“Hey, man,” said Bill with a big unshaven smile. “I heard you were working here. I’m supposed to get the coffee and doughnuts for the guys in the shop. After breakfast, I’m going to drive back to Ken’s. Would you want to ride along?”
Jimmy scratched his head. The strong wine had given him a hangover. “I thought we were staying for a few days?” he asked. “Things aren’t working out, huh? I understand. I think we should all leave and just as soon as possible. This is no place for people like us.”
Bill looked at him with his mouth hanging open. Nearly twenty seconds passed before he shook his head at Jimmy. “We all voted to stay. I thought you knew that. I’m going back to get the rest of our stuff, man.”
Jimmy felt thunderstruck. He had never even considered staying here on a permanent basis. They just couldn’t spend one night here and decide to throw away they had worked so hard for. That was ridiculous. Utopia might be a nice place to visit, but they were living on borrowed time. Jimmy had learned from bitter experience that their new world devoured the weak. Besides, despite what they said, Ken and Patty were counting on them to return. He then thought about that. They were counting on him to return. “I’m not staying here,” he said flatly. “Nobody asked me what I thought.”
“Does Julie know that?”
“No, Julie doesn’t know that,” he replied angrily.
“That’s going to blow her mind, man.”
“Will you knock it off and quit acting like a hippie?”
“But I like acting like a hippie. You should try it. Mars says it gives us a sense of community, like we’re part of something special.”
“That’s a bunch of horse shit. I don’t like that guy, and I think there’s something wrong with this place. He’s bad news, Bill. I can feel it.”
“Where’s the coffee and doughnuts?” Bill asked, looking uncomfortable. “I should really be getting back to the shop.”
“I don’t know anything about that. You’ll have to find the old guy. His name is Merlin. What time are you leaving? I’m going back with you.”
“Don’t you think you should talk to Julie first?”
“Mind your own business. Just make sure you don’t leave without me.”
Jimmy wouldn’t see Julie that morning, nor would he see Doc or Cindy. Bill was back at the kitchen half an hour later, and after a heartfelt apology to Merlin, Jimmy and Bill left the kitchen and got inside Bill’s idling Honda. The morning was breezy and cooler with a blue sky that should have been full of promise. Bill drove away as the camp slowly came back to life. Bill drove with a Billy Idol cassette playing in the old car stereo. Jimmy didn’t mind as Bill continued to nudge the volume up. Jimmy had a lot on his mind, and he needed the time to think. Was he doing the right thing? He thought so. Did it hurt? More than anything he had ever done. The thought of leaving Julie with Mars was killing him inside, but he knew that he owed his life to the Dahlgren’s.
To Julie, he owed only his heart.
Chapter 6
Ken listened to Jimmy as he explained the situation while Bill wandered around and gathered up what he knew to belong to Cindy and Doc. “Do you know how long he and I have been friends?” Ken asked, shaking his head and wearing a sour expression. “Over forty years. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in him.”
“I can’t believe Julie decided to stay,” replied Jimmy.
“Patty and I have helped Doc through some rough times. We’ve always been there for him. Does it seem fair to you that he’d abandon us in our greatest hour of need?”
“No,” admitted Jimmy. “That’s what she did—she abandoned me.”
Ken looked at Jimmy and shook his head. “I’m sorry kid, but you’ve got to let it go. The two of you weren’t married, and there’s plenty of other fish in the sea.”
Jimmy wanted to laugh bitterly into Ken’s face, but he knew better. The only fish he was interested in was swimming away from him. These were bad times to lose friends, but losing your woman right now seemed a heck of a lot worse to Jimmy.
Bill came out again with another armload of stuff, and he and Ken watched him carry it to the Honda. “Hey!” shouted Ken. “That isn’t yours!”
Bill smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. Ken grunted something and set off across the lawn to Bill’s car. Jimmy followed, but he stood ten feet away as Ken began digging inside the open hatchback.
“This isn’t theirs,” Ken said, grabbing a beach towel and holding it up for the world to see. “Where did you find it? In my closet?” Ken tossed the towel to the ground and kept on digging. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, pulling out a dented AM/FM radio that looked older than he did. “Do you know how long I’ve had this radio?”
“Patty gave it to me,” Bill said, swallowing hard. “I didn’t know.”
“Ah, bullshit! What about this screwdriver? This was hanging above my workbench. I suppose Patty wanted you to have it, right?”
“Actually, the screwdriver is mine,” Bill said. “That’s the truth.”
Ken’s expression turned from sour to hostile in the blink of an eye. He slammed the hatch down on the Honda and stuck a finger in Bill’s chest. “You can have the screwdriver. Just get the hell out of here. You’re a lazy son-of-a-bitch, Huggins. Tell Doc he can kiss my ass. You’re all traitors in my opinion. Now get that piece of shit off my property!”
Bill looked like a kicked puppy, and a tear ran down his cheek. Jimmy had seen him pull this trick a number of times, but something told him that this time he was seeing the real McCoy. Bill’s hands were trembling as he fumbled for the door handle. Jimmy turned away, only to see Patty and Rita standing up on the deck. They had seen and heard the entire confrontation. Jimmy thought it was odd that Patty hadn’t intervened. Jimmy turned back to face the car as the engine started. Bill then gave Jimmy the look of a condemned man on the gallows. He drove through the gate, and Ken quickly closed it.
