by Bobby Akart
“That’s mine,” said Hunter as he took the cap from the soldier. He turned it over to examine the inside, hoping there were no signs of blood. “Janie always borrowed it because she wanted to fit in with the guys when she worked the checkpoint. There was an American flag on the—”
Hunter stopped in mid-sentence as the faint sound of a dog barking echoed through the valley between the two massive mountain ridges.
“Hunter, didn’t you say that you guys had a dog?”
“Yeah, that’s Flatus. Let’s go!” shouted Hunter as he took off toward the front of the house. He yelled back over his shoulder, “Bring the trucks! You’ll have to move some logs out of the way to get through. Hurry!”
The entire contingent scrambled to follow Hunter up the road. Captain Hoover ran after Hunter and the rest took to their vehicles. The entire group arrived at the deadfall of trees across Blue Lakes Road. Hunter pointed out the cut logs he’d used to fill in the gaps a week ago.
“These can be rolled out of the way,” he instructed as he hurdled the logs, taking a glance to the left to confirm the Jeep was still parked below the blockade. He shouted back to a trailing Captain Hoover, “Hurry. Driveway is up half a mile on the left.”
“Corporal, come with us,” ordered the captain as he jumped over the logs in pursuit of Hunter. The two soldiers chased after Hunter, who was now fully acclimated to the higher elevations. Captain Hoover and his corporal were accustomed to Denver with an elevation half that of Quandary Peak, so they lagged behind.
Hunter took a trail he’d cut through the woods to provide a shortcut to the house. The barking sounds coming from Flatus grew louder for a moment and then they subsided until he couldn’t hear them.
This concerned Hunter, so he drew his sidearm and cautiously entered the clearing at the yard. The first thing he noticed was the front door standing wide open. He ran to the entryway and cautiously entered the room. The house had been ransacked. Food was strewn about the kitchen, as the cupboards had been hastily emptied onto the floor and countertops.
The knife drawers were open and Tommy’s carving knives were dumped into the sink. Hunter moved with trepidation toward the Hagans’ master bedroom. He had entered too many closed bedroom doors during this nightmare and immediately braced himself for the worst.
He turned the knob and pushed the door open. It was empty. With his gun leading the way, he checked the corners and under the bed. He made his way to the master bathroom and found it empty as well.
When he returned to the great room, he found Captain Hoover and his corporal panting, trying desperately to catch their breath. Hunter knew the feeling, so he didn’t judge. He motioned with two fingers for the corporal to take the stairs and check the loft bedrooms. He nodded to Captain Hoover to finish searching the main floor while he descended the stairs.
What he found downstairs caused him to shake his head in disgust. All of their stored food and supplies had been knocked over and thrown about. Whoever raided their home had taken a hammer to Mac’s lab and broken the Plexiglas panels that had prevented the plague from escaping during her experiments. He secretly hoped enough of the bacteria had survived on the laboratory’s surfaces to infect them in the process.
Flatus was barking again. Hunter made his way through the debris and ran through the rear doors into the backyard. He could hear Flatus over the side of the ridge toward Monte Cristo Creek.
“Clear!”
“All clear!” shouted Captain Hoover from the main level, loud enough for Hunter to hear.
“Backyard, Cappy!” Hunter yelled as he burst through the doors into the warming sun. “Flatus! Come here, boy. Flatus! Here!”
The barking intensified as Flatus got closer. Hunter ran to the back fence railing and looked into the ravine. Flatus was tearing up the path, barking the entire way.
“There! I see somebody!” yelled Captain Hoover from the deck above Hunter. “Corporal, follow that trail.”
Hunter didn’t hesitate as he ran toward the path, almost crashing into Flatus as he reached the backyard. The dog was panting heavily after having made several trips up and down the ridge. Hunter admired the tenaciousness of the pup, which was also recuperating from the plague disease. Beyond that, Flatus exhibited an unconditional loyalty to their group that could never be found in their fellow man.
