by Sean Kidd
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Luther said. “We might be too late. Before we left, I made sure that door was locked.” Cowboy spit toward the back of the building, “Now it's wide open.” Luther and Tommy snapped their heads around to the building, “They’ve already been there!” Tommy advised. Cowboy tilted his head toward Chevy’s truck and said, “I think they’re still there!” Cowboy pulled a knife from his pocket and used it to draw a picture in the dirt, “Here’s the building. You two head back to the Humvee. Leave the lights off and take the long road back to the front. I’ll head across the field to the open door. I’ll wait outside for the signal.”
“What’s the signal?” Luther butted in.
“I want you to drive that Humvee right through the garage door. Tommy, you get on that fifty-caliber, and if they're moving in there, you take them out! Once that fifty starts cycling rounds, they’re gonna go for that open door.” Cowboy pointed to the open door again, “I’ll be there waiting. If anyone makes it out, I’ll take care of them. Do you both understand?” They both nodded their heads, “We’ve got it!” Cowboy watched as Luther and Tommy ran back to the Humvee. Cowboy sat in Chevy’s truck until he saw the Humvee pull out of the vehicle impound, thinking of a plan of his own.
CHAPTER 59
October 14th 6:50am
I took a quick look at my watch, “Let’s get moving everyone! The sun’s gonna be up in a few minutes. Chevy quit screwing around and get off the floor, grab Wife Beater’s gun and cover the front door where that guy ran out. Don’t let him back in here!” I motioned to the girl with the long brown hair, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Sage!”
“Sage, I’m Ty. Can you shoot a gun?” She gave me a sarcastic look and raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, I can shoot a gun.” I handed her my HK416, “It’s loaded, and the safety is off. Just point and shoot. Cover the back door.” Sage turned and disappeared into the bathroom. What was she doing? I saw the barrel of my HK slide out from the bathroom door. Sage was peeking around the door frame using the bathroom for cover, “Good for her.” I said aloud. “Sidara I need you and our new friend to help me search this place for weapons.” She took off with Kate into the bunk room. “What do you want me to do, Ty?” Mom asked. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the office, “I don’t want you to leave my side, Mom.” I yelled to everyone as we were running for the office, “We’re out of here in two minutes!” Mom and I searched the office. It looked empty until I opened the closet door. Sidara’s MOLLE vest was stuffed in there, with her Sig Sauer and M4. I grabbed the Sig and pulled the slide back enough to see it was loaded. I handed it to my Mom, “Here take this, there’s no safety on it, so be careful. It’s semi-automatic so it will shoot once, every time you pull the trigger.” She took the Sig from my hand, pushed the magazine release, and I watched as it slid out of the gun. She caught it with her hand, turned the mag sideways to see if the mag was full and slammed it back into the Sig. She looked at me and said, “I’m married to your father. I’ve been shooting guns since before you were born. I think I know what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, Mom!” I cheered.
I pulled out the rest of the weapons and found my swords buried behind Sidara’s M4, “Awesome! That’s everything Mom. Let’s get out of here.” We left the office in time to see Sidara walking out of the bunk room. She was smiling and lifted up her arm, “Hey Two-gun, I got your two guns back!” Sidara was holding up my Glocks, and they were still in the two gun holster. In return, I held up her MOLLE vest, and we met in the middle of the room, “Trade you.” she said, as she held out my holster. I took my holster back and handed her the vest. We couldn’t put them on fast enough. We were old friends reunited, “Let’s go!” I yelled across the room to Chevy. He left the front door, and we all headed for the back. “Sidara, you go first and make sure it’s clear!” I yelled. She pulled the door open, and she gave us a wave, “All clear!” I was the last to leave the building. As I stepped out of the door, I heard the rumble of the big V-8 Humvee engine followed by a gigantic crash! We all hit the ground. We heard the huge fifty-caliber shooting rounds inside of the building. Then, the firing stopped.
