The Harvest (Book 1)

by Ferretti, Anne

  “I’m comin’ with you.” Luke started to get out of the bed. Austin put his hand on Luke’s arm.

  “I’m going alone. I need you to stay here and look out for Madison.”

  Luke fell back on his pillows.

  Austin rubbed his head for several seconds before looking up at Luke. “I want you to take my room after I leave. It’s right next to hers. I’ll leave a gun in the bottom drawer under the t-shirts. You don’t tell anyone you have it. Ok?” Austin waited for Luke to nod. “If anyone tries to hurt her you shoot the bastard.”

  “Why would anyone want to hurt her?” He asked, frowning at the very idea.

  “Luke, open your eyes to the situation you’re in. That she’s in. She’s the only female down here. She might be the only female left alive. Men can be pretty stupid when it comes to woman in an ideal situation. And this is far from ideal.”

  “Take her with you then.” Luke thought this was the perfect solution. Madison couldn’t be any safer than if she was with Austin. Luke knew the captain would die to protect her, to protect any of them.

  “I can’t.” He replied firmly. “Now can I rely on you?”

  “You can.” Luke sighed. “If anyone lays a hand on her I’ll make sure it’s the last thing they do.”

  “Good. Zack’s the only other person who knows I’m leaving. I trust him for the most part, but you keep your guard up.”

  “I will. I won’t let you down.” Luke replied without a doubt in his voice. This only slightly eased Austin’s guilt over leaving them and his worry that Luke wasn’t man enough to handle things while he was away or worse if he didn’t come back.

  “I’m heading out at sunrise. You can let everyone know in a couple of days, but no sooner. I don’t want Madison getting any ideas about following me.”

  “You’re gonna come back right?” He asked, worried that he might not ever see Austin again.

  “I don’t know kid. I sure hope so.”

  They talked for thirty minutes longer about the bunker and where Luke and Madison should go if they had to leave. When Austin left, Luke couldn’t help feeling like it really was the last time he would ever see him. The ants made a brief march across his scalp, but didn’t linger. Not that it would have mattered; Luke knew bad things were coming down the pike and he didn’t need his freak senses to confirm this.

  Not long after Austin departed, German sat up at the sound of footsteps. Luke rolled over, pretending to be asleep. He didn’t answer to the knock on his door. He couldn’t face Madison or Edward. They’d know he was upset. And if they asked what was bothering him, he’d be hard pressed to come up with a believable lie.

  The door opened. Luke heard German prancing about and guessed it must be Colin. But then he heard Madison whisper to the dog to be quiet. She whispered some more, before leaving as quietly as she entered. Luke didn’t move for several minutes. When he finally rolled over the room was empty.

  He let out a long sigh of relief and cursed the fact he hadn’t regained his strength back. Austin’s pending departure did not bode well with him, but he was powerless to do anything about it. He couldn’t tell Madison and risk her leaving him behind as well. In a strange way, they had taken the place of his parents. Luke thought about this for a while and arrived at the realization that he was afraid of being left alone, of being abandoned in this world turned to hell. He’d barely survived the first time around.

  In the weeks after the drop, he’d barricaded himself inside his house, waiting for whatever had killed his father to return, but nothing ever came. When his food supply ran out, he’d wandered around his neighborhood looking for anyone still alive. He found no one. He’d driven down to the corner gas station where he filled his car with gas and stocked up on pizza and Gatorade. He laid two twenty dollar bills on the counter using a can of dog food as a paper weight, just in case anyone might be watching or care.

  A week later Luke returned to that same gas station. His money was where he had left it on the counter. The sight of those bills lying there untouched mocked him. They shouted out loud all the fears he had suppressed for weeks. Prior to that moment, he had kept a firm hold on his senses and his sanity, but this was the final push, his undoing. The walls of his predicament closed in fast causing him to have a panic attack and pass out. A few hours later when he came to, he found himself lying on the floor inside a dairy freezer. The first thing he saw was the light gleaming off of a very wicked looking knife and then he saw the man holding that knife, Captain Austin Reynolds.

