Surviving Rage | Book 2

by Arellano, J. D.

  Hearing the name, Nicholson smiled. “If Lebron James comes out of there, I’m gonna freak out,” he told the young girl.

  The girl smiled slightly. “It’s not Lebron James, silly. It’s my brother.”

  A young black boy slid out of the dog house with ease, rising to his feet to stand next to his sister as he stared at Nicholson. A graphic Lebron James t-shirt covered his torso, while a pair of dark blue sweatpants covered his lower body. Like his sister, his clothes were dirty and torn.

  Nicholson smiled. “Hi, Lebron.”

  The boy’s eyes darted down and away. “Hi…”

  Nicholson glanced at his hands and arms to verify his P.G. was still in place before asking, “Are you two hungry?”

  Both of the children nodded slowly.

  Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a protein bar and held it out towards them. “Here you go. It’s peanut butter. My favorite.”

  When the young girl reached for it, he pulled it back slightly. “First you need to tell me your name, though. Mine’s Todd.”

  Still reaching for the protein bar, the girl looked up at him. “I’m Tasha.”

  Passing the bar to her, he smiled again. “Nice to meet you, Tasha.”

  The girl tore the wrapper of the protein bar open and broke it in half, passing a piece to her brother before taking a bite of her piece. The two of them ate ravenously, chewing rapidly before swallowing.

  Without looking up, Nicholson called out to Corporal Zhang. “Zhang, go to the truck and get a couple bottles of water and another protein bar or two.”

  “Roger that.” The young woman turned and walked back to the Humvee.

  “How long have you two been hiding here?” Nicholson asked, switching his position so that he was on one knee.

  Tasha paused with the last piece of the protein bar in her hand. “Two days,” she replied before returning her focus to what remained of the bar, which wasn’t much at this point. She shoved the last piece in her mouth and chewed it with determination.

  Nicholson’s mind raced as he tried to imagine the two children standing in front of him hiding inside the dog house, hungry and cold, for two days. His eyes wandered down to the two bowls on the ground in front of them. He wondered if they’d eaten and drank what had been there, then wondered if anything had been there.

  Zhang returned, holding a pair of water bottles in one hand and two more protein bars in the other. Over her arm she’d draped a pair of wool blankets they’d kept in Humvee for exactly this purpose.

  Good thinking.

  She passed a bottle of water and a protein bar to each of the children, then held up one of the blankets.

  “Cold?”

  Both of the children nodded.

  Stepping forward, she draped one of the blankets around the young boy’s shoulders.

  “Here you go,” she said, smiling before repeating the process for the girl.

  “Thank you,” the girl said, smiling as she tore into the protein bar.

  Nicholson stood up and nodded at Zhang. “Thanks.” He watched the children for a while as they ate and drank, then asked. “Where are you from?”

  The girl looked at her brother, who looked up at her in return. After a short pause, she said, “Los Angeles.”

  Her response stunned him momentarily. “You came all this way by yourself?” he asked.

  The girl shook her head. “No,” she said, still chewing a bite of protein bar. “Our parents brought us.”

  Nicholson paused, looking around the yard and towards the house. “Are they here?”

  Sadness came over the girl’s face as she shook her head again. “No.”

  Nicholson watched as tears formed in the girl’s eyes. Under normal circumstances, he’d offer her a tissue, but he didn’t have any, so he could little more than wait.

  The girl said nothing as she took another bite of the bar while tears streamed down her face. After chewing the next bit, she huffed, then offered. “They almost made it.”

  “So they’re close?”

  The girl nodded. “Yeah.” She burst out in tears. “But they died.”

  Nicholson reached out and rubbed the girl’s arm lightly, wishing he felt comfortable enough to embrace her. Unfortunately, he had no idea if the girl had been in contact with someone who was infected.

  “Did they get sick?” He asked, gently.

  The girl shook her head. “No. Some bad people killed them.”

