Chapter Eight

Nighttime

Like most nights at The Club, the men who occupied this communal home primarily settled into three groups. The first group sat watching videos on an extra large television. The second group powered down bottle after bottle of beer while their cigarettes produced a haze hanging over the store. Near the rear of the store, a final group centered around Priestly. Brandon wisely stayed clear of all three of these, instead sitting with his sister and Sam near the front of the store and engaged in conversation.

“I take it you ain’t too set on his plan.” Again, simple and direct Sam went to the heart of his concern.

Brandon chuckled. “You got it. Priestly wants out of here, out of this place. That much I understand. You know, I would like to get out of here, too. Find a safer place for Ally and me. There’ll be a day for that, but not under his plan. It’s just too…risky.”

“This place he wants to go to…it’s bad?”

“Oooh, yeah! The Las Vegas Strip…that place is zombie central! The hotels and casinos on the Strip were really hit hard when it all fell apart. There were maybe as many as a half million tourists on the Strip that didn’t get out of town in time, and, well…became permanent residents of those casinos. I don’t know why, but even after they died…and came back…they stayed down around the Strip. The lower floors of all those hotels and casinos are packed with them. Particularly, the parking garages are all full of the dead.”

“This place he wants to go to, what’s that?”

“It’s a substation at the Fashion Row—a mall at the center of the Strip. I went there a number of times as a kid, and what I remember is how big it was. Unfortunately, this substation Priestly wants to go to is underneath the mall and inside a parking garage. It’s like a double whammy. There will be zombies everywhere. Sure, his idea might work to draw ‘em out, but there are sooo many of them. I’m telling you, if it goes bad…people will die.”

“So what ya gonna do?”

“I’m not going to participate in his plan. It’ll be suicide, I mean for me. You see, I’m sure that Priestly will do what he can to give me a crappy job. One that will get me killed. I can’t let anything happen to me cuz then, who would look after Ally?”

“No one needs to look after me!” Ally, mostly indifferent to their conversation, finally weighed in. “I’m totally capable of taking care of myself. I’m like, older now, you know.”

“I know. Yep, you are…um, older.”

The conversation lapsed for a few minutes until Sam asked about the different groups in the store. “So, is this how y’all spend nights here?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It used to be better. Most nights, Father Bob would lead different activities to keep people busy and distracted. Sure, we would watch a lot of movies, but he also had us do other things. Smoking and drinking like this was never, ever allowed in here. With Bob gone, it’s kinda degraded into this.”

“It’s not so bad here, Brandon,” said Ally. Bailey was again curled up on Ally’s lap, enjoying the nearly constant stokes down her patchwork fur. “You’ve just gotta chill a little. These guys are all nice and all. They treat me great.”

“Oh, sure. They’re plenty nice to you,” Brandon replied with notable disgust. “For other reasons.”

“All right,” she said with growing anger. “Just what do you mean? I haven’t behaved…” She searched for the right word but finally settled for an easier one, “bad.”

Brandon was usually not this direct with his sister, but tonight, he felt complete candor was due. “Ally, you’ve got to understand. You are pretty and interesting…and, you know, enjoyable to be around. You are also the only girl here! Ah…that is, before Sam came, of course. You’ve got to understand that it is different, now cuz you are different. You see, when you were little, particularly with Father Bob around, everyone chipped in to take care of you. Since you hit thirteen, some of the guys stopped seeing you as the little kid they’ve all known for ages. Now, all they see is a beautiful girl, with um…all the…er…curves of an adult woman. Haven’t you noticed that some of the guys treat you differently?”

Before she could answer, and almost as if by cue, a potbellied man in his mid-forties walked up to where the three of them sat and addressed Ally. “Hey, we’re gonna play poker again in back. Since you hadda leave this afternoon’s game, you should come play. It’ll be fun.” His slurred words indicated that he was part of the drinking group.

His point proven, Brandon raised his eyebrows as a slight smirk came over his face. Ally frowned at him, then turned to the man, and gave him a blisteringly bright smile. “Nah,” she replied. “Not tonight.”

Undeterred, the man remained. “Well, how ‘bout you, honey? You wanna play cards?

“Don’t think so,” Sam replied, her eyes narrowing to slits. She could always sense good from bad, whether it was on the farm or now in this place. Her gut sense told her this guy was trouble—for her and certainly for Brandon’s precocious sister. This man didn’t frighten her in the least bit. He, like most of the men she’d seen here, was flabby, and his movements were slow—a man she could easily handle.

