Harley fell on his back instead, his hands clutched his stomach. Blood gushed through them in such quantity that it looked like he wore crimson gloves. He face was twisted in agony.
The sound of the shot still rang out in the night, echoing across the air. It took Maxon a moment to regain a sense of awareness and realize what he just did. He shot a man. Something he never did before. He never even pulled a gun out on another human being until that night and now a man was writhing on the ground because of him. There would be inquiries and a board review of it, but no one could fault him for it. He was protecting his crew and the operation and he also gave him every chance to stand down. Protocol had been followed.
He didn’t have time to contemplate the possible consequences of his action because the man’s wife started to scream and make a move for her husband. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion and, for an instant, Maxon was transported back to that night ten years ago in the old widows home. Every image stood out like a frame in a film roll that was slowing down in a projector until it was too late to stop what was going to happen.
He saw Sara run across the lawn to her prone husband, straight towards the trip wire that she was unaware of. He yelled out to her to stop and tried to grab her, but Bruce already had his weapon fixed on her and that was when hell finally broke loose.
Chapter 19
Harley’s eyes were wide with terror as Balor held the gun to his temple. Everyone seemed to stop breathing as the sight of what they were seeing registered with them. Daniel’s face was ashen. He looked like the blood had drained out of him.
“Balor, what the hell are you doing?” Daniel asked. His voice was shaking with a combination of fear and anger. “Are you crazy? Get that gun away from my boy.”
“It’s better you stay out of this, Dan.” Balor said. “You have very little to do with this anymore.” His voice was steady and calm, all business with not a trace of emotion. He could have been a robot for all Ancil knew.
“This wasn’t part of the plan.”
“The plan has changed,” Balor said to Daniel. “You’ve nearly compromised this mission and I cannot allow that to happen.” He looked at Ancil, who still had the knife up to Anderson’s throat. “Release the officer.”
Ancil didn’t make any move to let Anderson go. “Release him or I put a bullet in his head,” Balor said, pushing the gun harder into Harley’s temple. Harley moaned through Balor’s meaty hand.
“Okay, okay,” Ancil said, taking his hands off of Anderson and putting them out in front of him. “Just don’t do anything to him. So help me God, if you try and hurt him.”
“Appealing to your gods will do nothing at this point. Now drop the knife.”
Ancil let the knife drop to the floor. Anderson moved away from him and touched the cut on his neck with his finger. He checked the damage and saw blood on the tip of it. He quickly grabbed his gun from the floor and aimed it at Ancil.
“Cuff him,” Balor said to Sheriff Bailey.
Sheriff Bailey looked uncertainly from Ancil to Balor debating what to do. Finally, he took out his handcuffs and snapped them on Ancil, pulling his hands behind his back.
“All right,” Daniel said to Balor, “he’s disarmed. Now let go of my son.”
“I can’t do that.”
“The deal was to get my son back to me. That’s what this was all about.”
“The deal was to get your son back for us, not for you.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s simple, Daniel. The project needs kids like your son, kids who will grow up to be the future of the project and fulfill its mission. Whether you came along or not was irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant? I’m irrelevant to you?” The anger started to rise in Daniel. “The project would have never gotten as far as it did without me.”
Balor gave him a smug grunt. “You overestimate your contribution. You were an important cog, yes, but you served your purpose for us and now you are released of your duties.”
Conway came up behind Daniel and put the gun to the back of his head. Daniel froze when he felt the metal on his skull.
“What are you doing?” Sheriff Bailey asked incredulously. His face had swollen from the blow from the vase and two black circles were beginning to form around his eyes making him look like a raccoon.
“Solving the situation,” Balor said.
Sheriff Bailey raised his gun to Balor. “This has gone far enough. I didn’t come here to be involved in a hostage situation. We were brought in on direct orders to secure the child back to his father and nothing more. We have the grandfather in custody. The job’s done. Now hand over the boy to his father or we will take you and your partner in as well. The three of you can share a cell.”
“We’re under direct orders as well, Sheriff. Mr. Ellis was clear. Make sure to secure the boy. Anyone else can be sacrificed if needed.”
“Sacrificed?” Daniel asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Mr. Ellis is only concerned with the boy.”
“He’s my son. You have no grounds to do this, you hear, none.”
“Let him go Balor, or I will put one through you. That’s a promise,” the Sheriff said.
Balor smirked. “You were always so gung-ho Sheriff. That’s why we brought you in to begin with. You made for a good man to have on the inside of the law, but now, much like Danny boy here, you served your purpose to us.”
“I was elected by the people of this county to serve and protect them. They are the only ones who can say whether I served my purpose or not. I’m not beholden to you or anyone in your group. You’re all outsiders as far as I’m concerned and I’ll be damned if you’re going to speak on behalf of those good citizens.”
The fire was rising in Sheriff Bailey now as well. In all the years that Ancil knew him and it was many, he never saw him get this emotional or worked up.
“For God sakes just shoot him, Bill,” Daniel said, calling the Sheriff by his first name. In a normal situation that would have been a sign of disrespect, especially in a public setting, but considering the current situation it seemed almost appropriate to be on such familial terms. This was a standoff between two sets of people, them and us, the outsiders and the citizens of this town. Daniel was now finally seeing that, albeit too late.
