Jared had a thought and hurried into the alley. He peered inside at all the melted electronic gear that had once been a police officer’s mobile office. The rack attached to the cage separating the front and rear of the vehicle was destroyed and void of the firearms it once secured. Jared wasn’t looking for firearms; he wanted into the trunk and searched the driver’s side for a latch or button. He found a small round unmarked button on the driver’s door and depressed it. Nothing happened, so Jared moved to the back seat of the vehicle, where he worked to pull the plastic seat-shaped shell from its moorings. The shell had replaced the original seat and was designed to transport criminals. The plastic could be cleaned with a hose in case one of San Jose Police Department’s customers urinated or vomited in the rear compartment.
Slowly, Jared worked the plastic piece loose until he could reach into the trunk. He climbed farther into the back seat, straining to pry the back of the plastic shell seat down. After several grueling minutes, he was able to reach in and pull the trunk safety release. To his delight, the trunk lid popped open. Jared extricated himself from the vehicle, realizing he was covered in black soot.
Stephani stood watching in question as Jared performed his trunk-opening feat. Once he had the rear of the vehicle open, Jared took a quick look around, which caused Stephani to do the same. He then began hauling all the equipment out of the trunk. There was a set of breaching tools along with some sort of heart defibrillator and a box of flares. Finally, Jared found what he was looking for, the first aid kit.
He opened the kit and emptied its contents into his pack before discarding the hard-plastic case. Jared went back to the trunk and picked through the remaining items, finding several stuffed teddy bears in a clear plastic bag. This sent a shock to his memory banks, reminding Jared of his promise to Essie to bring back her lovey and box of hair ponies. He looked at Stephani, then up at the darkening sky.
“Okay, I gotta tell you something,” Jared started. “I promised Essie I’d stop off at her house and grab a couple of things that are near and dear to her heart,” Jared finished, staring at Stephani with a sick look on his face.
“What are you telling me?” Stephani asked, confusion clouding her pretty face.
“I’m saying I thought we’d have more time to get there.” Jared said, glancing skyward. “Now it’s getting dark and we’re still out. I don’t have time to take you back and then come back. We aren’t too far from where I found her, so—I was thinking we could hide you while I go and pick up her things. I’ll come back—” Jared tried to finish, but Stephani shook her head, interrupting him.
“No, not only no, but there’s no way I’m hiding alone, not knowing when or if you’ll make it back. I’m not doing that. I’m coming with you,” Stephani asserted.
Jared was perplexed. “Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, we’ll be out after dark and probably won’t get back to the solar place till tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sure,” Stephani said, taking a deep breath and straightening her posture.
Secretly Jared was elated to have company along for this deviation, but there also tugged at his conscience the fact that Stephani was his responsibility, and if she were to get hurt, John and the rest of the party would want to know what they were doing running around on some wild-goose chase for a seven-year-old.
Chapter 31
Jared led Stephani away from the Target, wishing they were on bikes and vowing to keep an eye out for a couple of serviceable bicycles. The two walked until darkness fully blanketed the city. Jared actually felt better moving at night, feeling he was better hidden than he’d been during their daylight maneuvers.
As they walked, there came to Jared’s nostrils a scent he hadn’t smelled in months, the smell of cooking meat or a barbeque, something so delicious, he felt his saliva glands activate, filling his mouth in anticipation. Jared stopped and looked at Stephani, who had also caught the scent and was staring wide eyed up the street. Jared ushered Stephani into a front yard, then withdrew his binoculars. He performed a detailed search of the area out in front of them, freezing when he caught sight of a large man standing in front of a large wrought-iron gate.
The property had a five-foot-high stone wall around its perimeter, with the gate being the only access point Jared could detect. Inside the wall stood a darkened two-story home. The home along with the property it stood on were larger than any on the street Jared could see, likely a leftover from the days when a house and its property consisted of large plots of land.
Jared studied the man in the darkness and was able to make out what appeared to be a rifle leaning against one of the stone pillars the gate was attached to. The house was a block and a half up the street and seemed to be the likely source of the cooking smell. Jared crawled forward, passing through three yards in order to get a better look at the man out front. The man appeared to be of Pacific Islander descent, his large hulking frame convincing Jared of this possibility.
As Jared watched the man by the gate, there was movement from behind the man. A woman appeared, handing the man something before kissing him on the cheek and disappearing back into the darkness of the residence’s yard. Jared watched while his mind raced and his mouth watered. Here was a house with food in the middle of a world lacking sustenance, yet these people had it. They had a guard out front, but he was sort of just out there, not concealing his presence.
Jared didn’t know any Pacific Islanders, but he’d seen plenty and knew they were, for the most part, a large well-mannered people. He wondered what the man would do if Jared were to saunter up and say hi. Jared considered this for a moment, but the possibility of being shot stayed his hand. Instead he led Stephani down the side of a house to the rear yard, where they climbed fences until they were across the street from the man standing guard.
