“Holy hell” Roger gasps. “This is pretty dam real. They are going to overtake Chicago.”
“We need out today!” Over exclaims.
“Ok wise guy which way should we go? We could head back to Union Station where all hell is breaking loose, or we could just go to where these fellas came from. Or hell we could try to get through the south side but if you ask me were are safer going back to Union Station than dealing with all the thugs that probably have full reign over their turf.”
“Well we have to do something is just a matter of time till we are found by the wrong people.” Over retorts
“We need to stick with the plan like it or lump it, we have no other options.”
“Wait and see that’s your idea escaping Chicago?”
“Unless you’ve had some big fucking epiphany on how to get us out of here then yes, yes it is. We can see the whole dam skyline from his place.”
“How in the hell do you know that?”
“I’m just fucking guessing Over, now is not the time. It’s the only idea we have; we’ll sit and wait it out. I doubt it can get much worse than what it's about to be.”
A piercing squeal flies overhead and down into the street below about fifteen men are blown into the air as screams of surprise and pain are cried out.
“Positions,” one man screams over a loud speaker as the crowd splinters, men running into different buildings while others continue down the street. We look down the block to see another stream of men similar in size to the one below us.
“Jesus Christ lets hurry up and get to that apartment.” Roger orders.
CHAPTER…
Explosions and near constant gunfire echo in a throng off the buildings. Roger running at a dead sprint we try our best to keep up. Looking to Grace her face plastered with fear. I try to think of some encouraging statement but my fight or flight reflex apparently makes me incapable of any real thoughts.
Sprinting through alleys and a few parking garages we finally make it the six blocks to the man mistress’s place. A crazy tall skyscraper nearing the edge of downtown. Roger making it first to the doors they refuse to budge to his flailing attempts to rip them open.
“What now?” Over screams his voice cracking into falsetto.
“Break the fucking window!” Roger yells in reply running to a parked car he flings the door open.
Over at a dead sprint puts his shoulder into the glass, bouncing off grabbing his neck. “Fucking security Glass,” he bellows.
“I’ll put the car in neutral and roll it in!” Roger screams. I run to the side getting ready to push. Roger grabbing the gear shift like a mad man he tries to force it from park to neutral, snapping it off in the process. A long and winding fuck streams out of the car.
“The trunk! Open the trunk” I yell to him. He hits the button, the trunk lid pops open. I throw the contents one by one onto the ground. A blanket, emergency kit, soccer and basketballs, finally getting to the good stuff. I toss a baseball bat to Over and the car jack to Roger, they sprint to the door as I find a golf club. Our melee weapons doing nothing but bouncing straight off. Get out of the way Over screams as he backs up putting his entire weight into one blow in the center of the glass. The bat immediately bouncing into Rogers’s unsuspecting face. He crumples to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“Ooo, I’m a sonovabitch,” Over cries and runs to his side as I continue my assault on the door. “He’s fucking knocked out!” He yells, the words feel more meant for himself then me and Grace.
Wait… Where the hell is Grace? I whip around and she’s nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?” I yell to Over.
“What? I don’t know, keep at the door Rogers coming back.”
Turning back putting my full weight behind the club towards the center of where the glass has spider webbed. Closing my eyes seconds before impact, but I somehow miss. My club taking a full swing through the doorframe. Falling from lack of impact I self curb stomp my front teeth on the concrete. A discrete taste of copper entering my mouth.
“God you almost hit me!” Grace cries. I look up to her holding the door for us.
“Where were you?”
“I went through the parking garage they didn’t lock the door there.”
“Jesus” I exhale standing to help Roger to his feet, we all shuffle into the lobby.
“Wha, wha... wha happened?” Roger asks lackidazily.
“You got knocked out.” Over tells him.
“What are you talking about?” He slurs, “where am I?”
“Jesus” Over exhales shaking him. “Roger snap out of it!”
Slowly coming to he starts to stand on his own power holding his hand to his forehead. “God my head it killing me.”
“Ya I bet, but where do we go now?” I ask.
We stand silently staring at Roger. The gunfire and explosions muffled but still loud in the lobby. He takes a few heavy breaths spitting a bit with each huff. “53.”
“What? Room 53 I don’t think there is such a thing.”
“No Floor.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” Grace says.
“No it’s room 5373.”
“You really had us run and go through all this to be at the top of a building in the middle of world war three?!” Grace cries out
Roger finally coming around fully. “We’ll be fine, no chance of randomly getting shot, and who in their right mind would blow up a sky scrapper?”
“You’re joking right, like that’s not a serious statement,” Grace asks in disbelief.
“No.”
“Oh, ok I don’t know about you guys but does a little thing called 9/11 ring any fucking bells?”
“These aren’t terrorist, they are Americans both sides are trying to protect the things here, just in different ways. Plus is just apartments it’s not like there is anything valuable to them or critical to either side ya know. Just another obscure building in the skyline.”
