by Logan Keys
Holtz waved him away. “I bet Russia is, how do they say it? Dasvidaniya!” He raised his drink.
German sat back slowly. “You would raise your glass to the end of my country? I thought Thanksgiving was a day of goodness. I don’t suppose you would understand that, though. I am trying to forget that I have not heard from my homeland for quite some time and enjoy my turkey and good company. Do you also think the US is immune? This cold has already killed so many, even in your country, and so I expect that you, being a coward, instead of facing that, will laugh at the rest.”
Holtz’s eyes bugged at the word. “Coward?”
Luckman sighed. “It’s appropriate,” he said. “Deserved.” Holtz and Luckman locked eyes and Holtz was the first to look away, but he focused on German again. Luckman knew this wouldn’t end well.
“Have some more mashed potatoes,” Danielle said cheerily.
Holtz sniffed. “I think I’m full. I think I’ve eaten my share of bullshit this evening.” He watched German who watched him back until Holtz rose from the table, bottle in hand, and swerved side to side as he made an exit.
Once he was gone, it was a happy affair of more servings of delicious food with some good conversation. But Luckman kept shooting glances in the direction where Holtz had gone. He got the feeling that the man’s anger wasn’t finished, just tamped down instead. It would explode.
Holtz was acting out of his own cowardice and guilt… his impotent lack of control. And everything was out of control. But with a guy like him there was a darkness and you never knew how far down the rabbit hole that went.
Pumpkin pie was passed around and Luckman ate his fill until it was nearly painful. He left the table then, wanting to check the weather again. He walked into the living area where Holtz was alone in the dark, drinking. Luckman almost hadn’t noticed him on his way to the window. The wind had picked up and the ocean was raging even worse. Adrenaline spiked through him at the sight.
“I found this on Greg’s dresser,” Holtz said from behind, his s’s slurred. “He really shouldn’t leave a gun just lying around.”
Luckman spun around to face him. Holtz sat on the couch, the bottle of vodka on the table before him, and a revolver in his hands that he held between his knees.
“What are you doing with that?” Luckman asked in a level tone.
“Did you tell him?” Holtz asked, raising his eyes to Luckman.
“Tell who what?”
“The Russian.”
“I didn’t tell him about the life jacket, no.”
Holtz gave him an unfathomable look and lifted the gun in his hand, hefting its weight. “Did you tell him about my research. My core samples.”
“Everything okay, Lucky?” German asked from the doorway. His gaze was locked on the revolver.
“Probably best if you go back into the dining area, German,” Luckman said, thinking that the Russian would probably throw gasoline on the fire. Holtz was just confused, was all.
“German,” Holtz snorted. “A fake name no doubt. Has he even told you his real name? Have you even thought about the fact that he could be a spy? That the Russians might have everything to do with this? You know when the satellites went up the biggest fear was that they’d be tampered with. Everything was fine and then poof! Now it’s a mess and have you asked your friend here if he knows anything about it?”
Luckman lifted his hands. “He was almost killed like I was. Why don’t you give me the gun and I can tell you all about it?”
Holtz’s gaze was focused on German. “How did you come to meet Luckman? Was it by design? Did they tell you to follow him?”
“He was put on the same plane as I was,” Luckman answered, but then he had nothing to add. He never really wondered why German had ended up on the plane, saved from certain death like he was.
“Why?” Holtz asked. “Is he a scientist?”
“Yes,” Luckman answered.
“No,” German said.
Luckman shot a glance at German. “What? You said you were a scientist.”
“No. You said I was a scientist and I didn’t correct you.”
“But they put you on the plane with me—they felt you needed saving…after you lost your team. You must have had important information.”
German shrugged, his expression one of regret. “They said go with the American and shoved me on board. They did want information, Lucky, but not from you, from your stations. I did lose my team, that part is true. But you don’t think they were letting you drill our hole in Vostok without us keeping an eye on you? My team died while we were watching yours.”
