The Du Page Affair Ch. 12

This is an original work by Zeb_Carter and is protected under (c) copyright by U.S. copyright law. It is only being submitted at Literotica.Com and any submission to any other site has not been authorized by the Author.

The darkness was absolute, no moon, no stars and no city lights to guide us on our way. We might as well have been blind as we crept along what was left of the city by the lake. Here and there crumbled buildings rose up out of the grey ash that covered the landscape. We had taken too long at the camp of survivors. We were now dependent on my internal compass to get us home. Michelle was with me. We had been on a wellness visit to the camp of survivors we had just left. There had been quite a few injured people there and Michelle had done her best to care for them.

She was a great general doctor, but some of the injuries needed someone with surgical skills. She had done what she could. She and Susan, along with the other doctors at Campus Du Page, had been reading up on a couple of dozen skills which none of them had prior to the disaster. They all could do some minor surgery, but major surgery was still beyond their experience. Plus they didn't have the right tools to accomplish a task such as amputation, which is what a few of the unfortunate ones needed back at the camp.

I was holding her hand as I led her through the darkness. She was shaking with anxiety, exhaustion and cold as we plodded through the chaos that had been our home. I was warm with the thought that we were finally doing some good in such a hostile environment and I had had a chance to rest before we had headed back. We could have stayed the night at the camp but she had insisted that we return post haste, so she could explore the text on amputation of a limb. Always the professional, she was a dedicated doctor.

This was our third patrol, Michelle and I. I had been on three with Susan also. In fact I had been on three patrols with each of the doctors that were residents of Campus Du Page. I was the only guardian there. Well the only guardian that was mobile. So it was left to me to protect the doctors and those survivors that resided at the Campus.

"Mike, I mean John, can we rest a minute?"

"Of course," I answered as we halted. Michelle collapsed to the ground behind me. "Are you alright Michelle?" I asked kneeling beside her.

"Yes, just tired. Do you have any water?"

I turned my flash light on dim, looking for my canteen, I handed her my canteen which was full. She took it, shaking it. She looked at me in the dim light of my flash as she unscrewed the top.

"Have you been drinking enough? I don't want you getting dehydrated."

"Yes. I filled that before we left Du Page. My camel sack is just about empty. That is the spare I always carry. So drink up." I told her as I took a sip from my camel sack. She took a deep draught from the canteen then handed it back to me. I put it back in its pouch making sure the top was tight.

"How much farther?" she asked wiping her brow with a cloth she pulled from her sleeve.

"About four klicks that way," I said pointing to the west.

"How long will that take us?"

"An hour and a half in this gloom." She groaned at that answer. We sat in silence for the next ten minutes, her, breathing shallowly with her head down, me, scanning our surroundings with my ears. As I listened, I heard what I thought was a scuffling coming our way. As I turned my head it stopped. Looking into the darkness that surrounded us, I sensed more than saw, two eyes glowing in the night. I knew we were safe as our shields kept both of us from harm.

The two eyes came closer and started to whine. It was a dog. As it neared the edge of our shield it stopped. I turned my light on just enough to see beyond the shield. It was a black dog, it was my dog. How the hell he had found me was beyond comprehension. Michelle moved close to me when she saw the dog.

"Hey Rudy, how did you get here, boy?" He started wagging his tail and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. I opened an entry point in the shield. Rudy sensed this and entered coming up to sit in front of me. I reach out to pet his head. Michelle stopped me.

"Stop, he may be contaminated," she whispered in my ear. She was right.

"Stay, Rudy," I told him as I took out my scanner. I turned it on and pointed it at Rudy. He was clean. "He's clean."

I reached out and ruffled his head. He was wagging his tail so hard that his backside was wagging. He was very happy to see me. He didn't look to worse for wear. A little thinner than he had been the last time I saw him. I took out my canteen and a cup and poured him some water. He licked it dry. I then took out a powerbar and gave it to him. He gobbled it up like he was starving, but he was always hungry.

