The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set, page 49
part #1 of The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set Series
“No, I’d better be getting back. It’s getting dark,” she said over her shoulder.
He watched her backside shimmy as she strutted down the center aisle of the church, all hips and curves. The sound of her high heels loudly clicked all the way to the door until she was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Darlene clicked and clacked her way from the church to the library side of town. Her feet ached in the heels, but she could never walk in sensible shoes. The heels made her legs look long, which, along with her skintight pants and exposed cleavage, had been her signature look since high school. She knew what the boys liked and she liked the attention.
Something about Father Dale was off. She was no expert on church things, but he did not come off as a priest. She could feel the heat of his desire for her, even if he had tried to avoid looking at her cleavage. He was no priest and she knew it.
At first she thought she’d go home, but then thought better of it. Why waste all the effort she’d put into dressing up tonight? She’d check to see what the guys were doing. She was probably the only person in town who actually enjoyed the New Order. She didn’t like the violence, but she loved the attention. Prison guys were the best for that. All alone night after night in their cells, dreaming of girlfriends who probably wouldn’t be there when they got out. Attention and gratitude were two things they supplied in spades.
“Hey there, Darlene, you looking mighty fine tonight. What’s the occasion?” asked Whitey.
Several of the men whistled at her as she walked up to Whitey and his close circle of friends. She made sure to wiggle in just the right way, pushing her backside out for their view.
“Nothing, Whitey. Just coming to see my man. What are you guys doing? Going somewhere?” she asked.
The cars were aligned like a convoy on the street.
“We’ve got some business we need to take care of tonight. Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about, momma. Come over here,” he demanded.
She sidled up to Whitey. He wrapped his arm around her and ran his hand up and down the length of her body, cupping her ass and breasts as he went. The guys cheered as Whitey kissed her, pushing his tongue wildly down her throat. She could taste cigarettes and booze on his breath.
Breathless, she pulled away and said, “Well, that’s quite a welcome. Not like that asshole at the church.”
“What’re you talking about, baby? Someone disrespecting my old lady?” said Whitey as he lifted her onto the hood of the car.
He spread her legs and stepped in between them, fondling her breasts and unclasping her shirt as she spoke.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact. He was disrespectful,” she said, feeling her power.
“Who, baby? A priest? You want me to off him for you?” he asked as he kissed her neck.
“Oh no, he was no priest. He said he was a visiting priest from another parish, but he was lying. I could tell,” she said, jutting her chin out.
Whitey stopped what he was doing and took her in for a long moment. She sat there, uncertain of what to do. Her left breast hung out of her shirt, fully exposed to the men, her pants unzipped.
“What do you mean he was no priest? Where was the usual guy?”
“I don’t know. I could just tell he wasn’t a priest. He didn’t act like one of them. He was different and didn’t know how to do priest stuff, like bless and say a prayer. Instead he wanted to pray in silence. Father Mackey, our usual priest, wasn’t there. He would never have offered to pray in silence. That just makes no sense,” she said, with a triumphant flick of her hair.
She felt superior at being able to share the information. She knew he looked at her in a different way now because of it.
“When did he get here?” he asked, stepping back from her.
“How should I know? I don’t keep tabs on those guys.”
“Get the fuck off my car, ho. We got business to attend to. Come on, guys! Let’s go! We need to check his shit out,” he shouted to his men.
Darlene stood there as Whitey and his men jumped into their vehicles and tore off toward the church. Now that she thought about it, maybe she shouldn’t have said anything to Whitey. But then again? So what? She knew it would all work itself out.
Chapter Thirty-Four
After Darlene left, Sergeant Dale decided to go back to the top of the church tower to call Ray. She clearly had an agenda; he just couldn’t figure out what it was. In any case, he needed to warn everyone that the New Order was planning something big. He pulled out the handheld and turned it on.
“Ray, it’s me. You copy?”
“Right here, buddy. What’s up?”
“A local said the New Order numbers around fifty to sixty with plenty of supplies and transportation. He also said they appear to be planning something big.”
“That’s all we need to know. You should get out of there.”
“It’s already dark. I think I’m better off just staying put and heading out first thing in the a.m. I should be fine.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
He heard the distant rumble of car engines starting. From his vantage point he could see the lights of numerous cars moving near the location of the library.
“Holy shit. Something is going down. They’re on the move. I’m in the bell tower and I can see the lights of multiple cars.”
“Where’re they going? Can you tell?”
“Not sure yet. They’re all just pulling out. Oh crap. Looks like they’re heading in this direction!”
Panic rose inside him. The New Order was heading straight to the church. It must have been that woman Darlene. He’d been made.
“Look, buddy, stay calm. You’re well hidden and armed. Just don’t move. I’m on my way. I’ve got your back!”
“No! Listen to me. There are too many of them. They’re coming for me and you can’t stop it!”
“Just stay put! I’m on my way!”
