No sooner do the words leave his mouth that I smell it.
“Shh,” Leon says. “I think I hear something.”
I strain my ears, unable to make out any sounds aside from the bird song that has kept us company since sunrise. But then, so softly I might mistake it for the wind, I hear it. A scream, shrill and distant.
“Is that...” Felix begins.
“...Someone screaming,” I finish.
“There!” Leon points to a stream of smoke rising above the trees in the distance.
We take off with impossible speed, the trees flashing past in a blur. The screams get louder, the smoke, thicker. Soon the smoke is all around me, the screaming not just one person, but a dozen, two, a cacophony of pain and cries for help. I lose track of where I am, Felix and Leon now nowhere around me. And then suddenly the screaming stops. There is nothing but silence, the smoke slowly dissipating around me. The smoke disappears and I have to suppress a scream myself.
Philip’s ranch has been destroyed, the buildings reduced to ash and rubble. But that’s not what horrifies me most. Bodies are scattered everywhere, their blood standing out vividly against the frozen snow. I recognize a few of them: the council members, the guard we were forced to leave behind. Near the wreck of the main house lies Philip and Byron, both of them with bullet holes blasted through their foreheads.
A cruel laugh sounds behind me. “More blood on your hands, Morgan?” Barr. I turn and level my rifle only for him to disappear as I pull the trigger.
“What did you do?” I shout.
A laugh answers me. “Don’t you mean, what did you do?” he answers. I turn and find him. “These deaths are as much your doing as they are mine.”
“Bullshit!” I shout.
“Bullshit?” he asks. “Ask yourself, why were we out here? Why would we strike as hard as we did?”
“Because you’re a sociopath!” I answer.
He laughs again. “Perhaps,” he says. “But you know the truth. We came here for you. You and that son of a bitch traitor, Frank. These people needn’t have died if you would only have given yourself up.”
He’s trying to get a rise out of me, but damn it, it’s working. Because I know what he says is true: I’m the reason he came to the ranch. He smiles as I come to the realization, the sight of it making my anger boil over. I unholster my pistol and level it at him. I pull the trigger over and over again and he just laughs, the bullets passing through him as if he were a ghost...or a dream.
Barr smiles. “Very good,” he says. “If you ever get tired of the blood on your hands, you know where to find me.”
I wake with that familiar cold sweat and racing pulse. Her hand strokes my face gently. “Just breathe,” she says. “It’s only a dream.” I force a deep, shuddering breath. Then another. The third comes out normal as I find her eyes.
“Just a dream,” I say.
I sit up and glance out the window. Late afternoon. I managed more sleep than I thought I would.
“Any sign of the Animals?” I ask.
Lauren shakes her head. “Not yet.” She rises to her feet and holds out her hand. “Come on.”
We walk down the hall, passing by several cloisters of people. Some still sleep, but most sit huddled under whatever patches of sunlight permeate the windows, desperate for warmth. I feel myself shiver. Not so much from the cold but the fact that this is what we’ve been reduced to. We enter one of the classrooms where an even dozen have gathered. From my family: Richard, Uncle Will, Leon, Emily, Felix, and my parents. From the Animals: Frank, Val, and Angela. From the Ranch: Lylette and the one remaining guard Philip sent with us.
“I understand you want to know what happened, but think of the risk,” Richard says. “If the Animals plan on staying there another night, they’re bound to have sentries watching the place. Getting in without being seen is going to be difficult.”
“I don’t want to know,” Lylette says. “I have to. Captured, killed...I have to know one way or another.”
“I get it,” Felix says. “Believe me. I know what it’s like to do something foolish for family. But Richard’s right. You step foot onto that ranch, I doubt you walk back out.”
“They’ve been going round in circles for a while now,” my mother says as greeting. Of course they have. And they don’t show signs of slowing down.
Lylette shakes her head. “I don’t care how many Animals there are, none of them know the place better than I do. I can make it inside without getting caught. I know I can.”
