The Alpha Plague - Books 1 - 8: A Post-Apocalyptic Action Thriller

by Michael Robertson

  She’d seen him turn away. Flynn gulped the taste of smoke down and nodded.

  “Now,” the Queen said, “let’s get this cart hooked up to one of the nags and head back to the royal complex. We’ll be celebrating tonight.”

  Chapter 56

  Flynn rode pillion all the way back to the royal complex. Like on the way over, the Queen didn’t speak much, which he felt more than happy to go along with. A darkness had taken her over when they were still in the sacked community. Everything that had come from her mouth since was brimming with the threat of violence.

  The cart Flynn had pulled through the community had been tethered to the back of one of the horses. Its rider and passenger sat on the trailer and rocked with the rough ground as the cart rolled over it.

  The wind raced across the open fields, kicking up the smell of horse sweat, human sweat, and blood. Maybe the blood had been ingrained into his psyche since the slaughter. He looked down at his shoes and the mud caking them. If he looked harder, he’d be bound to see the spilled essence of the villagers on them too.

  When the huge wall of the royal complex came into view, Flynn released an involuntary gasp.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” the Queen said. “I forgot you haven’t returned here without a blindfold on.”

  It did look amazing. Something about seeing it revealed rather than riding away from it gave the complex its punch. The large tree-trunk fences, militant in their refusal to let anyone in who didn’t belong. And the gates—not shitty corrugated tin like the community they’d left in flames, these gates only opened when the people of the royal complex intended them to.

  Chapter 57

  Well before they got to the gates, the sound of the large bolts cracked through the surrounding area and they were pulled open to allow the Queen and her party entry.

  The huge hinges creaked and the people who’d remained behind formed two lines down either side of the path. They clapped and cheered as the Queen and her crew entered. Some played homemade drums and children danced. How many of them knew the sacrifices that had been made to bring the stack of food back to them?

  Even Flynn—who was no more than the Queen’s intended plaything—got a rousing welcome for his return.

  To look at the people joyous in their celebrations made Flynn’s head spin. How had the Queen become their ruler? Although, like with Brian, Sharon, and Dan, she offered them stability. Sell people the illusion of security and they’d hand over their freedom.

  Once the hunters and their horses had entered the royal complex and come to a halt, Flynn slipped from the back of the Queen’s horse and held his hand out to help her down. Although she didn’t seem like someone to take help, she took it nonetheless, slid from her horse, and continued to hold his hand. She kept a firm grip. A grip that told him who called the shots.

  Today would drag on, the celebrations no doubt lasting for hours. Maybe it would be the best day to get the fuck away from the bunch of lunatics. Sure, Rose still sat trapped in a dungeon, but what chance did he have of rescuing her anyway? He had no idea where they kept her and the Queen probably wouldn’t reveal it to him any time soon.

  Flynn leaned close enough to the Queen so only she would hear. He whispered in her ear, “I need to go back to my room.”

  The Queen spun on him, her face locked in a scowl.

  “I need to clean up,” he said. “Dragging that cart took its toll on me, so I want to go and bathe. I’d like to be clean for you later.”

  The Queen’s demeanour changed, her back straightening as she smiled slightly. “Well, when you put it like that … We’ll eat in about half an hour. Is that enough time for you?”

  “Plenty.” Flynn lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I’ll rush.”

  And with that he spun on his heel and headed back to his room. Rose had no hope, so he had to get out of there while he still had a chance.

  Chapter 58

  Flynn entered his room, pushed the door firmly closed behind him, and walked straight to the window. It let light in but didn’t look like it had been cleaned in years. Dirt tinted the glass, dulling his view of the outside world.

  Before now it had been no more than a source of light. A cursory glance at the view when he’d first walked into the room and Flynn saw nothing to get excited about. Because of that he hadn’t looked out of it much. Besides, whenever he’d been in his room, he’d either been washing or sleeping; there hadn’t been much time for anything else.

  Now Flynn had a reason to look out of the window. He’d seen the overgrown courtyard the first time he’d looked, but now he gave it more of his attention. Several rooms overlooked the ugly space. How many of the other residents had taken the time to look at it?

  Paving slabs were arranged with gravel patches in between like a chessboard. The patches looked like they could have been flowerbeds if someone had been bothered to give the space that love and care. Grass grew up through the gaps.

  An old metal box at least two metres high stood along one side of the small courtyard. Flynn had seen similar things in similar buildings. Vicky had told him they had been used for power or air-conditioning or communications.

  Old, ugly, and obsolete, the tall metal structure would be the perfect step up onto the hospital’s roof. If Flynn got up there unnoticed, he could reach the royal complex’s wall and get the fuck away. Thirty minutes would give him enough time to be gone for good. No way would they catch him after that.

  When Flynn thought about Rose, the guilt inside him grew claws. But realistically, what could he do for her now? She probably wouldn’t even make it from the dungeon. And from the way the Queen behaved with her erratic bipolar mood swings, he probably wouldn’t be alive by the time she got out anyway.

  Flynn pressed against the window. It didn’t budge. When he looked down, he saw two small holes where a handle had once been bolted to it. They’d made sure he couldn’t get out. “Fuck.”

