The Siege Page 4

  He didn’t dig, like Alvarez and Casarez had done. He’d done nothing but lay on the tunnel floor since the first blast.

  The dynamite had obliterated one of the wooden railroad ties that lined both walls of the mine, and held the ceiling braces up. A huge splinter of wood, two inches thick and eight inches long, had pierced Linkes’ abdomen and shredded his stomach and one of his kidneys. He’d gone down immediately and hadn’t moved since.

  He was suffering the same agony as Alvarez, and he too wanted it to be over.

  But Linkes wasn’t a badass by nature. Sure, he’d gotten hooked up with a bad lot, and had been dragged into a killing mission. But he’d gone along partly because he was terrified of Skully and Alvarez, and partly because he was highly susceptible to peer pressure.

  On the outside, he was a mousy accountant. He was in prison for white collar crime- cooking the books of his clients to make a better life for himself.

  When his crimes caught up with him and he went to prison, Linkes was scared to death. For the first few weeks he refused to come out of his cell except for chow. And then he quite literally trembled with fear.

  In time, though, he slowly began to venture out. Prison was a brutal place and he wasn’t well liked among the other inmates. He was forced to do things that no man should ever do. And when he tried to rebel he was beaten into submission.

  Linkes finally decided that the only way to survive his ten year term was to go along with the others. To become one of the gang so he no longer stood out. And it worked to some degree. But it also meant he’d get caught up in their schemes even when he didn’t want to.

  Now, his decision to play ball was going to get him killed.

  But Rob Linkes knew he had a place in heaven, even after all he’d been through and done. He’d prayed every single night he was in prison, and every single night since. Often silently and to himself. But he never missed a night.

  He didn’t know Alvarez was still alive. He thought he was the last one left. The bodies on either side of him were cold now. He somehow realized that it would be up to him now to finally deplete what was left of the oxygen. It was the only thing he could do to hasten his departure from life for better things beyond it.

  And it occurred to him that by singing, he’d use up more of the thinning air around him.

  Alvarez didn’t know it, but just a few feet away from him, Rob Linkes lay on the tunnel’s floor, singing Shall We Gather at the River over and over again, in a cracked and dry voice.

  And he was smiling.

  Chapter 9

  In the compound, Hance was fit to be tied.

  First, that scumbag Skully had to go and get himself killed. But that was okay. Nobody liked Skully much anyway. Everybody just pretended to because they’d seen his wrath and they were afraid to challenge him.

  But now, Alvarez and his crew disappeared without a trace. It had been four days now, and it was obvious they weren’t coming back.

  Hance himself braved the entrance to the tunnel, taking a fully automatic AK-47 he’d taken off a dead drug dealer, and a flashlight. The other men had balked at going into the tunnel. After all, that was the last place Alvarez went, and he never came back. And Alvarez was a lot tougher than they were.

  Sure, Hance could have bullied and threatened them into going. But he considered himself in charge now. And it was important to show the others that he had the guts to do what they wouldn’t.

  It only took a couple of minutes for him to figure out what happened. The pile of debris blocking the tunnel from floor to ceiling was hard to miss, even in the dimness of the flashlight.

  He returned with grim news.

  “The tunnel collapsed. It must have buried them alive. We’ll have to press on without them.”

  Martinez wasn’t so sure. Alvarez was his best friend, and his cellie for nine years.

  “Maybe they made it out the other side. Maybe they’re in the woods on the outside of the wall.”

  “No. It’s been four days. If they found the others, we’d have heard shots by now. If they didn’t find anybody, Alvarez would have come back long before now. They didn’t take any provisions with them, remember?”

  The men looked at each other grimly. It was sound logic, and something they couldn’t argue against.

  Hance went on.

  “I’m taking charge now. If anybody has any beefs with that, say so now.”

  Nobody had any problems except for Bennett, who disliked Hance immensely. But he said nothing out of fear.