Jared motioned Stephani to remain in the backyard as he moved up the side of the residence, stopping at a six-foot wooden gate. He poked his head over, searching for the guard. The man was slightly to his left and across the street. Jared liked this because if there was any shooting, the angle would work in Jared’s favor. The guard would have to fire through the house if Jared retreated even five feet towards the rear of the structure. Jared knew houses weren’t bulletproof, but they sure as hell were more bullet resistant than thin air.
Taking a deep breath and hoping his instincts weren’t failing him, Jared let out a low whistle followed by a greeting. “Hey there,” he called out only loud enough for the guard to hear without alerting anyone down the block.
The man surprised Jared with how nimble he was as he snatched the rifle and slipped behind the wall.
“Don’t bring trouble here,” came the man’s voice from across the street. He had a heavy accent, but spoke otherwise clear and understandable English.
“No trouble, friend,” Jared responded. “We smelled your cooking and didn’t realize anyone was left around here.”
“Come out where I can see you,” the man ordered, ignoring Jared’s comment about the cooking.
“How ’bout we both come out and talk like normal people?” Jared parried.
To Jared’s shock, the man stepped out onto the sidewalk. Not wanting to offend, Jared fumbled with the gate’s latch for a second, and he too stepped out into the front yard of the house he’d used.
Jared raised a hand. “Hey, I’m Jared.”
The man tilted his chin up in acknowledgment. “My name is Atamai. We don’t want trouble,” Atamai reiterated.
Jared smiled, realizing the man’s rifle was hanging at his side in a mostly nonthreatening manner, which helped Jared make a decision he prayed wouldn’t cost him his life. Jared struck out across the street, letting his rifle hang from the sling, even shoving it to his right side out of the way so the barrel didn’t crash into his knees. Atamai must have seen this gesture and leaned his rifle against the pillar where Jared had originally seen it resting. Jared in turn pushed his rifle all the way around to his back, giving Atamai a toothy
smile as he approached.
Jared reached Atamai and stuck out his hand. Jared was beyond relieved when Atamai did the same. The men shook hands, sending tingles of joy through Jared’s nervous system.
“We’re not here to cause any trouble or ask for any handouts,” Jared said, trying to reassure the man.
“What do you want?” Atamai asked so matter-of-factly, Jared was speechless for a moment.
“Ah, we don’t see many people, and mostly the ones we see are trouble. I just wanted to say hi,” Jared declared.
Atamai stared, scowling at Jared for several seconds before turning and calling out, “Alisi.”
A woman appeared seemingly out of thin air, almost causing Jared to step back. He was then aware of others, men with rifles on the wall, peering over, some looking him over, while others searched the surrounding neighborhood. Jared also realized the five-foot stone wall had a roll of razor wire across its top.
“Jared stopped by to say hi,” Atamai said as Alisi stopped next to him.
Alisi was a large woman by American standards, but probably a normal-size Pacific Islander as far as Jared knew. Alisi studied Jared, a quizzical look on her face as he stood uncomfortably waiting for her approval. Jared wanted to call Stephani over, but also wanted these people to feel comfortable with their presence and understand they truly were not there for a handout or anything sinister.
“I have a woman with me, Stephani. She’s across the street, scared and tired. We’ve had a rough time after the power went out,” Jared said, maintaining eye contact with Alisi.
“Call your friend,” Alisi said as she shot a look to the men on the wall.
Jared turned and hollered, “Stephani, come over here.”
A moment later, Stephani emerged from the side yard of the house she’d remained secreted behind. Stephani looked like ten miles of bad road, and Jared couldn’t have been happier for her beleaguered appearance. He hoped Stephani’s physical state would assist in putting these people’s minds and trigger fingers at ease.
Stephani crossed the street, the rifle banging against her legs, the new shoes screaming I just got these as she stopped next to Jared, staring wide eyed at the people standing at the gate. Jared gave Alisi a nervous smile, laying a hand on Stephani’s shoulder.
“This is my friend Stephani; we met a few days back, and we’re just out trying to find her some shoes and—” His voice trailed off when he couldn’t think of a graceful way to say female accoutrements.
Alisi spoke to Atamai in a low hushed tone, then spun on her heel and was gone.
“You can come in and eat with us tonight. Alisi likes you.” Without another word, Atamai also turned, motioning to a younger man to replace him at the gate before leading Jared and Stephani through the gate and into the yard.
Atamai did not lead them into the house, but instead walked around the side of the large home, where flickering lights became visible once they were inside the confines of the wall. The backyard was large on its own, but Atamai and his people had taken the initiative of knocking down all their neighbors’ fences, opening their property up to nearly two full acres. There were torches here and there, creating just enough light to navigate the yard. Jared saw Atamai and his people had used the fence sections they’d removed to double the height of the existing fences on the back side of the property. With no vehicles or other mechanical breaching threats, all Atamai and his people had to worry about was the force humans could muster.
The fences were reinforced with four-by-four stocks of lumber. The tops of the fence and the rooflines of all the surrounding houses were lined with the same razor wire Jared had seen at the front of the house. Jared wondered where in the hell these people had acquired the razor wire from.
He would later find out Atamai and his family had scavenged it all from tow yards, police parking lots, and any other place they could find the precious security element. Someone trying to access their two- to three-acre parcel of land would not only suffer dearly as they made their way through the wire, but would make enough noise to alert the family of their presence.