"Good dog," I praised him. He tried to lick my face so I hugged him.

"What kind of dog is he?" Michelle asked. Rudy turned to her growling, his tail stopped and the hair on his back was up.

"Out," I said through clenched teeth. Rudy immediately stopped and sat looking at me. Michelle was trying to hide behind me. "Bad dog," I admonished him. "This is a friend of mine."

"I don't think he can understand you," Michelle whispered from behind me.

"I know, but he knows I'm displeased with him. Now come out from behind me. Sit next to me." She did as I asked and I put my arm around her. Rudy watched what I did and then started to wag his tail again. "See he knows you're my friend, so now you're his friend too."

"Sure he is. What kind of dog is he? He's so hard to see."

"He's a mixed breed, Rottweiler and pit-bull. He's a pussy cat once he gets to know you. Rudy say hello to Michelle." To Michelle's dismay, Rudy got up and went and licked her face, then sat down in front of her and tried to give her his paw. "Take it."

"What?"

"Take his paw. Give it a shake, then let go." She looked at me with her eyes bulging out of their sockets. She tentatively stretched her hand out. Rudy whined as he waited. She grew bolder and took his paw in her hand and shook. When she let go Rudy lunged at her, knocking her down and licking her face.

"Get him off of me," she shouted.

"Rudy, out," I laughed. Rudy backed off panting and wagging his tail, I continued to laugh to Michelle's dismay. "See he likes you," I croaked.

"Great! Just what I needed," Michelle said bushing herself off. Rudy was still wagging his tail.

"I wonder what happened to Sunny and Jazz."

"Who?"

"Sunshine and Jasmine, my other two dogs, if he's here I'm wondering where they are. I hope they're with Jenny."

"Oh."

"Well we had better get going," I said getting up extending a hand to help Michelle up off the ground.

"Can we leave the light on so I can see where I'm stepping?" she pleaded with me.

"I guess, with Rudy here I guess we can. He'll warn us if anyone get close."

"He will?"

"Yep, trained him myself, Rudy, guard!" I pointed out front and he went trotting out ahead of us. I started forward, reaching behind me to take Michelle's hand. She took it allowing me to pull her up next to me.

We walked in silence, every once in awhile Rudy would trot back to see if we were ok, then go trotting back off into the dark. The kilometers past in silence as we trudged through the grey ash that covered the street. Rudy came running out of the dark emitting a low growl. I halted, turning out my light. I dropped to one knee pulling Michelle down next to me.

Rudy was at my side sitting looking at were the problem lie. Feeling his head I knew in what direction I needed to scan. You are probably wondering why I'm not using night vision devices? That would be a great question. The fact is I do have some, but I didn't bring them with because we were supposed to be back before dark.

I took my scanner out and scanned the area ahead of us. Four blips appeared on the screen. They were headed diagonal to us. If we waited they would pass by about a hundred meters in front of us.

"Rudy, hold," I whispered. "Michelle, be very quiet until I tell you otherwise." I felt her shake her head. I dimmed the scanner screen as I watched the four blips move across our intended path. Rudy growled deep in his chest. Turning my scanner to my left two more blips appeared. They seemed to be waiting for the four blips ahead of us.

"Shit. Rudy, protect, Michelle, stay here." I slipped out into the darkness toward the four blips. I had to keep the scanner going so I could find whoever it was out there and tell them they were headed for an ambush. They weren't moving fast, just creeping along. A break in the clouds allowed star light to shine down on the earth just as I was approaching the four blips. I dropped to one knee, sidearm ready. The four came slowly down the road, looking this way and that. I could only see the two out front and they had night vision goggles on.

The one nearest me spotted me and halted. His voice was muffled as he spoke to the others over some sort of comm-gear. He pointed his weapon at me but didn't fire. I froze, waiting to see what they would do. The minutes dragged by as they tried to decide what they were going to do.

