by Lee West
Keeping the location a well-guarded secret ensured that his haven would not be overrun with people looking for help if something actually happened. Despite himself, over the years, he became close to several of the regular campers. Eventually, he allowed a few chosen people to know the exact location of the camp. If any crazy shit happened in the world, he would allow those select people to shelter with him. Anyone else who attempted to gain access to the camp would be killed immediately. In an emergency he could not afford to save everyone, and he knew it.
To Chet, the key component to survival in a crazy world involved being isolated from the events causing the mayhem. The few people he allowed into his sphere all understood the importance of maintaining the mystery of the camp’s location. Over the weeks since the incident, their resolve to keep the camp hidden had been tested several times as random people walked through the area seeking assistance. Anyone insisting on entering the camp by force met the same cold fate. Sitting in the manager’s shed, he felt proud of what he had built. The larger world might be going insane, but the small world of the camp he’d created never changed.
— 16 —
Joe searched his brain for anything Jeff might have said about the camp. Again he came up short. Jeff had never told him much about the camp other than that they would be there for several weeks in the summer.
“Do you think this is it?” asked Meg.
“I really don’t know.”
“Well, we can’t just stand here rattling the gate and yelling for them. I say we try to get in. Maybe the camp is farther in and they can’t hear us from here,” said Mike.
“I agree,” said Meg.
“Alright. Let’s see if we can walk around the fence. Maybe it ends at one of the sides. Or maybe there will be a less formidable gate somewhere along the perimeter,” said Joe.
The group left the dirt road for the forest. They followed the fence line for at least half a mile. The fence did not seem to end. Instead it followed the contours of the land, preventing outsiders from entering the camp’s vast grounds.
“This has to be the place. Why else would anyone fence in so much land way out here? Your brother and Kim are so paranoid, this has to be where they’re holing up among people who are equally paranoid,” said Meg.
“I think you might be right. If I wanted to be isolated during any sort of catastrophic event, this would be the place to do it. Based on what we’re seeing, I also don’t think there’s any reason to explore the second location we suspected could hold the camp, do you?”
“Not at all. This has to be the place,” said Meg.
“Maybe we should go back to the front gate and try either yelling louder or climbing it. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the fencing. I’d rather not get too deep into the forest. If they won’t open up and we can’t get in, then we need to consider leaving before it starts to get dark,” said Mike.
“I agree. I’d rather not be out here during the night,” said Meg.
“Okay, let’s go back. You’re right, maybe we can climb the fence at the entrance,” said Joe.
They walked back to the wrought-iron gates. Joe considered his options. He knew his climbing skills would be no match for the tall fence. In addition, the wrought-iron fence did not offer any handholds to grab while climbing over. Similarly, the tall fencing surrounding the camp had been crowned with barbed wire. There would be no way to effectively get through the fence without substantial wire-cutting tools.
“Maybe you guys could give me a lift up and over this thing. If I can reach the top of it, then I’ll be able to pull myself over,” said Joe.
***
“Chet? Chet? Sorry to bother you,” said a male voice softly.
Chet had told everyone not to bother him when he went to the manager’s shed. He needed a place all to himself where he would be sure none of the others would ever come in. Annoyed at the intrusion, he sighed and got up.
“What is it? You know I’d not supposed to be bothered when I’m in here!” said Chet angrily.
“Sorry about that. It’s just that there are people at the gate. They’re trying to get over the top,” said the slight man.
“So? You know the rule. No one gets in. We’ve dealt with this before. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“Jeff said one of the men is his brother.”
Jeff Birch was one of the guys whom Chet had hesitated to invite into the camp as a permanent resident in the case of a national emergency. The man had a way of getting under Chet’s skin. Despite not liking Jeff, he’d decided to invite the man and his wife, Kim, into the camp. Unlike her husband, Kim never got under his skin. In fact, at times Kim’s skin had been on his mind so much that he could barely concentrate on other things. He wanted the chance to have a go at her. Being her savior would go a long way to forging a bond between them.
His protection would be her aphrodisiac, although he did not think it would take too much effort on his part to get Kim away from her slack-jawed husband. Chet had not been in the woods long enough to forget how a woman looked at a man when she wanted him. Kim definitely gave off the vibe that she wanted Chet, and he’d noticed. She also preferred to barely cover her large breasts. Even if he never had the chance to bang Kim, the display brightened the mood of the men at camp. The importance of good morale could not be underestimated, in Chet’s opinion.
“Alright. I’ll be right out,” he said, closing the door.
The group had talked about what they would do if a family member showed up at the camp looking for refuge. Everyone had agreed that family would not be given any special treatment. It now seemed things had inexplicably changed for the men guarding the camp.
Jeff stood in the grass, waiting for Chet. The man’s simple face grimaced in anguish.
“You sure it’s your brother out there?” Chet asked.
“Yes. It’s him. Even from a distance I recognized him and his wife, Meg. I don’t know who the guy they’re with is.”
“There’s three of them out there?”
“Yes. I first saw them trying to get around the fence. Now they’re working on a way to go over the front gate.”
