Days of Danger

by Jack Hunt

  “He’s not letting us go, Sean,” Elliot said.

  “And you would know this because?”

  “Ugh, does anyone else want to explain it to him?” Elliot hopped off the Ford sedan and strolled to the back of the garage and started looking at what other items could be used as weapons. There was a can of WD-40, a hacksaw, pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, booster cables, masking tape and portable drills.

  “I think we can come up with something.”

  Sean muscled his way past Damon and Zach. “Elliot, I don’t agree with this.”

  Elliot tossed a hammer around in his hand without looking at him. “Who said you did?”

  “This is ludicrous.”

  He turned and without even a flicker of a smile he replied, “No. It’s pure survival! All we need to do is get one rifle off them and we can take out the other two. But we need to act fast before they get back.”

  “Ella can lure them.”

  She looked at Damon.

  “Well you did say you’d done that before.”

  “Yeah, but I hardly think that’s going to work now.”

  “No, don’t bother, I have an idea,” Elliot said. “Damon, you still got that lighter on you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here’s what I want you to do.”

  Chapter 9

  Shortly after ten in the morning Rayna found herself on the west side. While grocery stores, hotels, restaurants and cafés were the first to be hit by looters — not all the homes in the area had been searched. There were hundreds of them out there and while Elliot and Gary searched surrounding towns, Rayna stayed local. She never told Elliot because he would have only blown his top and said it was too dangerous. But she didn’t want to man the blockades, and it didn’t feel right to do nothing when there was a gold mine of stash to be found.

  For the first time in a long while Jill had decided to tag along. It had given them time to talk. Jill was still guarded, but Rayna was beginning to notice small changes. She figured that was because they were planning on leaving Lake Placid.

  Rayna kicked garbage out of the way as she pushed her way through the rear door of a house. With the power grid down and no more services running, homes and streets were littered with all manner of shit.

  “What a stench!” she said, sweeping her AR-15 behind her as she tied a red handkerchief around her nose and mouth so she didn’t have to inhale the smell of death. It wasn’t just garbage but people who had died from illness or violence. According to Elliot, it was estimated that up to 90 percent of Americans would be dead within 12 to 18 months due to starvation, disease, and social breakdown. That figure seemed high but after considering that police were powerless to react, and they hadn’t seen the National Guard due to a breakdown in communication and mobilization, it made sense. Of course then there was the concern of safe water. Not everyone would have been familiar with how to purify water and without basic medication; it didn’t take long for the weak and ill informed to die.

  “I’m just saying it’s for the best,” Jill said continuing the conversation they’d had about leaving town. “We can’t survive another winter. You saw all those people who died from pneumonia, and just look around you, there has been a complete collapse of sanitation. I’m surprised we haven’t ended up with hepatitis or some unknown disease yet.”

  “No, I know it’s for the best. I just thought we’d see a change in the country by now.”

  “Me too,” she replied, picking up a box and tossing it across the room.

  Jill knocked over several large chairs and waded through the cesspool that was once home to someone. Rayna started rooting through cupboards. Most were empty, those that weren’t had food that had turned rotten. Jill opened a cupboard then screamed, jumping back and nearly losing her footing.

  Rayna spun around. “What is it?”

  She cringed. “A rat.”

  “You should have caught it, we could have made stew out of that.”

  Jill raised an eyebrow, and Rayna laughed.

  They ventured further into the house, glancing at the various photo frames scattered on the ground. Someone had been through the place with a spray can and left graffiti that read: SCREW THIS LIFE. That was mild compared to the other vulgar phrases.

  “I think we should try another house,” Jill said shaking her head in disgust. Rayna wasn’t through yet. She climbed the staircase to the second floor and eased open each door. The bathroom was vile with feces spilling over the brim of the toilet, most of it caked dry. Blue bottle flies buzzed around it. She felt her gag reflex kick in. She spent a minute or two in a child’s bedroom before entering the master bedroom that belonged to the parents. As soon as the door swung wide she wished she hadn’t entered. A woman dressed in nothing but a nightgown was hanging from the back of her closet door by an exercise band, her skin purple and gray. On the other side of the room was a male with a knife in one hand and his palms facing upwards. He’d slit both of his wrists. The carpet was drenched in blood. But that wasn’t the worst of it. A pair of small feet stuck out from the closet. There was no movement and it was clear from the color of the child’s skin that she was dead. She didn’t dare take a look. Rayna backed out bumping into Jill.

  “What is it?” Jill asked.

  She closed the door behind her. “You don’t want to know. Let’s go.”

  They made their way down and continued on to the next home. They searched through seven homes before Rayna got a sense they were being watched. At first it was subtle. Nothing more than a gut instinct. She hadn’t seen anyone and there was no telling if they were a threat but that didn’t matter. Two more houses and they would call it a day. Inside a carrier bag they’d collected some cans of food. It wasn’t much, four cans of peas, some beans, and peaches.

  “Gary won’t be going to the compound,” Jill said.

  “I didn’t say he would.”

  “But you know Elliot will try to convince him.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “It’s too risky.”

  “So is walking into a FEMA camp.”

