“Everyone keeps saying over sixty guards so let’s just call it sixty-five for now and we took out seven of them on the road. As we fill in the map, we can subtract the number of guards as we find out where they’re posted until we know where they all are.”
Quinn folded his arms and looked at the map before nodding at Dara and then Cooper. “You did good, guys. You were right to make contact. We now know a lot more than we did and we’re getting closer to being able to make a plan.”
Dara glanced quickly at Cooper and then away. Neither of them mentioned the first two girls he had approached and their reaction. They could only hope that the woman would make sure they kept their mouths shut.
Lisa led Dara to their new camper and showed her around before they both started to pull supplies out to make supper. Dara was laughing at the sheer amount of pancake mix they’d scavenged when she heard Josh make a strangled yell. Both girls flew out the door and saw Emily with her hands on her knees panting to get her breath back. Dara looked around but didn’t see Alex anywhere. She turned to Josh just in time to see him pull at his hair and mutter, “I’m going to kill her!”
Chapter Eight
Alex’s heart was roaring in her ears and it felt so loud that she was sure that whoever was coming towards her hiding place would be able to hear it. Her brain was frantic with the thought that Dr. Mack had given her away and the guards were searching for her. Her rifle was too long to manoeuvre in the close confines of the tree, so she leaned it up against the trunk and pulled out her handgun, using her thumb to flip off the safety. She saw the outline of the person pass her tree through the thick needle encrusted branches and heard him grunt when the toe of his boot caught on a root. She let out the breath she didn’t even know she was holding as the man passed by and stopped at the tree line and looked out into the barnyard.
Alex closed her eyes in frustration and flipped the safety back on as she holstered her gun. The grunt she’d heard was all she needed to identify the person in front of her. Leaving her pack and rifle under the tree, she slipped soundlessly between the branches and crept up behind the person. Using her pointed finger, she poked it into his back and whispered, “BANG! You’re now covered in pink neon paint!”
Josh whirled around and grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She was a little shocked by his intensity but hugged him back. She was just as surprised when he shoved her back and keeping a hold of her arms gave her a little shake.
“Alex, what the hell are you doing?!” he asked in a low, fierce voice.
She checked the yard over his shoulder but it was too dark to see anything so she pulled him back into the trees where she’d hid her pack before answering. His accusatory tone had her temper rising. This was why she hadn’t gone back with Emily to get the medical supplies from their base. She hadn’t wanted to fight with anyone about her decision to sneak into the barn where the men were being held. They had all agreed not to make contact with anyone on this first scouting mission and she had broken that agreement earlier when she approached Dr. Mack. She knew there would be an argument when her friends found out that she was going back.
She left Josh fuming as she crawled into the tree and retrieved her pack and rifle. When she emerged with her things and stood up, he tried again.
“Alex…” he got out before she cut him off.
“No! I’m sorry Josh but I’ve got to do this. My father is hurt and sick and if he doesn’t get the medicine I have he could lose his leg or die! I know we said we wouldn’t make contact but this is too important!”
“Alex, will you shut up for a minute?! I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to back you up! Of course you have to help your dad. Jeez, any of us would have done the same. I was just pissed that you tried to do it alone!”
Alex took a step back and looked away. She was feeling somewhat foolish that she hadn’t given her friends more credit. Turning back to Josh, she gave him a sheepish shrug before grinning.
“So, let me get this straight, they sent the bull crashing through the china shop to come to my rescue? I mean, I could hear you coming from a mile away!”
Josh crossed his arms across his chest and gave her a baleful look. “Well, I was a little worried I wouldn’t get here in time!” he said in frustration before looking around with concern. “Emily told us Dr. Mack said he didn’t think they patrolled. Have you seen any guards?”
Alex shook her head. “No. They seem pretty confident with everyone locked in the barn. I guess no one would try anything with their families being held in town anyway.”
Josh looked relieved that his loud approach hadn’t given them away. “So, what’s your plan?”
