Their lives were in the balance. He had the power to crush them or save them. Today had been a turning point for him. The moment he saw the statue he knew it was a sign, and this woman in front of him was another sign. Instead of Columbus at the feet of Queen Isabella, this was a woman named Isabelle at his feet. God was showing him all the signs he needed; God was showing him that he was on the correct path.
He took her hand and brought her up. He returned her deep look and said, “Isabelle, I pardon you and your father.” He raised his arms, then yelled out, “I’ll go further than that: I’ll pardon anyone we find here who is willing to join our cause.”
Coos Bay, Oregon
Barone wasn’t a fan of running, but he couldn’t find a better workout. What he liked most about it was that it cleared his mind. Each bead of sweat signified a release of stress.
One problem he couldn’t wrap his mind around was the lack of response from the U.S. government in regards to the prisoners he had taken. He knew they were aware of the situation, but there was no sign of the other Marine ARG coming to Portland. Captain White in the USS Topeka reported nothing. He had sailed as far south as Long Beach and spotted nothing on his instruments.
He knew in order for them to be successful, they would have to stay two steps ahead of Conner and the U.S. forces. Their silence did not indicate they were gone. They might be dealing with other problems but they would never leave him alone forever.
Barone had grown attached to this area and wanted to find a way to stay and make it work. The city council had not made a final decision, but it appeared it would end in his favor. From a preliminary vote, three members wanted them to leave. The other members knew that would result in utter chaos. The council wanted to present a unified decision to the towns. Having political disagreements in the past was fine, but now political disagreements could literally end in bloodshed. Those in favor wanted to spend a few days attempting to convince their colleagues to change their votes. Barone had also planned to take the time to speak with those people. He would go to each one and plead his case and see exactly what they wanted. If there was one thing he understood, it was how a politician thought.
When he came aboard the ship, the officer of the deck greeted him and informed him that Master Sergeant Simpson was looking for him. There was something important that he needed to relay to him.
Barone made his way down noticeably empty passageways. Many of the men were gone, either in town or deployed throughout Oregon and Northern California on long-range recon patrols. He missed the hustle and bustle of a full ship, but he gladly exchanged that for the knowledge that his men were accomplishing great things out among the people.
Simpson had requested that Barone meet him in the CIC upon his return to the ship. When he opened the door of the operations center, he walked into a flurry of activity.
“Colonel, back here, sir,” Simpson called out.
Barone still had sweat clinging to his skin and his clothes were soaked. When he stepped back into the briefing room he was greeted by his entire staff. All eyes locked on him as he wiped his face and took a seat. On the screen he saw a map of Northern California with two red areas circled.
“I see the map of NorCal up there. What happened?” Barone asked, cutting to the point.
“Sir, two of our LRRP patrols were attacked. One in the city of Eureka and the other near Redding,” Master Sergeant Simpson said.
“First question I have is what were our guys doing so far south?”
“Sir, that was my call. They called in permission to go down there,” Major Ashley said.
“Major Ashley, why didn’t you think that was important to tell me?” Barone asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
“Sir, our men have been encountering troubles here and there, but they have always been successful in setting up contact. I thought it wasn’t a request that needed your approval.”
“Major, I can’t stress enough the importance of chain of command. If it pertains to large-scale operational decisions, you must run it by me,” Barone chastised.
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, what do we have?”
“As you know we have had small engagements with civilian gangs throughout Oregon. What makes this different is they encountered another military force.”
“Marines, is it the other ARG?”
Ashley looked at the other men and Simpson, then turned to Barone and said, “No, sir, these are not Marines. These aren’t U.S. forces at all.”
“What happened to our men?”
“The patrol in Eureka was ambushed after meeting with the mayor there. We lost five men. Outside of Redding, our patrol came upon them along the side of the road. When our troops pulled up, this group opened fire. Our men returned fire and destroyed them. We know they’re not U.S. because this is what was transmitted back.” Ashley took the remote and clicked a button. The screen flipped from the map to a picture of a light utility vehicle with a machine mounted in the back.
“What is that?” Barone asked, leaning in to get a closer look.
“We didn’t know right away either, but we found out once we ran it through our database. It’s a Tiuna UR-53AR50.”
“Was that the only one?” Barone asked.
“Sir, we recovered everything from the engagement. This was a military recon patrol too. They had three vehicles, a dozen men, arms, et cetera.”
“Where the hell are they from?” Barone asked.
“They’re Venezuelan, sir.”
Sandy, Utah
“I’m sorry, Annaliese. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but I can’t have you go with me,” Sebastian said. He was sitting next to her on the bed. He reached over and grabbed her hand.
At first she flinched from his touch, but she gave in and took his hand. She looked at him and responded, “I know what you have to do. I’ve known from the first day I met you that you’d have to leave. I’m not arguing with you about your decision to go search for your family, I just want to come with you. You’re my husband now and I need to be by your side,” she said as a tear began to slide down her cheek.
“Oh, honey. Don’t cry.”
