Fall of Houston Series | Book 4 | No Surrender

by Payne, T. L.

  Reluctantly, Will moved from the cover of the large oak tree and made his way toward the road. He could see the gunner spin around to fire. Will found the back of the man’s head in his sights and followed as he turned. As soon as he stopped, Will trained his weapon on the side of the man’s face just beyond where his helmet stopped and squeezed. The communist soldier slumped forward. A barrage of rounds kicked up the dirt and leaves five feet to his right.

  Will dove to the ground, rolled, and sat up behind a tree trunk. It wasn’t big enough to conceal him, and he doubted it would stop the rounds the gunner in the last Dongfeng was firing at him. He needed to move, but there was no way he could make it back to the large tree he’d previously hidden behind. He was stuck with his back toward the enemy. He shut his eyes as round after round whizzed past him, expecting one to find its target at any second. When the shooting stopped, Will exhaled the breath he’d been holding and sprinted toward cover.

  Back at the large oak, he scanned the scene on the roadway. Two gunners were now slumped over their weapons. Will was grateful that someone on the opposite side of the convoy was a good marksman. He wouldn’t have lasted much longer. He was sure of that.

  He waited for at least ten minutes for more activity, hating the waiting game. Every muscle in his body was tense as he scanned from vehicle to vehicle. In total, he spotted four enemy soldiers on the ground and two more dead in their turrets. Out of the five vehicles, how many more were there to kill? The third vehicle was still smoking, although Will couldn’t see any flames. Had the fire penetrated the vehicle? Why hadn’t the occupants fled?

  Another few minutes passed without a sign of the combatants, then suddenly, all the doors opened, and they began firing into the woods that lined both sides of the road. Will returned fire. He was on his last magazine when the final soldier fell to his knees. Will couldn’t see what was happening on the opposite side of the convoy so changed positions and moved to a clump of trees near the back of the vehicles.

  He heard one three-round burst and then another, and suddenly two soldiers sprinted toward the underbrush. Will stopped, squeezed the trigger, and fired, but his shot must have been high and missed. Someone, likely Jason, fired, and one of the men went down. The other didn’t even look back. He kept going, diving into the foliage, and disappearing. Will ran to where he last saw the soldier and fired into the brush as Jason arrived and made his way along the woodline. He disappeared for a moment before exiting.

  “He’s gone,” Jason said, firing a final round into the man’s compatriot on the ground. Will looked north along the length of the convoy. He counted six bodies. The doors to the Dongfengs were open. He and Jason cleared each vehicle and met Pete and Rob on the other side.

  “How many got away?” Will asked.

  “No way of knowing for sure, but at least four,” Pete said.

  “Should we go after them?” Jason asked.

  Pete pointed to the Dongfeng and then to the soldier’s rifle in his hands. “No. We got what we were after.”

  Twenty-One

  Isabella

  Roseville, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

  As soon as Walker pulled open the door, the group rushed toward it. They were bumping into each other and fighting for their positions in line. Isabella was holding Kylie as tight as she possibly could. She was bumped into the wall and almost went down, but she held on despite the child’s thrashing. She could still hear her screaming beneath the two layers of duct tape. Jane hadn’t wanted to take any more chances with the kid. Cayden had his hands on Isabella’s back as they exited the building. Kendra and Karson each had hold of one of Keegan’s hands. They were together and moving towards the warehouse door. All was going well until Kylie spotted her mother. She thrashed all the more and cried out. The duct tape held, and it was only a muffle. Hopefully not loud enough for the bad men to hear.

  Inside the dark warehouse, Isabella slammed her knee into something and let out a curse word. She shook off the pain and rushed to keep up with the others. Jane and Luca each had two children with them and were moving slowly. Isabella wanted out of the dark space. She needed to get past them. As she turned her body sideways to squeeze around them, Kylie arched her back and kicked out. It knocked Isabella back into the wall, causing her to bump her head. Isabella gritted her teeth to restrain herself from swatting the girl. If ever a child needed a good old fashion butt whopping, it was Kylie.

  “Stop fighting, Kylie. We need to get out of here before the bad men get us.” Isabella grabbed her arm. “Or do you want me to leave you here for them?” Kylie stiffened, and the thrashing stopped as she fell silent. The threat had worked, but Isabella felt horrible. She hated losing her temper with a child. What kind of person was she? She’d have to apologize when they reached safety—to Kylie and Savanah.

  The light of the doorway was nearly blocked out by people streaming outside. Isabella waited her turn impatiently. She kept glancing behind them, expecting to see marauders coming for them. When she finally stepped outside, she drew in a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air and sunlight. She hated the dark.

  Jack was in the lead and crossed over the street first. He waved them over, and everyone ran west toward Pine. They moved much quicker than Isabella had thought they would and reached the community center in a few minutes. Jack held the door open as the children and teens filed past. Isabella reluctantly pushed through the doorway in search of Kendra, Karson, and Keegan. They needed to stay together. She had to do a better job of keeping them close. She turned down a long hallway that ended in the gymnasium, finding Kendra and her brothers in the corner. She thrust Kylie into Kendra’s arms and moved quickly to check the set of steel double doors. They were chained together. It would be difficult for anyone to get in. But it would also be difficult for them to exit the building. They needed to find the key or bolt cutters, just in case.

