by Stan Morris
“So everyone’s agreed?” Mike asked at last.
“I think it will work,” Jacob said. The others nodded.
Mike looked at Erin. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m positive,” Erin replied.
Mike looked at a Council that was both supportive and apprehensive. He made his decision. “Then we’ll get ready. Until I get back, Howard will be in charge.”
A day later, Hector gassed up his pickup. They laid Hector’s motorcycle on a mattress in the back of the truck and tied it down. Rasul and Jacob climbed in beside it. Mike and Erin squeezed into the cab with Hector. Lily and Kathy had a dozen last minute instructions for Jacob and Hector. They all boiled down to, “Be careful.”
The rest of the Council watched anxiously as the pickup left. The truck stopped at the Brown farm to pick up Nathan and Kevin who were working that month at the farm. The group waited until noon, and then they left. Hector drove carefully along the firebreak road. The day was very windy, and the road was steep in a few spots. Several hours after leaving the Brown farm, they passed a lake on their right. At the lake and at a few other places, they stopped to make a food cache.
In the dead of night, they slowly passed by the bikers’ hill with the truck lights off. When they came to the road leading to the bikers’ camp, they stopped and let off Jacob and Erin. It was the night before the full moon, and it was bright just as Mike had hoped. There were only a few thin clouds in the sky. They wished each other well, and then Jacob and Erin set off, hiking up the paved road. The others in the truck continued onward.
A few miles from the Army post, just before they left the cover of the trees, they stopped. Hector found a spot off the road to hide the truck, and they took the motorcycle out of the truck bed. Then amid the blue sky pilots and the gray sage, they threw their sleeping bags on the ground, and they slept. By this time, Jacob and Erin were safely hidden, not too far from the bikers’ camp.
In the afternoon of the following day, Mike and Nathan started walking toward the Army post. Mike timed their arrival, so the guard on the palisade parapet spotted them just as the sun was setting. The Ranger standing guard was astonished to see two young teenage boys walking toward his post. Quickly, he called for the gates to be opened, and the boys were allowed into the camp.
Inside the wooden wall, they were met by a man in uniform with a single silver bar on each of his shoulders. The man, who identified himself as Lieutenant Kennedy, was African-American. He had a thin cut of hair on the top of his head, and the sides of his head were shaven. He promptly escorted them into a small log building, where they were taken to see another man who was sitting behind a desk. He was a sandy haired man with a sprinkling of freckles across his face, and who also had his hair closely cropped.
“Here they are, Major Collins,” the Lieutenant said.
The Major stood and walked around his desk, so that he could get a good look at the two boys. Their clothes were filthy and torn, and their faces were streaked with grime. Their shoes have seen better days, he noted. One of the boys acted as if he were half asleep. He kept rubbing his eyes. The Major pointed to an old sofa and told the sleepy boy to sit down. Soon after the boy sat down, he curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
“I’m Major Collins. This is Lieutenant Kennedy. Who are you, and where have you come from?”
“I’m, Mike,” said the boy. “His name is Nathan. We came from the bad men’s place.”
The Lieutenant sucked in an audible breath, as Major Collins examined Mike intently.
“The bad men’s place?” Collins asked. “Do you mean that you’ve been living at a place with bad men? What makes them bad?”
“They have motorcycles and guns. They kill people, and they treat kids real bad,” the boy said sadly.
Major Collins tensed, and his eyes narrowed. “Mike, tell me about these bad men.”
Carefully, Mike told the story that he had rehearsed at the Lodge. When he was asked questions he could not answer with reasonable accuracy, he pleaded ignorance.
“It’s them!” the Lieutenant exclaimed at last. His excitement had increased as he had listened to Mike’s tale.
“Sounds like them,” the Major agreed. “How many kids are living at that place?” he asked the boy.
“Eleven,” Mike answered. “Those bad guys killed some of the kids.”
The Lieutenant blanched, and the Major’s jaw worked as he clinched his teeth.
“Mike, do you know how many men are there?” he asked in a clipped voice.
