The Day After Never - Perdition (Book 6) Page 5

  Chapter 8

  Twenty Miles Southwest of Astoria

  Lucas and Hayden arrived at the spot the townspeople had chosen for their first night’s encampment. The darkness was inky with the heavy cloud cover and no fires in evidence due to Hubert’s prohibition while they were on the road. The carts were heaped high with weapons and ammunition, as well as several dozen antitank rockets, two crates of grenades and one of rocket-propelled grenades, ten land mines, and several hundred pounds of explosives that could be used to fashion IEDs. It had taken two hours to hoist everything up the shaft and ferry it to the carts, and it had begun pouring rain by the time the last load was secured, but Lucas was pleased with the take and believed the effort had been worth it.

  The trek toward Newport had taken six hours. They’d almost been shot at a bridge where four of the townspeople had been lying in wait to discourage any squatters from following. There had been some tense moments until Hayden identified himself and vouched for Lucas, the gunmen clearly nervous and trigger-happy. The gunmen had informed Hayden that they would stay through the night and then rendezvous with the main column in two more days, once it was certain that neither the Chinese nor the squatters were on the town’s tail.

  When they arrived at the camp, they swung down from the saddle and tied their horses with the others, the rain having finally eased to a light sprinkle. A collection of tents stretched on either side of the road, and Lucas could hear an occasional moan from where the wounded rested uneasily atop a cart.

  After feeding and watering Tango, Lucas made his way to the clearing, where a tarp had been strung to fend off the rain so the council could meet. He took a seat on a portable camp chair as the men discussed the day’s events and, after debating the likelihood that the Chinese would come after them, filled Lucas in on what had transpired. When Hubert finished speaking, Lucas’s gray eyes held his without blinking.

  “You made me one promise: that you would see that Ruby got out safely,” Lucas said. “Now you’re telling me that I risked my neck to get you weapons, but you failed in your only commitment?”

  “We aren’t sure what happened. She must have chosen to stay past when they were supposed to leave.”

  “They?”

  The councilmembers exchanged worried glances. “Mary, Sylvia, and Rosemary also didn’t make it out, nor did Ben and Larry.”

  “Don’t know who those two are, but it sounds like you dropped the ball big time. That wasn’t our deal.”

  “We had to move the entire town, Lucas. Be reasonable. We did our best, but if they wanted to stay longer than was safe…”

  “You don’t know that for sure, do you? Something could have happened to stall them.” Lucas rose and swallowed the acid that had risen in his throat. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “You screwed me.”

  Hubert’s tone hardened. “We did no such thing. It was unintentional. Look, Lucas, they’re adults. They were advised they needed to be out within the hour. I can’t be responsible for following everyone around who decided to ignore our warning and babysitting them.”

  “You cut out without Ruby, and now you have a story to explain why nothing’s your fault. I miss anything?” Lucas asked, his tone dangerously low.

  “We did everything possible,” Hubert insisted.

  Lucas shook his head. “To save your own skins. I see that.” His gaze moved from man to man. “You’re worthless. All of you. I have no idea why the town lets you run anything, but I’m done with the lot of you.”

  Nobody spoke, and Lucas left them to their empty debate, shaking with rage at the double cross. The thought of Ruby captured or killed by the Chinese chilled him at a level he didn’t think possible, and the pompous little mayor’s demeanor infuriated him to the point where it took all his restraint to keep from returning to the clearing and breaking the man’s jaw.

  When he neared the spot where the horses were tied, he heard male voices in a heated argument from the far side of the small clearing. One of them sounded like Hayden, and Lucas walked slowly toward them, his boots squishing in the mud.

  “I don’t care what the mayor thinks, Hayden. My wife and daughter were supposed to be with the second group. They aren’t. What would you do in my place?”

  “You can’t go back, Jeb. The mayor’s forbidden it.”

