BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Could. Might,” Kanani said. “No, nothing doing. It’s too risky.”

Jock didn’t respond.

“And what if they’re Army?” Lett added.

But Jock just growled.

***

Half an hour later—pushing 5:30 p.m. They had pressed forward, but it was slow going and they needed a break. They found a gully. It held a small cave, surely the entrance to another lava tube. Lett faced the hole, took a deep breath, and waved them down in.

The cave held the three of them standing and little more. Any farther and they would have to crouch and crawl. Their shoulders rubbed at rock and one another. They sipped more water rations, two swallows each. Something other than the cave was nagging at Jock. He kicked at pebbles like a kid left alone too long in a sandbox.

“What is it?” Lett said.

“Look. I done some thinking.” Jock lifted his arms, let them slap at his hips. “I’ll go there. Me only. Go it alone. Tell them I was hiking around and got lost. ’Cause I’m just this cuckoo gyrene still fouled up by the war and it’s the only way to get some peace, see. Hawaii’s just full of us.” He held up a finger. “But. Some crazy types were coming after me. Don’t know who they are. They followed me onto the firing range. My fellow Marines won’t like that.”

“You’re a decoy,” Kanani said.

“Let’s call it a diversion. Might be the only way to get you through this gauntlet.”

“If they are Marines,” Lett said.

“We’ll just have to take the chance. I won’t muck things up. I got my papers all squared. I never was on The Preserve, remember? No one’s to talk of it ever. Top secret.” As he spoke, Jock couldn’t look at Lett.

“Tell me something,” Lett said. “Are you really aiming to reenlist?”

Jock’s eyelids hung, making him look more sad than tired. “Look, don’t ask questions. Don’t worry about me. Just go along with it. It’s the best plan and you know it. Maybe I even persuade them to head off Lansdale’s posse? They’re probably bored to tears out here. They’d love the action. Track down some deadbeats. What I’d really like to do is tell ’em Dugout Doug himself is involved somehow. But that’s only asking for the stockade—for you and for me.”

“Fuck ’em all,” Lett said.

“Fuck ’em all,” Jock responded. He sang a few lines of the old song. Lett joined in.

“The long and the short and the tall . . . Fuck all the generals and above all fuck you! . . . So we’re saying good-bye to them all . . .”

They laughed. Kanani clapped.