Dead Center, page 4
part #2 of Nemesis Series
“Don’t burn them. I’ve grown quite fond of how they fit on me,” Lexi said.
Anna craned her head back in Lexi’s direction and asked, “Are you being serious?”
“Yeah, I like those jeans,” Lexi said.
“I’ll get them washed, but after I talk to you about your pregnancy. Hop on the bed.”
“Are you going to be…?” Lexi asked pointing down at her crotch.
“No, no, I won’t be looking at your privates, yet. I just want to ask you a few questions, ’cause by the looks of ya, I think you’re close to having that baby,” Anna said.
Lexi got on the bed.
Anna asked her a serious of questions trying to gauge how long Lexi had been pregnant. She then lifted up her shirt to expose her belly and with a stethoscope listened. “Ah, there you are.”
Lexi furrowed her brow and asked, “What is it?”
“Do you want to listen?”
“To what?” Lexi asked.
Anna handed her the stethoscope.
Lexi put the ear tips in her ears while Anna placed the diaphragm against her belly where she’d just had it. Lexi listened but at first didn’t hear anything but a swishing sound.
“Do you hear it?” Anna asked.
“No, I hear only…wait, oh, is that, is that the heartbeat?” Lexi asked.
“It is. That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” Anna said with a sweet smile.
“I’ve never, never in my life heard a baby’s heartbeat in the womb,” Lexi said her voice cracking with emotion.
Anna rubbed Lexi’s forearm tenderly and said, “Soon you’ll be holding that bundle of joy.”
Lexi lay back and kept listening to the rabid thumping sound. “Is it supposed to be fast like that?”
“Yes, a baby’s heart rate is much faster than an adult’s. All is normal,” Anna answered.
“For a second I thought that maybe…”
Soothing her concerns, Anna said, “The heartbeat sounds fine.”
“Good,” Lexi said. She pressed her eyes closed and listened. A few tears streaked down the sides of her face.
“I’ll leave you alone. I’m sure you’re very tired,” Anna said getting to her feet.
“Food, do you have anything to eat?” Lexi asked.
“Oh my, we’ve forgotten to feed you. Of course we have food. I have beans and Joe’s favorite Spam. I fry it up and serve it along a side of stewed tomatoes which I canned in the spring.”
“Sounds great, thank you,” Lexi said. Again she closed her eyes and listened to the heartbeat.
Anna left the room and closed the door behind her.
Lexi was amazed to hear her baby’s heartbeat. She’d been feeling the child for a while but to now hear him or her made her feel more connected, if that made any sense. She was flooded with emotions unlike any she’d ever experienced before. And Anna was right, soon she’d be holding this baby; soon she’d be a mother, the one thing she never imagined in all the world she’d ever be.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA
August stared at the faces of the men gathered before him in the great hall, as he called it; the hall was located in the old Masonic Temple. August and his brothers had taken it over as their headquarters of operations not long after the lights went out.
Assembled in front of him were cousins, nephews, a couple of uncles and others who now worked for him. He’d summoned them all to formulate a strategy for finding Lexi so he could make her face the judgment he so sorely sought.
“Right now I know each and every one of you is aware that my brothers Michael and Gavin are dead, murdered. We also lost Lee and Roger. All done by one individual, a woman, if you’ll believe it. But her carnage didn’t stop with them. She also murdered my sister-in-law and my nephew. My poor little niece, Ava, at the back of the room, witnessed it; this is why we know who committed the acts. I’ve summoned you all here because we’re gonna find that bitch. We’re going to hunt her down and bring her back here to face what she has coming to her.”
A man in the front row lifted his arm.
“This isn’t elementary school, Jaime, what do you have to say?” August grunted.
“Are you saying you want us to stop what we’re doing, stop our protection and shipments to go find her?” Jaime asked. He was referencing the shipments they sent out to towns they now controlled. They distributed food to locals in their areas.
“I understand we have shipments to take care of and protection to keep providing, but cut down to skeleton crews. I want all able-bodied men and women ready to begin searching for her within two hours. Timing is everything,” August answered. The Clancy Clan operated like a organized crime syndicate. Early in the beginning of the collapse, they began taking resources and food from neighbors, then turned around and distributed it to others they deemed less fortunate. This wasn’t done out of principle or care for those in need, they did this as a cynical ploy to win support for their tactics. They were quickly branded modern-day Robin Hoods but soon people came to realize this was done mainly so they could spread their influence. Their army grew and soon they had expanded beyond the boundaries of Truckee. Along the way they ran across smaller operations much like theirs and incorporated them. Within a short time period they now controlled an area over three thousand square miles. They were powerful, and few could resist them.
“Auggie, this isn’t right. I have my own work I’m doing down in Carson City,” Jaime blurted out. He was a boss of one of the smaller enterprises the Clancy Clan had absorbed. Part of their arrangement was to allow Jaime and his team to operate with some autonomy but be available to assist when the clan needed.
“Send a skeleton crew, like I said,” August shot back.
“I’m not one of your men, we’re partners,” Jaime barked.
