The Fall of America: Winter Ops by W.R. Benton Read Free Book Online Page B

fell in love with your soul, baby.”
    She started crying, I guess because the Russians badly mangled her face and removed her ears when she was a captive, which prevented her from ever being beautiful again. She was a mass of scar tissue, but she was alive and that's all that mattered to me. I love her as much now as I did the day we married, so her face mattered little to me.
    Silverwolf neared and said, “I just discovered an ambush site, but with no blood.”
    “No blood?”  I thought for a moment and then said, “Dead partisans?”
    “Yep, about a dozen and not one drop of blood.  I've never seen anything like it before.”
    “Pull your gas mask and lets check the area out. I suspect the Russians used poison gas.”  I said as I pulled my mask from the canvas pouch I carried on my left leg.  
    It was when we neared the site and I saw squirrels running over the ground, I knew we didn't need the masks.
    “The gas has dissipated, or the squirrels would be dying or dead.”  I said as I pulled my pistol.
    Glancing around, I added, “Don't touch anyone, but if you see any gear we need, take it, but check for booby-traps.  I don't see any weapons or ammo. The Russians may have booby-trapped some of these bodies.”
    A few minutes later, Silverwolf said, “I don't see a single weapon in the bunch and most of the gear is gone, too. They did that to keep us from recovering anything.”
    “These folks died rough from the looks on their faces.  Every one has a grimace with teeth bared.”
    “Gas, Sergeant. Looks like nerve gas to me, but it must have been released with a bomb or artillery round.”
    Silverwolf began circling and about ten minutes later, he returned and said, “Looks like a bomb to me, and it's not far from these folks.  It left a crater, but I honestly can't tell the difference.  I thought gas had to be sprayed out, like they used to do crops.”
    “The Russians have a number of ways to deliver it. What's this?”  I asked as I bent over and picked up a map.  On the map, one of our safe houses was circled and the map was in Russian.  That in itself was not a big deal, but it was laminated and grease pencil notes written in Russian were on the map as well.
    “Looks like a map, but we see them all the time.”
    “Not like this one we don't.  Let's get back and have Scott take a look at this.”

CHAPTER 4
    S enior Sergeant Morozov led the Lieutenant down the trail and then moved into some thick pines and oaks to look the man's injuries over.  Blood was pouring between his fingers, and growing impatient at not being able to pry the man's hands from his face, he said, “Damn, sir, let me see your wound or you may bleed to death before I can do a thing for you.”
    It hurts.”
    “Of course it hurts, it is supposed to hurt.  That is good; that means you are still alive. Now, lower your hands and let me see what has happened.”
    The Lieutenant slowly lowered his quivering hands and Morozov said, “It does not look too bad, and I think your blindness is caused by blood and debris. I am no doctor or medic, but I have seen my share of injuries.”  
    As he reached for the medical kit the Lieutenant wore, the Senior Sergeant thought, The left eye has been blown out and the right doesn't look much better.  I need to keep his spirits up or he will go into shock.  It will be hard enough to travel with him as it is.  He needs morphine, but if I inject him, I will have to carry him and I cannot do that.
    Once the bandages were on tightly covering both eyes, Morozov said, “Okay, sir, we can move now.  Listen to me.  I can give you a light painkiller in a pill, but no morphine.  If I give you morphine I will have to leave you.”
    “Oh, dear God, do not leave me, please!  The pills will be enough.”  The Sergeant saw blood seeping through the thick bandage.
    “I will not leave you as long as you continue to move.  Can you walk if you hold onto my belt?”
    “I . . . I think so.  I