Freedom Fight: Beginnings Series Book 9 (17 page)

“It’s about an eight hour drive from our Sioux Falls location.” Jeremy explained to George. “They should be at that farm in the morning.”

“What about our Alabama team? That’s the bigger sight.”

“On their way to Sioux Falls. They’ll escort Frank and Ellen to Alabama. You’ll have to get the CME team there though.”

“The train returns tomorrow. I’ll get two men on that and ship them out. I’ll head out in a few days,” George said. “Medical staff, you thought ahead when you spoke to them?”

“Yes,” Jeremy answered. “Nothing is happening in Alabama so the two doctors are on their way to Sioux Falls with the escorts, just in case, we know Frank. If we need to injure Ellen, they’ll be able to help.”

“You gave the Sioux Falls troop strict orders if injury is necessary they are to shoot only to injure?”

“The sergeant in charge is sending his best two snipers.”

George grumbled, “Yeah well, sorry that’s not a reassurance to me. The best two snipers we have are the equivalent to Beginnings worst.”

“But that will change,” Jeremy said with a smile. “Isn’t that one of the reasons we’re doing this?”

“That and others. The biggest reason,” George spoke, “is leverage to get what we want. Remember what I told you. Take them down from within. Hurt them from within, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”

^^^^

It was so quiet as Ellen sat on the front porch of the farm. The loudest noise she heard was the flapping of the signal bed sheets in the wind, the ones she hung from two of the second floor windows. Occasionally Frank’s cough would carry down to her. The rocking chair creaked some as she sat holding a towel to her blistered hands. Never did she imagine pumping well water would be so difficult, but she had to do it. Frank had done nothing but sleep since she got him to bed, something he desperately needed. She stared out into the bright moonlit yard ahead of her, so peaceful and safe she felt. As she sat there, staring out, it dawned on her, she didn’t quite understand when she met the UWA, why they were doing what they did. Why they were now fighting so hard, but she did as she enjoyed the porch. Exactly what Ellen was doing was the exact reason they fought, to live in a world without worry, without safety walls. To live in a world with freedom again, to live in a world that wasn’t just safe to move around, but safe enough to do something so simple as to sit on the front porch of a home.

Kicked back in the early morning, Hal sat with his legs on the table, listening to the radio. A tablet rested on his lap and he switched between the pen in his mouth and the coffee he reached to. He smiled as he listened and wrote. The male voices went back and forth so much, it sometimes was hard for Hal to distinguish them.

“So what do we do?” The one voice asked.

“I’m doing stupid head of security paper work. Figure it out.” The second voice answered.

“No, I need an answer.”

“Bring them in the back gate.” The second voice said.

“Then where?”

“To the living section. You aren’t gonna prop them in the middle of fuckin town.”

“Which route?”

“Why is this important?”

“Because the trucks are too big to take through town.”

“Then take it around the fields.”

“Yeah, but that’s ten miles out of the way. What about gas?”

“Why are you using gas?” The second voice asked. “Bring the alcohol with you. It’s under forty miles round trip.”

“Yeah but Danny said it’s gonna mess up the fuel injection. We can’t do that because we have three more trips.”

“We’ll flush it out. Besides, I checked it with anal Henry and he says it’ll be fine. We do this all the time. What’s the problem?”

“Danny says . . .”

“I’m going with Henry.”

“Danny’s smarter.”

“Hey!” A third voice entered. “He is not.”

“Yes I am. And . . . and . . . I have better hair.” The fourth man snickered.

The second voice huffed. “Get off the radio. This is important. O.K., we’ll let the Chief handle it. Chief? Chief. Chief!”

“What! I’m not a goddamn Indian for crying out loud.”

“Yeah but Chief we need you to decide. Gas or alcohol?”

“Go with whatever Henry says.”

The third man came back on. “Oh yes! Ha!”

There was a loud grumble from the Chief. “Is that it? Good.” He sounded so annoyed. “Don’t bother me again for this stupid shit. That’s Henry’s division. Let his skinny ass handle it. You got it.”

“Yeah Chief, but I knew you were listening so it really wasn’t bothering you and while I have you on the line . . .”

