Edge of Collapse

by Alex Gunwick

  28

  Liz used a meter to test the voltage and current output of the solar cells. Satisfied with the setup, she wiped the back of her hand across her brow. Standing in direct sunlight for an hour fiddling with the solar cells had taken a toll on her hydration level. She needed water before she could do anything else.

  As she headed down the slope behind the house, Kyle ran out of the forest at breakneck speed. Concerned, she picked up her pace, nearly twisting her ankle as she hit the flat area.

  “What’s wrong?” she called.

  “Sierra’s been meeting with people.” His bright pink cheeks puffed as he sucked in several deep breaths. “I saw her.”

  “Where? What people?”

  “Way over the hill. She keeps running away without me and when I finally followed her, I saw her with a guy.”

  “Young, old? Just one? I thought you said people.”

  “One young guy, but they were talking about when she went to the church to meet the preacher.”

  “What preacher?” Liz asked, exasperated.

  “I don’t know. I only saw the one guy, but there has to be more and she’s seen them.” Kyle turned as Sierra walked out of the forest. “I already told her.”

  “You’re such a little brat,” Sierra snapped. “You need to learn to keep your damn mouth shut.”

  “Sierra!” Liz put her hands on her hips. “Don’t talk to your brother like that. What’s this about other people?”

  After giving her brother a withering look, she folded her arms over her chest.

  “I ran into this guy, Adam.”

  “When?” Liz asked.

  “A few days ago.”

  “Days ago? Before the attack?”

  “Yeah. The day before.”

  “And you didn’t think this might be important information to share?” Liz snapped.

  “I didn’t know it was them. Not until a few minutes ago. I thought it was a different group.”

  “What were you thinking? You could have gotten us all killed!”

  “I know,” Sierra said, finally contrite. “How was I supposed to know they’d try to attack us?”

  “You can’t know. The world isn’t the same anymore. You can’t trust anyone. You got lucky with that guy who helped you get to the cabin.”

  “Derek.”

  “Right. You’re lucky he wasn’t a rapist,” Liz said.

  “Trust me, he had the chance,” Sierra said while rolling her eyes. “Not everyone’s a psycho killer. I just happened to get unlucky.”

  “So who are these people?”

  “There’s a church a few hills over in one of the canyons. I think we went there once a long time ago for a chili cook-off.”

  “How many people are over there?” Liz asked.

  “Maybe forty? I had lunch with them once but didn’t get a good count. I wasn’t really counting, I was trying to figure out if they’d come to the house the night before.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “What?”

  “They could have killed you and we never would have known what happened. Do you know what that would do to me?!” Liz screamed.

  “No.”

  “I swear to God, if I didn’t love you I would strangle you with my bare hands right now.”

  “Wow, so you’ve lost your mind too?” Sierra eyed her.

  “No. I think I’m the only sane one around here.”

  “What about me?” Kyle asked.

  “Shut up!”

  “Sierra!”

  “I was coming back to tell you. I just wanted to be sure that the church people were the ones who came to the house. I think the guy you shot died.”

  “He did?”

  Liz brought her hand to her heart. Although she’d suspected she’d hit him with a fatal shot, she wasn’t sure. She’d killed him. Justifiable or not, he was dead. And she’d killed him.

  She dropped to her knees and dry heaved.

  “Mom, are you okay?” Sierra asked.

  “Go away,” Liz said. “I need…I need a minute.”

  “They were going to kill us. You had to stop them.”

  Tears burned in Liz’s eyes. The full force of her choice rained down like nuclear fallout, poisoning everything that was good inside her. Numb and unable to reconcile who she was becoming, she got to her feet and headed toward the stream.

  She dropped down, not caring that she was getting mud all over her pants. She scooped up several handfuls of water and splashed it across her face. It wasn’t enough. Horrified that she’d killed someone, she let out a primal scream.

  When it finally dissipated, she plopped back onto her butt and cried until her throat was so swollen she could hardly swallow. Pain radiated out from her chest, as if she’d been the one who’d been shot.

  If Luke had been home, none of this would have happened. Where was he? Was he doing everything he could to get back to them? Was he dead? How many more men would she have to kill to protect her family?

  She wallowed in self-pity until the sun hung low on the horizon. After endless internal arguments and rationalizations, she finally pulled her head out of her ass. She’d been defending her home. It was a fundamental right. They had no business being on her property, and if they came back, she’d pick them off one by one. Anything to keep her family safe.

  But she didn’t want to kill anyone else. What the church group needed was a warning. If they knew she was prepared to kill them all, maybe they’d back off. Maybe they’d leave her and the kids alone.

  She got to her feet and used several more handfuls of water to wash the salt-caked tears from her cheeks.

  Was she a meek, whiny, fading violet, or was she a warrior? A momma bear! A vicious defender of her family!

  She could almost hear Luke yelling in her ear. She may have been losing her mind, but she didn’t care. Nothing was more important than her family, and it was time that preacher and his flock of sheep found out how far she was willing to go.

