The Crash Box Set, page 26
part #1 of EMP Crash Series
“Don't you dare question my loyalty to the cause! Every waking moment I spend here is devoted to planning a way out, and it has been ever since we were brought here. Your brother, for some reason, enjoys my company. I'm not going to turn that down because every moment I spend with him is a moment I get to try convincing him that what he's doing is wrong.”
“Or maybe he'll convince you that he's right? I know you think you're some kind of big deal, but you haven't dealt with anyone like my brother before and you shouldn't treat him lightly.”
“Oh, trust me Saul, I'm not treating him lightly at all. I'm on my guard at all times, as I should have been when I first pulled you out of the river. I knew you were hiding something, but I figured I'd give you the benefit of the doubt. That's the type of person I want to try being, but you repaid me by lying to me, lying to us all.”
“Look, I already told you why I didn't tell you about my brother.”
“And what about the fact you were in prison for assault?”
Upon the words leaving Mack’s mouth, Saul appeared vulnerable for a moment. Then his face displayed a deep scowl again. “Figured it was only a matter of time before my brother told you about that. What does it matter?”
“It matters!”
“It shouldn't! I get why you're mad, but I wish you'd get off my back. All I hear from you guys is it was my mistake that got us in here, and it's my fault for not telling you my brother is the leader. Sure, I messed up, I made a few mistakes, but that's what I do and I'm not the only one. You think I like it here? You think I'm not beating myself up for not listening to you? Classic Saul, doing his own thing, making his own decisions and it lands him right back in the crapper again. The last thing I need is to keep hearing about it again and again.
“And as for my prison record...that was a long time ago. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes. I'm not saying I'm an angel, but I'm not as bad as you're making me out to be. The good thing about this apocalypse is people like me get a second chance to be good people. You might not think I'm good enough, and maybe I do have a long way to go, but I'm just trying to make my way through the world, same as you.”
With that he pushed into Mack's shoulder and barged past him, walking out of the tent into the fresh air. Mack considered Saul's words and immediately thought about Grace and how she, too, was trying to make a fresh beginning. In fact, Mack had started forgetting she had been his prisoner. Perhaps Saul should have been afforded the same respect and patience. It was clear to Mack the tension that came with being held in the camp was starting to affect him. He had to make a concerted effort to remain aware of it, so he could stay in control of it. But it was taking its toll on the others.
The rest of the day went by as it usually did until night settled in. At the bonfire Mack moved between various groups, giving them updates on his plans. He tried moving naturally, as though talking with these people was the most natural thing in the world. He was glad the man with no name still was recovering from his injuries as he had been keeping a close eye on Mack. They had a better chance of succeeding while that man was out of commission.
Whispers started moving among the people in the camp, and the excitement and hope were starting to rise. Even talk about fighting back was enough to brighten their moods, especially in people like Danny, who had been itching for revenge ever since he and his family had been brought into camp. And even people such as Chris, who would rather have kept their heads down, were now more interested after seeing how many different people were becoming involved. Mack was sure that with a little luck and some good timing they would be able to pull this off soon. Unfortunately, it was not the easiest thing to talk with all of them at once. Mack could not give an inspiring speech or discuss his tactics, either. So he hoped everyone received the correct instructions and that things were not lost in a game of telephone.
The following morning, just as they were given the signal to rise and begin their day, a guard came in and ordered Grace to go with him.
“Why? Where am I going?” she asked.
“You'll find out when you get there,” the guard said. Mack stepped in front of Grace.
“You're not taking her anywhere until you tell me where she's going. We've all been doing our duties. Is she being punished?” he asked.
The guard's hands moved down to his gun and he locked eyes with Mack. “I've been given my orders, and you have been given yours. If you interfere I will kill you,” he said, and then grabbed Grace by the shoulder.
She began struggling but Mack shook his head, for he knew any disturbance now would jeopardize their long-term plan. So it was with a heavy heart that he watched Grace being led out of the tent. He only could hope she would be safe. Because if she wasn't, then to hell with the plan; this place would burn.
Chapter 16
“So do I get to know where you're taking me now?” Grace asked after she was roughly pushed out of the tent.
The guard grunted at her and told her to keep walking. It wasn't long before she figured out where he was taking her, though. Soon Mr. Smith's hut loomed ahead. She went in and the leader was waiting there for her. The table was still there, but this time there was no food on it. Grace had not seen the leader much since that initial meal, but she had heard from Mack how he had been trying to find someone to join him. Other than that, the only times she had seen him were when he addressed the camp.
It was surprising how removed he was from the day-to-day proceedings. She wondered if it was just to shield himself from the inhumane displays she witnessed daily. He was the type of person she would have been able to ruin. She would have hacked into his bank accounts and transferred all his money, then she would have changed his password and made postings on social media. His life would have been destroyed. Yet now she could not do any of that.
