by Brant, Jason
Before Eifort could answer, Lance stepped forward. “I appreciate we’re all getting to know each other right now, but—”
“Sorry,” Brandon interrupted. He addressed his next question to Fred. “Is she in her office?”
“Last I checked, but she’s not in the best of moods right now. We had a power fluctuation last night.” Fred’s brow furrowed. “Not that you would have noticed since you didn’t make it back. What happened?”
Brandon inspected the ground between his feet. “Like I said, I found these two fighting with the bandits and had to help them.”
“You need to work on your lie before you see her. She wasn’t too pleased about you not coming home, either.”
“Oh, great.” Brandon sighed.
Lance was about to bitch at them to hurry it up again when the kid moved past the guards toward the front door. The longer it took them to talk to the boss, whoever that was, the farther ahead those bandit bastards could potentially get.
And God only knew what they planned to do with their captives.
Two guards stood on either side of expansive glass doors, watching the surrounding streets. They ignored Brandon as he pushed his way through to enter the darkness beyond. Lance noticed the inside of the glass had thick metal sheeting behind it, riveted to the frames of the doors.
An enormous amount of time and resources had gone into fortifying the place.
Brandon strode across a vast, dimly lit lobby.
The room stretched far and wide, the ceiling nearly twenty feet above them. It resembled the lobby of any office building one might have wandered into before the end had come. The shine on the floor and the fancy trimmings around the desk and lights had lost their luster, though.
Two people stood along the left wall, both holding welders. They worked on the metal plating secured over the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Lance understood how the Vladdies hadn’t busted through the metal fortifications, but he couldn’t figure out how the glass had survived so long, especially since nothing covered it from the outside. Perhaps their external defenses just worked that well.
The covered windows eliminated most of the natural sunlight that would have brightened the lobby during normal times. The overhead lights were on, no doubt powered by the solar panels on the roof.
A handful of guards were strategically around the lobby, holding rifles. They nodded at Brandon as he led Lance and Eifort to a bank of elevators at the far side of the room.
He pushed the up button.
Lance blinked twice when it lit up, the creak of the elevator descending an almost-forgotten sound. “You’re pulling enough power from those solar panels to operate the elevator?”
“Nah.” Brandon smiled. “I don’t even think those things are hooked up right now. We’re not using any juice from them, anyway.”
“How is this possible?” Eifort asked.
The kid’s grin broadened. “Hydroelectricity, my friends. At least, I think that’s what they call it. We’re hooked up to a dam up north that provides us with all the electricity we need and then some. Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
The elevator dinged.
“I’ll be damned.” Lance watched in awe as the doors opened. “This is unreal.”
Simple things he’d taken for granted his entire life, such as using elevators, were relics of the past, never to be seen or experienced again. Or so Lance had thought until now. He assumed his children would grow up without experiencing the joys and wonders of electricity and computers.
Of elevators.
But seeing those doors open, hearing a chime he never thought he would encounter again, changed everything.
He would have laughed at the unexpected glory of that moment except he’d thought of his boy again. Of his wife.
And all the joy was sucked out of the experience.
They stepped inside, and the kid hit the button for the top floor.
“I even have a Nintendo set up upstairs.” Brandon winked at Eifort. “Maybe I could teach your kid how to play when we get your families back.”
Tears brimmed in Eifort’s eyes. “That sounds wonderful.”
Mirrors covered the back of the doors, and Lance stared at his reflection as they closed. He looked older and thinner than he’d expected. His cheeks had sunken in a bit, his chin chiseled from the lack of body fat he carried. His sun-bleached hair hung down on either side of his face, ending at his jawline. The tans they’d acquired on the island were deep and dark. He’d obviously known how acclimated their bodies had become to the sun, but the sight of himself in that elevator hammered home how long they’d been gone, and how much they’d changed over the years.
“I’m pretty good at Madden, so that wouldn’t be fair to start with.” Brandon leaned against the rear wall, resting his butt on a chrome railing. “I bet some of the kids down the hall from me have some side-scrollers we could borrow. Maybe a Mario Kart game or two. It’ll be fun!”
A week ago, Lance had thought he might starve to death.
Now a teenager blithely discussed what video games he would teach the kids to play. Lance wondered whether he might be caught in the throes of a dream.
Or a nightmare.
Nothing had seemed real since the night before.
“How many people live here?” Eifort asked as she wiped at her eyes.
“A couple of hundred, I guess,” Brandon said. “I don’t know exactly. The census isn’t my job. I just scavenge for things and stick to myself, mostly.”
“You have a census here?”
He nodded. “The boss likes to know who is here and what they’re doing for The Light.”
The name of the place finally clicked for Lance. “You call this building The Light because of the power you have, right? The place is lit up like the Fourth of July at night, isn’t it?”
“You got it.” Brandon nodded in appreciation. “You can see The Light from miles away in the dark. It’s so bright it even keeps the demons away.”
Lance nearly burst into laughter.
