Redemption (2 page)

“Honey, where are you going?  It’s the middle of the night.”

“Shit.  I’m uhhh, just goin’ fur walk.”

“And you’re drunk, again.  Nice.”

“Oh shut up, not drunk.  Take it easy, just gobacksleep.”

“You are drunk.  You can barely talk.”

“Gimme a break.  Always on my case.  Sheesh!”

“Just don’t do anything stupid, please.  These people look to you as their leader.”

Max laughed. “Leader of what exactly?  I
was
the leader of something that mattered.  The ‘people’ you talkin’ ‘bout out there are the only morons too dumb to haul ass away from here like the restofem.”  Max clumsily put on the first boot and then fell to the floor putting on the second.  He laid there on the floor laughing.

Elizabeth Harris rolled over, not wishing to engage her drunken husband.  “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Max stood up and swayed back and forth for a few seconds.  Once he had his bearings, he looked towards the bed.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Just take it easy for once in your life, go back to sleep.”  Max stumbled to the front door and stood in the doorway.  A blast of cold air sharpened his senses and straightened his walk.  With the aide of his cane, Max strolled down the path to the north tower of the compound and climbed the ladder.

“What’s up, boss?” 

“Can’t sleep.  What was your name again?”

“Harry.”

“That’s right.  You and your brother joined us … a month ago?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Anything going on out there?”  Max looked past the perimeter towards the tree line.

“Not a thing.  Kinda creeps me out not seeing any wildlife.  You’d think you’d see raccoons or squirrels or something.  Just … nothing.”

“Lots of terrible shit happened here.  This place is cursed.”

“What did happen here?  No one will really give me a straight answer.”

Max hadn’t spoken about that fateful day four years ago to anyone, not even his wife.  Elizabeth tried at first to get him to open up about it, but quickly realized it was a subject that was better left alone.  “Let me ask you something, Harry.  What have you heard?”

“The only consistent thing people say is to not bring it up with you.”

“I’m not surprised.  What else?”

“I’m not sure if I believe it, but a few people said the Chinese War ended here.”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“So why is that so terrible?  We fought them on our own soil for six long years and we won.”

“You seriously believe that?”

“Don’t see any Chinamen around trying to kill me, so, yeah, I do.  How do you see it?”

“Kinda like a guy burning down his own house to stop a burglar and saying he came out on top.”  Max glared into Harry’s eyes, daring him to disagree.

“Never really thought of it like that.  Can’t really say I can have an educated discussion on the matter.  Like most people I had no idea what was at stake or how it could have played out one way or the other.  All I know is the Chinese are gone and that can’t be all bad.  You would know a lot more than me, not gonna argue that.  I mean, after all, you were a pretty big deal.  You were close with Howard Beck from the start and served as vice-president when his son was running the PSA.”

“Those days are over.”

“Is that why you’re so pissed off?  You want to be some big politician again?”

Max balled up his fists and gritted his teeth.  “You’d better choose your words carefully.”

Harry laughed.  “Or what?  Whaddya gonna do?  Half crippled drunks shouldn’t make threats.  Look man, take it easy.  You haven’t exactly cornered the market on suffering and loss.  We’re all in this together.  I’m on your side.”

Max looked upon Harry’s smiling face and relaxed.  “You’re right.  Truth is I hated politics, probably as much as Howard.”

“Then what is it?  Why does everyone walk on eggshells around you?”

Max paused and looked up at the moon, deep in thought.  A moment passed by and he looked at Harry.  “Have a good night, my friend.”  Without another word, Max climbed down the ladder and stumbled away.

Max felt his inebriation slipping away and would have no part of it.  He clawed at his jacket pocket and retrieved his flask.  The comforting burn of vodka on his throat solved all his problems, or at least silenced them for the time being.  Max needed to do something productive to distract him from the exchange he had just had with Harry.  As worthless as he felt, he was still the leader of the makeshift camp that had been hastily built after the war ended.  After it was all over, he just didn’t have the will or the strength to relocate.  What started out as a dozen traumatized people clinging to each other for support slowly grew into a community of close to a thousand.  Max never volunteered or showed interest in being their leader; everyone just naturally looked to him given his status as vice-president of the Pacific States of America during its short existence.

