The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10

by Jacqueline Druga

  Dr. Morris stood up.

  The sergeant extended his revolver point blank at Dr Morris’s head.

  George was gruff and cold when he stared at Dr. Morris. “Did you know Dr. Dean Hayes from Harvard?”

  “I, uh . . .” Dr Morris stuttered.

  “Answer it!”

  “Yes. I taught him.”

  George took a slow breath. “You have served the Society well. Because of that you have one chance and once chance only to save your pathetic life. Did you cover up Frank’s amnesia because you knew of the connection to the two?”

  The fear dropped from Dr. Morris’ face. He stood tall. “Yes.”

  “Shoot him”

  “Dean come on.” Frank beckoned. “Is it or is it not gonna work?”

  “I don’t know, Frank.” Dean shrugged as he filled the syringe. He capped it. “It worked on the rabbits and Lt. Murphy but it didn’t work on . . .” A single gunshot startled Dean and he dropped the syringe.

  “Shit.” Frank looked up when he heard the shot. His hand reached down for the syringe. “We have to get out of here.”

  No sooner did Frank speak those words and he and Dean moved to the lab door, it opened. Eight armed SUTs marched in along with one Society sergeant and Leonard.

  Frank’s hand reached quickly for his revolver. “Get down, Dean!” Just as he pulled it out, the SUTS swung their aim at Dean. Frank stopped.

  George walked in the room. “Put it down, Frank.”

  “Fuck you.” Frank aimed directly at George.

  “You have one shot at me,” George said calmly, “then you and Dean will go down. Put down the weapon.”

  “You won’t shoot Dean. You need him. And as for you . . .” Frank’s thumb pulled down the hammer. “If it’s between you and me. I’d rather die than see you walk.”

  “Don’t test me, Frank! Don’t!” George yelled. “You wanna try it? Go ahead! Put down that gun now or I will order them to shoot him.”

  Frank shifted his eyes quickly. “You won’t shoot him.”

  “Test me. Take that chance.”

  Dean breathed heavily, looking at the rifles all pointed at him. “Take the chance, Frank. Kill him.”

  “Frank, put down the gun now!” George ordered.

  Frank did not.

  George snarled and looked to his SUTs. “Shoot him.”

  The pumping of eight rifle chambers went through Frank.

  “All right!” Frank yelled out and looked at the aim on Dean. He released the hammer and lowered his arm. Immediately the gun was snatched from his hand.

  George pointed the gun at him. “Raise your arms. Now. And put your hands behind your head.”

  Slowly Frank lifted his arms. “Dean, between you and El I have surrendered enough for one fuckin lifetime.”

  “I didn’t tell you to surrender, Frank. You should have killed him.”

  “Then what? Go home and tell El I let them shoot you. No fuckin . . .”

  “Hey!” George yelled and motioned his head to a SUT. “Knock his big ass out.”

  Frank twitched his head, lowered his arms and, before he could react, he felt the butt of a rifle slam against the side of his head. Frank’s eyes rolled and his towering body crashed to the floor.

  George put the gun down. “Four of you men carry him and follow me.” He moved to the door. “Leonard, stay with him until Landers gets back here. Take care of that little fellow, Richie then use Lander’s escort to get to the train station and wait for the other train. We’ll meet you back home.”

  “Wait.” Leonard took a step. “Why don’t we just take them together?”

  “I need them both and I need to separate them now. I have more leverage with them apart.” George stormed out and the four SUTS picked up Frank’s motionless body and carried him out.

  Dean still did not move. He watched the four guns aiming at him and then Leonard turned to face him after George left.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Not often did Henry get so angry that his emotions took over and he became a totally different person. “Ellen!” he barged right into her home.

  “Henry.” Ellen came racing from the back hall.

  “Where is he?”

  “Who?”

  “You took him from the school. Where is Marcus?”

  “I don’t . . .” Ellen saw Robbie and Sgt. Ryder walk in.

  Sgt. Ryder looked at Robbie. “We have to get them out of here. ‘T’ minus ten Robbie.”

  “Henry.” Robbie took a step. “There’s something we have to handle.”

