Autumn in the Dark Meadows (The Autumn Series)

by Kirby Howell

  “We got lots of those. Should all have some gas in them. If not, the base has plenty we can use. All they’d need is a quick charge on the batteries, and I know where we can do that.”

  Grey nodded. “That’ll work. We’ll be able to get a lot more supplies in two Humvees than a tank.”

  “What about the door to this building? Remember? It sealed us in,” I reminded Grey.

  “I can open that,” Robert spoke up, with a weak smile. I know most of the codes in this building.”

  Grey wouldn’t let Robert touch anything while we carried armloads of various weaponry from the armory to the Humvees to begin loading. Instead, Robert just followed us back and forth, begging to be allowed to help, pleading with us to take him along, and sobbing about how sorry he was. It was annoying after the second trip, and by the third, I ignored Grey’s cautions and loaded Robert down with boxes of bullets.

  When we were fully loaded, Grey and Robert carefully moved Daniel into the back seat of my Humvee. I’d offered to take Robert with me, keeping our doctor within reach of Daniel, in case something happened in transit, but Grey was relentless in this.

  “I don’t trust him alone with you,” he said quietly, out of Robert’s earshot. “Odds are he’s telling the truth, but just in case, I want him where I can see him. You’re taking the lead in front so I can keep an eye on you.” Grey pulled out a map. “Now you’re sure you understand how to get there?” I nodded. Grey had explained it twice already.

  “What about the fences?” Robert said, appearing to look over Grey’s shoulder at the map he held. “They’re electrified. And there’s several sets of them.”

  “Ram them,” Grey said. “Hard as you can. You’re in an armored car. They won’t stand a chance.”

  “What about the part about them being electrified?” I asked.

  “Your tires are rubber. They’ll ground you. Just run straight through them and head to the road. Don’t stop for anything. Understand? Anything.”

  Grey handed me a two-way radio with a grim face. “I’ll be right behind you. Use this if you need me.” He turned it on, showing me how it worked. “Robert scavenged these from inside for us.”

  He walked me to the driver side door of my Humvee and opened it for me. Before I could climb inside, he bent and kissed my forehead. We stared at each other briefly, then I turned and hoisted myself into the massive armored car, and Grey shut the door after me and hopped into his own Humvee. I cranked the engine. The roar of the motor set my heart beating faster. I’d only driven my parents’ BMW and Mercedes, and it’d felt nothing like this.

  I blew out a deep breath and dropped the vehicle into gear. When I put my foot on the accelerator, it roared to life, jumping almost out from under me. I slammed on the brake, jolting both Daniel and me forward.

  My next attempt was more successful. It was awkward the way the wheel bounced around under my hands, with the Humvee still heading straight. I think my father would have called it “loose steering.” I didn’t like it. I was used to the kind of German engineering where the car reacted to the slightest touch.

  The radio bleeped, and I heard Grey’s voice coming in, “You okay in there?” he asked. I wasn’t thrilled with having to take a hand off the gigantic steering wheel to answer, but did it anyway.

  “I’m good.”

  “Head for the runway. When you get there, start speeding up until you hit max speed. I want us hitting the fences at full force, so we don’t get stuck. I’ll pull up beside you, and we’ll hit them at the same time. Okay?”

  “’Kay,” was all I could manage to get back before dropping the radio next to me. I was terrified about slamming into a fence, no matter what kind of vehicle I was driving.

  I found the taxiway leading to the runway that headed south and saw Daniel’s Cessna off in the distance. I hated leaving it here, but it was useless without a pilot. Maybe we’d be able to come back for it one day.

  I turned onto the runway and waited for Grey to pull up beside me, then sank the accelerator pedal to the floor. Our Humvees lunged forward together and began to speed up with massive twin roars. The wheel continued to wobble loosely, and my stomach tightened. The fences stood just past the end of the runway. They were at least nine feet tall and topped with spirals of barbed wire.

  But then, movement I wasn’t expecting caught my eye. I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw a small figure far off behind me, near Daniel’s plane. She was running after us, waving her arms.

