by Dave Conifer
"Yeah, I kind of gathered that," Roethke said over his shoulder as he led Nick through the busy scene.
"It’s not our fault," Nick declared.
"It's a disappointment," Roethke said. "We have a team studying up on solar power, and we wanted the hardware as a starting point. But it can't be helped. It should have been done a long time ago, when we could spare the manpower to do it right." By then they'd reached another house. “But of course we didn’t have our shingle walker yet.”
The door of this house was unguarded; Nick guessed that was because it wasn't external to the compound, and nobody could get that far without authorization. Roethke pulled it open and waved Nick in before following him through the door.
The guard who'd gone ahead a few minutes earlier was waiting inside, standing by a closed door. "In here," he grunted.
"I know," Roethke answered. He reached for the door, but the guard stepped in front of him. "He only wants to see him," he said, nodding toward Nick.
Surprise registered on Roethke's face, but he quickly recovered. "Then I'm not needed here," he announced. Without another word, he turned and left.
~~~
"We need a plan," Matt said as they approached their own houses. "We have ten or fifteen minutes at best."
"More like five," Tom answered. "They'll come straight here."
"They're probably lining up already," Dewey said.
"You’ve got the toughest job right now, Tom," Matt said. "We were already packed. How about you just get your family together and wait out front of your house? We'll get everybody else."
“Okay,” Tom said. “We’ll put the little ones in the wagon. The rest of them will have to hoof it.”
“Cool,” Dewey said. “I’ll go tell Sarah, and we’ll meet you dudes over there.”
~~~
"Nick," Grover said calmly when they were alone. Unlike everybody else at the compound, Grover was as serene as he’d been last time they'd met. The room was empty except for a few metal folding chairs. Grover, who already occupied one of them, reached for another, which he slid in front of him. “Have a seat.”
Nick heard the door snap closed behind him as he sat down wearily. “Thanks,” he replied. “Long night.” He still wasn’t sure if he was supposed to treat Grover like a king, a president, or a comrade.
"So, nobody briefed me,” Grover said. “How did the solar panel job go? Are your people here?"
“The job was a disaster,” Nick said. “I'm lucky to be alive." For the second time in a space of fifteen minutes he explained how it had all gone so wrong. This time he tried to rein in his fury. "So we don't have anything to show for it," he concluded.
"Well, there's a silver lining here," Grover said. "You fought your way out of it. That's the right stuff. We need all we can get of that. It shows that we were right about you."
"It wasn't me," Nick said. "I was just the stiff the heroes had to save."
~~~
According to Dewey’s watch, which still worked despite all that had happened, all three families were on the move toward the Water Tower Compound just nine minutes after they’d come home. Matt took the lead position, mostly because he was the only one who knew where the compound was. Sarah, brandishing the same type of semi-automatic rifle that Matt had, joined him at the front of the column. Ashley and Jenny, neither looking particularly frightened, followed a few steps behind. Each held the hand of one of the older Hellikson kids. Next were Ellie Shardlake and Penny Hellikson, pulling wagons full of the littlest Helliksons and the Shardlake twins. A case of cartridges for the automatic rifles, which Tom had thought to grab back at the Delaney house, rested in the back of one of the wagons.
Tom, who was cradling another of the semi-automatics they’d lifted from Cronin’s dead thugs, and Dewey, who was left with Nick’s Remington, were in the rear. Just before setting out Matt reminded them to watch for trouble in every direction and to have their weapons ready to fire. He felt a lot better about their chances after they were on the road. Cronin would come for them, but he wouldn’t know where to look once they found the empty houses.
~~~
Grover shrugged after hearing Nick’s description of what had happened at the Delaney house. "It's not the end of the world. Is that why you came by? It could have waited."
"No," Nick said. "There's something else. I'm not coming unless you take all of us. You said it yourself. The men who rescued me are the kind of men you need. Well, Tom Hellikson took three or four of Cronin's men out all by himself. And just in time. Turns out he's exactly the kind of guy you're talking about. I just didn't know it yet. I'm not leaving him behind."
