Mary Jane pointed at the steering wheel. “Turn off the engine Cody.”
He did as he was told.
“Boy oh boy,” Mary Jane said, shifting towards the driver’s seat so that she was facing Cody. “First and foremost, it ain’t nothing personal. Truth be told, I like you both, I really do. You seem like a good guy Cody – not the sort of spoiled brat junkie asshole the papers made you out to be. And you’re just the sweetest thing Rachel. The sweetest thing.”
“Please don’t do this,” Cody said. “Mary Jane. What is it you want?”
“We want the car,” she said, screwing her face up like it was a dumb question. “Take a look. World’s gone to shit and we gotta take care of our own. These folks out here, they might look all Halloween-like with those masks on but these are some of my dearest friends and family. They mean the world to me and I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.”
“And Rachel means the world to me,” Cody said. “You know that.”
“I do.”
“Then don’t do this.”
“I need two or three cars to get my people somewhere safe,” Mary Jane said. “Good cars. See I want to find a place where there ain’t no Black Storm too. We’re the same Cody. I might have been acting skeptical about your escape plans but truth is I believe the same thing you do. Gotta be somewhere. So we’ve been working on the transportation side of things – we got the pickup earlier today and now we’ve got ourselves a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Almost a full tank of gas in it too.”
“I don’t believe this is happening,” Cody said, his hands dropping off the steering wheel.
“Didn’t your momma ever tell you that it was dangerous to pick up hitchhikers?”
“My momma told me to be kind to strangers,” Cody said.
Mary Jane laughed softly. She looked at her companions outside.
“C’mon,” she said. “You think a good-looking lady like me would be out there hitchhiking on a night like this? On a morning like this? We all got our little plans and schemes. You got yours, we got ours. We’re just trying to stay alive.”
Cody shook his head. “Please don’t do this,” he said. “I’ve got to get Rachel to the airport. There really is a plane waiting for us down there. Let us go please. For Rachel.”
Keep saying her name.
Cody watched the razor sharp outline of Mary Jane’s face melt into the darkness. For a second, he thought he might have reached her.
She smiled and his hope was crushed.
“You’re breaking my heart Cody,” she said. “Truly. But there ain’t no place in this world for that sort of goodness anymore. Certainly not for strangers. Your mom’s advice is out of date. Look here, that plane you keep thinking about – try and put it out of your mind. Seriously, there ain’t no need to torture yourself about it. You ain’t getting on it.”
“Please,” Cody said. “She’s all I’ve got in the world.”
Mary Jane looked at Rachel and paused for a second.
“I know that,” she said. “This is not personal. Hurting you is not our goal here. It’s just a consequence of that goal. This is how things get done in the world right now and maybe in the world to come. It don’t matter who you are. Don’t matter how much money you’ve got or how many movies you starred in. All that matters is what you can take.”
“Take it then,” Cody said. His left hand slid down the side of the driver’s seat. “Take the car but leave us alone.”
Mary Jane turned towards Rachel. There was a hungry look in her eyes.
“I’m taking the car,” she said. “But that’s not all I’m taking.”
Cody almost grabbed her by the throat. He could and would have killed her with his bare hands but fortunately he still possessed enough self-control to hold back. He looked outside at the masks, standing like a flock of ghoulish scarecrows at the front of the car. Their shotguns were all over him.
“No,” he said. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, please don’t.”
“She’s a great looking kid,” Mary Jane said, turning back to Cody. “Just perfect for what we have in mind.”
“Please,” Cody said.
“Don’t worry we’re not going to hurt her,” Mary Jane said. “We need her alive and well and healthy. We’re just planning for the future Cody. When all this passes we’ll need breeders like her – young mothers to bring more babies into the world. We’re just doing our part, trying to get this wheel called humankind spinning all over again. And if we have a big family, we’ll be so much stronger.”
