by Payne, T. L.
“While Pete and I were talking yesterday, his brother came running up with some tale about men in black—”
Savanah cut him off. “Couldn’t they be from Fort Polk? It’s only like seventy miles from here or something. Maybe they were out on some kind of patrol.”
“I don’t think they are American, Savanah. There were only about a dozen of them, so it’s not an immediate threat.”
“You saw them? They’re not just some wannabe militia types playing military?”
“I did. Pete, Rod, and I went to take a look for ourselves. Whoever they are, I think they’re on some scouting mission. They broke camp and took off at first light. Pete’s brother and brother-in-law followed them while some of Kathy’s relatives took off toward Fort Polk to warn them. Her cousin’s retired from the air force. He said he knew someone up there.”
She was confused. “So, should we be worried or not?”
“I think we need to be aware and expand our perimeter. We need scouts ourselves looking out for any more foreigners moving into the area. We should be prepared to bug out if it comes to that.”
“Bug out?” she asked.
“Leave in a hurry.”
A tear slid down her cheek. Jason knelt in front of her and wiped it away with his finger. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Only if we’re facing an overwhelming force. Otherwise, we’ll stay and fight. But I don’t want those kids in the middle of some freaking war.”
She nodded. It was incomprehensible. Where on earth would they go? How would they eat? Where would be safer than home? The thought of leaving the farm was too much. It was a part of her.
“We should go talk to the others,” Jason said, helping her to her feet.
Savanah wrapped her arm around his waist and followed him towards the house. “We should send Keegan over to get Blake. He’s going to want to hear this.”
Twenty-Six
Isabella
Day Eight
Isabella’s broken arm struck Will’s shoulder as they crashed into the truck behind them. Pain shot up her forearm and brought a wave of nausea. Her door opened and Monte pulled on her arm. She reached for Will, but it was too late. Men were at his door, guns raised. “Let’s go,” Monte yelled. Isabella’s head rotated, looking for Cayden. She spotted him two feet in front of Walker, rounding the corner of one of the stores and heading for an alley.
Monte grabbed her right forearm, his hand gripping the burn. He was practically dragging her toward where she’d last seen Cayden and Walker. Her gaze was back on the truck and Will.
“Will?” she screamed.
“We can’t help him. We have to go,” Monte said, pulling harder and moving faster.
“We can’t leave him,” she cried.
“We’ll get him back. I promise. But we won’t be of any use if we get ourselves caught too.”
Walker and Cayden were at the end of the alley, waving them on. Cayden had his pistol in his hand. Fear framed his face. She ran as fast as her injured leg would allow, finally reaching them just before Walker set off running across the next street toward a church parking lot. She was exhausted already. She didn’t know how it was going to be possible to keep up. Monte ran behind her, prodding her to keep going.
“Don’t look back. Keep running. Faster, Isabella! Faster!”
As hard as she fought, she couldn’t help herself. She turned her head and gasped. It appeared the whole town was chasing after them. When they reached the church, Monte shoved her from behind, and she fell forward on her knees. She stuck out her right hand, but it slipped in the grass, and her chin bounced off the ground. Her teeth slammed together, and she was sure she’d chipped them. She didn’t have time to check before Walker had her by the hand and dragged her behind the building. Round after round struck the stone facade and shattered the stained-glass windows. Monte returned fire as he dove and rolled, barely missing the round that dug a divot of grass where he’d just been. Cayden stepped around Isabella and fired two shots before leaning back and pressing himself against the building.
“Let’s move,” Walker said, tapping Cayden on the shoulder.
They ran across the street and down the block to the back of a warehouse where several old boats were stored.
“In here,” Monte called, gesturing for them to hurry.
A row of bass boats, bay boats, flat-bottom boats, and various marine engines lined one wall of the building. In the middle were two lifts where boats were hoisted into the air. Tools and equipment were everywhere. Isabella spotted a back room filled with upholstery materials. She grabbed Cayden by his shirt and ran toward it while Walker and Monte secured the door they’d entered.
“What about my dad?” Cayden asked as Isabella searched for another way out.
“We’ll go back for him. We need to lead them away from the truck and then lose them.” She had no idea what the hell she was talking about. They didn’t have a plan—at least one she knew about. She just wanted to give the boy some hope.
“Did you find any other exits?” Monte said, appearing in the doorway to the upholstery room.
“No.” Isabella pointed to the door to her left. “That door goes to a long storage room with more fabric and parts for seats and such.”
“Are there windows in there?”
“No.”
“Good. You two go in there and shut the door.”
“What?” Isabella’s head turned toward the storage space. “I’m not hiding in there with no way of escape.”
“Me neither,” Cayden said, stepping in front of her. “I’m going back for my dad.”
He gripped his pistol in both hands and started around Monte who stuck out his muscular arm and blocked him. “Just hold on there, son. Your dad would not want you rushing out there and getting yourself killed. We have to be smart about this. We’re outnumbered—that’s clear. We can get out of this and get your dad back, but not if we go running off half-cocked.”
“What’s your plan then?” Cayden asked. “He’s hurt. They could have him right now.”
