“Just you and me? All by ourselves?” Riley asked with a grin and then turned serious. “I have a question.”
“What’s that?”
“Is your old ass ready for round two?”
Chapter 28 - The Ice Storm
At about the time that Johnny G and Riley were dumping the trailer, Fred and Nikki were in their own hideaway. Fred took off his hat and rubbed his bristly gray hair before looking up at the ceiling. He then gestured toward the makeshift pen.
“No need for both of us to freeze. You can stay here with the horses.”
“No. I’m coming with you,” she said, although the last thing she wanted to do was go traipsing around in the freezing rain.
Fred stared a moment, noted the determination in her hazel brown eyes and put his hat back on. “Alright. Wear that poncho you have. We’ll take our backpacks with us.”
Fred went to the truck and pulled two handguns out of a bag. He locked the slide back on one of them and handed it to Nikki. Nikki inspected it. It was a Ruger twenty-two caliber, meticulously clean, and well lubricated. Ensuring it was unloaded, she released the slide and aimed at an imaginary target on the far wall.
He reached back into the bag, grabbed a handful of bullets, and handed them to her.
“We only have two magazines, so put these in your pocket. If you have to shoot, reload your magazine as soon as you can. Always keep it full. Have you ever shot a handgun with a suppressor attached?”
“I’ve shot plenty of guns. A twenty-two caliber is easy to shoot,” she said.
“They can be, but the suppressor puts a lot of weight on the front, which messes with your aim. If you have need to use it, I’d suggest using a two-handed grip.” He reached back into the bag and came out with two magazines that were already loaded. He handed one to Nikki. She inserted the magazine, ensuring she heard the click to indicate the mag was fully seated, and racked the slide. The only holster she had did not fit the Ruger, so she shoved the barrel into her belt. It was snug, but she worried that it might fall out at the worst time.
“Alright, let’s talk,” Fred said, which surprised Nikki.
“Okay, what about?”
“You said you took the combat defense class, right?”
“Yeah, Joker taught it.”
“Yeah, he’s a clown, but he knows weapons and shooting. So, you were taught what to do if we’re in a firefight and your mag runs dry?”
“Yeah, yell out the word red, take cover, reload, and then yell out the word green. Unless you use other words?”
“Nope, those two will do. Don’t yell if you don’t need to. If it’s humans we’re shooting at, they don’t need to hear what we’re telling each other. How about the hand signals, do you remember those?”
“Yeah, but I might be a little rusty with them,” Nikki admitted.
Fred did not admonish her and the two of them spent ten minutes going over them until he was satisfied she was proficient in them before heading outside.
The freezing rain pelted them as soon as they walked out the door. Nikki made the mistake of looking up and cringed when her face was hit by the icy particles. She tilted her face back down and pushed her Resistol snugly on her head. She then looked around. The rain was sticking to everything and freezing within seconds.
“All this ice is going to be hell to drive on,” she remarked.
“Yep, we might be stuck here a while,” Fred replied. “But it’ll also work to our advantage.”
“How?” she asked.
“Nobody but us will be out in this weather. Not even the zeds. We’ll be able to move around undetected.”
Nikki scoffed. “You mean we’re the only ones stupid enough to be out in this crap.”
“Yep.”
He put a pebble slightly in the path of the door. If someone opened it, it would be moved, signaling them of an intruder. Standing, he faced Nikki.
“There’s a parking garage a few blocks from here. It’s only six stories high, but it’ll do for now.” He gestured at the handgun. “We’ll only shoot if we have to.”
“I could take my bow with us,” she suggested.
“I don’t think it’d be much good in this weather,” Fred responded. “Are you any good with it?”
Nikki offered a smug grin. “Damn right I am. How about you?”
“Decent, but I’m better with guns.” He thought a moment before adding, “and knives. When we get to the garage, we’ll clear it and set up. Then we’ll talk more. If we get separated at any time, make your way back here. Only come looking for me when you think it’s safe to do so. Mount up on Aisha and tell her to find Fred. She’ll find me.”
“She will?”
“Yep, she’s one of the smartest horses I’ve ever been around,” Fred said.
“Does Leeroy know you’re in love with her too?” Nikki said with a grin.
That earned her a rebuking grunt before he began walking.
The footing was slippery, and they walked with care. Fred seemed to walk with ease while Nikki slipped frequently and almost busted her ass more than once. They reached the parking garage twenty minutes later. Fred crouched behind a pylon for a minute and scanned. The garage was typical; it was made of concrete and each landing had a waist high wall with the rest open to the roof. Nikki recalled someone telling her parking garages were commonly built like that to keep costs down and allow the garage to have adequate ventilation.
They carefully made their way upward, clearing each level of any possible threats. The garage held few automobiles now, making it easier for them to clear each landing. Once reaching the roof, they went back down to the fifth level in order to avoid most of the rain. Taking up a position behind an old Porsche, well back from the opening, Fred took off his backpack, broke the
