From Within (19 page)

Will’s urgency made Marcus shift in his seat. At this point, he had written it off. Here he was, stuck in the woods after being in a plane crash. He had given up on the possibility of being apart of the fight anymore. Now there was a gung-ho young man sitting by him with such a great fire within him. He could tell Will would do anything he possibly could to stop this from happening.

“I do know they had plans to eventually announce the CMA’s plans on the news,” Marcus said. “They were going to hijack the broadcast and I was going to tell everyone.”

“That’s it!?” Will asked.

“Will, give the guy a break,” Alejandro said. “He just survived a plane crash.”

“I’m not giving him a hard time,” Will said. “If the ARF is the opposition, shouldn’t they come up with some kind of action to counter the plans of the CMA?”

“I agree,” Marcus said. “When I passed the information about the bombings on to them they already had some idea about it. I’m sure I wasn’t their only spy. Now that they have the details that I gave them, I’m guessing they can finalize their plans.”

“But you don’t know if they have a military?” Will asked.

“Um...I don’t know for sure. I don’t remember if he told me that,” Marcus said.

“He?” Will asked.

“Oh, Thomas Allen. Thomas is who I was always in contact with from the ARF.” Marcus said. “I think he is the overall leader of the ARF.”

The conversation started to wind down and move to other subjects. Marcus could tell that Will was still frustrated and anxious to do something. He could see him across the fire, now sitting with Lea. It was obvious to Marcus that Will was still talking about the news he had given the group. He could see Will shaking his head as he and Lea whispered to each other. He thought that Will was quite passionate about people and his country. Marcus turned from them and stared into the fire. He was going into his mind now, deep in thought.

What could they do?

The cool early morning air hung low over the mountain. The glow from the low sun pierced through the tent. The growing light began to rouse Marcus. He sat up. The chilly air hit him instantly and he reached for his shirt and put it on. He sat for a moment. He was still processing all the events of the last few days. He still didn’t understand how they found him out. He thought it may have been the General, but why wouldn’t he have called him out then and there? That was the best scenario he could come up with and there was no point in dwelling on it much more. There was no way for him to figure it out from where he was. What did it matter? The CMA thought he was dead.

Despite dreaming of close call spy work and crashing planes, Marcus still rested well. It had probably been the best sleep he could remember getting in a long time. He was sure his brain had longed for a reprieve last night, especially after the events that happened during the day. The moment his head laid down his brain had shut off.

Marcus finally got up and stretched. He finished dressing and stepped out of the tent. He felt odd wearing a suit out in the middle of the wilderness. He couldn’t see anyone else around the clearing so he assumed everyone else was still sleeping. He stayed quiet and went to sit by the fire pit. A small amount of smoke continuously rose from the remaining hot coals.

He got back up and picked through the wood pile that sat near the fire pit. He took some smaller kindling sized pieces and placed them around the hot coals. He gathered some dry grass that had been set aside for starting fires and placed it directly on top of the coals. With a small stick he found as a fire poker, he moved some of the coals around to better expose the grass to the heat. More smoke began to billow up. Marcus blew into the coals. A small flame appeared and quickly spread through the dry grass. He pushed some of the kindling pieces closer and they started to light up and crackle. He grabbed a couple of larger logs and placed them onto the small fire and took a seat again by the fire. He had been living downtown Manhattan city life for such a long time that he couldn’t remember the last time he built up a fire like that. His high-rise condo lacked a fireplace.

Marcus remained by his lonesome for about fifteen minutes before Lewis emerged from his tent. He gave a quick wave and walked directly to the bed of his truck. He opened a cooler and pulled out a few items and brought them over to the fire.

“You already got a fire going,” Lewis said. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” Marcus said. “I’m just glad I remembered what to do. It has been years since I’ve been camping and started a fire.”

Lewis laughed and then began cooking some of the deer meat in the fire. They both sat in the quiet while the deer meat cooked.

“What do you think about Will?” Lewis asked, breaking the silence.

“You mean about wanting to do something to stop the CMA?”

Lewis nodded. “He’s a passionate young man. Always been very smart.”

“Well,” Marcus began and then paused, “I was thinking about it last night after his and my conversation. I’m sure there is something that we could do. And he’s right. We don’t really know if the ARF had some kind of plan.”

“Do you have a plan?” Lewis asked.

