Redaction: The Meltdown Part II

by Andrews, Linda

  Fucking bird. He hoped the damn thing exploded from eating that shit. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Gah. What did they give him? He opened his last water bottle sticking out of the snow and chugged it.

  The ammonia hit the back of his throat at the same time as the scent of urine registered.

  He sprayed out the water.

  God damn it. They’d pissed in his water. He scooped up a handful of snow and scrubbed his tongue. Fuckers. He tossed the bottle across the desert. A cold wind slipped through the knit weave of his sweater.

  If they thought he’d die of dehydration, they had another thing coming. He would bury them.

  Some of them while they still lived.

  He rolled onto all fours. Vomit soured his mouth and his gut collapsed to spew its contents. After the dry heaves passed, he wiped his mouth on his wet sleeve and pushed to his feet. He swayed for a minute and listened to the sound of retching.

  Trent touched his hand to his lips.

  What the fuck?

  He glanced to the left. Four school buses were parked along the side of the road. People milled about. His pulse quickened. They obviously needed a leader.

  And he needed followers.

  He took a step in their direction. His leg buckled. Yelping, he crumpled into the snow and mud.

  “Who’s there?” a weak voice called from behind a tree. A watery splat quickly followed.

  Trent froze. God, what was the man doing over there?

  “Who is it?” A blustery fart soon followed.

  He covered his nose and mouth. Damn, those MREs just weren’t healthy. Of course, a man suffering from diarrhea didn’t pose much of a threat. And he did have people and transportation.

  But he’d thought that once.

  He’d be more cautious this time. No one would take advantage of his trusting nature again. “Hello?”

  Tossing the blanket into the nearest bush, Trent mussed his hair and tore his sweater and clothes. Their pity would be his way in. He heard a zipper close then the tree branches moved.

  A sandy-haired man stared at him. Sweat glistened on his pasty face. “Where did you come from?”

  Trent flapped his arms, imitating some of the losers who the military had picked up. “I got separated from my group. I think they left me.”

  He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. The man was falling for his line. Not that he doubted it. Now he just had to wait until the idiot said the magic words.

  “You can join us.”

  Bingo. Trent smiled. Step one complete. Two or three more would assure his victory. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He stepped forward and stuck out his hand. “Trent Powers.”

  “Stuart Graham.” A long fart punctuated his name. The man cupped his ass.

  Thank God, he didn’t reach for Trent’s hand. He ducked his head to hide his disgust.

  Pain flickered over Stuart’s soft features. “Excuse me.” He ducked behind the tree.

  What the hell was wrong with the man? And was it contagious? Trent didn’t want to be the leader of a bunch of sick people. “Are you okay back there?”

  “It’s the anthrax. We ate tainted food and now…” A long burst drowned out the rest of his words.

  Ah. Anthrax wasn’t contagious. Still… Trent counted the people around the buses. Forty or so that he could see. Not very many men his age. That worked. “How many are sick?”

  “There’s only three of us left.”

  Trent shifted so he stood upwind of the stench. Three people from forty still left him a good number to build his kingdom. Of course, if more became sick then he’d have to prioritize who could stay and who would just be dead. “How’d you get it?”

  “Audra picked up some buns from Burgers in a Basket.”

  Audra? Another fucking bitch in charge? Trent clenched his fists. The scabs on his knuckles broke open. That wouldn’t do. “That your wife?”

  “Nah.” Stuart grunted. “She’s just someone who teamed up with my people to survive.”

  Right. Trent wasn’t buying that load of shit. This Audra was probably like the bitch in charge of the military. “Women, huh.”

  Fabric rustled then Stuart reappeared, wiping his hands on his pants. “Women what?”

  Ahh, the first test. Trent stuck his hands in his pockets. “They need men to protect them, tell them what to do.”

  Keep them in line.

  Stuart cocked his head as if that bit of truth wasn’t self-evident. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  He’d know so when Trent got through with him. And then he’d die. Trent would be the only male in his kingdom. There’d be no mistakes this time. “So where are you going?”

