“Thank you sir,” Benjamin replied as he stepped into the room. “Where is the deputy secretary, if you don’t mind my asking?” Benjamin said, trying to keep his voice light and unassuming.
“Oh, of course you’d be concerned with your boss. Let me assure you Benjamin you should be much more concerned with your own safety at the moment.”
Ben’s face turned stern and menacing. “Sir?” he said, with his voice deeper and darker than normal.
“I wasted time with the pleasantries earlier,” Henry spat, at the same time flicking his hand toward the wall.
Benjamin turned around, but he was too late. An agent moved in behind him and pressed a small, silver rod into his back.
A blistering wave of electricity surged through him. It felt like fire and acid as it coursed through his muscles making them contract and spasm. Benjamin wanted to fall, to collapse and scream out in pain, but he was frozen, unable to move as the searing electricity ripped through his body.
“That should be enough,” Henry said.
The agents removed the prong and Benjamin collapsed to the ground in a puddle of his own urine. He shook and gasped for air as his body tried to regain control. Everything was blurry and the voices he heard sounded far off and distorted.
“Now Benjamin if you could forego the theatrics momentarily, I’d like to ask you a question,” Henry started again. “Lenny, what do you know of him?”
Benjamin couldn’t speak, but he shook his head back and forth and grunted. Henry slammed his fists onto the coffee table in outrage. “Enough! Take his eyes, take them both.” Henry yelled.
One of the agents moved forward, but stopped when the elevator slid open with a loud ding. Another agent rushed into the room, his face full of excitement.
“Sir, they are here,” he said, trying to catch his breath.
“Take them both back to holding. I’ll deal with him later,” Henry said as he joined the other agent. “And bring me one of the young ones, we’ll need them now,” he demanded and then left the room.
Benjamin groaned as they hoisted him onto his feet. Dragging him by the arms, they stepped into the elevator and went up a floor. The elevator paused then moved again and stopped. The stopping and starting made Benjamin’s head spin and he went down onto one knee.
With a loud ding, the elevator doors slid open. Another group of guards stood outside with Robert held between them.
Benjamin tried to catch his breath and focus as one of the guards shoved him to the side. They dragged Robert into the cart and slung him onto the floor. Blood was still pouring from his eye socket as he threw his hand over it and grumbled lowly.
“Robert,” Benjamin gasped.
He didn’t respond, he simply moaned louder and shook in pain. With a jerk the elevator started moving again. Grimacing, Benjamin crawled to Robert’s side and grabbed his free hand. The agents looked to one another and laughed, but Benjamin ignored them.
“Stay with me sir,” he said with a raspy voice.
The elevator stopped again and more guards rushed inside. Hands wrapped around Ben’s arms as a loud voice boomed behind him.
“On your feet!” the agent yelled.
Dragging them at a hurried pace, they pulled Robert and Benjamin down the hall and into the holding area. Benjamin fell to the ground near the door as Robert staggered inside before collapsing.
“What the fuck?” Lenny yelled.
He ran to Robert and gazed at his blood stained face in shock. He tore a piece of his shirt and pressed it to Robert’s eye and then stole a glance at Benjamin. Robert started to moan and feebly kicked his legs.
Gloria screamed and Rebecca grabbed her. She tried to calm her down as Gloria started to cry hysterically.
“What happened to him? Robert, Robert!” she screamed
“Clean him up, and keep quiet,” one of the agents stammered and tossed a medical kit onto the floor. “You…you’re next,” he said and pointed at Javier.
Lenny jumped to his feet and suddenly dove at the man. He tackled him around the waist and they both fell to the floor. Another agent rushed toward him, but Benjamin had already shuffled to his feet and punched him in the face. He flew into the wall and slid down to the floor.
Maddox and Rebecca joined in the fight, tackling another agent and slamming his head into the floor repeatedly. Gloria seemed to come to life as the tussle ensued. She reached for the med kit and ripped it open. With shaking hands and tears streaming down her face, she taped a bandage over Robert’s missing eye.
