Fighting for War

by W. C. Hoffman

  Julie nodded.

  “Easy peasy,” Charlie said with a wink.

  She smiled at him and glanced at Collin who rolled his eyes.

  “Can’t I go with her?” Collin asked in a last ditch plea despite knowing the answer.

  Julie found it funny that Collin was asking for Charlie’s permission. The quirky CIA agent may have higher in seniority at the Farm, but technically Collin was his boss.

  “You and I have work.” Charlie turned to him. “Your absence would be noticed. In fact, we have to hurry.” He turned back to Julie. “Be sure to close up the entrance on the other end when you come back. And carefully close this one, too. I’ll come back later if I can to make sure everything is good, but don’t count on it.”

  Julie glanced at Collin again. “Wish me luck.” She wanted to give him a hug or something, but it’d be awkward with Charlie there. So instead she went to the closet and lowered herself into the hole. “Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.”

  “Good luck.” Collin looked concerned. “See you soon.”

  She smiled at him as she ducked down, pulling the heavy tile in place over the opening and vanishing into the bowels of the HAGS building.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Koby led the way down the road. Since he was the slowest, he set the pace. With the aid of their improvised distraction, they escaped Delta Sector and began the journey back to Missoula. Unable to reach their horses thanks to security patrols sent out after them, they had fled on foot. The whole time, Koby gritted his teeth and trudged on like a real soldier. Despite his mobility issues, they seemed to be moving along at a good clip.

  The sun inched up on the horizon, brightening the cloudy sky. Birds began to chirp and move about to catch breakfast. Just the thought of food made Koby’s stomach growl. Most of their supplies had been left with the horses. Koby glanced back to check on his friends and smiled at the dark smoke that streaked the sky in the distance, a little gift for the bastards who had locked them up.

  Tiny and Brady seemed to be fine, ambling along, watching and listening for any approaching security patrols. During the night, they’d had to dodge several, but it’d been hours since any cars had driven past. He was grateful for that; crossing the ditch along the side of the road to hide in the bushes was rough on Koby’s leg.

  “I’m going to need a break soon,” Koby said, wiping his brow. He leaned on a long, gnarled branch he’d found at some point. He couldn’t even remember. “This thing’s being a real bitch.” He gestured at his leg.

  “Want me to carry you?” Tiny asked with a grin.

  “Not going to happen.”

  Tiny caught up to him in only a few strides. “Come on, man. I can be your padawan and you can be my little Yoda.”

  Koby rolled his eyes, but lowered his voice to a high-pitched grumble, giving his best impression of the Jedi Master. “Carry me, you will not. Shut the hell up, you must.”

  Brady made a face like “whatever” and waved his hand toward the forest along the road. “Let’s take cover and get some rest.”

  No one complained about taking break. Even Tiny looked almost as ready for a rest as Koby.

  He was grateful for their compliance. He followed them across the ditch into the forest. The ground rose at a sharp angle, but Brady led them to a ravine. They settled in behind a blowdown. Sitting down in the crater left by the fallen tree, among the tendrils drooping from the root balls, gave them great cover and made them virtually invisible to anyone on the road. All of them found comfortable positions.

  Tiny collapsed with a heavy sigh. He stretched his arm up behind his head and lay back against the soft dirt. Within minutes, he was breathing softly, sleeping.

  Brady sat, cradling his rifle, while Koby detached his prosthetic. His leg was sore, but thankfully he didn’t have any blisters or cuts. With a little rest, he should be okay.

  “You going to sleep?” Koby asked.

  “Not for a while. Someone has to keep watch. You go ahead.” Brady looked out at the road. He frowned and scooted up to the edge of the crater, about four feet to the side where a sizeable gap between roots offered a safe vantage point. Easing back to lean against the jumbled mess of tree and dirt, he looked at Koby’s leg. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I think so. Just gotta relieve the pressure.”

  “Hopefully we can find something to make it easier. It’s going to be a long fucking walk to Missoula otherwise,” Brady said, frowning.

