Desperate Times (43 page)

Jimmy reached out as Julie turned, but she
pulled away from him. She walked ten feet, turned and began to dry
her eyes. “You know what?” she asked, softly. “We could’ve had it
all. I know you better than anyone, Jimmy. I know she’s not right
for you. You’re throwing me away for something that’ll be over
before you know it. Remember that. You could’ve had me and you
chose her. Now, let’s get back to the others. We’ll just pretend
that this conversation never happened. I’ll be okay; you’ll
see.”

Jimmy nodded, wanting to say something,
anything, to somehow turn back the hands of time. She was right. He
and Paula would never work out. He supposed that he’d known that
all along. He watched Julie walk away, heading back to the cabins—a
different Julie than he’d known earlier that morning, a Julie who
wanted nothing to do with him. Jimmy cursed his luck. Each time he
seemed to be within an arm’s length of the brass ring, the ring was
pulled away.

He shook his head and lit up a smoke.

Thirty
-
Five

Some people point to the Japanese bombing of
Pearl Harbor as marking an end to the Great Depression. The war
effort was no doubt a huge boost to the economy. Japan fared far
better than other countries during the depression. Using Keynesian
economic policies that employed deficit spending and devaluating
their currency, the Japanese economy actually prospered as early as
1932.

Jimmy fetched the matching recliner from the
side of the cabin and set it up next to Burt. He was exhausted.
Carl had crawled into the bed next to Paula’s and they both seemed
to be sleeping. Julie had joined Dr. Benson inside one of the
travel trailers.

Jimmy laid back and closed his eyes. He lay
awake for nearly twenty minutes, replaying the events of the past
twenty-four hours. He tried not to think about Jon and found that
he couldn’t. Jon was dead and Jimmy ached because of it.

He and Burt were going to have to return for
the others. The idea seemed like certain suicide, except in Jimmy’s
mind there was nothing else to be done. He prayed that Burt would
come up with a plan. He thought of Julie; would she want to tag
along? Jimmy supposed she would. He certainly couldn’t stop
her.

Jimmy finally drifted off as his mind slowly
shifted into neutral. Soon they were all sleeping. Morning turned
to afternoon.

They arrived in Ken’s Tahoe.

There was no time to do battle. There was no
time for anything, except to meet them with complete capitulation.
They had been caught with their guard down. One minute Jimmy was
dreaming, the next he was staring up into the muzzle of a hunting
rifle.

There were few words, the men went about
disarming them in a business-like manner, wearing kind expressions
and carrying loaded guns. Sister Margaret wanted them back, alive
if possible. They made it perfectly clear that the last part was up
to their discretion. To Jimmy, the whole polite affair stank of
Christianity gone sour. They were lined up and told to start
walking. A buffalo-headed man wearing a mechanic’s shirt climbed
inside the Mack and started it up. The other guards rode in the
Tahoe, keeping an even fifty feet behind them. Jimmy and the others
were forced to march in between the vehicles.

Jimmy cursed himself for not finding a more
secluded spot. He had been a fool to think they were far enough
away to avoid capture. Now, he felt the crushing guilt of having
failed his comrades. They walked silently down the hot blacktop at
a steady pace. All too soon, the gravel road leading to Ken’s
loomed in the distance. The Mack slowly pulled away and it soon
disappeared in a cloud of dust. The sun beat at their backs and the
wind was nearly nonexistent. The only sound to be heard was the
humming engine of Ken’s Tahoe. Burt and Julie were leading the way.
Jimmy followed, helping Paula along. Doc and Carl brought up the
rear of the group.

The Tahoe stopped on the gravel road and
three of the men got out. They held their guns at the ready and
followed them on foot. They walked wordlessly for a while before
the guards began to chat in quiet voices. Jimmy was able to pick up
bits and pieces of what they said and he didn’t like what he heard.
One man was quoting the Bible while others were adding Sister
Margaret’s interpretation of those passages. They were justifying
whatever plans she had in store for them. Jimmy couldn’t hear it
all and was glad for that. He had heard enough to know that the end
was near. Paula had become a dead weight against his shoulder. He
held her around her waist to support her. She had both of her arms
around his neck and clung onto him, stiffly, as she shuffled along.
Jimmy didn’t know if it was the drugs or her grief, but Paula was a
heavy burden to carry.

