by Dwayne Gill
Daniel explained to him the past hour from his point of view and about the livestream ending with Barkley’s release. That didn’t help Calvin understand the circumstances any better, but it gave him reason to think they were in the clear. “We don’t want to stay, in case they return,” said Calvin.
“Get out of there,” said Cane. “Get as far away as possible. I’m on my way.”
“Okay,” said Calvin. “Hart, we need to meet somewhere. You’re closest to us. We need a safe place to all gather for a while.”
“Bowman knows a place,” said Hart. Calvin could hear talking in the background. “I’ll text you the address. It’s a few hours away from Chicago, which is good. I think we’re ready to leave Naperville behind.”
“I’m so happy everyone’s alive,” said Calvin. “We’ve gotta get moving, so I’ll see you all in a few hours.”
Calvin hung up and sighed. Natalie was at the door and had heard the conversation, but he noticed her smile evaporate as she looked at the wall to her right. “What is that?” she asked.
Calvin immediately saw what she was referring to. There was a large hole in the library wall, but behind the plaster was a metallic-looking box with wires showing. It didn’t look like an ordinary device. Calvin took a few photos and ran back inside the panic room to Lynks, where he kneeled down to show him.
“Hey buddy, I need you,” said Calvin. “Can you tell me what this is?”
Lynks wasn’t moving his head well, but he could tilt it enough to focus his partially opened left eye on the screen. After a moment of study, he took a breath and said, “Bomb.”
Calvin and Natalie exchanged worried looks as everyone else gathered around. “Did you say bomb?” asked Natalie.
When Lynks nodded, everyone scrambled to get whatever belongings they needed. “Time to go,” said Calvin.
Natalie and Kristy carried Lynks as the rest filed out of the room in a hurry. Calvin helped Zeke along and saw the guard frown in Wally’s direction. They had to leave Tom and Wally, as well as Fletcher, whose mangled body lay just outside the library. Calvin and Zeke paused as they stepped around their fallen friend.
Right before they exited the library, Calvin heard a female voice come through the walls. One source was the metallic box he’d observed, but the voice also came from elsewhere, throughout the house. “Get out. Now. It’s gonna blow,” said the voice that Calvin recognized so well.
It was Marcene, but her tone was unlike any other time he’d heard it. On the recordings it had been smooth and confident, but this time it was panicked and urgent. Calvin and Zeke limped faster with every bit of strength they had, along with the others, who had heard the same warning. Jordyn and Taryn helped Natalie and Kristy with Lynks as the group tried to get out of the house in time.
*
October 2, 2028
11:30 p.m. CST
Herald Harbor, Maryland
Marcene stared at Vinson, who was getting more agitated by the minute. He’d not only had to watch his attempted execution of Bowman, Hart, and Webb fail, but also the humiliating capture of Mick, one of his lieutenants. He’d nearly lost control, and for a moment Marcene thought he’d charge at her, but he wasn’t that stupid.
Vinson couldn’t kill her, at least not yet, and the suspense of having to wait was driving him even crazier. So far, nothing had gone according to plan, and the only triumph that remained for Vinson was Marcene’s demise.
I hope to spoil that for him as well, thought Marcene. She had carefully orchestrated every part of this plan, waiting for just the right moment to execute it. If she could just finish this one last mission, her work would be done, and she could rest knowing the threat of Vinson and the marked men was over.
She’d devoted so many years to this drawn-out plan and had mostly been alone in doing so. Sure, she’d had help along the way, from many sources, but it was her charm and charisma that had recruited those to help, not their confidence in her vision. Few had bought into her prophetic theories about the marked men, but it had never swayed her from her course. However, now that many had seen the events she’d predicted unfolding, things were slowly changing. Even Bowman’s skepticism had been slowly melting away over the years after seeing what Vinson was capable of.
Vinson. Despite the lie she’d told him earlier, he was the one who needed to go. While the remaining lieutenants were equally dangerous, he was the one who made the whole thing tick. Without Vinson’s leadership, their plan would crumble, and Marcene was prepared to give her life to make it happen.
