Innocent Shadows

by Warren Ray

  Winters took a couple of deep breaths to slow down his rapid heart rate as he waited for the other man to come inside. Finley dropped to the grass and the three girls wrapped their arms around each other. Winters began to lose patience when his prey hesitated to enter the house. The man had a pistol in his right hand and still seemed to be on edge.

  “Lyle, get in there,” yelled Finley.

  “Shut up, Wannabe.”

  “Can’t you see Mickey’s hurt?”

  “I said shut up.”

  Winters decided not to wait any longer and dashed through the backdoor. This guy was nervous and the last thing Winters needed was for him to grab one of the girls again. With the night-vision goggles on he had the advantage, so he snuck around the side of the house. He took a quick look around before turning the corner holding his pistol. The man didn’t notice Winters as he lined up a shot and squeezed the trigger. The man’s head exploded in chunks and the girls screamed in unison before crawling away from the fallen body.

  “You girls okay?”

  “Cole!” screamed Finley, who jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. Laney immediately followed her.

  Winters gave them both a tight squeeze.

  “We thought you were dead,” said Finley.

  “Thank God you’re alright,” said Laney.

  Winters looked at Collette. “Nice acting job.”

  “I poured my heart into it,” said Collette.

  “Listen, girls, we need to get going.”

  Collette hustled inside while Finley ran to get the car. Winters bent down to grab the dead man’s Springfield 1911 TRP pistol. “Nice gun.”

  “Jasper’s got my gun,” said Laney.

  “Want this one?” asked Winters handing her the pistol.

  Laney grabbed it. “It’s too big for me.”

  Winters took it back. “I’ll get that other one.”

  He sprinted inside and yelled for Collette while retrieving the Sig .380 pistol. He bent down and found it inside Jasper’s pocket.

  “Collette, where are you?”

  “I’m in here.”

  Winters entered the kitchen where Collette was using a wet towel to wipe the blood off her arms. She wore a black t-shirt that had the word “Princess” across it making Winters laugh.

  “What?” asked Collette.

  “Your shirt.”

  “But, I am a Princess.”

  “I won’t argue with you, but can this princess hurry.”

  “Almost done,” she said, wiping the final smear of blood off her arm.

  Winters tapped his watch with the Sig and Collette responded with a curt nod before throwing the wet towel on the floor. Winters followed her outside to find Finley in the driver’s seat and decided to let her drive. Collette hopped in the back with Laney, and Winters got in up front and handed Laney the Sig.

  “Get us out of here.”

  Finley couldn’t contain her glee and spun the car around on the front lawn bouncing the car off the curb onto the street. She put the headlights on and zipped down the road out of the neighborhood.

  “Where to?” she asked.

  “Somewhere empty.”

  “Know just the place.”

  Winters turned around in his seat. “So, what happened?”

  “Man, they came out of nowhere,” said Finley. “They were walking here and saw Derek’s car. Then the gunshot went off just as they were asking us, like, why we were in his car.”

  “Yeah, they freaked out,” said Laney.

  “I tried telling them that Derek was, like, next door picking up some weed,” said Finley, “but man, when that gun went off, they dragged us out of the car. I kept telling them Derek was next door.”

  “But then two more shots went off, and that’s when they really freaked out,” said Laney. “They were, like, expecting Derek to come out and help, but when he didn’t they separated us.”

  “Yeah, to use us as protection, the big babies,” said Finley.

  “Oh, but when you came out, Collette,” laughed Laney. “You were, like, all screaming your head off, and Jasper, like, didn’t know what was up. But when he saw your naked butt, man he couldn’t get to you fast enough.” Laney continued laughing for a few moments before catching her breath. “That pervert kept his flashlight right on ya though.”

  “Man, you were so good, even I thought Cole was dead,” said Finley.

  “My school plays finally came in handy,” said Collette.

  “Your first starring role,” laughed Finley.

  Winters turned back around and was starting to get a headache listening to these three girls chatter non-stop. It was bad before, but now there were three of them, and they talked in high-pitched excited tones. Of course, they deserved to celebrate having done what they just did. It wasn’t every day that teenagers, or anyone else for that matter, put themselves in danger as they had done. But then, these weren’t ordinary times either. These girls and their families have been toughing it out under extreme conditions. They endured a long winter while most of the men were away. They’ve had to put up with a gang of thugs taking control of their town and stealing all the food. It left them with little choice but to prostitute themselves to keep their families from dying of starvation. Why more of them hadn’t left town was beyond him, but he was certain they all had their own reasons. It was home after all, and if the government wasn’t able to force them out, why would they let a bunch of criminals do it.

  The one thing Winters did discover was none of them liked what they were doing and had jumped at the chance to help put an end to it. What amazed him was how much the human spirit was capable of enduring in order to survive. He’d seen different levels of it among the Shadow Patriots, but these girls were beyond anything he had seen before. They were kids and still had a pureness that allowed them to remain upbeat despite their ordeal. He liked the way they used the butterfly tattoos as a way to show hope and unity. It was a great symbol to remind each other of their resolve to endure their ordeal.

