She waited for Bailey to nod her understanding, then she turned, her skirt whirling to the side. Checking the door and the massive lock in place, Elba then checked each window, moving with a confidence in her actions. She’d obviously done that before.
Bailey wasn’t sure if she was more soothed by the fact that she wasn’t alone this time around, or the matter-of-fact way Elba was handling everything. It was probably safe to say all of it made her feel better.
Bailey mustered up enough strength to look over the edge of the couch to see where Jessica was.
The small infant had a pacifier in her mouth and she slept in a small hammock that was set up between some chairs. Her small fist moved in the air while she slept. Bailey didn’t have to worry about the baby. Not for a little while anyway. Not while Elba let Bailey be a kid. She closed her eyes and breathed.
There it was again.
More voices and they were closer.
All they had to do was stay quiet. Bailey could do that. They could all do that.
Chapter 5
Margie
There were only a couple things Margie didn’t have at her place, that she could think of off the top of her head. She and Ryker finished loading the missing items from Cady’s house.
Like the reloader for instance. Cady had bugged Margie and David to get one, but it hadn’t been on their radar since they hadn’t planned on staying if things ever went south. Margie had known how things were going to go. She wasn’t interested in being around crazy when it broke loose.
Now, with no other option available to her, Margie unbolted the manual machine from the reloading desk and loaded it with all of its pieces and parts into the back. Cady would know how to set it up and run it. Hopefully, Margie hadn’t missed any pieces.
Margie avoided thinking the one thing that would keep Cady from helping with the reloader would be if she were no longer alive.
Ryker lugged a large box of food and stacked it on top of a bin filled with extra winter clothes. It might be summer but the northwest was crazy with cold weather and they couldn’t leave anything to chance.
“I’m going to grab another bin of first aid supplies to go with the first one. We have extra room with the backseat folded down. Why don’t you look through the rest of the stuff and see what you’d like to bring?” Margie dusted her hands off as she turned back into the house, flashlight in hand. She smiled as Ryker headed toward the fishing things hanging neatly on the wall beside the tackle supplies. The delight on his face for the first time since finding him left a burgeoning warmth inside Margie’s chest.
She’d take as many good moments as she could.
Margie wasn’t sure if she was doing anything right by the boy. What if it would have been better to let him die there with his family? But she couldn’t believe that. She had to believe that she’d saved him, the same as he’d saved her. He’d given her a reason to go on, he’d needed her, and she had helped him.
“Are we ready?” Ryker stood beside the SUV’s passenger door as Margie loaded up the last bin of first aid supplies. They were packed full and she couldn’t imagine trying to fit one more can of tuna anywhere.
Margie stopped at the back of the rig, turning with her hands on her hips to survey the house. Part of her didn’t want to leave the safety of the home, but the dead bodies on the front lawn testified that the safety was temporary. Plus, she had to find Cady. She had to save her.
She was just ready for the traveling to be over. Margie nodded and closed the backdoor. There was no looking back. They had to be on their way. She had a family to rescue.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, Margie waited for Ryker to settle into the seat beside her before turning the key in the ignition. The key ring had a few keys on it which jingled when she released them to shift into drive.
“He doesn’t look too good.” Ryker glanced back over his shoulder at Scott who was protected and watched over by the dog. The boy’s voice was soft and sad. He’d probably seen enough death to fill two lifetimes.
Margie made a sound in the back of her throat, glancing in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Scott. “Yeah, if he can make it to Sandpoint and to our place, I’ll see about putting more stitches in. If he doesn’t…” She let her voice trail off. Scott was a good guy. He’d taken care of Cady when she’d lost her husband and then some. Judging from the things he’d mumbled while she’d administered to his wound, he cared for her.
Smart man. The world could use a few smart, good men at this point in time.
“We’ll go up Clagstone and across. I don’t want to attempt the on-ramps in Athol.” Margie pulled carefully out of Cady’s drive, cautious to let in any sentimental thoughts for leaving the place.
The dog whimpered behind them, licking Scott’s forehead and then facing out the windshield again. He seemed like a good boy and Margie was grateful for the distraction for Ryker.
“What’s the dog’s name? Do you know?” Ryker reached back and let the animal sniff his fingers, a small smile on his lips.
“Ranger. Scott said his dog’s name was Ranger.” Margie didn’t want to get too attached to the man or his dog. Scott had been through a lot and his wound had been deep. If she’d been there a little earlier, it wouldn’t have been hard to fix him up. But he’d lost a lot of blood and that combined with his exposure to the elements had left him weaker than survival required.
Margie wasn’t sure if he’d survive or not.
She hoped so, but she wouldn’t hold out against the odds either.
“Your daughter was smart to have that gas caddy right there.” Ryker dropped his hand from the dog’s nose and turned, facing forward once again. “She had a lot of stuff there that would be helpful. I kind of hated leaving it behind.” He tapped his fingers on his knee.
“Yeah, I know. Cady was into prepping and survival things. She made my husband and I get solar panels on our home, a hydro-electric option to our creek and an underground cellar-style fridge. The house is designed to be successful off the grid, but…” She didn’t want to worry Ryker. He had enough on his plate and she didn’t want to add more.
