by Warren Ray
“Stop where you are,” ordered the cop.
“I’m here on business. So put that thing away.”
The cop didn’t move. “Who are you?”
“We’re here on the orders of Mordulfah. Now, do you want me to report just how rude you were to us?”
The cop lowered his weapon. “No, it’s just that I wasn’t notified of any visitors.”
“That makes two of us. We weren’t told to come here until the last minute, so don’t worry about it.”
The cop holstered his .45 and asked what they needed.
“You know Mordulfah, he’s got an unquenchable thirst. So, you can imagine what he wants,” said Scar, astonished that this line of malarkey was working. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Oh, they’re bobbing around here somewhere.”
“How many are you?”
“We’re just three during the day. We’ll have more later when the party starts.”
Scar gave Meeks a disgusted glance. “Why don’t cha call them all up here so they don’t think we’re intruding.”
The uniformed cop picked the phone up and hit a button to the intercom system. A few minutes later, the remaining two walked into the lobby. They all stared at Scar and Meeks who didn’t bother introducing themselves. The uniformed cop stood up from his desk and told the others who sent them.
“Where’s the bathroom?” asked Meeks.
“Down the hall,” answered one of the cops, who sported a goatee.
Meeks gave Scar a raised eyebrow then strolled down the hallway. He made it to the restroom and turned to see if anyone had followed him. Scar was still holding their attention, so he hurried on down the hall. Reaching the back door, he unlocked it and found his brethren waiting. “There’s just three of them, Scar’s holding court with them right now.”
Winters shook his head. “But of course he is.”
“Man’s got a way about him,” laughed Meeks.
They all snuck back up the hallway with weapons raised, they moved to the unsuspecting cops and yelled at them to get their hands up.
Winters approached them. He looked at the three cops who did not look like the kind of cops he remembered as a kid. They were unkempt and looked more like third shift security guards. A year ago, before the war, there was no way they could have even passed the entrance exam.
“Now gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, where are all the girls?”
The cops looked at each other not knowing what to do. The goateed cop volunteered to show them. He led them through a door and down another hallway. As they came to the first door, the cop took out a master key and opened it. Nate grabbed the cop by the collar and yanked the man backward. Winters peered in and found a girl chained to a bed covered with a dirty white sheet.
The girl’s brown eyes opened. She jerked her head up. Strands of oily hair covered her face. Winters turned his head and whispered for them to stay back. He then entered the room and approached the frightened girl.
“My name is Cole and we’re here to rescue you.”
The girl didn’t answer.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
The girl stared at Winters. “That’s what you all say.”
Winters yelled out. “Bring that cop in here.”
Nate grabbed the cop and pushed him through the crowd standing at the door. Nate held a gun to the cop’s head as they came into the room.
Winters turned to the girl. “Do we look like the others?”
She shook her head.
Winters looked at the goateed cop. “Where’s the key?”
The cop handed his key to Winters.
“Does this key work on all the locks?”
He nodded.
Winters reached for the lock, put the key in, and released their first captive. The girl rubbed her wrist, leaned towards the cop and spit in his face.
Nate chuckled, twisted the cop’s arm, and escorted him out the door.
“What’s your name?” asked Winters.
“Reese.”
“Where are you from?”
“Ithaca. It’s a small town…well, it was a small town before they came in and burned it down. Everybody’s dead, they killed everyone except me and another girl. She’s here, I think, at least she was. I don’t even know where I am.”
“You’re in Saline.”
She gave Winters a confused gesture.
“We’re just south of Ann Arbor.”
Reese nodded her head in recognition.
“How many girls are here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been allowed to leave this room.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Ten days.” She looked right into Winters’ eyes. “Ten days of hell.”
Winters didn’t respond. He turned to Elliott, who was standing in the doorway. “There has to be some kind of assembly room in this place. Let’s bring everyone there.”
He turned back to Reese. “What do ya say we get out of here?”
Reese moved out from under the covers and dangled her legs to the floor. When she got up, the dirty sheet fell back to the bed, exposing her naked body. She was twenty years old and had been a cheerleader in high school. She was blond haired, brown-eyed and stood at five-foot-five. She didn’t bother covering herself and casually walked to the bathroom. Winters wondered what kind of hell she’d been through not to worry about her appearance. She came out of the bathroom wearing the clothes she’d come with. Dark blue jeans with a light blue tank top under a dark blue running jacket. Winters gestured with his hand the door and escorted her down the hall.
For the next thirty minutes, the Shadow Patriots released girl after girl and led them to the main assembly room. All the girls were in their late teens to early twenties and extremely pretty. They had dazed looks plastered on their faces. Some still without clothes wrapped themselves in blankets. Some were in poor health and needed medical attention. After talking to several of them, Winters discovered none of them had been there longer than a few weeks and all were there for the pleasure of the National Cops and various others, including a Middle Eastern variety.
Elliott walked up to Winters. “We’ve got seventy-five girls here, Captain.”
