Chapter 7
South of Shanesville
"Sir!" A lookout alerted Captain Miller. "There are some Hexmen waving a white flag!"
Captain Miller looked at the three-man party through his field glasses. He saw one of them holding a small white flag of truce. They were not carrying any bows or rifles. They had their hands on top of their heads. Captain Miller found Major Zimmer. "Sir, what do you think it means?"
"It means they don't think they can win. Let's go greet them Miller. They got three, so I'll take Lt. Harper along."
Miller was confused. "What is there to talk about?"
"What, Miller? You want to just wipe them all out?"
"Affirmative. It would make the world a better place. No one would ever have to worry about Hexmen again."
"They got families. No, I'm not authorizing that."
"Yes sir. Ready to meet and greet."
The three men approached the Hexmen who were out in the middle of a treeless field. The Hexmen had a terrified look on their faces. One of them said, "We unconditionally surrender."
The three long-haired unshaven men each had a single one inch hex tattooed on their left cheek. They wore multiple layers of clothing.
"Get down on the ground!" Henry Miller ordered them. "Keep your hands where we can see them!" He had been through this hundreds of times as a Detroit City Policeman.
The three Hexmen slowly squatted down with their hands on their heads. They slipped their hands down the back of their necks and pulled out hand guns that were stashed in their back collars.
"Gun!" Captain Miller Shouted as he noticed the Hexman opposite the Major was brandishing the weapon. Zimmer and Harper were caught too flatfooted for the situation. They were casually holding their guns, not ready for such an attack. Miller, who was ready, fired at the assailant, but it was too late.
The Hexman opposite of Major Tom Zimmer fired three shots at the Major, hitting him twice. The Captain's shots then hit the Hexman, who dropped.
The Hexman opposite Lt. Harper had trouble getting his gun out, and Harper unloaded three shots into him.
Before Captain Miller could get fully turned, the Hexman opposite of him shot at him Captain Miller was hit square in the face, killing him instantly.
Miller's treacherous killer was Lt. Harper's secondary target and Harper did not miss. All three of the Hexmen's "surrender" party were eliminated.
Harper stood there in a daze, staring at his fallen superiors in rank. Both of the officers were now clearly dead. He heard a whistle from the woods. Hexmen were pouring out of the woods toward him.
Lieutenant Murphy, back at the line saw the treachery. "Chaaaaaaarge! Move! Move! Move! On me!" Guard Platoon-D were moving out to the oncoming attack.
Kowalski didn't like it. It was not their way to be fighting on Hexman terms. But Kowalski couldn't just leave Murphy go it alone. Kowalski ordered privates in the Company Squad, "Get a message to the other groups! Send them into the woods!" Then he ordered his Platoon-A to follow Platoon-D. "Let's go!"
Once the Guardsmen got within shooting range of the Hexmen, a couple of whistles were heard. They turned and retreated back into the woods.
The momentum of the action carried the Guardsmen toward what was sure to be a vicious confrontation. Kowalski couldn't bear it. "Hit the deck! Take Cover!" Platoon-A was out in the open, but they made themselves as small of a target as possible.
Murphy noticed Kowalski's action and reconsidered. "Pull back! Pull back!"
As the platoons turned, a salvo of about thirty arrows came out of the woods, along with some gunfire. One of the Guardsmen was hit in the back with an arrow. He stumbled and went to the ground. He slowly got up and was then hit by gunfire. Two more Guardsmen were hit by gunfire and laid injured out in the field.
The rest of Platoon-D joined Platoon-A at their position. From their vantage point, Kowalski could see that one of the Raider platoons had entered the woods unopposed, from the east.
There was gunfire happening within the woods from the Raiders, and what sounded like return fire. This only went on for a short while, then it stopped.
Murphy said, "Okay men, let's advance, slowly."
Kowalski gave the same orders to his men. The platoons got closer to the woods and finally entered the woods with no opposition. The Hexmen had evacuated.
Then sporadic gunfire was coming from the south. The Hexmen had chosen the path of least resistance. As ordered , the small southern contingency "got out of their way."
Murphy and Kowalski linked up with the Raiders. The Hexmen had escaped to the south without taking many casualties. The Raiders captured one of the Hexkids.
There was no more morale left in among the Guardsmen. The loss of Captain Miller was too much for them to go on. No one else was killed in action, but some of the casualties were serious.
Ella asked Martin, "Why didn't we just shoot those worthless pukes?! Oh my God! This is so not right! Why did we come here anyway?!"
Martin said, "He was just a good man. He was doing the right thing."
"Right for who!?" Ella snapped.
Martin just shrugged his shoulders.
"Preston!" Sergeant Yamakawa barked.
"I'm on it." Troops had to take turns hauling Henry Miller's remains back to Crawfordton. He knew it was his turn.