by William Oday
He glanced at his watch. “Almost midnight. Sorry to wake you.”
Dennis’ tail wagged like crazy and his whole body whipped back and forth with enthusiasm.
Sam let him go before he yanked her arm off.
Gary scratched his muzzle. “It’s good you have him. He’s better than any home security alarm.”
“Gary, what’s going on?”
Gary looked up with a frown wrinkling his face. “I’ve got some terrible news. You remember Ms. Conway over on Borrego Drive? Hers is the ugly purple house at the end of the block.”
Everyone in the neighborhood was familiar with that eyesore and the woman who proudly claimed it.
“Yes, of course.”
His mouth flattened into a tight line. “She’s dead.”
She was older than Gary and so definitely in her golden years. It was sad to say, but more than a few folks in the neighborhood were going to be thrilled that her house would be sold and repainted.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Did she have some kind of condition?”
He shook his head. “Not that I know of and that’s not what happened even if she did. She was murdered. Bludgeoned to death in her own kitchen.”
“What? When?”
“Not too long ago. The neighbors heard a commotion and went to check on her. They were too late.”
“How did you find out?”
“Couldn’t sleep and was working on my scanner. Damn EMP fried it. But I’ve got buckets of spare parts so I might be able to fix it. Anyway, my two-way radio squawked. It was local PD reporting in about the incident.”
“Did they catch whoever did it?”
“Not that I’ve heard.” He rubbed behind Dennis’ ears, another one of his favorite spots, as evidenced by his eyelids closing. “Just thought you should know. Be a good idea to make sure all the windows and doors are locked.”
“I checked before going to bed.”
“Do you know how to operate a firearm?”
“Do you know my husband?”
Gary flashed a smile and nodded. “Might be a good idea to keep one handy until the killer or killers are collared.”
“You think there’s more than one?”
“Don’t know but if you prepare for the worst, then you’ll never be surprised.”
Sam peered over his shoulder at the dark houses across the street. First this power outage that was likely something far worse. And now there was one or more murderers on the loose?
What was happening to the neighborhood?
To the world?
She gave him a quick hug. “Thanks for letting me know.”
He pulled back uncomfortably, but smiled. He was too old school for hugging and hugging another man’s wife in the middle of the night was way outside of his comfort zone. He gave Dennis a last scratch. “You keep an eye on things, okay, buddy?”
Dennis barked and circled around behind her. Cade always said he was the smartest dog in the world. It was times like now that she almost believed it.
“I’m right next door if you need anything. And I don’t sleep for shit so I’ll hear if anyone comes sneaking around our street.”
“Thanks, Gary.”
“Night,” he said as he tipped his head and then marched away.
It was only then that she noticed a large caliber revolver tucked into the back of his pants.
Was this their new world?
People had to walk around carrying guns to feel safe?
Or worse, to actually be safe?
23
A car door slammed shut nearby, sending a jolt of terror up Lily’s spine. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end like lightning was about to strike.
One of the gangsters searching for them was getting closer. If he stopped at the car and looked inside, he’d see them. And they’d already smashed out plenty of windows so the locked doors weren’t going to save them.
An idea came to her.
A repugnant one.
But it might help.
“Piper,” she whispered. “Cover up with all this junk.”
Her friend grimaced but started pulling what amounted to trash on top of her. Lily helped and she was buried in no time.
She started scooping garbage on top of herself. A takeout container with a mound of moldy yuck inside. A metal fork too. She grabbed the fork. Another scoop revealed a crusty wad of dirty underwear. That was too much. She tossed it to the side and kept scooping.
The voice outside grew louder as she frantically pulled an avalanche of refuse onto herself and then settled beneath it. The stench had been bad before, now it was eye-watering. She sipped tiny breaths to keep from gagging.
She waited in silence, balled up as small as possible and covered in filth. She prayed Piper didn’t make any noises that might give them away.
The front driver side door handle jiggled.
Another spike of fear jolted through her. She gritted her teeth together to keep quiet. Piper was somehow managing to do the same.
“This one’s locked.”
A light swept over the backseat, filtering down through the heap to reveal a red hairbrush inches from Lily’s nose. A clump of long black hair was matted into the bristles. She wanted to push it away, but dared not move.
“Yo, take a look at this! One of them packrat types.”
More light flooded in through the window. “That’s messed up. People like that are for real crazy. I seen a show on it. They called hoarders. They buy stuff all the time and don’t even use it. And they can’t throw nothing away. Doesn’t matter what it is.”
“Is that a filthy pair of underwear?”
“This ain’t nothing. People on the show had whole houses full of crap. Piled to the ceiling.”
“Hey, check that out!”
“What?”
“That’s leather pants with the tag still on. Looks about my lady’s size too.”
“Are you seriously gonna score something from that trash heap?”
“Why not? She’ll never know.”
“Whatever. Do it and let’s get back to searching. They didn’t get away. I know that.”
Lily flinched when the window exploded, showering them in bits of glass.
