Nash was down the hill first, standing next to Wendell as they watched the people ride up the driveway. Ennis came up behind them, breathing hard.
“Austin?” he called out, disbelief in his voice as he passed around the two of them.
Wendell turned back to look at the bearded man and realized that, yeah, it was Austin. He smiled, thrilled to be with the Merryman brothers at the end of the world. He’d always known it would be like this one day. The three of them, riding out the storm.
“Ennis!” Austin shouted his brother’s name, pulling the horse to a stop and sliding off.
The two brothers embraced, and the woman who’d been riding alongside Austin dismounted and stood a few feet behind the brothers. Wendell couldn’t hide his excitement as he stepped forward, ready to greet Austin with his own exuberant hug.
When the two brothers separated, Wendell stepped up. “Austin! It’s so good to see you!”
And Austin looked at him with zero recognition before turning to look back at his brother, completely dismissing him. Wendell felt like he’d been slapped.
“This is Wendell, from high school,” Ennis said, making the introductions. “Remember him? That’s Nash back there,” he said, gesturing for the kid to join them.
Austin looked at him and nodded, but clearly, he didn’t remember him at all. Talk about a jerk.
“This is Amanda,” Austin replied, his eyes back on his brother. “Look, I know we have a lot to catch up on, but I’m here because I need help.”
“What’s wrong?” Ennis asked.
“Savannah’s been kidnapped. I need guns,” Austin said flatly.
“What the hell? Kidnapped? By who?” Ennis asked.
“It’s a long story, and I need—” He stopped talking and looked directly at Wendell and then Nash. “Can I have a minute?” he asked in a lower voice.
“Of course. Come in, and we’ll get you guys some water. Are you hungry?” Ennis asked, already moving to the front door.
“We’re fine, I need to talk to you, now,” Austin insisted.
Wendell stared at him, trying to figure out why the man would be ready to exclude an old friend. Nash, he could understand, but him? There was nothing to say about it, though, not when so much urgency was in the air and Ennis was already ushering him toward the door.
“Okay, okay, sorry about the door, but you need to get on your hands and knees and crawl in. Be careful you don’t hit the jack. That’s a long story, as well,” he muttered.
The group filed into the house one by one before the brothers headed into Ennis’ room. Nash acted like he was king of the castle and got a glass of water for Amanda before offering her something to eat. Wendell stood against the wall, trying to hear what was happening in the other room. The bedroom door was partially closed and he could hear the harsh voices talking back and forth, but he couldn’t make out the words.
Austin and Ennis came back into the main living area something like five minutes later. Wendell fetched himself his own glass of water, doing his best to appear cool and casual, as if he regularly hung out with the Merryman brothers.
“What’s going on, guys?” Wendell asked.
Austin and Ennis exchanged a look.
“I need to go to Denver to get my daughter. Ennis is letting me use a few of his rifles,” Austin said.
“Rifles? You have weapons?” Wendell asked with surprise.
He’d searched the house when Ennis and Nash had gone up to the mine. He’d only found a single handgun in a drawer in a nightstand.
Austin was looking at him now, though, suspicion in his eyes. “He does.”
“What’s in Denver?” Nash asked.
“My daughter and the man who has her. I’m supposed to show up at David Tower to get her back,” Austin said, a grim look on his face.
“You’re going to walk in there and ask for her back? Is that wise?” Wendell asked.
Austin shot him another glare. “It’s my daughter. Do you think I’m going to leave her there?”
“No, no, I only meant you’re not going to go alone are you?” Wendell corrected himself, recovering quickly. The fact was, he didn’t think any daughter was quite worth a trip into the city to confront what he guessed to be armed men.
“I’m going with him,” Amanda chimed in.
Austin turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. Wendell cringed. Clearly, there was something going on there. Leave it to the jock to hook up with a woman in the middle of an apocalypse.
“I’m from that area. I’ll go with you,” Nash added immediately.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Austin said. “You don’t even know me…”
“I’m up for it. If you give me a shooting lesson, I’m sure I can be a huge help. I know the area really well.”
“Thank you,” Austin said, reaching out and shaking the kid’s hand before slapping his other hand over it.
“You know I’m not letting you take my AR anywhere without me,” Ennis said with a laugh.
“Thank you. You know how much I appreciate it. Your niece will be very happy to see you,” Austin said, his eyes drifting to Wendell.
Wendell thought fast. He was not the kind of guy who marched off to battle.
“I guess that means I have to stay here and watch the house,” he said, as if upset by that decision.
“That’s a good idea. Do you know how to shoot?” he asked.
“He won’t be alone,” Austin chimed in before Wendell had a chance to answer.
“What?” Ennis asked.
Austin cleared his throat. “Uh, I need to give you a quick version of what else has been happening. I was hurt and unable to get to Savannah. Amanda saved my life. While she was nursing me back to health, Savannah was taken in by a group of people—preachers, revivalists, whatever. Anyway, Savannah was bringing them here, to wait for me, and she almost made it. They’re not far behind us. There’s probably ten of them. They took care of her,” he said, looking at his brother and apparently communicating without words.
