“I doubt they would have had any,” she reassured him, “I mean, why would they stock those in the middle of the desert?”
“True,” he agreed, applying the device to the drifts surrounding their vehicle. Arriving at the back, he double-checked their connection to the trailer, hoping that his bike had survived the mishap. Half an hour later, he was ready to test their position, and slid into the driver’s seat. “I dug all the snow out,” he huffed slightly, “Hopefully it’ll give us enough traction we can start rollin’, an’ then I think we’ll be ok.”
Sure enough, as soon as they had pulled forward a little, the wheels were able to catch, and they eased back onto the road, beginning their slow trek once again. Continuing to peer across the field at the building in the distance, she thought about what Caleb had said about the other people who chose to live in the middle of nowhere. “You think they’re ok over there?”
“Oh, I’m sure they are,” he reassured. “We’re down to a quarter of a tank. If we get down to an eighth, the indicator light’ll come on, an’ we may see if we can transfer some o’ the gas from the bike, like you suggested.”
“Ok. We shouldn’t run the heater any more than we have to, either. I’m sure it’ll save us at least a small amount of fuel.”
“Maybe,” he agreed, “Damn, we shoulda jus bought a couple o’ cans an’ strapped ‘em onto the trailer with the bike.”
“Yes, we should have,” she emitted a small laugh, “Why didn’t we think of that before?”
“I know, right?” he shook his head, “But you know ‘bout hindsight.”
“Yes, I know,” she agreed more quietly. A short time later, she could see the station in the distance. “Well, at least we’ll make it.”
“Sure,” he raised his chin towards it, “But I’m still nervous about stoppin’ there.” His brow furrowed, his mind turned, “They had pay at the pump, so I’m gonna try to avoid talkin’ to anyone if I can. Maybe it’ll take my card, even though I cleaned out the account.”
The last few miles were torture, as each of their minds flashed visions of the danger that could be in store for them. With the building drawing near, he reached into the seat pocket behind her, where he had stored her pistol, and removed it, shoving the small weapon into his jacket pocket.
Eventually guiding the wheels off the road, he eased their transport beneath the canopy, next to the dispenser, and climbed out, credit card in hand. Opening the tank, he reached to insert his card in the slot, discovering that the feature had been disabled via a hammer or some other blunt object. Pursing his lips, he caught the movement at the front of store out of the corner of his eye.
Raising his hands slowly, he offered the small group no reason to shoot him, the few brandishing shotguns and rifles, waving them slightly for effect.
“Hidey,” one in a ball cap called loudly, “You need some fuel, we take it.”
“Yeah,” Caleb stayed cool, watching as one of them made his way around to open the passenger door, indicating for the girl to join them. “How much for a tank?” he queried, his eyes following her as she raised her own arms, stopping at the front bumper to stare at the men who outnumbered them four to one.
“What ya got fer trade?” the apparent leader of the crew demanded gruffly. Moving over to inspect the motorcycle behind their vehicle, he grinned. One of the others seemed more interested in Bailey.
Watching the group, Caleb’s eyes narrowed. The one closest to his companion called out loudly, “This yur sister, dude?”
“My wife,” he offered the lie without hesitation.
“Aaahhh,” the noise came, moving up and down in a sing-song fashion, “Is that yur ol’ man?” he pointed his weapon at her, moving a step closer.
“Yes,” she agreed, not about to go against him on the issue. Her arms shook slightly, and she raised her chin, looking down her nose at him for a moment. “We have some cash,” she offered, catching a wisp of hair that had blown up in her face and become hung on her knit cap.
“Cash don’ mean shit, ‘roun’ here,” one of the others stated matter-of-factly. “We’ll take the bike.”
“The bike!” Caleb looked stricken, before he realized he had no choice. “Ok, fair enough. Start up the pump, an’ you can unhitch it,” he reached in his pocket to hand the ball cap the key.
