A Small Gray Dot

I peered back into the jeep and spotted a metal cup in a holder. It had old coffee in it, which I dumped and poured in gas. I got in and switched on the power without starting the jeep. I pushed the switch to open the windows, found the one to retract the fabric top, then I turned the power back off. I dumped the rest of the gas over everything except the driver’s side. It was a five-gallon can and was full except for the amount I’d used for the incendiary bombs and what I’d put into the cup, which totaled less than a gallon, so it was quite a bit. I had Lem start dipping the cocktail wicks into the cup of gas.

I needed something to hold down the jeep’s accelerator. I looked around. There were no convenient heavy rocks lying about – or none I could see in the dark. Puffing out a breath of frustration because the longer this took the greater the chances were that someone was going to notice us on one of those cameras and come running, I looked in the back of the jeep. Nothing there except an x shaped lug wrench. It gave me an idea.

I went back to the driver’s side, pulled the thick floor mat forward until it covered the accelerator, mashing it down. To keep it that way, I set the lug wrench on top of it on its end, turning it so one side wedged snuggly under the seat and the other under the dashboard. It would do. I got in and turned the ignition. It started up with the engine racing. I was going to have to be fast.

“Open the gate.”

Duncan pushed until it swung back and banged against the fence. I slammed the jeep into gear and jumped, rolling from it as it cleared the gate. It was a dangerous move but one I’d made before. The timing had to be right but I knew it could work. The jeep shot forward heading straight for the first delivery van. Unless it hit something that turned it too much to the left, it would hit the van broadside. The open driver side door caused it to veer slightly to the right but it was almost a straight clean shot and within seconds, it made a satisfying loud crash as it smacked into the van, pushing it into the one beside it. It kept revving and its front end bounced up, as if it was trying to mount the van.

By that time, the guys had run through the entry and into the trees carrying the cocktails, and I scrambled to join them. We got to the edge of the trees and I grabbed one of the cocktails, lit it, took aim, and lobbed it hard toward the growling jeep.

I threw it trying to hit the pavement behind it so that the flaming gas would run down and make contact with the jeep from its underside where some of the gas spread over the interior was dripping. I threw it too high and the bottle sailed over, hit the flat metal frame on top of the jeep and shattered. Even better. There was a flare as the cocktail fuel ignited and rained down inside, and a whoosh as fire hit the gas that was all over the seats.

We lit and threw more cocktails towards the vehicles. They hit the pavement, breaking and spreading flames beneath them. Then we exited the trees and ran down the side of building. As we sped toward the back, apparently one of our bombs got lucky with a gas tank because a loud blast sent a bright ball of fire out into the night. By the time we rounded the corner and headed for the back door, there was a full-fledged conflagration out front – and a lot of hollering had started.

We got through the door – apparently, none of the Binqua believed in checking so it was unlocked – and sprinted up the stairwell to the second floor. We burst through the doors at the top – and right into a gaggle of Binqua milling in the hall. I didn’t know how many there were but if they had guns, they weren’t using them.

I plowed in and took one to the floor. He let loose with one of those weird giggles as I punched him in the face, then I hit the release on my knife and slashed down. Oily blue blood flew and I rolled off. Duncan, Lem, and Percy, without knives and too close to use their rifles, were each grappling with an opponent, punching and kicking, and I was coming to my feet, ready to take on another when suddenly, the back of my head exploded and everything grayed out before going dark.

Chapter Thirty-five

LIGHT GRADUALLY FILTERED IN. I WAS LYING on the floor on my back staring up at a white ceiling. I brought my eyes down, and found myself looking at Talbert.

He was sitting stiffly in a hard backed wooden chair holding my .357. Oddly, he wasn’t looking at me and the gun wasn’t pointed in my direction.

Instead, his face was pale and he looked scared as he stared at something behind me. I remained still. I closed my eyes to a slit and slid them to the left. Duncan, Lem, and Percy, wearing frustrated looks, were sitting on the floor with their hands on top of their heads. From that, I didn’t think we were still in the hall.