Desperate Times

by Nicholas Antinozzi

  The crowd parted, and a cheer erupted on all sides of them. Jenkins tried to back away, but Jon held him by the arm. “Not so fast,” Jon growled. “You’re a part of this, too.”

  “You see?” said Dr. Benson, turning back to face Ken up on the wall. “They have no problem with that. Stop acting so paranoid, Ken. These are good people out here. Now, open up!”

  Jimmy could see the wheels turning inside Ken Dahlgren’s head. He scanned the crowd, looking for any sign that they might still rush the gate. Jimmy turned and looked. Already people were moving toward the lawn down by the beach, allowing others to help the sick and wounded find a place in the grass. Jimmy returned his attention to the wall. Ken’s eyes seemed to bore straight through him. Reluctantly, Ken motioned to someone below, and Jimmy heard the timber being removed from its cradle.

  “We’re dead,” muttered Jon as one side of the gate began to slowly swing open.

  “Or worse,” answered Jimmy.

  With Dr. Benson leading the way, they followed him inside the compound. Jon held tightly to Jenkins’ arm, nearly pulling him inside. His wife and two children followed. Jenkins looked terrified and clutched the small child to his chest with shaking hands. He’d heard their comments and had seen the terrible look on the face of the man up on the wall. Jimmy thought that’d been enough to scare the wits out of anyone.

  The gate was closed behind them and the log replaced into the cradle. Jimmy watched Ken march down the length of the wall, heading toward the ramp. He looked like he was feeling much better. Or was his overwhelming fury driving him? Jimmy didn’t know. He turned and saw that many of the others had gathered on the patio, keeping a respectful distance from what was sure to come at the gate. To his dismay, Jimmy could see Patty up there, huddled with the rest of them. Paula was there, and Jimmy could tell by the look on her face that she had some words of her own to say. She glared down at him, her arms folded tightly across her chest. God, help me, he prayed to himself.

  “Hello, Ken,” Dr. Benson said, quickly setting his bags down and throwing his arms around Ken before he could reach the others. “It’s so good to see you. You look like you’ve completely recovered!”

  “Cut the crap, Ted,” said Ken, struggling to be free of the powerful embrace. “Let me go!”

  “In a minute,” said the doctor in his soothing voice. “In a minute; first, you have to listen to me.”

  “Listen… hell!” shouted Ken, thrashing against Dr. Benson’s grip. “Look what they did! I sent these two morons out to find you, and look what they brought back? We can’t possibly feed all of these people! Damn it! Let go. Let me at ’em!”

  Jimmy looked for somewhere to run. Jenkins looked ready to do the same thing. His wife and children were pale and shaking with fear. Jon’s ashen face was gleaming with sweat.

  “Just calm down, my friend; take a deep breath…”

  “Wait until I get through with you two. So help me!” Ken shouted; his face contorted with rage.

  Suddenly Jenkins boldly stepped forward. He bent to his knees and gently placed the lifeless-looking child on the lawn at Ken’s feet. The stricken boy looked to be very close to death, his chest rising slowly with shallow breaths. Jenkins stroked the boy’s wispy hair and looked up at Ken. “What would you do if he were your son?” he asked, tears streaming down his face.

  Jenkins’ wife rushed to his side, a sob escaping from her mouth. She brushed the side of the child’s cheek and held her shaking hand there.

  Ken’s face instantly changed. The rage was gone, replaced by unadulterated sorrow.

  “It’s my fault,” said Jenkins. “Those two men said they were going to come back here with a doctor. We’re all that’s left of The Little Chapel in the Woods. Sister Margaret is out there with the others. We had no where to go and no one to help us. What was I going to tell the rest of these people? I’m a Christian man, sir. We couldn’t just leave them all in the woods. That would’ve been too heavy a cross for me to carry.”

