The Southers had used the time between the Fourth and when they were last attacked, to build up their arenol. Dead fish were kept in a bucket of pond water and sugar to make it sticky. Eggs had been poked using a needle, so to allow them to begin to rot. Once they stunk, they were thrown into the bucket of nasty. Though nobody would admit it, later during the school year when the kids all looked back on the summer of water bombs, there would be rumors of dog poop, pee, paint, glue of various types, and even vomit having been included into the buckets of gross which were used to fill the Southers’ water bombs. Only the boys will ever know for sure what went into those buckets. They spent entire days brewing up the nasty stuff and then transfering it into the alligator baggies they used to hold it. The war was taking its toll even before they had got into the thick of it because several times the baggies broke spilling the nasty stuff all over the one trying to handle it. The ammunition was unstable, incredibly stinky, not too mention sticky, and was unpleasant to handle due to the risk of breakage. On the third of July, buckets of pre-loaded baggies were placed in five-gallon buckets at various key locations throughout the town. Those locations included spots which were ripe for ambush. The guys set up means of escape from those ambush locations. They cleared out overgrown paths to allow their fast ride through the area on their bikes, while not clearing other spots which could not be seen by the rider until they had come over the hill and then if you did not know to veer to the right or the left, it would take the rider right through a bunch of sticker bushes and other assorted unpleasant weeds. Yet another spot had a large mud puddle awaiting the rider who came over the hill and didn’t veer. Yet another escape route was set up so that if you didn’t go over it fast, getting some air under your bike, you would run over a board with nails driven through it to flatten any tire that went over it. This was for when the Northers got wise to coming over the hill and not knowing what was waiting. This time when the slowed down to see what was waiting to ambush them, it would be the reason they got a flat tire. “Where did you learn this stuff?” Brian asked Jake, who had thought up most of the booby-traps. “From a movie about a bunch of Vietnam vets who go back to find a friend who had been kept there as a POW. Its called ‘Uncommon Valor’. One of the guys was a fun-loving all-American that was an explosives expert. He taught how you set up an ambush. You don’t just get them the one time. You anticipate what they will do when they are hit with the initial attack. Then you set up a second ambush on them when they end up where you are guiding them. Then you do it a third time after that. Basically that is all I did. I just anticipated what would happen after we ambushed them.” “They are older, have the faster bikes, for the most part, so they are going to come after us.” Brian said. “What I figured.” Jake said. “So I just made sure we had a way to get away on our bikes after we first hit them with an attack. If we ran into an obstacle while arranging our escape, we would either remove it or leave it, depending upon what we made them think would happen next. We simply arranged the opposite. Since only Cory and me know where the escape routes are: and when to veer and when to jump, you two will want to make sure you’re with one of us at all times so you don’t accidentally fall victim to the traps we set up.” Cory jumped in. “We have already hauled the ammunition to the various ambush sites. We will park our bikes next to the spots, hide and throw from a standing position. After we throw our bombs, and I suggest nobody tries to get more than two or three thrown, then hop on your bikes and follow the leader. Make sure you follow the leader. If he veers right or left going over a hill, make sure you do the same. If he speeds up, do the same or you will end up with a flat tire or worse.” “I doubt there will be any fighting today.” Brian said. “So don’t try too hard to start anything because the town is full of county cops. They practically stake-out the steps, and they cruise the cliffs about every hour.” “On the subject of the cops.” Cory said. “They might not be so tolerant about us riding bikes that are not tagged and that have no lights, on the Fourth. I don’t trust them to let us alone other days, but for sure they will be after us on the Fourth. Better off to avoid trouble and live to fight another day.” Jeff sighed and flicked the start key on his bike. “You guys hear that Phil got a new bike? One that is suppose to be even bigger and faster than the one he usually rides.” “I can’t outrun his old bike.” Jake said. “But I still have a plan if it comes down to me and one of their faster