Chaos Comes: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (After the EMP Book 4)

by Harley Tate

  52 Houghton Street, Apartment 310

  Eugene, Oregon

  11:00 p.m.

  Dani thought the soldiers might never fall asleep. Were they hopped up on a stolen supply of Red Bull or using nicotine patches like the fentanyl one they gave her mom to stay awake?

  Whatever it was, they seemed close to super human. Their failure to yawn or even think about a bed drove Dani insane. She tried not to sleep, but curled up in the oversized, round chair, she couldn’t help it. When she woke up, it was quiet.

  The only light came from a single glowing spot by the far windows. A cigarette. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the light. One of the younger soldiers.

  He sat by the window, sticking his lit cigarette out into the dark in between puffs. At least she had some confirmation he was human after all.

  With only one of them awake, now was her chance. She knew there was one way out of that place. Colt picked the apartment for her, not just because of the view of the surrounding streets, but for its relative security. The metal door would withstand a million pounding feet, the concrete walls any type of fire.

  Even if Colt saw the X in the window, he wouldn’t be able to rescue her. And Dani needed to get out. She couldn’t let them take her back to the college. Now that she knew they weren’t in this to keep Eugene safe or help anyone but themselves, she couldn’t let them use her.

  Users never cared about the people they took advantage of, they only took and took and took until there was nothing left. She learned that the hard way. Dani sniffed as she thought about Gran. Her mother even managed to take her away in the end.

  But Dani wouldn’t let that beat her. She was stronger than that. Somewhere between getting caught by that soldier in the street and telling Colt goodbye, she realized she was stronger than she thought possible.

  Colt had given her that strength. She would get out. She would warn him and together they would get away. Even if he didn’t want to be her dad or even her friend, she would make sure he was far, far away from these thugs who claimed to be the good guys.

  She owed him that and so much more.

  Dani sucked in a breath and lifted her arms over her head, stretching like a cat coming alive from a nap. There was only one way out of that apartment and she was going to use it.

  As she pretended to come around, the soldier didn’t move from the window. Dani sat up casually, rubbing at her face like she couldn’t wake up.

  After a moment, she cast a glance his way, settling on his cigarette light. “Hey!” she whisper-shouted in his direction.

  “What?”

  She bit her lip and glanced around, acting the embarrassed teen. “I’ve got to pee.”

  “Hold it.”

  “I can’t, mister. I’ve gotta go real bad.” Dani squirmed in the chair, crossing her legs one over the other. “I don’t think the colonel wants to wake up to the smell of it all over this chair.”

  The soldier grumbled under his breath and Dani caught a few creative curses as he stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. “I’ll get you a bottle of water, so you can use the toilet and flush with it.”

  “Thank you!” She bounced in the seat like she did when she was little, hopping up and down to make it clear she had to go.

  As he retrieved the water, Dani wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, pretending to shiver in the already warm room. “What is it about having to pee that makes you so cold?” She bounced some more, adding in a stream of useless chatter as the soldier walked back to her.

  She’d learned a long time ago the more a kid talked, the more a grown-up tuned her out. They didn’t want to hear about the salamander you found one time in the backyard or the time some kid in your class broke his arm on the monkey bars.

  He didn’t say a word when he handed her the bottle or when she stood up with the blanket. “Thanks.” She eyed the water and glanced at the hall. “It might take a minute. I’ve got to um… you know… do a little more than pee.”

  The soldier rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just don’t wake up the colonel. He’ll be pissed.”

  “Good to know.” Dani hustled into the bathroom and locked the door. She didn’t have very long.

  Tugging her clothes off her body, she tied one leg of her jeans to the corner of the blanket, pulling as hard as she could on the ends to ensure the knot would hold. Then she did the same thing with her shirt and sweatshirt, adding as much length to the makeshift rope as she could manage.

  They were three floors off the ground. The longer the rope, the less risk of breaking her bones when she landed. She hoped the speck of grass below the window was as soft as it looked.

  A knock sounded on the door and Dani jumped. “How’s it going in there?”

