by Hunt, Jack
“I’m no doctor but if it’s a clean shot, and it missed bone, nerves and artery — a couple of weeks.”
“And if it gets infected?” she asked.
“You’ll know in a matter of days.”
She nodded and groaned. She’d broken her finger when she was eight years of age and remembered how badly it hurt. The pinkie had swollen up to three times its usual size and felt like the darn thing was going to pop. But that was nothing compared to this. She tried to take her mind off the pain by thinking of anything else but it was near impossible.
“I’m sorry about Sara,” Maggie said.
Damon dropped his chin. She could see the anguish in his face. She was going to ask him more questions but he must have wanted to be alone as he got up and said he was going to collect water. As he walked away, she turned to Jesse.
“You think they’ll come?”
He glanced off toward the pond where Damon was standing collecting water. “If they are, they better be prepared to die.”
Chapter 12
The reality that she was gone hadn’t sunk in until Maggie offered her sympathy. Sure he’d seen her lifeless body, felt her last breath against his skin but a part of him expected to wake up and find that it was just a bad dream — that all of this was nothing more than a concoction of his mind under duress. Damon crouched at the edge of the pond and filled up the metal canister with the cool water, he planned on tossing in one of the purifying tablets, then boiling it. Elliot had said it was crucial to filter and go through some long process of using pebbles, burlap and seven inches of thick soil, in order to remove fallout particles and get usable water. But that seemed like an awful lot of work when the chances were they wouldn’t survive the winter.
“Smoke?” Jesse said coming up behind him. He turned to find him extending a pack of Marlboros.
Damon’s brow furrowed. “You don’t smoke.”
“No, but I thought if I ever felt the urge at least I’d have a pack on hand.”
The corner of Damon’s lip curled. He reached for one and pulled a Zippo lighter from his pocket and singed the end. Jesse pocketed the pack.
Damon jabbed a finger at him. “You know you’re odd.”
“Colorful, I prefer.”
Damon snorted. They stood on the banks of the pond looking out into the darkest night. A canopy of stars stretched above them, a reminder that some places were out of reach of humanity’s destructive tendencies.
“You miss the city?” he asked blowing smoke out his nostrils.
“Right about now. Yeah,” Jesse replied. “Hell, I’d even put up with my old job and listening to my neighbor drone about utter horseshit for twenty-four hours if it meant the world would go back to normal.” He sighed. “Like I know it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine before the lights went out but at least I knew where I stood. You know?” He stuck his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders as a cold wind nipped at their ears.
“It might sound odd but I think we’re safer here,” Damon said.
Jesse laughed. “I’m pretty sure no one is going to be chasing anyone down 5th Avenue.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do. That road on a normal day was clogged with traffic. No one is getting down there unless they’re on foot.”
“So you think you would have survived if you’d stayed?”
“Probably not but who knows? For all we know the National Guard may have moved in and set up secure locations. I imagine eventually we’ll see military in these parts,” Jesse said.
“I wouldn’t bank on it. They’ll stick to the cities. There’s more supplies and resources to protect and if the country has come under attack and this isn’t just some screw-up by the military, then maybe the lights will come back on.”
Jesse shook his head.
“What?” Damon asked.
“Even if they manage to get the power grid on, it’s going to take years before society returns to normal. The devastation of a nuke will have rippled out, killing thousands and causing untold chaos in cities and towns. How would they reel it back in?”
“Martial law. They’ll enforce their rule over the public. Seizing of arms will be first, curfews will be put in place and arrests will be made.”
“Yeah and who’s going to do that?”
“There are over 800 U.S. bases dotted around the planet in 80 countries.”
“Really?”
“At least according to my old man.” Damon sniffed. “I figure those troops will make their way home.”
There was silence for a minute.
“I thought you didn’t talk to him?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t but that didn’t stop him from sending me emails. And the worst part was there wasn’t even an unsubscribe link.”
They both laughed.
“What’s the deal with you and him?”
Damon looked back toward the camp to check on Maggie. She was using Jesse’s coat to stay warm while he suffered in silence. The things people did for love.
“I’ll give you one guess.”
“Cole?”
“Bingo!” He paused. “Yeah, Cole’s reputation preceded him. Back when I was a youngster he didn’t like me hanging out with him. Said he was bad news. I should have listened.”
“So how did that create a problem?”
“I didn’t agree with him at the time. Told him to keep his nose out of it. But he wouldn’t listen. You see, he knew about Cole dealing drugs. It’s a small town, word travels and by the time State Police show up, there was nothing to be found. It was always his word against Cole’s. It didn’t help that my father drank like a fish and had earned his own reputation. No one believed him. Anyway, he showed up one night when I was on a two-day coke binge. Well, words were exchanged, I ended up throwing a punch, and it didn’t end well. Let’s just leave at that.”
“Everything is 20-20 in hindsight.”
“That it is,” Damon said.
There was quiet between them for a while, only the sound of wood crackling. Jesse looked over his shoulder. “You think she’s going to be okay?”
