The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

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  Frank broke the arrow off just below the head from his own leg it where it stuck out and raised his M-16, fired across in a straight line, and took out two savages. “No!” He screamed to one of his men. “Don’t pull that out!” He rolled down on the ground, keeping low and made it to Barry. An arrow was protruding from Barry’s leg. “Don’t pull it out. Break it.” Frank snapped it off. “Now stay put, stay ready, and stay low!”

  Though he only had eight men out there, Frank refrained from bringing in any more. The savages were not like the SUTs. They crept through the field, each of them trying to make a pass by Frank’s men, and failing as they tried. Yet the others stayed behind, hiding in the nature’s brush that inhibited good shots at them.

  Frank made it to each one of his men, whispering and telling them the same thing. He pulled them back and lined them up low in the grass in a straight row across, and let them fire. He pulled his mouth piece closer. “John.” He whispered, hiding his voice within the firing. “They aren’t moving, are they?”

  “They’re idle, Frank.”

  “Pull back some. Let me know when they move.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Frank waited with his eyes staring ahead as he listened to the fading chopper. He held up his hands in a cease fire to his men. The gun fire slowed and then . . . silence. “On my call,” Frank mouthed the words as he positioned himself one leg up, the same as he had his men do.

  There was silence for a while as if nothing was happening out there at all.

  “They’re getting ready, Frank,” John told him.

  “I hear it,” Frank listened to the ruffling. The minutes seemed like hours in the anticipation of the next move.

  “Now, Frank!”

  Frank listened, snapped his fingers to his men, raised his weapon, and so did they. “On my call,” He mouthed the words again then brought his fingers to his lips to keep them silent. He swore he could hear his heartbeat.

  Then he heard what he was waiting for. His timing had to be right or his entire plan would be flushed.. Upon hearing the ‘war cry’ out that the savages always made in the run attacks, Frank charged to his feet,. “Now gentlemen!” The running savages finally opened themselves up in their charge. In the savage’s mistake laid Beginnings advantage. The twenty-two savages that remained met with the continuous and fatal gun fire of the eight Beginnings men, some injured, who stood up before them in a surprising synchronization from the grass.

  At that point, the gunfire needed was minimal and the time wasted was nil. “Hold your fire!” Frank ordered when he knew he had witnessed most of them fall and he heard no more sounds of movement. “Check for any alive! If you find them, shoot them.” Frank tossed his M-16 over his shoulder and pulled out his revolver, extending it. “Look for our two people.” Frank moved through the grass, nudging his boot at every savage he came across. If he even thought they moaned or moved, Frank would shoot one single bullet into their heads. “Dad,” Frank called over the radio, “have the clinic ready. We have a few injuries and we have two people we’re searching for in this grass.”

  “No signs of them, Frank?” Joe asked.

  Frank took a deep breath. “Not yet. What the fuck happened, Dad? They didn’t just appear in the woods. They had to have been there.”

  “I don’t know, Frank. How are you doing? Are you O.K.”

  “I got arrowed. Big deal.” He looked down at his bleeding leg and saw a savage. Frank kicked him. “Hold on, Dad.” A single shot was fired. “All right, we’ll be in. Send me some more men out to help search this field. It’s huge.”

  “Got it.”

  Wiping the sweat from his head, Frank peered out, looked again, and listened to the voices of his men as they called out for David and Sara.

  “Frank!”

  Frank’s head jolted to the panic call of Jeff. He rushed over where Jeff stood alone. “What.”

  Jeff stepped back. “David.”

  Frank knelt down to the bloodied and shirtless body. He placed his hand on David’s shoulder and rolled him over. He saw the blood on the stomach and the sliced throat. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes and spoke into the radio. “David’s dead.” In disgust he bit his lip and, just as he stood to his feet, he heard another cry coming only from twenty feet away. “No.” He knew by the sound of that call out what the two men found was not good. A part of him didn’t want to look, but he knew he had to. Frank could see as he approached, the two men that called were stepping away. His quick run slowed when he saw what they had uncovered.

