by Bible, Jake
“Other sites?” I ask. “What other sites?”
She shakes her head. “Not your concern now. What is your concern, is your family. And my concern is the young woman you call Elsbeth. We can help each other with those concerns.”
“I don’t know...” I really don’t.
Foster holds out her hand and one of the guards gives her a radio. “This is Foster. Do you have the Stanfords?”
“We do,” a voice crackles.
Foster hands the radio back to the guard.
“Your move, Stanford,” she says.
“Jesus fuck,” I whisper, “what is wrong with you people?”
“Do we have a deal? Yes or no?”
“Yes, of course we do,” I say now that I have no choice, “but there’s one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I have no idea where Elsbeth is,” I say.
“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Foster replies, “I know exactly where she is.”
Chapter Six
The group stands before Stuart, their expectant faces watching him closely. Julio in turn studies them, trying to figure out the mood. It’s obviously one of apprehension with a healthy dose of fear. But is it fear that will lead to panic or fear that can be turned to resolve?
“Last night was quite a night,” Stuart says. “I know you heard the gunfire and I know you heard a crowd cheering, because I heard that too. I don’t know the source of either of those things, but I do plan on finding out.”
Stuart watches the people in the group nod their heads in agreement and understanding.
“As much as I’d rather stay here and keep working on the stairs and deck, I believe I need to head into town and have a look,” Stuart says. “I’m taking a small team with me. Just two guys. Harlan and Shep.”
“Whoa! What?” Julio exclaims. “That’s not what-”
“I know, but we’ll move faster,” Stuart says. “If we run into any trouble, then we’ll double back and get help.”
“What if you’re hurt or captured?” someone asks. “Shouldn’t we send more with you?”
“Exactly,” Julio says, “at least take me, Stuart. Come on!”
“I need you here supervising,” Stuart says to Julio.
“He’s not even part of Whispering Pines,” Carl Leitch, Whispering Pines’ electrical grid expert says from the group. “No offense, Julio.”
“None taken, man,” Julio says. “He’s right, Stuart. I’m good for security and clearing out Zs, but I ain’t no supervisor. What the fuck do I know about building stairs and a deck?”
“You’ll do fine,” Stuart says. “Carl knows what needs to be done. I’ll leave him in charge of the actual building. You just keep things cool here.”
“What if you don’t come back?” someone asks. “What then?”
“We go back to the Farm?” someone else asks.
“We lost communications with the Farm late last night,” Landon Chase says, the head of Whispering Pines’s tech. “Normal chatter, then it went dead. Someone jammed the signal.”
“You don’t know that,” Carl says.
“I sure as hell do,” Landon replies. “If the system had gone down, there would have been signs. There weren’t. One second it’s up, the next nothing.”
“Maybe the cell tower they’re bouncing off was damaged? Or the battery bank fried? Both possible,” Carl counters, “did you think of that, genius?”
“I did, dumbass,” Landon says. “And that isn’t what happened. I can still catch wave form, but no real signal. The cell tower is working, just not receiving the Farm’s communications.”
“Don’t you ever call me dumbass, dumbass!” Carl snaps. He stomps over to Landon. Julio instantly gets between them.
“That’s why I need you here,” Stuart says to Julio.
“Right,” Julio nods, staring the two bickering men down. “We cool, gentlemen?”
“That old shit will never be cool,” Landon snorts.
“Says the twenty-something with teenage acne,” Carl laughs.
“Fuck you, faggot,” Landon mutters.
“What did you say?” Carl’s partner, Brian, snaps. “You fucking apologize now, geek!”
“HEY!” Stuart shouts. “Everyone shut the hell up! Landon, you ever say that again and I’ll leave you out there for the Zs, got it?”
“Whatever,” Landon says.
“Two seconds to agree with me, son,” Stuart says.
“Okay, I’ll never say it again,” Landon says.
“Apologize,” Stuart orders.
“I’m sorry I called you a faggot,” Landon says to Carl then looks at Stuart. “That good enough? What about what he said to me?”