CHAPTER 60
October 14th 7:05am
Luther turned off the dirt trail onto the pavement by the grandstand. He stepped on the gas, and the Humvee’s engine roared. It wasn’t very fast, but the thing was a tank. The speedometer had just climbed past forty. Around the last set of bleachers, the garage door came into sight. “Get down!” Luther shouted. Tommy ducked inside of the turret and dropped into a seat. He reached for the seatbelt as the Humvee crashed through the steel door. Luther wasn’t sure the Humvee would make it through. He hadn’t considered the sheer weight and mass of the vehicle. Not only did it not stop the Humvee, but it didn’t slow it a bit. Luther jammed on the brakes, and the vehicle slid on the smooth concrete floor. Tommy held on to the back of Luther’s seat to stop his face from bouncing off it. The vehicle finally came to rest against Kane’s cutting table. Tommy climbed up to the turret and fired the fifty-caliber machine gun wildly around the room. Luther scanned the room through the bullet resistant windshield but didn’t see anyone, “What the hell are you shooting at?” he screamed. The shooting stopped and Tommy dropped down from the turret, “What?”
“I said, what the hell are you shooting at? There’s no one here!” Luther took one last look around the room, grabbed his rifle and cautiously stepped out of the Humvee. Tommy followed behind him, “Do you see anyone?” he whispered in Luther’s ear. Luther pointed his middle and index fingers at his eyes and then across the room. Tommy followed the point, where he saw a set of legs on the floor. They made their way to man on the floor. Their friend lay there dead. No shoes, no pants, and no wife beater T-shirt. Just his blood-stained boxers. Visibly upset, Luther ordered, “Spread out. Search everywhere. Kill them and find Kane!” Tommy headed for the office. Luther checked on the girls. The door was closed, but unlocked. He stepped in and the room was empty, “There's no one here and all the weapons are gone!” Tommy yelled from across the building. Luther raised his rifle and pushed open the bunk room door with his foot. He stepped inside and looked around. It was empty. Luther stepped out of the bunk room as Tommy was checking the kitchen, “Nothing in here either, they’re all gone!” Luther looked around the building asking, “Where’s Kane then?”
“I’m right here!” he called out, as he walked through the large hole in the side of the building where the garage door once stood. They all met by the Humvee, “Are you okay, Boss?” Kane glared at Luther, “I thought I told you to go out there and kill those kids. Where’s Cowboy?” Tommy chirped up, “He’s waiting outside the rear door, in case they ran out the back.” Kane moved his glare from Luther to Tommy, “Have you heard any shooting from the back of the building?” Tommy shook his head, no. Kane put his arm around Tommy’s shoulder, “This is what I think. Since you didn’t kill those kids in the building, and we haven’t heard any shooting from out back, my guess is they’re gone. So why don’t you walk your sorry ass outside and let Cowboy know it’s all clear!”
“Okay, Boss.” Tommy broke free of Kane’s grip and headed for the back. Kane turned and looked at the garage door, “You sure put a big hole in the side of my building, Luther.”
“We thought you were in trouble, Boss.” They snapped around when they heard Tommy screaming at the back door, “He’s gone! They took Cowboy!” Kane ran into his office to grab his weapons. He went to the closet and swung the door open, “Dammit!” He ran out of the office and back over to the Humvee, “They took everything! What do you guys have in the Humvee for weapons?”
“Not much,” Luther answered, “We’ve got a little .38. Two AR-15s and that .44 caliber Magnum we took off the last girl we picked up.”
“Yeah, I remember her.” Kane said as he reached in the Humvee and pulled out Sidara’s .44 Magnum. He opened the cylinder, gave it a spin and slammed it close. “We’re going to find them, and then we’re goi
ng to kill them all.”
“Let’s go!”
CHAPTER 61
With my face buried in the weeds, I could smell the last remnants of summer rotting away. In just two months, this spot that now protected me from the flying fifty-caliber rounds, would be covered with a puffy white blanket of snow.
The rounds stopped whizzing over our heads. I listened, and didn’t hear any other sounds coming from inside the building, “Everyone get up, and head for the tree line! Chevy’s truck is there!” I whispered.
Chevy’s truck worked fine for the two of us, but we had turned into a group of six. Looks like some of us are going to have to ride in the back. After our escape, we’d have to start looking for a bigger vehicle.
