by A. P. Madden
In the near-silence, they heard distant engines and tyres squealing across the ground. The men driving had instructions to make it look like they were charging at full speed to try and breach the building before anyone stopped them, but the real reason was to make as much noise as possible.
Once they heard the noise, Caelan raised his hand. The four of them held their position, waiting behind the final piece of cover - a small wooden hut. The wood looked weak and thin, and Luke doubted it would offer much protection against a bullet, but it kept them hidden.
Caelan waited, and Luke’s nerves stretched thin. In his mind, he knew that Caelan was waiting for Morgan’s men to notice the cars and react to them. Hopefully, most of them would move to the other side of the building. But Luke’s body didn’t understand. His muscles were coiled tightly and every instinct was telling him to run or hide or fight. To do something. He couldn’t stay in one place like this. Adrenaline flooded him, and he had to force himself to keep still.
Caelan closed his hand into a fist and the four of them sprinted forward.
They were halfway across when the first shot rang out. It hit the ground beside Luke’s foot and he stumbled. Caelan pulled him up and Jackson fired wildly up at the upper level where the shot came from. They were fifteen feet from the door.
Ten.
Five.
The door opened before they reached it. A man brought his gun up as he stepped out, and Simone’s rifle fired once. He hit the ground.
Simone and Caelan stepped over his body and Jackson fired a few more times at the sniper to keep them at bay. Luke heard two gunshots from inside, and he started to follow them in. There was a crash from outside, further down the wall. A window had shattered.
Something black jutted out from the broken window. Luke grabbed Jackson and pulled him inside as machine-gun fire tore through the ground where he was standing. They stumbled over the dead man’s body, and Jackson slammed the door shut.
They were in a wide corridor. It was probably the entrance when this place had been full of stores. Walls of boxes and chairs and debris had been piled up across the corridor. It ended halfway across the floor, and Luke saw another similar wall beyond it. It meant that they couldn’t see further down the corridor, but it also shielded them from attacks.
Caelan stood at the wall while Simone peered around the corner to scan for threats. He scanned both of them with his eyes to check for injuries and beckoned them closer.
“It sounded like a machine gun out there,” Caelan whispered.
“That’s exactly what it was,” Luke said.
“It could delay the rest of the group,” Jackson said. “If they can’t take him out.”
“The plan stays the same,” Caelan said. “Simone?”
“I’ve got point,” Simone said. “Jackson, watch our six. Caelan, Luke, keep your eyes out for traps, snipers and gaps in these walls.”
She led the way through the maze. It seemed like almost everything in the mall had been brought down here. It slowed them down since they had to expect resistance every time they turned a corner. Luke had to admit that it was a good security measure, and he wondered if there was something similar at the other entrances.
They moved through the empty space quietly, constantly scanning the area around them. At some point, Luke’s body had started getting used to being here. His heart was no longer in his throat, his palms had stopped being sweaty and his breathing had evened out. His heart was still racing and his body thrummed with energy, but he was calm.
And then, of course, it all fell apart.
Simone shouted a warning a moment before the explosion hit. It was the only reason any of them survived the explosion. Caelan shoved Luke to the ground and he heard shouting and gunfire nearby. Simone and Jackson were covering them, and Luke got back on his feet to help.
Another explosion threw him off his feet and he lost consciousness.
***
Chapter 35 - Tell Him Myself
“Get up, Luke.”
Luke woke up, but he was too disoriented. Where was he?
“Come on. Caelan will kill me if I let you die. Come on.”
Jackson was talking to him. “Jackson?” he said, but the word barely got out of his mouth.
“Who the hell else would it be? Get up, man, I’m not carrying you.”
Luke lifted his head, and the world rushed back to him all at once. Noise and light and pain. “Oh god, my head.”
Jackson’s hands moved over his head quickly. “You’re not bleeding. Get up, walk it off.”
Luke took Jackson’s hand and let him pull him to his feet. “The others?”
“No idea. They were alive when I last saw them.”
Luke looked around for his weapons. “How long was I out?”
“Half an hour, maybe. I had to double back to find you.”
“Thanks.”
“You can thank me by watching my back so we both get out of here alive. Come on, let’s go this way.”
Luke followed Jackson through the rubble. He felt exposed without his rifle, but it didn’t take long to spot one of Morgan’s men half-buried by debris. Luke hurried over, ignoring Jackson’s cursing at his back, and he grabbed the handgun lying on the ground. He jogged back to Jackson, checking the clip and nodding to himself.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Luke said. “Let’s go.”
“Stay with me,” Jackson growled.
“I am.”
Jackson shook his head and kept going, and they saw a few men rushing through a door up ahead.
“Here we go,” Jackson said, following them.
They slipped in after Morgan’s men. The men were on their right, trying to flank someone crouching behind an overturned desk, so Luke and Jackson went left.
“They’re with us,” Jackson said to Luke. “Come on.”
Jackson fired at Morgan’s men, and Luke took out a man trying to sneak up behind the desk and get the drop on whoever was behind it. Silence fell, and Luke tore his eyes from the dead man.
