by Payne, T. L.
"Damn it!" Maddie said. "I didn't want to get involved in the town politics in Houston. Why couldn't he just sit there in town? I thought the police chief was going to arrest him."
"Sooner or later we'd have to deal with him, Maddie. He ain't gonna be satisfied with what little he can take from that town. Eventually, he will try to branch out and control more territory. That is what they do," Ryan said as he walked up behind her.
"What's going on?" Beth asked as she approached.
"We have to go, Mom. I'm sorry, but we won't be able to stay for Dawn's…"
Maddie wasn't sure what to even call it these days. Putting people in the ground, standing over the grave, and saying a few words was a luxury they couldn’t afford today. Would that amount to what they used to refer to as “a service?" There sure wouldn't be a visitation where all of Dawn's friends and family would gather to console one another. There would be no obituary saying, "Services for the departed will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday. The family asks for charitable donations to be made in the departed's name in lieu of flowers."
"It's just too dangerous, Maddie," Beth said.
Maddie glared at her mom.
"Is there anything I can say to make you stay?” Beth asked.
"I have to go. I have to make sure those animals do not get out of their cages."
Maddie turned to Jacob. "Let's go."
Zach had walked to the barn and was searching around for over twenty minutes, when he came walking out with a mount to attach the .50 cal. to the turret of the Humvee. He used the front brush guard as a step to get on the hood, then stepped on top of the Humvee to the turret and dropped the mount into its attach point. He hopped down onto the hood, then to the ground, and backed away from the vehicle with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Holy f…—where did you find that, Zach?” Lugnut screamed.
“I don’t know—it was like when your mind solves problems for you when you’re asleep. I was standing there looking at the quilt lying over Dawn, and I just saw it—the mount—in my mind and realized that I had seen it in the barn and didn’t know what it was until just that second when my mind put it all together.”
Lugnut silently put a hand on Zach’s shoulder, then calmly grabbed a can of .50 cal. ammunition and set it on the hood. He stepped on the tire and swung his body up onto the hood and then on top of the vehicle and attached the can to the mount.
“Zach, go tell Rank to grab the 50 and the goggles then beat feet back here,” Lugnut said.
The look on her mom's face as the Humvee backed out of the shed with Lugnut in the turret with his hand on the .50 cal. sent a pang of guilt through Maddie's heart. Her mother had been through a harrowing ordeal. She was about to bury a friend. And now Maddie was running off to war.
Maddie had never been so keenly aware that every goodbye could be the last they shared. Her mother could have been the one they were burying today. It could’ve been Zach, or any of the other members of their group. At this point, they all felt like family.
Maddie swallowed hard and fought back tears as she turned the steering wheel and pulled onto the gravel drive. At the road, Maddie took a deep breath as she looked in the rearview mirror.
Would any of them make it back? If they did, would those they left behind still be alive?
Loosening the white-knuckled grip she held on the steering wheel, Maddie turned left out of the driveway and headed toward the prison, as Lugnut’s head and the 50 spun around in the turret to point forward. Jacob was in front of the Humvee on Zach's motorcycle, riding beside his cousin, Russ.
Zach had been furious that he had to remain behind. A look of relief had washed over Beth's face when Ryan, Rank, and Lugnut all agreed that Zach should stay and guard the cabin. Outnumbered, Zach had taken up a position in the newly installed deer stand overlooking the pond and Ron's grave. After Dawn was laid to rest, they would all be on guard duty at the cabin until the rest of the group returned.
Despite Ryan's limited mobility from the gunshot wound he received to his leg on their trip from Illinois, he was still an excellent marksman. He would stay with the group at the cabin and man the post in the barn loft. The two doors on the barn loft faced north and south. Krista would take the south.
As Maddie made the turn onto the highway, she checked her side mirrors and noticed how foreign it looked for Lugnut to be sitting in the strap that hung from the inside of the turret. Cool air circulated throughout the cabin with the hatch open. They never opened the hatch—they never had a reason to without the weapon mount.
