Amitola: The Making of a Tribe

by A. Grant Richard

  “Me and Tomas here will go through and see how safe it is. You stay here,” Charlie said as he climbed in. For an old guy, he certainly didn’t have any limitations.

  Maia and the kids filled the small room with things they might need should they be forced to retreat there. Once they finished, they packed all of the battle bags with MREs, water, basic first aid, hand warmers, a change of socks and a mylar blanket.

  Just before noon she took out ramen noodles and canned meat to prepare for them to eat. While Sadie and Elex opened the packages, she placed four large stew pots full of water on the stove and turned on the heat. Not long after the water started to boil, the first group of men piled in.

  Tye made his way over to the kitchen and walked up behind her. He squeezed her gently then they engaged in small talk about their day so far. She told him about the secret room Tomas took them to and shared how she believed they'd been down there drinking and smoking marijuana. He didn't say anything.

  "Well?” she said. "I mean, would you let Junior get away with that?"

  Tye took the wooden spoon from her hand and set it on the stovetop. He pulled her close to him. "I think we should get them through this battle first, then, once we get to Amitola, we can talk about what they were doing down there."

  She turned to pick up the spoon then stirred the noodles. "You're right. It's not that big of a deal, considering. It’s just hard to push down the mama in me.”

  Before they’d finished lunch, Charlie and Tomas returned from inspecting the tunnel. Sadie made them a bowl of ramen and chicken, then they took a seat at the table.

  Danny brought in some rabbit he’d cooked. He offered some to Maia. She turned her nose up at it. Danny laughed at her and opened his mouth to say something, but before he got the words out, she said, “I know. It tastes like chicken, right? Everything tastes like chicken. I still don’t want it.” He laughed and nudged her with his elbow.

  Tye swallowed his last bite. "I hope we can prepare these guys in time. They're trying, but there's only so much you can do in two and a half hours. Most of this stuff is muscle memory. You have to do it over and over and over again."

  "What about you? How'd your lessons go?" Clarence asked Tony.

  "We're training with pellet and paint guns, but most of 'em can hold their own."

  Sean interrupted, "Dude, a couple of 'em couldn't hit the side of a barn with a grenade launcher."

  "Yeah, but they'll get there. They need more practice." Tony looked at Maia. "Carsten is good. That lil punk could shoot the wings off a mosquito at 1500 yards in a wind storm. He got a good bit of Cameron in him," he said with a smirk on his face.

  "Why you say that?" Tye asked.

  Maia responded, "Oh, him and two of my brother's were soldiers. Lance was a Marine. You know they have to dog each other."

  "I said that because you're one of the best shots I've ever seen so he must take after you. However, I like your explanation better, so we'll go with that. Devil Dogs talk smack but they ain't always the alphas, know what I mean?" He laughed.

  “Um, hello. Your dad was a Marine and so was mine. Let's not go there," Maia grinned then turned to Charlie. "Did you find out what’s on the other side? And is it safe?”

  “Yes, it’s surprisingly sturdy. It comes out about a mile from the swamp where y’all launch from.”

  "I'm going to check it out in the morning. Just in case,” Tye said.

  "I'll go with you," Charlie added. "That’s a piece of history back there. It looks like this house might have been used to hide people in the past or maybe even for moonshining. I saw notes written all over in the concrete.” He took another bite of his soup. "I want to spend some time looking into it when this is all over.

  Maia gulped. "That's all we need. We're about to lose Charlie forever. He'll never come out of that tunnel now." She twirled the noodles onto the fork and noticed some cracker crumbs dancing on the table. She dropped the fork and watched.

  The table vibrated gently then increased at a rapid pace. Each person at the table looked around to see if anyone was causing it. They raised their hands to show it wasn't them and then a rumble followed.

  Sean stood up. "It's happening again."

  "C'mon!" Danny hollered, waving at them.

