Without (13 page)

Cynthia’s parents didn’t ask many questions about who I was
or how I knew their daughter. The only part they cared about was that I was
going to try and find them and bring them back. If I did find them, I wouldn’t
be taking them to Bud. Her parents were much more prepared with a stock of
food, water, and plenty of guns. Unlike their son-in-law, they knew these days
were coming.

I accepted their offer of dinner and then memorized the
route to the apartment complex on the north side of town. It was the place I
knew the group was located last. If they went through that much trouble to take
it, the chances were pretty good they’d still be there. My gut told me that
wherever I found Alex I’d also find Cynthia and Erin. If they weren’t with him,
he’d know where they were.

With no information about their strength or fighting
ability, planning a frontal assault on twenty armed cowards was suicide.
Stephanie told me they had hit them every night for the past four days. My only
chance was if they made it five in a row. With most of the guns heading for a
raid on the square, anybody left behind would be more vulnerable. A good leader
would be at the front of the charge. I was hoping Alex wasn’t a good leader.

Under cover of darkness, carrying a scoped rifle loaned to
me by Trevor, I headed out. (I appreciated his offer to go with me, but he was
pushing seventy years old and was a diabetic.) Moving as quickly and quietly as
possible, I made it to the complex in good time. An abandoned building with
easy access to the roof was where I set up surveillance. I didn’t have to wait
long to see a large raiding party gathering at the front of the building.

I focused on two men who were talking to the troops. I
counted twenty-three others armed with various weapons, listening attentively
to the leaders. When they started moving away from the complex, one of them stayed
behind. Studying his face through the scope, I’d be looking for it when I made
it inside.

Lying on the rooftop, I observed the property, trying to
determine the level of security once the larger group left the area. Based on
the distance to the square, I knew I had at least three hours before all the
guns returned.

The two-story, single-building complex looked like it was
converted from an old warehouse. From my vantage point I could see the main
entrance as well as another access point on the side. I had to assume there was
at least one back entrance and another on the opposite side of the building. I
also had to assume there would be armed sentries at each.

I didn’t think I’d ever be in a situation where the green
hue of the growing aurora would be a welcomed sight, but it allowed me to
verify with my scope that there were no snipers on the roof of the complex. (It
was also a good sign that they were unprepared to be the victims of a raid.)
There were two men sitting in chairs outside of the front entrance with a
lantern between them. At the side entrance a single guard with a shotgun was
standing in the doorway smoking a cigarette. It was a hot evening so every door
was propped open, taking advantage of the light breeze.

Needing to complete my perimeter surveillance, I left the
rooftop – and the long rifle – making my way around to the opposite side of the
complex. As I suspected, there was another sentry at the back door. I didn’t
see anyone come out of the other side door, but knew there’d be at least one
person inside.

I decided the best place to attempt a breach was where I saw
the guard standing in the doorway. It was the only side without windows. I
crept closer to the building, stopping behind a van that had died forty feet
from the door. The sentry turned his back to me and walked down the hall.
Pulling my knife, I moved up to the wall beside the open door. Peeking around
the corner, I saw the sentry still walking away. When he heard me coming up
behind him, it was too late.

With his shotgun slung across his back and the end of my
knife sticking out the front of his neck, he had no way to alert the others
while he was still kicking. I backpedaled, dragging him down the hall to the
stairwell by the door. I opened it, throwing his body in a dark corner under
the stairs.

Moving back into the dim hall, I counted two doors on each
side. All four were closed. The building was separated into two sections by a
fire door. A small window allowed me to see the sentry on the other side
slumped over in a chair, sleeping by a lantern. I couldn’t pass up the easy
opportunity to remove another threat. As I pressed down on the handle, the door
squeaked but not enough to wake him.

I walked though into a larger hall that connected all four
entrance points. From that position I could see the backs of the three heads
guarding the front and rear entrances. I crossed the danger zone with
confidence, heading toward the oblivious guard. The men who were awake at their
posts were looking for trouble or easy targets coming from the streets. My
advantage was that the trouble I’d be bringing them was coming from the inside.

A few feet away from the sleeping sentry, the aurora
unleashed a massive sonic boom, startling the guard awake. The first – and last
– thing he saw was the blade coming down across his throat. In the last seconds
of his life, he reached down for his hunting rifle that I was standing on,
pinning it to the ground. When he stopped moving, I started again.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to take the two men guarding the
front door without alerting the others. As I felt the vibration in my chest of
the next blast from the aurora, Mother Nature became an ally. I sheathed the
knife, trading it for the two Glocks.

At the first sign that the sky was about to roar, I turned
the corner, heading for the front entrance. With my guns raised I walked up
behind the two sitting ducks. When Mother Nature rocked Lafayette, standing a
foot away from the two heads, I squeezed both triggers.

