by HJ Lawson
The car’s radio keeps repeating itself. My favorite sayings are, “Stay in your homes, get to your basements,” like that really is going to help. At some point, you are going to have to leave. Another favorite, “stand against them and fight.” Which one is it? Stay indoors, or leave? Bit of a mixed response. Dumb Americans.
Chapter 31
Hunting Time.
JADA
“May I take your guns from you?” the Chief asks, as we walk through the busy and noisy station. Police officers are rushing around in all directions; some are at their desks on the phones. A group of officers takes Boris off somewhere… I’m guessing to interrogate him.
“No, you may not,” Gérard says bluntly. “Can I use your phone?” Without waiting for a response, he reaches over and lifts the receiver from the Chief’s fancy mahogany desk.
The Chief gives me a look, but I just shrug.
“Of course, make yourself at home,” he responds sarcastically. Gérard ignores him as he just stares at the phone, willing for someone to answer.
“Thank you. Been a long day,” I smile at the Chief as he takes a seat. He waves his hand toward the other chairs, indicating for Ali and me to sit down. I gladly do so.
Gérard holds the phone to his ear. “Christian…” He pulls the phone away from his head, and then rings again.
“Are the phones working?” Gérard asks the Chief.
“Yes,” the Chief replies, and Gérard looks confused. Why is Christian not answering? Gérard slams the phone down.
“How long do we have till the radiation hits the town?” Gérard asks the Chief.
“A few hours—well, that’s what they are saying on the news…” the Chief replies. “Do you mind filling me in?”
“Yeah… Our enemies have set up camp; we’ve found where they’re holding people from the local towns, and we have found a way in to get the hostages. But we need some backup,” Gérard states, as he looks back and forth between me and Ali.
The Chief places his hand over his chin, his fingers brushing across his mustache as he thinks.
“We’ll go with or without them,” Gérard adds, before he can answer.
The Chief holds his hand up toward Gérard. “Please give me a moment.”
Gérard stops pacing the room, and we all fall silent.
“They are holding our people…” the Chief mumbles. It seems like he’s questioning himself as he works out his next move.
“How many soldiers?”
“About one hundred.” The Chief brushes his mustache again.
“Are they all armed?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Sounds like will need to go shopping first,” says the Chief.
“What?” I blurt out.
“We need guns, then it's a fair fight. Time for some official looting business—we have a gun superstore one town over. I just hope it hasn’t been looted already,” the Chief explains.
“So you are coming with us?” Ali asks, before Gérard or I can.
“Of course, son.” The Chief pushes his hands firmly down on his desk as he gets up from his seat.
“The Vice President asked us to unite as a nation and stand against them,” he adds as he makes his way around his chair. It looks like it's time to leave, so Ali and I rise to our feet, like soldiers ready for war.
“Kids, you sure you want to come with us?” the Chief asks. Gérard looks toward me and stares into my eyes, as if to tell me I don’t have to go.
“We are going,” I say firmly. There is no way I’m staying here.
“Hunting time,” the Chief announces as he leaves his office. A few cheers ring out from the station, as though they’ve been waiting for this, followed by a buzz of excitement as they all hurry around to make preparations.
The Chief waves his hand over to another police officer. “Vincent, do what you need to get the information.”
With that, Vincent disappears; I guess it's interrogation time for Boris. I hope Vincent gets what he needs from him, and they find Captain Reef—and end this damn war.
*****
“You wanted us to do something about the terrorists, well, now is our chance,” the Chief announces to the waiting mob, as he stands on the stone steps outside the station’s door.
“Yeah!” Cheers ring out from the crowd.
“These people know where the soldiers are holding our loved ones.” The Captain points over to us, as we stand next to him.
The crowd cheers again, and their passion and excitement fills me. This time I am not alone in my fight.
“First you will go to the gun store… this time we will take them by surprise!” With that I want to yell out and cheer, as we run down the steps with the Captain.
“Get your trucks. Follow us,” the Police Captain orders. The angry mob quickly parts as people run to their cars.
Gérard nods and takes off running. Ali and I do the same.
Chapter 32
Satan’s Ballroom.
ANNABEL
My legs burn in pain. “Over there, Annabel.” Louis points toward his home. It looks more like a shelter built from wood pallets, much like Meemo’s place… God, I forgot all about Meemo.
I hope she got out before the building collapsed on her, but even if she did, Big Red would be waiting for her. She would’ve been better off dying in her own home.
“Louis, have you seen Meemo since the explosion?”
His mouth drops down as he frowns, and then nods.
“Was she alive?”
He nods again. “They have her,” he says shamefully.
“Damn!” I grind my teeth together. They have Meemo and Brandon!
Carefully and silently we walk toward Louis’s home. The flames from Meemo’s place light the area… it looks like a ballroom in hell, with large brick arches in the ceiling. This is Satan’s playground—Big Red will be at home here.
I can see a few male silhouettes… demons in human form.
