by Ray Wench
“What’s so all-fired important?”
“We need to deal with some people before they find us.
“Those same one’s who was chasing you before?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh. Whatcha got planned?”
“My friend, I appreciate all you’ve done for us, but this isn’t your fight. If we don’t take care of this now, we won’t have any need for a windmill.”
The older man stood there, moving his jaw from side to side. “Oh, I see. I’m a good enough friend to do the hard work, but when it comes to the easy stuff you don’t want me around.”
Mark smiled. “You sure you want in on this?”
“Friends don’t let friends face trouble alone. They’d eventually come after me anyway. Might as well deal with this now. Besides, who would I talk to if you all were gone?”
“Okay, we could use another hand, but this will be dangerous. People will die.”
The kids scooted over to make room for Jarrod.
“Okay, here’s what I’ve got. There are three teams. We can divide those up later. I’ll head up one and use Caleb as my driver. Lynn, you and James will be the other leaders.” Mark looked at Caleb. “Caleb will drive past the hotel and fire blindly at the building. We need you to draw as many horde members away as possible. You will keep going and turn on this road here.” Mark pointed at his map. “That’s Church Street. It’s important you lead the cars chasing you down this street.
Here we need something big to block the road. Cars, trucks, whatever we can find. You need to leave just enough room for Caleb to get through.”
Mark switched to James and Lynn. “You will park your vehicles on the side street, then set up in these two yards. When the cars chase Caleb down this street, you will have a killing field. Keep shooting and don’t let up. Take out as many as you can then run. Don’t go straight back to the farm. Find someplace to hide and wait there for a while. Everyone got that?”
No one spoke. All eyes were focused on the map.
“I think Maggie and Darren should stay here to protect the farm.”
“What will you be doing?” asked Lynn.
“Once Caleb draws the Horde away from the hotel I’m going to slip inside and burn it down.”
James said, “All by yourself?”
“No, I’ll go with him,” said Jarrod. “But I’m gonna need some more shells.”
Mark smiled. “That’s not a problem You help yourself to any weapons you need. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m in. I’ll leave Buddy here to help watch the house.”
We all have some preparations to make. We’ll go tonight. Anyone have any other questions?”
Maggie said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to pick up and move farther away? This is madness.”
Mark answered, “Yes, it would, and that’s still an option. We don’t have to go through with this. Maybe we can go far enough where no one will ever bother us again, or maybe we’ll always just be delaying the inevitable. This is not a dictatorship. Everyone has a vote. But let’s decide right now because time is running out.”
“Well, I vote we leave,” said Maggie.
Caleb, Ruth and Alyssa voted with Maggie.
Mallory, with pure hatred in her voice, said, “I vote to fight.”
Darren fidgeted. Mark could see he wanted to say something. “It’s all right, Darren, you have a voice here.”
“I-I’m sorry Mark. I don’t want to fight anymore.”
“It’s okay, none of us does.”
James voted to stand and fight
“Of course you would, you old fool,” Maggie said.
“Maggie, we won’t be safe until this is over.”
Mark looked at Jarrod. He shrugged. “If you decide to fight, I’ll join you. If you decide to move, I guess I’ll miss you.”
When it came to Lynn’s vote, her voice shook with rage. “I want them dead. I want them all dead. I’ll go alone if I have to.”
For a moment, all eyes were on her and no one spoke. Then, Caleb said, “I change my vote. Let’s kill them all.”
“Hell, yeah!” Mallory added.
Thirty-Seven
With the plan laid out everyone went about gathering what they would need. Two hours later Caleb walked outside carrying bottled water for his mother and sister. He handed out the bottles and wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve. As he did, Caleb noticed a path had been trampled through the cornstalks past the barn. Caleb backed up the steps to get a higher view. Following the path he spotted a figure running away from the house.
“Look,” he shouted. “Over there, in the cornfield.” Caleb pointed.
