by Joyce, Anne
Maria grabbed one broken piece while Joshua and Xiomara strained to get the rest. Joshua’s hand closed around the tip of a pin when he heard footsteps. “Oh shit, here they come,” he gasped.
They jumped back and sat on the ground. Paola was still asleep, her eyes fluttering as she dreamed. Julio stared at the remaining pieces on the floor and prayed the looters wouldn’t notice. The door flew open hard enough to smack the wall, and startle everyone.
Paola was jolted from her dream. “What was that?”
“Shhh.” Julio put a hand on her shoulder.
Red came running down the stairs looking panicked and worried. “You’re a nurse, right?” He pointed at Xiomara. She nodded. “You’re coming upstairs.” He unlocked the gate, pointed the handgun at her, and motioned for her to step out. “Lock it and hand me the key,” he ordered.
“Who’s injured?’ she asked.
“Cynthia’s in labor.” He grabbed her arm and led her upstairs.
“I can’t believe he came downstairs by himself. Do you know what this means?” Joshua whispered.
“It means he won’t step into the cage if his friends aren’t with him. Even he’s not that stupid,” Julio replied.
“Maybe not, but he’s nervous as hell. When you’re that nervous, it’s easy to make mistakes,” Joshua said.
“Maybe he’ll bring Xiomara back on his own. They’re all distracted right now,” Maria said.
“You’re right! That woman is their weakness. They depend on her. They’re all scared of losing her, whether they admit it or not. Red is the weakest of the three because he cares for her the most. I get it now!” Joshua said. His heart started beating faster.
“You’re saying this could be our chance to escape?” Danisha said.
“I believe it is. I know the answer is right in front of me. I’m just not seeing it,” Joshua said.
“Think harder, Josh! You can do it!” Paola jumped to her feet.
“You need to settle down,” Julio hissed.
“Yes… we’re getting out of here. I know how we can do it.” Maria turned to Joshua.
“I’m listening,” he replied.
“We’ll need Xiomara’s help most of all.” Maria glanced at the ceiling.
***
When Xiomara and Red stepped into the kitchen Cynthia was lying on the floor, drenched in sweat with Danny by her side. “It’ll be okay. The nurse lady’s here.” Danny blotted her forehead with a wet rag. Deric tromped into the kitchen, brandishing Julio’s knife.
“Where the hell have you been?” Red demanded.
“I was sharpening my knife in the yard.”
“I called your name.”
“I didn’t hear you.” Deric adjusted his eye patch. “Whoa,” he said when he noticed Cynthia.
“We need you right now,” Red replied.
“Just so you guys know, I’m not cleaning up any afterbirth junk.” Deric shuddered.
“How far apart are your contractions?” asked Xiomara.
“A couple of minutes,” she replied. She panted as if she were in an aerobics class.
“Try to take slower, deeper breaths,” Xiomara said. “I need one of you to get some towels or clean rags and get a pot of water boiling.”
Deric gathered some rags from the living room while Danny started a fire in the yard to boil the water. Xiomara rifled through the drawers and found a few useful kitchen tools. “Give these to Danny so he can put them in the water.” She thrust the tools at Red.
Cynthia groaned and rolled to her side, wailing in agony. “Get over there!” Red yelled. “You need to do something.”
“Are your contractions getting worse?” Xiomara said.
“Yes!” she cried.
“Take off her pants,” she told Red.
Deric ran in the kitchen with a bundle of rags. “Those don’t look very clean,” Xiomara said.
“They’re the cleanest ones I could find.”
“Go rinse them,” she ordered.
Cynthia screamed and pounded her fist on the floor. Xiomara knelt and rolled up her sleeves.
“Push, Cynthia. You can do it.” Red stood over her.
“No, don’t push, Cynthia!” Xiomara held up her hand. “Something’s not right.”
“What do you mean?” asked Cynthia.
“This baby’s coming out breech,” she replied.
“That’s dangerous, isn’t it?” Cynthia said.
“It can be.”
“You’ve got to fix it,” Red shouted.
“It’s not that simple,” Xiomara replied.
