by Jeannie Rae
He felt torn, just as Mara did. Plagued by the sight of his new friend, Lynn, within the grasp of the snake, Randy, Dave was repulsed by Randy’s venomous lips, curved up into an arrogant grin, as he shouted his demands up to the rooftop at Roxy. Racking his mind, Dave tried to decipher the connection that this monster had to the young woman on the roof. Being familiar with the ways of this monstrous man, Dave knew he would kill Lynn. Randy felt no remorse, but he knew that those around him could feel it. He used it to his advantage. He was a malicious creature, one of the worst Dave had ever known. While he had given his word to Roxy, and had no desire of being ensnared in Randy’s trap, Dave knew that he had to help Lynn. It simply wasn’t his nature to leave a friend behind, no matter what the cost. Dave gripped his shotgun and made for the front door.
Without notice, a single shot rang out, ripping through the night. Dave and Mara peered out the window, stunned to silence, witnessing a hole materialize in Randy’s chest, deep-red, syrupy blood poured down the front of his white tee. Dave’s eyes fell to Mattie who knelt on the ground behind Randy, holding out his rifle.
Dave sighed with relief. Thank God! Quickly realizing that the dogs were barking at the window, he recalled how Roxy had handled them.
“Ladies,” he said firmly with his palm up to the dogs. Both dogs sat looking up at Dave, making him grin just a bit.
Refocusing his attention to their escape, he turned and jogged to the back of the store. He slipped out the backdoor into the alleyway. Peering around the door with his shotgun raised, there were no signs of movement. Where are Junior and Rhino?
“Come on ladies. Mara, you coming?” He called out, reentering the store, pulling the door closed.
The dogs excitedly raced over to Dave, Mara hesitated, and then followed.
Dave opened the back door, letting Mara exit first. He turned back to the dogs and copied the actions he’d seen Roxy perform at least a dozen times in last couple days. He put up his palm to the dogs and told them to stay, after which, both dogs sat and anxiously looked up to him. Looking back to the alley, he could see Mara unlocking the doors to her vehicle with a shaky hand. She rushed back over to the door to help Dave get the dogs into the car.
“Hang on a sec. I’m going to check the next street over. Roxy will be down any time to help you get the dogs in the car. Rhino and Junior have to be around here somewhere,” Dave said.
Dave expected Roxy to emerge any minute from the manager’s office and wanted to ensure a clear escape route. With Randy out of the picture—clearing the way for their exit, helping Mattie and Lynn to the car, and driving the hell out of this place were his priorities. But Rhino and Junior remained an elusive obstacle. After arriving with Randy, they had disappeared. They must be creeping around here somewhere.
Dave trotted down the alley toward Seventh Street, his shotgun hanging in his right hand. To the left, the gates to Angora were a block down. Looking back up the street, he could see an ocean of cars blocking the road, but there were no people, infected or otherwise that he could see on the dimly lit road. Mara’s car is small enough, it might make up the sidewalk in a pinch, he thought.
Something caught his ear in the distance, voices. He lifted his shotgun and pressed himself tightly against the building, and extended his head just far enough to try to get a view of the on-comers.
Mattie staggered in the road as the water from the fire hydrant rained down on his scraped face, each droplet seared with pain as it fell upon his open wounds. The faintest of white smoke that danced on the barrel of his gun was being snuffed out by the falling drops. He could see the hemorrhaging wound in the back of Randy’s shirt just below the right shoulder blade. Mattie looked around feverishly for Rhino and Junior, sure that they would shoot him at any moment, but they were gone.
Randy turned around and faced Mattie. He still had Lynn by the hair. Randy tucked the gun in his the waistband of his pants and dropped his head. He looked down at the quarter sized hole in his chest and at the blood spilling out. The bullet had entered through his back and exited through the chest. Looking back up at Mattie, a sinful smile spread across his scheming face.
Mattie had been feeling like the victor of this, until he saw that smile. Now a new feeling swept over him, a feeling of desperation. He broke his stare from Randy for just a moment to glance up at Roxy. On the rooftop across the street, Roxy sprinted toward the corner closest to the alley.
