Council of Peacocks by M Joseph Murphy Read Free Book Online Page A

metal.
    “I’ve never fired a gun.”
    “Like I told Jan, don’t worry about being
accurate. Point and squeeze. If nothing else, the noise might scare
them. We have to find the way out of here. But not until we kill
the last two.”
    Matt looked over at Jan, eyes wide. Then he
stared down at the gun in his hands. “Josh, we can’t do this.”
    Josh didn’t turn around to look at him. He
walked slowly to the open door at the end of the hallway. As he
moved closer, he saw a set of stairs leading upwards.
    “Josh,” Matt hurried to get to Josh’s side.
“We can’t kill these people. It’s wrong. We’ve got to get out of
here, get help.”
    Josh stopped but did not turn around to look
at him. “That weapon in your hand is the only help we’re going to
get.”
    Matt put a hand on Josh’s shoulder. This time
Josh did turn around.
    “Listen closely, Matt.” Josh’s voice was a
harsh whisper. “Once we head up those stairs there won’t be time
for me to repeat myself. You’re not an idiot. You know the
situation we’re in. These aren’t the kind of people you just run
from. You run, they follow. And they will catch you. It may take an
hour, a day or a decade. But they will come after you. And when
they do, they’ll kill you. This isn’t civilization. There’s no help
a phone call away. They’ve already killed two of us. I will not let
there be a third. So, if you don’t think you can pull the trigger
when you need to, take the girls and go hide in one of the cells.
I’ll come back for you when it’s over.”
    Matt dragged nails down his cheek and then
bit them. He turned to look back at the others. Jan lifted her gun,
resolve written clearly on her face. Matt took a deep breath and
nodded. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
    Josh raised his lips in the hint of a smile,
then started up the stairs. Matt followed him with the two women
close behind.
    The air reeked of cigars and roast chicken.
Josh held his hand up, motioning the others to stay put. Back
against the left wall, Josh crept up the stairs. He kept his gun
pointed at the top of the stairs. The unpainted metal door reminded
him of the large walk-in freezers he had seen at the restaurant
that Brian’s family owned.
    ‘Maybe that’s why they didn’t hear the
gunshots,’ he thought. ‘Either that or they’re just so used to
hearing shots they no longer pay attention.’
    He put a hand on the door. It was cool to the
touch. When he took his fingers away, there was a thin layer of
grime on them, like oil. He reached for the large handle, turning
it slowly.
    When the click came it was soft, like an
inhalation.
    Josh held the handle down for a moment,
listening.
    When there was no hint of movement or noise
on the other side, he pushed the door open. It led to a room lined
with unfinished wood shelves filled with metal cans of food. He
looked behind him and motioned for Matt to lead the others up.
    Josh moved into the pantry. There was another
metal door with a large window near the top. Peering through it,
Josh took in details of a bright, cheerful kitchen. An old woman
stood at the stove stirring a pot. Her gray hair was up in a bun.
She wore a sleeveless floral summer dress.
    Josh cocked his gun and threw open the
door.
    The woman turned. Her smile turned to shock,
then slid into disbelief and pain. She looked down at her chest,
her fingers touching blood as it spilled out over her dress.
    Josh realized he was holding his breath. He
fought to breathe again. He couldn’t remember pulling the trigger.
He had not even heard the gunshot. He looked down at the gun in his
hands. It was warm. He looked back up at the woman and watched her
fall to the floor. The wooden spoon she held clattered against the
floor.
    “Jesus!” Matt rushed past him and knelt
beside the woman on the floor. “Was the old woman such a threat?
You’re losing it.”
    Jan walked over to the woman, bent over and
spat on her face.
    “Have you all gone mad?” Matt stood up