The End, as It Happens to Quade

By Randy Dolph

The whole world has followed the example of Americas new civil war which is fought in the streets now of every nation. The unrest the planet then feels turns into something else as nation begins to take on nation. When China feels itself truly in harms ways, it releases a virus that it has long been working on and smiles as it gives its citizens the antidote. When it all backfires, the population is reduced from billions to a few hundred thousand spread thinly around the globe. The end. The apocalypse. No zombies. No undead terror. Now, just survival.
Quade, an x-Navy SEAL, having long ago been thrown into prison for a crime committed in his youth, finds his new found freedom all that he thought it would be, minus the people of course, which suits him just fine. He quickly finds however, that he has a chance at redeeming the things that went wrong in his youth. Getting involved means he could lose his longed for unshackled life, but he knows he cannot turn away.
Soon, the loner, becomes a part of a small group of survivors, one of which hates civilization and all of its scary possibilities. Agreeing, however, their need for supplies outweighs such chance of encounters, they enter the outskirts of a large city in the rainy parts of lower Oregon. They find a train terminal to use as a base and start their search. More decisions must be made as Quade and his new team find a small group of survivors fighting for their place in the twisted world, as a large new age cult headed by a man calling himself The Crown bares down on them. Quade tries to ignore the groups psychic as they make plans. Whatever they are going to do, they need to make it fast. The train terminal seems to all like a good place to start.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Dec 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490768014

Randy Dolph

Randy grew up on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, where he was often found playing in the open grasslands. He now lives in Northern Colorado with his wife and two children. He enjoys camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. In his spare time he draws wildlife and paints landscapes. He and his wife like to compete in who loves who more. His wife would like to state for the record that she remains and always will loves her husband more no matter what he likes to think or write! They are soul mates, and together they have a wonderful life. She looks forward to all the fun and exciting adventures Randy will write up next!

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Copyright 2015 Randy Dolph.

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ISBN:

978-1-4907-6800-7 (sc)

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6801-4 (e)

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

This book is for;

My Awesome Wife, that is always by me and is continuously on my side in everything and who of course is the greatest and I love more,

For the greatest children a father could ever ask for, who's smiles are always ready and are quite contagious,

For Wanda, for being a great friend and being there again with all the encouragement one could ask for,

And for Robert, who swam with the Sharks because he was afraid of them and who continues to swim with them even now.

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CHAPTER 1

T he cell block was finally starting to clear from the odor of the corpses that had been dropping over the last few weeks. They were mounting up inside of the maximum security prison that Quade had been in for the last several years. Most died simply from starvation, locked in their cells with what food they had saved for themselves or had gotten off of the commissary before everything went haywire and the world outside fell apart. Others died of course from the violence that followed, the prisoners now with the understanding that there were no longer guards coming in, or anyone for that matter, to keep them alive.

The two cellmates had finally been able, with some difficulty, to break their cell window, which looked out the back of the building they were housed in. Quade stood there now, looking out as the fresh outside air rushed in passed him, blowing his long dark bangs out of his eyes. If only the window had been bigger than four inches wide, that would have made his day even better.

Hey Joe, looks like someone else made it out, Quade told his cellmate. Third one today.

Are they headed for the fence? Joe asked.

Nope, I think he sees the charred skeleton from that last guy still hanging there, Quade told him. He's going around behind Building 4.

Darn, I was hoping he could tell us if the electricity was still on to the fence, Joe said. We have to just hope that thing's easy to short out!

Yeah no kidding, Quade said. But I thought you were going to test that for us. They both laughed. Quade came over and sat down on the lower bunk where Joe was drinking some water from a tall tumbler. How you feeling today? Still really bad headaches? Joe nodded and rubbed the back of his head. Soon brother, we'll be out of here and running free. He paused and took a slow, concerned look at his long time friend. Let's have a little lunch and then we can work some more on that damn toilet.

Quade reached into one of the metal shelves that were mounted as part of the wall. He pulled out a ramen soup packet and broke off two small pieces for them to eat. He put the rest back and looked at Joe. With a frown they both dove into the small meal. It only took a couple of moments for them to finish the few bites. They sat there afterward, licking their fingers clean.