No, she thought to herself. He’s not a danger to me at all.

“Suit yourself, girlie,” he stammered then shuffled back to the couches for another beer.

With the man gone, Brandon continued. “Ally, look. I know you’re not a kid, anymore. You’ve got to remember that a lot of these guys, just like him…” He gestured with his eyes toward the man who just approached them. “…are not looking out for you, anymore. They’re looking for something else from you.”

“I think you’re overreacting,” she replied. “It’s just innocent…just, you know…fun.”

Sam watched the interaction between the two of them. Yep, they’re brother and sister. Not too differn’t from me and Billy and Cal. Just tussling on a differn’t subject.

“It’s not just fun. It’s dangerous—for you! I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I’m not a child, and you don’t have to protect me, anymore.”

Brandon reached over and took her hand—an unplanned moment of tenderness. “I know you’re not a child. You’re a young woman…who I care for more than anything. I only want the best for you, because, well…you deserve it!”

Unexpectedly, Ally handed the dog to Sam and gave Brandon a long, loving hug. “Thank you, big brother. I love you.”

With the tension of a few moments ago clearly abated, Sam decided to change the subject. “Um…got some questions, if ya don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” he said with a smile. “What can I answer?”

“How…uh…safe…is this place?”

“Don’t worry. It is completely secure.”

“How so?”

“The building itself is very secure. Ya see, the outer walls are all concrete, and we’ve reinforced the doors. We even bricked over the inside of the glass front doors. With the solid walls and doors like we have, we really don’t have much of anything to worry about; however, just to be sure, we lock the building down at night.” Basic pride emerged as Brandon described the building. Sam could tell that he cared deeply about this place they had lived in these last ten years.

Brandon continued. “Even though it’s locked down, Priestly has guards posted on the roof as lookouts. We didn’t used to. There was really no need, but now, we have guys up there every night. Every now and again, I draw the duty. It’s generally cold and miserable. It really is a suck ass detail.”

“What does…shuck-as…um, mean?” Sam wondered.

“Oops…it’s not a nice term. Sorry.” Brandon hung his head in mock shame then looked up to see the smile he hoped to find.

She’s smiled a lot more today than yesterday. It’s hard to tell, but I think she likes me. It sure is hard to read her, though.

“During the night…how many critters, er…zombies tend to come round here?”

“Um, it varies. Usually, only a handful.”

“Really?” she asked incredulously. “In town! You shur’?”

“Yeah. You see, for the last ten years, we’ve been cleaning out the dead in a couple mile radius around here. Doesn’t get rid of ‘em all, cause more move in, but it does keep those that tend to gather outside to only twenty or so.”

“Twenty. Hmmm…how far off does that…that…” She stopped at a loss for the right word.

Brandon jumped in helpfully. “How much does it extend? We don’t really know, because we always fall back to here at night.”

“Got a guess?”

“Maybe a third to half a mile. Beyond that, we don’t really know.”

As Sam fell quiet for the next few minutes, Brandon could tell she was thinking through something. But what?

“Hey, did y’all find some of them drugs—the ones you thought could help my Mama?”

That’s it, Brandon thought. She’s just worrying about her family. Shit, that’s obvious. Man, if my sister were locked away from me, I’d be worrying about her something fierce. No wonder she seems on edge.

“Let me go ask?” Brandon stood and walked in long, purposeful strides out of sight and toward the pharmacy.

“I sure like your dog,” Ally said as she took another turn holding the dog. With her brother gone, she felt a need to fill the silence. “I’ve never had one, so I can see why you love her so much.”

“She’s a good ol’ hound. Not much of a hunter with no eye sight, but she’ll sniff out any critter that’s around. Like she did today.”

Ally petted the dog for a minute, and then confided in the older girl. “Sam…I love Brandon, but sometime’s, he’s so hard on me. Always telling me where to go, what to do, and even what to wear. He’s like…like…oh, I don’t know. He thinks he’s like my dad or something.”

“You gotta remember that he’s the only real family you got, and that’s important. Don’t you go forgettin’ that. Since he’s older, he’s also a wee bit wiser. Now, don’t you go gettin’ mad at me. I’m just sayin’…I would act the same way. Hell…oh, sorry. Shouldn’t be swearin’. Um, I act that way around my brothers and sister.”

