“Listen, if they’re alive, we can find them.”
“How? It’s not like you can just ring them up or Skype them. In case you haven’t noticed, Facebook’s been down for a while. Besides, who knows where they would have gone? They could be anywhere on this godforsaken planet, holed up in some cave somewhere even deeper than that one Saddam Hussein was hiding in all those years ago. Heck, it took military intelligence months and months to find him, and that was with complex communication systems working and the whole world looking for him. For all I know, they took off back to Cleveland, where his family was. That was where he was heading when I first met him, but I talked him out of it. With me gone, maybe he’s been able to get on with his plans. Anyway, they’re gone now, and I don’t wanna butt into their lives again. I’ve come to accept the fact that I’m never gonna see them again. I’ve lost a lot of people. You start...getting used to it.”
“But you said you loved Kyle,” I whispered. “How can you give up on him so easily?”
“Easy. I just pretend they went off and found a good place, that they’re happier and better off without me. I can’t even fathom that they could be dead. I just can’t...” She sighed heavily. “Gosh, I don’t know. My thoughts are so jumbled. Everything is so crazy, and I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Come with us,” Nick begged again.
“I’m sorry. I just...can’t,” she said, looking over at Max. “I can’t bear to lose him too.”
“We’ve given up everything to save your life. Dean put his life on the line to sneak you off that island, and he didn’t even know you. I’ve given you my all and fought for you. You’re our sister, and we love you more than Max or any guy ever will.”
“I know what you’ve done for me, the sacrifices you’ve made, and I’ll never be able to thank you two enough. You’re my brothers, and I love you too. I just hope one day you’ll be able to come to terms with all this and understand why I’m making this tough, heartbreaking decision.”
“I love her, too, Nick,” Max said, butting back into the conversation. “I’ll keep her safe, do everything I can to take care of her. She’ll have a good life here. I promise you that. You have my word.”
“I appreciate that, because if you don’t stick to your word...” Nick said, then blew out a huff of air and walked away, shaking his head.
“Look, if you’re gonna stay here, promise that you’ll come to the island if the dead-heads start crossing the perimeter,” Lucas said to Val.
“If things turn sour here, I can’t promise that I’ll head to the island,” she said, “but I’ll come find a safe place somewhere in Sandusky and make sure you know where I am.”
“That’s all we’re asking,” he said, hugging her. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. Meanwhile, take good care of Kate. She’s a keeper.” She smiled at him, making it clear that she truly cared about him, in spite of their breakup.
“C’mon, guys,” Asia said. “It’s not like we’re leaving this very second. Let’s save all the sad goodbyes and plans for later. It’s a party, people!”
“That’s right, and I’ve got the perfect bottle of wine to open at dinner,” Max said.
Val blinked. “Which one?”
“Sauterne, the 1811 Chateau d’Yquem.”
“What!? Your $117,000 bottle of wine?”
“Yep, the most supreme vintage ever produced,” he said proudly.
Val smiled. “But that’s your rarest bottle.”
His face lit up, and he smiled. “I can think of no better occasion. You’re all alive, we got our town back, it’s your brother’s birthday, and those notes and that serum will be going to the scientists who will make a cure. If that doesn’t deserve a good glass, I don’t know what will.”
“Maybe...when you put a ring on it, huh?” Lucas said, nudging Max and winking at Val.
“Hey! I’m no it!” Val said, blushing.
I tried to laugh along with them, but I didn’t feel very happy or in the mood to celebrate. I had no idea where my brother had stormed off to. He was pissed, and I couldn’t blame him; I was just as heartbroken as Nick was. The thought of leaving Val behind was almost too painful to deal with and left a huge hole in my heart. I’d confided in Nick and Lucas about that very thing, but they had ignored me as if it was the craziest thing they’d ever heard, dismissed it as the know-nothing ramblings of the silly kid brother. All along, I could tell she was getting quite comfortable there, falling for Max and putting down roots.
Jackie walked up behind me and put an arm around me, sensing how upset and hurt I was. “It’s gonna be okay, Dean,” she said sweetly.
