The only problem with his plan was that the other men would be alive and relatively unharmed. If he knew what kind of gun each carried, he might feel a little less apprehensive about doing it. But even if they had fully automatic weapons like Tyler and Marcy, they didn't know they were hiding on the side of the house. The element of surprise might be enough to take them all out before they learned anyone else was there. Of course, that only made sense if Ricky didn't have someone else in the house.
Tyler leaned over to whisper his plan to Marcy. She deserved to know what he planned to do. Not only that, he needed her to be ready to charge the survivors out front shortly after.
Before Tyler could say a word, there was a high-pitched whistle from across the street.
Dan, Tyler thought. What the hell is he thinking? He's going to get himself killed.
A single pop of gunfire rang out, followed by more. After twenty seconds of the pops, a round of fully automatic gunfire rang out followed by the screams of the men out front.
Tyler wasn't sure who had the automatic weapon, but assumed it was Ricky since it was the last to fire. When the gunshots stopped, he imagined Ricky would be the victor, leaving the others dead or dieing in the middle of the yard.
Seconds after the gunfire came to a stop, one last shot rang out followed by a muffled thud.
Tyler looked over at Marcy and held up a finger. He got to a knee, and poked his head around the side of the trash can, wanting to see what had happened and to see if they would be able to go. As his head peered around the side of the house he glimpsed four bodies in the center of the lawn.
Three of the bodies were still. Blood soaked their clothes and pooled under the bodies, soaking the once dry earth.
The other body was moving though only just. A hand covered in crimson lifted to the air, blood dripping to the earth as the fingers wiggled. The shallow rise and fall of the man's chest suggested he wouldn't last much longer. At least, not without help.
With four men down, Tyler decided to risk peeking around the corner further. He knew, at most, there was only one other person in front of the house, but he didn't know if Ricky had been in the house alone or if he'd been with others. By waiting on the side of the house he hoped to get the jump on anyone else who stepped into his view.
Tyler inched around the trash can until he caught sight of the man he assumed to be Ricky on the porch. Blood soaked his loose fitting blue jeans from a wound Ricky held with his hand. Blood pulsed through Ricky's clenched fingers, further staining his pants.
"Is it safe?" Marcy asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Should be," Tyler said. "Just watch the front for someone inside."
When Marcy replied with a nod, the pair stood up and walked to the front of the house. Marcy held her weapon towards the man in the lawn while Tyler had his aimed at Ricky. Each of them watched the dropped weapons that rested on the ground not far from the men, both ready to pull the trigger if they so much as twitched for the weapons.
As Tyler got close to Ricky, the wounded man looked up, astonishment in his eyes. Tyler stifled a laugh at the reaction. He imagined the thoughts running through Ricky's head as he held a gun to his head. How, over the course of a few days, the situation had turned enough he was now the victim instead of the attacker.
"How did you…" Ricky gasped, unable to finish his sentence.
"That's not important," Tyler said. "Where's the keys?"
Ricky looked down at his pocket, not far from the leg that gushed more and more with each passing moment.
"I got it, mate." Dan said as he approached from across the street. Tyler hadn't heard the man walk across the street, but was glad to have him here. He didn't like the thought of lowering the gun off Ricky for one second, knowing that's all it would take for things to turn around, leaving him dead or dying with the others.
Dan reached for the keys and found them at the bottom of Ricky's deep pockets. He jingled them in the air then bent over and grabbed Ricky's AR-15.
Jim's hand dropped to the ground, his ring clanking against the side of a pistol that lie close to his hand.
Tyler jerked his head, fingers itching to pull the trigger at the threat until he realized what it was. Marcy lowered her weapon and shook her head to let Tyler know her target was dead, having bled out.
"What do we do with this one?" Dan asked, leveling his rifle at Ricky.
"Leave him," Tyler said.
"Leave him?" Dan countered. "He tried to kill you and you're going to leave him?"
