After The Event (Book 8): The Storm Page 13

  The President listened to him with the frown still on his face. After a moment he took in a deep breath and shook his head. “Ben, she killed one of our soldiers. She killed one of your brothers.”

  “She’s a young girl. They’ve brainwashed her into believing they are the good guys. Give me time with her.”

  “I’m not going to let our men kill a young girl, Ben, don’t worry about that. But I’m also not going to let her go.”

  “What do you mean?” Ben asked.

  “She will be rehabilitated and eventually let go, but she’s going to have to spend some time in our detention center. It’s for her own good. If we let her go, she would just go right back to attacking us.”

  “Detention center? She’s just a young girl.”

  “We’ll ship her off to the Springfield facility and I promise after six months we will release her and she will be a new person.”

  He had just found his sister; he couldn’t let her go again. “I can’t allow that,” Ben said.

  Johnson’s face turned dark. “What did you just say, soldier?”

  “That is my sister. I’m not going to allow you to ship her off to a labor camp.”

  “You don’t have a damn choice in the matter, son. Don’t forget who you are and who I am. I could have you shot with a single word.”

  Anger rushed through Ben’s body and he stepped up closer. “I know exactly who you are. You are the one true president, right? President Johnson, survivor of the wildfire that burned away the United States of America. I forgot to ask you before, did you guys ever figure out who started this wonderful wildfire?”

  Johnson’s face was red but he smiled. “You are dumber than I thought. Stick to following orders, not asking questions.”

  “This wonderful wildfire you were talking about before--you know it broke up my family, right? It caused the death of my younger brother and my father. You know millions of people have died because of it, and you think it’s going to make this country stronger?”

  “You’re nothing more than an ant, boy. You don’t understand how anything works. You fight a few battles, kill a few people and that gives you moral superiority? You did what I told you to do.”

  “Did you start the wildfire?” Ben asked.

  Johnson stared at him for a few moments, then laughed. “You think you have everything figured out, don’t you?”

  “I see, you claim to be so smart but you’re nothing more than an opportunist.”

  “I’m not going to order my men to kill you,” Johnson said, smiling. “I’m going to do it myself.”

  “Then I guess it doesn’t matter if I know the truth or not, does it?”

  Johnson laughed again. “I didn’t start the fire but I knew it was coming; a few of us did. I’m not an opportunist, I’m just able to see the big picture. I had people in place and when it started, I made sure that I was the only remaining person in charge. The world turned into a dangerous place and accidents happen all the time.” Johnson was staring off into nothing and smiled. “It took a while, but here we are.”

  “You knew and you didn’t try to stop it?” Ben asked between clenched teeth.

  “I meant what I said about wildfires clearing out the brush and decay. Our country had become bogged down with the weak and needed to be reborn. I didn’t disagree with their plan; I just didn’t agree with who was in charge.”

  “Are they dead? The people who planned it?”

  “For a long time now,” Johnson said as his eyes refocused on Ben. “What’s done is done, Ben. You’ve served my cause well and I’ll make sure your death is a quick one.”

  “You won’t survive this,” Ben said.

  Johnson laughed and then turned and left the room.

  Ben

  Time crawled.

  In his cell, in the small windowless room, Ben had no idea if it was day or night. Time was told by when he was brought food and what the food was. Eggs would bring in the new day and then he would get one more meal before the day ended. From the time he was shoved in his cell until now he had been served eggs three times. Without any outside stimuli Ben found himself muttering to himself. His brain screamed for something he was unable to give it, so be began to work out. Push-ups were difficult thanks to the knife wound he had suffered but he was able to do sit-ups until his stomach felt like it was the source of a fiery inferno. He ran through the layout of the mall in his head, determining the best routes of escape.

  The door opened, temporarily blinding him as light poured through to his room. Even though time passed differently in the room, it felt early for dinner. The silhouette of a soldier stood at the door for a moment, then he entered and the door was closed, returning it to darkness.

  “I was hoping you all would mix it up today,” Ben said, standing up in his cell. “How about steak and eggs for dinner?”

  The soldier laughed as he approached the cell. The laugh was warm, not fake. “Didn’t know you were a steak and eggs kind of guy.” The voice was Ty’s.

  Ben rushed to the entrance of the cell. “Ty? What the hell took you so long?”

  Ty’s smiling face appeared out of the darkness. “You better be joking, B. They have this place locked down tighter than Fort Knox. I was assigned to a patrol that has been scouring the inside of this mall since right after they repelled the attack.”

  “Ty, you’ve got to get me out of here. My sister is here; she was with the people that attacked us.”

  “Wha….your sister?” Ty put his face up closer to the cell. “B, you feeling ok? Are you seeing stuff up in here?”

  “I’m serious. Somehow she ended up here and wound up with Carter’s people. I ran into her--well, more like she ran into me. But it’s her.”

  Ty was quiet for a moment. “Damn, B. They just sent out the transport this morning.”

  Panic gripped Ben’s stomach. “What transport?”

  “The prison transport. They shipped them to the prison camp.”