Winters gave Elliott an astonished look. “Seventy-five! Is that all of them?”
“We’ve been in every room in this god forsaken place. Look at these poor things. Hell, my daughters are older than these girls.”
Winters nodded, remembering his daughter, Cara. She was nineteen and could easily have qualified to be in one of these rooms. He stared at all the faces. Some had a look of relief, while others were noticeably anxious. A few were crying as they held each other for support. There wasn’t much chatter among the girls, which made Winters wonder if any of them even knew each other. A couple of the girls looked like they were sick or possibly even drugged up. He wondered if they’d ever be able to recover from their days here. He was glad he had brought Amber with them. She was going around and checking on them, giving them words of encouragement.
Winters walked up to her as she was talking to two girls who were holding each other.
“How are we doing?”
“Some better than others. They’re afraid and want to get out of here.”
Amber turned to the two girls standing next to her. “This is Paige and her little sister Phoebe.”
Paige was twenty and was two years older than Phoebe. Each girl had disheveled blond hair that didn’t look like it had been washed in several days. The hair stuck together in strands as if it was wet. Their blue eyes had a vacant gaze as if they weren’t paying attention. Neither one smiled as they said hello to Winters.
Winters, unsure what to say, asked where they were from.
“Harbor Springs,” replied Paige in a soft voice.
“Where’s that at?” asked Winters.
“Top of the state.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Two weeks.”
“They killed my mom,” said Phoebe as tears welled up in her eyes. “They did it right in front of us.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Winters wanting to reach out to her. He didn’t know if he should touch her after having a bunch of men raping her.
Thankfully, Amber knew what he was thinking and put her arm around Phoebe.
Paige looked at Winters. “We were just sitting at home when they came to our door. They ordered us outside and my mom refused. So, they just shot her right there. They dragged us outside and took us here.”
Winters' heart sank as he listened to their story. He had heard some of the same stories from Amber and the others they had rescued the other day. No matter how many times he heard them, he could never get used to it. Each had a story to tell and each had a tragic ending.
“We’re going to get you guys to safety, okay.”
They both nodded.
He gave Amber a reassuring look as Elliott approached him.
“Captain, a word.”
They both turned and headed to the exit of the assembly room.
“How are we going to get them out of here, Captain?” asked Elliott. “We don’t have enough room.”
“We’ll have to find some more vehicles or just cram everyone in. We need to hurry. We’ve been here too long as it is. Where’s Nate?”
“He’s out in the hall guarding the cops.”
“Okay, get these girls organized.”
Winters walked out into the hallway. He noticed Reese following him, so he turned to her and asked if she needed anything. She told him she just wanted some fresh air.
They both walked toward the entrance where Nate had the cops handcuffed with their backs to the wall.
“Nate, we need more transportation,” said Winters.
Nate turned to the goateed cop. “Where?”
The cop didn’t answer, so he belted him in the stomach and asked him again.
He gasped for breath before answering. “Out back in the garage, couple of SUV’s.”
Nate grabbed the man’s hair and yanked his head up. “Keys?”
“In the ignition.”
“That wasn’t so hard now was it,” said Nate. He set his Mark 23 pistol down on the desk and swung his backpack off his shoulder.
He looked at Winters. “You want to go get someone to watch these raping bastards while I go check out our new wheels?”
Winters nodded and turned back to the assembly room.
While Nate busied himself opening his backpack, Reese floated over to the table and grabbed Nate’s gun. She pointed it first at the goateed cop and started firing.
The cops screamed in agony as each fell to the ground dead.
Nate’s reaction was quick, but once he saw what she was doing, he didn’t care and let her finish. Winters was back to the assembly room when the gunshots echoed throughout the building. He sprang back down the hall to Reese and grabbed the gun from her. Her big brown eyes had a fleeting moment of satisfaction. It reminded him of his own struggle with Mr. Hyde and wondered if she’d have to battle the same urges. He was about to say something to her but decided to let it go. He wouldn’t judge her.
“Takes care of that problem,” said Nate with a slight smile on his face as he turned and walked out the door.
Scar and Meeks, with their guns readied, sprinted down the hallway.
“Who shot 'em?” asked Scar.
Winters nodded his head toward Reese as she shuffled by them in a daze. Scar sensed what happened and turned to watch her leave the room.
“Guess she thought they deserved it,” said Scar.
“Can’t say I blame her,” said Meeks as he knelt down to check the cops. “What do you want to do with them, Captain?”
“Just leave them. We need to get the hell out of here. Why don’t you and Scar go get the transport?”
With seventy-five girls and eight Shadow Patriots, they had to commandeer the three cars from the parking lot besides the two SUV’s from the garage. They didn’t have enough drivers and had to draft two of the older girls. This made Winters uneasy as he drove the lead car out of the parking lot. It would be a long trip and he wasn’t sure if the two girls, having gone through such a traumatic experience would be able to handle it. Having Reese sitting beside him was a reminder on how any one of them could snap in an instant.