  If Frank didn’t know who Sara was he wouldn’t have even recognized her. Her nude body was covered in mud and blood. Her hair was wet, sprawled across and stuck to her face. Below her neck a large puddle of blood formed. There wasn’t an inch of her skin not bruised or cut. He couldn’t even bring himself to reach down and see if she were alive. By looking at her, Frank knew that she was dead and, to Frank, she was better off., Death was probably better than Sara facing the rest of her life living with what she had just gone through. By her body, it was obvious what that was. He stepped back with his head down. He thought how what happened in that field could have gotten so out of control and that the savages may have made it into town before Frank and his men were even ready. With that thought, the vision of Sara’s body became every woman in Beginnings and then Ellen. Frank’s mind and heart raced with an overwhelming sickening feeling, and for the first time ever, and from something he seen, Frank walked a few feet into the field and threw up.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  In the lab, Dean and Ellen watched. That’s all they could do. Robbie wanted to do something more. He stood by Henry, listening to the phone conversation or at least Henry’s end of it. The ‘I sees’ told the three of them less than the expression on Henry’s face when he turned off the phone and set it on the counter. He stared at it for a few seconds, trying to think of how to start. Joe had just bombarded him with information. It was information that would make them want to go scurrying into town to check on things, but like Henry, neither Robbie, Ellen, or Dean could do anything but stay where they were. “Like we thought it was a break in the underdeveloped section. It could have been worse, much worse. We prevailed. But what I was told isn’t good.” Henry spoke so sad. “Beginnings, we uh . . . we just had a first.”

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  The liquid swished as it returned back into the bottle after being pulled from Frank’s mouth. He slammed it hard on the containment desk then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

  “Frank.” Joe reached for the bottle and Frank pulled it back.

  “Dad . . . not now.” Briefly he closed his eyes and he shuddered at the images of Sara and David that popped into his mind and, with that, he took another drink. “Here.” He handed Joe the bottle. “I’m done.” He looked at his watch. “Now where the hell is he?”

  “Take it easy Frank. He’ll be here. I know this is going to be hard, but staying calm will work best.” Joe placed the bottle on top of the filing cabinet.

  Frank leaned back in the chair rocking some. “I’m far from calm.”

  “I know but you guys all did a good job out there.”

  His lip rose a little in disgust and before he spoke, Frank ran his hand harshly down his face and across his goatee before slamming it on the desktop. “Not good enough.”

  “Yes Frank. No matter what . . . good enough.” Joe heard Frank grunt. “What’s wrong? Is that leg of yours bothering you?”

  “No, not at all. It was an arrow. I swear to God I’ve been hit with more arrows than the entire fuckin US Cavalry combined.”

  Joe wanted to say more, especially when the door to containment opened and Johnny walked into the front office.

  “Hey Dad.” Johnny shut the door. “You wanted to see me?”

  Joe saw the look on his son’s face as he stood from the chair. “Easy, Frank.”

  Frank held his hand up to Joe. “Johnny, I’m sure you know what has happened here this aft
ernoon.”

  Johnny nodded his head slowly and somberly. “I do. It’s sucks.”

  “It sucks?” Frank walked around the desk. “You aren’t fuckin shittin it suck. Sucks. Twenty-nine savages poured in from the forest behind the underdeveloped section. They poured in down that steep hillside, well on their way to hitting town. Do you know how much damage they could have caused before we got them all? They’re animals, John.”

  “I know,” Johnny agreed. “I heard David and Sara are dead.”

  “They’re not just dead, John. David, he had a three foot arrow shot straight through his gut and his throat was sliced. He was dragged. And Sara, she isn’t just dead either. They not only raped her, God knows how many did that, but they beat her, cut her, pulled her, and pissed on her, John. She was one of ours, our people and they treated her like she was nothing.” Frank spoke with an edge. “My job is security, protecting these people. I failed my job today, John. Do you know that? I failed because part of my job . . .”

