Authors: J. Richardson
“
So,
what do you
want
to do?” said Lee.
“
Let's
leave the rides here and walk up, with no announcement, and do a
little checking before I go to the door.”
Jack
retrieved his second weapon from under the blankets in the trailer.
Lee took the strap of the AR and slung it over his shoulder, his 45
is at his waist. The two, with Jack leading, moved a little past the
house, across the street. They watched the house cautiously, crossed
the street and slowly moved in closer. The small house had a back and
front door that were in view of each other. They moved with their
backs against the house, drew up near the window that flanked the
back door. Jack could hear Lynn's raised voice, the voice she used
when she was very angry. “You need to leave right now...hey,
don't break that!” He heard the sound of something crashing to
the floor. “Damn it” shouts Lynn. Then there was a
slapping sound and a gravely voice said, “You shut your mouth,
Bitch.” The twins wailed in fear, somewhere in the room. The
gruff voice spoke again, “Take those f---ing hyenas in the
bedroom and stay there and hold the door. The sound of the girl's
crying became more muffled as the bedroom door was slammed. Jack
heard some banging and things hitting the floor, probably in the
kitchen. The small kitchen opened off the living area and the front
doors were there, a french two-door style. He tried to peer in the
side of drawn blinds, he was able to see Lynn standing in front of
the french doors. Between this door that they were close to and Lynn
at the front doors, a very large man stood.
Jack
whispered to Lee, “I think there are three of them. One looting
the kitchen, one down a short hall at the bedroom door and a big-ass
jerk, standing between this door and Lynn. Lynn let out a high
pitched moan of pain. Jack turned to Lee, “Gotta move now...I
am going to shoot the door knob and kick it open. I am going straight
for the big guy. You move to your right and there is an opening to
the kitchen, go for the looter there. We will have to deal with the
other one as it goes down.”
Jack
didn't wait for an answer, he pulled out his .45 and blasted the door
knob, he nearly simultaneously kicked at the door. It took a second
kick and it burst inward. Lee moved behind him towards the kitchen,
the AR-15 already raised to his shoulder. The large man, both tall
and heavy, had a hand full of Lynn's hair. He spun her around in
front of him, one arm across her waist, a knife at her neck. He
towered over her about a foot, her feet were barely touching the
floor. He tossed his long greasy hair back and growled out, “You
som-bitch!... back off.. I'll cut her throat”. Jack didn't have
a line of view but just a few feet away he heard the loud percussion
of the AR and a body hit the floor hard. The man jerked his head
towards the sound. Lynn was still, tears streamed down her face. Jack
took one step forward, raised the .45 and fired the slug into the
guy's head, right above his ear. The brute's head banged back against
the glass in the french doors, broke a pane and he went down like a
lead anchor. Lynn moved away and the knife nicked her shoulder as he
collapsed down. She looked at Jack, “Daddy” she breathed
out. Jack looked over to see Lee standing at the opening to the hall.
The third guy was shaking his head back and forth and muttering, “No,
no-ooo, I wasn't goin to hurt no-one.” He bolted into the
bedroom and locked the door. For an instant, the sound of the twin's
screaming blared out and then muted again as the door was closed. Lee
was hitting the door with his shoulder as hard as he could. There was
a click, the door opened and he nearly fell on the floor, the twins
had unlocked. He looked up to see the third man going out the window,
running. He went to the window and got off a shot, the man howled and
grabbed his arm but kept running.
Lee
went to the bed where the girls were huddled up and hic-cuping,
“Moma, Moma”. Lee gently spoke to them, “It's okay,
everything is okay, your mother is fine.” Jack walked into the
room, they squealed “Poppa”, at the same time. It wasn't
unusual for them to say the same thing at the same time. Jack hefted
Mindy up in his arms and motioned for Lee to get Michelle. The girls
put their heads on the men's shoulders, settled down some. Lynn stood
in the living room, really too calm and was not speaking. Her lip was
cut, a mark was across her cheek and her shirt was soaked with a
small circle of blood on the shoulder. Jack put his arm around her
trembling shoulders.
“
Lynn...Lynn,
look at me. I want you to take the girls and go out to the studio. I
don't think that cut on your shoulder is bad but wash it off and we
will put a little antiseptic on it and cover it. Can you put on this
blouse hanging here? Throw that one away. Lock up until I come out
and get you. I am going to do some cleaning up here and then we will
come. This is Lee, he is a friend. Lynn, do you hear me?”
His
battered daughter inhaled a deep breath and looked at him, “Yes,
Daddy.” He knew he could count on her. Life had not always been
kind to her, health problems since her childhood, losing her husband
at a young age, raising two children alone. She had always kept
going, with a courage the he greatly admired.
Jack
refused to leave the scum in his daughter's house. He doubted that
she would ever get to live there again but there's just some things
you respect. After a quick scanning that revealed no one around and
paying any attention, they drug the two bodies across the street and
behind a cluster of self storage buildings that were surrounded by a
tall chain link fence with barb wire on the top. They left them in
the tall weeds.
Let the dogs have them,
was
Jack's thought.
They walked back to the mower and ATV,
started them up and moved them to the back of the house.
There
would be no time to really clean up the mess inside, the blood.
Lynn's modern and unique kitchen was trashed. Jack went into the
laundry area and found a couple of sheets, he folded them and spread
them across the gory dark splashes. He swept up most of what was
broken on the tile floors and closed up the cabinet doors. He opened
the refrigerator, it had already lost most of the coolness, he raked
everything except a few juice boxes and some pickles into a large
trash bag. Lee took that out and put it in Lynn's big garbage can.
Jack looked at the notes that Beth sent to Lynn. Some things, he
didn't have an idea where to find. Some were personal, “girlie”
things. He had better go get Lynn.
