The Quiet

by Vince Byrd

  “I think I do.”

  They eased down the stairs one step at a time. Once at the bottom, they found broken glass from the front door window on the floor. They heard a ruckus in the kitchen. They tiptoed around the glass and through the living room. They stopped at the swinging kitchen door. Ethan held up his hand, flipped up his index finger for one, and then his middle finger for two, counting to three to explode into the kitchen for a surprise blitz attack on the intruders. He raised the third finger.

  They burst into the kitchen, weapons raised. Paige hit the light switch, and they were shocked at what they saw. A large raccoon sitting on the island counter, and eating from a can of tuna. “It’s just a raccoon,” Ethan laughed.

  “Someone had to open the can for it,” she heard a clicking noise from the hammer cocking on a revolver.

  “Put the knife and bat on the counter,” a woman’s voice commanded.

  Ethan and Paige placed the bat and knife on the counter beside the animal. The raccoon just kept enjoying its tuna. They turned around to see who was in the kitchen. They saw a woman in her late twenties, but she seemed much older. Her jeans were dirty and her beige waterproof boots had dried mud caked on the sides. The green coat she was wearing had several tears on it along with many stains. Her hair was brown and stringy from having not washed it, but her teeth were straight and white. “What do you want?” Paige asked.

  “You know, no one else has put that together. Everyone else thinks that Roxy there just opened the can herself,” the woman said, taking out a flashlight and turning it on and off aiming it at the front door.

  “So, you’ve done this before?” Paige questioned.

  “A few times now. It seems to work like a charm. Roxy enjoys the treats, and the people let their guard down when they see her. Your Christmas lights were screaming at us.”

  “Us?” Paige looked around.

  The front door opened, and two young boys came in with soiled pillowcases. They started pawing through the cupboards. “You boys get what you like and leave the rest for our gracious hosts. We’ve been on the road all week, and it’s becoming like the old west out there. We lay low during the day and travel at night with a few stops along the way. It’s easy to disappear in the dark. To answer your question, we just want some food to get us farther up the road.”

  “How far are you going?” Ethan asked.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “You didn’t have to break in. You could have knocked on the door. We would have given you some food,” Paige offered.

  “That’s not been my experience lately. I’m surprised you two are here with those lights blaring into the night. If you don’t watch it, someone will come take this place from you. I’m warning you, it’s a zoo out there.”

  “Oh, we know. We came from Florida after everything went quiet. We had our troubles,” Paige informed.

  “Well, it’s ten times worse than when it all started. Hurry up, boys!” the woman ordered. The youngest hopped down from the countertop and ran out with his pillowcase. The oldest handed his pillowcase to his mom, picked up Roxy, and ran out of the house with her. “I’m sorry for this. You seem like good people, but I need food for my boys. Sorry about your window. Now, sit down over there at the table, one at each end, in the chairs with arms.” She pulled out some large cable ties from the bottom of the pillowcase and set the food down on the floor.

  “Wait! You don’t have to tie us up. Just go, we won’t say or do anything,” Paige pleaded.

  “That’s what they all say, honey. Now, take these and tie your ankles to the chair.” She tossed two to Ethan and told him to do the same.

  “Come on, really? This is not necessary. We said we would’ve given you the food,” Ethan objected.

  “Do it!” the woman pointed the gun at Paige’s head.

  “Alright, alright.” Ethan did as he was told and tied his ankles to the chair as did Paige.

  The woman tossed them another cable tie and directed them to each strap one wrist to the arm of their chairs. They both did as she instructed. “Now, don’t try anything.” She set her pistol on the table just out of Paige’s reach and fastened her other wrist to the chair. She did the same to Ethan and checked all the cable ties to make sure they were snug. Picking up the gun, she tucked it into her waistband and grabbed the food. “You two were lucky it was only us. Next time, you better be more prepared, because they will come. I’m going to do you a favor and kill the lights before I leave. That way, your house won’t be a beacon in the night. Thanks for the food, and I’m really sorry. I almost forgot, Merry Christmas! The lights were fun for my boys.” She switched off the kitchen light and vanished from the room.

