Apokalypsis | Book 5 | Apokalypsis 5

by Morris, Kate

  She cast her eyes downward to stare at her clasped hands. It wasn’t a good thing to talk like that around her, but he was pissed. He squeezed her hands reassuringly and finished his meal.

  “That was great, Angel,” he said and kissed her forehead, cupping the back of her head and then rising from his seat to take his dishes to the kitchen sink.

  “Are you sure Spencer shouldn’t go up to the hospital tonight?”

  “I don’t think so. I looked at what Jane’s dad did. It looks legit to me. I can’t imagine one of those soft casts would be any better than what he managed to do. It’s stable, unmovable. He’s got it taped all to hell and braced.”

  She seemed unconvinced.

  Tristan said, “I’d take him if I thought the hospital would do better.”

  “I know. I just worry.”

  He nodded, “Hey, we did get some supplies today, though. Saw an abandoned house about three miles from here. They had an auto repair place out of their home, so if we ever need to get car parts, I’ll know where to go.”

  “Nobody was there?”

  “No, they were…gone,” he said, avoiding the facts of the situation. The man and his wife were dead in the house. He wasn’t sure if it was a double suicide or they were murdered because they looked asleep at first glance. The house had not been raided, either.

  “What did you find?”

  “Some canned goods, meds, small stuff. Sent it home with Alex. Oh, and Roman got a couple deer. He and Jane’s dad processed the meat already. They’ll split that with us tomorrow.”

  She wrinkled her nose.

  “Better than being hungry, Angel.”

  “I know, but deer? They’re so cute.”

  He smirked and pulled her into his arms. “Want me to trap a coon? Are you going to eat that?”

  “Ew, no, Tristan. I’m a country girl. We do not find raccoons cute at all. Or edible.”

  Kissing the top of her head, Tristan took a long inhale of her clean, fresh scent. Ephraim’s bird squawked in the other room, interrupting his thoughts of Avery’s personal smell. “How are the kids adjusting to having someone new here?”

  “Fine, no problems there.”

  “I didn’t figure there would be. She’s going to need a lot of help, though.”

  Avery sighed. “I wish my mother were still here.”

  “You’re going to have to be the next best thing.”

  “I’m a week away from being twenty, Tristan,” she reminded him.

  “You’re wise beyond your years, Angel,” he said and stroked her back. “Besides, there’s no one else to help. You’re it. Maybe if this thing gets figured out, we can find someone in her family and get her back with them someday.”

  “I don’t get the impression she has a lot of family.”

  “Just do the best you can,” he asked and got a nod against his chest. “Do you think she’s still up?”

  “I think the girls were going to play cards.”

  “Let’s find out. I need to talk to her.”

  He let Avery fetch the girl because he didn’t want to accidentally walk in on one of them changing or anything. She’d already been through enough bad things where men were concerned. She returned with Remmie, and Tristan noticed she took the seat farthest away from him in the living room. Avery sat next to her instead of him, which was probably a good idea.

  “Remmie, I’m Tristan,” he introduced himself and got the tiniest inclination of her head in response. “I live here with Avery and her siblings and our friends. I’m glad you’ll be staying with us, too.”

  She nodded feebly and said, “Thanks for letting me.”

  Her hair, which he’d thought was brown, was actually blonde with swirls of red woven throughout. Or at least it looked that way in the light from the fireplace.

  “I want to help find your sister. I was in the military, so I’ve got a little experience with this sort of thing. It’s what I used to do. Rescue people, help them.” Not exactly the truth, but “assassinate” didn’t roll off the tongue as nicely as “rescue.”

  That got her attention. She was making full eye contact now.

  He continued, “I need you to help me. Give me some sort of idea that will point me in the right direction.”

  “I don’t know where they took her.”

  “Don’t worry about that part,” he told her as Abraham came into the room with more firewood.

  “Oh, sorry,” he apologized and set the load down. “I didn’t know you were in here.”