It had been this way for some time for the two of them, slowly starving to death like the rest of the cell block, safely locked away in their soon to be tombs. The water was still running, as was the power, which had surprised them all. It did not really help them much in the long run Quade knew, as the food would soon be gone. As he looked over what they had left, his mind wondered back over how this had all come about.

He remembered watching things unfold on the thirteen inch colored television they were allowed to have. He and Joe had watched in amazement as a civil war broke out almost overnight in California, though there were some indicators. The political reasons were many and hard to follow, as they changed often. The rest of the country watched to see what the high and mighty government would do. They of course pushed the people down with force and all those that watched leaned back in their chairs in horror. They watched their countrymen taking a beating and more, knowing they too agreed with California's position. The rest of the United States were slowly pulled into this little conflict and life became harder for Quade and all the others like him.

Before the war had actually broken out, Quade saw something of the way things were going. He went right to the gambling table on the yard and bet with the skill of an intelligent mind that he secretly possessed. He was a great card player and had used this skill only to gain a few dollars here and there to live off of. He had not done it often. Now however, he went there and took it all. He used the money and items that he won to fill his cell with things that he knew the two of them might need. It seemed his instincts were right, with the food anyway. He now only wished that he had played for a hammer and chisel.

The news had rolled along daily, giving every detail of what was going on and telling all that watched that rebellion was wrong. (With the way they were trying to govern, Quade often wondered if any of them had ever read the Declaration of Independence.) The talking went on about the civil war with little else to watch, including all of those nightly shows that had kept Quade going sometimes. The TV showed instead a country falling apart. That's really when there was a noticeable difference that started at the prison.

Guards would stop showing up for work. Most of the time there was only one guard on duty all day long and they would only see him once or twice. They would be locked in their cells all day for days on end. A sack lunch with an apple and a cup of peanut butter was handed out only some days. Sometimes four or five days would go by and they would not see anyone, let alone a lunch bag.

In the outside world, everyone watched as the whole country joined the fight. It was as though it was a dream, watching states becoming almost a country unto themselves and then joining some other fight against their neighbors. Then they all turned against the so-called higher-ups as they sat as dictators in elected seats. The comfy seats fell with little ceremony. Then the true fight became about who could lead their group and hold some sort of power. News was interesting to say the least.

The rest of the countries around the world watched with their own fascination. They learned from what they saw and without America as peace keepers, they set about solving the problems within their own governments. Rebellion raced through the globe. It was not long before most, if not all, of the countries of the world were having some armed conflict inside of their borders. Then it spilled over and neighbor started fighting neighbor. A new world war had begun and many thought, 'what do you know, America was too busy to join'. There was joy in that thought at least.

The Chinese seemed to be getting things done in their own hemisphere, taking out some of the small countries around them and capitalizing on some vacancies in Iran. Oil prices soured but few were buying, especially from China. It seems a few countries got smart and worked together to try to bring China down a peg or two. After a few large mushroom clouds were seen from far away, China got enraged and released some form of disease. They then sat back and laughed as people started dying. There were, of course, protests on every level but China simply raised its' nose as it handed out the antidote to the disease to all Chinese citizens. 'We hope you don't like it,' they told the world.

It was disgusting what the disease did to the people it touched. Towers of bodies were burned as they tried to contain it. (It was worse than any zombie movie anyone had ever seen but with this disease no one heard of bodies standing up again.) Whole cities were incinerated from the sky. Scientists sometimes said they had a handle on it and that such things were necessary. They promised that the spread was under control. Then another city would go up in flames. China laughed.

Then something changed, quickly. Chinese people started getting sick but not in the slow way like everyone else. Their symptoms came on fast and took the victim out in half the time it took the others to fall from the disease. Then massive amounts of the Chinese got sick and at last count everyone thought that most, if not all, of them had died. The wars stopped and everyone took the disease seriously. Everyone seemed to start to work together. The disease spread too quickly however and the world went into darkness as the televisions went blank and the radio waves no long carried a human voice.

There were survivors of course, those immune altogether to the disease. The television had mentioned that they did not know why some were not affected by it. They said it was some normal thing to happen. They said a low percentage of the population would always survive such outbreaks without any effects. The percentage they talked about before the static took over had not been good. Quade came back to his present surroundings in his small cell in Pelican Bay State Prison in upper state California.

