Chapter 16
The streets of Portland remind me of a riot’s aftermath. There are burnt and broken down cars in front of the destroyed shops. We move carefully, stepping over shards of glass and body parts lying on the bloodstained pavement.
“Where did they say we would find them?” Travis asks, scratching his short brown beard.
“They didn’t give specifics. Only that they are in Downtown Portland.” I reply looking down an alleyway on my side. A black stray cat standing on the edge of a dirty dumpster locks eyes with me before diving inside.
“We can try to reach them on the radio.” I say bringing my attention back to Travis and the group. We’ve been walking for the last three hours and still haven’t come across anyone. Humans, or aliens.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Travis says stopping in place. He spins around and looks towards the back of the group where Billy stands awkwardly. Firmly, he continues, “Billy, pull that radio out and try to contact the Guerrillas.”
His backpack drops to the ground heavily. He digs his skinny hands inside and pulls out the old radio and power supply. Once the static erupts from the speakers he turns the channel and says, “Guerrillas, can you hear me?”
For the next thirty seconds, radio static is the only response we receive.
“I’ll check a different channel.” Billy says, turning a knob. With the microphone pressed to his thin lips, he repeats, “Guerrillas, can you hear me?”
Radio static continues to come from the small speakers. When Billy reaches for the knob to turn the channel again a voice breaks through abruptly.
“Guerrillas here. What is your location?” The man’s voice is different than the one I remember. His voice sounds softer, higher, and younger.
Billy looks up at Travis for an answer, but instead I speak up. “Tell them we are in Portland and ask where we can find them.”
His dark eyes shift from me to Travis as he replies hesitantly, “Okay… We are in Portland, where are you?”
“Where in Portland?” The man replies. His voice sounds calm, yet urgent at the same time.
“I’m not sure. Where are you, so we can come to you?” Billy says.
“Find a street sign or building and we will come find you.” The man on the radio replies, his voice still calm.
My hand extends out to grabs Travis’s arm. “Something doesn’t feel right.” The words softly slip out under my breath. So softly, I don’t think anyone heard me.
“We’re headed south towards Chinatown.” Billy replies quickly before I can stop him.
The radio responds with only static once again. We all glance around at each other before looking back at the radio. Billy’s eyebrows furrow together closely, making it appear like he has a unibrow. Confused, he asks, “Are you still there, Guerrillas?”
No response.
“Something doesn’t feel right.” I repeat, this time loud enough that the whole group looks at me. My hand slides over the loaded handgun stuck in the side of my waistband. As I clutch onto it tightly, I scan the area for signs of anything suspicious.
“I agree. Let’s keep moving.” Travis replies. His light eyes search all around us. With the loaded rifle in his hands, he begins to step forward.
“What are we going to do?” Billy asks. His hands move quickly as he packs the radio into his backpack. His dark eyes narrow in on Travis when he zips the brown backpack closed.
“I don’t know yet.” He replies quietly.
“Don’t you think we should at least try to find the Guerrillas?” Standing tall, he throws his backpack on. The straps dig into his scrawny shoulders – probably causing indentations. He’s still wearing the same jeans and black long sleeve shirt I met him in. The rest of our clothes were dirty or wet after the Grey Ones attacked, but his clothes still appear mostly clean. There is only a small amount of mud along the hem of his pants. Leave it to Billy to master the art of running away and hiding.
“Hm. Maybe we should.” Travis says locking eyes with him.
“What?” I am shocked. It doesn’t seem like him to want to risk this. Something doesn’t seem right with the Guerrillas, and I know he senses it too.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Travis says with a wink.
“Well what’s this plan? Because it sounds like this could either get some of us killed,” Jace says purposely shifting his eyes at Billy, “Or find us some more help.”
“We’ll be prepared for either.”
Once he finishes telling us the plan one of the men speak up. “Before we go any further, I would like to be the one to wait for them.”
“No, let the marine do it.” Jace says with a laugh.
“I will be the one to make sure that our family is safe. Dad would want that.”
"Fine. Billy, you stay here with Blake.” Travis says nodding at him. “The rest of us will wait for Billy to talk to them. When he gives us the clear, we will come out. Meanwhile, I will be on a roof of one of the businesses. I’m going to cover the streets from above with my M40. Everyone clear on what to do.”
We all nod in agreement.
“Good. Remember, stay focused; stay alert; stay armed.”
Cano follows me as I lead Ty and Allie into the small restaurant off the road. The blue awning is torn down the middle, making it read Hob. As I walk around the main floor of the restaurant, I notice the bar and floors are covered in dried blood and bone fragments.
“Alright, let’s get you in the basement.” I say grabbing hold of Ty’s small hand. As he squeezes my hand tightly, his sweat wets my palm. Allie and Cano follow us down the cement stairs, into the cold basement. The darkness of the basement makes it difficult to see anything. I drop my backpack to the ground and pull out the flashlight stashed inside. When I push the power button, the light flickers a few times before shining brightly against a brick wall.
