Day of Reckoning (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 2)

by Michelle Lynn

  “Who the hell are you? Where am I?” I sputter.

  “Now, Mr. Crawford, no need for nastiness. I only want to talk.” I would almost believe him if I wasn’t being held hostage and tortured. “We have a simple task for you. If you perform it to our satisfaction, I see no reason why we would need to continue this spectacle.” He gestures to the board.

  “Who the hell are you?” I repeat, this time through gritted teeth.

  “You are in the Republic of Texas. My name is Dr. Cole but my friends call me Darren. We’re going to be friends aren’t we Drew? I can call you Drew can’t I?” He smiles at me and I wish I could punch him. I don’t respond; I just glare. “Well, let’s begin, shall we? I have some questions about your father.”

  “I don’t know anything about my father,” I say.

  “Oh, I believe you. I know how you feel about him, trust me on that.”

  “You know nothing!” I spit.

  “Well, that isn't true at all Drew.” He opens a file that I had failed to notice before now. “Drew Crawford, fugitive from the English. You hitched a ride on an airplane and landed in the French colony. You were not alone. Dawn Nolan accompanied you. She just happens to be General Nolan's youngest daughter. Your mission was to free Dawn's sister from Floridaland. Surprisingly enough, you succeeded with the help of a few Americans. Sam has since died and Lee is MIA as is Jeremy who you also freed.”

  I am too stunned to say anything more than “how?”

  “Don't be too surprised. We know everything that takes place in the colonies. What we need to know, is if your father is supplying the rebel forces with firearms.”

  I hold back the laugh that tries to break free. This guy is a nutter. My father, allied with the rebels? He would rather die. I'm sure of it.

  “I told you, I don’t know anything,” I say.

  “Let me explain something. We know exactly where the rebel base is. We know who the officers are and we know that there is a high ranking British soldier on her way to join with them.” His voice grows louder with every word until he is screaming, “do not lie to me!”

  I suddenly understand what is going on. This man is scared. If the British were to ally themselves with the rebels, the Texans would be facing forces from multiple sides.

  “You are right to be scared,” I say, my voice low. “They will gut you.”

  He lunges at me and wraps his large hands around my throat. I gasp for air and try to wriggle free. As if suddenly realizing that he lost his cool, Dr. Cole releases me and backs away, his face still red. He leaves quickly, only to return a minute later with a handheld screen. He forces me to look at it and then turns it on.

  It takes me a few moments to realize what I am seeing. It’s a hospital room. Dawn! It’s her, I know it is! She looks like she’s just taking a kip. My heart begins to pound, a panic building in my chest. “Is she…” I begin before Dr. Cole interrupts me.

  “Dead? Not yet. We don't want to kill General Nolan's daughter unless we have to.” I quickly realize what he means. They can use her as leverage. “She was injured when we brought her in but she should be awake by now. We’ve induced a coma for your benefit.”

  “My benefit?” I whisper, unable to really speak.

  “Yes. You see, I don’t believe that punishment always works. I think you need a reward to strive for if you’re going to behave. Although, I’d be happy using both. If you give us what we want, your little girlfriend can wake up.” He gives me another toothy grin as if he is doing me some favor by not killing Dawn. I don’t have the information he wants. What do I do?

  “What do you want me from me?”

  “We need to send a message to General Nolan.”

  “General Nolan doesn't even know me,” I protest.

  “The name Crawford should be sufficient.” I stare at the screen a little while longer.

  “Gabby,” I say as she enters Dawn's room and my heart tells me what to do.

  “Yes, her sister if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Fine,” I spit, “I'll do it.”

  “Good.” The doctor is pleased with himself. “Okay, as a show of good faith, I will wake her up. She will not be allowed to leave the city. What happens to her will depend on your cooperation.” He leaves.

  As soon as he is out the door, the two men from before come back and deliver a beating. “English scum.” They laugh as they are leaving, one of them punches me in the gut and laughs as they shut the door and the darkness surrounds me once again.

  “Dawn,” I murmur through the pain.

