His Name Was Zach

by Peter Martuneac

  “It’s okay, I forgive you. But I think there’s someone else who deserves an apology even more,” Ross said, gesturing towards Abby.

  Zach slowly turned around to face Abby, afraid to look into her disappointed eyes again. He stood uncertainly for a moment, not sure if she would accept an apology from him just yet. What he had done was unforgiveable and the shame was so great that tears started to run down his cheeks.

  Abby stood across from Zach, her feet set shoulder-width apart and her arms folded across her chest, her head cocked to the side. Now that Zach had calmed down, she remembered that she was still mad at him.

  Her hard, grey eyes were narrowed as she looked at Zach, not with love but with disgust. She did not know if she was ready to accept an apology yet, either. She had never felt this way towards Zach and it hurt her as much as it did him. She was angry with him for hitting her, for being so unreasonable with Ross, but she was also angry with herself for being angry with him and this weird feeling was making her sick. Nothing could excuse what he had done, and Abby felt betrayed, but she knew that he would never forgive himself, which meant the only forgiveness he would ever get would have to come from her.

  She could see the pain in his eyes. She knew that he loved her more than anyone and anything else in the world and would move mountains for her. He had sacrificed so much for her over the years and would not hesitate to die for her. He had proved that several times in just the past few months. She knew that he was mentally torturing himself over his mistake. And it was a mistake. A terrible, horrible mistake that damaged the trust between Abby and Zach, but a mistake all the same. That wasn’t who Zach was, Abby had known him long enough to understand this. Her six-word tongue lashing earlier was punishment enough, she decided. After all, Abby could never hold a grudge, not against Zach.

  Abby sighed and looked down at the ground as she hooked her thumbs into the front belt loops of her pants. She looked back up at Zach but with her usual soft gaze now. “Come here,” she said.

  Zach slowly walked up to Abby and fell to his knees in front of her. Once again, he slowly reached out to her, but this time she did not move. He put his hands into hers and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Abby. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m sorry I hi-…I’m sorry I hit you. I don’t know what came over me. You know that I would never mean to hurt you like that. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness…Hell, I don’t even deserve to have you in my life, but please forgive me.”

  Abby took this in and then gave Zach a faint, closed-mouth smile. She helped him up to his feet, hugged him warmly, and said, “I already forgave you, Zach. And don’t be silly. You’re still my dad and I still love you.”

  Zach wrapped his arms around her and said, “I love you too, baby girl. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You’d still think you’re a good poker player, that’s what,” Abby said with a little laugh.

  Zach chuckled and said, “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”

  “Never,” she said, winking at Zach.

  “So what do we do now?” Ross asked, looking back towards the town. They could see what looked like a convoy getting ready to leave. “Can we use this truck to sneak into their convoy?”

  “No, they saw Abby and I leave in it. That’d be suicide.”

  “So we do nothing?!” Ross asked in despair.

  “No. We wait for them to leave, give them a small berth, and then follow them. We’ll be able to see and hear such a huge convoy from miles away, so following them will be easy. They’ll lead us to their base where I’m sure they’ll celebrate their ‘victory’ here. That will give us an opportunity to sneak in and rescue Diane.”

  “I guess that sounds good,” Ross said sullenly.

  “Alright, they should be leaving soon, so let’s just watch them from here,” Zach said.

  Ross went and sat down next to the truck, leaning against one of the tires and bowing his head as he hoped that Diane was still unhurt. Abby sat down next to Zach, hugging her legs against her chest, and he put his arm around her shoulders. Both of them stared silently at the ruins of Little America.

  The fires that were consuming the town reflected in Zach’s dark eyes, but as unquenchable as those flames were, they paled in comparison to the Hellfire and brimstone burning inside of Zach. Those men had killed Amber. They had taken away the woman he loved in the same way that he had lost Grace. He would not forget this, nor would he forgive.

  Chapter Seventeen

  They did not have to wait long for the convoy to leave. Just before dawn, about an hour and a half after the attack had started, Zach saw the first trucks start to rumble out of the north gate and down the road. Abby had fallen asleep and was leaning against Zach, so he gently shook her awake and told her that it was time to get ready to leave.

  Abby inspected the truck for anything useful while Zach and Ross watched the convoy, counting the number of vehicles and trying to approximate the raiders’ numbers. “Zach, that dead guy is still in the back of the truck,” she said with a look of disgust.

  “Oh, I forgot about him. Ross, help me get him out,” Zach said. He hopped into the back of the truck and lifted the corpse up so that Ross could grab him. Ross then tossed it unceremoniously onto the ground.

  “Bastard,” he muttered.

  “Actually, I think he might help us out,” Zach said. He knelt down next to the corpse and took the red hat and sash and said, “These might come in handy.”

  “Guys, check this out,” Abby called from the truck’s cab. She hopped down from the passenger seat and walked towards Zach and Ross carrying a map.

  Zach took the map and studied it. It appeared to show the middle section of Illinois, where Little America was. A route was lined out in red ink, with six tiny dots along the way, each marked with ‘CP’ and a number from one through six. Apparently, this was the route that the gang had taken from their base to Little America.

