"Wait...where are you guys heading?" Koran asked desperately.
"Far away from here," I said. I didn't want to give him too much information and I was in a hurry to separate myself from them.
"The marina," Melinda blurted out. "We're gonna take a sail boat."
I shot her an angry look and she shrugged.
"That...that's a good idea," Koran responded. "Mind if we tag along?"
I swallowed and bit my bottom lip. Huffing, I glanced at Melinda again and cursed her with my eyes.
"I can help," Koran said. "I know a few things about survival and, and I can sail. I know how to sail too."
I groaned. He'd brought up the one thing that would make me give him any consideration at all. I stared at him and knew that I was gonna regret the decision I was about to make.
"Fine, but we have to go now," I replied.
Koran smiled. "Stephanie, Ashley, time to pack up," he said and started collecting his things.
I watched him walk away then turned to Melinda and pulled her to the side. "What is wrong with you?"
"What?" she said a little too loudly.
I cast a hesitant glance in Koran's direction then continued. "We don't know this guy. What are you thinking telling him where we are going? We can't trust anyone?"
"I'm sorry...but you heard him. He can sail, we need someone that can sail."
I sighed. "I hope you're right Melinda. Cause if this turns out bad, you put all the kids in jeopardy."
CHAPTER 16
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS
"So what's your story Koran?" I asked as we walked through the thinning trees.
I could see the road about half a mile ahead of us and the smell of salt water was starting to reach my nose. The changing scenery spurred me to walk a little faster and I felt hopeful for the first time.
"What do you mean?" Koran replied.
"How'd you end up out here.? What's your deal?"
Koran laughed. "You guys have those, those gangs in your neighborhood?"
"Gangs?"
"Yeah, the guys with guns and shit, taking people's stuff. Killing anyone that stood up to them."
"Yeah, we got out the day they showed up."
"Well, we weren't so lucky," he said then paused.
He stared down at the ground like his mind had drifted somewhere else and for the next few yards we walked in silence. I'd seen my fair share of horrors so I didn't press him. Reliving the nightmares of the last several weeks wasn't an easy task.
"They came early on, maybe twenty or so," he started again. "Killed...killed lots of folk. A couple of us...families, hid in a foreclosed house at the back of the neighborhood. We lasted for a week, then the national guard showed up."
"Yeah, they came to our neighborhood too," I added.
He half-smiled. "Well, the gangs were armed to the teeth and they weren't about to give up the neighborhood without a fight. I mean the place is gated with one narrow street in and nothing but the bay behind us. It got ugly and the fight spilled to the back of the neighborhood. We lost ten trying to get out before they bombed the place to shit."
"Bombed it?" I asked in shock.
"Yeah, guess they got their hands on some mortars. Symphony Isles is gone."
He stopped talking then looked up ahead and nodded. We were feet from the roadway and I could see the cluster of thinning mangroves that bordered the marina.
"Well, those are some of the guys that were back there, the ones following us. I guess they've been after us since we left the neighborhood."
"Be happy you didn't have to deal with them," he replied coldly.
"Melinda," I called back. "We're close."
She came to a stop beside me and smiled. Her arm wrapped around mine and she leaned her head onto my shoulder.
David and Charlie were tagging along behind her. Alistair was dragging ass, bringing up the rear, talking with Ashley. They'd taken to each other, probably figured they were the last teenagers alive.
I crouched down and looked across the road. "Have you seen any other people?" I asked.
"Not really, not since we left. We've tried to avoid people best we can, you know?"
I knew. "It's odd though. Where the hell is everyone?"
"Evacuated," he replied.
"Evacuated?"
"Yeah...you didn't hear?"
"Honey," Stephanie interrupted him. "This can wait. We should get to the other side, back to the cover of the trees."
She was right. The forest had thinned to stubs and we were out in the open. The memory of Mike or Greg, or that poor woman on the side of the road was not far from my mind. This wasn't a good place to be.
"Alistair, hurry up," I shouted to him.
He waved his hand at me and went back to talking with Ashley. I started toward them when a crackle sent us all diving to the ground. Panic and fear rushed through my body and I realized, we'd lingered too long.
From my stomach I looked up and stared back in the direction we'd just come. I couldn't see anyone yet, but I could hear them back there.
Another shot rang through the air followed by several more. Dirt and leaves jumped to life as the speeding metal missed its intended target. A bullet smashed into the ground a few feet away and sprinkles of soil showered my face.
"Run!" I yelled to Melinda.
Pushing past my fear, I forced myself to stand. Alistair was a few yards away, pulling at Ashley's arm, trying to force her to run. Melinda and the boys were already crossing the street and Koran and Stephanie looked torn between leaving their daughter behind and risking their lives to save her.
"Alistair come on!" I yelled as I ran toward the gunfire.
I could see flashes of the men's clothes between the twisted tree trunks. They were closing in and pretty soon their wild shots would find their mark. They obviously weren't that skilled with a rifle, but they only needed to be lucky.
"We have to go. We have to go now!" I yelled.
"She twisted her leg dad. She can't run," Alistair replied.