"Or his wife and kids," Grover said. "Don't forget about them."
"I wasn't."
"But don’t you see?" Grover asked. "All the people Tom would bring along are the problem."
"Not to me, they aren't," Nick said, folding his arms across his chest.
"You’re no different than the rest of us," Grover said. "Every one of us had to look their best friend or neighbor in the eye and tell them they’re getting left behind. We haven’t been sentimental about this, and we’re not going to start now. We can't afford to."
“I’m not coming, then,” Nick said firmly.
Grover leaned forward, his elbows digging into his knees. “Nick, that would be a mistake. There’s more to this than the weather, and the starvation, and the lawlessness. You’ve been talking to Roethke. What else has he told you?”
“Not much,” Nick answered.
“There’s not much time, so I’m just going to lay this out,” Grover said. “There’s a possibility that somebody’s out there on the borders. We don’t know who, but we know there are a lot of them.”
“What? The borders of what?”
“I’m talking about the East Coast of the United States. There are reports of ships, or submarines, maybe both, up and down the coast. It’s not firm, but it might be legitimate.”
“Reports from who? And who could it be?” Nick asked.
“If anybody knows, they haven’t told us,” Grover said. “Or Roethke, I should say. He’s our liaison with the government.”
“There’s still a government? Why haven’t we seen the military out on the streets?” asked. “Whose submarines are sitting out there?”
“There’s no time right now for this,” Grover said. “We have to get back to work. I’m just trying to make you understand how difficult life would be on your own if you stayed here.”
“But who’s in the submarines? Are they the ones who did this to us?” Nick asked. “Is it the whole country?”
“The military believes it was caused by activity on the sun,” Grover said. “Most of the western hemisphere got fried. The parts of the grid that didn’t disintegrate immediately got blown away by the overload. Nearly all of our country is dark.”
“So who’s on the boats?”
“Nobody knows. But you need to understand that there’s a chance, however remote, that we’re going to be invaded. If that happens, coastal areas like where we are right now will be the first to get hit. So that’s something else you’ll be facing.”
"Invaded,” Nick repeated, trying to wrap his head around what he’d just learned.
“It’s a lot to take in, I know,” Grover answered. “Especially all at once.”
“It’s a lot,” Nick answered. “But it didn’t change my mind.”
Grover stared. “After everything you just heard?”
"I don’t care what the rest of you did,” Nick declared. “I won't turn my back on Tom. Especially after he saved my life tonight. Will you still take the others if I don’t come?"
"We'll live up to our word, even though you’re going back on yours,” Grover answered. “We've already got them slotted into their roles. They'll all be busy this winter. But they’ll be warm, safe, and have enough to eat. Which is more than I can say for you if you don’t come with us. And that’s my final word on the subject."
“How ab
out Chuck Jevik?” Nick asked.
“He has loyalty issues,” Grover replied. “You know that better than anybody. He won’t be joining us.”
“Well, I guess that’s that.” Nick stood to leave. “I suppose you had me slotted in for something, too."
"Everybody's got a job to do," Grover said. "You'll be tough to replace, but we'll get by."
“Do you think you could leave me some weapons? Tom and I don’t have much to work with. Cronin’s gang will be gunning for us now.”
Grover nodded. “I’ll see that we leave you some weapons and ammunition. How are you on food?”
“We could use some of that, too,” Nick admitted.
“I’ll be honest, Nick,” Grover said. “I’ll do this, but I feel like these supplies will be going to waste. I don’t think you’ll last long. Your best bet is to come with us.”
“Mine is,” Nick said. “But not Tom’s. What time are you moving out?”
“First light, I thought,” Grover said. “Although I see light out there already. We’re late.”
“I better get out of your way, then.” Nick extended his hand, which Grover shook. “Where can I pick up those supplies?”