Wendell watched them, more and more jealous of their close bond. He had always wanted to be a part of their group, but always found himself on the outside looking in. Now, all of those old feelings were rushing back. So much for being glad that Austin had turned up.
Ennis nodded. “We’ll help them out.”
“Thank you,” Austin said.
Nash looked at Wendell. “Now you won’t have to be alone.”
Wendell pursed his lips, biting back the scathing reply he wanted to make. “Good.”
“My family has a small summer cabin on the South Platte River. It’s isolated and shouldn’t have been looted—not much there beyond recreational stuff anyway. The point is, we have kayaks stored there. We can go in by water. The tower isn’t too far away from one of the small shoots off the river,” Nash said.
Austin’s eyes lit up. “Really? You know the city well enough to navigate it at night, on the river with no lights?”
“I do. I have a photographic memory. I can picture the tower in my head along with the buildings around it. I’ve been there before. We can come in on the kayaks and we should be able to get to the building without him noticing. If he’s alone, that is. Do you know anything more about this guy?”
“I don’t, but I’m going to assume he’s working with a group, possibly even an army, and I know they’re armed with semi-automatic rifles if the man I met is anything to judge by.”
Nash nodded, and Wendell could practically see the kid thinking. It made him sick. He hated people who thought they were smarter than everyone else.
“I’m going to step outside and see if our guests are close,” Wendell said. He waited for a moment then, for someone to acknowledge he was leaving, but they were all talking about their strategy for going into the city. He wasn’t wanted or needed.
He crawled under the door and went into the trees, his anger bubbling to the surface after being held in for too long. He punched a tree, immediately sendin
g pain through his hand. He felt his skin tear and looked down to see little droplets of blood running down his fingers. More annoyed than ever, he punched the tree again, another violent burst of pain exploding through his hand and up his arm in reaction.
“I hope they all die,” he hissed.
It would serve them right. They were acting like some hotshot cowboys when he knew they were on a suicide mission. While they were up there trying to get killed, he’d do what he could to get rid of the Bible thumpers and live in the house all alone. Maybe he’d find a lady to keep him company. There were sure to be a few of them wandering around, lonely and in need of protection. He could provide that. With the house and the supplies, his status would be elevated. The pretty ladies would come crawling to him, begging. He’d get to be choosy. He’d get to be the one doing the rejecting. He had to believe this was Karma finally working in his favor.
Even as he thought of what type of woman he’d really like, he heard voices and knew their guests were close. He wiped his hand on his shirt and schooled his features before emerging from the trees. He stood in the middle of the driveway, wanting everyone to know who was going to be in charge.
“Seriously?” he groaned under his breath. There was no way he could turn them away now, when those damned horses were tied to a nearby tree and the group clearly recognized them. Not when Austin and his brother were right inside.
Making things even more aggravating, a teen boy started up the hill toward him, leading the group. A pretty woman was right behind him, followed by a variety of young and old. It wasn’t exactly an army, but the kid in front was carrying a gun. Wendell hoped he knew how to use it. He certainly didn’t want to have to play hero, should they actually be attacked while Ennis and his brother were gone. He preferred to stick to the shadows where it was safe. It had kept him alive this long. He wasn’t stupid enough to go towards danger. Only idiots and dead men did that.
33
Savannah had never been so afraid in her life. The man had said very little to her since those first conversations, if they could even be called that.
Since then, they had shown up at a huge tower after a breakneck ride on horseback. It had felt surreal to navigate the city streets on a horse, weaving around stalled cars and more dead bodies than she’d cared to count. The stench had been disgusting, and made her vomit twice.
Then, when they’d finally reached their destination, she’d been made to climb six flights of stairs with the man essentially dragging her most of the way up before she’d been tossed in a tiny maintenance closet with no windows. He’d later brought her a candy bar and a bottle of water, and led her to a bathroom that stunk to high heaven. At the moment, she had no idea how long it had been since he’d let her out of the closet. It felt like hours, but it could have been only an hour for all she knew.
Footsteps coming closer alerted her to company, and she steeled herself for what was to come. He’d made it clear that if her father didn’t show up with what he demanded, she would be killed. She didn’t know if there was a time limit involved, but it had sure sounded like it.
The door opened and sunlight flooded the closet, blinding her. “Hello?” she asked, her hand over her eyes to guard against the sudden light.
“Get up,” her captor demanded, his voice now familiar.
She scrambled to her feet, blinking several times to let her eyes adjust to the light. He reached for her without waiting, grabbing her arm and leading her down a hallway. They were in an office building, she knew, with desks in the center and smaller offices along one side of the hall. It seemed like a strange place for a kidnapper to hole up, but there was no way she’d question him about it.
“Where are we going?” she asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
She wanted to be brave, to make her father proud, but the man terrified her.
“It’s dinnertime,” he grumbled.
