“Sure thing, I’ll take care of it stat,” Nelson answered, pulling out a seven-inch knife he had sheathed on his side.
“Let me go with you,” Holloway asked.
“I got this,” Gordon answered, stuffing his pockets with more loaded magazines and double-checking his pistols.
Opening the door again, Samantha stopped him. “Gordon.”
Anticipating her comment he said, “I love you too.”
“Gordon,” she said again.
As he turned to look at her, she said, “Kill them all.”
• • •
Ensuring that he survived the night, he took his time getting to Mindy’s house. Each step he took was careful and calculated. With so much fighting he knew they too were out for blood. When he reached her street he stopped and squatted down to just listen. Taking a moment to listen to his surroundings, he also thought back on what had transpired earlier in the evening. The thought of Jimmy being dead weighed on him, the loss his group would suffer without him would be great. He vowed he would avenge his friend tonight.
His eyes had begun to adjust to the complete darkness. Only his knowledge of the streets kept him going in the right direction. After spending minutes listening to the eerie quiet, he felt confident that he could move. Walking briskly, he made for her house. His anxiety grew with each step; his eyes darting from left to right straining to see anyone. He wasn’t sure how long it took but he finally arrived. He touched the familiar large shrub just outside her house. He took up a position there and listened. The night had finally remained quiet for a long time. The shooting he heard when he left had lasted only moments. It ended as fast as it had started. Not hearing any movement in her front yard, he stood up and walked around the large shrub and into someone.
Startled by his surprise encounter, Gordon reacted by pushing the man away from him. Whoever it was groaned as he fell on the ground. Not taking chances, Gordon raised his pistol and shot toward the man twice. The man yelled out in pain and was moving on the ground. Gordon shot two more times. The man stopped moving and fell silent.
The sound of breaking glass made Gordon move quickly to take cover along the side of the house. Gunfire and yelling now erupted from inside the house. Gordon recognized Mindy’s voice but could not tell whom the male voice belonged to. He wasn’t sure how he should proceed; knowing her floor plan was an advantage but if Mindy was smart she would have blocked off doors and hallways with furniture.
Someone was shooting and it was near the middle of the house, which would have been the living room. Only hearing two voices, Gordon decided he would attempt to enter through a glass door on the opposite side of the house. The glass door was off a side patio and opened onto the formal dining room.
Gordon slowly made his way along the side of the house. Mindy was sounding hysterical inside and was barking orders to the other person in there with her. It took him minutes to make his way to the patio and finally to the door. He first tested to see if by luck it was unlocked. Unfortunately, Mindy was thinking and the door was not open. Gordon’s plan was to shoot the glass out and walk right in. Knowing it was risky, he couldn’t think of another way to get in unless he was going to kick down the front door. Leaning up against the side of the house, he was hesitating. He was hoping the glass would shatter and fall. Not being an expert on glass, he was hoping it would work. He stood and placed his rifle on his shoulder and was squeezing the trigger when gunfire came from the front of the house. This was different, though, it was coming from outside. Gordon hesitated again and took cover. Mindy and her companion were screaming and exchanging fire with whoever was out front. Sensing an opportunity, Gordon changed his plan and went to a side garage door off of the same patio. It too was locked, but when a volley of gunfire erupted from inside he took the opportunity to kick the door in. He walked in and went directly for the door that led into the house. It was locked, but still seizing on the chaos in the house he shot the doorknob and kicked in the door.
“Someone is at the back door!” Mindy cried out.
More unintelligible chatter went back and forth between her and the man inside. Leaning up against the door frame taking cover, Gordon laid down a volley of fire from his M4.
“I’ll get him Mindy, don’t worry,” the man said.
Hearing the man’s voice clearly now he knew who was with Mindy.
“Hey, Max, I would say that there’s not much you can do. You’re surrounded and most of your men are dead, including Dan!”
“Fuck you, you prick!” Max yelled.
“We won’t hurt you, Max, all I want is Mindy. If you surrender I won’t hurt you!”
