His Name Was Zach (Book 2): Her Name Was Abby

by Martuneac, Peter

  “Surely you jest.”

  “Oh, I never jest about pancakes. That’s serious business.”

  Abby wanted to laugh or at least smile at this, but again the throbbing in her head prevented any sign of happiness. Besides, she had just thought of an awesome little prank to pull on Hiamovi. “Fine, a fun shape,” she said as she grabbed the bowl of pancake batter and poured out enough on her grill for three pancakes.

  Hiamovi waited patiently, scanning the front of his newspaper. He didn’t open it yet as he knew the pancakes would not take long at all to prepare. And sure enough, in just a couple of minutes, Abby set a plate of three conjoined pancakes in front of him.

  “Bon appetite,” she said in a dry tone, and then she waited for Hiamovi’s reaction.

  Hiamovi looked from his newspaper to the plate. The dog’s face he’d requested didn’t seem exactly right. It was sideways, for one thing, and what should have been a big round face was more like an elongated finger, though there were in fact two small round pancakes at one end. And that’s when the phallic design of his pancakes became clear to Hiamovi.

  “Wow,” Hiamovi said, his voice quivering with suppressed laughter as he looked up at Abby. “You know, I’ve been told to eat a dick before, but never quite so literally.”

  “That’s for all the small talk,” Abby said, her face finally allowing a smile. “By the way, did you write down the stuff?”

  “Not yet, I was waiting for you to get off work.”

  “Well, I’m done at two so I can come on over after that.”

  “Great,” Hiamovi replied. “Now, if you’d be so kind, I need syrup so I can eat this pancake penis.”

  That was too much, and both Abby and Hiamovi broke out into laughter.

  Hiamovi finished his pancakes, then stayed to talk to Abby for a little bit, though they did not discuss their kiss from the previous night. It seemed that neither of them was certain how to carry forward after that, and for the moment they’d just pretend it didn’t happen when they were in each other’s company. Though when either of them were alone, their kiss frequently came to mind and brought a smile to their face with it.

  After Abby’s shift at the diner, she went straight to Hector and Hiamovi’s apartment and helped both of them transcribe the information she’d recorded last night. This proved to be extremely valuable intelligence, giving them information on shipments that were expected in the next couple of weeks. One of these shipments in particular caught the interest of Hector, as it included new rifles, ammunition, and explosives, meant for the DAS to be used in their training.

  “If we can ambush this convoy here,” Hector said, pointing to a spot on the map he had spread on his table, “we should be able to make off with the goods along this alternate route before any kind of help reaches them.”

  Abby and Hiamovi leaned forward to look at the spot Hector had designated. It was outside the city, along a major highway as it passed near the Great Salt Lake west of the city.

  “We’ll have to make sure at least one of the vehicles is still drivable,” Hector continued, dragging his finger over to a different spot on the map. “From there, we’ll head towards this point and offload the cargo here. It will be a new cache, since I’m expecting this ambush to gain us a lot of weapons.”

  “How many vehicles?” asked Hiamovi.

  “Six,” Hector replied. “But only three are military. Those will be the escorts, and they’re the ones that will have to be neutralized. The other three are your run-of-the-mill flatbed trucks.”

  “And when is this supposed to come in?” asked Abby.

  “In two days,” Hector said. “It should pass through the ambush point at five o’clock in the morning, so our people will have to be in place tomorrow night, in case they are early.”

  Abby and Hiamovi exchanged a glance, then looked back to Hector. “We want in,” Abby said.

  “No. That is out of the question.”

  “Come on, Granddad! We’re the ones who got this information in the first place.”

  “And that was dangerous enough as it is, Hiamovi. I’m counting on losing fighters in this ambush. You are both too young for work like this.”

  “Oh please,” Abby said. “Ambushing a military convoy is like seventh on the list of the most dangerous things I’ve done.”

  “And I’m seventeen, Granddad. You know, most of the original Continental Army was made up of men my age.”

