Chapter 8
The moment Maggie was pulled out of the hospital by Dillon at gunpoint, she expected someone to do something. Dillon wasn’t trying to hide the pistol, so she hoped somebody would see the situation and intervene. But the moment she saw the city’s chaos, Maggie knew she was on her own.
“We need to find a working car,” Dillon said.
“Good luck with that,” Maggie said, eying the fleet of disabled vehicles that covered the roadways.
“You’re not much of an optimist, are you?” Dillon asked. “Well, that’s okay. I’ve got enough for both of us. You need it when you rob people for a living.”
Maggie struggled against the same handcuffs that the FBI agent had used to restrain Dillon. She was limited in her mobility, but she needed to find a way to escape to return to the hospital.
The farther they separated from the hospital, the less control Maggie had over the situation.
Dillon was adamant and persistent in their pursuit of searching for transportation.
And while Maggie was hoping he would lose focus, he was unphased even as gunshots, explosions, and fires were being set off all around him.
If Maggie wanted to escape, she needed a different strategy.
Maggie then wondered if she could use the chaos to her advantage. If she could separate herself way from Dillon for just a bit, she could lose herself in the crowds.
It would be just as hard for him to catch her as for her to escape. All she needed was to keep as many people between her and the criminal as possible.
Maggie glanced around, hoping to find an opportunity, and saw a cluster of people approaching them. They were running from something.
The moment Dillon saw the crowd heading their way, it was too late for them to get out of the way. He gripped her arm even harder and pulled her through the masses. But there were so many bodies pushing against them. All Maggie had to do was yank hard in the opposite direction, and she was free.
“Hey, stop!” Dillon shouted, reaching for Maggie, but he missed.
Maggie used her strength and determination to plow her way through the crowd, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Dillon.
People shoved against her hard, and she nearly toppled over twice, which would have killed her if she had been caught under the stampede.
But she managed to remain upright, and when she saw the crowd’s edge, Maggie believed she had finally won her freedom.
The moment Maggie escaped the crowd, she made a beeline toward the hospital but only made it a handful of steps before she was tackled to the sidewalk.
Maggie caught herself on her forearms, saving her head from smashing into the concrete. But as she was quickly pulled to her feet, she saw bloody scrapes along her arms.
Dillon shoved her up against a nearby wall and put the gun in her mouth. “That wasn’t a smart move,” Dillon said.
Maggie couldn’t respond because of the gun barrel in her mouth. She tasted the harsh metals on her tongue, and she gagged from the pressure against the back of her throat.
“I’m this close to putting a bullet through your brain and leaving you here to rot on the street,” Dillon said. “I don’t think you understand the opportunity that I’m giving you.”
Maggie would have spit in his face if she could, but she was so overwhelmed with pain it was difficult to even grunt in defiance.
Eventually, Dillon removed the pistol from her mouth and pressed it into her forehead. The pressure was so hard that she thought her skull was going to crack.
“What was the plan?” Dillon asked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to catch you? Did you think somebody might help you?”
Dillon gestured to the people who were sprinting past. Nobody paid attention to them, even though he had a gun pointed at her head.
“No one is going to help you,” Dillon said. “The only thing people care about right now is saving their own skins. So, you should do yourself a favor and start playing along with me.”
“It would be easier for you to kill me,” Maggie said. “Why not get it over with?”
Dillon grimaced, but then he removed the gun from her head and stepped back. “I think that’s a good question for you to try to figure out on your own. It will help keep your mind busy and stop you from making any more stupid decisions.”
Dillon grabbed her again and pushed her forward, keeping her close as he pressed the gun barrel into her back.
“Or maybe this is what you wanted?” Dillon asked. “If you wanted me to be closer, all you had to do was ask.”
Maggie shivered with disgust as she felt his breath against her neck. She wasn’t going to go quietly, but until she had a better strategy of escape, she would have to play along.
Maggie and Dillon reached the outskirts of the city without running into much trouble. But even though they had managed to escape, there were hundreds of thousands of people within the city who were struggling to survive.
Maggie imagined that thousands would die in the coming days, maybe even tens of thousands. Without clean water, food, and medication that so many people needed to survive, the herd would quickly thin. She still couldn’t imagine why anyone would do something like this.
Once they had put the majority of the chaos behind them, Dillon relaxed a little bit, and they slowed their relentless pace.
“Maybe now we can find an actual car to get us the hell out of here,” Dillon said.
Maggie already knew what cars to look for to check to see if they worked, but she kept all of that information to herself. She wouldn’t give Dillon any information that would take her away from the city and her son.
But as Dillon passed all the newer cars, Maggie wondered why he wasn’t checking them to see if they worked. But her questions were answered when he approached an old truck parked down a side street, away from the main roads.
“What are you doing?” Maggie asked, trying to play dumb. “The cars don’t work.”
