by Ray Wench
Mark kept walking, staying close to the wall with his gun leveled. He waited for the second man to poke his head out. Mark came to the wounded man and fired one round into his head. The door shut. Mark pressed against the wall and slid to the door. There he stopped and listened.
Something scratched at the door. Mark envisioned that gunman leaning against the door listening for his approach. Stepping in front of the door Mark fired a square pattern into the wood. A thud followed. The lock dangled from the hasp. Mark clipped it in place, securing the man, at least for the moment, inside.
Farther down the hall, someone pounded inside a locked room.
“Who are you?” he asked, not knowing what else to say.
If they were locked inside, they obviously had no way of getting out. It suddenly dawned on Mark why there was no one on the lower floors. If the captors were trying to keep someone locked inside, it would be a long drop to the ground from the upper rooms.
“Help me, please.” A woman’s voice said.
Mark slid the pry bar between the door frame and the hasp and tore it away. Before opening the door, he stepped back and readied his gun. Turning the knob he pushed the door open, but no one came out.
“You can come out now, it’s safe.”
“But if I leave the room and he comes back, he’ll hurt me,” the voice whimpered.
“Lady, in a few minutes there won’t be a room to come back to. I’m gonna set this whole place on fire. This is your chance to escape. Leave here and follow the creek outside to the west.” He pointed. “Go now before it’s too late.”
She stepped out timidly. She was slim with wild dark hair. Her dress was filthy and torn in several places. Her nervous gaze flitted down the hall.
“Go,” Mark shouted. “No, wait. Are there others here that need to be freed?”
“Yes, but I don’t know where. We’re seldom let out of our rooms and never allowed to talk to anyone else. I have seen others, though.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Mark broke open the next door, but it was empty. When he came back out the woman was gone. By the time he finished the fourth floor, he had found two more women, in similar condition to the first. They were desperate to get out and held hands, following Mark wherever he went. When he got back to the stairwell to retrieve the gas he told them to stay there, which made one of them moan in fear. “You’ll be safer here and you won’t be in my way if more shooting starts. I promise I’ll get you on the way out.” They huddled together in fear but stayed.
Finishing pouring gas on the fourth he climbed to the sixth floor. The two women followed. Almost every room had a lock on it. There were forty rooms per floor. Since they were all locked from the outside, it wasn’t necessary to call fire, no one could come out anyway. Mark had the two women go down the floor and call out to anyone inside while he started with the first two rooms. Finding them empty, he moved to the rooms where the women got a response.
Mark went down the hall, tearing the locks off and letting the women check the rooms. It saved a lot of time. He now had a dozen women in the hallway, whispering to each other. Some were concerned their owners would return before they could get away. Others were afraid it was just a raid by a warring faction and they were leaving one type of hell for another.
“Look, ladies, you are free to leave. You should go now before anyone comes back. I plan on burning this place to the ground. If you follow the creek in that direction, you will come to a truck. You can wait there for us to take you to safety, or you can keep on going. Either way you’re free. But, you have to go now.”
They talked it over. A group of more than half moved toward the door. Still others were too afraid to leave, knowing the severity of the punishment for attempted escape.
“You have to at least go to the stairwell so you’re out of my way.” He herded the remaining five women to the end of the hall and made them stay there. He had one more floor to go and he didn’t want them clinging to him. To emphasize their need to move, Mark splashed more gas on the carpet.
At the seventh floor door, Mark heard a shotgun blast. Jarrod was on the far end of the hall firing from a doorway at two men in rooms across the hall from each other. Mark opened the door and crept down the hall to the first open doorway. The two men were five rooms away. Mark tried to decide the best way to approach when, from down the hall, he heard a “Wahoo!” Jarrod charged the shooters. He had his shotgun leveled at waist height, firing one barrel then the other. His opponents ducked back inside their rooms and Mark moved up, but after Jarrod's shots, the gunmen stepped out into the hall to fire back.
Mark shot the man on the left from behind before he got off a shot. His partner fired once but missed Jarrod. He tried to duck back in his room but Mark shot him twice in the chest. Jarrod kept on running until he got next to Mark. His breaths came in ragged gasps. He was hunched over with his hands on his knees, gulping air like it was water. “I was hoping you was a good shot, or I’d a been a dead dog.”
“Jesus, Jarrod. That was the craziest thing I ever saw. You could’ve been killed.”
“Sometimes crazy is the best way to do things. It worked didn’t it?”
“Yeah, but one of them got off a shot. You were lucky.”
“Well, I had to try something. Those were my last two shells.” He sucked in a breath. “Whooee, I need to get in shape.”
Mark had the five women come in and do the same thing as before. Jarrod informed him he had ten more women waiting for him in the stairwell at the other end. By the time they finished the seventh floor, they had found two dozen women and one teenage boy.
They left them crowded together in the stairwell closest to the street and insisted they stay quiet. Mark picked up the two handguns from the dead men and gave one to Jarrod. The other one he gave to one of the women.
“If you see anyone coming up the stairs shoot them. Can you do that?”
