I knew instantly it was the source of the wonderful meaty smell that made my stomach rumble. Will informed us it was beef stew and invited us to sit at the huge table that dominated the space. It fit my group, and Will, Ryan, and Rodney, who had finally put down their weapons, with three places left over. I thought of Sarah, of how she should have been sitting with us, enjoying the warmth and food too.
I watched as the big, sullen boy called Ryan dished out the stew. Will clapped his hands suddenly and we all jumped. “I almost forgot!” He quickly stood and went around the bench to the oven. He returned carrying a wooden board with two huge loaves of freshly baked bread and was greeted with shouts of pleasure from the twins and Luke.
I stayed silent, but my mouth watered in anticipation. After surviving so long on canned, mostly cold food, the feast laid before us seemed Heaven sent. As excited at the prospect of a warm meal as I was, I couldn’t help feeling that there was something odd about these boys inviting a group of strangers into their home.
Our hosts seemed content to allow us to make pigs of ourselves. There was plenty to go around and they clearly weren’t wanting. We broke the bread off in chunks and dipped it into the generous bowls of the delicious stew. I slowly relaxed as we ate. The hearty food and the buoyant mood of my group slowly broke down my disquiet. Will was quite the host, and I didn’t fail to notice that Brooke seemed to be quite smitten with him, laughing enthusiastically at his jokes and stories.
It turned out that Will’s group had made several raids into Millbury, one time managing to start an old truck and load it with all the supplies they could fit. I told them the story of the pickup and the dreadful aerial response from the Chinese. Will shrugged. “Luckily, it was only a short journey for us.”
My mistrust deepened. Not only because of the lack of detail he provided to explain their good fortune, but also at the lack of conversation from the other boys. Almost as if they had been ordered not to speak.
After dinner Will showed us where we could clean up, a small bathroom down the hall from the kitchen, and then invited us back into the parlor. We fell to the carpet around the radiator, our full bellies bulging. Beau still sat at the window, barely acknowledging the rest of us as we came in. He clearly took his job as a sentry very seriously.
“Have you had much trouble?” I asked, gesturing toward the stocky lad. The third boy, Rodney, who was so pale he could almost have passed for an albino, gave Will a strange look that none of the others saw.
“Honestly, we have been really lucky,” said Will. “Like you, we’ve had some looters come through, but each time we have been able to scare them off. There was also a group of about 12 kids; we put them up for a couple of nights before they moved on.” This last comment piqued my interest.
“Where did they move on to?”
“Um ... they were heading to the city,” he said, after hesitating for a second. My sense of unease came back, gnawing at the edges of the comfort having a full belly and warmth had brought.
“Worcester?” Luke asked.
“Yes. What about you all? What are your plans?”
Before I could say anything, Brooke had blurted our destination of New Hampshire and told of the Morse code signal. I felt a flash of anger but held my tongue. The other group’s leader was silent for a moment, digesting this information, and I almost choked when she followed up with, “You should come with us!”
“Thanks for the offer, but we’re happy here. Well, for the winter at least. You’re welcome to stay tonight though ... or as long as you want,” he replied, graciously. I breathed an inward sigh of relief, both at his refusal and the offer of a night’s accommodation.
“Oh, marvelous! Thank you, Will, you’re very kind,” said Brooke. She turned to me. “Can’t we? Please, Isaac.”
“Yes, it sounds like a great idea to get our strength back. I vote for staying a few days,” said Ben.
“Me too, Boss,” said Luke.
Outnumbered but resolute, I said “Thanks for the offer; we will take you up on tonight, but one night only. We leave in the morning.”
“It makes sense to stay at least another night, Isaac,” Will said, almost too quickly. “To gather your strength ... and we really could do with the company.”
A chorus of yesses came from Ben, Brooke, and Luke, and I wasn’t able to come up with a valid reason why we shouldn’t stay at least one more night.
“Alright, one more night after this, but we leave before daybreak the next day.”
