“What in the hell?” Max asked.
“Our brother is apparently a wanted fugitive,” Alex responded dryly.
A shuffling noise pulled both women from their conversation to the end of the strip mall. Both expected to find an infected coming their way, but instead, it was an old man pointing a rifle at them.
“So, Rafe Duncan is your brother?” The old man asked.
“What’s it to you?” Max responded, her hand crumpling the wanted flyer before dropping it and pulling her tomahawk.
“Careful, Max,” Alex warned, as she put her hands up.
“He said there might be people looking for him eventually. He had a message for two women. Two women that should look a lot like you two. What is the name of the plan you started the day this plague began?” The man asked.
“Sundown,” Alex answered immediately.
The old man nodded and then a large smile spread across his leathery face. The smile changed everything about his presence, turning him into a loving grandfather, instead of a homeless man with a weapon. He pointed the rifle back at the ground and walked toward them. Max looked bewildered at his transformation, but Alex couldn’t help but smile back slightly. He looked at each of them carefully and laughed a little.
“That brother of yours, he’s a little crazy. But you’re Alex,” he said as he pointed to Alex. “And you’re Max.” He finished pointing to Max next. Both women did nothing but nod.
“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Issac. And your brother and I know each other well.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Max
She didn’t do people. The old man that was currently ushering their group into his dry cleaner shop was friendly and talkative. He clearly enjoyed the company and welcomed them warmly into his makeshift home. For Max, he was overwhelming. The only reason she followed was that the man claimed to know Rafe. Her brother who was apparently a fugitive now. That made two of them she guessed. Yet, her face wasn’t on a poster being plastered around town.
Inside the cleaners, it was clear Issac had lived there the entire month alone. The racks that usually held clothing were bare, except for what looked like drying laundry hanging around in places. A bed was set up to one side. Nearby that was a propane stove with stacked cans neatly in rows. Cases of water sat against the opposite wall. Max went to this wall and eyed what looked to be a second bed.
“Who else is here?” She asked, wary of an attack.
“Huh? No one,” Issac said, turning to her.
When he saw where she was standing he motioned to the bed on the floor with a sweep of an old hand.
“Oh that. That’s where your brother sleeps when he comes into town for provisions.”
Max gritted her teeth at his answer. Looking at her sister, she saw that Alex’s eyes were averted but there was still a smirk on her face. Max knew she’d hear about this later, Alex being right about Rafe coming to town. She still couldn’t understand why he would come to town and not home. If it was to keep them safe, Max thought that was ridiculous. He knew his sisters well and should know they could defend themselves against whatever was to come.
“Issac, when did you last see Rafe?” Alex asked.
The old man moved them to a sitting area in the lobby of the dry cleaner’s. A few chairs lined one wall and others had been added over the days. The group of five sat facing each other. Max fidgeted waiting for answers, so they could get on the road and find their brother. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she needed her family together in one place. Her hand hadn’t healed, despite the ministrations by Margret working to keep it set and clean. Breathing could hurt at times, her ribs still bruised, possibly cracked. Max wouldn’t tell Alex any of that though, because she knew her sister would delay the search. Or worse, leave Max behind.
“He was here maybe a week and a half ago. He’s only come twice since the first time we met. But he knows he’s safe here. I wouldn’t turn him into those uniformed morons.”
“That’s kind of you,” Alex replied.
It took everything Max had to not roll her eyes. Alex was always so good with people and Max still couldn’t understand the need. She tried with those close to her, but strangers didn’t rank for her.
“Where is he?” Max asked, jumping directly to the point.
“That I don’t know. I asked him the first time he came back because he said he had hiked hard for almost two days to get to town. He slept hard and then got the supplies he needed before heading back. When I asked him, he said he wouldn’t put me in danger by knowing where he and Charlie were hiding,” Issac explained.
“Charlie?” Max asked.
“The woman. You saw her on the poster. She’s with him. And the boy. Those two don’t come into town with Rafe. He says it’s safer for them to stay hidden.”
“Wait, there’s a child?” Alex cut in, her voice colored with surprise.
“I think I’ll let Rafe explain what’s been happening,” Issac said with a shrug.
“He has a lot to account for apparently,” Max muttered.
Issac insisted on feeding them while they were in his place. He produced packages of beef jerky, chips, apple slices and cans of sparkling water. They ate in silence, except for the short stories Issac felt necessary to share with them. He only left his dry cleaner’s shop to get supplies. He stayed on the roof a lot to watch what was happening around. He explained that was how he met Rafe and Charlie when he helped them escape a horde.
Max sat back and just let the old man talk. If Rafe was his only company, the man was probably lonely most of the time. While Max wasn’t a people person, she still couldn’t imagine spending the apocalypse alone. The dry cleaner, though secure, was bare and lifeless. Issac had tried to make it homey with his candles, bedding, and blackout curtains in the front. Yet, in the end, it was still a dry cleaner’s shop, not a home with people.
“Why do you stay here?” Max asked her need to have answers outweighing her desire to be quiet.