  He leaned his head back thinking about what had led him here. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that somehow Cara had brought him here. He remembered that she liked butterflies as a kid and would catch them with her net. She’d put them in a jar to observe them for only a little while before letting them go free. The memory sent a shiver up Winters’ spine. Until today, he’d been struggling with her death and was on the verge of giving up. Coming home to Sabine and discovering what was going on here had strengthened his own resolve, and now he knew what he was supposed to do. The weight on his shoulders was becoming lighter and that was easing his sorrow.

  Chapter 25

  On The Road To Sarnia Ontario

  The black SUV, with a full tank of gas, plowed through the dark night as Bassett drove Scar, Burns, Nordell, and Hadley to Port Huron, Michigan. On top of the large Suburban was strapped a canoe. After much discussion, they decided to drive north and paddle across the St. Clair River into Sarnia, Ontario. It was a longer distance to travel, but it was ideal for what they wanted to do. They would have liked to sneak into Dearborn and cross the Detroit River, but the Canadians patrolled the area. There was bad blood between the Americans and the folks in Windsor because gangs from Detroit had been raiding the Canadian side of the river and blood had been spilled. Because of that, Windsor was no longer friendly to Americans. There hadn’t been as much trouble, further north and the environment was still friendly, which made their decision easier. They needed to cross into a densely populated area since they would be without transportation, and Sarnia was the closest city that fit the bill. With the short distance across the river, they’d be able to make several trips to load the Suburban.

  Scar had put considerable thought into whom to take, and despite Nordell’s mea culpa; he still didn’t trust him enough to leave him alone with the remaining personnel. Hadley, the young Texan, would stay with the Suburban to make sure they didn’t lose their ride back, or if anything did happen, he
would be able to go get help. Scar had left Meeks and Badger in charge of organizing groups to replenish their fuel reserves. They would raid the Jiji’s vehicles for gas, which was fresher than the gas found in other abandoned vehicles.

  The whole trip would take a couple of days because they could only cross at night, and there wouldn’t be any stores open until the morning. Once they had supplies, they would have to wait for darkness to transport them back across the river. Scar was a little nervous about their ability to purchase the amount of supplies they needed, but consoled himself with the thought that everything they did get would put them in better shape than they were now.

  Scar found himself dozing off during the two-hour trip. The last 48 hours had been long and arduous. Between trying to stop a lynch mob, participating in a firefight, and dealing with stressed out personnel, he hadn’t gotten much sleep. In his former life, as a business owner, he was used to being stressed and his new role was similar because he still had a lot of different personalities to deal with and problems to solve.

  Bassett pulled into the outskirts of Port Huron, and Burns directed him down to Griswold and Third Street. It was the location of an abandoned YMCA, and the building sat right by the river. The area was desolate enough to conceal the SUV and stealthily launch the canoe after crossing a field.

  Keeping the headlights off, they drove slowly through the streets looking for any signs of life. They weren’t sure of the presence of patrols or if there were any cops stationed there. Before leaving Jackson, they had talked to some of their men who were familiar with the area and were told most of the people had moved south or across the river into Canada as refugees.

  Basset spotted a garage on Griswold adjacent to the Y and stopped the SUV.

  “This looks good,” Bassett said, putting the car in park.

  Both he and Burns stepped out and scanned the area before approaching the small building. Burns jimmied the passage door and vanished inside to open the garage door.

  Scar got out and stretched his legs. He looked around with a pair of night-vision goggles on and then heard the door opening. He watched as Bassett backed the Suburban inside and closed the door.

  “Let's recon the area,” ordered Scar. “Hadley, stay here and watch.”

  They took off in pairs and for the next thirty minutes, scouted the area looking for any sign of trouble. Not finding any, they unloaded the canoe and headed down to the river. Upon reaching the shore, they admired the lights from across the river flickering on the horizon.

  “I’ll bet there’s a hotel over there,” said Burns.

  “A hot shower would be nice,” said Bassett.

  Scar looked at his watch to see it was only midnight. They had hours to kill before they could go grocery shopping. It would also give them a place to stay until it got dark. “I’d be up for a hot shower.”

  Bassett shook Hadley’s hand and told him to keep his head down.

  They hopped into the canoe and started paddling across the river. The closer they got to Canada the more at ease Scar felt with the idea. They’d have access to a phone and could call General Standish or Colonel Brocket. They had plenty of cash, as Mayor Simpson had been able to pool a large amount of American and Canadian money. Scar also carried a couple of Canadian Maple Leaf gold pieces just in case.

  Because weapons weren’t allowed in Canada, they had to leave their M-4’s and most of their gear back in the Suburban, however, they decided to carry pistols just in case trouble found them once again.

  They reached the other side in good time, and Burns jumped out to tie off the canoe. Scar looked around and noticed they had landed in a sand and gravel quarry. He didn’t know if it was still in business but figured it wouldn’t be a busy place either way.

