Exodus

by Michael R. Watson

  The rest of the men, including Gant, Ryder, John, and Levi mounted their horses, glad to be on the move. Levi was still in bad shape, but he refused any preferential treatment, choosing to ride back to the Raider’s camp in the saddle rather than lying down in the back of one of the wagons. At the camp, they would switch back to their buggy.

  “Wasn’t exactly what we had in mind when we first headed this way, was it Daniel?” asked John lightheartedly. “We did accomplish what we intended though. Ryder and Levi are out and safe, and as a bonus, the Tent City people are free.”

  “And neither of us was killed in the process,” added Daniel. “That should make our families happy.”

  Gant led the procession to the gate. Before the wagons had cleared the fence, they saw a crowd coming toward them, carrying torches. He held up his hand and yelled “Stop!” to the wagons behind him.

  Gant remained in the saddle, waiting for the crowd to come to him. There shouldn’t have been any danger remaining outside or inside the compound.

  When the leader of the group came close enough, Gant recognized him. It was Chief Governor Charles Grayson with one of his uniformed men at his side. They had been introduced shortly after he’d taken the position as Master of the Guard, five years earlier. He was surprised to see him on this mission. He figured Grayson had sent the tactical unit by themselves to retrieve Davis.

  Grayson also remembered Gant. He would have been hard to forget, being such a large and imposing figure of a man. “Master Gant. It’s good to see you again,” he said as he extended his hand.

  Gant couldn’t help wondering why he would make a trip like this in person and what he wanted now. He took Grayson’s hand. “Just Gant.”

  “Can we talk?” asked the chief governor. “I just spoke with a man by the name of Roy, one of the people from what he referred to as Tent City. It was very enlightening. He told me you were responsible for all of this. I have Davis and his associates in custody. I was hoping I could get your side of the story.”

  “I’m afraid Roy exaggerated,” replied Gant. “I only decided I’d had enough, and left.” He was surprised and glad to hear Davis was in custody, not just rescued. That meant Roy had told him everything, at least from his perspective. If he told his version, he knew there would be a great deal he could add that most never knew about. He wasn’t sure he should. He had also done things he wasn’t proud of. He’d been following orders, but he could have refused at any time. Of course the consequences would have been for him and his family to have been moved back to Tent City. Gant dismounted. Grayson was instantly reminded of how tall he was.

  “If you already have him in custody,” Gant tried to reason, “I don’t see the point in adding to what you already know. I’m not in a position to judge.” Gant looked past Grayson. “I see you brought the people of Tent City with you.”

  Grayson looked back. “They were coming this way anyway. They’re harmless. Roy said you told them about the surplus of goods being stored in the compound and that you invited them to help themselves. It looks like you’re leaving, so there shouldn’t be any reason why they can’t go inside.”

  “There’s no reason at all,” said Gant.

  “I’m anxious to see what’s inside myself.”

  “Now, if you don’t mind,” said Gant, “we’ll be leaving. There’s nothing more for us here.”

  “I’d like to say something,” said John. A comment Daniel had made earlier was still gnawing at him. “I want to tell you about Daniel.”

  “Who’s Daniel?” asked Grayson.

  “My friends call me Daniel,” Gant clarified. “And John, I’d rather you didn’t say any more. Davis has been taken away. That’s what everyone wanted. Now, there’s nothing more to say.”

  “Sorry, Daniel, but he needs to know.” Turning back to Grayson, “This man is too modest, he put up with Davis’ orders as long as he could, for the sake of his family, then risked danger to himself and his family by escaping, just so he could find a better life. That single act led to the Guard following his lead and for the people of Tent City to be freed from captivity and slavery.”

  “Then, Roy was right. I do owe you my gratitude for helping to bring this travesty to an end,” said Grayson. He intentionally avoided using ‘Daniel,’ not sure if it was appropriate and didn’t want to assume too much.

