JUNIPER’S DAUGHTER – FRONTIER TOWN
A novel by Nick Armbrister
They were: Gant, Andrew, Gerald and Joyce, four boys in their early to mid 20s, each with a speciality and all multi skilled so they could change roles when they had to, helping the others out. Gant and Andrew had done bird in the hellhole that was the English army prison garrison at Kendal over the years. Gant was inside when Andrew escaped by silently climbing the fifty-foot wall of white greased concrete, even today he kept it secret how he had done it. No ladder, rope or other climbing apparatus was used; this guy was like fucking Spiderman and climbed like a monkey. After escaping he went to his contacts and returned with a hundred year old Conqueror tank and blew the front gate in with three 125mm high explosive shells, then slowly advanced through the wreckage at 5mph. Return fire from the English army’s small arms and light grenade launchers bounced off the tank like ping pong balls. Onwards the criminal gangster boys drove busting fuckin’ ass and getting their lads’ outa the slammer!
Andrew drove the tank while his other criminal buddies Gerald manned the main gun, with Josh on the hull machine gun, a dangerous team that needed a 4th man to load the big heavy shells into the massive main gun in the turret. Soon he would be here when they busted Gant from the inside of this overfilled jail run by the English army who still maintained a small grip on isolated parts of England. Bitter fighting had killed most of the soldiers, destroyed their bases and wrecked their equipment, they were a mere shadow of their former selves but still dangerous in their local areas.
Into the main yard the tank drove slowly squashing the bodies of English army soldiers who were thick enough to get in the behemoths’ way; pulped flesh greased the tracks briefly aiding fuel economy to the heavy-duty diesel engine. Blood ran into the gutters making the Devil smile from upon high, more souls for his purgatory spreading his dark influence onto the land. From the barred glassless windows a cheer went up as the jailbirds inside heard the explosions and gunfire and revving tank engine, their boring existence had been broken by an event. Prison guards ran onto the yard firing machine carbines and machine pistols from the hip on full fucking auto, empty shell cases rattled onto the concrete and slugs whined from the ten-inch armour of the heavy Conqueror tank.
Andrew stopped the tank facing one group allowing Joyce to cut them down with 7.62mm gunfire in short well aimed bursts that bowled them over like nine pins. The other group of guards fired directly from behind the tank as their colleagues were cut down. Gerald slowly turned the heavy turret 180 degrees. He aimed at the group of ten men with the co-axial machine gun and fired one long burst of a hundred rounds cutting them down silencing their puny fire permanently. Andrew slowly drove to the doorway leading into the prison proper, as the turret rotated to face forward – one single high explosive shell made short work of the two inch toughened steel door. The smoke and debris cleared, Joyce and Andrew dismounted their positions and left the tank taking large .45 calibre pistols with them and plenty of ammo clips. Gerald stayed in the turret on the guns controlling the area so the army wouldn’t interfere with the operation. Together with pistols in hand and eyes darting through the thinning smoke and broken door they entered, running like deranged madmen. Three English army guards tried to stop them, one tried to physically bar their way and the other two attempted to raise machine pistols – Andrew and Joyce shot all of them in the face using full clips of ammo, reloading and advancing.
A long corridor lead ahead into the maze of passageways and cells, they knew the way to where Gant was from a geo locator he had implanted in his left molar tooth. It was decided to cause major chaos and release the rest of the inmates, if possible. For this both carried small magnetic detonators to blow the locks of the cells. Coming up to the first cells they put the plan into practise – Andrew placed a single mag det on each door lock with a 30 second delay to allow time to get clear. Cells were on either side of the corridor so Andrew zigzagged up the corridor with Joyce covering him. When the end of the corridor came up and branched off to the right and left they went left, swapping roles as the dets went off in short sharp cracks smashing the locks. Slowly each door was pushed open and cautious heads peered out; all they saw were smoke and the flash of popping dets blowing the doors, both assailants were out of sight.
A single guard came out of an unmarked wooden door with a revolver, he shot the full seven bullets at the duo but upper body armour saved their lives, only Andrew was hit in the upper right arm. He immediately returned fire killing the officer with two shots to the head, his brains and shattered skull fragments sprayed over the wall and the floor before he collapsed dead. Small explosions from the detonators added to the confusion, “Fuck that guy winged me! My arm is numb, I can’t feel it.”
“You’ll be okay. Let’s finish this job. We’ll patch you up at the tank,” Joyce commented.
“Yea we gotta get the man out, it’s why we are here,” Andrew groaned.
“Let’s go, cover me as I finish putting dets onto the cells,” his fellow crim said.
