The Long Road

JANUARY 15, 2014

40 miles east of Barstow, CA

“Right here. There’s a base of some kind. It’s very small and there are people there. But get this, they don’t look military,” said Nelson excitedly as he pointed on the map to an area that showed only desert.

“You sure it’s not Fort Irwin?” asked Samantha.

“Hey, I’m not a Rhodes scholar, but you and I have seen Fort Irwin. This ain’t it. This place is very small. I saw about two dozen different buildings. There’s a runway. It’s like a small forward operating base.”

“How many people are there?”

“A lot.”

“A lot like, how many?”

“I counted more than fifty. But you know what’s odd? Some were working, but each small group had at least one or two people watching over them with guns. Plus, the entire perimeter was being guarded.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this last night?” asked Samantha.

“I came back late because I stayed as long as I could. I was able to get close, but not close enough to identify faces. When I got back to camp, my dad said you were in your trailer. I thought to knock, but I knew there wasn’t anything we could do about it then,” said Nelson. He was now concerned she might get upset.

“It’s okay, you’re right. I was tired last night. I snuggled up with Haley and went to bed early. So what do you recommend?” Samantha sensed he was being defensive, and after yesterday’s argument with Sandy, she didn’t want to upset one of the few close friends she had.

“Hey!” said Seneca loudly as she walked up on them both.

Samantha and Nelson greeted her. They carried on some small talk before Samantha subtly gave hints that they were busy.

“Um, listen. Sam, I appreciate you helping us out the other night. Thanks for smoothly things over. I, ah, also want to apologize again for Mack. You could say he’s a bit rough around the edges,” Seneca said.

“Rough is an understatement,” quipped Nelson.

Seneca shot him a slight flirtatious smile.

Samantha noticed the way they looked at each other. She could see the attraction they still had. She’d never understood why Seneca broke up with him. When Seneca left Nelson, she left all of their lives. It had been years since Samantha had seen her. At one time they were inseparable friends. They had done everything together, and if it hadn’t been for Seneca, Samantha wouldn’t have met Gordon. Then, without warning one day, Seneca broke up with Nelson and disappeared. Samantha once grilled Nelson over what had happened and even accused him of causing her to leave. But she finally just had to let her go. Now, out of nowhere and to everyone’s surprise, Seneca had shown up. On the outside she looked different, and Samantha wondered if that change was as pronounced on the inside. Maybe, after they settled down in Idaho, she’d be able to get to know her friend all over again.

“Sweetie, Nelson and I need to go soon. So can…”

“Sorry, but I’m not here to chitchat. I want to know if Mack and I can help. We have our car, so we can…”

“Yes, of course. Sorry to assume.”

“It’s fine. I can’t imagine what you must be going through. Just let me know what we can do.”

Samantha smiled at her old friend. Having her on board to help made her feel better.

The plan they agreed upon took all four of them to a spot closer to the small base Nelson had spotted. He wanted to try to get himself into a position where he’d be close enough to identify who was there.

“So that seems easy,” said Seneca smugly.

“We will see. Like I mentioned before, the place is heavily guarded. Let’s keep our heads down, be quiet, and whatever we do, don’t let them see you.”

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

Baxter briskly walked through the dimly lit halls, a white piece of paper clinging to his fingertips. As he came upon personnel, they immediately stood at attention and against the wall. When he reached Cruz’s door, he hesitated before knocking; what he was about to say was heart-wrenching. The few seconds he bought himself didn’t change the fact that he had to be the one to break this news.

He knocked loudly. Then he looked down at the paper and read it again to himself. Maybe he had read it wrong the first five times. Did he miss something? As he slowly scanned each word, he made sure that it said what it said.

The door opened, and there stood Cruz. “General? Is everything okay?”

“Sir, may I come in?” insisted Baxter.

“Sure, sure. Come on in,” said Cruz, opening the door more. “Please ignore the mess. We were so used to housekeepers that we forgot how to housekeep ourselves,” he said, acknowledging the state of his quarters.

“Thank you,” said Baxter, stepping inside.

Cruz closed the door behind him and asked, “So what’s this about?”

“Here,” said Baxter, handing him the paper. “I thought it best I hand-deliver this.”

Cruz took the paper and read it. The concerned look on his face melted to sadness as the words sank in.

“When did they find it?”

“Just thirty minutes ago.”

“Call everyone to the command center ASAP. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cruz was the first to reach the command center. He immediately went into the large briefing room and picked up the phone. “Get me the Colorado governor,” he said into the handset, then put it down.

Baxter was the next to arrive, followed by the rest of the team.

Just as everyone was sitting down, the phone rang.

Cruz grabbed the handset before the second ring. “This is Vice President Cruz. Yes, Governor, we have been informed. When can you get your people here? I understand, but you need to evacuate everyone now. I don’t understand what you mean. Slow down. Who?” Cruz asked, then began clicking on the receiver. “Governor, are you there? Hello, Governor?” Cruz clicked the receiver again. Nothing but silence. He turned to Baxter and ordered, “Get the governor back on the line immediately!”

Baxter turned to leave, but the door burst open before he could reach it.

A young tech sergeant came in, his eyes wide and face flushed. “Sir, excuse me for interrupting, but we have a major situation!”

Cruz dropped the handset and followed as everyone rushed out of the room. The main command center had four rows of glowing monitors, which all faced a much larger LED screen on the wall, showing a computer image of the continental United States. On a smaller screen to the right was an aerial view from an orbiting satellite.

“Sergeant, what is it?” Baxter barked.

“Sir, we just registered a detonation,” the tech sergeant said, sitting back down at his computer. “Here, let me put it on the screen.”

All eyes turned to the main screen.

The tech sergeant maneuvered a cursor and zoomed in on the Denver metro area. East of the city was a red dot that pulsated. He took the cursor there and zoomed in again. The pulsating red dot now enveloped the Denver International Airport.

“Sergeant, what are we looking at here?” Cruz asked.

“Sir, that large red dot signified a nuclear detonation,” the tech sergeant answered soberly.

“Shit!” Cruz blurted out.

“What can you tell about the blast from here?” Baxter asked.

“It’s tough, but the blast seems limited or contained. Like it was a subsurface explosion.”

“Subsurface?” Dylan asked, not knowing what that meant.

“Dylan, it means an explosion underground,” Cruz answered.

“It means the DIA bunker facility is gone and so is the governor and all those people,” Baxter then added.

“We have another,” an airman bellowed from behind his monitor.

“What?” Cruz asked, confused.

“Yes, we are getting data that there has been an event at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. It looks like another subsurface detonation.”

“How is this happening? I don’t understand!” Cruz exclaimed.

“Wait, hold on. Sir, we are picking up another one!” the airman yelled .

“Where?” Baxter asked.

Everyone in the room was on pins and needles.

“Raven Rock, Pennsylvania!”

“Mr. Vice President, these are all secure bunker locations, like Cheyenne Mountain,” Baxter told him.

“What do we do? Evacuate the base?”

