Living for War: The Collin War Chronicles

by W. C. Hoffman

  “How could you have known?” Brady asked.

  Collin nodded in agreement with the rhetorical question.

  “According to my calculations, eleven crates should be enough to support our entire population for almost thirty-six months,” Tiny said. His thick shoulders relaxed, and he seemed to walk with a bit more bounce.

  Collin chuckled at Tiny’s precision. “Like I said, more than enough.”

  “From what I’ve gathered about Dr. Horner, she can easily produce more serum by then. And if not, then I suspect we’ll need a new doctor.” Tiny’s face was grim.

  Collin’s eyes widened. Tiny grinned and let out a booming laugh, slapping Collin on the back. The friendly blow nearly knocked the wind out of him.

  Tiny stopped laughing and looked at Collin. “In the interest of being honest, Mr. President –”

  “Don’t call me that,” Collin said, quickly cutting him off. He turned to Brady with a frown. “I thought you said you only told one person.”

  Brady met his gaze evenly. “Look at him. If you have a head that big filled with a giant brain, then you have ears to match. How could he not find out? I didn’t specifically tell him, but most people know I was rescued from the wreckage of Air Force One.”

  “Exactly. He never said anything about it, but I heard the stories about where he’d been found,” Tiny chimed in. “I even got to see the wreckage for myself. Q took me there. If I believed in miracles, both of you surviving that nasty wreck would certainly qualify.”

  Collin conceded his point. “Very well. What were you going to say?”

  Tiny cleared his throat. “Like I was saying, in the interest of honesty and transparency, we took Pastor Pendell’s body.”

  Screeching to a stop, Collin gaped at both Brady and Tiny. Then, he straightened up and put his hands behind his back, waiting for an explanation.

  Caught off guard by Collin’s response, Tiny glanced sideways at Brady with a look that ended up being more vertical than horizontal.

  “We’ve lived by a different code,” Brady said slowly. “For an enemy like Pastor Pendell, we couldn’t allow him to be buried. So, we treated him in death the way he treated us in life.”

  “Explain.” Collin clenched his jaw.

  “We spilled some of his blood on the battlefields where he spilled ours. His body was burned and his ashes were taken in the four cardinal directions and scattered upon the wind,” Tiny concluded.

  “To what end?” Collin asked.

  “If you still had his body, you would have buried him. His followers would then have a place to visit, to remember him, to mourn. He could have become a martyr. If there’s no grave site, then there’s no place for people to hold on to his memory. His existence fades like his ashes on the wind.”

  Collin felt skeptical about the whole thing. “The town wasn’t overly concerned he had died. In fact, many of them cheered. Dozens witnessed Anna’s murder and once they found out about the BT76, they were enraged.”

  “But dissenters are rarely vocal at first, especially in the face of that kind of reaction,” Brady said. “Look at what has happened since then. The hospital has been destroyed, you’ve been threatened, and Koby lost his leg. Not to mention more Eagles are dead. That’s how the dissenters are retaliating.”

  A stern look creased Collin’s face as he continued leading them toward the hospital to visit Koby. He could understand the sentiment, but he didn’t like that they went behind his back to do it.

  “There’s no need to speak of him again,” Collin said, glancing at the two men as they fell in beside him. “And there’s no need to broadcast this information about town.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Presi –”

  “Tiny, you call me that again and I might have to knock you on your big black ass,” Collin said.

  Tiny cocked his head at the threat. “Sir, the odds of that happening are roughly seven point six percent.”

  Collin couldn’t fight the delighted grin that spread across his face. Tiny was a man he could get along with.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Collin led Brady and Tiny inside the hospital. The front door creaked loudly on its barely functioning hinges. Glass crunched under their feet.

  “You weren’t exaggerating. This Mac fellow and his group really did a number on this place,” Tiny said, ducking through the door. “How was the doctor able to treat Koby?”

  “She’s good at improvising, I guess,” Collin said, even though he really had no idea how she’d managed surgery with everything destroyed. It must have taken ages to sanitize what she needed.

