"Get up," I said to Koran while I peeked out of the window.
There was a group of five men in fatigues, slowly working their way toward us. They'd been hiding behind the administration buildings on the next street. I could tell from the way they moved, that they were trained and they meant business.
"It's the fucking military," I groaned. "Why the fuck would the military be shooting at us."
Koran wrinkled his face and stared down at the ground. "They could think we're anybody. No matter how you shake it up we're trespassing on a military base."
His answer sounded legit, but I saw the look in his eyes. Koran was hiding something and if we lived through this I was going to find out what the hell it was.
"We gotta get out of here, they're coming to the door," I said and moved toward the back.
I twisted the handle on the rear door and gave it a gentle nudge. It opened slightly and I took a quick glance outside. If we hurried there was a straight shot to the commissary between a row of smaller offices. We could hide in there, or at least have time to come up with a real plan.
"We can make it to the commissary," I said. "Let's go."
I shoved the door the rest of the way open and took off. I didn't look to see if Koran was behind me, but from the sound of the huffing, someone certainly was.
I ran as fast as my legs would move through the narrow corridor created from the buildings. My head was tuckered low, fearing at any minute the soldiers would be behind us and firing at will. But they weren't and we made it inside safely.
"What the hell was that about?" I asked and kneeled behind one of the empty shelves.
"I don't know man, but we can't stay in here."
I looked at him sideways and tried to catch my breath. Koran was getting shadier by the minute and I was having a hard time trusting him.
"You hear me?" he asked.
"Yeah...can't stay here. What's the plan?"
Koran looked around and started heading down the far aisle. He waved his hand and begrudgingly I followed.
"Where the hell are we going?"
"The stock room is in the back. Hopefully we can get out of the loading docks before they figure out where we are."
His sentence was punctuated with the sound of automatic gunfire. Bullets tore through the empty shelves and exploded into the drywall. I fell to the floor and scurried after Koran, but a hail of lead slammed into the ground in front of me and cut me off.
Koran took a glance back then sped off into the stock room. I scowled at him then slid behind a shelf. I could hear the sound of the soldier's boots across the dirty tile. They were getting close and I didn't have anywhere to go.
"Shit," I grumbled under my breath.
I peered around the far side and it looked clear. As quietly as I could, I got to my feet and started to duck walk toward the next set of shelves. If I could just repeat that six times, I'd be outside and might have a chance.
Getting to the first three shelves was easy, but as I looked toward the fourth I could hear someone's steps closing in on me. I froze and tried to make out which direction they were coming from. The commissary had become eerily silent and my heart was thundering in my ears. Each beat sounded like a war drum, each step like the invading army.
With a deep breath, I pushed on. I was nearly to the next shelf when I heard a raspy voice shouting commands.
"Freeze! Don't move another muscle!" the man said.
I stopped dead in my tracks and swallowed. Clenching my jaw, I thought of Melinda and the kids and damned myself for ending up here. I should've been trying to save them, but I couldn't save myself.
"Don't shoot," I said and slowly turned around.
The man jolted his gun at me, but didn't fire. His sand colored fatigues were stained with blood and I wondered if it was his. He had a good amount of stubble covering his angled jaw and his eyes beamed like a stop sign.
"Who the hell are you?" the man shouted. "What are you doing here?"
Before I could answer another soldier stopped beside him and gave me a quick once over.
"It's not him Decker, let's go."
Both of the men turned around and immediately headed back toward the stock room. It took a moment for the shock to wear off of me. Then I collected myself and ran as fast as I could outside. I darted across the street and stopped in the parking lot of an office building.
Dark clouds had swept in and the sun was stuck behind them. A moderate wind was pushing around the palm trees and it seemed to be gaining strength. Another storm was brewing and I didn't want to be here when it hit. I needed to get to the island and I needed to find my family and I didn't know how the hell to even start.
As I stood there, trying to devise a plan another soldier rushed out of the commissary. He whipped his head back and forth like he was searching for something then paused as he spotted me.
I stared back at him, unsure of what to do. He looked just as confused as I was, like he wanted to wave, but then he suddenly raised his rifle and sent a triplet of shots toward me.
I dove to the ground in panic then scurried around the side of the building and ran for my life. Bullets whizzed by my head and cracked into the pavement beside my feet.
Skidding like a race car, I turned down a side street and picked up my pace. The rumble of thunder droned across the sky like cannons and I couldn't hear if the soldier was still shooting or not. I turned around another corner then made a hard left between a row of portables. Huffing, I slowed to a jog.
As I passed the portables a long green barrack came into view. I made a beeline for it and increased my speed.
"Randall," a voice called from behind me.
I turned around and saw no one. The thunder rumbled a little louder and I felt a chill run up my back.
"Over here," the voice said.
I turned to the side and saw Koran waving from one of the portables. I quickly made my way toward him and he ushered me inside and closed the door.
"Shit man, I didn't think you were gonna get out of there," he huffed.
"You left me you asshole."
