The Renegade

by Amy Dunne

  “Tonight is the first night of our future. You will thank me for everything I’ve done,” Elijah said.

  Alex aimed the gun. “Make a single move and I’ll blow your brains out.” Elijah froze, midway through taking his shirt off. From the corner of her eye she could see Evelyn. “Sit down on that chair.”

  Elijah sat, so he was facing her. “I’ve changed my mind. You’re dead,” he said calmly.

  “Evelyn, go and tie him to the chair. There are some belts over there,” Alex said. She watched as Evelyn set to work tying him to the chair. Fury and madness radiated off him.

  “Do you really think you’re going to get out of here?” he asked, with a chortle.

  Alex chose to ignore him. “Nearly done?”

  “Yeah,” Evelyn said. She stepped back and he let out a roar.

  “I’m going to make your lives unbearable,” he said. “I’ll never stop looking for you and my child. I’ll search the globe if I have to. I’ll find you, Evelyn. I’ll have my son. I swear that on my life and the life of our son.”

  Evelyn picked up a used sock that was at hand and rammed it in his mouth, silencing his shouts. “You need to kill him.”

  Alex couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “We’re leaving. He’ll never see us again.”

  “He won’t ever stop searching for us. I can’t live like that. He’ll never stop. Please, kill him. I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’m so scared. He wanted to kill Murphy and Jamie.”

  “They’re okay. I’ve just seen them.”

  “He won’t stop. Let me have the gun.” Before she’d even finished speaking, Evelyn took hold of the gun and aimed it at his head.

  “Evelyn, you don’t have to do this,” Alex said. She was still struggling to come to terms with the killings on her conscience. Evelyn was a deeply sensitive person, and the guilt of killing him would haunt her.

  “I do. I can’t let him hunt me and my baby down for the rest of this life.” She closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. The bang was loud and had no doubt drawn attention.

  Alex took the gun back. “Go outside.”

  He continued to rage and roar even with the sock stuffed in his mouth, His face was burgundy from his muffled screaming. The bullet hole fifteen centimetres above his head did nothing to quell his ranting.

  Evelyn left the room, and only then did he fall silent. His crazed eyes bored into her with an evil that made her skin crawl.

  “If you ever come after us, I won’t hesitate to kill you. This is your last chance.” She aimed the gun and fired into his knee. Once again, the sound was deafeningly loud, and his high-pitched muffled screams added their own nightmarish quality. Without a second look, she turned and left the room. She locked the door and slipped the key in her pocket. The longer it took them to break in, the better their head start.

  “Did you kill him?” Evelyn asked.

  “No. I shot him in his knee. If he survives, there isn’t a doctor, so he’ll have to hope someone else can help him. He won’t be coming after us any time soon. Let’s go.”

  “I know he’ll survive,” Evelyn said hoarsely. “And he won’t stop—”

  “I don’t want to kill him in cold blood. I’ll defend us when the time comes if I need to, and I won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done. But please don’t ask me to go in there and kill him while he’s helplessly tied to a chair and subdued, because I’ll do it for you,” she said, holding Evelyn’s hand. “I’d do anything for you. But I’m not sure I can cope with the burden of guilt. I’m not like him. I’m not a cold-blooded killer.”

  Evelyn looked torn. Tears leaked from her eyes and the angry determination teetered on the edge until she finally nodded. “Let’s get the others and get out of here.”

  The camp was in mayhem. People were running around like headless chickens, except those who were ready to escape. The vehicles were filled with petrol. David had packed food, water, some weapons, and medical supplies, ensuring enough was left for those who chose to stay behind. Once they were packed, David opened the gates. They used three Land Rovers.

  Joe slashed the tyres on the other vehicles to buy more time. He stood and signalled to Evelyn that he’d finished the last one. As they started climbing into the vehicles, Alex heard Evelyn scream her name.

  Turning, she came face-to-face with Phil. His gun was raised and aimed at her head. “You ruined this. You ruined it you, fucking bitch. Tanya, get out of there now.” He glanced behind Alex into the Land Rover.

  Alex couldn’t raise her gun in time. She could do nothing but stand there. A shuffling from behind her made Phil’s finger nearly pull the trigger.

  “No one else move. Or I’ll blow her brains out. Tanya, get out.”

  Alex could see Joe from the corner of her eye. She willed him to stay still, but he crept closer.

  “She’s not going with you, Phil,” Alex said, hoping to distract him from Joe.

  “Shut up. I’m going to kill you. And Tanya is coming with me. And the rest of you can go to hell for all I care.”

  “Don’t you move, Tanya. Stay in there,” Alex said.

  Phil stomped forward and thrust the barrel closer. “Shut your mou—”

  Joe flung himself onto Phil and had the element of surprise. They wrestled, both fighting for the gun when the gunshot exploded.

  In slow motion, they both fell to the floor. Alex ran toward them but Phil raised his gun and went to pull the trigger. Another gunshot came from behind them, the bullet travelled straight through Phil’s head. He slumped back dead.

  Turning, Alex saw the thin vapour of smoke escaping from David’s gun. Their eyes met before everyone rushed to Joe.

  Alex reached him first. “Joe, are you okay?” She tried to help him sit up but he slumped back down. A pool of red covered his chest.

  “Joe,” Evelyn said, falling to the ground. “Keep Matilda away!” she cried to Tanya, seeing Matilda trying to climb down from the Land Rover.

  “I’m sorry, darling,” he said in a raspy voice, smearing his chin with a trickle of blood from his mouth.

  “Don’t be sorry. I’m going to sort you, you’ll be okay,” Evelyn said, holding her hands against the hole. “Someone bring me some medical supplies.”

  Joe shook his head, his watery eyes glistening. “No good. My time’s up. I get to be with Betty again.”

