“Two choices. We can look for another duct, or we can get the hell out of here before they surprise us with something we can’t survive.”
“Like?”
“Anything. Toxic fumes. Grenade. Booby trap. IED. Ambush. Gas.”
Uncertainty played across Hayden’s face. He shook his head. “We’re lucky we made it this far, aren’t we?”
“Not all of us did.”
Hayden shrugged. “Then let’s get out of here. We can come back with twenty men. No point in trying to crawl around in the ducts from here – they’re wise to that now.”
“That’s what I figure. We got most of them, anyway.”
“And we’ll be on alert in town, so they’re unlikely to do any more damage.”
“But there’s still the question of why.”
“We may never know the answer.”
Lucas handed Hayden his flashlight, and they made their way back along the corridor. Lucas tried each of the doors along the way, just in case one of their quarry had hidden inside and was waiting to bushwhack them. At the last chamber, he stopped dead and called to Hayden.
“Might want to look at this with your flashlight.”
Hayden cranked the flashlight again and directed the beam into the room. Crates of ammunition and ordnance lined the walls; Lucas could make out grenade launchers, mines, and enough bullets and M16 assault rifles to equip a battalion. Hayden let out a low whistle, and Lucas tapped his arm and continued toward the room where the Chinese had been working, Hayden following close behind. When they were inside, Lucas wedged a metal chair against the knob to slow any potential attackers, and dragged one end of a workbench beneath the open ceiling vent. Lucas climbed up first and pulled himself into the duct while Hayden covered him with his AR-15, and then once he was inside, the sheriff shouldered his rifle strap and did the same.
The return trip to the surface seemed to take twice as long, and when they reached the rope still hanging down the final stretch of shaft, the sunlight piercing the gloom was blinding. Lucas again took the lead and hauled himself skyward, and when his fingers locked on the rim at the top, he paused for a moment, gathering his strength, and then heaved his body up and out.
After bringing his M4 to bear and confirming the surroundings were clear of threats, he called down the shaft to Hayden, who appeared a minute later, his face slick with perspiration from the effort of climbing. Lucas retrieved his rope and coiled it neatly as Hayden eyed the tree line over the sights of his rifle, and after slipping the coil over one arm, Lucas moved to where the sheriff was standing.
“Nothing more we can do here. Let’s hope Ray didn’t decide to cut out early, or it will be a long walk back,” he said.
Hayden led the way to the main entry grid, where Ray was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at the locked barrier and walked toward the trees, Lucas following at a prudent distance and, when he reached the brush, called out in a stage whisper, “Ray! You there?”
Ray’s voice answered from his right. “Over here.”
Ray was waiting with the horses in another clearing, and when he saw only the two of them approach, his face fell.
“Mark?” he asked.
Lucas shook his head. “Didn’t make it.”
“I heard the gun battle. It was faint – like really muffled firecrackers. You must have been pretty deep. What happened?”
“We got a bunch of them,” Hayden said. “A few escaped, but it’s not like they have any place to go.”
They mounted up, Ray taking Mark’s horse, and Lucas rode point back to where the boats were beached. He swung down from the big stallion and unsheathed his knife and went to work on the rigging while Hayden and Ray watched in silence. Five minutes later, he had rendered the boats unusable, and he retraced his steps to Tango and climbed into the saddle.
“Back to town?” Hayden asked.
“Sounds good.”
“Why’d you cut all their lines?” Ray asked.
“If they try to take one of the boats, they’re out of luck,” Lucas explained. “They’re on foot, so they can’t get far. I want their options as limited as possible until we figure out what’s going on.”
Ray nodded. “Got it.”
“We’ll come back and post some guards. If they try to escape out the entrance or the vents, we’ll be waiting for them,” Hayden said. “They’re not going to get away. Not after blowing up our ammo depot and murdering Mark, they aren’t.”
The trail stretched along the hilltop, and they picked their way through the brush, the horses setting the pace, Lucas as tired as he could remember being, Hayden lost in thought. When Ray called out, it took them both by surprise.
“What the hell–” Ray exclaimed.
“What? What is it?” Hayden demanded.
Ray pointed out at the ocean, his eyes slits. “You see that? Smoke.”
“Smoke?” Hayden growled. “Are you sure? Looks like storm clouds to me. Bet we’re going to get soaked tonight. Probably a–” but Lucas cut him off.
“Hold up for a minute,” he said, and reined Tango to a halt. He slid from the stallion and walked to the top of the ridge, and then raised his binoculars and gazed at the sea. After a half minute he lowered them just as Hayden joined him. He wordlessly handed the sheriff the spyglasses and pointed into the distance at the source of what was definitely smoke.
Hayden looked through the binoculars for longer than Lucas, and when he returned them to Lucas, his expression was shocked, his complexion pale.
“Did I make that out right?” Hayden asked, his voice hushed.
“Yes. It’s a warship – a troop carrier ship, by the looks of it.” Lucas shrugged. “My grandfather was a big military buff. Had books on all the ships and vehicles.” He paused. “And while I don’t remember all the markings, it’s not one of ours.”
