by Alex Gunwick
When Luke woke up several hours later, sunlight streamed in through the sliding glass door to warm his face. Every muscle in his body screamed. He groaned and rolled onto his back.
“You up?” Boyd asked as he walked in from the kitchen.
“Yeah.”
“I made coffee.” Boyd handed a steaming cup to Luke.
The spicy aroma wafted up on trails of steam. The first sip awakened his mind and body. Even though he could have slept for a week straight, the coffee gave him enough energy to face the day.
“I went back to Bart’s house at sunrise,” Boyd said. “Found some supplies. They’ve got a six-month stockpile in the kitchen. I can’t even imagine how many other families they murdered.”
Luke remained silent, unsure of what to say.
“I packed up the beef jerky and I’ve got some water for you,” Boyd said. “I figured you’d want to get on the road soon.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Not sure. Clean this place up, I guess. I don’t know. I’ve got nothing left. Nothing more to live for. My family meant everything. Everything.”
His shoulders slumped. Although Boyd had gotten revenge, it clearly hadn’t been enough. Staying at the house would only increase his pain. But maybe he didn’t have to.
Luke tossed an idea around in his head. What if Boyd came with him? They had plenty of food at the cabin and it would be nice to have another person around to defend it. Sleeping quarters would have to be arranged because they didn’t have any extra beds, but he’d figure something out. But was it a wise decision?
He’d have another mouth to feed. Even though they had a lot of food stored, adding another person to the mix would cut down on what he could feed his family. They could conceivably head out on supply runs when they needed to, but that would be dangerous. Was it worth the risk?
After taking another sip of coffee, he set up a mental list of pluses and minuses. On the one hand, he’d be in a better position to defend the house. On the other, he’d be bringing a near stranger into the fold. Sure, they’d worked together the last few days to get through the city, but he didn’t really know Boyd. The guy could be irritating as hell sometimes. Would he drive him nuts over time?
And what would Liz think? He’d harped on her over and over never to tell anyone about their Bug Out Location, so how could he show up with another person in tow?
He sighed.
“You’re thinking so hard there’s steam coming out your ears,” Boyd said.
“Just trying to puzzle something out.”
“What?”
Maybe Boyd wouldn’t even want to go with him. Maybe it was a moot point. He’d have to feel him out.
“What are you planning on doing in the long-term?” Luke asked.
Boyd shrugged.
“Do you have any family anywhere else?”
“Colorado.”
“It would take months, maybe a year to get to them,” Luke said.
“Not something I want to consider.”
“What about coming with me?”
“What?”
“Hear me out. I don’t have much. It’s a small cabin in the woods. We’ve got a stream running through it, so access to fresh water. I’ve got some food stored up, but we’d need to look for more, or get a garden set up. Maybe both.”
“I can’t,” Boyd said. “I wouldn’t want to impose on your family.”
“You wouldn’t be. You’d have to do your part, of course.”
“I’m not a freeloader.”
“I know.”
“What would I do all day?” Boyd asked.
“Work on projects that need to get done. Help keep the cabin secure. We’d have to set up perimeter patrols. Go hunting. Maybe fishing if we can find anything in the lake.”
“You’ve got a lake too?”
“It’s not on our property,” Luke said. “It’s actually a few miles away, but they used to stock it with fish every season. I don’t know if there’s anything left in there, but it’s worth checking it out.”
“I’m not afraid of a little work.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“You think your wife’ll be okay with it? I don’t want to walk all the way there and find out she doesn’t want me around.”
“She’ll probably be happy to have another guy around to shout orders at,” Luke said with a grin.
“She’s a real fishmonger, hmm?”
“Don’t let her ever hear you say it. She’d cut off your head. Besides, she wouldn’t be the only one with expectations.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I’d expect you to work night and day to keep my family in the lifestyle to which they’ve grown accustomed.”
Boyd laughed. “So you’re looking for an indentured servant?”
“A butler. A gardener. A security force. Not much.”
“Sounds like a dream come true, but I can’t. This is my home.”
“You already said there’s nothing left for you here,” Luke said.
“I’ve still got memories here. Good and bad. I know they’re gone, but if I leave this place, I feel like I’d be abandoning my family too.”
“You did everything you could for them. What happened wasn’t your fault. There’s no way you could have known that the whole world would go straight to shit while you were on vacation.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
Boyd clenched his jaw hard enough to make it twitch.
“Think about it,” Luke said. “I need a good night’s sleep before I go. I’m leaving at sunrise tomorrow. If you want to come with me, be ready to roll at dawn.”
22
Liz repositioned Melinda’s arms as she dry-fired the rifle. They’d spent the last two hours practicing and she hadn’t gotten any better. Her aim sucked. She did have a surprising amount of arm strength though, so at least she wasn’t a total disaster.
“Don’t shoot,” Harvey called from the edge of the forest.
“It’s not loaded.” Melinda lowered the gun.
“Well there’s your first mistake. Ready to head out?”
“Ready.” Liz took the gun from her. “I’m going to load it. Remember what I said, don’t point it at anyone you don’t want dead.”
