Endgame (Book 1)

by W. A. R.

  Buddy stared between them all in astonishment. “You were all in on this?” he asked a bit angrily.

  Derek nodded seriously. “Yep. Talked about it last night.”

  “And why didn’t you talk to us, or even them?” George asked, motioning to the empty spot where the red Dodge had been sitting. He was offended, feeling betrayed, and yet when Amber’s cold eyes met his he knew why she hadn’t told them.

  “Because either way it went, they would have left. George, if I had told you, you would have tried to stop me. Hell, the whole lot of you stopped me last night.” She told them and Buddy scoffed.

  “We stopped you because it was too dark to accomplish anything. Why would we stop you today? We would have gone with you. We were going to go look for him anyways.” He said before glancing up at the pinkening sky outside of the open garage door.

  She stared hard at him as she wound the end of the rope around her bandaged hand tightly. “You would have restricted me to the fence line.” She told them and the pain of honesty pierced through them.

  “And? What does that matter?” Buddy asked her and George stared hard at her, understanding what she meant.

  “Because she’s not stopping until she finds him.” He declared with every bit of truth he had. He lifted a brow at him knowingly before turning to her children, both of whom stood upright, prepared. They showed no fear, and instead mirrored back Amber’s determination.

  “If anything happens while I am gone, you know what to do.” She told them and the children shoved past George and Buddy with their bows, Cassie muttering something incoherent under breath at the men. They had all of this planned, leaving Buddy and George in the dark. Did she leave them out because they cared enough to stop her and reign in her common sense? That seemed unfair, and yet still Buddy quickly turned back towards the house, going in search of his weapons. He had made a promise and he was going to stand by it. George, however, stared hard at her, clearly showing his disapproval.

  “It is barely daylight.” He told her angrily and she never even looked at him. “Amber!” he shouted at her, hoping to get her attention and when she turned her icy eyes to him, surprising him, he realized that he had made a mistake.

  “You are either with me or against me in this but either way it will not stop me. My family is in serious fucking trouble and I need to know what happened. You know it just as well as I do so stop pretending that everything is okay. You’re lucky I didn’t go out last night.” She ground out, causing George to take a step back.

  He narrowed his eyes at her, glancing down briefly at her wounded hands. “Is this you trying to keep yourself busy because of what happened yesterday? Are you trying to justify what happened to Jackson?” he asked and she threw daggers at him. He immediately regretted having said the words, but he couldn’t very well take them back.

  “That doesn’t even merit an answer.” He flinched under her scrutiny as Buddy reappeared, running to the other side of the truck and retrieving a pistol.

  “Let’s go.” She declared, her eyes digging into his very core and George groaned before running a hand across his face. What could he say to her? He knew in his gut that she was right. That was exactly why he had spoken up that morning, trying to stop the others from leaving.

  “I’ll wait here with the kids and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what I said.” He told her and she turned to him shortly.

  “Thanks.” She told him by way of forgiveness and he sighed, rubbing a hand anxiously against the back of his neck.

  “Be careful.” He told her and her eyes darkened. His friend, his family; she was aching and desperate. He felt a chill run across his skin at the intensity with which she looked at him.

  “Be prepared for anything.” She told him, and with that she leaned forward and pressed the clothing against Zeus’s snout. He sniffed it and she turned it over and over, allowing him to get a good scent before pulling it away and almost immediately the dog began rushing for the front gate, Amber holding his makeshift leash and running behind him. Derek and Buddy trailed behind her as Zeus sniffed vigorously around the gate of the fence, turning in circles and yet sniffing the same spot. George quickly turned, grabbed the gun he had the day before and advanced towards the kitchen where everyone sat seemingly waiting for him.

  He eyed them all curiously: Katie, Elva Jo, Jacob, Kyle, Cassie, Elliot, and Brittany. “Every one of you knew this would happen didn’t you?” he asked and Katie shifted on her feet while Elva Jo had the good grace to look away. Cassie narrowed her eyes at him, just as her mother had done five minutes prior.

  “What of it?” she asked him and he was shocked at the vehemence in her voice.

