Spending the night in the woods with Grandma.
Surviving the day with the Boy Scouts.
And now, an early morning bike ride home to avoid Hayes and his search party.
Seems so simple when you draw out a list. But the first was the most painful. Liam felt like he'd been spinning wildly these past few days without Victoria at his side. He'd only just met her, but she had given him a glimpse of the future. Someone strong to help find the light in these dark times.
Why am I remembering this now?
The quiet countryside reminded him of jogging along these roadways in peaceful times. Before the end. Back then his biggest fear was a careless driver. Now, the men and women lurking in the creeks and cornfields were constant reminders that even a simple relief stop could turn fatal. He looked down to watch his feet turn the cranks. When he coasted, he could hear the whine of the tires on the asphalt.
If he wasn't pulling such precious cargo, he could almost coast and ignore everything wrong since sunrise. Just him, the bike, and the sky.
But not her.
His mind was a turbulent mix of emotions and scheming when he caught sight of his own street. His house was up the hill a ways, and hidden by trees of the secluded neighborhood, but he was home.
Out loud he said, “We made it.”
He took a moment to collect his thoughts as he rolled to the stop sign at the end of Riverside Drive.
So much had happened since he'd last seen his parents. Were they home waiting for him? What if they weren't? How would they greet him? What would he do if they were still away? If they were home, what would they think of the dead girl in their foyer? Maybe Phil took care of the body. What if she changed?
He couldn't settle himself down. Each question produced two more.
Deep breath.
He had done so much since the sirens. He even felt a satisfying pride peeking out from his psyche. Not many people would have been able to rescue Grandma twice amidst the backdrop of the Apocalypse. Liam practically did it on his own.
Well, he did have help from time to time.
Of course, his helpers often ended up dead.
His thoughts turned inward and dark. No matter what else happened, no matter how proud he was of himself, no matter how proud his parents might be, he would never forget those who laid down their lives to make this reunion possible. It was the least he could do for the dead.
Thank you, Victoria.
He bit his tongue.
2
Liam turned his bike and trailer onto his own street, and climbed the gentle hill past the few houses between the entrance and his. It was about the length of a football field.
As he approached his own house, his heart felt crushing despair. One Humvee sat right up against his garage. Another sat between his house and the neighbor's nearest him. It wasn't unreasonable to think there were others hiding in the area. Whatever else was going to happen, Liam had allowed himself to walk right into this trap.
Hayes popped out the Humvee on the driveway, giving Liam a big wave. “Hey, bud. Good to see you!”
He had changed clothes. He was wearing the same style Hawaiian button-down shirt his dad favored. Dad was either inside as a captive, or dead. Or Hayes just found his stash of ugly shirts and decided to help himself. Of all the things to survive the destruction of the whole house...
Liam's mind was dancing wildly at the unfolding scene.
Two people got out from the other side of the Humvee and were walking around the backside of the truck. First in view was the red-headed driver Liam had seen a few times already. Behind her was a young girl about Victoria's age, dressed in jeans and a brilliant white cotton t-shirt. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. She was as clean as if she had just walked out of the shower. Liam's vision was blurry from the admittedly emotional sloshing going on in his mind. He refused to cry at the desperation of it all.
But, wow, she looked just like Victoria.
He stopped his bike a couple dozen yards down the street. Unsure what to do. He put his head on the handlebars as he straddled the top tube.
“Hiya, Liam. Why don't you and Grandma come on up the way. We have a lot to discuss. I promise I won't shoot anyone this time.”
This time. Ha!
He was preoccupied with all his options. He could turn around and try to escape. He could hide his gun and try to kill Hayes when he got up close. Maybe he could find some help.
None of them seemed to offer real hope. Killing him was probably the closest he could come to a plan with any chance of success, but he had never killed anyone—alive—and didn't think he had it in him to gun the man down in cold blood. Even if he deserved it.
The only option was to take his medicine and see where the windy road ended.
“Grandma, I have to stop here for a minute. We'll get you out soon. I promise.”
He hailed Hayes, got off his bike, and began walking it in. As he closed the distance, he regained his composure and was able to study the girl standing on his driveway in better detail. She was very pretty, that much was obvious. She seemed to be part of their team. No—
Her hands were bound in front of her, held low. The zip ties were hard to see, but they were there. She was standing patiently, unmoving. Looking down at her feet.
Liam was now at the edge of his front lawn. Stopped. Mind jumping all around. “Why won't you let me and Grandma go? Why are we so damned important to you?”
“I thought you figured it out back at the medical camp. I've seen the tape of the old man who spoke to you while undergoing treatment. You know what this whole thing is about.”
He didn't know how to respond without making himself look dumb. Was he missing something obvious? He knew the experiments were done specifically on older people, but the volunteers made it sound like they were donating their bodies to science so they would make a difference in finding the cure. They were the most viable test subjects available.
Liam felt in his pants pocket for the photo. He knew it had the address of the colonel's family. His last words were pointedly about Bart's age. He had said, “It was his age. I know it. That man was 106!” Was there something specific about a person's age that made them important? Grandma was 104. Did that make her more worthy than someone 94? It might explain Hayes' obsession with her.
