Henry sank down into his chair and released the brake. “I’m more concerned about the dozen or so over the fence and on the roofs aiming their weapons at us.”
Manny blinked. His attention darted from the lone man on horseback to the shiny metal barrels poking like thorns over the side of the block wall. A few men lounged against the peaks of roofs. While a handful had their weapons in their laps, others aimed down into the street. Several men in Manny’s group stopped. Their gazes swung from the riflemen to him and Henry.
His pounding heart knocked the air from his body. Fences lined the street, some led to neighborhoods, others to businesses. He held his breath until his heart slowed to a normal tempo. Lined up as they were, they could be picked off one-by-one or the more able ones could trample the others. Jesus Christ. He’d never get to Rini and the niños in time to protect them. “We can’t turn around. He had to go forward.”
Through a gauntlet of bullets. Manny swallowed despite his dry mouth.
“No, we can’t retreat.” Henry rested his gloved hands on his wheels and pushed. “And they know it.”
So they would brave it out and push on. Manny’s fingers closed over the open door edge. The cold metal barely registered before he slammed it shut. The noise was soft compared to his rampaging heart. “What do you think they want?”
In the row next to him, another door shut. He eyed the other man. Compared to his black skin, the whites of his eyes practically glowed above the yellow bandanna. Another door answered. Then another. Manny sucked on his dry bottom lip. Could the open doors be a way to slow down the people, funnel them in a particular direction?
Henry rolled close to Manny’s heels. “Could be almost anything.”
Anything? Fear wrapped around his chest like a Boa constrictor. Stars danced in his peripheral vision. He shut the next door. Empty road lay between him and the man on the horse. Manny labored for breath, beating back the oblivion gnawing on the fringes. He stuck his hands in the pocket of his hoody. Ten feet away. At this distance, the rusted knife wouldn’t even piss off the cowboy. He stepped from the safety of the cars. “So what are we going to do?”
Henry rolled around him, before raising his fist into the air. The other men in their group gathered near the bumper of a minivan.
“We’re going to halt our little procession here and find out what’s going on. At least, there’ll be plenty of cover if things go bad.” Reaching over his head, he pulled a blue and black kid’s walkie-talkie from the pouch attached to the back of his wheelchair. Somewhere down the line of people, the oldest Wilson sister had the other one. He pressed the side button and static burst into the silence. “Take your time getting up front.”
The man angled his horse in their direction.
Manny licked his dry lips and wiped his damp palms on his jeans. He hoped the girls remembered the code for danger.
“Falcon.” Henry tossed the walkie-talkie to the black man with the yellow bandanna leaning against a pick-up in front. Clearing his throat, he glanced up at Manny. “Feeling brave, young man?”
Brave? Not unless that meant he’d need a change of underwear soon. “Uh, no.”
“Good.” Henry’s eyes crinkled above his mask. “Because brave people tend to be stupid. This could sour on us real quick and one or both of us might end up shot.”
He pulled out his revolver and slid it across the hood to Falcon. Adjusting his bandanna, he picked up the gun and hung it loosely at his side.
Cowboy lifted his rifle off his lap. His finger flirted with the trigger but didn’t settle on it.
Every muscle in Manny’s body clenched. The eye of the muzzle stared down at him. A change in underwear would definitely be in order if he survived this. “I don’t want to get shot.”
“Then let’s play this smart.” Henry rolled across the cracked asphalt. “Keep your hands in sight. They know that we have weapons but we’re not provoking an attack.”
Manny jogged at his side, keeping his empty hands in view. God, if you’re listening, I’d really like this to go well. He barely felt his feet as they thudded against the blacktop. And if it doesn’t, I’d understand you punishing me, but please protect Rini, the niños, Mildred and Connie.
Henry stopped about five feet from Cowboy. “Howdy.”
Manny flinched. Howdy? What was this a western? He sidestepped the wheelchair, placing himself between the old man and the gunmen peering over the wall. A former soldier would do better at keeping Rini and the niños alive then an excon.
