Collapsing World_Stolen Treasure_Book 3

by G. Allen Mercer

  Penny squeezed her hand, applying a backward pressure on Harper's shoulder to get her to stand. Harper slowly stood, letting her fingers linger on the dog’s fur for as long as she could. She let Penny lead her to the back of the Humvee and onto the back seat.

  "You take orders well," Dick offered, speaking to Penny. "Now, I need the key to start the engine. Where is it?"

  Penny knew exactly where the keys were; she saw Clark put them on the mantel above the fireplace. They were different from typical keys. When she asked about them, he said they were coded magnets. He told her that the code in each magnet of the 'key' match the opposing coded magnet on the ignition of the Humvee. Without the proper magnetic sequence to unlock the ignition, the vehicle would never start. She remembered shrugging, and thinking that that bit of information was vaguely cool.

  "I know where they are," Penny told the soldier. She could see Jack, inside the vehicle; he was shaking his head, no.

  "You are going to get them," Dick ordered. “And if you tell anyone in the house that we are here, I will not hesitate to kill your friends.” He leveled the threat with very little accent, she assumed, because of the way he spoke, that he had lived in America before. “Do you understand my command?”

  She nodded, accepting the rules of the mission.

  "Also," he said, stopping her in mid movement to turn back for the house. “If you are not back here in five minutes, I will kill one of them to teach you a lesson.” He swung his rifle towards the vehicle. “And, if you continue to be late, I will kill another one the following minute. Do you understand?"

  Penny nodded again, looking at her watch; it was 2:35. She then looked back at Jack. He shook his head again, as if to tell her not to do it. She took off at a run.

  CHAPTER 8

  Tasha turned the cross that hung around her neck, between her thumb and her fingers. She was nervous about what was to come next for her and David. "We're waiting on Father Jeff, aren't we?" She asked from her seat on a picnic table under a shade tree. “I mean, before we leave.”

  David loaded another gallon of water into the back of the Bronco and shut the rear door before looking at his watch. "Yeah, it's still early, I just wanted to get this stuff in the truck so we could get going when he gets back."

  "Oh, okay, I still thought we might, you know, stay an extra day or two,” her voice trailed off with each word.

  David walked over to where Tasha was sitting and took a seat on the bench. He kind of dusted off his hands, having not really heard what she said. “You know I have a friend that has a house on Lake Martin," David said, as if she knew exactly where he was talking about.

  She looked at him and sort of shrugged. She thought about saying it again, but he kept talking, and she swallowed the words.

  "It's just north of Auburn, actually Alex City, pretty far up the northeast side of the lake. I kind of like the idea, but with he reports of the choppers and the troops.” He shrugged. “Or,” he tilted his head like he was considering what he was about to say. “We could take off for that guy near Columbus. You know, the guy Joshua mentioned, Bob’s friend?”

  “Dukes,” her voice steady, not filled with either positive or negative for the suggestion.

  “Right, Dukes. What did Bob say, something like they had known each other for twenty-five years or something?”

  She nodded that she knew what he was talking about, but something else was on her mind. “Wouldn’t it be like running? I mean for us to go to Georgia? To go to this Dukes guy?”

  “Damn right it’s running, Tasha.” He studied her for a second. He wondered where this question of heart had come from.

  “You know, I kind of really like this place. Right here, I mean,” she said, verbalizing what her feeling had been telling her for about a day or so. "This is a good place."

  David looked confused; he shook his head. "No, this place isn't a good place at all. This place isn’t safe, Tasha. They’re here, Tasha. I mean the enemy is like all around us. You have to see that?” He was ready to pull the ‘I’m the adult card.’

  “I know, but…”

  “No ‘buts’, Tasha. We have to leave for somewhere other than here! The Chinese soldiers have been in this very church, for God’s sake! Remember, you had to hide for your life? Oh, and don’t forget that they had a battle less than three miles away, where a boy was killed, and both Bob and his son were shot!” He put his hand on his forehead, and then took a breath to calm himself down.

