Rise Once More (15 page)

The suited soldiers removed the devices, and walked over to a Humvee. They scrambled to examine the results, Haus could catch a glimpse of a close up picture of his eyeball on the monitor. After a few moments, the suited soldiers signaled back, with thumbs up.

The grisly man turned to face Haus and Amy. “You're clean. Congratulations I don't have to shoot you.” He motions to the remaining troops, who removed their respirators, and helped them to their feet. “This time, you're going with us, wouldn't want you to get lost on your way to camp.” He says smugly as they are loaded into Humvee, and driven away.

“
Why didn't we just kill 'em sir?” One of the suited soldiers asks.

“
I could have. Lord knows the guy deserved it, and if I had to kill him I would have had to kill her. It would be a god damn shame to kill off a nice piece of ass like that.” He says.

“
Got a new pet sir?”

“
Maybe. See you boys back at camp, and Davis.” He pauses for a moment, wrinkling his brow. “Get my dress blues ready, and expedite her enrollment.”

Chapter Seventeen

Camping Out

It was late afternoon when they arrived at the detainment camp, or as the guards referred to it
Home Sweet Home
. A palisade of metal posts and chain link lined the perimeter, with a coil of concertina wire across the top, there were thousands of large white tents, with a few that were colored olive drab, placed strategically with soldiers coming and going.

The soldiers mostly ushered people into lines, the longest of which was in the center, where several large tents had been merged together. The smell of food cooking wafted in the air, as people entered into the largest tent, and exited in the rear. It was dinner time, and as scared as they were, a warm meal would be very welcome.

The lines of fences sectioned everything off in rows, and left the impression of cattle being sorted. A guard motioned for Haus and Amy to separate. “Males left, females right.” A guard quipped. Amy attempted to grab Haus's hand for comfort, but the handcuffs made it too difficult and a guard led her to the right.

They walked sullenly together, separated physically by the chain link fence, but still within eye sight. Amy stared at Haus, her eyes scared and uneasy; she had never seen anything like this before, never one to get into trouble, the thought of detainment made her very uncomfortable. She had however seen documentaries about concentration camps in history class, which only made her more upset.

“Just go along with it, they are not going to hurt you; it is just to register us. I know it looks bad, but everything is going to be fine.” Haus says as he continues to walk forward.

“
What makes you so sure?” Amy asks.

“
Not my first time being abducted...” Haus says forming a half smile with his lips. Before them stands a medic, in battle fatigues, with a stethoscope around his neck, and a patch on the right arm. “Sit down please. I am going to ask you a few medical questions.” The medic says, his voice soft and comforting. “Relax this won't take long at all.” He flashes a brief smile, and places the stethoscope to Haus's chest.

***

Haus walks out from the tent, looking around at his new surroundings; he glances behind him hoping to see Amy exit the medical tent. A man walks up to him, standing beside him for a moment before speaking. “Names John.” He says.

“
Haus.”

“
Nice to meet you.” John says.

“
Same.”

“
Waiting for a friend?” John asks.

“
Yeah.”

“
You come across any sick ones?”

“
A few...” Haus says, once again looking around for Amy. Staring blankly at the tent exit, its fabric flaps whipping in the wind.

“
I hope there isn't... Well ya know. An issue...” John says. Haus became very aggravated at his comment, the longer he waited to see Amy the more his doubts grew. John could tell his words had offended him, and scrambled to save face. “Ya know. It takes longer to process the women. I am sure everything is fine...” John places his hand on Haus's shoulder, offering a half-hearted smile, and lets out a sigh. “You look like you could use a bite to eat. A little food will do you some good. It isn't the best around here, but it works ya know.”

***

Haus sits down at the bench, his food tray resting in front of him, John seated directly across. John wastes no time, spooning heaps of food into his mouth, pausing between gulps to sip a little water from his glass. “Where ya from?” He asks politely.

“
Never really had a place that I call home.” Haus says his demeanor aloof.

“
That's too bad. Ya know, I don't wanna push ya too much. If you don't wanna talk about it fine.” John says devouring more food. He breaks his bread roll, using it to mop up the gravy remaining in the tray. “You know what I miss most?” John says.

