by Payne, T. L.
NO OTHER CHOICE
Fall of Houston Series, Book Two
Copyright © 2020 by T. L. Payne
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design
Edited by Melanie Underwood
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Check out other books by T. L. Payne
The Gateway to Chaos Series
Seeking Safety
Seeking Refuge
Seeking Justice
Seeking Hope
The Days of Want Series
Turbulent
Hunted
Turmoil
Uprising
Upheaval
Mayhem
Although much of this story takes place in and around Houston, Texas, some aspects and locations have been altered to enhance the story. Most of locations within Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, are fictional. Thank you for understanding an author's creative license.
“Texas is a blend of valor and swagger.” — Carl Sandburg
Created with Vellum
For Octavia Avielle
My ray of sunshine in a very dark year.
Contents
1. Will
2. Betley
3. Will
4. Savanah
5. Will
6. Will
7. Isabella
8. Savanah
9. Will
10. Savanah
11. Will
12. Will
13. Will
14. Will
15. Cayden
16. Isabella
17. Will
18. Will
19. Will
20. Will
21. Will
22. Will
23. Will
24. Will
25. Will
26. Will
27. Will
28. Will
29. Will
30. Savanah
31. Will
Also by T. L. Payne
Sample Chapters
About the Author
One
Will
Day Five
Explosions throughout the night had rocked Will Fontenot from the most restful sleep he’d had in the five days since the electromagnetic pulse attack. He had at first thought the explosions were the refinery fires reigniting. He’d hoped that’s all it was, but the sound of automatic rifle fire poked holes in that theory. He’d chosen to believe that they were safely away from whatever it was. But how long would that last?
Will stared through the mosquito netting at the ceiling in Isabella D’Angelo’s Houston, Texas apartment. At least the noise from the explosions and gunfire had distracted him from the constant buzzing of dozens of tiny vampires swarming the bed. When the rain from Hurricane Epsilon finally stopped, hordes of mosquitos had been unleashed like hounds straight from hell.
With communications down, Will had no way of knowing how much rain had been dumped on the area, but it was enough to cause significant flooding as predicted. Along with the flooding came the unbearable heat and humidity. With the electric grid destroyed and no way to run the air conditioner, all the apartment windows had been left open. The screens were no match for the bloodsucking creatures. They weren’t the only creatures unleashed on them. Every time the door to the apartment opened, swarms of flies launched their invasion. The flies were horrendous. The thought of where they’d been was nauseating.
In a city of two and a half million, and with hundreds of thousands of people stranded on grid-locked evacuation routes attempting to flee Houston, the death toll from the storm was likely immeasurable. Some would have found shelter from the two hundred miles per hour winds, only to be inundated by flooding. Downtown high rises that hadn’t burned would likely now be filled with those stranded evacuees.
Will had yet to venture out, not wanting to risk exposure to the toxic floodwaters. Still, a few bodies were visible from the third-floor balcony of Isabella’s apartment. Will had wanted to shield his thirteen-year-old son, Cayden, from the gruesome sight, but with no one coming to collect the bodies, that wasn’t about to happen.
For the most part, Will had kept busy planning his and Cayden’s escape from the city. He had yet to get a chance to speak with Isabella about coming with them. He had planned to approach her the morning after they’d arrived at her apartment. He was looking for a good time to broach the subject, but with her boyfriend around and his bandmates sprawled out on her living room floor, along with the people coming and going from the apartment all day and night, there hadn’t been an opportunity. He needed to do it soon though. He was anxious to heed Kim’s and Betley’s warnings and flee Houston as quickly as possible.
Will shifted in the bed and winced. His entire body still hurt. His knee was swollen, he had a dinner-plate-sized bruise on the left side of his abdomen from the bullet he’d taken to his body armor, and a matching one on the right side from the boot of the guy back at the law office. Will held up his hand and examined his busted knuckles. He wasn’t in great shape, but he didn’t want to waste time sitting around when he could be out finding the supplies he and Cayden would need to make the one-hundred-and-fifty-mile ride to his sister’s farm north of Lake Charles, Louisiana. With the waters receding, soon it would be safe to travel. And even though he hadn’t had enough time to rest and recover from his battle with the Chinese Communist Party’s enforcers, he was planning to head out at their first opportunity.
Without a watch and with a cloud-filled sky, he had no idea what time of day it was. He’d been up most of the night pacing the floor, trying to figure out how they’d go about getting out of the city. He’d just settled back down to nap, but his mind had refused to shut off.
“Will. We’re heading out,” Isabella called from the hallway.
“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute,” Will said. The night before, they’d discussed the need to find food. With so many mouths to feed, that would be a monumental task.