Now prisoners congregated in the corridor, Joyce saw this and ordered: “Get outside now! While you have chance. Go, now!” Firing a single round into the ceiling galvanised them into action and twenty jailbirds ran away down the corridor and to freedom.
Going to the next passageway and up to the next level, deeper into the complex increased the risk, surprise would be wearing off and the guards would counter attack, they had to be fast. Andrew covered Joyce as they went on like before, Joyce placing the dets, this lot of cells was done then up a stairway guarded by two guards. Andrew shot them both using a full mag, he had trouble reloading due to his wound. Joyce offered him his gun and he took it, passing the empty weapon to his friend who speedily reloaded it. Small cracks echoed up the stairs as they slowly climbed up, weapons pointing in their line of sight, a single guard could cut them down here.
Coming to the top they came under fire from two guards thirty yards down the corridor, Joyce reached into his pocket and withdrew a single egg sized hand grenade. He pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it down the corridor where it bounced and clattered landing near the guards, who emptied their entire magazines on full auto before their fate was sealed. Bullets ricocheted from the walls and floor harmlessly before the grenade went off in a huge bang! Screams were cut short and acrid smoke wafted along the ceiling, both gunmen ran down the corridor ignoring the cells – speed was off the essence and they were out of dets but one. This was for Gant’s cell, eyes looked from behind locked doors through small grilled vents but both avoided eye contact. Coming up to the cell where their mate was Andrew got their remaining det ready and placed it on the lock then both ran along the corridor and crouched down waiting for the thing to go off. Crack! And the cell lock was blown. Running to the cell with guns at the ready Joyce and Andrew swung the partially ajar door open and entered.
“Hey guys, what took you?” Gant casually asked, grinning like a cat.
“Good to see you too mate!” Andrew shouted, not in malice.
“How has the hotel treated you then Gant?” Joyce asked passing Gant a pistol and two mags of bullets.
Gant sat up off the bed and made for the door, glancing at Andrew to say, “I see you’ve been hit. Does it hurt?”
“Yea I stopped a slug. What the fuck do you think? No actually it doesn’t…” he retorted.
“C’mon you pair of fairies get a move on; we gotta get back to the tank!” Joyce complained.
“Fuckin’ hell! You busted me out in a tank? Well I’ll buy you a beer when we get back to town, fuck yea!” Gant laughed.
Into the corridor they ran guns at the ready back to the tank, groups of prisoners not yet outside joined them as if safety in numbers was the way to do it. The trio shouted for everyone to get the fuck out when guards chased them down, pistol fire and grenades soon stopped them buying the group time to get outside. There they joined the battle they could hear for full scale chaos ensured, released prisoners had broken into one of the small arms stores and were attacking the remaining guards in revenge for beatings, harsh treatment and for being fed crap food. Their Conqueror tank fired short bursts from the co-axial machine gun in the turret at guards hiding behind a small prison van. This slowly burned forcing the sheltering guards into the open. Here the prisoners with guns had their vengeance cutting the men down where they stood who even in imminent death fought back, several crims fell down dead or injured. Climbing under the huge tank the small group opened the under hull entry hatch after some difficulty. Andrew really struggled under in the cramped space due to his injured arm. This caused him a lot of pain and discomfort. Joyce entered first so he could hall Andrew up into the vehicle so Gant could push their wounded pal up and then enter himself. The hatch was then shut and locked so no one could follow them.
“Hey Gant, how the fuck are you?” Gerald shouted as he machine-gunned two soldiers who fired back with machine pistols.
“Yea man I’m good. The hotel was good; I ended up running the place. I’ll tell you about it sometime,” Gant chortled.
“I can’t drive due to my arm. Joyce you’ll have to do it, I’ll take over your gun,” Andrew painfully said, as they got ready to leave.
Joyce got behind the driving position. He said, “Andrew let Gant man the hull machine gun, he never shot a guard with his pistol, he can loose a few rounds off now. You need to rest, when we get clear we’ll patch you up. Think you can wait?”
“Yea do that, Gant can use the gun, I’ll be okay. I’ve been hurt worse than this before,” Andrew replied when he settled down behind the driver’s seat.
“I don’t mind manning the pop gun guys!” Gant agreed. Manning the position, he looked through the sight and fired short busts of fire at running soldiers.
In a roar Joyce started up the monstrous 850 horsepower diesel engine and engaged gear with the stiff clutch, he pulled both driving handles towards him and slowly reversed the tank. Stopping parallel to the main gate he turned on one track and slowly drove down the main entry road, soldiers ran away for their lives as the heavy dark green tank increased speed. Bullets whizzed and whined from the outer hull in a futile gesture to stop their escape, of course it failed.
