I stumbled and fell to one knee, but I quickly recovered. Liet went for the gun he’d knocked out of my hand, so I grabbed the one I had in my waistband. I pointed it in his direction, and the woman tackled me. She was really starting to irritate me. It didn’t take much effort for me to get on top, and I smashed my folded arm sword into the woman’s temple. The woman went limp and lay unconscious. I turned my attention back to Liet. He pulled a revolver out of his boot and pointed it in my direction.
“Drop your weapon.”
I did as I was told and put my hands in the air. I stood and turned to face him. “You can shoot me, but you won’t make it out of here alive. Quinn and his men are taking out the soldiers as we speak. Once he sees me dead, he will kill you.”
Liet’s face crunched in anger. “At least I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you die. You abandoned me, just like everyone else. If I can’t live with you, no one can.” He squeezed the trigger.
I watched the hammer fall, and the bang of the gun was deafening. Hot pain seared through my shoulder, but I wasn’t dead. I’d jumped to the side as he’d pulled the trigger. If I hadn’t, it probably would have hit me square in the chest. I fell to the floor, and Liet aimed to shoot again. I rolled toward him and smashed into his legs. He lost his balance, but didn’t go down. I took the opportunity to whack him in the knee with my folded arm sword, and that took him down. I kicked the gun out of his hand, then sprang to my feet.
Liet lunged forward and caught me around the waist. He tried to tackle me, but I drove my elbow between his shoulder blades. He loosened his grip and stepped back. I flipped out the blade on my right arm. I tried to raise my left, but the pain was unbearable.
“I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to,” I snarled.
Liet smirked and rounded his desk. He pulled a bat out before he circled the room. “Is that how you want to play, huh? I’ll play. And I’ll enjoy bashing your head in!”
He swung the bat at my head, and I had to spin to block it with my right. The shockwave rattled up my arm, and I almost lost my balance, but I pushed it out of the way and swung at his midsection. He jumped back, and I missed him by inches. He hoisted the bat over his head and came forward again, planning to smash the top of my head in. I blocked the attack and twisted the blade so it cut into the wood. Liet jerked it back and pulled me off balance, but I didn’t go down. I regained my footing and turned slightly, using all my strength to pull the bat down. He came forward, and I sliced at his stomach again. This time I was successful.
Liet stumbled backward in surprise, the bat falling from his hand. He stared at his stomach, then glanced back at me. His face turned red and his lips pursed into a line. With a shout, he charged me. I spun out of the way and arched my sword through the air. I flipped the blade closed, and the metal contacted with the back of his skull. His body moved a few more steps forward, then he collapsed onto the floor.
My knees gave out. Blood leaked from the bullet wound in my shoulder, and my arm was on fire. My eye was blurry from Liet’s punch, and I felt every scratch on my face. Sweat dripped from my nose, and my breathing came in rasps. A soft moan caused me to jerk my head upward. The woman who’d attacked me earlier was coming to. I forced myself to stand. If she wanted to attack me again, I was going to make sure that was the last thing she did. She sat up groggily and covered the lump on her head. When she saw me, her eyes filled with fear and she backed away. I watched her leave the room before grabbing Liet’s arm. I dragged him to the jury box and handcuffed him to the heat register. When I was sure he was secure, I went to join the others.
Gunshots echoed through the buildings, and people ran toward the wall. I joined the group. They had the majority of the soldiers cornered in their towers. They fired into the crowd. A few workers fell, but most of them took shelter behind the building supplies and in the houses. I saw Quinn and company behind a pile of concrete barriers. I fell to the ground next to him, out of breath and fighting to stay conscious.
“Krista!” He grabbed my arms and helped me sit up. “Are you all right?”
I winced. “Yeah. Liet is chained up in the courthouse.”
“Do you have the key?”
I leaned back so I could reach into my pocket. “What are you going to do?”
“Maybe if we bring him out here, we can get the others to stop firing.” He grabbed the key from my hand and then took off running toward the courthouse.
A bullet whizzed over the barrier while another smashed into the concrete above my head. Dust drifted into my eyes, and I ducked farther down. A worker approached and handed me a magazine. I nodded my thanks, and he focused his gaze and the barrel of his weapon on the guards in the tower. I unholstered my weapon before I slid the magazine in, waiting for an opportunity to fire, but my shoulder ached so bad I wasn’t sure I could hold my gun up. The guy next to me popped over the barricade and fired a couple shots before squatting back down. I glanced toward the courthouse.
Quinn returned with Liet a few minutes later. Liet’s hands were cuffed behind his back, and Quinn had attached a chain around his neck. He led Liet like a dog on a leash. As they came closer, I saw Liet’s desperation to get away. He dodged to the right in an attempt to break free of Quinn’s grasp, but Quinn jerked the chain and pulled him back in line. He wrapped the chain around his hand to shorten it and placed the barrel of his gun against Liet’s head. He marched him past the safety of the concrete and into the line of fire.
“Hold your fire! Hold your fire!” A voice rose above the blasts of the guns.
