Dillon looked at Hannah expectantly.
“I wandered down from Kalispell with my boyfriend,” Hannah said as her eyes blurred and her voice grew thick at the memory of Keaton. “Collin rescued us from some vicious people who worked for HAGS. I’ve been with them ever since. Frank’s words are true.”
“I see.” Dillon stroked his chin. He slid off the counter and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned to face the window and lowered his head.
Hannah could tell the gears were grinding in his mind. She understood tat he had a lot of responsibilities to balance. They were asking him to stick his neck out. The ease of maintaining the status quo had a certain allure. It was a false security, no doubt. Had they broken through to him? Hannah bit her lip in anticipation of his response.
Dillon turned around after what seemed like an eternity. “I have no love for HAGS. They have been threatening my people for far too long. I pledge my support and that of my town to your cause on the condition that at the end of our fight for freedom every one of my people receives the vaccine. And if we free others, they receive the same treatment.” He took a deep breath and grinned at them, then extended his hand. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Frank said firmly, stepping forward and clasping Dylan's hand.
Hannah grinned and shook Dillon’s hand. “Agreed.”
“So, what’s next?” Dillon asked.
Frank looked him dead in the eye. “Life.”
"Liberty,” Hannah added.
“And the pursuit of happiness,” they said in unison.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Koby looked down at the blood dripping off the knife. His hands trembled as he wiped the blade on his pants. He stared at the body of the guard splayed on the ground. Koby was slightly shocked at what he’d done.
Taking someone’s life by hand felt completely different than pulling a trigger. The fear in the man’s eyes, the way his body tensed, the blade passing through layers of body tissue, and the sudden rush of hot blood. It would be burned into his memory forever. Killing him was necessary, but that didn’t make it easy.
“Hurry up,” Tiny said, urging them on. “We need to get out of here.”
Brady reached out to Kobe and patted him on the shoulder. “You did the right thing. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Koby looked up at Brady with a determined look on his face as the guilt and shock subsided.
“Grab all the weapons and ammo,” Brady said, crouching to check the man’s body. He handed a pistol to Koby and slung the spare rifle over his back since he already carried one at the ready.
Tiny had a rifle and was busy attaching a knife sheath to his belt.
Koby held the pistol but handed the knife back to Brady. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Brady slipped it into the sheath he’d taken from the guard. No one had responded to the fight. It was only a matter of time, though.
“Should we move the bodies?” Koby asked. He found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the guy he killed.
“It’s not worth the time. We gotta go.” Brady stood up. “I’m ready.”
Tiny flashed a thumbs up and cradled his rifle.
They left the gated prison with the bodies crumpled on the ground. It wouldn't take long for the bodies to be discovered. So Brady, Tiny, and Koby scurried away, keeping to the shadows.
Koby hustled as fast as he could. He knew they’d be running if he was able to. He’d resolved not to be a liability. Tiny motioned for them to hide behind a dumpster that jutted out from a building. Koby crouched behind the metal container and caught his breath.
Tiny peeked over the shrubs to get a feel for their location in town. “This looks a little different than during recon today,” he whispered.
Brady was about to speak, but Tiny cut him off with a hand signal.
A couple strolled by chatting. Neither one of them looked like guards. Koby wasn’t sure they even had weapons.
“Did you get your shots? They brought in the new supplies today,” the woman said.
The man walking beside her nodded. “I was at the gate when they drove it in. After my shift, I went straight to the med unit.”
“I don’t like how close they cut it.” The woman put her arm around the man’s arm and laid her head on his shoulder. He stopped for second and gave her a kiss.
“We’re good now,” the man said, kissing her nose. “Well, at least for the next three months.”
She pulled back and punched his arm. Koby made a face. Tiny covered his mouth.
Brady held a finger to his lips with a sly grin on his face. Koby practically held his breath until they passed out of earshot.
When they left, he let out a deep breath. “Do you think they meant BT76?”
“Who cares?” Brady asked.
“This way.” Tiny motioned in the direction they should go.
Brady nodded and urged Koby to go ahead of him. Koby walked between his friends gripping the cold metal of his pistol in a sweaty hand. After winding between two buildings, Koby whispered to Tiny, “Do you know where you're going?”
Tiny glanced over his shoulder and nodded.
Koby was trying to match Tiny’s pace as best as he could. His stump hurt like a bitch, but he wasn't going to let it hold him back. A cool breeze made him notice the sweat on his brow and upper lip. A shiver ran down his back; his whole body seemed to be sweating. He wiped his brow absently while scanning for guards. The town was silent and empty. Koby almost shivered again it was so creepy. They must have a curfew in effect.
Tiny raised his hand in a fist, the signal to stop. Brady reached up and put a hand on Koby’s shoulder, saving him from running into Tiny. The group crouched down at the edge of the building to their left.
A moment later, guards strolled into view and crossed the intersection behind them. Sneaking around like this made Koby feel like he was back in high school, causing trouble with his buddies back on the block. A few eggs to toss, soap for the windows, and some toilet paper for the trees and he would be reliving his youth.