  Nicholson looked downward as he shook his head. When he raised it, his eyes met the young girl’s. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” He knew the gangs in San Jose had been actively attacking travelers headed towards San Francisco, taking what they wanted from them without hesitation. Only the truly lucky survived those encounters. He also knew that they were being led by a man with a particularly sadistic streak in him, a man referred to as “The Lion” or “Leon.”

  The girl drank from her water bottle. “The bad men were chasing us, and my parents found a drain pipe that led to the other side of the street. They couldn’t fit, though, so Momma told us to go on ahead and that they’d catch up with us in a few minutes.” The girl was crying more openly now, struggling to get the words out as she spoke. “We heard shooting, then my Momma screaming. They never came.” She took a small sip of her water before she went on. “After a few hours, we heard people coming, so we ran. We made it here, but were too tired to go any further. Then we realized we didn’t know where to go.”

  “The bad men that chased you. Was one of them Leon?”

  Tasha shook her head. “No. When we were hiding, I heard them talking about him, though.”

  Nicholson cocked his head, curious about the information the girl had. “What were they saying?”

  The girl looked away. “They said he was weak. That they weren’t scared of him.”

  “I see.” Nicholson responded. “So they weren’t working for him?”

  “I think they did, but they didn’t respect him,” the girl replied, looking over at her brother, who was struggling to open his bottle of water. She grabbed it from him and opened it. Passing it back to him, she added. “They were more worried about someone else.”

  Again, Nicholson’s curiosity made him ask for more information. “Really, are you sure?”

  The girl nodded, looking into his eyes. “Yeah. Definitely. They were scared.”

  He glanced over at Zhang, who was listening to the exchange intently. She looked confused as well. The reports they’d heard about Leon were concerning, and based on the way he operated, including the brutality he embraced when taking what he wanted, they’d assumed there were no other ‘players’ operating in the area. In fact, according to the intel reports they’d seen, “The Lion” had eliminated every rival gang in the greater San Jose area. His group had grown large quickly, becoming an overwhelming force few were willing to stand against. With no law enforcement left beyond the boundaries of the Protective Zone, he was able to rule unchallenged. It was his gang that had been testing the perimeter of the PZ, so the thought of someone else operating within his area was difficult to envision.

  The fact that the men who’d been chasing Tasha and her brother had been more concerned about someone other than The Lion was perplexing.

  As he watched, Tasha bent down and wiped a few stray splinters away from the knee area of her brother’s pants. ``

  “Hey, Tasha,” he began.

  “Yeah?”

  “Who were they afraid of? Do you know?”

  The girl continued to clean up her brother, moving upward and pulling away the blanket so she could wipe the back of the boy’s t-shirt. “Some other gang leader or something? I think they’re waiting for the right moment to, like, attack or something.”

  “Did they say this person’s name?”

  The girl nodded. “Yeah.” She looked around nervously, as if she were afraid of being heard. When she spoke, she kept her voice low. “The Scorpion.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Near San
ta Barbara, California

  Driving through the morning fog along the coast, Serrano kept his speed in check, making it a point to keep the vehicle behind him in sight as much as possible as they drove along the winding road of Highway 101.

  After the van had finally given out on them, they’d set out on foot, putting distance between themself and the man they’d left behind.

  Tying him to the chair in front of the home hadn’t been his first choice, but leaving the man to recover and escape wasn’t necessarily a good choice, either, and they sure as hell didn’t have room to take prisoners with them. If the man was patient and remained quiet, there was a chance he’d earn his freedom, but it was highly unlikely. At best, he’d be found by others who would question what he’d done to get himself into such a predicament. At worst, he’d be found by the infected.

  Either way, Serrano felt no sympathy towards the man. The man was a predator, one who’d hunted women, and based on the man’s own words, he’d raped them and killed them.

  Something told Serrano the man had been doing those things to women long before the outbreak of the Rage virus.

  If Serrano hadn’t heard the creaking of the wood floor, things might have turned out differently, but his instincts hadn’t failed him.