"Oh come on man. What was I supposed to do? I had no guns and there were five of those guys. I found you didn't I?"
I took a deep breath and sat down on the floor. The portable was covered with a ratty, brown carpet and smelled like old cheese. A few broken chairs were tucked in the corner and discolored, yellow blinds covered the windows.
"We've gotta get to that island," I said as the thought of Melinda and the kids came rushing back to mind.
I stood up and cracked one of the blinds. There was no one outside and the sky was getting darker every second that passed.
"We can get out through the back door. Make it to the canoes before they see us," I suggested.
"We don't know where the hell they are and why the hell they're trying to kill us," Koran snapped.
"You," I replied.
"What?"
"They're trying to kill you."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You tell me Koran. Those guys in the commissary just let me go. They said I was the wrong guy, they were looking for you."
Koran dropped his eyes and turned away from me. He sighed then walked to the far wall and leaned against it.
"What are you not telling me?"
He didn't reply. He stared at the floor and tucked his hands into his pocket.
"Koran!" I snapped.
"I don't know who the hell these people are. That's the truth. Maybe I know why they are shooting at us."
"Well..."
"It...it's nothing really. Maybe I stole something from the base."
"Stole what?"
"Supplies. Guns, grenades, you know things I thought I'd need. So I guess when they saw me it was open season."
"So where is any of this shit now?"
"I told you about what happened in my neighborhood. Everything I had got used then. Look it's not a big deal. We just need to get to the boats and get to the isl
and. Once we're off the base we have nothing to worry about."
"So these people are trying to kill you because you stole some fucking guns?"
Koran groaned and straightened up. "You want to debate this or do you want to go get your kids?"
I bit my lip and swallowed. "We aren't done with this," I said and jabbed my finger at him.
"Okay, okay."
With that, I pushed myself to my feet. "Let's go," I grumbled and headed to the back of the portable.
I reached for the door, but it suddenly swung open and flew off of the hinges. It hit me in the chest and I fell back and landed on the floor under it.
Grunting, I pushed the thin metal to the side. My head was pounding and I'd split my lip down the middle. I covered my face and winced then gasped in shock.
The soldiers stormed into the room and circled us. They had their guns aimed and looked ready to kill us both.
I slowly found my feet and stood up then looked to Koran. He was staring at one of the men with a disdainful look. The man stepped forward and lowered his rifle. He glared at Koran then shook his head from side to side and grinned.
"Colonel Meyers," he said in an odd tone.
Koran glared back at him and puffed up his chest. "Major Clark."
CHAPTER 24
WHAT IS THE MAYFLOWER
"I'm glad to see you and the boys are doing well. Even though you're missing a few. Decker, Lockship, Hunter, Shipley...you look good," Koran said as if he was talking to old friends.
I scratched my head and scoffed. It felt like I was in the twilight zone. These guys had been trying to kill us for the last hour and now they were best friends.
"Can't say we're as happy to see you Colonel," Major Clark replied.
"Wait...wait!" I blurted. "You know them?"
Koran shrugged and twisted his face.
"What the hell is going on?" I continued.
Clark started to laugh. "Koran used to be our brigade commander. That's until he went AWOL and kidnapped the President's daughter."
"What!?"
"I don't have time to explain. Look she's in trouble and you guys can help," Koran righteously spoke.
"Why the hell would we help you? Tell us where she is and maybe we don't shoot you right now."
"You help me and I'll get you in Mayflower," Koran replied as if he'd offered them a million dollars.
All five of the soldiers started laughing. They shared skeptical glances with one another and looked at Koran like he'd lost his mind.
"It's not real," Clark spat, still chucking.
"It is and that girl is our ticket. You can come with me, you all can. Just help me get her back."
"We'll get her back alright, but not for you. Did you forget who the hell you work for?"
"The president is dead!"
"The first lady isn't. There's still structure, we still report to someone."
"And that someone will give us anything we want for bringing that girl back. That someone knows all about Mayflower."
"You stole her, so you could ransom her for access to a place that's not real? You've lost your shit Colonel. Mayflower is an urban myth."
"I saved that girls life. I just want what's mine in return."
"The secretary doesn't see it that way. He gave orders. You're as good as dead."
"Look Clark, you know me, you've known me for years. Mayflower is real...you know it. How much time do we have?"
I watched their exchange in shock. My bottom jaw was dragging across the filthy carpet and my brain was exploding.
"What?" Clark asked.
"You know as well as I do what's going on here. They tried to get everyone out and hell they did a good job with this county, but I'm sure they're cutting their loses. You guys ain't staying around. So how long?"
Clark looked around the room for a moment. He stared back at his men then sighed and looked back to Koran. "The helo leaves in an hour," he said reluctantly.
"Well fuck, help me Clark! Some assholes have that girl so whether you believe me about Mayflower or not we've gotta get her."
"And my family," I added in a shaky voice.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Clark asked as if he'd just seen me.
"This is Randall, they have his family too. So what do you say? Help us save them and I'll come quietly. Just give us a seat on the flight out of here."
