Extinction New Zealand Box Set | Books 1-3

by Smith, Adrian J.

  “We did it,” Alice said, smiling. “I’m glad you found Becs and these kids.”

  “It’s far from over yet,” Maggie said. “Have you still got that package I gave you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “There should be some caps in there. We need them for the next phase.”

  Alice reached down into the foot well and picked up the package. She pulled out the caps and handed one to Maggie.

  “What’s next?”

  “If I remember correctly, there should be some sort of guardhouse coming up. Even though I was hooded when I was brought here, I remember the drivers talking to the guards. Just let me do the talking.” She took her eyes off the road, quickly looking at Alice. “Tuck your hair under the cap. We need to trick the guards for a few moments.”

  Maggie peeked over her shoulder at the children.

  “Okay, sweeties. I need you all to stay extra quiet for me, okay?”

  She heard a few murmurs in response.

  A white wooden shed appeared, tucked to one side of the road. The guards had fashioned a makeshift barrier out of 44-gallon drums and wooden poles. Maggie slowed down and wound her window down a few inches. She brought the van to a stop and surveyed the area. One guard sat in the small shed smoking, and another was standing a few yards in front of her, a rifle tucked over his shoulder. He was busy trying to light his cigarette and wasn’t even looking at the van. The guard in the shed looked up and slowly got up from his seat. Maggie could see an AR-15 sitting behind him, leaning against the shed wall. Sloppy, very sloppy. She smiled and let out a breath. Taking her hand off the steering wheel, she gripped the door release and waited for the guard to get closer.

  “What’s going on back there?” the guard said, leaning in, bringing his head level with the door. Maggie shoved the door open, slamming the metal against his skull. The guard fell back with a grunt. Maggie pushed the accelerator down and the van lunged forwards, smacking into the other guard and throwing him back several feet. His body thudded into the ground and rolled a couple of times, coming to a stop against a tree, He didn’t move. She turned her attention back to the first guard. He was sitting up, clutching his head. Maggie jumped out of the van, jogged a few steps and kicked him in the head like it was a soccer ball. His head snapped back, and he crumpled to the ground. Maggie reached into the guard shed and grabbed the rifle. Checking it was loaded, she flicked off the safety and put a bullet into the unconscious guard’s head. She had a flutter of regret but brushed it aside. These bastard traitors deserved no less. She glanced over to the guard lying prone against the tree. He was grunting something.

  Maggie looked down at him. He reminded her of the young men she had seen on reality programmes, all swagger but no brains. He clutched his side, nursing his ribs. His eyes squinted at her.

  “You bitch,” he groaned.

  Maggie shook her head. Her finger hesitated on the trigger. “Where do they take the kids?”

  The guard looked up at her, confusion etched on his face. “I don’t know, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,” he grunted, his pain evident.

  The guard kicked out at her, catching her on the shin. She let out a gasp and hopped back a step. “Wrong move, asshole.”

  Maggie put a round through his head and grabbed his rifle. Turning, she ran back to the shed and glanced around. Spotting the ammo she was looking for, she grabbed it and started to fill the small rucksack that sat beside the door. With one last look around, Maggie zipped up the rucksack and jumped back in the van.

  Alice stared at her, eyes wide, her mouth turned slightly upwards. Maggie handed her the rifles.

  “What?”

  “You are badass. Bloody badass.”

  Maggie smiled back at her. “They deserved it.”

  Several Variants were scampering up the road as she gathered speed. The Variants sniffed at the two guards she had shot but thankfully ignored the van. Maggie pushed down harder on the accelerator, keen to put distance between themselves and the prison camp. Keen to leave that place behind and start her journey home.

  She gripped the steering wheel tighter, thinking of the two guards. She had trained to both save lives and end lives, but it was the desire to help those in need that motivated her. It surprised her how easily she had executed the two men. Shaking the misgivings from her thoughts, she glanced out the window. The pine trees whipped by. Hundreds of them, stretching for miles.

  “I hope you know the way, Alice, because I can’t see the leaves through the trees.”

  Hearing no response, she looked over at Alice. She was holding one of the rifles, rubbing her hands over the barrel, testing the weight.

  “Alice?”

  Alice glanced up at her. “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “Do you know the way to Towlewronga?”

  Alice let out a giggle. “Yes, and it’s Tauranga.”

  “Yeah, that place. Is it far. Will we make it in one day?”

  Alice placed the rifle back down in the foot well, wedging it to one side. She nodded. “We should do. As long as the roads are clear, it should only take a couple of hours.”

  “I think they will be. If these traitors brought us in here for the Variants, they would have cleared the roads.”

  “I hope so. When we reach the highway, turn north. Once we reach the town of Tirau, I’ll direct you.”

  “Thanks. You did good back there, kept a level head,” Maggie said.

  “I just followed your lead,” Alice smiled. “What happened to Ian?”

  Maggie took her hand off the steering wheel and rubbed her neck. She could still feel Ian’s slimy tongue on her neck, his hands groping her. She shuddered. “I don’t think Ian’s going to bother us anymore. I’m more worried about who comes after us.”

