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

by Michael Robertson

  It stood as a silhouette on the horizon for the longest time, but when Flynn got close to Home’s gates, he saw Brian standing guard on one of the watchtowers. The man stared down at him. Hard to tell in the poor light, but it looked like the bearded arsehole thought about not opening up.

  However, when Flynn got to within a few steps of the front gates, Brian whistled down into the complex. The gates wobbled before they opened a crack for him.

  “Thought you might have gotten yourself killed,” Brian said from his elevated perch.

  “You sound disappointed,” Flynn said as he continued walking. Fuck Brian and his stupid little mind games.

  It didn’t take long for Flynn to round everyone up. The entire community gathered in Home’s dusty canteen. To look at them reminded him of the days of the diseased when every meeting had been conducted in the space. He looked at the dusty monitors, the paint peeling off the walls, and several broken tables piled in the corner. The thought of Vicky, Serj, and Piotr threatened to overwhelm him, but he pushed it down.

  The room watched Flynn as he paced up and down in front of them. A look at all the familiar faces, he paused on Angelica’s twisted expression before moving on. “The Queen’s having one of her games tomorrow.” His voice echoed through the near silent room.

  “Where’s your girlfriend?” Angelica asked.

  Flynn looked at Larry next to her. The concern his new girlfriend had about Rose’s whereabouts clearly made him uncomfortable. “You mean Rose?”

  “Whatever,” Angelica said.

  “She’s been captured.”

  Not enough of a smile to be overt about it, Angelica’s eyes glowed at the news.

  Flynn didn’t realise he’d balled his fists until he saw Angelica looking down at them. Her pleasure gave way to fear. After letting his hands fall loose again, he shook his head at the jealous cow. It wouldn’t get him anywhere to fall out with her. Instead, he put his attention on the gathered crowd. “I need as many people as possible to come with me. The Queen’s coming for Home and we have a chance to stop her tomorrow. If we wait for her to come here, she’ll roll right over you. Tomorrow, we can catch her with her pants down.”

  “And we’ll help you rescue lover-girl,” Angelica said.

  Most of the room ignored Angelica. Instead they looked at Flynn with stoic and pale faces.

  “I have a plan that will work,” Flynn said. “It doesn’t come without its risks, but it will stop the Queen before she can come here. I need you to trust me like you trusted Vicky all those years ago. This is for Home, not me. Once this is all done, Rose and I plan to walk away and leave this area forever—”

  “I thought you said she’s been captured?” Angelica said. “She can’t exactly walk away if she’s being held hostage.”

  Flynn ignored her again. “So, to reiterate, I’m doing this for your benefit, not mine. The more people who come and fight with me, the more likely it is you’ll be able to spend another decade safe within these walls.”

  “Hang on.” Angelica stepped forward and the room focused on her. “How do we know we can trust you? You say it’s not, but how do we know this isn’t just a rescue mission to help your little girlfriend?”

  Many of the faces in the canteen turned on Flynn, awaiting an answer.

  “I mean,” Angelica continued, “it’s rather convenient that now she’s in need of help, the games are also happening tomorrow. It might just be me, but it seems rather serendipitous.”

  To think of the decisions he’d made regarding Rose, and now to have Angelica question it, flipped Flynn’s switch. He marched over to Angelica and leaned into her face. Jaw clenched, he spoke through gritted teeth. “I left her there rather than save her so I could come back here. If it was all about Rose, I would have waited until the one guard over the watery pit she’s currently in was on his own, killed him, and then run a fucking mile. Instead, I’m risking her life to come back here to help this community. To leave her there means the Queen doesn’t know I’m on to her. It means we can take her down before she takes you down. Believe me, if it was just you, I would have gone for option A and saved a woman far greater than you’ll ever be. As it is, there are a lot of people here worth saving. A lot of people I care about.”

  Angelica’s face reddened.