I tap Louis on the shoulder and point over toward the flames.
“In and out,” he whispers.
I nod.
Creak… rings out as Louis opens his door. I glance at the men. They aren’t moving… looks like the crackling fire sound blocked the noise from the door.
Louis closes the door behind us. “Is there a way out through the back?” I ask him.
“Yes, over there…” Louis clicks on a little light and points to the back of the room. His home is very different than Meemo’s—there is a lot less stuff; he’s not a hoarder like she is. There’s a sleeping bag on the ground, and a wooden box like a night stand. It's filled with cups and trash.
He heads toward the corner of his room, and I go over to the window. I will be lookout.
“Got it,” he whispers, as he holds up the radio.
I wave my hand toward him, motioning for us to leave. He raises his finger, to indicate one more minute. I nod to show I understand, and then glance over to the window.
The shadows are standing close together, blocking out the light from the fire. Small sections of the flames groan out from the new gaps appearing, as the shadows begin to move.
There are more of them… they have come back.
“Get off me!” a female voice screams out from the black shadows. Louis quickly appears at my side.
Oh, God… it’s Big Red, and he’s dragging something along the ground. It’s Brandon – and he’s not moving.
My heart feels like it’s going to rip from my chest.
The other prisoners are pulling more people; they're the ones from the tunnel, the cop and some civilians. It’s as though we have front row seats to a real nightmare, and we are powerless to stop it.
“Over here!” Big Red yells.
There’s Meemo… He drops Brandon’s body in front of her, and she cradles him in her arms. She shoots Big Red a nasty look, and he raises his arm toward her. She cowers away from him, and he lowers his hand.
“Ha… ha.” His laughter bounces off Satan’
s ceiling.
The prisoners drop their hostages on the ground next to Brandon. Roles have been reversed—now the prisoners are the ones with the power, and we are powerless. They are the law.
“Leave these people alone!” the police officer shouts.
“Shut him up!” Big Red orders.
There’s a loud cracking sound, and the body drops to the ground from the impact.
“Whaa…” The sound of children crying echoes out from the group of terrified hostages. How can they do this to kids?
Louis grabs my arm and pulls me down to the ground. He places his finger on his lips.
“You checked in there?” a voice yells from right outside Louis’s house.
I’m shaking with fear. I place my hand over my mouth to prevent any sound from coming out.
The door creaks open, and his boot enters the house. “Yeah, only junk in there,” another voice shouts. The door stops moving, and my heart feels like it's in my throat.
Go away, I pray. As though God has finally listened to my prayers, the boot steps away from where we are hiding.
I rest my head on my knees in relief. We wait for a few moments more until we know we are safe.
“Do you have any weapons?” I whisper to Louis.
He nods, and moves toward his bed on the ground. Then he lifts his bed up.
Jesus. It's like a weapons store under there, with several guns and knives hidden. He holds two black guns up toward me, smiling. Louis is a hoarder… of weapons.
Jackpot!
“You cannot trust anyone down here,” he explains, as he passes me a gun with a handful of bullets.
I look down at the gun. Is this my chance to end it all? My Big Red nightmare? If he is dead, I will no longer have to live my life in fear…
Chapter 33
Convoy of Hope.
JADA
Frantically we speed along the road in the darkness of night, guided by the blinding headlights. The convoy of police cars and the angry mob all have the same mission—to kill the terrorists and get our loved ones back.
I have a warm, comforting feeling in my heart that there are more people helping us.
“How long do you think we have till the radiation hits?”
“About one and a half hours. Unless the wind changes,” Gérard states. We truly are racing against the clock.
The cars in front of us turn toward what I assume is the gun store… actually, the large neon sign saying ‘gun store’ kind of gives it away.
Gérard pulls up the truck. “Stay with me.”
I nod.
The Chief is already at the glass front doors to the store.
“Stand back,” he orders, and everyone quickly obeys. “Grab what you need for the attack. And no fighting amongst yourselves, or you will be spending the night in the cells,” he warns.
With that, he turns his back toward us. The sounds of shots fill the air as he fires through the glass, shattering it into thousands of pieces.
Beep... Beep… Beep… a piercing alarm rings from the store as he opens the doors.
The mob rushes forward, like people racing for the best deals on Black Friday.
“Chief,” Ali says as he walks past, smiling.
“Son.” Chief smiles back.
The store is like a gift-wrapped present for murderers. Displayed on the walls is every type of gun you can think of. The untrained are going for the biggest ones. Gérard reaches under the counter and pulls out three handguns.
“Jada, Ali… fill bags with bullets,” Gérard says.
Spotting an ankle gun, like the one I used to shoot Captain Reef in the neck, I quickly take it.
“Right. Let’s get some protective gear,” Gérard adds, as he finishes loading his bag up with guns, bullets and knives. He has enough weapons to singlehandedly take down the army.
I sort through a rack of jeans and grab a pair my size, plus a top.
