“Well,” Stone quickly cut in, “I’ll be damned if you’re leaving without me, kid. Home isn’t a place, it’s the people I care about. You can count me in!”
I smiled, but then asked, “What about Buba?”
He chuckled and said, “I’ve actually already thought about it. I figured you’d end up deciding to leave town with Bibi, after what she said. I’ll have to talk with Buba, of course, but I don’t see why he can’t come with us. Unless, you have a problem with it.”
I thought about it and then said, “Nope, no problem.”
Ranger was the next one to speak, “I don't need to think about it. I’d like to go with you, if you’ll have me.”
“Yes,” I told him, “you’re welcome to join me, just keep in mind we’re never coming back. We’ll probably be outlawed after tonight. That goes for anyone who comes with us.” I was looking specifically at Lexa and Singer.
Lexa looked from her brother to me. “I told you once, Dana, I’d follow you anywhere,” she said softly, “I meant that, but... I can’t leave my brother...”
“No!” Singer suddenly blurted out, “Lexa, we should go with them, and the girls too. It's crazy to stay here without Dana, Bibi and Stone. This town is lost already and it'll only get worse without them." He looked at me and argued, "I know I can’t hunt or shoot a gun, but you’ll need someone to take care of Xandy" He turned to Stone and added, "I could continue schooling Buba too, and Nelly and Mimi.”
Lexa smiled kindly, put a hand on Singer's shoulder and then said, "Well, it looks like we're coming along."
"Just one thing," Ranger asked, "how exactly do you plan on getting Bibi out your apartment?"
"I have a plan," I revealed, "sort of... I'm still working on some details in my head. I can get Bibi out myself, but we're going to need a pickup truck, or a van preferably, one that's big enough for all of us. I'd also like to take some of my hunting bikes. Stone, can you handle that?" I looked at him apologetically.
He scratched his chin and said thoughtfully, "Maybe... How soon are you planning on leaving?"
"Right after dinner," I answered, "The minute they turn off all the lights, if possible."
"Right," he accepted, "in that case, I better get going. I'll let you know at dinner. Anything else?"
"Not on your part," I said, "If you can get the van, I'll handle the rest."
With that Stone walked out the door.
"Lexa," I told her, "you and Singer better get going as well. Get the girls, get whatever you need and meet me back here, before dinner. We'll leave all our stuff in the hut until it's time to go. Okay?"
"Okay!" they both replied before heading out as well.
"What about me?" Ranger wondered, "I need to get my bow, but that's about it."
I nodded at him and said, "Then go get your bow. If I'm not here when you get back, go around to the back and wait for me there."
"Why?" he asked, "Where are you going?"
"To find Bibi's stash," I informed him, "the one that Godric never actually found. It still has two or three pistols in it and plenty of ammo. I'm going to need it to get Bibi out of that apartment. I'll meet you back here."
We both went out, I locked up and then we went our separate ways. Remembering where exactly that dead end was, in those alleys, was going to be the real challenge. The sun was already beginning to set, but there were still some people walking up and down the streets. I managed to slip into the alleys unnoticed and started looking for the chest. I felt like I was walking in circles for a moment there, but eventually I found it. I got it out from under the rubble and opened it. Bibi was so confident no one would find it, that she didn't even bother to lock it. There were two pistols, five clips... and a few extra bullets. It was all I needed. I took out the guns, loaded them and slipped them into my jacket, one on each side. Then I shoved the clips into my pockets. Looking down into the chest, I saw that those two bottles of whisky were still there...
"What the hell," I decided, taking one of them out and tucking it under my arm. It would make Bibi happy and I doubted anyone would notice it in the darkness. I closed the chest, covered it up again and walked back through the alleys. It was so easy. I got to thinking that I should have done some stashing of my own. I never really needed it, but... having stuff like that for a rainy day was... well, a life saver, in my case. When I got back to the hut, Ranger was already there with his beloved bow.
