Uprising: Book 2 in the After the Fall Series

by David Nees

  “The gang really drove into a trap,” Leo said.

  “How’s that?” Frank asked.

  “See the ridges on either side of the road?” Leo pointed beyond the bridge. The land rose up cliff-like with rocks studding the face. A creek draining the valley had cut a narrow gorge through the low ridge to join the river. To make a road, the builders had widened this cut just enough to put the road through.

  “If the farmers were up there on the ridge tops, the gang was in a shooting gallery. See how narrow it is after the bridge? They’d be sitting ducks trying to get up that road. Even the bridge wouldn’t give much protection.”

  “Let’s get going,” Charlie said behind him. There was nervous irritation in Charlie’s voice. “We’re wasting time hanging out here.”

  Leo turned and looked at Charlie with some disdain. He didn’t think much of this old cop. He didn’t much like cops, even ones on the take. “Not a waste of time if there’s something to learn,” he said mildly.

  “What’s to learn?” Charlie asked.

  “How they fight. How smart they are about tactics. From what I see, they knew how to pick their spot. Can’t let them repeat that.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Charlie asked.

  “Nothing.” Leo walked back to the truck.

  They reached Anne and Jason’s farm late in the afternoon. Jason had returned from working in the fields. It was an awkward meeting with Frank playing the politician, trying to sweet talk everyone into relaxing. Leo remained taciturn and quiet. Charlie interjected some down home thoughts now and again.

  They discussed food production and whether or not the valley could use extra hands during planting or harvest. Frank finally steered the conversation around to the seeds but didn’t get too far with Jason. He was not going to show the visitors the stockpile or agree to share them.

  As it began to get dark, Anne, ever the mindful of being a good host, invited everyone to have some dinner. After which the visitors went to the barn to spend the night, not wanting to be on the roads after dark.

  As soon as they had been left alone in the barn and the door had been closed, the three of them and their four guards had conducted a careful search of the interior. They had found no seed. There was nothing remarkable, just a couple of workbenches, a tool rack with hammers, several saws and other tools no one recognized hanging on it. On another larger rack there were shovels, hoes, scythes, and rakes. On the floor were some other farm implements that looked like they attached to a tractor. A corner held stacks of lumber planks in various widths and lengths. At the back wall were four 55-gallon drums, two labeled “gasoline” and two labeled “diesel”. A careful sniffing and jostling had confirmed the contents. Toward the end of the search, Leo had had the guards down on all fours inspecting the concrete floor to look for spilled grain and tapping the floor, listening for any hollow sound that would give away a hidden cavity

  That night, when he thought everyone was asleep, Leo stepped outside the barn, closing the door on the snores behind him. The moon was three quarters full, and its cool light filled the yard. He took three quick steps to his right, into the shadow of a tree, and listened for any sound from the house. He was glad there wasn’t a dog on the property.

  Now he wanted to look around the property. Perhaps there was a shed or storage bin hidden in the woods. As he made his way across the yard, a pair of eyes watched him from the second floor of the house.

  Catherine was sitting at the open window when she saw Leo come out of the barn. She hadn’t been able to sleep and was enjoying the soft night breeze coming through the screen. The moonlit yard always looked otherworldly to her. The night didn’t scare her anymore. It had its own beauty that she enjoyed.

  Sarah came over in her nightgown. “What are you doing?”

  “Shhh.” Catherine pointed to the dimly seen figure moving across the yard.

  “Who’s that?” Sarah asked in a whisper. She scrunched herself onto the seat with Catherine.

  “That guy, Leo.”

  “I don’t like him. He doesn’t seem very nice.”

  “Me either. I’m sure he’s a gangster. I saw him before, when we did the trade.”

  “This is creepy. What’s he doing?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know. I want to watch him. He’s up to something.”

  “Something no good, I’ll bet.” They watched in silence as Leo disappeared into the trees at the edge of the yard. “You’re really taking things seriously. Are we in danger from the town?”

