Escaping Home (18 page)

Bobbie gave him a goofy look and headed for her cabin.

M
ike and Ted found Sarge sitting with Doc in the cabin. Sarge was talking into the handset with someone.

“What's up?” Mike asked Doc.

“He found a Guard unit out in the woods.”

“No shit! All we found was some crazy dude in the woods.”

Doc stared at him. “I don't even want to know.”

“You get that water filter up and running, Doc?”

“Yeah, Morgan had it set up pretty good; it's on the steps of his place. You guys get those tables?”

“Yeah, two of them.”

Sarge laid the handset down. “All right, ladies, we got work to do.”

“Good, I'm gettin' bored,” Ted said, throwing his feet up on the table. “What's up?”

“Doc told you we found a Guard unit. They're in rough shape and need some help. I just got off the horn with the colonel, and it took some work, but he agreed to send out some goodies for them.” Sarge tossed a notepad to Ted. “Their call sign's White Four Delta. Get 'em on the horn. Use the frequency I wrote under their call sign.”

“Are we getting anything out this?” Mike asked.

Sarge smiled. “Oh yeah, milk and cookies.” Mike shook his head.

“White Four Delta, Stump Knocker.” Ted repeated the call.

“Go, Stump Knocker.”

Ted handed Sarge the handset. “White Four Delta, you have an LZ prepped?”

There was a pause on the other end.
“Negative, Stump Knocker, but we will, what's the ETA on the bird?”

“Oh six hundred tomorrow.”

“Roger oh six hundred tomorrow. We'll be ready for it.”

“We're coming in at oh five hundred. See you then. Stump Knocker out.” Sarge laid the handset down, looking up at the men. “We've got ourselves a force now.”

“How many men they got?” Mike asked.

“Fifty odd, oh, and one marine.”

Ted laughed. “Well, shit, that's as good as a hundred, then, ain't it?”

“I wish we had a hundred marines; we could take over the state of Florida.”

“So they're sending a bird in with some supplies, then what?”

“Once we get them settled they are going to accompany us on a little mission.”

“Which is?” Mike asked.

“Colonel wants us to seize the camp and hold it. They are hitting FEMA camps all over the country.”

“What's the problem with the camps?” Doc asked.

Sarge rocked back in his chair. “They aren't being run for the benefit of the people in them. Once you go in, you can't leave them. They're basically prison camps at this point. They use the people inside for labor and are going around the countryside near them taking anything they can find. And from what I was told, people that don't go along with the program are executed. They're also snatching people from their homes and forcing them to go.”

“Shit. What about Morgan and his folks here?” Ted asked.

“We need to have a talk with them, but we don't need their help and I'd rather they stay out of this, personally. There's enough of them here now that they can take care of themselves.”

“I agree.”

“Let's go have a powwow with 'em.”

“Wait and do it around dinnertime; everyone will be together then,” Doc said.

“All right, that's a better idea. In the meantime, I'm gonna take a nap. Mike, can you keep an eye on the radios for a while?”

“Sure, boss. I got it.”

Sarge went to his bunk and lay down fully dressed, leaning his rifle in the corner by his head. Mike settled in behind the radios, checking the settings and getting comfortable. Doc and Ted decided Sarge was on to something and stretched out as well.

Mike was thankful for the headset, otherwise the snoring would have driven him nuts. He occupied his time by thumbing through the HAM frequencies looking for civilian traffic. As he scanned through the bands, he picked up numerous conversations. What stuck him the most was how normal many of them were. He listened for a moment as a man in Kansas asked other farmers for tractor parts.
Maybe things are getting back to normal,
Mike thought.

On the small folding table were three different radios, the big military unit they brought with them and the two HAM sets Sarge had. They strung the antennas for the two HAM rigs in a big pine tree outside the cabin, as high as they could. The military radio used different technology altogether and didn't require an antenna be placed outside. It was always kept on the same frequency used to talk back to the brass in north Florida.

While Mike was listening to the civilian chatter, another radio crackled to life. A thick Southern accent drifted out of the speaker.
“Stump Knocker, you got your ears on?”

Mike picked up the handset. “Go ahead for Stump Knocker.”

