Borders: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Aftershock Series Book 3)

by Michael R. Watson

  “Don’t you worry a bit about it, hon,” said Emma. “When you get a little food in your belly, you’ll feel much better.”

  “I’m going with you,” Samuel suddenly announced. It took Emma by surprise, but after a brief moment smiled and nodded.

  “Really, that won’t be necessary,” said Sarah.

  “No, I insist,” said Samuel. “I wouldn’t feel right letting you go alone.”

  Adam and Aaron looked up at him as he stood beside the table, their feelings a bit hurt at the comment. They would be there too.

  Samuel noticed their reaction. “Sorry, boys. I didn’t mean anything by it. I also want to go and check on Ryder. He went back too and we haven’t heard from him either.”

  The twins just smiled. “It’s alright,” said Aaron. They were actually glad he was coming along, as were Sarah and Donna. They weren’t sure what to expect when they arrived at Sector 4 or what dangers they might encounter along the way.

  Once the decision was made, the atmosphere around the room became much more relaxed. Emma gave them all something to eat and then afterwards Sarah, Donna, Cindy, and Emma gathered together around the table to have a nice chat and to catch up. Adam, Aaron, and Christopher joined Samuel on the front porch.

  When it appeared as though things had calmed down, the people of Paradise began to casually drop by to say hello. Old friends became reacquainted and new friends were made. It was a treat when outsiders arrived with news from beyond the valley. The afternoon went by quickly. A potluck at the town hall was arranged for the evening meal just so the visiting didn’t have to stop. Late that night, after everyone else had gone home, Samuel led Sarah, Donna, and the children to the second floor bunk room where they retired for the evening.

  The next morning they came downstairs to find that Emma had already prepared a breakfast for them. “I didn’t want you to start your journey on an empty stomach,” she said with a warm smile. Anxious to go, but not wanting to be rude, they ate quickly, expressing their gratitude to Emma.

  Outside, a large three-bench buggy was waiting with Samuel, reins in hand, and his youngest son, Levi, who had also insisted on going.

  “Ready?” asked Samuel. He received a nod and a smile from Sarah. “Then, load up and let’s get going.”

  “Wait!” shouted Emma as she ran back inside. Moments later she returned with a basket she handed to Donna. “A little something for the road.”

  “Thank you, Emma,” Sarah and Donna said in unison, embarrassing her.

  “What’s in the basket?” asked Aaron as he reached for it.

  His mother playfully slapped his hand. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  ***

  Morgan and his people headed south with the intent of meeting up with the wagons at a specified crossroads, and then taking the intersecting dirt road back west toward their home. They’d already planned for a route smooth enough for a wagon to travel over.

  “You can let us go now,” suggested Daniel. “We’re a mile out and far enough for you to be safe. We won’t follow you.”

  “Perhaps after we meet up with the wagons,” replied Morgan.

  “You said …,” began John.

  Morgan cut him off. “I know what I said. Now I’m saying ‘not yet’.”

  That ended any hope of discussion. They were in no position to argue or attempt to reason with him. John and Daniel exchanged glances, not surprised. There was no reason to trust anything Morgan said. They were trapped as long as he needed them.

  If Grayson hadn’t been so trusting, perhaps none of this would have ever happened. But this was no time to play the blame game. They couldn’t and wouldn’t blame Grayson for his big heart. If he hadn’t established Sector 4 as an aid center, people wouldn’t have come and perhaps wouldn’t have survived at all. Of course, he couldn’t have known things would turn out like they did. It wasn’t entirely his fault, but he had used poor judgment in leaving Davis in control.

  Morgan put up his hand and brought them to an abrupt stop. He was silent, appearing to be listening for something. Carla broke out onto the road ahead, coming out of the mesquite, riding hard toward them. John hadn’t noticed when she’d ridden away from the group.

  She abruptly stopped in front of Morgan. “The wagons are almost to the crossroads, about half a mile ahead,” she exclaimed.

  It occurred to John he had never seen her smile. And this time was no exception. She was all business.

  “I told them to wait there for us,” continued Carla.

  “Good work. Fall in behind.”

  She nodded and rode back to her previous position.

  “You’re almost free, Governor,” stated Morgan.

  Neither Grayson nor any of the others felt reassured. He had lied to them before and there was no reason to believe him now. Moments later, the wagons appeared in the distance.

  “Aren’t we close enough now,” asked Daniel. They were all exhausted, breathing heavily from keeping pace with the horses to prevent being dragged along. “There’s nothing to be gained by keeping us any longer.”

  Morgan was tired of the same question over and over.

  He stopped and looked at the sky. The sun was getting low on the horizon. He looked back and motioned for Carla to come back up to him. “Carla, go tell them we’ll make camp there.” He looked back at his captives and smiled. “I think I’ll keep you around until morning. I’d hate to have someone attack during the night and not have my bargaining chips close by.”

  “First, you said you’d release us once you were a safe distance away from the compound, then it was when we reached the wagons, and now its tomorrow morning,” John pointed out bitterly. “I imagine when morning comes you’ll have another excuse to keep us around.”