“I’m going to leave this flashlight with you. I need you guys to keep Cano quiet down here and don’t come out until I say so.” After handing the heavy flashlight to Ty I lean down and kiss him on the forehead. “I love you, tiger.”
“I love you too, mom.” Ty smiles, running his fingers through Cano’s short black hair. As he pants heavily, his long pink tongue hangs to the side.
My feet stomp loudly on the stairs as I race up them. I pull the loaded pistol from my shorts and creep over to the windows facing the street. Inching over, I peer through the broken glass at where Billy is sitting on the curb across from me. In front of him, Blake is pacing back and forth holding a loaded shotgun in his hands. He looks a lot like his dad. Thick beard, tattoos, and piercing green eyes.
Suddenly, expression on his face changes. His body tenses and his eyes narrow on something coming from down the road. At the curb, Billy stands up and looks down the street in the same direction. I try to see what they’re looking at, but the window frame blocks my view. When I open my mouth to ask what it is, something stops me. The rumbling of tires on the street. Followed by the sound of multiple exhausts roaring.
The last time I saw a vehicle was when those people kill Steven’s brother on the bridge. The thought of his skull being stomped in flashes through my mind. As if on cue, a girl screams out excitedly over the sound of rock-and-roll music. As I lean out the window, the windowpane digs into my stomach making it difficult to breathe. Down the street I find the truck from the bridge getting closer and closer to Blake and Billy. Behind it are three other trucks, full of people.
“They’re looters!” I call out, sliding my body out headfirst. Shards of glass sitting on the window pane scratch into my thighs, leaving trickles of red blood behind.
“What?” Blake says turning his attention to me. Out of nowhere, a bullet pierces into the side of his head. My heart begins to race as his body drops to the ground. He lies motionless as blood seeps out of the small hole, wetting the shotgun by his side.
Billy covers his head with both arms and ducks behind an abandoned car as an array of bullets zoom around him from all
directions. Gripping my pistol tightly, I run to help him. I dodge the bullets that are hitting all around me and move quickly to the Ford.
“Get inside the building!” I yell, aiming my gun at the first looter I find. I pull the trigger and watch the bullet pierce into a man’s chest. Blood begins to soak through his white shirt almost immediately. His body falls out of the truck bed and lands head first in the center of the intersection.
The small car acts as a shield, protecting my body from the bullets zooming at us. With my pistol pointed at a tall man, I place my finger on the trigger, and pull back. The bullet grazes his arm. Before I can get off another shot he ducks behind the first truck to cover.
I jump to my feet and begin shooting. Behind me, Jace and his family are doing the same. It doesn’t take long for me to unload a clip. I duck down behind the abandoned car and reload my pistol. I creep around to the side and peek over the opened trunk. There are more injured and dead looters on the asphalt, including the tall man.
I glance to the side at Billy. His body is frozen in fear, ducked down behind the car. He has a blank expression, like he’s in shock. “Billy, grab a weapon and help!” I shout.
Peeking around the trunk, I take aim at one of the men shooting his shotgun at Travis on the rooftop. When the wind blows back his long hair, revealing his acne covered face, I recognize him. He was one of the teenage boys I had seen on the bridge with Steven’s brother.
I pull the trigger, but nothing happens. The gun’s jammed. Quickly, I crouch back down behind the car and hit the gun against my thigh. “Come on.” I grumble under my breath.
Out of the corner of my eye, I realize Billy is leaning around the other side of the car. Crouched down, he pushes his hands and feet into the ground, He leans forward like a sprinter at the starting line.
“Billy, don’t!” I yell. But it’s too late.
A bullet pierces through Billy’s arm before I can pull him back. I expect him to cry out in agony, but he doesn’t. Instead, he grabs the wound tightly and sprints towards an abandoned building.
“Billy!” I scream out.
Without looking back, he dives headfirst through the shop’s broken window - disappearing. I wonder for a moment if he will return to help, but that wouldn’t be like him. He’s a coward.
The sound of more exhausts roar towards the intersection full of looters. Behind the looters are two more pickup trucks full of people. Even with the injured and dead looters, we’re outnumbered by at least twenty people.
“There’s too many of them! We need to split up.” I yell to Jace. He nods at me from behind a brick pillar. When he whistles loudly, his family turn their attention towards him. After motioning at them with his hands, they duck into separate buildings one by one.
My eyes lock with Lilly’s. I nod at her and scream out, “Cover me!”
Posted up against a metal beam, she nods back at me once before turning her shotgun on the vehicles coming right for us. The loud bang of the blast rings in my ears as I run for an alleyway around the corner. When I turn into the narrow alley an explosion of bullets follows. They ricochet off the wall behind me, chipping apart the bricks.
My eyes dart around the dead end in search for a way out. Behind me, the sound of bullets and footsteps come closer and closer. I don’t have a lot of time; they’ll be here soon. With my palm wrapped around the handle of the gun, I prepare to fight back. Backing up against the wall, I bump into a drain pipe. My eyes follow the aluminum up the building to the roof. There’s only one way out of here, and that’s up.
