The Route to Justice: A post-apocalyptic survival thriller (A World Torn Down Book 5)

by Rebecca Fernfield

  “Ah, there she is,” Maurice mutters as he steps into room.

  The girl stands with her back to the wall, beautiful even with the look of shock across her face.

  Chapter 29

  “Turn left, here,” Deacon commands.

  “It’s just a track.”

  “It is, but the farm is at the top.”

  The car lurches to the left as it hits a rut in the rough driveway and Cassie is thrown against the door, Dan squashes against her arm. She grunts and shoves him away from her.

  “Sorry!”

  She ignores him and stares out of the car’s windscreen to the rough track ahead. Although the sun has nearly set, there’s enough light to see the outline of the road. On a hill, a light shines, and she can just make out the forms of a huddle of buildings.

  “That must be the farm,” Cassie says as the car joggles over another rut. “They must have a generator or solar panels rigged up.”

  “Someone’s coming,” Rick adds as another light appears. “Cut the lights and pull over.”

  Deacon ignores Rick’s suggestion, but slows to a stop then switches off the engine. “Get out. They can’t get past us so we’ll be able to see if it’s Saskia or not,” he says as he opens the door.

  “What if it is her?” Cassie asks.

  “Then we’ve got her.”

  “What if it’s not.”

  “Then we’ll let them pass,” Deacon explains as he ushers them to a gap in the hedgerow then begins to move back to the car.

  “Where are you going?” Cassie calls as he steps away.

  “To get my rifle.”

  “Too late—they’ll see you. Come back!”

  The lights brighten until they are blinding in their intensity then stop a short distance away as the driver realises that the road is blocked. The car, greyed out in the dark, begins to make its way forward again then stops. A few seconds pass and the driver gets out.

  Cassie tugs at Deacon’s sleeve. “Who is it?”

  “Not Saskia,” Deacon explains. “Looks like one of Stamford’s men.”

  “Stamford?”

  “Shh!” he reprimands as the man turns to look in their direction. A thud sounds from the car.

  “Did you hear that?” Cassie asks as the driver walks towards their empty vehicle.

  Cassie watches as the man peers inside their car then turns and shrugs at his passengers.

  “What is it?” a rough voice, degraded by time and cigarettes, calls.

  “No one here,” the driver calls back then places his hand on the car’s bonnet. “But they were. The engine’s still hot.”

  Thud!

  “Someone broken down?” the hoarse voice questions.

  “There! Did you hear it that time?” Cassie asks turning to Deacon. “It sounded like it came from the boot.”

  “I dunno,” the driver responds.

  “Get back in the car,” the rough voice shouts. “It could be a trap.”

  A shout sounds from the rear of the vehicle, its high pitch breaking above the din of the engine.

  “There’s someone in that boot,” Dan adds as he steps next to Cassie.

  “Saskia trades in people. Looks like she’s made a sale.”

  “Bloody animals!” Dan exclaims and darts forward as the driver begins his walk back to the car.

  “Dan!” Cassie hisses, but it’s too late, he’s running to the rear of the car.

  “Idiot!” Deacon hisses.

  “Hey!” the driver calls with an angry shout and lumbers back to the car

  Cassie takes her cue – she can’t leave Dan to fend for himself and she has to see what’s in the boot - and sprints to the car, lunges in through the open door and pulls the keys from the ignition. The car’s engine dies.

  “Hey,” the driver shouts again, surprise mixing with anger as he slams his hand on the top of the door and swings it shut.

  The door clips Cassie’s hand as she jerks it back. She ignores the pain, and the driver bearing down on her, and runs to the rear, pressing at the key fob. Lights flash and the ping of the locking system sounds sharp in her ears. A thud sounds behind her and then she’s yanked back as the driver’s fingers grab the back of her jacket. Losing her balance, she smashes against the rear of the car, and pain jolts through her hip. A huge figure blocks her as she pushes herself back to a standing position, determined to reach the back of the car. Another figure appears and Deacon’s huge hands land either side of the driver’s shoulders and then he’s gone.

  The boot lid flips open. Inside, with her hands tied behind her back, lies Celie.

  A door opens and, as she reaches in to help Celie out, Dan is tackled to the ground then dragged and thrown into the hedgerow by a man nearly twice his size. She reaches down to pull at Celie, but she’s too heavy and there’s no way she can loosen the cable ties around her wrists—they’ll need to be cut. Dan groans as his attacker runs past her to Deacon and the driver.

  As she pulls at Celie, manoeuvring the girl’s shoulders to the edge of the open boot, fingers claw deep into Cassie’s hair. The keys jangle in her hands.

  “Give me those keys!” a man growls. His breath, laced with the stench of stale tobacco, is hot on her face.

  “Get out, Celie,” Cassie shouts as he pulls her away.

  The girl squirms and shifts her torso to the lip of the open boot.

  “Stay where you are,” he seethes.

  Celie looks past Cassie and freezes.

  “Don’t listen to him, Celie. Look at me!” she calls with a voice devoid of fear. “Look at me and get out of the boot.” He’ll have to kill her to get to Celie.

  “Give me the keys,” he repeats.

