World War III - Home Front: A Novel of the Next American Revolution - Book One – As Day turns to Night

by William C. Seigler

  Cy hung up the phone without another word. He ate his dinner in silence. Something was very wrong. He went off to find a quiet place to sit and read. It wasn’t long till the train arrived in Atlanta. It was new and bright, not like New York.

  After an hour’s wait his train to Fort Worth arrived. He boarded and found the club car. He was enjoying a quiet drink and trying to read. He noticed a blond, he had first seen while awaiting his train.

  She walked into the club car and ignoring the empty chairs, came and sat next to him. “Do you have a light?”

  “No, I don’t smoke.”

  “Are you a man?”

  “Yes, but I don’t smoke. Aren’t you a little young to be in here?”

  “My parents are asleep, so I snuck out for a cigarette. Are you going to give me a lecture about smoking?”

  “No, I don’t see where it would help.”

  “I won’t smoke if you don’t want me too.”

  Cy didn’t respond. This pushed coincidence just a little too far.

  “Tell you what, why don’t you bring a bottle, and let’s go find a quiet spot for a little while, maybe the sleeping car?”

  Cy finished his drink and cleared out fast. He did go back to the sleeping car, but stayed only long enough to grab his backpack and clear out. His sixth sense had kicked in. Something was wrong, way wrong.

  He found the most crowded place on the train he could find and sat down. It was a group of senior citizens off on some sort of trip. One of the guides saw him and came over.

  “I’m sorry sir, but his car’s reserved for our tour.”

  Cy flashed his badge. She looked concerned. He closed it and put a finger to his lips.

  She leaned over close. “Are my clients in any danger?”

  He shook his head. She seemed satisfied and went to attend other duties.

  Soon they pulled into the next station. As they arrived, he saw a SWAT vehicle in the parking lot. Then there was the team, and, as soon as the train stopped, they boarded.

  Cy got up and left the train hiding in the crowd. He had to get away. He found a place where he could watch to see what happened. He could see the men in black uniforms moving through the coaches. Soon they left the train and headed toward the terminal without a prisoner.

  He suspected they were after him. He quickly ducked out the back into an alley and put some distance between him and the train station. He walked past the homeless who inhabited these regions. Soon his train passed him. He was on his own now and called Phil. There was no answer.

  He turned off his cell phone, and removed from it anything he could get out easily. Many people claimed the government could track you by your cell phone. While he hadn’t really believed that, he wasn’t about to take any chances.

  He had some cash on him. How much would a bus ticket to Fort Worth cost? He soon found that he didn’t have enough cash on him. He found a diner, sat down, ordered coffee and pie. He found a payphone and tried Phil again.

  This time he answered on the third ring. “Hello Phil?”

  “Yeah, Cy? You all right?”

  “Can you go to the other phone?”

  “Sure, what’s happened?”

  “I think the FBI is trying to frame me. I’ll call you in ten minutes.” He hung up.

  He got some more change, and, after ten minutes, he called the payphone where he had been in contact with Phil before. It was busy. He waited a few minutes and tried again. This time Phil picked up on the first ring.

  “Sorry man, someone was on the phone.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Are you safe?”

  “For the moment. It won’t take long for them to figure out that I got off the train here.”

  “Got off the train? You’re off the train? What’s happened?”

  “First, I get a call from someone who said the FBI had developed an interest in me. Then someone claiming to be a sixteen-year-old called me on my cell phone and wanted me to talk dirty to her.

  “Lastly, I was sitting in the club car, and someone who claimed to be an under aged girl propositioned me. When we reached the next station, SWAT was waiting. I got off the train and hid.”

  “Where are you now? No don’t tell me. Do you have enough money to get here on a bus? I mean cash, not a credit card.”

  “No, I already checked.”

  “Can you hide in a cheap hotel for a couple of days? Only use cash.”

  “Yeah, that I can do.”

  “Okay, I’m going to see what I can do on my end. Call me here same time tomorrow.”

  “Okay, same time tomorrow.”

  With that he went out on the street in an unfamiliar town in a part of the country he had always been taught to distrust. It was getting cool and the sun was low.

  He saw several local police cars and sheriff’s deputies cruising around slowly. Was it his imagination or were they looking for somebody? He had never felt this way, hunted.

  Now he was hunted by other police. The irony couldn’t be ignored. He tried to stay off the streets and stick to alleys. He approached a cheap hotel, but before he drew near, a SWAT team vehicle pulled up in front, and a couple of men got out and went inside. He suddenly felt that he really needed to get out of town.

  He found a library and searched for the information he wanted. There was a trail system through here made up of old railroad tracks. The tracks were gone, and the rail system had been turned into a trail system. He printed the map. He would go on foot to the next town.

  He only stopped for a bottle of water, flashlight, and an emergency blanket. Cy walked all night in the cold. A couple of times his imagination got the better of him, and he shined the light into the woods. After a while the waning moon arose. Until then, he could see more stars than he had ever seen. Living in New York City, he had never developed much interest in the stars or thought much about his place in the cosmos.

