by Jack Hunt
“I don’t like it, Ryan, any more than you do but unless you’re willing to walk out those gates and leave this place behind, then we need to abide by their rules.”
“Listen to yourself. He’s already inside your head.” Ryan tapped his brother’s temple with a finger. “The only reason he let those twelve walk out the gate was to manipulate people into believing that he’s a fair man. He wants to give a false sense of security. Now if all of us were to try and walk out, you can be sure he would stop it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Well then try it,” Ryan shot back.
“I don’t want to leave.”
Ryan snorted and shook his head.
Samuel continued, “No, I’m serious. It’s bad out there, Ryan. At least here we are behind walls, inside bunkers and have enough food for the next three years. So he has a few rules. So did Harlan.”
“Yeah but Harlan isn’t a sociopath.”
“No, he’s a coward,” Samuel replied.
Ryan stared at him with an expression of confusion. “If you’re not doing anything about it, then so are you.”
“I would but it’s just…” he trailed off.
“It’s what? Sam. C’mon. Work with me, brother, to take them down from the inside.”
He dipped his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“Both.” Samuel turned towards the door.
“Then where does that leave you and me?”
“What do you mean?” Samuel asked.
“You are either for or against him. And if you’re for him — you want his men to live.”
“And?”
“So are you going to say anything?” Ryan asked.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“No? Because it sounds an awful lot like you are against me.”
Samuel turned back. “That’s because I give a shit about whether you live or die, Ryan. You’re my only kin. Do you think I want you dead?” His gaze penetrated him. “If I could change this situation, I would but killing them is only going to heap hot coals on everyone’s head. You are causing all of us to suffer. Now I’m asking you as your brother. Stop. Don’t kill anyone else.”
“I can’t do that.”
Sam clenched his jaw and looked away from him. Without saying any more he walked out and slammed the door behind him. Ryan let out a heavy sigh and slumped down on his bed.
Elliot and the others had been observing the Rusty Nail for the better part of twenty minutes after moving in a little closer. Something about it didn’t feel right. Two horses tied up outside in the open with no one guarding them? He placed a hand on Gary’s chest just as Gary was about to head out with Sean and Zach. They were going to collect the horses while he, Damon and Ella provided cover.
“Wait!”
“For what?” Gary asked.
“Where is everyone?”
“Searching for us. We need to do this now, Elliot.”
“No, something’s not right.”
“The only thing that isn’t right is staying a minute longer in this shithole of a town. Now I’m going in with or without you.”
This was unlike Gary. He was used to planning everything out methodically. If there was even a hint of risk involved he’d overanalyze it, now he was just functioning on pure emotion.
He motioned to Sean and Zach and they darted out of the tree line, pitching sideways down a rocky slope behind the garage area before hopping down off a seven-foot wall to the ground. Elliot had to run with it. He motioned for Damon and Ella to provide cover from the east and west while Elliot came down the middle and made sure that if anyone dashed out of the garage or bar, he could take them out.
Their actions were fast, purposeful and quiet but what they hadn’t noticed was a sniper on the far side of the road perched inside a house directly across from the bar. It was only when a crack echoed and Sean collapsed that all hell broke loose. The two horses reared up, frightened, and tugged on the rope holding them to the garage.
“Gary!” Elliot shouted hurrying down, while he was still trying to get a bead on where the shooter was. Gary was determined to get one of those horses, regardless of how many shooters there were. More gunfire erupted, this time coming from Damon, then it was Ella.
“They’re coming. We got to move!” Damon said.
Right then Dallas came out of the bar. Everything was happening so fast. Zach was firing back when Dallas appeared behind him, raised his gun and fired a round into his skull. He didn’t stand a chance.
By now Gary was up on a horse. But the horse was too overwhelmed by the noise of gunfire. It reared back knocking him off. He landed hard and as Elliot rushed to get him he came under fire from Dallas. There was no way in hell he was going to let him take Gary. Elliot pressed forward, blocking out his fear that was telling him to run. He unloaded round after round forcing Dallas to take cover inside the bar. Not even for a second did he let up squeezing the trigger. Gary was on the ground, groaning and holding his head. When he landed, his back had taken the full brunt of the fall and he’d smacked his head on the concrete.
“Get up now!” Elliot said, squeezing off rounds up at the shooter in the window across the road. He scooped an arm under Gary’s and pulled him to his feet while continuing to engage. They stumbled back, and he nearly lost his footing. He cried out for help from Damon but both he and Ella were holding back the new influx of fighters. Ella rushed back passing by the bar. She didn’t see Dallas emerge. He blindsided her by tackling her to the ground. There was no time to help her. Elliot, Gary and Damon retreated up the road, passed the wall and climbed up a grassy embankment before disappearing into the dense trees. Gary was hurt bad.
“I think I’ve broken ribs.” His breathing was shallow, and he was wincing in pain every few seconds as they picked up their pace and weaved in and out of trees and broke out onto Alpine Trail. Behind them they could hear Dallas yelling for his men to pursue them. Homes blurred in Elliot’s peripheral vision as he stayed fixed on the road ahead. They veered down Neil Street, then crossed William, and slipped through the backyards of many of the homes. The only thing they had going for them was the area had a lot of trees and it was dark, making it easier for them to escape.
