Down here were several crates of MREs that weren’t part of their supplies. As far as Ben was concerned, the food that didn’t come from their trucks could be split up by Rita, Carlos, and Martin. They were going to need provisions as well, and he imagined that two of the vehicles at the rear of the compound belonged to them. He’d make sure they were all well-equipped and supplied before they left.
Joel helped him load ammunition and reclaim their weapons from the stockpile of arms amassed in the small space. There was more here than they could carry, even if weapons and ammunition was all they packed into the Blazer and Jeep; they were already loaded to the brim when they left Jack’s. Ben thought about how ecstatic the moonshiners must have been when they discovered the jackpot of gear inside the vehicles.
He wished there was a way to take it all. What a godsend it would be for Vince and the rest of them in Cloverdale. There was enough here to set them up nicely for a while. Cloverdale wasn’t that far away, after all. Ben wasn’t going to waste any more time thinking about it right now, but the wheels in his mind were already turning.
The cart filled up faster than he felt should have been possible, and before they knew it, there was no room for them inside. Ben was worried about the weight and hoped they weren’t asking too much of the old pulley and cable system. If the cables failed or there was a mechanical issue and they lost control of the cart, they risked losing it all into the abyss of the mineshaft behind them. There was no telling how far the shaft continued down past the room and he had no desire to find out. But using the cart was a necessary risk. He didn’t have it in him to carry anything back up the inclined shaft, and neither did Joel, whether he would admit it or not. It was going to take all they had to get themselves up the loose shale-covered incline.
“Stand back.” Ben waited for Joel to call Gunner to him and off the tracks before hitting the switch. A tense couple of seconds passed with no movement from the cart but plenty of groaning and creaking noises from the equipment. As the cable tightened, it began to vibrate under the load and shook loose small clouds of dust that drifted down from the ceiling. Ben contemplated throwing the switch and shutting it down, but then the cart jerked forward an inch. Then another. Eventually, it began to roll smoothly up the slope.
Ben realized he’d been holding his breath the whole time and exhaled loudly.
“Use the cart.” He grabbed onto the back corner and let the cart help pull him up behind it. Joel grabbed the rail close to the front and did the same. As soon as Gunner realized they were leaving, he did his best to keep up, clawing his way over the slippery rock fragments that reminded Ben of scree. The poor dog probably hadn’t been fed at all since they were captured. Ben felt bad for Gunner and started to pick him up. Joel saw what his dad was doing and helped him put Gunner on top of the cart.
Gunner fought them at first and stood awkwardly on top of the ammunition cans, looking for a way down, but Joel was able to convince him to stay, and eventually Gunner sat down and settled in for the ride to the top. Ben would have liked to join the dog, but he was afraid to add any more weight to the already-strained system. As it was, he was preparing to grab Gunner off the cart if he heard or felt the slightest hint of mechanical failure.
The cart helped pull them up, but it was still a workout. By the time they reached the entrance to the shaft, they were both exhausted. He found the brake lever on the cart and set it in place. There was also a piece of heavy wood cut into a wedge at the side of the entrance. Ben had noticed it earlier but paid it no mind. Now he knew what it was for and placed it behind the opposite cart wheel. Further inspection of the entrance revealed another switch like the one at the bottom, presumably to send the cart back down the shaft.
With this piece of the puzzle figured out, it was time to regroup with the others and take a few minutes to eat and let everyone catch their breath. Joel volunteered to carry the backpack they had stuffed with MREs and Jack’s AR-15 with the Trijicon. It was a good choice for the low-light conditions of early morning. Joel had also found himself a holster down in the room and used it to keep his grandfather’s Colt 1911 on his hip.
Ben had his M24 reloaded and slung over his shoulder, opting to carry the Kel-Tec 12-gauge semiautomatic at the ready and holster the Desert Eagle. He also had a small backpack filled with a good amount of ammunition for their weapons, as well as a few boxes of 20-gauge shells for Allie and Bradley. He’d also made sure to take the box of 12-gauge Dragon’s Breath shells at the last second; he was lucky enough to spot them among the piles of gear and threw them in his bag. There were only five shells, but it was a lot of bang for the buck. With a range of 150 yards and a burn temperature of five thousand degrees, each of the rounds would launch a fireball consisting of an incendiary compound. Ben thought it might be just the thing they needed to convince the moonshiners that this was a fight they wouldn’t win.
Chapter Twenty
When Ben and Joel returned, they found the others gathered near the vehicles
