Day of Reckoning (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 2)

by Michelle Lynn

  We start moving through the streets quickly but Henry doesn’t follow. He stands stalk still with big eyes and pale skin. We don’t have time for this so Lucas sweeps him up and carries him. Antonio, on the other hand, has a steely look in his eyes as his little legs try to keep pace with us.

  People are frantic. They fight and kill around the ruins of broken buildings. The city is on fire. I leap over a body on the ground but my foot catches and I land on top of the corpse. I scramble to my feet just in time to go flying through the air as the structure next to us explodes into flames. I hit the ground and small rocks imbed themselves in my knee as it twists under me. I cry out in pain and cover my head to protect it against the fallen debris. My ears are ringing. My heart is pounding. My head is throbbing.

  Antonio tugs on my arm. “Get up,” he yells. I wince as I stand and put pressure on my feet.

  “Where are Henry and Lucas?” I ask the frightened child. He points towards a pile of debris. “Shite.”

  “Halt the explosions,” Officer Mill’s plea to her soldiers is frantic. She expected every rebel to quit when she negotiated a surrender. I could have told her that wouldn’t happen. There’s a lot of hate here.

  A group of Texans have started to look through the rubble for survivors. A man with tears running down his face digs frantically. I look up and see Henry standing a few paces away. I run to him and grab his shoulders. “Where’s Lucas?” I yell.

  “I’m here,” Lucas’s voice is weak. He is trapped underneath a metal beam.

  I ignore the pain as I kneel. “Are you okay?”

  “I think I’m stuck,” he says with the hint of a laugh. I turn around and around until I see people that might be able to help me.

  “Please,” I yell. “I need help.” No one moves. “Please!” I look back at Lucas, who is struggling to breathe.

  “Hang on!” I yell to him. “I'm going to get you out. Somebody help me!” I try to lift the beam by myself but it doesn't budge. I don't quit. The veins pop on my arms as I use every ounce of strength. The beam is too much for me.

  The smuggler from the tavern, Fitz, steps forward and braces himself to help me lift. The beam shifts and we hear Lucas groan as it presses down on him. Following Fitz, a few more men step forward to help. “We've got you son!” Fitz reassures Lucas. Red faced and sweaty, they are able to lift the beam just enough for me to slide Lucas out. They set it down and disperse. Only Fitz stays. Feeling something hot and sticky, I pull my hand away from Lucas. It is covered in blood. The big man has a large wooden splinter sticking out of his side.

  “We need to get him to Collins,” Fitz says. “He can help him.”

  It takes every bit of strength we have to get Lucas to his feet, one arm draped across each of our backs. He is conscious but only just barely. People run into us and jostle us, making me come close to dropping him but I maintain my grip. His blood has now soaked through my shirt. He is losing too much. I don’t have to be a doctor to know that.

  Henry and Antonio stick close to us and when we get to the ship, a couple of Captain Collins men take Lucas from us and carry him below deck.

  “Thanks,” I say to Fitz before he goes.

  “Young man,” he begins, “you saved those boys today.” He pauses. “You always have a friend in St. Louis.” He holds out his hand and I shake it before ushering the boys forward.

  Below deck, Captain Collins has Lucas on a table and he is cleaning the wound.

  “He’s unconscious,” Lee tells me. Officer Mills is sitting by the table holding his hand with defeated eyes and slumped shoulders.

  “Captain,” I say, unsure if I should be interrupting. He turns towards me, probably to tell me to shut up. His face softens as he sees the two children standing next to me. He puts down the tweezers he was using to pick out the rocks and wipes his bloody hands on a rag.

  “Dad!” Henry runs towards him. The captain bends down to wrap his arms around his son and kisses his head. As each second passes, father and son only cling to each other tighter. Captain Collins looks over his sons shoulder and mouths one word to me “Dana?” I shake my head and he buries his face in the sobbing Henry’s neck. I step forward when the captain seems to have trouble standing because of his leg. He uses my arm to straighten himself.

  “Antonio.” He holds out his arms and the child steps into them.

