“Their prioritizing. Their putting first who they are sure they want to save,” Michael stated coldly. “Hell there are doctors, nurses, firefighters, military personnel like Jack and myself all living in and around this neighborhood. We're glad you didn’t leave but if you did it would have been a one way ticket to a military base. Separated from everyone.”
“A lot of cities are hit. They can only evacuate so many with so few soldiers and the kids have been evacuated from the schools? They aren’t just letting people die.” Jack stated trying to comfort them.
“That is what the soldier said,” Marilyn wiped her eyes. “Cell phones aren’t working I’ve tried texting Jordan but there is just no signal anywhere. It won’t let you call out.”
“I’ll bet you that Jenna and Jordan didn’t go. They would do anything to get away from order. They would find a way to wait for us to come and get them. At least I know Jenna would. I’ve given her lessons for situations like this.” Michael looked determined and reassured. He didn’t even think to check his cell phone. He felt he was almost living back in his Army Ranger days after the crash.
“Yes, Jack has told Jordan and me what we are to do. I’m just glad the convicts didn’t find me.” Marilyn sat back against the couch.
Pete ever so silently lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. Thinking of his own family and his shop his gut started to churn. He listened to what the others were saying hoping to find a silver lining.
“If the kids did stay then we should get to them and not keep them waiting and wondering.” Jack said and he stood up.
“We can take my truck.” Michael started for the door.
“You better be careful. The school is close to a bad part of town. I can’t stand to lose you. I thought I might have lost you before I don’t want to really go through it again.” Marilyn wrapped her arm around Jack. She let go and he picked up his duffel bag.
“I will be back,” Jack looked her in the eyes. “Jake come on boy.” He whistled and he Michael and Jake walked out of the door.
They crossed the yard and went into Michael’s yard. Jake followed closely behind. "You know man, you really shouldn't say such dark things even if it is true. We need to keep morale up." Jack could see a change in his friend. He was suddenly pessimistic in his demeanor.
Michael walked and didn't face Jack while he answered. "Well it is a fact that the military is prioritizing and we aren’t doing them any favors by dumbing down the seriousness of our situation." Michael pulled his keys out of his pocket and pressed a button on a keychain and the garage attached to Michael’s house opened.
“Cell phones don’t work but we know the electricity is still on.” Jack stated.
“For how long we don’t know. He should hurry and get the children and then get back and use what utilities we have.” Michael kept thinking of his dead girlfriend and what they could have been. Then he thought of his daughter and ensuring her safety. He was all business from this point on.
Michael let down the tailgate slapped it once and Jake jumped in. Michael closed the tailgate and climbed into the driver seat. Jack tossed his duffle bag into the back of the truck a couple of pistol clattered on the pavement, after picking them up and zipping the bag tight he then climbed into the passenger seat.
They backed out of the garage and zigzagged through the suburban streets. They kept a close eye on their surroundings. Jack (being the passenger) kept a keen look upon each street they passed making sure to look for any obvious signs of danger. If there were any people they sure were staying well hidden.
"I'm sorry about Anne.” Jack said. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without Marilyn.
“I’ll be ok. I hate how she died and I have no way to tell her little brother or her parents. I'll have to bury her when we return. To be honest I don’t have time to mourn. I have to worry about preparing for long term survival until we can find out what kind of state our nation is in and if it’s safe and stable to live under military control.” Michael hated being in this state of mind but the situation has allowed no choice.
“I don’t think the country will pull together if every single city has been bombed,” Michael sighed. “The school is what? Eight blocks away?”
“So far we only know of a few cities that have been hit, devastating but the country can still pull together and maintain order. And yes just a few more blocks, I’m glad it’s not far. I hope those convicts didn’t go this direction. It would be real easy just to get the kids without any complications between here and there.” Jack looked back to see Jake. Jake sat looking at houses silently. Jack knew he would give a low growl if he saw someone.
They drove a few streets. They were getting closer to the school. Michael felt a difference in these streets. He looked at the houses and the street. Suddenly it became apparent.
“Take a look around. Do you notice anything different about this part of town?” Michael asked Jack.
Jack looked for a moment. “There are no clothes thrown around or doors open. There aren’t any animals roaming freely. So there has to be people in these houses that weren’t evacuated. I don’t understand that they only evacuated our part of our town. This part of town isn’t at all any closer to Louisville.”
“I’d hate to say but maybe it’s because this is a lesser part of town.”
“I couldn’t see the military just abandoning innocent people.” Jack supposed.
