by Ray Wench
That seemed wrong somehow. Why wouldn’t they have taken them? The only ones missing were the two Mark sent down the road.
The woman came up next to him.
“Look,” she said, excited. “They never touched the cars. All our stuff is still there.”
“There is no way they’d leave food and water, just no possible way. I think it’s a trap. They’re hoping to lure you out.”
The mother looked from Mark to the street. She panned right to left and back.
The taller girl said, “What do you think, Mom? What if he’s right?”
Mark felt the hair on the back his neck stand up. His group was making too much noise. His eyes flicked in rapid succession, taking in the woman’s car, the SUV, the attacker’s cars – and that was where he stopped. Something about the green Buick bothered him.
He stared hard, trying to understand what was making him tense. He reached out and took the woman’s arm without looking away from the car.
“What …?”
“Shh!”
Mark pulled her slowly back toward him. If it was a trap, what were they waiting for? Mark let the cables slide off his arm to the ground.
One of the girls said, “I’m scared.”
Mark continued to stare. Something inside the car was wrong. Then he saw what had spooked him. The pendant hanging from the rearview mirror was swaying. Someone was in the car.
Mark pulled the woman behind him. “Get back,” Mark commanded, raising his gun. A face popped up in the window and Mark fired.
“Go back!” he ordered. He backed up with his gun ready. All at once a group of men showed themselves and fired. Mark returned their fire in a hurry, more to keep the shooter’s heads down than to hit them.
A bullet hit the tree near his head. He ducked. Where did that shot come from? A scream brought his attention to the rear. Someone was behind them.
They were cut off.
“Get down,” he said and rolled on his back, facing the way they had come. A man ran toward them, taking wild shots. Mark shot from a lower trajectory, upward. The bullet went in under the man’s chin, exiting the back of his head in a red plume. He dropped to his knees and fell face first not six feet away.
Mark fired several shots at random to make the other attackers seek cover. He scurried forward, snatched the dead man’s gun, then reversed direction as fast as he could crawl.
Bullets tore through the trees from front and back. There had to be at least half a dozen men out on the street. No telling how many were behind them. He needed some serious help. He handed the gun to the woman.
“Stay behind a tree and fire shots back into the woods. Space them out so you don’t run out too fast. Don’t worry about hitting anything. I just want to keep them away from us. All of you keep down and stay behind a tree.”
He turned back to the street to see if he could even the odds a little. Mark slid the rifle off his shoulder and rolled on his stomach. He scooted forward for a better view of the street. Three men felt safe enough to leave the cover of the cars and dash toward the woods. Mark sighted and shot the first man in the chest. He swung the barrel and planted another round in the top of a second man’s head as he dove to the ground for cover. The third man scurried back behind one of the cars.
The teenage boy crawled up next to him.
“I can shoot if you give me your gun. I’ll go back and help my mom.”
Mark looked in the kid’s eyes and wondered if the boy could actually shoot another human. Even if he couldn’t, it was still good to have the extra firepower.
“Make your shots count. We have a limited supply of ammo.” He handed over the 9mm.
From out front, a voice called out, “Hey, you in the trees. Let’s make a deal.”
Mark didn’t respond. Instead, he reloaded the rifle’s five-shot magazine.
“I’ll let you go if you give me the women. In fact, I could use a man like you, so I’ll offer you safety as well, as long as you join us. What’d’ya say?”
“I don’t think so,” Mark said to himself. Mark looked behind him to see how the others were doing. The two girls hid behind a tree, curled in balls with their arms over their heads. The boy looked to the rear. The woman watched Mark, a frightened look in her eyes as the proposal was laid out.
“Joining us can’t be worse than dyin’. We won’t hurt the girls … we’ll just use them.”
Someone else out front added with a laugh, “Yeah, a lot.”
Panic and terror enlivened the girls’ faces. Mark leaned toward them. “They’re trying to scare you. I'm not going to let them get near you.”
Just then, a man ran straight at them from behind a tree not ten feet away. He fired an off-balance shot that hit the tree above the girls’ heads. They both screamed while Mark rolled for cover. Two more shots followed, then a loud crash. Someone was crying. Mark crawled to the woman. Her hands shook, tears flowing, but he didn’t see any blood.
He grabbed her shoulders. “Listen to me, are you hit?”
She shook her head. From a few feet away the boy said, “We both shot him. I think she’s just upset.”
“So am I. Do you see any more behind us?”
“No, I think it was just those two.”
“Then I need you to lead them back to my house. You think you can do that?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Do you remember how to get there?”
“Yeah,”
“Okay, girls, follow your brother.” He turned to the mother. “Hey, pull yourself together, your children need you. Go with them now.”
She wiped her eyes and started to follow. “Be strong for them,” Mark added.
Mark moved to a new location and used the scope to find the four remaining men. Two were behind each of the two cars, crouching behind the tires. One man sat on the ground with his legs outstretched. Getting as low as he could for a better angle, Mark was at eye level with the space between the undercarriage and the ground. A box of ammunition sat on the ground next to the man. He was reloading and didn’t realize his legs were exposed.