  Morgan was amused. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” He tapped his heels against the horse’s flanks and they began to move forward again, Morgan giving a jerk on the rope leading Grayson, almost pulling him off his feet.

  ***

  Jeremy and his small group were on foot. They had thought Grayson and the others would have been released by this time. Being on foot gave them one advantage, making it easier to remain quiet and out of sight in the surrounding brush. Now, they were almost four miles south of the Sector 4 compound and fatigue was beginning to show. Jeremy was disappointed but not surprised that Morgan was still holding them hostage. The man couldn’t be trusted and that was why they were there.

  “How long are we going to keep following them?” asked Peter, breathing hard.

  “As long as it takes,” answered Jeremy, knowing he wasn’t being reasonable. “Sorry. I know we can’t keep this up forever. If Morgan doesn’t release them soon, we’ll have to risk taking them.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” said Peter, obviously anxious for action. “We’re all getting tired, hungry, and thirsty. What if they don’t release them before it gets dark?”

  “Then it’ll probably be tomorrow before they let them go. They have no reason to travel through the night as long as they keep their hostages. And they probably don’t want to risk damage to the wagons in the dark. So, I think they’ll be stopping soon. At least that’s what I would do.”

  “That could be a good time to risk a rescue,” mentioned Peter. “Do you think they know we’re following?”

  “I’m sure they think someone is. Otherwise, they would have already released Grayson and the others. What they don’t know is how many of us there are or how close we are.”

  “Hey, look!” said Sam, motioning ahead. They were back to the road that ran parallel to old Highway 183. He stepped out onto the dirt road.

  “Stay off the trail!” yelled Jeremy, waving him back. “They may see you.”

  “Sorry.”

  “We just don’t need to advertise where we are. Keep moving through the brush. We need to be close if an opportunity arises.”

  ***

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Peck returned to the panel and began to
crawl into the tube without saying a word.

  “Where are you going?” asked Damon.

  “Back to Cell Block A where there are windows. From there I’ll be able to see when it gets dark outside. I’ll be back when it’s safe to leave.”

  “You won’t forget about us, will you Master Peck?” asked Davis.

  “Why would I do that?” replied Peck as he disappeared.

  “You don’t think he’ll leave us, do you?” asked Davis.

  “He already took the risk to come back and rescue us from those cells. I’d say he’s proved himself.”

  “But why did he come back?”

  ***

  This time Peck knew what to expect when he reached the end. He hurried through, once again entering the maintenance room. Cracking the door open, he looked out into the corridor. It was still quiet with no one around. The light shining through the narrow vertical slotted windows was bright. He jumped up to grab the lower lip of a window, hoping to get a better look outside, but failed every attempt, the window too high, just out of his grasp.

  Regardless, he’d discovered what he’d come to find out. It would be a while before it was dark enough to leave. He went into an open cell and laid down on its well-worn and stained thin mattress. Lying back he closed his eyes. There was no rush and no need to worry about being discovered. This area hadn’t been taken over by the Tent City’s former residents or any of the remaining Guard. The last ones to be kept there were Ryder and his brother as prisoners.

  He had fallen asleep, startled awake by someone shaking him.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” demanded Damon angrily.

  It took Peck a moment to gather his senses. The cell was dark now and he wasn’t able to focus on Damon right away.

  “Resting,” answered Peck, not understanding why Damon was so angry. “That a problem?”

  “You were supposed to let us know when it got dark, so we could leave,” said Davis, who stepped out from behind Damon.

  “I didn’t know we were on a time schedule,” said Peck. He felt they owed him, but they weren’t sounding very grateful.

  Damon let the comment slide. “Get up. It’s time to go.”

  Davis had backed out of the cell into the corridor. He was staring at the door leading out of the cell block into the interior of the building. There was a grin on his face and a gleam in his eyes. “Now that we’re back inside, maybe we can regain control. It’ll be easy. All we have to do is lock the gate, like Peck was supposed to do before. Then you two can deal with the few people still inside.”

  “Are you crazy?” asked Peck.

  “Watch your tone, Peck,” warned Davis. He turned to Damon. “It’ll be ours again. We’re already inside. It’s just a matter of …”

  “Forget it!” shouted Damon. He couldn’t believe Davis was even thinking about it. “We’re not staying. Face it, we’re done here. What we need to do is get away and start over somewhere else. I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities out there.”

  Davis fell silent. The puzzled look on his face began to change to anger. “You can’t talk to me like that! I’m the Governor!”

  “You’re going to have to get over it!” stated Damon. “You’re not the governor anymore!” He’d had to remind him before and would probably have to do it again. They’d never been friends, but they seemed to work well together. In their former positions, they only had each other to confide in and discuss operations without involving anyone else. Now, Damon was beginning to think it was time for their association to come to an end.

  Davis let out a heavy sigh followed by a few seconds of silence and a look of submission. “Okay. So, what do we do now?”

