Deadfall

by L. Douglas Hogan

  “Come on. Jump in,” Tommie said to Darrick, climbing into the truck.

  Darrick looked back at Marcus. “Let’s go.”

  South Carolina

  The scene of fallen Russian comrades

  Sergeant Pavlovich’s procession of fighting military vehicles came to a stop. He threw open his door and stood boldly just outside the gate. Walking closer to the scene of the incident, he surmised it to be nothing short of a massacre. Dozens of dead Russians lay strewn about the area where they’d met Major Horowitz’s forces. It was unlikely that he’d consider it anything close to karma for what he’d done to the Marines at the FEMA warehouse. He never considered the fact that he performed and conducted a similar attack. His proud Russian sense of patriotism forbade it.

  He stood there in silence, taking mental notes of the atrocities. The occasion was solemn. Sergeant Todorov came to stand by his side.

  “Todorov,” Pavlovich said in a soft and solemn tone.

  “Yes, comrade?”

  “Fetch us a bottle of the Russian Champagne. Today we pour it out for our comrades. Today, we mourn. Tonight, we have our revenge.”

  “Yes, Sergeant.”

  Just west of Pontybridge

  The culvert

  “I thought he’d be back by now,” Carissa said. She was becoming restless. Watching Tonya get sicker by the minute was putting a strain on her emotionally. Curtis picked up on it.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Carissa.”

  Carissa was deep in thought when Curtis’s attempt to draw her into dialogue happened. She welcomed it.

  “Hmm. Where should I start?”

  “Let’s go with the most recent. I saw several fresh graves back at your old place. Talk about that.”

  Carissa shied away from it at first. Fresh memories of Jimmie came rushing in. “I guess I’m a widow. I never really thought about it in that term, but yeah. My husband was killed and my brother-in-law buried him there.”

  “I can tell you miss him pretty bad.”

  “He was my world. Things were different before Darrick came knocking at our door. He’s the man who buried all the bodies in the glade. My Jimmie went looking for him when he left the homestead, like an idiot. It wasn’t long after, people discovered our location. It wasn’t the first time we’d been found, but it was the first time death found us. I guess it was inevitable. That’s why I don’t hold much of a grudge against him. What about you? You’re the mystery man here.”

  “Me?” Curtis laughed. “I’m not much of a mystery man. I love the great outdoors, wildlife, and just life in general. Aside from all this killing, this is my dream world. It’s primal, don’t you think?”

  “Primal?”

  “Yeah, like man living the way it should be. All natural. No polluting the skies and filling our bodies with man-made things.”

  “Man-made things?”

  “Yeah, like psych meds and Tylenol. You know, things manufactured.”

  “Don’t you believe that nature manufactures things?”

  “I do, and I believe those are the things we should be putting in our bodies. There’s no telling what people were putting in those medicines.”

  “They were putting things in them that are natural. Everything under the sun came from the earth to begin with.”

  “That’s your opinion. Nobody, I mean nobody, knows what’s in those things except the manufacturers. That’s what’s awesome about nature. We can trust mother earth. No additives. Just raw nature.”

  Concerned for Tonya’s well-being, Carissa began to wonder about the place Curtis spoke of earlier. “The medicine you told Andy about, what kind of medicine is it?”

  “The natural kind.”

  Carissa got visibly mad and stood up. “You’re telling me that I kept you here so you could lead us to herbs?”

  “You said it yourself. Everything under the sun comes from the earth. The herbs I’m leading you to will help her all the same.”

  Carissa couldn’t control her frustration, so she walked out the end of the culvert and stood up alongside the concrete structure, with her arms folded.

  Frustrated that he couldn’t convince her, he joined her outside. “How can you judge natural remedies if you’ve never tried them?”

  Carissa knew he was making a valid point, but she had strong convictions that no natural medicines could bring Tonya out of her condition. Hearing the conversation, Tonya stood up and made her way outside to where they were arguing. “Carissa, we can’t go back. I don’t see another alternative.”

