Max met Rafe and Cliff at the open garage of the first house. The house was on the end, so nothing but shrubbery and open space was to one side. The other side was connected to another house. There were no vehicles near the house and no movement could be seen. But they would check it, just to be sure. They would stay in one house if necessary, but two would be helpful.
Max pulled her tomahawk as they entered the disaster of a garage. It was hard to tell if the owners had caused the issue when they fled, or the house had been ransacked since, possibly both. The door from the garage to the house was unlocked, giving the idea the house was free of the living. Even if you didn’t own the house before, if you were staying there to hide, you’d still lock the doors.
The house had a musty, stale smell, but not of the dead. Just of space that had not been lived in for months. That was a good sign to Max. The front door was locked, which meant the owners left out the garage. The house was one story, with a full wall of windows facing the ocean. Rafe pointed and grinned at Max. Jack would be happy.
Max went to the windows and unlocked the sliding door. All the glass was intact along the wall, no one had tried to break into the house. Carefully she went out the backdoor and surveyed the area. The house seemed to share a back area with the connecting house. Cliff joined Max and they slowly crept to the next house. It also had a wall of the windows, but some of them were closed off with drapes. Max pointed to the one opening, which was the sliding door. Cliff nodded and they both slowly walked toward it.
Max tapped the glass a few times, waiting to see if there was any movement. A slamming body into the drapes next to Max answered the question quickly. The infected were inside. In Max’s mind, that was easier to handle than the living. They could get the infected out and take over the space easily.
Just as Max discovered the sliding door was locked, Rafe came out of the first house. Max pointed to the lock and he nodded. He inspected the lock, as the infected that was banging against the glass came to the door and tried to scrape its nails against Rafe. He didn’t give it a second look as he worked the lock, giving them the chance to pull the infected outside and end it.
With the door open, Max yelled into the open house, waiting to see if anything else was moving around. This space smelled like the decomposing infected that may have been stuck inside since the beginning. Max covered her nose and mouth when they entered. She opened every window they came to, allowing the ocean breeze to sweep in. It helped some with the smell, but the mess was a different story.
“We’ll put the kids in the other house for now. Once we can clean this house out, we can spread out better,” Rafe said.
“The bedroom is clear and surprisingly clean. The door was closed, so the infected weren’t able to get in there,” Cliff said as he joined them in the kitchen.
The rest of the kitchen, living room and what looked like an office were the areas the infected could wander. Some of it was just sprinkled with blood and gore, while other areas like the front door were smeared with nastiness. It was going to take serious work to get the house clean. However, it was the best scenario they had. And they couldn’t keep wasting time looking for a place.
“This will work. Let’s let everyone know. We should park the vehicles so they don’t stick out so much,” Max said.
“I think the Bronco and one of the trucks will fit in the first garage. This garage has a car in it,” Rafe said as they went to the front door.
Max used a dishtowel from the kitchen to open the door, not wanting to touch any of the dirty surfaces. When they came out of the second house, Alex jumped from the RV to join them. Max surveyed their vehicles.
“The RV is going to stick out. We need to make it blend in,” Max said.
“Was thinking about that. Across the street, there is an open dirt lot. Don’t think anyone is in that house either. Think I’ll park the RV in that lot. It will look like it belonged to the house,” Alex said.
“I don’t like things spread out, but it’s the best we can do,” Max replied.
The parking was done, only leaving Rafe’s truck in the small driveway. The RV still stood out, but hopefully the old look of it would prevent anyone from really looking twice. Little would people know there was a brand new motor under the hood. The machine had been taken care of before the apocalypse, and Alex had lucked out when she decided to grab it from a neighbor in Las Vegas.
Everyone was given tasks to get the vehicles unloaded and the houses ready for the family. The first house had two separate bedrooms. Alex, Billie, and Henry would be given one and Liam with the teens the other. A separate sunken living room was given to Max, Griffin, and Jack. Rafe, Charlie and Aiden would have the bedroom in the second house. The rest would bunk down wherever until the second house was cleaned.
The cleaning process didn’t take nearly as long as Max had guessed. Both houses had hardwood floors. They took all the area rugs from the dirty house and piled them up in the shrubs. They didn’t need them and there was no way to clean them. Then it was just a process of wiping everything down with disinfectant. By the time it was completed, some of the furniture was thrown into the garage, but the house smelled more of bleach and ocean than infected.
On closer inspection of the houses, there were little supplies to be scavenged. Unloading the RV, they piled all the food items they had in one kitchen. Though there was no power, the room was only for storage. Margaret set up a cooking area in the backyard where a small gazebo sat. One side was walled off, to block the harshest wind off the water.
They chose specific areas to use as bathrooms using the simple bucket set up they had created. Each area, one for ladies the other for the men, was equipped with a plastic bag lined bucket, with a toilet seat attached. It would make things much easier for the kids having to manage sitting in the wide open.
Max was setting up their air mattress and cot for Jack in their living room bedroom. A sheet from a linen closet was hung along the entrance to give the idea of privacy. Jack quietly set up her bed, laying out her one stuffed animal and the book she was reading. They set up a few lanterns for when the sun set.
