EMP: Dangerous Decisions

by Mark Mathews

  “Go ahead and close your eyes, Emily. I’m right here with you, okay?” The little girl looked from Sarah to Wade, then lay down across the seat with her head in Sarah’s lap.

  The adults’ gaze met over her, and an unspoken promise passed between them that they would do whatever it took to keep her safe. When they turned to look at the man who currently had control over their lives, both of them could have killed him…slowly and painfully.

  Up in the cab of the paddy wagon, the motorcycle gang leader checked his map as he drove, then threw it into the hands of the man who had been elected to ride with him. He really hadn’t paid much attention to the hostages since they’d been loaded up into the back. Granted, he’d been slightly upset that he’d had to waste a bullet on the girl who couldn’t come to terms with the changes in the world, but he always could find more. The bullets he needed for his make and model of gun were pretty common. So, he would be able to find them in almost any abandoned store on the way. It was a small consolation. Something was boiling on the edge of his mind, and he felt as if a little volcano was about to go off inside him. He thought that having hostages might work out for him in the long run, but now, maybe they only were going to be a liability. There was something building, and he could feel it the way that old people could feel the weather in their bones. He thought that having a bargaining chip would be good, but a bargaining chip would cost time and effort and supplies. Would it just be better to kill them off and be done with it? When he’d shot that young woman, he’d felt no remorse whatsoever. If it came down to killing them, it wasn’t a question as to whether he could do it. But that little girl…

  He thought of the conversation that he’d had with her, about her sixth sense. That was something he never even had heard of before outside of sci-fi movies. If it was true, then he’d need her around to make sure he had an early warning system for bad news and whatever trouble tried following him. Could he kill the adults and still get her to do what he wanted? He thought about that some more, and finally concluded that if he killed the adults, then the girl wouldn’t help him, because he would have nothing to give him the upper hand. She loved those two adults. If he took them out now, she’d feel as though there was nothing left in the world for her to cling to, so there would be nothing to compel her to work for him. He’d have to end up shooting her because she wouldn’t obey, and she wasn’t going to get a second chance. He ran a hand over his brow and was surprised to see it come away covered in sweat.

  “Are you alright, boss?” The man had noticed something was up with him, and it made the gang leader angry that he’d let some of his weakness show. He quickly made his face look slack, doing his best to make the man think he wasn’t worried or thinking about anything.

  “I’m fine,” he growled.

  The man flinched at the vehemence in his voice and went back to looking out the window. He sighed heavily. If he pushed his gang away, they would find someone else to follow, eventually. Maybe he should run his ideas by this guy to see what he thought?

  “What do you think about keeping the hostages? Do you think it’s a good idea or do you think it’s more of a nuisance?” The man looked at him like he wasn’t sure whether he really was meant to answer that question. The silence stretched on, and he finally came to the conclusion that an answer was warranted.

  “Well, I’m the one who has to take them to the bathroom, and that can be a pain in the ass, but I think we should hang on to them. We could use them as a shield to protect us if we get into some kind of confrontation, or we could use them as a bargaining chip for the Goody Two-Shoes that still are out there, trying to save the world.”

  He laughed at his own words, but choked it down quickly when he saw his leader wasn’t laughing. He had a point. There were reasons to keep them, but there were also reasons to get rid of them. It was a tough decision, and he’d have to keep thinking about it. He couldn’t look into the back like he could in the other van, and it made him wonder what they were doing back there. Maybe when they stopped to look for supplies, he should put one of his men back there with them; just so they wouldn’t be able to plan and scheme without him knowing about it. It made him a little nervous that he didn’t know what they were talking about behind his back.

  He had a gun, and if he decided they had pulled something he didn’t like, well, he easily could eliminate them. But not knowing what they were talking about grated on his nerves. He always had been the type of man who hadn’t done well when secrets were kept from him because he was slightly paranoid. Now that the world had changed and warped into what it was, that paranoia had become much worse. He’d shot a few people just because they couldn’t convince him they weren’t after him. The voices in his head that gave him advice had told him they were a danger, and so he’d eliminated them.

  Now he needed to figure out if the hostages were going to be too much trouble or if he could get some use out of them before he got rid of them. His idiot companion wasn’t helping him decide, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to decide himself, either. Maybe a few more miles of road would help him figure it out. For now, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. An answer eventually would find him, and until then, he didn’t need to worry about it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  THEY’D ENJOYED a brief moment of freedom when they were being moved from one van to the other, but as soon as they had settled in, they’d been tied up again, none too gently, either. Sarah winced as the rope bit into her flesh. Wade saw it and felt his heart go out to both her and Emily. The little girl’s eyes swam in tears from the pain, and he steeled himself for the pain that he knew he was going to feel.

  “Sarah? Can you angle yourself so I can try reaching you?” She started moving, and he realized that she wasn’t thinking about him untying her.

  “I mean, turn around so I can get to your ropes.” Her face flushed red with embarrassment.

