Departure

by Ken Barrett

  Their group quickly converged and began hurrying up the hill through the pounding rain. They carried as many of the kids as they could, but it was still slow going. The trail into the mountains was just coming into view when Liam heard the whirr of electric motors and knew that they had been caught. If only they had left the university at the first sign of trouble, if only they hadn’t argued, if only they had made better decisions; now, whatever safety the mountains might have provided was forever out of reach.

  *****

  Their path was blocked by two small military vehicles each carrying four soldiers. They all stopped and waited fearfully to learn what fate awaited them.

  Becky suddenly rushed forward. “I’m Ron Castro’s sister,” she declared. “My brother Ron is the one that opened the city gates.”

  One of the soldiers stepped out of the vehicle, and lazily aimed his laser rifle at them. “Yeah sure. What are we gonna do with this group Mick?”

  Mick wore Sergeant Stripes on his sleeve and appeared to be in charge; he stepped out of his vehicle and regarded them coldly. He was an older man with a frost of gray stubble on his deeply tanned face. Several other soldiers surrounded their group holding their rifles threateningly; they all wore gray uniforms and floppy red hats that probably didn’t provide much protection from the rain. Mick sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, I know what I’d like to do, just like what they did in Fort Collins,” the Sergeant grunted a short laugh. “I heard that was one hell of a party.”

  Another soldier stepped forward and smiled crookedly at Rose. “I see a party right here.”

  Liam stood between his sister and the menacing stranger. He was absolutely terrified, even more afraid than when they were hiding beneath the road in Fort Collins. There was nothing he could do that would keep the soldiers away from the two women he loved. He was weak and powerless, and they all knew it.

  “Nah, we can’t do that,” Mick finally ordered. “Dear Mother wants workers and some of their scientists too. Our orders are to take as many prisoners as possible and bring ‘em back to Pike City. We gotta replace all the ones that’re dying down in Phoenix.”

  “Aw come on Sergeant, what about the kids?” Another soldier asked. “I heard that’s fun.”

  “Nah, if we mess with the kids we’ll end up havin’ to kill the adults,” Mick said. “That’s the way I heard it was in Fort Collins, ain’t no winnin’ there. You really don’t want the old woman pissed at you, unless you like layin’ atop the cross. So ok, let’s march ‘em back into town and let the Major figure out what to do with ‘em.”

  Chapter 6: Capture

  The children were crying, but the pounding rain washed away their tears leaving only fearful wails and shivering in its wake. Liam held a wiry boy of about eight while Rose carried a little blonde girl with large blue eyes of about the same age; both children lay with their heads pressed to their protector’s chests and arms wrapped tightly around their necks.

  Every adult carried a small child, while the remaining older children walked at the center of their little group. They all struggled not to slip in the deepening mud as they slowly worked their way back down the steep slope toward Flatiron’s main gate. Everyone was painfully aware that their previous carefree lives were over; all they could do was hope that death didn’t wait for them at the bottom of the hill.

  A grim military transport slowly trundled along at the head of their group and a similar vehicle followed at the rear. On both sides soldiers marched carrying their rifles with casual menace as they stonily watched over their captives. It was apparent that the men cared nothing for the lives of either the children or adults and would murder them all if they caused trouble or became inconvenient.

  “Seems like a fuckin’ waste of time,” one of their captors muttered. “We oughta have a little fun, then slaughter this bunch. It’s too fuckin’ wet to be messing with a bunch of traitors.”

  “Yup, let’s just put ‘em down,” another soldier said. “Then we can go back to camp and get out of this fuckin’ rain.”

  From the lead vehicle, the Sergeant turned in his seat to glare at his men. “Shaddup!”, he shouted. “The Chancellor wants workers, and that’s what we’re gonna give her. She’s also lookin’ for some of them eggheads that worked at the college; there’s a bounty out for a couple of ‘em, but they gotta be brought in alive, so it’s worth our while to keep these fuckers around.”

