by Lee West
Chapter Fourteen
Jane hiked fast along the horse trail, heading north toward the HQ. They needed to put the maximum amount of distance between themselves and the New Order. She could hardly believe that Tank had found them. It was like a living nightmare. He must have gone through their things and found some evidence of the locker, unless Lea told him.
“Are you sure you didn’t say anything to Tank about the locker?” she asked Lea.
“Geez, Mom. How many times do I have to say that I didn’t! I hardly knew what you guys were doing there, let alone the location and locker number. Really, it wasn’t me.”
“Maybe he found something at the house. A receipt or something?” offered Sam.
“I don’t know. You were really careful not to keep any records of the locker. I remember you always shredded the statements after you paid the bill.”
“I did. But I’m not perfect. Something could have slipped through the cracks. It really doesn’t matter at this point. We needed to move and are moving. End of story,” said Sam with finality.
Jane knew she was obsessing over how Tank had found them and that it didn’t matter at this point. Still, she was convinced that Lea must have told Tank and wouldn’t admit it. For now, she would take Sam’s cue and leave it alone. Nothing good would come of her pursuing it. She glanced over her shoulder at Sam and smiled. He returned the smile with a faint nod.
“Can we take a break? I need to go to the bathroom,” asked Lea, exasperated. “I could use a break, too.”
“It’s been several hours since we left the locker. At this rate, I think they’d need to be driving to keep up with us. What do you say, Jane? We take fifteen?” asked Sam playfully.
“You’re right, we’ve made good time. Let’s take fifteen minutes.”
Lea had dropped her overloaded pack before Jane stopped talking. She trotted off the path into the woods.
“I’ll be right back!”
“Don’t go far!” yelled Jane as Lea disappeared into the forest.
The few minutes Lea was gone was the only time she and Sam had been alone since rescuing their daughter. She moved close to Sam, circling her arms around him.
“Thanks for getting me out of the how did Tank find us rut,” she said.
Smiling, Sam kissed her head gently and said, “You really didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with that besides upsetting Lea. For what it’s worth, I don’t think she told Tank anything. Otherwise, he would’ve broken into the locker long before we got there.”
“I thought of that too, but it just seems far-fetched that he found us. I overheard one of his men shouting that they found locker number 23C. He clearly knew where we had been.”
“I’m hoping they get frustrated and leave. I’d hate to lose all of our supplies. We might need them once things go back to normal. Or whatever they go to after the New Order is gone. I’m not sure how well equipped the HQ is or how many people will be sharing the limited resources they may have.”
Lea reappeared from her bathroom break. Sam and Jane’s time was over.
“Dad, how much further do you think we have to walk?” said Lea.
“As long as we remain on the correct trail, I think we should get there within the next few hours.”
“Good. I’m getting sick of carrying this pack.”
Jane reluctantly pulled away from Sam’s arms before stretching her body. Hiking with a full pack had seemed so charming two weeks ago when they’d first left for their backpacking trip. Little did she know. Now the darn thing seemed like a cruel punishment. The contents of the pack made her extremely fortunate, given the circumstances, so she tried to focus more on their good fortune and less on her heat blisters. Heaving the pack onto her slight frame, she turned to Sam and Lea.
“You guys ready?”
Jane waited for Sam and Lea to pass her and take the lead. Father and daughter walked ahead, chatting amicably. Smiling to herself, she knew she was lucky—not just for the contents of the pack, but for having her family intact. Many people had lost more than just their canned goods to the New Order. She felt exceedingly fortunate.
Chapter Fifteen
Sergeant Dale Spencer surveyed the carnage left by the New Order counterattack. Two of his officers had been killed in the driveway and an additional five were wounded. Doris’s living room had been turned into a makeshift emergency room. They carried a field medical kit, which came in handy to patch up the less severe wounds, but two of his men needed the kind of care they couldn’t provide at the house. From what he could tell, they required surgery.
Immediately after the shooting stopped, he formed a rotation to staff the perimeter guard. His officers ringed the house and nearby forest at strategic intervals. Each carried a handheld radio to signal a warning. They would not be caught off guard again if he could help it. The remaining men and women buried the dead, tended to the wounded and assessed their supply situation. The most important task fell to Officers Donnelly and Pritty. They were getting Doris’s radio up and working.
Walking into what was now called the “comms shed,” Spencer had to take some time for his eyes to adjust to the gloom.
“How’s it going in here? Is the radio working again?” asked Spencer.
“It seems like we have everything working. We’re able to test it by squawking one of the handhelds. The signal was sent and received loud and clear on both ends,” said Officer Jason Donnelly.
“That’s great news. If you’re sure it’ll work, we should turn it off and wait for tonight to communicate with the chief. I’m sure he’s anxious for a status update,” said Spencer.
“There isn’t more we can do without risking a statewide communication. The antenna is crazy strong on this thing,” said Officer Howard Pritty.
“Nice work, guys. There’s talk about lunch. Whenever you’re ready, we’re meeting in the backyard.”
