by Hunt, Jack
Hopkins laughed. “Please. The man was one step away from someone doing it. I’m surprised he wasn’t already dead.” He paused and studied Bruce. “I will listen to ideas but there are some things I will not tolerate. Come, let me show you something.” He turned and walked to the window leaving a gun on the table. Bruce knew that this was some test. He got up from his chair and followed him. “Take a look. What do you see?”
Bruce looked away from the gun. He knew going for it would be useless. Even if it was loaded, how would it benefit to kill him? His men would charge in and shoot him before he managed to escape. And the town, it would still be in the same situation, except there would be a new face taking over Hopkins’ position. Bruce gazed out. “What am I looking at?”
“Oh, you probably need these.” Hopkins handed him the binos and pointed.
He squinted. Then he saw numerous military trucks rolling in, along with flatbeds with huge amounts of corrugated steel sheets on the back of them. “What the hell is that?”
“The beginnings of something great.”
He returned to the table and pulled out a large map of Whitefish. Bruce looked over his shoulder, taking it all in. A line was drawn in red around sections of the streets. “These areas will be blocked off. Vehicles will go here, here and here, and over here. Steel walls will be erected where you see the red lines.”
“You’re going to enclose the town?”
“Something like that.”
“Why?”
He smiled. “Like I told you, a war is coming. And we must be ready. You’re fortunate that we picked your little town to put down roots. It has great access to the national forests for hunting, the lakes for fishing and of course, most importantly — people.” He took a deep breath and stepped back observing it as if trying to determine where else he would make changes.
“But…”
“Like I said, you can either be on board or join Greg. The decision is with you but I know that, given the right amount of time, you will come around to seeing the bigger picture.”
“You’re insane.”
He laughed. “I should think so. I would doubt any man living in this country who says he isn’t.”
Bruce looked at the map again. “That’s going to take a tremendous amount of manpower and building material. Where are you getting all this from?”
“Vehicle hoods, and home fences. The rest, we’ve gathered over time, from different towns. Originally our eyes were set on Helena but after Pope told us about the picturesque town of Whitefish and all it had to offer, well, I just couldn’t pass it up without at least coming and taking a look.” He grinned. “Now while Officer Ferris passes on the message, we’ll take care of business here in town. My men are already assigning the good folks of this town a job to do. I figure we should have this place locked down within a matter of days, at least with the cooperation of the people.”
“That’s where I come in, isn’t it?”
“Bingo. You see, I really don’t want to have to start killing people. We need them. Now it requires telling the folks here a different story. One which paints us as the cavalry, and you as their great and glorious leader. Now, again, that’s one way of doing it. The other is we force them, and we shoot you and the rest of the council members for no longer being useful. I’m not a brain scientist but I know what I would choose. So? What’s it going to be, chief?”
Chief Bruce’s heart sank. He knew he had no other choice than to play his game. He only hoped that Ferris got the message to Andy, and he would come to the aid of Whitefish.
5
Fiery torches formed a bright orange glow over Whitefish. From the distance it looked as if the entire town was ablaze. Minutes earlier, Corey and Tyler had been traveling south by horse, staying off the main roads and cutting through the forest parallel to Highway 93. To avoid any roadblocks they went east by way of Beaver Lake Road and dismounted on the hilly landscape of Good Medicine Drive. Approaching an abandoned home set back on a rise, Tyler tied off the horses while Corey used a ladder to climb to the roof of the two-story home. Tyler had noticed how quiet his brother was on the way there. Any attempt at conversation was cut short.
On the roof, Tyler took a seat beside him on the ridge. Corey peered through binoculars. He handed the binos over without saying what he’d seen. “Go on. Take a look,” he said gesturing.
“You okay, Corey?”
“I’m fine.”
Tyler brought up the binoculars and his eyes narrowed. “What the hell?”
“Seems Ferris was telling the truth,” Corey replied. “That sure as hell isn’t the U.S. Army.”
Tyler panned the binoculars taking in the full scope of what he was seeing. They were erecting corrugated steel panels. Usually it required posts in between to hold them steady but instead of going to all that trouble they were using stalled vehicles. Residents in the town were being forced to push vehicles into place, then corrugated steel was wedged in between like the filling in a sandwich. By the looks of it they were doing this at every road into the town, including the smaller ones that fissured off from neighborhoods. “A makeshift wall?” he muttered.
While observing, Corey got on the radio to Bennington and Holden who were on the northeast side of the lake, not far from Whitefish Mountain Resort. Gibby and Markowitz had stayed behind to offer additional protection to the camp just in case Jude had seen them leave.
“Bennington, you got a SITREP?” Corey asked.
“Just coming up on the resort. Give us five minutes.”
Corey nodded. “Roger that.”
He sighed and tapped his finger against his chin.
“Erika and Nate are down there,” Tyler said.
Corey looked his way. “What?”
“Nate. Erika.”
He frowned and in a quiet voice said, “Right.”
“What is the matter with you?”
“I’m just tired. Really tired.” He ran a hand over his stubble.