  “The same mayor who promised to see them to safety. We aren’t in town any longer, Hayden. Hubert isn’t the mayor of anything now, and he sure as H isn’t going to tell me what to do. So leave me be, or you’ll be sorry.”

  “It’s not just him, Jeb. It’s the council. They can’t afford to let anyone get captured who knows where we’re going.”

  “Should have thought about that before they left Mary and Rosemary, then, shouldn’t they? I mean, they know where we’re going.”

  “True, but we can’t lose any more able-bodied men, Jeb. We’re going to need everyone.”

  “So what you’re saying is it’s better for you if I stay, not for me. Well, after this I can’t say as I much care what’s best for Hubert and his bunch. He wants able-bodied men, he can go recruit some. My first duty is to my family, not to him. Don’t try to stop me, Hayden, or this will go badly for you.”

  “I’m not your enemy, Jeb. None of us are. And I know how you must feel.”

  Jeb’s voice was an ominous growl. “Really, Hayden? Is it your wife and daughter left behind? Tell me how you can have any idea.”

  Lucas stepped into view, rain dripping from his hat brim. “What’s up, Hayden?”

  “Nothing,” the sheriff snapped.

  Lucas peered at the large bearded man. “That you, Jeb? It’s Lucas. I met you in your store, remember?”

  “Sure,” Jeb said.

  “There a problem?” Lucas asked.

  “My wife and daughter are still in town. And now they don’t want to let me go back for them.”

  “Really? By what right?”

  Hayden’s glare was obvious even in the dark. “This isn’t your affair, Lucas.”

  “I’m making it mine, Hayden. My friend Ruby got left behind, too. So Jeb’s problem is my problem, if you catch my drift.”

  “I got no beef with you, Lucas.”

  “I know. So you won’t have anything to say when I saddle up and ride out of here, will you?” Lucas asked, his voice daring the sheriff to challenge him.

  “You want to leave, I’m not going to stop you.”

  “That’s good to know. But I want my friend Jeb here to come with me.”

  “That isn’t going to happen.”

  Lucas took a deep breath. “Hayden, it’s been a really long day and I’m bone-tired. There are two ways this can play. You can turn around and find some way to make yourself useful, and you never saw either of us. Or you can make this a big deal, in which case people are going to get hurt. Don’t see how after everything we’ve been through you want that. I don’t.”

  “You threatening me, Lucas?” Hayden demanded.

  “Not at all. I’m warning you that if you try to get between a man and his family, you’re going to catch hell. Can’t see any other way it can play.”

  “It’s your fault they got left behind,” Jeb added.

  “I wasn’t there, remember? I was with Lucas. You’re talking crazy.”

  “You know what I mean. Your as in the council. Lucas is right. I’m a peaceful man, but I’ll do whatever I have to if you get in my way. You don’t want to do that.”

  “Now both of you are threatening me,” Hayden said flatly.

  Lucas took a step toward him. “We had some close calls today, Hayden. Lost two men. Let it go. We’ll be gone in a snap, and far as I’m concerned, you never saw us.”

  “Can’t do that, Lucas.”

  Lucas drew his Kimber so fast that it was a blur. He cocked the hammer back with a snick. “This really the hill you want to die on, Hayden? For what? To prove a point? Let it go. Last chance.”

  “You’re pulling a gun on me?” Hayden snarled. “This
has gone far enough,” he said, his hand dropping to his own weapon.

  “You’re right,” Lucas said. He lowered the hammer on the pistol and then whipped it hard against Hayden’s temple. The sheriff dropped like a bag of rocks, and Lucas replaced the Kimber in its holster and turned to Jeb. “Get your horse.”

  Jeb stared at Lucas with his mouth open and then followed him to the makeshift corral, where their steeds waited in the drizzle, their hooves raking the mushy ground as the two men made their way into their midst. Moments later they were in the saddle and riding away, Lucas in the lead, sticking to the road shoulder to avoid alerting the camp of their departure.

  “Thanks for the help,” Jeb said, ten minutes into their ride.