Ashley groaned and pulled her leg to her chest. She was wearing a pair of low-top tennis shoes and I could already see the swelling in her ankle.
"Look, you help her across the street and I'll distract them. Tell your mom to get to the marina and I'll meet you guys there."
"Dad, we can both carry her," Alistair replied.
"Don't argue with me. Just take her."
I helped Ashley up and she wrapped her arm around Alistair's shoulder. Alistair frowned at me, but I didn't have time to keep explaining myself.
"Go!" I shouted.
With that, I ran back toward the group of men, hoping I didn't get shot for my troubles. "Hey assholes!" I yelled and streaked off to the side.
The hiss of gunfire was my answer, my plan was working. I could hear branches snapping to my right and more gunshots rang out. I ducked my head as I headed deeper into the trees.
Still running at full speed I pulled the black handgun from my waistband. I took a few more strides then hid behind a cluster of oaks and froze.
I tried to calm my breathing as my lungs begged for air. My hands trembled and I cursed myself for trying to play the hero yet again. Koran and his family didn't deserve my help, he'd left us to die, he'd even left his own daughter to die.
"He went this way," someone whispered.
I could hear several footsteps and I knew they were close. Now, all I needed was a few moments of courage. A few moments of insanity that would allow me to do what needed to be done.
The sound of crunching leaves rustled a few feet away. I slowly leaned to my left and peaked around the side of the tree. All of five of the men were together, they were only a few yards away, heading in my direction.
Cautiously, I circled around the trunk as they got closer. They walked right past me and I stepped out behind them.
"Freeze!" I yelled and with shaky hands pointed my gun at their backs. "Don't turn around. Drop your guns!"
"Hey now fella, we're just
out here surviving like the rest of you," one of the men replied.
He was wearing a red and black flannel jacket and a beanie cap on his head. His denim jeans were covered in dirt and what looked like dried blood. I hoped it belonged to some animal, but from the stories Koran told, I knew that wasn't the case.
The rest of the men were in camo like they'd been hunting deer or something. They looked like the outdoorsy type. Much better suited for the forest than I was, even though they'd proven that they couldn't shoot for shit.
"I said drop the fucking guns!" I shouted again.
Like a snare drum their rifles rattled to the ground. They raised their hands slightly and then the man in the jacket slowly started to turn around.
"Calm down now. We don't want anyone getting hurt," he said.
I glared at him, trying my hardest to look menacing. My arms shook violently and I thought I'd either drop the gun or accidentally shoot him.
"What do you guys want? Why are you following us?"
"Where are the rest of your people?" he asked and took a step toward me.
I jabbed the gun out and rocked backward. "I said don't move. I'll fucking shoot you, I mean it."
"Parker...you're gonna get us killed," one of the other men said. He was wearing fatigues and a red hat. Out of all of them, he looked like he wanted to be there the least.
"He don't wanna kill anybody. Ain't that right?" Parker said.
"I'll shoot you, I swear to God I will," I snapped at him.
"Whoa...take it easy man," he said lowly, but kept moving forward.
I stepped back again and stumbled a bit on the root of a tree. Parker lunged at me as I recovered. I jumped back just out of his reach and squeezed the trigger.
He grunted and crouched to the floor with closed eyes and clenched his fists. But instead of a gunshot I was only greeted with an empty clicking sound.
Parker opened his eyes and glared at me in surprise. I pulled the trigger again with the same result. Then again and again. Fear choked me and my breath got stuck in my throat.
Parker straightened up and smiled from ear to ear. Laughing, he said, "You even load that thing? You even know how?"
I looked down at the gun with a confused face. I'd put too much faith in a piece of useless metal.
Parker smacked the gun from my hand and brought his fist crashing against my temple. Disorientated, I staggered then fell back on my ass. I blinked wildly and stars exploded in front of my eyes. It felt like my head bad been slammed in between a door.
"You in trouble now," one of them said and they all started to laugh.
Their cackling hoots and jeers sounded like a swarm of bees. A swarm of killer bees, zipping around in excitement before they delivered a swift and painful death.
Someone moved closer and stopped. With blurry vision, I tried to make out the figure standing over me. Their face came within inches of mine and they started to speak.
"We're gonna find the rest of your party," Parker's voice said deliberately. "That woman...we're gonna fuck her good. Probably keep her around for a while. Til we get tired of her, then who knows? The rest of em we're gonna kill slow, real slow," he finished in a low raspy voice.
"No! Please no!" I pleaded.
CHAPTER 17
MARCH TO THE MARINA
I begged Parker to let me go. I offered him everything I could think of, but he was an evil, vile bastard. His entire group didn't want anything more than to cause destruction and pain wherever they went.
"Whatever you got, we're just gonna take. Ain't no sense in bargaining with a dead man," Parker said.
"Please, just let me go. You don't have to kill me, you don't need to."
"Hell, we want to. This is what we do boy. Don't nobody ever have to kill, but it sure as shit feels good."
Parker started to laugh then a hiss sizzled the air and ended with a thud. His heckling fell silent and something splattered all over my face. Blinking, I wiped at my eyes and realized it was blood and brain fragments.
