“I’m not going back there,” Megan said forcefully. The other two looked at her in surprise and she blushed. She hadn’t meant to come out with something so fiercely, but she felt strongly on the matter.
“We’re the only ones left,” Megan whispered. “That poor boy...Aaron...Perry persuaded him to stay and now he’s lying dead in that basement with his throat slit. I don’t want that to happen to me, or to either of you. I don’t want to end like Perry. We have to get out of here.”
There was a moment of silence. Megan heard a man cackling in the distance, probably still riding the high of killing Perry in cold blood. Aby took a deep breath.
“Look...I think you’re right. At least partially. But without a vehicle...we’re easy targets. We won’t get far. If they decide to chase us down, what chance do we have without a car? It’s pointless to escape if we won’t survive. I know the thought of going back is scary...but what if we headed to the other side of town?” Aby pointed behind her in the direction she meant. “You see? It’s less concentrated there. It’s getting darker now too...the dark will conceal us.”
Megan crossed her arms. “I don’t see your point…”
“This is our best chance of getting a car. There’s some risk, I’ll admit...but the other road...the one we didn’t barricade...it’s got a clear route. If we can get a car, we can get out of here. There are a few vehicles around, but not many people...and let’s be real, these guys aren’t going anywhere tonight. They’re looking in the houses for people to kill. They’re celebrating their...their victory. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they set up here permanently. While they’re distracted, we can get a car and get out.”
“Don’t you think that’s exactly what they’re hoping for?” Megan cried, throwing her hands in the air. “They want to chase us down...if we leave now on foot, no one will see us go. Like you said, they’re all celebrating in the town. But the second we start trying to take things from them, we’re going to make them mad…”
“One car shouldn’t go amiss...besides. Look at everything they took from us,” Aby said through gritted teeth. “Megan...sometimes you have to take risks. That’s a fact. I know you’re scared...but I think it’s the right thing to do. Otherwise...we have nothing.”
Megan knew there was some sense to what she was saying. It wasn’t just about surviving the moment...a car could help them survive a few days longer and get them somewhere far away. But the plan could also end their life within a matter of minutes. She didn’t have the ability to fight the way Perry did, so she didn’t stand a chance. At least he had been able to take some of the men down with him...Megan would just go down easily.
She didn’t want to agree to the plan. But Jake, who was watching Aby with clear admiration, was clearly sold on the idea.
“Shall we vote?” Jake asked. Megan almost rolled her eyes. How had she managed to get herself stuck with a couple who would never listen to what she had to say?
“No need,” Megan sighed. “I think we already know what you’ve decided.”
Aby gave her a pitying look. “You know...you don’t have to come if you’re not comfortable.”
It felt like a punch to the stomach. Was Aby really suggesting that Megan could go off alone? She said it so casually it was like she didn’t even care what Megan did. Tears stung her eyes once again. She knew she wasn’t the most valuable member of their team. She knew she could be more of a hindrance than a help at times. But she’d saved them when she took them to the basement. She’d supported Aby every time Jake went off on one of his heroic little missions. Did Aby really not care whether she lived or died? She knew she was difficult at times, but she thought that she was at least a friend to them.
Megan knew that if she went off along she didn’t stand a chance. Aby probably knew that too. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively. For now, she needed them. The choice wasn’t really a choice.
“Lead the way,” she muttered. Aby and Jake didn’t hesitate as they fell in step, their guns at the ready as they moved through the trees, back the way they’d come. Megan was filled with fear and rage as she followed them. She told herself that the second she found someone else to support her, she’d get shot of Aby and Jake. She knew it was her anger talking, but in that moment, she’d never felt so alone.
She forced herself to carry on. They were quiet as they snuck through to the quiet side of town. There were still prisoners milling around, but they didn’t notice as they crept by. They were too preoccupied by something else…
Every single one of them seemed determined to wreak havoc. They were whooping and cheering, setting fires all around the town and still brutally killing the leftover survivors. Megan didn’t understand. They were destroying a town that could’ve sustained them. They had the means to protect it and maintain the setup there. But when she saw one of the horses running away with a startled neigh, she understood one thing. Those men weren’t interested in the long run. They were living in the moment.
“So much for them setting up here,” Megan said pointedly at Aby. If Aby had been wrong about this, then was her plan wrong too. Aby blushed and Megan felt a sense of smug satisfaction. They might wind up dead now, but at least she knew she’d been right. She wondered if it was too late to go back, but the others stubbornly continued onward. She hated herself for following them, but she was scared to go off alone.
The world was falling apart around her. She saw an inferno in the house where Perry had lived and she felt sick to her stomach. What was wrong with these people? A few days without rules had caused them to turn an entire town into a living hell. Megan couldn’t understand what possessed them.
And what scared her most was that wherever she went, chaos would follow now. She was sure that Dent wasn’t the only town going up in flames. What was happening to the rest of the world? Would anywhere be safe ever again.
“Stop!”
