When The Chips Are Down

by Aiden Vaughan

  “I will give my best impression of a nap,” Cody replied in a positive voice. “Thanks again for doing this, um, what was your name again?”

  “My name is Jason, Cody.”

  “I’ll look forward to your return visit then, Jason. Peace!”

  Jason could sense and see a change in demeanor already for Cody. Even though he was still tied down to the stakes, a glow of confidence was starting to show itself. Jason felt very happy that he had made the effort to find Cody. Now he quickly hurried to the door, turned out the lights, went through the door and up the ramp. When he got to the top of the ramp, he opened the door. Daniel was there waiting for him. Jason turned off the light at the top of the ramp then spoke to Daniel.

  “I take it that you have yet to hear anything.” Jason said.

  “Nothing, so far,” Daniel replied. “Did you find Cody?”

  “Oh yes. They have him staked out on the floor of this cave-like room,” Jason reported. “It has its own eerie glow inside. Cody is in real sad shape. His body was covered with cuts and bruises from numerous beatings! At least he wasn’t gagged. I gave him some water and some hope for the future!”

  “I still can’t believe what we are seeing here!” Daniel said in an emotional voice. “Why are these people so mean and cruel? What could Cody and Tim have done that was so horrible to deserve this kind of treatment?”

  “Resist their authority, I guess,” Jason replied. “I have to wonder about the motives of the camp leadership to have unleashed such sadistic people on teenagers.”

  “I sure hope that the authorities shut this place down for good!” Daniel said with determination. “I think we got here just in the nick of time before somebody got killed!”

  “Right on to that thought, Daniel. Now let’s get back into our hiding place. I have a lot more text messages to send to Jaime.”

  Jason and Daniel went back into the storage room and closed the door. While they waited for word from Martin, Jason described Cody’s story and condition as best he could to Jaime. He found that the reception in the storage room was a little better than the building itself.

  About fifteen minutes later, the signals came on the beeper that someone was on their way to the compound. After a couple more minutes, the boys heard the front door being unlocked and then opened. A light was turned on and they could hear footsteps as the guard was walking around. The steps stopped momentarily and then resumed. They heard another door open and shut. It sounded like the guard had gone down to check on Cody. Jason opened the storeroom door a crack and peeked out. No one was visible, and they could see light coming through the crack of the cellar door. Daniel signaled to Martin that he could now come in and hide in wait for the guard. Soon the back door opened again and Martin came in.

  Shortly they heard footsteps and the cellar door opened. The guard came out and went to the staff room. As soon as he shut the door, Martin quickly went into the room and listened by the staff room door. Inside the guard was making his report. “Everything is normal here. See you in the morning.” After he heard that, Martin silently walked over to where Tim was handcuffed in his cell. With a pocketknife, he cut off the strap of Tim’s gag, pulled the plastic ball out of his mouth, and told him that when he gave him the signal, he was to yell as loud as he could that he was sick and to come help him until the guard came out of the staff room. Martin then went back by the staff room door. He gave Tim the signal.

  Tim began to yell, “Guard, I am feeling sick and about to puke! Come help me!” over and over again. The guard opened the staff room door and began to walk toward Tim. He was shouting at Tim to shut up and had the cell keys in his hand. Once the guard was out of the door he never had a chance. Martin expertly knocked him out with several quick body blows. The guard crumpled to the floor, unconscious, and the keys fell on the floor.

  Martin picked up the cell keys, then took out a roll of duct tape from his back pack. He quickly bound the guard hand and foot then gagged him with long strips of tape. He then dragged him into one of the vacant cells. “It’s time you had a taste of your own medicine!” Martin said with grim satisfaction as he locked the door shut. He went over to the cell holding Tim, and unlocked that door. As he was doing that, Daniel and Jason were coming out of the storage room where they had been hiding.

  “Good work, Martin!” Daniel said. “Now we can free Timothy!”