Tyler nodded. He didn't need anyone to understand why he was doing what he was doing. Just needed them to listen. Without a weapon Ricky wasn't a threat. The way the blood in Ricky's leg pulsed with every heartbeat, it was only a matter of time until the man bled out. That was as good as a death sentence without the means to get it patched up soon. Without emergency services running around answering calls like this, it was only a matter of time until Ricky's body gave up its fight and joined the other dead bodies as they decayed.
Marcy knew what he was up to and wasn't in the mood to argue. The way she saw it, he was Tyler's decision and wouldn't stop him. To her, it didn't matter if he'd shot him in the head or walked away like he planned, the result was the same. The only difference being the amount of suffering Ricky would have to do until he passed.
She remembered how Tyler was when she'd first met him. Barely able to stand up before his dizziness would bring him down to his knees. With his severe concussion, she was unsure if he'd even survive a day. Thankfully, she'd been able to get him to a hospital before it got too bad, but even then it had been the quick action of a nurse that got him seen instead of left outside like the countless others before the National Guard showed up and pushed most the people away.
On her way to the truck, Marcy stopped and picked up the handguns from the dead men. She placed them in her pockets, allowing her to carry all three while allowing her to keep her M-16 at the ready, in case someone else was brave enough to attack.
Tyler held his gun at Ricky and backed away, holding his finger on the trigger in case the bleeding man had another move. He suspected he didn't, but he wasn't about to turn his back on the man to play it safe.
Dan's jaw lowered as he watched his companions walking away. He was shocked they were willing to walk away, leaving the man on the porch to bleed to death. They hadn't seemed the type of people who would leave a man to die like this. "You're really going to leave him?"
"Yep," Tyler said, finality in his voice. He didn't dare tell Dan the conflict raging between his ears. A battle for moral superiority. When they'd got there, he wanted nothing more than to face the man one on one to get justice for the things that had happened to him days before. But now, he didn't feel the same urge. The only thoughts going head were for his humanity. Leaving a man to die was in many ways worse than killing him yourself.
But this man had done the same to him. Attacked him, nearly killed him, for his truck. For a hunk of metal good only for transporting people and goods. That was reason enough for Tyler to leave him alone.
"I'm not sure I'm cool with this," Dan said, eyes jetting between Tyler and Ricky.
"Then do what you want. But if you're following me, you best hurry it up."
Tyler finished his trip to the driver's side of the truck where he finally lowered his weapon. He tossed the M-16 behind the seat and Marcy did the same while adding the three handguns to the pile. By the time he sat in the driver's seat Dan had walked away, leaving Ricky on the front porch to die.
Chapter Three
Tyler pulled out of the subdivision and onto one of the main roads. Most the street signs were torn down or were missing, making it difficult for him to find his way through town. Marcy worked to hook up the GPS unit Tyler picked up out of the Escalade, in hopes it would make the trip out of of the city a bit more smooth.
Dan followed behind Tyler, driving Jim's loud diesel truck. Tyler wasn't a fan of bringing the truck along, but Dan didn't like the thought
of leaving a running truck behind. Especially a truck suited to driving off-road around any traffic jams they might come across.
But that wasn't the reason Tyler went along with taking the truck. He secretly hoped that by giving him the option, Dan would take the truck and go off on his own.
Tyler believed something was wrong with the man. Dan reminded Tyler of a loose wire that only needed to touch a piece of metal or another exposed wire to create a fire that burned everything down. While Dan seemed fine so far, he couldn't help feeling like it was just a matter of time until he blew.
A few miles down the road Marcy coughed into her hand, breaking the silence.
"You OK?" Tyler asked, sparing her a glance.
"I think so," she responded. Tyler could tell by the look on her face something wasn't right. He hadn't known her for long, but she'd been something of an open book. She didn't have to tell him anything was wrong because it was written all over her face. Plastered like a poster on a kid's bedroom wall.
He slowed and gave her a knowing look. One that suggested he knew better, but didn't want to intrude. If she needed time to think about things, he intended on giving it to her.