Taking careful aim, just as he had been trained so many years ago in the Marines, Mark lined up the shot and fired. The bullet hit the man in the leg. The wounded man howled and rolled to the ground, clutching his leg. Mark was ready. He could see just enough of the man’s head to make the shot work. Mark had no angle for a straight on shot so he bounced the bullet off the street inches from the small portion of head he could see. The howling stopped.
All three remaining men were up, shooting and running for the car farthest from Mark. They piled in and the driver floored the accelerator in reverse. Mark tried a shot at the driver, but as he pulled the trigger, the driver swerved the car in a one hundred and eighty-degree turn. The bullet shattered the passenger side window, showering the occupants with glass. They were gone before Mark could get off another shot.
Mark ran after the mother and the kids. When he caught them, he shouted, “Wait!” He ran in front of them and stopped. “They’re gone. We have one chance to get your things and get away. Now’s the time, so it’s up to you. But I’d hate to leave anything for those scavengers.”
The mother looked at the children. “I-I don’t know what to do.”
“Don’t think, do. Let’s go, Hurry.”
Mark led them back to the road. No new cars had arrived. They would have maybe fifteen to twenty minutes to take what they wanted and run. With the others hanging back in the tree line, Mark stripped the bodies of any weapons and the box of ammo. When the others came out of the trees, the mother stopped over the body of her husband while the others stood back and watched. Mark said nothing, allowing her a moment to grieve.
She wrapped her arms around her children, but no tears were shed. The redhead stood over the other fallen man. It was time to interrupt. Mark walked to the group. “I’m sorry, but we have to move now.”
No one moved. Mark handed his binoculars to the redhead.
&n
bsp; “I need you to go down to the end of that last car and keep looking down the road. If you see anything moving at all you tell me immediately, okay?”
“Okay.” She took the binoculars. When she looked up at him, tears had filled her eyes. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll come back and we can bury all of them. Right now though we have to stay safe. Can you to do this?” She nodded and walked off.
“Okay,” he said, walking to the other three. “Get in your car. Let’s try to get it started before they come back. You two start transferring everything from the SUV to the car. Hurry now.”
Mark took the keys from the ignition of the SUV and popped the tailgate. As the kids unloaded, he raced back into the woods and retrieved the jumper cables. He ran to the first car the attackers left, a red Camaro and found the key in the ignition. Mark started the Camaro and moved it to the woman’s car. Attaching the cables, he let it run for a bit
He glanced around the hood. The woman stood sucking on her lip. She was obviously afraid, but he marveled at her inner strength and her ability to go on in spite of that fear. Their eyes met and in that instant, he knew he would do whatever he could to protect her.
He nodded at her, then instructed Lynn to start the car. It almost caught. It would need a few more minutes. He went to the SUV and helped unload.
The SUV empty, Mark said, “You two go into the woods. Strip the bodies of anything useful, especially their guns.”
The kids raced off without a word.
“Okay, try it again.”
This time, the engine caught with a roar. Mark almost didn’t hear the girl call to him as he reached under the hood to remove the cables.
“Ah, whatever your name is,” the girl with binoculars called, “something’s coming.”
Mark slammed the hood shut. “Quick, come here,” he yelled.
She handed him the binoculars. What Mark saw put a chill into him. There was an entire caravan of cars and trucks led by a semi, barreling down on them.
They were out of time.
“You,” he pointed to the girl, “go with the other two. Tell them to run back to the house. Get into the safe room and do not move from there. What are you waiting for?” he screamed. “Go!”
The girl broke into a sprint and disappeared into the woods. Mark ran to the woman’s window.
“Go to the next corner and turn left. About a quarter mile down there is a small shopping center. Turn in there and go all the way to the back. You’ll see a senior center back there. Park the car so it’s hidden behind the building, then cut through the woods. You’ll come out at the back of my house. Keep them quiet. I have a feeling they’re going to do a very thorough search this time. Please take care of Darren.” Mark tapped a pattern on the roof. “That’s the signal to get into the safe room without him shooting you. Hurry!”
Mark started to move, but she reached out and grabbed his arm. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to try to lead them away from here.”
“Oh God, please be careful. And come back.” Her eyes held the fear that he felt.
He smiled to reassure her. “I’ll be all right. Now go. Hurry.”
She put the car in drive and sped off. Mark climbed in the Camaro and waited a few seconds to make sure his pursuers could see him. He had maybe a mile head start, so he floored it and the powerful car jumped.
Lynn made her turn south. Mark, making sure the pursuit followed him, eased off the gas and pumped the brakes several times, so the brake lights flashed on. Then he sped off straight down the road, heading west. As he drove, Mark tried to recall details of the road ahead, trying to think about someplace to ditch the car. He would then work his way back to his house on foot.
The car was fast, but then he noticed the low gas gauge. He wouldn’t make it very far.
