Impact (Book 5): Black

by Isherwood, E. E.

  “It’s Shawn,” she said in a knowing voice. “They came to find their son.”

  She met the Crow chairman and his wife on the front lawn.

  “Where’s Logan?” the sour-faced man asked as soon as he saw her. A moment later, as he noticed Calvin’s demolished truck, he continued. “He snuck away from us to come here. I should have known he’d do it. He spoke only of helping you to make his mistake in Billings balance out.”

  She didn’t know how to explain what had happened, but she started out in the most honest way she knew how. “He did show up. I think he was watching us the whole time. When the shooting started, he jumped in the truck and sped toward danger. As you can see, he got in on the action. He saved all our lives.”

  Tyressa propped up her injured husband, who still looked as if he’d lost a lot of blood. The Crow woman didn’t let the big man distract her. She glared at Grace. “Where is he now? Is he…in the truck?”

  “No,” she said with relief. “He’s not hurt, as best I can tell. But, well, he…” She didn’t know how to explain those crazy few seconds. Somehow, Nerio had gone around the house, using the smoke as a diversion, and pulled Logan out of his truck, and into her vehicle. Then she sped off. Besides knowing the kid wasn’t dead, there was almost nothing good she could say. “He…”

  “I’m fine!”

  Grace whipped her head toward the other end of the street. Logan walked along the sidewalk as if it was any normal day.

  The Crow parents hobbled their way onto the sidewalk and watched the boy come in. He was unarmed and seemed bruised and sore, but otherwise in good spirits.

  “How?” she queried, joining Shawn and Tyressa.

  Logan jogged the last few paces and threw himself into the waiting arms of his parents. Around them, the Crow citizens fanned out like a pack of protective wolves, rifles and handguns at the ready, as if the person who took Logan might try to come back.

  Some of the neighbors were now at their doors, observing the scene. Sirens wailed in the distance; the children had made good on their promise to call for help. She had a tickling sensation they needed to clear out, but she couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Logan’s explanation of his last few minutes.

  Shawn demanded answers. “Son, what the hell happened here?”

  The boy pulled away from his mom and dad. He acknowledged Grace and Asher. “I parked down there,” he pointed toward the rail yard, “and watched as the train arrived. I figured this town was a good place for the woman to make her attack run, so I watched the skies all around. I was going to warn my friends when I saw her.”

  He inhaled deeply. “But instead, I heard gunshots. Saw these guys get pinned down. That’s when I drove on the streets, came around behind the woman and the other man. I considered trying to shoot them, but I knew it would be too risky to take them both on by myself.” The boy looked at his mother. “I knew you would not approve.”

  Tyressa Runs Hard stared at him with a stone-cold, emotionless look.

  “So, I drove onto the next block, watched through the trees, and waited until I was sure where the man was standing. Then I came back to this street at high speed, went across the yard, knocked over the fence, and hit the guy in the teepee.” He giggled at his joke.

  His mother was still frozen, as if disapproving of it all. Shawn, however, wore a wide grin.

  Grace kept the questions rolling. “And how did you get away from her? Alejandro, the man against the tree, said she took you.”

  Logan cracked up. “If there’s one thing she should have known about me, it’s how I like to do my own thing. I snuck onto your ride when you and my dad left the rez. I didn’t wait and do nothing when you told me to stay in that train shed. I stole Uncle Cal’s truck instead of sticking with the convoy. And, well, after my brain stopped ringing from hitting the tree, I decided I didn’t want to be her prisoner, so I let myself out of her moving truck.”

  “You j-jumped?” Tyressa stammered in shock.

  “Yeah, Mom. I’m fine. A few bruises is all.” He showed her his elbows, which were bloodied, but not ruined.

  His mom broke down with tears of relief and wrapped her arms around him.

  Shawn turned to Grace. “You better tend to your odd friend.” He pointed to Misha, who was now on the ground next to the wrecked white truck.

  “Oh, crap,” she blurted.

