They all kept their eyes glued on the tree line, but there was no sign of Uncle Don or any of his people. Without knowing exactly where they were, they couldn’t risk leaving the chopper. They were trapped. The last they saw of the Camp Liberty people, they were running into the thick woods. No one in the helicopter knew how many remained to continue the assault or if they’d kept going back to their settlement. After the explosion, they were sure Uncle Don had remained behind. The random potshots could be him too, or it could mean that a handful had stayed to support their leader. For the moment, it seemed they were at a stalemate, neither able to get the upper hand on the other.
***
Levi led the way through the corrugated metal tube with Jenny following apprehensively. She couldn’t stop asking questions, still having trouble believing that this escape route even existed. Climbing the ladder to the hatch, Levi stopped long enough to tell Jenny to keep from making any noise. He cracked the lid to peek outside. It was dark out, the sun below the horizon. Silently, both slipped out and re-closed the lid, covering it with dirt and leaves.
“Stay with me,” whispered Levi.
Jenny looked around. Even in the dark, once her eyes had become acclimated, she knew exactly where she was. “No, you follow me. I know these woods better than anyone.”
Levi didn’t argue. Knowing it was her backyard, he was sure she knew them better than he did. But he wanted to make sure they both wanted the same thing. “The only way we can help Ryder is to find and stop the assault from the trees. Agreed?”
Jenny nodded. She took off and motioned for him to follow. She swung out to the western edge of the trees in an effort to come up behind Uncle Don and any others with him.
***
Samuel couldn’t stand by and do nothing any longer. Both of his sons were out there, both in danger. He wouldn’t kill anyone, but maybe he could do something to stop any further bloodshed. Most of those who had taken refuge in Cell Block C had filtered back into the foyer. Roy stood beside Samuel.
“I need a rifle,” requested Samuel.
Roy couldn’t believe his ears. He knew Samuel was a pacifist. “But Samuel, what in the world for?”
“I’m not sure yet. So, can you get me one?”
Roy had been carrying one himself ever since the attack had started. He handed it reluctantly to Samuel. He didn’t want him to do something that went against everything he believed in.
“Thanks. Can you show me the way to the tower?”
“I think I’ll stay here,” said Eli.
Without any further questions, Roy led Samuel up the stairs. From the tower, Samuel could clearly see the blinking lights of the Blackhawk helicopter with its occupants trapped inside, safe for the time being. He could hear random potshots and the sound of them ricocheting off the chopper’s body. From his vantage point he had hoped he could see into the wooded area, but the canopy of the trees was just too thick. He still didn’t know what good he could do, but he felt less helpless than when he was standing at the door below. He had no intent of shooting anyone, but he knew how to use a rifle. He was a hunter, helping to provide food for Paradise.
If the helicopter was rushed, he believed he could place his shots in such a way as to persuade the attackers to retreat back into the woods. Now all he could do was to wait and be ready. He would do what he could when the time came.
***
Jenny slowed down to let Levi catch up. “It would be better if we split up,” she whispered. “We can cover more area.”
Levi nodded agreement. “What should we do if we see any of them?”
“Shoot them.”
Levi wanted to help his brother, but now that they were actually getting close to doing something, he wasn’t sure he was up to shooting anyone. He’d never killed anyone. He had to admit to himself that there was more of his dad in him than he’d thought. He decided, if possible, he’d only shoot to wound.
Jenny saw the hesitation in his eyes. “Are you up for this or not? I need to know if I can count on you.”
“Let’s do this,” he replied as he headed into the woods.
She had doubts about him, but hoped he had some of his brother in him. Ryder, she knew, wouldn’t hesitate to stop their enemy dead in their tracks. She watched Levi for a few moments as he slipped from tree to tree before she did the same.
Halfway through the woods and not seeing anyone, Jenny worked her way back toward where she had last seen Levi. He saw her coming and stopped to wait for her.
“See anyone?” she whispered.
“No one. Do you suppose they all left?” he asked.
“I can still hear someone taking potshots at the helicopter. Keep moving toward the road. If they’re in here, we’ll find them.”