More gunfire erupted toward the front of the house. Gordon could hear Max and Mindy taking cover.
“Fuck this, Mindy, I’m outta here!”
“Please, Max, don’t; he’s bluffing. We sent thirty men after them tonight. There’s no way they killed them all,” Mindy pleaded.
“You sent thirty and we killed thirty, that’s why I’m here!” Gordon responded to Mindy’s plea.
“Sorry, Mindy, I gotta go,” Max said, standing up and tossing his pistol. “I’m surrendering, Gordon!”
“Walk down the hall toward me!” Gordon instructed him.
Taking out his flashlight Gordon flashed it down the hall so he could see Max to confirm. With his arms raised, Max followed Gordon’s command and walked down the hallway toward him.
Knowing there wasn’t a better time to deal with Max, Gordon stood up and pointed the rifle at Max.
“What are you doing?” Max asked, concerned.
“I said I wouldn’t hurt you, I didn’t say anything about not killing you,” Gordon said, then pulled the trigger twice.
The force of the two rifle shots hitting Max caused his body to fly back and land a few feet beyond where he had previously stood.
Mindy started screaming hysterically. He heard her run from one room into what sounded like the kitchen. Advancing inside, Gordon took up a position just outside the kitchen door.
“Mindy, there’s no way out, my guys are out front. You can’t escape.”
Expecting a response, Gordon was surprised when she didn’t say anything.
“You’ve never been one for a loss of words.”
To Gordon’s surprise, he heard the front door burst open and someone come in.
“Who is that?” Gordon called out.
“Holloway.”
“Roger that, Max is dead and Mindy is holed up in the kitchen!” Gordon informed Holloway.
“I know just what to use,” Holloway said.
A few moments passed; Gordon could hear Holloway down the hall in the family room. There was a kitchen door off of that room too.
“Fire in the hole!” Holloway yelled.
Gordon took cover, not sure what Holloway was throwing into the kitchen. A loud bang echoed out of the kitchen followed by a scream, then silence.
Gordon and Holloway both entered the kitchen from their respective doors. The room was full of smoke as Gordon entered with his flashlight and handgun out in front of him. Both men looked for Mindy but could not find her. They turned their attention on the only other door in the room: the pantry.
“I know you’re in there,” Gordon said, knocking on the pantry door. He had tried to open it but Mindy had locked the door from the inside.
“Gordon, you can take what you want, just let me live,” Mindy pleaded with him.
The desire to blast the door and pull her out kicking and screaming was strong, but he changed his mind.
“Mindy, I’m not going to kill you,” Gordon told her.
With Holloway’s help, they pushed in a large china cabinet from the dining room and placed it in front of the door. Once he felt that she could not escape, he informed her of her situation.
“Mindy, I left you alive tonight so that you final
ly see the reality of the new world we live in. Your good friend Dan let the Villistas know where our pleasant little community was. They will be here any day, and if they find you, you will finally experience what so many have on the outside. When you finally close your eyes and death takes you, remember that it didn’t have to be this way. You chose this path.”
Realizing the truth in Gordon’s words, Mindy cried out, “Let me out, please!”
As he and Holloway walked onto the street and headed back home, her cries and screams grew fainter with each step they took until they could no longer hear them. Gordon knew there was a good chance that someone would release her, but he felt confident that she wouldn’t survive the realities of the world outside her protected community.
• • •
Before going to pick up Simone, Gordon decided to check on his family. Exhausted, all he wanted to do was rest, but the day had only just begun.
“Hi, baby,” Sam said sweetly, greeting him with a hug and kiss.
“It’s done” was all Gordon said. He didn’t want to go into everything that had happened at Mindy’s house. Kissing her, he asked, “How are the kids? How’s Hunter?”
“They’re both asleep in our bed. Hunter is doing better; I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same after tonight.”
“He won’t,” Gordon replied. He paused, then said, “I’m going to go get Simone. I want to leave as soon as the sun rises if that’s possible, okay?”
