“Yes. Is she all right?” Christa implored, feeling guiltier by the moment for not being quicker at helping Marcia, and now she was a prisoner in this crazy camp.
Harold nodded. “My son was assigned to watch her in the infirmary. He said she’s a nice woman. He took her to Colonel Blackwood’s cabin. He said he’d heard she was going to start a school here.”
Christa sighed with relief. “Do you know where she is now?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t go there right now. They’d catch you. You don’t want that.”
“But we have to speak to her!” Christa said adamantly. “It’s very important!”
Harold considered the situation. He knew he’d get in trouble if they caught him. God only knew what they’d do to him. In his mind, he could see Chuck Berry being shot. At least he’d been a whole man. Again, Harold felt ashamed. He looked at his watch, and he still had thirty-two minutes. Show some courage, you coward! He thought. “Listen. I’ll take you to her tent, but if they catch you, don’t tell them what I’m doing, okay?” Christa and Judy nodded their assent. Harold sighed deeply and stood. “Come on.”
He led them back into the trees and around the perimeter of the camp, and Harold stopped when they could see a row of cabins through the trees. Harold led them farther until they were behind several tents at the end of the cabins.
“She’s staying in this last tent,” Harold told them. “I’ll go first and see if there are any guards. When I signal, run around front and get inside, fast. Understand?”
“Yes,” Christa answered.
Harold took a deep breath, and exhaled long and slow to try to stop the fierce pounding of his heart. He stepped out of the trees and dashed between the tents, then stopped, looking in both directions. He didn’t see anyone, so he stepped out into the clearing. A last look around, and he waved to the women. As he watched them start to run from the trees, he heard a door slam and spun toward the sound.
“What are you doing?” A serious looking man yelled.
Oh God, Harold thought, and had to strain to keep from wetting his pants. It was one of Major Everex’s elite guards. I’m going to die! he thought. His mind went blank as the guard approached, staring at him sternly.
“I asked you a question, mister!”
He felt himself shaking, and couldn’t stop as he stared up at the guard glaring down at him.
Christa and Judy heard a man shout just as they ran from the cover of the trees. Their feet slid in the dirt as they tried to stop, and Christa lost her balance, falling on her rump. She saw a soldier suddenly appear in the gap between the tents and stop in front of Harold. At the same moment, she felt Judy’s arms slip under her shoulders, pulling her up.
Harold glanced past the guard, saw Christa fall, and felt his bowels starting to lose control. I’m dead! I’m dead, he thought, and his heart wanted to explode from his chest. It felt like he had an apple lodged in his throat. He had to turn them in! That’s the only thing that can save me! He looked up at the guard. “I saw two women . . .” Coward! Coward! His mind screamed. He looked away from the guard, and the women were gone.
“And?” the guard demanded.
He tried to think. “From the special services tent,” Harold said meekly. “And I, ah…”
The guard suddenly grinned. The special services tent was at the opposite end of the cabins. “Wanted to get a little?”
Harold looked down and nodded.
The guard continued to grin. “Have fun, little man,” he said and walked away.
Harold felt as though his legs had turned to rubber, and had to fight to keep standing. It took a moment before he quit shaking, and he took several deep breaths before looking back at the trees. After a quick look around, he waved to the women as they reappeared. When they cautiously approached the tents, he held his breath as he turned and looked in both directions. He heard the flap on the tent rustle, and turned to look as it dropped closed. He released his breath, and on wobbly legs, walked away.
Her heart was pounding as Christa followed Judy into the tent, and when the flap closed behind her, she stopped abruptly. She heard her heartbeat in her ears as she tried to listen for threatening voices and took in her surroundings. The air inside smelled oily, as her eyes adjusted to the meager light entering through screened openings on both sides.
Marcia isn’t here, she realized. After a few moments, her heart settled down, and she sat on one of the two cots in the sparsely furnished tent. Judy sat across from her, and for several minutes, neither spoke for fear of being discovered.
“I hope this is the right tent,” Judy whispered.
Christa looked around again, and there was no place to hide.
They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, and both flinched when they heard voices outside the tent. The flap suddenly opened, and a tall silhouette was outlined in the opening. They held their breath as the opening closed behind it.
“Thank God, you’re okay,” Marcia whispered.
Christa leapt off the cot and threw her arms around Marcia’s neck, hugging her fiercely. She looked up. “Are you all right?”
Marcia smiled. “Yes, for now.” She looked over at Judy, still sitting on the cot. “How about you? How’s your head wound?”
“A little sore, but I’m fine. So what’s going on in this place? Are you a prisoner? Can we leave?”
Judy and Christa sat across from Marcia as she told them about Colonel Blackwood, and the AOS camp. “The Colonel’s a gentleman, and very handsome. I think he finds me attractive,” she said and smiled.” Her smile faded. “It’s Major Everex I’m worried about. I’ve never been afraid of any man, until now. Even his eyes are cold and menacing. He’s psychotic. He loathes women, treats them brutally, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way.”
“I say we get the hell out of here!” said Judy emphatically.
Marcia shook her head. “If I disappear, the Major would hunt us down. I don’t think he’d hesitate to kill us.”