Max did have a purpose in life that kept him driven.  It wasn’t his community, it wasn’t his health, which was rapidly declining thanks to his constant state of intoxication, and it wasn’t even his marriage.  The reason he got out of bed in the morning was to right the things that had been done wrong on that day four years ago.  Max deluded himself into thinking his quest was that of justice when in reality it was pure vengeance. 

Max walked to the front gate of the compound in the hopes that the two men standing guard there would be asleep at their post.  He was still filled with rage over Harry bringing such painful memories to the surface and he was looking to take it out on someone.  Max wanted to punch him in the face for being so nosy but couldn’t fault the man for being naturally curious.  Chewing out the guards would satisfy the need.  As he got closer to the gate he saw that his needs would not be fulfilled, as the two men were standing ready with their rifles just as they should be.

“Mornin’, boss, you’re up early.”

“Yeah, Andy, can’t really say I woke up.  Never really went to sleep.”

“That sucks.”

“Anything going on?”

“Naw, been quiet.  Quiet for the past few days.  Last week’s excitement seemed to be a one-time thing.  I thought for sure they’d be back but looks like you were right.”

“Well, you could end up being right, that’s why we have to remain vigilant.  Six guys lookin’ to storm our gates and take what’s ours can just as easily be a scouting party for a much larger force.  If we’re lucky, it was just the six guys that we scared into never coming back.”

“We’ll be ready.  Scumbags ‘round here know not to fuck with us.  We’ve proven it every time.”

“That we have, Andy, that we have.”  Max smiled for the first time in days.  His smile quickly faded as he looked down the long road leading to the front gate.  Andy and his silent partner followed Max’s stare.

“We have anybody out?”

“No, boss, the recon team made it back around midnight.  Everyone’s accounted for.”

“Your eyes are better than mine, how far out do they look?”  Max lied, he had perfect vision but his drunk, blurry eyes couldn’t focus.

“I’d say a mile at least.”  Andy grabbed his binoculars and studied the coming threat.  “I count four torches.  Two on horseback, two walking, hard to make out but maybe three more walking behind them.  Say ten of them to be on the safe side.”

Max kept his eyes on the dim light and spoke to Andy’s partner.  “Whoever’s on standby, wake ‘em up and get their asses up here quick.  We got maybe eight minutes before they’re in shooting range.”

“I’m on it, boss.”  Max couldn’t remember the fellow’s name but admired his sense of urgency.  Four and a half minutes later the standby squad of twelve was in full gear ready to take orders from Max.  “Three snipers on the gate tower, go!”  The three men did not hesitate and up the stairs they went.  “I want a two man team in the north tower and another two man team in the west tower, go!”  Like before, the men were accustomed to quickly following directions and smartly went about carrying them out.  Max looked around at the remaining five members of the standby squad.  “The rest of you men, stay right here with me and Andy when we greet our new visitors.  Remember, no one does a damned thing unless I say so or they fire off the first round.  After that, kill every last one them.”

“Uh, Boss, you might wanna get up here,” said Andy.

Max climbed the ladder to the gate tower.  “What?  What is it, Andy?”

“See for yourself.”  Andy handed Max the binoculars.  Max’s eyes were blurry, but could still make out what Andy was talking about.  He counted two on top of an SUV being pulled by horses, two walking with torches, and at least two dozen men walking behind the procession.   “Son of a bitch.  Sound the alarm!  Somebody sound the fucking alarm!  Now!”  Before Max could finish swearing, the large bell relocated from the church steeple to the front gate tower was being violently rocked back and forth.  The racket it made was deafening.  In thirty seconds, close to a hundred soldiers were in the streets ready to defend the makeshift walls of their compound.

Max stood atop the gate tower with his arms spread wide, like a shepherd gathering his flock close to him.  “Calm down everyone, just calm down!  We’ve done this before many times and this time is no different.  Everyone remember your training and focus.  Watch each other’s backs and we’ll survive.  We still have a wall protecting us so let’s not get too excited.”

“Andy!  Get over here!”  Andy ran from the front of the gate tower towards Max to receive instruction.  “Andy, these car batteries better have juice in them.  Tell me you tested the spotlight, Andy.  Andy!  Tell me you tested these batteries and tell me fucking spotlights work!”

