by Mathews,Mark
“We’ve been hiding in the factory since Austin took you. I’ll tell you when to turn. I’m afraid that the rest of them are under attack and need our help.” Alice didn’t say a word, just drove where he told her. They soon left the town behind, but neither one of them noticed that a car, without its lights on, was following them at a safe distance…
“What was that?”
Fear colored her voice, and she slammed on the breaks, body shaking as she pointed out of the window toward the side of the road. Garrett followed her finger but saw nothing. The darkness was palpable, and he felt like a warm, black blanket was wrapped around the car, squeezing in tighter and tighter. Then he suddenly had an idea. They weren’t too far from the factory, so maybe she’d caught a glimpse of Nat as he was trying to hide. He let out a sigh of relief. At least it had been Alice who had seen him, not Austin and his group. He made a mental note to teach Nat how to get himself somewhere safe without being caught.
“I don’t see anything, but I think I know what it is. Well, who it is, I should say. Give me just a second.” Garrett took the microphone for the car’s radio.
“Nat, it’s Garrett. It’s okay. You can come out. Leave the bike, we have a car.”
He clicked off the radio, looking off into the gloom on his side of the road. He was tense, hoping against hope that it was, indeed, Nat, rather than someone else who was conducting recon for more sinister reasons. He didn’t have to wait long, however, before Nat came walking into the beams of the headlights, shading his eyes with his hand. Garrett had to admit he was very relieved to find that he’d been right. Nat came over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door to the backseat.
“I didn’t make it back in time. I’m sorry, Garrett, I failed.”
The boy showed his age now. He was trembling, from the exertion of pedaling as hard as he could uphill, and with emotion because his mother and the girl he liked were in that factory, probably under attack. He was on the verge of tears, and Garrett chanced reaching out to hug him. Nat threw himself into Garrett’s arms, and even though Garrett felt awkward and a little uncomfortable about it, he hugged the boy to his chest. Nat squeezed him quickly before letting go. He suddenly became aware of Alice being in the car, and he adopted that cool kid attitude to show that he was really a tough guy.
“Nat, you did fine. I didn’t know if you were going to make it back in time before that truck did. Did you see the truck?” Nat gulped down his tears and nodded.
“Did it turn toward the factory?” Garrett held his breath. He didn’t really have much hope that it didn’t, but he still had to ask.
“Yes, it did. I couldn’t tell how many people were in it, or how many weapons they had. I’m sorry!” He burst into tears again. Garrett consoled him from the front seat as best he could while motioning for Alice to start driving again. Even with the extra pair of eyes in the car now, no one noticed the car that still was behind them, following slowly in the darkness, at a distance where it wouldn’t be discovered.
Chapter Eight
The sounds of gunfire reached their ears before they even parked. Fear clawed its way into Garrett’s heart, and he had no idea where the safest place for Alice and Seth would be. He had no idea what shape the factory was in right now, or how many of his family were hurt. He refused to think of any of them as dead. He took his pistol from its holster, chiding himself for forgetting it had been there this whole time. His hand went to his forehead. It was warmer than usual. He thought his fever might be back after the night’s exertions. He felt clammy, sweat beading all over his forehead and the back of his neck. He didn’t know if it was all because of the illness contracted from his injury, or if it was because he was terrified of what he would walk into when he went into the factory. He turned to the frightened woman and the young boy next to her.
“Nat, you need to take her somewhere where she’s safe. I’m going to get in there and see what kind of help I can be.” Nat looked from Garrett to the back door of the factory. His mother was in there, and he didn’t know if she was alright, or hurt, or even alive. He shook his head. This time he would have to put his foot down.
“I can’t take her anywhere. I don’t know what’s safe and what’s not. I need to get in there and check on my mom.”
