Day of Reckoning (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 2)

by Michelle Lynn

“Always,” Lucas jokes as he turns my chair to follow Ryan. I, on the other hand, would like nothing more than to return to my bed in the clinic. The boys won’t hear of it.

  “Get those muddy boots off!” Ryan’s mom barks at him as soon as we step inside. She doesn’t even look at us.

  The smell in here is enough to turn my already queasy stomach. There is meat on the cooker and the boys go to it eagerly. I decline a plate as I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to keep it down.

  “Sorry about my mom,” Ryan says in between mouthfuls. I shrug and look away. I’m used to people not wanting to speak with me. Being an orphan in old clothing with a loner disposition didn’t exactly make me popular in London.

  “You’ve got to understand something,” Ryan continues, “the rebels are not trusted here. No outsider really is. Most of the people here have lived in fear of strangers their entire lives. This town has not been around long enough to forget what it was like before. Many of them were hunted and had to scavenge to survive. Even if my father were to commit our people to your cause, very few of them would actually show up.” He tears off a piece of bread as he considers us.

  “Can I tell you guys a secret?” he whispers. When Lucas nods, he continues, “Cincinnati would not exist if it wasn’t for an outsider.” He leans in closer to us. “A man named General Nolan and his people helped my father become chief and restore peace to this region.” He lowers his voice even more. “General Nolan is British.” I don’t know what he expects from us as he looks for signs of astonishment. I wish I could say I was surprised. My father seems to have a hand in everything that goes on in the colonies.

  “General Nolan…” Lucas stops suddenly when I kick him. He rubs his shin and glares at me.

  “What’s going on?” Ryan asks. I am about to reply when the room begins to spin around me. My arms shoot out to grip my chair tightly. A cold sweat starts and I only vaguely hear Ryan and Lucas talking to me. I try to say something but only garbled sounds come out. Images seem to float across my field of vision but I can’t focus my eyes on any one thing. Someone has their hand on my forehead while someone else is checking my wound. I don’t know who. Who was I talking to a minute ago?

  I don’t feel anything as I am lifted and positioned flat on the ground. The last thing I remember is the wonderful feeling of the cold floor on my hot skin.

  Chapter 59: Dawn

  My shoulder is infected. That much I understand. The rest is just noise. Doctors and nurses use all this medical jargon to talk to each other about me. It’s as if I’m not even here.

  All I want to do is sleep. I feel manky and want everyone to leave me alone. I accept their antibiotics but refuse the pain meds. I don’t like what they do to me and we’re supposed to be leaving today. I can’t have a foggy head. As soon as Officer Mills finishes her final meeting with Chief Smith, we can head back to the compound.

  The nurses finally leave me be and I drift away. My kip doesn’t last long as Officer Mills, Lucas, and Brent walk in, their faces grim.

  “Dawn,” Officer Mills says, “the chief has given us permission to let you recover here.”

  “What?” I snap. “No, I need to come with you.”

  “You may not survive the trip in your state,” she pauses, “I am sorry.”

  “I won’t stay.”

  “Yes, you will,” she responds. “This is an order, soldier.”

  “How am I supposed to get back to base then?” my voice quivers.

  “I’m sure Jonathan and Miranda will send a patrol for you in a few weeks.”

  “Really!” I scream suddenly. “Dammit, how can you be so daft? They would rather leave me here to rot.”

  “She’s right Grace and you know it,” Lucas states. “If Jonathan knows she’s alive, he’s more likely to send a kill squad.” Officer Mills starts pacing.

  “We’ll figure it out once we get back.” She sighs. “I’m sorry, Dawn, but you’re going to have to wait here until then.”

  “Fine.” I give in, recognizing a losing fight. “But you need to let everyone believe that I am dead.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want?” Brent asks. “I know firsthand what death does to people. Your sister…”

  “My sister will be fine,” I interrupt angrily. “Just do it, please.” They share a look and then nod in agreement. Gabby thinks the rebels can do no wrong. I don’t know what this will do to her. It will probably just drive her further into the cause. There is nothing I can do about that.

