by Akart, Bobby
“Yes. We found a settlement. It is over one hundred years old.”
Chapman provided more detail. “We were working our way along the fault line where the new river was formed. We found a burned-out house with a carport full of useful stuff.”
“Like what?” interrupted Kristi.
“Hang on, I’ll come back to that. Anyway, we decided to push a little farther through the woods, and we came upon this huge clearing. It has to be a few hundred acres, at least. The entire place is fenced and cross-fenced with old-timey split rails. There are at least a dozen, maybe two, log cabins, barns, outbuildings, and—” He cut off his own sentence and turned to Isabella, who completed his sentence.
“An apple orchard. It even has apple boxes.”
Chapman hugged her and smiled as she misidentified the apple holes.
Sarah furrowed her brow and turned to Chapman. “Apple holes? Nobody’s used those for almost a hundred years.”
“That’s the thing, Mom. This place, um, the Hensley Settlement, was preserved by the park service as a historic landmark. It’s set up like a museum for tourists, schoolkids, etcetera.”
“I gather it’s empty,” interjected Tommy.
“Yep. We didn’t look in every building, but what we saw appeared to be restored. Of course, there’s no electricity to the cabins, and I didn’t see wells around the property. I don’t know if we can come up with a way to draw water out of the creek that runs parallel to the property’s south boundary.”
“How far away is it?” asked Sarah.
“I can only tell you in hours. Of course, it took longer to find it than it did to get back. There may be a better way, but we headed straight out the trail to the point where we all split up, then cut straight down the ridge until the trail ended at the river. From there, we cut straight back until we ran smack-dab into it.”
“Three hours,” Isabella finally answered the question after an excited Chapman got off track.
“Is the trail wide enough for the horses?” asked Sarah.
Chapman nodded. “With a little more clearing, sure. Tomorrow, we should bring everyone down there, clearing the trail as we go. I mean, we love the spot, but everyone should see it and agree.”
For the first time, Chapman noticed Levi and Carly were missing. He scowled and craned his neck to look around the parking lot for another light or any signs of the couple.
Sarah picked up on his change in demeanor. “Son, they’re not back yet.”
“Man, I thought we would be the last ones. We stayed down there way too long, but I wanted to make sure it was worth a big move.”
Tommy wandered toward the restroom facility where the Pinnacle Overlook Trail began. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Levi’s abilities and Carly’s, too. But should we consider going after them?”
“At least send out a couple of people to search,” added Kristi. “What if they’re lost?”
Tommy shook his head. “Maybe, but I can’t see those two getting lost. They may have gotten—” He immediately caught himself before stating the single biggest concern on everyone’s mind.
Chapman understood and picked up his rifle, which he’d set against the side of an apple crate when they arrived back.
“Tommy, let’s grab some flashlights and follow the trail. Did you and Kristi mark the point where you peeled off the main trail?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty obvious. They kept heading northeast along the ridge. Hopefully, Carly used lots of cloth markers; otherwise we’ll have a helluva time trying to follow hatchet marks.”
“I wanna go, too,” insisted Kristi.
“Oui. I am also.”
“Hold on, guys,” said Chapman as he raised his hands. “It’s late and we need to think about our camp security. Tommy and I can handle this while you guys hold down the fort.”
“Hey, listen,” said Sarah as she cupped her hands to her ears. “They’re coming.”
Everyone jumped to their feet, including the kids, who’d remained quiet as the adults talked. Rachel and Jesse led the charge as they ran toward the trailhead to greet their parents. Their excitement at Carly’s arrival was short-lived when they realized Levi wasn’t with her.
Sarah raced up to her daughter-in-law and grabbed her by the shoulders. Tears began to stream down Carly’s face as she fought to catch her breath.
“Honey, where’s Levi? Where’s my son?”
“They’ve got him.”
Chapter 32
Pinnacle Overlook
Cumberland Mountains
Southeast Kentucky
The group fell into a stunned silence. Before anyone could speak, Isabella stepped in and wrapped each of her arms around Rachel and Jesse. “Come on, children, let us go back by the fire and stay warm.”
“But where’s our daddy?” asked Rachel as she began to cry.
“It will be okay. I want to tell you the story of my father who got lost in our backyard.”
“The backyard?” asked Jesse.
“It is true. Come along and I will tell you.” Isabella looked back over her shoulder and nodded, indicating she’d keep the kids occupied while Carly explained.
Sarah immediately turned to Carly and hugged her. She whispered into her ear, “I love you, honey. Now catch your breath and explain what happened.”
Carly wiped the tears off her face and laughed nervously. She’d cried more in the last four hours than she had since the birth of her daughter.
“After Kristi and Tommy went down the ridge, we kept following the trail. It began to become overgrown, you know, like it hadn’t been used in a long time. There came a point where Levi swore he heard something, but I didn’t.
“Anyway, he wanted to make his way down the ridge to look into the sound. I kinda got impatient, hid our guns, and then followed him. The slope was really steep and slick in spots. About halfway down the ridge, I heard a humming sound.”
Chapman was curious. “A humming sound? Like a motor?”
