by Hunt, James
“There!” The man who had carried his wife from the building pointed to a door across the street, and James followed.
One of the women held the door while James carried Jake inside, making it three steps before he collapsed to his knees. He gently laid his son down on the floor. It was carpet, soft beneath James’s aching knees, but he knew that the relief was short-lived as he made his way back to the door until a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
“What are you doing?” the man asked.
James frowned, squinting. “The boy.”
The man pointed to Jake, who was still on the ground, unconscious. “Your son is right here! You can’t go back out there. They’re just shooting anyone that they come across! You don’t hear that gunfire?”
James couldn’t hear the gunfire. He could barely hear the man in front of him, but he had to move quickly because he wasn’t sure how much consciousness he had left before he passed out. His muscles had turned to jelly and every breath he took filled his lungs with daggers.
Without another word, James spun back around toward the door, removing the pistol from his holster, which he was forced to hold with two hands so he wouldn’t drop it.
Staggering down the street and weaving between the cars on the road, James’s right side was warmed by the fire from the building.
The only good thing about the fire was that it had completely evacuated the street, everyone running away from the flames, which allowed James to walk down the street unhindered.
James wasn’t sure how he found the truck where he’d stashed Teddy, but he did. He reached for the handle and opened the door. He blinked, staring into the cab. It was empty.
James checked behind the seats and under the dash, but the boy was gone, leaving behind the small Kevlar vest. He stepped out into the street, looking around the truck and into the adjacent vehicles. “Teddy!” His voice was drowned out by gunfire, pushing him back toward the building.
James blacked out briefly, twice, only for a half second each time. Unsure of how he found the building again, he stumbled inside and collapsed to his knees and face-planted onto the carpet.
Before he lost consciousness, James saw his son and wife on the ground ahead of him, both of them sleeping, and he wasn’t even sure if they were still alive. But they were together, and if this was to be their end, he was thankful that he had seen them one last time.
11
The dreams were vivid despite the burnt orange haze that covered the images like a film, dulling all the colors except for the blood.
The crimson splashed vividly on the streets, a stark contrast to the black asphalt, and everywhere James looked, there was nothing but fighting. But the people that were attacking others were wearing the masks that James had seen during his trek through San Antonio. They were all citizens.
People used knives, rocks, any blunt instruments that they could carry in their hands. And those that didn’t have a weapon used their bare hands, beating and choking the life out of anyone that opposed them.
The fighting stretched for miles in every direction. It was savage and desperate. People were stealing food, water, medical supplies. And amongst it all, James stood in the center, coated in blood, screaming for people to stop, but they were so overcome by bloodlust that he couldn’t get them to listen.
“Dad?”
The voice sucked James from the nightmare. Light blinded him and he was painfully aware of the aching of his own body.
Disoriented, James rolled to his side, coughing badly, then dry heaved as the white canvas of his vision slowly filled in the world around him. He saw Jake’s smoke-smeared face smiling over him, and the boy hugged his father tightly.
Jake finally pulled back, wiping tears from his eyes. “Mom’s not doing good.” He then looked to his right where Mary lay on the stretcher that they used to carry her out of the building.
The three other people that they were with when James found them coming out of that room were hovering over Mary, staring down at her with the worried expressions of people unable to help.
James stood, planting one shaking foot in front of the other until he was by his wife’s side. He ripped the left glove from his hand and pressed his fingers against her cheek. He lowered his gaze to her abdomen, which was covered with a bandage, and then turned back to Jake. “What happened?”
Jake went through the scenario, how the gunmen had chased them into the building, shooting Mary in the back and how Stevie, Maya, and Zi helped Jake move Mary deeper into the building so they could hide from the terrorists.
James stood, limping more from exhaustion and fatigue than injury, and shook each of their hands. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my family.”
Each of them muttered what anyone in their position would have said. That they were happy to help, that they couldn’t sit by and do nothing. And he was incredibly grateful for such kindness directed to his family.
“The bullet didn’t have an exit wound,” Zi said. “Your son applied some clotting powder, but the bullet needs to come out. She needs professional medical care.”
Jake shook his head and lowered his gaze. “I didn’t know how else to stop the bleeding other than the clot powder. I wasn’t sure if giving her any of the pain meds would make her heart rate come down, so I—”
James placed his large palm on his son’s shoulder and made the boy look up at him. “You did everything right.”
Two red blotches formed at the top of Jake’s cheeks and his eyes watered as he nodded.
James kissed the top of his son’s head and then walked to the window. The smoke from the fires had made the air outside silky, like James was looking through a screen.
Cars, light posts, garbage cans, benches, bus signs, all of it was covered in the residue from the fires that ravaged the city. But most of the fires had burned themselves out, leaving behind the blackened and crumbling skeletons of the buildings that could collapse at any moment. The streets were empty. Now was the time to move.
