The Departed

by Chase McCown

  Afterward, the two men returned to work, and Susan, Howard, Jacob, and Charlie did their best to imitate what those men did.

  They looked for an opening to sneak out some of the weapons, but with the two men working close by, they didn’t see a window of opportunity.

  Then, a short time later, the guards came in and checked both men for weapons before escorting them out, presumably for the end of their shift. The four spent the rest of the morning looking for a way to smuggle out some of the weapons, or for anything to report to Francisco. At about noon, they were searched for weapons and led to the mess hall for lunch. Afterward, they were escorted back to finish their shift before once again being searched. After this, they were led back to their barracks.

  “How the heck are we supposed to smuggle anything out of there?” Charlie asked.

  “Security is much tighter than I imagined,” said Susan.

  “There has to be a way, right?” Jacob asked.

  “I don’t know. Hopefully Francisco will have some ideas.” Howard said.

  Later that night, as they were drifting off to sleep, Howard heard the same voice he had heard the night before.

  “Yes?” Howard asked.

  “Francisco seeks a report. What happened?” the voice asked.

  “They’ve let us into the armory, but the place is well-guarded. I assume he has something in mind?” Howard asked.

  “Francisco would like to meet with you all tomorrow morning. There is a plan in place to quickly get the weapons to the rebels, and you will be instrumental to that plan. Sleep, for now. Francisco will explain more in the morning.”

  Howard turned over anxiously, eager to hear what Francisco had planned. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 31

  May 13th, 2025. El Paso, Texas.

  The next morning, Howard led the others through the barracks to where they had last met Francisco.

  “So explain this to me one more time. Who did you talk to yesterday? And what was this plan they said Francisco had?” Jacob asked.

  Howard sighed. He had explained this three times already.

  “I told you, Jacob. I don’t know who it was. All I know is that the person said Francisco wanted to talk to us about some plan to get weapons for the rebels. He told me Francisco would explain more.”

  “But this could be a trap!” Charlie exclaimed.

  “Yes, it could. But isn’t that a little elaborate? I mean, if Bakar knew we were working with the rebels, wouldn’t he just shoot us?” Howard said.

  “Oh. Well, I guess you’re right,” Charlie said.

  After walking a little further, they arrived at Francisco’s room in the barracks.

  “Good, I’m glad you’ve come. We heard that you got into the armory,” Francisco said.

  “That’s right, but the security is pretty tight. I don’t think we’ll be able to sneak out weapons” Howard said.

  “That’s okay. We’ve got another idea. It means we’re going to have to speed up the timetable, though,” Francisco said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The hour of revolution is at hand. The battle for El Paso has begun.”

  “Wow, really?” Jacob blurted out, re-imagining his Hollywood dreams.

  The others turned around and stared at him. He cleared his throat, and an awkward silence hung in the air.

  Francisco continued. “The first part is one in which the four of you will prove instrumental. My men will raid the armory while you are on shift. When we arrive, we will call for you. You will take care of the guards. Then, we will raid the armory for weapons and ammunition. After we’ve secured all we can carry, some of my men whom I’ve placed within the ranks of Bakar’s military will set explosive charges within the armory and destroy any evidence of what we have done, making it seem as if we simply wished to sabotage their supplies. They will be unaware that we have taken most of their weapons and that they will be unable to properly defend themselves when we strike. Do any of you have any questions?”

  “No. That sounds like a great plan” Howard said.

  “Fantastic. In that case, I will start making preparations. We will strike at the end of your shift today.”

  When the four arrived at work, they couldn’t shake an overwhelming sense of anxiety. As they pretended to work, Susan nudged Howard and whispered in his ear.

  “Can we really trust Francisco?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but we don’t have much choice,” he whispered back.

  Susan nodded and continued working. She bit her lip nervously. The end of their shift couldn’t come fast enough.

  This is never going to work. We’re going to be thrown in some prison along with the other rebels, Charlie thought. Or worse.

  As Howard worked, he prayed silently that the four would be protected, no matter what happened.

  Finally, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, they heard a commotion outside. A voice called out “Now!” He knew they needed to step in.

  Howard picked up a nearby pump action shotgun, loaded it with a few shells, and headed for the door.

  Susan inserted a clip into a.45 caliber handgun, taking off the safety as she followed Howard.

  Jacob mimicked Susan, picking up a 9mm handgun and loading it.

  Charlie snatched up an assault rifle but fumbled with it trying to load a clip into it and disengage the safety.

  Howard saw the two guards who were always stationed at the armory waving their weapons at about ten rebels, who were gesturing with makeshift knives.

  Howard pumped the shotgun and placed it at the back of one guard’s head. The guard immediately dropped his weapon and surrendered, and when Susan pointed her handgun at the other guard, he also surrendered. After the guards had been dealt with, the rebels tied them up and dragged them into the armory.

