“Don’t waste your time thanking me again; just get some rest.”
Miner smiled weakly and was asleep in seconds. Alec kicked back again and ate the last of his porridge and then set up some bait to hopefully catch a mouse later tonight. The rest of Yankee Camp came in within the hour and Alec said goodnight to Jon, Steffan and Gerry as they walked back and went to their cells. Alec sat there waiting for either a mouse or sleep, whichever came first.
Ally
The knife struck less than an inch from the red target. Weeks ago that would have made Ally happy; today it filled her with frustration. She turned her back to the target she had created on the back of the shed in their yard and took a deep breath. She jumped around 180 degrees and flung the throwing knife toward the shed and with a THUNK it struck less than an inch from the middle of the target. She was getting better, but still not good enough.
Nothing worth doing is ever easy.
She heard Arlo’s voice in her head. He was the man who had helped take care of Ally and Jess after she had lost her family. He was a nice man, even if he picked on her a lot, and he was the one who had made her bow and taught her how to use it. He had taught her a lot of the things that had helped her survive after both he and Jess were killed by the bad soldiers.
“You’re getting good,” Dena said as she opened the back door.
Ally walked over and pulled the small knives out of the shed wall.
“Thanks.”
Dena walked over to her and stopped a few yards away and just stared. Ally stared back.
“I...uh…I would never be able to figure those things out,” Dena said.
Ally raised an eyebrow. “They’re throwing knives; you just throw them.”
“My dad used to have a big knife that he would use to whittle sticks, and he could always throw it on the ground and get it to stick in the dirt,” Dena said, staring down at the ground like she could still see the knife. “I could never figure it out. When I threw it the handle always hit the ground instead.”
Ally thought back to the first few times she had practiced throwing the knives. That had happened to her more than a few times. “It takes practice.”
“It’s nice having you around for more than a few days.”
Ally hadn’t gone out in a while. She had gotten back from her skirmish with the Chinese and American soldiers and had decided to lay low for a little while. Though she had to admit part of her was looking forward to heading back toward the American base and meeting up with Maclin again. He was nice.
“You ever run into anyone out there?” Dena asked.
Ally looked up surprised for a moment, then realized it was an innocent question. “No, just animals and dirt,” she lied.
It was quiet for another moment. “Ally, you know that you can talk to me if you ever need to. You know, about Tiger or…your family.”
Anger flared up in Ally for just a second but she took a breath and let it die down. “Ok.”
“It’s just…I think you go out there because you don’t know how to deal with what happened to Tiger.”
“I’m ok,” Ally said a little more forcefully.
“And I understand why that would be hard,” Dena continued. “You’ve lost so many people in such a short period of time that-”
“I SAID I’M OK,” Ally shouted.
Dena stood there dumbstruck.
“I don’t need lessons from you on how to deal with things dying.” Ally balled her hands up in fists as she felt tears coming to her eyes. Why was she crying? “I know how to survive; you’re the one that needs to learn how to deal.”
“Ally, I don’t think that is fa-”
“You refuse to see the obvious. Even if your daughter is still alive she left here a long time ago. Instead of accepting that and hoping that she is ok, all you do is come up with new ways to put everyone else in danger. And when you’re not doing that you’re yelling at Adam or ignoring Coby.”
“That is enough,” Dena said, her voice steadily rising. “You do not have the right to sit here-”
“You don’t have the right! Don’t come over here and try to pretend that you need to fix me. I’m not broken; you need to fix yourself!”
“Enough,” yelled Adam from the back door.
Ally involuntarily jumped and then stood there in shock. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard the man raise his voice.
“You both need to stop,” Adam said, coming outside. “Dena, you need to give her space. And Ally, don’t you dare say anything like that again.”
It was like he had reached out and struck her. Adam was always on her side. Together they were the ones that kept Coby safe and everyone together. They were the ones who fought through Dena’s moods and did what they could to find happy moments.
“Honey, we are all trying to find ways to deal with things,” he started.
Ally didn’t hear another word; she took off from the yard. She wasn’t going to let him or Dena see her crying like a kid who had just been disciplined. She wasn’t a child; she was more capable than either of them. Her feet took her down streets and through yards as fast as she could force them to go. She was done trying to pretend she needed a family--she didn’t. She and Tiger had survived for a long time with just each other for company. Things were easier that way. She was ready for things to be easy again. She would sneak back to the house at night, grab her things and head back out into the Wastelands, never to return.
Ben
Their helicopter cut through the dark night sky, leaving behind the safety of the base for the danger of the unknown. Crimson, Dex, Ty, Vick and Chavez all sat in the helicopter with their headsets on.
“We are headed to Alabama,” Crimson said, looking down at her notes. “We’re going to be inserted a few miles north of the city of Thomasville. Intel suggests there is base just south of there.”
“Suggests?” Dex asked as he pushed his glasses farther back on his nose.
“Last report was before our last Op. So it’s possible they packed up after they lost the base in New York,” Crimson said.
