by Harley Tate
No Service.
With no one to see and no one to hear, Midge didn’t hide the sob. She let it out. She let it all out. Hot tears raced down her cheeks, one after the other, dotting the corners of her lips with salt and dripping onto her shirt. Everything she’d been through these past two days paled in comparison to what was to come. How could she get her mother to safety? How could she reach her sister to tell her where to go?
Midge hung her head and wailed, emotion coursing up from the depths of her soul and out through her eyes and lips and nose.
“Midge? Is that you?”
She jerked her head up. Danny stood in the doorway of the room, borrowed flashlight in his hand. She wiped at her face. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“What are you doing in here? I woke up and you were gone. Scared me half to death.”
“I’m sorry. I just needed a minute.” She used her filthy shirt to clean up her eyes and cheeks. If they ever reached civilization, she would burn it.
As she scrambled to stand, Danny eased into the room. “What is this place?”
“The rest of the fallout shelter, I think.” Midge used her phone to light the floor in front of her feet and closed the distance between them.
He ran his hand over the cots. “Too bad these are no good.”
“Everything in here is ancient. Probably from when the place was first built.”
Danny reached for her hand. Up close the dark circles under his eyes looked like bruises. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded.
“Then let’s go back. Tito’s ready to hand out breakfast.”
Chapter Fifteen
MIDGE
Tuesday, 8:00 am CST
The Heritage Arms Apartments
Gary, Indiana
“Something has to be done.” Mark crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “We can’t all just stay here and starve.”
“That’s why I’ve called this meeting,” Tito said as he looked around the room.
Midge shifted as she sat on the now-empty table. Two days of waiting had almost driven her insane. The fifteen remaining people, newborn included, huddled in a lopsided circle near the door. They had finished off the last of the water and the scraps of food the night before. Morning hunger combined with the stench of a bucket-turned-bathroom in the hall and the stain of Mikey’s blood all over the concrete was enough to put even Tito on edge.
He cracked his knuckles. “We need to figure out our next steps.”
“Someone could go out and bring supplies back,” Gretchen suggested. “Maybe it’s safe to go out now. Didn’t someone say it was the first two days that were so important?”
Mark agreed. “One or two people could go on an expedition and bring back what they can.”
“And what will everyone else do?” Jack shifted next to Cassandra while April slept in his arms. “Just wait around?”
Mark frowned. “There’s no sense in all of us going if it’s still dangerous.”
“But you’re willing to send someone else?” Cassandra’s voice picked up and April squeaked. “So you’re too important to risk your life, but one of us, we’re expendable?”
“That isn’t what I said,” Mark snapped back.
Jack made a move to stand, but his wife waved him off. She lowered her voice. “He isn’t worth it.”
Midge smiled to herself. Cassandra had that right.
“Daddy, I want to leave.” Emily pinched her nose. “It’s stinky in here.”
Jacob smiled at his daughter. “I know, sweetie. But we need to make sure it’s safe.” He glanced up at Danny. “You’re the one with the knowledge, right?”
Danny squirmed beneath Jacob’s stare until he couldn’t take it anymore. “I took a class last year on World War II, but I’m no expert.”
Jacob pressed. “If we leave now, will we be all right?”
“From what I remember, and again, my memory’s a bit hazy, I think the worst is over. If we had a bigger supply of food or water, we might want to last a bit longer down here, but—” He paused and cleared his throat. “From what I can tell, there’s no real ventilation on this level. If we stay in the shelter too much more, we might run out of clean air to breathe.”
Gretchen gave a start. “You mean oxygen?”
“Pretty much. Without a transfer of air from somewhere, we’re on borrowed time.” He glanced at Midge. “I think if you’re willing to take a chance, now is a good time to go.”
Tito clapped his hands to cut off any further discussion. “How about we put it up to a vote? A show of hands for who’s staying and who’s leaving.” He stood and eased into the middle of the group. “I’ve got a bit of food up on the main floor that I didn’t have time to bring down here when the bomb detonated. Those who want to stay are welcome to share it with me. How about you identify yourselves?”
