“Out of my way,” she snapped at them.
After a few seconds of believing she’d made it, the first dog was back on her heel. It rubbed its teeth against the sole of her right foot. It was wrong to think it, since she was a dog lover at heart, but her patience snapped like a dry twig.
“Sonofa!”
She pulled the brakes on the handlebars and skidded to a stop. The change of pace seemed to catch the dog by surprise, and it slid past her. The other two mutts halted when the leader did, and the trio regrouped—shaken and confused, but not beaten. The barking started up as they closed in on her. However, the delay allowed her to pull the pistol from her waistband.
I could kill you all.
For a few seconds, she reveled in the thought of taking control of the situation. It was completely within her ability to end this threat for good. The dogs, for their part, didn’t seem to understand that their fate was tied to the object in her hand. They barked relentlessly, as if psyching each other up to go in for the kill.
Yet she couldn’t hurt them. Instead of blowing them away, she aimed the pistol in the air and pulled the trigger. The explosion seemed louder than any other gun she’d ever heard, including the drone machine gun back at the TV station. It scared her almost as much as it frightened the dogs; their claws seemed to dig into the asphalt for how fast they accelerated away from her.
Peter and Audrey circled around. By the time they arrived, she had the gun back where it belonged. “That was awesome,” Peter announced, tapping the pistol in his police belt. “Can I shoot the next ones?”
“I didn’t shoot them,” she croaked. Her emotions had lost their compass. Her sadness at losing Donovan was as deep as her anger at being forced into a situation where she had to threaten dogs, of all things. She desperately wanted someone to appear who was in charge and could make sense of all that she’d seen the past few days.
Peter replied, “Well, I don’t mind shooting bad dogs. Unless you thought they were good ones?”
She didn’t know. They could have been the worst dogs in the world, or saints. She’d come into their territory. The unfamiliar city of Chicago. “We have to get out of here, like, right now. Let’s check these cars next to the street. I’m sure one of them has keys.”
Audrey straddled her bicycle as she stood by Peter, but she stepped a bit closer to Tabby. “Can I give him my shotgun?”
Tabby was surprised but accepting. “Sure, you can do whatever you want. Is everything all right?”
The girl smiled weakly. “I’m a mess, Tabby. I don’t think I could have shot those dogs, even if I needed to. If Peter can, I’d rather he have this.” She unslung the weapon.
“All right, Peter, it looks like Audrey is giving you a present. Don’t let anyone steal it, like the last one.” He’d let Gus the sewer worker take his, but if Audrey wasn’t up to using her weapon, the smart play was to give Peter another chance.
Peter wheeled up with a look like he’d been given an important gift. “Awesome! Thank you. I’ll call this Audrey Three!”
“Call it whatever you want,” Audrey sighed.
Peter got serious. “I swear I’ll protect you, babe.”
She smiled. “I know you will. Thanks.”
The two kids exchanged the gun while Tabby looked around. When they were done, the young girl rolled back over to her and acted like she was letting her in on a big secret. “Tabby, I don’t want to scare you, but my meds are in the cooler back in your car…”
“Oh, no,” Tabby replied immediately. Her car was still at the door of the Sears Tower, probably surrounded by enemy soldiers.
“Shush,” the girl complained. “We can’t go back. You know that. I’m just telling you, so you understand my issue.”
“There has to be somewhere we can go to get more insulin, right? A pharmacy or whatever.” Tabby scanned the street, already on the hunt for one.
“I’m fine for now. Let’s get back home, like you said, then we can deal with it.”
She gave her a once-over. “Are you sure? We can do this now.”
Audrey nodded. “Out of here. Then we worry about me. Do you really think we’re far enough from downtown to get in a car?”
She had to make an educated guess. “I think we’ve put enough miles between us and them. There aren’t any robots flying around out here, and we should be far enough from where we last saw them in the city. I don’t know about you guys, but I need to make some real time. I want to go south, toward home, and I don’t want to meet any more animals.”