I picked myself up and looked over the barrier. Pam walked from the tower. She stopped a few feet in front of the pair, her gun pointing at the ground.
“Drop your weapons,” Quinn shouted.
“Don’t you listen to him,” Liet said.
Quinn pulled the chain so tight Liet had to arch his back to be able to breathe. “If you don’t drop your weapons, I will shoot the general.” He cocked the hammer on his gun.
Pam dropped her gun. The other soldiers followed suit.
“You cowards!” Liet screamed. “You worthless—”
Quinn smacked him in the back of the head with his gun, and he fell unconscious onto the ground.
The soldiers were lined up next to the fence, their hands behind their heads and their eyes averted to the ground. Workers paced around them with weapons, daring them to step out of line. A few went so far as to thrust the butt of their guns into the soldiers’ stomachs or smash fists into their noses, but Quinn always pulled them back.
I relished our victory, despite the pain in my shoulder and the overwhelming desire to pass out. Part of me was actually surprised it’d worked. I wanted to see the workers’ smiling faces and the looks of defeat on the soldiers’, so I attempted to ignore the pain.
“I see it didn’t take much for you to convince the workers to rebel,” I said.
“Are you kidding?” Quinn chuckled. “When we got into town, the workers who’d been in Thedford had already recruited half the city. They waited for us to show up so they could get their guns.”
“What about McCook? Did you send someone up there so reinforcements don’t find us?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Some of my men took a group of workers down there. They should be back by nightfall.”
“How many were killed?”
“I don’t know. We still don’t have a number on that yet. There are some wounded who’ve gone to the hospital. I suggest you do the same. C’mon. I’ll help you.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close.
I smiled and leaned most of my weight against him. We hobbled to the hospital. A few people waited for treatment, but not nearly as many as I’d expected. A nurse grabbed me immediately and placed me in a wheelchair. Quinn kissed me gently before they took me inside and placed me on a gurney. I stared into the large examination light and let unconsciousness take over.
CHAPTER 25
I awoke later that night in a bed connected to IV
s. My shoulder had been bandaged, and it was still sore. Quinn sat on the chair across from me. He came forward and sat on the edge of the bed. He pushed the hair out of my face, resting his hand on my cheek.
“Did you get in a fight with a cat?” He chuckled.
I playfully pushed his hand away. “At least I have some battle scars. Were you even involved in the fight?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. My wrist still hurts.” He held up his arm so I could see the brace.
I rolled my eyes. “It’d mean more if it’d been injured in the battle.” I grabbed his hand and held it. “How many were killed?”
“About ten. And that’s including soldiers.”
“Not bad. It could have been a lot worse.”
“I think most of them were tired of the life. I mean, you saw how quickly they surrendered once Liet was captured. I think fear kept them motivated.”
“What are we going to do with them?”
Quinn shook his head. “Nothing. Those who want to will be integrated back into the population. We’ll figure out what to do with those who don’t want to integrate later.”
“Have you heard anything from Florida yet?”
He shook his head. “No. We won’t let on that there has been a rebellion. If they come looking for Liet, we’ll tell them he’s busy.”
“Where is Liet?”
“We locked him in one of the holding cells in the jail.” He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I lay back on my pillow and sighed. After Quinn left, I drifted into a deep sleep, dreaming of horses and western sunsets.
***
Life in North Platte became more tolerable. The soldiers who could be integrated into the community without incident were, while the others were placed in holding cells in the courthouse. We still didn’t know what we were going to do with them, but we had a while to figure it out. Soldiers and civilians worked together to continue building the wall. They no longer worked on it in twenty-four-hour shifts, but guards were in the towers at all times, and everyone was responsible for killing any zombies that came near the city. Quinn and his crew trained those who wanted to learn fighting techniques and marksmanship so they could head into the West and kill zombies. For the first time in a while, there was a sense of hope.
I’d been out of the hospital for three days. I learned that I’d been in surgery for two hours while they dug out the bullet. My shoulder blade had been broken, but the bullet had missed the major arteries in my arm. The doctor said I was lucky. I was going to be in a sling for six weeks. I’d had to spend four days in the hospital. They’d wanted me to stay longer, but I had stuff to do.
I sat at Liet’s desk and looked through a pile of papers. I squinted, shook my head, then set the folder down before I grabbed another. The door at the end of the room swung open, and Quinn walked in. I smiled, then directed my gaze back to the file.
“How’s it going in here?” Quinn asked as he stepped up behind me.
“Look at this.” I showed him the information. “Liet documented when they went to the bathroom. Can you believe it?”
Quinn shuffled through the folders. “How many of those are there?”
“One for every person who has ever come through North Platte.”
“I thought you were looking up the supply manifests.”
“I did. Liet kept the count down to the can. It didn’t take very long to go through those.”
“How are we looking for supplies?”
I shrugged. “If we continue to ration, we should be fine, but I don’t think we want to anymore. Most of these people are starving.”