Spencer gave them a stoic smile. If any of them had any reservations about how the day had gone down, nobody said a word about it. Securing this location, with its radio and close proximity to Porter, was tactically critical. The rapid arrival of the New Order thugs only underscored its importance. They would need everything the farm had to offer in order to fight back and regain their towns. Everyone involved in the mission knew that. They couldn’t afford to lose this place.
Chapter Sixteen
Johnny sat in stunned silence as Travis recounted what had happened at the farmhouse. When Johnny realized the cops had mounted a coordinated effort to fight back against the New Order, he could barely contain his excitement. For his own safety, he needed to at least appear neutral in the eyes of the Boss. If the Boss knew he celebrated the death of the New Order men and the possibility that the cops were on the offensive, he would be killed on the spot.
Listening to Travis, Johnny tried to figure out how many police officers were involved in the attack.
“You should’ve seen it, man. They just started fucking shooting. Whatever happened to our rights? Shit. They didn’t care if they killed us all. Might’ve too, if I hadn’t jumped in the car at the last second,” said Travis.
“Fuck them! They think they’re going to kill my soldiers! Well, let them try to come into Porter! I’ll skin them alive with my own hands if that’s what it takes!” shouted the Boss.
Several loyal New Order men nodded and mumbled their agreement with the Boss’s lunacy. Glancing at Brown, Johnny saw a flicker of what appeared to be hope. Or was that ambition? Hard to tell with Brown.
“No way will they be able to take over the town. We’ve got this shit locked down!” said Brown.
“Yeah!” shouted another man excitedly.
“Those fucking cops are no match for us. Never were. We’re gonna fight the pigs right where they are, tonight. Spoc, get the guys ready! We’re gonna show those assholes who they’re dealing with. No way can we let this one lie! We hit them hard tonight!” shouted the Boss.
His actions and words had become increasingly erratic
over the past days. Less proactive and more reactive. The guy didn’t respond well when things weren’t one hundred percent under his control. Johnny predicted that he’d unravel fast if the police directly attacked the town. He couldn’t wait.
“Fuck yeah! I know exactly where they are. We can hit them at night, all creepy and secretive. They won’t know what hit them!” shouted Travis, to another round of jeers from the hardened men.
Johnny slowly made his way toward the back of the group and faded off into another part of the Porter police station. He knew from experience that when the guys started getting excited, it was time to clear out. Once the New Order men started drinking, anything could happen. He never saw a wilder, meaner bunch than these men. Getting away now would ensure he wasn’t part of their drunken activities. Plus, he could use the chaotic moment to get the bag of supplies Brown had stashed for him in the radio room.
“Where’re you going?”
Johnny froze, turning slowly around to face Brown. “I need to get the supplies to my grandma. Can you cover for me?”
“Why should I?”
“What do you mean? I need your help?”
“I don’t want to get my ass capped for you and your grandma!” said Brown.
“I’ll be back within the hour. Just watch out for me.”
“All right, man. Just hurry,” said Brown, annoyed.
Johnny slipped out of the station’s back door and ran as fast as he could across town to deliver the supplies to his grandmother, Rusty. The couple of cans and bars should keep her going for a few more days. Seeing her lose so much weight really worried Johnny. He wished he could do more for her but knew that was impossible.
~ ~ ~
Brown leaned back in the cracked leather chair he’d dragged into the communications room. The radio sat silent now. The New Order had been running so many lights without any thought about the fuel supply. Now they needed to be more cautious about their use of the supplies—especially the generator. Brown knew the men were too stupid to understand the concept of rationing.
It was only a matter of time before their thinning food stockpile vanished. The men gorged like they had arrived at a buffet thirty minutes before closing time. They had no concern for tomorrow, which was probably why they were in prison in the first place. Same thing had landed his own ass in jail. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Big picture or little picture.
Brown had slowly saved a few cans here, a bottle of water there—whatever he could get his hands on—stashing it safely in the house he’d taken over. No one seemed to notice. He ate with the guys and enjoyed the bounty while secretly preparing for a time when the food went dry. He’d slip away at that point, the place guaranteed to descend into sheer madness. Not that it wasn’t already an insane asylum.
After hearing Travis’s version of the day’s events, Brown knew he’d made the right decision to stay back from the raid on Doris’s house. He had a gut feeling it would not go well, but he didn’t realize the cops would wipe them out down to the last man. Now more than ever he needed to let the police know he was on their side and not the New Order’s. That was big-picture thinking. It was only a matter of time before they came back into town, and when they did, he did not intend to be on the receiving end of a bullet.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam swatted mosquitoes as he searched for the camp’s entrance. They had left the storage unit in such a hurry that he hadn’t thought to restock their bug spray. Their packs contained the mostly used bottles from the backpacking trip. Slapping his arms again made him even angrier at their current situation. He had prepared for everything, even having the foresight to put the bulk of their supplies in a second location. He just hadn’t counted on having to leave the location so quickly. If he’d just had another day, they could have taken so much more.
“Hold up, ladies. I think this is the entrance,” said Sam, pointing to a smallish dirt road.