Winters took a left onto Highway 12 and watched his rear view mirror to ensure all the vehicles made the turn. With such a large, slow moving, convoy they were easy to spot. His mind was on high alert, causing his arm to pulse where he had gotten his wound from back at the train station. It hadn’t bothered him in awhile until he received a baton blow yesterday. He looked ahead at the desolate highway and prayed for safe passage.
He’d been driving in silence for what seemed an eternity and looked down at mileage. They’d only traveled thirty miles. The radio sitting on the dash came alive interrupting his concentration.
“Captain,” said Scar who brought up the rear of the convoy.
Winters reached for the radio and answered.
“We’ve got company,” said Scar.
Chapter 25
Grosse Pointe Michigan
Mordulfah entered the sprawling estate, which suited his needs well, and just happened to be the historical home of Edsel & Eleanor Ford. He, of course, was used to such surroundings, having grown up as a Saudi Prince. They were the chosen ones, the ones who led their followers and gave them instruction on how to live by Sharia law.
He had just gotten back from New York where he had met with Reed, the sniveling little fat man. Despite receiving another payment, he still fumed, wanting nothing more than to show the pompous Americans who was really in charge. He would have to bide his time before he would be able to accomplish his goals, but he was a long term planner and his patience would pay off in the end. Once he established himself here, he would ingrain himself further into Washington politics, he could then concentrate his power. All his effort had been ten years in the making, paying people off, meeting important people and putting together deals with the infidels. He was still far from his ultimate goal of ruling this country and establishing Sharia law throughout the land for his people. He cared little for whoever survived. Either they converted to Islam or they’d killed them. It didn’t matter to him, which they chose.
Before doing any of this, he would have to muscle out that arrogant billionaire Perozzi and separate him from his money. Perhaps an assassin’s bullet would be the better way to go. No, he’d take greater pleasure in seeing the old man grovel at his feet, knowing he had outwitted him. Because Mordulfah pretended to be the puppet, Perozzi thought he could outsmart him. Perozzi, however, played a poor game of chess.
Mordulfah walked into his huge bedroom, turned to Wali, his faithful servant, and ordered him to bring a couple of girls. He needed to let off some steam. Not only was he out of sorts over his meeting with Reed, he was angry about the deaths of his men. These were men he knew personally, men who had come with him from their homeland. He took personal offense to their deaths and vowed to extract revenge from these so-called Shadow Patriots. They had also spoiled the arrival of fresh girls to his bed. He had looked forward to defiling fresh virgins, but now he’d have to suffice with the girls who had been here a couple of weeks. These girls gave into their fate and were not nearly as pleasurable to bed.
Wali came back with two young blonde girls. Both were dressed in white and light blue silk garments. He gazed at them, trying to remember when he had them last. He liked blondes the best, as they were unattainable back home. Both were underage, which was one of two requirements, the other was that they had to be virgins. It was pointless to be in charge and not have the freshest girls.
He instructed the girls to go into the bathroom, telling them he needed a bath. They meekly slipped toward the tub and began to run the water. He admonished them not to make it too hot. Mordulfah ordered Wali to bring some food and drink. Wali walked out and Mordulfah moved into the bathroo
m where the girls proceeded to undress him. He smiled at them and thought to himself that it was good to be a Prince.
Chapter 26
Saline Michigan
The Shadow Patriots had been traveling just under an hour and were about thirty miles west of Saline. Winters and his men had just rescued seventy-five girls from the hell they had endured for the last ten days. The cops had taken the girls from their homes and used them as sex slaves.
They were heading back to South Bend when Scar, who brought up the rear of the convoy, radioed Winters.
“What do we got, Scar?”
“We’ve got trouble, Captain. We got four, maybe five, cops trailing us.”
Winters’ face went flush as blood rushed to his head. His mind started racing as he contemplated what to do. He knew they would not be able to outrun them.
“What do you want to do, Captain?” asked Scar.
Winters raised the mic up to his mouth. He took a moment before speaking. He realized they were out in the open and had few options. “Any suggestions?”
“A good offense is a good defense,” responded Scar the former Marine.
“What about that sandpit?” Meeks asked. “It can’t be too far away.”
Winters remembered they had passed a large sandpit on their way to Saline. The pit reminded him of the shootout they had a couple of days ago, where the cops had murdered the citizens of Eau Claire. It was the first sandpit he had seen since, and when they had passed by, he couldn’t stop wondering if any bodies were buried there. He also remembered a couple of buildings at the front entrance and another across the street. Considering their slow moving convoy, this place was as good as any to make a stand. He didn’t like the odds, but they would be better than trying to outrun a bunch of motivated cops who were in good position to knock them off one by one.
He spoke into the radio. “Meeks, I need you and Elliott to speed up. We need to get way ahead of them and make it to the sandpit. Scar, you think you, Burns and Murphy can block any attempt they try to make on Nate before we are in place?”
“Not a problem, Captain.”
Both Burns and Murphy confirmed.