“They had been doing their best to avoid those guys for four or five days... maybe longer.”
“How could they not know how long they had been avoiding them?” Conner asked.
Because they think the men were spying on them for a few days before they became obvious,” Katie explained.
“Okay,” Conner answered.
“They finally made their move. These two women were part of a group of six, two men and four women, living in some railroad cars out Massey Street.”
“There’s an old rail yard out there,“ Amy said.
Conner nodded. He remembered playing along the tracks as a kid. The rail yard had been a major employer at one time, but like everything else, its time had come and gone. Trains became too slow, too expensive, at least here, and the yard had closed.
“They attacked them. Killed the two men outright and one of the women. They think killing the woman was an accident…“ She paused. “The three remaining women managed to get away, but they had been tracking them down. They finally caught them two days ago. They had thought things would immediately be bad, and in some ways they were, but not like they expected. Not rape, not that, but what was about to happen was that they were going to be traded off for something big. They didn’t know what, just something big,” Katie paused.
“So, something happened yesterday, and suddenly everybody is shouting. In the middle of that they decided to run. They thought they might never get another chance. They had talked it over and agreed if the chance did come they should take it. They knew what was coming after all. Rather than face that, being sold and used like a piece of meat, they decided they’d rather take the chance. If that meant death… well, they were ready to accept that.”
“So,” Katie continued after another pause, “they ran and the men chasing them didn’t want to damage the merchandise, so they chased instead of just shooting them dead. Molly, that’s the one that nearly ran into you, said when you suddenly appeared in front of them, they thought it was over. But they knew about us. They knew where we were. That’s where they were trying to get to.” Katie rubbed at her eyes and then the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were streaked with red, Conner noticed. He supposed his eyes didn’t look much better. It was also obvious that talking about what the two women had told her angered her.
“The other woman, Susan, had overheard them talking about us. She told the others where we were, how to get here, which way to run.” She paused again.
“So they were discussing us?” Conner asked.
“Afraid so,” Katie said. “They want to take us over. They want the factory. They want us too… the women,” she finished.
“No doubt,” Aaron said, “but that won’t happen. As my Daddy used to say, that dog won’t hunt.”
“Yeah, but it’s a problem,” Conner said. “And it tells me they were coming for us. No doubt about that at all.”
“So?” Amy asked.
“So… I don’t know, but we’re not going to stand by and wait for them to take us out. Now that we know… Did they say how many? Any idea how strong they are?” Conner asked.
“They couldn’t tell. They were locked up and kept away from the others most of the time. Even so, they said they saw over twenty different men. Maybe twice as many when both groups were together, but now the two groups are fighting, so…“ She stopped.
“Women?” Conner asked.
“Not too many. Maybe a dozen, but most of them are with them… I mean, down with them. I know that sounds crazy, but they’re in it with them. They knew of one other woman they sold to the group on the north side, but none that are being forced to be there except that one and themselves.”
“Well that’s something at least,” Conner said. “I’d say we’ve put away a few ourselves, and of course they’ve been killing each other all day long. If there were a little more than twenty, there can’t be more than ten after today, maybe twelve… Can’t be. We can handle that. I’d rather not handle that, but we can. And they’ve had their asses kicked a few times today. I don’t see them coming back for anymore surprise attacks tonight, maybe even tomorrow. So we sleep tonight. We only have a few hours to do that, then we have to relieve the others, I’m sure they’re beat too.”
“We sleep, and tomorrow we try to contact them by radio. See if they want to end this before they lose more. At least what they’re bringing at us,” Conner finished.
“What made you think of radios?” Katie asked.
“Because,” Aaron answered, “It was like they were listening to the other guys and us too. They knew what was going on… Where the others were… Where we were too. Why else did they come at us up top? They might just be laying back, playing stupid, but I think they’re listening,” Aaron finished.
“I think so to,” Conner agreed. “I don’t think they thought we’d be up top. If so they would’ve come at us harder. They didn’t expect us to be there, but I know they were looking to sneak up on us. They thought they had us. I hope they take out each other. They started to do that today.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “I think they’re listening on the radios too. They showed up way too fast to not have, and why would we think of radios and not them? The other group was using it too. It makes no sense that they wouldn’t have been, but if they tried it, why weren’t they talking today?” He shook his head. “I’m convinced they were using it as a tool to catch the other group out there, us too. So, I say tomorrow we test that theory out. Prove it or disprove it. That’s easy enough to do. We can decide what to do from there,” Conner finished.
Everyone nodded thoughtfully.
“Good. I’m beat. Let’s get some sleep while we can,” Conner said.
ELEVEN
March 27th
Kentucky: Billy and Beth
Noon found them just outside of Owensboro, Kentucky. Route 60. Billy hoped Route 60 would by-pass most of the moderately sized city. Beth had studied the map, but couldn't tell for sure whether it would. One thing's for sure, Billy thought, it's certainly less traveled.
They had all noticed, and remarked on the fact that there had been no appreciable stalled traffic at all, and that had seemed good at first, until they had all begun to notice that someone had been at work either towing the cars off the roadway, or pushing them into the ditches along the side, where they still sat.