“I don’t know. Maybe they are prioritizing on an extreme level. This is a situation the army has never encountered before. We do need to be cautious if there are people in these houses. They could be hostile.” Michael warned.
“The school is a block away we should park somewhere.” Jack decided.
“What about over there?” Michael pointed to across the street to a field that sat on a hill with only three houses on either side all of which looked empty. The only thing on the opposite of the street was warehouse which Michael knew had been vacant for many years.
“Yeah that looks good and the school is on the other side of that field so we don’t have to walk all the way around the block.” Jack answered.
The two men both got out of the truck once it was parked. They shut the doors easily. Jack grabbed the duffle bag unzipped it and pulled out a leash. He attached it to Jake gave a slight pull and Jake jumped over the side and onto the ground. Jack slipped his wrist into the hole at his end of the leash and began to rummage through the duffle bag. Jack tossed Michael a two way radio. They both checked them to see if they worked. Michael pulled his pistol from behind his pants belt loop and laid it in the bed of the truck. He gave a quick look around to see if anyone was watching them and then he opened up the door and reach behind the seat and pulled out his machete. Jack pulled out a leather strap and strapped his pistol around his leg then pulled out a combat shotgun which he loaded and cocked. He put the duffel bag behind the seat of the truck and the two men closed the door. There was no telling what or who they would come across. They were unsure of how many people were left in the town.
“I didn’t know you kept that.” Jack admired the weapon.
“You always gotta be ready.” Michael gave a sly smile.
They proceeded up the hill and across the field. They walked about half way when Michael stopped. “We should recon the outside of the school first.” He suggested.
“You’re right we should before we just waltz on in. I’ll take the right side of the field and see what I can.”
Both the men split and Michael went to the far left side of the field and Jack took the right. They advanced on opposite sides of the field. They reached the end and Michael waved his hand.
Jack crossed the field and reach Michael who held his finger to his mouth signaling silenced. Both the men crouched. Jack gave a low “Shhh.” Sound which ordered Jake to remain silent despite what he might see. Jack was proud of his well-trained friend. Jack looked to where Michael was pointing and at the end of the long rectangular middle school was a red tru
ck backed up to a set of double doors and there were two men tossing boxes into the bed of the truck. What alarmed Jack the most wasn’t the fact that it appeared that people were robbing the school but that they were wearing orange jumpsuits. One had a jacket over the jumpsuit and one had a pair of coveralls over his jumpsuit.
“We’re going to have to be careful here. These aren’t just normal robbers.” Michael stated.
“I know. These kids have to be in there. They wouldn’t leave and they wouldn’t let some prisoner run them out they would hide and wait them out. I’m sure of it. We have to cross the field and enter the school from the front undetected. Once we find the kids we can deal with the convicts.” Jack said quickly.
“Agreed. If those are the only prisoners in the school we shouldn’t have too much trouble.” They made their move back across the field.
The stayed crouched and hurried across the road taking care not to be seen by the freed prisoners. Once to the entrance of the school Jack peered in through his hands cupped around the glass to get a better view.
“I don’t see anyone.” Jack was happy to find that the doors were unlocked.
Once in they could see the school was set up like a shotgun house. There was one single hallway with a gym and cafeteria at the end where the two convict were located. They hid behind the secretary’s desk where they could peer all the way down the hall and watch the two prisoners who were loading their truck. It was apparent the place had been evacuated because of the paper and supplies just thrown about as if people were in a hurry. The secretary, nurse, and principal’s office gave them perfect cover.
Michael watched the two men through a crack in the desk as the two men in orange loaded two boxes with vegetable print into the truck and then walked back into the school and turned into what Michael guessed was the cafeteria.
“Do you want to split up?” Jack asked in a hushed voice.
“I think it would be better to stick together. Go room to room just in case they get the jump on us.” Michael suggested.
“Ok let’s go then.” Jack followed Michael and they hurried into the first room they came to.
They quickly realized they were back in kindergarten class. Colored block, plastic cookware, and finger paints littered every piece of furniture. The alphabet was strung along the wall.
“I didn’t know they had pre-k at the middle school.” Michael said.
“I think it’s a daycare for the teacher’s children.” Jack explained. He pulled Jake’s leash to keep him from sniffing toys.
Michael walked over to a door that opened to the adjacent room. Then they were in a classroom that seemed dedicated to science. There were beakers on the tables and sinks in the middle of the room.
“I guess the rooms are setup to connect to one another. We can move to each room undetected.” Jack said in a relieved tone.
“Yes but what if the kids are in the opposite side of the hallway.” Michael asked as they walked to the next door.
