“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“You took him from the school. Where is Marcus?”
“I don’t . . .” Ellen saw Robbie and Sgt. Ryder walk in.
Sgt. Ryder looked at Robbie. “We have to get them out of here. ‘T’ minus ten Robbie.”
“Henry.” Robbie took a step. “There’s something we have to handle.”
“I don’t care!” Henry blasted. “Right now, I need Marcus. Where is he, El?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ellen stayed calm. “Now if you’ll excuse me . . .”
“No.” Henry reached out, snatching her back. “Listen to me. You cracked me in my head, knocked me out. I need Marcus. If he is responsible . . .”
‘He’s not.”
“You’re test results said . . .”
“The DNA didn’t match up completely, Henry, so the tests weren’t a hundred percent right,” Ellen argued. “Now I am sorry I hit you in your head, but what am I supposed to do? Let you send security to get a child? Let you pick him up? Then what?”
“We keep him contained until you prove otherwise,” Henry said.
“No. Bullshit. You know this community.” Ellen hands flew about. “There would be a lynch mob and you know it. I can’t take that chance.”
“And I can’t take the chance of him running around. Where is he?” Henry asked firmly.
“I don’t know.”
“El.”
“I don’t know.”
“Ellen!” Henry screamed, his face was red. “I’m not fuckin around here, El. Where is he!?”
“Don’t you take that tone with me. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Henry clenched his teeth. “Right now I am the leader of this community and the people’s welfare is my best interest. I am sorry if I offend you, but I need Marcus.”
“You don’t know for sure it’s him.”
“And you don’t know for sure it’s not! Are you willing to take that chance? Are you! How do you know, El? You know enough to suspect him yet you hide him around your flesh and blood. Four men are dead. Four, El. If I were you, no matter how small the chance, it would be too big of a chance to take around the lives of my kids and one of them is my kid.” Henry calmed down.
Sgt. Ryder shifted his eyes to Robbie. “Robbie.”
“Henry,” Robbie called out.
Henry held out his hand, keeping his stare on Ellen. “I will not let word of this get out. Just let me have him. You do what you have to do now and we will run whatever test we need when you get back. Right now . . . give me Marcus . . . please.”
Ellen with her arms folded close to her, closed her eyes. “He’s in the back with Joey.”
“Thank you.” Henry rushed by her to the hall.
Robbie let out his breath. He turned to Sgt. Ryder. “Elliott, let’s load Ellen and the kids into the Jeep.” He looked at his watch. “It’s ‘t’ minis six . . .” He stopped talking and looked when Henry came back in, holding some sort of cloth.
“Robbie.” Henry stated firmly. “I want a full scale search. Get every man available out there now! I want every inch of this community searched and covered along with sector thirty-two. We have to find Marcus. He has Joey.” Henry moved to the door in a hurry. As he passed Ellen, he less than gently laid the cloth he held into her chest and then barged out.
“O.K.” Robbie held up his hand. “Elliott, get Ellen and the kids out and to Miles City. Now! I’ll find Joey.”
“Got it. El, are the kids in the back . . .” Sgt. Ryder saw her looking at the cloth in her hands.
Ellen’s face was white and horrified. “What have I done?” She murmured. “Oh God” She closed her eyes. “What have I done?”
Robbie motioned his head to Sgt. Ryder to get the kids. He moved to Ellen. “El.” He reached down and took from her the cloth she held. When he retrieved it in his hands he saw it wasn’t a cloth at all. It was Joey’s white shirt, nearly torn to shreds. A stream of blood streaked it.
^^^^
Binghamton, Alabama
How long had Dean stared at Leonard? A few minutes that seemed like an hour? The turning of the lab door made his heart jump.
Sgt. Landers walked in. “The Jeep is out front. Are you ready?”
“There’s something you have to take care of first. That man, Richie Martin. Find him and kill him. Take your men and make sure the job gets done. I’ll get Dr. Hayes to the Jeep.”
“Are you sure?” Sgt. Landers asked.
“Look at him.” Leonard pulled out a gun. “I can handle him. Richie’s at the gymnasium now. Go.”
