by AJ Newman
His peace was shattered when he heard voices outside the cellar door. He let out a deep breath after hearing one man say, “The cellar door is locked. He didn’t get in here.”
The voices continued but faded away as the searchers left the area. Tom pulled an emergency blanket from his pack and found a place to hide behind some boxes to take a nap. Tom found it difficult to sleep with men searching for him and being away from the security of the cave and his friends. He lay awake with his eyes staring at the walls and ceiling. Something nagged at his subconscious. He tried several times to ignore the feelings, but they wouldn’t go away.
Tom knew something was wrong, having looked at the wall with the stairs up to the cellar door and then the wall to the left. His head shook, and the answer came to him just as he heard a screech and voices coming from the wall. Tom held his breath and was ready with a pistol in both hands. He looked over to the shelf with the canned goods and was horrified to see that he’d placed the empty jars back on the shelf about a foot away from the full jars. If they noticed, they’d know there had been an intruder.
Tom saw a section of shelves in the corner move toward him as they swung to reveal an opening. He saw a man with a shotgun walk out of the hidden room and could make out a woman and two teenaged kids behind them. They went to one of the shelves, grabbed several Styrofoam blocks, and placed them into the window frames. Then the man lit a Coleman lantern.
The woman said, “Thank God they didn’t come down here this time. I just noticed we’ve brushed all the cobwebs down and made the basement too clean looking. We need to make it look more deserted.”
The man replied, “Darn, we should have caught that. Hey! Who locked the cellar door from the inside? I told everyone to not lock the doors.”
A round of ‘Not me’ filled the room. The man was upset. “If none of us did it, then someone else has been down here. Crap, they might still be in the house. Keep your pistols ready.”
Tom tied his handkerchief to the barrel of his AR and waved it high in the air. “Don’t shoot. I’m just a guy trying to hide from the gang.”
The man turned and aimed his gun toward the voice. “Shove your rifle across the boxes and pitch any other weapons on the boxes. Now! Or we start shooting.”
Tom felt these folks were just good people trying to hide from the gang and risked his life by surrendering. Tom tucked his .380 in his underwear and then placed the rest of his weapons on the boxes. He put a crossbow, two 9 mm pistols, and two knives on top of the boxes. “That’s all I have. Can I stand up?”
The man said, “Put your hands in the air.”
Tom stood up with his hands in the air after keying the mic on his walkie-talkie. “I’m surrendering, but if I don’t walk outside in five minutes, my friend will blow this house to smithereens. If anyone leaves without my approval, they will be shot as soon as they walk out of the house.”
The man laughed. “You’re bluffing.”
The radio squawked, and Kate spoke. “He’s not bluffing. We have several drones above the house and half a dozen snipers. We don’t mean you any harm. My scout was just checking on the gang when he had to duck into the cellar.”
Tom said, “We can help you and be friends, or the five of us could be dead in the next five minutes.”
The woman asked, “Who are you, and why should we trust you?”
Tom waited so Kate would answer. “We are a group of survivors who want to be left alone, but Mendoza and his thugs keep causing trouble for us. Why were you hiding from the gang?”
The man lowered his gun and answered. “The monsters tried to take my wife and daughter. They take any woman they want, and we never see them again. I’ll die before they get Mary and Della.”
Kate said, “Then, why do we have guns pointed at each other? Join us, and your family will be safe. We have some rules that shouldn’t bother you. We also have food, ammunition, and medical supplies.”
The man motioned for his family to lower their guns. “How do we get to your place? This one is too dangerous.”
Tom gathered his weapons and held his hand out. “I’m Tom, and the lady on the radio is Kate. We have a place up in the mountains that’s not too far from here. I’ll give you directions to a safe place where our people can contact you and move you to a safe location.”
The man shook Tom’s hand. “I’m Wyatt, and that’s my wife Della and our kids, Mary and Matt. We’ll be glad to join you.”
