Turning back around, he asked, “What do they want? I know you politicians. You always want something.”
“Colonel, I’m serious. These people—the mayor specifically—are hardnosed and principled. Brownstein won’t budge. She’s actually stating that you either need to leave or face a trial for your crimes.”
“Crimes?” Barone laughed. He went back to his chair and sat down. “Mr. Timms, this is all crazy talk. Do I need to remind them of the advantages they have from our being here?”
“I’ve told them, but she is the one leading this. She’s a very patriotic person.”
“I’ve heard enough. Please set up a meeting as soon as you can so I can discuss this with them,” Barone said, leaning forward. He sat his drink down and clasped his hands together before he continued. “Mr. Timms, I want to thank you for coming to see me about this. You are a friend.”
“Colonel, what happened before is the past to me. I can see with my own eyes what good you’re doing for us. I’ve told you before. I want you to stay.”
“I want to stay too,” Barone said. He shifted in his chair and looked over at the map sitting on the table. “Sorry to be rude, but I have to get back to some of the other daily problems I’m plagued with. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.”
Roger stood up quickly and headed for the door. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Mm-hmm. Tell Master Sergeant Simpson to come in here, please,” Barone called out.
“Sure thing,” Roger said as he opened the door.
As if he had been listening to their conversation, Simpson was standing right there at the entrance to the office.
“The colonel—”
“Thank you, Mr. Timms,” Simpson said and walked past him and closed the door.
When Simpson walked in, Barone was pouring his third drink. “Top, you might have been right. I need you to keep tabs on the following people.”
Barone quickly ran down the list of the local leaders who were opposed to them. He gave Simpson some guidance on what he wanted, from following them to monitoring where they went and who they spoke to. He instructed him to plant Marines in plain clothes in any public meetings. He needed human intelligence as to what they might be doing.
“Yes, sir, I’ll get right on this,” Simpson acknowledged, turning to leave.
“One more thing, Top. Recall all our forces. We might need them here.”
South of Roy, Utah
“I gotta piss,” Brandon said from the backseat of the crew cab truck.
“I’ll pull over up ahead. Just hold it for a bit longer. And stop with the vulgarity,” Sebastian chided.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot we’re not supposed to curse in the apocalypse,” Brandon said sarcastically.
Sebastian adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see him. In response, Brandon lifted up his middle finger.
Sebastian nodded and readjusted the mirror back.
The four had been on the road since the early morning. It had started out uncomfortably for Sebastian and Annaliese, but within a few hours they began to carry on a light conversation. The boys acted like typical boys on a road trip. They bantered, laughed, made fun of things they saw. Annaliese tried to play a few games she grew up with, like “I spy with my little eye.” Luke was a good sport, but Brandon mocked her and the game. Sebastian played along while monitoring the road ahead, looking for any threats.
When they had pulled out of the compound in the early morning, they drove off with Sariah crying and waving. Annaliese had an intense premonition that she’d never see her mother again. They embraced for a long time, and many tears were exchanged. Sariah told her that she was welcome back anytime, but Annaliese knew that only pertained to her and not to her husband. This hurt her, as it pitted her feelings for Sebastian against her own mother. She prayed that time would heal the wounds of the past few weeks and that the altercation with Samuel could be forgotten. But until then, the time needed to pass. She and Sebastian still hadn’t completely dealt with the incident. It was a conversation they’d have to have and she wanted to make sure it was done in a way that benefitted them both.
Sebastian planned the trip carefully and estimated it would take them five days to travel the five hundred miles to McCall. However, he began to recalculate the instant they drove onto the freeway. Icy spots, old packed snow drifts, abandoned cars, and trash slowed them down. Fear of hitting something buried in some of the patchy areas of snow caused him to drive slower than he wanted. They had been driving for over seven hours and they had only gone forty miles. He was not happy at all. Soon the sun would be setting and he was not even halfway to where he wanted to be for the night.
Seeing a grouping of abandoned cars ahead of him on the freeway, he slowed and pulled in behind one of the cars.
“Here’s your pit stop,” he said to Brandon.
“It’s about time,” Brandon mocked. He opened the truck and stepped out. “It’s as cold as a witch’s tit,” he said, then slammed the door.
“That boy is incorrigible,” Annaliese said.
“What am I supposed to do, put him over my knee?” Sebastian asked.
“Actually, he needs a good spanking. I bet he was a spoiled as a child,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to go too,” Luke said, jumping out.
“They couldn’t be any more opposite,” she remarked.
Laughing, Sebastian joked, “I know, good and evil.”
Sensing he was a bit tense, she reached out and touched his arm. “What’s the matter, hon?”
“Oh, we’re a bit behind schedule, that’s all. Do me a favor. In the glove compartment there should be a map and a paper with coordinates and frequencies.”
She rustled around and grabbed what he needed. They both discussed a more realistic travel plan for the day. After a few minutes, they noticed that the boys hadn’t returned.
“Stay in here. Keep the truck running and the doors locked,” Sebastian ordered and stepped out.
