“You going alone?”
“Planned on it.”
“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to tag along.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.” A pause. “Those rifles and shit? Somebody from out west was supplying Glenn.”
“How do you know that?”
“We finally broke one of his boys. Spilled the beans.”
“You believe him?”
“I suppose. Fits the rumors. If it’s true though, how long until this guy comes calling and finds out Glenn isn’t in charge? Maybe folks won’t want to be around here by then. Anyway, you need some rest. I’m gonna get out of here.”
Dave nodded. “Thanks, man.”
Johnny smiled. “All in a day’s work.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Three weeks after the fall of Glenn’s forces, Dave sat across from Trish in his room.
“I don’t think you should go,” Trish said.
Ed sat beside her, while the boys played Go Fish across the room at a table with Jasper. Dave still favored his broken leg, but the cut had healed and the stitches were out. Crutches discovered in the school nurse’s office were now his constant companion. “I’m going.”
“It won’t bring Annette back, you know. It might just get you killed.”
“I know that. I’m not trying to bring her back again. And I’m not worried about getting killed.”
“Well, I’m worried for you.”
Dave smiled. “I appreciate that. But you don’t need to worry about me. You need to worry about who might show up here at any moment.”
“We don’t know that anyone is coming.”
“Are you willing to take that chance?”
“He’s right,” Ed said. “We can’t risk it.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Trish said, still stiff from the gunshot wound. “He doesn’t need to chase after this guy.”
“Have you decided where you’re going?” Dave asked, successfully changing the subject.
“We’ve talked about going north,” Ed said. “Toward Canada. Maybe even Alaska. It’s remote and it’s cold. Not a good environment for the infected.”
“But the smart ones, what did you call them again?”
“Apex carriers,” Jasper said from the card table, his eyes on the cards in his hand. “Go fish.”
“These apex carriers, theoretically they could be anywhere. If they know how to build fires and hunt for food then they’re as equipped as cave men. You might find only apex carriers up there.”
“We can’t stay here though,” Ed said. “I don’t want to be here when the next Glenn Summerville comes calling.”
A knock sounded at the door before it opened. Johnny walked into the room. “Heard something odd on the ham radio.”
“What do you mean, odd?” Dave asked.
“Well, we only caught part of the conversation, something from California. A ship’s captain and someone at a dock.”
“A border town?” Ed asked.
“Probably,” Johnny said. “But the odd part is what they said. Something about transporting survivors.”
“On a truck?” Dave asked.
“No,” Johnny replied. “They’re traveling on a ship of some kind.”
“But why would they be bringing in survivors to a border town on a ship?” Trish asked.
“Not to the border town,” Johnny said. “From the border town.”
“To where?” Ed asked.
“Hawaii,” Johnny replied. “Honolulu to be exact. They called it a safe zone.”
* * *
A week after learning of the safe zone in Hawaii, Ed and Jasper sat in one of the repurposed dorm rooms they’d been sleeping in for the past month.
“How many volunteered to go?” Ed asked.
“Forty-six,” Jasper replied. “Several more are trying to make up their minds still. Your buddy Dave is telling them to come. Seems like people listen to him.”
“And the trucks?”
“They’ve rounded up three trucks that work. They’re big enough to hold the weapons and the supplies, along with enough fuel to get us to California. It’ll be like picking up this camp and making it mobile.”
“And if we run into the next Glenn?”
“Then we open up on them with all we got.”
“You think it’ll be enough?”
Jasper shrugged. “It’ll have to be. But we’ll worry about that later. They want us to help pack tomorrow. Tonight, however, we celebrate.”
A knock at the door. Trish stuck her head inside the room. “You two ready?” Zach and Jeremy stood outside the door.
Jasper smiled. “For dinner and booze? Always.”
Trish smiled. “You’re a bad influence on him, you know?”
“I can’t help it. I corrupt those in my wake,” he replied, chuckling.
She turned to Ed. “What about you?”
Ed smiled. “I think I’m ready for anything.”
About the Author
Brian J. Jarrett is a computer programmer by day and a horror/thriller writer by night. He grew up in West Virginia and now resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and children.
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Also by Brian J. Jarrett
NOVELS
Into the Badlands
Beyond the Badlands
The Desolate
COLLECTIONS, NOVELLAS & SHORT STORIES
Walking At Night
Muster Drill
Wishes and Desires
Visit http://brianjjarrett.com/works/ for the most up to date listing of Brian’s entire catalog.
Afterword
When I wrote Into the Badlands back in 2011 I’d always assumed I’d write a sequel. I had no definitive plan, however, of when I’d get around to it. Nor did I have any idea of where the story would even go, despite planting certain “seeds” for the sequel within the first book. I published the book and began work on other projects immediately.
But then a funny thing happened: Into the Badlands began to sell. People were buying it, reading it, and they were asking about the sequel. After finishing a few other projects I decided in late 2012 that it was time to revisit Ed’s world and finally get that sequel written.
Then another funny thing happened: after months of work I finished the first draft of Beyond’s manuscript and realized I needed four books to tell this story. What started as a sequel ended up being too much story for one book. I was pleasantly surprised to find I now had a series on my hands.
Into the Badlands is a special book to me. It’s a personal tale, having loosely crafted the characters of Zach and Jeremy from my own two sons. Maybe that’s why it seems to resonate with readers. Perhaps readers are able to draw parallels between the characters in the book and people they know in their own lives. Or maybe even with themselves. It’s also special to me because it’s the book that changed my life, allowing me to live out a dream I’ve had since I was very young: to write and publish stories for readers.
With Beyond the Badlands, I wanted to maintain the same tone and style of storytelling I’d used in the first book while still allowing the characters to change and grow as the story progressed. I feel like I accomplished that. In the next two books you’ll see even more changes with these characters as each one draws closer to their final destination. For some that will be a true safe haven while for others it will be cold revenge. Stay tuned…this story is just getting started.
I hope you enjoy this next installment of the Badlands series. I’m already working on book three. In the meantime, I want to thank you for your support and for your interest in my work. That means the world to me.
Brian J. Jarrett
September, 2013
St. Louis, MO
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Allyson Robben Dowell, Pete Hanson, Scott Niethe and Keith Black
more for all their help.
I’d also like to thank my editor, Sandi Powell and my proofreader, Allyson Robben Dowell for their many corrections and improvements to this story.
Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your support.
To stay up to date on the latest news and releases, check out http://brianjjarrett.com/.
Badlands Trilogy (Book 2): Beyond the Badlands Page 25