  “I don’t care!” Henry blasted. “Right now, I need Marcus. Where is he, El?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ellen stayed calm. “Now if you’ll excuse me . . .”

  “No.” Henry reached out, snatching her back. “Listen to me. You cracked me in my head, knocked me out. I need Marcus. If he is responsible . . .”

  ‘He’s not.”

  “You’re test results said . . .”

  “The DNA didn’t match up completely, Henry, so the tests weren’t a hundred percent right,” Ellen argued. “Now I am sorry I hit you in your head, but what am I supposed to do? Let you send security to get a child? Let you pick him up? Then what?”

  “We keep him contained until you prove otherwise,” Henry said.

  “No. Bullshit. You know this community.” Ellen hands flew about. “There would be a lynch mob and you know it. I can’t take that chance.”

  “And I can’t take the chance of him running around. Where is he?” Henry asked firmly.

  “I don’t know.”

  “El.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Ellen!” Henry screamed, his face was red. “I’m not fuckin around here, El. Where is he!?”

  “Don’t you take that tone with me. Who the hell do you think you are?”

  Henry clenched his teeth. “Right now I am the leader of this community and the people’s welfare is my best interest. I am sorry if I offend you, but I need Marcus.”

  “You don’t know for sure it’s him.”

  “And you don’t know for sure it’s not! Are you willing to take that chance? Are you! How do you know, El? You know enough to suspect him yet you hide him around your flesh and blood. Four men are dead. Four, El. If I were you, no matter how small the chance, it would be too big of a chance to take around the lives of my kids and one of them is my kid.” Henry calmed down.

  Sgt. Ryder shifted his eyes to Robbie. “Robbie.”

  “Henry,” Robbie called out.

  Henry held out his hand, keeping his stare on Ellen. “I will not let word of this get out. Just let me have him. You do what you have to do now and we will run whatever test we need when you get back. Right now . . . give me Marcus . . . please.”

  Ellen with her arms folded close to her, closed her eyes. “He’s in the back with Joey.”

  “Thank you.” Henry rushed by her to the hall.

  Robbie let out his breath. He turned to Sgt. Ryder. “Elliott, let’s load Ellen and the kids into the Jeep.” He looked at his watch. “It’s ‘t’ minis six . . .” He stopped talking and looked when Henry came back in, holding some sort of cloth.

  “Robbie.” Henry stated firmly. “I want a full scale search. Get every man available out there now! I want every inch of this community searched and covered along with sector thirty-two. We have to find Marcus. He has Joey.” Henry moved to the door in a hurry. As he passed Ellen, he less than gently laid the cloth he held into her chest and then barged out.

  “O.K.” Robbie held up his hand. “Elliott, get Ellen and the kids out and to Miles City. Now! I’ll find Joey.”

  “Got it. El, are the kids in the back . . .” Sgt. Ryder saw her looking at the cloth in her hands.

  Ellen’s face was white and horrified. “What have I done?” She murmured. “Oh God” She closed her eyes. “What have I done?”

  Robbie motioned his head to Sgt. Ryder to get the kid
s. He moved to Ellen. “El.” He reached down and took from her the cloth she held. When he retrieved it in his hands he saw it wasn’t a cloth at all. It was Joey’s white shirt, nearly torn to shreds. A stream of blood streaked it.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  How long had Dean stared at Leonard? A few minutes that seemed like an hour? The turning of the lab door made his heart jump.

  Sgt. Landers walked in. “The Jeep is out front. Are you ready?”

  “There’s something you have to take care of first. That man, Richie Martin. Find him and kill him. Take your men and make sure the job gets done. I’ll get Dr. Hayes to the Jeep.”

  “Are you sure?” Sgt. Landers asked.

  “Look at him.” Leonard pulled out a gun. “I can handle him. Richie’s at the gymnasium now. Go.”

  Sgt. Landers indicated to the four SUTS that still aimed at Dean. They followed him out.

  Dean silently listened to them leave the main lab. He could hear the fading of the boots as they marched down the hall.

  “Let’s go.” Leonard moved his gun, using it as a pointer for Dean to walk ahead of him

  Dean moved slowly, feeling the heat of Leonard’s body so close behind.

