by John Grit
Donovan’s two bodyguards turned white and glanced over their shoulders.
“We’re trying to avoid that.” Donovan lowered his voice. “The best thing we can do now is work as hard as we can to help the people and show them how much better things could be without Capinos and his gang in power. You two can help by building a viable local law enforcement agency and providing the people in this town protection. It’ll look a hell of a lot better if the Army isn’t the only source of law in this county. Whether we have six months or two, we should take full advantage of it. By the time Capinos decides to rein us in, we must have the people’s trust. They must understand the military’s on their side and will give power back to the civilian government as soon as fair elections can be arranged. No one in the military wants a damn coup, and the last thing they want is to see our country turned into a banana republic.”
Atticus snorted. “But that’s exactly what it’ll be if you soldiers take over. The people ain’t going to like it.”
Donovan exhaled a load from his lungs. “I won’t like it either, but it may come to that. It depends on how sane Capinos is. So far, he’s cagey and conniving, but reasonable? No.”
Tyrone glanced at Atticus. “Well, we’ll take up where we left off and try to find more volunteers. The Williams family has had enough of town life and I doubt they’ll be coming back. They just want to work their farm and be left alone.”
“I expected that,” Donovan said. “And I don’t blame them. They’ve done more than their fair share. Besides, if they get their farm going again they can feed a lot of people. Right now that’s Job One for every American. Job Two will be protecting the people.”
Dr. Brant emerged from the examination room. “She’s resting. Of course she’s a lot sicker than she’s letting on, and exhausted. The blood work won’t be back for a while, but I think she’ll be okay once we get antibiotics in her. I’ve already removed the fishing line.”
“She’s a tough old bird,” Atticus said. He scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, don’t tell her I said that.”
Chapter 19
A week later, Tyrone drove up to the front gate of the horse farm in the old pickup. Mrs. MacKay sat on the passenger side. Her wounds, no longer inflamed, were healing well. Atticus followed in a patrol car.
The guards at the gate greeted them with smiles. Tyrone had used a HAM radio to inform them of their arrival the day before and a warm welcome had been prepared. Though spring had come late, warmer days had brought with them an early crop, and a few of the faster-growing vegetables were already being harvested, in some cases before they were completely ripe. A wild hog had been slaughtered to add to the banquet. Everyone ate outside in front of the big house, under the shade of oak trees.
Tyrone noticed Caroline and Samantha eating at another table. As soon as he finished his meal, he walked over to them and asked Caroline, “Have you seen any of the Williams family lately?”
Caroline answered, “I haven’t seen them since the last time I saw you and Atticus. As far as I know they’re still in hiding.”
Tyrone checked his wristwatch. “There’s still time for Atticus and me to drive down to their farm and maybe leave a note on the door and still get back to town before dark. We’ve been trying to raise them by HAM radio for several days now. They won’t respond.”
“Could be their radio is down,” Caroline suggested. “If they’re hiding out in the woods, they won’t be near any radio, anyway. I’ll go with you if you want.”
Samantha pulled at her arm. “No. Don’t leave me here alone.”
Atticus had finished his meal and was standing by listening. “Nice of you to offer. But there’s really no reason for you to go.” He glanced down at Samantha’s anguished face. “You two young ladies might as well stay here. Tyrone and I can take care of ourselves well enough I think.”
Caroline stood. “They’re all good friends. And I feel like I should go.” Something caught her attention out of the periphery of her vision, and she looked down the driveway. “Speak of the devil. Here come three of his henchmen.”
Tyrone and Atticus turned to look, and Samantha stood on her chair the see over the sea of heads. Escorted by one of the gate guards, Nate, Deni, and Brian strode toward them, looking as if they were out for a stroll in a park.
A woman whispered in MacKay’s ear and pointed. She smiled and immediately rushed to meet the new visitors. As soon as she was close enough they could hear above the clamor of the crowd, she gave them the good news. “Col. Donovan has assured us it’s safe for you to go home. You’re not wanted by the government anymore. In their hunt for you, they’ve caused a lot more problems for themselves than if they had just left you alone.”
