by Sam Sisavath
“Who’s shooting?” Reese whispered, so low that Gaby could just barely make out her voice even though they were almost pressed against one another.
Gaby shook her head.
“Are they shooting at the helicopter?” the girl asked.
“I don’t know, Reese.”
“Why doesn’t it shoot back? Does it have guns?”
“Some do.”
“I wish it’d shoot back. I wish it’d kill them all.”
Gaby looked over at the teenager and thought, Damn, girl.
“Come on,” Gaby said, standing back up.
They continued east, this time moving with more urgency. Even Reese seemed to recognize the precarious situation and picked up her pace without Gaby having to nudge her.
“That was a helicopter,” Reese said next to her.
“Yeah, it was.”
“I’ve never seen a helicopter in real life before. Have you?”
“One or two.”
“Have you ever been in one?”
“Yes,” Gaby said, and remembered one ride in particular, circling the city of Houston as the world changed around her for the second time in her lifetime.
They walked in silence for the next few minutes before Reese finally said, “Where are we going?”
“The shoreline.”
“Why there?”
“I need to make a call,” Gaby said, and thought, And I hope someone’s there to answer it, or else I’m screwed.
Six
Gaby stepped out of the tree line and into a field, with a stretch of brown beach on the other side. The terrain was flat and wide open, but lower than she had expected. It was probably too much to hope that she would emerge out onto a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, but this was southern Texas, and you didn’t find a lot of cliffs in the area.
Reese followed her through the patch of grass—about fifty meters, give or take—and finally onto the soft sand. The girl hadn’t asked any more questions or complained about the long walk, and she seemed to be holding up well against the stress of the morning. Gaby had to admit, she was an impressive kid.
Thirteen going on thirty. That would make her just seven when The Purge happened.
Kid’s been through a lot…
The ocean breeze and chill air was a welcome relief after all the hours spent moving through the congested woods. The white sky was clear, and she thought she could see for miles across the calm sea in front of her. The problem, of course, was that that was all she could see—endless miles of ocean and nothing else.
This is never going to work.
Gaby changed the radio’s channel and pressed the transmit lever, then held it up to her lips. “This is G-Squad One to Black Tide. Can you hear me? Please respond if you’re receiving this, Black Tide.”
She paused briefly and waited for a response.
Five seconds became ten, then fifteen…
Gaby keyed the two-way again. “This is G-Squad One. Come in, Black Tide. If you can hear me, please respond.” She paused, then added, “Can anyone out there hear me?”
Nothing. Ten seconds later, and still nothing.
Twenty seconds later, and it was the same.
She lowered the radio and stood silently, with only the sounds of water lapping against the toes of her boots to fill the empty space.
What had she expected? Exactly this. Black Tide wasn’t anywhere close to the Texas shoreline, and though the island had a powerful antenna that could pick up signals from almost anywhere in the world, she was badly limited by her radio’s reach.
“Who’s G-Squad?” Reese finally asked. The girl stood next to her and had kept quiet for so long Gaby almost forgot she was even there.
“My unit,” Gaby said.
“What kind of name is G-Squad?”
Gaby smiled despite herself. “I didn’t come up with it. Someone else did. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be funny, but you can never really tell with this guy.”
Reese gave her a puzzled look. “Are your friends out there?”
“They are. I just can’t reach them with this.” She held up the radio. “It’s got a limited range. I need something stronger. You know where I can find a ham radio?”
The girl perked up. “Brandon’s dad has one.”
“Where does Brandon’s dad live?”
“In town.”
Well, that doesn’t help.
“Who else?” she asked instead.
Reese thought for a moment before shaking her head. “He’s the only one I know.”
That wasn’t really true. Paul, Kohl’s Port’s de facto leader, had a ham radio of his own, which was how they had made contact with him in the first place. But just like with Brandon’s dad’s radio, going back to the seaside town for it meant having to fight through Redman’s people again.
Unless…
What were the chances Redman had already left Kohl’s Port? What was that the man had said to her earlier?
“I guess I can’t really complain. When all’s said and done, I did take the objective.”
He had said almost the same thing later to his men:
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s mission accomplished.”
Those statements lent credence to the possibility that Redman and his people had left Kohl’s Port; that, or they were in the process of leaving. The wagon full of supplies, along with the one with the women, were further proof of that. Besides, what would killers like Redman and whoever this Buck guy was want with a place like Kohl’s Port? It was an insignificant blip on the coastline, with nothing of real value that would require them to take it over and keep it.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s mission accomplished.”
“Mission accomplished” was killing everyone. No, that wasn’t true. Just the men. After that, it was leaving with all the supplies they could carry, along with the women and children. She had no idea how many other vehicles or horse-drawn wagons had left town before she stumbled across the two on the road.
Gaby looked over at Reese, who had crouched on the beach and was running her hands through the cold water. “Reese, there were only seven people in the wagon with you. How many other wagons left before or after you?”
