by Mark Goodwin
“Thank you, Sheriff.” Danny felt deep respect and gratitude for the man walking beside him.
“It’s not Sheriff anymore. Just Parnell is fine.” Parnell put his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure Deputy Peters, our comms guy, will be joining up with the militia. I’ll have him get in touch with that fellow down in Pickens. We’ll figure out a time when we can come down next week and put together a new plan. Most of the dust should have settled by then, and I’ll know how many men we’ll be working with.”
“I’ve got a place out in the woods. Wendy Phillips, the woman who took Taylor and Willow, is best friends with Myrtle. They’ll all come out to the woods with me so you don’t have to fret about them. Rick Grisham has the lot next to mine. I convinced him to buy it and put a trailer out there before Y2K. He’s been giving me heck about it for years.” Parnell giggled. “He’ll be thanking me for it now.”
“I’d offer to give you a ride back to the department, but I’m fixin’ to get mobbed by folks on both sides of this thing when I get out these doors. My resignation won’t make explainin’ all of it any easier. Deputy Robinson is on the gate. He knows you. Y’all can find your way back, right?”
“Yes, sir.” A wave of relief rushed over Danny. “I look forward to talking with you soon.”
“You too, Danny.” Parnell shook his hand. “Once again, I appreciate all you’ve done in fighting this lunatic down in Charlotte. We’ll get it all figured out, and we’ll put this devil out of business for good.”
Chris, Jack, Antoine, Gwen, and Danny all waved as they left Parnell and his four new militia members. They made their way back down Union Street, which was filled with commotion as the news of the vote and Sheriff Parnell’s resignation spread.
When they reached the enclosed parking lot, Deputy Robinson opened the gate. “What was the vote?”
Danny kept walking towards his truck. He was eager to get home to his wife. “They voted no. But, you know the sheriff. He resigned to start his own militia.”
“My loyalties are with Parnell. If he’s starting a militia, then I’m in.”
Danny winked as he started his truck. “In that case, we’ll be seeing each other real soon.”
Danny waved as he pulled out of the lot with Antoine in the seat beside him. Chris, Jack, and Gwen followed them home in the Humvee.
CHAPTER 6
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
Danny’s heart ached to see his pregnant wife. It had only been two days since he’d seen her, but after witnessing the pain and suffering of Taylor and Willow, he just wanted to hold her. He recalled how lost and powerless he’d felt when Alisa was taken three months prior. If it had not been for JC, Alisa’s abduction story could have been just as tragic as Taylor and Willow’s. If for no other reason, I owe it to JC to get him out of the airport . . . or die trying.
Even though Danny longed to get home to Alisa, the vehicles had to make a pit stop at the flea market for fuel before continuing home Sunday evening.
Antoine sat up vigilantly the entire trip, holding the AR-15, scanning the side roads, and checking the rearview for an attack from behind. “We’ve almost made it back to the flea market.”
“We still have to drive through town. Pickens didn’t hold up quite as well as Concord.” Danny clenched his jaw. His eyes darted from left to right as he proceeded down Main Street. “All of these abandoned buildings provide perfect cover for an ambush.” Danny pressed the accelerator, speeding through town. “A fast-moving vehicle is a harder target to hit than a slow one.”
“Did JC teach you that?” Antoine braced himself with his arm against the dashboard as they sped through town.
“Yep.” Danny stayed hyper-aware of his surroundings. They made it to the edge of town, and Danny let the truck coast until it reached a more moderate speed.
Antoine sat back against his seat. “When Parnell said something about Schlusser claiming to have a spy who is still alive, you didn’t look surprised like Gwen and I were. It was almost like you knew. Why was that?”
Danny had determined not to share this dream with anyone. If he was keeping it from Alisa, he certainly wasn’t going to tell Antoine. Danny blew it off and quickly came up with a way to get off the topic. “I guess I just don’t want to get my hopes up.” Danny picked up the radio. “Jack, let me know when you guys get through town. It’s only a few blocks, but downtown Pickens is still a good spot to get hit.”
