The Hunger (Book 4): Ruined

by Brant, Jason

  “Cool.” The kid turned and vaulted the mangled gate with a single leap, placing his hand on the twisted metal and tossing himself over it.

  “Holy shit.” Lance gaped. “Was that parkour?”

  “Yup. It helps with the day job.”

  Eifort glanced at Lance and shrugged, then climbed the gate and hopped down. She didn’t look nearly as graceful as the kid while doing it. Lance was even worse. He thought he might have pulled a hammy by the time he dropped to the road leading inside the cemetery.

  A car had smashed into the gate, the driver long since fled and probably deceased.

  Lance followed the others, inspecting the tall grass that stretched skyward on either side. There were a lot of hiding places in there.

  He tried to focus on the problem at hand, knowing he needed to understand the situation they’d stumbled into the night before. The more he knew about the community he was headed toward, and the people who had taken his family, the better he would be able to get a handle on what to do next.

  As of now, he had no idea how to find his people.

  The fuckers who had taken them had driven away, leaving them without any clue as to what direction they were going.

  Only the kid and whoever he was taking them to see could help.

  “So what exactly is your day job?” he asked.

  “I’m a scavenger. I go out into the city searching for a list of supplies for The Light every day. Sometimes they want medicine, if I can find any that’s still good, or electrical parts. Batteries. Condoms. You name it, they want it.”

  Lance remembered doing the same thing for the compound they’d called home so long ago. Back before that son of a bitch Colt had arrived and screwed everything up.

  “And the parkour stuff helps you with that?” Lance asked.

  “Oh yeah. A lot of people who evacuated the city locked the doors to their houses, apartments, office buildings, whatever. I can get up to a second-story window no problem most of the time. Other scavengers have to find ladders to get to stuff.”

  “So what were you doing out so late last night?” Eifort asked. “The sun had already gone down when you found us.”

  “I, uh, slept through the afternoon and missed my alarm.” Brandon raised his eyes toward the sky. “I might have slept a little too long to make it home in time.”

  Eifort gave Lance a look that said, We’re putting all our hopes on this kid?

  Lance felt the same way, but didn’t know what other options they had.

  They passed headstones that had long given way to grass and saplings. The tops of mausoleums in the distance were barely visible. Birds swooped around the trees, circling certain areas Lance decided they should steer clear of.

  All the soil in the area meant it could be a prime spot for a Vladdie nest.

  “If we’re heading to The Light now, what was that basement we were in last night?” Eifort asked.

  “That was a safe house. We have a few set up all over the city in case one of the scavengers can’t make it home in time.”

  “It worked perfectly for us last night.”

  Lance wished they could have asked the kid all these questions the night before, but Vladdies had come in and out of the house constantly. Every time Eifort would start prodding for information, they’d hear a shriek on the other side of the door, or a crash from upstairs, and have to remain silent for hours on end.

  They’d spent the entire night next to someone they knew nothing about.

  “That’s pretty smart,” Lance said. “But I still can’t imagine you’re safer living in the city than you would be somewhere in the country.”

  “That would be true most of the time, yeah. But The Light is awesome. We haven’t had a single demon make it inside for almost a year now.”

  Eifort asked, “Why is it called The Light?”

  Lance had wondered the same thing.

  That name was dumb as hell.

  “You’d have to see it at night to really get it.” The kid reached a large, wrought-iron gate on the other side of the cemetery and jumped up, grabbing hold of the bars and pulling himself over.

  His movements seemed effortless, fluid.

  It took Lance and Eifort ten times as long to get to the other side where the kid waited impatiently for the old farts to catch up.

  Lance huffed slightly from the exertion as they started down the middle of the next road, heading south. “You called the men who took our families bandits earlier. Do you know who they are?”

  “Kinda, I guess. I mean, they’ve kidnapped some of our people from time to time, so we’re aware of them. But they’ve never contacted us or anything. We call them bandits because they all dress like a weird biker gang and take everyone’s stuff. Totally not cool.”

  Eifort’s jaw set. “Taking people’s children is definitely not cool.”

  “How do they have a working vehicle?” Lance asked. “All the gasoline has gone bad over the years. How are they the only idiots on the planet who’ve managed to find some usable fuel?”

  If anyone had found out the hard way that gasoline had a shelf life, it was Lance and his friends. After spending a few months on the island, their boats and generators had begun to operate poorly. Eventually, the engines failed to fire at all.

  Then they’d needed to learn to sail.

  That had been another adventure in and of itself.

  On the mainland, cars were now hunks of rusting metal, never again to be of service to mankind. They were remnants of an old world, merely impediments to someone’s path as Mother Earth slowly reabsorbed them.

  “I have no idea. The boss thinks they have a refinery working somewhere, but no one seems to know for sure. Then again, the boss doesn’t tell me much.”

  “So The Light doesn’t have any working vehicles?” Eifort asked. “Just those asshole bandits?”

  “None.” Stopping, Brandon glanced around. He finally nodded at a street sign. “We’ve got to go a few blocks this way and then hang a left toward the bay. Won’t take too much longer.”