A horn sounded behind Tyler. Dan flashed his lights off and on, signaling Tyler to pull over. Tyler waited until he found a parking lot off to the side of the road to pull off. He didn't like the idea of stopping with running vehicles, especially running vehicles full of supplies and weapons. It felt like they were making themselves a target, even if it wasn't intentional.
Tyler stopped the truck at the edge of the parking lot with the nose aimed to the street while Dan pulled alongside him and did the same. Unlike Tyler, who stayed in the seat and kept his truck running, Dan turned his off and hopped outside. He jogged around the back of Tyler's truck, running his hand along the side of the bed as he did.
Tyler rolled down his window and peered to his left. "What's up?"
"Figured this is as good a time as any to see what you have in your truck." Dan grabbed a corner of the blanket covering the supplies with his hand.
"We can check it when we stop for the night." If we stop for the night, he'd nearly said. He hadn't discussed it with Marcy, but he'd planned on having a talk with her about leaving Dan behind. It wasn't like Ricky who they'd left on the porch to die. Dan had his knife and the truck which was more than he could ask for. Not to mention, he'd been offered a gun. If he was too good to take one that wasn't Tyler's problem.
"Nah, mate. We need to split that stuff up. Put some in my truck in case something happens to yours."
Tyler's face flushed with anger. He reached for the handle and nearly ripped it off the door. The only thing that kept him from leaping out of the car and onto Dan was the touch of Marcy's hand on his leg.
"Nothing is going to happen to my truck. Hop back in and let's get a move on."
"Nothing is going to happen to your truck?" Dan let out a hearty laugh that echoed off the nearby empty buildings. "You just got the truck back. What makes you think it won't happen again?"
Tyler wanted to tell him it wouldn't because he didn't intend on stopping long enough to make himself a target. Then he thought about his trip. If everything went without a hitch, he only needed enough supplies for a couple of days. Perhaps even fewer than that. A few bottles of water and something to eat would be more than enough to get him back home. Less if Marcy was up to splitting time behind the wheel. Of course, that all depended on how clear the roads were on the way back, but at worst he needed to plan on having enough for a week.
"Fine," Tyler conceded. "Let's get this over with." Before getting out of the truck, he leaned over to Marcy and whispered, "if he tries something funny, shoot him." He expected her to be reluctant to agree, but she reached into the back seat and grabbed a handgun that was out of Dan's field of view.
As Tyler stepped out of the truck, Dan pulled the cover off the stuff and tossed it onto the pavement. Ten cases of water were set near the tailgate, next to a half dozen cases of soda. Behind that was three layers of canned goods set in partial cardboard boxes stacked three cans high. There was a variety of food in the cans from vegetables and fruits, soups, pastas, and even a few cans of meat. At the front of the truck near the cab was the biggest surprise of all. Nearly forty cases of domestic beer stacked two high.
"Well I know what I'm grabbing," Dan said, reaching for two cases of the beer. Tyler thought about telling Dan he could have all of it as long as he left the rest for them. The only thing that kept him from it was the realization it might actually have value beyond being liquid in a can. Even if he wasn't willing to drink it during his trip, it didn't mean he couldn't use it to trade for something else he wanted or needed down the line. The potential was enough to make him want him to keep some of it, if not his whole share.
They divvied up everything down the middle and loaded it into their respective trucks. While this went on, Marcy stayed in the passenger seat of Tyler's truck, fingers ready to pull the trigger if anyone was foolish enough to get close.
After the last of the supplies were split, Tyler went to put the cover over the rest of their supplies. Dan searched the parking lot looking for something he could use to do the same. This was part of the reason Tyler was against splitting the supplies in the first place. Leaving them out in the open for the world to see seemed like they were inviting trouble. If they were in a car or an enclosed SUV it would be different, but this wasn't right.
After a few minutes of not finding anything good enough to cover his supplies, Dan shrugged his shoulders and walked back to his truck. "What now?"
