by Hunt, Jack
“Yeah, I have one,” Corey said closing the door behind him.
Heads turned; jaws widened as they soaked in the sight of their clothes streaked with blood.
“Corey?”
“The question is for anyone in this room. Has he been here all night?”
“What?” Andy asked, his face screwing up.
“Have you been here all night?” Corey said in a more demanding tone, now directing the question at him.
“Of course I have.” Andy weaved his way around tables over to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s do this outside.” Corey shrugged it off.
“So you didn’t take the utility vehicle to the lake and warn them?”
“Warn? What are you talking about? Let’s head outside and discuss this.”
“No. I think everyone here should know as it does apply to them.” Corey walked to the front of the room and took the whiteboard cleaner and rubbed out the map. “We won’t be needing this. They’re gone. And someone here warned them.”
Andy looked at Nate and he nodded. Ferris stood by the door, one foot against the wall, the other out straight. His arms were folded and a concerned look was on his face. “What about you?” Corey asked looking his way.
“Me? You think it was me?” Ferris pushed away from the wall. “I think you are stepping over the line.”
“You want to see stepping over the line?” Corey said moving forward and flipping a small table in front of him. “Someone here took the utility vehicle and warned them. Now who was it?”
Andy crossed the room fast and gripped Corey by the back of the collar and pulled him towards the door. “Now. Outside.”
“Get the hell off.”
But he wouldn’t let go. No amount of resisting could prevent him from shoving Corey out the door. As soon as they were outside and the door was slammed, Andy tore into him. “What the hell are you playing at? You want to undo everything we have done so far? Those people in there are under enough stress as it is. We are a hairline crack away from losing them. We already had six walk since telling them what they were going into tonight. Now you want to go nuclear, you do it elsewhere. You want to ask a question, ask me in private. But I will not have you—”
“Were you behind it?” Corey asked in a calm voice, cutting him off.
He shook his head before replying slowly. “I didn’t leave this building tonight.”
“And you?”
“Fuck you, Corey,” Ferris said. “You want to pin this on me because of what happened with your wife?” He flipped him the bird. “Asshole.”
Corey saw red as Ferris went to walk away and he lunged at him, unleashing a power punch to the back of his head. He fell forward and Andy and Nate moved in quickly to break it up. Ferris cursed at him and told him he would press charges as Andy struggled to hold him back. “Attacking a police officer. I’ll have you put behind bars.”
“That would require you doing your job,” Corey shot back.
“Go cool off!” Andy said to Ferris. He glared at Corey before strolling away.
Before Andy could tear into Corey for a second time, Hudgens appeared with Chief Bruce. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“The raid is a bust. They’re gone. Our one chance of finding them is gone. And someone from here is responsible,” Corey said leaning back against a wall and wiping his face.
Hudgens eyed Andy. “Is this true?”
“Seems so, but I wasn’t there so I don’t know,” Andy replied making it clear to his son he was referring to him.
“He’s telling the truth,” Nate piped up. “We went ahead to scout out the area. Andy’s truck rolled up while we were doing some surveillance. We couldn’t see who the driver was as they wore a hood but it was definitely the truck.”
Hudgens glanced at Andy and he shrugged. “I’ve been in with them for the past two hours trying to convince them not to walk after six left.”
“There’s only one person who knew about the scout and that was you,” Corey said to his father.
“He wasn’t the only one,” Chief Bruce said. “Ferris overhead and told me and I informed the mayor.”
Corey looked at his father and he could tell he was pissed to have his own flesh and blood accuse him.
“Is that all?”
“Well I informed the group,” Hudgens said.
“Great. So it could be anyone.”
“What did they look like?” Hudgens asked.
“If I knew that, do you think we would be having this conversation?” Corey rolled his eyes as he brushed past them making his way over to a five-gallon water dispenser. He snatched a paper cup off the table and filled it up, chugging it back before getting some more. Meanwhile Hudgens talked with Andy and the chief about what they should do next in light of the circumstances. His father was the only one suggesting they back off, while Hudgens and the chief were advocating beefing up support at the roadblocks and the school where they were guarding what remained of the town supplies like gold.
Corey turned to leave but was called over by Hudgens.
“Tomorrow we’ll convene here and discuss the road forward. I think it would be best if we have you stay in town. The back and forth to your cabin isn’t working. There is plenty of room at my home.” He took out some keys from his pocket and tossed them to Corey. “Get cleaned up. Rest.”
Corey clutched the keys and considered tossing them back but one glance at his old man and he figured maybe it was for the best. He didn’t want to get into an argument and he could already tell by the look on his face that he was just biting at the bit to grill him over embarrassing him in front of the civilians. The truth was, it was hard to know who to trust. Anyone could have been responsible, even one of the officers. Not that he thought Whitefish had dirty cops but with the recent addition of help from Kalispell, there was no telling who might be on the raiders’ payroll.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to put you out.”
“You wouldn’t put me out. It’s the least I can do after what you went through tonight.”
Nate nudged him and his eyes widened.
“Okay.”