  After spending that first night in the freezer, Luke knew he was going to be ok. He knew Austin would make sure of that. And in the weeks and months that followed Austin never let him down. Now, faced with the opportunity to do his part, to repay Austin for saving his life, Luke hoped he was up for any challenge.

  19 DEPARTURE

  Around four o’clock the following morning Austin lay in the bed listening to the sounds of the bunker. He had washed and pressed his uniform and packed his backpack the night before. All he had left to do was shower and shave. The suns wouldn’t be out for at least two more hours so he had plenty of time to get ready.

  He stood under the shower for longer than normal, allowing the hot water to work his muscles. He shaved his face smooth for the first time in months and almost didn’t recognize the man in the mirror. The reflection looked like the old Austin, but he knew that person was buried and would not resurface, not as long as Roxi and his son were missing. He hadn’t considered what he would do if they were dead. He brushed his teeth, focusing on the task at hand and nothing else.

  If all went as planned he would reach the Mountain by noon. He had left nothing to chance, pouring over the maps and memorizing each detail of the route he would take to get there. He visited Zack the night before to ask him about what he had seen when he went to Cheyenne. Surprisingly, Zack was able to provide Austin a very precise retelling that included minute details of the interior of the base. Much of what Zack told him rang familiar, which gave him a glimmer of hope he would find General Roth and hopefully many others still alive.

  Austin had a heart to heart with Zack about his friends, in particular Madison. He made it clear that if harm came to any of them, especially to her, he would not hesitate to kill those responsible. Zack assured him that his intentions were one hundred percent honorable in every aspect. He was simply glad to have the company and Austin believed him.

  Zack was a good person, which comforted Austin and worried him as well. He didn’t want to get into telling Zack how to operate his bunker, but he cautioned him about taking in anyone else while he was away. Zack promised to use the utmost scrutiny in deciding whether or not to bring anyone else inside.

  ***

  There was nothing special about the weather that morning. The sky was gray, the suns sat in their usual position and the temperatures hovered around seven degrees, a slight uptick from the day before when it was only six degrees. The winds were blowing, but with less velocity.

  Around five thirty Zack met Austin in the bunker’s garage. Parked next to the Monster were the two ATV’s Austin group had confiscated, along with six brand new heavy duty ATV’s. Zack insisted that Austin use one of the new bikes. The engines were altered to run on a unique fuel mix which provided more miles per gallon. With the flip of a switch, the ATV could also run on regular gas.

  Zack helped Austin tie down the last of his gear on the racks of one of the ATVs. He had enough supplies to last a few days, maybe a week if necessary, but he hoped to return within a few days. The AK 47 was slung across his shoulders. Four full clips were packed in his bag, compliments of his host, who had also supplied him with a miniature Taser gun capable of sending seventy five thousand volts into whatever it came in contact with.

  When everything was secured in place, Austin started the ATV. It would take a few minutes for the engine to warm up. Zack poured an additive into the fuel tank that would help the engine handle the subzero temperatures. He gave Austin a radi
o good up to ten mile radius. Upon his return he could call in letting them know he was in range.

  The trip should be smooth thanks to the work Zack and Colin did months ago in clearing the highway to Cheyenne of abandoned vehicles and dead bodies. He would have to watch for any new bodies dropped in the past week, and to this comment Austin’s brow furrowed. He didn’t want a repeat of the carnage in Lamar.

  “So you’re really doing this.” Zack said when Austin climbed on the ATV.

  “I have to.”

  “I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t really.”

  “I don’t expect you to. Just keep my friends safe.”

  “On my life, nothing will happen to them.” Zack crossed his heart. “I promise.”

  “Don’t tell Madison where I’m going. At least not for a couple of days. And then keep an eye on her. In fact hide the keys to the ATV from her and Luke.”

  “That’s serious dude.”

