Jake looked at both of them solemnly.
“Hello, Mary, you can go inside. I think they may still need some help.”
Chase started to follow Mary, but Jake put an arm out to hold him back. “There’s no need for you to go inside. It’d be better if you just stayed out here for a little bit. Let them take care of things.”
“Why? I should go inside. Maybe they need more help.”
“I’m sorry. No.”
Chase looked confused and upset. His eyes were fixed on the door as Mary went through and was greeted by Pritis. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t look like good news.
“I went as fast as I could. I did. Mary wasn’t sure at first, but then I explained. Probably took too long. I should have told her right away why I was there, and who sent me. Then I would’ve gotten back quicker, but I didn’t think about it. I was scared.”
Jake put an arm around him and directed Chase down the steps and away from the house.
“I know. I know. It’s OK; it wouldn’t have mattered. Rick was really hurt, and he lost a lot of blood. There wasn’t anything anybody could do.” Chase craned his head back towards the house to see what was going on. “He took several shots to the abdomen. It was hard to see with all the blood, but it was pretty bad. The bullets hit critical organs. I can’t believe he actually stood and fired at those guys through all of it. It must’ve been the adrenaline that kept him going. Thank goodness he did, because if he hadn’t, and those Jeeps had gotten the better of us, we’d all be in his situation.”
“He’s dead?” Chase stopped walking and plunked himself down on the ground in despair. “But … I got back as fast as I could.”
Jake sat in the dirt with him. There was green all around them, as if a wild garden had just sprung up in the middle of the yard, surrounded by boulders and dirt. “You did great, kid. Don’t blame yourself for anything. Rick knew what he was doing when he took on those guys from the Humvee’s turret. He knew the odds. Nobody could’ve survived that many shots.”
They both sat there in silence for a few minutes, watching the others inside the house through the big solar windows. There wasn’t a whole lot to say.
“So, what do we do now?” Chase asked, choking back his emotions. “Do we just go back home?”
“I don’t know. That’s something we’re going to have to talk about, and I have a feeling it won’t be an easy conversation.”
Chapter 19 ~ Turning
Dawson crumpled into a sitting heap outside the old shed on Pritis’ property, propping his back against the wall. The building had been her original home, back about twenty years ago, when she was building her main home. She and her husband at the time had lived in the cramped surroundings and made do while they built their dream home. Now it was just a storage place for tools and garden utensils that rarely got used. It was pretty cramped, and there was barely enough room for a small table and chair. But, they’d managed by clearing some space inside. Today, it wasn’t the place of dreams; it was the place of nightmares. Whose nightmares was another question. Conventional wisdom would suggest that they were Harish’s nightmares, given the fact that he was the one strapped to a chair half naked. The ropes binding his arms cut deep, and stung his open wounds. The pain, though, had long since passed. He was now ready to give in and do whatever his tormentor asked of him.
Sitting under the dark Texas sky in the early morning hours, Dawson dealt with his own nightmares. This wasn’t his realm of expertise. Interrogation and torture. It wasn’t something he relished or even wanted to be within a hundred yards of, but he had little choice. Who else could he leave the task to? The fact that he hated the prospect of it just made the whole affair that much worse. If Rick were still alive, he’d probably have gotten the information they needed hours ago and been done with it. Now, Harish’s stubbornness combined with Dawson’s reluctance just made the whole interrogation worse. It was close to an end though, and for that much Dawson was grateful. He just needed a few minutes outside, away from the sounds and smells inside the shed. Sweat, blood, and desperation seeped through every sense he had. He just wanted it to be over. Feeling the cool of the desert breeze on his sweat was only a temporary respite. Now, he was just prolonging the inevitable. It was time to go back inside.
The door slammed behind him, and both men cringed. Neither one wanted to be here, but this scene had to play out. Harish had had enough and was ready to give in. Dawson was slow to come to that realization. Harish was a beaten man, in more ways than one. He slumped forward in the chair. Almost on the edge of tipping over. He drifted between passing out and reality, unsure of either.