Tom covered the group’s rules, and Wyatt agreed to them. Tom told them to only take what they could carry and be able to walk the seven miles to the quarry. While Tom watched them gather their gear, Kate had another drone bring an extra walkie-talkie for Wyatt to contact her.
Kate said, “Don’t talk on the walkie-talkie unless it’s an emergency. I’ll have a drone ahead of you and warn you of any dangers. If everything goes okay, you won’t hear a word from me.”
Tom watched as the family began their trek to the quarry. They were soon out of sight, and he worked his way back to his base camp up in the hills.
***
The house was one of those typical Ashland homes built back in the early 1900s. It was a wood frame home painted in the usual manner using four or five colors. The sides of the house were painted a light earthy green. The trim was painted a dark green that was almost gray. The shutters were a darker olive green with the soffits a bright orange, and the door was kind of a purple-red. The twelve-hundred square foot home was on a street with the same type of homes, and all were painted in the same use of several colors.
A man tended several large, raised vegetable gardens. He pulled up the dead plants from last season and piled them up to burn. The ashes would help prepare the soil for planting. An older woman hung out the wash and sang old gospel songs that Paul had never heard before. Paul didn’t see Deidre and silently prayed she was okay. He recognized her dad and grandmother. He’d taken the assignment from Tom just so he could see Deidre again and convince her to go back to the cave with him. She’d been his one love since grade school.
Paul had accomplished his task the first day and had to leave tomorrow, with or without Deidre. He’d noticed the old lady had left home several times and cut through the backyard to leave the area. Paul had looked into all the rooms, and he was confident his girlfriend wasn’t in the home. He followed her grandmother that afternoon.
The old lady cut across several yards and stopped a couple of times to ensure she wasn’t followed. Paul stayed in the shadows and cautiously followed her to an abandoned shop beside a gas station. The woman ducked into a side door after checking around the area. Paul patiently waited for the woman to leave. She finally left after about thirty minutes, and Paul thought he saw someone behind her as she closed the door and left.
Paul tried to peer into the window, but they’d all been painted black on the inside. He tried to turn the doorknob and found it was locked. A screwdriver and his knife made short work of opening the door. He was careful to reduce any noise and slowly opened the door. What he heard scared the crap out of him.
A female’s voice bellowed out. “Raise your hands, you filthy son of a bitch, or I’ll blow your head off with my shotgun.”
Paul raised his hands. “Don’t shoot Deidre. It’s me - Paul. You’re boyfriend. I’ve come to take you to safety.”
Paul’s eyes had adjusted to the light as the young woman stood there in shock. Paul snickered. “Drop that broom before it goes off and kills someone.”
Deidre jumped in Paul’s arms and smothered him with kisses. They embraced for a few minutes without speaking, and then Paul said, “Please let me take you to safety. I’m with a strong group, and we have a decent place to live and plenty of food.”
Deidre replied, “I can’t leave Grandma or my dad. Can they come with us?”
Paul knew he should check with Tom but said, “Of course. We need to leave after midnight tonight.”
Deidre said, “Paul, I missed you and love you so much.”
Paul said, “I love you and want you to marry me when we get to my home.”
She beamed. “Yes! Oh! Is there a preacher?”
Tom crossed his fingers as he remembered that Granny B had married Tom and Kate. “Yes, and we’ll be married and ….”
Deidre planted a kiss on him, and they didn’t finish the conversation for several hours.
***
Deidre’s father, Gary Bevins, wasn’t convinced that moving was the best thing for them to do. “How do I know we’ll be safe up in the hills freezing our butts off. We’ve kept my daughter hidden for over two months, and the gang hasn’t found her yet.”
Paul huffed, “Yet! Yet can change in a minute. I watched your home for a day and then followed Mrs. Grant to Deidra’s hiding spot. The gang will eventually find her or stumble upon her hiding spot.”
Mr. Grant rubbed his jaw. “Mom, the boy makes sense. What do you think?”
