The Doomsday Papers

by JanJan Untamed

  “Get out! You stink! Whoever runs gets a bullet in the back.”

  A hand reaches out to help me down. It’s Belle and I am happy to see her. She touches my scarred cheek before sticking out her chopped off nub of a tongue. We are both disfigured. We are the same. Belle is still beautiful. From her flawless skin to her good body. She has curves.

  “This is the last watering hole for miles, drink up.”

  “You made a mistake taking her, Jason. Her husband is looking for her and he won’t stop until he finds her. Leave her here with some water and a gun where he will find her. Maybe he’ll let you live.”

  “Bullshit. Ain’t no fancy preacher coming all this way for a cut up woman. Look at her face. What he want her for when he got two others as pretty as dolls? This one’s pregnant. I’ll get extra for a baby.”

  “Leave her and save yourself.”

  He punches the woman who spoke. She staggers but stays on her feet.

  “He rode to Texas for her. He’s probably crossing into New Mexico right now.”

  “Shut up, Stephonia. Nobody’s coming after her.”

  “Jude Hamilton is coming. Don’t hurt her.”

  “Hamilton?” He knows the name. Is he nervous?

  “The late Reverend’s son and heir to the church. He came here as an escort to his wife’s family. She’s Shadrach Dare’s daughter. He will come.”

  “Hannah said no one will miss her. She said he wants to get rid of her but he can’t.”

  “She wants him for herself. She lied to you.”

  “Why did you take poor Belle? Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

  “She buried the whole church and lived. She’s guaranteed land. We’re meeting a convoy in a few days to make the trade. They’re going to fly us to our new homes and we’re home free. That’s why I brought you and these girls. I’ll need women.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “You are already going with me.”

  I walk away with the silent woman. There are only three men. Even with guns, I can get the drop on them if they give me the opportunity. I pee in the bushes and drink from the cloudy stream. Just a few sips and I bathe my face.

  “I’m getting away. If you’re coming, be ready and stay close when I make my move.”

  She nods her head in understanding. I have to get home. I want Jude and I know he is out there looking for me. He will be coming west and he will stop in every town with signs of life on his way. I am glad I laid down in my dress. I rip away the hem and wrap it around the bottom half of my face. My kidnappers made the mistake of bringing my boots. They have a better chance of catching me if I am barefoot.

  “Let’s go, bitches!”

  There are ten of us all together. Belle, me and white women of all ages and sizes. They are dirty and hungry. I wonder where they came from.

  “You, ride up front with us. We can’t have you bouncing around back there and give birth to a corpse.”

  His words hurt and anger me. My hand goes to my belly. Daddy’s coming, baby. All we have to do is hang on and be patient and wait for him to find us. He and Titus are the best trackers I know. He is a week behind us, no more. I promised him a healthy child and I intend to keep my word. I will get away. I ride squeezed between the three men on the front seat. They smell bad and smoke marijuana with the windows up.

  “Here, eat this.”

  One of them hands me an apple and a bottle of water. I think about the poor wretches in the back of the van going without. I think about my baby. I eat the apple and drink the water. It isn’t much but it keeps me going. I am cramping from dehydration. We stop somewhere in northwestern New Mexico. The van is out of gas. We coast into the parking lot of a sacked drugstore.

  “They’ll have to meet us here. Radio them and let them know where we are. We won’t make it another five miles on these fumes and this is better than the side of the road. You two, go and check it out. Make sure we’re alone. See what you can find in the store.”

  My heart flutters. They aren’t really going to leave me in here alone with this man, are they? They get out. The man lights more grass.

  “Here, it will loosen you up. I’ve never been with a nigger before or a pregnant woman. I get two for one.”

  “I don’t smoke.”

  “Suit yourself.” He raises the pipe to his lips and holds a lighter to the bowl. He flicks a flame. I politely pick up his gun and shoot him with it. He makes a mess but I don’t care. I shove him out of the van and start it up. I back out of the lot and speed off down the dark road toward Jude. Five miles is a hell of a head start if your pursuers are on foot. They guessed wrong. I get ten miles before the van dies. The radio is here on the seat so they won’t be calling anyone. I break it and tear out wires before I bury it in the sand. I open the back of the van. The stench is not the worst. Not even close.

  “Get out, run.”

  “What happened to the men?”

  “I killed one of them and drove away. Run.”

  “We want to go with you.”

  “We will never make it as group. If you are smart, you will leave the weak ones behind. I have a child and husband to think about. Belle and I are going alone.”

  I take four of the six waters and all of the food before picking up the bloody guns and walking into the dark desert. There are rocks and crevices and plenty of places to hide from people and the sun. We are not like other women. We were taught to survive, we thrive in the face of danger. I am not afraid of dying. I am afraid for my baby and I am afraid for Jude. I am afraid of never seeing him again. I’m coming Judea.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “Jason? Why didn’t you say you were looking for that Jason? He was here about a week and a half ago. He drove up in a white van and he had a few of his friends with him. They were going to meet some government people in New Mexico. There is a lab somewhere in Nevada. Top secret shit. Jason gets drunk and he starts bragging.”

