Chapter 2: Carter
“What the hell do you want with us?” Ryan yells as his fist collides with the trespasser’s lower jaw. Ryan’s knuckles have already split from a particularly savage hit a few moments ago. He doesn’t seem to notice. “I’m not playing around.”
He punches the prisoner again.
And again.
“Ryan, that’s enough,” I finally manage. Ryan glares up at me
momentarily, but the look subsides as he takes a few steps back and cradles his bleeding right hand. Looking at my own knuckles, I remember the time I beat someone this bad. He deserved it; I'm still not sure if this man does.
We are in a small broken down greenhouse adjacent to the main building of the Ax. The wooden roof provides enough cover from the snow, but it’s still bitter cold. Ryan, in spite of the temperature, has taken off his coat, and his interrogation has left himself tired, sweating, and bleeding.
The bandit, I suppose he was a soon-to-be bandit, turns to me. One eye is swollen shut, but a glimmer of gratitude manages to escape from his tearing right eye. He hasn’t said a single word since we arrived. Ryan has done his best, or is it worse... But aside from some cursing, the trespasser’s lips remain shut.
His broken face is another reminder of what Ryan is now capable of doing. He's not the optimistic man that once rescued me from a New
American work camp. He has become something much different.
It’s been six weeks since the New Americans destroyed our home, and we limped to the Ax. Ryan seemed to have recovered from the initial shock of the attack, but something much darker rose from those ashes. I didn’t realize the extent of his change until a traveling convoy of men, women, and children passed by the Ax two weeks ago on their way to the south.
That convoy passed through with more supplies than we could imagine. They came from the northeast and were trying to escape the re-occurrence of the plague that seemed to be slowly oozing across the country. They were peaceful people, and we traded what little excess we had. There wasn't much we could offer, but they were very generous. After a shaking of hands and “good lucks,” we waved them on their way. To be honest, they reminded me of what the Resistance used to look like merely a month ago - peaceful and eager to help those in need. Ryan stood beside me as the convoy of sedans and station wagons disappeared into the distance. Everyone else in our group had gone into the Ax to organize the few new boxes of supplies that we acquired from the trade. Ryan turned to me with angled eyebrows once everyone was out of sight.
“They have more than they need,” he said to me in a whispered voice.
“Yea, we were once like that.”
“We still can be…” Ryan continued, eyeing where the cars had disappeared over the hill.
“What are you suggesting?”
“They aren’t traveling fast. We could catch up and take what we wanted. They didn't have a single gun. You saw how passive they were; it’s a miracle they are still alive. It’s bound to happen
sooner or later to them. It’s plain stupidity to travel around like that. The New Americans would have a field day.”
“What? Are you serious?” I said with a flicker of anger. He never would have said anything like this before. No one should say anything like that.
“We could hide our faces and they would never be able to trace it back to here. Hell, they might seek refuge back here, and we can trade even more for just their safety.”
“Isn’t this a hell of a lot like what the New Americans did to us?”
Uneasiness fell between us for nearly a minute.
“You’re right,” he struggled
out. “Never mind.”
“Jesus man, get it together,” I said while walking away. He remained behind and stared into the distance while I headed back into the Ax. Night was approaching and the sun was just at the top of the tree line. Tori and Darrel prepared a meal, and I noticed Ryan’s absence as we sat around and ate. That wasn’t too unusual for him to be missing at
meals; he constantly kept checks on the perimeter at all hours.
It wasn’t until the next morning when I noticed the extra boxes of jarred food and jugs of water that I knew he hadn’t been on patrol. I quickly walked to where his bunk was and roused him from sleep.
“Ryan, where the hell did that all come from?”
“On patrol I found it. It must have fallen off their cars.
Lucky, right?”
I saw right through the pitiful lie. “What did you do?”
“I found it,” his voice grew firm as he pulled himself to a sitting position. “And I don’t like what you’re implying.”
“Tell me you didn’t.”
We both stared at one another without blinking for several uneasy seconds.
“I didn’t.”
The moment grew more intense, but I gave up. Truthfully, we needed the extra supplies to help us through the winter, but at that moment, I knew he would do whatever it took to keep us all alive – things I still am not ready to do but maybe need to be done. America isn’t a friendly place anymore. I’ve had my moments of aggression, but Ryan’s animosity seems ever-present.
This intruder’s broken face shows it blatantly.
Ryan steps out of the greenhouse. I move closer to the stranger. “Just tell him what he wants, and this will be over.”
“Thanks buddy, but I’ve seen what you all are about.”
“What are you hiding?”
“You’ll never know.” After spitting some more blood on the dirt floor, he gives a mild laugh.
Well, his loss. I go to the exit; Ryan stands barely outside the entrance, staring blankly into the fields while rubbing his right wrist. I join his blank stare into the distance.
“He’s still confident about something. We could be in danger. Figure it out,” I say.
Ryan turns to me, and nods while walking back into the greenhouse. “I’ll do what it takes.”
He will.
When the stranger begins to scream, I'm just glad Caitlyn isn't around.
* * *
I gather those remaining in the main room of the Ax: Paige, Jo, Kevin, Darrel, and Tori. Caitlyn, David, Laura, and Nate had headed to a distant rural hospital for supplies; they won’t be back until morning.
It is late, but none of us can sleep with the presence of the intruder. His distant groans of agony probably aren’t helping. We gather around a small fire in the center of the room. When we first arrived, each of us had separate sleeping quarters, but the night has become so bitter that we have all
started gathering in the central room in front of a large fire by the cash register counters.
