Survival Rules Series (Book 2): Rules of Conflict

by Hunt, Jack

  “Screw it,” she said sliding her feet into her flats, slipping into a thin blue jean jacket before running her hands through her long blond hair and using a hair tie to pull it into a ponytail. She blew out her cheeks looking at her reflection and telling herself that it would be fine. Next, she searched for the keys to the gun cabinet. After taking out the Winchester rifle, and stuffing a handful of rounds into her pocket, she took a Glock with her and a small knife that she strapped into a sheath around her ankle. All the while she was talking to the baby. “I know, grandpa isn’t going to be happy, neither will daddy but I can’t be kept cooped up in here, I’ll lose my marbles.”

  Once ready to set out she collected a horse from the stables, saddled it and after three attempts finally managed to get on. A quick hand down the side of its mane, and a whisper into its ear to connect with the horse and she set off for town.

  Her first stop would be the house. While Andy had said nothing, she’d overheard Tyler yelling about the home being trashed. She didn’t want to believe it, but she had to know. They’d bought the home just a few years back and had put so much effort into getting it ready for the baby, the very thought that it was trashed gave her a panic attack. Where would the baby sleep? Would they have to stay with his father for months? How could they return? So many questions bombarded her as she rode the clogged roads back into town.

  Miles away she could smell smoke and see it rising from homes all over Whitefish.

  Corey had warned her this could happen but like many of her friends she had laughed it off as nothing more than a doom and gloom view of the world. Now she was seeing it with her own eyes.

  “C’mon,” she said snapping the reins and getting the horse to break into a gallop as they got nearer. For most of the journey she stayed off the main highway, sticking to the trails and heavily forested areas where she expected people wouldn’t be. When she made it to Woodland Star Circle everything looked reasonably normal. There were no homes on fire on the northeast side of town even though the aroma of burned wood had drifted that way. That was a positive. It was only when she came around the roads loop and saw her home between the evergreen trees did she slow the horse. “Whoa, steady.” The horse’s ears perked and she brought it to a halt on the smooth road. Ella reached for the lever-action Winchester rifle just in case. She twisted in the saddle looking around the surrounding homes for anything that looked out of place. In all the years living there she’d got to know her neighbors and was familiar with the vehicles they drove, how many kids they had and even their daily schedules of leaving for work. Her heart started pounding and it was only then did she second-guess her decision to leave the cabin. Letting out a hard breath, she waited a few minutes, anxiously scanning the perimeter.

  “Let’s go,” Ella said giving the horse a nudge. It was quiet, only the sound of birds chirping. Had it not been for the smell of smoke she could have convinced herself that nothing bad had happened.

  Keeping one hand on the rifle and the other holding the reins she cut through a cluster of trees across her neighbors’ front yard until she came out on her front driveway. The trees partially enclosed the front entrance providing some privacy but there were many areas that would have left her exposed. Shock was the reaction she had when she saw all the panes of glass shattered and the door barely hanging on. Tears welled up in her eyes. How could anyone do this? She looked back at her neighbors’ home and saw no damage. Why had they singled out their place? Corey was liked by people in the town. She ran her hand over the horse’s mane to keep it calm before dismounting. The horse let out a snort as she tied it off to a tree branch nearby. A humid wind blew across her face as she lifted her rifle and moved quickly up to the house, winding around the back and scanning the windows as she went. Her heart sank as she soaked in the aftermath. If this was what the world would become without law and order, she wasn’t sure she wanted to bring a baby into it. Stepping up onto the wooden deck out back she made her way to the rear door and entered. Her flats crushed glass. Every step forward was like a blow to the stomach. “Trashed the place,” were Tyler’s words. This wasn’t trashed. This was destroyed. Furniture ripped apart, holes in the walls, chandelier on the ground, framed photos snapped in half, all her plates in hundreds of pieces. Why? Why would anyone do this? It didn’t even look as if they had stolen anything. It was clear they wanted to send a message. She navigated up the staircase, her pulse speeding up as she slid her back against the wall, fully expecting someone to be rooting through her clothes. Clothes? She’d taken some with her but left the majority there as she thought they’d return. Fortunately, most of her clothes were in one piece, just piled up or thrown around the room.

  Ella hurried over to her dresser and searched the floor. The drawers had been pulled and weren’t in sight. Sifting through the mounds of clothes she saw them. A necklace her mother had given her, and a ring, along with more personal items, were beneath. A sense of relief and yet confusion came over her. They were valuable. Extremely valuable, but only if society was functioning. They had little meaning now. As she pocketed them she heard the sound of boots entering the house.

  Ella froze.

  It sounded like several people walking into the house.

  Her heart started pounding faster. Her eyes scanned the room. Shit. Quietly she crossed the room and entered the closet. There wasn’t much left in there to cover her, just a few clothes on the floor and some empty hangers. Crouching down, Ella pulled the slatted closet door closed and waited in the silence.

  More noise below like the sound of heavy feet coming up the stairs.

  Whispers, then someone approaching the room. Beside herself with fear she scooted back into the corner of the closet and raised the rifle at the door.

