The Event Series (Book 3): The Archive and Beyond

by Thomas Larson

  Steven radioed in and Del answered the radio. He told her what was going on and she had the Major and Charlene ready and waiting when we landed.

  From what we could tell, in talking with Tom after, it had been a deliberate attack, but why? I could see he was disturbed by what happened. As the Major and Charlene took care of Lincoln, he called Matt, Margo, Del, and a few others into the dining all.

  He told us about what he had discovered from Maria, and that he believed that this was the group that attacked the farm and was probably looking for her, or trying to take the farm over.

  We all listened in silence.

  (Margo) Code and I were out by the ledge when the three bell alarm clanked. We raced back in camp and ducked into our cabin to grab weapons, rifles. Then we headed to the dining room.

  Tom was at the front of the group, lecture time; I knew shit was going to get real when I saw the blood on Mac and Lance.

  “Folks, we have a problem, a big dangerous problem.” Said Tom and then went into the incident at the farm, and how it may and likely was connected to Maria. And finally the part about who it was.

  (Tom) As the chopper was returning I was thinking, yesterday and last night when I thought about what we should or could do about the other group, I let my anger cool a little for what they may have done to Elgin and the rest of the people from Otis. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and maybe justify it by thinking they had just made a lucky escape. I was angry about the way they had abused Maria and Daphne, but was that a killing offense? Probably not.

  We, our group, had always tried to go with the idea that we would react to how we were treated before we responded. And I think that maybe yesterday, I would haven’t taken some action. But now, crap, this was wrong.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen” I tried to sound composed but there was a deep well of emotions simmering below the surface. “I will put this as straight forward as I can, we are in a shit storm and we need to do something about it.”

  I told them about what I had heard from Maria, how she had been part of the group at the farm and how they had broken apart. I described how there had been the two separate camps, and both were peaceful.

  Then I told them about the arrival of Nate and Barry with their entourage, and how they had bit by bit taken over the camp, killing or making slaves of everyone. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of what I had heard about the Stanwix takeover.

  For those who lived through Stanwix, who were in on the events and subsequent attack on our camp I could see anger and concern. All but Matt and Tanya, they were passive, stone faced.

  “You have made me the War Chief. It’s a job I was never crazy about, yet one that’s needed. We have for the most part been defensive and reactive, but this time,” I paused, what I was going to say next was hard. “This time, I believe that we need to set things straight, these are bad people and we need to,” again a pause, “Kill them.”

  Silence.

  Finally Mark cleared his throat, “I have two questions, and the first is simple. Do you think they can find us? And the second one, do we kill everyone?”

  All eyes turned from him to me. “Yes, I think it is just a matter of time, and I am not sure if we can be moved into the Archive, underground before that happens. And even if they don’t find the camp, we could be under attack and lose people every time we go out, be it to the horse farm or scouting. This is a very real threat.”

  I thought for a moment and looked at Asuna, and Margo and Mark, with his missing arm. I thought about Grace and Nick and Chelsea, the stories about Keith and Pam.

  “I think that the last time you did this you showed compassion, and in the end we lost people. So yes, definitely the Otis group needs to be neutralized. If there are people from the original group of teachers, it will be case by case.”

  I still have no read on Matt, he just nodded, once.

  “Okay, let’s start thinking, Sergeants McManus, Gilbert, I want you to set up a watch, 24/7. Lt. Yagami, Sergeant Brown, I want weapons analysis. Steven, check over the chopper good, make sure it took no damage.”

  “What about me? I’m an officer!” proclaimed Lt Mills.

  “Yes, you are, and why don’t you work with Sgt. McManus. Gilbert, I have something else for you to do.” I replied. I knew that McManus wouldn’t take any crap from Mills.

  “Sir” was the response from Gilbert.

  “It is going to take a day or two to figure out where these people are and what they have to face.”