“Sir, I don’t think there’s much we can do. These all seem to be coordinated. If this base has been targeted, then it’s only a matter of time. Somehow these locations have been compromised. They store most of our long-term self-storage foods and other needed resources…”

“How is this happening? How can this be happening? Why are we so inept?” Cruz shouted.

“I don’t know why, but right now there isn’t much we can do from here,” Baxter said in an attempt to answer the vice president’s repetitive questions.

“There has to be something we can do!” Cruz yelled.

On the big screen a fourth, then a fifth red dot appeared. Dulce Base, New Mexico, followed by Mount Weather, Virginia.

“Sir, those locations held the bulk of our underground stores of food, water, and equipment. We are the last large facility.” Baxter said somberly.

“Then we are a target. We need to evacuate immediately!” Cruz exclaimed, clearly frightened.

“Like I mentioned before, we can attempt to evacuate the entire base, but these attacks look coordinated. If it’s going to happen, it will happen any minute,” Baxter said as he walked to a chair and sat down. He placed his face in his hands.

Everyone looked around nervously. The room was quiet except for the slight hum of equipment and the five low-toned pings that showed the locations of the nuclear detonations.

Cruz also felt the weight of defeat. He walked back into the briefing room and slammed the door behind him.

Tijuana, Mexico

“Is it done?” Pablo asked. “Good, glad to hear it. Really, that’s ahead of schedule. How did… Never mind, doesn’t matter. I’ll be there, thank you. Yes, of course I’ll have the payment,” Pablo said, then hung up the satellite phone. He placed it on his father’s desk and twirled it. As he watched it spin, visions of his new role in the world were sinking in. Not since Hitler had someone tried something so bold. Feeling cocky, he stood up and walked to the cabinet behind him. He opened the top door and reached in for a bottle of cognac and a snifter. He poured himself a glass and sat back down. Just as he was about to taste the cognac, a loud knock at the door disturbed his moment.

“What? Who is it?”

The door opened, and in came his mother. Her clothes, hair, and makeup showed the signs of distress.

“Mother! Please sit down. Can I pour you a glass?”

She marched over and slapped him across the face.

A look of anger came over him, but it melted away quickly and was replaced with a smile. “Mother, please sit down.”

She went to slap him again, but he grabbed her wrist.

“Mother, stop! Now you can go sit down or I will have one of my men restrain you.”

She resisted him, but his grip was tight.

“Do you understand me? Either you behave yourself or I’ll have you locked up like Father.”

“You insolent, spoiled brat!” she said, then spat on him.

The spit clung to his cheek like thick plaster.

He wiped his cheek with his sleeve and stood up. Still holding on to her wrist with his left hand, he brought her close. “Mother, my patience is not infinite. If you don’t behave I will have you locked up.”

“I don’t care! Lock me up! How dare you tear down everything your father worked so hard to get for you and our family!” she yelled, her face flushed with anger.

“I haven’t torn down anything. I will take this family to a higher place than he ever could. You will see, Mother. In three days, I’ll show you and Father. I will show you the future of the Juarez family.”

Outside unknown military installation

The prospect of knowing where Gordon and Hunter might be filled Samantha with hope. The reality of where and what it was filled her with dread. What Nelson had described sounded like a prison to her. Armed guards not only guarding the gate and perimeter but guarding others who were working sounded bad. She hoped that today’s trip would provide them enough information, and proof that Gordon and Hunter were alive, so that they could coordinate a rescue.

They had stashed Nelson’s truck behind several large boulders on the opposite side of the mountains that overlooked the camp to the west. The hike to get into a good spotting position took them almost two hours. The steep climb and rough terrain made for an ankle-twisting experience.

Seneca and Mack set up farther south, closer to the vehicle. Nelson was concerned about leaving the truck, so part of their responsibility was to watch the east-west road that led to the camp and make sure no one came up behind them.

Once settled into their hiding position, Samantha pulled out a pair of binoculars. When she first looked through them, the image of the camp was blurry, but as she adjusted the optics, a crystal-clear image appeared. Below her was exactly what Nelson had described. Approximately a dozen armed guards walked the perimeter and stood post at the gate. A group of about twenty men were working on the far east side, too far for her to identify any of them. Throughout the camp she saw others coming in and going out of buildings, but again it was impossible to identify anyone. Frustrated that she couldn’t see Gordon or Hunter, she put the binoculars down and grunted, “Damn.”

“Let me guess. It’s too difficult to make out anyone?” Nelson quipped. He too had a pair of binoculars and was scanning the base; however, he was looking for weaknesses in their defenses.

“Yes, that, and do you see how many armed men are there? Even if we spotted Gordon and Hunter, how would we get them out?” Samantha said. Knowing she needed to get past this feeling, she picked up her binoculars and began to look again. She strained her eyes to see the men on the far east side. She looked for children but couldn’t see any. As the men worked on the far side coming and going, she attempted to spot any of Gordon’s obvious traits.

“Hey, do you hear that?” Nelson asked. He lowered his binoculars and cocked his head as if that would improve his hearing.

“Yeah, I do. What is—”

“Over there!” Nelson exclaimed, pointing to the north of the base.

Six Humvees with mounted guns were heading toward the camp at high speed.

Samantha turned and looked. “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know,” Nelson answered.

Shouting erupted from the camp as they too saw the incoming vehicles.

The Humvees soon opened fire with .50-caliber machine guns. The distinct deep thumping sound from the .50s engulfed the valley.

Both Nelson and Samantha watched in amazement as the Humvees drew closer, guns blazing, and the personnel in the camp ran like cockroaches when the lights come on.

Soon, though, the guards recovered and began to return fire. Their collective effort quickly destroyed one of the Humvees.

The berm provided the camp guards adequate protection, and soon they were able to stop two more advancing Humvees.

Samantha peered down on the surreal events. People were running everywhere, but she took notice of the several people running toward the south berm, which was now left unattended. One was a woman dressed in what appeared to be a nightgown. Samantha thought her attire was odd. She watched her run straight across the runway and helicopter pads. Seeing this woman and two men make a break for it gave Samantha hope that if Gordon and Hunter were there, they too might take advantage of the distraction.

Her hopes soon were dashed as she saw someone with a rifle take aim and fire several shots. Immediately following the shots one of the men fell hard. To Samantha it looked as if he was dead before he hit the ground.

The shooting of this man caused the woman to make a hard right and start to head west. Bullets hit the ground behind her as the guard who had shot the man targeted her.

Samantha found herself cheering for the woman—come on.

More bullets came flying toward the woman, this time hitting the ground just before her. She darted left, then right and kept erratically moving until she reached the berm. The woman lunged and rolled to the opposite side. On the far side of the berm and safe from bullets, she plotted her next move. She looked toward the mountain in front of her; the rough terrain and rock outcroppings made it an attractive place to hide.

Samantha was so nervous for this poor woman. Then a thought came to mind—this woman could know about Gordon and Hunter.

“We have to help her!” Samantha said loudly to Nelson.

“What? How?” he asked.

“She could know about Gordon and Hunter. We have to help her!”

“Okay, what do you have in mind?”

Inside unknown military installation

The instant the attack came Gordon knew this was his time to act.

