The others around the table stood in turn. They’d been around Gideon long enough to know when he meant business, and they were smart enough to act when expected.
“I’ll take care of this,” Hopkins said, heading toward the door again. “Whoever’s doing this is a dead man.”
Hopkins made it halfway to the door when it opened without a warning knock. One of their men (Sanders, if Gideon’s memory served), poked his head inside.
“They’re gone,” Sanders said.
“Who’s gone?” Gideon asked.
“The two prisoners we picked up at the Costco.”
“Weren’t they locked up?” Hunter asked. “How could this happen?”
“I don’t know, sir,” Sanders replied, “but Nathan and Jerry are dead.”
The gunshots, Gideon thought. He’d known in his gut that things had gone terribly wrong the moment he’d heard those sounds.
“Somehow the prisoners overpowered them,” Sanders continued. “They shot Nathan and Jerry and took off with the other two prisoners we had locked up.”
Calvin. Gideon remembered that creep very well. There was something about the guy he just didn’t like. Gideon had a sneaking suspicion that Calvin might have been behind the whole thing.
“They have weapons, too. A pistol and a rifle,” Sanders said.
Hunter sighed. “Fucking hell.”
This wasn’t good. Not good at all. It was one thing to get some mealy mouth tough guy in lockup that you had to break. That was a pain in the ass, but manageable. This was another thing altogether. Not only were these assholes running free, but they also had firepower. Even if they didn’t know how to use it, they could cause some real problems before they were taken down.
“Any idea where they headed off to?” Gideon asked.
“We think they took to the stairwell,” Sanders replied.
“They could be anywhere by now,” Khan said.
Gideon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All he’d wanted to do was play some cards. And he’d been looking forward to some action from the girl they’d picked up. Now he had all this shit to deal with.
“I’ll gather everybody up and break them into squads,” Hopkins said, turning to Gideon. “I’ll dispatch a squad to every floor. We’ll flush these fuckers out, I swear. And when we do, they’ll wish they’d never been born.”
“Try not to damage the girl,” Gideon said.
Hopkins nodded. “Of course.”
“Make it happen,” Gideon said. He was glad to have Hopkins around. It was times like this that he showed his worth.
“Consider it done,” Hopkins said and headed out the door.
Gideon sat down, sinking into the seat. He closed his eyes and shook his head, sighing again. He had a bad feeling about this. He wasn’t one for believing in omens or signs, but something had been nagging at him for the past couple of weeks. It was a feeling that there was something terrible just below the surface, waiting for the right time to reveal itself. It reminded him of a tsunami; the earthquake’s shock wave was barely perceptible in the deep ocean water, but once it reached the shoreline it wreaked havoc on anything it touched.
This feeling he’d been having was like that; a sinister threat was traveling undetected, just out of sight.
He had a sinking feeling that it was about to hit shore.
Chapter Thirty
Jessie led Dave and Audrey back to the stairs they’d used to get down to the basement. They paused, listening for the sound of man or beast, but heard nothing. Jessie shined his light through the wire-reinforced window set within the door, peering into the darkened stairwell.
“Jesus Christ,” Jessie said. “That’s a fuckin’ mess.”
“What is it?” Dave asked.
Jessie handed him the flashlight. “See for yourself.”
Dave shined the light through the window to find a half-eaten corpse strewn about the stairs. It was barely recognizable as human now.
“They definitely went this way,” Jessie said, taking the flashlight back from Dave. “You two stick with me once we get up to the third floor. The guns are locked up in a room on the other side of the building. That’s a lot of open space to cross, but I have a way that’ll keep us out of sight for the most part.”
“Lead the way then,” Dave said.
Jessie flipped off the flashlight and pulled open the door. The smell of blood and raw meat hit them in the face as they headed up the steps.
“Watch your step,” Jessie whispered. “Don’t slip in all this muck. You’ll break your goddamn neck.”
Jessie headed up the steps with the flashlight off now as the light from the stairwell windows located further up filtered down into the lower depths, allowing them to see reasonably well. Dave caught another glimpse of the mess the creatures had made on the steps. It was a cruel testament to what the animals were capable of. And now they were headed right into their midst.
They climbed the steps until they reached the landing that led to the first floor. Jessie slowed here, peeking around the corner to ensure no one was waiting on them. Seeing the way was clear, he motioned for Dave and Audrey to follow.
As they stepped onto the first-floor landing as a succession of gunshots echoed from out of sight, the sound muffled through the closed door. A man yelled. Another man, or maybe the same man, screamed for only a moment before the noise was abruptly cut off. On the heels of that, a shriek reverberated throughout the hall, an inhuman sound that could only be one of the cocoon creatures.
“Ignore it,” Jessie said. “We got a job to do.”
He headed up the next set of steps leading to the second floor. The light now had grown brighter, though it was evident from its hue that evening had begun to set in. Dave passed one of the windows set within the stairwell. He glanced outside to find a fiery, orange sun headed toward the horizon.
They climbed faster now that the light had gotten better. Jessie continued to lead, with Audrey behind him and Dave bringing up the rear. With each step he took, Dave glanced back down the steps, certain that he’d see one of those white monsters in pursuit, claws extended and teeth ready. But each time he saw only stairs.