  “You don’t owe me anything. I just want to go home to my family,” said Gant.

  Grayson stared at Gant’s face for a few moments. “You know, with Davis gone, would you consider staying and helping me to re-establish this place as it was intended to be used?”

  “Thanks, but I’ve already found a new home.”

  “But, I …”

  “I don’t want to be rude, but the answer is no.”

  Grayson could see it was futile to try to change his mind. “How about you?” he asked John. “Would you be willing to help?”

  “Sorry. You might ask Roy,” suggested John. “The people like him.”

  “That may be, but it will take more than just someone who’s a nice guy. A real leader is needed.”

  “Then, good luck,” said John. “Daniel, ready to go?”

  Gant nodded and he and John remounted. Grayson stepped aside and the crowd made a path as they rode forward ahead of the wagons.

  Gant stopped and looked back at Grayson. “There is still quite a stockpile of supplies in the lower level. You might want to place some controls on their removal rather than letting everyone take whatever they want whenever they want.”

  Grayson could tell Gant cared about the people since he wasn’t able to walk away without offering one last suggestion. He was anxious to see the lower level for himself, to see another part of Davis’ abuse of his position. He watched briefly as the Raiders and their wagons moved off.

  Down the road Gant took another look back. It appeared Grayson had ignored his recommendation. He was headed back to the helicopter with his man while the crowd was flooding toward the gate. Perhaps Grayson figured it was something they were owed since they’d been forced to go without for so long.

  A series of shots rang out, echoing off the prison walls, making it hard to tell exactly where they had come from. The tent people stopped before entering the gate, hesitated, then scattered for the cover of the trees. Gant brought the wagons to a halt.

  “Where did those shots come from?” John asked Gant and Ryder as all three looked for the source.

  “It must have been from the trees,” reasoned Gant. They watched as Grayson and Blake began to run into the woods. Next they heard the engine of the helicopter start. Another round of shots rang out.

  Gant reined his horse around and galloped off the road, across the ditch, and into the trees, heading straight for the helicopters location. John and Ryder exchanged a brief glance and then took off after him.

  Gant rode up on the site as the helicopter rose into the air, startled to find three uniformed bodies lying on the ground in the clearing. They were the men Grayson had left to watch Davis and the two others. Davis, Damon, and Peck were nowhere to be seen. Grayson and Blake ran into the clearing. Blake cursed at seeing his friend’s bodies and the rising helicopter. They rushed to the downed men, checking each for signs of life. Gant tried to see who was in the helicopter. The side door was still wide open. Damon stuck his head out, smiled and saluted, then withdrew from sight. Blake wondered how they could have gotten a jump on his men.

  Evidently, one or more of the Guard, still loyal to Davis, had somehow avoided the Raiders and had come to their rescue. They must have forced the pilot to take off. There was no way of knowing where they were going. Chances were they didn’t know either.

  John and Ryder joined Grayson and Blake to see if there was anything they could do. John examined one of the men and looked at Gant, shaking his head. Blake’s men had to have been caught completely off guard. And typical of Damon’s reputation, they had been killed on the spot without mercy.

  ***

  Davi
s was ecstatic. He wasn’t sure what Governor Grayson had in mind for him, but he was sure it didn’t include remaining governor. So this was an unexpected victory. Even though he generally didn’t like associating with those he considered well below his status, he momentarily forgot himself and thanked the two men who had come to his rescue. However, he quickly regained his composure, once again raising himself back onto his pedestal.

  The helicopter hovered overhead.

  “Where do you suggest we go,” Damon asked the governor, a pistol applying pressure to the back of the pilot’s neck.

  A grin slowly appeared, growing into a huge smile. “South. I’d finally like to see Paradise. With the Raiders here, we shouldn’t have any resistance there at all.”

  Damon nodded and then pulled the pilots headset away from his ear. “Head south.”

  The pilot, Murphy, continued to hover above Grayson and the others. Damon forcefully shoved the gun harder into the pilot’s neck. “I said south!”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said defiantly.

