The Fall (Book 1)

by Mathews, Mark

  “This looks horrible. I can’t believe this is happening. It’s like a video game gone wrong. Except, if you get shot here, you can’t heal or respawn.” Ben tugged on her sleeve to get her attention, and she clammed up immediately.

  “Should we stop by the supermarket? It couldn’t hurt to try getting a few more things, right?” Max was ever the one worried about food.

  Garrett nodded, and led the group down a side street that cut off a good five minutes of walking. Once they arrived at the supermarket, however, everyone’s hands went to their guns. A group of what seemed like young people were in the parking lot, masks over their heads, throwing bricks at the windows. The windows were pretty strong, but Garrett could see that some of them had been hit so hard or so often that the glass was beginning to spider. One of the windows shattered, and the group ran in over the jagged edges. They started shoving whatever they could into their backpacks, and Garrett hung his head. So much for neat and orderly.

  “Should we do something to stop them?” It was Max who had spoken, and Garrett wished he had the right answer.

  Part of him wanted to do so, because it was still bad to break into a store and steal what you wanted. Yet part of him also understood that this was the way it was going to be from now on, and he wanted to go in after them and get things for himself.

  “No. They are only doing what they think they have to in order to survive. I was considering getting some supplies that way myself, but with the sheriff still around, looting could land you in jail.”

  He quickly told them the story about Kayleigh and John, and how she even now was sitting in a jail cell, crying because of what she’d had to do to protect herself. The group moved on, heading more toward the shopping area of the town. A little corner store was in front of them, and Garrett could see the sheriff and some of his team doing their best to stop what was clearly a burglary. He stopped for a second to consider if this was in fact a burglary, or if the people were just looting the store because it had something they needed.

  “Looks like you were right. The sheriff still is taking his job seriously.”

  The tone of Athena’s voice let Garrett know she was somewhat impressed with the fact that the sheriff was doing his best to try keeping the town peaceful.

  Garrett fought back the urge to snort. He made sure his pistol was holstered, then put up his hands, palms out, so the sheriff would see his posture was nonthreatening. He began walking over to the man, with the idea that maybe he could help them do something to find an outcome to this situation that didn’t involve bloodshed. The team was moving in, and it seemed the two young men were getting ready to surrender. A movement caught Garrett’s eye, and he saw there was a third young man, hiding in the eaves, a gun trained on the group. It didn’t take long for Garret to see that the sheriff was the target in sight. So he pulled his weapon himself and shot at the offender, hitting him in the meaty part of his shoulder. The young man let out a yelp, and that drew the sheriff’s attention. He motioned for two men to go in and get the injured would-be gunman, then spun around to find Garrett and his friends.

  “It looks like you’re always in the right place at the right time. This time, I’m pretty sure that I owe you my life.” There was a little bit of awe mixed into the man’s expression, and it made Garrett squirm. He never had been one to handle praise with grace. He decided to change the subject instead.

  “This is only the beginning. Things will get much worse in the next few weeks. Hell, even in the next few days. At this point, I hate to say it Sheriff, but you’re alone. You and your team shouldn’t be worried about robberies and looting, because those things are going to become a way of life for everyone. You should try focusing on murder and killing instead.”

  The sheriff looked at Garrett with a blank expression, and Garrett hoped he hadn’t just stepped over some boundaries and ruined his good relationship with the sheriff. He cleared his throat.

  “It seems like you’re all alone. You don’t have any family here, and when things get worse, friends tend to come and go. If you want to, when this gets to be too much for you, you are welcome to come to my house and be part of that family. It’s constantly growing it seems.” Garrett offered him a friendly smile, trying to show him the offer was genuine. The sheriff snorted.

  “It won’t get to that. I’m in the middle of recruiting some more members for my team. We’ll be getting this town back to what it was before all hell broke loose.”

  The barb bit deep into Garrett. He wasn’t used to being rejected like that, and even though he only had wanted to help, it made him feel there was the start to some animosity growing there. Garrett put his hands up in a surrendering pose and backed away from the sheriff. The other man watched him go, then his gaze caught the group at Garrett’s back. His hand instantly went back to his pistol, but Garrett already was walking away, and his group was dogging his steps. The heat of the sheriff’s gaze on his back made Garrett’s hair stand on end, but he decidedly refused to turn around to face the man.

  “Doesn’t he realize he’s doing this all wrong?” Max’s anger was clear in his tone, and the words were hissing through his teeth.

  Maybe offering the sheriff a place to stay wasn’t exactly the best thing he could have done, but he had felt as though it would cement a good relationship for the time being. He decided he didn’t want anyone else to know about what just had happened.

  “He will, in time. I just hope he realizes it before the town goes into complete survival mode. I don’t want to be there to find out what happens when that point in time arrives.” Garrett was trying to be diplomatic, but he felt like he just was saying the words with no real feeling behind them.

