by Cooper, DJ
Rich was calling to us that it was time. I thought to myself, time for what? He still didn’t tell us what we were waiting for if they would be meeting us at the cell tower.
We took our bounty which wasn’t much more than the medical supplies we found packed it away and climbed into the truck to go meet the others.
Rich climbed into the truck, picked up the walkie, changed the channel and keyed the mic three times. Immediately following the usual three interruptions came in reply. Rich replied to the signal, “Ready here, over.”
The voice responded, “In route, two weeks.”
Rich keyed the mic, “Copy that, till then, Over.”
Lia looked at Rich with tears in her eyes asking, “Two weeks? It is going to take them two weeks to get here?”
Rich touched her shoulder with his hand, saying, “I’m sorry to upset you Lia, but that is just code. They will be in the area in two days. They will contact us at that time.”
Relief showed in her face and stance as she walked to the back of the truck to get some water.
I asked, “We have to wait for a couple of days? Do you think we should stay here?”
Rich said, “No, I think we need to find someplace less conspicuous.”
Doc’s eyes shifted left and right, we could both see he was thinking of something. Rich asked him, “What’s up Doc?”
I reached out and smacked Rich on the ass saying, “Geeze even I think that’s just obnoxious.” Giggling a little bit I too quipped, “Yea, What’s up Doc?”
Doc just looked disgusted and shook his head walking away. Rich jogged after him saying, “Aww C’mon, Whatcha thinking?”
Stopping, he looked at him and said, “Well, I was thinking about that whole section of industrial and warehouse buildings. We could land in there for a time and explore for resources. At the very least we would be out of sight and not out in the weather.”
Rich’s eyes lit up, “That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll get the others together we will go have a look see.”
We climbed back into the truck and headed over to the industrial park. It was difficult to tell what some of the places were by the names on the doors. At first we drove by them slowly trying to figure out if they were at all occupied. We really didn’t want any more run-ins with unfriendly types.
One looked interesting it was a distributing company. Rich said he once worked in a distribution warehouse when he was younger and thought we could have found a gold mine. The glass door was intact which made it promising. I asked how he planned to get in. just as he jammed a screwdriver into the upper window next to the lock. Breaking the window in a small section of the door. He stuck his hand through and unlocked it.
“Oh, I see…We just break the window. Now people will know we are here.” I said.
Rich looked hurt, saying, “My lady, your treasure awaits.”
Strutting like I’d just owned the board in a game of chess I walked through the door. He was in a silly mood today. I like it, it was good to see a fun side to him. The door we came in led to the offices, through another door was the warehouse area. There were shelves to the ceiling full of stuff. They were in different colored totes, some were blue, others red and green. They were zip tied and labeled with some kind of shipping label. Well, zip ties don’t scare us, Rich pulled out his pocket knife and popped one off a green tote. We opened it and inside was a mixture of snacks. Ones you might find in a gas station. Cookies, nuts, beef jerky, and other things. Excited with the find we started opening more and more. The red ones seemed to be filled with over the counter medicine and shampoos and stuff like that. At first the others wanted to just load up a bunch of them and go elsewhere but Doc went to the end where there was a car sitting inside the building. It was just an old Honda Accord. No one was in it. Going to the door he started pulling on a chain that started raising the door. We looked out and there was a ramp going up into the warehouse. Rich rolled out under the door jogging to the truck. Once the truck was inside we closed the door and settled into the back office.
We spent the two days opening totes and sorting things we wanted from others we didn’t. There were some totes with tools and tarps, some even had lighters and matches, canned food, coffee, and other groceries. We ate and relaxed for the time we had to while we loaded the truck with things we thought useful. Something Rich insisted on humping totes into a back section of the building where a rear door led to the outside. We stacked totes in the room full of choice things closed and blocked the door with a large metal cabinet.
I asked him why we did this if we were leaving here and going south. He just grinned saying, “You never know when a rainy day may come.”
Gingerly we rolled out of the warehouse, parking behind the large dumpster while Doc and Josh lowered the door and came through the offices again.
Rich keyed the mic on the walkie the usual and the response was immediate. The voice came back, saying, “In town. High school. West. Two. East. Three and Blue, over.”
Rich acknowledged, “Affirmative, over.”
Starting the truck, he backed out from behind the dumpster and headed up the alley. Still confused, I asked, “What was all that? Where are we going?”
He said, “The walkies are not secure, and we have to be careful. The first time we communicated was the instruction of a new time and channel. We were to change two clicks left and key in twenty minutes. That’s when they gave us a new time. Two weeks…Aka two days.” Looking over at Doc, who seemed just as confused as I was and said, “If the dial was at north then two clicks west would be two clicks left, and of course, twenty minutes was basic time doubled. So after ten minutes here we are and why we used the varied code for the location.”
I asked, “So where do we meet them?”
He replied, “If I stand in front of the high school in town and look left, we are to go two blocks left, then right for three blocks. From there we stop and look for a blue marker. We will then proceed in that direction until approached.”
