by ML Banner
“So when do we leave?” Mohammad asked.
“In two hours.”
“Then we go to Stowell, Texas.”
Chapter 25
Sunbay Cove, Florida
Frank
He heard the heavy scamper of her feet down their roof, her yelling something he couldn’t hear that sounded like “invasion” and then the loud clang of an old dinner bell hanging by the back door. Finally, Lexi burst through the door, her face twisted in a panic.
“We’re being invaded.” Her words came out like little coughs.
Travis’s presence shrank from the desk where he had been on the radio. He glared at his sister with wide eyes.
“What did you see?” Frank asked smoothly.
Lexi took a deep breath, and before she could let her words spill out, Jasper bounded up the stairs inside.
Frank held up his hand to Lexi. “Lexi has something to tell us. Go ahead, tell us slowly, Lex.” He smiled.
“Okay,” she breathed, resting against the kitchen counter. “I just saw five boats. They were headed to Endurance. Each boat was filled with men in paramilitary uniforms” —she looked right at Frank—“just like at Abdul’s place. They slipped out of view from my binoculars, but I saw they were headed south and inland. It looks like they’re headed for Endurance.” Lexi took several quick breaths.
“Is that the invasion you thought was coming?” Jasper asked.
“What do we do, Uncle Frank?” Travis screeched, his voice much higher than normal.
“Yeah, what do we do?” Lexi asked.
“All right team, let’s focus.” Frank said calmly. “First, let’s try to raise Jonah and anyone else in Endurance who might be listening and give them a warning. Travis, can you—”
“Here!” Travis, anxious for action, thrust out the UHF base unit’s microphone. They had been monitoring Jonah’s frequency before Lexi’s announcement, but now Travis turned up the volume.
Frank grabbed the microphone and clicked it open. “Jonah, are you there? Jonah, this is Frank Cartwright, out at the Smith house. We’ve spotted the enemy headed your way. Repeat, we’ve spotted five boats headed just south of here, filled with enemy troops. They will probably go to wherever there’s a natural harbor. Jonah, repeat, Endurance is about to come under attack.”
They all listened to a solid hiss, not the undulating crackle they usually heard with the high-frequency receiver. Then, there was a click.
“Hello, Frank,” said a boyish voice. “Thanks fo dat heads-up. We’ve got it from here. Out.”
They were all in the radio room now, glaring at the speaker.
“Was that—” Frank wondered out loud.
Jasper answered, “Jonah? No, that wasn’t Jonah.”
Frank processed all of this and then said to the group, “I’m going to load up our gear and head to Endurance to see what else we can do. I’m afraid if we don’t intervene, regardless of what’s coming, none of us will be safe here.”
They all chewed on his unsavory proclamation.
To Lexi, he said, “If you’re coming with me, you’ll need to get ready to leave in two minutes.”
“Wait,” Jasper protested. “You can’t take her with you! It’s way too dangerous for a wo—” He stopped himself, not wanting to aggravate Lexi so that she’d do the opposite of what he wanted. Women didn’t react well when he told them they were limited in their abilities due to their gender. It was one of the reasons why he never went out into public. Speaking these things never furthered his goals.
“Um … I can make up my own mind, thank you!” she huffed and snapped at Frank. “I’m coming.” Not waiting for a reply from either, she trotted out of sight.
“Now that that’s decided, Jasper, you’re welcome to come too.” Frank ignored the mini-battle of the sexes in front of him as he grabbed water bottles from a shelf in the storage area and then strode into the kitchen to drop them on the counter beside his two weapons.
“Very well. But I need to grab my gear too …” Jasper hesitated. “Hey, why don’t I approach by boat? We can keep in contact by radio, and I can direct you or you to me?”
“Yes, of course!” Frank returned to the radio room. “That’s a great idea.” He grabbed one of their radios from a charging stand and thrust it at him. “Here. Let’s use channel 4.”