As he increased his lead, he looked in the rearview mirror. The semi plowed straight through the cars on the road, throwing them to the side like toys. Several vehicles turned to follow Lynn. There was nothing he could do about it now. He hoped she was already hidden. Mark flew past other subdivisions. Could there be anyone else alive in any of them? About three miles farther, the road made a long curve and he moved into a rural area. A small copse of trees blocked the view from behind, but the road continued on. He eased off the gas, then changed his mind. It would be obvious to those chasing him that he’d turned off. He raced on.
Mark had a location in mind. The road curved sharply to the right, continuing for a short distance before curving back. Farm buildings lined the left side of the road. They wouldn’t offer cover for long, but it would do for his purposes. After the first curve, a road came up to the right. Mark took the turn a little too fast, flashing the brake lights to tip his pursuers off that he was slowing for the turn. The rear end swung off the pavement, ending up on the grass at an upward angle. When Mark stepped on the gas, the wheels spun. He had to either get the car out of sight or get out and run. He rocked the car forward and back, trying to get the tire to dig in. “Come on!”
Finding it difficult to breathe, Mark was about to give up and run when the wheels began to pull. The car climbed slowly at first, then jumped forward, almost overshooting the narrow road before he was able to right the car. Forty feet in front of him, a small concrete bridge crossed a creek. The creek was bordered on both sides by large trees with lots of undergrowth, offering cover from the main road.
Mark crossed the bridge and turned a hard right along the creek, behind the trees. The ground sloped down from the road. He drove along the edge of a wheat field that even without proper care from the farmer was growing well. He tore through the fender-high brown plants until he had gone about a hundred yards.
Angling the front end toward the creek and into the brush, Mark cut the engine. He got out and listened. Roaring engines approached. His breathing became short and quick. The convoy passed by on the main road, the sound of engines fading.
Bathed in sweat from panic, he acknowledged how close he had been to capture. But he wasn't in the clear yet. Mark worked the car deeper into the trees near the stream, trying to hide it should anyone double back to check the road he’d turned on.
He grabbed his rifle and binoculars and searched the car for anything else he could use. Jogging along the tree line, he headed back the way he’d come. As Mark ran, he felt for his 9mm. He no longer had it. He’d given it to the teenage boy and never got it back. He pulled the magazine from the rifle. Two bullets left. There were no more rounds in his pockets.
He was in big trouble if he had to shoot it out. His only other weapon was the survival knife he wore on his belt. Mark would have to be very careful. If they found him, the end would come quickly.
Ten
As night fell, Mark found himself at the edge of a subdivision. For most of the day, he had stayed hidden in the trees. Now he was only a hundred yards north of Erie Road. Several times he’d seen cars on Erie, running in both directions. They must have realized he’d turned off somewhere and were searching. They were not giving up the hunt.
Mark hopped the split-rail fence that was common to most subdivisions in the area and scurried to a house. He would have to break in and hopefully find a weapon. He didn’t want to do it so close to the road. Working his way from house to house, Mark made his way to the center to the subdivision.
He was about to make a dash across the street when he heard a car. Mark dove behind some rose bushes at the front of the house and lay still. The car came around a bend in the road. Two people sat in the front seat, searching for him with a hand-held spotlight that swept from one side of the street to the other.
The Horde must really want him. If they were patrolling the subdivisions and side streets, it would be difficult to get through. Once the car was out of sight, Mark sprinted across the street, ran between two houses, and hopped the rear fence. At the next house, he went to the sliding patio door. Locked. He didn’t have any tools to b
reak in without making noise.
He tried hacking away at the lock plate with his knife but it was futile. Most of those types of doors had a deadbolt lock and a wooden stick or metal bar in the base track to prevent exactly what he was trying to do. In the end, he took the butt of the rifle and rammed it through the window. As he reached through to unlock the door, a piece of glass fell and sliced his arm. He swore. He should have found a door that swung inward instead of on a glide. It would have been easier to gain entry. In the end, he couldn’t reach the piece of broomstick cut to fit the door and had to knock all the glass out so he could step through.
The first thing Mark did was move to the front window to see if anything was happening on the street. He watched for several minutes and then the same car drove past. How many men were in the Horde? Were there enough to station a patrol in every development? It might be easier to move to another location and not return to his house. Then he thought about Lynn, Darren, and the kids.
They needed him. Or maybe, he needed them.
When the car passed beyond view, Mark went about searching the house. There were no weapons. Probably the only house in the area without a gun and he had to break into it. At least he found some bottled water. He drank one down and opened a can of almonds. Mark found gauze and tape in a cabinet and bandaged his arm.
While he rested, Mark tried to decide his next move. The Horde was no longer just a bunch of people trying to kill each other. Somehow they had organized. They were still killing, but now they were killing other people. The large man at Summer’s, could he be the reason the Horde worked more like an army now? He had acted like the leader.
Mark relieved himself in their bathroom then went out the rear door. Two more streets and the subdivision ended. He was at a main cross street. The other side was farmland and wide open for a long distance. The crop was low to the ground. In order to stay hidden, Mark would have to go into the field. If he got caught in the open, he would not survive. The alternative was to move farther down the road and cross by the farmhouse. It all depended on how much he wanted to gamble.