He had started himself and Joe on a strict routine as soon as the government unrest started getting serious. They could see the change as guards started getting violent with the inmates and open beatings where seen and heard of all the time, only none of the guards were reprimanded. Outright killings were not unheard of either. Then fewer guards even came to work and the inmates were not let out of their cells anymore. When the food only came once every few days, they agreed to keep it in store and only eat little portions.

Quade knew, as did most of the inmates, that they would not last long in their present state. He listened as long hours would be passed with bodies ramming doors but to little avail. (The metal doors were designed to withstand such rammings in their metal frames.) He could not turn it off as for hours inmates in other cells had screamed in fits of rage. Some had kicked the front of their cells for hours after the ramming would not work. Others had tried thinking of ways of getting out and had only talked through their cell doors to others for days about what to do. Everyone tried working at different things and wondered what the others were doing. When nothing worked some had simply attacked their cellmates or committed suicide. Quade had known them all doomed from the start.

Right after he saw that the guards were only around now and then he talked to Joe about what it was going to take to get out of there. They decided that they needed something to use as a ram that was of more mass than their own bodies. They had tried hard at first to smash the tiny metal table off of the wall. When they saw that it truly would not budge they turned their attention to the other large thing in the cell, the toilet.

The toilet was a huge piece of metal with a built-in sink behind it. It was fastened into the wall and anchored firmly from somewhere behind itself. It was their only hope, they knew. They set to figuring how to get it free and had not come up with much. That was right before Joe had gotten sick and now was quite weak.

Want to skip this round, Joe? Quade asked, putting his hand on Joe's shoulder.

No, I'm up for more, Joe told him, but Quade could see he really was not. He watched as Joe layed down on the floor. Quade layed beside him.

Ready and kick, Quade said. He and Joe kicked hard on the toilet. They had done this everyday now for a week and a half and with little results. Joe, he could see, was of little help. Ready and kick, he said and they kicked hard again. They usually did it like that for an hour and then took a half an hour off. They were just at the start of the hour and Quade was not looking forward to this new round.

Wait, wait, Joe said. Look, I don't remember this crack here, he said.

Where? Quade said, afraid again to have false hopes. Joe had imagined many new cracks.

Right here, I know it this time, seriously! he yelled. Quade did not see anything from where he was next to Joe on the floor.

Okay, let's just keep kicking, Quade told him. Joe agreed and seemed to be kicking harder. Quade was grateful for that.

As they kicked harder and the hour wore on, still nothing seemed to happen. Quade forced himself not to lose heart but it seemed like the reality of the situation was starting to settle in. He had hoped not to die of starvation. It seemed to be a slow painful death, he thought. He took in a deep breath and again gave another kick but this time the toilet noticeably moved. He could not believe it as he sat up, looking hard at the crack between the toilet and wall. Tears came to his eyes.

I knew it would come someday, Joe said.

Yeah, right, someday, Quade said. Let's see if we can't pull it out of the wall now.

They both stood up and pulled at different angles, giving it all of their strength. It would not move however. Their spirits were nonetheless rekindled and they moved back into position and started again at kicking it. By dinner time they had the toilet/sink sitting in the middle of the floor, totally free from the wall, both with large smiles on their faces.

You were right, Joe said. And it only took about twice as long as we thought. They both gave each other a tired glance and a warm hug.

You're not looking so good, Quade said. You sit down for a while and I'll see what this thing weighs. Joe did not argue and slumped down on the bed. Quade looked at the thing and thought it looked pretty heavy. He looked at the wall at the back of their cell and furrowed his forehead.

To escape out the front of their cell only meant that they would be free inside another cage, however much bigger. They would still be locked inside of the cell block. They knew that true escape lay in breaking out the back wall of their cell. The fence beyond would have to come later.

Squatting down, Quade found that he could pick the large thing up but that it would be hard to handle with any dexterity. He lifted the metal box to his shoulder and pushed it toward the back wall, kind of able to throw it. It hit with a loud crash and fell to the floor. Quade left it there and turning, looked at the hole that they had made where the toilet had come out of.

