Gateway to Chaos (Book 2): Seeking Refuge

by Payne, T. L.

  Raine looked around at their ragged crew.

  “Okay then. It looks like we have a plan. We’ll all head to Alicia’s in Valley Park and figure out something from there.”

  Chapter 11

  Although Raine didn’t really have any possessions to gather for the trip, she needed her coat and gloves. While she was at it, she’d decided to grab the extra clothes and the blanket from her bed. As she sat on the floor trying to roll everything up inside the blanket, she had the feeling she was being watched. She turned to find the pod boss standing over her.

  “You’re planning to leave, aren’t you?” the woman asked.

  Raine had never gotten her name. All she knew was that most of the other residents in her pod were afraid of the short, stocky, fifty-something Hispanic woman.

  “I…” Raine stammered.

  “It’s a good idea. This place is a powder keg.”

  Raine got to her knees, cradling her bundle in her arms.

  “I just want to be prepared…you know…for whatever,” Raine said, trying not to give too much away. With the woman’s comment though, Raine felt a sense of urgency to get out now before others caught on and chaos broke out.

  The woman reached out and helped Raine to her feet.

  “Lucia Ramirez. People call me Lucy.”

  Raine stepped back and adjusted her bundle. She looked around the room. They’d attracted attention. The other women were staring at them, likely anticipating a fight or for Lucy to give Raine a dressing-down for some infraction of the pod’s conduct rules.

  “Raine Caldwell,” she said, returning her gaze to Lucy.

  Lucy closed the distance Raine had just placed between them.

  “I want to join you and your group when you leave this place,” Lucy whispered.

  Raine’s stomach clenched. This was bad. If more people found out, what would that mean for their quiet retreat? Did it even matter? When the food ran out, wouldn’t everyone just walk away? She wasn’t sure. Secrecy just seemed like the safest route in this situation.

  “I can’t speak for the others,” Raine finally replied.

  She glanced over the woman’s shoulder. The crowd was moving closer.

  “Meet me by the carousel in fifteen minutes,” Raine whispered.

  Lucy nodded, and Raine headed for the door.

  “That’s right. You better get out of here, and I don’t want to see you back down this way again either,” Lucy shouted after her. On her way out the door, Raine tried not to look at the wide-eyed women standing with their mouths open.

  Raine rushed to the dayroom to find the rest of her group. She needed to let them know that others might be watching them. She didn’t know what to do about Lucy.

  Antonio, Tom, and Gage were still seated in the alcove by the dayroom where she’d left them. Since all their packs had been taken by the men back at the golf pro shop, they likely didn’t have any possessions to take with them either.

  “Hey, guys. I just had a conversation with my pod boss…”

  “Pod boss? What is this, a prison?” Antonio asked.

  Raine tilted her head and glared at him.

  “As I was rolling up my bedding, this woman approached me and says she knows I’m preparing to leave. She says she wants to join us.”

  “What the…” Antonio said.

  “I didn’t confirm or deny anything. We were attracting too much attention, so I told her to meet me at the carousel in fifteen minutes.”

  “You're going to meet her there? And tell her what?” Gage asked.

  Raine shrugged.

  “If I don’t, she might tell others. I mean… We want to keep it secret, right?”

  “I think that’s best. If others find out, they might want to join us, and we don’t know them. We don’t want to borrow trouble if we can avoid it. It’s going to be hard enough as it is,” Antonio said.

  “What should I do then?” Raine asked, placing her bundle on one of the empty chairs.

  “I’ll go with you. We’ll talk to her and check her out,” Antonio said.

  Antonio checked Lucy out all right. He’d drooled from the moment they’d rounded the corner and he’d spotted her leaning against the carousel. Lucy nodded a greeting to them both then waved them over to a quieter spot near the bathrooms.

  Raine was about to introduce her to Antonio when Lucy pulled a small pistol from her waistband. Raine’s hands flew into the air and she stumbled back.

  “Whoa! Whoa, little momma. Just hold on a sec…” Antonio said, backing away.

  Lucy put the gun back in the waistband of her jeans.

  “I just wanted to show you that I can contribute.”

  Raine looked to Antonio, who was lowering his hands.

  “You had me there for a minute,” Antonio said, stepping closer.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Lucy said. “I need out of here. I’ve got to get home. I got a kid I need to find.”

  Antonio nodded then turned to Raine. He grabbed her by the sleeve and led her to the end of the hall.

  “I think we should take her with us. We need the gun, and she obviously has balls to have smuggled that thing in here like that,” Antonio said.

  Raine wasn’t sure if her looks had clouded his judgment or if he really believed those things about her. “I think we should at least consult the others and let them decide.”

  “Sure. But I’m sure they’ll agree,” Antonio said as he looked back at the woman.

