by Lee West
Jane stripped down to a light T-shirt and bike shorts for bed as Sam lay watching her. He loved to watch her getting ready for bed, even in their current situation. She had rituals he would never really understand, nor would he ever try. He just loved knowing they were together. She turned off the light and nuzzled next to him in the creaky foldout bed.
“I’m not sure this pullout couch is an improvement over the ground,” she said.
“Me neither. I think I’ve been impaled by an errant spring,” said Sam.
Jane giggled softly. “I love you, and I know we’ll get through this. I’m just worried about Lea.”
“Me too. I wish we had some heavier weapons,” said Sam. “I get the impression Charlie might have a few loaners, but I hate to ask. He’s done enough already.”
“When we get home, we have everything we need. We’ll grab Lea and some supplies before heading up to the Clark HQ.”
“You aren’t seriously thinking of joining them right away, are you?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” responded Jane.
“We need to find a place where we can hide until this blows over. The last place I want to be is in the middle of a war zone. The HQ might be safe now, but wait until the fighting starts. You saw the New Order guys riding in the back of the truck. Those are people who have no intention of going quietly.”
“I’m worried about it too, but I have a duty to my fellow officers.”
“And to your family,” Sam reminded her.
“And to my family,” she said. “But you heard Charlie. This isn’t going away on its own. We have to band together and fight back, or we’ll never get our lives back. They’re hunting cops. It’s only a matter of time before they find me.”
“I get all of that, but if this whole mess was caused by an EMP—things could be far from normal for a very long time. We might need to consider finding shelter, gathering our resources and looking after ourselves. That includes getting to a place where those thugs can’t find us,” said Sam.
“Okay, let’s not make any decisions right now. We first need to get home and see what we’re dealing with.”
“I agree.”
Sam kissed the top of Jane’s head and gently stroked her hair, trying to calm himself enough to fall asleep. They had another long day ahead.
Chapter Fourteen
Johnny Evans carried a tray of warm water, tequila and snacks into the Porter police station’s conference room. Candles and flashlights illuminated the motley crew of hard-looking ex-prisoners seated around the conference table. Since being “recruited,” Johnny had become their slave. Cleaning up their excrement after the toilets failed, serving them food and doing anything else they wanted—including things he would rather not think about.
Johnny couldn’t escape because he couldn’t leave his grandma behind. She wouldn’t survive the hike to the various safe houses, and her supplies were running very low. If things did not change quickly, the meager food he stole from his captors would not be enough to sustain her.
Trying to help the police while keeping his grandma alive gave Johnny a sense of purpose for the first time in his life. His grandma, Ruth, had raised him when his mom died of an overdose. He would keep doing whatever it took to feed her and keep her safe until real help arrived. Relaying information and assisting in the escape of the Porter PD and veterans was the only real way he could fight back against the New Order and keep his grandma safe—as long as he was careful.
On this particular night, it seemed the jackals, the name he secretly called his captors, were planning something bigger than usual. Trying to figure out the details of their upcoming plot would require him to linger a little longer than wanted—to listen in to their conversation. He took longer than needed to quietly arrange the refreshments, then checked the garbage, all while trying not to be noticed.
“We need to check it out, man, that’s all I’m saying,” said a heavily tattooed man named Carl.
“Shit is going down. I know the pigs are planning something,” said a man with a deep red scar across his neck.
“I say later tonight we make a little visit to—” started the man who appeared to be in charge. “What the fuck are you looking at, chump?”
Carl pointed at Johnny, freezing him in place.
“Nothing, just bringing food and drinks is all,” stammered Johnny.
“Get the fuck out of here before I decide I need more than a drink, bitch,” said the leader, to a round of laughter.
Johnny scrambled out of the room. He’d heard enough of their plan to know that he needed to warn Charlie.
Chapter Fifteen
Jane stretched out on the lumpy sofa bed. She was convinced the bed had done her back more harm than good. Reaching a hand across the mattress to wake Sam, she realized for the first time that she was alone.
“Sam?” she called out into the predawn darkness.
No answer. The bed creaked as she reluctantly lifted herself off the saggy frame. Muffled talking came from outside the room, reminding her of her current location. Sam and Charlie stood in the candlelit kitchen, talking.
“You go ahead and take this one. We have a second,” said Sam, handing Charlie a portable water filtration system.
“Are you sure?” asked Charlie.
“Yeah, we can’t leave you here knowing you’re drinking water from your tub,” said Sam. “We didn’t use it on the trip, so it should give you close to a thousand liters of micro-filtered water. You can even hook it right up to your CamelBak and pump water right out of a pond—or your bathtub.”
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Jane, turning their heads. “Did I miss anything?”
“No, we were just going over the map again. And I gave Charlie one of our Katadyn filters. The smaller one,” said Sam, kissing her forehead.
“Where did all of this come from?” asked Jane, waving her hand in the direction of the table.
A small assortment of military-grade weapons sat piled on the small table. Three magazine-fed rifles with a hodgepodge of tactical attachments; two identical-looking, standard police-issued M4s with front vertical grips and EOTech sights; and several pistols, mostly Glocks. The array also included two suppressors, which looked like they were sized for rifles.