“You deserve that,” Julio smiles. “You do have teenage acne, geek.”
“Jesus,” Stuart mutters.
“Don’t you say the Lord’s name in vane!” a crusty old voice snaps from behind the group. Preacher Carrey, the head and only member of the Church of Jesus of the Light, steps into view, making Stuart sigh.
“This is Whispering Pines business, preacher,” Stuart says. “How about you go back up to your church and let us handle this how we handle it.”
Preacher Carrey points a gnarled finger at everyone. “The Lord has cursed you because of your wicked ways! Homosexuals! Immigrants! Godless believers in technology and false idols! You deserve everything you get!”
The only reason Stuart doesn’t knock the guy out, is that his church, a building grandfathered in when Whispering Pines was built, has the only water source in Whispering Pines- the well on its grounds. Sure, Stuart could take it by force, but the man is a preacher and the building is a church. He’d be cheered by some, but condemned by most.
“Preacher, you’ve said your part,” Stuart says, rubbing his temples. “Can you let us get on with business?”
“Devil’s business,” Carrey sneers as he walks away towards his church. The building survived the destruction that leveled Whispering Pines, a fact he never tires of pointing out. He continues to mutter about the devil and the homosexuals and immigrants as he shuffles off.
“What the fuck did he mean by immigrants?” Julio asks. “I was fucking born here, man.”
“Let’s forget Carrey for now, okay? We have other things to deal with,” Stuart says. “You all have your day’s assignments. Can I count on all of you to do your part and try to stay on schedule without bickering and killing each other?”
“Or making me kill you,” Julio ads.
“Goes without saying,” Stuart says, looking at the group. Slowly, one by one, they all nod. “Good. Harlan? Shep? Ready in five. Pack light so we can move quickly.”
Stuart looks about at the neighborhood that used to have cookie cutter houses built on it, but is now ruins.
“We’ll get everything back, folks, we will,” he says, “we just have to work for it.”
“YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY GIVING preference to your people,” Brenda Kelly snarls at Big Daddy. “I have members of Whispering Pines that are wounded and have been waiting for attention for hours! I know you are holding back treatment to them so you can keep your workforce strong! This is not how we agreed to run things, Mr. Fitzpatrick! You are in violation of our agreement!”
Brenda Kelly, Chairperson of the Whispering Pines HOA Board, stands in front of the rocking chair Big Daddy is seated in. Her hands are firmly planted on her hips and righteous indignation and rage radiate from her short, fat, homely body. Despite the night’s battle, and other than some dirt scuffs on her pants, Brenda looks like the fighting passed her by.
Big Daddy wonders where she was during the thick of it all. He doesn’t wonder too hard, knowing the coward she is, but he logs the thought away to be brought up another day.
“I would appreciate it if you moved to the side,” Big Daddy says, “so I can supervise the clean up.”
“Supervise?” Brenda snorts. “You have a bullet in your leg and are sitting on your front porch! You are hardly supervising any
thing, Mr. Fitzpatrick! That is why I should be in charge right now and make sure that services are equally distributed between your people and the members of Whispering Pines!”
“Members that are guests on my land,” Big Daddy says, sick of having to remind the abominable woman. “Guests at my invitation. An invitation I can rescind at any time, Ms. Kelly.”
Brenda puts her hands to her heart like she’s been stabbed. “How dare you? How dare you! You would kick innocent women and children out into the Z ridden wilds! What kind of monster are you?”
“Oh, shut the hell up, Brenda,” Dr. McCormick says as she shoves her out of the way so she can get to Big Daddy’s leg. “No one is getting any special treatment, you fat cow. Sergeant Stillwater and I have been taking care of everyone equally, depending on the severity of their wounds. I would have liked to look to Mr. Fitzpatrick’s wound hours ago, but he insisted I tend to everyone else first.”
“Well, you should be tending to Whispering Pines people first, is what you should do!” Brenda snarls. “If you know where your loyalties are!”
