by Connor Mccoy
“I’m afraid they’re quite busy. There’s never any down time around here, everything is work.” Jess scratched his chin. “So, tell me, have you had the disease at all? I’m sorry, but you do seem to have had a rough time lately.”
Cheryl looked down at herself. Though she had cleaned up before she left the house, she still looked pale and the skin on her arms bore residue of her rash. “Yes,” she admitted, “I got hit with this damn thing, but I’m out of it now.”
“You sure?” Chapman asked. “We’ve got the best medicine you’re probably going to find for miles.”
“Believe me, the worst is over for me. I appreciate it, really, but all I want is to get the hell home to my family,” she replied.
“Then you are very blessed.” Jess picked up the toilet paper roll.
“Well I consider this a fair trade. A shame we cannot grow these, too.” He chuckled. “You may pass through if you wish.”
Tom reached for his pack. “We’re very thankful for your help. You know, if you need a trading partner, maybe we can come back and discuss a few things.”
“That would be great,” Chapman said, “God knows we could use some more trade around here—”
“Holy shit.”
Cheryl’s pack, previously in her hands, dropped down to the dirt with a thud. She was staring at a man off in the distance, past several groups of patients. He was standing sideways with a tree’s shadow nearby, obscuring his face. All that was clearly visible was the back of his head, showing a short brown haircut and leathery skin. He also was dressed in green military fatigues.
Then, Cheryl broke into a run.
Lauren and Kovacs kept watch on the scene from opposite sides of the big oak tree. It had been an hour since they first had spotted the street from a distance, and after following it to this spot, Kovacs confirmed this was the location of Clark’s camp—a lineup of small structures, a boathouse, a fishing shop, and a small diner.
At first, Lauren had not seen any sign of activity, until a muscled man in a tank top and khakis and clutching a rifle walked from the diner to the fishing shop. That convinced Lauren something was up and that Kovacs probably wasn’t lying after all.
“Recognize him?” Lauren asked.
“That’s probably Goss,” Kovacs replied, “Clark’s third man.”
“I can’t see what’s going on inside. Should we get closer?” Lauren asked.
“No. We will see it soon enough.” Kovacs then pointed to the diner.
Goss stepped out, holding a man by his arm.
“He is one of your people,” Kovacs said.
“You’re right,” Lauren said, “I know him. His name is Joshua Goldberg. I treated him at the hospital before he was expelled. Looks like he’s doing better. He was so bad off, I remember we had to cart him in the building.”
“Then you see I was telling the truth!” Kovacs almost sounded excited.
“Yeah, but where’s he being taken?” Lauren asked.
“Probably to HQ.”
Lauren frowned. “Wait, ‘HQ?’ As in headquarters?”
“Right. There’s a town that Clark calls ‘headquarters.’ That’s where the supplies are taken. My men and I never went there. We don’t know where it is, except it’s located east on the river that runs behind the boathouse. Not a long journey, maybe a couple of hours. Clark said we might go there, but when Durand got ill, we refused to leave him.” Kovacs shook his head.
“That’s when we learned how things work. They strip the sick of their supplies and weapons. If the sick don’t get better, they are left out here. The healthy are moved on.”
“Why?” Lauren asked.
“I do not know. But I overheard that HQ has some with the disease, too. That’s why they were so interested in your Doctor Tran.”
“So, if we go east on the river, we’ll find this HQ or town or whatever?” Lauren said.
“Yes.” Kovacs tilted his head in the direction of the boathouse. Goss and Goldberg just had crossed past it, into the trees, and out of sight.
“The river is on the other side of those trees. A boat likely is waiting to take the healthy onward.”
“Can we get closer?” Lauren asked.
“Sure. But let me go first.”
Lauren twitched a little. For a moment, she feared Kovacs might give a shout, and he’d betray her for whatever favors Clark and his men may offer. Yet nothing of the sort happened. Kovacs took her all the way to a secluded spot in the shadow of a big oak tree. Downhill from them, the river flowed past. A white boat was anchored by a small wooden dock on the other side of the boathouse. The boat was big enough for people to go below deck.
