The child named Ann did not hesitate. She was tired of being cold and hungry and afraid and always running for her life. This wasn’t nearly as bad as all that. And she knew from talking with older women that it would get better as time passed.
She took him orally just as the door to the motel bedroom opened and a man walked in. He approached the bed, flicked his eyes to Ann’s young nakedness, then shifted his hard gaze to the naked man.
“Raines’ right hand man, Ike McGowen, was captured yesterday up in north Georgia. But he’s a tough one. Voleta’s people haven’t been able to break him. Yet,” he added.
“Don’t kill him,” Tony warned. He pulled Ann’s mouth from his half erection and pushed her away. “Cool it, baby.” He looked at the man. “This Ike guy was one of them Frogmen, or something like that-from way back in the wars. My guess is you ain’t gonna break him with pain. Radio that stupid cunt, Voleta, and tell her to use mental shit on the guy. But first, tell her to tape record some of the guy’s screamin’ and hollerin’ and send it to Ben Raines’ headquarters. Let Raines hear his best buddy being I tortured. That’ll get the son of a bitch’s attention, I betcha.”
The goon looked confused for a moment. “But… how can we do that, boss? Don’t nobody know where Ben Raines is at.”
Tony’s face reddened. “Dumbass!” he yelled, frightening the young girl. “I gotta think of everything around here, for Christ’s sake? Somebody in that fuckin’ camp knows where Ben Raines is. Bet
your ass on that. They’ll get to him. Goddamn, man! Use your head once in a while.”
The goon’s face brightened. “Oh, yeah! Right. That’s good thinkin’, boss.”
“Thanks a lot,” Tony said dryly. “There anything else on your mind?”
“Naw.”
“Then get out of here. Me and this young chick got business to take care of.”
The goon giggled and left.
Tony pulled the child to him, fondling her budding breasts, squeezing her nipples. He pushed her head to his groin. “Deep throat me, baby.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Abe.” The man sat down by Abe Lancer’s front porch rocker.
“Ranee,” Abe Lancer said, looking at the man. “What’s on your mind this mornin?”
Abe was the unofficial and unelected leader of the mountain survivors. It was not a position Abe sought, or really wanted. As a matter of fact, he didn’t like it at all. But rather like Ben Raines, he didn’t know how to get out of it. But he thought about it. A lot.
“The new folks is settlin’ in right well.”
“That’s good.” Ranee would get to whatever it was on his mind in his own good time. That was the mountain way. Wasn’t polite to rush a body “fore he got it clear in his head.
“Right nice day, ain’t it?”
“Yep.”
“How you likin” these new folk, Abe?”
“I reckon most of “em is all right. Probably some is better than others. Just like us here in the mountains.”
“That’s the way I see it.” Ranee spat a brown stream of tobacco juice off the porch.
Abe grinned. “You kill my old woman’s flowers
with that poison and she’ll take a broom to your backside.”
“Don’t doubt that none at all.”
“Nope.”
“I like these new people. Hard workin” bunch of folk. Just jumped right in and started workin’. Ever’-body pulled they weight. I think we gonna get along just fine.”
“That’s the way I see it myself.”
“I ain’t seen hide nor hair of President Ben Raines. You?”
“Nope. Way I hear it, though, President Raines got a good reason for layin’ low. What do you hear “bout it?”
“Same thing. I don’t like that there Captain Willette. Not one damn little bit. He’s got snake eyes on him. Distrustful of him. And I ain’t alone in that, neither. My cousin from up to Tellico Plains sent word this mornin” them people that ambushed and shot them Rebels Colonel McGowen was leadin’ had some of Willette’s people mixed in with “em.”
Abe cut his eyes to the man. “How come your cousin knew that?”
Ranee smiled, returning the man’s gaze. “How much of what goes on in these mountains slips by you, Abe?”
Abe grunted. “Damn little, I reckon. Got folks usin” their eyes and ears for me.”
“Same with Waldo. Most folks over there come to him with problems. Like we’uns do with you.”
“I hope your cousin likes it more than I do,” Abe said dryly.
Ranee grinned. “Anyways, Waldo says they was all
tied up withand in this crazy damn Ninth Order business.”
“That nutty woman calls herself Sister Voleta?”
“That’s her.”
“Shit!”
“That’s the way I feel about her, myself.”
“You tell your cousin to keep his eyes open. For now, let’s go see Colonel Jefferys. I don’t like the way this mess is beginnin’ to stink.”
“People watching us, General,” James said. Late afternoon in central Georgia.
“They’ve been out there for about fifteen minutes,” Ben said. “I spotted them when they started circling the town.”
“Thanks for telling me, Ben,” Gale said.
“No point in worrying you. Whoever it is out there is very wary of us. They-was
Ben’s radio crackled. “General? Those … people out there?” Ben picked upon the emphasis on “people.” “They’re dressed in animal skins. They got feathers and other crap stuck in their hair. Goddamn-edest lookin’ bunch of savages I’ve ever seen. I’m watchin’ them from the rooftop of the old service station.”
“How are they armed?” Ben radioed back.
“A few got guns. Rest of them have spears and clubs and sticks and knives. Jesus, those are weird-lookin’ people.”
“They’ve made no hostile moves,” Ben said. “But I don’t like the idea of them watching us. Order them to disperse, James.”
Riverson shouted out the command. The brush around the tiny village shook with movement.
“They’re scattering, sir,” the lookout reported. “That was the damnedest-looking bunch of… whatever-the- hell-they-are I’ve ever seen.”
“Stay alert,” Ben ordered. “I don’t think they’ve gone far.” He felt Gale’s eyes on him, then answered her unspoken question. “I don’t know, Gale. But there appears to be large numbers of subcultures popping up all over the land-probably the world. I told you about the cave people. They’re called the People of Darkness. I don’t know anything about this bunch.” Ben’s eyes were haunted for a few seconds, filled with concern and unnamed trouble.
“What is it, Ben?”
“How could people revert back to the caves in so short a time? In just slightly over a decade, we’ve gone from high tech to barbarism.” He sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if Doctor Chase’s theory isn’t the correct one.” be
“What does he maintain?”
“That all this,” Ben said, waving his hand, “is God’s will. His doing. That He gave the human race opportunity after opportunity, and all we did was screw it up. Then He became angry and brought it all back to the basics. That this is our last chance to get it all together. If we don’t…” He shrugged. “It’s over. A long slide backward.”
“Do you believe all that, Ben?” Her question was quietly spoken.