  Eifort moved close to Lance, whispered, “We’re going the opposite direction those men took everyone. If these people don’t have cars, should we be going this way? All we’re doing is putting distance between us and our families.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Lance said quietly. “We know they drove north, but that’s it. What if they went the whole way to Pennsylvania? Or even just the next neighborhood up? How could we possibly find them unless we ask the locals what they know?”

  He put a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulled her close. She put her head in the nook between his neck and shoulder. Lance felt her body shudder slightly as she blew out a long breath. “We’re going to find them. I swear it.”

  “You’re goddamn right we will. And we’re going to make those men pay.”

  “I’m sure they already have their hands full. Cass is probably tearing them apart as we speak.”

  Brandon looked over his shoulder at them. “Cass?”

  “She’s my wife.”

  “What kind of name is Cass? Sounds like a video game character.”

  “It’s short for Cassandra.”

  “That’s pretty cool.”

  Lance kissed the top of Eifort’s head before releasing her. “We’ll find Cass, Doc, Finn, Dragon, and everyone else. And then we’re—”

  “Dragon?” Brandon stopped in the middle of intersection, swiveling to squint at Lance. “Did you call someone Dragon?”

  A pizzeria stood beyond the kid, the windows smashed, the interior soiled and dark. But the sight of the sign with a pepperoni slice on it that read The Best Pizza in Baltimore! made Lance pine for an extra-large pie with the works.

  He tried not to drool as he dragged his gaze to Brandon. “Dragon is my son.”

  “Tell that to Cass,” Eifort scoffed.

  “You named your son Dragon?” Brandon gaped at Lance. “For real?”

  “Yup.”

  “And your nam
e is Lance?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Your son’s name is Dragon and your name is Lance?” Brandon’s chin drooped closer to his chest.

  Lance nodded, a slight grin touching his lips. “And Lance is his middle name.”

  “What?” Brandon put a hand over his chest, feigning complete shock. “You named your kid Dragon Lance?”

  Lance couldn’t contain the smile anymore as he thought about his beautiful wife and son. And the fights he and Cass constantly had about the name of their child. He would wade through heaven and hell to find them. “Damn right.”

  5

  The assholes had finally let Cass see Dragon just before the sun came up. It had only been a quick glance through the windshield of the truck, but it had meant the world to her. Tears had coursed down her cheeks, soaking into the rag stuffed into her mouth as they’d dragged her back around the rear of the vehicle.

  Dragon appeared to be physically all right. She hadn’t spotted any cuts or bruising anywhere, and the boy had given her a happy little wave when he’d spotted her. The ties around her ankles kept her from taking steps wider than six inches, forcing her to her hop as the bastards yanked her around the garage they’d holed up in.

  Cass shook her head as she realized she kept thinking of her son as Dragon. Lance had called him that so many times she couldn’t help but have it pop in her mind. Her dumbass husband had stayed so adamant up to the birth of their child that they would name it Dragon, regardless of sex.

  It had obviously been a preposterous idea that made her want to punch him, but those crazy ideas were also what made her love him so much.

  They’d named him Lincoln an hour or so after Emmett had helped her birth him two years ago.

  But that didn’t stop Lance from calling him Dragon every single day. Cass couldn’t even remember a time beyond the first week that he’d ever called the boy Lincoln.

  And now he had the kid’s mother even thinking of him as Dragon.

  The thought made fresh tears blur her vision as she sat in the back of the truck while more of her friends were hauled inside.

  They’d spent the night in a dumpy garage somewhere outside the city. The men hadn’t allowed them to go outside, so Cass didn’t know exactly where they were. It had to be a location remote enough that the men weren’t concerned with Vladdies tearing them apart in the night.

  She had thoroughly surveyed the garage. It seemed to be a mechanic’s shop with lifts for vehicles and tools everywhere.

  A lot of other supplies like guns, food, and water were scattered about, obscuring most of the original details of the place. She’d hoped to spot an address on some stationary or a sign on the wall, but hadn’t seen anything because of the limited light. The guards had flashlights, though they stubbornly shined them where they wanted, not where Cass desired.

  The garage had bars and plates of metal retrofitted over the windows and doors. The place appeared relatively secure, but Cass wouldn’t have staked her life on it the way these morons did. She figured they had to be remote. A horde of Vladdies would overrun the place pretty quickly.

  Her best friend, Wayne, had kept an eye on her all night. The others took shifts sleeping, but his crazy apparently had other plans in mind. Cass knew if a moment came when the others weren’t paying attention, Wayne would be on her like a dog in heat.

  She just hoped she could get one hand free for that encounter.

  That was all she’d need.

  One hand.

  The fool had also called the leader by his name once.

  Vincent.

  Good ol’ Vince.

  Cass eagerly awaited the day she would wipe Vince from the face of the earth.

  A nameless guard hauled Adam through the open back door and shoved him into the seat beside Cass. He was tied into place, so he could barely move. While he was being secured, Adam gave her a sad, puppy dog look that made her heart hurt.

  The poor man should be preparing for his child’s birth, not watching as a couple of idgits dragged his pregnant wife around like a side of beef.