“We met the other day at four thirty-nine, you remember?”

Mike spun around in the chair and kicked Sarge's feet. The old man raised his hat and looked at him. “What?”

“Got someone on the radio that says he met you the other day.”

Sarge got up and came to the table. “What'd he say?”

“Said you met at four thirty-nine, asked if you remembered.”

Sarge keyed the mic. “I remember. What can I do for you?”

“We found something that might int'rest you. Can we meet up?”

Sarge thought for a moment. “Think it's legit?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, it sounds like the old boy; we just got shit to do tomorrow.” Sarge keyed the mic. “How about day after tomorrow?”

“Works for us, you know where Wildcat Lake is?”

“I can find it.”

“On the east side of the lake is an antenna. Let's meet there 'bout noon.”

“We'll see you then.”

“Wonder what they got?” Mike asked.

“Dunno, I'm more curious why they called us. We talked for a minute or two but I damn sure didn't tell them who we were or what we were up to.”

“Sounds like we're going to have an early morning, then.”

“Bet your ass. We need to get out there before daylight and set up an' wait for them. I don't like surprises.”

J
ess set a large tray over one of the warmers on the serving line and turned back to Mary. She handed Jess another and it was placed beside the first.

“You think she's going to be all right?” Mary asked.

“I hope so. She's got some kind of crazy-ass plan. I just hope she doesn't end up in over her head.”

“Who's over their head?” Kay asked, coming up behind them with a tub full of corn muffins.

“Mine, working out here on the line with all these horny men coming through,” Jess said.

Kay laughed. “Oh, don't worry, they don't bite.” She set the tub down and smiled. “Unless you want them to.”

“Well, I don't. I don't even want to be around them.”

“Is there anything we can do if they don't take a hint?” Mary asked.

“You two act like virgins being led to a sacrifice, and they won't bother you.” The door to the dining hall swung open. “And here they come. You two play nice now.”

Jess and Mary stood on the serving line with two other women. The others had been on the line before and knew some of the men coming through. They talked with them and certainly flirted a little, though it was far less gratuitous than Jess and Mary feared.

A gray-headed man with a military haircut stepped in front of Jess. “Well, hi there, you must be new. What's your name?”

Jess pointed to her badge. “One four five seven nine oh.”

Laughing he replied, “Well, one four five seven nine oh, I hope you have a good day.” He moved down the line shaking his head.

Jess and Mary shared a sideways glance, then another man sidestepped in front of her and smiled, “Hi, one four five seven nine oh, can I have some”—he paused looking at the tray before him—“of whatever that is?”

Without looking up, Jess dropped a spoonful of hash-brown casserole onto his tray. It went on like this for a while, each man addressing her by her ID number. The novelty wore off quickly. When Mary's tray ran out, Jess pulled hers as well. Together they went back to the kitchen to get full pans.

“They don't seem so bad,” Mary said as she dumped the nearly empty tray into the sink.

Jess was scrapping the leftovers from her tray into the new one. “I don't want anything to do with them.”

“Just don't make it harder than it has to be,” Mary said as she picked up a full tray and headed back to the dining hall.

Jess grabbed the new tray. Before picking it up she leaned against the table, dropping her head.
I hate this place, I want out of here!
she thought, then dragged the pan from the table and trudged out to the serving line. Dropping the tray onto the warmer, she looked up at the line. It looked like it would never end.
No more of this shit for me, having to smile and act nice. It's the kitchen or nothing. I'm not doing this again.

“You two must be new,” a man in a black uniform said. He was middle-aged with a '70s porn-star mustache. “And pretty too,” he added, smiling, looking at them both.

Jess held out a scoop of the casserole in a “you want it or not?” gesture.

“If it's half as good as you look, it has to be good. Load it up, darlin'.”

Jess slapped the lump of rehydrated potatoes and cheese onto the tray with a splat. Keeping eye contact with Jess he raised the tray to his face and took a deep sniff. “Mmm, delicious.”

Get moving or I'm going up the side of your head with this spoon,
she thought.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “See you around.” Then he moved on to Mary, where he repeated most of the show.

Jess was staring at him, thinking of a number of horrible things to do to him, when a voice spoke up, “Don't worry about him; he's all bark and no bite.”

