Try Hard: a post-apocalyptic thriller (180 Days and Counting... Series Book 7)

by B. R. Paulson

  Jackson studied the map. It was easy to read and he’d have no trouble getting there. He lifted a friendly grin toward the man. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate this.” He lifted the gun, shooting the kid twice in the chest and navel area. Warm speckles of blood hit Jackson in the face at the close proximity.

  The man dropped his flashlight and a whimper left his lips as he fell backward onto the shelves. A shaft of light glowed off to the side from the spot the flashlight had fallen.

  Jackson spun on his heel. He had too many things to do to worry about some millennial hippy who was out to help others. He needed gas and he’d be on his way. As far as he could figure it, he’d just helped the kid more than he knew.

  Glancing at the map again in his hand, he whistled softly. There would be a plastic tube in there somewhere he could siphon with. Things were looking up. Hard to believe Cady wasn’t that far away.

  Relief flooded him. Things were settling down to where they should be. He’d deal with anything else that came up, but right then, he was close.

  His anticipation grew along with his excitement. Almost. Almost.

  Chapter 20

  Scott

  The overhead LED outdoor lights flipped on as Scott made his way to the shed. He glanced up and then back toward the house at the low growl of a four-stroke engine reached him as Cady rolled the generator outside. The house glowed in the dark and Scott hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to see that sight.

  Light was promising and helped keep their spirits up. The generator was much louder outside with the absence of all other sound. Even the noise was welcome. Scott needed something to make him feel normal, even if it was only for a few moments.

  He grinned and turned back to the shed. Ducking under the ragged tarp, he stepped onto the soft sawdust from the chicken bins. Cady kept the straw and other chicken care items in the shed to keep mice and other rodents from the garage.

  A soft woof caught Scott’s attention. He looked up. Ranger’s reflective gaze peered back at him from between the rails of the loft.

  “Oh, there’s my good boy. Who’s up there with you?” Scott glanced past his dog, searching for why Ranger would be in the loft. He didn’t reach for his handgun because Ranger wasn’t giving any signs that there was danger. Scott trusted Ranger implicitly. No danger for his dog meant no danger for him.

  “Scott?” Bailey’s plaintive voice reached Scott at the same time Cady caught up to him, stretching out her hand and touching his shoulder. Cady cut off Bailey’s words, but wasn’t aware her daughter was inside. “Scott, Beth has been shot. Come fast. I need to talk to you… as well. I mean… we have something we need to talk about.”

  Bailey’s wide eyes stared down at Cady. She reached out and gripped the post. “Mom… You’re home.” The last word ended on a whimper.

  “Bailey? What are you… Can you come down? Are you alright?” Cady glanced from Scott to Bailey, shifting her gaze repeatedly back to Scott. “Honey, I need you down here, okay? We need to talk… do you have Jessica?”

  Tears shining in her eyes, Bailey nodded. “Yeah, she’s okay. I’ll be right down.” She didn’t hesitate and disappeared from view immediately.

  Scott glanced back curiously at how upset Bailey was. Jason must still be in the hallway, sick. Why then was Bailey up in the loft? Maybe he was moaning from pain. Scott remembered doing that. The sickness had been awful. His poor nephew and poor Bailey having to deal with it. Well, Scott was back. He’d take over Jason’s care.

  Scott followed Cady after another glance back at Bailey and Ranger in the loft. There were noises on the wood, like they were making their way down. They should join them shortly.

  Cady moved ahead of Scott and then turned back to him by the end of the garage. She put a hand on his chest and he stared into her eyes, waiting.

  Had they reached the moment when they would discuss the connection between them? Was he ready for that? Not really. He wasn’t sure how much of himself had remained unchanged after his actions in the NICU, after he’d lost so much already and Cady hadn’t. She really hadn’t. She still had her daughter. She still had her home. Scott wasn’t upset about that, but he had to admit that he had some envy issues to get over before he could move forward with anything else.

  If he had to tell her that, he didn’t know how to form the words.