His mother and sister looked up. Mark trotted over to where they stood. “Damn! Caleb, go check the barn. See if that boy is still there. Hurry.”
Mark already knew what Caleb would find. The boy was almost clear of the field. Mark ran for the car. He had to catch the boy before he could escape and take word of their location back to the Horde. Mark started the car and raced out to the street. Tires squealed as he made the turn around the corner.
Pressing the pedal hard, the car shot down the road. At the end of the block Mark braked, the car skidding to a stop in the middle of the intersection. Putting the car in park he opened the door and took a quick look around. Not finding his prey Mark climbed on the roof to get a look into the corn field. The trampled stalks came right to the edge of the field. The boy had already exited. Where could he have gone?
Mark looked down both streets but did not see a figure or car anywhere. Jumping to the ground Mark got back into the car. He had a choice left or straight. Choosing straight Mark drove at a speed that enabled him to scan the area.
Fifteen minutes later he pounded the wheel and returned to the farmhouse. The family members joined him as he got out of the car. There was obvious concern on their faces.
“He must have had a car nearby. There’s no way he walked all the way out here. I should've thought of that before. We need to go now. We can’t wait for it to get dark. They could be here in less than an hour.”
Everyone ran back inside and gathered whatever they were going to need. Maggie, Darren, and Buddy were staying behind to watch the house, mostly because Darren was a liability. Things would be moving too fast out there for him.
Jarrod and Mark climbed inside Jarrod’s pickup and started out first. They had to get some equipment from Jarrod's house. Caleb would leave in the van by himself giving everyone fifteen minutes to get in place. Lynn and Mallory left in one pickup while Ruth, Alyssa, and James rode in the other.
Mark and Jarrod drove toward the hotel. Jarrod stopped at Church Street, off Main and turned the flatbed sideways, blocking the road halfway down the block. He then drove the John Deere 9410 combine off the ramp to complete the barricade, leaving just enough room for the van to squeeze through. Jarrod unhooked the pickup, then Mark and he drove off.
The pickups were parked out of sight on the first street past the barricade. Each team took up their assigned stations in the backyards of the two corner houses on either side of the blockade. Lynn and Mallory were on the left side while the others took the right. They assembled the equipment they had brought and waited.
Jarrod drove to a dead-end street two blocks farther down. Each man carried a five-gallon gas container and a pry bar. Jarrod had his shotgun and the remaining box of shells Mark had collected. Mark had the rifle over his shoulder and two handguns with two spare magazines for each. The five rounds in the magazine of the rifle were all he had left for it.
They stepped down the slope of the creek that ran behind the hotel. The sun was beginning to set, but there was still plenty of light. It would not be dark enough to cover their approach as they had planned. Sloshing through the shallow creek, they ducked under one overpass and continued through to the other side.
The Catholic Church loomed above them to the right. As Mark dredged past it, he whispered, “If You exist, I ask that You spare my
friends. I ask nothing for myself.”
They stopped at the Main Street bridge. On the other side, to the left, was the hotel. The original plan called for Jarrod to keep following the creek until he was at the far end of the hotel. But with it still being light, that was no longer a safe option. He would have to wait until the Horde was drawn off to make his approach. Mark had to stay there to cover Caleb.
Jarrod stooped under the bridge and walked through the tunnel to the far side. Mark was afraid he would keep going, but the farmer squatted down and waited. An eternity later, a vehicle approached at high speed. Mark climbed the bank to the side of the bridge and risked a glance above street level. A car exited the parking lot as the van got close. Caleb honked the horn, then began firing indiscriminate shots at the parked cars and the hotel, trying to draw as much attention as possible.
The car continued out in the street until Caleb rammed it, sending it spinning back up the driveway. However, the impact sent the van skidding to the right, jumping the curb and heading straight for the concrete bridge abutment that Mark was hiding behind. Caleb’s face was panicked as he fought for control of the wheel. He turned it too hard to the left. That would have sent the van over on its side except the rear bumper clipped the end of the bridge, helping Caleb right the vehicle and bring it bouncing back to the street. Mark slid down the bank, fearing the van would roll over on top of him. A shower of stone chips fell around him.