“Nothing too elaborate. I’ll climb the hay elevator and go in through the hayloft opening, hand over the supplies, give my dad a hug and then get out. I won’t be in sight of the house at all so I shouldn’t have any problem.”
Josh nodded in agreement. “Okay, I’m going to take cover behind the woodshed so I can see the barn and the house. If someone comes out while you’re climbing, I’ll give a bird call and if they come out while you’re in the barn, I’ll book it over and knock on the back wall. You should just try and hide inside if anything happens. We still want to keep the element of surprise if we can, so just shooting these guys isn’t in the cards unless we get desperate.”
Alex kneeled down and opened her pack and started to pull her supplies out. “Yeah, about that - I have a better idea. Instead of you making a sound like a bird is being tortured, how about you just call me?” she said as she pulled out two of the handheld radios and handed him one.
Josh took the radio in surprise and flicked it to life. The soft green glow reflected off his shocked face and his expression changed to delight.
“Right ON! Where did you get these? Never mind, tell me later!” he exclaimed as he flipped through the channels.
Alex just smiled as she turned her own radio on and set the channel before clipping it to her belt. She pulled the other six radios out of her pack to make it lighter. She didn’t want to lose these precious resources if she was caught, so she put them under the same tree she had just hidden under, stowing her rifle as well. They could grab them on their way out if all went well. She shrugged her pack on and tightened the straps so it wouldn’t move too much while she was climbing. Once she was ready, she gave Josh a thumbs up and turned to go. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Listen, Alex, if it all goes to hell, just use the gun and get out of there. We’ll figure out a way to free our people no matter what, so don’t let them take you. Okay?”
Alex’s face was stone dead serious when she replied. “Don’t worry, Josh. I’ll kill them all if I have too.”
Josh felt a shiver run down his back at her words and tone. They’d been through so much in the last month and it had changed them all. Alex had always been a firecracker but now she was a little bit scary, too. As he rushed to get into position, he hoped that she wouldn’t suffer long-term damage by the things they’d been forced to do. Sadly, he knew that in the coming days they might have to do much worse.
Alex stood at the edge of the trees and watched the dark outline of her friend dash across the open ground until he disappeared behind the shadow of the woodshed. She waited until she could just make out his arm waving her forward and took off like a shot, streaking the hundred-or-so yards to the back of the barn and stopping with her back against the old boards. She closed her eyes and listened to the night around her. She could make out a faint murmur from inside the barn, but the rest of the yard was silent.
Alex crept along the back wall of the barn, towards the slide-like hay elevator. She stopped directly under the hayloft door that was high up on the barn wall, then moved underneath the elevator and away from the barn until it was low enough to the ground that she’d to go around to the side of it. Being as quiet as she could, she rolled over the lip onto the conveyor belt and froze. Still hearing only silence around her, she rose up onto all fours and started to climb. The
metal creaked and flexed under her, sounding loud to her anxious ears, but she kept going. She was moving so slowly that it seem like she was making any progress. Her mind flashed back to all the times she’d run up this very elevator, using the round metal rollers like a fun balance beam. As she got closer to the barred loft door, she wondered if she’d ever be able to see her home without the taint of what these men had done to it.
Alex reached the top of the elevator and lifted the first two by four from the newly installed brackets. She placed it in front of her knees, balancing it across the metal rails of the elevator and repeated the move with the second. She would have to bring the boards into the loft with her so they wouldn’t fall to the ground and then replace them when she left so the guards wouldn’t know that anyone had been through it. Grasping the handle on the door she used slow, steady pressure to pull it open. The hinges on the door made a racket when opened too fast.
Alex froze in confusion and panic when the door only moved a fraction of an inch and would go no further. She tried again with the same result. Leaning her head against the cool metal of the door, her brain tried to process what to do next. She’d told Dr. Mack to make sure the latch was unhooked. Why hadn't he done it? She stayed that way for a full minute wondering if she should abort her plan when a picture of her father in pain flashed through her mind. Alex gritted her teeth in anger. This door would not stand in her way of helping her dad.