He grabbed Derek by the shoulder and said, “Now’s the time, let’s go!”

“Now?”

“Yes!” Gordon exclaimed as he pulled out the knife Hunter had given him.

The guard who was in charge of watching them was still there, but his attention was focused on the action happening at the north end of the base.

Gordon flipped open the blade and walked briskly over to the guard, whose back was toward him. Not hesitating one more second, he grabbed the man by the face, covering his mouth with his left hand, and slit his throat. Blood squirted out of the open artery; then the large volume of blood just cascaded down from the open wound and covered his body. The guard went limp in Gordon’s arm. Knowing he was dead, Gordon let him fall to the ground.

“Let’s get my boy!” Gordon said loudly as he picked up the guard’s semiauto rifle and what extra magazines he could carry.

Pandemonium was gripping the base. People were running all over the place. Some of Rahab’s people ran for the cover of the buildings, while most of his henchmen were assembling at the northern berm and engaging the soldiers. His captives were also reacting in various ways. Some huddled together, scared and unsure of what to do. Others ran toward the perimeter of the base. The other men Gordon was with took off for the eastern berm; beyond them was an open expanse of desert.

Automatic gunfire, screams, and cries made for a symphony of chaos.

“Here!” Gordon said as he handed Derek the blood-covered knife.

Derek reacted with revulsion.

“Take it, goddamn it!” Gordon ordered.

Derek jumped. He took the knife and held it in his shaking hands. The warm blood ran between his fingers and dripped onto his shoes. At first he cringed and tried to wipe off the blood. Then he convinced himself that this bloody knife was the key to his escape. His grip tightened, and he took his first step toward what he hoped was his freedom.

Outside unknown military installation

The woman had made the lower part of the mountain and began to climb.

One of Rahab’s guards was still attempting to shoot her. He had been successful in killing the other two who had attempted the escape over the berm, but the woman was proving to be difficult.

The bullets continued to rain down on her position, but she kept her head down. Each time there was a pause, she assumed he was reloading and climbed higher. Her only trouble was that she couldn’t see any large rock outcroppings for another two hundred feet. She knew she couldn’t stay there, and soon the guard might get help; she would have to make a run for it. Closing her weary eyes she prayed to herself—you can do this girl, now, one, two… When she opened her eyes to look at the path she would take, she saw a shimmer in the rocks above. She squinted and saw a woman waving to her. A nervous and unsure feeling crept through her.

“Who the fuck are you?” she said out loud.

“She saw me, she saw me!” Samantha said excitedly.

“Now what? She has to clear two hundred–plus feet to get to the nearest cover, then another fifty to get to us,” Nelson said.

“We shoot the man shooting at her!” Samantha said confidently.

“That will draw their attention to us. No, no, no!” Nelson insisted.

“We have to help her. We don’t know if Gordon or Hunter are even in there. This woman might be able to help us answer that. Now shoot the man!” she snapped at him.

Nelson raised his eyebrows in astonishment at Samantha’s bravado. He grinned, popped up over the rock, took aim with his rifle, and squeezed the trigger. When the shot cracked, he almost instantly saw the man’s head snap back.

“Good shot!” Samantha squealed in excitement.

“I have to thank Gordon for that,” he said, winking at her.

Seeing the rifle appear, Lexi became nervous. Her back was pressed so hard against the rock she swore she was a part of it.

When the shot rang out, she took a breath and peered around the side of the rock.

The man who had been shooting at her fell to the ground.

She looked back toward where she had seen Samantha waving. No one was there. She peeked again around the rock to make sure it was clear. Seeing it was, she was about to move when she saw Samantha again waving.

“Up here, you’re safe with us, I promise!”

Lexi’s instincts were crying out that this woman looked safe, but her experiences over the past seven and half weeks yelled, Don’t trust anyone. She didn’t know them. She thought that she could be going from the boiling pot into the fire. But the woman looked sweet, she looked safe. Where else am I going to go? Lexi thought. She looked around. Nothing. She was surrounded by nothing. Wide open desert everywhere. She then thought, Should I have run toward the soldiers?

“Fuck!” she yelled out.

Behind her the sound of gunfire was still fierce, but it had diminished.

She looked back up.

Samantha was still there waving for her to come.

Peeking one last time around the rock to see if all was clear, Lexi finally took that step toward Samantha.

“Fuck it!” she said.

Inside unknown military installation

Gordon’s deliberate and ruthless nature was in full force. He had shot two of Rahab’s men outside the main building.

Derek jumped over the two bodies and opened the door for Gordon.

Gordon came right up behind him. He popped his head in and looked in either direction. No one was there, so he entered the building with the rifle at the ready. The main entrance opened into a small lobby. To either side were long hallways that wrapped around the entire building. On the insides of the hallways were numerous rooms and offices.

“Now where do we go?” Derek asked with a labored voice. The run from across the base had exhausted him.

“Sshh! Listen! Upstairs!” Gordon said, looking for the closest stairwell.

“There!” Derek shouted out and pointed to a sign on a wall down the main hall.

Gordon, with the rifle firmly in the pocket of his shoulder, tactically walked down the hall.

Derek stayed close behind. He had retired the knife and taken a rifle from one of the guards Gordon had killed at the entrance.

The gunfire was now faint behind the walls of the building.

When Gordon reached the end of the hallway, he slowly reconnoitered the area. When the door to the stairwell entered his field of view, he saw another guard standing there at the ready. Gordon squeezed a shot off, hitting the man squarely in the chest. He then came fully around the corner and put two more rounds in the man. Stepping up to the guard, he grabbed a pistol from him, tucked it into his waistband, and took all the magazines from him and tucked them into his pocket.

Upstairs both he and Derek could hear people running around and the children crying.

A loud voice then bellowed out.

Gordon couldn’t tell who it was, but he would soon find out. He entered the stairwell and looked up quickly. No one was in his field of view. He slung the rifle and pulled out the pistol, a Glock 9-mm. He dropped the magazine to inspect the rounds and checked it to see if a round was chambered. The magazine was full and a bullet was loaded. He slapped the magazine back in and proceeded up the stairs.

Reaching the top, he stood with his back against the wall next to the door.

He placed his finger to his mouth, signaling Derek to be quiet.

Derek confirmed with a nod. Sweat was pouring off of him, and his eyes showed a deep-felt determination.

Gordon turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

The second the door opened, the sounds he had heard earlier became amplified.

He let the door close quietly and said to Derek, “When I open the door, I’m going left; you need to come right behind me and go right. Be careful what you shoot.”

“Okay,” Derek answered nervously.

“On three. One, two, three,” Gordon ordered, then opened the door and entered the hallway.

Derek followed right behind him.

Three men stood only ten feet from Gordon.

The men were stunned to see him and began to bring their guns up.

Gordon started to shoot while slowly walking to the right; he wanted to make it harder for them to hit a moving target. He hit the first two before they could fire a single shot.

The third man fired but missed.

Gordon could see the fear on his face, and he squeezed a shot, hitting the guard in the face. The back of the man’s head exploded and he dropped to the ground.