  When she reached him, he was face-down in the uncut grass of the yard. His injuries must have been worse than he let on. He was already wrapped in her ugly homemade bandages and looked like he’d been dragged behind the nearby train, shredded by a pack of wild dogs, then tossed like trash into the middle of the backyard.

  He whispered. “You should get out of here. Will be hard to explain.”

  The sirens were close.

  “We can’t leave you,” she replied, wondering if it was a true statement. It would be easy to run through the crushed fence, hop Robert’s train, and slip out of town.

  “I will need medical help. I will explain what happened. No need for you to be here. Go to Yellowstone. I will catch up.” He laughed, as if it weren’t obvious he was being sarcastic.

  She scanned the yard, looking for alternatives. What would the police think about what really happened there? How could anyone explain a scene involving hitmen, foreign assassins, grenades, and wrecked trucks? Who would believe the entire Crow Nation randomly showed up on the quiet street? None of it would make any sense, especially without capturing Nerio.

  Grace turned to Asher. “Should we get out of here?”

  He did the same survey of the yard. “I would rather hop the train than go to the police station. We might be stuck in this town for a long time. And if TKM has any tendrils inside their department, we might be in even more trouble.”

  That sealed it for her. Seeing Misha next to the open truck door gave her an idea on how to make things right. She first turned to Asher. “Run out front. Get Shawn and the others to clear out as fast as they can. We don’t want to be here when the ambulance arrives.”

  “Roger,” he said, smiling at her, then running.

  Once he was gone, Misha spoke from the grass. “You have admirer.”

  “Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re into me.”

  He croaked laughter. “No. Not me. Him. Your curly-haired partner.”

  She blushed. “Sorry. Talking to you is confusing. I know in my brain you aren’t trying to hurt me, but I guess it will take a while before my heart believes it. And, as for what you said… Don’t tell anyone, but I’m into him, too, but this isn’t the time to be lovey-dovey.” She figured the injured man wouldn’t remember what day it was, much less a silly one-liner about Asher.

  Grace went on. “Now, listen. You’re going to do as I say for once. Help is on the way for your wounds. All you have to do is lie here and do absolutely nothing. Do you understand?”

  “Nothing,” he echoed.

  “Correct. They’ll think you were the driver of the truck. You hit this guy on the tree by accident. It will all add up, I hope.”

  He spoke with a cold, dry tone. “Witnesses. Should I kill the children?”

  She’d almost forgotten about them. They were the only ones who’d been there for the whole attack. They saw Nerio. Knew she and Asher were involved. They were indeed witness—

  Misha quietly chuckled.

  Grace caught on. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I am learning English joking.”

  She laughed with him. “Thanks for being an okay dude. I hope they fix you up and you make it to Yellowstone. We’ll do our best out there.”

  He turned serious, trying to angle his head her way while keeping it on the ground. “Find man named Jake Ray. He was partner at dig site. Tell him Bryansk is beautiful this time of year. Is our code. He will know I sent you.”

  “‘Bryansk is beautiful this time of year.’ Got it.”

  “Take rifle. Knife on ankle. You will need them if Nerio comes back.”

 
She pulled a huge knife from Misha’s ankle holster. He’d been armed the entire time, much to her surprise. As she gathered his rifle, she realized Nerio had taken Alejandro’s weapon. It made it easier to scrub the place.

  Asher came back as car tires peeled out in the front. “They’re leaving,” he declared.

  The sirens were a street or two over.

  “We’re making a break for the train. Get our guns, Ash. We don’t want to be here when the cops show up.”

  “Will do!” he exclaimed. Asher hopped up, about to run off, but he stopped and looked down on Misha. “Uh, thanks for your help. They’ll take good care of you here.”

  Misha snickered. “I told her you like her. Take from me. Do not mess up, kid.”

  Asher’s face turned red, which made Grace chuckle at what the Russian man had done to both of them. All she could do was roll her eyes at Asher. “I guess your secret’s out.”

  He smiled at her as he spoke to the prone figure. “I won’t, Misha. Thanks again.”

  “Do not mention,” he said to the grass.