  A look at Larry, his frame coiled tight as if he might attack him, and Flynn shook his head. “And look at what you’re doing to him. He’s falling for you. If he’s lucky, you’ll land in someone else’s bed soon and he’ll see the fortunate escape he’s had.”

  Although Angelica opened and closed her mouth, she clearly had nothing to say. Flynn watched her squirm. He looked at the rest of the canteen and they all watched on.

  As the tension wound tighter in the room, Flynn refused to say anything, prolonging Angelica’s discomfort.

  A few seconds later, Angelica screwed her face up, shook her head, and ran out of the room, leaving Larry all on his own.

  Maggie—the teenager Serj had gotten on with so well—broke the silence when she stood up and said, “I’m with you, Flynn.”

  Dan and Sharon got to their feet. “It goes without saying,” Dan said. “We may have argued in the past, but I trust your plans. If even just a fraction of Vicky has rubbed off on you, you’re the best person to lead this battle.”

  Flynn stared at Dan for a few seconds, the mention of Vicky clearly upsetting Dan as much as it did him. Not an apology, but an acknowledgement of what he’d done.

  Over the next thirty seconds or so, many more of Home’s residents stood up in answer to Flynn’s call. Maybe fifty in total, they’d be a match for the Queen’s hunters and guards even if they didn’t have surprise on their side.

  When everyone had finished standing up, Flynn nodded at the group. “Thank you for trusting me. I promise you, your well-being is at the forefront of my mind. We’ll get through this with as few casualties as possible. However, I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety.”

  Silence met Flynn’s words. Many of the people there hadn’t ever fought before. Too young ten years ago, they were now the strength in Home.

  “Now get your weapons and supplies,” Flynn said, “and meet me back here in thirty minutes. We have to move into the city while it’s dark. That way, we’ll be set up and ready to take the Queen and her guards down when they all gather for the games tomorrow.”

  Chapter 43

  Another walk of about three hours and Flynn finally led the fifty or so people from Home into the Queen’s town. The moon hung full in the sky and provided a spotlight for them to navigate by. Despite another change of clothes, he ended up soaked again from the long dewy grass, but at least they’d made it. One more night of discomfort to take the bitch down would be more than worth it. After that he’d have to find somewhere to stay on a more permanent basis. The amount of travelling he’d had to do over the past few days had gone beyond tedious.

  Anxiety gnawed away at Flynn as he led the mob through the derelict scattering of offices and previously commercial buildings. Everywhere seemed abandoned and they kept to the shadows, but with every building housing an inky void, the Queen’s people could be watching them from any one of thousands of windows. But they had the right intention. They were here to do the right thing. Hopefully luck would be on their side. Also, in such a large town, it would be unfortunate for them to be seen on the one of hundreds of paths they could have taken. Other than the plaza, he’d not witnessed evidence that the Queen put any stock in security. She’d probably have a skeleton crew watching the prisoners and not much else. Especially as the rest of her community would be preparing for the games in the morning.

  It didn’t take long to get to their destination. Flynn didn’t know which building he would use, but when he saw a large abandoned office block in the perfect location, it seemed like as good an option as any. It also got them off the streets.

  Grit covered the floor inside the office space, the crunch of their footsteps calling out to anyone close enou
gh to hear them. Not that they needed to worry about that; if they were close enough to hear them, they would have already seen them by now.

  Flynn led the group to a large window looking out over the square with the police station in it. He pointed at the building, the P and O of ‘Police’ having fallen from the sign. “When Rose and I did the games,” he said in a whisper to the huddled crowd, “we were brought to this building. We were given a night’s sleep in there, but from what the Queen said, they’re doing the games in one day this time. She said she wants to get to Home as soon as possible. We may have to wait for a few hours, but all of the people from the royal complex will gather here at some point today. Because I don’t know where the first of the trials are held, this seems like the best place to wait. We know they’ll come through here at some point.”

  A look up at the taut rope stretched from the police station’s roof to the office block on the other side and he continued. “That’s what they expect the prisoners to cross.” The rings hung at regular intervals, swinging in the gentle breeze.

