Fight 4 Us: (Book 3): Refuge

by Grenda, Brian

  “I didn’t think you were ever going to do it. So, I shot him for ya,” says one of the men from the truck.

  The driver of the truck asks, “You boys lost or something?”

  We all look at the men and aren’t sure what to make of them. Are they friends or foes?

  I look at the men and say, “No sir. We aren’t lost. We were just finishing up some business between this idiot and my group.”

  “Group huh? You got a group?” asks the driver from the truck.

  Phil says, “Yeah. It’s a very small group. We are most of it. Do you guys have a group?”

  The driver from the truck walks over to Derrick’s lifeless body that is now lying on its right side in the mud.

  “Yeah, we have a group. It’s pretty big actually. My name is Pete, that’s Adam, and that’s Josh.”

  “Josh got a little impatient watching you decide on what to do with this guy, and I guess we made the decision for ya,” says Pete.

  Josh shouts, “Shit or get off the pot.”

  Pete says, “I hope you didn’t decide to let me him live after all that. That would have been terrible.”

  “No. I was going to shoot him myself.”

  Pete asks, “You guys live around here? You look pretty clean and not a mess like some people we meet.”

  Phil says, “We live pretty close to here, but it’s nothing nice. Where do you guys live?”

  “All over. We have a bunch of places that we own,” says Pete.

  As Pete is talking, I look around the abandoned homes, signs, and cars. I notice the symbol that I saw before.

  I try to remember what it was and where I saw it, and it finally comes to me.

  A circle that looks like a snake eating its tail with a cross in the center of it.

  It’s the symbol that I saw when those three men were shooting at me when we were coming back from the solar panel warehouse about a week ago.

  After seeing the symbol, I feel that these guys aren’t friends and they will most likely kill us.

  I say to Pete, “Well. Thanks guys. We need to be on our way home now.”

  I turn towards Phil and Shaun and gesture that we need to leave.

  Pete shouts, “What’s the rush guys? Don’t you want to hang out and get to know us?”

  I start to walk towards my SUV and say, “Maybe another time. We know where to find you.”

  Phil and Shaun start walking with me to the SUV as Pete, Adam, and Josh watch us.

  Shaun, Phil, and I make it to the SUV, and I start up the engine. I drive down the main street of the neighborhood and exit on to another road.

  I drive down the street and stop.

  Phil says, “You can’t risk them seeing where we live. We have to lose them, before we go home.”

  I look in my rear-view mirror and don’t see their white truck.

  I drive down the street and decide to go a different way home.

  As I’m driving home, I think about that white truck. It looked familiar to me for some reason.

  I look at Phil and ask, “Have we seen that white truck before? I think we have, but can’t place it.”

  Phil says, “I think so. It did look familiar.”

  I continue driving down a street that is about 10 miles from the neighborhood, and see a vehicle behind us.

  I decide to turn into a shopping center and hide in the alley behind the stores.

  After hiding for about 15 minutes, I start up the engine and exit the alley behind the shopping center and turn onto the main road that will lead us back to the neighborhood.

  I check to make sure the coast is clear.

  I look to the right and don’t see any vehicles on the road. Shaun looks to the left and he doesn’t see anything either.

  I drive a little way down the road, and we look to see if we see Pete in the white truck.

  The coast looks clear when suddenly, the white truck comes driving up next to us.

  Pete drives next to my SUV and stops.

  He has his windows down and wants to talk.

  I roll down my window and ask, “What’s up guys?”

  Pete says, “You. You are what’s up. We want to know more about you guys.”

  I look at Pete and say, “Well I’m Ryan, this is Phil, and this is Shaun.”

  Pete smiles with a big ole Grinch like smile and says, “Nice to meet you, but we want to know where you live and what you guys have for us.”

  Phil shouts, “We don’t have much, we barely have anything for ourselves.”

  Pete says, “I don’t believe you. Let’s talk for a second, pull into that parking lot over there on the right.”

