Family Reunion "J" (30 page)

Jay climbed the stairs and made a left as soon as she closed the door.
Now for a few minutes of privacy to take care of some business
she thought as she opened the bathroom door. It was the small things in life these days. Just a few minutes alone in a real bathroom, no matter how small, seemed like a treat.

She fumbled for her glasses, put them on, and opened the year-old celebrity gossip magazine she found lying on a small table. She’d only read a page or two when the radio squelched. “This is the north watch, there’s a thunderstorm coming in, you may want to close the windows.” She heard Ben answer that he would have someone take care of it. She went back to reading about Pam’s breast reduction and Kim’s workout routine.

Ten minutes later the radio squelched again. This time it was Gerald, who sounded a bit rattled. “Ah, Dad, the storm is really picking up out here, and there’s a lot of lightning. Should we relocate our guys to downstairs?” There was a pause, then Ben came back on. “No, I know it’s a bit dicey out there boys, but you’ll just have to tough it out. We need you up there. Keep a sharp eye out.”

The rain blew sideways and stung Gerald’s face. The hair on his arms stood up and the air smelled like chlorine. Why his dad insisted they stay on the roof completely baffled him.
Nothing would be out on a night like this.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he saw headlights.

He ducked down behind the ledge and yelled into the radio. “Dad, we have someone coming in from the north.” He held the radio up to his ear, but still couldn’t hear Ben’s reply. “Dad, I can’t hear you. I’m going to go tell the others up here to be ready.” With that, he stowed the radio and went to alert the three others on watch.

Jay was enjoying an article about someone hacking several celebrities’ online accounts and posting their nude pictures when she heard Gerald’s announcement over the radio.
Great, here I am sitting on the throne, pants around my ankles, and the general alarm sounds.
She made a mental note of the page number of the article she was reading, put down the magazine, stowed her glasses, and finished her business. With the paperwork done and her pants secured, she went back down to the root cellar. She almost ran into Jon as he headed up the stairway.

“What’s going on?” he asked, thinking she was coming back from the main building.

“I don’t know, but it sounds like we have company,” she said. The lights dimmed for a moment, then flared brightly as the main generator kicked on.

On the roof, Gerald stood next to Mr. Jenkins, Jon’s favorite tourist left stranded by circumstances beyond his control. Gerald yelled over the wind, “Looks like it’s a single vehicle.” Mr. Jenkins nodded his agreement. “Wait here and don’t shoot me,” Gerald shouted, “I’m going down there.” Mr. Jenkins nodded again and checked the thirty-aught-six rifle he held to make sure it was ready.

Water poured down from the ceiling access and Ben saw Gerald’s boots coming down the ladder. When he reached the floor, he turned and pulled his hood off. He shook his head like a dog and water splashed his dad standing at the generator controls. This earned Gerald a look, but Ben didn’t say anything right away.

“I’m going out front; whoever it is should be here any minute,” Gerald offered as he stomped his rained-soaked feet.

“Let me grab my poncho and I’ll join you,” Ben said as he flipped the main switch that activated the entire array of lights for the property.

Mr. Jenkins smiled when all the lights came up. He liked the lights. They made him feel more secure. It was bad enough being out here in the dark, but this horrid weather made it seem even more eerie than usual. Even with the lights on it was still hard to see. He peered north up Highway 501 as the headlights got closer.

“What do you think?” Jay asked Jon. “Should we wait here or go find out what’s going on?” Jon pursed his lips thinking. “Why don’t you head over there. We’ll stay here and keep working. It’s probably one of the locals. Give us the word on the radio when you find out.”

Jay almost asked him why she should be the one to go out into the shitty weather, but she wanted to check in on Auddy, so she just let it go. “Okay, I’ll let you know,” she said, and retreated up the stairs.

Ben strapped on his Colt Python and grabbed his poncho. Gerald already stood by the front door with his shotgun waiting on him. When Ben opened the door, the rain slapped him in the face like an offended nun. It was cold and it was relentless. He pulled his John Deere baseball cap down tighter and bent his head into the onslaught.

