by Warren Ray
Within a minute, Reed’s house came up on the left. All the lights were still on and he was about to run up the lawn when a dark figure moved across the driveway. He kept running past the house and in his peripheral vision saw a man walking across the lawn. He cursed himself for not thinking about guards and stopped up ahead to double back to a set of trees, which bordered the street opposite Reed’s home. He took his time and carefully maneuvered through the dark mass of trees.
Dressed all in black kept Green hidden among the trees as he waited to see how many guards patrolled the grounds. He hadn’t expected it but wasn’t really surprised by it either. The man was paranoid and never went anywhere without an entourage. He didn’t know it extended to his home. He wondered if Pruitt’s death instigated the precaution. It must have made an impact on him. Perhaps the old man finally knew what it felt like to be vulnerable.
The guard paced up and down the driveway probably bored out of his mind. He lit up a cigarette and continued his pacing. Green had begun to wonder if he’d be able to complete his mission tonight when the guard broke his routine and walked around toward the back. Green timed how long it took to complete the round. Forty-five seconds later, the guard came back.
Now Green began to grow bored waiting for another opportunity and was about to call it a night when the guard made another round. He looked at his watch and figured out the man’s schedule. Every thirty minutes he made a round, which took forty-five seconds and there was only one guard.
He sat down on the pine needles and anticipated the next round. The downstairs lights went off and Green could see the old man look out the window before going upstairs. The bottom of the hour was approaching so he stood up and got ready. Green’s heart began to race as the guard set off for another round. He gave him a few seconds before tearing out of the woods and bolting across the lawn to the door. He kept his head bent down with the jacket hood covering his face in case cameras kept watch. He pulled out the envelope and shoved it in the curve of the door handle. He thought about ringing the doorbell but knew that would be foolish bravado. He turned and charged back across the lawn and onto the road. He figured it took fifteen seconds. He quietly got into his car, turned the key, and headed home.
Chapter 41
Detroit Michigan
Two squad cars with their emergency lights flashing raced up Michigan Highway 52 toward the interstate. The cars passed by all the posted guards on the road with ease. It was nightfall and it was impossible to see that the occupants of the vehicles were not cops.
Winters peered through the window with the thought of stopping and killing them out of spite. No doubt the men traveling with him felt the same way, but they had bigger fish in mind tonight in Detroit. They were going to attack the police headquarters and burn it to the ground. The goal was to show the cops they, too, could come in whenever they wanted and strike their house.
Earlier, Winters asked Taylor to rough the cops up and get some information out of them. Taylor didn’t have any problems finding out the code word to use when they were out on the highway for safe passage. He also learned about their manpower and schedules, which were made up of skeleton crews at night. The lightly manned station was perfect for what Winters wanted to accomplish.
He felt better about the mission as they passed the last of the Jijis on the interstate. He took note of how many of them were still there. He didn’t think they would wait much longer to strike the city again.
He leaned back and slouched down a little, as Elliott drove along the open road to Detroit. Scar and Meeks sat in the back and didn’t feel the need to fill in the silence, which suited him just fine. He had too much to think about as the heavy burden of responsibility rested squarely on his shoulders. He had made the mistake and it cost them dearly. Winters stared out into the darkness thinking how Vatter outmaneuvered him. He gritted his teeth thinking how he was about to return the favor.
After much debate with the men, he had decided to take only two squad cars, which meant only eight people were going. He didn’t want to take a chance the spy would see them leave and figured less was better. Plus, they needed the hospital covered by as many men as possible in case they were attacked again. Both Nate and Reese complained about not going and Winters almost relented, but they both looked like hell and he wasn’t going to take any chances on this mission. He only took his most trusted men and, of course, that included Bassett and Burns. Taylor earned a slot for all the interrogations he had been doing and Hadley because he was a former cop, which might come in handy. Amber was the only one who didn’t complain, as she wanted to stay with Reese and Nate and watch over them.
Approaching the city, Winters wondered if they shouldn’t be coming in employing stealth techniques and use their night-vision optics, but exiting the interstate onto Evergreen Road, they found the streets to be empty and felt it was unnecessary. The streets wallowed in darkness because the rationed electricity they received from Canada meant no streetlights.
Hadley explained that the cops closed all the other precincts except for this one. The large brick building had a parking lot in back and was big enough for their operation.
Pulling up to the front of the station, Winters powered up a pair of night-vision goggles and put them on. He looked at the entrance and remembered being there when Captain Cox captured him, Reese, and Sadie in South Bend. He had spent a painful night on a plywood bed in a cell next to the girls.
Elliott drove to the back parking lot where twelve squad cars sat, which gave Winters an idea.
“Park here.”
Elliott put the car in park and everyone stepped out into the night. It was strangely quiet as there were no cars driving around and no buzzing from the streetlights, which didn’t seem right because you knew you were in a big city. With the exception of a few lights inside the building, the place looked dead.
