Dawn was breaking, which meant their cover of darkness was dissolving. As they moved, they could see around them better and get a first-hand look at the destruction. There were various symbols spray-painted onto the buildings. Megan had a feeling the symbols marked territories for the gangs. It was intimidating.
She nearly slammed into Wyatt's back when he came to a sudden stop, held up his fisted hand and ordered them all to drop low.
Megan squatted behind Wyatt, with Willow and JJ behind her. Bryan was at the back of the line, scanning the area. Wyatt turned and pointed down a side street. Megan's eyes widened as she watched men in dark green clothing maneuver down the street in the exact same fashion as they had.
They all watched as the men used hand signals to speak to each other. As they moved, they searched the ground floor of each building in a methodical fashion. These were military trained men. Megan wondered if these men were part of the personnel from the NRU. They had to have trained soldiers guarding the place, right?
Megan leaned in close to Wyatt. “Good or bad?” she whispered.
Right then, Megan heard Willow gasp. Wyatt heard it too and they both turned to see what had startled her. Megan leaned towards Willow, waiting for her to explain.
“It's them,” she whispered. “It's the men who killed Evan.”
Megan relayed the message to Wyatt who gave a quick nod, indicating he understood before gesturing to Bryan to enter the door of the building they were huddled against. Bryan carefully stood and walked into the open doorway. Within a few minutes, he was back signaling them to come in.
Once inside, they dropped to the floor the farthest corner from the street.
“They have to be military. Are they working for or against the US?” Bryan asked. “I mean, maybe they thought we’d carried out the ambush against Neil's convoy. If they thought that, it’d explain why they were so ruthless to get the box back.” He was quiet for a moment. “Why rely on drug-crazed lunatics?”
Wyatt shrugged. “I don't know. We know they’re dangerous and willing to kill. I think we need to figure out how to take them out. It's better to be proactive than have to go on the defensive. They outnumber us and have more firepower than we do.”
“Look!” Megan said a little too loudly. “Our problem may get taken care of for us,” she said, pointing to a group of men that were surrounding the group of military men who’d walked into another building. “They don't even realize they’re about to be ambushed,” she said with glee.
“That may not be a good thing,” Wyatt pointed out.
“Why?” Willow said. “It’d save us the trouble of killing them and we save our ammunition.”
“There’s a chance that gang may know what the box is and take it or it could get damaged in the attack,” Wyatt explained. “We don't know for sure if they work for the government or are trying to blackmail whoever is in charge at the NRU.”
Megan groaned in frustration. “Are you saying we have to protect those jerks?”
“I know it doesn't make any sense, but if that gang gets the box, we’re really going to have a problem. They know the area and they probably have a lot more people waiting in the wings to back them up. There’s no way we can take them on. Hell, they may join together to get us out of their city.”
“If we let the gang attack, it will make Doyle's group weaker. We could go in and retrieve the box without a lot of fight,” Bryan reasoned.
“That's assuming the other gang doesn’t take it or it doesn't get hit by a bullet,” Wyatt reiterated.
Megan considered both sides. “I think Wyatt has a point. If the gang thinks Doyle and his men are protecting something valuable, even if they don't know what it is, they’re going to take it.”
“So, we attack the gang. Isn't that what you said would be a bad thing?” Willow asked.
“Yes and no,” Wyatt tried to explain. “We’re going to have to fight two enemies. It’s the long way around so to speak, but it’s the best way to ensure we keep that box safe.”
Bryan peered out the window watching them surround the building where Doyle’s men were. “All we have to do is distract the Ravena gang. We can make some noise, draw them away and give the military guys a chance. If they take out the gang, it’ll make the streets a little safer for us. We play one against the other. Use one bad guy to take out the other bad guy, while we hopefully walk away without a scratch.”
Megan smiled. “I like the way you think. That's a great idea. Wyatt?”
Wyatt appeared thoughtful. “Sure, I think it’ll work. Let's give it a shot. We need a backup plan in case it all goes very wrong.”
“Our backup plan would be to run like hell,” Megan said matter-of-factly.
Willow was shaking her head. “This is crazy. I cannot believe what we’re going to do.”
“There are plenty of houses around here,” Bryan said, ignoring Willow. “If we have to turn tail and run, we duck into one of the houses and go out a back door. It will be a bit of a cat and mouse game, but the one good thing about the city is all the hiding places.”
Wyatt clapped his hands. “Ready?”
They all nodded, even Willow who had put a blanket over JJ's head and was pressing him into her chest as if she could shield him from the bullets.
Wyatt led the group up the street until he found a good vantage point. “On the count of three, we take a couple shots. I'll shoot right, Bryan you go left and Megan, you shoot out that already broken window across the street,” Wyatt instructed. “Make it rain glass.”
He held up three fingers and counted off. They all did as instructed and waited. Within seconds, men and women carrying firearms poured out of the surrounding buildings.
Megan stared in horror, watching what looked like ants crawling out of an anthill that’d been destroyed. She knew there would be people hiding out in the city, but the sheer number in this one area was alarming. They were in serious trouble.