Jack’s voice came over the radio. “Roger that, we’re coming out on the other side now.”
Danny took his foot off the gas pedal. “Look! A roadblock running across Walhalla!”
Antoine tensed up bringing his rifle up in case he had to engage. “Are those Ben’s men?”
“I can’t tell from here.” Danny picked up the radio. “Jack, we’ve got a roadblock right before the flea market. It might be the Pickens militia, but I can’t tell from here. You guys hang back. I’ll roll up and see what’s happening. If I haven’t called back in five minutes, come in hot.”
“Roger that. We’ve run this drill before.” A burst of static came across the radio as Jack finished his transmission.
Danny drove up to the roadblock slowly. Two Deuces and a Half were blocking the road. Ten heavily armed men stood behind the cover of a Humvee parked in front of the two military trucks.
Antoine pointed. “Those are vehicles Ben took from Greenville. These have to be his men.”
“Yeah, but why would they have a roadblock set up?”
“Beats me.” Antoine shrugged.
A man stepped out from behind the Humvee and drew his finger across his throat signaling for Danny to cut his engine.
Danny hesitated. “I don’t like this.”
“That’s Lucas!” Antoine pointed to the man.
“Oh, okay.” Danny recognized the man who he’d fought beside in Greenville and cut the engine.
Lucas and two other men slowly approached the old Ford. “Danny? Is that you?”
“It’s me, Lucas. Don’t shoot.” Danny stuck both hands out the driver’s side window until he was sure Lucas no longer viewed him as a potential threat.
Lucas let his rifle hang from the sling and signaled to the other men to stand down.
Danny opened the door and carried the walkie-talkie with him as he exited the F-150. “What’s all this about?”
“We got hit early this morning.” Lucas looked disgusted.
“No kidding? How many?”
“Thirty or forty. We think it was a gang out of Greenville. After we took Schlusser’s outpost down, the gangs there are fighting over the scraps.” Lucas’ eyes kept looking up the road.
Danny picked up his radio. “I had Chris and Jack lay back. They’ll be coming down the road in a minute.”
Lucas nodded. “That’s fine.”
“The roadblock is Lucas and a bunch of Ben’s men. You guys can come on down.”
The radio chirped. “Roger that.”
“Did they get anything?” Antoine asked.
“They plowed over the fence with an old-school bus. It was full of men who rolled out of the emergency door in the back and started laying down cover fire. A second wave drove up in classic cars with big gangster wheels. One was an old Impala, a souped-up Nova, a classic Cadillac, and a gold Oldsmobile. They ran into the gun trading tent like a smash and grab, cleared out a bunch of inventory, and took off.” Lucas pointed at the old-school bus behind him. “The bus’s wheels rolled up a bunch of fence under the axles. They all left in the cars. We think they planned it that way.”
“But what they got away with, was it worth the trade?”
“Oh, yeah. They had evidently scoped us out and knew what we had.”
Antoine lowered his brows. “I thought people had to be vetted to go into the gun tent.”
“They do, but most everyone from Pickens knows someone that can get them in the tent. I guess these guys had a cousin or a buddy from around here who ran the recon for them.”
“Anybody got hurt?” Danny asked.
“One of our guys took one in the arm. We killed two of their men. A couple more were bleeding when they left.”
“Did you get any survivors to interrogate?”
“Nope.” Lucas looked angry.
Chris pulled up behind the Ford and cut the engine to the Humvee.
Lucas motioned for his men to move one of the Deuces and a Half, and the Hummer so Danny and Chris could drive through. “I’ll let Ben know that you’re coming in.”
“Thanks.” Danny and Antoine got back in the truck, started the engine, and proceeded to the flea market. Security was tight all around, but Lucas cleared the F-150 and the Humvee so they were waved through each successive checkpoint. Finally, Danny reached the back gate where they were let in to park near Ben’s office.