"I just hope no one decides to come investigate my hut while we're at dinner," I commented, taking out the guns, the ammo and the bottle. I set them on the table.
"Whisky?" Ranger asked suspiciously.
I explained casually, "For Bibi."
He nodded understandingly and then watched me as I started thinking things through.
"What?" I asked him, after a short while.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, "I just like watching you do your thing."
"This isn't my thing, you know," I pointed out, "Hunting is my thing. This is just me improvising."
"Maybe," he suggested, "but I think you might actually be even better at this than you are at hunting."
"Really?" I wondered, searching the cabinets for maps, compasses and other stuff, "Cuz I've always hated having to improvise. All I've ever really wanted was a quiet life... a daily routine... not having to make decisions all the time or come up with solutions to new problems." I sighed. "I guess we just have to adjust to whatever life throws our way. Right now, it's getting Bibi the hell out of Harptown."
When I looked back up at Ranger, he had walked up to me. I almost bumped into him as I turned around. He wrapped his hands around my waist and kissed me. I had almost forgotten we were... together or whatever... it felt good having someone to share my worries. It was great actually. We kissed for a short while, but then there was a knock at the door. I quickly pulled away from Ranger, as Singer walked in, with his guitar and four backpacks.
"What's all this stuff?" I asked him.
"Don't ask," he replied, catching his breath.
I realized it wasn't all his. Lexa, Nelly and Mimi followed him in with more backpacks and their hunting bows over their shoulders. The girls both looked at me with a mixture of wonder and fear. Clearly, they were ready to leave town, but they were smart enough to know it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Judging by the number of backpacks though, they hadn't fully realized just how much their lives were about to change. But no one could really tell them that, they'd have to learn and get used to it on their own. As they set their things down in a corner, there was another knock on the door. It was Buba. He had only a small bag and his own bow with him.
He looked at me bewildered and asked, "We're really leaving town?"
"We are," I confirmed, "From here on in, it'll be like a really, really long hunting trip. You ready for that?"
"I'm ready for anything," he declared, "as long as I'm with you guys."
"So are we!" Mimi quickly added.
"That's good to hear," I told them. I turned to Buba and asked, "What about Stone?"
"He said he was going to talk with some people about something," he informed me, "He told me he'd meet up with you at dinner."
"Yep," I accepted, "that's the plan."
"So," Singer cut in, "what now?"
"Now we go for dinner," I told them all, "Leave your stuff here, we'll be back for it after we eat. Stone and I will take care of everything."
"Don't you need help with anything?" Ranger asked unsure, "We can help, you know."
I thought about it and then admitted, "I'm so used to doing things, just Stone, Bibi and me... let's wait and see what Stone comes up with, then we'll see what kind of help we'll need, okay?"
They all agreed. We still had some time on our hands before dinner, so I started thinking... I knew how I was going to get Bibi out of the apartment, and hopefully, Stone would get us the truck or van or whatever... so, how were we going to get out of town?
I looked around at the others and asked, "Who here wouldn't
mind pointing a gun at the guards? I'm not looking to kill anyone, but we have to be prepared for anything."
"I wouldn't mind," Ranger declared.
"Neither would I," Buba cried.
"No, Buba," I denied him, "I'm sorry, but I'm not putting you, Nelly or Mimi in that kind of danger... not tonight anyway..."
"Lexa?" I asked, "What about you?"
She hesitated before answering, "Well, I know how to shoot a gun, but... I've never actually had to shoot anyone before. I just don't know."
"That's perfectly alright," I reassured her, "I'm just asking to know where we stand. Who here knows how to drive a car?"
"Singer and I know can drive," Lexa said, "I mean, it's been years, but we came to town in a minivan. I taught Singer how to drive when he was younger. After we got here, they took away our car. We haven't driven since."
"Yeah," Singer admitted, "I'm not sure I remember how to actually drive. If we have to get out of here in a hurry... I might screw it up."
"Lexa," I asked her, "Do you feel confident enough to take the wheel if we need it?"
"I think so, yeah," she replied.
