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

by Michael R. Watson

  “Leave the gate open,” directed Damon. “We’ll drive the rest of the horses out so they can’t follow us until they’re caught.”

  Peck had a different idea, but he’d have to be tactful to keep Damon from becoming angry. He didn’t like being second-guessed. “Why don’t we just close the gate and leave as quietly as possible? If we don’t raise a commotion, they may not even realize we’re gone until we’re a long way from here. Why announce our escape?”

  Damon thought for a moment. “Maybe you’re right. Peck, you continue to surprise me. Okay, we’ll do it your way. Close the gate.”

  Not wanting to draw any attention to themselves, Peck led the way as they leisurely rode past the livestock pens and then the garden plots and fields,. Davis was uncharacteristically quiet for once with nothing to say or complain about. Damon suggested they continue east toward Oklahoma City.

  “It looks like we got away,” announced Peck after they’d gone a mile. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are we going this way?”

  “More people, more opportunities.”

  “What about Paradise?” asked Davis.

  “Maybe one day we can try again,” said Damon.

  ***

  Jeremy and his companions caught up to Morgan after they’d met up with the wagons at the crossroads. It appeared they were setting up camp for the night. The sun was down, but from their cover they could see everyone near their campfire. Governor Grayson, Daniel, John, Ryder, and Blake were sitting on the ground, bound, with their backs to one of the wagons. It didn’t appear Morgan had any intention of releasing his hostages anytime soon.

  “What do we do now?” whispered Peter.

  “Nothing we can do, except watch and wait for an opportunity,” said Jeremy. “Maybe it’ll come after they’ve gone to sleep. Get comfortable, it could be a while.”

  ***

  “We’re still a few hours away from Sector 4,” said Samuel, “but it’s getting late, so I suggest we stop for the night.” He could see that Sarah was about to object. “It’ll be safer.” He motioned with his head in the direction of the children.

  “We’re all tired,” said Donna. “I think it’s a good idea. We’ll still get there before noon tomorrow.”

  Reluctantly, Sarah agreed with a nod.

  “We should probably get off the trail though,” said Samuel. “You never know what kind of people may use this road.” He steered the buggy through a break in the brush, stopping past a thick cluster of brush where a fire would be hard to see from the trail.

  Everyone got out, stretching out their kinks and sore muscles, a result of the all-day ride.

  “Mom, why didn’t you let us bring horses?” asked Adam.

  “Because we wanted to keep everyone together and not have anyone wander off.”

  “Oh, Ma, we could have ridden ahead to check things out,” replied Aaron.

  “Exactly. Now, if you want something to do, you two can go collect firewood.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the boys replied in unison. They headed off together.

  “Mom,” asked Christopher, “can I go help them?”

  “Sure, go ahead.” She smiled, glad the boys were getting along so well.

  “Mom,” began Cindy, “can I…”

  “No. You can stay here and help with supper.” Cindy looked disappointed for a brief moment, and then seemed to let it pass.

  “Levi, why don’t you go with them too,” suggested Samuel.

  He ran to catch up to the other three. Outside the camp they spread out, staying within sight of one another in the dark. They collected dead branches both from the ground and by breaking off dead limbs from mesquite and other brush. They had to venture further than anticipated to find enough in the barren area. The oldest, Levi took up the lead. A couple hundred yards out he stopped and motioned for the others to do the same. They ducked down and came up to him.

  “What’s the …,” Adam started.

  Levi turned back so they could see him place his forefinger to his lips to be quiet. He pointed ahead. Through the brush there was a flicker of light, someone else’s campfire. Kneeling down, the others followed his lead. They each quietly laid the wood they’d collected on the ground.

  “Maybe we should go back before we’re spotted,” suggested Christopher with a whisper.

  “Why?” asked Adam. “I want to see who it is.”

  “Me too,” agreed Aaron with a mischievous smile.

  Levi turned toward them with an excited look as well. He could see the disbelief on Christopher’s face.

  “Why don’t you stay here and watch our backs?” suggested Levi.

  Christopher wasn’t a coward, but cautious, and this looked like an unnecessary risk to him. And checking on who was ahead seemed foolish. But, if the others were going to move closer, regardless of what he thought, he could at least do as Levi suggested. He nodded that he would.

  “Don’t worry,” Levi assured him. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

  Levi, Aaron, and Adam slipped off into the brush, more excited than they should have been, having way too much fun. Slowly, they moved from bush to bush to get closer to the campfire. There were several people near the campfire. Most were carrying guns, which wasn’t unusual. A few men were sitting on the ground with their backs toward a loaded wagon.

  “We need to get closer,” whispered Aaron.

  Levi nodded and began to crawl toward their campfire, careful to avoid the prickly pear cactus that was scattered across the area. Their faces no longer showed the excitement they had moments earlier, but now revealed a nervous tension. They continued to move closer anyway, driven by curiosity and the thrill of the danger.

  Levi jerked his hand up for the others to stop. “Ryder?” he said with disbelief under his breath.

  “Who?” asked Aaron.

