I
t had been
an hour since Sam had left, I still couldn’t find Billy and was beginning to get worried. I had taken Kiera and several others out into the forest to search for him but no one had seen him. He has simply vanished.
“I’m telling you, I can’t find him.”
“Ally, as much as I would like to help, we can’t do this now,” Hank said.
I watched him giving orders to men and loading up several of the horses.
“Where are you going?”
Hank was so engrossed in telling others what to take with them that he didn’t even answer. I grabbed his arm and he spun around.
“Listen, we have a short window of opportunity. With Sam and Billy inside.”
“Billy?”
He had let the cat out of the bag. He gripped the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.
“I told Billy to go with him but to remain out of sight.”
“You mean you let me believe you didn’t know where he was but you knew all along?”
“You didn’t ask me where he was, and we don’t have time to discuss this.”
He turned to walk away but I grabbed a hold of him.
“That is my father in there. My friends. What is going on? Where are all these people going?”
By now a large group of about a hundred were armed, mounted on a horse or heading out on foot.
“Just stay here. There are enough here to protect your friends. We are going to end this now.”
“But you said you weren’t going to attack? That was the whole point in sending Sam in. He was meant to gather intel and provide information.”
“That was before it became apparent that we had someone among us that worked for the Commander. For all we know right now, whoever it is, could have alerted the Commander to what we are planning.”
I tossed him a confused look. “But I thought you told only a few people.”
“Everyone saw that truck roll out of here. Word spreads fast.”
I shifted from one foot to the next. “So you sent Sam and Billy in there knowing full well that they might be exposed?”
“I didn’t send anyone. Sam volunteered.”
I stood with my mouth open. I had been under the impression that Hank had been the decision maker.
“If I had my way, no one would go in there. But right now, unless we take drastic action, things are not going to change. Eventually the Commander’s men will attack us first and after the small amount that we managed to salvage from that truck, we don’t have enough to hold them back. Our best chance it to lure them out. Anything else is just suicide.”
“Oh but using Sam as a guinea pig, a carrot on the end of the stick isn’t suicide. You’ve just signed his death warrant.”
He spat back. “We don’t know that, Ally.” He ran a hand over his face as though he realized he was losing his temper. It was to be expected. Everyone’s emotions were running high after the loss of Reynolds and others. In some ways Hank was right, eventually the Commander would grow tired of having his men shot at, and picked off.
“We are going to draw them out towards Stockdale. Billy knows what to do.”
“And Sam?”
“I never told him. I had to make sure that if they did grab him, they couldn’t extract this information from him.”
“You make it sound as though they would torture him.”
He stared blankly back at me and I shook my head. “They have tortured others, haven’t they?”
He stopped loading a bag on to the horse and nodded.
“A month after we escaped we took refuge in Stockdale. We thought if we could get enough people to fight with us, we would take back the town. I was wrong. Forty people were killed, several others were captured and tortured for information on where we were and who was in charge.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they let one of them go. They had cut off his fingers, burned his ear and branded his body.”
I had to steady myself otherwise I would have fallen over. The thought that they might have done that to my father, Kate and now the others was too much.
“Here, take a drink.”
Hank reached for a canister on his horse then handed it to me. I chugged at it. It had a strange taste. All the water did even though they used filters to make sure it was clean. It wasn’t the best. All around the camp they hung up plastic bags, inside was a layer of charcoal, sand, then alternate layers of sand and rock. The water would filter through and out of the bottom into a container. In other places they made below-ground stills. These used moisture from the ground, reacting with the sun to produce condensation on plastic. It then ran down into a plastic container below.
I handed it back to him, coughed and wiped my lips with my wrist. Hank approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Look, if you want to come with us, grab a gun but whether we stay and wait for Sam to return or act now, either way we are going to have to take action. At least this way we can control the outcome, to some degree. Stockdale is like a bottle. It’s narrow coming in and wide going out when heading in from Hayden. We are going to draw them into that bottleneck and lay down fire from multiple directions.”
“And Sam and Billy?”
“If it goes right, they will have an opportunity to get your father, Kate and some of the others out. We aren’t looking to evacuate an entire town, Ally. But if we can get enough people out, there is a chance that the Commander and his men will surrender or move on.”
I shook my head. “And if he doesn’t?”
“He’ll wish he did.”
With that said he put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over the horse.
“It’s up to you. Stay here or come fight. There is danger either way. But we could use your help.”
F
rom the moment
I drove up to the checkpoint, my nerves were on edge. A cold stream of sweat had dripped down my back. All I could think about was either being recognized or Billy being discovered. Every worst-case scenario tortured my mind.