“Does it have to do with running this community, the divisions I’m working or my division?’

“No.”

“Then either deal with it on your own or find the person it deals with.” The Chief said. “Otherwise, can you leave me alone I’m doing work schedules.”

“But . . .”

“Handle it, Robbie.”

SPLASH! The tin cup toppled from Hal’s hand, and hot coffee splattered across his tablet and lap. He sprang up, flicking the hot liquid from himself as he stared at the radio. “No.” Hal closed his eyes and shook his head. He bent down to pick up his fallen cup. “No, my mind is playing tricks. Wishful thinking
, that’s all.” He let out a shuddering breath and returned to listening to the radio.

^^^^

A single knock on Joe’s door, loud and hard, brought in a peeking Johnny with Joe’s ‘come in’.

“Pap?” Johnny stepped inside. “I’m back.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope. Would have radioed.”

Joe huffed and tossed his pencil. He rubbed his eyes. “Which direction?”

“Due east from where we found them. I even scaled more south. Nothing.”

“All right, I’ll send Dan more south and if that ends up with nothing, we’ll send Robbie even further.”

“But Pap, wouldn’t they just head due east. My Dad knows direction.”

“Yeah, but your dad is sick. Anything can throw him off.” Joe sat back. “Let’s just hope that it doesn’t throw him off enough to leave him vulnerable.”

^^^^

He was wearing a baseball cap, an unusual occurrence because Danny hated to mess up his hair. He was the first thing Dean saw when he raised his head to the light knock.

“Dean?” Danny looked into the lab.

“Oh hi, Danny. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to let you know, we’re off to get it now.” Danny grinned.

“Really!” Dean excitedly stood up. “Is it the one you told me about?”

“Yep, deluxe model modular home. Joe said ‘no’ but I said they only had so many finished there and it was one of them.”

“Excellent.”

“Oh and Dean.” Danny held up four fingers. “Four bedrooms. Of course two of them are really small. And . . . there’s a small room off the kitchen. This place is decked out.”

Dean clapped his hands together once. “O.K., I have this feeling Ellen’s coming back soon, so when will it be ready?”

“We’ll have it pieced together and ready to move things in by Thursday. I should have the plumbing and power hooked up by then too, Friday at the latest.” Danny noticed the happiness Dean showed. “You really want this for Ellen, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.” Dean nodded. “I know, it’s so trivial, but we never had a chance in the old world. If we did, I would have given her anything. Here, I can’t do that. I can’t give her special things.”

“You can now. A big house, well, big by Beginnings standards. It’s kinda of more long than anything.”

“Yeah, but it’s something no one else can give her here. So did you figure out what you want?”

“Um, no, not yet, but I’m working on it.”

“Just let me know.”

“Oh I will.” Danny grinned and stepped back. “Take it easy, Dean.”

“Thanks.” Dean moved across his lab to his work. He felt better since a part of him told him Ellen was returning soon and being able to show her the new house made him anxious. The only problem Dean had was the fact that Danny wanted something in return, and what that was frightened Dean a bit. But he was sure it couldn’t be too drastic. After all it was Danny. He probably just wanted Dean to invent a new hair spray.

^^^^

Some distance from the farm house, in the midst of the high grass, Frank and Ellen sat on a white sheet. It was their signal to Robbie or Beginnings should they fly over.

Frank chuckled as he lifted the edge of the white, summer time, thin dress Ellen wore. “This is not you.”

“It’s so old fashion, huh?”

“And feminine.”

“Thanks.” Ellen fiddled with the dress. “I found it in the house. Do you think they would mind that I borrowed it?”

“El, they’re dead.”

“No.” Ellen shook her head with a smile. “Not the Anderson’s. The Cavalry.”

“Who? Oh them. Ellen, I think they’re a pretty whacked bunch. Look at how they dress.”

“It’s nice.”

“It’s fuckin goofy,” Frank said, his voice still raspy. “They could have gotten uniforms but they dress like civil war soldiers?”

“The one told me it was their leader’s idea.”

“Bet me their leader thinks he’s General fuckin Custard. But . . . they do their jobs.”