“The colonel's last words to me were that the old man was 106. He said the reason he was such a good test subject was his age. You want Grandma because she's almost the same age.”
“Can you come up here where we can talk without shouting? I'm surprised you haven't said anything to my pretty friend here.”
Hayes walked over to the young girl but she shirked away when he got close. The mannerism was recognizable as something Victoria had done during their journey.
He froze in disbelief. Seeing the girl for who she was at last. “Victoria?”
She bobbed her head up and down, over and over. Tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Ah, yes. I told her I would shoot you dead if she said a peep. I had to be sure you wouldn't try anything heroic. Nor would she. Can you two agree not to do anything stupid for the next five minutes while we all get reacquainted?”
They both nodded with enthusiasm. Victoria in silence, and Liam in sympathy silence so as not to get her in trouble.
“Alright then. You can go down and meet your boyfriend, but just be aware of these machine guns and who's inside the house.”
Victoria ran down the driveway, bound hands and all. Liam had to keep his hand on the bike, but he dismounted just in time to catch her in a one-armed hug. They held each other tight, but Victoria was using the opportunity to pass information.
“Your parents are captive inside. Hayes wants to trade me for Grandma and he says they'll leave the rest of us alone. I missed you!”
They kissed briefly, but the moment was ruined by their tormentor. “Alright! That's enough of that. You kids need to separate or I start shooting. Yuck!”
Victoria and Liam separated, but Liam kept his hand on her back as they both looked up at Hayes. A small token of defiance.
Liam's emotions were splashing over the rim. He felt the joy of the reunion. Happiness she was alive. Anger at Hayes. Fear for his parents. Love for Victoria.
Whoa. Say what?
Maybe not romantic love exactly, but at that moment he would have laid down his life for the girl he thought was already dead.
That was as good a definition of love as any.
3
“Victoria, you can hold Liam's bike. He and I have some things to discuss.”
Liam didn't want to let her go, but he saw no alternatives.
“It'll be OK. Just stand here with Grandma. I think she's sleeping.”
They traded spots and Liam turned his back to Hayes so he could look at Victoria.
“I can't tell you how good it is to see you.”
She gave him a big smile as she wiped the tears still on her face. All she could say was “be safe.”
As he turned back toward Hayes, he knew where things were going. Hayes held all the cards. He would have to give up Grandma.
“Liam. Let's take a little walk. Not too far of course, those zombies are everywhere.”
They walked down the driveway, around several large patches of blood and gore on the ground, and began walking up the street, away from Victoria.
“I'm impressed, Liam. I don't think I've ever seen such dedication by a young man your age for an old lady like your grandma. I thought it was an act back at the Arch when we first met, and then I thought you were trying to impress your gal, but seeing you get dear old Marty out of the camp and across all this hostile terrain alone... Well, I guess I have to give credit where it's due.”
They walked a few more paces before he continued.
“But this is the end. I've invested too much time and energy trying to keep ahold of your grandma, and my bosses are getting concerned. Speaking of which...”
Liam was blindsided by the speed of the man. Hayes had turned and swung a fist hard into Liam's kidney, causing him to buckle over in pain. Still on his feet, but just barely.
“That is for your stunt with the tracker. You made me lose my MRAP on that wild goose chase.” He started walking again, unconcerned that Liam was now behind him. “Dammit, Liam. You're a clever boy. I hate that you did it. I should have seen it coming. We chased that fake signal for hours until we realized it was on a wounded deer.”
Mr. Lee and his team. They got it done.
“Once that resolved itself, I knew there was only one place you could be heading.” He let out a chuckle. “You need to make some new friends. You're like a fish, always going to the same spot to roost.”
Mixed metaphors aside, Liam knew he was right. He was predictable.
When they were beyond earshot of Victoria, Hayes stopped. Liam was close behind, still nursing his sore side. There were no thoughts of fighting back now. Not with Victoria in such an exposed position, and his parents under guard as well. This was all Hayes.
Mostly.
“I'm going to make you a deal. Man to man. You've seen our goals. You know what's happening to the world. You know why your grandmother is important to us. You and I both know I could blow your brains out right here on this street, and no one could stop me. I could then kill Victoria—she is one tough babe—and I could kill all your family just for fun. Then I could take Grandma with me and use her in any way necessary to solve this plague.”
Liam held his breath.
“But. There's always a “but,” huh? The thing is, I'm not a murderer.” He seemed to ponder for a moment, and continued with a disturbing correction, “I'm not a mass murderer. I told you before, I only do what I do to get what I need and then move on. Tomorrow, my boss may say he wants me to get him the last cheeseburger in America. I'd be equally tenacious with that mission as I am today with your grandma. I—”
Hayes had a small earpiece and a lapel mic. They blended into his clothing and hair, so they went unnoticed until just now. Hayes held up his finger in the universal “I'm on a call, please be quiet” symbol.
“Roger. Five minutes inbound.”
“Ok Liam, sorry about that. Where was I? Telling you my deal?”
