Righteous Apostate: Raptor Apocalypse Book 3

by Steve R. Yeager

  Two days had passed since Eve had been attacked in the dress shop. Her injuries proved to be survivable, thanks mostly to Kate’s quick and efficient work. She kept Eve from bleeding out and helped her to limp back to where Andrea could clean the wounds and add a few stitches. This left them all nursing injuries, with the exception of Kate, who remained unscathed. Tragically, they’d used up the remaining alcohol cleaning out so many wounds, which Jesse thought was a shame, a real damn shame.

  Cory had recovered enough to be chomping at the bit now, driving Jesse a little crazy. At the moment, Cory was sitting in the seat beside him, tapping his foot nervously, twirling the sheathed katana between his palms.

  Jesse raised a finger off the steering wheel and pointed lazily at a small track leading off the road and into the trees.

  “Is that it?” he asked.

  Cory checked the map, raised himself in his seat, and looked in the rearview mirror. “It has to be.”

  All Jesse could see was the outline of the overgrown path. It could have been a four-wheel drive trail once leading to who knows where. It certainly did not look like any sort of entrance to a complex as large as Cory had described.

  Inflating his chest, Jesse nodded, let off the brake, and cranked the steering wheel to the right.

  The Humvee seemed to grab every bush and tree it passed, either plowing them underneath like a dozer, or uprooting them as they got hung up on the protruding steel spikes. When he began to feel the big vehicle slow, he pressed a little harder on the accelerator. The engine growled, and the tires spun, and the massive vehicle slipped and slid and climbed over whatever tried to stop it. As soon as they had cleared about a hundred feet of hard-fought ground, the way forward widened into a dual lane path covered with pea gravel, which seemed tame by comparison. Grit crunched and squished under the tires.

  Cresting a raised knoll, Jesse brought the Humvee to a stop at the peak.

  Below them was an open compound surrounded by a rusting chain link fence. Keep out, no trespassing signs littered the property. To the left of a small outbuilding inside the fence, two transport trucks rested on flattened tires, both covered with a coating of yellow pollen and gray dust. At the rear of the enclosure was a solid gray cube with twin hulking steel doors set deeply into the concrete. It appeared to lead into the mountain.

  “This has got to be the place,” Jesse said. “Sure don’t look like no fancy hotel, though.”

  Cory said nothing.

  Whatever it was, Jesse guessed it would make a nice place to stay for a while. A very nice place. If, of course, it was not otherwise occupied by men or raptors.

  “You sure no one is living here?”

  Cory grunted. “How should I know?”

  “Andrea?” Jesse asked, swiveling to look at her, then wincing at the pain that caused to his lower abdomen.

  She pulled herself forward using the seat back. She looked at the structure for a moment. “I can’t tell. It’s been two years or more since I left, maybe closer to three. When I fled, it seemed far more destroyed than this. But that was nighttime, and I was scared shitless. I didn’t exactly stick around and check on the conditions outside. Now, though, I’m thinking it looks cleaned up somehow. I can’t tell you why, but I’d recommend a little caution. If anyone has returned here, I seriously doubt they will be welcoming of a bunch of strangers driving this monstrosity.”

  Cory opened his door and began to climb out of the cab.

  “Hey,” Jesse said.

  “Look.” Cory pulled his sword out of the cab. “You have taken me this far. That is far enough. I know I can get in there. Just go.”

  Jesse looked at him for a moment. After all this time? Now the sudden breakup? He was not about to let Cory off so easily.

  “As simple as all that?” Jesse asked. “After all we’ve—”

  Cory glanced away, glanced back.

  “Not just yet,” Jesse said. “We should watch this place for a while before you try your luck getting in. You don’t exactly have a good record there. Let’s take some time to get a good feel of the area, at least. Maybe we can figure out who is here before we go knocking on any doors.”

  Cory shook his head no. “There is simply no time for that.”