Just behind him, Gordon heard Derek fall.

Not seeing anyone else in the hall, he looked over his shoulder to see Derek kneeling on the floor. Blood poured out of his right shoulder.

“Damn!” Gordon barked. He took a few steps back to check on him. “How bad is it?”

“Aah, if this was eight weeks ago and this happened to me on Fifth in Hillcrest, I’d say it’s a bad day. But because it’s not and I’m not dead, I’ll have to say I’ll be okay.”

“Good man, just stay here and watch the door. I’m going to finish this and get my boy,” Gordon said.

The crying of the children echoed off the walls and covered up the fact that the gunfire from outside had stopped.

Gordon tucked the pistol away and brought the rifle back into action. He loaded a fresh magazine and proceeded down the hall. At the corner he scanned and saw some children standing in the hall, but no adults. He paused for a moment to see if one of Rahab’s men would make an appearance. None did.

He committed himself and walked fully into the hallway. With the rifle at the ready, he entered a large open room. About fourteen children were there, many crying. No Hunter. Gordon walked up to the oldest child and asked, “Where’s Hunter?”

The child pointed to the door next to the room.

“Is anyone in there with him?”

“Brother Jeremy?” the boy answered in a trembling voice.

“Anyone else, any other bad men?”

The boy shook his head no.

Gordon approached the door with ease. His next actions would determine a lot. Scenarios raced through his mind. He didn’t know how the room was laid out. Where was Hunter in there? He couldn’t just open up and blast, he had to be careful and diligent. Putting all the thoughts out of his mind, he grabbed the handle and opened the door.

Outside unknown military installation

“Who are you?” Samantha asked Lexi.

“Who the fuck are you?” she shot back. Her piercing blue eyes darted from Samantha to Nelson. She was looking for anything that seemed out of place.

“I’m Samantha, and this is Nelson. We’re not here to hurt you,” Samantha said softly.

“How do I know that?”

“You don’t, but why else would we shoot that man down there? You needed our help so we helped,” Samantha flatly said.

Lexi stared at Samantha. Her nerves were shot and she was terribly hungry.

Samantha felt bad for this woman before her. She could see the signs of abuse. Bruises covered her face, neck, and arms. She could tell that before the lights went out, Lexi had been an attractive young woman. Samantha guessed that she wasn’t older than thirty. Her hair had been dyed blond, but she now had grown-out brown roots, similar to Samantha’s. It appeared as if her hair had been cut hastily due to it being extremely uneven.

“Why help me?” Lexi asked, curious about why they would put themselves at risk.

“I’ll be honest, because we think my husband and son might be in there.”

“Those people down there are fucked up. They are fucking evil!” Lexi spewed in anger.

“Do you know a Gordon or a Hunter?” Samantha asked urgently.

“Aah, no. Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Are you sure? We need to know, I need to know,” Samantha pressed. She touched Lexi’s arm, causing her to flinch.

“I told you, no!”

“Please, did you see a man, tall, over six feet—”

“Yeah, about half the men there. Listen, I told you I don’t know a fucking Gordon or Hunter. If they’re down there, they’re fucked. That Rahab is an evil son of bitch,” Lexi interrupted her.

“We have a problem,” Nelson urgently said, looking at the base below.

The Fort Irwin soldiers’ small attack on the base had been a failure. The Humvees that had been part of the attack now sat smoldering.

“How do you think they got those running?” Nelson asked. “And why would they come with only a handful of Hummers? Doesn’t make sense.”

Samantha jumped up and looked at the base below through her binoculars. The chaos and disruption had settled down. Random gunshots could be heard from inside the base.

“Nice meeting you all, but I’m outta here,” Lexi said, attempting to get up.

“Hey, just stay with us, we won’t hurt you. I promise. I need to talk to you more about this place. Please,” Samantha pleaded.

Lexi looked at Samantha squarely. She could see the desperation in her eyes and could sense she was a good woman. “Okay.”

Inside unknown military installation

The scene before Gordon was taken right out of a nightmare.

Jeremy had Hunter in front of him with a large knife under his throat.

Hunter stood silent, but his eyes screamed with terror.

With the typical words from any Hollywood movie, Jeremy shouted, “Stay right there or I’ll kill him.”

Never having been in this situation but always having been a critic of those scenes from movies, Gordon did exactly what he’d always said he would do. He immediately shot Jeremy in the mouth with the rifle. No response to his inane and cliché command. Gordon placed one 5.56-mm round where he knew it would drop the man like a sack of potatoes.

The round traveled the short distance to Jeremy’s spinal cord, and blew out the lower part of his skull. Bloody brain matter splattered the wall behind him. His eyes rolled up inside his head, and he went directly down. The knife fell from his lifeless hand and hit the floor with a clang.

Frozen in fear, Hunter stood unsure what to do.

Gordon slung the rifle and went to him. He knelt and embraced his trembling son. “I’m here, I’m here. Everything will be fine. Let’s go home. Let’s go see Mommy.”

Hunter started to cry intensely. The warm tears fell from his eyes and ran down Gordon’s neck.

“I’ve got you now, it’ll be okay. I promise. Now let’s go.”

San Diego, California

Bishop Sorenson’s funeral had been over for two hours, but Annaliese still sat staring at the pile of dirt that covered his body. Her gaze had been unfettered and focused. Sebastian attempted to talk with her, but she didn’t respond, she just sat staring.

“She’s a fucking mess,” Brandon quipped.

Sebastian shot him a look and barked, “Shut up! Her father is dead. Show some respect!”

“Whatever, whose parents aren’t dead!” Brandon retorted.

Sebastian just glared at him. He knew Brandon had a lot of pain and was unable to channel it in a constructive manner. Not wanting to get into a back-and-forth, he chose to ignore him.

Brandon matched Sebastian’s stare but after a few moments chose to leave well enough alone. He walked away mumbling something unintelligible.

“I’m worried about him,” Luke said.

“Yeah, I would agree. That kid needs to stop being so fucking angry,” Sebastian responded, clearly irritated by Brandon’s disrespectful comments.

“So are we leaving?”

Sebastian didn’t hear Luke. His attention was completely on Annaliese. He found her incredibly beautiful. Her deep pain at the loss of her father made her so fragile and vulnerable. He had to resist the urge to go over and just hold her. He looked away and asked Luke, “What? What did you say?”

“Ha, I asked if we’re leaving.”

“Yes, we are. Ask me when, though.”

“Okay, I’ll play along. When?”

“When she’s ready to go. Not a moment before. Got that? I go where she goes,” Sebastian said, pointing at Annaliese.

Luke looked at her, then back to Sebastian. He was a bit confused but started to see that Sebastian was making it his responsibility to protect her now that her father was dead.

“Well, I go wherever you go, so I hope you don’t mind I tag along?”

“Of course not. Now stop bugging me about when we’re leaving.”

Willis walked up to the two of them. “Sebastian, Mrs. Sorenson wants to talk with you.”

“Sure, where is she?”

“She’s in the living room,” Willis answered, pointing toward the main house.