There was now a pipe leaking water in their cell from the hole. The pressure was low so it did not seem to be harming anything. (One of their concerns was messing up their water supply.) Quade was glad to see it was still flowing. Kneeling down in front of the hole he could see there was just enough room to be able to fit your head into the little service compartment that was behind the toilet and sat between their toilet and their neighbors. Looking closer he saw with a little work he may be able to fit into the service area. He also saw that it would do him no good. He was about to turn back to the work of the new battering ram when he saw a long pipe sticking up out of the floor of the service area. He moved his head into the hole and looked harder at it.

I think I can break that off, he told Joe.

What is it? Joe asked from his spot on the bunk.

Some pipe for something, Quade told him. Looks to be about three feet of galvanized piping. Looks like they capped it off. It might make a good weapon.

Does it look like it will mess up our water if you break it off? Joe asked, a little concern heard in his voice. Quade looked hard and tried to figure out how everything worked inside the hole. He could not tell for sure, so he did not try.

Maybe we'll get it on the way out, Quade told him. Joe gave him a tired and sick looking smile. Quade gave him a wink and walked over to the toilet that had fallen to the floor below the window. I think I have enough strength to give this a few more tries before we start doing rounds with it.

He thought about all the other people that had fallen in the cell block as he picked up the metal toilet and pushed it hard off his shoulders. He aimed it at the window frame and let it fly. He was able to do it three more times before he slumped down in utter exhaustion. He found it hard to catch his breath and his head swirled. He wondered if at last he had become one of the many. He wondered how he would smell after a week of being dead. He chuckled at that and tried again harder to catch his breath. He became a little concerned and panicked as blackness pushed in.

When he woke up it was dark outside. As he sat up he saw that Joe was lying in the lower bunk leaning against the back wall. Looking around he saw that everything was just as he had left it before he blacked out.

You okay? Joe asked him. You were breathing kind of hard. I was a little worried brother but figured you needed the rest. You haven't slept for awhile I know. As he said that, he started coughing and did not stop for several minutes. It seemed to take everything out of him. He spit mucus down the side of the wall in the back corner of his bunk and let it run beside the bed.

Still having all of the mucus too, huh? Quade asked. Joe nodded, seeming to be in pain. You sit tight and I'll get to work, Quade said with a smile. I'll get us out of here yet.

Joe gave him another nod with a smile and went back to coughing, fighting this time to keep it under control. Quade filled his coffee cup with water and offered it to Joe. When he shook his head in reply, Quade drained it down his own throat in mostly one swallow. Turning back, he looked at the toilet.

As the toilet hit the wall for the tenth time, Quade decided to have a look. Not wanting to waste the energy on high hopes and afraid he would be discouraged if he found he was doing no good, he had decided to just continuously launch it at the window frame. He had seen some dust on his fifth hit and even saw some of the window frame move on his seventh. As he neared the window now, he longed for evidence of their soon escape.

He looked outside first, wondering if anyone was watching what they were doing. The tall outside pole lights shone in the area between the building and the fence which was about fifty yards away. He saw that no one was out there and bravely looked down at the window frame. His heart leapt in his chest.

Joe, we are getting out of here! Quade said behind a throat choked with emotion. It won't take much more! Look at this!

Joe had managed to stop coughing some time ago and had in fact fallen asleep. He was so drained that even the sound of the metal toilet smashing the wall had not awakened him. Quade was too full of excitement however and wanted someone to share in it with him. He had to shake Joe vigorously to get him awake.

Come on brother, we are on our way! Quade said.

What, you got through? Joe asked with sleepy wide eyes.

Not yet but it's breaking up nicely already, Quade said. I think with a few more rounds it will start coming apart in chunks! Joe spun over and sat on the side of the bunk.

Really, we're getting out of here? he asked, though he seemed to be more wondering. His high spirits and energy seemed to return.

Let's have a little dinner and get to work, Quade said. Lots of water this time, okay?

Sure, whatever will help, Joe told him and got up to get their tumblers full at the broken pipe at the hole in the wall. Filling them, he brought them back and sat down beside Quade on the bed, handing him one.

Let's eat up good, Quade said. We are going to need some strength tonight and we aren't really going to need to save the food anymore. Quade was betting hard on this idea working for them, but he knew if this idea did not work, then really they could have all the food they would ever need and it would not make a difference. He figured they might as well be done here and now instead of stringing it out.

We still have some of that sausage left, right? Joe asked, seeming to be disoriented a little.