“Whatcha got in mind, Captain?” asked Meeks.
“Grab the empty containers from the trunk. Let’s start by siphoning some gas, can you and Scar get on that?”
“C’mon Scar,” said Meeks tapping his friend on the shoulder.
“Hadley, where are the exits?”
“Besides this back door here, there’s one on the other side there, other than that, it’s just the front door.”
“Corporal, I want your squad to handle the back here. After we shoot out the front door I’m going to use the RPG and blow it all to hell. Something tells me the rats will be heading out this back door.”
“You got it, Captain.”
“Take ‘em down and then we’ll pour gas through the doorway and all around these cars.”
For the next fifteen minutes, they siphoned fuel and filled up their vehicles. Elliott moved the car to the parking lot across the street from the front of the station. He grabbed the SAW, the M249 belt fed machine gun that fired 725 rounds a minute, and placed it on the hood. He then grabbed the RPG and set it next to the SAW.
Winters, Meeks, and Scar hustled over to Elliott and got themselves set up. Scar volunteered to handle the SAW, while the rest used their Colt M4 Carbine rifles.
Everyone flipped their goggles down and lined up. Winters radioed Bassett to get ready. Scar pulled the lever back and held on tight as he squeezed the trigger. The night erupted in strobes of muzzle flash and a deafening barrage of gunfire as four weapons shot their projectiles toward the building. The glass front door shattered into a thousand pieces as rounds ripped through it. Smoke spewed in clouds rising into the night air. Scar finished the belt of ammo and headed back to their ride. The others each emptied a second magazine before joining Scar. Elliott then grabbed the RPG and waited for the go ahead.
Winters surveyed the damage and could see they blew out all the windows. Cops inside were yelling and screaming. Then rapid fire erupted from the back parking lot where Bassett and his men waited. He tapped Elliott on the shoulder and gave him the go ahead.
Elliott stood still to line up a shot and let out a breath before squeezi
ng the trigger. The rocket took off, leaving a flaming tail as it raced toward the entrance and inside the building. The explosion was beyond deafening as it echoed throughout the building and out into the street. Debris and flames blew out in all directions from the windows. Flames danced throughout the building and started to consume everything in their path.
The four men could feel the concussion hit them a second later. They stood there admiring their work for a few moments before getting into their ride to head back to Bassett. Burns met them and reported they took out two cops but could hear more inside.
“Bassett, get a gas can to that back entrance,” ordered Winters. “See if you can pour some of it inside. Burns cover him but don’t take any chances. Taylor, you and Hadley help me pour this gas all around these vehicles. The rest of you cover us.”
Bassett and Burns ran up to the back door. Bassett set the canister down and grabbed the handle. He pulled on it as Burns emptied a magazine down the hallway. Then they poured gas all around the floor inside and emptied it at the entrance. Burns pulled out a match and threw it down. The gas exploded and raced inside enveloping the entrance.
Winters, Taylor, and Hadley scooted around the squad cars pouring out all the gas and leaving a trail out to the street.
“We might want to move our rides first,” said Winters.
“Captain, that’s the best advice you’ve given us tonight,” said Meeks.
Moving out to the street, the men put the final touches on their work by firing at the vehicles. Rounds hit everywhere and ignited the gasoline. Flames raced around its path catching all the cars on fire.
Within a few minutes, flames engulfed the whole building and the men stood there admiring their handiwork. They had extracted at least a little retribution for what the National Police had done to them. They got into their cars and headed back to Jackson.
Chapter 42
Jackson Michigan
Exhilaration coursed through Winters’ body at the thought of what they accomplished making him forget or at least ignore the source of the pain that predicated their actions tonight. His need to justify his part in the deaths at the hospital was immense and difficult to please. He didn’t want those people to have died in vain and desperately wanted to give it meaning. Every loss touched him in some way, but these, today, were the worst as they had been preventable. It wasn’t a rational thought, but he couldn’t help it. He felt Mister Hyde creep back into his thoughts and no matter how hard he resisted, he wanted revenge. The idea of taking out some cops on US 12 was appealing and knew it would be easy to do. The fantasy sent a warm feeling through his body and the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. He finally suggested it to everyone.
It took a second before Scar spoke up. “Sounds great, Captain.”
Winters didn’t like the tone in his voice. “But?”
“Well, Captain, if we do it then we expose the fact that we have these cop cars.”
“So?”
Scar gave Meeks a concerned glare. “Captain, these cars make it easier for us to get the citizens out of town.”
The rationale angered Winters because he knew Scar was right. Winters didn’t respond knowing his voice would quiver in anger at that moment. He tried to let it go, but couldn’t and his mood turned black.
They made it back into town without any trouble and pulled into the parking lot of their makeshift prison. They hid the squad cars around back, got in their other vehicles, and headed back to the hospital.
