Desperate Times Three - Revolution (24 page)

“I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it.” ~ Clint Eastwood

Ken sat in silent blackness and tried to steel himself against what was to come. Time seemed to stand still as he waited for the inevitable explosion, and his skin crawled because of it. “You’re a dirty bastard,” he cursed. “Turn the damn lights on!”

The muzzle flash precipitated the blast by barely a microsecond, and suddenly the rubber bullet struck him in the chest with such force it sent his chair flying backward. Ken roared in pain and frustrated anger. The report echoed inside the room for what seemed like an eternity. Ken struggled against the cuffs, shaking his head with animal-like fury. His chest burned, and his breaths came in heated gasps.

“How did you like that?” Mars whispered from barely inches away.

“You son-of-a-bitch!” spat Ken.

“Oh, you have no idea. We can play this little game until Lowell gets back. Doesn’t that just give you a warm fuzzy? You and me, Ken, with a couple of days all to ourselves, and we are going to
party
!”

Ken roared like a lion as he continued to struggle. A hand brushed against his cheek and nearly drove Ken over the edge in screaming humility. “Get your stinking hands off me!” he bellowed.

“But I thought you and me were buddies.”

Suddenly, Ken felt a hand take him by the shirt collar and slowly begin to spin him in looping circles. When Ken felt as if he were about to be sick, Mars released him and sent his desk chair flying across the room. There was a lingering silence before the gun barked again and a bullet struck him midway down his right shin. Ken gritted his teeth against the pain, but almost worse than the pain was the overwhelming urge to clutch where it hurt. His ears rang, his wrists bled and Ken was sure he was about to lose his mind.

“Go ahead, man,” snickered Mars. “You can let it out. I won’t hold it against you. I’ve seen bigger men than you break down and cry like little babies. C’mon Ken. You know you want to.”

“Not in this lifetime,” Ken hissed.

“Oh, you’re so wrong about that. You’ll cry long before we’re finished playing this game. You’ll cry until your tears are dried up, and then you’ll beg me to kill you. Trust me, dude, I’ve done this before and in the end, you’re all the same. You may think you’re strong, but I’m going to prove to you that you’re nothing more than a weak, sniveling sissy. You’re probably going to hate me for it, but that’s the price of being an educator.”

“Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.” ~ Orson Welles

“Where is he?” Julie asked, sitting on top of Pluto’s chest and pointing at him with the tip of the filler nozzle. “You don’t want to lie to me.”

Jimmy felt as if he could read the old hippie’s mind. His eyes darted back and forth as he searched for an escape, but there would be none, not today. “I have a bomb shelter,” he finally wheezed. “I can take you there.”

“He’d better be in one piece,” hissed Julie. “Or you’ll be very sorry. Do we understand each other?”

“Perfectly.”

The drive out to Pluto’s underground hideaway took nearly forty minutes. The site itself was unremarkable, except for its proximity to the charred ruins of the resort that had been renamed Utopia. The bomb shelter entrance was concealed by a derelict pole building, well off the beaten path, rusty orange and battered by the elements. Jimmy thought that they were within a mile of Utopia, which would explain how the men had survived the harsh winter. Pluto, escorted by Julie, led them to a padlocked service door. He unlocked the door, turned on some overhead lights and led them inside. The pole building was roughly sixty feet long and maybe half that in width. The inside of the shed stank of rust and rot, and the temperature inside, Jimmy felt, was nearly unbearable. Cobwebs hung from every imaginable surface. There was an overhead door on the far end, and Jimmy could see where Pluto had kept his car parked.

“The elevator is just beyond that wall,” Pluto said, pointing at what Jimmy had assumed was an outside wall. “There is a switch on the floor over there by that fuel can.”

“I don’t see any switch,” Bill said, from just inside the service door and a good thirty feet from where Pluto was indicating.

Jimmy ignored Bill and made his way over to the wall. After a long moment, he finally found an old toggle switch embedded into one of the rotting wooden planks that served as a floor. Jimmy tripped the switch, and an unseen electric motor began to hum. A second later, a ten-foot section of the wall began to shake and slowly lifted up, revealing a large freight elevator.

“The mine is nearly two miles deep,” Pluto said. “It came along with the resort.”