“Yeah, they do.” Ellen became peaceful. “You’re looking better today.”

“I feel better today.” Frank looked up to the sky. “I think Robbie will spot us. If not, we can move ahead tomorrow.”

“It’s a clear day.” Ellen took in the bright blue sky.

“I wanted to get you alone. I’m sorry it turned out like it did.”

“Hey, it’s been an adventure.” Ellen leaned to Frank and kissed him. “You don’t feel as warm. How’s your chest.”

“Massive.”

Ellen laughed and saw Frank starting to get up. “Where are you going?”

“To get something to drink?”

“I’ll get it for you.” Ellen grabbed his hand.

“Nah. I want to walk.” Frank kissed her. “I love you.”

“I know. I . . . I love you too.”

Frank winked at her and pulled his hand from hers. Slowly he rose to his feet. No sooner was he standing, a shot rang out. It hit into Frank with a deadening ‘thump’ searing into the side of his gut and spraying a rain of blood outward. Ellen shrieked and another shot was fired. Frank reached down to lower her when he was hit in the left shoulder. The force of the shot caused him to spring up. Then another came . . . into his leg, then into his arm, his right shoulder, and then Frank, amidst Ellen’s screams, teetered. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the sheet below him.

It all happened so quickly. Within seconds Frank was shot and had fallen. The gun fire ceased and Ellen screamed. She couldn’t stop screaming, emotional, deep and panicked. She reached to turn him over and watched the white sheet become absorbed with Frank’s blood, saturating slowly as it flowed from him. “Oh my God,. Frank.” She grunted and rolled him partially to his back. His eyes were closed. She shook his face. “Frank. Frank.” No response. Ellen’s chest felt heavy and she couldn’t breathe. It hurt her. She began to cry as she lowered herself to him, holding on to Frank, feeling the dampness of his warm blood seep into her clothing.. “Frank.”

Then she heard it, the ruffling of the high grass. In her hover over Frank, she lifted her head and saw the Society soldiers moving in. Trembling, not only her hands but her body as well, Ellen grabbed Frank’s revolver, fumbling it and finally holding it out in an aim. They drew in closer and she fired. She hit one and he fell, but the others kept on coming. Ellen kept on firing, hitting some but not as many as she would like.

“El.” Frank called out weakly, his eyes opening a little. “Run.”

“I can’t leave you.” Her hands gripped his face

“Run.” His voice barely spoke. “Run.” His eyes closed again.

Ellen hesitated, her breaths choppy and short. Holding tightly to the gun, she kissed him quickly, raised her head to look, stood quickly, and raced into the field opposite of the soldiers. She didn’t make it far. Three shots rang out, one hitting just below her shoulder blade, one in her arm, and the other grazing against her knee causing her legs to buckle then Ellen to fell to the high grass.

She cringed in pain, lifted herself up some, clenched to the gun and to the grass and brought herself to her knees. The footsteps grew louder and faster. Just as she began to stand, her hair was grabbed. She was yanked backwards and dragged across the field.

She felt the hard ground as it scraped against her hips while she struggled. Her legs kicked as she fought against the pull. One hard tug and Ellen was tossed roughly to the ground. She rolled into a stop on her back. Frightened, yet trying to get her wits about her, Ellen lifted her head only to feel the tip of a boot careen into her face, sending her back down and her arms out. The gun flew from her hand and she quickly rolled over onto her stomach to grab it. As her fingers griped it, a boot slammed down on her hand. She brought her other hand up, giving it all she had, and dug her fingernails against the pant leg and into his shin. The Society soldier’s leg released some, enough for Ellen to pull her hand up. Just as she secured the revolver, her body was violently flung over. She felt the hands on her exposed legs, grabbing them. When Ellen saw the soldier near her, she lifted the gun and fired straight at him, erasing any face he could have had..

Scurrying herself up, the gun was taken from Ellen, tossed aside, and she was punched once hard in the face. As she started to fall she was stopped, her hair grabbed again. In caveman style, the soldier began to drag her again. Only this time Ellen was weak, couldn’t fight as hard, and the screams that came from her were barely audible.