The starter motor grumbled for a few seconds and then the engine caught. Solly let out a sigh of relief and gestured the others inside. Janice slid along to sit next to him and Ross sat on the end, pulling the door shut.
"How much gas have we got?"
Solly glanced down and cursed. "Not much. Maybe enough to get us out of town. That's if we can get through."
"Every mile is one we don't have to walk," Janice said, squeezing his arm.
"Look what I've found!" Ross said. He drew a snub-nosed pistol from the glove box.
Janice's arm snapped out. "Give that to me," she said. It was a semi-automatic, like the one Ross had except bigger.
"Any ammo?" Solly asked.
Janice checked the cylinder. "Six rounds," she said before opening the glove box, "and a box here. Another ten rounds."
Solly said a silent thank you to the figure decomposing on the road, engaged the shift and begin picking his way between the cars.
Khaled sat up in bed. "I'm sorry, commander, I don't know what came over me."
The woman shook her head sadly. "I understand the desire to go outside, my friend, but it is still dangerous. You are too valuable to us. How will we rebuild this world without one of our greatest minds? I am sorry that Corporal Schmidt used excessive force on you, though; he will be disciplined."
"No need," Khaled said, rubbing the back of his leg where the cattle prod had connected. "I'm not the only one who's frustrated at being locked up in here."
"Locked up? Only for your own safety. Soon enough, New York will have been cleared and we will emerge to take charge of the new world."
Khaled took a sip of warm coffee and leaned back on his pillow.
Once the commander had left, he got out of bed and hopped across his quarters to the desk. He pressed his thumb onto the slate that sat there, then drew a complicated geometrical pattern to confirm the unlock. A schematic map faded into view and he watched as a red marker edged its way along route 78. He let out a long breath. So, they'd made it that far. The Hierarchy hadn't noticed that it was missing yet, but it was only a matter of time and the further from here they were when it happened, the better their chances of keeping it safe. He'd sent messages to his limited network of trusted survivors in the hope they might help them on their way. So much depended on three strangers believing what must have seemed to be the ramblings of a madman.
He closed down the slate, resolving not to check it more than once a day. Stage one was complete, and the object was now outside the control of the Lee Corporation. The completely impossible had now become merely a one-in-a-million shot. But when the alternative was certain annihilation, you had to roll any dice you had.
Chapter 15
Bella spun around and slapped Hank's greasy hands away before shoving him in the chest. She'd been half-expecting him to try something like this, so, as he was recovering, she darted back through the open door to the stockroom and off into the darkness. His voice echoed along the rows of metal shelves, calling out to her with a mix of frustration and excitement. He was a hunter and she couldn't afford to be caught.
She desperately wanted to get out of that place as quickly as possible, but there was so much debris, she was forced to tread carefully. If she was slow, sure and silent, she stood a chance. Bella could see the light coming in from the shattered windows at the front of the store and she decided to take an indirect route there as she was certain he'd expect her to make straight for the entrance.
Her heart hammered as she crept along the aisles, stopping every now and again, her ears straining for any sign of Hank. She was now in the toy section and only just pulled her foot back in time as it landed on something soft. She bent down to pick it up. It was a doll, exactly the sort of thing Maddie would have enjoyed ten years ago when she was a girlie girl. She stroked the blonde nylon hair of the toy and ran her fingers over its plastic skin as she listened for any movement. There was no sign of him. She imagined he was hiding somewhere at the top end of the store waiting for her to make a break for it. She shivered as she remembered with revulsion the feeling of his hand on her skin. Whatever happened, she would not let him touch her again.
Bella went to put the doll on the nearest shelf, but then, for no special reason, changed her mind and put it under her arm instead. As she did so, her hand brushed against something metallic. A shelf support had fallen from above. It was made of steel tubing bent into a right angle. She grasped it by one end and felt its weight. A pretty poor weapon, but better than nothing.
After creeping along a couple more aisles, she was within twenty yards of the front window. She could see the parking lot beyond the shattered frames, but she knew that he could just as easily chase her down out there as in here unless she could get to the car first and lock it before he reached her. Bella gazed between the shelving and planned a route. The checkout lanes stood between her and the window but, apart from that, the way looked clear enough. But she was a short middle-aged woman, carrying some extra pounds, who'd never so much as run for the bus.
She had no choice. Now for it. She drew in a deep breath and ran.
He was there in an instant.
"Where d'you think you're running off to, little girlie?"
He grabbed her coat and went to wrap a thick arm around her, but she slid sideways and brought the steel piping down on his head as he stumbled. Blood spurted instantly from the tear.
Hank let out a monstrous cry of pain and rage. By the time he'd gotten to his feet, she was ten yards ahead, but his legs were longer than hers and she could hear his heavy boots getting closer and closer. She leaped through the window frame as she felt fingers brush her back. Where was the car? No time to look—she ran between vehicles in the hope she'd recognize something but then, quite suddenly, she was yanked back with such force that her legs collapsed, and she fell to the ground.
