by James Gurley
The jeep skidded to a sudden stop, bouncing him back to the present. The driver stared at him, trembling, as he eyed the empty Palo Verde tree.
“He was here,” the driver said. “Right there. We tied him to that tree.”
“He’s not there now,” Levi growled.
“Maybe a mountain lion got him,” the driver suggested.
Levi got out of the jeep and sauntered over to the tree. He was in no hurry. He knew exactly what he would find. There was no blood, no remains, just pieces of rope lying on the ground, the ends cleanly cut. He shook his head.
“Honest, Boss, we tied him real tight. Just ask Smitty.”
“Oh, I will.” Before the driver could react, Levi pulled his pistol and shot him between the eyes. The driver slumped over the steering wheel, lying on the horn. Levi jerked him from the seat to silence the horn, dumped him on the ground, and then slid into the driver’s seat. The remaining guard trembled in the back of the jeep, the driver’s blood splattered across his face. “Round up a couple of men and scour these mountains.”
The guard sighed and nodded, glad to have escaped Levi’s wrath.
“Blakely is very resourceful. Even naked, he managed to escape.”
He knew that word of Blakely’s escape would bolster Jessica’s resistance and create panic among the men. The last thing he needed was a ghost challenging his authority.
“I should have put a bullet in his head.”
A day of searching produced nothing. Blakely had simply disappeared into the wilderness, naked and weaponless. Yet, Levi knew he wouldn’t die. Blakely was a survivor. He would find the means to overcome the overwhelming obstacles facing him, and focus on regaining his lost kingdom. One part of Levi yearned for such an encounter, a personal battle to the death. He should have faced Blakely when he had captured him, but he had thought a slow death would serve as a warning to the others. Now, Blakely’s resurrection placed a strain on his reins of power. It was a mistake he would not repeat.
Slowly, word spread through the camp of Blakely’s escape. That night, men slept with one eye open, their weapons beside them. Every sound, each sudden appearance of someone set men’s nerves on edge. Soon, Levi thought, they’ll be shooting each other in blind panic. It was time he assumed personal charge of the hunt.
* * * *
June 27, 2016 San Manuel, AZ –
Knowing that Blakely would head for some place to obtain food, shelter, and a weapon, Levi split his men into groups and began a search of the nearby ranches. They found nothing until one group encountered rifle fire from one of the homes. Certain they had found his quarry, they sent for Levi. His men cowered behind tree watching the house. He strode out into the open and stood there, daring Blakely to shoot him.
“Give up, Blakely,” he shouted at the ranch house.
“Name’s not Blakely. Name’s Albertson. Get off my land.”
Levi swore under his breath. It wasn’t Blakely but some pissed off rancher. Still, he couldn’t allow anyone to oppose him unpunished. Beside, Blakely might be hiding inside.
“Surround the house,” he ordered his men. “Burn him out.”
The fire spread quickly, but the owner refused to come out, sending pot shots in their direction as the flames consumed the house. After part of the roof caved in, he ran out the door yelling and firing. Levi’s men cut him down. No one else escaped. Levi knew Blakely wasn’t there.
“Spread out. Search every building but find him.”
They were reluctant to begin the search. Already Jake had gained almost legendary status. They feared him. To spur their interest, he needed to offer a reward comparable to the challenge. He had the perfect prize.
“The first one to bring me Blakely alive gets the girl.”
Her presence was a constant challenge to his manhood. He wanted her, but not as a slave, an unwilling participant in sex. She was the one thing he couldn’t fully take from Blakely. She was proud and unbending. She would have to watch Blakely die in front of her before she gave up hope. He had another problem. Hawk was becoming truculent because of Jessica’s presence. To her, the girl was a constant threat, one she would have no qualms about eliminating. She wanted him for herself with no challengers, however reluctant, waiting in the wings. Frankly, he was surprised that she hadn’t already taken matters into her own hands.
“Women,” he chuckled to himself. “Only a handful left in the world and they’re still a pain in the ass.”
