Technomancer 7: The Battle of Walmart

Through the sight of the sniper rifle, the parking lot of the old Walmart appeared normal to Masa. A crowd had gathered between the abandoned cars. They chatted like friends, discussing their day and she enjoyed the illusion of a return to a time before the bombs dropped. At that time, she would be with them, headed into the store to browse the aisles. It was so familiar but different. The overturned shopping carts dispelled the fantasy, smashed and broken into pieces; their wires sticking out at odd angles. The aisles in the store were long empty and the parking lot now served as a place of meeting between the cartels and groups of refugees from further south.

Sitting still and watching everything unfold below was like torture. Masa wanted to be in the action, but after Arion kicked her out of their raid group that was no longer possible.

“You really can’t let go of where you want to be, can you?” Filipe observed.

“No, but I am trying,” she muttered, pulling away from the sight and wiping the sweat from her brow. The noonday sun radiated down, increasing the heat on the concrete roof.

“It’s almost time,” said Filipe, “Give me the rifle. For now, I want you to provide cover for us. We were lucky to get here first, but there is no guarantee Don Marco won’t send part of their group up here to take us out.” He grinned, “Who knows, perhaps you’ll get the action you want after all.”

Masa fought back her irritation and nodded. “I can do that,” she said, moving and allowing Filipe to take over the sniper rifle. She traipsed along the roof edge, avoiding the other four men in their raid group. Each crouched at the edge, their sniper rifles resting on the lip of the roof. They held them tightly, breathing evenly as Filipe had just taught her.

From the far end of the parking lot, a group of men approached the Monterrey group, dressed in rags much like theirs and heavily armed with rifles, handguns, and whatever sharp objects they could find. There was little difference between the cartel and refugee groups these days. All were desperate for food and seeking a future for their people. She had grown used to the meager offerings brought in, in the form of cans, but even she could feel the rib bones becoming more defined by the day. It was why this meeting was taking place. Don Marco’s group wanted to join with theirs because they had farmers and seeds.

 In the center of the group, she recognized Don Marco, leader of one of the Nuevo Laredo Cartels. His teeth glinted in the sun every time he opened his mouth.

“That man is making it hard to aim,” grumbled Alan. “His teeth could light up Manhattan in this sunlight.” The group of men laughed. Alan did have a great sense of humor.

Filipe grinned and chuckled, “Do your best Al.”

Leron and the council moved past Arion and his raid group, and met them in the center of the lot. Even from this distance, Masa could see Don Marco and Arion lock eyes and exchange a nod. Manuel took the lead and launched into discussion, shaking Don Marco’s hand. His expressive body language was understandable over a hundred feet away. The man certainly had charisma.

“Mierda,” Filipe swore, distracting Masa from her watch.

“What?” she asked.

“They’ve moved out of range,” Filipe muttered, letting out further profanities. “I told them where to stay and marked it for them. I hope they are still within range of Carlos' and his boys.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Masa asked the old man, standing beside him.

“Mexican black ops. Silencio.”

Masa rounded the roof one more time. Everything was in order. Perhaps this deal would go smoothly, but she couldn’t help but sense something was wrong. She shrugged it off. There was no point inviting fear. She returned and stood by Filipe longing to sit down, but she needed to keep alert.

From the bushes where Carlos’ men were hiding, gunshots filled the air along with screams. Masa's eyes snapped towards them, her hand rushing to the pistol at her waist, helpless to do anything. She gripped the handle, trying to use its presence to calm her fears. She had to follow orders and protect the snipers or risk being removed from another raid group.

“Filipe, quick, Carlos’ group is under attack,” she cried, “You have to let them know.”

Filipe pulled out the radio, “Stop fighting and get them back towards the Walmart, you idiot!”

Arion’s raid group rushed towards the council, picking them up and dragging them towards the Walmart. Don Marco’s group began firing on the council and Arion’s men. Those who could fight went for their weapons, those who couldn’t, like Leron hit the ground.