“So, I should listen to him?”

“That’s kinda up to you. You could do lots worse, you know.”

“Sam, you’re really easy to talk to. I wish you could stay here with us. I know Brandon’ll like it and all, cuz he likes you.”

Sam visibly blushed at the thought that Brandon liked her, but she quickly refocused her mind. “No, hun. I gotta get back to my family. They need me. Just like you need your brother, and he needs you.”

“If you leave, will you ever come back? To visit us?”

“We’ll see. Now that I know yer here, I’ll try to wander this way, again,” she said with a smile. Ally smiled back as she continued to pet and nuzzle the dog.

She is a good kid, Sam thought. She does need to get outta this place, though. Brandon’s right. These old men…well, something bad is gonna happen. To either Ally…or to Brandon for tryin’ to protect her. I wish I could help, bring her with me or somethin’, but I gotta remember my family…they come first. Maybe when Mama gets better…well, we’ll see.

Brandon returned, almost out of breath but holding a paper sack. “I couldn’t find anyone around the pharmacy, so I liberated the stuff you needed.” He showed her each of the containers of pills and tried to describe how often to administer each of them.

With the pills in hand, Sam’s mind was made up. “I was wonderin’ about my things. You know, my clothes, saddlebags. I feel kinda lost without ‘em. Can we go git them?”

“Sure. I ran your clothes through the washer and dryer. They should be about ready by now.”

Brandon turned to head to the laundry, thinking they would all go to retrieve her clothes, but instead, Sam continued, “You think you could git me over to look in on my horse?”

“Other than the roof lookouts, we’re not supposed be outside The Club at night.”

Sam’s intense stare seemed to look into his core, challenging his conservatism. It was clearly a look that would not take ‘no’ as an answer.

Brandon relented. “We’d have to be quick, but I guess there’s a way.”

A far off look came over Sam as she was lost in thought. Long seconds ticked by until she looked back to Brandon and smiled. After a quick glance about her surroundings to ensure that no one was within listening distance, Sam stepped close to him. For a fraction of a second, Brandon actually thought she was leaning in for a kiss. Instead, it was just to whisper in his ear. A whisper so quiet that only Brandon heard.

“Ah, I need one more thing,” Sam said. “You think you could get me my guns back?”

Silence. Total silence that not only occupied the space between them but seemed to grow until it totally surrounded them. Brandon pulled back just enough to look in her eyes and was surprised by her deadly serious stare.

She’s not kidding, he thought. Not at all!

“Um, your guns?” Brandon tentatively replied.

“Yeah. I got a feelin’ that I should be movin’ on. Tonight.”

“At night?” he whispered in return. While aghast at the thought, he couldn’t get past how nice it felt to be so close to her. He was finding himself more and more attracted to her.

“If there ain’t too many of them about, and if it’s clear, I’ll head out and hold up somewhere down the road and outta sight until morning.”

“Why?” he asked. “Why leave now?” His whispered response was almost a plead for her not to go.

“Ya see, my gut tells me to go…while I can. I learned over the years to trust myself. So, I’m gonna go. Can you help…get my stuff…to get out?”

“Yes.” Further words were not necessary. Brandon knew he had to help her no matter the consequence.

She’s the most serious, the most real person I’ve ever known. So, she wouldn’t ask unless she needed it. She wouldn’t ask, unless it was important. This woman risked her life for me, so I gotta take the risk for her.

“Where will you go at night?”

“Don’t know. I’ll figure somethin’ out once I’m on horseback.”

“I got a better idea. The last store in this shopping center is an auto parts store. We keep the front doors closed but unlocked in case we need repair parts for our vehicles. If you can get down there quietly, you could safely hide out until sunrise.”

“That’s a purty good idea. Thanks.”

Brandon smiled broadly. Their private conversation completed, it was time to put things into action. “Hey, Ally! Let’s go get a soda. I think I saw some cream soda left in the back. What do you say?”

“Ummm…okay?” Ally furrowed her brow in frustration. She hadn’t heard their discussion and certainly wouldn’t understand the subtext. With Bailey tucked under Ally’s arm, Brandon led the girls to the back of the store and almost immediately ran right into one of Priestly’s handful of close advisors and confidants.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the man asked.

