by Jordan Ervin
“No shame in that,” Gene replied. “We won’t tie up too much of your time and we don’t plan on taking anything we can’t make an even trade for.”
“Oh, no rush,” Gary replied kindly, motioning for Gene to take a seat as he turned to the man next to him. “Bring in another chair for Jim here to sit on.” The man nodded before moving toward the back door. “Roger tells me you two need some medication?”
“Not us, but our friend,” Gene replied as he took a seat. Adam walked over to the window, glancing back toward the street at the black Humvee. Lev was out of the armored SUV, small clouds of icy breath leaving his mouth as he chatted with a local man. A large cart of food sat next to the local man. Lev scanned over the food, taking a few loaves of bread and some meat.
“We don’t usually take in the sick, on account of no doctor and only a handful of nurses.” Gary rocked back and forth slowly, hands clasped behind his head while the office chair underneath him squeaked with a repetitive screech that demanded, am I annoying you yet? “I suppose you boys look honest enough. We had enough good men abandon this region after the food stopped coming and we’re hurting for help. We’ve got four hundred armed men between us and the towns of Bluefield and Beckley. So we’re pretty much it until help arrives.”
“I wouldn’t count on much help from the new guys out east,” Gene replied dryly. “Not unless you’re willing to sell your soul for a loaf of bread.”
“Yeah, I figure we’re either going to be forced to leave town, join ‘em, or fight ‘em,” Gary said with the shake of his head. “I never thought I’d see the day America collapsed under our feet. Well I guess we’re willing to fight anyone trying to take our freedoms if it comes to that.”
“And yet you’re willing to lower the flag out front less than two weeks after DC was lost,” Adam replied coldly, immediately regretting his words.
Gary’s mouth compressed before transforming into a forced smile. Gene shot Adam a challenging gaze and Adam cleared his throat.
“I apologize,” Adam said. “I shouldn’t have said that. The road can stretch a man.”
Gary’s smile became less forced and more natural as he nodded his head in approval.
“That’s quite alright. These days have strained us all. I think decades of entitlement and comfort are now coming back to bite the average man in the ass.”
“You got that right,” Gene said. “So Roger tells me you have some antibiotics you might be willing to trade.”
“That I do,” Gary said as he pulled out a drawer and black bag, handing it to Adam. “We confiscated some at the local hospital when things started to get bad. We’ve got more elsewhere in the town, but I can’t put all my cards on the table right now, if you know what I mean.”
“We don’t blame you,” Gene said as he grabbed the bag. “We’ve got some weapons in our vehicle and some ammo that we’re willing to—”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Mr. Harper,” Gary replied, halting his rocking to lean forward, placing his hands on the table and tapping his fingers rhythmically—like the gallop of a horse. Adam could tell the negotiations were finally underway. “If you can stick around for a day or two so that we can bring our wounded in from the other towns and outposts, then we’ll call it even. My men should already be loadin’ you up with some food as a good faith measure to get you where you’re going once you leave. Trust is something we desperately want to build again and I’m hoping you gentlemen can help us with that.”
“We’d greatly appreciate that,” Gene said, shooting Adam an enthusiastic nod. “If you let my men and I set up and keep our weapons then we might be able to stick around for a day or so.”
“Good deal. Now tell me about yourself, Mr. Harper,” Gary said, reclining back in his chair, resuming his chair’s loud screech.
That’s it? Adam thought, Gene clearing his throat to speak.
“Well, we were up near Pittsboro when…” Gene rambled on, sharing the alibi they had come up with before approaching the town. Adam looked back out the window at the two trucks. Another cart of food was already being unloaded, far more food than Adam had thought the town would hand over. He smiled, thinking that maybe they might get a few nights rest from sleeping in the trucks. As much as he wanted a break from the constantly weary road, he knew Tanker could use a warm bed and a few hot meals. Besides, Gary seemed—
A loud bang caused Adam to jump, reaching for his empty holster and stepping backwards instinctively, knocking over a cardboard box as he did so. His eyes darted to the source—the man who had been sent to fetch a second chair—and the tension fled his shoulders with an audible sigh of relief. The man stood in the entryway with a chair at his feet, cursing as he picked it up off the floor.
