Margie, Cady’s mom, moved in and out of Scott’s field of view, seriousness creasing her brow. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun and she looked more tired than Scott felt. Which was saying something.
She glanced at his face then did a double-take. She paused what she was doing and moved in close, speaking slowly. “I’m glad you’re awake. I had to dress the wound to get it to stop bleeding and then we all got some sleep. I don’t have the eyes I used to have, but I’m going to stitch you up and we’ll hope it works.” She smiled and patted his shoulder. Her touch was confident and reassuring.
“You… did your husband make it then?” Scott’s parched throat didn’t want to work. He licked his lips and swallowed. Margie had said them or we or something that would suggest more than just her.
Margie’s movements stilled and then she returned to dressing his leg, keeping her eyes averted. “No. David… He didn’t make it.” She pressed her lips together and ducked her head, bright pink spots high on the balls of her cheeks.
Scott closed his eyes and nodded. For whatever reason Margie wasn’t saying more and he didn’t have the energy to press. Plus, if she had half the pain in her life over the last few weeks that Scott did, he didn’t want to pry. Some things were better left alone.
“Okay, you’re done. I’m going to help you sit up and then I want you to fill me in on some things.” Margie leaned over him and slid her arm under his shoulders, lifting him up. “Take a second. You’ve lost a lot of blood and you’re going to be disoriented for a minute. Here, drink this.” She handed him a small bottle of red Gatorade.
Scott pressed his hand to his forehead and waited for the wave of nausea and dizziness to pass. He sipped the drink and felt better in moments. Waiting for his eyes to adjust, he finally took the opportunity to look around the room. Margie sank onto the cushion beside him. They were on Cady’s couch in Cady’s living room – where Cady no longer lived.
A teenage boy with dark coloring sat on the other couch, his hands clasped tightly in his lap and his worried expression more like a frown than anything else.
“This is Ryker. He’s… a friend.” Margie offered a smile at the young man.
Scott stared at Ryker. There was something about him that Scott had seen in Jason, a gentleness about the eyes. Something… He realized he was staring and he inclined his head carefully. “”I’m sorry. It’s nice to meet you, Ryker.” The boy reminded him of his nephew and that saddened Scott. He turned questioning eyes toward Margie. “Where’ve you been? The girls were so worried… I wish I could see their faces.”
“I was trying to get here.” Margie held up a hand, half-shaking her head. “My turn first. Where’s Cady and Bailey? Are they…” For the first time Margie’s vulnerability showed in the quiver of her lower lip and the mistiness of eyes. She lifted her chin. “Are my daughter and granddaughter dead? Now, be honest. I can take it.”
Scott held her gaze, determined not to sugar-coat anything. “No. At least as of the last time I saw them they were alive. They’ve headed back to your place.” Cady was determined to keep her daughter safe – no matter what it cost Cady.
Margie’s face paled and her eyes widened. She reached out a hand to no one in particular but used it to steady herself on the back of the couch. “No.” She shook her head and shouted it again. “No!” Her voice quivering, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and hanging her head. “They couldn’t be headed to my place. We were coming here to be safe.”
“Not here. We can’t stay here anymore. It’s not safe here. Cady said you were fairly remote and set up better than she is. I… I stayed when I should have gone with them.” Scott shook his head. “So many have died. I wouldn’t have gotten injured, if I hadn’t stayed.”
“If you hadn’t stayed, we would have driven into a terrible situation. I’m glad you’re here.” Margie nodded, straightening up and stretching her neck to the side, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “There are more dead than we can guess at. There are even more dying left and right because of the wrong types of people being let loose to do whatever they want.”
They sat there in silence for another moment.
Scott rested his hand on the bandaged place Margie had treated on his leg. “I’m glad you came, then. We need to figure out a way to make this place steadier.”
“No. You don’t understand. It’s not safe up at my place.” Margie’s words sent a shaft of frozen fear through his chest. She motioned with her hands while she spoke, her fingers trembling. “There’s a group… They’re radicals. If there are enough of them still alive after the virus, the Gulch isn’t going to be the same place she probably remembers.”
“What are you talking about?” Scott blinked hard, fighting the fuzziness in his vision as he tried to focus on Margie.
“A prepper group up in our neighborhood, I guess you would call it. They were intense. Cady never could understand why David and I kept our distance. The head of the group was charged with rape multiple times but was never found guilty because of a lack of testimonies.” Margie inhaled and exhaled, closing her eyes for a swift second.
They sat in silence for a moment and then Margie slapped her lower thighs, just above her knees, with both hands and stood up. “Well then, we can’t stay here. We’ve got to get to Cady and Bailey before they get to the homestead.” Margie turned to Ryker. “There’s an expedition out there. Load up as much as you can find. I’ll open the crawlspace to get the most we can. Guns and ammunition first. I’ll get Scott to the rig and then help you get more.”
