The Scout

Chapter - 2

-The Scout-
Chapter - 2
"Who are you"
By: Mike Hurley

Jack picked up the kitchen phone and dialed Amy's cell. He had the number memorized. He had dialed it every Wednesday morning for many weeks. At first he heard her voice; '.......this is Amy, please leave me a message'. Jack always said the same thing: Amy, this is Grandpa; we miss you, please call home. As the weeks turned into months, Jack missed hearing Amy's voice. All he heard was: 'The mailbox of the person you are calling is full'. He still said; Amy this is Grandpa; we miss you. Please call home.

One Wednesday morning after Jack hung up the phone; Grandma Lyndy asked him: Jackson, why do you keep leaving that message. Amy's mailbox is full, her phone is probably burned up somewhere. Most of Texas is gone......

Jack stared out the window, down the road and saw no one. He replied to his wife; Amys my grand daughter. When she was born I loved her; I'm not stopping now.........

🌲🍁🌲🍂🌲🍁🌲🍂

An hour later Ty had disappeared into the deep woods and turned north. He preferred to stay off the main trails and often forged his own, usually on the edges of prairies, but whenever possible he was always in or near a forest. He liked being near a large stream or small river too. If followed, Ty could erase any sign of his presence by walking in the currents.

Ty was a Marine Scout. He could be inserted by sea, air or land. His primary mission was to obtain intelligence & report back. Or disappear in place for up to a few months, & radio intel to headquarters via his digital coded burst radio. He was all alone, calling for back up was not what Scouts did. His secondary mission was to rescue or extract citizens, aka: survivors; often from rebel camps. His capture was not an option. The Rebels executed Scouts over several days. It was not a pretty picture. Taking the oath of a Marine Scout was not something an ordinary man did. He wore the flag of the United States and the Maple Leaf of Canada. His oath bound him to serve the citizens of both countries. Scouts were extraordinary men........

His training had its roots in the WW2 French Resistance', Texas Rangers of the old west, the Green Berets of Vietnam, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Comanche Indians.

A full moon guided his steps, helping to make a quick escape from the camp. He knew, with his 'passenger' he had a taller profile and was more visible, especially for a trained eye looking for movement. He spotted an already small broken tree branch just the right size. He handed it up to Amy and asked her to wedge it in between their packs. Another type of camouflage to help them disappear.

Ty had carried a few children and two babies, but never a young woman, a beautiful young woman, who even with dirt camo on her face,......took his breath away. Amy was one of those girls for who makeup really wasn't needed. She reminded him so much of Jennifer........

They were both quiet for the first hour, Amy tried to sit perfectly still, as she watched Ty deftly maneuver over fallen trees, through small streams and up & down hills. He bent back branches and held them for her, but took care never to break one, ........a sign for someone following him. She had learned the ways of the forest after 3 months on her own. Amy's Grandfather had taken her hunting, fishing and taught her basic survival skills. But she could tell, Ty's skills were at a whole different level. She listened and heard no noise from his footsteps. He could travel miles without a sound, or anyone seeing him, or knowing he had been there. Right off, she was worried about Ty traveling with her extra weight, she had cursed the rotted tree branch that gave way as she climbed up to safety for the night. Amy was overfilled with gratitude for Ty. There was no way she was going to mate with some young rebel dude, only 17 years old. Bearing children for Rebels was not on her agenda. She knew there was a chance Ty could be just as sinister; he was a stranger. But from the moment he arrived, Amy's women's intuition told her Ty was a friend. She noticed how he immediately trusted her. She guessed he trusted anyone who was not a Rebel.