Silencing Joy (18 page)

“
They’re half dead,” Jen says in a quiet shriek.
Derek looks over as Jen taps their cheeks trying to wake
them.

Derek pulls screwdriver out of his pocket to wedge it
between the window frames to open the window. He is very short on
time and sets all of his attention on getting it open. He jams the
flathead in and pushes. It’s stuck. He uses his palm to hammer the
screwdriver deeper in between.

“
I hear someone coming,” Jen says in a papery
whisper. She stands and stares at the door, her eyes are bright
with fear.

On the other side of the window, he sees fingers
through the frosted glass. Will is helping him get the window open.
With Will pulling and Derek pushing, it opens.

Will sticks his head in.

“
Jen, come on!” he says with an urgent whisper,
his hand is extended through the window. Jen hesitates.

“
What about them?”

“
Derek will handle it. Come on!”

Jen stands motionless, struggling with what to do.
“Joy will never forgive me if I don’t get you out of here...
Now!”

“
Go, Jen. I need to go back for Kara.” Derek says
almost pleading.

Footsteps come closer to the metal door; it is the
only thing that separates them from the bedlam that will ensue if
they’re caught.

The entire warehouse floor was empty of
people. In the center, all alone and unoccupied, was Kara’s chair.
It was very eerie and unsettling to think that, just moments ago,
Kara was immobile there. In the back of my head, an unnerving
question sits.
Why? Why isn’t anyone in here?

We snuck closer to our target, sticking close
to the wall. I waved the gun in each direction my eyes gazed,
waiting for some form of danger to jump out from the shadows. The
thumping of my heart was reaching a painful level. I peeked behind
me at Kara, and she had the same quivering demeanor I did.

The huge metal door was shut tightly. I took
a few seconds to ponder the best way to tackle opening it.
Should each of us stand on the side of it like in a cop show? Or
should we open it, and plow through hoping for the best?
This
whole scenario was laughable considering I spent most of my time in
class or my tiny dormitory apartment, not skulking around rescuing
people from dirty warehouses used by felons.

I motioned for Kara to stand on the
hinge-side of the door, while I move myself to the other side. I
bent my elbow and held the gun up high, like I’ve seen a million
times on television. I nod at her.

Her face contorted in a perplexed expression.
I definitely watch too many movies, assuming my nod was all I
needed to let her to know to open the door.

“Open. It.” I mouthed with exaggeration.

She nodded back at me and reached for the
doorknob with a shaking hand. She swung the door open, and I
swiveled inside with my gun raised. And what I saw made me thankful
that my nerves didn’t cause me to pull the trigger.

Jen was crouched on the floor in front of two
girls who looked like they could be dead. Derek was by a window
standing on some boxes and there, and, his head poking through, was
Will. My heart skipped about four beats when I realized everyone
was okay...so far.

Will looked at me astonished. Derek pulled
out his weapon, then realized it was us and jumped down and ran to
Kara. He scooped her up and crushed her to him, pressing his lips
to her mangled, raw ones. She threw her arms around his neck,
kissing him back and crying.

“I wasn’t sure it was you...I waited for
you...I waited for my dad...he didn’t come,” her voice choked and
she gasps on her sobs.

Derek carried her back up onto the crates and
gently passed her through the window to Will. Will took her
tenderly and with the ease through the large window. But he didn’t
take his eyes off me...he looked angry.

I shoved the gun back into the waistband of
my jeans and rushed to Jen. She was attempting to lift one of the
girls into a standing position. I threw a quick arm around her in a
hug and helped her. Derek came over, his face in a frown. He took
the girl from us.

“I want the two of you out of here right
now,” Derek’s words were harsh and demanding.
He meant
it!

Jen and I sent quick looks to each other, and
no words needed to be said. We moved fast, picking up the other
girl. We each swung one of her arms over our shoulders and headed
for the window. The girl’s body was like a limp noodle. I vaguely
wondered what the hell they did to her.

Will pulled the second girl through as Derek
handed her to him. Both Derek and Will were in secret-agent-mode
and were clearly not happy. I shoved Jen on the butt.

