Gateway to Chaos (Book 2): Seeking Refuge

by Payne, T. L.

  JJ cleared her throat. She’d remained quiet throughout the conversation. Raine was anxious to hear her thoughts. She seemed to have a lot of common sense.

  “You need to keep moving south and maybe even southwest. The hordes will likely follow the interstates or major highways, so avoid those. Long term, you’ll want to find a sparsely-populated area like down around Wayne County or even Carter County. They have small populations, but you will probably have trouble with the locals there. They’re pretty spread out, but they know everyone.”

  “That sounds like a good place,” Sheena said.

  “There’s a reason it’s not well populated. It’s mostly rugged rolling hills. It wouldn’t be an easy walk. That’s, like, one hundred and fifty miles from here. Sure, it’s secluded enough, but on foot, it’s just too far to walk even without snow on the ground.”

  “Where would you recommend?” Antonio asked.

  Scott looked at the ceiling. “I’d go south to, say, Potosi. That’s, like, sixty, seventy miles from here, but lots of farms and away from major roads. I live near there. There’s good hunting and fishing. It would still be a rough trip on foot, though.”

  It just all seemed so impossible. Raine was even more discouraged than before. She was a realist. She knew that Antonio couldn’t walk that far with his leg injury and even if they found another sled to pull DeAndre on, how long before they starved or froze to death out there? If only they’d been able to get that SUV. Raine replayed the scene over and over in her mind.

  The look on Scott’s face had been heartbreaking when they reached the empty parking lot of the Sam’s Club. They’d all had their hopes dashed, but Scott looked devastated by losing the chance to obtain a vehicle. Then it dawned on her. He needed that vehicle to get to his daughter in Florida. Raine shook her head. The Suburban had been key to all their plans. Without it, she couldn’t get her group a safe distance from the city, JJ couldn’t get to her parents, and Scott was never going to make it to Florida.

  Florida.

  That was where her family was. Raine hadn’t let herself even hope to get back there. It seemed too heartbreakingly impossible. When Scott had revealed that it was his destination, for a moment, she’d considered joining him. If she could find a place for Sheena and the others where they had a chance of making it through this, she thought she might feel free to make her way home, but that dream was dashed now. She wondered if any of them would ever make it out of the city.

  If only they’d been able to steal that SUV, they all would have stood a chance.

  “I wonder where they parked the Suburban,” Raine said.

  “I know where I would have parked it,” Brandon said.

  Raine twisted on her mat to face him.

  “I would have put it in the garage at that house the boss is holed up in,” Brandon said.

  Raine nodded. She agreed. That was what she’d do too.

  “I wonder if Suit is out there fighting with his men?” Raine asked.

  “I sincerely doubt it,” Sheena said. “Those types cower behind their walls and let their crew do the fighting.”

  Antonio stood and walked over to the window. “He could be alone?”

  “Not likely,” Scott said.

  Lucy sat up. “If it's only a couple of them, we might could take them.”

  Raine could see the wheels in Scott’s head turning, trying to form a plan. Going after the SUV a second time, while the opposing team was distracted in a gun battle, was risky, but so was walking sixty miles in the snow without food or water. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded. She pulled her pipe wrench from under her blanket.

  “If only we could get a hold of one of their rifles,” Raine said.

  Lucy stood and walked over to join Antonio at window. She turned and faced the group. “What do you guys think? Should we at least go scout it out and see if we can find the Suburban? We can decide from there if it’s worth the risk.”

  The look of relief on Scott’s face said it all. She knew he would be for it.

  “I wish I could help,” Gage said, holding up his dingy bandaged hands. “I can be a lookout, though.”

  “I think just two of us should go to Suit’s house. See if we can determine if the vehicle is there. If so, how many men he might have in there with him. We’ll come back if we find it and we can form a plan to steal it from them,” Scott said.

  “I’ll go with you,” JJ said.