"We're getting back in the truck and not getting out until we're well out of town." The further the better, Tyler thought. By his guess it was late-afternoon, which would make it dark in about four hours. Traffic be damned he wanted to well on his way back home by then. At the least he wanted to be across the state line into Mississippi.
"You know," Dan said. "I don't think you've ever told us where we're going."
Tyler allowed a smile to crack at the edge of his lips. He'd hoped Dan wouldn't have ever brought this up. The longer Dan went without knowing where they were headed, the more likely it was for Tyler to put some distance between them. With the question out in the open, Tyler didn't feel the need to hide his intentions to Dan. He figured it may be enough for Dan to want to part ways.
"Flagstaff, Arizona. Heading back home to be with my family."
"No shit," Dan said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you were a local."
Tyler laughed hearing the words. "Nope. Desert boy, born and raised."
"Well it looks like I'm heading west." Dan smiled. "Hope you don't mind the company."
Tyler bit his lip to keep from screaming. "I thought you wanted to get back home."
"I do," Dan said. "It will be a hell of a lot easier from the west coast than from here."
Tyler had to admit, the thought was sound. He wasn't positive where Dan was from, but by his language and accent he pinned him as an Aussie. If that was the case, Tyler wondered how he planned to get home from there. He hadn't seen a plane in the air since the day the world changed. Tyler doubted pilots were gone, just the ability and power to move the lumbering behemoths from city to city like they did just days before. Thousands of people were needed across the country just to keep the local jets flying. That didn't consider those flying over the ocean.
Perhaps Dan could get home on a ship. They took more people to operate, but less people to keep the thing on track. Tyler was sure there would be a few boats still running across the oceans, saying they had the means to keep fueled up.
Tyler wasn't a fan of having Dan follow them, but welcomed him to follow anyway. He'd just have to talk to Marcy to come up with a plan for losing him on the trip. Perhaps it could be as simple as starting out on 10 then shooting north on 55 or 49 after putting some distance between them. Beyond that, he figured he could lose him while bypassing the major cities up ahead. There would be plenty of time to c
ome up with a plan once they were on the road.
After telling Dan the first part of the trip, Tyler got back in his truck.
As he buckled up, Marcy relaxed the grip on his gun. "Everything fine?"
"He wants to follow us out of town."
"You didn't tell him where you're going, did you?"
Tyler's face flushed.
"Why? I thought you wanted to get rid of him." She turned her body to put the gun back behind the seat.
"Figured he wouldn't want to follow us across the country." He reached across her and opened the glove box. As the door flipped open, his cell phone fell out, landing on the floorboard. "I forgot all about that."
Marcy put the gun in the glove box, closed it, and grabbed the phone. She pressed the button on the side to turn it on, but the screen remained black. "Dead."
Tyler nodded. He'd left his charger back in the hotel room, not far from the bed. If it were closer, he might have considered going back to get it, but from here it wasn't worth the risk. He slipped the phone into his pocket, intent on not losing it again.
Clouds filled the air above them, dark and foreboding as if full of rain. If it was a bad rain, it would make the trip more difficult, but at least it would limit the amount of people willing to get soaked to steal stuff they could get elsewhere.
Tyler pulled the lever, putting the truck in drive and noticed the gas gauge on the dashboard. They had a little under a quarter tank left. More than enough to get out of the city, but not a lot more. If he hoped to make it even halfway there, they needed plenty of fuel to get there.
"We need gas."
Marcy's jaw lowered. "Power is out everywhere. Where do you think we can fill up?"
Tyler shrugged. "We can figure that out on the way." If he ran across a gas station with the power still on, he'd pull in and fill up the tank. Barring that, he figured he could siphon tanks once they were out of town. Of course, that meant finding a hose and a gas can to put the fuel in. Tyler believed finding those might be harder than finding a powered up gas station, but he wasn't willing to bet on it.
Echoes of Tomorrow Season One: Episode Five (Echoes of Tomorrow: Season One Book 5) Page 2
