Innocent Shadows

by Warren Ray

  “Yeah, but Laney, I knew Cole was there, like, the whole time, but you didn’t, I mean you were so awesome to do what you just did. You’re the brave one here.”

  Winters stood up. “Girls, believe me, you’re both incredibly brave. This isn’t even something a lot of guys can do.”

  “Seriously, Cole, you’re not just saying that?”

  “Oh, no. You two remind me of a couple of girls who fight with me and believe me, they’re both bad assess.”

  “You hear that, Laney? We’re a couple of badass chicks,” said Finley in an excited tone.

  Winters wanted to get out of there and head to the next place. He looked over at the sleeping girl, who still hadn’t moved. He would need to get her to safety before going after his next target.

  “Finley, can you wake her up?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Well, give it a try, okay? Cause we need to get out of here.”

  Laney grabbed her things and ran to the bathroom while Finley attempted to wake the girl, whose name he hadn’t learned yet. He now had three passengers and decided to take one of the vehicles in the driveway. He’d have to take the sleeping girl back to where he was staying and have Ashley look after her for the night. In the morning, he’d have to find out where everyone would want to stay while he took out the remaining bad guys. The faster he moved tonight the less difficult it would be to take out the rest tomorrow. He considered hiding the bodies, but there was so much spilled blood to clean up that it wouldn’t be worth the effort.

  “Blair isn’t waking up.”

  “Okay, I’ll carry her then,” said Winters learning the girl’s name. “We need keys to one of those cars. Can you help me?”

  “Yep.”

  Winters trotted down the hallway and rifled through the bedroom looking for keys. He knelt down beside the dead bodies and went through their pockets coming up empty. He found Derek’s pistol, a Sig Sauer .380, on the dresser and put it in his jacket.

  “Found ‘em,” yelled Finley.

  Winters headed back to the living room where she handed him the keys. They were to a blue four-door Impala, which would be perfect to get them out of there. He heard Laney come out and saw she was dressed in jean shorts and a checkered pattern tank top. He hadn’t realized just how small she was until then. She looked dainty and underfed, which surprised him since she had been able to do what she had just done. Finley’s extra three inches over Laney made a big difference. She also had small butterfly tattoos on the side of her leg. Winters hoped it wasn’t some kind of a slave brand.

  After picking up Blair and putting her in the back seat, Winters went back inside to finish off Owen, who still hadn’t died yet. He didn’t want him to somehow survive and tell the tale.

  Winters powered up his night-vision goggles and drove the Impala back to where he left Ashley and her daughter. The two girls chatted non-stop about what they just did and how much they wanted to keep helping. Winters wasn’t too sure he should involve them any further, but both continued to work him over.

  “We won’t get in the way, and besides, we know who everybody is,” pleaded Finley.

  “And you could use the lookouts,” said Laney.

  Winters shook his head knowing he was about to give in to them. Their pleading reminded him of when Cara would work him over. He had a weakness for her wishes and always gave in when she was younger. He decided to make it conditional, however, because he wanted to know about the butterfly tattoos.

  “Alright, I’ll let you guys come along,” said Winters.

  “Yes,” said Laney from the backseat.

  “I swear, you won’t regret it,” said Finley.”

  “But.”

  “But what?” asked Finley.

  “First ya gotta tell me about the butterfly tattoos.”

  Laney leaned forward. “That’s easy.”

  “Yeah,” said Finley.

  “They’re a reminder for us,” said Laney.

  “That we can, like, have a rebirth when all of this is over and leave all of it behind us,” said Finley.

  “And…to not give up hope that it will end,” said Laney.

  “Yeah, and something tells me we’re gonna have our rebirth tonight,” said Finley.

  “I’m already feeling it,” said Laney, grabbing Finley’s hand.

  “Me too. I mean, it’s like we’re already starting to come out of this disgusting cocoon that we’ve been, like, locked in.”

  “Right,” said Laney, “it’s why we want to help you. It means everything to us to help.”

  “Does everyone have them?” asked Winters.

  “No, not everyone, just some of us,” said Laney.

  “A friend of ours did ‘em. They’re not fancy, but we like ‘em,” said Finley.

  “Well, I like ‘em too,” said Winters. “A good reminder to hang tough and to stay united.

  Winters leaned his head on the backrest absorbing everything they said. They had great attitudes and looked forward to the future figuring their current situation wouldn’t last forever. They were hopeful and in the country’s current situation, sometimes hope is all you have to rely on.

  They arrived back at the new hideout and Ashley was happy to look after Blair and any others that might be arriving tonight. He kept the visit short and ushered his new fighters back into the car. He was glad to learn Laney knew how to shoot. Her father had taken took her hunting at an early age, and she had done considerable target shooting as well. Winters handed her the Sig Sauer. She did a proper check of the weapon when he handed it to her much to Finley’s amazement. Finley was the more athletic of the two and played soccer. She also loved watching football, which was why she wore a yellow Iowa football jersey.

  Winters headed back to town toward their next target and took a right turn just as a pickup truck sped past him. A shock zipped through his body when he looked in the rearview mirror. The truck had stopped and Winters was supposed to do the same.

