Deep Freeze: Protocol One, Book 2 (Protocol One Saga)

by Jacqueline Druga

  I knew by the fingers it wasn’t Tony, it couldn’t be. The blue gloves were partially off, the hand was dainty. Diligently, I removed more snow and saw the white and frost covered face of a young woman. Her eyes were wide open, lacking color, it seemed as if frozen blood laced her skin. Her cap was like a Popsicle, icy, red, it was glued by the elements to the left side of her head. It was obviously she suffered a horrible head injury.

  I looked over my shoulder. “It must be Gina.”

  Larry was angry, I could hear it. See it. Immediately, I started searching for another mound. I just wanted to cry and scream.

  “You just left her there?” Larry yelled.

  “I had to. I had to get him help.”

  Stop.

  I stood and looked at Mike.

  “He was still alive. Hurt. He was hurt bad. But still alive. I knew Gina wasn’t. I had to get him help.” Mike said. “I took him to Tim’s. He was unconscious. I had to carry him. I had to leave her.”

  “Tim’s?” I questioned.

  “Right there. The M Station,” Larry replied.

  We had taken only a few steps to go there, when Mike stopped us.

  “He’s not there. That’s why I’m out here,” Mike said. “When he woke up he left. They sent me after him.”

  “Did he say anything?” I asked.

  “Just said he had to find her,” Mike replied. “He’s still sick. He’s still bleeding. I lost the trail of blood. The snow covered it.”

  Larry asked. “How long ago?”

  “Half hour maybe. That’s all.”

  Larry spun to me. “Bet he went back to the Casino. The Humvee doesn’t look stuck. This is our best bet to look for him.”

  “It’s not stuck,” Mike said. “I just stopped it.”

  I raced back to the Humvee and to the open river’s door. Larry ran around and got in the passenger’s side, as I slid it.

  “But it won’t start!” Mike yelled. “It’s broken. I...”

  I punched in the four digit code, and turned the ignition. It started with ease and I shut the door. I didn’t hear what Mike said and failed to pay any more attention. After adjusting the seat, I back it up, turned the wheel, and after making sure I was clear of not hitting Gina’s remains, I cautiously pulled forward.

  We headed to the casino as our first stop. If he wasn’t there, he was somewhere en route. We would find him.

  <><><><>

  Just as we passed the stadium, Larry suggested that I stop and drop him off. It was obvious we missed or crossed paths with Tony. He was on foot and injured, it was possible that Carver’s people spotted him or, God forbid, Tony had collapsed.

  We didn’t know what injuries he had, we assumed a head injury because he was unconscious, other than that we were in the dark. As soon as we located him, Larry said he’d get Gail. She was the best bet for medical attention and the area’s go to person for help. I felt better about the fact we found the Humvee, if we failed at the radio, I would charge Gwen’s phone.

  It was a plan.

  It took only minutes to crunch through the snow and make it to the valet area of the main entrance. I pulled the Humvee close to the doors, shut off the ignition and locked it.

  Focus forward, I opened the door and raced in. What was it with me and being clumsy? I ran and three steps into the marble floored entrance, my foot caught it and I careened forward in a slide, before losing my footing and slamming hard to the ground.

  My teeth pressed against my bottom lip, forming the ‘F’ to blurt out, when I saw what I slid on. It wasn’t water, it was blood.

  Panicked I lifted my head, fumbled for my flashlight and called out. “Tony?”

  “An … Anna.”

  His call was weak and breathy.

  I gasped out, hurried to my feet and aimed my flashlight. When I did, I saw the trail of blood. It wasn’t a lot, but enough droplets to make a path.

  Finally, my beam caught him.

  Four rows of slot machines down, Tony was seated on the floor, holding onto a chair for support.

  Heart beating out of control, filled with worry and gratefulness, I ran to him.

  At the Bunker – Peter

  Well, that didn’t go as planned. That was exactly what I thought in my first few moments in the dining area just before lunch. I had it mapped out in my head, the ‘Attack on the Gwen’.

