Last Victory: Book 6 in the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series: (The Last City - Book 6)

by Kevin Partner

"You're just going to deliver us, are you? Knowing what he'll do?"

  Martinez turned back from the driver's seat. "I'm following orders."

  "The oldest excuse in the books," Devon said.

  Devon's door opened, and he was forced out, as Jessie was pulled out of the other door. "She's pregnant, for God's sake! And you're handing her over to that monster?"

  Martinez flinched, just a little.

  "Do the right thing and let her go," Devon said. It was desperation talking, but he had nothing else.

  After the briefest of pauses, Martinez nodded to Nonaka and marched ahead of them toward the building entrance. Devon stumbled as Hellberg shoved him after them. He looked across at the green sports field behind the squat office building. Hundreds of tents and temporary buildings littered the area. The place looked like the embarkation camp for D-Day. All hope left him as the doors swung open and he was pushed inside.

  "Ah, the former mayor of Hope. How wonderful to see you." Mendoza looked up from the large map he was studying that had been spread over a pair of tables pushed together. He was carving slices out of an apple with a small silver knife. Around him stood a handful of officers. They all looked remarkably young to Devon's eyes. They wore black uniforms and reminded Devon more than anything of a group of newly recruited SS officers.

  "This, gentleman, is an annoyance that I will take great pleasure in eliminating. But who is this, Captain Martinez?"

  Martinez cleared his throat. "This is his companion, Jessica Summers, Supreme Leader."

  Mendoza moved around the table and approached Jessie. "And pregnant, I see. With his child?"

  Jessie ignored him, continuing to look straight ahead, though Devon could see she was shaking.

  "Answer me, or he dies right now."

  "Yes, I'm pregnant. Yes, he's the father."

  Devon felt an unaccountable surge of pride in those words, followed by profound sorrow.

  Mendoza's reptilian eyes flipped toward Devon. "I'm sorry to hear you say that, my dear. But, you see, it is not enough for me to kill him. His line must disappear from the face of the Earth. So, I'm sorry to say that you must also hang. In fact, you will go first. I get a distinct feeling of deja vu. We've been here before, have we not? Only this time neither of you will escape justice.”

  "She's lying," Devon croaked.

  "Oh, I don't think so. And since we would have to wait a couple of months yet to find out, it is … neater to resolve the matter here and now. Martinez, escort them to the gallows and order the call to assembly."

  Martinez hesitated.

  "Did you not hear me?" Mendoza spat. "Obey me!"

  "Supreme Leader. She is … pregnant."

  "Yes, with the spawn of this demon!"

  "But …"

  Mendoza strode over to Martinez and wagged a finger in his face. "You will obey me now or swing beside them! What is it now?"

  The door opened, and a terrified-looking guard stepped in as a figure in camouflage with black mask partly pulled down over his eyes hovered in the background. "Sir, it's an urgent messenger. He insists on seeing you."

  "Who is the message from? Carver?"

  "No, sir, it's from Leader Crawford."

  Mendoza's face froze for a moment. "But I killed Crawford mys…"

  The man lurking in the background pushed past the guard and pulled the weapon from the guard's belt, lifted it and pointed it at Mendoza.

  "Gert!" Jessie cried, as, freed from Nanoka's grip, she spun away toward the table.

  Bekmann's finger closed on the trigger, but in that instant, Mendoza grabbed at Devon's guard, Hellberg, yanking him into the path of the bullet, then diving for cover as Gert continued to shoot into the room. Devon fell to the floor, crawling toward where Jessie lay under the tables.

  Gunfire filled the room as Gert kicked the door shut behind him. Devon spotted Mendoza, who'd pulled a gun from his waist, the young SS look-alikes cowering in the corner. It seemed the general's paranoia at not allowing weapons in his presence was handicapping him.

  Devon spotted blood running down Gert's leg. Not the bright scarlet of new bleeding, but a dark burgundy. He was pale, and his hands were shaking.