bikes.” “What’s that?” Cory asked laughing. “Prayer?” Brian joined in also laughing, “Didn’t do you much good the last time did it?” Jake smiled and said, “I didn’t hear them coming until it was too late, last time. Next time I hear Denny’s bike coming, things are going to happen different. He’s the one I want the most. Traitor. If I can just make him sorrier that he jumped teams then I will have accomplished my mission for the summer.” “I wouldn’t mind a visit with Mike Berlin.” Brian said. Jeff laughed and patted Brian on the back. “Well you don’t have to announce to the rest of us that he is all yours, because trust me, we don’t want anything to do with him.” “Not true.” Brian responded. “I saw Jake hit Berlin with a bomb. He’s not afraid to take him on.” Jake laughed. “Don’t you know any animal will turn and fight when cornered? This is my corner. I can’t run any further.” |  Both Brian and Jeff shook their heads showing understanding. Cory and Jake’s minds went immediately to the escape routes they had engineered. There was a lot of hope and trust involved in those escape routes. If they didn’t work, somebody might find out what it was like to have to fight Mike Berlin. Brian and Jeff had a chance. Cory somewhat less. Jake was going to get his butt kicked. It was getting past noon. The Southers were parked with their bikes along the route the parade would take. They stretched their necks to see around the crowd which had been steadily growing. Then came the sound of the first tractor pulling a trailer full of hay and people drinking and waving at the crowd. The trailer had a red, white and blue decoration on its side and the words ‘Happy 4th” were written in the blue part of the wagon’s paint. Every once in a while the people riding on the trailer would grab a handful of candy out of bucket and throw it toward the crowd. Kids would race toward the edge of the road where the candy landed. Suddenly out of one of the side streets to the parade path, came a group of motorcycles. Phil Dutchman was in front, riding his new bike which was an Enduro. Behind him was Mike Berlin followed by Tommy Wiehner, then David Green and finally the former Souther, Denny Oatman. The gang roared their engines as they raced ahead of the parade. When they had went further than the parade was to go, the group turned around and rode back to a point where they had enough time to turn around again, just in front of the parade. They did that several times more until the parade leader reached the spot designated as the end. The Southers watched the Northers make what donkeys are sometimes called, out of themselves. When it became obvious the Northers were going to keep coming back and turning around in front of the parade, the Southers faded away from where they had been parked. They took a back road to where one of the ambush spots was located and parked their bikes so they would be on the escape routes. The ambush spot chosen was an underpass which allowed a four-lane highway to pass overhead, while under it was a gravel road seldom used. The boys were on the side which was facing away from Staywell, which meant that when the Northers came through, they would not have seen the Southers until they got to the far side of the underpass. That is exactly what happened. The Southers were relaxing, leaning up against the concrete that helped to hold the highway running overhead to stay overhead. At first sound of a motorcycle coming the boys all grabbed a water bomb in each hand and they moved into a position to be able to throw the bombs at the motorcycles as they rode past. The bikes went by in a formation of two in front, one in second and then two more bikes in third. The Southers unloaded their bombs, each boy throwing three bombs before turning and running to their motorcycle. As soon as they reached their bikes the Southers kicked them to life and raced off. While that was happening the Northers were regaining their composure. Once the chaos had stopped, the group turned their bikes and began to give chase. Down the path the two motorcycle gangs raced in a single-file manner because the path was not wide enough for two at one time. The first booby-trap on the path was a spot where the overgrowth had been extreme. instead of cutting it back to allow for a unbothered ride through that area, the Southers rationed a work-around path that required a sharp turn to the right after coming over a hill. The Southers all made the turn and kept going while the Northers came flying over the hill right into the uncut path where they were scratched by thorn bushes as their bikes trampled their way through. Naturally the bikes coming through first took thet worst of the scractches. it had been Phil Duthman and Mike Berlin. They allowed Tommy Wiehner, David Green and Denny Oatman to go ahead of them. Next Page |