by Lee West
“May I interest you in a granola bar and dried apples? Maybe go easy on your stomach at first.”
“Sounds great, Dad,” said Lea, with a smile.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” asked Jane.
“Better. A lot better—I’m not achy all over and feel like my energy is coming back,” said Lea.
“You went through quite an ordeal. I’m not sure what was more of a shock on your system, the dehydration, starvation or Tank’s fists,” said Jane.
Lea seemed to tense at Tank’s name. Sam needed to quickly shift the conversation.
“Okay—if you’re feeling ready, I think we should consider leaving the unit either late tonight or early in the morning. We could get the bikes and carriers ready now,” said Sam.
“I think tomorrow morning would be best. We can all use another solid night of sleep. Plus, we can really take some time planning our route and supplies. We obviously can’t bring everything,” said Jane.
“No. We can’t take everything. We’ll need to bring just the essentials,” said Sam.
“Maybe we need to ditch the idea of using the bike carriers?”
Turning to Lea, Sam found himself once again admiring Lea’s ability to quickly grasp the situation and add to the conversation.
“I agree. Let’s plan to take just the saddlebags and backpacks. Then, once we figure out where we’re going, we can always come back for more,” said Sam.
“Sounds like a plan—I’ll start loading the packs. Where do you want to go? The cottages up north? The HQ? Or to Scott Marsh’s house?” asked Jane.
“Didn’t Charlie and Mark go to that guy Scott’s house?”
“Yeah. They might still be there if we get there tomorrow. I know they planned to stay for at least a couple of days before heading to HQ. Maybe that’s our best bet. If we ultimately want to join everyone at HQ, it would be nice to walk the trail with Charlie and Mark.”
“Yeah, those two rock. I felt really safe with them around,” said Lea.
“I think we all did,” replied Sam.
Sam pulled out a map and settled down next to Jane at the camp table. The map, like them, had been through a lot and showed its wear. When Charlie had told Sam and Jane about the location of the safe house, he did not mark the map. They wanted to be sure there was no written record of its location just in case the New Order got a hold of the map. Finding one safe house would quickly lead them to the next one and, ultimately, the HQ. Sam concentrated to remember exactly where Scott’s house sat on the map.
“It’s here,” said Jane with a jab of her finger at the map.
“You sure? I thought it was a little this way,” said Sam, sliding his finger east on the map.
“No, I’m sure. I remember thinking their house must be really serene, surrounded by the forest and mountains. It just sort of stuck in my mind.”
“Okay. That makes sense. I think Charlie said he managed to get to our house from there in about four hours. So you’re probably right.”
“A four-hour ride on a loaded-down bike while carrying a heavy pack? Oh brother. Wake me up when it’s over,” said Lea.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Jane smiled as she leaned in to squeeze Lea’s hand.
Chapter Three
Charlie dozed in, but mostly out of sleep. Scott and Barbara Marsh had a nice house, but it was not exactly set up for more than a couple of visitors at a time. Charlie insisted that Mark take the spare room for the night, while he slept on the sofa. Like most sofas, it offered perfect comfort for watching television and napping, but try to get a good night’s sleep and the piece of furniture morphed into a backbreaker.
Charlie was exhausted from the previous night’s battle with the New Order thugs that had kidnapped the Archers’ daughter. He’d been on the move nonstop for the past few days. After the shoot-out, the group had made its way to the Archers’ survival storage unit. Charlie felt bad leaving the Archers right away; however, he knew if he did not make it back to the Marshes’ house that evening, Mike Sparr, a Porter police officer, might try to rescue him. Adding Mike Sparr to the already dangerous equation was not something Charlie wanted to risk.
Sam had loaded Charlie’s and Mark’s packs with enough dried food and water to resupply the Marshes for at least a week, with rationing. Barbara Marsh burst into tears at the sight of the food. Scott, a man who tended to be more proud than practical, merely nodded his head, unsure if he should take what likely seemed like a handout. Jenny Sparr, Mike’s young daughter, had no such hesitations accepting the food. From the living room sofa, Charlie could hear Jenny’s excited voice.