“It has fuel…”
“Obviously.”
“And it’s flying a red flag. Who uses a red flag?”
Lucas studied the ship again, and when he turned back to Hayden, his face was grim. “China. China has one.”
Hayden processed the information, and his eyes widened. “We need to get back to town and warn everyone.”
Lucas nodded. “That we do. But there’s your answer about what the Chinese were doing here. They wanted to eliminate the town’s ability to defend itself. That would explain why they’d kill a bunch of your best fighters, take out the doctor, and blow up the ammunition stores. Hard to put up a fight if you have no doc and no bullets.”
Hayden squinted at the ship. “I don’t understand. Why? Why would the Chinese be coming? That’s crazy.”
Lucas shook his head. “Elliot told me that Astoria was strategic because of its location at the mouth of the Columbia River. Whoever controls it controls Portland and, with that, most of the region.”
“You think they’re invading?”
“That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But it doesn’t. The radiation’s going to make the river unusable. And Portland…Portland’s finished. We were planning to move in a week anyway. Why would they invade a nuclear wasteland? What would they gain?”
Lucas frowned and pushed his hat lower on his forehead. “Maybe they don’t know about the reactor. If nobody told them, then they might think they’d be taking over the Pacific Northwest with hardly a shot fired. Even post-collapse, that’s a lot of natural resources to harvest for a country on the brink. If Chen was even close to telling the truth, China’s toxic and getting worse.” Lucas paused, thinking. “They must have done a deal with the Illuminati. That’s why Grant was here. Otherwise why station a mole in a rural town?”
Hayden let out a frustrated breath. “We’ve got to sound the alarm.”
“The ship’s probably, what, fifteen miles out? We don’t have much time.”
Ray came jogging up. “What is it?”
Lucas threw a final look at the ocean and began walking toward Tango. “The end of the world as we know it.”
Ray frowned at Hayden. “What’s he talking about?”
“A Chinese warship. It’ll be here in a few hours. We need to ride as hard as we can and tell the council.”
Ray watched the sheriff follow Lucas down the hill, his expression uncomprehending. He gazed out at the water, trying to make out the ship on the horizon, and then hurried for the horses. Whatever was happening had to be worse than anything he could imagine, judging by the actions of Lucas and Hayden, and especially the parting look on the sheriff’s face – an expression that struck Ray as terrified.
Chapter 47
The men pushed the horses to their limits and reached the town in record time. Hayden commandeered one of the guards’ radios and hailed the mayor and the rest of the council, and told them to meet him for an emergency meeting at an abandoned auto showroom near the gate. Lucas paced as he waited for the members to arrive, checking the time every few minutes, radiating nervous energy.
When all had shown up and were standing inside the showroom, Lucas gave them a summary of what had transpired at the base, finishing with the news of the warship bearing down on them. The men were obviously stunned by the report, and Hubert looked like he’d taken a gut punch by the time Lucas stopped talking.
The room erupted with voices, the council members arguing or demanding clarifications of one point or another, and Lucas shook his head with disgust. Hayden cleared his throat and, when that didn’t work, yelled for silence.
“We don’t have a lot of time to decide what to do. That ship will be at the mouth of the bay soon,” he said.
“You can’t just spring this on us and expect us to react that quickly,” Loren complained.
“Maybe you didn’t hear Lucas,” Hayden said. “The Chinese – the same Chinese that killed our men and blew up our ammo – are going to be here in a few hours, tops, and they’re not coming to wish us a happy Chinese New Year.”
“We can’t very well defend ourselves with our ammo stores destroyed,” Hubert said, his voice thoughtful. “Not for long, anyway.”
“There’s a storage room in the abandoned base with a ton of weapons and ammunition,” Hayden countered. “If we get a bunch of men and carts up there, we could hold off an army.”
Lucas shook his head. “If you take a stand here, you’re going to have a lot of people die over a piece of dirt you were planning to leave in a week or so anyway. Not sure that makes much sense.”
“What would you do?” Loren demanded.
“I’d tell everyone they have half an hour to gather what they can and get out of Dodge. I’d also let the tent city squatters know what’s coming their way so they can help if it comes down to an attack.”
“They’re nothing but lowlifes. There’s no way they’ll fight.”
Lucas shook his head. “You may be underestimating them. If it’s a matter of survival, they will. You just need to arm them so they can.”
“And if they turn their guns on us?” Caleb asked, his voice quiet.
“Then you’re no worse off than if the Chinese shoot you.”
Loren frowned at Lucas. “You’re assuming they’re hostile. Or even care about us. You can’t know that for sure.”
“True. But if you want to take control of the region, controlling the waterway to Portland would be a good way to go about it. That’s what they’re going to do. It’s why they sent an advance team here to soften you up. For all we know, they did the same in Portland and Seattle. You have to assume the worst, or you won’t live to see nightfall.”
“A whole town can’t just pack up and leave in a blink.”
