by James Hunt
“We’ll stock you and your team up,” Dixon said. “Automatic weapons. Heavy body armor. Communications. I’m talking special ops gear. You’ll be well prepared.”
Charlie gnawed on the inside of his cheek and glanced out the front window of the trailer where his view was limited to the pair of RVs that were parked nearby. It still amazed him that even after everything he was able to accomplish, all that he was able to build, and how self-sufficient his people had become, Charlie could still be forced to cooperate at gunpoint. But he shook his head, not surprised by the commander’s tactics.
“When is the transport coming?” Charlie asked.
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Dixon answered, his reaction revealing that he never expected Charlie to say no. “My men will deliver the supplies to you tomorrow morning.”
Charlie nodded, but the math didn’t make him feel any better. “If I do this, then I do it my way.”
“You will have full autonomy,” Dixon said, walking past Charlie and toward the door. “My men will be here at zero-seven-hundred. Make sure you’re ready.” He opened the door and stepped out.
“Dixon,” Charlie said, catching the commander’s attention and forcing him to turn around. “If I don’t make it back, I have contingencies in place here. The machine will keep moving. You still remember those names I gave you?”
Dixon nodded. “I hope it won’t come to that.”
“Hope doesn’t do much good out here.”
“No. It doesn’t.” Dixon let go of the door, and it swung shut.
Alone, Charlie hung his head and then fell backward onto the hard bench that comprised their breakfast nook. He rubbed his temples, his mind racing through the hundreds of scenarios and alternate endings of his mission tomorrow.
If everything went well, then the country would be on their first real step toward reconstruction. If they failed, god knows how long it would set them back. And then his failure would no doubt have repercussions with his arrangement with Dixon and the military.
The limited amount of free rein that Charlie was granted would vanish, and he could already feel the constricting tightness of the short leash that accompanied his failure. And he also knew that his failure would affect anyone that lived in the orchard.
While Charlie had built a small and ordered civilization, it was still a new and fragile infant. It wouldn’t take much to kill it, and Charlie dreaded being plunged back into that chaos again. Those first few months were hell, and he had no desire to relive them again.
9
The night passed slowly, but morning came quickly, and Charlie rose from the bed like a zombie, gently removing Liz’s arm from his chest. He stared at her for a moment, studying the curve of her body, which lay naked beneath the thin sheet.
They’d argued last night, then made love, then argued some more, then made love again. And despite the back and forth, Charlie still couldn’t rid himself of the anxiety that plagued his mind. It kept him awake, and after Liz had fallen asleep he lay there holding her, staring up at the ceiling and dreading the morning sun, which came quickly.
Charlie got out of bed, dressed quickly, then kissed Liz’s cheek. She stirred, eliciting a pleasurable moan, but she didn’t wake. He kissed Adelyn on her forehead then paused at the door, turning back to his girls, and struggled with either waking them or letting them sleep.
But they’d already said what they needed to say last night and well into the morning. And he needed to keep his mind right for the day ahead.
Charlie’s boots crushed the grass covered in early morning dew, and he quickly stepped out toward the road and out of his normal path through the RVs and trailers.
On the way to Doc’s, Charlie stopped and spoke with the patrol commanders, telling them to start preparing for an attack. If they failed their mission, or if the terrorists decided to hit them early, he wanted to make sure The Orchard was ready.
“Full defense?” the commander asked.
“Yes. Up and running by the end of the day,” Charlie answered. “Everyone’s pulling overtime until I get back.”
“Yes, sir.”
By the time he reached Doc’s house, his stomach was growling, and he took the hunger as a good sign. He found Doc awake and cracking the first few eggs into the skillet, then noticed the bacon already cooked on a plate on the side.
Doc turned around when Charlie entered, then followed Charlie’s gaze to the bacon. “I heard about the mission today. Figured you and the crew would need the extra boost.” Doc returned his attention to the skillet, scrambling the eggs up, steam rising from the pan.
Doc never made bacon except for holidays, but seeing as how this could be Charlie’s last breakfast, he knew the old timer was doing his best to help make the morning easier. It was the old man’s way of saying he cared.
Charlie grabbed a strip of bacon, which was still warm, and snapped it in half. It was the perfect consistency of crunchy and chewy, and Charlie’s mouth watered as he quickly shoved the other half into his mouth and down his gullet.
It was the best thing he’d eaten in weeks.
Outside, the crew was starting to arrive, none of them dressed in their regular tactical attire. The twins arrived first, each of them giving Charlie a curt nod as they walked inside to grab breakfast from Doc.
There wasn’t the usual bickering between the three of them, and Doc actually came out and handed each of them a glass of orange juice.
“Squeezed it this morning,” Doc said, not looking any of them in the eye and quickly returning to the house. But not before Charlie caught Doc wiping at the corner of his eye.
Nick and Lee arrived next, and Charlie waited for them to finish eating before he spoke.
“Everyone knows what we’re up against today,” Charlie said. “Pending Dixon will make good on his word though, we should be stocked with some pretty nice toys.”
