by Hunt, Jack
That meant they were down several officers and those that remained were pulling all manner of shifts. In many ways the community was forced to come together. Some were volunteering, stepping up to the plate to watch over the roads, while others offered protection to those still using the medical center, the town hall and Olympic Center. Elliot unclipped the radio from his belt and ambled back to the house.
“Yeah, I’m here, go ahead.”
“We’ve got a problem. Officer Jackson was sent out to take over the shift at the Olympic Center and oversee the unloading of supplies into the back room when he ran into some trouble. He never arrived. A resident on West Valley Road said she saw four individuals dump a truck in the ditch near Fawn Ridge and take off on foot into the forest. I need you to swing over with the Jeep and meet me at the corner of Valley and Cummings Road as the rest of our vehicles are out.”
“You think they’re heading for the residential area?”
“Either that or they’re camped out in the woodland. Either way I don’t want to take any chances.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I got it.”
“And Elliot. Bring your rifle, and Kong as we might need his help, over.”
It was to be expected people would start creating factions, splintering off into groups and taking any measure to survive. Elliot dropped the roll of barbed wire and gave a whistle. From the back of the house, Kong came bounding out followed by Evan.
“Evan, tell your mother I’m heading out to meet with Gary.”
“Can I come?”
“Not this time.”
“Why not? I’m old enough to help.”
“Too dangerous, son. Besides, who’s going to look after your mother?”
He got this proud look on his face and Elliot ruffled his hair. “Go on, inside, I’ll be back later.”
His son stared at him and he turned to walk away. That’s when it dawned on Elliot what he’d said. “I’ll be back later.” Those had been the same words he’d said to Evan before he left for New York. Elliot clenched his jaw, ambled over to him and got down to his level. “You know I’m not going to leave you again, okay? You understand that?”
Evan nodded but whether he believed him or not was another thing entirely. It wasn’t easy earning someone’s trust; it was even harder to gain it back. He gave his son a hug and lingered in the embrace to reassure him that he meant it. His kids meant everything to him. He’d done a lot of things wrong in his life but having them was the best part of him. They represented everything that was right and good and untainted.
Evan jogged back to the house and Elliot went down into the bunker and put on a ballistic vest. He retrieved his rifle, palmed a mag into it and slung it over his shoulder. He scooped up a few more magazines and secured his handgun in his holster around his waist. Kong was waiting for him at the top of the ladder. “Hey boy, go get in the truck.” That was all he needed to say and he sprinted around the house. By the time Elliot made it, he was waiting for him, panting with his tongue hanging out his mouth.
It was a quick seven-minute journey down Mirror Lake Drive, across Victor Herbert to reach the crossroads of Valley and Cummings. There were several homes nestled into the woodland. Gary was already there chatting with a resident. He’d brought along two locals, one was Richie Summers, a gas station attendant but an avid hunter, and the other was a woman in her late thirties. She had dark hair swept back and tucked through a baseball cap. The face was familiar but he couldn’t place the name.
The Jeep rumbled as he stuck the gear into park. Gary broke away from the man he was chatting to and jogged over. He pointed toward the forest. “Apparently around twenty minutes ago they were seen lugging boxes of supplies through the forest. Jackson was still alive,” he said. “You can park the Jeep in this gentleman’s garage. I know him. It’ll be safe there.” Elliot swung the Jeep around and went up a short driveway and entered a vacant spot. The garage was as clean as a whistle. He hopped out and darted back over to the group as they headed toward the tree line.
“By the way this is Richie and Laura.”
Elliot gave a nod.
“Heard good things about you,” Laura said.
“Then you haven’t lived long enough in this town,” he replied as he pressed on ahead.
Gunfire echoed north of town. There was no telling if it was them or someone else. Tracking down those responsible for crime was getting harder by the day and with limited resources and manpower eventually they would have to realize it was too much to handle. Elliot glanced at Gary as they trudged into the thick snowy underbrush. Kong went ahead but stayed close. All it took was one whistle and he could get him to stop in his tracks. It didn’t matter if he’d seen a rabbit; he’d been trained well.
“So did you have the talk with Ted?” Elliot asked, his eyes scanning the darkest parts of the forest. He’d brought the rifle off his back and chambered a round. He wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone who tried to take his life but the others, he had his doubts about them.
“Yep, it didn’t go too well. But that was to be expected.”
“What are his thoughts on the current situation?”
“He wants me to deputize certain members of the community. Those he trusts.”
“That might work.”
“Or it might lead to trouble.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t think we’ll get to that stage,” Elliot said as he moved ahead.
“You know, Elliot, even in the 1800s they still had law and order.”
He replied without looking, “Of course.”
“Then why do you want to abandon what infrastructure we have in place?”
“Did it protect Rayna?” Elliot asked.
“You know as well as I do that we’ve been operating at a disadvantage. If I’d known they were in trouble, I would have been over there. You know damn well I would have,” Gary shot back.