  Tye reached for Sadie and yelled to Maia to follow, but Caleb and Clarence were already pushing her in the general direction. While most of the men sought shelter under tables and furniture, Danny led them upstairs because he knew the chances were high that flooding would follow. As they climbed the stairs, the rumbling increased to a deafening roar.

  When they reached the second story hallway, Danny instructed them to sit on the floor against the wall. He and Tye quickly removed the photos from the walls and placed them in nearby rooms while Caleb and Tony pulled mattresses into the hallway.

  Charlie crawled over to the window to see what was happening outside. "Is it another earthquake Mr. Charlie?" Elex asked.

  "I believe so, son. Just stay there and get under the mattress."

  The house creaked and shifted, opening up previously busted windows and walls. They choked on the kick-up of ash, so Sean grabbed a bunch of handkerchiefs and passed them out. As they were tying them on, a loud crackle broke through the roar. Seconds later a tall tree crashed a few yards away from the window. A wave of pressure pushed itself past them nearly knocking Charlie over.

  Jason ran halfway up the stairs screaming, "C'mon! The prisoner got away!"

  The men rushed down the stairs, but Jason stopped Caleb and Sean. "Stay here with them. Just in case."

  Maia pulled Sadie and Elex close to her, watching as Tye disappeared. She attempted to soothe them, all the while her heart pounded in fear, not knowing where her own children were.

  Danny reappeared around the corner. "There's flooding to the east of us. I can't tell how bad or how far it goes."

  "Danny, my boys?"

  "Yeah, I'll find 'em. Stay here."

  Tye and Tony rushed to where the men were gathering. Dumais pointed in the general direction the prisoner was last seen, and the crowd immediately took off to go find him.

  As they approached an open area of trees, the ground underneath them started to shake again. Tye held out his hands and attempted to regain his balance while the trees swayed in the distance. Tony motioned for him to look towards the trees.

  It was difficult to see with the dust clouds hovering, but there was no denying what they saw. Trees snapped and toppled creating a pathway where the earth split. Within seconds, fountains of water shot up into the air filling the rift and saturating the ground surrounding it.

  As the fragile earth beneath them settled, and the roar of the earthquake relaxed to a hum, yelling could be heard in the general direction of the lake that had just formed.

  When the men were a short distance away, they could see Jason and Dirk pointing their weapons at a man clinging to a downed tree. He fought the pull that threatened to take him under.

  “Is that him?” Tony asked.

  “Yeah, it’s him,” Jason yelled.

  Dumais rushed over to them. “Put a bullet in his head and let’s go. We can’t get him out of there.”

  The man, bloody and bruised, didn’t even protest. He welcomed the quick death he was about to succumb to. He looked into the eyes of the man holding the gun then, without hesitation, Jason pulled the trigger. The man would never suffer in this world again.

  Startled, Tye’s body jerked, and he stopped in his tracks. Realizing the shot came from Jason’s gun, the tension released. He and Tony panted side by side, attempting to catch their breath.

  Jason and Dirk approached them. “What happened?” Tony asked.

  “Somehow, he got out of the frickin’ rope, and when that earthquake hit, he made a run for it,” Jason said as he walked passed them, never making eye contact.

  After a survey of the damage, the men rested for an hour then headed back out for the remainder of their training. Then, with only a few ho
urs of daylight left, the soldiers staged each area they were assigned.

  Caleb's experience with props proved to be useful. Joaquín and Chad managed to lure the coywolves closer to them. Carsten and Jimmy prepped the trees with hiding spots and ways to escape. Danny supervised the construction of dozens of booby traps to spread throughout the area.

  The train yard took a little longer to set up than they anticipated. Their hands shook violently, making it difficult to handle the chicken wire. The cold weather proved to be a problem with using the oil too. It hardened. It took some extra time, but Luke and Jay melted it then spread it on the train cars.

  Back at the safe house, Charlie and Maia heated water and filled the downstair's bathtubs so the men could wash up when they returned. They attempted to clean some of the debris from the earthquake as well. Then there was the room full of cats. Some of the guys had gone out and captured a few dozen strays and stuck them in one of the empty rooms. Every time someone accidentally opened the door two or three would escape, and they'd have to chase them down and put them back.

