I wasn’t sure how many days had gone by before we saw the grouping of houses come into view. It was like a small town with nothing but small roads, houses, and flooded fields.
“What kind of place is this?” Jenna asked.
“A ranch?” Allie questioned.
“Should we go another way?” Jenna wondered as she looked around nervously.
My mouth dried. I swallowed hard as I turned toward Allie. “This isn’t where you were held, is it?”
“No,” Allie said. “Nothing like this. I was in a town. An actual town.”
“That doesn’t mean those guys aren’t here,” Jenna said.
A young man stepped out onto the porch of one of the houses. He wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest but that didn’t mean much.
He said something to someone in the house. I couldn’t hear him but I could see his mouth moving.
“We should go,” Jenna said.
The young man nodded to the other person and walked over to us. He held up his hands as he approached.
“Hey,” he said. “Are you guys okay?”
“Yes,” Jenna said holding Cal tighter.
“Where are you coming from?” he asked.
I sighed. “Nowhere, really.”
“You all look tired,” he said sticking out his hand. “I’m Shawn. We’ve got a lot of space here if you want a place to stay.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said crossing my arms.
Shawn took a step back. “We’re good people here. I know that might be hard for you to believe but it’s true. There are other people here who took their time adjusting to our more normal way of life.”
“What do you make people do?” Allie asked.
“Nothing.” Shawn shrugged. “Most people do choose to pitch it once they adjust.”
I stared at him. There seemed to be nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Of course, that could be faked.
“How about you come inside and meet some of the others,” Shawn said with a smile. “You can sit down, have something to eat and drink. Your cat looks like she’d like to dry off. You all do.”
“I’m not sure,” I said looking at Jenna first then at Allie.
“Okay,” Shawn said. He pointed at one of the houses. “I understand. That house is empty. Go inside, think it over. I’ll bring some food over and set it on the porch. If you want to stay, come ask for me. And if you want to go, just walk away. Of course, I, rather we, hope you’ll stay.”
We agreed to stay in the empty house. Temporarily.
I stared out the window, watching everyone move around the area. There were a lot of people. They seemed friendly. Normal.
Everyone left us alone. Even when the food was dropped off, a young girl knocked on the door and walked off.
Jenna and Allie chowed down ravenously. I grazed on the items they’d brought to us but didn’t want to leave my post at the window.
I clutched the ring from Robby and waited… and watched. It was like I was desperate for a sign. Should we stay? Or should we go?
It was a short while later they brought over a closed cardboard box. Jenna opened it carefully and started crying when she saw the cat food, diapers, and clothing, not just for the baby, but for all of us.
“Note says they guessed at the sizes,” Jenna said setting it aside. “If we need something else to just let them know. Did we die?”
“I don’t think this is heaven,” Allie said. “But it seems pretty good.”
“So, you think we should stay?” I asked.
Jenna shrugged but the smile on her face was giving away her answer. “We can give it a shot, right? I think if they were still with us, they’d tell us to stay.”
I looked down at the ring. The light outside caught it and there was a flash of a sparkle.
A sign?
Maybe.
I always thought I needed someone to take care of me but after what happened, I knew that was no longer true. I could take care of myself and look out for Jenna, Cal, and Allie too.
There was no point in venturing out into the unknown when we had a shelter. I wish there was a way to know if we were safe from the other people around. They weren’t the men in the vests and that was a plus.
The men and women around worked together. They didn’t look unhappy or as though they were prisoners.
If it was the wrong choice, we’d figure it out. But something told me… it wasn’t. Staying would be the right thing for us. The safe thing for us.
Cal needed a roof over his head. He needed a home—a place where we could take care of him.
There was a chance we’d found it… and I couldn’t let us walk away from that.
“Okay,” I said. “You’re probably right.”
I pulled in a breath and pushed my shoulders back. After everything I’d been through, I felt different. Stronger.
I covered my mouth, so no one saw my smile. I barely recognized myself but that was a good thing.
“I’ll go talk to them,” I said. “See what this is all about.”
“Eat some more. You barely touched your food,” Jenna said. “It can wait.”
I nodded and turned away from the window. I sat down on the floor and looked through the items we were given.
It seemed as though we were going to be okay. We’d made it to safety together, and in one piece.
I started laughing. Robby and Caleb would never have believed it. Or maybe they knew what I was capable of all along.
29
Adam
Rage fueled me. I threw my fist into Eli’s gut as hard as I could. My knuckle cracked as it slammed into a rib.
“Oof!” Eli grunted as he tipped forward.
I shook my hand. The pain radiated down my forearm, stopping at my elbow.
Eli was at least twice my size. It felt like I was in a battle with a yeti. He’d been living well since everything happened and I’d struggled. Not to mention having likely been poisoned over the last couple of days.
