Chapter 38: The First Place They Will Look

“For this next part of our journey,” Samuel let on, “it’s going to get messy.”

He led them down into the riverbed as the ground turned to mud beneath their shoes. Marcus helped Annie and Warren followed closely behind his father, while Malcolm and Harold watched their backs as they submerged into the riverbed.

Just when the ground let out below them and the icy fingers of the river snuck between their flesh and clothes, the shore they were swimming towards began to stir. Samuel kept them away, the smartest move being to make landfall farther down the line. It did not matter, for their destination was the same no matter what. They were headed to the harbor. This was just the wet and dirty way about it.

Samuel finally got them to a sandy beach. The coast was clear as the bell toll drew any inhabitants away. As they scurried across the moonlit beach unseen, Warren spotted something peculiar. He split from the group without a word, taking Malcolm and Harold with him. Samuel noticed rather quickly, but instead of yelling over, he curled back to meet them. Warren brought them all to the side of a derelict pier. He motioned them to stay where they were as he slipped a plank from the barricade and went through. Not two minutes later they heard the sound of what could only be a fuse shutting down.

Samuel heard a whistle. He took the rest of the group through the plank that Warren went through. On the other side was Warren flipping some sort of electrical device in his hand.

“It’s a motion sensor.”

Twenty or more guns came out of the shadows brandished by what remained of the Harbor Militia. Warren had led them right into a winless scenario. They were forced to put down their weapons and escorted into a make-shift jail cell. All Samuel could do was hope they did not die before Atticus and Rebecca made it to Savannah.

It was almost dawn when they were all stirred awake by the commotion. Even their guard left his post to have a look for himself. Samuel could piece what was happening together by the scattered comments.

“So, few have returned.”

“He looks half dead.”

“Did they kill Hamilton?”

“How did they survive?”

It was not long before they came for Samuel. Warren did not like it one bit.

“Where are you taking him?”

“To see our leader. He will decide what to do with the lot of you.”

They made it seem so ominous, but Samuel knew they were not too far gone. There was still a chance for repair if he could just find a way to say the right things. He was brought into a dark room.

After the door locked behind him the lanterns were lit. A man holding one came over to him. His other hand was occupied by a bloody handkerchief that he was dabbing on his swollen lower lip. As the man brought the lantern closer to them, they both got a good look at each other.

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“Who are you?”

“My name is Samuel Gordon Chase.”

“Where do you come from?”

“New York.”

“Why are you here?”

“We are meeting someone- Friends.”

The lantern was pulled away as the man circled his prisoner.

“Why should I trust you,” the man got back in Samuel’s face.

“If you are the leader that these people need you to be,” Samuel looked right back at him, “Then there is nothing I can say that will convince you to trust me.” Samuel trailed off, letting his sorrows get the best of him, “Not in this world, not after everything that has happened.”

“On the contrary, Mr. Chase,” retorted the man, “Everything you have said has convinced me to trust you, because everything you have said was without the customary draw of a Savannah gentleman.”

Samuel exhaled.

“But if you’re asking if I would put it past some psycho like Hamilton to pluck you off the road just to infiltrate my gang!”

“I don’t even know who Hamilton is.” Samuel pleaded.

“Wow, I actually believed that. How long did you say you’ve been in Savannah?”

“I didn’t. But it’s only been a couple of hours.”

“Then consider yourself lucky, my friend. You should get out of here with your people while you still can."

"That bad, huh? Well, it's not much better elsewhere."

"I figured as much. Well, you seem pretty friendly. My name is Syd.”

Syd helped Samuel up.

"Nice to meet you, Syd. But we can't leave just yet. Like I said, we're waiting for our friends.”

“Wow,” Syd laughed, “You ain’t kiddin. Was there anything you said that wasn't the truth?”

“What’s the point in lying if you have nothing to hide?”

“Fair enough, Mr. Chase. Let’s go get your people.”

“Please, call me Samuel, and I’m a little shocked you’re trusting me so easily.”

“Well Samuel, in the name of honesty, we just took a major loss, so we need all the people we can get. Plus, we have all your guns.”

Samuel followed Syd back into the jail cell where the rest of the group were being released.

“That major loss you just mentioned, does it have anything to do with the bell that was tolling all night?”

“That bell is more effective than a hundred men.”

“Who is Hamilton?”