by Payne, T. L.
“Hi, Kate. You said to come back after dinner and…”
Kate cut her off and ushered her in the door.
“Yes. Come in, Beth, and I’ll fill you in on what we know.”
Beth placed her rifle against the chair and took a seat across from Kate. She sat Jack’s carrier on the floor, removed him, and put him in her lap. Beth didn’t like the serious expression on Kate’s face.
“So, the team scoured the area for Roger and Alpha team. They found very little. They did recover the bodies of three cartel members. They’d been shot, likely by our guys. The search team went all the way to Kingman. What the folks there say is that Alpha team was chasing down a band of the cartel that hit our compound. They heard gunshots late into the night south of the city.”
“And Roger? Anyone seen Roger?”
“We don’t know. No one recalls seeing anyone with a shoulder injury, but they were hunkered down trying not to get killed by the cartel’s sniper.”
“Sniper? It’s not good that the cartel has a sniper.”
“They are intent on claiming this area for themselves. They know there are many armed citizens out here, and they come prepared to take us out, one by one if need be.”
“Roger went looking for their sniper?” Beth asked as she stroked Jack’s head and combed his long fur over his missing eye.
“I would say so.”
“What do you expect Alpha team will do at this point?”
“With Roger leading them, I’d expect they will kill every last one of them or drive them all the way back to Mexico,” Kate said, taking a long drink from a red plastic cup.
She offered Beth a cup. Beth shook her head.
“You need to stay hydrated.”
“I know. Thanks,” Beth said, deciding to reach for the cup.
“That sounds like something Roger would do, but what I have a hard time believing is that he would abandon me to go on to Missouri on my own.”
“I am sure he did not intend for you to proceed without him. I imagine he intended to clear the way so you two could safely leave together.”
Beth adjusted in her chair. Jack chuffed, stood, circled, and plopped back down.
“Well, whatever he intended, it isn’t working out that way. I cannot wait on him forever. I have to go, my…”
The sound of boots outside the door interrupted her. Kate stood. Her hand dropped to the pistol holstered at her right hip. Beth jumped to her feet, dumping Jack onto the floor and grabbed her rifle.
When the young man opened the door, Beth and Kate both pointed their weapons at the man. His eyes grew wide.
“Um, ma’am, Alpha team just walked through the gate,” the man stammered.
Kate lowered her weapon and motioned for Beth to do the same. As the man turned to leave, Beth yelled, “Do you know if Roger was with them?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know a Roger, but I didn’t see anyone with them that I am unfamiliar with.”
“Is it the whole team?” Kate asked.
“Only four of them, ma’am.”
Kate slowly lowered herself to her chair and placed the pistol on her desk.
“How many went out with them?” Beth asked.
“Eight. It was an eight-man team.”
“They could have gotten separated.”
“Yes, they could have,” Kate replied.
Beth knew they would know soon enough. Her whole body was tense waiting for them to reach the command center. There were three possible responses they could give about Roger and, really, since he wasn’t with them, none of them were good.
The minutes that it took for Alpha team to arrive were agonizing for both women. Kate’s wrinkled brow appeared stress induced as she stared down at papers on her desk. Beth studied her face.
Kate was likely in her mid-thirties, like Beth. Subtle lines had begun to form at the corners of her eyes, but otherwise, her skin was flawless. Beth imagined that a month at this job would age her by years.
The door abruptly opened, and Beth jumped, grabbing for her rifle. She had not heard anyone approaching outside.
A dark figure in battered gear, silhouetted by bright sunlight, looked blankly into the room, hesitating to enter.
“Summers, come in,” Kate said, standing.
Beth stood, grabbed Jack and his carrier from the floor, and moved back out of their way.
“Have a seat, Summers,” Kate said.
As the figure entered the room, Beth saw that Summers was a beautiful young African American woman, about five foot, eight inches tall, who weighed no more than 130 pounds. She was dressed in grimy Marine cammies. Her short hair framed a face smeared with dirt and sweat. Her posture was perfect as she approached and saluted Kate.
“Ma’am, I have a SITREP for you,” Summers said, looking over her shoulder at Beth.
“Stand at ease, Gunnie. You may proceed,” Kate said, returning her salute.
Summers dropped her salute and responded, remaining at the position of attention.
“We encountered a band of at least thirty cartel members at Baron Road and engaged them. We were pushing forward to take them out when another group ambushed us in a flanking maneuver. We were able to push both elements back, however, and they all took cover in a warehouse where we continued to engage them. Four Marines died during the battle: Smith, Martinez, Rhodes, and Kirk. Most of the enemy is dead, but some fled the building. We followed them to a building on Constitution Avenue where there was a small, company-sized cartel element present. At that point, we dropped back to regroup and retrieve our fallen Marines.”
Summers paused. She was obviously trying to maintain her composure. She cleared her throat and then proceeded.
“We came under attack as we were carrying them back to our vehicle. We were forced to leave them behind.” She paused again.
“Proceed when you are ready.”
“We were unable to make it back to the humvee, so we had to spend the night in a department store. Cartel members walked the streets all night looking for us.”