Tyler hadn’t seen his brother like this. He knew that losing Ella, and the baby had hit him hard but it was like he was somewhere else. Distracted. Certainly not functioning at his best.
“You know you don’t have to be out here. We can handle this.”
“Handle it?” He snorted. “Jude, maybe. Militia? Nope. These guys train for these kinds of events. They aren’t just low-level criminals, or opportunists seeking to make their mark. Many if not all of them are probably ex-military.”
“And?”
“And so maybe this is it,” Corey replied picking at the roof’s shingles.
Tyler frowned. “What are you saying?”
“Sometimes situations are out of our control, Tyler. We can’t save everyone.”
“Are we talking about the community or Ella?”
Corey shot him a glare. The very mention of her name seemed to incite him. He looked as if he was about to say something when Bennington came over the radio. “We got movement down there. Seems these guys must think we’re Mexican as they’re building a wall by the looks of it, over.”
Corey brought the radio up to his lips. “Same here, over.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Head back,” Corey said to Tyler’s surprise.
“Roger that.”
“Head back?” Tyler immediately got on his case. “What about Nate, Erika?”
“There’s not much we can do for them,” he said while cautiously climbing down. “They’re on their own.”
“Like hell they are.”
Tyler followed him down. As soon as their boots were on the ground, Corey made his way back to the horses. “I’m not leaving them there. We did that once and…”
“They fared well. I think you underestimate your friends. As it stands, we need to update the camp so they can determine what to do. We are here for observation only. We have observed, now we leave.”
“You can leave. I’m not.”
Corey mounted his horse. “What do you think you can do, Tyl
er? Huh? You go charging in there, you are liable to get yourself and others killed.”
“They haven’t sealed off the entire place. There is still time.”
“That’s right. There is. Time for us to plan, strategize and put it to a vote.”
“To a vote? This is not a voting matter,” Tyler said pointing towards the town. “People are going to die if we don’t help.”
Corey wrapped the reins around his hand and patted the horse to keep it calm. “And how do you intend to do that?”
“I’ll figure that out once I’m inside.”
“Don’t be stupid. Mount up, let’s go.” His horse trotted forward a short distance before he stopped and looked back. “You hear me? Get on the damn horse, Tyler, and let’s go.”
“I’m going in to help.”
“No you’re not. Now do as I say.”
“We’re not kids anymore, Corey. You want to avoid this, go ahead. But don’t tell me what to do.” Tyler mounted his horse and trotted off heading for a section of the town on the west side that still appeared to be open.
He heard his brother turn his horse and gallop up alongside him. In an instant he reached over and grabbed the reins. “We’re not going that way.”
“You aren’t. I am,” Tyler shot back before trying to pry his hands loose.
A tugging match ensued until Corey released his grip. “You want to get yourself killed. Go ahead!” He turned his horse away and Tyler watched him ride off. He waited there for a minute or two, contemplating his words. He didn’t have a death wish but he sure as hell wasn’t going to wait. Time was against them and by the looks of it, they’d have the streets sealed off in a matter of twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Any attempt to breach the town after that would only be that much harder.
Then again, what if he couldn’t find Nate? What if he was captured by the militia group? He looked back and could see his brother disappearing into the night. He cast one more glance towards the town. “Damn it!” Tyler yanked on the reins and charged after his brother, deciding to listen to him. His mind turned to Nate and Erika. I hope you guys are okay.
Swallowed by darkness, Nate and Erika shivered. A hard wind blew against them and even though the lip of the roof’s edge provided some cover they weren’t shielded from the cold. Below, engines roared and yelling ensued. Over the hours since their near capture, more military units had rolled in with flatbed trailers. In the back were what appeared to be residents. Nate watched with curiosity as soldiers forced them out the back of the trailers and directed them to roll out vehicles from the lot and position them with corrugated steel panels in between.
Erika frowned. “It’s gonna take a lot more steel than that if their plan is to seal this town in.”
“I don’t think that’s the game plan,” Nate said. “More than likely they are closing in specific areas.”
Erika bumped his leg. “I’m not sticking around to find out. C’mon, let’s move.”
They’d noticed that soldiers performed a routine perimeter check every fifteen minutes. Staying low, they crossed the roof and made it to an area that allowed them to drop down to the second level. From there they would make their way over to the edge and drop onto the top of a truck and be away before soldiers came around. As they were moving away from the main building, Nate glanced back and noticed a number of staff in a room. They were under the watchful eye of two soldiers.
“Nate. Let’s go.”
“Hold up. That’s Helen in there.”
“We don’t have time for this. They’ll be back around the west side soon.”
Ignoring Erika, he approached the window, making sure to stay out of view. He snuck a peek inside and scanned the faces. Doctors, nurses, Helen. His eyes widened. Erika hurried over and tugged on his arm. “Nate, we don’t have time for this.”
He nodded, realizing there was nothing they could do but just as he was about to follow, he noticed one of the soldiers enter the room and escort Helen out. The others remained.
“Nate.”
“Hold up.”