  “Daniel, I want you to unlock his handcuffs, get him up and out of there, Martin told him. “Then search around the compound for his clothing. I’m hoping that it is still here somewhere. It would definitely be better for Tim if he has a shirt, shoes and socks to wear when we leave here.”

  Martin was about to start going after Cody with Jason when the beeper from Dominic sounded. “Uh, oh! It sounds like someone else is coming. Hang tight here while I go assist Dominic.” Martin then went hurried back to the storage room and out the back door. He circled around to the front as quietly and quickly as he could. When he got to the front of the compound, it was all over. A second guard was lying unconscious on the ground where Dominic had taken him out.

  “I guess you didn’t need my help after all, Dominic. Good work!”

  “You don’t get all the fun, Martin. It gave me great pleasure to give this jerk some love taps! Now help me put him on the stretcher so we can bring him inside.”

  “Good idea, Dominic. I have a nice little room waiting for him in their hotel. It has plenty of bars in it for him.” Dominic brought out the stretcher from where it was hidden in the trees and set it beside the guard. They lifted him onto the stretcher then brought it to the door. Martin knocked on the door, and soon Jason opened it.

  “We have another guest to check in!” Martin said with a laugh. “Let’s put him in a cell and then I will gift wrap him!” They brought him inside and placed him in the other vacant cell. Martin then securely bound and gagged him with the duct tape.

  “Now follow me down this ramp so we can get Cody released,” Jason said. “He’s in pretty sad shape. You will definitely need the stretcher.”

  Martin and Dominic followed Jason down into the cave area. When they opened the door and went inside, Dominic whistled and said, “These people sure know their special effects! What is this glow from, phosphorus?”

  Then Martin and Dominic saw Cody. They were both visibly shocked. “How could someone do this to a kid?” Martin said. “That guard was lucky I hadn’t seen this before I knocked him out! Let’s just say I would have been less gentle with him!”

  “This looks like a scene out of a POW camp!” Dominic exclaimed. “Don’t worry about a thing, Cody. Your captivity is over!”

  They cut the ropes binding Cody’s hands and feet to the stakes, and gently helped him to sit up. “Do you have any pain or broken bones that you know of?” Dominic asked Cody.

  “I don’t think I have any broken bones, but I feel sore all over, and a little dizzy right now.”

  “Are you hungry or thirsty?” Jason asked. “I have some more water and an energy bar if you would like that.”

  “That sounds great, Jason. Yes I would like that.” Cody drank some more water and then hungrily ate the power bar. Meanwhile, Martin had been getting out some first aid.

  “Do you have any open or recent sores that you know about, Cody?” Martin asked.

  “They have been giving me beatings and whippings just about every day,” Cody told him. “There are some painful welts on my back, probably aggravated by lying in the stake out. Also my ribs are very sore.”

  “I have some antiseptic spray,” Martin explained. “I would like to wash your back, then treat your wounds. I hope I can find a shirt for you to wear that will protect your wounds a little while we are carrying you out on a stretcher.”

  “Let’s bring Cody upstairs first,” Dominic said. “I doubt that there is running water down here. Now that the guards are taken down, let’s get out of here as fast as we can. I would feel a lot better waiting at the staging area than here!”

&
nbsp; “Jason, hold the doors for us while we bring Cody upstairs, and then see if you can find any clothing, blankets, towels or washcloths that we can use,” Martin replied. The two men laid the stretcher beside Cody and carefully lifted him on to it. “Just relax and lie back, now, Cody,” Dominic said encouragingly. “We’ll take care of the rest!”

  Once Cody was settled in and lifted up, Martin and Dominic were surprisingly fast in hauling him out of the caves and upstairs. After he held open the bottom door, Jason hurried up the ramp to open the top door. Soon Cody was upstairs and reunited with Timothy, who was seated in a chair.

  “Cody! I am so glad to see your face again!” Timothy cried out. “I was afraid that they were torturing you to death down there!”

  “They tried, they tried hard!” Cody responded in a weak voice. “But somehow I was able to resist them. Thank God for these guys. I don’t think I could have lasted much longer!”

