by Hunt, Jack
“I’ll fill him in,” Garcia said.
“Look, how about you all come back with us. Have a meal. We can catch up. You can tell me what you’ve been up to.” He gripped Liam by the arms. “Man, it’s good to see you again.”
“You too, brother.”
Travis got back in the truck and Elisha sidled up to Liam and they looked at them as the truck roared to life. “So… changed your mind on staying now?”
He smirked. “We’ll see.”
It didn’t take long to reach Forest City Surplus. The one-story brick building had steel shutters covering the windows. It stood out like a sore thumb painted in emergency red with white lettering across the top. An American flag gently flapped in the breeze. It was attached to a pole on the left side of the building. An A-frame chalkboard outside had the words: CLOSED FOR BUSINESS. Multiple signs had been erected around the property with a warning that if anyone came within ten feet they would be shot. The two bodies not far from the main doors were proof of that. With survival gear in high demand and the uncertainty of sustainability hanging in the balance, everyone wanted a slice of the pie. Harry had been smart enough when he built the place to install large concrete barriers directly in front of the windows and doors so that any attempt to drive a vehicle through the front would fail.
“This grandfather of yours. How old is he?” Elisha asked.
Travis smiled. “Seventy going on eighty-four, he likes to say.”
“And he shot these guys?”
“Hell yeah. Guy was in the military before he got into this business,” Travis said as he guided them around the back to a steel door, then banged several times.
“Didn’t give you a key?”
“How stupid would that be if I got caught?”
Garcia nodded. “Good point, and yet he gave you a special knock?”
They waited for Harry to appear at the door but he didn’t. Instead, he emerged on top of the slanted roof, rifle aimed at them. “Who the fuck are they?” the old man said, with a cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth. Eighty-four? He didn’t look a day over sixty. His hair was as white as snow and he was wearing an American flag bandanna. Reminded Garcia of some ’80s action hero.
Travis took a few steps back and gazed up. “Grandfather, you remember Liam Carter.”
“Who? Speak up?”
“Liam. Theo’s grandson.”
The man squinted through his round glasses. “Tube Steak?”
“Tube Steak?” Elisha asked, an eyebrow rising.
Liam closed his eyes and went red in the cheeks. He cleared his throat. “It’s a long story. Toilet humor. Hey there,” Liam replied to Harry.
“What are you doing back here?”
“You know… just taking in the sights.”
Harry burst out laughing and took out his cigar. “Well, did you see those two guys? Cause that’s exactly what they said until I put a hole in their heads.”
Liam swallowed hard.
“Grandfather, just open up.”
“And who are the other two pinheads?”
“A cop and …” He turned toward Andre who was scowling at him. “Another cop. I think,” Travis said in an unsure tone as he shrugged.
Harry grumbled. “Cops? We still have some of those left?” No one answered. “They gonna be a problem, Travis?”
“No. Just open up.”
“All right, all right. But if any of you try to take anything, I’m warning you. I’ll shoot you and throw you to the buzzards to chew on.” He cracked up laughing and disappeared out of view. Two, maybe three minutes later came the sound of multiple locks being undone, then the door groaned open.
“Come on in, just… well… don’t touch. Anything,” Travis said. “With the amount of LSD he consumed in the seventies, he’s been known to have flashbacks and—”
Harry cut him off. “I might be losing my sight, boy, but I can still hear you.”
Travis laughed, patting him on the shoulder as he brushed past.
5
Denver
The threat was real, the challenge great.
How did anyone traverse a city as huge as Denver when every time they stepped out they risked being annihilated? Alex gazed at the swarm that blackened the sky as drones scoured the streets for fresh targets. How many were there? Too many to count. Certainly enough that dozens could vanish, recharge, reload and take flight again without them noticing. Had they targeted the other capitals across the USA? And more importantly, who was in control?
Thomas and Ryan threw out ideas about certain hackers but at this point none of it was of any use to them. All they had to go on were the words of a stranger, a thirteen-year-old girl who appeared to defy logic. It wasn’t just that the drones hadn’t attacked her, she believed that she wouldn’t be touched and that struck them as odd.
Multiple attempts to gain ground in the city had been met with force. Thomas had come dangerously close to death on their last run.
He was starting to think that perhaps they might have to rely on a child to escape this madness.
Alex looked at his watch.
He glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head. Hours had passed and they hadn’t made it far. The café was still in sight. July meant the sun wouldn’t set until roughly thirty minutes after eight. That was too late. Star would be gone by then. Not that they’d planned on heading to the country club. “I think Thomas is right. We might have to go with Star.”
“No. We don’t have time for that,” Sophie said.
“Look at how far we’ve gotten over the past few hours. It’s time to face the facts, we are not getting out of this city anytime soon unless we meet up with her. Now I have no idea how she is managing to elude these drones or if she’ll even be at the location but that’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means getting out.” She stared at him as he continued. “Even Ryan is considering it.”