  Liz adjusted the grip on the rifle as she followed Sierra across the stream. Her daughter wasn’t a complete fool. She’d actually taken the time to mark the path back to the church group. Wonders never ceased. She tried to remember what she was like when she was nineteen years old. Had she ever been so careless and flippant?

  Maybe.

  As they reached the edge of the forest, Sierra came to a sudden stop.

  “They’re down there eating dinner.”

  “Good,” Liz said. “Perfect timing then.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She hadn’t stopped to formulate a plan, but maybe that was a good thing. If she’d sat around trying to come up with a diplomatic way of approaching the group, it would have been much less effective than just barging in, guns blazing.

  She strode out of the forest at a fast clip, not waiting for Sierra. She could hear her daughter jogging to catch up, which was good considering Sierra had the pistol with her.

  When they reached the picnic area, Liz raised the rifle toward the sky and fired one shot. People screamed and several ducked under the tables.

  “Listen up, assholes,” she barked. “I don’t know which one of you came onto my property, but I swear to God, if I catch any of you anywhere near my house, I’ll kill you too.”

  A man near the barbecue stood. Wearing jeans, a tan, long-sleeved shirt, and cowboy boots, he looked as if he’d just jumped off a train from Texas.

  “Hello, I’m Elijah.” He smiled, but she didn’t believe it for a second. “Welcome to our church. I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but you’re welcome to stay for dinner.”

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about. I killed one of your own a few nights ago.”

  Several people gasped and a cluster of whispered conversations broke out.

  “Silence.” The preacher spoke and they all immediately obeyed. “We should speak in private.”

  “No,” Liz said. “Whatever you have to say ca
n be said right here. I want to be perfectly clear. If I catch any of you even remotely close to my kids, my land, or my house, I’ll shoot you on sight.”

  “I can assure you we’ve never been to your house. We’re not even aware of other people living in the nearby canyons. Or, at least we weren’t until your daughter ran into Adam.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she said.

  “That’s okay. We’re not all chosen.”

  “Chosen? Chosen for what?”

  “For the final battle,” he said.

  Several people nodded.

  “What battle?”

  “The one foretold millennia ago by the apostle John in the Book of Revelation,” he said.

  “Armageddon?”

  “Yes.”

  “You think we’re in the middle of Armageddon?” She arched a brow.

  “If it hasn’t already started, then it’s coming. The bombs were just the beginning,” he said.

  “Wow. I can’t even…Wow.”

  How do you try to rationalize with crazy people? Where can you even start?

  “I see you’re a non-believer,” he said.

  “I believe in God and the Bible, but I don’t think four horsemen are literally going to ride down El Toro Road with flaming spears.”

  “Maybe not, but we may already be in the final battle between good and evil.”

  “Okay. Well, enjoy your battle and leave my family alone. Got it?”

  “You’re always welcome to join us,” he said.

  She laughed until the glares from multiple people silenced her.

  “We have no intention of ever joining your flock of crazy,” she said. “Stay on your side of the mountain and we’ll stay on ours.”

  “If you change your mind, we’re here,” he said. “I have a very forgiving nature.”

  “Well I don’t, so I hope you take my warning seriously. I will shoot, and I will kill. I’ve done it once, and I’ll do it again.”

  She turned on her heel and marched back toward the forest. She didn’t let out a full breath until they’d crossed the steam.

  “Mom?” Sierra called from a few feet behind her.

  “What?”

  “That was pretty badass.”

  “I just hope they don’t come back.”

  “They won’t,” Sierra said. “They’d be stupid to do it now that we’ve shown them we mean business.”

  “People like that aren’t rational. You can’t take them at their word.”

  “Because they’re religious?”

  “No. That’s irrelevant. That guy’s running a cult. Did you see the way they all hung on his every word? He silenced them with a look. It was creepy.”

  “He kinda creeped me out too when I met him,” Sierra said.

  Liz stopped and turned to face her.

  “We can’t keep secrets from each other.”

  “I know, Mom. I’m sorry. I won’t leave the property again. Trust me.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “You can. I didn’t know people could be so dangerous.”

  “We don’t even know what they’re capable of,” Liz said. “They came onto our property, but we still don’t know why. Were they coming to ask us to join them?”

  “At midnight? Probably not.”

  “Then were they coming to kill us?”

  “I don’t know,” Sierra said.

  “Exactly. We don’t know. So unless proven otherwise, we need to assume that everyone is out to get us, that everyone we encounter is trying to kill us, and that we’re not safe unless we’re at the cabin. We need one person on watch at all times. It’s going to be hard with just three people, but we don’t have any other options. Once your dad gets home, he can take up the slack.”

  “So I’ve been thinking, did we ever hook up the satellite phone?” Sierra asked.

  “What satellite phone?”

  “The one in the shed. I saw it in a box and figured you knew it was there. It’s not like it was hidden.”

  “Show me.”

  Liz followed Sierra to the shed. She waited outside while Sierra grabbed the box. It looked almost brand-new.

