by Lee West
The entire seating area could be seen from the front door. The men easily confirmed that no one was hiding in the room. Mark went to check the bathrooms while Stevens went into the kitchen. He went into the ladies’ room first, checking each stall carefully, finding nothing. Then he checked the men’s room, again finding nothing. Glancing in the mirror, he took a chance that there could still be water in the line and tried the faucet. Sure enough a little water followed by a huge burst of air came out. Mark cupped his hands and rinsed his sweaty, grimy face, exhaling at the simple pleasure of being clean.
The loud crack of gunfire erupted in the restaurant outside the men’s room. Unsure of who was shooting or if Stevens was okay, Mark needed to act fast. He quietly moved to the door and inched it open, peering into the restaurant. From his vantage point, he could see two New Order men standing in the restaurant, looking out onto Main Street. Stevens was nowhere in sight. They must have shot him. Damn it. I’m in here washing while he’s getting shot.
Anger welled in Mark. He’d become so complacent about the mission that he’d left one of his men open to an attack, costing the man his life. There was no way he could let the New Order escape the restaurant and potentially hurt more people in town. Suddenly his radio cracked to life, exposing his position. Both New Order men turned and looked in the direction of the men’s bathroom. Mark knew they would not be able to see him well, if at all, without the aid of flashlights. They were standing in a sunny part of the restaurant and he was in a pitch-black shadowy corner.
The men reacted quickly, turning and shooting into the darkness. Mark dove to the ground and returned fire, hitting the first man and killing him instantly. Blood from the first man sprayed onto the face of the stunned second man, who continued to shoot and sought the safety of the long serving counter for cover. The man leaped over the counter and fell silent. Mark sat on the floor just outside the men’s room, partially hidden by the door frame leading to the restrooms.
“Stevens!” yelled Mark, although he knew the man was likely dead.
“Stevens! You still with me?”
“Charlie, this is Mark. We have an active shooter in the Rocking Fifties restaurant. Stevens is down. Repeat. Active shooter in the Rocking Fifties.”
“What is your location?” asked Charlie.
“I’m inside the restaurant with him.”
A long pause followed. Mark knew Charlie was trying to process a way in which to help him.
“You know you aren’t getting out of here,” said Mark to the New Order man.
“Fuck you! I ain’t going back to that shithole PrisCorp prison!”
The New Order man made a run for the back kitchen, giving Mark the opening he was waiting for. Mark blasted a concentrated ring of bullets in the man’s direction, hitting him in multiple locations on his chest and head. The man slumped to the ground, leaving a long red stain on the kitchen door.
Nudging the man’s lifeless leg with the edge of his boot, Mark said, “No one said anything about sending you back to PrisCorp.”
Running to the back room, Mark went to check on Stevens.
“Shooter has been neutralized. Repeat. Shooter down.”
Stevens lay in a pool of blood on the floor of the kitchen. A faint pulse pumped in his neck. Ripping the man’s shirt open, Mark inspected him for gunshot wounds, finding a gaping hole in his upper right shoulder. Unconscious and likely in shock, the man needed medical attention immediately.
“Mark!” yelled Charlie from inside the restaurant.
“In here!”
Charlie burst into the kitchen, waving his flashlight around to find Mark and Stevens in the back.
“How bad is he?” asked Charlie.
“I don’t know, but it looks like a clean shot. He needs medical attention.”
“Alright, let’s get him to the church. The father there opened the doors and announced he has food, water and medical supplies. He’s taking in our injured.”
“No shit?”
“Yeah, apparently the New Order didn’t hit the church. The father has been sneaking food around town since the whole thing started. He’s an amazingly brave man.”
Walking out into the sunshine, Mark and Charlie carried Stevens to the church a couple of blocks away. People were coming out of their homes, congregating in the streets, hugging each other and crying. Mark assumed they were crying with relief that their ordeal was finally coming to a close.
“Father! We’ve got another one for you!” shouted Charlie as they moved through the front doors of the church.
“Put him over here! I’ve got a cot ready!” shouted Father Roy.
Father Roy had pulled out cots, blankets and jugs of water for the injured. He’d even set up a table of medical supplies to assist the nurse and doctor who were treating the wounded. Four men lay on the cots.
“Thanks, Father. It’s amazing that you have all these supplies. The New Order left you alone?” said Mark in shock.
“I’m not surprised. It’s the power of God, my friend. None of them want to mess with the big guy,” said Father Roy, chuckling.
“I guess not! Why does the church have so many supplies?” said Mark.
“Part of our mission is to support the homeless. In the summer, the place is nearly empty, but in the winter, this entire area is filled with cots. We provide shelter, food and some basic first aid. Looks like we now have a different sort of community to care for.”
“Mark, I need to get back to the station. The place is aired out enough for us to get in there. You want to join me?” asked Charlie.
“Sure.”
“Nice meeting you, Father Roy, and thanks again,” said Mark.