  Dr. Benson had released Ken and was already scrambling for his bags. He quickly produced a stethoscope and probed the child’s chest and back with it. He held his large hand over the boy’s forehead, nearly covering his entire face. He shook his head. All eyes were on Dr. Benson and his little patient. He dug inside one of the bags and then in the other. Finally he dumped the contents of both out onto the dew-covered grass. He rummaged through the pile and came away with a vial. He then opened a small box and removed something in a white wrapper. He tore open the wrapper and pulled out a syringe. He plunged the needle into the vial and carefully drew out what he needed. “Okay, dad, I need an alcohol prep pad, there,” he said to Jenkins. “Open it. Mom, I need you to roll your son onto his side and take down his pants. I just need a good chunk of cheek to work with. Do it, now… good. Now swab the cheek, get it nice and clean… good. There we go,” he said, plunging the needle gently into the little boy’s skin. The boy grimaced and started to cry.

  “Thank you, Doctor,” said Jenkins, tearfully.

  “Thank you, so much,” echoed his wife.

  “You’re quite welcome. Now, strip him down into his birthday suit and get him down into the lake. That will cool him down.”

  “No,” said Ken, kneeling down next to the family. “Bring him up to the house,” he said, turning his head up to the porch. “Patty! This boy is burning up with fever! Run him a cool bath!”

  “Okay,” shouted Patty. “Send them up!”

  Ken pointed them in Patty’s direction, and the family scurried away. Dr. Benson bent over and scooped his medical supplies back into the empty bags. They were all quiet until the screen door slapped behind them.

  “Take me to the girl,” Dr. Benson said to Ken.

  “She’s up there,” said Ken, “on the porch. She’s still out of it. See what you can do. I’ve got to talk to these two guys. We’ll be along in a minute.”

  “All right; just remember this, my friend: that little boy would’ve been dead by tomorrow morning if these two men hadn’t sent that family here. Don’t be too hard on them.”

  “Don’t sweat it, Ted. We’re just going to have a little chat. Now, go. I’ll be along in a little while. I’m just going to give these two their next assignment.”

  Dr. Benson nodded, turned and walked up the driveway and began to climb the stairs to the front door. Ken turned to face Jimmy and Jon. He had a strange, satisfied look on his face. He waved them toward the back yard, not saying a word. Jimmy and Jon followed.

  Jimmy gritted his teeth. He had a feeling that their next assignment was going to make their trip to Ely seem like a walk in the park.

  Twenty -Two

  Executive Order 11000: All civilians can be appropriated for work programs controlled by the federal government.

  Ken sat them down at a picnic table on the far side of the lawn. The rising sun had yet to top the trees; the sky was blue and cloudless. They swiped the dew off of the table and benches and sat down, taking the seat across from Jimmy and Jon.

  “Let’s have it,” said Ken, his expression humorless, “from beginning to end. Tell me what happened out there.”

  Jimmy and Jon took turns recounting their journey. They told Ken how they came across Jenkins in the woods, and Jon admitted that it’d been he who had told the man to bring his family here and that they had no idea there was an entire congregation living in the forest. They then explained what they’d witnessed in Ely. Ken’s expression darkened when they recalled how the National Guard had ruthlessly gathered up the people from town, shooting those who resisted and hauling away the rest. They told him about their walk through the hospital and how Dr. Benson had attacked Jimmy in the lobby. Ken laughed at this.

  “You should’ve seen him in high school,” he said. “The best defensive lineman in the state; every college recruited him. He was one mean son of a bitch on the football field.”

  They continued telling their story, repeating what Dr. Benson had said about starting a revolution.
Ken rolled his eyes at this but didn’t interrupt. Jimmy finished by telling Ken what Dr. Benson had said just before they had walked up to the gate: “Say hello to your army.”

  Ken shook his head, his hands balled into fists resting at the edge of the table. Again Jimmy could see that his mind was in overdrive. He never took his eyes off of them, his expression dark.

  “Well,” he said. “There’s not much we can do about it now. They’re here and we’ll have to try and look after them the best we can.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Jimmy. “Have you seen how many people are out there? A lot of them are injured. How can we take care of them all?”

