by Newman, AJ
“Asshole! Next time don’t enjoy your work so much. Let’s go. I want to catch up to these nice people before they get too far down the road. We’ve been behind bars too damned long, and this puke has delivered exactly what we need.”
The man with the knife replied. “I had me a young one cornered when those people shot George and ran us out of town. I ain’t had any tail in two years.”
The leader laughed. “That’s not what George told us when we broke you out.”
“You sumbitch.”
The leader placed his hand on the butt of his gun. “That’s Boss Sumbitch, and don’t forget it!”
***
Tom and Jackie searched the area for anything useable. Still, they only found a flashlight, raincoat, and binoculars in an abandoned car. Tom kept the binoculars and scanned the road in both directions. There were several small groups walking south but only one walking north.
Jackie took a turn looking over the area with the binoculars. “Tom, do you think any of these people realize the crap hit the fan?”
“I’m sure some do.”
Jackie swept the area east then west of the highway with the field glasses. “Grampa always said to get where you’re going within two days of TEOTWAWKI. The prisoners are rioting in jails and prisons, looters are running amuck, and the store shelves will be empty tomorrow.”
Tom was worried about Granny B and Bill but was relieved when Jackie spoke. “Here, they come. They’re carrying something that looks like folded blankets.”
Jackie watched them come closer when she saw movement behind them and handed the binoculars to Tom. “Look about a hundred feet behind them. I saw a man following them.”
Tom searched the area behind Granny B but didn’t see anything. “Could it have been Jim coming back with his tail between his legs?”
“No, the man was huge.”
Tom turned to Jackie. “An abundance of caution says I should circle around Granny B and Bill to see who’s following them. Keep your gun handy. I’ll be back as soon as I run the person away, or maybe it is Jim.”
Tom ran into the bushes and quickly disappeared from his sister’s view. He passed his grandma and Bill without being noticed. He waited and saw a rough-looking man with a beard following his people. Jackie was right. The man was huge and had a dagger on his side. Tom gulped, and his temples pounded when the guy passed a few feet in front of him. He saw the fresh bloodstains on the man’s trousers and knew someone had died.
Damn, that can’t be good, but can I kill this asshat, thought Tom as he drew his 9 mm. He snuck up behind the man and yelled, “Drop the knife!”
All of Tom’s thoughts vanished when the man whirled around faster than Tom thought possible, drew his knife from its scabbard, and threw the knife at Tom. The action was so quick that Tom could only raise his hand to block the blade. The bayonet's point struck the pistol's side, knocking it from Tom’s hand and then cutting his bicep before falling to the ground. Like a bull, the man charged Tom. The brute outweighed Tom by fifty pounds and was a good six inches taller.
Adrenaline surged, and Tom was fighting mad. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched the man fly toward him. He was ready this time, thanks to all of the karate classes and hand-to-hand combat training Granny B and Grandpa had sent Jackie and him to over the years. Tom sidestepped and shoved the man in the back, causing him to tumble to the ground. Tom kicked the man on the back of his thigh and was shocked to see the man roll across the ground, retrieve his knife, and jump to his feet, grinning.
The man shifted the knife from hand to hand. “Now, boy, I’m going to skin you alive and rape your women.”
Tom reached behind him and hefted the Taurus Judge as he backed up a few steps feigning fear. Then he saw the man charge toward him with a wicked grin on his face. The big pistol came up, and the explosions deafened Tom. Tom again sidestepped the man as he fell forward, his momentum causing the man to crash into a tree. Two large and bloody holes were in his t-shirt with a couple of smaller holes around them.
Tom kicked the knife from the man’s hand. “Never bring a knife to a gunfight. Too bad you screwed with the wrong people, you piece of crap. Now die.”
