by Randy Henson
“Firecrackers? What you need are shoes.”
“What I need are hiking boots,” I said.
“Well, I’ll look for some firecrackers while you get your boots.”
“Okay. Come on Jack,” I said as I held my hand out to him.
“I’ll keep my eye on him. You go get your boots,” Orin said.
“Uh, okay. Thanks.”
Orin was turning out to be a bigger help than I wanted to admit. I turned and headed toward the back of the store looking for footwear while I wondered why he was being such a big help. I couldn’t help wondering what it was Orin expected in return. I could guess, though.
I found the hiking boots displayed in the back left corner. I found some styles in lady’s sizes that looked rugged enough, but I liked the men’s styles better. For some reason only the men’s styles had steel toes in them.
As usual, the smallest men’s size was a size seven, which were always a little loose on me. I pulled a pair of expensive brown and black boots out of a box and sat down on the floor to pull them on. Once I had them laced up tight, I stood and walked around in them. They weren’t as loose as I had expected them to be. I figured it was because of the thickness of my candy cane wool socks. I don’t think my feet have grown in five years.
I headed back toward the front of the store to find Orin and Jack in an aisle full of fishing equipment.
“I don’t think there are any fireworks here. What do you need them for, anyway?” Orin said.
“Sometimes Jack gets distracted. Setting off a firecracker gets him to focus on me,” I said.
Orin stuck a finger in my face and said, “I know what you need. I just saw them.” He then turned and headed the other way.
I took Jack’s hand and followed Orin. He led us to an aisle full of crossbows, compound bows, and arrows. There were also axes hanging from metal hooks. The axes came in a variety of styles and I was tempted to grab one but decided against it.
“Here’s what you need,” Orin said as he waved a hand at an assortment of whips hanging from metal stems jutting from a perforated wall.
“Do I look like Indiana Jones?” I said.
“I don’t know. Maybe if you didn’t shave for a week and wore one of those Australian fedoras. “
I let go of Jack’s hand and put both of my hands on my hips, giving Orin my ‘I am not amused’ pose.
Orin grinned and said, “Okay, I’m sorry. But I’m being serious about the whips. I know what you’re talking about when you say firecrackers get Jack’s attention. It’s the popping noise. I saw the guards at the Tuscaloosa Compound employ the same technique. Only they used whips instead of firecrackers. It seemed to work like a charm.”
I looked over at the variety of whips as I reconsidered.
Why wouldn’t it work?
I selected the most durable looking whip I saw and said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try. But if this is just your way of setting me up for some S and M joke, I’m going to use this thing on you.”
Orin smirked and said, “Promises, promises. And it will work. Leave Jack here and go to the back of the store.”
“Fine,” I said as I brushed passed Orin and headed back to the corner where I had gotten my boots.
I uncoiled the whip and held it out away from me as far as I could. The last thing I needed to do was knock one of my eyes out. I closed my eyes and turned my head away as I brought the whip up and down in a snapping motion. I could picture myself doing this and I new I was being a sissy about it, that I looked ridiculous. I was suddenly glad I had left Orin on the other side of the store.
I tried snapping it a couple of more times like this, but I couldn’t get the whip to crack.
I then got an idea and walked back over to where Orin and Jack were.
“What’s wrong?” Orin asked.
“Where would I find goggles or safety glasses?” I asked.
“Hey, that’s pretty smart. Try the scuba diving equipment. I saw it a couple of aisles over that way,” Orin said and pointed.
I left them again and hunted for the scuba diving aisle. I found the goggles right away. I tried on a few pairs and found them all equally uncomfortable. I settled on the largest pair I could find and headed back toward the corner of the store.
I tried cracking the whip again, trying a different technique. Instead of holding the whip out in front of me and snapping it up and down, I slung the whip behind me until its tip lay on the floor as far away from me as I could get it and then I slung the whip in front of me like I was throwing a baseball. I pulled the whip’s handle back right before the whip was fully extended and I was rewarded with a small pop.
“You got to make it louder than that!” Orin yelled at me from across the store.
“Just getting a feel for it. Give me a moment, will ya?” I yelled back.
“I’m not rushing you. Just letting you know.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I said.
I then tried it two more times and got the same weak pop. On my next attempt I pulled the whip’s handle back a lot sooner than I had before and the whip delivered a crack so loud that it made me jump and actually hurt my ears.
“Well, that did it!” Orin yelled.
I tried it again and received another loud crack. Then I turned when I heard feet stomping the floor. Jack came running around the corner at me and stopped when he saw me.
I cracked the whip again.
Jack stepped closer and cocked his head at me.
I then coiled the whip and looped it over my right shoulder.
Orin came around the corner and said, “Man, your brother can boogie.”
“He was starting quarterback his sophomore year. That almost never happens,” I said.
“Well, I can believe it. So was I right about the whip, or was I right?”
“Hmm, let me think,” I said as I brought a finger up to the corner of my mouth and rolled my eyeballs upward.
“That smartass gesture probably looks kind of cute when you’re not wearing those funky goggles,” Orin said.
I took the goggles off and looped them around the handle of my Bowie knife.
