“Russell has a meeting, like, every night. He tells us what's going on out there and our next steps. It's pretty interesting. All I know is that I'm going to kill Chris once I get my hands on him,” Sally said.
James cut in. “But even if he did steal the keys, what would he do with the van? The engine is kaput. Was it an old model?”
“2005,” Jacklyn said. “Ancient.”
“Well, I meant older than that,” James said.
“Older than 2005?”
***
They walked beyond the cabins and past several aluminum storage sheds lined up in a row. There were five in all, seven feet in diameter, and each locked with a heavy combination padlock. There was little knowledge throughout the camp of what was stored in each shed. Inventory was the job of one of Russell's men, a Puerto Rican named Leo. He was a former marketing consultant turned vigilante. Initially, he was hired by Russell for social media outreach and website management.
It wasn't long after meeting Russell that Leo's life changed. Russell orchestrated several debacles that upset the balance of Leo's professional and personal life, including financial problems, a divorce, and the collapse of his business. Russell was behind most, if not all of these, and the adversities that befell Leo bore an uncanny likeness to those that had plagued most of Russell’s like men. Their presence at Camp Liberty was no accident. It was something Russell and his most trusted associate, Kyle, had been working on for over a year. Friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and anyone else they could bring along were all up for grabs, not matter the price they paid. It was for the greater good. Though the two leaders at first cast a much wider net, in the end, they had fifteen good men who were ready to fight for the cause.
If Russell counted the college students and, James's group, the camp had increased substantially. Excluding Paula, they had an additional nine people. With Terrance, Richie, and Tobias, they would have twelve, totaling twenty-seven overall. Russell did the math and was elated to find that he had a force roughly the size of a platoon. It was a great start, and if they were persuasive enough, their numbers could double in the next few months.
Kyle urged him repeatedly to be patient. Of course, they also had to account for dissidence and insubordination. One out of every ten persons proved to be a problem. That was the general average. Russell and Kyle were going over their numbers when they saw James and the others walk by the window with Sally and Jacklyn leading the orientation tour.
“So what do you think?” Russell asked Kyle after noticing them walk by.
Kyle looked up from his book on military tactics. “About what?”
“Do you think they'll like it here?” Russell asked.
“I do. They'll fit right in,” Kyle answered.
A small log was burning in a fireplace. It was only fall, and not really necessary, but the smell of fire and the crackling of the log helped him think. They had a lot to plan for that day. It was the night of the purge. They would hit the town and they would hit it hard. But they always had to practice the utmost caution and not underestimate their adversaries.
There was also the anticipated arrival of Christina's husband and two boys. Russell felt like they would make a great addition. He was eager not just for the arrival of the Robinson family, but their looming covert operation as well. It wasn't just a matter of getting supplies this time; they would be forcibly taking people from the town back with them.
The concept itself raised an abundance of security issues. Would such a move strengthen their cause or make it unsustainable? It was a question they pondered. Russell regularly tracked the progress of everyone at the camp. He listed those who posed a “risk,” “little risk,” “no risk,” and those who were “100 percent.” Of the possible new recruits, and on the bottom of the list, of course, was Danny. James's group, so far, was in the middle.
“You took care of Chris, right?” Russell said.
“Yeah, of course,” Kyle said. It wasn't the first time they had dealt with dissent among their ranks.
“I've been monitoring Danny and haven't seen much improvement, but I still believe he's coming around. What we need to do is go after the one support system he has left, his girlfriend Jacklyn. I think she'd be much happier with Jeff, don't you?”
Kyle laughed. “You can't be serious,” he said.
“Jeff has shown great promise here in a very short time. It's time for Jacklyn to change up.”
“I see where you're going with this, Russ, but playing Cupid is a little beyond our expertise,” Kyle said.
“Just keep it in mind. College girls are a fickle bunch, but we can use it to our advantage. We'll teach them something they can't learn in school. Loyalty.”
Sally and Jacklyn continued the tour of the premises as everyone else followed behind.
“There's Russell's cabin,” Jacklyn said, pointing. “Top secret.” Like everything else around here, she thought, but not in a bad way.
Sally clapped her hands to make sure she had their full attention. “And you already know about the bathroom and shower units,” Sally said, signaling to the hygiene and sanitation area to their right. They suddenly heard more gunshots in the distance.
“That's what we wake up to around here,” Jacklyn said.
“You get used to it,” Sally chimed in.
They approached a large green tent currently occupied by five or so of Russell's men. Inside, the men looked busy examining maps and drawing what seemed to be some type of plans. It was all very militaristic. As the tour group walked by, the men took little notice of them. A generator, the size of a small car, sat beside the tent, the main source of light and energy. A radio had been moved to the tent along with other equipment.
“That's the TAC tent,” Sally said. “Stands for tactical operations.”
“They recently set it up, just like the walls they put up everywhere,” Jacklyn said, gesturing to the barrier that surrounded the entire camp.
“It used to be just wire,” Sally said.
“How industrious,” Mark said.
James, Mark, Janice, and Christina were unsure how they felt about everything. There was no doubting the security of the camp, but what were the intentions?