Tom’s stomach felt queasy, but his fear for his family and the others kept him from puking his guts out onto the ground. He picked up the knife and his pistol before charging after Granny B and Bill. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he saw the men holding Jackie and Lucy at gunpoint. Tom slid back into the bushes and weeds. Granny B had her pistol aimed at the men but was in a standoff with the three men. Tom worked his way around to the other side of the men and looked for an opportunity to pick them off without hurting the girls. He held the knife and tested its weight and balance before sneaking to within a dozen feet of the men’s backside.
One of the men did all of the talking. Tom felt the guy was their leader and formed a plan. It was a crappy plan, but still, a plan he had to try because he knew he had to stop the men from taking the girls. He tried not to think about what the men would do to them. Tom held the blade by the tip and had the knife back by his ear with his 9-mm pointed at one of the other men. He took a deep breath and threw the dagger as he had thousands of times at the ranch. The blade made a thunking sound when it sunk deep into the man’s back, just about where Tom thought his heart would be.
Both men’s heads snapped around to see Tom bracing them with the 9-mm in one hand and the Judge in the other. Tom shot first and hit the closest man in the stomach. The man still pulled the trigger on the snub nose .38 but missed Tom. Granny B’s .45 barked about the same time as Tom’s first shot and blew a hole in her target’s side. The large-caliber bullet sent blood, bone, and gore exploding onto Tom and the other dying thug. There was another shot, and one of the men cried out in pain.
Tom stood frozen in place while he watched the last man fall to the ground. A piece of the man’s rib bone stuck into Tom’s neck, and he was covered with bits and pieces of blood and flesh. Sam ran to her daughter, who had fallen when the man turned around to face Tom. Jackie ran to Tom.
“Are you wounded?” Tom was still staring at the man with the knife in his back. “Tom! Tom! Are you wounded?”
“Yes, but it’s only a scratch. I think I need to get all this blood off me. The man might have had AIDs or something.”
Granny B kicked the men on the side to make sure they were dead and then went to Tom’s side. “Check these men for any weapons, cigarette lighters, and anything else that we could use.”
The men only had the snub-nosed .38 and two old .38 revolvers between them and a couple of cigarette lighters. The old .38s were in fair shape and would shoot, but looked like crap. Tom gave the newer .38 snub nose to Bill and one of the .38s to Betty and Sam. Now, Tom understood how the police in Dixon had so easily run them out of town. They showed Granny B the paltry pickings from the evil men, and she only shook her head. They left the men to rot just as the men would have left them.
Tom saw Sam hold the big framed .38. “Sam, have you had any gun safety courses or formal courses in shooting?”
“Yes, my boyfriend had one of his security guards give me training. I can hit what I aim at and won’t shoot you or my foot.”
Granny B said, “Everyone, follow me back to the construction site. One of the almost finished homes had a hot water tank, and I’ll bet it’s full. We’ll spend the night there.”
*
Chapter 8
The Hills subdivision north of Dixon, California.
Tom had never killed anyone before that day, and it hit him like a punch in the gut. He was silent while Jackie helped wipe away the blood and flesh from his face and arms. She tried to get him talking but knew he was sick from having to kill the men. Tom grunted at her and then puked into the bathtub twice before letting her finish washing his arms.
“I ain’t cleaning up that mess,” she joked and laughed before realizing Tom didn’t find the joke funny.
Suddenly, Tom spoke. “It was eas
y to kill those jerks when I thought about what they would do to you and the other women. I don’t want to do that again, but I’m afraid we’ll both get a lot of practice killing in the future.”
“Are you …?”
“I’ll live, but bear with me. I want to leave this behind me in the morning and not think about it ever again.”
“Tom, you saved us from a terrible fate. They’d caught me by surprise and took my gun and were about to get away with Lucy and me when Granny B confronted them. She could have maybe killed two of the bastards but not three. You are my hero. Those guys found us because Jim told them about us and was trading us for his freedom. They killed him anyway.”
Tom shrugged. “The man was a worthless asshat and won’t be missed. How are Brenda and Greta doing?”
“Okay. Let’s go join them and have some supper.”
“I don’t feel much like eating, but let’s go join them.”
“He could have gotten Lucy, and the rest of us killed.”