"Then be prepared to do that," I suggested, as I picked up Bibi's pistols from the table. I double checked them and then stuffed them back into my jacket. "Okay, let's go. I'll meet you guys at the cafeteria."
Singer asked concerned, "You're going there armed?"
"Yep," I replied, "Just keep your cool, okay?"
He smiled nervously and commented, "Sorry, I keep forgetting you know your way around guns."
I left them behind and went home. Ignoring the guards again, I went inside. If they only knew I had two handguns with me... but they didn't have a clue.
"Ready for dinner, baby?" I asked my brother, "put on your coat." As he went to get it, I pulled out one of the guns and slipped it to Bibi, without letting my brother see it.
"Let's do this shit," she muttered devilishly.
"Dinner first," I told her, "Kicking ass afterwards."
"Gotcha," she accepted, hiding the gun in her arm bracer, "Just one thing, I have a special stash I want to get to before we leave. I've kinda been keeping some stuff for just this occasion."
"You have a leaving home stash?," I asked impressed.
"You know me, Doll," she replied, "I was never into putting my fuckin' roots down to begin with, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," I said, thinking about it, "Okay, I'll try and fit it into the schedule. Where is this stash exactly? Do you think we'll need help getting your stuff, with your injured arm and all?"
She was annoyed with the question, but restrained herself and answered honestly, "Actually, it might be a good idea to have a third set of arms. The stash is next to your old apartment, in that alley behind your building."
Making a mental note of it, I led her and Xandy outside. The guards, still completely clueless, escorted us to the cafeteria, where we found the others. Only Stone wasn't there yet.
"Bibi," I requested, "can you go in with the kids? I'm going to wait for Stone out here."
She nodded in agreement, took Xandy by the hand and led Buba, Nelly and Mimi inside. After the guards followed her, I gathered the others around me.
"I think I have a plan," I reported, "We only need to see what kind of transportation Stone can get us... then I think I'll have all the final details down."
Just as I finished talking, we saw Stone walking up to us. He had a positive look on his face.
"Alright," he reported, "so, I spoke with Dr. Cassino. I pretended I was checking up on him, just dropping by for some chitchat..."
"How is he, by the way?" I wondered.
"Looks like he's doing okay," he said, "all things considered. Anyway, he told me they just finished repairing three vehicles, a van, a four seat pickup and a two seat pickup. They're just sitting there, with the keys in the ignition, waiting for their respective owner to pick them up tomorrow morning. We can take our pick."
"Do you think we can take two?" I asked, "Lexa here can drive. We might be able to fit everyone into the van, but it's going to be a tight fit, the ten of us. If we managed to take the van and the four-seater, it would be sweet."
"Yeah," he considered, "but I'll need help. Can you handle a gun, Lexa?"
"Ranger will go with you," I said confidently, "He'll handle the gun, Lexa will handle the van. Right?"
They both agreed.
Stone looked around and whispered, "You're gonna need this." He cautiously reached into the backside of his pants and pulled out a gun. He handed it to Ranger, who hid it in his jacket pocket.
I cocked my head at him and wondered, "Am I the only one in this town who doesn't have illegal goods stashed away somewhere? Dammit!"
"Guess so," he chuckled, "So, what's the plan, kid?"
I took a moment to go through it in my mind and then started presenting it to them, "Okay, here's how it's going to go down... We head out after dinner. It's probably best if we take our time in the cafeteria, talking or whatever. Let everyone else go home. The less people in the streets, the better. We leave one by one. Stone, Lexa and Ranger first, you guys head for the car shop and wait for me there. Take out whoever you have to, but do it quietly. You have to be able to stay there for a short while. I'll bust Bibi out of my apartment as quickly as I can, but she said she has this special stash she wants to get to. Singer, you're coming home with me after dinner. Don't worry, Bibi and I will handle the guards. Remember, my brother will be with us, so just keep him close for me and keep your head down. We'll also need your help getting Bibi's stuff." I turned back to Stone and continued, "Once we're done, we'll meet you guys at the car shop. It's safe to assume that someone will hear us the minute we start the engines, so that's when we start speeding things up. We get to the hut as fast as we can and load everyone and everything into the cars. Lexa, you need to tell Buba and the girls to be ready for that. I think our best way out of town is the east gate, no one ever uses it. There'll probably only be four guards there, we can handle that. By then, being quiet won't be a priority anymore, so if we have to shoot them all down... we just shoot them all down. We open the gates and step on the gas... That's it, I think... Am I missing anything?"
