“Warden. What happened to you?” Captain Wilson, a big burley man with a mustache as thick as a man’s arm asked. “I had him. He was right over there.” He pointed through the woods at the gas station. Several officers immediately responded running through the woods.
“What happened?”
“He got me with this.” He pulled the Taser gun out of his pocket.
“Ouch.” Captain Wilson studied the gun. “Don’t worry he can’t be far. We’ll get him.”
“That’s the problem. He may have a car.”
“We got the car. We’re going through it right now.” He pointed at the light blue Honda.
“No, another one.”
“Did you see it?”
Shaking his head, Warden Dever responded, “No I couldn’t see much of anything. This thing wiped me out.” He threw the gun onto the pavement. “I want one of them choppers out on the road and the other one on the woods back there in case he is in there.”
“Roger that Warden.” He spoke into his radio and relayed the directions.
“Where are the dogs?”
“They are all over these woods.” He pointed behind them.
“He’s over there.” The Warden pointed behind the gas station.
“Just relax Warden, if he’s in there we got him. Those dogs can sniff him out a mile away. Why don’t you relax over there for a few minutes?” He pointed at an unoccupied police car.
“Better yet Captain, why don’t you give me the keys to that car, and I’ll go get him.”
“As you wish, but I think you would be better resting for a few moments.” He threw the keys to him.
“Every moment I rest is another mile he is further away. I’ve already wasted too many minutes because of that.” He pointed at the gun, jumped in the front seat of the unmarked cruiser and pulled out screaming back towards the highway.
Chapter 6
Jackson was still shaking as he clutched the wheel. He wasn’t sure if it was from the tension of almost being caught or having to shoot the Warden with that thing. He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he had had no choice. He had gotten a Toyota Camry; it was the most innocuous looking car available, but he just hoped the Warden hadn’t seen it. He looked like he was dead lying on the ground like that. He hoped he would survive the voltage. He was a tough guy. He decided to head the opposite direction of the highway and keep on heading down the exit road. He was about ten miles away from the hotel and gas station where he figured the police were actively searching. He had heard the helicopters but they seemed to be staying in that area. They must have figured he was still on foot. He wasn’t sure where he was heading. None of this was supposed to happen, he was just supposed to get in the car and drive far enough away to blend in somewhere, but somehow it had all gone wrong. There was no way he was going back though, that he was sure. He looked down at the picture of his daughter in his hand. It was obviously taken at school, some kind of singing thing that he had missed. He knew those days were behind him. He was going to attend everything now. Things were going to be like they were before. He just had to get out of here without being caught. He still didn’t understand how the Warden knew exactly where he was, it was like he was in on the plans the whole time. He kept looking in the rearview mirror expecting to see him right behind him, but instead he saw nothing but darkness all around him. There weren’t even houses anymore just deep dark woods. He continued driving until he saw some light up ahead. It was a small service station, not a name brand or anything, just an old run down family operated place. It was perfect. He pulled in, quickly diminished his lights and drove behind the small garage. There were a half-dozen old rusted out vehicles up on blocks, so he pulled the Toyota between two of them. There was just enough room. He looked down at his watch, it was the guard’s. He saw it was already 4:00 AM. He only had a few hours left and he still wasn’t going in the right direction. Once daylight came he would be left out in the open. He stepped out of his car and walked around the front. There were four cars parked there that probably needed service or were completed. He took his chances on a Chevy pickup truck hoping it was one that was already repaired. He didn’t know how to hot-wire it, so he had to break the small glass panel on the door to the office to find the keys. He found them hanging on a hook with the name Johnson taped to it. They were the only Chevy keys there. He had just committed another crime. He didn’t like how things were happening, but it was too late he reasoned and jogged out to the truck and it fired right up. He took in a deep breath and took another look at Stephanie’s picture and smiled like he always did whenever he thought about her as well as Michelle. It would probably only be a few days till he would be with them. He slowly pulled out of the station and continued going east down the long dark road not sure of where he was heading or what was going to happen, but one thing he was sure of he would do whatever it took to stay out of that prison, well almost anything he hoped. He had already assaulted the Warden with a Taser gun, stolen three cars and broke into a gas station, what else will he have to do? He placed the picture on the passenger seat beside him and suddenly felt as though luck was on his side because plugged into the outlet was a GPS unit. He quickly powered it on and eventually it showed him driving along the small road. He typed in a Washington, DC address and waited for about five minutes until the computer animated voice stopped telling him to turn around and recalculated his route. Five miles ahead, he would make a left-hand turn that would lead him to 95. He took a deep breath of relief. There were about fifteen different roads he would be on first, but that was a good thing or so he thought.
Chapter 7
Warden Dever quickly swung the cruiser around before getting on Rt. 85. There was no reason for him to be on there with the chopper hovering above, and besides they didn’t even know what kind of car they were looking for. He picked up the radio. “Hey any word from the gas-station owner if there is a missing car?”
