The Midnight Stand (The Elysia Saga Book 1) (8 page)

He stood with his head against the kitchen wall.
He was sweating and feeling feverish. His nerves were getting more and more on
edge as he got closer to midnight. He was pretty sure she bought it though. He
had put on his best acting and sounded as believable as he could. Despite the
fact that Harley felt he was able to cool Sara down, it was still a close one.

He had been outside finishing up the last of the
wiring around the house when the phone rang. He knew he had to answer it this
time so he ran for the door, but in doing so forgot that the wire was laid
across the pathway and he tripped over it, slamming his shoulder against the
ground.

He felt pain explode down his arm and for a
moment he thought that he might have dislocated it. He got to his knees and
clutched his shoulder. He attempted to move it in a circle and to his relief
found that he could. The pain already began to subside and he thanked whoever
or whatever was up there that it didn’t end up worse.

When Harley was able to regain his composure,
the phone was already up to six rings. He staggered to his feet and ran the
rest of the way through the door and into the kitchen. He snatched the phone up
just before the voice messenger came on. He feared what would have happened if
he didn’t make it in time, if he was one second late in getting up from the
ground.
One second
, Harley thought. It would have taken just one
second to ruin everything he did tonight.

He went over to the freezer and took out an ice
pack. He held it against his still throbbing shoulder as he tried to compose
himself. He went over everything again in his head, making sure he didn’t
forget a step.   

It took longer than expected to run the wire
around the perimeter of the house. He had to work in the dark for most of it,
only bringing a small flashlight with him. He didn’t want to turn on the
floodlights for fear of someone seeing what he was doing and asking questions,
not that there was anyone left in the area that would see him, but still,
Harley knew better than anyone that there were eyes everywhere.

He had just finished securing the last trip wire
when the phone rang. Now all that was left to do was wire the whole thing to
the charger he would keep strapped to his body, to be triggered if the wire was
tripped.

It was a surreal feeling to know that he would
be wearing a detonator that could blow him and anything in a twenty foot radius
to shreds. It was also humbling in a way, like acknowledging that there is a
higher force in the universe and you’re just a microscopic speck in it. He
could be blown away from this universe in a split second and it wouldn’t make a
difference to it, but that wasn’t entirely true either. His death would have an
impact on certain people, maybe even enough people to start a movement.

It was a perverse and some would say delusional
thought, but Harley took a weird sort of pleasure in the idea that his death
could be seen as a sacrifice that would be remembered forever. In a way, his
death would achieve him immortality.

Despite the implications of such martyrdom, deep
down Harley wanted none of it. What good was immortality if one wasn’t alive to
enjoy it?

He removed the ice pack from his shoulder, which
had now turned numb and put it back in the freezer. He felt his stomach rumble,
this time from hunger and realized he hadn’t eaten anything in at least twelve
hours. He looked at the clock. It was 11:15. There was enough time to have a
quick snack before he had to prepare the charge. It was just a simple three
wire connection that he could do in a few minutes so he decided to have what
could be his last meal. 

He opened the refrigerator door and stood there
as the light from inside bathed him in a yellow incandescent glow. The
refrigerator was terribly outdated; one of the last of its kind and Harley
found himself having to fix the compressor every week. It leaked and wasn’t
able to keep the food cold anymore, but it still had more character than any of
the newer models being made and Harley was not going to give it up.

Sara wasn’t able to get down to the City Centre
food dispensary before she left, so there wasn’t much to eat. There was a
half-eaten loaf of wheat bread and some near empty jars of condiments. Towards
the back Harley found some cuts of meat, chicken he thought it was, but he was
never quite sure.

He hated the food that they were given at the
dispensary. Sure, it tasted like it was supposed to, but it lacked a certain
authentic quality, like he was eating a carbon copy of real food. He remembered
when he was younger and his grandfather would come back in from hunting with a
deer or rabbit or even a bunch of pheasants and he prepared them fresh for
everyone.