They’d struggled to find food and safety for weeks now. Surviving was a full-time job with unlimited hours that nearly worked them to death every single minute. But here stood a community who didn’t live in fear of the night, who had elevators and video games.
He wanted to laugh, cry, and scream all at once.
Exploring the place and reveling in their accomplishments should have been a glorious moment for them. Instead, Lance clenched his hands into tight fists, willing the elevator to ascend faster.
The doors finally opened after what felt an interminable amount of time.
An expanse running a sizable portion of the top floor opened before them. A path cut through the middle, towered on either side by mounds of guns and bottled water, canned food and toilet paper, pillows and light bulbs. The goods stretched from wall to wall, the trail leading to a door a few dozen yards away.
Brandon strolled between the items without so much as a second glance.
Eifort’s eyes lingered on a massive pile of pistols to her left. They always needed more weapons, and The Light had a stockpile that would last them years.
Maybe more.
“We’re still sorting through this,” Brandon said with a wave of his hand. “Sometimes we get backed up because we’re working on other stuff. Eventually, this will be divvied up among everyone.”
Lance struggled to tear his gaze from the toilet paper. They’d run out of that glorious substance at least six months ago.
Could have been longer.
There had been some rough times with leaves and old shirts that he didn’t want to dwell on. Of all the luxuries he thought he would have missed the most, toilet paper hadn’t been a consideration.
Until it ran out.
“That’s a lot of weapons,” Eifort said.
“Enough to fight off anything that ever tries to get in here.” Brandon stopped by the door at the other end. “And that’s just stuff we’ve found over the past few
weeks. Everyone downstairs is already armed. Those are just extras we have to check out and clean. All that boring crap.”
Lance marveled at the assortment of guns.
Their supplies had dwindled down to Eifort’s pistol and a handful of rounds. The British Virgin Islands had outlawed firearms long ago, so they couldn’t replenish their coffers as guns went missing or were damaged.
“The boss is in here.” Brandon cocked a thumb at the closed door. “It’s probably best if you let me do the talking at first. She can be a bit… rough. So just stay—”
“We don’t have time for this.” Eifort pushed past the kid, grabbed the handle, and shoved the door open. She gestured toward the open space. “After you.”
7
The hood over Cass’ head made her scalp sweaty and her face overly warm. Her breath had dampened the front of the fabric, the wetness irritating her lips and cheeks. It had only taken half a dozen death glares from her before they’d pulled the modified potato sack over her head.
Within minutes of sunrise, the men had loaded them into the trucks and left the garage. Their moods were bright and jovial as they joked about the significant haul they were about to deliver. Even the leader’s serious demeanor seemed to have softened overnight.
Cass felt panic nibbling at the fury roiling inside her.
If she’d understood the conversation between the leader and Emmett the night before, then their captors planned to split them up. It sounded as if Greg and Adam would be shed from the rest of the group to be given to someone named H.K.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Lance and Megan were already gone.
If the bastards split them anymore, it would be nearly impossible for them to find each other later. And there would be a later.
Oh, yes.
Cass would kill every fucker in the truck and then get her family somewhere safe.
After that, she would go find Lance and Megan. She knew the odds they’d survived last night were slim at best. But if anyone could survive being left in the middle of a major city at nightfall, it was the two of them.
The idea they’d perished had barely occurred to her. The stranger who had shown up and helped them must have had a safe place to hide. Why else would he have stayed out so late into the evening?
No, they weren’t dead.
Lance would find a way.
When they’d first met, he’d proven a first class screwup. The man had survived the apocalypse through an odd combination of sheer luck and incredible willpower. Even though he’d failed in the old world, the snarky son of a bitch had risen to the occasion and become the man he was destined to be.
Sure, he did some dumbass things still, but that was what made her love him so damn much.
He wouldn’t fail her now.
Wouldn’t fail their child.
They would reunite soon.
A hand ran up the inside of her leg, toward her crotch.
The fingers were thick, strong.
Rough.
They inched closer to the fly on her jeans.
Cass spread her legs slightly, letting the hand work between her thighs until it brushed against the seam of her pants.
Then she slammed her legs together, trapping the hand while bucking and twisting her hips. The man attached to the appendage, Wayne most likely, yelped as Cass felt something pop in his wrist.
“Bitch,” the man cried as he yanked his hand free. “I’ll kill you for that!”
Pain exploded in her cheek and eye when he struck her in the face. Her head rocked back, bouncing off the metal wall behind her. Her body felt sluggish and heavy, her breathing labored.
Stars burst in her eyes, filling the darkness under the hood.
Blood leaked into her mouth from a cut on the inside of her cheek.
She shook her head, attempting to blot out the flashes and clear her thoughts.
“You goddamn bitch,” the man breathed. “I’m going to kill your kid and then—”
The crack of a heavy smack cut him off, and he cried out again in surprise and pain.
“I won’t tell you again, Wayne. Leave the goods alone.” The leader’s voice was close. “H.K. would take you just the same as those other two. Don’t force my hand.”
“But she—”
“Shut the fuck up and sit down.”