Val suddenly stopped laughing at Lucas’s joke and began to cry, which wasn’t at all like her. The stress and tension was too much. Max leaned over to comfort her and wiped her tears away, and it seemed he truly wanted to take care of her. I never would have imagined that he would take our sister away from us when I had first met him, and I began to wonder if we should’ve holed up somewhere else. If she would’ve never met him, things would be different, I thought.
Still, she was a grown woman with feelings of her own, and no one could control her. She had to lead her own life, just as we all did. As long as she’s happy and safe, who am I to take it away from her? I scolded myself. I knew she would be loved and cared for there, so all I could do was tell her goodbye and come back and get her when the time was right.
Max held out his hand. “You did so well today from what they tell me, Dean. I’ve never been prouder.”
I shook his hand firmly. “Thanks.”
“I hope there’s no bad blood between us.”
I looked at him, then at Val. “I knew she would stay here. I’ve always suspected it. I hate it, but I’ll deal with it.”
She wrapped her arm around me. “I can’t thank you enough for understanding.”
“Hey! Are you guys coming or not?” Nick shouted from across the lot.
“What for?” Val yelled back.
“Family meeting!”
“Family meeting?” Max asked.
I smiled. “You know Nick. He’s always—”
Whoosh!
A bullet ripped through the air, whizzed past my ear, and landed right in the middle of Max’s chest, spraying Val in a shower of crimson. Blood gushed everywhere, and he fell backward.
“Oh my gosh! Max! Max?” she screamed, her face as pale as a ghost except for the red splatters on her cheeks.
Chapter 8
“What’s going on?” a woman yelled. “Was that...Nick? Did he kill him because his sister wouldn’t leave with him?”
“No way! Are you insane?” I shouted, rolling my eyes at her. I couldn’t believe the townspeople didn’t trust us after all we’d done to help them. “We’d never hurt Max.” I glanced around in the direction the bullet had come from. When I peered carefully through the bushes, I saw a group of men, and instant recognition struck me. “Z’s goons!” I shouted.
“They’re dead!” Lucas shouted.
Nick, Lucas, Val, and Asia took off toward the shooters. I couldn’t leave Val in a storm of bullets. She wasn’t moving. It was like she didn’t care if she was shot.
Buddy suddenly fell and hit the ground hard.
“Buddy!” I yelled.
When I ran over to him, to pull him out of harm’s way, I realized he’d been shot in the forehead and was dead. My heart sunk. I’d just been with him hours earlier before the hospital collapsed completely. He’d survived, only to be shot here on his home turf.
“Take cover!” Rex shouted.
More bullets whizzed past me. I instinctively pushed Kate and Jackie behind a thick tree trunk. Val didn’t seemed fazed by the bullets and continued to scream in horror as she took off her coat and pressed it against Max’s gaping chest wound.
A bullet dinged the silver grill next to me. There was no way I could get over to her without getting shot.
“I’ll cover you,” Kate said. “Get V
al outta there!” She then began firing off rounds while I ran over to Val.
Grief stricken, she shook her head and refused to budge. “No! I won’t leave him here. He needs help, a doctor. I have to—”
“It’s too late, Val! Let’s go!” I said.
“We can’t leave him,” she cried. “No man left behind, remember?”
Zhing-zhing!
More bullets flew our way.
“He’s dead,” I said softly, “and we will be too if we don’t leave!”
“No.”
Another bullet flew by. “He’d want you to be safe!”
I was ready to throw her over my shoulder and get her to safety.
Suddenly, Max’s eyes fluttered opened.
Val felt for a pulse. “He’s still alive,” she said.
I was shocked, but we worked together to drag him behind a nearby shed. There was no way to get back to the apartment with all the bullets flying, so we had no choice but to take cover and hope for the best.
Max looked up at Val. “We c-could’ve had a real good life together.”
“We’re gonna have the best life ever.”
“I came so close...t-to happily ever after.”
“Hang on, baby.”
