by Roger Hayden
The biker squirmed on the bed, struggling to free himself. Sweat dripped from the tip of Mike’s nose as he pulled a blade from his belt. He could see the whites of the biker’s eyes stare at the sharp edge of steal in his hand.
Mike brought the knife to the biker’s throat. The edge dug into his skin, drawing blood that trickled beneath his shirt and onto the bed.
“The girls you were talking to your friend about earlier. Where are they?” Mike asked.
What came out of the biker’s mouth was “duck you,” but Mike figured that wasn’t what he meant.
He slammed the knife into the biker’s calf. The blood oozed from the gash as Mike kept pressure on the blade, digging it deeper into the flesh. The biker thrashed on the bed, screaming into the bandana.
“Where is she?” Mike asked.
The gurgling sound of blood and the cutting of meat followed every twist of the knife Mike gave. He could feel the blade scrape along the bone. The biker’s body jerked and convulsed.
“Harrifs ahffice. Harrifs ahffice,” the biker said.
Mike slammed the butt of his rifle into the biker’s forehead, knocking him unconscious.
“Let’s go,” Mike said.
Mike hurried down the steps and crouched behind a car on the street. He looked up at the second floor of the Laundromat, waving his arms trying to get Fay’s, Clarence’s, and Ulysses’s attention.
He saw Fay wave back, and he pointed down the street toward the sheriff’s office. She gave a thumbs-up in response.
“They’ll have guards inside. We’re not detaining this time. You shoot to kill, got it?” Mike said.
“Got it,” Tom said.
Mike was alert. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. His daughter was alive, and he was less than sixty feet away from getting her out.
Then, when Frankie came out of his room and saw Mike and Tom running across the courtyard, everything started to move in slow motion.
“Hey!” Frankie shouted.
Frankie started screaming for everyone to get out of bed. Mike pulled the pistol from his side and fired in Frankie’s direction. When he did, he could hear his sniper team open fire from their position.
Mike kicked down the sheriff’s door, poised to shoot with his finger on the trigger.
Through his sights, he could see Jake with a knife to Kalen’s throat, using her as a human shield. His daughter’s face was bruised and cut. Her right eye was completely swollen shut.
“I knew someone would come for them,” Jake said.
Mike kept his finger on the trigger. He might be able to get a shot off, but it would be risky. Jake had Kalen close. There wasn’t a lot of room for error.
“Let her go,” Mike said.
“I don’t think so. You put your gun down, or I slit her throat right here.”
Mike took a step forward, and Jake dug the blade deeper into Kalen’s skin, making her tense up.
“I’m not bluffing. I killed everyone in this town. One more dead bitch is no skin off my back,” Jake said. “Put the gun down.”
It would only be a matter of time before more bikers came rushing in and put a bullet in Mike’s back, which did Kalen zero good. If he was captured, at least he could be here with her. That was something… for now.
Mike took his finger off the trigger. He lowered the rifle and disarmed himself of all guns, knives, and ammunition.
“Your friend too,” Jake said.
Tom lowered his rifle and put his hands in the air.
“Let’s take a walk,” Jake said.
Ulysses took the first shot, aiming for Frankie, who was running after Mike. He missed only by a few inches, but it was enough to give Frankie time to duck for cover. The next biker who came into Ulysses’s cross hairs wasn’t as lucky.
Fay opened fire on a group running into the courtyard, ducking behind a cluster of stone statues, which she redecorated with some .223 ammo.
Clarence concentrated on the top floor, for any bikers rushing out. He managed to pick one off, before the other realized where the shooting was coming from.
They were in a good position. Any biker who came out of his room was met with a hail of gunfire.
Ulysses was the first to stop firing when he saw Mike with his hands in the air. Kalen was being dragged behind him with a knife to her throat.
“Fay,” Ulysses said.
She stopped shooting. Clarence did as well. Fay glanced through the sights. Jake’s shoulder was in her cross hairs.
