Before long, we hear a bullet hit the top of the SUV. Parker curses again and he and Sarge exchange military terms for the shooters locations. They are in the zone, ready to pick these guys off. Before now, drifter attacks were always between two and four people, which was why Lyncoln and the others didn’t hesitate before leaving us. This seems to be much more organized though. This is new.
Parker goes around the back of the vehicle to fire off a few rounds.
“I got one. Three left.” He returns crouching to the ground for cover while he holds his upper thigh.
It looks like he both got one and took one, bullet that is.
Sarge lets out a frustrated breath. “Well, at least this gunfire will have signaled the others. I got DIA on the radio but not Langly. I’m sure they’re on their way back now though. Between them and DIA, we just have to stall them for a few minutes.” He sounds rougher and angrier than I have ever heard him before. He’s also a bit scary. I wouldn’t want to be the bad guys right now.
I mean, where are they all coming from anyway? “Can I help?” I offer, knowing that Parker is already injured.
“NO!” they both yell at the same exact time.
“Stay put please, Reagan. I’m begging you,” Sarge adds as he peeks around the front of the SUV for the incoming drifters. “If you are their target we need to make it as hard as possible for them.”
I can’t fight with his logic on that one, so I stay put though it’s killing me to.
For the next minute or so, the two of them exchange gunfire here and there with the drifters closing in. Every time I hear a bullet hit something, like the ricochet just moments ago off the top of the vehicle, I feel like we are that much closer to death. I do have a glimmer of hope when they shoot another of the four drifters, but the shooting doesn’t let up and I can both hear and feel the evil approaching.
We are running out of time; they are close.
Too close.
Where are Lyncoln and the others? I can hear so much gunfire going on around me that I know they must have gotten held up in their own shootout. Again, I think we played right into their hand. They wanted us separated.
This is the ambush to the ambush. Well played, drifters. Well played.
I hear movement around the backside of the vehicle where Parker is and turn my head that direction. I watch in horror as the exact moment my eyes find him, Parker is hit over the head with something hard and slumps to the ground.
I raise my gun in that direction and crouch automatically, putting myself between whoever is there and Henry. I turn towards the danger and finally find the man when he comes around the back corner of the vehicle, but before I can squeeze the trigger of my gun, I hear an ominous voice from behind me.
“Put it down, sweetie, or he dies.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up and a shiver crawls up my spine, settling across my shoulders. I don’t move my gun or my aim but slowly stand, turning my head to see Sarge being held at gunpoint, his gun on the ground. He looks ticked. He is struggling and trying to break free, but the man has him in a pretty good hold around his neck.
I’ve never seen this man before in my life, but unlike the last time I took a kill shot, I will have zero remorse about shooting this man… should I get the opportunity.
And technically speaking, I am now a good enough shot to shoot the man from around Sarge. Sarge knows it and is almost begging me to with his eyes. But the evil man has company. They have the vehicle surrounded, and there aren’t just two of them either. I move my gun to be aimed at the man holding Sarge.
If I take the shot and kill the man that has Sarge, how long will we last? I have Henry beside me I am trying to protect too.
How can we all make it out of this alive?
Two vehicles appear and I’m hopeful for half-a-second before I recognize that these aren’t DIA vehicles, which is more bad news. They screech to a halt and even more drifters get out of the vehicles.
Where are they all coming from? And how many of them are there now?! This has to be close to everyone they’ve got.
One of the men surrounding our SUV, the one who knocked out Parker, has a gun aimed straight at me, and I have my gun aimed at the one who has Sarge. I think a moment and realize I should just stall. Lyncoln is probably on his way back here and DIA should arrive any moment. If I shoot now, chances are good that not all of us will make it out alive. Even if I had Sarge’s help, we are still too outnumbered, especially since we have two unconscious comrades. Just in my peripheral vision, I am counting about a dozen drifters. There could be even more. This is unheard of and unprecedented as far as drifter attacks go.
Just stall, Reagan.
I take a deep breath trying to calm down. “What do you want?” I ask the man, desperately trying to figure out a way to get Sarge, Henry, and Parker out of this. “If you want to take me, just take me. Wasn’t that the deal anyway?”
“Put it down, sweetie,” he says menacingly. He waves his gun back and forth like he’s shaking his finger at me. “Last time I’m asking.”
The way he says “sweetie” makes my skin crawl. This man looks like he kills puppies for fun. And his term of endearment is anything but. I slowly lower my gun to the ground. Someone from behind me immediately comes forward and roughly zip-ties my hands behind me before yanking me to my feet.
I glare at the man who seems to be enjoying this. I try to keep stalling and thinking of a way out. I am not at all going to point out to them that Henry is Henry on the off chance they don’t know who he is, but he needs to get the freak out of here. Maybe it’s actually better for him to be unconscious at the moment.
What other option do I have here other than to stall? How can I help Henry, Sarge, and Parker with my hands literally tied? And where the heck is Lyncoln and the others? I have so many questions and not enough time to think them over to come up with logical answers.
“Okay. You have me. You have what you came here for. Let’s go. Just leave the other three alone,” I plead while staring down the one obviously in charge here. I’m assuming the vehicles are the transportation method since DIA is in route and they probably know it. “Leave them and let’s go. You don’t have much time.”
“Reagan.” Sarge says my name like he’s trying to warn me not to reason with them.
