by Payne, T. L.
“Get back, Raine!”
Raine released her grip on the man’s arm and skittered back along the ground. A volley of gunfire exploded from Lucy’s rifle as Raine struggled to her feet. More rounds came, this time from her right. Raine twisted around and dove toward the tree line for cover. She landed flat on her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She felt the wrench beneath her and grabbed it.
JJ screamed.
It was more of a growl. A scream with aggression behind it. Raine pushed herself up on her hands and knees and attempted to take a breath. Something struck her hard between the shoulder blades. She twisted. The man was on her, pushing her to the ground, pressing his full weight on her, making it hard for Raine to draw in a breath. She felt like she was going to pass out. Raine heard a loud thump, and the man went limp. She arched her back and pushed up with her arms but was unable to extricate herself.
“Roll,” JJ said as she shoved on the man’s shoulder.
When Raine felt the man’s weight shift, she rolled to her left and scrambled to her feet. Just as she reached her full height, a round struck the tree two feet from her head. Raine dropped and moved over, putting the tree between her and the shooter. Chunks of wood hit Raine’s cheek, and her hand flew up to her face.
Have I been shot?
Raine looked around for JJ and Lucy. JJ had dived behind a small, fallen tree, but Lucy was on the ground in the parking lot. A man stood over her, his rifle raised in the air, the weapon’s butt inches from Lucy’s head. As Raine got to her feet, the man pounded the rifle against Lucy’s skull.
Raine screamed, ran toward them, and lunged for the man. She caught him in the back with her elbow. He spun around and punched Raine in the jaw. She stumbled back and fell on her butt, landing on something hard and metal. Without hesitation, Raine grabbed the rifle and brought it to her shoulder. She sat up and braced it tight as she squeezed the trigger. It boomed. The man arched his back and brought his left hand around to feel his wound. As he did, he turned and raised his rifle onehanded.
A round whizzed past Raine and struck the man in the shoulder, making him stumble back. Raine twisted to see where the shot had come from. Scott and Jeff were standing at the corner of the garden center. Scott fired again. Another round slammed into the man’s abdomen and he bent forward. The man’s rifle fell from his grasp as he slowly dropped to one knee. He wore a look of surprise before his expression went blank. Scott ran up as the man fell on his face in the snow.
“You okay?” Scott asked.
Raine nodded.
She stared at the bleeding man on the ground as Scott felt Lucy’s neck. “Is she…”
“She has a pulse,” Scott said. “Where’s JJ?”
Raine looked around. The last time she’d seen JJ, she was diving for cover behind a log.
As Raine turned back to tell Scott, another man burst from the loading bay area.
“Scott!” Raine screamed.
The man was running toward them and firing at the same time. Scott began returning fire. They were out in the open, too far from cover, but the man’s rounds were wild as he closed the distance between them.
“I’m out,” Scott yelled, turning toward the tree line.
Raine brought the rifle up and fired. Nothing happened. JJ ran up beside her. She grabbed the rifle from Raine, cleared the jam, and fired two rounds. They hit their target, and the man went down. He was screaming on the ground as Scott arrived at his side.
“Who are you people?” Scott asked, placing a snow-caked boot on the man’s chest wound.
“You’re a dead man,” the man said between blood-splattered coughs.
“Why are you here?” Scott asked.
“Bitch. We own these streets.”
Raine moved closer to the man as JJ helped Lucy to her feet. She was dazed and blood trickled from a cut above her eyebrow, but thankfully, she was able to stand.
“Who is this we?” Scott said, leaning forward and pressing his boot harder on the man’s chest.
“Bro. We’re the 14 MDFs.”
“Are you working with the guys from the Sam’s Club?”
“Nah. They work for us. I told ya. All this belongs to the 14.” The man coughed and blood spurted from his mouth. “This is our hood now. There ain’t nowhere you gonna hide that we won’t find you.”
Jeff was at the door to the loading bay ushering people out.