“I think I have a shot,” Fay said.
“No, it’s too close,” Clarence said.
Fay took the rifle off the windowpane and ducked behind the wall.
“Hello, friends,” Jake said.
His voice echoed in the street, hanging in the night air.
“What do you want?” Ulysses asked.
“I want you to come down here, guns and hands in the air, and join us,” Jake said.
“We’ve got a good bead on you from up here, so why don’t we do this? You let our people go, we leave, and no one else dies,” Ulysses said.
“No,” Jake said.
Jake pulled a pistol from the back of his shirt and aimed at Tom’s head. A shot rang out and bits of blood, bone, and brain matter exploded out the side of Tom’s temple. Tom’s body hit the floor, and Jake pointed the pistol at Kalen’s head.
“You come down now, or I continue my new paint job of Main Street with your people’s blood,” Jake said.
Ulysses motioned for Fay to creep back from the windows where they couldn’t be seen. Clarence did the same. His voice was a whisper when he spoke.
“I’m going down. You two head back to the cabin and warn the others. Take them to that farm if you have to, but don’t let any of them come into town.”
“Ulysses, if you go down there, they’ll kill you, Mike, and Kalen,” Fay said.
“I can’t let you go down there alone, Ulysses,” Clarence said.
“They’ll kill them anyway if I don’t go down there. If they think one of us got away that means they still might keep us for leverage. They don’t know how many people we have.”
“Ulysses, I don’t like this,” Fay said.
“Just go. Hurry!”
Fay disappeared behind the stores and kept low in the tall grass until Ulysses couldn’t see her anymore.
“I’m with you. Us old guys have to stick together,” Clarence said.
When the two came out front, they both kept their hands in the air. Two bikers patted them down then threw their arms behind their backs.
Frankie had Kalen, and another biker had Mike. Jake walked up to Ulysses and Clarence smiling.
“Where’s your other friend?” Jake asked.
“It was just the two of us up there,” Clarence said.
Jake brought his pistol up to Clarence’s forehead.
“Never play poker, old timer. You’d lose every hand,” Jake said.
Jake squeezed the trigger and Clarence’s body collapsed to the ground.
“Who wants to play next?” Jake asked.
8
Night of Day 13 (the Cabin)
Once Fay had put some distance between herself and the town, she jumped out of the tall grass and started the jog back up to the cabin. She had all three rifles slung over her shoulder, which slammed into her back with every step.
When she heard the other gunshot go off in the distance while she was running through the fields she stopped to look back. She wanted to turn back, help them, but she knew Ulysses was right. She couldn’t do it by herself.
She never let up, even with her muscles cramping and burning; she told herself she wouldn’t stop until she reached the cabin. When she finally arrived, she opened the door and collapsed.
Ray jolted up from the couch at the sound of her entrance, and when he saw Fay on the ground, he yelled for help. Sam was lying on the floor and was the first person by Fay’s side.
Anne came in through the back kitchen door. She rushed toward Fa
y on the ground and helped sit her up against the wall as she took gasps of air, trying to catch her breath.
“What happened? Where’s Mike?” Anne asked.
“They… have him… and Ulysses.”
“Just breathe,” Sam said.
“Did you see Kalen? Is she all right?” Anne asked.
“She’s… fine… Tom’s dead… and someone else… I couldn’t see who though.”
“Jesus.”
“Slow, deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth,” Sam said, coaching her to try to get her heart rate down.
“We need to get out of here now,” Fay answered.
“What?” Ray asked, still propping himself up by his arms, trying to listen to the conversation.
“Ulysses said we should head to the farm,” Fay said.
“The farm with the hunter we’re trading with?” Anne asked.
“Yeah, he said that would be a good place to fall back to.”
Jung came running into the living room, hearing the commotion that was going on.
“What’s happening? Fay, are you okay?” Jung asked.
“I’m fine, but we need to get going,” Fay replied.