Don Marco fell, shot by Arion and his men began to scatter, before doubling down and chasing after the council. Their angry cries filled the air along with the ticking of gunfire.

Filipe and his men began firing, dropping Don Marco’s men one after the other. They held their rifles tightly; their calmness and focus shown only through their evenly spaced breathing. Masa fingered the pistol at her waist, gripping the handle tightly, her heart racing. It took everything in her, not to run towards the ladder. How could Alan and the rest of them handle being so far away?

A flood of men came from the direction of Carlos’ men, appearing from the tree line. They fired on Don Marco’s men and the Monterrey group, running towards them. Arion dove to cover Leron. Something she never would have expected him to do.

“I have to go help them,” Masa cried. Leron was down there, she could see him lying injured, beneath Arion on the pavement, blood pouring from his arm. The third group of men were getting closer.

Masa ran towards the ladder in a panic. Filipe abandoned his rifle and took hold of her, “Chico, you can’t go. They don’t know we are up here and if you go after them, we will all die.” He turned to face the other snipers, “Stop firing and come here.” Everyone gathered around him, “We are going to stay hidden. Alan, I want you to go down there and follow them.”

“I can do that,” Masa said.

“No, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb,” Filipe grumbled, “Who knows what they will do to you? Alan, go.”

“What if they start killing the wounded?” asked Alfred.

“Then they will have let their guard down and we will take them out.”

The gunfire ended, leaving so many bodies and wounded strewn over the parking lot. She recognized Leron, Raph, and Loretta’s husband, Manuel. It was hard to tell which were alive. The men who had appeared from nowhere stood around, smoking and laughing. They kicked the corpses and played terrible games. Masa looked away, hiding her tears and unable to watch.

“Stop it. You need to watch,” Filipe whispered, “We might get some indication of where they are going or you might see something. You need to let go of everything Arion taught you. This is what we do, snipers take people out, but we also lie low and help improve the odds in the next battle.”

“There won’t be another battle,” Masa hissed. “Most of our men are dead.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Filipe said, frowning. “There is always hope.” He was trying to hide it and keep the morale up, but the look of hopelessness in his eyes was evident. The way his shoulders fell, spoke of the pain he was trying to hide. There would be no getting them back, only escape.

Steeling herself, Masa fought against the inner turmoil threatening to overcome her. She peered over the edge of the Walmart roof and watched the men, including Leron, hoisted up on the shoulders of their attackers. She saw Alan join the group, pick up Manuel, and follow their attackers. They disappeared into the trees where they had appeared.

Masa collapsed back against the lip of the roof, staring at the noon sky and feeling defeated. “Where did they come from?”

Filipe released his breath, relaxing beside her. He looked exhausted. “I don’t know. There must have been a spy in one of the groups for the other cartel. At least they didn’t make the connection we were up here.”

“What are we going to do?” panicked an older man. It took her a moment to recall the man’s name. He was Miguel, a widower. Most men his age were not in a raid group, but with nothing left to lose, he had volunteered.

“Head back to the cantina and wait for Alan,” Filipe said, “Once we have an idea of where they are being taken, we can plan our next attack.”

“With what?” Cesar demanded.

Everyone went silent. Cesar had spoken the words on all their minds. They had no way of knowing what happened to Carlos and his men, but it would be better to assume they were gone. That left the snipers and the women and elderly back at the cantina.

“We’ll find a way,” Filipe said, “For now we need to search for any remaining wounded and name the dead.”

Masa followed him down the ladder and through the empty shelves. The emptiness of the store gave it an eeriness. Ghosts of past shoppers wandered the aisles in her mind, and children ran from their parents, their eyes filled with joy. Like all Walmart stores, it was laid out similar to the one on the outskirts of Monterrey. Her heart ached for her father. She had once been one of those children and he often had to chase after her. She missed him so much.

Come back here, her father’s words echoed in her mind when she passed by the cash register. It’s not safe. She laughed, back then it was much safer than it was now.