  These thoughts were only part of what forced their way through his mind that night. Rounding a curve, he saw the first lights of the next town. He followed the signs to the bus station. It was inhabited by people who looked just as shabby and worried as he did, the kind of people with whom police are often harsh.

  Don’t be obvious, fit in, he thought to himself. He had hidden anything such as his watch and cell phone that might suggest affluence. He slowly walked over to the counter. The bus for Athens was loading.

  He had no idea where Athens was, but it was away from here. He paid for the ticket with paper and took his duffel bag out to the curb. Then he ambled over to the back of the line. A couple of old women stared at him, but no one else seemed to pay him any attention. In twenty minutes he was asleep on the bus.

  Chapter 20 – Rescue

  “I need to talk to Rico,” said Phil. “It’s important.” It had taken too long to find his contact, and now Amos was not able to get in touch with Rico at a moment’s notice.

  “Look, I understand how you feel, but I can’t get in touch with him right now. I have your message, and when I can, I’ll be in touch with Rico. That’s all I can do.”

  “Can you tell me why?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know. They can’t torture information out of you that you don’t have. I know exactly when I can get a message to him; then it will have to be relayed.”

  “This seems a poor way to run things.”

  “It’s even poorer if we let the statists figure out our communications.”

  “I guess so. Heck, maybe I should just get in the car and go look for him.”

  “It would take too long to get there. You said he would be calling a certain payphone at a preplanned time. Just stick to the plan.”

  “Look, this guy stuck his neck out to help me, and now he’s in trouble because of it.”

  “And you feel guilty.”

  “Responsible.”

  “Look, he’s a grown man isn’t he? Let him take care of himself. Just be at that pa
yphone at the appointed time.”

  “Okay, how do I get back in touch with you if there is any change?”

  “I’ll be waiting at a park not far from there. Report to me there the results of your conversation with your friend.”

  “Okay thanks.”

  “Look Corporal, I understand how you feel. Let the commanders work this out, and with any luck we’ll have your friend safe before the government even knows what happened.”

  “Okay, see you in a bit.”

  Phil stopped, bought an ice cream then pretended to read some tabloid newspaper. Then he slowly began to head off toward the phone. A police patrol car drove past him coming from behind. He almost jumped out of his skin. Don’t get jumpy he thought to himself.

  The phone rang and Phil got it on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “Hi, glad I got you. I’m in a city in Georgia named Athens, not really sure where that is.”

  “Okay, my people have been informed about the situation. Can you call me back in four hours? That way they will know where you are and put together a rescue plan. Just don’t get picked up. You sound awfully tired. Do you still have enough to check into a hotel?”

  “Yeah, I need to get cleaned up and get something to eat then get some sleep in a bed. My neck has been permanently damaged from the bus,” joked Cy.

  “Okay, call me here in four hours. Good luck buddy.”

  “You too, try to stay out of trouble.”

  “I don’t know. It seems to have a way of finding me. See ya’.”

  He hung up and went to find Amos. True to his word he was sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons.

  He calmly sat on the other end of the bench. “I hate pigeons.”

  “Me too. Did you talk to your friend?”

  “Yes, he’s in Athens, Georgia.”

  “Athens, what’s he doing there?”

  “He said he walked to a nearby town and took the first bus going anywhere. He’s going to check into a hotel and get some sleep. He’ll call me in four hours.”

  “Okay, your instructions are to go home.”

  “What do you mean go home?”

  “I mean just that. I thought Marines followed orders.”

  “Yes, but this is different.”

  “How different? Things have been put into motion; go home and be back for that call.”

  “Yes sir, and thanks for your help. I just wish there was something else I could do.”

  “You’ve done all that can be expected.”

  “Okay, see you.” With that Phil got up and walked off. Amos had not even looked at him. He just kept feeding those awful pigeons. Before he crossed the street, he looked back at Amos. He was still sitting there. Now he had his legs crossed and an arm over the back of the bench.

  Phil opened the door at his parents’ house and was surprised to see Commander Rico sitting in the kitchen having cake and coffee with his folks.

  “Hello dear,” his mother said. “Why don’t you join us?”

  He did and looked over at Rico. “Have you…”

  “Yes, you made the call and met with your contact?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Is this your friend?” Rico turned his laptop so that Phil could see the official NYPD photo.

  “Yes that’s him.”

  “My people have been in contact with other patriots in Athens. You are to call him at the appointed time. Tell him this. He is to take a cab to Athens Airport. Go to a fixed base operator called Clark’s Flying Service. If anyone asks, he is waiting on someone who is flying in. Within two hours of your confirmation that you have spoken with him, a light plane will taxi up to the FBO. Does your friend know anything about light aircraft?”

  “I don’t think so. At least he never mentioned it.”

  “It will be a Cessna 182. It is a high-wing, single engine aircraft. The pilot will be an older woman. She will have long gray hair tied in a bun in the back. The aircraft will have a blue feather, painted on the vertical stabilizer. The number will be printed on the tail, November 54222. If you listen to the radio, she will call it triple deuce. Repeat this back to me please.”

