by Jack Hunt
I left him puffing on his pipe. Over the course of the night I heard more gunfire but I had to trust that what they had established here worked. One thing for sure, it was good to be among friends.
As I leaned back on a bed of leaves, my mind eventually stopped racing and I eased into a deep sleep. That night my dreams were filled of the horrors of my past. I dreamt about the foster family that was eventually convicted for neglect. It didn’t take an apocalypse to create mean individuals, they already existed.
I awoke in the middle of the night to find Ally beside me. Hank had placed us in different shelters.
“What’s up, what’s the matter?” I said thinking that something bad was happening.
“Nothing. Can I sleep beside you?”
I frowned and that mustn’t have been the reaction she was expecting.
“Forget it.”
She went to leave and I grabbed her hand. “It’s okay.” Ally turned back and I pushed myself back allowing her to get in close. Now there was a lot going through my mind but mostly, what the hell did this mean?
“Why are you awake?” I whispered to her.
“I couldn’t sleep. My mind won’t stop racing. All I can think about is my father.”
“He’s not dead, Ally.”
“I know but… with my mother gone… I can’t lose him.”
I listened to her talk about her past growing up with her father. She spoke fondly of him and yet I got a sense that her only security came from her mother. When her father was away overseas, her mother would tell her that Murphy might not come back. It was because of this that she never felt secure. She lived every day with a big question mark looming over her head.
“Tell me about when you were in foster care.”
“I’d rather not.”
She twisted over and looked at me. “Those burns on your lower back. How did that happen?”
I had never told anyone about my abuse. Not all the foster families were bad, but a few were evil.
“One of my parents wouldn’t use a belt when they disciplined. He would use a lit cigar. He felt that a belt was too gentle. The marks would eventually go away and I would forget what I had done, he would say. But a cigar… That could leave a person with a scar that would forever serve as a memory of wrongdoing.”
She frowned and shook her head slightly. “That’s awful. What could you have done that would deserve that?”
“Nothing. Their son was stealing money out of a jar on the counter for drugs. When he didn’t admit to it, they blamed it on me. Said it could have only been me. Anyway, I was taken into a back room, forced to strip naked and then he made me stand there until he had lit a cigar. Once he had it hot, he began burning me with it. He wouldn’t let me out of the room.”
I stared above me into space remembering it as though it was only yesterday.
“How many times did he do that to you?”
“I lost count. He only ever did it in areas that could be covered up. What you saw was only a few. There are many others.”
“Oh my god.”
“It’s okay, it didn’t last long. I soon put an end to it.”
“How?”
“I set on fire the entire trailer and ran away.” I scoffed. “I didn’t get far before the police found me. When they showed up at his place to deal with the fire they found his entire meth operation in the shed. He was put away, and I was sent back.”
“That’s terrible. I mean it’s good that you got away from him but I couldn’t imagine what that must have been like.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t the worst of what I went through.”
“Worst? People did worse?”
“I’m not even going to tell you. Let’s just say if it wasn’t for the quick action of a social worker, I probably would have taken my own life.”
There was silence between us for about ten minutes before Ally spoke again.
“Did you know your birth parents?”
“No. I was never told who they were. Just that it was a bad situation that I had been taken out of. Probably drugs or something.”
“And you don’t have any memory of them?”
I chuckled. “Ally, I’ve been in the foster system for as long as I can remember. I thought my first family were my real parents until they handed me back because they couldn’t cope.”
“What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me. Apparently they weren’t ready to be foster parents. They only realized that after the fact.”
“And what about the others?”
“Do you mind if we don’t talk about it?”
“Sure. Sorry.”
I shifted the subject to something else, anything else. “We should get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
There was silence for ten minutes. Ally would shift and press herself into me. I pulled a blanket over us and was about to fall asleep when I asked her one more question.
“Ally?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you here?”
“You want me to leave?”
“No. Just curious.”
She hesitated then replied. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about it?”
I smiled and closed my eyes.
CHAPTER 16
When I awoke the next morning, Ally wasn’t there. I looked over and could see Luke was up and hobbling around. I wiped sleep dust from my eyes and got up. For a bed that was made out of intertwined branches and leaves it was surprisingly comfortable. I could hear people outside talking.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Luke.
“Where’s my pants?”
“They had to cut them off you. I’m sure they’ll have something for you.”
Corey was snoring. Billy was already up. I wandered out into the daylight and was greeted by the sight of someone chopping wood. Another carried handfuls of logs over to two fires that were still smoldering. I stretched my limbs and looked up at a gray sky. Dark billowing clouds moved to cover what little blue could be seen.
“Where’s Hank?” I asked Billy who was in the middle of making some coffee in a pot over the fire.
“He and Reynolds went into Stockdale early this morning to get some more supplies,” a woman by the name of Abigail replied. She stirred the soup that was also on the fire and then took a sip of it with a wooden spoon. “Nope, needs more salt.”
