by Hunt, James
With the plane’s engine cut, and the roar of the wind gone, the night was dead quiet. No cars, no people, no bugs, just silence. And in this kind of quiet, anyone within twenty miles would have heard her plane landing, and that was attention she could do without.
Kate searched the edge of the woods and found a small clearing in the trees. With some strained effort, she managed to push the Skyranger into it. Between the darkness, trees, and the branches she found, the plane was fairly well hidden.
One final sweep of the cockpit provided her with the map and her pack, and she checked the remaining bullets in her revolver. Only three shots left. She snapped the barrel shut and prayed that she wouldn’t have to use any of them then limped into the forest.
The woods that surrounded the field were thick. Clusters of branches and bushes clawed at her arms and legs, doing their best to trap her in the wilderness. And despite her efforts to be quiet, each stomp of her boot and snap of a twig gave away her position for anyone within a mile’s range.
The darkness and quiet of the woods put Kate on edge. Any gust of wind or rustle of leaves caused her to freeze in terror. She’d scan the forest with her eyes focused down the barrel of the gun and wait until she was sure she was alone, and then she would trudge forward.
Eventually, trees gave way to an embankment that led up to a road. Like the roads to the north, this one was littered with broken-down vehicles on both sides of the highway.
Kate walked a few hundred feet south in the direction of Fairfax and the campus and double-checked the road sign she found to make sure she was on the right path. Once she confirmed her heading, Kate broke into a jog. It took a few minutes to shake off the rust and push past the staleness of her muscles, but eventually she fell into a stride.
Every step toward the college brought with it anxiousness and excitement. She followed the exit sign off the highway that led her to Fairfax’s main road, which led straight to George Mason’s campus.
The graveyard of cars along the roads spilled onto the sidewalks, and it grew so thick that Kate was forced to walk, not that she was moving much quicker than that anymore.
Kate passed stores with broken windows, and her boots crunched on trash and snow. It was just as quiet in the town as it was in the forest. She kept a tight grip on her revolver, and her eyes alert in the darkness. Something felt off here.
A barrage of gunshots suddenly broke the night’s silence, and Kate ducked behind the hood of a truck. The gunfire was distant, but it was quickly disrupted by a thunderous boom. Slowly, Kate lifted her head, the gunfire growing more sporadic, and another boom erupted on the horizon. It was coming from the direction of the capital.
With her focus on the sounds of war, Kate didn’t hear the footsteps following her, and a massive weight tackled her to the pavement.
Kate whimpered just before her face planted into the pavement, thankful for the layer of snow that helped break her fall.
“Don’t move, and keep your hands behind your back.”
The voice was authoritative, male, and robotic.
Kate’s arms were pinned, and a sharp pinch squeezed both wrists. She gasped and then tasted the blood dripping from her nose.
“Hostile secure, Sergeant Renly.”
And then, just as quickly as she was slammed to the ground, pairs of hands lifted her off the pavement and held her upright.
Kate blinked, the pain from the fall lingering in the cold, but as her eyes adjusted, she saw four men surrounding her, all of them armed with rifles and decked out in camouflage. It wasn’t until one of them started speaking to her that she realized they were soldiers. American soldiers.
“What’s your name?” The man who spoke was tall and clean shaven and had a square jaw. The straps of his helmet that circled around his pointed chin moved the helmet as he spoke.
Kate stared at him in disbelief while the soldiers next to him kept their guns aimed at the surrounding area, keeping watch. A soldier who held her patted down her back side, inside her jacket, and then down her legs, taking the revolver off her.
The soldier handed the revolver to Sergeant Renly, who examined the weapon. “A .38, makes for a good concealed weapon.” He handed the weapon off to another one of his men. “I’ll ask you again. What’s your name?”
“Kate. Kate Hillman.”
“What are you doing out past curfew, Kate Hillman?” Renly asked.
“Curfew?” Kate asked. “I came down to get my son. He’s enrolled at George Mason.” Kate gestured down the road toward the campus’s main entrance.