  Lucy stood with her arms crossed as the rest of the group, minus Brandon, stood in a huddle, staring over their shoulders at her. She carried herself with such confidence that Raine was starting to agree with Antonio. She’d be an asset to their group. Raine was pleased when Sheena and the others had agreed too. They just needed to convince Brandon. None of them knew him either, so they’d be leaving the shelter with three complete strangers. Raine wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but as she stared at Antonio, Gage, and Tom, she knew that their injuries made them more a liability than an asset. It might just turn out that having three strangers join them might save their lives. She hadn’t really known any of her neighbors, besides Latrice, before leaving her apartment with them. She was surprised at how close they’d grown in the days since the lights had gone out. It seemed that adversity had a way of either pulling people together or tearing them apart. In the case of her family, it had been the latter. She’d been told that the death of a child often did that.

  Lucy went to the pod to retrieve her coat. When Brandon returned, Raine and Antonio filled him in on Lucy’s request to go with them. When Lucy rejoined them, Raine introduced her to Brandon. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. The way he glared at Lucy had Raine concerned that he wouldn’t agree to allow her to join them.

  “Let’s just get something straight right off. If you come with me, you ain’t in charge. I heard how you ran your pod,” Brandon said.

  “Have you seen those women? They act like a bunch of middle school brats. I gotta keep them under control just to be able to get some sleep once in a while,” Lucy said.

  Raine nodded. She’d thought the same thing about them.

  “As long as we’re clear,” Brandon said as he gathered his coat.

  Alicia looked wide-eyed back and forth from Brandon to Lucy.

  “Who’s in charge then?” Lucy asked, looking at Antonio then back to Brandon.

  No one said anything.

  “No one,” Raine finally said.

  Lucy stared at Raine as she pulled on her coat.

  “Democracy. I like it.”

  Raine hadn’t given much thought to who was in charge or how they’d handle decision-making. She just assumed they’d be able to discuss things and go from there. But as she’d seen from their trip to the shelter, having someone to make the tough calls in a pinch might make a difference. It wasn’t like they could stop in the middle of an attack like the one at the convenience store and have a debate then take a vote.

&nb
sp; “Let’s go before more people catch on and want to join us. I only got enough stuff for us,” Brandon said.

  “Where is it?” Sheena asked as DeAndre slid his arms into his coat.

  “In the garage where Sears used to have an auto shop,” Brandon said.

  “That’s a good spot. There’s not much activity out on that side of the building,” Alicia said.

  Brandon turned and motioned down the hall on their left. “We can grab stuff and slip out the side door. It’s just a short run to Clarkson Road.”

  They followed Brandon down a narrow corridor, through a service door, and into the automotive garage. The space was empty except for one black backpack leaning against the bay door.

  “Is that it?” Tom asked, pointing to the bag.

  “That’s all I could get. The soldiers are on strict rations too. But I did get this,” Brandon said, pulling a large knife from the pack.

  “How much food is in there?” Sheena asked.

  “Two MREs and six bottles of water. It’s enough for today. Maybe tomorrow if we ration.”

  Raine closed her eyes. They were leaving the warmth and safety of the Red Cross shelter with next to no food or water. They’d all likely freeze to death long before they’d starve.

  Sheena pulled DeAndre’s hat down over his ears and headed for the side door. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

  No guards stopped them as they ran across the parking lot. Not that Raine believed they were prisoners at the shelter, it just seemed like they’d want to stop and question them for security’s sake at least, but she saw no one outside the mall.

  They waited at the guardrail along Clarkson Road for Antonio to catch up. Brandon helped him lift his injured leg over and they all headed south down the middle of the street. The snow was deep on the roadway. Raine had never seen a city street with that much snow on it.

  Antonio’s limp was more pronounced after hobbling toward the street. Raine wasn’t sure how far he or DeAndre would make it in the snow. From the look of things, it could take a very long time for them to reach Alicia’s house in Valley Park.

  Every few minutes, the main group had to slow and wait for Antonio, Sheena, and DeAndre to catch up. Lucy attempted to brush the crusted snow from her pant legs as she leaned against a brick mailbox.

  “Lucy, you said you had a kid,” Raine asked.

  Lucy nodded. “He’s in Arkansas with my mom. I came up here for a job interview. My car stopped on Interstate 55. I ended up here.”

  Brandon resumed walking as the others caught up with them. Raine and Lucy fell in behind him.

  “I hope you’re able to make it back there to your son. My folks are in Florida. I’m not sure how I’ll ever make it down there.”

  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Lucy said.

  Raine nodded, though she wasn’t sure that was true. Some things were indeed impossible, no matter how badly you wanted them.

  A moment later, Brandon rushed ahead to the parking lot of a strip mall. He ran from car to car, trying each door handle.

  “What’s he doing?” Sheena asked. “Doesn’t he know the cars don’t work?”

  “He’s probably looking for stuff we can use,” Lucy said as she sprinted toward him.

  Raine glanced over to Antonio. “That’s not a bad idea. You think I should go help him?”

  “Just be careful. Those stores don’t look looted. There could be security protecting the place,” Antonio said as she took off down the hill toward the parking lot.

  Raine took the row just beyond Brandon, trying every door handle without any luck. Brandon walked over and cupped his hands against the window of a Trader Joe’s store.

  “Anything?” Lucy asked.

  Brandon shook his head.

  After they’d tried the last few cars at the far end of the shopping center, they made their way back to the road.