Eventually, the one that had spotted me rose and slowly approached me. As he closed on my position I dialed back my shield so he wouldn't bounce off of it and shock the crap out of him.

"Who are you?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"I am Mike Sullivan from Campus Du Page." He took a step back in shock.

"What are you doing out here? Have you laid claim to sites out here?"

"I'm escorting medics from Campus Du Page back to the Campus after making their rounds at some survivor camps. I happened to notice you as you approached and wanted to warn you of the two others up ahead of you. It appears they are waiting for someone to pass by them. They may be laying in ambush."

"Really," he sounded surprised by my revelation. "How far ahead are they?"

"About three-quarters of a klick, just around the bend in the road."

"Why don't you come with us?" He didn't appear to be asking as he again was pointing his weapon at me.

"You don't want to do that," I said coldly.

"Why don't I?" He smiled. It wasn't a jovial smile.

Instead of answering him I flicked my flash to high, closing my eye to avoid being blinded. All four of them screamed as the brilliant light blinded them. The light was intensified by the night vision equipment they wore. I turned the flash off and opened my eyes. They would be blind for about thirty minutes, their vision would return to normal after that. Getting up I walked over and took his night vision goggles from his head. I walked over to one of the others and took his goggles too.

I then headed back to Michelle. I trotted up to Michelle. The night vision goggles were very well made and would allow us to move much faster.

"Hold still I have something for you," I said as I placed the goggles on her head.

"Wow, it's almost as bright as day time," she said as she looked around. We should be able to make much better time now that we both could see better without a light to give our position away.

"Rudy, guard," I told him pointing the way. He trotted out ahead of us. I watched him as long as I could but eventually he disappeared into the darkness. Now that we had the night vision goggles I could see the glow of Campus Du Page up ahead of us. Another twenty minutes and we would be home.

"Twenty minutes and we're home. See the glow up ahead?" I asked Michelle.

"Is that what that is?" She picked up the pace a little now that our destination was in sight. Rudy came trotting in out of the dark, looked at both of us and trotted back into the darkness. After about fifteen minutes Rudy appeared in front of us, sitting waiting. He recognized the shield around the Campus.

"Shelly, two with a friend," I called out. We were close enough now that we would be heard by the Campus AI.

"Roger that." The reply came. I started forward with Michelle following. I halted as I sensed that Rudy wasn't coming along.

"Rudy, come on boy," I called out. He hesitated a second, then ran to catch up. I turned and trotted up beside Michelle.

"It's good to be back here," she said as we crossed the threshold of the Campus shield. I pulled the NV goggles from her head as we could now see without them. Rudy ran ahead to check the place out. "Shouldn't you rein him in until you can get him acclimated to everyone inside?"

"Rudy, heal," I shouted. Rudy returned and walked at my side looking up at me, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. "When we get inside boy, Michelle is tired and needs to rest."

"You talk to him like he's a person."

"In many ways he is. You didn't have pets when you were growing up, did you?"

"Sure we did, a cat that had kittens, when I was twelve."

"Ah, that figures."

"What figures?" She smacked me in the arm as we approached the door to the main building. I didn't answer her as I fooled around with Rudy while she went inside. Taking my cup out and filling it from my canteen I gave Rudy another drink. I filled the cup five times for him before his thirst was quenched.

"Now to see about some food for you," I told him as the sky was lit up by an explosion caused by some type of ordnance hitting the shield. Rudy looked up then over to the east, the way we had come, and growled loudly. "Stay."

Taking out my scanner I scanned to the east. Six blips appeared on the screen.

"No threat," said the whisper in my ear, as Shelly assessed the six blips.

Rudy looked around for he too had the implant and had heard his old friend Shelly.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your old friend Rudy, Shelly?"

"He's not my friend, he almost ate me once." I laughed out loud.

"You're still mad about that?"

"Yes." Rudy barked into the night air as I headed for the door to the main building and a comfortable bed. Rudy followed.

To be continued...