by Jack Hunt
“My brother. He works with them. Well, for now. We were hoping to take them down from the inside but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Oh don’t worry, we won’t be in here long,” Jesse added.
Ryan smiled. “I like your confidence, kid, however you don’t know how this place works. People only get out if they’re released, and from what I’ve heard from my brother, Shelby doesn’t have plans to let anyone go. In fact he’s lost a number of people out there, which I’m guessing is due to the group you ran into.”
“There are others. They’ll come for us.”
“There’s more of you?” Ryan asked.
“Two.”
“Oh two. Well that’s really going to make a difference. Two people.” Ryan turned to Tim. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Hilarious,” Damon replied. “Except, let’s see shall we… we’ve been in here all of ten minutes and you’ve been in here, how long?”
“Several weeks.”
“Right, so perhaps it’s time to leave this in the hands of more qualified individuals, like us,” he said turning back to the door and banging again. A few seconds later the door opened and a bright shard of light flooded in stinging their eyes. Along with that came the barrel of a gun.
“You hit that again, and you’ll regret it. Now shut the fuck up!” a grizzled soldier said before slamming the door.
“Well for all the downsides to this place, service is good. What was that, like five seconds to get them to respond?” Damon said jokingly before walking across to a wall and sitting down. They remained there for close to an hour. It was hot and stuffy inside and there were no air vents to give them relief.
“How long have you been in here? This room I mean,” Maggie asked.
“Well shit duty was this morning. They usually place us in here until noon and then we come out for lunch, which I should give you the heads-up about — it’s damn nasty.”
“Great,” Jesse muttered.
“Then they put us back to work after lunch and we wind up in here for the rest of the evening. Rinse, and repeat,” Ryan said before dropping to the ground and doing a few push-ups. “Got to keep the blood pumping.” He got up and scratched the side of his face.
“So you haven’t attempted to escape?” Maggie asked.
“Where would we go? Those walls out there are thirteen feet tall and ten feet deep in order to prevent anyone from trying to dig under. This place was built to keep people out.”
“And yet Shelby got in,” Damon said.
“He had explosives. This place ain’t bulletproof.”
Evan, Elliot’s kid, piped up. “But surely you must have some alternate escape route. Every good shelter does. We lived in one back in Lake Placid and it had one.”
“If one existed, it would be on the blueprint for this place. I knew about the vents but no alternative escape route. If anyone would know, it would be Harlan.”
“Harlan?”
“The founder of the compound.”
“Is he still alive?”
“Very much so,” Ryan replied. “But if you’re hoping to get him to help you, forget it. The guy is a pussy. He’s too scared of what Shelby would do. Even if he knew he wouldn’t tell you.”
“You’d be surprised at what people will say with the right kind of leverage,” Damon said stepping forward. “You think you can point him out? We’ll handle the rest from there.”
Ryan stifled a laugh. “Chances are you’ll see him before I point him out. He’s become Shelby’s whipping boy. Coffee boy, you might say. He makes drinks. Runs errands for Shelby. Heck, some have even said he provides sexual favors. But I don’t even want to think about that.”
The lock on the door rattled and they all took a step back as four soldiers streamed in. “You, you and you. Come with me now.” He’d pointed to Damon, Jesse and Maggie. When they didn’t move fast enough the soldiers grabbed a hold of them and shoved them in a violent manner.
“Hey. Hey. We’re going, settle down,” Damon said glancing back at Ryan. “Evan, Lily, we’ll be back. Brianna will keep an eye on you.”
Hustled out of the room they emerged into the inner courtyard of the compound. A bright sun bore down blinding them. Jesse squinted and raised an arm to his eyes before they adjusted. They were led across the huge compound. That’s when they got a better look at the place. There was chain-link fencing set up around the perimeter like layers of an onion. In each section there were lots of people lingering. Some were talking, others doing fitness, some were being trained to fire guns and the rest were observing them. Jesse turned back to see what they’d been inside. It was one of many buildings in a row. It almost looked like a small village with different shops. None of which were open, but it appeared as though someone had an idea to give the compound a sense of home through offering what was once found beyond the walls.
They passed by bunkers and a large lagoon until they made it to a two-story structure with a sign above the doors that read CLUB HOUSE. Led in, Jesse breathed in cool air. That’s when he noticed cold air was being blown through the air vents. These guys had electricity. He figured they must have had some huge battery backup system in place that was powered by wind and solar.
“Sir,” the soldier ahead of them said. Lying on a bench with nothing covering him except a white towel was a sunburned man in his late forties. He was getting a massage from an older man with flyaway hair.
“Okay, that’s enough, Harlan. Go take a break. I’ll have you rub my feet in a few minutes.”
Harlan gave a nod and backed away from him, keeping his eyes fixed to the ground as if he was afraid to look him in the eye. The man climbed down off the bench fully naked and wrapped the towel around his waist. He directed his gaze at Maggie as if hoping his little spectacle would impress her.