  Jude lowers his gun from the man’s bloody face. He had to beat it out him.

  “Why did you lie to me?”

  “There aren’t many people left and he spends good money in here.”

  “He stole my wife. While you were serving him eggs, she was in the back of his van. That makes you a part of it.”

  “Look, I don’t know nothing about any of that. He’s dead anyway. A woman shot him. A woman with a scar on her face.”

  “Where is she?” Judea goes still.

  “That’s the million-dollar question everyone wants to know. Rumor has it, the government picked her up. Someone else said she is out there looking for her husband. All I know is she shot Jason with his own gun and left his men stranded in a ghost town.”

  “She’s my wife and I want her back. If she shows up here, you offer her your hospitality and keep her safe. I will pay you in gold, gas, whatever you want.”

  “You knocked out my teeth.”

  “I can knock out the rest. You would still have them if you’d told me what I wanted to know. You made it hard on yourself. Between us, I’m still considering shooting you. You aren’t off the hook yet.”

  “There is a woman here in town. She says she was in the van and the scarred woman pointed them in this direction before she went her own way.”

  “Where is this woman?”

  “Minnie has her at the whorehouse. Tell her Crawford sent you. It will get you inside, I swear. Tell her you’re the scarred woman’s husband.”

  The whorehouse is easy to find. He leaves his wives outside with the men. They turned out to be useful and independent. They take care of him and themselves. They don’t look him in the eye around the men or speak to them at all. They cover their hair and call him Mr. Hamilton. Jennifer calls him husband. She is very beautiful and Jude would have to be blind not to notice. They are both beautiful and there if he wants them. He doesn’t want them. The woman at Minnie describes her down to the color scarf she was wearing on her hair. His heart was in is throat as he listened to her st
ory. They were all stolen and she saved them.

  “What happened to my wife?”

  “The helicopters came and we hid. Troops came down on ropes. They ran right past us and they took them. I don’t know where they went.”

  “Do you know which direction they went?”

  “My mother is Navajo, Reverend. They flew west.”

  “Thank you. Good luck to you.”

  “I hope you find her.”

  “I will find her.”

  Jude felt like he lost her all over again. He was so close. Where in Nevada was this laboratory? He would find it or die trying.

  The troops surround me with guns aimed. I raise my hands. Belle raises hers after. They aren’t rough or violent. The one in front waves his gun toward the grounded helicopters. I walk towards it when I really want to bolt. If I wasn’t carrying an extra twenty-five pounds and a life inside of me, I would take my chances. The moment I get into this helicopter, my husband’s chances of finding me are zero. I’m nudged toward the one on the right. I’ve never flown before and I am terrified. Belle and I hold hands when we lift off the ground. Judea. Oh, Judea. You will never find me now.

  “No one is going to hurt you. We only want to take some samples and ask you some questions.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “We want to take samples from your baby also.”

  “I can’t let you harm my baby.”

  “You look to be in your second or third trimester, we can wait.”

  “I have a husband. This is our first child. I want to be with him when my time comes.”

  “Consider this a service to your country.”

  “My church does not recognize your government. We are self-governed and you have no right to take us against our will. I belong to my husband.”

  “You might hold the secret to a cure. You can save millions.”

  “I am only interested in saving two. I won’t stay. I will leave.”

  “We’ll see.”

  He removes his helmet. His yellow hair is as shocking as it was the first time I saw it. The blue eyes are just as icy. He is a traitor.

  “I’m a doctor. I’m one of the good guys. People are dying and I am going to create a vaccine with help from people like you.”

  “I want my husband. Why would you do this?”

  “Because, it is for the greater good. I won’t let anyone hurt you, Duma.”

  “Mrs. Hamilton.” I correct him hotly.

  “You aren’t a wife. You’re a maid.”

  I don’t argue with him. The town boys used to say worse. I can’t expect them to understand. I shake my head. What type of people steal pregnant women? I want to go home so badly that I’m physically sick. I blink back tears thinking about Jude. I want to go home to him.

  “It’s been months. Maybe she’s back in Texas. Maybe she went home to New York. The trail is cold, Reverend.”

  “You men can take the women and go home to your families. I’ll continue the search alone. She’s out here somewhere. I know it. My baby is with her. They aren’t dead. You don’t know her like I do. Duma isn’t dead and I’m not going back without her.”

  “Our place is with you searching for the Goodwife, Husband. She’s a Hamilton. She is one of ours.”

