by Bruno Miller
He sliced his way around the corner, clearing sections of the room as he moved. Ben did his best to ignore the cache of gear, guns, and ammunition that lined the walls and remained focused on making sure nobody else was down there. But as soon as he had done that, he let his eyes wander to the piles of what could be best described as treasure, given their current situation.
Ben smiled. “Joel, come here. Quick.”
“Whoa.” After rounding the corner, Joel froze with his mouth wide open. Gunner was less impressed and proceeded to push through the assortment of things, investigating anything of interest along the way.
Discovering the cache was a load off Ben’s mind, and although they weren’t in the clear by any stretch, he could finally see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Realistically, he’d hoped to get lucky and find some of their things. Not only did it look like most of their missing gear was in the pile, but there were also countless other things in here. The old man must have been stockpiling this for years, although Ben was sure he’d added to it exponentially over the last few weeks.
As the initial joy about the discovery faded, reality set back in, and Ben was reminded that they had an imminent threat to concern themselves with. Not only that, but they needed to let the others know that the camp, for the time being, was theirs. That meant that they could stop constantly looking over their shoulders and focus on moving this gear out of here and into the vehicles.
That was the other thing that gave his morale a boost: being fairly certain that they had eliminated all the moonshiners in the camp. Ben wouldn’t let his guard down completely and didn’t want the others to, either, but they could breathe a little easier once he, Joel, and Gunner climbed out of here.
But he wasn’t leaving empty-handed and immediately started looking through the piles for rifle ammunition and some of their other weapons.
“We need to take whatever we can carry. We might not get a chance to come back down here, at least not for a while.” Ben didn’t elaborate on that statement, but he was thinking that if the other moonshiners showed up, they better take what they needed to defend themselves now.
“Dad, look.” Joel was on the other side of the room near the entrance.
“Joel, we don’t have time for that right now. Give me a hand, will you?” Ben wasn’t concerned about anything but taking what they could carry and getting back to the others.
“No. Dad, look!” Joel insisted. Ben turned toward his son just in time to see him flip a switch on the end of a black cord that hung from the ceiling. He was about to tell him not to touch it, but it was too late.
The lights grew dim, and almost immediately, a series of squeaks and groans came from outside the room. Then Ben heard a metallic clicking noise behind him. He turned to look and saw that it was coming from under the generator housing. The large wooden box, built over the generator to reduce noise, also had a set of cables running through it. The cables went up to a pulley on the ceiling, then followed a support beam along a few more sets of pulleys before heading out of the room and into the main shaft. Joel was already in the shaft, and Ben rushed to join him. He struggled to get his light to work and had to smack it against his hand a couple of times.
“It’s a mine cart.” Joel laughed as he kept his light trained on the approaching contraption. A series of cables and pulleys turned overhead, bringing the cart right to them and outside the door to the supply room.
“Throw the switch back to the middle,” Ben said.
Joel did as his father asked, and the cart slowed to a stop almost immediately.
“Well, that’s going to make things a whole lot easier.” Joel was proud of his discovery, and rightfully so. Ben studied the cables in the ceiling and inspected the heavily greased connections on the cart, using the faint beam from his newfound flashlight. As far as he could tell, it all looked to be in good shape. That was unexpected, considering the state of the rest of the compound. But they’d find out for themselves soon enough when they loaded it up with gear and rode it topside.
The cart wasn’t very big, but if they put a couple of people down here and a few up top, they could have this place cleared out in an hour or two at most. Sorting through it all and loading the trucks was another story entirely. He and Joel moved around the room quickly, gathering the things they wanted topside first. Among them were enough MREs for everyone to have a quick meal. It would have been smarter to eat some of the perishable food, but Ben didn’t want to waste time cooking something elaborate. The MREs would be fast and contain all the calories they needed to push through.
Down here were several crates of MREs that weren’t part of their supplies. As far as Ben was concerned, the food that didn’t come from their trucks could be split up by Rita, Carlos, and Martin. They were going to need provisions as well, and he imagined that two of the vehicles at the rear of the compound belonged to them. He’d make sure they were all well-equipped and supplied before they left.
Joel helped him load ammunition and reclaim their weapons from the stockpile of arms amassed in the small space. There was more here than they could carry, even if weapons and ammunition was all they packed into the Blazer and Jeep; they were already loaded to the brim when they left Jack’s. Ben thought about how ecstatic the moonshiners must have been when they discovered the jackpot of gear inside the vehicles.
He wished there was a way to take it all. What a godsend it would be for Vince and the rest of them in Cloverdale. There was enough here to set them up nicely for a while. Cloverdale wasn’t that far away, after all. Ben wasn’t going to waste any more time thinking about it right now, but the wheels in his mind were already turning.
The cart filled up faster than he felt should have been possible, and before they knew it, there was no room for them inside. Ben was worried about the weight and hoped they weren’t asking too much of the old pulley and cable system. If the cables failed or there was a mechanical issue and they lost control of the cart, they risked losing it all into the abyss of the mineshaft behind them. There was no telling how far the shaft continued down past the room and he had no desire to find out. But using the cart was a necessary risk. He didn’t have it in him to carry anything back up the inclined shaft, and neither did Joel, whether he would admit it or not. It was going to take all they had to get themselves up the loose shale-covered incline.