“So, you were spying on us?” Luckman felt betrayed. He couldn’t hide the fact.
“Spying,” German snorted. “Why does it have to be spying? Why do Americans act like they don’t spy on half the world, and if we look back… even a little, we are evil spies? If we were drilling your bore hole and trying to make a discovery off the backs of American work, do you think the American teams would not monitor it as well?”
“So, all this time…You were gathering information for the Russians?”
“Come on, Lucky. Use that giant brain of yours. Do you really think that all of this– from Antarctica to here–has been only for me to get information on the Americans? Can you really believe this idiot? Do you think any of that matters now anyway, in this?” He motioned at the giant waves climbing higher and higher in their peripheral, climbing over the harbor and into the city with each splash.
“He’s a liar,” Holtz shouted and climbed to his feet, weapon raised and aimed at German. “He lied to you and he’s lying now. He’s a spy!”
German stepped towards Holtz. “You don’t have the stones,” he growled.
Luckman saw Holtz’s determination and shouted, “Whoa! Stop! Everyone calm down!”
Greg and the women heard him yelling and came rushing in. “Buddy!” Greg called. “Put that down! Are you insane?”
Danielle screamed, and Greg pushed all of the women back into the kitchen. “Should we call the police?” one of them asked but Holtz stepped even closer to German, the revolver level with the Russian’s heart. “We can’t trust him, Luckman. Can’t you see?” Holtz was taking careful aim and sweat popped out on Luckman’s brow.
“Says the guy who left me to drown.”
Holtz used the gun to motion at Luckman. “Whose side are you on, man? You know I didn’t mean… I was panicked!”
Luckman stepped up beside German. “Look. Whatever he was doing before, now he’s saved me more times than I can count. He certainly didn’t steal my life jacket on a sinking ship. I’m on his side.”
Holtz pointed the gun at German again and this time he pulled the trigger. Luckman dove in front of German as the women screamed and even Greg shouted in fear, but nothing happened except for a loud click that echoed through the room. He pulled the trigger a second time and it clicked once more, but this time, German didn’t wait to play roulette.
He snatched the gun out of Holtz’s hand and charged the smaller man like a raging bull.
German grabbed Holtz’s shirt, lifting him off his feet, and whipped him across the face with the revolver. Blood flew from the scientist’s nose and mouth. German did it again and again, until Luckman grabbed his arm.
“Enough,” Luckman said.
German shrugged him off but let the dazed Holtz go. “It will never be enough for this loser.”
“I know but—” Before he could finish, a whining alarm sounded long and high. It went on and on all across the city.
“What’s that?” Luckman asked Greg whose wide eyes were pinned to the ocean.
“The tsunami warning.”
Chapter Ten
New York City, New York
Michelle and Dana stood just inside the door with their arms full of medicine. They were both breathing fast and Jensen asked them in a hushed tone, “What is it? What happened?”
They both rushed to tell him what had occurred. They’d managed to get th
e men to back off while they’d gathered their things. With Michelle holding her gun on Jefferey, they’d gotten away but they knew the men had watched where they went and which building they’d entered.
“There are no bullets in this gun,” Michelle confessed. “What if they come back?”
Jensen watched the door and made sure to lock it. “Let’s just hope they find someone else to bother. Bring that, your friend needs it.” Michelle bit back the want to say that Reese was not her friend. Again. Instead, she followed Dana to where Reese lay on her side, breathing shallowly.
Dana gave Reese some medicine and she then used the nebulizer to administer breathing treatments overnight. The only thing they could do afterwards was wait, but Dana had made it clear that it wasn’t looking good for Reese. Michelle couldn’t say she felt sad for the woman, but she wasn’t sure what she felt.
By morning, as luck would have it, Reese looked markedly better. And Michelle was working out a way to get back to Bob’s house with the other medicine. She remembered what Dana had said before about their passenger van.
“Where’s the van parked?” Michelle asked, and Dana gave a sigh.