  Chapter 4: Gabby

  I am asleep in the chair next to Dawn when the doctor walks in. He puts a hand on my shoulder to wake me up. Startled, I look up at him. The first thing I noticed about him when we met last week was how tall he is. I feel small beside him. He is younger than any doctors I’ve seen before and attractive, very cute. He has unkempt, sandy blonde hair, and kind green eyes. He is gentle with my sister.

  “Good morning Dr. Cole,” I say.

  “I’ve told you a million times Gabby, call me Darren.” When he smiles, I can’t help but smile back.

  “Okay,” I respond. “How is my sister doing today?”

  “Her vitals look good. It shouldn’t be long now.” He pulls out a large needle.

  “What’s that?” I ask. Dawn and I have never had much medical care before so I’m always curious.

  “Something to help,” he explains before injecting it.

  I guess he is the doctor. There was a time when I would have flirted mercilessly with the hot doctor and he would have responded but these days I don’t feel like myself or at least, I don’t feel like the person I used to be. The only thing I can focus on is my sister. The doctor leaves and I scoot closer to the bed. He said I might have my sister back soon.

  The minutes pass by and maybe I’m imagining it, but I swear I saw her hand move. I look at her monitors. Her breathing is steady and nothing seems to have changed.

  I glance at her face and see it again. Her fingers move in my grasp. Finally, her eyelids flutter open and a sob escapes my throat. “Dawn!” A grin is plastered across my face and Dawn tries one of her own but smiling is too much for her right now. She slowly awakens until, “hi,” she croaks.

  “She’s awake!” I yell for help.

  Stunned, the nurse runs into the room and checks Dawn’s vitals, and then she gets on the phone to call the doctor. Dawn’s eyes focus on her.

  “Sis, this is your nurse,” I say, “she’s been taking care of you.” Dawn nods and looks around. A few moments later, she opens her mouth.

  “Where am I?” she asks softly.

  “I’ll explain everything as soon as we get you checked out,” I say. “Dr. Cole should be here soon.” As if on cue, Darren walks in.

  “Hello there Dawn.” He brushes her hair to the side. “I’m Dr. Darren Cole. I am so glad to finally meet you. We’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.” He smiles at her but she doesn’t return it. She looks to me and asks the question that will break her heart.

  “Drew?”

  I look to Dr. Cole and he gives Dawn a sad look. I squeeze her hand.

  “He didn’t make it,” I whisper.

  At first, she looks confused but then understanding registers in her eyes. She starts shaking her head and says “no” in the stubborn way she has. There is nothing I can say to make it better so I just hold her hand. Dr. Cole injects something into her IV and then leaves the room to give new instructions to the nurse. We sit in silence until she dozes off.

  Chapter 5: Dawn

  I have been drifting in and out for hours, or is it days? Every time I wake up, the pain is new; fresh. I know I should ask Gabby where the others are but I am afraid of the answer. I don’t know how much I can handle right now. Drew.

  I’m alive and Drew is gone. I’ve lost him. The first person who ever made me feel like I was worth something; the first person who ever made me feel beautiful is dead. Never coming back.

&nbs
p; I’ve been told that we are in a place called the Republic of Texas. That doesn’t really mean anything to me because I don’t really know anything about it. The existence of Texas was kept out of our lessons in London. It is in the Southern part of the colonies, Gabby knows that much. This city, Vicksburg, is apparently the capitol. They say we are safe because the city is walled. Walled from what?

  I only remember bits and pieces from the night we were brought here. It usually comes back to me in my dreams. Fire and smoke. Sam. One of the best friends I’ve ever had. Gunned down right in front of me. In slow motion I see the bullet. Sam’s body hitting the ground. My screaming. Running. It’s the same every night.

  Gabby is sitting across the room when my eyes snap open, my fists clenched. “Sam! Drew!” It’s okay. Gabby is here. She sits on my bed and dabs my forehead with a cool cloth. Once I have calmed down, I truly look at Gabby for the first time since I came out of the coma. Something is weighing on her. There is something she isn’t telling me.

  “Okay,” I say, “tell me.”

  “Tell you what?” She looks away.

