by Hunt, Jack
“You can get more. There’s a storehouse full of them back at camp.”
He groaned and pulled out the long box and reluctantly handed it over. Tyler waved the box in the air. “Smokes. Marlboro.”
“Toss them over here.”
Tyler gave the throw his best shot, hurling the elongated box of smokes as far as he could. Another guy stepped out from behind a building and shot into view. He scurried across like a tennis ball boy, scooped it up and darted out of view.
“Thanks. Now get the hell out of here before I put a bullet in you.”
Tyler shook his head. There was always one that had to ruin it for those that might have genuinely wanted to do an exchange. He slipped back into the vehicle and tuned out Bennington chewing him out. “Holden. Back out.”
Holden didn’t hesitate, they started backing up. In the distance they could see the men laughing. The truck spun around into an alley and Holden brought it back out onto the road and started heading out of town.
“That’s it? We’re leaving it like that?” Markowitz said.
Tyler didn’t reply, his thoughts were still spinning. He had no intention of leaving it like that but the last thing he wanted was any of them getting injured. “Holden, when we round this bend, pull into the gas station.”
“You want to fill up?” he asked jokingly. Two months into the blackout and finding gas would have been a miracle but that wasn’t why Tyler wanted him to pull off. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, he hopped out and slung his rifle around his back. “Bennington, you think you can work your magic again?”
A grin formed on his face. “You’re damn right.”
“About time,” Markowitz said, getting out and adjusting his baseball cap.
“Just be sure to get my smokes back.”
They all exited the vehicle and made their way back down the street using the back of the stores as cover. Bennington scaled up a fire escape that would give him a clear shot of the guys who were positioned at the intersection of 4th Street and Dewey. They were yakking and laughing when they came into view. Markowitz and Gibby had taken the east side of the town while Holden and Tyler handled the west. It was hard to tell if there could be more of them. He assumed there would. All they needed to do was take out these guys, move the vehicles out of the way and then bring their ride up. Within minutes they would be through Eureka and it would be nothing but smooth sailing from there on out.
“You in position?” Tyler asked Bennington.
“Just give me the word and I’ll paint this town red.”
“Focus on any that try to escape. Leave the rest to us.”
“Oh c’mon.”
Holden chuckled to himself. “You’ll get used to him. He’s a little trigger happy.”
“As long as he hits the mark,” Tyler said.
“He never fails.”
“I know, he likes to keep telling me.”
As they got closer, Tyler crouched behind a burned-out SUV. “Markowitz. You good?”
“Perfect,” he replied. “You sure these guys are not from Jude’s camp?”
“If they are, they were given plenty of opportunity to avoid this.”
Tyler brought up his rifle and brought the scope to his eye. As he scanned the faces one more time, he saw one of the guys turn abruptly as if someone was calling his name. Tyler panned his rifle to the right and that’s when he saw Maddox. “Shit. Hold your fire!”
“Oh c’mon! What is it now?” Bennington said.
“Jude’s son. The others must be new to their group.”
He peered through the scope again and saw the guy pointing towards the road they’d come in on. Maddox looked pissed. He shoved the guy and stuck a finger in his face. Tyler couldn’t hear what he was saying but he was clearly disturbed about their decision. “I’m sure they didn’t have this in place twenty-four hours ago. Scouts said they hadn’t left the camp.”
“Well something has stirred the nest,” Holden said.
Tyler thought back to what he’d told his mother. Was it possible she’d passed that info on to Jude? Had they already learned about the militia and were taking steps to secure their camp? The militia would have driven in and perhaps this would have given them just enough time to get the rest of the camp to safety.
“I need to go and speak with him.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Holden muttered. “Jude is one thing but Maddox? Don’t you remember he tried to kill you? Or what you did to him?”
Tyler glanced at him for a second before peering through the scope again.
“We need to get through. We can’t kill them or it will defeat the whole point of our visit today. This is the only way forward.”
“Well we could go back, cut through the forest.”
“Nah, chances are they’ve got scouts in the forest,” Tyler muttered. “They know about the militia. This is just preparation.” He looked lost in thought as Holden patted him on the back.
“I’m not feeling this, kid. I say we pull out, reassess and go from there.”
“Reassess? The militia could be on our doorstep as we speak. No, I’m doing this. Look. I told Corey I wanted to do this alone but he wouldn’t listen. If you’re not up for this I won’t hold it over your head.”
“Look, let me go speak with Markowitz.”
“All right.”
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“I’ll be right here,” Tyler replied.
As soon as Holden was out of view, Tyler removed his weapons and darted out of his position, making his way towards the roadblock. It didn’t take them long to see him. Rifles rose and yelling ensued. “Put your weapon on the ground,” one guy bellowed.
“I’m unarmed,” he said raising his top and turning so they could see he didn’t have any guns. He proceeded to put up his hands and walk towards them. It was a massive risk. Life threatening but someone had to take it.
Bennington was stunned. He saw it all play out through the gun scope. Not realizing that Holden was on his way over to speak with Markowitz, he got on the radio. “Holden. You there? Holden. Come in.”