“No! Listen! You need to warn the others! Tell them the New Order is coming tonight! I can see other cars heading out of town! The entire group is on the move now!”
“Fuck! Okay. Stay hidden. I’ll let the others know.”
A loud bang in the church’s main area echoed through the tower, alerting him to the New Order’s presence in the building. He could hear the clattering of things being thrown around downstairs. The men were likely destroying the church as they searched for him.
Sergeant Dale turned off his radio and hid it in the rafters of the bell’s scaffolding. He wanted to be certain the New Order had no way to listen to the police. The pounding of heavy footfalls up the wooden steps of the bell tower reverberated in the tiny bell room. Only a small wooden door separated him from the New Order.
Sergeant Dale sat calmly on the ground, weapon at his side. The door flew open and the men burst into the room. At first, he thought he might survive. They could only enter the room one at a time, and he shot each man when they crossed the tower room’s threshold, piling up at least four bodies before they finally caught on. A few New Order guys stuck their rifles around the edges of the door and expended full magazines, shredding the room and pinning him down. Dale crawled to a new position in the small room, firing and reloading with precision until he heard the final click of an empty weapon. Not wanting to be taken alive and possibly tortured for information that could be used against his fellow officers, he quickly stood and hurled himself out of the tower into the cool night air.
***
Sergeant Ray Ross didn’t hear anything else on the handheld from his friend. The line appeared to go dead.
“Fred? You there?”
He tried one more time, but his longtime best friend didn’t answer. He got up and started toward the church, but stopped. He knew Fred wanted him to warn the others.
Gathering the few items he’d brought with him into his bag, he flung the backpack over his shoulders and started to run toward Porter. With nothing but a small flashlight, he had a hard time running quickly through the thick, untamed woods. After nearly face-planting twice in the first few minutes of his urgent trek, he considered his options. Running on the road would be a lot faster, and time would be critical, but it carried a significant risk. He slogged through the trees for another minute before deciding to take a chance on the road.
Just as he was about to breach the tree line, the sound of distant vehicles reached him. He couldn’t tell which direction the vehicles were headed, and had no idea if he would be safe on this particular road. Unfamiliar with the area, and not wanting to take the chance, he backtracked into the safety of the trees.
A few moments after the forest swallowed him, a caravan of vehicles flew past him on the road, led by a large black SUV. Sergeant Ross recognized the vehicle matching the description of the one that had escaped the fight in Porter.
With renewed determination, he ran as quickly as he could toward Porter. He just needed to get into range to warn them. A little longer and he would be able to use his radio. His feet pounded the ground, branches lashing his face and arms, as he desperately made his way in the dark. Several minutes later, figuring he’d travelled far enough to reach Porter, he stopped and turned on the radio.
“Charlie! It’s Ray! You there!” he shouted wildly.
Uninterrupted static greeted his desperate calls. He was still too far away for the signal to reach Porter. Falling numerous times as he went, Sergeant Ross was determined to keep moving; warning Porter was paramount to their survival.
“Charlie! Anyone in Porter! Come in!” he said. “Porter! Come in!”
He kept running, the radio pressed to his ear, as he navigated the dense maze of bushes and trees in front of him. At some point, he’d lost the flashlight, which made his journey even more difficult.
“Porter, this is Ray. Please come in!” he said, wondering if he’d accidentally switched channels.
He had started to examine the digital tuner when a voice crackled through the radio.
“It’s Charlie! We hear you.”
“They’re coming,” he shouted breathlessly. “The New Order is heading somewhere right now. It’s a full-scale attack! Dozens of vehicles in a massive convoy. The target is unknown. I repeat, the target is unknown!”
“We copy you loud and clear! Where are you?”
“Don’t worry about me! Just warn the others!”
“Will do. Where’s Sergeant Dale? Are you able to get him out?”
Sergeant Ross didn’t know how to respond. He hoped beyond hope that his friend had somehow managed to stay hidden from the men; however, he knew better. Emotion prevented him from speaking the truth. Saying Sergeant Dale was dead would mean it was true. His best friend’s death was something he was unable to face.
“I don’t know his status. I had to get this call out,” was all he could manage to say.
“Understood. Stay safe,” said Charlie.
There was nothing else to say. Sergeant Ross dropped to his knees and took deep breaths, trying to catch his breath before continuing his way home. Tears streamed down his cheeks and dropped quietly to the soft forest floor.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Jane stood in the hospital’s lookout post, as they now called the terrace attached to the doctors’ lounge. Nothing seemed to move outside except the mosquitoes, and there was no shortage of the annoying insects. Every square inch of exposed skin from her head down was covered in bites. That said, the mosquitos were the only thing keeping her awake. Standing, she stretched her legs and moved around, hoping to revive herself. The door opened behind her and Sam came out.
“How are you holding up out here?” he asked.
“Being eaten alive, and bored out of my mind. You? How are your patients?”