They rounded the corner as they reached the landing leading to the second floor. They could still hear the occasional gunshot from down below, but it was quieter now the further away they’d gotten. With any luck, the bloodthirsty monsters would be tied up for a while down there.
They rounded the second set of steps quickly, ascending to the third floor. Jessie slowed at the top and checked the way. He motioned for Dave and Audrey to follow as he stepped through.
As Dave followed Jessie and Audrey through the door, he found himself inside a large room that looked as if it had once served as office space. Light gray cubicles still stood, lined up in stifling grids. Darkened flat screen monitors sat on desktops, covered in a layer of dust and bird shit. Dozens of windows lined the outside of the massive room, with maybe a third of them broken. Jagged shards of glass jutted out from the edges of the windows like the sharpened teeth of a monster.
“This way,” Jessie said, motioned toward a door across the room. They went to it as quickly as they could, each step leaving Dave feeling overexposed. He glanced back as they ran, again expecting to see man or monster in pursuit, only to be greeted with the sight of an empty room.
And then they were at the door, a thick oak thing that was taller than it needed to be. Jessie gripped the knob and opened it, poking his head through and glancing left then right before stepping through.
Dave followed, finding himself standing alongside Audrey and Jessie in a long hallway that ran outside the main room from which they’d come. Dave now understood why Jessie had chosen this route; they were significantly less exposed here. Hopefully, it would be enough.
Jessie headed down the hallway.
Dave and Audrey followed.
They made it halfway down the hallway before Jessie froze.
“What is it?” Audrey asked.
Jessie pointed toward the doorway as one of the white creatures emerged, crouching on its hindquarters, bright red blood smeared across its mouth.
Chapter Thirty-One
To Calvin, the sound of the white carriers chewing on the bones of the men who’d jailed him sounded like music. He relished it. They thought they’d made a fool out of him. Now they were being gutted the way a pride of lions would gut a gazelle.
What beautiful music, indeed.
Now everything had gone quiet. The carriers had moved upstairs for fresh meat, leaving behind the bones of their prey. Only the sound of the dark basement surrounded him. Porter and the girl were gone too. At least Jeffrey was dead. Calvin’s one regret was that he hadn’t been able to kill that twerp himself, but dead was dead, and all was well that ended well.
Happy fucking trails.
Standing in the shadows, Calvin had overheard their plans. Porter and the others were headed up to the weapons room for more firepower. That wasn’t exactly a poor plan, but it was unnecessary. They’d neglected to notice that there was still a damn good supply of guns and ammo right under their noses. Between the half-spent magazines and the still-sheathed knives, there existed a mini-arsenal right at their feet.
To get to it one had to dig through the gory remains lying on the basement floor, but that was only work. Sometimes a man had to get his hands dirty, and Calvin wasn’t afraid of hard work or dirty hands. The best part was he didn’t have to travel up three floors full of carriers and assholes with guns to get to it.
He headed to the stock room. It didn’t take him long to find a working flashlight. Back at the carnage pile, he shined the flashlight’s bright white beam on the bloody mess. And what a fucking mess it was. As the shaft of light passed over the scene, it reflected off blood-covered metal.
Plenty of guns in that mess.
Calvin smiled wide.
Then he got to the dirty work.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jessie reached for his pistol as the blood-smeared creature sprang from its haunches, launching itself after its prey. Jessie’s gun barely cleared the holster before the beast had its claws buried in his guts and its mouth clamped down on Jessie’s shoulder. It growled, low and throaty, as it shook its head to tear free a hunk of flesh.
All this happened so quickly that it took Dave a bit to register what had happened. Once he did, he acted quickly. He raised the rifle and aimed. He pulled the trigger and sent a bullet into the creature’s chest. It erupted out of the creature’s broad, muscular back, splattering the office-beige hallway walls with bright red blood.
The creature released its jaws and dropped Jessie to the floor. It stared at Dave with unbridled animalistic aggression. Dave imagined that the eyes of a T-rex might have looked the same way as it stared down its prey. They were cold, calculating, and completely lacking in anything resembling remorse. In that instant, Dave realized this creature wasn’t good or bad. It simply was. And for it to be, it killed and ate like any other carnivore in natural history.
Animal or not, blameless or not, Dave wanted it dead.
He fired off another shot, this one tearing out the creature’s throat. It toppled over, falling to the carpeted floor in a lifeless heap. Blood seeped from the massive wounds in the creature’s body, soaking into the thin, beige carpet squares lining the floor.
Audrey ran to Jessie and knelt beside him as he clutched his stomach. Blood spilled over his hands like water over a dam. She looked up at Dave. The look on her face told him what he already expected.
Jessie was done for.
“Son of a bitch,” Jessie muttered, groaning. “Fucker got me good.”
“You’re going to be okay,” Audrey said.
“Girl, you ain’t much of a liar,” Jessie said, grimacing. He tried to get up, but couldn’t do more than prop himself up on his elbows.
“Don’t try to move,” Audrey said. “You’ll only make the bleeding worse.”