  “Stay, Abraham,” Tristan said and got a perplexed look from him and then one from Avery. “Please. Your knowledge of the county may be needed.” Then he looked at Remmie as Abraham took a seat in a Swedish looking light tan leather chair near him. “Remmie, I want you to tell me about the man who took you, who sold your sister, this leader you told Avery about.”

  “H-his name was Dice. That’s what his friends called him, but I think his real name was Jeff.”

  “You heard people call him both?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you know where they first took you? That building in town? Was it someone’s house?” She shook her head. “You weren’t blindfolded the whole time you were there, right?” She shook it again. “Tell me what you did see. What did it smell like? Sounds? Anything unusual like a train whistle, a cow, or a lot of traffic? Signs on the walls, anything. Close your eyes, and just put yourself back there.”

  Remington sat with her eyes closed without saying anything for a long time, as if sending her mind back to that place. Avery was going to say something, but Tristan stayed her by holding up a hand. He needed Remmie to concentrate without interruption.

  “The walls were block, like in a basement. They were painted white, but they were dirty, like maybe the place was old or closed down a long time ago or something.”

  “Good. What else can you remember? What did it smell like?”

  Again, a long pause, but he held himself still and patiently let her dwell on it.

  “Um, one of the other girls, Lillian, she said it stunk. She said it smelled like old Chinese food. I didn’t smell that, but I was kinda’ sick at the time. She didn’t like Chinese food, so she said it made her want to gag.”

  “Good,” he acknowledged. “Now, tell me about sounds. Could you hear animals like cows or chickens, roosters, or horses?”

  She shook her head. “No, I think we were in town. Like maybe right in town.”

  “Good. You’re doing great,” he told her. “Could you see daylight?”

  She shook her head again. “No, not much. They covered the windows with cardboard.”

  “Were they high, taller than me?”

  She nodded.

  “I thought it smelled like soap,” she interrupted his next question as her eyes drifted off to the side. “Yeah, that’s weird, huh? My friend thought it smelled like Chinese food, but I thought it smelled like the soap my mom used to wash our clothes.”

  “That’s great,” he said and gave Avery a nod. “Now, the man, Dice or Jeff, describe him to me. You don’t need to tell us anything you don’t want to tell us, but describe him to me. Was he tall?”

  She shook her head. “No, shorter than you. Definitely shorter than him,” she indicated Abraham without opening her eyes.

  “So maybe six feet tall?”

  “No, not that tall. My dad was six feet…” she said and paused.

  Tristan didn’t want to lose her to memories of her family just yet, so he pressed, “So a little under six feet. What about his hair? Dark? Blonde? Red?”

  “Black, long in a ponytail. He had a mustache that was long, too.”

  “Yeah? He have a beard?”

  “No, just a mustache. It was weird, though.”

  “How come?”

  “His mustache was red. You know, like a redhead. And it was long, like super long, and he’d twist it.” She grimaced.

  “You’re doing so great,” Tristan encouraged her. “How many men worked with hi
m?” When she sat there frowning, Tristan repeated the question, and her head snapped up.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe a dozen. I was never sure if they were his customers or his workers. He made drugs, too.”

  “Made them?”

  “Yes, I think maybe meth. I’m not sure. A lot of people would bring him stuff for drugs. You know, a trade. They’d give him food or other supplies for drugs.”

  Tristan considered this a moment. If he had a meth lab, he’d need space that was well-ventilated.

  “Did he make the drugs there in that building?”

  She gave a small, one-shouldered shrug. “I’m not sure.”

  “And they brought you to that farm,” he stated and got a nod. “How did they take you there? By car?”

  “In the back of Jeff’s truck. I saw. It was loud. My bandana slipped down a little when they shoved us into the truck bed.”

  “You had to ride there in the back of a truck?” Avery asked and got a nod. “Poor thing.” She wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulders.

  “His truck is red, bright red. And loud. Some of his guys drive it, too.”

  It made Tristan wonder if it was the same one that they’d escaped the other day when Wren and Roman shot at it and its occupants.

  “How long did it take to get to the farm from that building?”

  “Maybe fifteen minutes.”

  “So, the building is in town,” he concluded what he already figured.

  “He has a brother,” she said of her own volition as if just remembering.