  “One more thing,” I say, “do any of you know Jeremy? He’s an American in the compound.”

  “I fought him in his trials,” Lucas answers.

  “He needs to know what happened,” I say. “He needs to know he isn’t safe. Tell him I’m alive.” I want to tell them that Drew needs to know as well but I don't. I don't know if he would believe Lucas. He has become a loyal rebel. No, Jeremy is the only person that needs to know. He needs to be careful. I only hope that I can make it back in time to help him.

  We say our goodbyes and then they are gone. In an instant, I am the lone stranger in a sea of hatred and fear.

  Chapter 60: Miranda

  I am called to the garage as soon as they arrive; the patrol that was sent to Cincinnati looking for allies. I hurry to meet them, hoping they bring good news. Jonathan and I leave our offices in a rush and walk quickly down the long hallway that dead ends into the car park. There are three of them; only three. I scan their faces but Dawn is not among them. Where is she? What happened? I recognize Grace Mills and Lucas but the third name eludes me. They stop and salute as they get close.

  “At ease soldiers,” Jonathan cheerfully says before looking around. He seems to be happy about something. I know he’s a little nuts, but does he have something to do with whatever happened to the rest of this patrol? “Lucas, Brent you two are relieved of your duties for a couple of days. You may leave.” They do as they’re told. “Officer Mills, please come with us to make your report.”

  “Yes sir,” she says as we turn towards the door. We lead her back the way we had come and go into Jonathan’s office in command.

  “Have a seat,” Jonathan says to us both. Officer Mills collapses into the chair with a big sigh. When I look closely at her, I see how knackered she is. The bags under her eyes are dark and her movements are stiff. Her skin is burnt from the sun and the wind and her uniform is stained with dirt and something that looks a lot like blood.

  “Welcome home soldier,” I say. “We were expecting you back last week.”

  “We ran into some trouble that delayed us,” she explains.

  “Yes,” Jonathan begins. “The rivers can be perilous. First things first, what news do you bring us from Cincinnati?”

  “The chief does not have the power or the desire to get involved,” the officer explains.

  “What does that mean?” Jonathan starts pacing. “Dammit!” he repeats over and over. I watch him move about like a madman but I don’t speak. I don’t know what to say. He did not plan for this even though I warned him that it was a long shot. I look at Officer Mills.

  “Tell us everything that happened since you left.” I sigh. Right now might not be the right time for this but it’s protocol. The report must be made before anything can be forgotten or corrupted. She clears her throat and then begins.

  “We made it to the river with no problems but then we had to set up camp and wait for days. That’s where we were attacked by a band of freedom fighters.” She stops and her eyes shift away.

  “Freedom fighters? Around here? Are you sure?” Jonathan asks hurriedly.

  “Yes sir,” the officer responds.

  “We may have to do something about that. What happened next?” Jonathan finally calms down and sits on the corner of his desk.

  “We fought, but we were outnumbered.” She lowers her voice, “soldiers Lucas, Brent, and I were the only survivors.” She doesn’t meet my eyes as this information sinks in. Dawn was killed and she doesn’t know how I�
�ll react to that information. I see the smugness flicker across Jonathan’s face. Something isn’t right. Did he do this?

  “What happened next?” Jonathan prods but I barely hear them as she gives the rest of her report. Jonathan thinks he did what is best for me. Maybe he did. I don't know. Dawn was a huge liability. She didn’t believe in what we are doing and she is not the first person to be killed for that same reason. I tell myself these things but they don’t make me feel any better.

  “Officer, can you do what I ask?” Jonathan says. She indicates that she can. “The official story will be that you were set upon by a Texan scouting group. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she squeaks.

  “Make sure your men know this as well.” I vaguely see Officer Mills leave the room and then Jonathan turns to me.

