“What in the hell is going on? What plan? Have you lost your mind? This is my house, damnit! Brian, Corey, come take Robert’s gun away and lock him up!” The colonel commanded.
The two friends stood still.
Robert lifted his gun again, threatening to strike his father a second time. “Shut up, Mark!”
He could feel something evil take over him and the power was invigorating. It felt like the cocaine, but better. It lifted him to a new level of high, and he was hooked. With the barrel of his handgun, Robert scratched his temple and paced around his father, circling him like a vulture.
“All you had to do was listen to me, and this would have never happened! But you forced my hand. Of course, they didn’t steal. We’ve been trying to get rid of them since you let them in! But you’re through here, old man. We’re taking over and making a few changes around here. Tie him up, guys.”
Brian picked up the colonel and sat him in a metal fold up chair. “Sorry, Mr. Seaton. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this,” he mumbled in Mark’s ear, quietly enough that Robert couldn’t hear him.
Corey looked shocked, but grabbed some duct tape from the closet and followed Robert’s orders. Using the tape, he pulled Mark’s hands behind the chair and tied them together in makeshift handcuffs. “Sorry, sir,” he whispered, then stood and faced Robert. “All right, Rob, what’s next?”
The injured colonel tried squirming and wiggling his wrists to freedom, but was unsuccessful. “Untie me now, damnit!”
Noticing the flimsy and poorly done tape job, Robert stormed over and finished it himself. “No, you idiots! Like this,” he said, grabbing the tape from Brian’s hand. First, he secured both of Mark’s calves to the legs of the chair. He then wrapped his father’s chest and torso multiple times, as tightly as he could without impairing breathing or cutting off any circulation. He didn’t want to kill him, not yet anyway. “There!”
The colonel was completely bound to the chair; he couldn’t move even if he wanted to. “You’re never going to get away with this!” he yelled, spitting out blood.
“Thanks, Dad,” Robert said, ignoring the frivolous claims. “I almost forgot.” He tore off the last section of silver adhesive and slapped it across Mark’s face, covering his mouth. “That’s better.”
Any petition or appeal Mark had was now muffled behind the gag.
“Rob, isn’t he kind of right, though? How are we going to convince the others that you’re taking over?” Brian asked wearily. “Won’t they be skeptical?”
“Details, Brian. Details. Now we’re going to take care of those pesky cousins. You can be as sloppy as you want now, Corey,” Robert replied with a laugh.
The coup had begun.
1132 hours
Steve had not eaten a single thing all day and felt the effects. Apart from his stomach rumbling, his blood sugar was so low that his hands shook. He knew he would probably faint if he didn’t get something soon.
Shannon, Billy’s one-night stand, was taking inventory in the kitchen when Steve walked in. “Hey, Steve, how are you doing? How’s Billy doing? That was some crazy stuff yesterday!”
“Hi, Shannon. I’m fine, just looking for something to eat. I’m starving,” Steve said, hoping to bypass any unnecessary gossip. “Yeah, it was, and Billy is doing fine, too.”
“That’s good. Do you know when he’s going to be released? I was kind of hoping to go hang out with him again.”
Steve knew what she meant by “hanging out.” Normally he would play along, but now his hunger was making him grumpy. “I have no idea. I’m sorry, but can I just get some food, please?”
“Aren’t we in a good mood this morning?” the gossip queen retorted. “Grab one of those MREs off the shelf. Supplies are still low.”
As Steve grabbed the MRE, he realized how rude and impolite he was being. It wasn’t Shannon’s fault he was hungry or hadn’t eaten in a day. “Hey, Shannon, I’m sorry for being like that. It’s just that with everything that has happened with Collin and Alex and Billy, my head is just going crazy,” he said with a sincere look of grief.
“It’s okay, Steve. I know your world is upside down,” she said, setting down her clipboard to embrace him.
Had it not been for Shannon’s very large bosom, Steve would have pulled back. After a solid fifteen-seconds of consoling, Shannon released him. “On second thought, take this,” she whispered, handing Steve a Snickers bar off the rack.