“Yeah,” Nate said, “the cover-up is usually worse than the original crime.”
Tyrone and Atticus, as well as Caroline and Samantha, caught up with MacKay. Atticus nodded. “Yep, you guys can go home, but keep your ears tuned to the radio, because there’s no telling how long it’ll last. Donovan says six months, maybe less.”
The three members of the Williams family gave each other confused glances. Deni said, “We saw you go by on the road and noticed you were taking Mrs. MacKay back home. That was obvious proof you three were not locked in a cell as soon as you arrived in town. We thought it would be safe enough to come on in and have a talk.”
“Six months or less.” Nate raised a brow. “What the hell? Either we’re in trouble or we’re not.”
“Most likely the former,” Tyrone said. “The idiots in Washington are shitsoid. Who knows when they’ll have a relapse and change their minds? Take their reprieve with a grain of salt.”
“What’s that all about, really?” Deni asked.
“Well.” Tyrone hesitated while he thought. “The way Col. Donovan explained it, Capinos has decided to give the military a free hand in handling the crisis, but not because he hopes they’ll get it right and actually help the people. No, he hopes the military will fall on their face, so he can step in and say he warned the people they couldn’t handle things and now it’s his turn.”
Nate finished for him. “So Capinos has given the military six months to perform a miracle, but he might cut that short if he thinks the military’s doing too good of a job.”
“That’s about it,” Atticus said. “Our illustrious president intends to cut the military’s legs out from under them no matter how it turns out, even if he has to cut the American peoples’ throat in the process. He wants to consolidate power. To hell with who gets hurt.”
Brian broke in, confusion showing on his face. “So why are the high-ranking officers falling for it? They know they’re damned if they succeed and damned if they fail.”
“You can feed a lot of people in six months,” Tyrone answered, “if you work night and day.”
“Six months would allow me to get a good crop in, and that would make a lot of difference for the Williams family,” Nate said, his voice trailing off in thought.
McKay raised her hands. “Enough talk. You three may be late to the party, but not too late. Come and join us. There’s plenty left for three more friends.”
Atticus and Tyrone talked while the three ate. They gave the others as much information about what was going on in town and the rest of the county as possible. “We already have seven volunteer deputies and one radio operator,” Tyrone announced with some pride.
Nate set a spoon full of lima beans down. “Are they working for free or food?”
“They get an allotment of food from the farm by the lake, but, hell, everyone’s getting food, whether they volunteer for anything or not,” Tyrone answered. “Also, the Army is giving us some rations and providing fuel for the vehicles.”
“They also got a dozen radios working and scrounged up some batteries for them and a solar charger that can handle a dozen batteries at a time,” Atticus added. He winked at Tyrone. “Of course, we can always use more deputies. Uh, you can catch a ride back to town with us.”
“No thanks,” Deni said, before Nate or Brian had a chance to speak. “If we go anywhere other than back into the woods to hide, it’ll be the farm.”
“Dad wants to go home… if we can,” Brian said. “I have to admit I miss that place myself.” His eyes flashed to Deni and Nate to judge their reaction. “I’m tired, and I’m sure they are too.” He looked down. “And I’m really sick of losing friends.”
~~~
The pain woke Kramer. His entire body shook and jolted, sending bolts of fiery lightning from his left shoulder down his arm and the up left side of his neck and into his skull. He tried to open his eyes and look around, but bright sunlight forced him to immediately close them again. He reached with his right hand to grab his left shoulder and noticed his jacket had been cut away and his wounds freshly dressed. Holding his right hand up to provide shade from the sun, he dared open his eyes again, mere slits, but enough to allow him to see that he was lying inside of a wooden box with an open top, where he could see the blue sky above. The wooden box he lay in abruptly dropped three inches on his left side, causing his shoulder pain enough to prompt him to moan.