  “This isn’t safe.” He bit out at the teenager and she bit her bottom lip.

  “Do you think that we don’t know that? Tell me what other options we have.” She told him firmly and he shifted uneasily on his feet. She had him there. There was nothing else they could do besides wait, and for what? For impending doom? “Do you honestly think we are scared of doing what needs to be done? To save the people we care about?” she asked and her question had taken him by surprise. She lowered her voice to a gentle plea. “We are scared and we are angry and we are going to defend ourselves and protect those we care about.” He crossed his arms across his broad chest and sighed.

  “No, it isn’t that I think you are too scared to do anything. That’s not it at all.” He told her and she glanced down at Kyle, who mimicked George’s movements, crossing his arms across his chest.

  “Then what is your problem? Why are you so hot-headed about this?” Katie asked of him softly and George again shifted uneasily.

  He sighed. “Amber said be prepared for anything. I think she suspects we are going to come across something horrible and are going to lose some people before all of this is over, and I agree with her. We aren’t anywhere near ready for battle. Sure we have the guns loaded and ready, and we have an escape plan. But that is about it. We were supposed to determine a plan yesterday before Jackson….” He paused, realizing his words and glancing over at Cassie and Kyle. They shifted uncomfortably in their stance. He swallowed back anymore he was going to say on the subject matter. “That is what my problem is.”

  Silence greeted him at this statement, as he had expected. He basically admitted that he was frightened and the looks tossed his way were sympathetic; especially Katie, who seemed as scared as he was. Still, after a moment he was rewarded with the renewed and unyielding support that was their small family as Katie spoke again. “Then I guess we should be ready for when she comes back with Rick and when the rest of them come back from the run. We will know what to do then.”

  “What should we do until they get back?” Kyle asked, and Jacob lightly punched him on the arm.

  “I have a few ideas to cover their backs, our backs, you know, just in case.” He told them all, grinning mischievously. George couldn’t hide his own smirk as the boy’s eyes twinkled. “I’ve been taking inventory of the things we have here and there are some things we can use to our advantage.”

  “Why didn’t you mention that before?” George asked the boy and he shrugged.

  “I did do a few things in my spare time, but the bigger stuff I was going to need help with. I just didn’t realize how quickly we were going to need it done.” He admitted and George lowered his gaze. Of course he didn’t realize the weighted seriousness of the situation; hell, even George had misjudged it. Everyone had. None of them were prepared for what lay before them, whatever it was that lay before them, and the cold realization settled like a rock in the pit of his stomach. Finally, he nodded, knowing they needed to start somewhere.

  “Let’s get busy then.”

  Buddy stood beside Derek as Amber knelt down and studied the ground at their feet. Sweat beaded on his brow and he resisted the urge to wipe it away. He had lost track of time, and was unsure of how far they had run, but Zeus was hot on a trail that led across the road and into the opposite wood line. He loo
ked around them, and he knew that they were much farther than they had previously gone the day before. Glancing at Derek, he noted how secure the man was, how sure he was in their mission. He wasn’t against taking her orders and helping her, and that surprised Buddy. Then again, they had developed some sort of bond over time, and he had no idea of it. Where had he been? He inhaled sharply, turning back to the upturned leaves at their feet. He had almost run right over them until Amber told him to stop. There were a few drops of blood in their upturned state and it made the apprehension squeeze tighter around him. It was incredible that she had even seen the evidence before it became ruined, but then again, she was alert and prepared. Amber urged Zeus up next to her, urging him to sniff the blood and leaves. After only a moment, he grudgingly did so. Buddy had to admit that he was impressed with the dog.

  Amber slowly stood as she waited for him to finish his scent gathering, and she turned an ear to the wind, listening to the woods around her. For a brief moment, as her blonde hair, matted with sweat and dirt, swept from her face with the wind, he resented her; he resented Miles. It wasn’t exactly opportune to feel that way, especially then, but still it was there and he couldn’t deny it. She flashed her eyes at him and frowned.

