by Lee West
She pulled the office safe door open just enough to slip past Brett and the others as they slept. Frank was on watch somewhere in the building. Knowing he and Joe were out there watching over them was the only thing that had allowed her to sleep. Even though they had nowhere else to hide and would never be able to outrun the soldiers, somehow having advance warning of their arrival was a comfort to her.
She stood in front of the windows and marveled at the beginning of the celestial day. The sun’s light formed a brilliant orange line across the sea’s horizon. The remainder of the sky was blanketed in night. The stars twinkled their last song before surrendering the sky to the sun.
“You’re up early,” said Frank, who appeared out of nowhere.
“My body willed me out of the safe. I don’t think I could have taken another minute of the awkward sleeping positions I wrestled with all night.”
“I’m with you. No amount of mattress toppers and pillows could mask the fact that we were contorted on a stone-hard surface. Are the others up?”
“No. They’re all sleeping. I thought I’d give them about another fifteen minutes and then start waking them. We should get out of here sooner rather than later. We’ll need the entire day and maybe some of the night to get to our place. Longer if we’re ducking and dodging all day like we had to do to get here.”
“I wouldn’t count on getting to your house today. We’re barely moving at a snail’s pace.”
“I agree. I’m just concerned about where we’ll be able to hide for the night. We got lucky with this place.”
“We really did get lucky. It’s actually a perfect spot—soldiers searching in the middle of the night aside.”
“That was terrifying, especially after hearing what Meg and Joe witnessed. The thought of them out there using high-powered lights and armed soldiers to load civilians onto trucks bound for who-knows-where is disturbing.”
“Seriously. On that note, do you think we’ll be able to find Mike’s family?”
Nancy glanced down, clearly uncomfortable, then said, “Not a chance. We have no idea where everyone was taken. Besides, even if we did know, how could we find them among the rest of the citizens?”
“I haven’t wanted to say anything to him. I think the thought of finding them is the only thing keeping him going. And who knows? We might get lucky.”
“We might.”
Nancy thought finding his family would be nearly impossible. Even if they found Sharon and the kids, they would need a force to remove them from wherever they were held. Remembering Joe and Meg’s neighbors gave her hope that others were forming a resistance. With enough armed citizens, they might have a chance to reunite the family.
“The streets look quieter now than they have all night. We might have half a chance of getting out of the city without detection.”
“I’m going to the back windows to try to figure out which way would be best.”
“Joe and Meg’s neighbors said we could get to Sherman behind the buildings. I say we start with that.”
“Yes, but that puts us at the intersection of Sherman and Franklin. Where do we go from there?”
“I’m not sure we can really plan that before actually getting out of here. It really depends on what we see out there. I imagine we’ll have to hide wherever possible while moving as quickly as we can.”
“What are you guys doing?” asked Marvin as he walked up to them.
Nancy thought her longtime friend looked every day of his age. The bags under his eyes were deep set and dark. She worried for his health and ability to keep moving.
“We’re trying to figure out a route through the city that won’t get us caught. We think we can get to Sherman and Franklin. After that, we’re in the open,” said Nancy.
“Not necessarily. Roger’s Auto is on that corner. We can make our way across the lot by hiding behind the parked cars. It’s not great, but we’ll manage.”
“I forgot about that place. He’s right. That’ll help. Once we’re there, we can take it to the next spot,” said Frank.
Nancy felt immediately less stressed. Having a plan in place, even an evolving plan, made her feel much better about their chances of survival.
“So this is where the party is!” said Brett, kissing the side of her head.
“Are the others awake?” she asked.
“Yes. Everyone is ready to go. I packed our bags already. I just want to go to the café one more time and load up on more cookies before we leave,” said Brett.
“A man with priorities. I respect that,” said Marvin.
Once the group was ready, Nancy led them down the escalators to level three. Before they proceeded down another level, Joe ran to the windows to check to be sure they didn’t have company. The last thing they needed would be to walk into the soldiers on their way into Ulters. Floor by floor they slowly made their way through the store. Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the storeroom.
Nancy pulled out her flashlight and prepared to head back into the darkness. The storeroom, with its maze of floor-to-ceiling shelves, freaked her out more than the rest of the store. During the day, she would never have thought twice about entering such a room. However, the darkness had a way of playing tricks with her mind. She had visions of basketball-sized spiders and zombies at every turn. She moved as quickly as she could through the long hallway to the exterior door.
She paused and shone her flashlight at the ceiling behind her. She didn’t want to blind anyone with the light, merely to see if they were all still together. Once she was sure the group had recollected at the back door, she gave it a hesitant nudge. Not seeing anyone in the side streets or alley, she burst through the door and ran toward the closest dumpster.
— 12 —
Frank watched as the others ran toward the dumpsters. Once they were across, he checked the side streets one more time and then started to move his group out of the department store. They had almost made it to the first dumpster when he heard a loud whistle. Glancing up, he saw Meg and Joe furiously waving them off. For a moment his mind scrambled, trying to process why they were waving. He hesitated in the center of the alleyway.