"What the fuck?" the rest of the men started to shout in unison.
They quickly grabbed their rifles from the ground, but before they could even raise them two more hisses whizzed through the air and two more bodies fell.
"Shit...holy shit!" one of the other men yelled as he spun around with no plan.
My head was still swarming, but I managed to stand and attempted to collect my bearings. There was a large tree to my right and I awkwardly stumbled to it. I fell against the raspy bark then looked back to toward the rest of Parker's friends.
There were only two left and they were turning from side to side trying to find the source of the gunfire. One of them stopped and looked at me. His face was gaunt and his eyes trembled with confusion.
"Where the fuck are they?" he asked and pointed his rifle.
Before I could respond two crackles erupted in my ears and both of the men fell dead. I breathed a sigh of relief before I realized, whoever was doing the shooting might be shooting at me as well.
Grunting, I dropped to the ground and didn't move. I waited quietly, hoping my silence would keep me hidden. Minutes ticked by and I thought I might be in the clear, until I heard a footfall and a twig snapped a few feet away.
"You can get up now," a voice called.
I lifted my head and braced myself. With clenched teeth, I pushed up to all fours and opened my eyes. Koran was standing in front of me with a half grin on his face.
"Jesus," I said an huffed, blowing out what felt like years of anxiety. "I thought you left."
"Nah, just had to get my the ladies and the kids tucked in first."
"Who the fuck are you?" I asked and looked around at the scattered dead bodies.
He shrugged and offered me his hand. "Come on, we gotta get to the marina."
I took his hand and stood up then dusted off my pants. Koran walked off then grabbed my handgun from the dirt and held it out to me. I took it and reluctantly tucked it back into my pants.
"I can help you with that if you want. You know teach you to use it...you're gonna need it."
"Sure," I replied.
"Are you good to move? The others should be at the marina by now."
I nodded and we took off toward the road. He kept the pace slow at first, he was watching me cautiously. I guess he thought the blow to my head was worse than I let on.
I felt fine, but who knew how long that would last. I'd been doing more physical activity in the last month that I had in the last ten years of my life.
"What were you talking about earlier?" I asked as we walked across the road and headed toward the mangroves.
"About what?"
"Evacuations."
"Oh, that. As far as I know all of Hillsborough County was evacuated. The storm surge was supposed to be over twenty feet out here."
"So what the hell happened?"
"The power outage, well the EMP. Things got dropped, signals got crossed and a few neighborhoods out here never got the memo. That's why the national guard came. I don't know what happened in your neighborhood, but they came to evacuate us."
I didn't immediately respond. I let his words sink in as I tried to make sense of what I'd seen and what he was telling me.
"They're just around the bend," he said and pointed. "Your family."
"Thanks," I replied.
He nodded.
"I mean for everything. For back there with...you know. Thanks. I didn't think I was gonna see my family again."
"Don't mention it."
"So how do you know all of that? How do you know it was an EMP?"
"I used to be military."
"That makes sense."
Koran laughed. "Nah, not like that. I mean, I was Navy. Handled communications systems on a ship, but they taught me how to shoot and a few things about surviving outdoors."
"You said you used to be military."
"Yeah, I'm a contractor at the base now. Well I guess I was a contractor at the base. The day all of this shi
t started I was at work. I shouldn't really be telling you this, but I guess it doesn't matter now anyway. That crazy lightning storm that happened set off CHAMP."
"CHAMP?"
"Yeah, it's a non-nuclear EMP system, the Air force has been working on with Boeing."
"That shit is real?"
"Yeah, still in the testing phases, but the storm set it off. Not everything was impacted, but being we're so close to the base we got the brunt of it."
"That's crazy," I said and rubbed my hands across my face.
"There they are," Koran pointed.
We'd made it to the nature preserve that ended at the marina. Melinda, Stephanie and the kids were sitting on a bench facing the water. Alistair and Ashley were a few yards away, having what looked like a serious discussion.
"Looks like a few boats survived the storm. We're in luck," Koran said.
I took a deep breath, then headed toward my family. "Melinda," I called.
She stood up and turned around. A smile spread over her face and she waved. I waved back then suddenly felt the Earth shift beneath my feet.
The sensation was unfamiliar. I felt like I was standing on a beach ball trying to balance myself. Like I was walking on a treadmill that was on top of a merry-go-round inside of a crashing airplane.
"What the hell is going on?" Koran shouted.
To our left the ground split open and a stream of searing hot gas belted into the air. Ahead of us the water in the bay started to whip from left to right, crashing up against the dock, sending a salty mist toward the sky.
A loud grumbling echoed in my ears and I fought to stay upright. Every step I took toward my family seemed futile, the ground crackled and splintered, sending me stumbling backwards. The loose sand shifted and became a conveyor belt of death as the Earth swallowed everything that fell into the cracks.
Watching the floor rip apart, Steve suddenly came to mind. This couldn't be happening, but it was. I was watching it with my own eyes and I still couldn't believe it. He had been right all along and I'd dismissed him. But I couldn't deny it now.
"Earthquake!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Dust to Dust: Deconstruction Book One (A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller) Page 9