When they waved me in, I soaked in the view of the town and the setup. I had imagined it would be more like a concentration camp but that wasn’t the case. It was like Mount Pleasant in many ways except larger. I saw chain link fencing that was being used to hold in a number of town folk but not all of them were there. Others roamed the streets freely. This led me to believe that only a small number had resisted, while others figured it was better to live under a tyrant than be imprisoned. Most, if not all town folk appeared to be busy with various tasks. A large number were working on the fence surrounding the town. It appeared as though they had collected rolls of fencing from the back of homes, or trucked it in from factories in the area, as each piece was different in size. If they expected to surround the entire town with that, they had their work cut out. Did they really expect this event to last that long?
I made a mental note of those that were soldiers. Some weren’t dressed in fatigues but all of them were armed with AR’s or AK45s. They roamed the streets, kept watch over the workers and stood outside some of the stores. How had they managed to get so many? Perhaps the government had sent them out? Even if they had, what right did they have to murder innocent people? No, there was something very wrong to this setup. The president would not have authorized such force.
“How many did you see out there?” said an officer whose nametag read Valeska.
I was looking around when I answered the soldier. “Twenty, maybe thirty.”
“And you managed to get through them?”
“No. By the time I reached the other trucks they were long gone. I had to get out and throw a few vehicles in neutral and shift them to open up the road. It’s bad out there. Those bastards have a lot of men.”
“You’re telling me. Won’t be long though until we get to spill their blood.”
“Really?” I tried to act ignorant to their hate for the group.
“Word has it the Commander will be pulling together a team to attack in the next couple of days. We’ve seen too many of our guys taken out by them. By the way, how did you hear about us?”
“Through my superior.”
I was led into a large school auditorium and shown where I would sleep. “Until the Commander says, this is where you will be sleeping. Pick a cot. The river is being used as sanitation.”
“The river? Wouldn’t that be contaminated?”
Valeska laughed. “If it is, expect to grow a third ear by next week. We have been here months without even the slightest stomach ache.”
I nodded looking around at some of the other guys. It was a mixed bag. Some looked as if they were no older than eighteen, others were in their early forties. Some leaned back on collapsible beds, like homeless shelter cots. Most of those had been taken. I was taken over to a skanky-looking yellow mattress, which was a poor excuse for a single bed. I didn’t even want to ask what the yellow was. I didn’t plan on staying there long enough to find out.
“We rotate shifts. Some work nights. You need to be mindful of those that are sleeping in that section over there.” Valeska pointed to the far end of the auditorium. It was darker; the windows had been blocked out by blankets.
“People get real shitty around here if they don’t get at least six hours sleep. You will too. So keep quiet, keep your head down and do what you’re told and you will do fine. Okay. Food. All food is served three times a day. It’s not much, trust me, if there was more I would be the first to get it. Which reminds me. If you do what you’re told and at times go above and beyond the call of duty, you will work your way up the ranks and who knows? Maybe you will get my position. But don’t get any thoughts of mutiny. I worked my ass off to earn this position. You feel me?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, what?”
“Yes. Sir.”
“That’s it. Keep that up and you will do well here. Believe me, no matter what you hear from others about the Commander, and you will hear things, he’s a good man that is making sure that we survive. Look around you, kid. This is going to be home from here on out. That is of course if you don’t get shot by one of the resistance.”
“Resistance?”
He stopped and frowned at me. “The people you encountered on the road?”
“Oh, right, yeah. Those guys.”
We continued walking and I did my best to get as much information as I could out of him.
“Listen, it’s important you know this. Don’t get close to the ones that are enclosed in the fencing outside. We’ve already had one incident with the Commander.”
“By who?”
“Oh some Navy SEAL asshole. Yeah, thought he was going to breeze out of here.”
Valeska let out a chuckle and shook his head. He led me up to a door and took me up to the corner of the building and began pointing out different areas.
“So far we have managed to secure most of the north and south ends of the town. It’s not ideal and it certainly wouldn’t prevent a vehicle from busting through, but for now it’s there to make those inside think twice about escaping and those on the outside, walk away. Think of it like this. Right now the only way in and out of here is the east and west side and those are our strongest checkpoints. We rotate soldiers throughout the days in the streets and keep tabs on those who aren’t resisting. Remember just because they aren’t in solitary confinement it doesn’t mean they aren’t a danger.”
“Solitary?”
“The enclosures over there.”
He pointed to two fenced-in, covered enclosures where they had separated women and men. I squinted trying to make out where Murphy was. I saw Kate pacing up and down; occasionally she glanced over then would look away. No doubt she didn’t want to give the impression that she knew me.
“As I was saying. Just because the folks you see walking around town, or working aren’t in confinement, it doesn’t mean they can be trusted. It’s still early days at the moment and the Commander will have your head on a plate if you screw up.”
“Oh yeah, what’s the deal with the Commander?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. He wants to see you.”
