by Connor Mccoy
They hadn’t hiked more than a few steps when Jake came running toward them. “Lee! Tom! You got to hurry! Doctor Whittaker! Doctor Tran!” He wheezed and had to take a moment to gather his strength again. “They’re here! They’re…they’re at the camp…with Rosa.”
“Holy shit!” Tom gave Cheryl a quick glance. She looked at him with astonishment. Just what had gone down in that camp?
At last, the pain in the back of Tom Criver’s head was subsiding. Sitting on the grass in the shadow of a large oak tree, he sipped more water from the canteen. His camp had grown by eight. In addition to Rosa returning, Lauren, Nadia, Doctor Tran and five more Eagleton citizens, plus Carson, all were sitting or standing around, with the rest of Tom’s force tending to the ones who needed aid.
Tran’s right arm was bandaged. He had been shot during the flight from the camp, or so he claimed. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” he said. Nobody was sure if he was joking or not. The amount of blood they had to stop seemed to confirm he was hit by something.
Lauren rubbed her right cheek, which was marred by a cut. She had scraped her face against a tree branch when they fled under cover. Nearby, Nadia lay on the ground, utterly exhausted. Once they finally had made it to safety, Nadia collapsed into near unconsciousness. She still was on the mend from the disease, and the strain of the past few days finally had caught up with her.
Tom listened as Tran spilled the entire story—how he and the sick from Eagleton were captured and taken to Clark’s work camp, and how Clark’s men enticed unwary travelers to come to the camp with promises of protection, only to be captured and abused.
“Clark got wind of the epidemic from someone from the Atlantic Coast,” Tran explained. “He already had organized a small group of brutes, but then he figured he really could cash in on people’s suffering by offering them food and water, plus some protection.” Tran smiled crookedly. “He used to be an accountant for a law firm. When the power went out, he started bench pressing and turned into a real hulk of a man.”
Lee paced alongside a tree. “Thank God you didn’t run into him.”
“I only saw him once. He had a scar running down the middle of his chin. He was tall, bald, and he had a bit of a crazy look in his right eye,” Tran said. “But he’s also smart. He’s figured out how to grow lots of grapes. He’s also got connections with warlords in other areas. He plans to sell the wine for God knows what, weapons, supplies…”
“Probably even drugs,” Rosa added. “I heard some of the men talking. Some of them had a stash of cocaine. They said Clark wants to get in on that, too.”
Cheryl coiled her fingers. “Garcia’s helping him.”
“Sure seemed like it,” Nadia said, wearily. “I didn’t see him very well, but I know he was coming after us.”
“And you’re sure you didn’t see Kovacs go down in the fighting?” Tom asked.
“The whole thing was just one big run,” Lauren said. “I didn’t even know he had been missing until Rosa had taken us out onto the street.”
“Did Clark hook up with another foreign army?” Cheryl asked, “Is there anybody else we have to worry about?”
Tran shook his head. “All homegrown except for Garcia.”
Cheryl glanced at Tran, then at Lauren, then Nadia. “Did we get all our people out?”
“We did,” Lauren said, “Between the boathouse camp and this one, we cleared out everyone.”
“So, it’s over,” Rosa said. “We didn’t leave anyone behind.”
“It’s not over,” Tom said. Everyone’s attention fixed on him. He was standing over them, glowering. “There’s still who knows how many people trapped in that camp. From where I’m standing, if that hellhole still is operating, it’s not over. It’s got to be shut down.”
Chapter Seventeen
Cheryl was sharpening her knife on a hard stone when her husband walked by. “I don’t need to ask what you’re thinking about. You’re going, right?”
“Never changed my mind.” The sound of Cheryl pressing the knife against the stone got a little shriller. “And I’m not going to.”
Tom approached her from her right side. “I wouldn’t be doing my husbandly duty if I didn’t at least give it a go.” He sighed. “You know the risks better than anybody. I’d insult the hell out of you if I tried to tell you.”
