Dark Days | Book 2 | Retribution

by Davis, James

  Inside he found a bag of cat food in the pantry and poured some into a small dish along with some water out of the bottle he was drinking. The cat darted to the food and began eating it like it was starving to death. Bear watched this and felt sorry for the animal. How long had it been stuck out there with nothing to eat? Bear thought as he watched it wolf down the food and then the water.

  “You got a name kitty?” Bear asked as he picked the cat up and started petting it again. It started to purr in Bear’s arms as he stood there rubbing its head and back.

  “I think I’ll call you Harley.” Bear said as he stepped back outside and stood next to Clay’s bike. He set the cat down and walked back out toward the road, the cat right on his heels. When he stopped at the end of the driveway the cat just trotted on past and disappeared into the night.

  “I just got used by a damn cat.” Bear said, shaking his head with a chuckle. He stood there for a few minutes looking around and then turned to walk the property line. Not seeing anything out of place he headed back toward the house. The next day they were packing up and getting ready to leave. Clay handed the key to his bike over to Bear.

  “Don’t hurt my baby!” he said glancing over at the bike for the last time.

  “It’s not like you can’t just go get a brand new one.” Bear said.

  “I probably could, but I traded a good man some stuff for that one and I would like to have it back as soon as this shit show is over with.” Clay replied.

  “Alright man, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it.”

  “Good man. Now let’s go handle our business.” Clay said with a firm pat to Bear’s shoulder. They pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road toward the farm. A few minutes later they were on foot walking toward the back fence they had been on the previous day. The fence ran right along the wood line and they were able to stand back in the woods a way to not be seen.

  “You see the barn over there?” Hank asked.

  “I do.” Bear replied.

  “That’s where I want you to hide that coffee can. Dig a hole right up against the fence big enough for it to fit in and leave the top a half an inch above the ground to keep any rain water out of it. We’ll sneak out here around dark every Saturday night if we can.” Hank said, still pointing behind the barn.

  “Alright, don’t worry about a thing out here. Just get in there and keep your family safe.” Bear said holding his hand out to shake. Hank grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug.

  “Thanks man! You’re a damn good friend for doing this.” He patted Bear on the back and then released his grip. Clay stepped up and did the same.

  “Thanks Bear.” Bear waved them off.

  “No problem guys. Now get in there and find your family before we get busted out here.” He said before shouldering his pack and heading back out the way they had come in.

  “You think he’ll really come back with help and weapons?” Clay asked.

  Hank nodded.

  “Yeah I do. He could have killed us both back at the store but he didn’t. He took us in and fed us, so yes, I do think he will be back, and it will probably be with a damn army!” Hank replied. Clay shouldered his own pack and then looked over at Hank.

  “I sure hope you’re right.” he said before turning and heading around the fence to the front gate.

  Chapter Ten

  “Get your damn hands up and get on the ground now!” A loud voice sounded through a megaphone. Clay and Hank put their hands up high as they approached the front gate to their old home.

  “I said get your asses on the ground now!” The voice shouted again. They dropped to their knees and then down to their chests with their hands still stretched out away from their bodies. Several blue hat soldiers came running out and dropped down on top of them, jamming knees in the back of their necks and twisting their arms hard behind their backs. They clamped a set of handcuffs on each of them and then stood them both up.

  “Who are you and why are you here?” A man with a thin mustache and sideburns that would make Elvis proud said.

  “They call me Daddy and I’m here to fuck your mom.” Clay said to the man with a smile plastered on his face. Wham! The man slammed a fist into Clay’s gut.

  “Man, cut that shit out! We’re not here to fight with these people!” Hank scolded. Clay looked over at him with the smile creeping back onto his face. Hank started to shake his head no, but was quickly hunched over gasping for a breath after the soldier slammed a fist into his gut as well.

  “Look, I’m sorry about my friend here. We’re just hungry and we need your help.” Hank said.

  “Your friend needs to mind his tongue from now on, or I cut it out of his fucking mouth and make you eat it!” The soldier said pointing a long blade at Clay and then to Hank.