“I don’t want to point it at anyone, period.”
“You might have to,” Liz said. “If you’re not ready for this, you can stay at the cabin. We’ll bring the kids back.”
“No. I’m coming. I’m ready.”
“Okay. Let’s go,” Harvey said.
They trekked through the forest until they reached the rendezvous position. Burt, Franklin, and their wives were already there. Burt carried a can of gasoline.
“I hate to part with it, but it’s the only fuel we could find,” Burt said.
“Thank you,” Liz said. “I’ll find a way to repay you.”
“No need. We’re all in this together. Some of us might be dragging our feet about it, but eventually everyone will see what I see. If we don’t work together, we’re totally fucked.”
Finally, people were starting to see the truth.
“Let’s run through the plan again,” Liz said. “Burt lights the fire then circles around to secure the escape route. Melinda and I will go get the kids as soon as the guards leave.”
“What if they don’t leave?” Franklin asked.
“If they don’t leave, I’ll shoot them,” Liz said.
“In cold blood?”
“They’re holding my kids captive. As far as I’m concerned, it’s an act of war.”
“As long as you can live with your choices…” Franklin pressed his lips together and gave her a slight nod.
“I have no problem killing to save my kids.”
“It’s almost time for the shift change,” Melinda said. “We need to get into position.”
“I’ll set the fire in five minutes. Be ready.” Burt picked up the gas can and headed through t
he woods toward the house they’d designated.
“Everyone else, get ready. We don’t know where all of the men are or any of their positions,” Liz said. “We need to be ready for anything.”
The group fanned out. Liz and Melinda walked to the cliff overlooking their target.
“If people start shooting, you have to shoot back,” Liz said. “Hesitation could get us killed.”
“I know.” Her voice trembled. Not good. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this, but it was too late now.
The subtle scent of smoke filled the air. In the distance, a dim red glow shined through the trees.
“The guards haven’t seen it yet,” Melinda whispered.
“Not yet. Give it a minute. Once the firewood catches, it’s going to burn fast and hot.”
Thirty seconds later, the shrill jangle of a frantically rung bell split the air. People shouted and rushed down the road toward the fire. Flames licked up toward the sky, brightening the tree line.
The guards jumped up from their seated positions and huddled together, as if trying to decide what to do. One man gestured at the door before turning toward the distant fire.
“They’re trying to figure out what to do,” Liz whispered.
“Leave, dammit.”
Two guards jogged down the road toward the fire, leaving one guard standing on the front porch.
“Shit. We still have one.”
“Can you take him out from here?” Melinda asked.
“It’s too far.”
“We need to get rid of him. I’ll go down and distract him. I’ll tell him Elijah wants him to help put out the fire.”
“He’ll never fall for that,” Liz said.
“If he doesn’t, then what?”
“Then you have to shoot him. He’s the only thing standing between you and your son. I can’t do this for you. You’re going to have to do it yourself.”
Melinda let out a low groan before shoving her shoulders back. When she turned toward the path to the house, Liz grabbed her shoulder.
“Wait.”
“What?” Melinda turned.
“Hesitation will get you killed. If you don’t think you can do this…”
“I can do it.”
Liz stepped back as Melinda headed toward the house. When she stepped out of the forest, the guard turned toward her. His hand rested on the pistol at his waist. She started gesturing wildly and pointed toward the fire. The guard cocked his head to one side. They appeared to argue for several seconds before he finally took off toward the fire.
Elated, Liz ran down the hill. She met Melinda at the back window.
“This kids aren’t near this window, right?” Liz asked as she hoisted the rifle overhead.
“No. They’re in the kitchen.”
“Get back.”
Melinda jumped back as Liz used the butt of the gun to smash the window. After knocking all of the glass out of the way, she reached up and pulled herself inside. Sierra, Kyle, and Adam whipped their heads around to stare at her with wide eyes.
“Mom!” Sierra jerked against the chair. “Where are the guards?”
“We took care of them. Don’t move while I cut you free.” Liz pulled a knife out of her pocket and flipped the blade out. She sawed at the ropes around Sierra’s ankles first.
“I knew you’d come,” Adam said.
“I’d never leave you.” Melinda dropped to the floor to cut the rope off of his ankles.
After quickly slicing through all of the ropes, Kyle flung himself into Liz’s arms.
“I thought they were going to kill us,” he said.
“We’re not safe yet. We need to get out of here.” Liz ran toward the front door and checked the peephole. No one was outside. “When I say go, run into the forest and wait for us. We have other people out there, so don’t scream if you see them. We need to be as quiet as possible. Go!”
Sierra, Kyle, and Adam raced toward the forest. Liz motioned for Melinda to go next.
As Liz ran toward the forest, the first shots rang out. They were coming from somewhere down the road. She grabbed the rifle and returned fire. Additional cover fire burst from the forest, giving her the break she needed to get inside the tree line.
“This way,” Harvey yelled at the kids.
Everyone ran deeper into the forest toward the route they’d pre-planned. As they raced through an open meadow, bullets sliced through the air.
“Take cover. Get back into the trees,” Liz yelled.
