by Jack Hunt
He turned to Janice. “Take a look at this,” he said handing her the binoculars. “Weren’t they part of Elliot’s group?”
She nodded and peered through. “Yep, that’s Damon.”
“You remember his name?”
“Good-looking guy, hard not to,” she said with a grin on her face. He rolled his eyes. Ray brought the long-distance two-way radio up to his lips. It let out a crackle of static. “Mack. Mack. Come in.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you know if Elliot mentioned anything about his group splintering off?”
There was a long pause.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Well I’ve got three people heading towards the compound on the north side. Damon is one of them. The other two are from Elliot’s group as well. What do you want us to do?”
Again silence stretched between them, nothing more than dead air.
“Go find out what’s going on.”
“Roger that.”
Damon pulled at his red plaid shirt and wiped his brow with his forearm. The sun was out in full force and there was little to no shade where they were. Darting between the trees, they hadn’t stopped running for the past twenty minutes. He’d always hated running as a kid but now he loathed it. His thighs and calves were killing him and they’d run out of water.
When they had the compound in view, he stopped and began scanning the trees.
“Okay, okay, look for an oak tree near a rise in the ground. Anything that looks out of place. Remember there should be a piece of red material tied to one of the lower branches. This shouldn’t be too hard, should it?”
They stood there gazing at the vast array of American beech, white oak and varieties of pine trees.
Jesse piped up. “Yeah, I have a feeling this is going to take all day.”
“Spread out,” Maggie said.
“And stay alert,” Damon added jerking his head towards the compound. Damon trudged through the thick undergrowth and tried not to lose his footing on the rocks. He pitched sideways and was taking it careful after twisting his ankle. “C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered as he frantically searched the grassy landscape.
Every so often he would call out to the other two to see if they’d found anything. Each time he got the same reply. “Nothing.”
He must have searched for close to forty minutes before he spotted a mound in the earth that looked different to the rest. If he hadn’t been aware of what to look for he wouldn’t have even given it a second look, but he noticed the way branches had been twisted together and laid as if trying to conceal an opening.
“Hey, guys, I think I’ve found it.” He hurried across loose rocks and made his way over, and then spotted the oak tree and a faded piece of red ribbon that looked weathered and bleached by the sun. He tore into the undergrowth, yanking branches out of the way until he saw the iron bars embedded in concrete and fixed into the earth. Behind that was a dark tunnel covered in cobwebs.
“Jesse, Maggie,” he said keeping his eyes fixed on it then noticing the lock. At least it didn’t look impossible to break. He turned and squinted, scanning the landscape. “Guys? Hey, I’ve found it.” Getting no response, he figured they were out of earshot and set off to find them. As he came around a mound of dirt, and started climbing it, he looked up and saw a mix of women and men holding rifles. A second of panic, then Jesse came into view.
“It’s alright, they’re with us.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way up and was greeted by Ray.
“Jesse said you have a way in?”
He nodded, and pointed to the entrance. “It comes out inside the compound, in his office. However, that room needs to be clear if we are to get in.”
“So, what did you have in mind?”
“I didn’t. I was just hoping for the best and expecting the worst but now all you fine folks are here, I’m thinking we might have a few more options.” He placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “But first before we do anything, you need to get on the radio to Mack and let him know what Elliot is doing.”
It didn’t take long to update him. It was decided that one of them would approach the gate without a gun and act as if they were seeking asylum. Once inside they would try to locate Ryan and get him to ensure the office was clear. While they were doing that, five of Ray’s group would take out some of Shelby’s men in the towers to create a sense they were coming under attack in the hope of creating enough distraction for them to get in. It was a long shot but there was no other option. After everyone was clear and Ray’s crew set off to get things started, the rest made their way down and Damon and one other fired six times at the lock before it gave way and dropped. Jesse pulled back the iron gate and peered into the darkness. “Anyone got a light?”
When the gunfire ceased, confusion spread throughout the scattered group. It was to be expected. They couldn’t maintain the façade for long. No one could see attackers, as there were none. The momentary distraction had worked but now came the reality of the aftermath — fielding questions on why they had been walking around in circles and firing at no one.
Someone from the newcomers scrambled over. Others followed. Questions came in a flurry, too many to answer at once.
“Where are they?”
“Who the hell were you shooting at?”
“I’m sure we’ve been this way already.”
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“This better not be a trap.”
As much as he wanted to tell them the truth, there was a chance some of the newcomers would turn on them if they thought they’d been duped. And worse than that, if Shelby had planted his own among them he could radio it in and any chance of saving those in the compound would be gone. He raised a hand and told everyone to settle down. Samuel pulled Elliot away from the group as they ignored him and tempers began to flare.
“A word in your ear,” he said. “If we don’t lead these people towards Mack’s base camp immediately, we stand to lose whatever advantage we have inside the compound.”