  “He will! I’ll make sure of it.” Hank said. The soldier considered this and then turned to one of his partners and said.

  “Put them in the fields with the rest of the filthy trash. We’ll send them out to the refinery in a few days.” With that, the soldiers escorted them inside the perimeter.

  Bear grunted as he tossed the final tree limb over the Jeep. He stepped back to look at his work and nodded when he saw that it was sufficiently hidden. He climbed on the bike and hit the ignition switch and listened to the deep rumble of the large v-twin engine. He twisted on the throttle a couple of times, the classic roar of the Harley plastering a smile on his face as he dropped it into gear and slowly took off down the road.

  Where the hell am I going to find weapons and people to fight these assholes? Bear thought as he cruised down the road, taking curves a lot faster than he could in a car. As he rolled onto a straight stretch that seemed to go on forever, he spotted something way off in the distance. The closer he got the clearer the image became. A roadblock was set up across the road with a dozen or more people behind it. He brought the bike to a stop a couple of hundred yards away and thought about what to do. He stared at the surrounding landscape, tall trees swaying in the breeze as he thought about his next move.

  If these people are hostile, I’ll never make it out of there alive, he thought, running his hand through his hair. He decided to take a chance. He didn’t have the luxury of time on his side for this mission and he needed as many people as he could get. He eased out on the clutch and slowly made his way down to the roadblock and stopped the bike far enough away that he might have a small chance to get away if these people turned out to be hostile.

  As he leaned the bike over on its kickstand, a single man stepped around the mass of cars and started toward him. Now Bear was on edge. He glanced around the area making sure no one else was sneaking up on him and then turned back to the approaching man.

  “Can we help you?” The man said, stopping about twenty feet away. Bear looked at the man, he had a thick mop of salt and pepper hair under a colorful welders cap. His unshaven face was dimpled with acne scars and his dingy beard seemed to sway in the light breeze.

  “I don’t know, are you folks keen to helping random strangers on the road here?” Bear replied. The man shook his head.

  “No sir, we ain’t, but seeing as you’re not wearing one of those damn blue hats and you don’t sound like one of those bastards, so we are willing to make an exception if the need should arise.” Bear watched the man’s face for any hint of deception, but saw none.

  “So, I take it you and your people aren’t very fond of those bitches in blue?” Bear asked. The man chuckled.

  “No, we try to kill as many of them as we can when we see them. They got a camp full of people they are holding prisoner not too far from here.” Bear saw his opportunity and went for it.

  “That’s actually why I didn’t just turn around and haul ass away from here when I saw you folks. I need help taking that camp down. My friends and their families are stuck in there and I aim to get them out.” The man seemed to consider this before he turned to look back at his group. He raised a thumb up in the air at them, and then tur
ned back to Bear.

  “Why don’t you hop on your scooter there and follow me. There is someone you should meet inside.” he said before turning and walking back to the roadblock. Bear stood there watching the man as he walked away and thought about what he was about to do. He didn’t have a choice. This was his best chance of finding enough people to take down the U.N. soldiers and get the farm back for his new friends.

  He climbed on the bike and followed the man back to the roadblock. The man stopped next to an old beat up truck and got in. A few minutes later they were pulling up to the curb outside of an Eagles Club. Bear shut the bike off and climbed off.

  “Hey what’s your name? I never got it back there.” he said, moving to catch up to the man as he climbed up the stairs to the large red brick building. The man stopped at the top of the stairs and stuck his hand out.

  “Name’s Earl, nice to meet you.” he said with a crooked grin. Bear took the man’s hand in a vice-like grip and shook it firmly.

  “My friends call me Bear,” he replied. The man nodded once, before he continued.

  “Bear, you’re about to meet the leader of our little outfit here. His name is Johnny and he hates those damn blue hats with a passion!” Earl said, giving Bear a firm pat on the shoulder.

  “Do you guys get a lot of visitors here?” Bear asked as they stepped up to the door. The man did a series of knocks before answering.