  He turned to the others. “My brother is over there, sitting on the ground. It looks like he’s tied up.”

  Aaron and Adam crawled up beside him and looked closer. “I see him,” said Adam. “Aaron! Look! Dad’s there too! And Mr. Thomas!”

  They couldn’t believe their eyes. “They’re in trouble!” said Aaron. “What are we going to do?”

  “We have to tell my dad,” said Levi. “He’ll know what to do.”

  “And who’s going to tell Christopher?” asked Adam.

  “I will,” volunteered Aaron, the older brother.

  They backed away slowly until they felt it was safe, then quickly crawled to Christopher. When they reached him, he could sense something was wrong. “What did you see?”

  “Our dad, Levi’s brother, and your dad,” answered Aaron.

  Christopher smiled. “Oh, really?” They were playing a joke on him, and it wouldn’t be the first time. He waited for them to break out laughing, but their facial expressions didn’t change.

  “I promise you, it’s true,” said Aaron. “And it appears they’re being held prisoner.”

  Christopher was still having a hard time believing them. Questions filled his head. “I have to see him,” he insisted as he began to head in that direction.

  Levi grabbed his arm. “There’s nothing you can do.”

  “Did he look alright?” asked Christopher.

  “Everyone appeared to be okay,” answered Levi.

  “So, what are we going to do?” asked Christopher.

  “We’re going to tell my dad and see what he thinks we should do,” explained Levi.

  “Our moms are not going to believe this,” stated Adam. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. I wonder what happened.”

  No one was willing to venture a guess. They jumped to their feet and ran the rest of the way back to their camp.

  Sarah was surprised to see the boys return in such a hurry with their arms empty. Their expressions were serious. “Couldn’t find any firewood?”

  Samuel had evidently found kindling on his own, kneeling by a small fire, feeding it a few dry twigs at a time. He di
dn’t bother to look up when the boys ran into camp, continuing to concentrate on the fire.

  Both Sarah and Donna knew their sons and knew when something wasn’t right.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Sarah as she went to meet Christopher.

  Aaron and Adam went to their mother.

  “Dad’s up ahead,” said Christopher. He didn’t expect her to believe him.

  Sarah frowned as she looked into his eyes. “You must be mistaken.” She paused, and then smiled. She was having the same reaction her son had when he was told. “Wait, you’re kidding.”

  Christopher wasn’t smiling. Adam, Aaron, and their mother joined them. “Evidently, it’s true,” said Donna. “Daniel is with them too, and Ryder.”

  “Then why so serious?” asked Sarah. “That’s good news. Did you tell them where we are?”

  “They didn’t get a chance to,” said Samuel. “Levi says they’re being held prisoner with two other men, one is the chief governor.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Sarah.

  “We have to rescue them,” said Aaron.

  “No, we don’t,” corrected Donna.

  “But, Mom, we have to do something,” argued Aaron.

  “And we will,” said Samuel, “but we’re not going to do anything that could get one of us or one of them killed.” He paused. “How many men are holding them?” he asked the boys.

  “Six or seven, I’d say,” answered Adam.

  “No, I think it was more like twelve,” said Levi. “And they all have weapons.”

  They had all been around Samuel enough to know he was against any kind of violence, justified or not. But in this situation, none of the boys believed his pacifist ways would help their dads. And they weren’t prepared for any kind of confrontation. They were few in number, four of the five men were young, and there were only three weapons between them. The brothers had finally convinced their mother the trip could be dangerous and Levi had a pistol his brother had given him. Sarah and Donna were counting on Samuel to know what to do.

  Samuel was bombarded with questions from everyone as he sat by the fire to think.

  “Please, let me think,” he finally pleaded firmly.

  His traveling companions didn’t like it, but they moved off to talk among themselves.

  “We could sneak in while they’re sleeping and set them free,” suggested Adam.

  “No, I already told you, you’re not going to do anything,” repeated his mother.

  “I think we should let Samuel come up with a plan,” said Sarah. “From what I heard, he stopped fighting from breaking out between the Guard and the Raiders. If anyone can get your dads back without anyone getting injured, it’s him.”

  ***

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It was almost one o’clock in the morning and Jeremy and his small band of men had taken up a position far enough away from Morgan’s camp to keep from being detected, but close enough to see everyone gathered around their fire. As the number of Morgan’s men dwindled to only a couple, they presumed the others had gone to their bedrolls to get some sleep.

  “I only see two men watching them now,” noticed Sam. “Now is as good a time as its going to get.”

  Jeremy hadn’t asked to be their leader and was resistant to it, especially since it made him responsible for them. Even when he was first recruited as a member of the Guard, he hadn’t expected much responsibility. How hard could it have been to watch over the workers or go out scavenging for supplies? He had only wanted the promise of a roof over his head, security, and regular meals. On his first day, he was handed an assault rifle without any training and without being asked if he had military, law enforcement, or even hunting experience. He was or had been a hunter, so he was familiar with using a rifle. But all they had wanted was a warm body that could follow orders. It didn’t take long to find out what he was actually recruited to do. He would have walked away if it hadn’t been for Master Gant, who had convinced him to stay.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” commented Jeremy. “It could be a trap. The others may be in the shadows, just waiting for someone to attempt a rescue.

