Savage Mist

by Jason Merchant

  He told Julie the next morning, she barely understood, crying, demanding to be taken to her parents. He had no idea what to do with her, but he knew she needed him, he knew he couldn't fail her. He took her into his arms and held her, for the first time since the call from the deputy, he cried. In the blink of an eye Jake went from godfather to parent.

  As the years went on, Julie became a rock for Jake, she was strong and independent. Jake tried to be protective but would always be left feeling as though he were overreacting; he couldn't protect what didn't need protection. He tried to be the best caregiver he could but once Julie hit 12 years old, she did more cooking, cleaning, and laundry than Jake did. She never asked if anything needed to be done, she just did it. She excelled at most things she did from adolescence to adulthood, her work ethic and dedication were flawless.

  Julie had graduated and received a scholarship to the University of Colorado, she was now a junior and Jake had finally felt comfortable enough to accept the fact that she left the nest for good. Jake never married or had kids of his own, he dedicated his life to Julie and his business. Now that she was on her own, Jake decided to sell the hardware store and retire. He had built up a very generous savings and the money from selling would allow him to live comfortably throughout his retirement. After selling the business, he decided to take a short trip to Seattle, he lived in Lewis county all his life and never once traveled to the city. It would be an opportunity to see what he missed his whole life and maybe get a little bit of that “culture” everyone kept telling him he needed, if nothing else, it was a much-needed change in scenery.

  The troop carrier came to a stop and the rear door opened downward into a ramp, 4 soldiers with rifles pointed at the group and began giving orders in Chinese. The group put their hands up but looked confused as to what the soldiers wanted, Xavier made the first move and slowly stood up and walked out of the carrier. The rest of the group followed and were promptly forced to their knees as they exited. An older and higher-ranking soldier walked over spoke to Officer Smith.

  “You are a police officer?”

  Officer Smith didn't respond, she avoided eye contact and kept her head down. The Chinese Officer smacked her with his opened hand and instructed one of his subordinates to escort them all into a nearby office building.

  The Chinese had set up a makeshift detention center inside the building near the waterfront, it was separated from the rest of the military equipment stationed in and around the area. As they were escorted down the street along the sidewalk, they heard gunfire nearby, helicopters seemed to operate freely in the city and defensive equipment and structures were already being put into place. They entered a building with armed soldiers guarding every exit and were hurried up the emergency stairs and onto the second floor. A trail of blood ran down the length of the hall from several of the rooms including the one they were moved into. Everyone’s hands and feet were restrained with zip ties and they sat on the floor, the blood had not been cleaned and the room smelled of it. There was a large pile of office furniture against the windows obscuring the view, the room had been cleared with the purpose of holding people.

  The soldiers left the room and closed the door behind them, they seemed to almost dare the group to try and escape. Xavier immediately began looking for a method to do just that, whatever he was going to do needed to be quick before they moved or separated them. Regina scooted over to Xavier and whispered to him, she told him to look at Officer Smith. She was quiet and sitting alone several feet from the group, she was scared and had given up hope. Xavier stood and hopped over to her and sat beside her. “They’re going to torture you, I know it sounds harsh, but you need to hear it because you need to prepare for it. I don't know what they’re going to do or what they want from you, but you have to stay alive. Make whatever you do about living and not about stopping the pain, the longer you live the better the chance something could happen in your favor.”

  She lifted her head and looked at Xavier,

  I’ve been a cop for 3 years, everyday I'm proud to get up, put on the uniform and get the bad guys. I never thought in a million years there would be a day that I regretted being a cop, I never thought there would be a day where I’d get into a situation that my brothers and sisters couldn't save me from. This is the Chinese military on US soil and to them I'm an enemy combatant, not a civilian, they’re going to kill me.”

  Xavier knew there was nothing he could say to ease Officer Smith's mind or give her courage, she wasn't weak, she was just fully aware of who she was dealing with. She was a city police officer and had dealt with the worst society has to offer, this was just something she would need find a way to survive on her own. Xavier stood up and began searching the room for anything useful, if they did kill Officer Smith when they exhausted their need for her, the rest of the group would suffer the same fate.

  Two soldiers opened the door and walked into the room, they had no rifles, only side arms. They moved directly toward Officer Smith, she began to cry and begged them not to hurt her. They stood her up and positioned themselves on each side of her and waited, seconds later a Chinese Officer entered. He stood in the front of the room and took a long look at the group, then he cleared his throat and began to speak in English with a thick accent.

  “My name is Major Zhou, the People's liberation Army is here to liberate the American people from the tyrannical government that has oppressed and abused its citizens. We mean you no harm, however we will not tolerate disobedience or anyone who becomes a threat. The United States government has a long history of intervening in the affairs of countries all over the world jeopardizing stability, peace, and growth, we are here not only to liberate you, but the world. It is a multilateral effort led by Russia and China, the United States government will fall.”

  The group could only look at each other with pure disbelief, it didn't make any sense to them. Where were our forces? Why were the Chinese here without a fight? He began to pace about the room as he went further into detail.

