Chương 130

The minibus left Charleston behind, following the plow truck up the highway into the mountains. The reinforced suspension handled the bad sections of road, but the swaying still made Louis's stomach turn. The convoy moved at a steady pace, with the plow clearing any obstructions. They passed another Authority checkpoint. The gate was open before they arrived. The men on duty watched them pass without stopping.

"This feels more official now," Willa said from behind him.

"It should," Angelique said.

"We're traveling at government expense."

"Too bad it's a government of road bandits," Savannah muttered.

"It's better than being shot by them," Gladice said.

"And they gave us a decent ride. I just wish I had brought that bottle of whiskey with me."

"You can get more when we get home," Louis said.

"I'm holding you to that." Gladice stretched her legs.

"I plan to get very drunk when we're back. Maybe we can all get drunk together. Naked." Cherish blushed and looked out the window.

"Behave," Angelique said.

"We're not there yet."

"I'm just planning ahead." Gladice grinned. Louis looked at Cherish, who was watching the landscape pass. Green hills rose around them, dotted with clusters of trees.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She turned to him.

"I think so. It's just… a lot. My life changed so fast."

"I know." He touched her shoulder.

"You're very brave. Gladie told me you helped them look for me. Thank you for that." Cherish blushed.

"I was just… driving. I know these roads."

"Still. You helped us. And the food was great." She gave a small smile.

"Mama taught me how to cook. She said a good meal could heal a wounded soul."

"I think she was right." Louis nodded.

"It helped me. A lot."

"I'm glad." Cherish kept looking out the window. The convoy moved on. More checkpoints came and went. After the fourth gate opened without stopping them, Savannah looked across at Louis.

"Your father paid a whole lot of money for this," she said.

"He did." She smiled.

"You know, I never thought I'd be grateful for a rich man's wallet." He smiled faintly.

"I'll tell him you said that." She raised one eyebrow.

"He gonna care?"

"He'll find it funny." She snorted.

"Course he will." The convoy climbed through a long cut between wooded slopes. The lane markers were faded almost white. Old rockfall had been pushed to the shoulder, leaving brown scars on the slope. Cherish shifted in her sleep, her face pressing harder into Louis's shoulder. He looked down at her. Her hair had fallen over her face. He brushed it back gently. She murmured something he did not understand. A prayer, maybe. The road bent north around a long shoulder of mountain.

For the first time in several miles, there were neither visible buildings nor toll barriers. There was only the highway, the slopes, and a rusted guardrail. Then the radio near the driver crackled. A burst of static came through. Then a voice came through, too quick to make out. The Authority guard near the door sat straighter. The driver reached for his own radio.

"Gate 047, say again." Static answered him. The armored pickup ahead of the minibus shifted left, giving its gun a clearer angle. Savannah saw it at once.

"Something's wrong." The guard lifted his carbine off his thighs. Another voice broke over the radio, louder this time.

"Air contact—" The rest vanished into static. Louis looked toward the windshield. There was nothing above the road but sky and the line of ridge. Then he heard it. A heavy rotor sound rolled over the hills. Gladice shouted, "Choppers!" The guard beside the driver swore and keyed his radio.

"Evasive, repeat, evasive! Break formation, break formation!" The driver spun the wheel hard. The minibus skidded, throwing them sideways against their belts. Louis caught Cherish as she jolted awake and grabbed at him. The first Apache came over the ridge low and fast. Patchwork gray and green paint covered the old markings. A red star and crossed pick handles had been painted beneath the cockpit. The second Apache rose behind it, lower, banking hard over the trees. The Authority driver shouted into the radio.

"Weapons free, weapons free—return fire!" The first missile struck the plow truck before the order ended. It hit behind the cab and tore through the frame. The old truck lurched sideways, its blade scraping across the asphalt in a shower of sparks. It jackknifed across the highway and slammed into the guardrail, blocking both lanes. The armored pickup ahead of the minibus braked hard and swerved left, trying to clear the wreck.

The shock wave hit the minibus a second later, shaking the windows and cracking the windshield in a starburst. Orange light flashed across the seats. Cherish screamed. The driver slammed the brakes. Everyone lurched forward against belts and seats.