Raine ran over.
“Hurry. This way.” Raine took a little girl’s hand and led them into the woods behind the store.
After lowering Lucy onto a fallen tree, JJ joined Raine inside.
“We need to hurry before more of them come.”
They were slowly gathering things up like they had all the time in the world.
Raine yelled, “We have to get out now!”
Everyone looked up, eyes wide.
“We need to leave before more gunmen show up. Everyone, please stop what you’re doing and head for the loading bay door,” Raine said, lowering her voice.
They looked to Abbey.
“Let’s do as she says,” the older woman said softly. She looked defeated and tired as she picked up her bag and bedroll and fell in behind her group.
Raine, Lucy, JJ, and Scott led Abbey and her group to the office complex near Barrett Station Road. They chose the office building closest to the road as their temporary home. Raine wasn’t sure if that would have been her choice, but you could see more of Manchester Road from the top floor of that building.
“Raine, JJ. It’s time,” Scott said.
Raine tucked blankets around a small, blonde boy and turned toward the door. Before entering the corridor, Raine looked back at the weary group. She looked at the frightened faces of the children. It broke her heart to leave them there knowing what they faced and their chances for surviving the winter.
“You coming?” JJ asked.
The little blonde boy waved good-bye and Raine waved back. She stepped into the hallway with her heart torn in two.
Chapter 31
Home Depot Home Improvement Store
Manchester, Missouri
February 23rd
While Brandon led the others to the woods bordering Barrett Station Road, Scott, JJ, and Raine crossed the street and hurried behind the subdivision where Suit and his men had made their headquarters. Scott retraced his steps back to the strip mall where he’d last seen the Suburban. As they crept along the fence, a knot formed in his stomach. He was so close now. He wouldn’t let anything stop him this time. One way or another, he was taking that vehicle.
Scott stopped at the corner of the fence and waved for JJ and Raine to stay back. He listened for a full minute before leaning forward to glance into the parking lot where Suit’s men had stashed the vehicle. Not hearing anything, Scott peered around the end post, scanning both the front and back parking areas. They appeared clear. From his vantage point, he could see no new footprints in the snow. Most importantly, there were no new tire tracks leading away from the loading bay.
“Stay here. I’m going to go check it out and make sure it’s still inside,” Scott said.
As he stepped out into the open, JJ stepped up to where he’d just been, rifle snug against her shoulder. It had been a blessing to have obtained the rifles from the deceased gang members. It was unfortunate that they weren’t carrying more ammunition for them, but at least his group was better armed.
Scott covered the fifteen or so feet in seconds and pressed himself against the wall next to the broken window. He was grateful that the cardboard had stayed in place. With the barrel of his rifle, Scott pushed the cardboard back ever-so-slightly. He waited for anyone inside to notice and fire at him. No one did. He applied more pressure and moved the cardboard back far enough to see the beautiful dark green Suburban. He held up his hand and gave JJ the thumbs-up sign to indicate their mission was a go.
With his left hand, he reached up and pulled on the cardboard, causing it to fall to the floor inside the garage. H
e pressed himself against the wall and listened. He eased forward and peered inside. He saw no one. Scott turned and stuck his head through the window. Confident that no one was inside, Scott hiked his left leg over the windowsill and climbed through. JJ ran and stood just outside the window as Scott opened the Suburban’s passenger side door.
Leaning his rifle against the SUV, Scott removed his knife and a screwdriver from his pocket, climbed in, and lay across the bench seat. His heart hammered as he popped open the steering column with a screwdriver. Scott stripped the battery wire and twisted it together with the ignition wire. He drew in a deep breath and then touched the starter wire to the battery and ignition wires. It sparked, and the Suburban revved to life.
“JJ, get the door,” Scott yelled over the roar of the motor.
Grabbing his rifle and laying it across the seat, Scott climbed in on the driver’s side and cranked the wheel hard to the left and back to the right, breaking the steering wheel lock. He threw the Suburban into reverse and backed out of the bay.