Reese glanced up at her, blinking against the sunlight in her eyes. “I’m not sure.”
“But there were more than just seven people in that building with you? The one where they were keeping you?”
The girl nodded. “A lot more.”
“Where did the others go?”
“I think they took them first, then it was our turn.”
“How many did they take from your group in all?”
“I don’t remember. It was dark in there. But it was a lot.”
Gaby nodded. She didn’t pursue the question; if the girl knew or could remember, she would have told her. The fact that she didn’t have a firm grasp on the details wasn’t surprising. Gaby had seen adults be unable to recall the simplest things after the kind of violent circumstances the girl had been through. And Reese had watched her dad get murdered this morning…
“Did you see more than just two wagons?” Gaby asked.
“Uh huh. And trucks. They put people and things in trucks before they loaded us into the wagon. I think…”
“What?”
“I think we were the last ones to be taken.”
“And they didn’t say where they were taking you?”
The thirteen-year-old shook her head. “They didn’t say very much.”
“All right,” Gaby said.
“I’m sorry. I wish I knew more.”
“Don’t be sorry. You did good.”
“Really?”
Gaby nodded. “Really.”
Reese pursed her lips, but Gaby wasn’t sure the kid actually believed her.
Gaby looked out at the Gulf of Mexico. What she wouldn’t give for a boat right now. Or a helicopter, while she was daydreaming.
Helicopter…
She glanced behind t
hem, back at the woods and the cloudless sky above it. She still didn’t know whose chopper that had been earlier, though she thought then and still did now that there was a strong chance it was looking for her.
Gaby looked down at her watch. 10:15 a.m.
She had arrived at Kohl’s Port with her team around seven thirty and had spent less than an hour there before all hell broke loose. She was scheduled to call into base for a quick report at exactly nine. And she had spotted the helicopter in the area about thirty minutes ago. Was it possible Black Tide had sent a chopper out to look for her team at the seaside town when she failed to radio in?
Only one way to find out…
Gaby keyed the radio. “This is G-Squad One to any Black Tide elements out there. Reply if you can hear me. I say again: This is G-Squad One to any Black Tide elements out there. Please respond if you can hear me.”
She lowered the radio and waited.
Reese stood up next to her and brushed at sand sticking to her hands. “What happens if you can’t get home?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But what if?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Gaby said again.
“But what—” Reese insisted when the radio in Gaby’s hand squawked and a male voice said through the tinny speakers:
“This is Lightning Two. We can barely hear you, G-Squad One.”
Gaby grinned and glanced up at the sky, but there was nothing there to see. At least, not yet. “Lighting Two, I’m damn glad to hear your voice. What the hell are you guys doing out here?”
“Looking for you, G-Squad One,” the man answered. His voice was staticky but just clear enough to be understood. “What is your current position? Are you still in Kohl’s Port?”
“Negative, Lightning Two. I had to bail after we came under attack. I’m currently…” Gaby paused to crunch the numbers in her head. “About ten miles to the northeast of Kohl’s Port. I’m standing on a beach along the shoreline.”
“Glad to hear you made it out, G-Squad One,” Lightning Two said. “Can you give me a more specific coordinate?”
“Negative, Lightning Two. I’m running around out here with a rifle and limited supplies.” And a kid who wants to learn how to kill men who murdered her father, she thought, but didn’t think that was going to help Lightning Two find her any faster.
“Roger that, G-Squad One,” the helicopter pilot said.
“I saw a chopper earlier and heard small arms fire that might have been directed at it. Approximately thirty minutes ago. Was that you, Lightning Two?”
“That was indeed us, G-Squad One.”
“Then I’m close by. Can you backtrack east to the beach?”
“Will do.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing out here, Lightning Two?”
“Base rerouted us from another mission to come looking for you guys. We tried Kohl’s Port first.”
“You were at Kohl’s Port earlier?”
“Uh huh. We ran into some heavy firepower. A couple of technicals in the streets and too many small arms. Had to exit the place pretty fast.”
That explained the shooting she had heard while she was hiding from Redman’s people in the woods. She had wondered what they were firing at.
“Are you good to go, Lightning Two?” Gaby said into the radio.
“Took some rounds, but we’re in one piece,” Lightning Two said. “Thanks for asking, G-Squad One.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“See you in a few.”
“Roger that,” Gaby said.
“Are they coming to get us?” Reese asked.
“Yes, they are,” Gaby nodded.
“What happens after that?”
“I have to report in about what happened at Kohl’s Port.”
“And then?”
“I don’t know,” Gaby said. “That’s for someone else to decide.”
The girl frowned. “You’re not going to let them get away with what they did, are you? They killed Dad. And my friends. They killed so many people.”
“I know. Trust me, I know what they did.”