“Me?”
“Of course.” He led me back inside. “You managed to get a truck through. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a cigar and some of his fine bourbon. He tends to give that out when you do a good job. Like I said. No matter what you hear. And you will hear it from some of the guys in this place. He’s not a bad man. Maybe a little but this is a new world, right?”
He continued to show me around, he pointed out where the armory was and told me I would be issued an AR from there later. He then took me into an area where there were ten bathtubs. The water was filthy. A fine layer of dark matter lingered on the top.
“We ripped these out from a kitchen and bath store in the town. I’m afraid this is the only downside to communal living. We have to use water sparingly unless of course you wish to use the river, which is freezing, and trust me, your nuts are not going to appreciate it. But this water is warm. A little on the dirty side but get in, clean off and get out. And whatever you do, don’t piss in the tub.”
He walked on and I looked at one guy who was rubbing soap on his arms. His entire face was covered in mud and all of it was coming off in the water. I pitied the next guy who was going to step inside that one.
“Come on. Keep up. I have to get back to my post.”
I fell back in step with him. “Is it always going to be like this?”
“Hell no, well, I hope not. I know for certain that a lot of the guys are already griping about the conditions. But word of advice, don’t gripe. It doesn’t end well, trust me.”
We went through a number of doors and down a corridor where I was taken into a kitchen area. “Now this is Dave Hartwig, our chef extraordinaire. If it’s edible, he can make it taste even better. Isn’t that right, Hartwig?”
“Sir, yes sir.”
“At ease.”
“Is everyone a soldier in this place?”
“No, though I wish they were. We dress everyone in fatigues. If those freaks on the outside knew that most of the guys in here didn’t have military training, we would probably be screwed. We already let one of them escape. Slippery as a fish he was.”
I figured he was referring to Luke.
He picked up some bread on a counter and broke off a chunk and handed it to me. It was as stale as crap but a person couldn’t be picky. It crunched between my teeth. It felt like I was chewing a piece of chalk. It crumbled and I nearly choked on it. The soldier laughed and the chef handed me a glass of water. I glanced at it wondering if they had scooped it out of one of the bathtubs. After I downed it, he told me that Hartwig would take care of me from here on out.
“Once you’ve had a bite to eat, get cleaned up. Come see me and I’ll take you on over to the Commander.” He turned to leave but swiveled around. “By the way, good work.”
Valeska saluted me and I gave a halfhearted one back. If the guy only knew.
“So what can I get you?”
“What have you got?”
He puttered around the kitchen, and came back with a bowl of soup, a chunk of stale bread and some cheese.
“The soup is cold but it tastes good. Later tonight you’ll get something hot. For now, that should fill a hole.”
I stared down at it like it was dog’s muck.
“Well, pull up a seat and get that down you. They don’t take too kindly to anyone dragging their feet around here. Just remember that.”
I looked over to the window that provided a view of the town and the fenced-in enclosure.
“You have a cigarette?”
He let out a laugh. “It might be the apocalypse, kid, but I run a clean kitchen. No.”
I carried the food over to the window and pulled up a seat. I briefly looked at it. The soup had a thick layer of cream on the top because it had been sitting on the side for a while. I dipped the bread in the dish and quickly plowed my way through it. The last thing I wanted to do was give them a reason to doubt my story of not having eaten in a day.
“Hey, Hartwig, how many are in this town?”
“Us?”
“Yeah.”
He sucked air in and leaned against the counter as if weighing some complex math problem.
“Originally, there were about three hundred of us, give or take. Though some of the town folk fought back and our numbers have dwindled dramatically over the past three months.”
“You think they all like the Commander?”
“That’s a strange question when you are going to be working for him.”
I glanced back at him. “Oh, it’s just the other soldier said that not everyone is happy with the situation.”
“If people could be somewhere else, maybe they would. No one wants to die and I know some of these guys don’t get what the Commander is trying to do. They aren’t military. Some worked for FEMA. So I guess you can say they have a heart.”
“Then why not just rally together and work with the town folk?”
“It’s like the old saying. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
“Devil?”
His brow knit together.
“How long were you a Reserve, kid?”
“Six months.”
“And you didn’t see what it was like out there?”
“I saw enough,” I shot back noticing his tone was beginning to change. Perhaps I had asked too many questions.
“Then you would know that every movement needs a leader. Right now this country doesn’t have a leader. But we do. It’s not ideal but it’s something that will hold us through whatever is coming down the pipe,” he tapped a spatula against the counter. “And there is some weird shit going on out there.” He breathed in deeply. “The sooner they get that fence erected the better.”
I got a sense that he was afraid but not because of the resistance. But if not them, who? As I continued to eat quietly, my eyes drifted over to the truck. Where are you, Billy?