Spinning around, dropping to a knee, I locked onto the final
target in case he could tell the difference between thunder and gunfire. He
couldn’t. My knife took the last guard on the ground level while he was still
sitting in his lawn chair.

All eight apartments on the first floor were empty. With my
gun leading the way, I moved into the stairwell and then up to the second
floor. I didn’t see any movement through the small window in the door leading
into the upstairs hall. Not knowing what was on the other side, I crouched down
and opened it. I raised my gun but there was nobody in sight. The difference on
the second floor was that every door was open.

I heard female voices as I clung to the wall and approached
the first apartment. Against my better judgment I turned the corner with my gun
lowered to my side. Five women in the living room rose to their feet when they
saw me enter.

“I’m not going hurt you,” I whispered. “But if anyone yells
out, I will.”

They complied.

“Where I can find these women?” I said, holding out a photo
Bud gave me. “Their names are Cynthia and Erin Jackson. I’m here to take them
home.”

“I think they’re in the apartment across the hall,” said a
young woman.

“Shut your damn mouth, Tammy,” said an older woman.

I raised my gun, stepping toward the old woman, aiming at
her face. “You need to shut
your
mouth, lady, or I’ll do it for you.”

“Alex is gonna put a bullet in yours, mister,” said the
woman, smiling. “He’s gonna –”

Since the event, there have been a lot of firsts in my life.
I just added punching a woman in the face to that list. She went down in a
heap, unconscious. I didn’t have a problem with it and neither did the other
four. One of them grabbed a pillow off of the couch, pinning it over the downed
woman’s face. Hearing a grunt, she pressed it down harder. A second girl knelt
by her side, helping her guarantee no air would reach her lungs.

“I take it she’s with them?”

“Yes,” replied Tammy. “There’s at least one in each room.”

“Are there any men up here with guns?” I asked. “I know
about the five goons downstairs.”

“Other than Alex and Terry, I don’t think so,” said Tammy. “Those
two are down the hall in the first apartment past the fire door. The rest of
the men have gone out for the raid.”

“Can you point out the den mother in Cynthia’s room for me?”

“With pleasure.”

Tammy walked into the next room, pointing to a woman sitting
at a dining room table. Before she could yell out, I knocked her out of her
chair. After suffocating the first den mother, the two women came after the
second. I turned, looking into the living room. Cynthia and Erin were sitting
next to each other on the couch. Cynthia wrapped her arms around her daughter
when I walked up to them.

“Bud sent me,” I said, smiling. “He’d like for you to come
home now. He’s been a little worried about you two.”

“Bud?” said Cynthia, puzzled. “He’s alive?”

“Very,” I said.

“They told us he was dead,” said Erin. “They told us he came
looking for us and they killed him. Are you sure it’s my dad? Are you sure he’s
alive?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I said. “But you need to go now. The others
will be back soon. They’re not going to be happy with what I did here.”

“You’re not coming with us?” asked Erin.

“I’ll be right behind you,” I said. “It looks like there are
a few other folks who’d like to leave this place.”

“If you can,” said Cynthia, standing, whispering in my ear,
“kill him.”

“Alex?”

“Yes,” replied Cynthia, glaring. “He’s sick. The things he
did to these women were inhumane. He needs to die.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “You need to head for your
parents’ house. Don’t go to Bud. I’ll find a way to bring him to you.”

“Okay.”

I needed Tammy one more time. She obliged, walking me down
the hall to where Alex was staying. I stood against the wall beside his door as
she knocked. She yelled that some of the girls were running. I motioned for her
to get behind me. Terry was the first to come darting out of the room. He
didn’t notice I was there until I put two rounds in his back between his
shoulder blades. I turned my aim to the inside of the apartment, catching Alex
as he was coming out. He dropped his shotgun, throwing his hands in the air.

“Any more inside with you?” I asked.

“Three women in the back room,” answered Alex, shaking.

“Are they armed?”

“No.”

“Tell them to come out.”

All three women came out of the bedroom with wide eyes and hands
up. I let them know I wasn’t going to hurt them and they were safe. I asked
Alex where he kept the food and supplies for the group. He gave up the
information without hesitating. (The leader of the cowards seemed more
concerned with self-preservation than maintaining control.) Tammy gathered the
women and they took everything.

When everyone was outside – most of them now armed – I told
her to lead the group around town and into the square from the south side.
While giving them instructions, I bound Alex’s hands and tied a leash around
his neck.

“Please, don’t kill me,” said Alex, crying.

“I’m not going to kill you,” I said. “But trust me; you’re
going to wish I had.”

With a firm grip on his leash, I recovered the rifle from
the rooftop and directed Alex to lead the way back to the square. For a man
about to face certain death at the hands of the people he tortured, I expected
more of an effort to escape. It seemed the only fight left in him was coming
from his mouth. Without his merry band of thugs, he offered little in the way
of being a threat.