“Let’s discuss this and see what our options are,” Walker said from behind Monte.
Monte moved deeper into the room and away from the door to allow Walker inside the cluttered space. Monte pulled up a roll-around office style chair and pointed for Cayden to take a seat. Isabella leaned back against a workbench that ran the length of the back wall. She wiped the sweat from her face with a white towel she found in a stack on the bench. The heat inside without windows was near unbearable.
“From what I could tell, there were maybe twenty people that came after us,” Monte said, starting the discussion.
“They were on us so fast,” Isabella said.
“They saw us coming,” Walker said. “They likely had lookouts. As soon as that guy popped up and started firing, that truck roared up and cut us off. I didn’t even have time to turn the wheel and avoid crashing into it.”
“And they were at our doors in seconds. It’s a miracle we got away,” Monte said.
“Most of them weren’t from Vincent,” Cayden said.
“They weren’t?” Walker asked. “Are you sure?”
“I recognized some of them. They’re from Sulphur, a town about ten miles away. The others are from around here. They’re all druggies.”
“That makes sense,” Monte said. “They likely moved in to steal the town’s resources.”
“How does this information help us?” Isabella asked.
“Well, for one, we know we are dealing with people who might not be in the best physical or mental state. For another, only half of them had firearms. The rest were carrying baseball bats and clubs.”
Isabella’s brow furrowed. “Those are still deadly.”
“Yes, if they get close enough to hit you with them. I don’t plan on letting them get that close,” Monte said.
“What that tells us is they have a limited supply of firearms and hopefully not much ammunition.”
“Where are the town’s re
sidents?” Isabella asked.
“Hopefully hiding,” Walker said.
“Okay, how does this help us get to my dad?”
“We create a diversion. Draw them out, pick off the ones with guns, and…” Monte’s eyes shifted to Walker.
“I’ll do it,” Walker said. I’ll be the diversion, and you guys go and get Will.”
“They might not buy it if they only see one of us,” Monte said.
“I’ll go with him,” Isabella said. I can’t do much to help carry Will, anyway. I can shoot, though.”
“You can’t run—not fast anyway. If we get overrun and need to exfiltrate…”
Everyone was quiet, contemplating all the possibilities. Cayden stared at the floor. Her heart hurt for him. He had to be so scared for his father, but he seemed to be handling it in such a mature manner. His dad would be proud.
“What’s on your mind, Cayden?” Walker asked.
Cayden slowly looked up. “I thought I saw a face in the window at the church.”
“A face you recognized?” Walker asked.
“I think it was Earl. He owns a tow truck company. I was thinking…” He paused. “I was thinking maybe some of the residents might be hiding at the church.”
“The church? Why?”
“Because Earl’s an atheist. He’d never go to church.”
“Cayden, I’m sorry, but we can’t rescue everyone,” Monte said.
A silence fell over the group. Isabella wasn’t sure they could rescue anyone.
Walker lifted both hands. “Why not? There’s our army.”
Monte dropped his chin and glared at the lawman. “They’re hiding in a church.” He punched every word. “What makes you think we could convince them to fight back against those thugs?”
“Maybe they just need the right leader,” Walker said, pointing to Monte.
“Oh, no. No way. I’m not a leader. Besides, I’m not willing to be responsible for a bunch of citizens getting killed. Maybe they’re right where they need to be. Obviously, it’s working for them so far.”
Cayden stood erect, shoulders back. He looked so much like Will at that moment. Fear ate at Isabella, not knowing if Will were okay.
“Don’t you think they deserve a chance to get out from under the tyrant that has them all terrified?” Cayden asked.
Monte eyed him sideways for a moment. “Deserve? Do any of us deserve this? We have to play the hand we’re dealt. Right now, our concern has to be getting your dad back. If we can accomplish that, then maybe he can be their so-called leader.”
Isabella’s nervous stomach was calling for a bathroom. She turned in a circle, hoping one was close by. She’d only turned her back for a moment, but it had been enough. “Where are you going?” she called as she ran after Cayden.
“To the church. I think we should find out what we’re up against. Don’t you?”
“Cayden, wait a minute. They’re still out there.” He was at the door. She was still ten feet from him. Her heart skipped a beat as light shined through the crack in the door. She stopped and stiffened, expecting bullets to be fired or bad guys to rush in.
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he threw back the door and disappeared.
She gritted her teeth, reminding herself why she’d never had children. “Cayden!” she called to the empty room.
Twenty-Seven
Will
Day Eight
Will’s head was throbbing, and his vision blurred. He was disoriented but could discern that he was being carried.
“Put him in there,” a gruff male voice said.
Will was confused. The voice wasn’t Monte’s or Walker’s. Who was it? Where were they taking him?
He was dropped hard onto the concrete floor then saw a flash of a face before the door to the storage closet slammed shut and he lost consciousness again.
When the door opened again, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been out. The light hurt his eyes, and he tried to raise his hand to cover them, but they had cuffed him behind his back. A man rushed in, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to his feet. He shoved Will through the narrow doorway into a corridor he recognized.