  Martin and Dominic decided to set the stretcher down on a table near where Tim was seated. It would be easier to treat his wounds if he wasn’t on the floor. Gently they helped Cody to sit up.

  Meanwhile, Daniel had been searching through the staff area looking for clothing. “Look!” he yelled out. “I found your clothes, I think.” He hurried over and had a couple of pairs of white sneakers, socks, and some tee shirts. “Here, Tim, try these on.” Tim looked over the clothing and said, “I think these are mine,” as he picked out some of the clothing and began getting dressed.

  Jason then came back with a wet washcloth and some towels. Martin carefully began washing the dirt off of Cody’s back. Then he patted it dry as best he could with the towels. Next he sprayed Cody’s back with the antiseptic. He did the same for his chest, arms, and ankles where there were rope burns. To finish, he had Cody hold out his arms and they helped him put on a very large camp tee shirt.

  It was about 4:30 in the morning. Everyone had made use of the bathrooms and had some water to drink. Cody and Tim were ready to travel. The two guards were subdued and locked in their cells. It was time to make their escape from Camp Chinquapin.

  Chapter 21

  Escape from Camp Chinquapin

  (Friday Dawn)

  Jason went outside where he could get the best cell phone reception. He called the number that Stan Henderson had given him and ordered the full med-evac helicopter with medical team to pick them up. The rendezvous point was the bridge on Highway 42 where they had originally launched the raft late yesterday. Jason left as much information as he could about the condition of Cody and Timothy, so that the medical team would have a better idea of what equipment to bring and which hospital would be the best one to take them to.

  Martin took a minute to explain the escape procedure to everyone. “What we are undertaking now is the most critical part of our escape, and it is where we are the most vulnerable, should anyone discover us. So far, I believe we are in the clear, with those two guards immobilized back in the compound. Nevertheless, we must proceed very cautiously and quietly, and take the necessary time so that we don’t cause further injury to Cody and Tim. I have left a tracking device at the point where we entered the camp. Home in on that so that you don’t get lost if we somehow are separated.

  “Jason, Daniel, and Tim, you may need to go shoulder to shoulder for much of the way. Tim, I know you want to walk on your own, but this is very difficult terrain and it is very dark out there. Rely on Jason and Daniel, and don’t hesitate to ask for their help. If you can no longer walk for some reason, they can each grab one of your legs and lift you that way. There shouldn’t be any more than one or two places where that would be needed, but it is an option.

  “Dominic and I will be carrying Cody on the stretcher. That will take us some time, and we are going to use the trail for as long as we can before we cut through the forest. Our goal is to get beyond the second fence. Once we are outside, we can regroup, gather all of our things, get Cody and Tim onto the raft, and then leave for our rendezvous point with the med-evac team. Does anyone have any questions?”

  “I think I can walk some of the way,” Cody said, “if that will speed things up.”

  “Well that’s good to know that you are feeling better,” Martin told him, “but I don’t want to risk more injury for you if we don’t have to. I think that you might have a few cracked or broken ribs from the beatings you took. So we are going to stick with the stretcher evacuation for now, Cody. I’m sure under normal circumstances you would have the strength and endurance to outlast us all, but for now let’s play it safe!”

  Jason and Daniel put on their goggles, put on their mini packs, and led Timothy out the back door. Dominic had given Daniel his tracking device monitor, which was now set on the return tracking device. Slowly they made their way down the trail, which quickly narrowed, forcing them to walk single file. So far Timothy was holding up very well and was able to keep up with Jason and Daniel. “Tim, you are doing great so far,” Daniel whispered. “Let us know if you start to feel tired or dizzy!”

  “Guys, I really have an incentive to get out of this place,” Tim said with some fervor in his voice. “I think a big burst of adrenaline has kicked in. I’ll try not to be a burden!”

  “Don’t ever think that you are a burden!” Daniel replied. “What those bastards did to you still makes my blood boil! Don’t feel bad if you do start to tire out. We have some pretty rough terrain ahead.”

