Home Base

by C M Hoffmann

  Gavin, “Yea wide enough to spill cars into the lake, but not wide enough to see from a distance doing seventy down the bridge.”

  Wade, “Sooo, now what? Backtrack to the crossover with the fifty people on it?”

  “Looks like we have to. Or we go all the way back.”

  Cane, “No thanks, I’ll take the people surrounded by water right now. Stay away from steve and the rival locals trying to jack my truck.”

  Trey, “Agreed.”

  Pops, “Alright we’ll take our chances with the crossover. We’ll try not to stop for anyone, we don’t know them.”

  Cane checks the chamber on his Baby Eagle, “And they definitely don’t know us.”

  Trey and Gavin laugh and fist bump Cane.

  Pops, “Now let’s try not to enjoy killing anyone.”

  Cane, “Not anyone, Pops. Just those who threaten me and mine. Family first. The rest of our family is on the other end of this bridge. You know I’m always good for a helping hand, but I WILL make it home.”

  Mom, “We all will.”

  “That’s what I meant.”

  Pops, “Fair enough. If we do get stopped, we’ll just idle through the crowd.”

  Wade smiles, “Hope they watch their toes.”

  “Anyone makes an aggressive motion, hit the horn then the gas.”

  Gavin and Cane, “Roger.”

  “Let’s get to it then.”

  FREELOADERS

  The convoy turns around and heads back to the crossover. The crowd becomes excited again at the sight of the approaching vehicles. The same lone figure steps into the lane as the convoy slows and proceeds very slowly through the strip of roadway that connects the north and southbound lanes.

  A man in the crowd shouts, “Stop! Please help us!”

  The convoy inches on. An elderly gentleman steps in front of Cane’s truck. Cane stops and hits the horn for a short blast. The elderly man makes his way to the driver side of the truck with his hands clearly visible.

  The old man doesn’t offer a name, only a plea, “Please, son, there is a mother and child here in need of transportation to the other side. Her apartment is just off the bridge. I know you can’t and won’t help everyone, but they’re the youngest of us stuck here waiting for rescue. It’s about an eight mile trek back to shore, and we don’t know what’s happening there. I know we won’t last long. I’m only asking you help the littl’un.”

  Cane looks at Trey. Trey nods in response and climbs into the crowded backseat. The elderly man gestures to a small frame woman and child near the passenger side. The woman climbs in and mumbles a soft ‘thank you.’

  Cane begins to roll forward again. At the edge of the crossover, the two lead trucks hit the roadway and begin to accelerate. A loud thud sounds in the bed of the truck as two unknown men launch themselves in. Cane stomps the gas and one of the men goes tumbling out, he’s all ass and elbows as he shrinks in the mirror. Cane says to the woman, “We’re going to stop in a second, stay in the truck but open the passenger door, so he can get out.”

  Trey, “Horn first, little brother, long and loud, then lock ‘em up. If he’s armed we’ll have the drop on him when he’s off balance.”

  Cane sighs, “Yea... no good deed, eh, bro?”

  “No good deed. Fucking freeloaders.”

  Cane stomps the accelerator again and lays on the horn as they go over the rise. The brake lights come on the rest of the convoy and Cane locks the brakes causing the struck to skid on the down slope of the overpass. The man in the bed is thrown forward, barely keeping himself from being airborne over the hood. Cane and Trey bail from the truck on both sides and face the man.

  Cane, “I’ll only say it once, ‘Get Out’.”

  Freeloader, “Fuck you, you’re going to give me a ride.”

  Trey, “I’ll say something different but only once AND it’s an option: ‘Get out and walk; Or, We get you out and you swim.”

  Freeloader looks back to the steep overpass and the crossover, now just over a quarter mile away.

  Cane, “Not a long walk, but a hell of a swim to shore.”

  Freeloader stands to his full height, which isn’t much, draws a large knife and points it at Cane, “You’re going to give me a ride.”

  Cane and Trey both draw in a flash and gain a perfect sight picture on the man. Cane smirks as the freeloader shrinks, “Option three, you wait for our family to get here.” Cane looks back to the convoy now returning to his truck, “They’re not as understanding as us.”

