117"Do you believe in a supreme being, general?" Cliff asked.

"Yes, I do. Very much. There is no way anyone will ever convince me that all the wonders of nature just 'happened.' I don't believe that; I'll never believe that."

"But after all the tragedy that has occurred in the world, you can't believe God is a merciful god," a woman called Linda said.

"I believe that God gave us a brain, Linda. He later gave Moses a tablet with His basic laws, laws He would like for us all to try, and I stress try, to live by. God didn't ask that any of us be perfect, just to try."

"And do you try, general?" a man asked.

Ben smiled. "I do try, Red. I'll give anybody a chance if they'll cut me just a little slack."

"And do you read the Bible, general?"

"General George Patton was asked that question one time, during the Second World War. He supposedly replied, 'Every goddamn day.' "

Ben went off to catch a few hours sleep.

The second drop that day went as smoothly as the first one, with no surface-to-air missiles fired at the planes. Ben was convinced now that the gangs did not have SAMs.

The early afternoon drop brought the park survivors more food and medical supplies, thousands of rounds of ammo, several hundred M-16s, half a dozen Big Thumpers, cases of grenades, uniforms and boots and socks, underwear for the male and female genders, and dozens of other articles necessary for survival.

"Marvelous!" Doctor James exclaimed, eagerly ripping open the cases of medical supplies. He turned to the woman who acted as his nurse. "Round up the kids and get them in here, Claire. Let's get to work. Then we'll start 118.

with the adults. Everybody gets a quick once-over and then we start the shots." He smiled up at Ben. "This is like manna from heaven, general."

"Enjoy," Ben told him.

Ben began a walking inspection of the park's perimeters and knew very quickly that anytime the punks wanted to rush the area, they could do it. It would cost them dearly in terms of human life, but they could overrun the park.

There were too few survivors and far too many gangs for them to effectively defend such a large area. If they were going to stay within the confines of the park, their area of defense would have to be cut down to a more defensible size.

Ben consulted a sheet of paper Judy had given him. There were 162 adults of reasonable fighting age in the group. Sixteen children. Twelveelderly people. The park comprised 840 acres. Not nearly enough people to defend such a large area.

Besides, the gangs had mortars, and Ben was sure, now that they knew he was inside the park confines, they would start using those mortars. Once they started that, it would be slaughter for the survivors.

But where else could such a large group of people hide in the city?

He didn't know. But there had to be a place.

Ben sighed and Judy cut her eyes to him. "What it is, Ben?"

"The park. The gangs could overrun you anytime they wanted to."

"But the booby traps ... ?"

' 'A couple of dozen grenades or sticks of dynamite would blow a path right through them. The punks would pour through. I think the only reason they haven't done so before now is because of the informants they had planted among you."

119.

Judy opened her mouth to protest and Ben held up a hand. Greg and some of the others stood close by, listening. "Before we began herding all the gangs in this direction, back when your army man was still alive, how many punks were there in the city? Take a guess somebody."

"Two or three thousand," Judy said. "And maybe that many creepies."

"And there were other small bands of survivors scattered all over the city, right?"

"That's right. Dozens of diem."

"Well, the other groups supplied the food for the creeps, and you all were too well fortified for the small unorganized gangs to rush. But all that has changed now. There are now thousands more gang members in the ruins, well armed and well equipped. As soon as they realize diey can overrun this park, diey'll do it."

Ben paused and listened for a moment to the distant Rebel artillery fire. The heavy bombardment was coming from the north, south, and west of them. Ben wished he knew what Ike was doing.

"What do you suggest, general?" one of the men in die group asked.

Ben looked at him-couldn't remember his name. "If we stay inside die park, we're eventually going to be slaughtered. That artillery fire tells me diat my people are very busy out there. This is a last-ditch effort on the part of the punks. It's do or die time for diem. Most of them are beyond caring; they just want to take out as many Rebels as diey can before we kill diem. You see, the majority of the gang members we've pushed up here know all they've got to look forward to is a bullet or a rope. They are the absolute dregs of society and have committed crimes against humanity of a nature diat would make a maggot puke. They have absolutely nodiing to lose."

120"We'll do whatever you tell us to do, general," a woman spoke from the group.

"Then let's get packed up and make plans to get the hell gone from here."

Ben bumped Ike on scramble and told him what they were planning.

"I was just about to tell you to get out of the park, Ben. Aerial recon shows the punks appear to be massing for an attack against your position. For some reason, they're mainly coming at you from the west."

' 'All right, Ike. We're out of here. Eagle out.'' Ben turned to Judy.

"You people know all die rabbit holes in and out of die park. I'll follow your lead."

"How much time do we have, Ben?"

Ben shrugged. "When you hear die mortars incoming, we're out of time."

She put serious eyes on him. "I don't know where to take us."

"This park is going to be first blown all to hell, and dien filled with punks. And you know what diey're going to do if diey take you women alive. Just get die people out of here."

Ben figured they had probably less dian a hour before die gangs struck.

He looked up at the sky. About four hours of daylight left.

Ben packed up his gear just as Judy walked up, wearing a heavy pack.

"We're going to go out die east side, Ben. Through an old drainage tunnel we found. That will lead us underground, into the tunnels."

Ben stared at her for a moment. "The creeps-the uglies, as you call them?"

"There may be seven or eight hundred of them. As compared to thousands of punks."