“It’s in the parking garage connected to this building.”
“I need a car,” Michelle said, desperate to get to Carry in time.
“We can’t spare it, Michelle. We need it too.”
“I know. I could bring it back. And supplies… I could bring food. Water. Anything you need.”
Dana thought about it a moment before she shook her head at herself, relenting. “Let me ask my father.”
Michelle could hear Jensen even at a distance. “Absolutely not.”
“You can’t make them walk,” Dana argued.
Them……? Michelle thought. There was no way in all of God’s green earth that she was bringing Reese to Bob’s house with her.
When Jensen and Dana came over to Michelle, she lifted her chin, trying to sound sure of herself. “I know you need supplies. We have them. In abundance. You can’t live off air, and if you let me use the van, I promise to return with whatever you need. Make a list.”
Jensen was a shrewd man, and he pointed to where Reese sat alone, nursing some of their precious last stock of soup. “What about her?” Michelle shrugged, and he scoffed. “You can’t leave her here. We don’t have enough to feed ourselves let alone your—”
“Don’t say friend. Please,” Michelle said. She was at her wits end with helping Reese. The woman deserved a lot worse than pneumonia. “Well. If I had the car, I could take her to where she needs to go.” Reese glanced over at Michelle. “I’ll take you to Cameron, but you also have to promise to give these people whatever supplies they need. Say it.”
Reese agreed, “Whatever they want.”
Jensen and Dana stared at each other. “How do we know we can trust them?” he asked, and Dana looked at Michelle and said, “Because I’ll go with them. I’ll bring the van back.”
“No way,” Jensen said, but Michelle could already see he was caving.
“Papa,” Dana said softly. “Let me do this. For us. We get our food. We go south like we planned.”
Finally, Jensen handed his daughter the keys. “You have to let it warm up,” he warned. “It’s gonna take a long time. Be safe.”
Dana smiled and touched his cheek. “I will.”
Michelle got Reese to her feet, and they grabbed the medicine.
Michelle then followed Dana towards the rear of the building as Dana instructed, “We have to take the stairs.”
They went quietly, afraid someone might be in the stairwell, but no one was. The parking garage was empty too, and Michelle sighed in relief when she saw that the van was still there without damage or having been stolen.
Dana unlocked the driver’s door, before climbing inside to start the van. In the garage, it sounded overly loud to Michelle’s ears.
She was helping Reese into the back seat when a deep voice called at her back, “And so we meet again.”
Michelle turned around to find Jefferey and Herc in the parking garage.
“Get in!” Dana shouted, and Michelle jumped inside, but when she turned to pull the door shut, it was stuck on the slide. She fought with it as Jefferey and Herc rushed over and grabbed the handle to stop her from closing the door.
Michelle reached for the gun in her jacket pocket, but she was too slow. Jefferey got a handful of her jacket, dragging her from the van. “Let go of me!”
Herc was pulling on Dana from behind the driver’s seat. In a panic, she hit the gas and backed out of the spot with the door still open, slamming on the brakes.
The momentum forced Herc out of the van. He slammed into the ground next to Michelle. Reese held the nebulizer in her hand, and when Jefferey tried to pull her out too, she smashed him in the head with it. Dana put the van into drive and the tires screeched as she raced forward.
Michelle watched in surprise as the van drove away. Jefferey grabbed her jacket again, and the two of them fought over the gun still in her pocket. But then Jefferey slumped over, falling into her with his eyes rolled back. She was confused until she saw Jensen standing behind him with an aluminum baseball bat. He’d smacked Jefferey across the back of the dome, and Herc was already running away when he saw what was going on with his friend.
“Go,” Jensen helped Michelle to her feet. “Go!”
Michelle ran across the parking garage to where Dana had stopped the van. She jumped inside, and this time the door shut. Dana was watching her father in the rear-view mirror. He nodded at her to go, and she pressed on the gas again. Michelle turned to face the back window, staring at Jensen standing over Jefferey’s prone body.
