Arks of America

by D A Carey

  The wall around the compound was perhaps fifteen feet in height, the gate decorative and made to resemble a subdivision entrance more than a security hard point. Levi knew there was reinforced steel underneath the decorative veneer. Inside the wall were guard observation platforms spaced at regular intervals. They were low enough behind the wall to not present much of the guards above the wall. Additionally, Vince and Jeff had adorned each wall post with decorative planters that gave the wall a less severe appearance yet still allowed the guards something to stand behind and blend into.

  Inside the facility were streets and homes, like hundreds of planned neighborhoods across the county. There were sections with different style townhomes, brownstones, and even traditional southern homes with lawns. There were city buildings and a main street with businesses and apartments. It truly was “Mayberry” behind the walls, if you added in a very diverse architecture of homes within the town grid.

  Greg parked the truck on the main street. “Levi, do you need me? Cami wants to go to some of the stores and see what’s open and what they have in stock.”

  “I’m okay for now, thanks,” Levi responded.

  “Well, we’re off on a shopping trip then!” Greg waved and followed Cami to the main street.

  A man who appeared to be in charge came out of the government building and spoke to the guard that led Levi and Greg into the city, then turned to Levi and stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Don Allen. It’s a pleasure to meet you. The men from the gate told me who you are. I guess I’m in charge around here while Vince is gone. As soon as he returns, I’ll be glad to give it back to him.”

  Don was a broad-shouldered, blond-haired, blue-eyed man. He was a bit past middle age, his shoulders were wide, and his belt was probably a few notches wider than he would have preferred. Still, he had a strong presence, and people naturally deferred to him.

  Levi shook his hand. “I’m Levi Goldman. I work for Mr. Cavanaugh. I’m also a friend of Vince’s. I didn’t know he agreed to take on the leadership role here.”

  Don’s face was stern until he smiled, then it changed dramatically. “Vince hasn’t exactly agreed to be in charge, although everyone naturally looks to him.”

  “That’s probably just because he’s a Cavanaugh,” Levi said, mostly to gauge Don’s reaction.

  “I suppose that could have something to do with it,” Don said, unconcerned with being politically correct. “People would follow him in any event, though. I was an Army Cav scout, and I’ve been in big corporations. Some men just inspire others to follow.”

  Levi felt the same way about Vince and was glad to hear Don say it. It made him warm up to him. In a friendlier tone, Levi said, “No one can draft Vince into a leadership role if he doesn’t want to be there. Maybe you should think about doing the job long term.”

  “I don’t want it,” Don said vehemently. “I like living here, and I’ll work my butt off for my neighbors. However, I like them too well to lead them. Leadership is lonely. I don’t want half of them hating me. If I lead well, half will hate me. If I lead poorly and they all like me, some will get killed if conditions don’t improve. I don’t want that on my shoulders either.”

  “Sounds like you understand leadership very well,” Levi said. “Mr. Cavanaugh would like you.”

  “I take that as a huge complement, Mr. Goldman, thank you. I guess you can say I’ve been around and seen and done a few things. Mr. Cavanaugh reminds me of an uncle I have that I think highly of. I hope to meet him sometime.”

  “Hopefully you will,” Levi responded and then asked, “So, what’s the plan for leadership here?”

  “The plan was to get this place finished, hold some elections, and do some hiring for critical positions. Most of the hiring has been done. We still have some work to complete on the town. Elections weren’t scheduled for a few months, when more of the residents were here. In the meantime, everyone was happy with Vince. Since he had to run up north, a lot of people seemed a little lost, so I stepped in. They could have told me to shut up and probably should have. I think people appreciate having someone take point. That’s what a Scout does, so here I am.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Levi said. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

  “Sure!” Don said, happy to have someone else to absorb some the weight of the choices he was making. “Come on in the town hall.”

  << Ellie >>

  The shooting was over. The convoy came forward as Liz instructed, and Vince asked Andy and Junior to take perimeter positions well away from the group to watch for more trouble. Vince called Dwight to him; he valued his judgment and skills. He was a lot deadlier than people knew, and Vince wanted him close to both his family and Liz. Just in case.

  As the group gathered around the damaged truck, Vince was already speaking to the older man, who was hugging the young girl. With him was a teenaged boy who could have either been his son or grandson. The boy was already working to change a tire on their truck. The older man alternated between giving the boy instruction and talking to Vince. “My name is Bert Hayden, and I live not far away from here.”

  Vince shook his hand. “I hope you’re okay. I don’t mean to rush you, but those shots will draw people.”

  “It will only take a moment to get the tire changed and the fender pried away from the tire enough to drive home. I don’t know how I can thank you enough for saving my granddaughter.”

  “You’re welcome. I couldn’t have not helped. I’m sorry I have to leave so fast. I’m trying to get across the river before it gets dark. I know the route, and it’s not far. I’m concerned about Madison, though. Anything you can tell us about what’s going on between here and there would be helpful.”

  “You’re right to be concerned. The road over the dam and spillway up near Belterra Casino has been out for a few weeks, so you can’t go that way. A barge from upriver ran out of control and took out a span of the road over the river.”