Delta was old-fashioned, a lot like Goshen. The houses held a cozy comfort about them. It must be a rural Montana thing. Koby sighed at the memory of his house and all his gadgets and of course, his music collection. Everything washed away when those HAGS fuckers destroyed the dam. Fucking animals. It was the pain that made him refocus on the task at hand.
Loud ringing broke the silence as a bell began sounding frantically. It sounded like a church bell to Koby, even though he didn’t recall seeing a bell tower.
“Sounds like they found the guards,” Brady muttered.
“That’s unfortunate.” Tiny scratched his jaw and glanced around.
A couple people ran out of their houses with rifles. They ran off with purpose, suggesting they had a preplanned response when the alarm went off. Not all the people coming outside were guards. This was an all-hands-on-deck situation.
“Life just loves to kick us in the balls, huh?” Koby frowned as he quickly rubbed his leg like bread dough. His stump ached and crouching down didn’t help any. His hand bumped his pocket making the pack of cigs he pinched from the dead guard earlier crinkle slightly. An idea struck him.
Koby nudged his friends with a grin slowly spreading across his face. “We should create a diversion to draw people away from us. You know, keep the town distracted while we escape.”
“Like what?” Brady asked.
“Burn motherfucker, burn motherfucker, burn,” he said, quoting the song as he pulled the lighter from his pocket.
“Is that going to help us recruit fighters?” Tiny asked.
“Look around, man,” Koby whispered with a wave of his hand. “This is HAGS territory.”
“How do you figure?”
“How else did they get BT76 when everyone else got cut off?” Koby gave Tiny a stern look. “They’re collaborators. Fuck ’em.”
Brady seemed to like the idea. Although his face was unreadable, a glint in Tiny’s eye hinted
at his amusement. With no other objections, Koby decided to let them in on his devious plan.
“We should find a vehicle for the first diversion,” Koby said. “We’re going to burn this place to the ground.”
Tiny gestured across the street. The security patrol was long gone, so they left their hiding spot.
They stopped underneath a carport with two cars parked there. One looked old and broken down, but one looked like it was still in use. Only half the Ford Taurus was under the carport since the junky old Honda took up the space.
Thumping footsteps preceded the opening of the front door. Koby gasped and scooted against the wall to meld into the shadows. The door slammed shut, and they heard keys jingle. They were no good hiding places in the cramped space. Tiny stood in the front corner of the structure nearest the house while Brady dashed away to hide between the back wall and the front of the Honda. If it came down to a gunfight, at least Brady had good cover.
Koby grimaced and tightened his grip on the pistol.
The man came around the corner of the house. Tiny’s body tensed like a jungle cat ready to pounce. Koby’s breath caught in his throat. He watched with wide eyes and an itchy trigger finger.
He was a tall man, maybe Tiny’s height, but lacked the muscular bulk. Light glinted off his bald pate and the keys jingled again as the man strode forward, rifle in his other hand.
When he reached out to unlock the car door, Tiny lunged forward. He clamped a hand on the guy’s wrist and pulled the arm down while shoving the back of the man’s head forward into the top edge of the car above the window. There was a loud whump, and the man grunted as his skull cracked into the metal body. His rifle clattered to the ground, his knees buckled, and he slumped to the cement.
“Nice move,” Koby whispered a little too loud as he gasped for air. The rapid thump of his heart made his chest ache, and he hadn’t done anything other than watch.
He grabbed the rifle from the downed man and handed it to Brady when he emerged from his hiding place.
“Okay, where were we?” Brady asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Time to light shit up.” Koby didn’t like that these people had gas for their vehicles. That meant they were cooperating with HAGS. Koby was going to make them pay for that shit.
Koby set his pistol down and grabbed the edge of his shirt. He yanked hard to tear a piece off but nothing happened. He sighed.
Tiny gestured for Koby to give him the shirt.
He reluctantly pulled his shirt off and handed it to him. Tiny’s muscles strained slightly at the effort. Once he got the tear past the seam, it was easy. His friend had the first strip torn off in a second. Koby’s eyes bulged.
He makes it look so damn easy. Koby shook his head and scoffed. Tiny chuckled at the look on Koby’s face.
“Thanks,” Koby said before he put the shirt back on. He stood up, walked over to where the gas tank was, and opened it.
Brady clamped a hand over his mouth and bent over. His shoulders shook and his face turned red enough that Koby wondered if he was sick. Koby looked at Tiny in confusion.
“Sexy,” Tiny whispered, pointing down at his shirt.
He looked down and groaned when he saw his shirt was now a crop top, exposing his stomach like a street walker. Brady wasn’t sick, he was busting up laughing. “Shut up.”
Brady continued snickering behind his hand while Koby knelt down and got to work.
“Just like that,” Tiny crooned. He slapped his big hand over his own mouth to keep from making too much noise.
Koby flashed them both his middle finger before getting to work. He set the cloth on the driveway and smashed the plastic lighter with his pistol. The liquid leaked out onto the cloth. He unscrewed the gas cap and tucked the cloth inside, making sure to stick it down into the pipe. It had a fair chance of working. He'd used basically the same trick with a bunch of motorcycles at Beau’s Belles back in the day. It ought to work on cars, too.
