Isolation | Book 4 | Holding On

by Jones, Nathan

  Nick appreciated that the opportunity remained, since he still held out some hope that Ellie would change her mind once the romantic appeal of a simple agrarian life wore off. He was honestly shocked she felt that way, since he would've thought she'd jump at the chance to be part of something like the rebuilding efforts.

  Especially after she told them that Gorstrom had specifically invited her.

  But she was dead set on staying. And between her and the Norsons, who refused to leave their home, after nearly a full day of debate the rest of the group had also opted to stay. Even Gen had reluctantly leaned that way, so Billy wouldn't have to leave his grandparents.

  Faced with that surprising, to him at least, consensus, he'd had little choice but to give in and resign himself to the life of a farmer.

  Oh well. Maybe once Stanberry found a way to get power back, even on a limited basis, he could volunteer his technical expertise. Hope sprang eternal.

  And if he was being honest, this life wasn't terrible. He was surrounded by family and good friends, they had enough to meet their needs until they could figure out a way to sustain themselves long term, and Stanberry was a great community to live in.

  Nick could be content with that.

  At the moment he and Tallie were watering the garden. Before he'd actually tried his hand at growing something in Missouri, he would've assumed that the humid, often rainy climate meant that watering the crops would be unnecessary; it always seemed like after a rain, the ground remained practically boggy for a week or so.

  But the moment he'd had the garden plots prepared and all the seeds planted, the ground in those plots had immediately turned bone dry, fissured with cracks like a miniature wasteland. Even when they watered, it seemed to dry out within minutes afterwards.

  Chet and Ben had reassured him that underneath the dry surface the soil was just fine, and the garden would do great as long as they watered it faithfully. Although Ben had pointed out that if they were really worried about water retention in the soil, they could always put down a ground cloth, cutting holes for all the desirable plants, or even just put down straw.

  “It's good for keeping down the weeds, too,” the young man had added cheerfully.

  Getting a ground cover would've been out of the question when they were going through their 21 days. Or even when they only had access to what was in town, and just about everything had already been claimed by others who needed it.

  But now that they had the vaccine, and didn't have to fear possible exposure to Zolos anymore, the situation was different. They could find ground covers, and shingles for the roofs, and all sorts of other stuff that they'd had to do without, finding other alternatives.

  Even after a few days, the idea that the pandemic was over took some getting used to. For months they'd lived in terror, and now the threat was just gone.

  He and Tallie were just headed to refill their buckets when Bruce burst out the front door of the house, face tight with concern. He barely seemed to notice them as he made a beeline for his truck.

  Again?

  “What's going on?” Nick called, hurrying to catch up.

  The older man didn't slow down as he answered. “I don't know. Some sort of confusion with the relief workers, it sounds like. They called Darby, the City Council, and a few other town leaders in to talk to Gorstrom, along with most of the quarantine camp's leaders, and how they went about it is raising everyone's hackles. Sounds like Gorstrom sent the soldiers to fetch them, instead of her aides.”

  That didn't sound good. “Tallie, go to your mother,” Nick said tersely, preparing to get in the truck with Bruce. “We'll finish the watering later.”

  His daughter, bless her heart, didn't ask questions or whine, just nodded and bolted towards where Ellie was sitting with Hal and his siblings in front of their house.

  It was good Nick had sent her away, although not because they were about to leave; Bruce was still unlocking his truck when the noise of an approaching vehicle turned them towards the street.

  It was a military car by the looks of it, moving quickly and with purpose. Straight for them.

  “What do you think they want?” Nick murmured.

  “I don't know, but I'm not thrilled at the fact that they're ignoring all the other houses and heading right for mine,” Bruce replied, expression grim.

  True. With Jay gone many of their neighbors had moved back into their abandoned houses, or were renting the places out to refugees from the camp. The fact that those soldiers were coming right here probably meant they had a specific purpose. One related to the trouble Nick had just heard about.

  Were they here for Bruce, as a town leader? Ellie?