James found his pack and the guns that the others had stacked on top after they had carried James and his family inside. “We need to get out of the city before whoever burned those buildings sets fire to the entire downtown area.” He removed a hydration packet from one of the pouches of his bag and chewed on it, and it helped break through the fog of fatigue as he donned the pack and picked up his rifle. “It’s at least another two hours to get out of the city, maybe longer if we have to stop and evade the people hunting us—”
“They’re hunting us?” Maya scrunched up her face in disgust. “Why? Why is this happening?”
“Can’t we just go to the police?” Stevie asked. “I mean, going to a police station would probably be the safest place we could be, right? They’re supposed to help us.”
“How did this happen?” Zi asked. “Do you know? Is that how you were prepared? Did you know this was going to happen?”
James didn’t have time to explain everything, because he knew that most of their questions were just based out of fear. They wanted reassurance that they would survive, but after everything he’d seen on his way into the city, James wasn’t sure they would be. He walked over to his son. “I need you to look after your mother while we head to the Humvee. Make sure she—”
“Humvee?” Stevie asked, an eager look of surprise on his face. “Are you military? Is that how you—”
“I’m not military,” James answered, facing Stevie, who was a good six inches shorter than James.
Stevie slunk backward, huddling together with the other two, separating themselves from James’s family, and he realized that they were all frightened of him. He glanced down at his attire and the tactical nature of his clothes, the rifle, the gun, the blood and dirt smeared over his body.
James had wanted to avoid putting himself in this situation, having to take care of people he didn’t know, who he knew would latch onto him like shipwreck survivors on a life raft stuck out at sea. They would do anything to keep themselv
es from drowning, but if too many people jumped on, then the raft would sink. And James wasn’t about to let his family die for strangers.
But these people had saved his family, and it was a debt that he would repay.
“I have transportation,” James said. “But it’s outside the city boundaries. My first priority is getting my wife to a doctor, and it’ll be a long drive to get there. But once my wife is stabilized, I can help you. Food, water, shelter. If you need to go somewhere, I can get you there. But we need to get out of the city first.”
The three exchanged glances, and with a wordless consensus, they all nodded and Zi stepped forward. “What do we need to do?”
James removed the pistol from his holster. “Has anyone fired a gun before?”
Zi raised her hand. “I dated a cop for a few months.” She stared at the gun, swallowing her hesitation. “He took me to the range a few times, showed me firearm safety, but it’s been a long time since I’ve shot anything.”
With no one else speaking up, James placed the weapon in Zi’s palm. “Safety is here, magazine is full, and there is one in the chamber.” With her one hand on the weapon already, he forced the other hand on it to keep it steady. “Keep the safety off, but your finger doesn’t go on the trigger unless you’re going to shoot, understand?”
Zi nodded quickly, still staring at the weapon.
“And you aim it at the ground unless you’re aiming to shoot, and you don’t aim to shoot unless you’re ready to pull the trigger.” James squeezed her hands, forcing Zi’s gaze up to his eyeline. “You cannot hesitate to shoot once you’ve committed. You hesitate out there, and you die.” James released his hand from the weapon and then turned to Stevie and Maya. “I’ll need both of you to carry the stretcher.”
“We don’t get a weapon?” Maya asked. “How will we defend ourselves?”
“I’ll be on point,” James said, and then slid the rifle from his shoulder and into his hands. “Anything that comes into my field of vision that I assess as a threat, I take down. Zi, you’re watching our backs and making sure that no one sneaks up on us.” He stepped back, addressing all of them. “Everyone needs to keep their guard up. Everyone needs to have eyes in the back of their heads. Right now, we are a perfect target for anyone who is looking for a quick and easy kill. But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we aren’t put in a position like that.”
James knew that it wasn’t much of a pep talk, but he didn’t have the luxury to sugarcoat their situation.
“And no matter what, do not stop moving,” James said. “If you need a break, then tell me. But we need to push as fast and as far as we can, and a stop is only of absolute necessity.”
James stared down at his wife, who was still unconscious and wheezing with every breath. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t lose her.
“Everyone ready?” James asked.
Nervous nods bobbed quickly in response, and while Stevie and Maya walked over to pick Mary up, James took a knee by Jake.
“You all right?” James asked.
“I’m okay,” Jake answered. “I’m glad you’re here.”
James kissed Jake’s forehead. “Keep an eye on your mother’s vitals. And stay between me and Mom, okay? Right on my heels.”
“Okay,” Jake said.
James waited until both Stevie and Maya had a good grip on the stretcher before he moved toward the door. He paused. “Remember, keep your eyes open, keep together, and do not stop moving. And above all, do exactly what I tell you. I say jump, you jump. I say duck, and you hit the floor. I say run, and you sprint as fast as your legs will carry you. Got it?”
A unanimous and confident ‘yes’ rang out, and it gave James a flicker of hope that they might be able to escape the city before it added their bodies to the piles in the streets.
12
The first hour after James had left, Luis had walked the building’s interior perimeter at least a half dozen times and discovered a few hidden caches of supplies along the walls and through false bottoms in the flooring.
