Survive The Fall | Book 2 | Madness Rising

by Shupert, Derek

  Static–

  “Copy that.”

  The masked man’s intense gaze narrowed at Russell through the open slits in the dingy black mask before shifting to Cathy.

  “Come over here, and give me a hand, will ya?” he said, snapping at his partner.

  “Those damn mutts almost took my arm off.” The other man pointed at the barking dogs from the open door.

  “Stop being a pussy and get over here,” his cohort demanded. “We don’t want to hang around any longer than we need to. The clock’s ticking.”

  “What about the old man? Aren’t we taking both?”

  “Change of plans. We’re just here for her. Now come on.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Cathy snarled. Her voice was laced with contempt. She reached for the rifle between her legs.

  The masked man struck the side of her head with the back of his hand. A yelp of pain spewed from her lips as her head snapped to the side.

  Russell grit his teeth and jerked at the seat belt.

  The masked man trained the pistol at Russell’s skull. “Don’t do anything stupid there, cowboy, unless you want a slug to the head.”

  Max leaned over the backseat, bearing his fangs and growling at the vile men.

  The masked man pressed the barrel of the pistol to her temple as she sat upright in the seat. He reached between her legs, grabbed the rifle, then handed it to his partner. “Undo the seat belt, now, and step out.”

  Cathy thumbed the release button, but the latch wouldn’t come free. “I can’t. It’s jammed or something.”

  Russell kept his hands on the steering wheel, watching the men and Cathy like a hawk.

  Thomas was silent in the back seat.

  The masked man’s partner slapped his chest. “I hear sirens. Plus, we’ve got eyes on us. We need to jet.”

  “We’re not leaving without her,” he said, raising his voice an octave higher.

  He shoved the gun in the waistband of his smirched jeans, then pulled his blade from the sheath on his hip.

  The blade slipped between the belt and Cathy’s torso. He sliced through the restraint with ease.

  Max surged over the far backseat with his front paws resting on the seat before Thomas’s body. His ears folded back. He snapped at the men with glistening fangs.

  The masked man yanked Cathy from her seat by her arm, then dragged her out of the SUV.

  The trio skirted the rear of the Explorer toward the truck that flanked them.

  Max finished crawling over the seat and bolted from the SUV, barking and growling at the masked men.

  Butch stayed and licked at Thomas’s face.

  Russell fumbled with his seat belt, jerking and tugging at the strap. It clicked free from the housing. He flung the belt to the side. The metal tip clanged off the cracked window.

  His Glock. It wasn’t in his lap anymore.

  “What’s going–on?” Thomas asked as he slowly sat up.

  In a panic, Russell grabbed the handle to the door and pulled, but it didn’t budge. He threw his shoulder into the bent door twice, pushing it out from the vehicle an inch.

  The engine from the truck revved. He was running out of time.

  “Where’s Cathy?” Thomas asked with a confused looked on his face.

  Russell forced the door open farther and stepped out. A wave of weakness attacked his legs, and sent him crumbling to his knees.

  Max clawed at the driver’s side of the truck as its engine roared.

  Russell turned to the cab and peered at the floorboard. The Glock was nestled in the far corner. Must have slipped from his lap when they crashed.

  He grabbed the piece and stood up.

  The world swayed.

  The ground rushed toward him.

  He stumbled a bit, trying to keep upright.

  Both hands pressed against Russell’s head as he fought through the dizziness.

  The truck tore ass in reverse and peeled away from the wreckage with Max running next to the vehicle.

  Russell cracked open his eyes and stumbled forward. He brought the Glock to bear at the fleeing truck, but struggled to get a clear shot.

  He squinted his eyes, then opened them wide. He popped off a single round that pinged off the passenger side fender of the truck.

  The pickup flung around in one fluid motion as Russell pursued into the intersection.

  Brake lights flashed, then vanished as the rear tires spun wildly.

  The blaring sirens of help loomed large from behind Russell.