Audrey and Peter shared a look, and some form of silent communication passed between them. Audrey seemed to speak for them both. “We’re ready to go.”
“Start checking the cars,” she replied.
I want to be home before sunset.
CHAPTER 10
Montauk, NY
“I thought our reunion would have been a little bit longer,” Kyla said as the engine sounds from Uncle Ted’s stolen van faded in the distance.
The forest was thicker here than by the lighthouse, so she had a little trouble keeping up with the older woman. However, once she remembered Emily had been through there before, she followed in her footsteps and managed to keep pace.
“I’ve only really known your uncle for a few days, but he seems to know what he’s doing. I trust he’s got a plan for today, too.” She held a young sapling branch so it wouldn’t shoot back in Kyla’s face when she walked by.
“Thanks,” she said as she grabbed the branch and guided it safely to her side. “Yeah, Uncle Ted is pretty intense. I think my mom secretly hated him because he always seemed to have his life together.”
Emily laughed. “Yeah, I can see that about him, but Ted isn’t perfect. Trust me. I’ve seen him make plenty of mistakes. I just hope this isn’t one of them.”
She noted the informal use of her uncle’s name. Was it appropriate for a vice president? Her dress code didn’t seem presidential either. The blue jeans and black tank top made her appear like a soccer mom at the match rather than the second-most important person in the American government. Her rich, brown hair was frizzy at the moment, though held together by a black headband.
“What’s it like to be the vice president?”
“Boring,” she replied without a pause. “Lots of glad-handing and chairing of big commissions, but it all amounts to nothing. As vice, I had no real power of my own. I think people treated me like royalty because I was the first woman in the office, not because they particularly liked me. Hell, your uncle didn’t even vote for me.”
Kyla chuckled as she walked around a thick tree trunk before rejoining Emily. “I have no doubt of that. Mom and him were on opposite sides of politics, as you probably could guess.”
Emily brushed a stray leaf out of her hair. “Well, all that’s gone. None of it matters. However, I’ll tell you a secret only me and your uncle know.” The pair walked close together as Emily spoke quietly. “The president is gone. Your uncle is the one who confirmed it. I’m the new prez. Fun, huh?”
Kyla whistled softly. “Some general overseas said everyone was gone in the line of, what’s it called, secession?”
“Succession,” Emily corrected.
“Right, the line of succession. Out there, they don’t know you’re still alive. That explains why they been acting all weird, like they’re lost without anyone up top leading them. Even the captain on the carrier seemed keen to have you around once I told him I saw you in Central Park. Naturally, they’d want to rescue the woman who would be our president.”
“Did they tell you that?” Emily asked.
She shrugged. “Nobody told me nothing,” she said, “besides the fact I needed to find the vice president because people’s lives are in danger.” Kyla briefly wondered what Meechum would think of Kyla abandoning her. She was certain the Marine wasn’t tied up with any of the bad guys, but maybe other Marines were. That would put her friend in danger. A few steps later, she came to the realization Meechum prob
ably wouldn’t care one way or the other. The tough-as-nuts woman would go on being a Marine, kicking ass, doing what it took to fight the good fight.
Kyla wanted to fight the good fight, too.
“Hey, they took my rifle away back there, though they didn’t take this.” She cradled the M9 pistol on her hip after lifting the hem of the Marine top, which she’d left untucked. Van Nuys wouldn’t have found it unless he patted her down, and she didn’t suggest he try. Kyla gestured to the rifle slung over Emily’s shoulder. “You got another one of those? I’d feel a lot better having a big one.”
Emily laughed out loud. “I don’t have any extras, but did you know your uncle’s coffee table was a gun-storage locker?”
“No way,” she gushed in reply. “I’ve sat at that thing a million times. Are you serious?”
“I’m serious as a—” Emily stopped and held out an arm to halt her, too.
“Ladies,” a man’s voice called out. “I’ll kindly ask you to put the rifle on the ground.” They’d reached a clearing next to the boat, but a sailor stood on the deck. He pointed a military-grade rifle at her and Emily. Did he hear them talking all the way in?