“Bring him in here,” Mayor Clarence Thibodeaux said.
He was in Vincent at the city hall. How had he gotten there? Why was he handcuffed? For a moment, he was eighteen again and being hauled in for racing his 1970 Pontiac GTO down Main Street. Was that it?
“Welcome home, Will,” a male voice said as they shoved him into the mayor’s office.
Behind the desk sat Buzz Blanchard, his feet up and a cigar in his hand.
“Sorry about the lack of a welcome home parade. No one knew it was you. I told them the former star quarterback deserved a better homecoming than that.”
“What’s going on here, Buzz?” Will asked.
“The world went to shit, or don’t you know?’
“I’ve seen. I came from Houston.”
“Really?” Buzz put his feet on the floor and sat erect. “You know what’s happened then?”
Will nodded. “We were attacked. They let off a nuke high up in the atmosphere capable of taking out everything electronic—well, most things.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. I told you. Didn’t I tell you, Thibodeaux? I said it was some foreign assholes.”
“Chinese, from what I know about it,” Will said.
“China? Shit!” Charlie Blanchard, Buzz’s son, walked around Will and approached the desk. “We’re screwed then.”
“The military is fighting back,” Will said.
“Hooah!” a voice said behind him. Buzz’s nephew Willie appeared at Will’s side.
“Can I get these off?” Will nodded toward his cuffed hands.
“Not just yet. We need to find out who all came rolling into my town with you and where they ran off to.”
Cayden!
Will lunged forward toward Buzz, but Charlie caught him and spun him around. “If you hurt my kid, so help me…” Will spat, punching every word as he tried to wrestle free from Charlie.
“You got a kid? I didn’t know that. That woman with them yours too?”
They got away. Cayden will lead them to Savanah’s. Will just needed to get out of the cuffs and escape somehow. “They are no threat to you or this town. We were just heading home.” He could feel one of the cuffs sliding over the knuckle of his thumb. Will relaxed his shoulders.
“To your granddaddy’s farm?” Buzz asked.
There was no use in lying. Buzz knew where it was. Will worked to pull the cuff down over his right hand.
“My sister took it over after…” Will cast a glare at the mayor.
“After she left that piece of shit son of Thibodeaux’s,” Buzz finished for him.
Thibodeaux stared at Will, expressionless. It was plain to see who was really in charge of the town now. Thibodeaux and his henchmen had run the city for decades. Everyone knew how corrupt he was, but they were too afraid to vote him out of office. People that had crossed him had their homes or businesses burned down or their pets killed as a warning. It would have been satisfying seeing him in this subservient position if the man who’d brought it about wasn’t holding him and looking for his son and friends.
“Still, we can’t just let people drive up in here like that. It sets a bad example for the town. We have a reputation and standards to uphold. Now, what we’re gonna do is take you out on the steps of city hall and have you tell your people to give themselves up. That way, nobody’s got to get hurt.”
“They’re no threat to you, Buzz. We just want to get quietly through town and make it to the farm. We won’t come back, I promise.”
Will knew there was nothing that he could say, but he was buying time—for what, he wasn’t sure. Buzz gestured for Charlie to grab Will, and he was hauled out of the building. Will stood on the top step, flanked by Charlie and Mayor Thibodeaux.
Charlie held a megaphone up to Will’s mouth. “Do it. Tell them to turn themselves in. If you don’t, it w
on’t be good for you, and it won’t be pleasant for them when we do locate them.”
Just as Will’s right hand slid free from the handcuff, a shot rang out. Thibodeaux dove and rolled down the steps. Charlie just stood there, unmoving. Will dropped and ran in a low crouch to the end of the landing and dove behind the bushes on the side of the steps.
The door opened, and someone rushed out and grabbed Charlie, dragging him back inside. Will heard shouting, and then someone inside returned fire. Will crawled behind the shrubbery to the corner of the building. He poked his head out, trying to see where his group was firing from. It had to be Monte or Walker that had fired. They’d come for him. He prayed that Cayden and Isabella were tucked away someplace safe. He swept his view across the lawn of the library across the street, sure that the round had to have come from that direction. He slowly stood, his head rising above the azaleas. He heard a crunch behind him, but before he could react, something crashed into the side of his face. His head whipped to the side, and he fell back against the building. A fist drew back again and slammed into him. This time he rolled his head with the punch, dropped, and barreled into Willie with all his weight.
Will took an elbow to the back of his skull that dazed him. He fell forward on his hands and knees, but pure adrenaline kept him alert. There were now multiple people firing at once. Will fought to get free of Willie’s grasp. He had to get away. He needed to find Cayden and get him away from there. Will pulled free and hauled his arm back, nailing Willie in the throat. The man crumpled, falling to the ground.
Will took two steps toward the street before he saw a flash of something in his peripheral vision. He turned toward it a second before Derek, Savanah’s husband, clocked him on the jaw.
“Grab his hands,” Derek said, and Wade joined them.
Will was rushed through the side door of city hall and thrown to the floor. Buzz was on top of him in seconds, shaking him and screaming at the top of his lungs.