Mattie eyes drifted back at his sister. She was soaked from the water raining down on her. Despite the look of terror on her face, Mattie saw his sister’s beaming features staring back at him. Her ivory skin that could spook ghosts away, eyes as blue as Hawaiian waters, and the tiniest ears a person could have, all took him back to a time when Lynn wasn’t so cynical. A time when she had been a sweet and generous girl. Mattie felt as though time had stopped, while he admired the sister that he’d always took-up for since they were kids. Then reality set in for Mattie as Lynn began crying out. Her face contorted as her eyes peeled open as far as they could. Lynn was visibly rattled—down to her bones, and that look said it all.
Randy placed his free hand on Lynn’s chin. Releasing her hair with his other hand, he repositioned it and twisted her head. With three small cracks, her neck broke, her body falling limp. Randy caught her at the shoulders, as she began to slump forward, her head dangling in front of her.
Mattie felt horrorstruck at the sight of his sister’s life being extinguished in a fraction of a second. It was, but four minutes ago, that they were getting out of this place. Safe and happy, just four minutes ago.
Mattie’s jaw hung ajar. He stood, staring at the murderer, when Randy tossed Lynn onto the ground as though she was a piece of garbage. Looking at his sister’s corpse on the ground, he knew that rage should have been the sensation he felt, but instead, all he could feel was defeat. He’d been so close to getting his sister safely out of here, and now, all was lost. She was the only family he had left in this brutal world, and now, he couldn’t imagine taking another breath without her. Mattie wanted to charge after Randy, but seeing Lynn’s twisted body at his feet, he could not leave her like that. He dropped his gun, sinking to his knees next to her, scooping her into his arms.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
Roxy raced across the rooftop, forcing her body to a speed that she had never achieved before this moment. She had looked for a fast way down from the roof, her eyes spotting an access ladder at the end of the building, near the alleyway. The ladder only went down to about eight feet off the ground. The building itself, only stood about twenty feet high. The height of the building and the jump from the bottom of the ladder didn’t alarm her; it was Randy that struck fear in her and the thought of what he might do. The lone shot that Mattie took hadn’t been enough to take this predator down.
With the adrenaline pumping through her veins at an inconceivable rate, she legitimately felt as if she could jump off the roof and make the landing just fine. When she reached the corner of the building, she began stepping down the rungs. It was taking too long to descend the ladder. She placed her feet and hands on the outer railings and slid down—something she’d never done before, and did out of instinct. When her feet reached the bottom rail support, she pushed off doing a back flip and sticking the landing onto the wet asphalt, a few feet away from the ladder.
A shockwave swept through Roxy upon the realization of what she had just done. Impossible. Never had she dreamt of preforming a back flip before, yet she made this one like a pro, without ever thinking about it. Her body instinctively took over, sensing what to do next.
She turned and faced the street, refocusing her attention to issues of more importance. Figuring out what’s happening to her body would have to wait. Randy had his back to her—and Junior and Rhino were out of sight. She couldn’t be sure if they were hiding somewhere or if they were gone. She briefly looked toward the alley, thinking about Dave and Mara. Brushing off a haunting feeling, she would have seen Randy’s thugs if th
ey had gone that way, they would have passed her. Right?
With her attention back on Randy, she raced toward him, before slowing her pace. Mattie was on the ground holding Lynn, with her body draped limply in his arms. He sobbed uncontrollably. Roxy listened; a rapid heartbeat could be heard. At that pace, it could only be Randy’s heart. Blood surged through his body, producing massive energy, sending his heart into overdrive. Another heartbeat, pumping vigorously, not as rapidly as Randy’s—had to belong to Mattie. She listened—concentrating, but there was not another. Lynn’s heart had stopped beating. Lynn was dead in Mattie’s arms.
Roxy raced toward the scene. Randy pulled off his bloodied shirt, hurling it to the ground before twisting around to look at her. Taken aback by his disposition, she stopped.
“Glad you could join us,” he said snidely. He pulled his gun from his waistband and pointed it at Mattie.