“Sure thing, babe; we’ll be ready.”
Gordon was very short with Samantha; the night had been long and his strength was waning. As he closed the door behind him, he thought that this would be his last walk to Jimmy’s house. He had walked to Jimmy’s house hundreds of times over the years and now this would be the last. Thoughts of his times in Rancho Valentino came to him in rushes: times of celebration, a birthday party, Easter egg hunting, the Christmas Eve nights walking with his family and looking at the Christmas lights. As he looked at his community now, he saw a broken place. Not only had the houses physically decayed, so had the peacefulness and civility. Life was falling apart all around him and he knew their only chance now was outside the gates and in Idaho.
Jimmy’s death was just the beginning. He didn’t want to admit it, but death now was the norm.
Entering the house through the still-open garage door Gordon got a better look at the casualties from earlier. He only recognized Gerald of the three dead. He stepped carefully inside so as not to fall again. Now that he could see, he saw that one of the bodies on the floor in the hall was Lance Corporal Fowler, his eyes wide open. He reached down and forced his eyelids closed, then pulled his dog tags off his neck and pocketed them. Continuing on into the living room, he saw another dead body. It was the person who had shot at him just hours before. Gordon had many fond memories of this room; just last year they had watched the Super Bowl from here. The memories now proved depressing and he needed to find Simone, so he pressed on farther into the house looking for her.
“Simone, it’s Gordon,” he called out.
No response.
He called out again, “Simone, it’s Gordon; where are you?” Not hearing a response, he ran upstairs to where he had left them. They were not there. He looked in every room upstairs and couldn’t find her.
Then he realized there was one place he hadn’t looked; the backyard. His concerns were put to rest when he looked out the kitchen window. There, he saw her kneeling on the ground next to a shallow, freshly dug hole.
Opening the door to the back, he said, “Simone?”
She did not respond. She just rocked back and forth. He could hear her mumbling words, but they were unintelligible. Walking up behind her, he glanced into the grave and saw Jimmy wrapped in a bloody white sheet. For some reason, Gordon took note that the grave was very wide, wide enough to fit two people.
“Simone?” he said again, this time touching her shoulder.
Jumping at his touch, she turned around.
“Hi, Gordon; you’re just in time. Do you want something to drink?”
“What? Umm, no. Simone, do you want me to help you finish burying Jimmy before everyone comes over for the ceremony?”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” she answered. She glanced back to the grave and stared at Jimmy. Her voice seemed oddly calm and subdued.
“I need to get you back to our house and cleaned up before we come back here for your stuff and Jimmy’s funeral.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she replied. She stood up and said, “Follow me.”
Gordon just looked at her strangely; he had seen shock before but her behavior was different.
She led him to the garage and pointed to a wooden box on the work bench.
“I heard what he whispered to you, so while you were gone I fished it out for you. Jimmy loved to hide things but I always knew about them.” She opened the box and held the lantern above the opened box so Gordon could see its contents. Peering in, he saw several tall bottles and two smaller boxes.
“What is it?” Gordon asked.
“Go ahead,” she said, motioning to the box.
Gordon reached in and pulled out a bottle of Macallan thirty-year-old single malt scotch.
“The other two are the same; the two small boxes are little humidors with Cuban cigars. He knew you’d appreciate this, but wanted to surprise you once we arrived in Idaho. Now that won’t happen,” Simone said, then put the cover back on the box.
“Simone, I am so sorry. I wish I could have made it here quicker—”
“Don’t say any more; you did what you could. It’s just fate. First Mason, now Jimmy; we weren’t meant to survive this for whatever reason. God knows I can’t figure it out, but there’s a reason; it’s either that or we’re just unlucky,” Simone said with a slight smile.
“We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s get you home.”
“Gordon, I’m not going with you. I’m staying here with my family.”
“That’s crazy. You have to come with us.”