Passing through the doors, the carnage of what had happened became so much more real. There were bodies everywhere. Tears filled her eyes, drifting down her cheek. Time slowed down and everything drifted by her in a blur. The smell of heated human flesh filled the air and she turned and vomited.

“Masa, are you okay?” asked Cesar, patting her back.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Miguel do the same and collapse against the wall, hiding his head and shaking. His continued sobs brought more tears to her eyes. She wiped them away and followed Filipe out onto the pavement. She recognized half the bodies of Arion’s group and a few of the council members.

“Make a list of who is dead and missing,” Filipe ordered. “We will need to let the women know.”

Masa’s eyes went wide, her hand going to her mouth, “We need to do what? I didn’t think you were serious.”

“You heard me,” Filipe growled, “The women at the cantina take care of everything while we are out here. They deserve to know about their husbands. Part of being out here with the men, means you have help with the worst responsibility. Today we lost. It is our responsibility to account for the dead and relaying the last messages of the wounded.”

“I will do what I can,” she whispered, fighting back more tears. She passed from body to body, recalling each of their names.

“Won’t we be in danger?” asked Miguel.

“No, not at this point. Masa, keep your pistol handy, just in case.”

Masa nodded and began searching through the bodies. The wounded had all been taken, leaving nothing but corpses and blood.

A few of the bodies were unrecognizable, so badly taken to pieces with gunfire.

The sound of struggling breaths drew her towards a man laid out on the pavement, gasping for air, his eyes half-rolled back in his sockets. It was Raph.

“Help me,” he rasped.

Masa approached him, afraid of what she would find. His chest was riddled with bullet holes. Blood poured from them, spreading out along the pavement. With shaking hands, she took his hand in her own. “Tell Marie I’m sorry and….” he croaked, coughing as blood fell from his lips. Masa nodded, the tears she had held back falling free.

“And you love her?” Masa asked.

Raph closed his eyes as if to say yes, and went limp, his final breath leaving him. His empty eyes stared toward the sky. Masa closed them, the warmth of his flesh still gave the illusion of life, but he was quickly growing cold.

Masa moved on from body to body until they finished with the parking lot. They left the corpses behind them, unable to carry them home for burial. In the tree line, they went in search of Carlos and his men and found much the same.

“I was in Carlos’ group,” said Miguel, “There were more. Most of them were missing. Do you think they were taken too?”

“No, the men who attacked weren’t laden down with anyone,” said Filipe, “They must have made a run for it.”

“But where?” asked Masa.

“Home,” said Filipe, “When men are scared, they hide in shame or return home to their women.” With his notebook in hand, they returned to the cantina in defeat.

“We should kill them,” Miguel said, beating his fist against a nearby tree.

“No, we need to encourage them and help them recover,” said Filipe, “Their fear has allowed them to survive and as long as they fight with us, they can stay with us.”

On arrival, Filipe and the other men ran to their wives, those with missing husbands ran to them. This whose husbands had not returned, stood by frozen in shock. One or two burst into tears while others comforted them.

Loretta rushed out to meet her, tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she cried, wrapping her arms around her. Loretta pulled back, her eyes scanning the group. “Where’s Manuel and Leron?”

Fresh tears filled Masa’s eyes and she clutched the older woman, holding her tightly. “We were attacked by another cartel and they were taken,” she whimpered. She was just like the rest of the women. “We don’t know where, but Alan is following them.”

“We’ll get them back,” Loretta said, more determined than ever.

“How? We were so outnumbered and most of the men are gone,” Masa croaked.

“Haven’t you heard of David and Goliath?” Loretta asked, “The bigger they are, the smaller the opponent who can take them out. We just have to outwit them and hit them where it hurts the most.”

“But you and the other women don’t know how to fight.”

Loretta raised an eyebrow and a twisted smile formed at the corners of her mouth. “Are you sure about that child? I will tell you how a woman fights." The older woman leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, "Who do you think it was that set up the meeting between Arion and Don Marco that day?”