  Jesse sighed and scanned the fenced interior and various outbuildings. It sure seemed vacant enough. No recent tire tracks were visible going in or out of the place. No signs of smoke damage, or fire, too. This part of the forest had been spared, apparently. Not even the telltale signs of raptors. He glanced at the sky. No birds were in the trees or circling overhead.

  “Hand me my rifle,” he said.

  Andrea turned and reached for it in the far back. She let out a small grunt of pain as she twisted.

  Jesse locked eyes with Eve in the rear seat, and then quickly looked away. She did the same.

  Climbing outside the Humvee, he raised the rifle’s scope to his eye and got a close-up view of the area directly in front of the twin steel doors. Although the steps leading up to it were covered in dust, he saw what looked like single file footprints. They could have been raptors, but almost seemed a little too orderly for that. He held still and squinted slightly. The footprints were definitely not raptor. They seemed to retrace the same path going in and out of the structure. Given that wind or rain would have washed any type of print away over a very short period of time, they had to have been freshly made. No more than say a day or two old.

  “Someone is living here,” he said.

  “What?” Andrea asked.

  “There are tracks coming out those twin doors and heading down the steps, and then out somewhere beyond the gate. They seem almost purposeful. Like someone was on an errand or something. That means at least one, if not more.”

  “I am still going,” Cory said. He stepped past the front of the Humvee.

  “Wait,” Jesse said, pointing the rifle skyward.

  Cory couldn’t seem to wait. He started to walk toward the doublewide gate attached to the chain link fence.

  Jesse had originally thought he would be okay with letting Cory out here and then parting company. He had done all he had promised to do for the guy. The obligation was fulfilled. He now had plenty of guns, plenty of ammo, and a big vehicle. There was just too much at stake to go taking any unnecessary risks.

  But something about the bunker did look promising.

  “Kate?” he asked, glancing back inside the Humvee at her. “What do you think?”

  She leaned forward enough to peer over the dashboard, pointed at the bunker, and nodded. Then she returned to her seat, not saying a word.

  “Guess that decides it,” he said.

  “You sure?” Eve asked.

  He didn’t respond, but her pointless comment did not seem to bother him this time. Maybe she was finally starting to grow on him.

  Getting inside the Humvee, he clunked it into gear and idled down the hill until they reached the gate belonging to the fenced-in area. Cory had walked ahead and was already working to open the gate. It ended up being unlocked, and all he had to do was to unlatch it and swing it open. Jesse drove through, curious why it hadn’t been locked. But it would almost be silly if it were. What was a chain link fence going to stop? Even the raptors could get past it, given enough time and effort. He was sure of that. As he scanned the fence, he confirmed his suspicions. There were holes in different areas of the fence and spaces dug underneath.

  But, as for people, the other two-legged predators, the location seemed tucked well enough out of the way to keep it reasonably secret. And it was evident by the turnoff from the road that no one had driven here in years.

  He brought the Humvee to a stop in the middle of the fenced-in area and shut down the engine. He stepped out, listened. Only the faint rustle of wind in the trees and ticking of the cooling Humvee could be heard.

  Above the bunker entrance, the hillside had been cleared of trees, and there were banks of solar panels cleverly disguised to blend in with the surroundings. Some
had cracked when trees had fallen on them, but most seemed to be in working order. They were not even covered with dust, which was odd. Someone must have recently cleaned them.

  Yes, this place might not be bad after all. If—of course—it were not already occupied, of which he was fairly certain.

  “Hold up,” he said to Cory and circled behind the Humvee. He wanted to grab a shotgun he’d taken from the stash and replace the rifle. The shotgun was much better for close-in work. He’d already shifted his Beretta to his hip to make it easier to retrieve if he were forced to do so in a hurry.

  Cory ignored him and had already arrived at the front entrance by the time Jesse had the rear hatch of the Humvee open. Growling from the side of his mouth, he grabbed the shotgun, and checked to make sure it was loaded.

  “Wait,” he said, catching up to Cory while motioning for the others to stay in the vehicle. “Not so fast.”

