End Days Super Boxset (57 page)

A man’s voice suddenly bellowed from outside. “We’re here to talk. Nothing more, nothing less. You have nothing to fear from us.”

Mila and Rob froze, trying to make out his words. Josh heard the man all too well. “He’s lying. Don’t listen to him, Dad.”

“You hear that?”
Elliot asked.

“Yeah, what’re they doing now?” Rob asked into the radio.

“They stopped. They’re just standing there—five men in all. About … ten yards from your cabin.”

The man outside continued. “Sir. You in the tower. Please tell your people that we’re only here to talk. We left our weapons behind us.”

Rob spoke into the radio. “Ask him what they want to talk about.”
“Ten-four,”
Elliot said. They could hear him calling out from the tower. “What do you want to talk about?”

“How we need to work things out. Peacefully, like civil human beings,” the man answered.

“Tell him that he’s going to have to do better than that,” Rob said, walking to the living room window and peeking out.

He saw five men with their backs to him and their hands up. Their attention was on Elliot. He had every opportunity to take care of them then and there, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not with the children present.

“Tell them…” Rob paused, radio in hand. “Tell them we want specifics.”

“Got it,”
Elliot said. “He says we want specifics!” he shouted.

“Who says?” the man asked. Rob could feel his cover being blown by the second.

“No one,” Elliot answered. “Now answer the questions.”

Rob watched from the window as the man spun around slowly, scanning each cabin with his arms outstretched. “Sir, I wish to speak with whomever is in charge. As the leader of my own community, I think it’s only fair. Let’s be adults here. We don’t want any trouble. We’ve only come to work out our differences.”

Rob moved away from the window and held the radio to his face, unsure what to say.

“No,” Mila said. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Yeah, Dad. They murdered Grady, then they tried to kill me and Antonio.”

Kelly joined in. “Don’t leave, Daddy. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” he said to them. “Whatever this is about, I have to take charge. It’s the only way.” He walked to the middle of the living room and gave them one big hug. “Promise me you’ll go to the crawl space if anything happens.”

Mila held him tightly and agreed. She knew there was no changing his mind.

He stepped back and pulled his pistol out while talking into the radio. “Elliot. Tell them I’m coming out.”

“We’re sending someone out!” Elliot shouted from the tower.

Rob stopped at the front door and turned to see his family standing together watching him.

“Be careful,” Mila said.

“I will. Don’t worry,” he said. He opened the door a crack then pushed it open as sunlight beamed into the room. He took a step out and blinked at the brightness. The men were still there with their hands up. Rob walked down the steps and approached them from behind. He was careful to scan the area for others but didn’t see anyone.

“What do you men want?” he called out.

Surprised, the five men turned around, dressed in camouflage and wearing skullcaps. Two of them were especially built and rough-looking, while the others had long facial hair and tattoos showing on their necks. Rob held his pistol steady as the leader of the group stepped forward. He looked nothing like them. He was older and well-groomed—the only one wearing glasses.

“Hello.” The man waved, circling to the front of his group with his hands up. “My name is Arthur Jenkins. My group and I live in a town not far from here. I was hoping we could have a civil discussion.”

Rob kept his distance and his aim steady, not allowing anyone to get close enough to disarm him or try to take him down. “Just tell me what this is about first.”

Arthur gave a small laugh, smiled, and slowly lowered his hands. “Maybe if I knew your name first, I’d feel a little better.”

“I’m not here to make you feel better. But it’s Rob Parker.”

“OK, Rob. Now maybe if you lowered your gun we could ease the tension in the air.”

Rob examined the group. Their faces were stern and serious, unlike Arthur’s. Things then became clear. The men were most likely part of the criminal element running Nyack.

“Not a chance,” he said.

Arthur waved to the tower. “Look. If my men were to try anything, I’m sure your sharpshooter up there wouldn’t hesitate. We’re unarmed and at your mercy. I just want to talk.”

“Is that why you killed a man? Chased two young boys through the woods? Just to
talk
?”

Arthur hung his head, seemingly ashamed. Rob noticed his neighbors looking out of their cabin windows. He kept his pistol steadily aimed.

“That was an unfortunate accident,” Arthur said. “A misfire. Dwayne here thought he had seen a bear. The two boys … well, they spooked us too. We tried to catch them to explain ourselves, but things got out of hand. That’s why I told my men to lay down their weapons and come up here to work this whole mess out.” He paused and took a breath. “That’s why we’re here.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason,” Rob said. “And for the record, I don’t believe you. I think you were hoping for an ambush and things didn’t go your way. Now your next best option is to make nice until we let our guard down. How many others have you brought with you?”