Sgt. Landers indicated to the four SUTS that still aimed at Dean. They followed him out.
Dean silently listened to them leave the main lab. He could hear the fading of the boots as they marched down the hall.
“Let’s go.” Leonard moved his gun, using it as a pointer for Dean to walk ahead of him
Dean moved slowly, feeling the heat of Leonard’s body so close behind.
“Move faster. Let’s go.” He nudged Dean.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” With a tightly clenched fist, Dean stopped cold, spun around and, with everything his small body had, he nailed Leonard in the side of his face with such a force that Leonard’s head flung to the side and his nearly six foot tall body toppled. Instead of running at that second, Dean took advantage of Leonard’s weakened moment. Dean, swung his right fist out, hitting Leonard in the face again, and then swept down his left hand into Leonard’s arm, knocking the revolver loose. Before the gun could hit the floor, Dean grabbed it, straightened it in his hand, stepped back, clicked the hammer, and fired one deadly shot into Leonard. Dean watched the blood splattered from Leonard’s head and the body drop to the floor.
Stunned, but only for a split second, Dean looked at the revolver. “God, that was such a Frank thing to do.” With Richie on his mind, Dean took off toward the gymnasium.
Five Society soldiers and then a minute later Dean? Joe watched with his hand on the de-scrambler. “Where are they going?”
“Into that building,” Hal answered.
Joe looked at his watch. “Something’s wrong. We still have three minutes. Fuck it. I’m hitting it.” Joe’s hand moved for the button and he depressed it. The loud bird whistle went off and he and Hal, along with Jess and John, moved in a low running position to the open side gate. Joe pulled out his revolver, staying back, and watched the SUTs at the side gate stop cold. “It worked.” He told them. “Jess you come with m. We’ll go to building ‘B’ where we last saw Frank. Hal, you and John follow Dean. I don’t know if the de-scrambler got the ones in that building. Take no chance. Let’s go.”
Rushing armed and ready, Joe, Hal, Jess, and John stormed through the side gate and past the stunned SUTs. But in their determination and drive to make it to the two designated buildings, they never saw the truck with Frank and George, speed through the front gate.
Richie just had stepped off the ladder from fixing the high overhead light in the deck. The high, gymnasium type building with cement floors was used for indoor drills. No sooner did his foot hit the floor than he heard the far doors open. He turned around to look. Sgt. Landers walked in through them. On either side of him were two SUTs.
“Hey,” Richie called out nervously. “What’s up?” Richie’s heart raced when, at a steady medium pace, they marched to him.
“Ready!” Sgt. Landers called out.
“Huh?” Richie wondered. “Shit.”
They took two steps and raised their rifles.
“Aim.”
Two more steps and the chambers clicked.
Richie froze. “Oh God.” His eyes closed and opened back up when he heard the slamming of the doors again.
The aims of the SUTs dropped. They and Sgt. Landers turned around at the intrusion.
Dean stood there. Ready, he lifted the revolver and fired . . . nothing. “Oh fuck.” Dean looked at the gun then at the men.
Sgt. Landers knew Dean wasn’t their target. “Repeat.”
“Shit.” Dean hurled the gun, beaming Sgt. Landers in the head. Then racing as fast as he could, Dean shot his body through the four men, barreled through as if they were bowling pins, startled them some from their firm stance, and knocked himself off his balance. Still running, Dean stumbled and rolled himself up, never missing a beat in his race toward Richie. Dean grabbed Richie’s arm and spotting the door behind them, not ten yards away.
“Ready.” Sgt. Landers ordered.
“Run.” Dean pulled at Richie, peering through the corner of his eyes to see the rifles raise.
“Aim . . . Fi . . .”
BOOM!
The clash of metal was heard as the rear doors burst open and through them came Hal and John with guns raised.
“Fire!”
Hal dove into Richie, knocking him down and, at the same time, John extended out his gun, raced in the gym, and leaped sideways in front of Dean as he fired out. Shots entailed from the SUTs and Sgt., Landers blasting into John as if he were target practice at the exact same instant he blocked Dean.