“I won’t warn you again. Release the boy and put your hands over your head,” the Sheriff ordered. He was trying very hard to sound in control but his shaking hands said that this was the first time he was in a real gun showdown. “Do it now!”
“I’m sorry, Sheriff,” Balor said, “but this is where you reach your authoritative limit.” His eyes shifted to Officer Anderson who was standing behind the sheriff. “Now.”
Before Sheriff Bailey even had a chance to turn around and see Anderson raising the gun at him, the shot rang out, blowing a hole in the front of the Sheriff’s head the size of a quarter. He dropped to the floor with a thud. Blood and brain matter stained the wall. Half of Ancil’s face was covered in blood, little white bits of brain stuck in his hair.
Harley was shaking with fear and a small puddle of liquid started to pool around his left sneaker. He was making despairing whelping sobs, sucking in breath with every inhalation.
The shotgun was still on the floor close to Ancil’s feet. No one had picked it up. He knew he had one more shot in it. If only he could figure out a way to get to it with his hands cuffed behind his back.
“Shut your eyes, Harley,” Ancil told him. “Close them tight and think about home. Think about hunting in the sand flats. Think about the crickets chirping on a warm summer night.”
Harley did as his grandfather told him and shut his eyes tight. “Good. Imagine yourself away from here. Go to that place in your mind. This will all be over soon.”
“Yes, Harley,” Balor cooed. “This will be over soon. You should open your eyes so you don’t miss it.”
“You don’t talk to him you son of a bitch,” Danie
l said. “I put my faith in you people and this is how you repay me. Everything I did and sacrificed.” He was yelling now.
“This isn’t a personal thing for us. It’s just a necessary thing,” Balor said. “As long as people like you are still able to make decisions from seats of power true progress can never be made. We need young minds, like young Harley, to enter our project and be the new generation that leads all of us into the next age. Your boy is very special. Mr. Ellis saw it immediately. He is ingenious and intuitive and has instincts that no child his age possesses. He scored extraordinarily high in our standard testing. He’s exactly the type of child Mr. Ellis is looking for.”
“What testing have you done?” Ancil asked.
Anderson gave him a shove for speaking. “Shut your mouth.” It came out like a growl.
“It’s okay,” Balor said. “We ran our testing through the elementary schools. Every child from the ages of seven to fifteen were given a series of exams to determine the best candidates for consideration.”
Ancil remembered Harley telling him about the tests he had to take in school. He said they were tests on everything from math to critical thinking and moral aptitude. He just thought it was the regular standardized testing that schools were so into these days. If he had any idea what those tests were really about he would have kept Harley home from school that week himself.
“Determine candidates for what?” Daniel asked.
“Candidates for Henry Ellis’ successor.”
The words hung in the air for a bit after Balor said them. Ancil tried to process what he just heard. Was this really happening? Did these people think they could just walk in here and take his grandson away from him to be used in some contest for the whim of a crazy old man?
Daniel’s eyes grew wide. “Are you serious?” Balor nodded his head. “Well, that’s wonderful.”
Ancil snapped his head towards Daniel, shocked at what he just said.
“Harley, do you hear that?” Daniel asked his son. Harley was still weeping, but he opened his eyes a slit. “You were chosen personally by Mr. Ellis. Think about what that means. I always knew you were special. Now you have the opportunity to be extraordinary”.
“Don’t listen to him, Harley,” Ancil interrupted. “All this doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a way for them to make you into who they want to be. That’s what this is all about.”
Anderson punched Ancil in the gut. He dropped to his knees and then on his side in a fetal position struggling to suck in air.
“You don’t know when to shut up,” Anderson snarled. Spit flew from his mouth as he bared his teeth. He could have passed for a rabid dog.
“Take it easy on him, Anderson,” Balor said. “He’ll never understand what we’re trying to accomplish here. But he can sit and watch as the world moves ahead without him.” He looked at his watch while still holding Harley with one arm. “We’ve wasted enough time here. Let’s finish this.”
“What about him?” Conway said. He still had the gun pointed at Daniel’s back.
Balor seemed to think it over for a bit. Daniel looked at him with hopeful eyes. “Tie him. Throw him in with the other two. Burn them all together.”
Conway grabbed Daniel’s arms behind his back and took out a length of zip tie about two feet long. Daniel tried to fight him. “No, wait. Stop. Don’t do this. You need me. The project needs me.” Balor didn’t respond to him. Conway tightened the zip tie around Daniel’s wrists hard, making him wince in pain. “Please, I can be useful. Henry knows it, he’s seen my work. He knows what I can do.”
“Quickly, get them in the middle and tie them together. Then get the car ready,” Balor instructed. “We should have been out of here twenty minutes ago.”
Conway pushed Daniel to the floor. Anderson grabbed Ancil by the legs and dragged him over. The shotgun was right at his feet. The angle made it easy to kick out into the hall. Somehow he had to get it to Harley. It was their only chance.