  Martinelli went down clutching his shoulder as Nanoka dropped beside him, cradling his commander.

  And then, with a single boom, the left side of Gert's face disappeared in a mist of blood, the cruel barrel of Mendoza's gun appearing from behind a chair.

  He emerged, then swiveled to look down and all Devon could see was the black hole of the muzzle as he waited for death.

  "No! She will die first!" he said, turning to point the gun at Jessie, who cowered beneath the table.

  Devon saw his finger squeeze around the trigger, and then he staggered. Martinelli had heaved himself onto his side and pulled at the general's leg. With a roar, the monster twisted around, but Nanoka threw himself at his other leg and then, with a yell, he fell forwards, as Jessie leaped onto his back, stabbing again and again with a small silver knife.

  "Stay back!" Martinelli cried out as one of the young men stepped forward.

  Mendoza shrieked and tried to roll onto his front, arms flailing. The door flew open and the guard Gert had robbed looked wide-eyed at the carnage. "Secure the door!" Martinelli called. "Let no one in. That's an order, soldier!"

  As Devon got to his feet, he saw the look of relief on the guard's face. The door closed behind him and Devon grabbed Jessie's blood-soaked arm. "That's enough," he said.

  "But he's not dead!" Jessie said, pushing against his arm.

  Devon reached to the floor and picked up something big, black and metallic. "It's okay, my love," he said, as he pulled her off Mendoza's prone form.

  He handed her to Nanoka, then looked at Martinelli. "He's not dead," he said. "You might be able to save him if you get medical attention quickly."

  Martinelli shook his head and held out his left hand for the gun. "There's a lake, the other side of this building. Through the corridors. There's a small boat the general liked to use. Go that way. Be quick."

  "What are you going to do?" Jessie asked.

  "End this madness," Martinelli said.

  "But his supporters, they'll …"

  Martinelli smiled grimly. "I'll take my chance. Like you said," he looked at Devon, "just following orders is the excuse cowards make, and I've been a coward for too long. Now, go."

  Mendoza drew in a deep breath, as if he was coming around.

  "Now!" Martinelli cried out as a clamor could be heard beyond the main door.

  Devon nodded to him and took Jessie by the hand. They went out the back door and ran along a carpeted corridor, light streaming in from windows above them, until they reached a fire escape. Devon burst through it, and they found themselves on in a fenced-off area with a little jetty at the end.

  "Hey! Who are you?"

  Someone called from beyond the fence, but Devon and Jessie ignored them.

  BANG!

  The noise echoed through the open door.

  Martinelli had done it.

  Devon and Jessie ran along the wooden slatted jetty, and he helped her into the small motorboat. The sounds of chaos rose up from the tent city, followed by sporadic gunfire. Devon pulled the starter cord and, on the second attempt, the engine roared into life.

  He cast off the line and sat in the back, Jessie in front of him, as he steered the boat out from the jetty. Behind him he heard people calling out in their direction, but they were too far out on the water to be in any danger.

  Jessie threw herself at him as they passed out onto Lake Shawnee, and their tears mingled into one.

  Epilogue

  Four Months after the Second Battle for Hope

  "Well, I sure hope you don't regret movin' out here when winter sets in."

  Devon chuckled. "You always were a ray of sunshine, weren't you, Paul? We'll be okay."

  They were standing outside the shack where Devon and Gert had shared their brief daydream on their journey to catch Me
ndoza. A journey Gert hadn't returned from. When they'd finally made it back to Hope, Devon and Jessie had decided this would be their home. Out in the middle of the arid Nevadan landscape, with Hope to the north and the slowly recovering Ezra to the south, they could easily live here without encountering another living soul other than those they'd brought with them.

  But today the place was creaking at the seams as, in another example of the fierce independence that Devon loved so much about his new wife, Jessie had declared they'd have the wedding cum baptism party at the half-restored shack. So here they were, squeezing a quart into a pint. Devon and Hick were now wandering the backyard, each carrying a tumbler of whiskey, as Roger shadowed them, not keeping his eyes off his Best Human Buddy.