  “Dad, where are you going with this?”

  Frank bit his bottom lip. “Shut up and listen! I failed my job because it is part of my job to assign the right people to the right job. They are all links in a chain and when one link fails to do their job, the whole fuckin chain breaks and I fail. The people of this community lose.”

  “Dad, I don’t think David failed you.”

  “David?!” Frank’s voice rose even more. “I’m not talking about David, I’m talking about you!”

  “Me?” Johnny said with almost a laugh. “What the hell did I do?”

  “You flew the reconnaissance flight last night and this morning, did you not?”

  “Yeah,” Johnny answered.

  “I know for a fact, John, because I did it myself. That region at seven p.m. was clear when we walked a foot perimeter.”

  “So. What are you getting at?”

  “Two things.” Frank held out his hand. “One, if they came in during the night, you should have seen them. If they didn’t and they came in this morning, you should have seen them. What they were would not have been made out, but you should have seen something was in those woods. Even without moving you would have seen them. Are you not looking, John? Do you know what you’re supposed to be looking for when you fly these things? Because if you don’t, I’m training someone else. Laziness, especially with the flights cannot be tolerated. It was pure laziness that you didn’t see these things in the first place! You should have spotted them. An hour ago, I put two of my men, without shirts, in that area and told them to stay low. I went up in the bird and I saw them. I saw them, John.”

  “You were looking for them,” Johnny spoke with defense.

  “And you should be too. That is your job to look for them. To assume that they are there. To spot them. How in the fuck did you miss twenty-nine men?!” Frank blasted him.

  Feeling the heat of his father’s words, breath and presence, Johnny grew angry. “You know what, Dad.” He stepped back. “Fuck you.”

  Just as Frank dove forward for Johnny, Joe flung himself in-between, stopping him. “Frank. No.”

  With a tilted head, Frank’s facial muscles twitched. “You better walk away, John, right now! Cause I’m this close . . .” He cut his hand through the air over his father. “I’m this close to fuckin killing you right now!”

  Joe pressed his back up against Frank to keep his distance from Johnny. “John,” Joe spoke with scold, “you will apologize to your father.”

  “I will not!”

  “John . . .”

  “No Pap.” Johnny shook his head. “He’s pissed because I’m not him. Well we all can’t be the big super hero. Just because you didn’t get there on time to save Sara and David, you can’t put that on me. You can’t save everyone! Too bad Dad, we all fail.” Johnny’s face turned red. “But we all don’t find blame somewhere else. It’s fucked up that you’re putting this on my head. Fucked up.”

  Joe felt the pressure of Frank. What he really wanted to do was just let his son go and let Johnny have it. But Joe couldn’t do that. Joe was angry and his words and tone conveyed it. “Talk like that to your father again and I’ll deck you myself. You hear me, you little son of a bitch! Just like you said, we all fail and we shouldn’t find blame elsewhere. Well you failed, John. You failed to see those savages. You were asked ahead of time if you wanted to fly these missions. No one made you do it. You wanted to. So don’t act like you’re doing us a big favor! As far as your father goes, you should treat him and give him more respect than you are giving him right now!”

  “Respect him? He’s putting this shit on me, his son. And so are you for that matter. I didn’t see them! Like I said, we all can’t be my father. Lord knows he does very little wrong.”

  “How can you talk like this?” Joe argued back. “Instead of belittling him because he is coming down on you for not doing your job right, you should be thanking him for training his men good enough to take out three times as many men.”

  “Next you’ll tell me, pap, I should be like him.” Johnny turned and moved to the door opening it.

  “You should,” Joe told him.

  “Why is that, Pap? Because he protects us? Yeah, I’ll give him that, he does his does his job better than anyone can. But I have also seen some of the shit my father’s done. Shit that was unnecessary during his course of ‘protecting us’. What it all boils down to in the end is that my father is nothing but a cold-hearted killer so forgive me for not wanting to be that.” On his final words, Johnny walked out of the containment office, slamming the door.