Cheryl stopped grinding her knife. “You know this won’t end for me until I deal with Garcia. If Lauren’s right, then we know he’s on Clark’s side.”
“Yeah.” Tom nodded. “Just tell me you’re going to have a clear head when the shit goes down. That’s all I want to hear.”
Cheryl turned her green eyes toward her husband. “You don’t have to worry about me, Tom. Just make sure you do the same when you’re freeing the camp.”
Tom smiled. “I guess we both have to keep each other honest, don’t we?”
Cheryl raised her right eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess it’s part of this whole marriage thing, right?”
Tom nodded. “Right.”
The fighting men and women of Eagleton were gathered in the forest. Tom stood in the middle, addressing them about what had to be done. It was a pep talk he had hoped he wouldn’t have to give.
“There’s no more talking. We know who’s running that camp, and they don’t give a shit about negotiations or pleas for decency or righteousness. They’re just out for themselves. They’ve held our friends and neighbors captive, and they still have a lot of innocent people trapped in there. They’re drunk on power and if this goes on, they’re going to start a drug and alcohol trade.” Slowly, Tom paced in a circle, catching the glances of people as he spoke.
“We don’t have a choice. We’ve got to go in there and free those poor people. We’ll use guns, knives, and even our bare hands if we must.”
After clearing his throat, Tom came to a stop. “If you haven’t heard, one of the camp’s enforcers is Humberto Garcia. He’s one of the surviving NATO soldiers we drove into exile.”
That certainly got people’s attention. Eyes widened, legs inched forward, and people stood up.
“We don’t know what Garcia is planning, or if he’s looking for payback against us. But I thought you should know.” Tom paused.
“Whatever happens, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is all about innocent people who are being hurt and abused. Freedom’s not something we ever can take for granted. The way I see it, the more people are free, the less power bastards like Clark and Garcia are going to hold.”
Tom gathered his remaining thoughts. “I know we decided this, but tomorrow morning you’re putting your life on the line, and it’s going to be for complete strangers this time, not our neighbors or friends. But they are fellow human beings, so in my book it’s damn worth it. Still, if anybody wants to head back home, that’s perfectly fine.”
Tom stopped and waited. Some in the crowd exchanged glances. Nobody, however, moved out of the mass or spoke up.
“You know, you don’t have to speak up right now,” Tom said. “You can leave later if you want. Trust me, I’m not putting anybody on the spot.”
A few of the men laughed. Then, Lee stood up. “I don’t think you have to worry about missing a few men. We know what’s at stake, and we’re ready for this.” Then he glanced at Cheryl, who was seated near the trunk of a big tree.
“Besides, many of us have been talking. We don’t regret exiling the sick but, at the same time, we feel responsible for casting so many out where they were captured by Clark.” His hand dropped to his holster, though he didn’t touch the gun. “So we have a debt to pay. We’re going to make everything right so those captured won’t have to suffer anymore.”
Tom nodded. “Then tomorrow, we strike.”
The darkness of the sky was changing to dark blue. Soon the dawn would come. Tom had become so used to looking at the progression of the sky that he didn’t need a watch, not that there were many watches left that still worked after the EMP shock.
He lay against the tree with his mind still partly in dreamland. A blonde woman interrupted his thoughts. Jessica. His first wife. For some reason he had been thinking a lot about the past. It began in that room in that abandoned house as he lay at Cheryl’s bedside. There, he thought of his mother. Later, back at his home, he remembered his father. Now he was thinking of his former wife.
She was beautiful, the most beautiful lady he ever had laid eyes on. The fact that she fell in love in him seemed like a dream come true. How could he have landed someone as beautiful as she? Then it occurred to Tom that, ever since he had fought alongside Cheryl to save Amir, he never had missed her.
Perhaps he didn’t want to miss her. Perhaps he felt guilty for longing for her after he had met Cheryl. Maybe his guilt was because he wasn’t able to save their marriage, and that he couldn’t comfort his wife after losing their son. He was too late to stop her from going out their front door.
Damn, he thought, Is she still alive out there?