  Hector sighed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am aware that we invoke a lot of imagery of the Continental Army, but that does not mean we are exactly like them. They fought at a time when slavery was legal, do you expect me to rush out and buy some slaves?”

  “That’s some bullshit,” Hiamovi responded, his voice carrying a sharp tone of frustration. “I need to be more involved in this war! Those bastards killed my parents and I can’t sit on the sidelines anymore!”

  “Do not!” Hector said, the volume in his voice rising dramatically as he himself seemed to grow taller. He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Do not,” he said in a softer tone, “make the mistake of thinking that I have forgotten what they did to your father, to my only son. It is for your sake that I have allowed you to play a small role in this war thus far, but it is for my sake that I cannot allow you to partake in the greatest dangers. This war has already cost me a son, it won’t take my grandson, the last of my family and our ancient lineage.”

  No one spoke for a long time after that. Hiamovi had not expected such an outburst from his granddad, a man who exemplified Stoic resolve in the face of overwhelming emotion. In fact, Hiamovi could not even recall seeing his granddad cry over the loss of his son. But right now his deep, dark eyes glistened with tears.

  “Okay,” Hiamovi said. “We won’t go.”

  Hector nodded his head once in reply. “Thank you for understanding, Hiamovi. And thank you both for getting this information. I’m certain that this ambush will provide us with a greater boon than we’ve ever had before.”

  With that said, Hector folded up his map and stowed it in its hiding place underneath the kitchen sink. “By the way,” he said, standing back up. He paused for a moment, then said, “Are you two dating?”

  “Granddad!”

  “Seriously?”

  Hector smirked, waving a hand to dismiss the outbursts from Abby and Hiamovi. “Just asking. If you aren’t dating, maybe you should be. You seem perfect for each other.”

  “Noted, thank you!” Hiamovi shot back. “Don’t you have that thing to get to? Whatever it is that takes you anywhere but right here?”

  “Alright, alright. I’ve had my fun,” Hector laughed. He trudged over towards the front door, grabbing his hat from the coatrack. “I do need to get going though. I need to see a man about a horse. Goodbye, Abby. Hiamovi, I’ll see you later.”

  “What the hell is he even talking about?” Abby asked once the door was closed.

  “Hell if I know, I don’t understand half the things he says.”

  “Well he was certainly clear about not allowing us to go on the ambush.”

  “Yeah. He was always stubborn.”

  “So that’s where you get it from.”

  Hiamovi smiled but said nothing in response.

  “Well, I should get going,” Abby said after a short pause. “Bob’s expecting me at the gym soon and I need to change.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you around then.”

  “Yeah, see you.”

  But Abby didn’t move at first. She hesitated, wondering if it’d be awkward to leave without any display of affection now that she’d kissed him once. But if she didn’t do something fast, her hesitation would be even worse. So Abby acted.

  Abruptly, almost clumsily, she leaned towards Hiamovi and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Okay, goodbye!” she said, spinning on her heel and walking towards the door as quick as she could. She could almost feel all the blood in her body rushing up to her face and she couldn’t bear to
be seen like that.

  Hiamovi was left stunned by Abby’s drive-by kiss. He didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye before she was out of the apartment. He lifted a hand to the cheek that she had kissed, and he smiled.

  Meanwhile, Abby did indeed get changed into her workout clothes and then went to the gym. It was the usual experience of following Bob’s techniques as best as she could without any verbal coaching. At first it was hard to tell whether she was doing well because Bob would not even nod or shake his head. He would perform his techniques, and then repeat himself as necessary. When it came time to spar with him, if he had gained the upper hand, he would not tell her what she should have done better. Then, at the end of each session, he would simply smile at her as she told him the next time she would meet up with him. It was always a little awkward, but Abby enjoyed his training. Whatever style it was that he taught, it worked well for Abby, as the strikes relied more on speed for their power than brute strength.

