Restitution: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival series (The Dark Road series Book 8)

unnoticed by Ben.
He slid Allie’s knife around his waistband and to the small of his back. This time, he left enough sticking out that he could grab it and use it quickly if he needed to. It wasn’t his intention to make a move yet. He didn’t even have a plan, but he wasn’t going to let them remove anyone from the container, least of all the girls. If he had to make a stand here and now to prevent anything from happening to them, so be it.
The two guards took food and water to the other prisoners first, and that was fine with Ben. He could see a little bit of what was going on through a small rust hole in the side of the wall. The younger guy did the serving while the older guard kept his AR trained on the container and the people inside. He was smart about it, unfortunately, and stood a few yards back when the younger guy opened the door to serve the food. Ben wondered why they risked it at all and didn’t use the slot in the door, but he wouldn’t complain about a gift like that. If only there was a way to bring the other guy in closer.
Right now, though, all Ben really wanted was for them to leave the food and go away. He was thirsty and hungry, and he knew the others were as well. To the kids’ credit, there was not a single complaint out of any of them.
The door to the container swung open quickly, and the first thing Ben saw was the business end of an AR-15. The older guard looked them up and down before backing out and making way for the younger guy to bring in the food and water.
“Make sure you stay put now. He will shoot you if you all try anything.” This dirtball enjoyed saying that; Ben could tell by the crooked smile on his face. But he also believed him and, without thinking, spread his arms across everyone to create a barrier, all while taking a small step back. He kept eye contact with the guard but said nothing.
He struggled to control the anger building up inside, as well as the desire to lunge at the guard with the knife. Ben knew his attack would be short-lived and he’d be shot a second later. If it wasn’t for his kids, a small part of him could justify that risk if it meant ridding the world of this cretin. The younger guard continued to place the water bottles on the floor, followed by a stack of plates and a handful of forks. Finally, he filled a small plastic bowl with what looked like slop from the big pot.
The guard flashed his yellow-toothed grin at them. “Enjoy.”
Ben wasn’t sure if the foul odor was coming from the steaming bowl of food or from the man, but being this close to the guy turned his stomach. The guard backed his way out of the container, leering at Allie and doing his best to be deliberate about it. Ben felt Joel push against his arm slightly, but he held fast. Now wasn’t the time.
The door slammed shut, and Ben heard the chains rattle as the guards locked it. He put his arms down, and everyone moved out of the back corner, toward the food and water.
“Hang on.” Ben picked up a water bottle and held it up to a ray of light that shone in through one of the holes. The water was surprisingly clean and cold. Ben glanced down at the sorry excuse of a meal the guards had left them. At least the water looked good. No doubt this was part of the plan. Keep them strong enough to work but too weak to fight.
All the more reason to make a move as soon as they could rather than wait. A day or two of this and they would be too weak to make a stand. Not that Ben wanted to wait that long, but as far as he was concerned, this was confirmation that they needed to act now.
“Go ahead. It’s not great, but we need to hydrate.” Ben hoped he wasn’t dooming them all to a bout of diarrhea or some type of waterborne illness, but the other option was dehydration. He’d take being sick to his stomach somewhere down the road in a day or two over being stuck here.
He was encouraged to see the guard with the gun enter the container first, even if he had just put one foot up on the edge of the door. It was close enough. He’d also foolishly pushed the barrel of the gun inside the container, well past the opening, as he taunted them with it. That was a mistake on the guard’s part, and Ben hoped he did it again. He also paid attention to how the guards only opened one of the shipping container’s double doors, leaving a blind spot as they entered. A few other faults in their routine could be used against them as well, but in Ben’s opinion, the first two provided the best probability for success.
These little flaws in how they operated around here didn’t mean much on their own, but together, they created some opportunities that Ben and the others could exploit. The pieces started coming together in his head.
For this to work, though, Joel or one of the others would have to hide behind the other door when the guards came back. If Ben wasn’t standing in front of the group when that door swung open, the guards would know immediately that something was going on. But they might not notice if Joel was missing. The younger guard seemed to focus on Allie, and as much as he hated that, it could play to their favor. The older guy seemed content to give Ben the stink eye in an attempt to exert his temporary dominance.
They would only need a few seconds