by Bobby Akart
In addition to the big brown trucks parked throughout the space, hundreds of packages had been ripped open and their contents were strewn about. Scavengers had torn open every available box, looking for food or other useful items. The only way to walk through the debris was to shuffle their feet to move things out of the way.
They stopped to listen for a moment, but the silence continued. “Okay,” started Coach Carey, once again dropping to one knee while keeping his gun at the ready. “Let’s spread apart and work our way through all of this. Chances are, the things of value to us didn’t attract the attention of the folks who came before we did.”
“Sounds good,” said Beau. “I’m gonna make my way over to that tool room. I might find our bolt cutters there.”
For the better part of the evening, the Careys worked their way through the warehouse area before settling into a makeshift bed of two dozen Tommy Bahama beach towels found in one of the torn-open boxes. They alternated sleeping for a few hours while the other stood watch and continued to plow through the debris. As the light of dawn began to appear through the large wall fan at the east end of the building, Coach Carey woke up his son and they started their day.
“The bolt cutters were a huge score,” said Coach Carey.
“Yeah, we found a lot of things that will help,” added Beau. “But, Dad, what’s with the stuffed tiger.”
His dad began laughing as he twirled the tiger by the tail. “You’ll see.”
Chapter 21
Morning, November 27
FEMA Camp #3
Jackson
After a brief conversation in which Chase told Stubby that he couldn’t recall much after the beating took place and that he had very little to offer in the way of information about the camp, the two agreed to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the next day. Once released into the general population of FEMA Camp #3, they would have to be sharp mentally. Time was of the essence, as they had to find the Bennetts and make sure Stubby’s plan was doable.
“Rise and shine, gentlemen,” said a guard as he flung open the door to their recovery room. “It’s chow time!”
The guard flipped the lights on and an orderly rolled a cart containing trays of food into the room. “Hey, nobody told me we had a new guy,” the older man protested as he distributed the trays to Stubby and Chase.
“Just feed ’em and keep your mouth shut,” snarled the guard. “If we run out, we run out. It’s not our problem.”
Neither Stubby nor Chase made eye contact with the guard, something Chase did suggest when they’d discussed his experiences at the camp so far. After the guard and orderly exited, Stubby opened up the lid of his tray and found runny oatmeal, a packet of sugar, and an apple.
“Looks like slop,” complained Chase.
“Better than nothing, I suppose,” said Stubby.
“Sadly, that’s the way most of the refugees feel.” A woman’s voice startled Stubby. He didn’t realize that they’d been overheard by Nurse Sheridan, who had approached the door with a man dressed in scrubs.
“Sorry to interrupt, guys, but I’m gonna turn you over to my husband, Fred. He’s gonna give you both a look over and decide if you can move into the rest of the facility. FEMA likes to keep these rooms available, just in case.”
The guys set their trays aside and gave the Sheridans their full attention. Chase planned on playing down the pain that he was still enduring in order to be released to GenPop with Stubby. He was anxious to check out of Club FEMA permanently.
“Here are your clothes,” said Donna. She handed them to Stubby and then added, “You’re in very capable hands now.” She paused to kiss her husband before exiting.
“Well, Clarence, I understand you made quite an impression on the boys at the front door last night.” Fred chuckled. “They’ve actually labeled you on their intake form as hostile.”
“Well, um, I guess impatient would have been a better characterization of what I did,” Stubby said, smiling. “Really, I knocked first, but no one answered. So I knocked a little too hard the next time.”
Fred set down his clipboard and picked up Stubby’s left hand. “This wound wasn’t too deep and the bleeding is definitely under control. Let’s take a look at the side of your head.”
He peeled back the bandages and saw that the gash was healing. Then he pulled out his penlight and looked into Stubby’s eyes.
“Good, good. The knot on the side of your head will begin to subside over the next few days. I’m gonna put you on the approved list for ibuprofen, eight hundred milligrams. It’s just a stronger dose of Advil. This afternoon, when they come around your tent for count at four o’clock, a member of our staff will administer medications.”
Stubby sat a little higher on the edge of his bed. “Does that mean I’ll be released from medical today?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Fred. “Right after they serve the meals, the guards will come around and assign you to a cot in a temporary tent. Unfortunately, that’s the best there is to offer right now because of the overcrowding. You’ll be settled in by ten o’clock count.”
“Count? What’s that?”
Fred moved on to look at Chase’s head wounds. He examined the bruises and also conducted the penlight test. He made a few notes on Chase’s chart and then responded, “Several times during a twenty-four-hour period, the guards will go around and count everyone to see if anyone has escaped or is hiding somewhere. Plus, to see if anybody has died. During the daytime, the counts occur at ten in the morning and then again at four in the afternoon. In between, they allow recreation time outside.”
“Sir, will I be released today?” asked Chase. “I like you guys and all, but it gets really boring in here.”
“You know what, Chase? You’ve healed up remarkably well. I’m going to prescribe the same medications for you and let you go today.”
“Awesome!” exclaimed Chase, laying it on thick.
