by Tim Yingling
She sat on the couch across from me. She didn’t see me as a threat at the current moment. She was right. I wasn’t a threat then. I would be in less than twenty-four hours.
“Here’s what I’ll give you. The six months. That seems reasonable to me. As for not bringing anyone else back, that’s fine. I will give that order. Only your family. In the future, I will go with your plan for the time being. If I don’t see numbers, then I will have to go back to my way. I’ll decide if the numbers are going well. As for the people, I already have… they stay.”
I wanted out of the office. My entire life I wanted to see the oval office, but now I just wanted out.
“Okay, I think I can deal with that. Just for now.”
She stood and turned toward the secretary door. “Alstead, come in here please.” She waited with her hands clasped in front of her. When he came in, she said, “Gather four of your men. You will be escorting SSG Yames…”
I stopped her. “I’m telling you, I am not in the military. I am no longer a Staff Sergeant.”
“Okay. Sorry.” She turned back to Alstead. “You will be escorting Byron here to get his family. It shouldn’t take you more than a day to do so.”
I had to stop her again. “Have your guys get some sleep. We won’t leave till after midnight. That will give the chopper pilot enough time to gather some fuel and for me to get some good food and rest.”
Alstead didn’t acknowledge me. He turned back to Elizabeth for confirmation.
She gave the smile I have seen a thousand times on TV. It was the smile that said she was planning something of her own. The smile was not genuine in any way shape or form. The edges of the smile didn’t even lift. The part of her face that lifted was her ash colored cheeks. As she turned away from me, the smile disappeared.
“Do as he says.”
“Yes, Madam President.”
Those two words together hurt my heart. I hated the previous president, but I never thought we could get any worse than that lawbreaker. Speaking of which. I wonder what happened to all the other people who belonged in this house. Everybody knows about the bunker, but that begs to ask the question of where they were. I wasn’t going to ask the bitch of the house. I had to get my information from other people.
I followed Alstead out of the room. The first person I saw was Brad. The second was Stone. They acknowledged me. Stone moving to actually restrain me.
“That won’t be necessary, General. He will be helping us.”
All of us turned to look at Elizabeth.
“And what of the other two that were traveling with him?”
She looked at me for this one. “We will see what he does when he comes back from getting his family to decide on that one. But I would like both of you to come into the office.” She pointed to Brad and Stone.
As she entered the office, Alstead and I walked out of the secretary room into the main hall of the West Wing. He didn’t move that fast, which was a good thing for me. My legs still hurt from all of the walking I had done for the last six days. He took me down the hall into the main building. Not faltering, he walked to The East Wing and stopped at a door on the left.
He motioned for me to enter, saying, “You will find your things in here.”
I entered the room. He followed as well. The room that used to be the White House library was now an armory. And he was right. My things, as well as Tom and Kate’s, were on a table in the center of the room. Two men were cataloging everything we had brought. I walked up to the table to grab my things. I slipped my boots on without socks. I would be able to get those soon, I hoped. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to carry my boots along with my weapons. The rifle I slung and the pistol I put in the waistband of my jeans. The FLC and the pistol holster I had to carry. Luckily they hadn’t gotten around to emptying my FLC just yet. All of my pocket contents, just the cigarettes and lighter, were put back in. Once I had everything, I turned back to Alstead.
“Okay, sleeping quarters first so I can put this stuff down, and then food.”
“Yes, sir.”
I shook my head. “Don’t call me ‘sir,’ Alstead. I’ve never been an officer or an agent.”
Alstead cleared his throat. “I apologize. But the President did indicate that you are to be considered a high-level employee. Definitely higher than I am. So, therefore, you are a ‘sir.’”
I just shook my head again. There was no need to argue. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Alstead led me out of the room and back into the hallway we went up a flight of stairs and to the left. I looked into a couple of the rooms to see bunk beds had been set up. There were men and women in the rooms either sleeping or reading. All of them had weapons close to them. That was going to be a problem.
He led me to the end of the hall and stopped at the second to last door on the right.
“This is one of the rooms for the high-level men and women. It, like the other four, is split into four sections so that you all have your own little room. Your room will be the first door on the left.”
I looked into what use to be the Lincoln Bedroom. These assholes were destroying everything.
“Thank you. I have questions I need to ask you if you don’t mind coming in real quick.”
I had to be careful with my question. Alstead and I were about to be in a confined space where he would easily out muscle me. Then again, I couldn’t ask the questions I needed answers to out here in the open where everyone could hear me, either. That left just the room I was going to be staying in. I didn’t want the bigger man in the room with me, to begin with.
“I will go get your food so you can get settled. When I come back I will answer any question you should have.” He didn’t wait for me to answer him. Instead, he walked past me as fast as he could. I hope I didn’t scare him.
I walked into the room. The room wasn’t bigger than a pay-by-the-hour room, but it was enough. They managed to get a bed, a small desk with its own lamp, a chair, and a dresser in the room. Only a little space was offered after that.