“Ain’t that just peachy?” Jimmy asked, making his way over to the elevator. “Who really gives a crap? I just want to know how far down that hole our friend is.”

“They’re all the way down at the bottom. You’ll need me to run the elevator,” protested Pluto. “It’s a little tricky.”

“Like hell we will,” Julie said. “I’m sure we can figure it out on our own. You’ll be staying up here with Pops and Sheldon. Guys, if we’re not back up here in an hour, I want you to start cutting off his fingers and toes.”

“What about his nose?” Sheldon asked.

“You do what you want with him,” Julie said. “Come on Bill, move it.”

“What do you need me for?” Bill asked, still standing at the open door. “I probably won’t be much help with only having one leg.”

Julie scowled and pointed at Bill with such fury that he simply nodded and began limping over to join Jimmy at the elevator.

“Have it your way,” Pluto said, dismissively. “The elevator sticks in a few places. You’ll need to bang on the panel to start it up again.

Jimmy raised the wooden gate to the elevator and studied the controls as Bill limped inside to join him. He stood against the far corner of the elevator and held his hands on the side rails for support. “I don’t know what you guys need me for,” he grumbled, under his breath. “Julie isn’t the boss of me.”

Jimmy stared at Bill but said nothing as Julie stepped inside and pulled down the wooden gate. She studied the clam-style steel doors and pulled down on a braided rope cord; now they were swallowed up inside the large elevator car.

Jimmy fumbled at the controls until he found the light switch. Pale yellow light fell from a single bulb that hung above Jimmy on a wire. Julie said nothing as she walked over to join him at the controls. She wrapped an arm around his middle as he pressed the down button, and the elevator lurched and slowly began its descent. Bill stared at them, almost challenging them with his glare. Julie took the bait.

“We have no idea of what to expect down there,” Julie said. “I don’t care how you feel about it. We need you, and so does Ken.”

Bill began to argue; Jimmy could see it in his eyes. He watched as Julie’s words suddenly registered with him, and Bill’s expression changed from sour to cocky. “Of course you need me,” he said. “Everybody knows that.”

Jimmy could feel Julie’s fingernails biting into his hip as she nodded her head. “That’s right,” she said. “Everyone knows that.”

The elevator seemed to pick up speed as they descended farther down into the shaft. Jimmy wondered how many years it had taken to dig the old mine and how long ago it had been abandoned. Most of the area iron ore mines were of the pit variety, and Jimmy had even visited some of the largest ones with Ken and Patty. That all seemed like a hundred years ago, and the memory made his heart ache for the past.

“We’re going to need a plan,” Bill said. “What do we do if Mars is waiting for us at the bottom with a gun? He’ll shoot us like fish in a barrel.”

“That’s a chance that I’m willing to take,” replied Julie. “When this thing hits the bottom floor, I’m going to throw open the doors and we charge him, all three of us. Ken’s life depends on us taking him out.”

“What if we do capture Mars?” asked Bill. “What do we do with him?”

“We’re not going to capture him,” snapped Julie. “I’m going to kill him, and don’t either of you try to stop me.”

“How are you going to kill him? We don’t even have a gun or nothin’.”

“Don’t you worry about that. We just have to take him down, and I’ll figure the rest out. I want him to die slow. I want him to suffer for what he’s done.”

The elevator car suddenly began to shudder and quickly lurched to a stop. Jimmy looked at the control panel and began tapping on it. When nothing happened, he curled his fingers into a fist and he pounded lightly on the panel. The elevator sprang to life on the fifth rap. “That was creepy,” Jimmy said, taking Julie into his arms and holding her close.

“I’d go crazy if we got stuck in here,” Bill said, his face drained of color. “I’m claustrophobic.”

“Oh, that’s just great,” said Julie. “You’re like a walking phobia.”

“A lot of people are claustrophobic, not just me. Isn’t that right, Jimmy?”

Jimmy began to speak when the car began to shudder again and stuttered to a halt. He quickly began to bang on the control panel and much to his horror, the light suddenly winked out, leaving them in total blackness.

“Turn it back on!” ordered Bill, his voice full of panic. “Turn it back on!”

