Wipeout | Book 4 | Overdrawn

by Richards, E. S.

  When they finally reached Dennis, he was bent over an old hunting trap, straightening the wires within it so that it could be used again. As soon as he saw Art and his family, he tossed the trap to one side and stood up at his full height, striding toward the group of them with purpose.

  “Apparently they’ve got some important news boss,” Casey explained. “About that ship.”

  “Really?” Dennis raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his hips, striking an uninviting pose. “Go on, what’s the news?”

  “First I need you to agree that my family and I can stay here,” Art opened, glancing quickly over his shoulder at Jessie and the two boys. “It’s not safe back in the city.”

  “Why don’t you give me the news first,” Dennis replied, “and then I’ll decide if you can stay.”

  “I need your word Dennis,” Art held his ground. “Come on, they’re just children. You can give me that.”

  “Okay fine,” Dennis relented. “You can stay. Now tell me what’s happened before I change my mind.”

  Art nodded; there was only a tiny part of him that believed Dennis. The man loved power and having control over people, but even more than that he loved being a hero and this was an opportunity for heroics that he simply couldn’t turn down.

  “Thank you,” Art smiled. “So, it turns out the ship was sent by the Chinese government. They are taking over the island. They said the American government can’t protect us. When the crowd started to protest, they opened fire. We were able to get away but it won’t be long before they show up here and I don’t think anyone is coming to help us.”

  “You seriously think I’m buying that, Arthur? That the Chinese have taken over our island? What good would it do them to take control of Kauai? That’s absurd.”

  “I don’t know why,” Art argued back. “But it’s true. You can send people to check for yourselves, but I’d stay out of sight if I were you. They didn’t seem too worried about causing trouble when we ran from it all.”

  “How did it happen?” Dennis asked, “If this is really true, explain how it all came about.”

  “A group of them left the big ship and came to shore on a few boats,” Art began, explaining everything to Dennis in detail, concluding with the gunfire.

  “What happened to Jamie?” Dennis asked urgently. “Did you see what happened to him?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t.” Art shook his head, surprised to see that Dennis still cared for his brother. The way he had left the community behind in Kauai made it seem like he had given up hope for his younger brother and no longer cared about him. Now it was clear that wasn’t the case, Dennis was clearly concerned for his brother.

  Dennis puffed out his cheeks and exhaled long and hard, looking up to the sky as he processed Art’s words and tried to figure out what to do. As far-fetched as it all sounded, Dennis could see the sincerity with which Art spoke and from the terror in his wife and children’s eyes, he knew what he had heard was true. Kauai had been invaded and the people were being held under Chinese control.

  “Alright,” Dennis replied eventually, nodding his head and coming to a decision. “You can stay here and help us figure out what to do. Casey, Ben – grab some gear and then head over to Kauai; scout it out and see if you can find out anything about why the Chinese are here and what they want. Stay out of sight though and don’t get caught. Take a couple of others with you if you want, but not too many.”

  Casey and Ben nodded and turned away, heading further into the hotel to pass the message on and prepare for their mission. Art worried about too many of Dennis’ group going to check things out. If they got caught, their location at the resort would be revealed. He hoped Jamie wouldn’t tell the Chinese about this place – or if the Chinese already knew about it. They needed to be as prepared as possible, for anything. One thing was for certain, the next few days weren’t going to be easy.

  “Thanks Dennis,” Art spoke with a nod. “I hope we can figure all of this out.”

  “We will,” Dennis replied firmly. “No one’s taking this island away from me.”

  Chapter 11

  Dutchess County Jail in Poughkeepsie wasn’t a particularly large facility, in fact it only had capacity for a maximum of five hundred prisoners. Individuals didn’t serve long sentences there, the jail was used more as a halfway house for people awaiting trial or for those who had violated their parole. As with many things however, the collapse had changed that.