  Small beads of sweat formed, and two trickled down her face as the sound of footsteps got closer to the closet. Ella had her finger on the trigger ready to squeeze. Whoever was out there stopped a few feet from the closet and didn’t move. What were they doing? A few more seconds passed then the closet door swung open, she unloaded a round before she even saw the intruder. Just as she was using the lever action, a figure came around the door and pushed the rifle out of the way but not before she fired off another. The round went in the closet wall and then she saw who it was.

  A cop.

  “Holy shit. You nearly took my damn head off.”

  “And I would have put a round in your gut,” she said. He glanced down and saw that she had a Glock at her waist, angled up at him.

  “Wanna take your finger off the trigger?” he said nervously.

  “Oh, right. I’m sorry. Can’t be too careful. I thought you were—”

  “I know,” he said, cutting her off. He extended a hand and helped Ella back to her feet. “I’m Officer Ferris of Flathead County Sheriff’s Department, and you are?”

  “Ella. Corey’s fiancé.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “His fiancé? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I came into town to see how he was doing. I wanted to see for myself the damage and collect a few things.”

  “Risky move.”

  “I can handle myself,” she said walking past him.

  He gave a nod and followed her out. “I can see that.”

  As she exited the room she came face to face with two more officers, local ones.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, fine,” Ferris said.

  “What are you all doing here?” she asked standing at the top of the stairs, ready to go down.

  “I told Corey I would come this way and check on the homes in the area. We believe the same group of inmates that we went after six nights ago is in the area.”

  “You think they did this?”

  He scoffed, looking around. “I’m fairly certain.”

  She shook her head as she ambled down the steps.

  “Well I hope you catch them. How’s Corey doing?”

  “He’s alive,” Ferris said cheerfully as he followed in her sha
dow. “Though you really should speak to him about his driving manners. The guy left us in the backwoods of the national forest.”

  “I’m sure he had a good reason.”

  On the ground floor she saw two more armed officers.

  No sooner had they reached the kitchen than the sound of a rifle cracked, and a flurry of rounds peppered the walls. Ferris brought Ella down to the ground fast, doing his best to prevent her stomach from being injured. Taking cover behind the granite counters, she glanced over to the hallway where an officer lay dead.

  It was too good to be true. The men were getting impatient with waiting and Gabriel was going to leave himself and call it quits when she came trotting into view. The timing was perfect. Though, had he not recalled her face from a framed photo on the counter before they trashed Corey’s home, he might not have even given it another thought. He was all prepared to sweep in and scoop her up, but that all came to a standstill when five officers appeared on scene in a green utility truck.

  Gabriel groaned, and contemplated holding back but then he thought he could kill two birds with one stone. The cops were a nuisance. If the officers were alerted to their presence, they would get no rest and would find themselves having to move and hide and that would only take away time from finding that bastard.

  That’s why he gave Torres the thumbs-up to attack.

  “Kill every single one of them but bring the woman in alive.”

  Drywall dust filled the air as rounds cut through what remained of the home.

  “Daniels, Perry, have you got eyes on them?” Ferris yelled up. They shouted back no. He glanced across the kitchen to Samuel who was taking cover behind a wall at the bottom of the staircase. Nearby lay a young officer from Whitefish. He’d only been on the job six months. Poor bastard.

  Samuel opened fire, then got this wild look in his eyes as he shifted position fast and dove into the kitchen, rolling across the floor and scrambling behind the center breakfast counter.

  “How many?”

  “I saw two out front, another two behind.”

  “Shit,” Ferris said glancing at Ella. “I need to get you out of here.”

  “Screw that. This is my home. If these assholes did this, I’m…” she trailed off bringing her rifle around him and unloading a round, and then another.

  “You want to tell me when you’re about to do that next time,” he said cupping a hand over his ear. Ella shuffled into another position nearer the opening between the kitchen and the living room. Ferris made his way over. “Look, I get it. You want to stay but Corey would kill me if I didn’t do everything in my power to get you to safety.”

  “Would you think the same if I was a man?”

  He balked, staring back at her blankly.

  Right then she raised the rifle and fired again, then fished into her pocket and began reloading with additional bullets. More gunfire erupted, this time from above on either side. Perry and Daniels were in the thick of it. Samuel scooted up to the doorway between the kitchen and corridor and fired a few rounds around the corner.

  “Listen to me,” Ferris said in a firm tone. “I get it. You can handle yourself but this is no place.”

  “For a woman?” she said.

  “Dear God, what is it with your need to prove that you are equal? Of course you are. We have female officers. I have no problem with it. I’m just saying, that if you were my wife, I would want you out of harm’s way. Is that too much to ask?” She said nothing so he continued, “If not for yourself, for your child.”

  Ella looked at her bump and reconsidered. “Well I appreciate that. What did you have in mind?”

  He ran through an idea and then told Samuel to hold the point while he brought the other two up to speed. While he was upstairs and filling them in on his great plan of escape, Ella and Samuel were engaged in heavy gunfire. Coughing and spluttering, Samuel would look back every few seconds to check on her. “You good, ma’am?”