No, we ate all of that last week with the crackers, remember? Quade helped, becoming concerned.

Oh yeah and the Louisiana hot sauce, Joe told him with some surprise at remembering.

That's right, Quade said, not really liking him bringing that part up again. He remembered for the two days following that dinner they had pretty much smelled out the place. They both shook their heads and went back to eating. Here, have some of the cheese spread. Joe took it and mixed it in with his crunched up ramen. Quade could not watch him eat it and turned to his own scraps.

They waited for the energy of the meal to kick in and finally started back at their escape. Joe seemed more ready than he had been in some time, even electing to shoulder the toilet first. His throw was nothing like Quade's, but the two knew every little bit helped.

They took turns and decided a break was a good idea after every ten minutes. They went through with this routine for about an hour and then decided a longer break was necessary. More water was drank and they slumped again to the floor. Neither of them would give up, however.

After about a ten minute break they got back up. Quade shouldered the toilet. He put his rage forward and smashed at the wall harder. He would not let anything into his head but his desire to carry on. His mind pushed in, saying this was a lost cause, but he smashed harder. Worry at their depleted food stores threatened him with starvation, yet he threw the toilet again. Tears streamed down his face and strength left his arms. Still he pushed on and shouldered yet again the ball of metal. His ears heard the crash and then blackness enveloped him.

Quade was surprised when he woke to bright light in his face. He opened his eyes slowly and found that even that was difficult. He had trouble concentrating at first and was not sure why. He knew he was on his back and decided to just lay there and listen for a while. Slowly he felt strength returning to his aching body.

Sitting up he saw that it was day time outside. It must have been close to mid-morning, he figured, with the way the light poured in. It was not a rainy day as most days there in Crescent City were. He was glad for that. He looked over at Joe who was laying on his back on the bunk.

Well Joe, it looks like a great day to get out of here, he said aloud and it seemed to himself like he was shouting. He lowered his voice. Want to help me see how far we got? Something did not seem right with Joe as Quade jumped up, his forehead furrowed in worry.

He saw right away that Joe was in fact breathing, much to his relief. He took a deep breath and started to shake his great friend's shoulder. Worry returned when after some time Joe did not respond. Quade raising his voice made no difference. Again he started shaking him and finally Joe seemed to be coming around.

You okay there Joe? Quade asked. Joe was too weak to respond verbally but was able to give a smile. How you feeling? Joe shook his head. Well maybe you should try to get up and walk a little. It may get some juices flowing. Quade pulled on him and raised him up in the bed. He helped him to his feet and had to support him entirely as they walked a few times back and forth along one wall of their cell. Worry again furrowed his forehead as he felt how light his friend was. He put the sick man back down on the bed.

I'll just sit here for a while, Joe said in barely an audible voice. Thanks for always keeping me.... his sentence trailed off and he fell back onto the bed, a gurgling sound now coming from his throat.

Oh no you don't, brother, Quade said, rushing over to him to look at his face. You stay with me here. I ain't letting you die in this place. The gurgling coming from Joe turned to choking. Quade could hear the mucus in Joe's throat and lungs as he tried to breath. The choking turned to a small effort to pull in air which Joe could not do. Then the small effort stopped, as did his breathing. Don't even think about it Joe.

Quade jumped to the side of Joe and started giving him mouth-to-mouth. He pumped his chest and breathed again into his mouth. Pain ripped at Quade as he thought of the different times that Joe had saved his life and made some small thing of it. Breathing into his mouth again, Quade pushed those thoughts away. Here beneath him was a person that meant something to him, like nothing else did.

Setting into a rhythm with pumping on Joe's chest and breathing into his mouth, he remembered the time that Joe had not even reacted when Quade hit him in the face after some small dispute that was over something that he could not now remember. Joe had only smiled back in a gentlemanly way and asked him if he had had enough. Quade cried now in full sobs on Joe's chest, willing that to make a difference. Nothing did and still after a half an hour of trying to resuscitate him and getting no response, Quade passed out again due to exhaustion.

He was not sure how long he had been out for but on looking at the window he saw that the sun was still shinning bright. He looked quickly over at Joe. His head was turned sideways and his eyes were wide open, looking straight at him. They seemed to look softly and still warmly at Quade, making him hold back a heart full of emotions. Joe would be upset at him wasting the energy on it. Quade smiled to himself and got to his feet. Looking down he hoped that it was peace that he saw on the face there.