  Catherine turned to her. “We could be. I want to do my part to keep us safe.”

  “I can shoot and fight, but I don’t want to…and I don’t want to argue with people, especially adults. How do you do it?”

  Catherine looked back out the window. “I don’t know. I feel responsible. Like I should be helping out. I think the battles we fought changed me. I guess I don’t feel like a kid anymore.”

  “Yeah. You’re getting married…then you’ll get pregnant and be no fun,” Sarah said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. Catherine understood. Sarah was losing her big sister to adulthood. The EMP attack had distorted all children’s lives, but Sarah still tried to hold on to remnants of being a kid.

  Now Catherine put her hand out to Sarah. “Shhh,” she said. Leo was coming back out of the woods. He walked towards the barn and disappeared around the far side of it. “So he wasn’t going to the bathroom,” Catherine said.

  “The outhouse is the other way,” Sarah said. “He’s looking for something,”

  “Yeah, but what? They asked about our non-hybrid seed. I wonder if that’s what he’s looking for?”

  “Why are they so interested in that?” Sarah asked.

  “If they get seed of their own, they don’t have to do business with us anymore.”

  “Is that a bad thing? Why do we need the town?”

  “If we were real partners with the town, life would be better for everyone. We concentrate on food production, the town concentrates on things like electricity, machinery, medicine, education…it all works well together.”

  “How’d you get so smart about all of this?”

  “I listen,” Catherine replied.

  Sarah punched her sister on the shoulder. “Well, so do I. I just don’t find that stuff all that interesting.”

  Catherine playfully punched her sister back. “Go back to bed. I’m going to watch for a while longer, ‘til this guy goes back into the barn.”

  Sarah yawned. “Suit yourself, but we have to get up early tomorrow. I’m sure Mom wants to feed them before they leave.”

  “Probably right,” Catherine said. They both knew their mother.

  On his way back to the barn, Leo glanced up and saw the shadow of someone in an upper room window. It looked like the older girl, Catherine. She’s smart enough to keep an eye out on me? She could be trouble.

  Chapter 22

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  A s soon as Lori Sue heard that Leo was out of town, she excused herself from the conversation at the militia bar. The corporal she had been talking to was disconcerted and she knew she was passing up a sure transaction that would have gotten her two days’ worth of rations. She spent another minute in conversation with him, enough to leave him looking forward to a happy experience in the next couple of days. Then she stepped out onto the sidewalk, took a moment to work up her courage, and headed down the street to the hotel where the guard stood waiting.

  She hadn’t seen Donna for some time. Donna was important to her. Lori Sue wasn’t exactly sure how yet, but on matters of survival she trusted her instincts. Donna was an intelligent woman connected to Leo, a powerful figure. That made Lori Sue want to be on Donna’s good side. And it would be easy. Lori Sue had seen her sadness and distress. Donna needed a friend, and Lori Sue needed influence.

  The door guard wasn’t a man she knew, and she wondered if he was from Joe’s gang. He turned out to be easier than she had expecte
d; after five minutes of flirting and hinting that he might get lucky soon, she was able to cajole him into letting her in. She made her way up the stairs to the fourth floor. At the door of Leo’s suite, she took a deep breath and knocked firmly.

  No answer.

  She knocked louder. Still no answer, but she thought she heard a faint sound from inside, an odd, clinking sound, metallic, like steel nails dropped in a pile. She knocked louder and longer this time.

  “Go away, Leo’s not here,” came a muffled reply.

  “It’s Lori Sue. We met a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t seen you around and thought I would stop by.”

  “How did you find this apartment? What do you want?”

  “You’re with Leo.” She hadn’t quite known what word to use. “I know he lives here. I get to learn a lot talking with everyone. Can I come in?”

  “What do you want?” Donna asked again.

  “Just to visit. Maybe we can get a drink across the street. Have girl talk. Like I said before, we girls need to stick together.”