Simone placed her hand on Gordon’s arm and said calmly, “Gordon, everything you need from us as far as food and supplies is here in the garage. I took anything you could use and put it out here. There will be no need to go into the house, do you understand?”
“This is crazy talk, Simone, you’re coming with us; I promised Jimmy.”
She grabbed his hand and looked at him deeply. “Gordon, I have lost everything. My life has lost all meaning. What is there to live for? My life was them.”
Gordon pleaded, “Please don’t do this! This is not what Jimmy would want.”
“Gordon, go. Please go. And when you return, don’t come inside the house, do you understand?”
“Just wait, let me get Samantha; let me have her talk to you.”
“I’ve made up my mind; I am very clear about this. Please kiss Samantha and the kids for me,” Simone said. Letting go of Gordon’s arm, she turned and walked inside. He could hear the dead bolt lock behind her after she closed the door.
He was in total shock. He couldn’t move. He stood frozen, staring at the door. Knowing how influential Samantha was, he quickly left to go get her. Simone looked determined but Samantha could help. The sound of the single gunshot stopped him in his tracks. He knew what she had done and wished it could have gone differently. In one night, two of his closest friends were dead, his son had shot someone, and their life in Rancho Valentino was over for good.
USS Makin Island off the coast of Southern California
When the door to the brig opened, Gunny was the last person Sebastian thought he’d see.
“Corporal Van Zandt, stand up! You’re coming with me, shit bird,” Gunny said in his scratchy voice.
Sebastian didn’t hesitate; he stood up and followed Gunny. As they were walking, Sebastian noticed how empty the passageways were. Many question
s came to mind at first but he thought it not worth it to ask. One passageway after another was devoid of life. He wasn’t sure where Gunny was taking him, and the further they walked the more concerned he got. After ten minutes of walking, they finally made it to their destination. Gunny opened the hatch and motioned for Sebastian to exit.
Stopping before he crossed the threshold, he turned to Gunny and said, “Gunny, if you’re taking me out here to kill me, just let me know. I hate surprises.”
“No one is going to kill you, now get your dumb ass out here.”
Sebastian took Gunny for a man of his word and stepped out onto the deck. The sun was attempting to make an appearance, but the clouds and fog were keeping its rays at bay. Looking around, he tried to get a fix on where the ship was, but the fog was too thick.
“Where are we?” Sebastian asked.
“Corporal Van Zandt, I like you. I have known you for over a year and I have seen a squared-away Marine. You’re a damn good sniper and a good NCO, but you let your emotions get the better of you. Do you know what I am saying?”
Sebastian tried to answer, but Gunny continued to talk.
“Van Zandt, I understand your dilemma. I know you look at all the bullshit and wonder what it’s all for. Well, I can say that there’s a lot of bullshit in the Marine Corps. I’ve seen it, but in the end we are an institution of men who come together because we have common values. Now the world has dealt us, meaning the United States, a shit sandwich. Listen, son, the U.S. is fucked, period. I don’t know how it survives this; but just because our country falls doesn’t mean we have to. I know you don’t like the colonel, but he has given us all a chance to make it through this. Now, you could have been a piece in this survival puzzle but no, you had to open your mouth and get stupid. Now look at ya, Corporal. In a nutshell, you’re going to get what you wanted. We are leaving San Diego in a week. Once the last of our men is done gathering their family members, we will dump the garbage, meaning you, on the beach. You will be given a weapon, a few magazines, a few MREs, and some water. Then you’re on your own. What you don’t know is this: you will have two total shit storms to deal with on your hunt for your brother. First, the nuclear reactors at San Onofre have melted down. Second, there is some renegade Mexican militia conquering parts of San Diego. Now, if you manage to make it to your brother’s place, you might find him already dead or gone. You’ll not only have to deal with two fucked-up situations, but you’ll have a million starving San Diegans trying to kill you for a scrap of food. The moral of the story, Van Zandt, is that you should keep your mouth shut. Your chance of survival out there on your own is not high, but let this be a lesson to you.”
The End Page 31