  Freeloader, “You won’t shoot me.”

  Trey, “Good job figuring out Option Number Four; We shoot you: right here, right now. Then my poor little brother has to wash his truck.”

  Freeloader holds his ground, limply, and the knife in his hand shakes as he looks to the returning convoy.

  Cane, “Times tickin’. I know we gave you quite a few options but damn if I can’t guess what you’ll pick.”

  The other two trucks come skidding to a halt, and all doors open. Gavin and Wade draw down on Freeloader and approach either side of Cane’s truck.

  Pops leans on hood of Cane’s truck, “Well boys, what’s the word?”

  Trey, “He’s got about four seconds.”

  Cane, “Three.”

  Wade, “Two.”

  Gavin, “One.”

  Freeloader, “Alright, Alright!! Don’t shoot. Selfish assholes, I’m going. Can you at least give me a bottle of water or something?”

  Pops, “Sure thing.”

  Cane looks at Pops incredulously, “Seriously?”

  “I’ll get the bottle but you get to decide to give it to him or not.”

  “Why me?”

  “Your truck, your problem.”

  “Well, shit.” Pops retrieves the bottle of water and tosses it to Cane. He catches the bottle, looks to the Freeloader and asks, “Why should I?”

  Freeloader whines, “Come on, man, it’s hot. I just wanted a ride. And now I have to go up and over this overpass.”

  “And when we clearly indicated you couldn’t have a ride, you just decided you would anyway?”

  “It ain’t like that.”

  Trey, “Looked like it was exactly that to me.”

  Wade slaps the truck and Freeloader Jumps, “Could you make up your mind? This is boring me.”

  Cane looks at Freeloader and opens the bottle. Looking right in the man’s eyes Cane takes a gulp from the bottle.

  Freeloader’s shoulders slouch, “Aww, come on.”

  Cane caps off the bottle and launches it down the Bridge passed Freeloader in the direction of the crossover. “Better find that before the heat melts the bottle and you lose what could be your last water. T, wouldn’t that be a shame to die of thirst surrounded by water?”

  Trey, “A damn shame.”

  Freeloader sighs and submits, “Alright I get it . Sorry. Thanks for the water.”

  Cane, “Go on now.”

  Freeloader jumps from the bed and begins to walk back to the crossover.

  Pops looks at Cane distinctly, “Necessary?”

  Cane , “I said I’d help people when I could. Family first. That guy’s a dick, I wanted to launch it off the bridge and let him suffer...” Cane stares out to the water, “But, we’re better than that. He’s lucky that’s the only work he had to do for that bottle.”

  Gavin, “Yea, you coulda spit in it.”

  Wade, “Or peed in it.” Gavin and Wade start to laugh.

  Mom approaches Cane, “I’m proud of you.”

  Cane, “Thanks, Mom. He’ll live a little while longer but it ain’t gonna be an easy life from here on out.”

  Trey looks at his watch, “Almost two. Can we start heading back?”

  Everyone nods and returns to their vehicles.

  Gavin whispers to Wade, “Shoulda shot the idiot.”

  Wade, “Like you would have hit him.”

  Cane gets in his truck and finds the woman crying, “What’s wrong?”

  Woman, �
��What you did. You helped him even though he threatened you. He threatened me too. Said horrible, disgusting things.”

  Trey , “Well, he’s gone with the wind now and so are we.”

  Woman, “Thank you so much for the ride. I’m Mallory, and this is Justin.”

  Cane, “I’m Cane, this is Trey. Hey, Justin. How old are you?”

  Justin holds up four fingers, “This many.” Justin corrects his fingers so his pinky is half bent and his thumb sticks out, “No, wait this many.”

  “Four and a half, huh?” He leans in close to Justin and points at Trey, “You know that’s how old he pretends he is right?” Trey responds by smacking Cane in the back of the head and Justin giggles. Cane rubs his head dramatically, “Ouch! Buckle up tight with your mom, little buddy, and we’ll get you home.”

  Justin, “Are you the good guys?”

  Cane gives Trey a look. Trey answers first, “Yep, we’re the good guys. We protect you even when you don’t know we are.”