  Ben’s mind raced. They had been shipped to Springfield, Missouri. The same prison camp they had passed through on their way here. “Ok, I can make this work. First off, are you here to rescue me?”

  “Nope, just thought we could kick back and talk about old times.”

  “All right, get me out of here and then I need you to catch up to that transport truck.”

  “Uh, ok. Why?” Ty asked.

  “Just tell them you were sent to reinforce or protect the transport or something. I doubt they will radio back to verify. I need you to be inside that prison complex and I need you to make contact with Ally to let her know I’m coming for her.”

  “Uh, B…So you’re planning on breaking into a military prison?”

  “I won’t be doing it alone,” Ben said. “I have some friends that can help out. I’m going home.”

  Alec

  Alec sat alone in the middle of the field, staring at the flames from his campfire. The flames danced over the wood, and each crackle sent embers floating into the air and up into the night sky. He didn’t see any of them. Instead he saw death. He felt the recoil of his rifle. He saw their bodies shudder as each bullet pierced their skin. He smelled their blood. He heard their screams. The snap of a twig brought him back to the present but he didn’t turn around. He was too tired. Someone sat down a few feet from him but didn’t say anything. Alec was afraid to look over. He was afraid to see the judgment. He was afraid to see a smile or a grateful expression.

  “Alec?” It was Trevor’s voice.

  Alec looked to the man and saw Trevor’s eyes move away from him and into the fire. The shadows hopped over Trevor’s face and Alec could see the bags under his eyes and the worry-lines carved into his forehead.

  “I do believe you thought what you did was right. But you have to realize it wasn’t.” Trevor stopped, waiting for a response that never came. “I know Noah was a bad man. I saw what he did to Sturgeon and to Centralia. I know you did what you did to prevent that from happening to us. But the reason you did
it was the same reason that he used to justify destroying those two towns.”

  Alec picked up a stick and used it to stoke the flames but he didn’t respond.

  “Deep down, you’re a good person, Alec. You’ve been through more than most and you’ve shouldered an awful lot, but you have to know what you did was wrong.” He waited for Alec to respond. “Alec, are you hearing what I’m saying?”

  “I am,” Alec said softly.

  “Ok…and do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “There is nothing either of us can say,” Alec said wearily. “I could sit here and try to convince you that I didn’t have a choice, but I know it wouldn’t work. You can sit there and lecture me about how evil and wrong my actions were, but it’s not going to change anything.”

  “Alec, if you don’t think what you did was wron-”

  “I didn’t say that,” Alec said a little more forcefully. “It’s not about right or wrong, Trevor. I don’t need you to be my conscience. I don’t need you to be my historian. I don’t even need for you to be my friend. You were told about what I did. I actually did it. So pretend for a moment that I’m not confused and I do understand right from wrong. Do you think I need you to come over here and remind me or to tell me how I should feel?”

  A single tear fell down Trevor’s cheek and he wiped it away quickly with his hand. “Ale-”

  “Leave me alone, Trevor.”

  Trevor was quiet for a moment and then he stood up. “I just want you to realize that if you keep heading down this path, there won’t be a difference between you and Noah.”

  “I’m not arguing that we are different.” Trevor was quiet. The only sound was the crackling of the flames. “I’m not interested in leading this place. I’m stepping down from the Council. You all built this place into what it is without me; you can keep doing it.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll grab my things and head over to Jack’s old house. I need to be by myself.”

  “You don’t need to do that, Alec.”

  “I didn’t say it was something I needed to do. It’s something I want to do.”

  Trevor stood there and took in a deep breath. “Despite how I feel about what you did, this place still needs you.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I’ll be gone by the first light.”

  “Ale-”

  “Go away, Trevor,” Alec said, slightly raising his voice. For a moment it was quiet, until he finally heard Trevor walking away from him toward his home.

  Alec looked up to the night sky and saw the full moon staring down at him. He was tired of fighting. He was tired of struggling. But most of all, he was just tired. He reached down, grabbed his cane and used it to get to his feet. He was done.

  Ben

  Ty walked beside him through the busy mall and Ben kept his head down. He was still dressed as a soldier but his clothing was wrinkled due to days of sleeping on the floor, and he was sure he probably smelled like one would expect. So he kept his distance while at the same time making it look like he wasn’t trying to keep his distance. As he walked through the entrance of the mall, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he waited for a shout or a gunshot that never happened. They walked outside and casually walked to the outskirts of the camp where they quickly ducked out of sight.

  Ty looked over to him and the man was drenched in sweat. “Jesus, B. I can’t believe that worked.”

  Ben smiled and patted him on the back. He still remembered when he had first met the streetwise wannabe soldier in the streets of New York. “Thank you, Ty. Let my sister know I’m coming for her.”

  “You be careful, ok?” Ty said, handing him a handgun. “You’ve got twelve rounds; sorry it was all I could smuggle out.”

  It started as a handshake and turned into a hug. Ben finally pulled away and gave Ty another slap on the back. “Good luck, old friend.”