  Jude didn’t want to like his new wives. He keeps his distance and ignores them for the most part and they are still hell bent on pleasing him. They are exemplary wives and easy on the eye. The empty days and lonely nights are beating down on him. He needs comfort that is not to be found in the bottom of a bottle and he tried there first. Last night, when they came and laid on either side of him the way they did every evening, he didn’t stare at the sky and think of his wife. He blocked out the pain and he took Jennifer first because she is who he wanted most. Her beautiful body shimmered like a pearl as she writhed underneath him. All he could think about was releasing the pent-up lust and emotions he’d been carrying around. She is so beautiful and tight that he came in seconds the first time. There was no time to pull out of her and truth be told, he didn’t want to. So, he held himself deep inside her and came for a very long time. She felt so good that he was hard again after a few minutes of fondling Francesca’s big, milky, breasts. He sucked on them and squeezed them as he pushed Jennifer’s face down in his lap. She caught on quickly. Her curiosity and inexperience turned him on. Not to be outdone, Francesca’s lush body was just as filling and just as tight where it matters. He didn’t stop until the sun was peeking over the trees and he was too exhausted to move. They curled up on either side of him after he was finished with them. He pulled his blanket up over their naked bodies and they slept. Now, they are on the move again but flashes of last night replayed in his mind. It was satisfying. It was sexy and fun. It was a mistake he was doomed to repeat. He’d opened Pandora’s box. He is losing focus of what matters. The wives are smiling and blushing to themselves. They are thinking about last night too. The three of them will stay and wait together.

  “My wives and I will stay.”

  “We’ll send word if she’s there, Reverend. The men will leave extra arms and provisions. It’s best to find somewhere to hole up.”

  “This is where she’ll come.”

  “The city is dead. There is nothing here.”

  “I’m here. This is where you can find me. I’m bringing her home, dead or alive. I am not leaving her out there alone.”

  “God speed, Reverend.”

  “God speed, Brother.”

  A dozen men stay behind with him. They are young and suffering from wanderlust and loyalty. The city has fallen like most other cities.

  “I left my message. We’ll head back to the ranch and wait for her.”

  There is an abundance of dead ranches and wandering bovine. They set up camp on a well-planned homestead with a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the valley below. The skeletal remains they found were outside with bullet holes in their heads. It was easy to get the pumps up and running and the generator fired up. The view is beautiful but the windows were boarded up with the steel from the walls of the machine shed. He peeled it away. The family had everything they needed to dig in for the wait. So, he dug in with his wives and they waited.

  Jude is sitting in a rocking chair on the poured cement porch watching the sky darken feeling like he should be doing something more. Duma was out there somewhere. Another day passed without him seeing her, holding her or touching her. She could be injured or hungry and he was sitting in a rocking chair listening to Van Halen. He fucked the wives whenever he felt like it. He was going to fuck them again tonight. The damage was done. There is no way that Duma is going to look at their happy faces and not know he was fucking them. They are warm in bed and good women. He is fond of them. Nothing that he felt about anything could compare to his love for Duma. The tears fall hot and unchecked from his empty heart. He wanted her back.

  The helicopters land in the middle of the desert. There are no fences, no guards, nothing to suggest it’s more than desert. Four men lift the heavy trap door. I can’t go in there. The traitor levels a gun on me. I walk over to the hole. He lowers me into it where I am handed off to another man who is dressed like him. It’s an underground compound of some sort. A hand takes my elbow.

  “This way.”

  “Don’t touch me. My husband is going to kill you. He trusted you.” I shake it off.

  “That was the point. Your husband isn’t going to kill me because I have no plans of ever seeing him again. I won’t be turning my back on you either. You will be restrained at all times for our safety.”

  “You have to find him and bring him here to stay with me. I will donate whatever you want if you bring my husband to me.”

  “I can’t do that. Your husband is not the type of man to sit by and watch us stick needles into his woman and child. There would be unnecessary deaths and we mean you no harm despite how this looks.”

  “You stole me.”

  “We are borrowing you.”

  “You ar
e an animal.”

  “He treats you like one so you would know.”

  “My husband loves me. Judea is coming for me.”

  “He won’t find you until I am ready for you to be found. This place is safe and secure. We run with minimal staff and our guests are treated quite well despite what you probably heard.”

  “You want to dissect me.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, those people are real but that isn’t me. Those so-called doctors are not reputable medical professionals. They’re sick. I am a mad scientist. There is a difference.”

  “The mad scientists have the best ideas.” I tell him. He smiles.

  “The sick ones can wait. We will get to them after we stop this disease.”

  “Do you really believe you can find a cure?”

  “There is always a cure.”

  “I will kill you if you are standing in my way when I leave this place, traitor.”

  “You will never get out of here without help and no one in here is going to help you. They all work for me. This is where you will be staying indefinitely. I’ll have food sent.”

  He puts his gun in my hands before giving me a little push into the cell. He slams the heavy door and turns an impossible lock. The gun isn’t loaded. The traitor held me up with an empty gun. I shake my head. The room is bigger than I expected and nicer than home. Not Texas home. Home. The place I want to go when I am reunited with my man. I miss him so much. I miss him so damn much. I feel lost without him. There are no windows to test or plans to make. I am stuck here several stories underground where my Judea will never find me. I notice the new crib in the corner. They planned for my visit. There is no escape. I lay across the big bed and cry. I want him so badly. Our baby kicks and rolls. We both want him. Gavin returns wearing medical scrubs and carrying a tray. He sets it on the bedside table.

  “I know you hate me and I don’t blame you. Blame your sister. She’s the one who told me you didn’t get sick. The other girl could be related to you. I understand your church only breeds within itself.”