by Hunt, Jack
As Tyler veered onto Judson Avenue and then took a left on White Street he slammed on the brakes. The Jeep shuddered as the brakes squealed. Up ahead a large group had gathered in the middle of the road. These weren’t gang members. Just ordinary working class folk gathered together like a neighborhood block party. Two of them were standing on the top of a vehicle speaking to the group when they caught sight of the Jeep.
Although they were a fair distance from them, he knew what they had in mind as soon as the speaker pointed at them. The crowd turned, and a few that were armed broke away and began running towards them.
“Back up!” Nate yelled.
He didn’t need to tell him, Tyler was already jamming the gearstick into reverse. He crushed the accelerator to the metal and told them to hold on. The Jeep let out a loud squeal as it shot backwards. He looked over his shoulder and tore out of the mouth of the road onto Judson Avenue. Nate held on to Bailey as they spun out and powered forward. Tyler looked in his rearview mirror and saw the small group appear at the end of the road.
“Why didn’t they shoot?” Nate asked.
“Would you want to risk putting a bullet in the vehicle you were after?” Tyler replied.
“You think that’s what they wanted?” Erika asked.
“Well I don’t they were looking to have us join their neighborhood block party,” Tyler said. His lip curled up. “Besides, not everyone is at the point of attacking. The Asian gang that hit the surplus store were highly motivated. They were probably robbing stores long before the power outage.”
“Wait. You came under attack?” Nate asked.
It then dawned on him that he hadn’t told them about the incident, or the man he’d killed. He looked at Erika out the corner of his eye and nodded. “It was brief.”
“You managed to scare them away then?”
The memory of dumping their bodies in the trash came to his mind.
“Something like that.”
He didn’t want to taint Erika’s view of him, at least not while it was still early days. If the lights stayed off, the time would come when they would be faced with a similar situation. Hell, it could happen today. No, it was better to remain tight-lipped. He hung a left onto Donna Street and accelerated fast knowing they were only a few blocks from the street where the group were gathered. How many others would they encounter like that? Traveling on foot seemed safer but with so much distance to cover it was out of the question. Besides, if he was going to lose the vehicle it would have to be for a damn good reason.
They drove past several schools that would have usually been busy with parents dropping off their kids but now the parking lots out front were empty.
“I don’t get it. Shouldn’t the National Guard be out by now?” Erika said.
“They probably are but the need is too great. Do you remember Katrina?”
“No.”
“Please tell me you watch the news?” Tyler asked.
“I don’t have time for it. Too busy dealing with guests.”
Tyler glanced at Nate in the back. “No, I’m too busy stealing.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you would have. I saw the look on your face.”
Tyler shook his head. He thought back to how the government dealt with Katrina. The outcry was heavy. The country condemned mismanagement and a lack of preparation to provide relief. There had been a delayed response to the flooding in New Orleans, a communication breakdown and a lack of National Guard. When they finally got to the heart of the issue, it was quite clear what the problem was. The government had no evacuation plan even though they had ample warning what might hit the Gulf Coast. The fact was a shift in attention towards terrorist attacks had distracted them from being prepared. That was why when supplies were sent in, the first batches contained items that might have helped in a chemical attack. They had got it wrong. Then of course there was the problem with residents not taking warnings seriously. Over the years there had been warning after warning in hurricane season and many of the residents had simply shrugged it off, thinking nothing would happen. Then there was the lack of people who owned cars causing the governor to use school buses to evacuate. It also didn’t take into account that many of the locals lived paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t afford to move away from home. That’s why people were still in Vegas. Many had no choice but to pray and hope that the circumstances would change.
Erika piped up. “You think we could stop and try a landline phone?”
“Are you kidding?” Tyler asked.
“I want to try my parents one more time. It might have been a misunderstanding. I might have…”
“Imagined it?” Tyler said, casting her a glance. “Look, Erika, I know you don’t want to accept this is happening. Trust me, I don’t. But it is. People might not be out of control on every street, in every city, in every town but they will get that way. And those who are smart, which includes criminals, won’t wait twenty-four hours or a week. They will strike while the iron is hot.” They zipped past a family that tried to thumb a ride. Tyler felt bad leaving them there but there was no room, and he couldn’t trust anyone else — hell, he could barely trust those who were with him right now. “Now throw a rich family into the mix and who do you think they are going to target first?”
“They’re…”
“Not rich?” Tyler asked shooting her a sideways glance.
“I was going to say that they have security.”
“Doesn’t matter. Hiring some rent-a-cop to man the gates isn’t going to stop determined people.”
“Okay, but maybe she screamed because she saw something else.”
“What, and then hung up and didn’t answer your calls after that? C’mon, you look a lot brighter than that to me.”
Her eyes widened and he knew he had put his foot in his mouth.
“Look, just pull over, I want to at least try.”
“First off, where will you find a landline? And second, the landlines might not be working now.”