  “Yes it is.”

  “What about Eddie?”

  “He’s got just enough sense to know his limitations. Besides he went through some pretty hairy shit back in Kansas. I don’t think he’ll be up for more excitement anytime soon.”

  “Well I guess that’s that.” Zack patted Austin on the back, and jogged up the ramp ahead of him to open the reinforced metal doors. On the other side of the doors was a platform. Austin drove the ATV onto the center. Zack pressed a button which started the platform’s accession to ground level. Above them the ceiling parted in the middle allowing them through into the interior of the barn.

  Austin shifted the ATV into drive and waited for Zack to open the barn doors. With a quick wave he was off. After the ATV disappeared from sight Zack closed the barn doors. He lowered the platform and then slowly walked back to the bunker. He hadn’t known the captain but a week, yet he regretted him leaving. The other three were staying, for this Zack was grateful. Colin needed someone besides him for companionship.

  In the days and weeks after the drop, it was all he could do to hold it together for the two of them. Colin had nightmares for weeks and refused to allow Zack out of his sight. If he hadn’t built the bunker, Zack had serious reservations on how they would have survived on the outside. For once in his life he wasn’t ashamed about the path he’d taken. If he hadn’t, they might both be dead, or worse, Colin might have been left on his own.

  20 BAD FEELING

  Underneath the white fluffiness of a thick down comforter Madison stirred. She opened her eyes, blinking several times to get the sleep out. The room was still unfamiliar and required a few minutes to get reacquainted with her surroundings. As it had on the first morning, as soon as she remembered where she was a feeling of relief washed over her. She smiled, stretched her arms above her head and knew exactly how a cat felt.

  The thought of staying in bed until lunch was an enticing option, but she quickly decided against this and kicked the covers off. She’d promised herself to take advantage of the bunker’s indoor track. Colin had helped her download three hours of music to the Nano and she was anxious to put it to use.

  From the wardrobe, Madison pulled out a black jogging bra, black running pants and a long sleeved aqua blue dri-fit shirt. In the mini sports store she’d found the perfect pair of running shoes. She went into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth. Cutting the lights, she quickly changed from her silk PJ’s to her running gear. Despite having swept the place with an obsessive thoroughness that only a detective could possess, she still wasn’t convinced it was free of hidden cameras.

  She grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge and stepped out into the corridor. First she stretched for five minutes and then started off by walking at a brisk pace. In the days leading up to the drop, she had been training to run a full marathon. It was going to be her first. She had hit the twenty mile mark the weekend before things went haywire. That was seven months ago. If she could run two miles today without getting winded it would be a small wonder to her.

  One loop around the bunker was one mile. Madison walked her first loop before breaking into a run. At first she felt as if lead weights were tied to her legs, but soon her muscles loosened up and she was running at a brisk pace. She finished her first mile in less than nine minutes, which was nothing to brag about, but speed was never her thing, so she was happy with her time.

  Forty five minutes in and she’d run five miles. That was good enough for her first time back at it she thought and slowed to walk it out for another quarter of a mile. Taking a detour through the gym, which was empty, she found a weight bench to sit on and catch her breath. When she pulled her ear plugs out all was quiet, save the soft whirring sound of the ventilation system.

  “You lifting weights.” Zack asked.

  “Shit.” Madison jumped at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry. I wanted to check on the ventilation system. I didn’t expect anyone to be in here this early.”

  “I just finished running.”

  “Sounds torturous.” He joked.

  “I enjoy it.”

  Zack gave her a skeptical look.

  “Really.” She insisted.

  “I, myself, enjoy pancakes. You want some pancakes?”

  “Yeah. That would be great.”

  Zack extended his hand to her. She wiped hers dry before grabbing on. He pulled her up with relative ease, surprising Madison with his strength. As lean as he was, she had him pegged for a wimpy guy. He walked back with her to her suite, stopping to chat some more at her door. He had a charming way about him that was easy to like and she bet he had his share of girlfriends. Besides being charming, Madison sensed he was trustworthy, and that went a long way in making her feel safer.

