Eve of Tomorrow (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 3)

by Michelle Lynn

  I stand naked, covered in blood, and sobbing uncontrollably, waiting for the guards to enter the room. I have just murdered their leader, the most feared man in Mexico and Texas, Juan Moreno.

  The door opens.

  Chapter 76: Jeremy

  Breakfast isn’t the first duty of the day. No, the slaves are up hours before that performing other back-breaking duties. We’re no different. Water spills over the side of each bucket I’m carrying as another soldier knocks into me, laughing. I reach the stables and set the buckets down for the horses to drink.

  “Get back to work!” a soldier screams behind me after I’ve been standing still for only a few seconds.

  I turn around, which is a big mistake. The soldier punches me and I stumble backward.

  “Do not look at me, slave,” he says.

  I focus my eyes on the ground until he’s gone and then lean against the wall and tremble.

  I’ve done this all before… the chains, the beatings, and the forced labor. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to forget it all. A child works in the next stall over and I’m reminded of Claire.

  I try to keep my head down, but every time I see a Mexican soldier, I am overcome with memories and a sense of despair. It’s as if the chains zap all the strength and courage right out of me.

  “You need to keep working,” Gabby whispers.

  I open my eyes as she takes my hand in hers. She’s ice-cold and there’s fear in her eyes for the first time since we got to Mexico.

  “Come on,” she says, tugging at me, and I follow her to continue feeding the horses.

  I don’t let go of her hand until the stable-master enters and starts screaming at us.

  “What is taking so god damn long?!” he yells.

  Gabby and I stare at the bucket on the ground as he berates us. His voice has no Mexican accent, and when I catch a quick glimpse of him, I realize he isn’t Mexican. He’s an American who is working for the Mexicans.

  “How could you?” I ask, unable to stop myself.

  “Excuse me, slave?” he barks.

  “How could you work for the Mexicans?” I yell. “You’re a traitor.”

  Gabby doesn’t even try to hold me back, because she’s pissed too.

  “You’re just like the British in Floridaland,” she growls. “Enslaving your own people.”

  A swift roundhouse from the stable-master sends me to the ground. I roll over and spit on his boots. He kicks me in the head and I taste blood as it pours into my mouth. After a few more snarls and kicks, he wheels around and leaves in a huff.

  “Are you okay?” Gabby asks, kneeling beside me.

  “No,” I answer, spitting the blood from my mouth. “None of us are okay, Gabs.”

  I look up at her.

  “Our plan has to work,” I say. “We can’t stay in a place like this. Not again.”

  Chapter 77: Gabby

  We follow Boone to the kitchen to collect Mya’s breakfast and then he leads us up an empty stairwell. My breathing is ragged by the time we reach the top floor.

  “The shift has just changed,” Boone informs us.

  Does he know that’s what we were waiting for?

  We pass by two guards keeping watch outside an ornate door.

  That must be Juan Moreno’s quarters.

  They don’t acknowledge us as we pass. Jeremy and I trail after Boone as he enters a room and we set the trays on a table.

  “One moment,” Boone says as he disappears into an adjoining room.

  He returns a few moments later with a woman. She’s beautiful, but what strikes me most are her eyes. She’s the only person here who will look straight at us.

  “I need to know who you are,” she says quickly.

  I’m stunned by her directness.

  “You’re Mya Moreno,” I say.

  It’s a statement more than a question, but she nods her head.

  “I have a message from my father,” I say.

  Her expression sharpens.

  “General Nolan says ‘the time is now’,” I tell her.

  “I have already received that message,” she says. “And I am heeding his instructions.”

  “You’ve already received it?” I ask, but then it suddenly becomes so clear. “You’ve talked to Dawn? Is she okay? Is she still here?” I ask in rapid succession.

  “She is here,” Mya says cautiously.

  “And Lee? Is he okay too?” I ask.

  Before she gets the chance to answer, there’s a commotion out in the hall.