“It don't necessarily have to be bad,” Delbert said from the back seat, “could be some good folks.”
“Yeah,” Beth agreed from the front seat, “could be, but also might not be.”
They were less than a mile from the city limits when they saw the road block.
Billy bought the truck to a screeching halt, more than a half mile away at the crest of a slight rise, nearly as soon as it had come into sight. They could see better than a half dozen heavily armed men standing along the sides of two Kentucky State Police cruisers, pulled crosswise nose to nose blocking the road. The men had immediately snapped to attention when they spotted the truck, and were now staring in their direction. One of the men had quickly jumped into one of the patrol cars, and Billy assumed, after seeing him speaking into a hand held microphone, had probably radioed someone about them. Not good at all, he thought.
“Them's the same bastards we saw the other day,” Delbert said, “See that red pickup off the shoulder?”
Billy nodded his head.
“They were driving that truck, I recognize it, Billy. Was only two of 'em then, so I expect they didn't want to mess with us. Looks like they found some like-minded company though and that ain't good at all.”
Billy forced his heartbeat to slow down so he could think clearly. At first he had been positive that the men would get in the cars and come screaming down the road after them. They hadn't, and in fact seemed to be just watching the Suburban to see what they were going to do. “I'm open to suggestions,” Billy said.
“First thing,” Beth replied, “is to get the hell off the road, if they did radio someone they're probably on t
he way. I saw a dirt road that cuts off to the right about a half mile back, might be smart for us to get down it so we can think this thing out, before we're forced to fight it out right here.”
“That group could kill,” Delbert said, “I saw the way they was looking at us, and especially Peggy, we don't need to let them get the upper hand, and right now we're on their terms. I expect they would just as soon kill us... well most of us, and I hate to think what they'd do to the girls.”
“This is one girl they don't want to screw with,” Beth said angrily.
“How far?” Billy said as he punched the gas and squeezed the wheel of the Suburban. He bounced the truck down off the road, and the rear tires threw up rooster tails of dirt and grass, as the truck slewed around, and then came back up onto the road. The tires spun momentarily dislodging the grass and mud, then found their purchase and propelled them back down the road, away from the road block. Behind them they could hear the low pop of rifle fire from the direction of the road block.
“Half mile, no more,” Beth said.
They were no more than a hundred feet down the road, when a blue Bronco appeared ahead of them moving toward them. A blonde haired man leaned out the driver’s side window holding what looked to be a sawed off shotgun.
“Shit,” Billy muttered, “Dell?”
“Got it,” he heard from the back seat. He heard the wind suddenly rushing into the truck's interior and realized that Delbert had opened the window, just before he heard the loud chattering of one of the machine pistols.
The blonde haired man fired the shotgun at the same time Delbert began to fire from the back seat. Billy saw the flash from the gun, and heard a rattle from the front of the Suburban that sounded like hundreds of stones hitting the front bumper.
The machine pistol continued to chatter from the back seat, and Billy watched as dozens of holes appeared in the body of the blue Bronco, almost in a straight line along the driver’s side. The front driver side tire blew out, and the truck veered sharply toward their lane.
“Hold on!” Billy yelled, as he spun the wheel and they left the road. The truck bounced when it left the road and entered the ditch, but Billy kept the truck under control, and without letting up on the gas angled it back toward the highway just as the Bronco began to flip into the ditch. A line of trees flew by on the passenger side of the Suburban, scant inches from the glass, and then the truck lurched once more as it left the ditch and rocketed back up onto the highway. The two trucks missed by only inches, and Billy had found himself looking into the lifeless eyes of the blonde haired man, hanging loosely out of the window, for just an instant, before the truck was by him and rolling into the ditch.
Billy brought the Suburban back up onto the road, and floored it. When he came to the dirt road he almost blew right by it, but managed to slow enough to slide into the entrance somewhat under control. He barreled through the first curve at better than fifty miles an hour. Once he was around it, and hidden from the road, he slowed down. He rounded two more curves before he stopped the truck, and turned around facing back toward the main road. Thick choking dust from the dirt road rafted up into the air. No way are they going to sneak up on me, he thought, as he watched the road and strained his ears to listen. A few seconds later he heard the high whine of a vehicle on the highway, but it didn't slow down, and the high pitched whine of the motor dwindled away to silence in a few seconds as it continued onward, apparently, Billy thought, looking for them.
“Must not have seen the dust we kicked up,” John said.
“Or pretended not to see it,” Beth said. She finished speaking and the sound of a muffled explosion came to them.
“Think that was that Bronco?” Peggy asked.
“Could've been, probably was in fact,” Delbert said, “hope so anyhow.”
Beth was studying the map once more. “It's a good thing we didn't break off to the left,” she said.
“Why?” Billy asked.
“River,” she stated calmly, “about a mile or so in the opposite direction, we would have been trapped if we'd gone that way. It looks like we got open land ahead here. At least it looks that way, it's hard to tell.”
Billy looked back along the dirt road. Thick dust still hung above it. “There's no way they missed us,” he said, “unless they're blind. They had to see that dust hanging in the air, and if we keep going we're going to kick up even more, and they'll be able to follow it to us.”