  “No,” Evelyn said, through sobs. “Matilda needs you. I need you. It’s not your time yet.”

  He patted her hands. “Promise me.”

  “I don’t need to promise you—”

  “Matilda. Love her. Keep her safe,” he said through a weak coughing fit. A rattling noise came from his chest. “Matilda?” he said again.

  “I’ll love her and keep her safe. I promise. Oh, Joe, please don’t leave me. I need you. We’re leaving here together,” Evelyn said.

  “Lov—” he said, collapsing back. His chest heaved one last time and then stopped.

  Evelyn hugged him tight and rested her face against his head, her sobs breaking Alex’s heart.

  “We need to go,” David said. “I locked Claire and some of the others in the kitchen, but it won’t hold them for long.”

  “We have a few minutes,” Alex said firmly.

  “We need to bury him,” Evelyn said.

  “There’s no time,” David said. “This is our only chance to get out of here. Other men have guns, and Claire or Elijah will get out here sooner rather than later. We need to move. Otherwise Joe’s death was for nothi—”

  “Shut up!” Evelyn screamed. “I’m not just leaving him here.”

  They both looked pointedly at Alex. She knew David was right, but the emotional pull to protect Evelyn overruled. “We’ll wrap him up and put him in the back—”

  “We don’t have time or space for that,” David said.

  “We’re doing it,” Alex said. “Without him, we wouldn’t be getting out of here, and he’s family. We take him with us and find a suitable place to bury him when we’re out
of danger.”

  David stormed off, shaking his head and shouting for Scott and Ben to help him make space and grab sheets.

  “Thank you,” Evelyn said, looking up.

  “I’m so sorry,” Alex said, squatting beside Evelyn. “But he’s right, we’re running out of time, and Joe wouldn’t want that.” She reached out to gently close his eyes, but Evelyn’s bloodied hand stopped her. With the lightest of touches and gut-wrenching sobs, Evelyn closed his eyelids.

  *

  Seven hours after leaving, Evelyn asked them to pull over beside a wild meadow. There were no flowers because of the time of year, but it looked like a perfect resting spot. Frost had hardened the ground, and they had to use the headlights to see what they were doing. But finally, they laid Joe to rest.

  A makeshift cross marked the grave. Everyone gathered in silence as Evelyn spoke softly about Joe’s life and sacrifice. Together, Evelyn, Matilda, and Jamie placed some holly and berries on top of his grave.

  Saddened and tired, they made their way back to the vehicles and set off again.

  “Where are we going?” Scott asked nobody in particular, causing Paddy to stir while curled up on his lap.

  “We’ll know when we get there,” Murphy said, patting Alex’s shoulder.

  “A new camp?” Jamie asked Evelyn.

  Evelyn shook her head. “Home. We’re going home.” Her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

  “How do we know where home is?” Jamie asked.

  “As long as we’re together, we’ll find it,” Alex said, squeezing Evelyn’s hand. “The rest we make up as we go along.”

  The engines roared, and the dawning of a new day burned stunning red and orange through the windshield on the horizon.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  The sun was rising a little bit earlier every spring morning. The frost coated everything in its path with icy glitter. Bluebells and snowdrops were forcing their way up from the cold ground. The steaming would burn off in a few hours.

  Alex looked out across the farm at the different fields. They’d already begun the hard labour of trying to work the land. The chickens were awake in their coop greeting the morning in their own way, as did the rooster with his song. Catching them had taken a great deal of time and patience, but the fresh eggs were worth every second.

  Paddy ran past Alex out into the long grass to roll around in the icy blades. He was huge, but still not full-grown. Scott took time to train him a little every day. In the far distance, she could see the sea. In a few weeks they were going to venture once more into the local town and see if there was a boat they could use, just to do a little bit of fishing.

  This was everything they’d dreamed of, but it was also hard work, harder than any of them had envisioned. A viable self-reliant future was certainly in the cards, and that kept them going.

  “Alex,” Jamie called from the kitchen door.

  “Yes?”

  “Mum’s asked you to go up.”

  “Okay,” Alex said, taking one last deep breath of the chilly fresh air. She walked into the farmhouse and greeted those who had also risen early. Scott was helping Jamie to make breakfast.

  The creaky wooden steps were comforting. As Alex opened the door to their room, she paused, stunned by the scene before her. Evelyn in bed, looking gorgeous, and happily singing to the baby. Alex’s heart ached with the love she felt. She loved them more than she’d ever have believed possible.

  “Hi there,” Evelyn said with a smile.

  “Good morning, beautiful. I was told you wanted to see me?”

  Evelyn’s smile brightened. “Yes. I know it’s taken eight days, but I’ve finally decided on her name.”

  Alex sat on the bed and stroked the matchstick fingers. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

  “Raegan,” Evelyn said, two pink dots colouring cheeks. “Providing you don’t find it too ridiculous?”

  Alex looked at the chubby little face and the red sticky up hair. “I think it’s beautiful. What does it mean?”

  “Murphy said it’s Irish for ‘spiritual strength’.”

  “It’s perfect,” Alex said, leaning over to kiss Evelyn. She placed a gentle kiss on Raegan’s soft forehead. “Welcome to the new world, Raegan.”

  About the Author

  Amy was raised in Derbyshire, England. She attended Keele University and graduated in 2007 with a BSc in philosophy and psychology. Amy’s debut novel, Secret Lies, won a Golden Crown Literary Award in 2014 for the Young Adult category. She’s married to her lovely wife Lou. They share a love of Dolly Parton and live with their gorgeous cat and mischievous dog.

  Amy loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at:

  E-mail: authoramydunne@hotmail.com

  Blog: authoramydunne.wordpress.com/

  Facebook: facebook.com/amy.dunne.165

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