by Jack Hunt
“The man?”
“He’s dead.”
Hayley noticed that Tommy Welling was clutching his mother and sobbing hard. The aftermath of the attack bore down on them all. Tears welled up in Hayley’s eyes as shock, bewilderment and maybe disbelief set in. Before Jess could say anything the radio on the dead guy crackled, Ken picked it up, and they heard one of them trying to get in contact. “Come in, Raymond. You there?”
Ken looked at Jess. “They’ll be back soon. You should go.”
Jess nodded and scooped up the M4 and stepped out into the hallway, casting a glance to the east and west. Before setting their plan in motion, it was agreed that Jess and Hayley would leave and Clara who was the teacher and knew where the tunnel passage was to the school would take them down and go with them. What they hadn’t banked on was Tommy choosing to go.
“I’m coming with you,” he said wiping tears from his eyes.
“No, you should stay here,” Jess said.
“There’s nothing left for me,” he replied looking back at his dead mother.
“And your father?”
“Absent.”
She nodded.
Tommy walked across the room and stood by the doorway ready to leave. Jess didn’t know him well enough to argue, and it didn’t look as if anyone else in the room was going to convince him otherwise. He sniffed hard, holding back his tears, and pawed at his eyes.
“Okay.”
Ken kept the other gun from the fallen man and the plan was they would barricade themselves inside the homeowners lounge and if anyone tried to get through the door, he would fire at them. It wasn’t exactly an airtight plan but it beat trying to get all seventy-odd people out of the building. That would have likely ended in a massacre.
Jess clutched her daughter’s hand and Clara led the way, ushering Tommy on towards the elevators. Clara tapped the button several times, and they stepped back. There were two elevators in front of them, one on the left and the other on the right. On the left above the elevator doors they could see one was in use and based on the numbers lighting up, the elevator was climbing. Clara tapped the button again, nervous at the thought of another deadly confrontation. Jess clutched the gun aiming at the right elevator while they waited for it to make it up three floors.
She fully expected it to open and be full of armed men but when the right one dinged and the doors slid open, it was empty. They hurried inside fully aware that the left elevator was close to arriving on the fifteenth floor. Clara tapped the button to get the doors to close just as they heard the ding of the left elevator arriving.
The doors sealed out the sound of men talking as they got off.
Jess’s heart was pounding in her chest as the elevator made its descent into the unknown.
Chapter 16
Initially, things didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Cayden assumed Raymond and Ty were in the homeowners lounge with the residents except when they tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. Vic rattled the knob, then gave it a shove but it wouldn’t open.
“Raymond?” Cayden shouted. There was no reply. He turned to Vic and told him to check the stairwell just in case they’d stepped away. Vic nodded and took off in that direction. He hadn’t made it a few feet when he stopped and called back.
“Ty?” He darted into the apartment next door to the lounge and the rest of them followed. Cayden went berserk when he saw Ty’s body on the ground in a pool of blood. Charging back to the lounge he banged on the door.
“Open up.”
He stepped back and fired a flurry of rounds at the area around the door handle, sparks flew and he thought that would be enough. He didn’t expect what happened next. Rounds from the other side lanced the door, and one of them skimmed his arm. All the men hit the ground as the wall behind them was peppered in a sweeping fashion from left to right.
Cayden looked over to Leon. He could tell he wanted to rub it in and say that he’d warned him but he was in no mood to be raked over the coals for something he thought was under control. Vic tried to get Raymond on the radio again as until they got confirmation that he was dead they assumed he was still alive.
“How the hell did this happen?” Vic shouted as more rounds continued. Then it went silent.
“Come in, Raymond.”
“Raymond’s dead,” a male voice said coming over the radio. “Both of your men are and if you don’t get the hell out of here, you’ll join them.”
Cayden motioned to Vic to slide over the radio. He tossed it and it landed a few feet from him. He crawled on his belly and grabbed it up. Cayden pressed the button and spoke into the radio. “Who am I speaking with?”
“Ken Rogers.”
“Well Ken, you have just made one big mistake.”
“Really? Because the way it looks to me, you’re the ones who fucked up.”
Cayden was fuming. As soon as he got inside, he was going to take great pleasure in killing him. He gritted his teeth. “I’m gonna make this pretty simple. Open the door and there’s a chance you’ll live.”
“A chance? Huh!” Ken scoffed. “How generous of you. I think I’ll take my chances on this side.”
Cayden sneered and squeezed the radio hard. This whole thing was getting away from him. They were down three men and now there were only seven of them left. Cayden got up and while staying low moved away from the apartment. He needed to think. He needed a pick-me-up. Something to even him out. He made it to the far end of the hallway and pulled out a baggie of coke. Leon came up from behind him, still looking over his shoulder while Vic remained in place just in case anyone attempted to open the door.
“What are you doing?” Leon asked.
“Thinking.”
“Haven’t you had enough of that shit?”
“What are you, my mother?”
“Can’t you see it’s clouding your judgment?”
“I swear, Leon, you might be my friend but if you say that one more time I’m going to drop you.”
