“Maybe we should stay off the road,” suggested John. “We don’t know how well traveled this road is or how folks around here might react to strangers.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” agreed Daniel. “There may be sentries watching the road too.”
“So, are you worried?” asked John.
“Not yet. No one knows we’re here. And if we’re careful, they won’t. You’re not ready to give up, are you?”
“Not unless you are.”
“I can’t give up until I know what happened to Davis and Damon.”
“Okay then, lead on.”
It was going to be almost impossible to track them now on the well traveled road. They had to make an assumption, if they continued to follow the road it would lead them to where Davis and Damon were being taken. Daniel led them on a course approximately fifty yards off and parallel to the road. They maintained a slow and steady pace, careful to keep noise to a minimum. They were in unfamiliar territory and in no hurry to rush into a bad situation. And now there was no urgency in catching up to Davis and Damon, satisfied to hang back and see where they were going. Keeping a safe distance from the road, there was enough vegetation to provide cover and still allow them to see through the brush if or when someone came along.
After about a mile they began to smell smoke. Either a camp or settlement was just ahead. Daniel suggested they dismount and continue on foot. They tied up their horses and crept closer to the road. Up ahead they could see the sprigs of a young crop growing on the other side of the road. From where they were, John guessed the young sprigs to be corn. Beyond that was a wall of vertical logs, like a stockade fence around a fort. The front gates were wide open and they could see a center street lined with neat rows of tiny homes. A constant flow of people were coming and going. It appeared to be a thriving community. And as they would have expected, sentries were situated up in towers at the corners of the enclosure. John and Daniel kept watch for several minutes. There was no sign of Davis, Damon, or Peck.
“What do we do now?” John whispered. “We can’t stay here and do nothing.”
Then John noticed men and women hoeing weeds in the plots. “Perhaps we can get close enough to talk with one of those people?”
“I think it’s asking for trouble. They’ll know we’re strangers. All they’d have to do is sound an alarm and we’d be finished.”
The sound of hooves on the road came from behind them. They ducked down out of sight. Someone was coming up the road toward the settlement. Two riders went by with two horses in tow, their horses. John and Daniel exchanged looks of surprise and worry. Now they were stuck on foot and many miles from home.
They were trapped and it appeared they only had two options, both of them bad. One was to try to hide out until dark and attempt to steal a couple horses, forget about Davis and Damon, and go home. Of course, it wouldn’t be dark for a while and hiding out until then would be hard since these people knew there were two outsiders in the area. They were certain search parties would be sent out to scour the area until they were found, which would probably end badly. The second option wasn’t much better, to come out of hiding, walk to the gate, surrender, and hope they didn’t get shot in the process. There was always the chance they could be shot either way. They chose the direct approach, stood and walked onto the road, raised their hands, and began the long and dangerous walk to the gate.
***
Peck sighed relief. “The fire’s out. We should be safe now. Why not stay where we are until daylight?”
“Because,” Damon began to explain, “they may have seen our fire before we put it out and are headed this way right now. Do you want to stick around to find out? You can if you want, but Davis and I are leaving.”
Peck knew Damon was right and there was no point in arguing. The safest thing was to move on as Damon suggested and avoid contact with whoever those people were. There was no way to know whether or not they were friendly. Chances were, out here, they weren’t. All groups, good or bad, had become extremely territorial. Resources would only go so far and survival was all that mattered, at any cost.
Davis remained silent, perfectly willing to let Damon make all the decisions. If Damon was wrong, he would gladly place all the blame on him.
In the dark, Damon led them slowly across the unfamiliar landscape on a new course to the southeast, away from the fires. Moving away from Camp Liberty, there was no specific destination in mind. If they came across Paradise, all the better. He had been to the valley once, but coming from this direction and not knowing exactly where it was, it would be a miracle to stumble across it. Now, it was a matter of letting their instincts lead them.
The two fires suddenly disappeared from sight as they skirted past, one right after the other.
“Look!” yelled Peck. “Both fires just went out!”
They all stopped to make sure.
“What do we do now?” asked Davis sarcastically, the tone of his voice sounding as though this was Damon’s fault.
“Be quiet and listen!” barked Damon in a hushed voice. There was movement out in the darkness.
As they sat in their saddles and listened, a wall of small fires came to life directly in front of them, blocking their current path. Looking around for another route of escape, more fires appeared behind and to their sides. They were surrounded. They’d ridden into a trap. Ahead, a line of armed men stepped forward into the light of the fires.
“Not again,” murmured Davis.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Damon announced out loud to no one in particular. “We’re just passing through.”
“To where?” someone asked. Damon couldn’t see who was talking. He didn’t think it was from any of these men. It seemed to come from the darkness beyond.
“Nowhere in particular. Just travelers,” answered Damon, trying to see who he was talking to.
“So, you’re wandering aimlessly? Out here? Are you idiots or liars?”
The men in front chuckled.