“You and I both know I’m a dead man walking,” said Alex.
“The least you could do is talk to me.”

“I’ve had a long night killing your friends,” I said. “I’m
not in the mood for a conversation.”

“That, you did,” said Alex. “All of them. What are you? Some
kind of super cop?”

“No,” I said. “I’m just a guy keeping up my end of the
deal.”

“What deal was that?”

“Find two women you kidnapped, tortured, and raped, and take
them home.”

“Looks like you accomplished the mission,” said Alex.

“I keep my promises.”

“You know, I’m not a bad guy,” said Alex. “Just like you,
I’m trying to survive out here. Do you know what I did before the world went to
hell? Go ahead, guess.”

“Sunday school teacher?”

“Ha, funny. But not even close. I was a dentist. Can you
believe that?”

“I couldn’t care less what you did in your past life,” I
said. “But you’re wrong. You are a bad guy. You’ll figure that one out soon
enough.”

“Is that why you’re not going to kill me?” asked Alex. “You’re
going to let them do it?”

“Yep.”

“I didn’t torture or rape them,” said Alex. “I know the two
women you’re talking about. I did take them, but they did walk right into our
camp. If I didn’t hold them, my men would’ve thought I was weak. People don’t
respond well to weak leaders. You may not believe this, but I actually
protected them. I didn’t let anyone hurt them.”

“You were saving them for yourself,” I said. “Drop the
righteous bullshit, Alex. They were going to pay a price for your protection.
Maybe not right away, but eventually you would’ve made them pay with the only
thing they had to offer.”

“I’m sure you’ve noticed a few things have changed, my
friend,” said Alex. “A pocket full of cash won’t buy you anything. Drugs,
booze, and sex are the new currency.”

“Call me your friend one more time and I’ll tighten that
leash. You and I are not friends.”

“Am I wrong?” said Alex. “Be honest with me. I’m a dead man
anyway. Nobody where we’re going will care what I have to say. Tell me I’m
wrong and I won’t say another word. Did you pay cash for your last meal? Did
you use your credit card to book a hotel room? Have you not had to kill to make
it this far?”

“I haven’t had to rape or trade women for guns to make it
this far. The only people I’ve had to kill are people like you.”

“People like me?” said Alex. “I was trying to make my way
home from Chattanooga when I was stopped by a group of armed men. One of their
guys had been shot and was bleeding to death. I was able to patch him up and
save his life. After that I had no choice but to go with them. It was either
that or die.”

“And since then there hasn’t been a chance for you to
escape?” I asked, knowing the answer. “Weak, Alex. Very weak. I’m being honest
with you. Why don’t you show me the same courtesy?”

“No, you’re right,” said Alex. “It wasn’t difficult moving
up the chain of command. A little education goes a long way out here now. I
admit it. I tasted a little power leading those morons and I wanted more.
They’d do anything I told them to do.”

“How did you manage that?”

“There were three men who were leading the group when they
took me,” said Alex. “All three were addicts. When they were running low on
drugs, I told them where to find the pharmaceutical equivalents to heroin and
meth. We’d raid a pharmacy or doctor’s office and I’d get them high. I became
their best friend. They gave me food, water, and protection. They offered me
women, too.”

“And you’re not a bad guy how?”

“At first, I declined the women,” said Alex. “I’m not lying.
But when I saw what they were doing to them, it made me sick. They would use
them up and toss them away like trash. When they offered a young girl to me, I
accepted. She stayed with me, but I never forced her to do anything. When she
was with me, they left her alone.”

“How noble,” I said. “I’m guessing that nobility didn’t last
long.”

“She came to me,” said Alex. “Four days after they took her,
she willingly climbed in to my bed. I never asked her to do that.”

“I’m sure you didn’t tell her to stop either.”

“No, I didn’t,” said Alex. “Since we’re being honest here,
it felt good to have someone to be with. She was the most beautiful woman I had
ever put my eyes on. A woman like that would never be with me under any other
circumstance, but she felt safe with me. Was that so wrong?”

“Do you seriously believe she wanted to be with you, Alex?
Come on now, she had no choice. In your fucked up head you may not think you
raped her, but you did.”

“I know that,” said Alex, stopping and turning around.

I could see the pain on his face.

“Remember which end of the leash you’re on,” I said,
lowering my rifle and pointing it at his chest.

“I know that, too.”

“Good. Then keep moving.”

He complied.

“One night after I got them high, they decided they wanted
their turn with her,” said Alex. “All three of them. She tried to fight, but it
just made them hurt her more. There was nothing I could do.

“When they finished beating her, they left her naked and
bleeding by the fire. After they passed out, I took her to my room. She never
regained consciousness. They killed that beautiful girl.”

