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SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON:
Cally refused to sleep in the same bed with him last night, so she and Pamela went to another room. But during the night, Harold felt her crawl under the covers next to him.
In the morning, she continued to argue she wasn’t going to any army camp, and he can leave without her, trying to force him to change his mind, but he made his decision to leave for the AOS camp and helps his children load their belongings into the trailer. He feels more self-confident about his new ability to make decisions for his family, and his new sense of individuality. Despite her refusal to go with them, he puts Cally’s bags inside, too.
When Monroe starts his truck, Cally walks from the motel and climbs into the trailer with Pamela and Mark, while the men ride in the truck.
Monroe and the Woollys make good time along Interstate 90. They attempt to stop at a rest area, but it’s crowded with hitchhikers, so they drive through without stopping, all of them painfully aware of the sudden madness forcing people to do whatever is needed to survive.
The interstate bypasses most of the small towns along the way, until they reach the outskirts of Spokane, Washington, where the police stop them at a roadblock. The soldiers from the Air Force base and the National Guard joined forces with the police to maintain law and order in the city. No outsiders are allowed in unless they turn in all their weapons and bring enough food to last them for three weeks, which will be turned over to the community supply to be rationed out.
Monroe explains that they’re just passing through and refuses to surrender their weapons. They are curtly denied passage and are forced to backtrack thirty miles and take narrow winding back roads around the city. They drive across the border, merging with Interstate 90 again in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.
Back on the interstate, they proceed without further incident and finally make it to the little town of Osborn. It appears deserted, with familiar signs of looters. Monroe parks on the main street and lets Mark out of the trailer to ride in the truck with him and Harold.
Mark tries to remember what John Everex told him about finding the AOS camp. “He said the road doesn’t have a street name, just a number, but I can’t remember what it is.”
Monroe continues through town, watching the signs on the side streets until they stumble on Route 26 north. “Is this it, Mark?” he asks.
Mark shifts uncomfortably in the seat and looks left at the two-lane road of Route 26, which goes up the hill. He looks to the right, and sees a row of stores with broken windows, but no street. “I, ah. I’m not positive, but the number twenty-six sounds familiar.”
Monroe turns to the left, and Mark grows more excited by the moment. His dream of joining an army is about to come true, and he fidgets between the men.
Fifteen miles farther on, they stop at a barricade across the road. Four soldiers in olive green uniforms leap out of a small building and quickly surround the truck and trailer. Monroe’s hands involuntarily tighten on the steering wheel, as the serious-looking soldiers point their rifles at the windshield. He glances at his passengers, and sees the stunned, frightened expressions on Harold and Mark’s faces.
Cally and Pamela stare out the front window of the trailer at the soldiers. Cally is still uncomfortable with the guns Harold and Monroe carry, and the sight of more guns causes her stomach to tighten in fear. “I don’t like this at all!” she whispers to Pamela. “We don’t know what kind of people they are. Maybe they’re Neo-Nazis, or something.”
Pamela watches a fifth soldier step out of the guard shack and approach the truck window. “I think it’s exciting, Mom! We’ll have our own army to protect us, and the one coming toward us looks so handsome in his uniform.”
Cally stares at her daughter in surprise. This is the first time she’s seen Pamela show an interest in the male species. In another time and place, she would have been glad, but now it doesn’t ease her tension.
Monroe rolls down his window as the soldier stops beside him, and notices the AOS patch on his shoulder.
“You’ll have to turn around and go back the way you came.”
Monroe glances at Mark, then the soldier. “We were told we could join your army.”
The soldier shakes his head no. “Not anymore. We have plenty of people. Too many, if you ask me, so just turn around, and leave.”
Mark leans closer to the window. “My name’s Mark Woolly and I was invited.” Mark hands the soldier the brochure he received in the mail.
The soldier glances at it, smirks, and tosses it to the ground. “I’ve seen hundreds of these things in the past few weeks. They don’t mean shit anymore. Just do what I tell you!”
Mark is devastated. “I know one of your soldiers, and he sent me this letter.”
“Don’t argue with him, son,” Harold interrupts. “We’re sorry, Jerry.”