“Can we go down to the dock?” Jack asked.
Beyond the backyard there was a long wood dock that went out into the water. No boat was attached, though it looked like there may have been one at some point. At the end, the dock opened into a square platform where two chairs sat. Max imagined the owners sitting there during the day, relaxing in the breeze and sun.
“Sure. But you can’t go alone. You need an adult with you,” Max replied.
Jack squealed and bounded out of the room to find someone to convince. A few minutes later, while Max was unrolling sleeping bags across the air mattress, the sheet flicked aside again. Cliff stuck his head into the room, looking for Max.
“Did you tell Jack she could go down to the dock?”
“With an adult. Did she con you into it?” Max asked.
“Well, I mean, she was so excited. I couldn’t really say no. I’ll take her,” Cliff replied gruffly.
“Thanks, Cliff. Keep an eye out for any issues. Shoot off a round if you need help,” Max replied.
Cliff nodded and left the room again. Max felt a moment of hesitation, wondering if she should go with Jack instead. She shook off the feeling, knowing Cliff would protect her with his life if it was necessary. On a dock out into the ocean, the dead shouldn’t be a problem. Max worried more about the eyes of the living.
When Max exited her room a short while later, Alex was coming to find her. Together they went to find Rafe in the second house. Charlie was setting up her medical supplies in a corner of the kitchen and pointed to the bedroom when they asked where their brother was.
“Be sure to be quiet. I think he was putting Aiden down for a nap,” Charlie said.
The sisters walked quietly toward the room they knew Rafe had taken with Charlie and Aiden. The door was slightly cracked, and Alex used her hand to quietly push it further open. Max froze at the scen
e in front of them. Her heart ached with the sweetness of seeing her brother with the little boy that wasn’t even his own.
Rafe laid on his back on the bed, one arm behind his head. The other arm was being tightly cuddled by little Aiden, who laid next to him, sleeping soundly. The little boy had struggled with sleep since his parents disappeared and he was brought to live with the Duncans. The only way he could fall asleep was with the touch of Rafe or Charlie, to ensure he wasn’t going to be left again.
Charlie came up behind them in the hallway. She squeezed between the sisters, her soft gaze on Rafe. Max knew that look and wondered if the two of them had admitted they loved each other yet. She filed a mental note to harass her brother about it later.
Charlie motioned to Rafe and he carefully extricated himself from the sleeping boy. Aiden’s lips puckered and his brow creased as if something bad was happening. As soon as Rafe moved, Charlie climbed into the bed and pulled Aiden close. The little boy put an arm around her neck in his sleep and she closed her eyes with her face in his hair. Rafe leaned down and kissed Charlie’s head before slipping his boots on.
Rafe rose an eyebrow at his sisters as they just stood in the doorway watching everything. Max smiled widely at him and he just shook his head and pointed for them to go back the way they had come. Once Alex and Max got back to the kitchen, Rafe was behind them.
“I think it’s time to get things moving, get a plan at least,” Alex said.
“We should probably get Liam into this, he’s the one that knows the area,” Rafe replied.
“We feel like we can trust him, right?” Max asked.
“Do you have doubts?” Alex asked.
Max thought about it. Liam hadn’t given her any specific reason to worry about his information. However, she couldn’t just let go of who he was and who he worked for from before he came to find his kids. It was hard to believe he would so easily turn on Callahan.
“Not anything specifically. Just feel like it’s a huge change for him and worry we aren’t seeing something,” Max replied.
“We need his intel on the location and best place to lay a trap. It’s a risk, but we’re going to have to take it,” Alex said.
Max agreed. They didn’t want to go into the situation blind. Liam had told them the location of the bunker and warned them away from the fort where the soldiers were staying. That was additional information he didn’t have to offer. That didn’t completely earn Max’s trust, but it gave her something to think about.
The three Duncans went to the first house to find Liam. He was in the kitchen with Candace, organizing the food items so they could easily find what they needed. And with a quick count, they could see what they had left without guess work.
“Nice work, Candace,” Alex said when they entered the room.
“Thanks. I just wanted to help,” the young girl replied, a slight blush on her cheeks.
“You always do,” Alex said. She reached over and squeezed Candace’s shoulder.
Max watched Liam during the exchange, and his eyes were thoughtful as he watched. He would have to be blind to miss the connection between the two. He didn’t have the same angry energy coming off of him, like before. Maybe he and Alex had time to talk during the drive. Or the close call with Easton really did open his eyes.
“Candace, can you go find Margaret? We need a count on supplies and estimate on how long it’ll last. Also, we’re going to need supplies for our trip away. We may need to scavenge before we go,” Alex said.
Candace nodded and headed out the backdoor. She looked over her shoulder at her father, but didn’t say anything. Once she was gone, Alex turned back to Liam.
“We are ready to make a plan of attack. Your knowledge of the area would be helpful,” she said.
“Ok. What ideas do you have?” Liam asked.
“Just like that? You aren’t going to fight us on this?” Max interjected.
“Would it matter?” Liam asked, surprised.
“Not necessarily. But why is it so easy for you to help us with our goal of killing your old boss?” Max asked.