He rubbed his head as he stood over her, then turned his palm so she could see the blood. "See what you've done, girl?" he snarled. "You're sure as hell gonna pay for that."
He reached down and grabbed her, pulling the steel tube from her hand and throwing the doll away before lifting her up so she stood facing him, flinching from the foul stench of his spittle-laden breath. "Now, you're gonna be nice," he snarled as he leaned into her.
She punched him in the gut with every ounce of her strength. He yelled, and his hands opened. She turned to run, but he was on her again, his arm around her neck, roaring with rage. Then there was a click and silence.
"Let the lady go," a familiar voice said.
She felt the arm loosen and withdraw.
"Nathan!" she said as she went to embrace him. Gently, he pushed her back and kept his gun trained on Hank.
"Now then, fella. We was just havin' a little fun," Hank said, his eyes wide with sudden terror.
"I saw what you were doing," Nathan responded, with icy calm. "Down on your knees."
For a moment, Hank looked uncertain. His eyes darted from Bella to Nathan—he saw something there that seemed to petrify him and he was shaking as he clumsily knelt on the tarmac, sandwiched between two abandoned cars.
Nathan glanced briefly to Bella. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. I figured something like this had happened back at the junction, but I had to find a working car to follow you. And it had to be an automatic, so I could drive it one handed. Fortunately, my weapon arm is just fine."
"Thank… thank you for coming after me." She felt her body begin to shake as adrenaline began to dissipate.
"You were doing pretty well on your own account," Nathan said, then returned his attention to the kneeling man. "What's your name?"
"Hank, Hank Rollins," he said, his voice trembling.
"What did you do before the culling, Hank?" Nathan asked.
Again, Hank seemed surprised by the question. "I was a school teacher for forty years. Retired now."
"And did you always treat women, girls, like toys to play with?"
The fear returned. "Oh n
o, not at all. I was a model teacher, not a mark against my name in all that time."
"But now the rules have changed, is that it?" Nathan said. "Now there's no one to stop you doing exactly what you want?"
"I'm sorry," Hank said, whimpering. "I won't do it again, honest I won't."
Nathan lowered the weapon. "From what I've heard, there's not a whole lot of us left. Maybe one in twenty. Means every life is precious, or I'd have shot you on the spot. Wanted to hear your account of yourself."
"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Hank said. "Yes, we must stick together if we're to survive."
Nathan nodded, raised his pistol and punched a neat hole in Hank's head from close range.
Bella gasped and covered her head with her hands.
"Sadly for you," Nathan said as he pocketed the weapon and turned away, "we can't afford any poison apples in the barrel. Or any dead wood."
He reached out for Bella, but she recoiled from him.
Nathan gave a little shrug before heading toward the store entrance. "Would you rather I'd left him to attack you?"
"No. But to kill him in cold blood..." she responded, shakily.
"It was a judicial killing," he said. "I caught him in the act, questioned him and then carried out the sentence."
"But who gives you the right?"
He stepped over the window frame and gestured her inside. "In times like these, every person has to take responsibility for their own actions. I was here, I saw what he did. There's no police, no law courts, nothing around here to see due process done. It was frontier justice, but it was justice. He got what he deserved. Now, let's get what we came for and get out of here."
She followed him into the darkness of the store, wondering what sort of monster she'd invited into her house.
"Seems fair enough to me," Al said as he sat opposite Bella at the kitchen table. The worktops were covered with the packets and tins they'd scavenged from the shop, enough for some days at least, and Nathan had taken himself back to bed. The expedition had exhausted him, but Bella felt no more comfortable about his actions than she had when, to her horror, he'd executed the man.
"I, for one, am not going to mourn the death of a man who was going to... well, you and I both know what he was going to do," Al continued.
Bella wiped her face and took a swig of coffee. "You weren't there, Dad. Nathan could have let him go. I wouldn't have minded if he'd scared him half to death, but to shoot him just like that..."
"So he can attack someone else? You're not thinking, girl."
She sighed. "I know. It's hard, but who was he to decide?"
"In the absence of the police, young Nathan was the law. And, frankly, I'd trust his judgement over most."
"But Dad, without the rule of law, what have we got?"
Al reached forward and put his hand on Bella's arm. "Well, my sweet, you're alive for one thing. I'll take that, thank you very much."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Al spoke again. "By the way, the emergency bulletin's changed."
"What? Why didn't you tell me? What does it say?"
Al smiled. "Which one do you want me to answer first?"
"Get on with it, Pops, I know you love having news to tell."
"Well, first thing is that the state governor has taken over the Texas National Guard from the feds—he says it's just for now, but I reckon he's making a grab for power."
Bella gave an exasperated grunt. "Power over what? And anyway, who is the governor? Don't tell me Lieberman escaped the... whatever it was? There really would be no justice if that snake was still alive."