“
You mind not talking right now?” Haus says interrupting John shortly after he finished his sentence. Haus grabs his glass, raising it to his mouth, not for the water, but a reason not to speak. He holds it there, avoiding eye contact with John.

“
Right. Understandable.. Sorry.” John says.

Haus grabs his spoon, poking at what he guessed was meat loaf, but he had no desire to eat. His mind wandering, wondering what had become of Amy. Why was she not here? Had she become infected somehow? Not knowing was driving him mad. He needed answers, and sitting here with John wasn't getting them.

Haus abruptly left the table, his tray virtually untouched, and walked towards the exit. John sat there, dodging stares from onlookers, then sliding Haus's tray in front of him. He carved a slice of meat loaf, placed it inside his mouth, chewing it slowly, savoring every bit of it. “Seconds. I miss seconds the most.”

***

The camp was a desperate place, people walked around empty, the expressions on their faces void and chilly. Even small children dared not venture too far from their parents, not because they didn't want to, but recurrent scolding had taught them to stay close.

Haus could sense the desperation surrounding him. A feeling alien to most Americans. They knew freedom, the ability to come and go as they saw fit, and a seemingly inexhaustible reserve of everything, a stark contrast to the reality now surrounding them.

Rations, curfew, and confinement was the new norm. Even the ability to speak freely, a once long neglected right, was reserved to late night talks, lying in their cots. Speaking very quietly, choosing each word carefully, as not to draw the ire of someone close by; someone that may betray your thoughts to the guards, for an extra serving of potatoes.

A toddler ran past him, his pursuit stopped cold by his mothers words. “David! Come back here now.” The child froze, turning towards Haus, his face dirty, and wearing over sized clothing. “You.. not...nice.” He struggled to form each word, his head shaking in disapproval, before he ran back to his mother.

Haus continued to walk among the refugees, avoiding eye contact, as he knew he was a stranger, and not welcome with them. It was fine with him, the less he knew the better, they were already dead anyway. Even if they managed to escape the infection, they were dead inside, and in the end none of it mattered. The days of white picket fences were gone, the only thought was of sheer survival, and be damned anyone that stood in the way.

Amy
. His mind drifted once again, reminding him of what he was searching for. He didn't care about the others, something inside himself tried to reason with him, to reassure him that he was still human.
Fuck it! Let them all die. My only responsibility is to get Amy the hell out of here. Where the hell are you?

Haus spotted a guard in the distance, and set about to approach him. Walking calmly, as to avoid any resistance, until he was about to speak. Something caught the corner of his eye, a brief flash of white, and he recognized it in an instant.
Amy.

He saw her exit an Olive colored tent, she seemed agitated, her gait deliberate, and marching forward away from him. He called out to her. “AMY!” His voice echoed alone in the stagnant air. She heard his words, spinning around searching for him; he was just another body in the mass of refugees.

He waved his hands above the crowd, and called out again. “AMY!” She saw him, and pressed forward to be by his side. Haus continued towards her, and meeting amongst the refugees they exchanged a hug. “Finally! I was worried that something had happened to you.” He says, a sigh of relief exiting his lips.

“
Something did happen all right.” Amy says as she stamps her feet into the grass. “I thought you said everything was going to be fine. I do not call THAT fine!”

“
What happened?” Haus asks.

“
That fat bastard tried to get me to sleep with him. Where the hell were you? You told me to go along with it, and they wouldn't hurt me. I am not going along with it; my daddy didn't raise me to be a cheap whore.” Amy says, her voice filled with disgust, when she feels something dribble down the corner of her mouth.

Haus can see the small trail of blood, seeping out from the crease of her mouth. He grabs Amy by the shoulders with both hands, and looks her in the eyes. “Did he hit you?” Haus asks sternly.

“No. I ran into a pole trying to escape.” Amy says, wiping the blood away with her thumb. Amy looks around nervously, her gaze focused on the tent behind her. She notices the general exit the tent, stopping next to a guard near the entrance, and he mouths a command. The guard scans the crowd and advances forward.