“Since when do I have to get your permission to walk across the store?”

“Since always.”

“Look, she just wants to retrieve her clothes. The ones she rode in with. I ran ‘em through the washer in the back.”

Har, har! The guy gave a loud belly laugh. “Now, there’s a good job for you—washer woman for The Club.” Proud of the ingenuity of his insult, he walked away, continuing to laugh.

At the laundry room, they retrieved Sam’s cleaned clothing and her saddlebags. She briefly thought about changing but decided that could wait. Instead, she crammed all of her clothes into her saddlebags. Lastly, she placed her well-worn hat onto her head. With it back on, she felt more like her old self.

From the laundry, Brandon led them through a maze of corridors until he stopped adjacent to a closed door. He held one finger to his lips in the near universal gesture to be quiet. Next, Brandon placed his ear on the door and listened for several seconds. Hearing nothing indicating the room was occupied, he turned the handle of the door. Locked!

“Shit,” Brandon whispered. “It’s locked. Gun’s are stored inside.” He glanced around then continued, “We gotta find some other way in.” Brandon took a step back and looked at the door and hallway, trying to discern a way in. While he did, Sam took hold of the door handle to assess its strength herself but found the door and its lock both solid and unyielding.

“This way,” Brandon whispered as he gestured down the hall. “There might be another way in.” He led them down the hallway to the next door, tried its handle, and finding it unlocked, and entered the darkened room with Sam and Ally close behind. Inside, he shut the door, momentarily placing them in complete dark, before flipping on the overhead lights. Over a decade ago, this room had been filled with computer terminals where clerks monitored inventory and ordered more products. Today, it was used for storage with large boxes filling most of the interior.

“I got an idea,” Brandon said as he pointed to the ceiling overhead. “We might be able to get in through the overhead tiles.” He moved a pile of boxes until it was positioned against the wall that separated the two rooms. Then, he used them to climb up to the ceiling. The drop ceiling tiles were for decoration and only consisted of light fiberboard, allowing Brandon to push one upward easily. Peering into the space, he saw what he hoped for—a channel in the ceiling over to the next room.

“I’ll crawl over and drop down into the next room. Listen for me opening the door. Then, come over.” After Sam nodded her agreement, Brandon shimmied up through the rectangular opening where the tile had been and disappeared into the dim light above. Seconds became several minutes as Sam and Ally both privately worried.

With no sound or signal coming, Sam went to the room’s door and opened it only a fraction, allowing her a somewhat minimal view of the hallway. Almost by cue, just as she opened the door, someone walked down the hallway. To her good fortune, the man was too preoccupied in thought to notice the slightly open door. More seconds transpired until they finally heard a click from the adjacent door. It opened, and Brandon leaned out, waiving for them to come over.

“Got ‘em—your pistol and shotgun plus the ammo.”

“What about my rifle?”

“Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Just a sec.” He went back into the room, and several more long seconds transpired. Finally, the door opened again, and Brandon emerged with the Winchester rifle and a duffle bag. This time, he had a huge smile on his face.

“I think I finally have everything,” he crowed. “Plus, check out the bag when you have a chance. I grabbed you a few extras.”

A smile of welcome familiarity spread across Sam’s face as she took the guns and quickly did a safety check. She opened the gun’s barrel, checked the cartridges, then spun the barrel before returning it to the chamber. Sam couldn’t help but notice how closely Ally was watching her. With such an audience, Sam couldn’t resist. Before returning the gun to its holster, she quickly spun the pistol on her index finger with such flourish that it would have put a movie cowboy to shame.

With the guns returned to Sam and the rifle slung over his shoulder, Brandon led them from the back rooms down a corridor that led to the merchandise receiving and storage area. To their good fortune, the storage area was empty. He ushered the girls behind a row of large boxes and around an electric forklift that hadn’t been operated in ten years. Next to the forklift was a side door that exited the building.

“Okay, outside is the compound between the buildings. It’s secured with the barricades you saw when we came in, but it isn’t patrolled at night, so those things could get in. Doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Okay, so we’ll run across the compound to the other building. If we keep quiet and move quickly, we should avoid being seen by the lookouts on top of The Club. They don’t generally watch the compound, but they could. When we get across the compound to the door, I’ll open it. I know where we have a hidden key for the lock. Then, it’s inside to the garden center and your horse. Understand?” Sam nodded in agreement.

