“You won’t screw up,” Jess spoke with certainty. “I can guarantee it. Would you like to know why?” He waited for a simple nod from Robbie. “The one who will search his best is the one searching with his heart. Yeah, Beginnings sticks together, but there is nothing like family. I haven’t known any of you for very long, but I know you Slagels have this connection. All of you. When one hurts, you all hurt. When one cries out, you all hear. You’ll hear your brother, Robbie. Just listen for him and follow it.”
“I hear him all right, Jess.” Robbie shook his head. “My gut hears him. It just doesn’t like what Frank’s saying.”
^^^^
Williston, North Dakota
Ellen’s scream was long and painful. A loud “No” came from her as two guards held her back and she watched two more bring Frank to the door. She struggled and fought, trying to pull her body from the clenches that held her back.
Frank didn’t struggle but stood tall. His hands were still cuffed behind his back. He watched Ellen, making nothing but eye contact with her as he was moved backwards and near the open door.
“No!” Ellen cried. “Don’t take him. Please don’t take him. I’ll tell you anything you need to hear. Don’t take him.”
Frank shook his head once. “El,” He spoke her name calmly. “No. My life or our kids, who is more important?”
Ellen calmed herself and took one more look at Frank. Just as they started to move again, she gave it everything she had and charged forth to him as they tried to stop her.
“Let me say goodbye, please,” she begged the two guards. “Please.” When they stopped, she laid her hands on Frank’s face. “I love you.”
Softly Frank’s lips touched to hers then moved harder against Ellen’s, kissing her fully and with his heart until he was pulled from her. “El,” he swallowed as they moved him out, “I love you.”
The two guards that held Ellen released her and walked from the room, pulling the door closed. Ellen raced to the door, flung herself against it and pounding on it. “Frank!” Her head rested against the wood surface. In defeat, she slid down to the floor crying.
Sgt. Ryder looked down at the face of his watch. “Two more minutes.” He lifted his binoculars and peered to the town in the distance. He looked to his bugle boy. “Be ready. I’ll signal.”
Hal placed the pole, which held the American flag, firmly in his youngest soldier’s hand. “This is your moment,” Hal told him. “You are the deliverer. You will mark our victory and freedom. You stay back here and watch. When you see our victory in imminent, you ride down, raise that flag high, and secure it center of our battle. Understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“I’ll see you down there.” Hal gave the young soldier a proud look then rode a few feet to his leading position. He faced the town his men were about to charge then looked at his watch.
Set up toward the center town in a grassy area were two large posts. The soldiers led Frank to them and uncuffed him. Not once did Frank flinch when he passed the twenty armed soldiers who lined up twenty feet before the emerging posts.
His hands weren’t free for long. They were secured by rope, one each to a pole. Frank’s feet stayed planted firmly to the ground and his arms extended in a crucifix position. He faced what would be his firing squad.
The lieutenant walked from behind the line of twenty men. He moved to Frank. “Last chance.”
Frank shifted his eyes to him then faced the soldiers who were weapons ready.
The lieutenant stepped back. “On my call!” he ordered out. “Ready.”
A simultaneous pumping of chambers.
“Aim.”
All twenty soldiers lifted their weapons.
The lieutenant looked at his men, then to Frank. He opened his mouth to give out the order and the sound that emerged was a single trumpet blown. He quickly jolted backwards to what sounded like a stampede. His eyes filled with horror. Rapidly charging forth was a long line of horses. Riding on them were men with swords held high. They moved so swiftly the cloud of dust beneath the horses feet swirled as if a cyclone. Gun shots entailed.
Ellen stood by the boarded up window and her heart sunk to the floor when she heard the shots. She moved from the window, sobbing from the depths of her soul. It was over.
Frank pulled at the ropes that bound his hands. He was so vulnerable as firing went mad around him. He looked at his wrist, trying to figure a way to free himself. He stopped when a horse approached him. He saw the grey pant leg and he followed it up to the man with a red bandana. He held a sword high, swinging it about. Frank kept his eyes on the sword as it swooped down. With a sweep of his blade, Sgt. Ryder freed Frank then quickly cut the other rope, nodded to Frank, and ran off into battle, along with his men.
