I look around at the huddled groups. Richard sits across from me, an arm around either of his daughters. He leans down and whispers something into his youngest’s ear, no doubt hoping to stem the tears that pool in her eyes. A little further along Frank speaks to his son and daughters while Felix holds his aunt in a tight embrace. In the corner, Leon rumples his little brother’s hair affectionately while his father steals a quick kiss from his mother.
Similar scenes play throughout the hotel. Family. Animals. Ranchers. Woodsmen. All are caught in this dreadful dance; and try as I might, the thoughts I try and repress come to the surface.
How many will return tonight? How many will be widowed? Orphaned? Would it not be better to call this off and figure out another plan of action?
No. This is the course that has been set. I can’t afford to second guess myself now.
I turn my attention to my sister, wishing I could summon that magical combination of words that would put her mind at ease and assure her that everything will be well. None come. At least none that she would believe. She may be young, but she is no stranger to harsh truths—of accepting the reality of our situation. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I’m tired of fighting. But I know the only way forward is through. One way or another this has to end.
“Stop,” she says, breaking the quiet that has grown between us. She turns, her eyes meeting mine like a mirror. “Trying to figure out what to say to me. I’ll be fine.”
“That transparent, am I?” I ask.
“To me at least,” she says. “But I’m serious. I know how much you worry over me. You always have, and I am so thankful for that. The things you’ve done, the sacrifices you’ve made, I can never repay you for any of it. You are the reason I’m alive today. I would never have made it this far without you. But I’m not your only concern anymore. I can’t be. Not when there’s so much else at stake.”
She leans forward and takes my hand. “So how about I wish you luck. You tell me to stay safe. And we can leave all the rest unsaid?”
I squeeze her hand, a small smile on my face. Just because I remember Grace as the gleeful youth who I sang to sleep, and who would fill our apartment with fresh-picked flowers, doesn’t mean she still is. She’s grown up, the world shaping her into the strong girl who stands before me. A girl who far from needing my assurances, instead offers me one of her own.
“You stay safe, Gracie,” I say.
She smiles. “I will,” she says. “And good luck.”
Right on cue, Morgan calls for our attention. The time has come to head out. I squeeze Grace one last time and she lets me because she knows I need to. I straighten up and study her face, trying to memorize every perfect feature of this girl I love. I brush the hair away from her eyes, a gesture that takes me back to the innumerable times I have done so, back when it was just the two of us. Those days may be gone, but they will forever be a part of me.
I smile and kiss her quickly on the crown of her head. I don’t say anything more. She said everything that needed to be said already. I move along with the shifting bodies. Near the entrance, Mrs. Taylor is finishing saying goodbye to Emily. When she sees me, she embraces me as if I too were her daughter.
“Don’t worry,” she says. “Grace is in good hands. You just focus on keeping yourself safe.”
“Thank you,” I say, voice cracking. It’s not just words with her. She’ll protect Grace like one of her own. I can feel that promise in the warmth of her embrace. Realizing it, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. This woman has opened up her heart to us in a way neither of us has ever known before. It wasn’t until I met her that I knew just how powerful a mother’s love could be. I feel that energy stir deep within me, a warmth traveling through my body that I know will linger long after we’ve left the hotel behind. I didn’t realize how much I needed this until just now.
She lays her hand against my cheek and smiles. She doesn’t say anything more, just nods her head toward the door where Morgan waits for me. I hold her gaze a moment longer and then step back into the flowing bodies leading outside. The cold whips across my face the moment I cross the threshold, but the warmth of Mrs. Taylor's hand lingers upon my cheek. I smile at the thought and join her son.
“You ready?” he asks.
“More than,” I say honestly.
He studies me a minute, his eyes still worried he’s made a mistake. But with the crowd gathered around us, the time for second-guessing has ended. I watch him make the same conclusion as his eyes steel over and he addresses the crowd at large.
“And the rest of you?” he yells. “Are you ready to end this?”