  “Okay, we’re gonna continue on like we did before. Bennett, you continue to feed the animals every day. Eventually this is gonna get settled, and I don’t want everything we came here for to die. Water those plants in the greenhouses too. We might as well eat good while we’re here. And by the way, you’re the cook now too. I know that’s a lot of work, but look at the bright side. You only have to pull guard duty when you ain’t feeding pigs or cooking or whatever. So there’s less chance of you getting shot. So just do it and don’t whine about it, okay?”

  Bennett nodded his head but didn’t say anything.

  “Answer me, so I know you understand.”

  “Okay… yes, sir.”

  Hance had reasserted his role as the alpha male. And Bennett had accepted his role as Hance’s bitch.

  “Okay, the rest of you listen up. They outnumber us now. We’re gonna have to be on our toes, because if they want their camp back, they’ll attack us in force and try to surprise us when they do it.

  “From here on out we’re on twelve hour shifts. Six to six. Martinez, you and I will pull days. Douglas, you and O’Neal will pull nights. You two go get some sleep. Douglas, you relieve Martinez at six. O’Neal, you’ll relieve me and you’ll be in charge of night shift. O’Neal, you and I will guard the roof twenty four seven. Martinez and Douglas, you’ll man the gate. Davis, you float. I’ll tell you where I need you day to day.

  “Bennett, you’ll work day shift so I can keep an eye on you. Do your chores and bring us our meals so we don’t have to leave our posts. And be sure you cook enough extra food before you go off duty so that the night shift can eat before they come on.

  “And take a case of drinking water to the roof and another to the gate. We won’t have the luxury of going for a drink whenever we want, like you can.”

  Hance looked at all the faces. He could tell he had their rapt attention. His takeover was complete. No one would challenge him in his new role.

  “Okay, when you’re off duty, keep your door open so you can hear the gunfire. First sign of shots, you bastards better come running. Any questions?”

  There were none.

  “Good. Go.”

  Chapter 10

  Marty Haskins and his friend Lenny Geibel were manning the front counter at the Trucker’s Paradise truck stop when the group of four men walked in.

  It was obvious they were bad dudes. They had the swagger usually reserved for members of a motorcycle gang, a street gang, or convicts.

  They were too old to be gang bangers, and they drove up in a Chevy Tahoe. So Marty guessed they were part of the group of convicts set free from the Eden Federal Penitentiary just after the sky went black.

  He’d heard they’d been terrorizing the people of Eden ever since, forcing half the town to evacuate for safer cities.

  “Good morning, gentlemen,” Marty said.

  The biggest one, and probably their leader, grunted.

  “Some place you got here.”

  “Yep. It’s all stolen from the trailers parked along the highway. And since it’s against the law to traffic in stolen merchandize, none of it’s for sale. It’s all free. Take what you need.”

  “That’s a lousy way to run a business. If you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”

  A smaller man behind him chuckled.

  “Yeah, well, we’re not trying to make a living at this. Money’s no good any more anyway. We were truck drivers by trade, and that business has gone straight to hell. So
now we’re just providing a service, trying to help the world get back to the way it used to be. And we gotta do something. Might as well do this.”

  Lenny joined in the conversation.

  “Are you guys looking for anything in particular?”

  “Fresh beef. Not frozen, or dried. Fresh. Like from real cows.”

  Marty managed a laugh.

  “Well, if we had such a thing we’d cook some right up and join you. But as far as I know, all the beef cattle are dead in their fields or slaughtered for food a long time ago.”

  “Okay, some information then.”

  “About what?”

  “A friend of ours, goes by Smitty. Big black dude, ugly old fool. Maybe you know him.”

  “Nope. Can’t say I do. Lenny?”

  Marty turned to Lenny, who just shrugged his shoulders.

  “Smitty came to us a few weeks ago. Said he knew of a compound around these parts, somewhere close. Said it was surrounded by a high black fence. He said there were some cattle and pigs inside, and some greenhouses with fresh produce.”