Hudgens gave him the directions. “It’s on Missy Lane.”
“I know which one it is.”
“Right.”
Around the same time, many miles away inside the Kootenai National Forest, Tyler was trying to keep up with Allie as she barreled forward through the thick underbrush heading for the camp they’d been observing. “Hold up. What’s going on?”
“Someone has attempted to escape. It could be my sister, I need to get a closer look,” she said. Tyler managed to catch up. He grabbed her by the bicep and swung her around. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Get off me.”
She tugged and tried to push him away but he wouldn’t let go. “You get any closer and you risk getting caught. You think your sister would want that?”
“She’ll need my help.”
“If it is her, I think she’s doing fine as it is.”
“I need to know. You want to stay here. Fine.”
He released her and she took a few steps backwards before turning and sprinting. Tyler stood there for a few seconds looking over his shoulder, contemplating heading back to Whitefish. Putting himself at risk for the sake of one person went against everything his father taught him. He looked back at Allie and shook his head. Ah man, you are going to regret this, he thought as he took off after her, swinging his rifle up and scanning the terrain ahead.
Tyler found Allie lying down in the tall grass. She was peering through binoculars when he dropped down beside her. “What we got?” he asked.
She lowered her binoculars and handed them to him. “It’s not her. But I know the guy. His name is Jeremy. He used to work in the medical clinic.”
Tyler took a look through. A tide of people gathered around as a man with blond hair was dragged through the midst of them. He was wearing a tan coat, leather gloves, boots and a baseball cap. He
looked as if he was unconscious. A large knot of people parted as the man was thrown on the ground and turned over. The crowd pulled back to let through a guy who had a shaved head and an eye that looked white. Tyler couldn’t hear what they were saying but he could tell things were about to turn nasty.
He pulled the binoculars away and looked at Allie. She sat there with a deadpan expression on her face. “You want to see what’s going on?”
“No.” Her chin dropped. “I’ve already seen it. Multiple times.”
She sighed and he brought the binoculars back up.
They attached chains to the man’s wrists and ankles. Tyler figured they were planning on stringing him up as an example to the rest. But that wasn’t it. No, it was far worse. Four horses were brought in. They had some kind of wooden rigging system strapped over them. Tyler watched in horror as they hooked up the chains to each horse until he was splayed apart. The bald man stepped forward with a bucket of water and tossed the contents over the unconscious man’s face. It splashed against his face and he spluttered and gasped for air. Within seconds he realized what they were doing and he cried out, pleading for his life. His voice was so loud it carried on the wind, turning Tyler’s stomach.
The bald man took a handkerchief from his pocket and raised it into the air, he shouted something and then dropped it. As soon as he did, they let the horses loose and the man was torn apart.
“Oh my God,” Tyler said, pulling the binoculars away.
“Now you understand why I want to get my sister out.”
“We need to get out of here. Let the others know.”
As they got up to leave, Allie took one last look before sighing and trudging on behind him. They didn’t speak that much on the way back. The few times Tyler tried to engage with her she had nothing but bad things to say about Jude. In her mind, he was responsible, and yet at no point did Tyler see him down there. He understood her desire to get her sister out but he was still trying to come terms with the accusations against Jude.
Nate was like a kid in a candy shop moving from room to room, calling out what he found. “1962 Cabernet. Damn, you should see all these vintage wines. I swear I went into the wrong business. I’m getting drunk tonight.” Hudgens wasn’t married, and he only had few friends, so his six-bedroom, five-bath, roughly 7,000 square foot home seemed a little ostentatious, however, it wasn’t his career that had given him the financial means to acquire such a property. No, this was inherited, passed down through the family. The fact was until the power went out, Ted Hudgens was considered one of the wealthiest men in Whitefish. Taking the position as mayor wasn’t a necessity but a means of lording his power over others. Some admired him, others despised the ground he walked on, Corey didn’t care either way, unlike his father.
Nate came up from the cellar taking a large swig from a bottle of wine. “Okay, I was wrong about this guy. I figured he’d taken a large chunk of the supplies and was making up all this shit about raiders but barring the oversized house and the exquisite vintage wine collection, this man hasn’t got shit!” Nate said, breaking into laughter. “He’s just the same as us. All that money and nothing to show for it. The sweet irony,” he said holding out the bottle for Corey. Corey shook his head. Nate shrugged and returned to chugging it down and running his grubby fingers across the spotless furniture. “Man, I can’t wait to show this place to Erika.”
He wanted to stay clear-headed. Ever since the incident at the lake, Corey couldn’t push the image of the stranger from his mind. “I think it’s Ferris.”
“What?” Nate asked turning.
“The stranger. Think about it. What was he doing listening in on the conversation? Unless of course he wanted to give them the heads-up. And why tell the chief and Hudgens? Simple. He wanted to cover his ass. Make it look like any one of them could have done it. Probably knew Hudgens would tell the group.”