  It was Rissi.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I slammed on the brakes and prayed Daniel wouldn’t tumble forward in the back seat, where he was laying unconscious. The dust plume caught up to us and briefly clouded the image in my rearview. When it calmed, I saw Rissi running toward us and waving her skinny arms above her head.

  I threw open the door as Grey’s Humvee skidded into a U-turn ahead of me, then ran for the eight-year-old girl closing in on me.

  She fell into my arms with a force that knocked us both over. She clung tightly to me, and her wet cheek pressed against my neck.

  “What are you doing here?” I squeezed her to me and tried to keep hysteria out of my voice.

  “I thought you were leaving me,” she gasped between breaths. “I didn’t think you’d leave the plane behind.”

  I pulled back from her, resisting the urge to shake her. “Why were you on the plane in the first place?”

  “I followed you back to the airport, and when you weren’t looking, I hid in the back.” Her voice grew strong and defiant suddenly. “I hate being left behind all the time, and I’m old enough to help sometimes. I told you I wouldn’t get in the way.” She paused to swipe a runaway tear from her cheek. “Are you mad?”

  “Yes. Very.” I hugged her tightly and brushed her hair with my fingers, thinking about what would have happened to her if I hadn’t looked in the rearview mirror.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Grey’s Humvee pulled up next to us, and he got out while Robert looked on from the passenger seat, confused.

  “We have a stowaway,” I said to Grey, untangling myself from Rissi and standing up.

  “This complicates things,” said Grey in earnest. “Does Connie know you’ve left?” he asked Rissi.

  She shook her head. “I snuck out.”

  Grey rubbed his forehead, and Rissi stared at him. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but she bravely kept her head up and her arms by her side. A small swell of pride rose inside me.

  “Will all the gear in my Humvee fit in yours? If it does, I could take her back to Vegas.” I proposed. But Grey shook his head.

  “We’re both at capacity. And we’ve got Daniel to consider. We need to get him to Hoover as soon as possible.” Grey sighed heavily and quickly turned away to look toward the Humvees. Rissi looked up at me. Despite her strong posture, I saw unease in her eyes. She knew Grey was upset because she was here. I was glad he had the presence of mind not to yell at her, though I knew we both wanted to.

  “We could leave her here and come back for her—” Grey began.

  “No! I’m not staying here!” Rissi cut him off, howling. She balled up her hands into fists the size of baby peaches. “I can help you! I’ll do whatever you need, just don’t leave me behind, and don’t take me back!” Her small chest heaved up and down, and she stood, knobby knees slightly bent, poised like a cat before leaping. “I want to help,” she said, her strong voice wobbling.

  “Oh, Rissi,” I said, shaking my head. “This isn’t something you can help with.”

  “Just watch me,” she said, staring both of us down.

  “You’re not allowed to be anywhere near Hoover tonight. It’s not safe!”

  “Allowed?” A spark of defiance I’d never seen before flashed across her face.

  “You’re eight years old! Of course you’re not allowed!”

  “That’s not fair!” she howled.

  “There’s only one way to get her back,” Grey said, raising hi
s voice to be heard.

  “There’s not enough time to drive her back,” I said, rubbing my temple. The beginning of a headache was spreading behind my eyes.

  “I can take her,” Grey said, quietly. His eyes explained everything. I looked at Rissi. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes bright. No. He couldn’t astral project her back to Las Vegas. It would terrify her. She wouldn’t understand. And she certainly wouldn’t keep it to herself.

  Grey walked forward and reached for Rissi. She backed away quickly.

  “What?! No! Autumn, please. I can make a difference. Just like you. I swear. Let me stay,” she pleaded.

  Grey and I stared at each other for a long moment. Then I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I murmured.

  “Hey guys?” Robert shouted. The panic in his voice made me look up sharply. He stood by the open door of my Humvee, looking back and forth between us and Daniel inside. “He’s waking up.”

  We ran to him. Grey beat me there and leaned into the car, over Daniel’s head. I dashed to the other side and opened the door by his feet. Daniel wasn’t moving, but his forehead shone with sweat, and his breathing was loud and shallow.

