by A. American
“You guys need to get the hell out of there!” Bob screamed into the phone.
“Were fucking trying. You see all the damn fire?” Carlos shouted back.
“Yeah I do. Look up.”
“What?”
“Look up, dumbass.”
Bob was looking down when Carlos leaned away from the building to see him.
“What the hell are you doing up there?”
“When I saw the guy with the AK, I came up here in case you guys needed some help.”
“We don’t need any help. I told you to stay out of it. Are you armed?”
“What fucking good would I be if I weren’t?”
Daniel hit Bob. “Gun!”
Daniel’s warning was immediately followed by a volley of shots, causing both men to jump. The riot police on the road began to scatter, looking for anywhere to take cover. At the same moment, almost as if it had been coordinated, a half dozen flaming tires came rolling down the road towards the besieged officers. From below, the AK was answered with return fire. Most, but not all of the crowd that had reformed farther down the street, began to scatter once again. Those that stayed began to rush the police.
Bob looked over to see Carlos firing a handgun. Daniel was looking at the shooter across the road. He could plainly see the man, and then he looked at Bob who was looking down at Carlos, and finally at the Warhog in his own hands. He charged the rifle.
“Carlos, you want us to take him out?”
Two officers were down in the street, Bob watched as Carlos looked at them, then at the shooter who saw him and switched his fire to the back of the truck.
“Carlos, dammit, we can take him out!”
“Take him out. Shoot, shoot!” Carlos shouted into the phone.
Bob looked up at Daniel as his rifle barked. Daniel fired round after round about a half second apart. Bob looked across the street to see the shooter sprawled on the ground. Another person tried to grab the AK and Bob dropped his phone and quickly engaged him, felling the man with two shots. The others began to try and take cover. A milk crate full of cocktails was sitting just far enough back that Bob was able to put rounds into it, spraying the flammable liquid in a wide area.
Bob ejected the mag in his rifle and dug through the bag, pulling out another with red tape around it, jammed it into the rifle and began firing at the spreading pool of gas. The tracers streaked across the street. On the third round, a ball of flames and thick black smoke erupted.
Both men stopped firing and watched the smoke rise. The others on the deck across from them were running for the exit, rounding the corner and heading down the ramp, out of sight. Bob was brought out of his trance by the sounds of shouting on the road below. Looking down, he could see officers helping their fallen to the truck. The crowd had fallen back farther down the block, probably as a result of the gun fire. Carlos looked up and gave Bob a wave. He waved back just as Carlos climbed into the back of the truck and shut the door. It quickly started to move, heading back the way it had come.
But the rioters on the street were trying to capitalize on the moment. They were rushing headlong at the retreating officers. The LRAD opened up again, to little effect. One of the other trucks that came up to provide support began to fire numerous rounds of CS gas in rapid succession. But this too had little effect. These were professional agitators; and they were wearing gas masks and hearing protection.
When the gas and LRAD had no effect, the truck changed tactics and quickly drove towards the approaching rioters. Once in range, it suddenly emitted a thick orange stream from a nozzle mounted to its roof. The sticky pepper spray worked and stopped them in their tracks. To make sure no one tried to assist them, an officer stepped from the truck with a handheld launcher and fired several canisters onto the road behind them before quickly getting back in the truck.
These weren’t gas canisters. They emitted a small cloud of smoke but there just wasn’t enough volume to gas. Some protestors were running to the aid of those stricken with the sticky foam. As they got to area where the canisters landed, they halted in their tracks, covering their mouths and noses; and then they retreated the way they had come. Those still fighting the foam were stuck and had to endure the overpowering stink of the Skunk bombs. It also makes a very effective area denial weapon because, once deployed, it can linger for up to six weeks and only be neutralized with a proprietary soap.
Daniel and Bob soon discovered the power of the weapon from their rooftop position when the odor, carried by the urban wind currents created by tall buildings and narrow roadways, took it up to them.
Bob coughed and covered his face. “What the hell is that?”
Daniel buried his nose into the crook of his elbow. “Holy hell. What is that? Smells like a cross between something dead and shit.” He was backing away from the edge of the wall, trying to find relief.
“That’s just God awful!” Bob shouted as he ran for the opposite side of the parking deck. But Daniel took a minute to reflect on what had just happened.
Daniel stood there gawking at the scene across the street from him, at the man he had just killed. The man was sprawled out, like someone in the middle of making a snow angel, only the body was on fire. He was jarred back to reality by his phone ringing. At first, he didn’t notice it. The vibrating is what finally got his attention. Plucking the phone from the clip, he looked at it and was confused. He shook his head and looked again. It was his home number on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Daniel?”
“Yeah. Who the hell is this?”
“It’s Teague.”
“Teague?”
“Yeah, your cousin.”
“How the hell did you get in my house?”
“The door was open. Hope you don’t mind that I let I myself in.”
Daniel had to think about that for a minute. He was certain he had locked the door. It would be stupid to go out and not lock it.