I sat my holster and FLC down on the desk. The weapons were going to be close to me in case anything went sour with what I was about to do.
I didn’t bother taking my boots off as I laid down on the bed. I wanted to check the room for bugs, but didn’t care if there were any. My questions shouldn’t raise any red flags if I asked them correctly.
I was dozing when Alstead brought the food back. As he entered I sat up and crossed my legs. The plater looked good. Since it was still breakfast time, the cook managed to make an omelet with mixed vegetables in it. There was additionally coffee and orange juice. A couple of fruits were added for good measure. I looked back up to see Alstead leaving the room.
“Hold up a minute, dude,” I said. He stopped and looked at me. “I gotta know a couple of things right quick.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go get the guys ready.”
I waved the statement off.
“No need. You have all day to do that. This won’t take but a couple of minutes.”
He shuttled back into the room to take a seat at the desk chair. “What would you like to know?”
I started out easy enough while eating. “What happened to everyone else who was in this place before all of this started?” Alstead relaxed a bit. I was beginning to think he thought I meant to hurt him. “What’s wrong, dude?”
“It’s nothing. Just that I thought you were going to be like all of the other pricks who are considered high level.”
Something dawned in my mind. “Were you not military before all of this?”
“Well, I was National Guard.” I raised my eyebrows. “And I was brought in to help out. Since I had a military background, they gave me a squad.”
“What rank were you before all of this?”
“I was a Specialist.”
“Okay. Can you answer my first question?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what happened to them. From what I heard, The Horde somehow made it into the yard
and then moved through everyone.”
Likely story, but I don’t think that’s what happened. There is definitely more there than what he was telling me. I didn’t push the matter though.
“Alright, thank you for that.” I ate some food before I began again, pushing the food to the side of my mouth while covering it. “I actually wanted to talk to you about what will be happening tomorrow. Don’t need you to talk, just need you to take notes.” I put more food in my mouth as he took out a pen and paper. “We will fly to Commerce, West Virginia first. There are two possible places where my daughter could be. Either at my ex-wife’s house in Commerce or at her grandparent’s house in Grey about twenty minutes east. While we’re out looking for my daughter, the chopper will refuel. Once we are back, we’ll fly to Pilgrim, Indiana. There shouldn’t take more than ten minutes. But we will have to wait while the chopper refuels again. I know on the way back that we’ll have to stop so we can refuel once more, but that will be okay. We should be able to fit everyone in the chopper, especially if you take only three others besides yourself. Rules of Engagement are simple. No humans are to be fired upon unless they show hostile intent. Even then, we are not out to kill anyone. Wound them. They’ll find a way of fixing themselves. We shouldn’t have to worry about any zombies. And if we do come across any, don’t fire on them and waste the ammo. There are some things none of you know about them. I’ll explain that later.”
He kept his head down for another thirty seconds after I was done. When he looked up, he asked, “What time are we leaving?”
“I want to take off round about 0600.”
He stood to take his leave. “I will let the team know. Do you need a wake-up?”
“If I’m not out on the LZ by 0530, come find me.”
He nodded before leaving the room. I finished my food as fast as I could. They must have the kitchen up and running because the vegetables in the omelet tasted fresh. I don’t like how these people are operating the so-called country, but they sure are operating the kitchen masterfully.
Once I finished, I put the scraps in the trash, knocked back the O.J., and took the coffee off the tray. The tray, with everything else, went into the hallway. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I didn’t want to keep it in the room.
For the next hour or so, I meticulously cleaned my weapons. All three of them. I didn’t want any rust or carbine to be on the firearms for what I was about to do. When it came to my knife, I did clean some rust off it, but paid more attention to sharpening it. I wanted to use the knife more than I wanted to use the rifle or pistol. What I had planned involved me moving quietly.
With that out of the way, it was time to get some sleep. There was no need to do what I wanted to do now as it wasn’t feasible. Only because I didn’t know where the others were being held. If I went looking around then others would know I was planning something. As long as I made it seem I was preparing myself for the flight tomorrow then they wouldn’t suspect anything.
At least, that’s what I was hoping.
* * * *
Wednesday, 29 June 2016 (Night)
Washington D.C.
691 Miles to Pilgrim, Indiana (385 Miles to Commerce, WV)
I woke around five that night. Sleeping in an actual bed helped me stay out for close to seven hours. Upon waking, the first thing I noticed was a light in the room next to me. I could have knocked on the wall to talk to the person who was in there, but that wouldn’t have been neighborly. Instead, I got out of bed to grab the pants I had left on the floor.
They weren’t there. Neither was the shirt I had.
The only thing left was my boots. But another pair of boots, these ones hiking boots, were next to them. My first instinct was to check the dresser for clothes. Then something else came to mind.
Someone had obviously been in my room while I slept. Whoever it was is a sneaky son-of-a-bitch. They didn’t even rouse me from my sleep. That meant one thing to me. They were doing something not so generous.
