by Lee West
Shaking Sam’s hand, Charlie said, “As much as I would like to stand around and hug it out, we better get moving.”
Chapter Eleven
Sweat rolled down the back of Charlie’s neck, soaking the collar of his shirt. Since the water stopped running, Charlie had grown accustomed to being sweaty and dirty most of the time. Showers were a luxury of the past, along with everything else. His home’s proximity to a creek put him in a little better position than most, but he hadn’t been able to take advantage of it yet. He’d been too busy since the electricity failed—and the chaos descended. Finding Jane and Sam in the woods lifted Charlie’s mood. Anxious to hear where they’d been for the past two weeks, Charlie picked up the pace to his home.
After rounding a rustic-looking rock wall on the edge of his property, the old house came into view.
“It’s not much, but I like it. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need,” he said.
“Thanks, Charlie. We plan to be out of your hair before first light,” said Sam.
“Why the rush? Looks like the two of you could use a solid frame over your heads for a little while,” quizzed Charlie.
“Our daughter, Lea, is alone at the house. We need to get to her as soon as possible,” said Sam, placing his pack on the ground near the door.
“We need to move your packs into a crawl space under the stairs just in case we get unwelcome visitors. I don’t want them knowing you’re here,” said Charlie.
“Who are you talking about? Those New Order thugs?” said Jane before dropping into a chair at Charlie’s kitchen table.
“Can I offer you some warm soda? It’s all I have left besides the warm water I collected in the tub,” said Charlie.
“Single-guy tub water?” said Jane with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll take the soda.”
They all laughed for a moment.
“Wait, what? How long has the power and water been out? Do you know what happened?” asked Sam, sitting next to Jane.
“Here’s all I know. The power went out just after you signed off the duty roster for vacation, Jane. We all figured you were hiding somewhere local, but by the looks of you two, it seems that may have been an incorrect assumption,” said Charlie.
“No, we’ve been hiking in the mountains. We were on an extended backcountry trip. When we came back to our car, we found it vandalized and dead,” said Jane. “So what’s up with this New Order group?”
“Sounds like you missed all the action. Almost immediately after the lights went out, the inmates at the PrisCorp facility escaped en masse. All eight hundred of them, give or take the few killed during the escape,” said Charlie in a grave tone.
“Holy shit,” said Jane in a solemn voice.
“What is PrisCorp?” asked Sam.
“PrisCorp is one of those private, for-profit prisons. The state had one in Grant, about ten miles or so from here,” said Jane.
“It houses some of the nastiest characters we have. Murderers, rapists and lots of competing gangs,” said Charlie.
“The problem is that PrisCorp, like most of the privately run facilities, operates on a shoestring budget. They are woefully understaffed, offering the inmates no sort of distractions, like well-equipped workout facilities and educational opportunities,” said Jane.
“Who cares? These are criminals, not guests at a country club. Why entertain them?” asked Sam.
“I’m with you, but all of those things keep them busy, slowing down the gang activity. Without the distractions, the inmates grow very bored and very dangerous. This combination can prove lethal when housing hardened criminals long term,” said Charlie. “New gangs, on top of the established gangs, jockey for position within the prison hierarchy.”
“Did you say all the inmates are out?” asked Jane.
“Yep. PrisCorp didn’t properly maintain their redundant power source as required by the state. What are the chances of an extended power loss, right? They must have figured the generators were enough. They weren’t. As soon as the generators lost juice, the doors opened,” said Charlie.
“What happened to the guards working there? Or do I not want to ask?” said Jane.
“We think most of them are fine. No bodies were found, so our best guess is that they knew what would happen when the generators ran dry and beat feet before that happened,” said Charlie.
“That was probably the right call,” said Sam.
“Yeah, great for them, but not for the rest of us. It would have been nice to have a little advance warning. PrisCorp’s little mistake dumped eight hundred convicted felons into the community,” said Charlie.
“None of the area police departments were notified?” asked Jane.
“Not one. The inmates streamed out of PrisCorp and into Porter first. Now they’re active in Evansville. We’re not entirely sure, but we suspect two gangs have risen in the aftermath, possibly cooperating—for now,” said Charlie.
“We need to get out of here and back to Lea. God only knows what’s happening over there. It doesn’t sound like she’s safe at all,” said Jane.
“You can’t rush into this without backup or a plan. Trust me. You should head over to CPHQ and see what they can do to help,” said Charlie.
“I don’t think we have time for that,” said Sam. “What is the CPHQ?”
“Clark Provisional Headquarters. The towns of Clark, Porter and Evansville have pooled their remaining resources and created a new, combined police department to get us all through what is happening. We are actively escorting fellow officers to the CPHQ through a chain of friendlies—some fellow cops, military veterans and other regular citizens,” said Charlie. “Kind of like an underground railroad.”
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Sam asked, “What do you mean to get us through what is happening?”
