Beneath the Veil (7 page)

Hector brought the truck to a stop in front of a cemetery where the grounds were overgrown with crops and white marble headstones were blackened by time. Ralph and Bobby hopped off the back of the truck and Jimmy handed a gas can to each of them. The two brothers walked through the gates of the cemetery and began splashing clear liquid around the plants. Ralph handed his can to Bobby, then lit a match and dropped it on the ground. The liquid ignited and fire spread rapidly with black smoke rising as the vines burned. Ralph stood staring at the fire, entranced by the leaping flames.

“Come on pyro,” Bobby said. “We got searchin’ to do.”

“Alright,” Ralph said, pulling his gaze away from the fire. “Let’s get on it.”

The men, surrounded by fire, walked back to the truck. Jimmy, on point, trained an M-16 on the graveyard in case of trouble. He didn’t expect any problems. The days were quiet, it was nighttime when the crazy shit happened.

“You boys get yourself some of that corn?” Jimmy asked.

“I am gettin’ hungry,” Bobby answered.

Ralph chuckled and spit out a wad of tobacco, then reached into his pocket and refilled his cheek until it bulged. He slapped the roof of the truck and said, “Vamanos Hector.”

Hector crunched the gear shift into first, and the truck lurched forward. Barry rubbed his temples and winced in pain.

“You alright, man?” Jackson asked.

“Headache,” Barry answered. “A bad one, I’ve been off my meds for a few days.”

“There’s aspirin in the glove box,” Hector said.

Jackson opened the compartment. Inside, a bottle of aspirin sat next to a revolver. He reached in and took the bottle.

“Take that pistol too,” Hector said. “It couldn’t hurt to have an extra gun.”

Jackson handed the aspirin to Barry and then retrieved the weapon. He made sure it was loaded and then tucked it in his waist band. Hector idled slowly, turning down every road.

What’s up with those farms in the graveyards?” Jackson asked.

“Pretty screwed up, huh?” Hector asked. “No one knows why they do it for certain, but Davy Ross back at the camp has a theory. He’s one of the few that managed to escape those things. He says they use the farms to make more of their own kind. Although, since he got away, Davey’s developed a taste for the corn liquor and doesn’t always make much sense. I guess you can’t blame the man after what he’s seen.”

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T
he sun was up for a full two hours before they decided to leave the safety of the raft. Daniel and Katy were dry, but Jen and Tonya still wet from the river, huddled together shivering. Their raft, caught in a perpetual loop, circled the river many times during the night. When Daniel spotted the cottage again, he paddled them to shore. Jen climbed to her feet, her legs stiff from the cold.

“Tonya, wait here with Katy,” Daniel said.

Jen followed Daniel to the back of the cottage where the only sound was wind whipping through tall field grass. He pushed open the back door and peered inside. Seeing no movement, they both entered the kitchen. During the night, a series of symbols had been carved into the doors and walls. He retrieved a lantern from a cupboard and then descended to the cellar. The door to the storeroom was smashed to the ground and the room was littered with broken furniture and ruined supplies.

He stared at the hideaway for a few moments, then began to clean up the room. Jen walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Daniel, let’s get what we need and get out of here.”

He didn’t respond. He tried to lift the door off the floor.

“Daniel,” she said again. “We need to leave, your sisters are waiting.”

“Where will we go?” he asked in a weak voice. “Those things will be back again tonight.”

Fear and frustration were etched into his face and he looked on the verge of tears. He picked up Katy’s torn doll and looked at it sadly. Jen walked over to him and opened the backpack she was holding. With resignation, he threw the doll in and began collecting items off the floor.

“I have a truck a few miles up the road. With your help, I think we can get it running,” she said.

Daniel continued collecting supplies, but didn’t answer. They gathered up as much they could carry and left the storeroom behind.

C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y - E I G H T

“H
ector, hold up,” Jimmy yelled from the bed of the truck.

Hector brought the truck to a stop in the middle of the intersection. Jimmy jumped down and walked across to an oak tree with a shirt hanging from its branch.

“I got tire tracks heading that way,” Jimmy said pointing towards one of the roads.

He climbed back onto the truck then slapped the roof. Hector put the truck in gear and drove past more abandoned farms.