“You know the rules,” said Chet sternly.
“I do.”
Others had gathered around them, watching the exchange. All eyes watched as Chet played God with the lives of the three people outside their gate. Chet relished the moment of power. Kim walked over to the men, swaying her hips as she moved.
“Maybe we should talk to them. Find out what’s been happening out there. I’d sure like some news,” she said with a Southern twang. When she talked, she had a way of pulling her arms close to her ribs, pushing the mounds of her pale breasts outward, punctuating her speech. Chet loved to listen to her talk.
Chet considered her words and breasts for a long moment. He enjoyed the power his position gave him over Jeff. Openly looking at Kim’s breasts in front of her powerless husband gave Chet a jolt of exhilaration.
“Alright. Let ’em in.”
Chet reached around his thick neck for the chain that had been partially obscured by his shirt. He wore the key to the front gate padlock around his neck for safekeeping. Although he never let anyone have the key, he would rather let the key off his person for a few minutes than run all the way to the gate. Jeff bowed slightly when accepting the key, then took off running toward the entrance.
— 17 —
Larry watched the main drive to the campus with as much enthusiasm as he could manage. He routinely volunteered for watch, claiming that he desired to help as much as possible. Everyone at the camp pegged him for a tough but gentle sort of person. He let them believe the stories they made up about him. Helping their joint cause could not have been further from his mind when he volunteered for watch. He had his own reasons for watching the main entrance.
Anyone wandering off the street and onto the campus would have to pass in front of him. Locating himself at the first watch position ensured that he could manage who ente
red the campus. So far, he’d only encountered people coming either one or two at a time, allowing him to dispatch them easily.
Glancing at his watch, he realized he only had another hour before the next person relieved him. During the day, only one person sat at each watch station. At night, each station had two people on duty. The buddy system helped keep the watchers watching and not sleeping, for the most part. When couples went on watch together, Larry assumed they would use the opportunity for other things, making them the least effective people for the duty.
He stood, stretching in an attempt to get the kinks out of his strong back. Turning back to the entrance, he saw a short thin man walking onto the school grounds. He quickly ran toward the stairs, taking two at a time to get to the man before he managed to get much farther onto campus. If the man moved beyond the corner of the old student union, he would be visible to other watchers. Larry needed to stop him before that happened.
“Hey there!” he shouted to the lone man.
“Hello! Wow. Am I glad to see you,” said the man.
“Where’re you coming from?”
“Been in the city and decided to head for the mountains. I wasn’t sure I’d find anyone up here. Things are crazy down there.”
“Were you in one of the government-run camps?” asked Larry.
The man pushed up his sleeve, displaying his arm tag. “Sure was. I just got out yesterday. I felt like I needed a break from the city. I’m not sure I thought it through well enough. There’s really nothing out here. I planned on returning to the city if there was no one up here.”
“Come with me. I’ll show you where everyone is. We have our main fortress just this way,” said Larry, leading the man away from campus.
“You guys aren’t using the school for shelter?” asked the man.
Larry walked closely behind the man. Once they passed behind the student union’s old stone façade, he made his move. Before the man knew what had happened, Larry got behind him. With the precision of a trained killer, Larry wrapped a thin metal wire around the man’s neck and pulled tight. The muscles in his immense arms bulged as he increased the pressure on the man’s neck. The man desperately clawed at Larry’s arms, to no avail. The man’s meager musculature never stood a chance against Larry’s brute strength.
Once the man stopped twitching, Larry loosened the wire. The man’s body fell to the ground in a crumpled bundle.
He grabbed one of the man’s feet and yanked. Dragging the corpse to the forest had always been his least favorite part of standing watch.
After taking time to clean up, Larry returned to his watch-standing post. Less than twenty minutes later, Robin, a student at the university, came to relieve him.
“Hey, Larry! Anything new happening out there?” she said cheerily as she walked into the room.
“Not a thing. It’s been really quiet.”
Larry looked the coed over and thought how much he’d enjoy an evening on buddy watch with her.
— 18 —
Jeff ran the distance to the front gate. The property had a long winding entrance, which he had never run at a full sprint. Chet preferred to have as much distance as possible between the camp’s central location and the road. As a result, without people watching the front gate, they would have no way to know what passed their location, because the camp itself sat deep in the woods.
Seeing Joe would be amazing. Jeff hoped more than anything that Joe and Meg sought to shelter at the camp on a long-term basis. Likewise, he hoped Chet and the others would allow them to stay. Jeff’s feelings toward the camp ran the gamut. On the one hand, he truly wanted to learn to survive and knew that Chet’s experience far outpaced the experience and knowledge of the others offering this sort of education. On the other hand, Chet struck him as the sort of guy who would murder a person in their sleep. The men Chet surrounded himself with did not seem much better. At times, Jeff felt less than safe around the men.
Then he had to consider his wife, Kim. He loved her dearly, even if he never fully trusted her. Any idiot could see Chet’s attraction to Kim. Sadly, at times, Jeff felt as though his wife secretly returned the attraction.
