Freebie Time: An attack goes weird

This is an excerpt from my e-book, "Shock Effect," which is available here and here (got to get my mandatory shilling in this week, you know). Let me know what you think, and enjoy.

 

_{It wasn't how John imagined his first attack.}

_{He felt that any time one can attack a secret government stronghold, it's exciting and worthwhile. But John didn't think his group ― which he named the 1st Brigade of South Dakota ― would be the first to be called into action by the leader in South Carolina. He didn't think the Upper Midwest had any real targets, especially after the attacks made the Northern Plains a wasteland (even more than it was in the first place, he frequently joked).}

_{Then he was told about the secret installations disguised as grain silos on seemingly out-of-the-way farms. They were set up there because no one would question it in the Midwest, where it was hard to snoop around since there were no trees for camouflage.}

_{However, John could relate. He and his brigade met and trained in barns across Minnehaha County, making sure never to take the same car twice to the meeting places. And they made use of new paintball facilities that had sprung up in the Sioux Falls area and used those for their battlefield maneuvers. They got pretty intense during the games, but no one at the parks raised a fuss. John appreciated fellow Midwesterners for their ability to turn the other cheek and move on.}

_{His brigade of 30 men and women had some basics down. But as far as actual planning of an attack on a specific point … well, they were lacking in that area. With a few weeks' lead time, they would have it down. But when the message came to him over the email on pirated broadband, they didn't hesitate. There likely was a good reason for the early attack. The leader hadn't steered them wrong yet.}

_{Part of the team was about 100 yards away from the silo. About 10 of them were dropped off about a mile away on a gravel road, and then crawled through a treeless pasture. They ignored the cow poop they slid through to get closer. That part of the crew got on top of a small hill that had a clear view of the silo. They were the snipers and would provide the cover.}

_{The rest of the team approached the silo from the sides and would try to draw out whatever agents were inside or outside. Get them divided, John thought, and the snipers would pick them off.}

_{John's group snuck up behind the white farmhouse, while the others circled around behind the sheds, moved through the corrals and the barn loft to get the high ground.}

_{John got out in the lead and fired up his infrared thermometer. With retooling tips from the leader, the $20 tool was able to pick up human heat signals from 50 yards away. John pointed the item to his left, then slowly moved it to his right. Nothing in the immediate vicinity. Another team member wearing night/infrared goggles motioned that he didn't see any sensors in the area.}

_{John reached behind his back and made a motion with his hand. A team member behind him saw the signal, then made a scratching sound on the side of the house. To someone not expecting any kind of code, it sounded like a wind-blown branch brushing up against the farmhouse.}

_{With that signal, the crew in  the barn loft moved. Four pointed their guns at the front half of the silo, while four others did the same on the back half. John's team lined up similarly on their side. The entire silo was surrounded. John was impressed with how well everyone got into position so fast with so little practice. He went to his position behind a tree that gave him a perfect view of the entire theater ― the silo, the barn and the hill behind it all where the snipers were.}

_{John signaled with his other arm, and the remaining team members from each side ran toward the silo. They were carrying small explosives to break open holes on the silo. That would give the members an entrance and take control of the silo and its equipment.}

_{The members never got there. They got 20 feet away when the silo exploded. The barn and the members on it were turned to shards in an instant. The members near the house suffered the same fate. John just missed getting obliterated in the blast, as the tree provided some protection and was just far enough away to avoid the major blast.}

_{A few members that had straggled behind the initial rush made their move. But they got about 10 feet away and started screaming. Then they began smoldering, their skin peeled off and their clothes burst into flame. John was too sickened and shocked to scream.}

_{John felt the ground rumble, thinking it was another blast. However, the ground started loosening under his feet. He jumped into the tree and climbed to the top, which gave him a perfect view of the entire farm and the sniper-laden pasture behind getting sucked into the ground. One member, still alive, screamed while sliding down into a crack. Then the member herself burst into flame.}

_{“What went wrong?” John thought as his tree sunk into the dirt.}