“They will be leaving soon,” Kovacs said quietly.
As the soldier spoke, another man popped up from below deck, wearing a red cap and a belt with a gun holster. He talked to Goss as he approached. Lauren couldn’t make out their words.
“We should go,” Kovacs said, “This is all we need to see. Every now and then one of them goes on a patrol, not very far, but we don’t want to run into him accidentally.”
Lauren nodded. As she turned away from the scene, she wondered about her plans concerning Kovacs and Stark. These men clearly had helped them and, so far, hadn’t shown treachery. Could she really force them to go all the way, to risk their lives, all to rescue their friends?
Karen pushed the folded out map as flat as she could on the ground. Lauren waited with a yellow marker in hand. “Okay, we’re here.” She found the street that connected with the boathouse and pointed the marker a short spot away from it.
“And the river is here.” She then pointed the marker to the river on the map, before moving her hand to the left.
“And there’s a tiny town right about here called Oak Lawn off State Road 217.” The doctor then circled it with yellow ink. “That’s got to be it!”
Cooper leaned against a large tree, staring off over their heads as he couldn’t see the map. “So, we go there and look for Doctor Tran and our missing friends?”
“No. We still got friends and neighbors down in the camp. We must get them out first.” Lauren turned to Kovacs. “How many men do you think are down there?”
“When we were in the camp, I think there were about ten,” Kovacs answered, “But I do not think they all are there. The camp is much quieter than usual, and there is no sign of Clark himself. If they are in the middle of moving people and guns to HQ, the camp will not be as guarded, perhaps only four or five. Clark himself is probably on his way to HQ as well. He does not stick around the camp for long.”
“Four or five.” Lauren stared at the map, trying to coalesce her thoughts into a plan of action. Those numbers tempted her enough to maybe give this a try.
“Alright. We’ll do one more scouting run. If it looks quiet enough, we’re going to break them out.”
Stark stepped up, brushing past Kovacs. “Wait, what the hell are you mumbling about?”
“She said we’re going to rescue our friends.”
That reply didn’t come from Lauren, Karen or Cooper. Nadia Daniels, former police officer, stepped out into the open, eyeing Stark as she approached.
“Nadia?” Karen walked up to her. “You’re able to stand?”
“Standing up and ready to kick ass.” Nadia raised her firearm, keeping the barrel pointed straight down. “I overheard everything. I think I’m past the worst of it. Just tell me what you need.”
Lauren smiled. “Thank God.”
“Hold it. Whatever you’re planning, you’re not throwing us into it. You can risk your necks for your people, but count us out,” Stark objected.
“I’m not asking you to.” Lauren then bent over and retrieved a pouch from her sack. Then she handed it to Kovacs.
“Here. A few days’ worth of food. Should last a week, maybe a little more. I put in more survival instructions.” She stepped back. “You’re free to go.”
Stark’s anger morphed into surprise. “What the hell? You’re actuall
y letting us go?”
Karen frowned. “That’s what I’m wondering. They ought to at least help us get our friends back.”
“They guided us out here. We know where the Eagleton patients are. They’re either in that camp or in that HQ Kovacs talked about.” Lauren lowered her voice.
“This is our fight. I won’t ask you to put your hides on the line. You helped us. That counts as a good mark in my book. So, you can go off and try finding a new life for yourselves.”
Stark still looked flabbergasted. “Three women and a blind man against Clark and his men? This is madness! You don’t stand a chance!”
“Don’t worry. If I aim and shoot enough, I might get lucky and hit one of the bad guys,” Cooper said.
“Hey.” Lauren smiled a little. “It didn’t look as though we stood a chance against you all, and look what happened. I think I like today’s odds even a little better.”
Stark’s protests seemed to die completely. The man just turned away and shook his head. “Fine. Get yourselves killed for all I care.”