Across the room Lenny and the other agent were still tangled in a deathly duel. Lenny slammed his elbow into the agent’s nose then scrambled and managed to get his gun. Without hesitation he let off a flurry of shots and the other agents crumpled to the ground.
“Let’s go!” Lenny yelled.
The last agent was still on the floor clenching his nose. Blood dripped down his hands and splattered into the air with each breath. Lenny dragged him to his feet and pushed him forward into the hallway.
“You’re gonna get us the hell out of here,” he stammered.
CHAPTER 21
ESCAPE
Bunched together like cattle they quickly moved down the hallway. Benjamin dragged Robert along with one hand around his waist the other clenching the gun he’d taken from the fallen agent.
“Open the fucking elevator!” Lenny said, banging the gun into the back of the agents head.
“It’s useless. We own the city, we own the planet.”
Lenny pressed the gun into the small of the man’s back. “I figure you can still feel pain. Don’t make me ask again.”
The agent placed his hand onto the metallic pad and the elevator opened. Without wasting any time they filed in and the doors slammed shut.
“Don’t’ even think about taking us anywhere other than topside,” Lenny told the agent.
He pressed the keypad and the elevator began to move upward. Benjamin shot a glance at Lenny and then tossed him the flannel shirt he’d been wearing. Lenny nodded then pushed the agent to the back of the cart. He slammed him into the ground and then wrapped the shirt around the muzzle of his gun.
Rebecca put her arms around Drew and Javier. She moved them towards the front and had them face the wall. Gloria squeezed Robert’s hand and closed her eyes.
With the pistol flush against the back of the man’s head, Lenny pulled the trigger. The muffled shot was dulled by the loud clanking of the elevator as the cables yanked it towards the surface.
Lenny unrolled the shirt and laid it over the agents head. He turned back around and tucked the pistol into his waistband.
“He’s right though, if what Robert said is true. There’s no way we make it out of the city,” Benjamin said with certainty.
“We still try,” Lenny shot back.
The cart screeched to a stop and the doors opened again. The familiar view of the convenience store greeted them on the other side. With Lenny in the front and Benjamin watching the rear, they quickly moved into the store and towards the front door.
It was quiet out front. The store was empty and Lenny figured no one had realized they’d escaped yet. As they rushed outside they saw the black Escalade still parked where they left it.
A wave of relief swept over them, the truck hadn’t been touched. The keys dangled in the ignition and their bags were still piled in the back with food and more guns.
One by one they hurried into the cabin. Maddox shuffled behind Lenny then he suddenly stopped and darted back into the store. Lenny called after him with a hushed scream, but he ignored him.
“What the hell is he doing?” Benjamin asked.
Lenny shrugged and stared after him. Moments later Maddox returned with bottles of water and canned goods in his arms.
“You never know,” he said as he passed Lenny and jumped into the SUV.
“Good thinking,” Lenny smiled.
“What now?” Rebecca asked as she helped Robert into the backseat.
&nb
sp; “Now we get the hell out of D.C.” Lenny said and jumped into the driver’s seat.
He closed the door and noticed Gloria standing on the rear passenger side. She was staring back at the store with a confused look on her face.
“Gloria!” Lenny said with his jaw clenched tight.
She didn’t move. Lenny started to get out of the car, but Javier leaned forward and yelled.
“Mommy!”
Gloria whipped her head around with a dazed look on her face. “I, I’m sorry,” she sighed and jumped into the truck beside Javier.
Lenny gave her a curious look and then pulled away and headed for the main road. It was nighttime and the city was lit up like a Christmas tree. The buildings twinkled and cars zipped down the roadway in streaks of whirling light.
“Keep your heads down,” Lenny whispered.
Just as many people were out on the streets as there had been the day they arrived. And that’s when Maddox noticed it.
“Slow down!” he suddenly yelled.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lenny shot back.