“Go,” I ordered.

Derek and Will helped her through, and I
could hear her land on the asphalt. I positioned myself to go
through the window. Will reached out, grabbing me under the arms
and yanking me up over the window sash out into the night air.
Without even knowing how it happened, I was in his arms. He held me
in a vice-grip hug, crushing his lips to mine.

He said against them, “Stick to the plan.”
His voice and his actions were an odd paradox, mixed with passion
and fury.

Derek was the last one to make it out, and he
immediately went to Kara. Jake came barreling around the corner,
and shots rang out in a deafening silence-splitting chaos.

Will’s hand immediately went the back of my
neck, pushing me down. Jake collided with Jen, and they hit the
ground in a tangle.

I looked over at Derek who had crushed Kara
against the building beside the incoherent girls. Will let go of me
and pulled out his rifle. Jake and Will formed some sort of assault
team, scanning the area and pointing their weapons. Jen crawled
over to me and reached out like she was going to hug me.

“You’re not wearing Kevlar,” she said into my
ear, her intent clearly to protect me.

“I’m okay,” I told her and reached for my
gun. I moved it in front of me and got up into a squatting
position. Jen stayed right next to me, both of us behind the guys.
One last shot, then everything became quiet. Derek sat Kara up, and
I reached out, putting my arm around her. Derek slipped back into
secret-agent-mode, joining the others as the third person of the
assault team.

“It’s time to move,” he said.

The group of us stood, surveying the space
around us.

“What about them?” I asked pointing to the
slumped girls. Will took out a walkie-talkie and called Bill.

“Ready for pick up,” he murmured into the
speaker. He paused for just a second, and then his eyes widened and
he yelled at us. “SHIT! Get down!”

I immediately squatted again, looking around
in a hurried panic. I trained the gun wherever my eyes took me.

“Whoa, easy with that,” Jen complained. I
checked myself. She was right; I was definitely being too loose
with where I pointed it.

Sharp thwacks rang out, and pieces of brick
and mortar crushed and crumbled to the ground. Jen and I clasped
our arms around each other and jumped at the sound.

“Get back!” Derek yelled to all of us. We
flattened ourselves against the warehouse. Jake grabbed Jen and
forced her back.

Will looked at Jake and Derek and, with hasty
authority, said “Mouse and Brian are just around the corner. Take
the girls the other way.”

He pointed towards the area back where Bill
was on the roof.

“Jake, you go. Will, I got your back.”

“How is Bill supposed to pick us up?” I asked
as I glance down at Kara huddled with the other two girls who
seemed to be coming out of the fog they were in.

Kara helped one of them to stand. Jake let go
of Jen, helping the other. He spoke to the broken girl softly and
reassuringly. I could only catch every other word, but he was
encouraging her.

“When I say go, you are going to run down to
the end of the building and go left. Stay low and close to the
building,” Derek commanded. Then he reached for Kara, holding her
shoulder, and looked her in the eye.

“It’s almost over. Do what I say. Stay close
to the building and run. You got that?”

Kara nodded. I did, too. Even though that
last reiteration of instructions was not for me, I felt compelled
to show my compliance. My heart rate sped up as I hoped we could
all get out of here.

Jen, Kara, the two girls, and me lined up
against the brick, fearful and with our backs to it. An observer
would think we were in a police line-up. Jen squeezed my hand.

“Go!” Will ordered.

We all took off running, hugging the wall.
Jake led us with his weapon ready. I was at the end of the escape
line. My feet pounded on the pavement, and my hand rubbed against
the rough brick in the darkness.

Bullets ricocheted and echoed behind us.

Will!
I wanted so badly to turn around
and go back to him, but I knew I had to trust that all of his
training and know-how would get him through this. I stayed on the
path and prayed.

The rough gravel strewn on the ground played
with my balance. I slipped on a rock, twisting my ankle. I held in
my urge to cry out as pain shot up my leg, but I kept going. No one
else stumbled. The drugged-up girls were doing better than me.