“My name is Frank Shelby. I’m sure you are wondering what you are doing here and whether I’m going to kill you.” He paced back and forth in front of them like a drill instructor about to unleash. “Now there is a strong possibility that you will be in the ground by nightfall but that all depends on what you tell me. So let’s cut the shit. Any ideas that you might have had about controlling this situation, forget them. Any ideas you have about escaping, throw them out the window.” He motioned to one of his soldiers who walked through a door only to return a few minutes later with another man who was sporting gnarly scars all over his face.
“Lucas. Do you recognize any of these people?”
The scarred man stared then shook his head.
Shelby excused him and he went back out. “Well it seems like it’s your lucky day. You see, I’m hunting for a specific group of men that went on a rampage and murdered four of mine. You wouldn’t have by any chance come across a group like that, would you?” He eyed them through slitted eyes. He got real close to Maggie and leaned in and smelled her hair. “Do I detect a hint of hair product?”
She refused to respond.
“A woman that looks after herself. You’ve got to admit that counts for a lot in a time when women have every reason to let themselves go, right?” he said eyeing the two of them. “So what’s your name?”
“Maggie.”
“Maggie…?”
“Gray.”
“Very nice.”
He stared at her for an uncomfortably long time. It might not have appeared as strange had he put on some clothes, but it didn’t seem to faze Maggie. He walked down the line asking them for their names and smiling as though it was all one big joke.
“Now that you’ve established we’re not whoever you were looking for, can we go?” Jesse asked.
“You don’t want to stay? We have quite the setup here and I only have a few house rules. One, you do as you’re told. Two, you have to prove you can be trusted in order to access all that the compound has to offer, and three, you don’t try to bite the hand that feeds you.”
“Tempting but no. I think we’d prefer to leave,” Jesse said.
; “Really? I was just getting comfortable,” Damon said. Jesse cut him a concerned glance but instead of cluing in and backing off Damon continued. “So… what have you got to offer?”
Shelby’s lip twisted.
“Food. Water. Protection. Medication. Hell, it’s better than the presidential promises handed down by the last ten commander-in-chiefs.”
Jesse tapped Damon on the arm and shook his head.
“Seems your friend doesn’t want it,” Shelby said.
“Ah my friend is a little slow,” Damon replied. Jesse wanted to sock him one but gritted his teeth. “Sounds like you got a good offer. We’ll take it. Where do we sign?”
Frank flashed a smile. “Someone’s eager.”
“Not a lot of choice out there.”
“But we forced you here at gunpoint.”
“You had your reasons.”
Shelby nodded studying Damon through narrowed eyes, looking for a crack in his façade. Before he could say anything further, Shelby turned and walked back to the massage table. He picked up a glass off a side table and took a sip. “Any more of you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Any others in the woods that I need to know about?”
“None,” Damon shot back. Frank looked back at him.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then welcome to New Hope Springs.”
Chapter 10
As soon as they were thrust back into their holding cell with the promise of being transferred to the outer rim, Jesse went ballistic on Damon. He shoved him up against a wall.
“Are you friggin’ kidding me?” He shoved him again. “We were this close to getting out of here and you decide you want to stay?”
Damon grabbed hold of his arm and swung him around slamming him into the wall. “Do you really think he was going to let us go?”
“Yes!” he said with eyes bulging.
“That was just a test. Think about it, Jesse. Think long and hard.”
“He’s right,” Ryan said emerging from the darkest area of the room. “He wouldn’t have let you go. His days of doing that are over. Oh, sure everyone else would have seen you led out the gates but you wouldn’t have made it back to your camp. You see, anyone who’s not for him is against him. When they first arrived he would let people go. I assumed it was all part of controlling those who chose to stay — you know, to make himself look like a fair and just man. What I didn’t know until recently was once they were out of earshot of the compound, his men would ambush those who left, kill them, take their weapons and dump their bodies in a shallow grave.” He looked at Damon. “Damon just saved your life.”
Jesse looked back at him and Damon released his grip and walked to the far side of the room.
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. I only found out because my brother Samuel has earned his trust. He’s got close enough and proven his loyalty.” He then turned to Maggie who was leaning up against the wall. “Let me guess, he showed an interest in you.”
She frowned but before she could say anything Ryan continued.
“Recently we found out he’s been taking women and sleeping with them.”
“Rape?”
“Oh that’s a fine line. I’m not going to call it that as I haven’t heard anyone protesting, however, I do think he’s using manipulation.” Ryan paced back and forth.
“What do you mean?” Jesse asked.
“You’ve seen the fencing he has up out there, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you asked yourself why he had us erect that fencing when we’re inside a walled compound?”
