Solly helped them move three rusting cars from the road, each placed on one side of a square surrounding the gas pumps with the Humvee completing the perimeter. Their vehicle had been fitted with an access hatch in the roof, though it had no minigun, and he kneeled on his pack so he could poke just enough of his head out to see without presenting too big a target.
The night inched past, the only sound being the hum of the generators that were powering the construction lamps sweeping their surroundings for any sign of movement. They had one infrared scanner which was passed around each side, but they'd seen nothing since the attack. The medic had done his best to shovel up her remains, but blood and pulverized body parts were still scattered across the asphalt.
Why had she done it? What was the motivation for blowing up a fuel dump? Especially one that was distributing at least some of the gas to the local community.
"Intruders, I wish to speak to your leader!"
Solly's head snapped around, trying to locate the source of the voice. It had come from the direction he was facing, and it sounded as though it was amplified.
Lieutenant Bryant appeared beside the Humvee. Solly could see him using its hood for cover as he, too, searched for the voice. "Who are you?" he called out.
"Who I am is unimportant," it continued, and Solly was now able to pinpoint a single-story building beyond the range of the lights, probably a fast food restaurant. "What matter is who we are. We are the Children of Revelation and we will not allow you to stand in the way of our purpose!"
There was something familiar about the voice.
"What is your purpose?" Bryant asked.
"You support those who would wish to restore the ways of the sinful past. You support the perverted government in DC. We cannot allow it to take root. The world must be prepared for the end of days. Retreat and we will spare you, fight and you will die. For we are many."
Bryant glanced up at Solly, who shrugged. He felt as though he ought to recognize the speaker, but also knew that he wasn't from here.
"We are ordered to secure this facility for the military and the common good," Bryant called. "We do not wish to harm anyone, but if you approach us, we will use deadly force."
"The common good? The end of days is coming and the world must be cleansed! The people must be brought low so that they welcome the new Earth that will arise when the righteous ascend. You have made your choice."
"Lieutenant!" Another voice called across the forecourt. "We've got incoming!"
Shapes ran into the patchy illumination of the construction lights, heading for the perimeter. "My God, there are hundreds!" Solly said.
Chapter 8
"They're unarmed!"
The shapes were walking slowly towards the perimeter, their unified chants forming a backing track to the urgent calls of the defenders.
"Lieutenant, they have no weapons. What are your orders, sir?"
"Do we open fire?"
From his vantage point, Solly could see them inching closer and closer. It was as if they'd been hidden in the landscape waiting for their leader to signal for them to begin the attack. If walking and singing can be called an attack. As they got closer, the circle contracted and they were able to join hands. Above it all, Solly could hear their leader, exhorting them to do their duty to their creator. And he still couldn't place the voice.
"Warning shots only!" Bryant called.
Immediately, the air was punctuated by rounds fired over the heads of the walkers.
"Some of them must have weapons," Solly shouted down to Bryant. The problem was, they couldn't know which. "Don't you have any tear gas?"
"No," Bryant shouted. "We weren't expecting to have to do crowd control. I haven't seen this many civilians together since this all started."
Solly's subconscious flashed an image into his mind's eye like an impatient child jumping up and down to attract the teacher's attention. The last time he'd encountered so many people outside a military base was…yes, back in New York. He, Ross and Janice had been trying to get out of the city in the days after the Long Night, and they'd stumbled across…a community on Broadway. And the head of that community…
"I know who their leader is!" Solly called. He dropped down into the Humvee where Ross and Vivian were staring out at the approaching crowd. "If they get too close, Viv, drive away. Don't risk yourselves for the sake of a fuel dump."
"They're not going to run away," Ross said, pointing at Bryant who was shooting high from the hood of the Humvee.
"They're soldiers, following orders. You're not. Promise me you'll go if I don't come back quickly."
Ross nodded and took Solly's hand. "Where are you going?"