“Tell me the rest of what you know, and we can be done here,” Dawson pleaded, trying to sound decisive.
Harish thought at first that he was still dreaming, but then realized he was in too much pain for that. He heard Dawson’s voice and took a second to understand what he’d been asked. He’d already told Dawson everything he knew about his brother, but that wasn’t what Dawson was looking for. Dawson wanted to know what his brother Ahmed knew about the leaders of the terrorist cell. Harish knew very little about that. Fortunately for him, one or two tidbits of information would be enough to release Harish from this pain, or at least get him out of this chair.
Halfway through the interrogation, Harish couldn’t decide whether to give up the information or not. It wasn’t that he cared what Dawson found out. Giving up the information would have been painless. What Harish first had to decide was whether he wanted to live or die. The pain and suffering of the last few weeks had convinced Harish just how pitiful his life had become. He knew he was too much of a coward to end his own life. The thought crossed his mind that this bumbling interrogator would probably do the job for him if he gave him enough time. Then, something occurred to Harish that he hadn’t thought about in a very long time. And when that simple little thing occurred to him, Harish decided that he wanted to live. Not only did he want to, but he had a good reason to live.
For as long as Harish could remember, the decision had never been his. He was never the one who got to decide on anything. Not what he wore, not where he went, and most certainly not where he lived. Sure, there were times in his life when he felt he was making those decisions. He seemed to be an adult, and he had a job. For the most part, he could ignore a lot of the people that lived around him. But really, were his decisions all his own? He had a job, with bosses, albeit few, but certainly some responsibilities. If he didn’t pay his rent, the landlord would come pounding on his door. If he didn’t show up for work, the boss would be calling him, and harassing him when he finally showed up. Which inevitably would lead to the search for a new job, an attempt to appease the landlord, paying bills, and then making just enough money to feed himself. So, he was always answering to someone. That’s just the way society was structured, and the way it kept people like him in their place.
All his life, while growing up and going to school, and being different than all the kids around him, he wished for the day when he’d be able to be his own man. The day when he’d get to decide what was important, and how he’d spend his days. He dreamed about how awesome it would be, and how freeing it would feel. He remembered trying to explain it to his mother, and how difficult that was. She never seemed to understand what it was like to be him and to have to endure the abuse from others every day of his life. Not just the other kids, but the other adults as well. The teachers, of course, couldn’t be as overt as the kids were, but he still noticed a difference. They treated him differently and made things harder on him. Even though he spoke two languages, and his English was excellent, the teachers made him feel otherwise. They always talked down to him and made excuses for him because obviously, English was something he’d never understand. They couldn’t be more wrong, though, and he knew it. It was just another excuse they used to keep him in his place. To control him, and to have authority over him.
The foster homes he lived in weren’t any better.
Probably because no one was watching over them. He was alone in their homes, and at the mercy of his foster parents. In school, the teachers had to answer to the principal and their peers. He never ended up in ideal foster homes. Not many of the foster parents wanted a kid of color. Troubled kids, violent kids, and kids that stole all the time were always picked before he was. Consequently, he only ever ended up with the foster parents who were doing it just for the money. Their intentions were far from altruistic.
Now, for the first time, things were coming clear to Harish. Maybe it was the experience of being left for dead in the desert. Maybe it was being held captive by a crazy old desert man. Or maybe it was being tortured and not caring what happened to him that finally triggered the thoughts in his mind. It’s sometimes mysterious how having nothing left to live for can bring the utmost clarity to an individual. That’s where Harish was now, and that’s when he came to the realization that for the very first time in his life he was being presented with a golden opportunity. A ticket more valuable than all the promises of heaven and what may or may not lie beyond its gates. He finally saw, standing right there in front of him, what was possible. The first thing to go through his mind was, how could I have not seen this before? Harish finally realized that he was being gifted the promise of absolute freedom. If he gave Dawson what he wanted and Dawson kept his promise of allowing him to walk away, then for the first time in all his years of walking this planet, he would truly be free.
