by Paul Moxham
“So, what about Carson City?” Logan asked.
“I’ve got a contact up there.” Xavier reached down and pulled up the loose plank that had caught Kenneth’s eyes earlier. There was a deep hole. He reached in and pulled out a radio. “I’ve been tracking the military on this and …” He paused. After placing the radio on the table, he walked over to the solitary window in the room and inched back the curtain.
When he turned around a moment later, his expression had changed. His eagle gaze darted to Logan. “Do you have any weapons on you?”
Logan frowned. “I’ve got a shotgun and a rifle in the car, but only a pistol on me. Why?”
Xavier spoke rapidly. “We’ve got company. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s going to be some shooting.” He grabbed the radio and placed it on the floor. “Help me move the table.”
The others carried the table a number of feet before Xavier announced it was far enough. As he bent down and dislodged another loose plank, he continued talking. “Certain people in Modesto harbor ill feelings toward me, and while I’ve been able to ward them off in the past, I think it’s time to leave this place for good.”
“Where to?” Kenneth hurried to the window to peer out. He couldn’t see anyone.
“There’s a cave one mile from here,” Xavier said. “I’ve—”
Suddenly, someone whistled. “You there, Xavier?”
Xavier had now pulled up several planks and the others could see a shotgun, a rifle, a revolver, and some ammunition. “I suppose you know how to use these?”
Kenneth nodded. “I didn’t join up like my brother, but our dad used to take us clay shooting when we were younger. But can’t you discuss this peacefully?”
Xavier turned to Kenneth. “Trust me. I know these people. If we go out there and talk, they’ll shoot first and talk later. I don’t know about you, but that’s not going to happen to me.”
Kenneth hesitated. Then he reached forward and grabbed the weapon offered to him just as a bullet pierced the door, splintering the wood.
“Are you coming out, or are we going to come in and get you?” the voice cackled.
Xavier took hold of his shotgun and slowly opened the door. He stared at a man who was standing beside some rocks a dozen yards away. “What do you want?”
The man snorted back, “There’s a rumor going ’round town ’bout you having a private stockpile.”
“So?” Xavier shot back.
“I want to discuss it. Come out with your hands up,” the man said.
Logan looked at Xavier as he quickly closed the door. “Are they right about a private stockpile?”
Xavier nodded. “You know that cave I told you about? That’s where I’ve got some stuff. So if you want to survive, do what I say.” He looked at Derek. “I’ll need you to carry the radio, okay?”
Derek nodded as Kenneth and Logan armed themselves. Suddenly, a shot shattered the one and only window. Xavier took hold of the door handle and paused as he glanced back at the others. “They think I’m all alone. That’s how we’ll surprise them. Now, do you have a car close by?”
“Down the hill on the left. In between some trees,” Logan replied.
“Good,” Xavier said. “Once I yell out, run for the vehicle. If you give me covering fire first, I’ll be able to help you later on.”
The brothers nodded as Xavier opened the door, holding a shotgun. He walked a number of feet toward the man before stopping. He slowly raised his hands. “Go!”
The brothers ran out of the cabin, firing.
Bullets flew everywhere as Xavier rushed for the nearest rock. He turned to Logan. “Get out of here!”
Logan nodded and pushed Derek in front of him as he followed Kenneth through the bushes and down the side of the hill. A number of bullets whistled past them, but none hit them.
Xavier pelted the area with his shotgun until he was out of shells. He raced after the others.
The group hurried as fast as they could down the steep hill. Derek stumbled. The radio flew out of his hands. It crashed onto the rocks and tumbled down the hill.
“Damn!” Logan hurried after the radio and managed to halt its process halfway down the hillside. As the others raced past him, he tried to get it to work.
Xavier glanced back. Four men were aiming weapons in their direction. “Leave it!”
As bullets ricocheted off the nearby rocks, Logan took cover behind a boulder and tossed his shotgun to Xavier. “Hold them off till I see if the radio works. I don’t want to carry any dead weight if I don’t have to.”
Xavier grimaced. He clearly didn’t approve of the plan, but Logan wasn’t budging. He peered over the top of the boulder and drew back as a bullet struck the ground less than a foot away. He glanced down the hill and saw that the others were waiting near the shelter of some trees.
The shooting stopped, and for the next few moments, it was silent.
Xavier turned to Logan. “We can’t stay here forever.”
Logan nodded as he realized that the radio didn’t work. “Let’s go.” He peered over the boulder. No one was visible. “Where do you think they’ve gone?”
Xavier shook his head. “I don’t know. If …” A rock tumbled down the slope. A man was trying to creep closer to them. Xavier grabbed his shotgun and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. He was out of shells. “Damn!”
Xavier huddled behind the boulder as he reached into his pocket and pulled out several shotgun shells. In his haste, most fell through his fingers, into the dirt.
Logan rushed over and helped him recover the shells. Precious moments passed, and by the time the weapons were reloaded, it was too late. Logan looked up as a man launched himself at him.
The two of them hit the ground hard and rolled down the hill.
Xavier aimed the shotgun at the two of them but didn’t fire. It was impossible to get off a shot and be sure that he wasn’t going to harm Logan.
