Pedestals of Ash

by Joe Nobody

  Terri turned around and yelled for Nick, “Nick! I’ve got another one hiding over here.”

  As Nick hurried over, he never looked at the face of Terri’s prisoner. His focus was on the man’s hands and torso, searching for weapons. Nick had just started to frisk the guy when Terri said, “Nick, there’s something familiar about this guy. Have you ever seen him before?”

  Nick glanced up at the president’s face and froze instantly. Terri was stunned when Nick took a step back from the man, snapped to full attention, and saluted. “Nick! What the hell are you…” and then it hit her where she had seen the guy’s face before. Terri’s reaction was a little different than Nick’s. She ran off of the porch and immediately confronted the President of the United States. “Where’s my husband? Where’s Bishop? Was he with you?”

  Nick realized what was going on and saved the president from a potential assault being delivered by the charging woman. The big man caught Terri mid-stride and raised her into the air, almost laughing as her suspended feet kept trying to move her closer to the chief executive. Terri suddenly realized her lack of forward progress and turned her ire onto Nick. “Put me down, damn it. I want some answers from this guy.”

  Nick held her suspended until Terri assured him she wasn’t going to attack anyone. When she had regained her feet, she straightened her top and changed her tone of voice to that of a demur, well-mannered southern lady. “Mr. President, my name is Terri, and my husband was on his way to Fort Bliss to deliver a report to you. Have you seen him, sir?”

  The president smiled at her and stepped forward offering his hand. “Yes, young lady, I did meet your husband. As a matter of fact, he saved my life and is around here somewhere. He left me here a few minutes ago and went to take care of someone who was shooting at us. I’m sure he is fine.”

  Terri smiled and began looking all around, hoping to hear Bishop make that porch swing squeak. Her spirit was dampened somewhat when Bishop didn’t magically appear, but at least she knew he had made it this far.

  Nick was completely lost about what step to take next. His sketchy plan had not included this event as a parameter. The commander bailed him out by suggesting they proceed to the church where Bishop was originally leading him. Nick didn’t know if that was such a hot idea, but couldn’t come up with anything better, so he sent some of his men ahead to scout the route.

  Bishop stalked through a few blocks of homes, waiting for Hawk and the other man to fall into his trap, but they never showed up. He shrugged his shoulders and decided revenge could wait. Hawk didn’t seem like the type of guy who knew a lot about field craft and would probably die badly in the desert anyway. Maybe Hawk’s buddy will resort to cannibalism while they are lost in the desert, he thought. Bishop turned around, heading back to retrieve the hider-in-chief.

  There were still random gunshots sounding all over Alpha, and Bishop had to take his time. He was just about to cross a street when he saw Hawk and the other guy run into a large, single story building. Bishop recalled that Hawk had been a spy and responsible for a lot of good people being killed. Hawk had also beaten the crap out of Bishop while he had been bound and injured. Bishop had been around the dude for less than a day, and could recount no less than five incidents that really got his blood boiling. The thought of letting that guy run loose in Alpha didn’t sit well. I need to be more public service minded, he thought. I need to rid the community of this vermin.

  Bishop trotted off toward the elementary school.

  Nick’s scouts returned and reported the next few blocks were clear. “We only saw that other guy.”

  Nick’s head snapped up from reloading one of his magazines. “What other guy?”

  The scout shook his head, “I don’t know his name. He was at our church driving the crazy looking Hummer.”

  Terri had been standing nearby, talking with the president and heard the last statement. She pounced, “What? You saw the guy who was driving the Hummer? Where…where did you see him?”

  The poor man delivering the report thought he had done something wrong, “I’m sorry ma’am…but…but…well, he ran into that elementary school down that way a piece.”

  Terri started to walk in the direction the man was pointing, forgetting all about everything else. Nick grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Terri, hold on. We’ll all go. Bishop might be right in the middle of something and you walking up behind him isn’t a good idea. Just hold your horses, and let’s do this right.”