Frank sped forth, grabbing the first rifle he saw laying in the hands of a dead Society soldier. He ran towards the building he knew Ellen was in. With so much confusion, so much firing, Frank only worried about getting caught in the exchange. In his race to the bank building, Frank slowed down as he saw the Lieutenant taking cover behind a military truck. He hated to take the time, but he did not want to miss the opportunity. Frank pumped the chamber on the rifle, quietly hunched down, and ran up to the Lieutenant.
Before the Lieutenant knew it, he felt the cold steel of the weapon to the back of his head. He dropped his revolver, raised his hands, and slowly turned around. He looked at Frank.
Frank smiled, stepped back, raised the rifle, and fired a single close shot directly into the center of the Lieutenant’s forehead. Feeling complete, he took off into the bank.
At top speed, through the confusion and with a typical huge Slagel grin, Hal rode. He knew the horses had thrown the Society off and added confusion to their already staggering state. With the wind whipping in his face, he raised his sword high, seeing the aims of the Society soldiers at him. He swung down at the first soldier so fast, the head flew from the soldier, bounced off the horse, and dropped to the ground in a roll. One by one he took them out as he rode by them. In the camp he descended on, south of Bowman, the Society dropped quickly. They were too stunned to defend themselves properly and not trained well enough, even if they were prepared.
As Hal rode near the end of the camp, ready to turn around and sweep through again, he saw one of his men fall from a horse and lose his weapon. A Society soldier aimed at Hal’s man. Turning the horse around and using his body weight to guide the horse faster, Hal rode to his man and grabbed the Society soldier in his quick pass by. He carried the soldier another fifty feet before finally dropping him. Like it was instinct, Hal looked back, pulled out his revolver, and while still moving, Hal shot him dead then continued in his fight.
Ellen heard the footsteps running to her door. She slowly stepped back away from the door. Three gunshots were fired and Ellen covered her ears. She heard the bang, saw the wooden splinters, watched the door blast open, and Frank charge in. She shrieked, ran to him, grabbed him, and kissing him.
“What did I tell you?” Frank embraced her quickly then grabbed her hand. “Never say never.”
“What’s going on?” Ellen asked as he ran with her, pulling her the whole way.
“Someone attacked, saved my ass.” Frank checked out the staircase. “I was screwed.”
“Someone saved you?” Ellen asked as they barreled up the steps.
“Not just someone, a whole fuckin brigade.” They reached the main bank floor. Frank looked out first. He could see the fighting in the street. “El, it’s fuckin awesome.” Frank grinned and ran with her across the bank floor.
He stood by the broken doors, making Ellen stay off to the side. He raised his rifle and saw an opportunity. A riderless horse ran in circles a few feet away. Taking Ellen’s hand once more, Frank careened out the doors of the bank, fired at the Society for cover, and grabbed the confused animal. Frank helped Ellen to the saddle then joined her.
“Can you ride?” Ellen asked.
“We’ll find out. Hold on.
” Frank snapped the reigns and the horse took off. They rode quickly through the hand to hand combat war that surrounded them and straight to the edge of town. He looked back and watched the new men on horses battle the Society soldiers and they looked like they were in trouble. Frank stopped the horse. “El, the reigns control him. Pull back when you want to stop. Ride far enough away.”
“What?”
Frank jumped from the horse. “Wait for me, but not for too long.”
“Frank, what are you doing?”
“Be careful.” With a loud ‘ha!’ Frank smacked the backside of the horse and it took off with a screaming Ellen. After seeing her ride off, Frank raced back into town. He knew what he was going to do. After stealing more ammo from a dead soldier, he would go to a rooftop and do what he did best, take a sniper’s position to help this new army. And he did.