A moment later, another man jumped him. Soon all four were rolling down the hill.
Kenneth took one look at the rolling figures and turned to Derek. “Do you know how to drive a Land Rover?”
Derek nodded. “I used to—”
Kenneth dug into his pocket and pulled out the keys. “Get it going and back up toward us. Got it?”
Derek grabbed the keys and hurried to the vehicle as Kenneth raced to where Logan and Xavier were fighting with their attackers.
Reaching the spot, he noticed several men hurrying down the hillside. Kenneth fired. Bullets hit the rocks above and below the men. They cowered instantly behind boulders. Kenneth wanted to help Logan but realized he couldn’t. If he didn’t hold off the men, the situation would turn worse.
After all, both Logan and Xavier had served in Iraq, so they were no slouches. This was soon proven true as both men got the upper hand at roughly the same time. As they left their attackers unconscious on the ground, they hurried toward Kenneth. Shots rang out and pelted the rocks nearby.
Kenneth aimed the rifle at the rocks and blasted away. He couldn’t get a clear shot, but he hoped it would hinder their attackers. Glancing back, he saw that the Land Rover was now close by. “Let’s get out of here!”
With bullets tearing up the dirt all around them, the group climbed into the vehicle. The wheels spun in the dirt for a moment before the vehicle swerved toward the road.
~*~*~
“So, what have you heard about Carson City?” Logan turned away from where he’d been looking out of the entrance to the cave and walked toward the others, who were sitting around a small fire. They were hiding out here since this was where Xavier kept several vital resources, such as food and water, and if they needed to, they could stay here for several days.
Xavier stirred the beans in the pot that was sitting on top of the fire as he answered. “My contact believes that a group of men—roughly a thousand—made camp in the city.”
“That’s a lot of men,” Kenneth said. “When did you hear from him last?”
> “Two days ago. Doug—that’s his name—also used to be in the 31st Airborne. He’s a boy at heart, so, over the years, he built a massive radio transmitter that’s able to pick up radio waves from all across the country.”
“Did he pick up anything else?” Logan asked.
Xavier nodded. “From what he could make out, there are several large cities that are under the Seods’ control, such as Denver, Dallas, and Phoenix. But there could be others as well.”
“Do you know if President Stevenson survived?” Kenneth asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t been able to get a single scrap of news from the East Coast, good or bad. The only thing I know for certain is that the Seods around here have left. At least for the time being, that is.”
“Why would they do that?” Derek asked.
“Who knows?” Xavier replied. “For all I know, they’re just the advance party and they’re hiding somewhere while they wait for reinforcements.”
“Regarding Carson City,” Logan said, “was there anything else about those soldiers? Such as where they were heading?”
“No.” Xavier frowned. “Shortly afterward, he heard another transmission from around the same area that wasn’t in English.”
Derek, who had been resting near them, suddenly perked up. “Were they Seods?”
Xavier frowned. “Not necessarily. He thought that they could be reinforcements from overseas, such as China.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard if any other countries have been attacked?” Logan said.
Xavier stood up and walked over to the entrance of the cave. He wasn’t expecting anyone to find them yet, but it was always better to be prepared. “I’m afraid not. As soon as the Seods appeared, I fled like everyone else. When I felt safe enough to stop, I began contacting friends.” He smiled grimly. “Half of them didn’t pick up, while the other half did, but the reception was so bad due to jamming that I couldn’t hear anything.”
“Do you have a contact in San Francisco?” Derek asked.
“No. However, from what you’ve told me, and from what I’ve heard, it’s bad. Real bad.” Xavier walked back to the fireplace and poured soup into four small containers. “Eat up.”
Derek took the food but didn’t eat it. He placed the container on the floor of the cave. “Is anyone going to help me rescue Molly, or will I have to do it on my own?”
Xavier looked at Logan. “From what Derek told me, there’s a few hundred men battling it out for control of the city.”
“Your point being?” Logan said.
Xavier waved his hands around at the group. “Look at us. We’re three men and a kid.”
“Four men,” Derek pointed out.
“Whatever,” Xavier said. “Even if we say four men, we’re still more than a hundred or so short. Heck, give me fifty men, and I’ll show you what I’m made of. Why, when I was in Iraq—”
“But we don’t have fifty men!” Derek shouted. He stood up and paced back and forth. “I keep on thinking about Molly and wondering what she’s doing. Is she alive? Is she dead? I just can’t stand it!” He crumpled to the cave floor, distraught.
Logan walked over to him and sat down beside him. He put a comforting arm across the teen’s shoulders. “There’s no use rushing into something without knowing what we’re up against. You just have to be patient.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone,” Derek muttered, anger in his voice.
“I do,” Logan said, getting solemn. “I was about to get married when the attack came. The last thing I saw of my future wife was her helicopter exploding. There’s not a night that I don’t go to sleep wondering if she somehow managed to survive and, if so, where she is now.”
Derek nodded acceptably. “I guess you do know what I’m going through. So, what’s the plan?”