“Alright!” said Luke, offering me a knuckle bump, which I returned with little enthusiasm.
We didn’t chat much longer; we were all bushed after our flight from the last refuge. Will ordered Ryan to bring mattresses and pillows to the parlor. It seemed odd, the smaller boy, Will, ordering the bigger one about like that, but Ryan took it with no complaint. Will bid us goodnight and went to his own bedroom, which was apparently one of the perks of being in charge. Ten minutes later, the twins were asleep on a double mattress and Luke had taken a comfortable looking sofa and was snoring softly.
I was on a single mattress, watching the comings and goings of Will’s group and attempting to ward off sleep. Rodney had relieved Beau at the window, and Beau was also now quietly snoring in an armchair. Ryan had disappeared with Will.
Tiredness lapped at the beach of my consciousness like a rising tide and I closed my eyes, telling myself it would just be for a second. My sleep was fitful at first and I remember jumping a few times. One of those times, I found Rodney turned away from the window, cradling the crossbow as he regarded me with his expressionless, pale face. He looked away immediately and I slowly relaxed. I didn’t last much longer before I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
I awoke late the next morning, alone in the room except for Ryan, who now guarded the window. I chastised myself. Again, I had slept in after everyone, not even stirring when they had gotten up. I’ve read about soldiers being able to sleep at any time and being able to wake up at the slightest noise, and I wondered how long I had to live in this new world of almost constant danger before I would be able to do that.
“Where are the others?” I asked to the turned back of Ryan.
“Out back,” he said, without looking at me.
I stood up and stretched before putting my jacket back on. I had curled it into a ball the night before and slept with it under my arm. The pistol was still in it. I walked into the kitchen and up to the blackened sliding door. Before opening it, I peeked through a crack and was surprised to see Ben, Brooke, Luke, and the rest of our hosts running around like lunatics throwing snowballs at each other. They were in a private courtyard bordered by a tall, thick hedge.
As I watched, Luke failed to duck a fastball from Will and fell on his butt, his face covered in ice. I couldn’t help but smile and slid open the door before stepping out and closing it behind me.
“Hello, sleepyhead!” yelled Brooke, running up to me and giving me a hug. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes watery, and she looked just about the happiest I had ever seen her.
Whether my presence was a dampener or the game had come to a natural conclusion, I don’t know, but we headed back inside almost immediately and Will made us mugs of hot chocolate using powdered milk and cocoa.
I excused myself. I needed to whiz badly and walked down the hall to the bathroom. I had my hand on the door handle when I decided to have a quick peek in one of the other doors. This was the first time I had been alone, without one of Will’s group within sight.
The door swung open on silent hinges and I found myself looking into what used to be a child’s bedroom. I whistled softly. The room’s pink walls were stacked high with cardboard boxes of food. Powdered milk, flour, dehydrated eggs, canned vegetables, and more water.
Suddenly, Will’s explanation of raids on the local supermarket didn’t ring true; this stuff looked like it had been taken from a warehouse. Fair enough, they had found a goldmine and didn’t want to share, but I didn’t like bein
g lied to. I closed the door. As I relieved myself, I was even more convinced that we should leave first thing in the morning.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully and, after another hearty meal, we discussed our plans for the morning. Rodney, who would be on watch that night, was to awaken us just before daybreak so we could resume our journey. Will didn’t try talking us into staying longer this time ... with good reason.
The crash of a door being kicked open ripped me from sleep and I saw the cones of flashlights stabbing into the parlor as several figures rushed through the front door. Instantly alert, I dug through my jacket for my handgun. It was gone.
A figure loomed over me and I looked up to see Will’s smiling face. I began to scramble to my feet.
“What the hell ...” I began, and immediately found myself back on my ass with my cheek stinging. The little weasel had slapped me.
Confused and enraged, I tried to rise to my feet again, only to feel a cold, hard ring of metal pressed against my neck.