“Ally, you don’t have to go, you know. You could just stay here. Be our lookout.” He cracked a cockeyed grin that made her smile.

“I want to go, too,” she replied.

“Um…okay.” He paused for the moment, finally recognizing an inescapable result of this next action. “Um…you know when we go through this door, there’s no goin’ back. Sooner or later, they’ll know, and we’ll all be in trouble.”

“Ya know,” replied Sam with a smirk. “Don’t ya think ya shoulda’ asked that before we stole the guns?”

He blushed a crimson red. “Yeah…you’re probably right. So, if everybody’s ready, let’s move out.” Brandon slid the lock, opened the door, and stepped out into the night.

Outside, it was as black as a sack cloth. The clouds still covered the sky, assuring that neither stars or nor moonlight would provide even scant illumination.

At least the rain stopped, Sam thought. The air’s got a chill to it—winter’s fast approaching.

The only light in the compound came from an overhead fixture mounted on the side of The Club, but its scant illumination forced them to pick their path carefully. With Brandon leading, they cautiously ran into the darkness.

After only a few steps into the compound, Sam heard faint voices from above. Must be those lookouts he spoke ‘bout. She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying—just words all jumbled together, punctuated with occasional, deep laughs. Suddenly, a bright beam of light switched on overhead—a searchlight so bright that it turned night to day. Fortunately, the light was not focused on the compound. Instead, the light swept across The Club’s parking lot, searching for adversaries—in this case, accumulating zombies. Its jerking movements had a rhyme to go with its reason, as every few seconds, its light would illuminate a zombie or two. Inside the compound, however, all Sam saw was the light’s beam. They had no clue that its light had spotted the dead.

As they ran, Sam listened for Bailey. She’d know if they were in this compound. No sound emerged from the dog as it rested, still comforted in Ally’s arms. All quiet. So far, so good.

While Brandon ran, his thoughts focused on their destination. Fifty yards, all clear, Brandon thought. Forty, thirty, twenty. Still clear. Okay, there’s the door just ahead.

“This is it,” he whispered. “Keep low while I unlock the door.” Sam and Ally crouched next to a row of 55-gallon drums while Brandon fished the key from its hiding space—a crevice in the concrete slab next to the door. With it in hand, Brandon returned to the entry door and slid the key into the lock. Just as he began turning the key, light exploded around them as if the noon day sun had suddenly risen. The searchlight from The Club had found them!

“Shit! C’mon,” Brandon exclaimed as he opened the door. Across the compound, shouts from the roof of The Club signaled they were seen. With pursuers from The Club soon to follow, all Brandon could do was pull Sam and Ally into the building and slam the door shut.

Inside the building, they were thrust into deep, dark shadow. With eyes still dilated from the search beam’s intense light, all three were forced to stand still until their eyes at least somewhat recovered.

Finally, Brandon spoke, “Hold still a minute while I get a couple of flashlights.” Seconds later, a flashlight’s beam first illuminated Sam and then Ally. “Here ya go,” Brandon said as he thrust a light into Sam’s hand.

“If they saw us, won’t they be coming?” asked Ally.

“Yeah, they will, but I kept the key, so they’ll have to find another one to open the door. Unfortunately, they’ll get in soon enough, so we have to move quick.”

“All right, then. Let’s go.” Always direct, Sam’s reply got them moving with Brandon leading the way.

A home improvement store is a very large place, meaning they had to cover a long distance to reach its opposite side. Brandon led them as fast as he could; however, it was quickly clear to them that trying to hurry across the store while relying on a flashlight’s dim beam was going to be problematic—the store was just too large. That, and the materials and products that still filled the store’s aisles created obstacles that slowed them down as they wound their way from row to row.

By Brandon’s estimation, they were half way across the store when they heard men’s voices accompanied by beams of light. “They’re in! C’mon. We’ve gotta move faster.” He picked up the pace, but even with the incentive that being chased provided, they still weren’t moving as fast as he would have liked.

Still a ways up ahead, he thought. Plus, we gotta get through the door into the Garden Department. Man, how can I get that door open?

Brandon had privately worried about how to open the glass door once they got there, but with pursuers close behind, time to come up with a solution would be at a premium.