The men stayed silent. Arthur nodded and scratched his chin. He shifted in place and then waved his hands wildly in the air, and made an I-give-up gesture. “OK, Rob. Let’s just cut the shit. You
owe
us. You stole from us and then killed one of
my
men while injuring another. Did we come here for blood? Possibly. But it doesn’t have to end like that. I have a solution that can work for both of us.”

“A solution?” Rob asked. “What could you possibly offer us?”

“A deal. Simple as that,” Arthur said.

“About the only deal we’re looking to make involves you leaving this area and not coming back. As far as stealing from you, what we took belonged to the hospital, not your band of criminals. As far as your two men, they shot at us. They tried to kill us and deserved what they got.”

Arthur waved Rob off. “It’s all in the past. You see, I’m only interested in the future. You remember how the settlers first established colonies around America? They’d set up trading posts with the Native Americans and other travelers, and hence free trade emerged. These are desperate times we live in now, and we need to help each other out. This is what I propose. We work together. Not as friends, but groups with mutual interests. You’ve obviously been up here a while. Your people are most likely skilled at hunting and have adapted to the terrain. So we’ll bring you items from town, canned soup, for instance, and trade you for some fresh meat. Catch my drift?”

Rob looked around at the faces peering through the windows. He wasn’t prepared to speak for everyone. His main goal was to get the men out of there without further bloodshed.

“I understand what you’re suggesting, but the decision is not up to me alone. It will have to be discussed with my group.”

Arthur looked around and shrugged. “So where are they? Get them all out here, and let’s talk about this.”

“No,” Rob said. “Not now, anyway. I would just like you men to leave now.”

Arthur shook his head in disbelief. “You know, we made quite the journey to work this all out. It would be unreasonable to expect us to come back again for an answer. We don’t have a nice pickup truck like you.” Arthur paused and looked past the cabins. “I don’t see it, though. Do you have any other working vehicles? We could make one hell of a trade.”

The vehicles had been moved to a nearby empty ravine and covered in camouflage tarp. Rob felt lucky that they had done it in time.

“There’s nothing more for us to discuss,” Rob said. “We didn’t steal from you, and your men attacked us first. Now please leave.”

Arthur smiled and lowered his hands. Rob hadn’t taken his pistol off him. “A deal without trust,” said Arthur, “is not a deal worth keeping. I think we should trust each other, Rob.”

“Keep your hands up,” Rob said.

“We have a truck too,” Arthur said. He held up his index finger. “One military cargo truck. Old as hell. Only a few of us even know about it. Why didn’t we drive it here? Simple. We don’t want the other residents to know that we have it. They’d turn on us in a frenzy.” He shook his head and laughed. “So now that you know our little secret, how about you tell us something about yourself. Where are you from, and how long have you been here?”

“I’m from Nyack, and we’ve been up here for two months.” He’d give them that, but didn’t plan on revealing anything else.

Arthur looked at him, impressed. “Well, you wasted no time, did you? Very smart. As mayor of your former town, I extend my hand and welcome you and your people back whenever you wish. It’s going to be tough to live up here in a few weeks. Come back home.”

“You’re not the mayor,” Rob said. “And your control of our town won’t last much longer. The power grids will come back on, and law and order will be restored.”

Arthur lowered his arms and crossed them. His own men’s arms were shaking from keeping them up. “I have to say, you sound pretty sure of yourself.”

Rob kept his steady aim in the center of Arthur’s forehead. “I am,” Rob said.

Arthur took a step back and sighed. “All right, Rob. Have it your way. I’m glad we could talk this out. Just think about what I said, and I’ll expect an answer soon. We’ll be leaving you now and causing you no further impediment.” He signaled his men to follow, pivoted around, and suddenly stopped. “Oh, one more thing, Rob. You seem to have a good number of folks here, but I have an entire town of people at my disposal. We’ll be back, and we’ll even bring supplies. But we’ll expect a trade in return.”

Rob squinted. “What are you talking about?”

“An ultimatum, Rob. I didn’t come up here for guessing games. Those are my terms. If you want to live up here peacefully, you’re going to have to start trading with us. That’s the same deal everyone gets around here. Everyone has to pitch in.”

