Pandemic (Book 4): Insurrection

by Kersey, Christine

  Derrick snorted a laugh. “Just like before.” He’d never understood that mindset. He was all about being self-sufficient. Now, in the apocalypse, he’d discovered just how much he liked living off the grid. Rather than going to a job every morning, he spent his day working in the garden or scavenging for what his group needed that they weren’t able to create for themselves. It definitely wasn’t easy, but every single thing they had they had made happen themselves. It gave him a strong sense of accomplishment. One he’d never felt in his ‘before’ life.

  Deep in thought, when Derrick felt the pain of something slamming against his skull, all he could do as he began to lose consciousness was berate himself for not having better situational awareness.

  Chapter 26

  Matt

  Matt glanced at the sun. It was mid-afternoon. Derrick and Chris had been gone all day.

  “Think they’ll be back soon?” Amy, Chris’s wife, asked him.

  He stood from the dirt where he’d been weeding the garden and faced her. Worry creased her forehead. “Any minute now, I’ll bet.”

  A tentative smile lifted her lips, but he could tell she was desperately hanging on to hope. Did Jessica feel like that every time he went out? He remembered how worried he’d been when she’d gone with Derrick. And then when she’d been kidnapped… He didn’t want to think about that. Anyway, this wasn’t Jessica. This was Chris. And Derrick. They’d be fine. They had skills. They could handle anything.

  “Mommy,” Jacob, Amy’s six-year-old son, said as he yanked on her t-shirt. “I’m hungry.”

  Matt frowned. It had to be so difficult to have small children in this new world where you couldn’t just run to the local McDonalds and grab a Happy Meal. The only happy meal nowadays was the one that filled your belly. Their group was fortunate to have an abundance of food. Okay, maybe not an abundance, but they were getting by pretty well. With all the food they’d scavenged and the growing garden, they would be fine. He hoped.

  “Okay, baby,” Amy said to Jacob. “Let’s go help Sarah.”

  Matt watched her go as an increasing sense of concern crept over him. Derrick and Chris should have been back by then. If their run was going to take this long, they would have tried to check in.

  As dinner time approached, Matt was on watch along with Emily. Jeff was positioned in the sniper’s nest that they kept manned. With Cleo, Brooke’s German shepherd, by his side, Matt walked the perimeter of the front yard.

  Cleo looked toward the gate and barked, her tail wagging. Matt’s gaze shot in that direction. He hadn’t heard a vehicle approach. Was someone on foot? He glanced at Cleo. She acted like it was someone she knew. Then she took off, racing toward the gate, her tail swinging from side to side.

  On high alert, Matt moved toward the gate as fast as he could. Cleo stopped beside the gate. Matt caught up to her, his gun in the low ready position. Staying beside a tree, out of sight of whoever might be there, he poked his head around the trunk. That’s when he saw Chris. On foot and alone. Chris was disheveled, his expression strained.

  “Chris!” Matt said as he unlocked the gate. He pulled it open wide enough for Chris to walk through. “Where’s Derrick?”

  Chris shook his head.

  Matt’s heart plummeted into his stomach. “Is he…dead?”

  “I don’t know.” Chris’s voice broadcast exhaustion.

  What had happened?

  Chris sighed. “Let’s get everyone together so I only have to tell this story once.”

  Ten minutes later everyone was sitting in the covered patio area gathered around Chris. Even those on watch had joined them. If Derrick was missing, they all wanted to know why.

  First, Chris told them about their experience getting the medication, including that they’d been approached by a pair of security officers who had been killed by someone in the hospital.

  “We stopped and talked to a man working in his front-yard garden, but then we went on. About ten minutes later someone hit me over the head and I went down. When I woke up, I was on the sidewalk and Derrick was gone.”

  Matt tried to imagine how he would have felt if he’d been in Chris’s shoes. At the thought, his stomach clenched. And where was Derrick? Was he hurt? Had to be. Otherwise he would have gotten away.