She scrambled behind a huge oak and jammed the butt of the rifle against her shoulder. She opened up, cutting down two men before stopping to reload. Franklin stood three feet away behind another tree. He shot two more men before being hit in the shoulder. He dropped his gun and fell back against the tree.
“Run! I’ll cover you.” Liz leaned out enough to get a clear shot and fired. She narrowly missed one man who turned and ran back into the forest.
“Move out.”
Liz backed away from the tree. When she turned to run, she found herself ten steps away from the preacher. He pointed a revolver at her chest and smiled.
“Drop the gun.”
She tossed it at his feet.
“I should have shot you the first time I met you.” He cocked the hammer. “I suspected you’d started the fire so I sent a group into the forest. You’re not as smart as you think you are.”
“Fuck you.”
“That filthy mouth.” Elijah shook his head. “You know what your problem is?”
“No. Tell me.” Liz wanted to keep him talking, anything to buy time.
“You don’t know your place. You should have submitted to a husband. A woman like you, alone, gets all kinds of ideas. Dangerous ideas.”
A man shoved Franklin to the ground beside her. He groaned and doubled over. Blood soaked the sleeve on one shoulder.
“Where are the brats?” Elijah snapped.
“They got away.”
Relief rushed through her so fast she felt light-headed. She might end up dead, but at least Harvey and the others could keep her kids safe until Luke came home.
She closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this alive, but as long as she could take a breath, she’d keep fighting.
In all of the chaos, Sierra lost the others. She stopped and hid behind a tree. An unintelligible conversation drifted from somewhere in the woods. She strained to make out the voices. When she recognized Elijah and her mom’s voices, she crept closer. She didn’t have a weapon, but she’d have to figure something out.
As she slid around a tree, she spotted Melinda hiding behind an oak across from her. Sierra frowned at the way Melinda held her rifle. It was all wrong and she wouldn’t have a shot in hell at hitting a target.
Sierra waved her arms and tried to get her attention. If she could get the gun from Melinda, she’d be able to take the preacher out. Being held in the house for almost twenty-four hours had stoked her rage to a new level. Her trigger finger itched to put a bullet in the preacher’s head.
When Melinda finally spotted her, Sierra gestured toward the rifle. Melinda took a step out from behind a tree. A bullet whizzed past her. She jumped back.
“Throw it to me,” Sierra yelled. No point in trying to hide their location since they were already under fire.
Melinda tossed the gun, but it landed three feet short.
“Fuck.”
Sierra waited until the shooter finished a magazine before scrambling out from hiding. She grabbed the rifle and dove behind the tree, narrowly escaping the first shots out of the shooter’s fresh magazine.
“Asshole!”
She inched around the edge of the tree and took a quick look. The shooter stood with his back to the growing firelight, giving her a perfect target. She aimed for center mass and shot. He jerked back and fell to the ground. She ran forward, kicked his rifle to the side and put another shot through his head.
A bullet smashed into a tree to her r
ight. She dashed forward and hid behind another tree. Her breath came in short gasps as she scanned the forest. A branch snapped ten yards to her right. She inched toward the left, carefully picking her way past small branches.
When she missed and stepped on a twig, the resulting crack gave away her location. The shooter annihilated the tree with bullets. Pieces of bark burst out to form projectiles. Several chunks landed in her hair.
“Come out, you little bitch, or I’ll kill your mother,” the preacher said.
Sierra risked a glance around the tree. The preacher held a gun to her mom’s head.
“Don’t listen to him,” her mom said. “He’ll kill us both. Run!”
The preacher slammed the butt of the gun into her mom’s head. Her mom crumpled to the ground. As he pulled the hammer on the gun back, Sierra took aim and fired.
The bullet tore through the preacher’s shoulder. He stumbled back a few steps before firing off a wild shot.
Sierra shot him again, and again, making him dance like a spastic marionette until the mag ran out. When he fell to the ground, she screamed and ran forward. She yanked the revolver out of his hand and pointed it at his face.
“I hope you enjoy hell.”
She pulled the trigger, putting a bullet directly between his eyes. Light flickered in his eyes before fading. The crazed expression on his face relaxed into a blank expression as death claimed him.
Sierra shoved the gun in her pocket and ran toward her mom.
“Mom?”
Liz groaned and tried to sit up.
“Don’t move.”
“There are more,” Liz mumbled.
“How many? Where?”
“Don’t know.”
“We got them.” Harvey ran up to them. “We killed them all.”
“Everyone from the church?” Sierra asked.
“No. Just the ones shooting at us. Everyone else fled. Some are still trying to put out the fire.” Harvey walked over to Elijah and checked for a pulse. “He’d dead.”
“I killed him,” she whispered. “He hit my mom with the gun.”
“You did the right thing. We need to get her back to the cabin. She probably has a concussion.”
Franklin and several others from their group jogged up. As Harvey and Franklin moved to pick up her semiconscious mom, Sierra dropped to her knees. An overwhelming weight pressed her into the ground. She’d just killed a man. The absolute horror of watching the light in his eyes fade replayed over and over until she couldn’t see anything else.