“Sure,” Kate said turning as the guard opened the door and straightened his spine as we walked by him. There was definitely more to Joel’s story, but there wasn’t time for Kate to gather clues because it was time to do what they came to do.
They entered a large room with a sofa and several chairs. Paintings of various landscapes hung on the wall depicting the scenery before the disease spread through the population. It reminded Kate of her home before, plain and simple because there wasn’t much a single person could afford on a receptionist’s salary.
There were two rooms at the back both of them with the doors closed. A man sat at a kitchen table, a gun inches from his slowly drumming fingers. He kept his eyes glued to us.
Kate’s stomach was in knots as she looked at Rosalie sitting in a chair with her legs crossed tightly together. Her hands were folded in her lap, and her smile was almost as fake as the one Simon often wore.
“I understand my brother sent you?” Rosalie said looking at them one after the other. She paused on Benji. “Welcome back!”
She slowly uncrossed her legs and stood up. Kate’s body stiffened when Rosalie wrapped her arms around Benji.
“You look well,” she said. “Guess my brother is taking good care of you.”
Brother? Was that just a figure of speech or did she actually mean she was related to Simon? Ethan and Kate connected eyes, and as if he could read her mind, he shrugged in response to her unasked questions.
“I’m good,” Benji said as he nervously ran his hand through his hair. His sudden shyness was no doubt due to Rosalie’s beauty. The woman looked nothing like Simon.
“Here,” Ethan said handing her the box. “This is from Simon.”
“He shouldn’t have,” she said setting the box down on a small table next to the chair she’d been sitting in.
And then, as if Kate couldn’t stop herself, her mouth opened. “Are you and Simon really siblings?”
Rosalie laughed. “He didn’t tell you? I’m not surprised. My brother can be, well, I don’t know how to put it so I’ll opt to just stop talking about him.”
“You should open the package,” Joel said, and Kate’s mouth dropped open. Ethan’s body tensed.
“I’ll do that later,” Rosalie said attempting to hide the slight quiver to her lower lip.
“He wanted me to make sure you opened it before we left,” Joel said.
Kate’s pulse quickened. Her fingers were trembling just above her knife as her eyes darted around. She couldn’t figure out what was happening and fear was setting in.
Rosalie didn’t take her eyes off of Joel, except for the quick glance at the guy at her table. He was slowly gripping his gun as he pushed himself out of the chair.
“Do you know what’s inside?” Rosalie asked trying to keep her tone cool, but it was obvious it was far from it.
Joel’s expression was blank. “He just said you needed to open it.”
“Oh, my dear brother,” Rosalie said forcing a smile when it looked more like she wanted to cry. “Okay then… if Simon wants me to, I guess I have no choice. He always gets what he wants doesn’t he?”
Rosalie looked up and locked eyes with Kate for a moment. Kate swallowed down the lump that had formed at the back of her throat.
Rosalie reached over and peeled the tape off the box. Her fingers shook as she pulled back the sides of the top of the beat-up cardboard.
Something fluttered inside causing the box to wiggle side to side. Kate gripped her gun. A small brown bird rose up out of the box and flapped its small wings close to the ceiling. It looked almost as frightened as Rosalie did.
“A bird?” Rosalie asked looking inside of the box. “Oh, shit.”
“What is it?” the guy from the table asked.
“Another one… and it’s dead.” Rosalie pressed her lips together as she stared into the box.
Joel took several steps forward. It looked as though he wanted to see for himself what was inside the box, but instead of looking down, he grabbed Rosalie’s hair and pulled her head back.
Her panicked eyes settled on Kate as Joel slid the blade across her neck.
12
Rosalie’s body dropped to the floor, and the guy that had been sitting at the table aimed his gun at Joel. And then at Kate. And then at Ethan before shifting it back to Joel.
“Is she dead?” he screeched so loudly the two guards that had been outside the door entered.
They both looked around trying to take in the situation. Ethan moved quickly to close the door behind them.
“What’s going on in here?” one of them asked, his eyebrows pressed together to make a straight line.
“He just killed her!” the guy at the table shouted. It wasn’t even a second before his body jerked back, and his eyes widened. Blood started oozing out of his forehead before the man collapsed to the ground with a hard thud.
Kate looked over her shoulder and watched as Ethan aimed his gun at the guard closest to him. The guard tried to raise his gun, but a loud pop came from Ethan’s gun before the guard could do anything.
Kate aimed her gun at the last guard standing, pulling her trigger at nearly the exact same time Ethan had. The guard put his hand over his chest and took a step back into a cabinet. His rifle dropped to the ground as the guard slid down the wall to the ground.
Ethan turned toward Joel and readjusted his grip.
“What the hell was that all about?” Ethan asked in a low voice.
“We should get out of here,” Kate said. “The others are going to wonder about the gunshots.”
“Simon made me do it!” Joel said as he raised his hands up. “Please don’t kill me. My wife. My kids! I can explain.”
Ethan shot Kate a look, and she nodded. He growled as he jerked his head toward the door.
“Let’s go,” Ethan said. He slowly opened the door, his head moving as he scanned the area. “Clear.”