  “Not since those damn blue hats took over the Stantons’ place. The majority of them get snatched up before they get this far down the road.” Earl said. Seconds later, Bear could hear the locks disengaging. The door opened and Earl walked inside like he owned the place. The man at the door waved Bear inside and then closed it behind him. The foyer opened up into a large room that had a full bar on one side and a small stage on the other.

  “This is where we have our town hall meetings every week.” Earl said waving a hand at the large room. Bear looked around and then turned toward the sound of hard-soled shoes coming his way.

  “Hey Johnny, how’s it going?” Earl said, moving to greet the man.

  “Pretty good Earl, how ‘bout yourself?” Johnny replied.

  “Oh, you know, same old, same old. Listen, I brought someone I want you to meet.” Earl said, turning back to point at Bear. Johnny smiled and stuck out his hand.

  “Johnny Stricklin.” Bear smiled back and shook the man’s hand. He had thick black hair slicked straight back with slavic features and wore jeans, cowboy boots, a white t-shirt and a light jacket. He looked the man over and said.

  “My friends call me Bear.”

  “Well Bear, what can I do for you?” Johnny asked. Bear chuckled as he responded.

  “Ok, straight to business then.” Johnny laughed.

  “Yes sir, I don’t like to waste time. Do you want a drink?” Bear followed Johnny and Earl over to the bar on the far wall.

  “Yeah I’ll have one. You have any Jameson back there?” Bear asked. Johnny and Earl began to laugh.

  “Do we have any Jameson. Bear, we have just about any kind of drink you could ask for. How about a thirty-year-old scotch instead?” Johnny asked.

  “Sure, as long as you’re buying.” Bear replied with a chuckle. Johnny nodded and then stepped behind the bar. He grabbed three small glasses and set them out on the counter before going under the bar and pulling out a dusty bottle of amber liquid. Bear couldn’t make out the words on the bottle, but he was sure it was exactly what Johnny had said it was. Johnny poured them all a drink and set the bottle on the counter. Bear took a sip and then looked at the cup and then back to Johnny.

  “That is some damn fine scotch!” Johnny nodded his head and then set his glass down on the bar.

  “So, Bear, what’s on your mind?” he asked. Bear finished his drink and set the cup back on the counter.

  “Well, there is a problem that you and I both share, and that’s the blue hats. I want to take them out and get that farm back. I have two of my guys, Clay and Hank, inside…” Johnny cut him off with a wave of his hand.

  “Wait, wait, wait, did you say Clay and Hank as in Clay and Hank Mitchell?” Bear nodded emphatically.

  “You know Clay and Hank?”

  “Well, not personally, but most of us here were at the airport the day Sharp showed up and grabbed them.” Johnny said, finishing his drink. He set the cup down and poured himself another and held the bottle up to Bear.

  “Want another one?” he asked. Bear held up a hand, declining the offer.

  “No thanks, I have way too much to do. I start hitting it hard it’ll never get done.” Johnny set the bottle down.

  “Well it’s there if you change your mind. Now, where were we?” Bear cleared his throat.

  “I was telling you about Clay and Hank getting inside the camp.” Johnny nodded with a mouthful of scotch.

  “MMHMM MMHMM, yeah that’s right. Go ahead.” he said with a grimace after gulping down the scotch. Bear chuckled at the expression that crossed Johnny’s face.

  “Smooth isn’t it?” Johnny laughed.

  “Yeah man totally!” he said as he smacked his chest a few times. Bear went on to explain what he knew about the White House and how they escaped, and met him. He told him about Ashley getting murdered, and everything that happened afterwards. Johnny stayed silent the entire time just nodding and listening intently. When Bear finally finished he grabbed the bottle of scotch and poured himself one more small drink and gulped it down. The amber liquid burned all the way down causing Bear to cough a few times.

  “Strong stuff.” Johnny nodded and said.

  “So, what do you need me to do?”

  “We need warm bodies and guns.” Bear said, standing up to stretch his back.

