Desperate Times

by Nicholas Antinozzi

  “I understand. Just be careful, baby. Okay?” Julie asked, giving Jimmy one last hug.

  “I will. You, too. I’ll be right back.”

  Jimmy opened the driver’s door to the Mack and shook Paula’s leg. She was lying across the seat. “Wake up, Paula; you’ve got to get away from here for a little bit.”

  “I wasn’t sleeping,” said Paula as she sat up. “I heard you out there. I’m sorry about Jon. He was a brave man.”

  “He was,” said Jimmy, fighting his emotions. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  He stepped away from the cab. He didn’t want to hug Paula and make her a part of this. She’d chosen to isolate herself, to insulate herself from reality inside the cab of the truck. Jimmy had a bad taste in his mouth because of it.

  Jimmy shouldered his rifle and picked up the flashlight. Julie, Paula, and Dr. Benson made their way to the little stand of trees and soon disappeared into the shadows.

  Jimmy headed east across the field, keeping to the edge of the woods. A slight breeze cooled his face which was still raw from his tears. The only sound in the night was the chirping of crickets. He continued on, found the blacktop and continued walking. He didn’t turn on the flashlight until he reached the little summer cabin at the Y in the road. One look told him that it was completely deserted. Like the homes in Ely, the door hung open, and the windows were dark. Jimmy switched on the flashlight and poked his head inside. The cabin was three rooms and looked to have been looted of anything worth stealing. Even with the door open, the little cabin smelled musty and as old as a dead man’s socks. Jimmy rummaged the drawers and soon found what he’d been searching for. Satisfied, he returned outside and walked behind the cabin to a small shed. Here, too, the doors were open wide. Jimmy shined the beam inside, and there in the corner was a long-handled spade shovel. Jimmy went inside to fetch it, and his eyes caught something colorful laying discarded on the dirt floor.

  The sight of the rumpled American Flag laying on the floor like a piece of litter caused the tears to return to his eyes. Jimmy tried to fight the powerful emotion that quelled up inside of him, and he began to breathe in short gasps. He couldn’t fight the hitch in his breathing any more than one could stanch a hiccup. He gave in for a short while and found himself standing in the dark, letting his emotions take over. He found that each round of grief grew a little shorter and made him that much stronger. He picked up the flag and shook it out. He then folded it, wishing that he knew the proper way to do so. He did the best he could, and finally he was satisfied and tucked it under his arm. He then picked up the shovel and began to walk away. He walked at a steady clip, looking up at the stars above, and wondered when his own time would come.

  He thought of Jon. Jon’d died saving his life. Jimmy couldn’t help wondering if his stumble at the top of the wall had caused Jon’s death. He assumed it had, and the shame and guilt burned inside of him. He apologized over and over in his mind. Then with considerable effort, he pushed those thoughts out of his head. Jon would’ve wanted him to do that, he was sure of it.

  True to his word, he was back with the others in the time he’d allotted. He stowed the flag next to the truck as they emerged from the trees. He’d hoped that Ken and the others would have returned, but there had been no sign of anyone. This bothered Jimmy, for they should’ve been back by now. They should’ve returned an hour ago. He shoved that thought aside and planted the spade into the earth next to Jon. Jimmy dug until the hole was three feet deep; then Dr. Benson wordlessly took the shovel from his hands and motioned for Jimmy to step out of the grave. Dr. Benson began to attack the rocky soil, and the air was filled with the sound of the shovel skimming rocks as it bit into the earth. Jimmy stood next to Julie and Paula, watching Dr. Benson work. He hacked at the ground, stopping to lift out large rocks that the shovel couldn’t carry. Soon the Doctor was standing waist deep and looked up to Jimmy.

  Jimmy nodded. That was as deep as they needed to go.

  “Here,” said Jimmy, offering Julie the Bible he’d found inside the cabin. “Would you mind finding something in here that we could say over him?”

  “Not at all. Thank you, Jimmy,” Julie said.