Megan was shocked to see a young boy standing in front of them, blocking their path. He looked distraught, probably traumatized by what he’d seen in the town. Maybe he was a former resident and the prisoners had spared him because he was clearly just a child. Aby, who seemed as taken aback by the child as Megan was, bent down beside him to try and comfort him.
“Hey...it’s alright. Tell us where your parents are...maybe we can help you.”
The boy stared at her for a moment. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a pistol. Megan gasped and took a step back, but then stopped in her tracks. She couldn’t leave Aby there with the kid. His gun was now pressed to her temple.
Megan didn’t think for even a second. She rushed forward and threw herself against the kid, knocking him to the ground. She hadn’t even had time to register that she was scared.
The kid let out a loud ‘oof’ as the wind was knocked from his body. Megan tried to pin him down, his hands shaking.
“Stop it! You’re going to get someone killed!” Megan squeaked.
The kid ignored her, grappling for the pistol that he’d dropped on the floor. He pointed it directly at Jake. Aby let out a cry and whacked the kid across the head with her gun. He was out cold the second he was hit.
The three of them took a moment to gather themselves. Megan didn’t think she’d ever been so terrified of a young boy before. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Aby looking at her gratefully.
“You saved me,” she said. “Thank you, Megan. That was brave.”
Megan felt a little uncomfortable with the newfound attention. She peered at the kid. “Is he going to be okay?”
“It depends on your definition of ‘okay’...he’s clearly traumatized. But he’ll wake up, if that’s what you mean,” Aby said. “Let’s keep moving...hopefully we haven’t attracted any attention…”
Megan was all too happy to get away from the creepy kid. The sooner she was out of Dent, the sooner she’d be happy. They continued into a grove of trees that led to the road out of town. If they could quickly find a car, maybe they
’d be okay. Maybe the plan wasn’t so bad after all.
“Hey...I see a car,” Aby whispered. Megan peered around her and saw that slightly up the road, partially concealed by the trees, was a vehicle. It hadn’t been there when they arrived earlier that day so it must’ve been driven since then.
But were the keys inside the car?
“I’ll check it out,” Megan said. Aby blinked in surprise.
“You will?”
Megan didn’t want to admit it, but every step that took her further out of town was one she wanted to take. It was a risk in itself, going off alone to check it out, but at least she’d be away from the burning carcass of the leftovers of Dent.
“Yeah. I’ll be as quick as I can...if I don’t come back…”
She didn’t know how to finish that sentence, but Aby nodded like she understood. Taking a deep breath, Megan took off toward the car, keeping to the shadows as much as she could. She didn’t look back at her friends. She suddenly had a taste of what it was like to be Jake...always throwing himself in the line of fire.
The car was further away than it looked. Her anxious heart was beating so fast that she felt nauseous, but she moved as fast as she could without making a sound. The sooner she figured out if the vehicle was of any use, the sooner they could get out of there.
When she reached it, she peered in through the dusty windows, squinting for the sight of a key to the car. She couldn’t see anything on the seat. She cursed to herself. Useless...she’d have to return empty handed.
As she turned, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. She tried to scream, but it came out as a muffled noise, quiet as a mouth.
She was in trouble now...
Twenty-Three
Jake
Where the hell is she? Jake thought to himself. Megan had been gone too long for his liking. She wasn’t the most streetwise woman at the best of times. Was it possible she’d managed to get herself into trouble already?
“She’ll be okay,” Aby said firmly. “We underestimate her, you know. She’s saved us both twice today. She made it through both battles…”
“I know. But you have to admit she gets herself into trouble. I mean, if we hadn’t saved her right back at the start…”
“Don’t say that,” Aby scolded. “I know what you mean...she can be a liability sometimes. But give her a chance. She’s trying to help.”
Jake didn’t have much time for her ‘trying’ to help at this point. They had run into enough trouble for a lifetime. The last thing they needed was Megan bungling this mission and ruining it for everyone...this was their last chance at survival.
He sighed, shaking his head to himself. It was going to be up to him once again to fix Megan’s mess. She’d been too long. He had to step in and do something.
“I’m going to find her,” Jake said. “You stay here.”
Aby scoffed. “Oh, here we go again…”
“You know it’s too dangerous…”
“Too dangerous for a woman, is that what you’re implying? First you think Megan can’t handle herself, and now me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not because you’re women...it’s because Megan is a disaster and...well...I don’t want you to be in danger.”
“And you think it’s safer to leave me back here on my own without someone to have my back? Just admit that you don’t think I can handle myself.”
Jake was so tired of arguing with Aby. It never used to be that way. He loved her so much, but it was an unspoken thing between them most of the time. As was the fact that he was the stronger one of the two of them. He didn’t understand why Aby suddenly had this need to step up and prove her own strength.
“I know you can handle yourself...I just think that both of us going is a bad idea. If Megan is in trouble then there’s no sense in both of us getting into the same mess as her.”
“We’re stronger together. We should both go.”
“It’s not a good idea…stop taking it so personally, Aby. I just don’t want us both to die out there.”
“Better to die together than separately...when are you going to get it, Jake? All I want is to be at your side through this thing. I don’t care about the outcome. If you’re going, I’m coming too.”