Piper screamed.
“They’re in here! They’re in the car!”
More glass shattered as the side window on Piper’s side was knocked out. The one with the gold chain got the door open and reached in for Piper as Lily popped up out of the heap.
Piper thrashed away and he had a hard time getting a hold of her with all the junk flying around.
He latched onto an elbow and yanked her up.
Lily grabbed Piper’s other arm and tried to pull her away. But he was too strong. It was tug of war and she wasn’t going to win.
Another jerk and Piper’s arm slipped from her grasp.
Screaming for her life, Piper lashed out and caught the guy with a hard kick to the nuts. It must’ve landed perfectly because he doubled over with a groan.
The window on Lily’s side exploded in and a hand reached in to open the door.
“No!” She slammed the fork down just as it found the handle.
A howl of fury and pain as the arm jerked away.
A face appeared at the window, the leader again. “You’re gonna pay for that, bitch! I’m gonna hurt you good!”
The others were around the car now, clamoring to get the girls out, shouting vile promises of what would happen next.
A gunshot split the air.
Lily thought for half a second that she or Piper had been shot. But no, it didn’t look like it.
The gangsters surrounding the car turned away and returned fire. Bullets thunked into the car’s body panels. “Go!” the leader yelled as he skirted around toward the hood. A few more shots and then they were gone.
“Hello?” a voice said.
Piper curled into a ball on top of the pile, trembling violently as the tears poured out.
“Anyone in there? It’s okay.
You’re safe now.” The voice closer now.
Lily didn’t know what to do. Who was coming? Were they really safe?
A bright light and a figure appeared in the window. A flashlight blinded her for a second before it shifted to the side. A police officer with his gun drawn. Hard eyes that softened in an instant. He scanned the interior and then holstered the pistol. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t know,” Lily said as he helped her out. She stood and a dizzy spell made her wobble.
The officer held her steady while giving her a quick once-over. “Come on.” He guided her over to a curb and helped her take a seat.
He went back and helped Piper out. In her case, he helped by carrying her over like she weighed next to nothing. He eased her down to the curb and Piper fell into Lily’s offered arm. Lily noticed the broad chest and hard muscles bulging through the khaki uniform. The shiny star pinned to the long-sleeve shirt finally made it click in her mind.
The attack was over.
“My name is Officer Rivera. I work for Las Vegas PD.” He touched the star. “You can trust me. What are your names?”
“Lily and Piper,” Lily said indicating each of them in turn.
“Are either of you injured?”
Lily pointed at Piper’s skinned knees.
“Anything that would require a trip to the ER?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Good. Listen, normally I’d drive you down to the station and help you out there. But my cruiser is dead so that’s not an option.”
Piper pulled her head out of Lily’s shoulder in a panic. “You’re not leaving us, are you?”
He dug a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. “No. Of course not. I can’t take you to the station, but we can’t stay here either. Those degenerates might come back. Where are you staying?”
That assumed they weren’t locals.
What gave it away?
Plenty, probably.
“Mandalay Bay,” Lily said. “We were walking back when those creeps came after us.”
“That’s almost a mile south. Too far in the dark with things like they are.”
“Where are we going then? Piper asked.
“The T-Mobile Arena is next door. I was doing off-duty security there when the power cut out. The place is empty now, but I still have the keys. You can sleep in one of the luxury suites. There’s couches and chairs. No blankets but plenty of clothes scattered around.”
The worry that Lily felt must’ve translated to her face because he smiled reassuringly.
“I know it sounds crazy. I hear myself saying it. But it’s not safe out here in the dark. Come morning, I’ll escort you to Mandalay before hiking back to the station. Lord knows I want to get there before the heat picks up.”
He helped them both to their feet.
“I know it’s not great, but this is the best I can offer considering the circumstances. Ready to move?”
“Yeah,” Lily replied. “And thank you… for saving us.”
“Glad I heard the commotion when I did.”
24
The inside of the T-Mobile Arena pushed Lily’s already fragile nerves to the breaking point. Pitch black with cavernous ceilings high overhead. The sound of their footsteps swallowed by the massive space. Jackets, coats, scarves, shirts and other unidentified clothes scattered everywhere like the bodies wearing them vanished into thin air. The sour smell of spilled beer confirmation of what had created at least some of the sticky patches on the floor.
Officer Rivera led the way, his duty flashlight bouncing a bright beam back and forth as they went. He scooped up a jacket but it didn’t pass the sniff test. He dropped it and kept going. “Grab anything that looks like it will keep you warm.”
They passed by shuttered concession stores, the floor was particularly sticky there.
Lily spotted a random shoe when she had an idea and snagged it. This one a sneaker that should fit Piper. She kept an eye out for another on the opposite foot and found it on the stairs they took to the second level.
Piper didn’t notice. She was trudging along in a daze. A three inch heel on one side and not the other giving her a pronounced stagger. Her eyes locked on Officer Rivera and nothing else.