  “I wish we could have stopped them from going.” She admitted and Buddy sighed, turning to Derek. He had to avoid her penetrating blue gaze. It pierced through him, and he hated feeling so vulnerable.

  “I’m sure they will be alright.” He told her and she shook her head, and he understood her reasoning. She was scared. She had lost her father, her cousin, and now four more of their people were gone with no sure guarantee of coming back. She needed resolution, clarity, and she would get that by finding what happened to Rick. She couldn’t stop what happened to Jackson, but she felt she could still possibly save Rick. And then it struck him, and he was surprised he had not realized it before. He widened his eyes at the pair of them.

  “You think that what happened to Jackson and what happened to Rick are connected, don’t you?” he asked in surprise and disbelief. Whenever they didn’t answer, he scowled at Derek. “You let her run with this idea? Jackson was attacked by a Biter.” He growled before turning back to Amber. He narrowed his eyes at her but she stood her ground. “And Rick ran off because he was too much of a pussy to handle what was going on. You are fucking mental. I can’t believe I came out here on this wild goose chase.” He ground out and before he knew what was happening Amber dropped the rope and grabbed him by his shirt collar, shoving him against the tree he was standing in front of. He winced as the bark dug into his back, his shoulder blades. She pressed her body against her elbows, digging into his ribs and she used her weight as leverage against him. Her eyes were wild and angry. He grimaced. He knew why he had went out there with her; there were multiple reasons. Regardless of what he had said, he cared about her and he wasn’t going to let her go alone. She, on the other hand, either did not realize this or just didn’t care.

  “Nobody asked you come out here. I know I certainly didn’t.” she bit out harshly. He shifted against her, hoping to alleviate the pain of his back but she pressed into him more and his movements only served to hurt him even more so. “And do you really wanna know what I think is connected Buddy?” she asked between clenched teeth and he glared at her, unsure of what to say. He wouldn’t hit her, wouldn’t fight back against her, and a part of him questioned why he wouldn’t. She gripped his shirt harder causing the bark to dig deeper into the flesh of his back. He winced once more against the pain. “I think that the circumstances that have surrounded the two of them are going to be surrounding the rest of my family. The sooner I fucking find out, the sooner I can get to them and convince them to come back. Once they are back, we are going to run far away from here.” They were both edgy though they had no logical reason to be. They had no evidence of foul play, or that something was going to happen to the others. Her paranoia was starting to make him angry. Run away? When had she come to that conclusion? She was the one who had wanted to stay.

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you expect to find out here? What if Rick is dead?” he asked and she slowly released him. He grabbed the hem of his shirt, adjusting it. She turned from him and reached forward grabbing the leash as Zeus sniffed around the tree beside the upturned leaves and blood.

  “If he is dead, then I guess I will never know. But I can at least try.” She told him and he sighed, knowing it wasn’t worth the effort to argue with her. Zeus chose that moment to growl and charge, dragging Amber behind him. Without a word, she picked up the pace to keep up with his pull as he rushed forward, nose sniffing wildly at the air and the ground. Buddy and Derek moved forward, urging their legs to move. Amber bounded gracefully over fallen trees and muddy holes, almost as if she belonged in the shelter of the trees, of the forest. They were running on pure adrenaline and fear, even anticipation. Very abruptly, however, she came to a stop, her chest heaving with every breath. Buddy and Derek bounded up beside her to see what Zeus was checking out, what Amber was staring at. On the ground before them lay Rick’s crutches, one lying atop the other, as if they were easily placed there. On the ground around the crutches, Amber kicked at some leaves and tensed at what they uncovered. There were at least three different footprints in the soft dirt.

  They were all silent as they stared at the ground, turning eventually to search the area around them for something, someone. Buddy absorbed the regret that filled his body at having suspected Rick of leaving on his own. Something was certainly awry and the hairs on the backs of his arms stood on end. A rustling of leaves caught Buddy’s ears and he turned to see two Biters coming at them from the left. Quickly, he unsheathed his knife, rushing forward to eliminate them. They were grotesque, old, and falling apart. The white of their bones shone through their missing flesh. Buddy grit his teeth and lunged at them, driving his blade into the skull of the first Biter before it even had a chance to attack. He turned hastily, jerking his knife to the left and slamming the blade into the second Biters skull, the handle of his knife making a hollow thud as it connected with the bone. Zeus’s barking sounded and he turned his focus to find Amber and Derek rushing forward after Zeus.