  “Then why are we here?” asked Peter. “You could use that same argument anytime. If we’re not going to help them, we might as well go home and be with our families.”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to Governor Grayson or our friends, or to place any of you in danger. Your wives wouldn’t like it either,” explained Jeremy.

  “You can’t have it both ways,” argued Peter. “We owe the governor for what he’s done for us. We either have to do something to help him or go home. Make up your mind.”

  Jeremy’s expression changed. “Maybe there is something we can do,” he exclaimed, a hint of hope in his voice.

  “You thought of something, didn’t you?” asked Sam.

  “Perhaps. What if we created a diversion, like running off their horses? They should be staked out close by. I suspect they won’t be watching them as closely as their prisoners. And while they’re chasing the horses, we may have a better chance to get in there and free them. What do you think?”

  “It may work,” Peter announced. “What if they don’t all go after the horses?”

  “You wanted to do something. This is what I came up with. If you’ve got another plan, let’s hear it.”

  Peter remained silent.

  “Even if they don’t all go,” continued Jeremy, “it’ll increase our odds against them.”

  “If we do this while it’s still dark, that will help too,” added Sam.

  “I’d say we have a plan then,” said Jeremy. “Now all we need is two volunteers to set the horses loose. Anyone?”

  “We’ll go,” said Sam, volunteering himself and Peter.

  Peter looked at him with surprise, but sighed and nodded. “Sure, why not?”

  “Good,” said Jeremy. “Make lots of noise to help with the distraction and to drive the horses away. When we hear you and see Morgan’s men run to investigate, we’ll go in to free our friends. Take off when you’re ready.”

  Sam and Peter didn’t waste any time as they slipped off into the brush. They would work around the perimeter of Morgan’s camp until they located the horses. Jeremy had the others stay with him as they moved closer. They had to be ready. There was no way of knowing when their opportunity was going to come. It would probably take Sam and Peter a while to locate where the horses were staked out. And then they may have to avoid a guard or two and wait for an opening.

  They prepared for a sign and waited. The silence was eerie and unsettling, their nerves were on edge. It was taking longer than anticipated.

  “Something’s wrong!” whispered one of the men. “We should …”

  “Shhh!” interrupted Jeremy. “Do you hear that?”

  They all fell silent and listened. There was a slight noise of some kind, a familiar sound that Jeremy couldn’t quite place. It was coming up the trail from the south and it was getting louder. As it came closer, they recognized the sound of wagon wheels on the dirt road. First, they saw the horse, and then the buggy and its driver, a white-haired old man, entering the outer limits of the light from Morgan’s campfire.

  ***

  “What’s happening?” asked Sarah from behind Donna while the boys strained to see how Morgan greeted Samuel. They had all moved closer to the camp.

  “Nothing yet,” Aaron whispered back. “He’s just now pulling up to their fire.”

  ***

  Carla was restless and didn’t feel like sleeping, volunteering to stay near the fire and watch the prisoners. As long as they had the hostages, there was the possibility of an attempted rescue. Most of the others were already asleep on their bedrolls. She heard a sound coming toward them from the south along the trail. She jumped up to investigate, standing in the middle of the trail, watching as the sound came closer. Carla drew her pistol and raised it to eye level, aiming down the road.

  “Hello in the camp!” a man called o
ut.

  Carla, unfazed by the intrusion, didn’t bother to wake the others. It was probably a lone traveler. She became aware of Morgan at her side, evidently awakened by the man’s shout. They were joined by more of his men. He motioned for them to surround the approaching stranger.

  Samuel had been cautious, waiting for permission before entering their camp.

  “Come on in!” Morgan shouted back.

  Samuel drove the buggy into the light of the campfire. Morgan was more than a little surprised to see an old man traveling alone this late at night. The man appeared to be Amish by the way his beard was trimmed and by the wide flat-brimmed hat he wore. His clothing was a pair of simple overalls with a light-colored shirt.

  “A little late to be traveling isn’t it?” asked Morgan. “Where are you headed?”

  “Mind if I get down?” asked Samuel.

  “Be my guest.”

  “Thank you.” As Samuel stepped down, he became aware of men stepping out of the darkness all around him. He smiled and raised his hands. “I’m no threat.”

  By his appearance, Morgan had already assumed him to be a religious man, and wouldn’t be a threat. Even if he was wrong about him, he was only one man. “Please put your hands down. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m here to see you.”

  Morgan was puzzled. “Have we met before?”

  “No.”

  “But you’re here to see me?”

  “Yes. Because of them, your guests,” Samuel said, stepping toward and pointing to the prisoners. Carla blocked him from getting any closer.

  Until Samuel stepped forward, the prisoners hadn’t been able to see who had entered the camp. John elbowed Ryder.

  “I see him,” whispered Ryder. “I wonder what he’s doing here?”

  “I think we’re about to find out,” said Daniel.

  “Do you know the old fella?” asked Grayson.