  “Paige, what does she mean, ‘they will come’, and is she gone?” Ethan whispered.

  “I don’t know. Why are you whispering all of a sudden?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Thirty-nine

  Jesse and Paige Day 8

  Jesse’s heart lurched in his chest as he watched the truck vanish around the bend. He put his hands to his head, feeling that same emptiness in the pit of his stomach he had felt when his wife passed away. He realized he had just filled his hair with mud, but he didn’t care. He had to find Kat. He wiped his hands on his jeans, picked up his pistol, and shoved it into its holster. He quickly tromped through the mud and onto the pavement, kicking the muck off his boots. He took off running in the direction he last saw the truck.

  “Doc? What are we doing?” Larry shouted.

  “I have to get Kat!” he yelled back and kept running.

  Larry grabbed up the six pack of water, “I guess we’re running. Are you up for it, G?” Ginger nodded.

  “Ginger?” Ava asked unsure of what was happening.

  Ginger put her hands on Ava’s shoulders, “We’ll find her. Come on, before we lose Jesse.”

  Ava wiped the tears off her face, turned to Henry, and waved for him to follow. They all started running to catch up with Jesse, but he had a head start and was too fast. They each found their own pace. Henry brought up the rear keeping an eye out for everyone. Ginger and Ava ran together, but Larry lagged behind, and Henry had to slow his pace to stay behind Larry.

  They ran for about fifteen minutes, and Ginger’s head began to pound with every heartbeat. She stopped and held her head. Ava stopped, “Jesse!” she shouted as loud as she could. “Are you alright, Ginger?”

  “My head hurts really bad. I can’t run anymore,” she responded.

  Jesse looked back and saw that everyone had stopped, and Ginger was sitting down holding her head. He turned and ran back to them. “I’m sorry guys. I didn’t know what else to do. Ginger, is your head hurting?” She nodded. “Let me check your wound.” He unwrapped her bandage. “It’s not bleeding, which is a good thing. I shouldn’t have made you run. I’m sorry. Let your heartrate come down and that should ease your headache some. Breathe in a couple of deep breaths.”

  Ginger took a couple of deep breaths and slowed her heartrate. “It’s getting better. We’ll find her Jess. We will.”

  Larry heard an engine, “Look, it’s our truck.”

  “You all take cover, and I’ll see about ambushing it when it slows to move around those cars there,” Jesse pointed.

  The truck was approaching slowly, and Jesse noticed only one person in the cab. He pulled his pistol, pointed it at the truck, and stepped out from behind a car. The truck stopped, and the door opened.

  “It’s me!” Kat announced.

  “Only you?” Jesse asked.

  “Yes, only me,” she answered.

  Jesse holstered his gun, ran over, and gave her a hug. “What happened? I was scared to death. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find you.”

  Ginger and the others came over, “I’m glad to see you,” she said.

  Ava ran to Kat and hugged
her tight. “Wow, I was only gone a little while,” Kat joked.

  “It was the not knowing and the what ifs that taunted our minds. Tell us, what happened? How did you get away with the truck?” Jesse looked around. “Is he pursuing you?”

  “No, I watched him run off out of sight,” Kat informed.

  Ginger looked into the bed, and her shotgun was still there. She reached in and picked it up, then she handed Larry his AK-47. “Just in case,” she warned.

  “He was quiet as we drove along. He laid his pistol on the seat for a second. I grabbed it and pointed it at him, demanding him to stop. But, he just kept driving, then he told me that there were no bullets in the gun. I checked, and there wasn’t. Then, I grabbed the keys and turned the truck off. When he stopped, I jumped out and into the bed to get Ginger’s shotgun. He got out and ran off down the road. It was all a bluff,” Kat explained. “So, here I am.”

  “We’re thankful for that,” Henry approved.

  “Yes, we are,” Jesse agreed.