  Together, loaded with weapons, they ran toward the train.

  A child’s voice called out to her as she went out the back gate. “Hey! Park ranger lady!”

  “Oh, crap,” she said in a low voice. “I forgot about them again.” Grace made it through the gate but turned around. All the kids stood in the rear sliding glass door.

  She saluted them. “The super park ranger squad has to go now! We have to help other children. Be sure to tell the police all about our guns, grenades, and smoke bombs, okay?”

  The children nodded with zeal.

  She laughed to herself as she crossed the tracks toward Robert’s waiting train engine. None of it was planned, but she’d fallen into what she hoped would be a convincing explanation for the children to provide. The kids would speak of park rangers toting heavy weapons and grenades, and strange ladies dressed in black, but who would believe them? Their stories would be seen as embellishments of an already-exciting car accident. The police might not even notice the damaged fence and torn-up yard.

  Once on the train, watching the flashing lights in front of the tiny house, she felt as if they were on the way to something bigger and better. The Crow Nation was on her side. Her dad was on the way. Nerio was in retreat. Nothing stood between her and the fallen Yellowstone rock.

  Asher stood close as they watched the town of Rawlins fade into the distance. Neither of them had said anything about Misha or his sneaky way of pushing them to be more open about their feelings. For the moment, while catching their breath from the day’s challenges, it seemed enough for both of them to simply be next to each other.

  “We’re going back to where it all started,” she said in a tired voice.

  “You and I are going to finish this,” he said with confidence, reaching for her hand.

  It had been less than a week, but she could hardly remember her normal life prior to the asteroid strikes. If they did finish their fight with Petteri Tikkanen and his hit squads, what would life look like for her going forward? What would normal be like after a near apocalypse? At that moment, she couldn’t imagine it, but it didn’t trouble her as an unresolved feeling might have done in her past.

  “Don’t get too comfortable. I don’t care what Misha said back there. You’ll still need to ask my dad’s permission to date me.” He’d joked about talking to her father before, so she tossed it back at him in a friendly way. It was, she admitted to herself, a distraction for expressing her emotions, but she had to stay true to her mission. If she got all slobbery with Ash as her heart was constantly asking her to do, she might miss Nerio or a hundred other threats. For now, her focus needed to remain on finishing their battle. Then she’d worry about the peace.

  She really looked forward to it, however.

  Grace clasped his hand and squeezed.

  Kansas City, KS

  “You can’t do this,” the leader of the roadblock said, putting his carbine down.

  Haley and Butch swooped in and took their weapons and phones. Then they herded the three TKM guards into an open area on the highway.

  “After what you guys did, you should be worrying more about what we can do, rather than what we can’t.” Ezra laughed. “We can make you walk up this highway to meet the people injured by the rock blast. We can make you go into the surrounding neighborhoods and apologize for keeping them in the dark about what’s really going on in the city. Or, I guess, we could put bullets in you here and now, saving everyone a lot of trouble.”

  Haley seemed uncomfortable about his acting, but he didn’t blame her. They hadn’t planned what he would say once she and Butch had made it to the roadblock, but he hoped they knew him well enough to know he wasn’t capable of shooting anyone in cold blood. However, he did want to scare the men.

  They raised their hands in surrender.

  Ezra pointed his rifle at their feet. “I want you to walk away.” He pointed behind them, toward the city.

  “Don’t shoot us,” one of them begged.

  “I ain’t planning on it, unless you turn around and make a run at me. All I want to see is you walking in that direction. What you do when we’re gone is your decision. But don’t you dare turn around until you see the sign welcoming you to the state of Missouri.” He assumed there was a Missouri sign close to where he’d spotted the Kansas billboard with the sunflower. It was at least a mile away.

  “We will,” the leader said, slowly backing away from Ezra and his armed friends.

  “Go!” he ordered.

  The three TKM men trotted away for a few seconds, then slowed to a brisk walk. He wasn’t going to nitpick. As long as they moved away, he would allow it.

