Not much had changed about our surroundings except that there was more water pooling around us. I couldn’t help but wonder if our efforts were pointless.
When we stopped for the night, Gage was able to get another fire going and set up a cozy little shelter with whatever he found lying around.
The fire would dry our clothes until they were crispy but still, they never actually felt dry. I was trying to get used to the feel of being wet but it wasn’t an easy thing to do.
I wasn’t entirely sure how far we’d gone but I knew we were still in Florida even without a single road sign to confirm.
In the darkness, all I could do was listen to the sounds of nothing. I was sure that if an alligator decided to try to sneak up on us, I would hear it coming.
Gage fell asleep easily. We’d decided to take turns keeping watch throughout the night but I knew when my turn to sleep came, it wouldn’t come easily. It didn’t matter how tired my body was, my mind was a racetrack of thoughts.
Most of which were negative. Deep down, I worried that there wasn’t a way we’d make it.
When the gray morning light came through the thick rain clouds, we grabbed our things and got back on our bikes. The constant rain was torturous.
At what point would we give up? There hadn’t been any signs of help… or other survivors.
It wasn’t like Gage and I would be able to figure life if we were the only two left. Of course, that wasn’t likely. There would be people again as soon as we got inland.
At least that was what I had to tell myself so I could get a few minutes of rest.
The puddles seemed deeper and the swampy areas bigger. I wasn’t even sure if we would make it out of Florida before everything around us became part of the ocean.
Gage stopped his bike at the top of a small hill. He looked down at the ground tilting his head from one side to the other.
“Hey,” he called back over his shoulder. “Come check this out.”
The brakes squeaked as I came to a stop next to Gage. He pointed down at the ground.
“Footprint,” Gage said.
“Huh,” I said studying the pattern indented into the mud. “Interesting.”
“We’re not alone,” Gage said. “This is good, right?”
I chewed my lip for a long moment. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Based on the footprint, it looks like they’re headed in the same direction,” Gage said.
“Guess they had the same idea,” I said.
The smell in the air reminded me of day-old French fries left at the bottom of the drive-thru bag. At least the strong scent washed away the rumbles of hunger I was starting to feel.
We weren’t making good time and it wasn’t because of the increasing rain. Although the rain constantly attacking us definitely didn’t help matters.
I was sick of being wet and tired. Gage likely was too even though he didn’t let it show.
“How is your vision today?” I asked.
“Um,” he looked around. “About the same as yesterday, I guess. Still blurry. I don’t know if it’s going to improve. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“What makes you think I’m worried about it?” I asked.
Gage smiled. “Because you ask about it a lot. And I can tell by the way you look at me.”
“How do I look at you?” I scrunched up my nose.
“Like I’m your little brother.”
“No, I don’t,” I said but I hadn’t even convinced myself it wasn’t true.
It was probably five miles later that we saw them. My heart thudded faster.
A part of me wanted to hide. But a bigger part wanted to see them. Wanted to know more.
If Gage had doubts about them as we approached, I couldn’t tell. He had a smile on his face.
There were three people walking. They were too far ahead that they didn’t notice us behind them. Perhaps they thought they were all that was left.
“I’m worried they aren’t real,” Gage said.
“I think they are,” I said. “Then again, maybe we’re not even real.”
“Oh, I’m real,” Gage said with a laugh that warmed my wet, chilly heart.
His happy exterior melted away as we got closer to the group of three. It seemed as though one of them, a man, was shouting at the woman.
Even at our distance, I could see the anger reddening his face. They still didn’t know we were approaching. Neither of the two men with the women knew we could see that her hands were bound in front of her body.
The guns they carried tempted me to turn back. To run… to hide.
“Help me!” the woman screamed spotting us over the man’s shoulder. “Please!”
The man slapped her so harshly I could feel it in my bones. She didn’t cry or yell. She clenched her teeth and glared at the man.
“Oh crap,” Gage said.
We slowed our bikes. The man turned and looked at us over his shoulder.
His eyes were a horrific shade of gray that matched the clouds. He waved his hand aggressively.
“Be on your way,” he said his voice crackling like milky breakfast cereal.
“No,” the woman begged. “Don’t leave me!”
We stopped our bikes about ten feet away. I stared into the scared woman’s eyes, trying to read her mind. She looked so frightened but what could Gage and I do against the armed man.
“Are you okay?” I asked keeping my eyes on the woman.
“She’s fine,” the man in front of her said. “Truth is she’s a criminal and we’re going to bring her to justice.”
I looked around at the flooded area around us. His words seemed like such a strange accusation after what we’d been through. How hadn’t what we’d gone through been enough?
“What were her crimes?” I asked.
“This is none of your business,” the second man said. “Get out of here.”
“I guess I made it my business,” I said getting off my bike.
I set down the kickstand and took a step away from my bike. I wanted my feet on the ground but I didn’t know why. I wasn’t even sure why we stopped. But after seeing her eyes, I couldn’t keep going.