Jimmy ran his fingertips over the control panel as he tried to remember where the light switch had been. As Bill continued pleading for him to restore the light, Jimmy found the switch and toyed with it. The bulb flickered and finally returned to life. Jimmy sighed with relief and began rapping on the bottom of the panel. A moment later, the elevator began trundling its way back into the dark depths of the mineshaft.

“That was a little spooky,” Julie said, hugging Jimmy tightly around his middle.

“You can say that again,” Bill said, from bare inches away. “I’m going to stay here with you guys.”

Julie groaned under her breath, but said nothing as they continued their slow fall down into the unknown.

“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.” ~ John Barrymore

Ken felt the floor vibrate which signaled the return of the elevator. His nerves shredded and his body racked with pain, he was suddenly filled with hope. There was another explosion, and Ken was flung forward by a rubber bullet striking him in the back, high up and just to the left of his spine. He groaned at the pain.

“What the hell is he doing back so soon?” Mars asked.

A moment later, the lights were back on and Ken watched as Mars dart around the room, first stashing the night vision goggles, then the gun and ammunition. He jogged around the room with a can of air freshener, spraying it liberally to disguise the pungent smell of burnt gunpowder. Ken said nothing as he watched. He had lost count how many times he’d been shot and felt on the verge of passing out.

“Don’t you dare tell Lowell about our little party,” Mars said, suddenly standing right behind him. “Do you understand me?”

Ken gritted his teeth but said nothing. He felt hands grab him by the neck and roughly begin to choke him. “I understand!” Ken croaked, fighting to catch a breath.

“Good,” grunted Mars, slowly releasing his grip. He walked over to the table and sat down, picking up a book as he did so.

Ken listened as the heavy elevator groaned to a stop just outside the door. He was so thankful, he felt as if he’d kiss Lowell for coming back down to save him. He had already decided to tell him everything just as soon as he walked through the door. Mars sat with his back to the door with his nose in the book, looking innocent and unassuming.

As if he were dreaming, Ken gasped as the door was suddenly flung open and Jimmy appeared, immediately followed by Julie and Bill Huggins. Mars turned his head, but just in time for Jimmy’s fist to crash into his dimpled chin. Ken cheered as Julie leapt on top of Mars and clawed at his eyes with her fingernails. The chair crumpled to the floor, and Mars flailed at the air, trying to get to his feet and fend off Julie at the same time. He suddenly roared in pain, but even as Julie pulled her bloody hands from his face, Jimmy was pummeling that face with his fists. Ken watched as Bill tore the old-fashioned coffee pot from the counter; taking it by the cord, he began whipping Mars with the business end.

The beating continued for a very long time.

Julie stood over Mars with a butcher knife. He appeared to be unconscious, but she said she wasn’t taking any chances. Jimmy found the handcuff keys on the counter and unshackled Ken as Bill hacked through the heavy tape with a steak knife. Ken slowly got to his feet and rubbed his wrists. “You got here just in time,” he said, weakly. “How did you ever find me?”

“We got lucky,” said Jimmy, wrinkling his nose. “What the hell happened down here? It smells pretty funky.”

“That bastard was using me for target practice,” Ken said, pointing at the bloody form of Mars. “Rubber bullets. They hurt like hell.”

“I’m going to kill him!” Julie squealed and dropped down to one knee with the knife.

Ken surprised everyone by racing to her side and taking her by the arm a bare second before she would have stuck the blade into Mars’ exposed throat. “No!” ordered Ken. “We’re not cold-blooded killers. We’ll let the authorities deal with him.”

“But he
raped
me!”

“And he’ll pay for that,” Ken said, taking the wooden handled knife from Julie. “Trust me. I’ll make sure that he does.”

Julie reached down and took Mars by the ears and began smashing his head into the floor. “No!” she cried. “He’ll just get away and do it to somebody else. He has to be stopped!”

Ken flung the knife across the floor and took Julie into his arms. “Stop it, sweetie. Everything will work out; you’ll see. Let’s get out of here. I have to find my wife. Has anyone heard anything?”

Julie buried her head into Ken’s chest and shook her head. She sobbed as Ken hauled her to her feet and he held her there, stroking the back of her head.