“It all came from Evansville. The non-police-issue items came from the evidence locker. The chief tried to spread out the weapons to as many of us as possible. I’ve been issuing them to the individuals I escort to the safe house trail. Jane, you should take one of the department-issued M4s. I know you’ve trained on them enough to make a difference in a gunfight. Sam should carry this short-barreled rifle,” he said, lifting one of the smaller rifles. “The barrel is threaded to take one of the suppressors, just in case.”
“Just in case of what?” said Sam.
“I don’t know. You might run into someone that needs to be taken down quietly,” said Charlie. “I’ll also give your traveling companion a rifle. You can swap and switch rifles all you want, based on the situation, but from this point forward, I think you should have these ready at all times. Sam is good to go with an AR-15 platform, right?”
“He can outshoot me with a rifle,” said Jane. “Pistols are a different story.”
“She’s right about that. Does this leave enough for your protection?” asked Sam.
“I’m good. I took one of the better rifles in the evidence locker. One fitted for a suppressor. We grabbed it in a drug bust last month, and I’ve been eyeballing it ever since. It’s better than anything the department will buy us. I’ll be just fine.” Charlie smiled.
“I was wondering where you got the suppressors,” said Jane.
“Chief had us go through the evidence locker and destroy the paperwork with the names of the confiscating officers. He also had us collect some of the more useful pieces of hardware.” Charlie winked.
“Finally, we get to play on an even field with the bad guys. I hope none of this is necessary, but super glad to have it all
the same. Okay, if you guys are almost finished here, I’ll gather up our things and we should be ready to roll,” said Jane.
Jane went back to the small room. Packing took only a minute, but she found herself lingering. A strong dose of conflicted feelings arose in her. She desperately wanted to get home to Lea. On the other hand, she knew the situation outside this house was the most dangerous one she had ever experienced. Sam slowed her down considerably. For a split second, she considered asking Sam to stay back with Charlie. He could help ferry people to the trail. She dismissed the idea just as quickly. He’d never leave her side, and like Jane, he’d never accept staying behind when Lea was in danger. Heaving the pack onto her small frame, she walked out of the bedroom, wary of what the day would bring.
Chapter Sixteen
Charlie led Sam and Jane north through the crowded woods. The darkness slowed their progress significantly, the uneven terrain causing each of them to frequently stumble for footing over the soft bed of the still forest.
Once they reached the rendezvous location, Charlie sat hunched in the low brush near Jane and Sam, waiting for whomever he was to escort to the horse trail. The waiting bothered him the most. Knowing that the rendezvous location was just outside of town, not far from the gang’s center of activity, made Charlie extremely uncomfortable each time he had to do it. After this one, they would have just one more police officer to move out of town. Many of the remaining vets were already in hiding within and around Porter.
A provisional clandestine military force had been quickly assembled by a recently retired Marine master sergeant. The veterans planned to jump into action once the cops started pushing into town. Dividing the New Order with a surprise attack from the inside would hopefully spell the difference between winning and losing the battle. Charlie would be relieved to leave Porter, with the remaining officer, and head for the safety of the provisional HQ. Being the first safe house in the chain as well as the forward communications hub put him in a particularly vulnerable position.
A slight rustling in the brush caused the small group to tense. Both Charlie and Jane held their rifles in the ready position. Sitting back-to-back, they were prepared for any surprise coming their way. Sam served as their over-watch, scanning the shadowy landscape with his binoculars for movement.
Charlie’s earpiece crackled, relaying Johnny’s voice from the radio handset secured in one of his vest pouches. Johnny had broken protocol, which meant there might be a bigger problem in Porter. They usually communicated late at night, when the gang members were either drunk or passed out—too far gone to notice the radio traffic.
“Charlie…Johnny…get…coming.”
“This is Charlie. Repeat. Over,” said Charlie in a loud whisper.
“Get…Over,” repeated Johnny through the thick static.
The radio went silent moments before a twig snapped nearby, causing the group to shift all of their weapons toward the sound.
“Whoa! It’s Mike Sparr,” hissed a scared-looking man, with his hands in the air.
A young, exhausted-looking girl stood mostly behind him, tugging on his loose-fitting shirt. Charlie didn’t know Mike Sparr by sight, but this had to be him. He’d been told to expect a father and daughter. If this was a trick, it was a desperate one.
“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you, but I didn’t even know you were here until you started whispering. I didn’t even hear you approach. We’ve been here for about an hour,” said the man. “I’m supposed to tell you that your mother sent me and that you like pie, or something like that.”
“That’s the code,” said Charlie. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Jenny,” said Mike, nudging her gently forward. “Say hi to our new friends.”
“Hi, Jenny,” said Sam, kneeling down at her level. “Is this your dad?”
“Honey,” snapped Jane.
The little girl hugged the man, nodding her head.
“Good enough for me,” said Sam.