  Your government has been hiding its agenda from you, as a result you are unaware of the realities that exist in the world at this moment. The United States has been instigating a world war and has managed to succeed, but what they have failed to calculate is the growing desire of a world free of their reign. Half of the United States Naval fleet is in the South China Sea with its Allies fighting over disputed territory, North Korea will be launching a missile barrage and land assault in a matter of hours, the southern Peninsula is not prepared. Russia has already moved forces into Syria and Iraq and are moving into the Ukraine as we speak. Iran is preparing an invasion of Israel and will be aided by the Saudis and the Iraqis; The United States will be unable to help them. And now, The People's Liberation Army is on American soil, virtually unopposed. The entire western seaboard of the United States is unprotected, your country has obviously withdrawn its assets to protect its interior. No one will come for you, the life you know of is now history, your only choice is submission.”

  Jake stood up and began shouting at the Major Zhou,

  “There is no way in hell the United States of America would allow you communist dirt bags to get away with this, when our boys get here, they're gonna make souvenirs out of your low budget Army toys and then, they're gonna turn that elderly ass mother Russia and your wannabe republic into a big ass Wal-Mart with Chick-fil-a right at the entrance!”

  The Major nodded over to one of his soldiers who darted toward Jake, he struck him with the butt of his pistol and split his head open. Jake fell to the floor and tried to crawl away from the soldier, the Officer halted him just before he struck Jake a second time.

  “I will say this one more time, disobedience will not be tolerated. You will accept the generosity of the Chinese people, or you will die.”

  The Officer left the room and his soldiers followed bringing Officer Smith along with them, the rest of the group was left to process what they had been told.

  Xavier went over to Jake to ch
eck on his wound, he was bleeding moderately from the head. Jake pulled a bandana from his back pocket and handed it to Xavier, he used it to apply pressure. Xavier told him the bleeding would stop in a little while. Lisa asked the group what to do next, Sheila responded with “break out.” Xavier was sure the Chinese had no use for them, he knew breaking out was the only way to survive. Regina asked Xavier, “Why did he come here and give that speech if he’s just going to kill us? Maybe we should wait.”

  Xavier shook his head,

  “No, he’s playing the good guy to get our cooperation, who knows what they're doing to Officer Smith right now. We can’t trust them, you saw the blood in the hallway.”

  Carly angrily interrupted,

  “You know what? You can't make the decisions for all of us, you already got my sister killed along with a bunch of other people, and then you got us captured. You're a curse, everyone around you seems to die. I’ll take my chances cooperating, if they wanted us dead, that's what we’d be, dead.”

  Xavier understood her anger, but she was wrong, this was war and the Chinese would not babysit such a small group.

  “Carly, the only reason we’re alive right now is because they're going to kill us one by one until they get whatever information they want from Officer Smith. It’s a mistake to think otherwise.”

  “No, it was a mistake to follow you.”

  Charles leaned over to his mother and whispered in her ear “I have to go potty.” Lisa wasn't sure what to do. Carly overheard them and suggested they just tell the guards, Lisa didn't want to anger them, but they might be angry if he went on the floor so why not ask? She hopped over to the door, knocked with her knee and backed away, the guard opened the door and said something in Chinese. She gestured over to Charles and repeated the word “bathroom,” they didn't understand what she was saying but they saw Charles squirming from side to side with his knees together and put two and two together. One of the guards pushed Lisa against a wall while the other walked in and grabbed Charles by the collar of his jacket and dragged him out of the room, Lisa began screaming and begging them not to hurt Charles. He kicked and screamed for his mom, but she couldn't help him, the other guard pushed Lisa onto ground and backed out of the room. She laid there crying and screaming for her son, he was ripped from her and she didn't know where they were taking him.

  The door swung open seconds later and the two guards threw Officer Smith into the room, still bound at the legs and wrists she fell to the floor. The guards turned and walked out of the room, Lisa began screaming “where’s my son?” But they ignored her and shut the door. Xavier moved over to Officer Smith and asked if she was okay, she was but she knew they weren't done with her. Xavier asked her what they did, “just asked questions” she replied.

  “They seemed really interested in the infected people, they spent a lot of time asking if I knew what happened to them. I’m still not sure what they think they're going to get out of me, I don't know nearly as much as they think I do.”

  Carly sat quietly listening to them, she seemed angry, she was a ticking time bomb.

  “Maybe you need to tell them to come get our fearless leader here, he thinks he knows it all. I say you sacrifice yourself hero, let the real hero lead us while you go get the Chinese treatment.”

  Xavier didn't bother looking in Carly's direction, nothing he said would end her resentment.

  A few moments later, the door opened, and the guards shoved Charles into the room, Lisa moved toward him and inspected him as thoroughly as she could with her hands tied. He was okay but shaken up, he kept saying he wanted to go home over and over. Lisa asked him where they took him, he buried his face in her chest and begged to go home. Sheila noticed blood on the bottom of both of his shoes, she pointed it out to Lisa. She asked him again where the guards took him, he looked up at her with his face completely wet with tears.

  “They took me to the bathroom, but it smelled really bad and there were dead people on the floor mommy. I told them I wanted to leave, and they kept shouting at me and one of them hit me, and I had an accident, I’m sorry mommy.”