  “He got what was coming to him, then?”

  “You could say that. Yeah.” Maggie tilted her head back towards the children. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “All right. Should I load these guns?”

  “That would be great. Thanks. Always good to be ready.”

  Maggie marvelled at Alice’s resolve. She had been pulled from her bed in the early hours by Ian and forced away to do God knows what. After the explosion, she had run for the fence to help Maggie with the kids. Now she sat here, driving through Variant-infested forests with traitors gearing up to chase them. She took her hand off the wheel and squeezed Alice’s hand, enjoying the comfort of her friend. As much as she portrayed the badass army woman, Maggie was terrified that she was leading herself, Alice and the kids to the slaughter.

  — 17 —

  The trees were beginning to thin out, and Maggie could see a sunlit clearing up ahead. She slowed the van down, bringing it to a stop before a dual carriageway. She looked left and right. There was no sign of life, not even an abandoned car. She wound down the window, enjoying the fresh pine scents that hung in the air. It made a nice change from the smells of the camp. Even though she was breathing the same air, this oxygen smelt like freedom.

  Becs wriggled her way between the front seats and threw her arms around Maggie.

  “Hey kiddo.”

  Becs nuzzled in closer. “Have the bad things gone?”

  “Not yet, baby. But you go and sit back down and we’ll keep going until they have, all right?”

  “I wanna sit up here with you.”

  Maggie stroked Becs’s head and pushed her hair behind her ear. “It’s too dangerous, sweetie. Can you do me a favour, though?”

  Becs nodded.

  “Can you be a brave girl and look after the other kids?”

  Becs looked at her, her lip quivering. She wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Okay.”

  Maggie turned around to get a better look at the other children. Most of them were staring out the windows at the trees. A couple stared straight ahead with vacant, shocked looks on their faces. She shook her head at the cruelty of the traitors, sending these kids off to such a horrible fate. Instinct told her they were being sent away
to be eaten. Ian had called them tributes. Give the beasts what they desire and they’ll let you live. A new world order. Ian had weaselled his way into survival to save his own skinny ass. Images of him being torn apart flashed through her mind.

  You got what you deserved, traitor.

  “Which way?” Maggie said.

  Alice pointed right. Maggie took her foot off the brake and turned the wheel.

  They drove through Tirau. Everywhere Maggie looked there were signs of violence and carnage. Cars overturned, broken glass. Fires had ravaged out of control through shop fronts, gutting buildings. The scent of burnt wood and plastic hung heavy in the air. But even amongst all this ruin, the weeds and plants were growing. With no one to maintain the gardens, the plants were reclaiming the land. She shook her head at the destruction. It had only been a few weeks, and already the extinction of the world of men was evident. How are we going to recover from this? Can we?

  Alice nudged her shoulder and pointed to a road leading east, towards the bush-clad mountains. Several vehicles had been pushed aside in that direction, confirming they were on the right track.

  Maggie gunned the engine and gathered speed. On they drove, following the road as it dipped and curved with the contours of the rolling countryside.

  After a few miles, it started to look familiar to Maggie.

  “Isn’t the Hobbiton movie set around here?”

  “Yeah it is, why?” Alice frowned.

  “It’s a pity those hobbit houses aren’t real. Would’ve been a good place to hole up for the night.”

  “You really like those movies, don’t you?”

  “Just a bit. Don’t you? I thought all Kiwis did.”

  Alice chortled and shook her head. “No, not everyone. I knew this guy once, he thought that anyone who didn’t like them should have their passports revoked. Said they weren’t Kiwi enough.”

  “He was joking though, right?”

  “I think so, yeah. He was a bit of a joker.”

  Maggie glanced back at Alice. It was nice seeing her smile.

  Alice tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and tilted her head to the sun. She looked over to Maggie. “This road should take us directly up over the Kaimais. Tauranga is just down the other side.”

  “Okay, thanks. We might need to feed these kids soon. Check that rucksack I took off the guards.”

  “Rucksack?”

  Maggie pointed to the foot well. “That, the bag.”

  Alice grabbed the rucksack and started to rummage through it. She looked up from her search. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you get captured? Watching how easily you handled those guards made me curious.”

  Maggie let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. The events of the Variant purge and her capture flickered through her mind. Not for the first time, she berated her choices and her lack of caution. Perhaps it would be good to talk it out. The road stretched out, heading for the ridge of mountains; about ten miles away, she guessed. More vehicles lay on the side of the road, some in ditches, but most had been pushed aside, leaving the road clear. Maggie let out a long breath.

  “I was in Wellington when news of the virus hit. I was a bit slow to learn of it, as I’d been enjoying the anonymity of staying offline. I was on a bus tour of the city when everyone’s phones started beeping with the news. They cut the tour short and I went back to my hotel. I phoned Texas and talked to my family. They were being instructed to stay inside. I decided to head to the US embassy to try and get a flight home. It was chaos, hundreds of tourists were trying the same thing. A call went out asking for any military, active, veterans or retired, to report for duty, so I did…”

  Maggie paused and looked in the rearview mirror. She thought she’d seen a flash of light, but could see nothing more.