A reply came back fast. “What is it?”
“You seeing this?”
“What?”
“Tyler. He’s heading for the roadblock.”
“Shit. I told him to wait.”
“Yeah, that kid tends to go to the beat of his own drum.”
It didn’t take long for Holden to climb the fire escape to the roof and make his way over to Bennington. He brought a hand to his forehead. “Oh you have got to be kidding me. He’ll get himself killed.”
“I would say the same thing but he has a smart head on his shoulders.”
“Are you serious?”
“Holden, if it wasn’t for him, chances are Andy wouldn’t be heading up Camp Olney by now.”
“I think there were a few more chess pieces at play.”
Holden groaned and looked through his set of binos.
A heavily bearded guy put his meaty paw on Tyler’s jacket and pulled him behind the cars. The others kept a close eye on the road. “Where are your friends?”
There was no point in him lying. They wouldn’t buy it.
“Out there. No doubt they have a crosshair on your forehead.”
His eyes widened for a second before his brow creased. He shoved him against a vehicle and told one of the others to go and get Maddox. “You made a big mistake coming back here.”
“Couldn’t help it. You took the only smokes we had. Which reminds me. Can I get one?”
The guy narrowed his gaze and looked as if he was about to backhand him when Maddox called out, “Enough!” Tyler looked off to his left and saw him heading over. Maddox wore jeans, a thick sweater and a loose-fitting sandy jacket. His hair had grown since he’d last seen him, and the wounds to his face had healed barring a few scars.
“Tyler Ford.”
“Brother,” Tyler muttered knowing it would get under his skin.
“Release him
,” Maddox said with a wave of his hand. Tyler’s brow went up. “Follow me.”
He led him a block down the street to a bar where several more guys were standing outside with their weapons on the ready. “You been given guard duties?” Tyler asked.
“Something like that.”
Inside the bar, it was poorly lit with a few candles. They flickered in the breeze of two open doors, one at the front and the other near the back. Inside, around eight people were sitting at tables drinking from open bottles. “Take a seat. You want a drink?”
He scoffed. “You’re offering me a drink? What’s it got in it, poison?”
Maddox laughed. “No. I know. You probably figured I would want to put a bullet in your head. Well, you can relax. Of course I did for the first few weeks after what happened but then, well…”
“She spoke with you.”
Maddox glanced at him as he took a bottle of bourbon and poured him a glass. “She said you two talked.”
“Briefly.”
He slid the glass in front of him and then came around with the bottle and took a seat on one of the stools. “Yeah, a lot has changed in a month, and some things haven’t. I was put in charge of securing the north side. Since you gave us the heads-up though, we’ve been on high alert ever since. Seems my father thinks an attack is imminent.”
Tyler nodded and took a drink. “Same.”
Maddox looked at the bar’s mirror. “You know, you gave me one hell of a beating out in those woods. Not sure I will ever lose these scars.” He brought a hand up to his face and ran his fingers over them.
Tyler turned his face and pointed to his own. “I think I might have a few myself.”
Maddox chuckled. “What a crazy life, eh?”
“You’re telling me.”
Maddox breathed in deeply then exhaled. “You could have killed me or taken me hostage that day but you never. Why?”
“It would have only extended the fight between both camps and quite frankly I think we have enough to deal with as it is.”
He chuckled. “I’ll drink to that.”
Tyler downed the remainder of his drink and Maddox offered him another. He put a hand on top. “Gotta stay clear-minded.”
“You want to see him, don’t you?”
Tyler nodded. “We need his help.”
13
“We gotta stop meeting like this,” Danny said to Nate after Erika returned with them. Danny called it fate. He said his mother believed in all that kind of stuff. That there were no coincidences. Nate was beginning to think that maybe there was something to it. If it hadn’t been for Tyler and Erika, he would have been buried alive beneath rubble in Vegas. They spent most of the afternoon holed up in Danny’s parents’ store waiting for the sun to go down before attempting to make the final stretch of the trip to Helen’s parents’ home. A hot meal and some warm clothes and Nate’s spirits were lifted.
“So what’s your great plan?” Nate asked. “Erika said you had an idea.”
“That I do. My old man has a dirt bike out back. I figure I can draw these soldiers away. Give you enough time to slip through.”
Nate’s brow furrowed. “You’re joking, right?”
He shrugged and popped an almond into his mouth. “No. Why not? I’ve done it once already.”
Erika looked at Nate with a similar concerned expression.
“These guys are amateurs and certainly terrible at giving chase. I took them on a run through the back streets, barely three hours before you came along. Not once did they fire at me. That’s gotta tell you something.”
“They’re a lousy shot?” Helen added.
He chuckled. “No, they want the bike. If they shoot me, I’ll lose control, come off the bike and it will be wrecked. Which means the only way they can prevent that is to block me, get me to slow down, and like I said, I know these streets like the back of my hand. Actually, interesting story. My old man let me use that bike to learn how to ride. A few years later I got into the habit of pulling wheelies. So… I’m speeding down 93, and I pull this incredible wheelie and blow past a parked cruiser. The blue and red lights come on, the siren’s squeal. Honestly, it was magic.”
