The Geostorm Series (Book 6): Geostorm [The Pioneers] Page 16

  “Please don’t scream or give me up,” he begged the many sets of eyes who stared at him. Those lying on the floor slowly pushed their bodies away from him, further soiling their white pants. Children huddled under the protective arms of their mothers. Even the adult men seemed leery of Levi’s sudden appearance. After a tense moment of silence, one of the men spoke first.

  “Why aren’t you wearing white like the rest of us?”

  Levi decided to be truthful, to an extent. “I was kidnapped outside the fence. I was hunting and came across this place. Next thing I know, three guys were beating me and knocked me out.”

  “Didn’t they take your clothes?” the man asked again.

  “No. They were gonna throw me in this shower. When he started to take my boots off, well, um, I fought back.”

  “Good for you,” mumbled one of the women hugging her young girls.

  “I heard them say something about giving me Oxy,” Levi continued. “Why would they do that?”

  The man stepped closer to Levi. He was middle-aged, slightly overweight, but otherwise appeared healthy. He took the lead on responding to Levi’s questions.

  “They try to keep us subdued by drugging us. Many of us have learned the trick of hiding the pill in our mouth without them noticing. It’s just like you see on TV. They come around with a plastic cup. You have to take the pill and chase it down with water.”

  “Do they make you stick your tongue out and all of that?” asked Levi.

  “Yes, but we’ve learned to hide it until we can spit it out.”

  “Hey, man, you’re talkin’ too much,” said a voice from the darkest corner of the tent. “We don’t know shit about this dude.”

  “I think he’s cool,” the man quickly responded. He then turned on Levi and balled up his fists. “You are cool, right?”

  Levi backed off and held his hands up in a defensive position. “Hey, listen. I didn’t ask for any of this. I just wanna get out of here to my wife and kids, that’s all.”

  “We want the same thing,” said another female voice from within the tent. “My husband was supposed to meet us here. He never showed up.”

  “Where are y’all from?” asked Levi.

  “Tennessee.”

  “Kentucky.”

  “Virginia.”

  “West Virginia.”

  The man who’d taken the lead on their conversation explained, “FEMA began putting notices out that a refugee camp was being established here. The flyers had a map with the only possible ways to walk to this point. Cars don’t work, and most of the roads have washed out.”

  “We came here with just the things we could carry,” interjected one of the women. “They promised food and shelter until this mess passes. Instead, they stole our things and treat us like scum.”

  “It wasn’t like that in the beginning,” the man continued. “We were treated with compassion and respect at first. Then something changed. The original FEMA people in charge left.”

  “More like disappeared,” said the man in the dark corner.

  “Yeah, he’s right. The whole thing seemed weird, and it happened so fast. One day, we were all getting along. You know, pulling together to keep our camp neat and do chores and stuff. Then a new guy came in named Hurd. He was a local muckity-muck of some sort. Anyway, he’s now running things, and his people changed everything.”

  “Are you referring to the clothes, pills, and lack of place to sleep?”

  “That and more,” said the voice from the dark corner. “Listen, dude, they can make life really rough on us.”

  Levi looked around. “Worse than this?”

  “Yes, sir,” said a teenage girl sitting on the floor near the entrance. “A lot worse.”

  Levi shook his head in disbelief. He could only imagine what they’d been through. He felt the need to help them, but he had to help himself first. He took a chance, one that required the trust of his new acquaintances.

  “I don’t plan on staying here. Especially after what I did to those goons in the shower tent, or whatever it’s called.”

  “Intake,” interjected one of the men.

  “Okay, intake, whatever. Anyway, I busted one of them up pretty bad. The Oxy they’ve been trying to feed you guys is the least of my troubles. Is there anyone who can help me escape?”

  The tent people suddenly clammed up. Nobody seemed to want to get involved. Levi turned slowly in a circle, hoping to make eye contact with anyone who might feel compelled to help.

  Then, after a moment, he got a response from an unlikely source—the man in the back corner of the tent. “Yeah, there are people.”