Will rolled over on the bed to face Cayden. “How long was I out?”
Cayden was seated with his back against the oak headboard. His knees were drawn up to his chest and in his hands was a paperback book.
“Not long. Maybe thirty minutes.”
“Where’d you get the book?”
Cayden pointed to the nightstand as he flipped the page.
“Is it any good?”
Cayden shook his head.
“But you’re still reading it?”
“I’m bored out of my mind,” Cayden said.
Will hadn’t had time to be bored, but for a thirteen-year-old who was used to constant external stimulation in the forms of music, video games, and the internet, he imagined the lack of technology would be torture.
Will climbed out from under the mosquito netting, threw his legs over the side of the bed, and pulled on his boots.
“I’m going out with Isabella. We’re going to—”
Cayden cut him off. “I know. I heard.”
“You’ll be okay here?”
“If I say no, will you take me with you?”
Will thought for a moment, considered bringing Cayden along, and then dismissed the idea. It was too risky—too much could go wrong.
“No. I guess not,” Will said. “Anything, in particular, you’d like me to find fo
r you?”
“The internet,” Cayden said sarcastically.
“I wish I could, buddy. I could keep an eye out for a better book.”
“Sure.”
Will wanted to say something—to ask Cayden how he was doing—emotionally. The words stuck in his throat. He struggled to approach the subject, just as he had all the other times he’d wanted to open a discussion about how his son was coping with things. Cayden would say he was fine, like always. Will had no clue how to get him to open up and discuss what he was feeling. He tried to think of what Melanie would have said. But he was not his wife. What Cayden needed was his mother, and she wasn’t here.
Will’s face scrunched as he lifted his hands above his head to slip on his tactical vest. He was grateful that Betley had outfitted him with the gear. He had no idea what or who they would encounter after leaving the apartment, but the equipment would hopefully give him an advantage. Will checked the ammunition in his rifle and pistol and ensured the tactical knife was secured on his belt before grabbing the doorknob. Before turning it, he turned back to Cayden. “I won’t be long. We’re going to check out a few apartments nearby. If you need me, just yell. I’ll be able to hear you.”
Cayden let out a heavy sigh.
“I know you’re not a little kid. I’m just saying, you know, the world has changed. We have to look after each other.”
Without looking up from his page, Cayden shrugged one shoulder and nodded.
It was the response Will expected. It was the one he would have given at his age. He kept reminding himself of how awful he was to his parents during his teen years. Will wasn’t sure that he could bear it. How was he supposed to know what was Cayden being a typical teen and what was him punishing him for killing his mother?
His eyes fell to the water bottle sitting on the oak nightstand next to Cayden. He pointed to it. “Use a coaster. You’ll leave a water ring on the wood. You know better than that. We’re guests here. We have to respect other people’s things.”
Cayden sighed loudly and snatched the bottle from the nightstand as Will stepped into the hall and closed the door.
Will stepped over the sleeping bodies littering the floor of Isabella’s stylishly decorated living room and made his way to the kitchen where Isabella and her live-in boyfriend, Kevin, were seated at the kitchen island. Kevin’s tattooed hands were wrapped around a coffee mug. Sleeve tattoos ran down both muscular arms. Kevin’s appearance reminded Will of the drummer from the rock band, Nickelback. He had similar colored, light brown hair and chiseled good looks.
Will threw him a slight nod as he approached. The smell of rotting meat from the fridge was gone. In its place were several competing aromas emitting from three differently scented candles burning around the room. It was almost as bad as the odor from the fridge had been.
Isabella swatted a fly on the wall and turned toward Will. “Did you finally get some sleep?”
“Some,” Will said. He glanced back at Isabella’s other house guests snoozing soundly nearby and wished he could sleep like that.
Isabella yawned and held out a mug. “It’s not good, but it’s caffeinated.”
Will took it, smelled the coffee-like substance, and tipped the cup. It was awful. But he needed the pick-me-up, and it would do the trick. He’d had cold coffee before, but it had been brewed first. Soaking coffee grounds in room temperature water didn’t have the same effect.
Isabella’s cat, Otis, jumped into the air attempting to catch one of the giant flies swarming the trash can. To Will’s surprise, he caught it in mid-air. As fat as he was, Will wondered how the black and white feline could move so fast. As Otis moved to his perch on top of the microwave to stare out the window, Will put his empty mug in the sink and joined him. The parking lot below was still covered in knee-deep water but the sun was out. It was only a matter of time before the water receded and they could be on their way. But first, they needed supplies for a trip across southeast Texas.