“You’d better hope Cynthia and this kid don’t die, for your sake,” Red snarled.
***
“Cynthia needs to stay in bed for at least several days. You all need to keep close watch over her and the baby. They’ve been through a lot and their condition is very serious,” Xiomara told Red as they were coming down the stairs. “Make sure Danny and Deric apply pressure to her wounds for another hour. The bleeding won’t stop otherwise. She experienced a lot of tearing down there.”
“They’ll do what you told them. I’ll see to it. I’ll take you upstairs tomorrow so you can check on her,” Red replied as he escorted her back to her cell.
Joshua and Maria were lying on the floor. Julio, Danisha, and Paola sat beside each other against the wall. Maria muttered something in Spanish. “What the hell did she just say?” Red looked suspicious.
“She must be talking in her sleep. She said to take the roast out of the oven,” Xiomara replied.
“Sleep talkers are weird.” Red seemed to relax a little.
He put his gun in its holster and unlocked the cage. Xiomara stepped inside. He pushed the door closed with one hand and grasped the key with the other.
“Oh, Red, there’s one more thing I forgot to mention.”
“What’s that?” He glanced at her.
Xiomara punched him in the throat with all her strength. Her fist struck his Adam’s apple. He stumbled backwards holding his neck and gasping for air. Xiomara kicked open the door as Joshua and Maria leapt to their feet and ran towards him. Red staggered back and tried to reach for his gun.
Julio pulled off his T-shirt and crept to the front of the cage. Paola and Danisha exchanged terrified glances. Red struggled to catch his breath and pulled the gun from its holster, waving it at Josh, Maria, and Xiomara. It shook in his trembling hand. Julio slid his arms through the bars and wrapped each end of the T-shirt around his knuckles, pulling it tight. Julio’s eyes were locked on Red like a lion stalking a gazelle. Maria and Joshua put their hands in the air but didn’t move. Xiomara stood frozen in the doorway.
“You need to think this through, Red. You’d have to be a damn good shot to take out all three of us before we got to you. Your tremors are so bad you can’t even hold that gun right.” Joshua stepped forward.
“Deric! Danny! Get your asses downstairs,” he tried to shout but his breathing was labored and his voice raspy.
“You know they’re not in the kitchen. They won’t be able to hear you,” Xiomara said.
Red’s eyes widened with fear as he took another step back. He spotted Paola and Danisha through the corner of his eye. They sat like statues on the far-left side of the cage. He pointed the gun at them and turned his gaze back to Joshua and Maria. “Get in your cage now or I’ll put a bullet in the little girls’—”
Julio flung the T-shirt over Red’s neck and slammed him against the cage. Red dropped the gun and tried to scream but all that came from him was a gurgling sound. Red writhed and fought to free himself but was no match for a man as strong as Julio. Maria ran over, grabbed the handgun, and pointed it at Red.
“Don’t shoot him!” Joshua said. “We don’t want the rest of them down here.”
Maria raised the gun and dealt Red a hard blow to the head. His body went limp and he collapsed. Joshua dragged Red inside their cage while Maria grabbed the keychain and let Julio, Paola, and Danisha out.
“Stay here
while Julio and I check things out.” Joshua took the gun from Maria.
“Please be careful,” she said.
Joshua tip toed up the stairs with Julio right behind him. He pushed open the door and looked around. “Do you see them?” Julio whispered.
Joshua shook his head. There was no one in the kitchen and the living room appeared empty, but he heard voices coming from the back of the house.
“I think they’re in the bedroom,” he hissed. “Let’s get the kids out of here first, Maria and Xiomara next; we’ll go last.”
Julio went back, took Paola’s hand, and ushered her and Danisha up the stairs. “Listen girls, I want you to run out through the back door and don’t look back, no matter what you hear. Be as quiet as you can be,” Joshua instructed.
“What if they still hear us?” Paola said.
“I’ll have your back,” Joshua replied. “Go!” He pushed her and Danisha into the kitchen. The two girls held hands and started running.
“They’re outside. It’s your turn, coast is clear.” Julio led Maria up the stairs.