It was like I was staring into the darkness of Death’s face and surprisingly, I wasn’t as frightened as I thought I’d be. I knew the day would come and now that it had, I was ready to fight.
Leah wouldn’t want me to give up. She would want me to give it everything I had.
Eli grabbed the front of my shirt and lifted me of the ground. My hands wrapped tightly around his arm, twisting the skin. I dangled, my toes barely touching the wooden floor.
He growled as he slammed his fist into the side of my face. My head jerked to the side as my mouth filled with the taste of pennies.
The room blurred. Eli tossed me to the side like a bag of trash.
“Stop it, Uncle!” Heather screamed as she leaped onto his back and pounded him with her closed hands. “Don’t do this! Please!”
Eli moved sharply from side to side like a bull bucking off its rider. Heather dug her fingers into back deeper, refusing to be flung off him.
I scrambled to my feet and punched him in the nose. He twisted at the unexpected blow. Blood gushed out of one nostril, splattering with his sharp, furious exhale.
“That’s it!” Eli spat.
He roared as I ducked under his arm and dashed toward the kitchen. Eli was slow with Heather on his back and thanks to my nosiness, I knew exactly where he stored the long, sharp kitchen knives.
I pulled open the drawer, grabbing the two longest knives I spotted. With a blade in each hand, I sprinted toward Eli.
Releasing an agonizing, revenge filled cry, I jabbed the knife into his right shoulder. Heather slid off and took several steps back. She was frozen in place, watching me with wide, round eyes.
I grunted as I raised my left hand.
“No!” Heather shouted. “Please don’t. He’s all I have left.”
I ignored her, slicing the side of Eli’s arm. He dropped to his knees.
“Adam! Please,” Heather begged.
“He killed her,” I said pointing the tip of the knife at Eli’s face.
“
He’s the only family I have left,” Heather said.
Eli dropped to his knees. He didn’t beg for his life in words but I could see him pleading for me not to kill him in his eyes.
I shook my head. “What will stop him from doing the same to you?”
“He won’t,” Heather said.
“Come with me,” I said.
She shook her head.
“You’re sure?”
“Sorry, Adam,” she said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
I looked at her for a second and gave her a nod. “Okay. But I have to do just one more thing.”
She narrowed her eyes.
With every last bit of energy I had left in my body, which wasn’t as much as I would have liked, I kicked Eli in the face. His eyes rolled back and he dropped to the floor.
“Why did you do that?” Heather squeaked.
“I need to get my things and get out of here,” I said. “There’s no way he would have let me go.”
“He’s not dead, is he?” Heather asked.
I gave her a loose shrug. Honestly, I didn’t care if he was.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “You’ll need to treat those wounds.”
Heather crossed her arms and met my eyes. “Get your things.”
I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze before I grabbed my bags from the bedroom. I couldn’t stop my eyes from darting over to Leah, who was in the same position I’d left her in.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
My shoulders dropped and I left the room, wishing I would have told her more often how much she meant to me. And how she had made me a better person.
I ran to the bunker and grabbed our two guns. Without another word, I left.
I’d run from the house, through the trees, through the rain without stopping. At first, it was so dark I hadn’t been able to travel quickly but it wasn’t long before gray morning light lit the sky, helping me see my way.
It was hard to keep moving with my heart shattered. Several times, I considered turning the gun on myself so that I could join her.
Of course, I couldn’t. Either I was a coward or I knew how pissed she’d be if I did something like that.
I kept going south.
The days passed. I didn’t count them. I didn’t care to. All I did was wait for something to go wrong or for Eli to come after me and finish what he’d started.
I was lucky that I was able to get the poison, or at least most of it, out of my system. The stuff in my backpack diminished quickly. I hadn’t found much but I was somehow surviving.
When the houses came into view, my first thought was to turn and run as fast as I could. But I had to check for food and supplies. I’d be quick… and careful.
As I cautiously approached the first house. I saw a young girl playing in a mud puddle at the furthest house.
She stopped jumping when she saw me. The little girl smiled and waved.
Seconds later, a woman came out of one of the houses across the street. She looked over at the girl and hesitated. The woman turned slowly and saw me standing there.
My hand moved to my waistband. I was ready to fight.
But then something happened. I’d seen the woman before, although I couldn’t remember where I’d seen her.
Her eyes narrowed as she took small steps toward me. She wrapped her arms around her middle as the rain drenched her dry clothes.
“Do you need help?” she asked stopping more than fifteen feet away from me. Her nose wrinkled. “I know you from somewhere. Or maybe you just have one of those faces.”
“Then you have one of those faces too,” I said.
“Are you armed?” she asked.
I nodded. “For safety reasons.”
“Oh, trust me,” she said with a smile. “I understand. But please, don’t shoot me. I’m not armed.”
“Then don’t do anything stupid,” I said.
She laughed. “I’ve done plenty stupid.”