  The meeting, for lack of a better term, the call to arms, ended and there were clusters milling about. I headed over to the med cabin. Charlene told me that Lincoln was going to make it; he had two broken arms where he had been shot and was heavily sedated, that was good news.

  I talked with Maria a little more, and was able to find out that the group, where she had escaped from was holed up in the town of Huntington. It is a little place about 20 minutes south of Middlefield on Skyline Trail. They had taken over an Army Corp of Engineers facility; they had a couple Humvees and a bulldozer.

  She told me that when she escaped a month ago there were 19 people there, she was the 20th. She, Daphne was the only one from her original group that was left. But she said that a girl, a kind of autistic girl named Molly had been taken recently. She wanted to take the other two with her, but they were afraid and refused.

  So we have 17 targets, element of surprise, and I am thinking we’re better armed, and battle hardened. I think we can do this.

  (Matt) This situation troubles me. Are we breaking the code that we set for ourselves? Part of me says that this action is just, and part says that we may be wrong. I think that Tanya knows what I am fighting in my mind.

  September 4th.

  (Matt) I had difficulty sleeping last night, fitful dreams that I can’t remember and lying awake wondering if we should or really needed to murder these people. It is a hard choice. I feel the fear that Tom outlined, that they will come, and we will see people die. But I am also stuck with the idea of compassion, and that just showing them that we had the ability to kill them but chose not to might be enough.

  I told Tanya about my night, but she already knew, she had been next to me as I tossed and turned. She listened to what I said, and that was it. I asked her what she thought I should do.

  She replied, “We are the moral compass, the guides for the sacred way and I am sure those ways will send us the answer.”

  In that statement she both calmed me, and also kept the horns of the dilemma sharp and alive.

  I wanted to talk to Tom today, about what he was planning, about going to war. I have no other way to describe it. But he was busy, and we never got the chance.

  I talked to Mark; he had been through the entire Stanwix thing.

  “Mark, do we have to do this?” I asked as we sat in the sun.

  “Matt, what do you think. You were gone when those guys from Stanwix tried to kill us. They did it by killing everyone at Stanwix. We tried to show them compassion, the Stanwix people showed them compassion, and they turned them.”

  “But what if these guys are different?” I asked.

  “Matt, based upon what Maria said, and what they did to the farm, do they seem different to you?” was his reply. He held up his arm, “See this, this was from an act of compassion, Uncle Nick, Grace and others are dead because of that act of compassion. You tell me.”

  I thought about this a little more as Mark and I sat there. I realized I need to talk to the guy that had been brought in from the farm, and to Maria. I needed to know, to be sure.

  “Lincoln, how are you doing?” I asked as I visited the farmer in the medical cabin.

  “I have been better,” was all I got from him.

  I was at kind of a loss, or even where to begin in conversation, what do I say, the standard stuff, this too shall pass seems pretty hollow.

  He looked at me, and I could tell he was still under pain meds. “Matt, you are the religious guy here, if I over
heard correctly. I think that your mom said so when she was here earlier. If that is the case, can you do something for me?”

  “Sure, if I can.”

  “Please see to it that a service is done for my family, that they are given words of peace and a decent burial,” He said.

  “Tanya and I will see to it.”

  “Good, these drugs are good and I am falling asleep again, I don’t want to. I don’t want to see it again.”

  “See what?” I asked, a little confused.

  “Them, my family, my brother, shot, the kids chased around and finally taken down like farm animals being slaughtered, or Belinda, raped and then having her throat cut. I was left alive, so that when they turned, I would be torn to shreds. I am telling you because maybe it will help me let it go,” tears were streaming down his face.

  I sat in silence and soon, he was sleeping, the drugs gave him sleep, I can only imagine the horror of what dreams he might have.

  As I walked across the compound, Mom caught up with me. She looked at me intently, glaring.

  “Matt, those people were from Otis, they ran away, they left family and friends, your uncle to die. Mark tells me that you think they deserve compassion. Are you nuts?”