He tapped out some coke onto the back of his hand and snorted it, his eyes rolled back in his head and he felt the rush as it hit his system.
“We’ve lost three people. How many more have to die before you wake the hell up? We need to leave and now.”
Cayden whirled around. “You know, Leon, you were always a pussy. Why I have let you drag me down is a mystery. I should have got rid of you a long time ago.”
“The only reason you are alive is because of me. How many times have I saved your ass? If it wasn’t for me you would be rotting in a jail cell by now so you want to drop me, go ahead and see where you end up.”
Cayden shook his head and looked past him. He got back on the radio. “Hank, come in.”
Hank, Pat, Jimmy and Jerome were on the lower floors still performing a search for the drugs and making sure that no one got in or out of the building.
“Go ahead,” Hank said.
“Found anything yet?”
“Nothing so far. Are you on the sixth floor?” Hank asked.
“No, the fifteenth, why?”
“I saw the elevator stopped on the seventh, then it continued on to the sixth.”
“Get up there now! Block both sides of the stairwell and have one of you watch the elevator. It looks like some of our guests have got out.”
Alex heard the message over the radio. After hearing the gunfire, he’d headed down from the roof to the ninth floor, which appeared to be empty. He was in the process of figuring out how to draw the men away from the fifteenth floor when he saw the elevator going down and then heard Cayden’s message.
He hurried along to the stairwell and jogged down three flights of steps to the sixth floor and darted into one of the apartments. He was keeping a close eye on the hallway through a crack in the door when the elevator dinged.
Jess’s heart was racing as she exited the elevator heading for the stairwell. She kept a firm grip on Hayley’s hand as Clara led the way. She was completely unaware of the approaching threat beca
use Ken was the only one who had a radio. They had just made it past room 6008 when she felt a hand clasp around her mouth and drag her backwards. Hayley let out a scream and then it ended when she saw who it was — Alex.
“Dad?”
“Get in now,” he said.
Clara, Tommy and Hayley ducked into the room and Alex closed the door. He released his grip on Jess’s mouth and she hugged him tight. He ran a hand over Hayley’s face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. That’s when he noticed the dried blood.
“What the hell?”
“It’s okay, I’m not hurt,” she said.
“Where are the others?”
“Still in the homeowners lounge. They’re safe. They have a rifle and have locked themselves in. Two of their men are dead,” Jess said.
“How many are there?” Alex asked.
“Ten. At least there were ten.”
“So seven left because I killed one. Listen, they have locked the exits with padlocks. Now we might be able to get out if I shoot the lock but there are men coming right now.”
The radio crackled, and he heard them come over the speaker. “Cayden, we’re on the sixth now. No one is here.”
“Check the apartments,” Cayden replied.
“Shit!” Alex muttered pulling back from the door. They had few options. Stay in the room and attack when the two guys entered, or try and make a break for the stairwell while they were in one of the apartments. He paced back and forth for a second or two.
“Dad? What do we do?” Hayley asked.
“Look, I’m going to distract them, draw them away to the east stairwell. Once I’m in there, I want you to head to the west.”
“No, Alex, we just found you.”
He wrapped a hand around her neck and pulled Jess in close to him. “I’ll meet you in the basement.”
“We can fight.” She lifted the gun.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“But—”
“Jess, just listen to me. Wait here, keep the door cracked ever so slightly. Once I’m in the stairwell make a break for it.”
She shook her head but there was no more time to wait. He could hear the men getting nearer. There was one coming from the east, and another from the west. They were going apartment to apartment checking, occasionally firing their weapons. Alex got close to the door and peered out. He had to time it just right. One mistake and it was over. He watched as they exited one apartment and darted into the next. He looked the other way, another guy did the same. This was it. Alex looked back at Jess, smiled then darted out. He raced down the hallway and was within spitting distance of the stairwell when one of the men came out. Alex slammed into him, knocking him flying back. Alex lost his footing and tumbled but without wasting a second he was up and running. Instead of trying to reach the stairwell he darted into the elevator. His shoulder collided with the back as gunfire unleashed. He smashed one button trying to get the doors to close, then hit the one for the tenth floor. The doors slipped closed just as one of the men reached the elevator. He heard them bang on the outside as it started to go up.
Over the radio he heard, “He’s heading up.”
The odds of getting out were stacked against him. He just needed to delay things. He waited until he was around the eighth floor before he hit the red stop button used by maintenance. Having it stop there would throw them off. The elevator jerked for a second and he looked above him and used the butt of the rifle to lift up one of the tiles, then using the handles inside the elevator he launched himself up and climbed over the lip into the elevator shaft. Before replacing the tile he leaned down and used the tip of the M4 to extend his reach and touch the button to get the elevator going again. It lurched up and began to climb. He closed the top and hung on for dear life as he continued up to the tenth floor.
As soon as it arrived, and the doors slid open, a flurry of rounds filled the elevator shattering the mirrors that wrapped around the inside.
“Where is he?” one of the men said stepping into the elevator. The guy looked up and through the thin air holes Alex could just make out the top of his head. He had his gun on the ready just in case but thankfully he didn’t have to use it. The man exited.