He went to look at the window frame and was quite impressed with what he saw. He looked over at Joe's body and shook his head, then looked away quickly. He smile and tried not to sob.

We made it brother, he told him as he pushed at some crumbling cement.

Quade looked at the overall frame of the window and saw that it was ready to fall out. One push should do it, he thought. The cracks were huge all around it and just as he thought it he gave the metal frame a shove. It fell outwards and several large pieces of concrete fell to the ground with it. Even his well-muscled body could fit through that he knew.

Quade went about gathering all of the things that meant anything to him. He yanked his pillow out of it's case. He set the pillow beside Joe and as his emotions welled up again, he quickly got back to getting his things together. He put a few books in the case that he loved to read, along with a bible that Joe had given him. His tumbler made it in the case and then he threw it out and took Joe's. He put a roll of the old string that he had made from boxer lining that they used to fish things from other inmates inside of the cell block. He gathered some hygiene items and the few rolls of toilet paper that they had saved. He grabbed some clothes that had long since needed cleaning. He also grabbed all their socks and stuffed them into the bottom of the case. He carefully folded his long thick rain coat and sat it beside the case on the bed. Reaching up over the top bunk and under the mattress, he pulled out two more ramen soups and a small baggy of instant coffee he had been keeping hidden as a last treat for the two of them. He put them into his new travel bag, trying not to look at Joe. He tied the case closed and put it over by the window. Reaching back he grabbed his sunglasses off of the nearby shelf and put them on top of his head.

Remembering the three-quarter inch pipe he had seen in the area they removed the toilet from, he went there and reached in for it. Pulling on it he saw that it was well tightened. He tried turning it but quickly knew he did not have the strength for that. Pulling hard he bent it toward himself and was quite proud when he saw he could do that, even though the pipe was at a wierd angle to himself. He looked and saw that it bent pretty close to where it came through the cement floor. He pushed it back up and as far as he could the other way. It took some time but finally after what seemed like forever of pushing and pulling, the pipe broke free. A gush of water came from the hole in the floor that it broke off of. He looked at the pipe in his hands, ignoring the water that was now flooding the cell floor.

The pipe was just over three feet long and was only slightly curved at the end that he had broken off. The very end of the pipe had two pointed tips now where the final break had given way. The other side of the pipe had a cap on it. Quade looked around for some material to make a hilt out of and found Joe's shoes. He took some time and unlaced them, using the laces to tie a tight hilt on the pipe on the side with the cap on it. He knew now he was finally ready to leave that place.

He picked up his things and started toward the window, stopping beside Joe's turned head as he still looked outside. He made himself look down at him and gave him a smile. He put down his items on the hunk of metal that had secured his release and looked one last time at his longtime friend. Reaching onto the top bunk, he pulled out all of their blankets and spread them over his friend, tucking him in. As he did this, the blankets came off of Joe's arm a little and Quade saw his watch. He smiled, pushing the now extra pillow under Joe's head.

Not sure why you ever wanted one of those in here brother, Quade told him. And ol' Bones charged me twice as much for it too. I'm sure he knew I needed it. I made the mistake of telling him I waited too long for a gift for you that Christmas. He looked away then, full of emotion as he sat beside the body on the bed. I'll think of you every time I look at it, Quade said as he reached over and took it from Joe's wrist. He was careful and put it on his own arm. He looked at it and started to remember more. He got up then and turned to the large hole in the wall where the window once was.

He reached over and grabbed his stocking hat off the top of the pile of his things. Taking off his sunglasses, he pulled the hat on low over his forehead, replacing the glasses when he had gotten it on just right. He picked up his new weapon and traveling bag, along with the folded raincoat. He looked outside and wondered about all that lay ahead for himself.

Bye Joe, he said and climbed over the toilet and out of his longtime cage.

CHAPTER 2

T he sun shone warmly on Quade's face as his feet touched the gravel outside of the building. Looking down at his new watch he saw that it was already three o'clock. He looked back up at his surroundings and found that he still had some work to do in order to be free of the place. Pulling his sunglasses over his eyes, he tried to look seriously at what lay just ahead.

