by D A Carey
Malcolm’s first move was to search the block and homes. He was most concerned that some of the gangsters could be hiding in one of the houses inside the barricades. They could be waiting for the opportunity to strike from behind. Although he didn’t find any hidden intruders, what he did find was worse. Another family left along with the Keselowskis during the night, apparently wanting to get out without being asked questions or facing their neighbors. Malcolm wished they had at least been honest and not left the rest of them unguarded. Perhaps he was too vehement in last night’s block meeting. His passion may have made them afraid to have a dissenting opinion.
In any event, the damage was done, and they didn’t have the numbers to protect the block from a concerted effort by Raheem and his gang now. The best they could do was to keep up a show of strength until Vince got here.
When Malcolm took someone else out to the blockade to relieve Mr. Goldberg, he told him about the neighbors who left. Malcolm expected his elderly neighbor to be angry or scared. He was neither. He merely shared a quote from John Adams and trudged home. “We live…in an age of trial. What will be the consequences, I know not.”
Malcolm moved the Walkers into his home. People were scared. The expressions on their faces struck him as a cross between the haunted look of people after a bombing and the frantic bearing of animals when a wildfire was headed their way.
***
By morning, the group was weary. It was more of a mental weariness of being on guard so long and hearing the gang’s taunts and tests of the barricade for hours now. They’d heard the gang drinking and breaking things as they searched some homes outside their block. Those homes were on the other side of their barricade that was now more symbolic than useful. Malcolm believed the gang had gotten inside a few of the vacant homes inside the barricade through back doors or windows. Surprisingly, they hadn’t tried to do more last night or this morning.
Ellie was too worried to make breakfast. Malcolm took her aside, hugged her, tried to lighten her spirits. “People need to see you be strong. You have to show confidence or the others will lose their nerve. It’s not much longer. Vince should be here later today. Anyway, I’m hungry, and we can’t take this food with us.”
“Shouldn’t we be packing or on guard? I’m so worried I don’t know if I can be strong.”
Malcolm smiled broadly. “I never did see a no good criminal wake up before noon. We need to get fed and full of pep, vim, and vigor before they come. Don’t be moping around and bringing people down, most of all yourself. This is going to work out.” He took her in his arms, and she hugged him back.
<< Vince >>
After leaving the town of Attica and the Wabash River behind them, Vince and the men continued on Highway 41 toward Carbondale. Later they would pass through the towns of Boswell and Kentland. From there they would head west on 197th Street and then north on State Line Road.
They’d lost a great deal of time in Attica. Most of the travel since then was relatively uneventful, although they did encounter stalled cars and could see areas where there had obviously been violence. In contrast, they passed areas that appeared without problems. It reminded him of seeing a town after a tornado, where you could see two houses side by side and one was totally destroyed while the other was left untouched.
They turned onto West County Line Road for a short time, then north again on Highway 70. That would take them into Peotone, Illinois. He was anxious to get into Chicago. Interstate 57 went in roughly the same direction they wanted to go. If it was clear, it would be much faster. Even with his need to hurry and the temptation of the interstate, going the back roads through Peotone would avoid more conflict. Avoiding conflict meant a faster trip.
After Peotone, everything would get more densely populated as they got into Chicago proper. Denser population meant more risk. The plan was to avoid the densely populated areas when possible, and they needed to stick to it. When those areas couldn’t be avoided, the plan was to go through them in the wee hours. Going through a town the size of Peotone in the late afternoon and then directly into Chicago didn’t fit that plan. Vince fought to curb his impatience.
When they got closer to Peotone, Vince suggested they get the trucks off the road into a field behind some trees. They broke out some food and water and hastily ate a cold meal. During the break, Vince shared his thoughts with Andy and Dwight, who agreed it was better to be cautious and get there than be hasty and not get there at all. Peotone was large enough to create a risk to a crossing straight through and appeared dangerous. Vince checked the map for a way around the city.
Dwight offered up another option. “Boss, why don’t I mosey on down to town and see what we have there?”
“I have to admit I’d like to have that intel. I can’t take the chance of them spotting you, though, and being ready for us in the morning.”
“They won’t see me.” Dwight had the dead, cold eyes of a killer that made Vince wonder once again what was in his past that he was hiding. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dwight; it was that the man kept secrets he wasn’t ready to share yet.
As soon as he finished eating, Dwight spoke up. “It’ll be dark soon. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Vince nodded as Dwight silently melted into the forest.
“Man, he creeps me out how he does that,” Andy said. “I’m watching and I know he’s leaving, and then it’s like I miss it and he’s gone.”
“Some guys are just that good. I know a few, but they’re few and far between.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll get some rest. Wake me if you want me to pull watch or something.” He lay down and in the way of soldiers throughout time was instantly asleep in the shade of some bushes near the trucks.
Vince walked a watch patrol to allow his mind to sift through some of the events of the day and ponder what they might encounter tomorrow.
A couple of hours later, Dwight reappeared. It irked Vince that he didn’t see him coming.