“Thanks, Shannon,” Steve said, taking his food with him to the dining room.
“You’re welcome. And tell Billy to come and see me soon!”
Steve sat at the end of the dining room table, devouring the meal. The MRE tasted terrible, but the chocolate and sugar brought him back to full strength. Since no one was around, he swept his crumbs to the floor. He wiped the corners of his mouth and dumped his trash in the bin next to the table.
On his way back to the medical room, Steve rounded a corner and ran into Robert and company coming down from the stairs leading to Mark’s room. The swelling on Robert’s face spread beyond the rims of the glasses; his face looked like plastic surgery gone wrong. Steve stopped and flashed a look of disgust at Robert. He had not forgotten about Robert’s cowardly escape. Rather than start an unnecessary fight, Steve shouldered his way through the group.
“Hey, Steve, aren’t you forgetting something?”
Steve knew he shouldn’t, but he bit. As he turned to face the group, his cheek met a right hook from Robert, knocking him back against the wall.
“Grab him!” Robert ordered before Steve could get away.
Steve struggled in vain to free his arms. “What the hell is this all about, Robert?”
“Oh, this isn’t payback, if that’s what you’re thinking. I probably deserved that beating yesterday, but this isn’t for that at all,” Robert said matter-of-factly. “We were so close to getting rid of you guys. And if you and your cousin had just died back in Paso Rio like you were supposed to, we wouldn’t be having this little chat, and I wouldn’t have had to beat up my father. But that’s a different story. What can I say, that pathetic old man had it coming.”
“What?” Steve asked, still taking in the sinister plot. “You meant to kill us? To leave us for dead?” He tried to send a heel to Robert’s stomach, but was an inch too far away. Instead, Steve received a fist to his stomach.
“Let’s get him out of here before anyone comes,” Robert said, pushing his companions out of the hallway.
Steve tried to scream for help, but was quickly silenced by a pistol whip to the head. Brian sprinted ahead of the group and relieved Travis from guard duty. After Travis handed Brian the keys and left, Brian signaled for the others to bring over Steve. As quickly as they could, Brian unlocked the door, and Robert and Corey tossed Steve’s drooping body inside. Corey and Robert departed, but left Brian to stand guard
From around the corner, out of view, Sarah stood, shocked. She witnessed the entire exchange. After they left, she ran back to the infirmary.
1150 hours
“Collin, wake up!” Sarah said, shaking him.
Collin came to, this time more coherent. At the sight of his unconscious cousin, Collin popped up. “Wait, I wasn't hallucinating. Alex is alive! How is that possible?”
“Shh,” Sarah ordered, putting a finger to her lips. “Yes, and he’s fine. There’s no time. I’ll explain that later. I just saw Robert, Corey, and Brian attack Steve. Robert told him they tried to kill him and Alex back in Paso Rio, but it didn’t matter anymore,” Sarah said, pausing momentarily out of shock. Tears began trickling down her cheek.
“What else happened, Sarah? I need you to tell me everything!” Collin insisted, trying to get up before the pain from his leg forced him back down. “What happened to Steve?”
“I don’t know. They dragged him to where Billy was being held,” she said, sobbing as she continued. “I don’t think he was dead, but he wasn’t moving, Collin! They just tossed Steve into the room lik
e he was nothing!”
“Sarah, I know this is hard to take in, but I need you to focus. Listen to me, okay?” he said, grabbing her hand as gently as he could.
Sarah just nodded and tried to wipe away the tears.
“You have to get Steve and Billy out of there before Robert kills them.” He grimaced, grabbing the sides of the bed. “Do whatever you have to, but don’t get caught. You’re our only hope.”
“Okay,” she said, turning to leave. The tears had stopped. She was becoming too angry to be sad.
On the table next to Alex’s makeshift bed rested the bottle of anesthesia the colonel had used to put Alex to sleep. She grabbed the drugs and a needle.Sarah, I hope you know what you’re doing, she thought. Her mind raced, forming a plan. It was rough and unpredictable, but a plan nonetheless.