  “I'm not daft sis. I know there is something you're not saying. Is it about that night?”

  “I was waiting until you were stronger.”

  “You were stalling,” I state. “Gabs, I need to know where everyone is.”

  “Let’s talk about this when you’re not feeling so manky.”

  “No.” My tone makes her visibly start. “It’s not fair to me. I need to know.”

  The silence stretches between us before she begins. “I was with Jeremy and Lee. We were running and being shot at. I got separated from the two of them before I ended up outside the forest with the Texan soldiers. I don’t know what happened to them. The Texans only found two bodies in the woods. Drew’s and…”

  “Sam’s,” I interrupt.

  “You knew?” she asks, sounding a bit relieved. I think she was dreading telling me about Sam almost as much as telling me about Drew.

  “I saw it happen,” I say bluntly.

  “Oh,” is all she can manage.

  “I hope Lee and Jeremy are okay,” I say, softening my tone.

  “Yeah, me too.” I see the pain dance across her face before she covers it up. I reach out my arms, beckoning her forward. She sits on my bed and hugs me. “I’m so glad you’re okay sis,” she whispers.

  “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  Chapter 6: Gabby

  I’m so happy to have my sister back; to be able to talk to her. I was beginning to feel lonely. Outside of this hospital, I’ve barely talked to anyone. They keep their distance.

  Someone knocks on the door and I turn, intending to tell them to be quiet because Dawn is sleeping. I forget about that when Adrian pokes his head around the corner. Adrian was one of the Texan rankers who found me outside of the woods. He brought me back here and then sat with me in the hospital all night as I thought my sister was going to die. He just talked to me and held my hand. I haven’t seen him since then.

  I rush to the door and throw my arms around his neck.

  “Hey,” he says, surprised. I release him and step back.

  “Hey yourself. It’s been a while.” In the weeks since I’ve seen him, I’ve asked around. All anyone would tell me was that he was probably on assignment somewhere.

  “Yeah, I was sent to the Mexican front to deliver orders,” he says.

  “The Mexican front?” I ask.

  “The Mexican border. We’ve been fighting the Mexican warlords since before I was born. I used to be at the front but my aunt had me brought home and now I just deliver the dispatches.” I might be wrong, but he looks slightly narked by that.

  “Your aunt?”

  “My aunt is the prophet which means she is also the mayor and in charge of the city's defenses.” I picture the woman speaking at the service that I was forced to see. That crazy woman is Adrian's aunt? “Can I come in and sit? I just got back and I’m exhausted.” It’s only then that I realize we’re still standing in the doorway. I turn and walk farther into the room and gesture for him to have a seat. Dawn stirs and opens her eyes.

  “Hey sleepyhead,” I say. “This is Adrian.” She smiles weakly at him as if sleep is still clouding her mind.

  “I’m glad you’re okay Dawn. I was with you when they brought you in,” he says.

  “Thanks,” she mumbles. I look at Adrian as he smiles and take in his crooked nose and the scar near his hairline. He sure looks like someone who’s been fighting.

  “So,” I say, taking a seat on Dawn’s bed, “tell me more about this place. I know that you all go to church every day to see the prophet, your aunt. I know that everyone has a job to do. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  He thinks for a moment before saying, “well, the water never stays on for more than a couple minutes every hour.”

  “Yeah, I found that out the hard way. The first time I took a shower, I had soap in my hair the rest of the day. I felt terribly grotty.” He laughs at that and it sounds much more carefree than you would expect from someone with tattoos and battle scars.

  “My aunt rules this place with an iron fist. Everything has rules and everyone follows them. If they don't, they have to leave the society and nobody wants that.” This doesn’t surprise me. I already know that everything we do is controlled. I've had to wear what they tell me to and eat what they give me since I got here.

  “Gab?” Dawn says.

  “Yeah?” I respond.

  “Can I get some water?” she asks.

  Before I can get it for her, Adrian says, “how about we get it on the way. It’s time to go.” He walks into the hall and comes back pushing a wheelchair.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “The prophet wants to meet you. Up you go.” He easily lifts Dawn out of bed and helps her into the wheelchair. I follow them out of the room and down the hall. We wind our way through the hospital until we reach the exit. I hold open the door for Adrian to push Dawn through and it swings shut behind us.