There was a steely edge to his voice that Garrett never had heard before. This wasn’t the time to grow up and be pigheaded, and Garrett really didn’t have the time to deal with him right now. He needed to know what was going on. Alice, ever the patient one, took Nat by the hand and started to pull him away. Garrett sent her a thankful look and she nodded, putting more weight on the hand she held Nat’s in. He wanted to fight her, that much was obvious, but he couldn’t. She was a woman, and that was someone that he’d never wanted to be. His father. His father had hurt women, had done what he could to “put them in their place” as he called it, and he had sworn to himself he never would become like that. So he couldn’t even pull his hand out of hers for fear she might lose her balance or something, and fall, which would hurt the baby. No. He was not his father. Angrily, he followed her into the damp foliage around the parking area. Maybe, if there really was a higher power up there, he could take care of Alice in exchange for Garrett taking care of Kayleigh.
Garrett watched them until they disappeared into the shadows. Even if things went horribly wrong in the factory, they would be able to take care of each other. He steeled himself for what he was going to find when he opened the door. He knew it had a bit of a creak to it, but something told him that wouldn’t be heard right now anyway. He took a deep breath, tightened the grip he had on his pistol, then opened the door. It was dark, and every now and then he could see little snippets of the action when the light of a shot lit up the area. He saw Kayleigh and Wren, both women in very good positions on the second floor of the factory, taking occasional shots at the gang who was shooting up at them. Then Alice was at his side.
Wren was at a loss as to what to do. She and Kayleigh were trying to get the gang whittled down to a number they might be able to manage. They had come in, thinking they would be able to loot the place then take over, but Ben had made sure that wasn’t going to happen. He’d set up both women in protected positions, giving them the higher ground. Kayleigh wasn’t that great of a shot, even if she had shot her husband. She’d managed to hit one or two, but she didn’t know if they were dead, or just hurt, and she didn’t want to know. There was a queasy feeling in her stomach, and now all she could do was fire down in the general direction of where she thought they were, and hope she did some good. Wren, on the other hand, seemed to be doing great. Ben had killed a couple of them, and then disappeared. Neither woman had any idea what was going on with him. So they did their best not to think that he was dead, but they really didn’t know. Brooke and Jenny were well hidden, and had firm instructions not to come out unless Wren came to get them personally.
The gang was starting to break through the barriers that the women had erected at Ben’s instructions, and now they were starting to gain the ground floor of the factory. That rendered their positions less than ideal. Now they weren’t firing down on the gang anymore, and even though Wren was doing the best as far as her aim went, she was running out of ammo, and it was making her nervous. Her shots started to get more spaced out, and it made the gang grow bolder. They started to waste shots, almost in a celebratory manner. Wren was praying silently for some kind of a miracle to get them all out of this alive. She aimed a shot at a burly man who now was dancing around in the beam of moonlight that was coming through one of the higher windows. He went down mid-swing.
Ben had set up lines of defense for them, and now they were falling back to their last one. They had used desks and chairs, any kind of furniture they could find, to make barriers between them and the invading gang. It was a good thing they’d had Ben, even if they didn’t know where he was now, because he was military and he knew how to set up things the way they needed to be in a gunfight. Wren and Kayleigh were now in their last
positions, hoping against hope that they would make it out of this in one piece. They had to wait patiently in the dark, however, because the inside of the factory had been turned into a maze of sorts. It was very difficult to navigate now, especially if you didn’t know what it was like before the obstacles got stacked up. Kayleigh was shaking, and Wren wanted to tell her she was doing a good job, and to just hold on, but if she called out now, she would give away their positions. It was too dark to motion to her, so Wren sighed heavily and prayed that Kayleigh would hold it together for just a little longer.
Ben was lying in wait, in his own fallback position. He’d taken some bits and pieces of things he’d found throughout the factory, and built a few improvised explosive devices. It was something he’d done when he was in the military, and now he was completely falling back on his training. He didn’t have to wait long for the remnants of the gang to start making their way to the bottom of the stairs where he was hidden. He tossed out a few of the devices from behind the stairs, creating an inferno that engulfed three men at once. The screaming made him grin maniacally.
