"Are you bitten?" Alex asked, working to keep her voice calm.
"Nope. Just been fighting to survive like everyone else," the man in the back replied, sounding offended.
"Where are you going?" The man in the passenger seat asked.
"I need to find my friend. He drew away the dead so I could get to you guys."
Alex didn't miss the look between the men, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Something wasn't right with these men. She immediately knew she needed to find Marcus so together they could get rid of the men that they had just worked hard to save. She circled around the horde, drawing their attention as she passed. Luckily there didn't seem to be any more fast infected, so she easily drove away from the dead as they turned toward the truck. She could see where the line of infected seemed to lead, and she turned the truck that way.
"Stop the truck," a cold voice came from the back seat.
Alex looked up into the mirror and saw the man staring at her and sitting forward in the seat. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and Alex immediately began thinking about plans of how to get him out of the truck, by any means necessary. A flash of metal caught her attention and when she looked back again to focus, she felt the barrel of a gun as it pressed against the back of her head.
"Bitch, I said stop the truck," the man said again.
She complied, realizing too late what her mistake had been. Without backup, she never should've allowed two strangers into the truck. She slowed the truck to a stop and made sure to keep her hands on the steering wheel.
"Take whatever you want. There's plenty," she said quietly.
Though she knew she had made the erroneous decision to let the men into the truck, cold rage brewed inside her at the insult of being held at gunpoint. Typically, Alex didn't wish harm on people, a fact that had changed over the months since the plague started. Now in her mind she was wondering why she hadn't allowed the infected to rip apart the men.
"We don't want just your supplies. You're going to drive us where we want. Follow Jackson's directions," the man from the backseat said.
"Jackson?"
"That's me," the man in the front seat replied, sounding uncomfortable with the situation. Despite that, he did nothing to try to help Alex. Instead, he reached across her to remove her knife from its sheath and then her gun. He threw both into the back seat, far from Alex's reach. Mentally she cursed, wondering what else was within the truck that she could use as a weapon without moving far.
Jackson instructed her to turn the opposite direction of the infected horde, away from Marcus. She didn't immediately comply, her mind still trying to figure out a way to dispose of the men. The man in the back pushed the gun against her skull harder.
"We have no problem killing you and just taking the supplies."
Alex decided to give herself more time to plan, and she turned the truck the way Jackson pointed. He had her winding down small roads in town and through alleyways. All the while the man with the gun didn't speak and his gun didn't move. Alex tried to sit as still as possible except her arms as she drove, afraid the man could have a nervous trigger finger. She evaluated them both more as they drove. The filth she had noted before told her they hadn't lived well since the plague started. Their actions seemed to be out of desperation. She thought that was something she could work with.
"Look, I get it. These are hard times. You two have obviously struggled. I can drop you wherever you want. You can take anything you want from the truck, all of it if that's what you want to do," Alex said.
"Slow down and turn here," Jackson replied. Both men ignored Alex's attempt to negotiate.
Alex followed the instructions, but as soon as she made the turn, she realized they had led her down a dead-end street. She let the truck roll to the end, but when they ran out of road she stopped.
"Turn the truck off," the man with the gun said.
"You guys can just get out. I won't follow you," she replied, without moving to turn off the engine.
She had been looking at Jackson and slowly trying to turn to see the man in the back, when there was a tap at her window. The noise caused her to jump. When she swung her gaze back, she saw they were no longer alone. Though they were stopped at a dead end, beyond the barrier in the road, there was an open space behind buildings. Alex assumed the men that now stepped up to stand around the Bronco must have come from there. The one tapping on her window was doing so with a gun that he now pointed at her face.
"Turn the truck off," the man said loudly to be heard through the window.
With a turn of her wrist, she shut off the vehicle and put both hands back on the wheel. She had no weapons on her, except her own body. While she knew that she was a formidable opponent, she knew she couldn't take the five men outside the truck on her own. And she had a feeling that they would shoot her if she became too difficult. She didn't want to put herself in that position. Her mind raced and images of her children flashed across her thoughts. Billie and Henry, then Easton and Candace. Part of her was thankful they were safe on the compound with people that would love and care for them. The other part of her was furious these men thought to threaten her and take her away from them.
Alex was still not sure what the entire plan was of the men, but the one outside her window indicated to the lock on the door. She hit the button that unlocked her side. The door was opened immediately, and the man reached in to pull her out. Jackson hit the button on her seatbelt quickly, making it easy for the outside man to yank Alex to her feet. She stood, staring at the man, giving no indication of weakness or fear. Though she did feel fear deep in her stomach. These men looked a lot like Jackson and the second man in her truck. Dirty, suffering from malnutrition, twitchy.
"Bo, get out of there," the man said loudly. Alex noted the second name, keeping track of who was who.
"Take the truck. I'll walk away," Alex said.
"You were taking supplies from The Noble Lord," Bo said as he climbed over the driver's side seat.
"I'm sorry, the who?" Alex asked, completely perplexed.
"The Noble Lord and he's taken control of this area," the man standing in front of her with the gun said.
"And you are?" Alex asked.
"Lewis, not that it matters."
