Free Resistance: A Prepper's War by BJ Knights Page A

looked up at Chase. Her eyes were bloodshot and snot dribbled down her nose and chin. She couldn’t speak anymore. She just kept nodding her head.
     
    “Good girl,” Chase said and then ordered another guard to come and take Samantha away. When Samantha was dragged out, the last image she saw was the guard putting Annie, who was hysterically crying, on the ground.
     
    The guard brought Samantha to Chase’s office where he got out her phone and powered it on. Chase extended the phone to her, but Samantha avoided his face as fresh tears started to form on her cheeks. He tossed the phone in her lap and she looked at him. “Call your brother,” Chase said threateningly.
     
    Jim was sitting in the new commander’s office waiting for him to enter. He’d been sitting there by himself for almost twenty minutes. Twenty wasted minutes he could be out doing something, but instead he had to request time to meet with the acting general to get the supplies approved for his mission. He just hoped that Twink and Brett were using their time wisely.
     
    “I’m sorry I’m late, Jim,” the General said as he entered.
     
    Jim rose at attention and after the formalities, he got down to business. “I need the request approved, sir,” Jim said blatantly.
     
    The General leaned back in his chair and looked Jim over. “This isn’t a traditional request, Jim. You’re asking for resources without letting the military know what you’re using them for and asking us to look the other way when you take… Well, whatever it is you’re planning on taking.” The General tilted his head to the side slightly and shrugged. “I don’t think this is something I can approve. Not in this climate we’re in right now.”
     
    Jim didn’t have anywhere else to go. He was about to go into a fight with more unknowns than he’d like to have in a mission and the three other men that he trusted were the only ones coming with him. Jim was good at what he did, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to do this without the General’s resources.
     
    “I didn’t like Locke,” Jim blurted out.
     
    The acting general raised his eyebrows, shocked at the statement. The General’s predecessor wasn’t even in the ground yet and it wasn’t typical for a soldier to openly criticize a general in front of a superior officer; let alone one that had just been killed in combat.
     
    “He was manipulative. He didn’t have the slightest problem using somebody for the greater good. I know because that’s what he did to me,” Jim continued. “But the one thing I can say about Locke is that he got things done. He put himself out there in a way that I’ve never seen an officer of his stature do before. That’s all I’m asking from you, General. Help me get the job done.”
     
    The General drew in a slight breath and his chest rose and then fell with the exhale. He stayed silent as Jim kept his eyes focused on him, drilling into him with a stare only a man with as much to lose as Jim could.
     
    “Locke trusted you,” the General finally answered and  he drummed his fingers on his desk. He rose to walk to a filing cabinet parallel to where they were sitting. “He liked you,” the General went on as he pulled open one of the drawers and thumbed through the files inside. “He always appreciated a soldier that didn’t give a shit about the chain of command like you do.
     
    The General pulled out a slip of paper and walked back over to his desk, pinching the white page between his fingers. He sat down and grabbed a pen from his desk and began jotting down notes on the paper in front of him. “I had a look at your file before I came in here,” he said as he continued to write on the form. “I’ve never seen a soldier have as many misconduct forms and still have more commendations than a dozen soldiers have in their career. It was impressive.”
     
    Jim eyes lowered to the form on the desk trying to make out what it was. He was hoping it wasn’t a