  There had been just over three hundred people in Duchess County when Trident was declared bankrupt and the country quickly descended into turmoil. With no legal system to decide what to do with the men and women at the county jail, they had remained behind bars, locked away with no idea when or if they would be released. That made for a very unpleasant environment.

  Jeff and his team had treated Samuel, Austin and the rest of them like criminals from the second they got their hands on them. They all had their hands zip-tied behind their backs and were paraded through the city to the jail, in front of everyone. Mason and Noah’s parents had been among the onlookers, baffled to find their boys amongst the invading group and rushing onto the scene to try and get their children back. Jeff had been firm in his decision though, determined that each of them stand trial before being released. Mason and Noah – along with Austin’s son, Bowie – were also being kept in the jail, locked away like underage villains.

  If Samuel listened carefully, he could just about pick out the crying of the three boys, each kept in a separate cell. It was an added layer of cruelty which Jeff hadn’t needed to instill, but the man was sadistic and crazed on the power he had accrued in Poughkeepsie. Jeff’s word was law now and no one was brave enough to stand up to him. The seven of them: Samuel, Austin, Dante, Meghan, Bowie, Mason and Noah were all locked away. Left to rot without a second glance.

  How places like the county jail were coping after the collapse had never even crossed Samuel’s mind before he was thrown into one of them. He had been concerned for hospitals, businesses and schools; he’d worried about transportation and how the emergency services were going to continue to function. Never once had he thought about the prison system. With over two million Americans behind bars across the country, it was a large number to simply just forget about. Until now.

  Hearing a jangling of keys outside his cell, Samuel knew it was morning. Without a window to the outside world, the only way he could figure out what time of day it was, was based on when their food was delivered. A sad tray of gruel appeared twice a day, no distinguishing features to identify what the meal was or where it had come from. As Samuel accepted his morning tray through the hatch in his cell door, he was at least thankful they were being fed. Food was becoming a very valuable commodity in the post-currency world and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the people left behind in places like this were left to starve. It was a horrible thought, but without the resources, Samuel had no idea how they could realistically keep a prison functioning. The larger ones required extensive manpower to keep them in working order and to keep the peace amongst inmates. By the angry shouts he heard from the people being held at the county jail, Samuel could only imagine what fresh hells were erupting inside the bigger facilities.

  “Wait!”

  Samuel’s ears pricked up as he heard a familiar voice. Dante was a few cells down and Samuel pressed his face up against the door to his cell to hear what the man was saying.

  “Guard, please, tell me the trial is going to be today. You can’t keep us locked up in here like this much longer; we’ve got children with us for crying out loud.”

  Dante had tried this tactic every time someone had brought food down to their group. He knew the people in Poughkeepsie and he could reason with them. Depending on who it was, the response varied, but Dante never stopped trying. Samuel admired the man for that and could see why Austin loved him, too.

  Trying to cut out the background noise from the rest of the jail, Samuel closed his eyes and listened for the response,
but either the guard’s voice was too soft, or she never replied. “What did she say? Dante, what did she say?”

  “It’s today,” Dante’s cry came back. “The trial is today. They’re going to come for us soon.”

  Samuel smiled, sat back down on the small bedframe which occupied one wall of his cell and picked at the gruel from his tray. They were finally getting the opportunity to try and reason with the animals who had locked them away. He was certain that Mason and Noah’s parents would have been fighting their cause for them. There was no way even someone like Jeff could find those two little boys guilty.

  But what about the rest of them? Excuses could be made in most cases, but when Samuel thought about it, he started to worry about what might happen to him and Austin. They were the ones who had broken into the city, finding their way past one of the road blocks which made it very clear Poughkeepsie didn’t want any visitors. Not only that, but they were also responsible for one man being shot. If that man were seriously injured, then perhaps they did deserve to be properly punished for the crime. Samuel knew that laws weren’t regarded in the same way now as they had been before the collapse. There still had to be some degree of right and wrong and people did need to be held accountable for their actions. Otherwise, there was no hope of things ever returning to normal.

