Sarah found it amusing. It was the first time that day she’d had a good chuckle. It felt good. “Don’t worry about it. She’s sweet.”
“She’s something, all right,” Rick added.
They left Mrs. Culver’s apartment and headed up the stairs. The strident light guided the way through the murk. Each step creaked a warning as they bounded for the next floor.
More arguing and conflict bombarded Sarah. It sounded as if the doors to the apartments were open from the shouting that came from within.
Doors slammed.
The dense thumping of fists hammering the walls and doors echoed through the building. Accusations and threats of inadequacy were tossed around freely by the bickering and hostile dwellers inside.
Rick didn’t stop or turn his head. He focused on the next flight of stairs down at the end of the corridor.
Another door slung open. A large, burly man stormed out in a huff as a nagging and spiteful female voice spewed crude and demeaning jargon at the brute.
His fingers were balled into fists as he stormed past. Sweat stains covered the front of his soiled white shirt that had a twinge of yellow to it. He mumbled something to himself.
“Awesome neighbors you have here,” Sarah said.
Rick hit the landing to the next flight without missing a beat. “Like I said earlier, most of the people I know here are decent. Most.”
The second flight of stairs was traversed with little effort. They swung around the banister, past the sealed doors that had little to no noise coming from them.
The remaining two floors were free of any hostile encounters. It was dead silent, considering how a portion of the people in the building were carrying on.
Rick stomped his way up the staircase to the dark-gray door that led out onto the roof. The barrage of fighting and discourse from the lower floors had all been squashed.
Silence filled the space between the two of them as he grabbed the door. Rick twisted the knob and pushed. The door swung open.
A gust of wind rushed into the narrow space. It smelled of smoke. Having the cool air brush over Sarah’s skin was refreshing, even if it was tainted.
Sirens trumpeted through the dismal night skies. The noise seemed to have multiplied from what it was earlier with no end in sight.
Rick moved from the open door, allowing Sarah to step out. She moved out of his way as he closed the door.
He walked across the roof of the building to the far ledge. Sarah flanked him as her head turned from side to side, taking in the orange glow that lit up the horizon of the city.
Being on top of the roof and looking out over the blinding darkness that wasn’t consumed by fires, made her feel as though the world wasn’t burning down around her.
“Man, that is one hell of a bad view,” Rick muttered in disbelief.
Off in the distance, Sarah spotted multiple lights tracing across the smoke-filled sky. The bleating of the chopper’s rotors was faint, but easily heard without the restriction of the building dulling the noise.
“A woman told me that a few airliners collided somehow and crashed over the city.” She pointed out the numerous blazes that canvased the dark and bleak landscape. “Looks like there’s more fires going as well.”
Rick set the flashlight on the ledge, then ran his fingers through his thick, black, wiry hair. “Yeah. I didn’t see it, but I heard the explosion after they crashed. Sounded like a couple of damn bombs going off. I also heard that some of the transformers sparked and blew, causing fires in some of the older buildings around the city. Boston has its share of those. You mix all of that together with the civil unrest among the population and this is what you get.”
“That’s what I thought it was at first,” Sarah said. “I was riding the subway when the power went out, so I ended up trapped down there. The ground shook overhead. I thought the world had ended or something.”
Flashes of red and blue from police lights shone down the street. Sarah caught a brief glimpse before they vanished within the darkness.
Rick looked to Sarah. “You got any family out there in that mess?”
“Yeah. My best friend and husband.” Sarah dipped her chin, then peered off into the fiery distance of the burning city. “I was supposed to meet my friend at Copley Place earlier today, but that never happened.”
“And your husband?” Rick countered without missing a beat.
“I’m not sure where he is, to be honest. He left to go on a weekend trip with his friend. I haven’t heard from him since early this morning. No cell service.”
“Well, I imagine the both of them are all right. Nothing to worry about,” Rick reassured as best he could.