Kovacs, however, hesitated. He looked at Lauren, then briefly at Karen. A lot of emotions and thoughts raged behind his eyes. The soldier likely sympathized with them more than he let on, but perhaps couldn’t voice his feelings in front of Stark.
“Hey!” Stark had marched a little way into the woods. “C’mon Kovacs, let’s head for the main road.”
Kovacs stiffened up. “Right, right.” He turned, but then stopped, giving Lauren a final look, perhaps saying ‘Good luck’ without voicing the sentiment.
In a minute, they were gone, out of sight.
Chapter Eight
“Cheryl!” Tom shouted as he dashed after his wife. “Cheryl, what are you doing?”
The redhead dashed, somewhat inelegantly as she still was recovering, yet fast enough to make Tom’s catching up to her a chore. He also had to be careful not to bump into one of the many refugees scattered around the yard.
Tom followed Cheryl around a tree. The former soldier slowed and looked to her left, then right.
“Damn,” she said, “Where’d he go?”
“Where’d who go?” Tom finally caught up to her. “Dammit, Cheryl, why’d you take off like that?”
Cheryl’s mouth dropped open. Something had spooked her, and she was reluctant to voice her worries. “It’s…it’s probably nothing. I could have been wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” Tom asked.
Before he could probe his wife further, a young girl strode nearby. This was the first time Tom was able to see one of these refugees up close. She was carrying a blanket of fruit tightly in her little arms. The load seemed too heavy for someone so short.
“Hey.” Tom approached her. “That’s a pretty big haul for a little lady like you.”
The girl turned, showing off her dirty blue dress. Her skin was also a little muddy in places, as if she hadn’t bathed in a while. A few gnats buzzed her face. She also wore a black armband. However, she clearly wasn’t ill at all. Dirty as hell, sure, but she still was alert and only moved awkwardly due to her heavy load.
“I have to get my fruit to the dumping station,” she said quickly.
“Dumping station?” Tom looked over her shoulder. There were plenty of trees, but no structures in sight. “Must be a long walk.”
“It’s not far. It’s near the river,” she answered.
This girl’s eyes were wide. Tom recognized the fear churning within her two blue orbs.
“I must go. They—they hit those who don’t work.” Then she turned and walked away as fast as she could.
“Hey!” Tom turned and nearly went after her, but then Jess and Chapman arrived, along with two other men clutching Tom and Cheryl’s packs.
“It seems you forgot these,” Jess said.
Tom stared at his pack. “Yeah. You could say that.”
The other two men put the packs on the ground while Jess and Chapman gave Cheryl puzzled, almost accusatory, looks. “So, what got into you just now?” Jess asked, “That was very strange. Are you feeling alright?”
Cheryl quickly took up her backpack. “I’m fine. I thought I saw someone I knew, but it was nothing.”
“You sure?” Chapman folded his arms. “Hallucinations are caused by this thing that’s going around. Maybe you need to be checked out.”
Cheryl put on her pack. “Mistaken identity.” She chuckled. “He was too far away to tell. You know how that is.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t be in such a rush to leave.” Tom picked up his own pack. “Those leaders you talked about? Maybe we could have a little chat.”
“Tom, we don’t have to do that,” Cheryl said quickly, “I want to get home to my kids. Let’s leave these gentlemen to their work. I’m sure these poor people need their attention more than us.”
Are you kidding? Tom thought, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. What was Cheryl up to?
“Right.” Tom smiled crookedly. “The wife is always right.”
Jess nodded. “Of course.”
Cheryl grabbed Tom’s arm and pulled—hard. She wanted out of here. Tom obliged, walking with her. The pair soon reached the road and were back out in the open.
Then, finally, Tom let loose his frustrations. “Cheryl, why are we bailing out? You saw that little girl!”
Cheryl kept up her pace, not turning to look back. “Yes, I saw her Tom, but we can’t stick around there.”
“Bullshit. Something’s wrong. Those people aren’t being protected, they’re being imprisoned. That’s a slave labor camp!”