Mary Jane smiled at Rachel, who shrank into the back seat. Rachel’s fingers clung to the teddy bear’s tattered fur like it was keeping her afloat in deep, dark water.
“God she’s adorable,” Mary Jane said.
She leaned closer to Rachel, her eyes probing the little girl like she was examining a doll on a shelf.
“Dad,” Rachel said.
Cody turned around. He saw the fear in his daughter’s eyes.
“I want to stay with you,” she said.
“Oh my Lord!” Mary Jane said. A short bark of laughter transformed into a coughing seizure and she turned her head away, putting a hand over her mouth to block the air shooting out of her lungs.
“Sorry little girl,” Mary Jane said. She coughed once more into the back of her hand. “But there ain’t no need for no has-been actors in the new world. Space is tight in our little convoy, you get it? Especially if we can’t get another car to stop. You understand little darling?”
She turned to Cody. “You understand don’t you, deep down?”
Cody’s left hand was underneath the seat. His back was pushed up tight against the car door while his right hand remained on his lap.
His fingers were inching towards the Glock.
But what about all the other masks? There were fifteen rounds of ammunition, plus one in the chamber in the Glock 19. Was that enough? There was more ammo in the trunk but he had zero chance of getting there and reloading without at least one of those shotguns plugging him on the way. The odds were stacked against him but taking a shot in the back was better than letting them take his daughter away. They wanted to turn her into a breeding animal for God’s sake. What did that mean? Being locked in a filthy, cockroach infested room day and night? Being raped and impregnated by fat rednecks until her body finally gave out? And then what?
He could do this.
Cody knew how to fire a gun. One good thing he’d taken away from his two forgettable cop movies was a set of impressive shooting skills. On both filming locations, he’d earned special praise from his firearms instructors and regular trips to the shooting range were something that he’d kept up over the years.
What about these redneck assholes? Could they shoot? Could they even see under those grotesque masks?
“You won’t get away with this,” Cody said.
Mary Jane pointed a thumb back to the large pickup truck that was blocking the road behind them. Its bright headlights, pointing slightly to the side, looked like the eyes of a nocturnal monster.
“The guy who owned that truck said the same thing,” she said. “He was still saying that when we led him over to those trees at the side of the road. You want to know something Cody? The police don’t care about your problems. They’ve got more pressing concerns right now wouldn’t you agree? Like saving their own families.”
Cody’s fingers crept towards the gun.
“Welcome to New America,” Mary Jane said. “Where people don’t give a shit. Not altogether different from the old version – we’re just admitting it this time around.”
“Where will you go?” Cody said. “You’re taking my daughter and my car? What’s your plan?”
His fingers found the plastic grip of the Glock. It was a snug fit. He was well aware too that there was no safety to switch off either, not on this type of pistol.
Cody glanced at the masks standing outside. He couldn’t see their faces but he could tell they were getting restless. They
were shifting on their feet, mumbling to one another quietly, and looking over their shoulder for any other traffic on the road.
“There wasn’t much of a plan,” Mary Jane said. “Not really. But then you told me about this plane of yours waiting at the airport.”
Cody shook his head. “C’mon,” he said. “I saw your face when you heard that report about planes falling out the sky.”
Mary Jane leaned closer to Cody. “Yeah but it’s a big plane,” she said. “A Boeing 737 with seven or eight pilots on board. That’s what you said, right? Shit, that’s a good bet. Probably a ton of food and water and medical supplies on board too. Sounds a lot better than anything else I’ve heard so far.”
“Nick won’t let you anywhere near the plane,” Cody said.
“Sure he will,” Mary Jane said. “We’re Rachel MacLeod’s guardians. We’ll tell him the whole story. We’ll tell this Nick all about the tragic accident that claimed the life of her father – how poor Cody got caught up in a human stampede on the 281 as people were fleeing San Antonio. You got crushed to death. Bummer. And we’ll tell him that we were with you at the end. How you instructed us to bring her to the airport, your dying wish and all that crap. Rachel will stay quiet, we’ll make sure of that.”