Jess launched another load of potatoes into the tray before her, and the man looked down. “Uh, thanks, I think.” He smiled at her, but Jess stared blankly at him.

Jess was leaned over the sink doing the dishes when Kay walked by. “It wasn't that bad, now, was it?”

Dropping the scouring pad into a large pot, Jess said, “Kay, I'll scrub pots every day if it keeps me off that line. I do not want to do it again.”

Kay shook her head. “You know, you're here and there isn't anything you can do about it; you may as well try and enjoy it.”

“There's no joy here; there's nothing fun here. I'm a prisoner and I'm not about to start acting like I like the people who are keeping me here.”

Kay listened, though she was shaking her head. “All I'm saying is you can make it as good or bad as you want it to be. You think life is any better outside the fence? There are people starving to death out there. They have no clean water, no one to protect them. There's literally thousands of people who would trade places with you right now.”

“Then let's trade! Let me go; no one needs to worry about me. If I die, I die, but it will be
my
choice. Is there any way you can get me out of here?”

“I'm sorry, there isn't, and honestly, even if I could, I wouldn't. You wouldn't last two days out there. You've got nowhere to go and no one to help you. And as far as dying, there are worse things than death.”

“I know. Believe me, I know. I walked for a hundred miles right after things fell apart and saw all sorts of shit. It wasn't easy, but I did it.”

“Knowing what's out there, you'd rather take your chances than be here with everything you need?”

“I would, because out there, as bad as it may be, I'd be free. Free to succeed or fail, but free.”

“Well, I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do to help you. I can't leave either.”

Sensing Kay was starting to get irritated with her, Jess changed her tone. “Sorry, Kay. I'm just stressed is all. Thanks for letting me vent.”

Kay smiled. “Tell you what, if working on the line bothers you that much, you can work back here.”

“Thanks, Kay, I really appreciate it.”

“I've got a little something that might help you relax. I'll bring it by your room later.”

Mary walked up, and Jess asked, “Where've you been?”

She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. “Out there, cleaning up the line. Trying to, anyway.”

“How many of them proposed to you?” Kay asked.

Mary's eyes widened. “Two, two of them asked me to marry them. How'd you know?”

“Married staff get the perk of private quarters. Don't worry, there'll be more,” Kay said.

“Not for me,” Jess said, shaking her head.

Kay reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “No, sweetie, not for you. Mary, help Jess get these last pots cleaned up and you two get out of here.” She left the kitchen, leaving them alone.

“What's up with you?” Mary asked.

“I just hate these people. I want out of here.”

“You mean Kay?”

“No, not Kay; she's nice. It's just the rest of them. This place is getting to me.”

Mary smiled. “I don't think they're too bad. To be honest, it was kinda fun for all those guys to hit on me. It's been a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I don't want to be on eHarmony.gov.”

Mary started to laugh. “That's a good one. Now, come here and get your dishpan hands on with me.”

They worked together to finish the cleanup. The lunch shift started to filter in as they were wiping down the tables, and they gladly turned it over to them.

“Whoo, I'm glad that's over,” Mary said, brushing off the front of her coat.

“Me too. I'm going to take a shower. A long, hot shower.”

“Did you hear they set up a library?”

“No, when did that start?”

“I don't know, but I'm going to go check it out. I'd love something to read.”

“Have fun.”

“You want me to look for anything for you?”

“Yeah, find me a book on how to break out of prison.”

Mary laughed and turned to go find the library while Jess went to their room and gathered what she needed for a shower. Unlike the other side of the camp, where men and women used the same showers on alternating days, here the shower facilities were gender specific. Jess set her change of clothes down on a bench and turned on the water. She stepped into the stall and let the hot water run over her. Here, under the steaming water, she could truly be alone for moment. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the wall and let the water flow over her, trying not to think about anything.

After showering and, luxury of luxuries, shaving her legs, she was feeling much better. Walking back to her room, she saw a man was leaning against the end of the unit. He looked up as she approached.

“Hello, darlin'.” It was the guy with the porn-star mustache.

Jess walked around him as though he weren't there. He took a couple of quick steps to catch up to her. “Hey now, no need to be rude. I just want to introduce myself.”