“I’ll take care of it myself,” Grover answered. “Meet me at the main entrance. I’ll get there as soon as I can. We’ll deliver them to wherever you choose.”
~~~
Minutes later, as he waited back in the foyer, Nick heard a gun battle erupt outside. His heart sank because he had a good idea who was involved. Without waiting for the approval of the guards who flanked him, he tore the front door open and burst outside.
Twenty-three
Nick couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked out. Sarah and Matt were each on a knee at the curb line, both firing steadily into the street. After all the gun-bashing he’d heard, he couldn’t think of two people less likely to be blasting away out there. The rest of the team was hobbling up the sidewalk toward Nick, who was gaping at the scene from just inside the door. They were taking fire from a line of shooters down the block, almost certainly a platoon of Cronin’s men, but for the moment Sarah and Matt had forced them to take cover with steady fire from behind two low brick columns.
Nick watched in horror as a spatter of red burst from Jenny’s arm as she scrambled toward him. “Get down!” he yelled. The Shardlake twins were slumped over in the wagon pulled by their mother, but it looked to Nick like they were unharmed as the entire group moved slowly but steadily toward the door.
Both Dewey and Tom were staggering, Dewey clutching his thigh, and Tom his shoulder, as blood seeped through their fingers. Both men flopped to the ground when they heard Nick yell. By then Ashley had reached the porch on her hands and knees, followed by Jenny. The wagon-pulling mothers were somehow dragging their cargo behind them as they too crawled. Nick threw the door open and yanked his people inside as they reached him.
Encouraged by a cessation of gunfire, at least twenty dark-clad Cronin soldiers emerged from hiding and advanced toward the compound. They’d taken casualties, too. Many of the ones who were healthy enough to walk were spattered with blood and limping badly. After they’d come back out in the open, Sarah and Matt poked their re-loaded weapons back over the brick columns and opened up on them again. Several more of Cronin’s men went down, their weapons clattering to the pavement amid shrieks of agony.
Nick remained crouched inside the doorway, from where he saw that Cronin’s men were spreading out and closing in. It was inevitable that they would eventually overpower the two lone defenders. He waved at Sarah and Matt to leave their posts and come inside, but Sarah gestured at Dewey and Tom, injured and pinned down behind a garden and no longer returning fire. She wasn’t going to leave anybody behind, and neither was Matt.
It wasn’t going to be much longer before Sarah and Matt were overrun. Knowing he could use their weapons once he reached them, Nick had steeled himself for a dash into the combat zone to rescue Dewey and Tom when he heard loud voices and heavy footsteps. He turned to see a wave of men in camouflage pouring into the foyer from somewhere inside the house. Several of them went to the windows and opened fire right through the glass. The deafening roar reached Nick’s ears as he watched the withering torrent of rounds the men unleashed into the already-depleted columns of Cronin’s men. When they stopped, after nearly half a minute, all was quiet. Nick looked out anxiously and saw Sarah and Matt lying flat on their faces, still hugging the earth as they made themselves as small as they could.
~~~
The members of the Outhouse Coalition had sustained a lot of damage. Both of Matt’s twins had been grazed. The Hellikson kids seemed okay except for two of the little ones, who’d been scraped up after falling out of the wagon. A shot had passed completely through Jenny’s arm. Blood was dripping down the front of Dewey’s jeans from an ugly thigh wound. Tom’s shoulder was torn up just as badly; it appeared that he’d taken a few rounds from behind, some of which had blown through flesh and bone to emerge through the front of his shirt.
Almost magically, medical personnel appeared as quickly as the Water Tower Compound Army melted away. Without a word, even among themselves, they loaded the injured onto stretchers and gurneys and took them away. Ellie and Penny huddled up long enough to agree that Ellie would go with the little Helliksons and Shardlakes for treatment, while Penny would stay with the healthy ones.
The uninjured members lingered in the foyer with dazed looks on their faces. “Do you have some kind of hospital back there?” Nick asked one of the medics. “Where are they taking them?”
