After almost one hour of struggling and screaming, John eventually loses consciousness. Pam confirms he is still breathing and did not die. Pam is not a doctor but what she did to John apparently stopped the bleeding.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Jack asks.
“I don’t know. Nowhere. I just did what I felt was right. What I would have done for our kids to keep them alive,” Pam says.
“Ok, let’s put him in the back of our car,” she adds, “It will be more comfortable for him. I will drive our van and you will take his truck.”
“Let’s not go too far,” Henry says, “I think we need time to absorb what just happened and we need to eat something. Especially you, Jack. You are probably shocked, and when the adrenaline drops, I’m afraid you will simply collapse.”
“You’re right,” Pam says. “David, do you think you can drive the truck?” she asks her son.
“Yes, of course,” David answers.
“Ok, then you take the wheel and your dad will rest while you drive,” Pam says.
Under this new organization, the group continues its journey. But they stop after only one hour as everyone needs to rest and regroup.
The battle has drained everyone’s energy and they literally cannot focus on driving anymore. They stop off the road as they enter a forest. They will leave and continue their trip when they feel like they are able to.
But right now the priority is to rest, monitor John’s condition and make sure it doesn’t get worse.
CHAPTER 14
Jack does not seem particularly psychologically affected by the battle. He is exhausted, but his head feels fine. He understands he and John took a major chance against the mercenaries. He knows they have killed many men. He’s seen body parts, he’s seen men burn alive, he’s even finished injured men off. But despite the horror of the situation, Jack feels a certain sentiment of pride. Regardless of the means he used, he managed to protect his family. And to him, this is the most important and the only thing he plans on remembering from today’s adventure. The rest is irrelevant in a situation where it’s either kill or be killed if not tortured and women raped first. No remorse. Jack is perfectly fine with himself.
On the other hand, Pam looks slightly worried. She is seeing a side of Jack that she has never seen before.
She feels uncomfortable not seeing him break down, which, to her, would be a normal reaction given the circumstances. She can’t help but wonder whether Jack found pleasure in killing these men or not.
She also notices that the kids have stayed very close to their father since the attack. Much closer than ever before. They don’t seem to want to let him do anything on his own. And this is in fact what is really bothering Pam. She has always been seen as the protective mother, but she never went as far as facing death for her kids as their father did today. She certainly would, but she’s never had the opportunity.
In fact, Pam realizes she is jealous of Jack.
But she has proven how smart she is many times before. And this time is no different. She quickly understands her husband is not the problem right now. She is. And after analyzing the problem, herself, she decides she should stop having such thoughts about Jack.
After all, not only did he protect his children, he also protected her, his wife. And she should be grateful for that. No matter what he did and how he did it, he also did it for her, so she can be safe.
The man standing in front of her did not hesitate for one second to put his life on the line and to jump into a possible painful death. And he did it only for her. For them.
The man in front of her does not have a psychological problem. He is just a man in love with his wife and his children. A man who would sacrifice himself first to ensure they stay safe.
She loves him.
John slowly emerges from his sleep. Henry has stayed with him for the past few hours. He offers him to drink some water.
“How do you feel?” Henry asks as the rest of the group gathers around John.
“I’m still alive apparently,” John says with difficulty. “What happened? Where are we?” he asks.
“We’re not too far from where we were. Probably forty miles,” Henry says.
“You got shot on the side,” Pam says. “You were losing a lot of blood and Kelly and I tried to look after you.”
“Yes, Mom removed the bullet and she stitched you,” Kelly says.
“Medieval-style …” John says while coughing a little.
“Yeah … I’m sorry,” Pam apologizes.
“No, that’s fine. I would just have appreciated a glass of whiskey before the operation, but you did it when I was unconscious. You did the right thing. I owe you one,” John says, smiling.
“I think it’s just a flesh wound,” Henry says. “I’ve looked at it when Pam was operating, and I don’t think any vital organ was hit. You should be back on your feet shortly. We just need to make sure the wound does not get infected.”
“What time is it?” John asks.
“Almost 9 pm,” Pam answers.
“Ok. Help me here,” John says while he tries to stand up.
Jack and Henry post themselves on each side and lift him up while holding his arms on their shoulders. They carry him around a little as John tries to put his full weight on each of his legs.
The right one is fine but when he puts his left leg on the floor and lets it carry his entire weight, he cannot help but scream a little. He feels a pain deep inside his lower flank.
“David, find me a stick, will you?” John asks the boy.
After a few minutes, Dave comes back with a solid piece of wood that John uses as a crutch. He walks hesitantly at first but quickly finds his balance and manages to accelerate his pace.
“You see? Everything is fine. Thank you, Pam, thank you, Kelly,” John says.