Bailey watched with wide green orbs, shuffling her way closer to him while he filled the tank. Over his shoulder, she could see two of the shop dwellers had disconnected the trailer and were inspecting their new toy. Starting it, one of them backed it down the incline, revving the engine a few times before he rode away to try it out despite the swirling flakes.
Cutting her eyes over at the one who had seemed interested in her, he grinned, showing her his few remaining teeth.
“Hi,” he clipped, seeing her look his way.
“Hi,” she answered softly, inching closer to Caleb, who slid his arm easily around her, kissing the top of her head through her cap.
A few minutes later, the reservoir had been filled, and he pulled the hose, returning the nozzle to the pump. “Thanks, fellas,” he raised a hand to them, and encircled her waist with his arm to guide her. Walking her around to the passenger side, he placed her into her seat, leaning in and giving her a light, quick peck on the lips for effect. Closing her door with a thud, he returned to his own chair, exhaling a loud gasp of relief when they were back on the road, and the station had begun fading into the distance behind them.
Home Free
Reaching over, Caleb grasped her fingers, entwining them with his own. “Thank you for playin’ along,” he chuckled. “I thought for a second you wouldn’t.”
“It surprised me,” she pushed her head back against the seat, “But I trust you.”
“Yeah,” he grinned, “When he asked if you were my sister, I got scared he wanted t’ trade you for th’ fuel.”
“Me, too,” she breathed, watching the white scenery scroll past from the corner of her eye. Her palm resting lightly against his, she felt no need to draw the appendage away. “How much further is it?”
“About fifty miles until we make the turn off,” he supplied. “After that, it’s a private road, an’ we’re home free.”
Agreeing with his assessment, she relaxed further into the upholstery, closing her eyes and allowing herself to doze. Sometime later, she awakened to the shift of the car, thrown off balance when they made the turn. “Was that it?” she inquired, noticing the rough bump of the cattle guard beneath them.
“That was it,” his smile widened. “I wonder if somethin’ happened to a tower, an’ that’s why everything has gone dark out here. Maybe that’s why they seem to have disappeared.”
“Maybe,” she speculated along with him, freeing her hand and reaching for her phone. Unplugging it, she flicked the screen open, “Still no bars. That’s an ok theory, except that my old phone had no service either.” She paused for a moment, studying the screen. “Where’s yours?”
Extracting it from his pocket, he handed her the device, and she opened the screen. Emitting a small gasp, she confessed, “That’s not it. You’re back on. Should I try to reach them again?”
“Sure,” he flicked his hand at her in acquiescence, “It can’t hurt.”
After attempting a few numbers, Bailey darkened the screen with an exaggerated sigh. “Nothing,” she confessed, dropping it onto the console between them. Sufficing herself to watch the compound grow larger before them, she could feel the knots in her stomach growing in number and size, unsure what they would find when they got there.
Arriving at the large gate, she could feel her heart in her throat at the sight of the gaping pile of twisted metal, “What the hell!”
Caleb shook his head, equally as shocked by the view, “I have no idea,” he commented aloud, “It looks like someone ran into it… with a bulldozer.”
Following the road, they passed the first set of wind turbines, and Bailey could see the airfield beyond, hazy in the falling s
now. Keeping to the blacktop, they crept forward, arriving at the diner a moment later. The glass along the front shattered, the insides had been easily destroyed and coated with ice and snow.
“Caleb, don’t stop here!” she begged in a quiet voice.
“No,” he agreed, “We’ll have a look around before we get out.”
Continuing down the path, the armory on the right stood open, more than likely cleared. The gun range beyond, he made a right onto the last path, using the cul-de-sac in front to the med center to turn around, noting that the building appeared to be unharmed, as did the gym. Back at the pavement, he pulled across, passing by the water tower and rolling slowly by the greenhouse, which stood ajar.