  When Samuel next heard keys jangling further down the corridor, he’d had enough time alone with his thoughts to last a lifetime. He couldn’t wait to be set free and see Austin again. When his cell door was yanked open, he walked forward submissively. He didn’t mean any trouble. It didn’t stop his wrists being bound together again, but Samuel remained calm, prepared for what he had to do.

  “Samuel!”

  “Mason! Noah!” Twisting around as he walked, he tried to reassure them, “Everything is going to be okay.”

  The prison guard shoved him forward. Meghan was ahead of him, while everyone else filed out behind. They were led down the corridor and out of the holding cells, a sight not missed by the others who were locked up in the same part of the facility. Shouts demanding they be released erupted and deafened them all.

  For all the time he’d had to think, Samuel hadn’t really considered what the trial would be like or where it would be held. The latter of the two questions quickly became apparent as they were escorted out of a side exit into the parking lot, where a large number of people had gathered. Samuel’s eyes found Jeff briefly, before his head turned in the direction of Mason and Noah’s parents who started running toward their children as soon as they were outside. Samuel watched the emotional embrace, tears welling in his eyes as he saw their wrists being untied and the two little boys set free. His heart swelled as Mason and Noah were both wrapped up in their parents’ arms and led away from the scene.

  With Mason and Noah now free, Samuel turned back and caught sight of Austin. His friend had watched the reunion as well and as he noticed Samuel, they shared a smile. Bowie was by his side and Dante followed closely behind. If Jeff and the others saw it fit to let Mason and Noah free, surely they couldn’t punish Bowie for anything either. Sure enough, as Samuel watched another guard approached and cut the restraints on Bowie’s wrists first, then Meghan’s. The woman swept up her grandson in her arms and held him tightly against her chest, nodding as the guard said a few words to her and escorted her away. It was only the three of them left now, the trial ready to begin.

  “We all know why we’re here,” Jeff’s voice boomed out across the parking lot, commencing the trial and bringing the onlookers to silence. “We’ve discussed this at length over the past few days and as a community we have agreed it unfair to punish the children, or those not directly involved. As such, four of the seven have been set free.”

  A rumble of agreement spread through the crowd, perhaps fifty or so residents of Poughkeepsie coming along to listen to the trial itself. From Jeff’s opening statement, it was clear to Samuel there had already been lengthy discussions about what they were going to do with them, something that didn’t fill him with much hope. He wasn’t expecting a fair trial, but he had at least been expecting to say his piece on the matter.

  “But these three,” Jeff paused and pointed over to where Samuel, Austin and Dante stood, “deserve a different fate. Two of them broke into our city and shot one of our friends as he tried to stop them, then fled the scene. They raced through the city to the house of one Dante Taylor, who took them in and hid them from the search party, despite being aware of what they had done.

  “The reason that our city has survived so well since the fall of Trident and the rest of the United States, is because we have banded together and agreed on what needs to be done to survive. We are stronger together and there is no room for anyone who does not fit that mold or who isn’t willing to play their part in our way of life.

  “Now, there are some of us,” Jeff continued, “who believe a harsher fate than what has been decided would be more fitting to the crime.”

  Samuel looked over at Austin and Dante in horror. Whatever was going to happen to them had already been agreed upon and they weren’t going to have their chance to speak at all. This wasn’t a trial. It was a sentencing and the onlookers were only there to ensure it was carried out. Samuel was ready to open his mouth and argue when Dante gently shook his head, warning him to stay quiet.

  “However,” Jeff’s voice boomed out. “We are not animals and we are not here to decide who lives or dies. Outside of our city limits, the world is currently not of any concern to us and so that is where these three shall be sent. Samuel Westchester,” Jeff looked at each of them directly as he said their names. “Austin Taylor, Dante Taylor. You are all hereby banished from the city of Poughkeepsie. We will grant you one hour to gather any belongings you wish to take with you, but then you will be escorted to the city limits and sent on your way.”

  Chapter 12

  “We’ll miss you, Samuel.”