  “After I shook off my lightheadedness,” Chris said, “I noticed a note duct-taped to my shirt.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. He handed it to Matt, who was sitting closest to him.

  Matt skimmed over the note, his heart lurching more with every word. Then he read it out loud. “Bring two large boxes of food and five gallons of clean water to the address below. Have it there by eight tonight or we’ll kill your friend.” Grimacing, Matt met the faces of the others, many who were wide-eyed.

  “Low-life scumbags,” Jeff muttered.

  “We have to get Derrick back,” Paisley said as she pinched the skin at her throat.

  Matt nodded, surprised by the intense worry in her eyes. “Of course we will.” Especially after all Derrick had done for his family. Without him, would they even all still be alive?

  “Let’s get the food together,” Jessica said as she stood. “There’s no time to waste.”

  Matt was as eager as the rest of them to make sure Derrick was safe, but it still angered him that Derrick had been taken hostage for a ransom of food and water. He turned to Jeff. “Are we going to let these guys get away with this?”

  One side of Jeff’s mouth turned up in a smirk. “You have to ask?”

  That was one of many thing he liked about Jeff—he could always count on him to not put up with anyone’s crap. He chuckled. “Right.”

  Jessica stood. Sarah and some of the others stood as well. “You guys make your plans,” she said, “we’ll gather the food and water.”

  At least they had plenty of water, but taking two large boxes of food would hurt.

  Fresh anger coursed through Matt as Jeff and Chris moved their chairs closer to his. “How do you want to do this?”

  Jeff silently nodded, obviously deep in thought, then he said, “Here’s what we’ll do.”

  Matt listened closely as Jeff laid out his plan.

  Chapter 27

  Derrick

  Derrick’s head pounded. A blindfold covered his eyes and something covered his mouth—felt like duct tape. He was lying on a carpeted floor with his hands and ankles bound. Where was he? How had he gotten there? Who had taken him? Security officers? If so, he was screwed. And where was Chris? Was he lying in the room as well?

  Holding perfectly still, he listened intently. With no electricity, there were very few sounds, not even the hum of a refrigerator. He could hear trees swaying in the wind outside. Then he heard voices coming from a nearby room. He strained to make out what they were saying.

  “It’ll work,” a man with a deep voice said. “It did before.”

  “What if his friend doesn’t follow orders?” another man asked.

  “Then we kill him,” Deep Voice said.

  Derrick tried to put together the puzzle that had formed in his mind, but there were too many missing pieces. Although from what the men were saying, Derrick didn’t think they were security officers. That was the only bit of good news though. Lying on the ground, bound and blinded, he felt helpless, which only made his anger grow. If he could somehow get free…

  He wiggled his arms, which were behind his back, to test whatever was binding his wrists. It felt like they’d used duct tape. That was bad. Unless there was something sharp he could rub them against.

  Lying on his back, he bent his knees and placed his feet flat on the floor, then pushed off of the floor to move backwards inch by inch. It was a painfully slow process, but he used his bound hands underneath him to help propel him backwards as he searched the space for some sort of object he could use to his advantage. Eventually he bumped into a wall. Shifting his body in another direction, he moved the other way. Still nothing. The room seemed to be completely e
mpty. Discouragement washed over him.

  He heard the door open, then felt the floor vibrate with heavy footsteps.

  “You’re awake,” Deep Voice said.

  Derrick didn’t reply. He couldn’t with his mouth covered. Instead, he held still. Maybe if they got close enough he could… what? Kick them? Well, that was something at least.

  He could feel someone kneeling beside his head. No way to kick the guy. The tape was ripped from his mouth.

  Clenching his jaw closed to keep from crying out at the unexpected sting, Derrick was thrilled to be able to speak. Maybe he could get some answers. But he would wait. Let these guys take the lead. He didn’t want to give anything away.