  Jimmy reached down and helped Dr. Benson out of the grave. Slowly they rolled Jon onto the blanket and carefully lowered him into his resting place. Jimmy then returned to the truck and came back with the flag. He handed one end to Dr. Benson, and they draped the American flag over Jon’s body. All the while Jimmy continued to wipe hot tears from his burning eyes. Having finished, Jimmy nodded to Julie. He stood next to the others, and they bowed their heads.

  Julie, holding the flashlight in one hand, and the Bible in the other, began to read.

  Thirty -Two

  Unemployment in the United States reached its highest point in history in 1933, climbing to 25.2%.

  Dawn was just beginning to break in the eastern sky, and Jimmy felt as if his insides were on fire. What had happened to the others? He couldn’t believe that they’d all been captured—or worse. He tried to think of any scenario where they might’ve gotten away. They should’ve been back long ago, and there was no getting around the fact that they had to get far away from where they were. Jimmy walked the path down to the road and back and continued to do so every five minutes.

  They would be coming for them, and they’d be there soon. Jimmy had no doubt about that.

  He’d buried his raw emotions with Jon. There would be time to grieve later he hoped. Jon would want them to continue their fight, and Jimmy wasn’t going to let him down.

  He’d forced the others to get some sleep. They were all going to need their strength. He said he’d wake them at first light and that time had come. They had to move. Somehow they were going to have to decide on a new meeting place, and someone was going to have to wait for the others. That somehow and someone were what weighed heavily on his mind. He cursed his luck. He would be the logical choice to stay behind. He was also the only one who could drive the truck. The truck, along with what they’d loaded up, had become a burden. They couldn’t allow it to fall into the hands of their enemies. There was enough food in there to feed a lot of people for a long time.

  Jimmy continued to pace, contemplating their situation. Leaving Paula here alone wasn’t an option. She’d never consider doing such a thing anyhow. Julie came to mind; she could handle a gun and could be counted on to do what had to be done. The only problem was her condition. Would she be up to it? Jimmy didn’t know. She’d seemed to have recovered from her wound. Still, how could he ask her to do something so dangerous? Was he willing to risk losing her? No. That answer hit him like a left hook. No, it wouldn’t be right to leave her behind, his personal feelings aside. Yesterday she had been flat on her back, and they couldn’t expect her to have the strength to fight or flee those who’d be coming after them.

  Dr. Benson had his code of ethics to contend with. He wouldn’t carry a gun and therefore was useless to anyone if they needed armed support. There was nothing he could do. He’d have to find a compromise. He’d have to load everyone up and drive the truck to another location and then return on foot. He thought that they needed to put at least two miles between them and Ken’s compound.

  Jimmy took one last look down the gravel road. The purplish sky had just begun to hint at the approaching day. He peered out from behind a fat birch studying the relative darkness, listening for anything from that direction. He nodded to himself, satisfied that the road was safe at the moment. He knew it wouldn’t be for long. The time had come. They had to move. He turned and began to walk back to the truck.

  Something crashed in the woods, and Jimmy immediately crouched in a defensive position. He swallowed hard and scanned the murky forest. He suddenly felt too far away from the truck. The sound came again, louder this time, and Jimmy prayed it was Ken and the others.

  Then there was silence.

  Jimmy waited, covering the clearing with his M-16. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. A hawk called from ove
rhead. And there was the sound again; whatever was in there was very close now. He tried not to panic. He’d need to see who he was shooting at. The trouble was that the shadowy form of the truck gave their position away like a neon arrow. If Sister Margaret’s men came upon it, they could simply shoot first and ask questions later. The crunching sound began again, and this time it didn’t stop. Branches snapped and limbs shook. Jimmy gritted his teeth and reminded himself that this could be one of their people. The crashing continued and from the sound of it, whatever it was, was heading directly for the truck. Jimmy quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Suddenly a pair of whitetail deer appeared from out of the gloom. They bounded across the clearing, crossing between Jimmy and the back of the Mack. Jimmy took a deep breath and sighed. He stayed in his crouch for a full minute, trying to catch his breath and slow his heartbeat. He stood on weak knees, smiling to himself. They had to leave and they had to do so now.