“Fucking better be,” Nick said, crossing his arms. “We’re going straight into the middle of the Devil’s asshole, and you know that he’s not going to be happy about it when we’re done.”
“I’d say to treat this like any other raid that we’ve been on, but that’s just not true,” Charlie said. “What happens today will have repercussions for years. We have an opportunity here, and I will not have us waste it.”
Charlie looked at each of his crew, pausing and studying their expressions. He wanted to make sure they understood, that they really understood what today meant. And he was glad to see the fire and concentration in their eyes.
After that, they remained quiet, save for a few comments between the twins, until Dixon’s caravan arrived with the promised equipment.
Contrary to what Charlie thought, Dixon didn’t arrive with the men who brought the supplies, which worried Charlie at first. He thought that because the commander didn’t come that they’d be short-changed on what was promised, but Charlie was happy to find that it wasn’t the case.
Everything they could have wanted was in the boxes that soldiers pulled out of their Humvees. Full body armor, fully automatic weapons, communications links, ammunition, grenades, sniper rifles, everything that Charlie picked up looked brand new.
“Here.” One of the soldiers extended a pair of keys to Charlie, who stared at them questioningly.
“What’s that?”
The soldier walked over and then shoved the keys into Charlie’s palm. “Don’t make it harder on me than it has to be, man. Just make sure you don’t blow it up.” He then walked back over to another vehicle, and he and the rest of the soldiers drove off.
Charlie stared at the keys, then at the Humvee the caravan had left behind. It was for them. Brand new.
“Ho-ly shit.” Jason walked over, sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, a string of ammunition draped across his chest. “How the hell did they get this beauty up and running?”
“Must have called in some favors from DC,” Shelly answered, walking over and running her hand over the shiny armor. “Hello, little girl.”
/> “Grab what you need,” Charlie said, pulling everyone’s attention away from the awe of their brand-new gifts. “We roll out in fifteen.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to pick out their favorite toys. Everyone gravitated to what they specialized in, and anything that was left over, Charlie had Doc stock it away with the rest of their supplies.
The new Humvee was a smooth ride, at least from a comfort standpoint. Seeing as how the Humvee was nearly brand new, or at least never been used before, it was like riding in a limousine.
And while the crew’s excited chatter about their new toys continued after they left, it died down once they passed the marker for their safe zone.
“Heads up,” Charlie said, straightening up in his chair as they entered clan territory.
Nick adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and then tightened his grip. The road remained clear, but clans frequently put up road blocks in an effort to pick off any supply transports coming from Seattle and Mayfield.
“Anything?” Charlie asked.
“Negative,” Jason answered, his eyes glued to a pair of binoculars that scanned the cluster of rundown suburban homes.
Even if there were some of the clans nearby, Charlie figured the sight of the Humvee would provide enough deterrent to keep them from trying anything stupid. But then of course there was always the terrorist cells to contend with as well.
Passing the broken homes, Charlie was brought back to the early days after the EMP. It was hard to imagine that at one point every one of those houses was filled with people. Families, friends, children, the elderly, people who weren’t prepared for the shit storm that had come pounding on their doors and roofs.
Guilt flooded Charlie’s veins as he stared at the broken homes, passing quickly as Nick kept his foot on the accelerator. He couldn’t save everyone.
With tensions high, Charlie and the crew passed through clan territory without incident. But while they all would have liked to breathe a sigh of relief from still being alive, the sight of Seattle’s skyline kept their lips tight.
Columns of smoke reached into the blue sky, the sights continuous and ominous as they continued their journey to the rendezvous point. It was a city in conflict, three sides struggling for control. The military trying to establish order, the terrorists doing everything in their power to disrupt that order, and the citizens stuck in the middle doing whatever they needed to survive.
Nick was forced to slow his speed when they entered the thick of the city. There were still a lot of vehicles blocking the road, and trash and other obstructions blocked their path.
“Watch the high windows,” Charlie said, glancing up at the buildings that towered on either side of them.
“Looks like we’re here,” Nick said.
A soldier stood out front of a five-story apartment building, arm up and waving them forward. At first glance it looked as though he was alone, but a quick scan of the surrounding area, and the building he stood in front of, revealed at least two dozen other soldiers hiding amongst the street.
And while the sight should have evoked a sense of confidence that the perimeter was locked down properly, Charlie still couldn’t shake the foreboding sensation growing from the back of his skull and slowly spreading throughout his body.
Charlie stepped out of the vehicle, Shelly, Jason, and Lee following suit. He approached the soldier who flagged them down.
“Decker?” the soldier asked.
Charlie flashed the deputy badge, and the soldier nodded, then motioned to another man inside the building through an open door.
Another soldier carried a small box out to Charlie, handing it over with great care. The exchange was so simple that Charlie wondered if he was missing something.
“Good luck,” the soldier said, and then without another word, he returned inside the building with the rest of his men, leaving Charlie and his crew alone.