Rank’s head was back against the headrest. His eyes were closed. Maddie knew the big guy wasn't sleeping. He was likely running scenarios through his mind, preparing for battle. Suddenly Rank began rummaging through the pack at his feet, likely inventorying his ammo. They were getting low on ammunition. They'd gone through three times as much as Maddie ever thought they would.
"How many men does Guffey have?" Maria asked from the front-passenger seat.
"I'm not sure, at this point. When he incited the mob to lynch Mark Jewell and his two sisters, he only had maybe six or seven. That was before the judge died. Now, who knows," Maddie said.
No one spoke for the rest of the trip—each in their own thoughts about what they could face at the prison, the air sending a cold chill through the cabin. Maddie was pushing the Humvee as fast as she could. Flashes of when she'd run the Humvee off the road the day they had arrived in the area ran through her mind as she sped around tight curves and took dips in the road too fast, causing the vehicle to bounce up and down at times.
She shivered at the memory of being yanked from the vehicle by the convicts after she'd run the Humvee off the road. She didn't dare slow. She kept pace with Jacob and Russ, who were going as fast as they dared on their motorcycles.
Turning onto Highway 32, Maddie's stomach clenched. Her heart was beating so loud it almost drowned out the noise of the Humvee's engine. One last curve and then the straightaway before the entrance to the prison and they'd know what they were facing. But until they pulled up, all the worst scenes ran through her mind.
Would there be a sea of inmates spilling out of the gates? Would all the guards be lying on the ground, murdered by Guffey and his men—or the prisoners? Would they be walking into a gunfight in progress? None of those scenarios would end well, she feared.
An old truck sped past them in the opposite lane followed by a second, and then a third—each one filled with men. The trucks didn't stop to engage Maddie's group. They didn't even slow down. Maddie didn't recognize any of them, not that she knew many of the area's residents.
Rank had his window down and had turned in his seat to watch them as they passed — his rifle protruding from the opening.
"Should we follow them?" Maddie asked, unsure why she'd said it. She didn't even know if they were Guffey's men.
“No. Let's just get to the prison. They aren't our main concern right now," Rank said.
Maria's eyes remained on the road, her rifle resting across her arm, ready to jump out and fire. Maddie slid her hand down and unsnapped the guard on her holster. Her rifle was secured in the driver’s rifle rack to the left of the steering wheel, but she hadn't practiced retrieving it from there enough to feel confident in a rolling gun battle, not that she could fire and drive at the same time, anyway.
When they came out of the last curve into the straightaway before their turn into the prison, two more pickups passed them.
"If they are Guffey and his men, wouldn't they have taken Highway 63?” Maddie asked, “It's much shorter."
"Not with the hordes of people traveling through, heading to the Red Cross Shelter in Rolla," Lugnut reminded her.
Maddie's heart sank when she made the turn in to the prison. From that vantage point, it looked as if every inmate was out on the yard. She scanned the fence line looking for any openings. She sped up and drove past the first guard tower. She couldn't see anyone inside. Jacob and Russ were already stopped and
off their bikes when Maddie pulled into the parking space in front of the volunteers’ quarters.
"Where is everyone?" Maddie yelled as she exited the Humvee.
"Maddie. Shut off the engine," Rank called as he, too, exited the rear and ran around the passenger side.
Maddie leaned in and killed the engine. When she raised her head, Rank had disappeared and Lugnut was turning around in the turret looking for targets. Maddie jumped out and ran up beside Jacob, who was staring up at the north guard tower. A man's body lie half out of the doorway. Maddie couldn’t tell if he was one of their guards or one of Guffey's men.
Jacob ran toward him. Maria sprinted ahead of him.
"Hold on, Jacob. There could be men inside," she yelled as she ran toward the tower.
Maddie scanned the area to their right and left. She didn't see anyone. Maria bent over the body in the doorway of the tower and lifted the man's bloody head.
Prisoners were chanting something behind the fence.