He hit one SUT but John went flying backwards with a rain of blood, knocking Dean to the floor with him.
Ignoring the bullet that grazed his left arm, Hal rolled himself up to a one-legged kneel and, still holding his gun, he fired. It took six shots but he downed the SUTs and Sgt. Landers.
From their stare at Leonard bloody body on the floor, Joe and Jess both lifted their heads to the sound of distant rapid gunfire.
Joe immediately bolted to the door. “Let’s go.”
Jess raced out after him.
In the quiet blood bath of a gymnasium, Dean counted six shots John had taken. On the deck floor, Dean knelt by John’s trembling body. He held his hand over the stomach wound that seemed to bleed the most.. John’s blood seeped over Dean’s fingers. “Hold on.”
John’s eyes were barely opened but they made contact with Dean’s. “Fr . . . Frank.”
Out of breath, Dean raised his eyes to Hal. “They . . .”
Before he could finish his sentence, Joe and Jess came racing through the back door.
“Dear God.” Joe slowed down his run, seeing what had happened, seeing John Matoose lying on the floor. “We can’t find Frank.” Joe couldn’t take his eyes off John.
Dean looked up to Joe. “They took him.”
“Where?” Joe asked.
“To the train station.”
Hal put his gun away. “Where’s that?”
Dean shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I do,” Richie said. “I can show you.”
Hal smiled. “Good, Richie.”
Dean still held his hand on John. “You know him?”
“Of course.” Hal gave a quirky smile. “Dad, look it’s Richie.”
“Hey, Mr. Slagel.”
“Goddamn.” Joe twitched his head. “We’ll have the happy reunion later. Right now we need to get Frank. Take us, Richie.”
Dean turned his head to Richie. “There’s a Jeep right outside the lab building ready to go.”
Richie stood up. “Let’s go then.”
Hal, Jess, Joe and Richie began moving to the door.
Joe stopped. “Dean. Let’s go.”
“I’m not leaving him. I have to get him to the clinic.”
“You can’t help him, Dean,” Joe said. “Look at him.”
“I have to try,” Dean said with passion. “I have to try.”
“Dean, for crying out loud. Time is not a luxury here.”
“Yeah it is, Joe. Time is a luxury John afforded me. Every single bullet he took should have been mine and I’ll be damned if I will walk away from him when his heart is still beating, when he is still breathing. I won’t walk away until I give him the chance he gave me.”
Joe let out a slow breath. “Richie, take Hal. Dean, can you stabilize him in forty minutes.”
Dean gave an ‘you got to be kidding look’ to Joe. “I . . . I can try.”
“Try, hell. Do it. Jess and I will take you and him to this clinic. Stabilize him, get what you need so he can survive the trip back home.” Joe turned to Hal. “We’ll meet you at the side gate area and use that Jeep to get to Gillian.”
“Gotcha.” Hal backed up with Richie. “If you aren’t there, we’ll assume you’re in here. See ya in a bit.” Hal ran to the door.
“Hal,” Joe called out. “Be careful.”
Hal nodded.
“And bring your brother back!” The deck doors slammed and Joe knelt down to the floor. “Let’s go, Jess. Let’s help move him.”
^^^^
Beginnings, Montana
It had to be the scariest sound Henry heard as he neared the last warehouse that set with its rear entrance flush against a small wooded area. Grunting. Animal grunting. Henry broke a sweat, holding out his gun. He knew that sound well. He leaned against the wall, inching his way slowly to the vocal sound he knew belonged to Marcus.
He raised his weapon, fearing so much what he would see when he turned to the back of the building. He feared he would see Joey’s body in a sick resemblance to Hank and Marv. The corner of the building grew closer and so did the grunts and then . . . another voice. Joey’s.
“They’ll think you’re me. It will work.” Joey’s too deep voice spoke.
Every ounce of tension left Henry’s body and he lowered his gun. He peeked around the bend and saw Marcus and Joey hiding. Joey wore clothes way too big for him. Clothes--that by the giveaway horizontal stripes--belonged to Marcus. And Marcus wore ripped clothing that belonged to Joey. Clothing Joey must have squeezed on him and it ripped in doing so. That explained the shredded clothes and the blood on Joey’s nostril explained the blood on the shirt. Joey’s famous nosebleeds. Henry smiled as he listened to Joey explain how they could get away with him living with Melissa and Marcus living with Ellen. How they really looked alike.
