by Christa Lynn
Each group of men has separated and are completing their strategies. A line of men surrounds the property on guard, and as their shifts expire, others take their places. It’s a fine oiled machine, and it amazes me that men who don’t know each other are working so well together.
“So what took you so long to decide to attack?” Clark asks.
“Well, I didn’t realize it was just my decision. I’m obviously not the only one able to handle this, but without normal communication, getting teams together seemed fruitless.”
“Well, we’ve got it now. And frankly, I’m ready to start this shit. I have an itch to blow things up.” Clark laughs.
“You’ll get your chance, but we have to rescue the women first, and any children that might be inside. Jo, what do they do with the babies after their born?”
“I have no idea; I never saw any of mine,” she says quietly.
“How many did you have?” I ask, thinking I’ve never inquired before.
“Three.”
“And you don’t know what happened to them?” Jo shakes her head.
“I don’t even know if they were boys or girls,” she says. “They never let me hold them or see them, they were taken away immediately after they were born.”
“I can’t believe they’ve gotten away with this for so long,” Clark growls. “What happened with the blonde?” he asks, nudging his head toward Emma, Hank quickly going on guard.
“That’s for Emma to say, it’s not my place.”
“Emma?” Clark asks, “How many babies did you have?”
“Two, and the second …” she drifts off. “I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“Fair enough.” Clark smiles. Jo reaches out and places her hand on Emma’s thigh, and Emma instantly calms. Clark looks at me and then back at the girls, a flicker of shine in his eyes.
“Don’t even think about it, old man,” I whisper as I walk slowly past him, my shoulder rubbing up against his. “Jo is mine, and Emma is Hank’s, don’t even think about what you’re thinking about.”
“And what am I thinking about exactly, Kane?”
“Let’s step over here and get a few things clear,” I say. Clark follows me over to a shaded area away from the others. “These two women have been through Hell, and different kinds of Hell. Yes, they both got out of Brampton, but they both came out differently. Emma has issues and Jo and Hank are working to pull her back, but she’s fragile and both are off-limits.”
“Got it, it’s just been a while.”
“Well, it’s going to be a bit longer for you, old man.”
“Agreed,” he says and he shakes my hand. “I’ll do what I can to help protect them, as the Heretics are right about one thing.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“That the women are going to be needed to reproduce, we can’t fuck that up. Without them, it won’t matter who wins the war.”
We go back to the group and once we get settled, we sleep. I pull Jo into my arms and tuck her head against my shoulder. Emma curls up next to Hank and the women fall asleep. Hank and I eye each other and talk quietly. “You good to go in with Jo?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t let her go in by herself.”
“Tell me something, how did you not see her when you were at Brampton?”
“At the time, there were so many women. And I wasn’t interested in raping someone for the sole reason of reproducing. That wasn’t my style, so I got out. Every time they tried to get me to pick someone, I declined. I got my ass beat a few times because of it, though. They thought they could beat it into some of the men that didn’t agree with what they were doing. After they killed a friend of mine, that’s when I knew I needed to get out. I gathered the others and we got out, only I’m the only one that made it out alive.”
“Is the way you got out the best way back in?”
“If it’s not been booby-trapped since then. They tend to change up their security, so that no one really knows which is a legitimate exit and which ones are traps. There really is only one way to find out,” Hank says. “At this point, it’s our best option. Let’s get there first and scope it out, then we’ll make our final decision.”
Hank and I talk a little more, and he tells me a little about his childhood growing up with Jo. Hard to believe we grew up so close together and didn’t know each other. Arrow's Crossing seems like a long way away, but in reality it isn’t. By car, it was only about fifty minutes, but on foot it’s two days.
The darkness gets even darker as the night goes on. The stars are bright in the sky, and I close my eyes, forcing myself to go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be the start of our siege, and I need to be on my game, which won’t happen without rest.