“But, young man, let me caution you that you took quite a beating,” said Fred. “The first signs of dizziness and blurred vision, I want you to put in a request to see me. Got it?”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
Fred replaced his pen in his pocket. “Fellas, finish up your breakfast and the guards will come get you. Let me add one thing, gentlemen. Watch your tongue and mind your p’s and q’s. These guys are short-handed and equally short-fused. Don’t push your luck, especially you, Clarence.”
Stubby stood and shook Fred’s hand. “Thank you for tending to us. You and your wife are good people. Compassion like yours is probably in short supply around here.”
“Well, thank you. Just be mindful. Watch yourselves.”
Within seconds of Fred exiting the room, Stubby quickly closed the door and gave Chase a high five. Being released right away meant they could set their plan in motion. They talked further about what was happening outside of the fences until a guard burst into the room.
“You lovebirds ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” said Chase politely.
“All right then, let’s go. I want you to listen carefully as we find your bunk assignments.”
The guard pushed his way past an orderly and leaned backwards as he pushed the exit bar on the security door. The three emerged into another hallway that led to the Walter L. Nelms Classroom Building according to the campus map on the wall.
Both Stubby and Chase quickly studied the map and made mental notes. Stubby smiled slightly as he considered how accurate the makeshift map was that he and the group had to work with. Creating a memory usually came from paying attention. The young ladies at Croft Dairies had mastered that art.
“This building was converted to dormitories after the Disaster Declaration by the President. In the last month, as it got colder, more and more people began to show up and it got overcrowded.”
He pushed another security door open and they were hit with a gust of cold, refreshing air. Then, the warmth of the sun hit Stubby’s body immediately. The combina
tion invigorated him and he found himself walking with a little pep in his step.
The guard continued in his monotone voice. “You two will be assigned to these temporary facilities. The tents are not heated, and we will issue extra blankets if you’re cold at night. If beds open up in the dormitory for some reason, they’re assigned on a first-in basis. I wouldn’t look forward to getting a bed anytime soon.”
Stubby quickly realized that nobody left and the only way beds came available was through the death of their occupants. His mind considered the best-case scenario and then he vowed that they would only spend one night here. Tomorrow was going to be their release day.
Chapter 22
Noon, November 27
FEMA Camp #3
Jackson
“How in the heck are we gonna find them in this crowd of people?” asked Chase as he and Stubby surveyed the two baseball fields full of refugees. From the outside, Stubby estimated a few hundred. Now that he was in the middle of the camp, his number rose to a thousand or more.
“This is way more than I imagined,” replied Stubby. He stared into the throngs of orange-suited refugees and newly admitted people, who still wore their civvies. He thought about the fact that Nurse Donna was kind enough to clean his clothes until he considered an alternative purpose. “They segment us.”
“What?” asked Chase.
“They can’t keep up with who’s who, so they divide us by sleeping quarters and clothing. If you sleep in a tent, you wear the clothes you came in with. The people who arrived early are given the better housing and the orange jumpsuits to set them apart.”
Chase laughed and then grimaced as he instantly hugged his ribs, which were likely bruised rather than fractured. “It’ll be like playing the Where’s Waldo game. Ignore everything you see in orange and focus on the street clothes.”
“Exactly, think for a minute. The guys were playing a scrimmage. Which uniform were the Bennetts wearing?”
“White. I’m sure of it,” replied Chase.
For the next thirty minutes, Stubby moved around the outskirts of the crowd. He and Chase began to focus their attention on anyone wearing white. Jimbo and Clay would stick together, they agreed, which made the task easier. As they walked through a group of orange-clad people, they emerged onto the softball field.
“Look, up there,” said Chase, pointing to the bleachers. “They’re sitting alone on the top row. Do you see them?”
“Dang straight! Way to go, Chase! C’mon.”
Stubby and Chase pushed their way through the masses and onto the infield. After navigating through the dugout, they nonchalantly walked up the bleacher steps.
“Hey! What the …?” Clay stood and shouted toward them. Stubby quickly motioned with his hands, instructing Clay to calm down and sit.
“Guys, play it cool,” Stubby responded as he sat down on the back row next to them. “Act like we just met.”
“Yeah, okay,” said Jimbo. “Chase, what happened to you?”
“When everything broke loose, I helped my parents get away by distracting the soldiers,” Chase replied. “I was doing fine until I got clotheslined by a tree limb. That let them catch up to me, and, well, you see the end result. How about you, Clay? Look at your jersey.”
“Junior smacked me around a little,” said Clay, looking down at his bloodstained jersey.
Stubby shielded his eyes from the sun and surveyed the yard. The refugees were lethargic, barely moving and interacting. He contemplated whether they were drugged and then he noticed their clothing. They were definitely malnourished. Does FEMA not have enough to feed these folks? Or are the food rations being reassigned to more important mouths?
“Listen up,” said Stubby. The three boys leaned forward and huddled together. “Based upon the plan I laid out with Coach Carey, Jake and Colton, the plan is to break out of here through the fenced area behind the tents. It will happen sometime during tomorrow’s eleven to three rec period.”