  “No, not nuts, and I know all that, and in talking to everyone, I know what needs to be done. I am just not sure I can play a part in it,” was my answer.

  I could see the disappointment in her eyes; she stared for a minute, and then turned and stormed off. I walked down by the lake and sat in one of the chairs. I closed my eyes, and just thought, prayed, and thought some more.

  (Lance) Tom caught me this morning and I was pulled into the planning meeting, mostly for maps. We were able to find some that showed the Town of Huntington. It is just a small place. There are a couple of main roads running into town. I am not sure what the plan will be but Washa and I will be heading to the Archive to pick up some goodies. Steven is going to fly us up. He has remounted one of the 50 caliber machine guns in the ‘passenger side’ door, just in case.

  The trip was quick; we circled far north and came in behind the mountain. It was 15 minutes on the ground, that was all it took. We took some M-16s and ammunition, and Washa grabbed a couple of the LAWS rockets.

  (Margo) I cleaned the Barrett, checked my stuff, I am ready to go. I don’t like it, who likes war, killing, but then, who likes being killed. I trust Dad, Tom on this.

  (Tom) I looked at the maps, and I thought about what we were going to start here. I think that if the attack had not taken place on the farm we might have just moved to the Archive and it would not have been a big deal. They wouldn’t have found us, and even if they did, most likely they couldn’t hurt us. But that is not the way it went, and even though we would be safe, who would be their next victims. That is where I have a problem with all of this. And there is the avenging the betrayal of family. Uncle Elgin was not all that close, but he was family.

  I had Asuna, McManus, and the Major with me, we looked over the map and decided that they best way to do this all was to come in from three sides. Route 20 runs through the town. If we come in from both sides, north and south, that leaves only the escape route being the bridge.

  I am not sure we would need to cross it, maybe just a sniper team at the far end to prevent escape. It would be a safe place for Margo and Cody.

  We would get our people into place during the day and hit them around supper time. I thought we might even try to get to Daphne and Molly before the attack and try to get them out of harm’s way. I suggested it to McManus but he was concerned that they, the two women, might freak out and cause a ruckus that would put the rescue teams at risk.

  The other question that was tossed out was exactly how the attack would go down. I mean we could just storm in ,guns a blazing, or we could set up and just wear them down, siege style. The first puts a lot of risk out there, the second, could take a long time, unless we start burning them out one house at a time. I must think minimal damage.

  After the meeting, Asuna and I were walking back toward our cabin.

  “Do we have to do this?” she asked.

  I looked at her, “I think so, it’s a matter of time. If they catch us off guard, we lose people, maybe even the camp.”

  “But if we get to the Archive and move in, we’re safe,” she added.

  “I have thought about that, and yea we would be mostly safe, but that threat is still out there,” I told her. “Look, I know there are risks, and it is going to be bad, but I see no alternatives.”

  “You may be right, I hope you’re right.”

  Watched the Aurora tonight after fire pit. Beautiful, again.

  September 5th

  Fred came to see me this morning; he had a favor to ask. He wanted to make sure that Jan was not included into the plans. I asked why and his answer kind of surprised me, not the reason, but that is was happening. She is pregnant and he did not want to see her at risk. I told him I was good with that.

  McManus, Asuna and I have laid out the plan, and placement of people. Mac is going to lead a group to the south of the city taking up positions on the south side of town. They will snipe and prevent escape. Sergeant Brown will lead a group in the woods to the west of town, to again cut off passage or escape. Margo and Cody will be watching the bridge to the east and that leaves the main force. We will roll down almost to town, put a few people into the woods and then a small group of us will come into town.

  I am leaving Mark, Teckla, Taylor, Mills and Jan back at camp to protect the camp if it is needed. The South Team will be McManus, Matt and Tanya. The West Team is Brown, Delany and Lance. As I said, Margo and Cody will be to the east and from the north will be Asuna, Charlene, Mills and me. Steven and Major would be close by in the chopper for Med-Evac or fire support.