Mrs. Grant asked, “Is the place warm? Do they have food?”
Paul replied, “Yes, we have fireplaces and plenty of food. We also have hot water and electricity. We watch old movies several days a week and can play computer games.”
Deidre’s grandmother said, “I’m in!”
Paul had painted himself into a corner since he didn’t have approval from Tom to add these people to the group. He caught Deidre away from the others and took a chance. “Deidre, take your family up Old Indian Road to the old quarry.”
Deidre blushed. “Where we used to park ….”
She stopped talking when her grandmother cut her sharp eyes at her granddaughter. Paul said, “Yes. Go there and wait for someone to come and take you to our hiding place. I have to go find Tom and make sure he feels good about me having completed my mission. Oh, don’t bring anyone to the quarry that you don’t fully trust.”
*
Chapter 24
West of Ashland
Paul waited until dark and trudged up the hillside to find Tom. He had barely started up the first hillside when he heard a noise behind him. He stopped and searched for anyone following him and didn’t see anyone. Paul continued up the hillside but had the feeling he was being followed. He walked through some thick brush, and as soon as he cleared the brush, he took off to his right to circle back behind the dense bushes. He stopped and listened. He was rewarded with the sound of a person sneaking through the dry brush without success. Twigs snapped, and brush dragged against the person’s clothes.
Paul started to sneak up behind the person when he heard another person behind the first one. Paul waited and fell in behind the second man. The moonlight was dim, but Paul could make out his old teacher’s face. Paul was surprised and pissed. He knew the man was a jerk but didn’t think he would actually try to harm anyone.
The knife was a blur as it sliced across the teacher’s throat. Paul’s hand muffled the attempted cry for help as the man’s life drained on the hillside. Paul wiped the blade on the man’s shirt and then fell in behind the first man who had been following him.
Paul heard the man up ahead. “Don’t fall too far behind and get lost.”
Paul lowered his voice and whispered aloud. “I’m right behind you.”
The man took off trying to catch up to his prey, not knowing he’d become the prey. Paul had to stretch his stride out to stay up with the man for several minutes until the guy stopped. “I think I lost him.”
Paul walked up to the man and thrust his knife upward from the man’s stomach into his heart. “You didn’t lose me. Tag! You’re it.”
The man didn’t utter a peep. He slumped down into the tall grass and died. Paul turned the man’s head and saw it was Deidre’s father. Paul fell to the ground when he realized he’d killed his loved one’s father. He shook for a minute and then convinced himself the man would have turned Tom’s group into Mendoza. The man had to die. Then he made a promise to himself. He’d forget he’d ever seen her dad after he’d left them.
Paul walked on up into the hills stopping several times to make sure no one followed him. He finally made it to their camp and was surprised to find no trace of Tom. He sat down and ate some jerky and waited. He knew Tom wouldn’t leave without him and felt Tom had a good reason for not being there.
Tom had heard the sounds of someone sneaking up the hillside. He saw the young man sit on the ground before moving closer. The light was dim, but he recognized Paul. Even then, he waited an hour to make sure no one followed him. Tom was now confident Paul was alone and whistled before standing up. “Paul, it’s me, Tom.”
Paul stood up to greet his friend, and they shook hands. Tom said, “We’ll talk when we get on the other side of Ashland.”
Paul shook his head. “Don’t you want to know if I succeeded?”
Tom smiled and said, “Did you do the best you could have done?”
“Yes, I did,” Paul said.
Tom walked down the hillside heading south to avoid the direction Paul had traveled. The long walk down the hill caused Tom’s calves to burn with each step. He forced himself to make it up and down the next two hills but had to stop when they arrived at Oredsen Wood Trail.
Tom sat against a tree and said, “That tuckered me out. Those hills and valleys plus the brush were more than I bargained for today.”
Paul set his backpack down and used it for a pillow. “Why didn’t we go on down to the flat land and sneak through town?”