  “We’re losing him!” Lee yells as Lucas convulses on the table. The captain starts working furiously to stem the bleeding that has started again. I can’t take my eyes off of my friend. My ally.

  “Get Henry and Antonio out of here!” Captain Collins yells. Lee and I take the boys into a separate room where they can lay down. It doesn’t take long for them to fall asleep and then we leave to check out the situation on the dock.

  The port has been sealed off to unauthorized visitors so it has calmed quite a bit. I look at the line of boats just in time to see the farthest one go up in flames. Three fellow rebels come sprinting towards us. “They’re torching boats,” one of them yells as she tries to catch her breath. I immediately turn and pound down the stairs. I barge into the room.

  “Captain, there are ships on fire out there.” He looks at me as the realization dawns on him. He once again sets his medical instruments aside.

  “What about Lucas!” Officer Mills yells.

  “He’s stable for now,” the captain responds. “There is nothing more I can do. I won’t let them have my ship. She’s all me and my boy have left.” He turns to me. “Tell the crew we’re shoving off.” I do as he says. The rooms below deck have become more crowded with rebel soldiers but I know we’re still missing quite a few.

  We are off in no time. It won’t be long now until I can see Dawn again. As soon as we get back to the compound I am leaving to search for her. I am consumed by thoughts of her when Lee tells me that the captain would like to see me. I head to the bridge.

  Captain Collins opens the door as soon as I knock. He offers me a drink but I decline this time so he sets the bottle aside. I am surprised to see tears in this tough man’s eyes as he looks at me. “I can never repay the debt I now owe you,” he says.

  “There is no debt,” I reply. He shocks me by pulling me into a rough hug.

  “You brought me my boy. I can never thank you enough.”

  “You don’t have to thank me,” I say. “Just protect him.”

  “He is never leaving my ship again,” the captain says in all seriousness before launching into a more solemn tone. “Did Dana have a good death?”

  “She saved us all,” I say honestly. He smiles and I can see how much he loved her. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “At this point boy, you can ask me anything you want.”

  “Antonio’s not a Texan, is he?” I ask.

  “No, he’s most definitely not.”

  “Mexican?” I prod.

  “His uncle is a drug lord.” The captain stops to close the door and lowers his voice. “I’m told that a few years back he saw something that he wasn’t supposed to. His parents sent him from Mexico. When I found him, he was an orphan in one of the farming villages. No one there would care for him because he was Mexican. I decided to raise him with my own boy. It took him a year or so to tell me what had happened and I still don’t know what he saw in Mexico. I don’t want to know. They’re still after him. I’ve been hiding him in different villages for a few months at a time.” He pauses, “to tell you the truth, if I had known everything on the day I found him, I might have left him to starve. By the time I found out about the Mexicans, I already loved him like a son. I had to protect him.” He chokes up as he opens the door, effectively ending the conversation. I put a hand on his shoulder before I leave.

  Back downstairs, I relieve Officer Mills of her watch over Lucas but she does not go willingly.

  “You need sleep,” I tell her.

  “Why?” It’s not really a question so I let her continue. “Because I just fought a battle and negotiated a surrender?” She laug
hs. “Sleep is overrated.”

  “Until you don’t have enough of it.”

  “By your reasoning, you need sleep just as much as me and since we aren’t leaving Lucas alone and neither of us is going to get some shut eye, let me see that knee of yours.”

  I look down at the spot where the skin has been all but turned to shreds. “I had almost forgotten about that.” I sigh as I collapse into a chair.

  “It doesn’t hurt?”

  “After a while I stopped thinking about it. There were more emergent things to keep me busy.” I watch her pick the rocks out of my flesh and then clench my teeth as she pours alcohol over my knee. We don’t speak until my wound is bandaged. “What’s going to happen now?” I ask her. “With St. Louis, I mean.”

  “I left some people in place to make sure the surrender is honored by both sides but our work isn't done here.”

  “Will Jonathan be okay with this?”

  “No,” she states. “I’m counting on him losing his power.”

  “Do you know something?”