“Uh, yeah, sure. What are you doing in town?”
“Just bumming around. Thought I’d drop in and see ya. When you coming home?”
“Don’t know. Things are a little… weird at work today.”
“I bet. Been watching the news. Looks like the shit’s hit the fan downtown.”
Daniel looked back across the street. “You have no idea. Just hang out. I’ll call you when I’m ready to head home.”
“Cool. I’ll be here, drinking your beer.”
Daniel ended the call, hoping there was somewhere he could buy some beer on the way home, because he damn sure was going to need a drink after today.
“Who was that?” Bob asked.
“My cousin. Just came into town.”
“He sure picked a hell of a time for a visit.”
“Yeah. Well, he has never been real bright. We grew up together. Spent all our summers together tear-assin’ around the woods. Ya know, just being kids.”
“Let’s head back to my office.”
Daniel slung the carbine over his shoulder and suddenly felt sick. He leaned on the edge of the parapet. His head spun and his stomach was in knots. Suddenly, he knew he was going to be sick and leaned forward and puked over the side. After emptying his stomach, he was wiping his mouth when Bob asked, “Feel better?”
Looking at Bob, Daniel replied. “Don’t know what happened.”
Bob lit another cigarette. “First time, huh? Happens to everyone the first time.”
“First time?” Daniel asked, unsure exactly what Bob was talking about.
Gesturing with the cigarette towards the other side of the street, Bob replied. “Killing someone. Happens to everyone the first time. Well, almost everyone. Come on. Let’s get back to my office so you can sit down.”
When they walked in, Andy was replaying the
video of the shooting. He had caught on to what was happening and had trained a camera on the top deck of the garage. Daniel glanced at the screen, then looked away. The scene playing over and over in his head was bad enough. He didn’t need to see a live action replay. Bob walked by without noticing the video. He went straight to his office, and Daniel followed him. Bob leaned his rifle by the door in his office before sitting down behind his desk. Daniel leaned his rifle by the door as well, and sat in one of the office chairs.
Bob snatched a coffee cup from his desk and observed the bottom of it with dried, crusted coffee. He wiped it out with the tail of his tie, then set it down on the desk and repeated the process with another. Opening the bottom drawer of his desk, he pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker blue label and poured two fingers in each cup, handing one to Daniel.
Daniel took the cup and looked at the little brown bits floating around in the amber whiskey. Fuck it, he thought, and tossed the Scotch back. He followed it with a hard exhale and looked at Bob.
“Damn, that’s good. Thanks, I needed it.”
Bob tossed his back and bared his teeth. He looked like a werewolf. Picking up the bottle, he poured another in each cup. “You need another.”
Daniel didn’t even hesitate this time, though he only downed half of it in the first swallow, actually taking a moment to savor it. He motioned with the cup at the bottle. “Must be nice having that in your desk.”
“Conditions are what you make ‘em.”
“I guess. Couldn’t pull that off downstairs.”
Bob smiled as he lit a cigarette. “Who’s going to search me?”
Daniel looked out towards Andy, sitting at his console. The video of the shooting was gone and he was panning the exterior cameras around.
“Wonder how things are going outside? I’d like to get the hell out of here if I could,” Daniel said.
“Let’s go see.”
At the moment, the street was relatively clear. The mobs had dispersed. Fighting tear gas and clubs is one thing, but taking bullets was more than most of them bargained for. Once the powerful funk was added to the concrete canyon, they lost all desire to fight.
“How’s it look, Andy?” Bob asked.
“Looks like the animals have returned to their cages for now.”
With much effort, Daniel stood up. “Bob, I’m going to take off. I’m sure your cop buddy will want to talk to me. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Bob stared at the monitor for a moment, rubbing his chin then looking at his watch.
“Go ahead. Go home. You too, Andy.”
Andy spun around in his chair. “You sure, boss?”
“Yeah. You two get gone while the gettin’s good.”
“What about you?” Daniel asked.
“Me? Oh, I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things. There are still guys in the building, so I’ll be alright.”
“Alright then, I’m outta here,” Daniel said.
Andy leapt from his chair. “Me too.”
“Before you go, Daniel, come in here,” Bob said as he walked into his office.
Bob opened the top drawer of his desk and took out a business card and handed it to Daniel. “If you have any trouble, I mean any with the cops, give them this card and call me. Call me before they get to you if you can. This time, don’t forget.”
Daniel looked at the card, Lt. Carlos Delgado, Atlanta Police Department. Complete with office, fax and best of all, cell phone numbers. He stuck the card in his pocket and headed for the door.
“Hey, when you coming back?” Bob asked.
Daniel stopped at the door and scratched his head. “Dunno. Do I even need to come back?”
That caught Bob off guard. He shrugged his shoulders before replying. “Well, ya got me there. Just keep your phone handy in case I need to get in touch with you.”