It hit me like getting slapped in the face. She was the girl who supposedly had been stealing supplies from the resort.
“I do know you,” I said.
She cocked her head to the side.
“I was at the resort. One of the people I worked for caught you and your partner stealing,” I explained. “Your friend didn’t make it.”
A grin grew on her face. “Holy crap! Yeah, that’s it. You… you helped me. I’d be dead if… that guy was definitely not my friend.”
“The guy I was with at the time wasn’t my friend either,” I said matching her smile. “It’s crazy seeing you here. That was a long time ago.”
“It sure was,” she said bravely walking toward me. She stretched out her hand. “I’m Joss.”
“Adam,” I said.
She stared at me for a long moment. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I said.
“Look, if you’re in need of a place to stay, this is it,” Joss said. “I know you probably don’t believe me but I’m finally sleeping through the night again.”
I wiped the rain off the back of my neck. “I have no idea what that’s like.”
“I’ll introduce you around,” Joss said.
I didn’t move. “I don’t know if I can do this again.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
“You can ask but I’m not ready. It’s hell out there,” I said but she already knew that. “The people from the resort started a war with your people.”
Joss looked to the side and nodded. “The town I was in was destroyed. At least, I’m pretty sure it was. There were fires and explosions.”
“But you survived?”
“I ran away,” Joss said. She offered me a tight-lipped smile. “Now I’m here and I really hope this is it. There isn’t anywhere else for us to go.”
“Are there a lot of people here?” I asked.
Joss nodded. “And it’s nothing like anywhere else I’ve been. Everyone wants the same thing.”
“Sure thing,” I huffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“So, you’ll stay?” Joss asked hopefully.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
She jerked her head and I followed her.
I met the people in charge. There were so many smiling faces that it made me a bit nervous. They gave me food and water and a place to sleep in the same house as Joss.
The first night, I didn’t sleep much, but I slept more and more with each passing night. I felt quicker. Healthier.
I missed Leah and I wished she would have been able to see the compound. If she was looking down on me, she was smiling and cheering, happy I’d made it.
I could almost hear her telling me that I won. I beat Eva.
Of course, I’d trade everything just to have Leah back but it was because of her I’d keep going. There was no doubt in my mind that it would be what she’d want.
I knew a day wouldn’t go by that I wouldn’t think of her. She was my everything. When we’d meet again, she be so damn proud of me. That would keep me going.
I made it on my own. Money didn’t get me here, nor didn’t power or connections. I found my way all on my own.
I’d be okay. I would find a way to be okay.
30
Stevie
Ida grabbed my hand. “You need to get up and keep going. The women are fighting. They’re strong. The gunshots are slowing. You’re winning. Don’t give up now. You need to get as many of them as you can out of here. Do you understand me?”
Lightning flashed again, stopping me from responding. I could see all the people lying on the ground but what I couldn’t tell was who they were.
Some of the women behind me now had guns. I hadn’t realized they’d even taken them. It wasn’t just the men shooting… we’d been shooting back.
“Go, Stevie,” Ida said before closing her eyes. “Get them out. You… can… do… it.”
I squeezed her hand. “I will.”
; I stood. The longer we stayed in one spot, the more likely it was we’d lose more women. I didn’t want to lose anyone else.
“Let’s move!” I shouted.
We ran. The flashes of light guided us and with each step, the sounds of gunshots faded until there were none.
With the next flash of light, I looked back. The houses were far behind us. We had made it out of town.
Hope filled me. A smile teased my lips but I pushed it away. It was a long way back to the compound. I could smile when I got everyone there safely.
I would see Shawn again. I would see Gage again. And I couldn’t wait.
We walked through the night. The storm faded before the light turned to a bright gray.
Our pace had slowed but we figured out long ago that no one was behind us. More of the women had made it than I had initially thought.
Melinda, Tami, and Abigail were all there. Smiling and hugging. They didn’t even care that it was raining down on us.
“Thank you, Stevie,” Melinda said stepping up beside me.
“It was all you guys,” I said smiling back at her.
“We couldn’t have done it without you, Stevie,” Tami said placing her hand on my shoulder.
I shook my head. “Yes, you could have!”
“We wouldn’t have known where to go,” Tami said with a laugh. “Seriously, though, we owe you.”
“Oh, shit,” Melinda said her eyes narrowed.
I turned sharply, meeting her eyes. “What is it?”
“People,” Melinda said. All joy washed away from her. “What should we do?”
“We can fight!” Tami said, her adrenaline still pumping.
“Maybe,” I said.
There was something about the group of people coming toward us that was different. I froze. A shiver ran up my spine and my throat filled with a pocket of air.
Heat seared my eyes and I covered my mouth with my shaking hand.
“Are you okay?” Melinda asked.
“I know them,” I said between my tears. “I know them.”
The Reset Series | Book 6 | Striking Page 14