First Activation

“Come on, back in position in case any more of these amateurs show up,” I said.

We waited by the trees for the next two hours, but no one else appeared. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. The killers we encountered had been extremely dangerous and a serious weapon had been used to turn normal people into killing machines. I could imagine that a complex and coordinated attack of this scale would require huge resources and skills. However, what we had since seen didn’t match this level of competence. It was time to start making Jerry talk. We needed answers, and I wanted them now.

Lea volunteered to keep watch from outside the barn in case anyone else showed up, Jack and I both agreed. Lea would possibly disagree with our methods of obtaining information from Jerry, and I was going to suggest she stay outside of the barn anyway. I was quite confident, now we had a couple of loaded rifles that we’d be able to take out any other patrols, even if they saw us first from a distance. The evidence so far suggested that we were far more dangerous than they were.

I walked into the barn and untied the rope around Jerry’s head, pulling the rag out of his mouth at the same time.

“You’re going to fucking die. I am going to make sure of that. You all are,” he shouted, then spat in my face.

I resisted a strong urge to punch Jerry in the mouth. His words, not his actions would dictate his fate.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Jack asked.

“I’ve already told you the good news,” Jerry laughed.

“No, the good news is that we have killed your latest patrol. You probably heard the gunshots,” I said.

“There’s more where they came from,” Jerry replied. “You won’t get away with it. Even if they don’t get you, you’re still dead.”

“You didn’t ask me what the bad news was, Jerry.” When he remained silent, Jack continued, “We’re going to torture you.”

He didn’t laugh at the response this time.

“What? What are you going to do?”

“That depends on how cooperative you are,” I replied.

Both Jack and I knew a few different techniques from our days in the army.

Jack turned to me, “Do you think Jerry will enjoy waterboarding? Can you go into this piece of shit’s house and fetch me a t-shirt, two towels, and a few jugs of water.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure if Jack was openly threatening Jerry to try and make him speak or if he was serious. If Jerry wasn’t prepared to speak to us, then I wouldn’t have a problem assisting Jack with waterboarding, it was the least that Jerry deserved after what happened to Bernie.

When I arrived back with two jugs of water and a couple of towels, Jerry was struggling violently.

“You fucking prick,” he hissed at Jack.

“Just tell me all you know,” I shouted at Jerry. “We’ll get it out of you eventually, so you’ll be saving yourself a lot of suffering if you talk now.”

Jerry had a spiteful and defiant smile across his face.

“You won’t kill me because you need information. Do your worst.”

Jack patted him on the head.

“Jerry, I don’t want to kill you, I want to know everything you do. The waterboarding is just the start. When I have finished with you, you’ll be singing like a canary.”

Leaning against one of the piles of food cans was a pair of bolt cutters; Jack walked over, picked them up, and then placed them on the table next to Jerry.

“You don’t scare me. Keep me here as long as you like — you’re dead anyway.”

I circled the table while maintaining a stare into Jerry’s eyes.

“I don’t think so. We can fight off the fools that get sent here for months, and every time we do, they bring us more weapons and ammunition.”

Jerry started laughing again.

“You have no idea what you are up against. You’re toast, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Let’s get started on him,” Jack sighed.

The radio crackled, I immediately spun to face it.

“This is Control. NY three. Please confirm the patrol has arrived. We have lost contact.”

“If I don’t respond, they’ll know something is wrong, and then all hell will be unleashed,” Jerry said smugly.

“Shall we respond? You could pretend to be Jerry,” Jack said.

“It’s worth a try. Gag him.”

Jerry tried to shout as Jack stuffed the rag back in his mouth and held it there. I sat in front of the radio, put on the headset and pressed the transmit button.

“This is NY three. The patrol has arrived,” I said, attempting to mimic Jerry’s Boston sounding accent.

“You are not NY three. Confirm your call-sign,” A crackled voice replied after around twenty seconds.

“I am NY three. The patrol has arrived.”

“What is the pass-code for today?”

I looked back at Jack who shrugged his shoulders, our cover was blown and there was no point trying to pretend anymore.

“Jerry’s told us all about you. I know where you are and I’m coming for you.”

I waited at the radio for two minutes, but there was no response. I walked over to Jack who was still holding the rag in Jerry’s mouth.