"Remember that religious group in New York? That's him. That's Pastor Fisher."
"I thought Janice had killed him!"
Solly shook his head. "The devil looks after his own, Ross. He's the key to this. I'm going to finish what Janice started." As he said this, his throat closed up and he choked back a tear, pulling Ross into a brief embrace.
He left his assault rifle with a puzzled Vivian, pulled the door open and jumped out.
Suddenly, his thirst for revenge had coalesced into a single target. Pastor John Fisher had led a repressive religious community based in a hotel in New York. He'd tried to force himself on Janice but, in the end, they'd escaped, and she'd left him with a knife wound to the groin. It should have been enough to kill him but Solly was happy it hadn't.
He knew that the Lee Corporation was the bigger villain, and that he would have to face it sooner or later. But that felt like a mission he was obliged to attempt with little hope of success. Dealing with Fisher, on the other hand, was something for the here and now. Killing him would bring one small measure of relief. At least, he hoped so. And he had no doubt that the world would be a better place without him and his particular brand of post-apocalyptic craziness in it.
Carrying the Glock in his right hand, he crouched as he scampered through the pools of light and into the darkness. He stopped for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust and then he saw them—shapes coming toward him. Only yards away.
They were all women and they formed an almost continuous fence as they walked slowly, hand in hand, towards the waiting soldiers. They sang a psalm and many wore an ecstatic expression though others looked terrified, as if they were being propelled forward by those around them or some other force.
The cry went up as he darted for one of the few remaining gaps.
"A demon!" one called.
"Catch him!"
The line broke up as many figures stumbled toward him, looking to cut him off. Solly freed up his hands by stowing the Glock in a pocket—he wasn't going to shoot at unarmed women whatever the provocation. He hadn't fallen that low.
Hands grabbed at him as he plunged through the closing gap, but he ripped himself away and was out into the open air beyond, pulling the gun from his pocket as he tried to orient himself. He'd have lost himself in the dark had the voice not risen again.
"Stay firm to your purpose, soldiers of the end times! Form the righteous ring and enclose our enemies. Onward!"
Solly located the direction and plunged on. He had no idea how far away the speaker was, as his voice was obviously amplified, but he had to be close enough to see that the circle had broken momentarily, while too far away to tell that someone had broken through.
So, Solly had the advantage, but he had no time. Shots rang out and he knew that it was only a matter of moments before Bryant would order his troops to shoot or the attackers would get within the defensive circle. Either way, one side or the other would be massacred. He ran on, flitting around the cars that littered the road on the other side of the gas station and towards the rectangular building, black upon a dark sky.
When he was no more than fifty yards away, he saw dim lights moving behind a window in the side of the building. That was where Fisher was watching from. Out of harm's way as he allowed his acolytes to sacrifice themselves for whatev
er deluded cause he'd attached himself to.
Or, at least, he thought he was safe. Solly was about to make sure he was wrong about that. But he couldn't simply aim for the moving lights because he might hit someone else and, while whoever was beyond that window probably deserved it, he couldn't be sure. Besides, he didn't want to risk missing Fisher. He had to die tonight.
A crackle of gunshots from behind him rent the night and he ran on, reaching the wall of the building before running along it until he found an outer door. It was a restaurant and this was the staff entrance. It was open.
He gagged on the stench from inside, but didn't allow his thoughts to dwell on whether it was rotting food or something else he could smell. As he stumbled in the dark, he was careful of where he put his feet. He was as certain as he could be that they hadn't come in this way, so he had the chance to surprise them.
Solly reached the inner door of the kitchen and stood for a moment, listening. He could hear voices nearby, excited voices.
"Are they inside yet?" It was Fisher's voice.
"I don't know, they should be. I didn't think the troops would open fire, we may have lost many," another man responded.
"So, they have risen to take their place in heaven before us, praise be to them! Their purpose is to be the forest within which your avenging angels hide themselves."