They got outside just as the vehicle crested the last rise in the road before arriving. The sheltered porch didn’t help much as the rain drove straight into their faces. Ben shielded his face with his left hand, trying to identify who it was that approached.

“It’s Richard!” he shouted to Gerald.

Gerald got on the radio. “All clear, all clear, it’s Richard, stand down.” They both broke from the limited cover of the building and ran to greet their neighbor.

Jay heard Gerald’s stand-down order, which was an immediate relief. She was standing next to Auddy’s cot; she had been about to wake her. Instead, she sat down on her own bunk. She went to remove her wet tee shirt. When she raised her arms over her head, water escaped from where it had collected in her cast, sending a substantial river of cold water down her arm and across her exposed breasts. Her nipples hardened and goosebumps sprouted. She shivered, reached for her towel, and wrapped it around her torso, tucking the ends in to secure it.

As Richard’s Yukon came closer, Ben could tell something was wrong. The vehicle swerved crazily and went from one lane to the other. He grabbed Gerald’s arm and pulled him closer. “Something isn’t right.”

The large SUV didn’t slow. It crossed the median before reaching the paved turning area and bounded through the grass. A whoosh of water fanned out in its headlights as it came through the dip headed straight for Sparky’s.

Mr. Jenkins looked on as the large white SUV headed straight at his corner of the building. Gerald had just said to stand down, which he heard through the earpiece on his radio. The indecision held him where he stood as the truck crashed into the building.

Both Ben and Gerald dove left into a four-inch-deep puddle. The sound of the SUV plowing into the corner of the store rose above the noise of the storm. Screeching metal and breaking glass created a cacophony and the building shuddered all the way down its length.

Jay felt what she at first thought was an earthquake shake the building. The noise did nothing to dissuade her of that thought, but South Carolina wasn’t known for its earthquakes. There was no need to wake Auddy, who had already bolted from her bed, her pistol out as she pointed it frantically around the room.

Mr. Jenkins felt the impact as he rose high in the air. About the time he realized he was going up, the roof collapsed beneath his feet and he went down, rapidly.

Gerald splashed around in the puddle looking for his shotgun. Ben, already on his feet, ran to the driver’s side of the SUV that protruded from his store. As he ran around the vehicle, he saw the door open and Richard roll out, falling to the ground.

He rushed toward Richard to help him. Richard’s eyes were wide. He started shaking his head before Ben ever reached him. His mouth opened and formed the word
no.
His head was still moving from side to side when it exploded from the impact of the bullet. Ben stopped short as he watched his friend’s skull expand outward, until the stretching skin parted, deforming his entire face and exposing the soft gray matter that once held the hopes and memories they shared. He felt the bits of his friend’s skull bite into his cheek. He shifted his eyes to the right and saw the demonic smile of Danny Trejo, then the barrel of the gun that blossomed blue white.

Mr. Jenkins landed on the hood of the Yukon. His head hit the windshield and he saw the door open and a man push someone out. He saw the shot that killed Richard, then he saw the shooter lean over and fire at his friend Ben. Mr. Jenkins raised his rifle to shoot through the window, only to find that what he held wasn’t a rifle but a piece of two-by-four, the other end of which was sticking through his stomach. He slid off the fender of the truck and as he fell, he saw Ben’s body leaning against the back wheel, his eyes open and vacant.

Jay heard gunshots coming from the front of the building. Auddy jerked in that direction, her pistol shaking violently. Jay stood up and grabbed Auddy’s face in her hands. “Come with me!”

Gerald finally recovered his shotgun and as he stood, he heard the blast and saw the bright flash explode in the cab of the Yukon. He raised his weapon as he walked toward the truck and saw another bright flash and heard a second blast. He stumbled around the back of the SUV and saw his father lying there. The sight froze him for just a moment; he looked up in time to see the barrel of a shotgun swinging down on him.

Jay held Auddy’s shirt collar in her right hand and the radio in the other as she ran for the back of the store. She screamed into the radio, “Jon, we’re under attack, get to your truck.” Auddy stumbled, then regained her footing, but the fall caused Jay to lose her grip with her weakened right hand. She dropped the radio, grabbed hold of Auddy with her left hand, and continued to run. They burst through the back door and made for the garage.