The apocalypse may have brought death, uncertainty, and fear to everyone else around him, but that wasn’t the case for Harish. Harish could, for the first time in his life, truly be a free man. The world was falling apart all around him. The country had been catapulted backward to a pioneering lifestyle the likes of which hadn’t been seen on this continent in over two hundred years. People were just struggling to survive, and so concerned with themselves that they never cared about anyone else. They were taking what they wanted, and what they needed to survive. The new law of the land was survival of the fittest. Take what you wanted and what you needed, and don’t let anyone else get in your way. It was the world of the strong; the bully reigned supreme nowadays. Harish never had the opportunity to be that bully growing up, but he certainly had lots of experience dealing with bullies. Today, Harish decided that he’d dealt with the last bully in his life and that he’d do what he’d always done to survive. He’d give the bully what he wanted. But then, when he had his freedom, things would change.
Chapter 20 ~ Negotiations
“Alright dammit, then I’ll tell you exactly what it is that you need to know. But you’re gonna have to assure me that you’ll stick to your promise, and you’ll let me go,” Harish demanded.
“What is it that makes you think you’re in any position to negotiate the terms of what happens next here?” Dawson said.
“Look, I didn’t come looking for you this time. It was you that came to me. There’s nothing more I want with you or your family.”
“As much as I’d like to believe that, I’m not sure I can. That’s not exactly the track record you’ve been setting for yourself these last few weeks.”
“You can believe whatever you like, but at this point, I don’t care whether I live or die.” Harish figured he could lie his ass off here if he had to, and it wouldn’t matter. For the first time, he believed that he truly did have something to live for. Dawson didn’t need to believe him; he just needed to let him go. “Come on, man, you’ve got to give me something here, something that I can take back. Something that convinces me that you’re going to follow through. These people you’re asking me to betray aren’t exactly the forgiving type. They’re more likely to kill me than you ever are.”
“Look, I give you my assurances, but I’m not sure what else it is you want from me. All I can do is promise you. Hang on; I can give you something. What if I tell you exactly how to get back into the bunker back in Big Springs? What if I tell you exactly what you have to do, or exactly what you could do, to get into that bunker and come after us anytime you want. It’s a big secret that we’ve never shared with anybody else. I’m quite sure Jake would string me up by my balls if he knew I was even talking about it. But let’s just say I’m willing to give you that information if it helps you spill the beans.”
It wasn’t a lot of information, but it was a show of faith to Harish, and it was all he wanted to hear from Dawson. Just something to assure him that he had a chance to get out of this mess.
“OK, here’s what you need to know. There’s a headquarters down in Milledgeville, Georgia. An old mental hospital that hasn’t been in use for decades. That’s where the orders come from, and that’s the main base of operations. I’ve never been there, but it’s what Ahmed told me. At least as much as he knew, and he knew a whole lot more than me. So, let me go. I’ll be out of your hair forever.”
You’re gonna have to give me a whole lot more than that,” Dawson said. “I need a lot more information, like what kind of equipment they have, what are their defenses like, how many people are actually stationed there, and what exactly do they know about me.”
Dawson didn’t really expect that Harish would have all that information, but he knew he had to push for as much as he could. The more information he knew about them, and what they were going up against, the better their chances for success. When he let him go, it would be too late to get anything else out of him.
Chapter 21 ~ Gone
Harish was alone now in the old room. He was sore and ached, but it was time for him to go. He put his clothes back on and considered the options of his new life. All the things he was going to be able to do now after he put this whole world behind him. No more scrounging and trying to make a buck just to feed himself for the next week. No more kowtowing to authoritarian bosses, or as in the last few weeks, a brother who was as misguided as they came. It was time to make a new place for himself, to leave his mark on the world in a way he’d never dreamed he could. He was truly free. He figured he’d head north, maybe all the way up to Canada. It’d be so different, he figured, from the world he’d grown up in. His ancestors had grown up and lived in the desert, eking out a subsistence lifestyle. That wasn’t what he was going to do. He was tired of just getting by. He was going to take whatever he wanted, and whatever he needed. He was going to keep as far from other people as possible. At least for the next little while. Maybe even longer. He figured he’d spent enough of his lifetime dealing with other people and their shit.