“You overestimate yourself,” Richard says. “If Barr’s still there he’ll have eyes everywhere. But if you’re hell-bent on going, we can't stop you. It’s your risk to take.”
“Risk is putting it lightly,” Frank says, speaking for the first time. “You may know the ranch, but you don’t know Barr. Not like I do. He’s not just your average thug. He's something else entirely, as smart as he is cruel. And he came this close (he holds his thumb and forefinger an inch apart) to catching Morgan on the ranch.”
He turns to me. “Believe me, he won’t forget that. He knows you, Morgan. Knows your heart. He’ll use it to his advantage. If he thinks you have people you care about on the ranch, he’ll expect you to go back for them. He’ll have all of his people on the lookout. I don’t care how well you know the place, you won’t make it inside without being caught.”
For the first time since I’ve met her, I see Lylette’s defiance fade, that fire in her eyes dim as the truth of her situation sinks in. It feels wrong watching it unfold, as if I’ve walked in on something private. Eleven people, over half of them children. That’s all that made it out of the ranch with us. How many were left behind? How many still live? Better that I don’t know. The knowledge would make it so much worse.
I feel a flush of guilt. It’s easy for me to think that. They are not friends, not family. When I think of those on the ranch, all I see are blurred faces and a vague number. Outside of a handful of them, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from the Animals who attacked the place. But Lylette? She would know. They are her people, and they are in trouble, and she is just realizing how little she can do about it.
Lylette turns to me. “What would you do?” she asks.
A chill goes through me as I imagine myself in her position—if I had escaped with only a handful of my family. I imagine my parents rounded up like cattle, imagine some faceless thug manhandle my sister like a piece of meat. I think of Barr getting his hands on Lauren, his face twisted in that malevolent sneer of his as he decides what to do with her. Do such thoughts go through her mind? Surely, they must. Without knowing the truth all we can do is imagine the worst. I don’t know what’s become of her people. But I do know if it were mine, I wouldn’t be capable of sitting still and doing nothing. It’s not fair that I should ask her to do what I could not.
“If it were me, I’d have to have a damned good reason not to go. Something more important than my life.”
I watch her weigh my words, eyes far away, lost in thought. Slowly, they harden. There’s a flicker, a spark igniting in their depths. Then the sparks catch, her eyes once more blazing with defiance.
“I have to go,” she says. “One way or another, I have to know the truth.”
Frank shakes his head. “You’ll be caught,” he says.
“Maybe not,” Lauren says. She turns to Lylette. “You say you have to know what’s happened to them. I understand. I would need to know the same if it were me. But couldn’t you find out without actually entering the ranch?”
Lylette pauses. “You mean recon the place?” she asks.
“Exactly,” Lauren says. “If you find a good enough vantage point, you can find out what’s going on without stepping foot inside.”
There’s another pause while the room considers the suggestion.
“Still a risk,” Richard says. “Barr’s bound to have at least a patrol or two sweeping the area. It’s what I would do.” He sighs. “But it could work.”
Lylette nods and
glances at Frank. He doesn’t wait for her to ask. “I wish you would reconsider,” he says. “But I’ve been around long enough to recognize when a woman has her mind made up. Recon the place if you must, but please, don’t try and enter the ranch. Barr’s already taken too many good people. Don’t let him get you too.”
Frank’s sincerity takes her off guard, his concern not something she expected to hear. “Thank you,” she says. She clears her throat. “But Lauren’s idea has me thinking. I might just know the perfect spot.” She turns to her guard.
“The sunrise trail?” he asks.
“My thoughts exactly,” she says. She turns to the rest of us. “There are a few smaller hills around the perimeter of the ranch. If Barr’s using patrols, my guess is that’s where they’ll be. But there’s a ridge further back that sits higher than any of them. With a good pair of binoculars, we should be able to get a good eye on things.”
