“On the dumpster and over the wall,” Cap said to Lee.
Cap jumped up on the lid, turned, and reached out helping Lee do the same. With the pack on Lee would have a tough time trying to climb on top, but Cap grabbed the pack and, with a swift pull, just reeled Lee up alongside him on the lids. They both moved toward the brick wall and looked over. The wall separated the lot from a large dirt field. The drop was about eight feet. Both men swung over the wall. Cap landed first turned and slowed down Lee’s fall as he plummeted down rapidly with the heavy pack.
Standing against the wall, the men looked around the barren field to assess their choices.
Lee spoke first. “It is getting light out. If we head across this field, we will be in the open.”
Cap replied, “Let’s stay near the wall then keep moving along as far as we can. We will be harder to spot.”
Without further discussion, the Cap, followed by Lee moved along the wall to their right. They slowly and quietly moved about a block. The wall ended and a small side street crossed in front of them. The wall stopped twenty yards short of the street. Shrubs bordered the field to the edge of the street creating a visual wall. Both men moved forward, keeping below the bushes. The men knew the crossroad fifty yards right of them was the same road they had left when ducking between the buildings. As they watched the mob entered the intersection, meaning the phony lock on the gate must have worked. People were yelling and pointing of flashlights in all directions. Obviously, the thugs wanted to find the men who had killed their fellow crap sacks. Daylight was coming rapidly now. Lee and Cap stayed low and hidden behind the thick bushes. Alternatively, they could retreat to the wall, but that seemed like a bad idea.
After much pointing and yelling, the two thugs on bicycles turned and headed down the street in Lee and Cap’s direction. Someone had thought about looking behind the buildings. The two bike riders came down the street, looking toward the bushes where the two men were hiding.
Without any discussion or warning, the Captain sprung from his crouch and ran along the bushes just as the first rider was passing an abandoned car near the curb. The hood was still up and this offered Cap some shielding as he sprinted at full speed toward the bike and rider. He hit the stunned rider with the force of a bus. Cap lifted the surprised thug right off the bike and, using his weight and momentum, tossed the small teenager through the air for about twenty-feet. The shocked kid skidded on his face and hands and rolled into a pile. With rider gone, the bike to continue rolling upright for about thirty feet and fell over against the curb.
The next biker had no time to react to the surprise attacker. He tried desperately to stop or steer around. He stopped just short of the captain. That was a bad mistake. Cap reached over the handlebars, yanked the stunned teen up and over, slamming him into the pavement with a sickening thud.
Lee had followed out behind Cap. As Cap was body slamming the second man, he moved over to the first just as the stunned teenager tried to stand up. Lee did a running drop kick on the side of the kid’s head, knocking him over and out.
“Grab the other bike.” Cap said while staring to mount the one he had just abruptly stopped.
Without answering, Lee ran down the street pulled the first bike from the curb, and climbed on. Both he and the Cap started pedaling and gaining control of the bikes. Several shots rang out from the intersection. They did not look back. They just pedaled as quickly as possible, hoping the rest of the hood had nothing but pistols and not any more bikes. Lee and Cap rode down the street heading southwest and turned the corner to the right on what Lee guessed was Sunset Street.
When they got close to Decatur, Lee yelled forward at Cap, “Turn left.”
Cap waved and complied, and they both made the turn south on Decatur, heading toward the 215 overpass. The number of people outside kept increasing as they rode. Some were standing around dead cars. People were walking solo, or in groups of two, three, or more. With no wish to stop for any purpose, Lee and Cap kept up their speed and momentum. The light made everything visible now. As they cycled out of the 215 overpass, one man from a group of three moved into the street toward their path. Cap did not veer. Instead, he pulled the large chrome pistol up in his right hand and pointed it at the man, heading toward him and Lee. The surprised man stopped dead in his tracks and then stepped back, raising his hands as he did. Cap, with Lee following, cruised by not slowing or looking back. The man yelled some obscenities at the bikers but did nothing else.
As they rode, the two men occasionally looked over to their right, where they could see a huge column of smoke. A massive fire was out of control and growing rapidly. Lee remembered there was a large mall west on the 215 a couple of exits; he guessed that it was burning. This probably meant that more assholes like the ones that they had just faced were taking advantage of the dire state the city was in, looting and burning buildings as they went. Lee wondered what drove thugs and looters to burn down stores and buildings after stealing and looting anything of value?
The two men kept riding silently for a couple more miles, occasionally looking back. They started to enter residential subdivisions and now saw dozens of people out, mostly talking in groups. However, Decatur remained clear of people and abandoned cars. The ride was starting to wear down Lee exhausting him. He started falling back. Picking a place along the road, bordered large fields on both sides, the Captain rolled off the pavement into the dirt field on the right. They both dismounted the bikes and, for the first time, had a chance to talk and formally meet.
Cap held out his hand. “Jake Rodriguez. I can’t thank you enough for what you did back there.”
“Lee Garrett, not a problem. Those shit bags deserved what they got,” Lee said, returning the hardy but now sweaty handshake, thinking he now had a real name for the Captain.
“No argument with me. I am sure glad you came along. I spotted you behind the car but was not sure what you had planned. Sure thankful you were armed. You seem to have everything, including the kitchen sink. Geez, that is a huge pack!” Jake said.
Lee explained, “Yeah I am one of those nutcase preppers. I carry this crap with me all the time, but I sure wish I had brought along an AR. I didn’t think those thugs were going to let you walk away. You look like military?”
Jake replied, “Good guess. Actually, it is Sergeant Rodriguez, 11th Armored Cavalry out of Fort Irwin. I am not a captain as you have been calling me. I work for a living. I was in Vegas just for a couple of days of fun and excitement. I got more excitement than I had planned. I think something big has hit the fan. Might be world war three. What about you? You seem to know what you are doing around guns, and the way you pack looks military to me.”
Lee continued his introduction, “No, just a military buff. I do work with the DOD on military projects. Stuff like pyro and special effects for training centers. I did some stuff for Fort Irwin a few years back for one of the MOUTs.” Lee assumed the soldier would know the terms DOD for Department of Defense and that a MOUT was a training center resembling a real town.
“No shit. Well, you move well for an old dude who is not a vet. What do you think happened?” Jake asked.
Lee answered, “My guess is the US has been attacked with nuclear weapons. The power outage and the cars being damaged had to be an EMP. An EMP is the only thing that explains it. There was some talk of a nuke from people in the casino, and I heard the TVs went to the emergency broadcast signal just before the power quit. I hit the bricks as soon as the shit storm started.”
Jake replied, “I was at the Luxor playing craps in the casino when the lights went out. I guess you can call that crapping out. Took me a while to get to my room and jimmy the door open. I grabbed my bag and decided it was best to get out of Dodge. People were already fighting in the casino, and it was getting real fucking scary. I figured I’d be needed back at base if World War III has started.”
“So where are you heading now, Jake?” Lee asked.
“One