Even from a distance, Maddie recognized the man. He'd been the one who had thanked her for bringing him food, and now he was dead. Maria disappeared up the stairs of the tower, followed by Jacob. Maddie stood guard at the door. She looked around for Jacob's cousin.
"Jacob. Where did your cousin go?"
"His dad was on the east tower. He probably ran that way."
"Clear," Maria yelled, then appeared on the stairwell.
Maddie sprinted off down the walkway toward the east tower, followed by Jacob. Maria guarded the rear. Prisoners yelled at them from behind the fence but didn't approach. Maddie heard something splash behind her but didn't dare look. She knew all too well what happened when you look back as you run. She still had the scars on her chin from when she’d fallen on the trail near Darlene and Ray Junior’s as proof. The image of their lifeless bodies spread out on their kitchen floor made her head spin. She took a deep breath and pushed the memory away.
"Mother fuck," Jacob yelled.
"They’re throwing piss," Maria yelled as she ran past Maddie.
Maddie ran as fast as she could to reach the east guard tower to put something solid between her and the reach of the inmates' piss bombs. Maddie, Maria, and Jacob each dove behind the concrete structure of the east guard tower, landing hard against the building. Maddie flattened herself as tight as she could against the tower and eased herself toward the open door.
"Cover me," Maria said as she passed Maddie and disappeared up the stairs.
This time, Maddie followed Maria up. Jacob stood guard outside. Maria opened the door at the top of the stairs and stared down. She looked back to Maddie and shook her head. Maddie needed to see. She needed to know who was on the floor just inside the door. She slowly ascended the remaining five steps, not taking her eyes off Maria.
"It's clear. One down," Maria said as she held her rifle at the ready, scanning the small room.
At the top of the stairs, Maria stepped inside the doorway to allow Maddie her first view of the body. Maddie gasped and closed her eyes. She slowly released the breath she held. She looked away and turned to run back down the stairs, but she swallowed and took a deep breath instead. As she bent down to check Todd's pulse, she felt queasy. The pounding of her own pulse in her ears made it difficult to tell if Todd had one. Maria bent down and placed two fingers to his neck. A moment later, she shook her head.
"He's gone, Maddie."
A tear slid down Maddie's face. She thought about Todd's little girls waiting back on Fort Leonard Wood for their daddy to return. She imagined the grief and anguish that his wife would feel at the news of her husband's death.
Would the people on post allow them to stay? Who would look after them? He'd moved them there to be safe from the danger the prison posed. He was safe there with his family. He didn't have to return. He'd done so out of a sense of loyalty and duty. Todd was a hero. He'd died a hero’s death.
"We have to go, Maddie. We have to check on the others," Maria said, placing a hand on Maddie's shoulder.
Maddie wiped tears away with the back of her hands and stood. She stepped over Todd's battered body and approached the observation windows. She looked out onto the crowded prison yard.
"How the hell are we going to get them back under control now?" Maddie asked.
"First things, first. Let's make sure the attackers have all left," Maria said, standing in the doorway.
Maddie stepped back over Todd and wiped another tear before climbing back down the stairs. Jacob put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
She wanted to melt into his arms and pretend all this was just a bad dream, but she resisted and pushed past him. They moved outside of the second fence, away from the reach of the piss bombs, as they made their way to the next guard tower.
On the ground, in the walkway between the fences, was another body. This one was a female. Maddie recognized her from Houston but could not remember if she was one of the first batches of volunteer guards, or one of their family members.
They picked up their pace. When they got closer to the tower, Maddie could see Rank duck inside the doorway and bend down over a body on the ground. Russ was lying over the top of the man. Jacob gasped as he ran to his cousin.
"Here. Put pressure on this," Rank said, placing both the boy's hands on the man's chest.
Rank threw off his pack and grabbed his medical kit. From it, he pulled out the Quik Clot Combat Gauze. After ripping open the man's shirt, Lugnut stuffed the pads into the man's wound. Grabbing one end of the dressing, he stuffed the wad over top of the man's chest wound and pressed Russ' hands down over it.