  “Like SuperHEROES?!?”

  Cane, “Haha more like Secret Heroes, bud. We’re the heroes you probably never hear about.”

  Mallory, “What do you mean?”

  Trey, “We’re police officers back home.”

  Mallory, “Well, whether or not everyone calls you heroes; your whole family are our heroes.”

  Cane, “‘Preciate it.”

  Trey, “Preference on music?”

  Justin, “Oh, oh, mommy can I pick?!”

  Mallory, “Only if Mr. Cane says you can, it’s his truck.”

  Justin, “Please, please, PUH-LEASE, Mr. Cane, sir.”

  Cane, “Absolutely, what would you like to hear?”

  Justin, “Do you, um, um, do you have Luke Byron?”

  Mallory, “You mean ‘Luke Bryan’?”

  Justin turns red, “That’s what I said!”

  Cane, “Well it just so happens I do. T, take care of that wouldya?”

  Trey, “I got it.”

  For the next several miles the truck is filled with the sounds of Justin singing along to country artist Luke Bryan. For a while, all of the thoughts of the coming troubles leave Cane’s mind. He wonders about home, he knows Scarlett would love to have Justin around. But his mood darkens when he remembers what happened just in the last few hours. People turning on people. Deputies trying to steal his truck. Being on the wrong end of a police pursuit.

  Cane thinks to himself, ‘What is this place? What chaos have we fallen into? I hoped these days would never come. Too late for that kind of hope. Hope for a better tomorrow when the world goes right again. We’ll be home soon. I wish Scarlett was here.’ He jerks back to reality when the leading trucks maneuver out of the way of a mustang doing ninety against their flow of traffic. Cane nearly misses the vehicle and watches as the car disappears in his rearview mirror. Justin hasn’t missed a beat of the music with the tactical maneuvering of the pickup. Cane’s focus returns to the road as the lead trucks start to slow. Cane edges to the outside of the line and sees multiple groups of people walking down the road.

  Pops on the phone, “Cane, heads up. People on the road. No stopping this time, someone gets in front of you blow the horn and go.”

  Cane, “I got it. T, heads up people on the road. Be ready.”

  Trey, “Always ready, little brother.”

  Mallory, “Can’t we help them? There’s plenty of room in the bed of the truck.”

  Cane, “Sorry, but no. We don’t know them, they don’t know us. We made an exception for you and Justin. Had we not been armed better than the first guy, we might have been walking ourselves. It’s terrible but for the time being that’s the world we live in. We can’t help you and everyone else. You and yours first. As long as you’re in my truck, that means you’re with us, until you decide otherwise.”

  Mallory, “Oh... well we don’t wanna be a bother.”

  Trey, “You’re not, you’re going the same way we are. These people are going the other way.”

  “If you say so, we’re just off the other side of the bridge... You wouldn’t happen to know how bad it is out there would you?”

  Cane, “Unfortunately, no. Don’t know how or why people are turning steve.”

  Justin, “Who’s Steve.”

  “Steve is a what, not a who. I know it’s confusing but the only thing we’ve seen of what’s going on is people trying to attack in classic zombie style.”

  Mallory, “Zombies? Like brain eating zombies?”

  “Not sure if brains are their delicacy of choice; although, so far, they do prefer me to my brothers.” He flashes a smile at Trey.

  Trey rolls his eyes, “Or maybe it’s ‘cause you’re a scrawny kid and they see you as an easier target.”

  “Just remember, ain’t gotta out run them, just you, big brother.”

  Mallory looks confused, “So you’ve seen zombies?”

  “I’ve named them steves, ‘zombie’ seems a little played out to me, but to answer your question: yes.”

  “What happened?”

  Trey and Cane take turns filling in the story with less than accurate descriptions of what happened for the sake of Justin.

  Mallory, “Wow, that’s unbelievable.”

  Cane, “Believe it, you stumbled into a world of wanna be gun thugs with nothing but gold for hearts. We’re actually a lot softer than you’d think.”

  Trey, “Don’t talk about your brother that way. Just ‘cause he’s fat doesn’t mean he’s soft.”

  “I meant our resident grumpy teddy bear, Wade.”

