The Last Storm

by Jack Hunt

  “I only saw three but there could have been more.”

  “And the doors?”

  “Locked.”

  Without knowing the situation and how many they were up against, it would have been insane to go in. And how would they get in if the doors were locked? Behind him he heard a shuffle and turned to see Scott and Lucas in the doorway.

  “Armed men?” Lucas asked.

  “We’re not going there, are we, chief?” Scott asked.

  “We um…”

  Lucas stepped forward. “We can’t control the situation. If there were more of us maybe but under these conditions… We need to leave. Hopefully tomorrow the water will have receded and we can bring SWAT in from Anchorage.”

  “And what if the water doesn’t recede, huh?” Solomon asked.

  Lucas shrugged. “Not everyone is saved in a disaster.”

  Solomon narrowed his eyes. “Are you kidding me? These are friends, neighbors, good folk we live alongside. I’m not leaving them in that situation,” Solomon replied.

  “You heard him, the place is locked down. Even if we could get in, there are only five of us and three that are trained for these kinds of situations.”

  “I can shoot a gun,” Ted said.

  “And I can cook but that doesn’t mean I’m good at it,” Lucas replied.

  “No one is getting left behind,” Solomon said rising to his feet. “Now there is another way in but chances are it’s submerged below water.”

  Lucas shook his head and walked out of the room. “We are not entering the towers through the school. That underground passage has to be filled by now. Besides it’s close to sixty yards long.”

  “The building is far back and on a rise, there is a chance the water hasn’t filled it yet.”

  “Okay and what if we manage to get in? What’s your big plan then? From what I know all we have is a few Glock 22’s and a couple of shotguns in our vehicles, which I might add are now submerged.”

  “There are more shotguns back at the department, and diving gear.”

  “Oh my God. Chief, c’mon, there are times when going beyond duty is required, this is not one of them. We are talking about our lives here.”

  “Lucas, do you recall what your instructors told you when you were at the academy? Do you remember what you signed up for?”

  “Yes. And I also remember them telling us that our safety was important as well.”

  There was a long pause as they looked at each other.

  “Lucas. I don’t have the time or the energy to sit here and argue with you. There is a job that needs to be done. People need helping. Now if you want to find a boat and get the hell out of here, then by all means, I won’t hold it against you but I’m going in with or without you.”

  Solomon rose and scooped up his duty belt and wrapped it around his waist and secured it in place.

  “And Marty?” Scott asked.

  “Ted, you think you can look after him?”

  “Here?”

  “No, we’ll get you to your boat and then just wait for us.”

  “And what if you don’t return?”

  “If we’re not back by tomorrow morning or the weather gets worse, I expect you to leave, we’ll find our own way out.”

  He nodded and Solomon brushed past Lucas as he exited. Scott and Ted helped Marty down the stairs and carried him above the small amount of water that had managed to make its way now into the first floor of the apartments. Outside, they forged their way through the brutal blizzard and down a steep incline back into the water and over to the tied-up boat. Solomon rolled into the boat and the others kept Marty out of the water, holding him up above their heads until they got him inside the boat. One by one they got in and then Solomon cranked the engine to life and it spluttered out of there. All of them kept their heads low as the wind tried to steer them out across the bay. Solomon gave the throttle a hard twist and the engine’s propeller cut through the water leading them towards a graveyard of boats. They slalomed around many that had sunk, and many that were unmanned until they located Ted’s.

  Many bodies were floating on top of the water. He recognized the faces of the staff of the local donut depot. His stomach sank. On the way across town he thought about what Lucas had said and going beyond the call of duty. Sure, they didn’t owe anyone in this town anything and people would understand if they took off but in some small way Solomon felt responsible — not for the storm but for the armed men.

  His ex-wife, Natalie, had always told him that he put his job before anything else. It was the reason why she walked away, that and the fact that she couldn’t stand to live in a town that was so isolated. She’d grown up in the big city and had always envisioned a life close to her family where she could depend on her mother and father for help, while Solomon had a different upbringing — one in which he was taught to stand on his own two feet and not depend on anyone. Perhaps that’s why he’d excelled in his law enforcement career. Sure, he depended on fellow officers but that was different. Once his shift was over he didn’t have any of them telling him how to live his life.

  He glanced towards Begich Towers that loomed like a beast out of the snowy fog. He couldn’t let those people down. He had enough on his conscience.

  “There it is,” he said pointing through the loose snow that was lifted and blown by the wind. In the distance was a thirty-foot white charter boat with a blue stripe down the side. It had the word Beth on the back, the name of Ted’s late wife. When he wasn’t fishing he was taking tourists around the bay. It was very profitable in the summer. Ted didn’t have to worry about family as his wife had passed away ten years earlier from breast cancer and they’d never had kids. For someone that had experienced loss he never acted like a victim. He was one of the most cheerful guys Solomon knew. Always had a kind word. Always respected the police and efforts made by those in the town.

  Solomon pulled up alongside the boat and killed the engine. Scott gripped the rope hanging to the side of Ted’s boat and Lucas and Ted raised Marty up and onto his boat. Within a matter of minutes both of them were safely onboard.