  The next morning, Abby awoke and set about her normal, non-hungover routine: workout, breakfast, cigarette on the way to work. Hiamovi did not show up to the diner this time, leaving Abby disappointed as she walked back to her apartment after her shift was done. She had just sat down on her couch to watch a little TV when there came a knock on the door. Abby huffed, pushed herself up from the couch, and trudged to the door to look through the peephole. With a smile, she pulled open the door.

  “Hi Hiamovi,” she said.

  “Hey! Mind if I come in?”

  “Of course.”

  Hiamovi strode inside and Abby closed the door behind him. He walked over to the kitchen, where he picked up one of the bananas sitting on the counter and began to peel it.

  “Oh yeah, make yourself at home,” Abby said in a sarcastic tone.

  “Thanks, I’m starving,” Hiamovi replied.

  “Can I bring you anything else? Some dessert, perhaps?”

  “That’d be delightful!”

  “Better hope you dream about it then.”

  They laughed, and then Abby said, “So did you come down here for a reason? I mean, not that I mind if you come over for no reason. I just… what’s up?”

  Hiamovi finished chewing the last of his banana. “If you’re still up for it, we’re going on that ambush.”

  “Really? Your granddad changed his mind just like that?”

  Hiamovi shook his head. “I followed Granddad yesterday to find out who he had recruited for the ambush, and two of them are brothers that I happen to know fairly well. I simply offered to take their place, and they said if I got a replacement for them both that they’d agree to it. So, are you in?”

  “Hell yeah!” Abby replied.

  “Great! We’ll finally get a chance to really fight!” said Hiamovi. “I’ll go let the brothers know. I’ll be back soon and we’ll head out together.”

  “Okay!”

  Just as Abby had been yesterday, now Hiamovi seemed uncertain about what he should do before leaving. “S-so,” he stammered, “I suppose now you and I are… well, w-we’ve kissed the last couple times one of us has had to leave, so it makes sense to just keep it up at this point, right?”

  Abby chewed on her lower lip nervously. “Yeah. No, yeah, you’re right. I mean, why stop now, right?”

  “Right!”

  “Right.”

  Another pause ensued before Hiamovi stepped forward. They both leaned into each other and kissed, not as passionately as the other night, but it was at least less awkward than Abby’s rushed peck on the cheek the day before.

  “Well, see you soon,” Hiamovi said.

  “Yeah, for sure,” Abby replied.

  Red cheeks and faint smiles took hold of both young faces as Hiamovi turned to leave. He stopped at the door, and turned to Abby to say, “So, I just need to be clear… we like each other, yeah?”

  Abby paused. “Yeah. I mean, I like you.”

  “And I like you.”

  “Then yes. I guess we do.”

  “So we’re boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  Abby paused again, though this time it was not from bashfulness. They were going to embark on a dangerous mission tonight, and the death of one or both of them was a very real possibility. It seemed to Abby that declaring an official relationship between the two of them now would only make the loss harder for one of them if the other did in fact die out there.

  “Let’s make that decision later,” she finally said, hoping Hiamovi would not be upset by her delaying tactic.

  “Okay,” he said. He smiled, and added, “Alright, bye now.”

  “Bye, Hiamovi.”

  ***

  Abby spent the next hour relaxing, saving her strength for the long night ahead. As promised, Hiamovi returned, and the two of them set out for the ambush point to the west, outside of the city. Soldiers and DAS agents usually didn’t care when regular folks headed west out of the city. West lay only more government controlled territory. But if they caught you heading east, where they had rifle ranges and training grounds a little way’s out, you’d likely face some harsh questions.

  As it was just halfway through the afternoon and the sun was still high in the sky, Abby and Hiamovi did not face heightened scrutiny from any of the patrols or checkpoints they passed. As they approached the city limits, they holed up inside of an unused basement, waiting for darkness to fall so that they could continue their journey in relative safety. Here they took turns napping while the other kept watch, hoping to catch at least a little bit of sleep before they spent the better part of the night walking.

  Being early in the month of January, the light from the sun disappeared early in the evening. Once that happened, Hiamovi woke Abby and they continued on their journey. They slipped out of the city in silence, jogging more than walking and keeping a sharp eye out for government patrols.