“Oh,” she whispered, worried it was a last supper situation.
He pushed open another door, to what looked like a breakroom of sorts. There was an assortment of vending machine food offerings scattered on the circular table in the room.
“Eat,” he grumbled, shoving her into a chair.
She reached for a Snickers bar, tearing the package and taking a greedy bite.
“Why am I here?” she asked, hoping to get a more complete answer than she’d yet been given.
“You’re here because your dad has something we need.”
“We?” she asked.
He sat down across from her, his steely gray eyes intimidating and almost lifeless, like he was a man without a soul.
“We are the New World Order. We are the people who will be running the world. Your dad has the last piece we need to implement our domination.”
She raised an eyebrow at him when he stopped there, apparently serious. The man was crazy—like, certifiably psycho. He belonged in a hospital. How had she been so lucky to grab his attention? He was one of those guys they made movies about, and she certainly didn’t want to be a part of his story.
She swallowed another bite of the candy bar. “The New World Order? What is that?” she asked, hoping to get him talking.
He smirked. “It’s a group of people who want to make this world a better place. We’re saviors of sorts, I guess you could say.
“Saviors?” she repeated, choking back the hysterical laugh that had just threatened to escape her lips.
He stared her down, unbothered by her obvious disbelief. “You were traveling with a group of religious people, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ve probably heard about the cleansing of the earth,” he said, as if it was something obvious.
She slowly shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”
He didn’t look like he believed her. “We have to cleanse the earth and start over. The governments around the world are useless. They’re only out for themselves. There is so much scandal and cheating as the politicians scramble to get rich off the backs of the people. We’re here to wipe the slate clean.”
“How are you going to wipe the slate clean?” she asked quietly, unsure if she even wanted to know the answer.
He glared back at her, looking at her as if she something to be squashed just for asking a question. “It’s already started. We’re cleansing the cities, starting with this one. We’re not a big enough group to eliminate those who wish to rebel against us or don’t want to buy into our new way of living, so we’ve had to resort to other methods,” he said with a disgusting smile.
“The lynch mobs,” she whispered as realization dawned.
He grinned. “Smart girl. People love to hate and blame others for their problems. We’re strategically helping them decide who they should hate. They’re eliminating the problem for us.”
“You mean they’re killing each other, like the people who killed the man I was traveling with!”
He reached for a bag of chips and tore it open. “Yes,” he replied, no hint of remorse in his voice.
“Jim was a good man! He never hurt anyone. They tried to kill us because Jim was a preacher!” she exclaimed.
“Like I said, people need someone to hate. We provided them with a target. Only the strong will survive. Those are the people we want in the new world we’re building. We can’t have weak people who think they know better. We need people who will accept our rule and help us become the strongest nation in the world. No, scratch that—there will only be one nation that will rule over the entire world, and that starts right here,” he said, jabbing his finger into the table.
“What do you mean, it starts here?” she asked, trying to decide if he was really a mad man with a very active imagination, or if he was truly working with a group of people.
He smiled. “This city will be our home base. You are sitting in the future headquarters of the New World Order. You are getting a front row seat in the making of history.”
“I don’t understand why I’m here. Why me and my dad?
Why us out of all the people in the world?” she demanded.
He chuckled. “You’re no one special, so understand that right now, and neither is your father, really. But he was given something that involved you. You’re here because your father has that something I want, and that’s it. When he gives me what I want, I don’t care what happens to you.”
She flinched at the cold tone. He wasn’t exaggerating. She could see it in his eyes—he truly didn’t care one way or another if she died.
“What does he have? He’s a writer. We don’t have a lot of money. He’s no one special, either,” she said, hoping to dissuade the man of whatever crazy idea he had about who her father was. “What people give him are words, to tell their stories. That’s it.”
The man looked at her, sneering with disgust. “He has far more than words, but what it is isn’t your concern. That’s between me and your daddy. He knows, and I know, and you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about it.”
“If it’s really that important, he’s not going to give it to you,” she said defiantly.
“Are you saying you’re not important to him? I know that’s a lie. He’s traveled across the country, injured, to get to you. He’ll bring it,” he said with that fake smile again.
“Injured?” she echoed, freezing in the motion of picking up another candy bar. “What do you mean?”
The man shrugged before crumpling up his empty bag of chips and tossing it into the trashcan. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he took a bullet, or two.”
Savannah felt physically ill. “Shot? You shot him?” she whispered.
“I didn’t, but I believe my colleague did.”
She shook her head, imagining what her father had gone through. She’d known there was no way he’d have left her alone. He’d been shot! Her mind reeled with what that could mean, but she assured herself he had to be okay if he was on his way to her. That was a good sign. Her eyes met the man staring her down, and she fought to keep from flinching. There was a dead quality to them, and he was an evil man, but they’d somehow come out on top. She knew her dad, and knew he would do whatever it took to save her. This man would get what he wanted, and they’d be okay. Somehow.
Survive the Chaos (Small Town EMP Book 1) Page 24