Mrs. Sorenson was rocking back and forth in a rocker recliner next to the large bay window. In her hands she clenched a handkerchief, damp from her tears.

Sebastian knocked on the wall just outside of the room. “Excuse me, Mrs. Sorenson. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, yes. Come in, please.” She motioned to a love seat across from her.

Sebastian walked over and sat. “How can I help?”

“I see how you look at my daughter.”

“I, aaah, sorry, but… ” Sebastian stuttered.

“Listen, my husband liked you and I like you. You seem like a good man. I also know that Annaliese has feelings for you.”

“Aah, please don’t.” Sebastian continued to stutter. He was put on the spot by her direct comments.

“Please be quiet and let me finish,” she softly but firmly commanded him. “Sebastian, you seem like a good man. You also seem like a very smart and capable man. The other men around here, while smart and nice, are not up to the task of protecting my Annaliese and her siblings. You, Sebastian, are that man. I see it and my husband saw it. I brought you in here to ask you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“I have a brother who lives in Sandy, Utah. He has a large piece of land, and like many other Mormons, he’s prepared. I know that he’s not going to Zion. You see, there’s always been a lot of debate about the holy land. He for one thinks it’s hogwash. I talked to him today.”

“You talked to him?” Sebastian asked, interrupting her.

Mrs. Sorenson stopped rocking and looked at Sebastian with a slightly irritated expression. “We have ham radios. We kept a lot of our equipment in Faraday boxes.”

“Okay, sorry to interrupt.”

“Our life here is over. Most of the group here wants to go to Zion. We’re not going. I have you here to ask if you’d escort me and my family to Sandy.”

Sebastian didn’t have to think about it. He answered quickly, “I’m your man, but can I ask something too?”

“Sure.”

“The two boys I found. I want to bring them with us.”

“That Luke seems like a fine boy, but please keep your eye on the other one. He worries me.”

“I’ll do that. So when do you want to leave?”

“Tomorrow, let’s leave tomorrow.”

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

“Either we’re alive because we’re lucky or we’re alive because it was planned. I don’t know. In fact, I’m coming to realize we don’t know shit about anything!” Cruz yelled as he slammed his fist down on the table.

Around the table sat his team. No one said a word. They all just looked at the table or the walls.

There wasn’t much to say. Either they had somehow averted death or they weren’t on the list.

“With the loss of these underground facilities, we have lost a considerable amount of food, water, and other precious resources,” Baxter informed the team.

“So what do we do? We don’t have enough now to help those in the Midwest. I’m at a loss here, I need some good counsel. Somebody give me something?” Cruz asked.

They all just looked at each other.

Wilbur broke the team’s silence. “Mr. Vice President, what happened today might give us a boost with Australia and our South American friends. Knowing that we have lost a large portion of our backup supplies, they might now come to our aid out of sympathy. So, I will also suggest we don’t undertake any type of retaliation unless we have solid intel and we run it by them.”

Frustrated and tired, Cruz stood up. He started to pace around the large rectangular table.

“So we exploit today’s attacks?” Baxter asked.

“I wouldn’t use the word exploit. We can’t change what happened today. We have to use what happened to our advantage. Do you have an alternative?” Wilbur fired back.

“As a matter of fact, I do!” Baxter responded.

“Enough, enough! Stop! There are two things we need to know. Who did this and how? Any thoughts?” Cruz asked. He continued to pace the room.

“These attacks all had similarities outside of the obvious. They were directly targeted at our underground facilities. Whoever did this knew what they were doing and wanted to disrupt our COG plan,” Baxter stated before being interrupted by Dylan.

“COG?”

“Continuity of government. Seriously, Dylan, why are you in here? You don’t seem to know anything,” Baxter said mockingly. His even temper and patience were gone.

“I’m here because…”

“Dylan, stop,” Cruz ordered him.

“Mr. Vice President, this attack was designed with the sole purpose of preventing our government from reorganizing.”

“But why now? Why not do this before? It’s so strange,” Cruz muttered.

“Does it matter to know why?” Baxter attempted to answer.

“Yes, it does matter. Why not here? If we ask these questions, we gain some control and eventually find out who did this,” Cruz said.

“Sir, I think whoever did this might have left us alone because they are showing us that we aren’t in control, they are.”

Inside unknown military installation

Knowing that his window of opportunity was shrinking, Gordon didn’t stop to reload or gather more ammunition from the dead guards. He hurried past their bodies down the hall with Hunter in his arms.

When he turned the corner, he saw Derek leaning against the wall holding his shoulder.

“How are you?” Gordon asked.

“I’m good.”

“You okay to move?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Derek said, slowly getting up. The shoulder wound was painful and would need treatment, but escaping Rahab’s grasp took precedence over the pain.

They raced down the stairwell and exited into the hallway.

“Take the lead,” Gordon ordered.

Obliging, Derek walked in front of him and began to make his way toward the main entrance.

In their haste, they hadn’t noticed the gunfire outside had stopped.

Carefully looking around the corner, Derek didn’t see anyone.

“Seems clear.”

“Good, from here, let’s get to the hangar where the cars are,” Gordon said.

Sticking his pistol straight out in front of him, Derek led them down to the main double doors.

Gordon watched Derek closely; he knew how much pain the other man was in. Only weeks before he had suffered from several gunshots. The respect you have for people comes not from who they say they are but from what they do. Derek had proven himself to be a good man. How strange, Gordon thought, that all these events would lead him and Derek to work side by side. They may not have agreed on everything politically in the pre-attack world, but they were kindred spirits in this new world. Gordon looked forward to having Derek be a part of his group once they escaped this hell they were in.

Derek stopped just outside the doors and took a deep breath. The pain in his shoulder was immense. All he had to do was make it another four hundred feet to the hangar. He knew they weren’t out of the woods, but they were closer.

“Hey, thank you so much for helping me get my son. I can never thank you enough,” Gordon said.

“Well, you can thank me with a drink when we get outta here. Let’s go,” Derek said, grimacing from the pain.

He pushed the doors open, exposing the bright light from the outside.

The loud crack of several gunshots rang out.

Gordon saw the bullets rip through Derek’s torso.

Derek fell to his knees; he tried to shoot the pistol, but it was more of an involuntary reaction than a deliberate action.

Gordon stepped back from the door. He slouched down, still holding Hunter.

Hunter tightened his grip on Gordon’s neck. His whimpering grew louder.

“Sshh, it will be okay,” Gordon softly said, but doubt filled his mind.

The double doors closed, leaving Derek out front.

Gordon saw his shadow cast on the doors.

More shots cracked. Two of the bullets went through the glass doors and hit the far wall of the lobby.

Gordon stood and looked at the doors; he saw Derek’s shadow disappear as he fell down.

“Hunter, hold on as tight as you can.”

Gordon started to run back toward the elevator. He remembered seeing another exit. He turned the corner, jumped over the dead guard near the elevator, and stopped just outside the exit door.

The main doors burst open, and voices echoed down the hallway.

Gordon placed Hunter on his feet and said, “Honey, I can’t carry you. When I open the door, come out behind me. I’m going to be shooting and running. Just follow behind me. If something happens to me, you keep running, okay? Don’t stop, just run and run.”