“They were yesterday. I thought you said they have backup systems in place to last a week?”
“They do. But that was yesterday. A lot can happen in twenty-four hours. Besides. I’m not stopping. It’s too dangerous. No, we press on.”
“Pull over.”
“Not doing it.”
“Tyler, if you don’t pull over right now—”
“Princess, you can throw a tantrum all you want but it won’t get you anywhere. I’m not your maid and I damn well am not going to—”
“PULL OVER!” she bellowed.
Tyler slammed the brakes on. All of them jerked forward in their seats. He turned. “Why didn’t you bring this up at Lou’s? You could have tried the landline there. You always have to be so damn difficult.”
“Difficult. Really?”
Without saying another word, she got out and strolled off down the main street towards a convenience store that looked as if it had already been looted. Bailey jumped out to follow her but she told her to get back in the Jeep. Bailey looked at her walking away for a second and then hopped up into the passenger seat beside Tyler. Nate leaned forward and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on her, bro.”
“If trouble shows up, I’m out of here, understand?”
“You’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”
Tyler pulled a face and sat there watching over the vehicle. There was no way he was leaving it alone, or the supplies. He slammed a fist against the steering wheel, regretting inviting them. He scanned the homes either side of the road, fully expecting trouble.
Roughly a hundred yards down the road, Erika approached the store. The glass in the door was gone, shattered into thousands of pieces, scattered on the ground. The chain the looters had used to rip the shutters off was a few feet away still hooked up to crumpled shutters covered in graffiti.
Erika peered inside before entering just to be sure the owner wasn’t there. Nate came up behind her and startled her. “For God’s sa
ke, Nate. Did he tell you to follow?”
“No. He wants to leave.”
“Let him.”
“You can’t fault him, Erika. He’s just trying to play it safe.”
Glass crunched beneath her feet as they stepped inside and took in the sight of empty shelves. A few items were on the ground but nothing of significance. All the food and coolers had been raided. A huge bag of Doritos had been torn apart and were scattered. “What a waste,” Nate said. “Listen, make this quick. I’ll keep an eye out front.”
She nodded and disappeared into the back where it was dark. Although she was determined to make sure her parents were okay, the thought of traveling for the next seven hours in a country now torn apart made her skin crawl. She wanted to believe that it had all been a mistake. That she’d phone this morning and her mother would pick up and tell her not to worry. At least then she could go back to the hotel and wait this out.
In the darkness of the store she spotted a landline on the wall. She came around the counter and was just about to reach for it when she noticed someone laid out on the floor. There was a large pool of blood around the middle-aged man’s head. She grimaced and stepped over him. It felt wrong to be there but what other choice was there? She picked up the phone and got a dial tone. Good. That was positive. Erika punched in the number and waited. It rang, and rang and then went to her mother’s voicemail. Erika hung up feeling deflated.
Nate was busy looking outside so she tried again and got the same result. “Damn it.” Erika hung up and was about to head out when she heard something in the rear, like a girl sobbing. A shot of fear went through her. “Hello?” she said in a low voice. There was no reply. She cast another glance at Nate. He had a cigarette in hand and was in the process of lighting it. Erika took a few steps down the narrow corridor that divided the front of the store from the rear. There was a door partially open at the end of the hall revealing a cramped lunch room, and off to her right was a dirty toilet. She looked in and grimaced at the smell. Again, she heard whimpering. “Hello?” As she continued down the hall, she came to a set of stairs that went up to the second floor. She contemplated going back but after hearing crying for a third time she had to know. Erika climbed the steps, they creaked beneath her feet. When she made it to the top, the door to the apartment was open. She pushed in and the whimpering stopped.
“Hello?” she asked again. No reply.
Moving in, she pulled the Glock from her side holster, and thought about what Tyler had told her. How to hold, squeeze, get rid of a jam. When she turned the next corner, she found herself looking into a kitchen that was in a state. The table and chairs were overturned, the cupboards were pulled off the hinges, and plates were smashed on the ground. It looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and pounded holes in the walls. She continued into the living room but no one was there. Then she headed for the two bedrooms at the far end of the hall. One of the doors was open. She peered inside. It looked as if it belonged to a teen girl. Posters of pop artists had been torn off the walls, the bed ripped apart, and there was a bag of weed on the countertop, next to a cracked notebook.
Erika was about to leave when she heard a shuffle behind her. She turned and focused on the closet. It was white, made of wood and slatted. She brought the Glock up and approached it slowly. Then, using the tip of her boot, she was just about to kick it open when a hand wrapped over her mouth and pulled her out of the room.
“Shh!”
She struggled within the stranger’s grasp and was dragged out towards the main bedroom. The moment she was inside the room she managed to pry loose the hand. It was Nate. “Quiet. They’re downstairs.”
“Who?”
He put a finger up to his lips and told her to find somewhere to hide.
They could hear glass breaking, and loud voices hooting and hollering. Then it sounded like someone was rattling a marble in a tin can, before they heard spraying.