“We have a hospital in one of the houses,” the medic answered. “We’ll have to unload some equipment from the truck, that’s all.” He patted Nick on the shoulder. “I’m Reggie Durr. I’ll take you down there later.” He pulled Nick’s collar down gently, exposing the seeping wound on his neck. “You might want to get that looked at while you’re down there.”
Reggie was a short, well-built thirtyish man who looked like he could have been related to Grover. Maybe they were. Wasn’t Grover some kind of doctor? Nick strained to remember. “Thanks,” Nick told him. “It feels okay. Do all these medical people live in the neighborhood? I never knew.”
“We work with Dr. Monroe over at Northern Camden County Hospital in Maple Shade,” Reggie explained. “He recruited us. We humped in a truckload of medicine and equipment that we borrowed from the hospital. We have a couple doctors besides Dr. Monroe, some orderlies, a few record-keepers. Mostly nurses. Yeah, go ahead and say it. I’m a male nurse.”
Nick spread his hands wide, palms up. “It’s okay by me. I’m just glad you’re here.”
Reggie smiled. “Cool. You never know. Hey, I’ll roll back through here later and try to find you.” He left without waiting for an answer, heading in the same direction as the rest of the medical team.
Now that the initial shock of the battle had worn off, some of the kids were beginning to come apart. Penny was doing her best to console them, but the whining and crying was getting louder and steadier. Nick wished he’d asked Reggie if there was any food or water available. If nothing else, it would distract the kids. He’d remember next time he saw him.
Matt and Sarah, each still with a white-knuckle grip on their rifles, were sitting together on the floor against the wall near the front door. It was clear that a new bond had been forged between the two. When Grover’s army had tried to disarm them, they’d looked at each other and then refused to give up their weapons. Nick wondered how they were making out now that it was over.
“If Eli could see you now,” Nick said to Sarah after squatting in front of her.
“Can’t say I ever did anything like that before,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop shaking,” she told him as she held out one of her hands to show him.
“I’ve got the same problem,” Matt said. “My whole body, as a matter of fact. And I’m about to puke my guts out.”
“So what gives?” Nick asked. “Both of you hate guns. How’
d you do this? You saved the entire group! You sure don’t look like a couple of peaceniks who never held a gun before.”
“Who said I never held a gun before?” Sarah asked. “Just because I know how to use one doesn’t mean I have to like them.”
“Wait,” Nick said. “You mean that wasn’t the first time you ever fired a gun?”
“Did it look like it was?” Sarah asked.
“Of course not,” Nick answered. “That’s my point.”
“No, it’s my point,” Sarah corrected. Her face softened. “Eli spent six years in the IDF.”
“IDF?”
“Israeli Defense Forces,” Sarah explained. “All Israelis serve. He did two stints. Everything he knew about shooting, he passed on to me, whether I liked it or not. He did it because he loved it so much, I guess. I did a lot of time on the shooting range with him. I think I hated it because of how much he loved it.”
“How about you, Matt?” Nick asked. “How’d you do this?”
“I have no idea,” Matt said. “First time I’ve ever held a gun in my life, let alone fired one. I just watched Sarah, and did whatever she did.”
“He’s not that good of a shot, but he’s as good as those buffoons we were shooting at,” Sarah said.
Nick looked up when he heard somebody clearing his throat, and saw Roethke surveying the group with his arms folded. Nick pulled himself to his feet. As he did, he realized how tired he was. It had been a long time since he’d slept. “Roethke. What time are you pulling out?”
“They’re debating that right now,” Roethke said. “I already cast my vote for delaying by twenty-four hours.” He looked around the room, and then back at Nick. “So you haven’t changed your mind about joining us, I take it?” Roethke asked.
“Not unless you have.”
“What?” asked Penny, looking over from across the room, a sobbing toddler balanced on her hip. “What’s this all about?”