  “I have. We’ve got the last doctor from town, maybe in the entire county. I know him. He’ll do what he can for each one of them. Ted’s right about one thing: we could use an army. Lord knows that we’ve got one now. If we take care of these people and find a way to feed them, I think they’ll stay. Not only that, I think we’ll have won their loyalty. That’s important. As far as Ted’s idea of starting a revolution, that’s just crazy talk. I think he’s been through a lot and needs a little time to sort things out. Don’t you dare tell him I said that to you. Still, I’m not letting the Guard take me without a fight… I say we get ready for them and make them think twice about trying to haul us away. We’ve got to make a stand.”

  “I agree!” said Jon, pounding his fist on the table.

  “All right,” said Ken. “Here’s the plan. You two are going to take charge of that group. I don’t care how you do it, but that’s the way it has to be. I’d suggest that you break them up into groups and assign a leader to each one of them. Sally’s place is empty, so start spreading them out. Get them situated, and then we’re going to have to figure out a way to start feeding them. I hate to say it, but I think you’re going to have to make another trip to Ely for supplies. This time you’ll have to take the Mack.”

  Jimmy took a deep breath and nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was go back into town and step over all of the bloating, dead bodies in the street. Still, he could see that it was the only way they could possibly feed all of the people that had arrived.

  “You’ll need to get some volunteers to go along with you. Make sure they’re armed and ready to fight when you get there. I doubt the Guard got everyone out. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Can we take a nap, first?” asked Jon. “I’m beat.”

  “Me, too,” said Jimmy. “I need some sleep.”

  “Not yet,” said Ken. “The first thing you need to do is get out there and take control. They’re your people now. Make sure they all understand that. We’re a team here—share and share alike. We’re going to have to expand the wall. That’s going to take a lot of hard work. There are a million things that need to be done. Explain that to them. Tell those who argue with you that they’re free to leave. We don’t want them here. Tell them that if they do leave, there’s no coming back. Now get them divided into small groups and assign leaders. Those leaders will answer to you. You both will answer to Ted and me. He’s one smart man, and I trust him completely. After that the two of you can get some sleep.”

  “You want us to do that now?” Jon asked, with wide, bloodshot eyes.

  “Right now,” said Ken, standing up and stretching. “Go.”

  “Can you give me a minute to talk to Paula?” asked Jimmy, as he stood from the table.

  Ken chuckled. “Jimmy,” he said. “You might want to avoid her for a while. She’s been asking a lot of questions, and I don’t think she’s too happy right now.”

  “Oh, crap,” said Jimmy.

  “Cheer up,” said Jon with a grin. “Things could be worse.”

  “How’s that?”

  “It could be raining.”

  “Right,” said Jimmy, without enthusiasm.

  “Let’s go,” said Ken, unable to hide a grin. “Let me give you a little advice, Kid. You’re going to have to make a decision, and soon. One of those gals is going to be hurt. You’ve got to make your choice and stick with it. I want you to do that pronto.”

  “I know,” said Jimmy.

  “I mean that. We’ve got enough trouble around here without your little love triangle. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Jimmy sheepishly. He was a little angry with Ken for that last comment. None of this was his fault. He hadn’t told Paula to go stay with her parents. He certainly didn’t ask them all to leave home with Carl, of all people, and travel all the way up to Ely. On the other hand, he hadn’t invited Julie here either. And he’d done his best to keep their relationship strictly as a friendship. The kiss had been something that had just happened. End of story. He wished that Patty hadn’t seen it. He wondered how many people here knew about that now. Ken probably did, and despite her Christian faith, Patty loved to talk. For all he knew, everybody in the entire group would have heard about it by now. Ken had said that Paula had been asking a lot of questions. Could it be possible that Paula had heard about the kiss? Jimmy didn’t know. He did know that Paula had looked anything but happy up there on the deck. Then again, Julie was seriously hurt and was going to need him to help her recover. How could he explain that to Paula? She’d be furious. Then again, did he care? Jimmy thought he did. He just didn’t know how much. What he did know was that this was his business. Not Ken’s. Not Patty’s. And it most certainly was not the group’s. He’d figure this out on his own time. This was too big a decision to be rushed into.

  As much as he wanted to see Julie, Jimmy forced himself to follow Jon and Ken. He could feel the pressure building with each step. He had no idea of what he’d say, and he had a terrible fear of speaking in public. Combine those two, and it was a recipe for disaster. Thinking of that only made him more nervous. He hoped that Jon would know what to say.