Damon didn’t like how this was going, but smiled anyway. There was little else he could do except to be agreeable and attempt to be as little of a threat as possible.
Davis rode up beside Damon, causing the men in front to lose their smiles and raise their weapons. Davis was sitting high in the saddle, taking on an arrogant posture. “I am Gov …”
Damon cut him off. “Don’t!” whispered Damon, pleading. “It’s better they don’t know who you are.”
“Why not?” Davis asked in a whisper. Without waiting for a response, he raised his voice for everyone to hear, “Perhaps these good people can help us.”
“Please don’t,” begged Damon, still whispering. “They may try to hold you for hostage.”
Damon and Davis made eye contact for only a moment, Damon barely shaking his head.
Damon didn’t like being told what to do. “Like I was about to say, I am Governor Davis of Sector 4 and we could use your help.”
A man stepped forward, past the line of men and bowed with a theatrical wave of his arm. “My apologies, Your Highness, I had no idea it was you.” He was a burly rugged-looking man with a full beard, six foot tall, and dressed from head to toe in camo as most of the others were. Snickers came from his men. Damon took a deep breath. Fear was obvious in Peck’s eyes.
“By all means, what can we do to help?” the leader asked.
Davis, still posturing, didn’t have the slightest idea he was being mocked. “Can you tell us the way to Paradise?” asked Davis.
“Paradise?” asked the leader. “I believe I do know the way.” He pulled a pistol from his side holster, pointing it at Davis. “I have to warn you though, it’s a one-way trip.”
Damon decided that since Davis had taken this path, it was time to spoil their fun and intervene. “The Paradise we’re looking for is an Amish community somewhere south-southeast of here.”
“Oh, that Paradise,” said the leader, placing his pistol back in its holster. “No, never heard of it. You
said south-southeast of here? How far?”
“We don’t know.”
“What’s your business there?
“We hope to find a new home there,” Damon quickly answered before Davis could speak again. Peck remained silent, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.
“Sorry, we can’t help you, Your Highness. And we can’t have you wandering all over our territory. Maybe you’re who you say you are or maybe you’re spies from another clan. We shoot spies.”
Now Davis was worried. He hadn’t even considered they might not believe him. “I’m telling you the truth. I swear it.”
The leader took a closer look at Peck. “What’s he wearing?”
“His uniform. He’s one of my Guard,” explained Davis.
“I’ve never heard of you, Your Highness, but if you are someone’s governor, you may be worth something to us.”
This was exactly what Damon had been afraid of. But maybe they could make it work in their favor. As long as they thought Davis had some value, he stood a chance of staying alive for a while longer, hopefully allowing himself and Peck to remain alive by association. Maybe Davis had saved them temporarily by speaking up, even if it was out of ignorance. If these people found out Davis was no longer a governor, they would probably be shot on the spot.
“You’re coming back to our camp, but you’ll be blindfolded. We can’t have spies knowing where it is. And after we get there, we’ll decide what to do with you.”
The men from behind quickly jumped Davis, Damon, and Peck, dragging them from their horses, disarming and binding them, and placing bags over their heads.
“This isn’t necessary!” yelled Davis as he attempted to fight his way free. “It’s dark out. We can’t see anything anyway.” One of the men knocked him to the ground violently.
“Easy, men. Don’t damage the merchandise,” said the leader with a huge toothy smile.
***
Ryder and Levi finally reached the edge of Paradise valley, stopping the wagon and looking down on the peaceful settlement. It was good to be back, both anxious to see their mother and father again. They were sure their folks would be glad and relieved to see them returning home safely. The church bell began to ring. Someone must have seen their wagon and was signaling the settlement. Even after everything they’d been through, they were still able to smile.
By the time they reached the bottom of the switchback trail, the street had already filled with people. The crowd separated, making a path for the wagon, yelling greetings to them both, reaching up to shake their hands. They’d grown up in the valley and most of the community knew them well.
As they approached their folk’s house, they could see their father standing on the front porch and their mother standing behind him inside the screen door. Emma wouldn’t fully believe it was her sons, not until she could see them up close and feel them in her arms. She held her hands to her face. As soon as they stopped the wagon she burst through the door, running to meet them, tears streaming down her face. Levi had no sooner stepped to the ground when she wrapped her arms around him, crying even harder, and telling him how much she had worried and how much she missed her baby.
He wasn’t usually comfortable with this much attention. “Oh, Mom. I’m alright.” But at this moment he didn’t mind so much. Not after what he’d been through.
Ryder was still seated in the wagon. His mother looked up at him and smiled. Like his brother, he’d never been much for showing emotion. She motioned for him to get down, which he did reluctantly. When he was close enough, Emma grabbed both her sons around the neck, hugging them together.
Their dad had followed their mother to greet them, but had held back until she was done. Emma finally relinquished her hold on her two boys. Samuel held out his hand and Ryder took it. “Thanks for bringing your brother home.”
“I’m afraid it didn’t go exactly as planned. Daniel and John are the ones you need to thank.”