“I’ve seen worse.”
“Ah, that’s comforting,” Jesse said sarcastically.
“Tomorrow we’ll head back to Keene. I know someone that can help.”
“A doctor?”
“No, a vet.”
“A vet?”
“Same kind of thing.”
“Yeah if you’re eighty pounds, have four legs and a snout. C’mon, are you kidding me?”
“I’m joking, Jesse. We’ll drop in on my old man.”
He cocked his head. “He’s still in Keene?”
“I hope so.”
Jesse’s brow knit together. “When did you last see him?”
“Six years before I went inside.”
“And you think he’s going to help you?”
“No but we don’t exactly have many options here, and he knows how to treat gunshot wounds.”
“She needs medical attention, Damon, not someone with just enough knowledge.” He looked over his shoulder toward Maggie. She was still gripping her shoulder and staring into the fire. The fire created shadows that danced against her features. Even in the dim light, she was attractive. He shivered in the cold.
“You’re going to freeze to death,” Damon said.
“I’ll be fine.”
He chuckled. “You like her?”
“Who?” Jesse asked.
“Jesse, I don’t have a college degree but I’m not blind.” He jerked a thumb behind him.
“Who, Maggie? No.”
“Jesse.”
“Alright I admit she’s pretty hot.”
“You told her?”
“No. Not exactly the right time, is it?”
“When is?” Damon looked at him. “If there’s anything this event has taught me, it’s not to wait or hold off telling those that mean something to you, that you love them.”
“Oh dude, that sounds lik
e a bunch of gush to me,” Jesse replied.
“Well, that’s for you to decide.” Damon flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the water. Jesse shivered again, his teeth chattering ever so slightly. A few more minutes passed before Damon screwed the cap on the canister.
“Look, I just wanted to say that I know what it feels like to lose someone.”
Damon didn’t reply. He was still processing it. Trying to come to terms with it.
“Do you ever get over it?” Damon asked.
“No, you just learn to live with it.”
He was just about to say one more thing when Maggie let out a high-pitched scream. “Jesse!”
They turned to find Jesse’s coat on the ground and Maggie gone. Jesse was about to run back when Damon grabbed him and clamped his hand over his mouth. He pulled him to the ground and scanned the clearing with his rifle raking over the terrain. In a whisper he said, “They can’t see us here. You run into that clearing and you are dead.”
The edge of the pond was just over a small rise. From the campsite a person would have been hard-pressed to notice them as it was pitch-dark in the forest but from where they were positioned they could see the fire illuminating the clearing. They remained quiet. Where are you? They could hear movement. The crunching of twigs and underbrush. Someone hurrying and hushed voices.
That’s when they heard him. “Damon! I know you can hear me.”
Cole. He’d figured he’d wait until morning. If he was honest, he should have anticipated this but they would have frozen to death if they hadn’t started that fire.
“Listen to me. You’ve brought this on yourself. All I wanted was for you to work with me. This still doesn’t need to end badly.”
He wanted to scream back at him but they remained quiet. Replying would have only given away their position, and that was the only thing they had working for them. He didn’t dare move just in case they were heard and spotted. There was no use trying to take them out. They had the darkness working against them and they were outnumbered five to two. He’d hunted animals growing up, but this was different. Sitting in a tree stand was one thing, pursuing armed individuals another. Jesse struggled within his grasp.
“You say anything, and we’re dead,” Damon whispered in his ear.
He listened as Cole continued.
“Now I won’t harm this woman but I can’t speak for the others. They want you dead. You hear me?” There was silence, except for the gentle lapping of water against the shore. “So this is your last chance. One more opportunity. That’s all you get. Take it or leave it. What’s it gonna be?”
“Shit. Shit!” he muttered under his breath. He was drawing him out. Giving him an ultimatum that he had to respond to even if he didn’t agree.
“Jesse, you got your handgun?”
“Yeah.”
“You remain here on the south side, I’m gonna shift position to the east and respond. They’re gonna come for me. Okay? If they cross through that clearing — shoot. You got it?”
He nodded. Jesse patted him on the back and remained in a crouched position. He shuffled sideways like a crab along the shore making his way around. He kind of knew Cole wasn’t going to give him a free ride, in which case he was going to make damn sure they didn’t leave these woods without going down with him. His mind flashed to Sara. The look of shock in her eyes. The fear of knowing she was about to die. He used that image as fuel to drive him.
Damon moved around a tree and crouched down near a mossy boulder. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and there he could make out the silhouette of Jesse’s head bobbing up to take a look. He shifted position. As he made his way to another rock, he spotted Devin between the trees. He was pressed up against a pine and peeking out looking toward the fire with his rifle in preparation. Where are you, Maggie?
How they had managed to get the drop on them without hearing their approach was strangely impressive. Though he knew Magnus was an avid hunter and Cole had spent his fair share of time in the wilderness. There wasn’t much else to do in their neck of the woods.
“Damon, I need an answer. What’s it gonna be?”
