Yellow Heat - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 6)

by Kellee L. Greene

  With each step I took, I was worried I was going to fall through the earth and back into another pit. But I didn’t. I managed to move my feet quickly even though I was starving.

  I traveled the whole day only stopping when I came across a small home. There had been half a jar of peanut butter in the cabinet, so it had been a good thing I’d stopped.

  Kellan hadn’t mentioned a house which made me worried I was already off course or that he was leading me even further away from everyone. He was probably on his way back to the cabin to tell Peter he told me his secret.

  The sky was growing darker. I must not have traveled fast enough because I wasn’t going to make it back to the cabin before dark.

  I sat down on the floor near the window. The gun was in my hand and the peanut butter jar was on the floor next to me.

  It was a quiet night and it hadn’t cooled even the slightest. My clothes were damp and itchy but I was too afraid to walk around the dark house searching for a change of clothes.

  A mouse ran across the floor and I sat there watching it search for crumbs in the corner of the room. I didn’t mind sharing the space with him, hell he’d probably been there first.

  He squeaked before dashing back across the floor in the direction he came from. I was alone again, waiting for morning.

  Twenty-Six

  I’d found a change of clothes and the only thing better about them were that they didn’t itch. The black knit pants were a bit warm but the T-shirt helped to keep me cool.

  I ate from the peanut butter jar as I traveled. It didn’t take long before I realized I was on the right track. I’d found the cabin sometime around midday. The problem was that I had no idea what to do now that I was there.

  Maybe they’d seen me coming. Maybe I didn’t have the element of surprise. I stepped behind a tree watching the cabin for any signs of life.

  It didn’t take long to see something. Amber stepped out of the front door pulling her hair away from her neck. If she’d seen me, she made no sign of it.

  Moments later, Molly came out of the door, her small rounded belly leading the way. It seemed as though they were stepping outside to cool down.

  I needed to come up with a plan. It hit me when I saw the heavy log on the ground near my feet.

  I waited until I was sure Amber and Molly wouldn’t see me pick it up. I needed to test the weight. The log was heavy but not so heavy that I couldn’t lift it. It would work. It had to work.

  I shook my arms and started running toward the cabin waving my arms. Sweat dripped down the side of my face and my face felt hot.

  “Oh my God!” I said and Molly stood up instantly recognizing me. Her face dropped and she looked worried. “Where’s Peter? I need Peter!”

  “What’s going on?” Amber asked.

  “It’s Kellan. Please, you have to get Peter,” I said.

  Amber opened the door and shouted for Peter. He dashed out and looked me up and down, his eyes stuff with confusion.

  “What’s going on?” Peter asked. “Where’s Kellan? What are you doing here?”

  “He’s hurt,” I said with wide eyes. “You have to come with me.”

  “Where?” Peter asked holding up his palm in an effort to calm me.

  I tried to slow my breathing. “Just down that way. I’ll show you.”

  “Stay here,” Peter said taking out his gun.

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll take you to him.”

  He stared at me for a moment before shifting his gaze to Amber. “Stay here. Go wake up Nick.”

  “This way,” I said taking a step toward the tree I’d been hiding behind. I needed this to work and I needed it to work better than my plan with Lyle had worked.

  Peter kept up easily. I looked over my shoulder, seeing Molly and Amber watching. Nick stepped out and our eyes met for a second. I tried to convey as much as I could with the look but I don’t think he caught any of the secret messages I was sending him.

  “Just up here,” I said pointing ahead of me. “Right around that tree.”

  Peter jogged ahead of me and I picked up the log. He didn’t notice. His thoughts were occupied with worries about Kellan. I couldn’t think of anything except for how he’d been planning to take my brother’s baby. My fingernails dug into the slightly softened bark as I swung the log as hard as I could at the back of Peter’s head.

  He turned and looked at me just as the log was about to make contact. I saw in his eyes he realized what was happening and that he wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it.

  The log hit him.

  His eyes rolled back and his legs turned into jelly. Peter dropped like an under-stuffed doll to the ground.

  I dropped the log and picked up the gun. The screaming coming from Amber hadn’t registered until I turned around and saw her mouth stretched open.

  Nick was jogging toward me wearing a look of confusion and worry. I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure Peter was still lying on the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Nick asked. “Why are you here?”

  “They want your baby,” I said but the words had gotten lost somewhere between him and I. “Nick!”

  He grabbed me and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay? Why are you here and why is Peter laying on the ground?”

  “They want your baby,” I said gasping for air. “They weren’t going to let you leave.”

  “We were leaving tomorrow,” Nick said. “Molly’s ankle is better.”

  “They weren’t going to let you leave. Kellan wasn’t taking me to Winnipeg,” I said staring at Amber. “Ask her. Ask her what they were planning to do.”

  I looked over my shoulder again. I didn’t know how much time we had before Peter would wake. I had his gun but it didn’t make me feel any better. Not when it came to Peter. He was full of lies and secrets.

  “Tell them!” I screamed at Amber. “Tell them what you were going to do.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Amber muttered as she shook her head innocently.