“It’s in town. It’s bigger than my apartment. And my apartment had too many people around. I knew they would all become the dead eventually and it would be less safe. This seemed better.”
“And you never wanted to go with Rafe?”
“He suggested it once. But I said no. I didn’t want to slow him down. Plus, if I’m in town, I can track the times the military men come in looking for them. It’s valuable information.”
“I would say it is,” Max answered with a nod. As she was also trying to stay away from the military she could appreciate the need for extra eyes.
“We are going to find Rafe and bring him home. You said he had a message for us if we came to town. What is it?” Alex asked.
“He was pretty clear. He said to not come for him,” Issac replied.
“What? That’s absurd,” Max sputtered. She quieted after one loaded glance from Alex.
“Issac, why wouldn’t he want us to come for him? We’re his family. We can protect him,” Alex said.
“He believes that he and Charlie will lead the military back to the compound. He doesn’t want anyone else to be at risk.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s there. We’ve already had to kill some of them,” Max said. Issac looked at her surprised at first, but then he grinned.
“Took some of them down, huh? That’s fantastic. I’m sick of those boys coming in here acting like they run the town and we have to bow down and answer their questions.”
“They aren’t only coming for Rafe anymore. We are at risk if we are divided,” Alex explained.
Issac just shrugged, looking at all of them for a moment.
“I understand where you girls are coming from. All I can do is give you the message your brother left. I can’t stop you from doing anything.”
Max knew that was the truth. Nothing Issac said was going to stop them from going for Rafe. The Duncan family needed to be together to weather the storm that was on the horizon. A shiver ran down Max’s back, as Callah
an’s face flashed in her mind. Torture at the hands of the Major had been difficult. She hadn’t walked away unbroken. But she did escape. Max knew Callahan was furious that his torture project had broke free and without giving him any of the information he wanted.
Griffin’s hand ran up her spine and she looked over at him. She could see some of the pain in his eyes that she felt. His guilt was something he carried like a shroud, despite Max telling him numerous times that it wasn’t his fault. There was no way he could know that all of the rules had been thrown out of the window by Callahan. Griffin held high regard for the military, after serving eight years himself. After he saw what Callahan was doing, he realized it wasn’t his US Military anymore. The world was changing rapidly.
She took Griffin’s hand in her unbroken one. He looked at her with a small smile and Max knew he was with her on this expedition, no matter what. Their relationship growing during the apocalypse seemed ludicrous. Something she felt the need to remind him daily. Her doubts and worries never phased him. He was busy convincing her they were solid and becoming the perfect father to Jack. Thinking of their daughter, Max had a worry that if they didn’t make it, Jack would be alone in the world. For a moment she debated sending Griffin back to the compound, however, she knew he would never follow her request.
After they finished their meal and conversation, the sun was high in the sky. As Max, Griffin, and Marcus loaded back into the Bronco, Alex stood with Issac talking quietly. Max watched from her window trying to figure out what had Issac disagreeing with Alex. She had never been great with patience and reading lips wasn’t in her bag of talents. Out of nowhere, Alex hugged Issac, the man looking as surprised as Max was.
Alex climbed into the truck and started it up. Max just looked at her, waiting for an explanation. When it was clear nothing was coming, Max sighed loudly.
“What was that about?”
“What?” Alex asked. Max knew she was playing dumb on purpose.
“Your conversation with Issac. He didn’t agree with you about something. What was it?”
“Oh that. Well, I told him he should come to the compound with us and stay. He would be safer there. And we could use all the firepower we can get,” Alex explained.
“Are you joking? Alex, you can’t just invite every person you meet to our home!”
“No, I’m not joking. Max, Dad always wanted us to be open with those we could trust. And I know we can trust Issac. He hasn’t turned in Rafe. He had multiple chances to tell the mercenaries that he was in town. But he never did. He deserves to be with us. To be safe.”
Max flopped back into her seat, knowing she would never win the argument with Alex. Her heart was clearly better than Max’s. It wasn’t that Max didn’t care about people. She did. Seeing the infected hurt her, as she watched them and tried to imagine what their stories were prior to the plague. But trust was a limited commodity now. She could appreciate that Issac hadn’t turned in Rafe. However, they didn’t know that yet. They hadn’t found Rafe alive.
The drive was quiet. Max was lost in her thoughts of how to balance the scales between the siblings. At times she would shoot glances over at Alex, trying to think of something to say to her. A part of Max felt ashamed for not being more like Alex. She wanted to explain to her sister. Alex knew her better than most people. Did she even need to explain where she was coming from?
With instructions from Max, the truck pulled off of the main road. They bumped along a poorly maintained dirt road. A mile down the path, they were blocked by a fallen tree. The location of the tree had Max suspecting they were on the right path. She jumped from the truck quickly and went to where the tree had stood. As she had suspected the tree had been chopped, not splintered from falling naturally.
“This is the right way! Rafe did this to stop anyone from driving too close!” Max called to the car as the rest of the party got their feet on the ground.
Alex came to meet Max by the tree stump. She leaned down and touched the chopping marks.