“He’s here now. He thinks it’s a blue Toyota Camry.” Once again, he tried to put himself in Jackson’s mind. He immediately stepped on the accelerator, flicked on the berries and began heading east away from the highway. It was a hunch, but it felt good. He passed the hotel and gas station which now looked like a blur with all the blue lights swirling about. He was convinced they were wasting their time searching for him in the woods. He was sure he was in a vehicle, and his hunch was confirmed when the officer responded on the radio that they were on the lookout for a dark-blue late model Camry. He could hear the rotors turning above him and suddenly got an idea. He called the chopper pilot on the radio and had him land in the gas-station parking lot and jumped in. There was no way he was going to catch him by vehicle but by air, he still had a chance. He felt the rush of memories as the chopper lifted off making him feel as though he were back in the war zone, but he quickly pushed them from his mind and directed the pilot to follow the road going east. In minutes, they were flying over a deserted road with no traffic or even homes. It was black. The chopper was equipped with a thermal imaging camera but there was no reason to use it, because one thing he was sure about Jackson Stewart was not on foot. He had gone through too much planning to sit around and hide behind some rock or tree where he could easily be found once the sun came up. Nope, there was something different about this, he was for real and he was escaping right between his fingers; he could just feel it. He called to the pilot, seeing a car up ahead on the road. They slowed down and began to hover above it. They were still too high, and it was too dark to see the vehicle, but the Warden could feel his pulse began to tingle.
“Bring it down.” The Warden yelled into the mouthpiece feeling his patience disappearing quickly. He felt the chopper lower itself until they were almost on top of it. It looked like a foreign car, maybe a Jetta or a Passat, he always got those two confused. They pulled slightly ahead of the vehicle and watched as the driver took notice of them and almost swerved off the road. The Warden knew it wasn’t him. He already had that feeling, but he took a look thro
ugh the night lens to be sure and wasn’t surprised when he saw an elderly man, clearly not Jackson glaring back. He waved at the pilot to continue. He knew time was running out, and he would have to make a statement to the press shortly if they didn’t capture him. He decided he wasn’t going to even think about what he was going to say because that would mean he was giving up, and that was something Warden Dever never did. He closed his eyes thinking about the first Gulf War; he was a Colonel then and insisted leading from the field, not from the desk. In fact, he had his desk literally taken out of his office to symbolize that. He wanted to be among the men. He didn’t care if they were enlisted or sworn officers, he saw everyone as a Marine, not as a rank, and he called everyone Marine no matter their rank either. He knew the men respected him. He had done it all, led combat troops in Panama and the Middle East during every conflict after. He had even thought about going back in after September 11th, but they had begged him to stay in his current post, which he finally gave in to. It also didn’t help that his wife gave him the ultimatum between her and the Marines and after a twenty-plus year career he decided to choose her this time. It had been a smart decision because they had enjoyed each other’s company these last ten years.
“Warden we have some lights up ahead, maybe some stores.” The voice in his headphones chirped startling him.
“What’s that…ahh…say that again?”
“See the lights up there.” He could see what looked like a small service station and a convenience store or two.
“Bring it down up there.” He pointed at the tiny parking lot in front of the station. Instead, the chopper landed in the middle-of-the-road. The Warden jumped out in combat speed running towards the station. It only took a minute for him to notice the broken glass near the door. “He has been here.” He thought. He entered the small office trying to look for any clues. He was about to leave when he saw the paper on the floor. It was a completed service ticket for a Chevy pickup. He ran into the parking lot searching for a pickup and didn’t see anything, but as soon as he got around back he saw a dark-blue Camry with a warm hood. He immediately called in on his radio letting everyone know that he was on to Jackson again, and they had a new car to look for. He felt his adrenaline heat up. It would take the officers a little while to get here, but he knew they were closing in. It was only a matter of time now until he would be presenting Jackson Stewart to the press.
Jackson could feel the sweat running down his face, there was no air in the truck, and he wasn’t used to humid outside air after being locked up in an air-conditioned facility. He thought he could hear the sound of helicopters above him, but he figured his mind was playing tricks on him. There was no way they could be close to him. This was his third car, and he was heading away from the station, but there it was again. It was a helicopter. He shut down the engine and listened. Behind him, he could hear it, and it was coming his way. He wasn’t sure what to do. His mind was flying in all different directions. He always planned for everything. Ever since he could remember, he would spend hours if not days learning about something before he did it, so he would know exactly what to expect. He only wished he had spent more time on his escape plan outside the prison walls instead of in it. It was easy with the use of a computer every day. It had started when the guards found out he was a computer guru, and they immediately put him in charge of the library. There were twenty or so computers all configured for local use with the only outside access to Lexis/Nexus, but with a few twists, he was easily able to outsmart the security, and he had full access to the web. He even spent time tweaking the guards and the administrative staff’s computers. Some of them even brought their computers from home in for him to look at. He enjoyed it. It made him feel like he was back on the outside in his old job as a technology consultant. He loved that job; he had access to all the newest technology available and spent most of his time testing and evaluating new equipment. It was a kind of a dream job to him, which he spent all day and night doing. Once Stephanie was born he made himself leave work every day at 5:00 PM, hours earlier than he had previously. He would then spend the rest of the night doting over her until she went to sleep. He so longed for that life again. He could still smell her sweet breath on his face and her soft skin against his. Why did he do it? He yelled out the window. He quickly fired up the engine and pulled back out onto the road. He pushed on the accelerator until he was doing about ninety. He wasn’t sure how fast helicopters could go, but he was pretty sure he could buy a few more minutes. After about five minutes, he quickly slammed on the brakes slowing the old truck down. Up ahead there was a station wagon driving very slowly swerving both to the he right and left. He watched as it periodically stopped. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was stopping for, but then he realized it was a newspaper delivery driver, and the guy was throwing newspapers into long dark driveways that he hadn’t noticed until now. He suddenly had an idea. He whizzed by the startled driver pressing on the accelerator until he felt the truck become out of control and smash into a large tree on the side of the road almost cutting it in half.