  “Shit man, none of these assholes look like eggheads to me,” the first soldier uttered. “Can we at least have some fun with the kids? Come on Sergeant, you gotta give us somethin’ to make this worth our while.”

  “Like I told you asshole, the adults will try to stop us, and we’ll end up killing ‘em all.” Mick replied. “And if we off the wrong one, the old bat will have us all sent to her Nurse for Treatment. You want that Bernie?”

  “Well fuck,” Bernie responded, and the group silently marched on.

  Liam glanced back at Becky and tilted his head, indicating his desire that she move forward and walk next to him. “What?” Becky whispered as she came along side. She too was carrying a child, a little dark-skinned girl with short braids and soulful eyes.

  “Please don’t tell anyone that we worked at the university,” he whispered.

  “Why? They say they’re looking for scientists; letting them take you might save your lives.”

  “We worked on contracts for both sides equally and thought that if we treated everyone fairly it would keep the peace. We called ourselves neutral, but it’s pretty obvious we were naive. If they find out that some of us worked for the Tribes, they’ll kill us all.”

  “Oh, ok,” Becky whispered. “What’s gonna happen to us Liam?”

  He shook his head sadly and gazed at the vehicle in front of them. “I don’t know, but if they think they’ve captured all the scientists they’re looking for, then everyone else becomes expendable.”

  “Do you think they’re looking for you?”

  “No. The project I was working on was for Pike City, and it’s done, so they have all they need and there’s no use for me. It has to be someone else.”

  “But what will they do with the rest of us?”

  Liam frowned. “We’re caught, so they can do whatever they want, but as long as they haven’t found everyone that they’re looking for, we have a chance of surviving. It’s the kids I’m worried about more than anything else though. Their leader said that they need workers down in Pike City, so they’ll probably take us back there, but what will happen to the kids that aren’t strong enough to work?”

  “I’m scared,” Becky whispered.

  “We all are,” he said. “But if your brother did open the city gates for them, he would be a hero, so he might be able to get you out of this mess. I doubt he’ll do that for Keith though.”

  “Shaddup!” one of their guards shouted. “Just ‘cos we gotta march you suckers out, don’t mean that everyone has to make it.” He aimed his rifle threateningly at them, and Becky slowed her pace to fall back into the group.

  In the forward vehicle, Liam saw the Sergeant look back and laugh. “True enough Jack. I tell you what, if they make any more noise, kill one of the kids.” With that threat, Mick casually turned away.

  They continued down the hill in a tense silence. To the north, thick black smoke rose into the sky as the homes and businesses along Pearl Street burned. Sporadic gunfire sounded here and there across the city, but the popping sound of the militia weaponry was swiftly answered by the roar of Socialist laser batteries that shattered entire buildings. The army was not there to make peace or play games, which was made very clear the moment the university became the target of their artillery.

  Liam couldn’t see much of his old work place because smoke and dust obscured his view. Lucy’s portal was still there, and although he had locked it down and stored it in a hidden vault, he doubted that it would ever be functional again. But 40 lightyears away around the Trappist-1 star, Lucy and those she would create w
ere safe, and that gave him a welcome feeling of satisfaction.

  *****

  At last they were herded out onto the wide boulevard that lay inside the southern city gate. Blood pooled on the ancient tarmac and smoke billowed from the windows of the homes and businesses that lined the road. The blazing heat of the fires scorched the skin of those who were forced to stand too close, and from that inferno the sweet yet putrid scent of burning flesh filled the fetid air.

  They were shoved into a crowd of disoriented survivors that wandered listlessly under the gaze of heavily armed men. The faces of the guards were masks of mindless hatred, and Liam wondered what the citizens of Flatiron had ever done to deserve such ire and terrible violence? Nothing; they existed and that was probably enough.

