by Hunt, Jack
“And when are they arriving?”
“Today or tomorrow. Whether they do or not is to be seen but just a heads-up, you might not want to be around when they show.” She continued rattling on about how Harris was planning on making an example of Castine, killing the militia and hanging their bodies in public as a message to everyone. He stopped listening; his mind switched to his brother.
Ray sucked on the cigarette as he got up and went over to the window.
“If they show, we’ll be ready,” he replied.
Teresa came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What about me?”
“What about you?” he said turning into her.
“The people of this town don’t like me.”
“Sure they do.”
“No, they endure me. There is a big difference.”
“Does it matter?”
“Like I told you. Appearances matter. That’s why I have an idea. I want you to make it known that this news about Harris came from me. Restore their faith in my ability to…”
“Teresa. I learned a long time ago that people don’t care what comes out of your mouth. They look at your actions. You want respect, admiration, people looking up to you, then you’ve got to do something for them. That means sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice for others?”
She pulled away. “You know I’m taking a big risk. I could quite easily inform Harris of…”
Before she could finish he grabbed her by the wrist and held it tightly. “You can use me. But if I learn you have jeopardized the safety of my men. You won’t need to worry about Harris, I will put a bullet in your head myself. We clear?”
She sneered as she struggled in his grasp.
“You’re hurting me.”
“Are we clear?” he bellowed.
She gritted her teeth. “Crystal.”
Right then there was a knock at the door. He released her and looked out the window. Down below Max was pacing. “Great, what’s he want?” he muttered.
“Who is it?” Teresa asked.
“Sara’s son. Max,” Ray said slipping into his jeans.
“How does he know you’re here?”
“The same way all my guys know where I am. I told them.”
“What?!” she stammered. “But I specifically told you.”
He didn’t stick around to listen to her moaning. He rolled his eyes as he walked out, doing his shirt up on the way down.
3
Landon shouldered the door on his mother-in-law’s three-bedroom home and entered with a heavy heart. He stepped out of the way and beckoned the other two in. The familiar smell of potpourri in bowls brought back a flood of memories: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Although her parents weren’t exactly thrilled with Sara marrying Landon because of his line of work, they embraced him as a son-in-law and were always cordial with him.
Rita had told him before they left that Sara had buried Cathy in a small plot at the back of the home. He made his way to the rear of the house, and saw a cross sticking out of the earth. He dropped his bag on the kitchen table which was covered with mail, magazines and a to-do list dated a few days before Christmas. Not saying a word to Beth or Dakota he strolled out to pay his respects.
A warm breeze blew against his skin as he strolled across the grass, past a large fountain no longer pumping out water. It was now covered in leaves from winter. He could almost hear their voices, and the sound of meat sizzling on the BBQ from days gone by. So many memories — now just fleeting, vague images that he would soon forget. Not far from the garden shed was a small mound of earth surrounded by small pebbles. Dead flowers were scattered over the top. He bent down and brushed them away and picked a few wildflowers from the flower bed nearby and replaced them.
Landon crouched in silence before muttering a few words under his breath as Beth sidled up beside him. “You okay?”
He gave a nod.
“Look, you didn’t have to come. You could have stayed at the Manor,” he said.
“Without you? I think you know me better than that.” He smiled. “You wanna talk about it?”
He hadn’t said anything since leaving. The short journey from the Manor to the north end of Castine was filled with silence. Beth and Dakota kind of knew his return wouldn’t be easy and their time on the AT had taught them that sometimes it was better to say nothing than to force an issue.
He shrugged. “What was I meant to do? Stay?”
“I probably would have done the same thing,” she said.
He rolled a pebble in his hand. “I’m not saying we won’t go back but I just need some time to think and with him there, well…” He looked up at Beth. He didn’t see an eighteen-year-old girl but someone who was wise beyond her years.
“Sara didn’t stop you?” She asked.
“Sara doesn’t want to speak to me. She blames me for Ellie’s death.”
“But that was out of your control. The power went out.”
“I encouraged her to come along with me.”
Beth studied him. “She could have died crossing the road.”
“No, I know. She’s in pain and wants someone to blame and right now that’s me.”
Beth nodded. “I don’t envy your position. What about Max?”
“I tried to talk to him over the last few days but he’s not been around. Rita said he ducks in late at night and is up before the crack of dawn. She says he’s hanging out with the militia group here in town. Which reminds me, that’s another thing I need to deal with.”
“The militia?”
“His involvement. I’m not having him caught up in it.”
“Sounds like he already is.” She paused. “Word of advice, Landon. Go easy on him. Until you know what he’s been through, you’re liable to just get a reaction out of him. If you like, I could speak to him.”
“You?”
She cracked a smile. “Why not? He’s the same age as me. Probably more inclined to listen to me than to—”
“Me?”
“I was going to say an adult but… yeah.”
Landon shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that, I need to handle it.”
“And you will but all in good time, right? Let me smooth things out a little, help him to understand what you’ve just been through.”
Landon pulled a face. “I dunno, Beth.”