Driving as he had described, we found ourselves out of town in no time and traveling down a country road. At first, it was residential; houses close together. They gradually became fewer with the occasional horse field or farm in between. Finally, there were wooded areas and fewer houses. Just when I was about to tell him, I thought we might have missed something. Around a corner stood a man on the side of the road with the blue flag. We stopped right in the middle of the road and did not move, nor did the man. The sound was like thunder when the man lifted a walkie and spoke. “Jaguar.”
Rich raised the walkie, keyed the mic and spoke. “Snapper.”
The man waved us onto a path in the woods, Rich rolled the window down, and the man said something I could not hear and jumped in the back of the truck. We drove down the road that was little more than a path and into a clearing with a number of tents and trucks encircling the area. Off to the side was a large white canvas tent like the ones I’d seen at the camp. Instantly I began to panic, tugging on Rich’s sleeve.
He reassured me saying, “You’ll see, not to worry.” Kissing my hand, he gave me a look, and I relaxed some. I knew I could trust him and waited patiently to see what he meant.
Once we parked, some men walked toward the truck. I knew them; they were from the camp, instantly relieved I turned and looked at Joshua and Lia. Lia was all manner of antsy. Obviously, she too recognized someone. I asked her, “What’s up buttercup?”
She smiled and said, “That’s my dad.”
I smiled back saying, “Well we best get you out there then.”
Racing from the truck, she threw herself onto the man I only knew as the cook back at the camp, and I thought to myself, “Such a small world.” Joshua and Doc exited the truck with less enthusiasm and walked to meet the men. I heard them ask of Rebecca and the other children. Doc just lowered his head and shook it “no.” They seemed sympathetic, one man saying, “We ran into some trouble ourselves and lost many. I’m truly sorry.” Placing his hand on Doc’s
shoulder, it seemed of little comfort to him.
The woman who’d helped me with my hair came racing over. Hugging me, she then grabbed my hand dragging me to camp. I immediately reached out and snatched Lia’s hand, dragging her in tow.
After talking about how glad she was that I was ok. She said, “We have some of that tea you like. Want some?”
A smile crept across my still slightly bruised face as I said, “You do know how to make a day brighter.”
The men chatted, plotted and planned how to liberate the camp we’d seen. While I sat with the women who were making food and strangely enough soap, I learned much. The woman who’d help me with the shower was Chantelle; she had no children or family to speak of. Telling me, “Well before things went to shit I was in marketing. I’m not actually from here but Atlanta. I was in New York on business when everything fell apart. A friend dragged me out to her parents’ house in Dirt Patch, Pennsylvania. At least that was what I called it. So country. Anyway, we ended up in that camp just like everyone else. My friend was transferred out a week after we arrived, I don’t know where she ended up.”
Curious about what this soap thing was, I asked Chantelle to explain it. She didn’t know but said the other ladies could tell me. Walking up to one stirring a small pot I asked, “What is that?”
She said, “I’m clarifying fat.”
Perplexed I said, “I thought you were making soap.”
She laughed and said, “I am.”
Looking blankly at her, she waved me over. I sat down, and she explained that in essence all soap is basically made out of fat or oil and lye. She told me they were making the most basic lye soap.
I was still confused, and asked, “How does fat make soap? Aren’t we always trying to cut grease?”
“We are.” She said, “The lye does that.” Turning back to a wooden box she explained, “We take the wood ashes and soak them in water. It leaches the lye from the ash. What I am doing right now is clarifying the fat. I will boil it with water to separate the impurities. Then set it aside to harden. Once it does, we will dump it out, and the impurities will be on the bottom. Scraping this off, we now have pure white fat. It will be melted. It and the lye water will be mixed until what is called the saponification process takes over. It will need to sit and harden, but this becomes basic soap.”
I was amazed at what these women knew, and how they’d adapted so well. I wanted to learn more, but Rich came over and said, “Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but it is time to discuss the plans ahead. The Sergeant has asked everyone to come together for a single meeting on this.”
I looked at him horrified, “The Sergeant?”
He nodded and said, “Yes Darling, you didn’t note the difference when he was replaced?”
Thinking back, I did recall a difference. The new guard was a lot rougher and watched me like a hawk. I realized I knew so little during that time.
Coming into the area for the meeting, first, we listened to the scouts that recounted what they’d seen when watching the camp.
The sergeant gave us the overview explaining that there were a few areas that were obvious and others that were not. He went into some details saying, “The camp is set up much like ours except the whole camp is surrounded by a high fence with razor wire. The scouts could identify the troop areas and at least one officer that was not happy with the treatment of those interned there. There is a tent with many sick people; the scouts said it looked like Ebola.”
Everyone gasped, we did not have that kind of set up at our camp, and no one had a good suggestion for how to handle this. The scouts said there was more. The guy who led the scouting party, Keith, stood up saying, “They are loading bodies into a semi-trailer. Some were in tied with duct tape and black bags while others were simply naked or in various stages of dress.”
