Then Came War Read online

They asked if he had family or friends, and while he did have a brother in Seattle, Brendan simply said he had no one. That way he could stay and see what was going on.

  They had moved farther east to a former Home Depot warehouse which was being used as a base of some sorts for the US military. He’d stay there at least for a few days to talk to them, not that he had heard anything important while in New York, but he had seen a lot.

  That’s what they told him.

  Brendan was fine with that.

  He was surprised that there was television. He had tried like hell to find a radio station on his journey out of New York.

  He heard a newscaster discussing the situation, and Brendan slipped quietly around the partition that was set up around the television.

  There were five or six soldiers sitting there, watching and eating.

  An aerial view of New York was behind the anchorwoman. She shared the television screen with some professor from Oklahoma.

  “And as you know,” the news lady said. “We are in a complete media blackout. We aren’t privileged to know what is going on with our military and our allies. And even if we find that information, we are obeying the media silence order.”

  “Why is that?” the Professor asked. “Don’t the American people have the right to know? I want to know. I have family in the occupied territory.”

  “A lot of us do…”

  Brendan pulled a chair up next to a soldier. ‘Hey, I’m sorry to bother you. I’ve been out of the loop. Do we know why they attacked?”

  The soldier lowered his spoon into his bowl, turned his body and extended his hand to Brendan. “Lewis,” he introduced himself. “You’re the train guy, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s me.”

  “Good going. Thank you.”

  Brendan tilted his head. “You’re welcome, I think.” He scratched his head. “But do we know?”

  “I’m sorry. Yeah. They want the president to resign. Step down. They were just discussing that. You missed it.”

  “But I thought it was a media blackout.”

  Lewis shook his head. “Not on that. That was clear when it all went down. You just missed some actor on this show saying we should open dialogue and negotiate before we raise arms... Can you believe that shit?”

  “I know we’ve been fighting, I was in the middle of it.”

  “Yeah, but the big push is coming.” Lewis winked. “We’re still bringing in soldiers and aircraft the back way. We have to have a lid on the media, can’t have…” suddenly Lewis stopped and stood up as someone announced, “Colonel in the room.”

  Stand? Sit? Brendan stood.

  “At ease,” the colonel instructed and walked immediately to Brendan. “I’m Colonel Hayes. I just wanted to come in here and shake your hand and thank you.” He extended his hand.

  Brendan shook it. “Can I ask for what?”

  “We didn’t know where they were setting up the main branch of operations. We figured New York, but thought they’d be smarter about it. We were able to lock in and confirm that Intel you gave us. It’s a pretty big Base of Operation. And in about …” the colonel looked down at his watch, “twenty-two minutes, we’re gonna have a pretty good foothold in our push, thanks to you.”

  “Wow. Really? Cool. You’re welcome.”

  “Glad you made it out of there, son.” He shook his hand again and, as fast as he had walked into the room, the colonel left.

  To be honest, Brendan didn’t have a clue as to what was going to happen. What was the push? He gathered that they would be using the information he gave them to hit the base of operation.

  “Largest ever,” Brendan heard one of the soldiers saying to another. “Tomorrow at this time, it’s balls to the wall.”

  Brendan turned toward that soldier. “The largest ever what?” Brendan asked.

  “Well, can’t say it’s an invasion. So counterattack, maybe?” Lewis replied. “I mean, yeah, a counterattack. We have guys out there on the front lines and in the occupied territory fighting, but we’re gonna do something big. We are gathering troops in warehouses like this until after the strike on New York. Keep us hidden until then and, man, when we hit them, they won’t know what they got themselves in for. They’re calling it the push.”

  “What’s that mean? You’re gonna push them out?” Brendan asked.

  “Sort of, yeah. Force them to surrender. Push back the front lines. We have to. We have to take this country back.”

  Brendan understood that very well. He wanted that, too. He had only question on his mind. What would happen to the people on the other side of the lines, those trapped in the occupied territory? What would become of them?

  ***

  Judith nibbled on a cracker spread sparingly with peanut butter. She had a half of cup of juice she used to wash it down. “Coffee would be better.” She smiled. “One day soon.”

  “At least we’re sitting still, right?” Foster asked.

  “Yes. And let’s talk.” She extended her hand across the table and patted his hand. “Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet.”

  “You have to eat.”

  “I will.”

  “Ok, sweetie. Here’s my question to you. What are you going to do?”

  “Well …” Foster sat back. “Today I was going to look around the three shelters and see what was going on. Take a tour. Did you wanna come?”

  Judith shook her head. “I think I’ll rest and not much for me to see anyway,” she joked.

  “Sorry.”

  “I’m joking around, too. But I wasn’t meaning the immediate when I asked that question.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, I was talking to that Manny guy we met when we came in. They need people to go on runs with them to get food and supplies. He says that have about 200 people in the shelters and everyday they pick up more.”

  “What does that mean for you?” Judith asked.

  “Well, I was going to go with them tonight on one of the runs. I’m fast, agile, and they don’t have people my age to help them. They’re either a lot older or very young.”

  “Oh, Jimmy. Jimmy, honey, it will be dangerous. You heard them. They’re fighting not far from here. You can hear the shots, Jimmy, it’s dangerous.”