  Raine pointed over her shoulder. “I didn’t see any security, and there weren’t any footprints in the snow. What happened to the merchandise?”

  “The guards probably cleaned them out,” Alicia said.

  “Really? What makes you think that?”

  She pointed to the tire tracks leading down the side street to the back of the buildings. “They would have used the service entrances.”

  “That sucks. That probably means that all the others along here will be empty as well,” Raine said.

  The food and water Brandon had gotten them wasn’t enough to provide the energy each of them needed to make the ten-mile trip. They had to find more. The way it was looking, that might be very difficult to do.

  Chapter 12

  They tried the McDonald's, Starbucks, and even a wine store, but from the tire tracks behind the buildings, there likely would be nothing left behind.

  Tom leaned against the McDonald’s service door. “I think we should at least go in and check it out.”

  Lucy walked off. “I think it’s a waste of time, but go right ahead, if you can find a way in.”

  Tom turned and pointed to the knob. “Could you turn that for me, DeAndre?”

  DeAndre looked to Sheena. She nodded, and he turned the handle and pulled on the door. It was locked.

  “You wanna try to break the glass in the front?” Sheena asked.

  “Sure. Let’s go,” Tom said, heading to the front of the building.

  “No!" Raine said. “It’s too noisy. It will attract too much attention.”

  “She’s right,” Alicia said. “We don’t want trouble if someone’s already staked a claim to it.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Tom said.

  They had to run to catch up with the others who were already entering the intersection of Clarkson and Baxter Road. The snow came almost to the top of DeAndre’s boots. His teeth were chattering. They’d only made it a mile and were already cold to the bone. They didn’t have time to stop at every store or restaurant. It took too much time. They needed to get to Alicia’s house before they all froze to death.

  They turned onto Baxter Road and headed east. There were very few stranded cars on the road, but Brandon and Lucy checked each one. Beside some frozen ketchup packets, they’d come up emptyhanded. That stretch of Baxter Road was bordered on both sides by subdivisions filled with older, well-kept homes.

  As they drew near to Summer Ridge Drive, Raine spotted men standing on the side street to their left. She tugged on Brandon’s sleeve. “Look.”

  “I see them,” he said.

  “What are they doing just standing there in the street?” Raine whispered.

  Lucy walked up beside Brandon. “Guarding their neighborhood from people like us.”

  “You think we should turn around? Maybe find a way around them?” Alicia asked.

  “They don’t look like they want any trouble. We don’t want into their silly neighborhood. I imagine if we tell them we’re just passing by, they’ll let us be,” Lucy said.

  Sheena pulled DeAndre close to her. “I hope you’re right. I don’t have the energy to backtrack.”

  Raine took a step forward. A loud boom cracked. She screamed.

  “What’s happening?” DeAndre cried.

  Antonio grabbed Sheena by the sleeve and pulled her and DeAndre down behind a nearby SUV.

  “Raine!” Brandon yelled. “This way.” Brandon ran in the direction of the back yard of a two-story home to their right.

  Lucy joined Brandon and hopped a low fence. “Hurry, Raine.”

  Raine looked behind her as she headed to join them. Tom and Gage were helping Antonio up from ground behind the parked car. Raine repeatedly looked back as she made her way over the fence and followed Brandon and Lucy around to a side yard. She was relieved when she spotted Sheena’s periwinkle coat at the corner of the house.

  “Who are they and why are they firing on us?” Raine asked as she caught up with Brandon and Lucy.

  “Just people trying to protect their homes and families, I imagine. Good thing they only have shotguns.
A rifle would’ve taken us out,” Lucy said.

  Raine looked back at Tom and Gage. They didn’t look like much of a threat with all their bandages. Antonio had his leg brace. She glanced down at DeAndre.

  What made them think we were a threat?

  Raine and her group weaved through back yards in search of a way past the men’s roadblock.

  “Wait here,” Brandon said before disappearing around a detached garage. Raine’s heart quickened. She looked around for somewhere to hide, believing they must be under attack. A second later, Brandon reappeared pulling two boat-shaped sleds.

  DeAndre broke free of Sheena’s grasp and ran toward Brandon.

  “Can I ride?” he asked.

  “Yes, you can, little man. You get to ride all the way to Ms. Alicia’s.” Brandon smiled and handed the rope to Sheena. “If he’s too heavy, I can pull him for you.”

  She took the rope and gave it a tug. DeAndre squealed with delight.

  “Run, Momma, run!”

  Sheena laughed.

  “I can’t, baby. I might fall and break a hip.”

  “This one is for you, Antonio,” Brandon said, pointing to the extra sled.

  “I can’t…”

  “We’ll pull you. It will be much faster for all of us.”

  Antonio lowered his head. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “It’s all right. We’ll take turns,” Raine said, taking the rope from Brandon.

  Brandon took Antonio’s hand and helped lower him onto the boat-shaped plastic sled. Raine placed the rope over her shoulder and gave it a tug. It barely moved. Raine looked back. Brandon placed his hands on Antonio’s back and gave him a shove. The sled took off toward Raine. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being run over.

  “Could you try that again, but not so hard this time?” Raine asked.