by Tom Larcombe
Anne looked thoughtful while he was speaking, then a smile spread across her face.
“Well, thank you for walking them home. I can't help but believe that everything will get back to normal soon. People are just scared and nervous; they'll settle down.”
“You're welcome,” Michael said.
He stood and walked towards the door. Jeff followed him. When they got out on the porch he stopped Michael.
“I couldn't help overhearing. Do you really think things are that bad?”
Michael nodded.
“I'm afraid they might be. I hope your mom's right, but I'm not seeing that. Tell you what, if there's a problem, bring your mom and sister to my place if you can. If you can't, then call me. Do you have a phone in the house?”
“Yeah mom has one of those government-subsidized ones.”
Michael pulled out one of the mine's business cards and jotted his number on the back.
“Here's my phone number. If there's a problem and you can't get them up to my place, call me. I'll come down in the Jeep and get everyone up there.”
Jeff tucked the card into his pocket.
“I'll do that,” he said.
Jeff turned and went back into the house. He waved before closing the door. Michael mounted his bike and started pedaling towards the grocery store. There were two armed guards in front of the store and he saw another pair when he went inside.
There are only two of the big bags of Cheetos left. I'll grab them both. I wonder if they have the small ones?
Michael looked around the store. Many of the shelves were empty or close to it. Snack foods still seemed to be well-stocked, if not anywhere near full. Things like pasta and rice were gone or nearly so. He went up to where the snack-sized bags were located and tossed most of the remaining small bags of Cheetos into his cart.
There were only two checkout lines open and, once again, partially filled carts littered the area beyond them. He ended up in the line with the same cashier as last time. When he put all his items on the belt, she looked up at him.
“Oh hey, are you on a junk food diet or something?”
“Yeah, can't you tell from my orange skin tone?”
Michael looked at his fingers. The cashier snickered.
“Oh wait, they're normal colored. Nah, I got a bird that loves these things and I heard you were getting low on stock so I thought I should get some for him,” Michael said.
“How many of these does your bird eat?”
“Not a lot, but I thought that since I stocked up for myself, I should stock up for him also. I see you decided to come in today.”
“I thought I recognized you. Yeah, I figure I'll keep to my regular routine, make sure I've still got a job when things get back to normal. A bunch of people haven't and the manager's already talking about replacing them.”
Michael counted out enough cash to cover the total shown on the register.
“Gotta go,” he said, pocketing his change. “I have another stop before I head home. Best of luck to you.”
“Have a nice day,” she replied and turned to the next person in line.
Michael's stop at the convenience store netted him another four of the large bags of Cheetos.
“Hey, if you need anything else you'll want to grab it now,” the man behind the counter said. “The gas is just about gone and the owner said that when it is he's not gonna open the store. Not enough traffic coming through to even cover my pay.”
“I think I'm good, I'll take a look just in case,” Michael replied.
He wandered through the store and was struck by a thought.
One of the things the grocery store was out of was toilet paper. I've got some at home, but not that much. It's light enough that I can tie a bag of it onto my backpack and not really notice. Maybe I ought to get any of it they have left.
There were only twelve rolls on the shelf. Michael grabbed them and then a few boxes of tissues as well. He could use those when the actual toilet paper ran out. He went back up to the counter.
“Dude, that's just weird.”
“I realized I didn't have much of it in the house and the grocery store was out. I thought I should grab it while I could.”
“Whatever...”
Michael managed to fit everything into his backpack and two, doubled up, plastic bags. He tied the plastic bags, one on either side, to the straps where they joined with the top of the pack. He tested it a little, the bags barely swung back and forth staying mostly in place.
He started riding towards his house and recalled what he'd mentioned to Pete the other day. He remembered how to ride, his legs just weren't used to it any more. He rode to the base of the hill, then pushed the bicycle the last half mile up the hill when his legs refused to pedal any farther.
He locked his bike to the back porch when he got home and carried his stuff into the house.
Okay, do I check things online again or do I try out the Garands? I think probably a few shots through each of the Garands first while it's still light out.
Michael removed the two M1 Garands from his gun safe and took a box of their ammunition also. He went out to the field beyond the mine buildings to the area he used as an impromptu firing range. He could see for miles beyond the backdrop he'd set up as a target. There were no houses out that way and anyone out there would be easily visible. He didn't see anyone so he started loading the guns.
I thought loading magazines sucked; clips are even worse, he thought.
It took him a bit, but he finally got the en-bloc clips loaded with eight rounds each. He had four clips and decided to fire off two with each rifle. He stood and scanned behind the target again. There was still no one visible so he slid his earplugs in. He sighted in on the target and squeezed the trigger.
The Garand felt like it had no recoil at first and the sound left his ears ringing even through the earplugs. He fired off the rest of the rounds, then walked the hundred yards to his target.
Not bad, all of them are on the target at least, even if only a couple are in the middle.