“Yeah, boss, yeah, of course they work.  We test it every night an hour after the sun goes down.  You’re good to go, I swear it.”

“All right then, Andy, they’re close enough I think.  Let’s shine some light on this party.”

A bank of twelve car batteries had been daisy-chained together to power three large spotlights that were each four feet across.  All three were aimed at the coming caravan. 

“Now, Mr. Cordero,” said Max.

Andy flipped the switch and three hundred yards away the approaching convoy stopped, blinded and disoriented from the lights.

Max drew in a deep breath.  “Drop your guns!  Do it now!  Drop ‘em!  One of you raises a gun and you all die!”

The men stopped and carefully placed their guns on the ground.  One of the men on top of the SUV decided to speak for the group.  “Max?  Are you Max?  What the hell is this, man?  I was told you’re a reasonable guy that we could trust!”

Max turned to Andy.  “Well, this is an unexpected turn of events.  You know this clown?”

“Never laid eyes on the man.”

“He seems to know me.”

“Of course he knows you, you’re a celebrity.  Everyone knows you.”

“Shut the hell up, funny man.”

“Why don’t you stop busting my balls and ask the man himself?”

“Good idea, hadn’t thought of that, knew I kept you around for something.”  Max sarcastically patted Andy’s arm and turned his attention to the man that had just spoken.  “Whatever game it is you’re playing you can cut the shit right now.  We’re not opening our gates.  If you’re looking for a place to raid for supplies, you’ve come to the wrong place my friend.  And all of you, keep your hands where we can see them!”

“Look, Max, it’s not like that.  We don’t want anything from you and we mean you no harm.  We have a man here that has come a long way to make it back home to you.”

“Bullshit.  Everyone we know is inside these walls.”

“Theodore Forrest.”

Max rolled his eyes.  “Again, bullshit.  He’s been dead a long time.”

“No bullshit.  I’m telling the truth.  He’s here in the SUV.”

“Assuming you’re telling the truth, why isn’t he talking to me?  Is he your hostage?  Is that was this is?  You want a ransom?”

“Theo is my friend, my brother.  We went through hell to get him here and lost a few good men along the way.  He’s very sick.  It hurts me to say it but he’ll be dead soon.  He’s been barely holding on just to deliver a message to you.  He won’t tell me what it is, says he’ll only speak to you.  Now cut the paranoid bullshit and get down here and see for yourself.  Keep your guns on us if that makes you feel better.  None of us will move a muscle, you have my word.”

Max turned to Andy.  “I’m going down.  Get word to the snipers to stay locked on target and not to do anything unless they make the first move.”

“You’re actually buying this nonsense?  This smells like a trap.”

“Andy, we either shoot them all dead right now or we play this out.  If Theo really is in that SUV, don’t think he’d appreciate us killing his friends.”

“Still don’t like it.”

“Me neither.  Oh, and Andy?”

“Yeah, boss?”

“Make sure the horses aren’t shot, we need ‘em.”

“Funny.”

“Not joking.  Walking sucks, especially for me.”

“Don’t shoot the horses, got it.”

Max climbed down the ladder to meet his nervous wife.  “Max, what’s going on?  Who is it?  Are we safe?”

“It’s under control.  Just a group of con-artists saying they’re bringing Theo home to us.”

“You told me Theo was dead.”

“He is dead.  A trusted source confirmed as much.”

“What are going to do?”

“Gonna play their game for now.”

“Wait.  You’re not going out there, are you?”

“Relax.  We disarmed them and have them in our scopes.  One false move and …”

“You’re gonna kill them?  Just gun them down like animals?  What if they’re good people?”

“If they’re good people we won’t have to shoot them.”

“You know it’s not that simple.  Good people get nervous and make mistakes.”

“And I’m not letting one of our people die over a mistake.  If it comes down to us versus them …”

“I’m coming with you.”

“What?  Elizabeth, I don’t have time for …”

“Let’s go, come on.”

Elizabeth Harris was a stubborn woman.  Max knew the only reason she was tagging along was so the strangers would stand a better chance of survival.  She knew her presence would calm itchy trigger fingers.  Justified or not, anyone firing off a shot and jeopardizing the safety of the big man’s wife would sorely regret it.