“But what?” Ryker leaned his head toward her. She really didn’t have any reason not to tell him. He had every right to know what they were up against.
Plus, she needed to talk about it with someone. “The honest truth? My daughter might be in danger from a group of psychotic preppers. It’s a community called The Gulch in Bonners County. They played at prepping insomuch that it allowed them to have guns and multiple survival gadgets at their disposal. Not very many of them understand how to can, dry, smoke, or otherwise preserve food let alone grow it or scavenge for it. Our home up there is perfect for survival in a functioning society or even just on our own. But the way The Gulch was going? Not the best option for anyone to have to face.” Margie shook her head. “The men remind me of Manson.”
The mention of the man they’d brought with them from Washington elicited an audible gasp from Ryker which brought another nod from Margie. “Now you understand. It’s not going to be pretty or easy. If they capture Bailey and Cady…” Margie didn’t finish the thought.
She couldn’t think of what would happen to her daughter and granddaughter. She wouldn’t.
As long as Perry ran the community, they were headed into a death trap. Margie could only hope Cady had broken down or gotten lost before reaching the creek. It wasn’t a pleasant hope, but it was so much better than the other option.
Scott moaned behind them, the sound deep and painfilled. His ragged breathing grew more labored and Margie furrowed her brow.
Ryker glanced around, his eyes widening as he took in Scott’s appearance. “Margie, his pants are redder and he looks like he’s been running – he’s all sweaty and red.”
Margie clenched her teeth. She couldn’t stop. They were on the road and who knew who was waiting to take their supplies and car? “Okay. Reach back there and try to apply pressure to his wound. I thought my makeshift dr
essings would work, but apparently I didn’t do them tight enough.”
It’d been a long time since she’d done bullet wounds. If she didn’t get Scott’s bleeding under control, Margie hated to think what she would have to tell her daughter.
Chapter 6
Cady
Cady stepped forward, her stomach already twisting in fear. She couldn’t let Dusty die because she was afraid. She wouldn’t do that.
Ted knew she was a woman. The angle of his gun suggested he had used it already to hurt others and it hadn’t been accidental.
Cady pierced Dusty with her gaze. She spoke softly, ignoring the deep brown eyes of Matt Perdox as he studied her. “Remember what we talked about?” She grinned, hoping Dusty got the message that she would fight from inside the group, but she needed his help in getting out. The latter was crucial.
The tight nod Dusty gave her was only supported by the clenching of his jaw. There was no way Cady would let Dusty martyr himself for her when there were more important things to be done. They had girls to save.
If Cady wasn’t able to prevent Perry’s group from going after her or Bailey, then she needed a chance to get inside and break it from within. The fact that she even believed she could was scary. She wasn’t sure she could, but she knew she had to try something.
A tremor of fear laced her awareness as she stepped closer to Ted. She didn’t want to go with him. If she was smart, she’d pull out her gun and shoot him in the face. He didn’t look like he expected her to be armed.
If she tried to shoot him there, he might get off a shot and take out Dusty or herself. Cady wasn’t convinced she cared about the other men, but death of any kind was undesirable – especially now with so few good people out there still.
Ted reached out, grasping her shoulder with sharp fingers, like he knew where to dig his fingertips in for maximum pain. “Come on. You’re exactly what I’m looking for.” His smile displayed a missing canine tooth and a gray streaking in his other teeth.
Cady found that hard to believe. She was neither young nor conventionally pretty. If he had any idea of her stubborn streak or her determination to not be ruled by others, he would turn around and leave her alone.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get the subliminal messages Cady was trying so hard to pass to him telepathically. He pushed her forward with a hit from behind, using the butt of the gun to slam her squarely in the center of her shoulder blades.
Cady stumbled forward, oomphing as she tried not to fall down. The fact that he got a sound out of her at all set her jaw. That wouldn’t happen again. No reaction. She had to go into the situation with no reactions. None. She didn’t have the luxury to be weak or vulnerable.
She desperately wanted to take a nap. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to pretend to be unaffected. If nothing else could keep her going, it was the image of Bailey with her newly sheered hair waving goodbye to her at Dusty’s house.
Cady had to protect Bailey, Elba, and Jessica. The most important one there was her own flesh and blood.
Would she be safe enough to pull out her weapon when they got some distance between Dusty and them? Looking over her shoulder, Cady raised her eyebrows. “Where am I going?”
“Toward the bridge. I’m right behind you, so don’t do anything stupid.” With the last glimpse of any light fading into the night sky, Cady had no doubt Ted wouldn’t hesitate to put her in her spot. She could still see things clearly which meant he could as well.
They stepped off-rhythm to each other, Cady watching where she was going on the new terrain and Ted more confident in his footing with the familiar grounds.
The sound of traveling water with its background rushing sound, even as they came upon the crystalline depths, matched the pulsing of her heart beat. Cady wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing.
