Ninety Degrees Out

“Randy!” Sara’s scream stopped him short of the ladder to the roof.

“My gun’s up there.”

He jumped over sputtering flames and hauled himself up, ignoring the heat in the aluminum. Scrambling up the rest of the way, he went right by the safety harness at the eaves. Using the treads Aaron tacked through the shingles, he climbed onto his platform, and dropped onto his stomach.

The roar of unmufflered motorcycles caught his attention instantly. Grabbing the spotting scope, he trained it on the intersection from the highway at Dahl Road.

Eight of them. Steam and smoke from the barely burning fire rolled over him. Obviously, the fire retardant Sara’s father applied did the trick. The only worry was the new wall Aaron built for the great room. He would bet his last dollar, that’s where Sara was right now. The woman was amazing.

When the circling bikes stopped, he shifted his eye to his scope. Stupid on their part. He chuckled. He was about to teach them a lesson. Pondering his target, he went for those who were riding double. Two bikes. With luck he’d get Rico.

One bike, the only one that looked like it had any dirt track capability, tore off into the woods. Shit, no more time.

He steadied his aim, and double tapped the trigger. As his finger moved the bikes accelerated.

“Shit! God damn them to fucking hell!!” Randy screamed the words at the top of his lungs.

“What’s wrong man?”

Aaron’s voice caught him as he peered through the big spotting scope.

“Got two of them, but I swear the devil is in their back pocket. Moved exactly when I let the rounds go. I would’ve had the damn leader and maybe his bitch too, but they friggin hit the gas.”

“Hey man, you got two. Good stuff.” Aaron nudged him aside and took a look for himself.

“Well?”

“Two down. And their bikes. Not to mention, you lucked out. Kill shots from the look of them. Blood all over the place.”

His buddy grabbed the radio from the belt clip on his belt.

“Tell Hakan, six bikes got away. And one is probably headed his way. Went into the woods, and I can hear him on the trail.”

“I hear him, he’s probably going down to scout the ranch.”

Aaron repeated Randy’s warning in a terse brief message before he put the radio back on his belt.

“We’re done up here man. Let’s go down and help Sara. The only place the flames caught are the new wall. Not burning well, cause the logs are soaking. Rain hits them almost every day. We need to skin them, and waterproof, but not a chance. No way to get the stuff to do it.”

Aaron backed off the platform ahead of him and he waited while he wriggled down to the ladder. He was right. Two more gang members dead. The assholes didn’t even stop to see what happened. Left the bikes and bodies. They might be back for them. Randy decided to make sure those Harleys were out of commission.

Dropping down the ladder, he realized the flames were out around the front of the house. Walking around to the back, he noted charred plants and grass, but no real damage to the walls. As he came around the corner to the back, Sara hit him with a stream of cool water, he danced to once side to avoid more.

“Hey, Randy, I’ve got it under control. Nothing but a bit of bark burned. Not even the vegetable garden caught. They put the Molotov cocktails between the beds and the wall.” Sara sounded disgusted.

“Not too bright.” Aaron was walking toward the end of the hose where it attached to the faucet. “I’m turning the water off. We’re going to skin the rest of the bark off around the burned patches, make sure there’s nothing smouldering.”

“While you do that, I’m taking the siphon and fuel can to drain their motorcycles. I’m cutting the fuel lines and brake lines on them as well. No point in letting them figure out they need to come back for them and end up with two spare bikes in enemy hands. Besides, we can use the gas.”

“Can’t ride, with that stuff,” Sara said.

“Don’t want to. It isn’t far and I need to walk my mad off. I missed the damn leader and his bitch,” Randy grumbled as he headed back to the garage.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“God damn hospital in here. Where’s the fucking drugs?” The shout from the irate man echoed through the tent.

Arimina’s head popped up from behind the bed.

Olivia brought her fingers to her lips and shook her head, hoping Ari would understand the signal. She nodded and dropped back down into the shadows.

What went on out here? A child this young should not understand these things. She shouldn’t be confident with a rifle or willing to defend me like this. What am I going to do when he comes in here? I can’t reach the damn monitor to turn it off. He’s going to hear the beep if he stops to think.

Drawers opened and slammed outside her door as the intruder continued. The thud when a shelf slammed down to the floor sounded like a bomb going off. Glass shattered, and Ari popped up again. Tears traced their way down her cheeks, but she stayed silent.

Olivia reached over the side of her bed and squeezed her shoulder. It was all the comfort she could offer. Her headache pounded, throbbing in time with her quickening pulse, and she pushed Ari down again.

Horses hooves pounding across the runway brought hope. Olivia wished she could warn the rider.

Where is Dr. Mike? I wish I could warn that rider. Were these people prepared? Did then know? They must, but I don’t know. No one told me. Why would they? I just woke up.

Olivia hauled herself up into the vee where her bed bent to support her knees. She needed to be in a position to throw the radio and laying half on her back was not it. Glancing down, she could see Ari laying behind her rifle. It was pointed at the open door. She turned, stretching to the limit of her reach, and hit the switch on the side of the monitor hanging over her bed.

Silence.

She could hear man rummaging through another room behind hers. Same place Dr. Anya told her they used for storage. Hopefully, they had the few medications they had locked up securely.

“Where’s the fucking light? Shit hole place. I know these tents, they have windows. God damn cave in here.”

She heard him fall as he tripped, and almost giggled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Alicia leaned down close to Dolly’s neck. Her tranq gun tucked into the holder fastened to the front of her saddle. She checked her pocket as they thundered across the runway toward the hospital tent. The darts were right where she left them.

Sitting on its kickstand, the Enduro was taller than she expected. Was she strong enough to push it over? But really what she needed to do was disable it, but how? Cursing silently, she slowed her horse to a walk.

Why have I never bothered with mechanics of any sorts? Have to make sure to fix that and get Ari into it too. Even if it’s just enough to recognize brake lines and major parts.

The tinkle of breaking glass caught her attention and she tethered Dolly to one of the rings sticking out of the canvas wall. Shade hid her horse and Dolly lowered her head to reach for the lush grass growing at her feet. Alicia walked down to the side door. This was where Dr. Anya brought horses and cattle in the few times an animal encountered a problem on the ranch.

Concentrating, she slipped through between the stalls for recovering animals, and past the caged area where the lynx kittens slept. She had to stop this idiot before he destroyed more of their precious medical supplies. Where was he?

Alicia spotted his dark form, as he kicked at another shelving unit.

“Fucking bastards. Figures everything’s locked up. Gotta find the keys. Or the friggin idiot that has them. Want my high, haven’t had a hit for over two months.”

His voice was harsh. He sounded desperate and angry. She had to stop him before he found Olivia and Ari.

She braced her gun against her shoulder. She knew there was a dart in her chamber. There, he was heading toward the door into the office. A perfect silhouetted. Holding her breath, she squeezed the trigger.