EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6

by Hamilton, Grace

  Willow studied the plant and then looked across the field, where a fence ran parallel to the road. “I see some over there,” she said with glee.

  Megan smiled. “You're right. It’s easy to walk right by it. You have to remind yourself what you’re looking for and then you’ll see it hiding in plain sight.”

  “This is amazing, don't you think?” Willow said, carefully bending down to pluck one of the plants without disturbing JJ. “We didn't even need to pack food. We could forage!”

  Wyatt laughed. “You're probably right, but I like to be prepared for anything. I hate being hungry. It makes me grumpy.”

  They all laughed, knowing he was speaking the truth. At his size, Wyatt needed fuel to keep that body going and when he was depleted, he tended to growl a lot.

  All five of them scanned both sides of the road for several hundred feet, picking all they could find. Once they felt they had enough, it was time to get back on the road and move towards their destination.

  “As we get closer to civilization, it’s crucial we’re all paying attention to our surroundings. I know it's exciting to find free food, but we need to turn our focus to looking for humans,” Wyatt instructed.

  The mood in the group changed from one of elation over the asparagus to seriousness. Their pace had slowed from earlier in the morning, but they were still making good time. Megan glanced back at Willow and could see she was barely keeping up. They were going to have to rest soon.

  They’d walked all day since the weather hadn't been overly hot. It was evening and the sun was starting to make its way across the sky where it’d soon drop out of sight.

  “Wyatt,” Megan said softly.

  “Hmm?” he asked, not slowing his pace.

  “Wyatt,” she said again, this time he stopped to look at her.

  “I think we need to look for somewhere to make camp for the night,” she said, looking at him, but using her eyes to gesture to Willow who was coming up beside her.

  He looked at Willow and agreed. “You're right. We made good progress today. We'll find somewhere to rest. I haven't seen any houses that look very inviting. It’s probably best we sleep under the stars tonight.”

  Willow sighed. “That's okay with me. I think JJ and I are both so tired we could sleep anywhere.”

  Wyatt was looking around the area. He spotted a grouping of trees set far enough back from the road they wouldn’t be seen. “I think that’d be a good spot. We can make a quick shelter under the trees.”

  The little group trudged their way through the tall grass, being watchful of snakes that could be hiding. Once there, Bryan, Evan and Wyatt quickly searched for branches they could use to make a lean-to. While they looked for the branches, Megan used Wyatt's knife to cut some of the tall grass. She’d use some as a ground cover and to fill the spaces between the branches to make a nice wall.

  It was a crude shelter, but it’d be a roof over their heads for the night.

  “I wish I could capture all that fluff and turn it into a pillow,” Megan grumbled, sneezing when more of the billowy cotton drifted near her face.

  Willow laughed. “No kidding. These trees aren’t fun, but I’m glad they’re here. I don't like the idea of being completely exposed.”

  “I agree,” Megan said, finishing the bed under the shelter area.

  The men came back, adding a few more sticks before deciding it was good enough. They ate a quick meal of dried jerky since it was too risky to build a fire in the tall, dry grass. Their asparagus meal would have to wait until tomorrow.

  16

  Megan woke at dawn feeling surprisingly refreshed and ready to get moving. She could hear the others stirring and knew it wouldn't be long before they were all up and ready to go. Quietly crawling out of the lean-to, she took advantage of the privacy.

  When she came back, she could see everyone moving. It was time to go. They were all excited, knowing Ravena wasn't far at all.

  Megan wasn't surprised by the devastation all around them, but it still had her shaking her head in awe. The city dwellers had spilled into the countryside reminding her of a horde of locusts, similar to a story she’d read in the Bible forever ago. Everything in their path had been burned, broken or destroyed in some fashion.

  The land was devastated and the homes were trashed to the point of being uninhabitable. “This is awful,” she muttered.

