The Broken and the Dead (Book 1) (11 page)

She looked around and tried to figure out what to do; she could try and shoot the lock but didn’t have confidence that would work. “Hardware” she whispered to herself, she hoped that she could find some of those huge cutter things. She was tempted to run but she held herself in check and slowly walked along the checkout aisles. Past groceries, past household, past clothing and she turned down the walkway just before the exit to lawn and garden. She took a few steps, stopped and listened, took a few more, but instead of the silence reassuring her it only seemed to raise her anxiety. She could see rows of tires and car polish and then finally tool-world. She moved up and down the aisles her flash light scanning the shelves and finally success. There were bolt cutters in three different sizes and they were on sale. She laughed quietly at herself at the thought.

Elaine picked the largest set of bolt cutters and started back towards the pharmacy. She cut across the store having realized that would cut her path back almost in half. She was grateful that all of these superstores seemed to have almost the same layout. She scurried past the dressing rooms in the center of ladies clothing but she had the strange, unnerving sensation that she was being watched but she could not hear anything much less see anything. Finally she got back to pharmacy and used the huge bolt cutters to snip the pad lock. It must have been a very good one because she had to use both hands and all of her strength to finally cut it free. She gasped as it finally made it through the steel and it slowly tumbled from the latch and it clanged on the floor. She quickly set the cutters down and held her rifle ready and waited.

After a few moments she reached with her left hand and pulled the chain curtain on its rails just enough so she could slip inside. She moved over to the pharmacist’s desk and laying out her list she turned on her flashlight and started to read. She grabbed a large plastic bin from under the table and went shopping. She took everything she could find that had a name even remotely similar to something on the list. Her bin was nearly full and slipping out past the chain curtain she took a moment to grab some other items of use. She took more peroxide and bandages, tooth paste and brushes, she took mouthwash and throat lozenges, midol, and tampons, all the important stuff. She was walking back toward the entrance and stopped to grab a handful of packets of gum. She opened one and was relieved to get the mint flavored gum in her mouth and the way it moistened her lips. She dropped the wrappers on the ground when she heard the voices. More than one and they were whispering and they were looking for her.

Elaine felt her bladder suddenly feel very, very full and she wished she had just got the drugs and got out. Too late for that right now; the voices were hushed but they sounded male. There was at least one between her and the exit. “Damn, damn, damn” she mouthed silently. The old French battle rifle did not have a safety and she had a round chambered already, two more in the drop clip, now she needed to find cover. She hoped they would pass her by so she could get out the door. She was near the credit union and looking in she saw that there was a long, narrow table, it was almost like a bar from some old western movie. It was very tall, tall enough so that customers could write out checks and such while standing there, waiting their turn at the teller. She slipped all the way to the end of the bar and crouched low. Her right shoulder was against the bar, if the person between her and the door came she would be hidden. If they came from the other direction they would see her right off. Well, it was a fifty-fifty shot, better than Las Vegas.

Elaine waited and prayed; she could hear footsteps coming from the pharmacy, she would be exposed soon. Suddenly from the other direction one of the voices whispered excitedly

“Harv, I think there is a car out front.”

“Damn it” the one who must be Harv answered. “Is there anyone in it?”

“I think so, looks like they are standing in the moon roof. What should I do?”

There was a pause then Harv said

“Shoot em.”

Elaine’s breath came fast but she was able to move to the other side of counter, she could see the man, he was standing in the open, but in the shadows. He was looking through the scope of a lever action hunting rifle. She only had a second before Billy died and she took it, she lifted the Lebel to her cheek and fired. The heavy, slow round caught the man just under his right arm; it tore through both lungs, his heart, and it exploded out just below his scapula on his left side. He spun to the ground, his rifle clattered to the ground but the sound was buried in the loud echo of the rifle report.

It quieted down, Harv called out,

“didja gettem?”

He walked from behind Elaine and went past her but he stopped when he saw his friend dead on the ground. He spun around, dropping into a crouch but two things happened almost simultaneously that froze him in his place; first Mrs. Driscol hit her high beams and they illuminated the front of the store and a few rows back as well, second Elaine chambered her second round. She spoke quietly

“Don’t move, if you do, I’ll kill you.”

Harv didn’t move but he glared at Elaine with hatred.

“Tell your people to stay where they are.” Elaine said.

Harv hesitated so Elaine said with grit in her voice “tell them.”

Harv called out “Everyone, stay where you are.”

Elaine moved slowly along the wall staying out of the light,

“Alright put your rifle down on the ground and slide it over towards me.”

Harv did as he was told but his pride had been hurt and his friend was dead

“We are going to hunt you down and kill you young lady” he said with venom in his words.

“That maybe so”

Elaine responded as she picked up the AK-47. “But you should keep your plans to yourself. Now walk towards the door.” Harv did as he was told and Elaine backed into the breezeway.

“There can’t be too many of you in that one vehicle. There are twenty of us, we will find you, take what we want and then you will be dead.”

Elaine was halfway under the garage door to the outside.

“Mister, I said you should keep your plans to yourself.”

Elaine fired her rifle a second time and Harv doubled over, gut shot, and he stumbled just one step towards Elaine and fell onto his face. She could hear footsteps as a number of people entered the light, Elaine was then sprinting towards the SUV, her rifle in one hand, the AK hung on her shoulder by a sling and the  bin of medicines under her other arm. She saw Mrs. William’s SUV zooming down the hillside, her high beams on as well, the inside of the store was so illuminated all the people inside could do was step forward enough to take a shot then dive back into the shadows.  Billy’s rifle was spitting fire, small caliber as it was, it still was shattering the huge glass panels into giant spider webs making it even harder to see. Elaine ran up to her mother’s car and climbed in the back seat, my rifle adding to the craziness. “GO, GO, GO!” Elaine yelled and mother put the car into gear and we zoomed past Mrs. Driscol’s car and it quickly followed us into the night.