Hunter leaned down and took a moment to rub his neck and accept a few slobbery kisses. He spoke to Flatus in a calm voice. “Come on, boy. Show me the way.”
Flatus responded with a gentle gruff, and off he went tearing down the trail, much faster than Hunter would even consider.
“Hundred yards down, Hunter!” shouted Captain Hoover, who remained atop the deck to keep an eye on the movement in the woods.
The corporal caught up to Hunter just as they reached a small clearing in the trees. What he found brought him both a sense of relief and heartbreak. It was Barb and Tommy, badly bruised and bloodied, but alive. They were huddled together against a rock, shivering from the cold morning.
Flatus ran back to Hunter and gruffed one last time before he collapsed on the ground. “Corporal, go back up the hill. We need a few more of your men and two large blankets out of the house. We’ve got to keep them warm to avoid hypothermia and we’ll need to carry them up the hill. Tell Captain Hoover to quickly build a fire.”
“Yes, sir,” said the corporal, who ran up the hill like he’d caught his second wind. Flatus stood as if he felt the need to give chase, but Hunter patted his leg, signaling him to join his side. “You did good, Flatus. Stay here with us now.”
Hunter knelt in front of the two frightened seniors. It was easy to forget that Barb and Tommy were both in their sixties now. Despite their excellent conditioning, their bodies were not very accepting of a beating, nor were their psyches.
“Guys, save your strength, okay,” started Hunter, and they both nodded as Barb’s usually tough exterior broke down into tears. “Is anything broken, or do you have any open wounds?”
Tommy reached toward his ankle. Hunter studied his face and then gently felt for any bones extruding from his bare feet. His toes were turning blue and his ankle was very swollen, but it didn’t appear to be broken.
“Good, it’s not broken but is badly sprained,” started Hunter. “We’ll get some ice on it and it’ll be good as new.”
Tommy cleared his throat and then whispered, “No ice, please. It’s already frozen.”
Hunter chuckled and lovingly touched the side of his friend’s face. A knot protruded from his forehead. “We’ll get some ice on this too, or is your brain already frozen?”
“Very funny,” Tommy replied with a grimace. He looked to Barb, who continued to shed tears.
Hunter pulled the end of his long-sleeve tee shirt over his unbloodied hand and wiped Barb’s tears. He wiped off the remnants of Derek’s blood onto his khakis and took Barb’s hand in his.
“Where does it hurt, Barb?”
She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. “My ribs and chest. The savages kicked me in the—” She stopped talking and began to cry again. With each deep gasp of air, she moaned as she continued to whimper. Tommy reached for his wife and squeezed her shoulder in support.
Hunter reached forward to feel her ribs, but she pulled away ever so slightly. She began to bawl despite the pain. Hunter became overwhelmed as sorrow overtook him. He listened to her words before his blood began to boil inside him.
“They kicked my breasts—over and over again. They said I was too old and worthless.”
Tears streamed down Hunter’s cheeks. He leaned into the middle of the loving couple, whom he now considered his parents. He wrapped his arms around them and pulled them together as the three became one.
“I love you guys and we’re alive,” said Hunter as he stifled his thoughts of revenge. Mac’s parents needed his compassion, not the scary side of him that could come out when he was angry. “We’re gonna make you both better, and I’m gonna make this right, I swear t
o you.”
“We love you too, son,” whispered Barb.
Chapter 45
Day Ninety-One
Quandary Peak
Hunter paced the living room as Tommy and Barb were attended to by a medic that was part of Captain Hoover’s unit. They were covered with cuts and multiple bruises, but the twisted ankle was the worst of the physical injuries. Hunter’s main concern was their emotional state. It had been a traumatic experience, but it was necessary for him to gather the details.
The medic had completed his examination, and the Hagans sat wrapped in fleece blankets, sitting on the fireplace hearth. Hunter brought them coffee before he began to ask them questions. He asked the soldiers to give them some privacy, so Colonel Clements and Captain Hoover exited the house and distributed coffee to the soldiers.
“I want you to know how sorry I am for not being here for you both. Mac and I debated whether we should leave. I’m truly sorry that we did.”