“You’re my life,” he whispered.
“And you’re mine,” she said back. “You mean the world to me.”
He gazed into her eyes and tears poured from Val’s eyes.
Max looked up at me. “I would’ve taken good care of her.”
“I know that,” I said. “She would’ve been in excellent hands.”
“D-Dean,” he stuttered, spitting up blood, “y-ou did good. You’re a real...w-warrior.”
I patted his shoulder. “Shh. Try not to talk. Just hang on. I’ll go get the doc.”
“No, it’s t-too late,” he whispered, his lip quivering. “Don’t risk your life running through all that gunfire for nothing.”
“Don’t talk like that, baby,” Val said. “It’s never too late. Look at all we’ve been through. You’re gonna be okay. Dean will get help, and—”
He shook his head and cupped her face. “I love you, Val.”
A tear dripped down her chin. “I love you too.”
“Stay with...your family,” he continued between gasps. “They love you, will always have your back.”
“No! Don’t you dare leave me!”
“You have your whole life ahead of you. Live, Val. Survive...and be h-happy.”
“How can I be happy without you?” she asked, stroking his face.
“Make those big dreams of yours a reality,” he whispered, his final words before he took his dying breath.
“No!” Val screamed. “No! This can’t be happening!”
Grief tore through me. Watching a friend die right before my eyes and my sister so hysterical was one of the worst moments of my life.
“Oh, Dean,” she sobbed.
I tried to say something but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. Val wept as I pulled her into a comforting hug. She pulled herself away from me and looked up at me pitifully. She was devastated, and I had never seen her so sad, her eyes so red and bloodshot.
The loss of Max would be hard for us all. Not only was he my sister’s boyfriend, but he was also a valiant, brave leader. I’d grown to respect and admire him. It would be a sad day for the town, and everyone would deeply mourn his loss for many years to come. He had dedicated his life and all of his talents and resources to helping struggling people survive in that post-apocalyptic world. When I had told him how great a leader he was, he had humbly said, “I wouldn’t be a leader at all if I didn’t have great people to lead.” For that humility and so many other reasons, he had been loved and cherished by us all, and he would be sorely missed.
“I have to shoot him,” Val said, her voice trembling.
Struggling to hold back the tears, I reached for my gun. “No, I’ll do it.”
She pushed a tangle of dark hair from her eyes. “No, Dean. He made me promise that I’d be the one if anything ever happened to him. It was...his dying wish.”
I wanted to respect Max’s wishes, but at the same time, I didn’t want her to be haunted with the memory of it. Nick still harbored deep regret about having to shoot his girlfriend, Darla. He had never really forgiven himself for ending her life forever, and I didn’t want Val to carry that kind of pain around for the rest of her life. “I can’t let you do it,” I argued. “Nick still has nightmares about shooting Darla.”
She looked at me. “I’m not Nick. He had to do that in the spur of the moment, but Max and I already talked about it. He wanted it this way, and I agreed to it. He would have done the same for me if I died first. You have to let me do this, for him...for...us.”
“Val, no.”
“There’s no time to argue.” Without another word, she whipped out her pistol and shot her lover right in the head. I knew it would have been far too nightmarish to watch him turn into a zombie. Val knew what she had to do, and she did it quickly and efficiently.
“You’re the bravest person I know,” I said to my sister, embracing her again.
“Only when I have to be,” she said sadly.
Zing-swoosh-zing!
More bullets flew by, and several rounds of gunfire rang out. I spotted a man in a long black coat firing from the southeast side of the parking lot. I couldn’t believe they still hadn’t let up, but it was personal. They wanted to get us back for their boss’s untimely death, and they would not stop till they had exhausted every possibility for vengeance.
“We should...” I stopped short when I realized Val was gone. “Oh no,” I said. I knew she was an emotional wreck, and I was worried that she would get herself killed since she wasn’t thinking clearly. “Val!” I called, looking all around me.