  “I heard about the spillway bridge damage,” Vince said. “That’s why I planned on crossing the river at Madison.”

  “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Bert said. “The new bridge in Madison is still in great shape, but the town isn’t safe. I don’t know where all they came from, but some lowlifes have been running amok in Madison. We’ve always had our normal criminals. On top of that, the meth problem and some of the crime related to that have been on a steady rise for several years. However, I don’t think all the current criminals are local or related to that. I think they’re imports from Louisville, Cincinnati, or Indianapolis. I guess it don’t matter, but they’re here.”

  “We might be able to shoot through at night,” Vince suggested.

  “I suppose that’s possible.” Bert nodded. “You and a couple of your men are pretty handy with those long guns. As good as you are, I wouldn’t try it, though. Lower Madison down near the bridge is where the scumbags have concentrated their power. That bridge is a long stretch to run while you’re being shot at. I’m not thinking you want to do that with the women.”

  “Well, I have to come up with something.”

  “They’re not totally organized yet,” Bert said after a moment of contemplation. “I think there are several different factions of crooks down there that are competing to one up each other in ambushing people, stealing, and raping. That could give you an edge. Y’all are well armed and might make it through. I’m betting you’ll take losses, though. I still wouldn’t try it if I were you.”

  Vince needed time to think and wanted to change the subject for a moment. “Is that how your granddaughter was captured?”

  “Nah, it was stupidity on my part. We’re from downriver a ways from Madison. A little town called Hanover, Indiana. It has a beautiful liberal arts college. You might not have heard of it unless you’re a big fan of Woody Harrelson.”

  “I know of it,” Vince said.

  “Then you know where I’m talking about. After things went to hell, a lot of good people
moved into the college campus. We set up some defenses and a farmer’s market for barter. It’s a good place to trade information and other things we need. Heck, we even have a guy catching information on the HAM as well as some on regular AM radio. You can’t trust any of the news on the television any more, although that’s been true for several years.”

  Vince nodded.

  “The government is claiming they’re going to get things back together soon. Hell, I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  “You never know,” Dwight said sarcastically.

  “Anyway, those men you shot were trading at the farmers market earlier. We knew who they were and that they were drunk, but they weren’t doing much harm, so we didn’t think it was worth the hassle to run them off, especially if they wanted to fight about it. They moved over to talk to some young folks who were kicking hacky sacks and tossing Frisbees. I guess things like that are coming back in fashion without the internet and much electricity. So I went about my business and quit watching them that close. Then one of the boys rushes up to me yelling that they grabbed my granddaughter. I saw them tearing out of the parking lot in a truck, so my grandson and I jumped in my truck as fast as we could and followed. I was surprised that so many people just sat and watched it happen. Then again, this whole situation is still so unreal to most people. Folks have been trained to not get involved for decades now.”

  “And look where not getting involved got ’em,” Dwight added. Vince glanced at Dwight, realizing this must really bother him. He rarely spoke this much.

  “Anyway, I caught up to ’em and couldn’t get them to stop. I knew it would be bad for her if they made it to Madison. So I pitted ’em like a Nascar driver. Then we commenced to shooting, and you came along. I can’t tell you how much your help meant to me. I sincerely thank you. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

  “No thanks needed,” Vince said. “We all have families. Thank you for being one of the good guys.”

  Bert nodded. “Well anyhoo, it’s getting dark in a couple hours. You can’t go through Madison for now. I want to feed you as my way of saying thanks, then you can plan your next move.”

  Vince thought about all that Bert said and decided to take him up on his offer. “Should we follow you back to the college?”

  “Naw, there’s another group of us homeowners that have a few homes on a bluff above the river not far from the college. There is only one good way in and out. We have that access road blockaded, so we’re good.”

  “Sounds like a solid place.”

  “We’ll feed you well.” Bert grinned. “Because the grocery store is so far away, most of us already had full pantries and large gardens when things went a little crazy. When you add in some generators, solar power, and a little rationing and sharing, things haven’t hit us too hard yet. Several of the men and a couple of ladies hunt too. We have a few veterans mixed in with the group so it hasn’t changed our lifestyle as much yet as it has for others. It shouldn’t be too big a deal for us if the government gets things righted soon.”

  << Malik >>

  Malik watched from hiding as the convoy left the shot-up truck and three mostly dead outlaws behind. When they were gone, he walked up, surveyed the scene, and focused on one of the men. Despite what Vince predicted, the man hadn’t bled out and stopped breathing yet. He was trying in vain to keep pressure on the wound and stop his blood from pouring out of a hole in his thigh the size of a softball.

  “Man, patch me up,” he begged Malik. “My boys in Madison control all of the lower part of the city. If you get me to them, they’ll fix me up. You can have whatever you want, women, drugs, food, whatever!”

  “Man, I’m in a hurry,” Malik drawled. “I don’t want you getting blood in my car, and your truck’s shot up.”