Not the others’ lives, though, she thought. How easily she could ensure Vinson’s demise even now, saving countless others in the process. All she had to do was release the pressurized trigger in her right hand and it would be done. What’s happened to me? she thought. Years ago, she would’ve ended everyone’s life at Calvin’s house without a second thought for the cause, even her own daughter’s. Something had changed, though. As she thought back to Cane saving Kristy, Daniel saving Taryn, and the friendships forged, she somehow seemed part of it herself. Her own transformation seemed to mirror the men she had created, for Cane, Daniel, and William had been through their own similar moral journeys. Marcene was starting to believe the whole thing was fate, that maybe this empathetic side of them all, including hers, was the final piece of the puzzle. Maybe they all needed to be more than monsters. Perhaps without this newfound love and appreciation for life, they were doomed to fail.
Whatever the cause, Marcene could not, and would not, take the lives of the ones who made Cane and Daniel who they had become. It was a risk she couldn’t take. She at least had to give them one last fighting chance at survival, and this was it.
Marcene had been paying close attention to Vinson’s body language, waiting for a certain key moment that had just occurred. Vinson was watching the group at Calvin’s house to make sure they didn’t leave, because once they did, Marcene had no reason to refrain from blowing the explosives. Of course, he’d been shielding the footage from her, so she’d have to sense whether they’d escaped.
Marcene wouldn’t leave this to chance, however, for she had one last trick up her sleeve. Calvin and the others wouldn’t be able to hear her warning inside the panic room, but they could once they exited.
Vinson’s eyes were betraying him, along with his fidgety body language. He’s stressing, thought Marcene. “It’s been enough time,” said Vinson. “My men have made plenty of distance.”
That was true; his men had checked in and were nowhere close enough to any location to be a threat to return. She was stalling for a moment, hoping it would cause Vinson’s demise and the crew’s survival. It was time, though, for Vinson would soon catch on and the whole plan could fail. In a quick motion, she depressed the radio on her buckle and shouted her warning to Calvin and the others. “Get out. Now. It’s gonna blow.”
Vinson instantly recognized the plan for what it was and sprinted at her. Marcene ran in the opposite direction, for she needed to give the allotted fifteen seconds to Calvin and the others to exit the house. She ran with all her might, counting down the seconds, pushing her legs harder with each stride.
“Don’t shoot!” Vinson shouted to his men. If they killed her, she’d drop the trigger.
Marcene was deceptively fast but would never evade Vinson indefinitely. Five. Four. Marcene felt Vinson land on her back and pull at her, trying desperately to stop her forward momentum.
Three. Marcene arched her back and pushed forward, trying to keep her feet, but Vinson was strong.
Two. Marcene fell to the ground but extended her right hand while still gripping the trigger. She decided to release it a second early, knowing it was now or never.
One. As she relaxed her hand, Vinson’s wrapped around it and applied the necessary tension to thwart the detonation. Marcene tried to wrestle it free, but Vinson’s grip was monstrous. Other marked men had now swarmed around to assist him, and now multiple hands caressed the pressurized trigger.
&nb
sp; Vinson wiggled free while his other men restrained her. It was over. “Nice try,” said Vinson. “You nearly pulled it off.” Marcene was on her stomach, unable to see him, but she could imagine his relieved look. He’d won. “Looks like your boys will get a show, after all,” said Vinson.
Regrouping
October 3, 2028
3:00 a.m. EST
Miami, Florida
When Daniel exited his plane, Barkley had been running full-speed to reach him. She was holding Tina, so she stopped short of jumping into his arms, but she was happy to see him.
“This is Tina,” said Barkley. “Tina, this is Daniel.” The girl snuck a peek at him but quickly buried her head back into Barkley’s shoulder. Daniel thought maybe he wasn’t the ideal man for the kid to see at the moment, for he probably looked like a real monster to her. In addition to his natural scruffiness, his face was scratched up.
“How are you?” Daniel asked Barkley, who shrugged.