  Vincent appeared at the back door.

  He held her gaze for a moment before turning around and shouting, “We’re on the road in five minutes, people. Load up the cargo and let’s roll out.”

  Cass wondered how great it would feel to kick him in the face.

  Lance had teased her over the years that she’d lost her edge.

  Become domesticated.

  And she’d agreed with him. Finding love and bearing a kid had softened her, even during the hardest of times. The idea of being a mom would have revolted her just a few years ago. Now she couldn’t imagine anything else. Every day with her family was a blessing she loved and craved.

  There was something about watching her child be abducted and her husband left to monsters that could sharpen even the dullest blade. Right now, Cass was ready to cut a motherfucker.

  Another lackey pushed Lilith into the truck. She stumbled over the lip of the door, then fell to her hands and knees. Adam lurched in his seat and tried to reach out to her, but his bonds kept him from moving.

  The guard grabbed hold of Lilith’s hair, using it to wrench her back to her feet.

  Cass screamed at the son of a bitch through her gag, which only made the man laugh.

  It took a few minutes for the guards to get everyone inside and secured to their seats. Cass glared at good ol’ Vincent as he climbed inside, his rifle held in his hand.

  “Here’s the deal.” Vince returned Cass’ evil eyes. “We’ve got a road trip into the country. It’s going to take us at least an hour. If you behave yourselves, no one will get hurt. If not, then the rules of yesterday still apply. I know you all have questions, and I assure you answers are coming soon.”

  The ratcheting noise of an oversized garage door sliding up filled the building. Sunlight poured in. Cass finally spotted something identifying on the wall.

  It read J.R.’S AUTO REPAIR.

  Vince followed her gaze out the back. Then he gave her a sly grin, slid the door down, and locked it in place. “You’ll get your answers soon, sugar tits, but I’m sure you won’t like ‘em.”

  6

  Brandon stopped beside a fancy Chinese restaurant, gesturing down the street. “There it is. The Light.”

  A few hundred feet ahead stood a huge building amid a sea of restaurants and shops. It had to span at least thirty stories tall, maybe more. Unlike most they’d passed on their trek through Baltimore, the windows were intact.

  Solar panels on the roof reflected the early morning sun.

  Men stood guard outside, holding rifles and dressed in faded black uniforms. They stared directly at Lance and company.

  Brandon gave them a wave, turning to reassure Lance and Eifert. “Come on. They won’t give you any issues if you’re with me.”

  “It looks as if nothing ever happened. Like the Vladdies haven’t even touched it.” Eifort shook her head as she took in the sight. “It’s incredible.”

  “We manage to keep the demons at bay pretty easily nowadays. The entire place is fortified and guarded.”

  “Yeah, well, we’ve seen heavily fortified places crash and burn before.” Lance held a hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun to better see the compound as they approached.

  A fence surrounded the structure along an undamaged sidewalk. Razor wire and spikes constructed from iron fencing lined the top. Steel beams were ground to sharp blades, welded to the building around the hundreds of windows.

  Anything attempting to scale the structure would get sliced to pieces.

  Massive spotlights were mounted to the roof, most pointing directly down the sides. They would no doubt provide ample light cover against the Vladdies at night.

  Lance assumed they had some kind of battery system set up with the solar panels on the roof to power the lights after sun fall.

  It was an impressive setup.

  But as he’d said—they’d seen something similar before.r />
  Eventually, everything fell to the Vladdies.

  “Mister Lance, you ain’t seen nothing like this. I guarantee you that.”

  Brandon ran toward a car parked along the sidewalk, taking a leap to slide across the hood like TJ Hooker. Lance doubted the kid had ever even heard of TJ Hooker, which made him sad.

  “It’s made being alive safe again. There are whole families in there, living their lives like normal people. Well, almost like normal people,” the kid continued.

  They approached the guards. Lance and Eifort raised their hands to show they meant no harm. Brandon strolled toward the lead guard, stopped, and then chatted him up for a few minutes before waving the two along.

  Lance approached carefully, scanning the armed men for signs of aggression. The guards watched them, but didn’t seem too concerned with their presence.

  “Fred, this is Lance and Eifort. I found them last night fighting with the bandits. They’re here to see the boss.”

  Fred gave them a small nod. He was a squat, stout man with hairy arms and a balding head. “Welcome to The Light. I’ll let you in because Brandon is vouching for you, but don’t try anything stupid. We’ve got thousands of guns inside, along with hundreds of people who know how to use ‘em. You’d be shot to hell before you could make it five feet.” He gestured to the pistol Eifort held. “You can leave that here. I’ll give it back on your way out.”

  Eifort handed it over.

  For a moment, Lance thought about protesting, but didn’t want to waste the time. The request was reasonable. He would have ordered the same thing if their positions were switched.

  “We don’t want trouble, just answers.” Lance would have glanced at his watch if he’d worn one. They didn’t have time to chat up people who couldn’t help them. “We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  Fred took in Eifort. “What branch?”

  “Army.”

  “Not too many of you around anymore.”

  “Not too many of anyone around anymore.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “You were in the Army?” Brandon asked.