  “To join the soldiers.” Stuart trudged through the snow.

  Not if he could help it.

  “Audra should join us there.”

  “She’d not with you?” Trent’s blood warmed. God had given him another opportunity. It was perfect. He followed in the other man’s footsteps.

  “We got separated a while back.” Stuart shrugged. “Then the storm happened.”

  What a wuss. This Audra was obviously leading the fool around by the short hairs. He would change that. He would change everything. Leaping over a puddle of melted snow, he landed on the road. Faces turned to him. Most were old. A few held promise. Ah well, he wouldn’t be too choosy. He smiled back at them. Behold your future king.

  “Who’s this then?” A hag draped with pearls and diamonds glared at him.

  She’d have to go. He plastered a smile on his face. But he’d keep her jewelry. “Trent Powers and I’m sure glad to see you folks. I’ve been wandering around the desert all night.”

  She ignored him and stomped to the truck.

  Most of the others followed suit.

  Trent tsked. They would have to be taught proper respect.

  “Ignore her.” Stuart jostled his arm. “Come on. You can ride with me.”

  “Thanks.” Trent followed him onto the second bus. How long will it take to convince Stuart Graham not to join the soldiers? Half an hour? Forty-five minutes? Trent checked the road and boarded the bus. How ever long it took, he was sure God would arrange it.

  Trent deserved nothing less.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  “Do you think they’ve waited?” Tina whispered.

  Audra didn’t know why she bothered. In a bus this small, everyone heard even the most intimate conversation. Her cheeks heated at the thought. Thank God she’d stopped Eddie at a little petting last night. Heaven knows she wouldn’t have been able to face them if they’d gone farther.

  “I don’t know.” Arching her back, she stretched out her legs and arms. “I do hope Mother and the others found the soldiers.”

  Outside the bus windows, the businesses gave way to houses. A pack of six coyotes lazed in the driveway of one ranch-style home.

  “We can’t be too far behind the others.” Eddie braked the bus as he turned the corner, following the black arrow spray painted on the street sign directing them to the soldiers’ camp. “I can practically smell Stuie.”

  Tina clasped her hands together. “We may have been forced to camp out along the road in the blizzard but Stuie and the farting fifteen would have had to make constant pit stops.”

  If they were still alive. Eddie’d said only fifty percent of those infected with the gastronomic form of anthrax would survive. There might be only eight left. And Mrs. Rodriquez had come back for her. What were their chances without a nurse?

  “Looks like they waited.” Eddie pointed through the windshield. Four buses were parked alongside the road.

  Audra read their numbers as they passed. Seventy-nine. Twenty-eight. Thirty-nine. Forty-eight. These were her people. She glanced down to make sure her feet still touched the floor. Her fingers tingled. Life was good. “Where do you suppose they are?”

  A shriek rattled the windows.

  Eddie yanked hard on the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.

 
Pigtails flying, a little girl in a red jumper dashed in front of the bus.

  Audra caught herself on the front divider. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the thump of a body hitting the bumper. Nothing. She peeked through her lashes.

  The little girl jumped up and down in the middle of the street. “They’re here! They’re here!”

  Audra rose from her seat; the girl had disappeared to the right. Children climbed on monkey bars and swung on swings. Older folks held the young ones on bright painted animals attached to the ground by metal springs. “It’s a park.”

  The children were playing in the park. Why did something so normal seem so strange?

  “Looks like it’s just us and a few new additions.” Eddie killed the engine, grabbed the lever and opened the door.

  Audra’s happiness dimmed. “No soldiers?”

  Tina squeezed her hand. “We’ll catch up to them tonight.”

  They needed to have reached them now. They were low on gas and had only had one MRE in the last twenty-four hours. Her stomach growled and she flattened her hand over it.

  “I’ll see if I can catch us some rabbits.” Eddie winked at her. “Hopefully those coyotes haven’t eaten them all.”