  “Great, thank you. Can you tell me how to find them?”

  The man stood and approached Levi. He had a bundle of white hospital scrubs in his hands. He tossed them at Levi. “Here, put these on. First, we have to make you look like one of us.”

  Levi scrambled out of his clothes, throwing modesty to the wind. Seconds later, he was dressed in the white scrubs, but he kept his boots on. He had a long hike home and he wasn’t going to do it in bare feet.

  “Okay, what’s next?”

  The man ignored Levi’s question and walked past him toward the teenage girl by the door. “Fairy, I need you to do your thing.”

  “What? Now? They’re all over the place out there.”

  “Honey, we just need enough time to get to four-C. Can you do that for us?”

  The young girl hesitated and then replied, “Sure, Dad. No prob.”

  Without saying another word, she slipped through the tent flaps into the compound. Her father stuck his head through the entry and then looked back inside to Levi.

  “Get ready. Just follow me and keep your head down. If we get caught, act like you’re high. Can you do that?”

  Levi hesitated. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Don’t guess, dude, or we’ll both disappear into the night. Got it?”

  “My name’s Levi. Levi Boone.”

  “You’uns kin to Daniel?” asked the woman who hailed from Kentucky.

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s a distant uncle. My daddy’s name was Squire. We came from Indiana.”

  “Whereabouts?” another woman asked.

  “Southeast, along the Ohio River.”

  Levi’s guide grew impatient. “Jesus! We don’t have time for chitchat. Let’s go.”

  In a flash, he exited the tent, and Levi scrambled to catch up. The man moved from tent to tent, stopping at each corner to peer around the edge. They crossed over two main walkways until he turned in toward the center of the compound. Then, without hesitating, he ducked into an entrance labeled 4-C.

  Out of breath, Levi slid inside as well, where he was confronted by a monster of a man who looked more grizzly bear than human.

  Chapter 35

  FEMA Camp S-53

  Near Martin’s Fork Lake in the Cumberland Mountains

  Three Point, Kentucky

  Levi’s forward momentum and his nervousness caused him to collide with the hulk of a human being. Unlike the beer-bellied biker who’d manhandled him in the intake tent, this furry fella was rock solid and easily stood six feet eight.

  “What the hell is this?” he snarled, looking down at Levi, with his arms by his sides.

  “Squatch, this here is Levi Boone. He’s new.”

  “Why did you bring him here after curfew?” The man continued to stand his ground, preventing Levi from looking round him.

  To Levi’s credit, he didn’t cower to the much larger man. “Squatch?”

  “Yeah. What of it?” He continued to come across as hostile.

  “I’m guessin’ it’s short for sasquatch, right?”

  The beastly man stood a little taller and gritted his teeth. “You got somethin’ to say, say it.”

  He was certainly intimidating, but, Levi surmised, not tough enough to fight his captors. He was wearing the all-white scrubs with no shoes, rockin’ the Hare Krishna look. Levi would need his help to escape; however, he wasn’t g
oing to back down to the guy’s bullying ways.

  “I’ve met the real sasquatch while huntin’ in Canada. Y’all could be brothers. You kin to the real thing?” Levi managed to spew this madness with a straight face.

  Squatch, however, managed a smile that was barely discernible through his hairy face. “Pretty funny, I’ll give you that,” he said in a softer tone of voice. He looked down at Levi’s boots. “What size you wear?”

  Levi maintained eye contact with Squatch. “Not your size.”

  “Hmmpf. Whadya want? You’re new.”

  “What I want is to get the hell out of here,” Levi replied. The two men were still toe to toe.

  “Then leave. Ain’t nobody stoppin’ ya.”

  Levi tilted his head to the side and looked past the broad shoulders of Squatch. “I thought this guy was interested in making a move. If y’all are afraid, then I’ll find another way out.”

  Squatch grabbed Levi by the shirt with both hands and pulled him close. His horrible breath blew past his full facial hair as he hissed, “I’ve killed men for less than what you just said.”

