Scotty and Dom were driving up the West Side Highway listening, in disbelief, to the chatter coming from the radio.
They could tell that John Kelly was exhausted and angry, but was trying his best to get some sort of version of events from Collins.
“Ok, son, you have to take a breath and speak slower. Now what the hell happened out there?”
Collins took a few seconds to answer, probably taking some time to compose himself.
“Ok Captain, I’m sorry. Let me start again. As you know, we were out on our regular nightly patrol, eliminating anyone who was out past the curfew.”
“Yes, alright. I’ve got that part down.”
Collins took a few more seconds before continuing on with his story.
“And then we decided to turn into the park and look around there. We found some more people, some lions, eliminated them and then ...” Collins stopped talking, again.
John Kelly was losing his patience. “And then what?”
“And then we saw her.”
“Can you describe her for us, son?”
“Yessir. She was a girl, a blonde —”
Dom turned his face away from Scotty and winced.
Scotty slammed his fist on the dash board. “You cannot be serious!”
In the base command headquarters John stared at his radio in disbelief.
He tossed down the radio’s microphone. “Jesus Christ,” he said to no one in particular and wiped his brow.
After a moment of radio silence, Collins checked back in.
“Sir? Are you still there?”
Kelly picked up the radio and pressed the talk button.
“I’m here Collins. So you spotted a blonde in the park.” He took a deep breath. “Then what happened?”
Collins stood at the entrance to the subway station. His remaining team spread out on the ground around him. They were soaking wet, bloodied, and still very much in shock.
He closed his eyes and breathed deep before responding to Base.
“She ran, sir. She was fast. So fucking fast. We chased her through the park, but she was good at evasive maneuvers, sir. Really good.”
Collins took another breath before continuing. The next part of the story was going to be as hard for John Kelly to hear as it was for him to tell it. “Sir, she ran to the subway. We got out on foot and followed her in. It was flooded in there. She swam away from us and ... and we tried to follow. But,” Collins paused again. “Then we were attacked by crocodiles.”
There was silence on the other end of the radio.
John Kelly thought perhaps he had heard Collins incorrectly. He turned up the volume on the base radio.
“Collins, did you say crocodiles?”
Collins’ voice came back louder, but he had heard him correctly the first time.
“Yessir, they must have been from the reptile house at the zoo.”
Kelly shook his head in disbelief. “Do we have any injured?”
Collins’ voice cracked when he came back with answer. “Sir, we have fatalities here. We lost half of the patrol. Six of our best men.”
The vein in John’s forehead was throbbing. He swiveled his chair toward his son lying in the hospital bed, sleeping. He knew they were talking about the same girl who had crippled his boy, the same girl who had killed the guards on the bridge and then made her impossible escape. There was no doubt in his mind.
He pressed the talk button on his mic. “And the girl. Did you see what happened to her? Did the crocodiles get her too?”
“We lost sight of her when the crocodiles started attacking the team. Prior to that we hadn’t heard any screaming from inside the tunnel. We had zero warning that the crocodiles were on their way.”
“Alright Collins, get the rest of your team together and come on back to base so we can get them looked at by the Doc here.” And then, “Dom, Scotty are you in the area?”
Dom and Scotty had pulled over their pickup truck to listen to Collins’ version of events. And to drink the last two beers of their six pack.
Scotty grabbed the microphone off the dash. “Yes, sir. We’re on the West Side Highway.”
John Kelly had just two words for them. “Find her.”
NINETEEN
Skyler’s breathing had begun to slow. Finally. For almost a full minute after breaking the water’s surface in the train car, the only sound she had been able to hear was herself, gasping for oxygen, wheezing and gulping as much of the stagnant foul-smelling air her lungs could stand to hold.
For almost a full minute she had been unaware of all other sounds in that train car, her eyes closed, just happy to have oxygen in her lungs again. But now — now she could hear the sound of hissing.
Skyler’s eyes flew open in surprise. Snakes!
The subway car had become the home to hundreds of snakes. Cobras, adders, tiger snakes, every kind of deadly snake imaginable had made this crumpled subway car their den.
Ugh, that damned Reptile House.
She glanced around the train car, looking around for an exit. As she searched she spotted a detached handrail near her position and snatched it. With her Ruger tucked safely in her rucksack, her only available weapon was the combat knife. But it was made for close combat, and she was hoping to keep these snakes as far away from her as possible.
Some of the snakes left their perch and started slithering from their resting places into the water. The hissing sound had become deafening.
She spied a window that opened up to the opposite side of the subway tunnel on the far end of the train car. As the snakes approached her she scooped them up and out of the water with the handrail and tossed them behind her. It was much quicker work than trying to kill every snake that swam toward her. Her progress was slow, but her system was working. She was nearly halfway to her destination when the subway car began to shudder violently.
Earthquake?
Skyler braced herself and looked out one of the windows on the train car. Crocodiles. They were back and looking for her. She needed to get to the other side of the tunnel before the crocs knocked the car out of position thus taking away her only exit point.