  “I want to take Brandon,” Scott said, turning to Brandon. “You willing?”

  JJ furrowed her brow. She wasn’t happy.

  Raine wasn’t thrilled either. The last time he’d told Brandon the same thing and look what happened. She was convinced that if Scott saw an opportunity to snatch that SUV, he’d take it. Would he come back for them or would he drive off to Florida without them? She had a feeling that he wouldn’t run out on JJ. Raine wasn’t sure, but they seemed pretty close.

  “You should stay here and help the others get out of the city if this goes bad. Okay?” Scott said, lowering his voice.

  JJ nodded, but she still didn’t look pleased to be left out of the mission.

  “Here’s the deal. We are going to stake out their headquarters. If we find the Suburban, we’ll come back here. If not, we may have a look around Sam’s Club again. If we aren’t back here by sundown, JJ is going to lead you south along the creek until you are out of this immediate area. I think you’ll be safe to take the streets once you get out a half-mile or so from here,” Scott said.

  Scott and Brandon rolled up their bedrolls and headed for the back door. Raine and JJ followed them. Just before exiting, Brandon turned to Raine.

  “Take care of yourself, Florida,” he said.

  “You too, Georgia. Come back with the vehicle.” Raine smiled.

  Brandon returned her smile.

  “I hope to.”

  He stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. Unconsciously, her hand came up to cover the spot as he disappeared through the door. Raine turned to see Scott and JJ in a warm embrace.

  “You come back,” JJ said.

  “I will. But if I don’t, you know what to do. You can make it.”

  Raine and JJ stood in the doorway and watched Brandon and Scott disappear into the trees.

  “They’ll be back,” JJ said, a hitch in her voice.

  “Yeah. They’ll be back. So, let’s get ready to go get that vehicle,” Raine said.

  Chapter 28

  Baxter Station Office Suites

  Manchester, Missouri

  February 23rd

  Suit’s headquarters wasn’t hard to find. Scott and Brandon simply had to follow the smoke from the fireplace. It was easy to spot from the office building where they’d held one of his crew. The tracks in the snow around the building made it apparent the kid had led them back there, and they’d spent considerable time searching for Scott’s group. Scott shuddered at the thought of what Suit and his men would have done to JJ and the others if they’d caught them.

  Some things were worse than death.

  From the office building, Scott and Brandon walked west following tire tracks in the snow. The tracks led down the first street on their left.

  Scott pointed. “There. They’re in one of those houses.”

  Brandon nodded.

  “Let’s go behind the houses. There seems to be trees and bushes for cover,” Scott said.

  The subdivision was built on a hill. They were steadily climbing higher as they made their way along the greenbelt.

  “I don’t think the trucks would have made it up this hill. They have to be moving their loot somewhere else,” Scott said.

  “It has to be somewhere less visible or else why not just use the Sam’s Club? That place has tons of room. It would take years of looting to fill it,” Brandon said.

  Scott stepped lightly as they weaved between evergreen trees. “Maybe they don’t have enough people to guard it and be out scavenging.”

  Brandon nodded. “
I think that's the more likely scenario.”

  They passed several houses that appeared to have fireplaces that Scott thought would have made a suitable headquarters. But for some reason, Suit and his men had chosen one at the back of the subdivision. As they approached the house, Scott noticed several trees had recently been cut down, their stumps sticking out of the snow. The older neighborhood appeared to have lots of mature trees.

  “That’s why there’s so much smoke,” Scott said.

  “That’s green wood. I bet it smells awful inside with the amount of cresol building up in that chimney,” Brandon said.

  Scott scrunched his nose. “It’s likely only a matter of time before it burns that house down.”

  “Let’s hope we get the SUV out before that happens,” Brandon said.

  When Scott poked his head between the shrubbery at the back of the house, he had his answer as to why they’d chosen this one. The entire back yard was taken up with a large inground pool containing hundreds of gallons of water. If they filtered it properly, they’d be set for water for a while.