  “You act as if they’re the enemy.”

  “Jill. You’re tossing the dice. It’s a fifty-fifty chance.”

  “Well I would rather side with the government than unknowns.”

  “The government is an unknown. We have never experienced a situation like this. We have no idea what kind of operation they have running or who they will let in. Just because they are running a camp, it doesn’t mean everyone is going to be let inside. Think about it. Who would you let inside first?”

  “Soldiers, doctors, engineers, scientists.”

  “That’s right, they are going to have a screening process. And unless you have skills that can be useful, chances are they won’t be letting you in.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Of course I do,” Rayna said. “It’s common sense. Hell, it’s what Ted Murphy tried to do here before he died. He focused on those with skills. Hunters, military personnel. It will be the same down there.”

  “Then it will be the same with the compound you want to go to.”

  “Actually no it won’t. Maggie said they have their own screening process and it didn’t matter if you aren’t skilled.”

  Jill snorted. “Right. And you think we’re stupid for placing our trust in FEMA.”

  “I didn’t say you’re stupid.” Rayna’s brow pinched. “What is the deal with you? Years ago you would have never thought I was against you and then this shit blows up between us and you think I’m your enemy.”

  Jill dipped her head.

  “I’m sorry,” she replied softly.

  Rayna placed a hand on her arm. “You’re my closest friend. And you always will be. Nothing’s changed that.”

  Jill looked embarrassed. She was just about to reply when they heard the echo of gunfire. Rayna immediately brought up her rifle, as did Jill. A few seconds of hesitation and Rayna started moving. “Let’s head out.”


  “I won’t argue with that,” Jill replied.

  They hurried through the house and made their way out into the fenced backyard. As they exited and turned south on Nash Street, a woman cried out. The scream was gut wrenching. Rayna turned and Jill shook her head. “No.”

  “But—”

  “No!” Jill said.

  Another scream pierced the air and they saw a half-naked blond woman dash out of a home six houses down. She bolted across the street and disappeared around the side of a house. Several guys followed seconds after.

  Jill and Rayna ducked behind a stalled vehicle and Rayna looked through the window. More screams. Jill shuffled down to the next vehicle trying to put distance between herself and the commotion. Rayna followed but the screams just got worse.

  “We should help.”

  “She’s not our responsibility,” Jill yelled back.

  “If that was Lily…”

  “It’s not. Now let’s go.”

  Rayna clenched her jaw and snuck another peek over the car hood before sliding over to Jill as the screams intensified.

  “Listen to me. You go. If I’m not back in an hour you know where to find me.”

  Jill grabbed her by the arm as Rayna got up to leave. “Elliot wouldn’t want this.”

  “I make the decisions, not him.”

  With that said she jumped up and ran at a crouch down the street until she got to the next corner that fed into the alley she’d seen the woman run down. She risked taking a look before wheeling around the corner and hauling ass. She followed the noise of wailing to a home six buildings down. Her eyes scanned her field of vision. There was no one there. She hurried down the next alley until she arrived at the home where the screaming was coming from. Crouched down she pressed her back against the fence. Her pulse was racing. She readjusted the grip on the rifle and counted down to calm her nerves. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. She ran the numbers in her head again and was about to enter the rear gate that led up to the house when Jill appeared. Rayna waited for her to catch up.

  “I can’t believe you are doing this,” Jill said.

  “Listen, just wait here, watch my back while I go in. If anyone comes, get inside.”

  Jill didn’t respond as Rayna hurried in.

  The screams subsided and all that could be heard was gentle sobbing as Rayna entered the rear door. On first inspection she didn’t see anyone inside but she could hear her. She looked back toward the gate and saw Jill who had stepped inside so she wasn’t out in the open. She had positioned herself behind the fence so that if anyone came through the gate she could take them out. Being in position was one thing, trusting her to kill was another. Rayna moved forward clearing each room as she went until she entered the living room.

  Kneeling on a floor covered in newspaper was the woman with her back turned toward her.

  “Ma’am. Ma’am, you okay?” she asked without approaching her.

  The woman didn’t answer but continued to sob. Rayna took one more look down the corridor before she entered and made her way over. She placed a hand on her shoulder and the woman flinched.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

  The sobbing slowly morphed into laughter, then she turned. “Good because you’re not.”

  It happened so fast; two men entered the room with Glocks raised.

  “Put it down,” one of them said in a hard tone. He was a black dude with an American flag bandanna wrapped around his head. The other male was tattooed and had dreadlocks. “Slowly,” he said. “Trixie, grab her gun, and well done, that was some first-class acting.”

  She squealed with delight. “Getting better each time,” she replied rising to her feet and pulling up her top to cover her exposed breasts. Her arms were riddled with dark puncture marks. An addict. Great, Rayna thought.

  “Look, just take what you want and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  After the woman took her rifle, the black guy stepped forward closing the gap between them. “But I want you,” he said before lunging forward and licking the side of her face. She struck him with her left fist knocking him to the ground and was about to attack the next man when the woman raised the rifle to her head.