In the tank Gerald put some heavy metal music onto the tank’s tape player, a 70-year-old thing that still worked. The music was closer to 50 year old but still sounded well, he maxed the volume when they left the prison complex. Screams and shouts of joy filled the tank, they had done it! Stopping some miles from the prison Gant patched up Andrew’s arm with a field dressing, giving him some morphine for the pain and discomfort. Settling back Andrew relaxed best he could. Starting back on their journey they headed back to Renford and hit thirty mph, the tanks full speed and to a party that would last for a week…
Andrew drove the tank while his other criminal buddies Gerald manned the main gun, with Josh on the hull machine gun, a dangerous team that needed a 4th man to load the big heavy shells into the massive main gun in the turret. Soon he would be here when they busted Gant from the inside of this overfilled jail run by the English army who still maintained a small grip on isolated parts of England. Bitter fighting had killed most of the soldiers, destroyed their bases and wrecked their equipment, they were a mere shadow of their former selves but still dangerous in their local areas.
Into the main yard the tank drove slowly squashing the bodies of English army soldiers who were thick enough to get in the behemoths’ way; pulped flesh greased the tracks briefly aiding fuel economy to the heavy-duty diesel engine. Blood ran into the gutters making the Devil smile from upon high, more souls for his purgatory spreading his dark influence onto the land. From the barred glassless windows a cheer went up as the jailbirds inside heard the explosions and gunfire and revving tank engine, their boring existence had been broken by an event. Prison guards ran onto the yard firing machine carbines and machine pistols from the hip on full fucking auto, empty shell cases rattled onto the concrete and slugs whined from the ten-inch armour of the heavy Conqueror tank.
Andrew stopped the tank facing one group allowing Joyce to cut them down with 7.62mm gunfire in short well aimed bursts that bowled them over like nine pins. The other group of guards fired directly from behind the tank as their colleagues were cut down. Gerald slowly turned the heavy turret 180 degrees. He aimed at the group of ten men with the co-axial machine gun and fired one long burst of a hundred rounds cutting them down silencing their puny fire permanently. Andrew slowly drove to the doorway leading into the prison proper, as the turret rotated to face forward – one single high explosive shell made short work of the two inch toughened steel door. The smoke and debris cleared, Joyce and Andrew dismounted their positions and left the tank taking large .45 calibre pistols with them and plenty of ammo clips. Gerald stayed in the turret on the guns controlling the area so the army wouldn’t interfere with the operation. Together with pistols in hand and eyes darting through the thinning smoke and broken door they entered, running like deranged madmen. Three English army guards tried to stop them, one tried to physically bar their way and the other two attempted to raise machine pistols – Andrew and Joyce shot all of them in the face using full clips of ammo, reloading and advancing.
A long corridor lead ahead into the maze of passageways and cells, they knew the way to where Gant was from a geo locator he had implanted in his left molar tooth. It was decided to cause major chaos and release the rest of the inmates, if possible. For this both carried small magnetic detonators to blow the locks of the cells. Coming up to the first cells they put the plan into practise – Andrew placed a single mag det on each door lock with a 30 second delay to allow time to get clear. Cells were on either side of the corridor so Andrew zigzagged up the corridor with Joyce covering him. When the end of the corridor came up and branched off to the right and left they went left, swapping roles as the dets went off in short sharp cracks smashing the locks. Slowly each door was pushed open and cautious heads peered out; all they saw were smoke and the flash of popping dets blowing the doors, both assailants were out of sight.
A single guard came out of an unmarked wooden door with a revolver, he shot the full seven bullets at the duo but upper body armour saved their lives, only Andrew was hit in the upper right arm. He immediately returned fire killing the officer with two shots to the head, his brains and shattered skull fragments sprayed over the wall and the floor before he collapsed dead. Small explosions from the detonators added to the confusion, “Fuck that guy winged me! My arm is numb, I can’t feel it.”
“You’ll be okay. Let’s finish this job. We’ll patch you up at the tank,” Joyce commented.
“Yea we gotta get the man out, it’s why we are here,” Andrew groaned.
“Let’s go, cover me as I finish putting dets onto the cells,” his fellow crim said.
Now prisoners congregated in the corridor, Joyce saw this and ordered: “Get outside now! While you have chance. Go, now!” Firing a single round into the ceiling galvanised them into action and twenty jailbirds ran away down the corridor and to freedom.
Going to the next passageway and up to the next level, deeper into the complex increased the risk, surprise would be wearing off and the guards would counter attack, they had to be fast. Andrew covered Joyce as they went on like before, Joyce placing the dets, this lot of cells was done then up a stairway guarded by two guards. Andrew shot them both using a full mag, he had trouble reloading due to his wound. Joyce offered him his gun and he took it, passing the empty weapon to his friend who speedily reloaded it. Small cracks echoed up the stairs as they slowly climbed up, weapons pointing in their line of sight, a single guard could cut them down here.
