Cities of Rust

by Ariel Bonin

  She didn't look back. While she had never personally gone through the death of a sibling, she knew talking was the last thing anyone wanted to do right after losing someone close to their heart. People also made a habit of not asking for help when they needed it the most. When she reached Darius, she didn't say a word, and just started digging. He looked up slightly, a small glare forming on his face. Once he realized she wasn't going to make a fuss over him, he went back to hacking at the dirt.

  _____

  The group held a small ceremony for the deceased. Right as Andrew was finishing up his last words, they heard the familiar rumble of their pickup. Everyone met Charlie as he came through the gate. He looked physically exhausted. Andrew half shook his hand, half hugged him after he got out of the vehicle.

  "It's good to see ya, man," Charlie said.

  "Likewise. How was it out there? Did you find their camp?"

  Charlie scoffed. "Camp? Not exactly. They're staying in a storage unit facility about sixteen miles from here. Place is locked up tight. Good news—I think we knocked him down to about ten men. The only issue is gettin' in."

  "All right, let's get everyone inside and then figure out a plan. Good work," Andrew said. "Caren, I hate to ask this of you, but would you be able to stand watch at the gate for a little bit longer?"

  "Of course—" she began.

  "Caren, you go inside and get something to eat. I got this," Lindsey interjected quietly.

  "Are you sure? You haven't sat down since you got back," she replied in a mother-like tone.

  "Yes, I'm sure. Go ahead."

  With an easy smile, Caren thanked Lindsey and handed over her rifle.

  _____

  Everyone else entered the school and attempted to catch up on their chores, though, the tasks seemed trivial after what they had just endured. Andrew gathered Charlie, Robert, Caren, and Eric to meet at a table in the common room. Charlie spread out a map on the smooth particleboard surface as they all sat down.

  "All right, this is where I think they are. If we take this road here and then walk the rest of the way, they shouldn't see us comin'," he stated.

  "And then what? Just barge right in?" Eric asked skeptically.

  Charlie shrugged. "More or less. The building has at least three entrances, but I think they only use one."

  "Did you see where we'll be able to find Marcus and Ana?" Andrew asked.

  Charlie shook his head. "All the storage units are inside. I'm assuming he has her locked up in one somewhere, that is...if he's decided to keep her alive."

  "But what if you get there and she is dead? You'd all have risked your lives for nothing," Robert said now.

  "Not nothing: Marcus," Andrew said with conviction. "His games end now."

  "Then you can count me in," a voice said from behind them. They turned to see Darius standing in the doorway.

  Andrew nodded once. "Okay, then. We leave in thirty minutes. We'll need more than one vehicle so load up the two with the most fuel. I'm going to get Lindsey."

  _____

  Lindsey could hear someone coming toward her. Secretly, she hoped it was Andrew. She needed to talk to him. There was a small flutter in her stomach when she turned around and his stunning blue eyes met hers as he climbed onto the bus.

  "What's going on?" she asked, hoping to sound casual.

  He stood with his hands resting on his hips. "We're leaving soon. If there's anything you need to do before we go, you should do it now."

  She'd never really had much of a dirty mind, but couldn't help wondering if there was a double meaning to his statement. Pushing the inappropriate thoughts from her head, she focused on what she had planned to tell him.

  "I'm going to stay."

  Andrew looked confused, and was about to say something, but she interrupted him.

  "The past twenty-four hours have done a number on my leg. Usually I suck it up and pretend it's not that bad, but I refuse to be responsible for getting someone killed when it inevitably gives out. I'd rather sound like a wimp than be the cause of harm to any of you. I'll stay here with Nadie and keep watch. Do you think there's a chance Marcus will come back while you're gone?" she asked, apprehensive.

  Andrew shook his head. "I thought about that, but he's got what he wanted. He's had it out for Ana since she turned against him."

  Lindsey frowned. "This Marcus sounds like a piece of work…"

  "That he is," Andrew murmured while staring across the schoolyard. He was clearly distracted by his own thoughts.