  “Go on.”

  “He’s younger, not as mean. I mean, he still…you know…” she said, insinuating the abuse. “But his brother bullied him into it the first time with Lillian. Then they bullied him into killing someone.”

  “Who?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. They always did the drug deals in the next room over. It had a big echo, so we could hear a little. I heard him yelling at him to kill him. He just kept screaming, “Kill him, kill him, Jimbo.”

  “Jim? Is that the brother’s name?”

  “I think so,” she said and paused. Tristan let her go. “He wasn’t as mean. It seemed like he at least felt bad about it.”

  “Anything else?”

  She nodded. “I don’t think they lived there. I mean, in town at that building. Sometimes they’d crash after too much drugs and stuff, but most of the time, the brothers left. I think they had a house somewhere. I’m not sure where it was. That’s all I can remember.”

  “That’s okay. You did so great,” he told her and got a shy nod when she opened her eyes. “Just get some rest now, okay?”

  Remmie nodded, and Avery led her out of the room. “I have you set up in my little sisters’ room. I’ll tell you about them, okay?”

  Tristan knew this conversation would be difficult for Avery, but also knew she’d get through it. He didn’t know her plan was to put the girl in her dead sisters’ room. Faith and Joy had shared a room, so he knew there were two twin beds in there. Cyrus and Finn had shared the other, but now little Finn slept in the basement with Ephraim and Abraham. Everyone seemed to avoid both rooms now and kept the doors shut. He knew all this down to a tee because when the girls and Cyrus died, he had to come home and sanitize the house again, change their sheets and blankets, and move Finn into Abraham’s room. He was too little to understand and too damn scared to sleep in there without his adopted brother, Cyrus, still with him. He didn’t think anyone would ever live in the girls’ room again, but he was glad Remington would be.

  “Why did you want me in here for that?” Abraham asked when the girls were gone as if he were upset.

  “I want your opinion,” he said and sipped the hot tea Avery had made for him.

  “I don’t think she was very comfortable with me being in here during that,” he said, still a little angry. “I don’t really like hearing about a bunch of girls being abused, Tristan. It makes me sick.”

  “That’s because you’re normal. It’s okay,” he said. “Don’t worry, Abraham. For what we’re about to do, she’ll forgive the interrogation. And I’m glad you’re pissed about it. I’ll teach you how to channel that anger into something else, something called vengeance. I’m sure your real dad never would’ve approved, but this is a different world now. Now you’re in my world, and nobody is better at turning emotions into fuel to use against an enemy.”

  Abraham frowned and nodded. “You’re going after her sister?”

  “Hell yeah, I am,” he said. “We have to clear out the area of people like this. If they did this to her and seven other girls or however many they’ve done this to, then they could come after your sisters eventually.” At that, Abraham paled slightly.

  “I want in,” he responded almost immediately.

  Tristan nodded patiently. “I know. You can be. Spencer’s down, so he’ll have to stay here until that arm heals completely. I assume that will be a few months.”

  “Yeah, that sucks. I’m certainly no replacement for Spencer, but I want to help.”

  “You’re not doing too bad so far,” he said. “I’ll work with you until you’re able to handle any situation this new life throws at you.”

  “Yes, sir. That’s what I want.”

  “Tomorrow, I’m going to send some people to raid those cars, syphon gas, and try to figure out if those semi-trucks have been hit yet for supplies. The rest of us are going after these assholes.”

  “Where do you want me in this?”

  “Where do you want to be?”

  “With you, but I’ll understand if you send me out to that big wreck, too.”

  Tristan nodded. “I’ll think about this tonight. By morning, I’ll have a solid game plan. Then we’ll go pick up the others.”

  “Okay.”

  “What about that place she described? Know it?”

  “I think I do,” Abraham said, surprising him.

  “Wait, really?”

  Abraham nodded and explained, “There is a Chinese food restaurant in town, or was. It was in a shopping center. So was a laundromat. One of those twenty-four-hour kinds? It was also a dry cleaners service, too.”

  Tristan nodded.