  “Thanks.” She leaned over to kiss him.

  Turning his face, he cleared his throat. “Your mother is behind you.”

  “Good.” She grabbed his ears, angled his face up to her and planted a wet one on his lips. Just as his lips parted, she pulled back. Ha. That’ll teach him.

  “Audra!” Her mother hissed.

  “Good morning, Mother.” Audra straightened. She arched an eyebrow, daring him to say anything.

  Eddie grinned. “I should call you Princess Tease.”

  Her cheeks flamed. “If anyone heard that—”

  “Too late,” Mrs. Rodriquez barked. “And we’re not changing her name in mid-stream. Now stop playing kissy-face and get off the bus. Some of us need to pee.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Audra stumbled down the steps.

  Her mother grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward an oversized picnic area. The metal pergola shaded half the tables. “We need to talk.”

  Audra waved to the people who called out to her. “If this is about Eddie—”

  “What? No. For such a blunt spoken young man, it certainly took him a long time to screw his courage to the sticking point.” Her mother wrung her fingers.

  Her mother knew and approved?

  Audra stumbled backward. Good Lord, it really was the end of the world.

  Eddie paused five feet away and pulled something out of his pocket. His eyes narrowed as he raked her mother from head to foot. “Everything all right?”

  “Yes. We’re good.” Audra hoped he picked up on the double meaning. Her attention dropped to the red scrap in his hands. “Is that my bra?”

  Her good one, with the Belgian lace? The one extravagance she’d allowed herself before the Redaction hit six months ago?

  “No.” He attached the hook and eyes. “This is a double barrel sling shot. And these will make fine skinning knives.” He flashed the two black underwires.

  She covered her face with her hands. She’d loved that bra.

  “I’ll be back with some rabbits.” He kissed her ear. “Then you can have it back.”

  She winced as the sound bounced inside her skull. Men just didn’t understand. She bared her face, watching him walk into the field across from the park. Well, shoot. Then again, she had more bras and, as long as she didn’t have to sacrifice another, it was a small price to pay for real meat. “It better be a fat rabbit.”

  Her mother waved her hands in front of Audra’s face. “Please get your mind off Eddie and the rabbits. We have something more important to discuss.”

  The hair on Audra’s neck stood up. Her mother had used that tone only once in her life—when Audra’s father had died. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “What’s wrong?”

  “While you were….away, we picked up a stray.”

  Cold slithered down Audra’s spine. Away, what a quaint euphemism for kidnapped. She rubbed at the cold sweat on her upper lip. She was safe now. That was all that mattered. Eddie had told her over and over last night that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her again.

  She believed him.

  She needed to.

  It helped that she wasn’t as helpless as she appeared.

  Taking a calming breath, she stared across the park grounds. Half a dozen new faces glanced at her, they quickly turned away. So did a few old ones. What was that about? “Are we short on food?”

  “No. In fact, we’re gassed up and ready to go but…” Her mother turned her to face her, blocking out the rest. “It’s this new stranger. This Trent Powers. He’s convinced Stuart not to join the soldiers but to find a small town and set up shop there.”

  “What!” That was ridiculous. They had to join the soldiers. Few of the people here had practical skills. Heavens, aside from Eddie’s dubious efforts, almost everyone here hunted food in the grocery store. “We can’t survive without the soldiers.”

  “I know that.” Worry pinched her mother’s blue eyes. A strand of hair escaped her bun and she didn’t quickly tuck it back. “And that Trent Powers has some peculiar notions on women and their proper place. I tell you, Audra, no Southern lady has felt like this since Sherman marched through Atlanta.”

  Audra blinked. Good Lord. Given that the Union general had burned his way to the sea, that was serious. Very serious indeed.

  And…” Her mother nodded to a building across the street. “And I think he raped one of the girls. She’s won’t say so, but her wrists are bruised and she’s walking funny. But even without her testimony, I witnessed him smack Anna for bringing him cold coffee.”

