Authors: Steven Konkoly
The convoy cleared the crowd and slowed in front of the concrete underpass.
“We gonna clear that, Barry?” yelled the driver.
“Good to go!” said the turret gunner, sticking a thumbs-up through the hatch into the cabin.
The corporal eased the Matvee under the train trestle and roared forward toward the main parking lot. A few seconds later, Alex stopped him.
“I think this is it. Chandler Road.”
“Not much of a road, sir,” he said, pulling the left side of the vehicle as close to the trail marker as possible. “Confirmed. Chandler Road. Is there room to maneuver in there?”
“It’s not worth getting one of your vehicles stuck. The Jeep is a half mile away. I can walk it,” said Alex.
“Your guy can’t drive it out, sir?”
“We moved a few downed trees across the path. It’ll take two of us to move them,” he said, glancing back at Ed in the rear driver’s-side seat.
Rain poured through the open turret hatch, soaking both the rear passenger seats. Ed raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Ryan and Chloe sat jammed in the rear troop compartment.
“Kids, I’m headed out to grab Uncle Charlie and our Jeep. I’ll be back in less than fifteen minutes.”
Ryan nodded, still wiped out by the painkillers.
Chloe smiled wearily, looking a little more like the joyful, carefree young woman he remembered. The further they drove from Boston, the more she emerged from the mental barrier she’d constructed at the North Beacon Street Bridge. Alex knew from experience that she would never fully step out from behind the wall, but given enough time and compassionate support, few would notice. He returned the smile before activating his handheld radio.
“Durham One-Seven, this is Durham Three-Zero, over.”
“This is One-Seven. Solid copy.”
“I’m coming in on foot. Tactical vehicles won’t fit down the trail. Meet me at the first obstacle with the Jeep. How copy?”
“
Oh, man. What are we talking about here? M-ATV? Fully armored troop carrier variant? It’s an M-ATV, right?”
squawked the radio.
Alex winked at Ed. “I brought two of them, my friend,” he said to Charlie.
Prolonged static filled the cabin.
“One Seven, you still there?”
“You’re gonna make me drive the Jeep back, aren’t you?”
“How could I deprive you of this? You’ve earned it. The marines will stick you in one of the turrets, if you don’t mind the rain—and promise to keep your hands behind your back.”
“Holy shit! Are you serious? In the turret? What kind of firepower are we talking? Is there somewhere to sit, or do I have to stand the whole time?”
“One Zero, we’ll work out the details when we get back. I’m starting my trek into the reservation. See you in a few minutes. Out,” said Alex, turning off the radio. “You think the staff sergeant will let him in one of the turrets?” he asked the corporal.
Corporal Gibson shrugged his shoulders. “It’s up to you, Captain. He sounds a bit excitable.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Alex. He’ll drive the staff sergeant crazy,” said Ed.
“I wasn’t going to put him in the rear vehicle,” said Alex.
“What? No wonder you’re so excited to drive the Jeep. Forget it. It’s my Jeep. I get to drive it to—”
“With all due respect, sir, one of the marines in the rear vehicle will drive the Jeep,” said Corporal Gibson. “Based on the current conversation, I’d feel more comfortable if both of you were present when Durham One-Zero steps into the turret.”
“Apparently, Corporal Gibson is far more savvy than he appears,” said Alex. “Let the staff sergeant know we’ll need one of his marines to drive the Jeep back to Maine.”
“My pleasure, sir. Truly my pleasure.”
PART IV
“Remember the Alamo”
Chapter 25
EVENT +60:04
Limerick, Maine
An unfamiliar digital tone resonated from the kitchen. Kate walked out of the steamy dining room and looked around, unable to identify the source of the sound. Her stomach knotted. More visitors? Maybe today’s law enforcement visit had been legitimate. She hesitated, not wanting to leave Emily alone in the surveillance hub. The two “deputies” had triggered one of the sensors on their way back to the road, but they had agreed to monitor the room 24/7. Tim Fletcher bolted through the sitting room doorway next to the intercom station and saw where Kate was headed.
“That’s the satellite phone,” he blurted. “It’s charging next to the coffee maker.”
“Is that the satphone?” yelled Samantha from the great room to Kate’s left.
