A Private War by Donald R. Franck Page B

across, roared through the open entrance, setting countless small fires. A third explosion raised timbers and bits of metal and stone up and down the street. Gaylon shook his head as he raised himself to his knees and looked about. The entire front of the warehouse was covered in flames and smashed equipment with bodies and parts of bodies mixed in. Getting to his feet Gaylon made his way to Kate and checked her condition. Blood ran down the side of her face from numerous cuts but her pulse was strong and getting stronger. The man next to her was dead. Kate moaned and Gaylon rushed back to her as she opened her eyes.
    "When Peters said he would do it, boy, did he!"
    "Kate, are you ok?" Gaylon asked, "You have some bad cuts on your face."
    "Yeah, I'm ok, just bruised all over."
    "Ok then, we need to get out of here, the building is on fire. Get the men to the sewer entrance and have them continue moving as much of the food as they can down into the sewer. If they lay some boards down across the pipe they can keep most of the dry goods out of the water. I'm going up front and see what's happening in the street." Gaylon explained as he picked up his M-4 from where he had dropped it. "And check on Jill too."
    Gaylon made his way to the front on the warehouse and looked out into the street. All the houses that were across the street were gone. Just gone!. Huge holes were all that remained of more than half a dozen brick and stone buildings. Fires burned here and there amidst the destruction. Bodies covered the front of the building and sidewalks, arms and legs jetting out of burned and charred flesh. Nothing moved. Turning, Gaylon looked down the street toward the spot where Murdock had been standing. Overturned and burning vehicles lay across the road like dominos. But there was no sign of Murdock. Peters and his men showed up as Gaylon tried to fight the flames with a fire extinguisher. Pointing to the flames Gaylon directed them to do what they could.
    "We have to give them as much time as possible to move the food out or we'll lose it all. Do you have any more C-4 explosive left?" Gaylon asked.
    "I guess about ten pounds but I don't know what good we can do now?"
    "Ok, then get two of your men to string a row of charges across the support beams over our heads and at the base of the front and side walls about fifty feet back. We have to try and drop this whole section into the street. And no, I don't know if it will work or not, but we have to try or more people are going to die." Gaylon stated as the fire at the front of the warehouse burned higher. A row of small charges ran across the beams of the warehouse and around the main support struts. Gaylon and Peters sat over the detonator and took one last look over the sacks of flour and sugar that they used in place of sandbags.
    "Guess this is it, cross your fingers!" Gaylon smiled and pressed the switch. Dozens of small explosions rained dust and debris down upon them, then nothing. Looking up at the front of the building, Gaylon and Peters saw that a whole sections of the roof was gone but the main strut charges had failed to blow. "Shit, I don't believe this! That should have gone up with the rest!"
    "I'll have to fire it by itself," Gaylon said.
    "No way man, I see at least half the wire is gone. You don't have time to rewire it. You'll be under it when it goes."
    "I wonder how fast I can run?!" Gaylon found as much of the detonator wire as he could and spiced it together. About thirty feet was all he had. Gaylon ducked his head and fired it. The blast blew him off his feet as the main spars sheared off at their base and the roof started to fall. Gaylon got to his feet and started to run. Beams and timbers fell all around him as the front of the warehouse collapsed. Gaylon leaped the last ten feet to safety just in time.
     

The fire collapsed in upon itself and burned to ashes by the time Peters men had gotten the last of the food moved out of warehouse. There was no sign