  “I got the people, but we don’t have much in the way of guns and ammo. I know a guy that can help with that, but it’s going to cost us a pretty penny.” Johnny replied as he finished another drink. He set his glass down and stood up next to Bear. “Let’s go give him a call on the HAM.” Bear followed them into a different room that had a large radio sitting on a makeshift table made out of saw horses and an eight-foot piece of plywood. The radio was hooked up to a car battery and an old white-haired man sat in front of it twisting knobs and turning dials.

  “Gene, do me a favor and get Roger on the line please.” Johnny said, patting Gene on the shoulder. Gene grumbled something under his breath about breaking off some fingers if Johnny put his dick beaters on him again, and then he started to speak into the mic.

  “Roger, this is Eugene. You copy?” Static filled the room for a few seconds and then a gravelly voice came through loud enough to blow the speaker causing Bear and Johnny to jump.

  “Go for Roger.” Gene started to laugh and Johnny slapped the man on his arm.

  “Jackass! You did that on purpose!” Johnny scolded. Gene continued to chuckle.

  “Yeah, yeah I did.” he said before grabbing the mic and replying.

  “Hey Roger, Johnny needs a word with you.” Gene said, handing the mic back to Johnny.

  “Roger, it’s Johnny.”

  “I sorta figured that after Gene said you wanted to talk to me.” Roger replied.

  “Yeah, yeah, listen, I need a meeting with you in person. Too sensitive to discuss over the radio.” Johnny said. Static filled the room again. After a minute of this, Johnny worried he wasn’t going to get back on the radio. Finally, after almost a full minute, the radio crackled back to life.

  “Copy that John, be at my place at noon the day after tomorrow. Roger out.” Bear looked at Johnny.

  “The day after tomorrow? That won’t work! Tell him it has to be no later than tomorrow.” Johnny shook his head, as he handed the mic back to Gene.

  “No can do my friend, once he says Roger out you might as well just accept it or not get a meeting with him at all.” Bear’s incredulous stare caused Johnny to chuckle.

  “I’m serious. If you try to contact him again about the same thing, he’ll shut you down and tell you to go
fly a kite.” Bear shook his head.

  “We have to find someone else then. This can’t wait that long. We need all the time training we can get with those weapons.”

  “I’m sorry Bear. There is no one else. We’ll have plenty of time for training the rookies. There are only a few of those anyway. Most of my men have been in the shit more than once.” Johnny stated. Bear glanced over at the radio once more and then back to Johnny, who was shaking his head. Bear accepted defeat and then decided to make the best of it.

  “Let’s go meet your men then.” Johnny smiled.

  “Now that I can do. Thanks Gene. C’mon Bear, let’s go meet the boys.” Bear followed him back through the building and out the front door. Earl sat on the step smoking a cigarette and talking to a large black man.

  “Earl, go round everyone up. I want them all to meet Bear here.” Johnny said giving his shoulder a solid pat.

  “Alright, no problem.” Earl said bobbing his head. Twenty minutes later, a group of men stood at the bottom of the steps as Johnny announced the reason for the gathering. After everyone was up to speed, they all went back to what they were doing. Bear watched them leave and then looked at Johnny.

  “So how many men was that?” Bear asked. Johnny shrugged.

  “Around thirty or forty I believe. More if Roger decides to help us.”

  “I don’t know how many blue hats are at the farm but I’d like to have at least fifty, sixty men, plus the ones at the farm already before we try to take them out.” Bear replied.

  “I know, but we get what we get. We’ll have to make it work.”

  “I guess so.” Bear said. Johnny turned and headed back inside and then stopped to look back to Bear.

  “You might as well come have another drink. Not like you got anything to do now.” Bear shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Might as well.” he said, following Johnny back inside.

  Chapter Eleven

  Clay and Hank were shoved into a dingy olive drab tent and told to strip. Both men did as they were told, looking less than thrilled about it. A soldier retrieved both sets of clothes and stuffed them into a large, clear plastic bag before zipping it closed and leaving the tent.