“Landon. Let me take some of the weight. You’ve done it for me. It’s the least I can do.” He nodded and thanked her. She thumbed over her shoulder. “Well, I guess we should get settled in.”
Beth strolled into the house with Grizzly in her shadow. He remained there for a few minutes more, taking a moment to feel the grief and loss before rising.
Max knocked on the door for a fourth time. He knew he was in there and he wasn’t leaving until he spoke with him. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Hold your horses.” The door swung open and Ray stepped out tucking his shirt into his pants. His zipper was still down and his hair was a mess. “Kid, this better be important.”
“I’ll do it,” Max said.
“What?”
“Go into the camp.”
Ray looked over his shoulder and saw Teresa. He reached for the handle and closed the door, then put a hand around Max’s shoulder and led him away. Although he was screwing her, the less she knew about what he had in mind the better. After multiple attacks on Castine and several deaths, they’d had to rethink their strategy. Lee had come up with an idea to have a few of the men go into the camp under the ruse they were seeking shelter and provisions. Of course they would be wearing civilian clothing and the logic behind it was to get a feel for what was happening. Basically be a Trojan horse. Find ways to attack from inside the walls, learn more about what they were planning and so on.
Ray patted Max on the shoulder. “It was just an idea, kid. Nothing has been agreed upon.”
“Well when you decide to move ahead, I’m your man.”
“No.”
“Why not? Is it my age?”
He chuckled. “Max, you have balls of steel. Hell, you put to shame several of our guys in our unit but it’s not because of that. Bennington is working with them and after the stunt you pulled killing two of his guys, you’re liable to get yourself strung up.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“That it was, but he hasn’t forgotten. No. I’m not sending you in. Besides, your mother would go apeshit on me.” He laughed as they strolled over to a bench that overlooked the bay. Teresa owned a huge lot that backed up to the bay and offered some incredible views. The salty air drifted in as Ray reached into his top pocket and took out a pack of smokes. He offered one to Max but he declined.
“Then what can I do?”
“Just stay available. You could help out at the checkpoints.”
“I don’t wanna stand around all day. I want a piece of the action.”
Ray lit the end. It glowed a bright orange and he sucked on the cigarette. “You got a death wish, kid?”
“I’m just tired of waiting around to become a victim.”
Ray squinted as he blew gray smoke out the corner of his mouth. “I hear your old man is back in town. Heard he was gone for seven months. I would have thought you’d want to spend time with him.”
“Well you thought wrong,” Max said wiping his hands on his pants and tapping his foot. He’d consumed a crazy amount of caffeine that morning, so his nerves were on edge. “He didn’t return with my sister.”
There was a pause. “Oh. I see. I’m sorry. That’s got to be hard.”
Max shrugged. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to go in, or don’t have enough people who are willing, I’ll do it. To hell with Bennington. He can’t exactly hang me in front of all those people.”
“But he can punish you. No. You’re not thinking clearly, kid.”
“Stop calling me kid. I’m not a kid. Okay?”
Ray blew out smoke and nodded. “You got it.” He rose. “Look, I have to get back to…”
“Banging Teresa?”
“To what I was doing before that,” he said. “And watch your mouth.”
“You know what. Thanks for nothing. You are just like the rest of them. All they want to do is talk. I’m done with talking.” He got up and Ray tried to stop him but Max took off.
“Max. You’re not thinking clearly. C’mon. Let’s talk about it.”
As the words came out of his mouth, Max glared at him before vanishing around the corner of the house. If it wasn’t for the fact that he reminded him of himself when he was a kid, or that he truly thought Max had the potential to be a good soldier, he wouldn’t have given him the time of day or cared, but he did. He didn’t want him getting hurt any more than his own men and in some ways he felt responsible.
Max knew where to find him. Nautilus Island had once again become his own private paradise. An isolated retreat away from the madness of a world without power. Eddie Raymond was dressed in Hawaiian shorts and smoking a fat doobie and bobbing around in the swimming pool on an inflatable chair when Max showed up looking red-faced and out of breath. “Maxy boy! The man of the hour. I was just thinking about you. Pull up a chair, enter my office and let’s discuss business.”
“Eddie, I don’t have time for your crap. The cache of weapons, where did you put them?”
After the incident on Castine between militia and Bennington’s group, they had gathered up an arsenal of weapons and ammo from the dead and were supposed to hand it over to Ray once it was over. He, however, having a fond love of business saw an opportunity in the making. Eddie opted to take a portion of the cache and bury it with the grand idea of trading it for… well… whatever the hell he could get.
“Oh I moved it.”
“Why?”
“Well you know, security and whatnot. You never really know who’s watching or listening.”
Max palmed his forehead. “Man, your brilliance continues to amaze me. Where is it?”
“Ram Island.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
“Why would you take it there?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Uh because this island we’re on is massive, and maybe because you could have left it over on Castine. Fuck, Eddie.”
He sat up. “Why do you care anyway? You have a Walther P99.”
“I need something more powerful.”
“Well then you have come to the right man.” He stuck his doobie in his mouth and paddled over to the edge, nearly falling into the water as he climbed out. “What have you got to barter with?”