“So why didn’t you respond to her call?”
The wind rustled the tree branches, and a chilly breeze brought the scent of pine.
“What?”
“Rayna said she tried getting through to you on the walkie-talkie.”
“Um. Let me see. It was at the house with Jill and I was a little busy dealing with an angry mob that was demanding answers for what we were doing.”
“And what were you doing?”
“Everything we could!” he shot back in an angry tone.
There was a moment of awkward silence, then a bird squawked overhead putting all of their nerves on edge. They stopped walking and took in their surroundings.
Gary bristled. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this, Elliot, but we are doing the best we can under the circumstances.”
“No one is paying you, Gary.”
“And so that’s the deciding factor, as to whether you help or not? C’mon, you can’t believe that. If you did, you wouldn’t be here now.”
“You’re a friend. I’m doing you a favor.”
Gary frowned. “Yeah, right. So if it was anyone else asking, you would turn your back on them?”
He shook his head. “I’m just saying we need to pick our battles. And right now the biggest one we are facing is riding out this shit storm. The more time we spend out here chasing down ghosts, manning roads and protecting what little we have left is time we could use to ensure our loved ones don’t end up on the end of a bullet.”
Gary nodded. “I agree to an extent and I understand where you are coming from but the road out of this storm is by us working together as a community, not abandoning each other to fend for ourselves. That’s a surefire way to end in disaster.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
He scoffed. “Talking to you is like speaking to a wall. No wonder Rayna struggled.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I’m just saying, you didn’t make it easy for her.”
“No, I mean, why does she matter to you?”
“Because we’ve been friends
a long time, Elliot, and when you went away for a year, Jill and I were the ones she turned to. Did she tell you that?”
Rayna hadn’t mentioned it since his return. Of course he figured that Gary and Jill would have helped out and that’s why he’d been able to get through each day without worrying as much.
“She didn’t say anything about that.”
“Yeah, well maybe she didn’t want to make you feel bad. But walking out on those kids… that was just—”
Elliot stopped walking and cut him off. “It is none of your damn business. Now I would advise you to tread carefully with what you say next. Because this…” He looked around. “This doesn’t mean shit to me. I can walk out of here and not lose an ounce of sleep.”
“Yeah, I believe you,” Gary said walking on as Elliot stared at his back.
“And your point?”
He cast a glance over his shoulder. “It means you’re good at walking away from uncomfortable situations.”
Elliot chuckled. “Yeah, and you’re uncomfortable walking into them.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m calling a spade a spade. You didn’t show up that night to help her because you were too damn scared. It’s the reason you have three of us out here right now.”
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not going to spin this around and pass the buck just because someone called you out on your own shit.”
“Are you guys always like this?” Richie asked.
“Shut up!” both of them told him in unison. He tossed a hand up and pressed on down the trail that would lead to a wealthy section of Lake Placid. The Fawn Ridge area was known for having some of the most expensive homes in the town. Most of them sat back from Algonquin Drive, which snaked its way through the heart of the forest.
It was just a hunch that’s where they were heading based on where Kong was leading them, but it would have been where Elliot would have gone if he was trying to stay out of sight. Most of the homes were about two miles away from the main stretch and were shrouded by forest and only accessible by two roads. One from the west called Sugar Run and Algonquin Drive from the north.
Elliot jogged ahead to catch up with Kong who had taken off at a rapid pace after sniffing the ground.
“Slow down, Elliot. They’re armed,” Gary said.
“So am I.”
“I don’t want you shooting anyone. We can deal with this peacefully.”
He snorted and muttered under his breath. “Peacefully?” He was living in a pipe dream of a community that would watch each other’s back and glossing over what was in front of him. It had to be the same for all the towns and cities in the country. Those who had food and supplies would be attacked first. Lake Placid was no different. Elliot stayed low raking his rifle ahead of him while keeping the pace with Kong who had slowed to a trot just a few feet from the clearing of a home. “What you got, boy?”
As he caught up with him and looked toward the home. One of the lower windows was smashed as if someone had broken in. He took a knee by a thick pine tree as he waited for the other three to catch up. When Gary arrived he was out of breath and panting.
“Did you not hear me?” he asked.
“What?” Elliot replied. He’d heard him but wasn’t in the mood. He gestured with his head. “My guess is they’re inside the home. How do you want to do this?”
“Now you listen.” Gary shook his head. “Richie, Laura head around front. We’ll take the rear. If you see them don’t engage. I repeat don’t engage. They are armed and have an officer. I don’t want to lose him. I want to speak to them first.”
“Roger that,” Richie said veering off to the left with Laura in his shadow.
“You want to tell me why you picked them?” Elliot asked.
“They volunteered.”
“And you allowed them to tag along?”
“Is there a problem Elliot? They not up to your tactical standards?”