He liked Devin, and he’d never done him wrong but as long as he was aligned with Cole, and holding a gun, he was as guilty as the rest of them. Without saying a word he pocketed his Glock and swung the rifle around and brought the scope to his eye. He pressed the fleshy part of his finger against the trigger and put Devin’s head in the cross hair. His finger twitched and without missing a beat he squeezed. The round hit its mark and dropped him. They must have been close as he heard Cole yell.
“Damon! You’ve killed him.”
“And you killed her!” he replied as he shifted ass and darted in and out of the trees, firing off a few more rounds in the hope that in their anger they would give chase and run out into the clearing giving Jesse a clear view. But they didn’t. They were smarter than that. Now he knew he might have just signed Maggie’s death warrant but the way he saw it, they were planning on killing them, anyway. Coming all the way up here in the middle of the night to offer him a second chance? No. That was never in the cards. At least now he’d leveled the playing field and reduced their numbers to four.
He took off running seeking cover in the massive pine trees and evergreen foliage. He could hear them behind him calling out to one another. “He went that way.”
“No, fan out.”
“Where’s the other one?” Tyron shouted.
“I don’t see him.”
Damon knew the area well. He and his father had spent many a weekend out there hunting deer. Hours of trekking through forest and waiting in tree stands gave him an appreciation for the vastness of the land. He’d learned to plot out the area using landmarks like outcroppings of rock or fallen trees, and of course the position of the sun and the moon.
He stayed low, running uphill toward a large gathering of boulders. It would give him a good view of the terrain below and provide ample cover. His throat was burning from moving so fast, and his adrenaline had blocked out the cold. He ducked behind a boulder and brought his rifle up looking downwind. He could have used night vision goggles, but he’d have to rely on the moon’s light and his senses. Damon could hear voices and boots pounding the ground. He cleared away some snow from the top of a boulder and positioned his rifle waiting for someone to step into view. How had it come to this? Friends hunting friends? Or were they ever that to begin with?
There, he spotted Sawyer dashing from one tree to the next. He took aim and was about to squeeze off the trigger when a round tore up the ground behind. Shit. They’d spotted him. He slunk down and moved fast heading farther along the slope.
“Give up, Damon!” Cole yelled. “You’re outnumbered.”
He twisted around and caught sight of Magnus running at a crouch. He squeezed off two rounds, but neither hit their mark. It was tough to hit a running target, even harder in the dark. Cole and Tyron emerged from dense trees and burst across a clearing. Every couple of seconds he would see the muzzle flash of a gun as they opened fire in his direction. Rounds kicked up dirt off to his right, which led him to believe they were having as much of a hard time seeing him as he was with them. He rolled out of view and shifted ass again. The key was to keep moving. Never stay in one place, his father would tell him.
Chapter 13
The second town hall meeting for public input on the challenges facing Lake Placid residents was a bust. There were only forty-two people in attendance, and in a town of more than two thousand that was an awful turnout. It was a far cry from the first, two weeks ago, which saw the building bursting at the seams with everyone and their uncle wanting to voice their concerns and opinions. Now with no power, and an excessive amount of looting, it seemed that most of the town had concluded they were on their own. Mayor Hammond looked thinner, and even more stressed than before. He stood at the podium doing his best to address the increase in robberies, fires and violence and in some cases rape.
Rayna cast he
r eyes over worried faces and spotted Jill on the far side. She waved to her but Jill looked away. Twelve days spent inside the bunker with her and Gary had been brutal. She’d attempted speaking to Jill if only to create small talk but it had failed. While she hadn’t said anything to Elliot, she knew that it was only a matter of time. Everyone in town was losing patience with each other and looking for any reason to argue.
Elliot had said he would be there but neither he nor Gary had shown. There had been moments that she’d thought of telling him but that would have only put them at odds with each other and right now what they were facing was more important. There was a time for everything and now wasn’t it.
A tall man with a thick beard jabbed his finger in the air. “My daughter was raped, the guy who did it is still out there. I want to know, what is being done?”
“Yeah!” those in the crowd joined in.
Assistant Chief Ted Murphy stepped up to the mic and Hammond took a seat looking relieved that someone else wanted to be the sounding board.
“Sir, I understand your frustration and I want to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to protect and—”
The man laughed. “Protect? Where were your guys when she was dragged into an alley on the west side of town and brutalized?”
Someone else in the room stood up and told him to calm down. “The cops are doing the best they can. They are understaffed.”
“Well their best is not good enough. I did not spend my entire life working and paying taxes to have to deal with this crap. Now I want real answers!”
Ted continued. “Sir, the only answer I can give you right now is that we are in the process of creating new officers to assist us. But it’s not an easy or fast task. We are facing circumstances that have strained and buckled the infrastructure. We’ve lost three of our officers, one to a gunshot wound and the other two have abandoned their post.”
“Oh that is great. And in the meantime what are we meant to do? You see because—”
“Maybe you should shut the hell up and let Ted speak!” a middle-aged man with a bald head rose to his feet and bellowed.