James attempted to pose a general question. “What is everyone doing around here?” he asked.
“We all have our jobs,” Sally said. “Which I guess keeps things from getting too boring.”
Janice suddenly cut in. “But don't they all miss their families? Isn't anyone concerned with what's going on out there?”
“I hate it here,” Jacklyn added.
“Why don't you leave then?” Janice said.
“Janice, that's enough,” Mark said, sensing her hostility.
“We can't,” Jacklyn answered. “We'd never make it.”
“What do you mean by that?” James said.
“From what I hear, you guys have been hiding in a cabin the past two weeks, so you're one to talk,” Sally said. “At least they are trying to help us.”
Jacklyn rolled her eyes. Before an argument could ensue, Leo, the inventory specialist, walked by the group, holding a clipboard with several inventory sheets on it. He was of average height and build, and sported a goatee and glasses. “Hey, Sally,” he said politely. “Hello everyone.”
“Hey, Leo,” Sally said, waving.
They all waved back as he passed, Sally called out to him again.
“What's for lunch today?” she asked.
“Military rations.”
Disappointed, Sally continued. “What about dinner?”
Leo's eyes lit up. “Oh, I hear we're having meat loaf. New recipe.”
“Cool,” Sally said.
The group walked on and came to the end of their tour.
“So that's pretty much it,” Jacklyn said. “Cabins, tents, and shitters.”
Sally covered her mouth, embarrassed. “Jacklyn!”
James's crew all smiled. They liked Sally and Jacklyn, but couldn't quite figure them out eithe
r. Russell's men seemed busy and distracted, hardly concerned with their presence.
“Is there anything we can do to help around here?” James asked.
“Oh, don't worry. Russell will find plenty for each of you to do,” Jacklyn said. “They built those walls in a few days. Everyone around here works pretty hard.”
“In the meantime, Russell said that he wants you guys to relax. Hopefully things will start to make more sense around here,” Sally said.
James's group looked at each other. Christina and Paula had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. Christina wanted to go searching for the rest of her family. She wanted to stand outside the walls and wait for them all day, if necessary. Mark felt suspicious about the place but didn't know where else they would go. At Camp Liberty, they were provided food and shelter. He didn't see the rush. They were among preppers, he believed. Extreme preppers, but preppers nonetheless. Janice felt like she was on the set of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Something was off about the place. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
Meatloaf
An eerie silence rang throughout the camp all day. Everyone in the know appeared to be preparing for something big. James was the only one in his group privy to any details. It was a supply run, he was told. Rather than hanging around the cabin, James took the time to talk to Russell's men and try to get to know them. They were always busy. Two guards were posted at the front gate at all times. Others were dutifully working in the TAC tent. Some were relegated to kitchen duty. There was water to be collected from the creek, boiled, and filtered. The most challenging job consisted of sanitation and waste management. Those chosen were tasked with burning trash, cleaning out the portable toilets, and disposing of the waste. It was obviously the job no one wanted.
Regardless of tasks, everyday operated on a routine schedule: wake-up, physical fitness, breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, and personal time. To counter boredom during the day, Russell tried to keep minds occupied as much as possible. It was the primary reason that he addressed his men nearly every night at dinner with a status briefing. He used the opportunity to keep them motivated, and after a few months, it appeared to be working.
Janice, Christina, and Paula spent most of the day together, trying to understand their new surroundings. They sat at an outside bench watching the men train on the obstacle course or engage in hand-to-hand combat. They felt like they were in some type of civilian boot camp. Christina fit in just fine. She had her weapon on her at all times. The men didn't know what to think of her. All she could think about was getting her family back. She believed that Terrance would be able to make sense of the camp, but was getting worried because they hadn't shown up yet.
“I'm going back to the bug-out house,” she said, rising up from the bench.
Janice held her arm gently. “No, you can't. We have to stick together. The coordinates are written right on the front of the house.”
“What if he doesn't see them? What if the rest of those men came back and burned the rest of the place down? I should have stayed. I should have waited until they came back!”
She grew tearful. Paula took notice and grabbed her by the hand. “Calm down, Mom. We're gonna be OK.”
“No sense second guessing ourselves now,” Janice said. “We made the right choice. The bug-out house was no longer safe. We don't know who's out there.”
Christina sat back down on the bench, put her face in her hands, and began sobbing.
Mark had made a new friend with Leo, the inventory specialist, after a conversation about marketing. It almost took them both back to a time when they weren't wearing camping clothes and militia fatigues. A time, not that long ago, when they were dressed in business-casual, and worked in offices. Mark asked about all the locked up supplies, but Leo only described things in a general sense.
“Ah, we got, you know, fuel for the generators, some medical stuff, preserved rations, purification tablets, ammunition, and a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Leo seemed bored listing the items when suddenly excitement beamed in his eyes. “Hey, you wanna see something cool?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Mark said.
“Follow me,” Leo said, walking back to the cabins.
They entered Cabin A, where most of Russell's men stayed. It was full of bunks from end to end, but no one else was there.
“Awesome,” Leo said, happy they were alone. They walked in and he shut the door. “You'll get a kick out of this.”