Riggs, aka Danny Trejo, lifted Gerald to his feet and slammed him against the Yukon. “Where is the generator? Tell me, or I will cut off your balls.” Gerald was barely conscious but he saw the knife waving in front of his face. “Fuck you!” He spat out the words, then felt the knife slide between his ribs. He was amazed at how clearly he experienced that blade. He felt it scrape against the rib, puncture his lung, and pierce his heart. Riggs let the body fall to the ground as he turned to the building, intent on finding the generator. The plan was that he would disable the generator before his gang showed up to finish off the men and collect the women.

In the two minutes since it all began, the remainder of those asleep had rallied. They gathered their weapons and started to move to the front of the building. The two remaining on guard duty had made their way to where they had seen Mr. Jenkins disappear into the broken roof. They arrived there in time to see two semitrucks barreling into the parking lot off 501. They didn’t hesitate and began firing into the cabs of both.

Jon was shocked to hear Jay’s message on the radio. He didn’t wait to confirm what she had said. “Gwenn, go to the truck, now!” Then he turned and ran to the back room of the cellar to get Tami. Gwenn hurried up the stairs and opened the door. She ran to the truck and remembered that Ben had laid the keys on the workbench in the rear of the shop. She made her way through the normal shop debris, tripping over an old tire, banging her head against a hoist, before finding the bench, then the keys. As she made her way back to the truck she kept hitting the unlock button on the key. Jon and Tami came through the door just as Gwenn went past them. She didn’t slow down, she just kept hitting the unlock button as she ran.

One of the two guards was a fairly good shot. He squeezed off several rounds and was rewarded when the first semitruck turned suddenly and jackknifed, its trailer flipping onto its side. He concentrated his fire on the second truck and managed to shoot out the left front tire. The first truck’s tractor went over on its side, pulled by the weight of the trailer, and slid fifty feet before grinding to a halt in the middle of the road. The second semi tried to avoid the first and lost control. It bounded through the median, much as the Yukon did. But when it came down, it swerved and ran into the gas pumps in front of the store.

Jon made it to his truck and jumped in. Gwenn was already sitting in the back seat. She handed him the keys as Tami ran past the open door. “Tami, get in the damned truck.” She never even slowed. As Jon watched her run out of the garage, he turned the key and started the truck. All the lights Ben had installed on the truck came to life with the engine. Both he and Gwenn stared out the windshield for a minute in disbelief. There, lit up by the lights, were Auddy and Jay, and Jay was naked from the waist up.

As Jon stared at Jay, a bright mushroom-shaped fireball blossomed in his windshield and then the shock wave of the explosion rocked the truck back violently.

The explosion killed everyone, and destroyed everything, within a hundred feet of the gas pumps. Of the forty gang members in the back of the two semitrucks, only one survived. He had been in the first semitrailer. The blast picked him up and threw him fifty feet, burned the clothes off his back, and consumed most of his hair.

Tami hadn’t made it into the building. She reached the back door and had her hand on the door handle when the semi struck the pumps. The blast wave demolished three quarters of Sparky’s, killing all of those inside and the two remaining guards on the roof. The door blew into Tami and shoved her halfway to the garage. Jay and Auddy were knocked to the ground and debris fell around them, some pieces still on fire despite the heavy rain.

The searing heat from the resulting fire was intense. Jay got to her feet, then helped Auddy up. They saw Tami lying twenty feet closer to the destruction. “Go get in the truck.” Jay pointed Auddy toward Jon, who was still seeing spots in front of his eyes and had not moved. Jay went back for Tami. The heat was almost too much to bear, but she made it to her and rolled her over. Tami blinked her eyes, which was a welcome sight to Jay. She bent and grabbed her under her arms and dragged her toward the garage. Auddy watched, then ran to help her mom with Tami. “Dammit Auddy, you never did listen worth a damn,” Jay said, but accepted her help. Together they got Tami to the truck, then into the cab with Gwenn’s help.