  “He moved around for a second and moaned something,” Robert reported, looking nervous.

  “Looks like he passed out again.” Grey inspected the makeshift bandage around his torso and grimaced. “I wish I had something to give him.”

  “What happened to Daniel?” I heard Rissi ask.

  Grey twisted around, revealing her standing behind him, and said, “He was shot while we were inside the base.”

  Her eyes widened and flicked to the still form lying inside the Humvee. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s stable for now,” Grey said, turning back to look at me over Daniel. He lowered his voice so only I could hear him. “We don’t have much time. I’ll leave the decision up to you, but you need to decide now.”

  “Rissi,” I called. She jogged around the car to me and waited, staring up at me. “I need your help to keep Daniel stable until we get back to Hoover. Can you can do that?”

  Rissi nodded her head, and I motioned inside. “Put your hands on the bandage on his stomach and press firmly.” I bent down to look into her baby-brown eyes and noticed just how pretty she was getting. She was going to be beautiful when she grew up. When she grew up, I repeated to myself. She would be okay. We’d find a safe place for her.

  “Your hands will get bloody, but you’re going to have to be brave.” I was proud when she didn’t flinch at the mention of blood. She climbed up into the Humvee near Daniel’s feet and turned around.

  “Thanks, Autumn,” she said.

  A thousand replies ran through my head as I stared at her. “Buckle up,” was all I could manage before shutting the door.

  “I think he’ll be okay, as long as he doesn’t bleed too much,” Grey said, as I joined him on the other side of the Humvee. “If he starts coughing up blood, or stops breathing, pull over.”

  I nodded and felt him squeeze my hand.

  “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure out how to keep her safe,” he whispered and kissed my forehead. Then he followed Robert back to the other Humvee. I climbed into the driver’s seat once more and secured the seatbelt into place.

  “We have to ram the gate to get out of the base, Rissi. Hold on to Daniel,” I ordered.

  Grey lined up his Humvee next to mine, and when I gave the thumbs up, we both floored it. My heart leapt into my throat as the roar of the engine vibrated my whole body, and the force of the horsepower pushed me back into the seat. The gate looked larger and stronger the closer we got to it. I saw Rissi’s face whiten in the rear view mirror. All of the news stories I’d seen of people being impaled by objects coming through their windshield ran through my head, and I yelled to Rissi over the engine, “Put your head down and hang on to Daniel!”

  With a thundering crash, we tore through the tall fences together, ripping the metal poles from the ground and laying them flat in our wake. Though the windows were up, I felt the distinct charge of electricity in the air. The gates were still electrified. An amazing feeling of relief mixed with accomplishment washed through me, and the adrenaline rushing through my veins made me stomp my foot down on the gas. I waved to Grey as I passed, taking the lead.

  “Everyone okay back there?” I yelled.

  “Yeah!” Rissi yelled back.

  “Next stop, Hoover Dam.”

  Even though we cut across the open desert, the trip back to Hoover still took an hour, and felt even longer. The going was bumpy, and I tried to keep the speed of our convoy fast enough to cover the distance quickly, but slow enough to not kill Daniel in the process. I navigated the Humvee around thick clumps of creosote bushes, patches of beavertail cacti and outcrops of craggy red rocks. The sun was low enough in the sky to cast deep shadows into crevices and pits I might otherwise have missed earlier in the afternoon. In the open areas, I floored it.

  Ben said he radioed Hoover to tell them in code about The Front’s plans, and that we’d be bringing weapons from Area 51, but they were expecting us to fly in. As a consequence, when we finally neared the West Tower, outriders from the Hoover Guard swarmed our Humvees, guns aimed at our tires. I stuck my head out of my window and waved frantically until they recognized me. To my relief, they holstered their weapons and pulled in front of my Humvee to escort us the rest of the way into town.

  The sirens were winding down as I slowed to pull over in front of the medical center. Our two desert-camouflaged Humvees racing toward the settlement at top speed must have put the whole town on full alert.

  “Rissi, climb up here and stay tucked out of sight under the dashboard.”

  “Why?” she asked, looking out the tinted windows at the familiar town.