  The government headquarters is only two buildings down from the hospital but we take our time. Dawn is smiling and looks happy to be outside for the first time in weeks. I realize the only part of Texas that she’s seen is the inside of that hospital room. We enter through the front door of the government building and the lobby looks surprisingly lush for a society that rations everything. We walk across beautiful wooden floors to the marble front desk. I am surprised to see a large basket of fruit. This is the first time since getting here that I’ve seen food outside of the mess or the hospital.

  The lady behind the desk is wearing the exact same clothing as me. Blue pants, white shirt, so much for fashion. Her dark hair is tightly braided and her pale skin suggests too much time indoors.

  “Hello Adrian,” she says, not bothering to look at Dawn and me. “She’s ready for you.”

  Pushing Dawn ahead of him, Adrian leads me down another series of hallways and through security before we stop in front of a set of double doors. He knocks and then enters. A small, dark haired woman is sitting behind a desk that looks like it could just swallow her up. I would laugh if the hard look in her eyes didn’t scare the shite out of me. This is a very different woman than the one I saw leading the church service.

  “Adrian,” she says as she walks around her desk to hug him. “It is so good to have you home.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “How was the assignment?”

  “I got it done,” he says.

  “I’m sure you did.” Her eyes scan the room until finally landing on Dawn and me, as if she’s noticing us for the first time. “Hello. I’m Tia Cole. Please, sit.”

  “Cole?” I ask.

  “Yes. Dr. Cole is my husband. I hope he has taken great care of you.” The sound of her voice suggests that she doesn’t really care about that at all. I’m shocked, to say the least, Darren must be younger than her.

  “He has,” Dawn pipes in. “I want to thank you for…
well…for saving me.” My sister is such a kiss arse. I already don’t like this lady.

  “It was our pleasure Dawn.” Once again, her smile doesn’t go past her lips. “I wanted to make sure you have everything you need.”

  “We can take care of ourselves,” I say. Dawn pinches my leg like she always does when she thinks I’m being rude.

  “We’re fine, thank you,” she says.

  “Okay then. Dawn, I think it’s time we get you out of the hospital. We’ve provided Gabby with a room in one of the dormitory buildings. You can stay there. Adrian, help her get settled. Show them around. God has brought you here and as his prophet, I will make sure you are taken care of.” She sits back at her desk, dismissing us.

  That meeting was strange. I felt like I was being evaluated, read. Once outside again, Dawn decides she doesn’t want the wheelchair anymore. She wants to walk. Adrian and I help her to her feet. It’s slow going, but she does it. We're all feeling a bit peckish so we head off in the direction of the mess and as we slowly walk with Dawn, I can’t help but wonder,

  How do two girls like us rate so much attention?

  Chapter 7: Dawn

  I don’t know why Gabby has to be so rude to people; so distrusting. She can be a right prat sometimes. These people saved my life. They got us away from the British soldiers and took us in. The mayor seemed nice, businesslike but nice. I don't understand what a prophet is but I'm sure it's nothing bad. My sister just needs to chill.

  I hated riding in the wheelchair but now that I’ve decided to walk, I’m frustrated. It's slow going as I focus on putting one foot in front of the other. I’m a bit lightheaded and grab hold of Gabby’s shoulder trying to hide the fact. Before now, I’ve had all my meals in the hospital.

  As soon as we enter the building, we pass by a throng of people standing in line to get their food. Rank has its privileges. “Sir,” they snap to attention as Adrian passes them.

  The room is huge and lined with long tables. On one end is the food, buffet style. There must be hundreds of people in here, chatting loudly as they enjoy their meal. Knackered, I slip into my chair and let my sister push me to the front of the line and we slide our trays along the buffet table. The food is similar to what it’s been every other day. It’s bland. The protein is some kind of soy and there is boiled potatoes and some vegetables. The ladies serving the food weigh each portion so that we get exactly the amount allotted to us. Everything is rationed.