“Slow down! Slow down now!” Maddox said and leaned across the seat. “Look at them, look at the cars. It’s like they’re all connected, all moving the same way the same speed.”
Lenny slowly turned and stared out of the side window. Groups of people methodically strolled down the sidewalks like they were all riding the same escalator. They were like schools of fish drifting through a vast ocean. Some would stop, some would turn, but there was something very coordinated about it all. Like there was a singular force driving them forward.
All of the cars moved in unison too, at the same speed, the same distance apart. Every so often one would pull to the side and merge with another group, but it all seemed to have been orchestrated perfectly.
“We’ve gotta get off the main road,” Benjamin said.
“They…they control them, all of them,” Robert muttered in a groggy voice. “The whole city will be looking for us soon.”
“There!” Maddox pointed.
Lenny whipped the SUV to the right and down a narrow street. The road had a gradual decline and seemed to be taking them further and further away from the lights of the city.
“First Street Tunnel?” Benjamin asked.
“Safe place to hide I thought,” Maddox grinned.
Following Maddox’s instructions, Lenny drove them down another narrow road and then across a wooded area onto a set of train tracks.
“We can hide in there. They don’t run this anymore. No reason for anyone to be around here.”
Maddox pointed up ahead at an abandoned train tunnel. It was dark and hardly noticeable with all of the overgrown trees and brush. From the road it would be almost invisible, especially in the dark.
The entrance was two arched shaped openings that were covered in thick, dead vines. Weathered brick made up the outside and two sets of rusted tracks winded like snakes into the black void.
Lenny pulled off of the road and backed the car into the tunnel on the right. He pulled in twenty or so feet and then stopped. With a deep breath, he cut off the ignition. He quickly glanced at Rebecca then turned and started to stare out of the window into the darkness.
They sat in silence for half an hour with no real plan. Everyone was preoccupied with their own worries. There was a sense of hopelessness and the solitude of the deserted corridor amplified the feeling.
Nothing had gone as they’d planned. They thought D.C. would give them answers and offer some type of safety. But the reality was far worse than they could’ve ever imagined. Now the silence was like the vibrations of a bell, rattling every last bit of hope from them.
“What do we do?” Rebecca finally asked. Her voice pierced the silence and sent shrills through the air.
“I think we should stay here a day or two. We can scout the best route to leave the city. It’ll probably be too hard to get out of here right now,” Lenny said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Benjamin shook his head in disagreement. “Now’s probably our best chance, they don’t know we’ve left yet. Once they figure it out you can believe they’ll search every inch of this city.”
Lenny started to respond, but the whoosh of a helicopter made him swallow his words. The blades whacked at the air and sent chills down his spine. The buffeting air grew louder and louder and then just as suddenly started to fade away.
Nobody moved until the sound had completely vanished. And even then they spoke in hushed tones.
“Looks like we’re staying,” Maddox said. “I don’t think they’ll look down here anyway.”
“You hope they won’t,” Benjamin replied.
Cutting his eyes, Lenny stepped out of the SUV. Benjamin followed him and they started to look around with a flashlight.
The tunnel was nearly thirty feet wide and constructed of a thick, maroon brick. The roof spanned twenty feet over their heads and a family of bats had taken residence there. Small puddles of water were dispersed throughout it, but for the most part it was a sound structure.
Lenny and Benjamin did their best to make some type of suitable living arrangement. They created a makeshift infirmary for Robert in the back cargo area of the Escalade. Gloria, Rebecca and the kids slept inside of the cabin and the rest of them bundled up in sleeping bags on the ground.
Lenny and Benjamin slept in shifts with Maddox acting as a nurse for Robert. Gloria still seemed out of it, but she did her best to care for Robert’s wounded eye.
As the night wore on the pressure of the day’s events faded and anxiety was replaced with hunger. Lenny created a small fire on the ground, afraid it might attract the wrong attention. He quickly cooked a can of beans and tuna fish and then snuffed out the flames.