“Sorry about that. We can’t be too careful,” said Charlie, letting his rifle hang on its sling. “This is Sam and Jane Archer. Jane is Evansville PD.”
“I completely understand. Mike Sparr, Porter PD,” he said, offering his hand.
Jane shook his hand and said, “Sorry about everything that’s happening in Porter.”
Glancing at Jenny, Mike said, “Yes, but we’re going on a hike to a place where we’ll be safe.”
Picking up Mike’s hint, Jane smiled and nodded. “That’s right. With hot chocolate and some other treats.”
Jenny shifted uncomfortably. Her dirty, matted hair clung to the sides of her pale face. The simple shorts and T-shirt she wore hung on her slight frame and revealed a sustained period of calorie deprivation.
“Daddy, can we eat now? I’m hungry,” protested Jenny in a mousy voice.
“In a little while, honey. Right now, we need to start on our adventure through the woods,” replied Mike.
“Actually, I brought some food for you, Jenny. Here are some crackers and nuts mixed with raisins. Eat as much as you want,” said Charlie, handing her a plastic bag from one of his cargo pockets.
“Can I, Daddy?” Jenny asked, turning to Mike.
Mike glanced up at Charlie with surprised relief. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” stated Charlie.
“Sure, baby. Go ahead,” said Mike softly.
“I think we should start on the trail before the sun comes all the way up,” said Sam.
“Just keep following the trail, like I said,” said Charlie, pointing north into a smallish opening in the trees and thick underbrush. “The horse trail is barely visible from here. If you keep heading due north, moving at a normal walking pace, you should get to Doris’s house well before dinner.”
A bright orange sunrise poked through the trees to the east. Charlie sensed that none of them actually wanted to move onto the uncertainty of the trail.
“Give me a shout tonight, after midnight, advising me of your location,” said Charlie.
“Will do,” said Sam.
Jane stepped forward and hugged Charlie.
“Thank you,” was all she managed to say. “Watch yourself out here.”
“This is my backyard,” said Charlie. “I got it covered.”
Mike extended a hand to Charlie. “Thanks, man. It is really amazing what you guys in Evansville are doing,” said Mike.
“We’re in this together,” he said before kneeling in front of Jenny. “You take care of your dad out there, and make sure to listen up good. You’re safe now.”
Jenny nodded solemnly, barely forming a thin smile.
“Catch you all later,” he said. “Stay quiet on the trail.”
Charlie leaned against a thick tree, watching the small group vanish into the woods, headed toward the horse trail. Although accustomed to living alone, Charlie welcomed the break from his solitude. Having Jane and Sam in the house had allowed him to relax his guard, just slightly. Knowing two extra sets of ears and eyes were in the house went a long way to ease his stress. Charlie turned and walked pensively in the direction of his house. Alone once again with his thoughts.
Johnny’s communication had deeply unsettled him. Johnny wouldn’t risk communicating during the morning hours unless it was important. Charlie knew he would have to wait until midnight to inquire about the communication. It promised to be a long day.
Chapter Seventeen
Johnny sat in the deserted Porter PD communications center, trying to contact Charlie. Either Charlie had his handheld turned off, or it went dead. Damn. The jackals would be awake soon, shaking off their hangovers. He couldn’t count on being alone in the communications room for much longer. If they found him, they would kill him, or worse.
“Charlie, this is Johnny. Do you read? Over.”
“Charlie, this is Johnny. Are you there? Over.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the door before trying one last time.
“Charlie, you have
to get out. They are coming for you. CHARLIE! GET OUT!” Frustrated, he shouted a little too loud.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” said a deep male voice from behind him.
Johnny reflexively gripped the handset. He hoped the man who had just entered the room had not overheard his message. As he turned, he moved his hand casually over the power button and secretly pressed down, turning off the main power to the communications panel.
“Nothing. Just messing around. I finished everything I needed to do and was killing time,” said Johnny, attempting to look nonchalant.
He desperately sought to keep the guilt off his face. His grandma told him he made a terrible liar. Something about his eyes or voice gave him away. He couldn’t recall what she had said, so he generally made it a point to never lie.
“Whatever you’re doing, it’s over now. Get outta here and go make me something to eat,” said the man known as Brown.
“Right away, Brown. I’ll find you something good for breakfast,” said Johnny.
He moved as quickly as possible without running. Brown had the power to put him behind one of the trucks, like so many that had come before him. He could never allow that to happen—for his grandmother’s sake.
Moving out of the communications room, Johnny wondered if Charlie had heard his desperate calls. The New Order men were on their way to Charlie’s house, with orders to bring him back for a “visit” with the Boss. No one lived through a “visit” with the Boss.
Chapter Eighteen
Charlie hiked back to his house as fast as possible given the low light conditions. Johnny’s desperate voice echoed in his head. What was he saying? Why did he risk a daytime message? What could be so urgent? When the pieces snapped together, Charlie stopped abruptly. A strong feeling of foreboding overcame him. Years of police work had taught him to trust those feelings. In the field, trusting one’s instincts could make the difference between life and death.