He walked back to the firing line and loaded the second Garand. Once again, his ears were ringing after the first shot. He also discovered that there was more recoil than he'd noticed. After two clips, he could feel it in his shoulder. It didn't hurt, exactly, he could tell that it would if he fired much more though. After checking how well the second one had fired, he decided to clean them and tuck them away. They were both serviceable and had fed the ammunition and fired flawlessly. The accuracy was okay, but not exceptional. The one bonus was that they packed a lot more of a punch than his Mini-14.
* * *
Michael put the Garands away in the gun safe and took out his Mini-14. If he needed a rifle anytime soon, he'd use the Mini. He was more comfortable with it after having fired thousands of rounds from the Mini on his makeshift firing range. He leaned it against the couch in the living room and went over to his computer. After booting the system and taking his precautions, he turned on some light classical music and opened his browser.
The browser opened slowly and after a minute displayed an error message.
'No internet connection detected.'
Crap, the net's out now? I'll try again tomorrow morning I guess. Maybe it's a temporary thing.
Michael went out and started cooking dinner. Mid-way through he heard the pet door open.
“Calvin, you hungry?”
“Caw!”
Michael dished up dinner for himself and the crow. After dinner he settled in with his book. Calvin sat on his shoulder while he read, at least until it started to get dark. When Calvin hopped off and headed for the kitchen, Michael glanced at the window and saw that the sky was getting dark. He followed Calvin to the kitchen and shut the door behind him.
Michael settled in with his book and read until he was tired enough that he thought he could sleep.
* * *
Chapter 11
The sound of broken glass falling followed the gunshots. Rynn
glanced around the back yard. The only thing that seemed like it might be useful was the barn.
“All of you, go hide in the barn. I'll find out what's happening,” Rynn snapped.
Cindy was frozen with shock. She stood still and stared at the house. Andi and Eugene each took one of her hands and started to drag her away. Sean and Randall ran towards the barn as fast as they could.
Rynn sprinted into the house through the kitchen door and cautiously made her way into the living room. The big picture window was shattered, shards of glass lying on the floor and sticking out of the frame. Todd was lying on the ground out in the driveway and three men with guns were getting out of the car that had arrived.
The last one to exit the car yanked a woman out of the front seat. Her hands and ankles were tied and her clothing was shredded. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
Well, shit! What am I going to do now? This little .22 isn't going to be much help. I could burn them down with a spell, but my control isn't good enough. I might hit her or Todd. If he's still alive, that would finish him off. If I could get closer I could probably miss those two, how can I do that?
Rynn winced as an idea occurred to her. She racked her brain for any other option to no avail. She closed her eyes half-way and forced her body to relax so she'd move loosely. She brought to the front of her mind how Todd had spoken when he was stoned. As she headed for the front door, she let herself put some sway in her hips. Over and over she thought.
I'm just a harmless, stoned woman. No danger to you at all. Watch me move and relax, I'm no danger.
She also prepared a fire spell and the strongest physical shield she could create, just in case her ruse backfired on her.
Rynn let the repeated thought dictate how she moved as she walked out the front door. She stopped on the porch, as though shocked at what she was seeing.
“Oh my God! What did you do to him?” Rynn said.
She moved towards Todd in a slow hurry, the way she thought someone stoned would move. The men from the car raised their guns when she first came out the door. After watching her for a moment the guns were lowered and the men exchanged glances.
She knelt next to Todd and saw that he was still alive. He'd been hit three times, but none of the shots were mortal wounds. He might still die from blood loss if he wasn't treated soon though. Rynn looked up and saw the three men approaching.
She staggered onto her feet, taking several steps backward in the process. The men continued to move towards her.
“Why would you do something like that? You totally harshed my mellow,” she said.
One of the men looked at her, his eyes traveling up and down her body. His tongue licked his upper lip and he grinned.
“Tell you what, Chica. I know how to get your mellow back on track,” he said.
Rynn took several more steps backwards, slowly drawing the men out onto the lawn and away from the cars, house, and the two injured people.
“Who are you?” Rynn asked, forcing her voice to tremble slightly.
“Don't matter. But what we are? We'd be your owners. Get down on your knees bitch,” said the man in front.
Rynn backed off five more steps before 'stumbling' and falling to the ground. The men closed in around her. The one who'd been speaking reached down as though to grab her and she released the fire.
Flames sprang to life all over her body, spreading out to encompass an area several feet beyond her skin. She reached out both hands and grabbed two of the men, drawing them in closer to her. Their screams set her ears to ringing, but she held on tight. The third man tried to back away with his clothes and hair already burning. She dragged the two men she was holding along as she stepped towards the one trying to back away.
I hate this spell. I don't burn, but the smell is hideous, the screams are nearly as bad, and I can't see a damn thing through the flames.
Rynn released the two men whose arms she was holding. They'd stopped struggling and become dead weight. The third man, the one who'd been talking, was still trying to get away. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
This close she could see that he was still trying to scream, but no sound was coming out. She tried to shut down the nausea she was feeling, tried to be callous and cruel, tried not to feel anything.
