Survival Rules Series (Book 4): Rules of Engagement

by Hunt, Jack

  “I understand.”

  “Do you?” He took a few more steps forward, closing the gap between them. “You see, rumor has it that you’ve been speaking with the men. Now I don’t want to believe that’s true but after our most recent discussions, I’m beginning to wonder where your loyalties lie.”

  “With you, Wyatt. You know that.”

  Hopkins studied his face looking for a crack in the façade. He knew not everyone would buy into his worldview. It would have been insane to think so but he was of the mindset that if someone didn’t like it, they knew where the door was. He wouldn’t hold it against them, nor would he harm them. That wasn’t his way. Even in recruiting new members, they were always forthright with them, laying out what would be required, who they would have to answer to and what was expected of them. Of course he could understand if someone was asked to do something they didn’t expect to do, but set the expectation at the start of the relationship and they couldn’t turn around and say you never said that.

  Hopkins placed a hand on Nathaniel’s ballistic vest and tapped his chest. “That’s good to know. Remember, you can always come to me about anything. You know that, don’t you?” He touched the side of Nathaniel’s face, stroking it with his knuckles as someone might with their lover. Hopkins had a taste for women and men. He didn’t hide it and yet Nathaniel was one guy he hadn’t put a move on.

  He was just about to get a response when Keith’s voice came over the radio. “Hopkins. Come in. Over.”

  He eyed Nathaniel through narrowed eyes before lifting his radio to his lips.

  “Go ahead. Over.”

  “You need to hear what this guy has to say. How soon can you get out to the blockade?”

  “I’ll be there in five.”

  And just like that he turned and headed off in a hasty manner leaving Nathaniel speechless. Hopkins hurried out into the parking lot, calling to a few men to join him in a Humvee. He slipped into the passenger side and had Darius, one of his guys, drive him out to the blockade. The Humvee tore out of the parking lot, tires squealing. Most of the streets were now clear after locals and his men had rolled vehicles farther out to be used as part of the wall. He admired what they’d managed to build in such a short time. It was beginning to feel like home. As the Humvee rolled past homes, some locals looked on. He had to wonder at times what they thought. He knew the dangers of entering a town and putting the people to work but until he executed two city officials, they were under the belief that they were the U.S. military. Chief Bruce had been very helpful in that regard. Under the threat of death the chief had been taken around the town and had announced to groups that they were there to help. He wasn’t lying, just slightly bending the truth.

  “Sir, you want to fill me in?” Darius asked.

  “Not at the moment,” he said lighting a cigarette. The Humvee roared down the road. They bounced in their seats slightly as the tires struck a few potholes.

  “Darius. You’ve been with us a while. Let me ask you something.”

  “Sure.”

  “You happy?”

  “Happy?”

  “You know, content with the situation?”

  It took him a few seconds to answer. “Yeah. I get to eat three times a day. I have tons of men watching my back. And I don’t have to clock in and out. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Hopkins chuckled. That was what he liked. Simplicity. Someone who understood the benefits of running with his group. And there were benefits. In precarious times such as the blackout, it was better to be among a large group of armed individuals than a lone wolf flying solo. It was better to be among the ranks than vying for a position of leadership.

  They rounded another corner onto 93 and continued on to the roadblock. Gary Barringer and his crew were behind pickup trucks with their rifles shouldered. The roadblock they used was a mishmash of stalled vehicles rolled across, concrete blocks and yellow striped A-frame traffic barriers. Several were inside trucks catching a few winks while the others carried the load. It wasn’t a hard job or dangerous even because backup was literally within earshot. That was the value of having many recruits. They could spread them throughout the town but at the same time have them watching over each other. Unable to stand by and let others do the grunt work, Hopkins would often join his guys, taking a shift or two. It boosted morale. It ensured that his guys didn’t think he placed himself above them. The real reason, however, was self-preservation. The talk he’d given Nathaniel was critical. All it took was one person to get under the skin of another and like a weed it would spread and eventually take over.