  “I can’t go across the street.”

  “Why not? Look, rather than yell through the door, can you open it so we can talk?”

  She heard the dead bolt retract. Donna opened the door a few inches. She was dressed in a light blue dressing gown. It was sheer enough to see through. She wore nothing underneath. “I can’t go across the street,” Donna repeated, looking Lori Sue in the eye. She then made a point of looking downward. Lori Sue followed her gaze. Donna had moved her left foot forward, and above it a metal cuff was locked around her ankle.

  “He locks me up when he’s gone for some time. I guess he doesn’t fully trust me,” Donna said. Her lips pressed shut, and she turned and walked back into the room, letting the door swing further open. A chain rattled along behind her. “Close the door and your jaw. You don’t need to keep it hanging open.”

  Lori Sue came in and closed the door. The windows filled the room with afternoon light. She followed Donna into the kitchen.

  “The chain allows me move from the bedroom to bathroom to kitchen, but it doesn’t reach much into the living room,” Donna said. Her voice was dull and flat, without emotion. “We’ll sit in here.” She sat down at the little table and pointed to Lori Sue to sit across from her. “If you want anything to drink, help yourself. Don’t feel bad if I don’t serve you. It’s a pain to walk around like this.”

  Lori Sue didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry…what’s going on? I thought you were his girlfriend?”

  “You did?” Donna’s face had a hard expression on it as she looked at Lori Sue. “Guess you’re not much of a judge of character. You think I’d be that monster’s girlfriend? That what you thought?” She shook her head. “I’m his possession now. He thinks he owns me. How does that strike you?”

  Lori Sue just stared at Donna.

  “I told you to get away when we first met. Remember? Get away from this block, from these men. You didn’t listen. Stupid girl. You might wind up with an ankle bracelet like mine if you’re not careful.”

  “I’m sorry…I didn’t realize. I thought you were okay with being his—”

  “His slave? Certainly not his girlfriend.” Donna’s face now looked sad.

  “I didn’t know.” Lori Sue lowered her gaze. She wasn’t sure what to say. It had all seemed so simple when she assumed Donna was a willing partner.

  “Of course not. No one knows. No one wants to know. He has my son. That’s how he controls me and gets me to do anything he wants.” She leaned forward, her eyes now blazing with anger and hatred, “Anything…do you understand?”

  Lori looked at her, her bravado gone. “I think so.”

  Donna turned away in her chair. She seemed to sag. The fire seemed to have left her and now she just looked defeated. “What do you want from me?”

  “I…I wanted to be your friend…I mean I still want to be your friend. But, honestly, it was because I thought you had influence.” Donna smiled sadly and shook her head. Lori Sue almost stopped there, but a thought came to her unbidden; one that scared her. It forced its way forward until she blurted it out. “But now I think you need me.”

  Donna jerked back around and stared at her in disbelief. “What kind of help can you give me? Are you going to change Leo? Make him let me go? Appeal to his finer instincts? He doesn’t have any.” She spat out the last words.

  “What about your son? You said he has your son.”

  “He does. I get to see him occasionally, if Leo thinks I’ve been good.” Suddenly her eyes reignited. A new fire burned in them, not one of hatred, but one of excitement, maybe even hope. “That’s it! You can visit my son. Let him know how much I love him. Tell him that we’re going to be together again, soon. You can check on him, make sure he’s fine. Could you do that?”

  Lori Sue nodded. “Where is he?”

  “He’s at the school. He stays there like the orphans do. Of course you have to be careful. Not arouse any suspicion. If Leo finds out, it won’t be good for either of us.” Donna locked her eyes on Lori Sue. “Are you up to it? If you want to help, that’s what I need.”

  Lori Sue nodded again, gulping inwardly.

  “Let me hear you say it. I want to hear you say you’ll check up on Danny, his name is Danny. Say you’ll help him.”

  “I’ll help him.”