Mr. Smith gestured to a chair, which she took, folding her arms and looking away with a sullen expression on her face. Mr. Smith remained standing, and as he spoke he paced around the room.
“As you can see, there are no knives to grab today,” he said, and smiled to himself.
“I have to admit I was impressed by your spirited display. Most people I have met quickly lose that part of themselves, but you seem to hold onto it tightly. I think I may have misjudged you when we first met. I thought you were nothing more than a child, but after receiving reports of how hard you've worked, I now can see there's more to you than that. Yours is the kind of attitude that this world is going to need. You're the kind of person I envisage standing on the pillars of the new society. I want to help you reach your potential, Grace. I want to see you grow and become one of the leaders of this new world I'm building. I want someone to stand with me, to be by my side and help usher in a new era for humanity.
“I thought that perhaps Mack was going to be the one, but his mind is too tied to the old way of thinking to be of any use. He's been brainwashed, like so many unfortunate souls. I pity him, really, but I realize I need someone with a younger outlook. I'm sure you must have seen how broken the world was. Now you can be a part of building a new one, a better one.”
Mr. Smith ended up standing behind Grace, and he rested a hand on her shoulder. The mere touch was enough to make her skin crawl.
“You're deluded,” she said, “the old world wasn't perfect, but neither is your vision for a new one. You're just as broken as you think the old world was, and you're insane if you think you're the man to put it all together again. You think anyone would follow you willingly? You lucked out with this place. The only reason people are still here is because of fear, and it's not even fear of you. It's the fear of being out there on their own. People don't want to be lost in the wilderness when they have a camp like this. You're just an annoyance, something they must deal with, like fleas. If you didn't have the guns you wouldn't be anything.”
Mr. Smith's grip tightened on her shoulder and then he stomped around her so he could speak to her directly.
“You don't know what you're talking about. All my followers are with me, and if people just would give me a chance they would see I only want the best for them. They would understand what I'm trying to do! But no, everyone must deny me my right to make the world in my image. They're jealous. That's it. They always have been. They're just jealous because when the world ended I took the reins, not them. I was the one who stepped up and took control. I'm the one in charge here and you're all just jealous!”
“Like I said, deluded,” she said sarcastically, as though she was talking to herself.
This really set off Mr. Smith, though. He grabbed her jaw and made her gasp as he forced her to look at him. Her demeanor changed completely and fear ran down her spine as her eyes began watering. When she was with Mack and the others she felt strong, and it was easy to forget Mr. Smith was a horrible man, but here she was being given a reminder of his terror. His slender fingers pressed against her skin and she could feel his hot breath as he spoke.
“You either can join me willingly or you can be forced to comply. I’ve grown tired of these games. I have considered all my options and you are the one I have chosen to stand with me. You cannot rely on your friends or anyone else. This is the last place you are going to see. So you may as well adapt to the new circumstances because I'm not going to let you leave. This is your future. This is your destiny.” He released his hands from her face and she stretched her jaw, attempting to ease the pain that was shooting through her.
“I'll give you a chance to think about it,” he said, and then he turned his back on her.
For a few moments, she was too shocked to move. She was afraid this was some terrible trick, and that if she tried to leave she would be punished. Without Mack and the others, she felt extremely vulnerable. Her eyes darted around the walls of the hut, replaying the vicious look in Mr. Smith's eyes as he had been talking to her. His offer had been a surprise and it didn't seem as though she had much choice. She knew she didn't want to comply, not after Mack had taught her how to fight, and after how she had spent all her life resisting people like Mr. Smith.
After she caught her breath, she could move again. She staggered out of the hut. There was nobody around. She was tempted to make a break for it, even though she knew that somewhere close by somebody was watching her, and if she did try to run she would soon feel a bullet burning a hole in her back. But she couldn't leave her friends, either, and this was a tremendous shift in her thinking.
While she had been part of a hacking group, there had not been any real closeness with the others. They all had lived a rather transitory life. Aside from D1ABL0, none of them were a constant presence. As such, she did not feel an obligation toward them as she did toward Mack and Luis. So she slowly made her way back to the tent, walking through the camp with a dazed look on her face.
The color had been drained from her skin. Grace looked lost. People started to talk as they saw her come back from the general direction of Mr. Smith's hut, and when Mack was alerted his blood boiled. He and Luis both noticed her quickly and they abandoned their posts, running back to be with their friend. The guards who were supervising them were amused to see them in such distress. So they didn't protest when they left, but told everyone else to keep working.
Luis was the first one to arrive in the tent, although Mack was only a few paces behind. Upon seeing him, Grace flung her arms around Luis, who tried his best to comfort her. Grace was shaking and tried holding back her sobs even though they were away from the prying eyes of the camp. She was not someone who was prone to emotional outbursts.
“What happened?” Mack asked, and as her voice shook Grace quickly told him what had transpired.
Mack clenched his jaw and his fists. If the tent had been made of a firmer material, he would have punched the wall. “That bastard,” he said.
