by N. C. Reed
“He took my canteen, and the last of my MRE’s,” Pete swore.
“Same here,” Billy nodded.
“Well, I didn’t have anything,” Branch shrugged. “He didn’t take the rifle I took from the guards.”
“He’s tryin’ ta git home, I reckon,” Billy drawled. “But he ain’t like to make it, which means he’ll wind up back in their hands.”
“Hope they eat’im,” Branch muttered.
“Ain’t the problem I’m lookin’ at,” Billy shook his head. “He’ll try and trade us for his own sorry hide. And he’s like to tell’em ‘bout your sister, too.” Branch’s eyes widened at that.
“Son of . . . .”
“We can worry on that later,” Pete said again. “It’s time we moved. We need to resupply. Site Five, Billy?” he asked. Billy nodded after a moment’s pause.
“Yeah, I guess. We need to get him some ammo for that rifle, and there’s mags there. He might can wear my clothes we got there too.” Billy rose, and gathered his own gear.
“How many places like that you have?” Branch asked, then shook his head. “Never mind. That’s need to know, and I don’t. Lead on, and I’ll follow. I don’t want him sellin’ out my sister.”
“Billy, you ready?”
“Just a minute,” Billy called. Pete couldn’t see what he was doing. Finally Billy stood and nodded.
“What’d you do?”
“Left a surprise for our little friend,” Billy replied. “You know, sort of a welcome gift,” he grinned.
The three of them exited the building quickly and cleanly, moving with caution. It was nearing daylight, but wasn’t quite there, making their movement easier to hide. It was a twenty minute hike to Site Five, a four story building on the very edge of the area of town controlled by the misfits in charge.
Once inside, it was the work of just a few minutes to get Branch cleaned up and into some fresh clothes.
“Little big on me, but I lost some weight of late,” he smiled. “Thanks, Billy.”
“Welcome,” Billy nodded. “Let’s go on up to the roof,” he suggested. “Might be able to see somethin’ o’ value.” He and Pete replenished their food supply, and provided one for Branch, and each picked up two quarts of water.
“You guys think ahead, I’ll give ya that,” Branch complimented.
“Well, we planned on bein’ here a while,” Billy shrugged.
“Yeah, I got that.” The three men made their way to the roof. Staying low, they crawled to the edge of the roof, where they could see down into a large part of the area the others made their homes and headquarters in.
“Looks quiet so far,” Pete said, after looking things over with the spotting scope. “No guards visible, and no one out that we can see from here.” He turned to Billy. “You want to take a shot or two from here later?”
“Might’s well,” Billy nodded. “Might get a shot at the big bull hisself, this mornin’.”
“Might at that,” Pete agreed. “If we take him down, there might be a power struggle among those left. That might be a good time to see about freeing the others.”
“Works for me,” Billy nodded, setting his rifle up.
“Holy shit,” Branch whoofed. “No wonder you been makin’ such a mess!”
“Yeah, it tends ta do that,” Billy agreed, settling in. “Reckon we’ll try and make one this mornin’.”
“I. . .I need to get my sister,” Branch said. “But. . .well, I hate to leave anyone in their hands if I can help it. I ain’t gonna baby’em any, but we can at least get them free. After that, they can make their own way, I guess.”
“‘Bout what we figured,” Billy agreed.
“We don’t have any way to take care of so many,” Pete told Branch with a shrug. “You and your sister, though, we could take. We need more guys who can fight.”
“You well enough to do that you can take two more mouths to feed?” Branch asked, clearly skeptical. “Food’s hard to come by, anymore.”
“I imagine we can feed two more,” Pete nodded, and saw Billy suppress a grin. “Thing is, we’re a small bunch. Lotta work to be done, too. But we eat good. Got plenty of clean water, even some power. Sound like a place you’d want your sister to live?”
“Beats hell outta this place,” Branch nodded. “And sounds better than we had it at home, too.”
“You were a soldier,” Pete reminded him. “Are you willing to soldier for us? To defend the place?”
“Hell yes!” Branch nodded. “So long as my sister has a safe place to live, then I’m your man.”
“Then the two of you go with us when we leave,” Pete promised. “Meanwhile, we’ll need your help to make sure we get to leave. Deal?”
“No doubt,” Branch agreed, and took Pete’s hand.
“Well, now that that’s all worked out,” Billy drawled, “guess who’s comin’ to breakfast?”
*****
“You killed four o’ my men,” Big John said grimly.
“No, no I didn’t!” Carroll stammered. “I’ve never killed anyone in my life! I swear! It was. . .it was those others! The Shooter! And his helper! They killed the guards, and made me go with them!”
“Uh huh,” John grunted. “And you went with them as a prisoner, right?”
“It was go with them or be shot!” Carroll stammered. “What kind of choice is that? But. . .I escaped as soon as they went to sleep. Them and the other prisoner! When they went to sleep, I took their food and water, and I ran!”
“But you wasn’t coming back here, were you?” John grinned, but it wasn’t pleasant.
“I was trying to, but I was lost!” Carroll tried to keep up. “I got turned around when they took me with them. I’ve never been in this town before, and I don’t know my way around! They took me a long way out of town!”