Once they reached the surface, Ken decided that it was best that they sent Pluto back down to join Mars at the bottom of the mineshaft. He was battered and bruised, but besides his missing finger, he was still in one piece. They waited inside the shed which felt like the inside of an oven as the elevator delivered Pluto to his underground cell. Once the indicator reached the bottom, Ken disabled the elevator’s power by pulling the electrical breaker switch. “That ought to hold them until the authorities arrive,” Ken said, brushing his hands on his pants. “Don’t let me forget to call them, in a month or two.”

“Why call them at all?” asked Julie. “I say we just let them rot down there.”

Jimmy noticed that Sheldon was missing and asked Pops where he was.

“Too damn hot for him,” Pops said. “He went out to sit in the air conditioning.”

When they got out to the van, Sheldon didn’t seem at all surprised that they had returned with their prize. He merely switched off the radio and smiled. “Crazy world,” he said, cryptically. “You just never know what’s going to happen next.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asked Pops.

“Nothing,” replied Sheldon. “Nothing at all.”

“Hang on a minute,” Ken said, nodding to Bill. “What have you got there?”

“Nothing,” Bill said. “So, how does it feel to be out in the fresh air, huh?”

Julie reached behind Bill and tried to snatch away what he’d taken, which was obviously a laptop computer. “Knock it off. I found it on the table, and those guys aren’t gonna need it.”

“That’s stealing,” replied Ken. “You had no right to take that. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that it might help us figure out what happened to all the people in Utopia. Doesn’t anyone else care?”

“He’s right,” Jimmy said, stepping next to Bill. “They aren’t going to need it where they’re headed. And personally, I would like to know what happened out there.”

Bill hugged the laptop close to his chest and raised his nose in the air. He spun on his heels and climbed into the van, returning to the middle seat.

“He’s nothin’ but a common thief,” said Pops, scratching his chin.

Ken shook his head. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, softly. “He means well, but he likes to write his own rules as he goes along.”

“I heard that,” Bill said loudly in a monotone voice.

“Well, it’s true,” said Julie, who followed Jimmy into the seat behind Bill. “You’re nothing but a common thief.”

“Listen, miss smarty-pants, I needed this computer. I haven’t checked my Facebook or email in two years!”

“Hello? Nobody has checked their Facebook or email. What makes you think you have any email to check?”

“I’m not going to listen to this all the way back to the cities,” Jimmy said. “I want both of you to mind your own business.”

Ken shook his head and sighed. Pops just shrugged and pulled open the door to the front passenger seat. Ken watched from the open side door as the truth finally dawned on him. He would be riding next to Bill. He looked to the sky, and after a second painfully climbed into the seat next to Bill who had already powered up the expensive-looking laptop.

“What do you suppose a guy like Pluto would use for a password?” asked Bill, his eyes brimming with excitement.

“I wouldn’t have the slightest idea.”

“How about Bill Huggins is a thief,” snipped Julie.

“How about can Julie Hartman shut her big fat mouth?” retorted Bill, adding: “Oh, no she can’t. Nope, that didn’t work either.”

“I’m warning you guys,” groaned Jimmy. “You’ve got to stop this.”

Sheldon turned in his seat. “How about another planetary name?” he asked. “Just a guess, but anyone who goes by the name Pluto is a little out there, you know what I mean?”

Bill smiled and nodded his head. “I do,” he said. “I’ll bet you’re right.”

Sheldon shifted the van into drive, and soon they were racing across the countryside. Ten miles outside Ely and not fifteen minutes into a four-hour drive, Ken turned to Bill. “For the last time, I don’t know what he might’ve used for the password. The same goes for everyone else. Now, I’m going to close my eyes and take a nap. If you so much as sneeze, I’m going to take that laptop and toss it out the window. Do you understand me? I need to get some rest.”

“Fine,” Bill said, turning his head to face out the window. “I don’t need your help, anyhow.”

“Then quit asking for it,” hissed Julie.

“Shut up. We weren’t talking to you.”

Julie started to say something, but Ken turned in his seat; the look in his eyes spoke volumes to both Julie and Bill. Jimmy could see that Ken was on the verge of exploding, and he put his arm around Julie, pulling her close. Ken spun back around and stared at Bill for a long moment, before crossing his arms at his chest and closing his eyes.

The rest of the drive to Minneapolis was made in absolute silence.