Dead South | Book 3 | Dead Hope

by Bohannon, Zach

  Some light entered the building from the outside, but nothing lit the building inside. Jon found himself in what appeared to be a hallway, and it was narrow enough to where he could reach out and touch the walls on either side of him. Stepping back outside, Jon grabbed the unconscious guard by the wrists and pulled him inside. It would look strange if someone walked by and the guard was missing, but it would be even worse if he was found lying against the wall. At least Jon would likely hear someone outside trying to find the guard.

  When the man was inside, Jon shut the door. It muted the generator’s whirring outside, and he paused to see if he could hear any sound coming from within the building. But he heard nothing.

  Making his way down the hall, he continued to listen. Jon knew the building had to be vital if they used a generator to light the outside and had someone standing guard. He ran his hands along each wall as he walked, eventually coming to a door on his right. He slowed his breathing and put his ear to the door.

  Inside, he could just barely hear someone breathing and possibly crying. He put his hand on the door and moved it downward until he found the handle. With his other hand, he grabbed the gun at his waist. Just because it was dark inside the room didn’t mean there wasn’t someone from Black Hill keeping the room secure on the other side.

  Jon exhaled a deep breath.

  Then, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.

  35

  Brooke could hear someone out in the building again. What could they possibly want now? Hadn’t they tormented her enough? She didn’t think they’d already be dragging her away to kill her. These didn’t seem like the sort of people who would be in that much of a hurry.

  She sniffled and then wiped her nose. Brooke had cried all she was going to. It wasn’t the way she wanted to go out. She had shed tears for her son, wondering what he would do without her and hoping that he would be raised well. Maybe he would somehow end up at Freedom Ridge, where Brooke knew some good people would raise him right.

  Hearing the footsteps outside the room, Brooke wiped her face again. She wore a stern look, again not willing to give these men the satisfaction of seeing her be intimidated or scared. She was neither. Those were each wasted emotions, and they weren’t going to do her any good in the final hours, or perhaps even moments, of her life.

  The door opened, and Brooke’s breath quickened. A male figure appeared in the doorway, nothing but a black shadow like they had been every other time. With no light in the room, she couldn’t tell who it was.

  “What do you want?” she asked, her voice weak even though she was trying to make it sound strong. She just didn’t have much strength left.

  The figure in the doorway said nothing. This made Brooke grow angry.

  “Are you deaf? I asked what you want!”

  “Brooke?”

  The voice came back soft and unsure, but she recognized it. Brooke had to be dreaming. It couldn’t be him—he was dead. But the voice was unmistakable.

  “Jon?”

  He entered the room and walked toward her. It was still too dark for her to confirm it was him, but the voice had been undeniably his. Brooke thought for a moment that she might be dreaming. This wasn’t possible. It had to be all the stress she was experiencing from the traumatic situations she’d faced over the past couple of days—first with losing Jon in the prison and only snowballing from there. So much had happened that she hadn’t even had the time to properly grieve him.

  Now, he was standing here in front of her?

  Brooke stood, the chains rattling. Her legs hurt so badly, cramping from sitting on the concrete floor and her not having enough slack to walk around the room. But the adrenaline pumping through her had allowed her to get to her feet.

  The shadow continued toward her. He stopped when he was only a couple of feet away.

  “It’s me,” he said in that familiar voice.

  Brooke knew it was him, but she still thought she might be dreaming. Then, he raised his hand and ran it over her cheek. Brooke raised her own, putting it on top of his as it caressed her face. The feeling was undeniable. She wasn’t dreaming.

  She had just enough slack in the chains to throw her arms around him, and Jon did the same to her. His hands moved up and down her back, and the moment felt more real with each passing second. When they pulled away from hugging each other, it all felt even more real when Jon kissed her.

  Brooke let herself go, their lips touching again when she’d thought they never would. Brooke stared into his face as they separated again, even though it was too dark to really see him. But Jon was there, standing in front of her, and she had so many questions for him.

  “H-how?” she asked. “I don’t understand. How are you even here?”

  “I promise, there’ll be time to talk about all that later. For now, we’ve got to work on getting you out of here. We don’t have a lot of time. I’m not sure when the guard will wake up or if someone will pass by and see no one’s watching the building.”

  Brooke held up her arms, making sure the chains rattled. “Did the guard have a key for these?”

  Jon reached to his back and pulled something off of it. “I don’t think I’ll need a key. This is just going to be a little tricky in the dark, so you’re gonna have to be really still.”

  They worked together, and Jon was able to find the chain and get the bolt cutters around it. He slid them up close to the shackle, wanting to make sure he cut as much of the chain off as possible.

  “Hold still,” Jon said.

  Brooke didn’t move. She closed her eyes tight, trying not to flinch. She wanted to get out of these chains, and hoped to do so without losing a finger.

  Jon grunted, and then Brooke heard a snap as the chains broke loose. Jon next found the chain attached to her other wrist and repeated the process, breaking the chain in nearly the same spot as he had the other one.

  Brooke still had the shackles around her wrists, but breaking loose from the chains brought her a sort of freedom she hadn’t experienced in days.