  His group decided to keep going, doing their best to stay out of the sheriff’s way. They saw some houses that looked as though they had broken windows, and a couple of them had doors that were open. Garrett’s hackles rose, and he was instantly on the alert. It reminded him of the times they’d gone out on missions during their deployment. He was expecting people to pop out of the doors and windows at any second, possibly shooting. Athena sensed his change in demeanor, and she put a hand on his shoulder. When she did, he realized he’d been shaking. Taking a quick look back at Ben, he saw that Athena had his other hand in a death grip. He had to pull it together. Ben needed Athena to get through this, and that meant that he had to pull himself together to free up Athena for Ben.

  Garrett shook his head slightly, letting her know he was okay. She squeezed his shoulder before letting go, then moved back to walk with Ben. He was letting his eyes dart everywhere, but Garrett could see that he was doing his best to breathe normally. Max brought up the rear, a hand on his gun, just in case. It almost felt as though they were storming the villages again over in the sandbox. That thought was a strange comfort to him, because he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather have at his back.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Garrett felt a little silly, standing in front of the door, a tray of food in hand, and feeling like he’d never get up the nerve to knock. This was Alice. His wife. Okay, ex-wife, but still. He knew her, and this always had been something she’d loved. Breakfast in bed had been such a simple little thing, and yet he’d never done it enough when they were married. Maybe he could at least cheer her up today, even if it didn’t help her heal any faster. He took a deep breath, balled his hand into a fist and knocked. There was no answer, so he quietly turned the knob to open the door. When he had the tiniest little sliver of a view, he peeked through the crack and saw she still was lying on her side, head and pillow on her arm, eyes closed. Well, he could sneak in there and drop off the tray. Then she could eat whenever she woke up. Yes, that was a good plan. He opened the door just enough for him to get himself and the tray through, then tiptoed his way across the carpeted floor as if he were dodging heat sensing laser beams. Garrett placed the tray on the nightstand, spun around as silently as he could, and then started to tiptoe out.

  “What did I do to
deserve this?” Alice’s voice had a lilt of humor to it, and he knew now that she’d been awake the whole time, watching him through her eyelashes. He felt like a peeping Tom caught in the act.

  “Nothing. It’s not something you have to earn or deserve. I wish I would have realized that years ago. I just wanted to do something to make you smile. I know we’re sort of in a dire, end-of-the-world fiasco at the moment, but we can put that on hold to have breakfast in bed every once and a while…such as it is.” He stood there with one hand in his hair, like he usually did when he felt sheepish, and she chuckled. He sobered quickly.

  “How are you feeling today?” The concern he felt bled out into his voice, and it was enough to wipe the smile from her face. Time to face reality again.

  “I’m starting to get my strength back. I should be fine before too long…I hope.” She stared at the comforter, picking at a seam that she’d almost torn off completely with all the worrying she’d done on it recently.

  “How was your army reunion?” There was no humor in her voice now, and Garrett thought he understood why. They were his friends, his brothers and sister in arms, and they would hold the separation against her.

  “It was alright. I haven’t seen them in years, but I feel like we never had a break from each other.” He smiled.

  That was how the military was. Years could go by, and when you started up another conversation with your comrades, it just picked up where it had left off.

  “Are you okay with having them here?” He was hedging, trying to get her to say what he thought was the problem.

  “Of course! I can’t believe how lucky we are. I feel so much safer in the house now that there’s a group of ex-military here. I mean, one of you during a rough time like this is great, but four of you? What more could I ask for to protect my girls?”

  She had a point. As far as protection went, he now had a ring of aggression to put around anything that felt important to him. He needed to change the subject before he got too sentimental.

  “How are you holding up about Austin? He hasn’t tried to come back or talk to you at all?”

  He didn’t want to hurt her feelings by bringing him up, but if it was something that would make her happy to have him back in the house, then Garrett would go find the guy and drag his ass back by his ears…or his balls. Depending on how much he fought.

  “I’m okay, I guess.” She shrugged and gave him a tired smile.

  “He’s a hothead, but if he cares about me, I mean really cares, then he’ll come back.” That part hit Garrett hard.

  What she really was saying was that if Garrett had cared, really cared about her, then he would have gone after her when she’d left. The unspoken words hung between them. After a bit of an awkward silence, Garrett cleared his throat.

  “Do you want him to come back?” The question was out before he could retract it, and now there was nothing he could do to take it back.

  She raised her eyes to his, studying him for a second before she sighed heavily and shrugged. Garret came to sit on the edge of the bed and took her hand. She squeezed it gently. He looked at her, and when she finally gave in and looked back, they both could feel how charged the air around them was. Using his hand as leverage, Alice tugged him closer to her, wrapping her other hand in the hair at the nape of his neck. Before Garrett knew what was going on, her lips were on his. He was startled at first, simply sitting there, frozen in place. Then his hands went into her hair and he pulled her tighter against him, trying to get all the urgency, pain, and sorry from the last few years into one single moment. Reluctantly, Garrett pulled back.

  “I need to have a meeting about Kayleigh and Nat with the rest of the house. Think you’ll be okay up here for a little while?” She nodded, reaching for the breakfast tray.