The men vented their fear and frustration on zombies, killing dozens and wasting ammunition, but Levi knew better than to try to stop them. They could find more ammo later. An hour into the search of the town, they discovered the decapitated zombie corpse. As soon as he saw it, he knew it was Blakely’s handiwork. By its condition, he judged it to be less than two days old.
“By now, Blakely will have food and weapons.” He scanned the surrounding town and dismissed it. Blakely was too smart to remain among zombies. He looked up at the nearby mountains, and then raised his hand and pointed at the ridge. “That’s where we’ll find him.”
He dispatched three teams on motorcycles and in the ATV into the mountains to search for Blakely. All were heavily armed and eager to prove themselves. However, his faith in his minions was limited. Blakely was smart. He would hear the search parties coming for miles and hide. If he had a weapon, the first sign of him would be when one of his men died. It would be a small price to pay to learn of his location. Levi sniffed the air. The breeze was picking up and the smell of moisture rode the wind. A monsoon storm was coming soon. The chances of finding Blakely before nightfall were slim.
He waited at the edge of town throughout the long hot afternoon, his eyes glued to the mountains, his ears tuned for a gunshot. One by one, each team returned empty-handed. He pointed to the two men in the ATV.
“You two find a spot along the river and keep watch. If Blakely makes it past you, I’ll tie you to a cactus.”
He knew Blakely was coming. He could feel it in his bones. The man was too stubborn for his own good. He would die for that obstinacy. Levi still had one ace in the hole – the girl.
* * * *
Hawk said nothing as she kicked in the door of the trailer, grabbed Jessica by the arm, and roughly escorted from the trailer. Each furtive glance, every muscle in Hawk’s body revealed her hatred for Jessica. For the first time since her capture, Jessica feared she was about to die.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, coughing from the dust the wind was lifting from the canyon floor. She needn’t have asked. She knew where they were going. Hawk was propelling her toward the path to the house on the ledge to Levi.
“You’ll find out,” Hawk replied, squeezing her arm.
Jessica hadn’t failed to notice the frenzy that had fallen over the camp over the past two days and suspected it had nothing to do with the approaching storm. Groups of men had left, returning later with no loot or supplies, as if they had been searching for something but had not found it. The answer could be only one thing. Jake! He was still alive. Only his escape could induce such panic in Levi. Her heart swelled at the thought. As long as Jake was alive, he would come after Levi and her.
“He’s alive, isn’t he?” she said to Hawk.
In answer, Hawk slammed her into the side of the trailer and shoved her forearm tight against Jessica’s neck. Jessica felt the power beneath the muscle and quailed in spite of herself. Hawk hated her and would kill her in an instant.
“No matter what happens, you’re a dead woman,” Hawk snarled. “Levi is mine.”
Jessica laughed at the absurdity that Hawk considered her a rival. “You can have the fucking bastard. I’ll kill him if I get the chance.”
Hawk bounced Jessica’s head against the side of the trailer, rattling her brain. “He’s got you under his skin, like a goddamned disease.”
Jessica grinned. Hawk couldn’t kill her for fear of Levi’s wrath, but she couldn’t allow another woman to take her place. Her position was
all she had left. To lose Levi would kill her.
Hawk released her neck but shoved her forward. “Keep moving.”
The gusts of wind that had been pounding the canyon all afternoon had reduced visibility to a few yards. Men huddled inside their tents out of the dust storm, but the wind’s eerie moans as it poured through the rock formations made them jumpy. They sat with weapons close at hand, weapons they would not need against the storm. Two guards patrolled the wall inside the compound. Levi was taking no chances.
Levi was waiting for them. By his dour expression, he had not found Jake. She pressed the point home, hoping to see him squirm.
“You’ll never find him,” she said.
“Oh, he’ll show up sooner or later. I have something he wants,” he said, staring at her.
His answer surprised her. “Me? I’m just another survivor. This ranch is all he has. He’ll be back for it, and he’ll kill you for taking it.”
“I think you underestimate your value to him.” He glanced at Hawk. “A man needs a woman. It’s a curse. Blakely is a romantic. He sees something in you that elevates him from a loner to a human being. He’s tasted love. He can’t spit that out of his mouth so easily. Your vaunted deputy will come for you, and I’ll be waiting for him.” He motioned to a chair. Stunned by Levi’s words, she sat. To Hawk, he said, “Leave us now.”