“The PrisCorp gangs have taken over Porter and most of Evansville. They’re actively hunting down cops and killing anyone in their way. They busted into each town’s headquarters and stole the rosters of police. They’re also killing military veterans. Anyone they deem capable of mounting a resistance. In some areas they’re going house to house, searching for anything or anyone related to the military. Pictures. Plaques. Shadowboxes. Any of it can get you killed. Seems like they think we’ll just go down quietly,” said Charlie.
“Shit. They know where we live. Lea is there alone. We have to go, now,” said Jane, launching up from her chair again.
“No. They don’t have the Evansville rosters. When all the shit started hitting the fan, Chief Carlisle had us destroy all the paper records and remove all of the weapons and tactical gear. He even had us go to the evidence locker and remove everything from there, including the chain of custody receipts, since those ID the officer involved,” said Charlie.
“Take a seat, Jane. We really can’t leave immediately. Charlie is right. We need a plan,” said Sam.
“You said there was no warning. How did the chief know to destroy everything?” asked Jane.
“A very brave young man by the name of Johnny Evans tipped me off. He’s a local guy, a friend I used to fish with. He was forcibly ‘recruited’ to the New Order patrols. He risked his life to alert me to lie low and not venture out because most of the Porter PD had been murdered or were being hunted,” said Charlie.
“Geez, this is insane,” said Jane with a stricken look on her face. “Is it safe to be here?”
“So far so good.” Charlie smiled. “But I don’t plan to be around for long. We have three more officers that need an escort out of here before I can go to CPHQ. I was waiting for Officer Seits this afternoon. He was supposed to meet me in the woods when I stumbled on the two of you,” said Charlie, waving his hand at them wearily.
Sam and Jane glanced at each other uncomfortably.
“I don’t think he would’ve made it. We saw a man paraded through town with a string of police badges around his neck. They killed him,” said Sam.
“Shit. Not another one,” said Charlie sadly.
> The dark circles under his eyes betrayed the deep exhaustion and stress he felt.
“I can’t believe that the combined efforts of our three departments aren’t enough to fight back these assholes,” said Jane in an exasperated voice.
“I guess it might be if we could coordinate our efforts. But with the electrical grid down, we haven’t been able to compare notes, let alone coordinate a pushback of the magnitude we need,” said Charlie.
“With everything else happening, I forgot about the power. What happened?” asked Sam.
“We’re not one hundred percent sure, but most suspect an EMP,” said Charlie.
“How widespread is it?” asked Jane.
“Again, we’re not really sure, but most think it’s the entire Eastern Seaboard at the very least,” said Charlie as he opened a can of beans. “Dinner, anyone?”
Chapter Twelve
Sam stood at the guest bedroom window, watching Jane walk slowly down to the creek. She wanted to wash and be alone. They were both shaken by what they’d seen on top of being worried out of their minds for the safety of their daughter. He wondered if Lea was still in the house or if she had been forced to flee to a safer location. By tomorrow evening they should be reunited if all went well. Getting through the next twenty-four hours would be challenging for him. Time stretched to an excruciatingly long period for Sam while he worried for their safety.
Looking around the guest room, Charlie’s bachelorhood was evident. The smallish room contained nothing but an old desk and an even older plaid couch. The couch folded out into an uncomfortable sleeper bed. It was lumpy and worn, but an improvement over the ground. Hearing noise from inside the house, Sam decided to see if Charlie needed any help.
“Charlie?” said Sam, peeking down the basement stairs.
“I’m here. Come on down. Just be careful on the stairs. It gets a little tricky at the bottom,” said Charlie from the dark basement.
Sam moved slowly down the stairs. He hung on to the rail as best he could, measuring each step of his descent.
“Shit!” yelled Sam as his foot slipped, causing him to stumble down the last step.
“Told ya.” Charlie chuckled.
“Geez, you could have told me the last step was the width of a ruler,” said Sam.
“Now where’s the fun in that?” Charlie smiled.
Sam surveyed the small dimly lit room. Charlie sat at a desk made of roughhewn plywood over cinder block. In front of him sat a rudimentary communications setup consisting of a HAM radio, a few police-grade walkie-talkie sets sitting uselessly in their dead chargers, an expensive-looking handheld CB radio, and a recent model satellite phone. The room was alight from the soft glow of a single candle. On one of the shelves lining the walls, he noticed a few items that looked seriously out of place mixed among the canned foods. Two sets of the latest generation night-vision goggles and several olive drab canister grenades stood out the most.
“Wow, where did you get all of this?” asked Sam.
“Well, the HAM radio is mine, the rest belongs to the Evansville PD. The chief figured since I don’t live in Evansville, some of our gear would be safe here, especially since I’m the primary point of contact along the Porter escape route.”
“Not a bad call, from what I can tell.” Sam asked, “Are those smoke grenades?”
“Smoke and tear gas,” said Charlie. “I’m not sure what to do with those.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
“You’ll find this interesting. I just got a message from Johnny, my contact in the New Order. It seems he saw you and Jane today making a run in this direction. He’s not sure anyone else saw you, but we can’t take any chances.”
“I thought one of their guys looked at me. Is he a tall, lanky, skinny-looking young guy?” asked Sam.
