these concrete enclosures is the complete lack of anything to absorb sound. And sound bounces off water to a greater extent. Have you ever been out on a boat in the middle of a lake where you can hear voices from a campground far away? It’s the same with locker rooms; nothing to absorb sound. This is either a benefit or liability depending on the situation.
Nothing but a slow drip of water comes from within. I slide into the dark room. I feel anxious about being in a dark interior but that is only from prior experiences with night runners. I’m pretty sure there aren’t any night runners about so I shake off the increase in anxiety. I don’t know what’s worse; marauders with guns or night runners. At least I know about the marauders, along with a little more knowledge about their capabilities, and human nature to an extent so I think I’ll take them over the night runners. Yeah, I’ll take that any day.
The usual showers along one wall with stalls, sinks, and benches fill the interior. A wheeled basket with towels is shoved up against one wall. The smell of soap and the humid nature of the room let me know it’s been used recently. This must be where they take the “captives” after their meals and let them clean up. A pile of dirty clothes sits in one of the corners. I slink through the room to the other entrance door.
I know there is a long hallway past the door leading to the entrance doors of the gym. There are also doors at the far ends that lead into the gym entrance foyers. I crack the door and put my signal mirror out into the hall. I would use the fiberscope but the doors are too tight fitting. The hall appears dark with exit lights shining at either end. A small amount of light streams in from small windows inset into the gym entrance doors and hits the wall in an elongated rectangle. Most importantly, no one is in the hall. There aren’t any places of cover though. From here on out, if I encounter anyone armed, they go down.
My thumb caresses the selector switch making sure I’m on semi. If I do meet up with anyone in the hall, hopefully the sound will be contained within. I can switch to auto if needed but the sound of one round is much different than that of auto fire and can be dismissed by anyone hearing. With a deep sigh, I snake into the hall.
I creep down the hall with periodic looks behind. Nearing the light from the door’s window casting a dim outline of the window against the opposite wall, I ready myself for it to swing open. That seems to be the way my luck runs. I sneak a peek through the window. The mirror might cast a reflection inside so I use my Mark 1 eyeball. The gym is dimly lit by a few overhead lights hanging from the ceiling far above. A row of folded bleachers sits just inside with cots spread in lines across the wooden floor. Lumps on the cots indicate they are occupied. An upper gym overlooks the main gym on the far side and two guards stand by metal railings. I look at the lumps on the cots searching for a telltale head. Those I can see appear to be males.
There, on the second cot down in the first line of cots closest to me, is the familiar short hair of Robert. My heart soars at the sight of him. The thought of darting in, grabbing him and vanishing in the darkness of the compound enters my mind. Or, I could take the guards out and do the same. This thought however subsides as there is Bri, Michelle, and Gonzalez to get out as well. Any action taken now will result in our presence becoming known and make it more than doubly difficult to get any of them out.
I head to the doors a short distance away at the end of the hall. The metal doors, with larger panes of glass set into their upper frames, look over the entrance foyer. Two guards sit in plastic chairs by the front entrance. I’m conscious of the one roving guard from earlier and check the hall behind. Empty. I head back to the door to the gym. Waiting for the guards overlooking the main gym to both have their attention focused elsewhere, I slip inside and ease the door shut as I fold into shadows of the bleachers where they meet the wall.
I turn off and raise my goggles. The inside is in fact very dimly lit but I’m able to see clearly regardless. I kneel and wait for another opportunity. I may not be able to take Robert out on this trip but I at least want him to know I’m here. The guards become involved in a conversation and I slide out to the first cot, coming to rest on my stomach adjacent to it. The cot shields me from the guards above should they look in this direction.
“Mister, what are you doing?” A voice whispers just above me.
I look up and see the face of a young lad peering down at me. “Shhhh… Lie back on your cot and go back to sleep,” I whisper. The face sinks back to the cot.
I look to Robert on the next cot down. He is looking right at me and smiling, apparently alerted by the youth above me talking. I place my fingers on my lips and he nods. I raise my head a touch and see the guards still locked in conversation. I slowly slide until I’m next to Robert; our heads only a foot away.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
“Yeah. I figured you’d be here. Are the others with you?”
“No, it’s just me for now,” I answer. “There are a couple of teams in the hills close by. Where are the girls?”
“They keep them in the classroom buildings. Gonzalez says there are two guards in rooms at night and one during the day,” he answers.
“Good to know,” I reply. “Are they okay?”
“Bri might have a fracture or broken arm but other than that, they’re fine,” he answers in a whisper not moving his head off the cot.
“Fuckers! Payment’s coming. What’s the story here?”
“Two guards are always on the balcony with two more at night at the entrances as far as I can tell,” he answers. “The guys are kept in here and the girls in classrooms.”
“And, Dad, Mom’s here,” he adds with excitement edging into his voice.
“Really? That’s great,” I answer with a touch of confusion. I could have sworn that was her in the house when I went to get the kids. I truly thought she had been turned into a night runner. This evening just gets crazier.
“Yeah. Pretty cool. What’s the plan?” He asks.
“Well, I think I can get you out of here. I’m not sure about being able to sneak in the classrooms and getting the girls though. That’s my next stop,” I answer.
“I’m not leaving without Michelle,” Robert replies.
“This is no time for heroics or the knight in shining armor bullshit. When I say so, roll off the cot and follow me,” I say.
“Dad, I’m not leaving her,” he whispers adamantly.
“Ah, fuck! Dammit! Okay, fine,” I say fully understanding. I mean, I went half way across the world for that very same reasoning. “I have to go check the classroom layout. We’ll be back in two nights. Don’t do anything foolish and stay under the radar.”
“I will, Dad, and thanks,” he replies.
“For what?” I ask.
“For coming,” he answers. This confuses me to an extent as I can’t fathom doing anything else. I guess it’s my night to be confused.
“The second night. Tell the others if you can. I love you, Robert.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
I reach up and grasp his shoulder for a moment and then slip back to the first cot when the opportunity affords. I’m over to the bleacher corner and out of the door with a heavy heart. I really wanted to bring him with me and I feel a weight settle in leaving him. I understand but still feel like heading back in and knocking some sense into him. With a heavy sigh, I retrace my route carefully and am back outside with the resolve that, if I can extract the girls safely tonight, I’ll be back for him as well. Lynn’s words of not doing anything foolish echo in my mind.
I was just planning to look around and that still may be just all that I do, but seeing Robert in the gym and knowing Bri is close by alters some of my thinking. I know this puts the others captured at a greater risk and would make it hard to also get them out. I feel a quandary as to what the right thing to do is. In a perfect world, it would be to get everyone out but this is far from a perfect world and I am far from perfect myself. If I have a chance to get my kids, Michelle, and Gonzalez out, I’m doing it. I guess that also includes their mom. I would feel their wrath and disappointment if I didn’t bring her as well, especially after they have just found her. That is still confusing.
I listen for any sounds of disturbance or of my potential roving friend. It appears everything is the way I left it. With my goggles back in place, I see the doors to a classroom building across the dark road. I know it’s dark but they are all visible in the green glow of my vision. I’ll be a visible shadow crossing the road though. I move over to the trees that are close to the pavement and cross quickly. Against one of the double-entry doors, I peer in