“And if we don’t?” Rob asked.

“Expect to see us again. Lots more of us. And our terms won’t be so friendly. Simply put, we’ll burn this place to the ground.”

Rob stared at him, speechless. Elliot watched from the tower, apparently trying to listen in on the conversation, but he was a long distance away.

“Do we have a deal?” Arthur asked.

“What is it that you want to trade?” Rob asked.

“You tell me first. What are your people most in need of?”

Rob thought to himself. Then it hit him. “We need coats, blankets, and winter clothes.”

“Perfect!” Arthur said. “So we’ll come back in two days with more coats and blankets than you can handle.”

“And what do you want in return?” Rob asked.

“One of your vehicles,” Arthur said with a smile. “Just pick one of your choosing, but it better run.”

“We only have the truck.”

“I doubt that, but if that’s the case, we’ll take the truck. Good day, Rob.”

Before Rob could respond, Arthur and his group began walking back down the hill. Rob called to them, but they didn’t look back. He aimed his pistol into the air and fired. The shot rang out and the men froze in their tracks.

“I have a better idea!” Rob shouted. “How about if I shoot you all right now for trespassing?”

Arthur stepped forward, blocking his men, and shook his head in disappointment. “You could have done that to begin with. But you shoot us here, more will come looking for us. All of my men know we’re at Bear Mountain, many of them convicts who would so love the opportunity to kill again.”

Arthur turned and continued to lead his group down the hill. Rob held his pistol on them, deeply conflicted, but before he could think any further, they were gone. He lowered the nine and went for his radio.

“Elliot …”

“
Yep.”

“I sent them away. Keep an eye out for them.”

“No problem. What happened? What’d they say?”

“I’ll explain in a minute. Right now, I have to get everyone together and get ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To fight for our lives.”

Coalition

Arthur stood at the living room window staring out as Teresa boiled some water on the stove. He had been home a little over an hour, but there was no time to rest, not with a million things on his mind. Rob and his mountain people were the first real threat the town had faced. Arthur’s focus was on containment. Could a trade deal possibly work with the outsiders? He wasn’t sure.

His authority as mayor was directly linked to the collapse of the power grid. Rob was right about that. And it was clear Rob’s people didn’t belong in the new world, and Arthur wasn’t going to let anyone take his vision away from him.

“I still don’t like that you went out there,” Teresa said, walking out from the kitchen. She wore a button-down white shirt with her sleeves rolled up, white pants, and a blue bandana over her curly red hair. “You could have sent others in your place and still got the job done.”

Arthur had changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants and looked ready for bed, though the day was only beginning. He put his arm around Teresa as she came near and pulled her closer.

“I had to talk to him. It had to be me. And I’m glad I did.”

“You’re lucky you made it out of there alive,” Teresa said. “Those people are animals, living in the mountains like that.”

A few of Arthur’s men passed by the window, walking down the street and headed to the wall for their guard shift. Arthur was moving away from forced labor to offering incentives to work. His pay-by-the-pill method had seen great success so far. Nearly half the town was hooked. The wall extended from the north to the eastern part of town. They were halfway there.

“Their leader, Rob, was actually a pretty normal guy. They’re civilized enough. He fled there with other Nyack residents.”

Teresa stroked Arthur’s arm. “Well, whoever they are or wherever they came from, you have to deal with them before they terrorize this town again.”

“It’s not that easy. I’m working out a compromise right now. Something to keep them at bay until we’re ready,” Arthur said.

“Ready for what? Just send Larry and the boys in there and drive them out. They should be locked up with the others for what they’ve done to us. Put them to work on the wall.”

“They have weapons. A lookout tower and trip wire traps everywhere. It’s not as simple as you think.”

Teresa moved Arthur’s arm off her shoulder and shifted away. Steam from the bubbling water on the stove traveled into their nicely furnished living room. Arthur followed her back into the kitchen, still pleading his case.

“I need more people. Not just freemen. We’re going to need an army.”

Teresa spun around from the stove. “An army? Oh, come on! We’re dealing with what, twenty people at the most?”

“It’s not about that!”

Teresa turned the stove off. “Then tell me, what else is there, what else is it about?”

“These mountain folks are a blessing in disguise. Do I really need to explain that to you?”

A knock came at the front door. Arthur was expecting Larry. They were headed to town with preparation in mind.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m dumb. I waited six years for you.
Six
years! Is that dumb? Maybe I should get my head examined after all.”