"Out of here?" I echoed. "I'm not going anywhere with these guys."
Clark ignored me and turned back to Koran. "Fine, I'll play along. If the President's daughter is really there, I'll save her. If not, we're gonna bury you and your buddy. Lockship, Hunter and Shipley, head back and finish getting everything ready. We'll be along in a few."
"Yes sir," three of the men said and rushed outside without another word.
Decker was still standing next to Clark. He was glaring at Koran like he wanted to punch him in the face and I wished that he would.
He was a big guy, probably six foot six and well over two hundred pounds. He had dark spiky hair and a vein that bulged down the middle of his forehead like a power cable.
"You," Clark said and turned to me. "You can stay if you want, you and your family. Just know in 24 hours the entire state is gonna take a nose dive into the Atlantic."
My mouth fell open again and I turned to Koran. He gave me an odd look then stared at the ground.
"Alright," Clark boomed. "Where are these lost sheep?"
CHAPTER 25
THE RESCUE
Partnering with Clark and Decker was much better than the plan we had. For starters they had a boat with an actual motor, and they had guns, lots of guns. But refused to give us any, apparently I wasn't the only one that didn't trust Koran.
The sky was quickly darkening and the water in the bay was getting choppy. Clark, Decker and Koran had been talking over assault plans and other military mumbo jumbo, completely ignoring the incoming storm. I tried my best to move them along, but it took an agonizing twenty minutes before they finally agreed on a plan.
"Beer Can Island huh?" Clark asked as we loaded up the black, inflatable motorboat.
"That's the only place they could be or at least where they were an hour ago," Koran replied.
"Well just know, you try anything or if this is some half-baked plan to trick us, I'm gonna bury you and your new friend on that island."
"Of course you will," Koran spat back.
With a nervous fidget, I settled into the boat and grabbed the safety rope. Koran sat down beside me and half-smiled.
"Colonel?" I asked. "The President's daughter?"
"Look, I'm sure it's hard for you to trust me, but there's a lot going on that you don't know about. Let's get our family safe first and if we make it out of this I'll tell you everything."
"My family," I replied. "Half of your family you stole."
Koran frowned then turned toward the back. "We're all set up here."
Clark cranked up the outboard engine and we slowly pulled away from the dock. I could immediately feel the water pushing us around and I wondered if the tiny craft could even make it to the island.
"Hold on," Clark yelled.
Suddenly, the motor growled and the raft cut straight through the waves like a torpedo. We bounced from crest to crest over the whitecaps as the bay turned into a whirlpool. All doubts I had in the boats abilities were erased as we sped over the water toward the island.
My head slammed into the side of the raft and I squeezed the safety rope tighter. Water sprayed my face continuously and the cold wind whipped my eyes into tears.
As the island neared Clark swerved the boat hard to the left and a tub of water splashed over my head. I gasped and wiped my face just as we hit another wave. My feet sailed into the air and I nearly flipped over the bow. Scrambling, I managed to grab hold of the rope before I tumbled into the frigid water.
The boat started to slow and I pulled myself back to the front. The waves continued to knock us around, but I was starting to adjust to it.
> "We're gonna pull up around there," Clark pointed. "The three of us will head up the beach, you stay back with the boat."
I wanted to tell Clark to go fuck himself. He'd already gone into great detail about how I'd get everyone killed if I tagged along. Him reiterating the plan now was just to piss me off.
"Yeah, I got it," I replied.
Clark smirked then pulled the boat up to a small enclave. The water pushed and shoved against two giant rocks, creating a little shelter between the jostling waves and the island. A cluster of mangroves shielded us from anyone on shore, their long roots clawing into the sand.
"This is it," Clark said.
He wrapped a rope around one of the rocks then quietly climbed into the water. Decker and Koran followed and I stayed behind like three year old.
"We'll be right back," Koran said and shrugged his shoulders.
That made me even more furious. I didn't even trust Koran and that was my family out there, I need to be the one saving them.
Stewing, I watched the trio weave between the sprawling mangroves and clamber onto the beach. They quickly vanished and I was left with the sound of the waves as comfort.
Sighing, I sat back on the boat and stared up at the sky. The sun was gone and only oblong, black clouds cluttered the heavens like angry swabs of a paint brush. I'd lost track of time, but I knew it couldn't be that late. We'd only reached the base before day break a few hours ago.
"What's next?" I grumbled to myself.
It felt like hours passed as I waited silently. The wind picked up and started to whip the mangroves around like a baby rattle. The swaying of the raft was like a lullaby and if it hadn't been for my neck breaking anxiety, I would've fallen asleep.
As it was, I stretched out on the bottom of the boat and laid down. My hunger demon was starting to poke out his head and begging me to feed him, but the sea was urging me to empty my stomach into the water. I opted to do both.
Opening my bag, I pulled out the box of crackers we'd found in the store. I ripped open a package and stuffed a handful into my mouth.
Dust to Dust: Deconstruction Book One (A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller) Page 14