“Did you see that, Athena? I’ve still got it, baby!”
His laughter increased in volume, and he didn’t care anymore who heard him. He was in his own little world. It was now just him, his wife, and the enemy in front of him. He moved to another staircase, knowing the gang members would follow the path of least resistance. This was the closest one to where Wren and Kayleigh were, so it was where they logically would go next. If he was lucky, then the two women upstairs wouldn’t have to fire another shot, because none of the gang members ever would make it to them alive.
Alice froze when she heard the explosion. Garrett was almost to the door. She let go of Nat’s hand and ran back to the factory, cradling Seth so he wouldn’t bounce. Garrett was on the verge of barging in, since he really didn’t have a plan, but he had to do something. He tripped, almost falling to the pavement, but he caught himself in time. Looking down, he saw that there was a body on the ground. He looked around him, seeing that there were a few more bodies littering the courtyard. He opened the door, barely getting a chance to peek in before Alice caught up to him.
“Garrett! Stop!” He froze. Her voice was shrill, and he didn’t want anyone to hear it. Quickly stepping back to cover her mouth.
“What are you doing? You and the baby go with Nat down to the closest farmhouse and stay there until it’s safe.”
Alice gave him one of her looks that he knew by now meant she would not be swayed. He really didn’t have the time to argue with her right now. He needed to get rid of her quickly so he could get to the women and make sure they were alright.
“It’s not safe for you or for Seth to be here right now. Do what I tell you, and go to the farmhouse, okay?” She glared at him. Taking off the carrier that Seth still was happily sleeping in, she passed it to Nat.
“You can drive. Right, Nat?” He nodded.
“Okay, you take him to the farmhouse and we’ll meet up with you.” Garrett opened his mouth to interrupt, but she rounded on him before he could get a word out.
“They’re my daughters, too!” The vehemence behind her words sent a chill down his spine. When she put it that way then, yes, she was right, and he had nothing he could use to rebut it. He looked from her to the teenage boy holding the sleeping baby, and nodded gravely.
“Nat, take good care of him. Get the two of you somewhere safe, and don’t come out until you see us, okay?” He nodded, and Alice threw the keys to him. They still had been in her pocket.
“I don’t know what you think you’re going to do to help, but please, stay as far behind me as you can, okay?”
He was looking at her now, and he wanted to make sure she was safe. Seth needed her, and he still didn’t quite know what was going on between them. He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize anyone’s life, but he also didn’t know what to do to keep her safe. He was going into this blind, and he didn’t want anyone to have to pay for any mistakes he made.
“I’m going to help my girls.”
It was a powerful statement, delivered with a steely gaze, and Garrett finally caved. There was nothing he could do to keep her out. So it would be better to have her with him, close by where he could keep an eye on her. He really couldn’t blame her, though. If someone had told him he couldn’t go after his girls to protect them, he’d have a hard time listening, too. He had to get through to her and let her know how dangerous this really was. If she went in thinking it was a cakewalk, things could go horribly wrong.
“Listen to me, Alice. I’m not going to stop you from coming with me, but I want you to listen to whatever I say, whenever I say, and no arguing, okay?”
She sobered up, and looked at him, eyes wide. She gulped audibly, but nodded, putting on a brave face. Garrett felt like he was going to regret this, but there was nothing he could do. The two of them crept up to the back door, then slunk into the factory. The cacophony of noise assaulted their ears, and the echoing from the walls of the factory didn’t help. Garrett strained his eyes to see in the gloom, but it was hard, and he didn’t want to make a wrong move. He put a hand on Alice’s chest, halting her, trying to peer through the darkness and get a feel for what was going on.