“It’s hard to say,” said Barkley. “Right now, I’m glad everyone’s alive, and I’m relieved to see someone I love.”
Daniel grinned. “Slow down, law woman. Don’t be busting moves on me in front of the kid.”
Barkley laughed. “That’s one reason I’m so glad to see you. There hasn’t been much to laugh about for a while.”
Daniel understood that all too well, and though he was keeping things light for her sake, he was not in a good mood. The news of everyone’s survival was great, but he’d heard from Calvin again with the info that Rick was the one threatening them at the house. Rick had killed Wally and Fletcher and had beaten Lynks to a pulp before suddenly leaving. Daniel hadn’t needed another reason to kill the lieutenant, but Rick had added fuel to an already dangerous fire. There was no turning back from the rage Daniel felt inside as his darkness swirled, begging to be released. It will be, one way or another, he thought.
The immediate victory of having everyone safe and seeing his friends again would keep his beast at bay, but only temporarily. Barkley’s laugh helped remind him his friends needed him in more than one capacity. Not just as a monster, but as a friend too.
Swelling walked up, holding Shauna. The ex-cop looked much worse than Barkley. There wasn’t much of her face that wasn’t purple, and she had dried blood on her neck. Someone had tried to clean her up but hadn’t bothered wiping past her face. Swelling gave a weak smile, and though Daniel had never met her, it was probably a relief to see another person whose intent was to keep her safe.
William and Dirk exited the plane and introduced themselves, trying to make the women and kids comfortable. Wayne and Orlando greeted Barkley like old friends, for they’d battled beside one another in the past. Afterward, Dirk and Orlando grabbed bags that Barkley and Swelling were carrying and brought them on the plane.
“So, you’re William,” said Barkley, fascinated to see the third man.
William nodded. “That’s me.”
“He’s married,” said Daniel. Barkley flipped up her middle finger, and Daniel gasped. “Not in front of the kid.”
William laughed. “I’ve gotten used to his sarcasm already,” he said to Barkley.
“We need to get moving,” said Wayne. “I’m sure the marked men have eyes watching in Miami.”
“Where are we headed?” asked Barkley.
“Our new safe house,” said Daniel. “Lafayette, Indiana.” He looked at his watch. “Calvin and the rest should arrive there any moment. It’s only a three-hour drive from Naperville.”
Everyone got settled in the plane, and Barkley sat on the row in front. “Do we have any idea what happened? Why did Vinson let everyone go?”
“No clue,” said Daniel. “I’m hoping by the time everyone meets up, we’ll have answers.”
Tina peeked at Daniel over Barkley’s shoulder now, smiling sheepishly. Daniel thought she was acting younger than her age, but it was probably because she was so scared. He made funny faces at her, and she grinned, so he pulled out his bag of tricks. Daniel did the missing finger trick, a simple one that anyone should be able to spot as a fake, but Tina chuckled anyway.
Barkley looked back at him. “She likes you.”
“Of course she does,” said Daniel. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
Barkley passed out quickly, and Daniel wanted to do the same, but Tina wasn’t sleepy. He felt bad for the kid, so he played with her for most of the trip, doing silly tricks and whispering jokes to her. It’s gonna be a long flight, he thought, but he refused to let it bother him. This kid shouldn’t even be alive, he reminded himself.
*
October 3, 2028
3:00 a.m. EST
Lafayette, Indiana
Calvin parked the car in the huge garage of their new safe house, which was completely dark inside. This home looked bigger than the last, which Calvin wouldn’t have thought was possible, but maybe Marcene had anticipated their group getting larger over time. The place was also more isolated than the last, for the driveway or road wound around for at least a mile into the woods. The property itself was much larger. Their Naperville hideout barely had a yard at all, other than the fenced patio in back. This location had a big, barren, grassy front yard, and he could see rolling hills behind the house, although this one also had a tall privacy fence in the back.