The two men left the church, making their way through the people who were slowly migrating toward the house of worship in search of assistance.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Jane and Sam sat close together by the light of the campfire. The few officers at Doris’s house rotated through a watch-standing schedule. Jane was not due to stand her second watch for another hour. She was relieved to have the time alone with Sam before they headed back to HQ.
Euphoria had spread once Pritty announced that Porter had been retaken by the police. Everyone was in a light, happy mood, hopeful about the future.
“When do you want to leave for HQ?” asked Sam, interrupting her thoughts.
“I think we need to leave before first light. I want to get back to Lea as soon as possible.” Jane snaked her arm through Sam’s and nuzzled closer to him.
“I agree. The longer we’re away from her, the more likely something will happen. Everyone is in such an amazing mood. I don’t want to spoil it. But really, we can’t go home. The New Order is still an active threat in Evansville and maybe other places we don’t know about.”
“I know, but I think people just need a break to enjoy one success before moving to the next battle.”
“The chief said he wants to move HQ down here; that’ll keep people busy. The Evansville PD has loads of supplies up at HQ. It’ll take a while to transport everything down here.”
“I think a lot of the tactical supplies were used in the Porter battle. There may not be a lot left at this point. But moving here makes a lot of sense. Fresh well water and abundant food make this farm ideal.”
“Do you think Doris will mind?” asked Sam, stroking her hair.
“Mind? Are you kidding? Doris loves being in the middle of things. You should’ve seen her at HQ. She was in her glory feeding everyone. I think Doris will be just fine.”
“Speaking of being in the middle of things, how long do you have before your shift?” said Sam into her ear with a breathy voice.
“Less than thirty minutes.”
“That should do,” he said, smiling and pulling her up into his arms.
Jane and Sam walked arm and arm into the tent they shared.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Lea lay on her cot in the cabin she had shared with her parents. Since both of them we
re gone, she found it increasingly hard to fall asleep. The night sounds frightened her. She kept thinking about Tank driving slowly past the camp’s entrance, searching for her. It was only a matter of time before Tank figured out which road led into the camp. Removing the signs would only hide their location for so long. He’d figure it out. He always managed to find her.
Her stomach burned, an acidy nervousness as she thought about Tank searching for her. She needed to do something to stop him. Lying on the lumpy cot, she weighed her various options. Staying and waiting for him to find her was not possible. If he found this place, he would hurt or kill anyone in his way to get to her. Then he would steal their supplies and ruin or take the radios. No way would she allow that to happen to the nice people staying at the camp. Not to mention the kids. She would not let anything happen to the little gang of kids put in her charge. They might be annoying, but they were counting on her to keep them safe. Witnessing one of Tank’s rampages would not be good for any of them.
No, she needed to take action. If she could just ruin his car, that would slow him down. Then all she needed to do was injure him enough to keep him from doing any more searching. She just needed to slow him down. Yes, that was it. She just needed to slow him down. That would give the cops time to move into Evansville and clear the mess up, including Tank. Just like they did in Porter. Slow him down. But how?
Gazing at the stars outside her window, she listened to the lone call of a barn owl. The owl’s hooting took on a sinister tone as it mixed in her mind with thoughts of Tank. The forest seemed to close in on her, as every shadow appeared to be Tank hiding, looking for her.
Again, she thought about waiting for her mom and dad to come back, but quickly discounted the idea. They would tell her to stay at the camp and be safe. Let the police handle Tank, they would say. But she knew this was not an option. Her being at the camp created immeasurable danger to everyone there. They just didn’t know it and wouldn’t listen to her warnings. She needed to take care of the problem she’d caused by opening the door to him when the lights first went out.
Tossing and turning, she finally settled on a position on the cot that was slightly more comfortable than any of the others she had tried. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to sleep one last time.
Chapter Sixty
Sam put the rest of his meager personal effects into his backpack, preparing to leave. Jane had been up long before him and had previously packed. He knew she had been on watch most of the night, yet her energy persisted. She buzzed around the farm, getting coffee and checking in with everyone in preparation for their departure.
Charlie, Spencer and a couple other Evansville officers were en route to Doris’s house. Eventually, most of the Porter and Evansville police departments would converge at the farm in preparation to take over Evansville. Getting Charlie and a few others back to the farm was just their first step. Jane figured they would show up around noon. She offered to stay until relieved, but the officers at Doris’s house told her to get moving back to HQ. They would hold down the fort until the others came.
Sam knew she was more than excited to be getting back to Lea, as he was. Zipping up the small tent, he made sure it was completely secure for when they came back. The last thing he wanted was to show up to a tent full of water and bugs.
“Hey, sleepyhead, you about ready to get out of here?” yelled Jane across the lawn.
“Sure. I’ll grab some fruit and more water for our walk before we roll out,” he said, walking over to her.
She walked toward him, putting her arms around his waist, hugging him. “You’re getting too slim. We need to feed you more. Grab some of the walnuts in the kitchen Doris has so much of; you can stand to eat a little more,” she said, kissing him gently.
“I guess you’re right. I have been really trying not to eat in order to save some for others. But the few pairs of shorts I have are literally falling off my frame. I guess a few extra walnuts won’t hurt the overall picture. I’ll be right back.”