  Donna sat back. “That gives me some hope. Thank you.”

  This hadn’t been what Lori Sue had set out to do. She’d been hoping to curry favor, get access to more resources; find an easier way to survive through a connection to one of the big guys—as big as any of the top militia officers, maybe the biggest guy she knew of outside of Joe Stansky or that director, Frank Mason. Now there was nothing in this situation for her except danger. What was she thinking?

  Lori Sue knew the answer to that. She was thinking of the ankle shackle and chain.

  She shuddered. “Look, I’ll do what you said. But what about Danny’s father? Do you have a husband?”

  A curtain of sadness seemed to fall over Donna’s face. Her voice was flat, without emotion. “He’s dead. Leo had him killed.”

  Lori Sue thought about that for a moment, digesting the finality, the brutality implicit in that statement. Finally she came to a decision. “I can help another way, if you want.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve got a gun. A pistol. I could sneak that to you. You know…to use, if you need it. If things get too bad for you.”

  “And have my son killed? No, that won’t help.”

  “Still, maybe you should have it around. It might make you less afraid.”

  “I don’t have any privacy. You see how I’m dressed. It’s part of his routine, no privacy, no modesty allowed.”

  “Maybe you could hide the gun somewhere here in the kitchen. He makes you cook for him, right? I’ll bet he don’t do anything in the kitchen. I bet he never opens some of those cabinets.”

  Donna was silent for a moment. “That might work. But you have to bring it sometime when he’s gone again. I can’t get it from you on the street and bring it back, not if he’s in the apartment. He’d…he’d know.”

  Lori Sue smiled. “I’ll know when he’s gone. I’ll get it to you. I’ve got the door guard wrapped around my finger. I’ll probably have to give him a tumble, but I’ll get the run of the building.” She felt a strange surge of energy running through her. Something like excitement. It felt good. “That bastard may get his due yet…treatin’ us like this. We girls got to stick together.”

  When Lori Sue left, Donna sat at the kitchen table for a long time. After a while she put her head in her arms and began to sob, loud, harsh sobs. They shook her whole body. For the first time she felt the rebirth of hope, and with that rebirth came pain; the pain of her loss, the pain of her situation, her degradation. But, through the pain, the kernel of hope grew. Finally she began to smile, for the first time since she had been taken. That girl, she thought. Help could come from the most unlikely o
f places.

  Chapter 23

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  I t was fully dark when Charlie left the house, still weary from his trip to the farm valley. The route out to the water mill project was more difficult than usual, because he had the unaccustomed problem of having to avoid militia patrols. They posed no danger to him, but he didn’t want anyone to get word of this nighttime excursion.

  When he reached the mill, there was no one to be seen. The building was black against the stars. He did not call out. He just stood there in the dark, waiting. Finally he heard someone speak from behind. He thought he recognized the superintendent’s voice.

  “Don’t turn around. Just keep looking forward like you are.” Charlie did as he was told. He heard footsteps behind him. “I’m going to put a blindfold on you. I’ll lead you so you won’t stumble. We have to walk a little way.”

  “Remember, I’m not a threat to you. No one came with me.”

  “We’ll be the judge of that. I’m talking to you because we confirmed you weren’t being followed. Do what we say and you won’t be harmed. And you’ll get some information.”

  Charlie did not resist as a bandanna was tied tightly over his eyes. His arm was taken in a firm grip. The voice was low and tense. “If we’re seen, I’ll tell you and leave. Keep walking for ten steps and then take off the blindfold and hide it. You can explain yourself to the militia, can’t you?”

  “The police force never sleeps,” Charlie said.

  His companion led him at a good pace. They made many turns, and he lost track of direction after they had gone a little way. After ten minutes he heard a door open and he was jostled inside. They walked up stairs that turned and turned again. Finally, he heard a door open and they entered a different space; one that echoed a little. He was guided into position and pushed down onto a hard chair.