“Someone get this bitch away from me,” Dr. McCormick says.
“Doctor, while I appreciate the work you do, I hate to have to ask you to watch your language time and time again,” Big Daddy says. “I don’t ask much, but that is one thing I insist on.”
“Why don’t I take you over here and you can go see to the Whispering Pines people?” Sergeant Alex “Reaper” Stillwater says, placing a hand on Dr. McCormick’s shoulder.
“That’s the first smart thing I’ve heard around here all day,” Brenda snaps. “Why didn’t you offer earlier? Would have saved us all a lot of trouble.”
Dr. McCormick is about to respond when Big Daddy takes her hand. “Laura, go ahead. You aren’t breaking any doctor’s oath by keeping the peace.”
“That’s right,” Brenda says. “You swore an oath as a doctor to uphold the covenants of the Whispering Pines’s HOA-”
“I did no such thing!” Dr. McCormick shouts.
“Has anyone seen Charlie?” Jennifer Patel asks, running up onto the porch, looking frazzled and desperate. Which is pretty much how everyone looks. “I can’t find him anywhere.”
“Young miss, adults are speaking here,” Brenda growls, turning on the teenager. “You just march yourself down those steps and away from here right now. I’m sure you are needed elsewhere.”
“Have you asked his mother?” Big Daddy asks, concerned.
“I can’t find Mrs. Stanford or Greta,” Jennifer says. “I’ve looked everywhere and no one has seen them since this morning.”
Big Daddy and Reaper share a look. “Someone go get one of my boys,” Big Daddy says. “Have him get those that have the energy to scour the area.”
“I hardly think that’s a good use of manpower at this time,” Brenda says.
“You hardly think at all,” Dr. McCormick says.
“Ladies,” Big Daddy says. He looks at Jennifer. “You go find Buzz or Gunga, okay? Tell them I want them to start looking for the Stanfords.”
“Yes, sir,” Jennifer smiles and hurries away.
“Radios still down?” Big Daddy asks Reaper.
“They are,” he nods.
“But we’ve got all of those men in custody, right? The ones we found with the rockets?” Big Daddy asks.
“We do,” Reaper replies. “And Master Sergeant Platt has gone through every truck looking for a jamming device. Nothing.”
“Can you ask your superior officer to join me here?” Big Daddy asks. “I’d go find him, but I’m incapacitated.”
“I’m right here,” Platt says from the farmhouse doorway, a corn muffin in his hand. “Just trying to put something in my stomach.”
“Good idea,” Big Daddy says. “Wouldn’t look right having a Special Forces soldier passing out in front of everyone.”
“What can I do for you, sir?” Platt asks.
“I have a sinking feeling we have been duped,” Big Daddy says. “While I am sure the objective was to take the Farm by force, I have to wonder if there wasn’t a second objective. Or perhaps taking the Farm was the second objective.”
Platt looks at everyone, puzzled. “Care to fill me in on what I missed?”
“The Stanfords are missing,” Reaper says.
“They could just be hiding,” Platt says.
“Not Stella,” Big Daddy says. “You know the woman; she’d be in the thick of all of this. That’s one A-type woman there.”
“You aren’t joking,” Platt nods. “What are you saying? That all these people died for a snatch and grab?”
“Like I said, I think taking the Farm was the objective,” Big Daddy says, “but it sure did provide enough chaos for us all to miss a significant presence here. None of us even noticed Stella and her children are gone.”
“If they are at all,” Brenda says. “Could be that Patel girl is just too stupid to find them.”
“That does it,” Dr. McCormick says and hauls off and punches Brenda in the jaw, knocking the woman to the porch. “Crap! I think I hurt my hand!”
“Let me look at that,” Reaper says. “Sir, would you mind escorting Ms. Kelly away before she gets herself hurt further.”
“Gladly,” Platt says, “you take care of the doctor. I’ll bring Ms. Kelly with me as I have a chat with the prisoners. I believe she has a certain skill set that could prove useful.”