My attention quickly returned to the shooter, who was spraying bullets all over the place. Finally, I spotted my sister climbing the Simi truck where the sniper was stationed. By the time I got halfway over there, she was fighting with him in hand-to-hand combat. Luckily, Val had the upper hand, but it didn’t take long for things to move to her opponent’s favor. In a flash of silver, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the shoulder. I gasped as they struggled for the knife.
When he had Val pinned to the ground, he raised the knife high over his head. “This is for Z!” he yelled.
I stopped and pointed my rifle, certain that I could make the shot without harming Val. I had to, because my sister’s life depended on the accuracy of the one precious shot.
“And this is for Max!” Val yelled. With quick, catlike reflexes, she reached for the weapon she’d dropped and pulled the trigger. The man’s body fell on top of her, and she quickly shoved him off and jumped to her feet like a jungle cat on the prowl.
“Val!” I said.
She pointed to the north. “Those cowards are running that way. I’ll kill every single one of them!” she screamed, consumed by rage, anger, and grief.
“Wait! I’m coming with you!” I shouted.
She climbed back down off the truck in a flash and disappeared into the vegetation.
When Jackie appeared next to me, I explained quickly what had transpired. “I gotta go after her,” I said. “She isn’t thinking straight.” I kissed her cheek and started to walk away in the direction my sister had gone.
“Wait!” Jackie said, tugging on my arm. “You gotta be smart about this. If you get yourself killed, you won’t be able to help Val or anyone. You can’t just go running off into the weeds like some Tarzan on a warpath.”
“She’ll die out there! She’s all alone, and there are too many of them,” I said. “It’s a suicide mission. We already lost Max, and I’m not gonna lose her!” I knew Val was tough, but even she couldn’t take on so many men at once without backup. “Val isn’t thinking clearly,” I said. “We have to hurry before she does something careless and stupid.”
“Nick and Lucas are in the parking lot,” Asia said, suddenly coming
up from behind me. “Let’s go get them. The more manpower, the better.”
I nodded in agreement. “C’mon.”
She threw her gun in her holster and turned to lead the way.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me. Before I could spin around, somebody put a gun to Jackie’s head.
She gasped.
Chapter 9
Instinctively, I reached for my gun.
“Hands off the weapon!” another man shouted, pointing at me.
Before I could even make a move, someone threw me up against the truck and snatched the gun right out of my hand. He then frisked me and completely disarmed me, even taking the knife my friends had given me as a birthday present.
My captor gripped my arms behind me. I heard handcuffs click around my wrists.
Asia kicked another man in the chest, but he retaliated by bashing her in the head with a bat, knocking her down.
“Leave her alone!” I shouted. “Just take me! Let the girls go!”
“Asia!” Jackie screamed.
“She’s out cold,” the guy said. “Should we just leave her?”
“No,” answered a redhead. “She fought you, and that’s a good sign. Bring her along. She’ll work out well.”
I thrashed in the man’s arms, fighting to get away, but the other guy just laughed and pressed the barrel of his gun hard into my neck.
“Easy now,” the man whispered.
They took me through the back field of our apartment building. I still continued to fight them, even with a gun at my head. They hadn’t shot me yet so I assumed they must want me alive for the moment.
“You’re gonna get yourself killed if you keep fighting like that,” a guy said.
“We’ll see who gets himself killed first,” I whispered.
“Jackie?” I said.
“I’m okay,” her voice called out.
“She won’t be for long if you don’t cooperate,” the man said.
I was engulfed by rage. “You shot Max. Isn’t that enough bloodshed for one day? Just let us go.”
“Shut him up,” a man said.
In a flash, someone shoved a filthy, smelly sock in my mouth and slapped duct tape on me. They threw a burlap sack over my head and forcibly dragged me along. I flailed all the way, but I had no chance of fighting my way out of those handcuffs. My fighting earned me a kick in the gut that doubled me over. As much as that hurt, and as frightened as I was for my own life, all I could think about were my friends and my sister. Is Val out there fighting by herself? Is Asia gonna wake up? Where’s Jackie? Did they let her go? I didn’t hear her scream, so maybe...
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