Survive The Fall | Book 3 | Dark Roads, page 13
part #3 of Survive The Fall Series
“Excuse me.” The man brushed past Sarah with his phone in his hand. She stepped to the side, allowing him to pass. The flashlight illuminated his way through the hallway.
Sarah followed him to the front of the building. She spotted no other people on the first floor.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, then pushed his way through the single door that led outside.
Sunlight shone bright before the door severed it.
Sarah looked at the staircase, then through the gap to the upper floors, finding no one of interest lurking about.
She lumbered to the entrance and opened the door.
The light blinded her, causing her eyes to slam closed. Her hand shielded her face, blocking the strident rays.
Sarah walked down the steps, then turned past the black steel fence that ran the length of the building. She tilted her head toward the ground and shoved her hands into the front pockets of her pants.
A knot formed in her shoulder, the muscle taut from the stress and constant danger that followed wherever she went.
Sarah missed Russell, now more than ever. She wanted him by her side to face the struggles ahead, but his status remained a mystery–one that weighed heavily on her.
A horn bellowed from up the street, snapping Sarah from her daze. She flinched. The blue sedan drove past her in the opposite direction, then vanished around the curb.
The mounting stress, lack of proper sleep, and food in her belly had Sarah on edge, moody even.
Hold it together. You can’t afford to lose your grip, she thought. Get home and figure out your next move. Maybe Russell will be waiting there for you?
Footfalls sounded from the concrete nearby. Sarah caught a glimpse of a person marching toward her.
“Who the hell do you think you are coming into my life and messing everything up?” William asked, standing on the sidewalk before her. “What sort of nonsense did you fill her head with?”
The sudden appearance of Tiffany’s abusive soon to be ex-husband made her take a step back. “Pardon me? What are you still doing around here, or did my words of caution fall on deaf ears?”
“You heard me,” William answered, foaming at the mouth. “I don’t believe I stuttered or slurred my words in any way. You’ve messed up my life. My family’s lives. Because of you, it’s all crap, now.”
Sarah stood her ground and responded against her own better judgement. “You’re the dipshit that’s been raising your hand and doing who knows what else to your wife and daughter, so look in a mirror if you want to blame someone. If the phones worked, I’d have called the police and had your sorry ass dragged off to jail. Maybe one of those big, burly men in there could give you some love and attention that you so desperately seek. As a matter of fact, that still may happen.”
William chuckled, then shook his head.
Sarah didn’t see any humor in the conversation. “What’s so funny?”
“You and your big mouth. That’s what.” His smirk evaporated, leaving only a snarl. “I have half a mind to finish what we started up in that apartment.”
“You mean you want me to crush your other ball?” she quipped. “Given my frame of mind, I’d have no problem doing so, but to be honest, you’re not worth my time or that of Tiffany and Hannah. Like I told you in the apartment when I had that blade pressed to your throat, you go near them again, and you won’t have to worry about being kicked in the balls anymore.” Sarah tried to walk past William, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“We’re not done here,” he said, clenching his jaw and flashing his gnashed teeth.
“Really? You want to do this on the sidewalk out in the open where people can see who you really are? You’re just confirming how stupid you are.” Sarah held firm, hoping he’d back off and leave her be.
William balled his fingers into fists, staring at her with contempt and animosity. He showed no signs of backing off. “Somebody should really shut that mouth of yours.”
“It won’t be you. I can promise you that.” Sarah shoved past him.
William grabbed her arm and flung her around.
Sarah pulled the knife from her back pocket and whipped it toward him.
He knocked her arm down, then twisted the blade from her hand. The knife clattered on the sidewalk at her feet. She ripped her arm away and reached for the weapon.
“Oh, no you don’t.” William bound his fingers into her hair, then pulled up.
Sarah screamed, her hands slapping at his arm. “Let me go, you bastard.” She slapped him across the face with an open palm.
William released his hold on her hair, then backhanded her.
She stumbled to the side, reeling from the stinging bite of his heavy hand. The world tilted on its axis, making her balance unsteady.
William kicked the knife toward the fence, then shoved her to the cement.
Sarah caught a flash of movement behind him. A figure dressed in black approached–stalking, preying. The tears coating her eyes blurred her vision. She blinked, trying to clear the sheen away.
“You’re going to pay for what–” William took a step forward, paused, then turned to see what had caught her attention.
The man flanking William grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and shoved him toward the fence.
William hit the steel bars, then crumbled to the ground.
Sarah ran the ridge of her hand across both sockets, clearing the wetness away and getting a better look at the man.
He towered before her, outfitted in the same tactical garb that Leatherface’s goons wore. His beady eyes looked into her soul as his hand reached for the pistol holstered on his hip.
Fear took hold. Sarah’s mouth dropped open as she scooted away on the sidewalk.
She thought she had given her pursuers the slip. She thought wrong.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SARAH
Everyone’s brave until they have a gun pointed at their face.