Before I know it, the sun shines brightly, and I’m awaken by a stirring, sexy woman’s head in my lap. She stretches and rolls over, opening her brown eyes to stare up at me. “Good morning, beautiful,” I whisper so as to not wake the others.
She smiles. “Morning.”
“You ready to be a badass today?” I ask as she sits up and rubs her eyes.
“Do I have to?”
“Of course not, you can step back if you like. Hank can go in by himself and do what needs to be done.”
“Oh, no, I’m not letting him out of my sight. It took me thirteen years to find him, I’m not about to lose him again.”
“Who found him?” I tease, and she smacks me on the chest.
“Thank you for that, even though you lied about the trip.”
“I needed to check it out, see if it was safe before we took you there.”
“Do you think we’ll ever get to go back?”
“Well, we’re going to need a place to go after this battle, and since the compound is gone I thought we might head there after. There’s a lot of land there, and a few outbuildings as well as the bunker, and it still has food and arms in it, so it will be our best bet.”
She smiles at the thought of getting to go home, I just hope she’s not disappointed.
Everyone slowly emerges from their nightly hiding places and we gather under the big tree. “We have about two hours to walk, then we’ll be at the gates of Brampton. Are you men ready to blow this joint?” Abe announces. I don’t know what I’d do without Abe and Dale, they’ve been my right-hand men since we were kids, and I can’t imagine losing either one of them.
The four groups of men take their places, and like a herd, we march toward OKC—armed and dangerous. These Heretics don’t know what’s about to hit them. I just pray Jo and Hank can get in and out without being noticed. “Joel, I’m going to send you in with them, do you think you can handle that?”
“Yes, sir, I have a few homemade grenades I can stuff in my pockets and blow it room by room if needed.”
“Good, then it’s settled. Once we arrive, the three of you will sneak in and release whoever you can, but be prepared for a battle. And don’t be afraid to take anyone out that gets in your way. And we don’t start until nightfall; I want to see this place go up in flames at night.”
Our feet are hard and heavy on the concrete as what’s left of the OKC skyline comes into view, the sun setting behind them. A few of the buildings are full of Heretics and they’ve managed to get some of the old comforts back, like running water and electricity. They’re close to having a working city back, but they hide their methods and keep the countryside in the dark. They want to be the special ones.
Another hour of walking and we’re standing at the gates of Brampton. It’s an old substance abuse hospital, so it’s smaller than the larger hospital which is nothing but rubble. Not sure why they chose a smaller location, but I imagine it’s easier to secure. It’s a two-story building, so we don’t have a thousand wings to have to infiltrate, which is good. “Which floor do the women stay on?” I ask Jo.
“Second, of course, and the stairwells are armed so it’s not going to be easy getting up there.”
“It’ll be easier than you think.” Clark comes forward. He calls over four of
his men and huddles them together, all of then nodding in unison. “Okay, they’re going to travel the perimeter and cut the power to the building. Once the lights go out, you guys hurry in and get the women. The leaders will be scurrying to get the power back on and shouldn’t be paying much attention.”
“Unless they’re expecting us,” I say. “And we have to believe that they are, especially after Dale’s team was ambushed yesterday. They know we’re coming, but they may not know when.”
“Well, it’s our only option right now. Though, I expect the power will be on by the time they come out, so my guys will be ready to disable it again. I’ve got a guy that’s going to install a remote kill switch, that will be virtually unnoticeable by the Heretics guys. So they can turn it back on, but it’ll be shut off as quickly as they get it back on.”
“We need to be on the south side of the building, near the alley where I escaped,” Hank says as Emma tightens her grip on his hand. “What, baby?” he asks her. She whispers in his ear, and he nods. “Yes, I would assume it’s the same alley you left from, as I think it’s the only one.” She nods.
“Okay, you guys surround the property and kill the lights, as soon as we get to the alley, I’ll send Jo, Hank, and Joel in. While they’re inside, we’ll get the building locked and loaded, and ready to blow as soon as everyone is out. I only wish I could guarantee they’ll all make it out alive, but you know I can’t.”