  The vehicle stopped at the end of the driveway and four soldiers climbed out and approached. Bruce stepped away from the truck, waving warily, and Nick joined him.

  “Hi,” Bruce called to the approaching men. “How can I help you?”

  The soldier in the lead, a corporal if Nick's vague knowledge of military rank insignia was correct, spoke tersely. “Sorry to interrupt your work. We're looking for Chester and Benjamin McCleese. We were told they live here.”

  Nick wasn't sure who had told them that, since the brothers had moved back into town and anyone who knew them would be aware of that fact. But it instantly made him wary.

  Why would they be after those two, specifically? And what did that have to do with Gorstrom bringing in the town and camp leaders? There was only one reason he could think of, and it didn't bode well for Darby and Starr and the others.

  “I'm sorry, you were misinformed,” Bruce said politely. “They lived here for a while, but not anymore.”

  The soldiers exchanged glances, as if they thought they were dealing with uncooperative people. Which Nick supposed wasn't completely inaccurate; he noticed Bruce hadn't been forthcoming about where they'd gone.

  “I'm sorry, sir, I can't take your word on that,” the corporal said. “Is this your property?” Bruce nodded. “Then I'm afraid I have to ask you to allow us to search the premises.”

  “On what grounds?” the older man demanded. “Why are you looking for them, and do you even have a warrant?”

  The noncom sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded pace of paper bearing actual typed font along with an official looking seal. “I have a signed order from Administrator Gorstrom.”

  Bruce took the paper and perused it, brows furrowed. “Well that's all well and good, young man, but I wasn't aware the administrator was an official judge or certified law enforcement.”

  The corporal scowled. “She's not. But until we can get decent police forces in all the surviving towns, along with a proper court system and actual judges, this is the best we can do.” He paused, giving them both a stern look. “As for why we're looking for them, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you already know. We've been sent to arrest them on charges of arson.”

  Nick bit back a curse, doing his best to keep his expression neutral.

  What was he supposed to say about that? He couldn't exactly insist his friends were innocent, not when he strongly suspected they weren't. Besides, a team of soldiers assigned to make the arrest probably weren't going to care much about extenuating circumstances anyway.

  “Well I don't know anything about that,” Bruce said. “But they're not here. If taking a look around will satisfy you of that, knock yourselves out.” His voice hardened. “Just remember you're my guests.”

  “Of course,” the soldier said, looking apologetic in spite of his purpose for being there. “I'm Corporal Preston, United States Army. We'll be as quick as possible.”

  “Fine.” Bruce turned away, motioning towards the house. “Should we start inside?”

  Nick kept his friend company as the older man led the soldiers through a tour of the house. He was vaguely aware of Gen ushering Billy out the door, both of them wide-eyed, and Winn emerging from the kitchen to find out what was going on, then tagging along with the group.

  Prest
on and his people looked distinctly uncomfortable about being here searching the house of citizens. Nick wondered if the soldiers were imagining their own parents or grandparents going through something like this; either way, they were polite and kept their promise about keeping the search brief.

  Even so, they didn't shirk their duty. They checked every room, and briefly investigated hiding places. Then Preston led the way back outside and strode towards the row of dugouts in the next lot.

  Nick quickened his step to walk beside the man, shooting a reassuring glance at Ellie, who held Ricky and Tallie in her arms next to Hal, who was similarly comforting and protecting his siblings. She looked more angry than worried, and he was half afraid she was going to confront the corporal.

  Thankfully, she kept her silence as the soldiers searched the dugouts, which didn't take long considering they were all one room with no real hiding places.

  “This alleged arson, was it during the trouble with Jay?” Nick asked as Preston ducked back out of the dugout Charlie shared with his son, the last one in the row. The man paused and gave him an appraising look, and Nick steeled himself for a conversation he didn't want to have.

  But he had a responsibility here.