“Take a left up here,” Jimmy said, slapping the roof again.

He continued scanning the ground, while the truck bounced along on worn shocks. He flew reconnaissance planes for the Navy and was trained in tracking.

“Hold up, Hector,” Jimmy said.

The truck’s brakes squealed as Hector brought it to a stop. Jimmy hopped off again and examined a muddy section of the road.

“What do you got, Jimmy?” Hector asked, leaning out the truck’s window.

“Footprints going back that way,” Jimmy said pointing behind them. Hector turned to Jackson and Barry.

“What type of shoes was she wearing?” Hector asked.

Jackson looked confused and realized he didn’t know.

“She had on sneakers,” Barry answered.

“Nice job,” Jackson said.

“Artist’s eye,” Barry responded.

“She was wearing sneakers,” Hector called out.

Jimmy stood up smiling.

“She came this way maybe a day ago,” Jimmy said.

“Yes!” Jackson said, pumping his fist.

Hector drove further down the road until Jimmy called out.

“Look up ahead,” Jimmy said.

The sun shined off of an object in the distance, when they drove closer they saw patches of white covered by a thick tangle of vines.

“It’s my truck!” Barry said.

Hector pulled next to the Rover and the men jumped off the flatbed with their weapons drawn. Ralph opened the door of the Rover, then Jimmy and Bobby rushed forward and pointed their guns inside.

“Looks like no one’s home,” Ralph said.

“Can we pull it out?” Barry asked.

“Let’s give it a try,” Jimmy answered.

Jimmy climbed onto the back of the flatbed and opened the military locker. He pulled out a length of chain, and then walked back down to the Rover.

“Back her on down, Hector,” Jimmy said.

Hector ground the transmission into reverse and then backed up to the Rover.

“One of you boys mind steering this thing?” Jimmy asked.

“I got it,” Barry answered.

He climbed in through the back door and crawled behind the wheel. Jimmy secured the chain and Hector inched the truck forward until the chain tightened. The flatbed’s double rear wheels spun in place as it strained to pull the Rover free. After a few failed attempts, Hector put the truck in neutral.

“It’s no use,” Hector said.

“Let’s get the damn vines off first,” Bobby said.

Heeding Bobby’s advice, the men began stripping off the vines. Jackson cleared the doors, while Ralph crawled underneath and removed vines wrapped around the axles. They stood back when the work was done.

“That oughta do her,” Ralph said.

“Yep,” Bobby agreed.

Barry got back behind the wheel, and Jackson joined the other men in front of the Rover. Hector eased on the truck’s throttle, and the Rover was pulled free.

“Alright, now we’re talking,” Jimmy said, smiling.

Barry retrieved the starting crank and fired up the engine.

“How about that?” Jimmy asked. “Sometimes the old way is the best way.”

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I
t took hours to reach the crumbling grounds of the mansion and they were exhausted from the journey. When they turned onto the drive leading to the once great house, Jen spotted a vehicle in the distance moving towards them.

“Hide!” she shouted.

They ran down a sloping hill into the tree line.

“If they come this way, run as fast as you can into the woods,” Jen said, breathless.

Daniel, terrified, picked up Katy and held her tightly. He watched two men, both armed, climb off the back of one of the trucks. In the middle of the road sat Katy’s doll. One of the men picked it up and studied the ground where he found it. Another man walked over and joined them in conversation looking towards their hiding place. Jen signaled for the children to start moving. She walked behind them staying low to avoid detection. Katy whimpered and then began crying as Daniel carried her. The men heard the cries and ran straight towards them.

“Run!” Jen shouted.

Daniel, carrying Katy, led the way moving quickly. Tonya was close behind, struggling with a bag of supplies.

“We need to hide!” Jen shouted.

They found a fallen oak tree and hid behind its decaying trunk.

“I am going to lead them away,” Jen said. “Stay here and I’ll come back for you later.”

“No, I’ll go,” Daniel said. “I’m faster.”

He handed Katy to Tonya and ran to an open area, stopping to stamp his foot prints on a muddy piece of ground to ensure the pursuit. The men came quickly, found the footprints, and then followed his trail into the woods.