“So it’s possible that we are going to hoof it several miles on foot just to find an empty base?” Ty asked.
Crimson shot Ty a look that caused him to immediately look down.
“If we are lucky,” she said. “If not, then we will report back to Command and await orders.”
“I could use some action,” Vick said, stretching. “All we’ve been doing is sitting around getting fat.”
“Nothing wrong with gaining a few pounds,” Ty said.
“You’ve gained more than a few pounds,” Crimson said straight-faced, causing the others to laugh.
Ty looked down at his waistline and patted his stomach a few times. “Don’t hate.”
They refueled at a small base in Tennessee, which was just as rundown as all the prior bases Ben had been to. The soldiers at that base were haggard and ill-equipped but they all had smiles on their faces. They knew the war was all but over and they were on the winning side. They filled up their Helo and provided their squad with a meal before they departed. From there they went straight to their destination, landing in a secluded area in Alabama. By the time their Helo was back up in the sky they had secured the area and were preparing to move out. It was night out and once the helicopter had left all they could hear were crickets and all they could see was the dim light given off by the moon.
“Thomasville is about four clicks from our position,” Crimson said, checking her map. “There was a civilian population there so we should expect to run into people.”
“Friendly?” Ben asked as his eyes surveyed the area.
“As friendly as can be expected. Our scouts didn’t report any issues.”
The sun had begun to crest over the horizon by the time they spotted the town in the distance. The makeshift town had been created just east of Thomasville. There were dozens of hand-built homes littering the area, along with several trailers that had been transported. Ca
rs lined up as barricades blocked all but one of the roadways leading into the town.
“Why didn’t they just set up shop in Thomasville?” Vick asked as Dex looked through a pair of binoculars.
“Not sure,” Crimson said, taking a drink from her canteen. “Looks like this place is a little easier to defend. Also looks like they have more land nearby to farm.”
Dex lowered his binoculars. “Looks like they have at least one lookout in the building next to the entrance; doesn’t appear to be armed.”
Crimson stared off to the side, considering her options. “Vick, sweep around from the east. Chavez, you come in from the west. If it looks like we are in trouble you lay down covering fire and we’ll pull back.”
Both men nodded and took off to get into position.
Dex watched them go and then looked back at the town with his binoculars. “I’m sure we won’t have a problem.”
“Better to be safe than sorry,” Crimson said softly. “Let’s move out.”
They walked together down the road approaching the town. They kept their guns low so as not to be threatening but also making it clear they had plenty of firepower. The entrance was only two hundred yards from where they had set up but before they had even crossed halfway there were two people standing at the entrance waiting for them. They were unarmed and while their clothing was worn it wasn’t in tatters. The two people stood in front of the entrance, and it was clear they were expecting trouble.
“Stay frosty,” Crimson said quietly before stepping forward with one hand raised. “I’m with the United States military. We are not a threat and are just here to pass through.”
The men shared a look and then the man in dark overalls spoke. “We don’t know nothing about any military. We’re just peaceful people trying to make a living.”
“Understood. We have information there might be a Chinese camp near here. You know anything about that?” Crimson asked.
Again the men shared a look. “We’d rather there not be any fighting around here.”
“We’d rather not fight either, but we’re not the ones that traveled across the ocean looking for one.”
The man let out a sigh and gestured toward the large building near the entrance. A man with a bow and arrow stepped away from the window. Ben hadn’t noticed the man but saw that Dex wasn’t surprised and had been angled in such a way that if needed, he could have taken a quick shot.
“Come on in, but please don’t go waving your guns around,” the man said.
“Thank you,” Crimson said as she headed in.
As they made their way through a flock of chickens came running out in front of them and disappeared behind one of the trailers. Several people peeked out from their windows but no one else was on the street. The man led them to the middle of town and stopped near a fence with several horses inside. There were several houses along the street and Ben could make out people in three of the second story windows. He caught sight of another bow in the hands of one of the men. Ben tensed and kept his eyes on the window.
“The camp’s about ten miles south of here,” the man in overalls said, clearly not happy. “Go down until you see the old Purina factory then head east another mile and you’ll find them. Don’t know how many there are, or how many guns they have, so don’t ask.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell us that?” Ty asked.
The man looked out at the horses and shook his head. “They ain’t caused us no trouble. Few months back they actually came by and traded us some medicine for some of the livestock. Since they’ve been here we haven’t had any raiders or people poking about.”
“I understand that,” Crimson said softly. “They may not be doing this here but in other camps they have been enslaving people to farm and do work for them.”
The man spat something out on the ground and crossed his arms across his chest. “They ain’t doing that here.”
“Good. We still can’t have them occupying our country,” Crimson said.
“Hell, you don’t need my permission. Y’all gonna do what y’all gonna do. I just ask you keep the fighting over there and don’t make it seem like we helped ya.”
Fair enough,” Crimson said. “We appreciate the assistance.”