“You got a cigarette?” I asked Billy.
He reached into his jacket and produced a packet. Once mine was lit, I wandered into the forest to take a leak. As I was standing there taking care of business I had a sense that I was being watched. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a face I hadn’t seen in years.
“Trey?”
“I can’t believe it,” he said.
I zipped up and turned around. Trey Stanton was another foster kid that had been bumped around the system. Like me. We had seen each other over the years and swapped horror stories. The last time was over three years ago, just before I ended up being sent to live with Brett. He gripped me by the shoulder.
“Good to see you. I mean, the situation could be better but hell, I never thought I would see your face again. Where did they send you?”
“Mount Pleasant. And you?”
“Stockdale. It’s a bit of a shithole but the parents are okay. Not that I need them now, being eighteen and all. I was just about to move out and get my own place when this all happened.”
“Why are you here?”
“A number of homes in Stockdale caught on fire when the Commander and his men breezed through town. I guess our community was a little bit too small for them so they took what they wanted and set the rest on fire. You?”
I brought him up to speed on what had happened over the last two years. We sat around the fire having breakfast and catching up on old times.
“You. A skinhead? I would have never imagined… Well, actually, let me rephrase that. I could see you going off the deep end.”
I laughed.
“And yo
u.”
“Yeah, okay but becoming a skinhead?”
“Not anymore.”
I ran my hand through my thick hair that had grown back over the past six months. I no longer wore clothes that associated myself with that group. Even the tattoo couldn’t be seen as I kept it hidden.
“So where are your parents?”
“My mother is still here but my father was killed in the attack.” He dropped his chin.
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Ah, shit happens, right?”
While we were chatting two men came into the middle of the group. “Listen up, Hank should have been back by now. We are looking to take a few men into Stockdale. Any volunteers?”
“I’ll go,” I said. I looked at Trey.
“I can’t. I have to be here to help my mother.”
“Count me in,” Billy said.
It didn’t take them long to round up five guys. They didn’t want to take too many and leave the camp exposed. I couldn’t see how that would happen. Taking a quick head count there had to have been at least sixty and that didn’t include the ones who were in the forest protecting the perimeter.
“What’s your name?” the man asked.
“Sam Frost.”
“Can you ride a horse?”
“Never tried but I learn fast.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay. See Nathan over there. He’ll get you squared away with one.”
Billy and I waited behind a few others as they were kitted out with tactical vests and then loaded up onto two huge horses.
“How hard can this be?” Billy said putting his foot into the stirrup and hoisting himself up on pure muscle. Once he had his other leg over he slipped and fell to the ground.
I chuckled and then nearly did the same thing. If it wasn’t for another guy who told me where to place my hands, I think I would have fallen. After a few quick pointers Billy was up and we were ready to head out.
I gave a nod to Ally who was sitting on a log with Kiera drinking coffee. Corey came out looking bleary-eyed and strolled off into the woods.
“You ready?”
“Yep.”
The horses galloped away down a trail that led out onto a vast green field. The speed of these creatures was stunning. I kept thinking that at any moment I was going to be thrown off the back and kicked in the face. The horse was responsive to even the slightest movement to one side.
“How long does it take to get there?”
“About twenty minutes by horseback.”
We pressed on over several large hills and passed through open sections of fencing that they had ripped down to ensure a safe and easy passage between the camp and town. As we got closer, the man at the front known as Bobby O’Brien told us to slow down, and then he guided us into an area that provided an expansive view of the town.
Stockdale was your typical small town. Though this one couldn’t have had more than five hundred people living in it. They had one gas station that was also a convenience store; a bank, a city hall and a grocery store. The rest was made up of small mom-and-pop stores and residential homes.
Bobby looked dead serious as he looked through binoculars.
“Anything?” Nathan asked.
“Nothing. I can’t even see their horses.”
He took off the hat he was wearing and wiped his brow. The sun was coming up and we could already feel the heat of the day bearing down on us.
“What do you want to do?” Billy asked.
“We’ll sit here until we see something.”
Billy snorted. “Are you serious, man? If they are in trouble, we should be down there.”
He glanced back at Billy with an expression that made it clear that he wasn’t going to be taking orders from someone who was far younger than him. It made sense playing the cautious card. Bobby slid off his horse and tied it to a wooden fence post.
“You going down there?” Billy asked.
“No, I’m going to take a piss. Is that okay with you?”
Billy shrugged and looked at me as if I was going to back him up. Nathan and Charlie were focusing on the town with their binoculars. I saw Bobby disappear behind a patch of thick trees. As my eyes drifted across the horizon. I saw something glimmer. It was very small at first and if the sun hadn’t caught it again, I probably wouldn’t have reacted so fast to what happened next.
