Day of Reckoning (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 2)

by Michelle Lynn

  “Sit down,” Adrian commands.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing nephew,” Tia Cole says. Adrian looks her in the eyes but she doesn’t back down from him.

  “You told me once that I have to choose a side,” he says. “I did.” He straightens up and walks straight through a door at the opposite end of the room without a backward glance.

  A nearby explosion rocks the building and I use the wall to steady myself. When I have regained my balance, I step further into the room. The officials are now seated around a table, defeated.

  “Who are you?” some git says to me. I raise my sidearm until it is aimed high on his chest.

  “If I counted correctly, you are out of ammo and that means that I get to do the questioning.” He looks around nervously. I lower my gun. “I saw a girl with you out on the street. Where is she?”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he responds.

  “Bull shite,” I snap. His eyes shift towards the door that I had seen Adrian disappear through.

  I walk quickly to the door and push through it. Adrian and Jeremy are there but my eyes land on the girl they are talking to. I am face to face with my dead sister.

  Chapter 77: Dawn

  “What now?” I ask Jeremy. We are in a room next to the conference area. On the other side of the wall are all the leaders of Vicksburg. Ryan is guarding them. We came here on a mission and now that we’ve made it, I don’t know what to do. Can we just kill them in cold blood? Do we have to kill everyone in that room or can we just deal with Tia and Darren.

  Adrian stands beside me and I am suddenly uncomfortable. That’s his family in there. Whether they are good or bad, for him, they are blood. When I look at him, his eyes are blank. He catches me staring and quietly speaks, “it has to be done.” I continue to look at him and realize I don’t think I could ever really trust him. His loyalty changes faster than the weather. Adrian moves aside as the door opens.

  Gabby.

  She glances briefly at the boys and then her eyes lock onto mine.

  “Gabby,” Jeremy starts, “what are you doing here?” She puts up a hand to silence him. She takes one step forward and then another, her eyes never leaving mine. I prepare for her to yell at me for making her believe that I was dead and then working against the rebels. She doesn’t say a word. She reaches her arms out tentatively and grabs my shoulders. Very slowly, she looks me up and down. She closes her eyes and when she opens them again, a single tear rolls down her cheek. I smile at her and she suddenly pulls me into a hug. She holds on tight as if she’ll never let me go again.

  “Gab, it's okay, I'm here.” I pat her back. She releases me and wipes the tear away quickly.

  “Dawn,” she says quietly. “I thought you were dead.” As she looks me in the eye, I smile and say, “you're not getting rid of me without a fight, sis.”

  “This is all very touching girls, but we have to do something about the people in that room,” Adrian states. Gabby glares at him and then turns back to me.

  “What’s the plan?” she asks finally.

  “Gabby,” Jeremy touches her arm, “you need to know that this is not a rebel mission.”

  “Well, yeah,” she says. “The rebels would never work with scum like him.” She points to Adrian who scowls in response. “What’s the plan?”

  “Tia and Darren run things around here,” Adrian explains. “The rest of them hold empty positions.”

  “Then we have to do something about the two of them.” Without coming up with a real plan, Jeremy heads through the door. We follow him.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Tia asks harshly. I narrow my eyes at her but it is Adrian who answers.

  “Whatever the hell we want.”

  “After everything we have done for you nephew,” Darren Cole spits, “this is how you repay us.”

  Adrian moves around the table until he is near Darren. He bends down and looks into his eyes. “What you’ve done for me?” he growls. “I have been nothing but a prisoner to you, always having to follow orders. I had to kill my own mother to protect her from you.”

  “Your mother was nothing but a traitorous whore,” Darren retorts before spitting in Adrian’s face. Adrian calmly wipes his face and stands up straight. He flattens the front of his jacket and then quickly pulls out his gun and fires three bullets into his uncle’s chest. Blood spatters on his uniform as the people around the table begin to scream.

  “My mother was a better Texan than you ever were.” Adrian drops his gun to the floor and walks from the room. I look from the door to the body slumped in a chair in disbelief. Jeremy lets out a low whistle.