  “Do tell?”

  “Yeah. Smitty asked if we wanted in on the bunch that was gonna go get it. We said sure. Then Smitty and some of the other fellas just up and disappeared. We’re thinking they went without us. And we ain’t none too happy about it.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to hear that, fellas. But people around these parts come and go all the time. Most of ‘em ain’t from around here. Maybe Smitty and the others just got homesick and went back to wherever they called home.”

  “Not likely. Not this bunch.”

  “Sorry. Don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Are you sure you don’t know where this compound’s located?”

  Marty wasn’t intimidated, and held his ground.

  “Positive. Feel free to look around. We don’t have any fresh meat or produce. Everything we have comes off those trailers out there. But if you find that compound, we sure would like to have some fresh meat. We’ll barter you some of this other stuff for it.”

  “I thought you said this stuff was all free.”

  “Not if you have fresh beef to trade.”

  The man found this funny and laughed a lot harder than he needed to.

  “Oh, we’ll find it. And we’ll be back. And we may just have Smitty’s head on a stick when we do. But we’ll see you again.”

  Chapter 11

  Marty and Lenny watched as the four men left without taking anything from the shelves.

  It was obvious from their demeanor that they were used to controlling others through fear. But Marty wasn’t intimidated or afraid. Marty was an old school trucker. He’d seen and dealt with badder men than these before.

  Lenny, though, was glad to get rid of them.

  And he was also curious.

  “Marty, back in the days just before the freeze, you and Joe went scouting the area for a safe place to stay when the meteorite hit, remember?”

  “I remember. Why?”

  “You told me a year before, you delivered a load of steel to a construction site deep in the woods off of Highway 83. You said they wouldn’t tell you what they were building there, but I remember you mentioned greenhouses and said they were building a high wall around it.”

  “How come your memory isn’t this good when it comes to remembering to do your chores around here?”

  Lenny just looked at him.

  “Yes. I remember. I said it might be a good place to ride out the cold, until we set up our own camp here instead.”

  “Well, do you think it’s the same place?”

  “Probably. I don’t reckon there’s too many places with greenhouses hidden in the woods around here.”

  “Well, do you want to go check it out?”

  “And do what? Risk getting shot? Usually people put up high fences to protect what’s theirs. And sometimes when they protect what’s theirs, gunfire comes into play. Yes, I’d like to have a fresh steak, and we could probably barter some of this stuff to get some. But chances are equally good that we’d get shot trying. So as far as I’m concerned, if they happen to have fresh produce or livestock in there, then good for them. If they want to barter it, they can come over here. I won’t shoot them on sight like they may do me.

  “Besides, that was seven years ago now. I’m not even sure I could find the place again if I tried.”

  That night, as he lay in bed, Marty struggled mightily with his memory and his conscience.

  He remembered delivering that load. He’d driven past the turnoff twice and had trouble reaching the buyer because cell phone service was spotty in the area. He finally got through, and was told the turn-off was an unnamed gravel road, marked by a lonely piece of orange surveyor’s tape tied to a tree.

  He’d gone back for a third pass, and was finally able to spot the tape and deliver the load.

  He tried to remember exactly where that gravel road was. The problem was, there were dozens of such roads along Highway 83, unnamed and seldom used. Many of them led into the woods and to ranch houses, where old geezers with shotguns might not take too kindly to visitors. Many others led to old oil drilling sites, or were service roads for the power lines that went through the area.

  Finding the same road again after seven years would be difficult, even if he had a mind to.

  And what he told Lenny was true. He’d like to have a big juicy steak or some fresh tomatoes, but it wasn’t the end of the world if he didn’t get them. He and Lenny and carved out a fairly comfortable life here. Despite what the sign out front said, it wasn’t quite a paradise for truckers. But he was surviving from day to day on dry stock stored in the abandoned trailers along the highway.