  Liam searched for his foster parents as he wandered through the crowd. It was doubtful that either John or Mary had escaped the university before the shelling began; they had probably died while destroying the school’s engineering work, believing that their sacrifice would save at least some of the survivors of Flatiron. But their attempted cover up had been a complete waste of their lives, because the Socialist Army hadn’t cared about any of the work done at the university. Their attack was simply a brutal reaction to an attempted assassination of their Chancellor.

  He tried to appear casual as he strolled north, hoping to get a better view of the university. All he saw was dust and rubble, and flame sprung from between the cracks in the crumbled stones. None of the buildings appeared to be intact, the school and all it stood for was gone.

  Violence never really has a purpose, it only feeds on itself and burns everything in its path; it is a malevolent mindless thing that consumes beauty, knowledge, and love as logs on a fire, leaving only the ashes of death in its wake.

  Something yellow caught his eye, it was a swath of blonde hair. A small body was curled at the edge of a partially collapsed building; he cautiously edged closer as a deep sense of dread tightened around his heart. Even before seeing her face, he knew it was Karen. She lay partially beneath a pile of stones, her soft brown eyes were open but vacant, and her body was oddly twisted; she looked like a child’s rag doll that was discarded and tossed in among the rubble. It was apparent that she had been shot several times, but she remained fully clothed and had not been raped, so she had died quickly at least.

  All feeling left his legs and he collapsed to his knees by her tiny body. Why is it that the best of us are always the first to die at the hands of evil? Sweet, innocent, wonderful Karen didn’t deserve this, why did it have to be her? An agonizing hollowness gripped his chest and stole his breath, and painful regret crushed his soul. She had said that she loved him, and he had just stood there silently like a fool. Why hadn’t he found the courage to tell her what she wanted to hear? Unable to take his eyes from her, he crawled forward and began to weep.

  An iron-toed boot crashed into his ribs, driving him to the ground and forcing the air from his lungs. Sharp pain shot through his body as he struggled to lift himself off the slick tarmac. Just as he managed to get to his hands and knees he was struck on the side of the head with the butt of a rifle.

  “Get the fuck away from there,” an angry voice shouted. “That bitch took down six good men.”

  He looked up just as the soldier spat on Karen’s body. Liam grunted in pain and rolled away from his girlfriend and out into the road. Gentle hands gripped his shoulders and urged him to his feet. “Karen,” he whispered.

  “I know, but she’s not suffering,” Denise said. “She died quick and clean.”

  “We need to get him outta here, the soldiers are starting to notice,” Rose stated.

  “She told me that she loved me this morning, and I… I didn’t know what to say back to her.”

  “It’ll be all right big brother,” Rose said as she struggled to pull him further into the crowded street.

  “I know,” he said. “I just wish that I’d said something to her then, I don’t know what, just something, anything.”

  *****

  Hours had passed, and the captives of Flatiron were still crowded along the wide boulevard behind the city’s southern gate. The rain had finally eased as daylight drained from the sky. A cool wind blew in from the prairie to the east, and people shivered. The once bustling businesses along the road now stood charred and vacant. Liam couldn’t tell how many people were with them but hoped this wasn’t the only group of survivors. If so, then only a tiny portion of the city’s population had survived the attack.

  His feet ached from standing, but the street was too wet and bloody to sit down upon. They all huddled around the children, wrapping them in their duster coats in an effort to keep them warm. There was nothing to do but worry about what the future held for them all.

  He stayed near the center of the street staring at Karen’s body. His heart felt empty and yet filled with pain at the same time. What justification could ever be found for the destruction of Flatiron and the violent death of sweet innocent Karen? Evil must reside in the heart of their enemies, that was the only explanation that made sense.

  “I need to find out what happened to my sister.” Bob’s words startled him out of his forlorn meditation.

  “Ok, but we gotta be careful,” Liam replied.

  Together they moved quietly among the throng of captives. “Any word of the militia?” Bob whispered urgently to anyone that would listen.

  Finally, an elderly man pulled them both away from the guards and into the center of the street. “Most are dead,” the old man said. “But I heard some were captured up on the wall.”