“Sam, shut that crap up. My grandson saved both your lives and saved poor Lucy from a horrible fate. Tom is a hero. He saw my gun and knew I’d kill one of them. Tom practiced knife throwing almost every day. He and Jackie can throw a knife almost as good as I can.”
Tears flowed and ruined what was left of Sam’s makeup. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. I’m scared. Where are the police, and why are these thugs not in jail? Two were still wearing their prison clothes.”
Tom heard the last part of the conversation. “I’m sorry I scared you, but those men would have taken their pick of the women and killed the rest of us. I knew we had to attack them now, or everything was lost.”
Sam saw the bandage on Tom’s upper arm. “How did you get wounded?”
“I had to kill one of them just to get back to you. He was the man who killed Jim, and he almost had me twice. He had a big knife and planned to use it on me. I killed him first, but not without a fight. Granny B, the training saved my ass several times today.”
Lucy walked up to Tom and hugged him. “Thanks for saving me from them. I’m glad you killed them. They would have kept hurting people.”
Tom squeezed her shoulder. “Granny B shot twice and helped kill the bad guys. She was a big part of my plan.”
Granny B’s eyes grew, and her head turned to her grandson. “I only shot once.”
Tom was surprised. “Huh? Where did the …?”
Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out a small-concealed carry pistol. “The second shot was from my little .380 automatic I keep for protection.”
Granny B took her grandson and daughter off to the side to see how they were holding up. “I just wanted to see how you two are doing. You don’t have to put your brave face on for me.”
Tom shrugged and looked at his feet. “I’m okay. We did what we had to and need to forget those jerks.”
Jackie was better at expressing her feelings. “Granny B, I was scared shitless. I still shake some when I think about being taken by those men. Tom, you’re my twin brother, and I know you were scared.”
Tom looked up but wouldn’t make eye contact with either of the women who meant the world to him. He shuffled his feet. “I was afraid for you two. When it dawned on me what they planned, I knew what I had to do and just did it. I didn’t think about myself then. I just wanted to kill anyone going to hurt you two. I think it’s just setting in that I could have been hurt or killed, but any sacrifice was worth it to save my only real family.”
Granny B hated having to kill anyone. “There are going to be many more encounters with evil men and women in our future unless we find a way to avoid them. Perhaps your grandpa was right about hiding.”
Tom kept his composure and put on his brave face. “I detest killing anyone, but those men would have killed and raped until someone killed them. I’d rather avoid them if possible and live in peace. Maybe we can drop these people off on Highway 5 south of Ashland and head up into the hills to our place. Grampa made sure we didn’t have any friends in Ashland, so almost no one knows about the ranch or us.”
Granny looked around at the mismatched crew in front of her and just shook her head. “Let’s eat. I’ve got a boiled potherb salad with pokeweed and chickweed. I have some hackberry dressing, hackberries, and some bags of chips and crackers from the plane. Eat up! There’s plenty of pokeweed and hackberries.”
Sam took one look at the weeds and said, “Pokeweed is poisonous. I’d rather eat poop than that stuff.” She left the others and sulked by herself as she watched her daughter eat the weeds and berries.
Granny B looked at the others. “Boiled pokeweed is perfectly safe, and the hackberry sauce will make the taste more to you tenderfoot’s liking.”
An hour later, Granny saw something on the side of the road and called for Sam to join her. “Come here, Sam. I found something that should fit your taste buds a bit better.”
Sam stopped beside Granny B. “What did you find? I’m hungry.”
Granny B pointed at the object covered in flies on the asphalt.
“That’s dog poo.”
“I thought you said you’d rather eat crap than the weeds and berries. Eat up.”
The rage in Sam’s eyes boiled over in her reddened face. She saw the others stifling their laughter. “I prefer human food. Sorry about the comparison of the weeds and berries to poop.”
Jackie snorted, “It’s a crappy world around us. Now is the time to be less picky.”