  It sounded like the man stood. No one spoke for at least thirty seconds.

  “No questions, huh?” Deep Voice asked.

  Did that bother them? They’d said they’d done this before. How many times? What exactly had they done? How had their other victims reacted? Probably with fear and begging.

  That wasn’t the way Derrick operated.

  A man sighed.

  Derrick held back a grin. His silence was getting to them.

  “Maybe he’s a mute,” the other man said.

  “No,” Deep Voice said. “He’s just thinks he’s a tough guy.”

  A boot slammed into Derrick’s gut. He couldn’t help it. He cried out. The kick had been unexpected, had caught him off guard and it hurt like crazy. To protect himself from further blows, he drew his legs closer to his chest.

  “Not so tough now, are you?” Deep Voice said with a chuckle.

  Eager to get his hands on these guys, Derrick let rage soak into him. The adrenaline rush that followed helped to mask the pain.

  “Got something to say?” Deep Voice asked.

  Reminding himself to unclench his jaw, Derrick said, “Whatever your plans are, they’re going to fail.”

  There was a brief moment of silence, then Deep Voice laughed. The other man chuckled more softly.

  Knowing that his friends would come for him, Derrick just smiled.

  Chapter 28

  Matt

  It was six o’clock. Two hours until their deadline. They’d loaded the boxes of food and water into Matt’s truck and now Matt, Jeff, and Chris were ready to head out. Jessica and Emily had wanted to come with them, but Matt and the others had convinced them to stay at the farm to help keep it safe.

  Now, as they were about to leave, Matt embraced Jessica.

  “Please be careful,” she murmured. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

  Matt nodded. He understood her worry. If these guys had managed to capture Derrick, they had to have some level of skill. And Matt had no idea how dangerous they were. Or how many there were.

  Matt kissed her, then smiled. “You know we’ll be careful.”

  She gave him a final hug, then stepped back so that he could get in his truck. Jeff and Chris were telling their loved ones good-bye, then they got in the truck as well. All three of them were well armed and carrying extra ammo.

  Frank stood beside the open gate, which Matt drove through. With Chris directing him, Matt headed to the place where Chris and Derrick had been attacked. Matt pulled to the curb at the spot Chris pointed out. Matt scanned the area for any hint of where Derrick might be, but the silent houses gave nothing away.

  “Let’s talk to the man who was working in his front yard garden,” Matt said. “Maybe he saw something.”

  “Good idea,” Chris said. “His house isn’t far.”

  A few minutes later the three of them stopped on the sidewalk in front of the man’s house.

  “Hello!” Chris called out. “My friend and I spoke to you earlier. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  The door opened a crack. “What do you want?”

  Chris stepped forward while Matt and Jeff stayed on the sidewalk. “My friend from earlier? He’s missing. We were attacked not far from here,” Chris swept his arm in the direction they’d just come from then turned back to the man. “Someone took him. Did you see or hear anything earlier? After we walked away?”

  The door opened wider and the man stepped onto his porch. He shook his head. “No. I didn’t see anything.”

  “What about a car or truck driving by?”

  The man shook his head. “Nope. Sorry.”

  “Did you hear anything?”

  “No.”

  Matt wondered if the man was telling the truth or if he really knew something but was too scared to tell. Matt kind of wanted to shove the man out of the way and search his house, but he restrained himself.

  “Mind if we take a look inside?” Jeff asked, evidently not willing to restrain himself at all.

  Matt softly chuckled.

  The man lifted his gaze to Jeff. “What?”

  Chris turned and looked at Jeff, then shifted his eyes to Matt. Matt lifted his eyebrows, hoping Chris got the message: See if he’ll let you take a look.

  Chris turned back to the man at the door. “We don’t mean to intrude, but it would set our minds at ease if we could just, you know, make sure Derrick’s not inside.”

  The man frowned as he stared at Chris for several beats. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. Just make it quick.” His gaze flicked to Matt and Jeff before going back to Chris. “Just you.”