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t demand so much from your body,” Pam says. “The wound is still fresh. You don’t want to reopen it and start bleeding again.”
“You’re right. Well, the point is that I’m fine. I just need to eat something and we should be good to go. I think I need sugar,” John says.
After pulling from their reserves some of the dehydrated food they found in John’s store, mixing it with water and eating, the group is ready to continue their journey to the base.
They will be more careful now that they know they can encounter mercenaries. Each member will now carry a weapon at all times. Kelly is the only one who seems reluctant to hold a gun. She explains she is surprised by the weight and the cold of the metal in her hand. In her mind, the word ‘fire’ in firearm means it is supposed to be warm.
“Wait until you start shooting. It will get warm. Trust me,” John says to her.
Kelly looks for some kind of approval from her father’s eyes. Jack nods his head as a way to tell her it’s ok. Everything is fine.
He comes behind her and lifts her arms while she holds the gun with both hands. He tells her that this is all she will need to do in case of danger.
“Keep the gun straight, aim, and shoot whoever tries to hurt you,” the father softly says to his daughter’s ear.
And he adds, “Your mother and I will do everything so you and your brother never have to use it.”
“Thank you, dad,” Kelly says as she turns around and throws herself into her father’s arms.
Jack asks Dave and Pam to join them and the whole family hugs for a few moments. He tells his family that he always wanted the best for them. He never wished for that to happen and he is sorry for everything.
These few seconds strengthen their family bond like never before. Pam confirms through Jack’s words that despite the morning killings, he is still the same loving father and husband and that they can blindly rely on him.
Henry and John witness this profusion of unconditional love and cannot help but hug each other as well.
“This is what we’re fighting for … We should go now,” John says to the group.
It is almost
dawn when John tells Pam to stop the car. They have arrived. Everyone gets out of their vehicles and gathers around John.
“Are we there?” David asks.
“I believe we are,” John says.
“But I don’t see any entrance,” Pam says.
“I know. I actually never saw it myself. I just know it’s somewhere around here,” John explains.
“That’s vague. That’s a vast area to cover,” Jack says.
“Did you really expect that whoever runs this base would advertise it?” John asks.
“I thought it would be more obvious than just a whole lot of nothing,” Jack answers.
“Maybe seeing nothing is the point of a secret facility. Don’t you think? Look, the road ends right here. I think there’s a reason for that. The entrance is probably not far. Let’s look for something big and unusual,” John says.
Before they go, the group checks their weapons. They also decide that even though it is not the most efficient, they are better off staying together and not splitting. Who knows what or who they might encounter?
They all agree and start moving away from the cars.
As they progress deeper in the mountain, they notice several signs proving the presence of something not supposed to be seen. ‘Restricted Area’, ‘No Trespassing’, ‘Warning’.
The word ‘Army’ is never mentioned on any of the signs, which makes them believe that if indeed there was a base, it certainly did not report to the Department of Defense.
After a few hours spent walking and finding nothing, the group begins to lose patience.
They’ve come all the way here and there is nothing.
Nothing that looks like a base or an entrance.
As John sits down to rest his leg, Pam asks him if he is sure this is the right place. John replies that she has seen the signs like everyone else. They prove there is something here. They don’t know where yet, but it is there.
Jack asks John if all of this could simply just be a prank. Something to entertain the whole conspiracy theory. This wouldn’t be the first time that people spread unsubstantiated facts to prove a point. Maybe Albert, the old guy John met, made everything up. Maybe he was just a sick person who found value and credit in people’s eyes by telling them he knew things that the common citizen wouldn’t even expect existed.
But John doesn’t believe it. He is convinced there is something here, even though he recognizes that Albert was so convincing that it may have clouded his own judgment.
At that moment, the group suddenly stops talking. They all heard something. Is this an animal? They don’t know. The only thing they know is that they are not alone. As they reach for their guns and get ready to defend themselves, they hear voices coming from all around them.
“Do not move,” one voice says.
“Do not engage or we will fire,” another voice says from the opposite direction.
“Drop your weapons,” a third voice says.
The group is surrounded by people.
Friendly? Hostile? How many? They don’t know.
They don’t know how to react. But it is clear to everyone that if someone starts shooting, they clearly won’t stand a chance.
They are trapped.
Pam doesn’t know what to make of that yet. The voices seem very calm and professional to her, though. She doesn’t believe they are dealing with mercenaries. And these savages usually don’t give any warning. She decides to stand up and speak to them.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Pam asks using a calm but firm tone.
Nothing happens for a few seconds that seem like minutes to everyone. And suddenly the soil in the woods all around them seems to start moving and to expand vertically.
It grows until it reaches the height of a man. The newly formed shapes begin to move slowly towards the group.
No one really understands what they are dealing with. Adults and children feel exactly the same right now. Frightened.