  “It’s obviously dark out now,” said Damon, giving Peck a glance for emphasis. “We have two choices, either we go back through the tube to the maintenance room, then through the storage room, and exit through the freight doors with the residents coming in and out, or go through these cell block doors and go out the front doors. The more I think about it, I’m not sure one way is any safer than the other at this point.”

  “We’re already here,” said Peck. “I suppose the easiest and shortest route would probably be to go out the front doors. In either case, we’ll be leaving the building under the cover of darkness, which will help.”

  Damon looked at Davis. “What do you think?” he asked in an attempt to smooth things over.

  “Whatever,” said Davis, with no desire to talk about it.

  Damon shook his head slightly. He’d seen him this way before, numerous times. “Okay, Peck, you go first and check it out. There may still be people hanging around in the foyer.”

  Peck nodded and headed for the door. “Wait by the door for my signal and be ready to move.”

  Jeremy had been the only one to recognize Peck earlier and he was counting on that lack of recognition again. Through the doors he followed an empty corridor to the foyer, the only space remaining between them and the outside. There were only three people in the foyer, talking together in a small group. He walked directly to the main door without even a sideways glance from the three. He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Looking outside, it was fairly quiet with only a few people still filtering in and out through the freight doors. Most of the people were probably having supper with their friends and families. The lack of people would make it impossible for Peck and his little group to mingle and blend in. But, less people also meant there were fewer people who would be able to recognize them. This was as good a time to try as any.

  Another thought occurred to him. This was his second chance to leave Davis and Damon behind. All he had to do was to keep walking. They obviously didn’t appreciate what he’d done for them. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, considering whether to leave alone. Then he remembered why he’d come back. Nothing had changed. Not really. He still couldn’t survive alone. He sighed heavily. Casually, he stretched and took a deep breath of the fresh air before strolling back to where he had left Davis and Damon.

  “Let’s go!” said Peck. “There are only three people in the foyer and none of them paid any attention to me. I doubt if they’ll even look at you. And foot traffic to the lower level has dropped to only a few stragglers. My guess is that most of the people are back at their campsites eating. I don’t think the time will be any better than right now.”

  “Lead the way,” said Damon.

  “Stay close,” advised Peck. “If we run into anyone, I suggest you do as I mentioned before, keep your faces down and don’t make eye contact.”

  Damon grabbed Davis by the back of his arm to get him moving and to escort him out. He needed to remain beside him to have control of him in case he tried to do something stupid. They stayed right behind Peck, keeping pace with him.

  When they reached the foyer, the three men were gone. Crossing toward the door, they had a clear view of the steps to the lower level. A man was coming up with an armload of goods. As he rushed up the steps, Davis and Damon averted their eyes to the floor. The man glanced at them briefly, paused, and then darted out the freight doors.

  Peck opened the main entrance door and looked outside for any potential obstacles to their escape. There was no one between them and the gate. Everything was going their way. So far, it had been almost too easy and Peck was becoming suspicious. Had someone already discovered their escape from the cells below? He held his position just inside the doors, his arm outstretched to keep his companions back.

  “I think there’s something wrong,” Peck told Davis and Damon.

  “Why?” asked Damon.

  “It seems too easy. There’s no one around. No one at all.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” asked Davis. “It’s about time something went our way. Let’s go!”

  Peck looked back at Damon to make sure he agreed.

  “I’m game. We can’t stay here.”

  Peck nodded and stepped out. They walked past the open freight doors and continued down the paved drive. Specks
of light were scattered throughout the woods to the west and along the road south where many of the former Tent City residents and Guard had made camps. They reached the gate without incident. It didn’t make Peck feel any better.

  “I feel like someone’s watching us,” commented Damon.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” agreed Peck.

  “It’s too late to stop now,” said Davis. “We’re almost home free.”

  “Where are the horses?” asked Damon as they continued to casually walk east from the gate toward Tent City.

  “I hadn’t gotten that far. I didn’t even know whether I could get you out or not.”

  “You mean we don’t have a way out of here?” asked Davis with disbelief. He knew that if they were caught again, they’d most likely be shot on the spot.

  “I’ll get us out of here,” said Peck. “There are horses east of Tent City, not far from where I tied up my horse. I think that’s our best bet. Follow me.”

  Damon and Davis didn’t see much of a choice, staying with him as he began to run.

  Their freedom of movement toward the corral left Peck uneasy. They didn’t cross paths with another person the whole way. Everyone couldn’t be eating at the same time. It was as though they had the place all to themselves. Damon couldn’t help thinking how vulnerable the residents were. Even though they’d seen campfires spread out to the west and south, they’d only met the one man leaving the lower level. Peck didn’t keep his concern to himself and Damon agreed. Davis couldn’t have cared less, only interested in getting away.

  At the corral, Damon told Peck to pick out and saddle horses for both him and Davis. Peck chose a new one for himself as well. Someone may have already found the one he left tied up. If not, someone would find him without much difficulty in the daytime. He led the horses out and they quickly mounted up.