“Oh my god! There are so many!” Willow shouted in terror. “We have to get out of here!”
“Wait, don't move, yet!” Wyatt commanded.
They watched as the military team discovered their tenuous position before taking cover and firing at the gang members. Megan gasped when one of Doyle's men was shot in the head. Another one was shot and dropped in the street. They didn't stand a chance against the massive gang.
“Wyatt, we need to get out of here before they see us,” Megan said.
“Too late,” Bryan muttered when one of the gang members noticed them in the alley. The man, wearing a black bandana over his face, pointed at them, shouting something.
“Crap,” Wyatt groaned when the man ran towards them, sporadically firing his gun in their general direction. “Move!” he yelled, spurring them all into motion.
The four of them took off running away from the gun battle raging behind them. Megan glanced back and couldn't believe what she was seeing. There were at least ten men chasing them through the alley. Instead of going after Doyle's men, they were coming after them! Behind the gang chasing them, Megan saw the other men making their escape. She really hoped this was all worth it.
“Run!” she screamed, hoping the word would somehow give them extra speed.
They ran around a corner, taking advantage of the brief blind spot, the corner created and ducked into a home. Seconds later, the group of men ran by. Megan leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath and slow her pounding heart. JJ was whimpering, clearly not appreciating the jarring caused by Willow running.
“Shh, shh,” Willow repeated quietly.
The baby only continued to get more worked up. Megan silently prayed for JJ to calm down.
“They're coming back,” Wyatt whispered.
JJ really started fussing. The whimpers turned into cries, which would soon turn into screams.
No one said it, but they all knew JJ's crying would lead to them being discovered. Willow was frantic, opening her shirt and trying to breastfeed the baby to quiet him down
, not worrying about the men standing nearby. Her efforts were for naught. JJ wanted nothing to do with it and scrunched his face up in frustration.
Megan looked at Wyatt, then Willow. She had no idea what kind of gang this was or what they’d do, but she doubted it’d end well for them. Discovery was only one JJ scream away.
She resigned herself to the inevitable as she heard the men's voices grow closer. A movement in the center of the dark room grabbed her attention. Her eyes widened when she saw a trap door open and a woman of about fifty pop her head up. Her initial reaction was to raise her gun, but something stopped her from doing so. Instinct told her the woman wasn’t dangerous.
“In here,” she whispered, gesturing them over.
Megan looked at Wyatt to gauge his reaction. Obviously, he felt the same way she did. Megan was taken by surprise when he sprang into action.
He grabbed Willow's arm and propelled her forward. “Get in, hurry,” he ordered, shoving Megan into the hole next. Bryan was right behind her. She heard the door drop into place in the floor a second after they were plunged into darkness.
“Wyatt?” Megan whispered, praying he managed to make it into the hiding place.
“I'm here,” was his response.
Megan breathed a sigh of relief. She had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into now. It felt like they were constantly trading one evil for another. Hopefully, her instinct had been right and the woman would help them and not hurt them. She had to remind herself that not all strangers were killers. There had to be some good people left in the world.
20
A low light suddenly filled the room. Megan blinked several times, trying to adjust her eyes to the lighting. It wasn't candlelight, which took her by surprise. Once her eyes focused, she looked up to see an older, balding man who appeared to be in his late fifties staring back at her. He didn't look happy to see her.
She gave a faint smile. “Hi,” she said, waving a hand in greeting.
He scowled.
“Stop it, Keith,” the woman who had rescued them scolded.
“That was stupid, Mary. I told you, no more strangers,” the man growled.
Mary waved her hand as if to push away his comments. “Ignore him. Solitude has made him irritable,” she said turning to them with a big smile. “I heard that baby crying and I couldn't leave you guys up there. Those people are ruthless. They’d have shown no mercy, even for an innocent babe.”
“Thank you,” Willow said with sincerity. “You saved our lives.”
“How old is he?” Mary asked, stepping closer to Willow and the baby.
Wyatt and Bryan both moved to block the woman from getting any closer. The action caused Keith to jump from his seat on a stool and out of the shadows, another man emerged. They suddenly found themselves in the middle of a standoff. The tension in the room skyrocketed as each side stared down the other.
“Settle down,” Mary said, holding up her hand. “They’re protecting the little one. It's okay, I understand and I promise I won't hurt the baby,” she said, looking into Willow's eyes.
Willow gently pushed Wyatt out of the way, allowing Mary to see JJ. “He's two months old,” she said softly.
Mary smiled. “He is so beautiful. I love babies. I miss seeing the precious little creatures.”
“Why are you here?” Keith grunted.
Wyatt and Megan exchanged a look, debating how much of the truth they should reveal.
“How about we introduce ourselves first,” Mary interrupted. “I know we live in a different world, but we can still pretend we’re civilized people,” she lectured.
Megan smiled. She really liked this woman. She imagined her and Rosie would get along very well.
Wyatt stepped forward. “I'm Wyatt. This is Bryan, Megan, Willow and JJ.”
Mary looked to the older man, waiting for him to speak up. When he didn't, she rolled her eyes. “I'm Mary, as you probably gathered. This is my husband, Keith Douglass, and our daughter, Caroline, and her husband, Dick.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Megan said. “Thank you so much for showing up when you did. As you probably noticed, we were in a tough situation.”