Sarah bowed her head, acknowledging the kind words. It was hard to accept, considering the state of things. She didn’t know how widespread the blackout was or if it was just contained to Boston. For all she knew, it could’ve been global since they were cut off from the rest of the world. That thought scared her.
“They probably are. I would just like to know to be sure.” Sarah glanced to the Glock, then stuffed it into the waistband of her trousers. She felt safe for the moment, at least safe enough not to need it in her hand. If things went south, retrieving the weapon wouldn’t be an issue. “I was heading to my friend’s place when I was forced off the street and to this building. I need to find her and make sure she’s all right. We’re practically sisters and all.”
Rick leaned forward and pressed the palm of his hands to the edge of the roof. He craned his neck and peered to the street below. “If it’s all the same, you might wait until morning before leaving. Best to keep off the streets for the time being. It’s not safe for anyone down there right now.”
That was Sarah’s plan. Striking out into the city now was not going to benefit anyone. It would only serve those who sought out the weak and looked to take advantage of any people unlucky enough to cross their paths.
Come daybreak, Sarah would get back on the move and head to Mandy’s place. Hopefully, by then, the authorities would have regained control, and the city would be back under the rule of law.
“I didn’t think anyone else came up here except for me,” a soft feminine voice called out from the darkness.
Sarah flinched, then spun on her heels with her hand reaching for the Glock.
A flicker of light lit up the woman’s face as she ignited the end of a cigarette.
Rick grabbed Sarah’s wrist, thwarting her notion to draw the weapon. “Whoa. Hold on, there.”
Sarah panted from the sudden appearance of the woman who lingered in the shadows off to the side of the entrance to the roof. Her heart hammered as she exhaled. “Do you know her?”
“Christ, lady,” the woman exclaimed in fright. “On edge, much?”
“Yeah. I know her,” Rick confirmed. “She lives a floor above me. Diane, why are you up here hiding in the dark?”
The woman took a drag from the cigarette. The end burned an orangish-red. “You know, had to get some distance away from Brad. Things were getting heated between us earlier, and I needed some air. Taking a stroll out on the street didn’t seem wise with everything going on. So here I am.”
Rick sighed. “I thought you two had worked things out and everything was better.”
Diane shrugged. Smoke blew from her lips. She wiped her hands across her face. “They were for a bit, but, no offense, Rick, he’s a man, and doesn’t get it at times. I love the big, dumb ape, but just get tired of the things he does at times.”
Sarah heard sniffles linger from the distraught woman. Although cast in shadows, Sarah caught a glimpse of Diane’s face. She figured she was maybe in her late to early twenties from the sound of her voice.
Rick looked to Sarah with a lost look on his face. “No offense taken. Did you, um, want to talk about it?”
Diane scoffed. “I appreciate the offer, Rick, but I don’t think you’d understand. As Brad said, it’s a woman thing. I’ll be fine. Just need to cool off and all. Besides, you�
��ve got your girlfriend with you. I don’t want to be a bother”
“Why does everyone think I’m your girlfriend,” Sarah muttered to him.
Rick shrugged, then threw up his hands. “I really don’t know.”
Sarah rolled her eyes, then shook her head. “Yeah. Right.”
Diane puffed on the cigarette while staring off at the dismal night sky.
Sarah felt for the young woman, and could relate to how she was feeling. Russell had similar shortcomings which made Sarah mad at times, but they always worked it out.
Being in a relationship was never easy, and at times, the struggle to even be around them was hard as hell. At the end of the day, though, if someone love a person, then nothing was impossible to work out.
Sarah was realizing that fact even more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
RUSSELL
Thomas sat in his rocking chair, angry from listening to Cathy retell the day’s events that had led them to his doorstep in the middle of the night.
A mixture of emotions twisted the old man’s face from shock to a scowl. His wrinkled brow furrowed. Heavy breaths blew through his nostrils like a raging bull. His gaunt, boney fingers rapped against the scuffed wooden arm of his chair.