  “You need me, man,” he barely whispered. “My cousin runs that crew.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it,” Malik said with an evil sneer. “Let’s shake on it.”

  With that, Malik yanked the man’s hand from his wound and held it until he bled out and expired. “What I don’t need,” he said under his breath, “is you telling one of your boys I left you here.”

  Malik took his bloodied hand and held it to the man’s neck to check his pulse before wiping his hand on the man’s clothes and casually walking back to his own car.

  << Vince >>

  Vince reflected that this tight-knit group of people near Hanover was how things were supposed to work. Although many people might have thought Vince was a cynic, that wasn’t true. He believed most people were basically decent and wanted to work together for the common good.

  That was what the charter town concept was all about.

  That night after dinner, Vince was sitting in a lounge chair on Bert’s deck. They were relaxing and sharing the luxury of a cold beer. He was watching the timeless tranquility of the river far below. Without taking his eyes off the river, Vince told Bert about the charter town concept.

  “I heard about that. I was interested to learn more, although people said it was only for rich people.”

  Vince shook his head. “I assure you it’s similar to what you have here. It has walls and a little more planning on how to make it sustainable for a long time is all. We want it to be economically viable for a whole community in good times and bad.”

  “Sounds great,” Bert said. “I’d like to see it sometime when things get good again.”

  After some small talk, Vince and Bert settled into a companionable silence, watching the river flow by. It was too early in the year for bugs to be bad, and the sunset was a gorgeous mix of red and orange.

  As he drained his beer, Bert said, “Highway 56 through Madison is totally blocked due to a huge pile up that hasn’t been cleared. That’s why I was chasing those scumbags who took my granddaughter around the long way up Highway 62. Most people from here wouldn’t go to lower Madison the way they went.”

  “Well, I need to figure something out,” Vince said. “It’ll work out. The good Lord never promised things would always be easy.”

  “I’ve been doing some thinking on that. I’ve got an older 39-foot Sea Ray Express down there,” he said, motioning to the river. “It runs well and should hold your entire group, if you don’t mind leaving your trucks here till you can come back for them. If that place of yours is close to the river, I’ll run you up to it on my boat. I won’t go as far as Louisville downriver or Cincinnati upriver, but I’ll run you a couple hours if that’ll help. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave my wife and grandkids for too long or take that big of risk in not coming back. They need me.”

  Vince didn’t reply immediately. He desperately wanted to accept Bert’s offer, even though he was aware of how big a risk the man was taking. “It would be a huge help,” he said after a pause. “I’ll take you up on it if you’re sure it’s okay. I know what a risk you’re taking. I can’t express how much we’d appreciate it. Although if you have any doubts at all about doing this, please don’t hesitate to say so. I know we can find another way.”

  “No, it’s fine, I’ve already thought about it. There’ll be some risk going past Madison, but if we do it in the dark going slow, we should be fine.”

  Vince was warming to the idea. “In a fast boat, we could be there in a few hours. If we had to walk or take a route around Madison, going slow and loaded down with supplies, it’ll take us days to get there. This group is drained physically and emotionally.”

  “It’s settled then. I’ll get you upriver in the cover of darkness,” Bert said.

  “We are going to a place a little bit before Carrollton on the river.”

  Bert held up a hand. “Oh, I’ve seen a mess of construction up on the hill from that spot, and I’ve seen the new docks down in the mouth of the river where the Little Kentucky opens up into the Ohio River.”

  “That’s it,” Vince said.

  “You’re right, that’s a short trip unloaded. It will take us a fair amount longer loaded down. We
’ll have more people on the boat than it’s supposed to carry. That means I can’t run too fast.”

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Vince said. “At least going slow will be quieter and leave less of a wake.”

  “Only thing is, we need to slip by Madison on the river when the thugs are asleep. Let’s leave around three a.m. You all need a few hours’ sleep tonight.”

  << Malik >>

  Malik walked through the granite halls of the historic Lanier Mansion in the heart of lower Madison only fifty to a hundred yards from the bank of the Ohio River. He and Tid passed guards at key locations like at a military camp, except the order stopped there. They saw a couple of drunken men peeing on the building and snickering with bottles of booze in hand. A few yards further, both men exchanged a knowing glance when they heard the anguished screams of people being tortured, and the sound made Malik squirm. He had no qualms about torture and enjoyed handing it out. His wince was due to memories of his time in mental facilities and hearing sounds much like these as he curled in his cot waiting for morning. The difference was, in the facilities, the people were tortured from within; these were being beaten and tortured by their captors. Malik was able to make out the distinct sounds of the screams of women and girls enduring a different type of torture. The stink of fear mixed with alcohol, urine, and pot pervaded this place.

  He met with the leader of the largest gang that controlled most of lower Madison, exaggerating about the jewels and other valuables being carried by Vince’s group. He didn’t need to exaggerate about the beauty of the women in Vince’s group. He twisted an elaborate story of how the men from the convoy ambushed and killed three of the leader’s men for no good reason. Malik embellished the tale of how large his group was and the value of cooperating with a large gang from Chicago.