  Koby grunted. “I’m surprised the town hasn’t sent anyone else after us. Pussies.”

  Brady chuckled.

  “They can’t handle any more of us,” Koby said with grin.

  “Your diversion was genius.” Brady looked out at the road and then he glanced up at the sky. “Hey, we came from that direction, right?”

  “Um, yeah. You sure you don’t need sleep?” Koby eyed him skeptically.

  “There’s smoke in the sky that way, too.” Brady looked at him with eyebrows raised.

  Koby scurried up and sure enough, the horizon was marred by even more smoke than Delta. It looked a long way off. “Weird.”

  “Too weird to be a coincidence.”

  “Another town?” Koby asked.

  Brady shrugged and dug into one of his pockets.

  “You have a map?” Koby looked at the paper Brady pulled from his pocket.

  “Yep. I always keep it on me just in case something happens to our packs. Their shitty pat-down missed this gem,” Brady said, kissing the map before unfolding it.

  Koby leaned back and waited for Brady to figure out where they were. He stared up at the trees and clouds. It was chilly but beautiful, and the longer he watched the calm movement of nature, the more his mind drifted to his family, friends and most of all, Goshen. Everything he’d held dear and lost.

  “If I’m reading this right, that might be Echo Sector or part of it,” Brady said. “There’s an intersection where this road meets one that runs east-west. To the east is a small town called Grizzly Creek. I’d bet money that is Echo.”

  “We might be able to find Frank and Hannah,” Koby said with excitement in his voice. He would be happy to see familiar faces. “How far?”

  “If we follow the road, I’d say around thirty-five to fifty miles.” Brady scratched his chin. “That seems kind of close. They might be in cooperation with that Big Daddy guy if they’re so close.”

  “Maybe Frank and Hannah had the same idea we did.” Koby shifted his position. A rock was digging into his thigh. “Let the motherfucker burn.”

  “It’d be pretty shitty to go back to my dad with no allies.” Brady sighed. “We’ll find out soon enough, I guess.”

  Koby didn’t relish the idea of going back to Missoula and telling Collin that the missions were a total bust. Based on the smoke though, things weren’t looking too good. Nothing to do about it at that point. He resolved to enjoy the rest like Tiny. Koby scoffed. “This fuckin’ guy passes out in two seconds.”

  Brady grinned. “He has always been like that. Quick to sleep and quick to wake. A real gift, all things considered.”

  A comfortable silence fell over them. They sat and watched the road for hours. Conversation was minimal. Koby massaged his leg and tried to ignore his growling stomach. What he wouldn’t give for the horses right about now. Not for food, but their saddlebags had food and the animals would get them back to Missoula much quicker.

  “Do you hear that?” Brady looked at him with his head cocked to the side.

  Koby listened but couldn’t hear anything.

  “No?”

  Koby shook his head.

  “Vehicles are coming from this side.” Brady jerked his thumb to the right which meant the sound was coming from the direction they wanted to go.

  “More than one?”

  “Yeah.”

  Koby cursed to himself and shoved Tiny. The big man stirred but continued sleeping. Koby jabbed him with his rifle butt. “Tiny, get up,” he hissed.

>   Tiny sat up with a start, reaching for his rifle. He looked at his friends after he failed to see what the problem was.

  Koby held a finger to his lips.

  Tiny nodded and glanced at Brady who tapped his ear and pointed at the source of the alarm.

  As the vehicles approached, Koby rushed to reattach his leg. He finished securing the strap around his waist when they appeared as dark shapes against a backdrop of forest, mountains, and smoke filled sky. Koby’s grip tightened on his rifle, and he gritted his teeth. He could do with a few more hours of rest.

  Like Brady predicted, it was multiple vehicles. A convoy by Koby’s estimation.

  “HAGS?” he asked Brady.

  “Who else has gas for trucks?” Brady asked with a tone that made it a statement.

  “Reinforcements,” Tiny suggested.

  Koby shrugged. It was a good guess, not that the reason mattered. They just had to avoid being spotted.

