TYRANT: The Rise Read Online Free Page A

danger.”
    “What about my relief?” Todd asked.
    “Don’t worry about that right now. This is urgent and we’re wasting time waiting on a relief.”
    Todd unhitched his horse from the fence and they rode together back through town to the northeast checkpoint.
    Once they were within hearing and shouting distance, Nathan yelled for Denny.
    “Mount up. Ash has left and headed north. I’ll feed you more info on the way.”
    Without hesitating, Denny was shouldering his rifle and jumping on the horse before Nathan was even done talking.
    All three men headed back through the north side of town and along the way saw Denny’s sister, Heather. “Find Zig and tell him we had to head north after Ash. Talk to Karen, she knows more,” Denny said with a commanding voice.
    Some four hours later, Nathan, Todd, and Denny were in eyesight distance of the Illinois/Missouri bridge over the Mississippi River. From their position, just off of Kaskaskia Street, they could see a UN barge docked at the boat ramp on the south side of the bridge. There were many houses they could use to take cover, but even being here with horses was a dangerous idea. People were starving and two horses could feed a starving family a chewy meal for quite some time.
    Nathan, Todd, and Denny looked about to make sure nobody was watching, then walked up a little hill to the back side of an abandoned house. They walked their horses up the back porch and into the house. Upon leaving the vacant residence, they shut the back door and proceeded down the tree line along Kaskaskia Street, guns at low-ready.
    As they proceeded forward, they began taking mental notes and documenting certain details and observations. They only saw one UN vehicle and one barge from their position. The barge had about twenty-five shipping containers labeled V, and was sitting there with two armed guards in black BDUs. The UN vehicle was an armored bus parked adjacent to the barge, just off Kaskaskia Street. The Mississippi flowed southeast at this location and there was a train track with cars on it that hadn’t moved in years.
    “I’m thinking we should use those train cars as cover and move alongside the river until we can get a better vantage point,” Nathan said.
    “I don’t like the idea of armored busses,” Denny muttered.
    “Me either,” Todd retorted.
    “Guys, I don’t like the smell of this either, but if Ash is here, he could be with them. Both of you are patriots and you know there’s nothing good coming out of the United Nations. It’s run by thugs, tyrants, and dictators.”
    “You could have just said tyrants,” Denny said. “It kind of embodies the whole definition.”
    “Okay, look,” Nathan said as they sat motionless with their silhouettes resting against the trees. Both men trusted Nathan and knew he had a plan up his sleeve.
    “If we come out of this tree line where the woods meet the tracks, we can watch all three angles where we would be vulnerable. I’ll take point; Todd, you take flank; and Denny, you watch our six.”
    “What’s the plan once we reach the destination?” Denny asked.
    “Once we get within two hundred yards of line of sight on those guards, we will crawl under the cars and use the wheels for cover. We will each have the cover of a wheel and be close enough to each other to take simultaneous shots.”
    “Any questions?” Nathan asked. Both men kept their silence. Todd seemed a bit nervous, but Denny was as solid as a rock, as usual. Nathan perceived Todd’s nervousness and said, “We’ve got this, boys. Easy peasy lemon squeezy,” Nathan quoted from one of his favorite movies to lighten the mood.
    Nathan, Todd, and Denny proceeded forward in that order and crept into position. Once they were within the designated distance, Nathan gave the hand signal for stop and get down. They were now low-crawling under the train cars and moving into position. All three men situated themselves behind the cover of a train wheel and