The possibility of having Joe and Meg at his side gave Jeff an immense feeling of relief. Finally, he would not be surrounded by people who were ambivalent at best to his well-being. As children Jeff and Joe had maintained separate lives, never becoming too close. Eventually the differences in their lifestyles drove a wedge between them. Each man had chosen a vastly different path. However, Jeff knew Joe would always be there for him, and he trusted his brother completely.
“Joe!” shouted Jeff as he ran to the gate.
The others, including Kim, followed close behind him.
“Jeff!” yelled Joe.
Joe jumped off his friend’s back. He had climbed on the man in an effort to get closer to the top of the gate. Others had tried the same approach, never making it to the top before being shot by either Chet or one of his henchmen.
“Let me get the gate for you! I brought the key!” said Jeff with a touch of pride.
Jeff fumbled with the thick locking mechanism on the gate’s padlock. He had never opened the gate nor needed to. At first, knowing Chet had the only key to the padlock bothered Jeff because he felt imprisoned by the man. Ultimately, he forgot all about the locked gate and focused on the tasks that needed to get done.
“Step aside. I’ll get it,” said Noland in a gruff dismissive tone.
A flash of acknowledgment passed between Joe and Jeff. Joe had always told Jeff he put up with way too much from people. Today was no different. Embarrassed, Jeff turned from Joe’s gaze.
“You guys are a sight for sore eyes,” said Kim. She stood next to Jeff, threading her arm into his.
The gate clanged, then swung lazily, hesitant to allow others inside. It had to be coaxed and finessed open. Finally, Noland managed to pull one of the doors inward, giving them access to Better Way.
Jeff hugged his brother warmly. “Come on! Let’s get you guys up to camp,” he said to them.
They walked along the main road to the camp in silence. Jeff could not help but notice Noland sizing up his brother and Mike as they walked.
“How did you find us?” asked Jeff, breaking the silence as they made it to the camp.
“I’d like to know the same thing! We’ve tried to make our little oasis a secret. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” said Chet, approaching the group.
Jeff caught the edge in Chet’s tone. He hoped Joe did not notice Chet’s attitude toward them.
“It was luck more than anything. You never mentioned the location of the camp to me. So when I thought about trying to find you, I didn’t have much to work with,” said Joe.
Jeff glanced at Chet, hopeful that the man heard Joe’s confirmation that Jeff had maintained the camp’s secret location. Chet was not the sort of person to let an error slide by unnoticed. Jeff’s survival at the camp depended on Chet not blaming him for Joe’s presence.
“So how did you figure it out?” Chet’s cold eyes bored into Joe. The wrong answer would be deadly.
“We’re staying at the university. One of the professors there convinced us to use a topographical map to search for you. The map shows way more than a regular road map. We were able to make assumptions about the location based on the map. The rest was sheer luck, really.”
“Luck and a lot of bike riding to get here! By the way, this is our friend Mike. We’ve been traveling with him for a while now,” said Meg.
“This is Noland and Chet. The camp is Chet’s place. He’s just letting a few of us stay here until things in town die down out there,” said Jeff.
They entered the main area of the camp, called the “Center.” The Center contained a vast garden system, a well, a repair shed, eating and cooking shelters, as well as a large campfire ring for gatherings.
“You hungry or thirsty?” asked Jeff.
Chet shot Jeff a disapproving look, causing the man to shrink al
most imperceptibly. The admonishment had not been lost on Joe, who glanced at Meg with a pained looked.
“No, we’re fine. We brought our own food and water, but thanks!” said Joe.
They sat on one of the long wooden picnic tables of the eating shelter.
“What brings you to our humble abode?” asked Noland.
“We’ve taken refuge at the university for the past several weeks,” said Mike.
“People are still there? I would’ve thought it would be empty by now,” said Bruce as he joined them.
“There aren’t many people, but yes, there’s a few,” said Meg.
“How are they surviving?” asked Chet.
“What do you mean how are they surviving?” asked Joe.
“Do they have the essentials like food and water? At Better Way, we’ve been able to keep ourselves alive by growing or catching food,” said Chet boastfully. “I can’t imagine things are great at the university or you wouldn’t be here looking for help.”
“We have plenty of food and water. In fact, the entire city does. That’s not the problem we’re facing out there,” said Joe.
Jeff enjoyed watching his brother poke a hole in Chet’s ego. Chet prided himself on being able to feed everyone during the crisis. Throughout the entire time they stayed at the camp, he constantly bragged about how his knowledge had been the only thing keeping everyone alive. Apparently Chet had not read the situation correctly. Jeff fought to keep a smile from forming on his tightly closed lips.
“So what’s your problem, exactly?” said Chet angrily.
“Haven’t you heard? The government is rounding up all the citizens,” said Mike.
“Oh shit,” said Bruce.
“Where are they being taken?” asked Noland.
“We aren’t sure. All we know is that as soon as the lights went out, the government swooped in and started a mass relocation of citizens,” said Joe.
“How did the three of you manage to stay out of the fray?” Chet asked suspiciously.