Mark was intrigued and followed Leo to a bunk in the middle, where he stopped. Leo knelt down and pulled a large duffel bag from under the bed.
“This is my bug-out bag,” he said. He unzipped the bag, revealing several bottles of tequila and rum.
“Holy shit,” Mark said.
“Yeah, it'll be our little secret. Helps pass the time around here, if you know what I mean.”
Leo took two small plastic cups from his bag and poured a little rum into each.
Mark hesitated. “You're going to get us kicked out,” he said.
“Hey, bro. It's a free country. Or at least it used to be,” Leo replied, gulping down a shot.
Hours later, Mark stumbled into Cabin B to find Janice, Christina, Paula, and most of the college group inside. “Remember these?” Mark said, holding up a large plastic tube.
“Oh yeah,” Christina said. She recognized it immediately. Mark was holding a LifeStraw, a drinking device that filtered dirty water directly from the source. It was a welcomed sight, considering their own supply of LifeStraws had been destroyed in the fire.
“And just where have you been all day?” Janice asked with a stern look on her face.
“I was hanging with my new friend, Leo. He's really cool. He gave me this. We're LifeStraw buddies,” Mark answered, talking loudly.
Janice shushed him. “Come and sit on the bed and quiet down. We're guests here, remember? We don't want to make a scene.”
Shane, Sally, Jacklyn, and Jeff watched them from their bunks. They soon lost interest and went back to their books. Danny was nowhere to be seen, having been assigned kitchen duty again for the remainder of the night.
“We had a great time out there on the shooting range today,” Shane said to Sally. “I think I'm getting better.”
“Yeah, me too,” Jeff said.
“Oh please, Jeff, you're a natural,” Shane said. “I'm telling you, Sally, this guy's like Annie Oakley.”
“Who's Annie Oakley?” Sally asked.
“She was a famous sharpshooter from the old west,” Jacklyn answered, rolling her eyes.
Sally wrapped her arms around Shane and hugged him, looking at Jacklyn the entire time. “At least one of us is dating a sharpshooter,” she said.
Suddenly, the door creaked open as James entered the room. Everyone looked up. “Dinner time,” he said.
“Where have you been all day?” Mark asked, almost shouting loudly from his bed.
James gave him a curious look, knowing something was off. “I've just been doing my thing,” James said. “I'll explain everything later. If you guys want a plate, you better move, it's going fast.” He walked off as everyone got up from their beds and left the cabin.
The dining tent was crowded, and there was a certain energy in the air. A line of men holding paper plates stood in the middle of the tables leading to the serving station. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes were on the menu that night. Meatloaf was a considerable delicacy, given the dwindling food supply. James walked in as everyone else from the cabin followed. Mark groaned at the length of the line.
“I told you,” James said. He then took notice of Christina's tear-streaked face, and walked closer, as if to console her. “Are you OK?” he asked.
“I just know something's wrong,” she said, holding back tears. “They shouldn't be taking so long. They should be back by now. Oh Lord, why did I let them leave?”
James placed his hand on her shoulder. “They're fine. They're just taking longer than expected. If I
know Terrance, nothing is going to stop him from getting back here.”
“I know,” Christina said as a tear streamed down her cheek. “I'm on pins and needles here. I can't take much more of this.”
“Give it another day,” James said, hugging her. “Have faith in them. I know that I do.”
After everyone was seated at the long dining table, Russell and Kyle walked in. The regulars gorged without taking much notice. Mark hungrily ate alongside them, seated next to his new friend, Leo. Janice picked at the meatloaf, not sure what to make of it. She had seen a hundred different variations of meatloaf before, but it still looked strange. Paula wasn't too crazy about it either. It looked more like SPAM than anything else. Janice took a bite and nearly winced. It tasted a little off despite her hunger. She decided to eat the mashed potatoes instead. One of the bearded men across from her took notice of her pickiness.
“Uh, you gonna eat that?” he asked, pointing at her plate with his fork.
Janice looked down at the meatloaf. “This, um, no, you can have it.” She pushed her plate over to him. He stabbed the slice of broiled spongy meat and moved it onto his plate. Janice resumed eating her potatoes. They were good enough.
“Here you go,” Paula said to another of Russell's men, following Janice's example.
“Paula!” Christina snapped. “Don't waste food.”
Russell took his place near the serving station. All eyes were on him. Kyle placed a small podium on the ground for him to stand on. After taking a step up, Russell looked at the people before him with a fierce intensity. It was time for their nightly pep talk. It would be the first one that the new arrivals had the pleasure of witnessing. James waited with conflicted anticipation. He was wary of someone like Russell having so much unquestioned power, but was still willing to listen and see if he made any sense.
Russell began by wishing everyone well and telling them that he was proud of all their hard work. “And for that, I want to reward you,” he continued. Janice began squirming.
“We were saving this meatloaf for a special occasion. Tonight we have new guests who you may have gotten to know. They heard our radio transmissions and came to us in need. That is what we are here for.” Most of the listeners hung onto his every word, bobbing their heads in agreement.
End Days Super Boxset Page 197