  “Then why did you take off?”

  “To keep you from shooting anyone else.”

  “Peck, shoot the chief governor!” demanded Damon.

  Murphy glanced over his shoulder.

  Peck grabbed a rifle from one of the two guards. Moving to the open door, he raised the rifle and looked at Damon before taking aim, not sure if he was bluffing. It appeared the pilot was wondering the same thing.

  “Shoot him!” ordered Damon.

  Peck remained reluctant as they continued to hover just above the tree tops. Killing the chief governor would be easy. He slowly took aim, setting the sights on Grayson. Those below seemed oblivious to being in any sort of danger. His finger slid onto the trigger and he began to apply pressure.

  “Stop!” yelled the pilot as he shoved the controls to his right, the helicopter lurching away from the clearing. No one below would be in danger now. Damon and the others were thrown off-balance grabbing for anything to keep from being thrown out the open door.

  “What are you doing?” yelled the startled Damon.

  “Landing.” The pilot headed for another clearing not far away aided by the light of a full moon and began to set it down.

  Damon shoved the gun into Murphy’s ribs. “Take it back up.”

  Murphy ignored him and continued the descent.

  There was nothing Damon could do to the pilot without risking their own lives. And they weren’t going anywhere in the helicopter without him. The Blackhawk was gently set down. Davis put his head in his hands. “What are we going to do now? They’ll be here soon.”

  “It would appear we’re on foot now unless we can persuade the pilot otherwise,” answered Damon.

  Just as they stepped out onto solid ground, the pilot immediately began to lift off. In the blink of an eye Damon aimed and fired, shooting the pilot through his helmet, with him slumping forward. The helicopter abruptly nosed forward. Damon grabbed Davis and dove to safety. Peck and the other two followed their lead as the helicopter dropping the twelve inches back to earth hard with a loud ‘THUMP.’ The engine continued to run as the rpm’s dropped to an idle and the blades began to slow down.

  “Since he wouldn’t fly for us, he’s never going to fly for anyone else,” proclaimed Damon. “This way, governor,” coaxed Damon, leading the group away from the compound and those at the original landing site. They stayed close to a tree row, keeping to the shadows cast by the bright moonlight.

  “Where are we going?” asked Davis.

  “Away from here.”

  “Where? There’s nothing out here and we have no supplies,” Davis was quick to point out.

  “We’ll be fine,” re-assured Damon calmly. They continued for about another thirty minutes with Davis hitting Damon with a continuous barrage of irritating questions.

  “I’m so tired,” whined Davis. “When are we going to stop? Do we have to walk? Can’t we get some horses somewhere?”

  Damon was used to Davis being like this. He’d been this way as long as he’d known him, but even he was getting tired of listening to it. “Let’s hold up at that old farmhouse.” Only its lopsided silhouette could be seen along the horizon. As everything else out there, it had been abandoned for years, the roof partially collapsed with weeds growing tall and thick enough to almost camouflage it from sight.

  ***

  “I can still hear the helicopter,” observed Gant. “It’s nearby.” He swung back up into the saddle.

  “Wait, I’ll go with you,” said John, mounting up.

  Ryder joined them. They glanced at Grayson and Blake.

  “Go ahead,” said Grayson, “we’re going to stay and take care of our friends. But, take these.” He picked up two of the assault rifles still lying beside his men’s bodies, handing one to each of them.

  Gant galloped away, John and Ryder following close behind. They headed in the direction of the sound of the helicopter’s engine, cautiously watching for overhanging branches in the dark. They heard a single shot fired followed immediately by a loud ‘THUMP.’ They continued to hear the whine of the engine, but its rpm’s were decreasing.

  It took only a few minutes to find the Blackhawk, its running lights still on and blinking, and its blades slowly revolving. Davis and the others with him were gone. They found the pilot, slumped forward, too late to do him any good. Blood ran down his neck from beneath the side of his helmet.

