Exodus (Aftershock Series Book 2)

by Michael R. Watson

  He made his way back toward the outpost. By the time he reached it, the guards had already been alerted, one of them running toward him and the fire. Flames could now be seen above the tents. As the guard ran past Ryder, he recognized it to be Billy. Ryder reached out and grabbed him. The guard fought to free himself from Ryder’s grip. Ryder held on tight, grabbing the other shoulder and forcing the guard to look at him. Billy continued to struggle to get free.

  “I have to get to the fire!” he yelled, swinging a fire extinguisher at Ryder.

  Ryder blocked and grabbed it. “Billy, it’s me, Ryder!”

  Billy hesitated and then looked closer. “Ryder? What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you,” said Ryder, pulling him aside.

  Billy pulled himself free as Ryder loosened his grip. “I have to check on that fire!” Billy yelled, turning and running toward it once again, Ryder beside him.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just one of the old cars,” informed Ryder.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I set it.”

  Billy stopped and looked at him with disbelief. “Why would you do that?”

  “I had to get you alone so I could talk to you.”

  “It’ll have to wait until I put out that fire. They’ve probably already seen it from the prison towers.” He began to run again.

  Ryder followed after him. It was obvious Billy wasn’t going to answer any of his questions until he’d done his duty. He understood. It wasn’t that he was so concerned for everyone’s safety as much as it was to prevent repercussions for not doing his duties. By the time they had arrived, the fire had already been contained and was beginning to die down. Several from the crowd were gathering dirt and throwing it on the fire. Water was too precious and too hard to come by to use on a fire, especially since it didn’t look like it would get out of hand or destroy anything of value. Billy shot the base of the fire with a few blasts from the extinguisher, easily putting out the remaining flames, leaving only the stench of smoldering fabric and padding. Fortunately, there wasn’t any gasoline left in the vehicles, all siphoned out during the early days.

  Billy told everyone in the crowd to go on back to their tents, while he and Ryder stayed a bit longer to make sure the fire didn’t flame back up. Without facing Ryder, he said, “You know I can’t be seen with you.”

  “I know, but I had to talk to a friend.”

  He gave Ryder a crossways glance. “Okay, so what was so important you had to talk to me?”

  “My brother is missing and I’m afraid he was taken by the Guard. Do you know anything about it?”

  “There was a boy arrested a few days ago. They said he was taking supplies.”

  “What happened?”

  He paused, still refusing to face Ryder. “Do you remember Justin Hale?”

  “Yeah, he was a friend. Why?”

  “It seems that he was helping get supplies to someone on the outside. He was caught taking supplies out the gate. Counselor Damon forced Justin to tell him he was meeting someone and where, right before they executed him. It could have been your brother they took. Sorry.”

  Ryder cursed. If he hadn’t convinced Justin to continue the aid to the valley, he’d still be alive. But Ryder didn’t have time for regrets, he had to find out without a doubt whether it was Levi that they had and if so, whether he was alright.

  “There’s something else. They were talking about using the boy as a hostage to take over a valley south of here.”

  That was when Ryder knew for sure, it was Levi. He felt helpless. By himself or even with Darby’s help, there was no way of rescuing his brother from that fortress.

  Billy finally looked at Ryder. He could see the anger in his eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid. Things here aren’t like they used to be. When Master Gant left, Travis Peck was made Master of the Guard by Governor Davis and he’s placed men loyal to him in high ranking positions. If you thought it was bad before, now it’s ten times worse, if you can imagine that.”

  “Do you know if I still have other friends here?”

  “Perhaps, but it’s nearly impossible to know who you can trust. The Governor and Damon hold our families safety over our heads to get whatever they want. We’re as much prisoners as these poor people living in Tent City.”

  “I really need to know. Can you discreetly ask around?” asked Ryder.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “One more thing. Can you get word to Levi to let him know I’m here and I’m going to do everything in my power to get him out?”

  “I can’t promise anything. He’s being watched closely. But I’ll do what I can.”

  “Thanks,” said Ryder, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad to still have at least one friend here.” He then turned and disappeared into the shadows, crossing back through the car barricade, headed back to find Darby.

  ***

  Ryder explained to Darby what had happened, confident that the governor had Levi and was holding him captive. He recalled with sadness what Billy had said about Justin. They had been friends, but not close enough to know whether he had a family. He seemed to recall him talking about a wife. If so, her life would have taken on a drastic change with her husband branded as a traitor and executed. She would have been thrown into a hard life, forced to leave the protection and comfort, such as it was, of the compound walls to live in Tent City. Ryder hoped the people there had been compassionate. He should have thought to have asked Billy. After freeing Levi, he would find her and make sure she was all right.

  Even though Billy had overheard that the boy taken would be used as a hostage, Ryder couldn’t overlook the possibility that his brother could already be dead. It was something that wasn’t beyond what Damon would do, to claim Levi alive when he wasn’t. Damon was a manipulator, possibly even the one pulling the governor’s strings, making him unknowingly dance to his will.