Kate knew they had to move fast. It wouldn’t be long before more people would come to see what the gunshots were about.
Ethan held the door and waved his hand. “Go, go, go!”
The group ran down the road back toward the pickup truck. Kate and Ethan ran at the back of the group, Kate keeping her gun aimed at Joel.
As they ran by one of the smaller buildings a short, older man stepped out. The second he saw the gun, he turned and went back inside. Kate could hear the door lock flip into place.
“What are we going to do?” Ethan asked between breaths.
“I have no idea,” Kate answered. Sounds of people coming behind them started to fill the air. It wouldn’t be long until they discovered what happened, and they’d come after them.
“Jesus Christ,” Ethan said grabbing Kate’s free hand. “You’re driving.”
“Me? Why?”
“You’ll see.” Ethan closed her hand around the key and picked up his pace. He grabbed Joel’s collar and held on to him tightly.
Kate could see the truck, but she didn’t feel at all relieved. They could be five miles down the road, and Kate still wouldn’t feel any sense of relief.
When they got to the truck, Kate climbed into the driver’s seat and quickly put the key in the ignition. Ethan opened the passenger side door, stuffing Joel inside the truck. Once Joel was inside, Ethan disarmed him with ease.
The second everyone was inside the truck, Kate shifted into reverse. She stepped on the gas but was immediately forced to brake when another pickup pulled into the parking lot. It was a truck she’d recognized.
“What the—”
“Hey, careful!” the driver shouted, wearing a big smile on his face. “Where’s the fire?”
The group of six he had inside the truck with him busted out laughing. Kate looked back down the road expecting to see a lynch mob chasing after them, but all she saw were curious people, looking around still trying to figure out what was going on.
One of the men jumped out of the back of the other pickup and stepped up to Kate’s wind
ow. He tapped the door with his knuckles.
“Did everything go according to plan?” he asked.
“Depends what the fucking plan was,” Ethan growled.
Kate realized the man wasn’t looking at Ethan, he was looking at Joel.
“Yes,” Joel said, his dirt covered fingers moving awkwardly up and down his pants.
“Simon will be pleased,” the guy said. “Well off you go then we have this under control.”
“Under control?” Kate asked. “They’re going to be pissed when they—”
The man clicked his tongue. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. You’re looking at the new leaders of the east.”
“Leader,” a tall, thin man Kate had seen before said as he hopped out of the passenger side of the truck. He walked over to the truck and stuck his hand into the window. “I’m Jet.”
Kate didn’t say anything. She hadn’t even wanted to take his hand, but since she was still in a strange state of shock, she took it.
“You’re Kate,” he said.
She swallowed as she watched his eyes move down her neck stopping at her chest.
“Boy, wish I had you on our eradication team.” The thin man cleared his throat. “Suppose you should be on your way. Simon’s waiting for the report. Tell him we arrived and that everything is going to be okay.”
“We will,” Kate said finally finding her voice.
Kate drove away gripping the wheel tightly, so her nerves didn’t show. She had to keep it together. Even though she wanted to turn the truck down another road leading away from The Way and Simon, she forced herself to stay on the path. She didn’t have a choice.
“Explain yourself,” Ethan said, as he tucked his gun away and pulled out his blade.
“Please don’t kill me,” Joel said in a shaky voice.
“I promise nothing,” Ethan said. “Don’t make me ask again, explain to us what happened back there.”
Joel held up his palms and then pressed them hard against his thighs. “I didn’t want to… I didn’t know what I was doing. Simon made me do it.”
“How could he make you do it?” Ethan asked, but his eyes met with Kate’s for a split second. They both knew it wouldn’t have been hard for Simon to convince him to kill Rosalie.
“He has my wife. My kids. Simon said if I do this he’ll release them, and let us go,” Joel said.
Kate didn’t remember seeing anyone new in the town except for Simon. “What makes you think Simon has your wife?”
“Men took them in the night… I followed them, and they led me to the fence,” Joel said. “I know they’re somewhere inside. When Simon’s men dragged me in, I asked about them. Simon told me if I do this I can have them back, and we’ll be free to leave.”
Kate stared at the road. Joel could have been telling the truth. He seemed nervous, even desperate. It wouldn’t take much to convince a man in Joel’s shoes to kill even without his family as a reward.
“I just want to see them again,” Joel said lowering his head.
“Fuck,” Ethan said releasing his tight hold on Joel’s arm.
“You’re not going to kill me?” Joel asked.
Ethan shook his head. “Guess I can’t.”
Kate narrowed her eyes at Ethan. Ethan almost seemed disappointed.
“What?” Ethan said with a darkness in his eyes. “I’m pissed off we weren’t in on the plan. We’re lucky to be alive.”
Kate didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say. Her mind was focused on what was to come. Soon she’d have to look at Simon while he grinned about the death of his sister. A death, rather a murder, that he planned. And Kate would be forced to stand there, accepting it all as the way things were under Simon’s rule.
“Please,” Joel said, “try to understand. I’m not a murderer. I’ve killed those creatures, but never another person. It’s my family… I’d do anything for them.”