“Yes!”
She snatched the phone off the granite and read the display: “GOVT.”
“Shit. It says government. Are they calling us with messages now?”
“Who cares?” Samantha said impatiently. “Pick it up. Either way it’s important.”
Everyone crowded around her as she pressed the green button. “Hello?”
“Honey? It’s Alex.”
Kate found herself unable to answer for a moment. “Yes,” she uttered finally. “It’s me. Is everyone all right?”
“The kids are fine. Ed and Charlie are fine. I’m a little beat up, but I’m fine too. We did it, honey. The kids are with me right now, and we’re headed home.”
She started nodding, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Everyone’s fine. They’re on the way home,” she said to the group gathered around her.
Everyone cheered, and Amy ran over to the dining room. “They got the kids. Everyone made it!”
“Honey, I’ll talk to you in a couple of minutes. Pass the phone to Chloe so her mom can talk to her. She’s worried sick,” said Kate, holding the phone out to Samantha.
“Like you weren’t worried,” said Sam, eagerly taking the phone and walking onto the deck.
Kate hugged Emily and was quickly joined by Amy. They held each other while the phone was passed around. Tim peeked out of the dining room, smiling and nodding.
“How far out are they?” he asked.
Linda handed the phone to one of her daughters. “Charlie said they were still in Medford. They’re moving slowly because the streets are jammed with people. They’re thinking it might take four to five hours to get back. After dark for sure.”
“I hate to have them drive into Gelder Pond with those nutballs out there. They could be waiting near the entrance for all we know, with more fake cops,” said Tim.
“Charlie said they’re with a convoy of marines,” said Linda.
“What?” said Kate, making her way toward the screen porch.
“I love you too, Dad,” said Alyssa Walker, handing the phone out to Kate.
She took it. “Charlie?”
“Kate? Great to hear your voice. You won’t believe what we went through.
Apocalypse
-fucking-
Now
kind of shit. Your boy will heal up nicely and probably get a Silver Star! Alex too.”
“What do you mean? Charlie, can I talk to my son?”
“Oh sure, sorry. Here’s the hero right now!”
In the background on the phone, she heard Charlie say, “I think I screwed up, Alex.”
“Mom, I’m fine,” Ryan slurred on the other end of the phone. “Mr. Thornton was being a little overdramatic.”
“You don’t sound fine. What happened?”
“They had to give me morphine. I got hit in the leg.”
Kate found herself unable to breathe. “Hit by what?’ she said, sitting down on one of the chairs.
“A bullet. We had some serious trouble getting out of Boston, but I’m totally fine. Mom? You there, Mom?”
“I’m just a little…it’s so good to hear your voice. We didn’t know how bad it would get down there. I can’t tell you how happy I am,” she said, sobbing in between sentences.
“Me too, Mom. I thought about the sailing trip and—”
“I know. I know, sweetie. We barely made it back,” she said, rubbing her eyes.
“How is Chloe doing?”
“She’s doing great, Mom. I went to her apartment right after the shockwave hit. The city got pretty weird.”
“You can tell me all about it in a few hours. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. Let me talk to your father. I love you very, very much, Ryan.”
“I love you too, Mom. I can’t wait to get back.”
“Me either.”
“Here’s Dad.”
Kate waited for her husband’s voice to fill the digital void.
“Kate, Ryan is fine. I didn’t want to worry you. We ran into some trouble.”
“You’re bringing him back in one piece. That’s all that matters. I love you,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I love you more, honey. I would have done anything to get him back.”
“I know you. That’s why I was so scared. I wasn’t sure I’d get to see both of you again,” she said.
“You almost didn’t see either of us. The situation down here is beyond comprehension. If we had waited another day…we might not be having this conversation. We can talk about it over an ice-cold dirty vodka martini down by the pond. How was your trip out? Sounds like everyone made it fine.”
“I think happy hour will have to wait. We ran into a bit of a problem,” she said.
“Everyone’s okay, right?”
“Everyone is fine, but we were stopped by two drunken idiots in Waterboro claiming to be part of a militia group. It didn’t end well for them. They wanted us to give up our weapons or pay a toll to use the road.”
“How much did they want?”