“Six,” was the reply. “They sleep in their dugout at night. They make us sleep in an RV. They have a chain on our door. But sometimes we sneak out at night and walk around. We always go back, or else they won’t feed us.”
“Are you hungry?” the Major asked.
The boy’s eyes shifted nervously, and Collins had the momentary feeling that the boy looked guilty, but then he answered, “Yes, because they didn’t feed us today. They got mad, because one of the kids stole some food. They said that all of us were going to get beat up tomorrow, so they could teach us a lesson. That’s why Nathan and I ran away.”
Major Collins looked at the Lieutenant. “Let’s get something to eat in here,” he ordered.
The Lieutenant left the room, and the Major paused his questioning until the officer returned with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of water. Mike took a sandwich and bit into it. Peanut butter and jelly, he noted.
“Mike, this is very important,” the Major said after Mike had finished the sandwich. “Do you think you could find your way back there tonight?”
“Sure,” the boy answered. He yawned widely. “Could I take a nap first?”
“Of course.”
Collins woke Nathan, and had a soldier lead the two boys to beds, and then he turned to the Lieutenant.
“Get your Rangers ready, LT. I‘m not going to let those children be abused for another single day. We’ll do it tonight, but we’ll give that kid a few hours to rest first. Hopefully, we can catch them when they’re sound asleep.”
“I’ll get Jenkins to muffle the truck with rags,” Kennedy said. “One muffled truck might be quieter than two jeeps.”
“Do it,” the Major replied.
Mike and Nathan were taken to beds in a roughly made barracks. Nathan fell into bed and slept, but Mike stayed awake. From time to time, he took his watch out of his pocket and checked it. When it was time, he rose and made his way to Major Collins’ office. It was about ten o’clock, and already the moon was bright.
“Do you want me to show you how to find the bad men’s place?” he asked in a sleepy voice.
“We certainly do, young man,” replied the Major. “Are you sure you can find it in the dark?”
“Yes,” replied Mike. “I know where it’s at. But they’re on a hill. They might hear you coming. If you want to sneak up on them, then you should park your truck at the bottom of the hill, and then you should walk up.”
“That’s a good idea,” said the Lieutenant. “Lucky for us it’s a full moon tonight.”
It’s not luck, thought Mike. But it’s lucky that there’s no clouds.
About eleven o’clock the gates opened, and a single canvas covered truck left the compound and motored down the road. Watching from the rise above the saddle, Hector used Star’s walkie-talkie to alert Rasul who was standing by the motorcycle with Comet’s walkie-talkie.
Rasul started the bike and gunned it away. When he got to the road under the bikers camp, he flashed the lights. Moments later, he saw the quick blink of Jacob’s flashlight coming from a place on the hill below the dugout. Rasul pulled the bike off the road, hid it in the trees, and waited. Shortly after that the truck arrived, the driver coasting the last quarter mile.
On the hill, Jacob waited and watched. In the moonlight, he saw the gray shape of the truck come to a halt at the junction of the bikers’ road. When he saw the vague shapes emerge, he knew that Mike had convinced the soldiers to
approach the bikers’ camp on foot. Jacob silently crept up to the RV and unhooked the chain. He entered quietly, trying not to awaken the children all at once. He shook the smallest boy. The boy woke and when he saw Jacob, he emitted a small cry of distress. Jacob held a finger to his lips.
“I’m a friend,” Jacob whispered. “I’m taking you away from this place. You’re safe.”
Silently, the boy shrank away from the strange teenager, an unhappy look on his face.
“Be quiet, and wake the others,” Jacob whispered. “The United States Army is coming for you. You know who they are, don’t you?”
The boy nodded.
“They’re taking you to a safe place. There’s lots of food there, and no one gets hurt.”
The apprehension on the little boy’s face was changing to one of hope.
Jacob glanced around the recreational vehicle and counted ten kids. They’re all here. He had the young boy wake the oldest girl and explain what was happening. At first, she was afraid of Jacob, even as Jacob tried to assure her that he had come to help them. In a low whisper, he told her that he was taking the kids away from the bad men. She bit her lower lip as she tried to decide whether or not to trust him, and then she nodded. Together, they woke the rest of the kids. Not all of them were happy to see Jacob.
