“We need to check you out!” shouts a guard.
I look at the guys and say, “Leave your weapons in the SUV. These guards might take anything that we have on us.”
The guys remove any weapons before exiting my SUV.
“How we doing my man? I ask the armed guard.
“Arms out by your sides. Spread your legs,” says the guard as he looks at me.
I step away from my SUV, raises my arms to shoulder height, and put my feet shoulder width apart.
The man says, “I’m going to pat you down now. Do you have any weapons on you?”
“No sir. I don’t have anything on me.”
The man pats my legs, trunk, arms, and torso down and says, “He’s clear. Open the trunk to your vehicle please sir.”
I open the trunk and the armed guard checks our products that we want to trade.
Jon, Matt, and Shaun are patted down by different guards.
Everyone is clear, and the guards check out my SUV.
The guards check the guns, supplies, and products that we brought to World of Trade.
A guard picks up Shaun’s assault rifle and says, “Nice gun. I like this model. You should get some custom modifications done to it.”
Shaun looks at the guard and asks, “What do you recommend? Any vendors in particular?”
“Precision Elite Mods. They are good. My brother works there. Tell him Cage sent you. He will hook you up,” says the armed guard.
Shaun says, “Thank you, Cage. I will.”
The armed guards check the boxes, weapons, supplies, and products thoroughly and see that our products are safe to trade.
“Have a good day gentleman,” says Cage.
“You too. Thank you, guys.”
Shaun and Jon get our boxes of trade products and I close the trunk.
I look at Shaun, Matt, and Jon and ask, “No one is sneaking any weapons in, right?”
“Why, is that bad?” asks Jon.
“Yeah. This place is not the place you want to break the rules. No ammo allowed in this place. The guards have the greenlight to kill you.”
Jon says, “Good to know. I’ll keep quiet and a low profile in here.”
Shaun, Matt, Jon, and I walk towards the outdoor vendors of level one.
As we walk towards the vendors, I see a lot less people, vendors, chaos and craziness than the last time we were here with Jacob.
Jon says, “I thought you said there were tons of people and vendors here.”
Matt replies, “There was the last time we were here. Today, there’s probably a quarter of what we saw last time.”
As we get closer to the vendors, I see that the World of Trade took some damage from the storm and parts of the parking lot and outdoor section are flooded.
Shaun sees a gun modification vendor and walks over to them.
“Are you Precision Elite Mods?” asks Shaun.
The vendor says, “They are down a couple of tents. They have the all black canvas and tarps.”
Shaun says, “Thank you.”
Jon sees a vendor that interests him, and he stops to talk with the old man vendor.
Matt sees another baby vendor and stops to talk with them.
Shaun finds Precision Elite Mods and talks with them.
I see a man talking with two men. The one man is surrounded by several armed guards.
I find it odd to see so many armed guards around one man.
I’m interested in who the person is, so I walk towards the men.
The man being surrounded by several armed guards is someone of power and privilege.
As I walk closer to the group of men, I see two familiar faces.
I don’t want to interrupt the men talking, so I stand quietly away from the men.
The armed men stare at me and make sure that I’m not doing anything for them to worry about.
The two men I know turn towards me.
“Ryan!” shouts one of the men.
“Hey Eric. Hey Brad. How are ya?”
Brad replies, “I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
Brad directs the man that is surrounded by armed men towards me.
Brad shouts, “Abdul! This is Ryan! He’s a friend of mine!”
Abdul turns towards me and puts his hand out for me to shake.
I shake Abdul’s hand and say, “Nice to meet you Abdul.”
Brad says, “Abdul runs this place. He is the Trade Master.”
Abdul says, “Nice to meet you Ryan. I have heard about you and what you have been able to accomplish in this new world so far. Very impressive. Keep up the good work.”
I’m not sure what Abdul is referring to, but I decide to accept his kind words.
“Thank you. Your World of Trade is very impressive, Abdul.”
“Thank you. We have been working hard on this place for a while. It’s a constant pain in the ass. We are trying to get this place back in order after the big storm that came through,” says Abdul.
Abdul looks at Eric and Brad and says, “It was great seeing you again Brad. I look forward to seeing you again. Nice to meet you Eric.”
Abdul looks at me and says, “Nice to meet you Ryan. I must be going now. I have business to attend to.”
Abdul and his six-armed guards leave Eric, Brad, and myself. Abdul walks towards the entrance to level two and goes inside.
Brad says, “Abdul is a good guy. He really helps me out with some hard to find meds. I don’t know how The Captain would function without these pills.”
“Pills? What do you mean?”
“The Captain has a drug problem. He’s totally dependent on these pills. The pills are getting harder and harder to find. Abdul is my only source for them. Luckily, Abdul and The Captain go way back,” says Brad.
Eric asks, “What’s up Ryan? You make out okay with the storm?”
“Yeah. We made out okay. How about you?”
“We got some flooding really bad right around the docks and part of the property that is right on the water is flooded. We lost a few boats, and we had to reposition the shipping container borders,” says Brad.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Jon walks over to me and sees me talking with Eric and Brad.
Jon says hello to Brad and Eric.
Eric asks, “What you got there Jon?”
Jon says, “I got some good stuff for Kelly. I know Kelly will like what I got.”
Shaun walks over to Jon and me.