  Darius parked the Humvee alongside a black 4 x 4 Ford truck and killed the engine. Hopkins pushed out of the vehicle and made his way over to Keith who was perched on the back of a lowered tailgate, alongside a stranger. As soon as Keith saw him, he got up and met him before he reached the truck.

  “So, who is he?”

  Keith thumbed over his shoulder.

  “He says he’s from a camp near O’Brien Mountain. A large settlement that was an offshoot of Camp Olney.”

  “Camp Olney?”

  Hopkins peered around Keith’s hulking shoulders.

  “Says he has information that would be very valuable to you. He also wants to join.”

  “Huh. Interesting. Well, introduce me,” he said as they strolled over to the rear of the truck. Immediately he noticed the stranger’s blind eye and bald head. For someone who was two months into the blackout, he also looked unusually healthy. That was something he’d noticed over the past few weeks. Those who were hungry looked gaunt in the face. Many of the locals did. A lack of nutrition. A lack of what was easy to get when the power was up.

  “Hello. Welcome to Whitefish. And who might you be?” Hopkins asked before sucking on his cigarette and blowing smoke towards the stranger.

  “My name is Thomas Smith. I was heading up a group three hours north of Olney. Our camp has a number of resources, supplies and ammo that may be of interest to you.”

  “Huh. Well that’s good to hear. Strange though. My man here says you have a connection to Camp Olney. Is that correct?”

  “Yes. It’s a long story but the man who used to head it up was removed from his position. He came over to our group but…” he trailed off.

  “But?”

  Thomas scanned faces and swallowed hard. Hopkins had a sense that he might not be telling him the whole truth. “Things have changed. When I heard that militia had moved into Whitefish, I wanted to have our group meet with yours and share resources. But Jude. The man from Olney wouldn’t have it. Neither would the people. You see, they see you as a threat and their intention wasn’t to share but to take what you have. A surprise attack, I believe they said.” He paused for a second as if trying to gauge Hopkins’ reaction. He never gave one. “I didn’t agree with it. Clearly, from what I’ve seen here today, you know what you’re doing. I figured it was best I came and informed you of their plans.”

  Hopkins smiled. “Um. Well I appreciate that. That’s mighty noble of you. Though I imagine you won’t be able to return to your group because of this.”

  “I have no intention of doing that. I want to join. Follow you.”

  “Follow? He wants to follow, Keith. What do you think of that?”

  “I think we’ve got room.”

  Thomas smiled and scratched the side of his nose.

  “So where is this group of yours?” Hopkins asked.

  “I can take you there.”

  “No. I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ve done enough. Keith, get this man a pen and paper. I’ll have him give us directions.” He turned back to Thomas. “So you say you have resources? Food? Ammo?”

  “All of it. Of course not as much as Camp Olney but I figure when you’re done with this camp you could move on to the next.”

  With a smile on his face, Hopkins answered. “Yeah.”

  Keith returned with paper and pen and handed them to him. Thomas quickly went to work scribbling down the main roads a
nd highlighting what areas were forest and the towns in the area before marking with an X the location of the settlement. He also marked out where scouting groups were and the best way to ambush them if that was what he had in mind. All the while, Hopkins observed him.

  “Tell me something. What did these people do to you?”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I mean, to have access to all those supplies. Makes a man wonder why someone would give that up?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Reasons. Right.” Hopkins nodded as he lifted the map and folded it and placed it in his pocket. “And what of Camp Olney? What can you tell me about that place?”

  “Andy Ford runs it. He has two sons. There are upwards of a hundred and fifty people inside, maybe more. It’s a hard place to breach. Even if you could get in, they would probably retreat to the domes.”

  “Domes?”

  He’d seen them but wanted more information.

  “Shelters beneath the ground. Reinforced steel and concrete.”

  “Huh. Innovative. I like that. I could use that. Hell, I could see that being our central operations for this area.” He paused and looked at Thomas. “You have been inside?”

  “No, but Jude has, so have some others at our settlement.”