"Down!" Gladice shouted. The front pickup opened fire, the anti-aircraft gun hammering from its bed. Tracers climbed toward the first Apache. Most went wide. A few sparked against the helicopter's underside, and it banked away for a moment. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Then the second Apache fired. The missile hit the rear armored pickup. It exploded behind them, black smoke rolling across the road. The front pickup kept firing.

Its gunner held the trigger down, dragging the stream of tracers after the first Apache as it turned back over the road. Then the Apache's nose cannon opened up. Tracer fire tore through the pickup's cab and engine. The gun in the bed jerked sideways and went silent. The pickup rolled forward another few yards, hit the rear of the plow truck, and stopped at an angle across the lane. The minibus stopped hard between the wrecks. Cherish sobbed once and clamped both hands over her mouth.

Donya was on the floor between seats, and Willa pulled her upright. Gladice had drawn her pistol without Louis seeing her hand move. Savannah crouched in the aisle. Angelique was behind him, one hand on his shoulder.

"Driver!" Gladice shouted.

"Get us out!" The Authority driver fought the wheel. The minibus reversed, tires screaming. Smoke from the burning wrecks filled the air. Then the rear bumper hit the wreck behind them. Metal crunched. The vehicle shuddered and stopped. The Authority guard by the door was on one knee now, carbine raised toward the window. The first Apache came low over the road, its cannon turning toward the minibus. The guard froze. The aircraft passed close enough that the minibus shook under the rotor wash.

Through the glass, Louis saw the pilot's helmet turn.

"Get down!" he yelled. No bullets came. The Apache stayed low, hovered for a moment, then climbed and swung back toward the mountains. The second Apache followed. Then another sound came through the rotor noise, deeper and louder. Two Black Hawks came over the ridge from the south, painted in the same patchwork gray and green as the Apaches, with red markings on the doors. They descended hard.

The first Black Hawk touched down beyond the burning plow truck and the disabled pickup, bounced once, and settled on the highway. The second came down behind the rear pickup wreck, its rotors pushing smoke across the road. The doors opened, and soldiers jumped out before the rotors slowed. They spread along the highway with rifles up. Their faded Army uniforms had red armbands over the sleeves and red patches over the old unit marks. Most wore helmets and plate carriers that looked old but cared for.

A shaved-headed woman moved near the front, speaking into a radio as she pointed toward the minibus. A man behind her carried a belt-fed gun. Another kept a short breaching shotgun low against his chest. They moved fast and kept their spacing.

"People's Army! Weapons down!"

"Hands up! Now!" An officer with a loudspeaker stepped out from behind the forward Black Hawk. He wore faded Army gear, a plate carrier, and a red armband. An M4 carbine hung across his chest, his hand close to the grip.

"This is the People's Army of West Virginia," he called.

"You are surrounded. Throw your weapons from the vehicle and exit with your hands on your heads. We will not ask twice." Savannah stared through the glass.

"Fuck." Gladice kept her pistol low but ready.

"How do we fight them?" Angelique looked at her pistol.

"We don't. There are at least twelve. We are nine with one rifle and three pistols."

"They want me alive," Louis said.

"I'm the prize."

"And maybe the rest of us," Willa said. Her face was white.

"Maybe." The Authority guard by the door said, "We don't surrender to reds." Savannah turned on him.

"Then die outside." His hand tightened on the carbine. Gladice already had her pistol angled toward his ribs.

"No," she said. The driver sat rigid behind the wheel, both hands still on it. His face had gone gray. The radio hissed from the dash. Another voice called from outside.

"Thirty seconds!" Cherish was shaking beside Louis. He felt it through the seat. Donya leaned forward.

"Louis." Louis looked through the windshield. The squads were spreading. One soldier moved toward the minibus with his carbine shouldered and aimed at the windshield. Savannah looked at him across the aisle.

"We don't have a choice," she said. Louis nodded once. He raised his voice.

"Driver, open the door." The Authority man beside the door looked at him in disbelief.

"You are giving up?"

"Ten seconds!" Louis looked at the guard.

"Drop your weapon. Now." The man hesitated. Outside, the soldier with the rifle shouted, his voice amplified to distortion.

"Last warning!" Louis shouted.

"We surrender!"

