Chapter 32: Jonathon
Leaving those girls was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But my sister is in danger right now. They can manage. Caitlin especially has become strong. I climb steadily, weaving from tree to tree with my eyes focused at the top of the hill. The outpost is just over the hill and across the road. When I reach the apex, I slide behind one of the destroyed cars they’ve used as a road block. There are two boys on the front lawn, but I have no idea how many more are on the inside. Both of them have rifles at the ready.
One in the chamber, four in the stock. I remember from Carter’s crash course a few months ago. The revolver in my belt has five shots. I move up behind another broken down car, remaining hunched over. I’ve managed to surprise them it seems.
Through my rising and falling chest, I feel my heart pounding. It’s so strong that it pulses up into my neck and head. This is it.
I turn and rest my gun on the car hood and aim at the closer boy. I line up the sights right over his chest and pull the stock to my shoulder. Any hatred I have for guns is gone, and I would use anything to save her, from a frying pan to a shotgun. The boy has a gun, and I know he would kill me without a moment’s hesitation. That poor girl flashes in my mind, and my transformation is complete. I will do anything to save those I love.
I pull the trigger and brace for the recoil. The first shot misses but shatters the window behind him. I adjust and fire again. The pellets tear through his body. He falls as I turn to the other sentry.
The other boy starts to shoot. His aim is awful. He is young, probably ten. I almost feel bad. Almost. I pump and pull the trigger. It hits him in the arm and also shatters another window in the house. He begins to scream. That doesn't stop him though. He keeps shooting at me. Saul has these kids trained to die. I see other boys start to peer out the windows and some begin shooting.
I fire the last two shells and the young boy finally starts screaming. I throw the shotgun to the side and grab the small revolver. It looks the same as the gun I had in my hand so many years ago. The boys open fire. They have assault rifles and I brace myself.
So this is what the world has become.
Bullets continue to tear through the other side of the car. The small explosions and ricochets cement my feet tighter to the ground and I press as close as I can to the driver's side door. Every muscle in my body aches, but I know that I cannot give up here. She needs me. More than that, I promised my dad I would keep her safe. But most of all, I swore to myself that I would never let anything happen to her, no matter what it took. A bullet shatters through the window above me and showers me with glass. I reach to my neck and swipe the shards away, cutting both my neck and hand in the process. Warm blood runs down my spine and I see a puncture on my left hand. Red droplets fall to the street.
If I don't move now, they are going to kill me.
I glance behind me to where the twins are hiding over the hill. I imagine they are still as I left them, huddled together with tears in their eyes. When I had first charged into the fray, they screamed at me to stop, and their screams continued for a while, but were barely audible when I went over the hill. Any noises from them would be completely gone amidst the chaos.
Could they have been found already? Probably not. They are safe from these monsters' bullets on the other side of the hill. I am the one in danger. My sister is the one in danger.
Mustering up the courage, I quickly peer through the shattered glass toward the shooters. There are at least six boys in the house. Two were behind a make-shift barricade of wood and brick on the front lawn and the others were peering out the house's already shattered windows. At least three of them have guns. I duck down just as another bullet embeds itself into the car’s steel. They have me pinned down, and my only small hope is their need to reload. I use my bloodied hand to recheck the cylinder in my own gun. It only holds five shots, my only five shots, and it is not nearly enough. They have bigger guns. Most of all, I would be lucky enough to even hit the house with this thing.
I hate guns again.
A portion of the tire to my left is torn away by another flying bullet. What’s left of the tire deflates and the car crashes down to the hubcap. I really hate guns.
The gunfire all of a sudden ceases. An eerie silence spreads over the lawn. My ears still ring from the noise of bullets, and the boys are shouting amongst themselves. I look up and notice all of the boys staring back at me. They have stopped firing, but my heart continues to the rhythm of the gunshots. What are they doing? Then I hear his voice. His rusty tone seems to echo off the asphalt street and stirs my insides. To think I trusted him.
“Is that really you ole' Johnny boy? Well if you want her this bad, I guess I could offer a trade.”
I grit my teeth for a moment and yell back, “What do you want Saul?”
“I know you still got those two other girls. Send them this way and I will give you back your precious sister. She's got a bit too much fight in her anyway.” His words reek with a confidence that sickens me. My father was right; humanity is gone.
“Go to hell.” He is never going to take the twins, and he knew damn well that I am not going to give them up. His laughter responds to my demand.
“Come on Johnny, it's not that bad of a trade. Besides, we wouldn't dream of laying a finger on either of those girls. I mean not for at least another year.” He truly is a monster. I glance over the hood and see the teeth of his smile. One of the front ones is knocked out, just the way I last left him. He is laughing. The boys to his left and right have moved closer to me. I am trapped. A small pool continues to grow on the asphalt as drops of blood from the cut on my neck run down my arm and off my revolver. It will probably turn from a pool to a pond soon. He yells again, “Tick-tock, tick-tock.”
Bang.
A shot fires into the car. He is getting impatient. A few of the boys are laughing at me. I have one option. I stand up and look him in the eye.
They look at me and they look shocked.