  Maybe not so much an attack, but more so a way to find out what the heck she was up to. I couldn’t wait until Anna got back, because I was certain she and I were thinking the same thing about her.

  She paced around like a spoiled princess. Though she didn’t look it with that hair. Her hair, it was my key to open the doorway to a better communication.

  It didn’t go as I thought.

  “Why?”

  It took all I had not to laugh. “Why?”

  She folded her arms and tilted her head. “I will repeat … why?”

  The laugh burst out. “Sorry.” I swiped my hand over my mouth. “Have you seen your hair?”

  She exhaled heavily and tried to get by me. To which I stopped her.

  “Look,” I said, “I just feel really bad. It feels like they are torturing you on purpose. If you look good, you’ll feel good, right.”

  “But why would you do that for me?” she asked. “What’s in it for you?”

  It was a pause, and honestly, I was thinking of how to phrase it. But all that came out of my mouth was the word, “Well,” and she grunted in disgust, pushed me aside and stormed off.

  I think she thought I wanted sex in exchange for getting her the hair straightener. Not sure, but I think that’s what she believed my ‘Well’ to be about. Because, let’s face it, a simple ‘Well’ all by itself is not reason to storm off.

  All was not lost. Nelly, as she always did, had just given the kids their lunch trays. Seeing the trays was reminiscent of my school days and the lunch lady concoctions. She served the kids first, a complete and balanced lunch and then the adults got their food. Never balanced and rarely as nicely presented as the kids’ meals.

  Except for me. I got a kid tray sans the drink box. It was toasted sandwich day and I took a spot next to Joie. She fiddled with her food, and looked kind of down, understandably so.

  “Hey,” I said to her as I sat. “Toasted egg.”

  “Eggs are boring now.” She lifted her juice box and placed it on my tray. “Is that tea?”

  “Yep.” I gave her my cup of hot tea. “And … to sweeten the deal, when Nelly breaks open the pickles she’s been fermenting, you can have mine.”

  Her little eyes lit up. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Oh, I’ll trade a juice box for a pickle any day.”

  “And they are all part of the fruits and vegetables family.” I looked around then placed the drink box in the front pocket of my tee shirt. “So, what’s happening little one? Why so glum?”

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  “Your dad?”

  “And Anna.” She sighed. “I’m worried. No one will tell me anything except they are stuck.”

  “They are. And … they lost the Humvee. But shh, don’t tell anyone.”

  Joie shifted left to right looking around.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Gwen is gonna be so mad.”

  “I know.”

  Joie giggled.

  “There you go. And don’t worry. They’ll be back soon. If not you’re stuck with me.” I ran my hand over her head.

  We talked for a little bit more, but I didn’t want to stay too long, not just in case she asked one more question, but also because I didn’t want anyone to see me with that juice box. I got hell every time someone saw me drinking one.

  After my sandwich, I told Joie to find me any time she needed to talk, and I left for the safe room.

  As soon as I stepped outside, I stuck the straw in my juice and sipped en route. Tom wouldn’t say anything to me, of that I was sure. However, as soon as I approached the doo
r, I heard voices.

  Not one to back off of eavesdropping, I listened.

  “Come on.” Duke said. “It’s the only way.”

  Tom’s voice was next. “Guys, really, it doesn’t make sense.”

  “No,” Spencer said. “It makes perfect sense. If you go do the rescue, Gil will know you left. If Duke and I go, no one will notice at first.”

  “Plus,” Duke added. “Both Spence and I are good at driving in the snow. We’ll take the heavy truck. The base of it is higher than our accumulation. Or we’ll take the plow.”

  Was I hearing right? Was two thirds of our over sixty population wanting to pull a Delta Force and sneak out to get Tony and Anna?

  That was cool.

  Pretending I didn’t hear, I stepped inside. “Oh, hey guys. What’s up?”

  The safe room wasn’t very big and Spencer and Duke stood off to the side not to be seen by anyone passing by.

  Tom looked over his shoulder at me. “Really, Pete? I heard you slurping outside. You heard.”