  Bryan agreed. “It’s why we’re going to encounter some serious resistance when we get to Ravena. The people who couldn't survive out here had to go back to the city. It was either kill or be killed.”

  “It's so sad. I don't understand why they’d destroy their resources. Doesn't sound like a very smart plan to me,” Willow added. “It makes no sense.”

  “I imagine a lot of this was done either to scare the people that were here to force them into various gangs or a more aggressive form of intimidation,” Wyatt said. “Let's take a break here, before we get to the next town. We need to be on guard and ready for anything.”

  The group dispersed to take care of business in the privacy of the sagebrush. She imagined the fields had once been some kind of agriculture—maybe cattle had been on the land—that was in stark contrast to the warehouses and small buildings tucked in so closely together on the opposite side of the street.

  Megan waited for Wyatt at the edge of the road. He’d disappeared behind some brush and when he didn't immediately return, she went looking for him.

  “Wyatt?” she called out, seeing him squatting in tall grass.

  “Stay back, Megan,” he said in a low voice. “We have company.”

  Megan ignored his orders and slowly approached with her gun drawn and at the ready.

  “Wyatt?” she asked again.

  “This guy has been following us,” he explained. “I was asking him what he wanted.”

  Megan looked at the man, lying in the grass, his face smeared with blood. Clearly, Wyatt had a different way of asking questions than how others would typically go about it. Her eyes roamed down his body, taking in the tactical vest.

  “Army?” she asked, assuming the man may have been a part of Neil's convoy. Maybe he too had managed to escape death.

  Wyatt shook his head. “No. Grab my knife from my pack, would you?”

  She didn't immediately move, waiting for him to explain why he needed the knife.

  “He doesn't want to talk. I figure my blade may help loosen his tongue a bit,” Wyatt growled.

  The man flinched, but refused to provide the answers Wyatt wanted. Instead, he started to spew threats. “My team is going to be here any minute. You’re going to be sorry when they kill you slowly.”

  Wyatt laughed low and menacing before punching the man in the stomach. “That isn't what I asked. Who are you and why are you following us?”

  The man grinned, revealing blood on his teeth. “Doyle is going to jack you up, man. Give him the damn box and he'll let you go. Well, probably not, but your lives will end quick and easy if you hand it over.”

  “Who's Doyle and how does he know anything about us?” Wyatt demanded.

  The man grinned again. “He's one of the meanest people you’ll ever have the misfortune to meet. He has no morals. He’ll kill all of you, even that squalling kid. The guy ain’t right in the head. Hell, even I'm afraid of him.”

  Wyatt growled and hit the man in the jaw his frustration with the lack of information obvious. “How does he know anything about us?” he asked again.

  “He's got contacts, man. That’s all you need to know.”

  “No. It. Isn’t.”

  “I'm going to get that knife,” Megan said, using her head to motion Wyatt a few feet away from the man.

  “We need to see if he’s telling the truth,” she whispered.

  Wyatt agreed. “What's your idea?”

  “Tie him to that tree. We'll double back and see if there are any others. If there are, we take them out. They won't expect us to be the attackers,” she explained.

  “Sounds
like a plan. I'll watch him while you tell the others and grab my pack.”

  Megan spun on her heel and jogged back to the group waiting on the road. She was going to get the knife and bag, but that wasn’t her only mission. She needed to get Willow and JJ away from the area. If there were bad guys on their tail, she wanted JJ out of harm's way until they could eliminate the threat.

  “Hey,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. “We found a small building in the distance that looks like it may have some ammo in it. Wyatt and I will check it out and load up what we can. Why don't you guys head back to that big, abandoned warehouse we passed about ten minutes ago? You can get out of the heat and stay out of sight,” she added, doing her best to appear calm. She had a feeling she was failing miserably.

  Bryan looked at her. She couldn't hold his gaze. She knew he could tell she was lying.

  “We'll do that,” he said, not pressing the issue. She looked at him, conveying her gratitude. He gave a very slight nod that only she’d notice.