Ben nodded. "We'll take our chances against die uglies, dien."

121.

121.

"There is a chance there won't be any in that area. When the punks started arriving, we noticed the uglies began pulling out."

"We can always hope."

"You ready?"

"Anytime. I just want to activate a few more claymores before we pull out. I want to leave a few surprises behind for the punks."

"Go ahead. I'll pass the word to keep this area clear."

Ben spent a few minutes carefully placing claymores and then backed away, joining the others. "Let's go."

The lead-off men led the group single-file into thick brush, the elderlymen and women and the small children placed in the middle of the column to reduce their chances of being separated. It was not a long walk to the edge of the park, but it was tough going through die thick underbrush that had been deliberately allowed to grown wild. There, the group halted for a moment's rest.

"The drainage pipe is over there," Judy pointed. "In all that brush. It wasn't in use for years before die Great War. Not many people know it's there."

"Where the hell does it lead?" Ben asked.

"Originally, it flowed to the sewer under the city. But the uglies, I guess it was diem, knocked out the brick wall and enlarged the whole thing. I'll be honest with you- we really don't know where it comes out.

It's a maze under there. But we do know diat if you get lost, just keep walking and looking up. There are manhole covers and exits into buildings the uglies knocked out long ago. I've been lost in diere several times. The first time, I thought panic would give me a heart attack. Then I learned it's practically impossible to get really lost."

She looked away from Ben to nod at Doctor James. "Go ahead," she said quiedy.

Ben watched as the doctor and his nurse began giving the younger kids shots to knock diem out, and he knew 122.

why it was being done-there were rats in the tunnels as big as small dogs. This would insure the kids' silence. Ben had questioned the doctor's request for the drugs when he had first called in to Ike, but had done so silently, figuring the medical man had his reasons. Now he knew why.

The group rested quietly for a few more minutes, until the drug started taking effect and the kids began yawning. When they could no longer keep their eyes open, they were picked up and held while others tied them in place on the adults.

"Let's do it," Judy said, standing up.

One by one, the people began disappearing into die darkness that loomed just a few feet inside the wide drainage pipe. Ben brought up the rear, and there he placed several claymores outside and just inside of the huge pipe.

Then he stepped into the darkness and the unknown, walking down the slight slant into the maze of tunnels diat lay under die city.

123 Twelve They all carried plenty of extra batteries for the flashlights Ben had requested from the aerial drop, and candles to be used if they had to spend more time than anticipated in the darkness of the tunnels.

They had gone only a few hundred feet in the oppressive darkness when the nearly overpowering stench of rotting human flesh hit them like a hammer blow. Even the drugged and sleeping children stirred in the arms of those carrying them, wrinkling their noses against the sickening smell.Judy halted die column and called for Ben to join her up front. "They've come back," she whispered. "They haven't been diis close in months."

"We probably pushed them diis way," Ben told her. "Pass the word, no candles or open flames of any sort. There might be methene down here."

"You can bet the uglies know we're here," she responded.

124.

"Put someone else in the rear. I'll stay up here with you."

Judy assigned two other men to bring up the drag, and she and Ben took the point, working their way slowly eastward through the huge drainage pipe. Stinking dark water slopped at their boots and often the powerful beams from their flashlights would catch huge, beady-eyed rats glaring at them, their hairless obscene tails trailing behind them in the filth.

Light suddenly flooded the chamber ahead of them and Judy said, "Open manhole cover. Pass the word- absolutely no noise as we pass under it."

"Does that mean we've passed one block?" Ben asked.

"Yes. At least three more to go."

The column began passing noiselessly under the open manhole cover, with two people counting each head as it passed. When the last person went by, they passed the word:, everybody accounted for.

Around a bend in the tunnel, and darkness once more swallowed them.

Silence, except for the scratching of tiny clawed feet as the big rats reluctantly gave ground before them. But some of them gave no ground, squatting on the ledges and glaring balefully as the humans passed by.

"I hate rats," Judy whispered.

"Join the club," Ben returned the whisper.

Two blocks later, and Ben and Judy each threw up a hand to signal a halt. The beams of their flashlights had flicked over, then quickly arced back and settled on a scene out of a horror writer's nightmare: several thousand rats were blocking the tunnel. The mound of moving, hairy, filthy rodents was several feet tall and several feet wide. From under the disgusting ever-moving mound, Ben and Judy could see the gnawed-on hands, feet and arms of once-human beings. White glistening bone now, with only a few scraps of meat still remaining.

125.

125.

"Sweet Jesus Christ!" Judy gasped.

"Back up," Ben said. "Back to the last manhole. We can't go any further in this tunnel."

Judy pointed a shaky finger at the moving mound. "But that..."

"What's left of the uglies' dinner," Ben replied, trying to keep the disgust and horror out of his voice. "This is where they put theleftovers, I guess. Come on, back up. Let's get the hell out of here."

Slowly the column backed up, with many wondering what was going on, for the majority of the men and women who made up the small band of survivors had been spared the sight of the rats feeding on dead human flesh.

"We're going to be a couple of blocks short, Ben," Judy said.

"Do we have a choice?"

"No."

"No point in discussing it then."

The smell had caused several people to lose their lunch. The sounds of gagging and retching filled the tunnel for several moments.

"Watch your step," Ben advised drily.

Ben did not lose his lunch. He had seen worse over the years. But at the moment he would be hard-pressed to recall it.