Tom exhaled. “My guess is you had as many run ins with thugs, perverts, and gang members as I did. I just wanted to get the flock out of Dodge without having to kill anyone or get shot at.”
Paul snickered. “I killed two men who tried to follow me out of the city. One was my high school math teacher. The other was my future wife’s father. How does that compare to your day?”
Tom said, “It sucks to be them. It wasn’t their day.”
Paul took a deep breath. “I asked my girlfriend and her grandmother to join us. I sent them to the quarry. I know I didn’t have permission, but she’s the woman I plan to marry.”
Tom said, “Paul, I trust your judgment and understand you needed to make a decision. I just wished that you would have told me this was part of your motive for going on the mission.”
Paul’s head dropped. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would find her. Well, I thought she’d be someone’s slave or dead. Her grandmother hid her and probably saved her life.”
Tom said, “Keep this between us. Tell everyone you asked in advance. Will she go on to the quarry without her father?”
Paul replied, “Yes, her grandmother hated her mom’s husband, and Deidre’s father was a cruel man. Deidre held him responsible for her mom’s death. They won’t wait on him. They probably snuck away the first time he was out of sight.”
Tom asked, “Did her father know about the quarry?”
Paul rubbed his jaw, and his head moved side to side. “No! He left before I did, and I told Deidre about the quarry after he left. I’m quite sure he left to get his friend ready to follow me back here.”
Tom called Jackie on the walkie-talkie. “Hold the chicks in the pen until I arrive.”
Jackie said, “10-4 copy that.”
***
Bill and Rick watched the quarry through their field glasses and saw a young woman and older lady arrive. The other group stayed hidden until the new arrivals tried to enter the building where the first two groups were hidden.
Bill said, “It appears Rambo lady didn’t shoot the two. Darn! I’ll pay you the twenty when money is worth something again.”
Rick balked. “That could be never. No money bets in the future. That makes eleven new folks joining our group. Those four Amazon girls may look a bit rough, but they’ll shine up real good.”
Bill said, “Good enough to have Jackie and Lou keep us on a short chain. Young men appear to be in short supply, and damaged women are plentiful thanks to these gangs and slavers.”
Rick said, “Take a nap until Jerry and Doris come to relieve us.”
Rick moved the binoculars and turned to his friend. Bill was sound asleep and snoring.
***
Doris poked Jerry in the side. “They’re here. Wake up!”
Jerry watched Tom and Paul run across the open area and hide behind the first building. Tom called out, “Krista! Krista!”
Jackie and Kate had their drones above Tom, backing him up and ready to attack if needed. Jackie saw the door open on her monitor screen, and a woman walked out with a white handkerchief waving in the air above her.
Tom saw Krista and walked toward her with Paul in tow. Krista shook Tom’s hand and yelled for the others to join them. Deidre came running up to Paul and jumped into his arms. Paul picked her up and swung her around before kissing her. Her grandmother followed and hugged Paul.
Tom called the group together. “I’m Tom, and this is Paul. We’re part of a group of survivors. We’ve invited you to join us, and now, I’ll cover the rules. Krista and Wyatt, I want to meet with you after this meeting.”
Tom gave them the same speech he always delivered and found all eager to join his team. He radioed Kate and told her to send the vehicles to transport them up to the cave. Ten minutes later, the ATVs arrived, and everyone was taken to the cave entrance and into the darkness. Tom had had Rick move Sam’s group up to the main living area to place these people in isolation.
Tom looked at Paul. “I assume you’ll be volunteering to watch these folks along with Bill, Jerry, and Doris.”
Paul said, “Yes! Sir! I need a favor.”
Tom’s brow furrow as he tried to guess the favor. “Of course.”
Paul smiled. “Could you ask Granny B to come down here and marry Deidre and me?”
Tom chuckled. “Yes, I will. Granny B will be glad to perform the wedding.”