They kept running, putting distance between themselves and the bar until they made it to School Street. Elliot burst through a thicket of trees into the backyard of a home and tried the doors. Four homes later, they found one that was unlocked. They slipped inside and crouched down as Dallas’s group combed through the streets hunting them.
At the same time that evening, as Ryan prepared to turn in for the night, a commotion could be heard out in the hallway. He ignored it thinking it was just the militia coming down heavy on a few of the residents. That soon changed when he heard Shelby’s voice echo over the megaphone.
“Everyone outside your rooms, right now!”
He bounced off the bed, glanced up at the ceiling and contemplated removing the outfit and hiding it inside the vent, but before he had a chance to get up there, the door swung open and a soldier pointed.
“Didn’t you hear? Outside now!”
He swallowed hard and stepped out. The soldier pressed him against the wall and moved on to the next room. Up and down the hallway, soldiers were going in and out, tearing the rooms apart. Frank Shelby came into view, a smile dancing on his face.
“This won’t take long. Unfortunately due to this evening’s incident, and to ensure the safety of all residents, we have to perform a routine search. If you have nothing to hide, there will be no problem.”
Farther down the hall a soldier appeared holding a Glock. He handed it over to Shelby and then pointed to Steve Colson, a resident six doors down from Ryan — a good guy, a family man who had once been the supervisor for a house building company. He’d been one of the many involved in the construction of New Hope Springs.
Shelby walked up to him. “This belong to you?”
; He nodded.
“Now I’m pretty sure I made it clear that all weapons were to be handed over until we could determine no one would be a threat. You want to explain how this didn’t find its way into the hands of my men?”
Colson looked at the ground.
“Take him away, put him in the sweatbox.”
A soldier grabbed him and hauled him off as his wife protested.
“That goes for all of you. I will not tolerate insubordination. A small leak is all it takes for a ship to sink. For those of you here who think I’m being too harsh, let me remind you that what we are doing here is for your benefit as well as ours.”
Two soldiers entered Ryan’s room and turned over the mattress, pulled out his drawers and tossed everything onto the ground. Then one stepped up onto the bed frame and began lifting ceiling tiles. He hadn’t seen him do that in the room across from him. Why was he doing it here? Ryan glanced toward his brother who was standing outside his room with his chin dropped.
“What do we have here?” the soldier said pulling out his dark outfit and the knife. The soldier grinned as he walked past him and held it in the air. “We have a winner!”
Shelby strode the hallway, a glint of amusement in his expression.
“Well done,” he said, taking the knife from him and looking at the blade which was still covered in dry blood. His eyes met Ryan’s. Shelby shook his head and made a tutting sound. “Oh this is going to be a very bad night for you. And to think I placed my trust in you, Ryan. Well, do you have anything to say?”
“Yeah. Fuck you!”
“Take him away.”
“To the sweatbox?” the soldier asked.
“No, I have something better planned for him.”
Ryan struggled in their grip as two of them strong-armed him down the hallway and out of the bunker.
When he was gone, Frank ordered everyone back into their rooms. As doors closed, he made his way down to Samuel Hayes. He knocked on the door and entered, then shut the door behind him. He was still holding Ryan’s belongings.
“What you told me earlier has not gone unnoticed. I respect your honesty and it pleases me to know that we are finally getting through to some of you.”
“What are you going to do with him?” Samuel asked.
“I haven’t quite decided yet but I have to set an example. You know, so others won’t pick up the baton after him.”
“You said you’d be fair.”
“And I will. You have my word on that. However, he’s killed five of my men. That can’t be allowed to happen again. Now, I wanted to discuss something else with you. A vacancy has just opened up and I think you have proven you can do the job.”
“Which is?” Samuel asked.
“Observe, keep your ears to the ground and let me know if anyone is trying to go against me.” He paused. “Do you want the job?”
He looked hesitant for a second then nodded.
“Good.” He laid a hand on Samuel’s shoulder. “Tonight, you have earned my trust. You’ve done what no one else was able or willing to do. And the fact that he’s your brother only confirms you are the right person.”
“You won’t tell him, will you?”
His lip twisted. “Of course not. No, this is between you and me.”
Chapter 17
Mr. Thompson’s home backed up to a small river. It was one several sources of water they used for cleaning and bathing. Most of the time they would just bathe in the river itself but when they had time, they would lug back buckets and boil the water so they could have a warm bath every couple of weeks. It was a treat. However, that evening Rayna didn’t bother. She’d stripped off and slipped down into the cool waters, her mind didn’t focus on how cold it was as she was too busy thinking about Jill and the attack on her body by Doc. Fragments of what he’d done to her came back through the hazy fog caused by the drugs. Most of all, she recalled feeling helpless. Zip tied, her only means of fighting him off was with her legs, and after being slapped around the face, and having a needle stuck in her, she soon became compliant. In many ways she was glad he’d drugged her. She didn’t want to remember what he’d done. The few slivers of what she could make out made her want to vomit.