  And they were performing a needed service to other survivors by providing them necessary provisions as well, at no cost.

  And the old farmer out in back of the truck stop, well, he was starting to get some things to grow from old seeds preserved by the long freeze.

  So all in all, it seemed like a fool’s game to go traipsing off to find some kind of utopia hidden in the woods. And even if he found it, it wouldn’t necessarily mean the people inside would share or barter with him.

  In the end, he decided that nothing in the fenced compound would be worth the effort of finding it.

  That left him with just his conscience, telling him he needed to warn the people in the compound that bad men were looking for it. And that they had plans to take it by force.

  Chapter 12

  Hannah was applying mineral oil to the stitches on Sami’s back. She was due to get them out in a couple of days, but in the meantime, they itched like crazy, and she couldn’t reach them to apply the oil herself. Her boyfriend Brad was on duty at the control center, so that left her best friend.

  “Sure,” Hannah had said. “It’s the least I can do. After all, it was nice of you to volunteer to get shot so I didn’t have to.”

  “Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.”

  As Hannah applied the oil and gently rubbed it in to soothe the itching, Sami asked her, “Hannah, I can’t see the wound on my back. I’ve tried to see it in the mirror but I can’t. Tell me the truth, is it ugly?”

  “You want the truth truth or the ‘gotta spare my best friend’s feelings' truth?”

  “I want the truth truth.”

  “Okay. The truth truth is that it isn’t pretty. David might be great at making sutures in people’s mouths after he extracts teeth, but he’d never make it as a plastic surgeon. Please don’t tell him I said that.”

  “I won’t. But he already knows. The whole time he was stitching me up he was apologizing to me. He said he knew he wasn’t the best stitcher-upper in the world, but that he was more concerned with stopping the bleeding. And after all, he saved my life, so I could never be upset with him.”

  She suddenly laughed out loud.

  “I’m sorry, did I hit a ticklish spot?”

  “Oh, no. I just remembered something else David said when he was stitching me up
. I told him I was worried that Brad would find me ugly when he saw my scars.

  “He told me not to worry. That Brad was a man. He said anytime I was self conscious about my scars, just to get naked. And as soon as Brad saw my boobs he’d forget all about the scars.”

  She looked at Hannah and giggled.

  “And guess what? After I finally got brave enough to let him see me in the light, I found out it works!”

  Hannah shook her head, then wiped the oil from her hands and put a new dressing on Sami’s wound.

  “You’re hopeless, you know that?”

  “Yep. I know.”

  “So, when are you and Brad gonna get married and stop living in sin?”

  “It’s funny you bring that up. We were going to ask Bryan to marry us that day they attacked the compound. Then it kind of got shoved on the back burner. I asked Brad yesterday if he still loved me, even though I’m ugly and scarred.

  “He said that despite the scars I’m still the prettiest girl in the world, and that he still wants to marry me as soon as all the fighting is over.”

  Hannah grinned.

  “The prettiest girl in the world, huh? He must have forgotten about me.”

  “Yeah, right. Very funny.”

  “Knock knock! Anybody home?”

  Sarah walked into Sami’s RV.

  “Hey, brats. I thought I could find you here.”

  “Hi, Sarah.”

  “What are you two laughing about?”

  “Oh, Sami was just telling me how Brad said she was the prettiest girl in the world.”

  Sarah scoffed and said, “He must have forgotten about me then.”

  Hannah burst out laughing and said, “See! Great minds do think alike. That’s the same thing I said.”

  Sami was having none of it.

  “Wait. Go back a minute. I must be hearing things. For a moment I thought I heard you referring to yourself and Sarah, and saying something about great minds. I must have misunderstood. Surely you were talking about great big butts.”

  “Oh no, you di’ent.”

  “Seriously, girlfriend. You are beautiful, inside and out. If Brad doesn’t mind the scars, then nobody else matters. If he still loves you even though you have big feet and snore, then he’s a winner. Grab onto him and make him yours.”