Mark scrambled back up the opposite bank in time to see at least a dozen men running to the edge of the street, firing at the fleeing van. Others ran for their cars. As soon as the van was out of effective range, the shooters went for their cars. An assortment of vehicles made a mad dash for the street, crowding the exit, some jumping the curb. More men poured out of the hotel to give pursuit. In all, at least twenty vehicles with perhaps thirty men and women took up the chase.
Mark hoped no one would be left outside to see what he was doing, but two men stood around the crushed car helping the driver out. He couldn't do anything about them. He had to protect Caleb. Mark set the rifle on the edge of the opposite bank and took aim at a car in the back third of the pack. It was about a one-hundred-yard shot. The bullet struck the back windshield. Whether he hit the driver or not, he never knew, but the bullet had the desired effect. The car careened off the road, plowing into an apartment building. The next car swerved to the right to avoid hitting that car but smacked into another one, causing a chain reaction of minor collisions.
This time, Mark aimed at a driver who turned broadside, braking before he crashed into the others. He made a good target, and Mark wasted no time splattering his brains all over the interior. A traffic jam ensued. The cars had to slow down and take turns maneuvering through the wrecks, allowing Caleb more time to escape.
The next shot missed, but the driver was shocked enough when his window shattered that he slammed on his brakes, causing the car behind to slam into him. The following car managed to avoid them, but the car behind that one smashed into him broadside as he tried to veer away. Only half the cars made it through, still in pursuit.
Across the street, the three men, having heard the rifle reports, had identified Mark’s position and ran toward him. A shotgun began firing, taking all three men down. Jarrod had come through.
Mark looked for other targets as the cars caught behind the wrecks tried to maneuver themselves clear. One driver got out, waving his hands at the drivers in front. Mark took aim and blew a hole in the back of his head. The others looked in surprise as the man dropped, then all began searching for cover. Mark fired his final round, dropping a short, stocky woman.
Time to move.
He left the empty rifle inside the tunnel and ran through. Jarrod was nowhere to be seen. Mark figured the man had moved on to do his next job. Mark hauled the gas container up the bank, carrying his 9mm in the other hand. As he approached the hotel, a man pushed open the side door. Mark shot him and kept moving.
Mark went around the back of the hotel, setting the plastic jug down. Moving from room to room, he busted out the windows with the pry bar. The rooms appeared unoccupied and no one shot at him, so the job went easy. After breaking windows in the first three rooms, he ran back for the gas. He poured some in each room then went to the side door. Another man was exiting as Mark rounded the corner. Both men were surprised, but Mark had his gun ready, firing two rounds into the man who fell on top of the body already there.
Mark dragged both inside, leaving them under the stairs. He splashed some gasoline on the carpeting inside the first-floor door but did not go down the hall. On the second floor landing, he set the gas can down and went through the fire door. Using the pry bar, he rapped on doors on both sides of the hall and yelled fire. No one emerged. Now came the hard part. He began prying the locks off each door to make sure no one was trapped inside. His actions would take a long time, but if anyone was being held against their will, he had to make sure they had the chance to get free.
Mark thought of the other family members and prayed things were going well for them.
“I hear cars,” Mallory said.
“Everyone get ready,” Lynn said. “Don't do anything until I say.” Then, almost as an afterthought, added, “and when I say run – run.” In spite of her resolve, she couldn't tamp down the fear. But each time Lynn thought she might give in to her fright, she remembered the large man and what he'd done to her and any doubts melted away, replaced by anger.
The van's tires screamed as Caleb whipped the speeding vehicle around the corner. Relief swept over Lynn. Her son was safe, for now. Through the windshield, her son's face was an almost unrecognizable mask of fear. For a moment, she didn't think the wheels would hold the road.