“You’re not going to hurt us, are you?” a little boy asked, fear in his face.
“No, I’m not going to hurt you,” Jacob said. “If you stay quiet until we get to the road, I promise that you will get a nice surprise.”
He led the children out of the RV and quietly down the dirt track. Part of the way down, Erin silently joined them from the shadows, the sleepy kids barely noticing her. Jacob faded into the night, while Erin led the children to the paved road. There they waited, as Erin explained to the oldest girls what was happening. Shortly, they heard the grunting of marching men coming up the road. Some of the frightened children began to weep.
“We’re over here,” Erin called to the soldiers.
“Halt,” she heard, and then a soldier came forward.
“Listen to me. I am an American soldier,” a man with silver bars on his shoulders told the children in a quiet voice. “I’m here to rescue you.” The weeping children calmed down at this announcement.
“Are there any more kids up there?” the Lieutenant asked. The silver bars on his shoulders gleamed in the bright moonlight.
Erin shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said.
The two oldest girls looked at each other. “No, we’re all here,” one said. “We were in the dugout earlier, but they took us back to the RV when they finished with us.”
Embarrassed, she hung her head. Hearing this, Erin felt her face flush with anger. She looked at the grim faced lieutenant.
“I hope you kill all those bastards,” she stated fiercely.
Kennedy had some of the soldiers lead the children down the road, while he and the rest started up the track. Just as the soldiers arrived in the vicinity of the dugout, they heard a shot. The soldiers ducked for cover.
A man came out of the dugout cursing loudly and carrying a rifle.
“Who was that?” he yelled. “If one of you rats stole a gun, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you.”
Lieutenant Kennedy yelled back. “You are surrounded by the United States Army. I order you to put down your weapon and surrender.”
Cursing, the man fired a shot in the direction of Kennedy’s voice and then he fled back to the dugout. Kennedy called again for their surrender. He was answered by several more shots from the dugout. Kennedy ordered a volley to be fired, and the soldiers shot a withering hail of bullets into the dugout. The men in the dugout fired again, and there was another exchange of bullets. Then the firing from the dugout ceased, and the soldiers heard only groans, and finally there was silence in the dugout. At dawn, the soldiers cautiously approached the dugout and found six bodies. A lucky shot had grazed one of the soldiers; it was a serious but not life threatening wound.
Well below the dugout, in the safety of the trees, Jacob wondered if the Chief would be mad at him. Jacob had carried a handgun as part of Mike’s plan, but firing into the dugout as the soldiers arrived had not been part of the plan. Maybe I won’t tell the Chief, he thought.
By then, the children had arrived safely back at the Army post. Major Collins felt very satisfied when he heard Lieutenant Kennedy’s report. They had rescued eleven children. Counting Mike and Nathan, he knew that he now had thirteen more mouths to feed. But we can do it. They were US Army, after all, even if most of them were engineers.
The post medic examined the children, and she pronounced them relatively healthy, at least physically. Most were malnourished, and all of them were suffering from vermin on their bodies and in their hair. Almost all had been repeatedly molested. Emotionally, they were in bad shape, and it would take them a long time to recover from their trauma. But they were alive, which was more than could be said for the three small skeletons that had been found and buried, along with the adult remains. The major was tempted to leave the thugs to the vultures, but he ordered the bikers to be buried, also.
After only a day, some of the children were noticeably more cheerful. These children are survivors, the Major thought. The two boys who had been the first to find the post had found a baseball. They were playing catch, not far from the edge of the knoll. One of the older girls, the only one who had adamantly refused to be examined by the doctor, was actually sunbathing on the same side of the post, but she was closer to the wall. The major pondered what compromises she had made, so that she could survive.