  It was too dark to tell which way Davis and the others had gone. They could start a search, but the direction would only be a guess and could end up being a waste of time.

  “We’ll have to come back in the morning and pick up their trail,” suggested Gant.

  “Is it necessary to follow them at all?” asked John.

  Gant gave him a puzzled look.

  “I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but Davis and Damon are gone, on the run. Chances are they won’t be back. Yes, it’s a terrible thing that Grayson’s men were killed, but isn’t it his responsibility to hunt them down? He’s as close to law as we have now. We came here to rescue Ryder and Levi and we did. Now, I’d like to get back to my family.”

  “I can’t leave yet,” declared Gant, “not when I know they’re still out there, whether they’ll come back or not. I know what they’re capable of, and what they’ll do to others if given the chance. But, I won’t hold it against you if you want to go back.”

  “What about you?” John asked Ryder.

  “I’m with Gant. If Davis still has his eyes on Paradise or intends to come back here, I can’t let that happen. Too many people would be in danger. Sorry, John, they need to be caught or stopped and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “Earlier today you were both willing to let them leave with Grayson just to get rid of them,” argued John.

  “That was different. We also thought Grayson was going to remove them to where they wouldn’t cause any more trouble for anyone,” reasoned Gant. “But now they’re on the loose and a genuine threat.”

  John thought quietly for a few moments. “You’re both right, of course. I guess if we don’t stop them, who will? And who knows if or when Grayson will go after them. Okay, I’m with you. We better get back to Grayson and let him know about his pilot.”

  ***

  Once they had become settled inside the still-standing portion of the house, it didn’t take long for Davis to grow fidgety and begin to complain. “When are we going to eat?” Davis asked Damon. “My stomach is growling. I haven’t had anything since this morning.” None of them had eaten.

  “Anyone bring anything?” asked Damon. The others shook their heads. “Why don’t you two go out and see if you can round up something,” he said to their rescuers. “Maybe a rabbit or a squirrel?”

  They started to object.

  “I know its dark, but do the best you can.” Damon made a head motion in Davis’ direction. They probably wouldn’t find anything, but if Davis knew they were out there looking, it should appea
se him until they returned. They nodded that they understood.

  “I’m going to take Peck with me,” said Damon, “and see if we can liberate a few horses from one of the camps.”

  “You mean you’re leaving me here alone?” asked Davis, panic once again evident in his voice.

  “You said you were hungry and you didn’t want to walk,” explained Damon. “So, I’m going to try and take care of both.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” asked one of the guards. “Where should we go?”

  Damon stared at him with disbelief. “On second thought, why don’t you two stay here with Governor Davis? Peck and I will look for something to eat while we’re out.”

  Davis had no more objections.

  Damon wasted no time, leaving immediately with Peck in tow. Each took one of the guard’s rifles as a precaution, in case they were discovered. However, Damon preferred that no one knew they were there until it was too late, preferably not until the next morning.

  “Where do we look for horses?” asked Peck.

  “Look for the glow of a campfire. There should be several spread out along the south road leading from the prison.”

  ***

  Since they wouldn’t be leaving until daybreak, Ryder went to locate his brother, hoping to find him resting and out of trouble. He’d lost track of him after they’d heard the shots fired. Gant and John walked back to the clearing with the pilot’s body over Gant’s horse. They found Grayson and Blake kneeling beside the bodies of their friends. They had laid them side by side and had started a small fire. It appeared they were praying. Trying to be respectful, Gant and John waited quietly at a distance.

  One of the horses snorted, drawing Grayson’s attention. He tapped Blake and they both stood. “Did you find them?” asked Grayson. Blake stood at his side, extremely anxious to here the answer.

  “No, but we found the helicopter … and your pilot. I’m sorry. He’s dead.” It was then that Grayson and Blake saw John carrying a body toward them.