“I'm going to look around and see if there’s anything to get us high or worth selling. That one lady may buy stuff from us,” a third voice said.
Megan looked at Wyatt. The third man would likely find them if he started roaming the aisles of the small pharmacy. He held up a hand, indicating for her to wait.
She hated this. The waiting to know if they were going to be seen. Without being able to see the men and whether they were armed, they were completely in the dark here. They could be shot before they had a chance to talk their way out of the situation.
“Get ready,” Chase whispered. He reached back and pulled his gun out of the waistband of his pants. Megan dreaded the inevitable fight that was about to happen, but did as she was told. She reached for the gun in a holster at her side, watching Wyatt do the same.
She carefully checked to make sure it was ready to go, sliding her thumb over the safety.
Footsteps indicated the man was getting close.
“Get your bags,” she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. They didn't come all this way to leave their loot sitting on the floor.
Chase picked his up, rattling the pill bottles inside. Megan gritted her teeth, knowing he’d inadvertently given them away. She gave him a withering scowl. He shrugged his shoulders by way of apology.
“Hello?” the man said.
They didn't answer.
“Guys! We have company!” the man shouted before his footsteps started running in their direction.
“Now!” Chase said standing up, but not to his full height not wanting to be an easy target.
Wyatt pulled Megan in front of him and pushed her towards the back of the aisle.
“We go around and get out the back,” Wyatt told her.
“I'll draw them out so we have a clear path,” Chase whispered.
She raised her hand in acknowledgment and walked towards the opposite end, her gun ready.
“Hey, we don't want any trouble,” Chase shouted. “It's only me and my buddy here. We’re looking for some medicine for his son.”
“Come out where I can see you,” the voice shouted back. “I have a gun. You do anything stupid and I'll shoot you.”
Megan grimaced. Of course, they had guns. Everyone had guns these days.
“Let us walk on out of here and you can have whatever you want,” Chase reasoned.
“Ha, I don't think so, man. Maybe you already took what we want,” the second voice said.
It came from the same direction as man number three. That was a good thing, Megan realized. They needed them all in the same spot away from the back door.
“Don't move.”
Megan felt a rush of fear zip through every nerve ending. She didn't move for a split second and then it was a flurry of motion.
The man standing a few feet in front of her didn't know what was coming. She swung her arm up, knocking the arm that held a gun on her. The gun flew out of his hand. In one smooth motion, she brought up her left leg and kicked him square in the stomach, driving him backwards into a display of ChapSticks.
She heard a gunshot.
“Go!” Wyatt shouted at her.
She didn't hesitate and made a beeline for the back door. Another shot rang out and a shelf full of pill bottles exploded to her right. She kept running.
There was another shot and a shout of pain. The shout didn't come from Wyatt or Chase so she kept moving, not bothering to look back.
The back door was propped open, making their escape easier. Once outside, she raced across the empty street and dropped behind a large delivery van parked on the side of the road. Chase and Wyatt slid in beside her a moment later.
“Anyone hit?” she asked.
Chase shook his head. “No, I'm good.”
“I'm fine,” Wyatt said. “They were shooting wild. I’m not sure what their goal was. Maybe to scare us off.”
“Well, we got some stuff,” Megan said patting her bag. “We need to keep looking. We made it this far, we should search the other buildings.”
Wyatt sighed. “Megan, we don't even know what we’re looking for. This is the third time we've nearly gotten our heads blown off for nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “It isn't for nothing, Wyatt. We’re doing this to save JJ.”
Chase cleared his throat. “Megan, he has a point. We know this part of the city is dangerous. We’re going in blind. We keep taking these risky missions and it hasn't done us any good. We could be doing things like fortifying the defenses at the lodge or scouting for food items.”
“I can't believe you guys are going to give up,” Megan seethed. “I know it's risky, but what choice do we have? We can't give up and let JJ get sicker.”
“We aren't saying that, but we do need to think more about whether the risk is worth the reward. We love JJ, but we aren't doing him any good if we get seriously hurt or killed on one of these missions,” Wyatt explained. “We need to come up with a better plan.”
Megan stood, brushed herself off and looked at the two men still sitting on the curb. “Fine. You guys can tell Willow it’s too risky for us to look for medicine that will save her child.”
She spun around and stomped off in the direction of the mountain that had been her home for more than a year. They may be willing to give up, but she was going to keep searching for a way to help the infant. She wasn’t about to put her life above his.
2
Wyatt and Chase fell in step beside her and they trudged along silently, for which Megan was glad. She was wrestling with her own demons and couldn't deal with conversation. She knew she’d overreacted, but since the dam and what had to be Emma's death, she’d much to atone for and if she could save JJ, it’d help make things right, at least in her own mind. She owed it to JJ and Willow after she’d let Jack die.
Failure wasn't an option.
Megan was tired of those close to her dying. She’d give everything she had and then dig a little deeper to give more. Whatever it took to prevent another innocent child from dying. It was the only way to calm her need for absolution.
“It’s crazy hot,” Wyatt said, breaking the silence.