“I don’t believe this, they blew up our train!” Grace huffs.
The building starts to shake. The rumbling not subsiding as it did with the explosions.
“What the hell is that?” We look out the front doors as ten FBI ice cream trucks go full speed pass the glass doors. Hiding just in time as they pass us. I look back out to see the twenty or so soldiers sprinting down the street, guns drawn yelling at each other in the confusion of the deafening gunfire.
“Well I’m calling the elevator if any of you want to come with you’re more than welcome to.” Over says, bolting to the row of elevators on the south side of the building.
Hitting the button with a soft ding the doors immediately open.
“Let’s go” I tell Grace; she hesitates then follows me to the door followed by Roger.
We ride up in silence
CHAPTER…
DING… The elevator door opens to a long hallway, papers and clothes strewn down the entire length of it. The power flickers complete darkness enters and leaves in an instant. Disorienting, as if I’ve gotten lazy blinking.
Are you sure we are safe here?” Grace asks.
“Listen we are in a deserted building with tinted windows, as long as we are quite and don’t have any lights on in rooms with windows, we could probably spend the whole war up here.” Roger retorts.
“It’s just, we are eighty floors up. That just does not sound like a good idea. Being eighty floors up in a war zone.” Grace says. “Plus look at this place, seems like they all left in such a hurry that they just left all their stuff behind.”
“We will be fine,” Roger replies. Grace looks longingly at me to take her side.
“I think we will be fine. We can see a lot of the area so we need to we can find out the best way out.”
Huffing in disapproval she turns to Roger. “Which one is it again?”
“The end of the hall next to the stairs.”
The entire building rumbles.
“J
esus what is that, grenades?” Over asks
“Don’t know only heard shit like this in the movies.” Roger replies.
The lights go out this time for a good two seconds. Grace grabbing my hand holding it surprisingly tight.
“Don’t worry we can take the stairs in the morning if the power goes out.”
Reaching the door Roger puts in the code swinging it open. The amazing Chicago skyline peers at us through the glass wall.
“Holy shit this is bigger than my house!” I exclaim.
Grace rushes in, “Jesus Christ,” she yells, “there’s a tiger.”
“What?”
“They have a tiger rug, correction I have a tiger rug.”
I walk in turning the corner to see Grace petting the head of a tiger in the middle of the living room.
“We are so taking this,” she smiles. A loud crack flows through the building followed by a muted rumble. The smile quickly fading from Grace’s face.
“Man that was really close,” Roger says behind me.
“It’s fine they aren’t going to shoot down an entire building,” I encourage walking over and sitting down next to her.
“Ya Miss we don’t have anything to worry about now, just gona have to wait till the government sorts everything out down there.” Roger encourages.
“We shall call him Pumba from the lion king.” I interject trying to change the subject.
“That was the pig’s name you dork,” she says pushing me. “And you might be right it does feel like we are a lot farther from the fighting now.”
“Hey, Roger this guy have any beer?” I ask.
“O I’m sure I can find some.”
Grace rummages through her bag producing her black bowl.
“Ok I think we deserve a fun night tonight. I mean look we’re rich!” I exclaim.
She smiles “fine.”
CHAPTER…
Roger and Over come into the living room with a bottle of champaign bickering with each other.
“Picked the most expensive looking one I could find,” Over tells us.
“Aww no beer I guess it will have to do!” Grace smiles.
“Now can you two settle an argument?” Roger asks.
“Of course.”
“Jesus Christ I swear its fine.” Over exhales
“Now just hold on a minute. This bottle is from the 1920s it can’t be drinkable. It’s just a souvenir, am I right?”
“Roger, I swear champagne doesn’t go bad.”
“Now that’s malarkey almost a hundred years, that bottle is filled with nothing but poison.”
“Let’s move the couches to the window I want to watch the sunset.” Grace orders interrupting what sounds like an old married couples fight.
“Fine, Roger Over you guys wanna help?” I ask as they nod and we move two couches that probably cost more than my house to the glass wall facing the skyline. I plop down on one as Grace sits next to me. Roger and Over taking the other.
“You guys bring glasses?”
“Yep here ya go,” Over hands us two full glasses of champagne.
“We are loading a bowl if you guys wanna take a hit.” I tell them.
“Well sounds like a party!” Over hollers.
“Yeehaa!” Roger exclaims immediately after.
The sun is just starting to set we can just see it over the skyline, its red and oranges bouncing off the buildings.
“This is beautiful.” Grace says.
“It sure is,” Over agrees, “kinda crazy how all the horrible business down there is going on while we sit up here in luxury watching the sunset.”
“O don’t bring that up, was just starting to forget about all that.” Roger whines.
“O sorry it’s just quite insane if you ask me.”
“You know what I just realized we’ve been together all day and I don’t know a thing about you two.” Roger says.
“O yeah well names Will” I say sarcastically holding out my hand.
Roger cracks a slight smile “Roger” he replies shaking it.