A hand grabbed hold of the hood, pulling a solid chunk of Cass’s hair along with it, and ripped it off. She tried not to wince from the sting streaking through her scalp, squeezing her eyes shut until the agonizing sensation passed.
Even though the hood had bathed her in complete darkness, the back of the truck wasn’t much brighter. Her vision adjusted quickly as she took in the leader.
He knelt in the middle of the truck, leaning toward her. “That was a stupid thing to do. If I take this gag out, you better behave.”
With a gruff tug, he pulled the cloth from between her lips.
“He deserved it. And a whole lot more.” Cass considered spitting in his face, but feared the repercussions. She could take whatever he might do to her, but couldn’t bear the thought of the bastard hurting her baby. “He’s an animal.”
“That he is.” The leader glanced at Wayne. The brute had taken a seat against the opposite wall in the corner, his wounded hand tucked under his other arm. “But animals can be useful if they’re trained properly.”
“Looks like you did a shitty job with that beast. The minute you turn around, he’s going to be back over here pawing at me.”
“Maybe you’re right.” He turned back to Cass. “Or maybe I should throw that kid of yours upfront outside tonight. Bet that would keep you from poking at my animals.”
Cass wanted to scream a sling of profanities that would make the devil blush, but she could see in his eyes that he would do it. Peering around him at Emmett, she noticed the tear streaks on his cheeks. He shook his head slightly as he held her gaze.
Despair finally overtook her rage as she slumped in her seat. She’d already lost Lance to a fate she didn’t want to think about. If her anger caused her to lose anyone else, she would never forgive herself.
The leader took her sagging posture as a victory, giving her a curt nod. “Now that we understand each other, we can cover some ground rules for our next stop.”
The truck slowed down slightly as it veered around an unseen obstacle. Cass marveled once again at how quickly they were able to drive. Almost every road they’d traveled seen since the end had a never-ending string of vehicles obstructing progress. Riding a bicycle down the highway proved difficult, let alone maneuvering a vehicle of this size.
Last night and this morning, the van had barreled forward as if the roads were completely free of blockages.
“The lot of you will be gagged and bagged. Anyone struggling will suffer most harshly. Any attempts to escape will lead to your instant execution and to the execution of the person immediately to your left. This stop won’t take more than an hour or two, unless we’re having us a good time, and then we’ll be on our way. Don’t make me do something you’ll regret.”
Cass glanced over at Adam. He sat with his head down, staring at his feet. Lilith leaned into him, sobbing against his shoulder. Whatever the men had planned for them would most likely not be good for Adam or Greg.
She intended to put a stop to it.
There was little doubt the man before her would keep his word and kill a few people as a lesson to the others, but Cass understood they would all suffer a similar fate soon enough.
She didn’t know what their plan was, but she refused to let them see it through.
8
The woman standing at the far end of the office stared down at a wooden desk covered with paperwork. Her golden hair dangled past her shoulders even though it was pushed behind her ears. She wore a black suit with two buttons on the front. The outfit felt so out of place Lance did a double take as he took her in.
Lance followed the kid forward, inspecting the woman. He figu
red her to be in her mid-forties, but couldn’t be certain. Her short, thin stature and relatively smooth face made her appear younger than he thought she might actually be.
The appearance of the suit confounded him.
No one dressed as if they were heading to a high-level business meeting anymore. Monkey suits were a relic of the past, thankfully forgotten. Lance had hated them before the Xavier virus had done its thing. Now they seemed like a bad joke.
The woman was clean. Old-school clean. Her hair didn’t appear scraggly and unkempt, her skin was clear and dirt free. Her suit lacked wrinkles and stains.
Lance looked as if he’d spent the past month in a gutter, which wasn’t far from reality.
Eifort cut a quick glance his way, cocking an eyebrow in the air. She seemed as surprised by the woman’s appearance as he was.
“Do I even want to ask where you were last night, Brandon?” the lady asked without bothering to raise her head from her paperwork. “Mills needed those light bulbs first thing this morning. We had to send out another scavenger to get more. If I can’t rely on you to do your job, then I’ll find someone who can and send you back to the gardens.”
“Something came up,” Brandon said, eyes downcast. “I’m sorry for being late, but I had to help these people.”
The woman finally tore her attention from the desk, inspecting Lance and Eifort. “So I see.”
“This is Lance and Megan.” He gestured to his leader. “And this is Emily Snow.”
“Fred informed me you’d brought company.” She held Lance’s gaze for several seconds before switching to Eifort. “How long have you two been rustling through the city? You look like hell.”
“We just got here yesterday,” Eifort said. “We came up the coast.”
“Ma’am,” Lance interrupted. “I’m sorry to be blunt, but our families were kidnapped at gunpoint last night and we need to find them. The kid told us you might be able to help. If you can’t, then we need to be on our way.”
Brandon fidgeted.
The woman smiled.
She stood, came around the desk, and leaned against it as she took Lance in from head to toe. “I like it when someone gets to the point. None of us have much time to waste these days, so I appreciate the bluntness.”