The guys spread out and all sneak slowly toward the perimeter gate, a large flash of light coming from the back corner when a man disables the fence around the property. “I imagine they’re swarming inside now, so let’s go,” I say as we follow Hank around to the other side where this alley is.
“There it is.” Hank points. “It’s not a long alley, so we should be there quickly,” he says, and Emma looks like a deer caught in headlights. “Emma, you’ll stay back with me,” I say as she steps back, her memories obviously flooding through her mind.
I walk up to Jo and cup her face in my hands. “You be careful,” I say to her before kissing her passionately and without reservation. “I’m coming in after you if you don’t come out,” I say, smiling.
“Oh, I’ll be back,” she says. “You just be ready to blow this motherfucker up when I do.” She laughs.
“It’ll be armed and ready,” I say as Clark comes up behind us.
“Here, I forgot to give you this,” he says as he hands Hank the kids walkie-talkie. “It’s not perfect, but enough to call for help if this backfires,” he says as he hands me the other one. “You guys can be in constant contact, but I’d limit it as someone might hear you.”
“Got it, thanks,” I say as I kiss Jo once more, and I pray it’s not the last. “But before you go, I want to give you something,” I say as I pull the old bracelet out of my pocket. “I found this at your house—hold on to it and make sure you bring it, and yourself, back out,” I say as I place the old, tarnished trinket in her hands. She smiles and kisses me.
“Thank you,” she says as another flash of light comes from the other side of the building,
“Go, now,” I say as Hank, Jo and Joel take climb the now inactive electric fence and run toward the alley. “God, bring them all back safely,” I pray quietly to a God that I’m not sure even cares what happens anymore.
As they disappear from sight, I move back to the front of the building and get ready to start the fireworks.
Jo
My adrenaline is pumping as we run down the dark alley. I know right away it’s the same alley that Emma was shoved out into, then allowed to let leave the clinic, on her own and alone.
We get to the door, and it’s cracked open, as if someone knows we’re coming and they’ve left the door open for us. Hank moves in front of me and leans into the door with his shoulder, the creaking sound echoes throughout the cement alley. He steps in and Joel and I follow, the three of us slowly creeping down the narrow hallway. It smells musty and damp, almost like there’s no one here. I follow Hank, and Joel is behind me, the only sound we hear is of our own breathing.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“They’re here, I can smell them,” Hank says. “They know we’re here too, so be ready to shoot if someone jumps us.”
It’s dark and quiet, but within a few seconds the lights come back on and the three of us are exposed. We’ve made our way into a large room and we’re surrounded by about five men, all with their guns trained on us. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Josie Tucker,” a large man says. Hank moves in front of me and aims his gun right at the man. “Come on, Josie, you remember me, right?” he says as he comes closer.
“I’d back the fuck off if I were you,” Hank barks at the man as he cocks his gun.
“I think you need to lower your weapon, Hank,” the man growls. “It’s obvious you’re outnumbered here. I supposed you’re a pretty lucky man, and thank you for leading Jo back to us. I love seeing family members betray their own.” He laughs. “Come on Hank, I have a pretty one for you to meet, I think you’ll like her.”
“Not on your fucking life,” Hank says as he fires a shot into his head, his body thunking on the floor just as the lights go back out. The three of us shoot into the dark and cross our fingers we hit something, and by the sounds of thunking bodies we’ve succeeded, at least until the thunk comes from behind me. “Fuck, Joel’s been hit,” I say as I hunker down and check his pulse, quickly finding he’s dead.
“Damn it! Let’s go!” I say as we run down the darkened hallway to the stairs, taking them two by two to the top. We hear crying and sobbing, and a few screams coming from the rooms. Hank and I bust into a room and find a two young women lying there, naked and bruised. One sits up and backs herself into a corner, pulling her knees up. “It’s okay, come on,” I say as I find an old sheet and wrap one girl up in it. Hank goes down the hall looking for others.