  “You stay here,” Mya tells us before she disappears.

  She is only gone a moment before she hurries back in.

  “Come now!” she yells, her voice frantic.

  I glance at Jeremy and we run after her. Mya’s guards stand outside an open door with two unconscious guards at their feet. Mya quickly looks down as she steps over them and into the room.

  The scene inside is chaotic. Dishes and food litter the ground near an upturned chair. The table is marked with bloody handprints, as is the far wall. I slowly round the table to see what Mya is looking at. I almost trip over the dead man and fall into his blood before I see her.

  My sister.

  Dawny is naked save for the dark, red blood that covers her. She’s standing still and makes no sound as she stares at us with wide, unblinking eyes.

  “Get her some clothes!” I yell to no one in particular, only vaguely aware of Mya leaving the room.

  Jeremy takes a blanket from the bed and hands it to me. Wrapping it around her, I squeeze her shoulders tightly. She finally looks at me, and the look in her eyes breaks my heart.

  “Gabby?” she whispers.

  “I’m here,” I respond, hiccupping back a sob.

  Using the corner of the blanket, I wipe the blood from Dawn’s face and then Jeremy helps me get her into the clothing that Mya has brought. Not wanting to let go, I keep my arm around her shoulders.

  “Where’s Lee?” I ask Mya.

  “The dungeon,” she says.

  “He… We…” Dawn stammers, trying to explain, but I stop her when I hear the quiver in her voice.

  “Let’s just get him out,” I say and she nods gratefully.

  “The dungeon is on the slave level,” Mya says. “Take this.”

  She hands me an earring.

  “Show it to the guard on duty. He will know it’s mine,” she explains. “I will send a guard to get you there. Now go. You have to get to Floridaland and I have a mess to clean up.”

  We only make it halfway down the hall before Dawn starts to retch.

  “Oh no,” she says as she wipes her mouth.

  We can’t stop for long, so Jeremy helps Dawn walk a little further before he has to carry her down the stairs because she’s bent over in pain.

  The house is busy, with slaves and soldiers running about, so we pass through easily. Mya’s guard keeps anyone from questioning us. Back on the slave level, I begin to feel more hopeful.

  We’re almost there.

  The guard outside Lee’s cell looks at the earring and then at me before he opens the door to let us in. I hesitate when I see him. He looks broken; fragile. They’ve beaten him half to death. He sees me and slides painfully into a sitting position. I look from Dawn to Lee and then back again.

  “I want to kill every last one of them,” I growl as I kneel in front of Lee and run my hands through his hair and down his cheeks.

  “Lee,” I whisper.

  He winces in pain when I touch the bruise beneath his eye, but then recovers his composure and takes my hand in his.

  “I knew you could do it,” he says weakly as he tries to smile.

  “I was so scared,” I admit as I lean my forehead against his and close my eyes for just a second.

  The sound of Dawn puking brings us back to reality.

  “We need to go,” I say, straightening up as Jeremy helps Lee out the door.

  We pass through the slave quarters, and this time, I feel their eyes on us, nervous a
nd bewildered. They watch as we disappear into the darkness of the garbage chute.

  Chapter 78: Gabby

  “Dawn,” I say as I hold her hair back. “You can do it. You can keep going.”

  She stumbles forward but doesn’t respond. Every time she opens her mouth to speak, she convulses. By now, nothing comes out. Her chest heaves as she grows weaker and slower.

  Jeremy lifts Dawn into his arms when she can no longer walk. Lee is struggling beside me, but all I can do is give him my arm for balance. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have the strength.

  Working together, we descend the garbage chute and make our way down the long tunnels that lead to the beach.

  We see the light, but our relief doesn’t last long because we hear Drew scream up ahead. Jeremy and I take off running, leaving Lee and Dawn hidden in the tunnels.