“You know, Corey. I’ll be the first to admit that what he did was underhanded. But, helping raiders? I just don’t get that vibe from him. I think he did what any of us would have done. I mean, put yourself in his position for just a minute. All your team is wiped out and you’re told if you don’t tell them where one person is, they will kill your family. What would you do?”
“I wouldn’t know because my family is dead.”
“Corey. You know what I mean.”
Corey stared at him. He’d given it a lot of thought. He knew the answer but wasn’t ready to let Ferris off the hook.
8
Ferris lied. According to him, the meeting was set for nine that morning, at least that was what he’d told Nate before he retired for the evening. The next morning, Nate and Corey arrived on time but it was already in session. Hudgens hadn’t stayed at his house, otherwise they might have been able to confirm the time. They soon realized they weren’t the only ones who knew that. As soon they entered the room inside city hall, a hush fell over the small group made up of Andy, Hudgens, Ferris and the chief.
“Started without us?”
“Finished,” Ferris said, offering a smug grin. Corey glanced at his watch and then the clock on the wall.
“You said nine.”
“Did I?”
Corey turned to Nate and he nodded.
“You must have heard me wrong, I said eight.”
“No, you didn’t,” Nate shot back.
Hudgens rose from his chair, sensing another argument boiling. “It doesn’t matter. I can bring you up to speed, but help yourself to coffee over there.” Corey glared at Ferris as he and Nate went over to a table at the back of the small room. As he poured out his drink, he asked Nate again if he’d heard him wrong, being as he had drunk a lot of wine.
Nate shook a small bag of sugar and emptied it into his drink. “Trust me. He said nine.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
Corey scooped up an apple and took a bite out of it as he made his way down the center aisle. Either side were a dozen chairs, and at the front was a table, and a clean whiteboard. “So, we’ve given a lot of thought to the situation yesterday and we’re in agreement. Andy will continue to offer training to volunteers, those that already have experience with guns will join the others in shift rotation at the roadblocks and critical facilities in town. Without further intel on the whereabouts of raiders all we can do is focus on ensuring the safety of residents and remaining supplies in town. Do you have any objections?”
“Whose idea was that?”
“Mine,” Ferris said. “And your father’s.”
Corey glanced at his dad. “No point wasting valuable resources,” Andy said.
“I figured it’s better this way,” Ferris said.
“Yeah, I bet you did,” Corey replied, then took another bite from his apple.
“Well, unless of course you have a lead we don’t know about? I mean I don’t want to step on your toes. You know, being as the mayor put you in charge of heading up yesterday’s endeavor, I just figured that since that was a bust, we should focus on the town.”
It was a total power move. An attempt to swing things back his way. Corey didn’t give two shits about being in charge of heading up anything. In many ways he was pleased the plan hadn’t worked. He didn’t want anyone else’s blood on his conscience and especially not the blood of those who were unprepared for war.
The awkward silence could have been cut with a knife.
“Do you have a lead?” Hudgens asked.
Corey chewed and swallowed a mouthful of food before replying. “No.”
“Then it’s agreed,” Hudgens said.
“Meeting adjourned,” Ferris said in a sarcastic tone, pushing away from a desk with his arms crossed. Corey wanted to knock that smug grin off his face. Ever since he’d met him, he’d come across as someone on a power trip, thinking more of public admiration than getting the job done. In his mind he was a disgrace to the shield. If he could have only seen how things played out when Ella died, he was pretty certain Ferris would have been found cowering. He wasn’
t like some of his brothers in arms who he had fought shoulder to shoulder in combat with. Those were men that would have rather died in their boots than give up one of their own. The mentality was different. That wasn’t to say there weren’t good cops, brave ones, those who saw the position as more than a job but those were far and few between. Too many were vying for paychecks and an easy life. The same ones were there with their hands out hoping for some award that was gained off the bravery of others.
Nate leaned forward and put his hand on Corey’s shoulder. “I’m thinking of heading to the hospital this morning to see how she’s doing. You want to come with me?”
“I would like to but…”
“Ah, it’s okay. I get it.”
“Nate. I’m sorry if I was a little hard on you back in the forest.”
“Ah it’s water off a duck’s back. I probably deserved it. This is all new to me. I’m still trying to figure out my way.” Nate patted his shoulder and broke off heading for the door. As he sat there drinking his coffee, his father went to walk straight by him without even a glance.
“You heading to one of the roadblocks?” Corey asked over his shoulder.
His father returned. “I’m heading to the lake to see what I can find.”
“You mean, anything you might have left behind?” Corey said without looking at him.
Andy scoffed. “All right, I’ll bite. Why do you think it was me?”
“I didn’t say it was you. I asked if it was you.”
“But you’re still insinuating.”
“That I am. But don’t worry, you’re not the only one,” he said glancing at Ferris who was talking with Hudgens.
“It doesn’t make any sense, Corey.”
“It makes perfect sense. I mean when have you ever given a shit about this town? Sure, you worked out a few deals with the city and helped a couple of neighbors with generators but beyond that, it’s always been a one-man show. Hell, if it hadn’t been for me coming into town and taking the position the chief offered, you’d still be back there at the cabin.”