“How many women are here?” I ask the one girl who seems to be the better of the two.
“Just six or eight, I think. They’ve been slowly killing us off, beating us up and letting us die alone.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen now. Can you help me find the others?” I ask.
She nods and gets up, wrapping the sheet tighter around her body. I follow her out of the room and we slowly walk down the hall as Hank comes out with another woman. Thankfully, she is dressed, but she’s thin and also bruised. I see that the leaders here haven’t changed their tactics.
We go from room to room and find a handful of women and try and reassure them that they’re going to be okay, but they’re scared and confused. They’re dirty and sore and would probably trust the devil at this point if he promised to get them out of here.
We hear the echo of explosions from outside and Hank and I know that we need to get out of here, now. The lights come back on and we see blood trailing down the white brick walls, the handprints smeared and dry. “What the fuck has been going on in here?” I ask the one woman.
“You should know, you were here. I remember you, you got special treatment. All of us were jealous that they didn’t beat you like they do us.”
“Oh, but they did, I just hid it better. Now, let’s get out of here as this place is about to blow.”
“Blow?”
“Yeah, the building is about to explode. Let’s get the others and get out before …”
“Before what, my dear?” a deep male voice comes from around the corner.
“Ahh, Vic. Nice to see you,” I say as I aim my gun at him.
“You won’t shoot me,” he says.
“You really want to challenge that?” I say, stepping toward him, covering the women behind me.
“And I see you’ve brought reinforcements,” he says as he eyes Hank. “Ahh, the one that got away,” he growls. “I hoped that I’d see you again,” he says. “But under different circumstances, of course.” He smiles as he steps a bit closer. Hank comes from behind me and pushes me back.
“You want her you’ll have to g
o through me first.”
“That can be arranged,” Vic says as his gun rises to take aim on Hank.
“Not so fast, fucker,” Emma says as she steps out of the shadows.
“Emma?” I say, as she holds her gun up, her hands shaking.
“Ah, my beautiful Emma,” he says as he turns to her, “I knew you’d come back for me,” the psycho babbles. “I’m sorry for what I did, sweet Emma. Let’s try again, huh?”
“Not if you were the last man on Earth, Vic,” she says. “You fucked up my life, and took my baby’s life, pulling his lifeless body from mine. You’re a sick man, and I’m going to take great pleasure in blowing your fucking head off!”
“Oh, Emma, you couldn’t hurt a fly, come here, baby,” he croons.
“You touch her and you’re a dead man, Vic,” Hank says.
“He’s a dead man anyway,” Emma says as she pulls the trigger, the bullet grazing his shoulder.
“You missed!” he screams as he grabs his shoulder, the blood pouring out of the open wound.
“Did I? Oh no, maybe I should try again,” Emma says as she steps toward him, grabbing his collar and pulling him toward her. Hank and I and the others just watch, letting Emma have her moment with her nemesis. She pushes him up against the wall, and Vic’s eyes are full of fear. Mine are full of pride as I watch her come into her own. She holds the gun to his gut and with her other hand, unbuttons his pants, slowly sliding his jeans down to the ground. She steps back and stares at his dick that is limp between his legs, as she takes a knife from her back pocket. My knife, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
“You will never, ever again do what you’ve done to me and so many others, Vic. The last girl your raped was your last,” she says as she grabs his dick and holds the knife to his flesh.
“No, Emma, don’t do this.” His voice shakes.
“No? Why the hell not? It’s used for nothing but violence and rape, and you don’t need it anymore anyway,” she says as blood starts to seep from where the knife is pressed against his dick. Hank is at full alert and is holding his gun on Vic, but he’s letting Emma have her moment. I can tell he’s not pleased that she’s touching his cock, but he doesn’t stop her.