Mike grabbed his sleeve and yanked him back hard, almost causing him to fall flat on his back. Mike and Marvin were already inside Ulters when he saw the problem. Soldiers were walking on the side street, heading in their direction. Nancy and Brett could probably see them from their vantage point, but the men were not yet visible to his group.
He dove toward the door and pulled it closed behind him. “Lock it!” whispered Mike from behind him.
“What if they purposely unlocked everything? For all we know, they opened all the doors so they could move quicker through the buildings,” he said in a panicked whisper.
“Maybe, but right now, we need to discourage them from coming into the building,” said Marvin.
With a shaky hand he clasped the deadbolt and slowly turned it to the locked position. Although the door had two more locks, he couldn’t be sure the men weren’t standing right outside the door. One lock was all he was willing to risk. As the soldiers passed the door, they could hear laughing and talking.
One of the men said, “This is it!” Then the door handle moved. The faceless man tried the knob and then started banging against the door with his body. “Fuck it! Damned thing isn’t budging. I thought you said these were left open?”
Someone else responded, “They were supposed to be.”
Frank waited on the other side of the door, listening to their conversation—unsure what to do. The darkness concealed Marvin and Mike, but he knew they were standing close, because he could hear them breathing.
One of the men kicked the door or pushed on it hard with some sort of tool. Then someone said, “Let’s go to the front. We can crack the glass on that side if need be.” The other faceless man responded, “Sarge said not to break anything, just search.”
Frank stood still as a stone and listened. The sound of the men’s conversation gr
ew weaker and finally disappeared.
“Do you think they’re gone?” said Mike.
“I don’t know, and I’m afraid to open the door again. They could still be in the alley,” said Frank.
“You’re right. I’ll run upstairs and check down the alley. From the second-floor break room, I should be able to see everything I need to see.”
“Alright. We’ll hang tight,” said Frank.
“Do you need company? I could walk up there with you,” asked Marvin.
“No, man, I’m good.”
Frank knew Mike was thinking the same thing he was, that Marvin would only slow him down. The man walked slower and more awkwardly than most people. He seemed to bang into things and lose his balance frequently. Frank wondered how the rest of the trip would be for them.
“I hate just sitting here. The others could’ve been discovered, for all we know,” said Marvin.
“I know, but I think we would have heard something. Besides, your friend Nancy would have found a way to warn us.”
“You got that right. She’s one tough old broad.”
They stood for a moment in silence waiting for Mike’s return. Then Frank heard the sound of the men’s voices. He was sure it was coming from inside the building.
“Did you hear that?” he said to Marvin.
“Yeah, sounds like they’re inside the building. I thought it would take them longer to circle the building to the front. Shit! What do we do? Mike’s out there!”
“I don’t know. All I know is that we can’t risk moving. The storeroom is a huge maze. They probably won’t think of walking back here. We should be fine. I’m more worried about Mike.”
“We need to wait until he comes back or we hear them taking him,” said Marvin.
“Agreed.”
The men waited in the dark hallway for what seemed to be an eternity. From their hiding spot, the building seemed as empty as before. The vastness of the department store made early detection of a threat nearly impossible. Frank suddenly realized how lucky they were to have spent the night there without being caught.
Finally, the sound of loud banging of boots on the metal stairs found its way to them. The soldiers were on their way out of the building.
“Sounds like they’re leaving,” said Frank.
“Do you think they got him?” asked Marvin.
“Let’s hope not.”
Frank and Marvin waited, trying to listen for any indication that Mike was still in the building. A few minutes later, Mike emerged from the darkness, flashlight in hand.
“That was a little too close for comfort,” he said as he approached them.
“Holy crap! We thought we lost you!” said Marvin as he hugged Mike.
“Where did you hide?” asked Frank.
“I crawled onto one of the shelves in the bedding department. Then I arranged a bunch of pillows and blankets in front of me. It seemed to work.”
“I’ll say. That was good thinking on your part,” said Frank.
“I borrowed that one from Sharon. When she was pregnant with our first child, she worked at Sattler’s. Her shifts were long and she was exhausted most of the time, so she’d curl up on a low shelf and nap.”
“I could totally picture Sharon doing that, even without being pregnant!”
“Yeah, she was always known as a management challenge. A badge she wore with pride.”
Talk about Sharon reminded Frank of the peril she and the kids must be in. Determination to help Mike find his family quickly replaced the moment of levity. He knew Mike was feeling the same way.
“Don’t worry, man, we’ll find them,” said Frank with a hand on Mike’s shoulder.
After another moment passed, Marvin said, “Was the alley clear?”
“It was. From what I could tell, those guys were on their own sweeping the block. They moved down the street toward another one of the stores. We should be fine leaving here.”
Frank grabbed the handle to the exterior door. With the other hand he gently unlocked the deadbolt and said, “Here goes nothing.”