  Joe expected when Frank moved quickly to the door, that he would open it and fly out after Johnny. He didn’t. Joe merely jolted when Frank slammed his hand into the side of the filing cabinet then grabbed the bottle from on top. “Frank. Let it go. He’s angry and saying things he doesn’t mean.”

  Frank was eerily calm as he finished his drink and set the bottle back on the file cabinet. “That’s what I hope, Dad. But I’ll tell you what. You better talk to him. Because the next time I see him, I’m killing him. I’m a cold-hearted killer, you know.” Frank opened the door to the small office.

  “Frank, where are you going?”

  “Dan is gathering the women of this community for me. They and I are having a long talk.” He pulled the door closed.

  “Oh boy.” Joe picked up that bottle of moonshine. He took a long swig, gasping afterward. “God help the women of this community right now.”

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  On a Frank-rampage, ignoring the pain in his leg that should have caused him to limp, Frank made his way to the social hall where Dan was bringing the women. Frank slammed the door firmly to shut up what he thought was an instant headache--the chattering and crying--and he stood before them, hands on hips, looking meaner than any of them probably ever saw him.

  Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea for Jenny to speak up at that moment, but when was Jenny ever known to be silent. “Frank, what is this all about? We’re all upset and . . .”

  “One thing,” He spoke deeply, his voice raspy. “One thing to all of you. Anything could happen in this world now. Anything. If I ever fuckin catch a single one of you with one of my men when they are on watch, he will have to deal with me. I will kick his ass. Our watches are serious. They are not meant for any of you to be there. Go on and try it. I guarantee when I finish with the man you visited, he won’t want you back.” With a hard turn of his body and no time for any comments, he left a silent social hall, slamming the door again upon his exit.

  How long did it take for them to remove the bodies and clean up Beginnings? Longer than Frank wanted it to. History and details of the attack had to be documented. By the time Frank got home from that and the meeting with Andrea and Jason, Henry was already there, released from quarantine.

  No amount of water was going to make Frank feel better. In fact, Frank was feeling worse as he stood in that shower. The events of the day were now coupled with thoughts he had long buried deep i
nto the back of his mind, thoughts of Ellen. For the first time in his life, Frank realized what rape meant. He knew the word, he knew the crime, yet he never truly understood the violence of it until he saw Sara. With that understanding, came the remembrance of what happened to Ellen not even a year earlier. He remembered when he found out how sick he felt over it. But as he stood in that shower with thoughts and visions of Ellen he did not want to have, he felt even sicker. Before, he only could guess what she had gone through, but now he knew what she had gone through. Frank’s heart broke for Ellen all over again.

  He headed downstairs after his shower, still feeling so down. He was going to congratulate Henry on a good job putting the kids to bed, but that was a short congratulation when he saw Josh coming from the kitchen with a covered plate of food. Frank knew Henry did not do it alone

  “Night, Dad.” Josh showed him the plate. “I’m stealing chicken. Dean’s out of food.”

  “You aren’t staying here?” Frank asked him as he walked toward the door.

  “No way.” Josh shook his head. “I have Dean’s house all to myself with Denny. But here, everyone is here. Night, Dad. Night, Henry!” Josh raised his hand to Henry who sat on the couch.

  Frank gave a firm pat to Josh’s back as he opened the door for him. “Night, Josh. Thanks for all your help with Henry.”

  “You’re welcome.” Josh stepped out and stopped. “Oh and Dad, good job today.” He gave a thumbs up then turned and kept on walking.

  A slight smile of appreciation was all that Frank could muster up as he closed that front door. He turned around to Henry, who sipped from a tall glass. “Hey.” Frank walked over and grabbed it, smelling it. “Wine? Why are you drinking, Henry?”