“Now, tell us why you're here,” Keith demanded, crossing his arms over his barrel chest.
Willow didn't bother waiting to see if Wyatt would be okay with her revealing their intentions. “My baby is sick. We heard there was a government facility here in the city. We traveled quite a way to get him seen by a doctor,” she explained, leaving out some of the most critical details much to Megan's relief.
“Oh no!” Mary cried. “I am so sorry. Come, sit down and rest,” she said gesturing for Willow to have a seat.
Willow complied and carefully removed JJ from the carrier. He stopped fussing almost immediately. Keith stared at the baby, softening his expression only slightly.
“Have you been here since the EMP?” Bryan asked, clearly stunned by the idea.
Keith looked at him. “Pretty much. The city went to hell in a hurry in the days following the blackout. We holed up down here, thinking it’d pass. When it didn't, we slowly started collecting supplies from the neighbors' homes that had been vacated. We felt terrible about stealing from the people we’d known for years, but, well,” he looked down in embarrassment. “It was all we could do to survive.”
“How bad are the gangs? We heard a little about them and had our first run-in with at least one, but are they really that violent?” Wyatt asked.
Mary shuddered. “Yes, they are. It keeps getting worse every day. There’s nothing left in this city for folks like us. It’s all controlled and guarded by the gangs. Either you join or you’re killed. We’ve been hiding for so long I don't remember what it's like to move about without fear of being seen.”
“They don't know you’re here?” Willow asked in amazement.
Mary shook her head. “No. At least I don't think so. No one has tried to come down here. Our home upstairs has been looted more times than I can count, but no one has thought to look under the dirty old rug,” she smiled at the last bit. “That was an added effect by my very clever husband.”
“Where’s this place you’re looking for?” Dick asked.
Wyatt answered. “It’s called the NRU. We have a map. We know it’s in the city center. We thought we were close, but with so much rubble and street signs missing, things got a little confusing. Then the gang showed up and we made a run for it.”
The four inhabitants looked at each other. “I suspected there was something happening in that building, but it’s extremely difficult to reach,” Keith explained. “What are they doing there? We know it's a government facility, but it isn't like you can walk right up and ask. They make it a point to keep everyone out even those that seek help.”
“Getting there isn't going to be easy. The gangs that rule the streets are ruthless. They’re extremely violent and show no mercy not even to women and children. I’ve seen them kill for the sport of killing. Sometimes they kill for the clothes on another person's back. There’s no rhyme or reason to their violence,” Caroline said. “I’m terrified to leave the house.”
Willow gasped in horror. “No. How can they kill children?”
Dick shook his head. “The worst gangs are close to that place,” he said referring to the NRU. “It's like they’re biding their time. Once the government shows some signs of vulnerability or packs up and leaves, they’re going to move in.”
“We don't have a choice. We can't let these gangs keep us from reaching the NRU,” Wyatt stated. “JJ needs medical attention. We have to find a way in.”
“What makes you think they’d allow you in, even if you do get there?” Keith asked. “Like we said, plenty of people have tried. They’re as bad as the gangs are, if you ask me. They’re in there, living like kings while we fight to survive out here.”
Wyatt shook his head. “It's a long story.”
Keith guffawed. “We have time. That's all we do have. Let's hear it.”
&nb
sp; “How about we eat some dinner and you can tell us all about it,” Mary intervened.
“Mary,” Keith growled.
She shushed him. “It's fine. We can share one meal together.”
“Can I help?” Megan asked, feeling like the intruder she knew Keith considered her to be.
“No, no. Sit down. I haven't had the pleasure of entertaining guests in a very long time. This is going to be a lot of fun for me.”
“Wait, we have some wild asparagus that we harvested a couple days ago. I’m not sure if it’s still good, but if it is, I’d love it if we could contribute,” Megan offered.
“Why that would be lovely,” Mary told her. “I didn’t realize it grew wild.” Megan and Wyatt opened their packs and pulled out the asparagus they’d been carrying with them and handed it to Mary. “Why, this will go perfectly with dinner. Now, sit, all of you. You can tell them your story while I throw something together,” she said ushering Megan to another stool in the room.
Megan sat down and looked around the area. It wasn't a traditional basement. The ceiling was low, barely high enough for Wyatt to stand upright. It had cement walls and a cement floor, but the ceiling was wood.
She had to ask. “Did you build this? Is it a shelter or panic room?”
Keith nodded his head. “It is now. It was a root cellar. We did some remodeling years ago and decided to leave this. We used it as a root cellar and stockpiled food and water for years. When the EMP happened, we quietly retreated down here. We really thought it’d only be for a few days, weeks at the most. We never intended to truly go underground.”
“How come you haven't left? I mean, how have you managed to survive this long down here?” Bryan asked.
“Where would we go?” Keith asked. “It isn't like we can wander about and hope to find somewhere better and safer. Here, we know our enemy. I'm sure we'll leave eventually, but right now, we’re getting by.”
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 91