  “Um…” Dani glanced at the locked door. Would it hold if he tried to kick it down? Probably not. “I… ah… need a few minutes. Those meals you all keep feeding me aren’t helping with the digestion, you know?”

  He said something about getting used to it, but Dani wasn’t listening. She relieved herself in the toilet and chugged the water, leaving her pee to stink up the bowl. Serves the jerks right.

  With a deep breath she clambered in the tub and dragged the makeshift rope in with her. The window was one of those old crank types with a metal casing and a little lever that stuck up from the sill. She twisted it slowly to minimize the noise and opened the window as far as it would go. She would barely fit.

  Tying a free corner of the blanket to the crank, she gave it a hard tug. Whether it would hold or not, she didn’t know. But what choice did she have? Colt needed her. She had to get away.

  The soldier knocked again. “Kid, come on. You can’t still be taking a dump. Get out here.”

  Dani grabbed the bundle of blanket and clothes and began stuffing it through the window. “Sorry! I’ll just be another minute!”

  The handle jiggled. Dani worked faster shoving the fluffy thing through as the soldier worked the door.

  “Open up! Right now!”

  She ignored him, hoisting her body up to reach the window. It was a little too high. No, no, no! This can’t be happening. She jumped again, ignoring the noise her feet made when they hit the tile.

  This time she found purchase, pushing up with her arms until they locked, her palms flat on the sill. Grunting with effort, she lifted one leg and stuck her foot through the window.

  She looked ridiculous. Any other time, if someone told her she’d be trying to escape through a third-story window wearing nothing but her bra, undies, and a pair of sneakers, she’d have thought they were as high as her mother. But emergencies did strange things to people.

  Just as Dani came to rest, one leg in, one leg out of the window, the door slammed open. The soldier stumbled into the bathroom, leading with his shoulder.

  Dani’s eyes went wide and she ducked underneath the open pane, teetering on the edge of the sill. There wasn’t a balcony. Just a wall of concrete and windows all the way down to the ground. If she slipped… If the blanket didn’t hold…

  Fear gripped her as the soldier clambered forward, rifle in one hand as he rushed to reach her. Now or never.

  Dani grabbed the blanket, about to jump for it, when the soldier raised his gun. “Do it and I shoot. If the bullet doesn’t kill you, the fall to the ground will.”

  She hesitated and it was all the soldier needed. He grabbed her by the ankle and yanked. Dani lost her balance. The only thing keeping her from falling was the soldier’s sweaty hand.

  She screamed as she fell forward, her face staring straight at the earth. Propelling her arms in frantic windmills, she searched for anything to hold onto. There was nothing.

  The soldier grunted as he grabbed her again, his knobby fingers digging into her naked flesh.

  His hands were on her calf, then thigh, then right around her middle. He dragged her back into the bathroom despite her struggling against him. The second her feet landed on the tub floor he caged her against the tile.

  His breat
h hit hot on her face. “You thought you could get away? That this little trick would set you free?” One of his hands found her throat, squeezing until she could barely breathe.

  “Y-You’re hurting me.”

  “That’s the point.” His other hand roved up and down her body, pausing to grope her breast before diving down between her legs.

  “I thought you were just some stupid kid, but there’s enough meat on your bones.” His fingers were thick and stubby and Dani scrabbled at his hand.

  “Stop it!” She tried to scream again, but the soldier only tightened his grip on her throat.

  He leered, his face so close she could see his pores. “They won’t come to help you. Hell, the other two can’t stop talking about what they’re gonna do with you once the colonel gets what he wants.” His hand dug between her thighs, fingernails scratching her skin. “I told them they were nuts, but now…” He licked his lips. “I bet you’d feel real nice. You want a soldier for your first time?”

  He grabbed at his belt as Dani’s vision dimmed. He gripped her throat so hard she couldn’t breathe. Blood whooshed in her ears like a chorus of cicadas.

  Help! Help me! She flailed her arms, palm landing haphazardly against the shower walls. It was no use. She sagged against the cold tile.