Mike was enjoying playing catch, but the game had a secondary purpose. He threw the ball past Nathan. Nathan had to run into the bushes by the small oak tree to retrieve the ball. There, he waited. A sharp eyed Ranger standing on the palisade parapet saw Nathan go into the bushes. When he didn’t return in a few minutes, the Ranger yelled at Mike to find his friend, and to get him back in sight. Just then, Nathan emerged from the bushes. He and Mike walked back to the fort.
“You kids stay where I can see you,” the soldier told them sternly.
“I had to pee,” Nathan explained. I can’t pee in front of people. And there’s a girl here.” He pointed to Erin, lying on the grass.
The young soldier looked over at Erin. There certainly is a girl here, he thought. And she’s a real looker with a great rack. He felt a twinge of guilt. She was probably abused.
The following afternoon, the kids were back. The boys were throwing the ball. The same boy went frequently into the bushes to pee. He was only gone for a minute or two, so the Ranger did not yell at him. The Ranger wondered if the boy might have a urinary problem from his experiences at the bikers’ camp. Poor kid. Probably caught some kind of disease from those assholes. The girl was sunbathing, today. But this time, she had taken off her shirt. Her wonderful breasts were covered only by her bra. The Ranger kept sneaking guilty peeks at her.
Later that day, Mike was interviewed by Major Collins. He was assured by the Major that he was not in trouble, and that all of the kids were being interviewed, so that a brief account of the crimes committed by the men could be recorded. The Major did not ask for graphic details. The Major smiled later when he thought about the interview. The boy was extremely curious. He had asked more questions than the Major did.
“We were sent here to develop a training camp for the Rangers,” the Major had explained in answer to one of the boy’s many questions. “They needed a high altitude mountainous camp. Given the situation in Central Asia, I can think of several reasons why. A squad of Rangers was detailed to us as consultants. We weren’t here a week, when this mist appeared. We started pulling in all the civilians we could find. After a while, we realized that there was a gang of men preying on people who were trapped in the mountains. We found some gruesome evidence. We’ve been looking for them ever since. I know we covered that hill. They must have set up their camp after we checked it.”
T
he next day, the Ranger on the palisade catwalk watched the two boys play catch again. Once more, the same girl was sunbathing. This time she not only took off her shirt, she unhooked her bra to avoid getting a tan line. This is not bad duty, the Ranger thought as, for a few minutes, he openly watched the girl. Unnoticed, the boy who needed to pee went into the bushes. He was gone several minutes. When the Ranger looked for him, he emerged zipping his pants. The Ranger did not realize that he was a different boy.
Later, Mike, Erin, and Kevin conferred. “Everything is set, Chief,” said Kevin. “Jacob has both lines ready, and he made the trail that he wants them to follow. We should be gone by the time they start to search. If they do search.”
“Oh, they’ll search,” Mike replied, and Erin nodded.
“Are you still okay with this, Erin?” Mike asked. He was not happy about this part of his plan.
“Sure, Chief,” she replied. “I grew up around people like this. It’s like home, to me. I’ll miss my friends, but I’ll make some new ones. Starting next May, I’ll check the tree the first day of every month to see if there is a message from you. And don’t worry about your getaway. I’ve got my own plan.”
The next day, their routine continued. The boys were out by the edge of the knoll, and the girl was sunbathing with her bra strap unhooked. The Ranger stood watch, occasionally sneaking peeks at her. And then, as he watched, the girl started to rise. She fumbled for her bra, but it dropped to the ground. Her wonderful breasts sprang into view, and the young Ranger’s eyes bulged. As he watched, she bent over at the waist and retrieved her bra. The Ranger sighed as she put it on and hooked the clasp. Suddenly she yelped, and she fell to the ground, moaning and clutching her leg.
Almost instantly, the young Ranger jumped down from the palisade parapet. He yelled to a fellow soldier to take his place. The Ranger rushed out the gate and ran to the girl who was still moaning as she lay on the ground, holding her leg. He helped her to her feet. Gingerly, she put her weight on her foot, and then she whimpered and leaned against the Ranger. He held her against his side, as he awkwardly bent down and picked up her blouse. He helped her put on her blouse, and then she leaned on him as she limped into the fort.