A roar of affirmation answers him.
“Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. Being aware of your surroundings could mean the difference between life and death. Other than that, stay close and look out for one another. We do that and come morning, the sun will rise on a new day.”
More roars answer.
Morgan smiles, one I can tell is genuine. He scans the faces of the crowd until they settle on me once again.
“Let’s head out.”
Chapter 21: (Morgan)
I march at the head of a long column. Face numb from the cold, boots sinking through the snow with each step. I barely notice either. My adrenaline is riding high, keeping my focus sharp, my attention solely on the mission at hand. At least at first. The further we travel, the more my mind begins to wander. Over one-hundred people follow at my back, all of them victims of Barr’s regime in some capacity. I can feel their impatience, their need for vengeance second only to their need for air. There are husbands and wives among us. Fathers and sons. Brothers and sisters. They rallied in all shapes and sizes, unified by a single purpose. When it came down to it, they answered my call to arms with more vigor than I could have hoped for. And though I asked for this, I still feel my stomach twist at the thought.
It’s a gamble, what we’re doing. There’s no getting around that fact. I’m entirely aware that despite what I’ve discovered, and my belief in Owen’s truthfulness, I could be mistaken. Perhaps Owen relayed a private code to Barr, one that I missed. Perhaps Barr has guessed what happened after arriving at the abandoned warehouse. Even if Owen is on our side, and everything goes according to plan, we’ll still have our hands full. We might have the numbers and firepower on our side, but this is still Barr we’re talking about. He won’t go down without a fight. And he has over fifty followers who will be fighting with their backs against the wall. No matter how hard I try, I can’t see how this night can end without deaths on our side. I already have so much blood on my hands. How much more can I possibly take before I drown in it?
I glance to my left. Owen walks a few feet from me, a look of intense concentration frozen on his face. He looks even worse off than me, though from what emotion I cannot tell. Behind him march Richard and my father. They’ve been given one task: keep Owen in their sights at all times. Richard’s anger and short fuse seemed like a logical counterpart to my father who is naturally calm and collective.
Soon we leave the town behind and veer down a backcountry road south of town. Not a half mile later we ditch the road completely, using the forested hills to our advantage to conceal our approach. My pulse quickens, sensing we are nearing our objective. We crest a low hill and find our target below, the faint moonlight highlighting the sheet metal siding.
Trees encroach the warehouse on all sides save for the open bay up front and a long driveway. Trucks are parked along the front, each facing the driveway. Barr is here then. I exhale in relief. Part of me feared we would have come all this way for nothing. I confer with Richard, Frank, and a handful of others to discuss our options. In the end, we decide on simplicity: one main unit attacking from the rear, and a secondary force in place to pick off any Animals trying to flee to their vehicles. Frank and Richard will lead the breach, while I cover the vehicles with the secondary force. It wasn’t my first choice, but I can see the logic in it. Richard is the most exper
ienced here in terms of anything tactical, and Frank would not be persuaded from the breach. My choice was made for me.
Richard and Frank veer around the far side of the warehouse, while I lead my smaller force down the embankment. We move slow, both to remain as covert as possible and to give the others time to get into position We reach the edge of the treeline and pause, eyes scanning the warehouse for any sign of movement. Even if they aren’t expecting us before morning, we have to assume Barr would have tasked at least some to keep watch.
A series of clicks sound from my radio, Richard relaying that they are in position. I click the response and my team creeps out of the treeline to take cover behind the vehicles. Any second I expect to see muzzle flashes and hear the sound of approaching death, yet we make it to the fleet without issue. We spread out, each of us with a clear sightline to the warehouse doors. If the Animals try and escape, they’ll be easy targets. Settled, I click my radio again, signaling we are ready. He clicks back and we are a go.
I force a deep breath through my nose. Inside, I feel my adrenaline spike now that the moment of action is so close at hand. Richard and Frank will be moving in now. I kneel beside the truck's front tire, bracing myself for a volley of gunshots as Barr’s scouts spot them. But none sound. Strange. Would Barr really not have a single lookout?
