I seemed to recall that Jim had a distinct dislike for people who “dressed up like GI Joe” and went off “lookin’ for a war,” but I thought he just might understand this time.
I tried the door at the back of Outland Sales, but the relaxed security that Ken had shown me in the suburbs didn’t seem to extend to the business sector of town. I did manage to find an unbolted window though, and slipped inside. The building was empty, and dust rose in my footsteps as I searched for a window with the view I wanted. I found it and looked out onto the same party zone I had just left, only now I was about a block up the street.
I debated for a minute over whether to go for the lights or the tank crew first, then realized I would have a better chance of surviving this fiasco if I could take out the crew. They would be the ones most likely to know how to fire that cannon. After sliding the window open, I took careful aim at the thug sitting closest to the hatch. He was just beginning to lean back when my bullet found him. Before the others had a chance to react, I shot the second closest to the hatch. It became a scramble as the rest of them realized what was happening. I began firing at anyone who seemed to be heading to any of the hatches and got three more before any got in. Even then, one of them had to drag a bloody leg in after him. Once a couple of them made it in, I dropped a smoke bomb, fired a few shots in the general direction of the spotlight on the front of the tank, and ran like hell without bothering to see if I had hit anything.
I made it a block before they gathered themselves enough to attack the building. Bullets ripped through the sheet metal walls by the hundreds. I stopped behind the next building I came to.
Looking up, I found a fire escape leading to a third story roof, and I climbed up to watch the fun. I could see the group of them getting braver and braver as they continued firing and drew no response from the building. Nothing could have lived through the rain of bullets they poured into that warehouse.
Finally, the tank started up. It had evidently taken the poor slobs who had gotten into it this long to figure out how to start it. Slowly, it began to trundle down the street toward Outland Sales. I wondered if they would figure out how to fire the cannon. Then, as the tank left the scattered bodies on the street behind it, I saw one of them rise to its feet and run toward the chain link fence.
Sarah evidently still had her goggles on, because I saw her whirl and fire at one of the perimeter guards, dropping him before he ever raised his rifle. The single shot was lost in the ongoing volley that Larry’s men were still firing into the old warehouse.
She took the eight-foot fence in seconds and quickly disappeared into the crowd of prisoners.
“Good luck, girl,” I wished her fervently. “You’re sure gonna need it.”
“She did what?” Ken’s initial reaction was every bit as volatile as I had expected.
“Watch the road!” I yelled, as he turned to shout at me and swerved toward the shoulder. Mark’s group had managed to steal three more Humvees, and Ken’s group had gotten one of the covered personnel trucks from Main Street. That gave us four jeeps and a truck to use for hauling supplies. My group rode with Ken in the lead, me in front, and the others in back.
“She snuck into the stadium,” I told him. “There wasn’t anything I could do to stop her, Ken. By the time I found her, she was already committed. There was no way she could have made it back.”
“She made it in, didn’t she? How’d she manage that?”
This was the part I dreaded. “Um, I helped her.”
He laughed, though there wasn’t a shred of humor in him at the moment. “You helped her,” he repeated, as if savoring the taste of these strange words. He shook his head in amazement. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
There was nothing I could say to that, so we traveled along the road in uneasy silence. I glanced into the back to see the rest of my group sitting reticent, heads hung low, looking for all the world like children trying to avoid an angry parent’s attention.
After a few minutes, Ken seemed to calm down. “Tell me exactly what happened.” So I did, starting with when we had noticed Sarah was missing and ending with my return to the group.
“Do you have any idea what she had in mind? What we can expect her to do?”
I had thought about that ever since she had turned up missing. “She knows where the supplies are. She knows where our people are. And it just so happens they’re all in about the same place. I think it’s obvious.”
He sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. How long before she’ll try it?”
I shrugged. “No way to know for sure. I doubt she’ll do anything with that tank out front, and the guards are going to be a lot more cautious after tonight’s shootout. If the tank stays during the day, she’ll definitely wait ’til night. If it’s still there come nightfall, she may wait another day. But the longer she waits, the greater the chance that she’ll get caught.” I thought about what I knew about Sarah. “Sarah isn’t one for subtlety. She’ll move as soon as she can. I’d bet on tomorrow night, or maybe the next.”
Ken nodded. “You’re sure no one saw her get in?”
“Pretty sure. There was one, but she got him before she went over the fence. Everyone else I saw was busy shooting at where they thought I was hiding.”
He was quiet again, thinking. “We’ll have to come back to help her bust them out.”
I sighed with relief.
In half an hour, we reached the bridge to the fertilizer plant, and Ken pulled to the side of the road and turned to the back.
“Billy, we need to send someone in on foot to let our people know that the vehicles coming in are friendly. Wouldn’t do to get shot by our own people. You mind?”
Dumbfounded, Billy just stared at Ken for several seconds. I realized this was probably the most that Ken had spoken to him since the day he had been brought to our door. It was perhaps a little gruff, but I think it was Ken’s way of apologizing. He was telling Billy that after what had happened tonight, he considered Billy an asset rather than a liability.
Billy nodded, leapt out of the back, and ran down the road.