  Pete drives away, makes a left-hand turn and drives into an empty parking lot.

  I look at Phil and ask, “What should I do? We aren’t exactly geared up for a gun fight.”

  Phil says, “We can’t keep running from them. We need to get back. Let’s just see what they want and give them some basic information.”

  I drive into the parking lot and park my SUV a good distance away from Pete’s truck.

  I look at the guys and ask, “Do you guys have guns?”

  Shaun and Phil each have a handgun with them and are ready to use them if necessary.

  “Let’s try to avoid a gun fight if we can, but we will do what we have to do. Keep your guns ready to grab.”

  Pete shouts, “Come on guys, we don’t have all night here.”

  We exit the SUV and make our way over to Pete who is standing between Josh and Adam.

  I walk over to Pete and ask, “Everything okay Pete?”

  Pete says, “We shall see. Depends on your answers, is how well things will be for you.”

  “I don’t understand. I ….”

  Pete interrupts, “Enough with the small talk Ryan. I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen.”

  Pete walks right up to me, gets close to my face and says, “I know where you live. I have driven through the neighborhood. Citrus Oaks, I believe it’s called.”

  Pete was driving the white truck slowly through the neighborhood when Phil and I were working on the solar panels and the storm came through about a month ago.

  Pete continues his speech, “I remember seeing you and Phil before. You guys got a decent little thing going on over there in that neighborhood.”

  Phil asks, “What do you want Pete?”

  Pete walks over to Phil and says, “That’s simple. I want what you got. It doesn’t matter what you have. I want it either way.”

  I look at Shaun and give him a simple nod to get his gun ready.

  Pete isn’t going to just let us go. I feel the tension building between Pete’s group and mine. This isn’t going to end well for one of our groups.

  I walk over to Pete and say, “We can’t have you taking what we have and what we have worked for.”

  Pete walks away from Phil and starts walking towards his truck.

  Pete gets to his driver side door, turns towards me, and says, “Ryan. You don’t know who you are dealing with here. We don’t ask for things. We take them. We conquer.”

  I take a step back towards Phil and Shaun and ask, “So Pete. You want to take what we have and that’s it? We don’t get a say?”

  Before Pete can answer, I take out my gun and shoot Adam in the head.

  Josh tries to take out his gun but Shaun shoots him in the neck before he can grab his gun.

  Pete hops into his truck and reverses away from us.

  Shaun, Phil, and I shoot at Pete as he drives away, but Pete gets away.

  Phil walks over to Josh who is bleeding profusely from his neck and struggling to breathe.

  Phil points his gun at Josh’s head and says, “Conquer this.”

  Phil pulls the trigger and Josh is instantly killed.

  “Let’s hurry up and get back to the neighborhood. Pete knows where it is, and it’s only a matter of time until they attack it.”

  Phil, Shaun, and I get into the SUV, and I speed down the street.
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br />   “Any chance that we hit Pete, and he won’t make it back to his group?

  Phil says, “I doubt it. We have to plan like we are under attack from this group, and that they will come get us at any time.”

  Shaun says, “We need to get TJ and get the neighborhood ready for a fight. We need to tell everyone what is going on tonight.”

  I arrive at the South entrance. Chris and Tony are still guarding the entrance. Tony opens the gate, and I drive into the neighborhood.

  I drive up to where Tony is standing, roll down my window and say, “Get everyone up and meet me by the oak tree in 10 minutes.”

  Tony says, “You got it.”

  The neighborhood is quiet and safe as I drive down the street towards my house. I need everyone up, so I start to honk my horn and wake everyone up.

  I drive up and down every street in the neighborhood, honking my horn as I drive down the street.

  I stop in the middle of the neighborhood, honk my horn several times, and shout, “Everyone get up and meet me at the oak tree in 10 minutes. Get up. Meet me at the oak tree in 10 minutes.”