I froze, and in the wildly changing backdrop of shadows and light, I saw the gangly form of Luke tackle another stocky form, almost certainly Beau, and shoot back to his feet with the baseball bat in his hand.
Luke’s back was to me and I saw him wind up, preparing to club the nearest interloper. He didn’t finish his swing. A series of three loud pops, each accompanied by a bright flash, sounded from the direction of the door. I saw Luke jerk as he was hit, and he let out a short, sharp cry.
“No!” I screamed, as he stumbled backwards over the legs of Beau and fell with a heavy thud to the floor.
There was a voice yelling in what was clearly Chinese, and I could hear Ben shouting to ‘stay the bloody hell away’ from his sister. I pulled myself up, ignoring the weapon at my neck and ran toward the prone figure of Luke. I hadn’t made it three feet when something that felt like a speeding bus hit my right arm and shoulder, sending me sideways and spinning to the floor. Shit, I’ve been shot!
The thought reverberated through my mind as I lay winded, trying to get my breath back. I reached over and ran my left hand up my right arm to the shoulder.
I didn’t feel any blood, but there was a rapidly rising welt on my bicep. What the hell? Then the answer came to me. Rubber bullets, like the ones police use in riots. Someone shouted in Chinese again, closer this time, and I was pulled roughly to my feet. One of the lanterns came on and I turned to look, my eyes still watering at the stinging in my arm.
Will approached one of the Chinese soldiers. By the light of the lantern, I saw the soldiers were all clad in black and carrying strange, large barreled guns. The blonde haired boy handed my pistol and Luke’s crossbow to one of them, then turned and smiled smugly at me.
“You won’t be needing those anymore.”
Without taking a second to think, I broke free of the soldier holding my arm and punched Will square on the nose with a beautiful right hook. His nose gushed Technicolor red and he fell backwards with a groan. I stood over him waiting, almost praying, for him to get back up. A split second later, a hand turned me and a Chinese rifle butt caught me dead center of the forehead. The world went dark.
PART 2 - ENCOUNTERS
10
I don’t know how long I was out, but when I awoke again, I was lying face down on the cold, unyielding surface vibrating under me. I hurt. My right arm and shoulder felt like they were about to fall off and my head was splitting. My arms were behind my back and I felt a tight pressure around my wrists. After a few moments, I became aware of the noises around me, including the drone of an engine. I was in a truck or a similar vehicle. I began to struggle, causing the bindings to feel as if they were cutting into my wrists.
“It’ll be alright,” I heard a voice whisper. It was Ben.
“Shush, we don’t want the guards back here again,” I heard Brooke whisper back.
Turning my head in their direction, I strained my eyes to see anything in the darkness. It was pitch black, wherever we were. I gave up and just closed my eyes again. “What happened to Luke?” I asked, speaking as loudly as I dared, which is to say a loud whisper.
“Isaac, you’re awake?” Ben asked quietly. “We’ve been captured by a Chinese patrol.”
“Thanks for the news flash, old chap,” I said, then groaned as I rolled over toward their voices.
“Luke’s in here too, someplace, probably still unconscious from his last thrashing though,” he responded evenly, my sarcasm lost on him or ignored.
“Be quieter, both of you,” Brooke said, under her breath. “Luke woke up when they were loading us into the back and he made a ruckus. They hit him on the back of the neck and knocked him out again. We wouldn’t want the same thing to happen to any of us.”
“Any idea where we are or where they are taking us?” I asked, dropping my whisper lower.
“No, they tied our hands behind our backs and piled us into the back of this lorry ... truck,” Ben explained. “I tried to catch what they were saying to those traitors, but they were too far away. You really got that little prick a good one by the way. I imagine he’ll think twice before he mouths off to someone again.”
Will ... yes, it all made sense now, the abundant food, the gas, and the insistence we stay just one more night. Their strange willingness to help us. They were working for the Chinese, trapping unsuspecting American kids and calling them in to collect. The house was a honey trap.