  She watched him compose himself. “I remember,” she acknowledged.

  They had been going around and around about where to go once they left the sanctuary of the little rural church. Every direction they turned, they seem to run into someone that wanted to kill them. Life had been turned on its ear in less than two weeks.

  Neither one said anything for several minutes. David waited on her to shed more light on what she was thinking. He took sips from his water bottle and tossed a small rock or two. He really didn't know how he felt. He knew this place was anything but safe, and he wasn't sure he wanted to debate it.

  "Something’s changed," she said, her voice monotone. She took notice of his reaction but pressed on.

  "Okay, how so?" He tossed another small rock, checked his anger and opted to hear her out.

  "I," she started, and then Father Jeff came peddling around the side of the church on his mountain bike; gravel crunched under the press of his tires. The noise took David by surprise, and for a brief worried second, he realized he was unarmed. He glanced at his pistol sitting on the front hood of the Bronco, and swore to himself.

  Jeff rolled right up to the picnic table and leaned his bike against the large shade tree. Tasha handed him her water bottle and he drank deeply.

  "Thanks," he said, removing his helmet, sweat poured off of his head, and matted his hair that was once close cropped. His cheeks were flushed red under his week’s old beard. "Goodness, it's hot! You know, I still have two IV saline bags in the trunk of my patrol car. I think I might need one,” he said with a smile, and another deep swig of the water.

  “You carry saline when you work for the Sheriff’s office?” Tasha asked curiously.

  “We always do, especially during the summer. You never know what we might come upon. Besides, even though they’re in one of those two-week coolers, they can last for like 200 days without refrigeration.” He took a deep breath and blew it out.

  “Oh,” Tasha said, leaning on something.

  "You alright?" David asked, the discussion about saline bags didn’t mean much to him. He smoothly stood and walked over to the hood of the Bronco. Once there, he picked up his pistol and tucked it into the small of his back. He then took his old seat on the table, letting his feet rest on the wooden bench.

  "Yeah, just a little tired," he answered. Jeff had been making the rounds to see his parishioners in the local area. Accept for his two rides provided by David in the Bronco over to the Tiller Farm, he had made all of the other visits using his mountain bike.

  "Is everything okay, Father Jeff?" It was Tasha's turn to ask.

  "Well, now that you both have asked, I can honestly say, I don't know."

  David moved over so that Jeff could sit down on the table next to him. "How so?"

  "Well, it's the Tillers, and everything that's going on around them. All the people in the valley are talking about them, and how they fought back against the enemy. It's giving them hope, and I guess that's good, but there’s something in the pit of my stomach that says something different," his voice trailed off.

  "Something like what?" Tasha asked.

  "Well, with the Tillers and the folks they have staying out with them, it's almost like they’re ground zero for the coming apocalypse. I know, that's heavy, considering it's coming from a priest." Jeff added a half smile and wiped the back of his arm across his forehead.

  David sat back at that statement. "Sound like serious stuff, Padre. I mean, they seem like nice enough people,” his voice trailed off too. I
n the back of his mind, he had been thinking the same thing.

  "It's not that, it's something else," Jeff felt like he had said too much, and let his feelings bleed into his logic.

  Tasha nodded. She thought this conversation contained the missing pieces of the puzzle that would help her explain what she had tried to do with David. “That's kind of what I was trying to say to Mr. David. I knew it had to do something with the Tillers, and..."

  “Shhh,” Jeff held his hand out for silence. Tasha stopped talking, and was about to get angry before she too, heard something in the distance.

  David put his hand on his pistol. “I hear it, also.”

  “Yeah,” Tasha joined in. “That sounds like a helicopter.”

  “It sounds like more than one!” Jeff said, sliding off the picnic table and crouching down low. He drew his pistol, clasping the semi-automatic with both hands. "I can't tell where they are," he said, spinning around to see if he could spot them.

  “God, they're close,” David said, taking Tasha by the arm. "Go!" He ordered, pushing her towards the church. She stumbled towards the church, but the sight of the black bird of death froze her to her spot. She stood, unable to move, half way between the large oak tree and the whitewashed church.