Coming to the top they came under fire from two guards thirty yards down the corridor, Joyce reached into his pocket and withdrew a single egg sized hand grenade. He pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it down the corridor where it bounced and clattered landing near the guards, who emptied their entire magazines on full auto before their fate was sealed. Bullets ricocheted from the walls and floor harmlessly before the grenade went off in a huge bang! Screams were cut short and acrid smoke wafted along the ceiling, both gunmen ran down the corridor ignoring the cells – speed was off the essence and they were out of dets but one. This was for Gant’s cell, eyes looked from behind locked doors through small grilled vents but both avoided eye contact. Coming up to the cell where their mate was Andrew got their remaining det ready and placed it on the lock then both ran along the corridor and crouched down waiting for the thing to go off. Crack! And the cell lock was blown. Running to the cell with guns at the ready Joyce and Andrew swung the partially ajar door open and entered.
“Hey guys, what took you?” Gant casually asked, grinning like a cat.
“Good to see you too mate!” Andrew shouted, not in malice.
“How has the hotel treated you then Gant?” Joyce asked passing Gant a pistol and two mags of bullets.
Gant sat up off the bed and made for the door, glancing at Andrew to say, “I see you’ve been hit. Does it hurt?”
“Yea I stopped a slug. What the fuck do you think? No actually it doesn’t…” he retorted.
“C’mon you pair of fairies get a move on; we gotta get back to the tank!” Joyce complained.
“Fuckin’ hell! You busted me out in a tank? Well I’ll buy you a beer when we get back to town, fuck yea!” Gant laughed.
Into the corridor they ran guns at the ready back to the tank, groups of prisoners not yet outside joined them as if safety in numbers was the way to do it. The trio shouted for everyone to get the fuck out when guards chased them down, pistol fire and grenades soon stopped them buying the group time to get outside. There they joined the battle they could hear for full scale chaos ensured, released prisoners had broken into one of the small arms stores and were attacking the remaining guards in revenge for beatings, harsh treatment and for being fed crap food. Their Conqueror tank fired short bursts from the co-axial machine gun in the turret at guards hiding behind a small prison van. This slowly burned forcing the sheltering guards into the open. Here the prisoners with guns had their vengeance cutting the men down where they stood who even in imminent death fought back, several crims fell down dead or injured. Climbing under the huge tank the small group opened the under hull entry hatch after some difficulty. Andrew really struggled under in the cramped space due to his injured arm. This caused him a lot of pain and discomfort. Joyce entered first so he could hall Andrew up into the vehicle so Gant could push their wounded pal up and then enter himself. The hatch was then shut and locked so no one could follow them.
“Hey Gant, how the fuck are you?” Gerald shouted as he machine-gunned two soldiers who fired back with machine pistols.
“Yea man I’m good. The hotel was good; I ended up running the place. I’ll tell you about it sometime,” Gant chortled.
“I can’t drive due to my arm. Joyce you’ll have to do it, I’ll take over your gun,” Andrew painfully said, as they got ready to leave.
Joyce got behind the driving position. He said, “Andrew let Gant man the hull machine gun, he never shot a guard with his pistol, he can loose a few rounds off now. You need to rest, when we get clear we’ll patch you up. Think you can wait?”
“Yea do that, Gant can use the gun, I’ll be okay. I’ve been hurt worse than this before,” Andrew replied when he settled down behind the driver’s seat.
“I don’t mind manning the pop gun guys!” Gant agreed. Manning the position, he looked through the sight and fired short busts of fire at running soldiers.
In a roar Joyce started up the monstrous 850 horsepower diesel engine and engaged gear with the stiff clutch, he pulled both driving handles towards him and slowly reversed the tank. Stopping parallel to the main gate he turned on one track and slowly drove down the main entry road, soldiers ran away for their lives as the heavy dark green tank increased speed. Bullets whizzed and whined from the outer hull in a futile gesture to stop their escape, of course it failed.
In the tank Gerald put some heavy metal music onto the tank’s tape player, a 70-year-old thing that still worked. The music was closer to 50 year old but still sounded well, he maxed the volume when they left the prison complex. Screams and shouts of joy filled the tank, they had done it! Stopping some miles from the prison Gant patched up Andrew’s arm with a field dressing, giving him some morphine for the pain and discomfort. Settling back Andrew relaxed best he could. Starting back on their journey they headed back to Renford and hit thirty mph, the tanks full speed and to a party that would last for a week…
No comments:
Post a Comment