As people raised their hands, Tito turned in a circle, counting Mark and his family along with the two older women.
“And who wants to leave?”
Jacob and his family raised their hands, along with Danny, Midge, Jack, and Cassandra.
“All right.” Tito nodded his approval at Danny. “If we have anything that you all need on your journey, you are welcome to it.”
Danny smiled in return and the coiled ball of tension that had built inside Midge for the last two days unfurled. They were leaving.
Finally.
She wasted no time, standing up and slinging her laptop bag over her shoulder before anyone else even thought to pack. Danny helped Jack and Cassandra gather their meager things. Thanks to Tito, Cassandra had borrowed clothes to wear and the baby had a stack of dishtowels to use as diapers. It wasn’t ideal, but better than nothing.
Midge dug her fingernail into her palm, too anxious to wait. All she could think about was Bethel and Beatrice and whether they survived the fallout. At last, the Grandes were ready and Danny headed for the door. Midge caught him by the arm. “What about the carriage? If the horses are all right, we can’t fit everyone.”
Danny glanced back at Jacob and his wife and daughter with a frown. “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. They might not even be alive.”
“If you all are ready, I’ll help see you out.” Tito smiled and stuck out his hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Danny.”
Danny took the older man’s hand and pulled him in for a hug. “You, too.” His voice cracked on the words and Midge saw him snuff back unshed tears.
The ordeal with Randy and Mikey hit Danny harder than it had Midge and she’d not been there when April was born. She appreciated the bond between the two men all the same.
Danny stepped back. “I wish I could repay you for your kindness.”
Tito smiled. “You have, my friend. And then some.”
Midge focused on the floor while Danny and Tito exchanged a few more hushed words. Part of her wished she’d opened up like Danny had with Tito, but that wasn’t her style. She didn’t let people in. She kept them out. Her black hair fell in her face and she kicked at a scuff on the floor.
“Everything okay?” Danny’s fingers lifted her hair and he bent to catch her eye.
She smiled despite herself. Okay, maybe I let one person in. She nodded and together they headed toward the door. Danny yanked it open.
They made their way up the stairs single file and into the storeroom. Cassandra almost squealed. “Eeew. What is that smell?”
Midge laughed out loud. “It’s the horses!” She rushed across the space to a stamping and whinnying Bethel. “You’re alive! You made it!” She held her palm out and Bethel nuzzled it, searching for something to eat. Beatrice leaned in, expecting a reward, but Midge had to disappoint them both. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any food. But we’ll get some, I promise.”
“What on Earth?” Tito stared at the carriage and the horses, mouth open in shock. “You never said you rode here.”
Midge sobered. “Their owner died helping us escape Chicago. We promised him we would
look after them. Tito, meet Bethel and Beatrice.”
Tito approached the horses with caution. “Well, I never.” He ran a gentle hand down Bethel’s back.
“You said you have more food. Anything the horses could eat?”
Tito thought it over. “I think so. I stored some bags of oats a while back. The good uncut ones that keep longer. They’ll eat those, right?”
Midge had no idea. “Worth a shot.”
Tito pointed across the room. “The locker is back around the HVAC.” He fished out his keys. “Help yourself.”
She wrapped her fingers around the keys and held his hand for a moment. “Thank you.” He deserved more than a couple of words, but it was all Midge had to give.
“No problem. Now go find that food.”
Midge took off, darting around myriad pipes and ductwork before she found the locker tucked away in a concealed corner. As she approached, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. The doors stood wide open, most shelves empty. Midge rushed forward. A hunk of rebar lay on the ground near a smashed lock and an empty bottle of water.
Tito wouldn’t have left the locker like that, not if he gave her a key. Midge spun around. Was someone else in the building? She squinted into the recess past the locker. Is that a sneaker?