“No, Daddy, I’m scared.”

“I know you are, but I need you to be that big man I know you are. Here, take this. Shoot anyone who comes near you,” Gordon said, giving Hunter the pistol.

Hunter perked up a bit and wiped the tears from his cheeks and eyes.

Gordon kissed him on the forehead and said, “I love you.” He then stood, kicked the door open, and ran out.

Outside unknown military installation

Nelson observed the guards shooting random people and gathering others up. The Army’s feeble attempt to secure the base had been a total failure. Nelson still could not explain why so few troops were utilized.

“So who are those people down there?” Nelson asked.

“Some religious guy named Rahab and his fucking wacko followers,” Lexi answered with disdain. Looking bored, she kept picking up small rocks and throwing them.

“How did you come to be captured?” Samantha asked.

“My sister and I ran out of gas out on the 15. Next thing we know a truck shows up, these fuckers jump out and take us. That simple.”

“So what happens down there?” Samantha asked.

“What doesn’t? Rape, murder, you name it. It’s horrific. They murdered my baby sister,” Lexi said loudly as she threw a rock.

Samantha could feel her eyes tear up.

“So you never heard of a man named Gordon or a boy named Hunter?”

“Listen, I told you no! They kept us, they kept the women separate. We would see the men but never interacted with them.”

Nelson kept scanning, hoping to see something glaring that would help him identify Gordon or Hunter.

More gunfire sounds came from the base.

Moments later Nelson saw a man and child run out of the back of a building. He only caught a glimpse because a large hangar stood in the way. He waited to see them pop out the other side, but they didn’t.

More gunfire erupted, then silence.

Nelson was straining his eyes to see. Was that Gordon and Hunter? he asked himself. He kept waiting for them to reappear on the other side of the hangar, but nothing. It was like they just vanished. He contemplated telling Samantha, but he hadn’t gotten a good look. Not wanting to give her false hope or now, with their disappearance, a sense that something bad had happened to them, he kept quiet.

Samantha looked at her watch, then the sun, as it was already on its slow march toward the horizon.

“Let’s get you back to our camp and get you cleaned up,” she said to Lexi.

“Sam, I’ll stay here till the sun sets,” Nelson said.

“No, you need to come with us.”

“Please, let me stay. One of us needs to be watching this place. This place. I don’t know. This place might be where they are. I need to study it to figure out how we can find out if they’re in there.”

“Okay, we’ll leave Mack’s car,” Samantha said, reaching over and rubbing his arm.

He looked at her and smiled.

“Come on, Lexi, let’s go meet the crew,” Samantha said to Lexi, giving her a nod.

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

Julia was happy to be back in her room with her things. The only thing she couldn’t stand was how boring it was. She had always kept herself busy before. Being locked underground for weeks now was starting to wear on her.

As she paced her room, she thought of some of the activities and groups she could form. She imagined there were so many other women who could use support. She had the influence and needed to have a purpose.

All over her residence were signs of Brad. His clothes still had his smell. On the counter was a pen he’d used to take notes the last time he was there. It hadn’t been moved since he placed it there.

She walked into the bedroom and saw on the chest of drawers a comb he’d used. She picked it up and looked at it carefully. Some of his fine black hairs were stuck in the teeth. She put it back down. Next to it was a pile of loose change he’d had in his pocket from when they arrived at Cheyenne Mountain. It still sat there where he’d laid it. The last person to touch those pennies, dimes, and quarters was him.

The same questions popped into her head: Where are you? Why can’t we find you? Cruz and Baxter had kept the special ops teams out in the field looking for him. Every day they would report—Nothing found. She knew they couldn’t keep up the search forever; eventually she too would have to say good-bye to him.

She started to feel emotional for the hundredth time. As the sadness filled her up, she sat on the bed. Even sitting up took effort, so she fell back and lay there. She then thought about how much they had reconnected just before he left. She hadn’t had those schoolgirl feelings for him since college. Attempting to be positive and mature, she thanked God that if Brad was never coming back she at least had those final moments with him.

“Arghh!” she said out loud. She sat up and again blurted out “Arghh!” Her feelings were like a seesaw. One minute there was hope, the next despair. “Pull yourself together, Julia.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she began to fidget with her wedding band. She twirled it round and round her finger.

Then like a light bulb going off, she had an idea. She walked out of the room to an internal phone. She picked up the handset and dialed the four-digit number to Cruz’s room.

It rang and rang but no answer. She hung up. She picked up the handset again and dialed a different number. A voice suddenly answered.

“Hi, this is Julia Conner. I need to speak with Andrew Cruz; sorry, I need to speak with the vice president. It’s urgent.”

“Mr. Vice President, I have the first lady on the phone, line two,” the lieutenant said to Cruz, who was meeting with his secretary of state.

“Tell her I’ll call her back,” he answered, not looking up from a stack of papers before him.

“Sir, she says it’s urgent.”

Cruz looked at Wilbur and rolled his eyes. “Do you mind?”

“Go ahead, I’ll take the break to go get something to drink. I’ll be back in five.”

“Thanks,” Cruz said, then picked up the receiver and touched the line 2 button. “Hi, Julia?”

Cruz relaxed in his chair and listened to her explain how they could help identify one of those bodies found in that abandoned house. She knew there was a chance that Brad’s ring would be gone, but if it hadn’t been removed it could be an identifying factor. She explained that it would help all if they knew for sure that was his body. While she acknowledged that it would be hard, she needed to know.

Cruz agreed and told her he would order the teams back to that location ASAP. He hung up and dialed Baxter.

He explained to the general everything she had told him. With this new information, they could had a chance to move past the unknown. Cruz didn’t want the shadow of Conner over him anymore. He missed his friend, but if this could provide closure, then so be it.

Inside unknown military installation

The bucket of water tossed in Gordon’s face woke him up. He shook his head and spat out the tainted water that had gone into his mouth. His vision was blurry and his head hurt. Being knocked out is an odd experience. It’s similar to a deep sleep. All he remembered was he and Hunter were running away from the main building. When he heard Hunter scream, he turned and saw that he had fallen and one of Rahab’s men was on top of him. Gordon remembered shooting the man, but from the hangar others came at him. He remembered being tackled to the ground, and the last thing he saw was his son screaming and reaching for him. Then the darkness came when Gordon was hit over the head. He looked at his arms and legs; he was bound on the cross. They had him tied to the cleansing cross.

“Fuck,” he said to himself, feeling defeated.

Looking around, he didn’t see anyone. They had placed him on the cross that faced toward the south foothills. The base was behind him. He heard people talking and some commotion, but he couldn’t tell what was happening. The heat of the sun beat down on him. He cursed to himself that he was so close. He’d almost made it. Now, he would die.

“Gordon.” The voice of Rahab was behind him.

“Rahab? Where’s Hunter? Where’s my boy?”

Gordon heard the sound of Rahab’s shoes on the gravel. He moved his head back and forth to see from which side his nemesis would come.

“Rahab? Where’s Hunter?”

