She was stuck in an old cold war era bunker, wearing a military uniform that was far too big for her. She was cold, hungry, tired, and confused. She hated herself for it.
Given the time, Madeline would have come up with a strategy. Now, that was time was done.
She was taken, like the queen in a game of chess.
Madeline didn’t know where they were taking her. She raised her arms because she didn’t want a shot fired, she didn’t want her men and women at the bunker hurt. She assumed those who were there would be taken as well.
There were two trucks and she was loaded into the back of one alone.
It was when the truck began to roll away that she heard the shots fired, the explosion. She closed her eyes and wanted to cry. Her yielding to the soldiers was for naught, they hit the bunker anyhow.
Troy and the others were more than likely gone.
Madeline was the only surviving member of the senate or congress, that she knew about.
She was now a prisoner of war.
The one voice to represent the fight and defense was silenced and in the back of a truck.
With each mile she rode the more she realized, there would be no battle, no fighting back, no conquering the enemy.
It was over.
In fact, it was pretty much over the second the enemy landed on American soil.
They drove for a while, at least an hour. She couldn’t see where they were. Madeline wasn’t shackled or handcuffed, nor was she treated roughly. She was escorted by two armed guards who didn’t speak to her at all.
When the truck stopped, the curtain in the back opened and her armed guards stood there. They offered her assistance in getting down and that was when she saw she was at an airport.
It was a short walk from the truck to the aircraft, a private jet with no name on it.
“Where am I going?” she asked. “Where are you taking me?”
She wasn’t sure what she expected, maybe it was shock that had kept her from speaking up earlier. Instantly, she panicked. Her pace slowed and her footing became more resistant. They led her more than before and inched her up the outer staircase through the open door of the plane. The engines were already running and warming up.
The interior of the plane was beautiful, clean, and comfortable. Eight rows of wide white leather seats lined one side of the plane, and on the other was a sofa and table. Her escorts left as soon as they got her inside.
Madeline’s heart raced.
A few moments later a female flight attendant came out, dressed in a crisp uniform, and pointed to a seat.
“Where are we going?” Madeline asked. “Where are you taking me?”
The flight attendant smiled and pointed to the seats.
After a brief pause, Madeline took a seat and the attendant handed her a soft blanket. As soon as she sat, she closed her eyes. The seat was comfortable and warm. The blanket felt wonderful. The flight attendant left and returned with a cup of coffee and a warm wet towel that smelled of lemon. She placed them both on the small table area next to Madeline’s seat.
Madeline grabbed the towel and placed it on her face, then after it cooled, she set it down and lifted the coffee.
The guilt returned when she took a sip. It felt like ages since she’d had a cup of coffee.
She had to remember what was happening. She was taken during a siege, yet, Madeline didn’t contest. It wasn’t that she was weak, she was just at a loss.
There was no point in arguing or putting up a fight because she didn’t know anything. She was in the dark. She had no clue who had taken her and where they were headed. It had to be all part of the process.
A foreign country had invaded.
She was the leader.
In fact, there was nothing she could do except drink her coffee and wait and see where she landed. Hopefully then, someone would talk to her and tell her what was going on.
Cleveland, OH
It was a great place to stop for the night, in fact, Toby found it and called it irony. It was one of the few remaining intact buildings on the outskirts of Cleveland. A wholistic healer of Western Medicine. The windows weren’t busted and just inside the small building was the reception area. It was a cross between a store and waiting room.
The back had examining tables which made a great place to sleep.
Toby walked a good twenty feet ahead of Marissa and Harris. He was the scout, keeping an eye out. They wanted to find a car, but any that were viable didn’t have keys or gas and none of them were savvy enough to get one working.
When Toby realized the day was winding down he started looking for a stopping place.
They had made it out of the city on a south-bound path. Harris would stay with them until they reached his home, then he was stopping while Toby and Marissa went west.
Harris was convinced that everything was fine once they cleared the perimeter of Cleveland and destruction. That somehow there were rescue crews abound, walking and searching.
Toby knew that wasn’t the case, or at least they weren’t nearby. He didn’t hear any dogs and that was the telltale sign to Toby no one was out there. Rescue workers, that was.
They did see a few people who, like themselves, were walking south. They met a woman and her two young boys. They looked dirty and tired, the youngest boy looked ill.
Convinced help was not far away, Harris gave them water and food from his ration. He claimed that he didn’t need them, rations were probably plenty outside of Cleveland.
They had however cleared the worst part of destruction, and the farther they walked the more buildings they saw.
Even he knew it was a limited strike and wasn’t like the entire country was blasted away. They just needed to get out of the area and see what was happening with the world.
For that night, they were staying put.
Toby closed the window blinds, had some of his food, rummaged through what the store had that was useful, then went to the back to turn in for the night.
None of them said much at all that night.
He was the first to wake up. The health store had protein bars and he had one of those. It was when he was gathering his stuff that he heard the sound of a truck. It sounded like a big one, too.
When he heard it, his immediate thought was that maybe Harris was right.
“Dudes, get up,” he told them. “I am hearing trucks outside. I’m gonna go check it out.”
Harris immediately jumped up and Toby raced out before he saw if Marissa woke.
Once outside he caught a glimpse of the large truck. It was military and Toby smiled, running back in.
“It’s the military,” he said. “Harris, looks like you might be right. They’re probably looking for people.”
Instantly they grabbed their gear and raced out. The sound of the truck had faded, but they were hopeful.
“We need to get out into the open,” Harris suggested. “We veered off the main road. Which way did the truck go?”
Toby pointed and Harris took off in that direction.
They followed as Harris walked at a strong, quick pace. They walked for a good half an hour until they found a road. It was a four-lane main road, not a highway.
Cars had stopped and been abandoned on the side of the road. They looked as if they had been moved aside.
They stayed center of the road, completely visible. Within a half an hour, the sound of a truck carried to them.
It came from behind and was getting close.
Toby looked over his shoulder and saw it coming. It didn’t look like it was slowing down at all.
The three of them stepped to the side and waved their arms, calling out, “Stop. Help.”