  After a few seconds the noncom nodded curtly. “That's right. Specifically, half of the houses in Wensbrook being burned to the ground. Administrator Gorstrom visited the place this morning as part of her investigation. I was there as well, and witnessed the destruction.”

  Nick took a deep breath. “Well Chet and Ben were under my command at that time, so I'd like to speak to Gorstrom on their behalf.”

  Preston's eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you ordered them to burn down those houses?”

  “No, I have no knowledge of what happened in Wensbrook. But Chet and Ben are good men, and they have a right to a fair trial and proper legal defense.”

  “Of course, and they'll get it. But they're still under arrest.” The corporal gave him a borderline unfriendly look. “What's your name, sir?”

  “Nick Statton.”

  The soldiers exchanged glances. “Then we can kill two birds with one stone by having you come with us,” Preston said.

  Gen, who'd been following a polite distance behind with Ellie and a few others, gasped in alarm. “Is he under arrest too?” she demanded. “For what? He hasn't done anything!”

  The corporal relaxed his stern demeanor slightly. “Not to my knowledge, ma'am. Administrator Gorstrom wishes to speak to him.” He arched an eyebrow at Nick. “I guess you can speak on behalf of your friends at the same time, if you want.”

  Nick had a bad feeling about this, but he wasn't sure what exactly he could do about it now. So he gave Gen a reassuring smile and stepped forward, squaring his shoulders. “All right, let's go.”

  “Not so fast,” the soldier said. “First you need to tell us where your buddies are so we can bring them in, too.”

  Scrud. Well, Nick was only willing to go along so far, and betraying Chet and Ben wasn't part of that. “I fully intend to cooperate, but I'm not turning my friends over to extrajudicial-”

  “Extrajudicial?” the corporal snapped, patience finally fraying. “We have a mandate from the President himself to restore law and order, and keep the peace.”

  “How does arresting two good men for defending themselves during a conflict that ended almost a month ago help keep the peace?” Nick demanded.

  The noncom's eyes narrowed dangerously. “Sir,” he said in warning.

  “I'll go with you to help sort this out,” Nick said. “But until I talk to Gorstrom, that's as far as I'm willing to go.”

  The corporal sighed in apparent defeat, then toggled his radio headset. “Preston here. The suspects aren't at the Norson place, spread the word to keep an eye out for them in town and the camps. Over.” He toggled off his mic and nodded curtly towards Nick. “Come with me, Mr. Statton.”

  “Are you sure going with them is a good idea?” Ellie asked. “What if they decide to just toss you in a truck and drive you to some prison camp? We couldn't do much to stop them if they did.”

  Preston scowled, although he forced some politeness into his tone. “Ma'am, we've sworn oaths to protect this country and its citizens. Furthermore, we represent the good name of the United States Army. Please don't insult us.”

  “That's easy to s-” Ellie began.

  Nick cut her off gently but firmly. “It's fine, Ells. Gorstrom has been nothing but reasonable so far. We'll figure this out.”

  “Well, forgive me if I don't take that on faith,” Ellie said. “I'm going to talk to Borden and see what we can do about this.”

  Nick didn't have time to tell her that Gorstrom had already snagged the acting mayor and most of the town's leaders. Preston was already starting for the car, and the soldiers with him were giving Nick hinting looks that he should quickly follow.

  So he did, hoping Bruce would fill her and the others in on what was going on. And also that Stanberry would be able to step in and force Gorstrom to back down if she tried throwing them all in prison.

  The military vehicle was roomy enough for him to squeeze in between two of the soldiers in the backseat without too much discomfort. At least, no physical discomfort; he was already regretting his decision to open his mouth and put himself in this situation.

  But he was Chet and Ben's friend, and he'd been their leader through some hairy situations. He couldn't just abandon them.

  The drive to the relief workers' camp was mercifully short. Before long Nick was climbing out of the car and following Preston towards the administrator's tent. The corporal called through the thick cloth of the door, listened to an indistinct reply, then turned back to Nick and motioned curtly.