Chapter 8
“There he is.” Warden Dever yelled into the mic signaling the pilot towards the pickup truck, its hood appearing to be halfway into the woods. It wasn’t until they got closer than he realized the truck had struck a tree almost dead on. As soon as he felt the skids hit the pavement, he raced out the doors followed by the copilot. They both had their pistols pointed towards the driver’s door as they made their way over. The Warden felt his body tingling with emotion. It was a feeling he had been waiting for ever since he first heard the news of an escapee. He could see a body slumped against the dashboard that didn’t appear to be moving. He waved off the copilot and slowly opened the door ensuring Jackson’s lifeless body remained in the truck. His eyes were closed and his body was limp, but the Warden did feel a slight pulse, so he immediately called for the EMT’s. He really hoped they would get here in time. He needed to bring him back alive. He didn’t want to go to the press with a dead prisoner. These were his prisoners and it was his responsibility to ensure their safety as they served out their punishments. He wasn’t one to mingle with the inmates. In fact, he rarely had even a conversation with any of them. He left that to his guards. He didn’t want to have to make any tough decisions and have a relationship with a prisoner influence it, not that they would, but it just felt right. Plus he felt his job was to manage the prison and its staff and leave the prisoner control to that of his well-trained officers which he carefully screened and trained individually. Although he had just had a mal-function with the escape, he knew it would be rectified by the end of the day. He vowed to himself; he would never let another one escape. He would just have to come up with a better intelligence system. He looked over at the copilot who had removed his helmet. He was a middle-aged police sergeant he had worked with before. He was a well-trained officer who loved to fly and had the vision of an eagle. He was curiously staring at Jackson.
“Can we put him on the chopper to get him to a hospital?”
The copilot shook his head. “We don’t have any equipment on board. Plus there’s a hospital a few miles down this road.”
“Where are we?”
“We’re about three miles east of Roanoke Rapids.”
Warden Dever looked down. “I didn’t realize we had traveled that far.”
“95 is right over there.” He pointed down the road. They both turned their heads in the other direction when they heard the sirens. Warden Dever checked Jackson’s pulse again and felt his labored breath on his cheek. The guy was still alive, but he wasn’t sure for how much longer. A minute later, the truck’s interior turned into a red blinking disco as an ambulance pulled in. The Warden stepped back as the EMT’s took over. They quickly placed his body onto a gurney with a c-collar. Dever had to take a second look at Jackson’s face and body as they moved him to the ambulance. He looked a bit older and heavier than he remembered, but that was what trauma looked like with the swelling
and violence. He quickly remembered seeing his fellow Marines after being shot up. He tried to imagine what he must have been thinking right before the truck struck the tree. Maybe he didn’t know it was coming, or maybe he did it on purpose knowing an escape wasn’t possible. He watched as they hooked up the IV’s and placed him into the ambulance. They didn’t seem overly panicked so maybe he was going to live. He ran over to the back of the ambulance and jumped in startling the two EMT’s with their backs to him.
“I need to ride with you guys. This is an escaped prisoner.”
They both quickly turned their heads and nodded in surprise. “An escaped prisoner? Are you serious? From the Conduit?”
Warden Dever nodded yes in response.
“Wait a minute,” The younger of the two responded. He was no more than thirty with medium-length sandy blond hair. “You’re the Warden. I’ve seen you on TV.”
“That is correct; I’m Warden Dever. Can you tell me his chances?” They all looked down at Jackson wrapped up in a sheet, an oxygen mask covering his face and a towel on his forehead.
The younger one shook his head, “I’m not sure. We didn’t find any obvious bruises or injuries he just seems to be comatose. His vitals are stable but low. We need to get him to Memorial as soon as possible, it could be a head blow and there may be swelling. I’ve got my fingers crossed because when you can’t see anything external it’s usually internal.” Dever nodded.
The older and more serious looking of the two EMT’s replied, “He obviously wasn’t wearing a seatbelt so he should be seriously injured. Who is this guy Superman?”
Evasion Page 3