  “Only a little.” I sat at my desk. “Snow just started. If they take supplies in case they get stuck, they should be good.”

  “Exactly,” Duke said. “I have some sawdust. And we can do this. We have the fuel. We just made that run. Spencer and I have it planned out. We know how to go, what to do. We have everything ready. We want to do this. We need to do this.”

  Tom groaned. “You guys are killing me. You know I have the keys. I’m not authorized to give them out.”

  Spencer waved out his hand. “Say we decked you. Knocked you out and took them. We are the best rescue team to go in there.”

  “What about him?” Tom pointed.

  “They hit me, too.” I sipped my drink.

  “No. No.” Tom shook his head. “I can’t with a good conscience let you guys go without a really good reason.”

  Duke waved out his hand. “Tony missing and Anna being alone isn’t good enough?”

  “It is, but not enough to risk your lives as well.”

  At that moment, the radio hissed and Anna called out, shocking me so much, I choked on my drink.

  “Protocol One come in. Protocol One, this is Anna. You read?”

  I was the closest and I grabbed the radio. “Anna, we’re here. I thought your radio died. Over.”

  “It did. I found the Humvee. Over.”

  “And Tony?” I asked.

  “Oh my God, Pete, he’s hurt. He’s hurt bad,” she said. I heard the desperation in her voice. “I don’t know if he’ll make it if we don’t get him help.”

  Before responding, I turned my chair and looked at Tom. “Good enough reason yet?”

  A beat and breath later, Tom unlocked the second to bottom drawer, reached in and pulled out a set of keys. He tossed them to Duke. “Take the plow. And get a med kit from Craig.”

  Duke gushed a, “Thank you” Before he and Spencer rushed out.

  I clenched my fist with an excited, ‘yes’ and grabbed the radio. “Hold tight, Anna. Help is on the way.”

  TWELVE – FALLEN

  My grateful reunion with Tony was overshadowed by the fact that I just wanted to scream and cry. The usually strong and unwavering man was weakened by injuries. So many, that I didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t leave him. I had to get him off of that cold floor, but the second he saw me, he slipped back out of consciousness as if he had been holding on for the moment he could see for himself I was fine.

  It was obvious that the M Station camp tried to clean him up. I didn’t recognize the clothes he wore, yet they had blood on them. His head was wrapped in a loose bandage that kept slipping. If ever there was a poster child for a person hit by a Humvee, Tony was it.

  Larry arrived about fifteen minutes later. Maybe longer, it was irrelevant, because I was at a loss at what to do.

  I wanted to move Tony, but he insisted I wait until he got Gail. “A few minutes. That’s all. We’ll be right back.”

  He got the lantern for me and placed it near Tony on the floor for light.

  It didn’t take long for Gail to return with some medical supplies. During her examination, I called Protocol One for help. I wanted nothing more than to put Tony in the back of the Humvee and try to get him home, but it started snowing really badly. That actually made me wonder if help would arrive.

  It needed to arrive.

  Gail had medical knowledge and was good, but as she said, “I don’t have what I need to help him.”

  “Were you able to figure out what all is wrong.”

  Gail rubbed her own forehead. “Obviously, he has a head injury. It looks to me that it could be a fractured skull. He has three cracked ribs, a broken wrist, and he has that gash on his side. I set the wrist temporarily and sutured him as best as I could. There may be internal injuries. It’s hard to say because he has that gash on his side. He’s lost a lot of blood, that’s our biggest concern.”

  “What do you need?” I asked.

  “He needs blood,” Gail said. “Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

  Larry asked. “Can I? Can I run to General and get supplies?”

  “You could,” Gail replied. “But with this weather, can you is the question. Plus, we don’t know what they have left.” She then looked at me. “Didn’t you say your people were coming?’

  “They’re trying,” I said. “But I don’t know if they’ll make it with the weather.”

  “We can’t take a chance sending Larry out. Even with your Humvee. He needs someone that knows what to get to go with him.”