Midge pulled out Max’s gun. One bullet left. She eased forward, rolling her boots silently across the floor. As she neared, a man’s slumped-over body came into view. Randy. Midge swallowed. So Tito had killed him after all.
A single bullet wound to the kid’s temple showed her all she needed to know. If Randy wasn’t the one stealing the food, who was?
Laughter rang out from back toward the entrance and Midge took off, racing past the open locker for the main area. She needed to warn everyone that they weren’t alone.
She popped out from behind the HVAC just as a figure emerged from the shadows. She blinked. Was it Tito checking up on her? Danny?
Midge slowed her approach. No. It wasn’t either man. It was a stranger and he held something long and solid in his hand. A pipe.
The man raised it above his head as Midge raced forward. Tito stood oblivious, laughing and pointing at the horses. Midge opened her mouth to shout, but she was too late. The pipe crashed down against his skull and Tito crumpled to the ground.
Chapter Sixteen
DANNY
Tuesday, 9:00 am CST
The Heritage Arms Apartments
Gary, Indiana
Danny whirled around. What the—?
One second, he’d been focused on the carriage, about to climb up and check on his backpack, and the next, everything went haywire. A man stood over Tito’s crumpled body, hands rifling through his pockets.
“Stop!” Danny surged forward. “Get away from him!”
The man lifted his head. “What you gonna do ’bout it?”
Danny lifted his shirt to show off DuBois’s gun.
The man stood up, slow and determined. His shoulders obscured most of the room. Even from a good distance away, Danny could make out the tattoo running up his neck: Affiliated. The man held a pistol tight in each hand. “You really wanna git in competition with me, boy?”
Danny swallowed. Even if he could guarantee his shot would hit his mark, Danny doubted he could fire before the stranger. They might both die or his shot could go wide and he would leave the rest of the people in the room defenseless.
Danny flicked his eyes to the right. Cassandra and Jack huddled behind the horses with April pressed tight to Cassandra’s chest. He scanned to the left. Midge was still in the back, looking for the locker.
He couldn’t risk dying and leaving them defenseless. He lowered his shirt.
“Good thing you got some sense.” The man shoved one gun in his waistband and bent back down toward the floor. He flipped Tito’s body over and dug another gun out of a pocket. As soon as he saw it, his entire demeanor changed. Gone was the bravado and bad attitude and in its place, pure rage. A string of profanities shot from his mouth as he held the gun up for Danny to see.
“Yo, man, this is Randy’s gun.” He stalked toward Danny, a question sparking in his eyes.
“It could be anyone’s.”
“No, it’s his.” The vein on his forehead pulsed and his neck muscles tightened. “It’s got his mark on the grip.” He shoved the gun under Danny’s nose. “You the asshole who killed my brother?”
Oh, no. This walking menace was Randy’s brother? Danny forced a swallow and lifted his hands in the air. “I didn’t do anything to Randy.”
“What’s going on?” Jacob and his family cleared the stairwell just as Randy’s brother caught sight of them.
“Was it you?” The man roared the question as he spun around to face Jacob. “Did you kill him?”
Jacob shuffled his wife and daughter behind him and held up his hands. “I-I didn’t kill anyone.” He stammered and looked first to Danny, then to Tito’s body on the floor. “We’ve been down in the shelter for two days. I swear.”
The thug eased closer to Jacob. “I found my brother’s dead body back there by the food locker. Someone in here killed him.”
“It was Mikey.” Jack’s voice echoed from across the warehouse. “He killed your bother. Said it was a turf war and the Fresh Boys were going to win.”
Danny couldn’t believe Jack would be so brave. Cassandra trembled behind him, trying her best to shush April. The newborn mewled and cried and Cassandra whimpered in fear.
Randy’s brother spat on the ground in disgust. “Fresh Boys took him out? I don’t believe it.” He turned back to Tito’s body on the ground. “I bet it was the old man. Always had a hard-on for Randy. Callin’ him a punk and a no-good banger. I bet he took ’im out the first second he could.”