  The first of three helicopters popped over the tree less than a quarter mile away. A small graveyard and an open field separated the three from the choppers, and they were closing fast.

  “RUN!” Jeff yelled

  Jeff pushed Tasha from her frozen spot, and swung around to pull David along. David stumbled and rolled. Jeff scooped him up as best as he could as they lunged towards the door. All around them, the ground exploded with the impacts of lead traveling at subsonic speeds. The sound of the machine guns mixed with the thumping of the chopper blades created an evil percussion that only the Devil would enjoy.

  Both Jeff and David fired randomly at the helicopters, their actions having little to no effect.

  “GO!” Jeff commanded his friends.

  Tasha ran the last few feet, putting her hand up to block the dirt, red clay and small rocks that were being tossed violently from the ground.

  Tasha reached the door and flung it open, she looked back at David, who was still several yards away. The wooden walls of the100-year-old church exploded into splinters and toothpicks all around her.

  “GO!” David echoed Jeff’s command.

  Tasha turned from the door and ran as hard as she could along the hall towards the sanctuary. With every footfall, bullets pierced the outside wall along the hallway, and drove themselves deeper into the church. She could feel the pieces of the plaster and shiplap pelt her skin as she ran. More bullets punctured the holy space, shattering glass, wooden floors and channeling massive holes into the roof. She dove into a makeshift shelter of wooden pews, and covered her head with a hymnal. Tears streamed down her face as the sounds of hell and war infused the structure, blocking out all other sounds. She screamed, but even that was not loud enough to overtake the ruckus of hell raining down on her.

  She stopped screaming, after one final round exploded off of the pew next to her. And, just as quickly as it had started, the roar of the three birds of prey flew past, leaving a wake of destruction in their path. Tasha gulped air and was terrified to open her eyes, but she did anyway. She peered out from around her adult-sized play fort made of oak pews and reinforced with three-inch red prayer books. She could see the rays of the sun pierce the church like lasers from Heaven, drilling holes in the holy space. A dust so thick that she could taste it, floated through the beams of light, causing her to cough and wipe at her eyes. It was at that second that she realized that she was alone in the church.

  “David! Jeff!” She screamed, her heart skipping. She crawled out of the fort and started retracing her escape from the picnic table. “David! Jeff! Where are you?” She rounded the hallway, her hand to her mouth, not knowing what she would find.

  “Tasha.”

  Tasha stopped at the weak voice. It was David’s voice, and it was soft. She could see his back propped up against the outside portion of the doorframe; he was facing the large oak tree. She put one foot in front of the other; mindful that each step took her closer to something that might change her life, yet again.

  “Mr. David, are you okay?” she asked, putting her hand on David’s shoulder and stepping out through the doorway.

  David was covered in blood and tears streamed down his face. He was holding Jeff’s lifeless body. A hole had been ripped through the area where the man’s heart should have been.

  She put her hand over her mouth and crouched down next to them. “No, no, no,” she whispered. David couldn’t speak, his mouth was open, and his eyes were wide with shock. There was an open wound on his leg, but that didn't seem to register.

  Tasha reached up and closed Father Jeff’s eyelids. She also lifted the silver chain that hung around his neck, pulling it out from under his shirt and revealing the bloody cross. She thumbed the crucifix between her thumb and forefinger, blood remaining on her fingertips.

  She looked at David, the shock and sadness radiated from his face. She allowed a tear to roll over her cheek before speaking. “I will not run from this evil,” she proclaimed in a low tone, before placing the cross on what was left of Father Jeff’s chest. “[1]But, I need to get help.”

  ***

  Penny hit the front porch of her home and took the briefest of a second to compose herself before opening the door.

  "Get your head right, or they'll die," she rationalized to herself, and opened the door.

  To Penny's surprise, there was no one visible. She could hear her mother and the other ladies back in the back of the house, but that was it. Whatever was going on downstairs was still happening; all with the door closed and locked.