Levi split off once again, but soon stopped and waved to get Jenny’s attention. Out of the corner of her eye she caught his movements. When she looked in his direction, he pointed straight ahead with only one finger in the air. She peeked around the side of the tree she’d been using for cover, her eyes moving from tree to tree. She didn’t see anyone. If only one person was ahead, she had to assume it was Uncle Don, and he was well hidden. She looked back at Levi and shrugged her shoulders. If he had an open shot, he should take it. Jenny mouthed the words ‘shoot him.’
His jaw dropped. He began to panic. It would be hard enough to shoot him if he was facing him, but to shoot him in the back, without any warning, seemed wrong. He didn’t think he could do it. He shook his head ‘no.’
This was their chance to end this stalemate. This was why they had come out there. She shook her fist at him angrily. Her doubts about Levi had been well founded. She decided she’d have to do it herself, but first she’d have to move to where she could see Uncle Don clearly. She carefully moved to the nearest big tree. A shot rang out before she could reach it, falling to the ground with a hot, searing pain in her thigh. She scrambled to drag herself to the cover of the tree. Her rifle lay on the ground where she’d been shot. She was defenseless. Levi would have to step up or they would both die.
Levi looked on in horror. Somehow, Uncle Don had seen them coming. He looked around, spotting him moving quickly toward Jenny. He raised his rifle. He fired a shot into the nearest tree to Uncle Don. He flinched but kept coming.
Uncle Don recognized Jenny when he got close enough. “I thought I already took care of you. Well, this time it’ll be for good.”
“Levi, shoot him!” yelled Jenny.
Uncle Don jerked around to see who she was talking to. Scanning the trees he spotted Levi. He relaxed when he saw the boy with a rifle, smiling at him. “Kid, put that down before you get hurt.”
Levi hated being called a kid. He was nineteen and had been making trips alone to Sector 4 for the last couple of years. He had a burst of anger, unintentionally pulling the trigger, shooting Uncle Don in the chest and knocking him to the ground. He was as startled as Uncle Don was.
“Good shot!” yelled Jenny. Her expression of satisfaction changed as Uncle Don began to move and struggled to his feet.
Levi then remembered that he was wearing body armor under his shirt.
Uncle Don wasn’t smiling any more, wincing as he leaned down to pick up the rifle he’d dropped. “You shouldn’t have done that, boy!” said Uncle Don as he began to slowly and deliberately step toward Levi.
“Shoot him again!” yelled Jenny.
“Shut up! I’ll deal with you soon enough!” yelled Uncle Don.
Levi raised the rifle. If he didn’t shoot him again, this time in a more vulnerable spot, he was sure he’d kill both of them.
“You’re not a killer like Ryder, boy.”
“My brother is not a killer!”
Uncle Don stopped. He couldn’t believe his ears. How lucky could he get? Ryder’s brother? He saw a ray of hope. He could still get even with Ryder. An eye for an eye. Ryder had killed his nephew and if he couldn’t get to him, his brother would do. Revenge was the primary reason for coming to Sector 4. An evil grin spread acros
s his face.
“Shoot him!” Jenny yelled again.
Uncle Don wanted to do this slow, savoring every moment, taking in all the enjoyment that he could. “You can’t do it, can you, boy?”
Levi was getting awfully tired of that word.
Uncle Don moved closer. He hadn’t even bothered to raise his own rifle yet. He stopped only a few paces from Levi. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He slowly brought his rifle up.
Levi still had his rifle pointed at Uncle Don, his finger on the trigger. The first time he pulled it had been an accident and he hadn’t liked the feeling afterward, when he thought he’d killed him. He took a breath and held it. He began to apply pressure to the trigger.
A shot rang out and Uncle Don’s eyes grew wide with shock as he dropped to the ground, grabbing his thigh and crying out in pain. Blood was spreading freely over his leg and through his fingers. He used the rifle as a crutch to struggle back to his feet. He looked over to see Jenny lying on the ground with her rifle in her hands. She had crawled to it when she realized Levi wasn’t going to shoot.