The sliced not quite but almost chicken meat and
jars of mustard were a far cry from that, but it was all he had and it was
edible. He took it all out of the refrigerator, including the bread, and made
himself a sandwich which he ate every bite of and, to his surprise, actually
enjoyed. He guessed when one was as hungry as he was anything can taste good,
even processed mystery meat.

When Harley finished he saw that it was a quarter
to midnight. He didn’t realize so much time had passed. He quickly cleaned up,
though he wasn’t sure why, and went back out to finish the hook up for the
detonator.

It seemed to Harley that the air had grown still
and slightly warmer than earlier. He went around back and began to connect the
explosives to the wire at about ten foot intervals. It was definitely overkill,
one or two would have been more than enough to get the job done, but Harley
also needed to make it clear that he was packing major blast and was not to be
taken lightly. If he had to go, he thought, might as well go in a blaze of
glory.

Harley circled the perimeter of the house until
he made it back to the front yard. He took the detonator from his pocket and
grabbed the two end wires from the ground and attached them to either side of
the device. He waited for the light on the box to turn green, but it stayed
dark. He pulled out the wires and reconnected them, but still the device didn’t
light green.

He checked the battery compartment. There were
two AA batteries in place. He took them out and made sure they were facing the
correct pole and checked the box again.

Still nothing.  

Shit, the batts are dead
,
Harley thought. He didn’t have a fresh pair of batteries on him and he cursed
himself for it. He ran back into the house to get more, now regretting that
meal break he took and not checking the detonator earlier. It was an amateur
mistake. Something his grandfather would have knocked him for when he was
younger for being so scatter brained as he called it.

He found a box of AA batteries in the utility
drawer in the kitchen. The date said they were expired by more than ten years,
but that didn’t matter. He’d been recharging all his batteries for years now,
ever since they were discontinued in favor of long range powered devices, which
all new equipment ran on now. Essentially, all electronic devices were powered
by intense radio waves emanated from the Nucleus main tower. The Council played
up the efficiency of the system. Harley saw it as another way of stripping
privacy and keeping tabs of everyone.   

He checked his watch, ten to twelve. Back
outside he replaced the batteries and once again attached the two wires, saying
a little prayer as he did. If this didn’t work that meant the detonator was
faulty and he only had the one. He wasn’t sure there was enough time to tinker
with it either. He had the thing for years and in truth he didn’t even know if
it was any good to begin with.  He found it in the junk yard buried underneath
a pile of old car parts. It was the only one he ever came across since then.
Because of that he had no real way to test it. That would have caused more
problems and questions for him, so he just assumed it was still good, rather
hoped it was still good.

The light was still dark and he smacked the side
of it with his hand, as if a few whacks would wake it up and make it cooperate
on the one night he needed it to. It was no use. The thing was dead as done.

Harley dropped it to the ground and sat on the
steps of the porch. His arms hung limply in between his legs as he stared out
into the night. A light breeze blew and he could hear the rustle of each leaf
on the trees as they clapped against each other. It was a pleasant feeling to
be out here all alone and just listen to the sounds of nature. He heard a
cricket chirp being answered by an owl hoot followed by the electrical buzz of
a fire fly. He heard each one separately and all together it seemed.

If it was to end here, it wouldn’t be so bad he
thought. It was the most peaceful way he could think of - but he didn’t want it
to end here. He wanted to step out on his porch in the morning and hear the
sounds around him and step out on his porch in the afternoon and do the same
and he wanted to do it for years to come, with his son at his side.

Harley stood up and went back into the house.
When he returned he had his shotgun in his hand. He pulled up a chair and sat
down in it and waited.

Off in the distance he thought he could make out
the rumble of a truck coming closer as the clock in the house struck midnight.

Ancil woke to the sound of pounding at his front
door. He sat up on the sofa where he lied down for a nap and rubbed his eyes. He
looked around the room, as if he didn’t recognize it and tried to shake the
grogginess from his head.

