Chapter 11: Holly
AS NIGHT FELL, the unit settled into camp. Holly snuggled down in her sleeping sack and waited. Listening. When she heard the men snoring throughout camp, she got up quickly and made her way to the prisoner. She knew Jesse was on watch for the night, and she knew that he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight, so she’d have to convince him to follow without waking the others. She placed her hand over the prisoner’s mouth. He jumped, and his eyes went wide. She shook her head trying to signal him to be quiet and looked around to confirm all was still quiet throughout camp. Satisfied it was and not seeing Jesse anywhere, she quickly removed her hand, out her knife, and cut the bindings holding him.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, barely audible as she helped him to his feet, and they quickly made their exit. His leg was worse off than she’d hoped, and Holly found she was carrying him more than anything. His weight combined with her pack, which she fortunately hadn’t forgotten, was almost too much for her. She dug deep and found the strength to push forward.
It wasn’t long before she felt some of his weight lift, and the man groaned at the shift. Looking up, Holly cringed as she saw Jesse quietly taking the brunt of the prisoner’s weight. He didn’t say a word but continued moving with them, away from the camp. She was a little surprised, but grateful.
When they had walked more than an hour and put enough distance between them and the unit back at camp, Jesse signaled to stop and dropped the man to the ground. He whistled, and Oliver came bounding out of the woods behind them.
“What’s he doing here?” Holly demanded.
“Come on, Red, don’t be like that. Jess and I knew you’d make a rescue move. We were just waiting for your lead. Someone’s got to watch your back.”
Jesse shook his hand. “All quiet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thanks, man. It’s okay,” he told both Holly and their prisoner, trying to assure them. “You’ve gotten the slip on me before. Didn’t think I’d let it happen again, did ya?” he tried to joke and lighten the mood.
“Are you okay?” she asked the man.
He nodded. “I’ve been better, but I’ll live.” Those were the first words he’d spoken since his capture, but he could sense she was truly trying to help.
“Aw, now, see. Them boys back there was making bets on you being dumb and mute, or not speaking English.”
Holly scowled and punched him. “Knock it off, Oliver.”
He just grinned back at her in the moonlight.
“What’s your name?”
“Tim.”
She was happy to find him responding. “It’s nice to meet you, Tim, I’m Holly Hastings.” That name seemed strangely comforting as she said it. “These are my friends Jesse and Oliver. We won’t hurt you. I’m sorry the others did.”
“You have shown unusual kindness for your kind. Tell me, why do they call you ‘Princess’?”
Holly rolled her eyes. “It’s not exactly meant as a compliment,” she grumbled, to the amusement of Jesse and Oliver. Tim looked over at the two men with distrust in his eyes. “Princess is just a nickname they use. Some of them back there aren’t exactly happy to have me along for the ride.”
He snorted. “Your kind treats their women poorly, yet you walk with them as equal, why?”
“I’m not a real princess or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m no one really, and they are not my people. I’m as much a prisoner to them as you have been. Their leaders believe I can get information they want from your General. Their goal back there was to get me to him and obviously they’ll use any means necessary.” She spoke with disgust.
“You are not like the others, Miss Holly.”
“No, I am not. I’ll be happy to tell you my story, but for now we need to keep moving. The others back there will be up soon for a shift change and they will not be happy to find us missing.”
Tim hesitated. “Do you trust them?” he asked and nodded towards Jesse and Oliver.
She couldn’t in good faith say she did. “Jesse is kind of my shadow. Trust him? I’m not sure yet. He watches over and protects me. Do we trust Oliver?” she asked Jesse.
“Yes, we do. Griffon made a last-minute switch to the team to put Oliver on it. He’s one of my men, Hols.” Turning to address Tim directly he continued, “We are only here to see no harm comes to her. Period. As long as she is safe, you have nothing to fear from us. I have no issues with your kind. In fact, your general saved my life once, and I will always be indebted to him for it.”
His confession surprised them all.
“Let me go. I will not take you to him.”
“That’s not how I operate.” Holly spoke first. “I just lost the trust of men sworn to protect me by rescuing you. I am not AMAN. Let’s keep moving before they pick up our trail. We haven’t exactly been covering our tracks, and even though they are terrible trackers, I am sure even they could follow the path we’ve left.”
“I will take you somewhere safe, but that is it. We part ways there.”
“For now, that’s agreeable. Lead the way.”
They quickly made their way onward, and it wasn’t long before he brought them to an old road. There were several abandoned vehicles lining it. Grass and weeds pushed through the asphalt, making the path uneven and hard to walk in the dim light of night. Holly stumbled several times, but someone was always there to steady her and keep her from falling.
The terrain was nothing like she was used to in the mountains, and wandering in the dark was a little unnerving. She had a flashlight in her pack but didn’t dare use it.
“Tim,” she whispered. “What is this area like? Are their hostiles I need to be concerned about? It’s so different from where I come from. I just need to know what I’m up against.”
He stopped momentarily and looked at her. She could only make out the white of his eyes as he studied her. “Miss Holly, where are you from?”
“Western Virginia. The mountains, in a small town surrounded by the George Washington Forest.”
“You speak of places that no longer exist to us and couldn’t possibly come from.”
“Of course they exist. That’s my home.”