He put his things down and stretched his shoulders and arms, keeping an eye on things close by. He bent over and did some long stretches that he always had done in order to loosen up his core and thick muscled body. He had long ago started a jogging routine and weight lifting regiment that had kept him far fitter than anyone else he had known. There were not overly bulky muscles attached to his thirty-six year old body, but he was a very strong man, well proportioned. He had been left to rest over the last few weeks however and he took some time now to limber up. He was not sure what would come at him first and he figured he may need to run fast.

The building he had just escaped from was in the middle of a large clearing in the thick, surrounding forest. A double run of tall chain-link fencing also encircled the prison with several strans of deadly electric wires running on posts in between the two. Of course, dense razor wire stood proudly at the top and bottom of each run and made a continuous circle around the prison.

Quade decided to walk the perimeter of the grounds as far as he could but wanted to stay close to the building and move slowly. The buildings here were joined by a tall cement wall also with razor wire at the top. Eight housing buildings came close together and were joined by a tall wall and made about three-quarters of a circle, with a yard area in the middle of them. (The circle was closed by a chow hall and administrative offices.) To get over this wall between the buildings would only mean that he would be trapped inside of the yard area of the prison and no closer to escaping. Quade looked to the fence for his final escape.

He moved to the corner of the building and turned with serious attention to the fence that stood between him and the forest beyond. A hole had been made somehow in the fence by those previously trying to escape. It looked as though they had lifted the bottom up and made an easy area to crawl through. The charred remains of two of them could still be seen partially melted to the electric wires that were about eight feet in from the hole.

Looking both ways Quade ran fast for the hole under the fence. As he got close to it he could see that it would be easy to get through. A sigh of relief was had as he saw he was getting closer but he was still not sure what he would do once he got through this first blockade. (He still had to get through the deadly electric wires and another run of tall razorwire topped chainlink fence.) As he neared the hole however, he heard something behind him. He did not stop to check it out but threw himself under the fence and crouched low on the other side, quickly looking at what to do next.

I'm talking to your dumb-ass, he heard from behind him. That there is my hole and I ain't said you could use it. Quade did not recognize the voice right off but he did recognize the attitude. Hey, did you hear me white boy? The voice was getting closer.

Quade still studied the area he had made it into as he moved along inside of the fence, not seeing any quick way passed the electric wires. He heard the fence move and knew he needed now to turn his attention to something else. He watched a large black man stand up after coming through the hole that he had used.

Quade dropped his pillow case, full of all that he had, behind himself and moved a little forward from it. He twirled the pipe in his hands then and slung it around, trying to get a better feel for its weight. He loosened his shoulders some and stretched his neck side to side. He looked then at the man coming closer to him.

Oh you think you gonna take me on, huh? the man asked, he face showing nothing but evil. Well that ain't what's happenin' here white boy. You ain't got no chance, now that the man ain't protecting your ass with his guns. Maybe I just take my time with you for thinkin' you all that.

Quade saw that he did recognize the large man coming at him. He had the stupid prison name of Killa and liked being the center of attention. He was from a few buildings over and about as disrespectful as they came. He took what he could from his own people and pushed those others around him, careful though not to push the wrong ones. He thought the world in that place belong to him because he spoke the loudest.

Quade saw that the large man carried a pipe as well. The man flexed his overgrown muscles as he drew near, now swinging the pipe around his head. It was a long pipe that came from a piece of the fence from somewhere. The large black man was stripped of everything but his boxers and an old pair of leather prison boots with untied laces.

Whatcha got in dat pillow case white boy? Killa asked. Quade looked at him and felt his rage start to boil. The large man stopped about ten feet away. Maybe I charge you a little rent and take whatcha got. Maybe you come stay with me and I'll treat you real nice....at first.

Why don't you shove that pipe of yours up your ass you piece of crap, Quade told him. You should check yourself Killa. I don't think of it as I'm in this place with you. You're in this place with me. Quade moved forward and twirled his pipe at his side.

For some reason when these instances confronted Quade, he always went back in his mind to the training that had been pounded into him ever since he was a kid and through all of the military. He was already disecting the man's movements as he had found that it would tell him most of what he needed to know. Killa's over emotions made him a little unpredictable but Quade had dealt with that often. He knew the outcome of this however, even as the man stepped a little closer.

