“I say we go after the box and keep heading towards Ravena,” she said in her most commanding voice. “Even if we don't get the box back, we still get to the NRU and hope they take pity on us.”
Wyatt had come back into the building and heard her declaration. He, Bryan and Willow all looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“We have the password. We can still plead with the people at the NRU to look at JJ, even if we don't have that precious box. Plus, there’s a good chance we can find the guys who took it on our way there. Won't they be headed there too? We find them, kill them and take it,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Bryan stared at her, before grinning. “That's what I'm talking about. Let's take it back. We don't have to be the weak ones,” he paused, “I get to shoot the guy who killed Evan.”
“It's risky, but I think it’s our best option. We’re too close to go home now,” Wyatt agreed.
“Willow?” Megan said, wanting her to have a say in their decision.
Willow looked to Wyatt and then Bryan before looking at Megan. “Fine. We may as well. I don't think we have anything more to lose at this point.”
It wasn't exactly the excitement Megan was hoping for, but she understood the lack of enthusiasm. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for including everyone in the decision-making and not taking it all on herself.
“Before we go anywhere, we’re not leaving Evan like this,” Bryan told them. “Help me, Wyatt.” Bending down, they lifted Evan and moved him against the wall. Looking around, Bryan picked up what looked like a large piece of tattered sailcloth. Walking back to his friend, he emptied out his pockets, tossing the contents into his pack before covering him up as best as he could. Standing up, he stood over him silently before Wyatt put his hand on his shoulder. Turning, Bryan scrubbed at his cheeks, wiping away the tears.
Wyatt picked up Evan's pack and handed it to Megan. It felt like a violation, but the supplies were too valuable to leave behind. They’d already lost one pack. She took it and slid it on her back nodding to both men.
“Let's go,” she said, heading out the door.
The sun beat down on them as they headed back down the road they’d traveled earlier. The group felt much smaller with Evan's absence. No one was talking. Each of them lost in their own thoughts. Megan was focused on finding the men who’d taken the box. What did that scout say his name was, Doyle? She wanted to know what his game was. Why take it? Were they with the United States or against it?
So many questions and so few answers. It consumed her.
“We'll figure it out,” Wyatt said, falling into step beside her. “Don't let it steal your focus. They may still be out here. You need to stay alert to your surroundings in case they try another sneak attack.”
Megan nodded, knowing she hadn’t been paying attention as she should.
“Are they headed to Ravena? I think that’s our biggest concern,” she asked.
Wyatt shrugged. “Possibly. Maybe there’s a big reward for delivering the box and they want to collect it. When we get closer to Ravena, it’s going to be far more difficult to move through the city. We can't worry about the box or those men. We have to worry about our safety. We'll figure out the rest later,” he assured her.
“Why don't you use your tracking skills, Megan?” Willow asked.
“I’d like to, but tracking in town and on gravel roads isn’t as easy as it is in the forest. I’ll do my best,” she promised.
“What if they were taking the box somewhere else?” Bryan asked to the group in general.
Megan's heart skipped a beat. According to Neil, that box meant the difference between the United States crawling out of the dark hole it had been plunged into and forever darkness. It seemed plausible there’d be a bad element out there hoping to keep the US on its knees.
Wyatt finally answered. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It’s hard to say what motivates anyone these days. Everyone has their own agenda.”
“I wish we’d brought Duke,” Megan said. “He’d be able to track these guys down.”
“Stop,” Wyatt said, bending down and picking up a cigarette butt. It still had the red cherry on top. “We must not be too far behind them. They’re sticking to the road as well. Keep your guard up.”
Megan scanned the area, suddenly feeling as if there were eyes everywhere.
“They have the box, maybe they’ll leave us alone,” Willow said.
“How did they know we had the box?” Megan asked. “It isn’t as though we advertised that information.”
Wyatt stopped walking, turned and looked at each of them. “That’s a very good point. They may have been following us since we left the lodge. Neil may be a part of this group.”
“Or Neil may be who he says he is and the men who killed Evan saw you guys rescuing Neil, assumed he passed the mission on to us, and set a goal to take the box from a much weaker target,” Bryan replied. “They waited until we were far enough from the lodge where we would’ve been better protected and have more guns.”
Megan sighed. “There are way too many variables. Let's pick up the pace and we can ask the men directly once we find them, get our box back, and then kill them.”
Wyatt grinned. “That certainly sounds like a plan. Bit mercurial, but it works.”
He set off down the road again, walking at a faster pace, which pleased Megan. It wasn't long before they were moving at a snail's pace again. Willow seemed to have lead in her shoes. Megan tamped down her frustration.
“Do you want me to carry the baby for a bit?” she asked Willow.
“No, he's fine, I don't want to jostle him too much, though,” she explained.
Megan fought back a groan. Jostling JJ wasn't going to be anything new. The kid had been jostled for several days and hadn't seemed bothered in the least by it.
“Found something,” Wyatt said, holding up a prescription pill bottle. “It's empty, but it looks to be in perfect condition. It hasn't been out here long.”