  Dani thought about Colt, and what they would do to him when they found him. Colt.

  Strong and capable. Able to fight off how many men at once? Dani shuddered. Feet. Groin. Eyes. I remember!

  She made spears out of her index and middle fingers. Steeled her courage.

  I can do this.

  The soldier cursed as his belt gave him difficulty and he tore his gaze away from her face to look at the buckle. His grip on her throat relaxed as he concentrated. It was the only chance she would get.

  Dani sucked in as much air as she could and lashed out, her fingers diving straight for the soldier’s eyes. She screamed as her fingertips made contact and kept going, jabbing into his eyeballs like spoons into set Jell-O.

  On and on she pushed, the moment stretching out like it could go on forever. His blood coated her fingers, his eyeballs gushed and Dani didn’t stop. She channeled all of her anger—at her mother, the death of Gran, the lies the soldiers told, all of it—into her force and rage.

  The soldier screamed, a high-pitched whine of terror, and released her. He fell to the floor of the tub, his face covered in blood, his eyes no longer functional.

  As Dani lunged for the soldier’s rifle, a massive explosion shook the entire building and she fell on top of the wounded man.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  COLT

  52 Houghton Street, Third Floor Hallway

  Eugene, Oregon

  11:30 p.m.

  Colt set the three-pack of aerosol cans on the floor outside the metal apartment door. When he’d picked out the place for Dani, he’d been impressed with how secure it had been. Now he was cursing that same security. He didn’t know if the aerosol bomb would blow the door, but it was his best bet.

  He needed to rescue Dani and put as many miles between them and the army-turned-militia as he could. Colt crouched in front of the door and flicked the spark wheel on a lighter. Holding the flame to the bundles of matches taped to the bottom of the cans, he waited until a good portion were lit before stepping back.

  Ducking behind the corner, he took aim with the M-4. A single burst should do the trick. He inhaled, held his breath, and fired. The cans exploded in an instant. A huge fireball whooshed up the door.

  The floors rumbled, the walls shook, and the metal door burst open. Bingo.

  Colt grabbed the aluminum-wrapped ping pong balls and held the lighter to the paper and match wicks one at a time. As soon as each began to smoke, he tossed them into the apartment.

  Noxious smoke filled the air and Colt crouched low to the ground, waiting.

  Shouts erupted inside. A girl’s scream. Dani.

  He advanced, hugging the wall to keep his back covered, bandana tied around his face to keep some of the smoke out of his lungs. Get Dani and get out. That’s all he needed to do.

  The smoke filled the apartment, but it would dissipate soon. He scanned the space, creeping along the edges, swinging his rifle back and forth in slow arcs as he crouch-walked along the wall. Into the kitchen, around the table where he’d seen them working. Empty.

  Out of the kitchen and into the living room. The smoke began to ease. More shouts. More screaming. All the activity came from the bedroom and bathroom.

  Goosebumps broke out on his arms. They wouldn’t hurt her… would they?

  “Dani!” He shouted despite his instincts telling him to stay quiet. “Dani!”

  A volley of gunfire erupted from the hallway. Colt dove for the couch, fumbling along the ground as he sought cover. Bullets slammed into the couch, spraying little bursts of feathers into the air. More bullets sailed over his head, hitting the windows and shattering the glass.

  The building was too old for tempered glass, so it fell in massive, jagged sheets, clattering to the ground and dumping fresh air into the room. Colt ripped off the bandana and gulped down some air.

  “Dani!”

  She screamed again and Colt steeled himself for a battle. He had to reach her.

  He rose up as the last of the smoke cleared. No soldiers lurked in his field of vision; they had all retreated to the bedroom. He couldn’t rush them; he would be dead before he made it five feet. They couldn’t leave without walking right by him.

  Colt cursed. It was a stalemate.

  Flushing the soldiers out was the only option. Colt thought about what he could do, glancing around the living room for anything he could use. Couch riddled with bullets. Rolled-up rug. Papasan chair. Bookcase.