The cars drove rapidly zig-zagging around several abandoned vehicles and Mom asked

“Elaine, what happened in there?”

She was looking harried as she peeked at Elaine and Lucy in the back with Old Man Tucker. Elaine described it in great detail and her voice was as cold as ice. She was cleaning the wounds, sprinkling some antibiotic powder on some, triple antibiotic cream on others, she was trying to experimentally determine which, if any, would work. She started going through the bottles and interrupted her story to ask Mom which of them she should give Mr. Tucker. Mom was hardly able to speak

“Elaine, you killed a man? Are you sure?”

Elaine looked at Mom, “two, Mom, I killed two bastards...”

Mother interrupted her “ELAINE!”

She was upset with her language but Elaine continued

“...who were going to hunt us down and kill us, they said so, and they were just going to shoot Billy without warning.”

Mom was clearly upset and confused; she just didn’t know what to say. Elaine made a decision and decided to give Old Man Tucker two capsules of
Erythromycin
.

“I think Krista Jennings said this is what they use for syphilis.”

Mom was going to say something but Lucy interrupted with

“Who is sissyphil?”

“Syphilis not sissyphil” Elaine answered “and it’s not a person it’s a STD.”

“Mommy what’s a STP?”

Mom rolled her eyes and muttered through gritted teeth

“Thanks Elaine, thanks a lot.”

Elaine just chuckled.

After about an hour Mom slowly pulled off the wrong side of the highway into one of those police turn-abounds. She stopped and backed as far as could into the woods between the highways. Mrs. Driscol pulled in right behind us and then backed in so that her car faced ours from the opposite side of the turn-around. Mom and Mrs. Driscol got out of their cars at nearly the same instant and they met in the middle, I couldn’t hear what they were saying but they were clearly agitated. Mom was waving at our car and I just had the feeling that she was upset that Elaine had shot those two men. I looked over my shoulder and looked at Elaine; she was not paying any attention to Mom’s discussion with Mrs. Driscol. Instead she looked calm and clear eyed as she finished re-wrapping the last of Old Man Tuckers wounds. She was speaking very softly to the old man, describing every moment of her battle in the super store. As she finished she said

“I just asked myself what you would do, Mr. Tucker, I had to do what was necessary.”

Mr. Tucker was still unconscious and her behavior made me nervous. I looked over at Lucy and saw she had curled up with Ronald Bear and went to sleep. I looked at my older sister and she stared back at me, smiling at me with a strange, emotionless expression that left me feeling very empty inside.

Day 7

I don’t know when I fell asleep but Mom and Billy woke be just before dawn.

“Johnny, wake up” she said as she shook me gently. “You need to keep watch with Amy” she added.

I yawned and nodded as I blinked several times and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“We didn’t make a fire because of the light but here” Billy said as he handed me two foil packets.

“What are these?” I asked as I took them.

They were small and thin and very warm.

“They are hand warmers; Mr. Tucker has a bunch in one of the packs.” Billy answered.

I yawned a second time and shivered as I got out of the SUV, I reached back in and picked up my rifle and slung it over my shoulder. Billy climbed into the back of his SUV so he could stretch out; Mom got into her driver’s seat and leaned it as far back as she could without hitting Lucy or Old Man Tucker. Elaine was sitting up but her eyes were closed, somehow I didn’t think she was truly asleep; there was just something in her posture that made me feel like she was coiled like a snake, ready to strike.

I walked over to Mrs. Driscol and she handed me a
Dr. Pepper;

“Here Johnny, drink this, it’s a little warm but it will help.”

I thanked her and took the can, it was warm but it tasted good. It was not even September yet but the night was damp and chilly here. We took turns walking from one end of our camp to the other; we were listening for sounds of any kind, human or mechanical. The Sun couldn’t come too quickly for me but even as it began to rise in the East it did little to take the chill off. I was grateful for the hand warmers in the pockets of my rain jacket. They were nice and toasty and somehow made me feel a whole lot more comfortable than you might have thought; I remembered Mom telling me about how we should always wear hats and gloves on cold days because we lose heat from there. I whispered to Mrs. Driscol

“We should get heavier coats and things; you know hats and gloves.”

She nodded “I agree Johnny, lets you and me keep an eye out okay?”

She smiled. I realized for the first time just how much I liked her; I mean she was my best friends Mom but she had been strong and steady through this whole event. I figured she had cried at some point but I hadn’t seen it; I mean her husband was missing too. And I suddenly worried about Billy; we hadn’t discussed his father at all.

Mrs. Driscol leaned against her SUV her old French rifle balanced on one hip, the barrel pointing at the sky; she looked into the distance and without looking at me she said

“Elaine saved Billy last night.”

I let her continue and after a few moments she did.

“They were going to shoot him Johnny, those men; they were going to kill my son.”

There were no tears, her voice didn’t quaver, and she sounded strong, determined.

“Elaine is right, we have to be strong Johnny; we need to do what needs to be done.”

I said nothing, but while I agreed with her, I was still worried about Elaine. She had changed so much so quickly, too quickly; it didn’t seem real.

We both turned when we heard a twig snap; it was Elaine she was walking slowly towards us the new AK-47 cradled across her chest.

“Hey Johnny, Mrs. Driscol.” she said.

“I think it is okay if you call me Amy from now on.”