Something's off. I feel it deep inside me—some internal alarm that tells me it shouldn’t be this easy. I look around me, trying to see anything out of place. And yet it all looks normal. Quiet. I breathe deep, hoping to clear my head. That’s when I notice it. Faint, but unmistakable. I breathe again, and I feel my heart sink to my stomach. I turn to Felix at nearly the same moment he turns to me. He notices to.
I click the radio to life. “Richard, abort! It’s a trap!”
But even as the words leave my mouth, the trap springs shut. To our right, inside the treeline, flames spark to life amid the darkness. Time seems to slow down and speed up all at once. Everything is fragmented. One frame I’m shouting for my team to fall back. The next, flaming blurs race through the air toward the warehouse’s high windows. Lauren’s hand in mine as we sprint for the treeline. An explosion behind us. My hand separated from Lauren’s as I’m lifted off my feet and crash into the snow. Confusion. Ears ringing. Forcing myself to a knee and look back toward the warehouse. No. Where the warehouse used to be.
It takes me longer than it should to piece it together. The gas. The flaming blurs. Now, an inferno feeding on the remnants of the building and debris falling from the sky. Trap. The word goes through my brain slowly but I feel my head clear as it registers. But with the clarity comes panic. Fear.
“Lauren!” I shout, looking frantically around me. Me team is scattered, nearly all on their backs or knees from the shockwave. I yell her name again and finally hear her groan to my left. I find her struggling to her knees. Blood smears her forehead. I reach out to inspect it but she swats my hand away.
“I’m fine!” she snaps, already trying to scramble to her feet. I offer her my hand and this time she accepts it. “We need to regroup.”
I nod. Now that I know she’s alright, my mind focuses on the bigger picture at hand. The trap. The explosion. The blood freezes in my veins as I recall the strike team on the opposite side of the warehouse. Their cover would have been minimal. Some might have already breached the place before it was too late. I reach for my radio but it’s gone. I curse, frantically searching the ground for it. No use. Debris is all around us.
“Felix!” I shout. “Leon!”
They appear out of the dark a moment later, Emily in tow. Thank God they’re all on their feet.
“We have to get to the—”
My words are lost as gunfire ripples through our ranks. Screams follow as bodies begin to drop. I shout for them to take cover, to hold their ground. I might have lost my voice for all the good it does. We are no army. The people with me, far from soldiers. The explosion, the bullets racing toward them, it’s too much. Their resolve breaks and they scatter in all directions.
The shots grow louder as more guns sound on the far side of the warehouse. Through the trees, muzzle flashes mark the approaching line of Animals. My blood boils. My panic quickly giving way to rage. Every muscle in my body is tense, the yearning to attack overwhelming. I want revenge. But then the reality of the situation hits home. I’m outgunned. Outnumbered. Only my friends stand with me. Their lives are not worth my revenge.
“Felix, take point,” I say quickly. I point to Lauren and Emily. “You two, stay on his ass and don’t stop until he does. Lee and I will lay down cover. Now go!”
They don’t need to be told twice. Felix takes off not a second later, Lauren and Emily following after. Leon and I fire several rounds as the first Animals come into our field of fire. Two go down, but the others manage to take cover. By the time they return fire we’re already off, weaving through the trees as bullets eat into their trunks and burrow through the snow. I glance back as often as I dare, firing off shots as they present themselves. One goes down by my gun. Another, to Leon’s. Soon we’ve traveled far enough that the muzzle flashes disappear and the shots grow more distant.
Felix stops. Emily and Lauren hunch over with their hands on their knees, completely out of breath from the manic escape. There are no signs of others anywhere near us. No noise from up ahead. No silhouettes of fleeing parties. It’s just us. My relief grows sour. It shouldn’t be just us.
“We have to go back,” Felix says as I draw the same conclusion.