“You know what you’re asking me to do?” he said. “I’d be leading all these people to their death or risking the lives of Mack’s group.”
“You must have known that risk when you told Shelby about his camp.”
“I anticipated he would send his own men not innocent people.”
“Then you anticipated wrong,” Samuel said, his voice raised a little and he looked back at the group. No one had heard. They were too busy arguing among themselves. It was frustrating but under the circumstances, what was he supposed to do? For the first time in a while, Elliot felt torn. Either way people were going to die. He wouldn’t have minded if it was Shelby’s men but these were just folks trying to survive, doing the best they could by their families. They were following orders, some of which they knew had consequences if they didn’t follow through.
Outside the compound, behind the cover of trees Ray watched Janice approach the gates unarmed. She’d had no contact with Shelby or his men. They hadn’t seen her before and so the chances of the plan going south were slim. Still, his nerves were on edge as those on the wall called out to her, she raised her arms and turned, and the gates groaned open. Once she was whisked inside by two of the armed militia, Ray and the other four moved into position to prepare for the attack on the compound. Based on what Damon had learned from being on the inside and watching newcomers arrive, he said it could take up to thirty minutes before anyone was integrated with the others inside. They usually grilled them on where they were coming from, how they heard about the compound and what kind of experience they could bring to the table. If Shelby was satisfied with the answers, they were given the all-clear and they joined the others.
“Okay, she’s in,” Ray said over the radio to one of his men with Damon.
Crouched down he checked the magazine on his rifle and palmed it back in, loading a round in the chamber. Their job was easy enough. Kill as many as they cou
ld on the walls, shift position and create confusion. They were to make them think they were coming under constant attack from multiple directions. The hope was the distraction would draw Shelby to the frontline of the action while Damon and the others slipped in.
“What are you going to do?” Clive asked Mack after getting off the radio with Ray. He’d just learned about the predicament that Elliot was in. Not everyone in the group heading their way wanted a war, they were being forced out, manipulated by that asshole. It burned him to the core to think he would send them out while he remained inside the safety of the walls. It was both cowardly and smart. No point risking your own neck when others would gladly do it for you. Mack paced back and forth along the wooden walkway that wrapped around his cabin in the tree.
“Get them to surrender,” Clive said. “This doesn’t have to lead to bloodshed.”
“And yet it very well might,” he said. “I can’t control what they’ll do, Clive, and ultimately our safety is paramount.”
They had a major dilemma on their hands.
“What if one of us intervenes?”
Mack turned and looked at him. Clive approached him and continued. “Let me go and speak with them. You heard what Ray said, these aren’t Shelby’s men. We are talking about innocent people who have got caught in the middle of this.”
“And yet they approach ready to kill,” Mack added.
“Because their families are in that compound, because he’s convinced them that’s what they have to do. But we can change that. Alone, Elliot can’t push back the tide but together… we can stop this.”
He took a deep breath and dropped his head back slightly. “All right. But at the first sign of trouble you get the hell out, and if guns are fired, I don’t care who is innocent, we will wipe them out.”
Mack went over to the edge of the walkway and shouted down. “Edwin, gather together twenty people to go with Clive.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll go alone.
Mack piped up, “You’re not going in alone. As much as I hope it goes well, there’s a strong chance it won’t, in which case you’re need backup. In the meantime I’ll gather everyone else together.”
Clive looked as if he wanted to argue but Mack wouldn’t let him.
Beneath the depths of the compound the group of twenty-three reached the end of the tunnel. A thin layer of dirty water covered the concrete under their boots. It smelled bad, like mold and roadkill. Several bouncing flashlight beams illuminated nervous faces as they gazed up an iron ladder that disappeared into the darkness. The light from Damon’s flashlight cut through to reveal a steel trap fifty feet up.
“So now we wait,” Maggie said.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jesse added.
“You have a bad feeling about everything,” Damon replied, his lip twisting. He turned towards the other twenty people gathered together. “Listen up. Once we are inside, our only focus is to get everyone out. Do not, I repeat, do not engage with Shelby’s men unless you have no other choice.”
“We take our orders from Mack.”
“Yeah, well, Mack isn’t here,” Damon said. “Ray and the others will be distracting his men. They’ll draw them away from the bunkers. That should give us enough time to get everyone down.”
“There will be militia guarding them,” Jesse said.
“Not if Ryan takes care of business.”
“And if he doesn’t?” a woman among the group asked.
“Then it’s down to us. Just follow my lead.” He glanced at his watch. “Five more minutes and then we move in.”
Inside the compound Janice had been taken into a chapel and was forced to wait for the arrival of Shelby. She’d heard a lot about him. None of which was good. She’d joined Mack’s group two months ago after losing her brother in an attack on a nearby highway. Had it not been for Mack’s group she would have died out there. They’d practically left her for dead, bleeding out. She kept glancing at her watch.