Ben walked out of the building as Danny and the others exited the vehicles. He picked up his radio. “Evan, can you top off the fuel tanks to the white F-150 and the tan Humvee parked by my office?”
“Yes, sir.” Ben’s radio chirped.
Ben pressed the talk key. “Gas for the Ford and diesel for the Hummer.”
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened.” Danny shook Ben’s hand.
“Yeah, it ain’t gonna be good for business. That’s for sure. I’ll have to work all of my guys twelve hours a day instead of eight. That will get old fast. It’s a rough world we’re living in now, Danny. I guess we’ll just have to get used to it.” The crow’s feet at the corners of Ben’s eyes showed his weariness over the incident from earlier that morning.
“Enough about my problems. How did it go in Concord?” Ben led Danny’s team toward the office and opened the door.
Danny and the others filed in one at a time. Danny took a seat at the table. “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
Ben grunted. “Any other day, I’d say start with the bad, but not today. I got off to a bumpy start. If you have any good news at all, let’s hear it.”
“Parnell is going to help us. The bad news is, he won’t have the support of Concord. The city council and the county commissioners turned us down. We missed by one vote.”
“Then how can he help us?” Ben started a pot of coffee.
“He resigned his position as sheriff so he can build a militia. He expects all of his civilian auxiliary force to join up and most of the men from the Concord Police Department and the Cabarrus Sheriff’s Department.”
“Go on.” Ben sat back and listened as Danny provided him with all the details of their trip to Concord.
Danny finished the coffee Ben had poured him while he gave his dissertation. “Parnell is coming down here next week. His guy will be in contact with Ranger Dave to let you know when. We’ll be listening every night at seven, so you can have Dave reach out and tell us what day. We don’t have enough power on our radios to reply, but we’ll get the message if he sends it.”
“Does that mean you’ll be participating in the attack?” Ben asked Danny.
“I’m sure Chris and Jack will. I’ll help out with the planning stage, but I haven’t decided beyond that. Now that the gangs in Greenville are sending raiding parties out into the country, I’ll have to figure out how I’m going to harden our defenses at the farm. I’ve got a baby on the way. My wife and child have to be my number one priority.”
“I completely understand that.” Ben stood up. “Will you good folks join me for dinner?”
“I can’t. I’m already a day late and with these hooligans running around, I’m anxious to get home.” Danny got up and walked toward the door.
“I think I’ll join you for dinner,” Chris said.
Danny looked at him. “We’ve seen a lot of trouble on the road. We should travel together.”
Chris replied, “I want to start brainstorming with Ben and Lucas about our mission to hit the peninsula. You probably won’t even be there, so it doesn’t really concern you. We’ve still got several hours of daylight, and we’re only thirty-five miles from home. We’ll be okay. Anyway, I’m not leaving right now. If you want to wait, we’ll ride together. Otherwise, I’ll see you back at the farm.”
Danny looked at Antoine. “Are you staying or going?”
“I came with you, I’m leaving with you.” Antoine stood up.
“Jack?” Danny knew the answer before he asked.
“I’m staying.”
“I’ll ride back with Jack,” Gwen added.
“Okay. Be safe.” Danny’s emotions were mixed, a hybrid of guilt for not committing to join the attack and anger at Chris for challenging his authority and breaking travel security protocol. But, what could he say? Chris had a valid point about wanting to start putting together a more cohesive plan.
Ben walked outside with Danny. “We’ll see you soon.”
“Thank you, Ben; for the gas.”
“Anytime. Y’all be safe.” Ben motioned for the gate guard to let Danny through.
Danny and Antoine got in the Ford and headed home.
The trip back to the farm was uneventful, but both men stayed very alert. Danger was all around, and the prospects of peril were not abating. Each passing day brought another possibility of an attack, and another chance to die. Danny pulled into the drive and followed the long gravel path to the house. Melissa and Cami were on watch.