Rob touched her shoulder, causing her to shudder. He continued, nonetheless. “This town lacks an external threat. We need an enemy to unite against.”

“I understand,” Teresa said. “But did you stop to think where all this perceived compromise is going to get you? People will think you’re weak.”

Someone knocked on the door again.

“Come in!” Arthur shouted.

The front door opened. “Just me, Larry.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” Arthur said.

Larry’s boots clicked across the hardwood floor as he entered the kitchen and leaned against the wall. His trim handlebar mustache branched out just above his lip. He had changed into fresh clothes—a biker shirt and black jeans. “Afternoon, Teresa,” he said with a nod.

Full of anger, she barely responded. Arthur lightly kissed her on the forehead. “We’ll talk about everything later.”

“Don’t let me hold you up,” she said sarcastically.

Arthur knew there wasn’t much left to discuss. Not when she was upset. He went to his room to change and emerged wearing a tan cargo shirt and jeans and pistol holster slung over his shoulders. He grabbed his boonie cap hanging on the wall and walked out of the house with Larry.

“Be back later, dear,” he said as they left, and gave Larry a look that said, “women!”

Larry and Arthur traveled down the neighborhood street under an overcast late-afternoon sky. They kept a steady but easy pace, talking about a litany of plans already in the works. There was so much to do, they didn’t know where to start.

***

The first stop on the mayor’s journey was to visit the prison. It wasn’t the state prison he had broken out of with dozens of other convicts. It was something different: an abandoned warehouse they’d converted into a holding center for those guilty of transgressions against the town of Tartarus.

Conditions among the prisoners were poor. They were rarely fed, and except for outside forced labor, seldom saw anything beyond their confining walls. There were twenty-two prisoners—men, women, and children—all detained for a variety of “crimes,” which included trespassing, ration theft, and subversive behavior against the freemen. They were a sad, hopeless bunch. But an offer was in the works that would change everything for them.

Arthur entered the heavily guarded warehouse, where rooms were lined along both sides of a wide, concrete hallway. Like everything else, the building lacked power. However, open skylights high above provided a decent amount of light, and each room had a thin glass window on the door. Arthur wasn’t sure what the warehouse was before they had found it vacant and abandoned, but it made the perfect prison.

He walked past two guards, Eddie and Nathan, who had just come on shift, and then into the last room on the left. He stepped close to the window and looked inside. The Reverend Phelps, an outsider caught wandering the town with a small group of followers, had been locked up for over a week.

He hadn’t been given any contact with his people or with the outside world, for that matter. He was in what Arthur referred to as the decompression phase. A week of solitude did wonders, helping a man realize how alone he really was—or so Arthur believed.

Phelps was sitting on a cot in the dark, empty room, wearing the same clothes they had captured him in: a tattered dress shirt and slacks. His bare feet touched the concrete floor, his head hung low, and his eyes were closed.

“That’s my boy,” Arthur said to himself with a laugh. He pulled a granola bar from his pocket and knocked on the door. Phelps’s head shot up as Arthur unlocked the door and stepped in. A sliver of light shone in from the narrow window above. He could barely see the pastor’s face. Last time they had met, Phelps had received a pistol blow across the head, sending him to the ground with a probable concussion.

“Good afternoon, Reverend,” Arthur said and closed the door behind him. Phelps looked away as he approached him. Even in the dim light, Arthur could make out the enormous bruise across his face, coupled with an eye still swollen shut. “How are you feeling today?”

He received no answer from Phelps and boldly took a seat on the cot next to him. It squeaked under his weight. He removed his boonie cap and set it on the cot next to a dirty pillow. “I came here to talk to you, hoping that we could reach an agreement. You see, I’ve been doing a little thinking, and I believe that we’ve been a little too harsh on you and your friends. With the way things are now, everyone is just looking out for themselves. A community can’t possibly function with such selfishness. There’re tasks that need to be done, and part of taking you prisoner is to get you into our labor program. But first, we need to determine if you pose any threat to the good people of this town.”

Arthur paused and waited for a response while holding the granola bar out for Phelps to take. But the reverend just sat there, staring ahead.

“Oh, of course. How could I forget?” Arthur said, pulling out a water bottle stuffed in his pocket. “Here. I know you’re thirsty.”