  After most of the people had looked up at them, Flynn said, “Once they’re all gathered here, I’m going to jump the Queen and kill her. I want to do that before the first person is made to swing from the rings. But whatever happens, you all need to follow my lead. Don’t do anything until I’ve attacked the Queen. Something might change in the moment and I might have to go for a different approach. Once I’ve attacked her, that’s your signal to lynch the royal guards and the hunters.”

  “How will we know who to attack?” Maggie said.

  “Good question.” Flynn took in all the wide eyes staring at him, hanging on his every word. “The royal guards all wear a dark blue uniform. They’ll all have weapons. The hunters are the only other ones with weapons. If they’re not armed, leave them alone.”

  The faces continued to stare at him, but no one else spoke.

  “Before they swing across the rings,” Flynn said, “they’ll climb up shit slope.”

  “Shit slope?” Larry said.

  To look at Angelica’s lover ran a deep unease through Flynn. He hadn’t wanted him to come. Not because he gave a fuck about Angelica, more because he wanted to make sure he could trust everyone to have his back. But Brian, Sharon, and Dan had insisted on bringing Larry. The best shot in Home by a mile, they needed his skills. Flynn said, “It’s a tall slope made slick with sewage and it has spikes at the bottom.”

  Larry’s jaw fell.

  “They expect the prisoners to climb it. Those who slip end up impaled on the spikes.”

  Susan—a blonde lady in her thirties—said, “Then why don’t we find the slope and jump them there?”

  “Rose and I didn’t see the Queen the last time we were there. I don’t think she turns up until they get to the police station. Besides, I wouldn’t want to risk traipsing through the town to try to find it. We’re better here.”

  Susan nodded.

  “The square will fill with people before the prisoners are dragged up to the police station’s roof,” Flynn said. “We need to make sure we’re hiding in the surrounding buildings. Distribute yourselves as evenly as possible, so when we come out and jump them, we’re coming from every angle. We want to take them down before they know what’s hit them.”

  It took about twenty minutes to get everyone in place after they’d divided into four groups. Dan went with one group, Sharon with another, Brian with the third, and Flynn took the last. They spread out and hid in the buildings surrounding the square. When the crowd gathered, the guards would be nullified in minutes.

  Flynn felt weary from the past few days. Aches sat in his tired limbs and his heart hurt for Rose. So exhausted, he worried the lump in his throat would burst in front of everyone and he wouldn’t be able to control it.

  Just two people remained close to Flynn, a couple of boys called Jack and Ross. They were kids the last time Home went to war. They were barely men now. The others in his group scattered throughout the rooms on either side of them.

  Jack and Ross lay slumped in the dark shadows as if asleep. And why wouldn’t they be? They were probably exhausted like him and had no idea what they would be facing in the morning. Their ignorance would give them a few hours of peace.

  If only Flynn could switch off like they had. Tired everything, he stood by the window looking out over the square and watched the space. At some point they’d see people file into it. At some point, he’d have to lead Home into battle like Vicky had done in the past. If he did half the job she had, most of them would walk away from this.

  Chapter 44

  It wouldn’t do any harm to look. Ross and Jack were now definitely asleep. Their deep breathing called through the space, confirming what Flynn’s eyes couldn’t in the darkness. They wouldn’t miss him.

  A look out through the window again and he saw how the first signs of morning penetrated the night’s sky. If he wanted to go, he had to do it now before it got too bright.

  Out in the darkened corridors of the abandoned office block, Flynn’s eyes stung from straining to see. The rooms closest to him were filled with the people from Home, so he ran on tiptoes to get past them unnoticed. He might have only been going to look, but if anyone saw him, it would understandably make them nervous about the risk he was taking. He’d be careful; besides, he needed to do it.

  Despite all the walking Flynn had done over the past few days—aches deep in his bones every time he moved—he kept a quick pace. Not quite soundless as he walked, but he’d led a stampede of Home’s residents to their hiding spots and gotten away with it. Surely one person moving through the night wouldn’t cause too many problems.