“How many would you say are there?”
Summers stared straight ahead, maintaining her military bearing.
“A lot, ma’am. Maybe fifty at a building on Jackson Street and at least fifteen or twenty who were following us. There could be many more that we didn’t see. We heard gunfire off and on all night.”
“Did you see Roger?” Beth asked, stepping toward the desk.
Summers remained at the position of attention.
“Roger?”
“Roger Miller. Do you know him? Did you see him out there?” Beth asked, moving closer.
“I know Roger, ma’am, but I didn’t see him,” Summers said.
“Miller arrived two days ago, when the cartel attacked the compound. He went out by himself,” Kate said.
“By himself? Why?” Summers asked.
“When we got to the gate, it was open and unmanned. He told me that he was going to look and see what was going on, but he never came back,” Beth explained.
“We sent a team out to look for him, but they were attacked. They saw no sign of him,” Kate told Summers.
“We didn’t see him, either.”
Beth stepped back into the corner, nearly tripping over Jack’s carrier on the floor.
“I can go back out and look for him after I get my team looked at by the doc. They have sprains and minor cuts, nothing major, but I think…”
“No, you go take your team to see Rebecca and get some rest. I can’t send the four of you out there again just yet. We need to plan this mission and decide what to do about the cartel.”
Beth grabbed her rifle and Jack’s carrier and headed for the door.
“I’m sorry, Beth. I have to…”
“I understand. You have to do what is right for your people. Roger wouldn’t want you to risk the compound searching for him. He knew what he was risking,” Beth said, pulling the door open.
“I’m going to go see if Rebecca needs a hand,�
� she said as she pulled the door closed behind her.
Beth passed the group of people talking and milling around outside the command trailer. In the middle were what looked like the rest of Summer’s team.
“They are using military grade weapons and IED’s. Fighting these bastards is like fighting the Taliban or something,” a man holding a torn shirt to his forehead said.
Beth walked in a daze to the medical trailer. When she opened the door, she ran into Maria who was exiting.
“Maria,” Beth said. “I was coming to find you.”
Maria motioned for Beth to move to the seat under the tree. Beth sat with Jack’s carrier in her lap. He squirmed, and the carrier nearly toppled to the ground.
“I was coming to find you too. I wanted to thank you for trying so hard to save the baby. I know you did your best. My sister was a high-risk pregnancy and should not have been working, but she was afraid that they would kick her out if she couldn’t pull her weight. I tried to convince her that Colonel Taylor was not like that, and everyone just wanted her to take care of herself and the baby, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Beth reached over and took Maria’s hand.
“I am so sorry, Maria.”
“I also wanted to tell you that my team looked everywhere for Roger.”
Beth stiffened, prepared to receive bad news.
“We found no trace of him, but we saw lots of dead cartel that we think he killed. As far as I know, we did not have any teams in that area.”
“What do you think that means—that you couldn’t find him anywhere?”
Maria hesitated.
“Honestly, I think he came under heavy fire and was either injured again or opened up his previous wound. He likely found a place to rest and hide, but we did a sweep of the unoccupied buildings and found nothing—nothing within walking distance, anyway. I seriously don’t think, in his condition, that he was capable of traveling farther than we searched.”
Beth swallowed hard and wiped sweat from her face with the back of her hand.
“What do we do now?”
“Beth, I honestly do not know. The streets are literally crawling with the cartel. They outnumber us three to one. I think we have to let Roger find his way back. We will keep an eye out for him as we patrol, but I don’t think we would find anything even if we went back out to search.”
Beth hung her head. Tears dripped onto Jack’s carrier. She thought of her children and never seeing them again. She felt guilty for thinking of herself when Roger was out there alone, maybe bleeding to death. But he’d run off and left her to make it home alone.
“I have to get home to my kids. I can’t wait days for him to return. I don’t know what to do.”
This time, Maria took Beth’s hand.
“I’ll go with you.”
“What? No. I can’t ask you to do that. It is dangerous, and you are needed here. I appreciate your group providing safety and food and shelter for me here. I’m just torn by my need to get home to my kids—and I can’t take more from this community by leaving it with one less Marine to defend it.”
“You didn’t ask, and I’ve lost my only remaining family. I want to help you get to your kids,” Maria said as she stood.
“Still, Maria. How are we going to make it over a thousand miles to Missouri?”
“Let’s go to my trailer. We have a plan. We are going to get you home, Beth. That is what Roger would want.”
“It doesn’t feel right to run off and leave Roger out there. He would never do that to me.”
“The colonel and the rest of the group will not stop looking for him. There is nothing you can do for him now. He wants you to get home to your kids.”
Chapter 8
Langston Cabin
Evening Shade, Missouri
Event + 13 days
Although Jacob disagreed with Lugnut and Ron’s suggestion that the group move outside their assigned grid, he did allow them to move farther south. As sunset approached, Jacob, Maddie, Zack, and Harmony reached the outer limits of their search grid and were about to work their way back to the barn when they heard yelling coming from the south.
