His words froze Max in place. She spun back toward Liam and stared at him, working to comprehend what she had heard.
“You talked to Marcus before he died?” She hissed.
“Well, yeah. How did you think I knew everything I did?”
“You didn’t stop Callahan from executing him?” Max practically screamed.
“How was I to know the Major was going to gun him down in front of everyone?” Liam replied, shrugging his shoulder.
Max’s inner control snapped, and she ran the few steps between them. Her right hook caught him completely off guard. He stumbled back, but only for a moment. He swung at her and Max dodged. Liam tried to kick at her leg, but Max jumped back before trying to swing at his face again.
“Max!” Griffin cried from the truck.
Max’s rage was in the front of her mind and she couldn’t even register Griffin trying to get out of the vehicle on his own. Liam’s fist connected with Max’s stomach and air whooshed from her lungs. Instead of falling back, Max stepped into the blow and front kicked Liam in the thigh. The man cried out before buckling down. Max’s fist connected again with Liam’s jaw before Griffin made it to her.
“Max! Stop,” he gasped as he tried to reach her.
She almost fought against Griffin’s hand on her arm, but instead she fell back onto the porch, breathing hard, trying to drag air into her lungs. Liam watched her warily as he struggled to sit up inside the house.
“That was for Marcus. He was a part of us. And you let him die,” Max whispered.
“You’re insane. The faster you bring me my kids and we get away from you, all the better,” Liam said.
“Insane is following a lunatic that guns people down on a stage of all places. Insane is allowing him to torture American citizens for information on a cure that doesn’t exist!” Max exclaimed.
“Just bring me my kids.”
Max didn’t respond to that. She wouldn’t promise anything. She knew Alex wanted to help the teens, but anything could have changed while they were gone. And now that Max had tried to beat their father up, she wasn’t sure how things would go. She pushed herself to her feet and grabbed onto Griffin to keep him from falling over. Together they made their way back to the truck and Max carefully put Griffin into the passenger seat. He claimed he was tired of laying down all the time.
“So this is where you’re leaving him?” He asked, completely ignoring the fight he had just witnessed.
“It has food. A door that locks. No infected nearby. It’ll work until Alex decides what she wants to do. I just need to get you to Charlie,” Max said as she started up the truck.
With her mind on a single goal, Max quickly got them to the back of the movie theatre. She was thankful to find the vehicles all in the places they should be, indicating everyone was inside and not on runs. Her happiness was quickly squashed by the infected that had found their way to the alley. She still had no ammo for any of their guns. That left her fighting alone, with nothing but her tomahawk and Bowie knife. She looked over the seat at Griffin and he had propped himself up to see outside. Concern was etched on his face.
“I got this,” she said confidently.
“Maybe you can get to the door and get help,” he said.
“Maybe. We’ll see. Do not try to get out on your own. I’ll be back for you.”
The infected had noticed the Hummer pull up and were making their way toward Max when she jumped out and slammed the door shut.
“Let’s go, you dead bastards,” she muttered to herself.
Max didn’t have the chance to count the dead to figure out what she was facing. She had to take the fight one moment at a time. She stepped forward toward the first infected and shoved her Bowie knife into its skull. The weight of the body caused it to slide free from the blade, making it easy for Max to continue to the next. She slashed at the head of the next with her tomahawk, causing black gore to fly through the air. But Max didn’t have time to worry about getting dirty. Another infected reached toward her with fingers curled in claws. Broken shards of blood covered nails tipped the fingers. Max impaled her tomahawk into the skull before it could grab what it hoped would be its next meal.
Another infected followed the path of death, and Max had to pivot to keep her tomahawk in her hand as the infected slid off the blade. As she moved, she almost tripped over the bodies that were falling at her feet. She jumped over one and slammed her knife blade into the temple of the next infected. She circled the group of infected, which threw off their movements and caused them to bump into one another trying to get to her. It only meant that Max could easily take one out at a time, instead of being rushed by the entire group. One tripped and fell at her feet and Max swung her tomahawk blade down on it, just like her father had made her practice as a child. The skull split easily, smashing into bits on the ground.
The thing about the apocalypse and the dead walking around was, you started to get an idea of how long someone had been wandering around infected. Some were falling apart bit by bit, their clothing ripped to shreds, their bones soft and brittle. When you encountered one of those, the gore could be more than some would want to handle. For Max, these were the easiest to kill, because they never held onto her blades.
Then there were the ones that you knew had just recently gotten caught by the dead. Their skin could almost look normal, except on the pale side. If their wounds were hidden, you could almost get confused. But their black, dead eyes always made it clear.
Max stood still for a moment, breathing heavily as she made sure all the infected were dead around her. She moved with efficiency and muscle memory, not realizing she was done killing the threat. Turning a full circle, Max confirmed the alley was clear again.
She rushed over to the truck to help Griffin climb out of the back. He laid his good arm around her shoulders and whimpered quietly as he carefully slid from the seat. He hopped over the bodies, putting weight on Max to get to the theater door. The foot of his broken leg banged into an infected body and Griffin froze in place, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he gritted his teeth against the pain.