  Lisa broke into tears and tried to comfort him, she turned to Xavier.

  “Whatever your plan is to get out of here, I’m in. I have to get my baby out of here.”

  Xavier noticed a metal filing cabinet tipped over on its side, the bottom edge was rusted and rough. If he could get enough time alone he could use it to cut the plastic zip tie that bound him, he could then free the others and make an escape attempt. He positioned himself on his knees with his back to the cabinet. He forced the center of his restraints onto the edge of the cabinet and began applying friction. He worked at it for a few seconds before the door opened and Major Zhou entered the room, he stopped and gave the Officer all his attention as they waited for him to speak.

  The Major walked over to Officer Smith and pulled her to her feet, he turned her so that she faced the group.

  “I want you all to take a look at your so-called protector, she is broken and useless. It is not her fault, she is this way because her government abandoned her, the same government that has abandoned you. If she wishes to have your lives spared she need only cooperate and give us the information we need. But she refuses, because she is still loyal to the very government that has forsaken all of you.”

  Xavier interrupted the Major “What information are you looking for?”

  The major walked away from Officer Smith toward Xavier, examining him for the first time since their arrival.

  “Are you a police officer?”

  Before Xavier could answer, Carly spoke up with anger and sarcasm in her voice.

  “No, he’s a soldier. He’s our hero.”

  Major Zhou took as confirmation the disappointment on Xavier's face, he ordered him and Officer Smith be brought with them. He left the room and the guards escorted the two out into the hall.

  They were taken up to the 4th floor and into what was once a small office with desks and cubicles, there were two chairs in the center of the room facing each other. The soldiers gestured for both Xavier and Officer Smith to remove their clothes, they hesitated until one of the soldiers punched Officer Smith in the stomach. They were tied to the chairs and mocked by the soldiers, Officer Smith began to cry. One of the soldiers revealed a wooden box with several sharp instruments and syringes, Officer Smith tried telling them they didn't know anything, but the soldier ignored her. He walked over from his table of instruments to the door and knocked, the guards opened it and he left. Xavier began trying to bounce his Chair over to the instruments, “Just stop!” Officer Smith said.

  “Even if you get yourself free, you’ll never make it past all those armed soldiers out there.”

  “They’re going to torture us for information we don't have, at some point we’re going to have to make a move.”

  “We can’t go pissing these guys off already, what if they're really here to help and not harm us?”

  Xavier knew the chances of the Chinese having good intentions with them were slim but without Officer Smith's help, he couldn't escape.

  They sat there naked for 5 to 10 minutes worrying about what was to come, there were no noises from out in the hall and no one had so much as checked on them. Xavier could see Officer Smith was afraid, so he tried talk to her.

  “What's your first name?”

  “Heather…. could you not look directly at me? I mean...”

  “Absolutely, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to…. never mind.”

  The door opened and in came Major Zhou, he brought the soldier who owned the torture box with him.

  Major Zhou remained stern and professional even in the presence of an attractive nude woman, he barely looked at her, but the same could not be said for the soldier who accompanied him. His soldier nodded to him as if to signal he was ready, the Major then began to speak.

  “I am going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer them truthfully, if you do not, Sgt. Li will hurt you. Simple, right?�
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  He came close to smiling, as if anxious to see the two in pain. Heather responded to the Major,

  “You said you were here to liberate us, you said you were the good guys.”

  Major Zhou laughed, “I am here to liberate the people from the corrupt U.S. government…you two represent that government. Let’s get started, shall we?”

  Major Zhou began pacing back and forth between Xavier and Heather. He stroked his chin and looked to the ceiling as he formulated the first question.

  “What was said to your people that convinced so many to storm our forces unarmed?”

  Xavier spoke to the Major, “I guess your Russian partners failed to communicate to you their plans to use chemical warfare on us.”

  The Major looked perplexed for a second, as if to entertain the possibility that Xavier was right.

  “Why is your military not here for battle?”

  “We’ve been wondering the same thing.”

  Jamal moved over to Jake and spoke in a whisper to him, he didn't want Carly to overhear them.

  “Hey man, are we gonna get out of here or is everyone giving up? I don't trust these dudes man.”

  “I don't think we should make a move yet, they have Xavier and, oh yeah, All the guns. Sit tight kid, we aren't going anywhere.”

  Regina scooted over toward Jamal and Jake, Sheila followed. Regina said to the other three,

  “We can't trust Carly, she's not with us.”

  Sheila agreed “We need to make some kind of plan.”

  “Whatcha got?” Jake replied, “because we don't have squat to work with sweetie.”

  The door opened, and three soldiers entered the room. They were half in uniform with fatigue bottoms, boots and no shirts. They each were smoking cigarettes and displayed no worthy trait of a trained soldier. They took notice of Charles and began to point and laugh at him, teasing him in Chinese. Lisa attempted to position herself between the men and her son, one of the men laughed and then grabbed her by the hair and began speaking to her softly, but angrily with his face only inches from hers. Jakes first thought was to get up and defend the young mother and her son, but the men had not yet displayed intent to harm anyone, so he waited.