  “Go on. Do it, bitch. Just give me a reason.” She cackled as the black guy got up from the ground wiping blood from his lip. He was about to lash out when they heard a commotion outside. Several rounds were fired in rapid succession.

  “Spider. Go check it out,” the black guy said to the tattooed freak.

  Once he exited the room, Rayna’s wrists were bound with rope.

  Two more shots echoed outside, then the sound of boots heading down the hallway.

  “What was it, Spider?” the black guy asked.

  Jill spun around the corner with her rifle raised. “I’m afraid your friend is out of action, now put it down and back away from her.”

  A smile flickered on Rayna’s face. She’d underestimated her.

  The black guy didn’t bat an eye. He was already standing behind Rayna when Jill appeared in the doorway. He brought a knife up to Rayna’s throat. “I don’t think so. You put it down or I’ll slice her from ear to ear.”

  “Don’t do it, Jill.”

  The guy pressed the blade and nicked her skin to let her know he wasn’t playing. A bead of blood streaked down Rayna’s throat disappearing below her shirt. Jill kept her gun trained on the psychotic-looking tweaker who was struggling to hold the rifle. There was barely any meat on her arms.

  “Put it down!” the woman cried.

  Jill remained stoic and poised, her finger resting on the trigger.

  “Take the shot, Jill.”

  The black guy pushed the knife edge into Rayna’s larynx causing her to cry out. If she just had a free hand, she might have got out of it but with her hands restrained it was impossible. She felt him press the blade harder against her skin

  Seconds seemed like minutes as Jill contemplated what to do.

  Instead of taking the shot she backed away, disappearing behind the corner.

  “Jill!”

  The sound of boots pounding the floor grew distant.

  The black guy laughed. “Now that was a smart lady. You really should pick better friends. Now let’s get the fuck out of here,” he said pushing her forward. He shoved Rayna out of the room into the hallway and they made their way to the rear of the home. At the back entrance sprawled on the ground with blood seeping out of his head was Spider.

  “Shit, Spider, you dumb idiot!”

  They stepped over him and Rayna noted that his rifle had been taken. Outside she now got a better picture of what had happened. Two more men had entered the rear gate and had been plowed down by Jill. Blood trailed away from their bodies. Their weapons were gone. All she could hope was that Jill had gone to get help. The black guy kept a firm grip on Rayna as he checked the road both ways before exiting the rear yard.

  “What do you want with me?” Jill asked.

  “You’ll find out soon enough, now shut up and keep walking.”

  As they ambled up the road to another house, the two of them talked about getting a new batch of meth. Rayna learned the woman’s name was Trixie and she called him Boomer. He pushed her on and they continued down the road while the meth head behind kept watch over them. Every now and again Boomer would tap his handgun against Rayna’s waist to let her know that if she tried anything she was dead.

  The sound of music could be heard — a light thumping noise of a bass drum. As they got closer to an apartment block, two hefty individuals were standing outside. They wore light jackets and had thick beards.

  “Is Doc in?” Boomer asked.

  “Who’s asking?”

  “Tell him Boomer comes bearing gifts.”

  One of the guys got on a radio and a voice crackled over it to give them the go-ahead. Inside it smelled of urine. Draped over the steps on the way up were several addicts completely out of it. Needles stuck out of their arms and they looked completely spaced out. They climbed two fligh
ts of steps before entering a darkened hallway. At the far end were three more hard-nosed individuals smoking joints.

  One of them clasped hands with Boomer and let him inside.

  Music reverberated as they entered a cloud of smoke. The rancid, musty smell of marijuana lingered in the air. Inside, cans of beer and bottles of wine littered the floor. In the living area were four naked women sitting around a bald white guy who was wearing nothing more than a fur coat, gold chains, brown slippers, and dirty white underwear. It was a gross sight. The smell in the place was atrocious. He was leaning over a table snorting up a line of coke when he locked eyes with Boomer.

  He grinned revealing a gold grill on his teeth.

  “Boomer. About time.”

  “I brought you that payment.”

  He shoved Rayna forward onto her knees.

  Chapter 10

  Gary shoved Elliot into the garage door making it clatter and shake. Both were yelling at the top of their voices, blaming one another. Moving from the front to the rear, Elliot threw Gary across the ground. He tumbled and slammed into a pile of cardboard boxes filled with car parts.

  The sound of a key in the lock, and then a twist.

  A door swung open and one of the men entered with his rifle raised.

  “Hey! Enough!”

  The others egged them on. Chaos, confusion, it was all just a distraction. Damon pulled the WD-40 and the lighter from behind his back. With one flick, a flame ignited and he sprayed the flammable liquid in the guard’s direction. A three-foot flame shot out while Zach tackled the guy from the other side. The gun went off and the two outside raced towards the entrance. Damon had already shifted position, while Zach struggled to get the gun off the guy. It let off another round, shattering a window near Gary’s head. The guard’s pals entered with weapons drawn but it was pointless. Damon launched himself off a steel cabinet, plunging a screwdriver into the throat of one of them and bringing him down. Before the other one could respond Ella cracked him on the jaw with the wrench. The attack was fast, brutal and deadly.