“This had to take a bit for him to get done. He really wanted to make sure no one went any deeper into the forest with a vehicle,” Alex said.
“Preventative measures. If this is here, that means they are at the cave location. We should go there first,” Max replied.
With agreement on their plan of action, everyone began to strap on their packs. Each pack was equipped with everything they needed for survival. Being prepared was always the first priority. Though they had no plans on being separated from each other, that was always a possibility. Everyone carried waters, MREs, sleeping bags, tarps, ropes and cords, fire making kits, flashlights, and a number of additional items. Each person carried their own personal weapons, able and prepared to defend themselves and each other as needed.
Max set the pace from the truck. They marked the spot of their vehicle on a topographical map Alex had found. Though they were decent with a compass and natural markers, no chances were being taken. Max estimated they only had a day and a half of hiking if they moved quickly. Alex left the directions and plans to Max, as she knew the area better than anyone else.
A few hours later Griffin caught up with Max’s lead, his steps falling in line with hers.
“Maybe we should take a small break, Max?”
“Why? We are making good time.”
“How are your ribs?” Griffin asked.
Max didn’t answer. She wasn’t going to lie to Griffin, never again. Keeping the secret of Jack and Griffin being her father was the biggest regret of her life now. And that lie almost broke them beyond repair. She couldn’t lie to him. But she also didn’t want to tell him her ribs were screaming and that she couldn’t take a deep breath without wanting to cry out.
“That’s what I thought. We are going to take a break. We all need to catch our breath,” Griffin said.
They sat near a small creek that ran through the trees. The babbling of the water was relaxing to Max. She sat on a large rock and leaned against a tree behind it. The pain in her side radiated through her entire body and she struggled to get comfortable in any position. She worked on concentrating on her breathing, slowing it so she didn’t need so many deep breaths. Rustling brush over her shoulder caused her to jump and pull her tactical tomahawk. Griffin was at her side a moment later, his rifle at his shoulder.
The smell was the first thing Max noticed. The infected seemed to decompose as they walked. No amount of living flesh that they consumed could stop the breakdown of their living cells. Max related the smell to roadkill that had laid in the sun for too many days. Putrid and nauseating. After all the fights she had with the infected, this was no longer a surprise for her. It was more of a warning system.
Alex and Marcus joined Max and Griffin, setting up at their backs so they were covered in a full circle. There was really no knowing what was in the trees. Max kept her eyes forward, waiting for the rotted body to show itself. When it did, Max had to cringe. There wasn’t just one. Instead, there were five following as a group. The leader was a tall wiry man, once dressed in hiking gear. In her mind, Max created the story for him, assuming he was camping out somewhere not knowing the plague had come or to hide from it. It didn’t take long to find him.
“Don’t shoot. Noise could attract attention,” Max said quietly.
Griffin nodded and slung his rifle onto his back. He pulled the knife he wore at his hip. Max knew Alex was wielding her knife and possibly the machete that she liked to carry. Marcus was another story. The man rarely listened to plans, so Max hoped he listened and didn’t start shooting as soon as he saw the infected.
Waiting wasn’t a game Max excelled at. She stepped forward with Griffin on her heels. She struck out with her tomahawk, shattering the knee of the wiry man, bringing his head into her reach. The body fell awkwardly, without the understanding of stopping or protecting itself. Max stepped back to let it fall and then swung her tomahawk again, embedding it into the skull of the infected. She used a booted foot against the head for leverage
as she pulled the weapon free. The slurping sound was one Max heard in her nightmares sometimes.
Behind her, Alex and Marcus were engaging additional infected that appeared and Max began to worry they were in the middle of a horde. She watched Griffin assault the infected in front of them. Max forced her mind blank, forced the worry away so she could focus on defending them. Moving forward, she met with Griffin as they simultaneously worked to dispatch the infected in their sight. It was a fluid dance they had practice in, like riding a bike, they never forgot.
Almost before it started, the fight was over. The four living were left to breathe hard and look around, waiting for the next attack. Nothing came. Max walked back to her sister to check in and make sure she was whole. It was reassurance she needed, knowing she couldn’t survive this world without Alex. They gave each other knowing looks, comfort without words. Sisters that were both unmarred.
Griffin suggested they move further down the creek to take their chance to rest, as none of them wanted to sit in the smell of the infected. Max walked at the back of the group now. Pain from her hand and side seemed to seep into every part of her body. She felt tired. And she knew they had the rest of the day before they set up camp. She tried to take a deep breath and almost let out a squeak when the pain intensified.
When they stopped, Max almost collapsed against a tree. She leaned her head back, focusing on her breathing again. Anything to take her mind from the pain and to calm her thundering heart. The infected were everywhere. She had assumed that of course, but it was still strange to see them in the forest away from town.
“Are you ok?” Griffin came to sit next to her.
“Yeah.”
“You aren’t great at hiding the pain,” he said quietly.
“I’ll be alright. Just need to get my breathing under control,” Max replied.
“Is that it? Your ribs are hurting?”
Alive (Sundown Series Book 3) Page 22