Chase grunted in acknowledgment. It was mid-June, the weather had been very warm, indicating July and August would be brutal.
“I wish I’d worn shorts,” Wyatt complained.
Megan rolled her eyes.
“You’re the one who said we couldn't wear shorts. You said we had to cover as much skin as possible to prevent bug bites and cuts to our bare legs,” she pointed out.
“I know what I said and it’s true, but I’m saying it's hot and right now I really wish I wasn’t wearing so many clothes.”
They were all tired and grumpy. They’d been making these trips into the city every few days. Every time they found what they hoped would be the miracle cure, they’d failed. The trip into the city took them a good two-to-three hours one way. It was exhausting and the heat made it worse.
“Hopefully, we got the right stuff this time,” Chase said, shaking his bag. “I think we got every medicine known to mankind.”
Megan hoped so as well.
“Let's take the highway back and see if we can find a running vehicle,” Wyatt said.
“Really?” Megan asked in surprise.
They’d been staying off the main roads in favor of deserted back roads. There was still the risk they’d run into other survivors willing to kill anyone that stepped foot in their territory but it was favorable to being out in the open where they could be picked off at a distance.
He shrugged. “May as well. Maybe we'll find a gas can, a tank full of gas, and hopefully a siphoning hose.”
Chase laughed. “Or maybe we'll find a working vehicle with a full tank of gas.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Wyatt shot back.
They walked towards the highway on high alert, constantly scanning the area for any signs they weren’t alone. Weeds poked Megan through her cargo pants, burrowing into the material. She’
d have to spend some time picking each one out with no washing machine to do the job for her.
“Wow,” Megan breathed when they reached the highway.
There were stalled cars littering the roadway. Garbage was strewn about along with various articles of clothing. Weeds grew in between the cracks in the road and lined the roadway, creating a tunnel feel. It was strange to see no movement at all, no sounds of car engines or horns blaring. Every apocalypse movie she’d ever seen before the EMP predicted this same scene and now she was looking at it. It was surreal.
Wyatt stopped at every car and peered inside. Gas doors were left open and most of the vehicles were missing the gas caps as well. Someone or several someones had already had the same idea.
“I doubt there’s even a drop of gas in any of these rigs,” Chase said, picking up a gas cap. “This was probably the first place hit. We’re at least sixteen months too late,” he said with disgust.
“It was worth a shot,” Megan said, feeling the need to offer Wyatt her support.
It was good to have some hope and stranger things have happened. They continued walking down the highway, weaving in and out of the gutted vehicles.
Megan wiped her brow. The sun was beating down on them and walking on the asphalt wasn't helping. She could see the heat rising in waves creating a mirage effect. The sound of birds and bugs mingled with the sounds of their footsteps.
“Wyatt, we need to get off this road. I’m sure my shoes are melting,” she said, hoping to keep it light.
He chuckled. “I think you're right. These cars have been here way too long. Even if there were gas in the tanks, it’d be worthless now. I was hoping we could get some gas for that ATV, which would make these trips into town a lot easier and we could carry back a lot more stuff.”
“We'll keep looking. What we need to do is figure out how to make biofuel. I bet you Albert could figure it out. On our next run into town, let's hit the library and bookstores. We'll collect as much information as we can,” Chase replied.
Megan agreed. “That would be awesome. I haven't driven a car in so long, I don't know if I remember how.”
Stepping off the highway, she stopped before spinning around to look at the posts lined up on either side.
“Hey, I have an idea,” she started. “Look at these T-posts. We could use these to build fences for the garden, the goats and even around the perimeter.”
Wyatt looked at the posts and started laughing. “How many times have we walked right past these things? We’ve been busting our butts to make posts when they’ve been right in front of us the whole time!”
“It's a really good idea, Megan,” Chase added. “We'll bring the sleds on our next run and collect a bunch of these posts. These will come in handy. You’re onto something here. We need to start looking at our surroundings a little differently. What do they say? We have to think outside the box. Color outside the lines. Or, whatever that old adage is about seeing different uses for things right in front of our faces.”
Megan smiled, feeling proud of herself. This would help make all these trips into town a little more useful. It also helped open her eyes to what was hiding in plain sight.
“Hold up,” Wyatt said, stopping in his tracks in front of Megan and Chase. “Look!”
Megan looked at the ground where he was pointing. There were spent bullets everywhere.
“Holy cow! What happened here?” she said in complete surprise. “It looks like a war zone!”
Chase squatted, examining the casings. “There are a lot of different calibers here. There was one hell of a gunfight,” he said.
“There's blood over here,” Wyatt said from the edge of the road. “Someone was obviously using this car for cover. They were hit. The trail leads out there somewhere.” He scanned the field.
“I don't think this happened all that long ago,” Chase said. “This blood is still red. If this were old, it’d be a lot darker. I would guess this happened within the last day. Considering the heat of the pavement, it could be as fresh as a few hours ago.”
“Should we see if there are any survivors? Maybe someone needs help?” Megan asked.
Wyatt shook his head. “I don't know what happened here, but with the number of casings strewn about, they have a lot of weapons. We could be walking into the middle of a gang war.”