“He's been luring me in all this time then he turns around and takes you like that. I should have seen it coming. Maybe if I had been more interested...if I just had agreed to be a part of this, then he wouldn't have threatened you like that.”
“It's not your fault,” Grace said.
“It doesn't matter whose fault it was. This man is a monster and he must be stopped. We need to start thinking about putting this plan into action because I don't want to be here to see what Mr. Smith is going to do next,” Luis said, still holding Grace.
Mack had a thoughtful expression on his face as many thoughts were whirling in his mind. All this time Mr. Smith had been working toward getting people to be a part of his supposed master race. Since Mack had declined his offer he had turned to Grace, who he must have known had a special bond with Mack. But Mack dared not think of what he was going to do to make Grace comply. He only could assume it involved taking either his or Luis' life.
“No, I don't want you moving the schedule up because of me. I can handle it. We need to wait until everyone is ready. Like Mack said, we're only going to get one shot at this and we need to make sure we make the most of it,” Grace said. Wiping her nose and mouth, she pulled away from Luis and stood using her own strength again, although Luis kept his arm hanging over her shoulder.
“No, Luis is right. This is only going to get worse and I don't want to give Mr. Smith another chance to hurt you. In ideal circumstances, we'd have another few days, but this world isn't ideal. We're going to have to move tomorrow. It's time to stand up to Mr. Smith, once and for all. I, for one, am tired of letting him have all the power here.”
Chapter 17
Ever since the man with no name had shouted at Steve, the young guard had felt indebted to Mack and had tried bringing him some extra rations every now and then. Although he had been taken off guard duty, things had to be shuffled around as other people went on patrols. So, occasionally Steve did resume his duty of bringing them meals. Steve had been the only guard they had spoken to directly about their plans. Although the fear on his face was plain to see, he agreed to help them, and Mack was impressed by the young boy's courage.
Steve also had spread the word among some of the other people who had been forced to serve as guards, as most of them had not enjoyed keeping their own families in check. They also had used Luis as a messenger between Steve and his brother Danny since the guards often were kept separate from their own families to make the division between them more apparent. Mack was aware of this and he did not want to harm these people if they could help it. So, although it was a gamble to let word spread through the guards, he trusted Steve's judgment to tell only people who would remain tight-lipped. But more than that, it was helpful to have a person on the inside who could give them accurate information about the comings and goings of the patrols.
On this morning Steve brought them their breakfast and nodded to them in turn.
“Danny said to keep your head down, and that he and your mom are looking forward to seeing you again real soon. They're both proud of you,” Luis said. Steve blushed and an awkward smile came upon his face.
“I'm proud of you, too, Steve. Thank you for helping us like this. I know it's not easy and that you must be very afraid, but you're going to be helping a lot of people by doing this.”
“I know, I just want to do my part,” he said.
“Something happened yesterday that means our plans have to move forward. We're going to have to attack today. Do you think that's a good idea?” Mack asked.
Steve chewed his lip and traded his weight from foot to foot before he answered. “There's a big patrol going out today, around lunchtime. Word is they've found another big group nearby and they're going to strike before they attack us. Most of them are going, with only a few staying behind.”
“Good, then perhaps it won't matter that we didn't have a chance to get organized properly,” Mack said.
“Hopefully, this all will be over by the time the patrol gets back, and we'll be able to give them a warm welcome.” The others grinned, and Steve joined in.
“I also brought you these,” he said, and reached around his back, pulling out a piece of cloth from which he had made a makeshift bag. He handed it to Mack, who unfolded it.
“These will come in really handy,” he said. Steve had managed to smuggle them in some knives.
“There are loads of them in the armory, a whole big box. I was asked to inventory them yesterday and I figured they wouldn't notice if a few of these smaller ones went missing.”
Mack handed one of them each to Grace and Luis, and then stopped in front of Saul. The big man looked up at Mack and blinked. They hadn't spoken much since their last discussion, but Mack knew it was time to give him a chance. Perhaps he hadn't been fair to him.
“I think we've been blaming you for long enough, Saul. We're here now and we have to deal with it. Even if you hadn't done what you did, there's no guarantee we would have slipped past that scouting party. Like it or not, you're a part of this group, and I'd like your help now, if you're willing to give it,” Mack said, offering the knife.
Saul looked up at him for a long while. In that time, Mack wasn't sure Saul would take his offer, but then the knife was taken from his hand and Saul stood up.
“I'm with you,” he said. The two men linked arms and smiled at each other, although Luis remained suspicious.
“You'd better get going now, Steve. I don't want them getting suspicious of you. If they come in here to check on you and see us holding these, we'll all be in trouble. Watch for the sign, and then you know what to do.”
Steve nodded. “Good luck,” he said, and he left the tent. Once he was gone Mack and the others examined the knives. They all were a similar length, about five inches, and a couple had ornate handles, while the others were more generic.