Jared imagined if someone were caught trying to climb through the wire, Atamai or one of his family members would shoot the person dead and probably leave them hanging in the wire, much like ranchers hung dead coyotes on the barbed-wire fences as a warning to other predators. Nearly an acre of the family’s land was being gardened, from what Jared could tell in the darkened conditions. One area was more developed, telling Jared the family had kept a working garden before the solar flare, then added to it.
Atamai stopped under a large awning, which jutted twenty feet from the back of the house, covering a patio area. There were mats on the ground, covering all of the concrete patio along with nearly a thousand square feet of dirt. Jared glanced inside the house, which was dimly lit with candles, and could see the same mats covered the floors from wall to wall.
Atamai offered Jared and Stephani a seat, which they took, leaning their rifles against the back wall of the house. Jared surveyed the property, observing three large Pacific Islander men on guard in the rear yard. He hadn’t counted the number of men up front and wondered how many people lived at the house.
Jared was curious how Atamai and his people were feeding themselves. He saw the garden, but it didn’t seem large enough to feed the nearly dozen people he’d seen at the house. They must be doing something more than gardening, but this remained a mystery to Jared. While Jared mulled over the food mystery, two men stepped out of the house and walked over to a lump in the ground. Jared Immediately realized the lump was the source of the food smell. The men worked in the darkness for a few minutes before returning to the house without so much as a glance at Jared or Stephani.
The scene was surreal for both Stephani and Jared as Atamai’s people went about their duties with no concern that two strangers sat in their midst. Jared chalked it up to a cultural thing he didn’t quite understand. There was also the fact that Atamai was armed and sitting next to them. Sure, if Jared intended to do bad things, he could have accomplished some level of violence, but who knew how many of these people there were. Jared didn’t doubt for a moment that if someone came inside the wire with less than friendly intentions, they’d be dead right quick.
Jared heard the sound of clanking metal as the two men returned to the lump in the ground along with four additional fellows. The men were carrying a metal table they dropped next to the source emitting the delicious scent of cooking meat. On closer inspection, Jared realized the thing he thought was a mound of dirt was actually a piece of one of the mats the men had lying everywhere. Under the mat, the men had laid a section of wire fencing roughly half again the size of a hole it was set on. The fencing was curved slightly to allow a narrow gap, which was where the smoke came from.
The men removed the section of mat and fence, revealing a four-by-two-foot hole. Inside the hole was most of an animal, which was laid on a grill near the bottom of the pit. Under the grill were glowing coals or embers of some kind. Jared couldn’t be sure what type of coals were being used other than they looked hot. The men pulled the cooked animal from the pit with four fire pokers and dropped it on the metal table. Using large forks, the men began pulling the flesh from the bones. Within less than two minutes, the men had the bones in one pile and the meat in a second pile.
It was such a dazzling display of teamwork, Jared almost clapped. Stephani’s eyes darted back and forth from Jared to the meat on the metal table, letting him know she was suffering the same nearly uncontrollable desire to grab a handful of the coveted meat as Jared was.
Alisi came out of the house with a pitcher of red punch, which just added to the extraordinary evening. Another woman brought glasses and set them on a table in the middle of the concrete patio. Several other women came bringing bowls, which they handed to the men. The bowls were filled with the pulled meat, and the glasses were topped off with the red punch. Silently, seven women and eight men sat down and began eating. Atamai nodd
ed to Jared and Stephani as if giving the go-ahead.
Jared smiled and bowed his head slightly before taking his bowl and, with all the self-control he could muster, slowly began to eat. He wanted to inhale the food and drain the glass like a frat boy during Rush, but didn’t want to offend their hosts. Jared found that when a man was finished, he would leave and relieve another man who stood post. This was done wordlessly, and before long, all the guards were either fed or finishing up their meals.
After Jared finished the meat, he smiled at Stephani, who was just finishing as well. He grabbed the glass of punch and took a long swig. The red liquid actually tasted like it was Kool-Aid. Jared held the glass up, studying it for a second before finishing it.
“Thank you,” Jared said, breaking the silence.
Most of the group glanced up as if they just realized they had company. Alisi smiled for the first time and sat back. “Deer come down to the city now that all the people are gone.”
Jared leaned forward when the woman mentioned all the people being gone. “Where did everyone go?”
“Mexicans go back home. Your people, they went to the ships. Tonga is too far, we have no way to go home, so we stayed.” Alisi rocked back and forth as she spoke, moving to the rhythm of a song no one could hear, but Jared was sure she had playing in her head.
“Ships?” Jared questioned, a look of confusion on his face. Had he missed the ship, so to speak?
“They said your Navy would come, they would feed people, so people walked to the ocean. No one came back, and most everyone who stayed behind died.” Alisi pointed from house to house as she spoke. “Those people walked back to Mexico; that family, they went to the ships; and those people”—she pointed to the house directly to the rear of her home—“they died. No more medicine and they died. We took them to a park where the dogs come and eat.” Alisi shook her head, not in despair, but more in a disapproving manner.
The Jared Chronicles | Book 2 | Tears of Chaos Page 24