Monroe smiles politely. “We had to try.”
Mark watches the soldier walk away. He wants to join this army with all his heart and soul and isn’t about to give up this easily. When Monroe shifts into reverse and backs the trailer away from the barricade, he leans out the window in front of Monroe’s face. “His name is John Everex, and if you call him, he’ll tell you it’s okay!”
Monroe steps on the brakes and eases Mark out of his face onto the seat. “I don’t want any trouble, kid.”
The soldier freezes in mid-stride and spins back toward the pickup. “Hold it!” he hollers and runs up to the window. “Did I hear you right? Did you say you were invited by Major Everex?”
This time Mark remains in the center and just looks past Monroe. “Yeah. He sent me the brochure personally.”
The soldier suddenly looks nervous and licks his lips. “I, ah. You should have said that in the first place. Wait here a minute while I call this in. What’s your name again?”
“Mark Woolly.”
The soldier turns and jogs back to the shack. A few moments later, he steps out and waves to the soldiers to remove the barricade, and runs back to the truck, grabbing the brochure on his way. He wipes it off on his pants and hands it to Monroe. “Look, I’m sorry about this, but I had my orders, and you didn’t tell me you know Major Everex.”
“It’s all right, son,” says Monroe. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
The soldier feels relieved and grins. “You go right on through for another six miles and you’ll come to the camp. Someone will be there to meet you.”
Monroe shifts into drive and passes through the open barricade. The road continues through the forest, and six miles farther, makes a sharp left turn. The forest opens onto a wide clearing with several buildings around the perimeter. Another soldier stands in the road, so Monroe stops and the soldier walks up to his window.
The soldier ignores Monroe and looks at Mark. “Hello, Mr. Woolly. I’m Luke Ardle, the senior camp instructor. Come with me, please. Major Everex would like to see you.” He looks at Monroe. “There’s a road just up ahead on the right. Take it and you’ll see tent city. Drive past it and the camping tents and park your rig with the others under the trees. Don’t wander off. I’ll be there in a little while to explain how things operate around here.”
Harold opens his door and lets Mark crawl out, feeling nervous about this whole situation. Apparently, Mark doesn’t, since he’s grinning from ear to ear. “See you later, son.”
Mark just waves and walks around to the soldier, staring at the man’s uniform in adoration. It’s neatly creased, and the black belt and holster are impressive. Mark wonders how long it will be before he has a uniform.
Cally watches Mark climb out and walk to the soldier. Not knowing what’s going on is bad enough, but when the truck starts moving without Mark, she panics and rushes to the door, throwing it open and nearly falling through. She holds onto the doorknob to regain her balance while she leans out the opening. “Mark!” she yells, but doesn’t hear a reply. She looks down at the road slowly moving past and is about to jump out when Pamela grabs her around the waist and pulls her back into the trailer. Rage courses through Cally, and she spins on her daughter. “What are you doing?” she snarls. “They’ve got Mark!”
“Calm down, Mom! They don’t have him. He came here to join them. He’s going to come back later, so try to calm down.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe he’ll be tortured for information.”
“Just think a moment, Mom. Mark was invited. He’s just going to set things up for us. It’s just that we have to park someplace first, that’s all.”
Cally realizes Pamela is probably right, but her sense of fear remains. She’s upset with the whole situation, but sits in a chair, nervously wringing her hands in her lap while she awaits the outcome.
Monroe turns onto the side road and sees several massive tents, four log barracks, and a large area in the center for sitting around and eating. Just past the tents are two large bonfires, with perhaps two-dozen men, women, and children standing or sitting around them, all in civilian clothes. As he drives past, he sees dozens of individual tents in a wide variety of styles and sizes. More civilians are mulling around the tents or sitting beside the road, watching him drive past. No one smiles or waves, and the looks he receives are more suspicious than curious.
Past the tents is another one-hundred-feet of forest, then the area opens up and he sees six motorhomes and nine trailers parked in areas cleared out between rows of trees. Some have people sitting out front in chairs, most of who look up suspiciously as he passes. Monroe waves and receives a couple of nods in return. The last RV in line is a beautiful Road Master forty-footer, complete with a satellite dish on the roof, but there is nobody outside.