“We’re going to Cincinnati?” Jung asked, his eyes wide with relief.
“No, we need to get to the farm,” Fay answered.
Jung shook his head. He stepped in between Anne and Fay, pleading with them.
“If something’s happened, then our best chance is to drive to Cincinnati. We can’t stay here anymore. It’s not safe.”
“That’s why we’re going to the farm, Jung,” Fay said.
“No!”
Jung’s voice thundered through the cabin. His body went rigid, his hands clenched into fists at his side.
Sam’s hand instinctively went to his side arm. Anne saw the motion, and she shook her head. Sam let go of the pistol’s handle.
“We need to get to Cincinnati. It’s our only chance to be safe. We can’t stay here. I need to get Jenna to a hospital.”
“Jung, we ca—”
“We have to! She’s going to die if we don’t. I can’t let her die. I won’t let her die!” Jung said.
“Take it easy, pal,” Sam said.
Fay had never seen Jung like this before. When they were at the airport together, he was always so calm, so collected. He was always the first to help, to volunteer.
“Jung, I know what you’re feeling,” Fay said.
“No, you don’t. None of you have a wife who is dying in the room down the hall!”
Jung pushed Nelson and Katie aside, who heard him screaming, and then slammed the door to his room shut.
“Someone needs to keep an eye on him. He’s going to do something reckless,” Sam said.
“He’ll be fine. He’s not dangerous, and… who are you again?” Fay asked.
“Sam,” he said, extending his hand.
“My wife’s bodyguard,” Nelson said, smiling.
“Hi,” Katie said.
“Katie, this is Fay. She’s one of the people who are staying here with us,” Nelson said.
“Nice to meet you,” Katie said, and the two women shook hands.
“We don’t have a lot of time. The gang’s going to find out where we are. They’ll use Kalen against Mike to make him talk. We need to move,” Fay said.
“Did your husband leave any weapons when he left?” Sam asked.
“Yes, I think so,” Anne answered.
“Sam, what are you doing?” Katie asked.
“I can help. I might be able to get your family back, but I’ll have to move quickly. Show me where the guns are.”
Only one rifle was left. Sam grabbed magazines, ammo, holsters, anything that would allow him to bring as much weaponry as possible without slowing him down.
“You’ve done this kind of thing before?” Anne asked.
“Before I got into private security, I was part of the Seventy-fifth Ranger Regiment for more than ten years.”
Sam clicked the magazine into the bushmaster and started loading some shotgun shells into the pump action 12-gauge.
Anne placed her hand on Sam’s arm, and his rhythmic motions ceased. He looked down at her.
“Thank you for doing this,” Anne said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Anne let go of his arm, and Sam continued getting everything together. He grabbed one of the hunting knives off the table and slid it into his belt. Two 9mm pistols were at his sides, with four backup magazines, and he had a Bushmaster M4 in his hands and the 12-gauge strapped to his back.
“If I don’t make it back, then that means nobody made it,” Sam said, standing in the doorway.
“Well, then come back,” Anne said.
“Katie, Nelson. Tell Sean I said hi,” Sam said.
“Sam, I can’t thank you enough for bringing Katie here, for keeping her safe. I owe you my life,” Nelson said.
Nelson shook his hand, and then Sam was gone. He trotted off into the forest, leaving the rest of them at the cabin.
Jung paced the room. Both of his kids were awake now from the shouting from earlier. His daughter was sobbing from being tired and scared, and his son tried to comfort her.
Jenna was still passed out on the bed. She hadn’t moved for hours. She was still breathing, but her body was burning up. He tried giving her more ibuprofen to help bring the fever down, but it wasn’t working.
He needed to move her now. He wouldn’t get another chance. The only people left here who could try and stop him were Fay and Anne. He knew Nelson wouldn’t be a problem, and Ray’s broken leg put him out of commission.