  Bob smiled with relief. “Then there’s a chance that Clare’s alive.”

  “All we can do for now is hope that we’ll find her later,” Liam replied.

  *****

  “Ok, listen up!” an overweight dark-skinned officer shouted. He wore the standard gray uniform of the invading army and stood high on the bed of a colossal flatbed truck. “I’m Major Johnson, and I’m in charge. We’re moving you all to a holding area outside the city gates where you’ll spend the next few days while we wrap up our operation here.”

  The officer walked to the rear of the truck bed, then paused to gaze down at the crowd of prisoners. “You may think that what we did was unjust, and you might believe that you’re all innocent, but you’re wrong on both counts. You’re all traitors, and if it were up to me I’d have you all executed. Today you’re in luck though because our Chancellor, Dear Mother, is merciful. Her orders are for you to be taken to our capital city where you’ll work for the greater good of us all. Be thankful for this charity, but don’t take it as forgiveness. If you give us any reason to put you down, we will.”

  Soldiers formed a line at the far end of the street, then began to urge the crowd forward toward the main gate at the point of their guns, and the prisoners slowly complied. Wrapping their arms and jackets protectively around the children, they moved as a dark mass toward the city gates, softly murmuring in fear of what lay ahead. Liam looked at his five companions. “Let’s all stay together. There’s safety in numbers.”

  “Did Sam get away?” Rose asked Roxi. “Do you think he made it to Nederland?”

  “I hope so.” Roxi walked with her head down, using her hat and wavy auburn hair as camouflage. “They’re looking us over pretty closely, so hide your faces.” She then gently shoved Becky toward the side of the road. “Your brother’s up ahead, let him see you honey,” she said. “This is gonna be a mess and Ron will protect you, but please don’t say anything about the rest of us.”

  Becky nodded and whispered, “I’m sorry.” She then slipped through the crowd to the side of the street where her brother would surely spot her. Once she was seen the guards would be distracted, and hopefully the rest of them could pass by unnoticed.

  Keith sadly watched as the woman that would have been his partner left him behind, his face showed a mixture of concern and loss.

  “She’ll be ok,” Liam whispered. “Her brother will pro
tect her.”

  “Yeah, but I gotta wonder where her loyalties lie,” Keith said. “I just hope she doesn’t turn us in.”

  “That’s a gamble with anybody,” Liam replied distractedly. At the far side of the road, soldiers were looting businesses and taking trophies. In the distance he saw the army set fire to houses while screams still rang out from inside. The brutality of the army left him bewildered, and he shook his head in disgust.

  “Do you think the Tribes will counter-attack?” Denise whispered. “Will they come and save us?”

  “Nah, I really doubt it,” Keith said. “The most they’ll do is hassle the column when they move us south.”

  “Maybe some of us can get away then,” Liam muttered. They were passing right in front of Ron, so he tilted his head forward to hide his face beneath the wide brim of his hat.

  “Ron! Ron! It’s me!” Becky’s voice rang out.

  “That’s my sister, grab her!” Ron shouted. “Where’re the others?”

  “I don’t know,” Becky answered. “We got separated; I think they might have stayed behind at the college.”

  “Crap!” Ron said. “They’re probably all dead then.” His voice changed slightly as he turned to speak to the military commander. “I told you not to blow up the university.”

  “Shaddup traitor!” The rough commander said. “Don’t give me any shit, unless you want to join the rest of these fuckers.”

  “I made a bargain with the Chancellor herself!” Ron shouted. “My sister and I are protected. You can’t do anything to us.”

  The commander laughed. “Yeah, sure, you’re right; but you know, accidents can happen anytime and it’s a long way to Pike City.” There was a pause, and Liam risked a quick glance up and saw that the two feuding men were facing each other. “And you know,” the commander continued casually. “The deal was for you and that other guy. Without him, you ain’t got shit. So, you need to shut the fuck up, ‘cos like I said, accidents can happen.”