  Phil did and after a couple of corrections, he had it down. “Where do I meet my contact?”

  “There is a café two blocks south of the payphone. He’ll meet you there.”

  * * *

  “I never carry a credit card,” Cy lied to the hotel clerk. “My parents got themselves into a credit card debt hole years ago, and I was raised to never use the things. I always carry cash.”

  “You’ll need to put down information about your car.”

  “I’m not driving. I’m just bumming my way across the country.”

  “Good work if you can get it.”

  “Well, I worked while I was in high school and saved up some money. I’ll start college next year, so I want to get out and see the country while I can.”

  “Sounds like fun. You have the right idea about traveling before you get a wife, kids, and a mortgage.”

  “That’s what my dad said.”

  “It’s just that we are supposed to get credit card info even when you pay with cash.”

  “My mother would not let me back in the house if I had one of those blasted things in my wallet.”

  “Okay, room 215. Here you go.”

  “Thanks.”

  Cy had a debit card, but didn’t want to use it in case his movements could be traced. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but the system was after him. He knew better than to let them get their hands on him. Probably throw in a drug possession charge as well.

  Violence and corruption were bad enough, but he now understood that law enforcement officers were actively framing innocent people. If he got out of this in one piece, he would have to do something about it.

  The room was adequate. After a shower, he fell asleep and woke up late for the phone call. He quickly dressed.

  * * *

  Phil was having trouble keeping calm. Where the heck was that call. He hoped that no one would get suspicious about him hanging around near this phone. Finally, it rang.

  He grabbed it on the second ring. “Hello.”

  “Sorry I’m late with the call. I overslept.”

  “Man, that’s a relief. I was afraid they had picked you up. Okay, here’s what you need to do.”

  He quickly related the information concerning his pick-up. Cy wrote it down.

  “Okay, I’ll get something to eat at a place near here and get over there. If there is a problem, I’ll call you here tomorrow.”

  “Okay, that’s a good back up. Hopefully, it will not be necessary. With any luck I’ll see you later.”

  “Thanks buddy.”

  “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do after the trouble I’ve been.”

  “Heck, it was probably only a matter of time. See you.” Cy hung up and headed out to a fast food joint near the hotel.

  * * *

  Phil went looking for that café.

  Amos was sitting in a booth at the far end facing the door. Phil slid in across from him.

  “What took so long?”

  “He overslept.”

  “I can understand that, on the road with no support and the corrupt statist-collectivist system looking for you on trumped up charges. That would wear anyone down.”

  “Yeah, it would.”

  “Go back to your house and get some rest. Do you have a car?”

  “My folks do.”

  “Okay, get some sleep. We’ll need you to meet the airplane at the Parker County Airport after midnight. Once the airplane shows up, get out of the car. Leave the interior lights on and stand where you can be plainly seen.

  “The pilot will drag the field. If there is any sign of the police, she will divert to a different location and contact us. Any questions?”

  “No, I think I’ve got it.”

  * * *

  “I don’t mean to wear out my welcome. Perhaps I should come back later,” said Rico.
r />   “Goodness no,” responded Ilene.

  “We don’t mean to keep you if you have other business to conduct, but I too want to make sure Phil’s friend is taken care of. Besides, a few weeks ago, I never would have believed any of this. Now it’s so obvious, I must have had my head in the sand.”

  “Don’t worry, all our lives we’ve been told that America is above this sort of thing, that we were a haven for the oppressed. Now the oppression has come home I’m sorry to say.”

  Eventually, Phil made it home. “It’s all set up. He’ll be there, and I’m supposed to pick him up. That is if you’ll let me borrow the car.”

  “Make sure everything is working on it, all the lights and everything,” said Rico.

  * * *

  Cy slipped quietly out a side door with his pack to look for another payphone. The taxi dropped him in front of Clark’s, and Cy paid with cash. Inside a pleasant young lady greeted him.

  “Hi, can I help you?”

  “I’m waiting on someone who is flying in.”

  “We have a waiting area, and I just put on a fresh pot of coffee.”

  “Thanks.” Cy made himself comfortable and waited. He was tempted to use the ATM but thought better of it. He would only do that in case of an emergency and then just before hopping on another bus.

  Someone was shaking him awake, and he awoke with a start. It was a kindly looking older woman. She smiled and sat down next to him.

  “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “I didn’t mean to doze off.”

  “What is your name?”

  Cy stiffened and went on guard.

  “Look out the window.” There parked outside was a single engine airplane with a high wing. There was a blue feather painted on the tail. He couldn’t make out the ‘N’ number.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay, but could you please show me a photo ID, especially the one where you work.”

  “Work or worked?” With that he produced his police ID.

  “Okay, you’re the one. I’ll pay for the fuel, and we can go.”

  “Sure, I’ll be right with you.”

  He shouldered his pack, and they went out to the plane together. “Just throw your kit back here and hop in.”

  She drained the fuel checking for water and checked the oil. As she did so a black SWAT truck swung into the parking lot. She jumped in and fired up the engine.