  “I can hear you, you know.” Julie’s voice echoed down the hallway.

  Collin led them into the waiting area near Dr. Horner’s ER where Koby was still recovering. Without any other patients, there was no point moving him.

  “Er, what up, doc?” Collin asked in his best rabbit voice.

  Even in the dimly lit room, he could see Julie roll her eyes. “Leave the jokes to Koby,” she said.

  “How is he doing?” Tiny asked. “Can we see him?”

  “He survived the night, which is a good sign. Go have a look for yourself.” Dr. Horner pointed in Koby’s direction. Her hair was frizzy and her smile was lazy. The sleepless hours clearly weighed heavily on her.

  “Thank you,” Tiny said, starting toward the ER room door.

  Collin walked over to Julie’s side. “You should get some rest.”

  “I’ll be okay. I’ll double check Koby’s dressing after you guys are done and then take a nap.” Julie stretched her arms and gave a giant yawn.

  “Is there anything we can get for you?” Brady asked.

  “Yeah, sheets, bandages, coffee,” Collin said, smiling.

  Julie waved her hands and shook her head. “I’ve got all I need here. Thankfully most of the antibiotics, painkillers, and whatnot were secured.” Her head drooped. “If only I had secured the serum.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. We have plenty of BT76 to hold these guys over while we can resupply you.” Collin sat down beside her. “And I found out Brady here might be immune as well. If it’s true, then you have another source of blood to draw from.”

  Julie yawned again. “Good, good. I’ll have to get you a list of equipment I need replaced. Right now though, I am focused on taking care of Koby.”

  “Of course.” Collin stood. “I’m going to go say hi to Koby.”

  Julie nodded and leaned back in her chair, the same seat where Collin had dreamed about crashing on Air Force One.

  The door to the ER room was light and swung open easily. Inside, Koby was atop a rolling bed with his amputated leg in traction. Wrapped in thick gauze, Koby’s other leg lay flat on the bed. He was awake and chatting with Tiny like he didn’t have a care in the world. Koby glanced over at Collin and Brady and gave them a friendly wave.

  Behind the bed was a silver table with a big light above it, presumably where Julie removed his friend’s leg. Collin was impressed she had performed the surgery by herself. Apparently she’d cleaned up as well; there was no blood or gore left. The floor had been swept and probably mopped, too.

  Koby’s laugh pulled Collin out of his thoughts and into the present. “I’m ready for a piggyback ride, you insufferable giant!”

  “That doesn’t seem like a great idea,” Brady said.

  Tiny grinned at Brady, but didn’t move to pick up Koby. He knew better.

  “It’s good to see you up, Koby,” Collin said. He grinned at the goofy expression on Koby’s face. “What does doc have you on?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s fantastic,” Koby said, giving him a carefree shrug.

  Julie stepped in beside Collin. “He’s as high as a kite,” she said softly.

  Collin smiled at her. Looking back at Koby, who was again engrossed in conversation with Tiny, he bent down and inspected the bandages on Koby’s legs. The room went silent.

  Koby was staring at him. Collin cleared his throat and grinned sheepishly, feeling
awkward. “How you feeling buddy?”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What?” Collin thought maybe he bumped Koby’s leg.

  “Don’t come down to my level and treat me like a child,” Koby said, glaring at him.

  Collin stood up and looked apologetic. It was only the second time he’d seen Koby mad. Unsure if Koby blamed him for the explosion, Collin cleared his throat again to say something, but the words got caught. Everyone was looking at him.

  Collin tried again and managed to force out the words. “I’m sorry.”

  Koby’s face lit up with a huge, childish grin. “Got ya!”

  Collin frowned, but it just made everyone else explode into laughter.

  “You know you smile a lot less now that they made you a General! You should have seen your face!” Koby pointed at Collin and laughed.

  Rolling his eyes, Collin smirked at his friend. “Funny.”