  Audra’s fingers curled into fists. That behavior would not be tolerated. Trent Powers had to go. “I’ll talk to Stuart.”

  Her mother hugged her quickly then smoothed her hair. “I knew you would. You’ll fix everything, just like your father.”

  Her father had his money, family name and connections to make things happen. She was on her own. “Where is Stuart?”

  “In the football field with that man.” Her mother pointed beyond the cafeteria. Small blue boxes lined the space behind the bleachers.

  Stuart obviously hadn’t recovered from his stomach upset.

  Audra shook her hands as she walked. If Stuart didn’t want to go with her. That’s fine. She’d offer his people the choice then be on her way. But the buses were hers. Stuart could find another way to reach his utopia.

  When she was about a hundred feet away, a man exited the toilet.

  He smoothed his blond hair and smiled at her. His eyes focused on her breasts under her lightweight jacket.

  If she’d had anything in her stomach she would have vomited on him. This had to be Trent Powers. Mother was right to be concerned. “Stuart? It’s Audra. We’ve arrived.”

  “Audra?” Stuart’s voice was muffled despite the ventilation in the top of the portable toilet.

  “I’ll talk to her, Stuart.” The man sidled closer.

  She checked the ground for an oil slick. None.

  “Why don’t we walk a bit and chat? I’m sure Stuart would appreciate the privacy in his condition.”

  “Fine.” She straightened her shoulders and stomped toward the baseball diamond, out of the wind squeezing through the row of toilets. But it would be a short conversation.

  He set his hand on the small of her back.

  She shoved it away. Rage bubbled under her skin. Those bastards who had kidnapped her touched her without permission. No one would do so again. “The buses belong to my group. We’ll be taking them when we leave to join the soldiers.”

  The oily mask melted from Trent Powers’ face. Hatred flared in his shark eyes. “I don’t think so.”

  She stopped. “I don’t care what you think. I’m taking what is mine and offering a ride to any of Stuart’s people who wish to join us.”
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  Trent grabbed her hair and shoved her face-first toward the dirt. “I’ve had enough of bitches like you.”

  Audra planted her hands in the slush. Enough was enough. She mule kicked her attacker in the knee. Bone crunched and the joint bent backward.

  He yelp and released her hair. “You cunt!”

  “That is it.” She laced her muddy hands together and came up swinging. The back of her hand collided with his jaw when she was halfway up.

  His head snapped back. Blood poured from his nose. He shook his head, spraying her with droplets. “So you like it rough?”

  Hopping on one leg, he jabbed. His fist collided with her nose.

  Stars burst in her vision and warmth cascaded down her face. Blood tainted her mouth. Her training surged to the fore. Pain had been expected.

  “I can play rough.” He leapt on her. His forearm tightened on her throat.

  The aggressive stance was lethal and predictable. She didn’t waste time trying to pull his arm off her. That wouldn’t work, but something else would. Thank you Daddy for those combato self-defense lessons.

  “After you pass out, I’m going to fuck you in ways you only dreamed about.”

  In his dreams. She pushed with her feet, shoving her body into his.

  Off balance, he stumbled backward.

  She gathered her fingers and thumb into a hard point and jabbed his eye. The soft tissue burst and goo coated her fingers.

  “Bitch.”

  She wrapped her feet around his. And they fell. Her stomach fluttered in her throat as they continued to fall. She reached for something to grab on to and closed her hands around air.

  A heartbeat later, they landed with a thud and crack of bone.

  The hand around her neck loosened. She shoved it away and rolled off him. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she raised her fists. Ready for round two.

  Trent Powers’ head lay at an odd angle.

  She shifted back. Was he dead?

  “What the fuck did you do to me?” His eyes glanced left then right. “Why can’t I move?”

  Audra slowly straightened and dropped her hands to her side. Her heart pounded in her chest. She’d done it. She’d won. “Your neck is broken.”

  Someone skidded to a stop beside her.