“About gave us all a heart attack,” Gary said with a nervous chuckle, looking back at his man and shaking his head.
Adam sighed again and looked behind him. The box had been full of newspapers, framed pictures, and memorabilia. He reached down to clean up the mess, gathering the papers and packing them back into the box. He saw old newspaper clippings, plaques of recognition, a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it….
And then he saw it.
Adam quickly read over the small piece of paper, his eyes going wide. His throat, constricting. He then noticed the numerous other leaflets in the box that were just like the one he had found. As his eyes scanned the inside of the box, he saw one of the older newspapers, reading the headline in a rush. It only took a moment to read it, but he threw the papers back into the box and slowly stood up, eyes searching and ready to fight as he tucked one of the leaflets in his back pocket.
“She didn’t often cook meals like that,” Gary said, finishing a raunchy story he had begun earlier. “But it’s hard to say no when it’s on the table.”
Gene laughed and shook his head, his posture relaxed and clearly enjoying the conversation. The man who had dropped the chair was rolling it over to face the desk.
“Now how about you, Mr. O’Toole,” Gary said as he motioned for Adam to take a seat. “Where are you from?”
Adam’s eyes flickered to Gene, but Gene continued looking over at Gary. Adam cleared his throat, though he remained standing.
“There’s not much to say about me,” Adam said. “I come from a town out west.”
“Is that so?” Gary said. “Where about?”
“Pretty deep in the Rockies,” Adam said. “A little town called Blackburn.”
Gene slowly turned, his eyes narrowing as he did so.
“Blackburn, huh,” Gary said. “Never heard of it.”
“Yeah, Blackburn,” Adam said passively. “A small town too nice for its own good. Well listen, how about we take these meds and go check on our friend. We probably shouldn’t be delaying much longer.”
“Sure,” Gary said, nonchalantly. “I’ll make a call and get you some place to stay for the night.”
Adam didn’t wait for Roger to lead the way. As soon as Gary and Gene stood up, Adam started for the door. He walked out into the hallway and descended the stairs, making his way toward the front entrance as casually as possible. He opened the front door to the building and stepped out onto the concrete walkway, trotting over to the Humvee. Lev looked over, spotted Adam, and approached.
“So what’s up?” Lev said. “Are they going to—”
“Get in the Humvee,” Adam cut in quickly, handing the bag to Lev. “Give that to Marc. Not sure if they’re actually antibiotics, but he might be able to tell.”
“What’s wrong?” Lev asked as the door behind them opened and Gene and Gary emerged from within. Gary chatted away with someone on a radio, though Gene remained silent, his eyes fixated on Adam.
“Just get ready to follow us,” Adam replied.
“Looks like there’s a house near the high school on the side of town opposite from where you boys drove in,” Gary said as the others finally caught up to Adam. “We can give you warm beds and food until we bring our men in from Bluefield an
d Beckley.”
“Sounds good,” Adam said quickly. “We’ll follow your lead.”
“Actually, I’ll have Roger take some of my guards in his Jeep,” Gary replied. “I’ll ride with you if that’s alright.”
“That’s quite alright,” Adam began, “We don’t want to—”
“I insist,” Gary replied, walking over to the truck. “Not every day I get to hold a conversation with someone new in this Podunk town.”
Adam paused before nodding, unsure how he could turn the guy down without giving his suspicion away. They climbed into the old truck—Gene in the driver’s seat, Adam in the middle, and Gary in the passenger’s side—and began heading west toward the high school. Gary rambled on about how happy his men would be to finally have some medical help. Twice he glanced behind the truck, eyeing the big armored Humvee behind them. Adam’s eyes kept darting from the man to the buildings that lined the road. A few minutes went by before they passed through the first gate and neared the high school close to the western exit of the town.
