by Nancy Isaak
* * * *
Frank was even more stubborn than Peyton. “Somebody has to watch the farm,” he insisted.
“But you’re not even armed!” I said. “If the Crazies come, they’ll massacre you.”
He shook his head. “We’ve dug ditches around the perimeter and filled them with brambles. Plus we’ve dug a few sink holes. Those will probably catch a few of them.”
“And what about Lance?” I asked, pointing to the younger boy. “You really think he should be here when the shooting starts? Maybe he gets killed, maybe he just gets injured. Or maybe he gets taken prisoner and sold as a slave again. Are you okay with that happening to Lance, Frank?”
A pained look fell across Frank’s face. He looked over at Peyton, who leaned over and kissed the top of Lance’s silky blond head.
“Lance is going to the compound,” she announced. “Isn’t he, Frank?”
For a moment, Frank said nothing. Then, he nodded. “You go with Kaylee, Lance.”
The younger boy looked dismayed; he shrank back, shaking his head. “I don’t want to…I want to stay with you guys!”
“Hannah and Lily are in the garage,” I told him. “They’re watching the animals, but I still need someone to guard them and there’s only one other boy there now. Lance, you and I both know that Hannah and Lily aren’t responsible enough to be on their own. I’d feel so much better knowing that you were there to take care of them.”
Lance looked up at Peyton, tears in his eyes.
“Stop it!” she barked at him. “If you make me cry, it will ruin my mascara!”
I couldn’t help grinning. “You wear mascara on the farm, Peyton?”
She frowned at me. “Just because I’m forced to be a peasant, doesn’t mean that I have to look like one.”
Lance wiped at a stray tear that had been threatening to fall from his lashes.
Peyton reached out and pushed him. “Seriously, dude…don’t be a wienie!” Then, she reached into one of the deep pockets of her overalls and pulled out a small gun, placing it in Lance’s hand.
“Do you remember what I taught you?” she asked the younger boy.
Beside Peyton, Frank’s mouth dropped open in shock and disapproval.
Lance nodded, pulling back the gun’s slide to check that it was loaded, then releasing it with a solid thwack! “I aim for the chest, because that’s the biggest target.”
“How many shots?”
“As many as I need to take him down.”
“And once he’s down?”
“Shoot him in the head to be sure, then reload and get the heck out of there.”
Peyton tapped Lance on the head, her eyes filled with pride. “If you need to run from that garage, kid, I expect Hannah to be holding onto your left hand and Lily your right. Now, you promise me.”
“I promise.”
The next moment, Peyton’s expression turned to one of irritation. She spun toward Frank, hands on her hips. “What?! I can feel your disapproval burning a hole in my back…which, frankly, is super-annoying.”
Frank shook his head, clearly upset. “You promised…no guns.”
“And it’s not a gun,” Peyton insisted. “It’s a farm tool like everything else around here, except this one gets used on pests…like foxes.”
Looking hurt and disappointed, Frank turned and stalked off.
Peyton watched him go for a few seconds, then turned back to Lance and me. “Someone has to be a realist around here,” she sniffed.
“Do you want me to have someone bring you another weapon?” I asked.
Peyton grinned at me. “You really think that’s my only one?”
* * * *
I sent Lance back to the compound with two of my guards. Meanwhile, I tried one last time to talk some sense into Peyton.
“Please,” I begged. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop them.”
“All the more reason for me to stay here. Not like Frank’s little bramble-ditches will be of much help. Besides, maybe I’ll get lucky and Orla and Tray will show up…sure wouldn’t mind ridding this world of those particular pests.”
“When they attack, I won’t be able to send guys here,” I warned her. “You’ll all be on your own.”
She shrugged. “I can take care of myself.”
“And Frank?”
Peyton looked over to where Frank was tossing more brambles into a ditch. He was sweating hard, his shirt stained and sticking to his skin. “Guess I’ll take care of him, too. Someone’s got to…guy’s too dumb to do it himself.”