  “I know, but I want to help. I want to pull our weight.”

  Judith sighed. “I don’t want you to pull my weight. You don’t need to anymore. Okay?”

  Foster’s head lowered. He liked taking care of Judith and he’d known that eventually she wouldn’t need him. “I don’t mind.”

  “I know you don’t. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. This war, this fighting, it won’t go on forever. Us being stuck on this side of the war … won’t be forever. Where are you going?”

  Foster was taken aback by the question. “What do you mean?”

  “Are you going to search again for your mother?”

  Foster shook his head. “I doubt it.”

  “Al right, well, listen to what I am going to say,” Judith said. “I realize you were a ward of the state for a very long time, most of your life, I’m guessing. I also realize that with all that’s going on, and your age, you’re not gonna be a top priority in finding a new set of foster parents.”

  “I figured that. I’m old enough, Jude. I’ll be cool. I’ll manage.”

  “I’m sure you will. But you are not old enough. And you shouldn’t have to manage. You’re sixteen. In what grade?”

  “Tenth.”

  “Tenth grade.” Judith nodded. “You still have to graduate high school, go to college …”

  “I might join the Army.”

  “Even then, to be a soldier you need an education. How are you going to do that when you’re out on the streets scrapping to get by? My point is …. I know you have lived in New York for a long time, your whole life, but I have a grown daughter who works as an accountant at a Casino in Vegas. I was thinking I need to see her. It’s time to give up New York and Vegas won’t be that bad. Are you game
?” she asked. “No pun intended, but do you want to gamble on Vegas.”

  “Are you asking me to go with you?”

  “Absolutely. I know. I know that right now I can’t do much of anything. But this sight will come back. And even if it doesn’t, well, damn it, I’ll be on my feet. I’d like to take care of you, Jimmy. I’d like to be the one that makes you stay home and study, cooks your meals and drives you insane because I don’t like the girls you date.”

  Foster stuttered, “Wh … why?”

  “I never had a son. I always wanted a son. You know they say …” Judith waved her finger. “A mother and son have a bond. And I am a very good mother, ask my daughter. She cried when she got that job and had to leave me. You ask her.” Judith nodded. “And I raised her by myself all those tricky teenage years.”

  “What happened to her father?” Foster asked. “I didn’t mention him in case he had died.”

  “Oh, no. He left me when Linda was twelve for some twenty-one year old dancer. Hot shot lived in a huge apartment in Manhattan, the bastard.” She exhaled. “God rest his soul because he’s more than likely dead.”

  Foster laughed. “You’re funny, Judith.”

  “And you’re an incredible young man. Someone missed the boat on you and I’m not gonna miss that boat. Jimmy, I was hurt and scared. You helped me as best your knowledge allowed and some. You cleaned me, fed me, and kept me safe. I can’t see, Jimmy, and you made sure I got through a war zone.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Judith, really. I wanted to help you,” Foster said.

  “I know. And I do owe you my life. But that is not why I want to take care of you. I have grown quite fond of you and want to try to give you a good life. So what do you say? Vegas?”

  “Will you stop calling me Jimmy?”

  “Not on your life.” Judith shook her head. “That foster business of going from one home to another, that stuff you told me, it ends with me. You hear? Vegas?”

  “Vegas it is.” Foster sighed and embraced Judith. He did so suddenly and she was taken by surprise and grunted as they hugged. But it was a good grunt, and she held on to Foster.

  ***

  “Well, look at what the cat dragged in,” Harry said as he and Tyler stepped into the library.

  Ben and Lana went from looking irritated to happy when they turned and spotted Harry.

  “Harry!” Lana walked to him. “And I knew that was you, Tyler. Why did you run?”

  “Cause I didn’t know if Harry was mad and I didn’t want him to get mad at me if I was nice to you. Harry’s my friend, my new best friend,” Tyler said.

  Lana crinkled her brow. “Mad?” Ben had approached her from behind and Lana inched into him.

  Before Harry could say anything Tyler did. “Mad. Yeah. You left us.”

  Harry cringed. “Ain’t you just the motor mouth anymore? First met you, you didn’t say a word and now I need duct tape.”

  Lana stepped back with a sincere look on her face. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think you were upset.”

  “Well I …”

  Tyler interrupted again. “How didn’t you know? He stood there on the bridge yelling at you to not go. He asked you stay, to not leave, to stick together. You just waved your hand and left.”

  “Oh, you’re exaggerating,” Harry said. “And you been hanging about with Slick Rick too much.”

  Ben quietly asked, “Were you mad, Harry?”

  “A little, yeah.” Harry nodded and then put his hand over Tyler’s mouth. “That teenage boy and English gal, they were going in the opposite direction. But you two were going the same way we were. I’m an old man and this is a boy. We were a weak team. You two were …. Well, never mind. It doesn’t matter now. Not that I couldn’t take care of us, I did.”

  “No doubt.” Ben shook his hand. “Something tells me you would have given John Wayne a run for his money.”

  “I would have.” Harry smiled. “So how has it been for you two?”