  “I’m going to the office to find the key,” Isabella told Jack as she passed him in the hall.

  “We need to be able to unlock that door and make a quick escape if necessary.”

  “The key is hanging just inside the door to the office,” Jack yelled after her.

  The guys had done a thorough search of the town. They were much more familiar with it than she was. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

  Isabella found the key right where Jack had said it would be. She’d removed it from the hook and was turning to leave when she glanced out the office’s side window. Movement caught her eye, and she stopped, turned, and waited to see what it was. She thought it might be stragglers or Walker and Savanah but what she saw sent panic through her bones. She dropped down below the window and crawled into the hall then stood and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

  “They found us,” she whispered to Jack as she passed him. “I’m going to unlock the door and then tell everyone to run.”

  “Where to? Where can we go now?” Jack asked.

  “Kurthwood. That was our next rally point.”

  Isabella ran to the door and attempted to insert the key, but with her hand shaking so badly, she dropped it and had to try again. Finally, she was able to get the key inserted, turned, and the lock removed. She shoved open the door, and light flooded the windowless room. “Everyone move now. They’ve found us. Move quietly. Hurry!” Isabella said.

  Jane and Luca each grabbed two children. Everyone else fell in behind them. Cayden held on to one of Kylie’s hands, and Kendra held the other. They had her lifted off her feet and she was kicking with all her might. They would need to deal with her. Isabella had to secure the front door and try to hold off the bandits. She had to give the others time to get away.

  Jack was there and had already secured the lock. “You go. I got this,” he said.

  “We should both stay and hold them off as long as possible.” Isabella gripped her bat with both hands.

  “Let’s move to the back door. We’ll follow the group and slow down anyone following them.”

  “Okay,”
Isabella said.

  She watched the others disappear around the corner of a church and turned to see where Jack was. He was gone. She was standing there alone. She turned back, trying to decide what to do when something hit her in the back—hard. It knocked the breath out of her. She fell forward onto her knees, felt hands entangled in her hair, and then she was being dragged to her feet.

  She’d been captured.

  Her mind went numb for a moment. Time slowed as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

  Is this real?

  Her worst nightmare had just become a reality, and there was nothing she could do to wake from it.

  Jack called her name.

  “Go, Jack! Get them out of here!” she yelled. Someone yanked her hair, nearly pulling her off her feet. An arm wrapped around her waist, and she was dragged toward the street.

  Twenty-Two

  Savanah

  Walker reached for the doorknob and nodded to Savanah. She raised her bat, ready to charge the men. He yanked open the door and it banged against the wall, causing Savanah to jump. Her heart was racing. Pure adrenaline propelled her through the open door behind Walker. He rushed toward the men. Luckily, the taller of the two had his back to the door. The second man was leaning against a box truck. He straightened and looked their way.

  Walker hit the taller man in the back with the full weight of his body. As the two men crashed to the ground, Savanah hauled back her bat and swung, hitting the second man in the shoulder. He swung around to face her, raising a large tactical knife and jabbing it at her. She jumped back a second before it would have made contact with her abdomen. He lunged but tripped on Walker’s feet as he and the tall man wrestled for the pistol in the man’s hand.

  Savanah swung again, this time making contact with the shorter man’s head. He dropped to one knee and fell forward, catching himself with his outstretched right arm. As Savanah swung again, she spotted the members of her group from the corner of her eye. They were on the move. Anger and fear pulsed through her veins. She raised the bat over her head and slammed it down on top of the man’s skull. He fell forward on his face, unmoving. Savanah kicked him in the ribs as she watched Isabella and the others slip inside the vacant warehouse. Kylie reached out for her. That’s when she noticed the duct tape. Her heart broke for her baby girl.

  Rushing around the dead man, Savanah moved quickly toward Walker and the tall man. Walker had his hand on the gun, but so did the man. His finger was just outside the trigger guard. She had to stop him before he got off a shot and brought the rest of his crew down on them. Savanah leaned forward and kicked the man in the head with all her might, allowing Walker to roll onto his side. Savanah smacked the attacker repeatedly in the back with the bat, but he refused to release his grip on the pistol.

  Walker slammed the man’s hand against the pavement of the parking lot, and the gun went skidding away. The man cried out. Savanah drew in a quick breath and held it. She spun around, waiting for the other bad men to arrive, standing with her feet apart, and bat raised. They would have to go through her to get inside that warehouse. Behind her, she heard the muffled cries of the man. She took a chance and glanced back. Walker had both hands tightly gripped around the man’s throat; his face was red and his eyes wide with terror, his mouth open as he tried to get air.

  Strangling someone took a lot of strength and time. Walker’s arms were shaking. How long could he hold on? The sunlight glinted off the barrel of the gun, and Savanah ran to retrieve it. She rushed back, dropped to her knees, and pressed it against the man’s temple, all while keeping watch for his compatriots. Had they heard him cry out? Were they planning to attack them? What the hell were they waiting for?