“The best I can come up with is to stop them in Cheyenne Mountain,” Marcus said.

“Whatever the plan is, I’m in,” Will said.

Lewis and Marcus jumped. They hadn’t realized Will was standing behind them.

“Whoa!” Marcus said. “When did you get there?”

Will laughed. “Sorry. Just been here a minute. I was up fairly early and went walking around the area. I didn’t expect anyone would be up when I got back to the camp.”

“What do you mean you are in?” Marcus asked.

“We need to stop them from killing millions more people,” Will said. “They brought the country to a grinding halt. You said millions and millions have already died from what they did. Now they are going to kill millions more. We have to stop them. Whatever it takes. They already tried to kill you. We can’t just sit around in the woods waiting for them to come looking for us.”

Marcus pursed his lips and nodded. A smile formed on his face. Will raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“What is it?” Will asked.

“They think I’m dead,” Marcus said.

“Yeah?”

“I have a plan,” Marcus said, still with a goofy smile on his face.

*****

The rest of the group had awoken and joined Marcus, Will, and Lewis by the fire. Marcus had started to tell Will and Lewis his plan and had to start over as the others arrived. He had to pause many times to ask them questions about the area and their town and if he was going to be able to use a vehicle. Will told him that his Jeep was hidden in the woods near their house. He also warned him about the group that moved onto their property.

“Do you think we could get the Jeep back to the main road?” Marcus asked.

“I’m sure we could find a way,” Will said. “I don’t think a single tank of gas will get us to Colorado Springs.”

“We don’t need it to get us to Colorado Springs,” Marcus said. “We only need to get to one of the camps outside of Fresno.”

Everyone looked confused.

“Why to the camp?” Will asked.

“I’ll be able to get us some better transportation there,” Marcus said.

“Won’t they be surprised you are alive?” Beth asked.

“I have a plan for that too,” Marcus said with another large smile forming on his face.

*****

“Why do you need to go?” Lea asked.

Will could tell her anxiety was building again. Will had taken her aside after saying his goodbyes to everyone else. He and Marcus had decided they should leave right away. Tears were forming in her eyes.

“They need to be stopped,” Will said. “If they get to go through with their plan, they will eventually be up here in the mountains looking for people. If that happens, there won’t be much we can do to stop them. If we stop them now, before they can kill millions more people, we’ll have a chance. They’ll be cut off at the head.”

“Can’t Marcus do this?” Lea asked. “It’s his plan.”

“He will be doing it,” Will said. “He needs my help. He’s still injured. I can’t just stand back. Not after knowing what they are planning on doing. If they find us up here we will have to be their slaves too. Otherwise, if we don’t go along with their plans, their ideology, they will probably kill us.”

“I want to go with you then.”

“No!” Will said too loudly. He immediately regretted his seemingly harsh reaction. “I just don’t want anything happening to you,” he said more calmly and quietly. “You need to stay here with your parents, my mom, and Lewis. We can’t bring too many of us.”

“I don’t want anything happening to you!”

“I don’t either. I will be careful,” Will said.

Lea lowered her head. She stared at the ground as tears flowed from her eyes. Will thought that this might be a good time to tell her that he loved her. It would still seem like an act of desperation. He was about to fight an uphill battle. It would probably be the riskiest and most dangerous thing he would do in his lifetime. He needed to comfort her in some way. He took hold of her and held her tightly. They stood there embracing each other for a few minutes. Lea pushed back slightly and looked up at Will.

“Will, I need to tell you something. I-”

“Don’t say anything,” Will interrupted her. “Not yet.” He knew what she was going to say. He didn’t want it to be an act of desperation on her part either. “Save it. I will be back. And I will have something to tell you as well.”

He pulled her in again and hugged her tightly. He let go and turned away. He could hear her sobbing. He walked over to his mother. He had said his goodbyes to her earlier but he needed to give her one last hug. After doing so, he shouldered his pack and joined Marcus at the edge of the clearing.

He and Marcus now made the over ten-mile hike down the mountain to retrieve Will’s Jeep. As they walked, Will described the layout where his Jeep had been left behind. He told Marcus how he thought they’d be able to get it out of there undetected by the new inhabitants of their property. He was planning on passing the Jeep by and remaining in the woods all the way down to the road to make sure they’d be able to drive down it. He thought there might be a chance that the group would put up a roadblock. After verifying they could use the road, he’d return to the Jeep and then drive it further up the mountain to pick up the four wheeling trail. They’d waste a lot of time, but driving it down near the property could easily attract the group’s attention. Once reaching the main road, they’d have to race by the property as fast as they could.