As the night gave way to day, I couldn’t believe how much Chevy’s truck stood out against the treed backdrop. It had been nothing more than luck that no one had seen it yesterday. Wife Beater stood right here, when he came out to check on his friend who was throwing the tantrum. The field was long, and the girls were weak from lack of food. They slowed during the run, and I easily moved out in front. A quick look over my shoulder assured me that no one was following us.
I thought I caught some movement. Then I saw someone's head pop-up in the bed of the truck. The cab was supporting his rifle, and it was pointed right at my head. I stopped so fast, I felt Sidara run into the back of me, “What are you d-" she had seen the man in the truck before she even finished her sentence. “Freeze right there!” he yelled. We all stopped dead in our tracks. He was in a perfect firing position, and he had the bead on all of us. I slid my hand down to my Glock. It’d be a hell of a shot, but taking a chance was better than standing here dying.
“Uh-Uh, let’s keep your hands nice and high there partner!” The man said as he reached down grabbing something. His hand came back into view, and he was holding a black cowboy hat. He rested the hat on his head, and after a slight adjustment he spoke, “Now this is how I see it. I can hold y’all here for another ten minutes. By then, my cohorts will figure out I’m gone, and they’ll come back here lookin’ for me…. and you. They’re not as nice as me, especially my boss, so they’ll be comin’ for blood!”
If he looked away for even a second, I would go for my Glock. Even if I miss him, I could lay down enough fire that it would give the others the opportunity to get away, “What are you gonna do to us?" I shouted at the cowboy.
“Well, it’s your lucky day. It’s seems that I’ve outgrown my group of friends, who are probably on their way here now to kill you.”
“So what’s your point?”
The cowboy tilted his hat back, “Well, I'm looking for someone new. That last outfit turned into a bunch of maniacs. I want no part of that. I joined them before they got crazy and only because I needed someone to have my back when the shit got thick. So what do you say, do we have a deal?”
“What’s in it for us?” Chevy asked.
“Well, with all those dead walking around, I’m just one more person who’ll have your back, and you’ll have mine. And I’ve got a plan to get all of us out of here.” Cowboy looked at Ty and waited for an answer, “We haven’t got all day, Buddy.”
I didn’t want to trust him, but what choice did I have? We were either going to let him join us, or we’d be mowed down when his friends got here. And that would be any minute.
“Okay, we’ll let you join us, but you need to get us out of here first.”
“Sounds good, Hoss! You can call me, Cowboy!” He jumped down from Chevy’s truck and shook my hand, “We had better get movin’, Hoss. Follow me.”
CHAPTER 62
Cowboy took off on foot heading toward the river. “What about the truck?” I yelled. Without looking back, he hollered, “Leave it! We don’t need it.” I motioned for the group to follow, and they all did without hesitation. Had I somehow arbitrarily become the leader? We kept close as Cowboy passed the stone outcrop. He kept heading west toward some fences. As we got closer, I realized the fences were surrounding military vehicles. The gate was already open, and I passed Cowboy heading straight for one of the Humvee’s that was parked inside. I grabbed the handle of the first one I saw. “We don’t want that one, it’s got a leak!” Cowboy said as he hopped in the next one over. We all piled in, Cowboy took the driver’s seat. I was overcome by a strange feeling that maybe this was just a ploy to get us all together, and he was going to drive us right into the hands of the others. I pulled out one of my Glocks and held it in my hand, “Don’t do anything stupid, Cowboy, like bringing us to your friends. They might get us, but not until after I get you first!” Cowboy put the Humvee in reverse, “Listen kid. At this point, if my old crew saw me helping you, they’d kill me before you had a chance.”
Cowboy slammed the Humvee in Drive, and we left through the open gate. He made a quick left onto the trail road, to avoid being seen by Luther and Tommy. “Why are you going this way?” I asked.
“Because right about now my two ex-buddies are realizing I’m not waiting for you outside the back door. They’re gonna get curious in the next few minutes and come looking for me. Kane being dead gives us a little advantage. They’re both a little slow when it comes to planning. You did kill Kane, right?” I shrugged my shoulders, “The one we killed. We called him Wife Beater.” “Why did you call him that?” Cowboy gave me a quizzical look. “Because he always wore one of those white sleeveless T-shirts. You know, a wife beater shirt.”