  “Well, now what?” Butch asked, stoically watching the men retreat.

  Ezra got to work searching the three trucks. He found food, water, ammo, and a gun-cleaning kit. The men had made few preparations for helping the locals, but they came prepared to grease and clean their own weapons. It was the TKM way in a nutshell. When he tossed all the valuable gear into the middle truck, he came up for air to respond to Butch’s question. “Guys, I know where Grace is going to be. I have a pretty good idea what we’re going to find when we get there. I also have a clear idea on how we’re going to get ourselves there.”

  They gave him blank looks.

  He patted the door of the truck. “We’ll drive there posing as a jolly crew of TKM assholes.”

  “To Yellowstone?” Haley asked.

  “Close to there, yes. Grace told me she’s going to TKM’s Wyoming dig site, so that’s my destination. There are two other trucks here. If either, or both, of you wants to turn around, I give you my blessing to take a truck and go your own way. For me, my path lies there.” He pointed west.

  Butch and Haley shared a friendly smile. Butch looked back to him. “I think we’d like to stick with you. Speaking for myself, if we’re finally off the water, I’ll be in a better frame of mind to provide overwatch.”

  Haley jumped in. “And I can help keep the two of you in shape.” She frowned at Ezra. “I noticed you lagging behind when we were on the run.”

  “Please don’t make me pull a huge tire,” he mockingly pleaded.

  “No, but I could hook a rope to the front bumper of a truck and make you pull that.” She remained serious for a moment, then cracked up.

  “You two are okay sticking with me? It really isn’t—”

  Butch cut him off. “You didn’t happen to see wire cutters in these trucks, did you?”

  He wasn’t sure what to make of the question, but he had seen a small toolbox. When they looked inside, Butch grabbed what he needed. Then, without waiting for approval, he walked over to the side truck and quickly cut the valve stem on each tire. The air whooshed out, soon giving the truck four flat tires.

  When Butch saw them watching him, he explained. “They won’t be able to use these trucks until someone comes in with new stems. It will give us plenty of time to escape, and
make it hard for those guys to report back in. It looks like these trucks don’t even have radios.”

  “You read my mind,” Ezra admitted.

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” Haley jested as she patted Butch on the arm.

  “This is nothing. I used to put ball bearings in the valve caps of dirtbags I didn’t like back in high school. Over the course of a school day it would slowly let air out of their tires. When they came out to the parking lot, they’d waste so much time airing them back up. I’d laugh the whole time.”

  “Good to know,” she said dryly.

  Butch smiled. “I’ve always been mechanically inclined, I guess. Nowadays, I put my skills to better use.”

  Ezra took a peek at the men far down the highway. They’d made good on their promise to keep going. It gave him the ability to get in the last truck without fear of them coming back to stop them. “There’s plenty of room in the crew cab. Haley, why don’t you take the back seat? Since you have the least experience with guns, maybe Butch can show you how to clean our rifles, plus the new ones we’ve picked up. It will help you learn more about them, for sure.”

  “I can get in the back seat with her,” Butch said matter-of-factly. “Just until we have them all cleaned. Then I’ll get in the front to keep watch again.”

  Haley spoke up before he could reply. “It would be nice to have a teacher next to me. It would be hard for us both if he had to look back from the front seat.”

  Ezra took it in stride. They were making huge concessions in their lives to go on his cross-country adventure. The least he could do was let them have some time together. There was no need to have a girls’ area and a boys’ area, like those lost tents.

  “All right. I don’t care where you sit. Get in before I leave you both behind!” He climbed into the front seat, watching with humor as they scrambled one after the other through the rear door. When they were settled, and he saw them in his mirror, he had a flashback of one of Grace’s first dates to a movie theater. She and some boy whose name he couldn’t remember sat in the back of his Jeep. He eyed the couple warily in his rearview mirror, making sure her date didn’t try anything with his precious daughter. Grace once caught sight of him peeking, but she didn’t scowl; instead, she smiled. It was one of those rare instances where he thought she understood why he and her mother were always so protective of her.