  Lindsey reached out and took both of Andrew's hands in her own. It startled him enough to get his complete attention.

  "You be careful, all right? No stupid shit. Just get Ana and come back to us," she said, gazing at Andrew. After everything they had just been through, it was going to be strange for them to be apart. It was obvious he wished she was coming with them. She gave him a melancholy smile and stood on her tip toes to place a soft kiss on his abrasive cheek. Her lips lingered for a moment longer than she intended and Andrew closed his eyes. Call it heat of the moment, but he gave into temptation. He turned his head and kissed her gently on the mouth. With a light touch, she tugged at the short hairs on the nape of his neck and returned the kiss thoroughly.

  They had been fighting their feelings for each other for so long, but in that moment, they accepted it for what it was—possibly, goodbye.

  Chapter 8

  "So, how do we want to do this?" Eric asked the group uneasily.

  He, Caren, Andrew, Charlie, and Darius were hiding out in the woods surrounding the storage unit facility. Like Andrew had done earlier in the day, they parked less than a mile down the road and continued the rest of the way on foot to remain unnoticed.

  Andrew passed Eric one of their guns with a homemade suppressor. "You and I will take out the four men standing in the front. Charlie and Darius, you take the bolt cutter and go in the entrance on the left side. Caren, you wait here with the rifle and be our eyes. Caren, Charlie and I will carry the battery-operated walkies. Keep the volume low. Only use it if you're in serious trouble, or you've found Ana or Marcus. We'll plan to meet back here afterwards. If we get separated, we'll meet at the cars instead. Got it?"

  Everyone nodded. As Caren got into position, Charlie and Darius circled around to the left side of the building. Andrew and Eric got as close as they could to the front door while staying out of sight at the edge of the woods. They agreed on which two guards they would each take out, because a miscommunication would be the difference between life and death.

  After the count of three, they shot the first two guards, and then fired upon the other two before the men had time to react. Andrew moved forward and checked the bodies carefully to make sure they were dead. Without speaking, he indicated to Eric that they were clear, and then confiscated two of the assault rifles. It wasn't part of the plan to use them, because they wanted to keep the whole operation as quiet as possible, but the guns were good backup if everything went to hell.

  After scanning the front perimeter of the building, they pried open the outside door. The facility seemed to be running off a backup generator because only the emergency lights were on. Their shadows looked dramatic in the dim lighting as they moved slowly down the quiet hallway.

  They were startled by a sudden ruckus of laughter from somewhere inside. Andrew glanced around the corner and found the continuing hallway to be clear. He signaled to Eric as they neared the source of all the noise. A large two-way window allowed them to get a glimpse into the room. It appeared to be a former office or break room, now being used in a similar manner. Six men sat around a circular table topped with a scattered deck of cards and assorted liquor bottles. One of the men made an obscene gesture to the man across from him and they all burst into another fit of laughter.

  Andrew placed his back against the wall and blew out a tense breath. Six men? How the hell were they going to take care of that problem? He and Eric could try to sneak by and just keep looking for Ana, but a smal
l part of Andrew knew these guys would shoot at them sooner or later. Why not catch these assholes off guard while they had the upper hand?

  Andrew glanced at Eric and nodded. Eric returned with a look that slightly resembled a teenager finding out he's still grounded—his shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes on a grimace.

  Using his hands while silently mouthing the words, Andrew explained that he would stay low under the window and shoot first through the open doorway, guaranteeing at least one kill. After that, any strategy was probably out the window.

  After checking his gun and taking a deep breath, Andrew crouched down and moved under the window. He took a quick look through the doorway, acquired his target, and fired.

  _____

  Back at the school, Lindsey was under orders from Robert to rest her leg for a few hours between watch shifts. She decided to make the best of it and clean her gun. As she leaned her back against the wall behind her cot, she remembered the first time someone had shown her how to clean a gun.

  About a month after leaving St. Louis, her small group had connected with a couple in the St. Peters area. The man, whose name was Richard but insisted on "Rick," was a retired police officer. He had treated her like a daughter, and, shortly before his death, had given her his Glock and wealth of knowledge that accompanied it.