“Long way, huh?” John mused.
*****
“He’s spillin’ his guts,” Billy muttered. “I'ma take him, right now.”
“Wait,” Pete said softly, hand on Billy’s arm. “He might agree to try and lead them to where we spent the night. If he does, then we might use that time to free the others.” Billy paused for a moment, considering. Finally, he nodded.
He would wait.
*****
“And I suppose you’d be willin’ to take us there, was we to free you, yeah?” John asked. Carroll smiled immediately.
“Why. . .why sure! That sounds fair!”
“Well, why don’t you just do that, then,” John nodded, motioning to his two remaining Lieutenants. “You show us where the Shooter is, and then you can just be on your merry!” John smiled.
*****
“Looks like you called it, Pete,” Billy said softly. “He’s gonna try to lead’em back to our hole from last night.”
“And he’s takin’ a whole lotta his ‘gang’ with’im,” Branch nodded. “I count twenty-four, five, twenty-seven men, plus old Big John. That’s a good helpin’ o’ what he keeps in town, right there.”
“How many do you think are left?” Pete asked, calculating the odds.
“There’ll be at least five in the jail, and should be four, plus some women guards, at the hotel,” Branch said. “They don’t usually keep any sort of lookouts. That might have changed since you two started shootin’ the place up, but I haven’t noticed.”
“Okay, we need to hit the jail first,” Pete said decisively. When Branch started to object, Pete cut him off. “We need the diversion they’ll create, even if none of them fights a lick.” Branch nodded at that, and settled down.
“Billy, I want you to stay put. We may need you to cover us.”
“I can do that,” Billy agreed. “Watch yourself, Pete. If things get hot, you high tail it with them. I’ll catch up somehow, when it cools off.”
“That’s not happening,” Pete shook his head.
“You never know,” Billy shrugged. “I’ll make out. Just make sure you get clear. Good luck.” Billy offered his hand. Pete took it, suddenly wor
ried.
“Billy, don’t do anything silly, now,” he warned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Billy shook his head. “Just do like I said. We’ll meet up somewhere. Sooner or later,” he added, grinning. “Now ya’ll better move,” he ordered, taking out his radio. “Put your ear bud in. I’ll warn ya if I see anything.” Pete had already done that, and now switched it on. “And don’t use that door, if you come back, without knockin’, and waitin’ for me to yell okay.”
“Let’s go,” Pete ordered.
******
Big John had gathered every person he could lay hands on, including most of the women who weren’t actually on guard, and started out with the prisoner to where he had left the Shooter behind.
What a dip, John thought to himself. How stupid did this goofball have to be to think that John would let him go? John wondered if maybe his acting skills were the cause. Maybe he really had sold the idiot a bill of goods.
Either way, this was a prime chance to get a line on the man, men he knew now, who had made his life so miserable of late, and cost him so many people and vehicles.
There was a niggling at the back of his neck, though, and Big John didn’t like that. No sir, he didn’t like that at all. But try as he might, he couldn’t figure out what it was. Finally, he wrote it off as concern that they were walking into the scope of a man who could kill from a distance.
Yeah, that was probably it.
*****
Pete affixed the suppressor to his pistol, and handed his rifle to Branch. They had to be as quiet as possible, for as long as possible. Stealth was their only advantage. The two men had worked their way around the large group Carroll was leading to their hiding spot, and made their way to the main entrance of the jail without being seen.
This was going too fast, and Pete didn’t like it. He wasn’t Terry, or even George. Pete had never thought of himself as a leader, or a planner. He was a soldier. A warrior, descended from warriors. He was out of his league, here, and he knew it. But this was the best chance they were going to get to free these people, and make life even harder for this bunch.
He looked at Branch, who nodded. Pete took a deep breath, and pushed the door open, and the two slipped inside.
*****
Billy had waited for the other two men to exit, then took a grenade from his bag, and some fishing line. He taped the grenade to a mason jar filled with Jerry’s moonshine, with some added ingredients of his own. Careful to leave the spoon clear, he then used the tape to fix the jar on a pipe near the door.
Next he tied the fishing line to the pin of the grenade, and ran the string over to the door knob, where he tied the line off. Whoever opened that door would be in for a surprise.
That done, he looked for a solid place on the roof to tie off to, and lowered a rope to the ground. He had wondered if he was wasting his time lugging that rope around, but now it would allow him to escape, if his position was found. Seeing that the rope would reach the ground, he pulled it back up so no one would happen on it, revealing his presence.
Settling back in behind his rifle, he was just in time to see Pete and Branch enter the only jail door he could see from where he was. He wasn’t in an ideal position to provide cover, but it was a good position to watch their backs. And if that bunch came running back, then Billy could put a dent in their enthusiasm, he figured.
As he lay there behind his rifle, Billy thought about Rhonda and the kids. He was gambling here, and knew it. If he wasn’t able to get to the Hummer, Pete and the others would leave out. He would be on his own. The thought didn’t bother him, but his absence would upset Rhonda, and he didn’t like that.
Billy didn’t like to upset Rhonda. When she was unhappy, he was unhappy. He wanted her to be happy. More than once he wondered if she could really be happy with him in the long run. He hoped she could, because the thought of being without her scared him. Almost as much as the thought of something happening to her.