  Terri spun around, and Nick was taken aback by the ferocity of the look she gave him. “My husband might also be in trouble – did you think about that? I’ll wait, but not too long.”

  Nick nodded and began issuing orders to his men. The route back to the church was altered with a slight detour via the elementary school.

  Agent Powell’s mood was foul to say the least. It appeared to him that this small Texas town had gone completely insane. Over the last few blocks, they had encountered small groups of armed men moving in every direction, some of them shooting at anything that moved. There seemed to be no reason for the random violence. Sometimes the men ran when they saw the army troopers approaching, while other times they opened fire. At one point, an elderly couple had approached the soldiers, believing the government had finally come to rescue them. The pair had been carrying their suitcases and announced that they were ready to be evacuated. Another man had approached, wanting to barter for food. He was a rack of bones covered in skin, filthy and very weak. He claimed he didn’t have much to trade, but was willing to do just about anything for food. He hadn’t seen the president. A couple of the soldiers gave him some food and he had scampered off, laughing like a lunatic.

  The sounds of gunfire echoed all over the town. Powell had no idea what was going on, but knew it wasn’t just the presence of the military. If the rest of the country was like this, there was no way the government would ever reestablish order.

  What really bothered the agent was the thought of the leader of the free world being caught in the middle of this nightmare. Powell was surrounded by some of the best fighting men around, and they were barely making any progress at all. The president had one man with him. Still, he thought, we don’t have any other alternative. We have to keep going and find the boss.

  Bishop followed Hawk and the other guy into the elementary school. The double glass doors had been pried off of their hinges long ago, no doubt by looters looking for food. He entered a long hallway lined with grey lockers. Practically every door was hanging open, and the floor was strewn with papers and books. The hall had recessed openings every so often that clearly led to classrooms. Bishop realized it would take forever to clear this building and find the men inside.

  He was torn between going back and retrieving the president and killing Hawk. He could assume things were going well at the church. The battleground had obviously moved from the compound to the streets of Alpha, given the intensity of the fighting going on around him.

  Hawk was like a bad case of jungle rot – he kept coming back, all the worse each time. Bishop decided the president was pretty safely hidden at the moment and ridding the world of someone like Hawk carried more weight right now.

  While the school was small compared to many, it was still a sizable building with a lot of hiding places. Bishop quietly proceeded to the first classroom and saw a sign on the partially open door that read, “Mrs. Perkins 1st Grade.” There was enough light leaking in through the closed blinds to see dozens of small desks randomly scattered throughout the room. Many were lying on their sides with the contents dumped on the floor. The walls were covered with children’s artwork, depicting everything from cattle to elephants. The front of the room was dominated by a wide blackboard. Below the chalk tray was a cardboard train, each car carrying a letter of the alphabet. Written on the blackboard in large white letters was something that caught Bishop’s attention. “Nurse Brenda needs all shot records by Friday!”

  A nurse meant the school had a clinic, and a c
linic might help him with a cure for his current problem. Bishop left the classroom and cautiously continued down the hall, following the signs of a stick figure nurse and found the clinic across from the library. The looters had paid special attention to this room, probably looking for drugs or medications. Bishop carefully stepped over manila folders, medical records, reference books and all kinds of items covering the floor. He finally spotted what he was looking for in the corner next to an overturned metal cart – oxygen bottles.

  Bishop avoided the looter’s mess and hefted one of the small bottles. He had been shown how to operate these types of devices while his mother-in-law was dying of cancer. He used the plastic key, turned the valve, and watched the gauge’s needle rise. Both bottles were full. Bishop hoisted one of the metal tubes, trying to imagine how far he could throw it. He decided he could toss it a good distance.