  The men returned around ten that night, tired, but anxious to rid themselves of the scum that threatened to eradicate them and those they love. If there was one thing that bonded men, it was depending on each other for survival and training side by side to go to war. They all turned in for the night. Maia and Tye were both so exhausted they fell into the mattress and were out before they could even say goodnight.

  The next morning came earlier than planned when an aftershock woke them from a deep sleep. The men grabbed a quick breakfast of MRE sausage patties and protein drinks and headed out to complete their to-do list for the day.

  After Tye and Charlie left to check out the escape tunnel, Caleb noticed Maia lugging a forty pound bag of cat food down the hallway.

  “Here, let me get it.” He picked up the bag and tossed it onto his shoulder.

  “Thank you,” she said, leading him to the feline infested room. They were greeted by a variety of distinct meows and purrs the moment the door was opened.

  “What the hell are we gonna do with all these cats?”

  “I could take a guess, but really, who knows with these guys,” Maia said while motioning for him to put the bag down.

  Caleb opened the bag and poured the food out in a line down the center of the room. Before the niblets hit the floor, the felines meowed in harmony. They pounced and scattered as they found their place at the buffet.

  “So what did you and Tye talk about?”

  She stood silent for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. "We talked about how difficult it's going to be for women with all that's happened."

  "Uh, huh," he said, shaking the empty bag. "Well, if anyone can help you through this it's Tye. You know that, right?"

  "Yeah. I do," she said with a hint of a smile threatening to show.

  Dumais busted through the door. "It's going down now. We gotta move!"

  Caleb and Maia rushed to the room where everyone was gathered. The men were grabbing their gear and headed out the door.

  "What's going on?" She asked Tony as he rushed past.

  "Maia, you have to get out of here. Find a way to get back to Amitola. Take care of you," he said, heading out the door.

  Her eyes scanned the room in search of someone who would explain what the hell was going on. Men rushed pass them. Clarence stopped. He grabbed the strap of Caleb's backpack and held it out so he could slip his arm through then he turned to Maia.

  "JT and Wade were able to put the moonshine in play last night, but we don't know if it they drank any or if it worked. What we know is they're sneaking up on us as we speak. Go through with the plan. We'll meet you back in Amitola." He turned to Caleb, "Let's go."

  Maia's heart raced. She grabbed her backpack and rushed into the hallway in search of the kids. She found them near the kitchen. Elex hollered for his dad and cried as she held on to him.

  She grabbed them both. "C'mon, we have to go in the tunnel so we can get out of here."

  She pushed Sadie up the stairs while dragging Elex by the arm. They reached the top and broke out into a full-fledged sprint. She paused long enough to look out the window. Plumes of smoke and hordes of men were everywhere. Then she realized what the sound was that they'd been hearing. It was gunshots.

  "Go! Go!" she yelled.

  They got through the entrance, and she was struggling to get the cabinet closed and the shelf back in place when suddenly a face appeared. She jumped back, gasping, and nearly fell down the stairs. It was Wade.

  "My father wants you to know this isn't the end of your story. The spirits are with you. Your life has a purpose. Now go. I'll close this behind you."

  Then just like that, there was darkness.

  "Maia!" Sadie squealed.

  She fumbled around in her bag looking for her flashlight. "I'm here. Hang on."

  She found it, flipped the switch, and illuminated the room. She got to the bottom of the stairs. Her feet began to feel wet. She pointed the flashlight toward the floor. Water, at least six inches deep, had filled the room and it was still trickling in from the tunnel.

  "Okay. We have to go," she said urging them into the dark abyss.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Caleb ducked for cover as he helped Tomas and Parker set the traps surrounding the house. He looked up and over the weeds just in time to see dogs and their handlers headed their way.

  "Ugh. What's that smell?" Parker asked.

