Parchman
Logan. ‘We know what to expect this time and we kind ofknow where to expect it. We know what we are heading into and we havethe support of Captain Gradel if things do go askew. It’s not like wehaven’t faced anything worse than this before. The people here are relyingon us. Their nice safe haven has been taken away from them and we’vegot to give that back to them somehow. Mendez and Brittle can do justthat.’‘What about him?’ said Scott pointing to a figure in the distance circling atree. The figure turned and look over to the group, a chain hanging fromhis wrists and secured to the tree.
‘He stays here and rots,’ said Logan dismissively.
The group disbanded and Logan started walking into the darkness towardsthe tree. ‘Logan,’ Tallulah said. ‘It’s unhealthy to keep going back. Hewon’t tell you what you want to know. What you need to know. He’s amonster.’
‘I know. But I have to try. I need to know one way or the other Tals.’
‘OK, but don’t be long. You need some rest,’ she replied.
He nodded to her and sat down a few dozen feet away from the manshackled to the tree.
‘Well if it isn’t my old pal Logan,’ said Frank McGregor. ‘Come to bringme my dinner I’m guessing?’ Logan sat silently. ‘I guess not then?’ hechuckled. ‘Ah, maybe come to grill me some more about that brother ofyours then? That’ll be the reason. How about you loosen up these chainsa bit? My wrists are in agony.’
Two weeks ago, and following the collapse of the base, the group hadheard a motorbike coming towards the camp.Thinking it was Logan’sbrother Danny Mathers returning from the Nebraska reservoir they hadtriumphantly rushed to greet their friend only to be faced with FrankMcGregor, the man which had been sent to stop Danny.
McGregor was in a very bad way physically and was expecting to bewelcomed by the Commander General’s military team. Instead he wascaptured by the teenagers and in no fit condition to fight back tied up untilsuch time the community knew what to do with him.
Logan had, againstallhis naturalinstincts,patched the villainousMcGregor up and fed him until he was lucid again. Then when he wasstrong enough Logan had beat him to within an inch of his life with the intention of trying to get any information out of him as to whether hisbrother was still alive or dead. McGregor however had come back fromnear death many times before and lived to tell the tale. He would rather diethan give Logan the satisfaction of knowing whether Danny had died inthe explosion.
‘Can I have some water at least?’ McGregor said, coming into the light ofthe pale moon. His face was bloodied, and his clothes ripped and burnt.Most people would have balked at seeing him in the state he was, butLogan didn’t move. McGregor ran towards him snarling before the chainswent tort and pulled him backwards onto his back. McGregor laughed.
‘Honestly lad, I don’t know what you want me to tell you,’ said McGregor.
‘Nothing,’ said Logan. ‘You won’t tell me what I want to know. I realizethat now. But I can take some solace in the fact that each night I sit here Ican slowly watch you turn into one of those animals and there’s not one damn thing you can do about it. You are going to suffer something worsethan death. You’re going to live out the rest of your life tied to this treeliterally rotting into a corpse. No food, no water and also without the reliefof death either.’
‘We all have our cross to bear Logan. I’ve done some things in my life I’mnot proud of and maybe I deserve to be here. But I’ll tell you one thing lad,you sent that boy out to the reservoir and you are responsible for where heis now. Dead or alive you put him where he is, not me,’ said McGregor.
Logan clenched his fist, edging ever closer to McGregor. McGregor knewexactly what he was doing and what to do to push Logan to his limits. ‘Justa little closer, then he’s mine’ thought McGregor.
Logan’s hand loosened and he smiled and took a step back. ‘Not todayMcGregor. Not today.’ He walked away from McGregor and didn’t lookback.
‘Aye. Not today my friend, but soon,’ said McGregor.
CHAPTER THREE
Two hundred and fifty miles away from Logan’s camp the heinousCommander General Roderick looked up from the map he was intently studying.
Whilst the community had struggled, due to lack of food and fuel, theCommander General had always known that being exposed and having toescape the base was a potential scenario. With that benefit of foresight hehad ensured that his military team were well prepared and fully stocked.
With less people in their group the Commander General’s army stood atforty-six strong and healthy capable men when they left the base. Theyhad stockpiled enough food to last months, maybe even a year, and alsowith the lion’s share of the base gasoline they had no concerns on how farthey could travel.
Now based in Fort Worth the Commander General’s main concern wasincreasing the numbers of his army and then, and only then, he wouldstorm the prison at Parchman. His end plan was to set down camp in theprison, effectively taking over the running of everything the Professor andthe prisoners had put into place and steal their way of life and their home. The only unknown for him of course was that he was unaware of howmany men were still in the prison and how many weapons they had.
The Commander General was a soldier and a winner. People used to