I try and remember the outer area of the ranch, but I can’t picture much outside of the few low hills she mentioned. “You sure?” I ask.
“Positive,” she says. “I ran that trail almost every day before school. I used to set out while it was still dark and race the sun to the top. That’s why it’s called the sunrise trail. You can see the whole ranch from there.”
“Sounds like your best bet,” Richard says after a brief silence.
“Agreed,” I say. A wave of indecision rocks through me as I speak. Lylette doesn’t notice as she turns to her guard.
“I’ll leave tonight,” she says. I should have plenty of time to reach the trail before dawn. I’ll scout the place as long as I can and report back.”
The guard stares back at her stonily. “What is this I?” he asks. “Wherever you go, I go.”
“No, you won’t, Ben,” she says. “I need you to stay and look after the others.”
Ben folds his arms across his chest. “Your father ordered me to protect you,” he says. “That’s what I intend to do.”
“He also said I was in charge,” she says, heat rising in her voice. “And I’m ordering you to stay behind.”
Ben isn’t impressed with the argument. “Sorry,” he says. “But your orders don’t trump your father’s. Molly and Melissa can hold things down just fine while we’re gone.”
Lylette glares at Ben, but she must sense he won’t be left behind. “Stubborn jackass,” she mutters. “Fine. The two of us will go and scout.” Though she continues to glower, I can see a small wave of relief fill her face. She turns away, her features softening as she does so. She looks concerned. Hesitant. Her voice, if anything, is even more so.
“I know my people didn’t allow you to join us,” she says. “I suppose that’s for the best considering what’s happened. You had no reason to help us last night, but you did anyway...And I know I have no right to ask this, but if we don’t return, will you help those we leave behind?”
It’s my mother who answers for us. “Of course,” she says. “We’re all on the same side now. If any of us are going to survive this, we have to do it together.” Nobody argues the fact, nodding their agreement.
“Thank you,” Lylette says. “It means more to me than I can tell you.” I can hear the emotion in her voice as she says this. Even if I didn’t, there’s no mistaking the gratitude in her eyes. She clears her throat. “Well, I’d better tell my people what we’re doing. Excuse me.”
I watch her and Ben exit the room with a sinking feeling. It almost feels like a goodbye. At least it does for me.
“We should tell our own people what’s going on,” Richard says.
“Yes,” my mother says. “We should.”
They file out one by one, my indecision still raging war inside me. I make to follow Leon out the door when Lauren reaches out and stops me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. She doesn’t answer, just walks to the door and closes it shut. She turns and faces me, her demeanor as serious as I’ve ever seen. A sense of foreboding overwhelms me as she levels me with that intense stare of hers. The feeling increases as the silence stretches between us. I want to ask again what’s wrong, but I fight the urge to do so. She’s the one who orchestrated this. It's on her to proceed.
“I’ve never asked anything of you,” she says. “I’ve never had to. You’ve always gone above and beyond to help me. And not just me, but everyone you care for. Your heart is so big, Morgan. It’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place. I’ve seen you risk your life over and over again. For me, for your family. Never once did I try and stop you or ask you to stay. But I’m asking you now: don't volunteer to go with Lylette tonight.”
I have to look away, the intensity of her stare suddenly overwhelming. I’m not surprised she saw the uncertainty churning within me, warring with myself on whether I should volunteer to help Lylette. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself. But that doesn’t just make the uncertainty disappear.
“I’m the reason Barr attacked the ranch,” I say. “Somehow he knew we were connected with them.”
She closes the distance between us. “You are not responsible for what happened on the ranch,” she says when I finally meet her eyes again. “However Barr found the place doesn’t matter. We both know it was only a matter of time before he did. It’s what he does: crush and destroy anyone who might be a threat to him. The ranch was one of those threats. We are one of those threats. We didn’t ask for this fight, but we’re in it all the same. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that we don’t stand a chance of winning it if we don’t have you.”
