Footfall

“Mrs. Dawson?” Halverson asked. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” He climbed down off the armored car. “As to what we intend, well, first I’m waiting for my helicopters. Takes time to get them spruced up. Meantime, we came out to see if you needed help. When the choppers get here, we’re going south and east until we see what the hell has invaded us.”

Carlotta nodded. A dozen tanks, two of those armored car things, trucks. And helicopters. Weekend warriors. Most of them are pretty old, but — “You look formidable enough. Fast work.”

“Started mobilizing the Guard the night they started shooting,” Halverson said. There was pride in his voice. “Been rounding up troops from all over the county. Would have called Major Morgan, but the phones were out. Lucky we ran into him in town.”

“But what is happening?”

Halverson shrugged. “Juana, we haven’t been in touch with any government above the county seat since those-aliens started shooting. Phones don’t work, nothing but static on the radios. Most of our communications stuff was designed to work with satellites, and we sure as hell don’t have any of those left. Even so—” His back straightened. “I don’t figure Washington wants me to just sit back and wait for orders, not while they’re dropping out of the skies! Soon as my choppers get here, we’re going to show ’em what it means to mess around with Americans. Especially Kansas Jayhawks!”

18. THE JAYHAWK WAR

A general never knows anything with certainty, never sees his enemy plainly, nor knows positively where he is. The most experienced eye cannot be certain whether it sees the whole of the enemy’s army, or only three-tenths of it. It is by the eyes of the mind, by the combination of all reasoning, by a sort of inspiration, that the general sees, commands and judges.

—NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, Memoirs

COUNTDOWN: H PLUS 120 HOURS

Harry spent the night in a wheat field, using wheat straw for bedding and more of it piled on top to stay warm, He didn’t dare risk a fire. There were flashes and thunder all around him. By counting time between flash and sound, he estimated some were as close as three miles, far too close.

Morning came, and he missed Jeri’s camp stove and cocoa. Can’t think about that. Got to get moving. But goddammit. 1 should have done something; 1 should have saved her. Hell, I should have left her by her car-she’d have been safer’ Come with me. I’ll take care of you, shit—

The motorcycle ran fine. He estimated that he had another twenty miles to go, and fuel for thirty.

Harry turned up the lane toward the big house and shook his head in disbelief. Made it, by God! At least it certainly looked like the place Wes had once described, and it was on the right road, ten miles west of Dighton, and there was no other house within a mile.

It was nearly noon. The skies were blue and clear, and there were only occasional thunderclaps and flashes of colored light.

He frowned. An army Light Armored Vehicle stood in front of the house. There were deep tread marks on both sides of the drive, leading out behind the house. Half a mile out through the fields were at least six tanks, a couple of obsolete M-1 Abrams tanks and at least two Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

A big blue GM Jimmy four-wheel-drive truck stood in the driveway beside the LAV. Harry nodded at it approvingly. He let the motorcycle coast up to the front porch. Two soldiers older than Harry sat on top of the armored car. One waved at Harry.

“Hi,” Harry called.

“Hi,” one of the soldiers answered.

Something moved behind the glass-paneled front window.

“Is Mrs. Dawson at home?” Harry asked. No point in asking why the army had surrounded the house.

“Think so,” a sergeant said. “Hey, Juana, visitor for your sister.

“The front door opened. Carlotta Dawson, in blue jeans, her hair bundled into a kerchief, rushed down the steps. She didn’t say anything. She just grabbed Harry and pulled herself against him, burying her face in his beard.

She stood that way for a moment, then looked up at the soldiers on the LAV. “He came all the way from L.A. ,” she said. “To help me.”

“Tough going?” the sergeant asked.

“Some,” Harry said.

“Heard it was bad out west.”

“Hoover Dam’s gone,” Harry said. “They took out all the cities along the Colorado River . Same thing happened with all the dams along the Platte . They seem to like hitting dams.”

An officer came out of the house. “Colonel Halverson, this is Harry Reddington,” Carlotta said. “A friend of-of Wes and me. He’s come from L.A. Harry, you must be starved.”

“Yeah, but, Miz Dawson, we’ve got to move. The damned elephants”