  Bishop couldn’t safely clear this building by himself. He also couldn’t be sure the men he was after hadn’t already left via another door. Every minute that ticked by increased the chances someone would discover the president. Yet, he badly wanted Hawk. He wedged himself in a doorway, raised his rifle to the ready, and clicked off the safety. Taking a deep breath, he yelled down the hallway, “Hawk! Hawk I saw you sneak in here. It’s Bishop. I got bad news for ya, buddy – school’s not in session today. You won’t find any little kids in here to molest. Why don’t you settle up with me like a man – or do you only fight with guys tied to chairs?”

  There was no response, so Bishop moved down one set of doors.

  Bishop waited a bit and then started yelling again, “Who’s that with ya, Hawk? Is that your lover? Did he come to take pictures of you molesting children? Maybe he’s a pervert, too? I know, I know…you and he were lovers in prison and wanted to act out your fantasies in an elementary school. Now it all makes sense.”

  Still, there was no response.

  Bishop switched positions, crossing the hall to another classroom carrying the two canisters of oxygen. This one was void of human occupants as well, so Bishop continued his taunt.

  “Hawk, I had you pegged as a cowardly fuck from the get go. Why don’t you come out and face me like a man. Just me and you, Hawk – come on out.”

  Hawk and Smokey were around the corner in the teacher’s lounge, just four doors down from Bishop. They had wanted to rest for a minute and talk over a plan. When Bishop’s voice rang out, both men had jumped. At the sound of his name, Smokey’s eyes darkened, while Hawk stood and moved to cover the doorway.

  Smokey joined him and whispered, “I don’t think he likes you much. He’s not too smart though. We know where he is now. We don’t have time to get caught up in a grudge match right now. Let’s get out of here.”

  Smokey started to move out the doorway when Hawk’s hand reached out and stopped his friend. “When we caught him before, he was carrying some serious equipment. He had food, night vision and a lot of ammo. We could use that shit now. Let’s pop his ass and take the gear – we may need it.”

  Smokey pondered Hawk’s suggestion for a moment and shrugged his shoulders, “Okay – let’s get it done before the army shows up though.” Hawk and Smokey whispered back and forth for a moment and agreed on a plan.

  Bishop tried to put himself in Hawk’s shoes. He was convinced the two men were in the building and had heard him calling Hawk out. If he were Hawk, he would be listening, trying to determine where the taunting voice was coming from and, getting ready to spring. Bishop had advanced down the hall three sets of doors. There were only three left, so he was halfway. He took one of the oxygen bottles and set it next to a door. He could hit the bottle with a round from anywhere in the hallway. He carried the other tank with him back toward where he had entered the building and waited.

  Hawk and Smokey had taken up positions two doors down from Bishop. They had been tracking his voice as he advanced, but now there was nothing but silence. The two men looked at each other and Smokey waved Hawk over. In a whisper, he said, “Either he’s left or wised up and is staying silent. Let’s go get him. It’s two to one, and the odds are in our favor.”

  Hawk didn’t like that idea one bit. “Hold on a second. I saw this guy bust up an ambush and kick the shit out of 20 of our guys. He’s no amateur. He’s went silent to draw us out, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to do what he wants.”

  Smokey looked at his friend with a slight expression of disappointment. “If we stay here, eventually the army will show up. I don’t know about you, but I’m never going back inside. Now, we can sit here until this asshole or the army gets us, or, we can go get him and be on our way with his gear. You saying that we have a better chance against the army?”

  Hawk, as usual, couldn’t argue with Smokey’s logic. He nodded and moved to the next set of doors.

  Bishop was about to give up. This was all taking too long, and he was worried about the man he had left behind. While the sounds of shooting had died down outside, it was getting dark quickly, and the thought of approaching the church after sunset didn’t seem wise. He was standing up to leave when he heard the rustling of footsteps down the hall. “Gotcha!” he thought.

  Bishop shouldered his rifle and waited. Hawk’s voice sounded, “Bishop, you still here? I’m waiting. You spouted a lot of bullshit a bit ago…come on out and back it up.”