August glared at him for a moment. His hard stare quickly melted away to a slight smile. “Very well, Jaime, you do what you need to do, but some support in this matter would help.”
“I can give you two men,” Jaime said, his back stiffening with pride, as he’d just won a dispute with the notorious August Clancy.
“Then two it is, thank you.” August grinned. He shifted his gaze to the other leaders of groups and asked, “And the rest of you? What will you do?”
One by one, they protested scaling down to skeleton crews. All had their various and selfish reasons.
“How about we do this? You go back and put your name on a list of how many people you can send to support our search,” he said. He gave a nod to his brother Scott. “Scottie, make that list for me.”
“Will do,” Scott said, his arms folded in front of him. He was a stocky man with thick arms. A red beard hung long, but he kept it groomed and adorned it with Viking beard rings. His body was covered in tattoos, most of which he’d had done after the collapse. He kept his hair slicked back and down by using a hair cream, a supply of which he’d gotten after raiding a Costco.
August looked around the room and asked, “Any questions?”
Another man, his name Tito, blurted out, “You can have all my men.”
“That’s most generous of you, Tito,” August said, giving him a slight nod. “Now any questions?”
A few mumbles and noes proceeded.
“Then that’s it, go back and give your number to Scott. I want a head count. And make sure they’re here in two hours,” August barked.
The group of men mumbled their understanding as they stood up and headed to Scott.
August pushed past the group and exited the hall. He went to the parking lot and waited.
Slowly the men and women of his clan and allied groups began to trickle out of the hall.
“Everyone, gather around me. I’ve got one more thing to say,” August said.
One by one or in small groups they did as he said eventually forming a large semicircle in front of him.
When Jaime walked up, August approached him and asked, “Can I get you to reconsider?”
“Damn it, Auggie, I’ve got my own shit to handle in my territory. No, you’ll get two bodies, that’s it.”
“Are you sure? We could really use the manpower to find this woman,” August asked.
Jaime reached out and put his hand on August’s shoulder, looked him deep in the eyes and replied, “I understand you’re upset, I do, and I am deeply sorry for your loss, but we have our own issues to tackle.”
August looked at Jaime’s hand on his shoulder out of the corner of his eye.
Catching the glance, Jaime suddenly felt nervous. He removed his hand with a twitchy grin. “I’ll be sure to send my top two men though.”
August looked around at the others who were siding with Jaime. A surge of anger began to rise in him. His nostrils flared and the veins in his neck throbbed. “So the rest of you won’t reconsider?”
Like Jaime, they felt an uneasy feeling overcome them as they saw August’s composure change.
“So that’s how it will be, huh? In my time of need, after all I’ve done for you, you can’t lift a fucking finger. I’ve put you all at the top of the food chain in your territories, but I don’t get a fucking thank you, nothing. I need help to find the person who murdered two of my brothers, cousins, sister-in-law, and my nephew, and you can only find it in you to give me crumbs. This…this is how you show me your gratitude?”
“Um, listen, Auggie…” Jaime said but was cut short when August ripped a seven-inch-long knife from a sheath on his belt and thrust it into Jaime’s chest.
“You’re fucking heartless, Jaime boy,” August snapped. He twisted the blade and, with his left hand, grabbed Jaime by the back of the neck and pulled him closer forcing the knife to slide up to the hilt.
Blood spilled from Jaime’s mouth.
The others gathered around gasped in horror and turned to see if they could flee but soon discovered they’d been surrounded by armed men loyal to August and the clan.
August pulled the knife from Jaime’s chest.
Like a heavy sack, Jaime dropped to the ground. He fell onto his back and stared towards the gray sky. Blood poured from the wound in his chest and pooled on the ground around him. With a confused glance he went to talk but could only mumble a few words through the blood filling his mouth.
August dropped to his knees, straddled Jaime and plunged the knife into his chest.
A howl exited Jaime’s mouth.
Using the knife like a saw, August began to cut away at Jaime’s chest bones.
The fearful crowd grew tenser as they now began to assume this would also be their fate for defying August.
Sweat streamed down August’s face as he hacked and cut away at Jaime’s chest until he make a large enough hole to shove his hand into. He fished around until he grabbed Jaime’s unbeating heart and ripped it out. He held it high above his head, thick red blood dripping down his arm and shouted, “This is what happens when you’re heartless and ungrateful.”
Several in the group threw up, while others stood in shock, their faces ashen at witnessing such raw brutality.
Standing tall, August walked into front of each terrified person, putting the heart inches from their faces. “I’ll ask you one last time, are you going to be heartless and ungrateful like Jaime?”
Each person he came to shook their head and begged to provide all the help they could muster.
When he’d reached the last person, he tossed the heart to the side, turned to the others and said, “Go back and see Scott and tell him how many people you’ll be sending, and if I find you’re not doing your part, I’ll cut your heart out too.”
Not hesitating, the group rushed over to a grinning Scott, who stood waiting with a clipboard in his hand. Each member of the group gave their new number and quickly rushed off.