“Stand back.” Ben waited for Joel to call Gunner to him and off the tracks before hitting the switch. A tense couple of seconds passed with no movement from the cart but plenty of groaning and creaking noises from the equipment. As the cable tightened, it began to vibrate under the load and shook loose small clouds of dust that drifted down from the ceiling. Ben contemplated throwing the switch and shutting it down, but then the cart jerked forward an inch. Then another. Eventually, it began to roll smoothly up the slope.
Ben realized he’d been holding his breath the whole time and exhaled loudly.
“Use the cart.” He grabbed onto the back corner and let the cart help pull him up behind it. Joel grabbed the rail close to the front and did the same. As soon as Gunner realized they were leaving, he did his best to keep up, clawing his way over the slippery rock fragments that reminded Ben of scree. The poor dog probably hadn’t been fed at all since they were captured. Ben felt bad for Gunner and started to pick him up. Joel saw what his dad was doing and helped him put Gunner on top of the cart.
Gunner fought them at first and stood awkwardly on top of the ammunition cans, looking for a way down, but Joel was able to convince him to stay, and eventually Gunner sat down and settled in for the ride to the top. Ben would have liked to join the dog, but he was afraid to add any more weight to the already-strained system. As it was, he was preparing to grab Gunner off the cart if he heard or felt the slightest hint of mechanical failure.
The cart helped pull them up, but it was still a workout. By the time they reached the entrance to the shaft, they were both exhausted. He found the brake lever on the cart and set it in place.
There was also a piece of heavy wood cut into a wedge at the side of the entrance. Ben had noticed it earlier but paid it no mind. Now he knew what it was for and placed it behind the opposite cart wheel. Further inspection of the entrance revealed another switch like the one at the bottom, presumably to send the cart back down the shaft.
With this piece of the puzzle figured out, it was time to regroup with the others and take a few minutes to eat and let everyone catch their breath. Joel volunteered to carry the backpack they had stuffed with MREs and Jack’s AR-15 with the Trijicon. It was a good choice for the low-light conditions of early morning. Joel had also found himself a holster down in the room and used it to keep his grandfather’s Colt 1911 on his hip.
Ben had his M24 reloaded and slung over his shoulder, opting to carry the Kel-Tec 12-gauge semiautomatic at the ready and holster the Desert Eagle. He also had a small backpack filled with a good amount of ammunition for their weapons, as well as a few boxes of 20-gauge shells for Allie and Bradley. He’d also made sure to take the box of 12-gauge Dragon’s Breath shells at the last second; he was lucky enough to spot them among the piles of gear and threw them in his bag. There were only five shells, but it was a lot of bang for the buck. With a range of 150 yards and a burn temperature of five thousand degrees, each of the rounds would launch a fireball consisting of an incendiary compound. Ben thought it might be just the thing they needed to convince the moonshiners that this was a fight they wouldn’t win.
Chapter Twenty
When Ben and Joel returned, they found the others gathered near the vehicles at the center of the compound. Bradley and Emma were sitting around what was left of the fire, with Sam and Bajer close by. Rita and Carlos had joined them on an adjacent log. Ben noticed that the old man’s body and the recliner he was sitting in were nowhere to be seen.
Shaking their heads, Allie and her mother stood over the coolers that were once loaded with venison from Jack’s. The other two dogs spotted Ben and Joel first and ran to greet Gunner. Bradley and Emma weren’t far behind.
“We were getting worried about you guys,” Sandy said.
“They ate all the deer meat. Completely empty.” Allie kicked at one of the coolers with a disgusted expression on her face.
“It doesn’t matter. We found all of our stuff and more,” Ben answered.
“Yes!” Allie cheered.
Joel held up the backpack. “There’s enough MREs for everyone and lots more where they came from.” He unzipped the bag and dumped its contents onto the Blazer’s tailgate, turning around just in time to intercept a hug from Allie.
Ben and Sandy looked knowingly at each other and smiled. It was good to see Joel and Allie growing close and provided a bright spot in an otherwise bleak world.
“Has anyone checked on Martin lately?” Ben set his bag full of ammunition on the tailgate as well. He was worried about the guy—or, to be more precise, his ability to remain vigilant with the task they’d given him. The last time they left him, he was more interested in the apple he was eating than in looking out for bad guys.
Sandy shrugged. “No, we’ve been busy going through the houses. We didn’t find a whole lot.”
“That’s fine. We don’t need it now.” Bradley could barely speak due to the mouthful of peanut butter he’d squeezed out of his MRE packet.
As much as Ben wanted to sit down with his kids and eat something, he needed to check on Martin and take him an MRE while he was at it.
“All right then, I want everybody to get some food in them and then reload your weapons from this bag. There’s ammo in there for all the guns we have. When your weapon is full, fill your pockets. I’m gonna go check on Martin.” Ben grabbed a single pouch off the tailgate and started for the front gate but stopped when he was close to Sandy. He turned to watch the kids tear into the MREs. Allie was quick to take two of the meals to Rita and Carlos while Joel helped his brother and sister with theirs.