“Where are you from?” Renly asked.
“New York.”
“New York?” Renly echoed the words like a surprised parrot. “How the hell did you get down here?”
“I flew.”
Every head turned toward her, and one of the soldiers chuckled.
“Bullshit,” he said. “What’d you do? Flap your ears like Dumbo?”
“I came down in a 1946 Commonwealth Skyranger,” Kate answered. “Couldn’t find an elephant.”
“How the hell did you get a plane working?” Renly asked. “We don’t have any coms or transportation.”
“I didn’t have to fix it. It was already working.” Kate looked at them in turn and realized that they didn’t know what happened. “It was an EMP blast that took everything out. At least that’s what I was told.”
“You were told that?” Renly asked.
“She must be some kind of terrorist spy,” a soldier said.
“Finest-looking spy I’ve seen,” another soldier answered, smacking on some gum.
“Really, Parcy?” One of the other soldiers turned to him, raising his eyebrows.
“Shut it! All of you!” Renly barked, and the banter ended. “If she’s a terrorist cell member, then I’m the goddamn queen of England. Take the cuffs off.”
“Sarge, do you think—”
“I said take them off!”
The pressure around Kate’s wrists ended, and she rubbed them in relief. “Thanks.”
“Your face is all scratched to hell,” Renly said. “We’ll get you some medical attention back at the campus.”
“I’m fine,” Kate said. “What happened here?”
“Once the fighting started, our superior officer declared martial law,” Renly answered. “We set a curfew for safety and gathered everyone in the town and shoved them down at the university. It was the easiest way to keep track of everyone.”
“Yeah, and to make sure those rag heads don’t get the drop on us,” one of the soldiers said.
“Your son goes to George Mason?” Renly asked.
“Yeah,” Kate answered.
“We’ll escort you over,” Renly said. “We have a team set up there as a FOB. Parcy, you’re on point!”
“Yes, sir.”
The unit moved forward, the sergeant and Kate in the middle of the pack as they traversed the sidewalk in the darkness. Boots scuffed snow and pavement, and the gear strapped to their bodies clanked in time with their steps.
“What happened in DC?” Kate asked.
“We’re not sure. The last orders we received were to move to the university and secure the town. We were supposed to be a way station for troops coming to reinforce the capital. It’s been over a day now, and we still haven’t had anyone come through.”
“Or heard shit from Command,” Parcy said, barking from up front.
“How bad is it?” Kate asked.
“Bad,” Renly answered. “Everything’s fried. But we’re working on getting an old Morris code transmitter we found in the college’s engineering basement up and running.” He regarded Kate again and then shook his head. “You really flew down here?”
“Yeah.”
The sergeant laughed. “Goddamn.”
The soldiers grew more relaxed the closer they moved to the campus, and once they passed a security checkpoint manned by a dozen soldiers, Kate started to relax. It was the first semblance of security that she’d felt sin
ce the EMP went off. It was hard to believe it’d only been a day since she left New York.
“Do you know what dorm your son was staying in?” the sergeant asked.
“The Commons,” Kate answered.
“I’ll have one of my guys take you over. You’ll need the escort to get through the doors. If he’s there, when you’re done, one of my men will accompany you to the auditorium. I think we still have some bunks open there. Parcy!”
“I don’t plan on staying, Sergeant. I’m taking my son and leaving.”
“This campus is the safest place to be right now,” Renly said. “And you should be thankful that we chose to take you in at all.” And before she could make a rebuttal, the sergeant was gone.
As Kate was escorted through the campus, she noted how different everything looked. Darkness and silence had replaced the bustling grounds, soldiers marching instead of students learning.
Two guards were stationed at the door to Luke’s dorm, and despite her military escort both soldiers raised their rifles.
“Got a mom who came to get her boy,” Parcy said.
“I bet he’s going to love that.” The soldier smirked but stepped aside.