  He woke Julie first.

  Julie smiled. She looked good, messy hair, bandaged head and all. Jimmy had a sudden urge to throw his arms around her and plant a big kiss on her mouth. He fought the urge down, just barely. How she’d assisted Dr. Benson the night before while Paula had sat in the truck had really tipped the scales. They were living in a different world—one where things had to be done, no matter if you had the stomach for them or not. Julie could’ve easily declined to help with Jon’s surgery, and no one would’ve questioned her. Julie had stayed with them and had won Jimmy’s heart in the process. He got down on his knees and took Julie’s hand.

  “Good morning,” she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

  “Good morning. How do you feel?”

  “I’m good. Did any of the others show up while I was out?”

  “Nope.”

  “Shit.”

  Jimmy couldn’t pull himself away, and Julie’s gaze never faltered. He returned her stare with one of his own, looking deep into her eyes. The moment was magic and seemed to last for a very long time. And just like magic, the illusion was soon spoiled.

  The door to the truck opened and Paula tumbled out. She missed the step, and fell flat on her back with a thud. “Ouch!” she cried. “Jimmy, help me up!”

  Julie rolled her eyes.

  Jimmy reluctantly turned and hurried over to help Paula to her feet. She had a hurt expression on her face, obviously jealous of Julie’s time alone with Jimmy. He leaned over and reached down for Paula’s hands. Paula suddenly pulled down on him with all of her strength, and Jimmy fell directly on top of her. Paula grabbed him by the back and held him tight. “Oh, Jimmy,” she groaned. “Will you stop it? We’re not alone!”

  “Will you be quiet?” hissed Jimmy. “We don’t know who’s out there,” he said, pointing to the woods. “We’ve got to get going.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” asked Paula. “We can’t leave everyone behind. What about my parents?”

  “I’m going to come back for them. First I’m getting all of you and this truck out of here. Let’s go.”

  “Like hell you are,” spat Paula. “I’m not leaving my parents behind.”

  “Suit yourself,” whispered Jimmy, his blood growing cold. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Paula said, her eyes narrowing into slits. “Fine, let’s go. Have it your way, Jimmy. That’s what you do best.”

  Jimmy wanted to scream. He shook his head and walked away, not wanting to risk a heated argument in their present situation. Paula climbed back inside the cab of the truck and slammed the door. He winced and rejoined Julie who was now sitting up.

  “So what are we going to do?” Julie whispered. “Where do we go from here?”

  “I don’t know,” answered Jimmy, scanning the woods. “I’m going to have to drive all of you a safe distance from here and then hoof it back and go look for the others. They should’ve been back hours ago.”

  Julie nodded and slowly got to her feet. She groaned and held her hand up to her forehead.

  “Are you okay?” asked Jimmy.

  “I’m okay; just a headache. Let’s wake up Dr. Benson. I agree; this place isn’t safe.”

  “You do that, I’ve got to make some room in the back of the truck. Give me five minutes, okay?”

  “No problem,” Julie whispered, grimacing at the effort.

  “Are you sure you’re all right? Maybe Doc has something you could take.”

  “I’ll be fine, I don’t want to take anything and I need my wits about me. Don’t worry, Jimmy. Thanks, though. I do appreciate your concern.”

  Jimmy smiled slightly and studied Julie’s face. Obviously she was still in great pain. Still, he knew she’d do her best to block that out and do what needed to be done. She returned his smile and turned to wake Doc Benson. Jimmy walked to the back of the truck, avoiding Paula’s cold stare.

  He flipped the latch and lifted the door slowly, cringing as the rollers clacked against the door panels. He blinked hard. This was going to be a lot of work. They’d made a mess of things, and there was no way Dr. Benson would fit inside along with everything they’d gathered. He started to unload things, stacking them next to the side of the truck. There was no time to decide what to jettison; that was a luxury they couldn’t afford. He could see Julie and Dr. Benson talking quietly. He hated the thought of loading his friend into the back of the truck. Still, there was nothing to be done for that. Jimmy continued to unload boxes and bags, IV carts and hard-shelled cases of medical apparatus. Finally he was satisfied that there was more than enough room for the big man.