  He rushed to the shelves and grabbed as many books as he could in one load and tossed them on the floor at the foot of the couch. The soldiers were quiet. Too quiet.

  Either they were coming up with a plan or they were about to attack. He didn’t have much time. Colt grabbed the ottoman to the papasan chair and looped an arm through an opening before pilling books on top. With the M-4 pressed tight against his shoulder and ready to fire, he stood and rushed into the kitchen.

  No shots.

  He grabbed the spray oil he’d seen the other day and ripped pages from the books, balling them up into tennis ball-sized bundles before spraying each one with oil. He soaked the pages of each ball until they dripped and nestled them all into the cushion of the ottoman.

  With his lighter, he lit each ball, building a burning inferno. He grabbed the kitchen cart tucked into the corner and tipped it over, throwing the utensils and useless kitchen gear out of the way.

  Colt set the ottoman on top and waited for the cushion and balsam wood to light. As soon as the wood caught fire, the flames leaped into the air, singeing the ceiling and gusting upward.

  He rolled the cart by pushing it with the barrel of the rifle. Out of the kitchen he nudged it, until it sat at the entrance to the hall. He knew he was risking Dani’s life with what he was about to do, but Colt didn’t see another choice.

  The soldiers wouldn’t come out unless they had to. With a good kick he sent the kitchen cart rolling down the hall to the closed bedroom door. It slammed into the wood and the flames rose, curling around the door and lighting the trim on fire.

  Colt brought the bandana back up to his face and rushed down the hall to the bathroom. He ducked inside as smoke filled the hall.

  The first thing he saw was the blood. So much blood. The window stood open and something soft and fuzzy hung on the crank. Colt stepped around the worst of the spatter and climbed into the tub.

  A blanket was tied to the window crank. Colt leaned over the edge of the window and caught sight of it fluttering in the breeze. His eyes widened.

  He would recognize that sweatshirt anywhere. Dani. She had tried to escape. He spun back around, stared at the blood. If he was too late… If that blood was hers…

  Colt cupped his hand aro
und his mouth. “It’s over, Jarvis. Come out and I won’t shoot.”

  The door had to be just about burned through. The flames licked up the hallway, cruising toward the bathroom and the wood trim. In minutes, Colt would be trapped. The soldiers and Dani already were.

  He leaned out the window, trying to see into the bedroom. The windows there were open, too, letting in air to breathe but also feeding the fire with fresh oxygen.

  If they didn’t move soon, they would die in there.

  All at once, a massive crash rocked the apartment. Sparks flew into the hall. Screaming that could only be Dani’s began. Colt stood up, prepared to rush into the flames. He climbed over the edge of the tub and eased toward the hall.

  As he stuck his head out, a huge piece of ceiling fell, crashing to the ground between him and the bedroom.

  Dani screamed again and Colt finally saw her. She stood just inside the bedroom wearing nothing but a bra and underwear. Seeing her like that broke something inside Colt. She wasn’t just a girl he’d helped for a few days before he left town.

  She was funny and kind and despite all the hell she’d been through as a kid, she still let him in. Dani was the closest to a daughter he would ever have and he couldn’t let her down. If they survived, he would ask her to be a part of his family. He would ask her to stay.

  She screamed and Colt bit back the urge to rush in and save her. It’s exactly what they wanted. He stared at her, heart aching in his chest. Just run, Dani. Just take a chance and run to me.

  Colt waved his arms and she looked up, fear and panic ringing her pupils in white. She shook her head violently back and forth, screaming and flailing her hands. Someone shoved her in the back and she stumbled toward the fire.

  Come on, kid. You can do this. Take a chance and run.

  He brought his hands up in an X-shape, hoping she would see him through the smoke and the flames and understand. She turned to look behind her as another piece of the ceiling fell.

  It was now or never. Run or I’m coming to get you.

  He knew that was what the soldiers wanted. They never expected her to take such a big risk. But Colt trusted Dani. He trusted her strength and courage and ability to survive. He put his arms up in an X again, letting go of the rifle, begging her to trust him.