  “What about Tia?” Gabby asks. Before I can respond, I hear Jonathan’s voice.

  “All troops retreat. Meet at the rendezvous. We are moving out.”

  I look around for the source of the voice until I see Gabby speak into something on her wrist.

  “We need to go now,” she says. I glance around at the frightened people in the room and my gaze lands on Tia.

  “Get up,” I say. “You are coming with us.”

  “What?” Gabby demands. “Why don’t we just kill her now?”

  “Because we’re not killers,” I respond.

  “Maybe you’re not.” Gabby aims her weapon. I grab Tia by the arm and yank her out of her chair. She doesn’t resist.

  “You are not a killer Gabs. Maybe you don’t know that, but I do.” I shove the nose of my gun into Tia’s back. “Move,” I command.

  “You don't know what you're doing!” she screams. “I am a prophet from God. He will punish you!” I don't pay any attention to her as we escort her from the building to where Adrian is waiting for us outside.

  “Why is she still alive?” he asks wearily.

  “Because we take prisoners apparently,” Gabby answers before raising her weapon. “That’s good news for you because otherwise, I’d kill you on the spot. You are coming with us as well, Adrian.”

  “Gabby, don’t.” I try to push her gun away but she doesn’t budge.

  “You didn’t see what he did Dawn.”

  “No, I didn’t, but I know why he did it.” I try to meet her eyes but they shift away. She puts a hand on my arm and guides me away from the others.

  “He knew what was happening to Drew,” she whispers. “He knew the whole time, Dawn. He is no better than his family.”

  The sudden anger is all I can think about. He knew. He was spending time with us while I was mourning Drew. My mind goes back to the boy that I was reunited with upon our escape. His body survived but I don’t know if his mind will ever be the same. Texas broke him. Adrian and his family broke him. I walk back to the others. Still holding my gun, I smack it across Adrian’s face.

  “Move,” I say. I will not kill him but that doesn’t mean I won’t hand him over to the rebels. He can rot in a cell for all I care. Gabby no longer argues with me as we pick up the pace. Around us is chaos. Buildings burn while people fight in the street. Texan soldiers try to calm the riots but they are beaten back. I keep a gun pointed at Adrian as we move through the city and Ryan and Gabby both have theirs trained on Tia. Jeremy leads us through the streets but I don’t recognize where we’re headed. We’re moving towards the South end of the city when we hear an explosion up ahead.

  “They must have blown the wall,” Gabby says, speeding up. She’s right, of course. Smoke and debris fill the air as we near our exit point. Only moments before, a tall impenetrable barrier stood here, keeping Texas from the outside world. Most of the wall still stands but one section has been blown away. There are Texans in the area looking towards the wall with apprehension. They don’t get close. Most of the rebels are running by now. I step through the hole and over fallen stones.

  As we run faster, a part of me wants to avoid those trees at all costs. I don’t know what the reaction will be when I show up. I haven’t had the chance to ask where Drew is but I’m more worried about my supposed mother. What will she do when
she learns that her attempt on my life has failed?

  I would consider not going back at all if it wasn’t for my family; Gabby, Jeremy, Lee, and Drew are all I have. By the time we reach the woods, most of the troops have already returned. I scan the crowd for Drew but he isn’t here.

  “We need to find Emily,” Ryan whispers to me. Guilt stabs at my heart as I realize I had almost forgotten about her. She’s out here alone.

  “Who's Emily?” Gabby interrupts.

  “My sister,” Ryan explains. “She's waiting for us near the gate where we entered the city.”

  “We'll find her.” I make the promise, unsure if I can fulfill it. As if every emotion I’ve been feeling for weeks comes back to me, I reach out and hug Ryan. He is taken by surprise.

  “Thank you,” I say honestly, “for everything.” He kisses the top of my head and I freeze, looking behind him.