  “Yeah Kitten, I’m glad you made it back to us,” Larry grinned.

  “Thanks, Larry.”

  “Who’s ready to get home, or at least to my house? We’re only about thirty to forty miles away,” Jesse beamed now that Kat was back.

  Kat leaned into Jesse and kissed him. “Can we not stop for anything? Let’s just get there.”

  “I’m all for that. Load up. Let’s roll.” Jesse motioned toward the truck.

  Ginger whispered to Larry, “Look at Jesse. He’s so happy Kat’s back.”

  “Oh, I know exactly how he feels,” Larry said, looking at Kat.

  She looked up at Larry, and he had the same look that Jesse had on his face. “Maybe you do.”

  ***

  Jesse drove as fast as the roads would allow to get to his house. When they spotted people, they did their best to avoid them. They encountered more and more people walking on the roads. Some tried to flag them down for a ride, but Jesse just kept going. He wasn’t going to stop and hoped they didn’t get shot at, as some people were carrying guns.

  Finally arriving, he turned into his own driveway. He immediately noticed the glass was broken out of the front door, and he killed the engine of the truck, letting it coast up to the house. “Paige!” he whispered loudly. He knocked on the back glass, motioning to Ginger and Larry to ready their guns. He stopped the truck, got out, and drew his pistol, “Someone’s broken in. We need to clear the house. Paige could be…”

  Kat grabbed his arm, “Let’s clear it first.”

  Jesse checked the doorknob, and it was unlocked. He slowly opened the door. He swept his gun toward the entire living room then up the stairs. He noticed the house had been decorated for Christmas, and the tree was up. Paige has been here, he thought. He didn’t see anyone and motioned for Kat, Larry, and Ginger to follow him. Henry and Ava stayed back. They made their way toward the kitchen and he motioned for Kat to open the swinging door for him. He pointed the bathroom out for Larry and Ginger to check. Kat pulled the door into the living room, and Jesse quickly checked the kitchen for intruders or for Paige.

  Larry opened the door to the bathroom, and Ginger cleared it, checking behind the shower curtain as well. They joined Jesse and Kat in the kitchen. Upon entering, they saw Jesse kneeling down, holding a large cut cable tie in his hand and several more lying on the floor with two overturned chairs.

  Jesse stood up and whispered, “You two take the basement,” he pointed toward the door, “Kat and I will check upstairs.”

  Larry opened the door to the basement and glanced down. Ginger started to go down the stairs, but he held out his hand and stopped her. “I’ll go first,” he whispered. She backed up and let him go first. He eased down each step and once at the bottom, he realized that the lights were on. He pointed to the overhead lights.

  “The power is back on?” Ginger whispered.

  “There’s no one down…” Larry started to say just as he heard a noise behind a shelving unit. He whipped his gun around and pointed in the direction of the noise. “Come out, you’re out gunned. My rifle can blast you with thirty rounds in fifteen seconds.”

  “Okay, I’m coming out. I’m unarmed,” Ethan stepped out from behind the shelves.

  “Get on your knees and put your hands on your head. Cross one foot over the other. Now, lay down on your stomach,” Larry ordered.

  “What are you doing?” Ginger asked.

  “I saw it on TV, and I don’t want him trying anything.”

  “I’m not going to try anything, Mister. Please just don’t shoot me,” Ethan pleaded.

  “Are you here alone?” Ginger asked.

  “Yes, it’s just me here,” Ethan answered.

  Jesse and Kat came to the doorway, “Larry!” Jesse called.

  “We got one down here, a nervous one at that,” Larry cracked off.

  Jesse and Kat came down the steps and looked at him. Ethan had his face to the floor. He was hoping his life wasn’t about to be over. They’ve come like the racoon woman said, he thought.

  “He says he’s alone,” Ginger informed.

  “Why are you here?” Jesse asked.

  Ethan wasn’t sure how to answer. He didn’t want to mention Paige or put her in any danger. “I was passing by and saw the place. I was hungry and thought I would try to get some food. I heard you drive up and ran down here to hide.”