They continued across the store, keeping their lights low and holding their voices to a whisper. Finally, Brandon’s light found the gray, concrete wall of the far side of the building. With it located, they only had to find the sliding glass door that opened into the Garden Department.

Following a row of garden tools, gloves of many sizes, insecticides, and sprayers, they finally arrived at the glass door. Ten years ago, just approaching the door would trigger the electric eye and cause the door to slide open—a convenience for shoppers with full carts. Now, with no electricity to operate it, the door stood shut and immovable. His puzzle finally presented, Brandon stood in front of the closed doors and tried to figure out a way to open it.

“There has got to be an override for this or some emergency release that’ll open the door. I’ve just got to figure out where.”

Sam stood by, watching for several seconds as Brandon considered a way through. With the sound of the approaching pursuers getting closer and closer, she finally decided they just didn’t have time. Retreating several steps to the garden tools, Sam grabbed a pickaxe and swung the heavy, iron end at the glass door. The pickaxe hit the door, making a sound like a thunderclap that caused both Brandon and Ally to jump. The door’s glass shattered, spraying into the Garden Department and leaving nothing but the metal frame.

“What the…” was all Brandon’s surprise allowed him to say.

“C’mon. Door’s open.” Sam stepped through the frame out into the Garden Department. Before following, Brandon looked back at his sister, whose mouth was still in a wide ‘O’ of surprise. As he did, he caught sight of approaching flashlight beams.

Oh, shit! They’re practically here.

The men from The Club were 100 feet away and closing fast.

“Ally, we gotta go, now!” Brandon grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door into the night, blindly following Sam outside.

Years before, the Garden Department had row upon row of plants ready to decorate the yards of Las Vegas homes. Those plants died long ago, leaving only dust in empty plant containers. Nearby decorative bricks and bags of fertilizer remained on the shelves, but Sam gave no notice to these as she pressed forward, looking for her horse and freedom. She rounded the corner of a large, metal rack, but she still did not see her horse.

Damn! she thought. Where is it?

Brandon and Ally blindly followed Sam as she led them into the night air of the Garden Department. They turned down another aisle, hoping this would lead to Sam’s horse but still found nothing.

Even as he ran, Brandon wondered what he’d do after Sam got away. After all, it was inevitable they both would be caught and would get in trouble. We’re gonna get caught. There’s no way around that. Of course, it’s more likely I’ll get in trouble than my sister. I need a plan—to tell them something and keep Ally out of trouble, but what?

In the darkness in front of them, Sam finally heard a welcome sound—a horse’s whinny. Moving quicker now, they advanced into the darkness until they finally found the horse tied to the inside of the fence lining the edge of the Garden Department.

“Ah, there you are, girl.” Sam stroked the horse’s side as she mentally noted its condition.

Those dimwits didn’t even take her saddle off, she thought. That’s better for me, though.

Moving quickly, she readied the horse to ride. She secured her saddlebags, retrieved Bailey, returned her to the flour bag, untied the reins from the fence, and then climbed on.

“I think I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s go.”

While Sam readied her horse, Brandon used the time to look around. They were near the front of the Garden Department, with the old cash registers and the exit gate just ahead. The gate was large, almost ten feet high and built to move on wheels, so sliding it open shouldn’t be a problem, but there was the chain and lock. A heavy metal chain, secured with a large padlock, strung from a large post and circled through the gate.

With Sam towering overhead on her horse, she and Ally came up to the gate while in the distance, sounds clearly indicated that their pursuers were in the Garden Department. Brandon, still flummoxed by the lock, walked back and forth along the gate while trying to devise some plan.

“It’s got a pretty solid lock. No key, so we’ll have to find another way out. I’m thinkin’ that you could ride back into the store…”

Before he could finish, Sam cut him off. “No need. I got the master key right ‘chere. Good for opening any lock.”

Sam drew the double barrel shot gun, the one she retrieved from her neighbor’s house, and pointed it at the lock.

“This’ll be loud as a thunderclap, Ally. You oughta cover your ears.”

With Ally’s hands on her ears, Sam pulled both triggers, discharging shot through both barrels. The sound was thunderous, leaving Brandon’s ears ringing and causing Ally to flinch with pain; however, it accomplished the goal as the lock exploded into pieces, leaving the chain to drop to the floor.