Henry moved back and grabbed his radio. “Robbie, stop the search. I found them. They’re fine.”
“Got it, Henry, but me and the men are gonna search the area while we’re here.”
“Why?” Henry asked.
“Tracking was picking something up past the field. It’s time to end this thing. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah. O.K., let me grab these two boys. I’ll bring them to Tracking with me and see what’s going on.”
“Henry . . . Henry. Watch Joey with your life. O.K.?”
“With my life.” Henry hooked his radio to his belt and, before he showed himself, he called out. “No one is in trouble, Don’t run away from me.”
“Shh.” Joey inched to Marcus. “Watch. It’s Uncle Henry.” He saw Henry come from around the building.
“We have to go to Tracking. Can you guys come with me? Wanna see the beeps? Joey?”
Joey deepened his voice more and graveled it. “I’m Marcus. And this is Joey.” He nudged Marcus.
Marcus squealed.
“O.K. Marcus.” Henry nodded his head to Joey. “Let’s go.”
Even at his height of six foot two, the high grass in the field came up past Robbie’s chest, hindering his movement. “Anyone? Anything? Cole?”
“Nope.”
“Dan.”
“Nothing.”
“Jeff?”
“Nada”
“Bert?”
“Ernie.”
Robbie snickered. “Asshole. Tracking come in. Mark, you seeing anything?”
“Whatever it is, is still at the end of that field. It’s at a standstill, Robbie. Well, it looks like they are at a standstill. Hold on. Henry just walked in,” Mark said.
Henry shut the door, walked to the monitor and leaned over Mark’s shoulder. “Nothing?”
Mark’s finger touched the screen. “See they’re staying . . .”
“Shit.” Henry grabbed the radio. “Robbie, come in.”
“Yeah?” Robbie answered.
“Whatever it is, is moving your way.”
/> Robbie heard the fast ruffling. “I hear it.” He whispered into the headset. “Gentleman, get ready.”
“Robbie,” Henry spoke rapidly. “They’re moving fast. I think you should pull back.”
“I think we should end this right . . .” A scream. Bert’s scream was heard and Robbie spun to see the movement in the grass followed by a geyser of blood. “Fuck!”
“Robbie, what’s happening?”
There was another scream, another movement of grass, and more blood.
“Pull out!” Robbie ordered “Pull out now!”
“Robbie,” Henry called out. “What’s happening?”
“Something’s up here, Henry.” Robbie waited for his men and then he saw Jack in the middle of his run disappear into the high grass, scream, and then nothing. “Henry, we lost another one.”
Henry hand slid down his face as he heard the screams and gunfire. “Robbie, get out of there! Get out now.”
Robbie couldn’t see what it was that was doing it. His aim went in circles as he shifted around watching Cole, Dan, and Jeff run his way. “Move it! Move it.!” He waved his free arm.
“Robbie, get out of there.”
“I’m seeing something!” Robbie raised his weapon as he watched the grass move at an incredibly high speed in a seemingly chase after Jeff. “Jeff run!”
Jeff moved his legs as fast as he could but he made one error. He thought he could get what it was. In a backwards run, he raised his weapon.
And then Robbie saw what it was. They leaped up from the grass and dove at Jeff. Jeff went down.
“Oh my God.” Robbie raced to Jeff as did Cole and Dan.
“Robbie, get out of there.”
“I see them, Henry.” Robbie raised his weapon. “I see . . .”
Jeff sprang up from the grass, screaming. His rifle swung out and he spun around as he desperately fought to free the sharp tooth jaws that were attached to his face. His hands gripped its body pulling at it.
Robbie had a clear shot. So did Cole and Dan, a clear shot of the one that had Jeff and the ones that now dined on the bodies of Bert and the other two. But Robbie couldn’t bring himself to shoot. None of them could. “Henry . . . Henry . . . they’re babies.”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 441