“Frank’s not dumb,” I told her. “If he was, he wouldn’t be with you.”
Peyton frowned at me. “Isn’t it time for you to go? Leave us non-violent farmers in peace.”
I pulled back on Beauty’s reins, gathering them up in my hand. “Be safe, Peyton. You’re as much my sister as Jay and Jude, and I couldn’t stand it if you were hurt.”
Trotting away, I heard Peyton call out behind me. “Yeah, well…I still hate you!”
* * * *
When I got back to the mansion’s ballroom, a large table had been placed in the center of the room. It was covered with three large maps—one of Point Dume and two of the surrounding areas. Someone had had the good sense to place an assortment of pens, pencils, and pads of paper beside it.
At the back of the room, Sophia was quietly setting up her own table; this one was covered with food and beverages. There was a bowl of soup, quietly bubbling over a can of Sterno. Next to that was an assortment of cookies, while a large tub held bottles of water and juice boxes.
I walked over to Sophia, reaching around her for a cookie. “Thanks, Soph. You guys bringing in any coffee?”
She nodded. “We’ve got a pot heating up over the fire outside. As soon as it’s finished perking, we’ll bring it in.”
“What about the rest of the guys? I need you to make sure that everyone’s kept fed and watered through this.”
“We have already set up regular runs to all the sentry points. And I have got two tables set up—one at the junction, another down near Pavilions.” Her hands trembled, as she wiped them on the old-fashioned apron she was wearing. “Um…Kaylee…did you maybe hear from Josh, yet?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, Sophia. He’s still up in the Valley.”
“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “No worries. I was just wondering.”
There was a commotion at the door to the ballroom and Kieran raced in, looking sweaty and unhappy.
As he stalked toward me, I leaned in toward Sophia and spoke quickly. “The young ones are in the underground garage. If the Crazies get into the compound, I need you to lock the doors in the walls. Then, get to the garage and get the kids out the other end.”
“But if I lock the doors, what about everybody else?”
“Lock the doors,” I said, more forcefully. “The first Crazy into the compound, you do exactly what I just said.”
She nodded. “Where do I take the kids?”
“Get them down the cliff and into a boat. You take them to Broad Beach like we planned. If there are Crazies there and you can’t land, then head on up to Dog Beach, to the second location. We’ll find you there.”
Kieran reached me, grabbing a bottle of water off Sophia’s table and taking a quick sip. “You heard from Pauly, yet?”
“He’s not back,” I answered. “But I’m expecting him any minute.”
As we turned away—heading toward the table with the maps, I looked over my shoulder and nodded to Sophia. “The younger ones’ lives—they’re in your hands now.”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears; her hand reached for the rosary tucked into her waistband. “I won’t let you down, Kaylee…I promise.”
‘You better not,’ I thought.
* * * *
“The guys from the Alpha Team are on the way up to the water tower,” Kieran told me. “If they move fast and don’t come across any resistance—realistically—we can’t expect them back until nightfall at t
he soonest.”
“And that’s only accounting for a Star message being there. If they have to go into the Valley, it’ll be a whole lot longer.”
Kieran nodded. “Which is what I’m probably guessing will happen.”
There was a sudden thundering of horse’s hooves, from outside the mansion. I spun around, expecting the worse.
A moment later, Pauly ran into the ballroom. Like Kieran, he was sweating, the moisture glistening off his lean, tanned muscles. He was wearing only his jeans and boots, the Crazy-tattoo on his back rippling as he raced over to Sophia’s table for a bottle of water.
“Freaking hot out there!” he griped, chugging down the full bottle, then reaching for another. “Oo…cookies!” Then, grabbing a handful, he trotted across to the map table, where Kieran and I were waiting impatiently.
“Any chance for a report?” I asked, a little irritated.