“Everything seems well under control in the sick bay. I almost feel like a third wheel out here. They have an abundance of staff and fewer patients as the days go by.”
Jane knew he referred to the daily deaths of the less critical, but needing constant medical care patients. People who needed things like dialysis managed to stay alive for a little while. However, without the resources to properly care for their needs, many had passed. A distant sound caught Jane’s attention as Sam pulled her in close.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
“You mean your best friends? I can hear buzzing from the little swarm of mosquitoes circling your head.”
“No—shhh. I hear something. Sounds like cars. Listen.”
They both stood very still, listening to the distant sound. The noise grew louder and louder as the seconds passed. A large number of vehicles were on the move somewhere close to the hospital. Grabbing the binoculars, Jane looked in each direction, not seeing anything yet. Her heart raced as she desperately sought the source of the noise.
“Go in and warn the others! I can only see the east side of the grounds! They could be coming from any direction!”
Sam quickly ran inside as Jane watched the approach to the hospital. The view from the east side allowed her to see one of the main roads leading to the hospital. Waiting and listening, she was sure the vehicles were heading in their direction. Finally, a large caravan came into view, their lights extending back at least a hundred yards.
The lead vehicle appeared larger than the others, making her wonder if it was a military convoy. However, she quickly dispensed with the hopeful thought when she could finally identify the smaller cars trailing. No military convoy included that many small vehicles. She needed to warn the others.
Picking up her handheld, she yelled, “We have inbound vehicles from the east! Multiple vehicles coming from the east! Do you copy?”
Jerry Marsh, the hospital’s head of security, responded right away. “Jane! Get in here! We just heard from Porter. It’s the New Order! We’re under attack! You need to get in here now!” he screamed.
“On my way!”
Jane ran into the hospital. They had set up bunker locations in the second-floor waiting area. Each person had been assigned a post, with others waiting to assist with reloading or to take over if the first shooter was taken out. Jane dove behind the cabinet of her post, grabbed her police-issued M4 rifle, and waited.
Jerry stood near one of the windows, observing the New Order’s approach. “Remember, we need to wait until they’re in range to start shooting. We need to be cautious about our ammo supply. Only shoot when I give the order. Mitch! You with me?”
Mitch Brady, an elderly man two bunkers over, had expressed an interest in killing all the New Order men as soon as he saw one. Jane knew he’d be the first to break and start shooting, laying down ineffective fire and wasting precious ammunition.
“What the hell are they doing?” mumbled Jerry.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Looks like some of the vehicles are diverting to a staging area near the road that leads to the hospital grounds—while others are continuing in our direction,” he said.
“They’re watching the entrance to be sure we don’t get help!” said Jane.
“We’ll have to warn any reinforcements sent by Porter,” said Jerry, nodding at his radio operator. “Make it happen.”
“Shit! Look alive! They’re almost on us!” said Jane.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The Boss drove his black SUV with a single-minded focus: take the hospital at all costs, even if it meant losing half of his guys. Whitey’s gang had started to forcefully step up, threatening his authority. If the Boss didn’t pull this off, he knew his days as the head of Evansville were numbered. Whitey’s guys would pick him off, killing him and his best guys. Self-preservation would never allow that to happen.
“We almost there, Boss?” said Leer.
“What the fuck? You think you’re on some sort of camping trip?”
“Just asking,” said Leer, with the unmistakable tone of an eye roll.
Even his men were nibbling at the edges of insubordination. The Boss knew he had to be ruthless to stay in control.
“You’ll know we’re there when we’re there. Until then—shut the fuck up.”
The drive was farther than he remembered, but it shouldn’t matter. Whitey and his guys had taken off to kill some priest, which put the gangbangers behind the Boss and his crew. As long as he got to the hospital first, his plan would go off without a hitch. He told two carloads of his men to wait with him at the entrance to the hospital grounds. The rest would hit the building full steam from the front and around the back side.
What only a few select men knew was that the Boss planned to ambush Whitey and his guys as they entered the grounds, killing Whitey and taking all of their weapons. At this point, he couldn’t risk something going wrong during the battle for the hospital to turn Whitey’s crew and possibly his own against him. He’d remove that possibility from the very start. He knew Whitey’s men would not expect an ambush. Instead, they’d drive fast toward the fighting, feeling they were missing out. Then his team would pounce.
Pulling into the grounds, the Boss quickly pulled his truck off the side of the road. Then a couple of other vehicles did the same. The others flew past their location to attack the hospital. The Boss knew that if things went wrong for some reason, this position would also allow him a quick escape. He’d simply start up in another town with the food and supplies he’d stashed in the back of the truck. The Boss turned his truck so that he was the first in line, facing the road, in the perfect spot for a clandestine exit.
The men got out of their vehicles and lined the road. From their vantage point, they could see the others pulling up to the hospital. That was when the shooting started, and all hell broke loose from the building.