  “Scott… I… I’m so sorry.” Cady shook her head, glancing to the ground and then behind her. She had to speak up with the proximity to the generator and Scott narrowed his eyes as if that would help him hear better. Cady swallowed and grabbed his hand. “Jason is… something happened.”

  “What? What’s happened?” Had he already succumbed to the virus? It was too soon. Where was Scott’s three days or more? Didn’t his nephew deserve the same amount of time as everyone else? “Where is he? Is he… is he…” He couldn’t say it. Jason… he couldn’t have lost his nephew.

  A pit dropped into Scott’s stomach. His nephew. He’d failed. He hadn’t made it back in time. He’d brought the oil, but he hadn’t made it. Out of everything that could go wrong, this was the last thing he could tolerate. Scott set his jaw. Losing his nephew wasn’t an option. Maybe Cady had something different to tell him. He had to hold out hope until the last possible second.

  Cady reached out and took his hand and tugged him forward, past the garage and the humming generator, past the bleeding Beth who had lain back and closed her eyes on the porch. Cady stopped by the rock garden under the roof and slouched onto the ledge of the deck. She reached out and brushed the soft brown hair from Jason’s forehead.

  Scott froze, unwilling to believe the presence of his nephew, but unable to deny that Jason’s bloodied and beaten body no longer held any life. Scott knelt on the ground, pulling his nephew into his arms, across his lap, turning him to fully face upright.

  The young man had been shot, three times, black secretions stained his skin and the marks from a fall bruised and broke his skin. Did Bailey abandon him? Had someone shot up the house and Jason had tried to protect her? What had happened when they’d left? Scott had gone to Post Falls to get medicine to protect Jason, not to come back and find him dead.

  Scott had failed. What would he tell Stephanie? She’d never forgive him. Wait, Stephanie was dead. His brother, too. Scott deserved to be dead alongside them. His parents, everyone was gone. Why then was he still there? Why hadn’t he died? He couldn’t believe that he’d lost Jason.

  Eyes burning, Scott cleared his throat as he felt Cady’s gaze on him. “Can I borrow a shovel to bury him?” He had to give Jason a decent burial. He had to do something to gain himself favor with his dead relatives. Part of him worried he wouldn’t make it to heaven – a place he believed in before the world fell down around his ears – before he’d killed so many innocent lives.

  Cady didn’t say a word as she stood and disappeared, the scrape of her shoes on the concrete the only indication of her whereabouts. Would Scott ever look at her with romance in his heart again? He’d lost someone again and Cady’s life was still intact.

  In moments, she returned. The metallic twang of the shovel on the rocks as she set the tool on the ground resounded in his head. He’d have a migraine in minutes. Cady leaned the handle against the post.

  Jason had been shot. That was evident. Scott had to find out what happened. He had to put the pieces together. He’d never be able to shift the blame from himself, but it would help take the pressure from the pain, if Scott knew Jason had been protecting his cousin and Bailey.

  Something positive had to come out of the death. There had to be a good reason for why he died. His death probably had to do with why Bailey was hiding in the loft.

  Scott had to put Jason into the protection of the ground. If nothing else, he had to protect his nephew from scavengers. He struggled from the ground, desperate to gather enough strength – both physically and mentally – to do what he had to do.

  He grabbed the shovel and tossed it toward the island an
d then grabbed Jason under the shoulders, tugging and pulling his nephew across the gravel drive. His weakness reared its pathetic head and he pushed past the hold it had on him. Gasping for air, Scott rested his nephew in the newly burgeoning grass and sank onto a three-foot high boulder set beneath a willow tree.

  The task of burying his nephew seemed suddenly insurmountable. He stood, reclaiming the shovel and positioning the tip in the soft ground. Jumping onto the foot pegs, Scott tried to dig, but the ground was frozen and all he got was an inch or two of wet dirt in the shovel. He tried three more times, each one harder than the last. His energy depleted, Scott sank back to the boulder, gripping the shovel handle for support.