“I just don’t want them to get hurt.”
“Oh so now you care?”
“Whatever, man, let’s do this.”
Elliot ignored him and burst out of the tree line running at a crouch.
Chapter 9
Cole wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was a stubborn sonofabitch.
“I can’t help you, now let her go,” Damon said.
“Listen to me, Damon.” Cole leaned forward and gripped his arm. “I think you’ve underestimated what you’ve earned from these people. They trust you. If they didn’t they would be gone by now.” He looked over to Sawyer who confirmed Jesse and Maggie were still out there. “Now all I’m asking is for you to work with me here. You said yourself, this Elliot guy is friends with a cop. That’s the kind of influence we need. Someone who the town is looking to for answers.”
“I don’t think you’re listening,” Damon replied. “It’s not happening.”
“It’s simple. You don’t even need to tell them anything. They’re not going to bat an eye if a few items go missing, or another house is set on fire or a truck is stolen. You said yourself — all manner of shit is happening in town right now. They can’t keep up with it. We’re just going to speed up the process. We shake their confidence, and then present ourselves at their darkest hour offering accommodation, food and medical supplies. We’ll enter into a trade agreement. Food for work. Medical supplies for loyalty. It’s where everything is heading right now. They’ll have no other choice.” He leaned back and took a hard pull on his cigarette and blew the smoke out his nostrils. “We’ll be painted in a good light and we’ll have the foundations for building something great.”
“Something great? Do you even hear yourself? You’re out of your mind.”
“No, I’ve never been clearer. We’ll handle things here in Keene and make sure there are enough supplies ready. You’ll handle getting the ball rolling in Lake Placid. It’s a win-win situation. We’re not harming anyone.”
“You already have.”
“That was a mistake, stop bringing it up,” he said in a rough voice.
Damon took a drag on his cigarette. “Okay. What if I agree? Do you have supplies in place now?”
“The wheels are in motion.”
Damon laughed. “Cole, you are full of shit, you know that? You expect me to believe that no one is going to get harmed? Then how are you going to gather what you need to offer those in Lake Placid?”
“Leave that to me.”
“No, come on. Tell me.”
Cole squinted as smoke spiraled up into his eyes. He leaned forward and pulled the cigarette from his lips and blew it away. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
“So you’re going to kill a few people?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t need to, it’s obvious.” Damon got up and beckoned for Sara. “Let’s go.”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
“You said you were going to let her go.”
“And I will once you’ve done what I’ve asked.”
“The last time I did that, I wound up in jail. It’s not happening again.”
Damon walked round the sofa heading toward Magnus.
“Magnus!” That was all Cole needed to say, and he raised the gun to the side of Sara’s head. “Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be, Damon. We’re friends.”
“Friends don’t do this,” Damon shouted keeping his eyes on Magnus, as his hand slowly slipped around to reach for his gun. Before he could grasp it, Sawyer came up behind him and he heard the cock of a gun and felt the barrel touch the back of his head. Then, his own gun was removed from his waistband. Sawyer tossed it to Cole.
Cole sighed. “Man, I was really hoping to avoid this. I thought you were smarter than this, Damon. I thought we had something good going on and there you go ruining it.” He took a deep breath. “It’s not like it’s complicated. I’m not asking for a lot. You need to survive. I need to survive. People out th
ere need to survive. I’m trying to do a good thing here and you’re fucking it up!” He tapped the barrel of the gun against his temple like a lunatic.
“A good thing? You’re so deluded you can’t even see it. People don’t want to be controlled.”
“Did I say anything about control?” Cole asked.
“Don’t bullshit me. You know damn well that’s what you have in mind. Tell me, Cole, what happens when people overstep the line, huh?”
A thick tension was building in the room.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it. Right now, we’re not even close. I don’t understand, Damon, why you’re against this. Would you rather I forced people to help me?”
“Why do you need to have anyone help you? Why can’t you be the one helping others without ties?”
“Shit.” He ran a hand over his head and paced. “How many goddamn ways do I need to explain this for you to get it? I’m trying to help people. I want… to help people. Just like your friends out there. But there is a cost to doing business. Why the hell do you think we pay so much tax to the government? It’s not personal. It’s just business. I’m a businessman. And believe me, just because the world has gone to shit that doesn’t mean anything has changed in how I conduct business. This is how I’m proposing to do it. I’m looking to get people hooked. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Oh it’s clear,” Damon shot back.
“Then work with me.”
Damon knew Cole enough to realize that when he had his mind set on anything, nothing could sway him. And those who went against him suffered. Unless he agreed he wasn’t walking out of there. Of course he wasn’t gonna go along with Cole’s asinine plan. After the shit he’d put him through? Hell, no! The very fact that he expected him to get onboard proved he wasn’t all there in the head. But he wasn’t going to let him know that.
Damon sighed, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Cole’s eyebrow arched. “Okay, you’re onboard?”