Jake stopped at the corner and it jacked us
all up. We collided like dominoes. He carefully peered around,
scoping for danger. More shots fired from where we came from. I
turned my head instinctively. My sight was limited in the
darkness.

“Hold,” Jake said with his hand raised to us.
We all paused with bated breath. “Move,” he commanded, and we
continued on.

It was quiet all around us now. The only
sound I could hear was our group’s heavy breathing. Each one of us
sucked in breaths.

I could make out a van ahead of us. Jake
dashed towards it, throwing open the door. It was Bill’s van.
What a sight!
I was elated. I wanted only to find Will and
get the hell out of here.

“Get in!” Jake stood as sentinel with his gun
ready as we all piled in, crushing ourselves together. I was
frenzied, rushing to get in, and I slammed the sliding van door as
Jake raced over to the driver’s side. Jen was in the middle seat
beside me.

Kara screamed, causing us all to spin around
in our seats. She pointed out the window.

“Tommy,” she screeched hysterically.

Tommy ran towards us with his gun high, his
face contorted in anger. He fired two shots. Outside the window of
the van, I watched Jake fall out of my line of vision.

“Jake!” Jen shouted.

We both scrambled to the fronts seats. I
tossed the gun on the floor, and opened the driver’s door, reaching
down and grabbing Jake by the arm; with our combined strength I was
able to help haul him up and over the seat. Jen helped me pull him
all the way in. He had been shot. Blood spilled out from his shirt
sleeve.

“Oh my God!” Jen shrieked.

The back windows were suddenly blown out. We
all simultaneously screamed like the girls we were. I covered my
head. Jake slumped between the seats. He held up keys, and I
snatched them from him.

Another window blew out, and we again scream
in unison. Hysterics and fear ran rampant through the tight space
of the van.

“Stay down,” Jake told us.

I didn’t even know which window was hit as I
fumbled to get the van started. I heard Tommy’s evil voice blazing
and coming closer. He yelled into the night air by the van.

“I’m gonna get you bitches!”

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” one of
girls kept repeating.

Jen hovered over Jake, putting pressure on
the gunshot wound. She picked up the gun I dropped behind him.

“Shut up and duck!” she yelled and fired the
gun.

The bullet sliced through the side window.
The window shattered, girly screams echoed, and bits of glass
rained everywhere. At that moment, I finally found the right key
and thrust it into the ignition.

“Everyone hold on!” I hollered as the van
fired up and I flattened the gas pedal to the floor. We surged
forward with a roar of the engine.

“I think I winged him!” Jen shouted.

Kara crawled from the back of the van to the
front to help Jen with Jake. I glanced down; he was losing a lot of
blood. Both Jen and Kara’s hands were covered in liquid red. My
hands quivered on the steering wheel.

“Did you get him?” Jake choked out.

“I don’t know.”

“Where do I go?” I asked Jake.

“Head north and out the gate,” he slurred
through a fresh wave of pain.

“North? Which way is north?”

“What about Derek?” Kara asked.

“They’ll get out,” he mumbled. “You should be
able to see a cell tower in the distance, keep it on your
left.”

I nodded. I scanned through the dark sky and
immediately saw the tower. We were going in the right direction.
Whew!

“Ow, shit...”

“Don’t move around,” Jen barked at him. “It
looks like your shoulder’s been hit right beside your vest.”

“Is anyone behind us?” he asked.

Jen stretched to see through the back window,
and I checked the rearview mirror.

“I don’t see anyone,” I told him.

“Good...” Jake said before he passed out.

“Jake needs to go to a hospital,” Jen said
hesitantly, as though saying it out loud would make his condition
worse.

I gazed down, he was extremely pale.
Shit!
I trained my eyes back on the windshield concentrating
on getting us away.

“We’ll have to take him to Sundlun.”

The headlights of the van shone on a
chain-link fence up ahead. A man stepped out from behind it out of
the darkness. I recognized his form.

Bill!

“It’s Bill,” I gasped out to everyone.

“Who’s Bill?” one of the girls slurred.

I ignored her, maneuvering the van and
bringing it to a stop. I pressed the brakes little too hard, and we
all jerked forward.