States of War

by Kevin Partner

  The guard's face dropped, and he turned to address the priest. "Look, Father, I swear I didn't know anything about it."

  "About what, my son?"

  "You know the policy," he said, swallowing nervously. "Only the fit and able are accepted into the community. I was lucky to get in myself." He tapped his ample stomach as if to emphasize the point.

  O'Rourke nodded solemnly. "Yes, and those that are not admitted are sent on their way."

  "No, Father. May God forgive us, but they're not. They end up here." He cast his eyes to the ground and shook his head.

  "Why?" Skulls said. "What happens to them?"

  "Tell us, my son," O'Rourke said, obviously dreading the answer.

  "Labor."

  "What?"

  Again, he shook his head as if denying the words coming out of his mouth. "They're working in the fields, turning them over from cotton to grain so we'll have stores for next winter. And many other jobs. Things the folk of Elizabeth don’t want to do."

  "But these are the old and infirm, what good are they for labor?" Bella asked, unable to remain silent any longer.

  Greg wiped a tear from his scarlet cheeks. "They don't last long and then they're buried in the fields to feed the crops, but there's always more comin' in to replace them. I'm sorry, miss. I swear I didn't know this was happening."

  "My God, it's the concentration camps all over again," Al said, his face white with shock. "We've got to help them, Isabella."

  "What can we do? There are other guards, I imagine?"

  Greg nodded. "Not so many as before they started hunting for you. One on the gate, three inside the facility, and others in the fields when they're working. But there's no place for these folks to go, even if you did break them out. You can't take them with you."

  "And don't forget we're supposed to be rescuing Luke!" Maddie said, speaking for the first time.

  "We hadn't forgotten, Maddie," Bella said, failing to conceal the anger in her voice, "but if your grandfather was in that place, wouldn't you want to do something about it?"

  "Like what?"

  No one spoke.

  "Look, I think we should deal with one problem at a time," Skulls said calmly. "We came here to find a way to Luke, so we need to know whether Greg here is going to be helpful."

  The color drained from the guard's face. "Wha…what do you want me to do?"

  They left the RV parked up just outside the town center while Bella, Al, and Maddie walked in. Bella had insisted Skulls had to wait with O'Rourke in an abandoned shop—they were both far too recognizable and their presence would endanger rather than help the mission. Their job would be to race to the RV and drive it into town if a quick getaway was needed. The signal would be a double gunshot.

  The plan was simple enough. Greg had revealed that the mayor would be holding a ceremony marking the arrival of the supplies from the most recent raid on the nearby towns. She'd be surrounded by security, but she was still far more vulnerable than when she was in the town hall. Bella also thought she detected complacency when they met—the woman thought she had the town so under her heel that they couldn't possibly oppose her—and was banking on that to help her get close.

  "Come on," she said as she increased her pace. The ceremony was due to take place at 2pm and Bella wanted to be able to slip into the crowd once it had gathered, hoping to lose herself among the faces.

  She tapped her pocket and felt the reassuring weight of her handgun swinging back and forth against her hip. "There it is."

  A group of people had gathered around the open door of a MiniMart. As they approached, they could hear the quiet mumble of people talking to each other out of the corners of their mouths. It had the air of a community obligation and not a celebration.

  Bella and the others took their place against the wall, keeping as many people between themselves and the open square as possible.

  "Here she comes," Maddie whispered as she gestured with her shoulder.

  The mayor appeared from their left, flanked by half a dozen police officers. She walked with the confidence of a savior come to deliver her people.

  Beside the shop stood a truck and, as she strode across the road, a man appeared from behind it, jumped up onto the tailgate and pushed the shutter upwards with a rasping sound that brought everyone's attention to it and the approaching mayor.

  Bella began to edge towards the front of the crowd while the mayor took her place beside the back of the truck as the first boxes were unloaded.