“Wait! Why did do that to her? Why are you doing this?” Roxy challenged, her eyes fixed on Randy’s bare chest.
His wet chest appeared unblemished, except for a ring of blood under his shoulder and a trail of blood leading downward which was being washed away by the hydrant water. Roxy had witnessed the shooting take place—how could he have healed from that? And so quickly?
“He shot me. He tried to kill me. This is survival here,” he said, waving the gun around. “You should have come down here when I asked you to. Hey, you never should have left in the first place. All this is on you.”
“You guys were planning on killing me and my friends to cover this whole incident up. So you thought we should stick around for it?” Roxy reached her hand behind her, feeling the waistband of her pants for the gun Mattie had given her, but it was gone.
“I would never let anything happen to you. Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot. I never thought I’d meet someone…like me,” he said in a dramatically changed tone, while gazing into her eyes. “I did it all wrong—I know that now. You’re just like me. We’re the same. You’re going to need help—let me help you.”
His entire behavior transformed as he spoke. He looked calm and almost—sincere. Seconds ago, he was on the attack, pissed off and ready to shoot Mattie. But now, he is offering help and assuring me that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Roxy couldn’t be sure why he changed strategies so quickly, but she wasn’t buying it. He killed Lynn only moments ago.
“I don’t need your help and we are not the same. Not even close. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I’m a good person. You…you are a monster! Leave him alone. If you want me, come and get me,” she bated, glancing behind her to see if her missing gun may have fallen out onto the street.
“And leave him to shoot me again? Nah,” Randy said, losing patience.
His eyes narrowed and lips curved up, glaring at Roxy with a devilish expression. His body language gave Roxy the distinct impression that he’d only said, what he thought, she wanted to hear. Now, he wasn’t getting what he wanted, and again, his entire demeanor began changing—unraveling. Randy was switching tactics. First, he tried demanding her to come with him, while tormenting Lynn. Then he attempted to explain his actions—hoping for understanding. But when he realized that she would not so easily be swayed by his empty words, he morphed into monster she fought in the clean room.
Randy tossed the gun to the pavement and raised his hands in submission. Drawing his eyes down to Mattie, he quickly unsheathed his hunting knife, and in one stride, slashed Mattie’s throat. Lynn’s brother gasped, as he wrapped his hand around his hemorrhaging neck, before his body slumped forward over Lynn’s. Randy wiped the blade on his pants and sheathed the knife.
The whole tragedy occurred in a matter of seconds. Roxy rushed him and as he turned back to her, she retracted her fist and thrust it into Randy’s cheekbone. The force of the unexpected blow sent him back a few feet plummeting to the ground. Looking down at Mattie and Lynn—heartache, terror and the fundamental hunger for vengeance swirled through her body. Mattie’s heartbeat was gone.
She wasted little time before striding to Randy, kicking him in the abdomen and sending him tumbling into one of the tires on Mattie’s truck. She came closer and reached for his head, but was swept off her feet by Randy’s leg. She dropped to the ground, landing flat on to her back. She got up nearly at the same time as Randy, but he was slightly more nimble than her. With hostility in his eyes, he bit his bottom lip in anger and balled his fists. His tense body, towered as falling drops of hydrant water impacted his bare shoulders. He took one lengthy stride, then slammed an uppercut beneath her chin, sending her sailing backward. She hit the ground and hydroplaned across the wet pavement. Randy charged after her. Rolling out of the way, she reached out and pushed him in the direction that he’d been moving. He stumbled, hitting the pavement on his stomach, his momentum carrying him several feet across the soaked asphalt.
Roxy rubbed her aching chin as she rose to her feet. Looking back toward where Randy tumbled, she found him gone. She craned her neck to find that Randy had circled behind her. Before she could react, he hooked his arms under hers from behind. She struggled, but he was stronger than her—by far. She tried stomping on his feet, but he moved his legs as hers did. He forced her toward the SUV, in an escapable arm lock.