"Then let us hope our operatives have not been gunned down. That was not our expectation."
"Have faith, my friend," Fisher said.
The other man grunted. "I have my own faith, Pastor, but I prefer to rely more on good planning. But I will be glad when we get confirmation that my operatives are in control."
"It will be soon," Fisher responded. "And we will have taken the next step in destroying the festering remains of the old world and preparing the way for the new."
Another round of rapid fire, followed by multiple gunshots. Solly imagined a last-ditch defense and the massacre of citizens and soldiers. He bit down his fear and lunged through the door.
"Put down your weapons!"
The two men at the window swung around in unison. Solly immediately recognized Fisher, his face twisted in surprise and rage. The other man was dressed in a black combat suit and stood clutching a walkie-talkie. He brought his other hand up and, without thinking, Solly pulled the trigger and the man dropped with a cry of pain as the report echoed around the room.
Solly pointed the Glock back at Fisher. "Call them off, Fisher, or so help me God, I'll blow your head off!"
"How dare you call upon the Lord! Blasphemy!"
"Call them off!" Solly aimed just to the right of Fisher and blew the window out.
Now the man was terrified. He lifted the microphone to his lips and called out, "Children of the end times. Return to protect your leader!"
The gunshots from the forecourt became concentrated on one area. Presumably the operatives the other man had talked of were putting up a fight. Solly knew well enough who they worked for. As soon as he'd seen the black uniform he'd known. The Lee Corporation was behind this attack. It would suit them to sow chaos in areas they didn't yet control and they'd latched onto Fisher's troop of crazies to help them.
"Tell me, Fisher, do you believe the filth that comes out of your mouth, or is it just another way of controlling people?"
"What? What do you mean? I am a man of faith!"
"Last time we met, you were running a community in New York, pretending to be a pastor. How did that work out for you in the end?"
Solly could see Fisher squinting in the gloom, trying to make out the features of his opponent. Solly stepped a little closer, into the reflected light of the forecourt lights and, after a moment, Fisher's mouth dropped open.
"You!" he said. "You were with her." His hands dropped to his groin. "She robbed me of my manhood."
"She intended to rob you of your life," Solly snarled. "I stopped her, though I wish with all my heart I hadn't. Now, in her memory, I will finish the job."
"She is dead?" Fisher cackled. "And rotting in Hell! But kill me, and my followers will rip you limb from limb. There is no escape, Mr. Nobody. Soon, you will join her in eternal damnation!"
He knew Fisher spoke the truth, but he had to ask, "Why are you working with the Lee Corporation, Fisher?"
The pastor seemed surprised by the question. "They…repaired me. My followers begged them to and they agreed. Since then, we have shared a vision of a world in chaos. This is but the latest action of many."
"And what was their price?" As he said it, Solly knew the answer as certainly as if he'd seen with his own eyes. "They've had the new implants, haven't they? They’ve turned your acolytes into slaves. You sacrificed the freedom of your followers so you could be saved."
He could see it in the man's eyes. The women who were now rushing back to defend him wore the same implants the Reapers used to subdue and enslave the people they didn't kill. No doubt many believed in their holy mission, but others had walked into danger because it was either that or die instantly at the command of the Lee Corporation in the person of the man who lay dead on the floor at his feet.
Solly felt pity for them, but none for Fisher. As he tightened his grip on the stock of the pistol, he saw Fisher realize, for the first time, that he was not going to receive mercy.
Now was the moment for his first revenge. Janice would not have died in vain if her death had led to the extinction of this filth. He hesitated. He was Solly Masters. He was a father, a geek, the sort of man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. No. Not anymore. Now, he was the ghost of vengeance.
Fisher’s eyes widened just as Solly pulled the trigger and he fell, lifeless to the floor.
A tiny weight lifted from one shoulder as another, of equal mass, settled on the other.