  Carissa conceded. She looked at Curtis. “You never told me how far we were from the community.”

  “The answer is that I’m not quite sure. I just know the general area.”

  “Well, I guess we have to trust you.”

  “That’s all I can ask. When we get there, if the place is as good as I’ve heard, you’ll get your medicine,” Curtis said to Tonya, with a convincing stare.

  Tonya was still weak and having trouble standing. She lost her footing and began to stumble, but was caught by both Curtis and Carissa.

  “Easy there,” Curtis said.

  “We need to get you seated and out of the sun,” Carissa said. They escorted Tonya back to the shade of the culvert, where Carissa noticed Andy was missing. Not wanting to make a scene in front of Tonya, she left Tonya and Curtis alone and ran out in search of him. Without calling his name, she placed herself in danger to stand on the road and peer out into the distance. She couldn’t see him. There were forested areas, ditches, and other obstacles blocking her view. Rather than alerting Tonya, she stood at the edge of the culvert and waited to catch Curtis’s attention. No good. Realizing she wasn’t going to be able to make a big enough distraction, she opted to go after Andy. Curtis and Tonya had no idea she was leaving.

  Fifteen

  A NATURAL-BORN KILLER

  Pontybridge

  The Cleanse was a success. Rueben dismissed the group, having acquired several new members of the Enclave.

  When the Red Circle was complete, Rueben found himself digging through Steven’s cache of supplies. Standing over a chest in Steven’s office, he had the look of a man who had just stumbled over a treasure trove of valuables. He bent over to grab something that caught his eye. It was a military-grade gas mask. He used his handkerchief to wipe off all the weakness that saturated its rubber interior lining. When he had made an end of the routine scrub, he fit it to his face. It fit! He pulled the straps over the top of his head, then fastened down the tightening mechanisms. It was perfect! Better yet, it came with a carrying case that had leg straps attached. He fastened them to his right leg, then placed the gas mask inside. Excited about his new tool, he stood tall. That was when he heard his name being called.

  “Rueben.”

  It was Denver. He knew that voice anywhere. Rueben looked about, trying to find where the voice was coming from.

  Finally! There he was. Fixed to a vanity cabinet, a mirror reflected Rueben’s alter ego.

  “Rueben, what are you doing?”

  “Establishing the new world, Denver. It takes time.”

  “You don’t have time, Rueben. The world burns and it needs your know-how.”

  “I’m not tarrying in vain.”

  “I know. You seek leaders for the new establishment. You’re on the right track, but you lack one thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “How do you expect to lead the next generation into the future if you have no youth?”

  “Youth are weakness. We cannot have them in our enclave.”

  “Then you condemn yourself to fail.”

  “I don’t fail, Denver. I have you to lead us to victory.”

  “There cannot be a victory if we have no youth to pass it on to.”

  Rueben was having a revelation. It all made sense. One thing remained. “How do we assure the youth can stand in the new world?”

  “They must be tested, Rueben. They must be strong to lead the next generation.�
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  “They have no chance in the Red Circle. They are weak by default,” Rueben said in frustration, turning from the mirror.

  “Rueben, why is it you only see the obvious?”

  Denver’s inquiry puzzled him. He turned to face the mirror, but Denver was gone.

  Knock, knock, knock, Rueben heard at the door of Steven’s office.

  Rueben opened the door. It was Tony Higgins, Rueben’s trusted confidant.

  “Yes?” Rueben asked.

  “Boss, I think you need to come outside.”

  Curious, Rueben followed Tony outside. A boy stood among Enclave members. He was being held in place by a man who said, “Boss, we found him snooping around for medical supplies.”

  “Who is he? Where did he come from?”

  “He won’t talk, boss. Should we dispatch him?”

  Rueben remembered the words of Denver. “They must be tested.”

  “No,” Rueben answered. “Bring him to me,” he ordered, donning his new gas mask.