  Focusing on the truck, Russell placed both hands on the grip of the Glock to steady his trembling arms. He lined up his shot as best he could. It was now or nothing. His final chance.

  Sweat stung his eyes. His finger caressed the trigger as screeching tires and flashing lights flanked him in the intersection.

  The driver’s side door of the vehicle that pulled up on the Explorer flew open. A burly, heavyset man stepped out and drew his pistol.

  “Drop the gun, now.” His voice boomed like angry thunder.

  Russell kept the Glock fixed at the truck that vanished down a side street. He managed to read the first few letters of the license.

  “Boy, I’m not going to tell you again. Drop your weapon, and place your hands on the back of your head.”

  Russell lowered the Glock, then set it down on the road. He placed his hands on the back of his head and stood still.

  The heavyset sheriff moved around the front of his black and tan Prowler. The barrel of his sidearm trained at Russell’s head as he closed the distance. He grabbed Russell’s wrists and yanked them down to his waist.

  “I’m not sure what went on here, but we don’t tolerate people discharging weapons in the-” He paused as Max ran up to Russell. “Isn’t that Cathy Snider’s dog?”

  “It is. She was taken a few seconds ago by some masked men in a pickup truck. That’s who I was firing at,” Russell answered.

  The teenagers loitering about in front of the nearby shops had all vanished.

  The sheriff finished cuffing Russell, then spun him around. He looked to the SUV. Thomas emerged from the backseat. Blood trickled down from the gash above his brow.

  “I think you have some explaining to do here, son.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  SARAH

  Adrenaline spiked through Sarah’s veins. The surge made her lightheaded and a bit dizzy. The tips of her fingers tingled with fright. The muscles in her legs burned with each stride. She panted, trying to fill her lungs with oxygen that was spent in a blink.

  Kinnerk’s henchmen were hot on their trail, and closing in fast. Sarah could hear their bulk behind her. Their footfalls hammered the concrete of the sidewalk. Threats were shouted from the vile men who added ample incentive to keep moving.

  The goons had caught up to them through the rising madness that had laid siege to the city. They were relentless and held fast in taking them down.

  Rick, Sarah’s new ally, ditched his car a few blocks back and hoofed it on foot. A traffic jam had stifled their progress in getting to Sarah’s friend’s place on the other side of Boston and away from the unscrupulous thugs.

  It was a misunderstanding that trapped her and Rick into a dangerous situation, and complicated her life even more.

  The henchmen were looking for Allen, the owner of the automotive shop where Rick’s car had been kept. He had a debt that was owed and had vanished from the mob boss’s radar. His men had come to collect, and Rick and Sarah happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite any pleas made to the men in tow, her words fell on deaf ears.

  Rick was done trying to convince the thugs that they knew nothing about Kinnerk’s money, or where Allen had gone. They had a job to complete, and needed answers. Rick and Sarah were their only lead.

  “Here,” Rick shouted through each hard breath that fled his lips. “Don’t slow down. We’ve got to keep moving and give them the slip.”

  That was easier said than done.
At least for Rick, it was. Sarah was in decent shape, but the punishment she had waged on her body the last few days, and the lack of sleep and proper nutrition, were catching up to her fast.

  Her energy levels waned and dropped with each hard step she took. She battled through the pain that ravaged her legs and lungs. Both were on fire and stung with each second that ticked by. It wasn’t a time to give up, though. Their life hung in the balance.

  Rick skirted the edge of the drab building they were running alongside. The derelict structure had seen better days.

  The exterior had signs of wear and tear that made it look unstable. The reddish-brown acme brick was chipped and scored with portions of the dense pressed clay crumbling in spots.

  Trash littered the sidewalks. Ash rained down like snow during the winter solstice and tickled Sarah’s face.

  Fires that ravaged the metropolis pumped large swathes of black smoke and other debris into the sky. Boston looked more like hell on earth now than anything else.