  “You’ll know soon enough. It’s better that you are in the dark for now.” She pauses, “there are going to be a lot of changes coming. I had orders to make sure that not every city is destroyed.”

  “Orders from who?” my voice comes out louder than I had planned. Officer Mills looks around nervously to see if we’ve been overheard.

  She then leans forward and whispers, “someone who is much better suited to lead the rebels than Jonathan Clarke.”

  Chapter 75: Dawn

  We move through the frantic city of Vicksburg with Adrian out in front of us. Both Ryan and I have our guns readily available if he chooses to betray us. Down the street, someone darts out of the shadows and crosses in front of us. Stealthy. Fast. The rebels are here. I am knocked to the ground as a woman barrels out of the building to my right. I hit the pavement as the building explodes. Ryan and Adrian are thrown back. I cover my head as debris rains down around me. The girl that knocked me down only a moment ago, now lays motionless beside me.

  Ryan runs over and pulls me to my feet and I stare into the flames. I stumble backwards away from the wreckage, my mind in a daze. Adrian is yelling to us but I can’t hear him over the ringing in my ears as another explosion sounds somewhere in the distance.

  “Come on!” Ryan grabs my arm and the three of us take off running. We stop in front of the church to catch our breaths. My lungs burn every time I inhale and my side aches where it slammed into the ground.

  We are about to start running again when Jeremy comes sprinting out of the church with a huge grin on his face.

  “Jeremy!” I yell and his grin broadens when he sees me.

  “That’s one bomb that won’t be going off!” he says with pride. “It’s not the only one either!”

  “Conner?” I ask.

  “Yep!” he responds. “Genius found a way to disable the bombs. Well, the ones he worked on at least.” Jeremy looks curiously at Ryan and Adrian but this is no time for introductions.

  “Want to defy the rest of the rebel plans?” I ask, already knowing what his answer will be. He smiles again. It feels strange because I should be a part of the rebels. I was commissioned into their army. Drew is a rebel. My own sister is one. Sometimes I feel like I am betraying them and not just Jonathan. Jonathan tried to have me killed and now he wants to kill hundreds of people. I don't think he cares about destroying the Texan labs or their precious prophet. No, he wants to control Texas. He is drunk on power and something has to be done.

  We run the rest of the way to the government building and before the final turn, we hear voices. Lots of voices. Some are barking orders. Others are receiving them. Everything is chaotic. I flatten myself against the building and crane my neck around the corner to get a better look.

  “They’re leaving,” I report, confused.

  “Attack protocol,” Adrian mutters and we all turn to look at him.

  “Explain,” I say.

  “There is a plan for when the city is attacked. It has never had to be used but all new cadets have to memorize the plan.”

  “Mind telling us what it is?” Ryan grows impatient.

  “Protect the walls. Texans have long believed that no one can defeat us as long as the walls stand strong. The protocol was created long ago and has never been used so they just never changed it even though it probably should have.”

  “So, they’re moving to the walls?” Jeremy says gleefully. “What a bunch of dumb asses. They’ll leave the center of the city completely unprotected!”

  The last of the troops disperse and the four of us descend on the government building. I reach the steps as the door opens and come face to face with a Texan soldier. I slam the door back in his face and run down the steps.

  “Give me my gun!” Adrian yells as the guards start piling out of the building followed by scared government officials. Ryan tosses the gun to Adrian and the two start firing as Jeremy and I duck around the corner. I cover Jeremy as he walks into the open to get a better shot. The government officials have reentered the building to hide from the fight.

  “Shite!” I yell when I stop feeling the force of bullets breaking free. I didn’t bring more ammo. “I’m out.” This doesn’t seem to be a problem because Ryan has already disarmed a few of the guards. He battles two men at once with a knife in each hand. He slashes through the air as he spins and both men go down. He finishes a third by burying a blade in his throat.

  By the time I join the fight, there are five bodies crumpled on the ground. I throw a punch at an attackers' jaw but he is too strong for me. He catches my fist and twists my arm behind my back. I kick him in the shin. When his grip loosens, I spin around and break free.