“Actually, I saw the dude who shot Evan pop a pill right after he killed him,” Bryan said. “It was strange. The guy with him questioned him about taking the pill when they still had a lot of work to do. The shooter glared at him and the other guy didn't say another word about it.”
“Maybe he wants the box so he can get help for whatever medical condition he has,” Willow said thoughtfully.
Wyatt was reading the label. “This is some heavy-duty stuff. Painkillers,” he said waving the pill bottle. “I bet we’re dealing with a pill-popping addict. That’s never a good thing. The guy is going to be desperate and erratic.”
Bryan nodded his head. “He was definitely that.”
“You think he took the box in the hopes of exchanging it for drugs?” Megan asked in surprise.
Wyatt shrugged. “Possibly.”
“They’re taking the same route we are,” Megan said, more to herself than anyone else. “They have to be headed towards Ravena, which means they’re probably going to the NRU.”
“How close are we?” Willow asked.
Wyatt pulled out his map. “If we keep walking, we’ll be on the outskirts by this evening. I say we hole up somewhere tonight and head into the city first thing in the morning.”
Everyone voiced their agreement. The group fell silent again as they walked. Anytime they heard a noise, they went on high alert. Knowing the other group was close by kept them on guard. Megan hoped they’d find the men. She wanted to kill them and be rid of the threat altogether.
18
They’d made it to the outskirts of the city and stumbled into one of the upscale neighborhoods that now resembled an abandoned ghetto.
“This looks like a good spot,” Wyatt said, standing in front of what used to be a house, but was now a pile of burnt rubble. It was perched on top of a hill that overlooked the city, giving them an excellent vantage point.
Megan looked at the ruins, shaking her head. “I bet this was a very nice home at some poin
t. Look at what used to be a pool in the backyard.”
Willow was carefully walking through the debris, using her foot to kick things over. They’d all fallen into the habit. You never knew what useful items you could find hiding under the debris or what dangers lurked beneath.
“We better not start a fire in case those guys are somewhere close and they can see or smell the smoke. We don't need to invite trouble,” Bryan added.
Wyatt walked to the remnants of what appeared to be a garage or shop of some kind. “Bryan, help me with this sheet metal. We can use the pieces to put up a makeshift shelter for Willow and the baby.”
Megan watched as they collected several large pieces of the metal and propped them around the trunk of a tree that had managed to survive the chaos. The trunk made a perfect support beam. Two long pieces of metal were propped against either side with a shorter piece behind the trunk to close in the shelter.
Wyatt picked up a shredded tarp and covered the small gap between the two pieces of metal.
“It isn't much, but it’ll give you some protection from the cold. Once you're in, we'll put another piece in the front,” Wyatt explained.
Willow thanked him for the shelter.
“The three of us will sleep outside, with one of us staying on guard. We’ll rotate shifts so everyone gets some sleep,” Wyatt instructed.
“Do we have any water left?” Willow asked.
“No, but I saw a small pond at one of the houses we passed on our way up here. I'll collect some water from there and we can purify it,” Bryan said.
Wyatt put his hands on his hips and stared down the hill. “This was a fancy neighborhood. I'm sure anything of value has been taken already, but I'm guessing we can find other useful items. People tend to overlook things that can be repurposed for survival.”
“I'll check things out on my way to get water,” Bryan said.
Megan felt torn. Did she let him go out alone or stay to protect Willow and the baby?
“Go,” Wyatt said quietly. “I got them.”
She kissed him before heading down the driveway after Bryan. “Wait up. I'll go with you,” she called out.
Bryan waited and together they headed into what would’ve been a beautiful neighborhood filled with wealthy homeowners and fancy cars. Now it looked like something she’d seen on the news from cities in the Middle East. The United States had fallen. There was so much destruction it was impossible to get her head around it all. How would they ever recover?
Bryan pointed out the house with the pond and they quickly scouted around to make sure no one was hanging around. When it was all clear, they wasted no time filling their containers with the murky water. It didn't look appetizing, but Megan knew once they ran it through a cloth and then boiled it, it’d be safe to drink. It probably wouldn't taste that great, but it’d be water.
“Why don't we stay here tonight?” Megan asked, wondering why Wyatt had walked past these perfectly good shelters and headed to the pile of rubble at the top.
Bryan shrugged, “I would guess because this is too obvious. If those guys come looking for us, this is going to be the first place they check. Plus, that area at the top means we don't have to worry about anybody coming at us from behind. Way easier to watch in one or two directions than trying to do a complete 360-degree perimeter search.”
Megan nodded, “Got it. Makes sense. I didn't think of it like that.”
“Let's see what else we can find,” Bryan said, walking in the back door of the home.
Megan stepped inside and had to take a second to admire the gorgeous kitchen complete with marble countertops. This was a luxury home with all the trimmings. The stainless-steel appliances and the beautiful chandelier hanging in the formal dining room were all completely unusable. She had a good idea what the appliances would’ve cost as well as all the extra touches around the home. A lot of money had been put into making this home luxurious.
It reminded her of how different the world was now. Marble counters had been a big deal a couple years ago, but all the money spent on luxuries could’ve been put to better use stockpiling food, water and other supplies. If only people knew then what they knew now, she thought.