Caleb slowed the van down, bumped up over the curb, then worked the wheel hard, hand-over-hand, to bring the vehicle back to the road. Aiming toward the narrow opening Jarrod had left him, Caleb stopped with the rear end even with the combine. Leaving the motor running, Caleb climbed through the back and opened one of the rear doors. Jarrod had piled a few bags of cement there for Caleb to take cover behind. He raised the shotgun like Mark had taught him and waited. He looked toward Lynn and gave a quick wave, her return smile a mix of angst and pride.
It didn’t take long for the first car to tear around the corner. When the driver saw the combine blocking the road, he braked hard, setting off a chain reaction of rear-end collisions. Six cars were jammed together with others still trying to make the turn.
“Now!” Lynn said.
At that moment, the sky was lit bright on both sides of the street, as flaming Molotov cocktails arced up and descended on the cars, smashing into an inferno of splashing gasoline, engulfing eight cars within seconds. Men screamed as they tried to free themselves from the flaming vehicles. Fire licked at the remaining cars as they rammed each other, attempting to get clear.
Lynn, Caleb and James open fired as the chasers jumped from their inflamed vehicles. In the mayhem, bodies piled up fast. Most fled the chaos without firing back. Ruth, Alyssa, and Mallory continued tossing the remaining bombs until gone. Then Ruth and Alyssa ran to the get-away cars while Mallory picked up her gun to add to the carnage.
The heat warmed Lynn's face. She slid another magazine into the gun and chambered a round like Mark had taught her. The ambush had worked better than they had imagined, with only sporadic return fire. Many of the animals had fallen to their barrage.
The fire spread to the next row of cars. Then, some of the men who had escaped the blaze began returning fire. Just then, one of the cars exploded. Lynn took that as a good time to leave. She shouted for Mallory to go, but the girl stood pulling the trigger wildly, loosing a maniacal scream with each shot. When her gun ran dry, Lynn grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her along. A quick glance across the road showed James was already on the move. Hopefully, they had created enough chaos that pursuit would be severely hampered. Even though they had whittled the numbers down, they were still outnumbered and outgunned.
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Caleb covered the withdrawal, giving everyone time to reach the trucks. Once in the vehicle, Ruth punched the pedal and the truck lurched forward. Lynn glanced through the back window, her chest tight with fear until she saw Caleb pull behind them.
Ruth was hyperventilating. “Ruthie, relax and slow down or you'll get us killed.” She touched the girl’s arm and tried to sound calm. “We're all right, breathe. That's better. Now turn here.”
The petrified girl made the turn. Lynn blew a breath out. They had done it, so far, though they still had a few miles to go to reach the safe house. The chosen house was hidden down a long winding driveway surrounded by trees. If they could get up the driveway quick enough no one would be able to see them from the road. Now, it was a matter of how long it would take for any pursuit to organize and how long they would have to stay hidden.
Her thoughts turned to Mark. “Please God ...” she didn't finish. God knew what she wanted.
Thirty-Eight
Mark found the second floor easy going. There were only two rooms with locks on them. They ripped away from the thin wood framework with very little effort. Both rooms were empty. He brought the gas container in and poured a trail along the carpeted hallway floor.
Mark skipped the third floor; Jarrod was taking the odd-numbered ones. He glanced through the fire door window on the way up. The tall farmer was walking toward the far door. He was still alive. Two bodies were in the middle of the hall.
Knowing the army chasing Caleb could come back at any time, Mark increased his pace, taking the stairs two at a time. On the fourth floor, Mark repeated his actions. This time he had an immediate response. Two doors opened within seconds of his shouted, “Fire!”
On the fourth floor, two doors were open. Both occupants stood in their doorways holding guns, talking to each other. Mark guessed they must have heard the shots. Mark tried to decide the best approach. Before he could decide, one of the guys went back into his room leaving the door open. The other turned his back to Mark. Mark wouldn’t get a better chance. Yanking the fire door open Mark fired. His target turned as both shots drilled into his gut, dropping him to his knees.