**
“Here,” Michelle said, pointing to a spot right in front of Crazy Pete’s Bowling Alley.
They checked the street, and Reese gave her a confused and mistrusting glance, but exited the van alongside Michelle, anyway.
Michelle sighed. “He’s here.” Then, “I’ll be right back,” she told Dana. “Keep the car running and I…”
A truck pulled onto the street and she grabbed Reese by the hand. “Get in! Get in!”
But Reese slipped on the ice. Michelle struggled to get them both inside the van and managed to get the door shut behind. “Duck down,” she told everyone.
The truck pulled up beside the van and the window rolled down. “Michelle…?” a voice called.
Michelle sat up and couldn’t believe her eyes. “It’s Bob!”
She threw open the door and jumped into the snow, rushing through the drifts at the same time as Bob was running toward her. They met in the middle of the street and embraced in a hug. “Thank God!” he said. “I had to come try to find you.”
He pushed her to arm’s length. “Are you okay? What happened to your head?” Michelle had completely forgotten about it and Bob searched her gaze with worry.
“It’s nothing. Really, I’m fine. It’s so good to see you.” They grinned at one another. “How’s Carry?”
The smiles fell. “Worse,” he said. “We just came from the hospital. Their generators finally crashed, it’s chaos there now. We tried to help as many as we could, but I had to leave.”
Michelle squeezed his shoulder. Then she motioned at Dana who sat watching them from the van. “These people helped me, and I have to pay them back. But I got the medicine.”
His face lit up. “You did? Wow. Really?”
Michelle nodded. “I have everything we need, but we have to bring back stuff to these people, okay? I promised.”
Bob nodded. “Okay. Whatever we can do.”
“Maybe we could bring them to the house? They have no heat.”
He shook his head. “We’re all filled up. There must be thirty people crammed at our place now.”
Michelle searched the street in thought until her eyes landed on the bowling alley. The building was large. Brick. Sturdy. “Bob.”
“What?”
“I have an idea. But you aren’t goin
g to like it.”
Bob followed her gaze. “Not gonna happen.”
But Michelle was already walking over to Reese still sitting in the van. “I’ve delivered you to Cameron. I practically saved your life and risked mine to help you. And now I need your help. And you’re going to give it to me.”
Reese watched her with a shuttered expression. “What do you mean?”
“I need you to convince Cameron to let us bring everyone here. It’s easier to lock down, small, with few windows. I saw he had plenty of food stored. And I know he’s figured a way to heat it.” Michelle pointed at the smoke coming from the rooftop. “You both owe so much more than you will ever be able to repay, and I want you to start now, with these people. Bob’s family and friends, and the others with Dana and Jensen. You tell him he has to help us, and he will.”
Reese hesitated and glanced at Dana, Bob, and then at the building, before nodding. “If Cameron is really inside this place, I’ll do what I can.”
Chapter Eleven
Just Outside of Chicago
Rick put his foot down on the gas hard. They were passing a ton of military vehicles going the opposite direction and each one that flew by felt to Brittany like a last chance to save herself.
“Dammit,” Rick shouted. “You must have something special, you know that?” He motioned at his rear-view mirror and Brittany spun around trying to see what he was talking about.
She saw headlights not far behind them. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“We’re being followed.”
Excitement pumped through her. Brittany tried not to sound like she was happy. Could it be Colton? “What?”
“Do you have ears? I said someone is following us.”
“Who?”
He grinned at her and shook his head. “You think it’s Colton, don’t you?” She bit her tongue not to say something nasty back at him. Like how he’d better hope it wasn’t.
Rick shrugged unworriedly. “Could be your little buddy. Too bad for him it won’t matter.”
Brittany spun in her seat trying to see the car behind them. Rick didn’t take the exit into the city; he was too smart for that. Instead he drove back onto the long stretch of highway going south, away from Chicago. Probably to put space between the vehicles with speed on the now open road.