  How could she have not realized that he was trying to get her out of there? She did her best to twist in her seat, and he saw her wince a few more times. He hated that it hurt her, but if all went well, he’d get those off of her in no time. He moved his body slowly, doing his best not to overbalance. If he fell, he wouldn’t be able to catch himself, and the guys in the front of the van would hear the thud and probably pull over to see what was going on. It wasn’t exactly a high-stakes shootout or anything, but it was enough for him to be on edge.

  The paddy wagon hit a bump, and he almost lost his balance. Sarah put out a leg to help keep him from falling over. He gave her a grateful smile, and saw the warmth in her eyes as she looked at him. Maybe, just maybe, when they got out of this situation and managed to get away from all the trouble that seemed to follow them. If this really was the end of the world, then maybe they could hide themselves away somewhere and let everyone else fight it out until they killed off each other. It would make them scavengers in a sense, but hey, it was survival. He waited a few minutes before he tried making it over to her again. They didn’t hit any more bumps, and his courage resurfaced.

  “Can you get to me without hurting yourself?” She was worried that he might go sprawling, and she wouldn’t be able to do anything to help him get up.

  He just gave her a curt nod, concentrating on getting over to her bound hands. She twisted the best she could, but if she tried to get up, too, then a bump could send them both to the floor, and that would be enough weight to alert the guards. She stayed put, biting her lip, and hoping against hope that the rest of the road was smooth. How long it took, she didn’t know, but her hands were almost numb when they finally spread apart.

  Wade gave a quiet whoop of victory, and Emily smiled at them both. She’d been sitting quietly in the corner since the paddy wagon started moving. Actually, Emily had been quiet since April got shot, only talking when they’d had that short conversation at the beginning of the trip. It worried Sarah, knowing that seeing someone killed in front of you, especially at such a young age, was pretty traumatic. She’d wanted
to cuddle the little girl and let her know that she eventually would forget the incident and move on with her life, but she couldn’t as of yet. Sarah put her hands between her thighs, trying to rub them together and get the blood flowing in them again. She kept an eye on Wade as he made his way precariously back to his seat. Once he was safe, she let herself breathe again.

  “Okay, Emily, turn in your seat a little for me. I’m going to get you loose.”

  The little girl did as she was told, quietly sitting still and letting Sarah do what she could to get the bonds off. When she felt her hands spring apart, she brought them into her lap and started wringing them together. Now, it was Wade’s turn. He didn’t look so happy, and Sarah wanted to ask why, but she was aware that Emily was with them. She didn’t want to drag the poor little girl into something else that would scar her for life. Instead, she just got busy on his ropes, doing what she could to make him more comfortable.

  “Thanks. I thought I might lose feeling in my hands if we didn’t get out of those ropes soon.”

  He offered her a grateful smile, trying to add some humor to the situation, but what he said was true, so she really couldn’t laugh at it. He took her hands for just a second or two before she took them back, and their eyes met. She felt herself blushing and quickly turned her attention to Emily. The little girl sat there, leaden, staring off into space, with her eyes on the floor. Sarah sat down next to her and folded her into her arms, holding on to her and rocking her a little, hoping that it would help to calm her down, maybe even get her to sleep. She needed rest. There were large, dark circles under her eyes, and she looked exhausted and gaunt. Sarah hugged her, and was rewarded when Emily snuggled into her. Wade watched them, thinking again how wonderful Sarah was with Emily. She would have been a great mom in another life. It sent a pang through his chest, making him think of his own lost family. All he could do now was take care of the family he’d been given.

  “We have to do something. We can’t just let them do what they want with us.”

  Sarah was holding on to Emily for dear life now, almost as if the little girl was grounding her to reality. Wade thought for a minute, then came up with an idea. Whether it was going to work remained to be seen but, of course, it was worth a try because they had nothing else. It was a last ditch effort to get the hell away from the evil that was leaking out from the members of this gang, and they had to make it count.

  “Okay, the next time they stop and let us out for a bathroom break, we’ll act. Emily, I want you to stay in here, okay?” She looked up at him with frightened eyes, but managed to nod.

  “Sarah, we’ll go after the guard. We’ll pretend as though we’re still tied up, and then we’ll get the jump on him.” A fierce light shone in her eyes, and she nodded.

  She wouldn’t let what happened to April happen to Emily. The only problem with this plan was they had no idea where they would be when the paddy wagon stopped, or where they could go from where they escaped. That was something they could worry about after they’d escaped, though. Both he and Sarah had a good head on their shoulders and had some degree of survival training, so he wasn’t worried about that. He just hoped they could get away before the rest of the caravan caught on that something wasn’t right. Now that they had a plan, Wade was itching to put it into action. Unfortunately, that meant that he was on edge and impatient. Meanwhile, Sarah had managed to get Emily to close her eyes by singing to her. Sarah put her head on top of the little girl’s, closing her eyes as well. He let them have a little bit of peace, because he knew they probably wouldn’t get much in the next few weeks.