The weak sunlight and the brim of his battered Stetson shaded Cowboy’s face, but not the muzzle of the gun. Fortunately, it no longer aimed at pieces of Manny’s anatomy.
“Morning.” Cowboy leaned forward in his saddle. Leather creaked and the horse shifted. “Looks like you folks are leaving.”
“Yep.” Henry folded his hands in his lap. “We’re heading for the soldiers.”
Cowboy pushed the brim of his hat up. Age etched parallel lines down his nut-brown cheeks. He wore no mask. “Mister, there haven’t been soldiers around here since yesterday.”
Manny twitched. No soldiers. No protection. Fear soured his mouth. And they knew it. His hands crawled up his belly. He caught them, before they dove into his hoody pockets then forced them to his side. He did not want to get shot.
The men on the fence shifted to the clatter metal against brick. Someone coughed.
Henry nodded. “Not where they were, but where they’ve relocated.”
Cowboy tilted his head to the right. “Word on the CB is that Luke Air Force Base is practically deserted. Everyone is sick.”
Manny’s stomach clenched. The soldiers were sick? How could that be? What if they weren’t at the camp? What if they died before he and the niños managed to reach them?
“Not headed to Luke.” Henry shrugged, unclasped his hands to drum his fingers on his knees. “Sergeant Major Dawson told us where to go in an emergency. I think this qualifies.”
“The governor has ordered all able-bodied soldiers to the front line of the fire.” Cowboy jerked his head toward the wall of black and gray smoke billowing in the distance. “Wait long enough, and they should show up here.”
Henry backed his chair over a weed sticking out of the crack before rolling back into place. “The fire will be here first, and the vermin will be ahead of them.”
Vermin? Manny scanned the brick fence. A sloppy red snake marked the wall about thirty feet away. Ah, shit! The Aspero had expanded their territory this far north.
Cowboy sat back in his seat, moving the rifle with him. “We figured that too, just didn’t know which direction to go. The whole city seems to be on fire.”
Manny released a pent-up breath. Cowboy and his posse weren’t going to shoot or rob them? He shook out his clenched muscles.
Henry scratched his chin. “Bound to be a couple of detours because of it. You’re welcome to join us.”
Cowboy glanced at the row of faces visible above the fence. Many of the people nodded. A few even relaxed into a smile. “You sure you know where the soldiers are?”
Manny nodded. How could such a tidbit of information offer so much hope? These people had land, guns, heck, he’d even heard a chicken. They had everything to survive, but they wanted the soldiers.
“I swear it.” Henry rose a little out of his seat and lowered his voice. “What’s more, they’re encamped by the doctor who knows what the hell is going on. And I’m betting you that it’s more than the politicians are letting on.”
“A deaf, blind jackass knows more than a politician and that’s on a good day.” Cowboy swung down from his horse. “How many sick you got?”
“Lots.” Henry folded his arms across his chest. “And we’re taking them with us.”
Manny held his breath. Would that stop the men and their guns from joining their group?
“Good.” Cowboy removed his hat and slapped it against his leg. Dust and ash billowed from his pants. “We, too, have plenty ill so it will ta
ke a bit for us to be ready.”
Manny’s knees shook. Thank God. They were going to join them. There’d be more men with guns, more men to protect their food and people from the Aspero.
“We’re going to rest in the parking lot before we hit the Salt River. I’m thinking we’ll be there for about two hours.”
Cowboy settled his hat on his head. “You might want to scout the area first. We heard gunshots there this morning.”
“Gunshots?” Manny zeroed in on the gang tag. Was the Aspero ahead of them? Waiting?
“Three shots.” Cowboy tugged on his ear before pulling down the brim of his hat. “Not rapid fire, more like they were trying to get a bead on the target.”
Henry backed up to stare down the sloping road. “You think it was the gangs?”
Manny eyed the rows of empty cars. After the horse properties, the houses disappeared in favor of businesses and open fields. Could the Aspero have set up down the road?
“It’s a possibility.” Cowboy offered the rifle butt-first to Henry, before fishing out a box of cartridges from his saddle bags. “Two hours. We’ll be there.”