“Wow! Dried bananas!” she exclaimed.
“Slow down, honey. We can only have a little nibble right now. Besides, this is Mr. and Mrs. Marsh’s food. We need to be sure they have plenty when we leave,” said Mike.
Rubbing his stubbled face and walking into the kitchen, Charlie noticed that the pile of food remained where he’d put it last night. The Marshes had not touched it.
“You guys are up early,” said Charlie.
“Not really—you’re up late—its 10:00 a.m. You were out cold for hours. We just didn’t want to wake you,” said Mike.
“You snore louder than Daddy does,” said Mike’s daughter.
“Jenny! Sorry, man. But yeah—you were snoring up a storm.”
“It was a rough night,” said Charlie, with a solemn glance to the ground.
“Did everything turn out alright for the Archers?”
Charlie knew Mike needed to be careful about what Jenny heard.
“Yes. Everything is great with them. Their daughter, Lea, is fine. They decided to rest there a few days and then they might meet us at HQ. When we left, they were not too sure where they’d go.”
“Speaking of HQ—when do you want to get out of here? If you need a little time to recuperate, no worries. We can hang here a little longer, especially with this amazing load of food. Was all of this from the Archers?”
“Yes. They have a nice setup. They’re also very generous people. Given the current situation, many people would be stingy with their supplies, for good reason. Have you seen Mark?”
“He made his way through here about thirty minutes ago. He went out for a jog or a walk. I’m not too sure. He said he needed to get a handle on his surroundings and then just walked out. Who is he?”
“Mark is one of Jane and Sam’s neighbors. He’s also a former Force Recon Marine. Probably one of the most accurate snipers I’ve ever seen. Last night could have been a lot different without him.”
“What’s a sniper?”
Charlie shot Mike an apologetic look.
“Just someone who likes to be accurate with things—you know, someone who does a really good job when they’re working on something. So you want more dried apple?”
Charlie could not help but smile at Mark’s use of food to distract Jenny. Anytime an uncomfortable situation arose in his own home when he was a child, his mother would pull out snacks. Although Charlie had no children, he started to understand the seemingly universal use of food to bribe and quiet them. Probably not that different with grown men under normal circumstances.
The screen door closed with a loud bang as Mark walked into the house. Both Charlie and Mike tensed at the sound, unsure of the house’s rhythms.
“Hey, guys. This place is amazing. I took a walk around the perimeter. It’s a beautiful location,” said Mark.
“Thank you!” said Barbara, walking into the kitchen.
Charlie noticed the sideways glance Barbara gave the food. Every time he came to the Marshes’ house, they looked increasingly worse, especially Barbara. Barbara’s already slim frame could not withstand the severe caloric deprivation forced upon it. Her eyes were sunken into their sockets and rimmed in black. Charlie suspected that Scott’s ego stood in the way of Barbara and the food given to them by the Archers. Scott, on the other hand, fared better. Although Scott looked as unkempt as everyone, Charlie did not
notice much of a reduction in the size of Scott’s rotund abdomen.
“Barbara, we’ll leave you our water so you guys can cook the grains,” said Charlie.
“We won’t be needing anything. You can go ahead and take all this stuff with you when you leave. The Marshes do not accept handouts,” said Scott, walking into the room.
Mark shared a tense, knowing look with Charlie. Something was wrong with Scott.
“We’re planning to leave later today. The HQ is only about five hours from here. We should be able to get there before dinner. Getting there before nightfall will allow the sentries to recognize us. We don’t want to be misidentified. You both should come with us,” said Charlie to Scott and Barbara. “There’s only one more officer in Porter that needs to be moved out. The situation has changed dramatically, preventing us from getting to that person—whoever it is. At this point, there really isn’t the need for a third safe house. You would be much better off coming with us than staying here on your own.”