He heard a man say, “Whoa!” Tilting his head back and looking in the direction the voice came from, allowed him to see a man sitting on a bench seat and holding reins in his hands.
The man turned and looked back at him. “Sorry about that. I can’t miss every pothole. There are too many of them. This old dead axle wagon will rattle your fillings out of your mouth. Even up here where I have the advantage of the seat being on springs.”
Kramer tried to sit up, but found he didn’t have the strength for it and the pain was too much.
Boyd set the break and jumped down from the wagon. “Don’t get too rambunctious back there. You have nothing to fear from me. It’s that rotting shoulder that’s going to do you in.” He reached into the wagon and held up a plastic bottle. “If you’re thirsty, here’s some water for you.” He set the bottle back down.
“Where am I?” Kramer moaned.
“You’re in my wagon on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere,” he answered. “My name’s Boyd. Just as soon not give you my last name. Fact is I’m glad to get you away from my family. It’s obvious you’re a dangerous man. You’re not wearing a uniform or carrying any kind of identification, but I’d say you’re military or ex-military.” He leaned over and looked down at Kramer, a rusty old .44 special revolver in his right hand. “Somebody has damn near killed you. I’d say you’re at least 90% dead. I’d also say you probably killed the one that almost killed you. Point is you’re dangerous, and I don’t want you around my family.”
Kramer looked away. “You going to shoot me or talk me to death?”
Boyd smiled. “Neither. I told my wife I’d take you to the clinic in town. And that’s what I’m going to do.” He held the rusty revolver up again and then stuffed it under his belt. “This little talk is just to let you know that as long as you just lie there and don’t move, you’ll be in the hands of the National Guard in about an hour. Give me any trouble and I’ll just shoot you.”
Kramer looked up at him and spoke with a weak voice. “Why would I give you any trouble? If you’re taking me to the National Guard to get medical care, that’s exactly where I want to go.”
Boyd shrugged. “You might be wanted. It’s obvious you’ve been raising hell somewhere with someone.”
Kramer tried for the water bottle with his right hand but couldn’t reach it because it was on his left side. Boyd reached it over to him cautiously, then unscrewed the lid while Kramer rested the bottle on his chest. Kramer took a long drink. “Thanks.” He coughed. “You might be right about me being wanted. Maybe, maybe not. I’ll take my chances. Without medical help, I’ll be dead by tomorrow anyway.”
“True enough,” Boyd said. “But why the hell wouldn’t you know whether or not you’re wanted?”
Kramer held the bottle up for Boyd to screw the lid back on. “It’s a long story full of intrigue and other bullshit that you wouldn’t believe. It even involves the President of the United States.”
Boyd snorted. “You’re right. I don’t believe it already. Just go back to sleep and we’ll be in town before you know it.”
~~~
Nate made his way back to Deni and Brian, who were hiding in the woods a safe distance from the house and barn but were close enough they could overwatch while Nate searched the buildings for booby traps. He dropped to his knees beside them. “All clear in and around the buildings.”
“How do the buildings look inside?” Brian asked.
“Pretty much the way we left them,” Nate answered. “The soldiers didn’t bother anything, and it doesn’t look like anyone else has been inside lately.”
Deni continued to scan the area with Nate’s binoculars. “That’s encouraging. About time we had some good luck.”
“Well,” Brian said dryly, “there wasn’t much left after the raiders cleaned us out.”
“Might as well go on in.” Nate stood. “I’ve circled the whole area three times and haven’t found so much as a boot print.”
Deni handed Nate his binoculars. “If we get started on the house right away, we might have it in livable condition by this time tomorrow.”
They left the safety of the woods, heading for the front door of the house. “Feels strange, boldly walking out into the open like this,” Brian commented. “If I didn’t know we had just checked the entire area out thoroughly, I wouldn’t do it.” He held his rifle tight in both hands and scanned the tree line.