  “Go ahead. Trust me, I’m not going anywhere.” Whether she meant that literally because her leg hurt her too much to walk on her own, or figuratively because maybe she didn’t want to leave Garrett, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to question it.

  In the living room, Wren and the army pals were assembled, looking at him expectantly. Max was idly sharpening his pocket knife on a whetstone he’d brought. Ben was almost folded up into the space between Athena and the armrest of the couch. She had her arms around him as if she were the safe haven reaching out to anchor him to reality. Knowing that this really wasn’t too far off from the truth, he dragged his eyes to Wren. She was the portrait of nonchalance. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, hands in her lap.

  “Okay, guys, we need to come up with something to do about Kayleigh and Nat. They are still in custody, but I think they might come to some harm if we don’t do something. Eventually the sheriff is going to want to make an example to people, and they are the only ones he’s got right now. Granted, I don’t think that that example will do anything, because that’s the kind of world this is going to be very soon, but I don’t want them to die, either. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?” No one said anything for a little while, then Wren spoke up.

  “I’d be willing to vouch for Kayleigh, but not for Nat.”

  Garrett hoped she would elaborate, but she had said her piece, and that was all she was going to give them. It wasn’t really that hard to figure out why Wren didn’t want Nat nearby, but in his defense, he was a teenager, doing what he’d thought had to be done.

  “I understand that you wouldn’t want him here, but he was just a kid. Following his father’s orders. Even if they were stupid.” During the talk, no one had noticed that Alice had made her way to the landing at the top of the stairs. Brooke was with her, supporting her weight the best she could.

  “I think we should give Nat a second chance. If only for Brooke’s sake.” Her voice made everyone jump, and Garrett instantly tried to intercept them on the stairs, since it looked as though Alice was determined to join this conversation.

  “Do what you think is right, Dad? I really don’t care.”

  To hear that Brooke had dismissed her friend so easily meant to Garrett that she finally had chosen her own crazy family over her best friend. In a way he was proud, but in a way, he felt like she’d lost something because of him.

  “Brooke, I know you’re upset with your friend, but I also know you can’t just stop caring about someone like that.” He snapped his fingers to make a point. She shrugged, but didn’t look at him.

  “Why does any of this matter, anyway?” The question had been on everyone’s mind, but no one actually had thought to ask it until Alice did.

  “To be honest, I was thinking maybe we needed some more space. Now that we have more people,” he threw his hands up to stem any protests before they got started.

  “I’m not saying it’s bad to have so many people, not at all. I just think that maybe if we knocked down the fence between their property and ours, we’d have a little more comfortable space. We can expand the gardens, plant more food. We can reinforce the fences and make sure no intruders ever come without us knowing about them first. I think it would be a good asset to us.”

  “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? We don’t even know yet if we want these two in our midst.” Garrett took a deep breath. How could he explain to them why he wanted this?

  “That’s true. However, look at the timeline of this event. It barely took five days for people to start turning violent. Five days! That’s less than a week! Imagine if that pace doubled? What if it got twice as bad in half the time? I think we need to do something about this and do it quickly. I’m certainly open for suggestions, but that was a thought that I wanted to share with you all. The police might be on top of things for right now, but they’re already struggling to keep peace and order. How much longer is that going to last?”

  “Okay, let’s say that we might consider letting the boy into the house. How are we sure we can trust him after the last stunt he pulled?” There was a little bite to her voice, and Garrett knew that even though she hadn’t been there herself, she never would forgive Na
t for what he had done…and almost done. He sighed heavily.

  “Before I let him into this house, if I do, I’m going to have a long talk with him to make sure he understands what’s expected of him if we open up our family to him.”

  That statement earned him a lot of different looks, ranging from hope (Brooke couldn’t hide that she wanted him to be there with her) to disbelief (Athena and Wren exchanging glances that said they both would be sleeping with one eye open, if at all).

  The sheriff had let Garrett into the back once more, and now he was staring through the bars at a forlorn and lost-looking teenage boy. Nat looked like he hadn’t slept or even eaten in the time he and his mother had been thrown in jail. Something wrenched in Garrett’s chest, and he knew his heart was breaking for the boy.

  “When is your trial set? Do you have a day?” Garrett was using this opening to try talking to Nat about his plans. Hopefully, the boy would bite.

  “It’s supposed to be soon, but I don’t know when exactly.” He straightened his shoulders and balled both hands into fists. In an instant he was on his feet and pacing the cell like a caged tiger that was itching to get out and claw the antelopes.

  “I don’t want to go to jail! I was only doing what my father told me to! If I hadn’t, he would have hit me like he did my mom!”

  “Shhh! Keep it down and listen to me.”

  Garrett quickly outlined his plans for knocking down the fence between their two properties, and everything else he planned on doing to get a little community started for his now extensive family. Nat listened with interest.

  “If you can swear to me you will never attack my family again, I’ll make sure you are part of that family and as safe as I can keep you.” When Garrett had said the word ‘family’, Nat hung his head. He mumbled something unintelligible, and Garrett had to ask him to repeat it.