Roxy held her breath as she attempted to break the hold that he had on her. A mixture of frustration and panic ravaged her as she realized that he was too strong for her. He had killed two of her friends, and had every intention of killing Dave and her family—anyone who could compromise Angora’s cover up. She couldn’t let him win, not with so much at stake. He forced her to the SUV. Fear frosted her body as she could find no escape from his clutches. How? How can I help my family and Dave, when I can’t even help myself?
“You—are coming back with me,” he said through gritted teeth, edging her forward.
The back door of the vehicle hung ajar, where Junior had exited earlier. Pulling it open with his knee, Randy pushed her into the back seat. She rolled over onto her back and kicked at him. Grabbing her calves, he tossed her legs over her head with enough force to send her in a backward summersault. She landed on her knees and lunged forward. Reaching at his belt, he pulled out the hunting knife, the blade glistening in the moonlight. Raising the knife as she pounced forward, he thumped her in the temple with the handle. Her sight suddenly became blurry for a few seconds, then she collapsed on the seat. Her vision deteriorated to shadows. She could hear Randy’s voice, echoing in the distance. He whispered something to her, his voice, quiet and peaceful. She could feel his hand caressing her face, as she fought to stay conscious.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
As Dave peered around the corner, he could see a scruffy-looking older man in a black blazer walking shoulder to shoulder with another man, maybe mid-forties, Dave guessed. They had been behind a car and were traveling toward Angora. The younger of the two kept turning to his right. They both had guns, the older man with a handgun that looked like an antique. The other man had a submachine gun. It looked all wrong on him. This weapon is typically used by law enforcement and tactical units. This guy isn’t even holding it right.
As they drew nearer, Dave saw a young girl—a teenager, emerge from behind one of the men. The girl was a Roxy look-alike, if he’d ever seen one. In that moment, Dave knew he had found Roxy’s family. Instinctively, he wanted to run out to them and get them into the car, but they didn’t know him. There could be no telling whether they would shoot him or even think he was lying.
Leaving his shotgun against the thrift store’s building, across the alley from the video store, Dave stepped out into the street.
“Psssst!” he called with his hands in the air.
Both men turned, aiming their guns at him.
“I know Roxy, she sent me to intercept you before you got to the lab,” Dave said, slowly walking toward them. “Aren’t you Joe and Kate? And you are?”
Joe lowered his weapon, “Yes, we are. This is Hank. Who are you?”
“My name is Dave, and I can explain later, but we need to get out of this area,” Dave waved them toward the alley.
“Aren’t we going there? Where’s Roxy, we heard a gunshot,” Joe pointed to the gates. “They’re evacuating everyone on helicopters.”
“No, definitely not there. We left that place to find you. I will explain, I promise. Roxy will be out in the alley any second now. We’ll have to drive out. Everything is fine. One of the guys with us took care of a problem of ours. That’s what the shot was.”
“Listen friend,” Hank spoke up, “The Port is blocked off by the military. We have a friend at the end of the street. He is injured. Those bastards at the bottleneck shot him in the thigh. He can’t move, we were supposed to get him help from in that lab. He needs a splint or something to move,” Hank pointed to the truck at the end of the street.
Dave spotted at the truck several blocks down. His mind raced, while he had suspected that a quarantine was in full force by now, he never imagined that they would fire live ammunition at the citizens of Port Steward.
“Okay, come with me. There are some broken shelves here in the alley. We can find something for his leg to get him mobile. I have an idea about how to get out of here, without going back to Angora and staying clear of the patrol at the town border. Does that truck work?” Dave looked around.
Hank nodded, then shrugging, looked at Joe. “It’s your call Joe,” Hank sounded unsure.
Dave glanced back to the alley. From this angle, he could only see a few feet into it. He wondered why Mara hadn’t come along to see what the hold-up had been and if Roxy had made it into the alley yet. He had a sinking feeling in his gut. In all this coercing, he had lost precious seconds. Ignoring the three before him, he turned toward the alley and trotted over. As he came to the corner, he froze. Rhino had one of his massive arms wrapped tightly around Mara’s neck, with a gun pressed to her cheek.