  “What are you going to do?” asked Darby.

  “I’m going to stay close by and see what I can find out about Levi. Can you get word out to our friends and let them know what’s going on? If anyone can help, it’d be appreciated. No one needs to come just yet though. There may be no need. Levi may already be dead.”

  Darby nodded. “What about your parents? Do you want me to let them know what’s happened?”

  Ryder paused. “No. Not yet. We don’t have all the facts and I don’t want to give them hope if there isn’t any.”

  “I should be back tomorrow or the next day.”

  “Okay. I’ll be watching the gate. If they plan on using Levi as leverage, they’ll have to send someone to negotiate. I’ll be ready when they do.”

  Darby mounted. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him back.”

  Ryder forced a slight smile. “I’m counting on it.”

  Darby rode away, leaving him alone, the perfect situation to start dwelling on the past, blaming himself for everything that had happened. If he’d been satisfied to stay in the valley and help his dad, Justin would still be alive and Levi wouldn’t be in this predicament. Then his thoughts shifted to the hostage situation. What did he think he could do even if a negotiator was sent to the valley? If he stopped each one who was sent out, it would keep his parents from finding out what had happened to their son, but it wouldn’t help Levi’s situation. And even if he allowed negotiations, he knew they would say anything to get what they wanted and deliver nothing. He shook his head. There were too many choices and at the same time, no choices. There were no solutions. Perhaps he should have agreed to let Darby notify his parents. He took a deep breath. No. That was something he’d do in person, when the time came. He was having a hard time thinking clearly. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep.

  Ideally, he’d like to get Levi back, safe and sound, without their parents knowing about the danger he’d been in until afterwards, if even then. All he could do now, from outside, was to wait and react to the governor’s next move.

  Ryder felt helpless
, watching and waiting from a safe location where he could clearly see who came and left through the entrance gate. Impatiently, he sat through the daylight hours with the only activity being a squad of guards who would come out every other hour, circle the compound and return inside the walls. He didn’t know if it mattered, but that routine could come in handy later.

  Darkness approached and he thought of returning to see Billy, curious if he had learned any more about his brother. As the night before, he would go during the evening meal when things tended to calm down.

  ***

  An hour after sunset he noticed that the Guard patrol outside of the walls had stopped, assuming they would start up again at sunrise. That would be proved later easy enough and possibly another important bit of information.

  He didn’t dare make a fire this close to the compound, so he retrieved a piece of jerky and a stale piece of bread from his bag in an attempt to satisfy the gnawing in his belly. His stomach still growled when he had finished. Ryder could hear the sounds coming from Tent City begin to die down. He had been waiting for this moment. He worked his way back to where he had passed through the barrier the night before and crossed to the inside. He had failed to ask Billy if he was on duty again, so he used caution as he approached the outpost. Ryder was pleased to see that Billy was back. At least something was going right. Starting another fire to get Billy’s attention didn’t seem to be a good idea. He moved closer, staying in the shadows. No one inside Tent City should know him, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances. Then he realized there was a flip side. He could possibly be recognized as an unfamiliar face. These people had been living together for four to five years, depending on when they had arrived. The government had started turning people away when the food first began to run low, at the end of the first year. Most of those living in Tent City tended to keep to themselves, but after a few years, faces became familiar throughout the camp. Even though he was in the Guard, his duties never brought him to Tent City. His face would be unfamiliar and would stick out.

  It wouldn’t be easy to be inconspicuous without creating another distraction, but he had to talk to Billy again. He wasn’t sure how the people living there would react to him, even if he was pointed out. Under their current situation, there was no reason or incentive for its residents to make his presence known to the authorities. That was unless there was a mole in the group. If he needed to worry about anyone, it would be the other guard. The guards saw all the occupants of Tent City as they passed through the gate, coming and going to their jobs on a daily basis, remembering their faces.

  Fortunate for Ryder, Billy was facing inward toward the tents. He didn’t see the other guard at all. Billy recognized him as he approached from the side, a look of dread appearing on his face, using a slight hand gesture to wave him back. Ryder stopped and backed into the shadow of a nearby flickering fire. Billy turned away, talking to the other guard, “Gary, I’ll be right back. I thought I saw something.”

  “Do you want a hand?” Ryder heard him ask.

  “No. It’s probably nothing.”

  The other guard stood, nodding as he came into view. “Okay. Give me a shout if you need me.”

  The guards dealt with frequent false alarms, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for one of them to check out a noise or movement, especially after dark. Failing to check on a disturbance and then have it turn out to be something resulted in severe consequences. It was safer and easier to check on everything, just to be sure. In the early morning hours, when everything was typically quiet, it also helped with the boredom. Billy walked casually toward the edge of the camp, Ryder followed at a distance, knowing Billy was paranoid about them being spotted together. Billy stopped and pulled him into a shadow.