  “You should have consulted me.” My voice is low, dangerous. “There were other ways to deal with her. I was handling it.”

  “No, you were using the shrink to try and change her. I've watched her. It wouldn't have worked. This was the only way,” he says rather harshly. “It had to be done and now it is over. You need to move past this right now because we have more important things to talk about.”

  He’s right, of course. To be a rebel leader, one needs to be able to compartmentalize. My entire life has consisted of me doing things that hurt me but helped the rebels. I’ve learned to shut off certain emotions and not let them cloud my judgment. Why can’t I do that now? I think back to the dispatch I sent out weeks ago. I have yet to hear back and I don't even know if it will do any good.

  “I’ve had word from London,” Jonathan changes the subject. This wakes me up.

  “What about?” I say quickly. It’s not often that we can communicate with our counterparts in England so, when we do, it’s important.

  “The rebels have turned things around over there.”

  “How?” I ask, surprised. When I left, we were losing rebels in droves.

  “For decades the government has been lying about their environmental research. They’ve kept people believing that the climate change is on the edge of a reversal.”

  “But it’s not?” I ask.

  “They’re not the only ones doing research.”

  “So, what’s the truth?

  “I don't know all the details but it sure isn't what the government has been spewing for the last twenty years. I am waiting for the report to reach us.”

  “And when the report got out, our countrymen finally joined us and turned on the government.” I’m beginning to understand. “Has the military taken a stance?”

  “They’re divided and fighting amongst themselves,” he explains. “As soon as Texas is no longer a problem, your father is going to start evacuating people to the colonies.”

  “What about the soldiers in Floridaland?” I ask.

  “General Nolan's last message said that most of his troops stand united but it's only a matter of time. The majority is still very loyal to British leadership but there is also a faction that has started to dissent.” He pauses. “The important thing is that they will not be getting reinforcements since London is in shambles. Once we deal with Texas, we can turn east and take out those bastards.”

  “I would think it should be a higher priority.”

  “No,” he almost yells. “If we do not defeat Texas, we will never get out of these mines. They already know we are coming and have delivered a message.” He hands me the message.

  New Texas will drive you back into the sea.

  We both stare for a moment in stunned silence. Our people face extinction if we lose this fight.

  “So,” I say, “what do we do? We don’t have the numbers.”

  “Well, that’s where we take a page out of the London playbook that I’m sure you know very well. We will rely on the bombs and our greatest advantage will be the element of surprise. We cannot lose that. They won’t be ready for us. We have to go after all three cities at once. We were hoping to have help from the Americans in the North but we know how that turned out.”

  “Do you really think we can pull this off?” I ask.

  “We have to.”

  I nod as Jonathan spreads out a map of the capitol. “Even if we fail in Baton Rouge and St. Louis, we must defeat the capitol,” he explains. “The wall is nearly impenetrable.”

  “Can't we just blow it?” That seems like the obvious choice to me.

  “Not unless we want to alert them to our presence right off the bat. Before any of the explosions, our snipers need to be in place in these sectors.” He points to three areas on the map where we need to cause the most damage.

  “Then how do we get in?” I know next to nothing about Texas.

  “There is a door in the southern wall, here.” He shows me on the map. “Our people on the inside will get us into the city through the door. Snipers first. We send in the runners next. Finally, once the explosions have started, we send in our ground troops to keep stirring things up. We blast the wall to get out.”

  “It's a good plan.”

  “Yes.” There's that wicked grin again. I don't know if I should see this man as a genius or a nutter. I don’t admit this to him, but this plan scares me. On paper, it looks good, really good. In reality, I think both Texas and the Rebels are in for some tough losses.

  “How are you doing coordinating the boats?” he asks me.

  “They are reluctant,” I admit.

  “They're smugglers; they help anyone who can pay them.”