Keeping one hand on the frame to keep her balance, she worked her other hand into her pocket and came out with a Swiss army knife. She got the longest blade open and leaned her upper body against the frame. Using one hand to move the door, she slid the blade in her other hand into the thin opening. Alex pictured the latch on the other side in her mind and slid her blade until it made contact with the metal latch. Using gentle pressure, she pushed at the latch while wiggling the blade as much as she could. She didn’t want to snap the blade off so she couldn’t push too hard. Alex felt like she’d been working on the latch for an hour and her fingers were starting to cramp. She felt tears of frustration build behind her eyes and was about to give up when she felt the latch give.
She held her breath as she gripped the handle and once again tried to pull it open. A sob of relief almost escaped her when the door moved an inch. Moving the door a fraction of an inch at a time to keep it as quiet as possible, she made a gap wide enough to slide the two boards through. Once they weren’t in danger of falling to the ground, she inched the door open enough to squeeze through with her pack. Alex took a quick look around the loft and saw hay bales but no people. There was dim light coming from the bottom of the barn, but only silence greeted her. She had one panicked thought that the guards were down below, waiting for her to show herself, but she shook it away and trusted Josh to alert her to any danger. Even so, once the loft door was closed again, she unholstered her gun and crept on soft feet to the rail that overlooked the main floor of the barn.
Swallowing past a bone-dry throat, she leaned over the rail and peered down into the dim light of the main floor. This time a gasp did escape her. At least sixty men were packed together and all of them were staring back at her.
Vertigo struck her and she stepped back with dizziness. A low murmur came from the men below before a harsh voice shushed them. She could hear the men shuffling around below her before a quiet voice called her name. Alex’s hands were slick with sweat as she clutched her gun and she stepped forward and looked down again. The men had made a small clearing, and in it stood Dr. Mack. His face was full of concern as he stared up at her.
“It’s okay, Alex. It’s just us in here,” he called up quietly.
Alex scanned the men’s faces anxiously. She recognized quite a few of them but didn’t see her father.
“You didn’t unlatch the door.”
Dr. Mack shook his head, “I didn’t have time to tell you earlier. There’s no way to get up there. They took the ladder out. You’ll have to drop down whatever you brought for your dad.”
Alex was feeling very nervous with all the men watching her. She wanted to see her dad and she didn’t understand why he hadn’t shown himself yet. She had a panicked thought that he was dead and Dr. Mack just didn’t want to tell her.
“Where is he?!” she demanded.
Dr. Mack held up his hands in a calming gesture at her tone, “He has a fever and he’s sleeping. He doesn’t even know you’re here, Alex.”
Before Alex could respond she saw someone push his way through the crowd to the doctor. She recognized her old gym teacher, Mr. Beck. The man was built like a bull and moved easily through the packed men as they made room for him. When he got to the doctor he launched into a tirade.
“What is this, Mack? Why didn’t you tell us you had talked to this girl? Are you trying to get all of our families killed?” he asked, red-faced and outraged.
Alex wasn’t going to come this far without seeing her father and she had to try and defuse the situation before Mr. Beck gave them away with his loud voice so she called out to them.
“I’m coming down!”
As she walked along the rail, Alex thought it might be a good thing that her dad wouldn't be able to see what she was about to do. This wouldn’t be the first time that she had pulled this stunt, and if he ever caught her, she knew he would kick her butt black and blue.
