Badlands Trilogy (Book 3): Out of the Badlands (26 page)

Alice held up a finger, cocked her head and listened. It was faint, but she could hear it. The truck’s engine rumbling from just over the hill before them, out of view. “Not for long,” she said. “They’re already here.”

Dario slammed on the brakes, a reaction driven primarily by fear. The gunfire had come without any sort of warning at all and things were now happening so quickly that he had little time to react. He felt as if he were outside of his body looking in, watching a man clumsily attempt to glean some sort of order and meaning out of chaos.

As the truck ground to a halt, the people in the back yelled as their forward momentum propelled them toward the cab, along with any of the flatbed’s contents not strapped down. Tires screeched as the engine protested. Dario barely noticed that he’d downshifted two full gears instead of one, forcing the truck to an even quicker stop.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, everything stopped. The familiar idle of the engine returned as wind blew in through the shattered side windows. Dario looked at Autumn in the passenger seat, her face expressive and in shock, her white dress splattered with a large and violent blood stain.

“You’re hit,” Dario said, the words sounding like they’d been spoken underwater. He barely heard himself.

Autumn shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

Dario pointed to the blood stain on her dress.

She pointed back at him, her eyes wide. Dario looked down and saw a gaping hole in his abdomen. Blood poured from the wound, saturating his clothes and the already blood-soaked seat.

How had everything gone so wrong, so fast?
he thought. Black spots began to cloud his vision. He felt cold. The world spun. He barely noticed Autumn open the passenger door and leap from the truck.

It all had gone so wrong, so fast.

The black spots swarmed his vision and then, thankfully, everything went dark.

* * *

The truck slowed as it approached, jerking to a quick stop as the driver’s foot fell off the clutch and killed the engine. The driver slumped forward in the seat as a woman leapt from the passenger seat. Barnes’s men had made a direct kill shot, pulling off the plan successfully. The men rushed toward the stopped vehicle, yelling at the people in the back to throw down their weapons. From Alice’s vantage point behind the van she could see two people in the back—a white woman and a black man.

The man yelled and began firing, spraying a line of bullets that mowed down one of Barnes’s men, the one they called Stooge. Barnes’s crew returned fire, peppering the man’s body with a spray of bullets. His body jerked before collapsing to the bed of the truck and out of Alice’s view.

More bullets came from the truck as the woman fired off several rounds. A bullet from Barnes’s well-placed snipers struck the woman in the head and she went down hard and fast.

The sound of screaming replaced the sound of gunfire as the redheaded girl who’d bailed from the truck ran away. She tore across the pavement, but two of Barnes’s men swooped in and gripped her by the arms before she could make it far.

A few moments of silence ensued as Barnes surveyed the rest of the truck, searching for any survivors. A quick check revealed the truck to be empty of people and Alice felt her disappointment rise. Not a trace of Ed Brady.

The men yanked the redhead to her feet. She blubbered as she cried, begging for her life. Alice quickly saw her chance; maybe Brady wasn’t on the truck, but if he was still alive then it was possible that the redhead might know where he was.

Pouncing on what might be her only opportunity to get Brady alive, Alice walked out from behind the van and approached the girl.

“Whoa,” Barnes said as he saw her approach. “You stay where you are.”

“Our deal,” Alice said. “Ed Brady. I want him and he’s not on the truck. This bitch might know where he is.”

Barnes considered. “Okay then. You make her talk. She’s all yours.” He stepped back to allow Alice room.

Alice approached the girl. Tears ran down her cheeks, leaving wet streaks in the dust that covered her face. Glass shards clung to her red hair.

“Ed Brady,” Alice said. “Where is he?”

The girl sobbed uncontrollably, mumbling as snot dripped from her nose.

“Answer now,” Alice said.

“Don’t kill me,” the girl pleaded. “Please, don’t—”

Alice drew back and smacked the girl hard across the face, silencing her. “Where is he?”

The girl looked up at her. A small trick of blood appeared from her nose. “Please.”

Alice smacked the girl again, harder. She could feel her anger rising. The bitch had information surely; why wouldn’t she talk?