Andy and Daniel left the office and walked down to the garage together. Andy was parked on the first floor of the garage and Daniel’s van was on the top floor.
“Be safe,” Daniel said as they headed for the stairs.
“You too, man.”
Andy headed down and Daniel went up, taking the stairs two at a time. When he came out of the stairs on the top deck, he went over to the wall and looked over the side at the street. It was empty, like creepy empty. Looking down, he pushed empty shell casings around with his foot. It was surreal, shooting at someone in downtown Atlanta and no cops showing up to slap cuffs on him.
Daniel hopped into the van and headed for the exit, tires squealing as he wound his way down through the decks. Andy was already gone and the security door was closed when he got to it. As he approached it, the door began to open. He knew Bob was up there watching the cameras. He stuck his arm out and waved at the camera as he pulled through and onto the street.
Daniel was very nervous as he drove towards home, remembering his last ride through town. To try and calm his nerves, he turned on the radio. The radio blared news, telling about the riots around the area. The shooting was not mentioned at all. He thought that was a little odd; but then without the media being able to move around the streets, it wasn’t too surprising. He couldn’t take the constant talk of riots, looting, shootings and general mayhem. Those depressed him, so he switched to the MP3 player connected to the stereo.
He wasn’t in the mood for rock, and settled on Mumford and Sons instead. Before the first song was finished, he saw the entrance to his apartment complex ahead and relief washed over him. Pulling into his spot in front of his building, he shut off the van and sat there for a moment, looking around and listening. He was nervous as all hell, not that there was any obvious danger at the moment. It was simply becoming a way of life it seemed.
Before getting out, he dug around in his bag and found his flashlight. With the light in one hand and his pocket knife in the other, he got out and headed for his apartment. As he went up the stairs, he had the key ready and stuck it in the deadbolt as soon as he reached it. Daniel quickly opened the door and froze in his tracks. He was staring into a giant black hole; at least it looked giant from where he stood.
“Oh, sorry dude. Didn’t know it was you,” Teague said as he lowered the pistol.
“Asshole, you scared the shit outta me!” Daniel shouted.
“Sorry, cous. It’s a little scary out there right now.” Teague replied as Daniel stepped past him into his apartment. Teague stepped out of the door and looked around before closing it.
Daniel went straight for the fridge. He needed a beer. He opened one and took a long drink, downing half the bottle. When he lowered the bottle, Teague was just standing there. Daniel set the bottle on the counter and looked at Teague.
“What the fuck, man?” Daniel asked.
“Sorry, dude. You been out there? It’s scary.”
“If you only knew.”
From the back of the apartment a voice called out. “Is it safe?”
“Who the hell is that?” Daniel asked.
“Shit, forgot. Yeah, come on out.” Teague called out.
Daniel leaned forward to see who was coming and saw Christy as she rounded the corner.
Her face lit up when she saw Daniel, and she quickly moved towards him. “Hey, babe. I’m so glad you’re here!” She shouted as she wrapped her arms around him.
With a beer in one hand and Christy’s arms around his neck, Daniel looked at Teague with raised eyebrows.
“She jus’ showed up, cous.”
Christy pulled back, then quickly leaned in and kissed him.
“I was worried about you. The news is saying there was shooting near your office. Is everything ok?” Christy asked as she looked him over.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go sit down. I’m beat.”
The three of them went into the living room. D
aniel sat on the couch and Christy fell into it beside him. Teague flopped into the chair, putting his feet up on the coffee table. While he wasn’t bothered by Teague’s feet on the table, the number of empty beer bottles on it did get his attention. The TV was on and a local news anchor was going on and on about the violence around town as well as around the country. Atlanta wasn’t the only place falling deeper into chaos.
Daniel squeezed Christy’s thigh. She looked up and smiled. “I see you’ve met my cousin Teague.”
She smiled back at him, then looked at Teague. “Yeah, I came by and surprised him. He scared the crap out of me.”
Teague shrugged. “Sorry, didn’t expect anyone.” Pointing at Daniel, he added, “He said he was going to call when he was headed this way. Lucky I was here.”
“Yeah, I was really lucky he dropped by since I left the door unlocked.” Daniel replied. Then he looked over at Teague as he took another pull off the beer.
“What? You really need to pay more attention, especially right now.” Christy replied.
Teague just smiled. “Indeed.”
“Well, what brought you out to Atlanta?” Daniel asked Teague.
“He’s wandering.” Christy replied.
“Wandering, huh?”
“Yeah, just wanted to get out of Michigan for a while. Figured I’d better do it now before there’s nothing left to see.”
“That shouldn’t take long considering the way things are going right now.” Daniel replied. Then he asked, “How’s everyone doing up there?”
Teague looked at the floor. “Good, everyone’s good.”
“Hmm.” Daniel replied as he finished his beer.
“I’m starving. You got any food?” Christy asked.
“Don’t you remember the epic grocery haul from the other day? Take a look and see what you can find.”