The others all stared at me, going through the steps.
"I think you have it all covered," Stone finally commented, "The only thing I fear is not being able to get those gates open. They haven't been used in ages. What if they're stuck in place or something?"
"Do you have an alternative?" I asked.
"The south gate," Stone informed, "We've used it once or twice. We might have to deal with more guards, but at least we know we'll be able to go through."
"Fine," I decided, "south gate it is. We better be ready for a firefight... we might not have the element of surprise on our side anymore. Anything else?"
No one spoke up so we silently acknowledged the plan and went inside... we ate... we talked... and we waited... How the guards didn't notice the tension in the air was beyond me. Thankfully, they remained completely and utterly oblivious to our scheme. Stone left... Ranger and Lexa followed him after a few minutes... Then I nodded at Singer. He took my brother's hand and we started heading out with Bibi and her escort. Singer was clearly nervous, but there were no butterflies in my stomach. I was cool and focused.
When we got to the apartment, the neighbors were as noisy as ever. We'd have to be careful not to alert any of them. We went inside, the guards stayed outside. Singer took Xandy in his arms and sat in the corner, behind the bed.
"You ready?" I asked Bibi.
She took out her pistol and nodded at me.
I opened the door and called the guards, "Hey. Can you give us a hand with this?"
They both came in cautiously, but Bibi closed the door behind them, before they even realized what was going on.
Pointing my gun at them, I ordered them quietly, "On your fucking knees, if you want to live! And put your fucking hands up! Quickly! Come on! Come on!"
Th
ankfully, they didn't react. Maybe all those dead men at the hut showdown made them think twice before trying anything stupid. Bibi took their guns and handed them to Singer. But both the guards had very tense expressions on their faces, like they were fearing for their lives.
I warned them honestly, "Look, we won't hurt you if you don't give us any reason to, okay? Just lay on the ground, face to the floor and keep quiet."
Bibi quickly tied them up and gagged them. I locked them inside and we hurried out. Xandy kept looking at me with a funny face, surprised, unsure. But there was no time to explain what we were doing, so we just pressed on. It was already dark enough to walk the streets unseen. Bibi's special stash was actually in the broken part of my old building. There was a room, on ground floor, that was open to the alley. We went in through the broken wall and Bibi started rummaging through the rubble.
"Singer, a fuckin' hand here, please?" she requested.
Together, they uncovered a large military create, big enough to fit a whole person in. Bibi opened the combination lock and swung the lip up. It was loaded with what I could only guess was Bibi's finest stuff. There was another shotgun, two hunting rifles with scopes, more pistols, ammo of all calibers to last a lifetime, a ton of canned food... more whisky bottles and cigarette cases... some magazines... and much more.
"Holly crap, Bibi!" I cried, "Where the hell do you get all this stuff?"
Bibi ignored me, pulled out two large military bags and set them on the floor. "Come on!" she told us, "In case you haven't noticed, we don't have all night."
Singer and I started stuffing everything into the bags. In the middle of the process, I found a pistol with a silencer attached to it.
"You can keep that, if you want it," Bibi offered, smiling, "I figured you'd like it. I'm more of a noisy shooter myself, but I think it'll come in handy when you're out hunting or whatever. After that day we went after Stone, I figured it was a good idea to get one of those. I never really thought I'd managed it, but... I got lucky in one of my more recent... dealings."
Dead End Chronicles (Book 1): Dead End Journal Page 19