"Ok, Lewis, well I'm not sure who this Noble Lord person is, but as far as I do know we still live in the United States of America, and we don't have Noble Lords here."
Nervous laughter seemed to come from all the men. She looked around at them. What she had previously figured was twitchy from being hungry or thirsty, she now figured was some kind of ill effect of drug withdrawal. Lewis was close enough for her to see his eyes, his pupils were slightly dilated despite the fact the sun was high in the sky. The fear in her gut rose a few levels, because she realized trying to be rational with a group of addicts was going to be harder than she hoped.
"Have you seen anyone from the government in the last few months, lady?"
"Doesn't mean they aren't there," Alex said.
"Well, while they're hiding in whatever mountains they have, the Noble Lord has been taking care of people around here," Lewis said.
"I've been here this whole time and I've never heard of this person," Alex replied.
"Doesn't matter. You were taking his supplies, so now we're taking you to him," Lewis said.
Alex didn't like the sound of that. She immediately moved her body into a more relaxed fighting stance. And she waited. She knew one of them would make the first move. They didn't know what or who they were messing with by trying to take her. And she had no problem breaking some of them when they tried. Her shift seemed to have gone unnoticed, and she guessed it was because they were all more concerned with other things, such as her body and drugs. She hadn't missed some of the more lustful looks she had garnered. It was the end of the world, that didn't surprise her. However, she was more concerned about what they would do about this interest.
The nod from Lewis was the only warning Alex had th
at something was happening. She glanced over her shoulder to see Bo, who had put his gun away somewhere, start to move toward her. With no hesitation, Alex spun and hit in him in the face with a fast jab, striking him on his nose. She knew it probably wouldn't break the bones, but it would make his eyes water enough for her to continue her attack. Bo cried out and went to grab his face. But before his arms could come up, Alex kicked him squarely in the groin and the man crashed to the ground. She pulled her foot back and kicked him again, this time in the stomach, causing all the wind to whoosh from his mouth. He no longer made any noises, and he struggled to get any air into his lungs.
As she prepared for the next strike, she was grabbed from behind and Lewis started barking orders.
"Get me something to tie her up with! Where's the hood?"
Alex was disgusted by the smell of the man and his hands on her. Fury rose to extinguish some of the fear. All of her self-defense instincts came to the surface, giving her fuel. Without warning, Alex snapped her head back and connected with Lewis’ face, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone as she connected. Pain in her own head was minimal and easy for her to handle. As soon as he instinctively let go of one of her arms, Alex made her next move. Turning quickly, she rotated her wrist and grabbed his arm with the hand he held. She yanked him closer to her as she pivoted and swung her free elbow to connected with his temple. The strike was direct and with power and he collapsed immediately.
A loud shot sounded, and Alex ducked, thinking she was being shot at. She was just about to turn and run for the Bronco when she realized the shot came from Bo. Blood dripped from his nose and he bent slightly at the waist holding his groin with one hand. The gun was back in his hand and no longer pointed at the sky, it was pointed directly at her face.
"If you think for a moment I care about killing you, you are wrong," he croaked out.
"Then do it!" Alex said.
"While I would enjoy it, The Noble Lord wouldn't like me getting rid of such a specimen. We'll let him decide what to do with you," Bo said with a sneer at her.
"So, this guy has control over you? You're that weak?" Alex said. She was goading him, hoping he would strike out at her and she could find a way to grab his gun. But he just sneered at her, letting her know he was aware of her plan.
As she stood there staring at Bo, her world went dark as a black hood was pulled over her head. Her arms were roughly pulled behind her, by more than one man this time. The metal clinking of handcuffs met her ears as she felt them encircle her wrists. She began to fight, her protection response going into overdrive as she knew the handcuffs would prevent her from escaping. But she was roughly moved around and pushed against what she assumed was the side of the Bronco. One held her head, pushing her cheek into the unmovable object. Her thumb was grabbed by another and the way he pulled made her squeak in pain. Loud laughter answered that, and Alex knew with a nauseous feeling that these men enjoyed hurting people.
"Move her to the van. Load all this stuff in there too. The Noble Lord is going to want what she was trying to steal."
"It's not stealing. It's surviving," Alex said, though it was muffled by the hood and pressure on her face.
She was suddenly released, and she stumbled a bit. The hands on her arms increased pressure keeping her on her feet. She tried to get her bearings, but the hood effectively cut her off from seeing anything. Even with the sun high in the sky, shining brightly, she couldn't even make out shapes.
"Get Lewis up. We need to go. That horde will show up again," Bo said.
The moan that came from the ground told Alex that Lewis was coming around. The fact that he had dropped out cold gave her pure satisfaction. The dark part of her wished she had done more. The men all spoke quietly to each other, Alex only catching snippets. She heard another engine, and she assumed it was the van Bo spoke of. Thinking of this van, Alex remembered the vehicle she and Marcus had seen earlier in the morning. It had been driving erratically, possibly like a driver under the influence of something. And if these men were out taking people, there was no knowing who or what else was in the van.
"That bitch!" Lewis suddenly screamed.
"Ah, is Lewis awake? Good morning there, little buddy," Alex said.