  They headed north into the business district figuring they would run into a hotel. Keeping to the riverfront and ducking whenever a car came into the vicinity; Scar had to remind himself they weren’t in a war zone. It was a difficult thing to overcome, but as soon as they came upon an open grill and pub, all reservations disappeared.

  “A cold one sure would hit the spot,” said Bassett.

  “Yes, it would,” agreed Nordell.

  “Bet they got big juicy hamburgers,” said Burns.

  It had been a long time since any of them had a cold beer or any beer for that matter. The idea was appealing, and perhaps they could make a sympathetic friend to direct them around the city.

  Scar smiled and said, “I’m buying.”

  Chapter 26

  Sabine Iowa

  Winters kept listening to the non-stop talking of the three girls who were now helping him put a stop to the madness in his hometown of Sabine. Listening to the loud chatter of two of them had been tough, but now with a third one added to the mix, it was a challenge. He hadn’t been around teen aged girls in some time and forgot how chatty they could be. He remembered when Cara would have a sleepover and how they had gabbed half the night before going to sleep. Because they lived in a small three-bedroom, their high-pitched had voices carried throughout the house preventing him from falling asleep.

  Finley drove them to a parking lot in back of a school, which was located away from any housing. This would ensure no one would find them there. Before he continued with the mission, he needed to regroup and find where the rest of the scum he sought lived.

  Finley put the car in park and asked, “What’s next?”

  “Where’s that list?”

  “Right here,” said Laney.

  “Can you update it with our latest kills.”

  “Kills, I love it,” said Laney.

  The comment made Winters twitch. What had he created, or at the very least, unleashed? The way she had attacked Randy with the vodka bottle, indicated there was a lot of pent-up rage for sure.

  “Okay, those first four were mine,” she said, as she ran down the list crossing out the names.”

  “Mine too,” said Collette.

  “Not anymore,” laughed Laney giving Collette a high-five. She then looked up at Winters. “Cole, you’ve killed ten so far.”

  Collette’s mouth dropped open “Damn.”

  “No, it’s eleven,” said Finley. “He killed Jimmy Boyd’s wife.”

  “Really?” asked Laney.

  “That bitch was coming at me, and besides, she liked to do threesomes.”

  “Oh, that’s just nasty,” said Collette. “She’s as white trash as they come.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it,” said Finley. “I swear they never brushed their teeth. I mean, c’mon, even if you, like, don’t have any more toothpaste, at least use some baking soda. I mean everyone’s got baking soda.”

  “It’s what I use,” said Laney.

  “Me too,” said Collette.

  Winters shook his head wanting to get the girls refocused. “So, where do the rest of these guys live?”

  The girls looked over the list and after some debating came up with the street names. Winters decided to take out the furthest one first. He figured he could just go in and shoot him. He glanced at the girls debating on whether he should bring them back to his hideout now. They’d been through a lot, even been taken as hostages. He looked at their excited expressions and figured they would refuse. It wasn’t worth the headache they’d give him, besides they may be young, but they were quick learners and quite brave.

  “Okay, let’s go over to Grayson’s place,” said Winters.

  “Oh, that ole boy,” said Laney.

  “You mean, old man,” interrupted Collette. “He’s, like, forty-five.”

  Winters rolled his eyes at the comment and ordered Finley to go.

  She started the car and drove away as Laney and Collette continued to talk about Grayson’s age.

  Laney placed her hand on Winters’ shoulder. “No offense about the old man thing, but that guy just creeps us out.

  “Thank goodness he’s not on my list,” said Collette.

  “Oh, me too,” said Laney. “I mean it’d be creep
y just being naked around someone that old.”

  Finley started laughing. “Cole’s seen me naked.”

  “Oh my God, that’s right, me too, and you Collette,” laughed Laney uncontrollably again.

  “All three of us?” asked Collette in disbelief. “I thought I was the only one.”

  “Cole Winters, you’ve been getting a show tonight,” shouted Finley above the high-pitched laughter.

  Winters’ face burned red and was thankful it was dark out so they couldn’t see his embarrassment. He was never comfortable around girls and even less so when he was their age.

  “I can assure you I didn’t enjoy it.”

  “Wha…whatever,” Laney said, choking on her laughter.

  “Hell, he’s even seen why they call me, Wannabe.”

  Winters buried his head while they busted out laughing and continued to razz him. He wasn’t expecting this, but in a way was glad they were in good spirits. The girls he had rescued from the party house were the exact opposite of these three. Even stranger was their response to watching and helping kill people. It must be such a relief that the killing didn’t have the same effect on them as it would others.

  Finley slowed down as they approached Grayson’s place. He lived in a farmhouse his family had passed on to him. The family was no longer in the area. The parents died years ago and both his sisters had moved to St. Louis. Stephen Grayson had gone through a couple of wives while drinking himself into poverty. He’d sold off all the land but managed to hang onto the house.