  Koby slowly regained his composure and looked around at everyone. “Okay, seriously ... no stupid nicknames. I don’t want to hear you guys calling me peg leg, pirate, or Eileen, okay? I need verbal confirmation from each of you that you understand.”

  One at a time they affirmed to Koby that they would refrain from picking a nickname for him. Then, Koby turned to Collin.

  “Sure thing, Wheels.”

  They broke out into nervous laughter.

  “Good sense of humor, Mr. Pres – uh, War – Mr. War,” Tiny said.

  “Okay, okay, you’ve all had a great time,” Dr. Horner interrupted. “Time for Koby and me to get some rest.”

  “Together?” Koby asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “I don’t remember any of those pills you gave me being little and blue.”

  Collin placed his hand on Koby’s shoulder and bowed his head. “So, so sorry man.”

  “It’s okay,” Koby replied.

  “I am so sorry you need a blue pill to make that little pecker work!” Collin smirked at Koby and his break in demeanor sent both Tiny and Brady into convulsions.

  All the men laughed, even Koby. At least until Julie shot them a withering look.

  “Everyone out,” she said.

  “Ah man, it was good to see you,” Collin said. “I’ll be back again soon.”

  “I know.” Koby grinned.

  Tiny and Brady regained their composure and said their goodbyes. The three of them turned to leave. As they walked through the front door and down the steps to the sidewalk, a pair of Eagles ran up.

  They saluted. “Sir, the Vipers are moving into the school. No problems there,” Private Fischer said. ”But the search of the river is complete.”

  “And?” Collin asked.

  “We found one body where the Little Goshen runs into the Big Goshen River. It was trapped against the grate installed underneath the wall, sir,” Private Fischer said.

  “Did you see who it was?” Collin asked.

  “No, sir. But he did,” Fischer said, nudging the private standing beside her.

  The private slowly pulled his eyes off of Tiny, gulped, and looked at Collin. He watched the Eagle with amusement in his eyes. “Private?”

  “Yes, sir. I, uh, saw the body. Um ... it, it wasn’t Mac, sir. But it was one of his crew,” the Private said. “A guy named Tommy.”

  “Okay, thank you. Carry on.” Collin returned their salutes again.

  Both men looked at Collin with curiosity.

  “We’ll have a meeting to go over everything,” Collin said, leading Brady and Tiny toward the school and their quarters. “I’d like you both to meet Ketan and Hannah.”

  “The HAGS agents?” Tiny asked.

  “They claim to be former agents, but we can never be too careful.” Collin continued to stroll down the gravel road. “Let’s meet up later, in the theater after dinner. It’s right on the main street down near the river.” He pointed in the general direction. “You can’t miss the giant sign that says ‘theater.’”

  “That’ll be fine,” Brady said.

  “But for now, let’s get you two settled in at the school.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Collin walked into Koby’s house and looked around. The same whirlwind of old electronics and parts were littered throughout the living room. The vast amount of work that would need to be done to make the house wheelchair accessible was daunting. However, that wasn’t his concern for today. He made his way through the narrow path that led back to the record player.

  Lying around all day in the hospital was going to get boring fast, so Collin wanted to surprise his friend with some good music to help pass the time. A mind like Koby’s was too valuable to sit there uninspired, and he knew his gesture would be a welcomed one. A vast collection of records neatly lined up on a tall shelf. Collin had no idea which ones to take for Koby, so he randomly grabbed one from three different shelves and hoped for the best.

  He unplugged the record player, closed the amber shaded plastic lid, and set the records carefully on top. Collin was about to carry it out when he noticed a sketchpad and pencil on a nearby drafting table.

  Flipping through the pad, Collin found it to be about half-full of designs and drawings Koby had been working on. Aside from having time to work on designs while he healed, Collin figured Koby might like to have it on hand to jot down notes or instructions for his crew at the dam, or anyone having gardening problems.

  Collin grabbed the pad and pencil and added to the stack, leaving the house without disturbing anything else. As he walked down to the sidewalk, he wondered if there were any outlets in the ER room he could use to plug in the record player. If not, he could always wheel Koby into a different room. It’s not like there was a shortage of space.