  A series of creaks would have indicated someone had gotten up to use the bathroom.

  A single creak, followed by nothing, had told his experienced ears something wasn’t right.

  So he’d intervened.

  Glancing towards the backseat, his eyes found the face of Sarah, who had an arm around each of her children and was looking out towards the coast, lost in thought. The two of them had reached a truce of sorts, with him making it clear he respected her as a strong, confident woman (one capable of kicking some serious ass), and her recognizing his position as the leader of their group. It was clear she and her husband/boyfriend/whatever (he hadn’t asked, and wouldn’t anytime soon) had a strong relationship based on trust, understanding, and communication, but in the field, no one in the group had anything close to the experience and knowledge he had. The Marines knew and accepted it, the other civilians accepted it, and now she accepted it, too.

  “According to the map, we’re about halfway to Santa Maria,” Aaron said from the passenger seat. The five of them had piled into a dark blue hybrid version of the Hyundai Sonata, while Richard, Phillip, Jennifer and Damien had chosen an older model, heavily oxidized black Chevy truck with a King cab. It wasn’t ideal, and the gas mileage certainly stunk, but at least there was room for Damien. The man occupied the better part of the back row, leaving just enough room for Jennifer’s slight form.

  Serrano nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “Sounds good.”

  “Will we be able to take a break there?” Sarah asked from the back seat.

  Serrano’s eyes flashed to the mirror, where they met her gaze. He nodded. “Yes. It’ll be close to lunch, and we’ll most likely want to get more gas for the truck.” The thing barely had half a tank, and it made him uncomfortable given the uncertainty of the situation. If they had to speed away, how far could it go before the engine sputtered? Driving the slow speeds required by the condition of the highway was no issue for the hybrid vehicle, which was able to run using its battery, but the truck had little to no fuel efficiency at those speeds.

  “Okay, thanks.” The woman replied, giving a slight smile. Though her eyes still showed a deep sadness, her smile still showed a warmness in her heart.

  Feeling warm himself, Serrano asked the group. “Anyone mind if I crack the window? I just want a little fresh air.”

  “Fine with me,” Aaron responded absently, still focused on the map.

  “Okay here, too.” Sarah responded, looking at each of her sleeping children in turn. “Just not too far down, please.”

  “Deal,” Serrano replied, pressing the button lightly, lowering the window about an inch and a half. The smell of the sea air flowed into the cramped confines of the small car, quickly refreshing them.

  “That’s nice.” Sarah said, breathing in the air. “I feel like we were breathing ash for the last day and a half.”

  “Totally,” Aaron said, looking up from the map again. “There’s a scenic viewpoint up ahead, Chili. How ‘bout we take a break early. I’m sure Jennifer could go for the opportunity to stretch out a bit, too.”

  In truth, Serrano had already caught onto why Aaron was concerned about Jennifer. The young man quietly watched her from time to time, following her movements with his eyes as he smiled.

  Looking back at Sarah, he asked, “That okay with you? Not sure you want to wake the kids just yet.”

  Sarah’s eyes met his in the mirror, then intentionally moved sideways towards Aaron in the front seat. She’d noticed, too. “I think so. They’ve slept quite a bit. It’d be good to let them stretch their legs.” Smiling, she added, “And I’m sure Jennifer needs to stretch hers as well.”

  “Alright.” Putting on his blinker well in advance, Serrano slowed before guiding the small vehicle off the road and up onto a small parking area above the highway. Not bothering with using a parking spot, he simply stopped the vehicle in the middle of the paved area, leaving it pointed towards the exit.

  Once the truck pulled up behind them, they got out of the car, slowly, each of the adults taking time to stretch their legs and back. The kids didn’t bother, instead choosing to gaze out to the west.

  “Mommy, the ocean is so big!” Olivia said, pointing.

  “I know sweetie,” Sarah responded, reaching down and grabbing the young girl’s shoulder gently. “You’ve seen it before, remember?”