  Adrenaline sent Flynn’s heart rate off the charts as he paced his room. The tick of seconds slipped away from him. He had this chance, he had to make the most of it, and he had to make it work. If he tried to escape and failed … The memory of Jason’s scream rang through his mind. He had to make it work.

  He’d wrap something around his hand, smash the window as quietly as he could, and then get out of there. If he moved quickly, it would work. He’d make it work.

  They’d left a towel for him when he first came into the community. It currently hung over the chair near his bath. Flynn picked it up, and just before he could wrap it around his fist, a heavy knock clattered on his door.

  The bang of it sent Flynn’s pulse racing and he spun around to see the Queen’s face peering in through the round window. The smile felt almost painful, but he forced it anyway. “Hi. Come in.”

  She snapped the handle of his door down hard, like she wanted to break it clean off, like her sexual frustration drove her every action. She stormed into the room. For a moment she stared at him and the towel in his hand. “Don’t you need to get wet before you use a towel?”

  “I was just moving it so I could run a bath. Is everything okay?”

  “I need to take you out again.”

  “Already?”

  “Something urgent’s come up.”

  “So urgent that I can’t wash first?”

  The now familiar cock of an eyebrow and she stared at him. The veiled threat dared him to push it.

  “Okay,” Flynn said with a sigh. “I can wash later.”

  The Queen didn’t respond. Instead, she stormed from the room and Flynn followed her out.

  Chapter 59

  Flynn rode pillion again. Of course he did. Like before, no one spoke as they made their way across the grassy fields. The place would have looked so different twenty years ago. The frail corpses of buildings stood on the skyline, painting a picture of what used to be. Cars would have driven down the broken and grassy road they currently travelled along.

  When they left the
royal complex, the sky had been clear. Now clouds covered the vast blue expanse. The humidity had turned up several notches and Flynn sweated where he sat. His T-shirt clung to his back and the brand above his right kidney, although sore, felt much better for the cream he’d put on it. Half a tube down, hopefully they’d give him more when he ran out. If he hadn’t gotten away by then.

  The sway of the horse forced Flynn to constantly move so he didn’t fall off. It sweated almost as much as he did and his trousers had turned damp with it. It would have been much easier to hold onto the Queen for stability, but he wouldn’t do that. No way.

  The Queen’s guards had come out with them. Four horses on either side of them, each had two guards on. Eight royal blue women.

  Mistress and several of her hunters had joined them too. It all amounted to Flynn giving up on the idea of escape for the time being.

  Were it just him and the Queen, he would have killed the bitch and been long gone. Too much longer around these lunatics and he’d go nuts. Especially with what she had planned for him.

  “So where did you say we’re going?” Flynn finally asked, breaking the muted atmosphere and pulling the attention of everyone onto him.

  “I didn’t,” the Queen replied as she continued to stare straight ahead. “You need to be more patient. I hope you’re not as eager in other departments.” She reached back and clamped a strong hand on his thigh, her fingers stinging as they dug in. “Maybe I’ll find out. Maybe not. Jason was very eager, you know.”

  A look at the others and Flynn met their dead stares. They knew where they were going. They knew what would happen to him.

  The Queen spoke again. “I want to show you something.”

  Several of the hunters flashed predatory grins at Flynn, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

  A cool breeze ran over the fields, bending the long grass and cooling Flynn’s sweating skin. It brought a fresh smell with it, clearing the stink of horse momentarily.

  Movement from Mistress’ hunters and Flynn saw several of them draw their weapons. They pulled their horses to a stop, as did the others.

  “Get off,” the Queen said.

  A look from the Queen to Mistress’ hunters and back to the Queen, and Flynn said, “Why?”

  “What’s with the questions?”

  Despite the cooler breeze, a hot wave of nausea rose up in Flynn. When he saw Mistress’ hunters slip from their steeds, he did the same.

  The Queen remained on her horse, the wind flicking her long black hair. She stared down at Flynn, zero emotion in her cold expression. “We have something for you.”

  Six of Mistress’ hunters had dismounted and all of them brandished their weapons as they formed a tight circle around Flynn. At first, he spun and looked at the one closest to him, then the one next to him, then … Once he’d turned several complete circles, each hunter levelling a steely glare at him, he looked up at the Queen. She watched on with her usual detachment. “What have I done wrong?”

  The hunters closed in another few inches.

  At that moment, the clouds above split and the first drops of rain hit Flynn’s bare arms. He looked up at the ominous sky, gunmetal grey stretching out above them. It took all he had not to piss himself where he stood.

  “Wait,” the Queen said to the hunters and she slid from her horse. The men parted for her as she walked over to Flynn, her dark stared fixed on him. “Let me do this.”

  Chapter 60

  A small bag hung from the Queen’s belt. Flynn hadn’t noticed it until now. More a pouch than a bag, it lifted away from her hip as she walked and patted against it again. She slipped her hand into it as she stepped into the ring of hunters and drew out a pair of binoculars.

  Flynn stared down at them. “Huh?”

  “Expecting something more deadly?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Come with me,” the Queen said.

