A Private War by Donald R. Franck

towards it."Peters shouted over the roar of the flames. "Teams Three and Four should be already there, but that's not enough men to hold that building!"
    "I know, we'll just have to hurry!"
    The sound of gunfire reached them as they neared the location of the food warehouse. Stopping at the corner of the block building, Gaylon looked around the corner and across the street. Men and trucks were racing toward the front of the warehouse as Peter's men fought for their lives and the lives of their family. Gaylon swore under his breath and turned towards Peters.
    "Listen, it's bad, the two fire teams are pinned down and there isn't any way that we can reach them from here. Is there any other way into the warehouse?"
    "No, we closed off all the other doors and windows when we took over the building right after the war," stated Peters," we had trouble with people stealing food."
    "Ok, then we'll have to think of something to distract them long enough for us to get across the street," Gaylon said as he looked back down the street at the fire racing toward them. Kate leaned against the building, her knees against her chest, and stared at the manhole cover in front of her. Then getting an idea, Kate smiled and waved at Gaylon to get his attention, then pointed at the manhole cover. Gaylon looked at what Kate was pointing at and getting the idea, smiled too.
    "Peters, does the sewer system go under the warehouse, too?"
    "Yes, yes, of course!" Peters almost shouted.
    "Ok, then here's the plan."
    Flashlights reflected off the slime covered walls as Gaylon, Kate, and Jill moved forward down the sewer pipe. Gaylon could feel the air on his face as the fires behind them sucked the air out of the system.
    "Peters said he needed about thirty minutes to set the charges. We have to give them that much time somehow." Gaylon said as he stopped under the opening in the ceiling of the sewer and turning to Kate and Jill, "It's not too late for you to escape back down the other way."
    Kate looked from Gaylon to Jill, "Jill, we may die up there, and Peters said he could get you out of town to safety. Do you still want to do this?"
    Patting her shotgun, Jill smiled, "Yes".
    Gunfire could be heard as Gaylon pushed the manhole cover up and out of the way. Climbing up quickly, Gaylon scanned the rows of boxes and containers. Then signaling to Kate, motioned her to follow him. Smoke and flames greeted them as they moved toward the front of the warehouse. Stepping forward from behind a truck parked inside the building, Gaylon waved to one of the men on Peter’s team that he knew.
    "Tommy Thompson, this is Kate and Jill, we've come to help you!"
    "Gaylon, Thank God! Over half of my men are either dead or wounded but we're holding for now. But, I don't know for how long." Tommy stated, "We've all ready repelled five attacks and the last one almost over ran us."
    "Well, more help is on the way, but we have a big fire moving this way. I don't know if we can stop it or not but we're going to try."
    "Fire, shit! That's all we need!"
    "Yeah, things could be better! So Peters has sent some men in the sewer tunnel below us to help move as much of the food to safety as we can. He found some of the town’s people to help also. Make sure they move it as far down the line as they can before the fire gets here!”
    Gaylon took a pair of Bushnell 8 X 35 binoculars out of the case at his waist and raised them to his eyes. The sky was bright with smoke and flames as the fire filled his vision. Sweeping down and across, Gaylon saw someone shouting and waving at the pirates from the back of a jeep, Murdock. Blood covered a crude bandage on his bicep and he had his arm jammed into his coat front. 'So, I didn't kill the bastard after all.' Gaylon thought to himself and dropped the Bushnells back in their case. Picking up his M-4, Gaylon flipped the lens covers up and sighted on the distance figure. "Damn, he's too far!" Gaylon swore as flipped the lens covers back down and