“Yep. That’s him. After they ‘recruited’ him, he has been giving me updates and trying to get the cops and vets out of Porter. He’s a very brave man. Without his help, I’m not sure where we would be right now.”
“This is all crazy,” said Sam, shaking his head.
“Tell me about it,” said Charlie, turning and nodding toward a generator on the other side of the small space.
“I was wondering about that.”
“I’ve powered the radio with the generator since the batteries ran dry. I moved it to the basement in order to reduce the sound, then hooked up a pipe to the exhaust and directed that out the window,” said Charlie, pointing to the small window.
“How much gas do you have left for the generator?”
“Not much. I took out what I could from my car. I also used the little extra I had around for emergencies and the riding mower. I guess I really didn’t plan for this long of an emergency. Who does?”
“Does your car work?” asked Sam.
“Nope. Why?”
“I think I can take the battery from your car and rework the wires from your radio to plug into the car battery. It’s worth a try,” said Sam. “I’d need a power inverter.”
“I have an old cigarette lighter inverter I used to charge my phone in the truck on camping trips, back in the day.”
“I can work with that,” said Sam. “It won’t be pretty or the most efficient, but it’ll work.”
“That would be amazing. If you can charge up these dead walkie-talkies too, I’ll give them to you guys to take with you back to Evansville,” said Charlie.
“Sounds like a plan,” said Sam, turning to the stairs.
“Careful on the bottom step,” said Charlie with a wink.
Chapter Thirteen
The cool creek water swirled around Jane’s ankles. Slowly, her feet started to feel a little better after their long hike to Charlie’s house. Her hiking boots were great for mountain trails, but city walking felt a little like driving with snow tires—too clunky and heavy for the conditions. She crouched low and dipped the top of her head in the water, washing away a few layers of grime. She wished washing away her anxiety was just as easy.
Thoughts of Lea consumed her. To make matters worse, just as soon as she started to focus on her daughter, thoughts of the targeted officers and area veterans made her feel guilty. Are they really hunting down the cops and vets?
A low rumbling sound brought her attention back to the moment. Glancing at the house, she could see someone in the garage with a flashlight. After enjoying one last splash of the refreshing water, Jane moved quickly under the light of the moon to the house.
~ ~ ~
“There. That should do it. Give it a try now,” said Sam, nodding at Charlie.
The handheld CB radio crackled to life on the charger, a message coming through.
“Can I pick it up?” said Charlie.
“It’s been charging for a few minutes. It should be good for a quick conversation.”
“Charlie, Charlie, this is Marta. Over. You there, Charlie? Over,” said an unknown voice.
He grabbed the radio. “This is Charlie. Over.”
“Hey, Charlie. We’re ready here. What’s your status? Over,” said the woman.
“Yeah, I’m ready to receive. Same place and time? Over,” said Charlie.
“Same place and time. Sorry about Deputy Seits. He was a good man. Over,” said the woman, risking identification.
“Yeah, me too. Over and out,” said Charlie, putting the handset back on the charger.
“Looks like the two of you will have some company if all goes well,” said Charlie, turning to Jane and Sam.
“Do you know who it is?” asked Jane.
“No. We’re trying to speak as little as possible since we aren’t sure who’s listening. Marta worked in the administrative division of the Porter PD and has been instrumental in coordinating the escape of their police officers. She’s somewhat of a lifesaver. Without her help, not as many officers and vets would have been moved out of harm’s way,” said Charlie, rubbing his tired eyes. “Tomorrow we’ll grab the next runner near where I found the two of you.
He or she can go with you to the next safe house.”
“Sounds like a plan. When do we leave?” asked Sam.
“Five thirty, just before it starts getting light out. I’ll bring a pack with extra provisions for our guest and get you guys on your way as quickly as possible,” said Charlie.
“Where is the next safe house?” asked Jane.
“It’s a farm near the border of Grant, just off an old horse trail. The locals still use it when walking in the backcountry. So far there are no reports of New Order activity on the trail. It’s pretty deep in the woods, away from the main roads, but runs roughly parallel to Parker Road. Most of PrisCorp’s guests would have no idea the trail exists, which is why we’re using it,” said Charlie.
“That should put us in a spot where we can easily head west to our house, if I’m following you,” said Sam, pulling out his map.
“This is about where the trail is and here is Doris Venture’s house, the next safe house in the chain,” said Charlie, pointing on the well-worn map.
“Okay, that works,” said Jane.
“Just make sure to lie low at Doris’s house if need be. Things are very dangerous and extremely volatile. We never really know what’s happening, and these guys seem to be one step ahead of us all the time,” advised Charlie.
“All right, we better get what rest we can before shoving off in a few hours,” said Sam, tugging on Jane’s arm.
“Hey, thanks for everything, Charlie. You’re really doing a lot to save the lives of fellow cops and vets, not to mention the civilians that will benefit,” said Jane.
“We all have to pull together at this point. There’s no way any of us can let the New Order change how we live. And I for one am not going to stand around and allow them to hunt down good men and woman like it’s a day of sport at the range. This will end. One way or another,” said Charlie.
~ ~ ~
