by Jack Hunt
Once we had slipped into the army fatigues we set out towards Stockdale. Billy kept griping about his being too big. He rolled up the sleeves and pant legs but even then they looked really baggy on him. There was only one reason we had done that and that was to avoid getting shot on our way into town. At least if there were any further snipers they would see the uniform and probably not give us a second look.
It was a good ten minutes before we arrived. We avoided the main road and kept to the farmers’ fields. All along the road there were vehicles parked. Some had dead people hanging out of the sides. The smell of death lingered in the air.
Noise came from the town. At least four old trucks rumbled through the streets but there could have been more. We took cover behind one of the buildings and worked our way around the back. We hadn’t got within a few feet of the next building when two soldiers came out of nowhere and pushed their guns in our faces.
“Drop your weapons.”
I released my grip and the AR clattered against the ground.
They pushed us forward with the tips of the barrels and then had us turn around.
One of them smirked. “Did you really think you were going to waltz in here without one of our men spotting you?”
“Actually, yeah,” Billy replied.
The soldier scowled at him.
“Ricardo and Farrell. Where are they?”
“Okay, it’s a long story but…” Billy was about to say something when one of them smashed him in the face with the butt of his gun. He fell to the ground nursing a bloody nose.
“Hey!” I yelled and pushed forward but was shoved back into place.
“Where are they?”
“They are back at the field.”
“Dead?”
Billy looked at me. We both knew how this was going to end. The very second we told them; they were going to pump us with a round.
“No, we tied them up.”
The one soldier chuckled. “You expect us to believe you overpowered Ricardo? Farrell, ah, I could see him being taken down but not Ricardo. That guy had eyes like a snake.”
I shrugged. “I’m just telling you what—”
Before I finished what I was saying I saw Hank and Reynolds over the man’s right shoulder. They were coming up the rear. Both of them had knives. I broke into a cough hoping to mask the sound of their feet. Not that I could hear them but the closer they got the greater the chance of them being heard.
“Actually we can take you to them if you want.”
I pointed in a direction and that distracted them for a split second. That was all Hank needed. They raced up, and a second later the men’s throats were slit and gushing blood. They collapsed bleeding out and gurgling, until Hank drove his knife deep into the man’s heart. Reynolds did the same.
“Let’s go.”
We followed them around the back of the bank and down an alley to a fire escape. We went up first and they came after. Once on top we had a better view of the town itself. It was super small. How anyone managed to not lose their mind in a town like this was beyond me.
“Keep low.”
Hank placed his hand on my back and we all crouched down and shuffled over to the edge.
“What are you guys doing?”
“We thought you might need some help.”
“And the uniforms?”
“A little trouble.”
Hank returned to looking down the street. Another three trucks came up. The back part of each truck was covered by green material making it impossible to see what they were transporting. The smell of fumes rose in the air and about ten soldiers walked alongside the trucks as they moved through the streets. They were watching the windows and keeping an eye open for anyone who might attack.
“Who are they?”
“The Commander’s men. This is the sixth load of trucks that has passed through here in the last three weeks. We think they are carrying supplies and weapons that they have gathered together from surrounding towns. They are using Hayden as a central hub for their operation. A month back we were collecting canned food and two trucks came through. They only reason we know what’s inside is because they stopped outside the hunting store and took in two green military boxes. They returned and loaded it on the back of the truck. They basically wiped out whatever was inside that store. We also saw more people in the back. They are collecting them and bringing them into Hayden.”
“Why didn’t you try to stop them?”
He swiveled around and placed his back against the wall. “That’s the problem, we don’t have enough firepower. When we escaped we didn’t have a chance to grab much more than a few rifles, handguns and the odd AR but that was it. We were outnumbered and they had far more firepower than us. So we have been monitoring these trucks heading into the town. Trying to see if there is a pattern. So far the last two loads have arrived on a Wednesday. One in the morning and one at night. Which means there is one more load arriving later today.”
“And if you can get your hands on them?”
“We’ll take back the town. Since they arrived, we have taken out a large number of them and grown as a group. There are more than enough of us.” He paused. “There is a chance that some of us will die but our people are willing to do whatever it takes to get their families back.”
We pulled away.
“Come on, we need to head out. The horses, where are they?”
“Loose in the field. Probably gone by now.”
“No worries. There’s nothing we can do now but we at least know what direction they are coming from and we will be ready to take the next load.”
CHAPTER 18
When we made it back to the camp, the wife of Bobby looked past us to see where the others were. Hank approached and muttered a few words into her ear, then she collapsed into his arms. Tears streaked her face and others looked on feeling her loss. We were living in a new world now where each day could mean life or death.
Every day meant coming to an acceptance that it might be our last.
I had made my peace with God. Then again, my life had never been one of comfort. As Hank and Reynolds tried to keep those in the camp calm, Billy and I went back to our tent to update the others on what had taken place.