“Got somewhere to be?” one of the militia asked.
“No.”
“Really? Because that’s the fourth time you’ve looked at your wristwatch in the last twenty minutes.”
“I’m impatient. It’s a weakness of mine.”
The militia guy sneered at her and returned to chatting with his buddy by the door. Five more minutes and Ray and the others would open fire. Where is this asshole, she thought. Then as if reading her mind the doors opened and he entered. Although she had never seen him, she figured it was him by the way two men walked either side of him like bodyguards.
He gestured to a pew. “Please, take a seat.”
“I’d prefer to stand if you don’t mind.”
“Suit yourself. Now how about you tell us all about you.”
Shelby took a seat and leaned back and she inwardly sighed. There was no chance in hell she was going to answer all his questions and get over to the others in time. He tossed out questions one after the other and she answered them as specifically as she could in order to reduce the number of follow-up questions. When he looked satisfied, a smidgen of hope rose inside her. That was quickly snuffed out at the sound of gunfire.
It was too late, Ray had begun the attack.
Seconds after getting off the radio, they began to climb. Below ground they couldn’t hear gunfire, the depths of earth and concrete muted it. Upon reaching the top he was pleased to see there was no lock on the hatch.
He looked down between his legs and saw many faces looking back.
“You ready?” he asked.
They nodded and he pushed on the door. It budged about an inch before coming in contact with some obstruction. He tried again but got more of the same. “Shit.”
“Here, let me help,” Jesse said trying to climb around him. The wrought iron ladder wasn’t very wide but somehow he managed to get around and hold on with one hand. They tried again, this time both of them managed to shift it enough that they felt something heavy above lift ever so slightly.
“It’s the desk. Fuck it!” Damon yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the concrete tube they were in. “It’s no good, it won’t budge.”
“Just keep trying,” Jesse said.
Chapter 22
Rayna turned towards Ryan with a clenched expression. “Do you hear that?” From inside the phase three bunkers the noise was barely noticeable. The small group had been brought together inside an underground hall that was used as a community gym. One half was a basketball court, the other contained fitness equipment. The elderly, young and those who knew they were being used as collateral were spread throughout, waiting to be released or returned to their families, when gunfire erupted.
Ryan was lying down pumping out a couple of reps on a bench press. He placed the heavy barbell back and sat up. A few seconds, and again the rapid staccato of rifles unloading.
“You think they’ve returned?” he asked.
There was a chance that Samuel might have been able to get the others to see sense and they had come back to take the compound but then on the other hand it didn’t make much sense — that would have been too risky.
He jumped up and hurried over to the doors that had been locked, one guard had been posted outside. He slapped his palms against the wired glass a few times trying to get his attention. “Hey what’s going on?”
There was no answer. The soldier stood with his rifle at the ready, and his back turned to Ryan. Rayna joined him beating against the door until the guard turned and waved them off. He shouted something to do with going back to their seats. With that said he got on the radio and nodded a few times then ambled off down the hallway presumably to see what was going on or come to the aid of the others.
“You think it’s them?” someone else asked.
“Very possible,” Rayna replied.
“We need to get the hell out of here and now.”
“I agree but how?” Rayna asked.
“There’s an escape route accessible in Shelby’s
office that leads out to the north side.”
“And where’s his office?’
He lifted his eyes. “Three floors up.”
“Oh great.” She turned and looked around and then jogged over to where the barbell was and began taking off the weights. She glanced over. “Well? Are you going to give me a hand?”
Ryan hurried over.
A few others offered to help and did the same thing.
A minute or two later they returned to the door and glanced out. The soldier still wasn’t there. Both of them with the help of a few others took hold of the heavy bar and used it like a battering ram. They aimed it at the wired glass, stepped back a few feet and then rushed it, slamming the tip into the window. It cracked but because it had a thick wire mesh inside, it didn’t shatter.
The next group of people took a run at it.
“And again!” Ryan said waving them back to repeat.
By the time Frank Shelby climbed watchtower one that overlooked the south side he was out of breath. He’d double-timed it over after hearing the gunfire and receiving word that they were under attack. As it stood he had no idea how many were out there or who it was.
“What have we got?” he bellowed to John as he scrambled over the lip of the entrance into the cramped space.
John eyed him before returning to looking out. “Ah brother, glad to see you could find the time to join us.”
“Yeah, yeah. What’s going on? Is this them?”
He was referring to those that had left. Even though he was pretty certain they wouldn’t turn on him, doubt ate away in the back of his mind.
“Do you mean has Baldwin been in contact? No. But that’s not to say they haven’t killed him and returned. I swear to God, Frank, placing weapons in their hands was the stupidest thing you could have done.”