“Miss Holly, it is impossible to cross the radiation line from the bombing of Richmond. I’ve watched you. You show no signs of radiation poisoning in any way. I have not met one single person in the last eight years that did not show at least some symptoms. What you are saying does not make sense. My men have checked, the drifts to the south are worse, higher concentrations of radiation. To the north you run into additional contaminated areas from bombs in DC and New York City. We are aware that the Allied Militia has a hold on the area to the west of the contamination area, but their presence here in Virginia is small and insignificant. I had assumed the AMAN in Virginia were just an additional group connected via radio, but you’re telling me that you’ve come from the west?”
Holly sensed a great significance to the conversation before her. Jesse grabbed her arm and began to silence her, but she brushed him off. If she were going to unearth the secrets that Gunny’s men were rumored to hold, she needed to be transparent and completely honest right now or Tim would never grow to trust her enough to get an audience with his General.
“They flew me in by helicopter.”
“Shit. Holly, you can’t be giving AMAN secrets. Griffon would never stand for it.”
“Griffon trusts me to get him answers, despite what he did to me. How I get them is on my terms, and I don’t care what he would stand for or not. He lost that right with me when he killed my husband.”
Jesse cringed, and Oliver looked at her in shock.
“What?” he asked Jesse who only nodded.
“We’ve seen the helicopter functioning, but you’re saying it’s capable of flying through the radiation zone with enough fuel to reach the west?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I saw Richmond from the sky, with my own eyes. It’s terrible. The amount of destruction. It’s hard to wrap your mind around even seeing it for yourself.”
He looked to the sky that was beginning to lighten, taking it all in. “I know a place, not far from here where we will be safe. I want you to tell me everything.”
She stared at him a moment deciding whether she could trust him or not. “Okay, let’s go.”
* * * * *
Jesse and Oliver shared a look. They didn’t trust the old man. Their friends had beaten him and stabbed him, and they expected the same in return. Holly was telling him too much, and they were uncomfortable leaving without a trail, knowing the others would be following.
Jesse had been given orders to allow Holly to do her thing without interference until they had confirmation and eyes on General Jackson. The unit would be following at a distance, ready to step in whenever he gave the signal. He didn’t like unknown factors, like this Tim guy, but he knew he had to go with it.
“Let’s go,” he told them.
Tim led them another half mile along the highway. The others wouldn’t be able to track them easily on the solid ground, making Oliver and Jesse nervous. Neither dared to leave anything of a tracer. They didn’t know what they were walking into, how many eyes were already on them, or where they were going, but it was the closest they had come to even glimpsing the General’s operation since Oliver joined the unit eighteen months prior. If this old man was going to be the key to all they needed, then they had to take the risk.
* * * * *
The sky was lighting with the first signs of sunrise, and Holly noticed for the first time that they were actually walking on a bridge, not just a road. Suddenly surrounded by water on either side, she held back the panic of being led into a trap. She trusted too easily, she knew. Seeing the good in people was just her way and she couldn’t help it. She saw plenty of good in Tim’s eyes.
The closer they got to an approaching building, the more nervous energy she felt coming off Jesse and Oliver. They both kept looking around in all directions, like they were just waiting to be jumped from behind.
“Where are we?” she asked as they came to where the road descended into a tunnel. A road block was ahead with heavily armed men in tan camo uniforms. Tim didn’t say a word and continued walking towards them.
He waved them off as they approached, and Jesse and Oliver froze as the armed men aimed their weapons directly at them. Tim raised his hand.
“At ease, gentleman. These are my guests.”
They immediately lowered their weapons and saluted Tim. “Yes sir, General.”
Holly nearly gave herself whiplash as she turned to look at a grinning Tim. “I’m certain you understand, boys, that if you wish to proceed any further you’ll have to relinquish those weapons. I can promise you that unless you give cause, I will bestow more hospitality to you both than you saw fit to give me.” They both nodded and slowly surrendered their weapons. What other choice did they have? “Miss Holly, yours too.”
Holly stared at Tim. “With all do respect, sir. You lied to me.”
“A necessary precaution, I’m sure you understand.”
“But I do not know these people. I do not know you, and I will not leave myself vulnerable here.”
Jesse groaned and both he and Oliver rolled their eyes.
The General laughed heartily. “I can see this is a common occurrence with you.”
“Trust is something I hold very sacred, sir, and something that must be earned. I have been nothing but honest with you, but you have not given me the same courtesy, so forgive me, but you will have to take me as your prisoner or pry my weapons from my cold dead body before I voluntarily give them up.”
“Holly, just do as he says. He’s willing to talk to you.”
“I’d heard the rumors. They told me you had a way with people, but on the ship all you ever did was piss people off, so I’m still having a hard time believing what I’m seeing here,” Jesse admitted, “but Oliver’s right, we need this.”
“Tim, er, General, or whoever the hell you are. I have no need to enter if it means losing my self-protection, so any further talks will have to be done here. I do not care about your operation, I care about your knowledge. There are certain questions the AMAN have, and they believe you have the answers. I will not be allowed to go home until I have them. So please, we can sit right here and talk all day. Your guards are right here with you. But do not ask me to whole-heartily trust you with my life and safety. You haven’t earned that yet.”
Tim smiled and nodded. “Very well, Miss Holly, have it your way, and please, call me Gunny.”
* * * * *