  Even more tired, and spiritually beaten, Scott didn’t fight the tears claiming him. He hunched his shoulders and gave into the insanity roiling inside him. He’d killed those babies, he’d abandoned his parents and more of his family in who knew what state of health. How many could have made it? What if he’d gone back for his brother and other kids? What if Scott had forced his parents to come back with him and treated them with the oils? Could he have saved them? What was he going to do? How far did his sins reach?

  All of that didn’t matter as he looked at the foot of his deceased nephew.

  There Scott was… he’d lost everything and he couldn’t even bury the nephew he’d promised his dying mother he’d protect.

  How much more would he fail at? His responsibility stretched far, but he couldn’t accept them anymore. He couldn’t be the cause of anymore deaths.

  Chapter 21

  Bailey

  Seeing her mom sent a shimmer of hope unraveling inside Bailey. Cradling the now sleeping Jessica in her arms and bringing the stocked bassinet in the other, Bailey carefully climbed down the steps and followed the warmth of the light through the darkness.

  It was surprising how comforting the light was. The generator was loud and obviously couldn’t run all the time, but for however long it was on, Bailey would soak it up.

  Leaving the shed, Bailey approached the front porch, nervous to see Jason’s body, but he wasn’t there. She stopped, half-frozen. Had he gotten up? Was he still alive? He would come after Jessica. Jason would try to kill her again. Dread became a solid mass inside her chest.

  She searched the front drive for Jason, or signs that he was nearby and she was no longer safe.

  The floodlights on the roof lit up the drive like a moon on steroids and finding Scott sitting beside Jason’s body was easier than it should have been.

  Bailey’s tears streaked hot paths down her cheeks at the sight of Scott crying over his nephew. She had killed Jason. She had no real excuse except that she’d been too scared to climb out on the roof at first, too scared he was going to get Jessica, too scared…

  She sank onto the steps beside Beth, shaking and trembling as she realized that she was no longer in danger. Her mom had made it back. They were going to live another day.

  That seemed to be the goal anymore. Just one more day.

  Cady reached out and brushed Bailey’s hair back across her cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay. When you’re feeling better, you need to tell us what happened.” She nodded as if forcing Bailey’s agreement by moving her own head. She glanced at Beth. “Beth, are you okay? Do you want to go inside and get some rest while we patch you up?”

  “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” Beth moved her red-stained fingers and pressed them on her shoulder.

  Startled that Beth was bleeding on the deck and Cady wasn’t rushing to take care of her friend, Bailey blinked in alarm. She couldn’t talk about what had happened with Jason, not yet. She still couldn’t believe any of it had happened.

  The generator provided a backdrop sound, covering the thumping of Bailey’s grieving heart. The sound of another engine underscored the constancy of the generator and grew, warring with anything on the other side of the garage.

  Headlights announced the arrival of the other vehicle and Bailey shifted closer to her mother. She didn’t let her grip on Jessica slacken.

  A minivan came to a stop only a few feet from where Scott sat and the driver turned off the engine and the lights.

  Scott glanced up and shifted to a standing position back a bit behind the tree. He stared at the truck with a desperate sense of anger. He gripped the shovel in his hands and avoided Bailey’s gaze.

  Did he blame her for Jason’s death? Bailey couldn’t focus. There was too much going on.

  Beth groaned softly, moving to her elbows to see the van approach. She blinked slowly, catching Bailey’s eye for a split second. Then Bailey looked back to the new arrival.

  After a moment a man climbed from the driver’s side of the vehicle. He closed the door and rounded the front, coming toward the house. A masculine voice with a velvet undertone cut through the rumble of the motors. “Cady?”

  Chapter 22

  Cady

  The minivan was a surprise as it was. What were the odds that a car would just drive up into her driveway without any kind of notice or expectation? Cady’s heart had lodged in her throat at the thought that maybe her mom had finally made it back and was safe.

  But the voice…

  Cady froze as she recognized Jackson’s voice. Her heart leapt and then could have stopped. Her adrenaline spiked and she suddenly felt like she could bury Jason, create essential oil mixes, and fix Beth while making dinner – all within only a few minutes.