  “Move faster. Let’s go.” He nudged Dean.

  “Oh, I don’t think so.” With a tightly clenched fist, Dean stopped cold, spun around and, with everything his small body had, he nailed Leonard in the side of his face with such a force that Leonard’s head flung to the side and his nearly six foot tall body toppled. Instead of running at that second, Dean took advantage of Leonard’s weakened moment. Dean, swung his right fist out, hitting Leonard in the face again, and then swept down his left hand into Leonard’s arm, knocking the revolver loose. Before the gun could hit the floor, Dean grabbed it, straightened it in his hand, stepped back, clicked the hammer, and fired one deadly shot into Leonard. Dean watched the blood splattered from Leonard’s head and the body drop to the floor.

  Stunned, but only for a split second, Dean looked at the revolver. “God, that was such a Frank thing to do.” With Richie on his mind, Dean took off toward the gymnasium.

  Five Society soldiers and then a minute later Dean? Joe watched with his hand on the descrambler. “Where are they going?”

  “Into that building,” Hal answered.

  Joe looked at his watch. “Something’s wrong. We still have three minutes. Fuck it. I’m hitting it.” Joe’s hand moved for the button and he depressed it. The loud bird whistle went off and he and Hal, along with Jess and John, moved in a low running position to the open side gate. Joe pulled out his revolver, staying back, and watched the SUTs at the side gate stop cold. “It worked.” He told them. “Jess you come with m. We’ll go to building ‘B’ where we last saw Frank. Hal, you and John follow Dean. I don’t know if the descrambler got the ones in that building. Take no chance. Let’s go.”

  Rushing armed and ready, Joe, Hal, Jess, and John stormed through the side gate and past the stunned SUTs. But in their determination and drive to make it to the two designated buildings, they never saw the truck with Frank and George, speed through the front gate.

  Richie just had stepped off the ladder from fixing the high overhead light in the deck. The high, gymnasium type building with cement floors was used for indoor drills. No sooner did his foot hit the floor than he heard the far doors open. He turned around to look. Sgt. Landers walked in through them. On either side of him were two SUTs.

  “Hey,” Richie called out nervously. “What’s up?” Richie’s heart raced when, at a steady medium pace, they marched to him.

  “Ready!” Sgt. Landers called out.

  “Huh?” Richie wondered. “Shit.”

  They took two steps and raised their rifles.

  “Aim.”

  Two more steps and the chambers clicked.

  Richie froze. “Oh God.” His eyes closed and opened back up when he heard the slamming of the doors again.

  The aims of the SUTs dropped. They and Sgt. Landers turned around at the intrusion.

  Dean stood there. Ready, he lifted the revolver and fired . . . nothing. “Oh fuck.” Dean looked at the gun then at the men.

  Sgt. Landers knew Dean wasn’t their target. “Repeat.”

  “Shit.” Dean hurled the gun, beaming Sgt. Landers in the head. Then racing as fast as he could, Dean shot his body through the four men, barreled through as if they were bowling pins, startled them some from their firm stance, and knocked himself off his balance. Still running, Dean stumbled and rolled himself up, never missing a beat in his race toward Richie. Dean grabbed Richie’s arm and spotting the door behind them, not ten yards away.

  “Ready.” Sgt. Landers ordered.

  “Run.” Dean pulled at Richie, peering through the corner of his eyes to see the rifles raise.

  “Aim . . . Fi . . .”

  BOOM!

  The clash of metal was heard as the rear doors burst open and through them came Hal and John with guns raised.

  “Fire!”

  Hal dove into Richie, knocking him down and, at the same time, John extended out his gun, raced in the gym, and leaped sideways in front of Dean as he fired out. Shots entailed from the SUTs and Sgt., Landers blasting into John as if he were target practice at the exact same instant he blocked Dean.

  He hit one SUT but John went flying backwards with a rain of blood, knocking Dean to the floor with him.

  Ignoring the bullet that grazed his left arm, Hal rolled himself up to a one-legged kneel and, still holding his gun, he fired. It took six shots but he downed the SUTs and Sgt. Landers.