  A crackle of gunfire caused Sarah to flinch and gasp. Her heart skipped a beat. The buzzing of the incoming round flanked her as she hooked the corner of the dilapidated building. The bullet chipped away at the brick as she vanished from the henchmen’s sight.

  Tiny fragments of clay fluttered in the air in her wake as she breathed a sigh of relief. It was another close call that she had avoided. Though, she wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  “You ok?” Rick asked, inclining his head.

  His damp shirt clung to his slender, muscular frame. Beads of sweat raced the length of his neck and vanished under the collar. His hair bounced with every step he made.

  “Barely. They’re shooting at us.” Sarah stumbled down the passageway. Her legs wanted to give out, but the henchmen hadn’t given up and neither could she. Her best friend, Mandy, and, husband, Russell, filled her thoughts. She didn’t know if they were all right or where they were for that matter. The unknown kept her going.

  Like a stallion running full tilt, Rick pulled away from Sarah. He peered over his shoulder, and his pace lessened. He skimmed over the buildings that had them trapped on either side. Making it to the other end of the alley wasn’t going to happen with the goons keeping within striking distance. There had to be an entrance somewhere they could slip through.

  Sarah caught up to Rick as he looked over the sprawling exterior, searching for a way inside. She huffed and deflated against the wall. Her chest pulsated in and out as she struggled to catch her breath.

  The clamoring of the henchmen was just beyond the corner of the building which sent a wave of terror flooding her body. Sarah grabbed her Glock 43 from her waistband. She chambered a round as she fought to steady her trembling hands.

  Rick whistled, capturing Sarah’s focus.

  She looked away from the Glock. He had moved down to the other side of a roll off dumpster that was overflowing with debris. He pointed to the building behind her, then disappeared alongside the immense dumpster.

  What the hell?

  Sarah took a step back. She stooped down and peered through the narrow opening between the roll off and the building.

  The henchmen crested the passageway. Raised Irish voices spoke with anger.

  A stack of crates that sat off to her side facing the thugs concealed her whereabouts, for now. She stayed low and entered the passageway.

  Rick materialized at the other end, waving his hand in a frantic manner. The smell of the trash and waste invaded her nose. It grew worse by the middle of the container.

  Sarah’s stomach churned, and wanted to empty the junk food she had fed it the night before. The palm of her hand pressed to her mouth to suppress the gagging noises she made.

  The henchmen were drawing closer as she moved faster toward Rick.

  “We need to find them. I’m not going back to Kinnerk without having something useful,” one of the men said. “I’ve seen what he does when he’s pissed. It’s not pretty.”

  Rick kept his finger pressed to his lips and reached out with his free hand.

  Sarah hit the end of the roll off and removed her palm. She let out a subtle breath of air.

  Rick pointed to a sheet of dense plastic that was draped over the side of the building. The wind caught the edges and thrashed the material.

  An opening within the exterior wall caught Sarah’s attention. He’d found a way inside.

  “There’s no use in hiding. We will find you,” the lead henchman yelled down the alley. “Come out now, and we can settle our business, then you two can be on your merry little way. Scouts honor.”

  The snickering from the men was subtle, but still loud enough to be heard. They weren’t trying to hide their devious intentions.

  Neither Sarah nor Rick muttered a single syllable in response. They kept their mouths sealed and slipped between the plastic into the dark structure.

  They traversed over busted brick that lay scattered over the concrete foundation. The shifting of the chunks of clay under their feet gripped them by the short hairs.

  “Where the hell do we go?” Sarah asked, her voice low and filled with panic.

  “No clue,” Rick answered as they moved down the hallway. “We keep moving until we’ve lost them.”

  Sarah turned the way they came in. The boisterous goons shouted at one another as their silhouettes loomed beyond the veil. No doubt they’d discover the opening behind the plastic sheeting soon.