“This one will,” Dillon answered, and he opened the driver’s side door. There was a set of keys hidden beneath the seat, and when Dillon put them into the engine, the old truck started right up.
Dillon smiled as he turned back to Maggie, who was shocked Dillon knew what to look for after an EMP.
“Get in,” Dillon said, aiming the gun at her.
Maggie complied, sitting in the passenger seat. Dillon handcuffed her to the passenger door and then sat behind the wheel.
“Buckle up,” Dillon said playfully.
Once Dillon started to drive away, Maggie thought harder about how Dillon knew the old truck would still start. And there was one answer pushing to the front of her mind that she was afraid to utter aloud.
“You did all of this,” Maggie said. “You detonated the EMP.”
This time, it was Dillon’s turn to glance at her with surprise. “What do you know about that?” Dillon asked.
“How could you even do such a thing?” Maggie asked.
Dillon smiled. “You’re much smarter than you look.” He glanced out at the destruction he had caused, pleased with his work. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be, and it was even easier to set it into motion.”
“You did all of this so you could escape?” Maggie asked. “Do you know how many people will die because of this?”
Dillon shrugged. “Not my problem. All I want is my money, and that’s where we’re heading now.”
“You’re a murderer,” Maggie answered.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t kill anybody,” Dillon said.
“Well, except for Agent Willow. But everything that’s happening in the city has been done by the people who call themselves law-abiding citizens.
I am surprised at how quickly everybody turned on each other.
I would’ve thought it would have at least taken another day. But I guess that’s just human nature.”
It appeared that Maggie had underestimated Dillon.
“Is it just the city that’s been affected by the EMP?” Maggie asked.
“The radius is supposed to be one hundred square miles,” Dillon answered.
“We wanted to make sure the device was capable of reaching a few of the police headquarters and other federal buildings on the outskirts of the city. From what I can tell, our plan worked very well. We were just trying to buy some time for me to escape and the rest of my crew to get out of the city with the money we had stashed. Running away is much easier when you don’t worry about somebody chasing you.
The police will be sifting through this mess for months, and I will be long gone by then with enough money to do whatever I want for the rest of my life. ”
Maggie had known some very selfish and greedy people in her lifetime. But what this man had done? She was sickened because it was all done in the name of greed.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Dillon said. “Do you know how hard it was to pull all this off? I mean, it was a year of planning.”
“And getting caught?” Maggie asked. “That was part of the plan, too?”
“I knew the authorities would want the mastermind,” Dillon answered.
“So, yeah, I allowed myself to get caught. Because I was confident I would be able to escape. And that’s exactly what I did.
I love it when a good plan comes together.
” He laughed, struck the steering wheel with the palm of his hand, and then laid on the horn, howling along with it.
“Just let me go,” Maggie said.
Dillon glanced at her. “I told you I’m not doing that.”
“You have everything you want,” Maggie said. “I am no longer any use to you. You said it yourself that the police would be too busy cleaning up this mess to chase after you. You don’t need a hostage anymore.”
“I enjoy the company,” Dillon said.
Maggie understood that if she wanted out, she’d have to fight her way out. And with Dillon distracted with driving, she believed she had an opportunity. Because while Maggie’s arms were restrained, her legs were not.
Maggie thrashed against the door and her restraints, kicking Dillon as hard as possible. She tried to aim for his face but couldn’t position her legs in the right spot.
Dillon swerved back and forth over the pavement, unable to keep the car straight. Eventually, Dillon regained control of the vehicle and pulled over. Then, he used the gun to put Maggie back in her place.
“That wasn’t very smart,” Dillon said.
“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” Maggie asked.
For a moment, Maggie thought Dillon might do it. But he finally lowered the weapon and put it in his lap. He took a minute to compose himself and then looked at Maggie with conviction.
“I’m not good by myself,” Dillon said. “I’ve been in solitary confinement for the past week, and even if you don’t say anything, I know you’re there. That’s invaluable to me right now.”
“I’d rather die,” Maggie said.
“Luckily for me, the choice isn’t up to you,” Dillon replied. “And besides, you might grow to like me.”
“Not a chance,” Maggie said. “You’re a murderer.”
“Look around,” Dillon said. “Everyone is a murderer. Do you even know how many people have probably killed someone today? The veil of society has been pulled back, revealing the evil that lives inside people. I could’ve easily killed your son at the hospital, but I didn’t.
I shot the FBI agent because I didn’t want him following me.
You don’t know how tenacious he can be.”
“You’re not as persuasive as you think,” Maggie said.
“And you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” Dillon said. “You’re stuck with me, so you might as well get used to it.”
“My family will come for me,” Maggie said. “My husband will go to the ends of the earth to find me.”
“He’s not going to find you,” Dillon said.
Maggie raised her eyebrow. “Then you’re in for a rude awakening.”