  Now that she was free, she wrapped her arms around Jon again. She kissed him, caressing his neck. “I still can’t believe you’re here,” she said.

  “Trust me, me either. It’s a pretty crazy fucking story that I can’t wait to tell you later. For now, do you know where the others are? Are there others?”

  “Lucas and Terrence are alive. They’re keeping Lucas with the other children and a few others, but I’m not sure where. Hugo, he....”

  Brooke saw the image of her friend as the piece of shit named Bennett had put a bullet in his head and ended his life. It was something she’d never forget.

  “I’m sorry,” Jon said. “But hopefully, there’s still time to save the others.”

  “I don’t know where they’re keeping them, but it can’t be far. But I don’t know that for sure. The leader—Malcolm—came and took Lucas from me a little while ago.”

  “Well, we’re going to find them. And, here.”

  Jon pulled something from his waist and handed it over to Brooke. The feel of the gun in her hand was undeniable. She held it with both her hands, keeping it at the ready.

  “Now, let’s get the hell out of here and start searching,” Jon said.

  36

  Brooke still couldn’t believe that Jon was there, standing next to her. She tried to focus on their task at hand, to find her son and the other prisoners from Hope’s Dawn, but it was difficult to concentrate on anything else. She’d accepted that Jon had died inside the prison and that she was going to die at this camp. Brooke hadn’t thought she would get out of that room until they were ready to haul her off to execute her, assuming they even bothered with that and didn’t kill her while she was chained to the wall. But two of her certainties had been proven wrong with Jon coming and helping her escape.

  Now, the two held hands as Jon navigated them out of the dark building. Brooke still couldn’t tell what the place was or had been, but she was just glad to be getting ou
t alive.

  “Watch your step here,” Jon said. “The guard I knocked out is up here on the left.”

  He stopped at the guard and searched his pockets. Brooke heard something jingle.

  “Found a key and a flashlight. But I don’t want to use that unless we have to. Give me your hands.”

  Brooke guided her hands to Jon, who held them as he found the keyhole in the cuff around her right wrist. The cuff snapped open, and Brooke sighed in relief as she gave him her other wrist.

  With her hands now free of the restraints, they stood at the door.

  “They’ve got the outside of this place lit up,” Jon said. “No one has come in here and found the guard, so I’m assuming no one’s out there, but we need to be careful regardless. I think the best place to check for everyone else is in the building next door. I have to assume they would have the place they’re holding them lit up, but I only saw the light near this building. So, the one guard was probably keeping an eye on both places.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’m ready to get out of this place.”

  “Me, too.”

  Jon opened the door, and the light came in. It was the first time since he’d rescued her that Brooke actually got to see Jon’s face. She’d obviously known it was him from the voice, but actually getting to see him was different. He must have felt the same way because he managed to smile when he looked at her. But it quickly faded as he refocused on finding the others.

  He stepped out in front of Brooke and looked in both directions. When he’d confirmed it was clear, he glanced back at Brooke and gestured for her to follow him.

  They headed off to the left, and Brooke mimicked Jon’s movement, staying low. There was a building right next door, and it was dark on the inside, just like the one Brooke had been kept in. From what she could tell, there wasn’t anyone guarding it, making her hope that Jon had been right. The people here seemed more arrogant than wise. Brooke wondered if they’d overestimated the fear they’d instilled in their prisoners—especially her. Hope’s Dawn was going to have the last laugh; Brooke would be sure of it.

  “The windows are all blacked out like they were where they were keeping you,” Jon said. “This has to be the place.”

  Jon approached the door and put his ear up against it to listen and see if he could hear any sound coming from the inside. “Be ready.”

  Brooke raised the gun, ready to defend them if there were any guards on the inside of the building. It made Brooke nervous about the fact that she could barely see, the lights not as prominent near this building as they had been on the one next door. She would only fire if the threat to them was apparent.

  With them both ready, Jon grabbed the handle and pushed through the door. A collective gasp came from the inside of the room, and Brooke tensed, gripping the gun harder with her finger floating over the trigger.

  Jon hadn’t fired his weapon; he was still holding the gun up and keeping it at the ready. But after a few moments, he relaxed and lowered the gun. He then pulled out the flashlight he’d gotten from the guard and shined it around the room. Looking back, he signaled for Brooke to come into the building with him.

  She entered, immediately seeing her friends from Hope’s Dawn.

  This place was one large, open room. It had been a laundromat in the old world, the washers and dryers still sitting against each wall. The eleven remaining survivors, which included four children, had been spread across the room, each with their hands restrained behind their backs. Everyone got excited when they saw Jon and Brooke.

  Jon quickly shut the door. “We have to be quiet. We don’t want anyone to hear us. Is everyone here alright?”

  “We’re all alive,” Rosa, Hugo’s wife, said. She sat in one of the corners, her two children nearby. “Terrence is hurt, though. They’ve beaten him up pretty bad.”

  Brooke sighed in relief as she watched Jon move across the room to where Terrence was. She hadn’t been sure they’d kept him alive, but was thankful to see they hadn’t killed him. Her mind then went to Lucas, and she searched the dark room for him.