  “You okay?” he asks, turning to see what I’m looking at. “Oh my God.” The rebels don’t have horses. What are Duke and Jasmine doing here? The horses that got us here from Cincinnati stare right at us as if accusing me of leaving a young girl out here by herself. Emily. Where are you?

  “We found them wandering around the night before we went into the city,” Jeremy explains.

  “Did they have a rider?” Ryan asks urgently. “A young girl?”

  “No. I was there when we found them. We thought it was kind of strange to find them on their own.” Ryan leaves us to check on the horses and see if Emily left any clues on them. I am still watching him when Gabby loops her arm through mine.

  “Where are Adrian and Tia?” I ask.

  “Tia wouldn't shut her mouth so they knocked her out and took her away. Don't worry, sis, I don't think they're going to kill her, yet.”

  I don't respond as Jonathan rushes forward with a group of soldiers. They form up around us.

  “Take them into custody,” Jonathan commands.

  Chapter 78: Gabby

  “What’s going on?” I demand as I watch my sister pushed to the ground. They make her lay on her stomach as they tie her hands behind her back. The soldiers then restrain Jeremy and Ryan in the same fashion. I don’t understand.

  “Dawn and Jeremy have committed grave crimes against the rebels,” Jonathan explains. The corners of his mouth turn up into a smug smile. He wanted this. There is nothing I can do as the soldiers haul the prisoners to their feet and push further into the woods. Dawn is yelling obscenities at Jonathan, which is something I have never heard her do. Jeremy is quiet as he keeps his eyes trained on the ground. What have they done? I am too stunned to speak but I hurry after them. I only just got my sister back hours ago and I still can’t quite grasp that. I am not going to let anything happen to her now.

  “Well,” Jonathan begins as he hurries after us, “if it isn’t our little traitor.” I am shocked when he walks right by Dawn and directs this to Jeremy. He steps closer and studies his face. “You’ve cost us a great deal.” Jonathan tries to keep his voice calm, even. He fails. I see the anger flare up in his eyes before I hear it in his voice. After a few moments, he can’t control it any longer. He tackles Jeremy to the ground and proceeds to beat him.

  “Do you have any idea what you have cost us?” he screams. Two nearby rebel soldiers move to pull him off of Jeremy but Miranda stops them as Jonathan yells, “You are going to pay for this! We lost this fight because of you.” He finally stands and stalks off, leaving Jeremy barely moving on the ground. Dawn tries to push her way to him but she is restrained. I rush to his side and crouch down.

  “Jeremy, open your eyes,” I say as I grab him by the shoulders and lightly shake him. One eyelid opens slowly but the other is swollen shut. After a couple minutes, he tries to sit up. Every movement seems laced with pain. I help him but it is difficult because his hands are still tied together. I give him some water and try to get him to talk.

  “What did he mean Jeremy?” I whisper. “What did you do?”

  “Conner,” he starts, barely audible, “he disabled many of the bombs he worked on. About half of the ones meant for the capitol. I helped him.” Shay comes to us and we get Jeremy to his feet. “I had to.” The words barely make it past his lips.

  “What?” I ask softly.

  “The rebels can’t win without bombs,” he clarifies. “I had to save people.” I don’t get a chance to ask him anything else before he is taken away. My head is a mess right now. My sister is alive and arrested, Jeremy is a traitor, what’s next?

  “You left me on that roof.” I had forgotten Shay was standing next to me.

  “What?” I say.

  “You ran off and abandoned your post and your partner.” Irritation floods her voice. She's right of course. I'm surprised I haven't been arrested after disobeying my orders. I was supposed to stay on that roof with my partner and, instead, I ran off without her.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. There's not a chance to say anything else as we get the command to move out. Shay stomps off without another word.

  Many people are injured and all of us are knackered so we travel slowly. We left the city burning so there’s the feeling that we don’t have to worry about anyone coming after us. They have enough to deal with and I doubt they even know we've taken their prophet yet. They probably think Tia is dead, just like her husband. She is still unconscious so they've got her strapped onto Duke's saddle. Adrian walks next to it with his hands bound.