Lucas held Loren’s glare. “It can if the alternative’s the working end of a bayonet.” He shook his head and surveyed the room. “Look. This isn’t my fight. I’m going to get Ruby and ride out of here. You do what you want. You asked my opinion, and I told you what I’d do; but if you want to wait like sheep, that’s your choice.”
Hubert scowled at him. “So you’re just going to cut and run? That figures.”
“Says the man who booted me out of town just a few hours ago. You people are delusional. They’re coming. If you’re here, they’ll kill you. No other way this is going to play. They want what you’ve got, which is this location. Make a stand here, and you’re going to die protecting a town that’s going to be Chernobyl pretty soon. Seems stupid to me, but what do I know?”
“Some of us grew up here,” Kendall protested.
“If you stay, you’ll be buried here.” Lucas turned and walked heavily to the door. “Look, if you want my help getting everyone on the trail to Newport, I’m willing to chip in. But if you’re going to waste what time you have arguing, I’m out of here. Nothing personal, but I don’t aim to die today.”
“You think we could get enough of the weapons out of the base to make a difference?” Hubert asked. “The Chinese will probably follow us and attack. It’s the only good argument for staying put – at least we know the terrain.”
“It’s worth a try. As to them following you, I’m not sure about that. I mean, they might; but if you get a decent lead on them, what would they gain? They’d have to stretch their supply lines, and they’d know you were aware of them, so there’s no element of surprise. Why would they walk into a fight if they could take the town without a shot fired, and proceed up to Portland? Which is what I’m sure they really care about.”
Kendall’s face darkened. “I can’t believe the U.S. is being invaded.”
Lucas gave him a perplexed look. “I don’t think they’re invading. I think the Illuminati did a deal with them to take over this area. Your man Grant was one of them.”
“They sold the country out?”
“They don’t care about concepts like countries. They want to control the world. I don’t think they’ll lose any sleep over the Chinese running this area if it keeps it under their influence. From what I’ve seen and heard of them, they’re international, and the U.S. is just one spot to them, with nothing special about it.”
Hubert called out, his voice surprisingly strong given his diminutive stature. “We have to vote. All in favor of pulling up stakes and moving now, raise your hands. No more debate. Whatever we do, it has to be now.”
Lucas continued walking to the door, leaving the town’s governing board to determine its fate. He climbed into the saddle and spun Tango around, and rode at a rapid clip to the hospital. Sylvia was there with Rosemary, and when Lucas saw the younger woman, a pang of guilt stabbed through his stomach. He took her aside and broke the news about Alex, and then held her while she sobbed against his chest. Sylvia joined them, and Lucas gently pushed Rosemary into her arms and left them to find Ruby.
When he entered her room, she was sitting up, that in itself a vast improvement. One look at Lucas’s face and she drew in a sharp breath.
“What is it?”
Lucas explained about the Chinese in a few sentences. “Time to get dressed and say your goodbyes, Ruby. You got your meds?”
“I do. Give me a minute and I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’ll ride over to the stable and get your horse saddled up. I don’t know what the town’s going to do, but I know we’re going to be long gone by the time the Chinese show up.”
“Sounds sensible,” Ruby agreed. “I’ll meet you over there. Don’t forget Jax. I’m not leaving him.”
“Sylvia can explain how to get to the stable.”
“I’m sure she can.”
Lucas left Ruby to get dressed, and was surprised as he walked out into the afternoon sun when Hayden rode up with a clatter of hooves. The sheriff swung down from the saddle and eyed Lucas from beneath the brim of his hat, and gave a grim smile.
“They want us to get the weapons.”
“Staying, or going?”
“Going. But well-armed. You still willing to help?”
Lucas looked around at the clapboard houses and was silent for a long moment. When he returned his eyes to the sheriff, his face could have been carved fr
om stone.
“You should light as many of the houses on fire as you can when you take off. Tell Hubert that. Leave them nothing – scorched earth.”
“Then you’re with us?”
Lucas nodded slowly. “Best get moving. I’ll be at the stable. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. You’d be smart to do the same. If you’re there with a dozen men, some rope, and some horse-drawn carts, I don’t suppose it would hurt to stop at the base. But I’m not waiting.”
Hayden returned the nod. “Didn’t expect you would.”
Lucas walked away, his thoughts on how things had strayed so far from the simple vaccine delivery he’d agreed to, and of his promise to Sierra and Eve to return unharmed. Sierra’s face loomed large in his imagination, faint laugh lines at the corner of her eyes crinkling when she smiled, and he felt a powerful urge to point Tango’s nose east and forget Astoria’s plight, to return home and ensconce himself in the love of his new family rather than risk his life for the umpteenth time on a speculative cause that wasn’t his.
He exhaled, his boots crunching on the brittle pavement, and shook his head.
Nothing had turned out the way it was supposed to. And now he was going back into the belly of the beast while an invasion force steamed toward him at flank speed.
If circumstances could have been worse, he had a hard time imagining how.
Thanks for reading The Day After Never – Insurrection,
(Book V in the Day After Never series.)
I hope you enjoyed it.
The next book in the series is The Day After Never – Perdition
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