  “The restaurant went out of business a few years ago. It was the only one in the whole county. Not sure what the deal was, but it closed. Probably because the frackers left the county. Or most of them did. The laundromat is still open, though. Well, it was.”

  “Right, I get it,” he said, feeling buoyed by Abraham’s information. Avery came back in and sat cuddled against his side on the sofa.

  “Did her statement help?” she asked as if Remmie were a crime witness. Technically, she was and also was the victim.

  “Yes, significantly. Abraham thinks he knows the place.”

  “The old Chinese food place in town. Remember, Ave? Kaia used to like their food. It’s been closed a while, but nothing ever re-opened there. And it’s right next to the laundromat.”

  “Oh, right. Good memory. I wouldn’t have remembered that. He’s right. There was a Chinese food restaurant in town.”

  “And the laundromat’s in the same plaza.”

  She looked at Tristan, “You think this could be the place?”

  He nodded. “Maybe. We’ll check it out. If it’s not there, it could be in Renee’s town. If Remmie’s memories of the driving time to the farm where they took her are accurate, then it’s either your town or Renee’s. Did her town have a Chinese restaurant?”

  “Yes, I think so. That would’ve been a lot longer drive, though,” Avery said.

  He thought about it a moment. “Well, those are the only towns that would have both a Chinese restaurant and a laundromat and still be within a ten to twenty-minute drive of that farm we were at.”

  “Yes, that sounds right,” she agreed. “The other towns around here are even smaller. A few only have a gas station and an ice-cream shop.”

  “Let’s not talk about ice-cream,” Abraham complained good-naturedly.<
br />
  Tristan chuckled at his discomfort.

  “Aw, poor Abraham. I’m sorry,” she said with genuine sympathy. “Hey, maybe we should make snow ice-cream like we used to with dad.”

  “What? Snow?” Tristan asked.

  She laughed gaily. “Oh, stick around, city boy. There is so much to teach.”

  He smiled and sat there for a while, contemplating his next move.

  “What is it, Tristan?”

  “The best time to do recon on a place, on the enemy, is at night,” he told them.

  “But it’s too dangerous to move around at night. The night crawlers are out. That’s their time now.”

  He nodded and paused. “I know, but we can’t exactly spy on people during the day. They’ll be out then, too. The idea is not to be detected. If this isn’t even the right place, then we’ll have to start over and find somewhere else they could be.”

  “You mean the Chinese restaurant?” she asked, to which he nodded. “But they moved those girls out of there,” Avery said.

  “He was there for some reason. I want to know what reason,” Tristan said. “Wanna’ go on a little night recon with me right now?”

  Abraham nodded, “Hell yeah.”

  “Oh, great, now he’s going to talk like you, too?” Avery asked in a joking manner, trying to conceal her concern.

  “Dress warm. Never know when we’re gonna have to hoof it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Abraham said and left the room.

  “Tristan, are you sure about this? I try not to question the decisions you make about our security, but this seems crazy.”

  “We’ll be fine. Do you trust me?”

  She took a deep breath, held it, and then finally expelled it with a nod.

  “I’m going to pick up Roman,” he said and tried to use his cell phone, which failed. “I’ll just have to drive over.”

  “And hopefully not get shot by them in the process.”

  He tried to give her a smile, but it probably came off as worried. Then he pulled her to him and hugged her for a long time.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Jane

  They were playing a card game at the dinner table while Connor slept, and Noah was upstairs doing whatever he did. Jane worried about her friend because he wasn’t processing everything that had happened in town when Harper and Brian were killed. He didn’t talk about it, either, and Roman had likely left out most of what Noah had told him when he’d retold the tale. She understood why Roman would do so, especially since Destiny had been there. However, when she’d asked him about it later, Roman had shaken his head and didn’t want to discuss it further. Noah had never once talked to her about what he’d seen. Most days, he moped around or sat staring off into nothingness. She had no time to deal with him, though. A few times she’d tried to talk to him, but he just gave her vacant looks or dodged her questions. She was just trying to get a handle on the suicide death of her best friend and the murder of her grandmother. Jane felt she could hardly offer anything to help in his grief anyway.