John tasted the water in the fire engine, it tasted old and had a slight odor to it, but it was good enough for drinking and cooking with. The co-pilot had suggested that they take as much as possible as there might be nothing out there, and they might need supplies for longer than they anticipated.
It was time to rest and the temperature was now several degrees below freezing. A case of Chinese-made children’s “The Mechanic” blankets had been found earlier, and there were enough to ration out several to each person. Everybody bedded down to sleep, knowing that departure time would be early.
It was 7:00 am when Captain Mallory awoke. He thought he had slept past dawn as the warehouse was brightly lit up from outside. He ran to the second-story window and saw that it was massive flames, and not the sun, that was causing the light. The fires had gotten a lot closer overnight. The whole horizon around the silhouetted building across the street showed that fires were burning just a couple of blocks away and they were very big. He could see dense smoke rising and it was blowing in a gentle breeze over the top of their warehouse. It was time to go—breakfast would have to be on the road.
The captain got the crew up and asked them to wake everyone. Figures were huddled together everywhere for warmth, and as John walked past the broken door with the forklift keeping it closed, he heard someone knocking on the door from outside. He opened the door by a few inches and saw several little faces peeking out from under the same “The Mechanic” blankets they had issued to the passengers to keep warm several hours earlier. He let in the group of children who looked cold and dirty. Their group included an older teenager girl who looked a complete mess—her filthy blonde hair covered in mud and dirt.
“Who are you guys?” John asked.
“I’m Sam, he’s Paul my younger brother, and that’s Melanie,” the first boy said, pointing to a smaller boy about eight next to him and a six-year old girl. “We found some of these kids running from the fires after we left here with our parents a few hours ago. We were part of a group of twenty who walked out of here to find help. We didn’t want to go, but our parents forced us.”
“Where are they now?” asked John.
“I don’t know,” replied Sam. “We got shot at by a group of guys in an old white convertible. We all ran for cover, but I saw a couple of adults get hit. That car and then another old black car, it looked like a Cadillac you see in the movies, chased lots of people and they were shooting at anybody who moved.”
“We hid,” added Paul. “A couple of these kids found us and took us to an old building where some other kids were hiding.”
“The bigger girl over there,” Sam continued, “said that she was being held captive in one of the cars and when the excitement started, she flung herself out of the back of the convertible and ran for the river. She was hiding in an alley when we found her. She has a few injuries and her teeth keep chattering. I think the men did something to her.”
“We returned to this street just before it got light,” continued Paul. “As we snuck around the corner, we found three of the men who had walked out of here with us. They were all dead. They’ve been shot in the head, execution style. We checked in their pockets for a cell phone to call someone for help, but all their wallets and stuff was gone.”
“The rest of you are all from around this area?” John queried the kids without the blankets around them and they all nodded. “Do any of you know how to get out of here and onto any highway going south?” One 10-year old thought that he could guide them. “Where are we right now?” John asked the boy.
“New Jersey,” he replied.
“New Jersey, or New York?” John asked, now confused.
“No, this is the Marine Terminal in Port Newark, New Jersey. Where did you think you were?”
“Next to the Hudson River,” John answered.
“That’s over towards Manhattan from here. This is Newark Bay,” replied the boy. “Do you have anything to eat? We’re really hungry.”
“He landed in Newark Bay, huh! The captain’s going to like that one when I tell him that. He beat old Sully!” smiled John thinking aloud. “Cheese or chocolate?” he asked the kids.
“Chocolate!” was the unanimous reply.
“Guys, go and see Pam, the flight attendant by the refrigerator, and ask her to get you a box of both,” he instructed, and they moved swiftly in that direction, all hungry except the teenager who just stood there with her face down and her teeth still chattering. He touched the girl on her shoulder and she pulled away immediately. “What’s your name?” he asked. She did not respond. “Can you hear me?” he asked. She nodded.
“We are getting out of this place this morning. It’s not safe here anymore,” he spoke to her soothingly. “The flight attendant can look after you, and keep you warm and safe while we’re getting ready. Come, walk with me and I will introduce you to her.” He walked over to Jamie, one of the flight attendants, who was issuing the kids a box of cheese and chocolate each and cautioning them to eat it slowly because there wasn’t much to go around. The girl followed John, and when Pam Wallace noticed her shivering, she grabbed another blanket without a word, put it around the chattering girl, and took her into the office.
A meeting was held several minutes later, and the Captain spoke. “These kids came in this morning and said that several of the passengers who left yesterday were shot outside last night. This place is getting dangerous. There are large, out-of-control fires coming closer and there is enough ammunition in this warehouse to blow it all to shreds. Is anybody still contemplating staying here and waiting for help?”
Nearly a dozen people put their hands up. Most were older and sitting near the arrogant government official. The captain tried valiantly to convince them to leave.
“We are going to be tight in the five vehicles we have ready and fueled up. Are you sure you want to stay? This government-employed gentleman is operating under a code of justice I don’t believe exists anymore. He hasn’t been outside and hasn’t seen the death and destruction out there.” Captain Mallory waited for a change of heart from the people who were obviously in collusion with the government official. “He is certain that you will all be rescued, and I honestly hope he is right and you will be. This is a democratic country and you can all make your own decisions. When I leave here, however, you are no longer my concern. You will be on your own. Do you understand?”
“This is the United Bloody States of America,” replied the government official. “Help will come, and you will hear from the authorities about the damage you have done to this building, I can promise you that, Captain. We have food here for weeks, and I’m sure the fires are being put out right now. The Army or National Guard will be in these streets very soon and will take us out of here the RIGHT way!”
“I hope for your sake, sir, that you are right. You can ask the airline for my address when the time comes. My crew and I, however, are leaving this place and trying to get to safety on our own. Anyone who wants to leave with us should get aboard one of the vehicles at this time. If I see the authorities on the way out, I will certainly tell them of your whereabouts. People! We are leaving in 15 minutes.” There was a general move for the door to the vehicle room, with many of the people patting the captain on the shoulder as they passed by, all wearing coats, hats, gloves, and “The Mechanic” blankets they had found in the warehouse. The kids and families were put aboard first, with couples second and single people filling in the empty seats that were left.
The locks on the outside of the garage-type door had already been broken with the flashlight by a couple of the passengers, and the door was rolled open. Smoke and cold air swept inside as the five vehicles were started up. Captain Mallory asked for a headcount from each vehicle, and put a member of his crew in command of each one. After the news from the boys, the captain and several of the men had packed a few more M4 carbines and several dozen extra boxes of ammunition and grenades into the front SWAT truck just in case. It would be the lead truck, with the second SWAT truck bringing up the rear of the convoy. Both trucks had a turret-type opening in the roof of the cab, a great firing and sniper position.