“We’re almost there, babe,” Max huffed.
As she spoke, the door for the theatre opened and Alex stepped out. Her face lit in relief when her eyes landed on her sister. Then concern immediately colored her features. She rushed to Griffin and tried to help him into the building.
“What happened? Where have you been?”
“Can we get him to Charlie before you start the third degree? He broke his leg and dislocated his shoulder. I popped the shoulder back in, but the leg…” Max trailed off.
“Charlie will know what to do,” Alex replied as she threw open the door.
The inside traps had been disabled and Rafe stood at the foot of the theatre stairs with a gun. When he saw that it was Max and Griffin, he dropped the gun and ran over.
“Charlie,” Max huffed as she tried to take as much of Griffin’s weight as possible.
Rafe changed direction and ran out of the theatre. By the time Max and Alex got Griffin into the main hall, all the adults were rushing toward them. Cliff and Rafe took over helping Griffin. Charlie started touching his face, manually checking for fever and checking his eyes. They led him to a table and laid a pillow for his head as Cliff and Rafe maneuvered Griffin’s body onto the hard surface. Charlie pulled a small table over and laid out supplies.
“What happened specifically?” The doctor asked.
“Um, he fell off a cliff,” Max said. All eyes swung her way.
“She didn’t push me,” Griffin said with a laugh.
Charlie was in doctor mode when she turned back to him, joining him with a light laugh.
“Of course not. How did it happen?” She asked softly.
“We came across a military scavenging party. They were with Callahan. We fought and one of them took Griffin over a cliff while I was fighting off another. The soldier fell straight down and died. A tree saved Griffin’s life,” Max explained.
“I would say so. I see the splint on the leg and the sling on the arm. Anything else?” Charlie asked.
“His shoulder was dislocated. I put it back in place. The leg is definitely broken. He also had a gash on his head, but I think it was shallow enough just for a bandage,” Max said.
“What’s your pain level, Griffin?” Charlie asked.
“Scale of one to ten, I’d say a seven?” Griffin replied.
“Tell the truth, Griffin. He hasn’t had any pain medication today. We ran out,” Max interjected.
“It’s ok. I’m going to need to move and make sure your leg is set. That is going to hurt badly. Lucky for you, I have the happy juice with me, morphine,” Charlie said as she began to move around her supplies.
After filling a syringe from a clear bottle, Charlie carefully injected a cleaned spot on Griffin’s arm. Max held his hand until he began to drift off. As he fell asleep, Jack came running toward the table. Margaret was behind her, trying to stop her.
“Sorry, Max, she wouldn’t be stopped,” Margaret said.
“Daddy?” Jack asked, as she stood next to Max.
“Just sleeping. It’s ok, kiddo. He’ll be alright,” Max said.
Jack laid a hand on Griffin’s shoulder and watched him breathe for a moment. Once she seemed satisfied that he was ok, she turned and wrapped her arms around her mother.
“You were gone longer than you were supposed to be.”
“I know, sorry. We ran into some issues.”
“Why don’t you all head over into the lobby. This is going to take a bit and I’d think Max has more to share,” Charlie said, though her look said she didn’t want Jack to see what was next.
Charlie asked Rafe to stay to assist, but the rest of the group did as they were told. When they got to the lobby, the rest of the clan was waiting. Everyone, except Cliff, started asking Max questions. Where were they? How did Griffin get hurt? Why did they take so long? Alex quieted everyone down and turned to Max.
“Do you want to give everyone a rundown at once?” She asked.
Max looked around at the faces and knew she needed to tiptoe with the information she had. Her eyes fell on Easton and Candace standing with Billie and Henry. Looked like Max and Griffin returning interrupted a board game. Max couldn’t bring herself to just blurt out she brought Liam back to town. Alex needed to be the one to decide the best course of action. She flexed her fingers, feeling the slight swelling starting on her knuckles. Her inner warrior even grimaced thinking about telling Alex that she attacked the teens' father.
“I think you and I should talk first, Alex,” Max finally said.
Alex nodded and walked back down the hallway toward the empty theaters. As she followed, Margaret reached over and squeezed Max’s arm. The older woman smiled warmly at Max, and for the moment Max felt as if it was a happy moment for her to be home. She found Alex in the birthday party room with two lanterns on, creating a warm atmosphere. Max looked at the happy birthday banner that was hanging lopsided on one wall.
“So, what’s going on, Max?”
“I found Liam Reynolds. Well, actually he found us,” Max said in a rush.
“What?” Alex asked, her face painted in shock. It was clear what came out of Max’s mouth was the last thing she was expecting to hear.
“I left him at a house in town. I don’t trust him. But I know it’s for you and the kids to decide what to do.”
“How did he find you?” Alex asked.
“He claims to have a radio, and he heard the distress call from the fight we had with the soldiers. They apparently identified the attackers as Duncans, so Liam drove straight to the area. Technically, I guess he saved our lives. We were stranded and surrounded by infected. He took a lot of them out and we were able to get out of the vehicle. He didn’t do it to save us, though. He wants the kids, Alex. And he plans on taking them from us.”