A crack echoed through the valley and Charlie fell off his horse.
“Go. Go!” Nathan didn’t even get his words out when he was struck. Billy and I slid off the horses and dashed over to a field full off wheat. It was high enough to block the view of whoever was shooting at us. Bobby heard the sound and shouted for Nathan but he was already dead.
“Get down,” I yelled. I could see Bobby rushing up the field we had entered to see what had occurred. In the distance another glimmer of light came from the sun hitting the scope. I knew in that instant as Bobby made his way to the top of the hill he would be shot. I had a feeling my AR wouldn’t reach the sniper but at least I could take him off his guard. I shouldered it and focused in on the location where the light was reflecting. I fired a round, then a second. Using the binoculars that I had scooped up when Nathan came off the horse, I checked on the location of where the sniper was. While I was doing that Billy rushed out and tried to grab Bobby. Another crack of the gun but he missed this time. Bobby came barreling over and dived into the high wheat. He landed hard on the earth that looked like a dry lakebed.
“It’s coming from up there, at two o’clock.”
He snatched the binoculars out of my hands and took a look.
“Bastards.”
“Told you we should have gone down there.”
“Shut the hell up,” he spat back at Billy. Billy looked as if he was going to shit his pants.
The horses had raced down the field away from us. The only one that remained tied up was Bobby’s.
“If they come after us, we won’t make it back without a horse. I’m going to try to get mine and get more help from the camp.”
“It took us twenty minutes to get here, Bobby. By the time you get back we could be dead.”
“Hide in the wheat. I have to get the others.”
Without hesitation he rushed out across the field towards his horse. Within seconds he had untied it and turned it around. He stayed low as the horse begun galloping up the field. We watched with bated breath as he bounced up and down and then crack. Another shot resounded. As Bobby slipped off the horse, his one foot remained in the stirrup. The horse dragged him up the hill and off into the forest.
“Crazy idiot,” Billy said. “I knew he would get shot. Who the hell thinks they can escape a bullet?” Billy pushed his way through the long stands of wheat. I followed him and we stayed in that field until we reached a broken fence. We stepped over it and made our way into another field that was empty.
“Let’s go down to the town.”
“No, screw that. They obviously have Hank and the others and knew more would come. This is some kind of trap.”
“No, I think they positioned someone higher up the field to keep watch while their men went into town.”
As we trudged along we stayed close to the tree line. It wasn’t very thick but at least we were out of view. The chances of us getting shot from our right side were high because there was no coverage. Right now we were like sitting ducks just waiting for a bullet to hit. But we had no other choice except to hunker down in that field and wait for them to show up.
“They will collect the horses. Come on.”
We pushed our way through the trees until we could see the field that we had been in. Staying out of view we waited, and waited some more until he came into view. Sure enough, coming up the field with a rifle on his back was the shooter. He slipped under the fence and looked around cautiously before checking Nathan’s and Charlie’s bodies. He was wearing green army fatigues. I shuffled quickly out of the spot I was in with Billy directly behind me. Staying low to the ground we moved d
own towards the soldier while keeping out of sight. All I wanted to do was get within shooting distance. I came to an abrupt halt as he looked our way. Had there not been a large set of pine trees blocking the way, I was sure he would have spotted us. Pressing back against the fence I could now hear him trudging through the field towards the horses that were loose.
I moved into position, got down to one knee and brought my AR up. I focused in on his back as he was walking away. I breathed slow and told Billy to get ready. If I missed, we were going to have to unload as many rounds at him as we could and hope one hit the mark. When the gun went off and the man fell to the ground, Billy pumped his fist in the air.
“Yes! Now that’s shooting, baby.”
Billy went to get up but I yanked him back down. “Don’t be stupid. Wait.”
“What are we waiting for?”
A few minutes passed. His body remained motionless, then from out of an outcropping of trees came another soldier. He moved fast, keeping low to the ground and scanning the area.
“Get down.”
Our entire bodies were pushed into the dirt. We didn’t even look up as he ran past us on the other side of the fence. Moving fast, he checked a few more times and then rushed up to where his buddy was. No sooner had he bent down and turned his friend over, than I fired another round. This one hit the guy in the side of the neck. I didn’t aim for it. I was actually going for his chest but I missed. This time we didn’t wait as long. The only reason I knew there were two of them was because the sun reflected off their scopes. Had they covered them or moved into a different position maybe we wouldn’t have been as fortunate.
I slid under the fence and kept my AR shouldered as we moved up the field towards the two men. The one with the bullet in his throat was still alive. I crouched beside him.
“Do you have our men?”
He let out a gurgled sound as he choked on blood. I knew I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. I took out my Glock and placed it against his head. The look in his eyes seemed almost as though he wanted to be put out of his misery. I pulled the trigger and the shot echoed.
“What now?”
“We strip them.”
CHAPTER 17