Tommy was more emotionally and physically capable of speaking. Barb was upset and agitated, plus her bruised ribs prevented her from taking a deep breath.
“Do not second-guess your decision,” said Tommy. “We all agreed it was necessary, but tell us, is Mac okay? You’re alone.”
“Yes, she’s fine and there’s a lot to tell you. Let’s just say we’ve made a deal with the President, and with fingers crossed, it will work out for all of humanity. She passes on her love, and, Barb, she wanted me to let you know she’d be working with Dr. Spielman again. Apparently he made it out of Atlanta.”
Barb smiled and then flinched in pain as she reached her left hand up to Hunter. He squeezed it and encouraged her to put it back down. “Thank you, Hunter. Good news.”
“I have to tell you something else and this is going to be painful,” started Hunter. “When we came upon the roadblock, it was abandoned. We found Derek badly beaten with a shovel. I sent for Doc, who examined him. Guys, Derek’s in real trouble. He’s fighting for his life.”
“Oh no,” muttered Barb. “Janie?”
Hunter scowled because he truly feared for Janie’s life. “I’m sorry. She’s missing.”
“My god!” said Tommy. “What’s wrong with these people?” He put his arm around Barb, who began to cry again. She couldn’t suffer any more sorrow.
Hunter pulled up an ottoman and sat directly in front of them. As Mac had admonished before, pacing the room didn’t help matters.
“Please, I know all of this is horrible, but we have to find Janie. She’s in real danger.”
Tommy nodded his head. “Let me tell you what happened. It was still dark outside, maybe an hour before the sun came up. I heard a noise and Flatus did as well.” The tired pup raised his head and looked up at Tommy. Hunter instantly wished Flatus could tell him what he’d seen.
Tommy continued. “The sounds came from behind the house, maybe around the greenhouse. Flatus and I went out these doors onto the deck. I thought it was a critter that I could just shoo away, so without shoes on and dressed in pajamas, like an idiot, I wandered down the stairs and into the backyard with a stupid broom.
“That’s when I was hit in the back of the head by a kid, um, a teenager, actually. I blindly chased the boy, who was laughing at me, and then he pushed me down the hill until I rolled against a tree. Another teen joined in and kicked me. Flatus started barking at them and they ran back toward the house.”
Flatus got up and sat next to Tommy in solidarity. Tommy rubbed his neck. “Several minutes passed and then I heard Barbara scream,” continued Tommy. He looked to his pained wife and smiled. She nodded for him to continue.
“I’ll relay to you what she was able to tell me earlier. She came out looking for us and they jumped her on the back deck. They forced her down the stairs and knocked her down into the yard. That’s when they were, um—”
Barb interrupted and whispered, “That’s when they were shouting at me. They dragged me to the trail and pushed me down the hill. I rolled for a hundred feet before my back crashed into a boulder.”
Tommy continued. “I had twisted my ankle at that point, but I tried to use the trees to come back up the hill. About the time I reached Barb, the boys, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen, showed up and began throwing sticks and rocks at us. They were laughing, calling us sinners and heathens. Flatus ran toward them, barking and growling, but they attacked him with rocks too.”
“Hunter,” said Barb through her sniffles, “they were driving us down the ridge and deeper into the ravine toward the creek. It was sadistic. Their cackling laughs were evil. These boys were enjoying torturing us, so we tried to get away until all of a sudden it stopped.”
Tommy comforted his wife, who buried her head in his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. “We waited a long time, hoping they wouldn’t come back. We weren’t sure we were physically able to climb up the mountain anyway, but when Derek and Janie didn’t come looking for us, and the cold set in, we became scared. That’s when we tried to claw our way up the ridge.”
Hunter had been exposed to so much in his years of military service and then as a covert operative with the DTRA. He’d seen bravery on the battlefield and among men who knew they might be taking their last breaths. He stared into the tired, courageous eyes of Mac’s parents.
