Through Many Fires (Strengthen What Remains)

by Kyle Pratt

  “My fellow Americans,” he began and for several minutes engaged in the normal political platitudes. “While we hunt down those who aided the terrorists we will also restore this great nation. To speed the process of restoration I am taking the following actions today.”

  This was the part he wanted to hear. Caden leaned forward.

  “As acting President of the United States I have already imposed martial law on several states and regions. I am now extending that to all fifty states and territories. The Posse Comitatus Act is suspended…”

  The military can now arrest civilians. Is that legal?

  “…and I am suspending the writ of habeas corpus.”

  And the military doesn’t need to charge someone with a crime when arresting them and citizens don’t get a day in court.

  “Contrary to reports in the media I am not activating all Guard and reserve units. While I have considered it, many state governors wish to retain more direct control of their Guard soldiers so, at this time, only select companies in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and California have been called up.”

  Good! I don’t work for President Durant—yet anyway.

  “However, all military commands are ordered to cooperate with our allies to maintain order and distribute aid. This relief will soon be arriving from a number of countries. In the east I have asked our NATO allies to take the lead in relief efforts. China will manage aid in the west.

  Murmurs of disapproval swept the room. “We got the short straw on that one,” a man to the left of Caden muttered.

  “And finally, until we have put these terrorist attacks behind us and our economy is back on its feet I am postponing presidential elections.”

  A collective gasp swept the room.

  The president doesn’t have the right or power to postpone the election. Caden struggled to hear Durant over the debate that now flooded the auditorium.

  “We should not, we must not…liberty must temporarily bow…greater good…security…food…back on the job…We will rise from…Thank you and God Bless America.” The screen went dark.

  Immediately people on both sides and across the table asked Governor Monroe, “Are you going to drop out of the race?”

  Monroe sat silent for a moment as if taking it all in. Then he slowly shook his head. “No. While I believe…I know, that President Durant does not have the authority to postpone the election, he remains the lawful president at least until the next inauguration. Until that time I will cooperate with him in every way that I can, within the Constitution. However, I intend to remain a candidate and speak out on issues where I believe the President is wrong, such as his attempt to postpone the upcoming election and allow Chinese troops into the country.”

  The Governor then called for reports from advisors, cabinet officials, FEMA and area Guard commanders. While Monroe was the hub of discussion, a variety of smaller groups formed around the room. David Weston seemed in constant motion bringing people to the Governor, or getting some fact or figure for him.

  As the Governor spoke with various advisors, Caden overheard long discussions about flu and other illnesses. He checked his list. No request for flu vaccine. Briefly he considered adding it, but the list was already long. Why add things no one asked for?

  It was well over an hour before the Governor met with Adjutant General Lowell. They spoke briefly before David Weston called over one of the Guard commanders. Finally, the Chief of Staff called Caden to meet with the Governor and General Lowell.

  The General introduced himself and then asked about troop levels and supplies.

  “I have 53 soldiers, which is just over half strength. That number is adequate for the moment. However, I need to be resupplied with ammo.” He handed the general a list.

  Caden then laid a map of the Hansen area on the table and described his plan. “We’ll secure the state highway out to the interstate and the North Road toward Tacoma. Also there is a coal power plant here,” he pointed, “I want to try and get it back up and running, but as we expand our area of control I’ll be stretching my manpower and thinning my positions.”

  Monroe traced his finger along the North Road. “Opening this route would help move supplies and people. Also we could use the power from the coal generator. The eastern half of the state is good, but on this side of the mountains we don’t have enough electricity because of damaged or destroyed transmission lines. Can you absorb the people from the refugee camp into your community?”

  “No, we’re critically short of food and other necessities.” He handed the governor his list. “But if I had enough gasoline and some food I think I’d be able to get most them to the FEMA camp here,” he pointed on the map, “or home if they still have one.”

  Monroe nodded. “Everyone has been handing me long lists like you have, but I’ll ask Weston to speak with FEMA and gather what they can.

  The sun dipped low in the winter sky as Caden’s SUV pulled onto the freeway behind the Humvee and leading three supply trucks and a fuel tanker. The vehicles were full to the point that some ammo and medicine was stacked in the back of his SUV, still the convoy had less than half the supplies he requested. Caden told the young soldier with him to drive and he sat in the passenger seat with an M4 leaning between his legs. He was exhausted, but all he had done today was listen and talk. He struggled to stay awake while formulating a plan to use his limited supplies to clear the refugee camp and feed the town. It will be good to get home tonight.

  Bang!

  Caden jerked his head about. What? A blown tire?

  The driver cursed loudly.

  The car skidded to a stop slamming Caden into the belt.

  Throwing the car into reverse the driver weaved the car backward.

  Muzzles flashed.

  Caden rolled the window down and returned fire.

  The Humvee pull back to the curve, stopped across both lanes, and the soldiers jumped out and returned fire.

  Glancing quickly to his side he realized they were at the off ramp to Hansen. “Pull in there,” he ordered. The other three trucks followed them into the empty parking lot. Everyone was out of their vehicle in a second.