“I think we should check it out. It could be Lugnut and Ron,” Maddie said, turning to face Jacob.
“We aren’t supposed to go outside our assigned grids. I will probably get in trouble for allowing those guys to break protocol as it is.”
“Well, you will be in a lot more if you allowed it, and then abandoned them if you thought they were injured back there. And what if they found her?”
“I’m going,” Zach said, stomping off toward the sound.
“Wait. We have to stick together,” Jacob called after Zach.
Maddie ran ahead and caught up with her brother. Just before Maddie and Zach reached a dry creek bed, Jacob and Harmony caught up with them.
They continued to walk in a line ten feet apart, searching the ground for any sign of the girl as they headed in the new direction.
“Jacob, I’m surprised at the level of organization in this search—and in the whole community here, really. It seems like the apocalypse didn’t have as much impact on mid-Missouri,” Maddie said as she stepped over a fallen log.
Well, this community is pretty rural. There are 25,000 people in this county. People know each other here. Helping one another has always been a way of life and survival. Most are farmers and have learned how to persevere in hard times.
“Wow—that sure explains this community’s response,” Maddie said.
“Yep. And we got such good response for this search effort because the judge is the girl’s godfather. He’s best friends with her father. He ordered everyone out to look for her.”
“He ordered the search? Can he do that?”
“He is pretty powerful in this county. Most folks listen and do what he says. The others, well, they pay the price if they don’t.”
“Whoa, that sounds scary,” Maddie said.
“Not really. It is more that he has earned everyone’s respect. Everyone looks to him for guidance. He really rules the county, not the commissioners. He doesn’t do it in a dictator kind of way—more like a family patriarch. You see?”
Maddie didn’t see. The judge still sounded like a dictator to her or a cult leader. Either way, it was concerning. But he did pull the community together, so maybe it wasn’t all bad.
Together, the four of them walked along the creek bed, heading south and listening for the sound of the men’s voices.
As the voices grew louder, Maddie yelled out, “We are coming guys.”
She caught the first glimpse of the men as they came around a bend in the creek.
“What is going on, Lugnut?” Maddie asked as they approached.
“Stay back, Maddie. Send the deputy over,” Lugnut called out.
Maddie’s heart sank. She knew that wasn’t good news. Maddie, Zach, and Harmony took seats on a large fallen log as Jacob ran off toward Lugnut and Ron’s position. When he reached them, he stopped dead in his tracks, quickly turned away and threw his arms up over his head. He knelt and began to vomit into the grass.
“What is it?” Harmony asked.
“They’ve found the girl,” Zach said, matter-of-factly.
“Oh. It’s bad, huh?” Harmony asked.
Maddie turned her back to the scene before answering her.
“Yes. It is bad.”
None of them spoke as Jacob worked to regain his composure. It was several minutes before Maddie heard him speak.
“I have to go tell the sheriff. Can you guys stay here with her?”
Maddie turned to see Lugnut and Ron’s reaction. They just nodded as Jacob turned and headed back up the hill toward Maddie.
“Zach, you should go with him. In his state, he might not remember how to get back here, and it is getting dark,” Maddie said, immediately regretting saying it.
Although it was the right thing to do, it put her brother at risk and separated him from the group. But she was right, t
he deputy was quite shaken, and the odds of him leading a team back to this spot in the dark were slim. She didn’t want to be waiting out there all night. She doubted that the girl had wandered off by herself. Whoever was responsible for the girl’s death was likely still out there. Maddie had heard on police shows that killers sometimes even joined the search party. Her group was out there exposed.
The sun had long set by the time anyone reached them. Maddie heard them approaching for fifteen minutes as raised voices echoed through the forest and beams of light cut through the trees. As they approached, the frogs and crickets fell silent. That eerie silence was broken by the wails of the girl’s father, followed by angry shouts from a younger man, who Maddie assumed to be the girl’s brother.
More flashlight beams bounced through the woods as others arrived. More crying and angry shouting was heard as the crowd grew larger. After telling the sheriff everything they’d observed in the woods around the girl, Lugnut and Ron joined Maddie, Zach, and Harmony on the log and watched the scene.
“How are…” Maddie’s question was cut off.
“Austin, stop!” a man yelled.
“Austin, get back here,” the sheriff yelled.
Again, flashlight beams bounced through the woods as people chased after the Henson girl’s brother. Lugnut and Ron stood, followed by Zach. Maddie grabbed Zach’s arm, but he pulled away.
Maddie tried to reason with them.
“Guys, don’t. It is too dark. We should head back to the cabin now.”
“These people will never find him in the dark. They’ll all get lost or run up on whoever did this,” Lugnut said.
“And you wouldn’t?”
Lugnut turned to Maddie and laughed.
“We don’t get lost. We just take little detours.”
Maddie put her hands on her hips and cocked her head sideways.
“This is not the time for jokes.”
“She’s right. If we are going, we need to be moving. That kid can move faster than we can,” Ron said.
While they were debating the matter, the shouting grew louder. Angry voices echoed through the woods not far from where the girl’s body lay.