Under any other circumstances the combination would’ve been disgusting, but these weren’t normal circumstances. The food was barely done cooking before they started eating.
“I’ve never been so hungry,” Maddox growled and shoveled more food into his mouth.
“I didn’t think Javier was gonna stop eating,” Lenny laughed.
Gloria smiled at him and then glanced back at Javier who had passed out inside of the SUV after eating. She sighed and then left to check on Robert.
“You think he’s gonna make it?” Maddox asked grimly.
Benjamin shook his head. “I don’t know…I don’t know if he wants to.”
Lenny stood up and patted Benjamin on the shoulder. “He’ll be okay,” he said then headed around the back with Gloria.
“How’s he doing?” he asked as he slowly approached her
“Better. Whatever they used to get the eye, it was effective. It got it out clean without much damage to anything else. As long as we can keep it from getting infected he should be fine.”
Lenny smiled at her and she rushed forward and hugged him. Hesitantly, he hugged her back and rubbed his hands over her shoulders.
“Have you reconsidered?” she mumbled and pressed herself tighter against him.
“What?”
“Nothing…never mind. You should get back to the others,” Gloria said dismissively and turned back to Robert.
Confused, Lenny turned and walked back around the truck. Rebecca ran into him as he rounder the corner and caught his arm.
“What was that?” she asked with a smile on her face.
“Nothing, I think she’s starting to unravel.”
“Too late,” Rebecca grinned.
Lenny put his arm around her and walked back to where Benjamin and Maddox were sitting. They took a seat and stared into the glow sticks Maddox had stacked on the ground in lieu of a fire. For the next few hours they sat around in a small circle discussing plans for tomorrow.
They didn’t want to stay in the tunnel for more than a few days and their food wouldn’t last much longer than that. They needed to scope out the city and find a way out, but they couldn’t risk everyone tagging along. The plan was simple, they’d go out in small teams, ensuring there
was someone there to watch the others.
“Benjamin and Maddox can take the first shift. Just remember we can’t afford to go looking for anyone, if you don’t make it back in time we’ll have to leave without you,” Lenny said.
“Same goes for you guys,” Benjamin smiled back at him.
“It’s settled then,” Rebecca said sternly and stood up. “I’m going to sleep, busy day tomorrow.”
“Same here,” Maddox and Benjamin said in unison.
Rebecca pulled out a sleeping bag and rolled it out across the ground. As she started to crawl inside, she motioned for Lenny to follow. He looked at her skeptically and raised an eyebrow.
“You sure you don’t want to sleep in the car? This ground doesn’t look too comfy.”
“I’m sure,” Rebecca replied.
Shrugging his shoulders, Lenny crawled into the sleeping bag after her and wrapped his arms around her waist. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep after that. He’d felt like he had been awake for days and fatigue and stress had taken a toll. As he twisted and turned he let the silence consume him and he drifted off into a dream that had to be better than reality.
CHAPTER 22
BETRAYL
“Wake up!”
Someone was standing over Lenny yelling. He couldn’t make out who they were or what they were saying, but they were loud.
“Wake up! Gloria and Javier are gone.”
The last words crashed down on him like a bucket of ice water. He jumped up and ripped the sleeping bag off.
Rebecca was staring at him with a strange look on her face. Benjamin was to her side looking just as disturbed.
“What? What did you say?” Lenny gasped.
“Gloria and Javier are gone,” Rebecca repeated, this time not as loud.
“What the hell? How? When?”
“I don’t know. I never even heard them. I did a perimeter check and when I got back the car door was open. I tracked them up the hill, but after that…nothing,” Benjamin said with a determined look on his face.
Lenny glanced around the tunnel as he tried to stir his senses. It was still dark outside, probably early morning. There were no noises, no crickets, no birds, not even the bats. Lenny wasn’t certain if that was good or bad.
Escape: The Wasteland Chronicles Book Two Page 18