  “Kellan told me everything,” I said as we walked up to the cabin. “Tell them.”

  Amber shook her head. “You’re crazy.” She looked into Nick’s eyes. “She’s crazy. Whatever Kellan said he’s lying. He’s always had a problem telling the truth.”

  Nick looked back and forth between Amber and I. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

  “They were going to take our baby,” Nick said calmly. “You didn’t have any intention of letting us leave, did you?”

  “Of course, remember we were going to leave first thing in the morning,” Amber said.

  “Or was something going to come up like it did yesterday? Peter’s sudden stomach ache,” Nick said shaking his head. He took Molly by the hand and pulled her closer to us.

  We stood there facing Amber and it seemed as though she started to get smaller. She didn’t know what to do or say without Peter at her side.

  Amber drew in a quick breath and stepped inside the house. She locked the door behind her. The curtain swayed slightly and I could hear sobbing through the door.

  “Here,” I said handing Nick one of the guns. “Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.”

  “I should kill him. As long as he’s alive he could do this again,” Nick said.

  I grabbed Nick and pulled him away from the cabin. “It’s better we put distance between us and them.”

  I wanted to run away from the house but even though Molly was walking again, it was clear it wasn’t fully healed.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her.

  “I’m fine,” Molly said. “I just want to get the hell out of here.”

  “Where was Kellan taking you? What happened out there?” Nick asked his nose wrinkled up.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know… in circles, I guess.”

  “Tell us what happened,” Nick said and I did. I told him everything that happened since we left right up until I saw them again without leaving anything o
ut.

  I wanted to leave out the part where I shot Lyle but I didn’t.

  “Who are you?” Nick asked.

  “What do you mean?” I said wrinkling my brow.

  “Shooting people in the leg, hitting them over the head with a log.” Nick shook his head. “I don’t even know who you are.”

  I couldn’t blame him for not knowing. So much had happened that I’d changed. I didn’t even know who I was anymore either. I was different. Everything was different.

  None of it seemed to matter. All I wanted was to get back to that river and find my way to Winnipeg. It was time to know whether or not my life was going to change again.

  I wanted to see Bronx again. Hell, I think I needed it. How could I figure out the person I was in this world without him?

  Twenty-Seven

  There was a time in our travels I thought that Winnipeg wasn’t real. It was just something people talked about so they’d have something to believe in. Something to hope for. A destination to work toward. A way to waste time until death came for them.

  When I saw the men patrolling near the river panic set in. They saw us before we saw them and started heading toward us.

  Two of the men walked toward us holding their guns but in a way that didn’t seem intimidating. They looked… concerned.

  “Hello,” one of the men shouted. “Are you in need of assistance?”

  It was strange but I didn’t know how to respond. In our travels, there had been many that had acted like they were going to help but rarely did we actually find anyone that was helpful. Usually, it was us that had tried to help others.

  Nick and Molly must have felt the same because they slowed their pace to match mine. Nick’s knuckles were white as he gripped the gun.

  The men stopped roughly twenty feet away from us. There was no doubt that they had seen the gun Nick was holding.

  “Is this the way to Winnipeg?” Nick asked.

  “It is,” the man said with a half-smile.

  “We were told there was a safe place here,” Nick said.

  The man nodded. “There is. But we can’t let you proceed.”

  “What? Why not?” Nick asked sharply.

  “Not with your weapons. We don’t allow weapons of any kind in the town,” the man said.

  “I… I’m not…,” Nick stammered.

  I pulled my gun out of my waistband and walked over to hand it to the man. If Bronx was there, this was my only chance. If this was the end of the road, so be it. Either way, I had to know.

  “Anything else on you, ma’am?” the man talked to me the same way a police officer would.

  “Nothing,” I said holding up my hands, offering to let him check if he so desired to frisk me.

  “All right, my good friend over there will take you into the town,” the man pointed at a tall man with glasses. “It’s only about a quarter mile walk.”

  I nodded and turned to Nick. “Are you coming?”

  He didn’t answer. He looked everywhere but at me.

  “If you don’t want to, I understand, we’ve been to hell and back, but I have to know,” I said.

  Nick turned and met my eyes. “Yeah, I know.” He sighed and handed the man his gun. “We’re coming. I can’t let my sister go alone, now can I?”

  The man nodded. “I know I wouldn’t.”

  We followed the man with glasses up the river. I could see parts of the city come into view but we stopped well before we actually got there.

  There were some original buildings and some that appeared to have been newly constructed. There were tents and various fire pits scattered about the area.

  “This is Winnipeg,” the tall man said waving his hand in front of him.

  “Not exactly what I was expecting,” I said.

  “Oh? What were you expecting?” he asked.

  I chuckled softly. “Something that more closely resembled how things used to be I guess.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice?” the tall man asked pushing up his thin-framed glasses. “Let me introduce you to Nolan, he’s in charge of everything here. He’ll help you get set up.”

  “Thanks,” I said looking at the people that moved about the area.