“We have to do something!” Judy insisted. “I’m not joining this army, and I sure as hell am not going to be a prostitute!”
Marcia knew she was right, and looked at Christa. “I told them I was alone in the plane. They found your clothes, but I told them they were my niece’s, and she was killed. Do you have the disks?”
“Yes and the ampoule.”
“Then you both have to leave,” Marcia insisted firmly. Christa started to protest, but Marcia held up her hand. “You have got to get them to Alaska. That’s more important.” She saw the hurt look in Christa’s eyes, and smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be fine. The Colonel likes me.”
Christa stared at her, thinking about the other man Marcia had mentioned. Another thought occurred to her. “Maybe if you talked to the Colonel and told him about the crystal and enzymes, he’d let us have a car and some extra gas?”
Marcia thought about it for a moment. Colonel Blackwood might go for the idea, she thought, but Major Everex wouldn’t. From what she’d seen, she knew Everex was in power right now. “I’d have to wait until I was alone with the Colonel. I’m not sure when it will be, and you can’t stay in this tent.” That sparked another thought. “How did you know this was my tent?”
Christa told her about Harold Woolly. “He was really scared.”
“If he lives in a trailer, he might be able to hide you for a while. At least until I get a chance to talk to the Colonel.”
“Ha!” Judy laughed sarcastically. “The poor guy probably pissed his pants when the guard caught him sneaking around.”
“But he didn’t turn us in,” Christa added. “We could ask him. He helped once. He might do it again.”
“And if he says no?” Judy asked. “I don’t think so. The little guy might turn us in just to save his own butt. I don’t want to chance it. I say we get the hell out of here.”
Christa thought about the matter for a moment. “If he says no, then we leave on foot. If he threatens to turn us in, we tie
him up.”
Judy slowly nodded. “Okay. But, we might have to kill him. It’s more important to get the disks to Alaska. What’s one life compared to the madness that’s going on right now?”
Christa shuddered at the thought, but knew Judy had a valid point. She saw the determined look in Judy’s eyes, and knew Judy would do it, too. “Let’s see what happens.”
Judy stood. “Would these soldiers let you go to Harold’s trailer?” she asked Marcia.
“I don’t see why not.”
Judy nodded. “If we’re not there, you’ll know it didn’t work.”
Marcia stood. “I’ll see if it’s safe to leave.” She lifted the flap and looked around outside. She didn’t see anyone, and waved them out. “Good luck,” she whispered as they darted past and disappeared into the trees.
*
Calli was bone weary as she trudged across the parade ground after working all morning and afternoon in the big kitchen. She thought she’d died and gone to hell. Everex had told her if she didn’t pull her load, she’d be put in the special services tents. After four days of hard work, she was thinking, irrationally, it might be easier to just lie on her back and let the men do what they wanted. She wondered what Harold would think, and then decided she didn’t care. He was a spineless wimp!
She heard a familiar giggle and looked up. Pamela and a young soldier with a pimply face were sitting on a log. Calli shook her head. Her children actually enjoyed this place. Pam was living in the young girl’s dormitory, attached to the main building. She loved training to be a soldier, and hardly ever came to the trailer. Mark had moved into the barracks with his friend, Brian.
She continued through the camp, past the people living in tent city, as everyone called it, and past most of the trailers and RV’s. As she passed the big Roadmaster motorhome, she heard the door shut and looked that way. Joyce was standing outside, looking at her.
That poor woman, Calli thought, and walked over to her. She noticed Joyce looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t wearing makeup, and her hair was in disarray. She had tried to comfort Joyce after Berry had been shot, but that afternoon, Major Everex came and took her to the special services tent. She hadn’t seen much of Joyce since. Some of the soldiers had told Mark that Joyce put up a fight at first, but Everex had hit her a few times, then raped her. The soldiers told Mark they all wanted the model, and lined up for their turn.
Joyce ignored her and started to walk past as Calli reached out to touch her arm.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Joyce snarled in her high-pitched voice and jerked away.
“Wait a minute. What’s wrong?”
“Your husband didn’t get shot! You didn’t have to become a whore!”
Calli could only stare at her. Joyce was right, so what could she say? Joyce spun around and stomped away.
Calli stared after her for a moment, and then continued to the fifth wheel trailer. She opened the door, stepped inside, and froze in place when she saw two women sitting on the couch. She’d never seen them before. She started to demand to know what they were doing in her trailer, but she was just too exhausted. They must be friends of Jerry Monroe, she thought. Jerry had moved into the officer’s barracks, but liked to get away occasionally, and he sometimes brought a friend or two back to the trailer. Calli turned and walked up the few steps to the bed and crawled on top. A few moments later, she was sound asleep.
Christa and Judy started to get up when the woman entered, but when she turned and went up the steps, they stayed seated and looked at each other quizzically. They had looked through the cupboards, but couldn’t find any food, and both were getting ravenously hungry. The hours dragged by, and most of the time they sat in silence.
Judy stood and paced the floor nervously. “You know, without food or water we won’t last long trying to walk out of here,” she told Christa. “We don’t even have a compass, or a map. We could wander for days and . . .” The door suddenly opened.