Tom joined the conversation with a wicked grin. “I’ve studied all kinds of scat, poo, poop, and horse turds in my life on the ranch, but I never was so hungry they looked edible.”
Sam pinched him on the side. “Asshole.”
The Tyvek sheets came in handy that night after the sun went down. The material held in a person’s own body heat and kept them warm all night. Lucy asked why they couldn’t have a fire, and Granny B patiently explained they didn’t want the light or smoke to draw attention to them. Tom had given guard duty assignments to everyone except Lucy. Jackie and Tom had found some string in one of the houses and made some tripwires connected to tin cans and buckets for a simple alarm system.
Tom took the two hours from midnight until two o’clock and wandered around the area in the dark. He saw a few dogs but no people. The silence was disturbed several times by gunfire, and once he heard a machine gun fire a series of bursts and saw bright tracers streaming across the sky. He thought, Who in hell has a machine gun with military tracers, and why were they wasting bullets?”
Satisfied no danger was near, Tom woke Sam. He saw her glancing in all directions, and she had her pistol in her hand. “Sam, if you’re going to hold that pistol, please take your finger off the trigger. Place your finger alongside the trigger guard so you can shoot quickly, but not on the trigger. You might shoot yourself.”
“Okay. I just wanted to be ready if someone approached.”
Tom chuckled and poked himself in the chest. “I might be the one approaching you and would like you to take the time to verify who the person is before going all John Wayne on him.”
Sam felt more at ease with Tom close by her side. “Thanks, I guess I haven’t had much training. My boyfriend gave me the pistol one day and said there might be some bad guys trying to hurt Lucy and me. I never saw any, but I still have the gun.”
“Was your boyfriend a cop?”
Sam snickered below her breath. “No. He’s in the import-export business. He’s wealthy, and we have homes in Columbia, Mexico, and Seattle. Oh, we do have a beach house in Malibu.”
“Not to be nosey, but why didn’t you try to get to Malibu.
“I … uh … wanted to visit my parents in Seattle.”
Tom didn’t like the answers and thought he knew what was wrong. “What’s your boyfriend's name, and where is he when you need him most?”
“His name is Carlos Mendoza, and he was called away from our vacation to go handle some business the other day.”
Tom pushed furth
er. “I’ve heard that name a couple of times. One was an older baseball player and coach. The other is the son of the Mendoza cartel out of Columbia. He’s a real piece of work and following his dad into the drug business.”
“Carlos isn’t a baseball player, and he can be nice.”
“Holy shit! Your boyfriend is an international drug lord. The father is into human trafficking, drugs, hits for hire, and about any illegal thing you can find in the dictionary.”
Tears flowed again, and Tom wondered if she could turn the faucet on and off at will. “I loved him at first when I didn’t know who he was. He showered Lucy and me with gifts and made me feel alive again. Lucy’s father left us broke and homeless.”
Tom caught the part about ‘I loved him at first.’ “So, you were using this disaster to escape from the thug.”
She looked up at Tom with her big green eyes. “Yes, he got tired of me and started being mean to Lucy and me. He kept us around because we were his property. He only came to me when his many sluts weren’t available. He …. He ….”
The tears flowed again, and Tom was confused and conflicted about Sam. He couldn’t tell if she had used Carlos or Carlos used her. He figured he’d wait and decide on that later. Now, she needed protection until they could get her to Ashland, and then she’d be someone else’s problem.
Sam saw Tom get up to go catch a nap. “Could you sleep out here so I’ll feel safer?”
Tom thought, Is she going to try to use me now her little drug lord isn’t around? Nevertheless, he said, “Of course. Let me get my Tyvek, and I’ll be right back.”
Jackie woke up thinking something was wrong. She’d set her watch to wake her up a few minutes before her turn at guard duty to give her time to freshen up. Jackie took care of business and noticed Betty was nowhere to be seen. She went down the hallway and saw Betty asleep on the kitchen floor. Something must be wrong since Sam was to have awakened Betty for guard duty. She cautiously went outside and immediately saw the problem.