She turned back toward the snakes, they too had taken notice of the crocs. Most of them. As the train car shuddered and shifted position Skyler moved fast toward the open window that would put distance between herself, the crocs and the snakes, lifting any remaining snakes out of her way with the handrail and flicking them toward the crocodiles that had congregated at the entrance.
When she finally reached the rear window, she shoved her pack through, took a deep breath and followed after it. She cleared the subway car just in time to watch the crocodiles’ final push, the car shuddered, slid and buckled. Had she not gotten out in time, it would have certainly become her tomb.
She left the snakes and the crocodiles to their turf war and looked north. In front of her was the 96th street subway entrance.
That she had only traveled ten blocks was a bit of a shock to her. Skyler’s level of exhaustion was akin to someone who had participated in an Iron Man triathlon. She swam for the steps leading back up to street level. Once there, she backed up the stairwell keeping a close eye on the water, searching for anything that may have tried to follow her.
Relieved to see that nothing had, she took off her goggles, and turned and headed up out of the subway station and back into the fresh oxygen rich air of the night.
The last thing she expected — and the last thing she remembered seeing — was Scotty’s rifle butt slamming into her forehead, knocking her out cold.
TWENTY
Skyler’s crumpled body lay on the ground with Scotty looming over her, his rifle ready for another strike if necessary. When she remained motionless he nudged her with his foot. There was no response.
He looked up at Dom and smiled. “Get her in the truck.”
Dom nodded and walked over to Skyler. He crouched down beside her and placed two fingers on her pale throat, checking for a pulse. When he found
one relief flooded through him. He gently wiped her hair out of her face and picked her up. He slung her over his shoulder and grabbed her rucksack with his free hand.
Scotty was already in the passenger seat when Dom set Skyler softly down in the back seat. He shut the truck’s door and tossed her rucksack into the pickup’s bed.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and looked at Scotty. “What’s next?”
“Maybe we should tie her up.”
Dom shook his head. “I don’t know, man. You hit her pretty hard. She’s out.”
Scotty nodded proudly. “Yeah I did.” He reached over and plucked the radio’s microphone from the dashboard. “Mr. Kelly is going to be happy as fuck with us.”
Scotty cleared his throat and then depressed the transition button on the microphone. “Mr. K, it’s Scotty.”
A short crackle of static followed and then John’s voice on the other end said “Go ahead Scotty.”
“We got her Mr. K. We’re bringing her in.”
“I knew I could count on you two. Thank you. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for my boy tonight.”
Scotty hung up the mic and took a long swig of his beer. He held the can upside down and looked at Dom.
“Empty. Let’s stop and get a celebratory 6 pack for the trip back to base.”
Dom smiled and nodded. “You got it.”
Old habits die hard, and Dom checked his rear view mirror before pulling out from the curb. In it he could see Skyler was beginning to stir. He made no mention of it to his partner and headed south.
“There’s a spot over on 91st and Broadway that I spotted on the way up here.” Scotty offered.
“91st and Broadway it is, then.”
A few minutes later Dom pulled in front of Barzini, which once was a lovely neighborhood grocery, typical of the upper west side. Now it was, like most places, a mess of broken glass and twisted metal. But, if there was beer to be found, Scotty would brave most any danger to secure it.
He gave the storefront the once over and without looking at Dom he said, “You stay here, I’ll be right back.” He jumped out of the truck with his semi-automatic rifle and headed in to the store.
Dom checked the rear view mirror again. Skyler was still lying on the seat but she was looking back at him.
Her voice was barely above a whisper. “We’re not animals, you know. Three weeks ago your friend Scotty would have been trying to get in my pants.”
Dom looked away from the mirror and shook his head slowly. “We’re not friends. They picked me up on the side of the road in Suffolk County. Maybe an hour or two before we ran into you at that store.”
Skyler nodded slightly. “Then why join up with the militia, or whatever they call themselves?”
“I’m still trying to figure out my next move, really. I don’t plan on staying too long.” Dom looked into the mirror again, the girl was in pretty rough shape. “So, you gonna make a run for it?”
Skyler smiled weakly. “Probably. You gonna stop me?”
“Probably not.”
Skyler tried to sit up, but the pain in her head was excruciating. She lightly touched her forehead and winced.
“Fuck that hurts.” She looked around the back seat. “Where’s my pack?”
“I tossed it in the bed of the truck.”
Skyler groaned. “So shooting him is out of the question. Time for Plan B.”
Dom watched as Skyler reached her hand into the front watch pocket of her jeans. Out of it she pulled a small plastic baggie.
Skyler looked back up into the mirror, Dom was still watching her. “I’m going to need your help one more time, Dom.”
“One more time? You think there’ve been others?”
Skyler nodded. “I know there have been. At 59th Street, I saw you. Giving me a heads up on the radio that you were heading to Brooklyn instead of the GWB. Stalling for time. I don’t know why, but I do know you have been trying to help.”
Dom took his eyes off the mirror and checked Scotty’s progress through the window. He was heading back to the front of the store, making his way through the rubble. “I grew up in a house filled with females. I think of girls a little differently than my acquaintances do.”