In
the studio, the three of them sat on the floor, silent. “Lynn,
I am going to need you and the girls to gather some things. Your
mother sent you some notes on things to remember. We need to get
moving back towards the house.” He looked around the large room
with all the clutter of an artist and Lynn's abstract art work
around. The art that he didn't always understand.
“
I
am sorry, we are limited what we can take, you and the girls will
ride in the back of the mower's trailer. Lee can tie some things on
his ATV. You might want to at least get some of your art supplies and
the girls need to take some books that they like. They can take those
little gadgets they are so fond of, I don't how long we can keep them
charged up. We can use that big red duffle bag there, we
will
need to pack most things in trash bags so you girls can sit on them.
The day is passing fast, we are going to get loaded and move
as
quick as we can.”
While
Lynn gathered things from Beth's list, the girls each took a trash
bag and filled it with their clothes and some of their favorite
little things. Lee went out to Lynn's studio to get the art supplies
that she had gathered. He looked at all the pieces hanging and
sitting around.
These are amazing.
He went inside and asked
Lynn if she would give him some blankets or sheets.
“
I
was thinking that I could
take
down all of your art, in the studio and in here. We could
put
it under your bed. I know that probably won't protect it forever but
it won't be right out in view.”
Jack
said, “I think that is a good idea, honey. I promise you, if I
can get back here at a later time, I will come and get your art”.
Lynn
looked grateful, she replied, “I'm just glad that you and Lee
came, daddy. I can only worry about the girls right now.”
They
were all loaded, the stuffed bags in the bottom of the trailer,
covered with three more blankets of Lynn's. The girls wanted their
own pillows. They confiscated everything that they could take from
the pantry. Lee has tied that bag to his rack. The girls spotted the
sandwiches that “Gram” made and each had one, with a
juice. They had never been bashful about eating. Jack realized how
hungry he was, after the nausea of the previous hour and a half had
subsided. He and Lee had a sandwich. Lynn just refused to eat at that
time.
Lee
and Jack helped the three up on the mounded clothes and blankets.
Lynn turned her back to her home and did not look back. They pulled
away and followed a different route that Jack knew would keep them
away from the apartment complexes. The route was a mile or more
longer but he thought it would be safer. They got on a toll road that
was very new and there had not been so many vehicles along the wide
pavement. The road had an exit just a few blocks from Beth and Jack's
neighborhood, they had a very uneventful trip back. Except for a
couple of “I gotta go” stops, a fuel refill and a drink
of warm water, they kept moving along. By 6:30, the group wound it's
way through the division. It had been slow and the sun got pretty
warm on them, after the stress of the day the girls were asleep
against Lynn's legs and her head was nodding.
Beth
and Cody had heard the vehicles from a block away. They opened the
tall heavy wooden doors that sealed off the back yard as the small
procession came up the driveway, they motioned them in. The mower,
loaded trailer, and ATV pulled straight through, over the back patio
and into the yard. Beth and Cody close and secured the gates. The
motors went silent. Mindy and Michelle jumped right out of the
trailer, “Gram!” they both grabbed on to their
grandmother. Lynn stood up a little stiffly. Lee said, “Here,
let me help you.” As he put his hands on her waist and lifted,
he noticed the brace on one leg, peeking out from the bottom of her
jeans. In all the chaos at her house, he had not even noticed. They
briefly exchanged a glance. He certainly had not noticed those big
hazel eyes.
Even with a swollen lip and a cheek that was starting
to turn blue, this was a beautiful lady.
Beth went to her,
touched her hair and noticed the damage to her face,
oh god, is
that blood on her shoulder? “
Oh sweetie, are you okay?”
“
I'm
fine, Mom. Just real tired right now.”
Beth
says “Well, just sit. I am going to cook some burgers on the
grill. I'm cooking up what I can before it all goes bad.” Cody
stood nearby in his usual pose, hands in jean pockets.
Beth
pulled him over, her arm around his waist. “This is Cody. Don't
know what I would have done without his help today. Cody, this is
Lynn. And those two little behinds going in the door, belong to Mindy
and Michelle.” Lynn managed a smile and said, “Hi, Cody”.
“
Lynn,
I still have just a little ice, want a glass of tea?” said
Beth. She locked eyes with Jack, he was beginning to pull some things
off of the ATV. “And you, road warrior, what might be your
pleasure be? There must be a story...”
Jack
cut her off, “My pleasure would be whiskey and the story can
wait. Lee, I think there are about six beers in the back bottom of
the fridge, my son-in-law left them. They won't be so cool, help
yourself.”
Lee
and Cody followed Beth inside. The twins already sat at the kitchen
bar and were playing cards by the light of the lantern. Though there
was still light outside, the house inside was bathed in shadows. She
dug a slightly cool beer from the fridge, mixed Jack a drink and gave
them to Lee to take outside. Cody said he would like tea, she fixed a
glass for him and a glass for Lynn and asked him to take it out. With
a glass of wine for herself, she spread the burger patties on a tray
and joined the others outside.
Jack
walked out of his garage with the end of an extension cord in his
hand. “Lee, I've got a small gas generator out here. If you
will put this cord through the window and stretch it into the kitchen
to the refrigerator, we will run it and get the fridge cooled down.
Maybe we will be able to run it a couple of hours or so a day and
keep the fridge cooled down, even maybe keep some ice. Beth, later
you need to dig around and see if you still have some old ice trays
or figure out something we could use. We won't be able to have a lot,
we will have to use it sparingly. We will see how we think our fuel
is going to be, before we decide. For now lets just go with it.”
He squeezed Lynn over and sat on the wicker loveseat with his drink.