Steven Konkoly - The Perseid Collapse

This decision was quickly validated. Both men shifted into alert carry stances when Alex started walking toward them, pointing their weapons in his direction. They were anxious. The question was whether they were anxious out of uncertainty, or anxious to score a kill. In the deafening rain on this abandoned stretch of road, virtually in the middle of nowhere, he began to seriously question his own decision to step out of the car. He kept moving toward them through the warm rain, with his hands raised over his head.

One of them spoke into a handheld radio and waited for a reply, pressing the radio to his ear. A few seconds passed before he lowered the radio and hooked it onto his vest. Radioman assumed the ready carry position, with the butt stock jammed into his shoulder and the muzzle aimed at Alex. He thought of the pistol behind his back long enough to accept the fact that he’d be dead before he hit the ground if he tried to reach for it.

“That’s far enough!” yelled Radioman. “State your business.”

“I need to cross over into New Hampshire. My son is trapped in Boston. He’s a college student, and he has no way to get back home!” Alex yelled over the downpour.

“Nothing gets across in either direction! Those are my orders.”

“Look, all I want is to get my son. I’ll find a different way back,” said Alex.

“Orders,” said Radioman, shrugging his shoulders.

“State police are allowing Maine residents to cross the border in both directions,” said Alex.

“Then I suggest you take your car to one of their checkpoints. Nobody’s crossing here.”

“I just saw a car headed south on the road behind me. Looked like one of your guys in it. Massachusetts plates,” said Alex.

“They volunteered to give up their car. That’s the only way anyone gets across. We’re not having a repeat of 2013, with people driving around looting and pillaging our homes,” said Radioman.

“You’re making them walk?”

“We take them to Sanford or Springvale. Their choice. They have plenty of options there.”

“So there’s no way we get across here?”

“We’ll make an exception if you’re willing to give up your vehicle and everything inside. That’s the only way anyone gets across.”

With that statement, it all snapped into place for Alex. The men with rifles at the church. The car with Massachusetts plates turning into the church. Nobody was getting a lift to Sanford or Springvale.

He forced a smile. “I guess we’ll have to find another way across,” said Alex, lowering his right hand enough to scratch his head.

“You don’t sound so eager to cross at one of the state police checkpoints. How come?”

“I don’t trust cops. Are you guys part of the York County Readiness Brigade?”

“Maine Liberty Militia. The real militia. Not that horseshit bean-supper brigade,” said Radioman, causing his sidekick to snicker.

“Never heard of it,” said Alex.

“Now you have,” said Radioman.

“You guys have a good day,” said Alex, half-expecting to take a bullet in the back.

Alex hopped into the Jeep and closed the door, surprised to find the barrel of Charlie’s rifle protruding a few inches past the headrest. Careful not to disturb his aim, Alex examined his firing position. Charlie had raised the front passenger seat headrest to its highest point and had braced his rifle in the gap between the seat and headrest. He had propped the three assault backpacks next to him to support the right side of his body, providing a stable platform to aim his rifle through the gap and beyond the windshield. He was relieved to see that Charlie had taken the initiative to cover him, and that he’d chosen a method not easily detectable. He was little disturbed that nobody was watching the road leading to the other bridge.

“I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t like the way they looked. Ed was watching you and the road, and I had my eye on those two. I think they’re running some kind of racket here. That was one of their guys in the car back there,” said Charlie, engaging the rifle’s safety before setting it across his lap.

“Maine Liberty Militia. Ever heard of them?”

Charlie shook his head. “Probably one of those offshoot groups. A dozen sprung up after 2013.”

“Whoever they are, I think they’re running more than just a racket. Let’s go back down Foxes Ridge Road.”

Ed put the Jeep into reverse and executed a two-point turn. When they passed the industrial site, Ed broke the silence.

“Now where are we supposed to cross? If we keep following the border hoping for the best, we’ll end up driving to the goddamned Canadian border!”

“We’re crossing in Milton Mills,” said Alex.

“How? This isn’t SEAL Team Six, Alex. You saw the guys down there. We don’t even know how many we’re dealing with.”

“Probably twelve,” said Charlie. “I saw three guys on the other side through my scope, talking to a bunch of bikers. Weapons aimed right at them. Looked like a heated debate going on. We have to assume the same setup on the other bridge. Two cars of three.”

“Twelve at the border and more at the church,” said Alex.

“That’s too many,” said Ed.

“We only have to get past six of them,” said Alex.

“With the rest of the Maine whatever-the-fuck Liberty gang coming to the rescue? What about the church? How many reinforcements do they have waiting over there?”

Alex glanced at Charlie. “We’re headed there next.”

“Recon?” asked Charlie.

“If my suspicions are correct? Direct action. No survivors.”

“Wait. Hold on. You’re going into the church? You’re out of your mind. These guys are fucking crazy!”

“Which is why it’ll work. I saw two of them up close. They’ll never expect this. When the bullets start connecting, they’ll break.”

“You can’t guarantee that. If something goes wrong, our kids are screwed. I’d rather walk to Boston to—”

“Ed! Walking to Boston is not an option! We need to be in Boston tonight . I can get us over this bridge.”

Ed shook his head and muttered obscenities for a few seconds before turning to Alex. “If this is too much for you and Charlie to handle, we find another way. I’m trusting you to make that call. Why is the church so important, again?” he asked.

“The guy at the roadblock said the only way to get across was to voluntarily give up your vehicle. They take your car and supposedly drop you in Sanford,” said Alex.

“The last car turned into the church,” said Ed.

“Exactly,” Alex stated. “I want to know what they’re doing with the families. They’re sure as shit not driving them to Sanford. I saw kids in that SUV.”

“They definitely didn’t take the family to Sanford,” said Ed.

“I’m shutting this operation down effective immediately,” said Alex.

Ed sighed. “This is going to get us all killed.”

EVENT +30:59 Hours

Acton, Maine

Alex approached the next tree trunk, careful not to snap any of the larger dogwood branches. Charlie trailed one tree behind, following his path through the dense forest growth. They had established an effective pattern in which one of them rushed forward while the other watched for threats.

Charlie crashed down next to him, pointing his rifle across the parking lot. Alex covered the northern door and the pavement area visible beyond the corner of the building. The two men he’d seen when they passed the church on the way to Milton Mills had been headed in the direction of the gazebo. Alex had taken precautions during their approach, stopping and observing for long periods of time. He detected no signs of an organized, defensive surveillance effort.