by James Hunt
“Is this your daughter?” Brooke asked.
“It is,” Brent said, lifting her up into his arms. “This is Kara.”
Kara buried her face into Brent’s shoulder, hiding herself. Brooke smiled.
“I have a little girl just a little bit older than her,” Brooke said.
“Brooke, this is my wife, Linda,” Brent said.
“Nice to meet you,” Linda replied.
“You, too.”
Once the supplies were dispersed, Brent handed Kara back over to Linda. He walked over to Brooke and the two shook hands.
“Pleasure doing busines—”
Brent's eyes were fixated on something behind Brooke. She spun around, and the sight of her cruiser kicking up dust and speeding right toward them met her eyes. John was behind the wheel, blaring the horn. A herd of cars was hot on his tail. Just before he reached the front of the building, he slammed on the brakes, sending the cruiser skidding right to the office building’s entrance.
Brooke rushed to the car doors. She helped John grab Emily out of the back seat. She shielded the two of them as gunshots were fired from the caravan of cars that John was running from.
“Everyone inside, now!” Brent yelled.
Brent and a few of his men fired back, offering cover fire for those still outside. The bullets ricocheted off the building, sending puffs of smoke and concrete dust into the air. Once inside, everyone rushed to the back.
Brooke placed a screaming Emily in a small room with Linda and Kara. John still had the revolver in his hand and was eyeing the front of the building, where Brent and his men were fending off the attackers. Brooke snatched the pistol before he could argue.
“Stay here and do not move until I come back. Do you understand?” Brooke asked.
Brooke kept low as she rushed to the front. Windows were shattered as bullets peppered the front of the building. She saw Brent crouched by one of the windows to the left, reloading his rifle. Brooke poked her head around the corner to get a better look.
“Gangs?” Brooke asked.
“Mexicans,” Brent said. “They've plagued our area for a while now. They've never moved this far north, though.”
With the Southwest no longer part of the United States, there wasn't any fear of repercussions from the American government to those who wanted to come up from Mexico. Whatever land of plenty the immigrants thought they would enter didn't exist anymore, though. People were just left fighting over scraps.
The Mexicans lined up their cars for cover. Every few seconds, their heads popped over the hoods like prairie dogs. Brooke took aim and fired all five shots. The thumping from the bullets tearing through metal echoed back.
The smoke from the guns wafted through the air. Brent had more than fifteen armed men. From what Brooke could tell, the Mexicans had half that.
Brooke leaned back against a worn wooden desk to reload. Splinters poked her through her shirt. Each bullet she dropped into the chambers rattled from the slight tremor in her hand.
One of the Mexicans fired a shot that exploded the window pane next to her. She ducked, feeling the tiny slivers of wood and concrete land on her back. Brooke flicked the chamber into the revolver upon reloading. When she peered back out the window to take another shot, she saw two of the Mexicans break off from their group.
“They're heading around back!” Brooke said.
Brooke sprinted down the hallway. Brent was close behind. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wiped away the streaks of sweat rolling down her forehead and into her eyes.
The back door burst open, and one of the Mexicans charged through. Brooke squeezed the trigger twice, and two bullets pierced the man’s chest. He hit the ground while squeezing off another shot that fired into the ceiling. The man’s partner came in next, and Brooke pulled the trigger until there was no other sound than the click of the firing pin. Both men lay stacked over each other. A growing stain of red covered each man’s shirt.
Brooke kept the gun aimed at the two bodies on the floor. The muscles in her forearm tensed from the viselike grip she had on the handle. She couldn’t tear her eyes off the scene in front of her. Their faces and blood were etched in her mind.
“They were going to kill us,” Brooke said.
The words were said more to herself than to anyone around her. Brent came up behind her and slowly brought his hand to her arms and lowered the weapon.
“It’s all right,” Brent said.
Brooke stumbled backward and leaned against the wall. She looked to her left and saw Emily and John poke their heads out of a room. Both their faces were ghost white. She became aware of a slight metal clicking noise. It wasn’t until she looked down at her shaking hand that still held the pistol did she realize it was her. She loosened the grip on the revolver, and it hit the ground with a thud. She slid down the wall until she sat on the floor then covered her hands with her eyes.
When she pulled her hands away, her palms had a red tinge. She reached her right index finger to her cheek. A darker shade of red covered her fingertip. It felt warm and had the stench of metallic sweat. It was the blood from her attackers.
“They were going to kill us,” Brooke repeated.
Brooke’s fingers wouldn't stop shaking. Her body jolted when she felt Brent's hand touch her shoulder.
“C'mon. You can wash up.”
***
Brent gave Brooke one four-ounce glass of water. She splashed her face, and streaks of light pink and red washed down the sink. The tan, battered face staring back at her in the mirror wasn’t one she recognized. She wiped the excess water off with her sleeve, which smeared sand back on her face.