  Howard, Susan, Charlie, and Jacob worked to help the rebels find what they needed within the armory, and within a few minutes—which seemed like hours to all involved—they had taken and loaded what they could carry. Two rebels set C-4 charges on either side of the armory. Once they had given a signal to the others indicating that they had finished, everyone fled the building, leaving the guards trapped within. Then they detonated the C-4 charges. The entire building was flattened.

  Guards searched the city for most of that evening, interrogating any citizen they thought might have a connection or information regarding the raid, but Francisco hid the four so that Bakar’s men weren’t able to interrogate them.

  As midnight approached, Francisco promised that “Tomorrow, El Paso will be ours.”

  *

  The next morning, Francisco woke the others before sunrise to instruct them as to how they would carry out the final phase of the rebellion.

  “There is a garage where your car and all of your belongings are being kept. Within this garage is something else that some of my men have seen firsthand,” Francisco explained. “Bakar’s men have somehow managed to get their hands on a functional Abrams tank and have modified it to suit their own needs. If we can get our hands on that tank, this rebellion will be over before it has even begun. This is where you will come in. You must break into this garage and retrieve the tank. Drive it out of the armory and to the town hall, where our forces will be fighting with Bakar’s men. Our men already know of the plan, and they will fight all the more fiercely knowing their victory is guaranteed. Bakar’s men will be shocked and confused, and once you fire off a round from the main gun of the tank, they will certainly surrender. Then, we will storm the town hall and bring Bakar to justice.”

  “How do we break into the garage?” Jacob asked.

  “It will be very lightly guarded since most of Bakar’s men will be fighting my men. You simply have to get through the door. His men will almost certainly surrender to you.”

  “We’d be happy to do this for you if it means we can get out of this city,” Howard replied.

  “You have my word. If we overthrow Bakar, you wil
l have your freedom,” Francisco promised.

  “Then it’s settled,” Howard said.

  “Perfect,” said Francisco.

  *

  Howard cocked his shotgun, happy to have a firearm in his hands again. “You guys ready?”

  “When you are,” Susan said.

  Charlie tried his best to look like he knew how to use the hulking assault rifle he held, and Jacob thought back to what Howard had taught him about shooting. Hold your breath before you shoot, he recalled.

  Howard kicked the side door leading into the garage, and the rusted lock gave way easily.

  One of the few guards that remained protecting the garage raised his gun and yelled at Howard in Spanish, but a quick blast from Howard’s shotgun ended the threat. The others, totally unprepared for a firefight, simply surrendered. Susan and Jacob took Howard and Charlie’s firearms and watched as they manned the tank.

  “Handcuff them and then start getting the supplies in the car,” Howard ordered. “We won’t be very long.”

  And with that, Howard and Charlie hopped into the modified Abrams and sped off toward the center of town.

  A firefight was raging at the city hall, and the entry of the tank tipped the battle that had until that point been going poorly for the rebels in their favor. The rebels cheered upon seeing the tank, while the loyalists fell into panic once they realized the tank was fighting against them.

  The whole scene was thrown into chaos when the Abrams fired a blast from its 120mm cannon, forcing the loyalists to fall back into the city hall and inspiring a valiant charge by the rebels. Ten minutes later, Francisco returned with Bakar in shackles.

  Susan arrived in time to hear the speech presented by Francisco and translate it to the others. In short, Susan told them that he declared the end of a corrupt regime and the beginning of a new era of peace and prosperity. Whether he really meant it was unknown, but at the very least, they had ousted a corrupt dictator.

  “My friends, I cannot thank you enough for your help,” Francisco began. “You have given us our freedom, and there are no words to express our—my—gratitude.” He bowed before them. When he arose, he began again. “I have but one request before you go.”

  “Here we go,” Charlie began. “I knew we couldn’t trust him!”

  “No, no, nothing like that,” Francisco assured him. “I merely wanted your opinion on something. I trust your judgment, Howard, as leader of this group and pastor. What should be the fate of Bakar? Should he be put to death for his crimes or imprisoned? What is to be his fate?”

  “Well,” Howard began, “it isn’t my decision to make, of course. However, if you truly want to know what I would suggest, I’ll tell you. In Psalms 59, God’s Word discusses the fate of traitors. The author asks for God to punish them, ‘but do not kill them, Lord our Shield, or my people will forget. In your might uproot them, and bring them down.’ If you want my opinion, cast him away. Send him into the wastes and banish him from your city. Let his fate be left in God’s hands. But, of course, the final decision is in your hands.”

  “You are right, friend. That is the fairest punishment for his crimes. Thank you again.” He turned to two of his men. “Pedro, Roberto!” he shouted, calling them over. “Help these four get their supplies together and give them some provisions from our own stores as well. Fill up their car and help them load it, then open the gates and let them leave. They do not belong here. Their journey is not yet complete.”

  He turned back to the four heroes. “I wish you all the best of luck on your journey. If things in Washington are not what you had hoped, know that you always will have a place here as long as I rule.” Francisco wished them well and sent them on their way, turning his attention to the matters of his city.