“One more set of stairs to the luxury suites,” he said over his shoulder.
By the time they got to the suite, Lily had a pile of clothes and Piper’s new sneakers in her arms.
Officer Rivera unlocked the suite and ushered them inside. “This is the Executive suite.”
Lily sucked in a breath.
She was imagining something like a little hotel room without the beds. It was that, just way bigger and nicer. She’d been impressed with the double room at the Mandalay, but this was real luxury.
A sleek onyx black countertop ran along the right wall. A line of silver pots on top that looked like a squadron of UFOs about to take off. Stainless steel appliances and cabinets underneath. A tall narrow table floating nearby covered with the remains of the feast that had been served that night. The left half of the room a swanky assemblage of white couches and chairs surrounding a low glass table that looked like it had somehow melted up out of the floor. Half-empty glasses and plates of food on top. The far wall made of partitioned glass with metal tracks in the floor so the suite could be opened or closed to the action outside.
Officer Rivera set his light on the low table, pointing it up at the ceiling to bounce the glow around the space. He guided Piper over to one of the couches and covered her with a couple of jackets. He started clearing away the leftovers, moving them over to the buffet table. “The food’s still good if you’re hungry.”
Lily dumped her things on the opposite couch and then joined Piper. She flinched away when Lily touched her.
“It’s me,” Lily whispered.
Piper nodded and leaned into a hug.
“We’re going to be okay. Officer Rivera is here.”
He gathered up another round of dishes. “Call me Manny. I know it’s the last thing on your minds right now, but you should try to eat something. It’ll make you feel better.”
Lily remembered Piper’s knees and wanted to clean those up first. “In a few minutes.” She retrieved the small first aid kit from her backpack and pulled out some anti-bacterial ointment along with a few of the larger band-aids. She scrounged up some clean napkins and bottles of water from around the room and then knelt in front of her friend.
Piper stared at her, not crying anymore, but not well either.
“Piper, I’m going to clean these cuts, okay?”
She nodded.
Lily got to work cleaning and dressing the wounds. She was finishing up when she noticed Manny watching.
“Do you always carry a first-aid kit in your bag?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of a rule with my dad.”
“Smart guy.”
Lily tucked the kit into her bag. It used to annoy her that he insisted she have what he called an Everyday Carry bag. Okay, maybe annoy was an understatement. It drove her crazy and made her the butt of more than a few jokes at school. It had been an ongoing point of friction between them until they’d finally compromised their way to an agreement.
First and foremost, he’d had to agree to stop calling it an Everyday Carry bag. It was her backpack. He’d also had to agree to her removing some things she considered totally unnecessary or too heavy to lug around every single day. A magnesium fire starter. She had a couple of disposable lighters instead. A two-thousand calorie food bar that was as heavy as a brick. She had energy bars instead. An extra pair of socks and underwear. Too weird and they always fell out at the worst possible times.
Though they would’ve been nice to have now.
The other thing that helped settle it between them was that she found herself actually using different things from time to time. Tweezers to remove splinters. The mini sewing kit when her old backpack blew a strap. The paracord when Dennis’ leash got lost on a day hike.
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“Durango,” Lily said as she spread clothes out over the couch. She’d get this one ready for Piper and then make the other for herself. “We were here to celebrate her getting married. You know, the whole wild weekend before tying the knot thing. So much for that.”
“Sorry it didn’t work out. I’ve never seen anything like what happened today. But don’t you worry. We’ll have everything up and running before long.”
Lily forced a smile. It was good to hear his optimism, she just didn’t share it. She made up a plate of leftovers and forced herself and Piper to finish it. Then, she helped Piper settle down and covered her with a patchwork blanket. She covered the other couch with random clothes and laid down.
Piper was already out.
Manny was sitting in one of the chairs, nibbling from a plate in his lap while reading a magazine.
“Can we leave the flashlight on?”
“Sure thing. It’s LED. It’ll last for days.”
“Thanks,” Lily said as she pulled a suit coat up to her chin.
25
Lily jerked awake. The sound of an exploding car window echoing in her mind.
Had it been only in her mind?
Piper was sleeping on a couch across from her.
Why was she on a couch?
Lily bolted upright, disoriented and falling toward panic.
The flashlight on the table bounced light up to the ceiling and around the room. And then she remembered.
Being attacked. Being saved.
Officer Rivera.
Manny.
He wasn’t in the chair.
Her head swiveled around as she searched the room. He wasn’t in the room either. She checked her watch.
7:14AM
They’d slept through the night. The sun was up and they could get back to the hotel, pack up, and get on the road.
Where was Manny?
The only thing the suite was missing was a bathroom. Maybe he’d gone to take care of business and didn’t want to wake them.
Maybe.
Still, she didn’t like it.
She swung her feet to the floor and stretched out an aching back. A yawn crawled out of her mouth and a whiff of bad breath followed. She gently woke Piper and was happy to see her looking better after a decent night’s sleep.