Will’s clothes were still damp from his trek through the floodwaters to Isabella’s apartment. His socks were hanging over the back of a chair in her guest room. With the humidity as high as it was, there was little hope of getting his clothes to dry any time soon. He knew that wet feet could lead to all sorts of foot problems, and with the long trip ahead of him, Will had reluctantly borrowed a pair of socks from Kevin. Will stared down at his boots. He didn’t want to get the socks wet going back out into the water. His real concern was all the toxic chemicals it would contain.
“Can I borrow a couple of trash bags?” Will asked.
“Sure. They’re under the sink,” Isabella said.
Will grabbed several, along with a roll of duct tape he found under the sink, climbed onto one of the bar stools, and pulled off his boots. Kevin tilted his head to the side and stared at Will as he slid the black trash bags over his feet and wrapped duct tape around the top, and then pulled his boots back on. He thought about applying the duct tape directly to his skin, but pulling it off would hurt like hell. Maybe if he taped the trash bags up tight enough he might avoid getting his skin soaked with bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxic chemicals. It was worth the try. He hoped the water wasn’t any deeper than his knees, or it wouldn’t work.
“That’s a great idea,” Isabella said. She crossed the room and pulled two trash bags from the box. “Can I have some duct tape?”
Will cut Isabella two lengths of tape and stuck them to the counter. As he was fashioning a bag to carry the finds from the scavenging, Isabella attempted to tape the bags around her thighs. The tape stuck to her fingers, and as she tried to pull it free, one of her acrylic nails popped off. “Dammit,” she cursed.
“Here, let me,” Will said, cutting another strip of tape. He knelt in front of her, wrapping it around her thigh, securing the trash bag to her jeans. When he glanced up, their eyes met. She looked so relaxed and at ease, considering all she’d been through. A smile broke through her lips. The corners of Will’s mouth curled up, and he smiled back. He felt the intensity of her gaze, and heat rose behind his cheeks. Kevin cleared his throat, and Will’s gaze flicked to him. Kevin puffed out his chest and glared back. The dark blue veins were visible in the man’s thick neck. Will stood and backed away from Isabella.
“Look, Kevin. Isn’t this a great idea?” Isabella said, turning to face him.
Kevin shrugged.
She seemed to be oblivious of her boyfriend’s jealousy or maybe chose to ignore it. Will couldn’t. He wasn't about to get into something with the man. He wasn’t afraid of a fight, but he wasn’t in any shape after the battle he’d been in with the Chinese mafia. He couldn’t take the chance of becoming so injured he couldn’t make the trip to Louisiana. Kevin furrowed his brow, pushed himself away from the island, and left the room without answering. Isabella was quiet a moment before turning back to Will.
“It might help provide some protection against all the nasties in the water, though,” Isabella said. “Thanks, Will.” She picked up a canvas tote from the counter and headed toward the door. “Are you coming, Kevin?”
Kevin sighed and joined her at the door. As the two went outside, Will put the empty milk jug and juice containers they’d been gathering into a trash bag and headed for the stairs. Will, Isabella, Kevin, and a couple from a second-floor apartment gathered on the landing outside Isabella’s apartment. The plan was to start on the adjacent building’s second-floor apartments and work their way farther and farther out until they found enough to supply them for a few days, or at least all they could carry. After Isabella’s initial response to his supply gathering on their way to find shelter from the storm, Will was surprised at her willingness to go into other people’s homes to scavenge what they needed to survive now.
Will descended the stairs behind Isabella and Kevin. He closed his eyes as the water rose first past his boots and then above his knee, stopping just below the top of the trash bags. So far, so good. His feet were dry.
At the bottom of the sta
irs stood a stocky Hispanic man in his mid-thirties and a young, slender Hispanic woman. She was short and attractive, dressed in shorts and a tank top.
“Will, this is Gus Ortega and Jacinta Alvarez. Gus is the manager here. He has the keys, so we won’t have to break down any doors,” Isabella said.
Gus gave Will a nod and then pointed to Will’s legs. “Smart.”
Two
Betley
Day Five
After arriving at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, FBI Agent James Betley had been escorted into the medical clinic to have his wounds taken care of. His leg hurt even worse after being cleaned and stitched. The doctor had given him a local, but that wore off after an hour and the doc was unwilling to provide Betley with anything stronger than ibuprofen for the pain. Betley assumed that was because he hadn’t been interviewed yet. They’d want him clear-headed for the questioning. Betley just wanted some relief and a little sleep. Was that too much to expect? At least he’d been given a clean change of clothes to wear.
After his visit at the clinic, Betley had been taken to an office deep in the heart of a Coast Guard’s multistory building. Hours passed as he waited to brief the Central Intelligence Agency officials about what had occurred with his informant, Kim Yang. He’d fallen asleep with his head resting on the desk. He jumped when the door finally opened.