“We should check on your cruiser,” Brent said.
“Or what's left of it,” Brooke responded.
All but the passenger-side windows to the cruiser were smashed. Bullet holes peppered the driver-side doors and engine. Both rear tires were blown out. The sand around the vehicle was mixed with bits of rubber, glass, and shell casings.
The cruiser was tough, but Brooke was skeptical it would run. Still, that didn't stop her from climbing into the driver’s seat and plugging her key into the ignition. When she turned the key, all she heard was a click. It was dead.
Brooke rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She hung from the wheel, afraid that letting go would eradicate any chance of surviving. Then, like a spasm, her fist pounded the dash violently. The sting of the blow lingered. She smashed her shoulder into the door and stomped to the cruiser's hatch.
Bullet holes had pierced the gas cans and remaining water tanks. Both leaked onto the cruiser’s floorboard. Brooke lifted one of the backpacks and found that it dripped water and stank of fuel. Everything was soaked.
Brooke slammed the hatch
closed. The cruiser rocked from the force of the swing. Her face was beet red. She kicked the dirt, and an explosion of sand flew into the air. This can’t be happening. Not now. Not when we’re so close.
Brent walked sheepishly up behind her. He took in the damage to the cruiser then looked at Brooke.
“Why don't you come inside?” Brent asked.
Brooke turned around. Her laughter was desperate. She raised her hands in the air, surrendering to the situation.
“And do what? Stay here for a couple days until more people come and overwhelm us? Or maybe until we run out of water? Or food?” Brooke asked.
“It could do you some good to rest,” Brent answered.
“You don't fucking get it, do you? This place is dead. We have to leave, and we can't walk out of here with enough supplies to survive.”
“We have food and water.”
“For how long? Hmm? How fucking long?!”
The veins in Brooke's head and neck pulsed. Her face was purple from screaming. She wiped snot and saliva from her mouth, which were replaced by the gritty taste of sand. She was so fucking sick of that taste.
“Look,” Brent said. “You have two options right now. The first is to trek into
the city to look for transportation and supplies, which we can tell you is a nightmare. Or you can stay here, recoup, and try and figure out a plan to get your family safely to wherever it is you need to go.”
Brooke softened. She knew he was just trying to help. The wave of adrenaline that had propelled her for the past hour began to recede. Rest didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Brent escorted Brooke back inside. The room was small. A single window on the far wall provided the only view outside. A tattered mattress rested in the corner. It had no sheets, no pillows, and was slightly warped on the end. Brooke collapsed on the mattress, and Emily walked in and curled up next to her. John entered and sat next to the entrance. When Brooke closed her eyes, they seemed to lock shut.
***
It was the faint hint of smoke that woke her. She opened her eyes and blinked several times, adjusting to the darkness. Emily was still curled up next to her stomach, and John was passed out by the door. There wasn't enough space for all of them on the twin mattress. Brooke gently brushed John's hair off his forehead and whispered in his ear.
“Hey, why don't you get some rest on the mattress. Get off the hard floor,” Brooke said.
John obeyed absentmindedly. He stumbled over to the mattress where his sister lay and collapsed, barely opening his eyes in the process. Brooke kissed the tops of their heads and exited the room.
Brooke followed the scent of smoke and the sound of whispering voices. There was a faint glow in the front of the building. It moved like a wave across the beaten walls and worn floors. She kept her steps light. She wanted to hear who was talking and what they were talking about.
“I don't know if her being here is such a good idea, Brent. We don't know anything about her.”
“And she doesn't know anything about us. Not everyone's out to hurt us, Tim.”
“But what if she's part of a scout party? What if she's working with the Mexicans?”
“Then why did all of her gear get destroyed? They wouldn't waste all those supplies for a hoax.”
“I'm just saying we need to be careful. That's all.”
Brooke tiptoed to the back of the building. All of this seemed like a bad dream. She kept closing her eyes, expecting to wake up, but she never did. She'd spent so much time avoiding other people because she knew desperation drove people to do dangerous things.
If these people were really that bad, they would have killed them in the street when she first arrived. But they didn't. They entered an agreement with one another, and both held true. Maybe it was time to ask for help.
Chapter 8
General Gallo's fist smashed the figurines on his military map. His officers kept their heads down.
“How could this happen?” Gallo asked. “We have more men, more guns, and more bullets than they do. This is an embarrassment!”
Colonel Herrera gently raised his head. His soft eyes found Gallo, and he spoke carefully. The general had a reputation for having a temper and following through on threats.
“General, we were unable to mobilize all of our troops. We underestimated the Americans’ military prowess,” Herrera said.