Rahab was still silent except for the sounds of his footsteps.

In the distance Gordon could hear footsteps. They were loud and accompanied by the sound of something being dragged. Fear gripped him as he thought of Hunter. Are they dragging his poor, fragile little body?

Soon Gordon knew; two men brought Derek around and placed him against the cross.

“Derek. You’re alive?”

Not a word fell from his mouth. Derek was alive but barely. Blood covered his entire body.

Gordon looked at his friend. His chest had three more wounds, from which the blood poured freely.

His limp body just hung. He didn’t have an ounce of strength to hold himself up.

An additional person had to support his body so they could tie him to the cross.

Once they’d affixed him to the X, Rahab came into view.

He walked in front of Derek and looked; then he turned his attention to Gordon.

“Gordon, I had a sense about you, but I fought this urge. You have committed a crime against God’s messenger, and today you will pay a dear price. But before, I will send your friend here to hell. He will burn in the fiery depths with Lucifer himself.”

Gordon had witnessed only one of these executions, but this was different. When Rahab had killed before, he had looked at it as a way to send people to God. This was not what was about to happen to Derek.

“Derek? Derek? Thank you. If you can hear me, thank you!” Gordon shouted.

Derek’s head moved slightly.

Seeing that was enough for Gordon; he felt that Derek had heard him.

Rahab faced Derek, removed his large knife, and plunged it into Derek’s chest.

Derek let out a slight groan, but that was it.

Not satisfied with knifing him, Rahab then cut off his head. He turned to Gordon and said, “This is what happens to those who defy God. You see, Gordon!” Rahab said, holding Derek’s severed head in his face.

“Fuck you! You’re a fucking coward! Show me that you’re God’s instrument and fight me. Come on. If you have God on your side, you can’t lose!” Gordon screamed, disgusted by the evil man who stood before him. Gordon didn’t care what he said. He knew there was nothing he could do now; he was dead.

Rahab tossed Derek’s head and ordered his men over. “Take this man’s body and dispose of it. Toss it where we empty the latrines,” Rahab said with a grin.

“Come on, big man. Cut me down and fight me. Show your followers you are God’s instrument! Come on! If God is on your side he won’t let you die!” Gordon taunted.

“Brother Rahab!” a man said from behind Gordon.

“Come,” Rahab ordered.

The man walked up to Rahab and whispered, “The cars are assembled. We have taken care of the others. We can leave when you wish.”

“Very good, my brother. Oh, bring the boy,” Rahab said, touching the man on his shoulder.

Gordon knew who they were talking about.

Soon he heard more footsteps behind him. He could tell one was lighter and smaller. Shortly he saw that it was Hunter.

“Hunter! Hunter! Are you okay?” Gordon called out.

“Tie him to the cross,” Rahab ordered.

“Don’t do this! He’s just a boy. Don’t do this, Rahab! Rahab! He is a boy, he had nothing to do with this!”

Rahab watched as they tied Hunter to the cross. After the boy was secure, he turned and walked up to Gordon.

“Gordon. You made one big mistake when you thought you could challenge me. You are a man of this earth and you follow earthly rules and laws. You see, I’m a man rooted in the spirit, not this world. I have different rules, and those are of our messiah.”

“Rahab, he’s a boy. He has done nothing! Don’t do this!” Gordon said, then turned his attention to Hunter. “Son, you’ll be okay. He’s just trying to scare you. Nothing will happen to you,” Gordon said, desperately trying to reassure his son.

Hunter didn’t answer him. He just looked at Gordon with youthful and brilliant blue eyes.

“You killed many of my men today, but now you ask me to forgive or forget that?” Rahab challenged. “Your boy here is of this world too, like you. His body might be young, but his soul is no different than yours. Were you aware that of all the men you killed one was my son?”

“He was going to kill Hunter. I had no choice!”

“Yes, you did. You could have submitted to our rule and followed us, but you made a choice. There are consequences for our actions. You made a choice many years ago to be the man you are. No one forced you to be that way. Something brought you to where you are now. God placed you in my hands to cleanse you. You are a sinner, Gordon, and today you will pay a dear price for your actions. Today you will know the pain that comes from making a decision that is the wrong one,” Rahab said, then turned. He pulled out his long knife and stepped toward Hunter.

“No, no, no! Please don’t! Stop! No, don’t! Please, God no! No, no!” Gordon was screaming. Spit spewed from his mouth as he continued to beg Rahab. “Hunter, I love you! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I failed you!”

As Rahab stepped to within a foot of Hunter, the boy spoke. “Daddy, I’m scared!”

“Close your eyes!” Gordon cried out.

“Daddy, I love you. You never failed me because you loved me!”

“No, God! Please, don’t do this!” Gordon cried louder. Tears were bursting from his eyes. Thick saliva was building in his throat as nausea washed over him. “Rahab, stop! Please!”

Rahab now stood directly in front of Hunter. He raised the knife high above his head.

“No, no, no!” Gordon continued to cry out. Tears kept pouring forth. He looked at Hunter. He could see his son’s beautiful face, his deep blue eyes and light brown, wispy hair. Quick flashes of his little face when he was born came to Gordon’s mind. He remembered the first time he saw those blue eyes. How they looked at him with all the trust in the world.

“No, please, God, no!”

Rahab paused for a second, then committed himself and drove the knife deep into Hunter’s chest.

Hunter screamed out for a few seconds, then fell silent.

“God no! No, not my baby boy! No! You fucking monster! You’re a fucking monster! Aaaw, noooo, my baby boy. Nooooo!” Gordon was sobbing intensely. He was in a state of shock as he looked at his son, the large knife sticking out of his chest. The deep, dark blood rushed out of Hunter’s chest and ran down his small body. Gordon screamed.

Rahab pulled the knife free and turned toward Gordon. “You killed my son today, so I killed yours. This was not a spiritual rule, this was an earthly rule. Now you have paid the price!” He took a step closer and stood only a foot away from Gordon.

Gordon couldn’t stop looking at his son’s lifeless body.

Rahab moved so that he blocked Hunter’s body from Gordon’s view and said, “You have paid the price. Now you will live with this,” Rahab said as he took the knife and sliced Gordon’s right cheek open. “Every time you look in a mirror you will remember this day.”

The deep cut bled heavily. The tears from his sobbing were mixing with the blood as they both ran down his face.

“Good-bye, Gordon Van Zandt!”

Outside unknown military installation

The image of the man and boy running kept plaguing Nelson. He was determined to find a better spot to view, but he had to figure out how to do so without being seen. To avoid silhouetting himself, he pulled back and headed toward the car. He would navigate along the backside of the mountain, down toward the road, and cut across the open desert that connected the western range and the southern range. He was hoping the southern mountains would give him a better view.

“Damn it,” he yelled out in pain as he twisted his ankle.

Sitting down on a large rock, he rubbed his ankle. The terrain was covered with small rocks lying atop loose soil. He calculated that it would take him a bit over an hour to get to the south mountains. Determining his ankle was fine, he pressed on.