He moved along to the next window where the door was open to the corridor. A quick flash of the soldier and Helen as they passed by. He continued on for several rooms until he spotted her. All the while Erika was trying to get his attention. Why had they separated her from the group? She’d been assigned to Erika’s room. Perhaps they’d gone through the chart that listed the names of patients and discovered that Erika was no longer there. Helen leaned against a table, her arms crossed, while a soldier watched over her. A few minutes passed before another one came in with a chart in his hand. He tossed it on the table beside her and said something. Helen shrugged as if to suggest she had no idea. The soldier smiled, turned to his pal behind him and instructed him to leave. He stepped out and as soon as the door was closed, the soldier removed his tactical belt. He laid it down and got close to Helen. She backed up, but he grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced a kiss on her.
“Nate,” Erika said without seeing what was going on. One glance at Helen and Nate knew they couldn’t just walk but on the other hand, any sound would raise an alarm and then the window of opportunity would close.
Erika soon changed her mind when she saw the situation.
He pointed. “There’s a guard outside the door.”
“I’ll handle him,” Erika said.
Nate reached up and tried the window. At first, he thought it was locked as it didn’t move but as he gave it a shove, it shifted over. The soldier turned their way, and he dropped down, his heartbeat slamming hard against his chest. He fully expected him to raise the alarm or come to the window but he didn’t, he continued mauling Helen. Her cries for him to get off worked to Nate’s advantage. Nate shifted the window ever so slightly and managed to get it to the point where he could slide into the room. Helen saw him enter as she was looking over the soldier’s shoulders while he was forcefully kissing her neck and trying to get her scrubs off. Nate put a finger up to his lips while extracting the knife from a sheath at his hip. Not far behind him was Erika.
“Get off. Get off me.”
“Oh don’t play hard to get. You’ll enjoy this just as much as I will.”
Nate didn’t hesitate. He tiptoed his way around and jammed the knife under the man’s arm, up into his rib cage. He gasped as Nate extracted it and then slit his throat. He caught the soldier before he hit the ground. Not making a sound he reached for Helen’s hand and led her back to the window. Just as he was assisting her to escape, the other soldier walked in. His eyes locked with Nate’s, his hand went for his gun and that was when Erika used the weapon she’d taken from the dead soldier and fired a round. The soldier dropped, his body holding the door open.
“Go. Go!” Erika yelled.
Nate helped Helen out and looked back just in time to see Erika drag the soldier’s body into the room and lock the door behind her. She bolted it shut and both of them exited the room and darted across to the far side of the building. They hadn’t made it halfway when they heard yelling.
Helen was the first over the edge. Nate held her hand and lowered her before releasing. Helen dropped onto the top of the truck and Erika was next. She didn’t bother to hang and drop, she simply catapulted herself over and landed on top with all the prowess of a cat. Just as Nate was about to go, a red flare soared into the air. That’s when he heard yelling behind him. Nate turned to see a soldier climbing out of the window while another was dashing towards them. Shit. He dropped and as he landed, he felt his ankle twist. Nate let out a yell and grasped it. Erika came to his aid, but he waved her off. “Get her out of here. They’re coming. I’ll be fine.”
Erika took him at his word and helped Helen get down. The last he saw was them running into the darkness. Nate knew he wasn’t going to be able to outrun these soldiers, so he did the next best thing and slid off the truck and got beneath it. He waited there, laying in the darkness, not making a sound.
He heard the sound of boots landing hard on the
roof of the delivery truck, then metal slapping as someone ran to the far end and launched off.
“You see them?”
“Nothing.”
His pal jumped off the side. Nate turned his head and could see his boots within spitting distance. He held his breath and tried to remain calm as the soldier walked past and continued on. However, he didn’t go far. He soon returned to the truck and opened the door and looked in. Nate knew if he didn’t move there was a chance he’d be discovered. Unable to move because the soldier was less than five feet away, he slipped his hand down and reached for his Glock. All it would take would be to bend down and he would see him. Slowly, Nate extracted his firearm and waited for the inevitable.
The other soldier returned a few minutes later.
“No luck.”
Then there was a large bang not far away.
“That way!” the soldier bellowed as they took off to the north side.
Panicked, Nate waited until he couldn’t hear them before deciding to slip out. No sooner had he emerged from beneath the truck than a hand grasped his face and pulled him back into the shadows. It was Erika.
“Shit, Erika. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Close call.” She beckoned for him to follow her to the west side. They took cover behind a large dumpster and waited no more than ten seconds before darting out across a small field into the woods.
6
The atmosphere that night was tense as the members of Camp Olney gathered around the fire. Andy had called a meeting to discuss the situation. It was only a matter of time before the militia showed up on their doorstep and when they did, it would be an all-out war.
“Settle down. Please,” Andy said, lifting both arms. Shadows from the fire danced on faces. “There is no point panicking. This place was designed for exactly this kind of situation.”
Questions erupted, a flurry of concerns.
“Are we going to help them?”
“Do you think Jude put them up to this?”
“Does anyone have an accurate head count on how many there are?”