  “So you can’t exactly help.”

  “Help? Well. I’ve just helped you. I gave you the location of Camp O’Brien.”

  “That you have,” he said pursing his lips. “But you see there is something that bothers me about this.”

  “What?”

  “A man that would easily turn against his own group is liable to do the same again. Loyalty means everything here. Doesn’t it, Keith?”

  “That it does.”

  Thomas swallowed and slipped off the tailgate. “Please. I’m extremely useful. I have combat experience. I…”

  Before he could get out another word, Hopkins gestured to Darius, and he pulled his Glock and fired it into the back of Thomas’ head. His body slumped forward, near Hopkins’ boots. Hopkins crouched down and spoke to his dead body. “You have nothing I don’t already have, but thank you for the intel.”

  18

  Happy Haven? The irony. Erika didn’t feel happy one damn bit. They were sticking their necks out on the line for what? A reunion of strangers? Some woman that had been nothing but a thorn in their side since the hospital? It made no sense at all but who was she to rock the boat? She knew if she tried to oppose it, Nate would just bring up her trip to her parents’ home and then it would start an argument and she was already teetering on losing her temper. Prior to landing herself in the hospital she’d enjoyed her moments with Nate. It was an escape from the mundane, a distraction from the harsh reality. But that’s all it was, at least that’s what she thought. Every time he would mention moving in together, it would annoy her. Couldn’t he just be satisfied with sex? Most of the guys she’d dated prior to him were. As long as they got that, they were content but Nate? Nah; he wanted more and she really didn’t feel she could give that. That was why she kept changing the subject. But that was before Helen had come along. There was something about his interactions with her that riled her up. It wasn’t like she and Nate were an item; more like friends with benefits. Yet she felt jealous. There was no other way of putting it. She didn’t think she would but she did. Here was some stranger moving in on her guy. She snorted as she crossed the railroad tracks. My guy? Was that even true? She glanced over at Nate who was scanning his surroundings, then sighed.

  “Okay, next one. Let’s go,” Nate said beckoning them over to the next line of tanker cars. There were a couple of ways to get over to the north side of Whitefish. The most direct route would have been over the Baker Avenue bridge that arched over the railroad tracks, but that had been blocked by the militia and a roadblock had been set up. The other was to go west on Second Street, take a left on Edgewood and enter the area that way but that would have added hours to their trip. Instead, they opted to climb down to the railroad tracks and dart across. It wasn’t easy as there was more space that was exposed than covered. Steel freight cars along with tankers lined the tracks. They hid themselves between the cars and would wait for Nate to give the all-clear and then dart across one line of cars to the next. It was a slow process that relied on timing as all it would take was a glance from one of the militia up on the bridge and they would be made. All three of them had made it across but Helen was hesitant.

  Crouching inside a freight car, Nate waved her again to move but she wouldn’t.

  “Oh this girl is gonna get us killed,” Erika said.

  Nate flashed her a stern look. “She’s not used to this.”

  “And we are?” Erika shot back before shaking her head. Danny just looked like he was amused by the whole thing. Then again, he always looked as if everything was one big joke.

  “Look, just wait here. I’ll get her.” Nate was about to jump out of the train car when Erika grabbed his arm. “No. If she so badly wants to reach her parents’ house and has so little regard for our lives, she needs to do this by herself.”

  Nate looked up towards the bridge. He cursed under his breath. Holding a hand up to let Helen know to stay put, he observed the comings and goings of the militia before beckoning her for a third time. Again, she didn’t move. Erika scoffed. Then Helen darted out. “See, she just needed…” Before Nate could finish, Helen tripped on the tracks and landed face first on the hard stones. He didn’t hesitate but hopped out and dashed across the tracks.