  Many of them glanced in our direction but they didn’t stare. They didn’t seem afraid of us and they seemed to move about with complete freedom. Sadly, I didn’t recognize any of the faces.

  “Nolan,” the tall man said stepping into one of the larger tents. We followed him inside and it was like stepping inside of a sauna. “I have some folks I’d like you to meet.”

  “I’m Gwen,” I said to the beefy, curly-haired man sitting on a folding chair.

  “Nolan,” he said pushing himself up as he stretched out his hand. “Welcome to Winnipeg.”

  I looked around the tent. “Thanks… what do we do now?”

  “Nothing,” Nolan chuckled. “We’ll get you set up with a place to stay and you should meet with the doctor for a checkup.”

  “A checkup? Is that necessary?” Nick asked.

  “No,” Nolan said with a shrug but we do have a doctor available should you want to see one. He pointed at Molly. “You probably should have a little chat with him though.”

  Molly bit her lip and smiled. “I will. Thanks.”

  “I’ll have Morgan show you around and get you set up,” Nolan said. “If you need anything, everyone here is pretty helpful but you know where to find me.”

  Nolan curled his finger and a short bouncy woman walked into the room. She looked at me, her eyes bright and friendly.

  “We’ve got a lot of great places,” Morgan said. “The one thing I wish we could offer you we don’t have.”

  “What’s that?” Molly asked.

  “Air conditioning,” Morgan said as if she was giving the punch line to her best joke.

  Morgan motioned for us to follow her but I stopped in the doorway. I turned and stared at Nolan.

  “Yes?” he said looking at me the way a therapist looks at their patient on the couch.

  “I’m looking for someone,” I blurted.

  Nolan’s head started bobbing. “I hear that a lot from people who come into the town. There hasn’t been anyone around here in weeks but tell me more, let’s see if I can help.”

  I did my best to describe Bronx but it didn’t seem to be ringing any bells based on Nolan’s expression.

  “I’m sorry but I don’t think there is anyone that fits that description,” he said. “You’re more than welcome to have a look around. If he’s here, he’ll probably come out for meals.”

  “Right, okay,” I said unable to hide my disappointment. “Thanks for your time.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t have been more helpful,” Nolan said.

  I flashed him a tight-lipped smile and walked out of the tent. Morgan led us around the area which was smaller than I had imagined. She introduced us to everyone we walked by but I couldn’t remember much of any of it. Everything around me was a blur because all I could think about was Bronx.

  He hadn’t made it to Winnipeg.

  I didn’t want to think about what it had meant. I wasn’t ready to face it.

  My heart was crumbling into nothing. How the hell was I going to survive?

  I wanted to run out of the town. It didn’t matter that everything out there had been shit. Everything everywhere was going to be shit.

  Morgan brought us to a small cabin that looked a bit lopsided. She asked us if it would be okay for us and Nick told her that it would be perfect.

  She gave Nick a pat on the back and walked off leaving us alone in the new town. I didn’t feel safe but the town had a different vibe. People smiled and they were outside helping one another… working together.

  Nick stared out of the door a long moment watching something in the distance. After he closed the door, he wrapped his arms around me.

  “He’s on his way. I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Nick said.

  If I hadn’t felt complete and utter sadness, I would have
laughed at his words. Bronx wasn’t coming and there was no reason to keep hoping that he would. It would only delay processing my grief. I needed to find a way to go on. Nick would need me with a baby on the way and so would Molly. Even though I felt like throwing in the towel, I couldn’t… then again if I did, who could blame me?

  Nick was staring out of the window while Molly rested on the small bed pushed against the wall. Our new home was quite modest. There was a small room at the back of the house that was a bathroom. It was more like an attached outhouse but I couldn’t complain considering it was far better than some of the locations we’d had to use. There was no kitchen and there were no bedrooms. Just one main room that functioned for everything.

  We had a sofa against one wall with a nice wooden table and four twin-sized beds lined up next to each other. None of us had any privacy but ever since the sky turned red, that word vanished. There was no such thing as privacy.

  Later that day Morgan stopped by. She was still so cheery it made me want to vomit. She informed us that everyone ate together at mealtimes. We could eat at the tables outside or we could take the food back to our places. The choice was ours but the food was always served at the same times every day. No exceptions.

  Morgan asked how things were going and if we needed anything. Nick told her that we were doing fine and that staying in the little house was like a five-star hotel compared to what we’d been through. It was the first time Morgan frowned, not that it had lasted long.

  “Yeah, sadly we hear that a lot. Things aren’t like that here,” she said. There was a long awkward silence before a bigger smile popped onto her face. “Well, I’ll let you guys rest. I’ll see you later at mealtime?”

  “Yeah, sounds good,” Nick said.

  Morgan turned to go but quickly spun back around. Her eyes were focused on Molly. “Oh, and the doctor would like to talk with you in the morning if that’s okay? He has an opening in his schedule.”

  “Can Nick come with me?” Molly asked.

  “Of course,” Morgan said. “I mean if that’s what you want.”

  Molly nodded.