“How long was I out?”
“We’ve been driving for about 30 minutes.”
Thirty minutes? Was that all? I felt like I had been out for a whole day, at least. I tried to get myself into a sitting position, which was not as easy as I thought it would be with my hands tied behind my back. Finally, I shuffled to the wall of the truck and managed to maneuver myself into a sitting position.
Moving my fingers around, I discovered thin plastic bindings held my wrists. They had not actually cut into me, although my fingers were starting to get tingly. We rode in silence for a few more minutes when I heard a groan coming from the darkness near where I guessed the back of the vehicle to be.
“Luke? Is that you?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “What the hell happened?”
“The Chinese have us, keep quiet for now.”
“Yeah ...” He sounded like he was in a lot of pain.
We all fell silent; I still felt disoriented, but was slowly coming back to my senses. The truck drove on at an even speed, slowing occasionally to turn in tight arcs before speeding up again. Weaving past abandoned vehicles, I assumed. Finally, after another 10 minutes, the vehicle slowed and seemed to change course before coming to a complete stop. We heard a door slam and another short pause before the door to the vehicle clattered open, and in the dim light we saw a Chinese soldier climb up inside.
“Pit stop,” he said, in surprisingly good English. “You will use the bathroom now.” I learned later that many Chinese patrols had a soldier attached to the unit who had spent time in America as an exchange student.
“What if we don’t have to go?” Luke said in almost a groan.
“Last chance to go. We have a long drive ahead and no more pit stops. Only stops ahead are to add more of you along the way.”
“I could take a leak,” I said, using the wall to force myself to my feet. “Thank you.”
“You are all going, everybody up,” the soldier said. “And no funny stuff, we’re watching, and we’ve put away the rubber bullets from last night. If you try to run, we use the real thing.”
The rubber bullets had been bad enough; I never wanted to feel the impact of a live round, that was for sure. I stepped down out of the van with the help of the English-speaking soldier. We were at a rest stop beside the freeway. It was still dark, but the sky was brightening with a pink, predawn glow. At the bathroom door, the soldier stopped us.
“One at a time,” he said. “I am watching here, and Chou is watching around back. So, like I said, no funny stuff,” he pulled Brooke forward and turned her arou
nd, pulling a small pocketknife from the pocket of his uniform. He flicked it open with a snap of his wrist and cut through the zip-tie with one movement and shoved her toward the door. “Ladies first,” he said.
“You and Chou, huh, how many more of you rat-bastards are there?” My eyes widened as I heard Luke ask the question. The soldier turned to look at Luke with a smile, and then his left hand flashed out to deliver a hard slap across Luke’s face.
“You have already been more trouble than you are worth,” the soldier said. “You had better hope we do not find very many more pick-ups between here and Washington. If the truck gets too full, it is possible that accidents will happen to some of you.”
“Washington state or the city?” I asked, flinching slightly as the soldier turned his eyes on me. It was risky asking questions, but this soldier seemed happy to talk – probably because he saw no harm could come of it – so I took the opportunity to gain any information that might be helpful.
“We think it is important to take you to a work camp in an unfamiliar area,” he said. “But trucking you all the way across the country is cost prohibitive. New workers are relocated north and south, not east and west.”
“The city then,” I replied.
“Yes,” he said. “The city.”
“You speak English very well,” I said. “Where did you learn it?”
“Stanford,” he replied. “I went to graduate school there. American graduate schools are ... were a joke.”
“You have an advanced degree?” I asked incredulously. “What are you doing on a detail like this?”
“Like I said, American graduate schools were a joke. Most businesses and government agencies at home consider my Doctorate in Anthropology to be little better than the Chinese equivalent of a Master’s degree.” The soldier stepped over to the restroom door and knocked loudly on it. “You are taking a long time, hurry up.”
The After Days Trilogy [Books 1-3] Page 9