“They didn’t want money,” Kate stated.
“What did they want?”
“I think they had something a little more personal in mind.”
“Shit. Sorry, hon. One of us should have gone with you.”
“I don’t think it would have made a difference. Actually, it might have confused the situation. We did fine. Linda shoots an AR better than you do,” she said.
“That’s good to know,” he said, pausing. “So what’s preventing happy hour?”
“We ditched the bikes and took their SUV. I didn’t want any of their buddies running us down on Route 5. I think someone in Limerick recognized us. The York County Sheriff’s Department paid us a visit this afternoon.”
“At the compound?”
“They buzzed the intercom from the gate, but we ignored it.”
“Good. Trust me, Kate; the Sheriff’s Department isn’t making house calls, and they’re certainly not launching murder investigations. They’re tied up at the borders.”
“That’s what we thought. The guys had badges, but no uniforms.”
“Definitely not legitimate. York County sheriff’s deputies shower in their uniforms,” he said, “How were you able to see them?”
“With the cameras at the gate,” said Kate.
How else?
“Wait. How were the cameras working?”
“We installed the replacement cameras at the gate,” said Kate.
“Those are wireless.”
“Abby Walker’s a little IT wizard. She replaced the router and sorted out all of the surveillance equipment. Amazingly, she can read your hieroglyphics. Good thing she was here. Your dad was scratching his head.”
“Motion sensors?”
“That’s how we knew the bullshit deputies took a stroll through the woods to check out the house. Everything is up and running according to your nearly indecipherable logbooks, including the backup solar array.”
“How-how close did they come to the house?” he uttered.
“They stayed in the eastern tree line, opposite the garage.”
“Why the hell would anyone announce themselves at the gate, then trespass for a look at the house?”
“They were probably looking for the car,” said Kate.
“Please tell me the car isn’t in the garage.”
“The car isn’t in the garage,” she said.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“We covered it with a tarp and boarded up the windows. Dead-bolted the garage door. We couldn’t leave it sitting on Old Middle Road—not that it took them very long to find us.”
“Did the guys in Waterboro mention which militia group they were with?”
“No, and they weren’t dressed in any type of uniform. They might have been full of shit. They were certainly full of beer.”
“Maybe, but we ran across something
Deliverance
-like near the New Hampshire border. We’re talking sick and twisted stuff, involving a militia group. The crew we ran into was disturbingly organized.”
“This doesn’t sound like the same thing,” said Kate.
“Did they have out-of-state plates?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
The line stayed silent for a few seconds.
“Alex, you still there?”
“Did you set up the sensors like I indicated?” said Alex.
“Yes, but we still have a lot of gaps in the perimeter.”
“What about the sandbags?”
“We filled about two hundred sandbags before the rain started, and we’ll start up again once it stops.”
“You should have enough to build two safe boxes. I’d get started on that immediately. You’ll have to run the table saw.”
“Linda and I decided to focus on the firing positions. We can’t repel an attack from the safe boxes,” she said, expecting some pushback.
“Good point. You’re right. Sorry to pepper you with questions. It sounds like you have things under control.”
“If you want to call it that. We had enough sandbags to build five positions. One in the master bedroom covering the eastern approach; two in the great room, giving us full coverage of the barn and lake approaches; one in the sitting room facing south; and the last one upstairs in the small bedroom. You can see most of the backyard and some of the barn from that one. If something goes down, we’ll herd the non-shooters into the basement with your mother.”
“Make sure you stack some spare mags at each position. I’m sure Dad is still walking around with one mag for his Vietnam-era relic,” said Alex.
Kate detected an ease that she didn’t expect.
“Linda duct-taped a spare to the stock, with a quick release tab. She’s like MacGyver.”
“Night vision?”
“Both of the spotting scopes are sitting on the kitchen island.”
“Sounds like you
have the situation under control,” he said.
“We’ll all feel a hell of a lot better with you guys inside the perimeter.”
“I’m not sure how much of a difference we’ll make. Ryan needs crutches to get around, Charlie’s a refrigerator trip away from taking nitroglycerin pills, and I could probably use a wheelchair at this point. Ed and Chloe are the only fish you won’t throw back in the water.”