They were well-hidden, and it took Luis a few times before he was able to see the cracks from the cutouts. He found food, ammunition, and medical supplies. It wasn’t much, but Luis gathered everything he found and loaded it into the Humvee, knowing that James would want to bring it back.
Luis suspected that once they left here and returned to the ranch, they wouldn’t be returning for a long time. And after how nervous he’d seen James become during their ride here and for his departure into the city, Luis thought that the effects of today would ripple for months. Maybe even years.
Once the heat had become unbearable, Luis ascended the ladder to the roof where he could at least catch a breeze. He didn’t like being locked up.
Years working outside at the ranch had spoiled him, giving him the freedom of being out in the open. It was hard work, but it was honest work. And in a world where right and wrong had blurred together, it was priceless.
Luis lowered the binoculars and turned away from the darkening skies, fires, smoke, gunshots, and screams that had carried over to him on the wind.
With his friend nowhere in sight, Luis returned to the ground floor and stepped outside, but he quickly retreated behind the door when he glanced down the street.
Three other Humvees moved steadily down the street, each vehicle surrounded by a dozen soldiers.
The vehicles had been retrofitted with large bumpers, and the steady speed and power of the Humvees pushed the idle cars and trucks from its path, forging its way through the streets.
A trail of people had followed the soldiers, all of them shouting questions, but the military personnel didn’t answer. And Luis noticed that while the civilians followed, they made sure to keep their distance.
Luis slunk back into the warehouse, not wanting to draw any attention to himself, and then quickly climbed the ladder to the roof so he could get a better look at where the military was heading.
The convoy turned right when the road reached a cross section at the warehouse and traveled one more block before stopping in an open parking lot where they set up a mobile command station.
Luis couldn’t hear what was said, but the tone was aggressive, and the crowd dispersed.
Once the crowds had vanished, Luis returned his attention to the military, finding a tent set up with men coming in and out of the cover quickly and often.
Luis sat there on the roof, waiting for the military to mobilize and go deeper into the city, to help secure the area, but once they sat there at the end of the street, they didn’t move. He lowered his binoculars and then descended the ladder before creeping out of the warehouse on the first floor.
Luis left the rifle in the warehouse, but kept the pistol tucked behind his back.
The parking lot where the soldiers set up camp had a building nearby. Like the warehouse, the building adjacent to where the soldiers had camped was also abandoned. The signage outside along with the broken ice maker marked the old brick building as a convenience store.
There was no ladder to the roof, but Luis found a dumpster that gave him enough of a step to climb onto the top of the single-story building. The old flat roof was sagging in a few areas brought on by neglect and water damage over the years from heavy rainfall. Luis stuck to the perimeter where the roof was strongest, but had to stay low on all fours as he made his way toward the east side of the roof that was closest to the empty parking lot.
He paused at the roof’s edge and then slowly raised his eyes and peeked over the top, where he saw the roof of the tent and the lower half the soldiers that stood beneath it, their voice drifting upwards with the breeze.
At first it was nothing but scrambled nonsense, but the longer that Luis sat there and concentrated on listening, the more he was able to decipher.
“Command has three other units in place at the north, east, and south ends of the city,” a man said. “Units have identified that enemy strongholds have developed in the city’s epicente
r and spread west to our location.”
“What about rescue units?” A second man asked.
“We’re pulling out who we can, but if the area isn’t cleared in less than an hour, then our units are going to use artillery shells to bombard the enemy and clear the path for our ground forces to enter.”
Luis’s pulse increased and he rolled onto his back, still able to hear most of the conversation, which had moved onto the more monotonous details of the operation. But Luis knew that if they were planning on bombing the area before they went into the city to fight the people who did this, then the possibility of civilian casualties would greatly increase, which meant that James and the others would be caught in the crossfire.
“And what about the evacuation routes?” one of the soldiers asked. “How are people getting out of the city now?”
Luis turned back toward the wall, making sure that he heard what came next, because he might be able to help in pulling James and his family out of danger.
“The enemy has blockaded all known escape routes from the city except one,” the soldier answered. “They are funneling all the citizens to the north end of the city, but our forces have been unable to secure the area.”
“So that means… what?”
Luis became nervous the longer the soldier’s silence stretched, and he finally peered over the edge, exposing himself. He couldn’t miss what came next.
“It means that the only exit out of the city is being held by the enemy, and they’ve created a kill box. Anyone that walks into that area will be blown away. Period.”
Luis rolled away from the wall and laid there for a moment on his back, staring up at the orange haze of the sky above, the clear blue toward the west fighting against the smoke and fires radiating from the city.
A kill box.
The phrase repeated in Luis’s mind, like a record caught on a terrible scratch. He knew that James was capable, more prepared than even the most capable resident in San Antonio. But if either Jake or Mary were hurt and if he couldn’t move with the same agility as he normally would, Luis knew that it would be difficult for him with the amount of forces that had even the military worried.