  Jimmy turned and scanned the horizon. The orange sun was just visible through the trees, and slivers of sunlight shone brightly on the dew-covered field; a pair of sharp-tailed hawks circled overhead in search of their morning breakfast. Jimmy was suddenly aware of movement down at the road.

  Burt Sharpen appeared. He was walking slowly in their direction. Jimmy nearly jumped out of his shoes. He ran to greet him, and oddly enough Burt stopped dead in his tracks. He was at least one hundred yards away, just having topped the little rise that led to the clearing. Jimmy continued to run, puzzled now, wondering where the others were. Couldn’t he tell that they were getting ready to leave? Didn’t he sense the looming danger of their proximity to Ken’s compound? Something wasn’t right, and Jimmy slowed to a jog. The closer he got to Burt, the more he didn’t like the expression on his face. He walked the final twenty yards, dreading what Burt was about to say. Burt turned his head, happy to see that no one had followed him. Jimmy walked cautiously up to the big dark-skinned man.

  “You got them out, all three of them?” Burt asked, looking over Jimmy’s shoulder.

  “We did. Jon got hit, twice,” Jimmy said, wiping a fresh tear from his eye. “Doc tried to save him…”

  “Aw, shit,” exclaimed Burt, his dark eyes misting over. “I’m so sorry, Jimmy. Where is he?”

  “We buried him over by the truck. Julie said some words…”

  Burt reached out and took Jimmy into his arms. Again Jimmy fought his emotions. He slapped Burt on the back and pulled away. He needed to know about the others. “Okay, now tell me what happened. Where the hell is everyone?”

  Burt reached over and removed Jimmy’s cigarettes, taking one for himself and offering one to Jimmy. “Here, kid. You’re going to need this.”

  Jimmy fumbled for his lighter and quickly lit both his and Burt’s cigarettes. “Okay, give it to me, straight, Burt. Tell me what happened back there.”

  Burt took a long drag and exhaled slowly, unable to look Jimmy in the eye. He studied his hiking boots which were covered in dried mud. He rubbed one toe over the other, cleaning an area the size of a half dollar. “The Hills are dead, all three of them.”

  Jimmy’s jaw dropped. They couldn’t be dead; he’d just been with them.

  “They surrounded us. Son of a bitch. I should’ve seen it coming. It was just so damn dark… I never even heard them open the gate, not in all the confusion.
We ran, keeping to the shoreline just as we’d planned. I thought we’d given them the slip. I really did. We were all standing together doing a head count. The Hills were just walking up to the road, and well, that’s when they got it.”

  “You’re sure they were dead?”

  “Listen kid, I was over in Nam. They were maybe ten feet away, and they were gone. Trust me, I know these things. What gets me is, why? We hadn’t shot anyone. I made sure that they all understood to shoot high, and that’s just what we did. I don’t get it; they were out for blood.”

  “You shot back?” asked Jimmy, who was somewhere between shock and denial.

  “Damn right. A few had flashlights and were chasing us through the woods. I took out as many as I could. They just kept on coming. We got separated. I had to quit shooting because I didn’t know where anyone was. I stumbled upon an old deer stand, and I climbed up into it. I didn’t think it’d hold my weight, but it did. I stayed up there all night. I heard them when they found Cindy and Rita.”

  Jimmy caught his breath. “Did they take them alive?”

  “I think so. They caught up to Ken and Patty a few minutes later. It sounded like they beat the snot out of the poor guy. I thought they were gonna shoot him. I really did. She was with them. That woman—the bitch. She wanted to know where the rest of us were. Ken wouldn’t talk. None of them did. Well, they marched them out of there, at least that’s what it sounded like to me. I didn’t hear any more shots. I climbed down at first light. They were gone.”

  “What about Carl and the Petersons? Do you think they were captured, too?”

  Burt closed his eyes. “I just left Carl,” he said. “He should be along soon.”