Sam walked into the calm farmhouse kitchen. Memories of sitting at the table with Charlie and Doris flooded back to him. The last time he and Jane were here, they had just come back from the mountains and were trying like hell to get home to Lea. Now they were again leaving to get to Lea, only this time things were much better. Finding the walnut jar, Sam shook out half the Mason jar into a small container. Jane was right, he needed to eat a little more or he would not be able to help anyone.
“Okay, all set,” he said to Jane as she waited for him.
Hand in hand, the two walked toward the trail.
“How do you think she has been doing since you left her?” asked Sam.
“She was really worried about me coming down here, but she’s mostly fine. The kids are driving her crazy. Although, I think that was the best job the chief could’ve given her. The little collection of rug rats keeps her mind off things, even if she won’t admit it.”
“Well, if you ever hope to have grandkids, maybe we should request a reassignment for her. She was never into kids. This could push her over the edge,” said Sam, chuckling.
Chapter Sixty-One
Charlie sat with Gayle at the church, finishing a light breakfast. The church seemed to have a near endless supply of food and drinking water in its pantry. Many of the officers, including Charlie and Gayle, had slept in the church the night before in between their watch rotations. The church’s location made an excellent barracks for the veterans and officers, and the father seemed thrilled to assist the good men and women that had liberated the town.
Before nightfall, the police went through all the known places where the New Order stayed to retrieve weapons, food, medications and anything else useful that the New Order had stolen from the people of Porter. The supplies were brought to the station and held for distribution to Porter’s citizens. Getting weapons in the hands of the citizens of Porter would be essential in assisting the officers to maintain the city from any renewed attacks by the New Order or any other such group.
Charlie looked at Gayle while he finished his breakfast, the glitter of her engagement ring moving as she ate. He felt profoundly lucky to have her by his side. Anything could have happened in yesterday’s attack. They were fortunate to have survived uninjured.
“What are you thinking about?” asked Gayle, catching him staring at her.
“How lucky I am. You did an amazing job yesterday, holding the road.”
“Not really, one SUV got away on us.”
“But the other vehicle didn’t and none of your people were hurt. That’s the important thing.”
“I guess. It just would have been nice to stop all three vehicles from leaving. You about finished up? You should get to the station and I need to relieve the trail watch.”
“In a few more days, I think we should move back to your house. Mine won’t be habitable for a while after what they did to it.”
“The habitability of your place was always in question,” she said with levity.
“Nice,” said Charlie, grabbing her hand and lifting her to her feet.
Getting up from the church pew, Charlie stretched and yawned. The stress of the past weeks was starting to take a toll on his body. Physical exertion, lack of sleep, inadequate nutrition and near constant anxiety had a way of slowing a person down. Once they got the police station running, Charlie and Gayle would be able to take a slight breather and get some space from the others. As much as Charlie liked the other officers and veterans, he was starting to feel the need for some distance.
“Give me a kiss. I need to head this way to get to the trailhead,” said Gayle, kissing him lightly.
“See you this afternoon at the station.”
Charlie jogged the short distance to the station. Officers and veterans were coming and going as the watch changed shifts.
“Charlie! All the Porter PD weapons we retrieved from the town are in the armory,” said Mark, approaching Charlie as he walked into the station.
; “Did you do an assessment of the weapons and ammo to see how much the town has left?” asked Charlie.
“We did. I’ve compiled a list for you,” said Mark, handing the list to Charlie. “I also have the inventory list from before everything happened as a comparison.”
Glancing at the two lists, Charlie compared the police department’s weapons cache from before and after the New Order’s attack.
“Seems like a sizable number of the department’s tactical firearms are missing.”
“How many?” said Mark.
“Several. A sniper rifle, six assault rifles, two shotguns and three MP5s,” said Charlie.
“The good stuff,” said Mark.
Charlie nodded.
“We have no reason to believe that any of the citizens stole the weapons. That only leaves one place where they went,” said Mark.
“The SUV that got away.”
“Exactly. Whomever was in that SUV had planned for a quick departure. Can’t see any other explanation.”
“I agree. We need to update HQ. They need to know what is floating around out there. For all we know, the guy who left with this stuff intends to reassemble a team and make another hit on Porter. Let the watch standers know,” said Charlie.
“Got it,” said Mark.
“Good morning!” said Bill Reynolds as he approached the station. “I don’t know about you guys, but I never had such an amazing sleep. It feels good to have our town back.”
“For now. We were just talking about the missing weapons from the station’s arsenal. Seems like whoever left did so with a fairly large stash. I need you to assemble the veterans and any willing citizens for a citizen’s militia. We’ll start distributing the remaining weapons this afternoon. We need to look sharp and be ready for another attack,” said Charlie.
“Sure thing. I know all the vets will be in and I’m sure the eleven guys who basically created a shooting arcade on Main Street would be willing to participate. In addition, we’ll go door-to-door, asking for volunteers,” said Reynolds.