Chapter 4
The moon was high in the sky as the bullet-ridden Land Rover sped down the road with its headlights blazing. Kenneth drove while Xavier sat shotgun. Logan and Derek sat in the back, talking.
“Do you know if the bridges linking San Francisco are still standing?” Logan asked.
“The two south of the city were completely destroyed, I think. I didn’t see the others though.”
Xavier called over his shoulder. “At this rate, we’ll be at the San Francisco International Airport in an hour.”
“I wonder if she’ll be there,” Derek muttered.
“How long did you tell her to wait there?” Kenneth asked.
“We didn’t have any firm agreement,” Derek stated. “It was more just a basic meeting place if we got split up.”
“Well, if she’s not there, we can head closer to San Francisco,” Xavier said. “Where did you say your grandmother’s place was?”
“In Daly City, but I doubt that we’d be able to get there. That is, if the fighting’s still going on.”
Logan glanced behind his shoulder and gave their oddball arsenal a quick inventory. One AR-15 with fancy optics, three shotguns, some hand grenades, a few semi-automatic handguns, and a bolt-action sniper rifle decked out in stylish camouflage. “Well, I’d say that we have more than enough firepower to suit our needs.” He glanced at Xavier. “Where did you say you got all this?”
“I have my contacts,” Xavier replied. “The important thing is to not waste ammunition. It’s limited, so we can’t fight for too long. Stealth will be key.”
“I don’t think we should just barge in and start shooting,” Kenneth argued. “Derek said there’s more than one gang battling for control of the city.”
“Suit yourself, but if someone shoots at us, I’m going to take them out.” Xavier grunted. “These are dangerous times, and although I’m not a violent man, I’m not going to give anyone the opportunity to kill me. If someone is willing to talk, then I’ll talk, but they better be damned polite about it.”
Silence descended upon the group. Logan gazed out at the darkened scenery as the minutes passed. They could hardly see a single light as they traveled north along the Bayshore Freeway. It seemed so unreal. They hadn’t passed a single moving vehicle the whole time that they’d been driving, but three weeks ago, the freeway would have been packed, even at this time of night.
“There’s a bunch of lights up ahead,” Xavier said. “I think they’re at the airport.”
“The San Francisco International Airport?” Logan asked.
Xavier nodded. “They must have a bunch of generators and …” He paused as he glanced in his rearview mirror. A light appeared out of the darkness, growing bigger by the second. It was heading straight for them. “We’ve got company.”
Logan peered over of his shoulder and frowned. “I wonder who they are.”
“They might be able to help us,” Derek said. “Maybe we should pull over.”
“No,” Logan muttered. “If we—” He paused as a bullet smashed through the back window, showering his neck in stinging glass shards.
Kenneth pumped down on the gas and swerved the wheel to the left, switching lanes. More rounds cracked by and shattered the rest of the windows, but no one shouted out in pain. The Land Rover roared down the road, heading toward the airport, pursued by the unseen vehicle.
“What are we going to do?” Kenneth asked.
“If men are occupying the airport, Molly is probably not going to be there,” Derek said.
As the turn off to the airport approached, a decision had to be made. Kenneth was still struggling to make a call, but a moment later, the decision was made for him.
Bright lights suddenly appeared in front of him just beyond the turn. Kenneth couldn’t see anything due to the glare of the lights. Not wanting to head where he couldn’t see, he took the turn.
Logan grabbed the AR-15 from the back and fired off controlled pairs through the broken windshield. Their pursuer swerved to the side and he heard the crunch of metal moments later. “We’ve got some distance between us now.”
“But what are we going to do?” Kenneth aske
d as he drove closer and closer to the entrance of the airport. “There’s definitely something going on here, so I doubt Molly will be here.”
“We’d better make sure before we leave.” Logan turned to Derek. “Where did you say the meeting place was?”
“At the end of the main runway,” Derek replied. “I didn’t know what buildings would still be standing, so that’s why I thought the runway was best.”
Logan glanced behind him. No lights were in view, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before their pursuers contacted their friends.
The Land Rover screeched to a stop as Kenneth slammed on the brakes. “We can’t go through there.” He quickly switched off the car’s headlights.
Logan stared ahead and saw that his brother was right. It looked as though some sort of roadblock had been set up in front of the airport entrance.
Two vehicles sat side by side, while a number of militia folk, all holding military-style weapons, talked to one another. A bright light, powered by a generator, lit up the whole scene.
“There must be something really important here to have that many men guarding the entrance,” Xavier said.
“We need to find out what it is,” Logan stated. “There might be a place where the fence is down, so let’s head right and go along the perimeter.”
Kenneth put the vehicle in reverse, but while he was doing so, he accidentally switched on the high beams.
The men looked up, shouted, and leveled their weapons at them.
“Damn!” Logan muttered.
“Gun it!” Xavier took hold of a rifle and pointed it at the light. He pressed the trigger. The glass broke and the light went out.
Shouting and rapid fire pierced the night as the Land Rover roared off the road and headed across the grass.
Kenneth left the high beams on. They needed to find a hole in the fence, and they needed to find it quickly before they were caught. The vehicle bounced over the rough ground. It took a good minute to find a hole large enough for the vehicle to fit through.