He kicked Tito in the stomach and his body shook from the force. “He’s the one with Randy’s gun.”
Danny took a step forward.
The man’s head shot up. “Oooh, lookie there. I’m right, ain’t I? You got a soft spot for the old man?” Randy’s brother grinned and Danny’s blood iced over. “Let me show you what I think of that.”
Before Danny could say a word, Randy’s brother lifted his thick-soled boot and stomped on Tito’s head. Bones crunched and broke. Cassandra screamed. Emily, Jacob’s little daughter, began to cry.
Danny stared at Tito. Blood seeped from around the remains of his face. He was dead, of that Danny had no doubt. Anger and hate and the swell of injustice rose up inside him.
He took one step forward and then another as he reached for DuBois’s gun. No one was going to disrespect Tito like that. No one was going to stomp on that man’s face and then stand there like it was nothing. Tito saved Danny’s life. Tito saved all their lives and the second they leave the shelter, this is what happens?
Something inside him snapped. Danny raged at the murderer standing before him, all thoughts of his safety obliterated by the surge of adrenaline flooding his veins. “Randy was worthless! He slashed Mikey straight across the throat! He didn’t deserve to live!”
Randy’s brother charged, a roar of anguish on his lips. Danny tore DuBois’s gun from his waistband and stuck his free arm straight out as the man slammed into him. He struggled to hold onto the oversized gun as a fist bashed his cheekbone. Pain exploded across his face and eye socket as his head whipped back.
His vision blurred, the room spun, and a knee collided with his ribs. Danny sagged over the man’s body, a rush of blood and spit clogging his throat. Pain seared his middle. Another kick and his kidneys screamed.
Blinking frantically, he brought the heavy gun up, trying to clear his eyes enough to aim. But it was no use. Hands wrapped around his wrist and yanked so hard Danny staggered forward and lost his grip. The gun clattered to the floor.
He was no match for a seasoned criminal.
A brutal punch to his temple sent him to the floor. His cheek hit the concrete and dust plumed around his face.
“Youse all working with the old man, too?” Randy’s
brother bellowed out the question, victory surging in his bloodstream. “Youse want to get a taste of what he got?”
Danny rolled over onto his back and gasped for air. A child whimpered behind him. His head lolled to the side and he opened his eyes. The HVAC unit sat directly in his line of sight and immediately behind it, Midge lurked in the shadows.
She held Max’s revolver in her hand. No! She was no match for Randy’s brother. He would kill her before she even had a chance to fire a shot.
He lifted a hand, trying to warn her off, when a pair of blood-splattered boots cut off his view. “You ready for some more, is that it?”
Randy’s brother hauled him up to his knees by the scruff of his neck. A gun barrel pressed into his temple. Danny swallowed. Time slowed. He felt everything, sensed everything.
The grit of the concrete dug into his kneecaps. Blood whoosh-whooshed through his ears. The stench of horse manure and fear flared his nostrils. His fingers trembled and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
This was it. He was going to die.
Randy’s brother pulled the hammer back on the gun and the metallic click sent shockwaves through Danny’s skull. He glanced toward Midge in the shadows, eyes straining to focus on the edge of his vision. Would she take the shot? Would she trust herself to not kill Danny by mistake?
He didn’t even know if she had any more bullets.
“Any last words?”
What use was begging? It wasn’t like this guy was going to change his mind. Danny spit a glob of blood on the ground. “Your brother was a loose cannon. Couldn’t be trusted.” Danny twisted enough to look the man in the eye. “He deserved what he got.”
Danny didn’t wait for the inevitable. He closed his eyes. Exhaled. He forgave his father for his selfish choices. Let go of the guilt and the sorrow over losing his mother and brother. His lips tipped up. Maybe he would see them again sooner than he expected. Maybe they would all be together.