  Mallory, “Not to interrupt the banter but I mean... how did you just kill people and go on with your lives?”

  Cane, “Honestly, it’s easier than you think when you put it into our terms. Those people were a threat. We didn’t know exactly what kind of threat, but we know they wanted to do us serious harm. In our collective mentality: it’s family first. We protect ours first. When reason didn’t work, we used force, when that didn’t work, we used more, when that didn’t work, and we tipped the scales in our favor. I have a saying: ‘I’ve seen that movie, it doesn’t end well for us.’ When that takes over, it’s do what is necessary to win. I fear that may be exactly the type of world we just entered. I don’t believe in surviving; I believe in winning. Surviving just means you still have a pulse, winning is coming out relatively unscathed.”

  Trey, “That was elaborate, by the way you’re falling behind since we made it passed the groups of people. Do I need to drive for you? I know we’ve got a ‘Ms. Daisy’ in the car but could you pick up the pace?”

  Cane accelerates, “Shut your hole.”

  Mallory laughs, “You two are some pair. I can only imagine what you’re like as police officers. Probably all professional like.”

  Trey, “Nope, we’re exactly the same way.”

  Cane, “Except I’m nicer.”

  “‘Cause you’re scared to get beat up.”

  “And you’re an ass... never mind. Hush and let me drive.”

  Mallory laughs again.

  Justin, “Mommy, is Grandpa ok?”

  “I’m sure he is, sweetie.”

  “What if he’s not? What if he’s a steve now? Can we go with Mr. Cane?”

  Cane grimaces, “He’s got some sorta sponge on him.”

  Mallory, “Yes he does. Grandpa will be fine, and if he isn’t mommy will protect you.”

  Justin, “But I like them. Mr. Cane, Mr. Trey, can we come with you guys and be safe?”

  Trey and Cane share a look that only brothers would understand. ‘If it is a real end of the world situation: Food is limited, water is limited, they don’t know these two, although Mallory seems to be level headed, there might be a way, but at what cost?’

  Cane to Trey, “Pops?”

  Trey, “Yea.”

  Mallory catches on to the change of tone, “Justin, why don’t you try and get some rest before we get home.”

  Justin, “But, mommy, I want to stay up.” Mallory gives Justin a look
that only mothers can master and he shrinks. “Ok, mom.” Justin snuggles up in his mother’s lap and quickly drifts off to sleep.

  Trey and Cane share another look and Trey glances to the horizon. His eyes grow wide and Cane follows his gaze. The nearer they get to the end of the bridge, it appears the greater New Orleans area on their left is almost completely engulfed in flames. Black smoke rises a mile high and spreads out across the whole city. To their right, the Metairie area seems to be faring only slightly better. Luckily far off to the right, the city of Kenner appears intact.

  The rest of the ride continues silently as the three adults are mesmerized by the growing clouds of smoke.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  With two miles left of the bridge, Trey’s phone rings.

  Pops, “Y’all see the smoke? Tell Cane to take the lead so we can drop off your passengers and we can get home.”

  Trey, “Got it. Cane, take the lead.”

  Cane maneuvers to the front of the line and it doesn’t take long for visibility to drop in the smoke. “Mallory, where’s your apartment?”

  Mallory points, a shake in her voice, “Th...There.” Cane and Trey observe an apartment complex a block east of Causeway completely shrouded in flames. “My... My dad... he’s confined to a wheelchair. We live on the fourth floor.” She starts to cry.

  Trey, “Is there anywhere else we can take you?”

  Mallory chokes back a sob, “N... No... It was just us.”

  “Stop the truck.” Cane pulls off to the opposite side of the road. The rest of the convoy follows suit. “Shotgun out. Post up on the roof, you see movement you call out.”

  Cane, “Roger, going high.”

  Trey runs to Pops’ truck, “Pops, her whole apartment complex is up in flames, her dad most likely was trapped inside. Advice?”

  Pops looks to mom then back at Trey, “It’s her choice, she can come or she can stay.”

  Cane, “MOVEMENT!”

  Gavin and Wade exit Gavin’s truck and take up the best defensive position they can on either side of the truck.