"No, it's someone called Walker. Used to be in charge of the Texas state military. Seems he's the most senior member of the state government left alive."
"So, what's the news?"
Al shook his head sadly. "Looks like everywhere's as bad as here, some places maybe even worse. The announcement didn't say much, 'cept to stay at home and wait for order to be re-established, but I reckon we could starve to death before that happens."
"And what about the president? The White House?"
"Well, he didn't say much other than we're on our own, at least for now. Some truck driver's sittin' in the Oval Office, but I'm not sure how much is left of the military. Don't you think it's strange the only soldier we've seen so far is Nathan?"
Bella thought about that for a moment. Yes, it was true. Over the past week, she'd seen the odd civilian go past. The Choi house, along the street, was definitely inhabited as she'd watched Mrs. Choi drag the bodies of her family onto the front garden before burying them. It had taken days. She found herself wondering, again, why her own family had been spared. There had to be some reason beyond random chance.
But she'd seen no military, no police. Even if only one in twenty had survived, as seemed to be the ratio in the general population, it was hard to imagine they'd disappear from the streets entirely. Maybe they were protecting the hospitals, or caches of weapons or FEMA supplies or who-knows what else.
"Anyway, all we can do is hunker down," Al said, "and for that we need generator fuel. Jake and I are goin' out to handle it, so you take over guard duty."
"You're not going out there! And Jake certainly isn't!"
Al gripped her arm tighter. "You can't tell me what to do and neither can you shield them from reality. You shot a man in front of those kids, and you can be sure that even if you've gotten over it, they haven't. Give them something useful to do and it'll help. Sittin' around and thinking, that ain't good for any of us. And besides, we shouldn't have to go far."
Bella relented. He was right. Jake and Maddie had been cocooned for long enough. Maddie had spent the past week in her room reading, and Jake had sat with Grandpa watching Nathan until he woke up. Since then, Jake had been keeping the patient company. Bella was beginning to regret that; what might Nathan have said to her son over the many hours they spent together?
She wondered how long they could reasonably stay here without running out of supplies or going mad. But where would they go if they left? Again, she felt a deep need to see Solly and, again, she pushed it away before her mind forced her along the inevitable chain of reasoning. No, all they could do was survive until order was restored. And to do that, they had to have power.
Bella watched from an upstairs window as the gate swung shut behind her father and her son and they slunk off into the road. It was getting late, but Al wouldn't put it off until tomorrow - according to him the generator was running on fumes, so they had to grab at least a little fuel before it went dark tonight.
Naively, Bella had assumed they'd use a bit of hosepipe to siphon off the fuel, but Al had informed her, in his most patronizing tone, that most cars had protection against that. He'd taken a cordless drill, a large bowl he'd liberated from the garage and a small plastic stopper he'd made from the end of a pen. The plan was to find a diesel car and drill into its fuel tank. Once the bowl was full, he'd put the stopper in so they could easily drain it further later. They were wearing old clothes that would probably have to be cleaned afterwards as it seemed inevitable that they'd get splashed by diesel.
Maddie stood alongside her as they watched Jake run from car to car before pointing at a station wagon that had stopped at a 45-degree angle in the middle of the road. Its doors were shut, and Bella was relieved to see that neither of them showed any inclination to look inside.
Al disappeared beneath the car while Jake kept lookout and handed down the tools as needed. She flinched at the squeal of the drill, so loud in the silence of the street, but after a few moments it stopped. Jake vanished from view, then reappeared as he carefully lifted the bowl onto the roof of the car and helped his grandfather up.
She breathed out as Jake went to pick the bowl up. Then, quite suddenly, he pointed to the right. Al waved his hands, as if shooing Jake toward the house and the boy, after initial reluctance, began moving in that direction. Al drew a handgun from his pocket and pointed it up the road before backing away slowly.
Chapter 16
The first car took them a half mile along the highway before the road was completely blocked by a jackknifed truck and they were forced to walk again. It was another hour before Ross found what they were looking for. It was a battered red station wagon and the driver lay a handful of yards away, sitting against the concrete barrier at the side of the road. Solly was glad that the man's head had dropped over this chest, so he couldn't see the fly-infested face.
"The keys are still in here," Ross said.
Janice came to stand beside Solly, sliding her hand behind his elbow. "I don't get it. Most people seem to have just dropped suddenly, but some of them had time to crawl away."
They stood for a moment, looking down at this anonymous victim. Solly wasn't in a hurry to get into the man's car and check it worked. There would be other cars if this one was out of gas or the battery had died. Right now, he just wanted to give the poor soul a moment's reflection.
"I've got no one, Solly," she said. "Except you and Ross, that is."
He turned to her. "You lost them on the first night?"
"I never had anyone. I never knew my parents. Brought up in a care home in Harlem. Shared a couple of rooms with a friend. Sadie, she was called. She never came back that night. I'd gone to bed, woke up to find..." she gestured at the ruination around them. "Went out to look for her and that's when I met Lenny."
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