  Caden tossed the M4 to the young soldier and pulled his pistol from the holster. “You guys,” he said pointing to the men from the trucks, “stay here and guard the supplies.” With the soldier from his car he moved forward into the forest. “Radio the others and tell them we are on the right flank in the woods.”

  The young man nodded and reported in with the others at the Humvee.

  Minutes later Caden was just off to the side of the makeshift roadblock. “Have the men hold their fire.”

  When the shooting stopped, Caden crawled up to the barricade. There was blood, but no bandits.

  Turning to the man with him he said, “Tell everyone we’ve secured the blockade. Have them clear it from the road and secure the perimeter. Also tell them I’m heading back that way. I don’t want to get shot.”

  Caden jogged along the highway to the lot. Throwing up the back hatch of the car, he pulled ammo boxes toward him grabbed several magazines and reloaded others. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed two of his soldiers escorting a civilian. “Are you guys okay?” he asked without turning.

  “Yes sir. The shooters appear to have run off. The only one we captured is this old guy.”

  Caden turned and locked eyes on a grey-haired man that, weeks earlier, would have been dismissed as a bum.

  The old man’s eyes widened. “Son?”

  “Dad?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The face was gaunt, the beard scraggly. Disheveled grey hair topped his head and he wore a heavy tan jacket that needed a wash. But under the dirty hair and grime Caden could see the face of his father, Trevor Westmore.

  The older man stepped forward and embraced his son. “I’ve been worried about you ever since that first horrible day.”

  Caden hugged his father. “I was worried about you too, Dad.”

  “I thought
…I, well…you’re alive, thank God.”

  Stepping back from his father, Caden asked, “What are you doing here? I expected you to be somewhere along the North Road. You didn’t shoot at us did you?”

  “No! Well, not exactly. I was up on the hill there,” he said pointing, “watching the guys at the blockade from behind. I had only been there a few minutes when I heard the sound of trucks coming. I was certain they would ambush whoever came down the road. When the lead Humvee rounded the bend I knew I had to act and fired my shotgun. At that range I was sure it wouldn’t hurt anyone, but that you would hear it and probably see the muzzle flash. By-the-way, when did you go back in the Army?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it later, but right now I need more answers, like did you find Peter and Susan?”

  Suddenly his father looked much older. “I never found Peter, but I did find Sue. She is in a backroom of the church,” he said with a nod toward the building across the street. “I left her there while I checked out the blockade.”

  “Come on. Let’s get her. We need to get moving before the bandits decide to come back.” Caden ordered the men to finish clearing the barricade then regroup in the convenience store parking lot. “Keep an eye out for shooters and be ready to move when we come out of the church.”

  His father retrieved a pump shotgun from the soldier beside him and pulled a flashlight from his pocket. Caden followed as his dad led across the street and through the church parking lot. As they went his father asked questions. “How’s your mom? Have you seen Lisa? Has there been any more looting?”

  Caden did his best to answer the questions. Near the convoy there had been sufficient light, but as they approached the church darkness closed in. He turned on his own flashlight. “Do you think Peter was too close when they detonated the bomb?”

  “I hate to think about what might have happened to him. Susan and I were almost too close to the blast. I can’t see how your brother would have survived. I saw the flash and then both of us heard and felt it before seeing the mushroom cloud rise over a line of trees to the north. My old truck was the only auto that was still running. It amazed me how many people were in the area. As we sped away from the growing mushroom cloud, everyone ran in a panic toward my truck.”

  The front doors to the church had been broken open. Caden pulled his pistol from the holster as he crossed the threshold. Automatically he flipped a light switch inside, but nothing happened. By flashlight the two men proceeded. Trash and debris were scattered on the floor of the lobby.

  “This way,” his father whispered as he moved to the left.

  Looking at the empty water bottles, beer cans and food wrappers that littered the way, Caden asked in a low voice, “Are you sure no one is in here?”

  “I checked earlier. We were going to spend the night here and then push on to Hansen in the morning.”

  “If it’s deserted why are we whispering?”

  His father chuckled. “I don’t know. By-the-way, Sue is armed with a pistol.”

  As they passed a lavatory the smell of human waste hung heavy in the air.

  Reaching the middle of the hall his father stopped. “Susan it’s me. I’m with Caden.”

  There was no answer. Slowly he opened the door.

  Susan stood just inside. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing a heavy old army coat, but Caden was focused on the pistol she was only slowly lowering to her side. With her free hand she put one finger to her lips and said in a barely audible whisper. “There are other people in the building.”

  The two men stepped in the dark room. Caden stayed near the door and watched the hall.

  “How did I miss them earlier?” his dad wondered out loud.

  “They came in after all the shooting,” she said. “They ran down this hall, but I don’t know where they are now.”

  “They must have circled back,” Caden said. “They probably left supplies or something else important here.”

  “You don’t have a radio on you do you?” his father asked.

  “No.” Caden thought for a moment then said, “I’ll lead the way out. Whoever is in here is either avoiding us or hoping to trap us. Either way, I don’t want to encounter them, but if we do I’ll shoot. That should bring the soldiers.”