Chapter Nine
The car didn’t have a child safety seat for Seth, so Nat had to improvise. He tucked Seth into the blanket that he was sleeping in, then rooted around in the trunk of the cruiser. He found another blanket, and a hollowed-out pillow that doubled as a first aid kit holder. Taking both of them, he nestled the baby into the hollow in the middle, making sure he was as tucked in as possible in the middle of the back seat. He climbed into the driver’s side, started the car, and backed out of the parking spot where Alice had left the car. He hadn’t even made it out of the factory employee lot when the dark car that silently had been following them to the factory rammed him. Luckily, it was on the passenger side, and Nat was still okay. He immediately turned around, saw that Seth was still fast asleep, and tried to grab the baby to make his escape. Before he could get far, the barrel of a shotgun was inches away from his nose. Nat tightened his grip on Seth, and let his eyes travel up the barrel to see who was holding it. Austin’s face loomed in front of him.
“I can’t believe she trusted you with my son. Give him to me now and maybe I’ll let you live. Kidnapping is illegal, even in this world, and since it’s my son, I’m going to have to say that it’s punishable by death.”
When Nat looked up into Austin’s eyes, he saw something he’d only ever seen in his father; a hatred and a cruelty that had no respect for anyone but themselves. He squared his shoulders and hugged Seth closer to him. He searched frantically through his mind for a way to get out of this without harming the baby, but nothing came to mind. The only way he’d be able to get out of this, and let Garrett and Alice know what happened, would be to give Austin the baby, then get out of there while Austin and his men were distracted. Every escape scenario that he’d come up with involved the baby getting hurt somehow, and he didn’t want that to happen. Slowly, he relaxed his grip on Seth and started to give him to Austin. The crazy sheriff wasn’t the only one who had a weapon pointed at him, so he made sure he was moving as slowly as possible. One wrong move could get one of the trigger-happy men in front of him to shoot, and they might hit the baby. Austin quickly slung the shotgun over his shoulder, reached out, and took Seth into his arms. He didn’t hold him like he loved him, though, just like the baby was something smelly and gross he didn’t really want to be touching. Nat got the idea that Alice would have been doing all the work if they’d had the baby while the world was still normal. He never saw the butt of the shotgun coming…
Inside the factory, Garrett and Alice started to make their way around piles of furniture and debris. Garrett went first, doing his best to find a clear path for her to follow. Light caught his attention, and he looked over to his left, seeing flames on a scrap of wood that looked like it had been blown apart. A slow s
mile spread across Garrett’s face. He knew these pyrotechnics, and that could mean only one thing. Ben was back. Where he was at the moment, Garrett didn’t know, of course, but it made him feel better knowing Ben had been here when the gunfight went down. It meant his girls had had a better chance of survival, no matter what the odds were. Alice was picking her way daintily through the maze and the bits of piled-up furniture, when she smacked right into Garrett. He stumbled, but her arm shot out to steady him. It was a little surprising for Garrett to be the one who needed the help, and he wasn’t used to it. He gave her a sheepish smile, blushing a bit because he needed her help. She returned his smile, letting him know she wasn’t going to hold it against him.
Ben was waiting at the top of the third staircase. He was getting very impatient. The few men who had made it through the bullets and the traps were good, almost as good as he was. When they passed by the light of the fire from the first and second staircases, he recognized them as the men who had fired the bullets that tore his wife apart. Athena’s face swam into view in his mind’s eye, and an all-consuming rage swept through him like a wildfire. No. He wasn’t going to sit here and wait for them to come to him, he was going to go to them. He took both his handguns from his ankle holsters, made sure they were fully loaded, then ran down the stairs at the men, firing from both guns. There were five of them, and even though he took out three, the two who returned fire were a little faster than him. Bullets from their guns riddled his body, causing one of the improvised explosive devices to fall toward the floor.
Almost in slow motion, Ben watched as the device rolled past the two men who were still alive. He was on his way down, and he knew it. This was just how Athena had gone, and now he was going to meet her. His eyes closed and he breathed his last breath as it exploded, cutting off the men from the way that they’d come.