  Levi chuckled. “No, you haven’t. I seriously doubt you’ve killed anyone. A real killer wouldn’t allow this to happen to him. Now, you look at me, Squatch. I am a real killer and so are my friends. They’re comin’ for me and I’m gonna leave. I’ll do it with you or without you. But if you wanna help, I’ll make sure we leave this place under your control and not those assholes roamin’ around lookin’ for me. Now what’s it gonna be?”

  He let loose of Levi’s shirt and gave him a little shove. He turned to the man who’d brought Levi to the tent and pointed his finger in his chest. “I sure hope you haven’t f’d up by bringing this mouthy guy in here.”

  Voices from outside interrupted them.

  “Hey! Over by the fence near row two!”

  “I think he crawled over the wire!”

  The sounds of heavy footsteps running past their tent caused everyone to hold their breath. Squatch moved back away from the door, and the man who’d led Levi to the tent dropped to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest. Levi was left standing alone in the middle of the tent, intently listening in anticipation that the guards might burst through the entrance. When nothing happened, he turned back to the leader.

  “Is this how you wanna live? Cowering in the corner while these guys steal your dang humanity? Or doped up on Oxy just to cope with this shit? Not me. I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.”

  Levi turned toward the door and was prepared to walk out into the compound alone, hell-bent on fighting every last one of them.

  “Wait,” said a meek voice from the back of the tent. Until now, nobody else had spoken. “Please come back. Let’s talk.”

  Levi pushed past Squatch and discovered a sixtyish woman standing alone in the corner. Like the others, she was dressed in white scrubs, but somehow, she had an air about her that made her seem more put together. Levi immediately treated her with respect.

  “Ma’am, my name is Levi Boone from Indiana.”

  “My name is Dorothea Rogers, from Kingsport, Tennessee. I am, um, was the mayor there. When the Holston River started rising, my husband and I left for our weekend place near Pennington Gap. He, um, passed just as we got there. I came here for help.”

  “Ma’am, I’m so sorry. I lost my father in the middle of all this.”

  “Please sit next to me, Mr. Boone.”

  Levi sat down and then explained why he was there. “Ma’am, I’ve got a wife and two young kids who need me. They’re out there probably worried sick.”

  “Are you expecting them to come save you? Do they even know you’re here?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I hope. My wife probably does, and I’m certain she went back to get the rest of my family. I have no doubt they’re trying to figure out what to do.”

  “Young man, we haven’t had any help from the outside. It would be a waste of lives to fight these armed criminals from inside the fence. How can we possibly help you escape when we haven’t been able to do it ourselves?”

  Levi took a deep breath and glanced up at Squatch, her protective giant, who hovered nearby. “First, let me ask something. Are these people from the government? FEMA?”

  “No, except for the two national guardsmen at the front gate. They’re part of what happened, too. These men are locals from Harlan. They were recruited by the FEMA people as administrators for the camp. It’s called S-53.”

  “How are they getting away with treating you so poorly?”

  “Oh, early on, the real FEMA people treated us well. When the locals got involved, they found a way to profit from this whole mess. Truthfully, I believe the people from Atlanta were taken out in the woods and killed.”

  “How many men are guarding you?”

  “About eight plus the two guardsmen at the front, who only sleep for a few hours during the daytime. We’re allowed out of our tents on a rotational basis, and then we get together like this, in the middle of the night, to compare notes. Trust me, we want to break this stranglehold on our throats, but without guns, they’d slaughter us all.”

  Levi grimaced and shook his head in disbelief. How could they treat their fellow man, especially those who were broken already, so poorly? Then he got mad. It was all for profit. Or to make their own lives better. They’d commit crimes against humanity just to keep their bellies full.

  “This is your chance to fight back. Are your people willing to fight for their freedom?”

  She nodded as she responded, “Some are like Leonard, who have been biding their time as they wait for an opening.”