  The ring of hunters parted to let them out. They closed in tighter as Flynn followed after the Queen, just to make it more uncomfortable for him. Despite the rain now falling, the men still smelled of sweat—horses’ and their own.

  They’d stopped just before the brow of a nearby hill, much like they’d done when they came to the community they’d raided earlier that day. Maybe she didn’t plan on killing him. Whatever she planned on doing, she had control. So many guards and hunters around them, Flynn couldn’t sneeze without feeling cold steel between his shoulder blades.

  The Queen handed Flynn her binoculars and said, “This is what we’ve come here for.” She led him forward.

  The air left Flynn’s lungs even before he saw it. They’d approached it from an angle he hadn’t approached it from before; otherwise he might have twigged sooner.

  “Beautiful, ain’t it?”

  What could he say? “Um, yeah. What is this place?”

  The Queen moved so close to him they were touching shoulders, and the rain fell harder than ever. “I dunno,” she said. “We didn’t know about it until just recently. One of my hunters found it. But it looks like it has something worth taking, right?”

  Maybe she knew. “Yeah,” Flynn said, “it certainly looks that way.”

  “I need your help sussing the place out. We need to work out the best way to attack them.”

  Flynn nodded, his throat dry.

  “And maybe we’ll come back in a few days with a decent-sized army and roll right over them. They look like they might be harder to take down than the last place.”

  She must have known. It all had to be a part of her twisted game. But Flynn had to play along. “I think we need to get closer so we can see the place better,” he said and stepped down the hill, keeping low so the grass hid him.

  Mistress followed behind.

  “What are those things there?” Flynn said, pointing down to the new community and handing the Queen her binoculars back.

  After she’d looked through them, she pulled them away and said, “They look like tubes and pipes of some sort. Maybe some way to catch water.”

  “I reckon we should make a hole in their fence and attack them by coming through that way.”

  The Queen patted Flynn on the back, the slap of her hand stinging against his wet T-shirt. “That sounds like a good plan.”

  Together they turned their backs on Home and returned to the others.

  “We’re going to come back in a few days,” the Queen said, “and take everything they have from them.”

  Watched by the guards and hunters, Flynn kept his mouth shut.

  Chapter 61

  The rain had fallen hard on their ride back to the royal complex. It left Flynn unable to justify having a bath. The bathwater was no cleaner than rainwater.

  Even now, sat in the barn with the rest of the community, Flynn’s bare arms stung from the lashing the rain had given him on their ride. It still fell hard, pelting the roof while the community ate in the sweaty space.

  While chewing her food, the Queen leaned close to Flynn, breathing the stench of her meal on him. “I reckon we should check out that community a few more times before we raid them. What do you think?”

  Flynn’s mouthful caught in his throat and he gulped several times to pull it down before he nodded. Heat flushed his cheeks and the humidity in the hot barn made him sweat.

  The Queen stared at Flynn, her eyes boring into the side of his face. “What did you say the place was called?”

  The word Home rushed to the edge of Flynn’s tongue, but he caught it before it slipped free. He hadn’t said its name to her. “Huh?” he said because he had nothing else.

  Fire burned through Flynn’s face to feel the Queen stare at him, but she didn’t reply.

  Whatever happened between now and when they went to raid Home, Flynn needed to get the fuck away. Just because he hated a few people at Home, he couldn’t make the entire community suffer. Maybe he couldn’t stop the Queen and her band of murderous arseholes, but he didn’t have to play any part in it.

  W
hen the Queen clapped her hands next to Flynn, he jumped as the sharp crack of it silenced the place. She got to her feet and said, “Time for some more entertainment.”

  A rock sank through Flynn’s stomach. He gripped his knife. If he had to, he’d take her down before they could do anything to him. Better to attack one of them than none.

  But he wasn’t the entertainment today. Instead, the doors opened and in walked a topless girl. She had a hood over her head and wore a grass skirt. A hunter walked in behind her with a drum.

  The people in the barn cleared a space in the middle like they had before. The hunter led the girl into it. She had a collar around her neck. A chain ran from it to the hunter’s belt.

  In the centre of the room, the hunter whipped the girl’s hood away and Flynn instantly lost his appetite. As before, he felt the Queen’s glare burning into him and he tried his hardest to suppress his reaction. As before, his face burned like it had been set fire to.

  “Well?” the Queen said.

  There seemed little point in hiding it. “I was sure I wouldn’t see her again,” Flynn replied as he stared at Rose. “I didn’t think the dumb bitch would make a third run through the games.”

  Calling Rose a dumb bitch seemed to tickle the Queen. She threw her head back and laughed at the wooden ceiling. Then, as quickly as her laughter had exploded from her, it fell and she clicked her fingers at the drummer. “Play.”

  Not much of a musician, the drummer played a steady beat.

  The Queen turned her attention on Rose. “Dance.”

  As tempting as it was to look at her, Flynn ignored Rose and focused on his meal. Every gulp went down like jagged rocks, but he pushed through it, flinching every time the Queen laughed next to him. He couldn’t be a part of Rose’s humiliation, but he couldn’t do much to help her either. The sooner this evening ended, the better.