  "People of Elizabeth," she called. Silence fell like the closing of a sarcophagus lid. "We are gathered here to celebrate the fruits of our labors. These supplies are but one part of those gathered by our comrades who work tirelessly to secure our future. Canned goods, boxed foods, and basic medical supplies, as well as the essentials for hygiene will be put into our stores."

  "And who decides when we get our share, Mayor?"

  The people in the crowd turned, as one, to the source of the voice. A young woman stood, visibly trembling but determined. A baby's head was poking out of the top of her coat, resting under her chin.

  "What is your name?" the mayor said, her voice barely carrying to where Bella stood.

  "Jessica. Jessica Danes."

  "Well then, Jessica, the supplies will be distributed according to need."

  Another voice, just behind the young woman, now spoke. "And who decides that, Mayor? ’Cause I don't recall casting a vote for you."

  Someone near Bella let out an audible gasp.

  "I see that the people of this town are becoming accustomed to being fed and housed. Perhaps they are taking it for granted. Perhaps they have forgotten the chaos that reigns outside our borders. The chaos they were escaping when they came here. You would not be safe for long, Jessica," the mayor said, not hiding her venom.

  "You didn't let my grandfather in!" Jessica said, shaking with anger and terror. "You took him away from us. Where is he now?"

  Mayor Kennedy turned to the cop standing next to her. "Escort this woman to the road. She can go look for her grandfather while we care for those who appreciate the community we've built here."

  An angry murmur seemed to rise from all around Bella as the police officer stepped forward and grabbed the woman's arm. "No, I'm sorry! Please, I just wanted to be fed!"

  The mayor ignored Jessica's increasingly frantic pleas as she was dragged away. "Now, is there anyone else who'd like to register their disagreement with our policies?"

  It seemed as though the whole crowd slumped and looked to the floor. Which was why, as the mayor's gaze swept over them in triumph, her eyes met Bella's.

  "You!" she cried.

  Bella's guts filled with ice. It had all gone wrong—she wasn't nearly close enough to be able to grab the woman.

  "Get her!" the mayor shouted, and the cops began to move in Bella's direction as the crowd parted.

  Bella pushed Maddie to one side, but one of the cops had seen it and was about to grab her when the mayor called, "Stop!"

  Spinning round, Bella saw the mayor, and standing next to her with a loaded gun to her head, was Al.

  "You won't get away with this!" Mayor Kennedy hissed as she was marched towards the police station, her escort of cops following and, behind them, a gathering crowd of the curious and hopeful.

  "Can it, sister," Al responded, "unless you can come up with something a bit more original."

  He's actually enjoying this, Bella thought as she walked alongside them.

  They reached the jail which was built into the back of the police station. By this time, just about the entire police force was gathered there waiting, some with weapons drawn. Others seemed remarkably unconcerned. A crowd of townsfolk surrounded them all.

  "Move away from the entrance," Al called. At a nod from the mayor, the cops gave them some space. "Now, go fetch the boy you've got in the cells and bring him out here."

  It took five tense minutes for Luke to appear. He looked in good health, blinking in the daylig
ht as he ran into Maddie's embrace.

  "Right, now you'll come along with us. If you're a good girl, we'll let you go when we get to the town boundary."

  "You won't get far," she snarled. "We'll hunt you down for this."

  Al simply smiled at her and nodded to Bella who raised her handgun and fired two rounds into the sky.

  "No!!!" A shape leaped out of the crowd and threw itself at the mayor, knocking Al to the floor.

  Bella stepped forward to help her father to his feet, then looked up to see a man pinning Kennedy to the ground, his knife at her throat. "You think you can get away with throwing Jess to the lions, do you? I thought that old man was gonna do for you, but it seems that pleasure is goin' to be all mine. You're the devil's spawn and you'll end no more lives."

  People in the crowd gasped and the watching police officers stood like statues as they waited for the deadly blow.

  "I can't let you do that," Bella said, pointing her gun at the man's head.

