Page 18 of One Cry Too Loud
“This isn’t because of the phone,” tag said, his voice shaking and his breathing rapid. “He didn’t get through the phone.”
“That’s not important,” I said, my eyes on the archer as he walked toward us.
“Itisimportant! This phone is a modern marvel of cyber security. I have an IQ that would make Einstein blush with insecurity. Some idiot with a bow and arrow didn’t break throughmyphone! He must have found you guys some other way,” Tag replied.
“He’s reloading,” I said, spying the man as he stopped and pulled another arrow from his quiver. “So hit the floor. Otherwise ‘some idiot with a bow and arrow’ is going to take your head off. Then it won’t matter what makes Einstein blush.”
Tag didn’t move. So, I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him down. It didn’t come a second too soon. The arrow pierced through the air, narrowly missing the boy as he fell backward. The others all had the common sense and humility to already be on the floor. As such, I nodded to Kat.
“I need to check on the old man,” I said, motioning to Miller, who presumably was behind the counter.
“I’ll cover you,” she said from the floor. Her gun was already in her hand.
Without another word, I sprinted toward the back. I felt the whizz of an arrow as it moved by my shoulder, pricking at my skin ever so slightly. I winced but kept going as I heard gunfire sounds from behind me. Kat was shooting. That would buy me a few seconds.
I leapt over the counter and found the man there. He was crouched, almost kneeling as he rifled through a cabinet under the cash register.
“You okay?” I asked, taking him in.
The old man, Miller, pulled a pistol from the cabinet and checked to make sure it was loaded.
“I’m three bullets worth of okay. How about you?” He asked.
“A little better than that. We’re as armed as we need to be, though,” I answered. “Are you hit?”
“Nah,” the old man said, looking himself over. “I had to double check. I haven’t had much feeling in this shoulder since ‘Nam.”
“I appreciate your service,” I said. “And I think I need to apologize. I think we might have brought some bad people to your doorstep. It wasn’t our intention.”
“It never is, is it?” He asked. “And don’t worry. If it was you , it’d be somebody else. This is the swamp, son. Bad people are never too far away. You gotta be prepared.”
“Speaking of that, do you happen to have a place here where I can hide my friends until I can take care of this guy?” I asked.
“Got a closet in the back with a reinforced steel door,” he said. “It serves as a kind of vault for me. We get bandits from time to time. A couple of your friends can hold up there until I give this sonofabitch back to the Good Lord.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d go in there with them, sir,” I said.
“Can’t happen, son. This place has been in my family since my grandfather put it up with his bare hands.” As his words flew through the air, so did another arrow. It slammed into the wall, shattering another glass. “He blew those mason jars too. My grandfather was a man of many talents.” Miller didn’t seem affected, let alone afraid of what was going on around him. “The point is that this place is important to me. I’ve never read away from anything, and I’m not running away from this.”
“It wouldn’t be running away, sir,” I said, trying to convince the old man to pull himself from danger. “This place is important to you. I understand that, and I’ll fight for it, sir. I promise you that. My friends are important to me too, and if this guy gets through me, I was hoping you might be there to-”
“Say no more. Second lines of defense are important,” Miller said. “Send your crew to me. I’ll make sure nothing this side of heaven gets to them.”
I nodded. “Thank you sir.” Another arrow flew through the air, smashing another in the line of mason jars. I jumped up, grabbing the two remaining pieces and placing them beside Miller on the floor. “For your grandfather. Now, if you don’t mind-”
“I’ll cover you,” the old man said, reading my mind. This obviously wasn’t the first time he had said that.
“I got someone up front doing that. Keep your three bullets in case you need them. Watch for my friends, though, okay?” I said.
He nodded and I rushed toward the others, keeping as low to the floor as I could. No arrows flew as I slid toward them.
“Is he-”
“He’s fine,” I said, cutting Kat off. “He’s got a steel reinforced closet back there too. So, I’m going to need you guys to go back there with him.”
“You’re not talking to me,” Kat said. It wasn’t a question.
“The rest of you then,” I said. Stay as low as you can and follow Miller to the closet.”