  Jackson had promised he’d find her. He’d promised.

  And there he was. She’d never seen him before and his sudden presence surprised her and he couldn’t have come at the worst time. Jackson wasn’t known for his timing.

  Cady squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them to focus on him. The bluish LED lights cast a weird hue over his tan skin. Had Jackson really done it? Had he really found her in the end of the world? That wasn’t fair on more levels than Cady could list.

  Struggling to stand, Cady moved to block any view of Bailey, but Jackson only seemed to have eyes for Cady. A feverish glint to his gaze sent a shiver of alarm through Cady as he approached. What could he want? He’d promised to come for her…

  “Jackson. I…” Cady shook her head, holding her ground as he got closer. She wasn’t scared of him. She wasn’t… She lifted her chin, determined not to show the fear tearing through her. He’d done so much. He’d destroyed so many of her loved ones. He’d sent a vaccine – just one – and Cady had to give it to her daughter.

  Beth stirred on the deck, ducking her head as she narrowed her eyes to see better. “Jackson? Virus Jackson?” Her words were hoarse like she struggled to talk.

  Cady held her breath. She’d held off on treating Beth’s injuries, terrified to face the wound and see the damage she wouldn’t be able to fix. Dealing with Jason’s death had been the first thing on Cady’s list, that combined with Beth’s determined stance that they figure out what was going on left Cady feeling justified in pushing off fixing Beth up.

  Ignoring the emotion finally making itself heard in Beth’s voice, Cady nodded half-heartedly. Yeah, it was Jackson. The one who created the virus that had destroyed most of the world. Beth’s numbness was wearing off and it was probably due to being shot and the trauma associated to it. Cady needed to help her as soon as she could.

  Beth struggled to her feet and disappeared inside the front door. She’d been to Cady’s more than enough times she’d know her way around. Hopefully, she could treat herself. Cady was going to be outside for a while. She had to make Jackson leave.

  Jackson needed to leave as soon as possible.

  Cady stepped forward, holding up her hand and stopping Jackson in his tracks. “I don’t want you here.” She searched his face. A different point in her life she would have been thrilled to see him for the first time, notice his dark brown eyes, a scar on the left side of his cheek, and his broad shoulders.

  Instead, she wanted nothing to do with him.

  Less than a couple feet away from her, Jackson chuckled, motio
ning toward the house. “Well, I find that hard to believe considering you left a beacon for me to get here. I could see your lights from Clagstone. Your generator is loud, too. Come on, Cady. You know you’ve been waiting for me.” He winked, reaching out and chucking Cady under the chin.

  Jerking her face from his touch, Cady shifted her glance toward Scott, alarm taking over and keeping her upright. If Jackson could find them, who else were they going to have to watch for?

  Alarm flooded Cady’s very being. She pivoted glanced over her shoulder, meeting Bailey’s gaze. “Bailey, go kill the generator and stay inside.” She hoped every alarm and warning in her gaze made sense to Bailey. “Check on Beth, too.” Where had Beth gone? Was she okay? There were too many things to focus on.

  Bailey nodded, disappearing into the garage with the baby tight in her grasp.

  “Cady, I came all this way.” Jackson demanded Cady’s attention. “Aren’t you going to say how much you love me?” Jackson stood there with his hands out by his side, his cocky attitude rolled off him in waves. “I sent you the vaccine. I see you used it.” He smiled, as if waiting for her gratitude.

  “I didn’t. I didn’t take the vaccine. I gave it to my daughter. I survived the sickness. You were wrong.” Cady stared at Jackson, unsure what else to say.

  His lips parted in surprise. “You didn’t take the vaccine and you survived? You’re stronger than I thought. We’re going to do amazing things, Cady.” He stepped forward, but Cady backed up, keeping her hands up to her chest.

  She couldn’t handle him touching her. Not again.

  The front door opened and Cady cast a glance toward the opening. So, help Bailey, Cady would scream at her, if she were standing there. Thankfully, Beth stood there half-in and half-out of the doorway, watching Jackson with malice in her eyes.