“I’ll wait for you here,” Parcy said. “Don’t be long.”
Kate was handed a flashlight to help guide her path inside. She found the stairwell and climbed to the third floor. Her nerves twisted her gut into knots on the way up, and by the time she exited the stairwell, she had to fight the urge to sprint toward Luke’s room.
The old wooden floors in the hallway groaned with each step toward Luke’s room. When she reached his door, Kate raised her fist and lightly knocked three times. She waited a moment, listening for any movement inside. When she heard nothing, Kate gripped the doorknob and turned it. It was unlocked.
The door cracked open, and Kate poked her head inside. “Luke?” she whispered, her eyes falling to his bed, where a massive lump lay under the covers with his back turned. But she recognized that mop of hair, and before she realized it, she was at his side. “Luke!” She shook his shoulder, and he groaned. He turned to face her, eyes blinking, and just when Kate’s smile grew the widest, she finally noticed that he wasn’t in bed alone.
“Holy shit, Mom!”
The girl next to him stirred and then jumped and screamed. Kate quickly retreated toward the door as the girl covered herself up. Luke’s roommate jolted upright in his bed and then rolled off the mattress and hit the floor with a thud.
“I’m sorry,” Kate said.
Doors opened in the hallway, and the sleepy students voiced their displeasure.
“Shut up in there!”
“We’re trying to get some sleep!”
“Knock it off!”
Luke jumped out of bed, thankfully wearing gym shorts, and then quickly shut the door. “Mom, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Mom?” The girl in the bed stared in horror, the sheet still clutched high on her chest, and then she let it drop, Kate thankfully noting that she was also clothed. “Oh my god.” She slid out of bed and then quickly grabbed her shoes and a coat. “I have to go.”
“Claire, no, wait.” Luke tried to stop her, but the girl squeezed past Kate and disappeared down the hall. Luke slouched in defeat as he watched her leave then spun to face his mother. “Mom, what are you doing here? And how did you even get here?”
Kate knew he was mad and embarrassed, but seeing him standing there, alive, after everything she’d seen, after everything that she’d been through, she broke down in tears and threw her arms around him. “Thank God you’re all right.”
Luke’s tone softened, and he returned the embrace. “Of course I’m all right.” He broke off the embrace and walked the two of them to the edge of his bed, where he quickly moved a bra, and his cheeks reddened as he tossed it in the corner out of sight.
“Um...” Luke’s roommate grabbed a shirt and got up from the floor. “I think I’ll just wait outside.” He left, his footsteps creaking down the hall.
Kate took Luke’s hand. “Your father and I weren’t sure how to get in contact with you after the power went out. We were so worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” Luke kept his voice calm. “Classes have been cancelled since… well, since whatever this is happened.”
Kate hugged him again and kissed his cheek and then wiped her eyes, hoping he couldn’t see her crying again in the dark. “And you’re sure you’re okay?” She gently prodded his face and shoulders.
Luke removed her hands, holding them in his own. “I’m fine, Mom.” And then he frowned. “How did you get down here? The military hasn’t been able to get anything working, let alone a car.”
“I flew,” Kate said.
“What?”
Kate stood and pulled Luke up off the bed with her. “We have to go. C’mon.”
Luke removed his arm from her grip. “What? I can’t leave.”
“It’s not safe here, Luke. We need to go, and we need to do it quickly.”
“I’m not leaving Claire.”
“Who’s Claire?” And then Kate remembered the girl, and the bra, and Luke’s cheeks reddened again. “Luke, now isn’t the time to be romantic.”
“We’re surrounded by soldiers. This is the safest place I could be.”
“If there are soldiers here, then that means there will be fighting here.” Kate stiffened. “You’re coming with me. And you’re coming now.”
“No.” The defiance was short, stern, and immovable. “I’m not.”
“We don’t have time for this!” Kate’s voice thundered in the room, but Luke just stood there, the threat from his mother neither intimidating nor effective.