Sgt. Ryder, in a rare occurrence, didn’t see it coming. In his attack on a soldier, another grabbed his leg and pulled him from the moving horse. He fell hard to the ground and on to his back. Before he could pick himself up, a foot slammed into his chest and a rifle aimed directly at him. He thought it was over but he thought wrong. He heard the shot but didn’t think twice about it until he saw the forehead of the soldier veer off and blood sprayed outward. As the soldier dropped, Sgt. Ryder stood up. He looked around, grabbed his weapon and as he did so, he saw another Society soldier take a head shot. Single shot precision was not something he had seen often in his life. His views went up as he lifted himself back on the horse. He saw Frank on the rooftop, aiming down. He smiled and mounted his horse to finish off the battle that neared its end.
^^^^
Amongst the large mound of dead, the UWA soldiers cheered loudly as the youngest soldier planted the flag. As the flag stood on his own, Hal raised both his arms high in the air in a victory mode.
He backed up, still on his horse, and took in the scene that his men had just created. He felt in his heart that north of them they had accomplished the same. How could they not? The UWA had something that the society lacked, spirit.
^^^^
Sgt. Ryder closed one eye and gave an odd look as he watched Frank walk up to every single Society soldier. It was something Sgt. Ryder had never seen, a man so seriously nudge a body with his foot. If he moaned or twitched, Frank fired a single shot into the head, securing their deaths, and then he’d move on.
“Is this necessary?” Sgt. Ryder approached. “Yhey aren’t zombies.”
“You never know. Never leave any stone . . .” Frank heard a moan from the soldier beneath him. He fired. “…unturned.” Frank moved on to the next.
Sgt. Ryder moved beside Frank. “The rest of my men have moved out.”
“Go on. Just send my wife back.” Frank fired, stepped over the body, and moved to the next.
“Your wife? You want your wife to see this.”
“She’s seen . . .” Frank shook his head at another moan, “worse.” He fired. “Fuck, don’t you teach your people to take them out without leaving them still alive.”
“The man you just shot had no arms. What’s the point?”
“Hey, some of these guys got fuckin microchips in their brains. How do we know the Society can’t just come by, pick up the limbless ones, and make a bionic man army out of them. We don’t.” Another shot, another step. Frank paused, retracted his footsteps, and bent down.
“What is it?”
“A really nice luger.” Frank picked up the hand gun. “Whoa.” He stood up, went to put it in his shoulder harness and missed. It wasn’t there. “Fuck.” Frank secured the weapon in the back waist of his pants.
“Do you have to do this? Don’t you feel that walking up to these men is a desecration?”
Frank snickered, reloaded the revolver, and walked on. “You people came in here swinging your swords around. Yeah, that’s a real tribute to the human body.”
“We people? I saved your life.”
Frank spun hard to the sergeant. “And I save yours, so get off my back.” Frank coughed, took a step, and coughed violently.
“You’re not well, are you?”
“Well enough to finish this off.”
“I don’t understand this hostile attitude. You could show some respect. ‘Sir’ would be nice.”
Frank laughed loudly and it bred another cough. “Sir? I call no man sir. People call me sir.” Frank fired another shot. “I’m sorry.” He faced Sgt. Ryder. “I’m usually not this much of an asshole. Frank.” He held out his hand.
“Elliott.” Sgt. Ryder shook his hand. “You’ve done this before?”
“Many times. This is how we finish it off and it looks good.” Frank nodded. “Now you’re certain Ellen is safe with your men?”
“Positive.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Are you two going to join us?” Sgt. Ryder walked with Frank.
“You mean go with you?”
“You’re welcome to.”
“Thank you. But . . .” Frank coughed. “We have a family, El and I. I’m sure they miss us.”
“You look pale. Where is home?”
“Where are we?”
“North Dakota.”
“Fuck!” Frank stopped cold. “Fuck! Fuckin’ North Dakota. Can I be any fuckin further from home? Son of a bitch! I’m gonna need one of your horses to get to Montana.”
“Beginnings?”
Frank looked oddly at the Sergeant. “How did you know?”
“We figured you were Beginnings people. Why don’t you come with us? We’re about seventy miles south east of Beginnings. Rest up there, get well, then we’ll escort you home.”