Jasper snatched the radio and nodded. The sling to his heavy Thompson machine gun threatened to slip off his shoulder before he readjusted it. “Yes, and if I get to town before you, I’ll warn them.”
“Great.” Frank offered a hand. “And thanks for your support.”
Jasper accepted. “My pleasure.” He grinned through his bushy beard and returned the handshake before walking out the back. Frank watched him run past the living room window and out of view, no doubt around the corner of the house to his boat.
Frank grabbed more ammunition for their weapons. With only the two Glocks (including the one he borrowed) and a shotgun, they didn’t have much to wage a defense against a well-armed jihadi army. Unfortunately, Stanley didn’t have any secret cache of weapons—Frank had thoroughly checked the house. And Jonah, who was out of contact, still had his AK and Lexi’s favorite pistol. Not that it mattered; they didn’t want to directly engage the enemy. They just wanted to warn the town before it was too late, and maybe monitor the enemy. Then, they’d try to get their weapons back and hopefully find some way to fight before the enemy reached their home.
Lexi shuffled down the hall and stopped in front of his bag, already cinched down.
“Ready?” he asked her. She fidgeted with her super-stuffed bag, adding the extra waters and loaded magazines he gave her. Then she stood up with confidence. He was taken aback for a moment at the transformation that had taken place over the last few days, and it was more evident now than ever.
She wore cargo shorts, held to her meager waist with one of her father’s newly repurposed belts. Her faded T-shirt, also new, looked to be a perfect fit though, maybe even a little tight for her frame. Perhaps they were from the bugout bag her father had left her. She’d even found time to remove the blue highlights in her hair, now jet black and serious. With a gun in her belt, a knife clipped beside it, and a steely determination in her eyes, she was starting to look the desired role of a badass in this real-life play.
“I’m ready,” Travis announced, dropping his bag on the floor at his feet and positioning himself at attention.
Frank fought the urge to grin, composing himself before answering, “Thank you for your offer, soldier, but I have a much greater mission for you.”
Travis wrinkled his face. “What? What is it?”
“I need you to monitor the radio for Robert Grim—”
“You mean G?” he interrupted.
“Yes, G in Texas, and also you need to monitor the UHF here. Much more importantly, I’ll need you to coordinate for us. Also, see if you can raise Jonah again and warn him about what’s coming. If you hear from him on any of the UHF frequencies, you’ll need to let us know. Finally, report to us if you’ve heard any intelligence from anywhere else. You are our base station: our mission control. So, in fact, your job is probably much more important than ours.”
At first, Travis looked a little put out by not being allowed to go, but he perked up when he realized how important he had become to them. Only he knew how to work the radios, at least better than his Uncle Frank did. And they did need someone here. Who better than him?
“Yes, sir,” he said with a salute.
Lexi snickered. “You’re so goofy.”
Travis crossed his arms, about ready to give an angry retort, but then seriously looked back at Frank. “What if someone tries to come in again?”
Frank knelt down so that he was looking at him eye to eye. “Remember what I told you, son. You shoot to kill. Anyone who comes in uninvited is your enemy. You got it?”
“Yes, sir,” he said reluctantly. “And, Uncle Frank?”
“Yes, Travis?”
“Please be safe,” Travis said through the lump in his throat. He wrapped his arms around Frank and Frank hugged him back.
Lexi waited for their release and offered him a hug as well. “Don’t open that door for anyone.”
He gladly accepted. “I won’t. I love you, Lex.”
“Love you, too, Travis.”
Frank and Lexi quietly left, but before they secured the back door, they heard Travis already on the radio. “Hello, this is Travis calling Jonah or anyone else who can hear me. The town of Endurance is under attack. There are armed Islamic fighters headed your way by boat …”
What they didn’t hear was what came next.
“Kid, get off the radio,” the base UHF unit blared back at Travis. The voice was high-pitched, not the deep timbre he remembered hearing behind the blue space suit. He understood why their neighbor, Jasper, said this wasn’t Jonah. “I told you I’ve got this covered. Now get off the radio.”
