Fight Like Hell [America Falls Series | Books 1-6]

by Medbury, Scott

  Jarryd shook his head and looked heavenward, apparently overcome with emotion. One hand held his staff, while the other slipped unnoticed into his pocket and gripped his knife.

  Senior Brother Rex watched him for a few seconds more, his face inscrutable, then turned and began walking.

  “Yes, it certainly is a mystery. Perhaps we’ll solve it together, hey?”

  Jarryd followed him, sorely tempted to show the fat bastard exactly what had happened to Brother Taylor.

  Brother Simon was walking up the hill and through the copse by the time they reached the truck. The men were already back in the trailer and the two Senior Brothers climbed into the cab beside Brother Michael.

  Michael started the truck and turned it in a wide circle before following Brother Simon all the way back to the 202. Simon paused for a moment, looking at the ground and dust beside the road before pointing west as they pulled up beside him.

  “They’ve gone this way,” he said.

  “Brother Michael, I’ll take over the driving. You take Brother Simon’s place in the rear. I need him up here.”

  Two minutes later they were headed along the 202 at twenty miles an hour, Brother Simon running his finger along the map he’d brought along.

  “Almost certainly they’re headed to Rochester. I’ll keep an eye out for signs of them along the way.”

  Twenty minutes later, Brother Simon leaned forward abruptly.

  “Pull over here please!” he said, pointing at a corner where a lane led off the 202. The lane was lined with a few homes, each on about a half-acre of land.

  He jumped out as soon as the truck had pulled over and began examining the dirt and gravel at the edges of the road.

  “They were here,” he called over his shoulder, before pointing at the ground on one side of the road. “See, they turned this way and went down the lane.” He ran to the other side. “Then they came back the same way and turned west again.”

  “Why did they go down the lane?” asked Jarryd, from the cab.

  Simon didn’t answer, just headed confidently down the shady lane towards the houses on the right.

  “Let’s follow him,” said Rex, jumping out.

  Jarryd got out and walked with him. They followed Simon to the second house along. Simon did a cursory look around the house and then went into the backyard.

  “Firepit!” He made a beeline to the pit where the oats had been cooked that morning and used his fingers to rummage in the ashes. “Some warmth. They left this morning, sometime after dawn I’d say.”

  “Excellent,” said Rex. “Let’s get this finished, I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

  ***

  Many miles away, Jacob was pedaling through a town called Epping on the Calef Highway. It was a long straight road and he was going at a good clip. The sun had climbed high in the sky and had nearly burned off the remains of the morning mist. He thought it was somewhere around 10 in the morning.

  He left the ghost town of Epping behind and within a few minutes reached the turn onto the 101. It was marked by an old McDonalds restaurant.

  “Home stretch baby!” he said, taking a drink from the water bottle he’d refilled from a pond that morning. He took a few extra mouthfuls of the cloudy liquid as a reward. What was left would get him all the way through to Manchester.

  He got moving again.

  Jacob cruised on the 101. It was a great road and he only had to veer around the occasional abandoned vehicle. He avoided looking into them. While he hadn’t seen any dead people along the way, he knew it would creep him out if he did.

  The sixteen-year-old only had the vaguest memories of the before times. He still remembered his mom and dad though. He thought about them now. He was so lost in thought he wasn’t aware of the sound of a motor approaching behind him until it was too late.

  It wouldn’t really have mattered if he had noticed. He was crossing long overpass and there was nowhere to hide even if he’d had warning. He pulled to a stop and turned to face whoever was coming. Maybe this close to Manchester, it was Isaac’s people? He left his bow slung over his shoulder but stayed on his bike.

  He could see it now. It was a big green truck. There was no doubt they’d seen him. There was driver and a passenger, their faces white blobs behind the dirty windshield. The truck slowed as it approached.

  Jacob crossed his arms in a show of confidence that belied his rampaging heartbeat. The truck pulled up 15 feet away and just sat there with the motor running for a minute. He could see they were talking. Finally, the passenger side door swung open.