“Sam! You only killed, Sam? There was another guy in there. Did you get him?” Chevy leaned forward and pulled on the back of his shirt, “No, that must be the guy who shot me with my own gun.”
“Where did he go?”
“After he shot me, he ran out the front door. We didn’t see him again.”
“Shit!” Cowboy sighed.
“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing?”
“Listen Hoss, you have to understand. That guy’s not right in the head. He won’t stop hunting you until you’re all dead. He’ll chase you to the end of the earth. The only thing he’s going to do before he kills you, is kill me!” A silence fell over the Humvee. It was my mom who spoke first, “We need to go back and kill him!” I snapped my head around, “Mom!”
“This world is hard enough now with all the dead running around. The last thing we need is a maniac on our trail.” I sat there looking at my mom with my mouth wide open, “Who are you?” I asked. Cowboy looked back at my mom, “Well I hope you have a plan lady, because he’s behind us!” We all snapped our heads around. We could see lights about a half a mile behind us, “How do you know it’s them?” I sputtered. “Who else would it be?” Cowboy said as he stepped on the gas.
We headed for the city trying to lose our enemies, but they seemed to keep gaining on us. Cowboy turned the corner, cut through parking lots, and raced down straightaways, “How can they keep gaining on us?” I asked.
“Their Humvee is newer, and it’s got a turbo charger. This one doesn’t. Eventually, we’re gonna have to take a stand.” Cowboy said. I spun around in my seat. I eyed everyone’s weapons, “How many grenades do you have in there Sidara.” Sidara went through the MOLLE vest pockets. “I’ve got one. They must have taken the rest.”
“What do you think, Cowboy? We’ve got some rifles and one grenade.”
“I think we’re shit out of luck. These Humvee’s are armored. Those little rounds won't even scratch the paint on that thing. As soon as they catch us, they’re going to try to run us off the road. They’ll fire that fifty-caliber at us until it makes a hole big enough to drag us out, or they’ll just toss one of your girlfriend’s grenades through the window. I know they’ve got grenades in their Humvee, because I put them there.” Chevy grabbed onto the back of Cowboy’s seat and pulled himself forward, “What did you do that for?”
“Well, at the time I was trying to kill you. Sorry, partner.” Chevy was speechless. I had to think of something, and fast. “I’m not going to sit here and wait for them to kill us. Cowboy pull over. I’
m driving!”
CHAPTER 63
Cowboy slowed the Humvee, “We’re gonna have to do this fast. Pull over by those parked cars. You slide over in the seat, and I’ll run around to your door.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Hoss?”
“No, but do we have a choice?” Cowboy tilted his head, “Okay you’re the boss.”
There it was again. When did I become the leader of this pack? If we get out of this, we’re going to have to sit down and take a vote. Cowboy pulled the Humvee over by the parked cars. Before it even stopped, I was jumping out, and was running around the front of the vehicle. Cowboy had already swung the door open and within seconds, I was stepping into the driver’s seat. I heard a loud smash, and I felt the vehicle jostle under me. There was another crackle of thunder, and the Humvee rocked again, “They’re hitting us with the fifty-caliber!” Cowboy screamed. I slammed it in gear and stepped on the gas before I even closed my door. Another round rocked against the back panel. One of the girls screamed. I think it might have been Kate. “They’re going to kill us!” she wept.
“Not if I can help it!” I called back.
I swerved the vehicle in the road trying to make us a more difficult target. The shooting from behind us stopped, “That’s what I was looking for.” I said as I pointed to a small empty grass lot. I took my foot off the accelerator and coasted in the direction of the grass. The Humvee’s tires bounced over the street curb as we jumped the sidewalk. When we hit the grass, I cranked the wheel, touched the brake, and then slammed the gas pedal to the floor again. The Humvee broke into a slide when it hit the slick grass. With the wheel cranked and my foot on the floor, I could feel the knobby tires tearing chunks from the sod beneath them. Our slide spun us completely around, and now we were heading straight toward Kane’s oncoming Humvee. I held my foot on the floor and heard cries of, “No!" coming from the back seat.