Following the map had forced them off the horse trail and onto a paved road for the last mile. He’d felt entirely exposed on the road, so they’d taken to the forest, a decision that quickly became one of his least popular so far. They just couldn’t risk being spotted on the road. They’d gone through too much and come too far to screw up something that simple. Sam slapped the side of his neck. Even he was starting to lose it. If the map was correct, the camp’s entrance should be just down the road.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
“You said that ten minutes ago,” said Lea.
Sam mumbled a few choice words under his breath. They came upon a dirt road in the trees, which looked well used.
“This might be it,” he said, walking up the dirt road to the pavement.
He couldn’t find a camp sign or any indication where one had stood.
“It’s not marked. I don’t know. Maybe we should keep walking. I would think a camp would have a sign of some sort,” said Jane.
“Me too, but this has to be it. Look at the map.” Sam brought the map to Jane.
They huddled together, their hips touching. A wave of desire washed over Sam as he stood close to his wife.
“You see? We came out of the forest’s trail here, and now, we should be around this point. The camp is on the map and so is the road. I say we try it,” said Sam.
“Me too. I can’t bear walking another inch. Especially if we’re going in the wrong direction, again,” said Lea.
“Okay, but let’s be cautious. We have no idea what we’re walking into.”
“Do you think we should draw our weapons?” asked Sam.
“No, let’s just unholster them. Weapons drawn might get us shot. We just need to be ready in case the situation spirals in the wrong direction. Lea, you get behind us.”
The three walked cautiously down the dirt road. In the distance a chain-link gate blocked the road, preventing anyone from wandering in or driving through.
“Now what?” asked Sam.
“Looks like there’s a call box. We should just ring for someone.”
Sam and Jane turned toward their daughter at the exact moment. Did she really just forget there is no power?
“Oops. My bad. It’s so habitual to keep expecting the power to be on and for things to work,” said Lea, laughing.
“Stop right there! Drop your weapons!” shouted a lone female voice.
The three of them hesitated, not wanting to give up their only means of defense. They could have stumbled onto anyone’s hideout. Sam’s stomach churned at the thought of the three of them being turned away, stripped of their packs and weapons. He glanced at Jane. He could tell she was thinking the same thing. Should we run? A few tense seconds passed.
“You heard me! Drop your weapons. Slowly!” the woman yelled forcefully.
Without moving to throw down her weapon, Jane shouted, “We’re looking for Camp Hemlock. I’m Jane Archer.”
Sam knew what Jane just did. She’d identified herself and the camp, thereby alerting the listener that she was a fellow officer. If this was the right place, Sam knew they would get in. If not, Jane managed to not give away any information.
“Jane? Holy shit!”
A lone woman trotted out from behind the gate, moving to unlock it.
“Joyce!”
Jane ran to her friend. The women quickly embraced.
“I had no idea you were heading up here. Charlie told us about your daughter. We all hoped you would be okay. Is this her?”
“Yes, our daughter, Lea, and my husband, Sam.”
“Nice to meet you both. Let’s get you inside so I can secure the gate.”
The gate rolled shut with a rickety metallic clang. The gate looked like the sort of thing to keep out bored teenagers, not murderous convicts. Sam hoped the HQ would be a place they could rest easy; so far he’d seen very little indication that they were truly safe.
~ ~ ~
Jane followed her friend closely as they walked the dirt road to the interior of the camp. Distant voices echo
ed off the trees. The glimmer of Lake Sparrow sat in the distance.
“We weren’t sure we had the right place. There’s no sign,” said Jane.
“Chief had us take it down, along with the road signs. Better to hide the location,” said Joyce.
“How long have you been here?”
“Soon after things started spiraling out of control, Chief had us strip the station and move here on foot.”
“Are Bret and Suzi with you?” asked Jane, referring to Joyce’s husband and daughter.
“Only Suzi. Bret was one of the first men dragged into the streets. After it happened, Suzi and I hid, finally finding our way to the station just as everything was being dismantled.”
Joyce’s face was tight with worry and grief. She had been through so much more than Jane. Placing her hand on Joyce’s shoulder, Jane said, “I’m so sorry, Joyce. That must have been awful. I can’t even imagine.”
“It’s been hard, but at least we’re here, relatively safe,” said Joyce, trying to hold back tears.
“Relatively? What do you mean?” asked Sam.
“The New Order moved up the horse trail in this direction. Apparently they were headed to Doris Venture’s house, the first safe house coming out of Porter.”
“We know it very well. We stayed with her on our way home,” said Sam.
“Right, with everything going on, I forgot you were away.”
“Is she okay? Doris, I mean? Has she been moved up here?” asked Jane.
“We’re not sure yet. A team went down this morning to get her out of there. Hey, Chief!” said Joyce, waving to their chief. “He can fill you in on the details. I’m on the watch rotation and need to get back to my post. I’m glad you guys made it here.”
Chief Carlisle moved quickly in their direction. Jane felt her shoulders relax, just a little. The chief was the best leader she’d ever served under. He ran the police with a calm, steady hand. He was also one of the best tactical planners she ever met. She knew that if anyone could help their towns regain civility, it was their chief.