Jung knelt down to his children. He kissed them both on the forehead, and he tried to speak as calmly as he could.
“Daddy needs to get us out of here, okay? Now, I need the two of you to be brave for Mommy. She’s needs our help because she doesn’t feel well,” Jung said.
“Is Mommy going to be okay, Daddy?” Jung Jr. asked.
His son still had some tears streaked down his cheeks. Jung gently took his thumb and wiped them away.
“Yes, now when I say it’s safe, I want you to come out and follow me, okay? I love you.”
When he checked the hallway, Anne and Fay were still in the living room. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but both of their backs were turned to him. He slid out the door and tiptoed to the basement.
The gun safe was still open. Almost everything was gone. The only thing left was a small revolver at the bottom shelf. Jung picked it up and tried searching through the boxes of ammo. He had to check three different types of boxes before he got the right size that fit in the gun.
It was a six-shooter, so he took the rest of the bullets and dumped them in his pocket. Before he headed back upstairs, he saw a box of zip ties. He grabbed a handful of them, clicked the hammer back on the pistol, and headed upstairs.
Jung kept the pistol pointed in front of him. Anne and Fay didn’t see him until he finally spoke.
“Give me the keys to the Jeep, Anne.”
“Jung… what are you doing?”
“I’m saving my family. Where are the keys?”
Fay started to get up, but Jung swung the pistol at her.
“Sit down!” he screamed.
“Jung, don’t do this,” Fay said.
“I don’t have a choice. Keys, Anne. Now.”
Nelson came out of the room down the hall again.
“What is going on out he—”
Nelson froze when Jung swung the pistol at him.
“Get in the living room, Nelson,” Jung said.
Nelson kept his hands in the air, moving slowly down the hall. Jung made him sit down next to Anne at the kitchen table.
“So what are you going to do now, Jung?” Ray asked, propping himself up from the couch.
Jung tossed Nelson some zip ties.
“Tie Ray up, then Fay.”
Nelson tied Ray’s hands and legs together then fastened Fay to the solid oak table. On
ce they were secure, Jung tossed one of the zip ties to Anne.
“Now, tie Nelson up,” Jung said.
Anne looped the zip tie around Nelson’s wrists, then another one at his ankles.
“Good. Now, where are the keys?” Jung asked.
“They’re in my room,” Anne said.
“Katie’s still in there,” Nelson said.
“As long as I get the keys, then nobody gets hurt. I just want to get my family out of here. That’s all.”
Jung walked behind Anne, staying close enough to where he could easily shoot her, but far enough away to make sure she didn’t try anything stupid.
Katie got out of the bed when Anne entered, but when she saw Jung follow her in with the pistol in his hand she sat back down.
“Don’t move,” Jung said.
Anne opened one of the drawers to the dresser and pulled the keys out.
“Now, you two, help me get Jenna into the Jeep.”
The two women carried Jenna from her bed down the hallway. Jung gathered his kids and led them down the hallway, making sure they kept their eyes closed as he guided them.
Anne and Katie propped Jenna up in the passenger seat of the car. They strapped her in and closed the door. Jung put Claire and Jung Jr. in the backseat.
He marched the two women back into the house. He had Anne zip-tie Katie, then Jung tied Anne’s hands up.
“Jung, listen to me. You don’t know what you’re doing,” Anne said.
“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m doing what your husband taught me to do. Keep my family safe.”
“Not like this, Jung. You’re making a mistake.”
Jung turned to leave, but before he made it to the door, he stopped, turning back to the people behind him.
All of them were restrained. These people helped him. Each of their faces looked betrayed.
“I’m sorry,” Jung said.
“Coward,” Ray replied.
Jung looked at the pistol in his hand. It was shaking. He placed it on the windowsill next to the front door before he left.
When he got in the Jeep, he cranked the engine to life and told his kids they could open their eyes.
“Where are we going, Daddy?” Jung Jr. asked.
“To get Mommy some help.”