“Let’s hurry up and get your rifle. I’m starved,” I said.
“You’re reading my mind.”
I took Jack by the hand and the three of us left the sporting goods store and rode the escalator down and returned to the coffee shop. The rifle was where Orin had left it, leaning against the counter that held the coffee machines. He strapped it over his shoulder and we left the coffee shop.
We headed back toward the escalators and were about to climb onto the ascending steps when gunfire erupted somewhere just outside of the mall. The gunfire was faint, which is how I knew it was coming from outside the mall, but there was no mistaking the staccato popping I heard.
I gripped Jack’s hand tighter as I pulled a pistol with my other hand. I pulled Jack onto the escalator as I turned to look behind us.
“Come on! Hurry!” I heard someone yell.
I turned and looked up to see two guards pointing automatic rifles down toward us. My blood froze in my veins for a moment until I noticed they were aiming their rifles somewhere beyond us. I turned back around and looked over Orin’s head, but I saw no one behind us. Not yet.
I turned and ran up the escalating steps as fast as I dared, afraid that if I ran too fast Jack would trip and fall.
“That was gunfire, right? I’m not losing my mind, am I?” Orin said as he ran on our heels.
“Yeah, that was gunfire,” I said.
As soon as we reached the top and stepped off the escalator, Jack bolted. He pulled me with him, causing me to fall as he let go of my hand and sprinted away.
Damn it!
Orin helped me to my feet and together we ran after Jack.
CHAPTER SIX
Colonel Lundy had stepped out of the shower, dried off, and had just pulled on a clean pair of boxers when someone started knocking on his door. He grabbed a fresh pair of fatigued pants out of his o
pened suitcase that rested on the motel bed and carried them to the door. He opened the door to find Lieutenant Hale standing there wearing a frown.
Colonel Lundy opened the door wider and motioned for Hale to enter. Once Hale was inside, Lundy closed the door and stepped into his fatigues.
“I have some disturbing news, Colonel. The galleria has been assaulted,” Hale said.
Lundy zipped up his fatigues and said, “Who the hell gave the order! I specifically said we’d wait until…”
Lieutenant Hale raised a palm and said, “Excuse me, sir. But we’re not the ones who made the assault. Another force, around fifty men, arrived at the galleria about twenty minutes ago. And there was also a report that another hundred or so are on their way, about fifty miles out. At least it looks like they’re headed this way.”
“Who the hell are they?” Lundy wanted to know.
“We’re not sure. They’re not military, though.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. They’re not wearing body armor and they’re not moving in any kind of formation. Their attacks are careful, cautious, but chaotic.”
“Did they make it inside the galleria?” Lundy asked as he walked across the small motel room and grabbed a pressed shirt off a hanger.
“Not yet. Rogers says that so far they appear to only be testing the galleria’s perimeter.”
Lundy slipped the shirt on, buttoned it, and said, “I wonder if they’re after the girl? We can’t allow anything to happen to her. The girl is everything. Have your snipers get into position. Then have them fire at will.”
“Forgive me, sir. But do you think that’s the wisest course of action? This new force may eliminate the galleria’s force for us if we wait and let them,” Hale said.
“Yes, and they might kill the girl in the process. We can’t risk that.”
“Yes, sir. Of course. You’re right,” Hale said and then made his way toward the door.
Lundy grabbed a pair of socks out of the opened suitcase and sat down on the edge of the bed as Hale opened the door.
“Oh, Lieutenant,” Lundy said as he slipped on a sock.
Hale turned, still grasping the doorknob, and said, “Yes, sir?”
“Have your men capture a member of this new force, if at all possible.”
“Yes, sir,” Hale said. He then closed the door and was gone.
Well, so much for some shuteye, Lundy thought.
He then pulled on his other sock, strapped on his boots, and left the motel room as well.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Who are they?” Moira asked.
“We’re not sure,” Joe said.
They were leaving the food court and heading for the stairwell that led to the galleria’s roof.
“Any guesses?” Moira asked.
“No, ma’am. Our guys are saying there are only about four dozen of them, though. It shouldn’t be too hard to keep them at bay.”
“There could be more on the way, though.”
“That’s true,” Joe agreed.
Joe pushed the door open that led to the stairwell and held it open for Moira.
Moira nodded thanks, walked into the stairwell, and began climbing the stairs.
Joe followed her and reached out to grab her elbow in an effort to assist her.
Moira shrugged him off and said, “Believe it or not, I am capable.”
“Of course. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. A year ago I would have needed your help. But, if you do see me about to fall, I’d appreciate it if you’d catch me.”
Joe laughed and said, “Count on it.”
Moira was eighty-two years old and could now climb stairs better than she could at sixty-two, thanks to The Virus. She could see better out of her good eye as well. And she could now see better in the dark than she ever could, even as a girl.
Moira couldn’t believe how something as horrible as The Virus could turn out to be a mixed blessing. However, if the choice was hers, she would gladly surrender her newfound vigor if it meant ending The Virus. Unfortunately, others like her did not see things this way. She knew there were those who saw The Virus as nothing but a blessing, a source of power that they would have never known otherwise. Her daughter had been one of those. Her grandson still was.