Just as he cleared the door, Scott saw JJ raise her rifle to her cheek. He turned and looked through the windshield. A man in tan coveralls was rushing toward him. The man fired and rounds slammed into the front of the vehicle. Scott cranked the wheel to the right and stomped on the gas. As he did, another man appeared in the doorway leading inside the store. Scott ducked as a round from the man’s rifle hit the front panel. Scott prayed he hadn’t hit the tire. Driving in the snow was going to be challenging enough without a flat.
Scott could hear JJ returning fire. She was soon joined by Raine, who was positioned against the building and firing on the men through the open window.
“Get in!” Scott yelled to JJ.
She sent a volley of gunfire into the loading bay as she ran toward the Suburban.
Scott pulled up next to the building but clear of the window. He twisted in his seat and pushed open the left rear door.
“Raine. Let’s go.”
Raine continued firing as she backed toward the Suburban. JJ ran around to the right side and hopped in the front seat. She was closing her door as Scott took off toward the street. Two more rounds slammed into the vehicle before they made the turn onto Manchester. The Suburban fought to gain traction in the deep snow, so Scott eased off the gas and the tires found purchase. Raine rolled down the window and returned fire as the men ran from the corner of the building. Scott lost sight of the men as he drove the SUV around the curve. A moment later, he made the left turn onto Centeroyal Drive. As he made the turn, he could see Brandon extending his hand to Lucy and placing his arm around her waist. The others filed onto the shoulder of the road, bedrolls in hand and wearing the biggest grins he’d ever seen.
With everyone loaded into the Suburban, Scott headed south, turning right on Barrett Parkway and then left on Barrett Station Road. When they reached Dougherty Ferry Road, Scott felt like he could breathe again. He loosened his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and leaned back in his seat. He made the right turn heading southwest toward Alicia’s home in Valley Park. Scott sped up as they passed the Starbucks and Seven Eleven coming into town. As they approached Valley Park, Scott was forced to weave between abandoned cars in the middle of the road. Up ahead, a mail truck blocked both lanes. Its rear door was up, and mail was strewn around inside the vehicle.
“I’ll get it,” Brandon said, jumping out and running over to the driver’s door. JJ exited the Suburban and ran to help Brandon push the truck out of their way.
On his way back to the Suburban, Brandon leaned into the bed of a nearby pickup and pulled out an axe. He held it up and smiled as he climbed back in.
JJ got in and twisted in her seat. “Good find.”
It struck Scott that just a few weeks ago, an axe was just a tool to most people. These days, an axe was not only a tool but a damn fine weapon.
“How far from here, Alicia?” Tom asked.
“About two blocks,” Alicia said. “Scott, you’ll turn at the next street on your left.” A train sat on the railroad tracks to Scott’s left. The doors on the boxcars were all open. Boxes of electronics were stacked high outside the train cars. The now-useless items discarded in someone’s search for food or items for survival.
Even before they reached it, Scott could tell something wasn’t right with Alicia’s neighborhood. On the tracks above where her street went under the railway, two men stood with rifles trained on the Suburban.
“Get down,” Scott yelled as he threw the SUV into reverse.
“Take a right at Lookout Road,” Alicia yelled.
Scott threw the car into drive and made the turn. As he did, he exhaled, relieved that the Suburban didn’t receive any more bullet holes. They weaved through unguarded neighborhoods before reaching the junction of Route 141. Scott made the left turn and drove as fast as he could, swerving to miss snowdrifts along the lane closest to the barrier wall. He wasn’t able to drive much more than twenty-five miles-per-hour, which made reaching the Meramec River and Interstate 44 seem like it took hours. The soldiers that had been blocking the roads when he and JJ had entered St. Louis were gone. The road was deserted.
“If you take I-44 west to Antire Road, we can avoid Fenton and the most populated areas,” Alicia said.
“How many miles is it before we reach your sister’s?” Gage asked.