“The last twenty-four hours feels like a dream. A bad one.” Sandy shook her head while keeping her eyes trained on the kids.
“It’s been a wild ride, that’s for sure,” Ben agreed.
“But we made it through, thanks to you…and Joel,” she continued.
“We’re all doing our part, but we’re not out of this yet,” Ben reminded her. Now that the kids were occupied with feeding themselves and the dogs, Ben took the opportunity to ask about the lack of bodies. It wasn’t just the old man who was gone, but the other moonshiners as well. He was careful to keep his voice down. “Where did the bodies go?”
“Allie and I dragged them out of sight, back behind that container.” Sandy tilted her head toward the container she was talking about.
“Thanks.” Ben smiled at her. It was nice of her and Allie to do that for the kids’ sake, but he also knew it was a lot of work, and at the time, they didn’t have the calories to spare. “We can’t shelter them from everything. I really do appreciate it, though.”
“I feel bad for them. I mean, I feel bad for Joel and Allie, too, but this is supposed to be Bradley and Emma’s childhood, and look where we are. Look at what we’ve been through.” Sandy began to tear up and cleared her throat in an effort to fight off her emotions.
“I know what you mean. I probably would have done the same thing with the bodies. I keep trying to convince myself that it’s better not to try and insulate them from everything, but I think that’s mostly because I know I can’t.”
Sandy huffed and rolled her eyes. “I know what you mean. Some days I wonder if any of it matters anymore. Like it or not, this is the world they’ve inherited. What’s left of it, anyway. The sooner they come to terms with that, the better off they’ll be, right? That’s the logic I try to use to help me sleep at night anyway.”
“Things will change when we get home. Durango will be different. And I hope you know that I’m insisting on you and Allie staying with us up at the house. I won’t take no for an answer. You have no idea how big of a help you’ve been with the kids. I really can’t thank you enough and couldn’t do this without you, Sandy.” Ben meant every word. Having another adult to share the burden of responsibility was huge.
Sandy smiled and gave Ben a hug. He held her for a moment before letting go.
“It’s going to be all right,” she said. They separated quickly and both looked over at the kids. Ben hoped they hadn’t noticed the embrace, although he wasn’t sure why; he had no reason to feel guilty.
“Well, get something to eat. It’s going to be a long one.” Ben looked out at the forest beyond the camp. The mountain peaks to the west were already awash in the sun’s golden glow.
“I’ll have your breakfast ready when you get back,” Sandy said.
Ben smiled. “Coffee, too?”
She winked. “Coffee, too.”
With that, he headed off to find Martin, stopping first to grab one of the extra AR-15s and a few boxes of ammunition on his way. Hopefully the guy was right where he and Joel had left him. Ben held the MRE under his arm and carried the AR with one hand and the KSG with the other. When he was only a little ways from the gate, he spotted Martin standing at the edge of the fence and looking out into the woods.
“Hey, buddy,” Ben called out, but Martin remained motionless with his back toward Ben. “Hey there, Martin. I brought you something good to eat,” Ben called out again, a little louder this time.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks. I’m sorry.” Martin wiped his eyes before turning toward Ben. He looked like he’d been crying, or rubbing his eyes, and he was doing his best to avoid making eye contact.
“You okay?” Ben asked reluctantly. All he could think about was getting back to a much-needed cup of coffee and a decent meal. The last thing he felt like doing right now was talking, but he needed Martin’s help for all of this to work.
“I’m fine.” He sighed. “I’m just wondering where I go from here. What now?”
That was music to Ben’s ears. Maybe Martin would be willing to drive the supplies to Cloverd
ale in another vehicle. But Ben didn’t want to push too hard.
“Where were you headed before ending up here?” Ben asked.
“Funny thing is we were headed here. Well, not here exactly.” Martin looked around. “But the mountains. My wife and I…” Martin trailed off as he struggled to keep it together.
Ben had forgotten all about the fact that Martin had lost his wife not too long ago. He was tired and hungry, but Ben forced himself to stay put and wait for Martin to continue. It was the least he could do for the guy.
Martin cleared his throat and started again. “My wife and I were headed up here to get away from the city. We used to rent a cabin on Treasure Lake, not too far away. We thought maybe we could find an empty cabin. Dana wanted to spend her final days there, but we never made it.” Martin sighed. “She was in hospice care at home. Metastatic cancer.” Martin looked down at his MRE and awkwardly inspected the packaging.
“I’m sorry.” Ben felt like his response was inadequate, but he didn’t know what else to say.
Martin shook his head. “At least she’s not in any more pain, and she doesn’t have to suffer through this. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t even be alive right now. One of her machines sounded an alarm when it switched to battery power and woke me up. I smelled smoke immediately and ran downstairs to find our panel box on fire. A few seconds later, the shock wave hit and shattered every window in the house. Knocked me off my feet, but luckily I wasn’t hurt and was able to put out the fire before it got too big. Our place was the only one left standing in our neighborhood when all was said and done.”
“Where did you come from?” Ben asked. Based on Martin’s description, he guessed that they must have been close to ground zero for one of the EMPs.