“I might be military. I might have been following Callahan. But I don’t support the murder of American citizens or execution without trial. If we are going to recover from anything, we need to get back to our basic values. Our constitution was written to prevent exactly what Callahan is doing. I believe in that. I’m not blind,” Liam said.
“That works for me. Max?” Rafe said.
“I guess that makes sense. I just hope you’re not lying. Your kids won’t forgive you if you send us into a trap. I’m sure you know that,” Max said.
“Trust me, they’ve been clear on that. This is their family. I just hope to be a family with them again.”
Alex nodded and pointed to the kitchen table. The maps had all made their way there during their unloading. Now, Alex spread out the one with the most detailed local area. It was the same map that had the sharpie marks from before. They could clearly see the path to the bunker.
“The road leading to the bunker passes directly by the fort with the military outpost. Can we avoid that?” Alex asked, as she traced the road with her finger.
“I think you’re going about this wrong,” Liam replied.
“How so?” Alex asked. She looked up at him, eyes intrigued.
“You aren’t going to take that bunker. Not right now. They are a well-oiled machine. But you have the element of surprise on your side. You need to take Callahan outside the bunker,” Liam said.
“We know he’s probably already in there,” Max added.
“Right. But he’s going to come out. Let’s say half a day for the surgery, depending how extensive it was. The doctor might keep him a few days, but once he’s on the road to recovery, he’s going to want to go back to Rapid City,” Liam said.
“And he’ll be vulnerable, because of his shoulder,” Rafe said.
“Exactly.”
Liam leaned over the map, rotating it so he could study it better. Then he took a black sharpie and circled a place on the road. Nothing was near the area, and Max guessed it was foothills all around the area. Liam stood up, one finger pointing to the circle. He looked at each of the Duncans.
“Here. This is where you make your stand.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex, Rafe, and Max studied the map. They talked about the idea upside and down until they were able to come up with a basic idea. But that plan couldn’t be solidified until they actually saw the area. Taking Liam with them was the way to do that. Though Max wasn’t entirely on board with that in the beginning.
“What if he somehow tells them what we’re planning? What if he takes off in the middle of the night and gets there and tells them where we are? We’ll never know,” Max said.
“He’s not a ninja, Max. He can’t just hide in the darkness and get out without us knowing,” Rafe said dryly.
“That’s why we gave them the back bedroom, Max. He can’t get out without making enough noise that whoever is on watch will hear,” Alex added.
“Can we at least agree that once he shows us the location, we don’t tell him all the final plans?” Max asked.
“I’ll agree to that. If we leave out some of the biggest pieces of the plan, he couldn’t even attempt to stop us,” Alex said.
With their agreement in place, Alex went to find Liam so they could all go scout the area. When she returned with the man, Max and Rafe were already strapped with their weapons and lunch was packed in a bag. Margaret insisted they never leave without food.
“Cliff and Smith are going to check the nearby houses. If they can get anymore supplies, it would be helpful. I would feel better about leaving for a few days and everyone here would be fed,” Alex said.
Rafe’s truck was already on the street, so they piled into it. Rafe drove, and Liam rode shotgun to give directions if needed. Rafe had already studied the map as well and had a pretty good idea of where he was going. Max and Alex sat in the backseat, eyes sharp on
everything around them. Just as they pulled away, Max saw Cliff and Smith coming out of the second house, both wearing empty packs.
The road into the hills was as expected, windy and little around except for shrubbery and the occasional tree. When they approached the curve that Liam had indicated, Rafe pulled the truck off the road and they all looked around. Max and Alex got out of the truck, walking to the front to study the area. One side of the road was protected by a barrier, but beyond that was a cliff that was a long ride down. The other side was a foothill. That was the side Max was more interested in.
She crossed the asphalt and walked along the shrubbery that lined the dirt shoulder. About ten feet from the road was a large flat area. She climbed to it easily and stood, looking down. It didn’t have great coverage; they would have to create it. But it was large enough for five or six adults to hide if necessary.
“What do you think?” Max called down to Alex.
Alex, Rafe, and Liam climbed up to meet Max. The view of the area was better. You could actually see the whole small city beyond the road from their perch. They could also see the road far enough down to identify vehicles. That was a big part of their plan and Max filed that information way for discussion later when Liam wasn’t around.
“We’ll need to build something to conceal us up here,” Rafe said.
He looked around at the natural shrubs and nodded to himself. They were all trained in fortifying shelters. One big piece of that was being able to hide yourself from anyone that could be a threat. Blending into your background was important. Max could see Rafe’s gears moving as he planned an easy shelter.
“If they are driving by, they wouldn’t have a chance to notice this area until they were right below,” Alex added.
“This is a good location. We just need more supplies and we could be ready,” Max said.
With the understanding of the location in place, they all loaded back into the pickup. They were silent inside, each sibling going over pieces in their minds. However, they didn’t hash it out in front of Liam, as agreed. Forty-five minutes later when they arrived back to the houses, Rafe let Liam out, but the siblings stayed in the truck. Liam turned once to look at them, a question on his face, but he turned to the house without saying anything.
Sundown Series | Book 5 | Vengeance Page 27