Sarah stared at the hitman. She didn’t want to be gunned down on the sidewalk like some dog being put out of its misery, but she couldn’t control the situation. Her fate now rested in the hands of the hitman standing before her.
“Please, you don’t have to do this,” Sarah said, pleading for her life. “I’m a nobody.”
The hitman held the 9mm in his gloved hand–finger over the trigger as he stepped forward. His blank, emotionless gaze cut right through Sarah, making her gulp. He moved his gun, fixing the barrel at her skull.
William got to his feet, then charged the hitman.
The 9mm barked.
Sarah flinched and shielded her face.
The single round bounced off the sidewalk, missing her by mere inches.
William punched the hitman in the jaw, then drove him back against the yellow truck parked along the sidewalk. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but nobody puts their hands on me.”
Sarah seized the open window and got to her feet. She turned about face and ran away. The soreness in her ankle and knees made her limp. She peered over her shoulder at the dueling men throwing punches and tossing one another around.
Another crackle of gunfire rang out behind her. She shuddered, but kept moving, fearful of who had prevailed. She dipped into the alley and ran as fast as her ankle would allow.
Each hard step made her cringe.
A black car entered the passageway at the far end and headed straight for her.
Her frazzled mind worked while on the run, eyes searching the buildings she passed for an exit she could use. No doors caught her attention within the trash cans and black trash bags that lined the buildings.
The car splashed through a puddle, sending a wave of water into the air. Its engine roared within the corridor of buildings.
A fenced off area ahead of Sarah seemed to be her only way to escape the men after her.
The hammering of footsteps stalked Sarah, making her gut twist in knots.
Sarah drifted toward the brick structure, nearing the chain link fence. The solid diamond strand steel had no weak spots she could slip through. She’d have to climb to escape.
The fence looked to be ten feet or more. If Sarah could get a head start climbing it, she could scale it and slip away.
The car bore down on her, running full tilt as she neared the edge of the fence. It came to a skidding halt in the middle of the alley.
Sarah focused on the fence and scaling it as fast as she could. The tips of her fingers grabbed the diamond shaped openings and climbed. The ends of her shoes pushed into the gaps as she pulled herself up.
The front passenger side door flung open.
A tall, burly man emerged from the vehicle. He rushed headlong at the fence with his arm stretched out in front of him.
The fence shuddered as he collided with it.
Sarah held on and continued climbing.
A hand grabbed her ankle, then pulled.
She clung to the safety of the fence. “Let me go,” Sarah shouted and kicked at the burly man tugging on her leg.
He pulled harder, ripping her away from the chain link wall. The man’s thick arms wrapped around her.
The hitman stood at her side, staring at her with dead eyes. “You’re quite elusive, Mrs. Cage. A worthy hunt.”
“How did you find me?” Sarah asked, trying to slip free of Burly’s large, strong hands. “What do you want with me?”
“We’ve had men scouring these streets for you since last night. You’re worth a lot of money to my employer, and he has spared no expense in tracking you or your friend down,” the hitman answered.
Mandy.
“What have you done with my friend?” Sarah shot back, jerking her arm.
“We haven’t found her yet, but we will in due time,” the hitman replied. He nodded toward the rear of the sedan. “Put her in the trunk of the car.”
Burly lugged her past the open door and headed for the trunk of the idling vehicle.
Sarah kicked her legs, thrashing her body every way possible to escape his hold.
The trunk sprung open.
Burly dropped her to the ground.
Sarah tried to run away.
He grabbed her by the forearm in a flash, then pushed the trunk lid open as far as it would go.
“No way am I getting in there,” Sarah said, her voice filled with venomous spite.
Burly tried to force her into the black, fabric-lined compartment.
Sarah placed her foot on the bumper and pushed against him.
“Get inside or else,” he said, in a deep, threatening tone.
“Go to hell.” Sarah tugged on her arm, then leaned back.
“That’s it.” Burly wrenched her around to face him, then drew his arm back.
“Get her in the car. What the hell is taking so long?” the hitman asked from the passenger side of the sedan.
Burly clenched his jaw, brow furrowed as he brought his arm down.
A muffled report sounded.
Burly flinched. A fine red mist shot from the side of Burly’s head.
Sarah froze, panting hard with large eyes.
His hand released from her arm as he crumbled to the pavement.
The hitman skirted the back end of the sedan with his 9mm sweeping the area. He pointed at the trunk, then said, “Get in the–”
Another muffled report sounded. The round struck the hitman’s shoulder. He stumbled back into the vehicle, then dropped to the ground.
Sarah backed away from Burly’s dead body, unsure of where to go or who fired upon them, then peered down the alley.
Spencer emerged from the corner of a nearby building with his gun trained at the sedan
The driver’s side opened. A bald man stepped out with his pistol clutched in his hand.
Spencer fired two more shots, hitting the man center mass before he could squeeze the trigger.
The hitman took cover on the side of the sedan and returned fire.
Sarah flinched from each report, turning and looking for a way out of the shooting gallery.