“There’s not enough room on the plane,” Cody said.
His fingers were locked around the handle of the gun. He squeezed tight.
“Rachel will get us close,” Mary Jane said. “Our guns will take care of the rest. Some of those other folks, they’re just going to have to catch a train to New America.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“What about me?” Cody said.
“Daddy,” Rachel said. Her voice trembled.
“It’s okay honey.” Despite everything, he sounded calm. “I’m just talking to Mary Jane.”
Cody saw a flicker of something in the older woman’s eyes. It might have been empathy but it didn’t last long.
Mary Jane looked at the masks standing outside. Her face was somber.
“It’s time,” she said. “I’ve been sitting with you long enough. I did that to try and explain – to tell you why we’re doing this. Because I like you both.”
Cody swallowed hard.
“Rachel,” he said, keeping his voice quiet. “I want you to do me a favor okay? I want you to close your eyes and keep them closed. It’s just for a little while.”
Rachel was crying softly in the backseat.
“Do it honey,” he said, turning around to look at her. “Please close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”
She closed her eyes.
Mary Jane’s eyes were glistening and she smiled. “You’re a good Dad,” she said. “Ain’t no doubt about that. Now I promise you this much – she won’t see anything that happens out there. And don’t worry – you won’t feel a thing Cody.”
“Mary-Jane!” a raspy male voice yelled. “What the hell is going on in there? What’s taking so long?”
Mary Jane leaned her head out of the window.
“We had some talking to do,” she said. “Don’t you recognize this man Hank? This here is a bona fide movie star. Ah seen some of his films back in the day, back when he was young and beautiful. Think maybe I’m a little starstruck. He’s got a real pretty little girl sitting in the back seat too. Think she’ll be coming with us.”
“C’mon woman,” Hank said. He was holding a shotgun and he took an impatient step towards the car. “We don’t have all night for Christ’s sake.”
“It’s morning Hank,” Mary Jane said. “Alright we’re coming out.” She turned to the driver’s seat. “Let’s go Cody. Outside.”
“Dad!” Rachel screamed.
“Keep your eyes closed honey,” Cody said. “Do what I said.”
“C’mon man,” Mary Jane said. She sounded like she was all business now. “Don’t make it any harder than it already is. Get out the goddamn car and let’s get this over with.”
Cody lifted the gun off the floor. Mary Jane didn’t seem to notice his arm stretching underneath the seat.
The darkness was at least good for some things.
“We’ll take good care of her,” Mary Jane said. “Outside, now.”
“Keep your eyes closed Rachel,” Cody said.
“Let’s go Cody,” Mary Jane snapped. “Get out the goddamn…”
He whipped out the Glock and squeezed the trigger. There was a deafening crack that sounded like fireworks going off outside the car. Mary Jane gasped as the bullet pierced her chest at close range and tore through her heart. Rachel screamed in the back seat. When Cody glanced at his daughter, her eyes were still closed.
Good girl.
“Keep ’em shut Rachel. I’m okay. We’re going to be fine.”
Mary Jane fell back against the window, both hands grasping at the blood gushing out of the wound. It looked like she was trying to catch the blood and scoop it back into her body. Her eyes were getting cloudy. She looked at Cody and opened and closed her mouth like a drowning fish. She tried to say something but there wasn’t enough time. When she died, her eyes were staring straight at him.
“Oh fuck!” one of the masks yelled. “He shot her! He shot her!”
There was a moment of panic and confusion amidst the spectators.
Cody dropped the Glock onto his lap and turned the key. The Dodge Challenger snarled at the masks like a waking dragon. The sound of the 426 Hemi engine snapped the would-be kidnappers and murderers out of their daze.
“Kill that son of a bitch!” the female mask cried out. “Kill his baby too.”
Welcome to New America.
“Dad!” Rachel screamed.