Jake ignored her entirely. “If you stay you’ll have a chance to survive...if I die, you can carry on alone.”
“What if I don’t want to? What’s the point of living alone? If Megan’s dead and you’re about to get yourself killed, what would I have to live for?”
“Don’t say that…”
She stared him directly in the eyes. “Would you want to live without me?”
He couldn’t answer that question. Not because he didn’t know the answer, but because he knew that he’d give up without her. In fact, that was partly why he always tried to go it alone. He couldn’t bear the idea of bringing her along and watching her die. He couldn’t bear the thought of outliving her. Selfishly, if death was going to take one of them, he wanted it to be him because life without her wasn’t worth it. He swallowed.
“Fine. You know what? Have it your way. We'll both go, but separately. We’ll take the road from two different angles...then we can have each other’s backs.”
“Great way to avoid that question, Jake.”
“I’m pretty sure we have bigger problems right now. Let’s save the mushy crap and the couple’s therapy for when we’re not in danger, okay?”
Aby didn’t respond, but she seemed happy that she’d been allowed to come along. They split ways on the road and Jake headed off alone, still reeling from the conversation with Aby. He loved her more than he’d ever admit aloud, but the constant bickering was getting hard to deal with. He knew in his heart that every time they tried something risky, they were one step closer to being killed. He never wanted them to be apart. All he wanted was for her to be okay. But the day they’d just experienced was a reminder to him that not even the strongest survive sometimes. If Perry hadn’t made it, what made Aby think she could survive?
He crept closer to the car, but there was no sign of Megan. How had she managed to disappear? They’d been watching after her the whole time. Sure, the trees created several blind spots, but he still felt like she shouldn’t have been able to disappear so easily...and she was clearly nowhere to be found now.
Jake heard a gunshot and threw himself to the ground instinctively. He landed hard, but he was immediately alert. He looked around for the shooter. He knew he was the target, but he couldn’t pinpoint who was trying to kill him.
There was a long silence and Jake readied himself, whipping his head from side to side looking for whoever it was trying to shoot him.
All too late, he heard the thundering footsteps of a man running at him. In panic, Jake stumbled back, losing grip on his gun. He felt a rush of shock for a moment, wondering if this was his moment to die.
But then a shot came through the air so fast Jake felt like a second hadn’t even passed. The man fell with a grunt, collapsing sideways. Jake looked up and saw Aby with her rifle and an angry look on her face. Jake felt a rush of love for her. Of course she was his saviour.
She was right. They were stronger together. Without a moment of hesitation, Jake rushed to his feet and toward the road, ducking behind a tree in case there were any more assailants. Now, he could see that there were others gathered by the vehicle, ready for a fight. Megan was lying unconscious on the floor at their feet, surrounded by blood. Jake felt sick.
Surely she’s not dead? After everything, she can’t be…
Jake didn’t have time to muse over whether she was or not. He got down on one knee and aimed his rifle. He began to shoot methodically, aiming for the closest targets first and taking one out before they’d even had time to respond. He felt better knowing Aby was somewhere nearby, covering his back. The men drew their own guns, ready to retaliate. There were at least seven of them, and only Aby and Jake to fend them off, but Jake felt unstoppable with anger running through his veins. It
was powering him to kill without hesitation or guilt. He cried out as he shot at will. The men fell like flies at his hand.
It wasn't long until each of them was dead. Jake glanced back at Aby and nodded to her. They knew they had to go and see if Megan was still alive. He began to run, his heart pounding in time with the rhythm of his boots. He was breathless by the time he reached Megan and felt her neck for a pulse.
“Alive,” he whispered to himself with a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was find the keys, get her in the car and drive away as fast as he could. He knew that the Land Rover must’ve been working if the men were so desperate to protect it. He recognized it as a nineties model, old tech. It was perfect to help them get away.
His heart was threatening to give out as he searched the dead men for the keys. He found a penknife which he pocketed and a handful of cough sweets, but no keys…
Suddenly, he felt something grab his ankle. It pulled on him hard and toppled him to the ground. He cried out as he fell hard on his arm. Turning, he saw that one of the men was still alive and holding a knife in one hand, his ankle in the other.
Jake kicked out at the man, almost getting sliced by his knife. Kicking again, he managed to make a connection with the man’s jaw. Gritting his teeth, he got to his feet and stomped hard on his assailant’s face. He heard the crack of bone beneath his boot. He didn’t stop. Breathlessly, he kept kicking at him until he was sure he wouldn’t move again.
He tried not to look at the horrific mess he’d created as he rooted through the man’s pockets for the keys. Bingo. He’d found them. He just hoped he could be forgiven by some higher power for the way he’d done it.
He was relieved to be able to open the vehicle and toss Megan’s unconscious body inside. There was no more time to waste. He could hear engines nearby, but he couldn’t make sense of where they were and whether they were a threat to him. All he wanted was to get out, and fast.
Aby appeared behind him. “Is she okay?”
The End of the World Series | Book 2 | Survive The Onslaught Page 13