“Well, that’s probably going to be your first mistake,” the second guy said readjusting his grip on his shotgun.
Gage was off his bike and at my side, with his spear in his hand. I hoped he could see them well enough… the two men… the woman… were they too blurry?
“What were her crimes?” I asked again.
“She’s a thief and a murderer,” the man next to her said loudly.
“They’re lying! They’re liars!” the woman bellowed as she shook her head. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t do anything! I’m innocent. I’m innocent!”
Tears streamed down her dirty cheeks, following the paths that had already been cut through from previous bouts of crying.
“Shut up!” the man next to her said raising his hand again.
He didn’t slap her but only because I moved too fast. I’d pulled the spear off my back and had it positioned at the front of his throat.
My chest rose and fell with each deep breath. “Don’t hit her. Not again.”
The man next to her laughed even though there was a sharp object pointed at his neck. “That ain’t gonna happen. Go on, get out of here. Peddle along on your little bikes.”
I pushed the blade into his skin, enough to draw blood. A trickle he didn’t even notice dripped down, soaking into his collar.
“There is no way in hell we’re going to let her go,” the man said. “She killed our brother.”
“Liars!” the woman screamed. “I’ve never killed anyone.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the guy with the gun raise it up. It was aimed at me… my chest? No… my head.
“I’m only going to tell you once,” the man with the gun said. “Put down your DIY spear.”
My hands shook. My lips pressed together tightly with anger.
I hated feeling h
elpless around other people. I always had and I probably always would.
The man with the gun took a quick step forward. “Put it down!”
25
Stevie
I guess he told me twice. It seemed he didn’t want to shoot me any more than I wanted to thrust the spear into the man’s neck.
Still, I didn’t want to put down my spear. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I exhaled slowly, keeping my eyes on the man in front of me as I lowered the blade apprehensively inch by inch.
The spear was just below his heart when his eyes darkened and his mouth curled at one end into a victorious smirk. I was probably making a mistake. I should have taken the guy out while hoping and praying the other guy didn’t shoot. But I couldn’t take the risk. It wasn’t just me that could get killed.
“Atta girl,” the guy staring at me said.
“Still could shoot them,” the guy with the gun said. It was like he was waiting for instructions from his buddy… his brother. “They could still be trouble for us.”
“Very, very true. I think you’re right,” the guy in front of me said. “I think we might have to.”
The guy with the gun brought it up closer to his eye. His hands shook ever so slightly as he aimed. He was nervous. I didn’t like that he was nervous.
“No need for that,” Gage said. “Put down the gun. We’ll leave, right, Stevie?”
“Leave us your spears and your supplies and I’ll consider it,” the guy in front of me said.
Leaving our stuff behind could potentially kill us… only slower.
I shook my head. “Not going to happen.”
“Stevie,” Gage said quietly. “We’ll find more.”
“Listen to your friend,” the close guy said.
“No,” I said.
The guy in front of me gestured to his brother. “Then we don’t have a deal.”
Behind the guy with the gun, I could see something move. It had blended in so well with our surroundings, thanks to all the dirt, debris, and a deep puddle of water ten feet to our left.
The alligators had its beady, aggressive eyes set on the guy with the gun. I could have warned him but I didn’t.
It was shocking how quickly the gator had moved. The alligator jumped into the air a couple feet as it opened its jaw, wrapping it around the man’s thigh. It twisted at the same moment and jerked him down to the ground before he even knew what had happened.
His head cracked against the ground and he let out a gurgled cry. The guy in front of me turned to see what was happening. His mouth dropped and his eyes widened.
“Daniel!” he shouted as he whirled away from us.
He didn’t get far.
He stopped moving and pressed his hands to his chest. Standing behind him was the woman holding Gage’s spear.
Even with her hands tied together, she was able to jab the blade deep into the man’s back… over and over again. He dropped to his knees and still, she didn’t stop.
The man watched in horror as his brother was dragged away into the swampy waters several feet away. He reached out his hand as if offering to help his brother. His lips moved soundlessly as blood poured out of each wound in his back.
After the man flopped onto the ground, the woman screamed and threw the blade into the back of his neck. His fingers twitched and then… nothing.
Dead, empty eyes stared off at the scenery behind me. Both men were gone.
The woman looked at us. Her eyes were wide and filled with rage as her chest rocked with her rapid breaths.
Gage walked backward as she turned and took a step in his direction. She stopped and swallowed hard.
“Just trying to give this back to you,” she explained.
Gage exhaled and took the spear. He held it as if it were suddenly contaminated with the plague.
“Thank you for stopping,” the woman said. “You saved my life.”
The muscles in her face relaxed and gave her a softer appearance. She looked younger than I had initially thought. She couldn’t be more than a few years older than Gage and I were.