“You really think that matters anymore?” Jessie asked.
The sound of men’s voices echoed from behind them, just outside the door leading into the hallway.
“Shit. They’re already here,” Jessie said. “You two gotta get outta here.”
“We can’t just leave you here,” Audrey said.
“You can and you will,” Jessie argued. “Ain’t no time to go digging around in that room for guns now.”
“We’ll be fast,” Dave said.
Jessie shook his head. “No way. They’ll be here any second. Best thing for you two to do is to slip back down the stairs when they ain’t looking.” He looked at Audrey, fixing her with a stare. “Gideon stays on the second floor. Can’t guarantee he’ll be there, but if you’re wantin’ to unload a pistol into his chest, that’s where he’ll be.” He handed her his bloody pistol. “Use this when you do it. For me.”
Audrey nodded as she took the pistol. “I will.”
Jessie nodded in return. Grimacing, he removed two magazines from his belt and handed them to her.
She shoved them into her pockets.
Jessie turned to Dave. “Good luck getting your man. If not, there’s always plan B.”
‘What’s plan B?” Dave asked.
“Get moving,” Jessie said, ignoring Dave’s question. “Both of you.”
“Thanks for helping us,” Dave said.
“Thank me by killing Gideon,” Jessie replied. “Now get your asses gone.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The sound of voices grew louder. Jessie could hear them well enough through the thin office walls to know they’d already exited the stairs and were nearly in the weapons room.
“Hey!” Jessie yelled. His voice sounded quiet and weak, small even in the confines of the narrow hallway.
“Jessie? That you?” one of the men asked.
“I’m in the hallway,” Jessie replied. He motioned toward Dave and Audrey. They followed his lead and slipped out through the door and back into the central office.
Good luck, Jessie thought. You’re gonna need it.
A moment after Dave and Audrey disappeared, one of the men appeared. He was thirty at most, with a mane of jet-black hair, slightly receding just above the temples. Jessie remembered him from a run-in the two of them had had a while back. Torbin was his name or something odd like that.
Torbin glanced over at the dead creature’s corpse, slinging his rifle over his shoulder before kneeling beside Jessie. He inspected Jessie’s wounds with his head cocked to the side. “What happened to you?”
“What the fuck do you think happened?” Jessie replied.
Torbin nodded. “You’re fucked, my friend.”
Jessie ignored him. “The prisoners. I know where they are.”
Torbin’s eyes lit up. Now he was finally interested. “Where?”
“Help me up first,” Jessie said.
Torbin put an arm around Jessie, helping him to his feet. Scalding fire burned in his belly. He gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might crack. Once standing, the room spun around him. Black spots appeared in his vision, and for a moment he felt like he might topple over.
Then the world righted itself, and he was back. Blood puddled on the floor beneath his feet. He tried to ignore it. He knew he was a dead man, but he wasn’t dead just yet.
He still had Plan B.
“I’ll show you where they went,” Jessie said.
By now the other two men with Torbin had appeared, watching with interest.
“Tell us where they went,” one of the men said.
Jessie knew these fucks well enough to know that they’d kill him once they had the info. “I’ll show you.”
“Can you even walk?” Torbin asked.
“That’s where you come in. You’re gonna help me.”
Torbin huffed. “Fine. Let’s go then.”
“I need some heat first,” Jessie said.
Torbin hesitated for a moment. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”
“I love you, too,” Jessie replied.
Torbin led them into the weapons room. With each step, Jessie felt as if he had broken glass in his gut. He pushed through it, bearing down hard as he tried not to pass out.
Once inside the room, he directed Torbin to a very particular shelf. When he reached it, he pointed to the shelf stocked with pistols on the opposite side.
“Grab me one of those,” he said.
Torbin complied. As he did, Jessie slid a grenade into his pocket.
Torbin handed the pistol to him, none the wiser.
Jessie smiled.
“What’s so funny?” Torbin asked.
“Nothing,” Jessie replied. “Let’s get moving. Gideon ain’t gonna like it if we lose these fuckers.”
Torbin didn’t argue that fact.
Jessie looked down at an alarmingly large puddle of blood on the floor where he’d been standing. He hoped like hell he could make it to the basement.
He limped out of the weapons room, leaning on Torbin as the other two lackeys followed behind.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dave and Audrey slipped through the doorway and out of the hallway where Jessie lay dying, back into the larger office space through which they’d come when they emerged from the stairs earlier. As they did, Dave caught sight of two men on the far side of the room, exiting through a door.
Dave froze, holding his breath. Audrey stopped short behind him, and they waited, exposed.
But Gideon’s men didn’t look back. They disappeared through the door and out of sight.
Dave breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind the men. He glanced at Audrey and saw the same look on her face. He motioned toward the stairs, and Audrey fell in behind, Jessie’s bloody pistol clutched in one hand, Jerry’s gun in the other.
Dave opened the door and checked the way to find it clear. The staccato sound of intermittent gunfire echoed up through the narrow corridor, doubling and tripling until it sounded like a full-blown war down there.
Vengeance in the Badlands Page 10