“You make sure your bosses don’t forget about us,” the man said. “You said you’re with the government. Since the world went to hell we haven’t seen nuttin from the government and we haven’t gotten nuttin from the government. You make sure if you all take them out you do something to make sure we don’t get killed from raiders or something else.”
Crimson was quiet for a moment then nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Yeah, don’t expect me to go holding my breath on that one,” the man said as he turned around and walked away.
“Heads on a swivel but stay frosty,” Crimson said as she led the way through the town.
As they trekked down the empty streets Ben caught sight of more of the residents peeking through the windows. They watched them in wonder and he didn’t catch anything malicious in their glares, so he allowed himself to relax. They made their way past the second barricade and out of the town, where they met up with Vick and Chavez and provided them with the intel.
As they walked down the cracked roadway Ben noticed that Crimson’s face was strained, or more strained than it usually was. He fell into step with her.
“There isn’t much we can do, is there?” Ben asked.
“No,” she said. “They’re on their own.”
“Just like everyone else,” Ben said. “If they’ve made it this long then they know how to survive.”
Crimson’s features softened briefly and she nodded her head.
“So what now?” Ben asked.
“We follow their directions, find the base and report it to Command.”
“And then?” Ben asked.
“Then we take it out.”
Alec
“Are you ready?”
Alec’s shoulders tightened, his stomach dropped and he felt queasy all over, but he nodded.
Finn took another scoopful of porridge into his mouth all the while keeping his focus on his bowl. Steffan and Jon sat on either side of Alec and they both dropped their heads in order to hide their expressions.
“My guy says he may be able to get me the key tonight,” Finn said. “If so we need to be ready to go.”
“Why? Why tonight?” Jon’s voice was low but panicked. “It’s taken this long and then just like that he’s ready to go?”
“Calm down,” Alec said slowly.
“It’s ok,” Finn said. “Something is going on out there. The people that came to visit have put everything in an uproar. The guards are stressed; Xu is on the warpath; things are chaotic. And where there is chaos there is an opening.”
Almost on cue Xu came stomping across the way toward the prisoners’ tables. Before the arrival of the helicopter his appearance was always impeccable. He was well-shaved and his clothing was always pressed and spotless, but now his hair was in disarray, his clothing was wrinkled and he seemed on edge. The guards straightened up as he approached and a few backed away as quietly as possible. Xu shouted something in Chinese at the two closest guards and they both dropped their heads. Xu continued shouting until he got within a few feet of the guards and then hauled off and punched one directly in the face. The assaulted guard fell to his back; the other didn’t move. Xu stood over the guard, his eyes burning into him. He turned toward the other guard, who took a step back and bowed down toward the ground. Xu flashed his angry gaze toward the prisoners and everyone stared down toward the bowls or the ground. The man was just looking for a reason to hurt someone and everyone had been there long enough to know you didn’t give him a reason. Xu yelled out at a few of the other guards, who immediately ran toward Xu’s building, and the man turned and followed them. The assaulted guard got up, dusted himself off and stood back at attention as if nothing had happened. The helicopter had left days ago but Xu was only getting w
orse.
For a few minutes Alec and the others just sat in silence. Alec finally broke it.
“Do we have any more room?”
“No,” Finn said decisively. “It looks like we aren’t going to have to leave on foot but our supplies are limited.”
Alec thought of Gerry and how the man wouldn’t last much longer, and his thoughts also turned to Miner. The man was still getting back on his feet and without Alec there to take care of him, things were going to be much more difficult. Despite that, neither Gerry nor Miner would be able to trek through the woods for more than a few miles before they needed to stop, and they weren’t going to have that luxury.
“We sure? I mean, Simon has some hookups and-” Jon started.
“We’re full,” Finn said, slightly louder. “This isn’t up for negotiation, guys. I don’t want to leave anyone behind either, but we don’t have a choice here. There is a real chance we may not be able to make it.” Finn looked up at all of them, his face tight. “Go to your cell; if possible get some rest. If I’m able to get the cell key I will come get you all out. Remember, we have to be quiet.”
Nobody said anything so Finn got up and went to return his bowl.
Alec looked to Jon and Steffan and tried to put on a confident face. He winked at both of them and then got up to get Miner’s bowl. He found the man sitting up, resting his back against the far side of the cell. He saw Alec walk in and smiled.
“Well, look who came crawling back.” His voice was still raspy and weak.
“You’re just too damn charming,” Alec said, handing Miner his bowl and then sitting across from him in the cell.
The man dove into the bowl of porridge and within a minute the bowl was licked clean. Miner sat his head back against the concrete wall and sighed. “How can something so disgusting be so satisfying?”
Alec just chuckled. The man was still weak. He could barely stand up for more than a few minutes and even then his legs shook. With Alec gone he doubted the guards would care enough to make sure Miner got his provisions every day, and there was a real chance the man wouldn’t have the strength to get it himself. Was Alec abandoning him to die?
The Wasteland: Book 6 of The After The Event Series Page 6