I feel as if the air has been knocked out of my lungs. She’s right about Barr. According to Frank, the ranch was a target long before we crossed paths. Sooner or later, he was going to find it. I know it’s true. Yet the guilt remains.
“And what about Lylette and Ben?” I ask. “They didn’t ask for this fight either. It was brought to them like ours was. Shouldn’t we fight it together?”
She shakes her head, a small, sad smile gracing her lips. “Of course we should,” she says. “And we will. But do you remember what you told me the night you rescued your cousins from the DoubleTree? About why I shouldn’t join you?” I think back, but I can’t recall. So much has happened since then. She continues on before I can tell her as much. “You told me there was too much at stake—that we shouldn’t risk any more than we had to. I'm asking you to stay for the same reason.”
I remember the conversation now. I remember knowing how much I was about to risk, and how afraid I was that I wouldn’t be able to convince Lauren to stay behind. It’s the same fear I see in her eyes—fear that I won’t do as she asks and rush off into the night. But now that I recall that night, I remember something else as well: Conviction. It was never a choice for me, whether or not I would go to the DoubleTree. With my family at risk, there was only one choice I could make. Realizing this, I feel the uncertainty I’ve been fighting fade away.
“Ok,” I say. “I’ll stay.”
She looks surprised. “You will?” she asks.
I nod. “You’re right,” I say. “It isn't my place to be there tonight. Tonight I belong with my family. With you.”
She doesn’t immediately speak, but the relief shining in her eyes is unmistakable. She leans in and kisses me softly, her hands cradling my face.
“Thank you,” she says. “I know it’s not an easy decision for you.”
“No, it’s not,” I admit. “But I know it’s the right one.”
Chapter 7: (Lauren)
The wait is torture. Part of me almost wishes I would have volunteered to scout the ranch myself. Give me risk, give me danger. At least then I wouldn’t be trapped with nothing but what if’s and worst-case scenarios. My thoughts stray back and forth, from the ranch to the DoubleTree, wondering if Lylette and Ben are at either one of them. Felix heard it first, the distant rumble of an approaching engine. Soon as he sounded the alarm there was a rush toward the classrooms, their windows giving us a perfect view of the Animal’s fleet.
My heart nearly stopped when the first truck came into view, certain it would pull to a stop on the highway outside the school. But it just kept going, the rest of the fleet following behind. That was hours ago. Shouldn’t they have been back by now?
“I do not want green eggs and ham. I do not want them Sam-I-Am.” Leon’s voice rings out of one of the smaller classrooms.
“Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?” Emily asks. She sits beside him atop a metal desk, the two of them reading back and forth to their gathered audience. Abigail is in attendance. Scarlette’s twins are as well. They are joined by the half dozen other children we travel with. Family, Animal, rancher, they sit together without the division and tension that fills their adult counterparts. Because though we are forced under the same roof and share a common enemy, we are not united. Not even close.
I can feel the underlying hostility, the distrust as I walk past the classrooms. It’s in the glares and frowns. It’s in the way we sit apart from one another in little camps and the tension that fills people’s words when we speak to one another. Part of that might be explained by Lylette and Ben’s absence, and all that’s happened over the past two days, but there are still bigger issues at play.
“Night’s coming soon.” He doesn’t need to say anything else. His nerves have been fraying by the hour since Lylette and Ben left last night. It’s only grown worse since the Animals drove past.
“I know,” I say. Already we are in shadow, the school we’ve commandeered surrounded by mountains that block the sun. I blow warm air into my gloved hands for what must be the hundredth time today, my breath visibly escaping through the fabric and into the cold air. I suppress a shiver. It’s only going to grow colder.
I look out the window as Morgan does, the corner classroom giving the best view on anyone approaching from the west. The direction of the ranch. Nothing catches my eye. All I see is snow and stark trees and land that grows deeper in shadow the longer I watch.
“They should have been back by now,” he says.
Echoes of a Dying World (Book 3): A Dream of Tomorrow Page 9