  Ben ran through the woods, being quick but being quiet. He was going to return to the destroyed town to see if he could salvage a vehicle and some gas. When he finally crested the hill and saw the remains of the town, a pang of guilt hit him. He had helped do this. He should have known then that the people he fought for were not what they seemed. Ben ran though the destroyed streets, past the ruins of the houses on all sides with his pistol at the ready. His ears scanned for any evidence of survivors but all they heard were birds calling and his own footsteps. The destruction had been complete. Ben rummaged through the debris and the few untouched buildings, but as night began to fall he was empty-handed. He sat back against one of the damaged walls and cleared his mind. If there were survivors, would they stay in the same place that had just been attacked? Or would they seek safety in the hills or woods nearby?

  Ben left the destroyed town and headed to the outskirts, searching for signs of life. He came upon several trucks, all bone dry and not even close to working condition. As the cool night air began to get to him, he saw a house in the distance atop a hill and the unmistakable sign of a lit candle moving past one of the windows. He swung around wide and saw a car that appeared in working order sitting in front of the garage, and the red plastic of a gas can sat near the front tire. He tightened his grip on his gun and snuck forward, keeping low. He approached the car and grabbed hold of the gas can and felt the heavy liquid splashing around inside. There were a good five or six gallons inside. Not nearly enough but a good start.

  “Hey,” came a young voice from the side of the house. Ben turned but kept his gun down low. A young boy stood at the side of the house with a confused look on his face. “Are…are you one of Maclin’s men?”

  “Yes,” Ben lied quickly. “Just making sure everything is clear.” The boy didn’t move but the confused look disappeared from his face. He took a step back and Ben held up his hand. “Look, I’m not one of the bad guys; I’m running from them.”

  “Help,” the young boy screamed as he ran back around the house.

  Ben turned to run when he heard the safety clicking off a gun a few meters behind him.

  “Don’t move,” a voice said.

  Ben turned to see a soldier standing there with his assault rifle at the ready. His leg was bandaged, along with the left side of his face, but the gun was trained right on Ben. Ben dropped his pistol and raised his hands wearily. “Look, I just escaped from the men who destroyed your town. I’m not your enemy and I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I’m trying to find a ride so I can track down a transport truck and save my sister.”

  The gun dropped slightly and the soldier looked Ben up and down. “You sure as hell look like one of them.”

  “I was,” Ben said slowly, “until I saw what they did to your town and found out the truth.”

  “And what truth is that?”

  “That Carter is the real President of the United States, and Johnson is just a power-hungry pretender.”

  The soldier scoffed. “You know all the right things to say. You say they have your sister--what’s her name?”

  “Ally.”

  The soldier’s face dropped and Ben heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned and saw the same boy, along with a man in civilian clothing. The man pushed his glasses up his nose and stared at him warily.

  The boy took a step forward. “Our Ally?” he asked.

  “What’s your name?” the soldier asked.

  “My name’s Ben.”

  The soldier let his gun drop down to his hip. “My name is Maclin. Behind you is Adam and Colby. You’ve got some explaining to do.”

  Ally

  They led them out single file from the mall to several large transport trucks lined up outside. The soldiers all had their guns at the ready, and they stared at them like they were the gunk under their fingernails.

  “Where are you taking us?” one of the civilians asked.

  The soldier slammed the back of his rifle into the civilian’s back, sending him stumbling. “Shut your mouth and fall in line,” the soldier growled.

  One by one
they loaded up into the back of the transport trucks, and Ally made sure she was right beside Dena as they climbed into the truck. Once they were settled the same bald-headed soldier that clashed with Ben came up to the back of their truck.

  “You all have been sentenced to hard labor at our rehabilitation camp. There you will contribute to rebuilding the country that you all tried so desperately to destroy. If you follow orders and contribute, then at a time we see fit you will be released to normal society. If not then you will have a long but productive life, giving back to this country.” The man smiled and signaled toward one of the soldiers, who closed the sliding door, leaving them in darkness.

  Ally felt the truck start up and then felt as it rumbled down the road to their unknown destination. Some of the civilians began to cry; others, including Dena, just sat in stunned silence. The only light coming into the truck was a small sliding glass that led to the driver’s cabin, and it was barely enough to allow Ally to see Dena’s face despite the fact the woman was sitting right next to her. Dena put her arm around Ally and they sat there in silence.

  Sleep didn’t come easy with the jostling of the truck as it went its way. There were buckets fastened down on both sides of the transport that they could use to go to the bathroom, meaning there was a constant smell continually hovering over them in the already stuffy area. The trucks would stop twice a day and they were allowed to get out to stretch and eat. Their arms were tied together while their legs were free, but despite that Ally knew she wouldn’t get far if she tried to run. After ten or so minutes they would load back up into the transport trucks and they would continue their journey.

  Days that seemed to last forever passed and their journey continued. Ally and Dena passed the time by reminiscing on their own journey across the country. They both managed to leave out the bad parts and only focus on the happy moments. That conversation then turned toward Coby and how much he had grown and the man he was turning into. The happy memories eventually turned into tears and the conversation stopped, but the journey did not.