I slide the handgun in the back of my waistband, then grab a hold of the warm pipe. It shakes gently when I begin to climb up the wall. Bullets continue to bounce off the bricks surrounding me. When I reach for the ledge of the roof one of the bullet hits in between my fingers. My fingers slip off the cement, leaving me to dangle by one arm.
As I try to regain my grip, a girl screams out in delight beneath me, “Stop shooting! I wanna watch her fall!” I recognize the sound of her laugh. Sure enough, when I look below the girl from the bridge is grinning widely at me. I swing my shaking hand again for the roof. This time a hand reaches back for mine. When I look up, Travis’s blue eyes are staring back at me.
“Take my hand!” He yells. I reach my arm up for him. His callused hand wraps around my wrist as I grab a hold of his muscular forearm. He lifts me over the edge, effortlessly. He pulls me in and reaches for the hand they shot at.
“I’m okay.” I reply, pulling my unharmed fingers away.
“Let’s go.” I say. I lead the way, running as fast as I can.
The next building kisses the rooftop of ours. I leap over the ledge that forms a barrier in between shops. Landing on the wide roof, Travis follows behind me. The sniper rifle is still being held against his back by the shoulder strap. Side by side, we sprint for the next building. Our bodies fly over the small opening and land on the rooftop across from us. My body tenses up when I realize we’re standing on top of the restaurant where Ty and Allie are hiding.
“What is it?” Travis asks while looking around for the looters. Their bullets are still flying around the first building where we left them. So far there’s no sign of anyone following us.
“The kids are in the basement here.” I respond as my feet step quietly to the front. I glance over the ledge. There are looters running in and out of the businesses, looking for the others. My eyes shift all around the street. In the center of the road, Blake’s body lies motionless in a puddle of his own blood.
“We’re going to have to climb down.” Travis says pointing at the small enclosed courtyard in the back of the restaurant. I walk over to him and glance down at a door that leads into the restaurant.
“Ok. I’ll go first.” I say. My legs flip over the ledge of the building before Travis can argue against it. I use the broken bricks to climb down the wall anxiously. My fingers grasp onto each one as I lower myself carefully. When I get ten feet from the ground I let my body drop and roll.
I stand tall and shift my eyes to the back door. Above me, Travis is still fifteen feet from the ground. “I’ll meet you in there!” I yell before running through the broken door. Rising half-toe in my boots, I creep across the floor. As I reach the basement stairs, the looters run past the broken windows, out into the streets.
I tip-toe down the cement stairs. A gust of cool wind blows against me when I reach the bottom. The basement door is wide open and seems colder than it had before.
“Ty?” I whisper nervously into the darkness. My feet bump into a few objects as I walk around to where I had left Ty, Allie, and Cano in between shelves. “Ty?” I whisper again as I peek around the corner. There’s no one here.
My heart drop as the fear builds up inside me. Shifting my eyes around the darkness, a knot forms in my throat. My lungs feel heavy, making it harder to breathe. Not caring if the looters find me anymore, I cry out, “Ty? Allie?”
“What’s going on? Where are they?” Travis asks, walking up behind me. The beam from his flashlight shines over my face, blinding my blurry eyes.
“They’re gone. Ty’s gone.” I say with an unsteady voice, continuing to search frantically. “We need to find them!”
Joining the search, he shines the light around the empty shelves and brick walls. “What is that?” He asks, pointing a finger past me.
Behind the metal shelves is an archway in the bricks. I exchange looks with Travis and whisper, “I didn’t see this here before.” We step over broken boxes and bottles, careful not to make more noise. Darkness consumes us when we walk through the door sized hole in the wall.
“What is this?” I whisper, squinting my eyes in hopes of seeing better.
I bite my lip when loud stomps come thumping down the stairs. Travis immediately shuts of his flashlight and pushes me up against the wall next to the archway. Even with his body pressed up against mine I can hardly make out his face in this black room. His hot breath warms my neck as he pulls the h
andgun from the back of my waistband.
“Where did they go?” A man’s voice echoes inside the small basement.
“They gotta be ‘round here somewhere.” The second looter replies, his southern accent heavy. “Keep lookin.”
While the looters search the basement I realize that I’m holding my breath. Careful not to bring attention to us, I exhale slowly. Heavy footsteps above us echoes down in the basement. More are coming. I reach for the dagger in my thigh holster as my heart beats against my chest like a drum.
“We found one. A girl.” A man’s voice calls out from upstairs.
“Allie.” I gasp. My hand wraps tightly around the dagger’s handle. When my body jolts forward, Travis grabs my wrist and whispers, “Be smart about this.”
As the looters’ feet run loudly up the stairs, I push his hand away. My body begins to shake from the anger welling up inside me. Raising my voice to a loud whisper, I argue, “We have to help her.”
“We will.” Travis replies calmly in my ear. “But if we run out now, we’ll die.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek and think. I know that he’s probably right. Who knows how many are still out there right now? But if we don’t hurry then she could die. We need to think of a plan, and fast.
I look at Travis. His face becoming more visible as my eyes adjust a little to the darkness. Shoving the dagger back into my thigh holster, I ask, “What’s the plan?”