Adrian Smith - The Rule of Three

Ben shook his head. “SNAFU.”

“SNAFU? I heard you say that.”

“It’s military jargon. It means Situation Normal All Fucked Up. We use it sarcastically, meaning it’s chaos, but that’s normal.”

“Oh right, so you were in the army?”

Ben nodded. “Yes, I served in the New Zealand Army, then the NZSAS, two tours of Vietnam, followed by some other stuff. Retired from the NZSAS when I was 45, then trained soldiers until I retired five years ago.”

Dee looked into Ben’s eyes. She could see pain buried deep. Those eyes had seen things no one should see. Not wanting to press him any further, Dee changed the subject. “Do you mind if I ask who you were talking too?”

“No, not at all. I was talking to the army… or what’s left of it.”

Ben pulled out a map of New Zealand. “We have pockets here in Wellington, holed up in the bunker under Government House. There’s a small group in Auckland, under the museum. A few are scattered around the South Island, in the mountains. Most evacuated out to the islands with the navy. Here on the Chathams, Stewart Island, Great Barrier and Mayor Island.”

“What about other survivors, like Boss and I?” Dee asked, hopeful of news of Jack.

“A few, yes, when we can find them. We’ve been flying them out to Mayor Island.”

“So why are you here?”

Ben rolled his shoulders, stretched out a kink and sighed. “Well, since I have this little bunker, I was recalled to active duty and ordered to stay behind, hunt for survivors.”

Dee allowed hope to float back into her mind. Perhaps Jack was still alive. Maybe he had been airlifted to safety.

“Can we radio Mayor Island and ask about my husband, Jack?”

“It’s pretty chaotic over there, but sure, let’s go for it.”

He turned back to the bank of radios and turned one on. He turned the detent dial until he had the right frequency, then pushed down the talk button on the microphone.

“Falcon 7, Falcon 7, this is Dusty Hollow, over.”

A voice immediately answered, making Dee’s heart leap with excitement.

“Falcon 7 receiving. Over.”

“Falcon 7, looking for civvie, maybe brought a few days back. Over.”

“Name, Dusty Hollow? Over.”

Ben looked at Dee. “Jack, Jack Gee. G-E-E.”

“Falcon 7, civvie’s name is Jack Gee, that’s Golf-Echo-Echo. Over.”

“Received. We’ll get back to you. Out.”

Dee paced around the room, grinning from ear to ear. She had hidden in that damp, stinky basement for thirteen days, and in the house for two. Fear of getting torn apart and eaten had frayed her nerves. But she had survived. Boss had provided humour. Her hope of seeing Jack had never diminished but now it flared up anew, thanks to Ben. He looked like a gentle giant, but Dee had seen the ruthless former SAS soldier in action.

Ben looked at Dee, a twinkle in his brown eyes. “Wait a minute. Is your married name ‘Gee’?”

Dee laughed. “Yes, I know. Dee Gee.”

“Really?” Ben smirked. He leant back and chortled.

“Yeah.” Dee giggled. It felt good to share a laugh with Ben.

The radio crackled to life. Dee’s heart hammered in her chest. “Dusty Hollow, Dusty Hollow, this is Falcon 7, Over.”

“Receiving Falcon 7. Over.”

“Nobody of that name on the civilian manifests, Dusty Hollow. Out.”

She was devastated. She had allowed herself to hope. Hope Jack had made it to Mayor Island. She sat down in a chair, deflated. The roaring in her ears drowned out the rest of the radio conversation.

Ben put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry Dee, I really am. I’ll get you and Boss to the next airlift.”

Dee nodded numbly, eyes downcast. “I should have gone to him. He was in the bush. But I made him come to me.”

“Dee, where was he?”

“Up in the Kaimai Mountains. Near Sentinel Rock.”

Ben got up and started pacing around the small room. “So he would’ve come across the country towards the city, right?”

Dee could feel a spark of excitement. “Yeah. He loves those back country roads.”

Ben fumbled through his pile of maps. Finding the one of the surrounding area, he excitedly pointed down. “Look. All the roads got choked up quickly, so maybe he had to skirt this area, forcing him wide to try to come into the city from the south?”

Dee nodded her head in agreement.

“If he ran into any Variants, he may have been taken.”

Ben placed both gnarled hands on Dee’s shoulders. “Dee, I think I might know where he is. If he’s alive, he’s here.”

Dee looked at the map. Ben was pointing at the Waikato River. Next to his finger, she read Karapiro Dam .

“The dam? Why would he be there?”

“Those guys you met? Well, they used to find survivors too, only they give them to the Variants. I captured one of the traitors and extracted some information. The Variants use the dam as a meat locker, a slaughterhouse and a bloody nest!” Ben spat the last words. “Look. I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a long shot. Chances are he just got caught up in the chaos.”

Dee felt herself fall to the ground. Food? Her Jack, now food? The mere thought of it curdled her stomach. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she buried her head in her hands. Dee didn’t want Ben to see her like this. Soldiers like him were used to people holding their emotions in check.

Ben grasped her shoulder. “If we had a way to be sure, I’ll help you get him.”

“Wait. You said it’s a meat locker?”

“Yes.”

“So, that means there are other people there?” Dee said, rising to stand next to Ben. A plan was forming in her mind.

“That’s the impression I got from the traitor, yes,” Ben said, grimacing.

“Why doesn’t the army mount a rescue mission, then?”

“I’ve already asked and got a firm no. Not enough resources.”

“That’s crazy,” Dee said. “I thought the army was there to protect the citizens. To protect our way of life. Not run and hide.”

Ben smiled and nodded. “I agree with you, Dee. I must admit I don’t like this running and hiding.”

Dee paced the room, arms clasped behind her back. There were so many thoughts running through her head, she struggled to focus. She tried to calm herself and then, with sudden clarity, an idea came to her. But with no knowledge of how the electrical grid worked, it was a long shot.

She stopped walking and snapped her head up, looking at Ben. “You don’t happen to have an Android phone charger, do you?”

Dee watched as Ben rummaged around in the drawers on the desk.

“Is this what you mean?” Ben said, holding up the charger.

Dee looked at the end and smiled. “Yes.”

She plugged it in and ran back to the bathroom, where she had left her old, smelly clothes. When she had been resting in the boat, Dee had been surprised to find her smartphone in her pocket. She guessed she had put it there out of habit. Or, and more likely, hoping for a miracle, that Jack would call her.

Thankfully her phone sprang to life and Dee spent a few seconds scanning through her apps.

“What are you going to do? Call him?” Ben said, frowning.

Dee shook her head. “No. Tried that already. I’m going to use this app. Find my phone. Jack installed it in case he ever went missing on one of his hikes.”

“Good idea.”

“I just hope the cell towers have power.”

“I’m pretty sure they have backup.”

Dee grunted and stared at her screen. The app glowed back at her, but after several moments a tiny blue arrow blinked back. Dee swiped her fingers over the map, enlarging it. Jack’s phone was on Wiltsdown Road. Dee heart sank as she glanced over the map. That was at least thirty kilometres away from Karapiro. She showed Ben the location.