“We need to meet at the fallback,” Emily pants. “That was the plan.”
It was. In case something happened, we were to meet at the Home Depot on the edge of town. But that’s no longer an option.
“We can’t,” I say. “This was too well coordinated to be a coincidence. Barr knew we were coming. He still has a mole on the inside.”
“Or Owen found a way to tip him off,” Leon says.
“Either way, the location is compromised. We have to regroup with the others and head for the DoubleTree.”
The last thing I want is to lead Lauren and Emily closer to Barr. He knows their names, knows how close they are to me. The things he would do to them if given the chance. Death would be a kindness. But what choice do we have? With Animals about, and a mole in our operation, I can't send them back to the DoubleTree alone. Even if I tried, they would never go.
I look to Lauren, the soft moonlight framing her face, reflecting in her eyes which burn with resolve. She guesses what goes through my mind. I can tell by the words that next leave her mouth.
"Then let's not waste time talking," she says, readying the rifle she carries.
It's a statement we abide by. No more time is wasted as we head back into the fray. Once again, Felix takes point, his senses sharper than anyone I know save for his uncle. A spasm of fear rips through me as I think of the man. And not just him. My father was part of the main strike team. Richard. Vince. So many more. Their faces flash before me one after the other. Lylette was with them. Byron too. Even after denouncing the plan, calling it a mistake, he came for his people. People who I put at risk.
The guilt hits like a tidal wave, nearly knocking me from my feet. This was my doing. I set this motion. And look at what happened.
No. Can't dwell on it. Can't let it eat me alive. Now is not the time for reflection. It is time for action. I focus on the thought, letting it stoke the flames, my rage building as the blaze comes into view. A clatter of gunfire sounds to our right and we use that as our guide. Voices reach us now, followed by another round of shots and a grunt of pain. But it’s what I hear next that breaks me.
“It’s not him,” a man grunts, breathing heavily.
“Too bad,” says another. “I’d have liked the reward.” A gunshot follows, quickly followed by a scream of horror and then the unmistakable sound of a slap across the face. The scream turns into a whimper.
“What about her?” asks the first man. “She looks like she could be fun.” We
clear a thicket of brush and they come into view. Three men stand over a sobbing woman. She clings to the body of a man fallen on the snow as if by holding on to him, she might keep what has already left this world.
“No time,” says the third man. “Barr said spare none except Taylor and the traitor.” He pulls out his gun. “Sorry love, nothing person—”
A bullet through his skull silences him. He falls to the snow beside the man they killed not a minute before. His fellows jump to attention, rifles rising to their shoulders. Already too late. My friends unload on them from our high ground. They go down in a barrage of bullets. We rush forward, finishing off the twitching Animals and try to haul the woman to her feet. She won’t have it, thrashing against us like a feral animal, refusing to leave the man’s side.
I hear Leon curse behind me. I turn, spotting the reason almost immediately. Lights advancing our way, our gunfight drawing the Animal’s attention. Shit.
“Listen,” I say, my voice a frantic whisper. “I know you’re in pain, but now is not the time to mourn. Either get up and follow us or stay and follow him in death.”
Finally, she looks up, glaring at me with dark eyes. I don’t blame her for hating me right now. I hate myself for bringing this on her. But we’re out of time and I won’t put my friends at risk trying to force her along. I extend my hand. There’s a moment’s hesitation when she looks from my hand back to the body she kneels beside. A spasm rocks her, a sob caught in her chest. Then suddenly she looks away and takes my hand, allowing me to haul her to her feet.
We run, Felix once again setting our trail. Still, the gap between us shrinks, the lights they carry allowing for greater speed. I’m looking back at the approaching lights and have to skid to a halt, nearly barreling into Felix as he stops abruptly. I open my mouth to ask, but the question dies in my throat as he points. More lights are up ahead. Panic rises within me, but I push it back down. I need to keep my composure now more than ever.
Echoes of a Dying World (Book 3): A Dream of Tomorrow Page 28