  Eventually, Hiamovi turned their course to a southwesterly bend, whispering to Abby that they were not far from a secret cache of weaponry, which is where they would arm themselves for the ambush and link up with the rest of the group.

  Not much later, Hiamovi told Abby that the cache was very near, pointing out a small bunch of shrubbery near a house.

  “It’s in the house?” Abby asked.

  “Under the bushes,” Hiamovi responded. “We’ve dug out a small den in the ground and stuffed it with weapons. But if this ambush goes well, we’re going to need a much bigger hiding place.”

  “That must be where your granddad is having us drive the weapons afterwards.”

  A minute later, when the two of them were a stone’s toss from the house, a hushed voice called out, “Washington!”

  It was the challenge word for that month, a precaution used by the ReFounding Fathers. Whenever a clandestine meeting took place, the person at the location would call out the first part of a challenge, or password, to be answered by the newcomers with the second part of the challenge, to ensure that they were not enemies. Then, so that the newcomers knew that they were not walking into a trap, the person at the location would call out the final word. And, as an added safety measure, the challenge changed every month.

  “Paine!” Hiamovi replied to the hidden speaker.

  “John Paul Jones!”

  With the challenge process completed, Abby and Hiamovi approached without fear, and the hidden speaker now revealed himself, along with at least a dozen other people.

  The man who spoke earlier, and who appeared to be in charge of the operation, said, “I thought we were getting the brothers.”

  “Change of plans, the brothers couldn’t get out here,” Hiamovi replied. “We’re the backups.”

  “A couple of kids? Seriously?” asked a woman’s voice. “You know this isn’t a fucking game right?”

  “No fucking shit,” Abby retorted. “You wanna measure dicks, or can we get ready for the shitshow that this ambush is going to be?”

  Her forceful response seemed to catch everyone off guard, as no more questions came. “Very well,” said
the leader, “let’s get you two armed and then we’ll be off to the ambush site. I know you, Hiamovi. But who are you, young lady?”

  “Abby. And you are?”

  “Dustin. Welcome aboard, Abby. I hope your aim is as sharp as your tongue.”

  A small hatch in the ground, just begin enough for a small person to squeeze through, was pulled open, and one of the rebels hopped inside the dark den. A minute later, two M16 rifles were passed up to the group above as well as two tactical vests and a bundle of loaded magazines. These were distributed to Abby and Hiamovi while the man who had hopped into the ground reappeared and the hatch was shut and camouflaged again.

  Dustin gestured back to the house, then he and nine others walked back inside. They reappeared a moment later, each one with an old, metal fuel can in their hands.

  “Alright, let’s move out,” said Dustin.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  A cloudless night sky still hung over the heads of Abby, Hiamovi, and their comrades as they lay in wait for the incoming convoy. The cold light of the full moon reflected off of the optical sight on Abby’s rifle, which she shifted so as to not give away their position. She and the rest of her group were glad for the full moon. A military outfit would prefer a moonless night for clandestine operations, because then their night vision goggles would give them an insurmountable advantage in a gunfight. But these rebel fighters did not (yet) have such capabilities, so the full moon allowed them to see reasonably well in the night, though of course that worked both ways.

  Dustin had split his force into three groups: two groups of four, posted on opposite sides of the highway, and one group of eight on the highway itself. This last group hid behind an old, abandoned vehicle, and once the shooting started they were to assault the convoy head on, bringing the gunfight to a close range while the two other groups provided cover fire for their movement.

  Abby and Hiamovi lay in the grass about one hundred yards to the east of the road along with two other men. They would have no cover from incoming bullets, but at that distance and with proper concealment they hoped to avoid accurate enemy fire. Dustin, as the leader, placed himself in the assault force, the group with the most dangerous part to play. He also needed to be close to the convoy so that he could give the signal to attack. No one was to fire a single round before his signal, and if it never came, then the ambush was off.