  I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want anyone to see her, but I didn’t like the idea of not knowing who we could trust in our own town.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Don’t make me say it.”

  She sighed and climbed into the front, sliding down onto the floor and muttering, “Because you said so.”

  I noticed her hands were bloody and tossed a rag at her. “Just stay hidden.”

  Mayor Westland met us when we got out.

  “Mr. Harmond already filled me in about Las Vegas.” He spoke fast and kept his voice low so only Grey and I could hear. “The Hoover Guard thought I was being paranoid when I instigated the emergency code phrase system. But now I’m grateful we did. Never thought a simple phrase like ‘Put the planes in the hangars, there’s a storm coming’ would chill me to my bones more than it did when I heard it crackle across the radio earlier.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shivered. “Who was the mole?” he asked sadly.

  “Josh Hamilton,” Grey said.

  The mayor shook his head. “If Josh was able to infiltrate our settlement, there must be others, so we need to be careful. There’s no telling how many Frontmen he’s let in, like that poor little girl who caused so much trouble for you.”

  I didn’t care to think of Sam as a poor little girl. I wondered where she was now and if she’d go back to Los Angeles.

  “I think I’ve worked out how we can control The Front’s attack,” Grey said quietly to Mayor Westland as he pulled open the back passenger door of my Humvee.

  Grey jumped in to inspect Daniel. Mayor Westland strained to see in. “Who is that in there? What happened?”

  “Daniel was shot,” I said, as Robert appeared beside us.

  “Shot? Who shot him?” the mayor demanded.

  “He did,” I motioned to Robert.

  “It was an accident,” Grey said, jumping to the ground. “I’ve got to get Daniel into surgery, but we’ll need someone to start working on the plan immediately. The Front’s attack will come after sunset, so we don’t have much time to prepare.”

  People rushed out of the medical facility with a stretcher. Grey helped them load Daniel onto it, but when he started to follow them inside, the mayor grabbed his arm. “The
y can handle Daniel. You two need to come with me.”

  After a moment’s indecision, Grey nodded. I looked around. Everyone seemed too busy to notice, so I opened the passenger door and motioned for Rissi to follow me. We hurried down the block to the mayor’s office. Once the door was closed behind us, the mayor unrolled a large map of Hoover on his desk, knocking a few items over as he did so. I waved Rissi into an armchair by the window in the corner of the room, and as Grey and I moved to stand over the map, I noticed the mayor’s hands shaking.

  “Sam said The Front has boats. So they’re probably coming from Las Vegas Bay,” Grey said, pointing to the expanse of blue ink on the map east of Hoover’s town center. “My guess is they’ll come around the peninsula into the reservoir to take control of the dam first, then work their way through the hills to the settlement.”

  The mayor’s eyes grazed over the two-dimensional points of brown, inky triangles that lay between the dam and Hoover on the map. I recalled the twisted, narrow old highway that wound through the rocky hills. The highway was rarely used and probably covered in dirt and sand, but it was the most obvious way to Hoover from an outsider’s perspective. The residents of Hoover used the footpath shortcut from the water’s edge in town to travel to the dam.

  “So what’s your big idea?” the mayor asked.

  “Let them take the dam,” Grey stated.

  Mayor Westland stared at Grey for a moment, then looked at me, and then back at Grey. “Come again?” he sputtered.

  Grey touched the twisted highway leading to Hoover with his forefinger. “After taking the dam, they’ll file into the canyon on Highway 93 to make their way to Hoover and take the town next. When they’re in the deepest, narrowest part of the canyon, we’ll attack.”

  The mayor glared at the mountains on the map, as if watching The Front’s army march closer to his town. He shook his head. “The Hoover Dam is the bread and butter of this town. It’s our sole purpose of even settling here. We’ve worked too hard to just let them have it.”

  “They won’t have it for long. It’s a strategy. A way of surprising them so we gain the upper hand. Karl doesn’t know Sam told us they were attacking tonight. He still thinks he has surprise on his side. We shouldn’t give that up by running out to meet them. Let’s draw them in and then strike when they’re at a vulnerable spot.”