Free Day One (Book 3): Alone by Michael Mcdonald

“Watch out!”
    My eyes shot forward. I didn’t have to consciously think about the task, it was automatic.
    There in the middle of the road were two police cruisers nose to nose. There lights were not flashing and at first I didn’t see anyone around them. How could I have missed something so large directly in front of me? I stopped suddenly, throwing both of us forward?
    “What are the cop’s doing out here?” Darren asked, as he grabbed for the seatbelt, and then abruptly gave up the idea, guessing that they already knew he wasn’t wearing one.
    A spotlight encircled and crashed through the windshield at us followed by instructions over a bullhorn. “Get out of the vehicle with your hands up!”
    Darren grabbed the door handle to comply and I grabbed him. “Don’t,” I said.
    “They’re cops!”
    “Are you absolutely sure about that, I mean are you willing to bet your life on that assumption?” I asked him. “Because I’m not.”
    “Well, I’m not getting shot for not complying with their orders!” He stated and jerked his arm from my grasp.
    “You exit this pickup and they will shoot you, I promise you that!” I replied quickly.
    “Driver, turn the vehicle off and exit with your hands held high!” More instructions came.
    “Do what they say before you get us both killed,” Darren told me.
    I checked to make sure the mag in my short rifle was full, as Darren eyed me with the fear once again plastered all over his face. But this time, there was something else in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place my finger upon. All I know is that given the situation we found ourselves in, his reaction didn’t fit.
    “They’re cops, they can help us… maybe even help you find your kids,” he added, I guess hoping that I would just give up and do what they wanted.
    I, on the other hand, had been through too much to just lie down and die. These were not real cops we were dealing with, and if God himself had somehow whispered it into my ear, I was not about to do anything they wanted. I’d kill them before letting them take my weapons and life from me.
    Darren grabbed at the door handle once more.
    “You even think about opening that door and I’ll shoot you myself. Do you understand me?” My words came like thunder, crashing and respecting full attention.
    “Last chance to surrender, driver!”
    I turned to Darren. “You ever heard a cop tell someone that just because they were sitting in the middle of the road, because I haven’t,” I asked. “They can be demanding to get their point across and keep control of the situation, but they never willfully threaten deadly force outside of a hostage or high risk felony position. These two are not cops!”
    As if my words had convinced Darren without a shadow of a doubt, he whispered to me. “Then what do we do?”
    “Listen to me and do exactly what I saw when I say, got it,” I told him before stepping out of the vehicle and slipping the sling over my head in a shallow blind spot. They gave no further instructions, so that told me they hadn’t seen me arm myself. My only concern was what to do, down to the last detail if the shooting started. They could be cops after all, just no longer on the job and seeing that the world had gone to hell, what better way would there be to gather supplies and weapons than to use your badge and take it through abuse of authority.
    “Show me you badges!” I yelled to them. “You want me to comply, then I will, but only after I see legitimate badges from the both of you!” My next move teetered on their response to my request. If they didn’t comply, then neither would I and the shooting would begin. However, if they did show me proof that they were real and not like the others I’d met so far… I really didn’t know what I would do.
    “Round the vehicle with your hands up and walk toward my voice!” More commands came, but this time was followed by a second spotlight that engulfed and blinded me further. I