For a split-second, she thought Emily was going to go into superhero mode, rip the rifle off her shoulder, and start firing. However, she carefully pulled it over her shoulder, holding it by the strap, and set it down in some weeds. Emily said, “We don’t want any trouble.”
Kyla had no way of knowing if the man heard their full discussion, but much like she didn’t volunteer the pistol for Van Nuys, she didn’t mention it to the new guy.
The sailor breathed hard, like he’d run the long way through the woods in order to beat them to the boat. He tipped his camouflaged canvas hat toward them. “Do as you’re asked and you won’t get in any trouble, I promise you that.”
Kyla recognized the man from the helicopter ride. He’d come over with her and the captain. “Hey, I flew over here with you,” Kyla said. “She’s with me. We’re cool.”
He sounded angry. “That’s not how it works. You should have done what we asked you and brought her and your uncle into the lighthouse. Now, you’re a suspect, too.”
“Suspect?” she replied with her own anger. “I’m the one who brought you where you needed to go. How the hell does it make me a suspect?”
Emily spoke with a level voice. “Kyla, take it easy, okay?”
“Screw that!” she replied.
The man held up his hand. “Quiet. I’m going to call this in.” He keyed his radio and it beeped a couple of times, like it was making a call.
She stood next to Emily, trying to stay calm like the other woman. Kyla figured someone like her would be used to high-pressure situations of life and death.
Life or death?
Kyla did have a rifle pointed at her. Her heart got up to a gallop and she immediately imagined they were about to be in big trouble. Maybe even accused of a serious crime. The man’s tone sure sounded like it.
She glanced around, desperate for a way out. They’d emerged from the thickest part of the forest, though they weren’t far from it. If they could take a few steps back, maybe they could escape.
The radio warbled. A man’s voice replied from the speaker, loud enough for her to hear it. “This is Nighthawk, go ahead.”
“Hey, boss, yeah, I found them at the boat, like you said. What do you want me to do with them?”
“You have the vice president, and the young woman?”
“I do.”
The radio was silent for ten seconds, and Kyla felt a black hole spring to life in her stomach. She listened intently as the radio squawked again.
“Kill them.”
Montauk airport, NY
“Drop your weapon, sir.” Meechum took a few steps back but kept her rifle pointed at Ted’s chest, which made him very receptive to laying down his AR and defusing the situation. “And the Sigs.” She motioned to the pistols on his hips.
“There’s been some kind of mistake,” he said as he put the three weapons into a pile. “I’m not lying.”
The Marine wasn’t done. “Sailor, check him for knives and other goodies.”
After getting patted down, Ted was relieved of his backpack as well as the Ruger LCP pistol he always kept in his front pocket. She’d gotten the drop on him so completely that he’d lost all of his weapons in one swoop.
“I saw the other woman,” the Marine replied, not at all worked up. “I know the vice president when I see her. Your niece confirmed my suspicion. My orders are to bring her in to our base at NORAD.”
“NORAD?” Ted asked her with surprise, knowing for a fact the Cheyenne Mountain facility had gone offline with the attack. “Is that your headquarters? You’re with the invasion?” He looked to Van Nuys, sure he was going to give the order to the caught-in-the-middle sailor to secure her weapon, and for a second, it looked like he was going to turn around and do it, but his radio came to life. He gently grabbed the radio from his belt and raised it slowly, as if to show the Marine he wasn’t holding a weapon.
“This is Nighthawk, go ahead.”
A crackling voice came from the speaker. “Hey, boss, yeah, I found them at the boat, like you said. What do you want me to do with them?”
“You have the vice president, and the young woman?” Van Nuys made a point to look into Ted’s eyes, like he was a little pissed but also disappointed he’d been lied to. Ted’s intuition was off kilter after seeing the Marine announce she was playing for the other team, but he wanted to believe the captain was going to stand up to her. If he did, Ted was ready to attack her, too.