Jesse had a few ideas but he wanted to hear it from him. Ryan continued. “Initially when he first arrived, there were no fences. He kind of ruled with an iron fist then he came up with a better way of controlling people. You see, most people who show up outside the compound have heard the same message you guys have. The one stating, protection, food, water, and safety, but instead of just giving it away and then having to deal with troublemakers and all different kinds of characters, he came up with some form of system that is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, psychological, safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualization.” Ryan crouched down and pressed his back against the wall. “It’s smart and devious. What better way of controlling people than holding a carrot in front of their nose? You see, it would have been real easy to open those gates and share everything they had with those who came in but in doing so he would forfeit an opportunity that comes from understanding how humans operate. You ever heard of a reward-based system?”
Before Jesse could say yes, he continued.
“It’s like training a dog. Dogs thrive on praise and food. When you positively reinforce training through praise or treats, you’re more likely to see that dog give you the behavior you want vs punishing them. Punishment based training only instills fear, and fear only gets you so far. He’s using the same approach here. Why give everyone the same portion of the pie, but only get a few people who are loyal, when you can control what people get and in doing so change the way they think and act. The fences out there are how it all begins. They come in through the gates and are placed in the outer rim. Once they are there he can learn a lot about them without it costing him much. Next, once they have proven themselves they move past that fence into the next area whereby they gain even more rewards, but the challenges and requests get harder. This tests a person’s loyalty. Those who can prove themselves will move into the inner circle. By this point they have broken down that person’s identity and formed a new one — one that is responsive to his commands, one that is willing to do whatever is asked of them.”
“Like a cult.”
“You got it. The fact is, this framework has existed for centuries, and this kind of approach has been used in all forms of society in subtle ways. It has its benefits but it can also be abused. Cults, religions, society, the army, businesses, schools, family life — we see it everywhere. Of course some are more extreme than others but they all function the same. Authority figures holding something of value that can or must be gained in order to climb the ladder of life. Now you might be wondering why people would be willing to do crazy shit when they know at their core it doesn’t feel right? It’s simple. They’ve already been preconditioned to respond on an unconscious level in their home, job, community or religion. The fact is we love our rewards, we want to belong, we hunger for what we can’t have, and we will pursue and give everything we have in order to gain that which is just outside of our grasp. There is a reason why those fences out there are chain-link and not wooden. He wants them to see what they are missing out on. He wants them to see what others are enjoying. He wants them to lust for that which they could have if they would only do what is asked of them.”
Jessed nodded. “And what does he ask?”
“Total commitment. Nothing less. It starts with small things. Minor things. Barely noticeable. Take this trash over there. Run an errand for this person. Handle this project of building XYZ. Find out some information for me. Climb this, jump over that, and of course he will give you all the reasons why it’s good for you and for those in the compound. He’ll appeal to that which you value the most, and use against you the things you fear the most. By the time you get to the tough decisions, like take this man outside and kill him, they are so used to doing what they are told, and so fearful of losing what they already have, they don’t question it. It’s the perfect master and slave relationship that they have already experienced on some subtle level; pastor and parishioner, government and citizen, boss and employee, teacher and student, parent and child. Of course people will have a hard time believing that they have been courted into this but we all have from the youngest age. Now you throw into the mix meeting people’s basic physical needs, safety, sense of belonging, sense of worth and sense of purpose and you have a
powerful way to control the masses. And you know the saddest part?”
“What?” Jesse asked.
“There isn’t a damn thing you can do about it because at the core we are all hard-wired to want these things. And in a survival situation like what we are facing, we want them even more than ever before. Desperation can be terrifying.”
He sighed and dropped his head.
No one said anything, as everyone was contemplating what he’d said. What did it mean? How would it affect them? And if they couldn’t walk out of there, how could they escape?
“While I appreciate the lecture,” Damon said, “you want to tell us how we get to speak to this Harlan friend of yours? Because the last time I saw him he was Shelby’s bitch. He was giving the dude a rubdown and whatnot.”
Ryan shook his head. “Sounds like him.”
Gary ambled through the forest, adjusting his backpack while Calvin led the way a few feet ahead. “You want to slow down. I’m not as young as you.”
Calvin slowed and looked around. “We need to keep moving if we want to reach it by daybreak.”
“Are you sure Mack will be okay about you going with me? I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“He’s not a dictator,” he said before pulling out some cigarettes. “You smoke?”
“I did, then I gave up. Then I started again.”
He tossed him one and took a seat on a rotten tree that had collapsed. In the forest every direction looked the same. He was glad for the company. He knew even if he had a map there was a chance he would have got lost.
“How do you know your way around?”
“I grew up in these parts. My father used to take us hunting so my sister and I learned fast about navigating. All these GPS-fangled devices might be helpful but they aren’t required. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. I could show you how to do it with a sun rod but it’s too much effort.”
“I already know.”
“Yeah? You a prepper, a hunter?”
“Ex-military.”
“Really? But you said you were a cop?” he asked as he looked around keeping his eyes roaming for threats.