Day 45
Reno wasn’t much to look at. Buck wondered what it had been like before World War III. he’d never visited, and now was glad he hadn’t wasted his time.
Buck Sawyer smiled when the last of the small group who’d opposed his rule was brought forward, hands tied and looking like they’d gone a round with Mike Tyson.
“I’ll ask you like I’ve been asking for the past couple of days…who’s in charge here?” Buck had his weapon in hand and kept smiling.
The three men, now on their knees, looked at one another.
The man in the middle spoke first. “It was Zacharia, but…”
Buck shot the man in the face and laughed when he slowly toppled over like a cartoon character. He turned to the man on the left. “I’ll ask again.”
“You, sir, you are definitely in charge.”
Buck frowned and aimed the weapon like he was going to end this man’s life as well. Then he laughed again and put his handgun away.
“I saw that in a Steven Seagal movie once,” Buck said. “It’s fun to finally use the line. Get up. I like to stare into a man’s eyes on an equal level when I talk to them.”
Both men stood with the help of a couple of Buck’s cousins.
“I’m Buck Sawyer, recently from Chico in California. Have you boys ever been there?”
Both shook their heads.
“Well, you ain’t missing much. We do our own thing in Chico. Leave everyone else alone. We have enough problems to deal with like annoying, nosy neighbors and feuds that go back generations.” Buck sighed. “But war has come to our great country. I know you understand about being a patriot. Hell, boys, this cute little militia you were playing around in had the right idea. The wrong execution and leadership, but the kernel of a great movement. That’s where we come in.”
Buck walked around both men, enjoying them flinching as he moved. Waiting for the bullet in the temple or in the back of the head. The power he’d always relished was now in his hands.
Dusty held me back, Buck thought. I wonder if it was jealousy or stupidity. While he was sad Dusty was gone, a part of him was glad it had given him a chance to take over.
The same went for his little brother, Jeb. Everyone had always held Buck back. Daddy. Grandpa. All of them. Jealous of what he could become, and stifling that growth.
They’d spout off about what being a Sawyer meant, but it never meant the same for me, Buck thought. The hand I held was the hand that held me down. He’d heard that in a song once and it stuck.
“Someone said the military had been sniffing around. Where did they go, or are they still a problem?” Buck asked.
The man on the left shook his head and smiled faintly. “We fought them off. Blocked off the roads in and out. Harassed them until they got all the way to the 659 crossing. Made sure they didn’t return, either.”
“What’s your name?” Buck asked.
“Lenny, sir.”
Buck was in front of him again. “I like you.”
Lenny didn’t know what to say, which made Buck smile even more. The idiot thought he was buddies with Buck now.
Buck stopped smiling. “Of course, if we hadn’t shown up, you know what was coming? The damn commies. Shooting nuclear warheads into Reno, Vegas, and every other big city. You think your militia can beat that?”
Lenny frowned. “Zacharia said it wasn’t real. No way nukes were dropped. It’s just propaganda. This is a race war. The government wants to control us like sheep.”
“Remind me again…where is this Zacharia?” Buck got nose to nose with Lenny. “I’ll answer for you, Leonard. I strung him up by the balls when we waltzed right into Reno and shot half your men. I guess your militia never bothered to teach these pussies how to shoot. Too bad. They wasted a lot of ammo before we contained them.”
Lenny looked down and kept his mouth shut.
Buck turned to the other man, who’d wisely kept quiet.
“What’s your name? Squiggy?”
Before the other man could answer, Buck shot him in the face. He turned back to Lenny, covered in blood from the splash. Maybe he was already covered because of the first one.
“If you hadn’t tried to run off, Leonard, I could’ve used you. Compared to the others you’re almost intelligent. Shame you thought running was a better move, though.”
“Please, don’t…”
Buck did, shooting Lenny in the face.
“It stinks in here,” Buck said and turned away. “Can someone drag these bodies out, toss them in the street as a warning, and bring in the next group. I’m getting hungry.”