“I think you're right, but what the hell else can we do?” Delbert asked.
“Turn around and go back,” Billy said. He held up his hand to silence the outburst that erupted at the suggestion. “Listen, if we sit here they're going to come back, probably with more men. If we head back to the road block now we have the advantage. I would bet the sound we heard of a passing car was one of the police cruisers. If so that leaves only one, and fewer men to contend with back there: If we wait the odds will only get worse. See?”
“He's right, I think,” Beth said, “I don't want to die any more than any of us do. Sitting here isn't going to help us at all, going back before they have a chance to regroup might.”
“Only thing to do,” Delbert sighed from the back seat, “if I gotta die, I'd rather die fighting than get trapped and slaughtered like an animal.”
“So?” Billy asked.
“We go back,” Peggy said decisively. John grunted a short “Yeah” which they could all tell he was not enthusiastic about.
Billy dropped the Suburban back into drive, and they began to move down the dirt road, gaining momentum as they neared the highway. Billy slowed to turn onto the highway after looking in both directions and seeing nothing. Ahead, approximately where the Bronco had wrecked, they could see greasy black smoke billowing into the hot, still air.
“Could be some of 'em there too,” Delbert said, as he stared toward the greasy smoke in the distance. “If so, I'll be ready for 'em.” Billy nodded his head, and brought the truck up to speed slowly to hide the growl of the big motor, which would hopefully allow them to take the road block, or whoever might be at the Bronco, by surprise.
As they neared the burning Bronco Billy could see one of the patrol cars off to the side of the road, along with the red pickup that Delbert had pointed out to them. “Looks like it,” Billy said calmly, as he leaned back into the seat to give Beth a clear shot through the driver's side window.
The young blonde haired kid from the Bronco was lifeless on the side of the road along with two other crumpled forms that Billy assumed must have also been in the truck. A small group of three men stood over the bodies. They heard the approaching truck and suddenly jumped for cover as Billy roared by. Beth's pistol chattered briefly, directly in front of his face, and the tires of the red pickup exploded with a loud popping noise. Billy pressed the gas pedal as close to the floor as it would go as they passed, and almost simultaneously heard the sound of breaking glass from the rear of the truck, along with a steady, plunk, plunk, plunk, as bullets slammed into the rear of the fleeing Suburban. A sudden cry of pain came from the rear a split second later, as several small crystals of glass flew forward striking the dashboard, and the back of Billy's head.
“What happened?” he shouted. “You guy's okay?”
“Got John,” Delbert shouted back, “it don't look good, Billy.”
“Shit,” Billy muttered, as he tried to press the gas pedal further into the floorboard. “Shit.”
The intersection, where the road block had been, appeared in front of them a few seconds later. Whatever had gone by them on the highway had not been the second patrol car. It still sat across the road, blocking the right hand lane. The left hand lane was blocked by four men, who were not armed with shotguns, Billy noticed as they neared, but some sort of machine pistols similar to the ones they themselves carried. He was just about to slam on the brakes and try to turn around once more, when a quick glance in the mirror showed the other patrol car coming up behind them. Its blue bubble light pulsing as it came.
What the hell, Billy thought, these guy's must think they're playing some sort of fucking game with us. Aloud he said. “We're screwed they're in front of us and behind us... To hell with it, we're going through. Hold on.”
Peggy pushed John aside, and took his place at the rear passenger side window. She leaned out facing back, and began firing at the closing patrol car, as Beth leaned out and began to fire at the four men blocking the left hand side of the road. Delbert was aiming at the four men as well from his side of the truck. Two of the four dropped immediately, but the other two were returning fire even as they ran for the cover of the patrol car, and Billy could feel, as well as hear, the bullets slamming into the Suburban, both front and rear.
The patrol car behind them suddenly swerved and then flipped, and Peggy let out a scream of triumph as she turned back to the front, knelt on the rear seat, and began to fire over Beth's head at the other patrol car. The side of the car began to take on a chewed-appearance within seconds, as all three machine pistols were trained on it. Still, the men behind it returned fire.
They were now less than a hundred feet from the car, Billy saw.
“Sit down!” he suddenly yelled into the truck, “Now!” As he yelled he swung the Suburban toward the cruiser, just close enough so that he could clip the front end of it as they went past. The two men behind the cruiser realized what he intended to do too late.
The Suburban hit the front of the cruiser harder than Billy expected, so hard in fact that it sent it spinning into the ditch like a toy. Both men tumbled into the trees at the edge of the road. The collision ripped the front fender from the Suburban, along with most of the passenger door. The heavy bumper, torn half off in the collision, let go with a shower of sparks and the Suburban bounced over it leaving it behind in the road. Billy kept the gas pedal jammed to the floor boards, even though steam was beginning to pour from the front of the truck, and the motor was starting to wheeze ominously. A heavy vibration ran through the truck, and as the Suburban gained more speed the vibration became a heavy shuddering, that threatened to shake the truck to pieces. Two miles down the road he spotted a Dodge dealership and slid the dying truck to a stop in the wide asphalt parking lot.
Earth's Survivors: box set Page 45