  Blinded by suddenly bursting into the sunlight, we duck for cover as we look around frantically for Drew. He’s on the beach ducking in and out and firing at the Mexicans coming toward him on horseback. In front of us lies Linc’s mangled body on the ground at the base of the dunes, his sniper rifle still up top.

  “Jeremy, get to Drew!” I yell.

  “Where are you going?” he hollers back.

  “I have to get to Linc’s rifle!” I yell.

  “It’s too far!” he yells, grabbing my arm to pull me back into the safety of the cave. The horses are close now.

  “Go!” I scream.

  He gives me one last look before making a quick dash toward Drew. I dart out into the open and scramble up the hill towards Linc’s rifle, zigging and zagging to avoid their shots. There are four of them. Two veer off from the others, dismount and come after me. The sand muffles the sounds of bullets hitting the ground as it is kicked up from the impact.

  I reach Linc’s rifle, dive and roll, and come up firing. I track the first one coming toward me and pull the trigger. He goes down quickly, but the second man keeps coming. He takes aim, point blank before I can get another shot off. He fires as I dive out of the way. I spring to my feet, bringing a handful of coarse sand with me as I do, and I throw it, blinding him, then thrust the butt of my rifle in his face as I swing my leg out to catch his knees. He falls to the ground, his rifle clattering over the edge.

  I press the nose of my gun to his chest as he speaks rapidly in Spanish. He’s young and afraid, but also loyal to Juan Moreno. He raises his free arm in surrender, and I look him in the eyes.

  “Didn’t you get the memo? Juan Moreno is dead,” I say, pulling the trigger.

  Down below, Drew and Jeremy have dispatched the other two attackers. I slide down the dune to where Linc lies still. He has no pulse.

  “He’s gone,” I say when Drew walks up behind me with a now unconscious Dawn in his arms.

  “They caught us by surprise,” he says sadly.

  I put my hand on Linc’s shoulder and squeeze.

  Another friend gone.

  I smooth his hair and am still looking into his face when Drew asks, “Is Dawn going to be okay?”

  “I think so,” I pause, closing Linc’s eyes and sighing. “I hope so.”

  I look out across the water and see something move. A small boat is rapidly coming into focus.

  “It’s okay,” Drew says calmly. “They’re our ride.”

  “The boat Carlos Carlita promised us?” Jeremy asks as he helps Lee over to us.

  I go to them and offer Lee my shoulder to lean on. He takes my hand instead.

  “Yeah. They’re getting us out of here.” Drew says. “They came ashore last night. They’ve been waiting for us.”

  After burying Linc and saying a few quick words, we walk across the beach to where the small boat has come ashore. Carlos’ serious face greets us.

  “Joseph Kearn and the weapon are in Floridaland,” I inform him.

  “Then we go to Floridaland,” he responds.

  Mexico disappears behind us as we motor out to the Carlita vessel waiting for us offshore. I watch the rocky beach where we left Linc until I can no longer see it. I find myself leaning back, an arm around my sister, the tension beginning to drain from my body, the salt water washing away the blood and sweat. Everyone is quiet and exhausted as we approach the ship that will take us to our final destination.

  Chapter 79: Dawn

  I open my eyes slowly to find Drew looking down at me. He grins but I can’t return the gesture because everything hurts. His smile fades as he sees me struggling to speak.

  “Water,” I mouth.

  Drew slides his arm under my head to prop me up. He brings the cup to my lips and I start choking immediately. Water pours down my chin as he pulls away the cup and gently wipes my face.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he says. “We’re on a ship heading for Floridaland.”

  It all starts coming back…the Moreno house, the dungeon, the puking.

  So much puking.

  I thought I was going to die. I didn’t, but Juan Moreno did. I killed him. I raise my hand to see if his blood is still on me. Tears leak from the corners of my eyes.

  “Are we safe?” I ask weakly.

  “For now,” Drew whispers.

  Brushing aside my hair and tears, he offers me another sip of water. This time it goes down a little easier and I drift off to sleep.