They reached the top of the stairs and Joe opened the door to the roof and held it open for her. Moira and Joe walked over to the roof’s edge and began walking the perimeter counterclockwise, Moira scanning the horizon.
“Do you see anything?” Joe asked.
“Yes, about fifty of them. But I don’t feel anything,” Moira said.
“Meaning no Rheostats are with them,” Joe said.
“I wish you wouldn’t call us that,” Moira said.
“Hey, I didn’t make it up. You got to admit, it fits what you are pretty well.”
“It’s not the accuracy of the moniker that I have a problem with. It’s the fact that it dehumanizes us”
“It’s better than calling you all witches, like the others do,” Joe pointed out.
“Well, that’s true. Anyway, I don’t sense any of my kind out there, so we’re safe for the meantime.”
“And the girl?”
“She’ll be safe as long as she stays with us,” Moira said.
“Or until your grandson gets back.”
“Don’t worry about him. I can handle Matthew.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
I ran on Orin’s heels. He was fast, but Jack was faster. Jack had left us far behind. We rounded a corner and Orin stopped as I stopped beside him.
I scanned the food court and asked, “Did you see where he went?”
Orin pointed and said, “Yeah, he ducked into the restroom.”
“Well, come on then,” I said as I grabbed Orin’s sleeve and pulled him along with me as I headed toward the men’s room.
Orin grabbed my wrist, stopped, and said, “Maybe we should give him a moment to calm down? He’s safe in there and he can’t go anywhere.”
“How do you know? Have you ever been in there? What if there’s another exit?”
Orin frowned and said, “You know there’s not. It’s a restroom.”
“I don’t know anything until I see it for myself,” I said as I let go of Orin’s sleeve and continued toward the restroom.
Orin walked with me as he slid his rifle’s strap under and around his shoulders and pulled his pistols from the back waistband of his jeans.
He looked at me and said, “Okay, you go in. I’ll stand guard outside. Holler if you need help.”
“I can handle Jack,” I said as we reached the restroom’s door and I grabbed its handle.
I entered the restroom to find Jack crouched and hiding under the sinks. He was rocking back and forth with his hands over his ears.
As the door closed and the restroom was swallowed in darkness, I reached for the light switch when I realized I could see it perfectly. I then looked around and realized I could see the entire restroom clearly in the dark. It was as if I was looking through a pair of night vision goggles, only things weren’t monochrome. Everything was crystal clear, yet I could tell I was standing in darkness. It was a weird sensation. It then hit me that it probably had something to do with my eyes having changed color.
Jack didn’t look over at me at all. He wasn’t even aware I was there. He was trapped in his own world once again.
I only had two choices, two ways to draw him out of his own world: the whip or the locket. I holstered my pistol and pulled my locket out from beneath my t-shirt. I opened the locket and Fur Elise started right up.
A few seconds later Jack pulled his palms away from his ears and looked around. Then he started moaning. Finally he stopped rocking back and forth as he continued to look around.
I reached over and flipped the light switch. The restroom was washed with light and my vision shifted back to normal. I then crawled underneath the sinks, beside Jack, and began humming along with the locket.
; CHAPTER NINE
Colonel Lundy drove while Dr. Nichols rode shotgun. Lundy pulled the jeep into the parking lot of a furniture store that was located across the highway from the galleria. He parked next to four other jeeps and got out.
“Colonel,” Lieutenant Hale said as he climbed out of one of the jeeps.
Lundy walked over to Hale and said, “What do we got, Lieutenant?”
“We were able to capture two of them, sir. Rogers is bringing them here.”
“How long?”
“Any moment, sir.”
“Good. Have we taken any casualties?” Lundy asked.
“No, sir. A private was shot in the leg, but it’s only a flesh wound.”
Lundy nodded and then said, “And the hostiles?”
“Which ones?” Hale asked.
Colonel Lundy frowned and said, “I guess whichever ones you don’t want to keep me in the dark about.”
“Right, sorry, sir. No casualties to the galleria’s force. Fourteen of their attackers are dead, and half a dozen others wounded.”
“Who made the kills?” Lundy asked.
“Our snipers, mostly. The hostiles on the galleria’s roof have made a few kills as well.”
Lundy nodded and said, “Okay, make sure our snipers know not to let anyone into the galleria.”
“They know, sir. Here come our hostages,” Hale said as he pointed.
Lundy turned to see a black SUV enter the parking lot. Good. Maybe now we’ll get some useful Intel, Lundy thought.
The SUV pulled up alongside Hale’s jeep and stopped. The driver’s door opened and Sergeant Rogers climbed out.
“Colonel. Lieutenant,” Rogers said as he saluted them both.
“At ease, Sergeant. What do you have?” Lundy said.
“Two hostiles, sir. We grabbed them approaching the structure from the northeast.”
“Well done, soldier,” Lundy said.
The SUV’s front passenger’s door opened and Corporal Higgins climbed out. He then opened the back passenger’s door on his side as Sergeant Rogers opened the back passenger’s door on the driver’s side. Higgins pulled out one captive as Rogers pulled out the other. Higgins walked his captive around the SUV and stood him next to his comrade.