Balancing on his good leg, his jaws clenched tight with pain, his face red with rage, Uncle Don began to raise his rifle. Intent on killing Levi, a second shot was fired first and he went down again.
He screamed, in pain, both legs shot. He struggled to get up but couldn’t. Lying on the ground, he took the rifle and turned toward Jenny. Someone had to pay.
She was ready to shoot again when another shot struck Uncle Don, this time in the head, killing him instantly. He wouldn’t be a threat to anyone ever again. Jenny and Levi watched and waited to make sure. He remained motionless.
Jenny looked at Levi. He looked sick, staring at Uncle Don’s body. She limped over to him. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
“I wasn’t going to let him kill you,” explained Levi. He used the nearest tree to brace himself as he stood, queasy and knees wobbly. Taking small steps, he approached Uncle Don. Seeing him lie there he had no regrets. It had to be done. Levi whispered to him, “I’m not such a boy now, am I?”
“Levi!” shouted Jenny, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He came back to her. “Sorry, let me help you.” He placed one of Jenny’s arms around his neck and placed his other arm around her waist. Slowly, they headed out of the woods, toward the helicopter. Neither said another word about Uncle Don.
As they neared the edge of the trees, a burst from the Blackhawk’s Gatling gun forced them to drop to the ground.
“What idiot is doing that?” asked Jenny gruffly.
Levi didn’t bother to answer, figuring it was a rhetorical question anyway. Each crawled to a tree for additional cover. Levi began to take off his shirt.
“What are you doing?” asked Jenny.
“I’m going to try to get their attention and let them know it’s us.” He found a small broken branch and tied his shirt to it, beginning to wave it madly to make sure they could see it.
***
Ryder, Charles, Blake, and Nick kept their eyes glued to the woods, expecting to be rushed. Nick had his finger on the trigger, ready to release another burst.
“Look out!” shouted Ryder, pointing into the trees. “Here they come!”
“Nick!” shouted Blake, “Let them have it!”
He’d already zeroed in on where Ryder had pointed, firing another burst in that direction.
“Do you see anyone?” asked Charles.
Tension was high in the helicopter. They seemed to be pinned down. If they were forced to run for the compound, they’d never make it.
There was a brief moment of silence while they scanned the trees directly ahead. Then Ryder spotted something. “Someone’s waving a flag. Either they’re surrendering or they want to talk.”
“I don’t trust them,” said Blake. “Suppose it’s a trick?”
“Could be,” answered Ryder. “Better keep an eye on the areas off to the sides too. It could just be a diversion.” He took a deep breath. “Open the door. I’ll go and see what they want.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Blake.
“Would you rather do it?” asked Ryder.
Blake didn’t answer, but slid the door open.
“Be careful,” said Charles.
Ryder stepped cautiously to the ground, keeping his eyes on the flag, taking a quick glance to each side. He raised his rifle in anticipation of trouble. Stepping to the front side of the chopper, he was still partially protected by its nose. “What do you want?” he shouted.
“Stop shooting! We’re coming out!”
Ryder had expected Uncle Don’s voice, but it definitely wasn’t him. However, it did sound very familiar.
Two figures came out of the woods, slowly, arm in arm. He had to do a double-take. Neither of them was Uncle Don, but both appeared familiar. “Stop right there and let me see your faces!” he demanded.
The two persons stopped and raised their chins. Ryder could see clearly now, even in the dark, running to meet them. “Levi? Jenny? What are you two doing out there?” He saw that Jenny had been wounded and went to her other side to help Levi with her. “Did we do that?” he asked, referring to her wound.
“No, I can thank Uncle Don for that.”
“Hurry, we better get you into cover,” said Ryder.
“There’s no need,” said Jenny. “Uncle Don won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Where is he?”
“Do you think we can play twenty questions a little later?”
“Oh, sure. Here, Levi, help me put her into this wagon and get her to the infirmary.”
When Uncle Don’s people had opened fire from the wagons, they had abandoned and left them in the road while escaping into the woods.