She looked at Ryan who was talking with Thomas and then nodded in agreement. Alex pulled out the map and pushed it against a crumbling wall. He ran his hand over it to smooth out the creases. “We are here. She is here. That’s a lot closer than us trying to get here.” He pointed to the far side of the city. “Without a vehicle we are screwed, and even if we found one, you saw what those drones did to those last two vehicles. We don’t stand a chance.”
“No. There has to be another way,” she said. “Let’s wait until the sun goes down. You heard what she said. The drones aren’t meant to be out at night.”
“And what if they are? Hmm? What if we wait until then only to discover they are out and we’ve missed the opportunity to get out with Star? Look, as much as I don’t want to get distracted, common sense tells me this girl knows something we don’t, and if she thinks she can drive a Jeep out of here without getting blown to pieces then I want to be inside it. We can always get out and continue as soon as we are out of the capital but right now we have limited options.”
Thomas and Ryan were eavesdropping.
“Finally, now you listen to me,” Thomas said, looking at a red 4 x 4 truck that had only minutes earlier been filled with a family trying to flee. The truck was on its side. None had survived. Black smoke billowed above it as orange flames consumed the interior. After discussing a plan, Alex used the map and compass to pinpoint their location and which way they could go and certain stores they might be able to take cover in. It wasn’t like they could time it. There were moments they were moving down the street and not one drone was in sight, but then they’d round a corner only to find a dozen tearing up the sky.
Alex shrugged his bag over his shoulder and adjusted it to make sure it didn’t slip, wrapped the strap of his rifle around him and prepared to run the gauntlet.
“You ready?” he asked as they prepared to sprint.
Each of them nodded, looking like runners at a starting line.
It might have been easier had the streets been clear but with so much of the sidewalk and road covered in rubble, it felt like they were navigating an
obstacle course. His thighs burned as he sprinted down the street, slaloming around obstacles, climbing over concrete, and launching himself off the top of crushed vehicles. They made it to East First Avenue, a stretch of road that ran adjacent to a once thriving neighborhood.
“Alex!” Sophie yelled as she took a tumble. He returned and scooped her up but didn’t check to see if she was okay. There was no time for that. Limping, she groaned as they soldiered on though now even slower than before. The familiar and frightening hum of drones caught his attention. Alex scanned the sky. Where were they? Ryan and Thomas were at least twenty yards ahead. He bellowed for them to take cover but they didn’t hear him because his cry was instantly muffled by an explosion as the army of drones came into view, racing toward them. He saw the two of them veer right onto Newport Street, they did the same but one street over.
Alex had no choice but to take cover inside a home. The door was closed. There was no time to make it to the next so they began banging on the door. From beyond they heard a female. “Go away.”
“Let us in, please.”
The woman refused, fearing for her life.
The only cover they had was a small overhang.
“Over here!” a voice cried from across the street.
An old-timer had opened his window and beckoned them across.
As they went to step out, the old man shouted for them to stop, his hand outstretched, his eyes widening. Seconds later two drones came into view, hovering above the street, rotating as if scanning or searching for them. Neither of them moved a muscle as the drones got lower.
The door behind them cracked open and the owner waved them in. They backed up but not before Alex waved a thank you to her neighbor.
The woman was young, early twenties, short, dark hair and almond eyes. She was juggling a baby in one arm while two little boys no older than five hid behind her legs.
“Thank you,” Sophie said, smiling to put the woman at ease. She was frightened and turned to look out the peephole again.
“How many are out there?”
“The drones?” Alex asked.
She nodded.
“Hard to tell. A lot.” Alex looked around, and saw a photo on the wall of the woman with her kids and a guy. “That your partner?”
“Was,” she said. She brushed by without explaining, she didn’t need to. How many had lost their lives?
“We won’t stay long,” Sophie said limping into the living room. “I just need a moment to check my ankle.” The woman set her baby into a portable crib and gave her boys some toys to play with before turning and looking at Sophie, who peeled down her sock to reveal an angry, swollen ankle.
“I’ll get you something for that,” the woman said, looking back at her kids then at Alex as if he might be a threat, especially since he was carrying a rifle. She stepped out of the room but returned only moments later with an instant ice pack. Sophie removed her boot and sock and thanked her as she wrapped it around her ankle and the woman tucked a few pillows beneath it.
“The name’s Sophie.”
“Crystal,” the woman replied with a smile.
Her boys tossed a few plastic toys across the room and she apologized.
Alex smiled. “No need. Been a long time since ours were that age.”
“You have kids?” she asked.
“Two,” Sophie said.
“One,” Alex said at the same time.
The difference created confusion. She bounced a finger between them. “Together or…”
“Long story but…” Sophie said. “We have a daughter in California.”
“And a son who’s no longer with us,” Alex said.
“I’m sorry. It seems we’ve all lost someone.”
Alex looked at Sophie and neither of them chose to explain that Michael had died a long time ago. “My husband went out a few days ago to see if he could find supplies. He never returned.” She looked at her children and Alex could see the pain in her eyes. “I couldn’t go because of my kids.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I don’t have much to give you.”
“You haven’t been out in a week?”