“Well done,” Luke said, looking at the three men on the ground. Jackson had taken them out before they even had a chance to return fire.
Jackson grunted and they approached the desk.
Naomi and Simone were behind it. Simone was shot, but it didn’t look fatal, judging by the look on Naomi’s face. Simone was pale and sweat clung to her brow, but her eyes were focused, and she was holding a gun in each hand.
“Great timing,” Simone said.
“No problem,” Jackson said. “Will she live?”
Naomi glanced up at him. There was blood on her face and neck and her eyes were wide, but her hands and voice were steady. “She’ll make it. I’m almost done here.”
“What happened?”
“She was holding off a whole group of them by herself when I first got here, but one of them got a lucky shot.”
“You’re alone?” Luke asked.
“Myles was with me, but he went on ahead,” Naomi said. “I stayed here to treat Simone.”
“I’m fine,” Simone said. “Have you seen Eric?”
Luke shook his head. “No, but I’m sure he’s fine.”
“If you find him... Actually, no. Nevermind. I’ll tell him myself.”
“That’s the spirit,” Luke grinned.
She laughed, and then groaned as the movement pulled at her wound.
“No laughing,” Naomi said with her eyes on her work.
“Sorry.”
Jackson moved towards the door to check the hallway, and then he hurried back to them. “Coast is clear, but I doubt it will stay that way for long. We need to move.”
“Go on,” Simone said, pushing Naomi’s hands away. “I’ll follow you.”
“No way,” Naomi said.
“I’ll stay with her,” Jackson said. “They might need a medic elsewhere, so you should go, and Luke can watch your back. I’ll stay. We shouldn’t all be slowed down.” He glanced at Simone. “No offence.”
&n
bsp; “None taken,” Simone said.
“Take Naomi and go ahead. Find the others. They might need her. And... Caelan might need you.”
“What do you mean?”
Jackson pulled Simone’s arm over his shoulders. “You know what I mean. He might need you.”
“For what?”
“Are you really this dim or is it an act?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Caelan might need you to stop him.”
“Oh.” Luke watched him for a moment, and he realised that maybe he had misjudged Jackson. Maybe all this time, there was more than meets the eye to this arrogant, argumentative-
“What are you gawking at, you idiot? Go!”
That was more like it. “Don’t die,” Luke said, heading for the door.
Luke heard the muttered response as he joined Naomi.
“Don’t die? Does he think I was planning on doing anything else today?”
***
Chapter 36 - It’s About Yours
They moved through the building for a while. Naomi checked bodies and did quick patch-up jobs on any wounded they found. They kept going towards the sound of gunfire, the centre of the conflict. Caelan would be there.
As they passed a clothes store, the door ahead burst open and half a dozen men rushed in. Each of them had an assault rifle except for one man, who was limping and clutching his thigh. His face was almost white with pain, and his lips curled back into a snarl when he saw them.
Luke had never met him before, but he immediately knew who it was. The man looked like Morgan. He was the third sibling that Addison had talked about.
“You’re dead,” Trent said.
Luke and Naomi froze, and Luke took a slow, careful step to the side, putting himself in front of Naomi. “We weren’t the ones who shot you,” he said.
“You’re with Caelan,” Trent snarled. “His men did this. He attacked my camp and killed my people. You’re on his side.”
He gestured to his men, and they lifted their rifles.
“Wait!” Naomi said. “I’ll treat your leg.”
Trent narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
“Your leg,” she said. “I’ll treat the wound.”
“Don’t,” Luke whispered.
“I can save your life,” Naomi said, raising her voice and looking at Trent. “Your leg is bleeding heavily. If you don’t get medical treatment in the next few minutes, you won’t make it.”
“You can’t fix this,” Trent said. “You’re just trying to delay your own death. Kill them.”
“I can!” she shouted, looking at the armed men. “I can save him. Shoot me and he dies. His death will be on your hands. How will Morgan react when he finds out?”
The men hesitated and glanced at each other.
“What are you doing?” Trent roared at them. He was even paler now, and blood was soaking through his trousers.
Naomi tried to step past Luke but he blocked her again.
“Naomi, stop,” he said.
“Wait,” Trent said. His expression changed, but Luke didn’t know if it was good or bad. “Naomi. I know that name. Morgan talked about you. You saved one of our men when he was shot by those fanatical traitors that followed Warren and Donna.”
“That’s right,” she said. “And I can do the same for you if you let us go.”
“Naomi, don’t,” Luke said.
She kept her eyes on Trent. “I can’t let you die, Luke.”
“He’s a threat to everyone we know,” he said. “He doesn’t deserve your help.”
“It’s not about his life. It’s about yours.”
“I’m not worth it.”
Naomi finally looked at him. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
“See what?”
She shook her head and turned back to Trent. “Do we have a deal?”
Trent’s sharp eyes flicked from her to Luke and back again, and he gave her a small, smug smile. “Yes, we have a deal.”
***
Luke watched Trent escape with fresh bandages and a smile on his face, and he gritted his teeth. “I can’t believe we just did that.”
“I’m just glad he kept his side of the deal,” Naomi said.