  Outside the air smelled of grilled meat. Collin’s stomach growled as he carried the equipment to the hospital. It had been ages since the familiar odor of a backyard charcoal grill had hit is nostrils. He tried not to dwell on the smell too much, but it was alluring.

  Beads of sweat sprung up on his forehead. Not because the stuff was heavy, but the days were getting warmer. Flowers and crops were beginning to grow and bloom. Spring was a beautiful time to be in Montana; Collin knew that from his time in Kalispell. Goshen was quite similar in its beauty.

  When he arrived at the hospital, Collin called out “Carry on” before the Eagles could salute. They both grinned at him.

  “Need a hand, sir?” Private Park asked.

  “No thanks, Private,” Collin said. She was the soldier who had trouble with the front door when they went to clear Mac’s house with his team. “Working on your kicks?”

  “Yes, sir,” she said, blushing.

  “Just teasin’. You did a great job that night.”

  Private Park stood a little straighter after hearing that. “Thank you, sir.”

  Collin walked around them on the steps leading up to the hospital. As always, the door announced his entrance with a loud squeak as he pushed through. He expected to see Julie in the waiting room, but it was empty.

  “Hey, buddy,” Collin said as he walked into the ER. “Look what I have for you.”

  Koby lay motionless on the bed. His head tilted to the side, and it was oddly quiet. Collin looked around the ER, but the room was empty except for the two of them. Setting the record player on a counter top along the wall, he was pleased to see several outlets to use.

  The doors on the shelves above the counter were mostly busted out, and the things inside had been rummaged through. Several shelves looked quite neat. Julie must have been hard at work piecing together her space. Even with all the monitoring equipment damaged or broken, she’d managed to somehow saw off Koby’s leg and do an adequate job putting him back together.

  Collin looked at Koby again, a pang of guilt catching in his chest. He’d lost Doris; he didn’t want to lose Koby, too. His friend was oddly still.

  Walking over to the bed, Collin placed two fingers alongside Koby’s trachea to check for a pulse, the way the Marine Corps had taught him.

  “He
y!” Koby bolted upright, eyes wide with a huge smile.

  Collin jerked back at the sudden movement. His heart thumped wildly like a nervous hummingbird. Then, heat boiled up from his gut and Collin could feel his face turn red.

  Koby’s eyes went from surprise to terror.

  “You little bastard!” Collin roared.

  “Sorry, sorry –”

  “Are you still high?” Collin asked, clenching his fists in the air.

  “I don’t know.” Koby shrugged and looked at him like a child.

  “Man, don’t do that. I thought maybe you’d ... geez, I can’t lose another friend,” Collin said. He leaned on the side railing of the bed.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking on your dumb ass.” Collin smirked, then pointed at the record player. “And I brought you that antique.”

  Koby craned his neck to see. His eyes glowed in excitement. “Show me what records you brought.”

  “Oh, it plays records? I didn’t think to grab any of them,” Collin said, keeping a poker face that would have bluffed even a Vegas pro. Keeping the stone solid look until he watched the lines of Koby’s face move from excitement to disappointment, he finally had to turn his back in order not to laugh. Collin casually walked over to the counter and brought the records over for Koby to inspect.

  Koby’s disappointment melted away as his joking tone roared back into action, “Oh okay, I see how it is. Pick on the cripple. You really are a sick son-of-a bitch. You know that, right?”Koby looked up at him over the edge of the records. “And how did you decide on these?”

  “I employed a very precise and scientific method called random selection.” Collin gave him an apologetic look. “I just grabbed one album from three different shelves.”

  “If I was grading you on your selections, you’d have a solid B,” Koby said. “You lucked out. I have such an amazing record collection you can’t help but pick something good.”

  “I also brought you a notebook and pencil in case you need it for instructions or whatever,” Collin said.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Now that we have that out of the way, I have some stuff to talk with you about.” Collin looked around and found a small stool on wheels. He pushed it over and sat down beside Koby.