  “I know,” Samuel hugged Mason and Noah both at once. “I’ll miss you both too. But you’re safe now and nothing’s going to happen to you here. Your mom and dad will protect you. You’re both going to be fine.”

  “What about you? Who’s going to protect you?”

  Samuel smiled and ruffled Mason’s hair, touched that both of the boys were still concerned about him. He’d certainly miss them both on the next stage of his journey, but he knew they were in the right place and that was where they needed to stay. No matter what he thought about the city of Poughkeepsie in general, it was where Mason and Noah’s parents were and for two boys of their age, that was the most important thing.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Samuel smiled and shook his head. “I can take care of myself. Just promise me you’ll both be good and won’t go running off again. I’m not going to be around to find you.”

  The boys looked at Samuel with forlorn expressions, both saddened by what was happening. Samuel himself was surprised by how much he was affected by the goodbye. He tried not to let it show and hid his sadness with smiles and jokes. Opening his arms wide once more, he gave them both one last hug before he had to leave. He had to get back to Austin and Dante’s house to find out what was happening. At least three of them were going to be leaving shortly, but whether that number would be any larger was yet to be decided.

  ***

  “I’m sorry mom,” Dante fought back the tears as he stood opposite his mother. “I never thought it would come to this.”

  “I know sweetheart,” Meghan replied. “Whatever you decide, you know I’ll support you. But this is a decision I can’t help you with. You and Austin need to agree what is best for your family and then stand by that decision no matter what. I will be fine and you know Bowie will be too. But you need to consider both options carefully – we haven’t seen the world beyond this city, we don’t know what to expect. It might not be safe here, but is it any safer out there? Who knows.”

  Dante sighed and nodded, aware how right his mother was. He was so incredibly relieved with the decision t
hat Jeff had made, expecting a much worse fate for him and the others. However, it now left him and Austin with the biggest decision of their lives. They had to leave Poughkeepsie, but Bowie had the chance to stay behind in Meghan’s care. Until it happened there was no way to know which was the better option, but they only had precious minutes to choose. Walking into Bowie’s bedroom, Dante held his breath as he looked at his husband hugging their son. He and Austin couldn’t delay this any longer – they had to make a decision.

  “I can’t leave him again,” Austin declared point blank once he and Dante had stepped away into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I just can’t. I did all of this to be with him again, Dante. I can’t just leave without him now.”

  “We have to consider what’s best for him, though,” Dante argued back, trying to debate both options without his emotions getting the better of him. “What will we do when we leave the city? Surely it’s not safe for him out there?”

  “It’s probably not too different to how things are likely going to end up here,” Austin replied. “Jeff has turned the city into a fortress. What he’s doing here isn’t right. it’s also not sustainable and I don’t really think it’s safe for our boy. Yes, it’s dangerous out there, but at least he would be with us. At least we could take care of him.”

  “I’ve been taking care of him for weeks,” Dante snapped, frustrated by his husband’s tone. “We didn’t have any trouble until you showed up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you came back – I would have done the same thing in your position. But can you honestly say you would’ve wanted Bowie by your side through everything you went through out there. Can you honestly say you could’ve kept him safe?”

  Austin bit his tongue and fought against the urge to snap at Dante. Through the stone walls and the cell doors in the county jail, Austin had told his husband everything that had happened to him since the collapse. He’d detailed each day of his journey back up to Poughkeepsie and the obstacles he had been forced to overcome. Looking back on it, there were any number of times when he could’ve been hurt or even lost his life. The fact that he had made it to Poughkeepsie in the end proved to Austin that he was strong enough to get through anything that faced him, so long as he was fighting for what he loved. If they left Bowie behind in Poughkeepsie, he wouldn’t be fighting for what he loved anymore, he would be turning his back on it and that was simply something Austin could not bring himself to do. No matter how dangerous it might be bringing Bowie along with him, he couldn’t leave his son behind and he needed to make Dante understand that.