  A smile crossed Howard’s face. “He’ll be a good leader.”

  With their car loaded and optimism renewed, the four set off once again.

  Chapter 32

  May 14th, 2025. Sierra Blanca, Texas.

  They were glad to be on the road again. Being in El Paso had been like being in prison.

  They drove down the interstate in shifts for a few hours before they came to a section that was completely impassable. Several cars were wrecked and piled up across the entire roadway. Some of them were only charred husks, their glass and plastic melted from an intense heat. A tanker truck was overturned, and its contents of crude oil had been emptied from a deep gash in its side. Black soot marked the ground around the accident, and the stench of rotten eggs filtered through their air vents.

  “Agh! What’s that smell?” Jacob asked.

  “Sulfur. Probably from the oil,” Howard replied.

  “What do we do now?” Charlie asked.

  “Maybe there’s a back road we can take to go around it,” Susan said.

  “I hope so because we sure aren’t going through it,” said Howard.

  He turned the car around and found the nearest off-ramp. In a few minutes, they were driving through a small suburban neighborhood while Jacob searched the map for the nearest on-ramp to get back onto the interstate.

  “It looks like if we keep going, we’re just a few miles from it. Just keep going along this road. There’s a turn coming up in a little while that you’ll want to take,” Jacob said.

  Suddenly, the four heard a loud pop, and the car shook violently.

  Susan tried to gain control of it, but she began to hear a knocking sound and was forced to pull the car over to see what had happened.

  Howard stepped out of the car and investigated the damage.

  “The tire popped,” he said at last.

  “Crap. Well, now what?” Jacob asked.

  “We have to find a new one. Is there a tire anywhere in the car?” Howard asked.

  “Maybe there’s one in the bed,” Charlie suggested.

  “Nope, none here,” Susan said, glancing at the nearly empty truck bed.

  “There wasn’t one in the back seat was there?” Howard asked.

  “Are you kidding? There was barely enough room for two of us back there!” Charlie exclaimed.

  “In that case, we’re going to have to look around in these houses and see if we can find a tire,” Howard concluded.

  “Sure. There’s a house with its garage door open right over there. Maybe we could start looking there?” Susan said, pointing across the street from where they stood.

  When they reached the inside of the garage, they saw a pool of blood in the back corner. They found a body there whose face had been pummeled beyond recognition. It tightly grasped a spiral-bound notebook.

  Charlie gagged at the sight of it and had to step outside for fresh air. He returned a few minutes later and stood at the far end of the garage, near the door.

  Susan, though, became fixated on the notebook. She grew more and more curious about it and finally drew up the courage to investigate.

  “What on earth are you doing? Don’t touch that!” Charlie shouted.

  Susan ignored Charlie and pried the notebook from the corpse’s grip.

  “Calm down,” Susan said. “It’s... it’s a journal. Whoever it was kept a diary or something.”

  “What does it say?” Howard asked.

  Susan flipped to the first entry of the journal. It was a recent date. This journal had only been kept since the beginning of the outbreak. She skipped ahead until she found an entry that caught her attention.

  May 6th, 2025

  I finally did it. I found a group of survivors, and they said they were going to DC.

  I told myself I wouldn’t leave this place, but the memories are just too painful. I have to move on. I’m almost out of food anyway.

  They seem nice. One of them is a doctor, too, so that really helps. They want to leave tonight, though, so I have to get my things together.

  I know you understand, sweetheart. I just can’t do this anymore. I love you...always.

  May 7th, 2025

  We started driving late last night, but the car broke down,
and we’ve been walking ever since.

  Catherine says she can hotwire a car, but we haven’t found anything yet. Hopefully, we’ll find one soon.

  Supplies are getting low, but I’m just glad to be on the road. I feel better than I have in weeks. I wish you were here with me. You’d really like these people.

  I heard some strange noises late last night, but John said it was some animals or something. I’ll take his word for it.

  May 8th, 2025

  We met another survivor today. I don’t know about her, though. She doesn’t seem right to me. I’m probably just overreacting.

  I heard those noises again. This time, they were louder, but John is sure it’s just stray dogs. I’ve never heard dogs that made that noise, but I hope he’s right.

  On a positive note, we did find some food and water in a wrecked car. The car itself was beyond hope of repair, but we have enough food for several days. Things are looking up for us.

  May 9th, 2025

  I don’t think they followed me here. I think I’m safe. I don’t know if any of the others made it, though.

  I bet it was that new girl. I knew she was strange. She probably led them to us. She might have even been infected.

  Sorry, I’m not making any sense. Let me start from the beginning.

  Late last night, while we were all getting ready to go to sleep, we started to hear that noise again. This time, though, it was much louder than before. It was like it was right on top of us.

  Then, there was absolute chaos. It’s hard to know exactly what happened, but the infected things, the ones they’d been showing on the news, started pouring into our camp. They leaped on Catherine before she could even get up to run. Before we could do anything to help her, it was just too late.