Charles and Blake had come out of the helicopter, sensing they were out of danger. Nick decided to stay by the Gatling gun with his finger still poised over the trigger, just in case.
After they checked on Jenny’s welfare and applied a field dressing, Blake had to ask, “What happened to Uncle Don?”
“He’d dead,” answered Levi.
“And the others?”
“Gone. They ran off.”
Ryder looked from his little brother to Jenny. Neither was volunteering much information. “Well, we can talk about it later. First, let’s get Jenny out of here.”
“Finally!” sighed Jenny.
***
Levi remained by Jenny’s side as she was transported to the compound and then the infirmary. It turned out the bullet had just creased her leg, painful, but it would have no long-lasting effects.
Ryder noticed how attentive Levi was to Jenny. He motioned Levi over. “What happened out there?”
“Jenny saved my life,” he said. He wasn’t ashamed to say it out loud and didn’t try to hide the fact.
“How?” asked Ryder.
Jenny overheard Levi’s admission to his brother. “That’s not the whole story. Actually, he’s the one who saved me. Uncle Don was about to kill me when Levi shot and stopped him.”
Ryder was surprised. That didn’t sound like Levi. He almost wished his brother hadn’t fired the fatal shot. It wasn’t the path he wanted Levi to start down. It was the same path he’d been forced to take a few years earlier. He stared at his brother for a moment, noticing how much older he looked now. “Are you alright?”
“Fine.”
Ryder nodded, knowing it wasn’t true. “Want to take a ride with me?” He thought a little distraction would do him good.
“I’d like to stay here with Jenny.”
Even though she liked the boy, Jenny decided it was the right time for a bit of tough love. “Go with your brother. I don’t need you here. To tell you the truth, you’re giving me the creeps hanging around.” She wasn’t used to this much attention anyway, and it was making her uncomfortable. She liked being a loner. She laid back on the exam table. “I think I’ll just lie here awhile and rest.”
Ryder could see the unbelief in Levi’s eyes
and knew his feelings had been hurt as his head and shoulders slumped forward, turning toward the infirmary door.
Jenny exchanged a look with Ryder, rolling her eyes and smiling. She knew Levi would get over it. “Levi!” she called out. “Thank you.”
Levi didn’t turn back to acknowledge her, instead asking Ryder, “Where are we going?”
“To take a ride and follow Uncle Don’s people for a ways. I want to make sure they keep on going.” He turned to Jeremy who was waiting in the hallway. “Care to ride along?”
“You bet.”
All three headed out through the foyer. As far as everyone else was concerned, the danger was over. Roy was in a corner having a private discussion with Charles, probably taking the opportunity to give him a wish list of things they could use at New Eden. At the moment, Charles seemed to be in a receptive mood. He’d left Blake with Nick so they could evaluate how bad the damage was to the helicopter.
A hand fell on Ryder’s shoulder. He turned to see his dad.
“I heard what happened,” said Samuel. “Levi shouldn’t have been out there.”
“I didn’t send him,” said Ryder.
“I did it all on my own, Dad,” admitted Levi.
Samuel stared at Levi. “I’m sorry you had to kill that man, Son.”
“If I hadn’t, Jenny would be dead.”
Samuel was speechless. He could only guess how his son was feeling. He’d never had to take another person’s life. A tear ran down his cheek. It was the first time Levi had seen his dad like this.
“We’re going to make sure they’re gone,” said Levi. “We’ll be back soon.”
As reassurance, Ryder told their dad, “They should all be gone. There shouldn’t be any danger.”
They left Samuel standing alone. Outside, Ryder, Levi, and Jeremy headed for the corral. Amy was sitting on the ground next to Chris’s body. When someone had given the all-clear, she had been the first out the door, rushing to him. Ryder couldn’t bring himself to pass by without trying to help her. Stopping nearby, he waved for help from some of the people standing at the door. Everyone in New Eden knew who she was and what she and her husband had done. No one came to help. In an animated and forceful manner he waved again. Reluctantly, two came, but in no hurry. Ryder told them to take her husband to their cemetery.
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