Paul Kirk - Devastation Point

“Terry,” said Cam, “this is as real as it gets. Andy and Ryan sent me here to bring you back. C’mon, T, we trained for this. You don’t need to be here—everyone here knows what to do.”

“Yeah, Terry, Cam’s right,” said JR. “Everybody knows what to do—we’ve run through it a hundred times. You need to alert them.”

“JR, you look like you saw a ghost.”

“I’m just tired from the run over.”

“C’mon, T, let’s get the clan ready. We have less than five hours.”

“You better give me a good reason to go with you if we need to start H-4.”

“I know you want to stay, T, but we need to haul ass to Nemacolin right now. I can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Hey, Margaret!” called Terry across the yard. She walked toward the back porch. A young woman on the porch, stirring the contents of a pot, turned toward Terry. She put her spoon down when Terry waved for her to join them and walked quickly toward them. Tall and naturally reserved, she had been preparing the sauce for the evening meal. She wiped her hands on her apron and approached Terry and the men.

“What’s up, Terry?” she asked. “Hey, Cam. JR. How you guys doing?”

“Maggie, listen up. I need you to set the clan to H-4 protocol right away.”

“You’re serious, T?”

“Yes, I am. This is not a drill. Andy and Ryan are at Nemacolin so I’m puttin’ you in charge of getting everyone moving.” Maggie stared at her, uncomprehending. “Maggie,” continued Terry, “we trained for this and I know you never had to do it on your own, but you need to today. I’m assigning you full lead. I’ll leave it to you to pick your second-in-command. Hell, Maggie, the last couple times we had drills, I was stuck with nothing to do ’cause you took care of it all. Just make it happen.”

“You’re going now, Terry? Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay? Why?”

Terry stared at Cameron and JR with a fury. She respected the emergency status, but she wanted to know more information. “Listen, Maggie, there’s a well armed military force moving up the mountain. They’ll be here in less than five hours, so you need to start H-4 protocol right now and shut this place down. Don’t leave anything here—like we trained. Hide everyone in the safe bunker for the duration. You understand?”

“Umm—”

“Maggie, this isn’t a drill, this is real. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think you could do it.”

“Okay, Terry, yes, I’ll see to it.”

“Good. I’m going to Nemacolin to meet with Andy and Ryan. It probably has something to do with tactical coordination with Mark and his Woodland soldiers. I only know it’s important I go—Cam and JR won’t tell me why I need to be there.”

“Andy will tell you when you get there, T,” said Cam.

“Okay. Maggie? You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes, Terry,” she answered, concern lining her face. “Everyone here knows what they have to do.” She stared at the two men, angry with them, but not knowing why. “I’ll gather everyone together and we’ll do it like we practiced. We have enough time.”

“Good. Don’t forget to grab the extra food and all the weapons and ammunition. Make that’s your first priority. And make sure the bunker entrance stays hidden. Keep three men running protective cover and distraction. Pick good men, Maggie. You guys could be in that hole for a long time, but you should have enough food and water. Be patient. We’ll be back—all of us—as soon as we can.”

“I’ll do my best, Terry.”

Terry turned toward Cam and JR. They were eager to return to Nemacolin, but there was something else. They were strangely excited in the face of the real danger of an attacking army. Terry walked across the deck to the door.

“Liam, Shannon!” she called. The two appeared quickly. “Go get your go bags and a few extra waters—enough for a few days. Liam, bring your rifle and make sure you have plenty of ammunition.”

“What’s up, mom?” asked the boy. Shannon stood beside him, eyes wide.

“Don’t question me right now, Liam—move your ass! Both of you!” she yelled. The two needed no other impetus to move. She stared after her children. Angry, she turned on Cameron. “What’s going on, Cam? Huh?” She could control her mounting anger no longer.

“T, we gotta move. We need to get back.”

“Is Andy okay?” She had a sudden image of Andy lying in a pool of his own blood. Her hands began to shake.

“Andy’s fine, T—everybody’s fine. Nobody’s hurt. We gotta get you to Andy. He has some news.”

She found little comfort in Cam’s assurance. “You mean there’s more news besides a big fuckin’ army coming up the mountain?”

“Well, um, maybe. Andy can fill you in.”

She studied the two men, knowing they were holding important information that they were reluctant to share with her. “Really? There’s more important news than that huge enemy army? Do you think Mark’s army can handle the assault?”

“C’mon, T, grab your bag and let’s go,” answered Cameron.

“Okay,” she said, “just hold on.” She ran quickly into the cottage and grabbed her go bag and extra ammunition for her Beretta. By the time she made it back outside, Maggie was giving instruction to the rest of the clan, but stopped when she saw Terry.

“Wait a second, guys,” Maggie said to the gathered clan and walked the few steps to Terry. “Everything’s okay here, Terry. If you have to go, then go. The longer you’re here, the less they listen to me.”

“Okay, Maggie, good luck.”

“Thanks. Why are you taking Liam and Shannon?”

“I’m not sure, Maggie. That confuses me, too. But Cam and JR won’t tell me any more—they say Andy will tell me everything once I’m there. Make sure you release the chickens. Dump ’em in the dandelion field in the hollow. We’ll pick ’em up later if things work out. Move everything edible you can from the storage sheds into the bunker. Squeeze as much stuff in there that you can.”

“Don’t worry, Terry, I’ll take care of it. Go.”

“You have maybe five hours. Two hours from now send out a group of four scouts and rotate them out every hour. The scouts should give you a warning on this army’s approach.”

“I sent ’em out already, Terry. I can’t trust that five-hour number—I don’t know if there’s an advance party or if part of their force is trying to flank us. I’ll make it—please don’t worry about us.”

“Good point. You’re in the zone. I hate the fact that I’m being told to leave my home!”

“There must be a good reason, Terry.”

“I can’t figure out what Andy could be thinking. This isn’t the way to go about an assault.”

“I trust Andy—Ryan, too. If that’s the decision they’ve made, they must have a reason.”

“Yeah, Maggie, I trust them, too. Now back to your organizing—I’ll see you soon.”

She walked toward the edge of the deck where Cameron and JR were talking with several men. As she approached, the men around Cameron and JR stiffened and nodded to her. “Don’t you men have things you should be doing?” she asked acidly.

“Yes, ma’am,” came the response and they dispersed, gathering again on the porch to listen to Maggie’s additional instructions.

Liam and Shannon joined them and the five began a quick walk up the driveway gravel to Dinner Bell Road toward Route 40. “You guys got everything you need?” asked Terry of her children. They nodded and Terry turned to Cameron. “Okay, Cam, we’re on our way so fill me in.”

“T, I’m supposed to let Andy do that.”

Terry inhaled deeply, trying to control her rising anger. She stopped walking. “Cam, I’m in the process of walking with my two children into danger. I’m walking away from my home and my friends, not knowing if I’ll ever see them again, worried about whether they’re capable of the task at hand without my help. If you don’t fill me in right now, I’m gonna take this Beretta, shove it up your ass, and pull the trigger.”