Just as Bobby's men were starting the process of trying to sort out what happened so they could push on Jenkin's men emerged from the woods behind them. They had been following the contractors all along and heard the gunfire and seen the eerie light from the flares as they pushed forward. Jenkins men pushed on as they attempted to discover the source of the commotion. Jenkins didn't want to charge headlong into a firefight but he also didn't want Miller to fight off the contractors alone.

As soon as they popped out of the treeline Jenkins realized they had made an error. The contractors were already skittish and tired and now more men were suddenly appearing in the darkness. That these men wore ACH helmets, ACU camouflage and interceptor vests didn't really registrar in the heat of the moment. Within seconds rifle rounds were being exchanged as Jenkins and Bobby both attempted to stop the firing. Within a full on firefight that lasted several minutes a solider and three more contractors were killed. Several more contractors were wounded.

****

Less than a mile away Miller, Dink, Webb and Maggie were nearing the outskirts of Lumberton. They had gotten extremely lucky that their pursuers had stumbled into their trap.

"Webb, I'm so glad you bought all those gadgets for us" Dink said as he patted his friend on the back.

"And you mocked them when the UPS man first showed up" replied back Webb.

Dink chuckled as he taunted his buddy "that's because I didn't know the country would go in the toilet and we'd be on the run from zombie contractors with guns".

Even Miller laughed.

****

The fallout from the firefight between the contractors and military units was swift and severe. Within hours Smythe and DeMetrie had been in a screaming match. Military channels were informed. In no time news of the debacle reached the ears of a less than pleased Senator Donovan. Smythe had received no fewer than three dressdowns by different members of Donovan's staff. Needless to say he was not in the mood when Donovan himself called to chew him out. The screaming tirade lasted a full ten minutes. Smythe wisely put up no resistance and apologized for the issue. Donovan made it clear in that in no uncertain terms that Miller had to be eliminated in the next twenty four hours or Smythe's company would lose their contract. More ominously, they'd also lose their protected status which opened them up to being placed in the same camps as many of the people they'd placed there the past few days.

For his part, DeMetrie was furious but word came down that the matter was "a misunderstanding" and needed to be put behind everybody. DeMetrie, while irate, was a good soldier who bit his tongue with his superiors. That didn't stop him from making sure the contractors would be repaid in kind for the solider they had killed. The dead man was a young solider that had survived the hellhole of Iraq and DeMetrie wasn't going to let his life go in vain because of some slimy military contractors.

"Suggestions gentleman" he asked of Sargent's Jenkins and Lowry.

"We suspect they are in Lumberton right?" asked Lowry. "Why not send a Humvee with a PA blaring an announcement that they will be given protection?"

The Captain vetoed the idea outright. "No, brass has decided we have to play nice with the contractors. If we flagrantly thumb our nose in their face it could set off a shit-storm. Besides, if Miller poked his head up, I wouldn't be surprised if one of those idiots blew it off."

For thirty minutes they brainstormed ideas of how they could reach out to Miller without raising too much attention. They really didn't have many good ideas.

"Ok, go get some rest. Be back here at 0500 and we'll hit things fresh. Be sure the boys are all tucked in tight" instructed the Captain. It was his his compassion for his men that endeared him to so many troops.

The Captain stared at the maps for another hour before finally heading for his bunk. He stopped by the communications section on the way and instructed them to wake him up if they intercepted any strange signals.

"Damn" the Captain thought as he laid on his cot. "and I thought seeing the world and finding adventure was exciting".