I wanted to correct him, saying that he was a part of
“they,” but he’d be paying for that soon enough. I could hear the genuine
sadness in his voice. If his story had ended there, I wouldn’t have had him on
a leash.

“I didn’t have a gun,” continued Alex, “but I had other
weapons. The next day I acted like nothing happened. Hell, they didn’t remember
anyway. But that night they had the best high of their pathetic lives and their
last. My only regret is that I didn’t make them hurt before they overdosed and
died.”

“So that’s how you moved up the chain,” I said. “Nice work.”

“The crazy thing is, not all of the others left after I
killed those three,” said Alex. “A few people they kidnapped did leave, but not
all of them. I guess they didn’t have a place to go. They looked at me as the
guy who liberated them from the psychos. That night two of the women that
stayed wanted to stay with me. They did have a choice. They did feel safe with
me.”

“Have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?” I asked. “It
amazes me that you actually believe your own crap. I’ll even give it to you
that those cowards needed to die, but all you did was fill the position they
vacated.

“Cynthia and her daughter didn’t have a choice. The woman
that escaped from you had a different story about how you treat your guests.
Your sob story isn’t going to save your sorry ass, buddy. You became the men
you killed. Plain and simple.”

“Look, I’m no saint,” said Alex. “Things just started
spiraling out of control. More people joined us because we could offer them
what they needed to survive. When stragglers would walk into our camp, they
looked at me like I was some kind of badass. I was a fucking dentist two weeks
ago, and now I’m treated like a king. My wife took her new tits, most of my
money, and banged half of north Chattanooga two years after we were married. I
was never the king of anything. Like I said, just being honest here.”

“Why Lafayette?” I asked. “There wasn’t enough to pillage
around Chattanooga?”

“I was born and raised here,” said Alex. “I moved after I
graduated from school. I know the area and I know there’s a huge food
distribution warehouse on the edge of town. There’s more than enough in there
to feed the people of Lafayette and my group for months. Five days ago a few of
us peacefully walked into the square looking for help. My hometown turned us
away at gunpoint. They said if we came back, they’d kill us.”

“Aren’t you the one that told me a few things have changed?”
I said. “They’re just trying to survive this thing like you are. The difference
is, they’re defending what they have. You’re trying to take it from them. A
better idea would’ve been to look elsewhere for supplies. Or better yet, figure
out how to grow your own food.”

“They would’ve cut my throat if I told them we were just
going to walk away,” said Alex. “I’m the one that told them about the food
warehouse. I’m the one that brought them here. They followed
me
. When
the group discovered it was easier to take what we needed by force, any other
way was ignored. Killing three addicts is one thing. Now there are over three
dozen armed men who would love to take my position. If I don’t provide them
what they need, they’ll replace me with someone who will.”

“Again, walking away would’ve been a better choice,” I said.
“Now you can’t.”

“I made some bad choices,” said Alex. “I took advantage of
the situation and abused my power to get laid. But do I deserve to die because
of it?”

“Not my call.”

“Of course it is,” said Alex. “You’re the one with the gun.
You get to make all the choices. Doesn’t that sound familiar?”

“If you’re seriously trying to compare us, don’t,” I said.
“I never raised my weapon to take from anyone.”

“Guns aren’t the only weapon. You haven’t taken advantage of
anyone or anything since all this started? Nothing? You’re that pure?”

“Pure enough not to end up on the end of a leash,” I said.

“They know nothing about me, but they’re going to kill me,”
said Alex, stopping again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t control what the others were
doing. I swear to God I tried to stop them. They listened to me when the first
few women were taken, but after a couple of days they didn’t care about what I
had to say. I’m not a bad guy. I’m just a dentist who got caught up in a bad
situation. I want to survive like you and everyone else. Don’t let them kill
me. At least make them listen to what I have to say. Please, I don’t want to
die like this.”

“Keep moving, Alex. That’s enough talking.”

We circumvented the town and approached the square from the
south. Alex’s group would be on the north side either attacking or retreating.
When we were half a mile away, I saw the glow of burning buildings. A few shots
rang out followed by the sound of distant screams. I tied my prisoner to a tree
and made my way closer to the square.

It didn’t take long for me to realize the Lafayette locals
had lost the town. I climbed to the roof of a building two blocks from the
battleground. Looking through my scope, I saw a woman being dragged by her hair
across the courtyard. It was Tammy. She was slung into a group of several
others being held at gunpoint by Alex’s men.

On the other side of the courtyard bodies were being
stacked. The group was showing no mercy as I watched them execute four locals
who were on their knees facing a wall. I eased my finger from the guard to the
trigger.

Clenching my teeth, I turned away from the scope. There were
too many of them. I climbed off the roof, heading back to Alex.

I don’t remember the walk back. I don’t remember how many
times I stabbed him. I only remember the look in his eyes as I stood over him,
watching him take his last breath.