Scott cleared his throat. “I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience, but I need to take my dog. I can’t leave him again.” Scott gritted his teeth. Things were moving too fast but at least he was heading toward Cady and keeping his niece safe. He had a lot of mistakes to make up for, but at least he could do something about that one.
Scott responded to Margie’s take charge attitude. He needed that right then. He would just question his decisions. If he could rely on someone else, he wouldn’t be frozen to move, to act.
Cady was in danger, if Margie was correct. Scott wasn’t sure where he and Cady stood, but he couldn’t let her die or be in danger while she’d taken on his niece and gone off on her own with her daughter. That wasn’t how he was going to meet his Maker. He had enough regrets. He could at least try to remove some of them.
Thanks to Margie, he would have a chance to try to fix something he’d messed up. He would tell Margie later how much he appreciated her showing up and taking him on.
Right then, he had to help get his injured self out to the car. They had a trio to save.
Chapter 21
Perry
The wall wasn’t going up nearly fast enough. The women were pushing back since five of them had taken a dive off the ledge and killed themselves. If they wanted to have a completely safe place to live, they needed to close themselves off from the rest of the crazy world. Who knew what was coming after the virus.
Dick approached with a mincing manner, his hands held to his chest and a simpering curve to his lips. The man was annoying and Perry couldn’t wait to kill him. And kill him he would. It was only a matter of time.
Rolling his eyes, Perry half turned to Dick. He didn’t bother hiding his derision for the man any longer. “What do you want?”
Eyes shifting around the semi-circular wall going up, Dick licked his over-sized lips. “Ted, the night scout said he was coming up from town on rounds and there were two women in the woods by the old Parks place. When he doubled back after putting down his loot to grab them, they were gone. He searched for them, but he couldn’t find any sign. He suggested they might be in with Old Dusty, but he wasn’t prepared to go against the old guy by himself.” Dick rolled his eyes like his opinion of Ted was low, but they both knew that if Dick had been in Ted’s place, he wouldn’t have even doubled back to get the girls.
Dusty Parks was fearsome and Perry had given him wide berth.
Until
now.
“There’s our new workers. Two is better than none.” Perry narrowed his eyes, excitement growing in his chest. More women. And they wouldn’t be used like the camp ones already. The time for mercy was at end. He had to tighten up the reigns and start getting rid of the loose ends.
If the men wouldn’t do as they were instructed, then Perry would start adding them to the worker list. If they wouldn’t contribute there, then he’d walk them off the same ledge as the women.
Perry didn’t care what people thought, so long as they did what they were told. He had to protect them from the world.
Chapter 22
White House
Danvers, the old security guard, and Jenkins, an assistant to the Press Secretary stood on the lawn of the White House in the rays of the sinking sun. Green grass that had, for the first time in generations, grown up to reach mid-calf was thick and fragrant.
“Do you think we’ll be able to rebuild?” Danver’s voice was husky, permanently ruined by the effects of the virus. At least he’d survived. He’d been too tired to seek out the Cure and so he hadn’t suffered its side effects.
“With what? At least the Vice President isn’t dead, but that doesn’t mean anything. We need military and people to do the work. We can’t do it all by ourselves.” Jenkins glanced at his new acquaintance. “What if we just walked away? No one would know.”
“We would know. And do what? Where would we go? What would we do?” Danvers slumped his shoulders. No matter what they did, it wouldn’t be easy. They needed manpower. They needed governmental leadership. At what point would another country get back on their feet and decide America was what they wanted?
No one would be in a position to stop the takeover.
No, no matter what they did, it wouldn’t be easy. Rebuilding never was.
~~~
Find out who survives another day in Death Days, book 10 in the 180 Days and Counting… Series.
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Book 10 180 Days and Counting… Series is crazy. Cady and Margie are getting close, but will they make it in time to save Bailey and each other?
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***BR Paulson Books***
180 DAYS AND COUNTING… SERIES
No Time, bk 1
Last Chance, bk 2
Hold On, bk 3
Too Late, bk 4
Look Away, bk 5
Find Them, bk6
Try Hard, bk 7
Move On, bk 8
Fit In, bk 9
Death Days, bk 10
Long Gone, bk 11
No More, bk 12
WORTH OF SOULS SERIES
Cost of Survival, bk 1
Exchange Rate, bk 2
Worth of Souls, bk 3
BoxSet books 1 - 3
INTO THE END SERIES
Into the End, bk1
Through the Flames, bk 2
Out of the Ashes, bk 3
BoxSet books 1 - 3
BARELY ALIVE SERIES
Barely Alive, bk 1
Falling Apart, bk 2
Mostly Dead, bk 3
Viral Intent
BoxSet books 1 - 4
Copyright © 2018 Bonnie R. Paulson/Captiva Publishing, LLC/B.R. Paulson
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180 Days and Counting... Series Box Set books 7 - 9 Page 27