  As she removed the magazine from her gun and ejected the round in the chamber, Zoey appeared in the doorway.

  "Hey, Zoey. What's up?"

  She shrugged and looked down at the floor. "Not much. Is it okay if I come in?"

  "Of course. Take a seat." She gestured to the empty space at the end of her cot. Zoey walked in and plopped down. Fine dust particles flew up into the air and floated in the rays of light streaming through the school windows. She fidgeted and then sat in silence. Lindsey dry fired the gun at the ceiling, removed the slide, and glanced at Zoey. "Something on your mind?"

  She hesitated and then directed her question at Lindsey. "How did you and my dad get away from those men? Did you kill them?"

  Lindsey continued to disassemble the gun as she answered quietly, "Yes, we did."

  "How many did you kill?"

  "Three."

  Ignoring her obvious uneasy feelings toward the topic, Zoey pressed on. "Are those the first people you've had to kill?"

  She cleared her throat. "No." After setting down the pieces to her gun, she leaned forward and gave the girl her full attention. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

  Now Zoey appeared to squirm under her scrutinizing gaze. "I killed someone—a man outside of the school. It was before you got here."

  Lindsey waited for her to continue, but Zoey was looking at her expectantly.

  "Well, aren't you going to lecture me, or ask me why?"

  Lindsey shook her head. "Why would I do that? I'm sure you had a good reason."

  Zoey nodded adamantly. "I did."

  "Okay, so I'll just ask you one question: Would you make the same choice if you could do it over?"

  "I would," she answered, her voice confident.

  "Then leave it at that. Don't question yourself. What's done is done."

  "Does it get any easier? Knowing you have to do it and following through?"

  Lindsey looked at the young girl. "No. It never gets easier, and if it does, then you're probably doing it for all the wrong reasons."

  Zoey seemed to be processing what Lindsey told her. After a heavy sigh, she stared at the wall and said in a dull tone, "My dad left again. He's always leaving."

  "Are you worried about him?"

  "No. He always comes back. I just don't know why he has to go every single time. They can handle it without him," she answered, sounding angry.

  Lindsey moved to sit on the edge of the cot next to Zoey. "Your dad likes to help people. It's just part of his nature. If he hadn't found me in that pharmacy, I'd have bled out and turned into one of those inept corpses. He's a good person to have around in a bad situation."

  "Well, it would be nice to have him around to watch his children grow up. If not me, at least Jake. He'll never know his mom. Dad should stay for him."

  Lindsey nodded sadly. Zoey was absolutely right. She knew Andrew had gone because Marcus needed to be dealt with once and for all, but afterward, he should stay for good. Even though it wasn't her place, she decided she would talk to him when he got back.

  "Are you and my dad together?" Zoey asked suddenly.

  She raised her eyebrows as she glanced at the girl. "No... What made you ask that?"

  "He looks at you funny sometimes. At first I thought he was just curious about you because you were new, but I've noticed he still looks at you differently than the other girls."

  Lindsey tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach from Zoey's statement and felt her cheeks turn pink. She rubbed her face uncomfortably, as if she could wipe away the color from her embarrassment.

  "Maybe he doesn't like me and that's why he looks at me funny," she countered.

  "No, it's not that. I think he thinks you're pretty," Zoey said so simply that it caught her off guard.

  Lindsey asked in a cautious manner, "Does that bother you…the thought of him being with someone else after your mom?"

  She shrugged. "I guess not. I know he's sad, so I wouldn't mind if it made him happy."

  Lindsey didn't know she had been holding her breath until she felt it quietly expel from her chest. Smiling, she wrapped an arm around Zoey's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze.

  "You're a sweet girl, Zoey. Try to stay that way."

  _____

  Andrew and Eric huddled under the now shattered window. They considered it an advantage, except for when Eric lost his balance and got shards of glass in his hand. Andrew managed to kill two men initially, and Eric backed him up with another. The last three men were firing off staggered rounds into the concrete wall behind and above them, for whatever good that would do.