  A man stepped out. He smiled.

  He had bad teeth. He also had a gun in his hand.

  “Son, what in hell are you doing out here all on your own?”

  32

  They’d managed to make pretty good time, but Luke was becoming more anxious with each mile. They’d passed Rochester an hour and a half before and it was already well past midday. As near as he could tell from the map, they were still only halfway to Epping where they would turn onto the 101.

  “We should let them rest soon,” said Diana.

  Samuel had been complaining of sore feet for the last 10 minutes.

  Luke was about to say no when a half mile ahead, he spotted a big tree down on the road. A really big tree. From a distance, the trunk looked at least five feet thick. And it was tall enough that it covered most of both lanes, leaving only a small gap between the brushy top and a large boulder on the verge of the road.

  “How big was the truck the Brothers brought when they smashed down your gates?”

  “Oh, it’s big – a semi-trailer, isn’t that what they called them?”

  “Yep. So do you think they’d be able to get it through that gap?”

  “Maybe, but it would be a tight squeeze.”

  Luke picked up his pace, a thin smile on his face.

  “I think it would fit too, just. Maybe we can fix that and slow them down a little though.”

  “How?” Diana asked.

  “I have an idea. We’ll rest when we get past the tree.”

  As the people of Willatan Green sat and rested on the south side of the tree, Luke found what he was looking for in an overgrown driveway a hundred yards or so further on. It was an old red two-door Toyota pickup, only its faded tailboard visible under the ivy that had grown over it in the years since it had last been used.

  “I need help Diana!” he called. “Bring helpers with you!”

  He pulled ivy away to clear a path down either side of the pickup. It was covered in bird shit and the detritus of the after days, but it was the most beautiful thing he’d seen that day.

  He tried the door. It was locked. He smashed the driver’s window with his elbow and reached in. The door fought him with rusty might but finally gave way with a screech. Diana arrived with four helpers. It was Cathy and three of the other mothers.

  “Your chariot awaits, Madam,” he said to Diana and gestured at the driver’s seat with a flourish.

  “Idiot,” she laughed, coming down the side. Her nose wrinkled when she peered inside.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “We’re going to push this old beast back to the tree and block that gap,” he said. “You sit behind the wheel and steer and the rest of us will push.”

  Luke went to the front and waved for them to join him.

  “You sure we can do this?” Cathy asked, putting her hands on the hood next to his.

  “Positive!” he said, giving her a grin, before giving Diana the thumbs up. “Just pull the automatic down to neutral, then take off the handbrake.”

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” she said.

  Surprisingly, the old beast moved easily and of course, once they were out of the driveway, the flat road helped. About halfway they stopped.

  “I’ll take over,” he said. “I want you to push me as hard as you can all the way to the tree. At the last second, I’ll turn and go nose first into that rock. I’ll yell out when to sto
p pushing.”

  He unslung his axe and gestured for Samuel to come and get it.

  “Are you sure?” Diana asked.

  “Sure, I’ll be okay. It won’t be fast enough to hurt. Hold that for me Sammy, I’ll need it in a second.”

  Samuel carried the axe back over to the rest of the Willatan Green people, who watched with interest. Luke waved, and the women heaved. The truck started slowly and a few of the boys came to help. They soon built enough momentum and it was going pretty fast by the time it got to the gap.

  “Stop pushing,” called Luke at the last possible moment and swung the wheel as hard as he could. The Toyota crunched into the rock, its tail swinging fractionally so it was hard against the top branches of the tree. Luke got out and surveyed his handiwork.

  Not perfect, but it would do with a few finishing touches.

  Luke punctured both tires on his side with a knife before climbing over the top and doing the same on the passenger side.

  “Pass me my axe please, Sam.”

  Luke opened the passenger door and pulled the hand brake on as hard as he could, then started hacking at it with the axe, not satisfied until it was completely smashed. The steering wheel followed.