“Hey, kid!” Ken yelled. Billy stopped and spun so abruptly that he nearly slipped on the pavement.
“Don’t get yourself shot. We’re going to need you tomorrow.”
Billy cracked a shy smile and sprinted across the bridge.
I turned to Ken. “That was damn near human of you, Ken.”
“Shut up, Lee.”
I shut up, smiling nonetheless.
When we finally pulled the vehicles into the parking lot of the Vogler Fertilizer Factory, a crowd had gathered to greet us. Word had spread as soon as Billy made it to the gate. Cindy and Debra were in the forefront, but we barely had time for a quick hug and a few reassurances before Jim herded us into his office. He had converted the office area of the plant into his personal staging area. Maps and charts from an age long gone decorated the walls. Electric lamps and fans lay piled in the corner, seen by the light of a couple of camping lanterns.
As soon as the door closed behind us, Ken and I collapsed into chairs in front of the desk. He was evidently every bit as exhausted as I was.
Jim took the seat opposite us, and I noticed that his left eye was a bit swollen from the punch I had given him in City Hall. “So what happened? I heard there was trouble.”
Ken nodded and began explaining in general what all had happened. At times, Jim or Ken would ask me to fill in some detail, but I tried to keep my mouth shut and let Ken do most of the talking. When he reached the point at which Sarah hopped the fence, I expected Jim to explode, but the mayor just sat there twiddling a pencil with his feet propped on the desk. It reminded me of the time he had questioned me after the Kindley affair. At least this time we were on the same side. The question and answer session went on for nearly an hour, with Jim asking dozens of questions to be sure he had the entire picture. Finally, he seemed satisfied.
“We figure she’ll make her move tomorrow night or th
e next,” Ken finished.
Jim sighed. “Well, I guess it’s really gonna hit the fan now, ain’t it?”
Ken and I were silent. No response seemed necessary.
Jim suddenly became animated. He dropped his feet off of the desk, stood up, and began pacing. “So what do we need to do to get our people out of there with as little risk as possible?”
“Let us send in some more volunteers tomorrow,” I jumped in. “Small groups like we did tonight. We can send them in a few at a time and have them set up to help her when she makes her move.”
“Ken?” Jim was the mayor, but he deferred to Ken just like the rest of us when it came to battlefield strategy.
Ken didn’t look happy with the situation, but had finally accepted the responsibility. “That’s about the only thing I can think of, too. But you have to understand something here.” He paused. “We’re going to lose some people, Jim. There’s no way around it.”
“How many?”
Ken shrugged wearily. “How many are going to panic under fire? How many are going to shoot when they should duck for cover, or duck for cover when they should shoot? We’re not talking about seasoned troops here. We’re talking about a bunch of auto mechanics and schoolteachers armed with deer rifles.
“They’re going up against guys with military grade hardware who have made killing into a way of life. On top of that, they have a tank sitting where our people will have to go right past it, and at least five others somewhere in town. Our only advantage is Sarah’s inside and knows where the supplies are, so we’ll have people shooting from inside and outside of the stadium. That will hopefully catch Larry’s boys with their pants down.” His tone left no doubt that he expected the worst.
I couldn’t help feeling that Ken was being overly pessimistic, though. Maybe it was because I had finally begun to feel like I fit in over the last year. Rejas was home, its people my friends and neighbors. They were people I had taught, worked with, and had now fought beside. We had been through a lot together, and I felt obligated to defend them against Ken’s pessimism. “Wait a sec. Let’s not forget that this last year has been pretty rough on everyone. Plenty of these folks have had to face armed outlaws on their own, and hundreds have trained with you, me, and Eric. They may not be soldiers, but they’re not your average businessman or housewife anymore, either.”
“Okay,” he conceded. “Maybe they aren’t. But they’re hardly up to military training levels.”
“Neither are Larry’s men!”
That stopped him-for all of two seconds. “What about ammunition?”
Caught off guard, I responded in stellar fashion. “Huh?”
“Ammunition… bullets. Have you forgotten? We were running low before Larry ever got here! We’ve probably used more ammunition in the last twenty-four hours than we have in the last six months.” Actually, I had forgotten, which was pretty stupid of me, since my favorite tasks at the forge were coming into prominence because of that shortage.
Ken must have seen it in my face. “Don’t worry about it just now. It’s not like we’re going to run out tomorrow. But if we end up in a prolonged fight with these guys, say a couple of weeks or so, then we may have a problem.”
He turned his attention back to the mayor, who had kept quiet during the exchange. “Look, Jim, all I can tell you is that as long as we prepare in advance, we’ll get more people out than we’ll lose. Don’t ask me for any predictions beyond that.”
Jim sighed. “Shit.”
We were all silent for a moment, each of us trying to think of something to tip the scales in our favor.
Abruptly Jim snapped his fingers. “There is a little good news, anyway. Wayne Kelley told me to tell ya’ll that he found enough ingredients in the rail depot out back to make plenty of explosives. He’s settin’ things up now.”
“Good,” Ken said. “Maybe he’ll come up with something that will make a difference.”