It threw Killa off, this frontal assault which Quade's remarks had given. He was used to fear being the response to his large presense. Panic took Killa now however, which did not help Quade's assessments. He saw panic turn to anger and Killa was now enraged. All of the black man's large muscles sprang into action as he took a wide, slinging blow with his pipe at Quade's head.

The swing was well telegraphed though and Quade easily ducked under the fast moving pipe. He did it with some thought however and used his own pipe to land a blow to Killa's kneecap. He rolled through with the blow and went past the man coming down the man's back with another quick swing. Killa turned and looked hard at Quade. The pipe had bounced off of the large black man's back it did not seem to affect him at all.

Again Killa sprang into action and let his pipe keep doing circles around his head. He swung the pipe out, trying to hit Quade with anything. Quade waited however and as the pipe slowed at its apex he stepped in and hit Killa's pipe hard, stopping it altogether. He used this opportunity to move his own pipe down and smashed Killa full in the face. His blow had the added effect of pushing one of the sharp pointed tips along Killa's eye. It popped his eyeball and the juices of it showered out of his face, landing on Quade and the pipe he held. Quade spun instantly and using a pirouette to help his weapon gain speed, he let it land hard into Killa's liver.

Killa jumped hard away from the blow, it hurting more than his gushing eye. He ran full into the electric wires and bounced off of it. Quade tried to contain his surprise that nothing happened when the big, black, man touched the wires, knowing that the man in front of him was still potentially dangerous. As Killa came closer, Quade took aim and with a brutal swing, tried hard to take his head clear off. As it turned out his pipe ricocheted off of the skull as Killa slumped down at his feet. Quade moved back in disgust and true contempt at having to be the one to do away with such worthless flesh.

Well, not totally worthless, Quade said to himself, looking at the electric wires anew. I guess you were of some help at one time in your life Killa.

He walked up to the wires strung about six feet tall and got as close as he dared. He thought he would have heard something coming from it if the power to the wires was truly still on. He told himself for sure he would have seen the black man's body frying by then if the fence had power running to it. Really though, he had no idea.

He went over then and removed Killas weapon from his still twitching fingers. (He tried not to look at the man's right leg that was still digging into the rocks.) He hefted it in his hands and looked over at the wires. Every part of it looked the same, except the spot where the wires were held onto posts with plastic mounting hardware. He looked at the ground close by and used the pipe to move away some rocks. He wanted to be sure the pipe was well grounded. Then with the pipe a bit dug in, he let it fall against the fence. The pipe bounced there and fell just as Killa had.

Quade decided to walk both ways and make sure he was not taking an unnecessary chance with things. He picked up his pillow case and moved along inside of the fence. After some time he saw that it was going to be no use waiting. He saw the only way out of there was through those electric wires.

He went back and, grabbing Killa's pipe, he threw it over to the other side of the wires, making it land between the electric wires and the other run of chain link fence. He walked up to the wires and looked over at the sign close by. He saw the silhouette of a man being electrified. Quade tried to ignored the warning and with some trepidation, put his hand on the fence.

He did not think he was holding his breath but when nothing happened he let out a long sigh. With a broad smile he quickly climbed through the wires in front of him. It took little doing to get through and he found himself once again looking up at a tall fence that barred his way to freedom. He was happy however to see that it was the final one.

He wanted to move quickly, knowing he was fully exposed there. He used Killa's pipe and broke loose some of the razor wire that sat along the ground next to the fence. He pushed it out of the way and finally got to the actual chain-link fence. With some work and a sharp eye looking often around himself, Quade finally bent the wire at the bottom of the fence enough for him to be able to make it outside. Again, with the pipe, he pushed more razor wire away. Tears came to his eyes as he stood up and dropped Killa's pipe off to the side, now a free man.

It was about a hundred yards to where the forest started ahead of him. Looking around he saw there was a gun tower, not too far away, down the run of chain-link fence he stood at. He decided the tower was worth a look and liked the cover it would provide as he surveyed the area around himself. He went to it and saw a door at the bottom of the tall structure. When he tried it he felt it was securely locked.

He found a large rock nearby and used it to break out the tinted window of the door. It did not help at all but looking inside he saw a few lockers at the bottom of a set of stairs that led to the top. He looked again at the knob and wondered what would help him get it to work. When