  “Do you think it will slow them down?” Diana asked, as they started walking again.

  “Well,” he said. “We spent twenty minutes blocking it. If it takes them a half hour to clear it, I reckon that’s worth it.”

  ***

  In the end, Luke’s makeshift road block held up Christ’s Chariot by forty minutes.

  Senior Brother Rex took the opportunity to let the men in the trailer out for some fresh air. God knows he used to hate sitting in that sweat box.

  Brother Simon did his thing, climbing over the barrier and disappearing while Rex and Brother Michael looked at the unlikely but effective barrier. Jarryd for his part stayed out of the way. He couldn’t help but feeling Rex suspected he was to blame for Brother Taylor’s demise and disappearance. If that was the case, when they returned to their headquarters, things could get very… difficult for Jarryd.

  “Could we not just crash through these branches?” asked Rex.

  A look of incredulity passed fleetingly across Brother Michael’s face, replaced quickly by thoughtful consideration.

  “I don’t believe so Brother Rex. The top of the tree is quite woody and high, we would risk damaging the truck’s wheels or axles, maybe even the drive train.”

  Rex sniffed.

  “I suppose. What do you suggest then?”

  “Obv… um, well we’ll have to move this vehicle, Sir,” said Michael, patting the hood of the Toyota.

  Rex’s eyes narrowed.

  “Alright, get to it. We certainly have enough men. Push it out of the way.”

  “It will need to be dragged out of the way, Sir. With the truck.”

  Senior Brother Rex looked heavenward.

  “How long?”

  “Not sure, Sir. Half an hour maybe.”

  “Well! Get to it!”

  Michael knew the best idea was to unhook the Mac from the trailer and use chains to drag the pickup out. He also knew Rex wouldn’t allow him the extra time that would take. It was still a better idea to pull rather than try and bulldoze the pickup and risk damaging their transportation. He’d just have to do it while the trailer was still attached.

  It took a five-point turn to swing the big rig around and even though Michael tried to avoid looking at Senior Brother Rex, he could almost feel the waves of irritation at the delay emanating from the big man.

  Finally, he backed it up to within a few feet of the Toyota and with a whoosh of the airbrakes jumped out and left the engine running. He helped a few of the men fix chains to the pickup then to the foot rail of the trailer.

  Back in the cab, Brother Michael put the truck into first, leaning out the window to look back as he slowly pressed the gas. There was a brief screech of metal on rock, then it was free.

  He dragged the wreck effortlessly along the blacktop and stopped thirty yards down the road.

  “Well done Brother Michael,” yelled Rex, as the other Brothers clapped and whistled.

  Happiness washed over the young man. Any praise from Senior Brother Rex was rare praise indeed. The other men unhooked the chains and Michael started forward, wrestling the steering wheel of the big rig as he moved it back and forth until he finally had it facing the right direction.

  Michael hid his disappointment when Rex directed him back into the trailer with the others. He had hoped to drive again, but apparently Simon was still needed up front.

  Jarryd closed the roller door on those in back and headed back to the cab, where Rex was already seated firmly in the driver’s seat, Brother Simon next to him, his fingers busy running over the map.

  “Well?” Rex asked impatiently.

  “I’m sure there are only two destinations they can have in mind. They won’t just be running blindly, because they’d have to know we’d catch them eventually. I’d say they’re most likely heading here,” he pointed to the city of Concord. “Or here.” His finger landed on Manchester. Perhaps the hook-handed man hails from one of these cities?”

  Senior Brother Jarryd snorted.

  “Or anywhere in between!”

  Rex turned his steely gaze on Jarryd.

  “Do you have a better suggestion, Jarryd?”

  Jarryd bristled but held his tongue and shrugged.

  “I think you’re right,” said Rex, turning the ignition. “If they were just looking for somewhere to hide, Rochester would have been as good a place as any.”

  The truck jerked forward.

