“I surrender, sir. I give up,” a thin voice rang out.
Cooper kept moving toward him, stepping carefully past the debris and bodies lying about. The man’s bolt-action hunting rifle lay at his feet. He was dressed in a dirty mélange of civilian and military clothing, black jeans, combat boots, and a woodland pattern camouflage smock were capped by a Burton-branded red knit cap. His head had been recently shaved, as the scalp was two shades lighter than the rest of his skin. Cooper’s face grew puzzled. There was something was familiar about him. He closed the space until just five yards separated them.
“You hear me, old man? I give up,” he called once more to Cooper, in a reedy, nervous voice.
Then it clicked. Woody! Cooper was momentarily shaken that he was, once again, face to face with the leader of the teenagers that he had already confronted twice. The last time had been a bloody affair in his own home.
A devilish smile alighted on Cooper, “You don’t remember me do you?”
Woody’s eyes intently looked Cooper over. Recognition flashed, “Holy crap!” Woody took a step backward and brought his arms down, hands upraised, in front of him.
“What am I gonna do with you?” Cooper’s tone was flat, deadly.
“Please, mister! I learned my lesson this time! I swear it!” Woody was trying to back away, taking careful steps. Cooper followed him, like a wolf cornering his prey. His mind raced. It was people like Woody who caused all the violence that had followed in the wake of the Brushfire Plague. Opportunists. Evil men. Wolves. These are the men who’ve stolen Jake’s childhood from him.
Cooper feigned relief, “Don’t worry, boy. I’m going to take you to jail. That is all.”
Hope came into Woody’s eyes and he ceased his retreat. “Yeah, jail is where you belong.”
Woody’s voice gained strength, “Sure. Which one is working now?”
Cooper’s face grew hard once more, “The kind you won’t ever get out of. You see, my boy could have been OK. Even dealing with his mother dying. But, it was people like you, Woody. People like you who messed him up and stole his childhood with your fucking killing and robbing!” Venom laced his words, spray flew from his lips and he slowly, relentlessly, stepped toward Woody. Each step made Woody’s knees tremble more.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Woody shrieked, “Just tell me which jail you’re taking me too, okay?”
Cooper’s rifle barrel jabbed Woody in the chest. “Hell. That’s the jail I’m taking you to.” Woody’s eyes opened wide. His lips started to form the word, “No,” but Cooper pulled the trigger first. Blood spray plastered Cooper’s chest and face. He spat and wiped his sleeve across his face, as Woody’s body slid to the ground. Woody’s mouth worked wordlessly for a few seconds and his eyes pleaded with Cooper’s. Then, his jaw fell slack and his eyes went blank. His body folded onto itself on the rough asphalt.
Cooper spent a long second staring at Woody’s dead body. He appeared so frail and small, much more so now. The witch’s brew of grieving rage at Jake’s forced march from innocent childhood to harsh maturity was sated, but only for the briefest of moments. By the time he turned and began running back toward Dranko, it was perched firmly once more in the dark recesses of his belly.
Cooper reasoned that since he’d been able to clear the enemy’s line without being shot by their sniper perched in the house, Angela must have wounded or killed him. He sprinted back to where he’d left Dranko, his mind tortured by worry. I’ve paid enough, please don’t take Paul away, too. He covered the ground in a matter of seconds, though it felt like hours.
He rounded the edge of the vehicle’s bumper. Calvin was kneeling, blocking his view.
“It just hurts, like a sonofabitch,” Dranko was complaining.
Cooper’s free hand clasped to his heart and he let loose a long sigh of relief, “You’re alright,” he blurted as he arrived, next to Calvin.
Calvin was beaming, “Yes! He had a bulletproof vest on! Can you believe it?”
Cooper’s eyes met Dranko’s for a moment and they exchanged a look that conveyed his relief and his love for his friend all at once. He didn’t need words. Dranko simply nodded.
“I’m going to check on Freddie, then,” Cooper intoned.
Calvin waved his left hand, “I already did. Angela is with him. He will be fine. He took one through the shoulder, but Angela said it was a clean wound.”
Cooper nodded, “Good. I’ll radio the vehicles to come up. With all this gunfire, we need to get out of here as fast as possible.”
Calvin’s head drew back and confusion clouded his features, “Why?”
“You ever see a vulture?”
Calvin nodded, his eyebrows remained drawn together, “Sure. And?”
“Some vultures walk on two legs.”
Calvin drew back once more, but this time in recognition, “Ahhh!”
“Will you help Angela get Freddie ready to move?”
Calvin drifted away as a response.
Cooper fumbled his radio out of its pocket and radioed Julianne and Lily that they should come as quickly as possible. He then turned his attention to Dranko, who was seated on the ground, his rifle lying next to him.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t think anything’s broken, but it hurts like hell,” Dranko responded, a grimace on his face, and his right hand massaging where he’d been shot.
“Calvin did well. Very well,” Cooper commented.
Dranko nodded enthusiastically, “I was disoriented for a few seconds after I was hit, but I kept hearing steady gunfire.”
“He was a fool or brave for stepping into your spot and just letting loose.”
“That line is always a very fine one, isn’t it, brother?”
Cooper chuckled, “It is, for sure.”
“What are you guys laughing about?” Calvin’s deep voice rang out from behind him.
Cooper turned to face him, “The thin line between bravery and foolishness. You did really well just now. You saved us all.”
Calvin’s lips pursed, “I just followed the plan.”
“The plan didn’t include Dranko getting shot at jump street. Many people woulda panicked at that. You didn’t.” Cooper returned.
“It was nothing. You two would have done the same.”
Cooper nodded, “Maybe. But, we’ve both been trained. And, I’ve seen trained men wilt under fire. You did very well, Calvin,” Cooper finished by clapping him on the shoulder.
“Sure, thanks. Glad I held up, alright.” Calvin’s eyes grew worried. He staggered and dropped to one knee. Cooper followed him down so he could maintain eye contact.
“You alright?”
“I…I…feel sick,” Calvin said as his body began trembling.
Cooper clasped him by the shoulders, “You’ll be okay. It’s the adrenaline. You’re coming down from the rush of combat.”
Calvin’s face was flushed, sweating, and it had lost its pallor, “I’m gonna be…” A splash of vomit across the asphalt interrupted him. Cooper curled his nose at a smell he abhorred and averted his eyes.
He looked into Calvin’s eyes, “Listen to me. You’re going to shake for a while. It’s normal. And, it’s far better to get the shakes after a firefight than during one!” Calvin mustered a feeble smile and dipped his head in agreement. “Just stay on your knees or sit down, but keep taking deep breaths. It’ll pass.”
The revving of his truck’s engine made him turn his head. He patted Calvin on the shoulder once more and moved toward the sound. He arrived at where Freddie and Angela were waiting just as the vehicles carrying Julianne, Jake, and Lily pulled up. Lily and Julianne dismounted and clustered about him. Jake sat, disinterested, in the truck.