  Zack excused himself to get started on breakfast, which would be ready around eight thirty. Madison glanced at Austin’s door and wondered if he was up, which was silly to think. Of course he was up. He’d probably been up for hours. The man was a machine. Or so she’d thought, but that look she saw in his eyes at dinner bothered her, even scared her. She couldn’t shake the feeling something was bad wrong, but couldn’t put her finger on why.

  Around nine o’clock everyone, including Luke and German, had gathered for breakfast. Madison was instantly suspicious over Austin’s absence, but Zack explained he had gone to fill the ATV with gas and check out the town. Luke pretended to be offended that Austin went alone, but Edward gave his point of view that every man, and woman, needed some alone time. This seemed to appease Madison, for which Zack was grateful. She might weigh just more than a feather, but he figured she probably had one hell of a right cross. And he for one did not wish to piss her off and wind up on the receiving end of that cross.

  Edward, who was watching Luke’s body language, knew something was up, but kept his mouth shut. If Austin had decided to leave without telling them or saying good-bye, well that was his business. If he chose to tell Luke and not him or Madison, then he had a good reason for doing so.

  Unlike his travel companions, Edward knew a little something about the captain from the book Africa Rising. In fact, two chapters and had been devoted to Captain Reynolds alone and there were references throughout touting his uncanny ability to track the allusive rebel faction terrorizing the villagers. The author had gone so far as to hint that the Captain was solely responsible for the warlord’s ultimate demise, to which Edward was certain Austin had denied, but he couldn’t remember exactly what had been written. He hoped there was a copy of the book in the extensive virtual library Zack had accumulated for the bunker’s occupants.

  “Did Austin say when he’d be back?” Madison asked.

  “Lunch maybe.” Zack replied, unconcerned.

  ***

  Three days later they were again gathered for breakfast minus Austin. Madison stabbed at her eggs with her fork. Zack wasn’t acting as if he had anything to hide, and she was a fairly good judge of a person’s actions, but the uneasy feeling persisted to nag at her. This
was disturbing in itself, because her instincts were seldom off course. Trusting her instincts had kept her safe and more importantly alive, rather than being sacrificed to the Sundogs or worse.

  She looked over at Zack, but he had his back to her and was engaged in a friendly debate with Edward over the merits of blueberry syrup versus maple. Colin was feeding German scraps of turkey bacon, while Luke helped himself to a third stack of pancakes. She smiled, happy and relieved that he was feeling better. The helplessness of their situation had weighed heavy on Madison in those first few hours and, whether he would ever admit it or not, she knew Austin had been a bit shaken up as well.

  Austin. She thought about the look she saw in his eyes. A rare peak behind his steel mask, but a glimpse so brief the reality scarcely registered in her mind before he abruptly got up from the table and left, using the excuse he had to check on Luke. Madison’s gaze turned back to Luke. If Austin went to see Luke the night before he left then there was the possibility he had confided in him. After all they were men. Austin never talked to her on a personal level, but maybe he trusted Luke enough to share his feelings.

  Luke sensed Madison staring at him, but didn’t look up. He pretended to be very interested in slicing and dicing his stack of pancakes. If he looked her in the eyes it would all be over. She was too smart and would know in an instant something was up. Lying was never his strong suit. It was more a flaw as far as he was concerned. It was a flaw that made him popular amongst adults, but not so much with his friends. Much of his life he had spent avoiding situations where he would be forced to tell the truth, especially if that telling meant someone would be in trouble.

  Zack, who watched Madison watching Luke, was about to interfere when the lights began to flash off and on. “Shit. Someone’s outside.” He headed for the door. “Colin explain the drill to our guests.”

  “Sure.” Colin replied, but Zack was already out the door. “The lights are tied into the monitors outside. If the sensors pick up motion the lights flash.” He explained.