Instead of going for the dresser, I went for my rifle and pistol. Before I picked the pistol up, I checked the drawer of the nightstand for my knife. It was still there. The pistol had all the ammo, as well as the rifle. The FLK was in the same spot I left it under the bed with everything still attached to it. I disassembled the weapons as fast as I could to find that the firing pin for the rifle was still there. The pistol still had the spring in it. Nothing had been tampered with.
As I finished putting the weapons back together, a knock came on the door. I didn’t want to say anything. Instead, I inserted the clip into the pistol and chambered a round.
A sweet, innocent sounding voice came from the other side of the door. “You won’t need the pistol, Mr. Yames. You are safe in this place.”
I didn’t know who she was, but I wasn’t going to trust her just yet.
I didn’t put the pistol down. Instead, I put it behind my back as I moved toward the door. I didn’t care that I was still in my underwear. She would just have to deal with it.
I opened the door halfway to look out at someone who couldn’t be more than twenty-five. And who shouldn’t even be considered a threat to anyone. She was absolutely gorgeous in person. I was stunned by her beauty at first, then I remembered where I was and the situation I was in.
“Who are you?”
She continued to smile, not stunned in the least by my aggressive way of asking the question.
“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me. Most people do.” Sweetness exited her mouth. I wanted to apologize for the way I was toward her. But I didn’t.
She was trying to sound sweet. I could see her for what she was. She was a “honey-pot” and nothing more. I wanted to play along for some time. Mostly because I finally recognized her when she talked. She used to be sweet but unfortunately, she fell into the dreaded child actress stage and found friends in low places with bad substances.
“I know who you are Lacey Loundes,” I said, adding a bit of apology to my voice. “I was trying to be polite. Frankly, I’m surprised you are with these people with your history.”
She entered the room as I made it to my new (albeit short-lived) dresser. “I get that a lot. Truth be told, I am just looking to survive.”
I didn’t hesitate. “There are more ways to survive than falling in with this group.”
I looked at her as I slid on a new pair of pants that fit. The smile faltered. It didn’t disappear, but it gave the hint of wanting to. She is brainwashed like some of the other people in this place.
“I’m sorry I said that, Miss Loundes. But I am not sticking around this place too long.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She was getting cautious. She inched toward the door, blindly placing one hand on the knob. I didn’t need her to speak to know what she was thinking. She was under the impression that I was planning a coup. I was, just not yet. I was still in the planning phase. I needed to calm her down or I wouldn’t get out of my planning phase.
“Miss Loundes, please calm down.” My hands moved slowly to a defensive manner. “I simply mean that once I get this place working like a government should, I will be leaving with my family. That is what I am going to do tomorrow morning. I will come back with my family and be an adviser to Connors for six months to a year. I’m not talking about doing something right now.”
She seemed to understand what I was saying.
“Okay.” Her hand fell from the door. “I guess I should tell you why I am here.”
I motioned for to go on as I put a fresh T-shirt on.
“I am here to show you around the building. You, like me and everyone else that sleeps in this room, can go to any place we want. Here soon, we won’t have to sleep in such tight quarters. There are teams out there clearing out the high-end hotels for us to stay in. The Ambassador Hotel should be ready to go by the end of the week.”
“If we are to be in the hotel by next week, why do I need to know what’s in this building? I won’t be w
orking in here.”
She could see I was ready. She stepped out into the hall for me to follow. There was no way I was going to leave my weapons in the room. I slung my rifle and put my pistol in the holster. Then I joined her in the hall.
“You won’t need those things in this building.”
I knew I wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to leave them in the room either. I made something up just so she wouldn’t press the matter.
“It’s a military thing, Miss Loundes.”
“You can stop calling me that now, Sarge. I am Lacey to you.”
She walked down the hall. Some of the obvious lower level people moved out of the way as we walked. It didn’t take me long to figure out who were soldiers and who were politicians. Lacey explained each room as we passed it. We stayed on the second floor first before moving to the third floor. I mostly drowned her out with my own thoughts on what I was planning. If my plan worked out the way I wanted it to, I wouldn’t even have to make it to the third floor. At least on the second floor, I would be able to maneuver a lot easier than on the third floor.
The third floor didn’t take us that long. We made our way to the basement via an elevator. The basement is the one I wanted to see. That was where everyone was held that didn’t want to participate with what Elizabeth wanted. Standing foremost in the holding area were Tom and Kate. Tom made a slashing sign across his throat. Kate only shook her head in my direction. They saw me as a traitor now. I couldn’t blame them. I wasn’t able to let them know of my plan; nor would I be able to. Lacey was already moving along the way to continue her speech.
Once finished with the basement, we moved to the first floor. I had already seen most of the floor. But there was one thing she showed me I did care for. The dining room with a full course meal called me even before I seen it. The smell wafted out of an open door two hundred feet from me. My plan of action was mostly complete, I could bullshit my way through the holes I still had. So when I smelled the food, there was only one thing on my mind. And I moved quickly to it.