Spinning and killing Ted was what she wanted to do. Every fiber of her being wanted to fight and break him, and get free. Nothing about being captive was natural and Cady balked at allowing it.
A small part of her wondered just what she could do about it – for real. What did she have that would be a match for Ted? Her pistol wasn’t the same as his semi-automatic. He would be expecting her to do something, try to flee or fight back or something.
If she did nothing, that would throw him off more than if she turned and tried shooting at him. Even if it went against everything her entire soul wanted to do.
Cady breathed in the refreshing cool of the creek as it threw water into the evening air. If The Gulch was operating in the vicinity of the neighborhood, and that was where Ted was taking Cady, they had a solid hour hike ahead of them – at least.
“Cross the bridge and follow the trail to the left.” Ted grunted his instructions, his voice closer than Cady was comfortable with.
Cady didn’t want to give away that she knew the area. No one needed to know that. She didn’t make a sound, just continued placing one foot in front of the other with measured pacing. She didn’t speak up or slow down. She didn’t do anything but move as he insisted.
What was that thing she’d heard on the news so long ago? If you let your abductor move you from the point of abduction to a second site, you were as good as dead. The second site was where death occurred.
But, if Cady didn’t sit tight and she didn’t do what she was told, she might not get another chance to fight The Gulch from the inside. She’d have to fight her way in and that was a higher possibility of losing and death than trying from the center.
Bailey. The one thing that was keeping her going. She honestly didn’t care about the other girls. It wasn’t that she was heartless, it was that she had to keep in mind that altruism when you yourself weren’t safe was just martyrdom.
If she wasn’t safe and Bailey wasn’t safe, then what was the point? Sure, she could save others, but at what cost to herself? She shook her head as they approached the footbridge stretching across fifty feet of flood-ravaged shores and now summer drought levels.
The snow runoff would feed the creek and the small streams that fed the creek well into the summer, but the initial melt had already dissipated and the flooding was no longer a threat. Faded stains on the lower parts of the bridge showed just how close the water came over the years to yanking the wooden connection from its posts on opposite sides of the water.
Cady stepped forward onto the bridge. Once she did this, there was no going back. The only way she would be able to get free would be to fight. One woman against how many men wasn’t the ideal situation.
She wasn’t naïve. She wasn’t overly strong and of course she knew better than to suppose she was stronger than any man. But maybe, she could out-strategize them. That would have to be the plan. She would have to hope that Dusty got more men together to fight with him. Relying on them wouldn’t be the smartest thing. Cady would have to rely on herself.
That was scarier than anything else.
~~~
Ted left Cady alone for most of the hike. He didn’t set a ridiculous pace and a couple points he whistled as they walked. The tune was unidentifiable and flat in parts, but the fact that he was whistling while taking a captive set her hair on end.
What kind of a person would do that? What kind of a man would do what he was told? Was his motivation the women? It couldn’t be money. Paper had no value without an intact government. Government needed people to run it. There weren’t a lot of those left either.
The moon had begun its ascent from behind the mountains and Cady wasn’t ready for the chill its presence left in the air. Even August heat wasn’t immune to the drop in temperature at night.
“Take a left right here.” Ted directed Cady through thick brush and then suddenly a clearing opened up before her with a background scene of sloping mountains and steep craggy cliffs just past the initial boundaries of the campsite. As her eyes adjusted, she took in the details one can only see at night with the shadows and the silver highlights.
Tents had been set up in a semi-circle under the
protection of trees cradling the clearing. A fire with tree trunks around it for makeshift seating and an area with what looked like a bunch of used mattresses made up the remainder of the visible site.
Used mattresses with no sheets? What a random thing to have on the outskirts of the camp. Maybe the place was an old dumpsite.
Cady stumbled forward as Ted pushed from behind.
A group of men milling about the opening in the clearing to the cliff drop noticed their arrival and turned as if one body. The head of the group moved forward, recognizable with his shock of black hair and streak of white at the temples. Perry with his hard eyes and simpering, weak mouth.
He’d been the one to sell them Margie and David’s house once upon a time. He’d assessed Cady then as he assessed her now. “Cady Moss. Surprised to see you here.” But the glint in his eye suggested he was more excited than surprised.
Cady inclined her head and motioned toward the camp site. “What’s going on, Perry? This idiot thinks he’s taken me captive. But I’m a member of The Gulch since my parents are dead and I’m their heir.” Throwing around confidence like confetti, Cady lifted her chin and tilted her head to the side. She folded her arms like she had all the power in the world.
Fake it ‘til you make it kept running through her mind.
Perry chuckled and stepped closer, almost into her personal space. Not stepping back took everything Cady had. She wouldn’t be intimidated by him or anyone.
“Well, now, that’s a problem, Cady. Our rules are pretty clear that a woman can’t do anything on her own or be unsupervised. It’s just not safe out there.” His mock concern did little to assuage her worry. Even his tone offered little comfort.
Cady laughed, shaking her head. “Well, I assure you, I’m perfectly capable of –"
Death Days: post-apocalyptic survival story (180 Days and Counting... Series Book 10) Page 3