She was being patronizing, hoping someone would come at her so she could find a tool for escaping. She was abruptly released and thrown into the side of the truck. Grunts and the sound of shuffling feet met her ears. Using her handcuffed hands, she led herself to the end of the Bronco. She pictured the alley in her mind and knew where they had stopped there was a wall about five feet from the right side of the truck. When she was sure she was at the right back corner, she began to walk that way. The men were distracting themselves and no one seemed to realize she was moving.
When she met the wall, she almost cried out thinking she ran into someone else. But when she turned and ran her fingers along it, she felt stucco from a building wall. As she walked, she bent at the waist, trying to see if she could get the hood off without stopping. She could hear the fighting behind her, Lewis angrily wanting to kill Alex and the rest of the men trying to calm him. She knew it was only a slim chance that she was going to escape and the idea of getting away made her move faster than was safe.
There was no way for her to see the man that had headed her off and waited for to get near. His leg across her path caused her to fall forward. Without her hands to help her fall, Alex tried to twist so she hit her shoulder instead of her face. She couldn't stop the cry that came from her throat at the extreme impact she felt shaking through her bones. Pain screamed through her shoulder and the side of her head that had bounced off the asphalt. She didn't quite get her breath back before the man standing above her kicked her sharply in the stomach.
Alex curled in on herself, her arms preventing her from protecting her body. She gasped, trying to get air through the hood. She felt like she was choking and was near passing out. Everything was dark but she could still tell she was seeing black spots in her vision. You cannot pass out. Breathe! Alex screamed at herself. She wanted to be awake for whatever was coming. The idea of being unconscious around her attempted abductors made her feel even more fear.
A hand roughly grabbed her by her belt, halfway hauling her to her feet. Additional hands grabbed at her shoulders and legs until she was being carried. She began to kick and squirm, refusing to make the kidnapping easy. Then she began to scream. Nothing at first, just sound. Then panic started to settle, and Marcus's name tore from her throat. Her body was jostled, the men fighting against her attempt to escape.
"If she doesn't shut up, we're going to be surrounded soon," one man called over her screaming.
"Woman, stop your damn yelling or I will drop you in the middle of a horde myself," Bo hissed at her, his hot breath breaking through her hood. She turned away from the smell of him, too close to her for comfort.
She didn't want to be quiet. She didn't want to make it easy for them. But she knew in the back of her mind that Bo wasn't wrong. The more noise she made, the more likely the horde would find them. They were too far away for Marcus to hear her screaming. Alex had a sinking feeling that she was on her own. Without weapons and being tied up, she wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this one. Calm, be calm, Alex thought to herself. She thought of the lessons her father had taught her. Panicking was never going to help anything.
The sound of a sliding door came to Alex's ears. She was roughly tossed onto the floor of what she assumed was the van. Her already injured shoulder radiated pain, her headed pounded and Alex had to grit her teeth against a scream that wanted to escape. She was thankful that she didn't seem to have a concussion. Though, she was sure if Charlie had been around, she would have ordered Alex to bed. Alex could feel warmth on her shoulder. She tried to shift so she wasn't laying on the wound, which she was sure was a pretty picture of asphalt rash. A quiet crying made Alex freeze in her movements. She lifted her head trying to listen.
"Hello?" Alex said. There was no answer,
except the hiccuping sounds of someone trying to stifle sobs.
"Hello?" She said more forcibly this time.
"Shh! They'll hear you," came the soft reply.
"What do they do if you talk?" Alex asked.
"Nothing you want to know about," the voice replied.
Alex could tell she was a young woman, her voice soft and pretty. She tried to push her hood up, using her uninjured shoulder. But she couldn't get a good enough angle. She wanted to see the inside of the van, she wanted to see who she was sitting with, and she wanted to see what the men were doing. As she thought about that, she felt the vehicle shift and the sound of things being moved. Alex could guess that they were loading all the supplies she and Marcus had in the Bronco. Clearly, they believed she was stealing from this Noble Lord they referred to. Her legs were roughly shoved to the side, and she felt her knees collide with something soft. The quiet sound of air whooshing between lips could be heard and Alex tried to pull herself to a sitting position.
"Sorry," Alex whispered.
"Not your fault," the woman replied.
"I'm Alex."
"Doesn't matter."
"Of course, names matter. It's a part of who we are. Humans aren't that lost," Alex said softly.
She pushed herself backwards with her feet. Finally, her back met with the metal wall of the van. She could feel the woman sitting next to her, their shoulders touching now. Alex bumped her softly, trying to encourage her to talk.
"Leona, my name is or was Leona," the woman finally said.
"Was?"
"The Noble Lord names his pets as he chooses."
"Pets?"
A shiver ran down Alex's spine, thinking of what Leona meant by pet. It didn't take much imagination to think of what this Noble Lord wanted from his pets.
"Yes. The ones he likes. He renames us. He calls me Bambi."
Alex didn't reply, and she withheld the laugh that bubbled up at the name. The given name sounded right out of a porn movie that she would be willing to bet the Noble Lord enjoyed. Leona sounded resigned to her fate, and it struck Alex as sad. The woman sounded broken and weary.
Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment Page 9