The odds seemed against it. Jessica was many things, but a survivalist wasn’t among them. She could have hooked up with someone who did know how to survive in this new, brutal world. Possibly. But the sad part is that Tom likely never would know. Mass communications and transit were all gone. The country was now a spread-out wilderness. Distance had isolated the survivors. Tom had left behind the city that he and Jessica had called home. She had no way to locate him again, even if she had come looking for him.
But the fact is even if Jessica had, against all odds, managed to find him, Thomas Criver was a much different man now. Hell, if Jessica had survived this long, she likely would be a much different woman. They would not be the same two people who once had tied the knot. Rubbing his eyes, Tom stood up. Around him, men began to stir. They all knew what was coming.
Tom imagined Jessica once again. Her face was indeed as beautiful as before, but it was almost transparent, faded, like an old photograph. She felt like a distant, faded memory.
I don’t know where you ended up, Tom thought, but I hope to God you found some kind of happiness.
The image faded out altogether. Now he was back in the present. And with dawn soon to arrive, he had to concentrate on the task ahead.
He leaned over his backpack and fished out his tactical gear. As he gripped the pistol in his hand, a charge ran through his body. And then it hit him. He had been making peace with the past. For all the people he lost in his life, he retained fond memories of them, even amidst the heartaches he suffered with them. But he had gained so much since then. He once had despaired that he never would have children again. Now he had thirteen of them!
He strapped on a vest. Sometimes you’re rewarded for your risk, he thought.
Tom had taken a good look at his team. He was surrounded by friends, neighbors, and a hell of a wife, all armed with weapons and tactical gear. Together, they were about to go into battle. Notably, Lauren and Nadia were absent. The pair had gone through much in the past few days. It was time for them to sit this one out.
He glanced past the trees, across the road where the camp lay. With all the ruckus Lauren and Nadia had caused, the camp was sure to be on alert. An attack on the main entrance was out of the question. Instead, they’d go for the secret entrance. The sun had yet to rise, but it would soon. They had to make their way across the road now.
“Alright,” Tom said, “I’d love to give the inspirational speech, but time’s kind of the essence.”
“I got one,” Cheryl said.
“Really?” Tom asked, “Well, I’d love to hear it, believe me.”
“Okay.” Cheryl placed her hand on her hip, near her holster. “Give them hell, boys.” She glanced at Tom. “Done.”
Grinning, Tom shook his head. Lee laughed. “Brevity is the soul of wit, my friends.”
Tom turned around. “Alright, let’s make tracks.”
The barrier to the camp was maintained by a rusty metal gate set up in a fence that ran behind two large trees. The large canopy provided great seclusion for the enforcers to leave the camp without being spotted. The three men stationed at the gate felt lucky to be there. The past day had seen the camp thrown into turmoil. Enforcers were found unconscious. Several captives, including the doctor they with them, had escaped. There had been a running gun battle. And, apparently, there was another intruder who had escaped their grasp and could be hiding out somewhere.
Rumor had it Clark was pissed. Good thing these three managed to land guard duty over here. That thought eased their minds somewhat. Perhaps a little too much. One of the men thought he saw a moving silhouette in the background, but as he approached, he noticed the profile of a nearby tree and thought he was seeing things. Then he turned around, laughed at himself, and resumed chatting with his two buddies.
A minute later, a new silhouette approached. This one was practically on top of them! Startled, the three men stood up, but couldn’t raise their weapons in time. Tom and his people surrounded them with gun barrels aimed right at them.
“Hand over those weapons, now,” Lee ordered.
Tom’s group now was enriched with more ammunition and firepower. The group filed out deeper into the camp, leaving the guards behind tied up and gaged. The dawn grew brighter. Worse, the tree cover grew shallower. Now they were headed for the heart of the camp, and they would be exposed.
Pop! Pop!
“Everyone back!” Lee shouted as bullets struck the ground and trees nearby.