“…but a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Gary said, finishing up an old story as he reached for his radio. “Now I’ll radio my men so they—”
Adam drew his sidearm and shoved it up against the man’s ribs.
“Move and I will blow a hole through your chest!” Adam roared.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Gary shouted, throwing his hands up in protest as his muscles seized up. Gene shouted as well—demanding answers from Adam, though Adam ignored him.
“Shut up!” Adam bellowed at Gary. “Now, I need you to take a deep breath and radio your men up at that gate over there. Tell them to let us through.”
“You’re not getting away with this,” Gary muttered defiantly, sweat already running down his forehead. “We’ll find you—”
“Your friends might, but that matters little for you if I pull the trigger,” Adam said quickly, handing the radio to the man. “Gene, start driving. Gary, tell them to move their trucks.”
Gary grunted before grabbing the radio.
“West gate, this is Sandusky. Pull your trucks back. Apparently these boys aren’t staying for the night.”
“Is everything alright?” Roger radioed back.
“Tell them not to follow us either,” Adam said quickly.
“It’s alright,” Gary said. “And don’t follow us. I’m letting them go.”
Adam grabbed the radio and set it on the dash, keeping his eyes alert as they sped toward the now open western gate. The men standing guard shot angry looks back at them, though they kept their guns down. When they passed through the gate and out of the town, Adam pressed the gun up hard against the man’s neck. “Now what exactly were you planning to do?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Gary replied with a grunt.
“Adam,” Gene began, “what the hell is going on?”
“Were you going to wait until we were out of our armored vehicle?” Adam said, ignoring Gene. “Wait until we were all cozy in our beds to take our stuff and put a bag over our heads?”
“No!” Gary shouted. “I said I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now please, just take those meds and go! I promise we won’t follow.”
“Adam, please,” Gene begged. “What is going on?”
“When Gary’s man dropped the chair I kicked over a box of old papers and junk,” Adam said. “One of which was a newspaper from last year when the town’s resident and medical physician, Gary Sandusky, was elected mayor. Now why would someone like you lie about needing a doctor and being a longtime mayor when you were just elected last year?”
“Listen, I don’t know what you saw but you’re mistaken,” Gary said.
“You know what I think? I think you were lying to get us to move into town and feel comfortable enough to put our guard down. And I’m sure you’re wondering why I think that.”
Gary’s eyes went wide and darted over to Adam.
“Because I also found this.” Adam pulled the small piece of paper from his pocket and held it out. “I’m not going to read the whole thing, but I’ll sum it up for my friend Gene here. It bears the Imperium’s stamp and it says they’re looking to reward those who are able to detain and handover anyone who was fleeing the Imperium, especially those who looked like the military type.”
“Son of a bitch,” Gene growled, pulling his eyes off the road for a moment. “How many others have you abducted, you sick mother—”
“No one!” Gary shouted. “We had a FOD drop those off a few days ago but we never did anything. Please, you’ve got to believe me!”
“I don’t have to do anything but decide whether or not I’m pulling this trigger,” Adam said, pulling out a map and studying it for a moment. “Keep going toward Interstate Seventy-Seven, Gene. If this lying bastard has friends in Bluefield, then we’re not going there. We’ll go south and then cut across the back roads.”
They roared down the road, making their way southeast as the naked trees passed by in a blur. After a few more minutes of arguing back and forth between Gary and Adam, they came across a dark tunnel on the Interstate that led into a black mountain. Gene came to a sudden stop just short of the entrance into the black passageway that burrowed deep into the mountain.
Gene stepped out of the truck, unholstered his sidearm, and walked over toward the other side. The Humvee slowed down behind them and Gene held up his hand for them to stop. He ripped the door open and grabbed Gary by the scruff of his neck.
“Get out!” Gene shouted.
Gary protested—pushing Gene’s hand away—until Gene brought the butt of the gun down hard on Gary’s face, breaking the man’s nose with a cringe-worthy snap. The mayor spit up blood, quick to halt his protest. Gene pulled him out of the vehicle and threw him to the ground, pointing his gun at the man’s face.