Kate growled in frustration and then paced in a circle. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, fighting the urge to treat Luke like the child she believed he was acting like. “I know you think you really like this girl, and I know you think staying behind is the right thing, but it’s not.” She looked up to him. “Family is the most important thing right now, and your family needs you.” She stepped toward him. “I need you.”
Luke relaxed, his posture less standoffish, but he kept his distance. “I’m sorry, Mom. I am. But I can’t leave.”
The moment was surreal, worse than a nightmare. She had found Luke alive and well, but she recognized that stubborn tone in his voice. It sounded a lot like her own.
“We’ll sleep on it,” Kate said, and she suddenly felt exhausted. “They have a bed for me in the auditorium. There’s a soldier waiting for me downstairs.”
“I’ll walk with you.” Luke put on a shirt and shoes and then grabbed a coat.
Parcy followed behind them as Luke guided Kate toward the auditorium, and Luke put his arm around his mom as they walked. The quiet of the night was only interrupted by their footfalls crunching snow and the occasional gust of wind.
“I’m sorry about the girl,” Luke said, almost blurting it out. “She’s really nice, Mom. And I don’t want you to think that just because—”
“It’s fine, Luke,” Kate said. “Really. I’m just glad that both of you were clothed.”
Luke laughed. “That makes two of us.”
Another silence fell between them, and it wasn’t broken until they reached the gymnasium. Luke pocketed his hands and rocked back and forth on his feet nervously. “I love her. And I know all of the things that you’ll tell me, that I’ve never really been in love, that we’re both young, and that it won’t work out.” He broke eye contact and stared down at his feet. “And you might be right. But if this is a mistake, then you should let me make it. Just like you made yours.”
Luke sheepishly lifted his gaze back toward Kate’s, and while she wanted to confirm everything he said, she chose not to. Instead she pressed her hand against his cheek, feeling the rough stubble of hair growing. He wasn’t a boy anymore. He had become a man when she wasn’t paying attention. She dropped her hand and then kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“N
ight, Mom.”
Kate lingered outside the gymnasium while she watched her son return to his dorm room. She wondered if the girl would come back or if he would go and find her, and then she quickly pushed that thought out of her head. She wasn’t sure how she was going to convince Luke to come back with her, but she knew he couldn’t stay here. Whatever enemy was attacking the capital didn’t have plans to rest on their laurels. And if the soldiers she spoke to were correct, then the fighting could break out here at any moment. And she wanted her son to be as far away from that as possible.
7
Thirty-five convicts huddled in the trees behind Main Street in the town of Duluth. Fingers twitched anxiously, and knees bounced with nervous energy. Icy breaths escaped snarls surrounded by beards. The wolf pack was hungry and restless.
They had waited until night fall, scoping out the town to see if they were armed, and what supplies they had. But now everyone was asleep. Now was the time to strike.
“Christ, my balls are about to freeze off.” Snow drifted off Jimmy’s body as he rubbed his arms for warmth. “What the hell is taking them so long?”
Dennis examined the Glock in his hand then racked the slide back and stared at the bullet in the chamber. “I told them to be thorough.”
“Well, I want my own bed,” Jimmy said. “And a nice warm woman to go with it.”
“Just remember not to hit her too hard before you drag her back to your cave,” Mulls said. “Unless you want to be fucking a corpse.”
“She’d only have to be warm for a minute.” Jimmy wheezed laughter, his teeth chattering from the cold.
“We do this right,” Dennis said, “and we can have whatever we want down there, and for as long as we want it.”
Branches rustled to Dennis’s right, followed by quick footfalls, and all three of them turned their weapons toward two men with scruffy beards and long, matted hair.
“Put those things down before you kill one of us.” Martin waved his big hand and collapsed next to Dennis and tried to catch his breath as his brother, Billy, followed suit. Both brothers had been freelance killers before the FBI got ahold of them. Their skill sets also made them excellent trackers. They’d been part of Mulls’s crew on the inside.