Jimmy wanted to join Julie and Burt and
express his sorrow for getting them all captured. That was out of
the question since with Paula tied to his neck. Couldn’t she be
strong, even for just a few minutes? The closer they got to Ken’s,
the heavier she became. By the time they reached the gate, Jimmy
felt like he was wearing an anvil on a chain.

They were marched into the back yard and up
to the shed, the sunlight peeking through the tops of the pines.
Women and children watched with disinterest from Ken and Patty’s
lawn furniture. Jimmy watched a robin hopping along in the grass,
oblivious to them. A few of the children began to laugh. There were
two men standing guard at the shed. One of them opened the door and
motioned them inside. “Go on, get in there,” he growled. “You’re
gonna get a little warm in there,” he added, ominously.

Julie and Burt went inside first and Jimmy
was relieved to hear Patty’s voice. He hadn’t known if any of the
others were still alive. Doc and Carl followed. Paula and Jimmy
were the last to enter as the door was slammed shut.

The shed was roughly the size of a
single-stall garage. The only light came from a tiny window on the
west end. The pines above the shed allowed precious little of the
sunlight to filter in. The air inside was oppressively hot and
stank of mildew. The others were all there and despite their
situation, Jimmy smiled at the sight of them. Carl walked to the
far the corner and thankfully, Paula joined him. They slid down the
wall into a sitting position. Cindy rushed over and grabbed him
around his aching neck and quickly kissed his cheek.

“I was so worried about you, Jimmy. Thank God
you’re alive. Where’s Jon?” she asked.

The others all looked to Jimmy,
expectantly.

Jimmy took a deep breath and began telling
the story. He included everything, even the part about him slipping
at the top of the wall. To Jimmy, it felt as if weeks had passed
since Jon had died. Tears fell from everyone as he reached the end
of the story.

“Dear God,” said Patty. “Dear God…”

Patty wrapped her arms around him. She didn’t
speak a word, but she wept, bitterly. She’d been the backbone of
the entire group, and now it seemed that she’d given up all hope.
They all seemed to have given up, save for Ken. Ken paced the
floor, deep in thought. Jon’s death had taken the wind out of their
collective sails. Patty let him go after drying her eyes. Was it
good-bye? Jimmy thought so.

“We’re in a spot here, Jimmy,” said Ken. “I
tried talking with them, but there’s no reasoning with those
fanatics. She’s even got Bill wrapped around her finger. For God’s
sake, his
daughter
is out here. What sort of a person would
abandon his own flesh and blood?” Ken quickly turned to Cindy. “I’m
sorry, honey. I hate to talk about your dad that way.”

“Why not?” asked Cindy. “It’s the truth. He’s
weak; he’s always been weak. God, I hate him!”

“Don’t say that, dear,” said Patty. “You
shouldn’t talk about your father that way.”

Cindy rolled her eyes and she began to sob,
quietly. Rita took her into her arms and they both sat on the
cement floor, weeping together.

Ken joined Jimmy and Burt at the door. “We’re
going to need help from the outside,” he whispered.

“We’re done for,” said Burt, heavily.

“That’s enough of that!” Ken growled,
pointing a finger into Burt’s chest. “We’ve got to be prepared to
take them on should the opportunity present itself. I’m not giving
up and damn it, neither are you!” He then turned to face the group.
“Listen,” he said. “We’re going to get out of this. I know we are.
I don’t know how, but I can feel it in my bones. Now we’ve got to
toughen up. All of us!”

“Right,” said Julie, sarcastically.

Ken turned on her. “Knock that off. Don’t you
think we all know what’s going on? Jimmy’s back with Paula. You’re
hurt. Is that a good enough reason to just give up? And you,” he
said, turning to face Burt. “Aren’t you a cop or something? I’d
always heard that cops were tough. Is that all you have for us,
tough guy? We’re done for? You’re a disgrace to the uniform.”

“Ken,” said Jimmy.