Her green eyes settled on mine. “I’m not a murderer but I did steal from their brother. We were married. I wanted a divorce and he wouldn’t give it to me. So, I took the money out of the bank and fled here. Thought I could hide from them in Florida. Stupid Florida.” She held up her tied hands, one palm open. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I replied.
“I’m Brooklyn, by the way.” With both hands, she flopped her wet, wavy, deep-rust hair over her shoulder.
“Stevie,” I said tilting my head toward the side. “He’s Gage.”
Brooklyn nodded. “Nice to meet you. Sorry, but I don’t know how to thank you.”
“There’s no need for that,” I said. “How did you survive the big wave?”
“I was at my job when these two morons paid me a visit looking for the money and their brother. How lucky was I that I had to work overtime on the fifteenth floor?” she asked with a snort. “How about you two?”
“Similar story,” I said. “We managed to get into a building just before the city we were in went under.”
Brooklyn studied me before turning to give Gage the same thorough look. “Besides those two idiots, you’re the only other people I’ve seen… alive.” She looked down at her hands. “They were going to kill me. Torture me first, of course, but there was no doubt in my mind that’s what they were going to do. I had to do what I did. I didn’t want to.”
It hadn’t seemed as though it had been a difficult thing for her to do. Brooklyn had seemed like she’d been in a different state of mind when she’d used the spear.
“Would you mind untying me?” she asked.
Gage and I exchanged a quick glance. We had the spears… she was unarmed. But she had disarmed Gage without me even noticing.
It wasn’t like we could leave her here tied up. I stuck out my blade and let her saw the rope to free herself.
“Thank you,” she said rubbing her raw wrists. “So… where are you two headed?”
“Just looking for help,” Gage said.
“I found help,” Brooklyn said with a smile. “You two. Maybe I can repay the favor and help you find help?”
Gage raised a brow in my direction. “What do you think?”
“Sure,” I said even though I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. “But tell me one thing.”
“What’s that?” Brooklyn said.
“Where is your husband? Why did they think you killed him?” I asked.
Brooklyn shrugged. “Well, he’s dead now, at least I assume so but I didn’t kill him. I talked to him the night of the wave. He was in Boston, at least that what he said.”
“Why do you assume he’s dead?” Gage asked.
“He told me it was hailing rocks and that the lightning was starting fires,” Brooklyn said.
Gage flicked his eyes in my direction. What had happened that night?
“Why were you on the phone with the man you stole from?” I asked.
“I told him what was happening and that I probably was going to die,” Brooklyn said with a shrug. “It was stupid but I told him where I hid the money. He’d stopped talking to his brother’s months ago. He thought they were into some shady business, drugs or something. I didn’t think the goons would come after me. If I would have had family, I would have given it to them but I guess maybe I should have given it to charity or something. I just felt like it was his, you know? And if I was dead, why would it matter who had it?”
She pressed her hands to her face and shook her head. Her hands fell away, revealing a smile that didn’t show any happiness.
“It was so stupid,” Brooklyn said. “I missed his voice. There had been a time I loved him. Anyway, should we start walking?”
“Yeah,” I said glancing over at the deep pond the alligator had slunk back into only minutes ago. “We should.”
“Thanks again for saving me and taking me with you,” she said g
esturing at the bikes. “Maybe we can find another?”
I nodded.
“You can ride on the back,” Gage said. “It won’t be comfortable but you can stand on the pegs and hold on.”
“Yeah,” Brooklyn said with a smile. “I can do that. Then we’ll get where we’re going even faster. Speaking of… do you have a plan?”
“We’re going inland,” I said setting my eyes on the horizon. “We are just going to find a way to survive this mess.”
After seeing Brooklyn and the men, things had changed. There had to be others that had survived too. I was confident we would find people. We would find help.
Even after everything that had been lost, things could get better… at least better than they were currently. I hadn’t properly mourned my family or Jace. I was cold. Maybe I was always cold because of how my life had been.
Little had I known how important it would be to be cold. To have a tough outer shell.
Because of it, Gage and I would make it inland. We would make it to wherever we needed to go. And we’d find others… we’d find a way to keep surviving.
26
Adam
My body shook when something slammed into the wall with a hard crash. A fist? A chair? I couldn’t even guess but the sound echoed inside the small office.
“Someone’s been here,” a deep, raspy voice shouted.
“Doesn’t seem like they took much,” a second higher pitched, lizard-like, but still male voice replied.
“But they took stuff, Ronald. They took our stuff,” the first guy said. The anger in his voice seemed to help sober Eva up. I could hear Eva’s empty bottles clanking together as though someone was picking them up off the floor. “They drank my stuff. Jesus, how long were they here?”
“We were gone a long time,” Ron said. Ron’s voice quieted but the wall between the office and the bar was paper-thin. I could still hear him in the silence. “Hey, Charlie, what if they’re still here?”
My teeth clenched together so hard it felt as though my jaw was about to snap apart. I balled my hands into tight fists, ready to hit something.
The Reset Series (Book 1): Flood Page 13