  Erika gripped the door of the train car and lifted her eyes to the bridge. “Come on. Come on!” she muttered. Nate managed to reach Helen and help her to her feet. A surge of hope flooded Erika but was soon extinguished by a soldier who’d crossed to the edge of the bridge to dump something over. As he dropped whatever he had in his hand, he squinted. She couldn’t hear what he said but his reaction was clear enough. He turned fast and disappeared, returning a moment later with three other soldiers. One of them brought a radio to his mouth while the other two lifted rifles. Erika did the only thing she could and tried to provide cover for them. She raised the Glock and squeezed off two rounds. Rounds chipped the concrete bridge. The soldiers returned fire, causing them to reel back and seek cover.

  “Hurry!” Danny bellowed.

  Nate had his arm around Helen’s waist while she gripped his shoulder. The lower half of her face was covered in blood from the face plant. An eruption of gunfire tore up the ground near them, forcing them back the other way. Danny and Erika returned fire. But there was only so much a Glock and an aged rifle could do.

  Zigzagging their way across the railroad tracks they eventually made it to the freight car. Danny dragged Helen into the car while Nate climbed up. He was nearly in the door when a bullet struck him, spinning him to the ground.

  “Nate!” Erika yelled as she went after him.

  Danny returned fire to cover her while she dragged him between train cars and out of view. “Damn it. Damn it!” Nate yelled, grimacing in pain as he clutched his arm. His fingers were gloved in blood and it didn’t seem to be slowing.

  “I told you this was a bad idea.”

  “You want to save reaming me out for later?” he shot back. “We need to keep moving.”

  He was right. It wouldn’t take the militia long to get down from the bridge. Nate got up and on the other side of the car they joined Helen and Danny. As soon as Helen saw he was bleeding she reached to help but Erika slapped her hand away, holding on to Nate with the other arm. “You’ve done enough!”

  “Erika,” Nate said coming to Helen’s defense.

  “No. We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for her.”

  There was no time for an argument or to hash out other options, there was only one way out and that was pushing on across the exposed area of land and getting into the thick tree line that bordered Edgewood Road. Rounds lanced away from the bridge kicking up stones as they bolted out and made it to the woodland.

  No
time was wasted. They kept moving across Edgewood Road and into the front yard of one of the homes in Happy Haven. Tensions were running high as they hurried down the side of a home, across the backyard, over a fence and through the next yard. All the while Erika knew the militia would be heading their way.

  “We should split up,” Danny said. “They’re looking for four people.”

  “It’s not happening,” Erika said. “Where is this damn house?” she yelled, referring to Helen’s parents’ home.

  “North a few streets. It’s called Copperwood Court.”

  Every word that came out of her mouth got on Erika’s nerves. They hurried across Waverly Place, around the back of Big Mountain Apartments, and darted across Colorado Avenue into the small cul-de-sac. It was a suburban neighborhood, a cluster of ten homes. A few kids were playing outside on their bicycles as they raced by heading for her parents’ home. Upon reaching the door, Helen banged on it. “Mom. Dad.”

  There was no answer.

  They made their way around the back and fortunately the sliding doors were unlocked. Erika breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the warm home. Just to be off the streets took a weight off her shoulders. She sat Nate down at a large round table in the dining room and began searching the house for water.

  “I’ll get some bandages,” Helen said.

  As much as Erika wanted to be the one to help him, she knew Helen was more skilled in that department and she’d only be getting in the way and slowing her down. While Helen attended to Nate, she made her way to the front of the home and closed the curtains. Nervous that they’d been spotted, she stood by the window, pushing back a portion of the blinds to see if militia were coming. In the kitchen she heard Danny ask if there was any food. Helen told him she had no idea as it wasn’t her home. She’d moved out many years ago and had an apartment in the south end near her work.

  Erika scanned the living room. It was a modest home. Nothing outrageously expensive. A few IKEA armchairs, a cream sofa, a bookcase in the corner and a fireplace at the center of the room with an area rug on the floor. She strolled over to the counter and picked up a photo frame with a picture of Helen and her parents. She set it back down and ran her fingers over the spines of books. It was mostly old literature, some classics — Moby Dick, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Christmas Carol and other timeless favorites.