Danny got out of the truck, slung his rifle and his pack over his shoulder, retrieved the can of freeze dried bananas Parnell had given him, and closed the door.
Melissa looked up the drive. “Are my boys close behind you?”
“No, but they’re fine. Chris insisted on hanging out at the Pickens flea market for a couple more hours. He wants to do some battle planning. Jack and Gwen stayed with him. Who is watching Annie?”
“Tracey is. We’ve all had to take security shifts, including Miss Jennie,” Melissa replied.
Cami asked, “How did the trip go?”
“It’s a long story. We’re getting help from the sheriff in Concord, but it’s not what we’d hoped for.” Danny looked at the front door.
Alisa came bounding out. “Danny! You’re home!” She rushed over to greet him.
He hugged her, gave her a long passionate kiss right in front of everyone, and then handed her the can. “I brought you something from Concord.”
“Bananas! Would you believe I’ve been craving these?”
Miss Jennie stepped out onto the porch. “Y’all get over to the picnic tables in the yard. Me and Dena is about to start putting supper on the tables.”
Everyone made their way over to the courtyard and found a seat. Catfish gave Antoine’s shoulders a squeeze. “I’m glad to see you boys get back. All these women was about to henpeck me and the boy to death.” Catfish pointed to Jason Reese. “Ain’t that right, boy?”
Jason lifted his shoulders and looked at Catfish as if he had no idea what the crazy old man was talking about.
Catfish waved him off and took a seat next to Antoine. “All them women he lives with, they’ve done got him brainwarshed.”
Danny chuckled as he wondered what kinds of things must travel through the old hobo’s mind during the course of a day. Miss Jennie and Dana brought out the food, and everyone ate heartily.
After dinner, Danny asked Tracey to take the kids to her trailer so he could tell the others about the trip to Concord and the attack against the Pickens flea market. Once the update had been given, Danny got cleaned up and went to bed.
He tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep as the conundrum of whether or not to participate in the attack plagued
his restless head. Each time he’d drift off to sleep, he’d get a glimpse of the cow’s eyes and deep inside, the man in the dungeon.
“What’s wrong?” Alisa asked.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t tell me nothing. You’re flipping around in the bed like a salad spinner. Did you have another dream?”
“No.”
She turned her flashlight.
Danny turned toward the wall so she couldn’t see him.
She crawled over top of him and looked at his face. “You did have another dream! Why aren’t you telling me? Is it about the baby? Danny, what’s wrong? What’s going to happen to the baby?” Her voice became frantic, like that of a woman who’d misplaced her winning lottery ticket.
Danny rolled back over. “Nothing is going to happen to the baby.”
“Why else would you lie to me about not having a dream?”
“I didn’t lie . . . exactly.” Danny sat up and held her in his arms. She was crying. He stroked her soft long hair back from her face. “I didn’t have a dream tonight.”
“You had one while you were in Concord?”
“Before I left on the trip.”
“About what?”
Danny sighed. He gave in and began telling her about the vision of the seventh cow.
“Who is the man chained up in the dungeon?”
“You typically are the interpreter. You tell me.”
“JC,” she said without hesitation. “He’s still alive in Charlotte. Danny, you have to go get him, but . . .”
Danny looked into her eyes as she lost her certainty about the last statement she’d made. He could see that she’d just hit the same moral dilemma that he was wrapped up in. “Welcome to my world.”
Her eyes looked down at the sheet on the bed. Her face had the expression of a person caught in a deep pit, as if there must be a solution, some way to get out. The answer had to be there, but it was much too elusive to be found at the moment. She looked back up at him. “Your baby needs you, Danny. I need you. It’s not like before. I can’t go with you. I can’t be there to keep you safe. Nana needs you. So does Cami. The whole compound depends on your leadership.”