  The hallway stretched for what seemed like forever. The rooms that resided on both sides of the hallway were missing doors and had just as much debris and trash within their spaces. Large sections of walls were missing, making it challenging to hide.

  Both Rick and Sarah searched for a way out as they fumbled down the dim hallway. With blackness clinging to the space, they struggled to find the exit.

  The henchmen approached the covering. The crunching of the plastic material ripped a sharp breath of fright from Sarah. She stopped, then spun around to the hole in the side of the building.

  Rick tapped her shoulder from the flight of steps beside her. Blinding darkness cloaked his body, leaving only a vague outline for her to see. He motioned with his hand and tilted his head toward the ether.

  Sarah wasn’t keen on venturing up into the bowels of the crumbling building, but they didn’t have a choice. They had to keep moving, and put some distance between them and their aggressors. She was hopeful that they’d find another way out of the building.

  The wooden steps creaked a warning as they traversed the aged stairs.

  The henchmen entered the building, loud and careless. The shifting of the clay bricks, followed by a dense thump echoed down the silent hallway. Grumbling and more shouting chased after Sarah as they hit the first landing.

  Rick paused, then glanced back down to the hallway. The raised voices of the thugs carried within the framework of the structure. It was easy to track where they were, but also made it unsettling as they drew closer to their current position.

  Sarah repositioned her fingers over the grip of the Glock as she gulped. Sweat populated the surface of her palm which made her hands slippery and clammy.

  “We move up to the next floor, and see if we can find another way out of here,” Rick whispered.

  Sarah tilted her head.

  The outline of his arm moved behind his back. He retrieved the Glock that was secured in the waistband of his jeans. Rick chambered a round, then nodded toward the next flight of stairs.

  They raced up the stairs as the henchmen loomed at the base of the staircase on the first floor. Each footfall made Sarah cringe from the slight creak in the steps.

  Rick hit the landing that opened to a cavernous hallway. Small beams of light shone through the numerous holes that littered the high ceilings. Nestled between the dull rays of light, patches of darkness resided.

  Mounds of busted wood and sheetrock covered the floors. The walls along the hallway had more gaping holes punched through them, and beyond that, blackness.

&nbs
p; Rick advanced, slow and cautious, with Sarah in tow as he looked either way.

  The hairs on the back of Sarah’s neck stood on end. A tingling sensation slithered up her spine as the stairs creaked. She turned toward the pit of blackness with her Glock clutched with both hands.

  Trepidation built inside of her. The lump, lodged in her throat, wouldn’t go down, regardless of how many times she swallowed.

  Sarah took a step back with the Glock trained at the staircase. “I think they’re heading up this way. We need to find a place to hide now.”

  Rick agreed with a dip of his chin. His fingernails scratched at the scruff on the side of his face as he searched for a place for them to take cover.

  Sarah covered their backs, giving Rick time to plot out their next move.

  Heavy feet punished the staircase from below, followed by chatter from the henchmen.

  A strident beam of bright white light tore through the darkness from the landing below, and played over the busted drywall. The chatter of the men crept up the stairs as the light grew wider.

  “It’s madness out there right now,” a high-pitched voice said. “At least we won’t have to worry too much about the police. They’ve got their hands full with the city burning down around them. I bet we’re the least of their worries.”

  “Just concentrate on what we’re doing here, all right,” a gruff voice shot back. “I’m looking to get my cut as fast as possible, so we find these two and handle business. No messing around.”

  “Who? Me?” the high-pitched voice guffawed.

  “Case in point. Just shut up and focus, will ya?”

  “Sure thing, buzz kill.”

  Rick tapped her arm, then nodded to his left. He moved down the hallway at a good clip with Sarah a few paces behind.

  “They’re upstairs,” a voice said, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Find them, now! We can’t let them get away.”

  Sarah peered over her shoulder at the landing as light shone from the dark staircase.

  Rick and Sarah skirted the blind corner of the hallway in a dead sprint. Each step sounded like thunder striking the building.