Levi faced his father. Tears were running down his still-bruised face. After seeing his mother, his hard exterior had melted away. But, not to appear any weaker than Ryder, he too held out his hand while wiping away the tears with his other hand.
“It’s good to have you home, Son,” his dad said, pulling him toward him for a hug. It was both awkward and unexpected. Samuel loved his sons, but had rarely shown it this way.
“I’ll bet you boys are starving. I think you’ve both lost weight. Why don’t I whip you up something to eat?” their mom said as she started toward the house. She was acting almost giddy now, so happy her sons were home. She turned around and stopped, a huge grin on her face. “Aren’t you boys coming?”
“We’ll be there in a second, Mom,” said Ryder.
She figured they were going to talk specifics about their ordeal with their father. She wasn’t interested. She was just glad they were home and safe.
“Where are Daniel and John?” asked Samuel.
“They went after Governor Davis and Counselor Damon. They killed two of the chief governor’s men and escaped into the wasteland.”
“I’d like to know everything that happened,” said Samuel.
“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” asked Ryder.
“Of course.” He paused. “Didn’t Darby come back with you?”
Ryder motioned for his dad to follow him to the back of the wagon. He nodded to the rolled up body. “He didn’t make it.”
Samuel placed a hand on Ryder’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“If it’s okay, I’d like to bury him in the Paradise cemetery. You and mom were the closest thing he had to family, besides me that is. Maybe we can have a gravesite service later.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I can have some of the men start digging a grave.”
“No, I’d like to do it myself. Tell mom I’ll be back when I’m through.”
“I can help,” offered Levi.
“Thanks, little brother, but this is something I’d like to do myself. Okay?”
Levi understood, nodding.
***
CHAPTER FOUR
The workers in the field stopped one by one to watch the two strangers walk up the road toward the gate of their community. Many backed away from the road, forming small groups, whispering and pointing.
A loud siren began to wail a warning of strangers. Daniel and John froze, extending their already raised hands even higher into the air. Several armed men came through the gate almost immediately, rushing to meet the intruders. They stopped short of them when they realized how imposing a figure Daniel was. The men surrounded them, weapons raised and ready, but didn’t utter a word. Daniel and John didn’t know what to think about their silence.
“Who’s in charge?” asked John. No one answered.
He started to lower his hands, but one of his elbows was immediately struck with a sharp blow from behind. He got the message, raising his hands once again over his head.
They waited impatiently for what would come next. “What do we do now?” John whispered to Daniel.
“I’d say exactly what we’re doing,” Daniel responded. “But I think that’s about to change.”
A man who looked to be in his fifties, in camo pants and green t-shirt, came through the gate toward them. He seemed to be their leader or at least someone high in the chain of command.
He stopped outside the perimeter of men who’d formed a circle around the strangers. “Put your hands down, you look ridiculous.” He stepped forward and the men parted. He took a moment to size up Daniel. “Who are you and what do you want here?”
“I’m Daniel Gant and this is John Thomas. We’re looking for two or maybe more men. They would have passed this way probably yesterday. One was the former governor of Sector 4. Have you seen them?”
The man continued to stare at Daniel. His expression and demeanor seemed to change. “Master Gant?” he asked.
Daniel shook his head. “Not anymore.”
“Still, you are Master Gant? Right? The go
vernor’s enforcer at Sector 4?”
“Enforcer is a bit strong, but, yes, I was there to keep order and to make sure the governor remained safe.”
The man nodded acknowledgement. “There’s no need to be modest. I’ve heard great things about you, even way out here. You have quite a reputation.”
“Don’t believe everything you’ve heard,” said Daniel.
“And now you’re hunting down your old boss? And who are you again?” he asked John.
“No one.”
The man showed no further interest in John. “The men you asked about aren’t here.”
“But, they were here, weren’t they?” asked Daniel. “We followed their trail here.”
The man didn’t answer right away. “It seems you already know the answer. Why do you want them?”
“It’s personal,” said Daniel.
“Miss your old boss?” the man asked with a smile.
“He and his companions killed two of the chief governor’s men,” stated John.
“So? From what I’ve heard, Master Gant has done his share of killing.”
Daniel knew there was truth in what he said and he wasn’t proud of it, but he did what he had to do for his family’s safety and survival. “I was following orders.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he said.
Neither Daniel nor John knew what else they could say.
The man cracked a smile. “I’m just giving you a hard time. I don’t care why you want them or what you plan on doing with them.”
“Does that mean you’re going to let us go?” asked John.
The man continued to smile, but didn’t respond directly to the question. “You can call me Uncle Don. Everyone does.” He turned and took two steps toward the gate. He noticed neither Daniel nor John was following. “Coming?” he asked over his shoulder.
They were nudged from behind. There didn’t seem to be a choice. Evidently, Don hadn’t actually been asking.
“Do you know where they went?” asked John as they walked behind Don.
Borders: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Aftershock Series Book 3) Page 3