“I say we get out of here before we find ourselves in a very bad situation,” Chase agreed.
Megan hesitated. Her instinct was to help an injured person, but she had to check herself. This was a different time. Whoever did this clearly had plenty of weapons and ammunition.
“Okay, let's go. This place is kind of freaking me out,” she said, catching up to Wyatt. She felt exposed on the desolate highway.
“Me too,” Chase said.
“Look up there,” Wyatt pointed.
“Is that smoke?” Megan asked. It looked as if the smoke was rising from the highway.
“Let's go check it out,” Chase said. “Something doesn't feel right. If we’re dealing with an enemy invasion, I want to know now, rather than when they’re knocking on our door.”
Wyatt nodded. “We need to get off this road. If anyone’s around, we’re easy targets.”
Chase pointed to the ditch along the highway. “That’ll do. The tall grass will provide us some cover but keep your eyes and ears open. If we stay to the left side, we can make a run for the trees if we need to. The last thing I want to do is go back into the city.”
Megan was thrilled to get off the hot road and quickly walked down the slight hill into the ditch.
“Do you think there are snakes down here?” she asked, suddenly hesitant to walk through the tall grass.
Wyatt grinned. “If there are, it’ll be little bull snakes. This area doesn't have any dangerous snakes. Keep walking and don't scream if you see one.”
She wasn't appeased. “Easier said than done,” she mumbled, falling in line behind him. Chase brought up the rear.
She could feel the tension strumming between them like an invisible thread.
“Oh my god, what is that smell?” she said, suddenly gagging.
Wyatt looked over her shoulder to Chase. She watched the myriad of expressions cross his face. They’d exchanged information without saying a word—leaving her in the dark.
“What? What is it?” she hissed, suddenly feeling as if she needed to whisper.
“Death.”
She looked around Wyatt. They were getting closer to the smoke and the stench.
“Yep,” Chase said, pointing up at the sky where crows were flying in a circle a short distance away from the smoke.
Megan stopped in her tracks.
“What?” Chase asked, suddenly on alert, scanning the area.
“We’re walking into what’s likely going to be a very grisly scene. I need a minute to get my bearings,” she explained.
Wyatt turned and walked the few feet back to her. He took her by the shoulders, commanding her to look at him.
“Don't breathe through your nose and try to avoid looking at the dead, okay? You have to prepare yourself for this. Don't panic and don't go running off. Got it?”
She coughed and took a shallow breath. “Yes, I'll be fine, it's—that smell,” she groaned.
“It's the heat. It speeds up the decomposition process. Judging by the smoke, I think you're also smelling burnt flesh. It’s probably one of the worst smells you can ever be exposed to. Here,” he said reaching into his pocket. “Rub some of this under your nose.”
She took the mint-flavored ChapStick, raised an eyebrow and did as she was instructed. Wyatt and Chase did the same.
She inhaled deeply through her nose and was rewarded with a tingling sensation. The mint was faint, but it’d hopefully help dull some of the stench they were about to encounter.
“Ready?” Wyatt asked.
“Ready,” Megan replied.
They walked a little farther, coming around a bend.
“Oh no,” Wyatt groaned.
Megan looked at the road up ahead. A green military jeep was on its side. She could see a body propped up against one of the wheels. The man had a gun in his hand, but it clearly hadn't done him any good.
“Get low,” Chase instructed.
They walked another twenty feet.
“Two more,” Wyatt whispered back. “It looks like it was a military convoy. Those are our guys,” he said pointing to two bodies, clad in army green BDUs lying in the center of the road.
Megan put a hand over her mouth. The smell of death was overwhelming. Birds were swooping down, pecking at the exposed flesh of the dead men. It was a macabre scene. One she hadn't been prepared for. She’d seen death, but this was on another level.
“I don't see any hint of survivors,” Wyatt said. “We need to get out of here. I don't know where these guys were headed, but clearly someone ambushed them.”
“Maybe it was a supply run,” Chase volunteered.
Wyatt looked up ahead, “If so, whoever did this got away with the truck. I don't see it up there.”
“I'm kind of relieved to know our military is still intact. These guys were clearly part of a coordinated effort. That gives me some hope, but also worries me. What if the Russians are here? Maybe they have troops on the ground?” Megan asked.
“It's possible,” Chase answered. “Let's get out of here before someone comes back.”
“Up there,” Wyatt pointed. “We'll take that back road home.”
Megan knew he wanted to keep to the road when possible. It made their journey much easier. Trying to walk through heavy brush was difficult. They also would risk injury from a trip and fall, possibly twisting an ankle, or worse. No, keeping to the road was a chance they had to take.
Right now, it was about getting back to the lodge as quickly as possible.
“Crap,” Wyatt muttered. “There's more.”
Megan looked up. She’d been focused on the ground, watching for anything that would trip her as well as snakes. She could shoot and kill a bad guy, but it’d be foolish to spend ammo on a snake no matter how much they made her squirm.
There were two more jeeps up ahead.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 79