The mayor nodded. “Let’s hope so. Meanwhile, you boys go get some rest. If you’re plannin’ to go back into town tomorrow, you’ll need all the rest you can get.”
Ken and I rose, nearly dead on our feet. “What about you?” I asked.
“I doubt I’ll get any sleep tonight,” Jim said. “Gotta get some people organized. You go on and don’t worry about it. I’ll sleep after you’re gone.”
Too tired to argue, we left without further comment.
Ken told me he needed to walk a little to clear his head before trying to rest. I was too exhausted to do anything but nod and wish him goodnight. Then I wandered through the complex searching for my family. It was harder than I had anticipated, as we had more than two thousand people trying to find someplace to sleep in a building never intended to hold more than a few hundred. And it was definitely not designed for sleeping. Refugees were scattered all over the place, sleeping on the floor, on storage racks; I even saw one man curled up on top of the protective cage on an old forklift. There was barely room to walk.
After asking around, I finally found where Debra and the kids were bedded down and joined them as quietly as possible. I carefully lay down, trying not to wake Debra, but I should have known better.
“I heard it was pretty bad,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” An image of Jenna’s lifeless form came to mind, the way her head lolled as we loaded her corpse into the truck on the way back, the smell of blood and death, the knowledge that it was no longer a person, just a sack of meat. “It was bad.” I shuddered and quickly suppressed the image, but my wife knew me well.
She snuggled up behind me as I lay on my side and slipped an arm over my shoulder to gently stroke my chest. She pressed her head up against my back and briefly kissed the back of my neck. “Would it help to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “Not now. Maybe later, but I can’t right now.” Fearing she might feel I was shutting her out, I added, “I’m sorry, babe, but I have to figure out how to deal with it on my own. It was a mess, and there’s probably going to be worse tomorrow.”
Her hand stopped. “What do you mean?”
I sighed. I hadn’t meant to get into it, but it wouldn’t be fair to keep her wondering now that I had mentioned it. “We found where they’ve got everyone, and Sarah got inside.”
“And?” Her tone told me she knew at least part of the rest.
“And we think she’s going to try to bust them out.”
“When?”
“Best guess is either tomorrow night or the next.”
She was silent for a few seconds. “You have to go back?”
“Yeah. They’ll never make it without help.”
“And it has to be you?” She started to sound upset. “It can’t be someone else, some other group? Haven’t you done enough?”
“Not this time. I know where she went in and what the situation is like there.”
“So write it down. I heard about some of what happened tonight. I don’t like the idea of you going out there again!”
I rolled over to face her and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She sounded angry, but it was evident that the anger was simply a manifestation of her fear and concern. “I have to, Debra. I’m the only one that can this time.”
“Why! Why only you?”
“Because I know exactly where she went in, and I know where Larry’s men are positioned in the area. I’m the one that talked Wayne Kelley into risking his life to mix up any explosives I could find a recipe for, and I’m the one who knows how to use them.” That was not strictly true, as I had only read military reports and directions, but that was more than anyone else had done.
She gripped my shirt in her fist and tugged. “So what? Tell them what to do and let someone else-”
Pulling her close, I wrapped my arms around her and just held her tight, as she buried her face in my chest and sobbed herself silently to sleep. Minutes later, I followed her into an uneasy slumber.
“Leeland?”
I awoke instantly, not that I had slept w
ell. Jenna’s face had kept popping up in my dreams, her dead eyes accusing, haunting.
“Leeland?” Wayne’s voice again. I also noticed the strong smell of… chlorine?
“Jeez, Wayne! What’s that smell?” I whispered to keep from waking Debra.
“How can you smell anything over your own stench?” she murmured, obviously no longer asleep. Having slept with her head in the crook of my arm, she was intimately acquainted with my stench.
Wayne’s voice answered from the darkness. “Your recipes seem to leave some interesting by-product while they’re being mixed.”
I perked up. “You did it?”
“It’s in one of the jeeps. Ready to go.”
I rubbed my eyes and sat up, noticing how little activity there was. “What time is it?”
“It’s about five thirty in the morning,” he answered. “Jim and Ken are waiting on you in the office.”
Debra sat up beside me and sighed. “You’re going, aren’t you?”
“I have to.”
The expression on her face must have told Wayne that this was an awkward moment. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I’d better get back. I’ll see you there.” He left in an obvious hurry to distance himself from us.
I turned back to Debra and sat up to face her, working through the aches and pains shooting up my spine. “You know I have to.”
She lowered her eyes. “I don’t have to like it, though.”
“Yeah. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t exactly look forward to it, either. Truth of the matter is, the idea scares the hell out of me.”
“Good! Maybe you’ll be careful enough to get back, then.”
“I’ll be back.” I reached out and wistfully touched her cheek. “You think you can get rid of me that easily?”
I was taken aback when she slapped my hand away. “Don’t joke!” she hissed angrily. The kids slept a few feet away, oblivious. We both wanted to keep it that way. “You always joke this stuff off, and it isn’t funny, damn it! It isn’t funny!” She stood and stepped away from me, glaring through tear-filled eyes.
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