Will had figured on a couple of hours to make the downhill trek to the Jeep. He was even cutting some time by leading them through the trees when they would reach some of the switchbacks that wound up parts of the mountain. He was beginning to worry about Marcus. On some of the rougher areas where they would be walking over rocky terrain, he could see Marcus wince and clutch the side of his chest. He had wondered if the cracked ribs would become a problem.

“Once we reach the trail again we’ll continue on it from here on out,” Will said. “I can tell the rocky areas are hurting you.” He pointed towards Marcus’s chest.

“It hurts a little bit,” Marcus said, “but I’ll be alright. We need to keep going and save as much time as we can.”

Will thought that Marcus was probably just saying that it didn’t hurt much because of the urgency of the situation. He went with what Marcus said anyway. However, he tried leading them by the easiest path he could find.

After a little over two hours and only taking two breaks, they reached the last part of the trail that was above the property. They stood on the road as Will tried to gauge where they stood in reference to where he left the Jeep. They walked down the road another half of a mile before they turned into the trees and down the mountain. As they walked down, Will tried to find a suitable route they could bring the Jeep up.

They came across the area Will had cut through with his Jeep. He could see some of the broken branches and the crushed forest floor. Will had thought that he gauged it correctly, but it had been a hectic night. Some of his memories of that evening had blurred together. He paused briefly and pointed an ear down towards his home. He could hear people in the distance. He frowned. He had hoped this trip would reveal the group had moved on already.

They turned and followed the path his Jeep had created. After a couple hundred yards Will became confused by the tracks. He could see tracks on either side of the path. He couldn’t find anymore that led away from the property. His eyes widened and he rushed back and forth examining the tracks.

“Shoot!” He nearly yelled it too loud.

“What is it?” Marcus asked.

“That group found my Jeep.”

“They found it out here in the middle of nowhere?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Will said with a sigh. “If they went searching for us that night then I wouldn’t be surprised if they searched the whole property too. It wouldn’t have been hard to find where I busted through the fence.”

“Does Lewis have any other vehicles on his property?” Marcus asked.

“I think he has a tractor and a riding lawn-mower,” Will said. “I think they could walk up to us if we tried to drive by on those.”

Marcus and Will both laughed.

“Man!” Will said in a frustrated tone. “They had tons of vehicles with them already. Why’d they need mine?”

All of a sudden, Will and Marcus both looked at each other.

“Tons of vehicles you say?” Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Will smiled wide. “Yep. Let’s go check it out.”

They took off at a quick pace towards the break in the fence. They slowed as the fence came into view. Will was surprised to see that the invading group had attempted to put the fencing back up. It was angled upwards and tied to a tree with a section of rope. He wasn’t sure why they put the effort into it at all since they were still able to slip through the opening. They stayed in the trees along the fence line as the crept down the property.

They stopped and crouched down once they came abeam the house. Will was disgusted by the scene before him. Their crops were trampled all over the place. Tents had been put up in what appeared to be random locations. Areas that were once grass had been crushed too many times by footsteps and tire tracks that it was now mostly dirt. He could understand that with having a couple dozen people that some areas would get trampled, but did they not care about the food? They had tents on their vegetable plots. Vehicles were driven into and parked on planted areas. Will shook his head.

Marcus noticed Will’s disappointed. “They’ve really done a number on this place, huh?”

“Looks like it,” Will answered. “We had done tons of work here. Planted tons of food. I wonder if they’ve done anything like this to Lewis’s property.”

“Sorry, Will,” Marcus said in an effort to comfort him. “I see some Jeeps parked over there. Any of them yours?”

“I don’t see mine,” Will said. “At this point, it doesn’t matter if we get my Jeep or any other truck. I left the keys in the Jeep and I didn’t have a full tank of gas. We need any of those vehicles that have a lot of gas and the keys sitting in it.”

“If any of them have keys in there at all,” Marcus said.

They both scanned over the vehicles in view. They discussed the advantages and disadvantages of different placement of where trucks were parked. They didn’t want to get too close to the tents or the house. There were men walking around the property that they needed to avoid. This was no time to get into a firefight with a group this size. The odds weren’t in their favor. Plus, they didn’t know what they would have to deal with once they took a vehicle.