  "Why not?" he spat. "She's killed enough. And likely ruined more lives than we know."

  Bella stepped forward and put her hand on the man's shoulder. "That's true, but if you kill her without due process, you're no better than she is."

  He looked up at her, red eyes wide with fury and grief. And in that moment, one of the mayor's guards swept forward, grabbed his arm and pulled him off the mayor. At the same instant, and as Bella swung her gun around, another guard grabbed it out of her hand.

  Mayor Kennedy got to her feet as gracefully as she could manage and gestured to the guard to hand over Bella's weapon. "How dare you?" she hissed. "How dare you? I believe we will dispense with the formalities and proceed straight to judgment. You are all found guilty of threatening and abducting a lawfully appointed official and your sentence is death for you and your accomplices. To be carried out immediately."

  "But, Madam Mayor, she saved your life."

  To Bella's utter astonishment, these words were spoken by the guard who'd taken her weapon.

  "Do not question my orders! She assaulted me and will receive her punishment."

  "Surely she should be tried, Madam Mayor?"

  Kennedy spun round to the other guard, who was still holding the attacker. “Bring him along, he can hang too. You all saw what he did. Now, obey my orders and bring these prisoners to the gallows. We will not delay cleansing the town of their corruption. Carry out my orders!"

  The guard let go of the man and dropped his handgun into its holster.

  Mayor Kennedy raised her weapon in one smooth motion and shot him in the chest.

  In a blur, the first guard grabbed her gun, ripped it from her hands and pressed his weapon to her temple so hard she screeched with pain. "You bitch!" he roared. "You callous bitch!"

  "No!" Bella shouted. "Don't do it." She grabbed his arm, feeling his muscles shaking with fury, the last vestiges of self control holding him back from pulling the trigger.

  "It's time to turn the corner," Bella said, more softly now. "No more frontier justice, no more brutality. There's plenty of blame to go around, but tonight's not the night for retribution. For all her faults, she's created an oasis here. Don't throw it all away."

  He turned his head to her. "You want her to be mayor again, after all she's done?"

  "Oh no," Bella said. "I want to see her locked away for good. Her time has passed, and she will have to pay for her crimes. But right now, what you need is peace and order."

  The guard nodded to the police officers and one jogged up. "Cuff her and throw her in the cells."

  As she watched the mayor being dragged away, cursing at the watching people, Bella heard a vehicle coming to a halt behind her and two pairs of feet running in their direction.

  "What's going on?" Skulls said.

  "You can put your weapon down," the guard said. "You're under no threat here. The mayor's been deposed. Arnie, put the call out to bring that girl back safe to her man." One of the watching police officers acknowledged the command and ran into the station.

  Bella turned to embrace Skulls while the guard addressed the crowd.

  "Some of you have good reason to pick a fight with me, but as the lady says, we all have to come together, or this community will be lost. We need someone to lead us through this change, at least until we can have an election. Who wants to take that on? Father?" He pointed at O'Rourke, who'd come to stand beside Bella and Skulls.

  "Oh no, my son. I am a humble servant of God and wouldn't know where to start."

  "Her," said the man who'd attacked the mayor. "She can do it. She's from outside, so she's got no history. She's got the guts and she does what's right. I think the town could do with a leader like her. She saved me from becoming a murderer."

  Bella's jaw dropped and she shook her head as she saw the nods of approval from around her. "No, I can't do it. We're heading for D.C. We're looking for somewhere safe."

  "Then help us make this place safe," the man said.

  And so, just like that, she was trapped.

  Chapter 17

  Marvin Tucker's mood had darkened as they'd skirted the western side of Spokane, WA. Luna sat alongside him, somehow sharing her seat with Dany whose attention was on the road ahead. Every now and again, she'd let out a little growl as, Tucker imagined, she spotted something invisible to her human companions.

  It was a cold winter's morning as they entered Fairfield. The frost was steaming off in the early sun and the going was slow as Tucker was forced to maneuver around abandoned cars and trucks that had been left to rot along with their occupants.