  To see the hotel he and Rose had gone through spiked a pang in his heart. Once he’d entered it, he would be close to her. How long would she last in that watery hell? At least she could swim; she wouldn’t find it as unbearable as he would have.

  Once inside, the large hotel foyer looked darker than he’d seen it before. The slight illumination of morning might have been affecting the night’s sky, but it hadn’t reached into the buildings yet.

  Assaulted with the familiar smell of dust, Flynn ran across the dark amphitheatre of a room towards where he hoped the corridor to the first floor was. Hard to tell in such poor light.

  Guided by his memory, Flynn found the doorway with relative ease. Despite his pulse running away with him, he tried to stay calm as he felt the softness of the grubby carpet beneath his steps.

  As Flynn made muted progress towards his destination, he kept his stinging eyes spread wide. The shadowy corridor looked clear, but with rooms down either side, there could be guards in any one of them.

  After he’d turned into the dead-end corridor, Flynn ran down it and stood a short distance away from the small window like he had with Rose. He could see the guard standing over the pit with the women in it, but the guard wouldn’t be able to see him.

  Hard to tell how many women remained in the pit in the plaza. The bright moon ran a highlight along the bars and their fingers, but it didn’t show him who the fingers belonged to. He hoped one set of them belonged to Rose.

  Just one guard stood between Flynn and the answers he needed. One guard keeping the women imprisoned. The rest were probably back at the royal complex with the Queen.

  After he’d drawn a deep breath to still his nerves, Flynn pulled in a dry gulp and raised his crossbow. Now he’d come to look again, he knew he couldn’t leave her.

  The stock of the crossbow in his shoulder and pressed against his cheek, Flynn lined up the guard in his sights. Surely the others would be too busy with the games to notice the women had been busted out. Especially if they planned on doing everything in just one day.

  Seeing the lie he told himself for what it was, Flynn tightened his squeeze on the trigger anyway and he drew a calming breath. He couldn’t walk away from this again. Hopefully the pregnant woman remained in the pit too. He owed her.

  Just before he could set the bolt free, the s
ound of footsteps ran down the corridor towards him.

  “Fuck,” Flynn whispered as he spun around, his crossbow still raised. He couldn’t see much in the dark, but he didn’t need to. The runner was closing in on him quickly.

  Chapter 45

  They might have thought they were running quietly down the hotel’s corridor, but they weren’t. Flynn had heard them from far enough away that he’d be ready for them. The second he saw them, they’d get a bolt in their face. Plenty of empty rooms in the hotel, it could take days before anyone found their dead body. By that time, he and the residents of Home would have made their presence known to the Queen.

  Despite trying to find reassurance in his preparedness, Flynn’s crossbow shook in his trembling grip. He’d been an idiot. Rose would have been all right if he’d left it. Now he ran the risk of jeopardising everything if the person from the royal complex managed to yell out before he killed them.

  Two more steps and the silhouette of the person appeared. But before Flynn pulled the trigger, he saw they had their hands in the air. Their fingers were splayed, each one clearly visible as not having a weapon anywhere near it.

  The person walked towards Flynn slowly. It looked like a man, his shoulders broader than any woman Flynn had seen—other than Mistress’ maybe.

  As much as Flynn felt a temptation to loose a bolt, his finger twitching on the trigger, they had their hands raised. They clearly didn’t mean him any harm.

  The man continued forward with slow and cautious steps. Flynn kept his crossbow raised. Surely they would have tried to attack him by now if they had anything to do with the Queen.

  A deep inhale of the rot-infused air and Flynn watched the man step into a slash of moonlight. “Dan?”

  At first, Dan didn’t reply. Once he’d stepped close enough so he could keep his voice low, he pushed Flynn’s crossbow down so it no longer pointed at him and sighed. “I know it’s hard, mate.”