“Did you give him my radio?” Ken called up to Patty.
Jimmy didn’t wait around to hear the rest. He lit up a cigarette, and with a heavy heart he walked up the hill to the backyard. He sat at the picnic table and thought of everything that had happened to them since they’d left their homes in Crown. He thought about Julie, and he wondered if he had made a mistake by leaving her there. He knew he should have spoken to her and at least expressed his feelings. She would be as angry as Ken; hurt, disgusted, spiteful, and a whole lot of other unpleasant things that Jimmy didn’t want to consider. All he knew was at this moment was that he missed her dearly.
Just when Jimmy felt as if he had hit rock bottom, Patty showed him that pits like these had no bottoms. She did so with a single question. “Jimmy,” she asked, “have you seen Whiskers?”
Whiskers was Patty’s cat, and their decision to leave her behind had been difficult. Ken had explained that Whiskers was an old cat and that it wouldn’t be right of them to have a strict no-pet policy if they allowed themselves to bring their own family pet. Privately, Ken explained to Jimmy that in case this thing lasted longer than they expected, family pets might get cooked over a fire. Jimmy smiled at Patty. “Don’t you remember?” he asked. “We left Whiskers back in Crown to look after your place.”
“Oh, don’t lie to me,” said Patty. “I know she’s up here.”
Jimmy couldn’t believe his ears. He looked at Patty and saw that her eyes were bloodshot and nearly bugging out of her head. Jimmy knew instantly that something was terribly wrong. She looked like a lost twin sister who appeared to be on the verge of losing her mind.
“Whiskers!” Patty called. “Come to mamma!”
The screen door slapped shut, and Ken stood on the concrete slab outside the door. He put his hands on his hips and scratched his head. “Patty,” he called. “Whiskers is still at home. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Quit lying to me!” screamed Patty. She suddenly turned on Ken and pointed a finger at him. “The vacation is over, I want to go home. Now help me find Whiskers, and t
hen we can start packing.”
Jimmy and Ken exchanged a look, and Jimmy saw the raw fear in Ken’s face. Not knowing what to do, Jimmy stood from the picnic table and put his arm around Patty. “Don’t worry,” he said, softly. “We’ll find Whiskers. Come on—maybe she’s hiding inside the house.”
“I looked everywhere, and she’s not in there.”
Ken suddenly took Patty by the waist and led her back toward the house. “Jimmy’s right,” he said. “You know how that darn cat is. If she doesn’t want to be found, you could look all day for her.”
“That’s right,” agreed Jimmy.
“She’s probably scared,” Patty said. “We can’t leave without her.”
“We would never do that,” lied Ken, giving Jimmy one last confused look as he opened the screen door.
Jimmy watched them as they disappeared inside the house. He lit another cigarette and sat down with his back to the table, facing the house. The whole world seemed to be falling apart, and he seemed helpless to stop it. He sat there dreading the thought of going back inside the house. Then, just when he thought that things couldn’t get any worse, they suddenly did.
The distant drone of a helicopter broke the silence, and Jimmy’s head snapped back as he stared into the blue sky. The drone grew much louder, much faster than any single helicopter had the right to. Jimmy groaned as he realized he was hearing the sound of many helicopters with their countless chugging rotors whirring, and they seemed to be flying straight toward them. He scrambled to his knees and ducked under the picnic table.
They flew in low—olive green monsters flown by homegrown pilots. Jimmy saw that many of these were the double-rotor choppers. Through the cracks of the table, Jimmy could see that those were full of soldiers. Some manned massive machine guns that were mounted just outside the open cargo doors. Jimmy began to tremble.
The sound was deafening. It continued on and on as the helicopters lumbered their way north. They flew in pairs that stretched out across the bright blue sky. Jimmy’s heart nearly stopped when he realized where they were headed. They were heading straight for Utopia.
Jimmy could see Ken’s face pressed up against the kitchen window. He found Burt in the upstairs window. He returned his attention to the sky and realized that the parade in the air was ending. A single chopper flew at the rear, a sleek black one, and Jimmy grimaced as he saw the helicopter swoop down in their direction. Jimmy watched with gritted teeth, through eyes that were barely slits, and was absolutely certain that he was about to die. The helicopter stopped its descent at just above the tree line and hovered directly above him. Jimmy risked a look at the house, but Ken and Burt were gone.
The roar of the blades threatened to blow the picnic table into the next county, and Jimmy clung to the wooden crossbar with all of his strength. Thirty seconds passed. Jimmy saw the gunner shake his head, and the chopper began to slowly lift away.
Quickly, with one hand, the gunner pointed his fingers into his own eyes. He then pointed directly at Jimmy. The gesture was conclusive—Jimmy had been spotted. The fact that the helicopter was now rising fast and turning tail told Jimmy that all things weren’t as they seemed to be. There were still decent men and women serving in the armed forces. Jimmy found that the simple gesture had suddenly filled him with hope.
