Strike Force Black by C. T. Glatte

Author:C. T. Glatte [Glatte, C. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

Jimmy walked onto the bridge and walked past members of the Bridge Defense Brigade. Even in the low-light of the half moon, he could see their scowling faces.

As the name suggested, the Brigades had been formed to defend bridges and other vital infrastructure, including railroads and airports. Since they were pulled from the National Guard, they were mostly weekend warriors. The bunkers and defensive outposts were manned twenty-four-seven but it was essentially guard duty and didn’t attract the best soldiers. In fact, it was where most of the troublemakers ended up, and because of that, Bridge Brigades had gotten the nickname ‘Bridge Babies’ and were looked down upon by active duty soldiers.

Jimmy heard a soldier nearby spit toward a Brigade member and mutter, “Don’t forget your pacifier.” The GIs around him snickered. Jimmy saw the Brigade member start to move, but another soldier clutched his shoulder, holding him back.

Sergeant Gooding noticed the commotion and barked, “Knock it off back there.”

Private Lodmont turned back to Jimmy and grinned, “Pissant Bridge Babies.”

Jimmy shook his head, “You’ll be glad they’re there when the shit hits the fan, cook.” Lodmont turned quickly away and increased his pace pulling away from Jimmy. Jimmy sighed knowing he should be bonding with his new spotter but, he’s such an asshole.

The march across the bridge went well at first. The incessant civilian traffic had kept the roads clear and free of ice, but as they neared the middle, the wind kicked up spraying them with freezing bay water. The bridge iced up in spots making long sections difficult. Normally, there were deicers and gravel trucks keeping the roads passable, but there was no sign of them now.

Their march slowed and Jimmy looked at his watch nervously. He figured they were more than halfway across, but he still couldn’t see Kent Island. The only thing he could see was the incessant flashing in the East where the battle was still raging. There was an ever so faint lightening in the sky. He didn’t want to be on the bridge when the sun came up.

Finally, after another forty-five minutes of marching over ever-more treacherous ice, they were halted by more Bridge Defense Brigade members. Jimmy kneeled near a metal beam, one of hundreds, and looked south over the water. There was a definite lightening in the West. The sun would be up soon and he could feel the temperature dropping. He shivered and tucked his chin into the heavy wool coat. Walking had kept him warm, but it didn’t last long once he stopped moving.

Minutes ticked by and he wondered what the hold-up was. Captain Stewart was talking to another officer. Stop shooting the shit and get us off this deathtrap, dammit.

Jimmy cocked his head, listening. He’d heard something that made him feel the chill even more. Was he imagining his worst fear? He focused his hearing, listening intently and when he was sure, he yelled, “I hear planes!”

Everyone spun, looking his way. Private Lodmont guffawed and was about to say something snide when he stopped and cocked his head.

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