Free We Go On (THE DELL) by Stephen Woods Page B

was movement everywhere. I could see that Jim had passed the word about
the red alert. No one stood still. People were moving supplies and ammo to
various areas. I could see men and women herding the children toward one of the
bunkers. Food had been moved to the kitchen area so the cooks wouldn't have to
leave to go to a storage room.
    We had two six-wheeled ATVs and the crews had litters
strapped to the back ready to transport wounded to the Aid Station. I could see
weapons being passed out of our make shift arms room and men and women were
loading magazines. There was no screaming or wailing or gnashing of teeth.
Everyone seemed to be going about their jobs in an orderly and efficient
manner. I knew they had to be nervous, I know I was, but they weren't showing
it.
    Five years of constant fear had somewhat blunted all of our
emotions. A few people with guns just didn't have the same impact as surviving
having a loved one ripped from your arms and devoured in front of you. These
people were tougher now. The same way soldiers were after having survived
combat. Like the pioneers of old that endured privation and Indian attacks to
settle the west.
    That last thought had my mind running off on a tangent. I
filed it away to think about later when I had time. Now, I had to get back to
the business at hand. I saw Jim and he paused to look back at me. I waved my
hand around to indicate all the activity, and then gave him a thumbs up. He
smiled and waved; I waved back and then went to find Dave.
    Dave had fixed his own little area up in a corner of the
warehouse. It wasn't a room but he had hung curtains on two sides to provide much
needed privacy. I had tried to talk him into using one of the rooms upstairs,
but he refused. He said they should be for couples and families as he was
single and his little corner was all he needed. I pulled the edge of a curtain
back and poked my head in.
    Five people sat or stood in his living space and Dave used a
white board to draw and explain the plan. In the room were Jenny Moss, 2nd
platoon leader; Darryl Aikens, 1st platoon leader; Chad Bennett, our sniper;
and his spotter, Steve Wooten, along with Dave. Dave stopped talking and all
heads turned in my direction. I apologized for interrupting and asked if they
needed anything. They all replied in the negative and I asked if they had any
questions that I could help with. Again, I got the head shakes so I excused
myself and left. The last place I wanted to check in on was the Aid Station so
I headed in that direction.
    Doc, his nurse Laurie, and a couple of other people,
including my wife, were quietly arranging the Aid Station to accept a large
volume of patients. They had set up a triage area and had signs taped to the
wall to indicate seriousness of injuries. Behind a curtained off area Doc had
four make shift operating tables set up. I could see Kat placing surgical tools
beside one of the tables as I walked in. Doc had his back to me and I didn't
think he had seen me until I heard his voice say, "Everything is sterile.
Don't touch anything."
    I looked over at him and he still had his back to me so I
wasn't sure if he was talking to me. Until he turned around. "Yes, I'm
talking to you. God knows when the last time you washed your hands was,"
he said.
    I tried to look hurt but he wasn't buying it. "We've
got everything under control here. Kiss your wife and get out. Go do something
useful."
     I started to lean over the table to kiss Kat but Doc cut in
with a loud, "Don't touch anything."
    "Yes Sir," I replied, and I stepped around the
table and gave my wife a peck on the cheek.
    We looked at each other for a second and I heard behind me,
"Now will you get out?" I rolled my eyes at Kat and she laughed and I
turned and started to leave. As I went out the door I heard Doc say, "I
saw that." I had to laugh. He tries so hard to be a grumpy old bastard but
I liked him. So did Kat.
    There wasn't anything left for me to do. Everyone knew their
job and