Again the group gasped, I spoke out, “What kind of place is this?”
Sarge stood again, saying, “Well now, welcome to the fight, little miss sassy pants.”
Everyone laughed as he continued, “We think this is one of the Ebola camps. Many are brought here with symptoms, but most are brought here to contract it. They are being placed in close proximity to those known to be infected to clean up bloody gauze or the patients themselves. We all know this kind of contact is highly contagious and if the person does not contract it they are sometimes even injected with it.” Motioning to Keith, he continued, “Keith here, with his son and a few others escaped this camp a month ago. We could tell by the NBC suits, that whatever is going on is highly contagious. Keith filled in the blanks with what he knew from when he was there.”
Everyone gasped and looked at Keith like he was the Black Death, taking a step back. Keith Laughed saying, “We are not infected. We quarantined ourselves right out of the camp for the full twenty-one days.”
Doc stood saying, “Ebola is not airborne, and one cannot catch it by proximity. It needs to be passed through bodily fluids.”
A man spoke up I’d never seen before, saying, “So, how are we supposed to free these people if we can’t be in proximity to them?”
Practically leaping from my spot on the log I’d been sitting on, I raised my hand as a child waiting to be called on. Sarge looked at me with a slight smile saying, “A word from our local heroine?”
Frowning at him, I said, “I wish you all would quit with that crap.”
He laughed and said, “You have a question?”
I said, “Actually a thought. When we were at the medical offices, I saw suits like the ones mentioned by the guy who got out.”
He said, “Keith here?” Motioning to the guy.
I said, “Yea, aren’t they the white suits that make you look like the guys working in a lab or something?”
Doc stepped up saying, “You’re right Rita.” Then addressing the Sergeant, he said, “There were a large number of NBC suits in one of the suites.”
I asked, “What is an NBC suit?”
The Sergeant answered, “It stands for nuclear, biological, and chemical. They are supposed to help protect from contamination.”
The plan was set for the next evening, allowing time for all the scouts to get back and give everyone time to prepare. Doc produced the medical supplies we had amassed, which was no small amount after the medical facilities and the score at the house. He and the other two medical persons were able to set up a fairly stable infirmary with generous supplies. Keith’s group would go back out tonight with Rich to the offices where we’d seen the suits and gather all the suits and medical supplies available.
Lia was settled into her parent’s tent for the night, while Joshua and Doc set theirs up. Rich made our sleeping area in the truck again; I had to admit it was far more comfortable than on the ground in a tent.
Once everything was hashed out and gone over multiple times, it was time to set up watches and get some rest. Rich and I went to lie down, where I finally said how I felt about him going on this operation and that I was not allowed to go. I was terrified something would happen to him. It was overwhelming, I buried my face in his chest and cried, begging him not to leave me behind.
Ever since I regained my memory, I haven’t been able to shake the loss of Matty. Even though I know he is with John and Amy; I am terrified to lose anyone. I’d never felt about anyone the way I felt about Rich and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. This camp was different with the high fences and guards. I feared for them all. Laying there, I cried myself to sleep as he held me close. We lay there until the knock at the window signaled a watch. He tried to wriggle out from under me, but I would not have it. I got up and went to stand the watch alongside him.
While we sat in the foxhole staring out into the early morning fog, Rich reached over and took my hand in his. Looking straight at me he said, “Rita, I love you.”
I said, “I love you too.”
Looking more intense, his hands fidgeted over my hand, turning it over into each of his hands looking at it, he looked up and blurted it out,
“Marry me.”
I looked at him saying, “You already asked me that. I said I would.”
Continuing to look at me he said, “Right after our watch. Let’s do it now. We will go see the Sergeant, he is the highest ranking officer here. Rita, say you’ll marry me?”
Wrapping my arms around his neck practically choking him, kissing his face I said, “I will, I will marry you, right here, today.”
We sat the remainder of the watch huddled together, either out of necessity for warmth or just desire. Either way, we sat silently holding one another watching the sunrise on a new day.
Chapter 12
“Liberation”
“People have to liberate themselves because liberation is not a single act. It’s a question of eternal vigilance. Otherwise, you’ll just become enslaved by someone else.”
-Norman Finkelstein
The morning was crisp, with a frost settling from the fog on the small amounts of vegetation still clinging to the stems and branches around us. The camp was coming to life, busy with the preparations for the day’s task. The oaky smell of smoke from the fires lingered in the grey furls rising from the fire mingling with the grey haze of the fog. Climbing from the foxhole I took a seat in the circle surrounding the fire. The orange and red flames danced in a mesmerizing manner playing on my senses and entrancing me in my own world. A shiver climbed up my spine while my face, red from the heat glowed in its warmth. In the pit of my stomach, I ached for Matty and worried for Rich. If we escaped this day, I vowed to myself not to stop until we reached the others and I could be with my son.