Kate nodded, but she didn’t know what to say. That kind of feeling wasn’t something she was familiar with. She was alone now, and before the disease, she’d been mostly alone then.
Ethan slammed his fist into the side of the door startling both Kate and Joel. He ran his hand down his face stopping at his beard and squeezing his chin between his fingers.
“This just fucking sucks,” Ethan said.
“It’s going to be fine,” Kate said, letting out a slow breath. “Everything went according to Simon’s plan. He’s going to be thrilled.”
Joel looked back and forth between Kate and Ethan. If he wanted to say something he kept his mouth closed.
“And that’s what we want,” Kate said forcing a smile on her face hoping it looked authentic. “Is for Simon to be happy.”
“Right,” Ethan said, but his tone wavered.
Kate looked over at Ethan. It seemed as though he was looking at something but Kate couldn’t figure out what he was seeing.
“Look out!” Joel said.
Kate’s eyes shifted forward. She tried to swerve, but the left front bumper smacked right into one of The Unholy. It flopped hard to the ground, and there wasn’t anything Kate could do to avoid running over it with her back tire. The truck rose up and then bounced back down as they passed over the body of The Unholy.
“Everyone okay?” Ethan called out as he looked out the back window.
“We’re good,” Benji responded.
“Sorry,” Kate said, but it hadn’t been loud enough that anyone besides Joel and Ethan would have heard.
They drove for several minutes in silence. Ethan leaned forward slightly.
“There’s more of them around than usual it seems,” he said holding on to the dash with his hand. “Look at them out there.”
“Maybe because we didn’t work today,” Kate said, but she was mostly joking not that it was apparent in her tone.
“Maybe,” Ethan said squinting at something in the distance. It wasn’t much longer before Kate spotted the back entrance of the fence. The one she and Ethan had taken when they went out to spy on Rosalie. If they hadn’t gone, or if they had lied, Rosalie would probably still be alive.
It wouldn’t take long before the road they were on would take them to the front entrance where they’d pull in and park. After that, it was just a short walk to report to Simon. Kate’s heartbeat seemed to quicken.
Several trees and bushes blocked the town from view. Kate saw the crossroad ahead and considered slamming her foot down on the gas. All she had to do was keep going.
Kate was sure she could get far enough away that Simon wouldn’t ever find her. But there was a big problem with her plan, and that was that she wasn’t alone. Even though the gang seemed stunned by what happened to Rosalie, they wouldn’t allow her to just take off.
Kate closed her eyes and turned left toward the town.
“Holy shit,” Ethan said, as he started to roll up his window. “Roll up your window, Kate.
He pounded his knuckles on the back window with a hard knock. Kate blinked several times before what she was seeing registered.
“Get ready boys!” Ethan shouted as he flipped Joel’s murder weapon around in his hand offering it back to Joel. “You’re going to need this.”
The gate had been pushed aside… broken. Bodies were sprawled out on the blood-splattered ground. Most of them appeared to be The Unholy, but the guards were also laying there among the corpses of the diseased.
The gate had been breached.
13
Kate drove over the bodies and parked the truck in front of the now broken gate. She slid out of the door and scanned the area while Joel and Ethan came out her door.
“We have to fix this,” Ethan said picking the part of the gate that was flopped over. “They can just climb the truck. Grab that rope.”
Kate followed Ethan’s eyes and picked up the thick rope that was laying on the ground a few feet away. Benji and Tommy helped Ethan hold up the fence while Wayne tied the rope.
Joel stood off to the side holding
his knife up, ready to stab anything that came his way.
“That’s going to have to do for now,” Ethan said pulling on the gate. “My guess is they never fixed it appropriately since the last time.”
“The last time?” Kate asked.
“It was a long time ago,” Ethan said nodding forward. “Let’s move.”
The group started moving through the town, looking up and down every road. There were bodies scattered down the roads, Kate had recognized many of the faces as people she’d seen around town.
“Help me!” a woman on the ground called out, her voice thick with fear. “Please!”
Ethan and Kate ran over to her but stopped when they saw her skin practically change before their eyes. Her veins filled with blackness.
“You have to help me,” she said, but it looked as though she could feel something happening. The woman looked down at her hand and rolled onto her side. “No, please! No! Do something!”
Kate saw her round pregnant belly, and she instantly recognized the woman. She’d seen her the night Simon announced they had trouble brewing.
“There has to be something you can do,” the woman pleaded as she tried to lift her arm up. It looked like it was turning into jelly as it fell heavily back to the ground.
Kate lowered herself to the ground, keeping her hand behind her back as she readied her blade.
“I can help,” she said. “Everything will be okay soon.”
“Oh, no!” the woman said trying to get away. “I know who you are!”
Kate easily pushed the woman’s face against the rough concrete. She plunged the blade into the back of her head and did what she was good at doing… eradicating the diseased one Unholy person at a time.
“Shit,” Kate whispered as she stood. It was easier when they were gone. When they couldn’t plead for their lives, but deep down Kate knew there was no way to save the woman. Sooner or later, and usually sooner, she would turn.
“Christ,” Ethan said as he spun in a slow circle. “There’s at least thirty so far.”
Falling Darkness Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller - Books 1-3 Page 8