  Finally, when Wade was inclined to put his head down and sleep himself, he felt the paddy wagon starting to slow down. He gently tapped Sarah, and her eyes flew open. It didn’t take long for her to realize they were getting ready to stop. She kissed the top of Emily’s head and gently leaned her against the back of the seat, without waking her up. Sarah went back to her own seat, grabbing the rope as Wade had done and pretending to wind it around her hands again. The side of the paddy wagon opened, and the guard came to let them out. Looking around, they didn’t see the leader anywhere, but that didn’t matter. The paddy wagon was the lead vehicle, and they had to work fast. Wade tackled the man’s legs, and before he knew what was going on, Sarah was on him, too. She wrangled the gun away from him while Wade tussled with him. She shot out the tires of the motorcycles that fast were approaching. Wade delivered another blow to the man’s face, and he didn’t get up again. Wade pulled Emily out and set her in the front of the paddy wagon, climbing in after her. Not only were Sarah and Wade’s weapons piled in the front seat, the two men’s various handguns and bullets were there as well. Maybe they would get some good luck in their lives, finally.

  Sarah came running around the side of the paddy wagon, firing a shot off at someone who got too close, then throwing herself in and turning the key so hard in the ignition that Wade thought it might snap. She put her foot on the gas, stomping down on it so the vehicle jumped with a squealing of tires that could have woken the dead. Emily was thrown into Wade’s lap and he held on tight to her, doing his best to shield her from anyone who might be trying to shoot into the van. She buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes as Sarah drove like a maniac. It was a good thing the world had gone to hell, Wade thought, because otherwise she would have received so many speeding and reckless driving tickets that she would have lost her license. As they got further away, Sarah’s driving evened out, and they even had the chance to put on their seat belts. Emily had gone back to sleep, and Sarah was concentrating on the road, so that left Wade to his own thoughts.

  It went against everything he was to have killed those men in cold blood the first time around, but now…maybe it just would have been better to eliminate them when he’d had the chance. He felt that there were still morals in him that didn’t warrant killing them unless they were threatening his life. The guilt of taking a life was with him, and he didn’t know how long it would take to lose that mindset. He had nothing to distract him, so he was free to let his mind cycle through all of the problems that group had caused them. If he just had been more of a man and taken them all out the first time, he could have saved them all a lot of trouble. He was kicking himself for being weak. He put these girls in danger, and it just as easily could have been one of them that had been shot rather than April, and that was a thought he just couldn’t come to terms with. It was a crushing guilt that he couldn’t shake off. He knew if that had happened, there would have been no stopping him. An animal that slumbered deep in his chest would have been awoken, and he would have slaughtered everyone around him until he’d killed them all, or he’d been killed in the process. The paddy wagon hit a bump, and he was jolted out of his reverie. Looking down at Emily, she still was asleep on the bench seat, curled up with her head in his lap. Every now and then, Sarah glanced at the little girl to make sure she was alright. Sometimes, when Sarah turned her eyes back toward the road, their eyes met. He could feel a heat in his cheeks and in his heart that he hadn’t felt in a while.

  He’d also had time to himself to think about going to the lakes. He never had felt very comfortable with the idea, but if the girls wanted to go, then he would let them go and accompany them to protect them. He’d tried to get a good read on the lakes from Emily, but she couldn’t do it. It made him nervous that she didn’t have a definitive answer, and the fact that he couldn’t get a good vibe from the idea made him worry, too. He looked out the window, watching the trees pass by, and keeping an eye out for any place they could stop and try finding some supplies. So far, the road had been pretty barren. Emily turned and sat up, getting both the adults’ attention.

  “Well, hello there, sleeping beauty. How are you feeling?” Sarah couldn’t watch her expression for hidden meanings because she was maneuvering a particularly difficult patch of road, but she was trusting Emily to tell her the truth. Emily yawned widely and stretched as much as she could in the cramped cab.

&nb
sp; “I think I’m okay. I’m still a little shook up, but I’m a big, tough girl, and I’ll be okay.” It was her attempt at humor, and Sarah gave her an appreciative giggle. Wade just smiled at her. He didn’t expect much conversation, so he turned his attention back to the window. It shocked him a little to feel her pull on the shirt sleeve.

  “What is it, honey?” He’d taken to calling her that after Sarah had, and she hadn’t rebuked him for it.

  “Well, there are a lot of extra bullets now. So I thought maybe I could start practicing. I know the idea has been thrown around, but I think I’m really ready to try using a gun and learn all the ins-and-outs.”

  Sarah stiffened, and Wade caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t know what to say. She had put him on the spot, and he wanted to talk to Sarah about it first, without Emily listening.

  “Well, if we run into that group again, it would help to have someone else who can shoot, especially if they think you can’t, and you might be able to get a gun.” He was thinking out loud, and he didn’t expect her to answer him.

  “We will run into that group again, and I don’t want to be a helpless piece of baggage like April was.” There was some bitterness to her voice, and it made Sarah put her arm around the little girl.

  “Don’t you ever think that you are helpless or baggage. You’re a beautiful, smart girl and you are just fine the way you are.”

  Without shooting a gun. It was unspoken, but everyone in the car heard it. It made him feel a little better, however, because that meant he would get the chance to take out the entire gang and rectify the mistake he’d made by leaving them all alive. He knew the world had changed, so that meant he had to adapt. He just hadn’t thought he’d have to change so quickly.