“You tell me you’re leaving and I don’t know when you’ll return. What do you expect me to do? I love you. I don’t want to lose you,” she said as more tears came.
“Come here,” he said as he leaned in to give her a hug.
“I’m sorry if I’m emotional. I need to be stronger, I know, but I just can’t imagine life without you. We have a good thing here. We’re safe and we have plenty of supplies to last for years.”
“If there was another way, I’d do it. I need to go find my brother.”
“I know, I know.” She wiped her cheeks and eyes and sat up straight.
“Your uncle is providing me with a tremendous amount of support. I’ll be fine. He gave me a handheld ham radio to communicate with you. I’ll check in daily to let you know my whereabouts.”
“I know you’ll check in, but I just know how bad it is out there. At least see if anyone wants to come with you.”
“This is my job. I need all the able-bodied men to be here, to protect you and your mother.”
“I can handle myself out there. I’ve proven that. Please, don’t leave me here,” she said, gripping his hand tighter and looking deep into his blue eyes.
“Your place is here. With your family.”
“You are my family. My place is by your side!” she said, more impassioned.
Sebastian let her last comment sit for a bit before he responded. He did believe that when a man and woman marry, they become family and go into the world together to forge a new life. But in this new world, the road was a dangerous and unpredictable place to be. He didn’t want to put his new wife in danger.
“Sebastian Van Zandt, I’m your wife. Wherever you go, I go. I’m not going t
o hear anything else about this,” she said defiantly, her posture stiffening.
This was the Annaliese that Sebastian knew and loved. She was tender but also tough; brilliant, but never tried to upstage anyone. She was beautiful but never flaunted it. She was just perfect.
“Anna, please don’t put me in this position,” he pleaded.
“What position is that? One where you stand up and insist to my mother and uncle that your wife goes with you, that one?” she said sarcastically.
“You know how they feel.”
“I don’t care how they feel. I’m not married to them and you’re not either. Listen, you can’t say that you’ll be safe, nor can you guarantee my safety here. You don’t know how long you’ll be gone. If you go by yourself, your odds of something bad happening increase. With me by your side, we can do anything.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but smile at her. He loved her spunky attitude.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just love you so much. You’re amazing. And you’re right, we can do anything together,” Sebastian said as he placed his hand on her face and leaned in to kiss her.
Smiling, she stopped him and said, “So, when are we leaving?”
Eagle, Idaho
Nelson finished up helping Eric with a patrol, and was walking up to the house. He was thinking about Samantha and Haley. Samantha was so difficult to talk to lately, and it was clear that Haley needed her mom’s attention. As he walked up to the back deck, he saw that the sliding back door was open. At first he thought nothing of it, but when he walked into the kitchen and saw the can of sardines on the floor and a trail of blood, he knew something was terribly wrong.
“Samantha! Haley!” he called out as he navigated from the kitchen into the living room. There, he ran into the body of the man who had attacked Samantha, a large pool of blood encircling his head. “Samantha! Haley!” he yelled out again.
From the position of the man’s dead body he could tell that he had fallen down the stairs. He ran up the stairs and went directly into Haley’s room. It was empty. Nelson was now in a full panic.
“Samantha! Haley!” he screamed as he bolted out of Haley’s room and down toward Samantha’s room. The bloody hallway directed him toward what he now knew had been a horrible confrontation. As he took the last step and entered the room he prayed that he would find them alive. His prayer was not answered as he found another empty room. “Damn it!” he yelled.
“Where could they be?” he asked out loud. Fear then gripped him as visions of them being taken filled his mind.
He ran as fast as he could out of the room and back down the stairs, over to where the body was lying. He turned the man onto his back, desperate for any clues. The stench of alcohol emanated from every pore on the man’s body. A thorough examination wasn’t needed. The crochet needle sticking out of the man’s head told him cause of death. Nelson checked all the pockets but all he found was a Swiss Army knife and lint. Nothing on the man identified who he was or where he came from.
Frustrated, he took off in a sprint toward Scott’s. The icy cold air filled his lungs. Fear and panic engulfed him. What was he going to do if he couldn’t find them?
He reached Scott’s front door, and before he could knock the door opened.
Scott gestured. “They’re inside.”
Nelson ran in and saw Samantha sitting in the kitchen, being treated by Lucy.
“Oh my God, Sam, you all right?”
Samantha looked weary and beaten, literally. “I’ll live.”
“Where’s Haley?” Nelson asked, concerned.
“She’s in shock. She won’t talk. She’s upstairs,” Samantha said, clearly dazed and in pain.
“Nelson, Nelson!” Haley squealed from the second-story landing that overlooked the kitchen and living room.
Haley ran down the stairs and straight into Nelson’s arms.
Nelson took her and held her tight. “Are you all right?”
“Where were you? We needed you,” she whimpered.
“I’m so sorry, honey. I was with Eric, we had some work to do,” Nelson said, swaying her back and forth.
Samantha felt a tinge of jealousy that her daughter was so receptive to Nelson while being so cold to her own mother. “Nelson, why didn’t you tell me you were gone?” Samantha asked in a chastising tone.