There isn’t much room at the end of the clearing, only enough for three or four more trailers or RV’s. Monroe stops and climbs out to assess where he wants to park. Harold also climbs out and walks around to Monroe. A moment later, Cally and Pamela join them.
“I don’t like this at all!” Cally moans.
Harold starts to say he agrees, but Monroe interrupts.
“I’ve been taking this trailer to different RV camps all over North America, and it’s always this way when you first arrive. People got to get to know you first, that’s all.”
The door on the Road Master suddenly opens and the man who steps out instantly catches their attention. It isn’t so much his huge belly and bald head, but the bright florescent green pantsuit he’s wearing. He waves, smiles, and waddles over to them.
“Welcome!” he beams and extends his hand. “My name’s Chuck Berry. No relation to the guitar player, unless my great granddaddy did something he shouldn’t have. HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” he laughs.
Pamela giggles and thinks the man’s laugh is as funny as his clothes. Monroe accepts his hand and introduces everyone.
Berry studies the trailer. “Well, you’re welcome to park next to us. It’s pretty level, and the Colonel says everyone should stay in line.”
Monroe and the Woolly’s are vastly relieved by Berry’s open hospitality. Berry stays with the Woolly’s as Monroe climbs into his truck and maneuvers the trailer into place.
“So, where are you folks from?” Berry asks, keeping up the friendly chatter.
“Just outside Seattle, Washington,” Harold answers.
“We’re from the Bay Area. Down near San Francisco. We were visiting my daughter in Utah when all this happened.”
Cally notices the sad look in Berry’s eyes. “This whole army thing scares me.”
Berry shoves his hands into his front pockets. “Just got to take everything in stride, I always say.”
Harold indicates the tents at the opposite end. “Nobody seems to be happy here. Except you, I mean.”
Berry turns and looks for a moment. “Well, I can’t really blame them. Most of them walked here with just what they could carry. They’re a little envious, that’s all. No, I don’t blame them one bit, having to sleep on the ground and all.” Berry smiles. “Shucks! It would kill a fat man like me. HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”
This time, all the Woollys smile.
Monroe gets the trailer in place, unhooks the truck, and spends a few more minutes getting it leveled and supported on jack stands. “That’s it,” he says as he approaches the group.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” Berry says and smiles. “Let me get my wife out here to meet you. Hey Joyce!” he bellows. “Come meet our neighbors.”
They all watch as the door on the Road Master opens. A blond woman steps out, and both Harold and Monroe’s jaws drop open. She can’t be more than thirty, and could have stepped off the cover of a fashion model magazine. Cally unconsciously pats her dirty hair, but Pamela just gawks.
Berry sees their familiar expressions. “She’s something else, isn’t she?” He loves the reaction Joyce gets from people, especially men. “I bet you’re wondering why such a goddess would marry someone like me, right?” Berry watches the Woollys and Monroe staring at him, and smiles. “Money, pure and simple. HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! See, I made my fortune selling explosives. Everything you can imagine. Made several million and retired this last spring.”
Joyce walks over and shows her a gorgeous smile. “Nice to meet you,” she says in a voice sounding like fingernails across a blackboard.
Berry sees the slight grimace from his new neighbors. “You get used to it after a while.” He looks around and leans in close to them. “I didn’t turn all my booze over to the soldiers. Let’s step into my rig and have a drink.”
Monroe doesn’t hesitate. “Sounds good.”
“I’d like that,” Harold tells him, receiving a venomous look from Cally.
Cally looks at Berry. “Pamela and I will pass, but thank you anyway.” Cally stomps across to Monroe’s trailer, and Pamela shrugs and follows her.
Joyce walks toward the Road Master, and the men tag along behind, staring at her sensuously moving butt. “So what’s it like here?” Monroe finally asks.
“So far, not too bad, but we’ve only been here a few days. Oh, they have rules. No one is to have any firearms or liquor, and you have to turn all your food over to them to be rationed out. But basically it’s a good place for protection, with things being the way they are outside the camp.”
“We were stopped outside Spokane. They had the same rules.”