  “Not this time, sir. They may be criminals but they don't want to commit treason. That's what they see this as. Texas is their home.” This has been the one frustrating part of this plan. “Sir, if we can't get them on board, we may have to abort the mission.”

  “No!” he screams. He breathes deeply to regain his cool. “Let me take care of it.” Something in the way he says this has me frightened. What is he going to do?

  Chapter 61: The General

  “Sir.” Soldier Hane enters my office. Every time someone knocks on my door, I am hoping it is Locke. I was expecting him back weeks ago. I don't even know if he was able to get to Allison with my message. The Republic is a dangerous place right now. I finally look up at Hane. He stands in salute until I speak.

  “At ease soldier.” He relaxes and hands me an opened envelope.

  “We intercepted this from a rebel messenger,” he explains. “It had to be opened to check for safety.” I unfold the letter slowly. The rebels never contact me here. They've passed right by all the protocols and now I am not the only person to see this letter.

  “You may go now,” I say rather harshly. He quickly leaves as I begin to read.

  David,

  It is time for you to join us. There is something not right with Jonathan Clarke and I fear he will get us all killed. In just a few weeks’ time, we are moving on the Republic of Texas. We don't have the numbers and he is hoping our explosives will make up for that. His plan is brilliant but it won't work.

  There is something else you need to know. Gabby and Dawn are here. One of our operatives got them out of Texas. Look past your feelings about me because I know you care about these girls. I cannot be a mother to them, not now. But I know you David, you can be their father.

  -Miranda

  I immediately pen a message back to tell her that I am on my way and I dispatch a trusted messenger to get there as quick as she can. Miranda has left me with no other choice. If I don't leave now, I will be arrested. A higher up will have been shown the letter. Dammit, Miranda. She blew my cover.

  I hurriedly collect up some of the papers on my desk and throw them into a rucksack. The only stop I make once I leave my office is the kitchen. Next, I head to the stables. Once my horse and I are far enough from the plantation, I let out a sigh of relief and then start the long trek to rebel headquarters.

  Chapter 62: Gabby

  I am collapsed in bed after a long day of sniper training when there is a rap at the door. Drew answers it and Lu
cas walks in. I haven’t seen him since he was beating me senseless during my trials.

  “Hello.” He smiles tightly before turning to Jeremy. “Can I talk to you in the hall?”

  “Sure,” Jeremy responds, confusion shaping his features. They walk out into the hall, returning a few minutes later. Jeremy’s face looks ashen. “I need to tell you all something before you hear it another way.” Upon seeing the seriousness of his expression, I stand.

  “What is it?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”

  “Dawn,” he says quietly. “She didn’t make it back from our assignment.”

  “What do you mean?” I say as the panic invades my voice.

  “She’s dead.” I stumble backwards but Jeremy is there to catch me. He wraps me in his arms and he holds me tight. I see Drew nearby as his knees buckle and he falls to the floor. “I’m so sorry,” Lucas says before he leaves.

  This can’t be right. I have to be imagining things. My sister will come walking in the door any minute to tell us about the adventure she’s just been on. My beautiful little sister who has always been so much better than the rest of us. As Drew says, she was only here because of me. Does that mean I am responsible for her death? A sob ripples through my chest and I push Jeremy away. Drew is still in shambles on the ground and Jeremy’s eyes bore into me. They are caring and kind. He wants to comfort me. I don’t deserve any of it.

  I leg it out of the room and down the hall, looking for that familiar door that will lead me into my sanctuary. I find it and enter the shooting range. This is the only place I could think of to go. It is my church; my safe haven. I pick up a hand gun and start shooting the target rapidly. By the time I hear the click, signaling the need for more ammo, tears are running down my face. I reload the gun and can barely see the target through watery eyes as I squeeze the trigger once more.

  The last thing I said to my sister was that I didn’t want to see her face anymore. I pull the trigger.

  For months now, we have done nothing but fight. I pull the trigger.