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"No shit, asshole! Don't talk to me like I'm stupid! All we wanted was some gas, and you pigs ran us off at gunpoint!"

Deputy Miller whispered to Max, "Those must be the guys who cut in line and wanted to fill up their gas cans. We ran them off, but they came back and fired some rounds at the gas station."

"Yeah, kinda figured that one out," Max quickly stated, and then addressed the gang of men robbing his armory. “You guys need to think about what you’re doing! You'll eventually get caught and wind up in prison for a very long time. Just slow down and think this out. This is gonna end up bad for you, I promise. Just put down your weapons, let the officer go and we can talk about this!"

"Shut the fuck up, you moron! You have no idea what’s going on! Are you dumb enough to think that things are just going to go back the way they were before? Are you that stupid? Wake the fuck up and get with the program!"

"I don't know what you’re talking about, man. Recovery takes time! Things will get cleaned up and rebuilt, and you’ll have to answer for you're doing! It's not a free-for-all out here, we have laws!"

"You really are clueless, aren't you? You think that being a cop means something now? You think I'm going to stand trial?" The man addressing Max was laughing so hard he could barely get the sentence out.

"Of course you’re going to stand trial! If you don't stand down and come out now, all of you will be arrested or shot!"

"Okay, copper, I'll play along and have a conversation with you like you mean something. Let me ask you this - you been to Florida lately? Talked to anyone in Florida lately?"

"No, I haven't been to Florida. Most of the state is locked down and quarantined. Something about a toxic chemical spill."

"Complete bullshit!"

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I came from Florida, that's why! That bullshit on the news about a quarantine zone is one massive cover-up! They got the place in lockdown because they don't want people getting out to tell the truth about what's really going on!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! That's just crazy!"

"I wish I was crazy, I really do," the man laughed. “I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. I was there! Everything is just gone! One giant pile of shit! Dead bodies everywhere, hardly any buildings left standing! The roads are either destroyed or full of broken down cars! I know how it sounds, I really do. But I'm telling you the truth! It's like a war zone in there! Small town cops aren't helping at all. They just barricade off what's left of their towns and shoot anyone who tries to come in! The National Guard isn't doing jack shit either! All they’re doing is blocking the roads, not lettin' anybody in or out!"

"Not that I believe you, but how exactly did you manage to get out? How'd you get all the way to Texas?"

"I made it to the checkpoint on Interstate 10. They tried to turn me around. All I wanted was some help, and they expected me to just turn around! I backtracked a few miles and took my bike off road. Made it around the checkpoint and stuck to back roads 'till I was well out of the way of the National Guard. Got here just in time for another fuckin' hurricane."

"So you think you can just do whatever you want? Every man for himself? You think Florida and Texas have turned into some Mad Max wasteland?" Max turned to Miller and Collins and motioned for them to head around and flank the armory from the left side. They understood and headed off.

"That describes it to a fuckin' T. It’s every man for himself. People in Florida are surviving in gangs, banding together and defending what they got from other gangs. I'm telling you, man, I made it to a small town with the main road barricaded like it was an army base or something. Cops there chased people off with gunfire just to keep them out! The only thing that matters now is who has more firepower! That's just what I'm doing; I'm taking these guns and getting the fuck out while I still can!"

"Hate to tell you, friend, you ain't goin' anywhere with my guns. Not gonna happen!"

"You forgetting something, you dumb prick? I got one of your men in here! You don't let us out of here, I'm blowing his head off! Then one of my boys is gonna kill his wife and kids! You better think about who's in charge around here! I don't give a shit if you got a badge! I'm in charge, so you better do as I say or this guy is dead!"

Max turned to Deputy Shackleford from the County Sheriff's office. "Gene, take Rudy back to the command post. Tell Sergeant Reid what's going on, and have her give you directions to Charlie's house so you can rescue his family. Do not key up your radio; I don't want to tip our hand. If they manage to get out of here, their next stop will be Charlie's house. He's got a baby and a toddler. We can't let these animals do anything to them."

Gene shook his head as he and Rudy headed back to the vehicles. They slowly skirted the piles of debris and rounded the corner to the parking lot. Max peered around the corner and could see Miller hiding behind a tree twenty yards to the left of the armory. He gave Max a thumbs up to indicate he was ready, and Max nodded his head in return. All he had to do was somehow convince this gang of thugs to let him come around the corner so he could talk. He would even toss his revolver out in front of them to make them think he was unarmed while leaving his back-up pistol in the small of his back.

Then Max heard a shotgun blast, followed by three pops from a handgun.

Max knew they were in trouble because no one on his team had a shotgun. He quickly peered around the corner to see if the guys in the armory were trying to rush him. When he turned around he saw a fat, bald man aiming a shotgun at him and another man close behind with a pistol. Max dropped his weapon and put his hands up. He closed his eyes and tried to find peace in the face of certain death.

"Jack! We got him! He surrendered!"

"Good! Bring his ass back here!"

Max kept his hands up as he warily eyed the two men drawing down on him.

"Mister, you drop your hands and it’s the last thing you do, I guarantee it. I already done killed those two guys trying to make a run for it; don't you think for one second I won't kill you. Start walkin’ … you know the way." Max obeyed but was able to make eye contact with Miller, shaking his head ever so slightly. If Miller or Collins made a move, people from both sides of the conflict would surely die.

As Max rounded the corner of the armory, he saw Deputy Charlie Mason sitting on the ground in his underwear with his right wrist handcuffed to his left ankle. Three thugs wearing bulletproof vests were loading gym bags with guns and ammo.

"Charlie, you okay?

"Yeah, Chief, I'm real sorry about this. They got my wife and kids locked up in one of the..."