Ken cut him off. “Don’t start with me, kid.
Not now.”

“Settle down,” Jimmy said, hoping Ken would
do just that. Burt was looking at Ken and Jimmy could see fire in
his eyes. Burt was getting ready to strike. Jimmy prayed the two
men wouldn’t fight.

“Settle down? Jimmy, I’m just getting
started,” Ken said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He pointed a
thick finger at him. “Look at yourself, will ya? Pick yourself up
and act like a man, damn it! We’ve got to be ready to make a break
for it. We’ve got to be ready to fight!”

Paula began to sob and she buried her head
into Carl’s chest.

Ken whirled on Paula; his face was wild with
rage. “Can it, girl!” he shouted. “I’m damn sorry about your folks,
we all are. I didn’t know them, but I’m sure they were good people.
But they’re gone and you’ve got to look beyond that. Grow a
backbone! You need to stop dragging Jimmy down. We’re going to need
him,” he said, pausing to kneel down in front of her. “Do you want
to know what I’d do if some bastards murdered my parents? I’d be
out for blood. I’d get me some payback, no matter what the odds
were. That’s got to be front and center, young lady. Revenge!
You’ve got the rest of your life to grieve over them. Am I making
myself clear?”

Jimmy was shocked to see Paula drying her
eyes and her expression change. Something Ken had said struck a
chord within her. Her eyes were suddenly glowing with anger.

“Listen up, all of you!” Ken continued.
“You’re all good people. We’re all good people. The good guys don’t
give up. They never do. They fight with everything they’ve got
until they take their very last breath. That’s what we’ve got to do
now. Put everything that’s happened behind us. We’ve got to stick
together. Let’s do it for Jon!”

The room was utterly silent. Jimmy scanned
the room and studied the others. Ken was right; they couldn’t go
down without a fight. He thought he saw there was still some fight
left in his group.

Jimmy could hear laughter coming from the two
guards at the door. He tried to block them out and focused his
anger on them.

“All right,” said Burt. “I’m in! You’re an
asshole, you know that, don’t you?” he said to Ken.

“The biggest asshole you’ve ever met,”
replied Ken.

“Stop it, you two!” exclaimed Patty.

“Sorry dear. Okay, are you all with me? If we
get an inch, take it and run with it. Maybe there’s a chance that
someone out there still has an ounce of sanity. We’ve got to
believe that. We’re not beaten—not yet, anyhow. This is our home
and we can’t let them take it from us. Not without a fight!”

“Okay,” said Julie, wiping tears from her
eyes. “Let’s kick some ass.”

“I’m ready,” said Carl, who was now on his
feet.

“It’s payback time,” said Paula, standing
next to Carl.

Jimmy couldn’t help but smile. Ken had done
it. He’d taken their defeated, misery-stricken group and turned
their attention to the task at hand. He wished he had left out the
part about how he’d chosen Paula over Julie. He wondered about that
as he watched the others pace the floor. What had gotten into
Paula? How could Ken get her to snap out of it? And Julie, who had
looked totally beaten only a moment ago, had regained the poise
that had won his heart.

Jimmy felt a bottomless rage building inside
of him. They had done nothing but offer kindness to the people
outside. They had given food and medical attention; they had been
given refuge, and this was how they were to be repaid? Jimmy shook
with anger. Jon had been killed because of that kindness; if they
hadn’t invited Jenkins here, he’d still be alive. They had to find
a way out of this. They would need help from the outside, but Jimmy
knew of only one man who could give it to them.

Bill Huggins.

Thirty
-
Six

Matthew 24:36 -- But of that day and hour, no
one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the
Father only. – (RSV)

The inside of the shed was as hot as an oven
as the hours passed. Blue light flashed from outside the window.
Jimmy peered up through the window into the darkening sky. Thunder
growled in the distance. Raindrops began to fall in a slow but
steady patter. The pattering increased to a low roar as the storm
approached. Most of the group sat and looked up at the roof of the
shed. A few bolts of lightning crashed somewhere close, but the
storm quickly passed over them. Half an hour later, the only
raindrops that fell were those left hanging from the tree limbs
above the shed.