  Chapter 20

  Jackson Michigan

  Bassett was running behind schedule for getting tonight’s operation together. He hurried down to the cafeteria to grab something before heading out again. He chose a ready-made sandwich and coffee then sat down to eat.

  He thought about Scar’s suggestion that they take Nordell with them tonight. Scar had told him the man apologized for what happened this morning at the executions. Bassett took a bite of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich before washing it down with some coffee. Of course, if Nordell came with them, it would ensure he wouldn’t have a chance to cause any more trouble here. No telling what could happen if all the leadership was gone.

  Nordell was proud and perhaps thought he was better suited to command than Scar. While Bassett had no doubt about the man’s experience and capabilities, he didn’t have the same rapport with the men that Scar had. He was still too new to everyone and besides; he had held a gun to Winters’ head when he first came on the scene. This was not something you forgot. While he had made up for it over the past week, some of the men didn’t care and didn’t trust him, and now that he had been the ringleader this morning, he would be even more distrusted.

  Bassett finished his sandwich and headed outside. He exited the hospital and looked across the parking lot for his SUV. He noticed the old Chevy pickup Winters had been driving still sitting in the parking lot with the windows down. He hoped Winters would find what he was looking for back in Iowa. Bassett’s mind drifted to his own family who were in Florida. After the Chinese invaded California, his parents took his two younger sisters down to Fort Myers where his grandparents lived. They had a home right off McGregor Boulevard, which ran along the river with easy access to the Gulf of Mexico.

  Bassett had just come back from a tour in the Middle East and was only able to visit with them in Yoder, Indiana, for a couple of weeks before he received orders to report for duty at the Rock Island Arsenal, in Rock Island, Illinois. This was unusual as he was in the 101st Airborne Division and ther
e was no active army unit he was aware of at Rock Island. Besides, the Army had been shipping most of its soldiers out west to fight the Chinese. The orders had given Bassett pause making him question why they were putting a unit together in the Midwest. Not trusting the new government, he suggested to his parents that they get to Florida while they still could. His mistrust of the government proved right and he was thankful they headed out of the area when they did. There had been a Patriot Center in Indiana and many volunteers had reported to it, of course, they were all now dead.

  Bassett jumped into his vehicle and started it. As he pulled out of the parking lot, Major Green came to mind. Before being assigned to Rock Island he had never met the man, but quickly recognized him to be a stand-up soldier and was grateful he had been picked to help with the cause. Thinking back to their assignment in the Midwest now, it didn’t add up, but at the time with the country in the throes of chaos, it seemed plausible. The government wanted citizens to join the military, making perfect sense then because there were bands of marauders roaming the countryside killing innocent Americans. It was a sickening feeling to discover you were part of an evil plan to kill the volunteers. It was a just cause when Green killed Colonel Nunn. He never came right out and admitted it, but everyone knew he had done it and didn’t care. They were all glad he did it and would no longer have to be a part of the slaughter of patriotic volunteers. Bassett shook his head knowing the guys were reassigned out west and no doubt were at the front lines because they knew the truth about the Patriot Centers.

  Chapter 21

  Sabine Iowa

  There were pros and cons of driving without headlights. The pro was no one would see the car unless they drove right by it, which was also the con. Winters didn’t expect anyone to be driving around and was surprised when one sped by without him noticing it beforehand. The truck had stopped, so knowing it was expected, he did the same. The truck didn’t back up and was waiting for Winters to move. With no other vehicles around it would be normal to approach each other’s side windows, which meant he’d be having a shootout. The last thing Winters wanted to do was shoot someone here. It would be loud and could possibly draw unwanted attention, which would also alert their targets that something was wrong.

  “That’s one of them,” said Laney.

  “If he sees me, I’ll have to shoot him, which I don’t want to do here.”

  “I’ll go talk to him.”

  “You sure.”

  “Yeah, I know him.”

  Winters didn’t like his options but this needed to happen fast. Before he could give the okay, Laney jumped out of the car. Winters turned to the rearview mirror and watched her run to the truck. She was talking and laughing with him. The occupant put his arm out and started to paw at her, which made Winters take a troubled breath. Not seeing any other passengers inside the truck Winters decided to take him out.

  “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “No, Laney seems to have it handled.”

  Laney noticed him approaching and kept talking to the man. Winters jotted around to the other side of the pickup and could hear his voice through the open window.

  “C’mon Laney, I’ll be real quick.”

  “You know I want to, but Derek is over there waiting for me.”

  “That douche-bag isn’t even on your list.”

  “Neither are you.”

  “Yeah, but he doesn’t have what I have.”

  Winters had heard enough and pulled out his knife before he opened the door. As he jumped in, the startled man turned his head. Winters backhanded the knife into his stomach before pulling it out and slashing his throat. The man moaned before his head hit the steering wheel.

  Winters pulled him over to the passenger side before getting out and walking around the front of the truck.

  “You did good.”

  “Wasn’t sure what to do at first, but then remembered I’ve got what he wants.”