"Shut the fuck up! I told you to keep quiet!" The guy running the show kicked Charlie in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Charlie spit blood and kept his face in the mud.

"Stop! Okay! You win! You got us! You're running the show! Jack? Is that your name? I get it! You don't need to hurt anyone!" said Max in frustration.

"Oh, yeah, mother fucker? Is that right? You get it? How 'bout you get a bullet in the head? Huh? How 'bout that?" Jack raised the pistol and leveled it at Max's head, quickly closing the distance between them. "How 'bout you shut your hole before I kick you in the teeth like your buddy over there! I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with the two of you!"

"OK, I'm sorry,” Max said softly.

"This is what's gonna happen, asshole. We’re cleaning this place out and taking your vehicles. Reckon we could go places in cop cars much easier. You gotta problem with that? Huh?" Jack rapped the barrel of the pistol on Max's sweaty forehead. "Whadda ya think? That sound fine with you?"

"Take what you want, just don't kill us."

"Take off your clothes."

"What?" Max looked at him in horror.

"You heard me – strip! You want me to shoot your friend here? I've always wanted to be a cop. Take off your god damned clothes! Hurry up!” Jack walked over to Charlie and aimed at his head.

"Stop! Okay!" Max began to take off his wet uniform.

"That's better! Joe, cuff these two pigs together, his arm to his leg." Jack tossed a set of cuffs to the fat man holding the shotgun.

Joe caught the cuffs and leaned his shotgun on a pile of rubble. "I'm gonna like being a cop! Always wanted a badge and a gun. Hot damn!" The fat man pushed Max to the ground next to Charlie.

"You behave now, or I'm gonna shoot your friend.” Jack aimed the pistol and Charlie's head. “Go on and snap those cuffs on your wrist and to his ankle."

With the men distracted by his uniform, Max leaned into Charlie and whispered, "Is your radio off?"

"It's in my patrol car at my house; I don't have it with me. They grabbed me on my way in."

"Good. Just stay calm. Miller and Collins are in the woods, ready to attack when they can get us out of the line of fire."

"God damn! We hit the jackpot! Check out this cool shit!” Jack surveyed the duffle bags piled up at his feet. “These grenades look badass! Can't wait to find out what they do!"

"Hell yeah, we're gonna run some shit for sure!" said the fat man.

"Hey Joe, keep an eye on these two. I think I wanna try on my new uniform.” Jack stripped out of his dirty clothes and put on Max's wet uniform. Then he bent down and picked up Max's duty belt, fitting it around his waist. "My oh my, this fits perfect! Whaddya think Joe? I look like a cop?"

"Hell no," laughed Joe.

"Shut up, you fat ass! Hey, you two clowns got everything loaded in our new cop cars?"

Max watched the two nameless henchmen grab the last duffle bag and head toward the parking lot.

"Can we move it along, please? Assholes? Hello? Hurry up! Let's go!" Jack was screaming at his two underlings, clearly letting them know who was running things.

"Well, now we get to the hard part. What are we gonna do with you guys?" Jack was pacing back and forth in front of Max and Charlie.

Joe walked over next to Jack and dug in his pocket. "Well, I know what I'm gonna do,” the fat man said, pulling his smartphone out of his pocket. “I’ve gotta take a picture of these two lovebirds."

"They do look sweet in their little love pretzel. Smile!" Jack laughed at how upset Max was getting.

"Well shit, we might as well kill 'em. Already got two dead bodies in the parking lot," said Joe.

"Holy shit! I just got the funniest idea!" Jack laughed hysterically.

"What? Spit it out man!" said Joe.

"You know what we should do? Shoot one and not the other. Leave one of 'em handcuffed to a dead body!"

"Jesus Christ, Jack! That’s some twisted shit!” the fat man snorted as he laughed.

"I don't know. I couldn’t care less about killing fuckin' cops. What about those little kids in the prison cell? I'm not killin' a baby."

"Me neither."

"Your fat ass would eat a baby before you shot one."

"That's gross dude! Shut up!"

"OK, fine. Listen up, lovebirds; this is what's gonna happen. Once we leave outta here, the two of you can play naked Twister and figure out a way to get over to the jail cell. The cell door key is on the hook next to the door. You let the bitch out and I'm sure she can help you out of your love knot. Sound like a plan?"

Max nodded.

"Well, shit, look here what I got. Didn't even notice it when I put on the belt. A walkie talkie radio! Maybe we can listen to this thing and figure out what the cops are doing!"

Max closed his eyes and hung his head.
Elizabeth
.

One of the unnamed henchmen came running around the corner. "Jack! Some lady is on the radio asking for these cops, said she was at a command post."

"Please tell me you didn't respond!" Jack screamed.

"No, just listened is all."

"What do we care about a command post? Let's get moving and get the hell outta here!" said Joe.

"Think about it, stupid! A command post’s got supplies, probably all kinds of good shit. We got the uniforms, the bullet proof vests, and guns!"

"Shit, yeah! Let's get moving!"

Jack and his hooligans took off toward the parking lot. Once they rounded the corner, Max turned towards the tree line and yelled, "NOW!"

Miller and Collins burst from the bushes and sprinted through the downpour to Max and Charlie.

"No! Forget us, you have to stop them! They're looking for the command post!"

Collins understood immediately and took off after them with Miller close behind. All Max could do with his wrist handcuffed to Charlie's ankle was wait helplessly and hope they stopped the men before things got completely out of control. If the two henchmen had taken the time to dig weapons out of the bags and load them with ammo, it was going to be an ugly fight. Max hoped the element of surprise would be to their advantage. He listened in horror to the sound of shotgun blasts and the quick pop-pop-pop of a pistol over and over again. Then after thirty nightmarish seconds, he heard a vehicle speed away.