Escape The 1st Omnibus: WTF Books 1-3 by W.J. Lundy Read Free Book Online

providing rear security. They moved to the stack of shipping containers, trying to decipher the numbering system from his notes and connect it to what they were seeing on the ground.
    “Well, it doesn’t look like they made this easy for us; nothing is in order,” Brad whispered to Cole.
    They decided to give up on the scavenger hunt and just start opening containers. Brad provided security while Cole cut the locks and seals on one of the large doors and then he helped him swing it open.
    The inside was filled with boxes of nails, bolts, and all types of construction fasteners.
    “Dammit! Strike one I guess,” Cole mumbled.
    They moved on and tried another four containers before they opened one completely filled with cases of energy drinks. “Shit, looks like we won’t be dying tired,” Brad joked and they both laughed. They dumped two cases of the drinks into a duffle bag and marked the location on a map Brad had drawn.
    The last container in the row was filled with canned goods. They couldn’t read the labels to know what it was exactly, but at least it was food. They marked the location, filled both bags, and headed back to the warehouse.
    Back at their hideout, Méndez used his utility knife to cut open one of the cans of food. They found a small metal pot in one of the back offices and built a small fire using pieces of broken furniture. He tilted the can and its contents plopped into the pot. “Fuck bro, that stinks. Man, you sure this ain’t dog food?” Méndez said.
    “I don’t think so. It has some goofy ass kid’s face on the can. If it was dog food it would show a dog,” answered Cole.
    “Well damn, man, this shit is awful. No wonder Afghans are always pissed off if they be eating on this slop. Whatever happened to Chunky soup? How do you fuck up soup? Sarge, you sure we can’t just eat the MREs?” Eric griped.
    “No, we need to save them, and I want to keep the light stuff loaded in the packs and on the truck in case we need to bug out. This is what we got so dump in a couple more cans and bon appétit!” answered Brad.
    They ate in silence. After a minute, Méndez reached down to open another can; everyone looked up at him. “You know, once you get over the shit taste, it really ain’t so bad,” Méndez chuckled. All the men laughed together.
    “I bet that stuff is going to give you the shits too,” Eric blurted out.
    “So what’s the plan anyhow, Sergeant?” Henry asked suddenly, effectively killing the jovial mood.
    “Well for now I’m thinking rest, fortify, and build up our resources. After that I am pretty wide open to suggestions,” Brad answered back. “I mean, we’re far away from our area of operations; our command is gone; and our home base is destroyed. The only hint that anyone even knows we’re here is that UAV we saw two days ago. And they might not even know who we are.”
    “Do you think Sergeant Turner got out last night?” Eric asked.
    “I don’t know, buddy, but if anyone could it would be him. Remember they escaped the ambush and they made it this far. Plus they chose to go to the city and not lock up tight in this warehouse,” said Brad. “They have the confidence and training to make it, so I’m not giving up on them yet. I’ve patrolled this way before and there really isn’t shit past Hairatan. Beyond the city the road fizzles out. There are some villages and farms going out along the river, but there’s no bridge. Eventually we will have to make a choice: to try to cross the bridge into Uzbekistan on foot or head back into Afghanistan. We could try for Mazari Sharif, it’s about a half day’s patrol to the south, but after seeing this place, I got a bad feeling about that also,” Brad finished.
    “My vote is stay put for a few days and see if communications come back up,” Méndez said. They all came to an agreement to wait things out for a while. Cole and Eric moved back up the ladder to the roof to start the evening watch.
    Brad had