Ancil lifted his head to face Balor. “You think your project will succeed? It will be a failure, you will be a failure. People like me will see to that. They won’t stand by while you try and shape the world in your image. You’re going to find gunfire at every house you visit.”
“People like you will die out one by one. They’ll be where you are right now, on their faces watching as their homes burn down to make way for true innovation. Henry Ellis will see to that.”
Conway and Anderson began to tie Daniel and Ancil together.
“Harley, look at me,” Ancil said. Harley looked at his grandfather for what Ancil knew to be the last time. He struggled to hold back tears and keep his voice steady. He would never give these people the satisfaction of seeing him break down and cry. They didn’t earn that right. “Remember the trips out to the flats. Remember what I showed you. How to fire your weapon properly. Do you remember?”
Harley nodded his head. “Good. What else did I tell you? About defending yourself.”
“Save your breath,” Balor said. “They’ll be no need for any of that where we’re going.”
Ancil ignored him. “Do you remember?”
“Yes,” Harley answered. His voice was more assured now.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
“Then now’s the time.”
Ancil shot up with all his force, driving the top of his head into the bottom of Anderson’s chin. The blow was so hard that Ancil saw stars for a moment and thought he was in real danger of knocking himself out. His ears were ringing and his neck tingled from the compressive impact, but he was able to get his bearing back quickly.
Anderson cried out in pain and stumbled back, dropping his gun as he did. At the same time Ancil used his left foot to kick the shotgun over to where Harley was. “Now!”
Harley slipped away from Balor, who was temporality distracted by the diversion, and ran for the shotgun. Balor tried to grab him, but Harley slipped away. He was incredibly quick and tactile. It was always one of his traits and Ancil knew it would serve him well.
He got to the gun and picked it up. “Stop him,” Balor screamed. Conway started to move in for Harley, but Ancil drove his shoulder into his mid-section pushing him back.
“Do it now, Harley!” Ancil yelled. Harley aimed the gun at Balor and fired. The force of the kickback threw Harley against the wall. Balor went down, wailing in pain. His knee was completely blown off. “Again!” said Ancil as he kicked Anderson’s dropped gun over to him.
“Harley, don’t,” Daniel pleaded from the floor. His knees were up to his chest and his head was down against the wood floor.
Harley picked up the gun and emptied it into Conway. Ancil got to his feet and ran at Anderson, attempting to block him from getting at Harley. Anderson pulled out his Billy club. Ancil rammed his shoulder into Anderson’s stomach. Anderson made an “ooff” sound as the air was pushed out of his lungs.
“Get out of here, Harley. Run!” Ancil said just as Anderson brought the club down on the back of his head. He went down on his knees and the room wavered in and out of focus.
“Grandpa!” Harley cried out.
Ancil knew he was going to be hit with another blow any second and this one would probably put him out. In the last moment he had he looked his grandson in the eyes, eyes that were red with tears. Ancil knew his grandson became a man in the most horrific of ways that day. He would have a lot more growing up to do and he would have to do it quickly. Ancil knew he was ready for it.
“Go on and never forget.” These were the last words Ancil spoke as Anderson brought the club down again, cracking open the back of his skull. Ancil fell face first into the floor. He felt the world around him begin to fade away, like the edges were pulling apart, stretching everything out of focus.
He saw a phantom image of Harley turn to run. Daniel’s voice shouted from the side. He couldn’t make out the words, everything was a jumble of sounds.
Ancil struggled to hold on as the scene began to get smaller and
smaller in front of him. It felt as if someone was pulling him away from it and into oblivion.
Harley ran for the hallway. Balor tried to grab at his ankle, but Harley jumped over him. Before Ancil could realize it, Harley was already gone, disappearing into the kitchen and out the back door. Ancil held on to that thought as the world finally faded to black all around him.
Chapter 20
The bullet hit Harley in the stomach. It felt like a punch and for a moment he thought he was going to suffocate as he tried to breathe in air that wasn’t entering his lungs. He had never been shot before. He had been punched in the stomach several times, but this was ten times more painful than any punch that he ever took.
He fell on his back and lost his handle on the shotgun. He instinctively pressed his hands to the wound and saw that they were covered in blood in a matter of seconds. His head reeled. He was shot and bleeding out right on his front lawn with the crew watching along with his wife.
His wife. What was he going to do about his wife now?
Her presence already took Harley out of his zone. What was she doing here? He made every effort to not make her suspicious about anything. He thought he covered all his bases. It was the phone conversation, he knew it. He sounded strange, even to himself and he couldn’t do anything to hide it. She had picked up on it and in her usual way came running over here in her sister’s car to check up on him. If she’d called one hour earlier he wouldn’t have been in a rush and probably could have played it off cool. Instead she called at the most inopportune time and here we all are now, in this fucked up situation. Harley didn’t believe in fate, but this was as close to the universe taking a giant shit on you as ever.
He heard her scream his name and saw her start to run towards him. Harley put his hand out in a shoving back motion. It said stay the hell back. He shook his head and tried to yell at her to stay where she was, but only whispered gasps came out.
The Midnight Stand (The Elysia Saga Book 1) Page 11