“I . . . I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have,” he answered. He wanted defend himself, but he knew the timing wasn’t right.
“And why did you leave the back sliding door unlocked?” she scolded him.
“I thought I locked it, but I can’t remember,” he answered.
“Sam, is this a good time for this?” Scott asked.
“We have to make sure this doesn’t happen again!” Samantha said harshly.
“Samantha, I agree with Scott. Let’s stay calm. Yelling at him doesn’t change the fact that the man got in,” Lucy said as she applied antiseptic to the abrasions on her face.
“Lucy, that man just walked in the house. He didn’t break in, he walked in because Nelson left the door unlocked!” Samantha exclaimed.
“Samantha, I’m sorry. I swear I locked it when I left,” Nelson defended himself.
“Well, it wasn’t Haley, and no one else is in our house, so it had to be you, because it wasn’t me!” Samantha now screamed.
“Well, no shit it wasn’t you because you don’t leave the house, not to mention your room, anymore!” Nelson volleyed her intensity. He had enough of being chastised. He knew he locked it and wasn’t going to be lectured. Did he feel bad about what happened? Yes. However, there was a better way to handle the situation.
“What did you say?” Samantha yelled back.
“Samantha, please!” Beth begged.
Samantha turned her attention to Beth and shouted, “This isn’t your business, Beth, stay out!”
“You two need to stop, now!” Lucy said, raising her voice.
Nelson and Samantha continued at each other. Neither heard her over their own voices as both exchanged insults.
“How dare you say that about me!” Samantha exclaimed. She brushed off Lucy and stood up. She marched over to Nelson and attempted to grab Haley.
Haley clung onto Nelson and wouldn’t let go.
“Come here, Haley. Come to Mommy.”
“No. Leave me alone. I want Nelson!” Haley said.
“You come here now!” Samantha yelled at her.
“Leave her alone, Sam, she’s upset,” Nelson reprimanded her.
“You’re not her parent, I am!”
“Then act like one!” Nelson yelled.
“Damn it! Haley, come here now!”
“That’s enough; I’m not having this in my house!” Lucy proclaimed loudly. “There’s a terrified little girl here and you both are acting like the babies. Did something go wrong? Yes, but you’re alive!” Lucy barked.
“I left the door unlocked,” Haley murmured.
“What was that?” Nelson asked her.
“I left it open, I’m sorry. It was my fault. I went down to check on Macintosh. I’m sorry. It’s my fault,” she said, beginning to cry.
“Oh, honey,” Nelson said and gave her a kiss on the head after she buried it in his chest.
Samantha didn’t know what to say or do. Deep down, she knew Nelson was right: She hadn’t been a parent to Haley in the past few weeks. During the search for her son and husband, she had drifted apart from Haley, consumed by the thoughts of the worst-case scenario. After Hunter’s body was brought back, she completely isolated herself. Nelson had filled that void and been supportive to Haley, but she was having a hard time admitting what was so evident to everyone else. Feeling uncomfortable, she walked briskly out of the room and headed for the door.
“Samantha! Don’t leave!” Lucy called out to her.
>
Samantha’s eyes were filling with tears as she slammed the door behind her. The frigid air felt good against her flushed skin. She started to walk toward her house but stopped when she remembered the man’s body was still there. She turned around and started for the barn. The tears began to come freely as she got farther away from the house. Her body began to tremble and she slipped on a patch of ice, collapsing into the fresh snow. She sobbed and cried. When she rolled onto her back she screamed out, “Where are you? Why did you leave us?”
Crescent, Oregon
Gordon couldn’t believe the gift that Gunny had given him—a fully loaded, armored Hummer mounted with an M240 machine gun and a team of Marines to assist him. The road to Crescent was bad in some spots, but the warmer temps that day had helped with opening up large swaths of it. The ninety-one-mile trip took them only five hours, so when they drove into Crescent there was enough daylight to take in the layout of the tiny lumber town. Gordon hoped this girl was still here and could provide him with some critical information.
“Any idea where she might be?” Gordon asked the three Marines in the vehicle.
Lance Corporal Jones answered him. “I talked with her myself, sir. She was staying in a storeroom in the back of a bar.”
“What’s her deal? Why was she staying there?”
“She’s a piece of work. A little rough around the edges. She had walked most of the way from somewhere in California, then managed to find a motorcycle. She was healing up after she laid the bike down just south of Crescent. We found her along the road. At first she didn’t want anything to do with us, but she eventually allowed us to help. We brought her into town and the bar owner gave her a place to shack up till she healed.”
“So how far till we reach the bar?” Gordon asked.
“Actually . . . we’re right here,” Jones said as he turned left into a gravel parking lot.
“Great. Let’s hope she’s still here,” Gordon said as he exited the Hummer. From the looks of it, the bar might have been a house at one time. According to the Marines, the patron, John Wilkes, had plenty of alcohol and saw no reason to shutter the place. The Mohawk had now become a central meeting place and refuge for the townspeople of Crescent.
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