Tito remained, his eyes locked in a morbidly curious stare at Jaime’s body. “That was crazy.”
“That wasn’t crazy, that was convincing,” August replied. He walked up to Tito and asked, “You were the only person who was willing to do what I asked, why?”
“’Cause I believe in you,” Tito said, his thick black hair jutted out from underneath his Oakland Raider’s ball cap. He’d been a roofer before, a job he’d been given as a young man because it was the only one he could find that would hire an illegal immigrant.
“Why did the others go against me?” August asked.
“Simple, boss, ’cause you looked weak when you caved to Jaime’s demands.”
“You’re right, I did, but I had a change of heart,” August said. He wiped the blood on his jeans and walked off towards the hall.
“Were you trying to be funny?” Tito asked.
“No, I wasn’t,” August answered. “And, Tito, you’ve earned my trust today.”
“My team is with you, boss,” Tito said.
“For your loyalty, I’m putting you in control of Jaime’s territory,” August said.
Overhearing the conversation, Avery, another brother of August’s, chirped up, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Jaime’s people are going to be really mad.”
“I’m positive. Tito here has displayed strength, he doesn’t run with the crowd, he’s not a coward, and I need loyal people out there,” August replied.
“People liked Jaime,” Avery added. He was the youngest of the brothers and was also known as the simple one. It wasn’t as if Avery was just dumb, many believed he had a severe learning disability. He was capable of taking care of himself but beyond that, Avery couldn’t be trusted with responsibility.
“Well, baby brother, people like me too,” August said. He patted Avery on the cheek and continued, “Don’t you need to be somewhere?”
“Ahh, where?”
“I thought you were taking care of Ava?” August asked.
“Oh yeah, um, she’s at home sleeping. I wanted to come. You know I like it when we have big gatherings like this. And I’m glad I didn’t miss this one,” Avery said, with a quick glance to Jaime’s body on the ground.
“Why don’t you get back and check on Ava? She might be awake and scared,” August said, giving Avery a tender smile. He’d always felt bad for Avery growing up, people liked to bully him due to his learning disability.
“Are you sure I can’t help?” Avery asked.
“No, get on back home,” August answered.
Avery nodded and scurried away.
Scott approached and said, “I’ve got the list.”
“Good, I want everyone out looking for that woman right away,” August said. Another man was a few feet behind Scott, his arms folded over his chest. August had never seen the man before. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, yeah, he wants to meet you,” Scott replied.
“I don’t have time to meet people. I have shit to do,” August protested. He gave the man a sneer and headed back towards the temple.
Walking alongside, Scott said, “I think you might want to talk to him.”
“Why?”
“Just hear him out,” Scott said.
August stopped, again gave the man a sneer and said, “Fine.”
With a swagger in his step, the man walked up and extended his arm. “August Clancy, nice to meet you.” Blood was still on August’s hand but the man didn’t seem to care.
The two men shook, both looking at each other intently.
The man was shorter than August, then again, most men were; yet he wasn’t short. He stood around six feet tall, had a husky build, dark hair, brown eyes and the skin on his cheeks and neck showed the scars of acne from his teen years. “My name is Clinton Marks.”
“What can I do for you?” August asked.
“Let me just say that was some display there. Wow.”
No response from August.
“Mr. Clancy, word has spread far and wide that you’re the man to do business with. I’ve come from Carson City—”
“Carson City, did you know Jaime?” August asked.
“Heard of him, nothing more,” Marks answered. “Like I said, your name is known as a man who’s on the move and can get things done.”
“And?”
“I need your help.”
“How can I help you?” August asked.
“Right now things are in flux politically, boundaries are shifting, old institutions are collapsing and being replaced by new ones. The old political players are being pushed out and new ones ushered in. Today is an exciting time.”
All August could do was chuckle after hearing Marks’ last comment. “Yeah, you could say it’s exciting.”
“With all these changes there’s opportunity. I know you see it; I know you’re taking advantage. I want to take advantage too,” Marks said.
“You sound like a politician, are you a politician?” August asked. “You’re going on and on and on. Just spit out what you want and I’ll see if I can help or not.”
“I’m not a politician, at least not yet,” Marks replied as he thrust his hands into his pockets to stop from fidgeting nervously.
Growing agitated, August snapped, “I was serious when I said I don’t have time. Tell me what you want now or get the fuck out of my way.”
“I want you to help me become governor,” Marks said.
“Of which state?”
“Huh?”
“Which state do you want to become governor of?” August asked, intrigued by the statement.
“Oh, um, Nevada, I want you to help me become governor,” Marks blurted out.
“Is there a governor now?” August asked, genuinely unaware of the current political status in Carson City.
“Yes, but he’s ineffective. The legislature, if you can call what’s assembled that, is worthless. What the state needs is leadership.”
“And you’re the one to deliver? You can be trusted?” August asked. “I’m not sure if governments the way we knew them before is the way into the future. They didn’t help after all this shit happened and they’re not doing anything now.”
“I will be different. I have some influence now as the minority whip in the legislature. With you backing me, I can make things much easier for you, if you know what I mean?”