  We will leave camp around noontime and work our way down to the camp so that everyone is in place by about 3 pm. And we roll in to town at about 4.

  (Lance) I spent the day getting things ready, charging batteries for the radios, getting my gear together. I am thinking that it is not going to be a day for the katana, but I will bring it anyway.

  Del and I talked a little about the plan, we are good with it. This is not fun stuff, but it needs to be done.

  (Margo) Cody and I are all packed up and ready to go. We have our gear ready to load into the truck.

  Vespers tonight was very quiet. Even Matt and Tanya were quiet, no inspirational pep talk about right and justice.

  Code and I snuggled. I think it will be hard to sleep.

  (Matt) I am preparing, both Tanya and I are preparing. As I am cleaning my rifle, centering and ranging the scope I am still unsure, is this best thing, is this the right thing? It seems good and just, but is it? I am still torn.

  September 6th

  (Lance) On the road as planned, it was a quiet ride down; in fact, it was a somber morning. We all knew what this could be, and we all hated it, but…..

  And in the end, it turned out to be better, and worse than we expected.

  (Matt) Dreams, Ravens picking at the dead, they are all dead, no battle, just dead.

  (Margo) We will be on the road early enough, Code and I are ready.

  Momma and the cubs visited me in my dreams last night. She stared; they stared at me, as they sat side by side. As they stared, I heard her say, “No fear, the battle is over.”

  I wondered what she meant, and in the end, she was right.

  (Tom) I remembered an old quote from back when there was a Facebook. It was about the Karma Restaurant, ‘there was no menu, and you are served what you deserved’.

  As we arrived at the Town of Huntington, they were dead, or dying. In the time that it took for us to mount up and get our plan together the bodies of their 4 attackers who had been shot up from the helicopter and the dead members of Lincoln’s band had changed, they became Zoms. I am guessing that one of the Otis crew must have survived, but was hurt. He tried to get back to the camp, but in doing so he led the Changed to the t
own.

  They, the Zoms, had taken their toll, only a couple of the members were left, bitten, still alive, but it would not be long before their end.

  We gave the ones who had changed rest, and started to pile them up for burning. Matt kept Lincoln’s family separate after he gave them peace. They were given a normal burial, and he said words over them.

  The two men that were left were in bad shape, I recognized one, it was Nate, Barry was dead next to him.

  “Nate, what happened?” I asked.

  He looked at me, at first he did not recognize me, then, “You should have come back, you should have stayed at the Otis.”

  It caught me off guard, and angered me.

  “You could have been a prince,” he went into a coughing spell. The lungs were filling with blood from the chest wound, a nasty gash with teeth marks.

  “Really? It seems more like I should have killed you that first day, what happened to Otis, what happened?” I was pissed.

  He was silent, his head slumped forward. I would never get an answer.

  I drew little satisfaction in running the samurai sword that had been Uncle Elgin’s through his skull.

  We were all in Huntington now; we had the 17 bodies, plus the four members of Lincoln’s family.

  “Where the girls at?” asked Brown.

  It had not hit me, yes, they were missing. We searched, shouting for them and telling them that we were friends of Maria and that she was safe.

  As Margo and Del were checking the garage area, the door to a truck opened. We found Daphne and Molly; they had hidden themselves when the trouble started. When they saw the Changed coming into the camp they ran and hid. But they never warned the rest of the group.

  Like I said, you don’t get a menu.

  Overall, it was a win, win day, but the victory was kind of anti-climactic.

  September 7th

  (Tom) The war not fought, I am glad, back to being just a happy camper.

  Headed up to the Archive with Asuna today, we brought up a bunch of winter clothes and personal stuff. In our room, we opted for the Base Commanders quarters; we began to put our stuff away. The bland military grey room was about 12 x 18. It had bookshelves, and a desk, bed, TV, and of all things, an 8 track player.