  “Everything okay?” Alice asked.

  “I thought I saw something in the mirror.”

  Alice turned her head to look behind them. “I can’t see anything.”

  “Have a look through that scope.” Maggie gestured at the rifles in the foot well.

  Her eyes flicked between the wing mirrors and the rearview, watching for the flash of light. She didn’t want to admit anything to Alice, but she was surprised the traitors hadn’t yet caught up to them, especially after what she’d done. Hopefully the explosion had caused enough chaos to give them the time they needed.

  They came to a town and bumped over the railway tracks that dissected the main road. Movement to her right caught her attention. A couple of Variants jumped up onto the roof of a shop and watched them go by. One of the beasts raised its head and shrieked. Several shrieks from farther away answered. A couple of the kids cried out.

  “It’s all right, guys. They don’t want us.”

  Must be the scouts.

  “Can you see anything through that scope yet?”

  “Not a thing. Just some of those Variant bastards.”

  “Good. Must have been sunlight reflecting off a car.”

  Maggie slowed the van down and made a right.

  The road immediately started to incline steeply up the mountain. She gunned the engine, urging the van on. The road wound up the pass, revealing the countryside behind them. Maggie stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the road at the top of the mountain and stared out at the view. It stretched for miles, a patchwork of farms, all in shades of green, with roads periodically cutting through. Smoke billowed out from the towns lying scattered across the plains. In another time, she would have spent hours here admiring the view, taking photos.

  She shook her head in frustration at the destruction of this once-beautiful world full of life and people. Wonderful, creative, brilliant people. All gone. Turned back into some primal beasts with thoughts only of food. All that brilliance lost, and lost for what?

  Maggie wound down the window, inhaling the cold mountain air. She blew out her frustrations and anger. She needed to stay focused and get these kids to safety.

  The sounds of an engine revving and tyres squealing reached her, carrying up the mountain. Maggie grabbed the other rifle. She unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped from the van. Bringing the rifle up to her shoulder, she searched for the source of the noise. She spotted two 4x4s tearing up the mountain road and caught a glimpse of red on the driver’s side.

  “Alice! You drive,” Maggie shouted, warning her friend of the approaching danger.

  She ran around to the passenger side and waited for Alice to shimmy over behind the wheel. Just as the 4x4s screeched around the corner, Alice launched the van into gear. It lurched forwards, its wheels spinning in the loose gravel before getting a grip on the tarmac.

  “Maggie!” Becs cried out.

  “Stay in your seat, sweetie.”

  As the van tore up the road, squealing around the sharp bends, Maggie checked that the rifle was fully loaded. She pulled some ammo out of the bag, shoving it into her pockets. Thoughts of her training focused her to the task ahead. She now understood the endless drills loading and unloading her rifle. It was during tense times like this when muscle memory was critical. You had to be able to do what was necessary when you needed it most.

  She clicked on the safety and grabbed the other rifle, repeating the task. Ready, she spun her head around, searching for the 4x4s. The groaning of their engines sounded closer, but she couldn’t see them anymore. Maggie felt the van crest the top of the pass and drop down with the road. She glanced forward. Rolling hills cascaded down, petering out to flatter land. A city hugged the small natural harbour. Turquoise water of the Pacific Ocean glittered, lapping up against the hundreds of boats moored in the bay. Maggie’s heart leapt at the sight. Maybe, just maybe, I can go home.

  The van swerved around a tight bend, its wheels screeching. Maggie manoeuvred herself around in her seat, watching for their pursuers. A black 4x4 squealed around the corner and bullets pinged off the van. The kids screamed.

  She turned to Alice. “Keep going. Try to ignore what’s going on. We have to re
ach that harbour.”

  Without waiting for an answer, Maggie wound down her window and steadied herself. Breathing out, she sighted the 4x4 and let loose with a barrage of lead, aiming for the tyres.

  — 18 —

  Boss peeked out from the flax bushes. He could see six of the beasts as they scampered back and forth along the edge of the crater lake, pausing and sniffing as they desperately searched for the humans.

  He gently took off his pack and rummaged for more ammo, keeping one eye on the creatures as he filled his pockets and loaded his shotgun and Glock. Max and George were huddled against him. Their body heat and the sounds of their breathing calmed him somewhat.

  Boss looked up through the twisted, gnarled branches of the pohutukawa tree. The darkness of the night was beginning to fade as the sun crept above the horizon.

  Boss hoped he could hide out here for a while longer, knowing that the Variants didn’t like the sun so much. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all he had for now. Stay out of sight from the beasts long enough until they give up.

  There is always a way out, eh Jack?

  The waves lashed the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Glancing once more at the tree, Boss wondered if the branches could take their weight. But then what? Swim out to sea? He tried to remember where the nearest boat was but came up blank.

  Max broke free of George’s grasp and ran to the entrance of their flax hidey-hole, growling a warning, his teeth bared. Boss looked up at the noise and scanned the lake shore. Two of the Variants stared back at him. They raised their heads and let out a blood-curdling shriek. A bellow answered, the awful sound bounced around the caldera walls and wrenched at Boss’s soul.