Free Militia by Justin D. Russell Page A

to him as a leader just as the militia did. He did his best to play games with the children and to attend all town meetings while spending his nights studying maps and planning for the different scenarios he thought were possible. With most of the grown men and even some of the women being dedicated to the current task of the militia Mike knew that the town would be left with less mouths to feed but less hunters to feed the women and children who stayed. Mike recruited everyone who wanted to learn to hunt and fish and began teaching them everything he could about finding food. Most of the boys were eager to take to this task and spent their days under Mike’s tutelage.
    As spring became summer scouts started to come back into town with new reports. Each platoon sent their fastest men back in teams to brief Mike when they found anything and then the fast scouts would link back up with their elements at chosen points. So far Marks scouts had found one check point just south of the Canadian border along interstate 15 and another near Great Falls. Steve’s scouts had found one where interstate 90 meets with the Idaho border. Tom had not found any on the borderline yet as Mike had expected. There would be no reason to have a large military presence in the lightly populated state of Montana and the Chinese would have figured that staying to the major highways was more than adequate.
    The last of the scouts came back in late September after having searched their entire sections finding only one more checkpoint where interstate 15 meets with interstate 90 near the town of Butte. Mike gave orders to each scout team to let their leaders know to move into position for an attack. Mark’s teams would head back north and set up on the checkpoints outside the Canadian border and Great Falls, while Steve would take out the enemy in Butte, and Tom’s platoon would attack the enemy on the border of Idaho. They were told to assault simultaneously in two weeks at exactly midnight. All scouts set their watches off of Mike’s and headed back to their platoon leaders.
    After saying his goodbyes to the people of Middle Mike joined with the scouts from Steve’s platoon and sent the rest of the militia with their platoon’s scouts. He knew he might never again see this town and it saddened him. Middle would always be as much a part of him as their original town of Edinboro had been, if not more. Just as the town was almost out of sight, Mike looked back at all that they had created and smiled. With or without the militia they would be just fine.

Chapter Nine
    W hen he finally reached Steve’s post outside of Butte he hardly recognized his old friend. Steve had given up shaving and looked like a classic mountain man. His hair had grown wild and his beard long. Wearing a combination of a camouflaged military uniform and animal skins combined with his sheer size made him an even more intimidating image than he had been in football pads during their high school playing days.
    “Holy shit, Grizzly Adams, I didn’t even know who you were until your big ass stood up,” Mike joked.
    “Awe you’re just jealous, Mike. You wish you could be as pretty as me,” Steve laughed. So we still have nearly a week until target practice huh? Don’t know if I can keep the men waiting that long but I suppose if the order is coming from you they will whether they like it or not.” Steve laughed, “Do ya see that house I have drawn on the map?” Steve asked pointing at a rough pencil drawing, “It’s just a hundred feet or so from the checkpoint and that is what these bastards are using for housing. There are about ten of em in there at all times while three of em man the checkpoint. Before we attack I’m gonna send a couple teams to post up outside of the house and when midnight hits they are gonna take those bastards in their sleep while a few of my top shots take out the guards with one shot each. We are pretty sure they have plenty of weapons and