“Besides, you’re a great carpenter, Scott. The HQ could really use your skills. From what I heard, they need all the help they can get,” said Mark.
A glimmer of pride shone in Scott’s eyes. The thought of being useful again seemed to really appeal to him. Charlie silently admired Mark’s ability to steer Scott into making the right decision.
“Well, so long as you think we’d be helping. I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.”
“You’d be invaluable.”
An almost imperceptible smile grew on Barbara’s face.
“Okay. It’s decided. When do you want to leave?” asked Mike.
“How about an hour. That’ll give us plenty of time to repack and organize for the trip,” said Charlie.
“I better get busy if we’re leaving that soon,” said Barbara as she buzzed out of the room.
“Us too. Come on, Jenny, let’s get our things together,” said Mike.
~ ~ ~
Charlie sat alone with his thoughts on the front porch while the others packed. It had been two weeks since he’d seen Gayle. Gayle Jones was an officer in the Porter Police Department. She lived in the Porter city center. They had been together for two years, prompting Charlie to buy a house near town. He would do anything to be near her now—and for the rest of their lives. He had planned to propose to her on an upcoming vacation to the Florida panhandle. Unfortunately, the lights went out two weeks before their trip.
When everything started to fall apart in Porter, she was one of the first people he moved out of town. He knew she would never be safe with the New Order around. He also knew that his judgment would be clouded with her in the thick of things. He would naturally act to protect her, even to his own peril. Getting Gayle to HQ early in the game was a way for him to keep her safe, and function effectively as the first point of contact for police officers smuggled out of town. Gayle was less than excited to be sent into “exile,” as she put it. He knew she wanted to stay and help him, but there was no way he could do his job protecting the other officers with her around. On top of that, two of them sneaking through the woods doubled their chances of getting caught.
Seeing Gayle again was on the top of Charlie’s list for wanting to leave the Marshes’ house today. The sooner he confirmed she was safe, the better he would feel. He knew all too well that things could go really wrong along the trail to the HQ. Nothing but holding her in his arms would reassure him.
“You expecting company?” asked Mark, from the shadowy recesses of the house.
“Nope,” said Charlie, trying to remain calm.
Charlie knew unexpected company could only mean one thing—the New Order had found Scott’s house.
“We have unidentified contacts inbound to your two o’clock.”
“Roger that.”
Charlie slowly and casually stood from the porch step, stretching and scanning the surrounding area. In his peripheral vision, he detected movement in the dense bushes lining the horse trail. The trail extended from Porter, past Doris’s house, eventually snaking to Scott’s house and beyond. He needed to get inside fast. Grabbing his pack, he slowly moved inside and shut the door while trying to remain as nonchalant as possible. Giving the enemy any indication they had been spotted could destroy the advantage Mark’s keen observation afforded them.
“Mike is spotting them through the upstairs window. I need to get around back to see if we’re being surrounded,” stated Mark as he moved quickly through the house.
“Where are Jenny and the Marshes?”
“Basement.”
Charlie quickly moved the sofa in front of the living room window. Settling in behind the couch, he scanned the trail and surrounding woods. A man’s torso appeared in the distance. Charlie did not recognize the man. Then another head appeared, bobbing in and out of view behind the first man. He could swear the second person was a woman. The crack of a gunshot rang out through the house, breaking the silence. Shit. Mike is shooting. What the hell?
The bullet must have missed, since the two people remained in the open. They seemed dazed at the sudden shock of being shot at, as though they weren’t sure what happened. A second bullet ricocheted off the tree next to the first man, who dove to the ground out of Charlie’s view. The second figure remained frozen long enough for him to get a good look. Doris. Fuck!
“STOP SHOOTING! STAND DOWN! Possible friendlies!”
“Back is clear. Did you say they’re friendlies?” asked Mark, running back into the living room.
“It’s Doris and some guy. Damn it. Why the fuck is he shooting before we identified them?”