The cold wind was whipping down the dead freeway. He looked in both directions, but he didn’t see them. He saw Brandon’s footprints and began to follow in earnest. He pulled out his pistol and peered around a tractor trailer. Nothing. The tracks led down the length of the semi until they disappeared into a clump of wrecked cars.
From the looks of the cars and their arrangement on the road, they had collided with each other.
“Argh!” a voice screamed out.
The scream came from the cars in front of the tractor trailer. Not hesitating, Sebastian sprinted as best as he could.
He came up just behind the group of cars with his pistol outstretched when a snowball hit him in the face.
“Ha, ha! That was awesome!” Brandon laughed.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sebastian yelled.
“Oh, now it’s okay to curse?” Brandon asked sarcastically.
“I thought someone was in trouble!” Sebastian yelled at him. Anger overcame him as he marched over to Brandon. “Don’t fuck around, ever again!”
Brandon stepped back when Sebastian got in his face. “Chill out. Just trying to have a bit of fun.”
“What are you, a fucking child? Stop your bullshit, Brandon. I don’t need it, nobody needs it.”
Holding up his arms, he said, “Sorry. Just thought a bit of fun would be fine.” Brandon walked around as Sebastian headed back to the truck.
“Where’s Luke?” Sebastian asked, looking around.
“I think he’s over there,” Brandon said, pointing to another group of cars about twenty feet away. Then under his breath he said, “Dick.”
Sebastian walked to the group of cars and there he found Luke crying, kneeling next to a car.
“Luke, are you all right?”
Startled by seeing Sebastian, Luke w
iped the tears from his eyes and cheeks. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He stood up, brushed by Sebastian, and walked away quickly.
Sebastian looked at the car. The front end was crushed from a collision with the car in front of it. The engine had been pushed back into the cab. He looked inside and saw two corpses. Their bodies hadn’t completely decomposed; the cold air partially mummified them. Their hands were clasped together in what must have been their last demonstration of love and devotion. He then glanced in the back and saw an infant carrier and the body of a baby. Seeing this repelled him. He looked back toward Luke, who was shuffling toward the truck.
“Luke, wait up,” he called out. He jogged to catch up. A dull throb from his leg slowed him.
“Leave me alone,” Luke said, his voice still showing the signs of his crying.
“Want to talk?”
“What did I say? Leave me alone.”
Sebastian let Luke proceed, understanding that he wasn’t in the mood to talk about what he just saw.
Sebastian stood out on the cold, windy freeway and watched Luke get back in the truck. He could only imagine that seeing this family had brought up painful memories for Luke. It was a shame that this new world had inflicted such horrors on young minds. Sebastian didn’t know if he could ever provide the home that Luke desperately sought, but in that moment, he promised himself that he would try.
One mile north of Rajneeshpuram
The compound was immense. From Gordon’s count there were eight large permanent structures and one massive barn that he estimated was 25,000 square feet. The area didn’t look like a compound used by crazed religious leaders, but it was now the home of one.
Gordon and his group had arrived late yesterday. They established a campsite north of the compound and took advantage of elevation to scout and recon. The recon was a success and had given them the necessary information about the compound and its structure. It was nestled in a small valley, with six roads leading into it. The number of roads forced Rahab’s groups to be scattered over a much larger area than was necessary in his desert compound.
“How many people did you count?” Gordon asked Lexi after she returned from her recon to the north.
“He’s got two men on each road leading into the compound, so twelve right there. On the grounds themselves, I counted eight men walking the perimeter and only a handful milling about,” she said.
“Where do you think he’s keeping the prisoners?” Gordon asked.
“It’s a guess, but he only seems to be using that main building and the barn. He might be keeping everyone close,” Lexi theorized.
“Here’s a sketch of the area. From here to here, it looks to be about a thousand feet,” Gordon said, pointing to the square that represented the main building and the barn.
“So a rough head count is . . . ?” Rubio asked.
Gordon and Lexi looked at each other.
“Go ahead, smarty-pants, what do you think?” Lexi joked with Gordon.
“I’d say we’re looking at about forty to fifty people down there. This is based on what we’ve seen and my memory of what he had before.”
“Has your girlfriend started talking yet? Maybe she could help firm up those estimates,” Rubio asked Lexi. He was referring to the woman they had picked up yesterday, who had woken up to discover all of her friends were dead.
Lexi pointed her middle finger at Rubio, then blew a kiss. “She hasn’t said a damn thing. So far she’s been useless.”
“So, based on your estimates, we’re looking at upwards of forty armed people and we have three men, one pissed-off lesbo, and Jonesy, who’s now a gimp.”
“You know I probably would turn gay if I had to look at your little dick all the time,” Lexi cackled.
Jones chuckled loudly.
“Guys, enough bullshit, we have a job to do here. Let’s focus,” Gordon said firmly. “We have five of us, we’re all well armed, well trained, and we can do some serious damage if we plan this right.”
“It’s not going to be a cakewalk, but Van Zandt is right, we can put a hurting on them,” Rubio said.