“I understand,” Cheryl said through gritted teeth.
“Then we are we leaving?”
At last, Cheryl stopped. She clamped her boots together and faced Tom with an iron glare. “Garcia,” she said.
“Who?” Tom asked.
“After we beat Volhein’s men, there were five soldiers left. You remember them? Garcia was one of them. I saw him in the camp.”
“Shit.” That revelation threw Tom Criver for a loop. “You sure?”
“I dealt with him a lot. I’ve seen him from front, back, the side, he’s not an easy man to forget. He even was wearing the same uniform. He’s in there. I know it. That’s why we had to get the hell out of there.”
Tom winced. “Son of a bitch.” He grasped his face with his fingers. “So, they’re doing it again? Assholes. They can’t stop, even after we showed them mercy. Did you see any of the other four men?”
“No, just him,” Cheryl shook her head. “But they could be the leaders Jess was talking about.”
Suddenly, Cheryl’s desire to flee made sense. There was no way she’d want to face those bastards again in her current condition, plus the two of them weren’t prepared for a major fight. No, they’d have to get home first, regroup, and come back later when they were ready.
Tom glanced in the direction they had come. Some of the line still dragged out into the street. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said quietly.
Nadia, Karen, Lauren and Cooper all sat in a circle. “The boat’s gone,” Nadia said, “We couldn’t get close enough to see everybody on board, but we spotted probably four men. Saw some guns on them, too.”
“It got dark pretty quick, but we didn’t see any more than two men, and they were in the boathouse,” Lauren said.
“What about the diner and the fishing store?” Cooper asked.
“Nobody,” Nadia said, “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any men posted inside them.”
“If Kovacs is right, they’ve probably left the sick already, so they don’t need anybody in there,” Lauren said.
“If Kovacs isn’t lying.” Karen rubbed her hands.
“Right.” Lauren blew a lock of her hair out of her face. “So, if we get close to the diner or the fishing store and there’s bad guys in there…”
“It’s like a Jack in the box, except the Jack that comes out has a gun,” Cooper cut in.
Nadia grinned. “Yeah, you said it.”
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“So, are we going to handle this?” Karen asked.
“Perhaps this is not wise,” Cooper said, “Don’t get me wrong, I want to help our friends out there, but we may be headed into a fire we don’t see coming. And sadly, I cannot help you.” His head bowed. “I could be sitting out here for days, weeks, and never know what happened to you all.”
Lauren shook her head. “Maybe he’s got a point.”
“But we’re so close!” Karen protested, “It’s not like we just can drive back out here anytime we want. If we ditch them now, they may not be here when we come back with help. They all could be dead!”
“Can’t argue with that,” Nadia said.
“Karen, if this goes south we all could die, and Jamie can’t see anything in front of his face. He’d be stuck out here with nobody to help him and no way to get home,” Lauren said.
“And how many people are going to die because we won’t do anything?” Karen shot back.
“We’re not soldiers!” Lauren replied.
“The hell we’re not! We were in a resistance. We took back Eagleton. We can handle, what, a couple of thugs?”
“Karen, we have no idea how many are out there. It takes just one person with a good shot to put you in the morgue, probably all of us.” Lauren was about to call this thing off, although she couldn’t disagree with Karen’s sentiment. Lauren had wanted to rescue Doctor Tran and the others, but now too much doubt had seized her.
“Here’s a wild idea.” Nadia got up and stood between Karen and Lauren. “How about we bag one of those guys and get him to talk? Put a gun to his head and he’ll tell us how many men are haunting the area.”
“Alright.” That sounded good to Lauren. “And you’re the one to make him spill the beans, right?”
“You know it.” Nadia put a hand on her hip.
“Then that’s the deal. Karen stays with Jamie, Nadia and I go free the others,” Lauren said.
Karen sprang to her feet. “What? No way, you need my help!”
“We need someone to stay with Jamie and you’re the only one. Sorry. If we are going to free our town’s patients, that’s the way it’s got to be,” Lauren said.