“I do,” the man’s voice came back.
Ted toyed with the idea of rushing the Marine alone, but she was at least ten feet behind the captain, as if she knew someone was going to try. Van Nuys took a long time to reply, but Ted realized he’d been working a pistol out of a holster toward the front of his hip. It was out of sight of the Marine. It looked like he was going to fight her, after all.
The captain didn’t pull the pistol all the way out. He stared at Ted. “I know you won’t understand this. You work a lifetime, rise to the top, and still have nothing to show for it. I’m not going out like that. I’ve got dibs on the entire state of Vermont.” He held the radio to his mouth. “Kill them,” the captain deadpanned.
The whip-bang of a rifle discharge jarred Ted out of his decision loop. At that moment, he didn’t care whose side the captain was on; he’d given the order to kill his niece. If the bullet was meant for him, he’d die trying to wrap his fingers around the man’s neck. Ted lunged for the captain as the nearby sailor fell sideways.
She shot him.
He had enough time to appreciate he wasn’t the one getting shot, but Van Nuys almost had his pistol out. There was no doubt who it was intended for. He tucked his head and squared his shoulders as he rammed into the navy man’s ribs.
“Stop him!” the captain yelled.
Ted was willing to die to accomplish his task, so he wasn’t as concerned about the Marine as the captain probably hoped. He had no idea why she shot the sailor, or if she was coming for him next, but blood surged through his veins like Niagara Falls during a thunderstorm. Nothing could stop him from killing the bastard.
The captain wasn’t a pushover. He fell with Ted’s thrust, but he didn’t crumple into a ball. He rolled sideways and forced Ted to roll with him.
“Cancel the order!” Ted shouted, spitting anger all over the other man’s face.
Van Nuys didn’t flinch. “Marine, kill him!”
They rolled again, with Ted getting on top of the captain’s chest. He tried to straddle him, so he could get solid leverage and snare his neck, but Van Nuys pulled up his knees and forced Ted off.
The opening gave the captain another chance to reach for his pistol, but Ted pivoted and thrust himself back into a second tumble. The violent jarring sent the pistol skipping over the pavement and out of reach. Ted tried to land a punch, but they were both off balance
.
His vision compressed down to pinpoints as he only saw the enemy’s smug face.
“Marine!” the captain yelled again as he fought to get up on one knee.
Meechum wasn’t far. She stood a few yards away, M27 rifle in hand. However, she seemed to be waiting for the result of the fight before making a move. If he was to be shot, he was taking the captain with him.
He ripped several buttons off the white navy uniform as he yanked the man back onto the concrete. The movement caused the captain’s head to strike the ground, which seemed to temporarily stun him. It provided Ted another chance to fall upon him and grab his neck. A distant voice told him to stop trying to do the same thing over and over, but all he wanted to do was choke the life out of him.
“Kill him!” the captain repeated.
Ted still didn’t look at the Marine, figuring he was dead if he relented or lost contact with the captain. They rolled from side to side, trading clumsy punches and elbow jabs, but Ted finally managed to hold the captain in place. They’d both exerted themselves toward exhaustion, though Ted was younger and in better shape. He had the advantage. “I’m going to kill you, you son of a bitch,” he wheezed.
Van Nuys struggled, but the ending was set.
“Hey, guys, someone’s going to get hurt.” Meechum’s casual voice made her seem like a mother breaking up a pair of toddlers.
“I’m going to kill him,” Ted chuffed.
“I don’t think your niece would like that.” She held Van Nuys’s radio.
Ted froze at the sight of it, which gave the captain an opening. Like before, he kicked and shoved Ted off his chest. While Ted rolled right, he rolled the other way. As the gap increased, Ted concluded the Marine and the captain were working together. In fact, the captain had rolled his way over to his discarded pistol.
Ted froze in a half-standing crouch. With two threats in front of him and no gun, he had few options. His only defense was to raise his hands, which counted for little in total war.
Minus America Box Set | Books 1-5 Page 51