Tom’s worst fears were confirmed. The camp was definitely more on alert, as about a dozen men swarmed out into the open. The only miscalculation they seemed to make was not beefing up the smaller entrance to the camp. Tom spied an outcropping of rocks to their right. The tree cover was thicker there. They could make a better stand over there.
“Hey!” Tom shouted, “Let’s haul ass over there, now!”
Tom pressed against the tree as bullets hammered the ground or the treetops above them. Their retreat went off without a hitch, but now their pursuers had taken the outcropping rocks ahead of them and were raining down bullets on their position. This didn’t look good. There was so much gunfire that there was no hope of pushing the line forward. The path behind them didn’t even have that much cover, so retreat was iffy at best. Tom could imagine running back that way and exposing his back for those precious few seconds to a well-placed shot.
He tried keeping his cool amid the loud impacts of bullets. Perhaps he could get past the bullet shower if he dove between those trees up ahead. If he crept along, keeping low to the ground, it would be difficult to see him. Eventually, he’d reach the base of the rocks. Perhaps then he could find a way to climb up and take them by surprise. A shot nailed a branch on one of the trees Tom was studying—too close for his comfort. He would be going out there among the hail of bullets. That wasn’t any better than retreating.
He stole a glance at Cheryl in back of him, crouched by a tree with Jake. No, he couldn’t lose his head over this. He’d done that before, rushing into a fight without even caring if he got killed. He realized how much he had to live for now. Plus, if he did anything reckless, his friends, neighbors, all of them, would feel compelled to bail him out, Cheryl most of all. And God knows what would happen to them then.
Be patient, he thought. “Just stay down!” he shouted to his comrades. “These assholes don’t have tons of ammo. They can’t get us like this. They have to come down here to get us!”
A lot of faces nodded at him. They got the message. They would wait.
Within a couple of minutes, the loud pops and bangs ceased. “Wait,” Tom said, “We stick our heads out, they may blast them off. Get ready. They’re coming for us.”
Tom’s group switched to ambush mode. Tom found a spot where a path from the outcropping rocks was visible. Lee, shortly behind, did his best to hide himself under an overhanging tree branch. Tom knew this wasn’t a fully-trained army, but some of them did pick up some experience fighting Volhein’s forces. The rest hung back toward the path
out of the camp.
One minute passed. Then another. Tom scratched his nose. What were they up to?
Finally, someone did show up on the path. It was Chapman. The man approached, rifle in hand, looking around with some obvious trepidation. The red-bearded man who Tom had tussled with soon followed, similarly armed.
Tom heeded a lesson Cheryl had given him regarding camouflage – staying still was key. The human eye picks up movement. Crouched down like this, with the shadow of the tree above his head, Tom wasn’t an easy target. They were getting close. Two more men were now with Chapman and the red-bearded man. If any of them bent down to look, they’d see Tom.
These guys are not killers, Tom thought. He had seen it all, from hoodlums to street gangsters following society’s collapse due to the EMP, to The Coach and his minions, to Volhein and his soldiers. These guys were too nervous, too unsure of themselves. They didn’t expect to fight like this.
A young bald-headed man suddenly shouted, “I think I see someone! There, there!” He pointed way off to Tom’s right. The youngster aimed his rifle in that direction and squeezed off two shots.
That was enough to set Tom’s forces into action. Fresh gunfire rained onto the path, catching the men. A bullet tore through the red-bearded man’s shoulder. He screamed, dropped his gun, and collapsed onto the dirt. Another bullet caught Chapman right in the chest. He let out an agonizing groan, then fell flat on his back. The rest of the men didn’t even turn to shoot, instead fleeing back the other way.
More bullets flew from the other direction, but this time they came from the ground level, not the rocks. Tom and his force fired back. I was right, Tom thought. These guys came down here looking for us, and now they have given up the advantage.
“Wait!” shouted a male voice from the trees beyond them. “Wait! Stop! We give up!”
“Hold fire!” Tom yelled.
Tom’s forces ceased fire. All was quiet, except for the shouts of the man beyond. “We…we give up! Stop shooting, please!”