Alex started to pace and Max knew the idea of losing the kids, even to their own father, was not a situation she wanted to face.
“I don’t know what say we have, Max,” Alex finally said.
“Are you kidding? Do you know what could happen to them if they were with Liam?”
“He’s their father, Max.”
“Barely. Hell, our dad was better at being a father than this guy. He was gone all the time. And he’s full of military loyalty. Loyalty that is with Callahan,” Max said.
“Did he tell you that?”
Max looked down at the bruising on her knuckles. For a moment she contemplated what she needed to tell Alex, but she knew her sister wouldn’t want anything held back. She had to tell her the truth.
“He talked to Marcus before he died. He claims he didn’t know Callahan was going to execute him, but he didn’t stop the torture either,” Max said.
Alex looked at Max’s hands, suddenly seeing the damage. She took her sister’s hands gently.
“And what did you do?”
“I tried to beat him up, of course,” Max said sarcastically.
“How did that go for you?”
“’Bout as well as you’d expect. He deserved it. He could have helped Marcus escape. He should have seen that what was happening was wrong.”
“Maybe. But it’s still up to the kids. I can’t choose for them,” Alex replied.
“But, Alex,” Max started.
“Why don’t you help me tell them?” Alex asked.
Max knew her sister only asked because it was painful for her to risk losing the children. She knew that Alex would rather run the other way, but the good in her made the choices for her. The good in her made her sacrifice things even when it hurt her. Max waited in the birthday room and when the teens entered, they looked curiously at her. Alex let the door close them in and motioned to the folding chairs around the room.
“You two should probably sit down.”
The kids looked uneasy and nervous. Max felt guilty for not wanting to tell them the truth, but she could feel Alex’s eyes on her. Their gazes met, and Max was overwhelmed by the sadness in her sister’s eyes. It made her own sting. Then Alex nodded, telling Max to rip off the band aid.
“Your father is here in town. I set him up at a house that we cleared awhile back. He’s waiting for you,” Max said.
“Oh my god, East,” Candace said, turning to her brother.
“How did you find him, Max?” Easton asked.
Max explained again how Liam had come upon the surrounded truck and what had happened since. She left out the fight, assuming Alex would want her to leave some more difficult details out. The teens listened intently, not interrupting. However, Max felt like she needed to say something, to prepare them for the risk there could be.
“You two should know, your father believes in Callahan and his cause. I told him everything he needed to know, but he doubts us as a family. He basically accused me of starving you at one point,” Max said with a sarcastic chuckle.
“He just doesn’t know you all. We can make him see,” Candace said. But Max could read Easton’s face, and he was less sure.
“I’ll meet with him first. The most important thing is making sure you two are kept safe,” Alex said.
“Why wouldn’t he just come and stay here?” Candace asked.
“I don’t believe that’s something he wants to do,” Max replied.
“I don’t understand,” Candace said.
“He wants to take us away. Take us with him,” Easton said.
“Why would we do that? We are safest together. And once we get to go back to the compound, we are safest there,” Candace exclaimed.
Alex smiled affectionately at the girl. She had come so far since the timid little thing that had barely made it to the compound.
“He has different beliefs about us, Candace. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to hear my reasoning, but we all know I’m not the best talker,” Max said.
That got a laugh from everyone in the room.
“In the end, he’s your father. The fut
ure plans are going to have to be discussed with him,” Alex said, as they all stood to leave the birthday room.
“He may be our dad, but you are the one that saved our lives. You have cared for us as family and that means something these days,” Easton said as he pulled Alex and Candace in for a hug.
Max stood back and watched the emotions. She cursed the moment Liam Reynolds found them and his presence threatened the family unit that had been created. Easton and Candace left Max and Alex alone in the colorful room. Each sister picked up a lantern, the glow giving them each a surreal look. Alex looked Max in the eyes, determination had taken over her features.
“I’ll handle Liam Reynolds.”
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, everyone had slept on the information Max and Griffin shared about Liam and Callahan. Max paced the hallway, waiting for Alex to wake up and come out of her tent. Max chewed her lips in frustration, feeling that Alex wasn’t taking the information on Callahan as serious as she was.
Max tried to be understanding, knowing that the situation with Liam was forefront on Alex’s mind. Part of Max understood that. But Callahan was a threat to their entire family. He hung like a black cloud over everything in Max’s mind. Now she felt they were so close to the chance to take him out of the equation, and there was no knowing if a chance like this would come again.
When Alex appeared, Max pounced on her. Alex wasn’t surprised and she moved down the hall with Max close on her heels. When she got to the hot coffee Margaret had made and left for her, Alex added sugar and took a sip before turning to Max.
“Good morning, sister.”
“What’s the plan, Alex?”
“I’m taking the kids to see Liam. Beyond that, we’ll need to talk it out,” Alex replied.
“This might be the only chance we have, Alex. What happens when we don’t take this one opportunity and Callahan kills another of us?” Max demanded.
“That’s pushing it a little far, don’t you think, Max? We are doing everything we can to keep the family protected,” Alex argued.
“Watching over our shoulders constantly is no way to keep us all safe.”
Sundown Series | Book 5 | Vengeance Page 13