“Ed Brady,” Alice repeated. “Where is he? Tell me and you might live through this.” Alice glanced at Barnes. He stood off to the side, smiling as his men climbed all about the truck, searching the contents.

The girl’s sobbing began to subside to only light crying. She was coming around. Alice decided to try a different approach. Honey to catch the flies, rather than vinegar. “Tell me where he is,” she said, her voice changing, assuming a softer edge. “Just tell me where he is and we’ll let you go. I promise.”

The redhead lifted her head. “Promise.”

“Of course I do. Us girls gotta stick together, eh?” Alice gently touched the redhead’s arm. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Autumn,” the girl replied.

“That’s a pretty name,” Alice said. The girl smiled. “Autumn, tell me where he is. Please.”

“He was with us,” Autumn said. “A while back.”

“Good,” Alice said, smiling. So close now. “That’s good. Where is he now? Where can I find him?”

“He’s…”

“Yes. Go on,” Alice said.

“He’s—”

The side of Autumn’s head exploded in a chunky red mess as her body went slack. Taken by surprise, the men holding her let go, allowing Autumn’s body to collapse to the pavement. A second later, Alice heard the report of the gunshot.

“Get down!” Barnes yelled, but by then two more of his men had dropped to the ground, bullets in them, taken out by an unseen gunman. Alice could hear the whiz of the bullets as they struck flesh and bone, the report echoing a moment later. Instinctively she ducked, searching for cover. She glanced at Autumn to find her lying on the pavement, blood pooling around her ruined head.

Alice crouched as she attempted to get away from the hail of bullets being laid down. She didn’t know where the gunfire had originated from and wasn’t sure where to run. She ducked behind the cab of the truck as bullets whined, zipping through the air around her.

At the cab she crouched and looked around. She spied the driver’s body lying on the pavement. It had fallen there after Barnes’s men opened the driver’s side door. In his waistband she saw a pistol still wedged. She took a look around and dove toward the body, yanking the firearm free.

Around her, men yelled as the sound of an engine roared in the distance. Whoever was doing the shooting had come to collect. She leaned against the truck’s tire, considering her options. She had to hide. It was her only hope for survival. She was too exposed out on the open road and she didn’t even know from where her attackers had come.

A window in a derelict car exploded as a stray bullet zipped by. She glanced around and found a pickup truck with flat tires sitting fifteen feet away. If she hurried she might make it. What she’d do after that she didn’t know, but for now it was the only plan she had.

Alice took a deep breath before pushing herself to her feet. She didn’t hesitate; she ran toward the truck, crouching with her head down as voices shouted behind her. She didn’t know if they’d seen her or not and she didn’t turn to find out. Each step took an eternity. She expected at any moment to feel a bullet tear through her body.

But after her long run she made it to the truck without taking any fire. She got to her belly and scooted along the pavement, ignoring the pain as it shredded her exposed skin. Road rash was the least of her problems now. She wriggled until she completely disappeared beneath the truck, curling herself up and making herself as small as possible.

Once under the truck, she examined the pistol. The chamber was empty, so she racked a shell into the ready position. No safety, so she was ready to go. Now all she had to go on was the sound of the firefight. Had they seen her hide under the truck? Would they find her? Quite possibly, but she had the pistol and she’d at least take a few of them out before they got her.

Alice waited beneath the truck, listening to the sound of gunfire and her rapid breathing as she waited.

* * *

The fighting lasted for some time. Alice didn’t know exactly how long, but it seemed like forever. Eventually the sound of the engine died off, replaced with random rapid gunfire. Someone had an automatic weapon of some sort and they weren’t afraid to use it.

Men yelled. Some cried out in pain. The gunshots would come in quick succession and then die off, replaced with sporadic shots. Maybe they’d taken positions and were exchanging fire? She had no way of knowing.

She desperately watched, but could see no higher than car tires. Then, she saw movement. Barnes had fallen to the ground beside the flatbed truck. He held his left arm. Blood trickled through his fingers. He was unarmed and looking up at someone.

Then another set of legs appeared. A man, walking slowly to where Barnes sat. The man walked with a slow and steady swagger, the walk of a man who knew he’d already won. They’d won, whoever these men were. They’d killed or captured Barnes’s men.

