by Hunt, Jack
Instead, Andy let them leave.
He extended the same courtesy to them that they had to him many years ago.
Untangling the shotgun from Maddox, Tyler did the same. Maddox looked at him, confused. “Go. I only give one free pass,” he said using the same words Jude had with his father. Maddox hurried and caught up with Jude. They exchanged a glance and Tyler knew there was no going back. Over the comms he heard Bennington say, “Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind? I’ve got him in the crosshair.”
Tyler chuckled. “Come on down, old man,” he replied.
As Jude and a large number of Camp Olney melted into the forest, Corey hurried over to his brother and grasped him. They hugged it out as Andy approached. He gave Tyler a strained smile and thanked him before turning to leave. “That’s all I get?” Tyler said.
Andy cast a glance back and frowned. A moment of hesitation, perhaps confusion, then Andy did something he hadn’t ever done, he extended a hand and said, “Good job.” Tyler smiled. Andy was still Andy to him. It was hard to change the emotional and physical scars he bore but right then he glimpsed another side, a man that was equally damaged. Tyler stepped forward and they shook hands. It wasn’t a hug but it was the beginning of healing, and by the looks on the faces of Camp Olney, that was exactly what was needed.
Epilogue
The sun was melting into the horizon, two days after Tyler had threatened to kill Maddox outside Camp Olney. In those first forty-eight hours they’d fully expected Jude to return, enraged by those who had turned coat and sided with Andy. He didn’t. In that time emotions ran high and talk of the future, the raiders and Jude was on the lips of everyone. After being privy to the discussions between Andy and the original members of the settlement, Officer Ferris returned to Whitefish to get word of how the town was holding up, to give Nate the heads-up on where they were, and to see if Erika was out of the coma. Tyler couldn’t say either one of them had been on his mind, and in some ways he felt bad about that. “Out of sight, out of mind,” Corey had said. Though he could tell Corey was better at giving out advice than following it. The grief of losing Ella and their daughter was still raw.
Even though Allie didn’t need to apologize, she did after giving a lengthy explanation and then apologizing again. Tyler understood. He couldn’t fault her. All of them had made dangerous decisions. And, if placed in the same position he probably would have put Corey’s life over the lives of strangers.
Still, she had redeemed herself in more ways than one. Not only had she taken the risk to release their group but her trip into the heart of Camp O’Brien hadn’t been a total loss. Thomas had informed her to tell Jude when and where he would be meeting with the mysterious Morning Star, the raiders’ apparent leader.
In light of recent events, they were taking a chance that Jude hadn’t been in contact with Thomas and rescheduled. And, they were going out on a limb venturing out without informing Andy, but he figured it would only ignite an argument and strangely enough they seemed to be on good terms, at least for now. Besides, he wasn’t planning on attacking, it was more surveillance, curiosity over who was able to rally so many people together. It wasn’t like it was a hard thing to do under the circumstances. Higher-ups in organizations had been doing it for years. Religion used fear. Politics used propaganda. And the sex industry used porn to sucker in the desperate, gullible and needy. All they needed to do was wave a carrot out on a stick and there would always be ones who would chase after it, and justify their actions later.
“You sure it’s near here?” Tyler asked.
“Positive. Madison accompanied Thomas in a Jeep up to the ridge. There’s a lookout that had been used as an observation point for spotting forest fires since the early fifties. They always meet here.”
They trudged through the darkening forest and up the steep, rocky incline, soaking in the breathtaking view of a salmon and red sunset stretched across the horizon. Tall pines rose like upstretched fingers silhouetted against the evening sky.
They soldiered on coming up over a rise.
“There it is,” Allie said.
In the distance they saw the towering structure that overlooked the town of Troy and the Kootenai Valley. It was perched at the top of the ridge. The glow of flickering candles illuminated the inside making it clearly visible to the eye. Tyler glanced at his watch. “Well, someone is home.” They clambered up over boulders so they could find a clear shot of the top. Tyler crouched and dug into his backpack to retrieve the high-powered binoculars. He brought them up and zoomed in on the wooden cabin at the top of what looked like a 45-foot railroad water tank tower. Multiple newly installed white windows wrapped around the four sides leaving a small catwalk encircling the building covered by the roof’s lip. He squinted.
“What do you see?” Allie asked.
There was enough room inside for at least four or five people. He could make out a twin bed, a couple of mattresses, a fridge, lights, a table and chairs and a propane stove. There was no toilet by the looks of it but a quick scan of the landscape and he spotted an outhouse a short distance away. “Hold on. I can’t see anyone.”
He continued to scan and then he saw a cloud of dust behind a truck coming up the winding roadway. “We got some action.” He adjusted the zoom and his lip curled. It was Jude, and he was alone. He parked at the foot of the lookout and got out. He looked around before making his way over to the staircase-style ladder that crisscrossed up to the top. There were no other vehicles visible but he was convinced that if Morning Star was already there, they must have camouflaged it. “Where are you?” he mumbled under his breath. It didn’t take Jude long to reach the top. The river nearby could be heard rushing, and a flock of birds broke away from trees, probably scared off by a bear, wolf or mountain lion that frequented those parts.
“Let me take a look,” Allie said.
“Hold on,” Tyler said adjusting the focus from blurred to clear.
He watched Jude step inside the doorway, remove his rifle and set it down against the end of the bed. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on the back of a chair before crossing the room and proceeding to pour himself a drink. So focused on what Jude was doing, he didn’t notice another vehicle arrive and they were too far away to hear it. It was only when Jude turned towards the door and it opened that he got his first glimpse at the new arrival. Cloaked in a long dark trench coat with a hood covering their face, they closed the door. This was Morning Star. It had to be. He felt his pulse speed up. Finally, he was going to find out who it was.
Jude handed the stranger a glass with what looked like two fingers of bourbon just as they pushed back their hood. No. How? It was impossible. It couldn’t be.
Tyler’s eyes widened, and his jaw went slack. “Mom?”
THANK YOU FOR READING
Rules of Engagement will be out in May
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A Plea
Thank you for reading Rules of Darkness: Survival Rules Series Book 3. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. It also motivates me to write more books. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Thank you — Jack Hunt
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Jack Hunt is the best-selling author of horror, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic novels. He currently has over thirty books published. Jack lives on the East coast of North America. If you haven’t joined Jack Hunt’s Private Facebook Group you can request
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