“We will just have to see." Jack and Jake followed and watched Michael open the door. The sight they saw they would never forget. Along the wall were bullet holes. Paper and textbooks lay on the ground. Also on the ground covered in blood were four little boys and girls. Two boys and two girls lay in a puddle of blood riddled with bullet wounds. Each one lay motionless in between school desks. Jack was stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Michael remained silent for a long time with his head low.
“It’s just like…” Jake couldn’t finish his sentence. The memories were flooding back.
“Just like that village in the Middle East.” Michael lowered his head.
“Anyway we don’t have time to think about that. The convicts did this. I just know.” Jack stated. He walked to the next door keeping his curious dog from the corpses. He hated what happened to these kids.
The two went into the next room and found no door to an adjacent room. This meant that room was against the cafeteria. Flashbacks, memories, and the image that is newly stained upon their brain had left the friends in a disorienting condition. Jack looked at Michael. His face told Jack everything he needed to know. To ease the torment he refocused.
“So we have to cross the hall when we're this close to the prisoners and remain undetected?” Jack asked.
“Yes. I think we can do it.” Michael pressed his ear against the wall and listened. They heard two sets of footsteps on the opposite side of the wall. Both crossed the room to the door that led to the hallway. Michael opened it slightly and seen no one so he ran across the hall and into the adjacent room. Jack and Jake quickly followed. Jack shut the door slowly enclosing them undetected in the new room. Jake yanked his leash from Jack’s hand.
“Jake. Come here now.” The dog ignored him.
Michael and Jack stood and watched as the dog went to the closet door and scratched. He began to whine and scratch viciously. His paws repeatedly scraped against the wooden door. The wood paneling began to peel off. Michael walked to the closet and grabbed Jake’s leash and pulled him back and handed the leash over to Jack. Michael then walked back to the closet and opened the door. He pulled back the coats and reached for the light and pulled the string. His face lit up with delight. A young blonde headed girl leaped into his arms from the floor on the closet. She squeezed his ribs. He hugged her tightly as if he were using her for support. The love Michael had for his daughter radiated throughout the room. Next emerged a young man with clothes sloppily thrown own and shaggy hair. It was Jordan. Jack reached out and grabbed his son and gave him a hug. A tear welled in Jack’s eye but he quickly brushed it away for there was no time to be emotional given their present situation. Then a third teenager emerged from the closet. The child was tall and strong looking for his age. His nose had a large amount of dried blood underneath his nose. He stood there awkwardly looking from person to person.
Michael lowered to a crouch and instructed all the people in the room to do the same . Except for the adolescent the two men didn’t recognize remained standing unsure of what Michael wanted from him.. Michael put a finger to his lips for silence as Jack grabbed the standing child’s hand and pulled him lower.
“This is what we’re going to do. You three are going to follow and when I run you run and you don’t stop until I stop do, you three understand?” Jack questioned.
The three nodded their heads.
“Dad, those men killed the other kids…” Jordan was cut off by Jack raising his finger to his lips.
“I know. We’ll take care of that,” Jack responded and then gave Michael a knowing look. Michael then proceeded to the door leading to the hallway. “You three stay behind me and do as I say and nothing else.” The three nodded their head once more and moved in a huddle around Jack.
Michael cracked the door and peeked out. He could see that the men almost had the truck fully loaded. One man threw a box on top of a high stack of sloppily placed containers and then disappeared back into cafeteria while the second convict who was the bigger of the two stayed and kept guard. Michael slipped out of the door. He began walking at a brisk pace towards the prisoner guarding the truck.
“Now,” One by one Jack shoved the kids into the hallway and then he himself joined them. “Run!” He rushed the kids down the hallway trying to get to the front door and make their way across the field. Jake bounded ahead of them leading the way. Jack had to run slower because he kept the kids in front of him. They had short legs and ran at half stride of Jack and the larger kid was especially slow. Nevertheless he stayed behind to obscure any kind of aim that would be meant for one of the children.
Michael quickly walked to his soon-to-be enemy. He was careful to be in the middle of the hall to put himself between the convict and the escaping children. The convict finally realized what was going on right before his eyes. The oaf stumbled for his pistol that was laying on the tailgate. Once the pistol was in his hand the large man wielding the gun tried to decide who to take aim at . By that time Michael had reached hi
m. The man reeking smell of putrid body filth filled Michael's senses. His bald head shined from the sunlight. Michael seen that the man took aim for the children. A shot got out before Michael could push his hand up knocking the gun out of his foe’s hand. The gunshot was loud and reverberated down the hallway.
No Time To Mourn Page 10