  The next few days go much like that. People come to see me, but I’m not much good for conversation. Gabby sits by my bed for hours on end while I sleep. Between her and Drew, I’m never alone. Jeremy and Lee stop by every day. Lee looks about as bad as I feel, but he’s up and moving.

  Every bite of food gives me a little more strength until I can finally sit up in bed and then stand not long after that. I feel like I’m coming back to myself, like I have been missing for a long time and am finally me again.

  “I want to go up on deck,” I say to Gabby after lunch one day.

  “Are you sure?” she asks.

  “I need to get out of this room,” I answer, preparing for an argument but, instead, my sister offers me her hand.

  I take it and she pulls me to my feet. I wobble but manage to keep myself from falling back onto the bed. Gabby wraps an arm around my waist and guides me towards the stairs. I take each step slowly and am proud of myself when I make it to the top. Gabby opens the door and the cool, salty air rushes in at me. I breathe it in and step outside. Carlos watches us as we walk to the rail and then he yells at his men to keep working.

  I close my eyes and savor the feel of the sun on my skin, and enjoy the salt spray on my face. Gabby is about to say something but then stops herself.

  “I’ve been inside for so long,” I explain. “From that dungeon to this ship.” I pause when she looks at me and then say, “This just feels good.”

  “Carlos says we still have about two days,” Lee says gruffly as he joins us at the rail. “It’s good to see you up and about, Dawn.”

  I catch his eye and know exactly what he means. The two of us went through a lot together.

  Lee’s eyes shift to Gabby and I take that as my cue.

  “Where’s Drew?” I ask.

  “Over there,” Lee says, pointing him out to me.

  “You need my help?” Gabby asks, worriedly.

  “Not really,” I say before winking at Lee and leaving them alone.

  Drew isn’t far. I walk up quietly behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, leaning my head on his shoulder. He grabs hold of my hands and turns to face me before pulling me under his chin and kissing the top of my head.

  “I love you,” he whispers into my hair.

  “Ditto,” I say with smile and squeeze him.

  “I can’t lose you,” he says.

  “You won’t,” I assure him.

  “You can’t promise that,” he says softly.

  “I know, but it felt good to say,” I admit.

  “I don’t suppose you could let someone else step in and finish this mission?” he asks with a laugh.

  “Not a chance. We nee
d to stop Joseph Kearn. People are counting on us.” I look up to meet his eyes, but they are fixed on the horizon. “Our countrymen are counting on us,” I say.

  “The first ships are probably already being provisioned,” he says wistfully. “Your father called it the birth of a new tomorrow, a new England.”

  “Drew, what happens if Kearn sets off the bio weapon before we find him?” I ask.

  “We can’t let that happen,” he answers.

  Chapter 80 : The General

  “Any word from Mexico?” Adrian asks as he takes a seat in my office. He’s just returned from a couple of weeks in St. Louis.

  “None,” I snap.

  The question irritates me only because I wish I had a different answer.

  “The Carlitas sent a ship to get them out of Mexico but I haven’t heard if they made it out or not,” I explain.

  “Well, shit,” he says.

  I look up sharply at the young Texan. He needs to learn how to speak like a leader. I’ve been trying to teach him, but he’s been … reluctant to learn.

  Texas is a powder keg waiting to blow. For so long, they had leaders they worshipped. They respected and feared the Coles. Adrian only has the name. He refuses to be their cult leader. I admire that, but dammit, this world still needs leaders.

  “I’ve had word from England,” I say. “The first evacuees will arrive in two months. They are going to land in east Floridaland and travel north from there.”

  “Why there?” Adrian asks.

  “Ports,” I say. “Docking facilities.”

  “Why not Vicksburg?” he asks.

  “Because your damn Texans would think they were being invaded,” I answer, irritated.

  “Well, aren’t we?” Adrian asks with a laugh.

  I worry about leaving Texas in the hands of someone so young and inexperienced. I don’t have a choice though.