  “Great find, Abby,” Zach said. “Where’d you get this?”

  “Glove box,” she replied.

  “We don’t even need to worry about following them now. This will take us straight there.”

  “How long is the route?” Ross asked.

  “Pretty far. It looks to be about eighty miles to the north-east.”

  “Does our truck have enough gas to get us there?”

  “No, it’s almost empty. It will get us part of the way there, but we’ll still have a lot of walking to do,” Zach answered. “They must have been refueling their trucks while they looted the town.”

  “It looks like the last truck is leaving now,” Abby said, pointing back at the road.

  “Okay. We’ll wait about thirty minutes, and then we’ll follow them. I want to give them a wide berth so we don’t accidentally get too close,” Zach said.

  They tossed all of their packs into the back of the truck and then sat down to discuss what their plan of action would be to rescue Diane.

  “Once we get close to their base, we’ll hide our packs and go on without them, taking only our weapons, but I’ll carry all of them. I’ll put this sash and hat on to disguise myself, and Ross will act as my prisoner. That’ll be our ticket inside.”

  “What about me?” Abby asked.

  “You’ll wait with the packs where it’s safe,” Zach answered.

  “Like heck I am!” Abby exclaimed.

  “Honey, I’m serious.”

  “I am too! I’m a big girl, Zach, I can handle myself! I won’t just sit on the sidelines for this!”

  “Abby, listen-”

  “No, you listen! I know it’ll be extremely dangerous, I’m not a dumb kid. But I’ve lost both my mother and Amber without being able to fight for them, and I won’t lose you in the same way, Zach. I won’t.”

  Zach seemed to be weakening in his resolve, but did not respond yet, so Abby pressed on. “Besides, I’m useful! I’m small and can move through tight places. And if anyone sees me, they’ll think I’m just a scared
little girl, and they’ll underestimate me. I can help!”

  “She’s right,” said Ross. “Abby is a tough girl. She’s resourceful, clever, and quick on her feet. I think we’d be at a disadvantage if we didn’t bring her.”

  Zach finally sighed and said, “Alright, you can come. But please be careful, Bug.”

  “You be careful too,” she replied.

  “Okay, so both of you will act like my prisoners. Once we’re inside, we’ll split up. You two will go looking for Diane while I look for a way to make a diversion. Wherever they’re holding their prisoners, there will be guards posted. So a good distraction will hopefully get them to pay less attention or even leave their posts. Then you both can get Diane out in the ensuing confusion.”

  “How will you get out?” Abby asked.

  “I’ll find a way out on my own, don’t worry.”

  “But what if you get caught because of your diversion?”

  “I won’t be.”

  “But if you are?”

  “Then I’ll escape,” Zach said with a grin, but Abby didn’t look so amused. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Abby, I promise I’ll be okay.”

  “Pinky-promise?” Abby asked with her pinky extended.

  “Pinky-promise,” Zach replied, intertwining his pinky with Abby’s.

  “Okay,” she said, though not entirely disquieted.

  Thirty minutes later, they finally got into their truck and got it back on the road, heading in the direction that the convoy had gone. It was a short drive; no one felt like talking, so it was a quiet one too. Zach was driving, keeping the truck at a steady pace. He did some calculations in his head and guessed that the truck would carry them for only forty miles. He grimaced as he realized that they would have to spend the entire day walking to reach their destination, and probably would not get there until midnight or later.

  Ross was in the passenger seat, staring out the window and trying not to think about all the terrible things that could be happening to Diane. Abby was on the bench seat in the back, holding her legs against her chest and resting her chin on her knees. She was scared of what was to come, of what Zach might do. She knew he wanted vengeance and might try something really dangerous to make a diversion.

  Abby reached into her pack and pulled out the photograph she had brought, the one of her and Zach in their home. They both looked so happy as they sat in safety and comfort for the first time in weeks. The photograph was barely two months old, but to Abby it felt like a lifetime had passed. She felt a pang of sadness as she looked at the picture and accidentally let a small sob escape her. Zach heard it and turned back to look at her.

  “Bug? You alright?” he asked. Abby nodded her head as she wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “Don’t worry,” he said, “everything is going to be okay.”

  “Okay for whom?” Abby wondered, but she kept this concern to herself. She had this horrible, depressing feeling in her gut that everything would not be okay. She felt some kind of sense of foreboding, like the terrors that had begun a few hours ago were far from over. But surely she was just anxious. She still had Zach, and he would protect her from anything.

  They drove for about an hour, following the list of checkpoints on the map they’d found, before the truck ran out of gas. The engine sputtered, coughed, and then died. Zach checked the map: they were approximately fifty miles away from their objective. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was only a few minutes after eight in the morning.

  “Well, it’s going to be a long day of walking,” Zach said grimly.

  “At least we’re good at walking long distances,” Abby said. Zach almost smiled at this, amused by the fact that Abby would always counter his pessimism with her optimism.

  They all got out of the truck and grabbed their packs from the back. Zach stuffed the red paraphernalia he had taken from the dead man into an external pouch on his ruck, and then threw it on his shoulders. Abby and Ross shouldered their packs and waited for Zach, who took the lead with his map.