“Where are you guys from?” I ask.
“Well I’m from New Hampshire originally and Roger here is from Austin. We’ve been on similar routes a few times and got to know each other over the radio. Just kinda kept in contact, tried to get similar routes and all that. You get lonely ya know being on the road all that time. Plus it makes the trips go quicker when you got someone to talk to.”
“You guys got any family?” Grace asks.
“Had a wife an two kids. Bitch just got up and left one day, haven’t seen her or the kids in bout two years.” Roger replies almost bitterly.
“O dam I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yep, I’ve tried looking for em, got the police knowing that there’s some whore out there with two kids that ain’t completely hers.”
“I’m sorry to hear that” Grace sympathizes.
“Ya it’s a shit show but least I got Over here to talk to about it.” Roger says patting Over on the knee. “He’s helped me quite a lot.”
“Well I’m glad to hear it,” he replies. “Now where’d that bowl go I haven’t hit it yet.”
Grace passes it over me her chest grazing my shoulder. “I’ll be right back gotta use the little girls’ room,” she says jumping over the couch running to the bathroom.
Silence comes over the conversation as we look out onto the skyline.
A streak of Smoke crosses the sky. The building rumbles once again slightly more violently than before.
“Jesus it’s getting closer, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Over sighs.
“I think this is as safe as we are going to get.” I reply, “no way they could take down such a big building down. Not unless it was on purpose at least.”
“RARRR!” Grace pops up over my shoulder legitimately scaring me.
“Jesus Christ!” I yell. Her head falls back laughing hysterically. She’s wearing the tiger rug over her, its head on top of hers.
“I totally got you,” she smiles hugging me from behind her head firmly against mine.
“Barely, you barely got me.”
“O bull, you we so scared, scaredy pants. You pee your pants, scaredy pants?”
“Fuck you.”
“O don’t be like that, look at my new costume it fits so well. It’s a sign I must have it.”
“It does look good.”
“You think? It’s not too intimidating is it?”
“O it’s defiantly scary but I think you can pull it off.”
CHAPTER…
Silence fills the room as we stare out at the skyline. The recording we heard outside Union Station echoing off the buildings softly squeezing its way through the window to us.
“What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?” Grace whispers to me.
Shrugging my shoulder I tell her “We'll look around probable kick in a few doors so we can see all around the building. Hopefully we will see a part of Chicago that isn't being fought over and make our great escape.”
“What if we don't?”
“Well then I guess I have no choice but to use you as a human shield until we're out of the city.”
“Ah very funny,” she responds jabbing me in the side.
“Honestly Grace I’m not going to make any promises you know just about as much as I do but one thing I can say is getting you out of the city is my only concern, and I’ll do anything to get that done.” She lays her head on my shoulder the smell of her conditioner fills my nose.
“Ok I can accept that for an answer” she replies. I wrap my arm around her shoulder pulling her in closer.
“I’ll be back, Imma explore this place a bit.” Roger says jumping over the couch he leaves the room.
“So you guys in school or anything?” Over asks.
“No we just works at a Mcdanald’s right now.” Grace replies
“O well, how’s that?”
“Ha I hear ya. There’s a reason it’s called a job and not play time.”
“Holy shit!” we hear Roger yell.
We bolt up running. “What! What!” Over yells to him.
“Just get in here!” We head down a hallway to the bedroom. Roger standing over an open chest, staring into it.
Walking over I look to see six handguns and two walkie talkies. “Holy shit”! I exclaim.
“Should we take them?” Over asks.
“I don’t see any harm in borrowing em ya know I think we should be protected at least.” I reach down picking the shiniest one out.
“I don’t know” Grace says. “If we get caught with guns don’t you think they would, I don’t know shoot us?”
“Well, we don’t know what’s gona happen. Hell we don’t even know who we should be trusting right now. So I’d say it would be better to be safe than sorry.” Roger retorts.
Grace stoops down inspecting them. “I’ve never even shot a gun before. Never even held one.” She picks one up inspecting it. I kneel beside her.
“I doubt we’ll even use them, but it’s probably a good idea to have them at least.” She doesn’t reply as she stares at the pistol in her hand.
“Here it’s easy” I take it from her. “Here’s the safety you push it up like this to take it off. When it’s off you just point and pull the trigger, it’s that simple.
“It’s not easy when there’s someone on the other side of it.” she points out.
“That’s true but Grace if you’re in the same spot as them you know. If you think you might get hurt you won’t have a choice. With the situation we’re in now there is no reason for any of us to feel bad about the decisions we have to make. We didn’t start this and I’ll be damned if you get hurt over something you don’t have control over.”
Nodding her head she stands back up. Pointing it to an imaginary person in the corner.
“Look here nigga, you the one that’s been slapping my hoes around” she says in a probably very racist pimp voice. A smile cracks my lips.
“There you’re a natural.” Roger laughs. She turns to me her face just delighted at her own joke.
Black Box 86ed Page 10