“Barter?”
“Yeah, you think Hugh Hefner built his empire by giving away shit for free?”
“First, you’re not Hugh Hefner. And second, half of that cache is mine.”
“I buried it.”
“I collected it.”
“So did I.”
Max raised a finger. “Eddie.”
“Okay, okay!” He threw his hands up. “You push a hard bargain; I’ll give you one rifle for free.”
“Eddie!”
“Fuck.” He stomped over to a pool chair and got back into some clothes all the while complaining. “How the hell am I meant to build my empire when you keep dipping your hand into my wealth?”
“Shut up and just get your shit together and let’s go.”
It didn’t take long to reach the tiny island. The seven acres of land was south of Nautilus. It consisted of two islands joined together by a bar at low tide and was mostly used by those looking to picnic and observe wildlife. The bow of the boat bounced up onto the shore and Eddie jumped out to tie it off to a tree. “I still don’t see why you don’t wait for Ray,” he said.
“Because they’ve lost interest. Everything has to go through meetings especially now that he’s screwing Teresa.”
“Come on, you’re joking?”
“You didn’t know?” Max asked. He climbed onto a boulder and made his way up to the tree line.
“No. Gross! I know we’re in desperate times but I wouldn’t go near that with a barge pole. Eeek.” He snorted leading the way.
Max scanned the terrain. “Right, where did you leave it?”
“Not far from here,” he said trudging through the thick foliage. There was nothing on the island except trees and underbrush. When he made it to the spot, both of them stared into a large hole in the ground that was empty. Eddie jabbed his finger at the hole. “No. No. I placed it all here.” He looked around before catching the eye of Max, who was shaking his head.
“Why does this not surprise me?”
“Hey. I placed it here. No one saw me.”
“Well obviously someone did. Great. Great. Now what am I supposed to do?”
Eddie stared back at him. “Well, you wait. Listen to Ray. Besides, you saw how things turned out the last time we got involved.”
“Yeah, I was the catalyst to get shit rolling. And right now nothing is rolling.”
“But we’re alive, Max. That matters to me. Why don’t we just go back to Nautilus, crack open a bottle of wine, smoke a few doobies and chill?”
“I’m done chilling,” Max said charging off toward the boat. Eddie was quick to catch up.
“What’s got up your ass?”
“Everything. My old man. My sister.” He sighed.
“You never told me.”
“You were there.”
“No, I mean that it bothered you.”
Max pitched sideways pulling a face. “Would you have cared?”
“Well no but hey… it’s news, right?”
“Yeah, well…”
“So…” Eddie said as Max clambered into the boat and he untied the rope from the tree. “If he’s returned, why are you looking to go all kamikaze?”
“I’m not. I’m just…” Max clenched his jaw and looked out across the bay. Eddie tossed the rope into the boat and climbed in.
“Look, you don’t want to tell me, fine, but if you want my help, then…”
/>
“She’s dead. Okay. My sister is dead.”
There was a long pause as Max began to row.
“Shit. That’s heavy. Sorry, man.”
“Yeah, well, now you know.”
A herring gull wheeled overhead squawking. The gentle lapping of the water against the boat brought his mind back to the past. The numerous times he’d spent with his sister. Her laughter. Their jokes. Things that to others would have been meaningless but now meant so much more. He rowed in silence for another five minutes before Eddie piped up. “I know what it feels like.”
“No you don’t.”
“I do.”
“No. No you don’t!” Max bellowed back, letting his grief get the better of him.
There was silence for a few minutes.
“Did I ever tell you about my older brother Richie?”
He shook his head.
“Died in a car crash when I was nine.”
Max looked at him. “You never told me.”
“Never asked.”
Max studied him. “I thought it was just you.”
Eddie shook his head. “Nope.” He breathed in deeply. “Anyway. I know what it feels like, Max. You just want to run, hide, do anything dangerous just to feel alive.”
“Well that’s the thing, I don’t want to be alive.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“No I don’t.”
Eddie smirked. “That hot chick that arrived with your father. I saw the way you eyed her.”
“I didn’t eye her.”
“Please. You were all over her. If I hadn’t intervened, you would have been drooling at the mouth.”
Max laughed and Eddie leaned over and patted him on the arm. “See. You want to live. I mean unless you want me to sweep in there and scoop her up. And believe me, it would be my honor.” He grinned. They both breathed in the salty air as they made their way back. Eddie continued to rattle on about where his cache had gone, and Max thought about the girl who’d arrived with his father. Eddie wasn’t far wrong. Beth was something else. Beautiful. Definitely hot.
4
Sara had never been an anxious person but since the blackout she’d found herself consuming more alcohol just to keep her calm. She’d taken to carrying a small portable flask of vodka and orange juice that she would swig when she felt her emotions getting the better of her. That afternoon was no exception. Not wishing for anyone to know, she had opted to take a walk in the woods at the back of the house where Landon had installed a small bench. It had been a quiet and special place they would go to when they needed time to think and talk. Nearby was a small brook that ran through the woods and flowed into a pond. Max often used it for fishing.
