Weekend Special Short Tales California 2.4 Chapter 1

 

Finally done on 1^st June after five months of rewrite and editing and what’s more to add.

 

1.

 

The neon light on the sixth levels building was still on lighted but it lost some letters on the left. It was to read as Hotel California but the last three letters on the second word had blacked out. The area was not even in California but stacked in the middle of the rows of building with abandoned vehicles most of it stripped or burnt. It was the section of the city that nobody with a sane mind will move to there with the ongoing lockdown on the then. There was the abandoned cemetery at the rear of the Hotel. It was said to housed the deaths of the last century but rumors said it was used to bury the undeclared recent deaths. They called it Boot Hill.

The city was in a lockdown due to the pandemic but the inhabitants were not responding to it. There were spots of carnage and looting, and the enforcement officers were stretched to the limits.

It was still into the night then at 2053hrs, with the heavy droplets of rain, and the fleet of cars that was speeding down the road. The fleet was a five cars convoy and it was not taking any obstacles to stop them. The leading vehicle was a 4x4 driven by the burly driver named Glenn, and riding shotgun was his cousin, Randy. They were better known by their reputation; the Eagles for they soar in the wilderness. Nothing can stand in their way and it was seen on the vehicle body. The reinforced fender on the vehicle was dented moving the stalled cars on the path. The other four cars were Cadillac models but filled with three occupants each except car three had four occupants.

“Glenn, this reminded me of Baja 1000.” The Baja 1000 is a Mexican off-road motorsport race held each year on the Baja California Peninsula. The race was founded by Ed Pearlman in 1967 and is sanctioned by SCORE International. The Baja 1000 allows various types of vehicle classes to compete on the same course with classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs and buggies. The course has remained relatively the same over the years, about every other event being either a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada.

“Damn! This is more suspenseful than that race.” Glenn replied with usual candor of his approach. The driver held the crew cut with the wide shoulders and tall frame encased in the casual round neck, and denims pants with the leather jacket to ensure he does not get bruised. He wore the fingerless gloves that allowed the firm grip on the steering wheel.

“You owe me twenty. The fender worked, Randy.” Glenn roared out on the new fenders that he had put to unexpected stress tests. “Now pay up. I don’t take credits.”

The twenty with the image of Andrew Jackson was placed on the vehicle dashboard. Randy was not sore he lost but was thinking of another bet to win back his twenty.

“We are one minute out.” Randy looked up from the tablet he was holding. He was off target by five minutes and it can’t be helped for the route was riddled with debris. It was due to the curfew and the riot that followed soon after it.

Randy held his hair long and billowed freely behind and his frame was lanky dressed in the red shirt, denims pant and dark leather jacket. He was not wearing any gloves but held the touch pen allowed him to plot in the route.

“I intend to make it. We have a bonus there.” Glenn replied.

“If we do deliver the man there alive.” Randy reminded the other. “We will make enough to take the break.”

A break was what they had planned. It was a hectic six months of working for the man which involved a lot of driving. The driving part was not bad, but escaping the bullets that were not in the working resume they had submitted but the money was too good to ignore. That run came from a call to clear the traffic and that was they did.

“We are there.” Randy called out. He saw the other three vehicles had stopped in a semi-circular arrangement covering the entrance and they all disembarked; all seven of them to fan out to form a protective cordon.

“Clear!” The call went out and the one in the back seat of the third vehicle rushed He went to towards the building entrance. There was the double door but it won’t open. The one who was there drew the gun from his left shoulder holster and was to shoot the door lock when it sprung open.

“You aimed that at me anymore, it will you laid out here.” The figure who opened the door looked at the gunman. It was a male figure in the nurse white uniform appeared with the gurney.

“Where is he?” The Nurse asked. The gunman motioned to the third car. The nurse wheeled the stretcher for the third vehicle. The man inside on the back seat of that car was pulled out and rested on the gurney. The nurse pushed the gurney with the man on it to the entrance. The others all rushed out from the cars to follow at the back. They fanned out at the entrance with their guns drawn.

“Simon, organized them. I am going in.” The earlier gunman then went into the building. The one named Simon assigned two others to retrieve more heavy power guns from the car boots.

Glenn saw it and went into the building. He saw the gurney moved into the elevator and was taken up but the earlier gunman was left there at the lobby.

“Danny, we got the guns.” It was Simon who approached the one who walked in first. “Here is your piece.”

Simon handed the other name Danny the Colt M14 rifle. Simon was bald headed but held a goatee. He wore the denims and shirt with the automatic on the under-shoulder holster with a Remington shotgun. The barrel was sawn off to make it more suited for gun fights. Simon held a crew cut and a thin beard. He looked at his watch then.

“2130hrs. Time for my sitcom show and I am here. I wondered if there are any TV sets here.” Simon moan on his TV show.

Danny was equally young and was dressed casual, dark shirt and pants but he had added on the waist belt with the holster the Glock 9 automatic, and the newly handed over Colt M14 rifle. He was bald headed but held a goatee.

Danny looked to the four others who had followed Simon in. They left two of their own outside as sentries. He knew them all well; they are his loyal mates; some from his father’s homeland. They are all similarly packed with the guns, there were four AK74’s and four M14’s and Simon preferred the shotgun. He was a sniper.  

“Guys, we got the ‘seanfhear’ (old man in Irish) here. He is in ….” Danny spat out his anger. “Whatever keep him safe.”

“Danny, we should be safe here.” Simon assured the other. “Just in case, we are here. The two scouts are still out there. I also called in reinforcements. They are coming over now.”

The scouts were the two guys in the lead vehicle named Glenn and Randy.

“They are not part of the family but recruited to do the driving or clear the obstacles which were aplenty with the lockdown. They are drivers.” Danny told Simon. He then saw Glenn there.

“Driver, we will take it from here. You are released of your obligation.” Danny told Glenn. The latter did not reply to Danny and looked around the lobby.

It was not like any lobby of a hotel. It was bare except for the two plain wooden coffee tables; there was the long counter with the phone, and on both sides of the lobby were the three sets of brown settees that were a mix of three- seater and two seaters with yesterday’s magazines; ‘Guns and Ammo’ and ‘soldier of fortune’ with copies of ‘Forbes’ and ‘Daily Bread’ for the ones who needed to find better reading there. Danny walked to the counter and picked up the phone. The lift to the upper levels was on the extreme right of the counter and there was a stairs exit there too.

“Hello, how is my father?” Danny asked on the phone and his reply was this.

So I called up the Captain
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say

“Damnú” (Fuck in Irish) Danny hung up. He looked at the clock there and it was 2147hrs. He knew the drill. You stayed in the lobby unless you are wounded. 

And if you are a member of the club. 

Its exclusive to the select few. 

Who pays well above the regular rate.