  I’d boil it also to kill off any bacteria.

  There was no snow on top of the pool cover. Two five-gallon buckets sat by the back door.

  “They picked a place with two fireplaces and a pool,” Brandon said.

  Scott stepped back. “Suit is no dummy.”

  “I don’t think it’s very smart to be trading with gangs from north St. Louis. Letting them know you have anything is only inviting trouble sooner or later,” Brandon said.

  “It may be sooner.” Scott nodded over his shoulder. “That could be who they’re in a gun battle with right now.”

  Brandon sighed. “I hope not. That means it would be only a matter of time before they’re up here looking for the Suburban themselves.”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

  Scott tried not to let that possibility rattle him. He didn’t like their odds of getting and holding onto the SUV against a well-armed criminal gang. He crouched and motioned for Brandon to move to the corner of the lot. Scott danced from foot to foot to stay warm as they watched the back of the house. After several minutes of not observing any sound or movement from the house, Scott moved to Brandon’s position.

  “I’m going to move around to the side and see if I can see tire tracks in the driveway. Wait here.”

  Scott was grateful that the previous homeowner had planted a few evergreen trees and bushes along the driveway. He found it odd that none of the yards had privacy fences. That was great for him. It made movement from house to house much easier, but it provided very little privacy for the occupants. As Scott approached the back corner of the house, he looked over his shoulder and shook his head. They really did pick the perfect location. He could see down to the back of a small strip mall.

  Scott continued to make his way down the drive, moving from bush to tree hoping that no one was in the adjacent home to see him. The garage was located at the back of the house. Tire tracks led to the garage door, but they didn’t appear fresh. Scott crouched and listened. He heard nothing but the faint sound of sporadic gunfire in the distance. He took two steps away from the bushes to examine the tracks more closely. Snow had partially filled the tracks. Too much snow for them to have occurred in the last day or even two.

  Easing back into the bushes, Scott made his way back to where he’d left Brandon.

  “The Suburban isn’t here.”

  Brandon frowned. “Damn.”

  “I think I may know where it might be, though,” Scott said.

  “Where?”

  Scott turned and pointed down the hill. “There.”

  Scott and Brandon used the bushes lining the back of the subdivision to move down the hill toward the strip mall. There was a steep bank at the back of the property. The slope appeared to be filled with large boulders. Scott thought they could use those to their advantage climbing down, but they might be slick and visible from the house.

  Instead, Scott decided to move a few houses down and try from there, hoping to be out of the direct sightline of Suit and his men. After a minute or so, Scott and Brandon were standing in a tree line behind the two-story building. A green awning hung over the ground-level door. To the left of that was a set of steps leading to the upstairs. Scott counted four white doors and eight windows. A loading bay took up one end. The door looked battered, especially near the lock. Tire tracks led from the front parking lot around the building and disappeared inside the loading bay. Scott would bet his last sip of water that the Suburban was in there.

  “We need to get around to the side and see if there are windows or any way to see into there,” Scott said.

  Brandon nodded and pointed to a solid fence dividing the store from an adjacent office building. They moved to their right and walked along the fence until it ended halfway up the parking lot. Scott put his back against the fence and peered around the end post. He turned back to Brandon wearing an enormous grin. “Two windows.”

  Scott moved back and allowed Brandon to see for himself.

  Brandon gave him a thumbs-up and leaned back.

  “The bottom quarter of the window has been broken out. They’re blocking the wind with a piece of cardboard.”

  “This whole setup makes me nervous,” Scott said.

  “Why?" Brandon asked. “It’s perfect. We can find out quickly if the SUV is in there.”

  “Too perfect. When something seems too good to be true, it normally is.”

  “I’ll go,” Brandon said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward the building.

  Scott looked back up the hill. He could clearly make out the top story of the house Suit was staying in. The thick smoke billowing from the chimney was clearly visible.