  “Dad and Kyle take it on camping trips.”

  “He never mentioned it.”

  “He probably thought you’d freak out about the price,” Sierra said.

  “How much was it?”

  “A lot? I don’t know. I wasn’t with them when he bought it. Kyle told me about it.”

  “Go get your brother.”

  While she waited for them to come back, she opened the box. A packet of instructions fell out. She flipped to the section written in English and began reading. It seemed simple enough, charge the battery, point it toward the sky, and wait for it to connect.

  “Hey, Mom,” Kyle said. “I thought you knew about the phone.”

  “Nope. It makes me wonder what else I don’t know. If you guys think of anything that might help us, please tell me. Even if you think I already know, I might not. Okay?”

  “Okay,” they responded in unison.

  “Show me how it works.” She handed it to Kyle. Within seconds he had it live and connected to a satellite signal.

  “Dad has the number,” Kyle said.

  “What if he’s tried to call us? Does it have voicemail?” Liz asked.

  “I don’t think so. Dad said it was mostly for emergencies for calling out.”

  “But he could try calling us too. Someone needs to keep the phone on them at all times.”

  “You can only use it outside, and you have to have a clear view of the sky,” Kyle said. “And you can’t use it if it’s raining, or if there’s smoke or fog.”

  “Good to know.”

  “See, I pay attention. I know things,” he said triumphantly.

  Sierra rolled her eyes.

  “New rule,” Liz said. “Whoever’s on watch needs to carry the phone with them and make sure it’s charged. We don’t want to miss a call.”

  “Do you really think Dad’s going to call?” Sierra asked.

  “I don’t know, but if he’s able to, he will. He loves you guys. I love you guys. I know I might come off as a hard-ass sometimes, but it’s only because I love you, okay?”

  They nodded.

  “Family hug,” Liz said.

  “Eww, do we have to?” Kyle asked.

  “Yes. I need a reminder of how much I love you so that I don’t throttle your sister for giving away our location.”

  “Twice,” Kyle said.

  “Shut up!” Sierra said.

  Liz shook her head and pulled her kids in for a hug. Although she still wanted to strangle Sierra for putting them in danger, it was too late to change things. From now on they’d have to rely on each other to stay safe. Hopefully they had enough guns and ammo to last until order was restored in the city. Until then, she planned on keeping a gun on her at all times.

  29

  Elijah plastered a smile on his face as he finished dinner. He could hardly swallow each bite of chicken. Bile born of simmering rage rose up in his throat to choke him. No woman had ever dared to challenge him in front of his flock. The gall. He glanced at Turner, who seemed equally perturbed.

  After scraping the last morsel of food from his plate, he caught Turner’s eye and jerked his head to the side. Turner rose and carried his paper plate to the trash. Elijah tossed his plate too. The men walked to Elijah’s office in the back of the church. Turner closed the door behind them.

  “We have to do something about the woman and the girl,” he said.

  “What do you recommend?” Elijah asked, curious to see where the other man stood. How much vengeance was he willing to seek? His response would help formulate their level of retaliation going forward.

  “They’re not willing to join the group,” Turner said. “And if they’re not with us, they need to be eliminated.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Elijah smiled. “What do you propose?”

  “We need to see what we’re dealing with. So
far we only have confirmation of the woman and the girl, but there could be men too. We need another reconnaissance mission. Once we know how many people they have to defend the cabin, we’ll design a foolproof capture or kill mission.”

  “Capture?” Elijah raised a brow.

  “Why not? We need more manual labor around here. The horses and chickens need to be fed. Stalls need to be mucked. And I’m sure Patrice wouldn’t mind a day off from cooking.”

  “Perhaps.” Elijah preferred to keep Patrice busy so she’d stay out of his business. “We can decide their duties once we capture them—if we capture them. If they put up too much of a fight and we’re unable to take them, then we’ll have to kill them.”

  “Agreed.”

  Elijah smiled. He gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. The men sat across from each other.

  “I haven’t told you this,” Elijah began. “But you’re my right-hand man.”

  “I don’t need accolades.”

  “Even so, I want you to know that you have a special place in the church. If you need anything, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do to get it.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Turner said. “To know I’m doing the Lord’s work is all I need.”

  “Excellent.” Elijah pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of brandy. He poured two glasses and pushed one across the table. “Join me in a toast.”

  Turner raised his glass.

  “To a stronger community,” Elijah said.

  “To a stronger community.”

  They clicked their glasses together before draining them.

  “Another?” Elijah asked.

  “Not for me. I need to gather my men and get them ready for a recon mission. We’ll head out at first light. I don’t want to lose another man. At night they have an advantage. But come sunrise, we’ll be staked out, ready for a head count.”

  “Don’t engage yet. I want to watch them for a while. They may have supplies hidden at another location. We need to take everything they have,” Elijah said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “There’s something else I need you to do before you round up your team. I didn’t see Paul’s wife or kids at breakfast or lunch.”

  “I’ll check their house.”