Now what? He could hear footsteps running towards the shattered window and cries of fear and anger. He couldn't shoot them and there was nowhere to hide, so he ran back into the stinking kitchen and exploded out of the door.
His only chance was to make it back to the forecourt and hope that Bryant's soldiers had survived the attack. Something launched itself out of the darkness and Solly felt himself thrown to one side. He cried out as he hit the ground and desperately tried to shield himself from the blows raining down on him.
Another weight fell onto his body and he could feel nails ripping at his face. He kicked out and one attacker fell backward while he pushed at the other. Rolling over, he got to his feet, but a wail split the night and suddenly he was surrounded by a dozen snarling women, some of them carrying rocks, others having liberated knives from the kitchen. They fell upon him and he disappeared beneath a pile of vengeful, enraged women, each trying to be the one to strike the fatal blow.
Something heavy slammed down onto Solly's arm and he yelled so loud, he didn't hear the engine roar to a halt beside him. Gunshots, then some of the weight disappeared sideways before another body flung itself on top of him and flailed at his attackers.
"Ross!" Solly cried as the boy's face appeared out of the mass of hateful bodies.
A rifle butt swung through the air and knocked the final attacker away. Vivian helped him up, though he fell back again as pain shocked through his arm. "Come on, Solly!" she cried.
Finally, he was inside the Humvee as Ross hauled himself up into the passenger seat having crawled across the debris-strewn ground. He'd thrown himself from the vehicle to help his adoptive father and now Vivian climbed into the driver's position, and slammed down on the gas to leave the hateful revenge seekers behind them.
And just as they turned the vehicle back towards the forecourt, a sudden flash split the night and it disappeared in a roiling fire ball. Solly threw his arms up against the light and heat as the Humvee shook violently from the explosive force as it squealed to a halt.
"Get us out of here!" he yelled, and Vivian yanked the steering wheel around, forcing the Humvee into a tight turn and heading back towards the main road. Solly cried out as his arm protested at the sudden changes in direction
but managed to turn around in time to see a black-tipped orange and yellow cloud rise from the ruins of the forecourt and into the clean night air.
Bryant and his troops were dead and Solly found no satisfaction in the fact that he'd executed Fisher. Despite all their best efforts and the sacrifices of the defenders, the Lee Corporation had won.
Chapter 9
Bella stooped low in the muddy field and dropped a bean into the hole she'd made with her pointy stick. She chuckled to herself, her breath steaming as it rose up into the sky on a chill morning in Tennessee. Al would have pointed out that she was using a dibber to make the hole, not a pointy stick, and that she was returning to a long tradition of working on the land. Her great-great-grandparents had worked the fields of a little Ukrainian village and she imagined what they'd have thought of their descendant as she straightened up and rubbed her back. Slabkyy, in all likelihood. Weak. But, for now, happy.
She stretched her arms and glanced around her. Other figures were stooping to plant or to dib their holes, industriously burying seeds to provide food for their town in a couple of months. Broad beans weren't to everyone's taste, but they were nutritious, tough and fast growing. And Bella's scouting parties had found several sacks of them on a recent expedition. If life gives you lemons…
Of course, there were far better things she could have been doing with her time. They had no shortage of labor, and most of those who volunteered were willing to do the dirty field work that was the foundation of their efforts to survive. Bella knew there was no lack of tasks needing her attention back at the town hall, but she'd learned, in the past weeks, that she had to have time for her mind and body to reset and, when the planting had begun at the beginning of March, she'd found it in the fields.
Her father said she was meshuggeneh for getting cold and wet out here when she could have been warm and comfortable in her office, but he didn't mean it. He knew the price she paid for the burden of running Elizabeth. He was proud of her, though he rarely said so, but she had been stretched to her limits and beyond by the seemingly ever-growing list of problems she faced every day. An hour in the fields was a small price to pay for the sake of her sanity.
Betrayed: Book 5 in the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival series: (The Long Night - Book 5) Page 7