“And then they got you,” Nate said.
“Hell no. You think I was gonna slow for them? Let’s just say me and the cops aren’t exactly on the same page when it comes to the rules of the road, if you catch my drift.” He winked at Nate. “No, I lost the cops somewhere on the west side. I only did it once but like I said, I’m a professional when it comes to these things.”
Erika chortled. “Yeah, real professional.”
“Look, Danny. I can’t let you do that,” Nate said. “If they get you, who knows what they’ll do.” Erika nodded in agreement. “However, I’m fairly skilled in the art of dodging the cops myself.”
Erika rolled her eyes. “Oh God, Nate. Don’t encourage him.”
“You are?” Danny leaned forward, his interest piqued.
“He used to steal phones and bags off people in Vegas,” Erika said. “In fact he took mine. That’s somewhat how we met.”
“Hey! You got it back,” Nate added.
“The bag. Not the phone.”
“Not much use to you now,” he said, a smile forming.
Erika just shook her head and walked out of the room.
“Huh. So you ride?” Danny said.
“Yeah, and that’s why I think it’s probably best I take the bike.”
“Man, I would love to see that; however, my old man would kill me if I handed over his baby to a stranger.”
“Stranger? We nearly died together,” Nate said, a smirk appearing. “We’re practically blood brothers.”
Danny laughed and got up and went over to the window. “Listen, it’s getting dark out. There are four soldiers posted at the corners of Central Avenue and Baker Avenue. If I distract them, you can run up the middle between these two buildings,” he said pointing between Whitefish City Hall and the Bulldog Card Room. “However when you come out the other end on Casey South, you’re going to see two more soldiers — one by the Tree of Life tattoo parlor and the other by the Great Northern Bar and Grill. I will try to swing back around onto 1st Street to draw their attention away but I can’t guarantee it. There’s no telling what’s gonna happen.”
“Which way do you plan to go?”
“Ah, I’ll pull a wheelie down 2nd Street heading west. That should get their attention.”
Nate shook his head. “You know you don’t have to do this.”
“It’s fine. I’ve been cooped up inside here long enough. Time I got some fresh air.”
Nate nodded and patted him on the back. He crossed the room and went to speak with Erika. Helen was getting some shut-eye. She’d been on the tail end of a night shift the day they’d escaped from the hospital and despite holing up in the RV park she hadn’t managed to get any sleep. The exhaustion had now hit her like a wall. Erika was seated at a round table drinking tea when he walked into the kitchen. He filled up a glass with water from a bottle and chugged it down. “We’re all set for this evening. You okay?” he asked leaning back against the counter.
“I know you like her,” Erika said.
“Who?”
Erika glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Helen?” Nate asked. “I hardly know her.”
“I’ve seen the way you look when she gives you those eyes.”
“Oh, come on, Erika. You jealous now?”
“Of course not. I’m just saying. I understand your reasoning for doing this.”
He studied her face as she looked over her cup at him. “That’s not why I’m doing this.”
“You don’t have to justify it. It’s okay.”
Nate pushed away from the counter and pulled up a seat at the table. He placed a hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. “Why did we bother to help you when you wanted to swing by your parents’ place?”
“I would have said it was because you were being nice but now, I�
�m not sure.”
Nate scoffed. “I’m not your ex, Erika. If he was a jerk to you, that’s on him. I might not have had a moral compass when I was living in Vegas and trying to earn a living but when it comes to you and me, I know where my loyalties lie. I don’t have any feelings for her. I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do. How she feels about me is her business. Besides, I thought you didn’t really care how things went between us.”
She chuckled. “What, just because I said I don’t want to move in with you?”
“Seemed clear to me.”
“Oh man. You insecure much? I like you, Nate. Really. I do. But with everything that is happening right now, it’s just not the time. I don’t know what I feel. Some days I wonder whether I can get through one more day of this.” She sighed and set her cup down. “I just think it’s better that we stick with the others. There is strength in numbers.” She cast a glance towards Danny. “He’s a good kid. A little crazy but good. Just as you want to help Helen, I want to make sure he’s okay.”
“He’ll land on his feet. Look how long he’s lasted,” Nate replied waving her off. “Besides, he has a family. I don’t think he wants to lose them.”
“Does he?”
Nate frowned.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that we don’t know what his situation is. Just as you didn’t really know what was going on in that girl’s head that tried to kill you. People say a lot to protect themselves. You included. Remember what you told us about your mother being alive and…”
“I got it,” Nate said closing his eyes and feeling the pain of loss all over again. When he opened them, he looked at Danny sitting on the window ledge looking out.
Erika continued. “And if his mother and father are alive, chances are they won’t come back here and put their son’s life in jeopardy. Which means we might be the only family he has right now.”
Nate shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “So what do you want us to do — take him with us?” He paused waiting for a response. “Because unless he distracts them, we aren’t getting through. It’s like playing Frogger out there, but instead of vehicles we’re dodging soldiers. We need a distraction.”