  “Remember,” Solomon said. “If we are not back by the morning. If the waters keep rising. You get the hell out, okay?

  He nodded. “Chief. Be careful out there,” Ted said.

  Solomon raised a thumb and fired up the engine. They took off heading for the police department to collect more firepower and ammo.

  Chapter 15

  Residents were allowed to go to the bathroom one at a time, anyone who wished to go while someone was using the single toilet had to wait, no exceptions. Jess knew if they stayed in that room they had no chance of surviving. Two of the four armed men watching over the group in the homeowners lounge had been gone for over ten minutes. Something was happening because she’d heard the guy they referred to as Cayden give them strict orders not to leave the room. The other two had closed the door and were out in the hallway. Every few minutes they would open the door and make sure everyone was still sitting on the floor.

  As soon as the door was closed some of them would stand and look out the window and had already begun to discuss working together to overwhelm the two outside.

  “I’m telling you it’s possible,” Ken Rogers said.

  “And so is getting killed,” an elderly woman shot back. “You’re not jeopardizing my life. If we stay here and do as they say, we have a good chance of surviving.”

  “Surviving? We’ve seen their faces,” Ken replied.

  “So what do you expect us to do? We are unarmed,” someone else said.

  “The passengers of Flight 93 were unarmed when they charged the cockpit,” Ken continued.

  “Yeah and I don’t have to remind you how that turned out.”

  “The plane was out of control,” Ken said.

  “This is out of control,” another person added.

  “I’m with you,” Jess said. Ken turned, a look of surprise on his face.

  “Really?”

&nb
sp; “Yeah, I mean what are the odds they are going to let us live?”

  He stabbed the air and turned up his nose at the rest of them. “Exactly!” After, he looked back at her. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

  “Jess Riley,” she turned, “and this is my daughter Hayley.”

  “Jess. Hayley. I’m Ken. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I run the post office on the first floor.”

  She nodded. “So what did you have in mind?”

  “There’s two of them. If we can just get one of their weapons, we stand a chance. If we can overwhelm both maybe we can fight back.”

  “Fight back?” The elderly woman laughed. “Ken, you are fifty years old.”

  “I was in the Navy.”

  “Yeah, scrubbing decks and singing karaoke in gay bars,” she scoffed. “I’ve seen more fight in a Catholic priest.”

  “Ah put a sock in it, Agnes.” Ken pointed to her. “Agnes here is in charge of the local gossip. Ain’t that right, Agnes?”

  She flipped him the bird. For someone who looked over seventy she sure was full of piss and vinegar. Agnes turned her back on him and leaned into a man who was obviously her husband. He had a hearing aid on and seemed oblivious to the dispute.

  “I’m with you,” another woman said from behind Ken.

  He turned and smiled and reached for her hand. “Clara. Thank you.”

  That appeared to be enough to rally a few more in the room to help.

  Clara looked at Jess then back at the door. “So how do you want to do this?” Clara asked.

  “Um,” Ken said rolling his bottom lip under his teeth. He looked eager but confused.

  “He hasn’t a clue,” Agnes said. “You’ll get us all killed. Stupid man.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Ken said before the room went quiet.

  A few minutes passed.

  “I have an idea,” Jess said.

  They huddled around and she explained what she had in mind. There was no guarantee it was going to work and there was a potential it could backfire and they could get shot, but being as the outcome of their situation didn’t look any better they opted to give it a try. At first there was some disagreement but eventually they followed Jess’s lead. A member of the group went to the washroom. Jess approached the door and knocked on it. One of the armed men with a bald head responded.

  “What do you want?”

  “Bathroom is in use. My daughter needs to go.”

  He cast a glance at Hayley who was crossing her legs.

  “She’ll have to wait her turn.”

  “She’s been waiting her turn for the last ten minutes.”

  The guy stuck his head around the corner and then told his buddy to keep an eye on her. Baldy walked over to the bathroom and banged on the door. “Hurry up in there.”

  “Sorry, I have IBS,” came the reply.

  He scowled and walked back. “You’ll just have to wait.”

  “We already have, now unless you want piss all over the floor, just take us to the next apartment. I’m just a woman, it’s not like I’m going to be a problem, am I?” She appealed to his ego. His eyes scanned her as if sizing her up.

  He turned to his buddy, and he shook his head. “You heard what Cayden said.”

  “Mister, I really need to go,” Hayley said, adding fuel to the flames.

  He sneered and jerked his rifle towards the door. “Let’s go.”

  Hayley slipped by him and Jess went to follow and he stopped her. “Not you. Just her.”

  “I’m her mother. I’m not letting her go alone.”

  “She’ll be fine.”

  Jess looked at Hayley. This wasn’t what she banked on. Hayley gave her a reassuring smile and headed down the hall towards the next apartment. The door was closed and from behind her she heard Agnes chuckle. “I told you it wasn’t going to work.”