After completely exploring the facility, we discovered that the Ax is mostly a central room where the farm once sold produce. There is a small storage closet in the back corner of the room that we had to break into. Aside from nearly bringing down half the wall when we kicked it in, there was nothing inside the small space. In the back on the other side of the building, there was a giant refrigeration unit. Nate and Laura took over that area, turning it into a laboratory of sorts. They spend most of their time in there researching the plague.
Hopefully, finding a cure. They are confident in their ability to save us. We are lucky those two chose to stick with us after the attack on the Resistance.
Kevin sits on top of a worn plastic milk crate. He slowly pulls a brush in and out of the barrel of his gun. We now
are armed throughout the day. Ammo is scarce, and some of us carry minimal rounds. We wear bulletproof vests at all times, too. It's a dangerous world, and the added protection doesn't hurt.
Darrel sits on the floor, and Tori leans against him while holding his arm that he placed around her. They try to keep each other warm. The winter has been mild compared to the last, but at night, it still becomes nearly unbearable. Jo lies on top of a sleeping bag and uses the little light of the campfire to read a book. She’s already read it twice since we arrived at the Ax. She barely sleeps, and the bags under her eyes make it obvious. Paige sits beside me. I hold her with my right arm and keep her close for warmth. She has completely healed from the gunshot. I still advise her to take it easy, but she does what she wants - something I love about her.
If she hadn’t survived that, I'm not sure I'd still be going on.
The group of us is silent around the fire. The screaming from the greenhouse stopped about five minutes ago, and none of us felt it necessary to discuss Ryan's violent actions. After a few moments, I hear the trudge of boots through snow and instinctively reach towards my pistol. Ryan walks into the Ax at a brisk pace. His words
are hurried yet decisive.
“He was part of a scouting party and should have reported back a half hour ago. He said there are thirty of them and they reside in a town square several miles from here. They are going to come looking for him,” Ryan pauses and finally takes a breath, “soon.”
“We can’t fight off that many,” Darrel says, rising to his feet. “What’s our move?”
All of our eyes turn to Ryan. His face doesn’t look as worried. He has already thought of a solution.
“No. We don’t fight. We hide.”
“What?” Jo says while retrieving her revolver from the nearby table.
“Everyone will head into the fields. Those are essentially a maze with all the frozen weeds and husks. You will be safe. Make sure you have all your guns and ammo, just in case.”
A back door went straight into the dense fields. One of the first night’s here, David dropped his radio out there. It took until morning to find it. We should be able to hide the same way in the darkness.
“What about everything here?” Darrel asks. “We can’t survive if they take it all. We can’t carry it all.”
“Carter and I will stay back and hide as much as we can. I didn’t kill the intruder. As soon as he admitted that there would be thirty men coming soon, I pretended to panic and let on that we were going to flee. Then I knocked him unconscious. We may be able to fool them.”
Sounds like a long shot, and I don’t really like being recruited to remain. Yet, I wouldn’t want anyone else to stay behind.
“I’m not leaving Carter,” Paige says while grabbing my hand. “Can’t we load up the SUV and drive out?”
“We would barely fit everyone in one vehicle, and that’s not even considering gear and rations. Remember, we only have the one SUV, the others took the car.”
“Well, I’m not squatting in a field while you both risk your lives. It would be faster if we all take care of this,” Darrel says.
“There’s not time to argue. They could already be surrounding this place. You must do as I ask.”
“It’s the best,” I speak up, looking around at them all, “the two of us can easily find a spot to hide around here, but with all of us, it would be impossible. Please, go while you can.”
Paige gives me an angry look. It is the safest choice for her, too. Kevin grabs the bucket of water and douses the flames.
Reluctantly agreeing, Darrel throws a few items into a box as he heads out the back with Tori. Kevin is right behind him, adjusting the strap on his assault rifle. Paige gathers a few rounds and continues her mean stare. I know she would rather be with me.
“I’ll see you soon; you need to go. Stay together – stay warm.” I say while she holds her cold look. I consider telling Kevin to keep her safe, but she can keep herself safe.
We share a final kiss, and Paige joins the others as they go out the back of the Ax and into the fields. They’ll be fine out there as long as they all keep low and quiet. Ryan walks up to me. He has a shotgun strapped to his shoulder now. The two of us are alone in the dark room.
“Okay, Carter. Keep your ears open. The minute you think you hear something, hide.”
The Ax has plenty of nooks in which things
can be hidden: cabinets, piles of wood, and cavities in the crumbling walls. In the darkness, I hide the jars beneath trash and among the empty containers that we piled in the corner. I move on to the radio and quietly scatter the parts within the cracked wall and ground. It will appear broken to anyone who doesn’t know the system, and it won’t be too hard for Nate to put it back together when he gets back. Ryan helps with some of the food and then heads to the lab in the refrigerator unit to lock it with the combination lock. The only lock we have.
Everything may depend on that small room if we start to get sick.
Ryan and I come up to the generator and quietly pull off a few of the pieces. The dingy machine already looks pretty beat up; it usually is pretty much broken anyway. They shouldn’t want anything to do with-
SNAP.
Ryan and I quickly exchange glances. He disappears in the blink of an eye under one of the counters. The last thing I see of him is the tip of the shotgun as he pulls a small sliding door almost completely shut. Rushing to the back corner of the room, I manage to squeeze between sheets of drywall that make up the crumbling barrier that separates the small storage closet from the rest of the main room. I side step as far as I can into the narrow space of the wall. My hands go to my waist and pull out my gun and a knife. I point the gun towards the entrance of the drywall opening and my left hand hovers beneath with the blade. I can see into a small part of the main room. I try to slow my breathing and wait.