselves, I went into action.