  “Be safe,” he said before ushering Willow back the way they came.

  He looked back at her, using his eyes to tell her he didn't like the situation one bit. She felt guilty, but this was for the best. Her plan would keep JJ safe. She grabbed Wyatt's bag and rushed back to where she’d left him.

  Wyatt used a few of the zip ties he had in his pack to secure the man's feet and his hands around a tree. The guy didn't look comfortable straddling the tree, but Megan didn't care about his comfort. His people were threatening hers. He should be happy he was breathing.

  “Ready?” Wyatt asked, checking the handgun to ensure it was loaded.

  Before she could answer, a shot rang out. It was followed by several more shots hitting the ground around her feet.

  “Get down!” Wyatt shouted.

  Megan dropped to her stomach.

  “Roll!” Wyatt screamed at her.

  Megan complied, rolling into an area with several large sagebrush and lots of tall grass. It provided her some concealment, but it offered no protection.

  The gunfire stopped. In the distance, she could hear more shots coming from the direction she had sent the others. Her heart skipped a beat, praying they’d found safety in the warehouse.

  “Megan, I'm going to find where the sniper is and you take the shot,” Wyatt said rolling next to her.

  “Got it.” Megan shifted to her stomach, grabbed the rifle from Wyatt and prepared herself to take the shot that would save their lives.

  Another shot rang out and a split second later, it pounded the ground in front of Megan.

  “They're close,” Wyatt said calmly. “All I need is another shot and I’ll be able to figure out where they’re holed up.”

  Megan trusted Wyatt's abilities and stayed silent while he did his job.

  Another shot hit the ground, kicking up a poof of dust. Wyatt turned his head in the direction of the sound and scanned the area. Megan's heart raced as she watched and waited. Either the sniper firing at them was a terrible shot or he was only trying to keep them pinned down.

  “Got him,” Wyatt said, belly crawling closer to Megan. He pointed to an area up ahead of her. It was a small hill with heavy brush and grass. “Watch and you’ll see the sun glisten off the muzzle. He’s moving the muzzle and when he gets ready to shoot in our direction, the sun is going to catch it.”

  “Okay,” Megan breathed, willing her body to relax. She put her finger on the trigger, waited and watched.

  When the shot cracked the air, she saw the barely perceptible flash of light. She aimed and fired. They waited several minutes before Wyatt raised his hand in the air to see if the sniper would shoot. When there was no gunfire, he reached down to help Megan up.

  “We need to move, now!” he said, picking up his bag and heading in the direction she’d sent the rest of the group.

  They jogged towards the road, staying alert.

  “How did you know?” Megan asked.

  “Know what?”

  “Where that sniper was. I couldn't tell which direction the shots were coming from. It felt like they were coming from all over.”

  He held up a hand, scanned the area and then indicated it was safe to move again before explaining. “You listen for the crack of the rifle, and then wait for impact. The longer the time between those two sounds, the farther away the sniper. Then you look at the impact, to determine which way it came from. From there, you scan and look for the slightest reflection of light. The guy wasn't trying to conceal himself all that well so either he wasn’t a professional or he simply didn’t care.”

  Megan wasn't sure she could do all that, but was glad he had the skill.

  “There,” she pointed to the warehouse. “They should be in there,” she said again.

  They ran through the door. Wyatt came to an immediate halt, causing Megan to bump into his back.

  “What is it?” she asked stepping around him.

  Her heart dropped when she spotted Evan lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Bryan was on his knees next to him.

  “Bryan?” Wyatt asked the question they both needed the answer to.

  Bryan looked up and shot Wyatt a glare, before shaking his head.

  Megan gasped in horror. Evan was dead.

  17

  Megan took in the scene, trying to make sense of it all. Evan was dead. Bryan was furious. Willow was terrified. She sat in a dark corner of the warehouse, cradling JJ and rocking back and forth. Megan’s mind refused to acknowledge what she was seeing. She blinked several times, hoping it’d all disappear. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing Evan to be okay.