Rayna scrubbed herself clean, tears running down her face.
It felt like someone had shattered her innermost being.
The part of her that was strong was still there but battered and bruised. It would take some time to regain her self-confidence. Even then as she washed herself, her eyes roamed the trees expecting someone to attack. She hadn’t felt that way before. Well not exactly. Of course, she knew how dangerous it was but she just didn’t think she would become a victim. As for Jill? Her mind drifted to the past. It wasn’t just the loss of her friend that pained her; it was the fact that she’d led her into it. Why didn’t you run, Jill? She wondered. Why didn’t you just return and get help? It was like she had something to prove. Maybe she did.
“Rayna,” Maggie said, her voice startling her. She clutched her breasts with both arms and stood there feeling even more exposed than ever. “I just wanted to check in on you and see if there was anything I could do?”
She nodded, then shook her head. “Are my kids okay?”
“Yeah, they’re sleeping.”
“And Brianna?”
“Resting.”
Maggie looked at the towel hanging on a tree branch.
“Could you?” Rayna asked motioning to the towel.
“Yeah, sure.”
Maggie handed it to her, and she slipped out of the water and wrapped herself. Rayna could tell by the way Maggie was looking at her bruises that she was full of questions.
“She told you, didn’t she?”
Maggie nodded. “I’m so sorry, Rayna.”
She shrugged as they made their way back to the house. “There’s nothing you could have done.”
“What happened?”
She sighed, wanting to cry again but felt too numb. Instead she brought her up to speed on everything that had led to her capture by Doc, and what she’d seen when she came to. They entered Mr. Thompson’s home and Maggie handed her a set of clothes that she had brought over.
“I thought you would need these.”
She offered back a faint smile. “Right, I appreciate it.”
Rayna took them and spent a minute getting changed.
“You going to come back to the bunker tonight?”
“No, I think I’m going to sleep here for the night.”
Maggie got this surprised expression on her face. “Oh. Then I’ll stay with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But I want to.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can but…”
“Please. Maggie. I just want to be left alone.”
She walked over to the liquor bar and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. She poured it neat and tossed it back like water. It burned her throat. A few more and she wouldn’t remember what had happened, at least until the morning.
“Okay, I’ll sleep outside. It’s a warm night.”
That made Rayna smile a little.
“You’re persistent.”
She took a few steps forward. “I know you probably don’t want to hear it and I’m not entirely sure what went on but I want you to know that I understand what it feels like.”
“Do you?” Rayna said in a hard tone.
Silence stretched between them.
“The first time he raped me was one year into our relationship,” she said. Rayna looked at her through confused eyes. “My boyfriend back in New York. Before he lashed out, he took advantage of me.”
Rayna frowned.
“I said no, but he did it anyway.”
“Did you ever tell anyone?” she asked.
“Who would have believed me? We were in a relationship. He would have said it was consensual. I didn’t know anyone in New York except a couple of people whereas he’d lived there his whole li
fe. His parents had connections. And he had been drinking that night. I just notched it up to the alcohol. I mean he’d never done it before.” She took a deep breath while Rayna lit a couple of candles. “The second and last time he did it was the week we broke up. I went to the police and got a restraining order put on him.”
“Did you tell them?”
She shook her head.
“Did you go to the hospital to get examined?”
“No point. It wasn’t…” She sighed. “How do I put this? He wasn’t aggressive enough to leave bruising or anything that would have given a doctor reason to believe that I had been assaulted. He simply continued when I told him no. Unfortunately there are a lot of women out there who have been in the same position. They’re dating, they don’t want to offend or lose their partner, or they don’t know where the line in the sand is drawn.”
“It’s drawn at no,” Rayna said.
She nodded. “Yeah, I understand that now. That’s why I left him. Besides the fact that he was an asshole and had backhanded me numerous times.”
Maggie had caring eyes and Rayna could tell she understood on some level. Obviously it wasn’t the same situation but the non-consensual act was still the same.
“Thank you, Maggie,” she said in a quiet voice.
“For what?”
“For being here. Coming to Lake Placid.”
Maggie returned a warm smile and for a brief moment, Rayna felt hope, even if it was only a sliver.
“I’m going to turn in for the night,” Rayna said.
“Okay. Um, we’re going to leave at dawn for Saranac.”
“Elliot. Right.” She nodded but couldn’t see her way to express more than that. She had to believe that whatever situation Elliot and the others were in, they would get themselves out of it. She trusted his skillset and with both Gary and Elliot working together, she felt confident there was no challenge they couldn’t overcome.
Damon used the cigarette lighter to illuminate the inside of the home. There before him was a couple slumped against each other, or at least what was left of them. The smell of rotting flesh was something no one got used to. Back in the bunker he had a small tub of Vicks that he’d usually take out with him when they went scavenging. He’d smear a few fingers’ worth below his nose and that had always done the trick. He’d forgotten to bring it with him this time.