  From their stare at Leonard bloody body on the floor, Joe and Jess both lifted their heads to the sound of distant rapid gunfire.

  Joe immediately bolted to the door. “Let’s go.”

  Jess raced out after him.

  In the quiet blood bath of a gymnasium, Dean counted six shots John had taken. On the deck floor, Dean knelt by John’s trembling body. He held his hand over the stomach wound that seemed to bleed the most.. John’s blood seeped over Dean’s fingers. “Hold on.”

  John’s eyes were barely opened but they made contact with Dean’s. “Fr . . . Frank.”

  Out of breath, Dean raised his eyes to Hal. “They . . .”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Joe and Jess came racing through the back door.

  “Dear God.” Joe slowed down his run, seeing what had happened, seeing John Matoose lying on the floor. “We can’t find Frank.” Joe couldn’t take his eyes off John.

  Dean looked up to Joe. “They took him.”

  “Where?” Joe asked.

  “To the train station.”

  Hal put his gun away. “Where’s that?”

  Dean shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “I do,” Richie said. “I can show you.”

  Hal smiled. “Good, Richie.”

  Dean still held his hand on John. “You know him?”

  “Of course.” Hal gave a quirky smile. “Dad, look it’s Richie.”

  “Hey, Mr. Slagel.”

  “Goddamn.” Joe twitched his head. “We’ll have the happy reunion later. Right now we need to get Frank. Take us, Richie.”

  Dean turned his head to Richie. “There’s a Jeep right outside the lab building ready to go.”

  Richie stood up. “Let’s go then.”

  Hal, Jess, Joe and Richie began moving to the door.

  Joe stopped. “Dean. Let’s go.”

  “I’m not leaving him. I have to get him to the clinic.”

  “You can’t help him, Dean,” Joe said. “Look at him.”

  “I have to try,” Dean said with passion. “I have to try.”

  “Dean, for crying out loud. Time is not a luxury here.”

  “Yeah it is, Joe. Time is a luxury John afforded me. Every single bullet he took should have been mine and I’ll be damned if I will walk away from him when his heart is still beating, when he is still breathing. I won’t walk away until I give him the ch
ance he gave me.”

  Joe let out a slow breath. “Richie, take Hal. Dean, can you stabilize him in forty minutes.”

  Dean gave an ‘you got to be kidding look’ to Joe. “I . . . I can try.”

  “Try, hell. Do it. Jess and I will take you and him to this clinic. Stabilize him, get what you need so he can survive the trip back home.” Joe turned to Hal. “We’ll meet you at the side gate area and use that Jeep to get to Gillian.”

  “Gotcha.” Hal backed up with Richie. “If you aren’t there, we’ll assume you’re in here. See ya in a bit.” Hal ran to the door.

  “Hal,” Joe called out. “Be careful.”

  Hal nodded.

  “And bring your brother back!” The deck doors slammed and Joe knelt down to the floor. “Let’s go, Jess. Let’s help move him.”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  It had to be the scariest sound Henry heard as he neared the last warehouse that set with its rear entrance flush against a small wooded area. Grunting. Animal grunting. Henry broke a sweat, holding out his gun. He knew that sound well. He leaned against the wall, inching his way slowly to the vocal sound he knew belonged to Marcus.

  He raised his weapon, fearing so much what he would see when he turned to the back of the building. He feared he would see Joey’s body in a sick resemblance to Hank and Marv. The corner of the building grew closer and so did the grunts and then . . . another voice. Joey’s.

  “They’ll think you’re me. It will work.” Joey’s too deep voice spoke.

  Every ounce of tension left Henry’s body and he lowered his gun. He peeked around the bend and saw Marcus and Joey hiding. Joey wore clothes way too big for him. Clothes--that by the giveaway horizontal stripes--belonged to Marcus. And Marcus wore ripped clothing that belonged to Joey. Clothing Joey must have squeezed on him and it ripped in doing so. That explained the shredded clothes and the blood on Joey’s nostril explained the blood on the shirt. Joey’s famous nosebleeds. Henry smiled as he listened to Joey explain how they could get away with him living with Melissa and Marcus living with Ellen. How they really looked alike.