  Jesse followed the footprints coming out of the structure with his eyes. When he bent to examine the narrow line of prints closer, he saw only one set of footprints making the same waffle stamp pattern in the soft dust and pine needles.

  “Looks like only one person,” he said.

  Cory nodded.

  “Or only one brave enough to come out here,” Jesse added. “There could be more inside, though. We should scout the area first before we—”

  Cory grabbed a massive handle on one of the doors and pulled backward. The door did not open, but it rattled and boomed. He yanked again. Same response. It was locked from the inside.

  “Did you bring a key?” Jesse asked as he stepped closer and examined the twin door’s locking mechanism. The mechanism looked complicated and was not going to be easy to pick. He’d had to pick or break plenty of locked doors in the city. But then, he always had the shotgun. He even had a few sabot rounds that might be perfect for the job.

  Cory did not seem to find the comment about the lack of a key in any way amusing. Jesse followed Cory’s gaze as he looked to Andrea. She was struggling to get out of the Humvee. With limping gait, she sidled up next to Cory and put her hand on the door’s thick, tubular steel handle.

  “You shouldn’t be—” Jesse started to say.

  She pulled hard, rattling the door loudly. “Yup, it’s locked,” she confirmed, stepping away while Kate and Eve came alongside.

  “You should get back to the—”

  He stopped himself again and took three steps back from the door. He suddenly felt very stupid. He’d been in way too happy of a mood and had forgotten his natural pessimism. They were all exposed now, way too exposed. This was an exceptionally stupid idea.

  “If it’s locked,” he said, “then—” He swiveled to look back at the Humvee. “We need to back off. Come at this differently. I’ll go and get—”

  Then he heard a loud clanging sound and turned toward it. The sound had come from the interior of the bunker.

  -18-

  INTO THE BUNKER

  WITH A GRATING squeal, the twin doors swung outward to reveal a dark, cavernous interior. Jesse spotted a red fire extinguisher and what looked like the start of a sloping ramp leading downward into the mountain. The air smelled fresh, recirculated. There was a temperature difference from outside, and he felt the slow seepage of warmth as it brushed against his cheeks.

  “I’d drop that shotgun if I were you, son,” said a gravelly voice still cloaked by shadow. The shape was standing by a panel Jesse assumed was the opening mechanism.

  He froze, but did not give up the shotgun.

  “I said, drop it!” the voice repeated.

  He had come this far. Since he had not been shot at first sight, he realized the guy inside was the one taking the bigger risk. So, even though giving up his weapons had usually gone bad for him, he still uncurled his fingers and set the shotgun on the ground. He raised his hands and backed away.

  “You too, sonny, drop that sword you’re carrying.”

  Cory said nothing.

  “Do it,” Jesse said from the side of his mouth.

  Cory took a step backward.

  “No!” Jesse grunted.

  “Your friend doesn’t seem so smart,” the voice said.

  Jesse wanted to agree with the mysterious figure. He was just able to start making out what was behind the voice as the figure emerged from the darkness. It was a man about his same height, but of lesser build. The guy was armed with a pistol, which showed vaguely in the gloom. It was a Colt M1911 or some kind of knockoff.

  “Cory, set the sword down—” Jesse paused for emphasis, “—now, goddamn it.”

  Cory waited another beat then flipped the sword and balanced it on his fingertips. He slowly outstretched his arms and bent to set the blade on the ground.

  Apparently, he’d finally learned his damn lesson.

  “Now, you all back away from the women,” the voice said. “And it ain’t polite, you know, to take the Lord’s name in vain,” the voice specifically said to Jesse.

  Jesse realized he had made yet another mistake. Again he’d been too trusting, blundering into situations he should have spent more time being cautious about. Things had been going so well too. Damn. He was right back where he started. He was about to lose Eve, Andrea, and Kate all over again. Probably his own worthless life too at this point.

  Shit.

  Sighing, he said, “We are not here to rob you. We were sent here.”

  “Why?” the old man asked.

  Jesse didn’t have an immediate answer to that particular question. He glanced at Cory, who shrugged.