  I park my SUV in the driveway and am met by Lauren. Lauren runs over to me as I exit the SUV.

  Lauren in a nervous tone asks, “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

  “I will answer that when I address the group, but we have a potential problem with another group. We need to prepare the neighborhood.”

  Shaun, Phil, Lauren, and I wait for everyone to get to the oak tree in front of my dad’s house.

  After about a 10-minute wait, Bobby G, Matt, Nicole, Chris, Jamie, Tony, Buck, Carlos, and several other people from the neighborhood finally arrive at the oak tree.

  “I’m sorry to wake you all up, but we have a potential problem, and it couldn’t wait until the morning. During my trip out tonight, we ran into another group. A group that wants what we have. They aren’t friendly by any means. They know where we live, and it’s only a matter of time until they come here.”

  As I’m delivering my speech, I am looking at the faces of the people in the neighborhood. I see that everyone is worried about this new group, and the potential threat on the neighborhood.

  “It was only a matter of time until we ran into people that want what we have. Safety, security, weapons, food, and water. They want everything that we have and have worked so hard for. But we aren’t going to give it to them. Not if I’m alive. We will fight for this place. I will fight for you. Will you fight for us?”

  Most of the group nods their heads in agreement but some are nervous and don’t want to fight.

  “I need all able bodies to work on securing this neighborhood, fighting, and protecting each other. I can’t have people unsure with this. I need you all in or all out. Any questions?”

  Chris shouts, “What’s the plan? How do we defend this place?”

  “We secure all entry ways, borders, and any way that they may try to enter. We have everyone carry weapons and learn how to use those weapons.”

  Jamie shouts, “When are they coming?”

  “We don’t know. We have to plan that they will come after the neighborhood at any point.”

  Carlos shouts, “What do you want us to do?”

  “We will start by securing and blocking off the West entrance. Seal it up pretty good for now. I want to only use the South entrance, and avoid trying to defend two entrances for now.”

  Carlos replies, “I will have my crew on it as soon as we can.”

  “If no one has any more questions, then let’s meet up in the morning and plan things better. Try and get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  The crowd leaves and everyone goes home except for Shaun, Lisa, Kylie, Matt, Nicole, Lauren, Bobby G, Phil and myself.

  Nicole asks, “Ryan, where is Derrick?”

  “Derrick is gone. We were escorting him out of the area, when this new group killed him.”

  Nicole says, “Oh my goodness, really? Why did they kill him?”

  “They wanted to send a message to us that they meant business. We fought back, but one of them got away.”

  Nicole looks at Phil and says, “I’m glad everyone is alright though.”

  Phil says, “Yeah. We made it out alive, but this new group is nothing to take lightly.”

  Kylie asks, “So what’s the plan for us?”

  “The plan is to prepare this place for a battle if necessary. We need TJ and Odin here for sure, and we need to have everyone ready for when they arrive.”

  Matt asks, “Do you think this group will just show up at the gate and want to talk? They will most likely try to sneak up on us.”

  I turn to Matt and say, “Good thinking. I want you in charge of securing any area that they might use against us and develop a plan for how to protect us from it.”

  Shaun says, “I will get TJ and Odin here and develop a plan. A plan for setting traps and a plan for protecting the neighborhood as well.”

  “Good idea Shaun. Get TJ and Odin here as soon as you can in the morning. Everyone else, I will develop a plan and role for each of you in the morning. We will defend this place. All of us working together will be a tough challenge for anyone. Even these Conquerors.”

  CHAPTER 11

  LOW RATIONS

  “Is this all that we have left?” asks Lauren as she closes the kitchen pantry.

  I walk out of my master bedroom and into the kitchen. I open the pantry and see what that the pantry is very low. We only have a couple cans of food left. I open the refrigerator, and it only has a couple bottles of water and sports drinks left.

  I close the refrigerator door and say, “Yeah. It looks like we have used up all the food that Phil and I got from the food run weeks ago.”