  “She'll be a bit. How about I get you a drink and we find some shade until she's ready?”

  Nick supposed that beat handcuffs in the back of a car, so he nodded and followed.

  They'd just gotten settled beneath a pavilion, each holding a cold can of soda fresh from a cooler filled with actual ice, when Preston tilted his head as if listening to his headset. Then he toggled his mic. “Roger that, bring them in. Over.”

  Nick didn't like the sound of that. Especially when the corporal leaned back and gave him an appraising look. “We found your buddies at the older brother's girlfriend's house. Guess our source wasn't in the loop about where they were staying. Or he was lying.”

  Nick didn't bother asking who their source was, since he doubted he'd get an answer. “So what now?”

  “Now you can speak on behalf of the accused until you're blue in the face,” the corporal replied, taking a long chug of his soda. “But they're still under arrest for arson, and pretty much all our witnesses say they did it. I can't promise you a good outcome here.”

  That was what Nick had been afraid of. He glumly nursed his own drink, waiting for Gorstrom to make room for him in her busy schedule.

  ✽✽✽

  What the blazes was going on here?

  Bruce had filled Ellie, Hal and Gen in on what was going on as they drove towards the town square in search of Borden and the other leaders who hadn't been taken. Or at least as much as the older man knew about it, which wasn't much. But the more Ellie heard, the more confused she became about just what Gorstrom was doing. Let alone why.

  The radio was no help either, since it seemed like everyone who could tell them anything had already been brought in. All she heard was idle speculation and big talk, none of it much use.

  To her relief, she spotted Borden and a handful of others near the city building, huddled together talking in low, worried voices. The acting mayor looked far more stressed than Ellie had ever seen him before, even when he'd first taken over after Jay shot Darby, during the middle of all that chaos.

  Well, he was about to be even more stressed. Ellie hurried over to him, speaking urgently the moment he turned her way. “We need to do something. Gorstrom sent men to arrest Chet and Ben. Nick went in to try to reason with her, but it's not loo
king good.”

  “The McCleese brothers, eh?” Borden said wearily. “For starting the fires in Wensbrook, I'm guessing, like everyone thinks they did?” He sighed and rubbed between his eyebrows. “They're in good company. She's arrested Mayor Darby and most of the town leaders, along with Denny and Starr and a few others from the camp.”

  “What?” Ellie demanded, outraged. She was worried for the brothers, but at the same time she could understand why they'd be arrested. She had no idea why Gorstrom would go after the others. “I'd just heard she brought them in to talk to them . . . why the arrests?”

  “For stuff that happened during the fight with Jay.” Borden glared in the direction of the relief workers' camp. “Darby and the town leaders for authorizing the scavenging in Wensbrook, and Denny and Starr for their firebomb attack on Jay's camp.”

  “But they had good reasons for doing both those things!” she protested.

  He snorted. “You think that matters to people who weren't here and are just hearing the story secondhand? Gorstrom is on a justice bender, and she means to make an example of anyone who set a toe out of line during the chaos. She wants to make sure the rest of us get the picture and go back to being good citizens. As if we weren't already.”

  Ellie had nothing but respect for the relief administrator, but hearing this made her opinion of the woman flip on a dime.

  How dare she just waltz in and start going after good people who'd only done what they had to? What gave her the right to pass judgment when the government had completely ignored Stanberry's repeated pleas for help while Jay was terrorizing them?

  To think of everything she and Hal had been through, that Nick and their friends had-

  Her thoughts abruptly juddered to a halt as an awful realization struck her. Nick! He'd gone to try to speak on the McCleese brothers' behalf, but if Gorstrom was after everyone else who'd been decision makers during the conflict with Jay, she'd probably be after him too since he'd been in the center of it.

  And he'd just walked right into her camp without realizing the danger.

  Without another word to Borden, Ellie turned and bolted towards the relief workers' camp. Gen was right with her, apparently having come to the same realization; her pleasant features were pinched with worry, and she was fretting her lower lip.