  “Dammit.” He muttered to himself, racing after them. They ran about a hundred yards before stopping yet again. He was about to ask what they were doing, why they had stopped, when he heard it; muffled screams. Their eyes searched about them wildly, unsure of where the sound was coming from. No one called out for him however, unsure of alerting someone of their presence. Worry and panic began settling in Buddy’s bones, causing his hands to tremble. Zeus did not worry himself with the problem of alerting other people however, and he surged through a thicket of trees and brush, Amber behind him, before stopping. The noise grew louder as Buddy approached the thicket.

  “Rick! Rick! It’s Amber. Calm down.” She said as calmly as she could, and Buddy’s eyes searched through the greenery for her. Finally, his eyes landed on her bent back as she knelt down behind a tree with her knife between her teeth, trying desperately to unwind ropes from two bleeding hands. His hands were trembling and Buddy swallowed as his eyes trailed from the hands to the rest of the body. There was a dark bag over his head, and the bandage of his leg was dirty. He continued attempting to kick his legs, unsure of what was happening, trying to stave off whoever the attacker was. Buddy’s breathing became shallow and his eyes scoured the forestry around them, searching for any signs of other people. Derek rushed forward and jerked the bag from his head, tossing it to the side. Rick’s eyes widened; their crazed depths relaxing slightly as Derek looked him over.

  “What in the hell happened?” he asked Rick and Rick shook his head frantically, tears swimming in his eyes. More rustling caught Buddy’s ears, and he turned to see three more Biters coming from the right, and two more from the left. Where were they all coming from? How had Rick even survived the night?

  “We have to go now!” he shouted to the three of them, Rick seeming to have gained
back some of his sense. Buddy rushed forward, Amber moving out of the way, and he slung Rick’s arm across his shoulders, Derek doing the same and together they heaved the man up. Amber pulled out her pistol and knife, and Rick attempted to walk, his limp not as noticeable as before. Buddy knew then that his adrenaline was making him go. Buddy grunted as they rushed as fast as they could through the trees, stumbling every now and again over limbs and shrubs. Amber surged before them, taking out Biter after Biter. She was swift and assessing her every move. Slinging her knife through the forehead of one, she quickly jerked the weapon back and aimed her pistol at another on their right. The gunshot resounded through the woods, causing Buddy’s ears to ring incessantly. Zeus flanked her and was barking and growling at any monsters that were aiming towards them. Another gunshot sounded and he saw that she had targeted another one about ten yards away. She was feeling nothing but determination and Buddy realized he had never seen her so on point. He briefly wondered what had come over her, and then he realized that she was fighting for the lives of her family and friends. Hers was the face of the monster within beginning to surface; the monster that had been slowly awakened by the horrors of the world. She turned to face them after a while, seeing how both Buddy and Derek struggled to pull Rick from the woods. The road was only a few yards away then, and Buddy felt a surge of relief.

  “We don’t have much further to go. Come on guys.” She hurried them somewhat calmly but Buddy saw the anger and worry in her eyes. Gritting his teeth, Buddy dug deep to find whatever strength he had left, pressing forward with renewed meaning. Someone had taken Rick and tied him up in the woods to die, and that only meant that they were all in danger. If they had gotten into the gates once, they could do so again. Buddy’s question was this: why didn’t they attack whenever they were there? Amber again rushed forward, muttering an obscenity before turning back to Derek. The men stopped as Amber fished around in his pockets for the keys. Zeus ran up to the gate, barking wildly. The front door slung open with a bang and George and Katie rushed out, guns in hand, hurrying toward the gate. Rick tensed as Amber turned back, keys in hand, to unlock the gate. Buddy watched as Rick scanned the onslaught of people coming out of the front door and he began shaking his head, his eyes wide.