Maria jumped through the doorway and sprinted through the kitchen. Her shoes squeaked across the tile, still wet with afterbirth. “I hope they didn’t hear that,” Julio gasped.
“I don’t think they did.” Joshua strained his ears. He took Xiomara’s hand and helped her through the doorway. She took a quick look around and dashed toward the back door. She was halfway through the kitchen when a low, booming voice shouted “What the fuck?”
Joshua spun around to see Deric raise his rifle. Deric fired a single shot just as Joshua squeezed the handgun’s trigger. Xiomara stumbled and fell on her stomach. The bullet pierced her back and exited through her torso.
“No!” Julio gasped.
Joshua’s bullet struck the side of Deric’s head. His blood sprayed the cheap blue wallpaper before he hit the floor. The rifle fell between Deric’s corpse and Xiomara’s motionless body. Joshua jumped back when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Danny slid into the kitchen without a sound and opened fire on Joshua. He ducked behind the cabinets and then poked the end of his handgun over the counter and took a blind shot at Danny.
Gunshots ripped through the oak and marble cabinets, splintering the wood and missing Joshua by inches. Joshua crawled on his belly through the basement door and knelt beside Julio on the top step. “I can’t hit him without getting my head blown off,” he hissed. The gunfire came to an abrupt halt. They stared at one another.
“He’s out of bullets,” Julio whispered.
“That means he’s going for Deric’s rifle.” Joshua passed the gun to him.
Julio leapt into the kitchen, slid across the floor, and started shooting. Danny grabbed the rifle, stumbled, and ran into the table. Blood drizzled down the side of his neck. He touched it and stared at his bloody hand.
“You son of a bitch,” he wheezed.
“You screwed with the wrong family.” Julio fired at his torso several times. His body flailed like a fish out of water before he dropped his gun and fell beside Deric.
“Xiomara!” Joshua ran over and turned her on her back. Xiomara groaned and winced. Her eyes were glassy and her face was losing color. Julio tossed him a rag and he pressed it against her bleeding wound.
“I think I’m dying,” she said.
“Don’t talk like that.” Joshua held her hand. “You’ve been through way too much to give up. I’m going to get you to Mexico. Just hold on.”
She nodded.
The baby’s shrill cry rang through the house. “Danny… Deric… are you all right?” Cynthia’s voice was anxious.
“Shut up!” Julio shouted. “I ought to go back there and shoot her too, exterminate the whole clan.”
“No, don’t shoot her. If you kill her, the baby will die. We don’t need to be like them, killing innocent people,” Xiomara said.
“That kid could grow up to be just like his parents,” Julio replied.
“Did you turn out like your father?” Xiomara stared at him.
“She’s got a point,” Joshua agreed.
“All right…I’ll leave her alone, but only for Xiomara.”
Joshua wrapped his arms around Xiomara and carried her outside while Julio collected their weapons. Maria ran over as soon as she saw them. “The bastards shot her?”
“They snuck up on us. I wasn’t quick enough,” He hung his head. “Where are the kids?”
“They’re in the back of the truck,” she replied.
“Good. Julio needs help carrying what’s left of our food and water. We’ve got to take a shorter route to Mexico now.”
“What are you talking about? There is no shorter route,” Maria said.
“Yes, there is. We’ll have to go into town,” Joshua said.
Chapter Fourteen
“The water keg’s about half full.” Maria placed it in the back of the truck.
“We’ve got an unopened can of peaches too. I guess looters would rather eat people than canned fruit,” Julio said in disgust.
“I hope you guys know what you’re doing.” Xiomara watched Joshua and Julio put on the Purifier hats and jackets.
“I’ve snuck across borders with illegals in the back of a truck many times. We’ve got this.” Julio winked at her.
“If you’re going to pass yourselves off as Purifiers, you need to clean up first. You look like you just crawled out of a dumpster,” Danisha said.
“Geez kid, you don’t hold back,” Julio said. “Damn, she’s right.” He saw his reflection in the outside mirror of the truck. Julio and Joshua cleaned themselves with a wet rag and trimmed their facial hair with Julio’s knife.