Luke sighed. “Me, too, I guess.”
They moved on in relative silence. Luke wasn’t angry at her - she saved their lives, after all - but he couldn’t help but feel like they failed.
The sounds of fighting and distant gunfire had begun to fade. The battle was drawing to a close, and he let Trent slip through his fingers.
“Eric?” Naomi gasped, and she rushed forward.
Eric grimaced and waved weakly. “Hi, guys. Nice day for a walk, isn’t it?”
He was slumped against the wall, and he was soaked in blood.
“Oh, no, most of it’s not mine,” he told Luke.
Naomi peeled back his torn shirt, and her mouth tightened. “Some of it is yours.”
Eric tried to shrug. “One of those assholes hit me in the gut, and it broke the stitches on my old injury. They took full advantage of my moment of weakness, but I got them, in the end.” He nodded across the hall, and Luke saw another man lying on the ground. He was covered in blood, and there was a huge metal spike buried in his skull.
“What is that?” Luke asked, torn between curiosity and disgust.
“A piece of a railing,” Eric said. “They kept blowing up everything whenever we got too close. There were chunks of rock and metal and furniture everywhere.”
Luke finally tore his eyes away from the dead man, and he returned to scanning the corridor.
“How are the others?” Eric asked. “Have you seen...?”
“Simone’s fine,” Luke said.
“Oh, uh, thanks,” Eric said, blushing slightly. His face was pale from blood loss, but his cheeks still glowed slightly.
Luke grinned. “No problem.”
“She asked about you,” Naomi added, doing something to Eric’s wound that made Luke’s stomach turn.
“She did?” Eric said. “What-”
“Guys!” Myles appeared at the corner, and he hurried towards them. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Luke said. “You?”
“I’m fine, too, but I need your help. I think I saw Caelan, and there were a bunch of Morgan’s men closing in on him.”
“What? Where?” Luke glanced between Naomi and Myles, torn between staying and rushing to help his friend.
“Just up here. It’s not far.”
Naomi nodded to Luke. “Go. We’ll be fine here.”
“I’ve got her covered,” Eric said, lifting Naomi’s pistol with his bloody hand.
Luke nodded and Myles turned and rushed towards the corner he had appeared from. Luke followed him, but the man was moving too quickly, and he had to rush to stay with him.
“Slow down,” Luke hissed. “Check where you’re going before you run into an ambush.”
Myles ignored him. “There! I saw them,” he said, running forward.
“I didn’t see them. How many?”
“They’re just over here.”
“How many, Myles?”
“This way, Luke, come on.”
Myles waved him over. He stopped beside a closed door, and Luke joined him quickly, scanning the area around them. “I’ll open it, you go in first and I’ll cover you.”
“Got it.” Luke hesitated. “I don’t hear anything inside. Are you sure they’re in there?”
“I saw two of them run in,” Myles said. “We can take them.”
“Okay.” Luke took a breath and nodded to him.
Myles grabbed the door handle and opened it, and Luke moved forward. Six men stood inside, but they weren’t holding weapons. They just smirked at him and raised their empty hands.
Something was wrong.
Luke kept his gun on them, but he scanned the sides of the room, looking for the trap. Why had they given themselves up? There had to be something else going on. A tripwire or a hidden
gun or-
The barrel of a gun pressed into his back, and Luke froze.
“Drop the gun, Luke,” Myles said.
***
Chapter 37 - Wouldn’t Count On It
“Why are you doing this?” Luke demanded. He was on his knees in the middle of the room, facing the door.
They hadn’t killed him yet, which meant they wanted him for something else, probably to use him as a hostage against Caelan.
Myles smirked. “I’m doing this because I want to. You and Caelan are entitled and annoying. You think you’re better than everyone else, and Caelan put himself in charge of the entire group. Why? Just because he was there when it started?”
“You think you should be in charge?” Luke said drily.
“Maybe,” Myles said. “Or maybe Morgan should take over.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “You’re not even trying to betray us for your own sake. If you were just selfish, I could understand it, but you’re stupid, too. Morgan doesn’t care about you.”
Myles lifted his hand and brought it down hard across Luke’s face, and Luke reeled as pain exploded across his cheek. “You don’t know anything about me,” Myles hissed.
He spat blood onto the floor and glared up at Myles. “You’re going to regret this.”
“There’s that unshakeable confidence,” Myles said with a sneer. “You think Caelan is going to come and save you. He’s not. This doesn’t end well for you, Luke. I hold the power now.”
“I didn’t even mention Caelan’s name,” Luke said, lifting his chin. “You’re the one who keeps bringing him up. Seems like you’re a bit obsessed with him, to be honest.”
“I hate you,” Myles growled. “Do you know that? I hate you. I’m looking forward to killing you.”
Luke should have been worried, scared, terrified for his life - and he was all those things - but he knew that this wasn’t how it ended for him. He had survived car crashes, stab wounds, losing family and friends, almost being buried alive, mutants and monsters and coming dangerously close to being the next victim in a mad scientist’s twisted experiment.
He had been through hell, and he came out the other side.