  Not everyone made it back and the mood is somber. You can train as much as you want but no one is ever ready for war. You can steel your heart against the inevitable losses but they still break it right open.

  We didn’t win. I don’t know if anyone ever really wins a battle like this but the feeling is that we are heading back to the compound with our tails between our legs. Jonathan is narked. I hope they fared better in the other two cities but it was the capitol that mattered the most. That’s why Jonathan almost killed Jeremy. Vicksburg is still standing. One of the leaders is dead and another is in our custody but it is still standing strong. I was slightly surprised that Miranda and Jonathan didn’t kill Tia on the spot but they want to make a spectacle of the whole thing. They are going to hold a trial and an execution. It’s going to be a circus.

  It seems to take us twice as long to get back to the ship and three times as long to sail up the river to rebel territory. We don’t make any stops because the whole of Texas is volatile right now; even the farming villages.

  When we are finally back safely in the compound, I go looking for Miranda. Dawn has been hauled off to a cell but I’m confident we can get her out. She says she is not our mom but words don’t mean a thing. I’m sure she won’t let her own daughter rot in a prison.

  When I find her, she is overseeing the cleaning of the weapons.

  “Gabby,” she says as her way of greeting.

  “What are you going to do about Dawn?” I ask bluntly.

  “Why would I do anything about her?” she responds. “Your sister is a traitor.”

  “Your daughter you mean?”

  “Gabby.” She closes her eyes and sighs. “Don’t worry about Dawn.”

  “Of course I’m going to worry. She’s the only family I’ve got.”

  Miranda leans in close to me and lowers her voice, “she won’t be there for long.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask. She looks nervously at a camera on the wall behind us.

  “Just that things are changing. Be prepared.”

  Chapter 79: Dawn

  Ryan, Jeremy, and I are led down a hallway by a single pair of soldiers. They must think that there is no way we could escape from this compound. They’re probably right. Jeremy is having trouble just walking right now so it’s not like he’d be any help. My wrists have been tied behind my back and I stare at my feet as we pass groups of people that were once my peers. They now see me as a traitor. I guess I am. Their narrowed eyes follow us as we go.

  There were no signs of Emily on our journey back and Ryan t
hinks it’s his fault. He looks defeated. He looks lost.

  “We’ll take it from here soldiers.” I look up when I hear the familiar voice. Officer Mills and Lee are relieving the soldier of his duty. Lee winks at me.

  “We have orders sir,” the soldier stammers.

  “I know you do,” Officer Mills states. “Now, leave us.” Even Gabby probably wouldn’t defy her when she uses that tone. The soldiers salute and then leave us. Lee hugs me in that strong way of his. He doesn’t seem to care that I can’t hug him back.

  “It sure is good to see you,” he says.

  “I missed you,” I respond. He smiles.

  “This is touching and all, but we have to go.” Officer Mills brings us back to the reality but I catch a glimpse of a small smile playing on her lips.

  “I missed you too,” I tell her. She leads us down another hallway and I don’t recognize it. “I don’t think this is the way.”

  “We’re taking a little detour,” Lee says smugly. They’re up to something. They lead us around the corner and I see what that is.

  Drew steps out from a doorway up ahead. When he sees me, he stops. After a moment of uncomfortable staring, he runs towards us and almost collides into me. He wraps his arms around me and squeezes as if his life depends on it.

  “Get my hands free,” I yell irritably to Officer Mills. As soon as they are loose, I wrap my arms around Drew, not caring that the others are watching us. He runs his hands along my arms and my back as if he’s making sure that every inch of me is real.

  “I’m here,” I assure him quietly. He kisses me then. It is tentative and shy at first but then it intensifies as if he is pouring every emotion from the past weeks into that single act. The loss. The anger. The joy. All wrapped up in a moment.

  I break free and my breath is ragged. “Whoa,” I whisper, still looking into his eyes. I cup his cheek in my hand and look at this boy. I never saw him coming but I can’t imagine my life without him. He is everything.