  After about twenty minutes on the trail, Daniel’s device indicated that they should leave the trail and head toward where they had breached the security fences. The three boys headed into the thick forest. They walked mostly side by side now because Timothy began to require some help getting through some of the thick brush. He would put one of his arms around either Jason’s or Daniel’s shoulder when he needed help. Occasionally, they would even need to lift him up piggy-back style, in places where there was a lot of undergrowth.

  Martin and Dominic in the meantime had been carrying Cody down the trail. It was slow going once the trail narrowed. But at least it was a trail, and they could get through. Martin thought that they should stick to the trail as long as they could, even past the place where their tracking device monitor indicated they should turn toward the creek. He was pretty sure that the trail would eventually take them to the fences and then they could back track along the edge of the barbed wire fence, which would have been cleared out a few feet from the forest.

  Luck was with Martin this time. After about ten minutes or so past the suggested turn-off point, the trail began to veer toward the direction of the creek. Because they were still on a trail, they made up a lot of the time that they had lost by not going the most direct way. As they continued on the trail, they began to hear the sound of the creek. Although the trail never approached the fences, they had gotten to a place where the barbed wire fence was only ten yards away. Martin called a halt, and they set the stretcher with Cody on the ground.

  Martin took out his flashlight and searched through the trees and underbrush to see the best way to the fence. Several yards ahead on the path, there seemed to be an area that had minimal underbrush. That seemed like the best place to cut through.

  “I’ve found a good place to cut through to the fence, Dominic. Follow me.”

  Martin and Dominic picked up the stretcher again and threaded their way through the trees and underbrush. In a few minutes they reached the barbed wire fence. There was just about three feet of clearing in front of the fence. It was minimal room to maneuver in, but it was doable if they were careful, and didn’t allow the stretcher to get snagged on the fence in any way.

  “Good job, Martin!” Dominic said with a smile. “I think we are about a mile from the entry point. The end is in sight!”

  Jason, Daniel, and Timothy were painstakingly making their way through the brush. It continued to be difficult going. Daniel kept his eye on the monitoring device as a way of encouraging the others. After twenty-five minutes of plowing through very thick brush, Daniel suddenly smiled a
nd said, “Guys, we are less than a quarter of a mile now. Listen! You can hear the stream.”

  The sound of the rippling water was indeed music to their ears, and they re-doubled their efforts to get to the fence. In less than ten more minutes, they arrived at the point where they had cut the barbed wire.

  “We’re here! Just a few more minutes and we will be out of the camp!” Jason exclaimed. The boys exchanged knuckles all around. “Tim, you have been great! This would be difficult for someone in training!”

  “Let’s just say I have a lot of incentive today!” Timothy replied.

  “Well we are not quite done yet. We have to get through this opening and through the outside fence,” Daniel said.

  “What are we waiting for?” Jason said. “Here, I’ll open the chain link, hold open the fence, and you guys crawl through.” Jason put on a pair of gloves, removed the temporary link and pulled the fence open. Quickly Daniel crawled through, and then he helped Timothy do the same. Jason then moved his hand around to the other side of the fence and backed in. Once through the barbed wire fence, they walked over to the opening in the outside fence and crawled through it.

  “I wonder how the others are doing.” Daniel said. “I sure would like to get out of here!” He sent the prearranged signal to the others that they were at the break in point.

  Jason then got out his cell phone and tried calling Martin. The call went through and Martin told them where they were, and that he figured another fifteen or twenty minutes to cover the last mile. “But we are by the first fence, so there is a little bit of a clearing. Now you do what you are supposed to do, so that everything is ready when we arrive.”

  Jason closed his cell phone and said, “Come on then, Daniel. We have to get our equipment and Timothy on board the raft. Let’s put our waders on and get started!”

  It was now 5:30 in the morning. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to appear. Jason and Daniel pulled off their chucks and put on their waders. First they helped Timothy get on the raft. “Sorry you had to get your camp uniform wet, Tim,” Jason said. “I know you wanted to look your best in it!”