In that moment, he learned that bravery was not the absence of fear, but how you triumph over it. Barb and Tommy had been afraid, but they’d conquered their fear to survive. That made them heroes as much as anyone he’d served with.
He stayed with them for another minute or two and refilled their drinks. They assured him they were fine and he encouraged bedrest. He also promised an armed soldier would remain with them until he returned.
“Where are you going?” asked Tommy.
“I need to find Janie and I’m certain I know where to look. You guys get your rest and I’ll be back when it’s over.”
Chapter 46
Day Ninety-One
Breckenridge
The Humvee convoy left for Breckenridge. At Hunter’s insistence, two soldiers were left behind to patrol Blue Lakes Road from the Route 9 checkpoint up to their house, with instructions to periodically check on the Hagans. He also informed Colonel Clements of a change in their arrangement.
As they drove into town, Hunter told them the history of Rulon Snow as it had been relayed to him by Sheriff Andrews and Doc Cooley. He also began to tie the loose ends together of the strange happenings around Breckenridge. With Janie’s abduction and the taunts hurled at Barb, Hunter was beginning to put together a working theory.
Hunter explained his thinking to the colonel and Captain Hoover. “This guy, Snow, is trying to ramp up his seed bearer program using local women he abducts. I hope I’m wrong, but Janie was selected by these two punk boys of his. Most likely, so were the daughters of the mayor in Fairplay and other local women around Breckenridge who’ve gone missing.”
“Why hasn’t the sheriff done something?” asked Captain Hoover.
“It’s a long story, but until the pandemic hit, the two kept their distance from one another,” replied Hunter. “I think the fire was the last straw. The two firstborn sons of Snow in his new compound have been running around these mountains, causing problems. Now, with the sheriff preoccupied, they’ve increased their activity to arson, kidnapping, murder, and probably rape.”
The colonel stared out of the window as he processed the information. “Listen, Sergeant. You know I’m here on a much larger mission than the one you’re suggesting. While I certainly understand the plight this town faces, my orders come pretty much directly from the President. He wants this town for refugees.”
“Colonel, I get that, and reluctantly, I’m gonna try to help sell it. But you have to understand. Doc Cooley is very influential here, much more than me. Once he learns the Snow boys were involved, he’s gonna charge after them himself and expect everyone with a weapon to be by his side. This is an opportunity for you to prove you offer something more than
twenty thousand strangers pouring into their community. You offer them hope and security as well.”
The colonel nodded his head just as they entered the south side of Breckenridge. A handful of people were walking toward the center of town in the middle of Main Street and moved aside, stopping to gaze at the unusual sight of moving vehicles, much less the Humvees with fifty-caliber machine guns mounted on them.
“What’s our first stop?” asked Captain Hoover.
“I think we need to start with Sheriff Terry Andrews and let me fill him in,” replied Hunter. “After that, depending on what the sheriff says, I think we need to check on Doc Cooley and his son. I hope Derek is alive and can recover from this. He and Janie have become close. They deserve better than what happened to them.”
The Humvee slowed as they entered the center of town, where a large crowd had gathered. Most of the men were holding rifles as they listened to Sheriff Andrews speak while standing on top of a park bench at the entrance to Blue Lakes Plaza, a pedestrian park leading from Main Street to the Breckenridge Riverwalk.
The Humvees inched forward and Sheriff Andrews stopped speaking. Hunter, Captain Hoover, and Colonel Clements exited the lead truck. They walked toward Sheriff Andrews and Doc Cooley, who stood on the sidewalk next to him.
A hush came over the crowd as the entourage greeted one another. Hunter quickly made the introductions and then he turned to Doc Cooley.
“How’s Derek?”
“He’s stable, but he’s exhibiting symptoms of intracranial pressure—brain swelling. We don’t have the personnel to properly conduct an MRI, but based on the nausea, headache and his irregular breathing, it’s pretty apparent that he’s in trouble. The good news is the pharmacy had both mannitol and hypertonic saline that can be used to reduce the pressure by removing excess fluids from his body. We’re keeping him calm with a little Valium and his mother’s love.”