“Military prow—? I don't care what it takes. I don't care if we have to sacrifice one hundred thousand men. That is our land! That is our country!”
Each statement the general made was punctuated with the pounding of his fat fist into the table. The wood sounded as if it would break under the force. But it was much more likely that one of the general's council would fall victim to punishment long before the table did.
“General, the Americans, they had better planes, better ships. We couldn't contend with them.”
The small-faced captain who made the statement shrank back into his seat after seeing the look Gallo gave him. His fellow officers sitting next to him inched their chairs away from him, trying to create as much space between themselves and him as possible.
“I gave you the same equipment the Americans have. I know that because I bought it from them. If you couldn't beat them with it, then it was your own incompetence that handed us defeat,” Gallo said.
The captain's face flushed red. “General, I'm sorry. We will not fail next time.”
“No. You won’t,” Gallo said.
The general grabbed the back of the captain’s chair and slammed it to the ground. The captain spilled onto the floor and skidded across the rug.
Gallo pulled the pistol from his belt and fired a 9mm bullet straight into the captain's skull. The flash of the bullet exploding out of the gun illuminated the already-dim room. All of Gallo's officers recoiled at the sight of their comrade's now-exposed innards. Many of the officers crossed themselves and uttered their respects in whispers.
The smoke from Gallo's pistol filled the air. The scent of blood, lead, tobacco, and sweat was powerful. Gallo tossed his pistol onto the captain's body and turned to his men. The lamp's light above them caused shadows to accentuate the darkness under Gallo's eyes.
“We do not lose again. Do we understand?” Gallo asked.
The officers at the table nodded emphatically.
“Someone clean this up,” Gallo said.
***
The machine hooked up to Eric's hospital bed beeped rhythmically. His breath fogged the oxygen mask over his face. His eyes fluttered open and closed. The white fluorescent lights were incredibly bright, and it took Eric a while for his eyes to adjust.
Eric pulled the oxygen mask off himself, and the machine beeped wildly. A nurse rushed in and pressed a few buttons, and the noise stopped.
“How are you feeling, Lieutenant?” the nurse asked.
“How do I keep winding up in hospitals? When I signed up for the Navy, I was told it was fairly safe,” Eric said.
He yanked the tubes and suction cups off him and jumped out of bed. The hospital gown he wore flapped open, exposing his backside.
“Lieutenant, your gown,” she said.
“It's okay. I don't charge for the first five minutes, but after that it's going to be twenty bucks an hour.”
Eric walked down the hallway toward the exit. His lily-white cheeks greeted the remaining staff, and gasps and laughs followed in his wake.
The sun was bright outside when Eric opened the doors. After taking a minute to adjust to the sunlight, Eric spotted Colonel Brack and marched over to him, the back of his open gown flowing in the hot wind.
“Afternoon, Colonel,” Eric said. “Looks like we made it through the first bout.”
“Lieutenant, you should still be in the medical facility until your attending physician clears you. And you should be wearing clothes.”
“I thought I'd try and get a little sun.”
“I'll debrief you when you're released.”
The playfulness in Eric's eyes waned. “Colonel, what were our casualties?”
The colonel tucked his clipboard under his arm, giving Eric his full attention.
“We lost three jets, one hundred boots on the ground, and six tanks. I'm still waiting to hear from New Mexico and San Diego,” Colonel Brack said.
“That can't be as bad as what we thought would happen, right?” Eric asked.
“No, but Gallo's forces weren't the massive numbers we expected. Once he regroups, I don't think we'll have the resources to stop him. Now, if you'll excuse me, Lieutenant.”
Colonel Brack returned his attention to the clipboard and marched off. He turned to yell back at Eric, who was still standing there in the middle of the base, “Go back to the medical ward, Lieutenant.”
Eric gave him a wave, and a burst of wind blew his gown up, exposing everything. A truck rolled by, and the driver let out a whistle. “Hey, I am NOT a piece of meat!” Eric said, tying the back of his gown together.
The colonel was right. If what Eric had seen yesterday was only a fraction of what Gallo had in his arsenal, then they wouldn't be able to survive another fight. Without more men, more planes, and more guns, there wasn’t really any chance.
The nurse attending to E
ric watched him walk back inside the hospital, his gown loosely strung together. She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, looking at him with a sense of bewilderment and curiosity.
“Enjoy your stroll?” she asked.
“I need to know where you put my uniform,” Eric said.
“You're not going anywhere until you're cleared to leave.”
“Look. I know this must be hard on you, what with how you must feel about me. The conflict raging inside of you, trying to figure out whether to help the noble, physically fit, incredibly handsome patient that you've fallen in lust-filled love with, or following your chain of command,” Eric said, grabbing the nurse's hand and massaging it between his own. “But sometimes your heart is worth taking a chance on.”