They enter the Road Master, and Berry offers them chairs in the living area, telling them all he can offer is bourbon and mixers. Joyce takes their requests and expertly mixes the drinks. She passes them around, then sits across from Monroe and Harold. Both men have a hard time not staring at her. Berry notices, and merely grins. “Have any trouble getting here?”
“Just getting past Spokane,” says Monroe. “How about you?” Berry’s face becomes a mask of sadness, and Monroe regrets asking.
“We didn’t, until we left Utah with my daughter. We were ambushed passing through a little pissant town.” Berry points at a blown out piece of paneling in the wall to the left and behind where Harold is sitting. On the floor is a dark brown stain. Berry’s eyes suddenly fill with moisture. “The bullet hit my daughter in the chest.” His lips tremble as tears run down his cheeks. “She didn’t suffer, but I miss her so much.”
Berry releases a sob and Joyce puts her arm around his shoulders to comfort him. He buries his face against her chest, and she rocks him soothingly for a few moments. He finally straightens and wipes the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. “We, ah.” Berry swallows hard. “We were trying to find a place to bury her when we met a convoy of grocery trucks. I flagged them down, thinking they must be headed for a city with sane people in it. It turned out they were soldiers from here at the AOS camp. The head honcho, a lieutenant named Luke Ardle, ordered his men to help me bury my daughter, and offered to let us come here.”
Berry is quiet for a few moments. “So how did you folks end up here?”
“Mister Monroe was kind enough to let us ride with him.” Harold explains what happened in Seattle.
***
Luke leads Mark across the parade ground and up the steps to Blackwood’s cabin. He knocks on the door, and when it opens, Colonel Blackwood looks down at Mark with an appraising stare.
Mark’s mind goes blank with the thrill of actually meeting the man on the brochure, something he’s been anticipating since they joined Monroe and decided to come here. He regains his composure and snaps to attention. “Mark Woolly reporting for duty, Sir.” When Blackwood smiles, Mark is elated.
“Come in, Private Woolly,” says Blackwood, and steps aside.
Mark salutes and enters the cabin. He sees John Everex sitting near a desk, and again, stands at attention.
Everex extends his hand to Mark. “At ease, soldier.”
Mark smiles and grabs Everex’s hand. “Boy, I’m glad to be here! I didn’t think we’d ever make it. Do I get a uniform? And a gun?”
Everex grins. “A uniform and a gun? Not yet. First, you need to prove yourself worthy.”
Mark’s jaw drops. Worthy? This is my dream, my reason for living! How can they not think me worthy? “What do I need to do, Sir?”
Everex sees the look of disappointment and knows he can count on Mark. “First, tell me about the people you came here with. How they feel about coming here. What supplies they brought. How many weapons, any liquor and how much, and what you saw on your way here.”
Mark smiles with relief and gladly tells them everything they want to know.
When Mark explains what happened when they tried to enter Spokane, Everex gives Blackwood a troubled look, before focusing on Mark. “How many men did you see guarding the highway?”
“Half a dozen that I could see. Maybe more in the tanks and Humvees.”
Again, Everex and Blackwood exchange looks. They know about the Air Force base, but didn’t realize the city is so organized. Now they will have to make plans in case the government decides to expand their realm of control.
“Well, Mark,” says Everex. “So far, you’re doing great. I think you deserve a uniform.” Everex stands and walks Mark to the door. They step out onto the porch and Luke stands up from one of the chairs. “Take Private Woolly to the gear issue building and fix him up with a uniform.” Everex looks at Mark. “My brother, Brian, is here.”
Mark grins from ear to ear. This is great! I’ve been accepted into the AOS, and my best friend is here, too! How can things possibly get any better? “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best soldier in camp.”
“I know you will, Private.” Everex turns to Luke. “When he’s in uniform, find my brother and escort him and Private Woolly to his parents. You know what to do.”
Everex steps back into the cabin and closes the door. He looks at Blackwood, sitting at the desk. “Spokane could give us trouble.”
“I agree. Got any ideas?”
“I’ll send some scouts to assess the situation. We’ll make some decisions when they return.” He stands and heads for the door.