Island Of Orphans

The Boys

I start creating another travel bag. I put all the things I need to have for the next day or two of scoping out this base. 

I grab the pouches of food, canned food, and a couple bottles of water. I then move over to my gun table. 

So many choices, but I'm going small on this trip. I pick up a 22 gage and put it in my holster. 

"Knock, Knock." I hear at my door and Heath steps in.

"Ahh, what are you doing?" he looks like I'm a crazy person, which is half true. 

"I'm going out" I respond.

"Out? Where?" he said with a stern look.

"I took this from the booth tonight" I show him the paper I was looking at earlier.

"You're going to go see the new recruits?"

"Yes" I reply swinging my duffle over my shoulder. I then grab the binoculars hanging off of the back wall and walk past Heath through the door. 

I walk into the common area where half of the gang is gathered plus the two new girls. "I'm going to be gone for the next couple of days. I need everyone to be on their best behavior." I look at the faces that look back at me. "Especially you Ben." 

"Don't you worry about me, Liz. I will hold down the fort." Ben snickers back at me.

Ben is a 17 year old boy who I rescued from a coal mine. He was sick, weak, and starving for a new and brighter life, so I gave him one. 

He has been temperamental over the past couple of years, but that's what teenagers do. They argue and can never make up their minds with anything. Sometimes I think I would have a better time looking at a brick wall then from Ben's sassy attitude, but the kid means well and he is sweet in his own way.  

I shake my head at him and walk to the stairway going up to the surface.

"Liz." I turn around and see JP.

"Don't do anything you will regret." he says

I stair at him and nod my head. I then turn around and head up towards the door leading to the outside world.

I check to see if everything looks clear for me to leave. No new tracks, no weird feelings, looks like I'm good to go. 

I open the door and walk to the main hanger. This place looks as abandoned as ever but in reality its full of life. We have fixed everything in the past couple of years. Everything but the airplane that sits in the corner. We have cars, we have trucks, and we have my bike. 

My sports motorcycle is my baby and I don't know what I would do without her. She's a beast and she's perfect for trips like these. 

I take the bikes blanket off and strap my bag to the back. 

I roll her out from the back of the hanger, hop on and drive off for my hour journey. 

These journeys usually give me time to think of what I'm doing with my life. I get to do these little rides by myself every two months or so and I try to enjoy the ride the best I can.

Nothing is greater then driving on an open road where no one is around. This used to be farmland country right off of this lake. So many good farmers until war came about. Then everything went to hell. 

I hit a good amount of speed and put her in cruise. Now I get to listen to my thoughts in silence.

An hour later I pull my bike off to the side of the road. I hop off and hide it in a familiar abandoned building. No one ever goes off base on foot so there are no chances of anyone finding it anyways. 

Now it's time for the walking I have about a mile or so of a walk to my lookout tree. 

I later then drive at the all to familiar lookout tree. Perfect for climbing and the perfect amount of camouflage. 

I start my climb branch by branch until I'm about 20 feet in the air. I look off into the distance and see the base. What's really nice is the road about a block or two from here and straight out so I can see their new equipment that comes with the new men. 

I get my binoculars out and look off into the distance. 

"Ha. The poor bastard lived to see another day." I look at the one tower guard that I shot at the night before. I swore I shot more off to the right but in must have just been a flesh wound. Looks like I will have to work on my distance aiming. 

I then look off into the distance and see a caravan of trucks. Big trucks may I add. These suckers must way a ton!

I look through my binoculars to see how many trucks. "One, two, three.."

I count 8 trucks. They must be bringing some heavy loads of amo in.

The gates open with easy and they pile into the base. This base is growing month by month. I hope there is some way to save some of those kids in there. 

The kids that are sentenced into the camp do their dirty work. Clean, Cook, and Care. The three C's. They think they are giving them a way out by helping them but they are all prisoners. They get beat up, punished and sometimes even starved because of the little mistakes they have done. 

I just don't understand why they need kids. I don't. They can do all of those things themselves. 

In other areas of the country they have production systems that both women and children work at. These would be like plantations, mills, and camps.

I look through the binoculars and stare off into the distance and into the walls of the camp. 

So many men, why do they need this many more men? What are they planing on doing?

I observe what they are doing for the rest of the day seeing them unload box after box of supplies that are unmarked and inclosed in wooden crates. 

TNT? Grenades? Guns? What could be in those damn crates! 

I want to take a better look at what they are hiding, but it would be suicide if I went alone in there. Especially with all of these new faces. 

I decide to wait it out until night came. Then I would make my decision. Will I risk being caught just to see what's inside those boxes or do I let it go and never find out? 

Decisions, decisions....