  “What were you planning to do when you got to town, anyway?”

  “Whatever I have to in order to save my wife and child.”

  “We’ll have to do better than that. You go off half-cocked and you’re likely to get yourself, and them, killed. That won’t do anyone any good.” Lucas hesitated. “We’ll scout out the situation and figure something out, but you have to promise me that you won’t try anything stupid.”

  “I have to help them, Lucas.”

  “I know. But we need to do this my way, or we’re going to fail.”

  “Fine. I promise.” A long pause. “You think they’ll come after us?”

  “No. They won’t risk men to hunt you down. Hayden will be mad, but he’ll get over it. They’ve got bigger problems than us to deal with.”

  “We going to ride all night?”

  “Don’t see any other way, do you?”

  “I’m up for it.”

  “You any good with a gun?”

  “I can handle myself.”

  “Got any religious reasons you won’t shoot a man?”

  “Don’t expect the Lord would have given me weapons and kept me alive in this nightmare if he didn’t want me to use them.”

  Lucas smiled to himself and nodded. “Sensible.”

  “I’ve always thought so.”

  Chapter 9

  Colonel Hong stood at attention beneath the overhang of a waterfront warehouse as a tender arrived from the ship. Fifteen of his men waited behind him, all ramrod straight, their discipline unwavering. The radio clipped to Hong’s belt crackled and a burst of static emanated, and then a voice rang from the speaker. Hong raised the radio to his lips when the voice went silent and answered the interrogative with a few words before slipping the device back on his belt and resuming his vigil.

  The tone of the boat’s engine changed as it neared the shore, and several minutes later two older officers, their raincoats slick with water, climbed onto the pier. They marched together toward the warehouse and stopped in front of Hong, who saluted stiffly. The pair returned the salute and then stepped out of the rain.

  “How did it go?” one of them asked.

  “As well as we could have hoped, General Mao,” Hong said. “Although as I reported, the town is deserted, and there’s no sign of our advance team.”

  “What do you make of that?” the other officer asked.

  “We suspect they saw our ship and decided to leave. It’s the only explanation that makes sense, General Jin.”

  “But you said you have captives?” Mao asked.

  “Yes, sir. Six women and eight men. There must have been a battle recently, because there are about fifteen wounded at the hospital.”

  “Perhaps that explains it. If there was a fight, the town’s evacuation may have had nothing to do with us,” Jin said.

  “We don’t know. They could have been wounded fighting our advance team. It’s unclear. All we know for now is that there was little resistance, and the few stragglers who remained there were taken without a fight.”

  “You suffered no casualties?” Mao asked.

  “No, sir.” Hong paused. “Although they did try to set fire to the town, so we believe the likeliest explanation is that they spotted the ship and left while they could, torching the buildings in order to leave us as little as possible.”

  “The rain foiled that plan, obviously.”

  “Yes, sir. It was our good fortune.”

  “Have you interrogated the captives?”

  “No, sir. There has been no time. The imperative was to secure the town.” Hong spoke decent English, as did thirty percent of the men, who had been chosen partially because they were bilingual. There would be time enough the next day to question the captives, although he didn’t expect to learn anything of value.

  “Where are you keeping them?”

  “At the hospital, for now. We will move them to the jail shortly.”

  “Tell us about this tent gathering outside the walls.”

  “It’s a squatter camp, by all appearances.”

  “Does it present any danger to us?”

  “Not that I can tell. They have put up no resistance.”

  Mao smiled, and the effect was anything but friendly. “A good source of slave labor.”

  “That was what I was thinking, sir. Along with the townspeople we captured.”

  “Of course,” Jin agreed. “Where is this hospital?”

  “Ten minutes from here, sir.”

  “Let’s see what we’re dealing with. You say there are women?”

  Hong nodded. “Correct. Six. Although two are quite old.”

  Mao and Jin exchanged a glance. “Let’s look them over.”