Brandon grabbed the gate and pushed hard, sliding it open until there was a gap large enough for the horse to exit. Even as he did, their pursuers were within sight with their flashlights illuminating the area.

“Get back here, you little shit,” someone yelled. Other comments were far more off-color, but it was clear that these men were here to stop Sam, or anyone, from leaving.

“Go, while you can,” Brandon said.

“You’ll be okay?” Sam was truly torn. She needed to go, but she also didn’t want to leave her friends, particularly with these ruffians approaching.

While they’ll leave Ally alone, for other reasons of course, Lord knows what they’ll do to Brandon.

Ultimately her loyalty to her mother and family prevailed. She had to go.

“Take care, and thanks,” she said. “If I can, I’ll try and come back and help set this to right.”

Brandon gave her a half smile. He was far too concerned about the fast approaching men to do more, and then handed the rifle to her.

With one last glance, Sam spurred her horse on, and it bolted through the gate. A good thing too, as the men from The Club had just arrived. Sam couldn’t look back, even though she truly wanted to.

The sound of the horse’s hooves was extra loud as each foot hit the asphalt and then echoed off the nearby buildings. In the open, her immediate concern was avoiding any dead, and then to find the auto parts store for safe shelter for the rest of the night. While still mostly overcast, a break in the clouds allowed the welcome light of the moon to give her some illumination. This was a lucky break, as she quickly saw she was not alone in the parking lot—dark shapes were moving about.

Pulling the reins to the right, Sam steered her horse toward the connecting parkway when light suddenly and blindingly illuminated her—The Club’s search lights had found her.

Got to get out of this light, she thought. Maybe, I can lose ‘em.

Sam began zigzagging her horse, not unlike a modern-day rodeo barrel racer. Lowering her body close to the horse’s neck, Sam spurred the horse, driving it forward even faster until the night air blew her hat from her head, only to catch on its drawstring around her neck. Pulling the reins and twisting her body to the left, Sam turned the horse and rode past a creature whose hand reached out with greedy intent. The ghoul’s hand just missed gripping the horse and its rider. Spurred once again, the horse took off at its best speed, racing as if to outrun the moonlight itself.

After several lengths, Sam glanced over her shoulder and saw the bright circle of the search light gaining on her. Damn! Gotta try to dodge it, again. Sam pulled the reins hard to the right, turning the horse again, and accelerated past a group of abandoned cars. Even as she again gained speed, the search light kept catching her. Once again, Sam turned the horse to the left and tore across the parking lot at right angles to both the Home Base and The Club. Bending close to the neck again, she prompted for even more speed and the horse obediently responded. Faster and faster she rode across the parking lot, putting distance between her and the searchlight. At full gallop now, Sam actually began to think she would get away when suddenly, four lights appeared directly in front of her.

What’s this? Sam wondered. More searchlights? These ‘uns are comin’ at me from straight ahead. That can’t be!

Sam started to turn when two more lights appeared to her right.

Damn! More? What are these things?

Sam instead turned her horse toward The Club but these new lights followed her and even worse, the searchlights on The Club found her once again. Spurring her horse even faster, Sam intended to turn hard left just past an abandoned truck; however, before she could do so a black Cadillac Escalade roared into position directly in front of her. As the Escalade screeched to a stop, the horse reared back, startled by the vehicles sudden approach and almost threw Sam from her saddle. Fighting to get control of the horse, Sam pulled back on the reins as the horse skittered sideways. Although the horse was still nervous, Sam got it under control just as men, all with guns drawn, poured from the Escalade and sprinted toward her.

Sam spurred the horse away from the men while hoping they wouldn’t fire their guns, and in particular, shoot someone in the back. Her horse had only made several more foot falls in its new direction when another Escalade suddenly appeared and swerved in front of her. The horse reared up again, this time much more violently and almost throwing Sam from the saddle. Only years of experience riding horses prevented her from being thrown painfully and potentially fatally to the ground. Sam again fought for control of her horse, seeking to calm the spooked animal just enough that she could get away. While the panicked horse scampered sideways amongst the chaos, men climbed out of the second Escalade and ran toward her. One of them even got close enough to grab for the horse’s reins, but a boot to his face gladly delivered by Sam set him on his rear. After finally gaining control, she pulled the reins to the right, and spurred the horse, intending to escape the men. Before the animal could take more than a couple of steps, Sam’s world suddenly went dark.