  They walked in silence for most of the day. Each of them was driven by a powerful, personal purpose as they advanced towards their objective, and they felt like talking would only distract them in their determination. Zach craved vengeance for Amber (and Grace); Ross desperately hoped to free his wife from the marauders who had kidnapped her; Abby sought to do what was right.

  The group kept a strong pace throughout the day, but they did not want to exhaust themselves. They took short rests throughout the day, but no more than absolutely necessary. Despite all this, it was very late by the time they reached their objective, almost one o’clock in the morning. It was very dark at this time, and the moon was barely a sliver in the sky, so they heard the noise from the gang’s base well before they actually saw it. Just as Zach predicted, they were having themselves a wild party to celebrate the previous day’s victory.

  When they were a mile away from the base, they dropped their rucks and staged them just out of sight of the road, taking only their pistols and knives. They walked on for a short distance, and then, at about half a mile away, they saw the base.

  “It’s a prison,” Ross said.

  “Yeah,” Zach answered. The prison yard was a large, open area, about the size of a small town, but it was covered in tents, small wooden structures, and a couple of large concrete buildings (these last buildings were probably part of the original prison’s architecture). In the center of the yard was a huge, castle-like structure: the prison itself. A very large bonfire raged on the eastern side of the yard, and mobs of people were crowded all around it. A tall chain-link fence topped with concertina wire surrounded the entire complex, and guard towers were placed at regular intervals, though Zach was not sure if these were manned.

  “This could complicate things,” Zach muttered.

  “Do you think Diane is in one of the prison cells?” Abby asked.

  “I don’t know,” Zach admitted. “I do know that there are hundreds of guys in this stupid gang, and I assume that they would be living inside the prison. In there, they’ve got beds, shelter from the elements, and stuff like recreational rooms. I don’t think they’d waste all that on prisoners.”

  “So Diane is somewhere out in the yard?” Ross asked.

  “I think so, yes,” Zach replied.

  “So what do we do?”

  “Stick to the plan. But if you can’t find her, get out. Going inside that prison to look for her would be suicide.”

  “Hell no. I’m not leaving my wife in there.”

  “Ross, be reasonable. None of us would be able to sneak around inside the prison, much less break anyone out.”

  “Fine. You two leave then, but I’m going to save Diane or die trying.”

  “Don’t. We can’t desert you like that.”

  “You can and you will, if it comes to that. This is my decision to make, Zach. My better half is in there, and I’m not leaving without her. But you two have each other. There’s no reason for either of you to share my fate, especially when just going in there with me is a kindness that I could never repay.”

  Zach thought about this and then said, “You’re right. This is your decision, and I respect that. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “I know, right? And in case I don’t get the chance later…thanks. You guys have been the best friends I could ask for.”

  “There’s no need to thank us. What else are friends for?” Abby said with a smile.

  Zach wrapped the red sash around his waist and then put the red hat on his head. “Alright,” he said, “give me your pistols and knives, then I’ll bind your hands with survival cord, but I’ll leave it loose enough to slip out of if you have to. Let’s do this.”

  Two guards were at the gate, sitting in folding chairs and sharing a bottle of vodka that a friend had procured for them. There was no drinking allowed while on guard duty, and the two men had only intended to have one small drink each, but one became three became eight, and they ended
up getting completely sloshed.

  They were loudly discussing the battle at Little America and were swapping stories of the action they got in the town when they suddenly noticed three figures approaching. One of them stood up on shaky legs and said, with no small amount of slurring, “Hey, who the fuck is…is you?”

  “I got prisoners!” Zach answered.

  As the three figures approached, the two guards could see that the white guy was someone from their gang. He had a tall black guy with him and a little girl, both with their hands tied behind their backs and looking frightened.

  “Why are you alone? And how come…how…why are you so late?” the guard asked.

  “Look motherfucker, I don’t have time for this shit. These two jumped out of my vehicle this morning and I spent all goddamn day tracking them. I’m fucking tired, I’m fucking hungry, and I just want to get fucking shit-faced. Now open the goddamn gate!”

  “Language,” Abby whispered, barely loud enough for Zach to hear, let alone two drunks. Zach almost laughed, but maintained a straight face.

  The two guards looked at each other through glassy eyes and then shrugged. As one went to unlock the gate, Zach asked the other, “Where are we keeping the prisoners this time?”

  “The big, grey pavilion for now. Right…there,” the man replied, pointing to a certain area of the field, but even this tiny effort caused him to stumble. The gate was opened and Zach led Ross and Abby through. Once inside, Zach found a dark shadow behind a small shack, away from other people, and cut Ross and Abby free.

  “Okay, we’re good here,” he said as he handed them back their weapons.

  “Did you hear that? The big grey pavilion!” Ross whispered excitedly.

  “Yes, I did,” Zach answered quietly. “Now, I can’t escort you guys any further. Eventually someone sober will start asking questions. Besides, I’ve got a distraction to make.” He gave a wolfish grin with that last sentence and then turned to leave, but Abby grabbed his sleeve.

  He turned back to face her, but she didn’t say anything for a few moments. Then she hugged him tightly and said, “Please be careful, Dad.”