  Something about the first Humvee made Koby squint at the man in the machine gun turret. As it raced toward them, Koby sputtered and slapped Tiny’s leg. He pointed at the Humvee.

  “What?” Tiny frowned at him.

  “F-F-Frank!” Koby managed to spit out. “That’s Frank.”

  “Shit, you’re right,” Brady said, standing up. He shouted and waved his hands in the air.

  Frank turned the gun toward them but hesitated. Brady and Tiny charged down the slope to the ditch along the road. Koby limped along behind them, trying to keep up, wincing as he rushed toward the convoy. He saw at least seven vehicles, which was awesome. There could be more, further back but he couldn’t tell.

  “HAGS!” soldiers yelled pointing at the three strangers running out of the woods. Machine gun fire erupted, lighting up the forest. Rounds hit the dense tree trunks sounding like a tornado of hate ripping through a small town trailer park. Branches fell and bark chips exploded into the air.

  Koby flinched at the noise, bark peppering his face, and lost his footing before he got down the slope. Tiny juked sideways like a running back, and then dove to the ground near a stump that would barley provide enough cover.

  “Cease fire! Friendly! Friendly! Friendly!” Frank shouted as the Humvee stopped in the road. The whole convoy came to a screeching halt behind him. Koby pushed up, cursing a hurricane of fury at the people who had shot at them. One of the pickup trucks skidded sideways and almost went into the ditch. A soldier flew from the back and tumbled to a halt only twenty feet from Koby. His body lay still in a crumpled mass.

  Brady stood up. He glanced back at Koby. Tiny was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

  “Tiny!” Koby shouted. He scrambled forward. The hard packed dirt was damp with blood that pulsed out, thick like motor oil. That didn’t stop him, though. He heaved with all his strength to roll his friend over.

  Tiny’s eyes were wide. Even though they looked in Koby’s direction, he could tell his friend couldn’t see him. Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth as he fought for each bubbling gasp.

  Koby put his hands over the wound on Tiny’s chest. Hot, sticky blood oozed between his fingers. Glancing over his friend, it was clear he’d suffered multiple hits.

  “Tiny, stay with me, man,” Koby urged him.

  Frank raced over to their friend, apologizing profusely. Koby looked up at him with blurred vision and quickly looked away. Frank removed his belt and lashed it around Tiny’s thigh as a tourniquet.

  “We need a medic! Someone help!” Koby shouted. He cast about, looking for anyone to step forward. Anything to save Tiny. Anything to save his friend, protector, and brother in arms.

  Brady appeared beside him. He knelt down beside Koby, placed a hand on his shoulder, and jerked his chin at their friend.

  Koby looked down, and his stomach dropped.

  In all the commotion, his friend had gone quiet. Tiny could not hear the wishes of his brothers. His face was frozen in the same shocked expression Koby saw when he rolled him over, yet this time his eyes saw nothing.

  “Come on, breath you sonofabitch!” Koby pressed down where his hands still covered the wound. His body was still. Not like this! A primal growl burst out of him in a long and drawn out roar. “No!”

  Not after all we’ve been through! Koby took his hands off Tiny’s chest and held them in front of his face like he was seeing the blood for the first time. He shook his head, scowling. He struggled to his feet, pushing away from Brady and Frank who tried to help him.

  Koby shouldered his rifle, pointed it directly at the nearest stranger, flicked the safety off and said, “You motherfuckers are going to pay for this.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Julie was engulfed in darkness after replacing the floor tile above her head. She fit comfortably and wondered why the hell the building had space under the floor. She felt around to get a sense of the area. It smelled dusty. One side was smooth, almost slippery, as was the floor, while the adjacent wall had small pipes.

  Electrical wires, networking cables, or water pipes? She had no idea.

  As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, there was a faint glow ahead of her. It cast a faint wash of yellowish light in the distance, illuminating the end of the tunnel. She blinked and rubbed her eyes twice in failed attempts to focus on the glow. Was it real? Then she smirked as an old joke she told her patients came to mind. Stay away from the light. Julie began to crawl forward toward the source. It was narrow but not uncomfortably so for her. Collin wouldn’t have fit well, she thought with a smirk.