“There’s an ID badge in the pocket. He looks a little like you, Josh. I think this was the guy Maria shot.” Julio handed him the badge.
Joshua stared at the picture of the clean-shaven thin man and pinned it to his jacket. “Let me drive. I’ll do the talking when we get there.”
“No, I should talk to them. You’ve never done this kind of thing before,” Julio retorted.
“You don’t look anything like the men who wore these jackets. I have a better chance of convincing the Purifiers.”
“Okay, but let me give you some pointers on the way,” Julio offered.
“Fair enough.”
“You’re forgetting something very important,” Maria said.
“What’s that?” asked Julio.
“The Purifier truck has probably been reported missing by now. They’ll be wondering where their men are. When we reach the gate, they’ll check the license plate number and scan the truck’s barcode ID,” she replied.
“Holy shit! You’re right! I can’t believe that slipped my mind!” Julio slapped his forehead.
“You guys almost got shot. That would’ve been the least of your worries.”
“I’m glad we’ve got you. You know how to make yourself useful,” Julio said.
“Let’s switch the plates with this old truck.” Joshua pointed to the rust pile beside the house.
“What’ll we do about the barcode ID? All they have to do is scan the truck,” Julio replied.
“Do you still have the cellphone?” she asked.
“I think it’s under the seat. Why?” Joshua replied.
“When a vehicle’s bar code is scanned, it simply transmits a signal. I know how to transpose that signal with another vehicle. That way if you scan one car, it’ll show another car’s ID.”
“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Joshua, amazed and impressed.
“I learned in college. I was tech support for a large cell phone company, and I have two technical degrees. I can use the phone to scan that old rust bucket and assign its ID number to the Purifier truck.”
“That truck is so old. It might not have a barcode. It looks like it was made in the days when cars had VIN numbers on the dashboard,” Julio said.
“Walk over and see!” Maria said.
Julio ran over and inspected the vehic
le. “It’s got a barcode! It looks like it was one of the first to have one,” he called.
“Perfect! That’ll make it easier!” Maria dug the phone out from under the seat while Joshua switched the license plates. “We’ll need to leave this phone here after I’m done. They might be able to track us based on the data usage.”
“That’s fine by me. There’s still a paper map in the glove box,” Joshua replied. “I’m ready when you are.” Maria worked her technical magic and tossed the phone inside the looters’ house.
“Hang in there, Xiomara. I know some great doctors in Mexico that will make you good as new.” Julio closed the door.
“You were very brave today.” Maria poured a cup of water and handed it to her.
“I just did what you told me to do,” Xiomara said in a raspy voice. She took a drink.
“It still took guts to punch that creep and the sleep-talking thing was a good cover,” Maria replied.
Xiomara gave her a weak smile.
Paola turned to Joshua. “Is it true, what Julio said? Will the doctors fix her?”
“I sure hope so.”
“Please don’t let her die,” Paola whispered.
“How do we get to the highway?” Joshua said to Julio as he climbed into the cab
“Take this side road here,” Julio pointed.
Joshua careened the vehicle onto a bumpy, uneven dirt road.
“There will be a crossing in about fifty miles. From there you should be able to merge onto the highway.” Julio stared at the map.
“Are you sure?”
“All of the city checkpoints are highlighted on this map,” Julio replied.
“Are there any Purifier checkpoints in Mexico?”
“The map doesn’t list any. I told you they weren’t facing the same issues,” Julio replied.
“How long will it take to get Xiomara to a doctor in Mexico?”
“There’s a doctor in Sonora who owes me a favor. It’s about five hours away.”
“I don’t know if she has that long. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the kids, but her injury looks pretty bad,” Joshua said.
“It’s the best we can do. The gunshot might look worse than it really is. I snuck a group of illegals into Texas once and one of them got shot crossing the border. I’d never seen so much blood. We all thought he wasn’t going to make it. It was a whole twenty-four hours before he got to see a doctor, but I heard he survived. You know Xiomara’s a tough woman. She’s not ready to give up.”