“What's wrong? You thought I was hot enough to rape. Now I'm too hot?” she said.
She squeezed him tightly, her arms closing on him like a vise, and felt his spine break in several spots. Rynn's attempt to feel nothing failed and she swallowed, trying not to vomit. When she let go of the corpse and stepped away, she also snuffed out the flames.
They were asking for it. There wasn't anything else I could do, she thought, trying to convince herself that she'd done the right thing.
Then she returned to Todd and the bound woman.
Todd was unconscious, still bleeding. Rynn moved him gently, trying to see if the bullets had gone through him or lodged in his body. She swallowed convulsively several times, trying to force the taste of bile back down her throat. Either what she'd had to do, or Todd's wounds, were causing the problem. Unsure of which it was she tried to force the feeling away, knowing that she had to stay focused to help him.
I can't stop to throw up now, maybe later. Crap, one of the bullets is still in there. I'll have to get that out. First I need to put pressure on the other wounds so he stops bleeding.
Rynn tore off Todd's shirt. It had bullet holes in it and was stained with blood, but she could still use it for bandages. She used her magic to quickly heat the shirt to the point where it was sterile and held it at that temperature for a minute or so.
She tore the shirt into smaller sections that she'd use for bandaging the bullet holes. There were two in his left arm and two in his right leg where the bullets had hit and passed through. The bullet that had lodged inside of him was inside his upper torso, just below his clavicle.
“Eugene! Andi!” Rynn yelled at the top of her lungs.
She wasn't sure if they'd hear her, but she could use the help if they did. Her belt would do for securing the makeshift bandages to his leg and might even stay secure if she wrapped it around him a couple of times. Todd was wearing a belt also and, with a little difficulty she slid it off of him. That one secured the bandages on his arm.
Finally, she concentrated on his chest wound. She sent a tiny bit of her consciousness in through the wound and found the bullet several inches inside of him. It had tumbled a little, done damage to the muscles, and also chipped the bone slightly.
She increased the amount of herself inside the wound and used her power to grasp the bullet. By angling it slightly she could guide it out through the wound channel with the least amount of aggravation. After repositioning the bullet, she slowly drew it out with an gentle exertion of her power.
Rynn dropped the bullet on the ground and placed the last of the makeshift bandages on the wound as blood started seeping out. Her hand held the bandage in place, keeping gentle pressure on the wound.
The sound of someone retching nearby caught her attention. She glanced up and saw Eugene rubbing Andi's back. Andi was kneeling on the ground, looking at the charred corpses, and vomiting.
“Eugene, I need help here,” Rynn called.
She could see the emotions warring on his face. With a final pat to Andi's back, he left her and came to Rynn.
“I need something to hold this bandage in place while we get Todd inside. We'll need something to use as a stretcher as well.”
He nodded and ran to the pickup truck. After rummaging in the back for a minute, he came up with a ball of plastic twine, the kind you'd use to tie down a tarp in the back of a truck. He handed it to Rynn and then ran to the house.
She measured out a piece of twine and then cut through it with her fingernails. The twine secured the last bandage on Todd before Rynn went over to the bound woman. At her approach the woman tried to squirm away. The fear in her eyes, directed at Rynn, let her know that the woman had seen
the Blaze spell. The duct tape over the woman's mouth explained why Rynn had heard nothing from her.
“I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to untie you,” Rynn said.
The woman relaxed a fraction and Rynn went to work. The first thing she did was tear the duct tape off.
“Sorry, I know that hurt but stay still and I can get you untied without hurting you any more.”
Rynn used her nails to slice through the ropes that held the woman's wrists and ankles together. The woman scrambled backwards, her limbs moving in an awkward, jerky motion. She propped herself against the car and tried to use the remnants of her shirt to cover herself.
“Is Todd...” she started to ask a question and stopped in the middle.
“He's alive, I hope we can keep him that way,” Rynn said.
“Oh God! I should've stayed here before when he asked me. This is all my fault. All the way down here they were groping me and telling me what was going to happen later on. Now Todd's hurt because of me also.”
She burst into tears. Rynn, having no time to deal with that, turned back to Todd and saw Eugene coming out of the house, a heavy blanket in his hands.
“Good idea Eugene. We'll probably need three of us to carry that though,” Rynn said.
A glance back at the woman told Rynn that she'd be no help. Andi, however, was standing up and pointedly looking anywhere but at the burnt corpses.
“Andi, over here,” Rynn called.
Eugene and Rynn laid the blanket out beside Todd.
“We'll have to lift him and move him onto the blanket. Be careful of his arm and leg wounds. I think I'll take him under his shoulders and you can get his good leg, Eugene. Andi, support his bad leg, but don't put any pressure on it, okay?”
Rynn folded Todd's arms onto his chest. Andi and Eugene positioned themselves at his feet.
“Ready? On three. One... Two... Three...”
Rynn lifted Todd by his armpits, using her forearms to keep his wounded arm from sliding off his chest. They moved him onto the blanket and he let out a groan.