Jimmy waited for his body to quit quivering and was finally able to crawl out from under the table. Ken and Burt were already standing outside the back door. Jimmy brushed himself off and jogged over to join them. “What the hell was that all about?” he asked. “Did somebody start a war with Canada?”
“That was some crazy shit,” said Burt.
“Listen,” said Ken. “Can you still hear them?”
Jimmy could still hear them as they seemed to be hovering somewhere off in the distance. Ken had just confirmed his greatest fear. The choppers were now above Julie, in a camp that didn’t have so much as a single bullet to defend itself with. “Oh, shit,” spat Jimmy.
Ken scratched his head and put his hands on his hips as he stared off into the northern sky. “We can’t leave them there,” he said. “We’re going to have to go after them.”
“You are out of your mind,” said Burt. “How many choppers did you count? That’s not our fight.”
“But they’re unarmed,” stammered Jimmy.
“That’s not our fault,” quipped Burt.
“Our fight or not, I’m heading up there,” stated Ken. “I’m not leaving my friends behind.”
“I’m with you,” said Jimmy.
“Will you listen to yourselves?” asked Burt, throwing his hands up in the air. “Have you guys gone crazy? Each of those birds was full of soldiers. How are we supposed to fight an army? Will you just tell me that?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m damn sure going to try.”
Jimmy nodded. “Me too,” he said. “Let’s go!”
The screen door suddenly slapped shut behind them, and Patty charged out of the house like a mad bull.
“Holy shit,” whispered Burt.
“Oh my God,” said Jimmy.
“Patty!” shouted Ken.
“Whiskers!” shrieked Patty. She continued running, dressed only in her bra and underpants. “Whiskers!”
Jimmy and Burt traded looks, and both of them headed inside the house. Whatever was about to happen, they had no desire to see it.
Rita stood in the kitchen crying. “What’s happening?” she moaned. “Will somebody please tell me what’s happening to us?”
Chapter 7
“Look Ken,” Burt said later that afternoon. “You have to stay here with Patty. Jimmy and I will head over to check out what’s going on at Bailey’s. There’s no way I’m letting you walk out that gate.”
Ken wiped a tear from his cheek and continued to stare at the workshop floor. The three men had adjourned there after Ken got Patty to take a powerful muscle relaxant that he had found with Doc’s remaining gear. They had lit a lantern and three Camels, and they stood silently smoking in the oily light. “You’re right,” Ken finally admitted. “I can’t leave her alone, not like this.”
The next hour was spent gathering gear and making plans. They would walk to Bailey’s. To take a vehicle was deemed too risky. Ken outfitted each of them with as much hardware as either man wanted to carry. He told them to stay off of the roads as much as possible and to keep their ears open. Jimmy couldn’t believe how much time had elapsed since they’d heard the first chopper. The afternoon shadows were already starting to grow as the sun began its slow descent in the western sky. Ken packed enough food for a small army and filled two canteens with bottled water. They packed what they could and quickly ate what they couldn’t.
There were no tearful goodbyes at the gate, just three determined men shaking hands and wishing each other luck. Jimmy and Burt immediately decided that Ken had been being overly cautious. They would walk the road, at least halfway, and then move into the woods. There simply wasn’t time to take such precautions.
They stuck to the gravel roads that crisscrossed the Great Northwoods, roads that were nearly orange with dust from the iron ore that area was famous for. They would talk from time to time, but they were mostly silent. There was just enough of a breeze to keep them from overheating under the afternoon sun. Squirrels ran in the trees, and they called after them from the safety of their branches. An occasional eagle flew above them, and unseen songbirds whistled their catcalls as the two men passed by. Jimmy was fighting the urge to run; the fear inside of him seemed to be growing in leaps and bounds with each crunching step he took.
Jimmy’s feet began to hurt just as the sun hit the tops of the trees.
Twilight lingered for what seemed to be hours, and a full moon slowly appeared in the dark eastern sky. “How far is it now?” Burt asked for what seemed to be the tenth time in as many minutes.
“I don’t know. Maybe a mile or two,” whispered Jimmy. “We should really try to keep quiet. There could be patrols.”
At th
at moment, a wolf howled a lonely cry that echoed long into the night. Burt and Jimmy exchanged a look as another wolf answered the first. This wolf was much closer.
“You have got to be kidding me,” whispered Burt.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Jimmy, remembering all too clearly the shredded body of the hunter.
That wolf was answered by another which sounded even closer than the second one. Jimmy and Burt began to run. “We’ve got to find shelter,” huffed Burt.
They ran nearly half a mile when they suddenly heard the familiar roar of a rotor blade. That one became many in only a few seconds’ time. Flashing lights suddenly appeared in the night sky. Ken had been right. The helicopters had landed at Utopia. Why they seemed to be leaving now was anyone’s speculation. Jimmy found that he was too scared to fathom a guess. Had the choppers frightened off the hungry wolves? Jimmy doubted it. The thundering helicopters only served to mask the howling they had heard only moments earlier. Jimmy and Burt crouched down in a small stand of pines at the side of the road as the first helicopter flew above them.
Desperate Times 2 Gun Control Page 5