As the shapes get closer, they all drop the layer that is covering them to reveal men in military outfits. These men were camouflaged in the forest. They laid on the ground to observe the group without being noticed.
There are six individuals, and they all point their weapons at the group. There is no escape.
“Identify yourself. First and last name. One by one,” one of the men says.
The little group gives their names and waits for a reaction.
“Henry Bright you said? The Henry Bright from CES?” asks the man.
“Yes,” Henry replies. “Why?”
“Interesting,” the man answers.
He continues by asking what the group is doing here. Henry answers all questions as he seems to be the only one the men are interested in and willing to talk to.
Henry explains how they arrived here, how they all met, and who is who in the group. He also mentions that John is wounded and needs medical attention as a way to persuade the men that they do not represent a threat.
“I still don’t know what you are doing here. Specifically here. What are you looking for?” the man asks.
Henry, with John’s help for additional details, tells the man they believe there is a secret base here. He and the group are looking for shelter along with a secured location that will help them organize the resistance.
“Resistance?” the man asks, apparently surprised.
“Yes,” says Henry. “We intend to find as many people as possible willing to build a plan to stop GAIA.”
The man who was asking the questions and who appears to be the one in charge starts walking around the group.
He stops in front of each person and stares at their eyes without saying a word. When he is back in front of Henry, he waits a few seconds before he finally says, “I think you’ve come to the right place.”
“Wait, wait, wait … What do you mean? Are you resisting as well? Is there a secret base here? How many are you? …” Henry asks without stopping before he is interrupted by the man.
“One question at a time,” the man says. “As I said, you’ve come to the right place. That’s all you need to know for now. Now please, hand your weapons to my men and come with us.”
“I’m not giving you my gun until you tell me who you are,” John protests.
“We are on the same side. Now hand your weapons if you don’t want us to leave you here, or worse,” the man says.
“Are you threatening us?” John shouts.
“With all due respect, yes, sir. I am. Follow my orders and all will be fine. Insubordination is not tolerated here,” the man responds.
“Alright. Everyone, drop your weapons,” Pam says, clearly starting to be upset by what seems to be a “very immature and boyish pissing contest” as she qualifies it.
“Thank you for your wisdom, Ma’am,” the man says. “I believe you’ve found what you’ve been looking for.”
After their weapons are handed to the soldiers, the man in charge tells the group they all need to go back to their vehicles. They will need them where they are going.
“How did you find us?” Jack asks to the ‘chief’.
“We knew you were here before you even knew you were here. That’s all I can say. But you’ll see in due time,” says the ‘chief’.
When they arrive at the cars, the group is asked to climb aboard and to move back a few yards. The ‘chief’ sends an order on the walkie-talkie he is wearing on his shoulder.
The ground starts shaking almost immediately. A large part of the road suddenly lifts up in front of the cars and reveals a huge hole going underground.
The hole is actually a tunnel.
The group is told to drive forward, preceded by a couple of soldiers on foot.
This is it. They are now entering the most secret base in the world. John was right, and the old Albert did not lie.
CHAPTER 15
The tunnel entrance is as dark as a moonless night. The group cannot see how deep or how far it goes. But observing the soldiers preceding
them, it seems that the slope is quite steep. The vehicles progress very slowly, not really knowing what to expect. And, even if they could see where they are going, they would still be obliged to proceed cautiously in order not to run the soldiers over.
The mountain mouth silently closes once everyone is inside. They have disappeared from the surface of the earth, swallowed by a mythological monster. The only certitude is that their journey will end up in the beast’s belly, without knowing what it could look like.
Lights suddenly turn on and unveil the rest of the tunnel. It is so long that it doesn’t seem to have an end.
The tunnel appears as wide as three or four vehicles could easily drive side by side. As for its height, it seems that the tunnel could accommodate one of these double-decker buses from London.
After slightly more than ten minutes driving at the incredible speed of five miles per hour, Jack estimates that they are almost a mile inside the mountain.
Estimating the incline to roughly twenty-five degrees and searching deep in his memory for that trigonometry class he needs now, he calculates that the cars are now more than half a mile below their point of entry.
But it is even more than that as they are inside a mountain. The mountain slope on the surface is actually going up. And Jack needs to factor this in his calculations. Doing so easily doubles the distance separating the cars and the surface.
The thought of all the pressure over their heads is making him dizzy. As far as he knows, the base was built a long time ago. Jack hopes the old structure will continue to hold the weight of the mountain and prevent the group from being crushed under millions of tons of rocks.
The man who seems to be in charge – the group still doesn’t know his name – raises his left hand to signal they must stop. But even if he didn’t, the group wouldn’t have had any other choice but to stop as they are now facing a wall.
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