Lynks’s mobile center had been the perfect transport for all the passengers, and Lynks and Zeke had spent the trip stretched out in the back while Natalie and Kristy tended to them. Lynks was more coherent, but now that his face was cleaned up, the extent of the beating was more pronounced. Calvin suspected he needed surgery, but at minimum, he’d need stitches. No matter what, he’d have scars to remind him of his brush with death.
Calvin was still divided on how he felt. On the one hand, they’d all chipped in as a family and saved Lynks’s life. It had been an adrenaline-filled, daring rescue that had paid off, and it reminded Calvin of Tom’s heroics and his dramatic turnaround. It was even poetic, in a sense. However, he couldn’t escape from the guilt that weighed on him, for he’d been the one ultimately responsible for their predicament in the first place. It served as a painful reminder that not everyone had escaped. Wally, Fletcher, and Tom would still be alive had he not exposed their position, and it was a mistake Calvin would have to live with forever. So far, no one had blamed him, though they had every right to do so. He’d almost gotten his friends killed over ice cream.
“Wow, this place is awesome!” said Taryn. Jordyn walked beside her up a stone walkway as they all had a look at the front of their new house.
“I wonder if it has a pool?” asked Jordyn.
Calvin was glad to see everyone acting relatively normal; they could use some relaxation. “I’d be willing to wager it does.”
“Take me to the hot tub,” said Lynks. His outburst sparked a round of laughter. Lynks could now walk on his own, which was an encouraging improvement, while Zeke, though injured, showed little outward sign of being hurt. The man was a machine.
Calvin ran ahead, typed in the code, and let everyone in. Natalie and Kristy hung back with Calvin as the others entered and started turning on lights inside. Calvin heard Taryn and Jordyn gasping in awe at the interior, which caused him to smile.
Natalie touched his shoulder. “What happened earlier at the house, let it go,” she said. “Those girls need you. We need you.”
Kristy touched his other shoulder. “You made a mistake,” she said. “But you were trying to please us. That’s just how you are, and we all love you because of it.”
“Don’t let it change you,” said Natalie. “We don’t want or need a different Calvin.”
Calvin stifled a sob. “Thank you both,” he said as he glanced inside. “Now, let’s go see what kind of dump Marcene put us up in this time.”
*
October 3, 2028
4:20 a.m.
Lafayette, Indiana
Hart led a caravan of vehicles down the long, winding driveway and felt a rush of excitement as
he saw the house come into view. He’d called Calvin to let them know they’d be arriving, for he didn’t want to alarm them when they saw a bunch of vehicles approaching. When Hart was fifty yards away, he saw Calvin standing on the front patio, directing him where to park.
“Nice place,” said Plumber, who sat in the passenger seat. The two had had time to get to know each other, and Hart found he liked the interim director a lot. Plumber was not a career politician, unlike most who held his position. He approached his duties with pride, and, most importantly, cared about the people around him.
Hart was carrying the two surviving FBI agents and eight rangers in the back of the big SUV. Mathis and Bowman were in the vehicle behind them, along with Webb, Blake, and more rangers, while the third SUV carried the rest of the soldiers.
Even considering how big the house looked, it was hard to imagine it accommodating almost forty soldiers and the rest of their group. This was all temporary, anyway, since Hart and Plumber had their sights set on bigger things, which would hopefully allow them to surface publicly and survive.
Calvin greeted Hart as he and Plumber exited. He whistled as he watched everyone pile out of their vehicles. “Well, I feel safe now.”
Bowman pushed his way forward until he reached Calvin and gave him a bear hug. The veteran was mangled and weak but as resilient as ever, though Calvin cringed a bit at the sight of him. “Where’s Natalie?” asked Bowman.
“I’m here,” said Natalie, exiting the house with Kristy behind her.
Bowman hurried over to embrace her and hugged Kristy as well. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he said to one, or both.
“Let’s get everyone settled in,” said Calvin. “We’re gonna need bunk beds or something.”
Hart couldn’t believe how much bigger the house was than the previous one, and they’d need every square inch of the space. “Did Marcene do this?” he asked Bowman.
