The City Burns: A Prepper's Struggle for The Truth Read Free Page A

we could be open for more attacks. Hell, we still have riots happening all over the country. We need—”
     
    “How long?” Jim repeated. Locke let out a sigh. “Two weeks,” he answered.
    Jim’s jaw clenched. His hands tightened into fists. He turned and focused his eyes on Locke, but not before he noticed Chris’s hand at the firearm on his hip. “My sister has been asking about him since she got here and each time you told us you didn’t know,” Jim said.
     
    “Well, depending on who you asked, that was true. Besides us there are only a handful of people who know where he is and what this is about,” Locke replied.
     
    Jim closed his eyes and shook his head to calm himself. “You want me to convince him to give you the hard drive,” Jim sighed. Locke paused for a moment before he answered, “Yes.” Jim opened his eyes, walked back over to the chair, and sat down. He looked back down at the photo in his hands as he spoke. “My sister and niece get to see him before I help you,” he said.
     

 
    Locke glanced over at Chris who was shaking his head. “Done,” he answered. “You leave today.” He rose and grabbed the grabbed the picture in Jim’s hand. “Jim, we need that drive,” Locke said. Jim’s hand tightened on the file as Locke tried to pull it away. “And my niece needs her father,” he replied. Locke tapped his cigar with his finger and ash fell onto the dirt floor. He gave a weary smile. “Let’s hope we both get what we want,” he said.
     
    Upon his release, Jim was met outside by Annie, Samantha, and Coyle They each had a million questions, but mostly Coyle.  Jim pulled Samantha to the side out of earshot from the others. “They have Matt,” said Jim. Samantha let out a shocked, harsh whisper, “What?” She looked around as if he was there in one of the tents. “Where is he?” she asked.
     
    Jim kept his voice down as he spoke, “They want something he was working on for his company. I think they were going to use you and Annie as leverage to get what they want.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “They can’t do that!” She wasn’t whispering anymore. Jim wrangled her back in. “Hey, we need to be smart.” He glanced around at the soldiers before looking back at her. “They think I can convince him to give up what they want.”
     
    Samantha’s voice was harder now. “And what happens if you can’t convince him?” she asked. Jim looked over at Annie who was huddled next to Coyle. She had her arms wrapped around his leg and was glancing up at the soldiers around her. Jim looked back over to Samantha who had followed his line of sight. “Oh, God,” she gasped.
    “It won’t come to that,” he reassured her. “It might,” a stern, cold voice said from behind him. When Jim turned around he saw the same sergeant who had his gun against his temple less than twenty minutes ago.
     
    “You give me any trouble on this trip and I’ll put a bullet in your head right after making you watch me put one in each of your family’s.” he said. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he finished his sentence.  Locke appeared from the distance and yelled for the sergeant. “Sergeant Hult,” he said, “will you join me for a moment, please?” Hult snapped to attention. “Yes, Sir!” he yelled. He marched off and Jim and Samantha walked back over to Annie and Coyle. Samantha scooped Annie up as she wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. She held her daughter close.
     

 
    Coyle walked over to Jim who had his eyes on Locke’s tent. “What’d captain stars and stripes want?” he asked. Jim kept his focus on the tent as he spoke. “We’re going on a trip.” He turned back around and saw that Coyle was glancing at the tent as well. “I need you to come with me,” he said.
     
    “Why do I get the feeling that we’re going to do something dangerous?” Coyle sighed. Hult exited the tent with a grimace on his face. Whatever Locke