Jess spun around. “Look, I don't want to know your name. I don't have anything to say to you.”

He grinned. “Feisty lil' filly, ain't ya?”

“You know what? Go to hell!” Jess shouted as she stomped off toward her quarters.

“I'll see ya around.” He smiled.

Jess went straight to her room and slammed the door, throwing her stuff into the corner.
Who in the hell does he think he is?
She wanted to break something, punch something, but there wasn't anything around. She snatched her pillow up, about to throw it, when she saw a small paper bag. Curious, she turned it upside down, and two small bottles and a note tumbled onto the mattress.

Jess,

I know you're stressed out. Have a drink and relax.

Kay

Jess smiled and picked up the two bottles.
Smirnoff, no less!
She twisted the top off one of the bottles and turned it up, draining the shot into her mouth. It burned like gasoline, and she could feel the heat all the way down. She picked up the second bottle and looked it. It'd been a long time since she'd had a drink.
Better to save this one
, she thought. Standing up, she realized it was a good idea, as she could already feel the liquor. Jess put the bottle in her locker under some clothes and went back to her bunk to lie down to enjoy the short buzz the shot offered.

Jess woke up when the door flung open. Mary came through the door, books pressed to her chest.

“What time is it?” Jess asked, sitting up.

“It's after three. You take a nap?”

“I guess so. I didn't mean to fall asleep.”

“You should have come to the library; there's a ton of books there!” Mary said, dumping the pile onto the table. “I didn't know what you liked, so I got a few different things.”

“They just let you take them?”

“Yeah, just scan your badge, just like at the regular library.”

Jess fell into one of the chairs and started looking at the books. “Where'd they get all these?”

“They take them from county libraries for safekeeping,” Mary said with a smile.

“Safekeeping my ass; they're taking them so people can't use them.”

Mary had brought a couple of romance-style novels as well as a Stephen King book. Jess flipped through them without enthusiasm.

“What else do they have?”

“All kinds of books! Everything, really.”

“Hmm . . . I know you were just there, but wanna go back? I'd like to see it and I'm feeling energized after my nap.”

“Sure, come on, I'll show ya.”

Mary led her to a large, semirigid tent. Inside were rows and rows of pallets stacked with books. Hanging over the pallets were large block letters that separated the books by subject matter.

Jess followed Mary through the maze, pausing to look at the occasional book. After getting a feel for how it was being organized, Jess went down a row of pallets and started looking at titles.

“What are you looking for?” Mary asked.

“Reference books.”

“About what?”

“Plants. Look for anything on medicinal or edible wild plants.”

Mary shrugged and started going through the piles looking for them. Together they came up with a couple of titles:
Stalking the Wild Asparagus
by Euell Gibbons and a Peterson Field Guide. Jess took the books to a small desk by the door. A young lady there smiled when she looked up.

“Find what you're looking for?”

“Yep, a couple,” Jess said, laying the books down.

The girl picked up the books and looked at the titles, then looked at Jess.

“We work in the kitchen and are looking for things we can add to the menu,” Jess said, heading off any questions as to why she had them.

“That'd be nice. Anything fresh would be great.”

“We're trying.” Jess smiled.

The girl scanned her badge and a bar code on each book and handed them to her.

“You guys already have these in the computer and bar codes on the books?” Jess asked.

“Yeah, we've been working on this for a while. FEMA actually had a program all ready for this; we just had to sort the books and get them in the system.” She pointed to the people sorting books. “And as they sort them, we enter them into the system and put them out on the pallets.”

Jess looked at the works. “Where are all the books coming from?”

“They're taking them from libraries and bookstores.”

“Really, libraries? And the communities around them don't care?”

The girl shrugged. “I don't know; they just bring them in here.”

Jess smiled. “Thanks.”

Mary followed Jess out of the tent. “You really looking for plants for the kitchen?”

Jess looked at her. “No, I'm looking for plants we can use when we get the hell out of here.”

Mary jammed her hands into her pockets. “Oh, come on, Jess. You still thinking of getting out?”

“As long as I'm alive I will want out of here.” Jess looked at her. “You coming with me?”