  A moment later, the man stopped resisting and went limp. Walker pressed two fingers against the man’s neck. “He’s dead.”

  “Let’s go,” Savanah said.

  “Not yet. We need to drag them inside.”

  “What?” She just wanted to get to her babies. “Why?”

  “It will buy us time. If they spot two dead men in the parking lot, they’ll know we escaped.”

  Savanah got to her feet, Walker grabbed one of the first man’s arms, and the two of them dragged the dead man into the store. They hauled the second man inside the same way. Walker pulled the door closed, leaving the dead bodies concealed inside. When Savanah turned toward the warehouse, she spotted the pool of blood where the man she’d bashed had fallen.

  “Walker.” She pointed to the crimson stain.

  Walker spun in circles, scanning the back of the store, and then turned toward the warehouse. He ran over and yanked on the rubber mat just outside the warehouse doors. He pulled it over and covered the stain. It wouldn’t be immediately visible, but the rug was out of place, though might be enough to buy them time. They needed all the time they could get.

  Walker and Savanah ran through the dark warehouse, finally making it out the other side and onto Eighth Street. Walker stopped and scanned up and down the street. “It’s clear.”

  “Do you see the others?” Savanah said.

  “No.”

  That was a good thing. That meant that they’d made it down the street and were heading north toward the community center. They were likely already there waiting for them.

  Walker raced across the street and ran close to the buildings. Savanah followed, trying to stay near him. Her head whipped back and forth, checking behind them every few seconds. Walker stopped at an alley between two shops, gripping the pistol they’d taken from the man in both hands. Before checking the alley for bandits, he dropped the pistol’s magazine and counted the rounds.

  “How many?” Savanah asked.

  “Four.”

  Four was good. They’d done well with less before. Walker was a trained law officer. He could take out an attacker with one shot. She backed up one step as he leaned around the corner.

  “It’s clear,” he said.

  They crossed the alley and continued west along Eighth Street. When they reached the intersection, Walker scanned the street to the south and then to the north before stepping around the corner of the three-story bank building. They were heading north on Pine. They had three blocks to go to reach the others.

  Savanah’s knees buckled as they reached the community center. It was surrounded by marauders. They were laughing and throwing bricks and bottles at the windows. Walker grabbed her by the arm, placed a hand over her mouth, and pushed her behind a florist’s van.

  “Quiet, Savanah.”

  She wasn’t aware she’d said anything.

  “Quiet. It’s okay. We’ll think of something. They are all outside. They haven’t made it in.” Walker’s eyes darted back and forth between the vehicle behind them and the van in front of them.

  “What are we going to do, Walker? My babies,” Savanah whispered.

  “Let me think.”

  He leaned down and looked under the van.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking at the fuel tank. It’s not punctured.”

  “What?”

  “There might be enough fuel in it.”

  “It won’t start. It’s too new.”

  “I don’t need it to start. I just need that fuel to catch fire.”

  He stood and grabbed her hand.

  “You want to create a diversion?” she asked.

  “It’s the best I’ve got.”

  They ran back north along the sidewalk for about thirty feet and stuffed themselves into the entryway of a gift shop. Walker leaned forward and aimed. Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, Savanah spotted Jane crossing an alley a block over. Behind her were Karson and Keegan. Savanah tapped Walker on the shoulder and pointed.

  “They got out,” he said.

  “We have to get to them and make sure everyone made it out,” Savanah said.

  Walker ran back to the florist’s van and peered around the bumper toward the community center. A second later, he returned to Savanah.

&
nbsp; “We need to go back south and find a way to cross the street without being spotted.”

  “We could lose them.” Savanah stared in the direction Jane had traveled.

  Walker turned and looked south and then north along Pine Street. He pointed to a pickup truck parked at the curb. “We can try to cross there. We should go at the same time. There would be less of a chance for them to see us.”

  Savanah nodded. All she wanted was to get to her children. Her mind was racing. She knew they couldn’t afford to make careless mistakes. “You’re right. We need to be more careful. We’ll head back toward Ninth Street and cross where the road bends slightly. I don’t think they’ll be able to see us there.”

  It would take time. They’d need to stay low and move slowly to avoid attracting attention. Walker crouched and took off fast-walking, staying close to the cars parked along the curb. They ducked and ran between vehicles. It took at least five minutes for them to make it two blocks. When they reached the intersection, Savanah glanced north toward the community center, trying to determine if they would be seen when they crossed. She couldn’t see anyone. The community center building was obscured by the church on the corner of Tenth Street.

  “I think we’re good.” She stepped out onto the street and was about to run across when Walker grabbed her and pulled her back.

  “Someone’s coming.”

  She cursed under her breath and edged between a mid-sized sedan and an older SUV. Savanah listened. All she heard was her own labored breathing. “Are you sure?”

  He pointed. “Two buildings down on the right side of the street. The ice cream shop. See them. A man and a woman.”