  Rueben turned and led them back into the station house, where Steven’s old office was located. He sat in the office chair and turned to face the boy who stood before him. “Leave us,” Rueben told the man who escorted the kid. The man left and closed the door behind him.

  “What’s your name, kid?” Rueben asked the boy.

  The boy didn’t answer.

  “Tell me, or I’ll have you punished,” he said, raising his voice. The boy seemed unmoved, as if undeterred by the threat.

  Rueben looked into the lad’s eyes. There was nothing there. A void of emotion. Rueben failed to get a read on him. “You’re strong,” Rueben said boldly. “I need men like you in my group. Men to lead others your age into the future. If you talk to me, I will make you a wolf among sheep.”

  The boy looked straight into the eyes of Rueben’s gas mask. “Take your mask off and I might tell you my name.”

  Rueben considered the comment. It was a brave one, to say the least. This kid’s strong, he thought.

  Rueben removed his mask, knowing the kid wasn’t going to spread a contagion of weakness, and looked deep into the kid’s eyes. “Now, be a man of your word, and tell me your name.”

  “My name’s Andy Mitchell, and I need medicine for my mom.”

  Rueben knew the name all too well. The Mitchells were the family the Enclave were stalking. He was happy to hear the words and even more happy to know that Denver’s leadership was taking them into the future. If the boy was this strong, imagine how strong the father would be?

  Rueben stood up and walked to the door. He opened it to find Tony still standing outside. “Tony, call the Red Circle again. We have important business to tend to.”

  Tony’s heart sank. Knowing that a child was being pulled into the carnage of Rueben’s sociological delusions was most troublesome. He had no choice. To refuse meant being proved weak and cleansed from the group. “Yes, boss,” he said, reluctantly leaving to do his boss’s bidding.

  Within moments the Red Circle was called to order. Tony was alone with his thoughts, a few yards away from the gathering. Rethinking his position was placing him at serious risk. He stood there, alone, on the other side of a train car, when another member of the Enclave came to fetch him. “Rueben says you’d better show your face.”

  Tony wanted to run. This is a new low, he thought. Only a maniac would do this. He knew the Red Circle was about the kid. Rueben’s intentions were to induct a child. It was disgusting. Tony turned the corner to see everybody in attendance. A large group of men formed a circle that he couldn’t see through. He pushed through the crowd to make sure Rueben saw his face. There, standing in the middle of the gathering, were Rueben and the boy. Rueben looked about until he saw Tony’s face. That was when Rueben began his speech.

  “Denver has spoken, and his desire is for the new world order to be carried into the future. He has shown me that we cannot do this alone. We must hand off our values, our beliefs, and our strengths to the generation below us if we are to survive. This is why I have called a special session of the Red Circle. Never before have we had two sessions so closely spaced. Today we celebrate a new era. An era where the youth of tomorrow can carry our legacy into the future. Let me introduce to you Andy Mitchell.”

  The crowd listened in anxious anticipation of what was about to happen.

  “Andy has come to us to prove himself strong. He wants medicine for his sick mom. If he can prove himself,” Rueben said, bending down to look Andy in the eyes, “then he will get his medicine.”

  Andy was happy to hear the words, but had no idea what Rueben was requesting of him.

  Rueben looked to Tony and said, “We need a worthy candidate.”

  Tony gave it a moment’s thought. “Boss, we have no children, and everyone here’s already been through the Cleanse.”

  “Everybody but one,” Rueben said.

  Tony knew his time was up. To his knowledge, he was the only member of the Enclave who had yet to fight in the Red Circle. For reasons unknown to him, Rueben had never had him enter the ring. Perhaps he saw a strength in Tony that didn’t require a test. None of that mattered now. Tony had one option that ended with a chance at survival. Enter the Red Circle.

  Tony looked at the ground and reluctantly approached the center of the gathering, where a boy stood alone. His face, expressionless – his eyes, empty.