Scar watched Winters get out of the car and storm inside. He turned to Elliott and Meeks. “Something’s bothering him.”
“He’s taking the attack personally,” said Elliott.
“That wasn’t his fault,” said Meeks.
“Doesn’t matter, he’s in charge, so it’s his cross to bear,” said Elliott.
“Man, that sucks,” said Meeks.
“Yeah, tell me about it. Poor bastard,” said Scar.
They walked inside and found Amber standing next to Reese and Nate who were sitting in wheelchairs.
“What happened? Did everything go okay?” asked Amber.
“Yeah, it went great,” said Meeks.
“What’s wrong with, Cole? He just walked by us like we weren’t even here.”
“I think the day is hitting him,” said Elliott.
“What happened?” asked Reese in a concerned tone.
“After we took out the police station he wanted more blood.”
“Oh, damn,” said Reese.
Everyone turned to her with puzzled expressions.
“We need to check on him,” she said.
“Why?” asked Meeks.
Reese knew exactly what was happening, but didn’t want to have to explain to them about Mister Hyde and how she knew this. They had only shared this with each other.
“Just trust me. He’s not himself.”
“I’ll go check his room,” said Amber.
“I’ll go with ya,” said Scar.
Elliott grew suspicious and headed to the parking lot on the west side. He hurried through the maze of corridors and found the exit. Once outside he picked up the pace and arrived at the old pickup truck just as Winters was reaching for the ignition.
“Mind if I join you?” asked Elliott as he hopped in.
Winters glared at him but didn’t respond.
“Everyone is worried about ya, Cole.”
Winters tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Elliott continued. “These last few days, boy, they’ve, they’ve really been tough, and I know they’ve been even tougher on you. I mean, what with all the hard decisions you’ve had to make, I can’t imagine having to do what you do. Matter of fact, I don’t think any of us can. It’s one of the many reasons why we need you, Cole. You make the hard decisions so we don’t have to. Right or wrong, you still make ‘em and that’s what we need.”
Elliott paused, letting Winters soak up his words, hoping he was saying the right things. “None of us blame you for what happened today. It’s just one of those things that happens in war.”
Winters let go of the steering wheel and turned to Elliott. “I took great pleasure in what we did tonight.”
“Well, we all did.”
“Yes, I’m sure of that, but I took a different kind of pleasure.”
Elliott’s concern for his friend heightened. “What do you mean?”
“A couple of months back, didn’t I tell you about this Jekyll and Hyde thing I deal with sometimes?”
“Ah, I think so, don’t quite remember.”
“Well, sometimes I have this need for revenge.”
“You mean like justice?”
“Oh no, this has nothing to do with justice. There’s no justice out here anyway.”
Elliott didn’t know how to respond and said nothing.
“No, I mean revenge pure and simple. It’s a deep desire that is almost unquenchable, but when I fill it, it’s pure ecstasy. Kind of like letting the dark shine.”
Elliott raised an eyebrow.
“The only problem with revenge is that it is fleeting and then it needs to be satisfied again.”
Winters could see the shocked look on Elliott. “Ever since I watched my friends get murdered back at the train station, I’ve had my own Mister Hyde buried deep within me.” He paused for a moment. “It took me a while to recognize it, and once I did, for the most part, I’ve been able to keep him under wraps, but tonight, hmm, tonight he overtook me and I wanted more.”
Elliott began to see the light. “It’s why you wanted to kill more cops.”
“Yep.”
“So, what happens now?”
“I sit here and try to get through it.”
“Weren’t ya gonna go and kill some more cops?”
“I want to, but I also know logically it’s foolish, so I’ve been sitting here fighting the urge. It’s why I was still here when you found me.”
“Cole, does this happen all the time?”
> “No, like I said, for the most part, I’m able to control it. It’s just that today was such a terrible thing, it really hit me hard.”
“We don’t blame you.”
“I know, but still, it was personal for me.”
“Yeah, I get that. So, does anyone else know about this?”
“Only one person and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Might this other person be, Reese?”
Winters shot him a glance. “How did you know?”
“I’ve seen the way you two get along.”
Winters was surprised he figured it out. “She deals with the same thing only it’s worse for her as you can imagine.”
Elliott let out a scoff. “With what that girl went through, I’m surprised she’s even able to function. I don’t know how she does it.”
“She’s tough and strong-willed, but I’ve had to help her through this.”
“I’m sure you’ve been a big help.”
“Yeah, too big of help I think.”
“Oh?”
Winters didn’t want to tell anyone about his conversation with Reese, but he needed to get it off his chest. “Yeah, she’s ah, developed feelings for me.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Tell me about it.”
“When did you find this out?”
“You know this morning when you found me right here staring at nothing?”
Elliott nodded.
“Just before then.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You afraid what the others might think?”
“That and I’m thirty years older than her.”