The evil man smiles back at me with the most unnerving smile I have ever seen. “But this is way more entertaining,” he smirks before drop-kicking Sarge to the ground and emptying three rounds into his back before he can even reach for his gun or yell out in pain.
No!
WHY.
I don’t even realize I’m screaming until I feel hands on me and a cloth on the corner of my mouth.
They’re trying to knock me out.
I fight. I scream. I scratch with my hands behind my back and kick, connecting with something somewhere.
Sarge! They shot Sarge!
For no reason...
I bite. I claw. I surge forward. I feel my wrists go numb as I struggle against the zip-ties cutting into my skin. One of my boots connect with someone else. I somehow gain some ground in a rage of fury.
I’m halfway to where Sarge now lies face down in a growing pool of blood, when I feel hands around me. It’s more than one set this time, and the cloth is back. I have trouble seeing as everything begins to get hazy, but I fight on, knowing I don’t have much more time.
Glass bites into my knees as I am shoved to kneel, then down onto my stomach. I still try to move forward but am pinned down with my tied hands behind my back. So I move the only thing I can now, my head, trying to get free from the cloth they have over my nose and mouth. Eventually someone holds my head down too, pressing my cheek into the pavement. Tears burn my eyes and I cry out a frustrated scream with the last of my strength.
The shattered glass on the ground next to a blurry, unconscious Henry is the last thing I see.
And then everything just goes black.
END OF BOOK TWO
This book threatened to destroy every single shred of sanity I have left. Somehow, here we are. And though I am not sure about my level of sanity, I do know, with certainty, I could not have done it by myself.
First of all, thank you to God. This whole crazy writing career of mine has been my hard work at His pace. I have learned so much about myself throughout this process, and at almost thirty years of age, am finally only beginning to understand the talents given to me. Fortunately, in the ultimate book of good vs. evil, I’m glad I know that the light will prevail. Thanks G, thanks for it all.
To my husband, my boys, and even my gassy English bulldog Bubba. The house has been messier than usual. We have grilled supper or grabbed tacos a lot more often. My writing has changed the dynamic of our family a little, but somehow through it all, we never love one another any less. You guys are my focal point. You keep me moving when I feel like the world is crashing down around me, when this level of exhaustion seems permanent. As one of my favorite lyrics says, “And know we got each other, that’s what’s up.”
To my beta-readers. Oh. My. Word. This book was a heated mess before y’all came swooping in. You are my biggest cheerleaders and my biggest butt-kickers. I have the best betas in the entire world. You can’t convince me otherwise. Christa, you saw it at its worst and still thought it had power. Jenni, you always brush me off and lift me up exactly when I need it most. Your timing is impeccable. J-Wall, you answer every single annoying text I have about whatever grammar issue is bothering me at the moment. Anita, you are always singing my praises, a true friend for life.
This time around, I added a few more betas. To my newbies, Sam and Melissa, your friendship and input has been irreplaceable. As fellow writers, you get me in ways that not many do. Thank you for your loyalty. And thank you for telling me nicely when something sucked. And thank you for dealing with me in my tired and inappropriate states of mind. (Winces.) Sam, you are my personal writing Jarvis and I am so grateful for your knowledge on all things writing. Melissa, the world would be a better place if we could all see the world through your eyes; you are a beautiful soul, and I am so glad I asked you to review my first book! Both of you need to get your books out ASAP. The world needs them.
And Stephanie Churchill, you are my writing mentor turned friend turned beta. I’m so glad I annoyed the crap out of you with questions on self-publishing. I maybe would’ve figured it out without you, but it would have been MUCH more difficult. I am so very grateful for you! Plus, you created my dear Casmir. So there’s that.
Seriously though, getting misty eyed here. This book specifically took a village. And I could not have done it without all my betas.
Lastly, thank you to you, my readers. I love hearing your reactions to my stories. In getting to read your reviews and chatting with some of you, I have learned that my readers are some of the sharpest, most book-knowing people out there. Every review, every interaction on my Facebook page, it has all been a true joy to me. I seriously wish I could get some tea/coffee with you all. I know you might be mad at me for this killer cliffhanger but know that I’m already working my butt off on editing the third book.
Though this book ends on a dark note, and though this scary world we live in seems the same, it’s up to us to shine the light through the fog, however dense and consuming it may be. You all motivate me to do exactly that. You keep me editing and writing when I’d rather be binge watching or reading something else. Thank you for being awesome, readers! Thank you for reading the second book. And thank you for hanging around for book three.
Much love to you all.
Author’s Bio
Tricia Wentworth is the award-winning author of The Culling series. Though she began writing at a young age, she didn’t realize her love of writing would take over until after she graduated college with her teaching degree. She currently resides in Nebraska with her husband, three sons, and English bulldog. She hoards notebooks, pretty pens, books, and tea. When not reading, writing, or momming, she can be found squeezing in a run or feeding her sugar addiction by baking something ridiculously delicious.
“The Reckoning: Book 3” is available now. http://bit.ly/TheReck
The first Culling spinoff series book “The Legacy: James” coming Fall 2020.
Also by the author:
“Snowed In” https://bit.ly/TWSnowedIN
Be sure to follow the author for release updates in addition to some teasers and snippets from the next series. She is currently writing the spinoff series to the Culling. Her Facebook page is where she is most active.
Website: triciawentworth.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/triciawentworthauthor/
Instagram: authortriciawentworth
The Fracturing: Book 2 (The Culling Series) Page 51