  She’d give him the thumbs-up before unloading more rounds. Outside the window she saw someone race by at a crouch. Ferris returned, landing hard after jumping from the stairwell into the kitchen. His body slid across the ground and he shouldered the breakfast bar. He let out a groan before making his way around to her.

  “Right, let’s go,” he said grabbing her wrist and leading her to the back. Rounds unloaded in rapid succession as the officers fought to push back those attacking from the rear and front. “Once you are on that horse, remember what I said. Stay low, head through those trees and don’t stop until you reach the hospital.”

  “And what about you all?”

  “This is our job. If you see other cops, let them know we need backup.”

  She nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

  Ella took a deep breath and dashed out, one hand cupping her belly, the other gripping a Glock. She unloaded six rounds on the way over to the horse that was tugging at the tree trying to get loose. “Whoa,” she said as it rose up, its front legs kicking wildly. There was no way in hell she would be able to calm it under the heavy din of gunfire. Fearful of getting kicked in the stomach she ducked into the tree line and crouched down. Out the corner of her eye she spotted someone firing at her home. He wasn’t even aware she was there until she raised her gun. A look of shock spread across his face as she squeezed off two rounds and dropped him.

  About to flee on foot, she saw Ferris come rushing over. He grabbed the reins of the horse and tried to get it to calm down long enough that she could mount the damn thing. “Ella. Hurry.”

  One hand on the reins, and the other squeezing off shots in different directions, she tried to get on the saddle. A feat that might have been easier had she not been pregnant, but the fear of being trampled and the awkwardness of mounting it while it was moving around only made it that much harder. Whether it was by a miracle or the pure tenacity of an officer determined to get her to safety, the horse stopped moving for just a few seconds. That was all it took for her to get her foot up and mount the saddle.

  “Go. GO!” he bellowed slapping the horse’s hind. The horse took off galloping and she yanked on the reins guiding it towards the rear of the house and to the west.

  Out of the tree line came a tall, lanky man with dark set eyes and a bushy beard. He raised his rifle and he might have got a shot off had Ella not jerked the reins and let the horse barrel into him, trampling him underfoot.

  A surge of hope flooded her being as the horse burst through bushes and she veered it around trees. For a brief moment she thought she was in the clear, until the round struck her.

  15

  Erika returned to awareness through blurry vision and a pounding headache. She cried out in shock and pain. Memories rushed in so fast she barely had time to figure out where she was. Her face was pressed against a hardwood floor, and her cheek felt wet. A firm hand on her shoulders made her flinch, and she lashed out expecting to find Jesse but it was Nate.

  “Whoa. Steady there,” he said, his voice soothing. “It’s just me.”

  When her eyes blinked open, she noticed he was touching her forehead with a damp cloth. “Nate?”

  She tried to get up and he gently pressed her back down. “Stay still. You took one hell of a knock to the head. There’s a gash.”

  He dabbed at her head and she winced.

  “Where am I?”

  “Back in the room. Don’t you remember?”

  “I…” she trailed off trying to collect her thoughts and put them back in order.

  Seeing she was having trouble, Nate filled in the picture. “You went with Jesse and attempted to get out.”

  “How did I end up back in here?”

  “Him and his sister brought you in, gave me this and told me to clean you up before their mother got back.” Nate twisted the cloth into a bowl that was stained red. “What do you remember?”

  “I remember going out and…” Flashes of it came back to her, fragmented and then slowly it became clear. “I tried to escape. I found a way out and cl
imbed a ladder. It came out in a kitchen.”

  “We’re in a basement?” Nate asked.

  “No. It didn’t look like a basement. More like a hidden opening to a bunker.”

  “A bunker. I told you. Those assholes have us stashed away in some godforsaken hole in the ground. It’s probably below their house.”

  “I’m not sure about that. Jesse said his parents had gone into town. I think we may be in on the outskirts.” She sighed and sat up, taking in her surroundings. “Have they been back in since?”

  “Nope. I heard them arguing when they closed the door. Something about if mother finds out we are both dead.” Nate then got this grin on his face. “So, did you get to second base with him?”

  “Seriously, Nate. Bad timing.”

  “Right,” he replied. “Anything else you found out?”

  “No. But I know where the exit is.”

  Nate rose from his crouched position and placed the bowl of bloody water on the floor near the door. “Good, as you’ll be directing me when we try again. This time we do it my way.”

  “God no, Nate.”

  “You want to get out of here?”

  “I do but…”

  “Then we try my way.”

  She shuffled up against the wall and pressed her back to it. “Ah man, I need a headache tablet.”

  “You probably need an x-ray. That head of yours was bleeding pretty bad when they dumped you in here.” Nate banged on the door. “Hey. It’s all done,” he said. Nate turned to her and took a seat on the bed. A few minutes passed and they heard the door being unlocked. Jesse walked in and looked at him then at her. He scowled and scooped up the bowl.

  “Jesse,” Erika said.

  “Save it,” he said as he went to shut the door behind him.

  Nate shook his head. “He won’t be swayed again.”

  She nodded. “I just want to get out.”

  “We will.”