“Yeah. It turned out to be a generator. A really big one, actually.”
“But how could it be operating?” Chapman asked rhetorically.
Carly’s eyes began to well up with tears again. Sarah squeezed her hand, providing her reassurance and strength to continue.
“He must’ve lost his footing, because the next thing I knew, he was groaning in pain. I called out his name, but he couldn’t hear me, so I tried to catch up to him.”
“Was he hurt?” asked Kristi.
“Not from the fall, I don’t think. Anyway, I could hear the humming sound now, and then I heard men’s voices. They kicked and beat Levi and peppered him with questions.”
Chapman’s eyes grew wide and he subconsciously felt for the pistol’s grip on his hip. He nervously looked past Carly toward the trailhead.
She noticed his sudden concern and immediately alleviated it. “Don’t worry, he didn’t give us up. He was strong even though they treated him like shit.”
Carly tried to avoid cursing in front of Sarah, but in the moment, it didn’t matter. Her fearful tears were being replaced with anger as she recounted the events to the group. She continued to give the details all the way to the point at which she’d decided to return for help. When she was done, she took a deep breath and exhaled.
“FEMA?” asked Tommy. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would they take people hostage, or lock them up, for no reason?”
“Something stinks about this,” offered Chapman. “It almost sounds like it started as a FEMA operation, but the dynamic changed.”
“I think these jerks took over the camp,” opined Tommy. “They’re taking people in under the auspices of being a FEMA refugee camp. Maybe they’re taking their belongings? Or they’re locating the nearby homes or temporary camps like ours to steal stuff.”
“What’s all this talk about numbers?” asked Kristi.
“Population numbers,” replied Chapman as he explained, “These government operations are run like a prison. They count
beds and heads. The more heads you have, the more funding or, in this case, supplies. Either these FEMA people have gone off the reservation, or somehow, the camp was taken over by a bunch of criminals. Either way, they’ve got my brother and I’m ready to go get him out.”
“Same,” said Tommy.
“Yes, absolutely,” said Kristi.
Chapman looked to the sky and sighed. “Of course, it’s a new moon tonight. It’ll be pitch dark in those woods. Carly, do you think you can lead us back there?”
“Oh, yeah. I tied more cloth strips along the way.”
“That’s my girl,” said Sarah as she gave Carly a big squeeze.
“Carly, do you have an idea how many guards they have?”
“I only saw six in total, but I’m sure there are more. The two at the front gate looked military. The three guys who dragged Levi behind the fence could’ve been cops. They kinda talked like Randy’s deputies, the real ones anyway.”
“What about the leader? The guy who was giving orders.”
“He looked more like an accountant or a lawyer or a dentist.”
This drew chuckles from the group. Everyone considered what Carly said before Tommy spoke up.
“It sounded like Levi’s in for a rough night. We need to go right away, fully armed, if you know what I mean.”
“Agreed,” said Kristi. She turned to Sarah. “Mom, you have to trust us to handle this. Again, will you be all right alone with the kids and Brooke tonight?”
“You know I wanna come and take care of those bastards myself,” she replied through gritted teeth in a rare show of anger. “However, I know it’s best for me to stay behind. I won’t sleep, you can bet on that.”
Chapman hugged his mother and then rallied the troops together. “Okay, a rifle and a pistol for everyone. If you have a knife and a flashlight, bring them. Bring your backpacks with extra magazines and ammo. Also, some of those Clif bars we found. We’re gonna need our energy.”
The group scattered and began to gather their things for the trip.
Chapman pulled Carly aside to speak with her alone. “Listen to me for a second. We need you to lead us back to their compound. After that, we can handle it, okay.”
“No way, Chapman. I see where you’re headed, but I’m not gonna sit this out.”
Chapman nodded over his shoulder toward the kids, who were now huddled around the campfire with Sarah. “Those precious kids need you. I don’t want you to risk your life.”
“I get it, but they need their father, too. Besides, I’ve got smoke comin’ out of my ears. I want my husband back.”
“We’ll get him.”
Carly was not backing down. “Chapman, I appreciate what you’re trying to say. I really do. But I’m comin’ and I’m helpin’. Let me get in position with my rifle. Those two guards at the front gate will never know what hit ’em.”
Chapman studied her face and eyes. “You understand what you’re saying, right?”
“I’ll shoot ’em in a heartbeat. They may not have grabbed Levi, but they certainly are a part of this. They deserve what they get.”
Tommy, Kristi, and Isabella joined them. Tommy handed Chapman his backpack, and Kristi gave one to Carly.
“Okay, let’s get our boy back,” said Chapman as he and Carly disappeared into the dark woods first.
Chapter 33
FEMA Camp S-53
Near Martin’s Fork Lake in the Cumberland Mountains
Three Point, Kentucky
As Carly left earlier that evening to rally the troops to rescue her husband, she’d heard a man scream in pain. It was natural for her to assume it was Levi being beaten or tortured in some manner. She was wrong, at least in that instance.
Levi had feigned unconsciousness when he lay on the ground at the front gate of FEMA Camp S-53. He’d played possum in the past when in a pickle, and he employed the same tactic this time. His goal was to lead his captors into a false sense of security. A compliant prisoner would be seen as a weak prisoner.