  I see the gleam of a metal blade as the big Texan comes towards me once again and I duck his first slicing attempt. I kick my leg out and catch him in the groin. He stumbles backwards but only briefly. As he rights himself he cuts through the air with his knife and it is only inches from my chest when he suddenly collapses with a bullet between his eyes. As Ryan, Adrian, and Jeremy finish off the last guards, I look towards the roof and there is a girl standing at the top, watching us through the scope of her rifle.

  I say a silent thank you to her as I run up the steps two at a time and enter the building.

  Chapter 76: Gabby

  From atop the government building, I watch over Vicksburg, the Texan capitol, until the first explosion reverberates through my body and the city sirens come on loud and incessant. Down below, the Texan soldiers don’t seem to know what to do. A few officers start issuing instructions and they start to disperse. Scared civilians pour out of the buildings, afraid that their homes will be next. It’s happening just like we thought it would. People are panicking as more bombs rock their seemingly safe world. I watch with a surprising amount of horror as the screaming and sobbing continues down on the street.

  “Snipers begin,” the command comes through.

  Shay has already started tracking targets and taking them out. We have been ordered to shoot ordinary civilians. It is one thing to be given that order weeks ago when this all seemed so far away. Now that we’re here though, it is an altogether different directive. Shay hoots and hollers as she hits her targets. She seems to have no problem with our mission.

  “What are you waiting for?” she yells to me. She’s right. I have orders. I tell myself that these people deserve it and put an eye to my scope. I find a man walking slowly among the chaotic crowd. I think he’s alone. I pull the trigger and watch as he drops, a victim of my good aim. I love to shoot. I do. This is different. These people aren’t paper targets in a sound proof room. To my dismay, a woman runs out of the crowd with a kid in tow and immediately kneels to cradle the head of the man I’ve just killed. The frenzy is in full swing but I suddenly realize that I haven’t heard or felt an explosion in a few minutes.

  “What do you think is going on?” I yell to Shay.

  “I don’t know? Some malfunction wit
h the bombs?” she responds.

  In that instant, I know exactly what has happened. Jeremy and Conner, what have they done? Jonathan is going to kill them for this, actually kill them. Shite! There's nothing I can do about it now. I look down and a fight has broken out on the steps of the building. At first, it is a firefight but then it turns into more. It is the Texan guards against a smaller group. I don’t think they’re rebels because this wasn’t part of the plan. I press my eye to my scope to get a better look.

  A boy I don’t recognize is holding his own against two large Texans. Next to him I see Jeremy. Wait, Jeremy? What is he doing? To his right, a Texan has gotten the upper hand on another man and sliced him across the back. I recognize him. Adrian. My anger flares up inside of me as I point my gun at him. I am about to shoot when someone else comes into view. A girl is being beaten by a man three times her size but she doesn’t quit. I get a glimpse of her brown hair and skinny frame. I must be dreaming. I shake my head and rub my eyes before looking again. The girl is a crap fighter but she is persistent. My breath catches in my throat.

  She’s dead.

  My sister, Dawn, is dead. That can’t be her. It just can’t. I aim my rifle at the man standing above her and fire one quick shot. I hit him squarely in the head. I drop my gun and run to the edge of the roof. The fighting has ended and the girl looks up at me briefly before she runs through the front door.

  I grab the handgun from my bag and leave my rifle in place before taking off sprinting towards the stairs.

  “Where are you going?” Shay yells after me but I don’t turn around. I pound down the fire escape as if my life depended on it. I need to see for myself. Is my sister alive? It gets louder as I near the street but I only have one thought on my mind as I push my way through the rioting crowds.

  When I enter the building, the sounds from the street outside immediately die off but I am confronted with an altogether different scene. “Everyone move!” the boy that I didn’t recognize barks. The entire government must be in this one hallway. The people I saw out on the street follow them with guns at the ready towards a conference room. Adrian enters a code at the door and we all pass through. No one has noticed me at the back and I haven’t seen the girl yet.