  "Now what?" Eric hissed.

  "Just keep getting shots in when you can," Andrew said, out of ideas at that point.

  They stood and fired through the open window. Marcus’s men were hiding in various places around the room, but none were visible. They got down again and waited. A couple more shots sent chunks of concrete flying out of the wall across from them. They exchanged a glance and got ready to go again. Andrew fired once, but turned his head just slightly when he heard the click of Eric's gun jamming.

  All of a sudden, he felt a burning sensation at his temple, then he was on his back. The ceiling wavered and went black for a moment. His vision returned and he saw Eric point his gun down the hallway. Quickly, he lowered it and gestured to Andrew. Charlie and Darius appeared then. They each grabbed one of Andrew's arms and hauled him to his feet. He was horrendously dizzy and pain radiated from the left side of his head. Darius continued to support him as he tried to find his balance. Charlie removed a rag from his back pocket and, after spinning it into one long strip, tied it around Andrew's head. Andrew gingerly touched below the burning spot on his forehead and his hand came away soaked with bright red blood. He wondered if, by some miracle, he'd survived a bullet to the head, but since he was still breathing, it was most likely just a graze.

  He watched Charlie take a shot at one of the men, who'd stopped to reload. Eric had moved on to use the assault rifle from outside. He fired three times and then lowered the weapon. He nodded, and Andrew took that as indication that their targets were eliminated.

  The four survivors moved swiftly down the hallway, Andrew still being supported by Eric and Darius. Charlie took point. He stopped abruptly and they almost ran into the back of him.

  "What the hell?" Eric snapped.

  Charlie didn't reply. He pointed at something on the ground. They looked down and saw a crimson smudge on the concrete floor, along with dusty boot prints. He took the bolt cutter from Darius and popped off the padlock. As quietly as possible, he raised the shutter door. The dark room flooded with light and they stood in disbelief when th
ey saw the scene waiting inside.

  Ana lay on the floor, her wrists and ankles in zip-ties. Her naked body shivered, even in an unconscious state. Every part of her, usually flawless, looked bloody and bruised. Charlie rushed forward and set down his rifle. Kneeling in front of her, he tapped her cheeks with his hands.

  "Come on, Ana. Open your eyes," he whispered.

  She wheezed suddenly and jerked back from his touch.

  "Shh, it's Charlie. I'm not gonna hurt you. Hold still, I'm gonna get these ties off ya."

  He pulled out the bolt cutters again and cut the restraints, shedding the plastic from her raw skin. She sagged against him, and as he held her up, he pointed to a darkened corner of the room. "Darius, get her clothes."

  Lagging behind from shock, Darius picked up the pile and hurried over to his girlfriend. Charlie straightened out her pants and started to pull them up her legs, but she slapped his hands away.

  "I'll do it," she mumbled past her swollen lip.

  Charlie blinked and stood up. "Suit yourself."

  Ana slowly finished getting dressed and ignored Darius’s offered hand as she stood up. She winced as she took the first couple of steps, but regained her footing and took off down the hallway.

  "Hey! The exit is the other way. Where are you going?" Eric yelled.

  "I'm not leaving without my baby…" she fired back as she turned the corner and out of view.

  Eric glanced at the others, his face a look of exasperation. "What?"

  "Her bow, you idiot—" Darius grumbled, but was interrupted by the sound of a distant door slamming shut. Immediately after, their two radios crackled to life.

  "Marcus is on the move. Left side exit," Caren reported.

  "Shit! I'll make sure she gets out. You three, go!" Darius shouted.

  Charlie grabbed his radio and fired back, "If you can, take the shot! We've got Ana."

  They heard the sound of exchanged gunfire, then silence.

  "Oh, God," Charlie whispered, fearing the worst.

  They burst through the side door and found Caren standing over Marcus as he writhed on the ground. She kicked his gun away and patted him down. As they got closer, all three men cringed when they saw that she had shot Marcus in the groin. Caren looked relieved to see them. Naturally, she stepped away to hug her dad and brother.