William Forstchen - The Final Day

John looked up at the ropes, remembering the insane gibberish the leader of the Posse was screaming in his final seconds before being hoisted aloft to slowly die of strangulation. The hysterical pleas of the others with him as one by one they were hoisted aloft or taken to the edge of the ravine and shot in the back of the head until he finally relented and let the last few survivors of that murderous gang go to spread word of what would happen to any who dared to approach again.

“They were cannibals. There was nothing else I could have done.”

Bob looked over at him.

“When you’ve seen too much, sir, strange how all higher emotions can just drain away. I’m haunted by other things now, but not this.”

“I know.”

John looked up again at the ropes, and he suddenly felt a strange sense of detachment—no fear, no desire to try to flee. He looked back at the Edsel, where Makala had slipped over to get behind the wheel.

“Whatever it is, you’re leaving her out of this, aren’t you?”

“Of course, John.”

“You’ve orders to take me to Bluemont that you can no longer dodge around, is that it?”

Bob did not reply.

“Bob, I prefer a bullet. I remember a class with you once about George Washington, how he had to handle the Major André case, even though every judge of his court-martial appealed for mercy, or at least a bullet rather than the rope.”

“I remember that,” Bob said softly.

There was a moment of silence, and Bob looked at the Edsel. “You know, John, I think that is one of the ugliest cars ever made.”

It broke the tension for a moment as John smiled and explained how it had belonged to Mary’s mother, the old oversized machine impervious to the effects of an EMP.

“And that is your wife down there?”

“Yes, sir.”

“May I say hello? I’d like to meet her.”

“Of course. But if I am being arrested, I’d prefer no word. We have a baby due in a few weeks; I don’t want anything to upset her.”

“Of course.”

“All of them are armed,” John said softly as Bob started down to meet them, “and more than a bit nervous as well.”

“I understand.”

Bob approached the driver’s side of the car. Makala opened the door and started to get out, Bob smiling and telling her to stay inside where it was warm. She rolled down the window.

“Ma’am, I wished we had met under better circumstances,” Bob said gracefully.

“So do I.” Her voice was anything but friendly.

“John said you two are expecting.” He continued to smile and leaned in slightly. “And excuse me, ma’am, but you look like it will be any day now.”

“Yes, any day now, and I expect my husband to be by my side.”

“Of course. I understand.”

One of the twins in the back of the car began to fuss, and Bob turned his attention to the backseat.

“Now there’s a lovely package.”

John offered quick introductions, Paul and Becka looking up at Bob warily and not offering any reply other than curt hellos.

“I wish I had more time to meet all of you properly and someplace warm where we could sit and get acquainted. I can guess you want to get those two little ones safely home. You can pull around the chopper and go on your way.”

“With my husband?” Makala asked sharply.

“We need to chat for a while, ma’am.”

“But he’ll be home directly afterward?”

“All will work out just fine,” Bob said smoothly.

“I see,” was all she said back, her gaze now fixed on John.

John offered a smile of reassurance. “I’ll be along shortly, sweetheart. Why don’t you get the Hawkinses and their babies settled in and stay with them until I get home? Okay?”

Makala had the uncanny ability to know when he was holding something back or lying, and he knew she sensed it now.

“John?” She started to crack the door open.

He stepped forward, leaned into the car, and kissed her. “Baby comes first,” John whispered even as he kissed her again. “Get home safe, sweetheart. I love you both. Please do that now.”

She began to sob, arms reaching out to hug him, to somehow pull him into the car, but he broke free of her embrace, pushing the door closed as she tried to open it again.

“Now, Makala, please. Do it for me. Get the Hawkinses safely home.”

Unable to hide her sobs, she shifted the car into gear, rear wheels spinning as she hit the gas, swung the old vehicle out onto the road, and floored it, tires spinning in the slush and then gaining traction. She swung around the tail rotor of the Black Hawk and disappeared from view, John’s gaze on them until out of sight.

“A beautiful woman, John. Lots of guts. Can see why you fell in love with her.”

“Thank you for playing your part, Bob. But she knows.”

“Yeah, I could see that. What loving wife wouldn’t see through it?”

There was a moment of silence between the two.

Bob put a reassuring hand on John’s shoulders. Now that they were gone and he no longer had to playact, emotion was hitting him. “I hope you two have a daughter on the way. I always feared that Jennifer wouldn’t make it through the times after the attack. I remember how aggressive her diabetes was. Is it any help to you now that I prayed for her every day, even tried to figure out how to get through to you with some insulin? But it was impossible. You know that.”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference. A few extra shots, six months’ worth, her fate was sealed along with so many other kids like her on that day. We both know that.”

“Nevertheless, it haunted me. Same as my Linda and so many others.”

John could hear the emotion in his voice, and then there was silence between them as they walked back up the slope to the helicopter and climbed aboard, the gunner offering each of them a hand as they stepped up and strapped in.

“So this is it?” John asked as the rotors began to turn.

“Not quite yet. I’m sorry, but we’ve got to take down your eavesdropping as well. One of your ham operators screwed up, put it out on the air that you and your people were listening in and suspected that Bluemont was plotting some sort of attack. Sorry, John; I got direct orders to take it off-line.”

John wearily shook his head. It was the age-old bane of any secured operation. All it took was one loudmouth and all cover was blown.

“Only one of two ways I could see of doing that. We hover over the building, half a dozen of my troopers rappel down on to the roof, and chances are a lot of people—yours and mine—get shot, or you just walk in with me and we peacefully take it off-line. It’s your call.”

“We walk in,” John replied. “One question, though. How did you know where to find us?”

“There are spies, and then there are other spies, John. I think you were bloody insane for driving down to Old Fort after what happened last week. But in my case, it made it easy to pick you up without any fuss and take care of your listening post at the same time.”

“Just great.” John sighed.

“Maybe you should count yourself lucky.”

Thewalk from the Ridgecrest conference center up to the Franklins’ steep driveway was just a short distance but damned tiring as they slogged up through the slushy snow. A couple of times John came to a stop so Bob could catch his breath, and there was even a bit of tension-breaking joking about how both of them were getting too old for this type of hike. As they rounded the last turn in the driveway, John came to a sudden stop as four figures rose up from concealment—Ernie’s sons, daughter, and her husband, all of them pointing weapons at them.

John held his hands up, whispering for Bob to do the same as John identified himself. Weapons were lowered but still casually held in their general direction as they ascended the last fifty yards to the garage entrance, where Ernie awaited them, arms folded in his usual defiant gesture.