“You bet your ass I can. I’ll shoot them dead and then some.”
“Try not to use up all your bullets on one guy. And don’t shoot anyone coming from above. It could be us.”
On the top floor, Mark looked through the window and saw the same two guards he’d seen before. Both had guns in their hands. They'd obviously heard the shots and were ready. Mark and Jarrod had a long unprotected approach to get within range. He’d been surprised at how little resistance they’d run up against so far. Either a very large percentage of the defenders left to chase Caleb or there weren’t as many of them as he feared.
“Damn!” Jarrod said. “They look ready for us.”
“We can't both approach from the same side. It's too long and there's no cover. I'll do the long walk from here if you go around to the other side. When they turn toward me open fire.”
Jarrod nodded. “I suppose that means you want me to run the whole way to get there, huh?”
“You want me to go?”
“Hell, no.”
“Well, just don't do anything crazy.”
“Me? You're the one walking down the hall with no protection.” He patted Mark's shoulder and went down the stairs.
Mark gave the farmer five minutes to get into position. He slid one gun in his pants at the back, the other in the front. He hoped with no gun in hand he wouldn't appear as a threat and the guards wouldn't shoot him on sight. Taking a deep breath, and hoping it wasn't his last, he pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway like he belonged there.
As the door clicked shut the guards looked toward him, their guns coming up. Mark swallowed hard, but so far no bullets came his way. He closed the distance steadily on unsteady legs. One guard raised his gun to eye level. “Stop right there.”
Mark took one extra step and stopped. He'd covered a quarter of the distance, still too far. Any time now, Jarrod.
“Why are you up here?”
The second guard stepped away from the door and had his gun on target too.
“Uh, I, uh,” he didn't know what to say. “I was just going
to report the intruder was killed.”
“Okay, you've done that, now get off this floor.”
“Wait a minute,” the second guard said. “I don't recognize this guy. Who are you?”
Uh-oh. Mark took one step backward.
Behind his two would-be killers the fire door cracked open. Jarrod slid enough of his body through to be able to take an accurate shot, yet still have some cover. Mark dove as the first shots were fired. The heat from one bullet touched his cheek; a second grazed his arm. His body slammed to the hard floor as he struggled to free the gun in the front. One of the guards pitched forward. The second man turned to return fire at Jarrod.
Jarrod emitted a grunt. The remaining guard fired with one hand while trying to open the door with the other. Mark got off a round, striking the defender in the leg before falling inside the room.
Mark raced to the door, knowing he needed to get there before the man locked it. If Buster or more of his guards were inside, it wouldn’t be easy to dislodge them. As the door closed, Mark fired into it at different angles then kicked it open. It bounced back at him and he had to use his gun to keep the door from closing. Someone screamed. A lot of commotion and chaos came from inside but so far, no one had shot at him.
Poking his head around the door he found the body of the second guard blocking the door. Putting a shoulder into the door, he pushed it enough to slip through.
He was in a large suite with two doors on each side of a spacious living room and kitchen. The room was empty. A noise behind him made him spin and almost shoot Jarrod, who was fighting his way past the body. He was holding his shoulder, which was bleeding.
“Jarrod, you okay?”
“Well, not exactly, boss, I kinda been shot.”
Knowing he had to get Jarrod out of there before he bled to death, Mark said, “Why don’t you round up the women and get them out of here?”
“You may need me.”
Mark knew better than to waste time arguing with the big man. Still, he was surprised when the farmer raised his gun and appeared to be lining up a shot at his head.
Jarrod closed one eye and said, “Duck.”
Mark barely had time to register the word and act before Jarrod pulled the trigger. Mark could feel the heat from the discharge as the bullet passed over his head. Turning at the sound of something hitting the ground, Mark watched the body of a man fall over one of the sofas.
“Shit, you scared me.”
“You shoulda been scared. I’m not very good with one of these when I’m not wounded. Anyway better scared than dead.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Sure thing, but maybe we best be moving along.”
“Cover the other side while I check these doors.”
Mark took the first room on the right. Inside was a king-sized bed with two dressers. A closet lined the far wall. He sidestepped around the bed and found a woman in a sheer negligee hiding behind it.
“Please, don’t shoot me,” she cried.
“I’m not here for you. Where’s Buster?”
“He left with the others a while ago.”
Mark didn’t remember seeing him leave. At his size, he would have been easy to recognize.
“Are there others in here?”
She nodded.
“Come out here and call them for me. We’re not going to hurt you. In fact, you can go free if you choose.”
She hesitated, but Mark was out of patience. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room. He went to the next door and opened it.
“Tell whoever’s in there to come out.”
“Darlene, come out. It’s all right. They’re only here for Buster.”
The closet door opened and a tall attractive woman came out wearing a red satin teddy with a matching jacket.
They repeated the process until he had four beautiful women, all scantily clad, in the main room.
“I need to know where Buster is. Do any of you know?”
“He left a long time ago,” a blonde with a squeaky voice said.