As Sarah grabbed the handle to leave, Robert pushed the door open. Quickly, she pocketed the drugs before he could see them. “Rob,” she said, doing her best to stay calm and play coy.
Alex was still asleep, and Collin closed his eyes and pretended. Satisfied, Robert entered and closed the door. “Sarah, good, you’re here. I was looking for you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Well, no, not really. I have some bad news,” Robert replied, taking off his glasses. “The other guys found some evidence indicating the cousins were stealing and intentionally trying to sabotage the compound.”
She knew his story was bogus, but played along. “What? Are you serious? What’s going to happen?”
“I am, and I’m not sure yet. My dad is in his room, thinking. He told me to come and tell you the news.”
“I can’t believe this…”
“Look, Sarah, I know that you liked Steve, and I’m sure it kills you more than anyone to hear this. If you need to talk or anything like that, let me know okay?”
“Definitely, Robert. Thank you so much for telling me,” she said, giving him a hug. “I don’t mean to be blunt, but I’m late meeting up with Jenny.”
Robert opened the door courteously but stopped her halfway out. “Anything at all, got it?”
As much as she wanted to lash out and add to Robert’s bruises, Sarah restrained herself. She nodded then walked away like nothing was wrong.
Cowards and Heroes
May 26, 2009
1253 hours
Afternoon arrived, and the not-so-alive population of Paso Rio continued to march their way to the bottom of the valley. They were within view of the compound, still hot on Alex’s blood trail.
Robert and Corey plotted in Mark’s room, drinking the colonel’s liquor and smoking his cigars, relishing in the spoils of their new royalty. They used Mark as a target, throwing everything from wadded up paper balls to thick gold coins from his personal collection at him.
While the new “leaders” were occupied, Sarah gathered some food from the kitchen and brought it to where Billy and Steve were being held.
Brian sat on guard duty with his rifle over his lap, but stood up as she approached. “Hey, Sarah. What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Brian, Rob told me everything. He said they can at least have some food before he figures out what to do with them. Looks like Robert is nicer than I would be,” she said, keeping up the charade.
“What? Robert didn’t say anything to me about that.”
“Oh, well, I just saw him a little bit ago, and he told me. Maybe he just hadn’t gotten around to telling you.”
“Typical Rob. Well, just set it down, and I’ll take it in.”
She pushed past him, hoping to force her way through. “It’s no big deal, Brian. I don’t want to trouble you—”
“No, Sarah, just leave it. I’ll do it. If anything happens to these guys, it’s my ass.”
“Okay,” she said, handing the tray to him.
Brian set his rifle down and grabbed the tray. Turning his back to Sarah, he went to open the door. “Stand back, assholes. I’m coming in—”
Before Brian could say another word, he passed out cold, his body slumping over awkwardly. The tray of food slammed on the ground, scattering its contents.
“Those drugs do work fast,” Sarah whispered, removing the needle from Brian’s neck.
Sarah tossed the syringe aside, lifted the keys from Brian’s limp hand and unlocked the door.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, barely ducking under Billy’s right hook.
“Sarah! I thought you were one of those douchebags,” Billy apologized.
Steve was just waking up. He was lying on the ground, hand to his head, trying to stop the bleeding from Robert’s earlier attack. “What happened? Sarah? What are you doing here?”
She rushed over and knelt to give Steve a quick checkup. Other than the gash and some bruising, Steve seemed fine. Wasting no time, she explained the situation.
“I’m going to fucking kill those guys!” Billy exclaimed.
“Hold on, Bill. I know you’re pissed,” Steve said, staggering to his feet with Sarah’s help. “We can’t risk just going after them, guns blazing. People could get hurt. Sarah, I want you to grab Jenny and wait in my room.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Take care of these assholes,” Steve said, walking away.
She pulled him back and held on tight to his arm. “But Steve, you guys can’t kill them. I know you. You aren’t like that.”