Hawk didn’t budge.
“Damn it!” he snarled, slamming his fist into the chair arm in fury. “I said leave.”
Hawk tossed one last deprecating glare at Jessica before entering the bedroom and slamming the door behind her like a petulant child.
“Moody girl,” Levi said. “I think she’s jealous of you.”
“Maybe she’s afraid I’ll kill you.”
Levi chuckled. “You might, if I allowed it, but I won’t. You’ll sit quietly until Blakely joins us, or I’ll give you more reason to hate me.”
She knew his threat was not an idle one. She had tasted his savagery. She settled back in her chair to wait. She closed her eyes, but she could still feel Levi’s hungry eyes roving her body and shivered with revulsion. The ugly memory of him on top of her as he raped her rose like a black specter and wouldn’t go away. She gripped the arms of the chair so tightly her fingers ached. He said nothing, simply sat in silence, but his vile thoughts were like hands groping her beneath her clothing, leaving her dirty and defiled. She bit down on her lip until the pain focused her thoughts. Jake was coming. Even if he was coming for his ranch, he wouldn’t forget about her and Reed.
Levi said nothing, but the room was anything but silent. The dust became rain with no transition between dry and wet. Great muddy drops hammered at the windows and rattled the panes. A cacophony of thunder ripped the air as if a distant army was blitzing an enemy, and the small canyon was target zero. Jessica opened her eyes at the sudden fury. Flashes of lightning cast ghostly shadows across the room.
“I love storms,” Levi announced
She faced Levi. His Stetson was pushed down over his eyes and his cowboy boots crossed on top of an ottoman. He looked relaxed, but she knew it was a façade for her benefit.
“In the slammer, storms kept the bulls inside. I could walk the yard free, letting the rain soak me to the skin, washing off the stink of prison. I dared the lightning to strike me dead.” He opened his eyes and glanced at her. “It didn’t.”
“Too bad,” she answered. “You’d look good dead.”
“Only the good die young, as Billy Joel so famously sang.”
“You certainly don’t fit that description.” She didn’t know why she bothered talking to him. It was what he wanted, but she couldn’t stop herself. She wanted to hurt him, wanted her words to slice away his flesh and pierce his black heart. She wanted to inflict pain on him so badly she could taste it.
“The good died in their beds, and then rose from the dead and started eating people. The good tried to help family and friends and wound up as food. The good …” He stopped and swallowed, his Adam’s apple rippling the skin of his throat. “No one ever bothered to help me. I learned a long time ago that you can’t fight what you are. I embraced myself whole-heartedly, and I’m much saner for it.”
“Saner?” she shot at him with enough venom to stop his heart. “You murder people for food and for trinkets.”
He laughed. “I survive. It’s that simple. I gather those around me who are as eager to survive as I am. There is no more civilization. It’s just winners and losers now. I intend to be a winner.”
“At what cost? Society …”
He snarled and half rose from his seat. He dropped his feet to the floor and sat forward. “Society? Society locked me away and forgot about me, as the world was dying around them. What did a thief matter to the righteous when their welfare was at stake? Don’t talk to me about society.” He waved his arms around. “Society is what I want it to be, whatever fills the void left by the old. This is the new society.”
She shook her head, dismayed by the depths of his rejection of his fellow human beings. Whatever in his past had hardened him had done a thorough job. “I feel sorry for you.”
It was exactly the wrong thing to say. Levi leaped from his seat and propelled himself across the room. Before she could react, he grabbed her by her shoulders, lifted her from her seat, and shoved his face to within inches of hers. His fingers dug into the tender flesh of her barely healed dislocated shoulder. His breath reeked of alcohol and disappointment.
“Don’t ever feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for your friend Blakely. He’ll come here soon because he’s a stupid, stubborn fool. When he does, he’ll die, this time in front of you so you can witness it. You’re mine to do with as I please. Maybe you had better make a decision. You’re mine, or you’re dead. There isn’t another choice.”