“Keep ’em closed baby,” Cody said. “And get down in between the seats.”
He heard her drop down, squeezing into the space between the front and back seats. Cody slammed his foot on the pedal and the Dodge hurled itself forward like it was on the starting line of a drag race. He plowed straight through the masks, hitting one of them square on like the car was a bowling ball and the mask was a fat pin. There was a sickening thud as the car pushed the big man backwards, his hands outstretched like he was dying on the cross.
“Motherfucker!” somebody else yelled. “Kill them.”
Cody didn’t slow down. He kept his foot down as the Dodge built up speed.
The masks shot at him – loud shotgun blasts that sounded like cannonball fire. Cody kept his head low as he sped the car along Bulverde Road.
He drove like it was the devil on his tail.
Glancing in the rear-view mirror, he saw the faint glow of headlights.
“Shit,” he said.
The Chevrolet was coming after him.
Cody turned his eyes back to the front and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The road was narrow and there was no light anywhere apart from the Dodge’s headlights. Traveling at speed, he couldn’t see the turns coming until he was practically on top of them and this forced to slow down. It was either that or risk coming off the road.
There was a gurgling sensation in his guts and Cody knew he was going to puke sooner or later. Hopefully it would be later. Once or twice he glanced at the fresh corpse sitting in the passenger seat.
Mary Jane was a goner but she was still looking at him.
He heard Rachel sitting up again. She’d stopped crying and when he glanced in the mirror he saw her eyes looking ahead at the dark road.
“Daddy. What’s happening?”
Rachel only called him Daddy when she was scared. Really scared.
“We’re going too fast,” she said. “I thought we weren’t supposed to be driving so fast in the dark.”
“I know,” Cody said, catching a glimpse of two dazzling headlights appearing in the side mirror. The Chevrolet was catching up. If he was going too fast, they were going crazy fast. Revenge was obviously a bigger priority for the masks than road safety at that moment.
“Seat belt on?” Cody said.
He heard a clicking noise in
the back.
“Yeah.”
“Good girl,” he said.
He checked the side mirror again.
When he looked back out front, the Black Widow was standing on the road. She was almost invisible; her tall frame, wrapped up in the long black, flowing dress, was cloaked by the surrounding darkness. Only her bright red hair and glowing silver eyes stood out.
“Holy shit!” Cody yelled.
He slammed the brakes but it was too late. The Dodge went through the Black Widow like she was a cloud of mist. Cody looked in the mirror and then over his shoulder, not sure what he expected to see back there. There was nothing – nothing except the angry headlights of the Chevrolet coming after them.
“What the…?” Cody said.
Hitting the brakes had cost him time. The Chevrolet wasn’t slowing down, which told Cody that the Black Widow hadn’t appeared to anyone else. Rachel couldn’t have seen her either – she hadn’t even asked why Cody had hit the brakes so suddenly.
Cody checked the mirror. The Chevrolet was gaining fast. He could see four people sitting in the cargo bed of the truck. One, maybe two more were in the cab.
He put his foot down but the road was too dangerous. The Dodge picked up speed but not enough to put any significant distance between the two cars.
Only one option remained.
“We’re going to have to fight them off,” Cody said. “Rachel, do you hear me? We’re going to have to stop.”
“I want to go home,” Rachel said.
“No,” Cody said. He didn’t tell her that home wasn’t there anymore. That everything she’d ever known back in Spring Branch was a smoking pile of rubble. That was a conversation for another time. “The only way to get rid of these people is to stand up to them. Alright?”
No answer.
“Just sit tight kid. We’re getting on that plane.”
Cody slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The plan was to open up enough of a gap between the Dodge and the Chevrolet to allow him time to stop and get ready. He raced the car down a stretch of welcome straight road, building up a handy lead on the pursuing Chevrolet. But it was a temporary escape – there would be no outrunning the masks tonight.
“Alright you bastards,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
The Black Storm (Book 1): Black Storm Page 6