Pauly began tapping the map, pointing out different locations. “We’ve got Crazies coming down Encinal Canyon, Kanan-Dume, and along Pacific Coast Highway from both directions.”
“Which means that they’re probably using Malibu and Topanga Canyons as well,” I groaned. “They’re definitely surrounding us.”
Pauly took a bite of cookie, talking between chews. “Yeah, but here’s the weird part. They might be coming, but it’s in twos and threes. Like, right now—they’re coming from every direction, but it’s still not a lot of guys when you add them all up. We’ve seen maybe forty in total.”
“Maybe they’re like the advance group,” suggested Kieran. “The main fighters will come after them.”
“It’s possible,” admitted Pauly. “And it might be why they’re taking so long coming here. I mean, from what we’ve seen, they’ve got places where they’re simply stopping and waiting. Like on Kanan-Dume—they’re grouped up at the tire checking point—maybe ten of them.”
“What about the guys coming along Pacific Coast Highway?” I asked.
“The ones coming down from Point Mugu have stopped just past the beach at County Line, and Shawnee says the ones coming up from the south aren’t even close, yet. The guy she sent down the highway says that they’ve holed up around Via Escondido Drive. Crazies are just standing around there, smoking and drinking beer—like they’re just hanging out at their bud’s or something.”
“Or more like they’re waiting for something. Well, the good news is that will give us at least an hour, maybe more to prepare.”
“Looks like.” Pauly took a swig of water, swirling it around in his mouth before swallowing. “One thing, though—dudes have lots of weapons and ammo on them. I mean, every one I’ve seen is carrying at least two guns and extra bullet mags.”
“Where’s Shawnee right now?”
“She’s on top of that building at the corner of Kanan-Dume and the highway. Like she’s built herself this nest to hide in—so they can’t see her when they come down the hill. The other Raiders are spread out along the highway, up in the trees.”
“How does Shawnee get out if the Crazies decide to search the building? It’ll be right on the route they’ll be taking to get here.”
Pauly shrugged. “You want me to go back and tell her to find someplace else?”
I thought about that for a moment, then shook my head. “No, leave her where she is for now. But don’t draw attention to her either—just in case they’ve sent someone ahead down Kanan-Dume to spy on us.”
“Roger that.”
Something else suddenly occurred to me. “The Raiders—not just Shawnee, but all of them—do we have a way to communicate with them?”
“We just need to talk to one,” said Kieran. “They’ve got that crazy hand code of theirs and they always make sure they’re within sight of one another.”
“So, as long as we tell one, they’ll be able to tell another?”
“And that one tells the next,” nodded Kieran. “Pretty brilliant—that was Rhys’ idea.”
“Smart kid,” I said. “Just like his brothers.”
“Hola muchachos!” It was Florenza—practically skipping up to us, she was so excited. “Animals and kids secure, chief.” She saluted me, then turned and gave Pauly an enthusiastic kiss on the lips. “Eww…you all sweaty, papi!”
Looking irritated, Kieran moved to the other side of the map table—as far away from Florenza as he could get. Meanwhile, Pauly nipped Florenza on the side of her neck, causing her to giggle.
“All right, all right,” I said. “Could we hold back the pda until maybe after the blood-suckers are defeated?”
Florenza pushed Pauly away, waving a finger in his grinning face. “Papi, you be good or you’re gonna’ get us in trouble.” Then, she turned to me and saluted once more. “Watcha want me to do now, chief?”
* * * *
We spent the next ten minutes, going over the map, trying to figure out our weak points—where the Crazies would be most likely to attack.
“There are teams here, here, and here,” said Kieran, pointing on the map. “Crazies come along that road, we’ll be able to take them out—no trouble.”
“Except we won’t know if they’ll turn off the highway there until it happens,” I said. “And if they come down there onto the Point, it will be difficult for them to reach us. The way the land is, they’d have to cross that ravine. It’s not big but it would mess them up enough that they would have to come out behind this house here.”