“What can we do on this side of the fence?” asked Jimbo.
“Nothing really, but for now, it would be a good idea to get as close to the north fence line as possible so that Alex can see that we’re together.”
“Alex? How do you know she’s out there?” asked Clay.
“I guarantee she’s been hiding in the woods, watching, since we walked out of those tents,” replied Stubby. “Let’s make our way over there. Chase and I will go first and you guys catch up in a few minutes.”
The guys worked their way through the crowd, looking up at the guards positioned on the rooftops from time to time. They were alone and armed with automatic weapons. Stubby didn’t see any guards on the ground level or working the perimeter fencing. He realized that the minimal amount of security might be because Rollie had pulled too many of the National Guardsmen to Savannah.
When the Bennett twins arrived, the four guys stepped away from the crowd and toward the fence. They spread apart slightly and stood facing the street fronting the camp. Although Stubby couldn’t see Alex, he knew she was there. He tried to signal her with his hands. He held up one finger and then provided a thumbs-up. Stubby repeated the signal. Since it was well past one, Alex would know that the one finger would represent tomorrow, as they’d agreed upon before they’d parted ways.
“Let’s make our way back towards the tents,” instructed Stubby. “I need to sneak around the back side and try to make contact with Coach Carey and Beau.”
“You have to be careful because that part of the camp is considered out of bounds,” said Jimbo. “We heard a story about someone wandering too close to the tent and they were badly beaten. Then they were taken to the hole, whatever that is.”
“Jimbo’s right,” added Clay. “The guy never came back, they said.”
Stubby continued walking in that direction and the three teens laid back a little. Suddenly, Stubby stopped and looked at the rooftops. He was determining where the blind spots were. If he could identify them from the inside, hopefully Coach Carey had done the same from the outside.
After a moment, he decided the second and third tents from the end were ideal. He instructed the boys to stay put while he walked between the tents. If he got caught, he would explain that he was new and didn’t know where the latrine was. He’d pretend he was taking a leak. This might draw a rebuke, but it wouldn’t land him in the hole, hopefully.
After one final glance, Stubby made his way between the two tents and peered around the corners to make sure that there were no perimeter patrols. He was relieved, and surprised, to find that there weren’t any.
He stood there for a moment, peering into the woods, looking for a sign. Nervously, he walked behind the tent so that his silhouette showed against the white background.
Several minutes passed and he was about to leave when he heard the faint sound of limbs being moved and leaves crunching underfoot. He resisted the urge to bolt back to the tents.
Stubby focused on the underbrush and focused on the spot where the sounds came from. There was a twenty-foot cleared space between the fence and the woods, so he knew that Coach Carey couldn’t show himself. Then, without warning, an object flew towards the fence from his right. It landed on the ground and rolled up against the fence within ten feet of him.
Stubby chuckled as he looked at the projectile. It was a stuffed tiger. The Tiger Tails had found him. He signaled the Careys with one finger and a thumbs-up. He repeated the signal and then grinned.
Tomorrow at one o’clock. He and the boys would be ready. Tiger Tails out.
Chapter 23
Noon, November 28
FEMA Camp #3
Jackson
The skies were becoming overcast and the wind was picking up as everyone took up their positions near the entry to the camp. Alex positioned herself directly across from the intrusion point where Beau would hook up the chain to the wrecker. During the evening, Jake successfully got the vehicle running after an hours-long search for a replacement for the cracked distribu
tor cap. When he successfully got Old Hoss started, it immediately backfired with a blast that sounded like a high-powered rifle. He quickly shut down the motor and knew exactly where to look. Age was not kind to the important plastic part of the truck’s ignition system, and they searched high and low for a replacement.
Also during the night, Colton and Beau swapped places. It was agreed that Beau would be best suited to affix the chain to the fence without detection. He was faster and better capable of dodging gunfire if it came to that.
While Colton and Coach Carey got into position to extract Stubby and the teens from the south side of the camp, Alex and Beau got everything ready to pull down the fence as a distraction.
It was almost time to find out if their preparations would pay off. Jake parked the Chevy station wagon behind the Jehovah’s Witness Church immediately across from the entrance of the camp. All five members of the extraction team now waited for one o’clock to arrive.
*****
Precisely at one o’clock, Beau fired up the wrecker, which was tucked into a side street a hundred yards to Alex’s right. As Jake promised, there was no backfire this time. Through her scope, Alex moved from rooftop to rooftop to gauge a response from the guards. They were distracted by the mob within the fence. A thousand people confined in an open area still made a lot of noise from their conversations and milling about.
Beau eased out onto the street and drove until he was in position. He abruptly steered onto the grass directly in front of Alex’s hidden spot in the woods. Slowly, he exited the vehicle and walked around to the front of the truck, pretending to look for a mechanical problem. He raised the hood under the pretense of making a repair.
Beau did a great job of parking directly over the top of the tow chain’s hook. After looking under the hood and keeping the wrecker between him and the guards, whose attention he’d now grabbed, Beau slid under the wrecker and hooked the chain to the bumper’s tow hooks.