  Ben shook his head. “Not good. Our families are gone. We were nearly killed when a huge wave of planes came over and shot at us. They destroyed our beach house.”

  “Shame,” Harry said.

  “Ha!” Tyler added. “We weren’t shot at once. Harry knew what to do. Harry kept us safe. He got us here nearly a week ago.”

  Harry closed one eye. “Why’d I let go of that mouth.”

  Ben smiled. “I’m glad you made it here safe.”

  “And you did, too,” Harry said. “Glad to have you with us.” He gave a hug to Lana. “And this is a good place. It’s safe for now. We’ll get you a place to stay.”

  “Thank you,” Lana said. “I’m really tired.”

  “Well, we sleep during the day, except for our roof watchers. You came on a good day. We’re having a strategy meeting tonight at the fire hall over spaghetti.”

  Ben said, “Spaghetti sounds good. What’s the strategy meeting?”

  Harry lifted a waving hand. “Now don’t take my word as Gospel. I’m not running this meeting. Just attending and helping. But we got about twenty kids in this town and we need a game plan for them. We’re safe here now, but eventually the war will arrive. But don’t you worry.” Harry winked. “There’s not a soul here who won’t be standing up and fighting for our land.”

  Ben looked at Lana and then back at Harry. “We won’t be staying, Harry. Not that long.”

  “What do you mean? Where are you going?” Harry asked.

  “Canada,” Ben replied.

  “Canada!” Harry was aghast. “What for?”

  “Escape Get out,” Ben answered.

  “Don’t you want to defend your country?”

  “They have people for that,” Ben said.

  “Yeah, they’re called soldiers, marines and seamen,” Harry retorted. “And in war time, homeland invasion, just like the war of 1812, revolutionary war, everyone takes arms and defends their freedom.”

  Ben shook his head and grabbed Lana’s hand. “We just want to be safe and away from this all.”

  “Huh.” Harry nodded knowingly. “So you’ll leave your country.”

  “If that’s what we need to do,” Ben replied.

  Tyler tugged on Harry’s hand. “You aren’t gonna ask them to stay, are you? You aren’t gonna try to reason with them again, like you did on the bridge, are you?”

  “No, son,” Harry laid his hand on top of Tyler’s head. “Not on this one.” He kept his eyes steady, shifting between Lana and Ben as he spoke. “These two lived a good life here in America. Well, they got what they could, the good life’s over and it’s time to bail. If they feel that way, then I’m pretty sure I don’t want to ask them to stay. Come on.” He turned Tyler around and started to walk out. “I’ll let you watch us make those explosives, from a distance.”

  Lana slipped a little from her husband and turned to him. “Ben? Going to Canada, is it really the right thing?”

  “Yes,” Ben said assuredly. “Yes it is. There is no other choice.”

  Lana nodded, but her eyes stayed fixed on Harry and Tyler as they walked away.

  ***

  There was a very nice woman named Angeline who gave Judith little things to do to help her learn to use her hands without her eyes. Angeline’s mother was blind. Actually her mother became blind when her diabetes took a turn for the worse and she recalled her mother had to learn to do things all over again.

  Judith was pretty confident that her sight would return. At first it was dark and light, then shadows, and as evening rolled around and she hit her third dose of medication, she could see silhouettes.

  She wasn’t tired, but she felt she should be since she had slept until noon. Of course, sleeping until noon was normal underground; the place came alive at dark.

  Packs of men would go out to search for things, items that were needed.

  She was worried. It was the first night in nearly a week that she would be without Jimmy. Such a young man and he was going out doing a grown up thing and to her
it was too dangerous.

  Manny assured her that he would watch out for the young man. He assured her that they weren’t going to gather items but to scout. They needed food and some more medications. There were people in the shelter who had long term medical problems and they needed things.

  They were just going to scout out things, just that. He promised Judith he would do his best to bring Jimmy, or Foster, as Manny called him, back safely.

  Judith accepted that. What choice did she have? And while she waited for his return, she would pray.

  Pray for the teenage boy who so quickly had come to mean so much to her.

  ***

  Ten million people.

  That was the estimate George threw out as to the loss of American’s lives so far, but, in truth, he believed the number to be much higher. It had to be.

  Ten million. More Americans lost their lives in one day than in all the wars combined. Fewer Americans had died during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918.

  Using a computer and PowerPoint, George projected a map for everyone to see.

  Two days earlier he had sent scouts out on horseback to the north, south, east and west.

  Based on what the scouts had reported Massachusetts had not been touched yet.

  The war was being fought, at minimal levels, with minimal American troops, farther west and to the north.

  It was clear cut that Agabarn was deep within occupied territory.

  They could only assume the east was secured by the enemy because they controlled the beaches.

  One person asked why the fighting and number of troops was minimal. George could only give a guess and suggested it was because something big had to be on the horizon. There had to be. He hoped there’d be.

  Were there allied forces helping out?

  Their allies, like the UK, were dealing with their own destruction. Although by what was being picked up, they weren’t invaded.

  Only the United States had been.

  Then the big question came to George, “Do we know who invaded?”

  The media blackout and coded radio transmissions made that question hard to respond to.