“It stopped on the eighth floor, you idiot. Let’s go.”
He breathed a sigh of relief and hoped to God that Jess and the others had managed to escape.
Minutes earlier, Jess stood by the door and saw the horrifying scene play out before her. She was tempted to engage but once she saw Alex reach the elevator, she knew he was safe. Both armed men entered the east stairwell. The second they disappeared, she motioned to the other three to head out. She pushed the door open and told them to run to the west stairwell. As they bolted, Hayley slipped and landed on her knees. Jess scooped an arm under hers and they forged forward. As soon as they were inside, they began to make their way down. The stairwell was quiet. Jess peered over the bannister to make sure there was no one farther down. She looked up and couldn’t hear or see anyone.
“It shouldn’t take us long,” Clara said.
Tommy looked despondent and kept close to Clara as she led the way. Jess kept turning and looking up expecting at any second to hear one of the men return but they didn’t. They made it down to the second floor and were just about to go down one more flight of steps when the door opened on the first floor.
“Hank!” a voice yelled out before several rounds were fired. Jess slipped back, telling the others to get down as they scrambled to escape the ricochet of bullets. She raised the M4 and whirled it over the bannister to return fire. Each time she did, she motioned to the others to move down. If they didn’t press on and get out of that stairwell they would become trapped from above and below.
The guy at the door didn’t let up. He would unload, pull back, the door would swing closed but before it sealed, he would push it open and fire again. However, because she was returning fire, he wouldn’t stick his face out so he was shooting haphazardly trying to keep them under a constant hail of bullets.
Jess pressed her back to the wall and threw up a hand to tell them to wait. She pressed forward, taking a huge risk that one of the bullets wouldn’t hit her. She saw the barrel stick out of the door and waited for him to finish unloading a few rounds before she kicked the door that was closing wide and came around and lanced his chest with two rounds. The look of shock on his face would stay with her forever. She would have grabbed up his rifle but at the far end of the hall she saw another man running forward, raising his rifle. She opened fire then shouted to Hayley and the others to move their asses.
They hurried down past her heading for the basement.
Once they were in the clear she slammed the door closed and hurried down the steps after them. She knew they only had a few seconds before the next guy would be on their case. The closer they got to the basement, the slower Clara became.
Lights flickered and the sound of something groaning could be heard coming up from the basement. Within seconds the lights went out, and they were shrouded in darkness.
“Shit!”
“Mom!” Hayley cried.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” Jess replied. “Keep going.” She wasn’t even looking at them when she called out but then she saw why they were hesitant to continue. Most of the basement was underwater. The last ten steps were covered. Clara bent down and touched it.
“It’s freezing cold.”
Jess kept looking back and forth. She heard the door open on the first floor.
“Mom?” Hayley said looking back at her. “What now?”
A hundred thoughts went through her mind in those seconds. Would the guy shoot them on sight? If they entered the water would they drown? She couldn’t lose her daughter! Where was Alex? And even if they escaped would they freeze to death from being soaked?
“I’ll go,” Tommy said.
“But the door is locked at the far end,” Jess replied.
“Then give me the rifle.”
“No.”
<
br /> Suddenly gunfire erupted. Jess returned fire and then pulled back and they all moved closer to the water.
“Decide now what we are doing or we are all going to die!” Tommy yelled. Before he got his answer, he decided for himself. “Ah screw this, I’m going.” He launched himself off the steps into chest-high waters and disappeared below.
Clara yelled out his name. “Tommy!”
Clara waded into the water to find him but Tommy resurfaced. There was still enough room to stay above the water and breathe but they would have to move fast. Jess called out to Clara. “Here, take this.”
She tossed the rifle to her and then told Hayley to go with Clara.
“Mom?”
More gunfire erupted.
“I’m not leaving you here.”
“You need to get out. I will be okay.”
“Mom.”
“Clara, please, take her.”
Hayley tried to resist but Clara pulled her into the water and Tommy assisted. Jess watched them disappear behind a wall, heading down into the tunnel’s passage. Then she raised her hands above her head and locked her fingers. She knew that if she waded into the water the chances of all of them escaping would be slim. If she could hold off the other guy, they might just have a chance.
“I don’t have a weapon,” she shouted out to him, getting down onto her knees as a sign of surrender. She looked up and saw a barrel-chested man come around the corner. A light shone from the end of his M4 lighting up her face. He looked past her.
“Where are the others?” he demanded.
“Gone.”
He gritted his teeth, came down the flight of steps not convinced. He looked over and saw nothing but water lapping against the wall. He turned back to Jess and with the back of his gun, struck her in the head, knocking her unconscious.
Chapter 17
After gathering a couple of shotguns, additional ammo, a hammer, thermal blankets, a couple more ballistic vests to replace the ones that had been soaked, and some diving gear, Solomon and the others had taken the boat over to the school. He’d already slipped into a wet suit that they kept on hand for any water incidents. It would keep his body protected from the cold. The problem was they could only find one. With the power out in the public safety building they were lucky to find even that. It was now early evening, and even darker outside.