  “So we’re at a loss.” I lifted my hands. “What about pain medication?

  “We have to be careful about that. He’s out again, so he’s not feeling pain. Warmth and rest. I’ll keep checking on him. If he looks worse tomorrow, we’ll make the trip to General.”

  “Tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Anna,” Gail said calmly. “He survived the hit, was unconscious, woke up and walked here. This is one very strong man.”

  I nodded. She was right. “Is there anything else I can do?”

  “If you believe in prayer, it might not be a bad thing to do.”

  Pray.

  We were at a loss medically. Hindered by not only the elements but by the lack of supplies. We couldn’t move him to the Humvee or even out of the Casino. What was best for Tony was to be stationary.

  It was a wait and see. And I would wait and see, right next to Tony.

  That’s all I could do.

  THIRTEEN – TYPE B

  Before he left, Larry helped me set up my camp near the main doors of the casino. We used draperies to make a closed in tent, and pillow cushions from sofas in the lounge to make a bed for Tony.

  My kettle pot fire worked like a charm in the small space. There was just enough ventilation for airflow, yet it didn’t hinder the warmth.

  Cold was good. Gail said it would slow any bleeding down. I stayed wrapped in a blanket while Tony didn’t move.

  As promised, after two hours Gail returned.

  Unfortunately, she believed Tony had slipped into a coma, and there was nothing we could do.

  I just wanted to go home.

  Back to the bunker and get him help. I hadn’t eaten and only sipped on that fruit tea that Gail brought over. I was so extremely grateful for Larry, Gail and their crew. They were a Godsend. Having nothing, yet they shared with me. I would never forget them.

  I owed them. Even though they dismissed my praise and claimed it to be unwarranted. They would do what any person would do.

  Was that correct?

  I firmly believed and held onto that belief that people were good. That the good would outnumber the bad. I was ridiculed for thinking that and actually, with the theft of the Humvee was rather humbled in my thinking. But Larry and Gail brought a restoration to all that. At least a little.

  I went out to the Humvee and made contact with Peter.

  “They left hours ago, Anna,” Peter said. “Weather is bad. How much snow did you get ther
e?”

  “Over two feet. You?”

  “Same.”

  “I wish I could tell you more. They’ll get there.”

  “How is Joie?”

  “Growing sad. We try to be optimistic with her, but it’s getting hard. I hate lying. I’m not a parent so I don’t know what’s best.”

  I was a parent. Ironically, Jackson died from a head injury and Tony, the man who made me live again, his life hung on the balance with a head injury like Jackson. Gail stated the other wounds were not her main concern.

  The head injury scared me because I was well aware of how deadly they could be.

  I thought about Joie. How she probably was coloring or cutting up magazines. Thinking of her father, believing he was fine and only stranded. How horrible it would be for her and shocking if something happened to Tony.

  The mother in me wanted to protect her yet, that same mother believed she needed the truth.

  “Peter, tell Melissa to break the news to Joie that her father was injured.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. It doesn’t have to have all the details, but she needs to know her father was hurt. Just … just in case.”

  “Is it that bad, Anna?”

  “Yeah.”

  I would have never thought in a million years that Tony would have taken a fall. I needed him to get better. Joie needed him.

  After Gail’s second stop over, I told her I’d radio if there was a change. We decided on a channel, and while they couldn’t respond, they could hear. There was no need for her to trudge in the dark through the snow.

  I started to finally feel a little hungry, and I heated some soup on a wire rack I placed over the kettle.

  It was dark and the snow had finally stopped. The clouds parted and the moon lit up the area. It actually was quite beautiful in a desolate way.

  “You had me really worried,” I told Tony. “I thought you left me. Well, no, I didn’t. I’m, teasing. I knew you’d never leave me. I know you can hear me. You have to fight Tony. I think that’s why you shut down, so you can fight. You have me and Joie and we both need you. God … can you imagine if it was up to me to raise her. You know she’d end up a bleeding heart just like me. Or … to give you incentive, maybe Gil will help.”