  The young girl nodded as she thought back to the first time she’d been to the beach. “Yes, Mommy. It was you, and Daddy, and Jason.” Looking up at her mother, she asked, innocently, “Will Daddy still be in San Fra-cisco when we get there?”

  Hearing the trap contained in the question, Serrano interrupted them. “Hey, look, it’s Damien! Damien, what’s shaking?”

  The big man smiled widely. “Shoot, all of me, all the time, Chili.” He stopped, held his arms out at his side, and shook his hips, making his fat jiggle. The children burst out laughing as they watched the man shake himself.

  Looking over at Serrano, Sarah waited until he looked her way. When he did, she mouthed, ‘Thank you.’

  Serrano allowed the group to remain at the scenic viewpoint for thirty minutes, giving them plenty of time to eat, drink, stretch their legs, and relieve their bladders in the bushes. During the stop, he noticed, to no surprise, that Aaron remained focused on Jennifer, bringing her water and snacks in a seemingly innocent manner. The young woman was appreciative, and offered the Marine bright, open, smiles in return. They sat near each other as they relaxed, making small talk as they looked off towards the Pacific Ocean.

  Looking around, his eyes settled on Phillip, who was watching the couple suspiciously as he sat near his grandfather. The old man seemed oblivious to the closeness of the pair as he chewed on a piece of dried fruit.

  Richard’s eyes came up to find Serrano’s as he approached where the two sat on the gate of the truck. He held up the piece of dried fruit. “Thank goodness I still have all my teeth!”

  Serrano smiled. He held up a piece of dried mango. “They are a bit tough,” he offered. “You guys doing okay in the truck?” he asked.

  “Yeah, we’re fine,” Richard responded, nodding.

  “Fine,” Phillip said, curtly. His eyes didn’t stray from Aaron and Jennifer.

  “You alright?”

  “Yeah,” he replied.

  “He’s worried about his little sister,” Richard began. “I told him, she’s a grown woman.”

  Serrano remained silent as he waited for Phillip to respond. After a long moment, he did.

  “Yeah, but you forget. I’ve been around young Marines a lot more than you,” he told his grandfather.

  “Really?” The man replied, grinning. “I knew quite a few back in ‘Nam.”

 
Phillip shook his head. “Different times, grandpa. Guys these days…”

  Serrano saw the opportunity to provide his two cents. “If I may, ‘these days’ aren’t what they were anymore.’”

  Phillip looked up at the Navy SEAL as he considered his words. He shrugged. “Guys are still guys, though.”

  “Yeah,” Serrano began, “but you’re friends with Aaron for a reason.”

  The young man nodded. “I know.”

  “Do you think he’s gonna try to take her to some sleazy motel and try to ‘hook up?’”

  “No…”

  “Most of all, do you think she’s not able to decide for herself what she wants?” Serrano inquired, looking over at the young woman. “I’ve only known her for a few days, but I can tell, she’s smart, confident, and sensible. She’s capable of making her own decisions.”

  Phillip looked away, saying nothing.

  Serrano reached out and nudged the young Marine on his shoulder, getting his attention. “Hey, if she decides she’s not interested, we’ll be there, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Returning his attention to the older man, Serrano asked, “How’s your back?” He knew the old Marine had chronic back issues, and he figured two and a half days on the road would have been hard on the man.

  Richard shook his head in response. “Not great, Chili, but I’ll manage.”

  “Need a while longer to let it loosen up?”

  The old Marine shook his head again and shrugged. “No amount of stretching will make a difference at this point. It is what it is.”

  Serrano nodded. “Okay. Gonna get us loaded back up in about five, then.”

  “Alright.” Regardless of his previous comments, the man stood and began stretching out his back, earning a pointed look from Serrano. He shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”

  The SEAL shook his head as he walked away, heading over to where Sarah and Damien were keeping the kids entertained. As he got closer, he heard the big man telling Jason and Olivia a fishing story.