“Thank you but we can’t. We’ve been gone long enough.”
“I understand. Your people are worried about you.”
Frank looked at Sgt. Ryder after that comment but didn’t question it. He would, but at that moment getting out of that town and to Ellen was foremost on his mind.
A tin cup of water was extended in front of Ellen as she sat on a fallen tree. “Ma’am,” The soldier gave her water. “Drink this please.”
“Thank you.” Ellen took the cup. She saw another approach with a pan of water that he set it down before her. “What’s this for?”
“Your injuries look as if they weren’t tended to,” the other soldier said. “May I, unless you prefer I do not touch you.”
“Touch away.” Ellen shrugged. “They didn’t give me anything to clean up with.”
“You don’t want an infection.” The second soldier dipped a cloth and brought it to Ellen’s face. “Spring water, It’s fresh but cold.”
Ellen jumped back at the frigid water but it felt good. She saw yet a third soldier approach.
“We have rations, Ma’am. Are you hungry? You should eat.”
“I am hungry.”
The third soldier knelt down by her, opening a sack. “It doesn’t look appealing, but it tastes good. It’s like beef jerky and it’s the protein you need.”
Ellen reached into the bag and pulled it out. She sniffed it, shrugged, and bit it.
The third soldier stared at her. “Is there anything else we can get you? Do you need us to fetch anything for you?” A fourth soldier walked behind the third, extending down an apple. The third soldier gave it to Ellen. “Here.”
Ellen blinked in surprise. “You’re being very nice. Thank you. This is almost too nice.”
The second soldier looked at the others. “Too nice? But Ma’am, you’re a woman.”
“Yes I am.” Ellen shifted her eyes around them. “And as a woman, let me just say, great uniforms. So Civil War like.”
The second soldier snickered as he finished cleaning her off. “They are civil war. Our Captain got our uniforms from a re-enactment center.”
“No kidding?” Ellen said with a smile. “Where is he?”
“South,” the soldier answered. “He was leading another attack.”
“Oh, I thought for . . . Frank.” Ellen stood up when Frank wa
lked with Sgt. Ryder.
Immediately, as Frank neared Ellen, a wall of soldiers stood before her and held out their weapons.
Frank rolled his eyes. “Excuse me. I’d like to see her.”
The one soldier kept his aim serious. “You can see her from there. Please keep your distance from the woman.”
Sgt. Ryder laughed. “Lower you weapons. The woman is his wife.”
Four of the ten that protected Ellen all said the same thing with such shock. “Wife?”
Ellen agreed with their questioning. “Wife? I’m not his wife.”
Sgt. Ryder looked at Frank. “You said she was your wife.”
“She was.” Frank moved to her. “And will be again.”
Ellen lost her sarcasm as she neared Frank. “How are you?”
“Better now.” Frank embraced her tightly, lifting her from her feet.
Ellen let out a breath as he set her down. “God, Frank. Can you do anything less dramatic?”
“Me?” Frank coughed. “You’re lucky I . . .” He coughed again. “Hold on.” He turned his head away from her, coughing.
Ellen closed her eyes with a shaking head. She reached down for her water and handed it to Frank. “Here. Sit for a moment, O.K.?”
Frank’s hand lay on his chest as he tried to catch his breath. He hurt with every breath he took, but he didn’t want to tell Ellen that. He just agreed to sit because, at that moment, Frank needed to more than he let on.
“The United Western Alliance,” Sgt. Ryder explained to Frank and Ellen. “You can call us Freedom Fighters. We’re fighting the Society only they’re just now realizing we’ve declared war.”
Frank sipped slowly from his water. “There’s so many of you.”
Sgt. Ryder nodded. “Now there is, yes. When I first joined back up with the Captain about nine months ago, he had some trouble with them. It’s a long story. He was already leading about two hundred men. We began search parties much like you and the Society do. We seek people who have seen the wrath of the society and enlist them to join our cause. We’ve trained for this moment and have for a little over four months. We’ve just started hitting their camps. Anything that crosses over Kansas we plan to take out.”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 358