Gordon led the conversation and presented his ideas. His plan called for a night raid. He, Lexi, and Rubio would enter the valley from the south. Their assumption was that Rahab was located within the main building. To the south, a hill sloped very close to the front entrance. From there they would enter directly into the front. McCamey and Jones would position the Humvee on the hill to the south but in a hide. Jones was healthy enough to shoot the M40 bolt action rifle and he’d take out anyone who came in and out of the buildings. If any vehicles started to exit or move into support, McCamey would light them up with the machine gun.
As they discussed scenarios the radio in the Humvee came to life.
“Romeo Sierra One Three, this is Papa, come in, over.”
They all looked at each other, surprised that the Marines’ radio was working this far out.
“I guess we are close enough to a repeater,” Rubio commented and stood up.
“You guys set up repeaters?” Gordon asked.
“Yeah, part of our overall mission on these long-range patrols is to reestablish communication and the only way to do that is with repeaters. Apparently we’re picking up a signal.”
Jones leaned over and keyed the handset. “Papa, this is Romeo Sierra One Three, we read you, Lima Charlie.”
“Roger that, Romeo Sierra One Three. Be advised. Terminate current mission and link up with Romeo Sierra Actual, over.”
Jones looked confused and handed the radio handset to Rubio.
“Romeo Sierra One Three, did you copy, over?” the voice crackled.
“Roger that, we copy. Terminate mission and link up with Romeo Sierra Actual,” Rubio answered. He dropped the handset and looked at Gordon.
“Who’s Papa?” Gordon asked.
“That’s the command element back in Coos Bay. Actual is Gunny back in Klamath Falls,” Jones explained.
“So that’s it? You guys are bailing on us?” Gordon asked, concerned.
“Corporal, we could head back tomorrow morning. Let’s at least try to get this guy. We’ve made it all the way here,” Jones said.
Rubio acknowledged Jones with a slight nod. He then looked at both Lexi and Gordon.
“Yeah, we’re in. Let’s see this through.”
“Now that we have that settled, what do we do with the girl?” Lexi asked.
“We can’t just let her go, she might head back and warn Rahab,” Rubio stated flatly.
“You know there’s a good chance they’re on a heightened alert now anyway. They must be concerned about their missing people,” Gordon added.
“Yeah, I’m sure they’re watching out, but I just don’t know if he suspects he’s about to get attacked,” Lexi said.
“We don’t have anything to worry about if we kill her,” Jones suggested boldly.
“Stop! We’re not going to murder her!” Gordon said sharply.
“Wait a minute, Van Zandt, you’re not in charge here!” Rubio countered Gordon.
The woman was tied up to a tree, and she began to wiggle to get free after she heard the possibility of her murder.
“Here’s the grand compromise. Let’s keep her tied up. If we survive we’ll come back and untie her, if we don’t . . . well, for her sake, let’s hope we can come back,” Gordon recommended. After a few moments they all finally agreed with Gordon.
“Then it’s settled,” Gordon said, walking over to the woman.
As he knelt down next to her, her eyes opened wide with fear. Her mouth was gagged and her arms were tied behind her.
“You hear that? You lucked out. We’ll come back for you. I don’t know if you deserve it, but that’s how it is,” Gordon stated, then walked back to get ready for their raid.
Eagle, Idaho
The per
imeter of Eagle’s Nest was not protected with any type of fencing. Nelson knew this was a problem, but since they arrived in the heart of winter, finding a spot to settle down was more important. Now the issue of perimeter security took center stage after the attack and the encounter with Truman and his men. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the materials to construct anything that would be sufficiently hardy, so the only reasonable idea was to add more people to the watches. The additional posts put a strain on the limited manpower they had. It was a domino effect; problems came in one after another. The constant rotating guard schedule limited the number of people who could go out for patrols outside the gate.
Nelson and Scott had several long conversations about Truman and his men. They didn’t know whether to expect a strike from them, and if so, what direction they would be coming from. Truman had given a vague indication of where they were located, but they hadn’t gone out to investigate where they came from for fear of leaving the community unmanned. They had limited weapons and ammunition, but not enough men to satisfactorily repel an attack if coordinated. Nelson was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the logistics of keeping the community safe.
“Here,” Scott said, handing him a cold water.
“I’ve been thinking that we shouldn’t just sit here.”
“You think we should leave?” Scott asked, concerned.
“No, not leave. We should look at this issue differently. We can’t adequately fence the perimeter. I mean, look out there,” Nelson commented, pointing to the rolling hills and groves of trees that dotted the landscape. “The material and manpower we would need to protect us from someone just walking in here is impossible. It’s just impossible.”
“So what are you proposing? We don’t know for sure if Truman will be back.”
Nelson looked at Scott and shot back, “He’s coming back. I could see it in his eyes. He knows his brother is dead and that we killed him. He’ll be back and he’ll come back on his own terms.”
“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” Scott said.
“I say we set our own terms. We don’t sit here and wait for him to come back. We find him and take him out.”
Sanctuary: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series) Page 11