She shook her head no.
“What have you been eating? Drinking?” Sophie asked looking at the kids.
“I’m breastfeeding my young one. Thankfully I had a lot of canned food in storage before this all happened. Though we were getting low when my husband went out.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“And you?” Alex asked.
“I haven’t eaten much.”
Sophie looked at Alex and he recognized that look.
“Do you know your neighbors?” he asked.
“Not really. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves.”
Alex nodded. “Every man for himself.” He thought back to Tarboro and the community helping one another. That’s the way it should have been but that place was minuscule compared to Denver. “What about the guy across the street?”
“Don’t know him.”
“He seemed eager to help us.”
She shrugged.
Alex shrugged off his bag and unzipped it. He took out what food he’d obtained from the library. It wasn’t much, mostly muffins, chips, cookies, a few packets of peanuts and some coffee, but he figured she was in greater need. “Here, take this.”
“No. I couldn’t.”
“It’s fine,” Sophie said. “You helped us. Let us help you.”
They could see she wanted to take it but was hesitant. “Careful though, you might break a tooth on the outer part of that muffin,” Alex said. “But once you get beyond that it’s pretty good.”
She chuckled and thanked them.
Right then, there was a knock at the door and Alex went to see. Through the peephole the large face of the old man across the road came into view. “It’s your neighbor. You want me to open?” Alex asked. Crystal gave a nod so Alex opened the door.
“Oh, hi, I wanted to check in. Saw you made it. Figured you might know what’s happening out there.” He poked his head in but didn’t cross over until Crystal invited him in.
He was a tall fella, early seventies, full head of gray hair but physically strong. “The name’s Daniel.” He shook his hand and walked into the living room and saw the kids. “Looks like you have a lot of mouths to feed. How you coping? My wife has been urging me to come over but with those drones out there I didn’t want to take the risk. Then I saw you guys and… well… what’s it like out there?” he asked.
“Hell, pure hell,” Alex replied.
Daniel pursed his lips and nodded. “Where you heading?”
Alex glanced at Sophie and Daniel caught it. “Ah, it’s fine, you don’t need to tell me. I know people are a little skittish right now of each other. Um, I have something for you,” he said motioning to Crystal. He went back to the main door and opened it. As he did that, Alex unslung his rifle just in case. Daniel returned with two plastic carrier bags. “Gina, my wife that is, told me to bring these over. We have enough but figured you could use some more.” He set them down and Crystal looked inside. She withdrew cans of soup and looked up at him, her eyes welling. “Oh, and there is something in there for the kiddies. We’re just across the road if you need anything else,” he said turning to leave.
“Thank you. Really.”
Alex felt like a fly on the wall witnessing human kindness at its best.
“Nice to meet you all. I should get back.” Crystal got up and thanked him again.
As soon as he was gone, Sophie smiled at her. “Seems you do have an angel watching over you.”
“Seems so. Here, you can take back what you gave. He’s given us—”
“No, keep it,” Alex said.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I was only telling Sophie this morning that we shouldn’t have pigged out so much.” He smiled. “You keep it, honey.” Sophie looked at him, knowing that he wasn’t telling the truth. Her lip curled ever so slightly. He turned his attention to her. “How’s your leg? We sh
ould get moving.”
Sophie stood up. “Still sore but better than it was.”
Crystal hugged them before they parted ways. As soon as they were outside they stared toward the street, preparing to break into a jog. “Pigged out?” she said.
He smiled but didn’t look at her. “What? That muffin filled me up.”
She chuckled. He took her hand and they double-timed it down the block, his heart pounding in his chest just waiting for the first sight of a drone. Strangely they never reappeared. Although they were both concerned for Ryan and Thomas, they’d made it clear that if they got separated just to continue, keep going until they reached the country club.
The streets were empty. No one except them was crazy enough to play roulette with their lives. As they jogged together, Sophie turned to him. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you?”
“What?”
“Star was able to run and walk beneath those drones without being targeted and presumably she can do the same in a vehicle, so why make us come to her? Why not tell us to stay put and bring the vehicle to us?”
He nudged her and pointed up ahead. “I don’t know. Maybe you can ask her. There she is!” It was the first sign of hope they’d had since arriving in Denver. Seeing Thomas and Ryan waiting for them brought a smile to Sophie, the thought of Crystal and Daniel brought a smile to his. Amid the pain, death and suffering there was still good, still people looking out for each other. Perhaps that was Star’s intention, nothing more than someone looking to pay back kindness.
They would soon find out how wrong they were.
6
California
It was baptism by fire.
Leo watched as Ramiro extracted the knife from the councilman’s throat after seeking the whereabouts of Officer Felix Garcia. On the ride up to Petaluma, he’d learned a lot from Ramiro. A loyal foot soldier for Alvaro, he was careful not to speak out of line, perhaps fearful that one of the twenty that came with them might misinterpret his words and use them against him later. And, well they would if given the chance as there was no honor among thieves. Years in the gangs had taught Leo that many would take advantage of another if it meant rising through the ranks.