  After about eight feet she came to a bend. The tunnel made a sharp turn to the left. Light seeped into the tunnel from another bend in the tunnel. Now that she could see properly, her movement was more confident and quicker. Moving quietly became easier, too. She couldn’t risk noise echoing out of the tunnel and drawing unwanted attention. Defending herself in the confined space sounded like a nightmare.

  The tunnel turned to the right and separated into different branches that continued through the building. One branch went to the left and one to the right. The third option was down.

  It didn’t take long for her to decide thanks to the light that emanated from the shaft that dropped. The drop was roughly ten feet. A mere ten feet had never looked so far. Luckily, metal rungs were embedded in the concrete.

  Starting down was tricky since she was facing the wrong direction. She put out her arms and held her body over the drop, bracing against the edges of the branching shafts. Leaning to one side, Julie tucked her legs up and lowered them down. Her body ended up halfway into the side tunnel so her legs could be lowered to the metal rungs. She let out a sigh of relief as she climbed down.

  The tunnel was slightly larger at the bottom. She could squat down and still fit. Not comfortable but passable. On the right side were several curved pipes that disappeared into the floor of various sizes. Each one had a valve on top. She ignored them and focused on the source of the light.

  This section was short. It extended another eight feet and ended at a metal grate. Julie approached it slowly. There was no telling if anyone was within earshot of the grate. Charlie failed to mention where the tunnel came out.

  Looking at it up close, Julie was happy to see the grate was hinged and had a latch on the inside. It wasn’t locked or screwed shut as she’d feared. After much consideration and fighting off the temptation, she didn’t open it.

  Instead, Julie laid down and peered through the grate. The slats provided a great view. She was at floor level and was looking at a hallway. It was quiet and empty.

  Julie pulled out the directions Charlie gave her and looked them over again. She memorized the first few and tucked it back in her pocket. Her excitement was increasing in proportion to her anxiety. Julie hadn’t felt a rush like that since she tricked the guards in Goshen so she could kill Pastor Pendell after he’d murdered her daughter.

  The painted aluminum metal grate swung open into the hallway. It creaked slightly, which made her wince, but no one was around to notice.
Julie climbed out of the service tunnel and stood up. It felt good to stretch out again. She quickly closed the grate and took note of how it looked from this side. Her suit had patches of dust from crawling through the walls so she dusted off quickly.

  Satisfied she wouldn’t look extra suspicious, Dr. Horner strode down the hall with purpose following the directions she’d memorized. Look and act the part and people tended not to question what you did. Julie hoped that would save her if she ran into anyone.

  When she neared the end of the directions she memorized, she stepped into a doorway and read the remainder of Charlie’s scribbled message. She was nearly there. The twisting hallways and double doors she pushed through were insane. What kind of madman designed this place?

  One final turn and she saw the door to the morgue at the end of the hall. A breath caught in her throat. Morgues were not strange or frightening places to her. The morgue was no different than any other part of a hospital. Be it the lab, operating room, or intensive-care, they all had their place and served a purpose. Her apprehension arose from not knowing why Charlie wanted her to come down here. The order she’d read in the hallway with them told her it had something to do with the previous workers selected for elevation.

  Julie glanced nervously over her shoulder. No one was there. She was alone.

  Pushing through the door, Julie was confronted with the familiar chemical smell that fought to cover up the faint scent of death that always lingered. The lights were on which made her nervous. She hurried to figure out Charlie’s puzzle. Several metal tables stood empty so she made her way to cold storage.

  Julie couldn’t recall the face of the person, so she pulled out the paper again. “Michael Desouza,” she whispered to herself.

  She had to pull open half a dozen specimens before she found a tag that read Michael. Easing the sheet back, she uncovered his face. It was passive as if he was sleeping. His skin had the typical grayish tint, and he lay with his hands at his side. The surprising part was the massive Y-shaped incision that indicated an autopsy had been performed.