  “Never forget that, kid,” said Winters, getting into the driver’s seat. He put the truck in gear and looked across the street. “Do you know if anyone lives there?”

  She looked over. “I don’t think so.”

  Winters drove it into the driveway to the very back of the house before turning the truck into the yard. He got out and jogged back to Laney who was waiting for him at the end of the driveway.

  “If someone does live here, they’ll be in for a heck of a surprise in the morning.”

  They got back inside the Impala and Finley began asking them questions.

  “That was Brian Beckett,” stated Laney.

  “Really?” asked Finley in an excited tone.

  “Yep.”

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s one of the dirt bags in charge,” said Finley. “As a matter of fact, he’s Billy Gamble’s, right-hand man.”

  Winters nodded in pleasure knowing he just knocked off one of their head guys. The night was turning out very well.

  “What did you say to him?” asked Finley.

  “Told him I was with Derek and he had his lights off cause he’s stoned. This is Derek’s car by the way,” said Laney.

  “Good to know,” said Winters.

  “What happened next?” asked Finley.

  “Oh, he got all handsy feeling me up, and, like, wanted me to come with him. But then I saw Cole getting out of the car, so I knew I wasn’t going to have to put up with him much longer.”

  “Hell ya, that was sweet,” laughed Finley.

  Winters put the car in gear and continued to their next destination as Finley and Laney talked about what just happened. The two chatterboxes never seemed to settle down when they were together.

  The next stop was at a big house where Eric Pendleton lived. Before the country collapsed, he worked at a convenience store and could never have afforded such a house. However, he appropriated it months ago when the owners had left town. When Winters pulled up, he recognized the house since he’d been in there many times. The Williams were old friends and had left for Florida.

  Winters parked the car on the side of the road. With no streetlights, it was easy to disappear into the darkness. He looked around the quiet neighborhood through the night-vision goggles and didn’t see anyone moving about.

  “Is there anyone else in there?” asked Winters.

  Laney leaned forward from the back. “No.”

  “You know this for sure?”

  “Yep. He’s on my list and so are those others,” Laney said, pointing to three other houses.

  Winters took out the list of names and handed it to Finley. “Do me a favor and check off the ones we’ve already eliminated.”

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “Add to the list.”

  “Oh, yeah, of course,” said Finley.

  “Do you need help?” asked Laney.

  “Either of you guys know how to drive?”

  “I do,” said Finley.

  “Get in the driver's seat and be ready to go. Laney, keep that pistol close by, okay? Remember, red is dead.”

  Laney nodded.

  “I shouldn’t be too long, but if trouble comes your way, honk the horn one short beep, okay?”

  Winters scrambled across the road and entered a home he knew quite well. Dave Williams was a co-worker and often hosted poker parties here. He had retired before the country fell and had planned to move to Florida for some time. His two sons had joined the service before the war out and were now in the fight. He and his wife had left before winter set in and didn’t appear to be coming back.

  Winters checked the door to find it unlocked, which did not surprise him. A lot of people in the area never locked their doors and with so few people left in town, why bother?”

  He stepped inside and listened for a few moments before climbing the staircase to the master bedroom. He entered the room and found his next victim sound asleep. He approached the sleeping man and without hesitation, sliced his throat. Confused eye
s looked up before they went blank.

  Without ceremony, Winters climbed back down the stairs and shut the door behind him. He looked across the street where the two girls waited for him in the car. He was glad they had come along and had already been a big help. Their knowledge of who everybody was and where they lived was saving him a lot of time. So much so, that he might be able to take everyone out in one night. He entered the next house, which belonged to another couple he knew, but he didn’t know where they ended up after the collapse. The back door was open, and Winters again made quick work of the sleeping occupant.

  The third house was more of a challenge because he had to force the back door. His heart started beating faster when the door creaked open. He stepped into the kitchen and took a moment to scan the room. Dirty dishes littered the countertop with discarded freeze-dried food packages mixed in.

  Winters found two bedrooms empty before locating his next victim who was also sleeping, but with headphones on. The music was still playing when Winters approached the man who looked to be in his early forties. He shook his head at him before putting his knife to work. Like all the others, he assumed a surprised look and then nothing.

  Winters exited the house and ran across the lawn to the next one. He looked at his watch before entering the unlocked back door. It was just approaching one in the morning, which wasn’t too bad, all things considered. After all, he had already taken out half of the group, and still had four or five hours left.

  Entering through another kitchen, he noticed this one was cleaner than the last one. He cleared a couple of rooms downstairs before hearing voices coming from the upper level. He took his time climbing the steps. Winters didn’t know how many would be there but assumed at least two, a male and a female. He reached the door at the top of the stairs where candlelight spilled out into the hallway and then a female began to whimper.

  Chapter 22

  Manassas Virginia

  The evening air was cool enough for Green to have the windows down as he drove out to Manassas, Virginia. He and his mother were on their way to meet with their secret group. The wind carried the scent of pine trees into the car as they traveled along the quiet road that traversed through the thick woods.