“You’re not kidding.” Skyler placed the baggy on the center console of the pickup truck. “Found these in Gregger’s Hummer on the bridge.”
Dom picked up the bag and read the label. “Jesus Christ, Gregger.”
Coming out of the store Scotty kicked aside a piece of shelving that was in his way, getting Dom’s attention. He was on his way back to the pickup truck.
Without taking his eyes off Scotty, Dom asks, “What do you want me to do?”
“Please, just slip him a few of those in his beer. As soon as he’s out I’m gone. I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”
Under his breath Dom answered, “But what if I want to see you again?”
Skyler didn’t get a chance to comment. She closed her eyes as Scotty opened the passenger door to the truck.
Dom reached towards Scotty, offering to help with the beer. “Let me take that off your hands.”
“Thanks my friend!” Scotty handed Dom the six pack and got in the truck. “We need to remember this place, they have a ton of beer in the back.”
As Scotty shut the passenger side door and began wedging the rifle between him and it, Dom removed two beers off of the pack. He opened one and palmed three roofies into it before handing it to Scotty.
“Thanks man.”
Scotty put the beer down in the cup holder and turned in his seat to look at Skyler.
Dom opened a beer for himself, putting it in his cup holder.
Scotty reached into the back seat and poked Skyler in the forehead. “Any movement from this one back there?”
“No man, I don’t expect her to wake up until tomorrow. You really nailed her.”
“Mr. K is going to be so fucking happy to see this stupid bitch.” Scotty turned back toward the front and absentmindedly grabbed the wrong beer from the cup holder. He lifted the can toward Dom.
“A toast! To us! NYC’s most wanted is in the back of our truck. Her reign of terror is over.”
Scotty held up his can in anticipation of a celebratory clink. Dom was frozen.
“It’s not right to leave a bro hanging on a toast,” Scotty chided.
Dom’s apprehension was lost on Scotty. He glanced in the rear view mirror, Skyler nodded slightly.
Dom took a deep breath and put on a fake smile. “A toast it is. To us!”
He picked up the roofied beer and took a small sip. Scotty took a long swig from his and then lifted his can again.
“And to Gregger! My best friend. He has been avenged!”
Scotty held up his beer for another clink. Dom was not happy but he continued on with the ruse.
“To Gregger.”
They clinked beer cans and each took another drink.
Scotty was not done toasting. “And to —”
Dom was absolutely not taking another drink of roofied beer. “I think we should hold off on the celebrating until we’ve brought her in, no?”
Scotty laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s more beer at base, and it’s even cold. Though I’ve kind of grown to not hate warm beer. Anyway, yeah, let’s get the prisoner back to base.”
Dom nodded and put the truck into gear. Scotty popped open the glove compartment and pulled out a CD with the words “Best of Right Said Fred” scrawled across it in black sharpie.
A few minutes later the pickup truck was speeding recklessly down the West Side Highway near the piers. The cd player in the truck was blasting “You’re My Mate!” and when Scotty wasn’t guzzling down warm beer, he was singing along at top volume. At first Scotty didn’t care so much that the truck was weaving back and forth on the road at such a high speed. He chalked it up to celebratory drinking and driving. But eventually, when the ride got a little too erratic, he stopped singing and looked hard over at his fri
end in the driver’s seat. Dom did not look good. At all.
“Hey bro, you alright over there? You’re all over the road.”
That Dom had managed to stay conscious this long was a surprise to him. “I don’t —” he started, but before he was able to finish his sentence Dom passed out. His hands were still on the steering wheel and his foot still firmly on the gas. He slumped over, causing the truck to veer hard to the right at an insanely high speed.
A quick glance out the windshield prompted Scotty to jump into action. The truck and its passengers were careening toward the Hudson River. When he tried to move Dom from the steering wheel Skyler made the most of the chaos of the moment. She sat up and made a grab for the semi automatic rifle that was wedged between Scotty and the passenger’s seat door.
Scotty let go of Dom for the moment, grabbed the rifle barrel and gave it a yank while he screamed at Skyler.
“Oh hell no, bitch!”
Dom’s body slumped forward, but his foot remained on the gas pedal, and the truck’s rendezvous with the river was all but inevitable. Scotty, in a panic, tried to steer with one hand while playing semi-automatic tug-of-war with Skyler. But he couldn’t focus on both, and Skyler took the opportunity to give the rifle another hard jerk. This time she was able to wrest the gun from him.
Without hesitation she pulled the rifle into the backseat and shot Scotty through the back of the passenger seat. He slumped over immediately, his body motionless.
She had no time to do anything about the truck. She braced herself for impact as the pickup truck drove off of the pier and dived into the cold, black waters of the Hudson River. The large hole in the passenger’s side footwell, courtesy of Skyler’s trigger finger, helped expedite the amount of water the truck took on, which, in turn, expedited the speed at which the truck submerged into the river.
Plagued (Book 1): The Girl Who Chased The Shadows Page 16