The two argued over staying together or searching the vehicles separately. Marcus wanted to search separately so they could cover more vehicles. Will wanted to stick together so when they found a truck to take, they could jump in and go right away. Will was adamant about staying together so Marcus eventually gave in.

They stayed low and slowly made their way to a group of trucks parked together. They stopped behind every bush and tree they came upon to reassess the situation. The three trucks had been pulled up the driveway and turned right and parked in the rocky terrain. They sat parked downhill from the house in what would be considered the front yard. They aimed for the truck furthest downhill. They figured it would be the easiest out of all the vehicles they could see to escape quickly. They reached the truck and crouched by the front passenger side. They tried to keep any view of their legs blocked by the tires.

Will had Marcus stay crouched by the tire while he crawled around the front end of the truck to check for keys. While on the ground, he scanned from under the other parked trucks to check for any of the men walking around near the house. He couldn’t see any so he started to stand as he reached the driver’s door. He tried the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. He stayed bent low as he slowly opened the door. He continually looked back behind him. He leaned his chest down on the bench seat to keep his head out of view while he searched for keys. He was disappointed they weren’t in the ignition.

He heard a tapping sound and jumped when he saw a head in the passenger window. He calmed when he realized it was Marcus. Will raised an eyebrow and gave a puzzled look at him. Marcus pointed a finger towards the house and mouthed something. Will lifted his head so he could see through the window. He saw a group of six or so guys walking from the house towards the trucks they were searching. As they were about half way he could start to hear their voices. He quickly glanced back at Marcus with wide eyes. As he did, he noticed the keys out of the corner of his eye tucked above the visor. He motioned for Marcus to get in.  He reached up and pulled the visor down and the keys dropped to the floor.

“Gerard wants us to do some recon on that next small town we went through a few weeks back. The one towards Fresno. Some of the others traded some bullets with some locals there. There was plenty more for us to get in that town.”

The group of guys had stopped behind the truck next to them. Will and Marcus could clearly hear them discuss their plans. The top of Marcus’s head was still visible in the passenger window. Will motioned again for him to get in. He had inserted the key into the ignition and was waiting for Marcus to get in to start it. Marcus held up three fingers and then pointed to the ignition and then the door. Will understood that on a count of three he was to start the truck and Marcus would jump in.

Marcus held up the three fingers again. Will put his hand on the key. Two fingers. One. Marcus tried the door but it was locked. Will had turned the key on cue. Marcus’s eyes shot to Will. Will realized the mistake and quickly reached over and unlocked the door. As Marcus entered the truck Will looked through the rear window. The group of men were startled and confused by the truck’s engine roaring to life.

The men walked up behind the truck expecting to see someone from their own group. They saw two wide-eyed faces looking back at them that they didn’t recognize. Will slammed down the accelerator. The spinning rear tires sprayed dirt and rock over the group of men as they were drawing guns. The debris caused the men to duck and cover their faces with their arms. The action gave Will and Marcus just enough time to begin their escape.

The truck bounced over the rough terrain as Will angled towards the level dirt driveway. A barrage of bullets was sent their way. They could hear the thunks and tings as bullets struck the truck. Will saw a branch a few feet to his left instantly snap out of the corner of his eye. He knew it was bullet striking it.

As the truck skidded onto the main road, Will yelled over the roaring engine. “Are you okay? Did you get hit?” He could see Marcus holding his chest. He hoped it was just the cracked ribs and not a bullet wound.

“I’m fine. No bullet holes in me,” Marcus answered.

Will sped down the road as fast as he could. Marcus readjusted in his seat and buckled in as they accelerated faster. Will noticed Marcus buckling in and he did the same. Before reaching the town, Will began to slow down.

“Hold on,” he said.

“What are you doing?” Marcus asked.

“I know a shortcut,” Will said. “Well, it’s not exactly a shortcut. It’s just not the most direct way to get to the highway to Fresno. If they follow us, I think this will help us lose them.”

Marcus grasped the handle on the door expecting another skidding turn. At the last moment, Will had decided against it. He slowed way down to make the turn and then sped up again. After the turn, he explained to Marcus that he didn’t want the fresh skid marks left on the pavement acting as a giant arrow pointing to them.

Marcus looked back up the road and never saw any passing vehicles. It looked like they were in the clear for now.