Travis heard a voice in the background, “You should make the announcement on channel 5.”
Travis flipped the channel selector to 5 and heard only one word: “Nuts!”
~~~
Cain
Cain was pissed at that kid on the radio, afraid the kid would spoil his plans. But he was more pissed at the boy’s sister. He glanced at his bandaged forearms, lines of reddish brown just visible below the dressing’s first layer where he had bled. Both pulsated with an aching pain as he clutched the steering wheel with one hand and the radio with the other. He adjusted the frequency once more and pulled the radio to his lips and called out, “Nuts!”
It was his call to those people who were loyal to him that it was time. It was time for the takeover of his father’s empire.
Now was the perfect opportunity. Most of his men were unhappy with Jonah’s recent moves, which showed way too much kindness to Endurance, especially to that bitch doctor. And how he handled the immigrants was perfect proof to all the men that Jonah had gone soft. He was messing with everyone’s survival when he started giving out food and medical supplies. And it needed to stop.
But he had to hurry, while his father was occupied and before anyone did anything crazy.
He swerved once, nearly losing control of the truck and narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the many stalled vehicles in the road.
In the days since the nuclear attack, Cain had been quietly trying to get a sense of the political winds within Jonah’s organization, only approaching those men he’d heard were openly disgruntled. That included almost 50 percent of Jonah’s men. After hearing Cain’s plans, especially the promised perks, each proclaimed their allegiance to him. All wanted something in return, and early on, he gave them what they asked: a higher level in the organization, their own home, women, alcohol, drugs, and so on. Once the takeover occurred, Cain figured the remainder would join when offered either allegiance or death. Meanwhile he continued his act of being the drunkard loser of a son that his father knew him to be.
He had no problem stabbing his father in the back, literally if he had to. He’d been looked down upon by Jonah ever since he had told Cain he was an accident by some whore he’d gotten pregnant. Jonah seemed always resentful that Cain even existed, never treating him with the respect he deserved.
Cain pulled on the wheel once more and lightly touched the brakes to get around some debris in the middle of the road. He knew he was driving at an unsafe speed, but every moment that passed reduced his safety and his chances for success.
He stomped on the gas pedal and gained a little air over the last rise before jamming on his brakes and screeching to a halt.
Jonah’s truck was parked off the road, pointed in his direction.
Cain had stopped only a dozen or so feet from it. And he glared at it like it was some predatory animal that would at any moment leap at him and eat him.
His chest pounded, as he was sure he’d been caught by his father. His plans unraveled before his eyes.
When the sun peeked out of a dark cluster of clouds, it bathed Jonah’s truck in a shower of light. But he still couldn’t see the driver.
A thick arm stuck out the window and ushered him forward. It didn’t look like Jonah, but at this moment he couldn’t be sure.
Cain inched his own truck forward and pulled alongside the larger one so that he was staring directly inside its cab.
It was Peter.
“Shit, man.” Cain blew out a puff of air. “You nearly gave me a damned heart attack. I thought my father had caught me.”
“No worries, kid. I grabbed your dad’s truck and his radio while he was giving away our food and offering sanctuary to all the illegals …” He paused and asked, “So why the secret word ‘Nuts!’?”
“You ever see Jericho? It was on TV.”
“No,” Peter said gruffly. He had no time for these dalliances.
“Never mind. Just follow me,” Cain said as he threw the truck into reverse before Peter could even respond. Cain backed up and then guided his truck through the entrance, Peter following closely. The sign beside the entrance said “Sunbay Cove … with natural harbor access.”
Chapter 26
Sunbay Cove, Florida
Frank
The truck’s cab was thick with their quiet anxiety.
Their truck bounced down the private road and then it would be the short trip to Endurance. But they couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d be too late when they got there. They had not taken that long to get ready. And the one mile trip to Endurance would only take a couple of minutes more. But the boats had long since made it to their destination by now, and if their men were fully armed, Frank wasn’t sure that they could do much to stop them.