  Cats ran past them in every direction. They reeked, but Caleb didn't have time to figure out why. He focused on the last trap and directed the boys to follow him to the post they'd set up.

  Quietly, they made their way into the dense woods. He'd noticed that most of the dogs had taken off after the cats, but a select few were obviously too smart for whatever trick was used to lure them to the foul-smelling felines. Those dogs were going straight to the house.

  Caleb heard a noise several feet away. He looked up into the trees. Carsten signaled him to go further out then come back around. The boy nodded and disappeared into the tree.

  They heard gunshots and yelling. There was even the sound of what appeared to be retching, but they couldn't really tell. They moved using the veil of weeds and trees to disguise them.

  Suddenly a loud sound stung the air and wall of orange heat enveloped the sky behind them. He didn't have to go investigate to know what that meant. The bridge had fallen. He looked at the young mean trailing him and said, "Run!"

  They took off. It was game over if they didn't get to their assigned post. He sent out a silent request to the universe to protect his son. He felt sweat beading up on his forehead and chest. His breathing was sporadic. They were still a distance away from their post, but he stopped.

  "What are you doing?" Parker asked.

  He grabbed his chest and caught his breath. He breathed in deep until he'd refocused. He knew he had to get a grip on himself. He cleared his head then he motioned for them to follow.

  They made it to the funnel trap they'd set. Several of the guys were already in position. He heard a gurgling noise. He climbed over some of the men and saw Trey holding pressure on the chest of a man whose face was covered in blood.

  "He's not looking too good,” Clarence said, without ever moving his eyes from the scope of his rifle.

  Trey was propping the guy up on his side and attempted to shift to make room for Caleb. He accidentally removed the cloth from the wound. Bubbles of blood burst through the hole in his chest. "I'm pretty sure he collapsed a lung," Trey said. "I don't have anything I can use to treat him."

  "Keep him calm," Clarence said. "He can live with one lung for a little while. We'll get help when it's safe to."

  Trey secured the mask around the man's mouth while Caleb scanned the area around them. There didn't appear to be an immediate threat. Then again, visibility wasn't exactly clear.

  The men clutched their weapons; waiting for a sound, a signal, or anything that would tell them wha
t their next move should be. In the distance, they heard an anxious scream.

  Danny looked up into the trees and made the sound of a crow. A few minutes passed when they finally noticed subtle movement above them. Caleb saw the signals he gave Danny, but he didn't know what they meant.

  With Danny's eyes still fixed on Carsten's location, Caleb leaned closer to him, "What's he saying?"

  Danny lifted scope of his rifle back to his eye. "He said those asstards are just a burp, fart, and a jump away so get ready."

  Caleb secured his spot and listened for the sound of their approach. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of movement. He shifted his weapon in the general direction.

  The vibration from the shots blasted his eardrums. He pointed and pulled the trigger until his targets fell. He felt a bullet rush past him. He gasped and ducked behind the security of the wall they'd built. He took the opportunity to reload his weapon.

  He resumed his post, and together they dropped every dog hunter that came into their kill zone. Their plan worked. The men came right to them.

  “C’mon. Pick up the pace,” Tye said, urging them to keep moving.

  They’d almost made their way to the end of the tunnel when they heard the first gunshots. They tried to make double time on the way back, but a thick sludge had filled the bottom of the tunnel. It was slippery and difficult to maneuver through, but adrenaline is a powerful motivator: that and the thought of losing the only ones left in life that you love.

  Tye ran with everything he had in him. He couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of him, and the air was so thick with moisture that it was hard to breathe. Several times he had to stop to catch his breath, but he inhaled a few times deeply then kept going. He wasn’t about to lose another child. He wasn’t about to lose another woman that he loved either.

  And he did love her: maybe he didn’t realize it so clearly until that moment; maybe he was in denial; perhaps he was scared. What he knew for certain was his heart ripped apart at the thought of her not being there when he got back to the house.