  When she opened her eyes and saw nothing had changed, her heart sank. Poor Tara and Amy. How would they get through another death of a loved one? Once again, guilt slammed into her making her shoulders heavy with dread. All of that would have to wait. Right now, she had to focus on JJ. His health was her goal. Saving JJ would make all the sacrifices worth it.

  Megan quickly walked to Willow and dropped beside her. “Are you both okay?”

  Willow looked at her. “They shot him. They didn't even give him a chance,” she murmured. “I thought they were going to kill us all.”

  “They?” Megan asked. “You actually saw someone?”

  Wyatt squatted in front of Bryan. “What happened?”

  Bryan met his eyes. “Why would you leave us? We shouldn't have split up. You two left and we were sitting ducks. Evan and I didn't have a chance to pull our guns because we didn’t know we needed to. They came in and took that stupid box and shot Evan point blank after they had the box. After, Wyatt! How did they even know we had it instead of you?”

  Megan jumped up from where she was next to Willow. “They took the box?” She tried to stop the panic, but her question came out as a shriek.

  “Yes, Megan. They took the damn box. Should we have fought them for it? They shot Evan without even hesitating,” Bryan said, standing up. “I didn’t try to fight them even though my best friend was dead. I figured I’d better do what I could to stay alive to protect Willow and JJ. I couldn't leave them all alone.”

  She flinched at the way he stressed he hadn't left Willow. In his mind, she and Wyatt had left them alone and exposed. Megan could see how angry he was, but that wasn't her concern. Without the box, they had nothing. No bargaining power to get JJ the help he needed. Their entire mission was futile. Evan was killed for nothing.

  “Why are you always taking off?” Bryan said, looking directly at her.

  She felt as if she were being interrogated. “Wyatt found a scout stalking us and was questioning him when I found them. We knew there was a team behind us. My plan was to get you guys to safety while Wyatt and I took them out.”

  Bryan sighed, looked at his feet for several long seconds before meeting her eyes again. “You have to stop, Megan. You’re hell-bent to save us all and it’s costing us. We all came on this trip knowing the risks. Evan knew what he was getting into. You can't keep hiding things from us because you th
ink it’s best for us. If we’d known they were out there, we might have been better prepared. We aren't children. You can't save the world, Megan, at least not without our help and cooperation.”

  Bryan walked over to JJ and Willow. Megan turned to see Wyatt walking away from the awful scene, making her feel very alone and vulnerable.

  Bryan changed direction and stepped closer to her, “You don't need to be the hero, Megan. You need to realize we’re all as capable as you are and we can all make decisions for ourselves. Whatever it is you’re carrying around, leave it behind. It’s time to start working together, as a team, or we’re all going to die.”

  Megan took an involuntary step back. She wanted to distance herself from what Bryan was saying. He was right. She’d been carrying so much guilt for everything that’d happened the past several months; she wasn't able to think clearly. She’d been hyper-focused on redeeming herself, not realizing she was creating more problems for herself and the rest of the group.

  She didn't kill Jack. She wasn't directly responsible for whoever killed Evan or even Garrett's death, but her brain refused to accept she was innocent in all of it. Megan had somehow stepped into this role of being responsible for everyone and it wasn't right. Bryan had a point. She was taking away their freedom of choice by shouldering all the responsibility.

  Megan's introspection was interrupted by JJ's cries. She watched as Willow put the baby on her shoulder, patting his back and whispering words of comfort. The words floated over Megan as she wondered if she’d ever feel peace again.

  Evan was dead. That couldn't be changed, but they could still get JJ to the NRU. Her ability to accept her past and redeem her mistakes relied upon getting the baby medical attention. She’d find a way, with or without the box. The men who’d taken it couldn't be far. Could they take it back?

  She was mad as hell and ready to fight.