“We ought to get through Peotone now,” Dwight said.
That got Vince’s attention. “Why do you think so?”
“That town is buttoned up tight. I mean real tight. It reminds me of what a medieval town might have been like during a siege. You can tell there are areas where anything not barricaded and protected has already been looted or burned out. It feels like most of the criminal element has gone on to find easier pickings, but I can’t be sure.”
Vince thought about what Dwight shared. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andy rising to join them.
“The way things look to me, the townspeople will be out and about in the morning. If their defensive preparations are any indication, they won’t welcome strangers,” Dwight said.
Andy chimed in with his usual cheerful tone. “So we make a run through Peotone, then we have more of the same or worse on the other side as we head to Chicago.”
“I scouted to the north end.” Dwight pointed toward town. “There are some commercial buildings and warehouses there. It appears as though the gangs have already done their business there and the townspeople aren’t using that section of town. The only real signs of violence are a Dollar General store that’s been looted. Otherwise it’s quiet.”
“Okay.” Vince nodded.
“That’s good for us because the local thugs will assume there is nothing left worth taking in that part of town,” Dwight said. “I did see a car dealership over a few blocks. It’s been hit hard, although it’s far enough away that I think we’re good. We can shoot through Peotone and then get in one of those warehouses and have a fire and get some shuteye and be back on the road about two a.m.”
Vince merely nodded. “Dwight, you’re on point. Let’s make it happen.”
Dwight led them through town quickly and silently to a warehouse that appeared to have been empty long before the current chaos. They got the trucks inside and rigged some simple early warning devices. They chose a watch schedule and cleaned and checked their weapons.
Vince made a
meal on a portable Biolite camp stove. “I know it looks funny, but it’s light, easy to carry, and can burn almost any debris or sticks around,” he said when he saw Andy’s raised eyebrow.
Tonight, he was cooking on it. Another time it could warm a tent if needed. Everyone had gear they liked. This was one of those camping and survival items that Vince found useful and easy to carry.
They took turns watching from inside the building so as to minimize their presence and got some sleep. Vince took first watch. At about eleven p.m., Vince tried calling Ellie to no avail.
***
At two in the morning, they got ready for the final run through Chicago to Ellie’s. The plan was to leave as soon as they completed some modifications to the trucks. Most of what they needed had been provided by Gus back at French Lick. They used black duct tape to cover most of the lights in World War II blackout out type fashion and removed the bulbs from interior and backup lights. The brake light bulbs were switched for a dull green that could only be seen up close. The parking light bulbs were switched for an infrared bulb that was most easily visible with the night vision goggles.
They rolled out at 3:00 am, staying on Highway 50, or the Governor’s Highway as the signs proclaimed for a while. Soon it passed through a nature preserve called Raccoon Grove. It wasn’t long after that when the population got denser around where Highway 50 split away from the Governor’s Highway heading north. The road they stayed on then became known as Cicero Avenue, a well-known Chicago thoroughfare.
“We need to be on triple alert,” Vince cautioned over the radio. “Anything can happen out there, so be very careful and keep your head on a swivel. Take nothing for granted.”
Even though it was still dark, dawn was coming. As serene as the open land they were passing through now appeared, it was important to keep in mind how dangerous Cicero would get in a few miles.
When they reached Chicago, they saw roadblocks on side roads from a distance mostly made by cars rolled into the road. There were men standing around fires in fifty-five-gallon drums. They kept moving even though it didn’t make sense why Cicero didn’t have roadblocks on the main thoroughfare yet and so many side roads did. Vince could only surmise that Cicero acted as a demarcation zone between the turfs of different gangs. A few times as they drove past in the dark, the thugs could hear their engines and would move toward them. Most people couldn’t see them at night, and the convoy kept moving. Once, shots were fired toward them, but they didn’t return fire because it was clear the shooter didn’t know exactly where they were. Their best defense now was that most of the lowlifes were asleep and unaware. Stealth and moving fast was their best friend.
When they passed Lincoln Mall with a Target and a JC Penney nearby, things resembled a war zone. There must have been hundreds of people there. Fires and broken glass were all over the place. They’d probably looted a liquor store nearby, because it didn’t appear there was a sober person in sight.
Dwight’s urgent voice came over the walkie talkie. “Follow my lead.” He gunned the engine, honked the horn, and told Andy to blast the radio. When people from the mall noticed Vince and the others, Dwight began shooting out of the windows into the air. Although confused, Vince did the same thing. Soon Vince heard howling and laughter from the mall parking lot, and some of them shot into the air as well.
Dwight came back over the walkie to fill in the others on his strange actions. “I saw multiple gang colors at the mall, so I thought it was a neutral zone where they don’t all know each other. Plus, some of them were pointing at us and we stuck out.”
“Good idea,” Vince said. “I doubt they’ll go chasing one of their own from the mall when they think we’re from another gang just out having fun. That was quick thinking.”