“You want me to what?” Brenda asks as she’s helped to her feet by Platt. “I’m not speaking to those men! They tried to kill us! With rockets!”
“Yes they did,” Platt agrees, “and don’t you think they deserve a piece of your mind? They can’t just sit there and be comfortable after what they did, can they?”
“Comfortable?” Brenda asks as she walks down the porch steps. “Why are they comfortable? I won’t stand for that! Those men should be shackled and strung up for what they did! This is unacceptable! They killed and wounded members of the Whispering Pines HOA! They will answer for that!”
“Damn,” Reaper says, then looks at Big Daddy. “I mean darn. Glad I’m not those guys.”
“Me as well, Sergeant Stillwater,” Big Daddy says. “But let’s hope Master Sergeant Platt is correct in using her. We could certainly do with more information about why we were really attacked.”
HER STOMACH LURCHES as she rocks from side to side. She tries to open her eyes, but just that small effort sends waves of nausea through her. She takes a couple of deep breaths through her nose, realizing her mouth is taped shut.
“This one is moving,” a gruff voice says, “put her out again?”
“Nah,” another voice replies, “just keep an eye on her. What about the kids?”
“They’re still out,” the first voice says. “Doubt they’ll wake up for a while. She should be out too, but guess she’s a tough one.”
“Body chemistry, man,” the second voice says. “You just never fucking know. Remember that time in Bahrain when we had to remove that sheik? Gassed the whole damn palace and still one of his whores was up walking around. Half naked and jabbering about something in that high pitched Arabic voice. I passed right by her, she could have reached out and touched me, but she didn’t even know I was there. Just kept jabbering, jabbering, jabbering. You just never know, man.”
“Foster say what she wanted us to do with them?” the first voice asks.
“Not yet. Secure them and bring them back to Asheville.”
“We going to put them in one of the rooms in that Grove Park place? Or are they going into the general population?”
“Neither, man. Foster said to bring them to her. She’ll radio Horace with the location. If he hasn’t heard from her by the time we hit the city, then we’re to hold tight and wait by the river until we do.”
“What’s she up to?”
“Not a clue, man. But it’s Foster, so I’m sure she has a plan.”
“She better not fuck up this contract,” the first man says. “I haven’t slept in a b
ed this many nights in a row in a long fucking time. I could get used to this gig.”
“Tell me about it, man. But we do what the woman wants, am I right? She hasn’t steered us wrong yet.”
“Tru dat, brother,” the first man laughs. There’s silence for a minute. “You think we’ll get to have some fun with the woman?”
“Don’t be a scumbag,” the second voice snaps. “We ain’t survivor trash. Fuck one of the workers if you need to get your rocks off. Foster doesn’t want her or the kids harmed, so don’t even think about it.”
“Jeez, I was just talking out loud.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” the second man says, “if you know what’s good for you. Those thoughts get back to Foster and she’ll publicly cut your balls off, roast them over a fucking fire, and then feed them to you. And you’ll fucking thank her for it by the time you finish eating. Don’t fuck with that woman, man.”
“Fine, fine, I hear ya.”
Stella just lies there, paralyzed with fear. She doesn’t know where she is or what’s happening, but she prays that her children will be safe. Despite what the one man said, she has no illusions as to her own safety. And she will do whatever it takes, no matter how horrible, to keep her children from harm. There is no doubt in her mind about that.
WE STAND IN THE SHADOWS of an old Victorian house on Charlotte St. It used to be gorgeous, colored in dark purples and greens, but now it just sits there, sad and decrepit. Much like the rest of Asheville.
“Visual confirmation,” Foster’s radio crackles. “Twenty yards south, east side. They’re keeping to the houses.”
“That’s across the street,” I say.
“Thank you for that assist, Stanford,” Foster mocks. “I’m so new at this I never would have figured it out.”
“Fuck you, Foster,” I say.
“Be nice, Stanford,” she replies, “I have your family, remember.”