  Chris nodded, then stepped inside. The man closed the front door behind him.

  Feeling a little nervous—if this man was part of a dangerous group, Chris was now in peril—Matt shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Relax,” Jeff said. “Chris can handle himself.”

  Matt nodded. A minute later, the front door opened and Chris appeared. “Again,” he said to the man, “sorry to intrude.”

  “Good luck finding your friend.”

  Chris nodded and trotted down the walkway to meet up with Matt and Jeff. The man closed his front door.

  “He’s not in there,” Chris said.

  “Let’s swing by the hospital and pick up those meds,” Jeff said, “and then we’ll head to the drop-off.”

  They all agreed. They were able to grab the meds from the Charger’s trunk at the nearby hospital without incident, and then they headed to the address where the note had said to drop off the food—a local park. They slowly drove by. No one was around. Not a single person.

  “We need to stake it out,” Jeff said.

  Matt nodded. “Yeah.”

  First, they stopped the truck and carried the food and water to a nearby park bench where they set the boxes underneath. After they got back in the truck, they drove half a mile further on, parking in the driveway of a house with a large red X painted on its front door. Putting on their tactical gear, they made sure they had plenty of ammo before briskly walking back toward the park. When the park was in sight, they slowed, and when they reached it, they split up.

  Matt circled the edge of the park, on the hunt for a good place to hunker down and wait. When he reached a playground, he quickly scoped it out before climbing into a small fort that had a good view of the park bench where they’d dropped off the food and water. He lay on his belly, then picked up the walkie talkie he’d brought and pressed the button twice. A single squawk sounded in reply.

  They were ready.

  Chapter 29

  Matt

  “Someone’s coming,” Matt heard Jeff say over the walkie. “To the east.”

  They’d been waiting for well over an hour, but it wasn’t yet the eight o’clock deadline. Matt squinted in the direction Jeff had indicated. It was a little difficult to see as the sun was setting, but then he saw that someone was indeed coming. It looked like a woman. Pushing a stroller. Doubtful it was the person they were waiting for, the person who had taken Derrick, Matt frowned.

  The woman walked slowly, casually, as if she was simply out for a stroll in the beautiful spring evening, taking her child out to get some fresh air. But she was walking in the direction of the park bench. Would she see the boxes, even in the dimming light?
Concerned she would interfere with their mission, Matt watched her closely.

  Before long, she reached the park bench. From his vantage point, Matt could see her turn as if she was looking at the boxes. Then she swiveled her head the other way as if to make sure no one was watching her. After a moment’s hesitation, she knelt beside the park bench, then reached out and grabbed one of the boxes, dragging it from underneath the bench.

  “Should we stop her?” Chris asked over the walkie.

  “Wait,” Jeff replied immediately.

  Growing more anxious by the second, Matt stayed hidden as he watched.

  She opened the box and dug through it. She pulled out the other box and checked it, then stood and looked around again.

  Great. She was going to take the food meant for Derrick’s ransom. But how was she going to haul it away with a child in the stroller? Then, to Matt’s surprise, she picked up the first box and set it right in the stroller. She was going to crush her child.

  Then he knew. There was no child in there. She was the pick-up person for the ransom. She loaded the other box into the stroller as well as the water, tossed a blanket over everything, then turned and began walking briskly back the way she’d come.

  Matt picked up his walkie. “We need to follow her.”

  “Affirmative,” Jeff replied. “Rendezvous at the eastern edge of the park.”

  Moments later the three of them stood together. The woman was still visible, though she was rapidly disappearing down the street and twilight was coming on fast.

  Peering around a large bush, Matt watched as the woman approached a corner. When she turned and began heading down the adjacent street, Matt, Jeff, and Chris set a fast pace as they walked after her. At the corner where she’d turned, they crept up to a house that would block them from view, edging around it until they could see the woman without being seen themselves.