  “No. I should,” Scott said, holding up his pistol.

  Brandon nodded, and Scott stepped in front of him. He hurried across the drive to the side of the building and crouched below the window. Scott reached up with his left hand and slowly pushed on the cardboard across the bottom panel. All he could see was the loading bay door. He moved to the left of the window and pushed the cardboard back just a little farther. He gasped. There it sat. The dark green 1973 Chevrolet four-door Suburban. How that thing was still on the road, Scott didn’t know. Up close, it was obvious that it had been restored at some point. The paint was too new, and the wheels were custom. This was someone’s show car. Scott wondered what modifications had been made during the restoration, but then, he didn’t really care as long as it ran.

  Scott took a chance and eased the cardboard back farther. When he did, whatever was holding it in place gave way and it fell to the floor. Scott jumped back and pressed his back against the wall. His breathing came in quick gasps. He gripped his pistol in both hands waiting for someone to rush out to confront him. He waited. No one came. He eased forward and looked inside. He’d lucked out. No one was inside the bay. The door to the interior space was closed.

  He leaned into the window and had a look around. There were no wet footprints on the concrete floor. There also were no wet tire tracks behind the SUV. It had been there long enough for the snow to melt and dry up. That would’ve taken considerable time. They must have moved it there right after the fight with Abbey’s men at the Home Depot, which was the last time Scott had seen the vehicle running.

  Looking back at Brandon, Scott motioned inside with his index finger. Brandon shook his head. Scott held up one finger and mouthed “just one minute,” then hiked his leg over the windowsill. He had to be careful to avoid stepping on the cardboard. He’d need to find a way to reinstall it when he left.

  The first thing he did was to pull on the Suburban’s passenger side door handle. It opened. His heart raced. He held his breath and watched the store. The SUV’s interior light came on as he opened the door. At least the battery was still working. Next, he checked the ignition. No keys. He couldn’t get that lucky. Scott pulled down on the visor. Still no keys. He slid across the bench seat and felt around
the floorboard. He lifted the mat. No luck. They must have taken the keys with them. He’d have to hotwire the vehicle somehow. He hoped that someone in their group knew how to do so quickly. He’d do it, but he couldn’t guarantee fast results.

  Scott looked around the Suburban’s interior. It had three rows of seating. It was perfect for their group. It would be a tight squeeze and they’d need to stow their bedrolls and stuff on top. Scott felt real hope for the first time since the lights went out. He took a deep breath and let it out. They had to make this work. If it did, he could be in Florida with Lily in a couple of days. Scott closed his eyes. His mind was instantly filled with the image of Lily’s blonde hair blowing in the wind as he chased her on the beach. It had been so long since he’d seen her. She’d probably grown an inch by now.

  He sat up and eased back out of the vehicle, slowly closing the door. The click of the latch was loud in the empty space. Scott bent down and picked up the piece of cardboard, climbing out the window. He bent over the sill, lifted the cardboard back onto the nails that had held it in place, and eased himself back. To his surprise, it stayed. He imagined it wouldn’t stay long though with the bottom flapping in the wind. They’d need to hurry before Suit’s men discovered that they’d found its location.

  Motioning toward the front of the building, Scott pressed against the wall and slowly moved that direction. At the corner, he scanned the front parking lot. It was empty, but tire tracks and footprints covered the pavement. He held his breath and listened. He heard no voices. Gunfire still sounded in the distance, and he wondered if all Suit’s men were engaged in the fight. He hoped so. But could they get that lucky? He doubted it.

  “Why don’t we just take it now?” Brandon said.

  “Because we have no idea who is doing all that shooting. We don’t know if they have vehicles. If we manage to get the Suburban hotwired, they’ll hear it and come for us. We could get caught driving over to pick up the others or worse, they can show up while everyone is loading in the vehicle,” Scott said.

  “Is that less risky than bringing them all here?” Brandon asked.