She ran her hand over the smooth top before she began opening the cupboards, looking for anything they could use. The search of the kitchen yielded nothing of any real help, but she did score a roll of trash bags. Those were always useful. She planned to use a few of the bags tonight to make Willow a comfortable bed. She would stuff any scrapped clothing they found or stuff the bags with leaves or whatever else she could find to make a mattress.
“Hey,” Bryan called out from the upstairs area. “I found some t-shirts. Should I grab them?”
“Yes,” Megan said leaving the kitchen and climbing the stairs. “Willow can use those to make more diapers. We only have a few more of the disposables left and I don't want to waste time trying to wash cloth diapers while we’re on the move. We can use the t-shirts and toss them when they’re dirty.”
They split up, searching each room, collecting anything they could carry that could prove useful. Megan found a small sewing kit and tossed it in along with some pencils that were tossed in a junk drawer. A small box of dental floss also went in her bag.
“I think we have time to check a couple more houses before we head back up,” she said to Bryan as they made their way back out.
The two of them made quick work of the other homes.
“Nothing,” Bryan said coming out of the last house on the street.
“Me either. If we had a way to carry stuff, then sure, but we can't pack anything extra. Maybe on the way home we can pick up some items we find,” Megan said.
They climbed back to the ruins at the top of the hill. Dusk had fallen and they were all exhausted. Megan couldn't wait to have all this behind them. She was ready for her own bed in their own clean lodge.
“I'm going to sleep,” Willow said.
“Hold on, I made you a mattress of sorts with some old clothes we found,” Megan said holding up the trash bag full of linens. She quickly put it in the shelter and did her best to smooth it out. “Sleep tight, we'll be moving early.”
“Look at that,” Bryan said, staring into the distance.
Megan and Wyatt both joined him, looking at the city of Ravena sprawled out below. Faint popping sounds could be heard now and again followed by flashes of light.
“Is that gunfire?” Megan asked.
Wyatt nodded. “Yep. Sounds like a war down there.”
Bryan groaned. “This is going to be one very risky adventure.”
Megan watched as small fires burned all around the city. She had no idea if the fires were malicious or survivors trying to cook a meal. It looked ominous, like something straight out of a horror film. It didn’t give her a warm and fuzzy feeling for their adventure into the city tomorrow. There was a moment when she thought about quitting and heading back to the safety of the lodge, but then she thought about JJ. He was what kept driving her on.
“We better turn in. I want to be up and moving by three,” Wyatt said.
Willow heard him and popped her head out. “In the morning?” she asked in shock.
“Yes, it will be the safest time,” he confirmed. “I'll take the first watch. You guys get some sleep,” he instructed.
Megan and Bryan each sprawled out on either side of the shelter opening. Wyatt stood guard, patrolling the area with his gun at the ready.
Megan drifted off to sleep, occasionally jerking awake at the sound of gunshots. She imagined the man Doyle and his little band of druggies in the city. She hoped they were shot or at least scared out of their minds. She didn't wish Doyle dead. If he were dead, someone else would likely take the box and she’d have no idea how to find it.
No, not dead, but wounded and suffering would be nice.
19
“Megan,” Wyatt whispered. “It's time to go.”
She moaned, not ready to get up. The ground had been hard and un
forgiving, making it difficult to get any real sleep.
“We're ready,” she heard Willow say.
Megan blinked, preparing for the bright sun to hurt her eyes and when it didn't come, everything came rushing back to her at once. It was before dawn. They were headed into the city, hoping to use the darkness to their advantage.
She quickly shook the sleep off and jumped up, adrenaline pumping through her body. This was what they’d been anticipating their whole journey. It was time to breech the perimeter of the city and find the addict who killed Evan and get their box back. Everything they’d been fighting for depended on their success today.
They didn't bother cleaning up their campsite. They hadn't unpacked anything before settling in, which made their departure fast and easy. With one last look around and several deep breaths by all, they embarked on the last leg of their journey into Ravena.
The group used the light of the moon to walk down the driveway that led to what used to be suburbia. Wyatt had laid out their route last night. The goal was to stick to alleys and side streets and avoid any areas that’d be considered high value. Grocery stores, warehouses and oddly enough, electronics stores would be heavily guarded.
The slums of the city would likely be safer with the inhabitants that stayed behind sticking to the so-called “safer” parts of the city with nicer homes and apartments. It was a chance for people to improve their social and economic standing with little effort. It was like shopping without worrying about price tags. Everything was up for the taking, including houses.
As they approached the heart of the city and the streets lined with multi-story buildings, Wyatt ordered them to walk single file.
“Stay against the wall. No one step away from the wall. Our dark clothing will help conceal us against the dark bricks,” he explained. “Don't talk. If you need to get my attention, tap the person in front of you on the shoulder.”
Megan's heart was racing as they began maneuvering through the city. Rats, stray dogs and the occasional cat would dart in front of them, testing their resolve. Thankfully, she had managed to avoid screaming out each time. Willow gasped once, earning a look from Wyatt, but they managed to be much quieter than the mice scurrying about.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 90