  “What are you doing here again?” asked Billy. “You’re going to get us both caught.”

  “Did you find out any more about my brother?” asked Ryder. Levi’s well being was the only thing on his mind.

  “If you weren’t sure before, you can be now. It is your brother and Damon has been interrogating him. You know how ruthless he can be. He’s learning everything about the valley. I’m sorry. I couldn’t get word to him that you were here. Security was just too tight.”

  “Is he okay?” asked Ryder.

  “He’s still alive, if that’s what you mean.”

  “And were you able to find out if I still have friends here?”

  “I haven’t had much time. We just talked last night, but yes, I did find a couple who would claim to be your friend. How can we help?”

  “I don’t know yet. It’s nice to know there’s help nearby though.”

  “It may not be that simple. If we can help, we will, but we won’t risk the safety of our families. That’s where we have to draw the line. Okay?”

  “I understand.” Ryder paused. “Have you heard if or when they might send someone to the valley? They have to send someone if they want to use Levi as a bargaining chip.”

  “Damon is going with a small escort. If I heard right, he’s been there before.”

  Ryder knew someone had been there with Taylor, and now he knew who it had been. Damon had been the one to kill Taylor. He still didn’t know why.

  “Now, that’s all I know. You better go before we’re seen together and reported.”

  “Thanks,” said Ryder, moving away as silently as he’d come.

  Billy hustled back to the outpost.

  “Anything wrong?” asked Gary, with an odd tone to his voice. “I was just about to come looking for you.”

  “It was nothing.”

  “Wasn’t that Ryder I saw you talking to?”

  Billy froze and didn’t answer, waiting to see what Gary would do next.

  “I believe that’s considered consorting with the enemy. Too bad you couldn’t have kept him here a little bit longer. It would have saved us a lot of trouble.”

  Just then four members of the Guard entered the outpost, alerted by a signal from Gary.

  “Take him!” yelled Gary. “He’s a traitor! And let Damon know that Ryder is here!”

  There was no point in Billy fighting. They had his family. There was nothing he could do without jeopardizing their safety. Exactly what he had wanted to avoid. He wished Ryder had never shown his face.

  ***

  A smile crept onto Damon’s face when he was told Ryder was close by. He anxiously rushed to Governor Davis’ office, knocked, and entered without an invitation. Davis looked up at him with annoyance.

  “I’ve just learned that our young hostage’s brother has come to rescue him,” reported Damon.

  “So, handle it,” stated Davis, unconcerned.

  “There’s more. It’s actually excellent news. Not only is he the brother, he’s also leader of the Raiders, a former member of your Guard, and of course another son to the leader at the valley.”

  Davis stopped shuffling papers, laying them down on the desk, giving Damon his full attention.

  “It could help with acquiring the valley if we could capture him as well,” continued Damon. “Then we would have two hostages to use.”

  “And how do you propose you capture him?” asked the governor.

  “If we were to place our young hostage on public display outside the main gate, it would be an open invitation he couldn’t resist. We could place your Guard where they wouldn’t be detected and give them orders to pounce on him when he attempts a rescue.”

  “Why do you think he’d fall for such an obvious trap?”

  “It’s his brother, sir.”

  “I hope you’re right. Proceed with your plan. Come and give me the good news when you have him.”

  “As you wish, Governor.”

  ***

  Ryder returned to the location where he had left his horse, where he could watch the front gate from a safe distance. It was six hours until sunrise. He didn’t expect any activity for the rest of the night. It was usually quiet around the compound and Tent City during the late night and early morn
ing hours, or at least it had been when he was a Guard. The down time would allow him a moment to rest. He hadn’t had a chance to close his eyes for two days and he was beginning to feel the effects. He rested his back against a small tree, able to see the gate through a narrow gap between low-lying branches.

  He woke to the sound of the gate opening. He was sure his eyes had only been closed for a second, but evidently it had been long enough to nod off. Three men appeared in Guard uniforms, rushing through the gate toward nearby bushes. Ryder watched as they disappeared from sight and the gate closed. All movement stopped, silence returning. What were they up to? Now he was wide awake. He intently watched the gate and the bushes. After an hour his eyes began to become heavy again. Just as he was about to nod off again, the gate opened and three more of the Guard came out, quickly entering another grouping of bushes. The same process was repeated every hour on the hour. Ryder knew they were up to something, but he had no idea what it was. He forced himself to stay awake the rest of the night.

  At daybreak the gates of the compound opened and a horse-drawn wagon came out with a four-guard escort. In the back of the wagon was an old-fashioned wooden stock with someone in it. The driver circled the wagon until the back faced away from the gate. He jumped down, unhitched the horse, and led it back inside. One of the Guard dismounted, climbed up beside the stock and grabbed the person by the hair, raising his head so his face could be seen. Ryder almost cried out as he barely recognized his young brother, his face bloody and swollen from beatings.