Which was one reason he was willing to help Branch get his sister, and help release the others. He wanted to believe that if Rhonda was over there in that hotel, that someone would help her, if he couldn’t.
Billy hadn’t said much to Pete since yesterday, because Pete knew him pretty well, but Billy had felt a long, slow anger building in him over the last two, or three days. Anger that the world was like it was, anger at people like this bunch who were hurting people for their own greed, killing people, even kids, without regard, and. . .well, the other. Pete’s people had the right idea about that, Billy figured. It was too much to allow.
Billy didn’t see himself as some kind of righter of wrongs, though. It wasn’t his ‘job’ to do anything like this. And he was honest enough to admit that if he hadn’t been convinced that these people were a threat to his home and family, he wouldn’t be here. That idea shamed him a little, having seen how many people were suffering at the hands of these. . .people. But it was true.
He didn’t like being here. He didn’t like being separated from his family. If he had it to do over again, he wasn’t sure he’d come, even though it was his idea. Maybe Terry was right. Maybe they could have made sure that this bunch couldn’t have found them. Or if they had, that the people on the Farms could fight them off, protect themselves.
But Pete hadn’t hesitated. And Pete knew things Billy didn’t. Knew military kinds of things. If Pete had thought they could protect the Farms, he probably wouldn’t have come. Yeah. Billy settled in a little lower, his mind going still.
Pete wouldn’t have come all this way, endured all of this, if he didn’t think it had to be done. That meant Billy had been right. And that was all Billy needed. To know that what he was doing was the right thing.
Without that worry, he would do what was needful. Head clear now, he bent to look through his scope again.
*****
“Which way?” Pete whispered. Branch nodded to the heavy door off to the left. Pete nodded, and moved to the door.
“Guard usually sits just inside,” Branch whispered. Again, Pete nodded. After a minute’s thought, he decided to go with the direct approach, and just knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?” a muffled voice came through the door.
“Who d’ya think, ya idiot!” Branch called back.
“All right, all right. Ain’t no need to get personal!” the voice replied. Pete heard the heavy lock turn, and tensed. The man pushing the door open had time to open his mouth, and draw a breath, before the 9mm hollowpoint tore his throat out. The man’s body simply fell back into the chair he’d been using. Pete edged past, with Branch on his tail.
The next door was open, and the man sitting at the chair there looked up, first in surprise, then in shock as he saw the pistol aimed at him. Once more Pete’s pistol burped, and the guard’s cry of alarm was silenced. The pistol wasn’t completely quiet, however, and yet another guard came from within the cell blocks, dropping the tray he was carrying and clawing for his own pistol. Branch nailed him with a three round burst in the legs, and the man cried out, hitting the floor.
“How many more?” Pete growled, disarming the guard, and hovering over him, knife in hand.
“What?” the guard gasped.
“How many more of you are in here?” Pete demanded.
“Just three of us left,” the man gasped out. “Everyone else went with Big John. Help me.”
“Sure,” Pete agreed, and drew the knife across his throat. Ignoring the gurgling sounds the dying man made, Pete looked at Branch.
“Get’em out. We have to move.” Branch nodded, grabbed the keys from the guard at the door, and started opening doors. The men who exited were hesitant until some of them recognized Branch.
“Figured you were long gone, man,” one man told him. Branch shook his head.
“Not yet. Most of them are out of the area, but they’ll be back soon. Better head on out. There’s guns on the guards, and probably a few more inside here. Arm yourselves as best you can, but stay in the bui
lding for now. I don’t want that bunch across the street to know what’s happening until everyone can get away.”
Surprisingly, the men agreed. Pete figured some of them would head straight for the door and make a run for it.
There were over fifty men locked into the cells, but Pete had no idea how many. He’d stopped counting as he made his way back to the front. He decided to make sure no one cost them their element of surprise.
Branch joined him five minutes later.
“Some of these guys are in bad shape,” he whispered. “Been here a lot longer than I have.”
“Nothing we can do about that right now,” Pete shrugged. “We have to get across the street, and find your sister.” Branch nodded, and the two men started across the street. Branch looked back at the man who had recognized him.
“Give us five minutes, and then head out. Those of you who have women folk over yonder wait here. We’re gonna set them free, and then we’ll all have to beat feet. Get me?” The man nodded, along with several others.
Pete led the way, holding his pistol down by his leg. Branch kept his rifle at port arms, hiding the suppressor behind Pete’s back. As they climbed the steps, they were met by a large, unforgiving looking woman.
“You two know you ain’t allowed in here,” she started. “Now get before I. . . .” Pete silenced her with a shot to the forehead. He wasn’t in the mood to take prisoners, and these people had long since given up any right to mercy. He pushed passed her and into the building.
Several young women were working in the lobby, cleaning and what not. One man and two women were standing guard.
Before any could react, Pete raised his pistol and shot the man three times. Branch gave both women a three round burst from Pete’s rifle, and they all hit the ground without firing a shot.
“Are there any more?” Pete asked the women prisoners. They stared at him blankly.