  She checked her watch; 2:37. She had made it to the cabin right at two minutes, and had less than a minute to get the keys and get back out of the door. She went to the mantle and found the keys right where she thought they would be. She grabbed them, and was about to run out the door, when she heard her mother's voice from behind her.

  "Are y'all back already?" Penny froze, her hand on the doorknob.

  "Ah, no ma'am. I just forgot something." She looked at her watch; she needed to be at a full sprint in less than fifteen seconds.

  "Oh, what's that?" June appeared at the kitchen pass, her arms full of things from the pantry.

  Penny's mind raced through several things, before developing a plan. She knew she couldn't tell her mother what was happening, or the others would die. She needed to get the keys back, and also alert her family to what was happening. "Just my sighting binoculars. Oh, and my radio died, can I borrow yours?"

  June looked down at the small hand-held radio on the kitchen counter. She deposited her pantry items on the counter and then picked up the radio, holding it out for her through the pass. "Sure, you can; Dad can get me another on."

  "Great!" Penny said, running back to snatch the radio. "Tell Dad I'm now on channel 9, broadcasting in the blind. Okay?" She shut the door after her and ran.

  It was 2:39.

  One minute and thirty-five seconds later, Penny skidded to a halt outside the barn. She tried to slow her breathing, but that wasn't going to happen in the few seconds she had left. She slowly eased back through the slats and was greeted by the business end of a rifle.

  "You had less than twenty seconds before the first one died," Dick, the Chinese soldier, threatened.

  She held out the keys, but just out of reach of the soldier.

  "Give them to me," he ordered.

  "Let one of them go first," she countered.

  "You are in no position to negotiate. Give them to me, or I will shoot one of them." The second Chinese soldier moved to the back of the vehicle and pointed his rifle at the teens sitting in the back.

  She tried to think through the tactics. She liked games of strategy, such as chess, and wondered how strategy could help her in this situation. Using strategy a
s a basis, she knew she was in a hard-negotiating position; admitting to herself that her position was actually pretty weak. Actually, it sucked. All she had was the keys. They could simply shoot her, take the keys and drive off. Check mate. She needed a better strategy.

  "You need a guide. I’ll guide you out of here. You’ll never find your way out of here without a map or a guide, and they'll hunt you down if you get stuck." She thanked God for putting that thought in her head. It was as if she saw the moves on the chessboard in a new light.

  "So, you will volunteer to be our guide?" This was the first time Penny thought the Chinese soldier was actually confused by her actions.

  "Only if you let the girl with the dog go."

  The second Chinese soldier looked at the other soldier, and he was gesturing that they should hurry up. Penny saw the action, and thought to herself that she needed a name for the second guy. The name, Weed, came to mind.

  "Fine," Dick relented. "The girl with the dog stays. You tie her up over there, and you will guide us. The other two will stay to keep you in line. If you deceive us, they will die. Do you understand?"

  Penny nodded at the terms of the agreement and moved to retrieve Harper from the back of the Humvee. Chess is a game made of strategic moves. Sometimes you make the right move, sometimes you move yourself into a corner. She felt she had done the former.

  "But, I'm scared," Harper cried, once Penny pulled her out of the vehicle.

  "It...it will be alright," Penny tried to soothe the young girl. She desperately wanted to tell Harper to remember everything and alert the others.

  "Here," Dick said, tossing a rope at Penny's feet. "Make the knots tight, I'm going to check."

  Penny snatched the rope with a tinge of anger showing, and tied Harper to one of the posts supporting the internal structure of the barn. She looked as deeply into the other girl’s eyes as she could. "You will be fine,” she soothed, trying to calm herself and Harper down. “My parents and your parents will find you.” She threw the last loop in the Highwayman’s Hitch knot, making sure to keep the taught end in her hand. “I'm sorry about your dog. Be strong." She cinched the last knot, mussed the girl’s hair and stood up holding the end of the rope. She pulled it, causing the girl’s arms to rise in a brief bite of pain before turning back to face the soldier with the rifle.