“Twenty or so.”
For ten miles or so, no one spoke. Scott looked in the rearview mirror. Everyone looked dazed from all they’d been through these last few weeks. Everyone except DeAndre, that was. He was leaning forward in his seat, walking his toy soldier along the back of JJ’s headrest and making shooting sounds with his lips. Kids seemed so resilient. Or they hid their trauma better than adults. He pictured Lily playing on the floor with the rainbow-colored unicorn he’d given her for Christmas. Was that really less than two months ago? It seemed like a lifetime now.
Scott’s heart leapt with the realization that he could actually be holding her in his arms in less than twenty-four hours. He thought once he drove far enough south, he’d get away from the snow-covered roads and be able to make much better time. Of course, he’d need to find fuel sooner rather than later. At least he’d be able to fill up the Suburban’s fuel tank at the Wards’ farm. They had plenty of gasoline when he’d last been in the barn. If he could scrounge up some extra fuel cans, he might just have enough to make it all the way to Florida.
They connected with Highway 30 just south of High Ridge and arrived in Cedar Hill, Missouri, thirty minutes later. The day was almost spent. Scott was anxious to get on his way. He was hoping there wouldn’t be any long good-byes when they dropped Alicia off at her sister’s.
They turned right just north of town and followed winding roads for four miles to a farm surrounded by plowed fields.
Alicia hugged Sheena and DeAndre, then turned toward the house. She stopped, turned back, and said, “Thank you for getting me here alive.” The front door opened and out ran a woman, man, and two teenaged kids. After pleasantries and a quick good-bye to Alicia, Scott waved at them as he backed out of the drive.
Chapter 32
Just Outside Cedar Hill, Missouri
February 23rd
They rode in silence, watching the road ahead as urban sprawl led to more sparsely-populated, unincorporated areas south of the city of Cedar Hill. Scott was driving slowly in the slushy snow. Raine was grateful for warmer temperatures. If they held, soon the snow would melt off the roadways and allow for much faster travel, but they didn’t want to wait that long to be away from the chaos of the city. She was more than satisfied to travel down the road at twenty-five miles-per-hour.
Highway 67 wasn’t all that bad. The snow didn’t seem as deep. By her calculation, they’d reach Scott and JJ’s friend’s farm in a little over two hours at that speed. Raine wasn’t sure she was at all comfortable staying there without the elderly woman’s permission, even with all JJ and Scott’s reassurances that it would be fine.
The
re were fewer abandoned cars in the road the further they drove from the city. Some looked like they'd been pushed out of the way or had lost control, run off the road, and landed in the ditches.
Her group was lucky to have a running vehicle. What just weeks ago was a modern convenience was now something people were willing to kill for. Scott sped up as the road cleared. He wanted to be at the Wards’ farm before dark. Raine did too. It would be difficult to tell if anyone was occupying the farm without light. Just north of Bonne Terre, the Suburban slowed. Raine leaned forward, squinting to see why.
“We have vehicles blocking both lanes. We’re going to need to get out and push them aside,” Scott said from the driver’s seat. Scott reached down to open his door, but JJ grabbed his arm.
“Wait," JJ said, not taking her eyes off the vehicles ahead. “Those weren’t there when we came through here a few days ago.”
Scott removed his hand from the door and settled back in his seat. He scanned the scene ahead.
Raine followed his gaze.
“Do those look like fresh footprints to you?” Scott asked.
“Maybe. It’s snowed since we’ve been gone. I would think any old tracks will have filled in by now.”
“You want me to jump out and see?” Brandon asked.
Scott didn’t answer him.
“Everyone. Look around. Let me know if you see anything out of place, especially anything that looks like anyone hiding and waiting for us.”
“You thinking ambush?” JJ asked.
Scott nodded.
“Can’t we just go around them?” Sheena asked.
“We could probably push them out of the way with the front bumper, but if this is an ambush and people start shooting, I don’t want to be trapped,” Scott said.