“
We gotta go.” Amy says, grabbing Haus's hand and pushes forward through the crowd. The refugees all standing in lines waiting for their turn at the food tent, had formed a nearly impenetrable mass of flesh. Haus and Amy pressed in and out of the lines, some of the refugees gave them dirty looks, while others shouted out profanities and accused them of cutting in line.

They made the final push through the mob, finally exiting out into open space, and rushed behind a tent for cover. Haus leaned out around the corner, glancing back looking for the guard, but couldn't see anything other than refugees. “I think we lost him for now.” Haus says.

“Do you hear that?” Amy asks. The faint sound of a helicopter in the distance had alerted her. “It's getting closer.” Haus looks towards the sky, a feeling of uneasiness building in the back of his mind. It had been quite a while since he had heard anything flying, a flash back from the incident at the mine plays out inside his brain.

Although he could hear the helicopter coming closer, it was still not within his view, another sound had grabbed his attention. A rumble coming from behind him, growing louder, as he looked directly above him as a fighter jet soared over head. The sound of the engines vibrated his entire body; the jet was flying very low to the ground, and suddenly pitched upwards. Its black body glistening in the evening sun, the gold stripes on the wings distorted by the heat of the engines as it roared higher into the sky.

Haus caught a glimpse of the underbelly, as it rolled in the sky.
Omega Phi?
The symbol was unmistakable, even though it had only flashed before him for a brief second.
What is an Omega Phi jet doing out here?
Haus focused on the Jet as it leveled out and raced towards the helicopter in the western sky.

In the distance Haus could make out the trail of a missile launching from the black fighter, and an explosion erupted in the sky. It took a few moments for the sound to reach his ears, while the black fighter lunged upwards in the sky. It doubled back, once again flying close to the ground, making several loops as it passed over his head.

Immediately behind the black fighter was another jet, attempting to close in behind it in hot pursuit. This jet was silver in color, and bearing few markings that Haus could make out clearly. The two jets weaved in and out; the black jet seemed to almost taunt the silver one, as if his plane had the technological advantage.

On another fly by pass, machine gun fire reputed from the silver jet, with tracer rounds streaking across the horizon. The refugees who had gathered to watch the spectacle scrambled for cover, some grabbed their children and disappeared into nearby tents. While others just laid on the ground, trying not to move, or draw attention to themselves.

A loud boisterous voice echoed over the PA system. “GET TO YOUR POSITIONS NOW!” The soldiers scrambled about, pushing anyone that got in their way, and shouting orders at people to take cover. A loud hiss, like that of a monstrous snake screamed through the air, following a stream of white smoke as an unguided missile landed near the edge of the camp. The explosion sent flames and smoke in every direction, several people began screaming in terror as the attempted to run.

The silver jet made an abrupt turn, pointing its nose to the heavens, its engines burning at full throttle. It was clear the pilot was attempting to evade something, but it was too late. Its tail section exploded, its body still accelerating into the sky, as the black flew over Haus's head.

The report from the sonic boom, knocked Haus to the ground, and the black jet flew off towards the west. Haus struggled to regain his footing, his head aching, and his ears ringing. Amy reached out and grabbed his hand, and the two began running for the fence. Faster and faster they ran, as the faces of the refugees started to blur together, they didn't stop until they reached the chain link fence.

They clawed at it, like frightened animals, until another explosion forced them to turn around. Black smoke filled the air, as burning jet fuel spewed out from the wreckage of the silver jet. It had landed in the middle of the camp, its burning fuselage skipping across the ground, leveling tents and people in its wake.

It finally came to a rest several hundred feet from the edge of the camp. The fence showed little resistance to its advancing force. A trail of flame, broken ground, and debris stretched out of the camp and into the grass of the open prairie.

Haus and Amy wasted no time, following a stream of refugees, past the opening in the fence and towards a row of trees ahead. Once they reached the trees, people began to run in all different directions, as gun fire erupted behind them. Haus could see several Humvee exiting the camp, as soldiers took shots out of the windows.