“Get me some body armor,” I yell over to them as I run into a changing room.
Swiftly I change into the clothes and meet up with the guys. Ali throws a black object toward me, and I reach out to take it. It’s bloody heavy. Thank God Gérard had me weight training… I may be small, but I am strong.
It's a protective vest, like the police officers wear—clearly not designed for a petite female. I slide my arms in and pull the Velcro strap across, securing it into place. I am ready.
“Looking good, kid,” someone yells at me as they run by.
“Thanks,” I smile. This feels like weird world, as adrenaline is flying through my veins—ready for revenge.
“Come on, let’s get them!” I yell out to Gérard and Ali, as I wave my gun around.
“Hell yeah!” Ali yells back.
“Yeah!” Gérard joins in. We take off running out of the store, while others run out toward our cars.
Gérard stands on the truck’s ledge. “Follow me,” he shouts to everyone, then jumps into the passenger seat. “We are going to get them back,” he says to Ali.
Gérard fiddles around with the radio, and then blasts out some American gangster music. My heart jumps with adrenaline each time the bass thumps.
I start to load a gun with bullets. I can feel Ali watching me as he starts to copy me.
“Have you ever shot a gun before?” I ask him.
He shakes his head and looks embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, kid, it's easy. Just point and fire,” Gérard says, not looking away from the road.
It's a little more than that…
I run over the details with Ali on where to put the bullets in, and how to aim… just as I did with Zak.
“I got it,” Ali says, as I finish showing him, just as Gérard pulls up the truck. We are here.
We all swiftly jump out, eager to get our loved ones back. My feet land on the muddy grass, and Gérard stands by my side with Ali on the other… they look like my bodyguards, with all the other people silently waiting in the field above the town, keen to hear the plan.
The Police Chief heads over toward us, and Gérard begins speaking.
“Today, our loved ones have been taken from us. They are down there…” Gérard points to the town, which is now lit up with street lights. I can just make out the soldiers moving around.
“Now is the time to get them back. I warn you, some of these soldiers may be children. Don’t underestimate them… they will try to kill you. Many of them have been brainwashed,” Gérard explains, as he looks over toward the crowd. Their eyes are filled with anger; they are ready to shed the blood of children to get their loved ones back.
“It looks as though they have guards on all the roads. There is a housing community that is surrounded by a fence and woods. We can get into the town that way.”
Everyone nods in agreement, as they look down toward the houses.
“They are holding the people they took away in an office building, which is in the center of the town.”
“I used to work there,” a voice chirps up from the crowd. Everyone looks back to where the sound came from.
It's a young man, looking like he’s fresh out of a university… he looks out of place among the angry people. He’s too geeky-looking, with his shiny black hair neatly brushed across his head.
Gérard waves him closer. “What is the office?” Gérard asks.
“It's an internet company.”
“Okay, come with us. We need to know everything about that building,” Gérard states, bringing a smile to the young man’s face—as though he now has a purpose for being here.
“They are currently not within the housing complexes, but there are guards by the road in and out of the complexes which we’ll need to take out without anyone knowing. I will lead this with the Captain…” Gérard nods over to the Chief, and he nods back in agreement.
“Are there any ex-soldiers or hunters here?” he yells out.
“Yeah!” a few voices shout back.
“Come forward,” Gérard demands. “Okay, you guys ne
ed to be our eyes… get up to the tops of those buildings.” He points toward the high rise buildings where they will be the lookouts.
“You will need to act quickly and take out any soldiers. The rest of us will work a way out to get into the building,” Gérard continues. “We have less than an hour to be in and out, before the radiation hits the town. Once everyone is out, get in your trucks and drive. Keep driving…
“Now it’s our turn for revenge! Follow me!”
Chapter 34
Sound of Death.
ANNABEL
“Him first!” yells Big Red as he points over to the police officer. Big Red is holding a piece of wood which is lit with flames. Other prisoners also have the wooden torches.
One of them drags the police officer from the ground, and he kicks to try and get free. More police officers appear from the group, as they try to save their co-worker.
From the prisoners' torch flames, I can see Brandon. He’s lying on the ground, not moving, Meemo by his side. I need to get them out of there.
Others rush over to the police officer, eager to help the convicts.
They drop him down in front of Big Red. He leans over toward them and says something. Their shoulders drop, as though they are disappointed, then they run off with their torches dancing into the darkness. A horrible feeling washes over me, like when you know someone is talking about you… how your ears heat up at the thought. He’s sent them out hunting… hunting for me.
Big Red leans over the police officer. He’s more than three times the man's size.
“This is for my brothers…” His deep voices bounces off the ceiling, as though he’s trying to tell the whole world he is now in control. He raises his own torch in the air. He looks like the devil in human form.
The prisoners cheer their leader on. His fist flies up into the air, then the police officer drops to the ground after Red strikes his chin.
Stay down, stay down…
Big Red raises his arms in the air. “Who’s next?”