C H A P T E R  T H I R T Y

B
arry waited in the truck with Hector while the others searched along the roadside. After hearing Katy’s cries, the Edwards brothers left to search the woods while Jackson followed Jimmy down to the tree line. The two men stopped suddenly when they heard another cry.

“Whose there? We don’t mean you any harm.” Jimmy’s finger hovered over the trigger of his rifle.

“Hello?” Jackson called out.

“Jackson?” Jen answered, still tucked in her hiding place.

“Jen!” Jackson shouted.

She emerged from behind the tree with the two girls. Her hair was full of leaves and her clothes were filthy, but to Jackson she never looked better. He ran up and grabbed her in a hug as tears of relief washed down her face. Jimmy walked a few yards away to give them space.

“Who’s this?” Jackson asked, looking at the two girls.

Before she could answer, gunfire echoed through the rugged terrain.

“Daniel!” Jen screamed. “There’s a boy with us, he ran off in that direction.”

“Dammit!” Jimmy shouted running towards the sound of the gunfire.

“Jen, wait here, I’ll be right back,” Jackson said, and then turned and ran off. He caught up to Jimmy who had stopped fifty yards from a clearing.

“Ralph, Bobby. Hold your fire!” Jimmy screamed.

“Alright, come on,” Ralph yelled back.

They found the two brothers crouched behind a rock with their guns aimed towards the clearing. Bobby held his hand up to a bloodied ear.

“Hold up!” Jimmy shouted. “It’s just a kid.”

“Kid, my ass,” Bobby said. “That fucker put a thumpin’ on me.”

“Whatever it is, we got it cornered,” Ralph added, gesturing towards a rocky rim rising above tall oaks.

Jimmy unslung his rifle and walked into the clearing.

“Daniel?”

Jackson walked into the middle of the clearing and joined him. There was no sign of Daniel.

“What’s your girl’s name?” Jimmy whispered.

“Jen,” Jackson answered.

“Daniel, we are with Jen and her friends.” Jimmy called out. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

Slowly, Daniel emerged from behind a holly bush. He was unscathed, save for a few scrapes and bruises. He was hiding when the brothers came up on him, hit Bobby with a tree branch and managed to get away. Ralph and Bobby lowered their weapons as he approached with his hands raised above his head. The brothers, embarrassed to be bested by a kid, walked off without a word.

C H A P T E R  T H I R T Y - O N E

B
arry drove back to the camp racing against the setting sun. Jen sat in the back seat with the children next to her, overjoyed to be safe and among friends again. During the drive she explained how she escaped her captors and found the children. Jackson reached back and took her hand to reassure her.

“Jen, wait till you see the set-up these people have. It’s an old mining camp and some of them have lived there for years,” Jackson said.

Barry followed the flatbed up the road to the camp, slowing as they approached the gate. An older man, holding a rifle over his shoulder, swung it open and with a wave, let them pass into the compound. Doc was there waiting to greet them when they pulled to a stop. Jimmy and the Edwards brothers jumped down from the flatbed and began to unpack the truck. Doc gave Hector an approving nod, then walked over and helped Jen climb out of the Rover.

“Nice to finally make your acquaintance,” he said warmly.

“Thank you,” she answered. “Jackson told me what you did for us. We’re very grateful.”

“It’s nothing someone hasn’t done for each of us before,” he replied. “Now, who do we have here?” he asked, winking at the children. “We heard tale of some young people living out there on there own, my name’s Doc and we’re real glad to have you.”

Daniel awkwardly shook his hand while his sisters took in their new surroundings.

“Well, let’s get you folks settled in. Come on this way.”

He led them through the mine building and into the vault, then grabbed the heavy door and feigned weakness.

“You kids want to give old Doc a hand?”

The children eagerly helped pull the door closed, and then Doc spun a tumbler locking the vault.

“Jackson, you mind leading the way?” Doc asked.

“Sure.”

Jackson climbed onto the ladder and descended through the opening. When they all reached the floor of the storage room, Doc waived them out into the machine shop where the equipment stood silent in the empty room. All but a few in the camp were down below for the night.

“I’ve got a treat for you, unless you’re afraid of heights, that is.”

The orange sun was low in the western sky and shadows formed along the rim of the quarry. Doc led them to an elevated steel cage hung from a thick chain wrapping a steel spindle.