Mike came running down the stairs to join them.
“You know them?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s Doris and some guy. We need to be certain it’s just them and not some sort of trick. Mike, go back upstairs, but hold your fire. Mark, you watch our backs for an ambush. Doris wasn’t supposed to be moving to this location. Look sharp. But don’t shoot until I say so.”
The men quickly disbursed. Charlie moved back to the window and viewed the area. No movement. If it was Doris and a friend, they were probably glued to the ground, terrified that they would get shot. If not, they might be recalibrating their attack—using Doris as bait. Shit. This was not good. Scratching his head, Charlie scrambled for a plan that wouldn’t get them all killed.
“Identify yourselves!” he shouted.
No sound.
“Identify yourselves or we start shooting again!”
Rustling in the bushes. Then the man’s voice rang out.
“Officer Price with the Grant PD. I have Doris Venture with me.”
Grant PD?
“Stand up slowly, hands in the air.”
Officer Price and Doris stood very hesitantly, unsure if they would be shot where they stood.
“Move toward the house very slowly.”
The two emerged from the trail. Charlie could now clearly see them and their immediately surrounding areas.
“Drop your weapon!”
Officer Price slowly removed his pistol from its holster and tossed it in the grass.
“Doris, why’re you here!” shouted Charlie.
He’d never met Officer Price and had no reason to think the Grant Police Department worked in this area or to believe the man was in fact “Officer Price.”
“Last night, I got a warning from Marta that the New Order was coming up the trail! Officer Price and the others found me heading here!” she shouted with an unsteady voice.
“Stand down! Stand down! They’re friendly!”
Charlie ran out the front door to greet them.
“Holy crap! Sorry for the reception. We had no idea you were on your way here or that anything had happened.”
“A few of us from the Grant PD were at the HQ when we overheard the call from Marta to Doris.”
“Overheard? How can you guys hear anything that far north?”
“The antenna at Doris’s house could send a transmission to the moon. We’re a
ble to hear her loud and clear, but not always the Porter radio. Last night, we heard enough to get our asses down here pronto. The chief wants to keep that radio operational.”
“Did you say you’re from Grant?” asked Mark.
“Yeah. We caught wind of the HQ being formed and made our way up there. We can fill you guys in on the details later. Right now, I need to drop her off and head back to Doris’s house. The team plans on ambushing whatever the New Order sends down the trail.”
The others joined the group on the lawn. Scott and Barbara held each other while Mike tried to comfort Jenny.
“Sorry about the shot over your heads. That was my bad. Just a little overanxious given the situation,” said Mike.
“I’m with you. We had no real way to let you know we were coming.”
“Alright. New plan. I need to go with Officer Price,” Charlie started saying.
“Please call me Joe.”
“Okay. I need to go with Joe to Doris’s house. Mike, you’ll have to take the route to HQ yourself. Can you manage?” asked Charlie.
Mike hesitated long enough for Charlie to realize that he did not feel confident about getting safely to HQ.
“I’ll go with Joe and then rejoin you guys at HQ. That way you can get them to HQ and Joe has some backup,” said Mark.
Considering Mark’s offer for a moment, Charlie said, “Mark is a former Marine Force Recon, and probably one of the best snipers I have ever seen. He can more than handle it.”
“Fine. But we can’t offer you a weapon. Supplies are very thin.”
“Don’t worry about me. I have that covered,” said Mark, with a slight smile.
Chapter Four
Brown sat in the communications center of the Porter Police Department, considering his situation. Brown had joined the New Order group mostly to survive the harsh new reality that had descended on the land. Knowing that he had no ready contacts in the area, he rightly estimated that getting food and other necessities would not be possible on his own. Siding with the New Order was the logical move at first; however, the Boss had become more and more unstable as time passed. He was making irrational decisions, which would eventually get them all killed. His best bet was to help the police at this point and secure his safety in the long run.