"Throw out your weapons!" came the reply. Louis dropped his M1911 onto the floor. Gladice and Angelique dropped their Glocks. The Authority guard hesitated, then set the carbine on the seat beside him and raised his hands. Outside, the soldiers kept their weapons trained on the door. The driver unbuckled and lifted his hands from the wheel.

"Weapons are on the ground," Louis called.

"We are coming out."

"Slow! One at a time!" The Authority guard unlocked the door and pushed it open. Smoke rushed in. Louis rose first. Cherish clutched his sleeve.

"Stay behind me," he said. She nodded and held on. He stepped down onto the asphalt with his hands raised. A dozen rifles turned toward him at once. A young soldier with a red band around his helmet stared at his face, then shouted toward the others.

"It's him." The man with the loudspeaker lowered it.

"Well," he said.

"The Pacific prince. You are a long way from home." Louis said nothing.

"Move." They ordered them off the bus one by one. Cherish came after Louis, trembling but upright. Savannah and Angelique were next. Gladice came after her with empty hands, staring at the soldiers. Willa and Donya followed together. Donya nearly slipped getting off the step and Willa caught her by the elbow. The Authority driver was pulled from the front seat. The Authority guard came after him, both hands raised, his face slick with sweat. A soldier entered the minibus and swept the aisle for weapons.

"Passengers there," the officer ordered, pointing to the shoulder.

"Authority men there." Louis watched them separate the driver and guard from the group. The driver spoke first.

"I'm just a driver." A woman with a red armband gave a short laugh.

"You drive for the toll regime." Two soldiers pushed the driver and guard toward the ditch at the side of the road. The driver stumbled once. The guard tried to straighten himself. The soldiers put them facing the trees. The woman with the red armband stepped behind them.

"Kneel," she said. The driver went down. The guard stood another second, then knelt beside him. The woman with the red armband raised her rifle. Louis started forward, but two rifles swung toward him.

"Stay there." The officer's voice stayed flat. The shots came quickly. The two men fell forward into the ditch. The woman with the red armband turned away and spat.

"Toll dogs," she said. Cherish flinched hard enough that her shoulder struck Louis's arm. He lowered his hand slightly.

"Eyes on me," he said quietly. She looked at him. Her face was bloodless.

"Stay with me." She nodded once. The officer turned back without looking at the bodies again.

"Search them," he said. They were searched roughly, but no one was hit. The soldiers took Cherish's Bible and tossed it to the burning wreckage. They took Angelique's knife and a lighter she kept in her pocket. A soldier opened Willa's locket, looked inside, and returned it to her. Savannah's bandage was examined and left alone. Donya and Gladice were searched last. The soldiers pulled their hands behind their backs, checked them, and released them.

Their backpacks were taken from the minibus and opened near the Black Hawks. One soldier unzipped one and found the euros. He stopped for a second. Louis saw his hand hover over the money. Then the soldier turned his shoulder toward the others, pulled several notes free, and slipped them into his pocket before calling the officer over. The rest of the money stayed with the bags and was carried to the Black Hawks. The officer looked at Savannah, then at Louis, then at Cherish.

"These three come with me. The rest on team one." Angelique stepped forward.

"No." Two soldiers aimed at her chest. She ignored them and looked at the officer.

"We stay together."

"You are not in charge here." The officer looked at his men.

"Get them on choppers. Now." Four soldiers moved toward the group. Louis looked at Angelique. He had no time to say anything else.

"I'll be alright," he said. Angelique did not answer. Her hand closed once at her side. Willa said, "Are you taking us to the same place?"

"Yes. The same place." The officer turned away.

"Let's go." The rotor wash hit them as they reached the Black Hawk. A soldier shoved Louis inside first. He caught the overhead strap and helped Cherish in after him. Savannah climbed in next and sat on his other side before anyone could move her. Across the road, Angelique, Gladice, Willa, and Donya were being loaded into the second Black Hawk. Louis saw Angelique turn at the door. Then a soldier pushed her inside. The officer climbed in and sat near the open side, rifle across his knees. The Black Hawk lifted.

Cherish shut her eyes. Savannah gripped the seat and watched the ground. Below them, fire and smoke marked the highway. The second Black Hawk rose beside them, then banked away.

"Where are you taking us?" Louis asked. The officer looked at him.

"Home," he said. The helicopter climbed south over the hills. The road fell away.