Quinn nodded. “I can get a group together and we can make a run. We should be able to stock the shelves pretty well.” He sat on the desk. “I also wanted to let you know we fixed the fences at the north and south ends of the city and placed guards in the towers. We’re set if anyone tries to get in.”
I frowned. “I still think you’re being overly cautious. I don’t think Florida will send anyone to attack us. It’s been a week. Don’t you think they would have sent someone by now?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no idea what kind of communications they have. Did you find anything in Liet’s files about talking to The Families?”
I shook my head and rifled through some files. “There were some random communications, but nothing major. Unless he did things secretly, I think we should keep doing things the same way we have been. If we keep building the wall, no one will get suspicious, and no one will come to investigate.”
“Well, even if they do, we have precautions.” He stood from the desk and kissed me on top the head. “I’ll get a team together so we can get supplies.”
“You know, I’d really like to come with you.”
“I know, but you’re in no shape to go. Your arm is still in a sling. I’ll only be gone for a couple days.”
I stood and threw my good arm around his neck. I held on for a few minutes before kissing him on the mouth. He smiled, then left the courthouse.
***
Quinn was gone for two days when the first envoy from Florida showed up. The East Gate Guards alerted me to their presence, and I informed them to let them pass. I waited for the visitors in the courthouse. I hoped no one would come from there, but a little voice at the back of my brain told me to expect it. This wasn’t normal. Florida never sent people up unless they were workers. They knew. I was sure of it. My palms started to sweat and my stomach knotted. In a few minutes, I was going to find out if they were willing to barter or if they were coming to eradicate the entire city. They didn’t know about Liet. They couldn’t. Perhaps I could still convince them everything was all right. I held my breath as the door opened.
Pam escorted three men into the room. I recognized one of them as Olivia’s personal bodyguard. He nodded as they approached the bench.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?” I leaned forward and folded my hands on the desk, trying to portray an air of casualness I didn’t feel.
“Mrs. Johnson expected a shipment of supplies last week. When she didn’t receive it, she tried to raise Liet on the radio, but no one answered. She sent us here to make sure everything was all right.”
My stomach knotted even further. Olivia knew they weren’t going to get another shipment until they sent up the engineers, which they hadn’t done. Plus, we monitored the communications the entire time after the uprising, and nothing had come through from Florida. My suspicions were confirmed. I took a deep breath.
“Liet’s been really busy lately.” I lowered my head, acting as if I had to regain my composure. “We had a little incident.”
The bodyguard folded his arms across his chest. “What kind of incident?”
“A soldier, some crazed soldier, broke into our house a week ago. I think he was trying to kill Liet, but I was the only one home at the time. As you can see, I was lucky, but not lucky enough.” I rubbed my shoulder.
The man clicked his tongue. “That’s awful. What happened to the soldier?”
“I don’t know. Liet has been obsessed with finding his whereabouts. He doesn’t sleep and he hardly eats. He won’t rest until justice is served.” I pounded my fist on the desk for emphasis.
The man nodded. “I understand. Do you need any assistance from us?”
I set my jaw and curtly shook my head. “No. We can handle it. Thank you.” I sniffed. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
The man shook his head. “No. I think we’ve got all the information we need.” He turned to leave.
“Do you still need that truck of supplies to take back to Florida?”
The bodyguard turned and smiled. “That would be helpful.”
By the time they got the truck loaded, it was mid-afternoon. I was never so happy to see the men leave, and Pam waited until they were out of sight before we headed to the courthouse. I paced the floor and chewed on my nails.
“That was weird,
” Pam commented.
I stopped and stared at her. “They know.”
Pam scoffed. “How could they know?”
“I don’t know how they know, but they know. They have never sent anyone up here to check on supplies.”
“True, but how could they have found out?”
I paced again. “I don’t know. Maybe they captured Bill and Kyle. Maybe someone got out and told them.”
Pam knitted her eyebrows together. “Who would have told them? The majority of the soldiers couldn’t wait until Liet’s reign was over.”
I stopped again and pointed a finger at Pam. “Most of the soldiers, but not all. What if one of them went to Florida?”
She shrugged. “It’s possible. What should we do?”
I glanced at the desk with the folders of all the people in the city. “Someone got out. I need to talk to Liet.”
Pam shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. Let me ask around, see what’s going on. If I don’t find anything, then you can talk to him.”
I hesitated. “Fine, but I’m only giving you one day.”
“Okay. I’ll have something by tomorrow morning.”
I tried to busy myself for the rest of the day by inventorying what was left of the supplies. My stomach was so upset I couldn’t eat, and when night rolled around, I couldn’t sleep. I went down to Liet’s office and went through the files. If it wasn’t one of Pam’s soldiers, then it had to be a civilian. Visions of the woman who’d attacked me in Liet’s office ran through my mind, and I tried to remember what she looked like. I wondered why we let the men go back to Florida. If they were checking up on North Platte, then we’d sent them back to confirm what they’d suspected. Of course if they didn’t go back, that would also confirm what they’d suspected. Either way, we were screwed. I hoped they were willing to barter.
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