Frank’s mind was also racing, trying to consider the possibilities. And he couldn’t quite shake a lingering thought that he was missing some vital clue.
“Get Jasper on the radio.” Frank yanked the wheel, nudging them around a thicket of green deposited in the middle of the road by last night’s storm. “Ask him where the harbor is.”
Ready for this, Lexi pulled the walkie up to her face so quickly she clunked herself on the chin. She clicked the on button, rubbing the spot with her free hand. “Jasper, this is Lexi …” Momentarily, she wasn’t sure if she should wait for his acknowledgement or just ask the question. “Can you tell us where the harbor is located—”
Frank cut in. “In Endurance. Is it by the health clinic?”
She continued her broadcast. “Where is the harbor in Endurance? Is it near the health clinic?”
The radio crackled back at them and then Jasper’s raspy voice stated stoically, “Endurance doesn’t have a harbor … There are maybe a dozen inlets in and around Endurance. They could have landed anywhere by now.”
Frank jammed both feet on the brakes, screeching the truck to a long stop.
Lexi held her palms out, bracing for impact, but there wasn’t any. “Why are we stopping?” She leaned forward, thinking there must have been some sort of threat in front of them.
Frank didn’t answer. He shifted into reverse, turned to look over his shoulder, and gassed the engine. When he had backed up twenty feet, he threw it into park and pointed to a sign. It was right beside them, just before the entrance to a commercial development. The sign read “Sunbay Cove Commercial Warehouses.” Below that: “With natural harbor access.”
Frank jolted them into drive and slid his foot off the brake. “Better tell Jasper where we’ll be.”
~~~
Imam Ramadi
“Did you take my guns?” Ramadi hollered at Cain, who had his hands up and stood just outside the open door of the truck he’d been driving.
Ramadi was bursting with anger. Someone had stolen from him. He suspected he knew who it was, until this boy arrived conveniently at the same time he discovered the theft.
Ramadi stomped toward the truck, snatching one of his men’s rifles and pulling back the charging handle to make his intent clear. He pointed it at Cain’s head. Ramadi almost
pleaded with his eyes to give him a reason to squeeze the trigger.
“Whoa there, Mr. Ramadi! I know who took your guns. That’s why I came here when I heard your men were coming by boats.” Cain said this so fast, it almost came out as one complete sentence.
Ramadi hesitated, his movements stating with absolute certainty that he was ready to pull the trigger. Then he lowered the weapon. “Talk, but I better hear the correct answer, or you and your man in the other truck are dead.”
“It was my father, Jonah Price. He took your weapons. I saw him do it. He screwed you and me. I can give you everything you need for all your plans.” Cain’s voice was so high-pitched, he almost sounded like a girl.
“You don’t know our plans, boy.” Ramadi glared at him.
“Actually, I do. Your men inside are part of many groups here to take over America. My men and I do not plan to stand in your way.”
“You couldn’t stop us if you wanted to.”
“And I don’t want to.”
Ramadi considered what this infidel was telling him, all the while trying to guess at the boy’s motivations. Ramadi had made a deal with this boy’s father, and it seemed that Price had followed his demands for a while without question. But now it seemed the whole time, Price was planning to take his things. The evidence was his missing rifles in a warehouse only Price and he were supposed to have access to.
Now Price’s spawn wishes to make a deal for his own weapons?
Ramadi started to lift the rifle again, to finish off this boy and go find the missing rifles himself. But he didn’t have the time. So he calmed himself down. He would make some sort of deal with this boy so that he could get his guns back and then move into their next phase of the war. After that, he would shoot the boy and his father. For now, he would bite his tongue and get what he wanted.
“What do you want?” Ramadi asked.
“The same thing my father did: a little slice of my own territory.”
“But why do I need you? Now that I know your father took my weapons, I’ll just find him.”