“Samantha. Where are you?”
Nate headed over to the window that was already open. The drapes were blowing in front of it. He gestured with a jerk of his head for Erika to head out.
“I’m not leaving. There is someone else here.”
“Yeah, and they are about to come upstairs. Now…”
“No. A young girl. I heard her crying.”
“That’s not our problem. You heard what Lou said.”
“I don’t give a shit what Lou said.”
Nate walked over to her. “Do you want to get shot?”
“I need to check.”
“No, you don’t.”
He grabbed her by the arm but she pulled it away.
“Tyler was right. You’re out of your goddamn mind. Now get out that window before I shoot you myself.”
She threw him the bird and pulled back the door and went out to the corridor. The sound of someone coming up the stairs made Nate react fast. He grabbed Erika and pulled her back in.
“Samantha. I know you’re in here. We saw you come in earlier. Come on out.”
Two guys chuckled and one of them must have had a club in his hand as they heard a pounding on the wall as if he was hitting it every few seconds. Nate hurried over to the window and slipped out. There was a slanted roof that went over the front half of the store. Slide down, make the ten-foot jump to the ground and they could be back in the truck. He turned to beckon Erika and this time she listened and crossed the room and slipped out. Nate slid down the roof expecting Erika to follow but when he reached the bottom and jumped off, he looked up just in time to see her re-entering the window.
20
It wasn’t the scream of a girl she heard but of a man. Erika rushed towards the door and swung it open just in time to see a guy stumble out of the teenager’s room with a butcher’s knife embedded in his chest. He was in his mid-twenties, dressed in a checkered shirt and jean jacket. He was clutching the handle of the blade and staggering back. His head turned and he spotted Erika but only a gasp escaped his lips. Inside the teenager’s room it sounded like a war was taking place. She heard glass breaking, then a loud thud as if someone had been thrown into a wall. Erika brought up the Glock, slipped down the hallway and sidestepped past him as he slumped to the floor, his eyes glazing over. Turning into the girl’s room, she arrived just in time to see a bearded guy wearing a beanie and slamming a girl’s face against the wall. “You messed up now!” he said holding a gun up to her head.
“Hey!” Erika shouted. The guy turned, shoved the girl away and without hesitation swung his handgun around at her. In that moment time seemed to slow. She felt the metal of the trigger against her finger, and then an eruption as she squeezed it. The guy dropped and she squeezed again, then again, then one more time. When his head slumped forward her hand was shaking. Her eyes darted to the girl who looked to be around fifteen years of age. She was dressed in blue jeans and a pink T-shirt with some slogan on the front.
“Erika. Erika!”
Nate came rushing up the stairs only to stop and gaze at the deceased. A second later he looked into the room and placed a hand on her outstretched arm to get her to lower it. “That’s it. Relax.”
Erika backed out and Nate looked at the young girl.
No words were exchanged as they turned to leave. Erika was shaking badly as they exited the store and made their way back to the waiting Jeep. Tyler had sunk down in his seat and turned off the engine to make it look like any other vehicle on the street. As soon as he caught sight of them approaching, he started the vehicle.
“What happened?” Tyler asked.
Nate shook his head and gave him an expression that made it clear that it was best to drop it but he wouldn’t. He’d heard the gunshots but just assumed they were coming from farther down. Bailey hopped into the back with Erika while Nate rode shotgun. Tyler glanced in his rearview mirror at her and could see she was in a state of shock. Bailey was licking her hand but she wasn’t responding.
Tyler veered out and continued on past the store, glancing in in
for a second but seeing nothing unusual.
They drove on navigating through the streets of Vegas trying to get to I-15, which would take them northeast out of the city. As they went north on Civic Center Drive, Tyler had begun to notice that another vehicle was tailing them. He’d seen this old blue Toyota Hilux a few times along the streets that led to Civic Center Drive but it was only when he took a turn down a road and saw it again did he start to believe they were being followed. Whoever it was, they were keeping their distance. He could just make out two occupants but there could have been more.
“Don’t look back but I think we’re being tailed.”
“What?” Nate said whipping his head around. Tyler shook his head.
“The blue truck?”
There had been a few others that passed them, and a couple pulling out of driveways. Anyone who didn’t know would have thought that society was beginning to come to life again but that wasn’t the truth. These were all old vehicles.
“Maybe they’re in the same boat as us. You know. Trying to get on I-15 and get out of the city.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” Tyler said keeping a close eye on them as they veered left onto Cheyenne Avenue and then curved around onto I-15. That was when the real problem began. It was clogged with stalled vehicles for miles. All four lanes were filled with traffic that had simply come to a standstill. Tyler slipped onto the hard shoulder that was used for emergency services, thinking that would be open. It wasn’t. Further down, vehicles that had stalled had drifted to a standstill and the drivers must have veered off to the edge. “Oh crap. So much for heading that way.”