  "Looks like the place was completely abandoned," he said. "And no one's been back. I don't get it."

  "Was this where you lived before … before…" Luna said, trying to frame her words. Tucker had been grumpier than usual with her today and she felt as though she was walking on eggshells.

  He shook his head. "Not for a long time. Ten years, twelve, something like that. I moved to Arbroath back when I split up with my wife."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't you like each other anymore?"

  Despite himself, her innocent bluntness brought a smile to his face. "You could say that. She decided she liked the mailman more'n she liked me. Can't say I entirely blame her; I wasn't easy to live with."

  "Yes, I know."

  He looked out of the corner of his eye at her, but there was no sign of any snarkiness. And she was right. He'd been hard on her, especially the last couple of days. Why had he decided it would be a good idea to come back here? It would have been bad enough in normal times to be driving the streets he'd last abandoned at high speed all those years ago, but to find them almost unrecognizable was somehow worse. He tried desperately to shake off the funk he was descending into.

  "Just up here is the house we lived in, d'you want to go take a look?"

  "Sure. Can we go in? I need to use the restroom."

  Tucker grunted his assent. "As long as there's no one living there," he said.

  "Do you think your wife might be there?"

  "Ex wife," he said. "And no, she moved out east years ago. Here we are, this is the road."

  Tall pine trees lined the street on both sides and set behind long grass lawns were ranch houses in varying states of repair, though all looked unoccupied.

  "I don't like it," Tucker said. "We haven't seen a single soul since we turned off the highway. Something's not right."

  "Nothing's been right for a long time."

  "No, I don't mean that. There should be some people here, even just a few. This would be as good a place to hunker down as anywhere. Better than the city, that's for sure."

  They crawled along as Tucker weaved around cars abandoned in the street until they came to a halt outside a single story house. An old RV stood in the driveway and, alongside it, a station wagon.

  "They painted it," Tucker said. "What sort of a color is that for a house?"

  "I think they call it duck egg blue."

  "Well, it was white when I lived here."

>   "I like the blue."

  "I don't. Now, d'you want to get out or not?"

  "Yeah, I need to go."

  "Then wait here while I check it out."

  "I thought you said there was no one here."

  "I said I hadn't seen no one. That ain't the same thing."

  He pulled onto the drive, took the Glock and got out. In truth, it helped that the house had been painted, as it didn't look quite like the home he'd lived in, but he still felt the weight of history pulling him down.

  Rotting leaves from the sycamore tree on the front lawn lay piled up in front of the garage door. The place wasn't being lived in, he was certain, but he wasn't going to let the girl inside until he'd checked whether it was occupied.

  He skirted his way around the building until he was looking over the back garden. The little pond was still here, melting ice floating on its surface. Something caught his eye, something out of place at the bottom of the garden. He jogged over and found himself looking at a row of three wooden crosses, each bearing a name. A family. And someone had given them a decent burial. Tucker found himself almost overwhelmed by the emotion of this little gesture of compassion and wiped the tears from his eyes. A decade ago, he'd played catch down here with his little pumpkin.

  He turned to move back up the garden, curious to find any other evidence of the person or people who'd done this and then almost fell over something lying in the flower bed. He jumped back as he recognized the remains of a booted foot.

  Tucker forced himself to part the bushes and there, at their base, he saw the dark remnants of a human body. And it had quite obviously been feasted upon.

  Fighting back his revulsion, he strode back towards the house. So, it looked as though someone came to the house, cleared out the bodies he or she found there and then died in the garden. There had been no one here to care for the grave digger. Tucker resolved to amend that before they moved on, it was the least he could do.

  The back door was unlocked, and the house smelled of nothing more than dust with a hint of damp. It was an aroma that took him back a decade and a half to happy times in a family home. The place had the superficial trappings of another's house, but, in his heart, he felt as though he'd never left.