He had been dreaming he was trapped in a tunnel.
The tunnel was pitch black except for a small pinpoint of light that was
shining in the distance. Ancil knew that he had to make it to the light to get
out, but it seemed no matter how much he moved toward it, the light didn’t get
any closer.

He began to panic and clutched at the walls and
discovered they were covered in a thick liquid substance. He knew immediately
that is was blood. When Ancil drew his fingers to his nose he could smell the
strong copper scent of it.

A siren began to blare in the distance behind
him. It was low at first but got steadily higher. He started to run away from
it, not seeing anything but the small pinpoint of light. The sound was getting
closer and he was running faster. His heart racing and his arms were
outstretched in front of him as he tried to run through the darkness.

The sound was coming up faster now and he knew
there was no way he could out run it. The siren now shrieked all around him,
filling his head with a thousand knives. He put his hands to the side of his
head. He felt his eardrums explode and warm blood started to flow through his
hands and down his cheeks.

The siren was almost on him, about to hit him
like a freight train. Just when it was about to collide, he turned around to
face it head on and let out a scream when…

Pound, pound, pound
.

The knocking was harder this time. Ancil got up
and went over to the door, placing his hand on the bolt lock but not opening it
yet.

“Who is it?” he asked through the door.

“Grandpa, it’s me.” Ancil recognized Harley’s
voice and opened the door to let him in. Harley looked like he’d been crying.
His eyes were red and his cheeks were puffy.

“Harley, what is it? What are you doing here?”

Harley wrapped his arms around Ancil and buried
his face into his stomach. “I don’t want to go,” he cried. His voice was
muffled against Ancil’s waist but he could tell Harley was crying again. “I
don’t want to go to that place with them. I want to stay here with you.”

“It’s okay, you’re safe here. No one’s going to
come for you.” Ancil closed the door, making sure to lock it as well. He
brought Harley over to the couch and sat him down. The front of Ancil’s shirt
was damp with tears. Harley wiped at his face and sniffed. “Just calm down and
relax.”

Ancil went into the kitchen and got a Coke from
the refrigerator. He popped the top and gave it to Harley who drank half of it
in one gulp and belched his satisfaction. “Better?” Harley nodded his head. The
cold drink helped to take the redness out of his face.

“Do your parents know you’re here?”

Harley shook his head. “I didn’t tell them where
I was going. I didn’t say anything, I just ran out. They probably don’t even
know that I’m gone yet.”

“What happened?”

“I heard Mom and Dad in the kitchen. They were
fighting.”

“About what?”

“It was about the place. Mom said she didn’t
think it was a good idea, but Dad was saying how it’s going to be important and
a good thing for everyone. There are people who are supposed to be coming to
the house to pick us up. Mom said she wasn’t ready to leave, that it was
happening too fast. Dad started to yell and bang the table. He said his job
could be at stake if we didn’t go. When I heard Mom crying I ran out the house.
I don’t want to leave, Grandpa.”

Ancil put his arm around his grandson and held
him close. “You’re not going anywhere. I promise you that. And your mom’s not
going anywhere either. I’ll bring her here if I need to.”

“What about Dad?”

Ancil thought about how to answer him. “Your
father has become blinded, Harley. I fear he’s too far along this path to come
back now. He has his mind set and I don’t think he’s going to change it.”

He could see the sadness in Harley’s eyes when
he said it. It was a look of hopelessness. Ancil knew what the boy was going
through, but lying to him to spare his feelings wouldn’t do him any good. He
needed to hear the truth of everything, both beautiful and ugly.

“Are you hungry?” Ancil asked.

“Yeah, a little.”

“Okay, sit tight. I’ll see if I have anything in
the fridge.” He got up and went to the kitchen. He took out some containers
from the refrigerator, leftovers from the past week and put them out on the
table.

Ancil thought about what he should do. He knew
when Daniel realized Harley was gone he would come looking for him here. He
might even bring the cops with him. He had to get Harley to a safer place and
he didn’t have much time.