  “I want to catch them before they have a chance to reach wherever they’re going. We don’t have the manpower to search a city for them.”

  Branches whipped and scraped along the cab as they squeezed through the gap.

  “How far behind are we?”

  “I’d say they passed less than two hours ago, Sir,” said Brother Simon.

  “Excellent.”

  Rex planted his foot.

  33

  Luke and the Willatan Green people had passed Epping and were now approaching a tiny McDonald’s store. The big M didn’t interest Luke, but the fact that it marked the turn onto the 101 did.

  They were about to begin the last leg of their journey.

  “Luke, we have to stop!”

  “We can’t,” Luke said and barreled on single-mindedly.

  “Luke!” yelled Diana, and stopped in her tracks, pulling down hard on the rope to stop her horse. The tired animal whinnied in protest.

  The pissed off mom tone in her voice brought him to heel and he slowed the horse he was leading to a standstill and turned to her.

  She looked exhausted. So did everyone else… including the horses. His horse had foam on his flanks and so did Diana’s.

  “Okay. You’re right. Sorry I just…”

  “I know. But there is only so long we can go at this pace. We need to let them rest.

  Luke didn’t fight. He had been certain that they would be caught somewhere before Epping, so it was a bonus they had made it this far. As much as he had tried to cover their tracks by picking up the horse droppings as they went, if they had half a brain between them and a keen eye, the Brotherhood would be following their trail.

  He had no doubt they would be caught somewhere on the 101 and the only question was, had Jacob made it? Was he bringing help? If not, none of it mattered. They wouldn’t make it to Manchester.

  “Yes, let’s rest. Hopefully we’re close enough.”

  They brought the rest of the marchers to a halt in front of the turn-in to the old McDonald’s. Diana and Cathy organized the group and rationed out the last of the water and bread they’d brought along. Luke tried to play it cool. He made a halfhearted joke that he’d kill for a Big Mac, but he was anxious, and it showed. He busied himself tending to the horses and entertaining the kids in the carts.

  Finally, Diana called an end to the
rest break.

  “Okay!” she called. “We need to get moving again! We’re nearly there.”

  There were groans all around, but Luke was impressed how quickly the people of Willatan Green got themselves up and ready.

  Alas, it wasn’t to be. Just as they were about to move off, Luke heard something. He strained to hear, but the noise of the people milling around him meant he couldn’t quite catch it.

  “Shh!”

  Diana’s head snapped around. She saw the concern in his eyes.

  “Quiet!” she screamed.

  Silence fell over them.

  Luke’s eyes widened, and he looked back the way they’d come.

  It wasn’t the distant rumbling of a truck. It wasn’t the marching of feet. It was... music. Like a leaf wafting on a breeze, the faint music waxed and waned, but Luke recognized it immediately. It was sweet and terrible to his ears. Flight of the Valkyrie.

  Behind him he heard whispers and whimpers of fear.

  “What the holy hell?”

  “It’s them,” said Diana. “They play it when they’re coming to battle.”

  “Just like Apocalypse Now…” he said.

  “What?”

  “Never mind. They’re trying to scare us, but all they did was give us warning they’re coming,” he said.

  He pointed down the driveway that led past the McDonald’s to the abandoned car dealership that sat behind it. The big white building had large plate glass windows with a sun faded Toyota symbol on it. Toyota again?

  “Diana, you need to get everyone down into that building. Hide in there and make sure no one makes a noise. I’ll stake out the McDonald’s. Cathy, you lead my horse and Sam, you give Mom the shotgun and take her horse. Hurry!”

  If Diana was put out by his abrupt orders, she didn’t show it. Cathy grabbed the rope and with the help of the other mothers in the group, hurried the entire population of Willatan Green down the small road towards the dealership building.

  While it may indeed have given them warning, the threatening music and its ever-increasing volume also did its other job. Luke’s heart beat like a jackhammer and he fought to stay calm.