“All right,” Charlie said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Charlie placed the box between the twins in the back seat, then checked his watch as he climbed back into the passenger seat of the Humvee. It had taken them three hours and seven minutes to drive from The Orchard to this location. But since they were taking a different route home, he went ahead and added another twenty minutes.
Charlie white-knuckled his grip on the rifle, eyes constantly scanning the changing landscape beyond his window. Every bump and kick that he felt on the road triggered the smallest of muscle spasms.
Despite his best efforts in creating a world where he would never be hunted again, here he was, performing Dixon’s dirty work in an effort to keep his people safe. It was a job that never ended, and it was a job that Charlie didn’t think he would survive.
And just when the tall skyscrapers shortened to the lower, squat buildings on Seattle’s city limits, the first bullet hit the Humvee.
10
The progression of the gunfire was small at first, like drops of rain leaking from a cloud ready to burst, but then with a crack of thunder, all hell rained down upon them.
“Fuck!” Nick shouted.
“Go! Go! Go!” Charlie glanced out the window, trying to determine the origin of the concentration of gunfire, but it was coming from everywhere.
“There’s too much shit on the road!” The Humvee jerked wildly as Nick steered them around the road blocks, hitting the gas and then slamming on the brakes on their hasty retreat.
“RPG! RPG! RPG!” Jason shouted from the back of the Humvee, and Charlie turned just in time to see the rocket jettison from the launcher, screaming toward them.
Charlie leaned over and jerked the steering wheel hard right, surprising Nick and crashing them into the side of a truck. But the maneuver caused the RPG to miss, and Charlie watched it explode into a sedan that sat in the middle of the street.
“Get us out of here!” Jason said, pounding on the back of Nick’s seat.
Nick retook control of the steering wheel and floored the accelerator, the roar of the engine temporarily overriding the hailstorm of bullets raining down upon them, but while the engine revved, the Humvee didn’t move.
“We’re stuck!” Nick repeatedly slammed his foot on the accelerator, but it did nothing.
Charlie glanced around him, spotting three hostiles on their left, at least two in the back, and one he could see on the right. They were thirty seconds from being swarmed. “Secure the asset and head for the building on the northeast corner of the street at the crossing! We’ll regroup there!”
“I’ve got the box!” Lee said, reaching into the back of the seat.
Charlie opened the door, using the steel plated door as cover, and then aimed his rifle at the approaching enemy on their right. He squeezed the trigger in one quick motion, and at least six bullets screamed out of the barrel, forcing the enemy back behind a mailbox.
The other doors of the Humvee were flung open and the rest of his team spilled out.
“I’ve got cover!” Charlie shouted, and Nick worked his way around from the driver side toward safety, followed quickly by Shelly.
Nick pounded Charlie’s shoulder, which signaled to Charlie that Nick was on the move. Charlie stood, aiming for the terrorists across the road, and then opened fire.
Two of the four terrorists dropped to the pavement, bright crimson bursting from their foreheads as the bullets flung their skull backward.
He glanced over to the building and saw Nick in position, and one by one Charlie sent his crew to the building while he provided cover, the terrorists slowly inching forward.
Once he was alone, he waited for Jason to get into position either on the roof or one of the top floors and start picking them off one by one.
“Jason, are you set?” Charlie asked, pressing down on his communication link.
“Thirty seconds,” Jason answered.
With his back against the Humvee, Charlie spun around and fired at the encroaching enemy. If they got any closer, then he’d be stuck. It was now or never.
Charlie turned tail, sprinting for the building, his crew providing cover fire on his mad dash for safety. Bullets nipped at his heels, trailing him all the way until he leapt inside the building, spinning around toward the wall.
“You all right?” Nick asked, clapping Charlie on the shoulder.
“Yeah.” With all of them concentrated in the building, the enemy converged in formation in an attempt to wipe them out. Nick and Shelly fired sporadically from the broken windows that faced the street, while Lee inched toward the back in search of an exit.
“Got something,” Lee said.
“All right, let’s move!” Charlie waved his people toward the back of the building, the heat trapped inside the old and dusty structure sweltering from baking in the sun all day.
Sweat dripped into Charlie’s eyes, and the salt burned. He swiped at the agitation angrily, his head on a swivel as his boots pounded the dirty concrete.
Everywhere Charlie looked, he saw the relics of the past. Microwaves, fridges, stoves, and toasters, all of them covered in dust. Must have been a show room in its previous life. Now, it might as well have been a museum.
Lee opened the back door, casting sunlight into the darkened storage room at the building’s rear, and when Charlie burst outside, he was blinded with brightness, but that didn’t stop his progression forward.
When his vision finally cleared, Nick and Lee were at his side, and Shelly and Jason brought up the rear. The exit had led them into an alleyway, which dumped them out to an adjacent street.
The five of them sprinted toward the end, Charlie eager to get out of the kill zone. If the enemy turned that corner before they left the alleyway, they were sitting ducks.
At the end of the alley, Charlie pointed to a building across the street, and the five of them hurried inside before the enemy grew wise and followed.