“They want to what?”
“Raid the next load of trucks. They are going to be coming through Stockdale this evening.”
Luke shook his head.
“If you have something to say, say it. I’m sure we would all like to hear.”
Luke reached for a crutch that someone made for him out of a large branch. They had padded the top with some cloth. He slipped it under his arm and hobbled over.
“If they contain anything of value, you can bet your ass it’s going to be protected by armed men.” He motioned with his head. “Look at them out there. These people aren’t prepared for this. Hell, we aren’t.”
I closed the gap between us. “You said the same thing about the people of Mount Pleasant. And look who came out?”
“Fifty people, big deal. And besides we were fighting skinheads. These are professional military guys we are going up against.”
Corey pitched in. “Hold on, we don’t know that for sure. Yeah, they are wearing fatigues but they could have nabbed them from any hunting store in the area. For all we know, we might be just dealing with weekend warriors.”
“Take a seat and shut the fuck up, Corey.”
Corey glared at him.
“Was that necessary?” Ally asked Luke. He sneered back with an expression of defiance.
“Look, I think we fared pretty well back in our town. You don’t know what a person is capable of until they are pushed into a corner. These people have family and friends in Hayden that need to be saved. This isn’t just about Murphy or Shaw anymore.”
Luke scoffed and walked back to his bed. “Yeah, yeah. Good old patriots, the heart and soul of America. What a crock of shit.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry, do you, Tiny Tim,” Corey said. Luke spun ar
ound on his good leg.
“One leg or none, I will put you through the floor if you open your mouth again.”
“You’ve got some serious anger issues, brother,” Billy said.
“And you.”
I stared at Luke and then asked the others to leave the room. They cast a glance my way, nodded and went out. I went over to the doorway and folded down the thick blanket that had been tacked to the top to provide some privacy.
Luke staggered on his good leg back towards his bed.
“Let me guess, this is where you give me the big speech,” he said.
“No. That would be pointless.” I took off my jacket and tossed it down. “Let’s go.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“Well, you were giving it the big talk, saying how you could take out Corey with one leg. So let’s do it. Let’s settle this shit right now. Because this is nothing to do with them. It’s to do with you and me. You’ve been aching to throw a punch since we left Mount Pleasant. Hell, I thought you might have had the balls to do it in the bunker. But, Dan would have stopped you, maybe even Murphy. But come on. There’s no one here now.”
“Piss off before I do some real damage.”
He hobbled back to his makeshift bed. Against better judgment or not, I walked over to him and grabbed him by the back of the collar and tossed him a few feet away. He landed hard and let out a groan.
“What the hell, man, I’m injured.”
“Get up and let’s go.”
A look of fury came over his face. I didn’t want to fight him but I knew if he didn’t get this out of his system, he was going to kill himself or worse, one of us in the process. He was reckless and allowing his prejudice and anger to get the better of him. It was funny to see how he changed his tune once someone stood up to him.
He snarled and rose to his feet, hopping over on one leg. He took a wide hook punch and collapsed on the floor. I didn’t even need to block it. I just moved out of the way.
“The only way we are going to survive this, Luke, is if we work together. That means dropping your woe is me attitude and stepping up to the plate.”
He spat on the ground and clawed his way back up onto his one good leg.
“I will break the damn plate over your head.”
He grabbed at his stick and lashed out at me so fast I didn’t even have a chance to move out of the way. It hit me in the side of the face and I fell to the ground. He followed through with multiple beatings until I managed to grab a hold of it and yank him to the floor.
There on the floor we parried each other’s blows as we fought for control.
If it meant taking a few hits on the chin, getting bruised up and cut to put it to rest, I was more than willing. When Hank came into the tent, both of us were sitting with our backs against the makeshift beds and panting hard. No one had won, we just gave up. Luke got this look in his eye and I knew he didn’t want to continue. Like a kid with pent-up frustration he had finally got it all out.
Hank’s eyes darted between us. “What the hell happened to you two?”
Luke cast a glance over at me, and I smirked with a cut lip.
“Get your shit together, we are moving out.”
CHAPTER 19 - MURPHY
I had lost track of time. Ever since the attack at the bunker I hadn’t stopped thinking of ways to bust out of the heavily armed prison that they had erected. The fencing was eight feet high with barbed wire along the top. They had separated men from women but I could still see Shaw wandering around a few yards away. I watched as the guards came each day and removed two or three women. They would be gone for an hour or two and then they would be returned. Sometimes they had fresh bruising on their faces, other times they were in tears. I didn’t want to imagine what they were doing but I had an idea.
War brought out the worst in people. It was the lack of oversight by anyone that made the few do whatever the hell they liked. And it was only a few.