  Bishop could tell the man’s voice was pretty far away. Each grade at the elementary school had two classrooms with the grades advancing down the hall. Bishop was hiding at the first grade rooms and had left the oxygen beside the third grade doors. He thought Hawk was in the hall around the fifth grade classrooms.

  “I’m still here, Hawk. I’m sorry I interrupted you and your friend. Is he mad at me, too?”

  Another voice rang out from about the same position as Hawk’s, “I’ve got no quarrel with you, friend. Why don’t we talk this over like gentlemen? These times are challenging enough without everyone attacking each other. Come on out and talk – you have my word we won’t shoot.”

  Bishop almost laughed out loud. He got control of himself and replied. “I don’t know you, but I have a good measure of your friend, Hawk. He’s a chicken shit piece of scum. Was it your idea to have those breasts tattooed on his back?”

  Bishop heard boots moving up the hallway. He leaned around the corner and fired at the oxygen canister.

  The explosion wasn’t that large. There was very little structural damage done to the school or to Smokey, who was about 10 feet away from the detonation. The effects were similar to a flash bang grenade. Smokey was momentarily blind, deaf and stunned. A moment was all Bishop needed. Seeing Smokey’s outline in the flash of the blast, Bishop fired four rounds at the motionless criminal. Two loud grunts and the sound of a body hitting the floor told Bishop he hadn’t missed.

  Hawk had been moving up the hallway parallel with Smokey, but was on the other side when the tank erupted. The effect of the explosion on him was lessened by distance, and he ducked into a doorway recess as Bishop’s shots rang out. His vision still hadn’t recovered from the flash, but he heard Smokey fall. Hawk shook his head to clear the cobwebs and decided he had better move. He stood and turned to retreat, when an odd noise reached his ears. He thought for a moment he was hearing bells or ringing. Then the sound changed to something rolling across the floor. Movement caught Hawk’s eye, and he looked down to see a small, shiny silver canister rolling down the hall toward his feet. His semi-stunned brain registered what it was and the words “Oh shit,” had almost made it to his throat when Bishop’s shot rang out.

  Bishop saw Hawk’s body slammed into the wall by the explosion. He watched for a moment as the man was enveloped in flames from the oxygen and slowly slid down the wall to the floor. One of the two explosions had caught the scattered papers lying all over the place on fire. Bishop took a moment to verify Hawk’s body didn’t move. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose, and Bishop decided it was time to leave.

  He exited the school the way he had e
ntered and started moving back toward the place he had left the President of the United States.

  Nick and Terri had hung around for several minutes at the president’s insistence, the man sure Bishop would be coming back for him. Nick didn’t like being stationary in such an exposed location. There were still indiscriminate echoes of gunshots ringing all over Alpha, and he wanted to get back inside of the church compound as soon as possible. Eventually, Nick convinced Terri that with the approaching dusk, the group needed to make its way back to the compound for safety’s sake. Besides, Bishop could make his way to the church on his own.

  Sending a few men ahead to scout, a short column of the church’s men slowly started making their way toward the compound. The park was too open to cross, so Nick chose a route that would take them around it and provide more cover. Terri stood with the president, scanning the area one last time, hoping to see Bishop. She and the chief executive eventually followed the column, last in line.

  Bishop worked his way toward the Victorian home where he had left the president. In the fading light, he spotted a group of men moving on the opposite side of the park and was pretty sure one of them was the chief executive. “Shit,” he thought, “I played around with Hawk too long.” The fact that the men were moving toward the church allowed him to relax a little, but in the fading light he couldn’t be sure he had seen the president or if the right side had found his charge. Bishop entered the house and found it vacant. He moved out quickly, thinking to catch up with the men he had seen earlier.

  It took Bishop a few blocks, but he finally saw people moving in front of him. As he closed the gap, he became aware that one of the people moving up ahead was a woman. His initial thought was that Deacon Brown had joined her men in whatever they were doing outside of the compound. As he moved closer, the female’s movement became more familiar to him, and he realized it was Terri.