Plus, lying quietly in the dirt, Levi allowed them to speak freely about their plans for him. Even as they dragged him thirty feet into a nearby tent, he barely opened his eyes, just enough to take in his surroundings.
There were two folding tables with metal folding chairs sitting on both sides. Two of the men who’d captured him dropped him onto the ground with a thud while they explained to their comrades manning the tent what was to happen to Levi.
“The boss wants to interrogate this one before we give him the doping treatment. Strip him. Hose him. And let me know when you’re done. We’ll be across the way in the command tent.”
“No prob,” responded a man with a husky voice. Seconds later, two powerful arms reached through Levi’s armpits and hoisted him upward. He kept his body limp, knowing the dead weight would be more difficult to maneuver.
“Damn, he’s really out. What did they do to him?” asked another man in the tent. Levi’s head hung to his chest, so his face wasn’t in full view. He opened his eyes to assess his captors.
The man holding him up had muscular forearms covered with tattoos. His belly, however, felt soft and protruded. He was wearing leather boots and jeans with black oil stains around the ankles.
Biker, Levi thought to himself.
The other man was younger. His hair was somewhat shaggy, and he wore glasses. He didn’t appear to be as muscular as the biker, but he certainly wasn’t gonna be a pushover.
Levi’s mind raced as the biker dragged him toward the three temporary showers lined up along the back of the tent. If he was going to take these guys, he’d have to catch them both off guard. But then what? He was locked in a fence with only Carly on the outside to assist him.
He had to get the other prisoners involved. He had to create chaos and mayhem so the guards had dozens of people to deal with instead of just him.
“Dude’s gettin’ heavy,” said the biker when he dumped Levi at the entrance to one of the corner showers. He reached down and began to untie Levi’s boots.
Levi steeled his nerves and chose to fight. In that split second as his body tensed, the biker noticed the change in his captive, but it was too late.
With all the strength in his legs, Levi kicked upward, burying the toe of his right foot in the man’s groin.
“Arrrggghhh!” the man shouted at the top of his lungs before the pain of his nether regions cut off his air supply. If he had been able to scream again, Carly would’ve recognized the cry of agony.
Levi scrambled to his feet and didn’t bother to admire his handiwork. He pounced on the younger man, knocking him to the ground. Because his hands were still zip-tied behind his back, he used the only weapon at his disposal—his forehead.
He headbutted the man in the nose repeatedly until the nasal bone fractured and the cartilage crumbled. Blood immediately spewed out of the man’s nostrils and into his mouth. He cried out in pain, but mostly it sounded like he was drowning.
Levi didn’t waste any time. Instead of running through the front of the tent into the center of the compound, where he would quickly be captured, he opted to slither under the side of the tent.
He rolled off the bleeding man and stuck his head through a slight opening next to the ground. Then he kicked and wiggled until he was through. Once clear of the tent, he rose to his knees and then to his feet.
The biker had regained his strength and was now shouting for help. Levi didn’t have much time, and he still had no real plan of escape. He raced between the tents and tucked himself behind one at the end of a row near the perimeter fence.
He forced his bound wrists as far away from his back as he could and then slammed them hard against his butt. His attempt to break free from the cuffs didn’t work. He tried again, only this time he pushed outward as his wrists smacked hard into his backside.
Snap!
The zip-tie cuffs broke and now his hands were free. He immediately raced for the fence and began to climb the chain link; then he discovered the ra
zor wire encircling the top. He dropped to a crouch and looked up and down the perimeter fence. The concertina wire was wrapped in a continuous roll as far as he could see.
“You men! Patrol the outside of the fence. You two stay at the gate! The rest of you spread out and walk aisle by aisle.”
Levi recognized the voice of the accountant, the man in charge. He had to act fast. He tore off his shirt and climbed the fence again.
At the top, he grabbed his shirt at the end and repeatedly struck it against the razor wire, pulling it down forcefully to rip it into shreds. Once it was torn into several pieces, he flung some of them over the fence until they landed on the ground. He used the rest to wipe the blood from the man’s nose off his face and neck. He carefully placed it on top of the razor wire.
Levi dropped back to the ground and admired his subterfuge. “It’s all I got,” he muttered.
“This way!” shouted one of the men. It was pitch dark now except for the large utility lights shining in all directions. There were still dark spots, and the guards used their flashlights to illuminate those areas. Levi saw the light dancing on the fence and the tree line just beyond.
He acted quickly, falling to his belly once again, and then he forced himself inside the first available tent. What he found astonished him.
More than a dozen people were crammed into the tent. Only four cots were present, and they were shared by two children each. All of the adults were wearing white hospital scrubs, now soiled and grimy from days of wear.
As he stood in the middle of them, he struggled to take it all in. There were no lights. No furniture. No latrines. The utility lights filtered through the white tent just enough for him to understand why these people were full of despair. They’d come here seeking refuge. Instead, they were imprisoned.
Chapter 34
FEMA Camp S-53
Near Martin’s Fork Lake in the Cumberland Mountains
Three Point, Kentucky