  Returning his gaze to the old man, Jesse stated with a hint of frustration in his voice, “You are the one who opened up for us.” After he had said it, he waited, caught between wanting to run and chastising himself for his short-sighted stupidity. He wasn’t going to be able to talk himself out of this one. He looked at the shotgun lying on the ground. Maybe he needed to learn from Cory and go for the shotgun.

  “Nope,” the voice said. “Don’t even think about it, soldier.”

  Soldier? “What? What did you say?” Jesse asked.

  “You were an Army puke. I’m right, ain’t I?”

  He was right.

  “Infantry, I’ll bet,” the man said. “You got the look. Two God-given hands, two legs, and an eighth as many brains.”

  Jesse forced a smile.

  “Always hated you Army brats,” the man said.

  “And who the hell are you?” Eve asked from behind Jesse.

  The old guy snorted a laugh. “At least one of you has the balls to ask. Hold it right there. Bear with me. I just need to—”

  Jesse saw the man moving to the wall, keeping his gun raised.

  And suddenly there was light inside the complex. The guy Jesse had been worried about was an old man dressed in a tan coveralls, much like a common laborer. Only, the guy was not a common laborer, or did not seem to be. He was at least fifty, if not sixty years old, with hair the color of dirty salt, cut short and neat, but slightly ragged as if he’d done it himself. His clothes were spotless and looked as if creases had been pressed into the fabric. Who was this guy? He had to be ex-military. Navy? No. Marine? That made more sense.

  “Now,” the man said, “if I approach you, you aren’t going to do anything to make me shoot you in front of the pretty ladies, are you?”

  “Depends,” Cory said. “If you think you can, old man.”

  “Ha!” the old man said as he spun toward Cory and smiled. “I like this one. Ain’t got no fear. And why would he? Running around with a sword and no gun? Sees an old geezer like me waving a gun around and thinks he can take me. Got some news for you, young one. I’d welcome the chance to show you how wrong you are.”

  Still wary, Jesse stuck out his hand. “I’m Jesse,” he said.

  “Ah, now that’s better. Army rat, but at least they bothered to teach you manners,” the man said.

  The old guy took Jesse’s hand in an iron grip and squeezed. Jesse squeezed back, just as hard.


  “I, good sir, am First Sergeant Walter O. Teagle. Marine Corp, retired. The O stands for old, or so my wife often told me, God rest her soul.” He crossed himself with his fingers.

  “So,” Jesse said, letting it drawl. “Introductions are in order, I think. This is Eve.”

  Eve stepped forward with her hand out. He took it and gave it a gentle shake. “Ma’am.”

  “This here is Andrea, Kate, and the sour-faced one is Cory. We’ve been together for some time now.”

  “Some time, huh? Real specific.” Walter said. He gave a little head bow to each in turn. He saved a wink for Kate.

  “I should thank you for letting us in,” Jesse said.

  “Of course you should,” Walter said. “Almost wasn’t going to. Figured though, you couldn’t be all bad traveling around with a young one and all, and I’ve been watching you since you entered the fence and tripped the alarms. You’re the first people I have seen in... Lord, it’s been a long time.”

  “You live here alone?”

  Walter appraised Jesse for a very long second, one cheek scrunched up and eye nearly closed. The guy looked as weathered as a shriveled-up piece of raptor hide.

  Finally, Walter said, “Yeah.”

  Jesse knew what being alone felt like. It made sense that they had been let in. One could remain on their own for only so long without some sort of human companionship. Otherwise, crazy parks in the brain and rearranges the furniture, another of his father’s witticisms.

  Walter gestured to the hallway behind him. “Hannah would chide me for not being a good host. So, come on in.”

  Jesse froze. Every hair on his arms suddenly stood on end.

  “Hannah?” Jesse whispered.

  “Hannah Beth Teagle, my wife, son. I miss her. Miss her lots.”

  A haunting wave of emotion pass through Jesse. It was thick and heavy and needed swallowing before he could continue. What Walter had said seemed almost too much of a coincidence when he’d mentioned Hannah.