“Now how many of my men have you caught?” Gene demanded.
“None!” Gary said quickly. “I swear! Please, don’t kill me. I have a wife and family.” Gary continued to plead for his life, holding his hands out in front of him as panic filled his wide eyes. Adam felt a stab of pain in his gut as he realized he was about to watch a murder of another human. Sure, Gary had planned on locking them up and selling them back to the Imperium, but they had escaped that town and put it a few miles behind them. “Please, you’ve got to believe me. Just let me go!”
“And leave you to follow us?” Gene replied. “I don’t think so.”
“I swear I won’t follow you,” Gary shouted, blood from his nose spraying into the cold winter air as he motioned toward the passageway. “That tunnel leads southwest. You’ll be long gone by the time I’m back. It will take me hours to get back to Princeton on foot.”
“Yeah, but Bluefield is only five or six miles back that way,” Gene said, motioning back west. “You could make that in an hour. Now, I’m going to need proof that you won’t tell anyone about this until morning when we’re long gone.”
“I swear, I’ll do anything!” Gary shouted. “Please, just let me go.”
Gene hesitated, his eyes narrowing before he lowered the gun to his side. Adam exhaled, unaware he had been holding his breath. He had been starting to think Gene might actually kill the man. Despite his eagerness to do whatever it took to get to Texas, he wasn’t ready to start murdering every stranger they came across. Adam reached into the bed of the truck—pushing back the tarp to grab some rope before taking a step toward Gary just as Gene raise the pistol and pulled the trigger.
Adam jumped back and cursed as Gary cried out in pain. Blood spilled out onto the dark and icy concrete as Gary grabbed his right foot.
“Now I reckon you’ll limp for the rest of your life,” Gene said as the man writhed around in pain, “but at least you’ll live.” Gene’s eyes found Adam—hatred and malice filling dark pools of rage. “Adam, give him a bandage for his foot and then get in the truck. If he’s really a doctor then I’m sure he can figure out how to use it before he hob
bles his pathetic ass back home.”
Adam reached into the truck—still halfway stunned that Gene had just shot the man—and grabbed a bandage, tossing it to the ground next to Gary without a word. He climbed into the passenger seat as Gene motioned to the Humvee and entered the truck. He put the truck in gear, turned on the headlights, and entered the long tunnel.
They rode in silence as they passed through the black tunnel. Adam glanced over at Gene every now and then, though Gene’s eyes remained on the dark road ahead. A sliver of light appeared on the horizon about half a mile into the tunnel. As they neared the exit, Adam cleared his throat.
“Gene, I—”
A loud pop filled the dark tunnel and Adam lurched forward as the truck veered to the left moments before coming to a sudden, metal-crunching halt. The fuel canisters shifted precariously—sloshing and spilling about the bed. Adam held out his hands and barely stopped himself from slamming into the old steel dashboard. He quickly looked over—the nose of the truck steaming and crumpled up against the left side of the tunnel—and saw a massive dually pickup, a large SUV, and ten armed men moving to block the tunnel’s exit. Gene cursed and tried to start the truck, but the engine wouldn’t turn over. A few loud bangs echoed through the corridor and Adam ducked instinctively. Gene threw open his door and shouted.
“Get to the Humvee!” Gene grabbed Adam by his coat and pulled him through the driver’s side door. Adam crawled through the opening as the Humvee behind them sped past the truck—swerving around the black spike strip that had blown the tires on the truck—and stopping roughly twenty feet in front of the pickup, blocking the armed men’s line of sight on Adam and Gene. Lev threw open the side door and Adam and Gene ran behind the pickup bed and toward the Humvee, jumping into the armored beast.
“Gene!” Adam bellowed as soon as the door closed, “I left our rifles in the truck.”
“Forget about them,” Gene said, much calmer than Adam. “Lev, kick it in reverse. We can head back toward—”