  The bald guy shoved Hayley forward into the apartment and followed her in, closing the door behind him. She went into the washroom and closed the door, locking it. She pressed against the door for a second and could hear the man light a cigarette. Hayley went over to the toilet and made some noise to make it sound like she was going. She dropped the toilet seat and turned on the tap ever so slightly and then looked around the bathroom for anything she could use against him. Her father had never taught her how to use a weapon, neither had he shown her any form of self-defense. The odds were stacked against her but the one thing she had working for her was the element of surprise. He wouldn’t expect a sixteen-year-old to attack. If she could catch him off guard, maybe just maybe she could get the gun away from him. Hayley sat on the toilet seat and noticed the shower curtain rod. She got up and touched it. It was made of metal and had two rubber ends. Quietly she pulled it down and removed the curtain, then took off one of the rubber ends to expose a flat but sharp end. The rod was around six feet in length.

  She moved it around but then decided to put it back. What was she thinking? He would slap it out of her hand and then beat her to death.

  There was a bang on the door.

  “Hey, speed it up.”

  “Yeah, nearly done,” she replied.

  Her eyes darted around the room. There was a bottle of bleach on the floor. She considered the various ways it could be used to blind him. Spray it in his eyes and… she shook her head. No. It wouldn’t work. She was beginning to talk herself out of it.

  That’s when she looked at the mirror, and an idea came to her. She removed her jacket and placed it against the mirror to deaden the sound and catch pieces. Then using her foot she tapped the flusher on the toilet. It gurgled and made strange noises, and at that exact moment she used her elbow to crack the mirror. She heard a crunch and then felt the mirror give way behind her jacket. Slowly she pulled away, catching a few shards. She didn’t intend to use it herself. But if she gave it to her mother or one of the guys in the room, maybe they could make use of it. Acting quickly she used a piece to cut away some of the thick plastic shower curtain and then tied it around one end of the mirror. Once done she put her jacket on, stuck the shard into the back of her jeans making sure not to cut herself and then unlocked the door.

  “I’m done.”

  His lip curled as he blew out smoke from the corner of his mouth. As she went to move by him he put his arm across blocking her path. “You’re a good-looking girl.”

  She swallowed hard but didn’t look at him. “Thank you.”

  Hayley ducked under his arm and he stuck his leg out. “Hold on. Hold on. Not so fast. What’s the rush? It’s not like there is anything to go back to, is there?”

  She balled a fist. The guy was huge, towering over her.

  “Go take a seat on the bed over there.”

  “I really should get back to my mother,” she said trying to scoot by him.

  The bald guy pressed his hand against her chest forcing her back against the wall. “But I was just about to have some fun.”

  “Please, mister, I’m just sixteen.”

  “In some countries that’s the legal age of consent.”

  “Well I don’t consent.”

  “Oh don’t be like that.”

  He shoved her hard, and she tumbled over onto the floor. The guy removed the rifle around his chest and laid it against the wall and approached her. Hayley started backing up scrambling away, but he caught up with her and grabbed her ankle. “Stop squirming and come here.”

  She cried out as he yanked her leg and pulled her towards him and tried to unbutton her jeans but she fought back. She tugged at them trying to stop him but he slapped her with the back of his hand. He then started undoing his belt. He reached forward and pulled her towards him by her hair and was in the middle of telling her what he was going to do when Hayley reached around for the shard of mirror. Her fingers raked the floor, searching for it. It had fallen out when he’d yanked down her jeans ever so slightly. The guy continued undoing his pants and was leaning over to get near her when she latched on to the mirror and in one smo
oth motion wheeled around and stuck it in his neck. Blood sprayed against the wall, a fine mist which thickened as he let out a cry and yanked it out. Hayley scrambled out from underneath him and stood there horrified as the man struggled to get to his feet. He staggered and collapsed on the bed, gasping in the grip of fear. He tried to go for his rifle and she raced around him and scooped it up aiming at him. She had no idea how to use it other than to pull the trigger.

  But thankfully she didn’t need to do that.

  Blood gushed out his neck and then he collapsed.

  It happened so fast. One moment he was upright, his hand clasped over his neck, his finger gloved in blood, and the next lying on the ground bleeding out.

  Hayley stood there for a second or two frozen by fear. She clutched the rifle in her hand looking down at it like some alien object. It felt heavy in her grasp as she backed up to the door keeping her eyes on the man as if he was going to come alive and attack her. Convinced he was dead, and with her hands shaking from adrenaline pumping through her, she stepped out into the corridor, holding the rifle in the direction of the Homeowners lounge.

  The other guy wasn’t there. He was gone.

  In all the commotion she hadn’t heard what had taken place.

  Until she opened the door into the homeowners lounge, she assumed he was inside, alive. He was there lying on the ground in a pool of blood with several others hunched over him. Her mother turned and saw Hayley covered in blood and gripping the rifle.

  “Hayley!” Jess hurried over and took the gun from her daughter’s hand and laid it on the floor so she could check her. She ran her hands over her arms and body expecting to find a knife or gunshot wound but found nothing.

  Hayley raised her hands. “I’m okay, Mom.”