Phelps paid no mind to the water bottle or granola bar. Arthur set them next to him. “Now don’t go telling me you’re on some kind of hunger strike. That would be stupid. You’ll waste away to nothing. Then what good can you do?” He moved closer, intent on a response. “Take the water, Reverend. Please.”

Phelps finally reached for the bottle without saying anything. He slowly unscrewed the cap and took a swig. After one swallow, he gulped down the entire bottle and then set it aside.

“Damn!” Arthur said. “I knew you were thirsty. Now eat something.”

“I’d rather not,” Phelps said in a strained voice.

“Come on.”

“What do you want?” Phelps asked. He turned his head and looked at Arthur with knowing eyes. “Either end this travesty now or leave me be.”

Arthur had him talking. Good. The time was ripe to make his offer. “I came to offer a way out. Something reasonable and fair. Your group was caught trespassing and stealing from us—”

“We committed no crime!” Phelps objected. “We were just passing through. That’s not illegal, and you have no authority to hold us any further.”

“I have all the authority that I want,” Arthur said. “And the only way that you’re going to see the light of day is if you work with me. You’ll discover soon that I’m a fair man. I only want what’s right.”

Phelps scoffed. “You don’t know the meaning of the word.”

Arthur shook his head defensively. “Now hold on, Reverend. I know you’re angry, but hear what I have to offer first.”

Phelps looked away in disgust but then made careful, unyielding eye contact. “What is it?”

“There are people out there who wish us harm. People who live up in the mountains and conduct midnight raids on surrounding towns. I need an equipped force to help put an end to it. But it’s not going to be easy. They have defenses set up. I just came from a meeting with their leader earlier today. He rejected any compromise. These people
will
attack us again. As mayor, it’s my duty to protect our residents against it.”

“This is none of my concern,” Phelps said. “You’ve held me and my group here for over a week against our will. What makes you think we would do anything for you or anyone else here?”

“Because if you help us, I’ll release you. Simple as that.”

Phelps thought to himself and shook his head. “Why do you ask this of me? I’m not a soldier, nor are my people. We’re not violent people like you. We serve only God.”

“This is the deal,” Arthur said. “Convince the able-bodied men in your group.” He stopped to think to himself. “Dale, Zach, and Harvey, right?” he asked, counting on his fingers. “Convince them to join my cause, and I’ll see to it that you’re all freed.”

“I can’t,” Phelps said.

“You can, and you will. Their fate is in your hands now. Stay locked up in here as we risk our lives to defend this town, or take a stand with us as free men.”

Arthur rose from the squeaky cot. “Now come with me, and let’s talk to them.”

Phelps looked up as Arthur hovered over him. “They won’t listen to me. They’ll think I’m crazy.”

“You’re a man of God. Well, I’m a man of government. And there comes a time where we have to use our talents to convince others to do something they would naturally oppose. Work with me, Reverend, and I’ll grant you your freedom.”

Phelps looked conflicted, but seemed to be considering it. Arthur said nothing else and waited patiently. After a long silence, Phelps rose, holding his back in pain.

“Excellent,” Arthur remarked. “Now we don’t have much time. Let’s go.” He led the way out of the cell as Phelps limped behind him. They walked out into the hall where Phelps stood dazed, looking around. He hadn’t seen anything beyond the confines of his room since being detained. Food had been slipped in daily—and a waste bucket. That had been it.

Reverend Phelps longed to be free, back in a normal world of peace and goodwill toward men, if such a thing was still possible. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Or if he could tell his people what Arthur wanted him to say. Silently, he prayed for guidance and hoped that he would do the right thing.

***

An urgent meeting had been called and everyone summoned to the town square. All residents were expected to attend. There would be no food or drug distribution. The mayor, it was said, had other plans. An immediate threat alert had been issued for the town, which included curfews and headcounts. Arthur’s minimal force had managed so far to keep order, but their authority would soon be tested as it had never been before.

By late afternoon, Arthur took the stage under the canopy of their pavilion, with more than a hundred people waiting in the courtyard. Rumors had flown about a group of outsiders who had attacked the town and had fled into the mountains. The thought of this excited some residents. Perhaps the freemen weren’t so infallible after all. Arthur counted on this romanticized notion of people supporting an outside coup, and he had just the right angle for counteracting it.

“I call you hear today, good citizens of Tartarus, to stand together in this moment of crisis. You may have heard some things about this outside threat already, and I’m here to explain exactly what is going on.”