Harold stepped into the trailer, turned toward the living room and stopped, his mouth hanging open. “What are you doing here!” he finally managed to moan.
Judy put her finger to her lips. “Shush!” she whispered and pointed behind him.
Harold spun around and saw Calli on the bed, turned back, and hurried into the living room, pulling the corrugated partition closed behind him. “You have to leave! You can’t stay here! I’ll get in trouble!”
Christa stood and walked to him. “It will only be for a couple of days. Please?” Christa explained to him about their mission, and its importance to the whole world.
Harold shook his head adamantly. “No! You don’t understand. Even if I let you, you’d be caught! If my son stops by and finds you here, we’ll all be in trouble!”
“Your son?” Judy asked.
“Yes! He loves this place. Major Everex is his idol. He’d tell him about you the minute he found out!” He shook his head. “You have to leave.”
Christa looked at Judy. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t,” Judy said sternly and moved her face a few inches in front of Harold’s. “We’re staying. You’re going to bring us food. If you don’t, or if you turn us in, we’ll tell this Everex person you offered to hide us. I’m sure we can think up all kinds of things to say. Like your son was in on the deal. You get my drift?”
Harold stared up at her, dumbfounded. I never should have helped them in the first place, he thought. I was nice to them. Now they’re blackmailing me! He looked away while he thought about it. If Mark were kicked out of this sick army, he’d be devastated! I can’t do that to him! He could see Joyce’s motorhome through the window, and thought about how quick Everex had shot Chuck. If these women turned him in, the same would happen to him. They might even shoot Mark for treason! He sighed in resignation, and nodded assent.
Judy continued to look down at him. “We also need a map, compass, canteens of water, extra food, and sleeping bags.”
“I can’t get all that! They keep it locked up!”
“Try. We need . . .”
“If you can,” Christa interrupted and looked at Judy. “If he gets caught, we do, too.”
“At least get us something to eat,” Judy told him. “We’re starved.”
Harold nodded and left the trailer.
* * *
Chapter 28
THIRTY-FIVE MILES EAST OF ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:
So far, so good, Bull thought as he led his convoy east on State Route One, toward Valdez. He had expected trouble from the locals as he passed through Anchorage, but his only obstacle had been a group of about fifteen men, women, and children, blocking the road. The men were armed, and when Bull stopped, they demanded one of the trucks and his Suburban.
Bull grinned to himself as he remembered the stunned expression on their faces when he had simply smiled at them and waved his hand out the window, and fourteen shotguns and rifles suddenly appeared from the windows of the trucks in the convoy.
He called Herb again for the fourth time, Christa still hadn’t arrived. An ominous feeling crept over him as he kept his convoy moving east.
The cellphone next to him on the seat rang, and Bull answered it. “Yeah?”
“Martin Donner here, Mr. Peterson. What can I do for you?”
“I haven’t been able to reach Alex or Christa. Have you heard from them?”
There was a pause before Martin replied. “They should have arrived by now.”
“I know. My foreman in Valdez says they aren’t there yet.”
“I thought that’s where you were.”
Bull grinned. Nobody knew what he was up to, but his grin quickly faded with his worry for Christa. “I’ll be there later. If you hear anything, call me. Day or night. I’ll do the same.”
Martin agreed, and Bull hung up. “Shit!” he mumbled as his sense of dread deepened.
*
Martin Donner entered the President’s office and sat in front of the desk. “The tanker lef
t Cook Inlet, sir, but they haven’t been heard from for a while.”
The President studied Martin for a moment. He could tell Martin still hadn’t gotten any sleep, , but knew it would be a wasted effort to push the issue. “Have you had any luck tracking down Menno Simons?”
Martin shook his head. “Out west, it’s hard to do anything without any gas stations. Some of our people have been attacked by civilians.”
The President nodded somberly. “I received a call from Russian President Matvelick this morning. One of their oil storage facilities was infiltrated somehow, and they lost all the reserves for that area.”
The President looked out the window at the dozens of soldiers stationed around the Capital. He saw command tents had been set up next to the building, and the tanks and assault vehicles stationed along the perimeter. He had seen the rioting in the western cities on the news broadcasts, helpless to stop it. The civilized world, as he knew it, was going to hell. “Any word from Alex and the Avery woman?” he asked.
Martin shook his head. “The air station at Whidbey said no one arrived. I’ve tried raising Alex on his cellphone, but he doesn’t answer.”
“If you want to go, you can use my helicopter.”
Martin shrugged. “Where would I go? This is where I belong.”
The President nodded in understanding. “I appreciate the help, Martin.”
“We’ll get through this, sir. I know we will.”
The President smiled. “I’m glad to see somebody is still optimistic. I hope you’re right.
* * *
Chapter 29
IDAHO:
Alex and David studied the map. They had left the nearest road, hiking through the sparse forest in order to follow what they thought was the flight path of Judy’s plane. “If they flew in a direct route, they should be somewhere in this area,” said Alex.
“I know, but if they strayed off course by even a mile, we may never find them. This is useless!” David growled in frustration. “We could spend days, weeks, even months trying to find them! We should just head for Washington.”
The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set Page 21