  They heard a gunshot outside. “Watch him!” Jesse took off up the stairs, followed by Kat. Jesse hurried through the house and stopped at the door, peeking out. Henry and Ava had their hands up, spread-eagle against the truck, and Paige was removing their weapons. Jesse stepped outside, “Paige!”

  Paige turned and looked at him, “Daddy!”

  “They’re with me,” Jesse informed.

  Paige holstered her pistol, ran, and jumped into his arms. She squeezed him so tight it nearly took his breath away. He squeezed her also and then pulled her back, “Let me look at you. How are you? Is everything alright? Who’s in the basement?”

  “That’s Ethan, Daddy. Yes, I’m alright. A crazy lady and her little kids broke in last night and stole some food, but we’re fine,” she explained.

  He gave her another hug, “I was so worried about you.”

  “I was so worried about you too. I’m assuming you didn’t get on your plane?”

  “I did, but we crashed.”

  “What!”

  “I’ll tell you all about it later. These are my friends…now my family, and this is Kat, my girlfriend,” he said, smiling.

  “No way, Dad! I’m so happy for you,” she screamed and grabbed Kat into a hug. “Dad, she’s gorgeous.”

  Kat smiled, “Thank you. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “That’s Henry, he’s a preacher, and that’s Ava, your new adopted sister,” Jesse motioned for them to come over.

  Paige got a bewildered look on her face. She looked at him and then at Ava, back at him and back to Ava. “I’m so sorry for scaring you two. I had no idea. I’m Paige; it’s very nice to meet you.” She smiled and shook Henry’s hand. “I’m embarrassed for holding you at gunpoint. The house was broken into last night, and I’m a little on edge.”

  “I completely understand,” Henry smiled.

  “Ava, can I give you a hug?” Paige held out her arms.

  Ava nodded and let Paige hug her. “Your daddy saved us. He and Kat are going to be my parents now.”

  Paige looked at her dad again, “Dad, what does she mean?”

  “She means Kat will be staying with us for a while,” Jesse glanced at Kat.

  Paige turned back to Ava, “Well, that makes you my sister. I’ve always wanted a sister. Do you have a sister?”

  Ava shook her head, “No.”

  “Well, I think we’ll get along great. What do
you think?”

  Ava smiled at her and then at Kat, “I think so too.”

  “Dad, you’re full of surprises. You have to come in to meet Ethan properly,” Paige insisted.

  “I believe I did. Ginger and Larry have him prostrate on the floor of the basement,” Jesse smiled really big.

  Kat slapped his arm, “We better go tell them who he is.”

  “Wait, let me. Paige, don’t give me away just yet.”

  “Dad!”

  Jesse walked down to the basement, leaving Paige and the others up on the top steps. Jesse mouthed silent words to Ginger and Larry Ethan’s identity. He held up his index finger to his lips for them to keep it quiet, and they nodded in agreement. “Well, we didn’t find anyone else. We’re just going to have to kill him.”

  “Wait!” Ethan exclaimed. He thought he had recognized the voice earlier but was too afraid to look up. Being almost certain he looked up, squinted his eyes, and tilted his head, “Mr. Gibson?”

  “That’s right, boy.”

  “Mr. Gibson, I’m Ethan, Paige’s boyfriend. Remember, we FaceTimed.”

  “She never mentioned an Ethan to me,” he turned his head to avoid cracking a smile.

  “Daddy, that’s enough,” Paige came down the stairs.

  Jesse squatted down and held out his hand to Ethan, “Hi Ethan, I’m Jesse. I couldn’t resist. I was just pulling your leg. You can get up now.”

  Ethan started to get up, and then Larry said, “So, we can’t shoot him?” Ethan froze.

  “Come on, son, he’s kidding. It’s nice to meet you, Ethan.”

  “You too, sir,” Ethan brushed off his clothes.

  “Paige, Ethan, this is Larry and Ginger. They are all going to stay with us for a while until things calm down a bit.”