  "Have you heard from Scriver?" Devon asked as he watched the sun touch the horizon.

  "Not since he set off for DC. I don't reckon it's the last we'll see of him, but it's good to have Hope to ourselves again."

  "Nothing from Marianna?"

  Hick shook his head. "Not for a few weeks. She's running Salt Lake, for now at least. But the more secure folks feel, the more likely they are to change things back to the old ways and put some old man in charge again."

  Devon chuckled. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you're mayor again, not me. That's a gig I absolutely don't want."

  "It ain't exactly been a bed of roses, that's for sure. The town has plenty of ghosts, and it's not as if we can take down everything Mendoza's men built and get things back to how they were. He may have been the worst monster out there, but he wasn't the only one, for sure. Look, Devon, aren't you worried you can't defend yourself out here?"

  "I think we're safe for now, but I'm going to build a stone wall all the way around with shooting positions."

  "That'll take some time."

  Devon smiled. "We've had lots of offers of help."

  "Dev!"

  He turned to see Jade striding toward him, Dorothy toddling at her side. "Mom says to come inside."

  "Okay. Thanks."

  Jessie had resisted Jade calling her "mom", but had given in eventually. Jade and Dorothy had grown close while they waited for news at Springs and the young girl had matured into a woman, but still she wanted the reassurance of referring to Jessie that way, as if it made her place in the family official.

  Pushing his way inside the cramped house, Devon found Jessie talking to Martha Bowie in the corner. Martha and Joe had re-opened their grocery store and restarted the beating heart of the community.

  "There you are," Jessie said as she caught sight of Devon. "The baby needs changing and it's your turn."

  Devon pulled a face. He suspected he was getting the rough end of diaper duty, but he put out his hands and took the little bundle. "C'mon, Gertie."

  The little boy made a grumbling noise as Devon took him to the outhouse—the first building they'd refurbished—and laid him on the little table to change him.

  He found Paul Hickman waiting for him as he headed back toward the house.

  "You'll make a good father," Hick said as Devon stood beside him, wrapping the blanket around the child.

  Devon blushed and blurted out, "You don't do so bad yourself. How is Sam?"

  "Well, she's happy enough, but she's also the best part of six hundred miles away. Went back with Zak and his folk. Lives in some sort of commune by a river with Margie and Jay."

  "D'you reckon they'll get married some day? Sam and Jay."

  Hick shrugged. "Maybe. But she's very modern, my daughter. Much like her mother. Jeez, but I miss her. Seems everything I've done has been on account of her. Every good thing, anyway."

  They said nothing for a few moments as a fresh fall breeze zipped around the rocks.

  "Why don't you go to her?"

  Hick said nothing.

  "Hick?"

  "Don't tell nobody."

  "Don't tell them what?"

  Hick turned toward him. "I'm goin'. Just as soon as I get Hope straight enough to leave. Seems to me, sometimes folks have to save a place so others can enjoy it. If I've learned one thing, it's that I want to be near her. Don't say nothin' though, will you?"

  Devon patted Hick on the shoulder. "I promise."

  They leaned back against the cold stone of the wall, looking out over the backyard and the darkening mountains beyond.

  "She's pregnant, Devon."

  Devon smiled. "Congratulations, Paul. I guess you'd better wrap things up in Hope sooner rather than later."

  "I guess so. Makes you think, though, don't it?"

  "What?"

  "Well, after all we've been through. I dunno. Renewal, I suppose. Maybe even a corner being turned."

  Devon nodded. "Where there's life, there's hope, Paul."

  "Yeah. Where there's life, there's Hope."

  Want More Awesome Books?

  Find more fantastic tales right here.

  If you’re new to reading Mike Kraus, consider visiting his website and signing up for his free newsletter. You’ll receive several free books and a sample of his audiobooks, too, just for signing up, you can unsubscribe at any time and you will receive absolutely no spam.