“I can’t believe Mr. Wright would stoop to such tactics. I always knew that man was garbage, but didn’t think it was possible for him to sink any lower,” Thomas vented.
Cathy nodded in agreement from the plush leather chair she was resting on. A towel dangled from the arm of the chair. She pulled the light-brown blanket, draped over her shoulders, a hair tighter. “Yeah. Me too. He’s had his goons snooping around my place for some time. Doing little things here and there to try and make me sell or just abandon the property. It didn’t escalate until recently, though.”
Anger surged over Thomas’s face, and his fingers balled into fists. “I have half a mind to head over to that bastard’s place right now with the double barrel and serve up some old school justice.”
Russell thought he’d lose that fight without much effort from the opposition. It was a death sentence for the old man who struggled to even walk.
“Just settle down over there. Your blood pressure is going to go through the roof. You know how it gets when you get excited like this.” Cathy motioned with her hands for Thomas to relax and take it easy, but the gruff and hardened man wasn’t looking to let Marcus slide on what he’d done.
He took a deep breath in through his nose, then exhaled the frustration through his thin lips. Butch lifted his head from the rug to check on his handler.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Just chaps my ass is all. You and Max are like family. Either of you could’ve been seriously hurt or killed for Christ’s sake.” He glanced to Russell who rested on the couch in front of the fireplace. A wadded-up, sodden towel sat in his lap. His clothes were still damp, but drying from the heat given off by the fire. “I’m glad Mr. Cage was there to help out, despite how he arrived and all.”
“We are too,” Cathy added.
“You’re lucky to be alive, son. Sorry about your friend. I can’t imagine how harrowing that must have been for you.”
Russell offered a gracious tilt of his head. “Thanks. I was fortunate that Cathy and Max found me when they did. I was hurt and contending with a mountain lion.”
“The wilderness can be a beautiful place, but dangerous if you’re not careful,” Thomas said.
Butch laid his head back on the rug near Max’s. Both animals rested on the floor without so much as a squabble between the two beasts. Max laid motionless, dead to the world with only a twitch of his ears to let the others know he was still awake.
Thomas rubbed his chin as he mumbled to himself. “The sheriff needs to get involved and arrest that dirtbag. I would say let’s call him up now, but the damn phones don’t work. Haven’t for some time. Same for the power. Cut off without any warning earlier, and it hasn’t even tried to come back on yet.”
The modified lanterns were still lit and provided enough light in the cabin to get the general lay of the land. It was up in the air as to how long they’d last, though.
Cathy stood from the chair and grabbed a log next to the fireplace. She fed the beefy bark to the dwindling fire. “I’ll worry about speaking with the sheriff at some point.”
She prodded the scorched wood with the poker as Thomas gave her a peculiar stare. From what Russell could tell, he didn’t care for her response. “At some point? This needs to be handled fast. The longer you wait, the less likely that piece of crap will pay for what he did.”
The fire roared back to life. Crackles escaped the charred blocks of wood.
Cathy placed the poker back on the stand and sat back down. “I’m more concerned with Amber at the moment. I haven’t been able to reach her since the power went out. Who knows what kind of damage that solar storm did or how wide spread it is? I’ve got insurance on the place that will take care of most of everything that went up in the fire. Plus, I’ve already filed a report, and you see what good that did. A part of me thinks the sheriff is in Marcus’s back pocket. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was. Marcus has the town under his thumb.”
“I imagine Amber is fine. She’s just as stubborn and hardheaded as you. Don’t know of anyone who would want to take on that young lady.”
Cathy rubbed her hand over her face while glancing at Russell. Bickering with the old man didn’t seem to be what she had in mind when she decided to trek through the wilderness and rain at night.