Koby held the lighter up, hoping it had enough left in it to ignite the cloth, and looked at his friends. They were still laughing. He frowned, and they tried to compose themselves.
“After I light this one, we book it all the way out of town,” Koby said. “Okay?”
They nodded.
“We should probably avoid the main gate,” Koby added.
“Of course we can’t go to the main gate,” Brady said. “Tiny can pull up the bottom section of the fence somewhere along the forest.” He turned to Tiny. “Like you did here. That work?”
Tiny gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Then we head back to the horses,” Brady said.
“Let's hope this trick works.” Koby flicked the lighter which illuminated his maniacal grin. “Ready to move your asses?”
Brady and Tiny checked the street. Brady looked back.
“Do it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Julie walked beside Collin. The barren hall made it easy for her to hear footsteps behind them. She turned and saw Charlie coming toward them.
“Your friend is coming,” she whispered.
Collin turned, and his expression relaxed when he saw who it was.
“Fancy seeing you two here,” Charlie said with a grin.
“What’s up? Already finished celebrating the new winners?” Collin asked. HAGS had a lottery system to select drones for transfer to the Republic of California. All the white suits gossiped about it excitedly, as if it was their one goal in life. Perhaps it was? Collin glanced sideways at Charlie as he fell into step with them. A dark looked crossed Charlie’s face.
“I mourn those who are chosen.”
Julie glanced at both of them. She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They don’t exactly receive the life they are promised.” Charlie looked at her. “Actually, that’s why I caught up with you. I know you’re skeptical of me.” He held up a hand when she was about to protest. “I get it. If I was in your position, I’d feel the same.”
“What’s the connection?” Julie asked.
Charlie reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it over.
Collin glanced at her. “What is it?”
“An order.”
“A burger and fries?” Collin said, trying to lighten the mood.
They continued walking. Charlie motioned for them to turn at the next hallway junction.
Julie rolled her eyes. “You’ve spent too much time with Koby.”
“So what is it?”
“An order for a surgery.” Julie frowned at the paper. “They performed multiple organ transplants.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows and nodded.
“Does that surprise you?” Collin asked. His brow furrowed in confusion. “You’ve done more with less. Koby and the serum beat out an organ transplant or two.”
“It’s not the procedure that concerns me.” Julie met his gaze. “It’s who they performed the procedures on.”
Collin cocked an eyebrow and looked from Julie to Charlie. Julie glanced at Charlie whose grim expression mirrored the sinking feeling in her gut. Glancing at the paper was all Collin needed to confirm her suspicions. While he didn’t know everybody by name, he damn well knew these names. It was a list of every single person “selected” in that morning’s ceremony.
“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” she asked softly. A part of her wanted Charlie to deny it and ease her suspicions.
“Follow the directions on the back,” Charlie said to her. “See for yourself. Destroy the paper as soon as you can.”
Collin held a hand up. “Hold on. Where is she going?” He glared at Charlie. Julie knew he didn’t like being left out.
“Don’t worry. I was going to tell you.” Charlie held up his hands in defense with one of his patented winks. He leaned in and lowered his voice. “She needs to go to the morgue.”
Collin raised an eyebrow again and looked at Julie.
“I’ll be fine. You know I can ta
ke care of myself,” Julie said defiantly. She appreciated Collin’s protective response, but she didn’t want them thinking she was weak.
“I know.” Collin said. He took her hand and held it between them. “You’re important, though. Not just to me, but to our people and the world as a whole. If anything happened to you ...” His voice trailed off.
Her eyes welled with tears that she fought back.
“Let’s just say it would be devastating.”
Julie got lost in his gaze. She wasn’t even sure how long they stood there looking at each other.
Finally, Charlie cleared his throat.
Julie blinked and glanced at him, feeling her face burn. “Right. I should go while they’re distracted.” She eased her hand out of his grasp and patted his arm. “See you soon.”
Collin gave her a sheepish grin.
“I almost forgot,” Charlie said, clearing his throat again. He winked at Collin. “I’ll have to show you a shortcut. As you probably know, the morgue is secured from casual access. I don’t have a key or a way to duplicate one easily. So, you’ll get to go the tricky way. Follow me if you would.”
They were in a dead end hallway. Charlie unlocked the door and led them inside. Julie had never been inside the room and was curious what Charlie was going to show her. She looked to Collin for guidance and was granted an encouraging nod.
Charlie opened a closet door. “Wait here a second.”
Julie stood and looked into the closet. She saw two metal file cabinets, one on each side of the closet. The drawers would open into the middle of the closet, so only one cabinet could be open at one time.
Terrible layout, she thought.
Charlie knelt and lifted up the floor tile.
Okay, so that makes sense now, she realized.
“Go down there. Careful not to dirty yourself up too much. There’s only one way to go in there, so you can’t get lost. Be careful before you emerge near the morgue. Then from there just follow the directions on the paper. Okay?”
Fighting for War Page 12
