Chapter 44: Green Gate Farm
Before taking the turn towards Macon Road, Damian stopped the RV and took everyone in a house on the side of the road which was safe and told them to stay there until he comes back. When he does come back, if he is with people who have weapons pointed at him, he told them to not come and be ready to shoot at them to protect themselves. He then drove off and stopped the RV at the roadside with a sign saying Green Gate Farm.
He got out and looked around but didn't see anyone. He entered the RV and started taking sip of packaged lemonade he had. He made it as slow as possible but even when it was finished, no one came. Damian didn't want to wait any more, so he pulled out his gun and fired once in air. The sound was so loud that Damian could hear it's echo even after a few seconds. He then looked around and sat back inside his RV to wait for a bit more. Soon, a jeep came from the road leading to the farm with 4 men sitting in it. Damian got out of his car and put his hands up even before they pointed their guns at him.
"Who are you?", a man who looked like their leader came out and asked.
Damian by the looks of the person got the hint that he had served in the military, so he unconsciously let his guard down. "My name is Damian Wolfe. Someone told me about this place. He said there is a place which is being protected by some retired military personnel. Unfortunately, he was bit and we had to kill him", he answered.
"By the look, you seem to know how to shoot", the man said.
"I do. I have served in the army", Damian answered.
"Which battalion?", he asked.
"1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment", Damian answered.
"You left army?", the man asked.
"I did", Damian nodded.
"You alone?", the man asked.
"No. I've a family", Damian answered.
"Good. You are welcome to my farm", he said with a smile of trust.
Damian looked at him and said, "Thank you for your trust".
"I am Nathaniel Stokes. You can call me Nathan; this is my farm. They are my friends who are helping protect the place", the man said.
"Nice to meet you, sir", Damian said but didn't salute at the man.
The man looked at him and asked, "Let's get your family", he said.
"Uh... they are not my family. Actually, I found them coming here on the road. They were not prepared for what's happening, so I tagged along", Damian said.
"Oh. Okay. Got it. Then let's go get them", the Nathan said as he climbed on the RV. He looked out and said to his men, "Take the jeep back".
"But sir, you a-", a man with gun said.
"Don't worry. I can protect myself", he said showing his gun as he prompted Damian to leave quickly.
Damian sat in and started the engine before driving away.
While going, Nathan asked Damian, "You said you served in the Army, right? What rank did you hold?".
"Yeah, I did. I was a Captain. Left the service at the end of 2008", Damian answered.
"Captain, huh? Impressive. I was a First Sergeant before I retired. Infantry. Retired in 2001, Where were you stationed?", he asked.
"Mostly Afghanistan. Started with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Spent some time with Delta Force after that", Damian replied.
"Delta, you say? That's no small feat. You must've seen some serious action", he said.
"You could say that. We had some intense missions. What about you? Where were you deployed?", Damian answered with a smile. This was after so long that he was talking to someone from the army.
"Iraq, mostly. Did a couple of tours there. We were mainly securing key locations and supporting operations. Had some close calls, but we managed. What kind of missions did you run with Delta?", Nathan replied.
"High-value target extractions, covert reconnaissance, and direct-action missions. One of our key operations was codenamed Midnight Thunder. It was supposed to be a simple recon, but we got ambushed. Lost some good men that day. Got captured by the enemy", Damian said.
"Damn. How'd you get out of there?", he asked looking at Damian.
"Recon team found me near death. Got pulled out and spent a long time recovering. That was pretty much the end of my active duty. You know how it is, sometimes you don't get to choose when your service ends. The loss of my team and torture there broke my spirit", Damian answered.
"Yeah, I hear you. It's never easy losing people. I lost a couple of my guys too. You never really get over it. But you made it to Captain, and Delta? That's something to be proud of", he tried to lift the mood.
"Thanks. It was an honor to serve, even if it ended the way it did. What about you? Any memorable moments from your time?", Damian asked back.
" Plenty. One time, we were holding a position near Fallujah, and we got pinned down by insurgents. We were outnumbered, but we held our ground until reinforcements arrived. Proud of my men that day. They showed real courage", he boasted.
"Sounds like you had a solid team. It's the people you serve with that make all the difference", Damian said listening to him.
"Absolutely. It's the brotherhood that keeps you going. So, what have you been up to since you got out?", Nathan asked normally.
Damian paused and hesitated before saying, "Keeping a low profile mostly. Then I joined a researcher and helped him in his research".
"I was working with a veteran's group, helping guys transition back to civilian life. It's not easy, but it was worth it. But now, this shit happens, and now we have to protect our families", Nathan said as the vehicle stopped.
"That's how it is. But it's good that you guys are prepared for this world. Others didn't even get the chance", Damian said as he waved his hand towards the house, gesturing at his people to come out, that it was safe.
"Hey how old are you?", Nathan asked.
"I'm 27? I think", Damian answered confusingly.
"Oh, my children are also in their twenties", he said with a wide smile.
Soon, the group of people came out with weapons. Nathan smiled at them as they approached.
"Guys, this is Nathan. The place you heard, it's his farm", Damian said.
"Hello. I am Daniel LaRusso. This is my wife, Amanda. They are our kids, Samantha and Anthony", Daniel introduced his family.
"Hello", Nathan shook his hands and looked at the girl in the side. Damian said, "She's Kayla. She's with me", Damian said.
"Oh, nice to meet you", Nathan said disappointingly before looking at Damian and said, "Then should we go back?".
"Yes", Damian said, as they all returned back to the farm.
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