Patton calculated a timeline of recent events. Jennifer disappeared on Friday afternoon. He and Frank laid low Saturday and he broke into City Hall early Sunday morning. Patton interrogated Brian White Sunday evening and escaped into the mountains that night. He took out the first search party on Monday night and rescued these people the next night. The first attack came on Wednesday or Thursday—nearly a week since his wife was kidnapped. The thought of Jennifer brought a surge of anguish and he had to fight to push the emotions away.
After the first attack, there was a full night, a day, and another night before the second attack—one that was designed to be more of a sneak attack than an all out assault. The group sent by Asher must have been worse trained than the first because their attempt at an assault failed miserably. Patton heard the vehicles well before the attackers could spring their trap. He’d found a good position, on a hill above Asher’s men, and hit two of the men with non-lethal bullets. He sprayed one of the trucks with regular ammunition for good measure. The enemy combatants quickly retreated upon receiving fire.
The second attack happened two days before. The best he could figure, it was almost ten days since Jennifer went missing. The flood of anger and sadness tried to return, but he was now focused on the task at hand. He had to get these people to safety. The biggest obstacle was moving the sick and wounded over the difficult terrain. Jerry, the man wounded during the first battle had developed severe bronchitis or possibly pneumonia. Most of the company had twisted ankles, or twisted knees, or both.
They made decent time after the second time, mostly because they were convinced that David Asher was playing for keeps. The instinct for survival began to overcome the hunger, thirst, and fatigue. With their new pace, Patton figured they would reach Portage the next day.
Patton’s prediction was almost right. The party made its way through the last canyon after sunset the following day. The few lights of Portage were visible below them and to the north. Patton’s ultimate goal was to continue south towards the larger town of Tremonton, but they needed to get Jerry to Portage as soon as possible so that he could be transported to a hospital. They made camp that night in a small grove of trees. Patton set a watch, which included himself on the first two-hour shift.
The day had been unseasonably warm and dry, but once the sun set behind the mountains, the temperature dropped drastically. Patton worried about an oncoming storm when the wind picked up just before dusk. His concerns were justified when a mild downpour started just before midnight. The rain didn’t last long but it was enough to further chill the group. Many were sick, almost to the point that Patton wanted to leave everyone behind and go for help. His suggestion to do so was met with a chorus of complaints. These people were now reliant upon Patton for their survival.
At dusk, Patton sent a three-person scouting party down to Portage. Two were tasked with carrying Jerry on his litter. Patton was convinced that he had pneumonia. Another night in the elements would probably kill him. But they wouldn’t be alone—Patton would provide overwatch and protect the four on their way to and from town. Not surprising, there was little activity down below. Patton scoped a few vehicles leaving town, no doubt people going to work somewhere, or farmers headed to their fields. There were no signs of Asher’s security forces—at least not yet. Patton watched the party of four trudge down the hill and make their way across a large pasture.
They approached a house with its lights shining through the dull morning glow. One from the party, a woman, knocked on the door and spoke animatedly with the person who answered. Patton let out a sigh of relief after a minute or so when the person stepped aside and the two carrying the litter moved Jerry into the house. They all entered and the door closed behind them so Patton could no longer tell what was going on inside.
The scouting party was inside the house for less than five minutes when two black Chevy Suburbans skidded to a stop in front of the house. Patton shouldered his rifle and looked through the scope for targets. Four heavily-armed security agents exited each vehicle. Patton considered firing on them but realized it would do no good. Furthermore, it would draw their attention to him and possibly to the rest of the group. Patton swore under his breath, set down his rifle, and lifted his binoculars to his face. The security agents broke into the house and removed all four of Patton’s people, including Jerry, who they made walk to the second vehicle. Patton swore again and got to his feet. He had to get to the camp. They were going to be attacked again.
Jennifer had no sense of the time of day or the day of the week. The last reference of time she had was being beaten by two female guards. It happened in a room that actually had windows. Before being knocked unconscious, she saw that the sun was shining through the windows. What day was it? She had no idea. Her husband had supposedly broken a group of prisoners out of the prison in an attempt to rescue her and Governor Asher was obviously not very happy about it.
Her conditions had slowly worsened since the beating. She was currently in a shed with no heat or insulation. She had only her thin pair of coveralls and a scratchy Army blanket to keep her warm. The roof leaked and the walls let in the cold. She was always cold, always hungry, and always miserable. She wouldn’t give her tormentors the satisfaction of seeing her break, though. She knew she was being used as bait to draw her husband back into town to be captured or killed. She also knew that Patton was smart enough not to fall for it.
Would he come for her? It seemed like such a no brainer, but she loved him so much she dreaded the idea of him being captured, or worse, killed. During her weaker moments, though, she dreamt of him finding her and taking her home to sit on their porch and watch the birds over the lake or their dogs playing in their yard. It was those types of thoughts that kept her going day to day. It was during one of these moments that she heard the door being unlocked. It usually meant that it was mealtime—one of two that she received per day—or she was being taken into the main building to be “interrogated.”
The latter hadn’t happened for a while, although she wasn’t sure how long. It was probably three days, maybe four. They asked her stupid questions like “Has your husband contacted you?” and she would throw up her hands and ask them how that was possible. She finally realized that it was all a game to try to break her spirit and for no other reason. There was nothing she could possibly give them that would lead to her husband’s capture.
The most frightening thing to her, though, was that she was beginning to forget things. Not just important things about herself, but simple things like what Patton looked like, what she did before coming to Blue Creek, and her parents. Again, sometimes she was strong and other times she was weak. Right now she was feeling weak. A rustling at the door brought her out of her thoughts. She heard harsh voices and then a grunt. The door then slammed loudly and was relocked. It took a few moments for Jennifer to regain her sight, but when she did, she saw that it was a woman, about her age or maybe a little younger.
The woman looked dazed and had terribly dirty and greasy hair. Her face was streaked with dirt and sweat—or tears, she thought—and she was quietly sobbing. Not knowing what to do, Jennifer allowed the young woman a few minutes to compose herself. After what seemed a lifetime, the young woman swallowed back some tears and was the one to break the silence.
“How long have you been in here?” she asked timidly, shaking visibly.