The Price of Liberty

He wasn't angry that the barking had awakened him. Rather, he was glad it had alerted him to this simple joy. If he had slept longer, he might not have had time to fully appreciate the fresh air being drawn across his bed. He only wished the dogs would stop now that he was awake so that he could savor the moment in peace.

Jeff took a few more deliberately slow, deep breaths. The dogs continued their yapping. What had their dander up? There wasn't much traffic. Come to think of it, there wasn't any. No sounds of early morning construction in the new development, either. That sometimes set the dogs off.

The morning was unusually quiet, except for the infernal barking. "First time I've ever heard you guys bark at nothing," Jeff said. "What's the matter? The morning just too perfect for you, so you've gotta screw it up?"

Jeff stood and stretched, then walked around the foot of the bed toward the bathroom. The dogs continued, showing no sign of letting up.

Suddenly he raised his head sharply. A cognitive thought crossed his mind. It jolted him to alert status. Early morning grogginess vanished. He stood wondering. He walked to the window to investigate, to put his mind at ease.

He opened the wooden blinds enough to peer outside. The breeze was strong. Heavy ponderosa branches bobbed. Bare aspens rustled. Otherwise all was quiet, except for those barking dogs.

He watched a while longer for prudence sake. Still no cars drove by. A bit unusual on a workday, even that early. But then traffic had lightened up measurably since the new roads had opened due to new construction up the hill. So it was not entirely impossible. He continued to scan the landscape for anything peculiar, anything out of place, anything that didn't belong.

"You paranoid boob," He said to himself after he'd put his sixth sense to rest. "Pretty soon you're gonna be diving for cover when you hear a door slam." He began turning toward the bathroom when something caught the corner of his eye on the neighbor’s wood shingled roof across the street. Quickly facing the window again, he focused all his attention on that spot. Had it been a bird, or a squirrel, or something simply blowing over the peak?

There it was again. Something darker than the dimly lit sky barely broke the plain of the straight roofline. A cap? Then something poked up close to it. A rifle barrel.

It was happening. Already.

"Pull yourself together," Jeff said out loud in an attempt to ward off panic. "You knew it was coming. They're just expediting things, that's all. Heck, you should be glad you won't have to wait around on pins and needles for weeks, or months."

Jeff started to go for his .45 on the other side of the bed when suddenly two shadow like apparitions broke cover from around the back of his neighbor's house. They ran, carrying something between them. It was a battering ram. A half dozen others followed with rifles. It was too late for the .45.

Jeff quickly knelt down behind the window seat, leaving a small target for the sniper on the roof. In seconds the men had crossed the neighbor's lawn, the street, and were coming up Jeff's terrace.

"Stop right there, boys. Come closer and I’ll shoot," Jeff said.

Jeff's bluff worked. The attackers came to an abrupt halt. Their eyes searched desperately for cover, knowing that they were sitting ducks if the occupant of the house decided to open fire. All they could see were a few young trees. Not much protection at that range from a man practiced with a firearm. They stood uneasily and waited. The ball was in Jeff's court.

Agent Pike's amplified voice bellowed from across the street. "Cartwright, this is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Colorado Springs Police Department. We have a warrant for your arrest. Come out of the house now, unarmed, with your hands raised."

"Pike, that you again?" Jeff said, although he knew very well who it was. "I don't believe I will. I thought I made that clear the last time you were here. As far as I'm concerned, you’re no different than the thugs who killed my wife and tried to kill my friends and me. You're trespassing, you're armed, and you're threatening my life and property.

"Pike, you’re arrogant, you’re a coward, and you’re a tyrant. The next man to set foot on my property without my permission will be shot. Now that's more of a chance than you were going to give me. And it's the only one you're going to get."

Jeff then addressed the men still waiting anxiously on his terrace. "You men think hard. Determine if you really want to be a party to this crime. Now turn yourselves around and go back where you came from. Next time someone’s going to get hurt."

Jeff quickly turned. He flattened on the carpet. He crawled for the nightstand.

In seconds, he latched hold of his Ruger P-90 and two extra clips, and was back at the window before the men decided what they would do. Since they had deliberated that long, it would probably be something rash. Jeff waited.

Only a few seconds passed before the group broke, sprinting toward Jeff's house. Without hesitation Jeff raised his .45 and fired three quick shots through his window into the early morning air. The agents dove for cover, flattening on the lawn.

"Don't be stupid! You haven't a prayer. Get your tails off my property or I'll shoot you where you lay." Jeff bluffed again. He'd be hard pressed to defend against eight heavily armed men with only his pistol, especially after that sniper joined in the fray.

A Mini-14 and the double barrel twelve gauge were both against the wall on the other side of the nightstand. If the agents decided to press the attack he would only be able to take out one or two before covering fire would drive him back from the windows. Then he would get the long guns and defend from his home's interior. He hoped it wouldn't go that far.