“Some boy came in and told him where some people were hiding,” Darlene said. “He took off out of here with the other two guards in a real hurry.”
Mark got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Jarrod, we need to go now. Maggie and Darren are in danger. You ladies can come with us if you want or you can go off on your own. You just can’t stay here.”
“What if we don’t want to go?” the blonde said.
Mark was shocked.
“Then go stand in the parking lot and wait for them to come back. But you can’t stay here cause there’s about to be a fire.”
“Can we get some clothes first?”
“Yeah, please. You have two minutes.”
Behind him Jarrod muttered, “Darn.”
Thirty-Nine
Mark led the way and Jarrod brought up the rear. As they descended the stairs with their stolen harem, Mark noticed people in one hallway. They might already be too late to escape. They had used the last of the gasoline in Buster’s suite and set it ablaze, which changed the blonde’s mind about staying. They hustled down the stairs, slowing only to set the hallways on fire. When they reached the landing between the first and second floors, the outside door opened and two men came in, dragging two of the original freed women.
“You wait until I get you back to the room, you stupid bitch. I’ll teach you to try to escape.” He had his hand wrapped in her hair and was dragging her to the stairs.
The second man hauled his captive by the arm.
Mark and party froze as they saw the new arrivals enter. The captors stopped as they saw the two bodies of their mates lying on the floor. Their heads swung up.
The first man opened his mouth and said, “Hey,” before Mark shot him in the face. Screams escaped several of the women, the echoes filling the stairwell. Some tried to flee back up the stairs, but Jarrod blocked them.
The second man pressed a gun against his woman’s head and pulled her tight in front of him. He backed up against the wall next to the outside door.
“You make a move and I blow her brains out,” he shouted.
“Go ahead. Who cares? We’ve got plenty.” Mark stepped down the stairs. He was halfway down when the threat was repeated.
“You can have her. Just get out of our way so we can go. But you should know that she’s the only thing keeping you alive. So if you shoot her, there’s nothing stopping me from shooting you.” Mark walked toward the fire door. “Excuse me a second.”
He opened the door and pulled a throw-away lighter from his back pocket. He let the door close behind him and bent down to light the gasoline-soaked carpet. Down the hall, a group of people talked with animated gestures. One of them saw Mark and pointed. Mark flicked the lighter several times before he got the flame to ignite. Two of the Horde down the hall started running toward him. He waved to the group and held the flame to the carpet. The carpet caught in a blaze along the line of flammable liquid. The others who had been watching ran for the front door. The two runners stopped when they saw the flames grow. Mark fired down the hall taking one down. The other man backed away.
Stepping back inside the stairwell, he faced the lone captor still holding his gun to the woman’s head. “We need to leave now before the fire spreads.”
“You set it on fire?”
Mark stepped forward as if leaving through the outer door. He stopped, standing next to the man and pointed toward the fire door. “Yeah, big fire.”
As he’d hoped, the man turned his eyes in that direction. Mark lifted his gun and shot. The victim had seen the movement too late and tried to duck, but the bullet struck the top of his head and down he went. The gunshot was loud in the confined space.
“When I open the door, go left and down into the creek. Do as I say and we may get away.”
One woman asked, “You’re really going to set us free? No strings?”
“No strings, but you have to move now. Follow me. Jarrod, you
still okay?”
“Still standing.”
“You, with the gun, stay toward the rear to help Jarrod watch our backs.” She nodded.
Mark pushed open the door into a darkening sky and stepped aside. He motioned toward the creek. “Go! Hurry!” The women filed out while Jarrod ushered them from behind. He looked at the procession. Several of the first group of freed women stood in the creek, waiting for them. It swelled their numbers even more.
Mark ran to the corner of the building to cover their escape. A shot kicked up dirt behind the last woman descending the bank. A shooter had found the escapees. More of the Horde ran around the corner. Four shooters advanced on the group of women, who now pushed the group in front to hurry.
Mark stepped from around the corner and fired. The first two shooters went down in the initial barrage. The other two ducked back around the opposite corner as the last round left Mark’s gun. He stepped back behind the hotel to reload. His fingers fumbled the magazine and it fell to the ground. He stooped to pick it up and that saved his life. A bullet whistled over his head coming from behind him. Another gunman had gone all the way around the building and ran toward him, firing as he came.
Mark slammed his last magazine into the 9mm and ran for the creek. He jumped and slid down the bank, stopping below eye level. The two shooters left their cover and chased him. The killer from behind the hotel jumped down the bank about twenty yards from Mark.
The two pursuers were now in the open. When he popped up, gun leveled, they tried to shoot him, but since they were moving, had little control over their shots. Mark pumped two rounds into each target, then ducked back down.
Looking over his shoulder, he watched the last of the women enter the drain pipe under the street. Mark crawled to a tree and waited. The last shooter had also taken cover behind a tree, only ten yards away. Mark didn’t have time to wait. Stepping backward, but keeping the tree between them, Mark made his way to the tunnel. Once there, he was out of cover. He ducked and dashed through, out of sight.