It hurt Vince’s soul to think of the people who were probably captives and in misery among all those bad people, yet they had a mission and needed to keep driving. According to the map, they were getting close to Ellie’s. For the hundredth time this trip, Vince cursed himself for not getting a lay of the land and knowing where his daughter lived long before all of this happened.
As they were headed through a forested area called the “Forest Preserves of Cook County,” Vince’s SAT phone chimed with a call from Ellie, worrying him because it was getting late in the morning and he and Ellie were not scheduled to talk yet. Vince signaled for Andy and Dwight by tapping his brakes three times to pull off behind him onto a dark side street in the preserve. It appeared that the lowlifes back at the mall had no use for the forest preserve.
<< Ellie >>
Ellie was scared. She didn’t try to hide it when she spoke with Vince. She urged him to hurry and told him the gang was closing in, that there had been killings and some neighbors left recently. They no longer had enough people to defend the block.
Vince had always known Ellie to be even keeled and calm. Hearing her scared and at the edge of panic worried him. He needed to stay on plan and get there safely so he could help them. It would be worse if he rushed and got himself into trouble and needed rescue himself.
Ellie shared with Vince that it was the taunts from the gang that got everyone on edge the most. Raheem, the leader, stood at the barricade bragging that his gang had captured the Keselowskis. With delight, he told them that poor Mr. Keselowski didn’t make it. However, Mrs. Keselowski and their seventeen-year-old daughter Julie were safe and enjoying his protection. He directed the last comment at Malcolm to say they were safer now than with Malcolm.
Malcolm was angry and wanted to go fight his way in to rescue them. It took Ellie, Kate, Liz, and Junior combined to dissuade him. It was sad to see the realization come to Malcolm that he didn’t have the skills or firepower to take on a gang. Ultimately, he admitted that he and Junior had only a slight chance of pulling it off. If they tried and failed, Ellie, Kate, Liz, and the others would be left to the same fate.
“The barricades are still in place even though they’re not tended now. Everyone pulled back to our house,” Ellie relayed. “Malcolm said to take potshots at the gang members who test the barricades. That won’t hold them back for long once they figure out no one is at the barricade and we have so few people left. If things get any worse, we’ll need to make a run for it at the same time as the others to make it harder for the gang to pick us off. Most of the neighbors left have family somewhere in the city they want to get to.”
“I’m only a few hours away. I’m planning to get there sometime later this morning to mid-day. I’ll try to get there earlier, but that’s a long shot. I have no idea what we’ll run into once we get deeper into Chicago.”
“Okay,” Ellie said. “And Vince?”
“Yeah?”
“Please hurry.”
His protective feelings swelled.
Ellie offered to wake Kate, but Vince declined. He was having a hard enough time not running off in haste. He needed to keep his head on straight. “Tell her I’ll see her in the morning. Can I speak to Malcolm?”
They hadn’t spoken much. Malcolm was protecting his daughter, whom he loved more than life, and Ellie, a woman Vince had loved most of his life. If the truth be told, he still did. The thought of them in danger brought a lump to his throat and sped up his mind in a way that wasn’t good for his mission. In combat, it was the man who was able to slow down his thoughts and take it all in and keep a clear mind who would keep his head and survive.
Malcolm described the situation to Vince much the same as Ellie had but went into more detail on his preparations and thought process for defending the block and his family. Both men agreed that he was doing the best he could with what he had. Vince did ask for some visual landmarks to identify as he came into the block. It was important to know where Malcolm thought the gang was hiding and what direction to come in from.
“Where are you?” Malcolm asked.
“We’re several miles south of you on Cicero. We’re in a forest preserve a little north of Lincoln Mall.”
“If you got GPS,
don’t follow it,” Malcolm warned. “It will try and put you on the expressways at several different places. Those expressways are bad enough during normal times in Chicago. I can’t even imagine what they’re like right now. Cicero won’t be much better. At least if you run into trouble here, you can drive down a few side streets to get away. Don’t try and fight if you can help it. You’ll draw gang bangers like ants to honey.”
“Anything else I should be watching for?”
“Dude, you’ve got a forty-mile gauntlet to run. You better have stones as big as Ellie and Kate think you do and lots of help to make it. Don’t get me wrong—I’m rooting for you because we need help badly. Although you’ve got more to handle than you know.”
“You’re right, forty miles is quite a trip through hostile territory.” Vince’s mind flashed back to some of the armored convoys he’d been a part of in Iraq and Afghanistan. In those, he was in armored vehicles with trained troops. Now he had two trucks and three men, counting himself. The hell of it was his reward for making it through was a need to come right back again through the same gauntlet.
Oblivious to Vince’s thoughts and obviously thinking about the route, Malcolm said, “That mall you passed is in a better area of town. That’s probably why the gangs went there. You should be okay to move faster for a while. You have two expressways to go under, I-80 and I-57. They’re probably okay, but with any overpass like that, you never know. Things could get hairy anywhere along the way. I’d say it will be relatively clear until you pass the Midlothian Turnpike. After that, you want to up your game and be triple alert.”
“Okay,” Vince said.