Gunshots rang out on the far side of the prison.
"Where did they come from?" Rank asked as he ran toward the sound.
"The southwest side, I believe,” Maria said, already heading off in that direction with him in tow. She zig-zagged trying to avoid the inmates piss bombs, the plastic cups landing dangerously close. Rank struggled to catch up to her.
"Go!" Jacob said to Maddie, as he placed his hands on top of his cousin’s, helping to staunch the flow of blood from his uncle's chest wound.
Maddie just stared at him.
“You’ve got to go, Maddie," Jacob said, looking up into her eyes.
Maddie narrowly dodged the foul liquid the inmates were tossing over the inner fence as she caught up with Rank and Maria near the south tower. One of the Soldiers Rank had brought with him from Fort Leonard Wood stood over a man with his rifle pressed against the man's skull.
"Don't shoot!" Maddie screamed. "We need information from him."
Rank ran up and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. He whispered something in the man's ear, and the man lowered the rifle. He slowly backed away and allowed Rank to take over.
When Maddie caught up with them, Rank was already dragging the man inside the stairway of the tower, out of reach of the inmates. Maddie, Maria, and Lugnut continued on to the southwest tower. Huddled on the south side of the tower was the second Soldier from the fort. Maddie glanced in the direction in which the man was staring. On the ground, in between the two fences, was an inmate who must have attempted to scale the fence. If the Soldier hadn't been there, the convict would have escaped for sure. The other inmates had scattered. Most huddled near the buildings.
"Anyone in there?" Maddie asked, pointing up to the tower.
One of the Soldiers nodded. Maddie stepped around them, followed by Rank and Maria.
The door was shut and locked. Maddie banged on the door, then yelled again.
"Anyone in the tower?"
She waited for a response. She didn't know if she would be able to hear them over the inmates yelling.
"Hello in the tower. Is anyone up there? This is Maddie Langston the countersign is...," Maddie yelled.
She didn't know what the countersign of the day was. She hadn't been briefed the day before. "If you are an authorized guard, I wasn't here to receive the countersign yesterday, but the day before it was Krispy Kre
me. We all talked about the food and drinks we missed. I said Pepsi, which set off a big debate with that really skinny kid who wore that Dr. Pepper shirt."
Maddie put her ear against the cold steel door. A moment later, she heard two knocks.
"Okay, can you tell me the response?" she yelled
"Cardinals," the voice called through the door. "Cardinals' baseball."
"Is that you, Richie?" Rank asked.
"It's me. That you, Rank?" the kid asked.
Maddie saw the doorknob turn.
"Yep. It's me, buddy. It's safe to come out now," Rank replied.
The door cracked open. A teenaged boy with a pock-marked face poked his head through. Maddie smiled as big and friendly as she could. The kid looked terrified. Relief washed over him as Rank stepped in front of Maddie. Rank gently pushed open the door and put an arm around the kid.
"Anyone else up there?" Maria asked.
"Yes," the kid said as he stepped back to reveal two more teens behind the door.
"It's all right. You can come out," Maria said, waving for them to exit the stairway.
"Maddie, get these kids to the volunteer quarters while we clear the west tower and administration building. Maria, you take point," Rank barked as he turned toward the west tower.
"But Rank…"
"Maddie, just go. Get those kids inside, away from the inmates. I'll meet you back at the building, and we'll go get Jacob and his cousin."
Maddie was going to continue to contest, but Rank and Maria were too far away to hear her over the yells and chants of the angry inmates.
She ran through the open gate and outside the second fence with the teens following her. When they reached the east tower, Maddie stopped outside the fence.
"Jacob?"
They were gone.
Only a bloody spot on the walkway and discarded gauze were left behind.
They must have moved him to the volunteer billet.
At the volunteer billet, Maddie hit the side of the building with a thud, then yanked open the door and rushed in calling Jacob's name.