Making the complete loop, the buildings appeared to be in varying degrees of turmoil, windows broken randomly, and doors left open. Not seeing any sign of another living thing in the blanket of frost that covered the ground, Caleb pulled up at the garage in front of the stables, and killed the engine. “Come,” he half whispered, reaching behind the seat to retrieve his rifle, and the box of shells.
Outside, he pulled the pistol from his pocket, holding it out to her, “Here.” He waived it slightly towards her, waiting for her to take it.
Her hands trembling, she grasped the cold steel, “Caleb, I – ”
“Shh,” he cut her off, raising a single finger to his lips, “Use your shots sparingly,” he whispered, “An’ stay close to me.” Moving in slow motion, he led her to the stables, where they slipped in through the wide door in the end, which stood half open, careful not to touch the wood.
Inside, the dark space crushed in around them, and they stood still, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the low light. A few minutes later, they moved through the structure, discovering the stalls were empty. Exiting the far end, they moved under the canopy, and he froze in front of the barn door, “Someone’s still here,” he indicated the footprint smaller than his own, which had filled in with snow.
Staring at the outline, she realized it was too big to belong to her brothers, and too small to be that of her uncle. Her breath frosting, she began to inhale in a deep pant, the realization that her family was missing slowly taking hold of her. Following her best friend, they crept towards the center entrance, so that the rabbit cages would be on their left, and the larger pens would fall to the right.
Inside, the light from the skylights above them bathed the wide room in a soft glow, the vacant stillness of the area sending chills up her spine. Reaching forward, she lay her hand lightly on his arm, dismayed that everything of value seemed to be missing, especially the people.
Hearing the sound of an engine outside, the couple scampered to the end, and he peeked out from the swinging double door, pushing against it lightly to achieve the smallest of cracks. “Fuck me, it’s the guys from the station. Tha’s why they let us leave.”
“What do you mean?” her voice trembled.
“They let us go, so they could follow us,” he deduced aloud. “Stay here,” he commanded. “Get in a corner, an’ shoot any o’ them that find you. You remember what I taught you about that, right?”
“Shoot to kill,” she repeated his words from the gun range, “What if I can’t?”
“Then you’ll become their prisoner,” he supplied, “An’ they’re gonna beat you… an’ rape you. An’ if you’re lucky, they’ll kill you.” His eyes bore into her, “You understand?”
“Yes,” she gripped his arm firmly, heart pounding against her ribs. She then released him, turning slowly to choose her hiding place.
Leaving her, he crept out the direction they came in, making his way to the end of the building, away from her haven. Moving through the stables, he planted himself with his rifle, hoping to use their empty transport as bait.
Sure enough, the group discovered the wrangler a few minutes later, exiting their own vehicle to inspect it. Taking aim, Caleb had the first one down, followed by the second in short order, before the remainder of the group ducked for cover, still unsure of his location.
He knew from their previous encounter, there were at least eight of them, if they all made the journey. Somehow, he didn’t think they would have left their own turf unprotected. Of course, there could have been some still inside, when they confronted us. His thoughts churned, assessing the situation and formulating a plan.
Spying the machetes that hung on the wall next to the wide frame, he stood, collecting one, and pressing his tall form into the space created by the wide wooden beams for a moment. Waiting patiently, he knew they would begin to search for him, and a few minutes later, one of them poked his head through the door.
Caleb knew the man would be blind, the light inside the stables much lower than that outside. Allowing his target to step further in, he swung the heavy blade, nearly removing his head with a single action. His body slumping to the ground, the searcher’s legs gave a few violent kicks, then lay still, his blood flow slowing to a mere ooze, and steaming lightly in the cold.
Standing over him, Caleb peered out the door, dimly aware that he had never actually taken a human life before. He had trained for it since he was a child, their family never secretive about their beliefs or intentions. Seeing nothing moving beyond in the swirling frost, he weaved through the structure, coming out at the covered portion of the corral. They know we’re here, he rationalized; the snow gives us away.