He picked up the phone and dialed the only
person he trusted. After two rings Lee picked up.

“Hello.”

“Lee, it’s Ancil. Are you busy?”

“Well, hello to you too.”

“I don’t have a lot of time, Lee. This is
important.”

“What is it?” The levity left Lee’s voice and he
was all business now.

“I have my grandson here. There may be people
coming for him and I need him in a safe place.”

“Who might be coming?”

“His father for one. Probably the police too.
They consider me a person of interest now.”

“This have to do with you know what?”

“Yes.”

“Then whatever you need from me you got. Tell me
what you want me to do.” Ancil could always count on Lee, Ruth too for that
matter. They’ve been through a lot together, Lee and him. They served together
in the Mid-east conflict. That’s where they met. Lee was hit by mortar fire and
Ancil dragged him to safety, himself wounded as well. They both earned purple
hearts and merits of bravery for that fire fight.

“I need you to take Harley for a bit. They’ll be
looking for him and it’s too obvious this would be the first place they’ll
look,” Ancil said.

“Sure thing,” Lee said. “When are you coming
over?”

“As soon as I can. I just need to get some
things together for Harley. I could probably be by in a half hour.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

“Thanks again for this Lee. I appreciate
everything you’re doing.”

“Are you kidding? You don’t have to ask twice
and Ruth will be ecstatic to have Harley here. She absolutely adores him.”

Ancil paused for a moment, thinking of how to
ask his next question.

“There is one more thing I may need you to do
for me, Lee.”

“Sure, anything,” he said without hesitation.

“I have some personal documents stored away in a
lock box under the floorboards of my room. Legal papers and a will. If anything
should happen to me I’ll need you to come in and get that box and see to it
that everything is processed. It concerns Harley. Can you do that?”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Lee. I’ll see you in a bit.” With that
Ancil hung up the phone. He hovered over the counter for a moment then opened
the drawer and pulled out a knife. He hid the knife in the side of his military
combat boot and went back in the living room, forgetting all about the food out
on the table.

Harley was asleep on the couch. Ancil didn’t
want to disturb him but he had to.

“Harley, wake up,” he said, nudging him lightly.
Harley responded with a low groan a child makes in the morning when he doesn’t
want to get up for school. “Harley, you have to get up. We’re going to Lee and
Ruth’s.”

Harley turned over. “Why?”

“It will be safer there.”

“You’re coming too?”

“I’ll take you there but then I’ll have to come
back.”

Harley’s lip began to quiver. “No, I don’t want
to go there.”

“Harley, you have to do this. It’s the only way.
If you stay here, they’ll find you. It won’t be for long.”

“No, please.” Harley’s whining angered Ancil
more than anything. He taught him better than that.

“Enough,” he ordered. The tone of Ancil’s voice
made Harley flinch back. “I didn’t teach you to be a whiner, did I?” Harley
shook his head. “All our outings together and hunting trips and lessons were so
you would be prepared for this day. Now are you going to act like a child and
whimper or will you be the man I taught you to be?”

Harley straightened up on the couch and looked
Ancil in the eyes. “I’ll be the man.”

“Good boy. Now, I need you to listen to me very
carefully. If anything happens and you need to get to Lee’s on your own all you
have to do is go east until you reach to the Black Rock stream, then you turn
right. He’s right down that road. Do you understand?” Harley nodded. “Good. Come
on, we don’t have much time. I suspect right now there could be people coming
here.”

“I need to go to the bathroom first.”

“Make it fast.”

Harley ran off to the bathroom. When Ancil heard
the door shut he hurried to his room and took his shotgun from the closet. He
checked the barrel and grabbed an extra box of shot from a drawer. He wanted to
get the car started and ready to leave once Harley got out. That’s when he
heard the sirens in the distance.

He went to the window and stuck his head out.
The sirens were low but unmistakable. There was a slight rumble under the
sirens, like a fleet of cars moving along with it. It was growing with
intensity every second and it was heading right toward him.