Henry opened it up and checked the chamber “And if you’re a bit delayed, the soldiers are at Thirty-Fifth Avenue and Bell.”
“We’ll meet you at the Salt River.” Cowboy offered his hand. “With the way the gangs have been harassing us, there’s safety in numbers.”
“That’s my way of thinking, too.” Henry shook his hand.
“You may want to check the Mission.” Cowboy offered his hand to Manny. “If we’re abandoning ship, I think it best we fill the life boats to capacity. And they’ll have plenty of extra supplies.”
Manny stared at it for a minute before sliding his palm against the other man’s. The grip was strong and sure. He straightened as they broke away.
“Will do.” Henry rolled back toward the waiting people and line of cars.
As Cowboy reached the entrance into his neighborhood more people with guns and machetes appeared. They gathered around him and his horse as he spoke.
“That went well.” Manny practically skipped at his side. With all those people and their guns joining them, the Aspero wouldn’t dare take them on now.
“It truly is a blessing.” Henry laughed. “They have livestock. I heard chickens and goats. That might mean fresh eggs and milk.”
“I heard the chickens. But milk, that’s like finding the Chupacabra.”
“I wouldn’t eat a Chupacapra.”
Falcon sidled out from between the cars. The revolver glinted above his belt buckle. He tugged down his yellow bandanna, revealing the white scars forming a spider web over his jaw and throat. “Are they going to allow us to pass or are they going to take our stuff, Sir?”
“They’re going to join us.” Henry held out the rifle to Falcon. “And they warned us that there might be trouble ahead. Gunshots last night.”
“Gunshots?” Falcon exchanged the rifle for the revolver. He checked the chamber before raising the weapon and looking down the sight. “Those damn gangbangers. Marines must be really sick if they let any of those bastards escape.”
“I need you and Papa Rose to leap ahead.” Henry nodded to the beefy man with a skull in a bouquet of roses tattooed on his arm. “Find out if any trouble waits for us.” He tucked the revolver between his legs then spun about and rolled forward.
Falcon jerked his head toward Papa Rose.
The bald, tattooed man pulled the walkie-talkie out of his leather vest and handed it to Manny. “How far ahead do you want us to scout, Sir?”
Manny accepted it before tucking it into the pouch on Henry’s wheelchair.
“We’re going to regroup at the park by the river and wait for our newcomers, but I’d appreciate it if you went as far as the Mission.” Henry’s hands hovered near his wheels as his chair picked up speed down the incline. “They have been given lots of food to feed the homeless, so they’ll be the most likely target.”
Latching onto the handles of the wheelchair, Manny slowed Henry’s descent.
Falcon and Papa Rose jogged by. “We’ll report back in thirty minutes. If you don’t hear from us in forty-five, you know we’ve found what we’re looking for.”
***
Manny huffed up the incline. His thighs burned and trembled. When did the valley get so many hills? With a grunt, he pushed Henry’s chair up the last bit and nearly cried at reaching level ground.
“If there hadn’t been so many cars, I would have been able to pick up some decent speed and that hill wouldn’t have been such a terror.” Henry wiped his arm across his forehead.
Gulping air through his mask, Manny fought the urge to rip off the stupid thing. Talking was beyond him. Doubling over at the waist, he clutched the pain in his side. Far behind him, a small crowd had gathered at the park near the rocky stream bed. More people funneled through the rows of cars and stumbled into the group. Rini waved from the middle of the mass, her white-blond hair snapping in the wind. Four men on horseback broke free of the group and galloped up the banks of the trickling river.
Falcon sprinted over, stopping by Henry’s chair. Sweat beaded the black man’s forehead. “The Mission looks deserted.”
A hundred feet away, Papa Rose lay on his belly. The muzzle of the rifle rested on a pile of discarded garbage and a plastic bag fluttered above his bald head.
Manny swallowed. The men must have had some military training to use rubbish as camouflage. No wonder the old man had given them the rifle.
Still breathing hard, Henry rolled forward until he reached the driveway. “Usually there are a few homeless hanging about.”