They’d be after him, of course, the Imam, that is. They weren’t the forgiving type. They’d hunt him down for the rest of his life if they could. Harish hoped that Dawson and his people were successful, not for their good, but for his. He supposed that he’d never really know if they were. He’d always be looking over his shoulder. The way the world was these days, that was likely a given. He only hoped that the people he betrayed would be too busy trying to survive themselves to worry about what he was up to. It wasn’t like he was his brother Ahmed, who devoted his entire life to serving them. He’d only been with them, doing their bidding, for less than a month. Maybe they wouldn’t even notice.
They didn’t give Harish much to take with him. Just a little bit of water, an old pack, and some granola. No weapons, no tents for shelter, and no maps. They pointed to the north on the side of the road and told him which direction to go. A few of the EarthShippers took him there. Dawson wanted nothing to do with him at this point and had other things to do. Harish didn’t mind. This made sense to him. Alone and on his own, he figured he could survive. He’d been doing it all his life. He just needed some time, and the opportunity to get away from his past. A past which always seemed to find him, no matter how hard he tried to escape it. Today would be the first day of his life as a truly free man. The possibilities seemed endless.
Dawson had told everyone that he needed to be on his own for a little while. After the extensive torture he’d inflicted upon Harish, he needed to decompress. The stress of it all had gotte
n to him. He was lying though. Not that he was ashamed of what he was about to do, but because it would be better if the others didn’t know. The world had changed, and not for the better. Dawson was tired of being the whipping boy. He was tired of his family suffering because of the decisions other people made. He saw the look in Harish’s eye when he left and believed him when he said he wanted nothing to do with them ever again. Harish had the look of a man who’d found a new life for himself. He had, but Dawson couldn’t care less. He’d made his decision, as Harish had made his. Now, it was time for Harish and Dawson to get what they both deserved.
The sun was warm on his back, and the rocks underneath warmed him as he lay on his stomach. The sun was getting low in the sky, and would soon be consumed by the desert. He wouldn’t be here much longer. Dawson looked through the scope of the rifle once more. He could see the figure making its way down the road, and knew it wouldn’t be much longer. Harish had done all the damage he would ever do to Dawson and his family. Today, that battle would end, and a new one would begin. Dawson didn’t believe this one would be an easier one, and neither did those around him. They questioned his reasons for letting Harish go. None of them had the nerve to do what he was about to do. Rick would’ve if he were still alive, but he wasn’t.
Dawson couldn’t take a chance that he’d misread Harish, or that he’d lied. Harish seemed like a man about to start a new life, but Dawson needed to be sure he wouldn’t transgress and fall back into his old life. If the Imam found him, they’d drag him back into their fold. Dawson wasn’t ready to take that chance. The figure in the scope drew closer, almost close enough for Dawson. I can wait a few more minutes, Dawson figured. There’s no need to rush. Dawson thought about his kids, and how they’d survive in this new world. Things weren’t getting any easier for any of them, and he was tired of it. It was time he started taking matters into his own hands, and making sure that there would be a future for his family. The tough decisions weren’t so tough when he thought about it that way. He knew what his choices were, and what was at stake. He looked into the scope one more time and held it steady on the figure moving in the distance. The shot rang out through the open desert and dissipated quickly. There were no canyon walls to reverberate against here. It was mostly open desert, boulders, and sagebrush. The only ones to hear the sound would be the scorpions and the rattlesnakes. They’d go scurrying for their holes, but the target at the end of the scope wouldn’t go scurrying anywhere. The target formed a crumpled heap on the ground as a bottle of water fell out of his hand and returned its moisture to the thirsty desert floor. It won’t be long, Dawson thought, till the desert scavengers come around to clean up the mess.
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