  The pain in her scalp is immense as he yanks her back, but she pulls her free arm back. “Go fetch,” she shouts with disdain and lobs the keys as hard as she can. Celie inches forwards, her eyes locked to Cassie’s now. “Do it, Celie!” she shouts as the keys arc beyond the car and land with a clink in the hedgerow. Celie inches forward then topples to the ground and rolls away towards the hedge.

  The man’s strength is enormous and, as he yanks her back, her feet lift off the ground. He swings her back onto the jeep, and the pain in her ribs makes her gasp. Cassie groans as she’s lifted by her jacket’s lapels. His face is ugly and contorted as he closes in on her. He snarls. She lifts her arms, clenches her fists, and brings them both, with as much force as she can muster, against the sides of his head. He growls in pain, releases one of her lapels and clamps his hand around her throat. Her breath cuts off as his fingers, bone-hard and determined, squeeze her windpipe. She gags and her eyes bulge as she’s lifted. His gaze is locked to hers as she’s shoved up against the side of the van. He stares at her with a cruel grimace and she knows that he’s enjoying watching her die, knows that he will kill her in the next seconds with the snap of her neck.

  Thwaap!

  Movement breaks into Cassie’s awareness and the man’s eyes widen and for a moment confusion clouds his desire to kill her. His grip loosens, and Cassie notices how the light catches the polished shaft of the bolt that sits at ninety degrees to his temple. His hand still firm around her throat, he slumps against her and the cold of the bolt presses onto her cheek.

  “Cassie!” Rick cries as he pulls the body away from her.

  “Celie?” Her voice rasps as Rick pulls the man’s hand from her throat.

  “Breath!”

  She takes a breath, though the pain in her ribs is too much and she groans.

  “She’s here.”

  “What about Harry?”

  “There’s no sign of him.”

  “He’s up at the farm,” Celie answers.

  “Celie,” Cassie gasps lifting her head to look at the girl. “Thank God!”

  “Thank whoever put that bolt in his head!”

  “Saskia?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe it was meant for us?”

  “If it was, they missed.”

 
“No, it was meant for him,” a voice sounds from the dark and a woman steps into the headlights.

  “Saskia!”

  “Your other brat’s back at the farm. I’ll fetch him for you and then you can get the hell off of my land,” she says and steps back into the dark.

  Dan recoils from Deacon’s withering and hate-filled stare as he crouches beside Cassie.

  “Here, take my hand,” he offers as she struggles to stand. Despite her obvious pain, she rises. “I think your ribs may be broken,” Deacon suggests.

  The pain across her face makes Dan wince.

  “He slammed you pretty hard into the car.”

  “Yeah,” is all she can muster.

  Dan steps forward to give her assistance, but Rick pushes past him, forcing him to side-step and takes Cassie gently by the elbow. A sadness envelops Dan as he watches the tender care between the two of them.

  Fingers wrap around his bicep, curling in a lock of steel. “I’ve spent the last three years hating you,” Deacon growls as he pulls at his arm. Dan turns to face the block of a man though he can’t meet his gaze. “I’ve searched for you through the towns and villages. I’ve dreamt of kicking you to death and of hanging you from the strongest tree.”

  Dan’s belly lurches and he has an urgent need to empty his bowels.

  “Now I have you and it’s time for you to pay.”

  Cassie makes no effort to intervene—not that he can blame her—who’d want to help him—the man who killed the world!

  Dan nods. The thought of defending himself seems ludicrous. He deserves what punishment he’s about to get. Looking to the ground, he avoids the stares of the others.

  “I gave you the choice earlier – your woman or your life.”

  Dan looks to Cassie and locks his eyes to hers. He can do this at least. “Rick’s the man Cassie needs,” he says keeping her gaze. He nods, inviting her agreement, and a tiny smile of submission curls to his lips. It’s OK not to want me, Cas. “Do what you want with me, but leave her alone.”

  Deacon nods and turns to Cassie. “Is that what you want?” he asks. “To leave your husband and be with Rick?”

  She nods her agreement of mutual understanding and Dan feels the lightness of release as the burden lifts. As he sighs, and the tension leaves his body, movement flashes in his peripheral vision. The last thing he sees, before the world becomes black, is a fist, wide, angular, and gleaming in the light, speeding towards his face.

  Not ready to leave this world behind? Read the Author’s Notes.

  THE END

  Author Notes

  Hi again and thanks for being here. You’re reading this so I guess that you’ve read through the entire series. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

  I’m not quite ready to leave this world yet and will be publishing Deer Among Wolves which is set in the same world, although eighteen summers after we leave Deacon, Cassie, and Saskia et al.

  If you loved reading this book then you really should join my newsletter so that I can let you know about my new releases. I won’t bother you with anything other than pre-order and publication dates. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and I’ll send you an exciting short story as a ‘nice to meet you’ gift.

  Also by Rebecca Fernfield

  Deer Among Wolves

  A post-apocalyptic vigilante thriller

  Publishing Spring/Summer 2018

  Blackheart Down

  An Emp Survival Thriller

  Publishing Spring 2018

  Dark Powers Rising

  If you enjoy darkly dystopian post-apocalyptic thrillers with danger and suspense and well-developed characters then you’ll love Dark Powers Rising.

  AMAZON

  I love keeping in touch with my readers and am happy to respond to any questions you have about my books. CLICK HERE TO JOIN for updates and to stay in touch. If you’re not keen on newsletters, I also keep my Facebook page updated and you can join me or message me there.