  “Yes, sir. This way,” Hong said, and shouted an order to his men. They formed a protective circle around the officers and moved out into the drizzle, rifles at the ready.

  The trip across town took more like fifteen minutes due to the weather. When the officers arrived, the guards outside the lobby offered crisp salutes. Hong barked at them and one walked into the building, returning a minute later with four other soldiers prodding the captives forward with their guns, the prisoners’ hands behind their backs. Mao and Jin looked the men over without interest and then inspected the females as though they were livestock.

  Jin’s eyes lingered on Sylvia and Rosemary, and he grinned. “These two have definite possibilities,” he muttered to Mao.

  “Indeed. They might clean up well. These others might be amusing for the troops.”

  “The old women are worthless.”

  “They can scrub latrines and dishes.” Mao turned to Hong. “Where are the wounded?”

  “Inside. They’re all in bad shape.”

  Mao considered. “Bayonet them, and have some of the captives drag their corpses out for the carrion birds to feast upon. That will serve as a warning to all that we are not to be trifled with.”

  Hong swallowed, his face impassive. “The town is empty. There’s nobody to threaten us.”

  “You have your orders, Colonel.”

  “Yes, sir. Of course.” Hong paused. “What would you like to see next?”

  “Have you set up your headquarters yet?”

  “There’s a promising hotel a few blocks from here, sir. That should work for the officers. We can put the men up in the nearest school. Plenty of space.”

  “Very well. Let’s see what we’re dealing with. You’re confident that there are no more of these cockroaches hiding in town?”

  “Yes, sir. We’re completing a building-by-building search – we should be done by morning. But so far only these captives were found.” Hong made an effort to keep his tone respectful. “Conditions here are primitive, judging by the hospital.”

  “That is to be expected. We’ll remain on the ship and use that as our command center.” Jin paused. “Don’t get too comfortable here, Colonel. Your real objective is Portland. Once this place is secure, you are to march there and take the city.”

  Hong nodded. “I’m planning to, sir. Just as soon as we have Astoria under complete control. I intend to leave two hundred men here and take five with me.”

  “You may not need that many here,” Mao observed. “I would take six.”

  “Yes, sir. Let’s see how
things shape up over the next day or so. If there is no reason for a larger presence here, I will take more.” Hong turned to one of the guards and issued commands, instructing them to select six men from the captives to move the dead after the soldiers had carried out their orders. When he was done, he spoke deferentially to the generals. “Let me show you to the hotel.”

  “Good work overall, Colonel,” Jin said. “So far, this is going far better than we could have hoped – the town taken without any casualties, and no adversarial forces to contend with in evidence. If the rest of this state is anything like Astoria, this will be the easiest duty of your life.”

  “Thank you, sir. It seems fate has smiled on our mission,” Hong acceded, unmoved by the compliment. The ease with which they’d taken over the town had little to do with his actions and everything to do with the population leaving before they arrived. “Although one troubling development is the absence of our advance team. We’ll need to learn where they are, or what became of them.”

  “Agreed. We’ll expect a full report. For now, the priority is to secure the town and lock it down.”

  “Yes, sir. The hotel isn’t far. We should be there in no time.”

  “Lead the way, Colonel. I don’t want to spend any more time than necessary in this slum. It stinks of death.”

  Chapter 10

  Night had fallen, and the mood in the tent city was grim. More refugees from Portland had arrived as the light had gone out of the sky, many of the arrivals on their last legs, rail thin and shambling like prisoners on a chain gang and soaked through with rain. Some of the squatters had cleared out after the townspeople had vanished over the horizon, but most had stayed; there was no place better to go to, at least in a rainstorm with darkness enshrouding the area.

  Ray picked his way along the shore, moving away from town toward The General’s place, where the torches were lit and some of the braver had gathered to discuss the implications of the Chinese taking over. Normally Ray would have avoided the bar on a rainy night, but he had nowhere to go while he mulled over how to best proceed, and figured he might be able to glean some information.