“So, it doesn’t make sense for the Crazies to come that way,” Kieran acknowledged. “And Brandon would know that because he lived here.”
“Then, where would Brandon launch his attack?” I asked. “Kieran, you know him best. What do you think he would do?”
Kieran thought about it for a moment, then ran his finger along the map. “He’d attack on three sides. One group comes in along Heathercliff, another up from the south here…and another down this road here.”
“That’s where we’ll have our guys, then. Except for the teams we’ve already placed, everyone else gets divided up equally.”
“There’s one other possibility we haven’t discussed,” said Pauly.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We attack them now…before they even reach the Point.”
* * * *
The discussion became heated; Kieran wanted to wait until the Crazies attacked—Pauly wanted to attack them immediately. Florenza, of course, took Pauly’s side.
“We’ve got more than enough guys,” argued Pauly. “If we moved them up the highway and along Kanan-Dume, we could take the Crazies out now!”
“But you’re moving our people off of the Point,” countered Kieran. “Which leaves the compound basically undefended!”
“Because our guys will be killing off Crazies!”
“Unless they get killed themselves!”
“There are more of us than them right now,” snapped Pauly. “It’s stupid not to take them out while we still can.”
“Papi is right,” announced Florenza, placing her hand in support on Pauly’s shoulder. “We should go kill us some Crazies!”
Kieran groaned in irritation, while Pauly rapped his knuckles on the map, frustrated. Before either of them could say another word, I lifted my hand. “We’re not attacking. We’re sticking with our original plan.”
Pauly opened his mouth to complain, but closed it again when Florenza shushed him. “Quiet, papi…the chief’s got a plan, I think.”
I leaned over the map, using a pencil to draw a bisecting line across the Point. “Kieran, I want you in charge of the teams from Zuma Beach to Dume Drive—Heathercliff to the Nature Preserve. Pauly, you’re responsible for the other side of the Point, all the way to Paradise Cove. That doesn’t mean you guys go off separately. That means you stay together, at a command post either here or down at Pavilions. I’ll give you officers, guys you can send out to the teams with your instructions. But—I need you two to work together. No more arguing, because we’re one voice now.”
“And that
voice gonna’ be yours, chief,” said Florenza, nodding her approval. She pushed at Pauly. “Right, papi?”
“Absolutely,” he grinned.
Florenza turned to Kieran. “Your turn, pretty boy”
Kieran frowned at her, unhappy; then—he nodded.
“Okay, then.” Florenza turned back to me. “You tell us your voice now, chief. We all are listening.”
No matter that Kieran couldn’t stand Florenza—I was starting to love her.
* * * *
I took a deep breath, calming my nerves.
Then—I began.
“At the rate the Crazies are arriving, it looks like we’ve at least one or two hours until they’re at an attack force. You guys agree?”
Both Kieran and Pauly nodded.
“Which means that they’ll probably attack in the late afternoon,” I reasoned.
“They could attack at night,” said Kieran.
I shook my head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. It’s not even a full moon tonight, which means that it’ll be almost pitch black out there. Most of those guys won’t know the Point. But we do, so if they come in the dark, we’ve got them. No…I think it’d be smarter for them to attack us in the afternoon.”
“You’re absolutely sure that you don’t want to attack them first?” asked Pauly, ducking as Florenza’s hand whacked at the back of his head.
“I don’t think it’s a chance we can take,” I admitted. “If our guys leave the Point and can’t get back, we’ve lost. And if we fight the Crazies now—before their main force arrives—we take too big a risk of losing guys before the bigger battle, when we’ll really need everybody.”
“So, we have to wait until they’re on our doorstep,” said Kieran.
“Knocking at our door,” added Pauly.
“Pissing on our shoes,” said Florenza.
The three of us turned and stared at her.
She held up her hands, grinning. “What...you can’t tell me that nobody says that in Malibu?!”