Spencer fled for cover behind a dumpster while firing.
“You’re a dead man, Lasater,” the hitman shouted.
Sarah moved around the sedan to the opened driver’s side door. The bald man sat on the pavement, slumped over with his back against the inside of the door. Blood ran the length of his body from the two entry wounds. Sarah grabbed a handful of his coat and shoved him away from the car. His lifeless body dumped over onto his side.
Round after round pelted the rear of the sedan, pinging off the car’s body.
Sarah stepped over the bald man’s legs and slipped inside the idling vehicle. She slammed the door, shifted into drive, then punched the gas.
The sedan took off down the alley with the trunk lid bouncing up and down and the passenger side door wide open. She checked the side view mirror, and spotted Spencer firing from the edge of the dumpster at the remaining men who had tried to steal her away.
The hitman laid prone on his back, still and motionless as she neared the street.
The front end of the car scraped over the slight dip in the street, sending the trunk flapping up and down.
Sarah spun the steering wheel clockwise, making a wide arch into the street. The tires squealed, fighting for traction against the pavement. The passenger side door slammed shut as she straightened out the runaway vehicle.
She flitted her gaze to the side-view mirror, spotting no threats in her wake.
Sarah kept the gas pedal mashed to the floorboard as she tried to slow her breathing. She maneuvered the sedan through the streets of Boston at near reckless speeds. The trunk bounced up and down, blocking her view through the back window.
Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. She had somehow gotten tangled up in a dark underworld that grew more treacherous by the second.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
RUSSELL
The go bag sagged with supplies. Russell hadn’t planned on taking as much as he did, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity. A wealth of supplies laid at his fingertips. Everything from medical supplies to batteries to a small assortment of food presented itself to him.
Max chewed a dog treat–devouring the tasty morsel within mere seconds. He licked around his mouth, looked up at his handler, and groaned.
“You like those dog biscuits, huh?” Russell asked, pulling another bone-shaped treat from the opened sack inside his bag. He fed the biscuit to Max, who snagged it from his hand and wolfed it down. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Russell shined the light over the contents stuffed inside the rucksack, taking stock of what had been procured. He went over the list of essentials in his head, crossing each off.
Erin walked up behind them, her footfalls squeaking against the linoleum floor. “You didn’t clean me out, did you?”
“I got most everything I needed, plus a few additional supplies.” Russell shone the light down at Max. “He sniffed the dog treats pretty hard. I took a bag and some cans of dog food as well if that’s all right?”
“Yes. Of course. Can’t have that fur baby going hungry.” Erin rubbed the top of his head. Max smiled from the attention. She dug her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, removed a bottle, then said, “I found some Vicodin. It should do the trick for managing any pain your friend has.”
Russell held out his hand and smiled. “Oh, great. Thank you so much. That will help.”
Erin held onto the bottle. “You’re shooting me straight on this, right? The only reason I went through with getting you these pills is because of what you did and said about your friend being in pain. If you’re looking to just score some drugs for a trip or something more nefarious, then I can’t in good conscience give these to you. I’m willing to go out on a limb here since you saved my life.”
“I understand, but what I said is true,” Russell replied. “My friend is nursing a gunshot wound. It isn’t life threatening, but she is in pain. And to be honest, my vice isn’t pills.”
Erin studied his face for a moment, then placed the orange tinted bottle in his hand. “All right. There’s enough in there for a couple of days. Hopefully that’ll help her out.”
“It should.” Russell placed the bottle in his pack, then zipped it up. “I didn’t see any sort of automotive section. I’m looking for some engine coolant. You wouldn’t happen to have anything like that in here, would you?”
“We don’t really carry anything like that. Our supply of car related products is limited at best.” Erin pointed to the west side of the building. “There’s a gas station up the road some that has a garage attached to it. They–”
She paused. A puzzled look washed over her face.
“What’s wrong?” Russell asked.
Erin glanced to the front of the store at the double sliding glass doors. “Thought I heard something. A knocking sound of some sort. Guess I’m just hearing things.”
Russell peered down the aisle to the entrance of the store, scanning for any people mulling about or vehicles driving through the parking lot. He didn’t spot anything, but did hear a faint tapping sound.
“It’s probably nothing. This building is notorious for making strange noises. During the day, when we’re open for business, it’s not as noticeable, but when we’re closed and it’s quiet, you can hear it. Might be the ghost the employees say lives here,” Erin said, smirking.
“Coming into town, I spotted people inside a pawn shop. They looked like they were robbing the joint. Then this black SUV came barreling down one of the side streets and pulled up next to the entrance.” Russell’s mind worked, thinking the oddity might be more than just a random noise that plagued the building.
Erin’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? I haven’t ventured anywhere else in town except for this store since the power went out. I’ve been worried that might happen. We have some sketchy folks that live around these parts. They always look like they’re up to no good.”
Russell turned, then trained the flashlight at the back of the store. The knocking sound stopped, then picked up again. “Did you want me to hang around for a minute and walk out with you?”