He turned to face Liam. “Look kid, you do what I want and no one gets hurt. I'm going to trade you one old lady for one young girlfriend. You two can have a long life together knowing Grandma did her service to her country by helping to stop this plague.”
There it was. Finally. Liam was almost relieved. He knew he would one day have to choose between his grandma and Victoria. It just seemed as if it were written in the stars. Now that it was here, he was ready to make the sacrifice. What choice did he have, after all?
“Do you think she'll survive the testing? That old guy back in your camp seemed to be OK for a while. Can you give me your word you'll do your best to keep her alive?”
“I'll do everything I can to keep her alive. I need her alive, you know?”
“I've only got one condition. Let Victoria walk up here to me, leaving Grandma in the trailer. I don't think I can face her knowing I'm giving her up.”
Hayes was happy to get things moving. He yelled down at his assistant to hold Grandma's bike, freeing up Victoria to walk up the street to Liam and Hayes.
When she arrived, she could guess what was going on. “No, Liam. You can't trade me. I didn't agree to this!”
“What choice do I have? He said he'd kill you and my whole family if we didn't give her up. Grandma would want it this way.”
Victoria was torn. It showed on her face. Liam tried to look away because he didn't want to break down at the thought of what was happening. He needed to stay on task.
“This is all great. Very touching. But our business here is done.”
Hayes started walking down the street. “Liam, if I see you trying to rescue her again, I will have to do something worse to you than a punch to the gut. Just remember that. No more games.”
“Understood.”
Liam pulled Victoria across his front lawn, toward one of the Humvees parked in between the houses. He raised his hands and pointed to his house, making it clear he was just passing the truck, not attacking it.
Hayes was nearing the driveway, and shouting to his people. “Get her in the truck. We've got dust off in less than five. Move it!”
Liam and Victoria were now behind his house, moving through the detritus which had been blown out the back by the MRAP. He caught some motion in the woods nearby.
Victoria stopped him. “We can't go in the house.”
“Why not?” He was thinking of the activity in the front yard. His maskirovka was about to be revealed. He needed to get in and get his parents. “I need to get my parents out of here, now.”
They were trying to be quiet, as the Humvee was still only a few yards behind them. “Trust me, Liam. We have to wait right here.”
He looked again out into the woods. There was definitely someone out there. Did Hayes have snipers backing him up? If so, his plan was doomed to fail.
To Victoria, he whispered, “You have to tell me what's happening. We only have a few more seconds.” He took the opportunity to pull out his small pocket knife and cut her bindings.
She seemed confused, but laid it all out for him in just a couple sentences. Her subterfuge was impressive.
He thought of Grandma's eloquent way of cussing.
“Oh my lands!”
Then he told her his secret.
Her mouth was hanging open in shock as the first expletives arose from the front yard.
4
“VERY FUNNY, LIAM!”
“Liam, listen. Your parents are inside, but they aren't alone. Trust me, you can't go in right now.”
“DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU I WAS DONE WITH YOUR GAMES!”
“So what do we do? Are we just going to stand here with this Humvee in my yard?”
Victoria didn't have an answer. Everything was in flux fo
r both of them. Planning was impossible in such circumstances. Liam had to improvise.
“I trust you. What do you want to do?”
Victoria looked at him, relaxing slightly. Then a smile appeared on her face, quite incongruous with the situation around them. “Run!” She sprinted like she was in a race.
Liam noticed she was wearing running shoes instead of her broken flats. She ran directly behind the Humvee and behind the next door neighbor's house. Liam stayed close behind. She dropped behind a small patio wall to take stock of things. They were temporarily safe from the soldiers. Even those in the woods wouldn't have a clean shot at them.
The shooting started.
They both dropped their heads instinctively, but Victoria was first to pop back up. “They aren't shooting at us!”
Liam raised his head. He could just see the back of the Humvee from his vantage point.
Some loud pops came from inside Liam's perforated home. There were shots also coming from the woods.
The Humvees immediately moved forward into the front yards. No doubt escaping the firepower coming from the woods behind them.
Over it all, he could hear Hayes cussing.
“Serves him right.”
A few moments later, Liam was ecstatic to see his mom and dad crawl out of the massive hole in the backside of their house, followed closely by Phil. All three were covered in blood from inside the house. They came to rest low against the foundation, much as he and Victoria were low behind the patio wall.
Just in time, too. A massive barrage of gunfire came through the house. The Humvees had obviously recovered from the surprise and were dishing out the heavy stuff in retaliation.
The slope of the front yard was such that the bullets traveling into and through the house were going ten or fifteen feet over the heads of the people in the woods behind the home. Liam could see those folks now scrambling to escape any stray bullets or ricochets. A 50 cal deflection to the body would be a death sentence.
Victoria tapped Liam's shoulder. The noise of battle was still loud, but not deafening. “Follow me! Let's see what's happening in the front.”
“But my parents!”
Together, they watched as his parents continued to lay low against the concrete foundation. They would be safe there for the time being. They were pinned down. They couldn't run to the woods for fear of getting a round in the back. They couldn't run between the houses because of the open corridor currently being peppered with heavy duty rounds.
Since The Sirens Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 54