  Levi was confused as to whom she was referring to. “Leonard?”

  “Oh, we call him Squatch, short for sasquatch, as you presumed.”

  Levi turned to the large shadow blocking the small amount of ambient light coming through the tent opening. “You’re Leonard?”

  “Not another word, bud. I mean it.”

  “Hey, I don’t judge,” said Levi with a judgmental smile across his face. He turned to the former mayor. “Okay, my family knows nothing about what’s going on inside here. I firmly believe though, that they will find me and make a move. We have to be ready when the time comes.”

  “Well, Mr. Boone, what do you want us to do?”

  “Create mayhem. Wreak havoc. Cause confusion. Any distraction will help.”

  “How will we know when it’s time?” she asked.

  Levi leaned back and replied with confidence, “They’ll send a message that’s loud and clear.”

  Chapter 36

  FEMA Camp S-53

  Near Martin’s Fork Lake in the Cumberland Mountains

  Three Point, Kentucky

  It was well after midnight when the group gathered at the bottom of the ridge where Levi had been abducted the evening before. Only the occasional screech of an owl broke the calm and serenity of the desolate mountainside except, of course, for the continuous humming of the generator providing power to Camp S-53.

  Despite being young, in fairly good physical condition, and highly motivated to save her husband, Carly was exhausted. The many miles of hiking up and down difficult terrain plus the emotional toll the entire ordeal had taken on her were finally causing her to hit a wall. She dropped onto a fallen tree to sit and catch her breath.

  While she did, the others eased out into the tall grasses that separated the perimeter fence and the tree line. Chapman was the first to use the binoculars to study the rows of white tents and the generator that stood alone at the corner of the razor-wire-topped chain-link fence.

  He relayed his observations. “There’s too much light for us to approach the fence without running the risk of being seen.”

  “How many guards?” Tommy asked as he joined Chapman and requested to use the binoculars.

  “That’s the thing. I haven’t seen any, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. We need to watch for a while. You know, look for patterns and schedules of them m
aking their rounds.”

  Tommy studied the camp for a moment and then offered some words of caution. “I can’t disagree with that, but we need to get this done before daylight. Right now, they’re most likely asleep. My guess is that the fence is to keep people in rather than prevent others from breaking in.”

  The two men walked back to where Carly and Kristi were sitting on the fallen tree trunk, talking.

  Kristi looked up to her brother. “She’ll be ready. But let’s get started by getting Carly in position across from the front gate. It’s gonna take some time to find our way through the woods without being noticed.”

  Chapman was puzzled by her statement. “You’re both going?”

  “Listen, brother, with all due respect. I’m pretty good with a rifle, especially from long range. There are two guards, according to Carly. We’ll each take one out, leaving the rest of the fun for you three.”

  Chapman glanced at Tommy, who shrugged. “She didn’t hesitate at the zoo that night.”

  “And we won’t this night, either, will we?” Kristi leaned over and elbowed her sister-in-law.

  “Nope,” replied Carly. “Get a good look all the way around and come up with a game plan. Meet us back here and we’ll get ready. Kristi and I will unlock the front door for you. What happens next is up to y’all.”

  Chapman turned to Isabella. “We’ll take the far side of the compound. Tommy, you and Kristi surveil the front gate. Carly, rest up and steady your nerves. I’m gonna leave the binoculars with you to watch the side across this open field. Everybody good?”

  After everyone confirmed their readiness, Chapman and Isabella dropped to a low crouch and cut across the clearing, hugging the tree line until they were hidden on the far side of the field.

  Carly described the front gate and some possible places where Kristi and Tommy could cut through the woods. They were off in a flash, moving as quietly as possible through the tall grass until they dashed for cover among a stand of pine trees. Using the trunks as cover, the two made good time until they arrived at the gate.

  It was tougher going for Chapman and Isabella. That side of the compound had not been cleared or disturbed. The trees were surrounded by underbrush and deadfall from the time the CCC camp had originally been built.