“This is it for you, partner,” the man said. “Put up a good fight. Killed all my men. I almost wish you’d been on my team. If I wasn’t so pissed off right now, I might even ask you to join up.”

“Fuck you,” Barnes said. “I’d never join you.”

“That’s what they all say,” the man replied. “But it doesn’t fucking matter anyway.” He paused. “Say goodbye.”

The man stepped further into Alice’s view. She sighted down the barrel, scooting out a little further until she could see his midsection. If she got it right, just right, she might be able to make the shot count.

Alice aimed and pulled the trigger three times in succession. The pistol kicked and fought as she gripped it hard. A few seconds passed as she knew she missed. Not only had she missed, she’d given away her position. But just as she’d accepted her own death, the man’s knees buckled and he dropped to the pavement in a heap. Blood began to pool around him on the hot, gray pavement.

Seeing her chance, Alice wriggled free from beneath the truck, scooting out into the bright daylight. She got to her feet quickly, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. She walked toward the man’s body, pistol out and ready. He didn’t move. Instead, his open eyes stared blankly at the sky.

Barnes watched her closely as she approached. “You did it,” he said. “You’re one tough broad.” He extended a hand. “Help me up.”

Alice turned to him, cocking her head sideways. She raised the pistol.

“Hey! We had a deal!” Barnes yelled.

“Null and void now,” Alice said.

She pulled the trigger two times, sending a bullet into Barnes’s chest and his forehead. He collapsed onto the pavement, jerking once before going slack.

* * *

Alice looked around and saw dead men everywhere. All of Barnes’s crew and apparently all of the attacking crew lay crumpled and bleeding on the highway and the surrounding scrubland. The man she’d killed—the man who’d been sure he was going to punch Barnes’s ticket—looked up at the blue sky above with dead, unseeing eyes, his curly, black hair dripping blood.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The smell of burnt gunpowder was thick in the air still, a fresh remnant of a gunfight she’d somehow survived. She smiled at the thought and a low, slightly hysterical laugh began to emerge from somewhere deep within. She felt it come on, growing stronger, until she laughed out loud in the silent air. It sounded crazy even to herself, but if she knew this then she figured she couldn’t be that crazy. Not any crazier than she’d already been.

The laugh petered out and silence replaced it. Gunfire still rang in her ears, like sunspots after looking at the sun for too long. She glanced at Barnes again, enjoying the expression still on his face. The look of a man who’d thought he could best her, a man who’d underestimated her and paid the price.

The same way Ed Brady would look when she put a bullet into him.

But the problem now, of course, was finding him. The assholes lying dead around her had ruined her chance of getting any information out of the girl. All she knew now was that Ed was still alive, or had been alive recently. And if he was alive he had to be heading west, toward the docks in California. Without the truck, of course, but that wouldn’t stop him.

She walked to the truck and inspected it. Three of its tires had been flattened by the random gunfire. With only one spare on board there’d be no replacing the other two which left the truck useless.

Pistol in hand, she walked around the truck to inspect the other vehicles. If any of them still ran she had a chance to make it to California. She discovered the vehicle that had made all the noise earlier, some sort of decked out army truck covered in camouflage and flames. Whoever these guys were, they surely thought they were badasses. Alice chuckled to herself at this thought, knowing that they all lay dead around her. Some badasses they turned out to be.

Not particularly interested in the attackers truck, Alice walked to Barnes’s van. She made a quick sweep of the inside to ensure no one remained inside. After confirming the vehicle to be empty, she got into the driver’s seat and reached for the ignition.

No keys. They were probably on Barnes’s body. She hopped out, and after a quick search of the dead man’s pockets she found a set of car keys. “Thanks, asshole,” she said, grinning, before returning to the van and starting the engine. It roared to life, settling into a smooth idle.

Satisfied it would run, Alice killed the engine and pocketed the keys. She walked around the vehicle, inspecting the tires. All four remained inflated, though the windows in the back had been shattered by stray bullets. No matter, she didn’t need windows. The van would be big enough to hold supplies and fuel, hopefully enough to get her to the coast.