  “Lucas, where are you?” she muttered out amongst the dying commotion.

  “He’s not here,” Rosa said. “They came and got him hours ago, but never brought him back. They didn’t bring him to you?”

  Brooke worked to keep her composure. She’d started to sweat, and felt a tingling in her arms.

  “They did, but then the bald guy who’s the leader came and took him away from me not long before Jon came and got me. I thought he would’ve brought him back here.”

  Jon came back over to Brooke. “Terrence says he can walk, but he’s in rough shape. It’s not going to be easy to get him out of here. I’ll need your help to get everyone to the gate, and then I’ll let you lead everyone to Raylon.”

  “But I need to find my son,” Brooke said.

  “I’ll come back and find him,” Jon said. “I promise. For now, we’ve got to get these people out of here.”

  “We can’t leave without Hugo,” Rosa said. “He isn’t here, either. They took him away, but never brought him back.”

  “Rosa,” Brooke said, tears coming from her eyes. “I have to tell you something.”

  37

  Jon watched Rosa crumble into Brooke’s arms as she delivered the bad news, her two children joining them in the embrace. Jon hadn’t known Hugo for a long time, but it felt as if he’d known him for years. He’d been a good father, husband, and leader for Hope’s Dawn.

  He felt terrible for Rosa, but more than that, he felt bad for the two children. It was clear they didn’t exactly know what was going on, but Rosa held them and they all cried together.

  As it continued on, Jon was hit with the unfortunate reality of their situation. He knew Rosa was devastated, but they couldn’t just sit there and let her cry. They didn’t have the time, and her cries were growing louder, which threatened the whole group. He grabbed Brooke by the arm and gently pulled her away to another part of the room.

  “I know this is hard, but we can’t stay here. We’ve gotta move. Someone could come in at any minute, especially if she starts crying more loudly.”

  Brooke wiped her eyes and then nodded. She kneeled in front of Rosa to further comfort her and explain the situation to her. While she did that, Jon went around the room and broke everyone from their restraints. The kids had had their hands tied with rope or zip-ties, and Jon used his knife to free them.

  “You sure you’re gonna be good to make it out of here?” Jon asked Terrence.

  “I’ll be fine,” Terrence mumbled. Both his eyes were basically swollen shut, and Jon wasn’t even sure if he could see. But he trusted that if his friend said he could walk out of here on his own accord, he’d be able to.

  It wasn’t going to be easy sneaking this whole group out, but they didn’t have any other choice. Jon only knew it was going to be harder to get them out, the longer they stayed.

  When everyone else was free, he went back to Brooke and Rosa. The woman was still crying, but had made it to her feet. Brooke remained next to her with her arm around her. Jon cut the zip-ties loose from her two children and then freed Rosa.

  “We need to get going,” Jon said.

  While the group got together, Jon went to the entrance and opened the door. He checked again to make sure it was clear, and it was. He knew it was the middle of the night, but he still couldn’t believe they’d been this lucky. It was only a matter of time before their luck ran out, so he wanted to get the people from Hope’s Dawn out fast. He turned back to the group.

  “We’ve got to move quietly but quickly,” he said. “We just have to make it across the street, and there’s a break in the fence I can get you all through. The van is only a short walk from there. Brooke will lead you there.”

  Everyone mumbled or nodded in understanding, and Jon wasted no more time getting everyone out the door.

  He was thankful that not much of the light reached this building. They could cross the street, sta
ying in the dark, and hopefully get to the opening in the fence without being spotted.

  Here goes nothing.

  Jon headed across the street and could hear the others following. The generator’s sound helped to drown out the sound the group made as they crossed the road, but Jon still didn’t want to take more of a chance than they already had to. He stayed low, moving in front of the buildings and eventually coming to the alley across from the antique store. Jon headed through the alley and arrived at the fence.

  Opening it up, he waved his hand. “Come on.”

  The kids filed through the hole one at a time. Jon patted Rosa on the back as she went through, trying to provide her any sense of comfort he could.

  Brooke and Terrence were the last ones in the line. Terrence was walking on his own, but Brooke had a hand on him just in case. They both stopped at the fence in front of Jon, and Jon pointed toward where Raylon was stationed.

  “Walk straight through the field. Raylon is out there. He might even be able to see us, though it’s pretty dark. He’ll lead you all to where the van is parked. Hopefully, I won’t be too long.”

  “How long should we wait?” Terrence asked.

  “As long as we have to,” Brooke said sternly.

  Jon held up the two-way radio. “I can keep in touch with this. Just make sure you don’t talk back to me.”

  “Let me come with you,” Brooke said. “Please.”

  “I promise I’m going to find him. You need to help get the others back to the van. Rosa and Terrence need you.”

  Even though he couldn’t see her face, Jon could feel the tension in Brooke. Her silence said it all. As he had before, Jon put his hands on her face to comfort her.

  “Trust me. I’m not leaving you guys again.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

  “I heard one of the guards say something about a church,” Terrence said. “It sounds like that might be where the leader of the camp stays. You should check there if you think he took Lucas with him.”