Buck sat down at a table and folded his hands, placing his handgun in front of him.
They’d taken over the government building the militia had initially locked up control of. It felt fitting. Buck knew groups of his men were combing the city for anymore stragglers, and gathering whatever wasn’t already nailed down.
“How many men did we add?” Buck asked the cousins hanging around the room, looking amused while Buck shot people.
“Maybe two hundred. Hard to say. I think a lot of them are really locals trying to blend in. Once they get a chance they’ll run,” Cousin Luke said.
“Then we need to give them something. A reason to stay. We treat them well. Feed and clothe them. Don’t mess with them unless they step out of line.” Buck smiled. “The world is coming apart at the seams. I need to stitch it back together, or give the illusion we are. People follow a winner. No one cares about an underdog if it means life or death. We give the people what they want.”
The cousins nodded.
Buck knew more men meant more bodies between him and a bullet, especially if the enemy was really coming up the road and heading in their direction. Reno wasn’t the place to make a stand, though. He’d need to gather everyone together again, give them another rousing speech, and then head east.
When the bodies were cleared out, Buck opened the window. A warm breeze blew through the room, diluting the awful smell of death.
Get used to it, Buck thought. You are now Death. You’ll leave a trail of bodies in your wake.
The door opened and Buck took a moment to stare outside, watching as his men went building to building, looking for anything usable.
When he turned he made sure to smile.
Herbert and another man, this one much shorter, were tied together and surrounded by Sawyers. Tee was standing behind the pair with his rifle.
“Mister Brinker and…friend…I hope your visit to Reno is welcoming so far,” Buck said.
“Go to Hell,” Herbert said.
Buck sat back down. “It’s obvious to me we went the wrong way. The rest of your family and whoever they were with circled around Reno. No big deal. We’ll catch up to them soon enough. From what I can see on the maps, Route 80 is the only real way to go. Not that I’m familiar with Nevada. I had enough to do in Chico.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Herbert said. “I’m an old man and Barry is a truck driver. We’re trying to survive like everyone else.”
“You do understand my dilemma, thought? If I let you go, you could alert the others,” Buck said.
“Like that bitch Darlene,” Tee said. Buck noticed Tee had her Desert Eagle in his waistband, proudly displaying it. Once they got settled somewhere down the line, Buck would take it from him. It looked like a nice weapon befitting someone important like him, not Tee.
Buck nodded. “Exactly. There’s some bad blood. I don’t want to get in the way of someone looking to kill a Sawyer or two. I say we do it my way and no one gets hurt.” He put up a finger and grinned. “Actually, no Sawyer gets hurt. That’s what we’re going for.”
The Sawyers in the room laughed.
“What if we promise to head west?” Barry asked. “There’s only one way in and out of Reno.”
Buck shook his head. “And have you at our backs? I don’t think so. I’m not stupid, buddy. I don’t fancy waking up with Herbert standing over me with a knife. No, you’ll stay with us…for as long as I think you should live.” Buck smiled. “And, trust me, that isn’t going to be a long time. We’ll be out of Reno soon enough and leaving your bodies in this mess for the Russians to find.”
Herbert returned the smile. “I hope I’m still alive when Darlene kills every last Sawyer and erases the memory of your awful, inbred family.”
Tee clubbed Herbert with his rifle butt, knocking him to the ground.
Buck put up a hand before Tee could bash the old man’s head in. “Take them back to whatever hole we stuck them in. They die tomorrow.”
Herbert was dragged off the ground. Barry looked defeated. He didn’t utter a word. Maybe it was the bloodstains he was standing in. Maybe it was the power Buck had in his possession.
Buck went back to the window. Tomorrow he’d deal with Herbert. Then he’d get everyone ready to move east. Reno was going to fall soon enough. He’d rather face the U.S. Army than a bunch of foreigners with nukes.
Soon, very soon, I’ll control everything from coast to coast, Buck thought. He couldn’t help but laugh.