Gunfire coming from the base over the mountains stopped him in his tracks. Screams were mixed in the rattle of the gunshots, but then all fell silent. Nelson started to run as best he could. Seconds later, he heard a few more shots. Then silence again.

Halfway through his migration to the south mountains, Nelson expressed to himself regret for being so cautious. He wished he had just taken the chance and gone down to recon the base near the berm. The conflicting internal dialogue consumed him. He thought of Samantha and Haley. If they couldn’t find Gordon and something happened to him, that would leave both of them alone. While Nelson trusted Eric, he’d promised Gordon he’d watch over them. To put his regret at ease, he ran harder.

His timing was close; an hour and half later he reached a safe hide position in the south mountains from which to observe.

The base was alive with activity. He saw cars and other vehicles lining up near the main buildings. People were moving back and forth.

A smaller group was gathered near two large X structures on the runway. Nelson found this curious.

Pulling out his binoculars, he took a look. What came into focus shocked him.

On the X that faced him he saw Gordon. His face hung low, and blood covered the entire front of his body.

“Shit!” Nelson cried out. All he could think was that Gordon was dead.

More noise came from the base as the convoy started up and began a slow procession out.

Nelson frantically scanned the base from top to bottom, left to right. He saw no one; it appeared empty.

Once the last vehicle had cleared the gate, Nelson stood up and began his trek down the mountain.

He felt like his heart was going to burst. He ran as hard as he could. He kept his eye on the base for movement, but it now seemed like a ghost town. Clearing the berm with ease, he was almost to Gordon. With each step he took he was hoping he’d see Gordon lift his head, but nothing happened. His body hung strapped to the large wood beams.

Nelson was running so fast and he was so focused on Gordon that he didn’t see Hunter on the other cross.

“Gordon? Gordon?” he cried out as he reached his friend. Grabbing his face, he lifted his head.

Gordon moaned a bit and opened his eyes. He peered at Nelson through slits because he didn’t have the strength to open his eyes fully.

“Oh my God, you’re alive. Shit, man, you had me scared there!” Nelson said, quickly examining his friend. Nelson took notice of the large cut on Gordon’s face. “You hurt anywhere else?”

“Hunter,” Gordon said above a whisper.

“What’s that?”

“Hunterrrr,” Gordon said louder.

“Hunter, yes. Where is he?” Nelson asked as he was cutting away the restraint on his friend’s left arm.

Gordon pointed with his right hand, which was still bound to the cross.

Nelson saw him point and stopped what he was doing. He just stared at Gordon’s right hand.

“Hunter,” Gordon said again.

Nelson didn’t want to turn around. He hesitated as long as possible; the fear of seeing Hunter dead was too much for him.

“Hunterrrr,” Gordon said with a raised voice.

Knowing he couldn’t wait any longer, Nelson turned around. His eyes widened when he saw the boy’s obviously dead form hanging from the cross. Hunter’s face and hands were a pale color. The volume of blood on and around his corpse told Nelson the death must have been horrible. “Oh fuck, no! No, God, no!” Nelson felt his throat tighten, and tears began to collect in his eyes. He walked over to the boy and placed his fingers against his throat to check for a pulse that he already knew wasn’t there. Nelson ran his hand up to Hunter’s cold face in a gentle motion. Placing his hand then on the boy’s head, he leaned in and kissed the top of his head. Not wanting Hunter to remain this way, he took out his knife and cut him down.

Hunter’s cold and stiffening body fell into Nelson’s arms. With all the gentleness and grace he could muster, Nelson laid him on the ground softly.

“Nelson, cut me down,” Gordon said, his voice hoarse from the yelling earlier.

Nelson jumped up and took his friend down.

Gordon, too, fell into Nelson’s arms, but the weight was too much for Nelson to hold him. Gravity continued to play its part, and Gordon fell to his knees. With no desire or strength to try to get to his feet, Gordon crawled over to Hunter’s body.

“Aaaaw, nooooo. My baby boy. Noooooo,” he cried out i.

Nelson just stood, feeling like he wasn’t even in his body. Everything just felt so strange. All they had wanted was to find them. If they had found them sooner, this might not have been Hunter’s fate. Then the question came to him: How would he tell Samantha?

40 miles east of Barstow, California

“Mommy! You’re back!” Haley squealed with excitement seeing Samantha step out of the truck.

Ignoring her daughter, Samantha asked Beth Holloway, “What’s happened? Where is everybody?”

“They took off,” Beth said flatly.

“What do you mean they took off?”

“She means just that,” Eric said, walking up.

“Eric, what happened?”

“The Thompsons and Behrens pulled guns on us. They tied me up and hit Nelson’s father over the head,” Eric said.

“What did they take?” Samantha asked, concerned that they might have taken some of their stuff.

“They took what they said was theirs and just left. They didn’t want to sit around anymore,” Beth said.

“So where do they think they’re going? Idaho? They’re not welcome at our place,” Samantha stated boldly. She picked up Haley and asked, “You okay, sweetie?”

Haley nodded and hugged Samantha.

“So no one was hurt but Nelson’s father?”

“I’m fine. It’ll take more than a hit to the ole’ noggin to stop me,” he joked.

“Whatever, good riddance,” Samantha said.

Lexi stepped up to the others and said, “Hi, I’m Lexi.”

“Hi, Lexi,” Beth said, holding her child. She looked over at Samantha quizzically.

“Lexi, this is Beth Holloway and this is Eric; his wife, Melissa; and Frank Williams, Nelson’s father. You of course already met Seneca and Mack,” Samantha said, introducing everyone still there. “Oh, and this is Haley.”

The little girl waved shyly, then tucked her head back into Samantha’s shoulder.

“Hi,” Lexi said with a hand extended in the air. “Hi, Haley,” she then said in a softer tone.

Haley reminded her of her little sister, the sister Rahab had killed a few days before.

“I don’t want to bore you with the details of what happened to her, but this is our group,” Samantha said, looking around, unsure of what else to talk about.

“Where can I get cleaned up?” Lexi asked.

“Come with me,” Beth said.

Lexi walked with Beth toward their trailer.

“So how much stuff did we lose?” Samantha asked Eric.

“None of our stuff. They took only their stuff and left. I don’t know why they thought they had to hit Frank and tie me up.”

“Like I said, good riddance, but I better not see them in Idaho,” Samantha shot back. She then looked at her watch. The night would be upon them soon. She was concerned for Nelson but felt confident he’d be careful.

“Where’s my son?” Frank asked.

“He stayed back to see if he could find out more about that place,” Samantha answered.

“Will he be okay?”

“He insisted,” Samantha said. Now that Frank was worried, she started to feel that leaving Nelson there might not have been the best thing to do.

Both turned and looked toward the north as if they just might see him pulling up.

“You’re right. He’ll be okay,” Frank said.

Trying to reassure herself, Samantha said, “Yeah, he’s probably just heading back now.”

“Hopefully, he’ll have some more info on that place.”

“Yeah, I hope so, I really do,” Samantha answered.

Haley had fallen asleep, and her warm breath on Samantha’s neck contrasted with the cool breeze blowing in from the north.