Those I’d served alongside in the military were good men. They had a moral compass even if they were willing to kill to protect our country. No one in the team ever overstepped the line and killed for the pure heck of it. But I had seen it. Long before joining the SEALs I had served two tours as a Marine, that’s where I had first met Dan. Both of us had been in the same training class and though Dan later went on to become a Ranger, our friendship never faded. It had been forged in the heat of battle.
Contrary to popular belief, a SEAL’s strength is found with his team. Strip that away and a SEAL could be resourceful and survive but they wouldn’t thrive the way they did when they worked with the others. That was what had been drilled into us from the first day of boot camp. It didn’t matter how much muscle you had, how smart you thought you were, if you didn’t work together you didn’t come home.
I sat picking at the dusty ground, looking at the others. An older man sat nearby feeding a mouse some of the food they had given us. It was minimal, just enough to keep us alive. All attempts at escaping were pointless. If the barbed wire on the first fence didn’t cut up a person, they were shot before they got over the second. These guys knew what they were doing when they built this enclosure. I had seen badges for FEMA and had spoken to one of them. The guy was hesitant to talk at first but eventually he opened up and told me that their group was made up of deserters, ex-FEMA employees and Army Reserves.
“They did us a favor setting off those bombs.” The guard stood beside the fence smoking a cigarette. “The way I see it, this would have eventually happened. This whole country was like a stack of cards just waiting to be blown over. It didn’t matter who did it. There are so many groups that are against the government and the way they run this country. Hell, I worked for the military for fifteen years, taking orders, and I watched good friends of mine get their heads blown off, for what? Nothing.”
“I don’t think it’s for nothing,” I replied.
He snorted. “What’s the deal with you SEAL boys? You are all gung-ho and sucking at Uncle Sam’s titty as though it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Well, let me tell you, my father and his father fought and at the end of their term they just turfed them out. No help for folks with PTSD, no decent pension. It’s pitiful. Oh, but how they champion being all you can be. What a crock of shit. And I put up with it for fifteen years. When those bombs went off I thought it was over. I really was ready to die. That’s before the Commander came along.”
I scoffed. “Commander. He hasn’t earned the respect to be called that.”
“I know that you don’t like the situation you are in but it’s only temporary until he has gathered up enough resources and worked his way through you all.”
Murphy tossed a rock in front of him “What do you mean?”
“He’s pulling people in, finding out what they did for a living and what skills they have. Then he gives you a choice. You work with him or against him. Now someone like yourself. You should be fine. Not a problem. He needs good men. Men willing to fight and let me tell you, it’s not that bad. I thought with the power being down everything would go to shit but it has been the best thing that’s happened. We have generators, and anyone who is military gets taken care of. Three meals a day, any woman we want.”
“Any woman?”
He spat on the ground and took another puff on his cigarette. “You got to take care of the boys in this place. The Commander knows that. A little bit of pussy every now and again makes sure that we can do our job.”
“But you’re talking about taking a woman without consent.”
He glanced at me. “Oh come on, soldier. Are you telling me that out of all those missions you went on, you didn’t partake every now and again?”
When I said nothing he laughed.
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
I scowled at him. I knew what he meant. I had encountered my fair share of depraved Marines. Guys that took advantage of those in small villages that we came across. Even if you didn�
�t join them no one said anything. It was like an unsaid agreement. Everyone knew it happened, even the higher-ups. Hell, there were some that even encouraged it. War messed with the head. It made people unleash their anger in many ways. Some even justified it.
I shook my head as another a batch of women was taken out. Shaw hadn’t been taken yet, eventually she would and there was nothing I could do about it.
This place was worse than Guantánamo Bay.
CHAPTER 20
Hank had gathered together thirty men and women who were willing to ambush the vehicles as they passed through Stockdale. Only two of them had any military experience. The rest were regular folk who held down ordinary jobs in the town.
“We want to go with you,” I said.
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“And you’ve survived for six months out in this?”
“We had a little help. They are all dead now, except for two in Hayden.”
Hank was in the middle of loading up a bag full of ammo for his rifle. None of them had assault rifles. It was just your typical run-of-the-mill Winchester.
“What was your son’s name?” I asked.
He paused while filling his bag and I could see he was a little hesitant to answer.
“Brad. He was an officer. He’d only been with the department two months when they killed him. He was one of the first to die.”
“And you? Why didn’t they kill you?”
He hesitated before reply. “When the Commander first arrived, they could have taken the town by force but they didn’t know what they were up against. Initially they chose to take a diplomatic approach. At first there was no talk of taking guns. They eased into town and got established before making the rounds. They came under the false pretense that they were sent to help. I made it known to the residents that it was best to work with them. In many ways I’m responsible for families handing over their weapons. I’m responsible for my own son’s death.”
He continued filling a green duffel bag and then zipped it up.
“What about you? Where are your parents?”