Manny groaned at the rock and asphalt parking lot. That was going to be a bitch to get Henry across. Near the long metal warehouse sat a dilapidated car slowly decomposing. The place did look deserted but he knew from first-hand experience that didn’t mean anything. Especially when the Aspero were about. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handles and pushed. The chair bumped over the hard packed ground. At least the wheels didn’t dig in and stick.
Just as he cleared the fence, a shot rang out.
“Shit!” Falcon dove for the refuse.
“The shooter is in the third window from the right!” Papa Rose shouted.
Manny skidded on the ash-covered rocks, landing hard on his butt with one foot under Henry’s chair. Crap. They had to get out of here. He yanked on the handles but they slipped out of his grip.
Henry rolled toward the building.
“Stay away from here! Do you hear me?” Another shot pierced the ground about two feet away from Henry. Rock rained against metal.
Manny scrambled to his feet. Hunched over, he darted after Henry. Didn’t the old man know that female gangbangers were just as dangerous as the men?
“Beth?” Still coasting toward the building, Henry shielded his eyes with one hand. “Beth Goodman? Is that you?”
“Mr. Henry?” The woman’s voice trembled.
Manny leapt forward, grabbing the back of the chair. Digging his heels in, he tried to stop Henry.
Hooves pounded behind him. Four horsemen thundered across the parking lot. Clouds of ash exploded in their wake. Riding low in the saddle, the people charged the building.
Manny felt his jaw drop open. Jesus Christ. People still rode like that?
“Yeah, it’s me.” Henry raised his hand. “Stand down everyone. I’m all right. We’ve come to check on you and your dad, Beth.”
The riders reined their animals to a stop in a plume of dust and ash. In one motion, they hit the ground and raised their rifles.
The door to the building slammed open.
In a blur of black fabric and white limbs, a girl raced outside. “Mr. Henry.” Her bare feet flew over the ground. Launching from the gravel parking lot, she threw herself onto the old man’s lap.
Her landing shoved the chair backward and Manny again fell on his behind. Rocks sifted through his fingers. He might as well stay here. The girl looked li
ke she was about to settle in for a good cry. How they found the energy, he’d never know.
She wrapped her pale arms around Henry’s neck and buried her face. “I didn’t know what to do. Daddy’s dead.”
Manny squeezed his eyes tight. Images of his father crowded in, his usually healthy tan skin had a gray cast, illness hollowed out his cheeks and burst blood vessels had changed his eyes to red. Manny sucked in a ragged breath.
“Dead?” Henry stroked her dark hair. Red winked from the roots. “How?”
“The sickness. He died from it.” She raised her head. Snot glistened in silky strands from her nose. “So did practically everyone else. They’d been sick for days.”
Manny hissed. A bruise covered half her face and her lip was swollen.
Henry pinched her chin and angled it so he could see her better. “What happened to your face?”
“Some douche bag thought…” She shook her head. “He stabbed Gabriel. I think… I think he’s dead.”
Manny shivered. Not the Aspero. Somehow knowing that an ordinary person tried to rape her made it all worse. Shouldn’t disaster bring out the best in people? Make them stop killing and raping each other?
“Don’t worry. You’re safe with us.” Henry tucked her back under his chin. “We’re going to see the soldiers.”
“And my dad?” Her fingers clutched Henry’s flannel shirt.
“We’ll tell them where to find him. They’ll bury him with his followers. I think he’d like that.”
Manny climbed to his feet.
One of the horsemen cantered over to them.
He blinked as she pulled her blue mask down. Not a man, but a woman.
“Hey, Beth. Do you remember me?” The woman reached out to touch the girl but drew back her hand at the last minute. “I stopped by once a week to give your dad eggs.”
Beth pushed her dark hair out of her eyes and stared at the other woman. “Ms. Hernandez?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Ms. Hernandez extended her hand again. “Why don’t we go gather up some of your favorite belongings?”
“Oh.” Beth blinked, then took the proffered hand and climbed off of Henry. “Yes. Okay.”
Redaction: Extinction Level Event (Part I) Page 39