Retracing his own steps, he crossed towards the barn, aware that the men had taken their vehicle and moved away. Deciding to leave the girl where she had hidden, he turned right and jogged to the far end of the barn, making his way around the corner, and venturing down the road that lay between it and the outside wall.
Gliding through the trees, he reached the steps that would be invisible to anyone who didn’t know they were there. Quickly, he scaled the structure, and climbed over onto the top, which stood about three feet thick.
Panning the ground below him, he spied his targets grouped on the pavement that ran through the first collection of windmills. Must be planning their next move; he speculated, counting four heads. He knew he would be lucky to get two of them, before they again found cover.
Looking down the scope, he identified the one that had appeared to be in charge, taking him out with a clear shot, then catching his second while he ran towards the front gate, as if he wanted to escape the compound. Standing, Caleb jogged down the wall, taking the ladder that ran directly beside the gate, and following his prey towards the buildings in the center of town.
Their footprints clearly visible, he hung back, aware that one of them had gone up the steps to the Smalls’ porch, and probably cowered inside the dwelling. The second had gone straight down the road, his tracks headed towards the diner. Or he’s sneaking back around towards the barn; he briefly thought of the girl.
Aware he had to deal with the man that lay before him, the blond man exhaled slowly, calming himself and preparing for the push. Moving ahead, he did his best to remain behind their parked Jeep, noting the open doors. Hunching down, he snuck up beside it, clearly able to see the marks that indicated he was on the right track.
Close to the side of the garage, he veered to the right, standing up straight behind it, and slinking down the back to the far end. Moving towards the duplex, and the playground that lay between it and the airstrip, he exhaled thick frost from his nose. Reaching the corner, he froze, seeing the man standing between the house and the garage, as if trying to decide what to do.
Raising his weapon, Caleb dropped him, then jogged down the path. Stepping over the man’s body, he took a knee at the corner to observe the front of the diner. Seeing that nothing moved, he stood and darted across the street, taking the path that would lead him back to Bailey, when a shot rang out before him, and panic gripped his throat.
Cry in the Dark
Bailey left Caleb to hunker into a corner, where the rabbit cages that remained hid her from plain sight. Struggling to calm herself, she inhaled and exhaled in a steady rhythm. Aware of ever
y noise around her, the barn seemed eerily quiet without its normal inhabitants.
Staring straight ahead, she heard the sound of two shots, then silence. Her pulse heavy inside her throat, she waited, hearing the vehicle that had pulled in only moments before, make its retreat. She could tell from the noise that it had moved to the other side of the barn, and guessed that it had returned to the main road. Silently, she prayed that Caleb had not been the victim of the shots.
Squatting, her heart twisted in agony, she did not dare to move, as obviously more of the interlopers remained. Hearing more shots, she smiled, more certain that she had heard the sound of justice, and that her dearest friend was settling the score. Hopefully we get one of them alive, she thought with the faintest of grins. I’m sure he could tell us what happened to everyone else.
A few minutes later, she heard the door at the front creak, and her body stiffened. She could see the toboggan-covered head moving through the wire cage before her, appearing and disappearing in the mesh as it moved slowly forward. A moment later, a voice called to her, “You might’s well come out, Missy… yur ol’ man’s dead.”
In shock, she struggled to hold her breathing in check. Hearing her ragged pants, he swung his weapon to face her, and she held her own, pointing it towards him, the barrel shaking slightly as she inched towards him. “I don’t believe you,” she gasped.
“Oh, it’s true, honey,” he grinned, and she recognized the few teeth that were exposed.
“You’re the one from the store,” she accused.
“Yup,” he continued to smile, pleased with his prize. “You didn’ really love that guy, did you?”
She stared at him, still clutching the pistol, thinking about the tall blond man who had become a huge part of her existence. She needed him almost as much as she needed air, and the thought of his passing paralyzed her. “I said, I don’t believe you.” Fighting her anguish, she raised her arm, and leveled the barrel at him.
The Irrevocable Series Boxed Set Page 31