  For Andy, it was something he had to do to get medicine for his sick mom. The normal cognitive processes of right and wrong were absent. Perhaps they were there and he just didn’t bother with them. He really wasn’t giving them a second thought. For him, Andy was on his first mission. The rules were simple. The man with the mask told me, “All you have to do is kill the man. Do this one little thing, and I’ll give you all the medicine you can carry.” I’m willing to do that, and so much more, Andy thought.

  The man entered the circle of people where Andy was standing.

  Clint, who was now an observer of the ritual, watched with disgust. His mind raced with options. There’s got to be something I can do. That man will kill the kid. Andy doesn’t stand a chance. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he came to his decision.

  In the middle of the circle, Andy stood with a tight grip on the knife Rueben had given him. Tony’s pistol was still holstered, and he was given no knife to defend himself with. To survive, he would have to draw on the boy, but that was against the rules. Anybody could kill with a gun. The true test of a kill was with a knife. It was much more intimate.

  “Do it, boy!” Rueben commanded from his position among the observers.

  Andy stood still and stoic. Tony swallowed the bitter truth of what was happening and made the decision to kill the boy to keep his own life. This was it. This was Tony’s test.

  Tony charged at the boy and pushed him to the ground. Andy dropped the knife as he slid across the graveled surface of the old parking lot. He winced as his elbows and knees grinded against the coarse rocks. Tony picked up the knife and walked over to where Andy was lying. With a moment’s hesitation, Tony lifted the blade up over his head and prepared to drive it down into the boy. He hesitated again. In that moment, Tony questioned his own humanity. Accepting the fact, he was no longer human, he had made his decision.

  The crowd was silent in nervous anticipation of what was about to happen. The group was in uncharted territory. A new era was upon them, where the difference between youth and man was skewed.

  Tony took a deep breath and brought the knife down. A gunshot interrupted the kill. Tony fell to his knees and turned toward the sound of the gun. The Red Circle opened away from Clint, who was holding the smoking gun.

  Clint stepped into the Red Circle and looked around for Rueben. He couldn’t spot him. He scanned the gathering of men, with his pistol outstretched over the crowd, everyone apparently too nervous to draw their own weapons. As soon as he believed he had spotted him, a sharp piercing pain penetrated his back. He arched his spine and stood on his tippy-toes, almost inv
oluntarily, as he turned about to see the face of his attacker. It was Andy.

  “I’m sorry, mister, but my mom’s very sick. I had to make a tough choice. It’s those tough choices that keep us alive.”

  The words were powerful coming from the mouth of a kid. They were the exact words Andy’s mother had uttered to him in her attempt to explain his dad’s actions when he killed Andy’s grandpa.

  Clint had no response. What could he say? He gave his life to save the boy. This was Clint’s tough choice, but it didn’t save his life.

  The Red Circle didn’t disband. Instead, they stood there for two hours watching and waiting for Clint to die. Rueben was upset that Clint went out the way he did. He’d believed Clint had promise and would be the man who led them to the homesteaders, but ever since Andy showed up, he had an ace up his sleeve. Andy would now be that person.

  When it was confirmed Clint was dead, Rueben called for Andy.

  “You’ve proven your worth to me, kid. I think you can be a leader here.”

  Andy looked up at Rueben and said, “I just want the medicine you promised.”

  Rueben smiled at the boy. “Yes, indeed. I did promise that. Come with me.”

  Just west of Pontybridge

  The culvert

  Curtis was sitting next to Tonya when he heard the sound of a convoy of vehicles in the distance. He remembered Carissa telling him that they were waiting for Tonya’s husband, Darrick, and his friend Marcus to return with supplies for the men at Pontybridge. It was his job, in Carissa’s absence, to flag them down if he saw them. He felt especially nervous about exposing himself and Tonya to any unnecessary dangers. What if it wasn’t Darrick and Marcus? “I’m already in way over my head,” Curtis said to Tonya out of the blue, as if she knew what internal dialogue he had going on in his head.

  “You don’t have to stay with me,” Tonya answered, unaware that Carissa had left in search of Andy.

  “I promised to get you guys some medicine, so that’s what I intend to do.”