  “Open the gate!” shouted Ken. “Somebody yell down to the people out there. Tell them that I’m sending two men out that need to speak to them!”

  Jimmy stopped next to Jon as Glen Putnam called down to the people outside of the wall. He then watched as the log was removed from the cradle.

  “You’ve got to do all the talking,” whispered Jimmy. “I’m no good at this stuff.”

  “Like hell,” said Jon. “You’d better get good, and you’d better do it now. I’m going to need your help. This crowd could turn on us in a minute.”

  “Thanks, Jon. Thanks for dumping another ton of pressure on me. That’s going to help.”

  “You can do it. I know you can,” said Jon. “Just follow my lead, okay?”

  “I’ll try.”

  They heaved open the gate, and Jimmy and Jon walked out into the crowd gathered outside. Jon paused, staring out into the sea of people. Jimmy stood beside him, and a chill ran down his spine. He didn’t want to be here, not one bit.

  “People!” Jon shouted. “Can I have your attention for a minute?”

  “Jon,” said Jimmy. “Let’s do this next door. There’s a baseball field over there, and that way everybody will hear what we say.”

  Jon nodded. “I want everyone who isn’t attending to the sick or wounded to follow us to the baseball field over there,” he said, pointing to the back of Sally’s vacant resort. This is important, so please head over there if you can! Thank you!”

  “Not bad,” said Jimmy, watching nearly everyone turn toward Sally’s and start walking in that direction.

  “Thanks,” said Jon with a smile. “You’re next.”

  “Funny,” replied Jimmy.

  “Who said I was kidding?” Jon said, seriously. Then he began to follow the crowd over to the baseball field, leaving Jimmy standing at the gate with his mouth open.

  “This is just great,” Jimmy muttered to himself as he slowly followed Jon. He desperately tried to recall how Ken had put this to them. He’d made it all seem so logical. He also tried to remember what Dr. Benson had said. Maybe he’d been right after all? Why couldn’t he and Jon just lay it all out there and tel
l it like it is? What did they have to lose? These people needed a cause; they all did. Taking on the National Guard to avoid capture was what—an act of war? Jimmy didn’t know. If it wasn’t, it was damn close. Why not put it to these people that they were starting a revolution? He thought that it just might work. Suddenly Jimmy was brimming with confidence. He thought of all he’d that been through since he’d seen Ken in his office. This was nothing. He thought of that and also how much he’d changed in such a short amount of time.

  And he thought of Julie. He needed to see her. He prayed that Dr. Benson could help her.

  The crowd assembled in the outfield. They rushed in as if they were being timed. The morning sun casting long shadows on the wet grass. It was going to be a warm day. Jimmy and Jon stood in the sunshine on the small hump in the infield that served as a pitcher’s mound. Jimmy took a deep breath and thought about how to begin. Satisfied, he held up his hands, and a hush came over the crowd.

  “Hello, everyone!” Jimmy shouted to the crowd. “On behalf of the Dahlgrens, I’d like to welcome you all to Freedom Lake!” Jimmy began to clap and the crowd soon joined in enthusiastically.

  “Freedom Lake?” hissed Jon. “What the hell are you talking about? This is Hay Lake!”

  “Just go with it,” quipped Jimmy into his ear.

  Jimmy held up his hands, and the crowd was once again, silent. “The National Guard will be here soon, maybe in a day or two or even a week. They’re going to want to relocate us to one of their refugee camps. How many of you would like to go with them?”

  The crowd went wild. “No!” they cried at the top of their lungs, followed by a long period of booing and hissing. It was obvious to Jimmy that he’d struck a chord.

  He held his hands up again. “I’m glad you feel that way! Because we’re not going with them! Who wants to help us stop them?”

  Again, the crowd’s cheering was ear splitting. Jon looked at Jimmy with wide eyes.

  Jimmy was suddenly aware that he knew exactly what to say and that they’d eat up every word of it. “We’re at war, people. I hate to say that, but that’s the way it is! We have every right to be here, and no one has the right to take that away. We’re not criminals!”