“That feeling will be with you the rest of your life.” Nate looked over at Brian as they walked. “A lot of things will. There just wasn’t any way to protect you from it all. Not if you were going to survive.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m all right,” Brian said. “And if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t be your fault. Besides, I think the worst just might be over.”
In an effort to change the subject somewhat, Deni added, “About all that’s hanging over our heads at the moment is that mess in Washington. And that’s for someone else to clean up, not us.”
They approached the front of the house. “That’s the way I feel about it too,” Nate said. He stopped at the hand pump that was only 20 feet from the front door. “I tried pumping it when I was here, but I get couldn’t get any water to come up. The leather in the plunger’s probably dry rotted. This’ll be the first thing I’ll work on.”
Brian walked past them and stepped up on the porch. “I’ll bet every piece of leather in the barn has been chewed up by rats.”
Nate had left the door open when he checked the place out. Deni timidly stepped into the house. “Wow. What a mess.” A few seconds later she asked, “Where the hell’s the broom?”
Nate took his pack off and put it next to the wall near the front door and then he slung his rifle across his back. “I expect she’s going to want at least one bedroom and the bathroom clean before we go to sleep tonight, so help her inside. I’ll be in the barn looking for tools to get this pump going. We’re going to need water ASAP.”
Brian nodded and disappeared into the house. He reappeared a few minutes later and headed for the barn, minus his pack but his rifle was hanging across his back out of the way. Nate looked up from a dusty workbench strewed with parts from the water pump. “I thought you were going to help Deni in the house.”
Brian grabbed an aluminum stepladder hanging on the back wall. “She wants me to get the stove working, so I’m going to clean the smoke pipe out and make sure there’s no rat’s nest in it or anything.” As he walked by Nate he added, “You better damn sure get that pump working, because she says she wants to take a warm bath tonight.”
Nate chuckled. “We can all use a bath, and that well water will taste as sweet as soda after drinking boiled river water for so long.”
~~~
Kramer woke in a room that was dimly lit. A young man he instantly recognized as a soldier slept in a bed on his right. His left arm was bandag
ed. Kramer turned to his left to check his own left arm and saw that it was gone, as well as much of his shoulder. It looked strange to him, and he felt like a freak, but it didn’t hurt much. His faced turned an even lighter shade of white and he grimaced, muttering, “Shit.” It was then he noticed the soldier in a bed to his left who had lost both legs. Must be some serious fighting going on around here. They have so many wounded, they’re short on rooms. Have the people risen up against Capinos?
Kramer was about to doze off again when a soldier walked in. The man stood at the foot of his bed and gave him a thorough going over, obviously taking an interest in him for some reason. He held an M4 in both hands and wore full body armor and a combat vest bulging with spare magazines of ammo. Finally, the soldier spoke, “Relax and rest. My orders are to keep you alive until you’re well enough to travel, and those orders come straight from Col. Greene.” He motioned slightly with his head. “There are plenty of others backing me up out there. You might prove valuable in the future, and Col. Greene wants to make sure you can testify, if it ever comes to that.”
Kramer flinched. When he tried to speak, he found his throat too dry. Only a croak came out.
The soldier filled a paper cup with water and held it to Kramer’s mouth. While he drank, the soldier said, “I’m one of the few who know who you are. Most of the others guarding you have no clue what’s going on. Better that way. Your testimony could hurt some powerful people. Best if they don’t even know you’re alive, much less where you are.” He put the empty cup on a nearby table and turned as if to walk away, but stopped and said, “I know some of the people you saved.” He took a breath. “And a lot of those you didn’t, or couldn’t. Another soldier out there’s in the same boat. We both figure we owe you. If someone gets to you, don’t bother checking; we’ll be dead.” He pulled his M4 close to his chest. “From now on you have amnesia. You don’t remember who the hell you are. You understand? Word gets out the Guard has you, we’re likely to all die in this hospital from an air strike ordered by Capinos. Politically, you’re radioactive. Keep your mouth shut, and we’ll keep you alive.”