  Lauren asks, “What are we going to do? The crops are almost ready, but it could be a couple more days for them.”

  “We have to go on a run. We will go back to the local supermarket and some other possible spots for food.”

  “Do you need to go back out for runs like that? Can’t you send someone else to go?” asks Lauren.

  I have always been of the mindset that I’ll get it done. Taking on problems and tough situations has always been something I enjoyed. Problem solving and accomplishing goals is and will always be a big part of my outlook on life.

  “I could have Phil and TJ go out on this run. I need to stay and check with Matt and Shaun about the security of the neighborhood.”

  Phil comes walking through the front door and walks into the kitchen. He opens the refrigerator and gets a bottle of water.

  I look at Phil and ask, “Phil what you doing now? Can you do me a favor?”

  Phil takes a drink of water and says, “I just came back from Matt’s house. Those babies are getting bigger. What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you and TJ to go on a food run. Check out the local supermarket that we went to. It will probably be looted but the back-storage room might have some stuff in it. Also, if you can check out other local stores or any place you think might have food. Our food supply is very low.”

  “No problem. I will go over to TJ’s and we will get some food,” says Phil.

  “Please don’t take too long, as I’m sure The Conquerors will be coming for us soon. I don’t know what they have been waiting for. It’s been over a week now.”

  Phil goes into his bedroom and grabs his gear for the run.

  I walk through the front door and over to my dad’s house.

  I knock on the front door and walk inside.

  “Hello, Dad. You in here?”

  Bobby G walks out of the bathroom, and I meet him in the kitchen.

  “What’s up Ryan? Everything okay?” asks Bobby G.

  “Our food is getting low. I sent Phil and TJ out to get some food, but who knows what they will find.”

  I open Bobby G’s refrigerator and see that he has some bottles of water and juice, but it’s pretty empty. I check his cabinets and he has a couple cans of food left, but will be o
ut of food in a couple days.

  Milo jumps up onto the kitchen countertop and meows at me.

  I look at Milo, pet him on the head, and say, “Hey Milo. How are ya? Where is Callie?”

  Milo meows, and lays down on the kitchen countertop.

  Bobby G says, “Milo follows me all over the house, but his sister is always hiding. It takes me a couple minutes to find her in the mornings.”

  “Do you have enough food for these cats?”

  “I think so. I have two bags of dry cat food left for them, but eventually we will have to get some more food for them,” says Bobby G.

  “Okay, let me see if I can tell Phil to get some cat food if possible on his run today. I’ll talk to you later. Remember keep a gun on you. We have to be ready for The Conquerors.”

  “I will. Always be ready,” says Bobby G.

  I exit Bobby G’s house and see Phil is getting into his SUV.

  I run over to Phil and say, “Hey, Phil. Wait up.”

  Phil rolls down his window and says, “What’s up? I’m just about to get going.”

  “I like the new all black paint job on the SUV. If you can, please get some dry cat food bags. If the supermarket is empty, there are two dollar stores close to that supermarket that people might have left untouched.”

  “I will check it all out and see what I can get. I will be back shortly. Keep this place safe,” says Phil.

  Phil rolls his window up and backs out of Bobby G’s driveway. Phil gives a goodbye beep and drives towards the South entrance.

  I wave goodbye to Phil and walk over to Shaun’s house.

  Shaun is outside placing hay bales next to his house.

  “What’s up Shaun? What are you doing?”

  Shaun replies, “Setting up some things to hide behind when The Conquerors come for us.”

  “Good idea. How’s the neighborhood looking? Any areas to worry about?”

  “The neighborhood is good here and around the South entrance. The West entrance is totally secured now. Nothing is getting in or out. The area of concern is the North section of the neighborhood, especially the two homes in the cul-de-sac. Let’s go check it out,” says Shaun.

  We walk over to Matt’s house and get Matt to come to the North part of the neighborhood with us.