Mike was right. The alley and side streets were clear. Before leaving the department store, he glanced at Meg and Joe. Joe held one finger in the air, indicating they should wait. He was probably getting confirmation from Nancy and Brett that the coast was clear. Then Joe turned to them and gave them the thumbs-up.
“Here we go, boys!” said Frank in a loud whisper.
The men raced across the empty alley with renewed vigor. The stress of nearly being caught seemed to have jump-started Marvin, who moved faster than Frank would have thought possible. Once at the dumpster, the men canted the large metal box so as to cover themselves from the street’s side view. Frank took a deep breath and willed himself to be calm and focused. They would need all of their resources to make it safely through the changed city.
— 13 —
Joe held Meg’s hand while they raced across the street to the next alley. They ran together because Meg said she’d rather be caught together with Joe than continue on with the others if the authorities grabbed him while they were separated. Although he felt the same way, he didn’t want to do anything to endanger her. Running two at a time through the streets was the sort of unnecessary risk he felt they could avoid, but here they were—sprinting through the city like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.
They reached a dumpster that stood at the edge of a brownstone. The dumpster’s location at the corner of the building and the street did not give them a lot of cover if another round of trucks or men came in their direction. He hoped Brett and Nancy would hurry along so they could advance. He patiently waited and watched the couple as they looked toward the final dumpster in the line. Brett and Nancy hesitated longer than usual, which prompted Joe to stick his head out and scan more of the street. He quickly discovered why they didn’t seem keen on rushing.
A caravan of military trucks sat idling in front of one of the apartment complexes. From his vantage point, he could only see the back side of the truck. Frustrated, he waited for it to move. Meg tapped his sleeve and pointed to Brett and Nancy. Nancy used hand signals to ask if they were watching the truck. Joe responded that they were. It occurred to him that Brett and Nancy could actually see more of the street and probably knew something that he and Meg didn’t.
“Holy shit!” Meg whispered.
The back of the truck suddenly opened and disgorged citizens onto the street. All of the people leaving the truck were men. They wore yellow armbands over their right sleeves. Now he understood why Nancy and Brett were so freaked out. They were witnessing the release of marked citizens. For some reason the military had decided to label citizens with yellow armbands. Confusion and anger replaced frustration as he grappled with the implications of what he had witnessed. The truck drove away once it was empty, giving them a clear shot at reaching the next dumpster unobserved.
“We need to move. Brett and Nancy are through,” said Meg.
“Okay. I’m with you. The farther away, the better.”
Hand in hand, the couple dashed to the final dumpster in the long trail Chrissy and John had set out for them. The next task would be to pick their way through the used-car lot. Brett and Nancy had made it to the other side and were hiding behind various vehicles.
“You ready?” he asked Meg.
“Yes. Let’s give this last truck a minute to clear the area; then we should be good.”
They waited until they were sure the truck wasn’t coming back.
“Okay, go!” said Meg.
The couple effortlessly dashed across the open landscape to the car lot. Once there, they joined Brett and Nancy behind a large passenger van.
“Did you see that?” asked Nancy. “Those people were marked with armbands. What is this, WWII?”
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d be witnessing such a thing on our soil. It’s state terrorism!” said Brett excitedly.
“Why were they all men? That’s what I want to know. What
happened to the women? Where is everyone else?” said Meg.
“I have no idea and don’t intend to find out,” said Nancy.
Frank, Mike and Marvin reached the last dumpster and paused. Joe watched as the three men started to move. They were about halfway to the lot when the sound of a heavy-duty truck reached his ears. He knew immediately that they were in trouble. The truck would be on top of them before they could reach the car lot.
The men made the same calculation and picked up their pace. Everyone except Marvin. The old man tried to run a little faster, but it wouldn’t be enough.
“Shit! He’s not going to make it! We need to do something!” said Nancy excitedly.
“Stay put! If we rush out, we’ll all get caught,” said Brett.
Marvin managed to make it to the side of the car lot’s salesroom. He ran to the wall and stood, waiting for the truck to pass.
“Get down,” hissed Joe. “What is he thinking?”
During his naval training, Joe had learned that occasionally in high-stress situations fellow combatants would freeze. Others in a squad needed to be watchful of their fellow squad members and help them in those sorts of situations. In this case, Joe could only look on with horror as the old man stood frozen in place.
Suddenly, at the last possible second, the door behind Marvin opened, nearly knocking him off his feet. An unseen pair of hands grabbed him and yanked him inside before closing the door just as fast. The door closed mere seconds before the truck rolled by. Someone had saved Marvin from certain discovery.
“What the hell?” said Frank.
“What just happened? Did I miss something? Where’s Marvin?” asked Mike.
“Marvin almost got caught. Someone opened the door and brought him inside the building!” said Nancy.
“What? Who?” asked Mike.
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” said Nancy.
She quickly moved from behind the passenger van to the next vehicle. Glancing over its hood, Nancy stood and then ran to the door Marvin had just entered. Joe watched helplessly as she tried the door, only to find it locked. She knocked on the door, but it didn’t budge. Clearly, whoever had saved Marvin had no intention of letting them all inside their hideaway.