  “Why not just shoot now and alert them?” Trevor asked.

  “I don’t want to pull them away from the convoy unless it is necessary. We have three trucks full of food, ammo and medicine and a fueler out there.” He took one more look down the hall then said, “You two stay low.”

  “That’s a little hard to do right now,” Sue said.

  Caden wondered what she meant, but he pushed it from his mind and focused on the immediate task of getting out of the building.

  His father picked up a bulging army backpack and slid it on. Caden turned to the hall, looked both ways, then carefully stepped from the room. With Susan in the middle the three moved silently toward the lobby.

  Arriving at the end of the hallway, Caden leaned slowly forward leading with his pistol.

  A shot rang out splintering the wood just above his arm, but not hitting him. He dropped and fired two shots at a figure silhouetted by light from the convoy.

  A man screamed in pain.

  Another shot hit the wall near Caden.

  His father stepped to the corner and fired his shotgun.

  Caden heard running and then a muffled shot. He waited several seconds and then cautiously looked around the corner. Two headlights now illuminated much of the lobby. Caden used his flashlight to fill in the dark areas and discovered a body on the floor near the entrance.

  Suddenly the headlights blinked out.

  Caden ducked back into the hall and then cautiously peeked around the corner.

  Two soldiers burst into the lobby sweeping their rifles back and forth.

  Moving back behind the wall, Caden called to them and, only after they acknowledged him, did he step out.

  “We heard shots,” one soldier said. “A man ran out with a gun. We shot him and came looking for you.”

  “You did well. Check that end of the church. Dad, keep watch back down the hall.”

  “You killed him,” a woman screamed as she ran in the lobby from the sanctuary. The screamer was followed by a second woman and two small children.

  The crying and cursing woman collapsed in sobs on the body by the door. A young boy stood beside her with tears streaming down his face.

  Caden kept watch while the soldiers checked the rest of building. The woman continued to cry while cradling the body in her arms. The other woman sat on the floor with the children. Their faces looked gaunt and miserable.

  After several minutes the two soldiers returned. “We found one body on a pew in the sanctuary. I suspect he was the one wounded at the barricade. The rest of the building is empty.”

  Caden nodded. “We need to get the supplies to town. Let’s get moving.” Approaching the two women he said, “You can come with us, but….”

  “Look at all you’ve got, trucks that I bet are full of food, but we’re starving. See him,” she said as she yanked the arm of the boy beside her, “my boy hasn’t eaten in days.”

  While the women continued to loudly curse and shout, a soldier pulled back the sleeve of one of the shooters. “These are gang tattoos.”

  “How do you know?” Caden asked.

  “I’m a police officer in Seattle, or I was....”

  “You were lucky,” another soldier said.

  “Yeah, I guess. Well, anyway, I’ve seen these tattoos before. I suspect there are warrants out for the males. If they went to a FEMA camp they would have been identified and arrested.”

  Caden turned and stared at the women. He had planned to deliver them to the sheriff, just in case, but if this soldier was right they might not come willingly.

  During his reflection the woman continued to yell and curse. In the last two weeks I’ve had too many guns pointed in my direction and too many angry people in my face.
“Shut up woman and….”

  “No! I deserve to eat. And you know what? You deserve to die!” She yanked a pink pistol from inside her coat.

  Shots rang out.

  Caden wasn’t sure, but it seemed like everyone, the two soldiers, his dad and Sue all fired at nearly the same moment. The impact of the shots spun the gang woman around and now she lay across the body of the man she had loved.

  Kneeling beside her, Caden checked for a pulse, but found none. He saw multiple gun and buckshot wounds, but not much blood. She was dead before she hit the ground. Standing, he looked around the lobby. “Where’s the boy?”

  “He ran off,” the other gang woman said. “He’s good at that.”

  I’ve got to get the supplies secured in the armory. I don’t have time to hunt for a kid that doesn’t want to be found. Turning to the woman Caden said, “You’ve committed no crime that I know of. You’re free to go, but I suggest you come with us.”

  She shook her head. “They’ll take away my kid.”

  Exhaustion swept over him like a wave. Caden shook his head slowly then turned to his men. “Move out ASAP.” Turning to his father and Sue, he said in a softer tone, “Let’s go home.” He marched from the church. Death has become common, too common. Clear of the carnage he paused, looked back and then turned to his men. “Move the bodies outside, and cover them with something.” It wasn’t enough, but it was all he could do. “Get their weapons and put them in the back of the SUV.”

  Minutes later, Caden walked past a young soldier washing his bloody hands with a bottle of water. “You drive,” Caden ordered and sat in the passenger seat. His father and Sue climbed in behind him. As the convoy pulled away from the church, thoughts of the firefight mixed with joy at finding his father and Susan. All of this was tempered by the uncertainty about Peter. Caden felt drained and knew that he was coming down from a combat-induced adrenaline high.

  As a teen, he had wanted nothing more than to get away from the small town of his birth. College, ROTC, the army, and a job in D.C. all seemed to set up the small town boy for a career in the big league of Washington politics. Now he could think of nothing better than all of his family being reunited in Hansen.