She thought about Kylie, Martin, and Berryman. Most of all, she thought about Geoff lying on his stomach, half on and half off the sidewalk curb after making a run for her position. She was sure that was exactly what he had been doing, because Geoff was a good man and chivalrous to the end, even if she could kick his ass, and often did, during training.
Geoff, you idiot. You dumb, handsome idiot.
“They’re not going to get away with it,” Gaby said, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I promise you.”
Reese peered up at her, blinking against the sun in her eyes. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds and seemed to be trying to decide whether to trust Gaby or not.
Finally, the kid nodded. “Can you teach me? To do what you do?”
Gaby didn’t answer right away. She was hoping the teenager would have forgotten about that by now.
Yeah, right. Would you have, in her shoes?
“When you’re older,” Gaby said.
“How much older?”
“Sixteen. Or seventeen,” she said, but thought, Or never, because I hope you forget about this and grow up without blood on your hands.
“I’m stronger than I look,” Reese said.
Gaby smiled. “I know. You’re a tough kid.”
Reese nodded before glancing over as a helicopter appeared in the sky.
Dull olive-green colors, with a man looking out the open side hatch from behind a mounted machine gun. The Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk was a large bird, originally designed for the Coast Guard, and had become invaluable for both offensive action and ferrying men and equipment back and forth between Black Tide Island and its various FOBs.
“Wow,” Reese said almost breathlessly next to her.
“Wait till you’re inside that thing,” Gaby said.
Her radio squawked, and she heard Lightning Two through the speakers. “We see you, G-Squad One. We’ll touch down in the field.”
“Roger that,” Gaby said into the radio.
“I’ve never ridden in a helicopter before,” Reese said. “What’s it like?”
“It takes some getting used to. Just remember to put on your seat belt and hold onto something or you’ll fall right out of the side.”
Reese gave her an Are you messing with me? look, but Gaby just grinned back at her.
“Where are we going?” the girl asked.
“Black Tide Island,” Gaby said.
“Where’s that?”
Gaby nodded behind them at the Gulf of Mexico. “Somewhere out there.”
“I don’t see it,” Reese said, shading her eyes with one hand as she peered out at the ocean.
“You wouldn’t. It’s too far to see with the naked eye. But it’s out there.”
“It’s an island? Like, with coconuts and stuff?”
Gaby chuckled. “No coconuts, strangely enough.”
“Oh.”
“But there are other things to like.”
“But no coconuts…”
“Nope. No coco—”
The BOOM! made Gaby reflexively grab Reese’s hand and drag both of them down to the sand. Even before she twisted back around, one hand unslinging the M4 rifle, Gaby could already feel the heat of the explosion rippling across the field and over her and the girl despite the distance between them and the helicopter.
The helicopter!
Or what was left of it, as it plummeted out of the sky and into the field between the beach and the woods. The rotors were on fire, and thick black plumes of smoke shot out of the open side hatches as the craft fell and smashed into the grass.
She reached over and pushed Reese’s head down as thousands of small metal pieces fired across the open air in every direction. Some of the shards came dangerously close, dropping into the ocean, and more than a few chunks stabbed the sandy beach around them.
Gaby stood up, he
r face paling at the sight of the burning wreckage. If there were survivors— God, she hoped there wasn’t anyone still alive in that twisted and burning metal carcass. Thick clouds of smoke licked at the grass around the ruins, while fires flickered in the air, bending and twisting her view of the woods on the other side—
Men, coming out of the tree lines.
They were rushing toward the chopper. Five on foot that she could see, and at least four more on horseback. One of the men was carrying a shoulder-mounted missile launcher.
“Gaby,” Reese whispered next to her.
I know, I know, Gaby thought even as her mind spun at a thousand miles per second, her heartbeat thrumming dangerously fast against her chest.
What would Will do?
It was obvious what Will would do, even if she hated the truth of it with every fiber of her being.
“Stay alive. That’s your job. Dead men can’t do anything or help anyone.”
She sighed and threw down her rifle, then unbuckled the gun belt and tossed it to the sand next to the M4. She did the same to the Glock she’d taken from Bollman, even as the men on horseback—every one of them were wearing black assault vests—galloped around the downed helicopter and toward her and the girl. The ones on foot were lagging behind, some of them clearing the rest of the field looking for something else to shoot.
“It’s okay,” Gaby said, though she wasn’t sure if she was talking to the girl or herself.
She thought about Will again, and all the things he’d gone through, and knew this was the right call even if doing it made her want to vomit. Will would survive. That was the one thing he would do at all costs, because as long as you were still breathing, there were options. All you had to do was wait for it to present itself.
“Stay alive. That’s your job. Dead men can’t do anything or help anyone.”
The men surged toward her and Reese, and the girl grabbed her hand and squeezed. The kid had a deceptively strong grip. Gaby reached over and put her palm on Reese’s shoulder, then pulled her close.
“Do whatever they say, and don’t fight them,” Gaby said quietly. “Everything will be okay.”