He released her. She collapsed back into her chair. She shrugged her shoulders to shift her bruised muscles. “You should kill me now. If you don’t, I’ll surely find a way to kill you.”
He stared at her for a moment, and then laughed. “You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that. Too bad you tied yourself to Blakely.”
He resumed his seat, chuckling to himself every now and then, peering out the window into the dark void beyond. She suspected he wasn’t watching the storm unfold. He was waiting for Jake. She smiled and watched him frown when he saw her reflection in the glass.
An hour passed before Hawk re-entered the room. Jessica glanced up at her. Something had changed during that time. The hatred in her eyes had been replaced by something else. Pity? No, not pity. She couldn’t imagine Hawk pitying anyone, but there was no mistaking the redness in her eyes. She had been crying. Was Hawk seeing herself in Jessica’s plight? Had she also made a conscious decision to sell herself for comfort and safety and was now regretting her judgment?
Jessica considered her own circumstances. When Jake had rescued her, she had been at her lowest point since the Apocalypse. Injured, without his help, she would have died. Even so, he hadn’t demanded sex to nurse her back to health. In fact, he had warned her against trying to use him. Had she surrendered herself to him because, as a man, she knew he expected his reward for rescuing a damsel in distress, or because she was simply tired of being alone? She hadn’t been lying when she had told him it had been a long time between men, but why had she chosen him? If she didn’t care for him, why was she so concerned about him, so glad that he was still alive?
It hit her like a blow to the head. She thought herself a fool for not realizing it before. As much as Hawk hated Levi, she needed his approval, not his love. She had made mistakes in her past that had forged her into the killer that she was now, but she wasn’t proud of it. Levi used her like the weapon she had become. He gave her a reason to continue. Am I she so much different from Hawk, Jessica wondered? Do I want Jake’s approval? Was there a chance she could reach Hawk?
“I need to go to the bathroom,” she announced.
Levi frowned at her. “So go.”
As she walke
d into the bedroom, Hawk followed close on her heels. Jessica turned to face her half-expecting a knife in the ribs.
“Let me go,” she pleaded.
Hawk stared at her.
“Let me go,” she repeated. “Let us both go, me and Reed. We’ll slip out of here and disappear. No one need know it was you. Your problem will be solved. You can’t kill me, but you’re afraid to keep me around.” The words tumbled out of her mouth quickly before Hawk had time to consider their source. “Help us escape. Tonight. If we stay here, Jake will come for us. He’ll kill Levi. If you let us go, we’ll find him. All three of us will leave the area.”
She knew she had no right to speak for Jake. After all, it was his ranch that had been taken. In all probability, his reasons for coming back had more to do with reclaiming his property than in rescuing her or Reed.
“If I stay here, I’ll either kill Levi or force him to kill me. You want him and I don’t. Let me go.”
Hawk hesitated. A frown of confusion crossed her face as she considered Jessica’s proposal.
“You’ll have him all to yourself,” she added.
Hawk drew her knife and brandished it in her face. “I could just kill you. Say you tried to escape. Then I’ll have him to myself.”
“He’ll hate you if you do. No, your only hope of keeping Levi safe and for yourself is to let me escape.”
Hawk sneered. “Shut up.”
Jessica sighed inwardly. It wasn’t going as she had hoped. She opened her mouth to try again. Hawk’s backhanded blow caught her by surprise.
“Go to the bathroom or pee in your pants. I don’t care which.”
Jessica rubbed her stinging cheek and went into the bathroom. She tried to shut the door, but Hawk’s foot in the door stopped her.
“Leave it open.”
Jessica stared at the window. It was dark outside. The rain was so heavy that she couldn’t see the cliff face less than five feet away. If she could escape, she could slip away into the darkness. Hawk followed her into the bathroom. At first, she thought she was going to have to pee with Hawk watching, but Hawk picked up a screwdriver lying on the window sill, the one Jake had used to install the shower curtain. She turned the screwdriver over in her hands a few times before setting it back down. Her gaze locked on Jessica, and then fell to the screwdriver.