Steve calmly released her grip. “Don’t worry, Sarah, it will be all right. Just get to my room.”
“Okay, I trust you,” she said, giving him a kiss before leaving to look for Jenny.
Billy and Steve dragged Brian’s unconscious body into the room, took his gun, and closed the door. They tiptoed through the castle hallways under the radar, unsure of who else might be involved.
Within minutes, and without confrontation, the two cousins reached the RV. Steve shut the blinds so no curious onlooker would see them preparing for battle. They helped each other strap on the bullet resistant vests they had acquired from the armory at Fort Kennedy. Neither was satisfied until every pocket was packed tight with weapons and ammo.
1620 hours
Corey walked to the detention center to relieve Brian from guard duty. He had had his fill of alcohol and cigars, and figured Brian deserved some, too. As he turned the corner, he saw the unattended door and hurried over.
“Damnit, Brian,” Corey cursed, looking down both hallways for him. “All right, assholes, I’m coming in. Back away or I will shoot you.”
When no one responded, Corey took the silence as an understanding. He used his set of keys and opened the door. Pistol drawn, Corey scanned the room and found Brian’s body in the corner. He holstered his sidearm and rushed over.
“Brian!” Corey shouted repeatedly. “Wake up, you idiot!” Corey was unsuccessful in waking his unconscious friend, so he threw his arm around Brian and hauled him back to Mark’s room.
Robert was taking a drag from a cigar and coughed at the unexpected sight. “What the hell happened?” he asked, rushing over to help Corey put Brian on the colonel’s bed.
By now, Brian awakened to a groggy reality. “I don’t know,” Brian said. “Sarah said you wanted her to bring them food… I opened the door… She must have drugged me.”
“Impossible. You must be remembering it wrong,” Robert said. “I talked to her earlier and she bought my story.”
“No, man,” Brian said, rubbing the back of his head. “No, I definitely remember her, then feeling a pinch on my neck, then I was out.”
“Rob, I think you got played,” Corey said.
Robert paced around the room. “Gather your weapons!” he yelled. “We’re going to put these assholes down for good!”
“What about Sarah?” Corey asked.
“I’ll deal with that bitch,” Robert said, smashing his cigar down in the ashtray.
1630 hours
Billy followed Steve across the courtyard to Steve’s room. The door was open and the wooden hinges were splintered, so
they entered with their weapons at the ready.
“No one’s here,” Billy said.
“Something’s not right. Sarah should be here,” Steve said, checking the closet and bathroom.
Just as they were turning to leave, Jenny pulled herself out from under the bed. “Steve! Is that you?”
“Jenny! Where’s Sarah? What happened?” Steve asked in the calmest voice he could muster.
“Sarah and I were in here, waiting to hear from you. Then my brother and his friends started knocking on the door. I was so scared. I’d never heard Robert that angry before. Sarah told me to crawl under the bed before they came in, so I did,” Jenny said, starting to cry as she relived the nightmare.
“I know it’s hard, but I need you to keep going. What happened after that?”
“Then they grabbed Sarah and took her,” Jenny sobbed, rushing into Steve’s arms. “I don’t know where they went.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Steve said, trying not to scare her. “Now, I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to go to your room and wait until I come and get you. Can you do that for me?”
Jenny wiped her eyes with her sleeves and took off to the guesthouse.
“Where do you think they are?” Billy asked Steve.
“Follow me.”
Moments later, Steve and Billy stormed through the infirmary doors and drew their weapons.
“Sarah!” Steve yelled.
Robert stood in the near corner, to the right of the door, holding onto Sarah and using her body as a shield. Corey stood next to Robert, pointing his gun across the room at a nervous Collin, still in his bed. Brian, still drugged, leaned against the side wall, pointing an unsteady rifle at Alex.
“Ah, just in time,” Robert said, motioning the two in. “Let’s keep this private shall we? Come in and shut the door behind you.”
The Longest Road (Book 1) Page 25