When she was even with one of the central support beams that ran across the barn, she threw her leg over the rail and climbed over until she was standing on the one-foot wide surface. Her arms out for balance, she stepped away from the rail and calmly walked out over the heads of all the men looking up. Alex kept her eyes on the rope tied to the centre of the beam and confidently walked to it. The end of the rope had been looped up and wrapped around the beam. The other end of the rope was attached to a thick metal pulley. Her father used the rope and pulley system to hang game carcasses for butchering. Balancing carefully, she lowered herself to one knee on the narrow beam, unwrapped the rope, and dropped it down to the floor. She checked that the thick knot on the other end was tight and secured against the pulley with a hard yank. Once she was sure it would hold, she dropped down onto her belly on the beam and slid off the side so only her upper body was still on the beam. Using her legs, she hooked the dangling rope between her feet and swung an arm over to grab the rope. After that, it was a quick slide down to the floor using her feet as brakes to spare her hands from rope burn. She felt hands steady her and had the floor under her feet in no time.
Alex looked around and was intimidated by all the men looking back at her. She was at a loss for words and was starting to get nervous when Dr. Mack pushed through the crowd and took her arm.
“You do know that you aren’t invincible, don’t you? That was a crazy stunt, but now that you’re down here let me take you to your father.”
As Dr. Mack pulled her through the crowd, she scanned the faces of many gaunt and tired men. Many of them were smiling at her but there were also faces that were frowning and a few that even looked hostile. Dr. Mack was leading her towards the small office her dad kept at the end of the stalls. Now that she was here, and so close to seeing her dad after all this time, her anxiety was increasing. She’d been through so much on their journey home, and in a lot of ways, felt that she was a different person. Having killed men had changed and hardened her, and she was almost afraid to face her father. They were steps away from the door leading into the office when Alex felt her other arm being grabbed and she was spun away from Dr. Mack, coming face-to-face with her old gym teacher, Mr. Beck. His face was bright red, eyes angry, and his grip was painful on her arm.
“Alex Andrews, what do you think you’re doing?! This game you’re playing could get all of our families killed!” he spat out bitterly.
Alex tried to pull her arm away from him, but he just tightened his grip and gave her a small shake, so she looked into his face and tried to calm him down.
“Mr. Beck, I know this isn’t a game. I’m well aware of what is happenin
g to our town and how careful we have to be. I’m not alone here and I have people watching the house. I’m here to see my father and give him the medicine I brought for him. I also have some things for the rest of you. If you will just let me go, I’ll talk to you and everyone else after I’ve seen Dad.”
Mr. Beck didn’t seem to care what she said and bullied on.
“Who are you with? How many? Is it the army? I want to talk to whoever is in charge!” he said loudly.
An intense anger filled Alex. Here she was, risking her life, partly to try to help this man, and all he was doing was hurting her. After all the care she took to get in here undetected and this loudmouth was going to have the guards opening the door at any minute. She tried one more time to free her arm and when he yanked on it even harder, she snapped. Gritting her teeth against the pain and her anger, she used her free hand to pull her gun from its holster and drew it, pointing it straight at his head. Mr. Beck’s eyes widened in shock but he didn’t let go of her arm.
“How dare you point a gun at me? You little brat! You probably don’t even know how to use it!” he said with contempt.
Alex was so sick of being patronized by adults. She hadn’t felt like a kid in forever and the voice that came from her didn’t sound like the voice of a child. It was filled with cold hard steel.
“With all due respect, Mr. Beck, I was in California when the lights went out and I’ve had to kill more than ten men to get this far. I know how to use this gun. You need to let go of my arm, take a step back and shut your big mouth. If those guards come in here because of you, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your brain before I kill them!”
Mr. Beck’s mouth gaped open in shock but before he could respond, a new voice rang out in the dead silence that had filled the barn after Alex’s warning.
“You have three seconds to take your hands off my daughter before I tell her to go ahead and shoot.”
Alex kept her eyes on her target but her heart swelled with joy at the sound of her father’s voice. Mr. Beck must have seen something in Alex’s eyes that convinced him because he dropped her arm and stepped back. She continued to stare coldly at the man until he dropped his gaze. Only then did she holster her gun and look around at all the other men staring back at her.
STRANDED: Box Set: Books 1-6 Page 51