Thomas glanced at Russell again, then back over to Cathy. His tense body relaxed and his balled fists unclenched. It looked as though he knew he was digging under her skin, and he needed to tone it down. “I didn’t know you had already spoken with the sheriff about all of the troubles you were having with Marcus. I can’t believe the corruption in this place. I left the city to get away from that, and here we are right smack dab in the thick of it again.”
Cathy sighed, then lowered her arm to her thighs. “Listen, Thomas. I know you’re just concerned and all, but I will handle everything as I see fit. I didn’t come by here to get lectured until the early hours of morning. So, if we could just drop it for now, that would be great.”
Silence fell over the room. Tension clung to the air like a bad stench. The crackling of the fireplace and wind howling filled the space between them as Cathy leaned back in her chair.
Russell rubbed his hands up and down his thighs, then cut his gaze over to Thomas who rocked in his chair. The ends of his skeletal fingers tapped his gray, stubbled chin as he stared at the flames. Russell didn’t do well with tension, especially when it was between others, and he was in the middle of the squabble.
“Could I trouble you for a drink of water?” he asked.
Thomas’s gaze lingered on the fire.
Cathy sighed, then slung the blanket from her shoulders. “Come here. I’ll show you where the kitchen is.”
She stood up while looking at Thomas. Russell had seen that agitated expression many times before on Sarah’s face.
Max stirred. A sharp ruff emitted from his snout as he rolled over to his stomach. He yawned, then stretched his front legs. The ends of his claws snagged on the material of the rug as he gave his coat a good shake.
Cathy skirted the arm of the chair and grabbed the lantern that was on top of the round table. Russell dropped the towel to the floor and followed her through the dimly lit house with Max flanking them both.
Butch watched the trio. His ears flicked from their footfalls over the wood planks, but he didn’t leave his handler’s side.
“I love that old man to death, but lord, he grates on my nerves at times,” Cathy groused.
“He reminds me of my grandparents—coarse and rough around the edges,” Russell responded through a whisper. “Listening to him speak made me think of those old movies done back in the day. One thing is certain, he cares about you.”
Cathy lifted the lantern up as she hugged the corner of the wall. “He does an
d I know he’s only being protective, but it’s overbearing at times. It doesn’t get on my nerves normally, but with everything going down as it is, I’m in no mood for a lecture. He should know that.”
Russell paused, then peered back to the living room as Cathy continued into the long, narrow kitchen. Max brushed past him in pursuit of his master.
Thomas was still seated in his rocking chair, looking off into space. The wrinkles around his mouth sagged as he sniffled. Below that hardened exterior and gruff demeanor a soft center oozed out.
Butch had gotten off the floor and stood at his side as Thomas ran his fingers over the crown of his head. The dog looked in Russell’s direction with a fixed, stern gaze.
“Cups are in here,” Cathy informed with a cheerless tone while pointing at one of the upper cabinets. “You can get some water from the tap.”
“Thanks.”
Cathy set the lantern on the marble white countertop. “I’ll leave this here for you. I’m going to take Max to the laundry room, and get him some chow. If you want to catch a few winks of sleep, Thomas has a few extra bedrooms. I’m probably going to lay down and rest before we head out. Bathroom is down the hall there along with the bedrooms. First door on the right.”
“Got it. I–”
“Come on, boy.” Cathy patted her leg once, then walked past Russell. Max followed close behind. Both vanished in the murk of the hallway, leaving Russell alone in the kitchen.
Being stuck in the middle of a bickering match wasn’t Russell’s ideal plan. If he had his druthers, they’d find some way of getting on the road and moving on.
He opened the cabinet. The hinges squeaked from lack of oil on their joints. Light from the lantern illuminated the interior of the cabinet. On the bottom shelf, a bottle of Knob Creek caught Russell’s attention.
His mouth watered. His tongue slid across his lips from the thought of taking the spirit. Excitement swelled inside him like a kid who found an unwrapped gift at Christmas.
Powerless World: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Survive the Fall Book 1) Page 14