“Dude, they are totally hooking me up with my gun mods. They said it will take three days to finish, but they will have them done in three days,” says Shaun.
“Nice. I guess we are coming back here in three days.”
“They gave me a ticket for each gun. They also gave me a free precision scope for my other assault rifle,” says Shaun.
Brad asks to speak with me alone.
I agree and decide to walk with Brad.
“What’s up Brad?”
Brad says, “I have been talking with Eric about things and I think we still need your help.”
“I’m not sure my group and I would be a great help to you guys Brad. We aren’t on the same page. The Brotherhood and Channelside aren’t meshing well.”
Brad says, “We aren’t all bad there. Sure, our Captain is much to be desired but he’s what we have. My wife Ola, Eric, Julia, DJ, DJ’s wife, and tons of other people are good people. Trustworthy people.”
“What are you proposing?”
“We can help each other. I will go around The Captain if necessary,” says Brad.
Brad holds up the white paper bag that is holding The Captain’s pills and says, “Without these pills, he’s in bad shape. He needs me. I’ll put in a good word with him and end the conflict between you two.”
“I understand what you are doing here, but I just don’t have time for people like your Captain.”
“Look. We don’t need him. We can have our own agreement. The Captain gets on my nerves
also, but I’m his lieutenant. I can’t just abandon him and the people of Channelside. There are some good people worth fighting for. Trust me, we have tons of good people you will like. We have two huge towers full of people. There has to be at least one person you’ll like there.”
“I don’t need more people to hang out with.”
I look back at Shaun, Matt, and Jon.
“I have my Brotherhood.”
“Do you have fish, protein, electric vehicles, and access to a cruise ship?” asks Brad.
I shake my head and smile.
“You and that damn cruise ship. You know that’s my weakness. I had my honeymoon on that cruise ship you have docked at your port.”
Brad smiles and says, “I can get you a honeymoon suit on the boat. You can have a nice vacation on the boat again.”
I smile at Brad.
Brad says, “We need your help with Jacob and around Channelside. If you help us with some things, I will make sure to help you out and make it worth your while.”
I work out an agreement with Brad and plan to meet him at Davis Island tomorrow.
Eric and Jon are glad that I worked out an agreement with Brad.
Eric says, “I’ll meet you at Davis Island around noon. I’ll help you clean out the island.”
Brad says, “Me too. I’ll bring some people to help as well.”
Brad and Eric say goodbye to Jon, Matt, and Shaun.
I check out a few vendors and make some deals.
Jon, Matt, Shaun, and I explore all of level one.
I walk over to where I talked to the old man about the RV during my first trip to World of Trade, but there is no sign of him, the RV, or motorcycle.
Matt asks, “Can we check out the doors to level two? Maybe we can get in?”
We all agree and decide to walk to the level two entrance doors.
Matt leads the way towards the indoor level two section at World of Trade.
I see the heavily guarded closed doors of level two.
A very large heavy set black male security guard dressed in military attire looks at Matt and asks for his level two pass and credentials.
I look at the large security guard and ask, “How do you get inside level two?”
The man says, “You need to know the right people to get in. You need to get a pass or badge to get in. You can get a single day pass or an all access badge.”
“How do you get either of those?” asks Shaun.
The man says, “You need to be given one by the Trade Master, a council member, or another person of power around here.”
Jon says, “Damn. I wonder what they got in there. It must be good if it’s this well protected.”
The large security guard smiles and says, “It’s definitely good. Hopefully, one of these days you’ll find out but it’s totally worth it. Trust me.”
I remember I have the East entrance pass in my pocket.
I show the man the Preferred Member East entrance access card.
The man says, “That card may get you in from time to time, but not today. Hold on to that though. It could get you in one day.”
I look at the man and ask, “What’s your name?”
The man says, “I can’t give you my name. Just call me door man.”
“Well door man, you have been very helpful. Thank you for your information. I hope to see you again and get access to level two one day.”
Door man says, “Good day gentlemen and thank you for checking out World of Trade.”
Jon, Matt, Shaun, and I finish up at World of Trade and start walking towards the East parking lot.
As I’m walking, I see a group of hooded figures walking towards me.
I try to step out of the way to let them pass, but they change their direction to walk into me.
One of the hooded figures gets right up in my face.
I see that the person is wearing a black mask with a white skull outline on it over the bottom part of their face, black sunglasses, and a black hood.
The person whispers to me, “I know who you are. You are special in this world. Isiah will protect you.”
I’m taken back by the message but don’t feel threatened as I look at the hooded figure.
Shaun, Jon, and Matt turn back towards me and see the group of hooded figures around me.
Shaun becomes concerned for my safety.
“What the fuck are you doing?” shouts Shaun.
The person in the black hood and mask whispers, “Isiah will protect you. Be wary of the brother.”
Shaun, Jon, and Matt run towards me.
The hooded figures scatter and vanish into the crowd of people near the vendors at World of Trade.
“You okay bro? What the hell was that?” asks Shaun.
Shaun looks into the crowd of people and vendors, but the hooded figures are gone.
“I think they were warning me. They didn’t hurt me. They were delivering a message.”
“What message?” asks Jon.
“Something about someone named Isiah and to be wary of the brother.”
Matt says, “Weird. Those people were freaking weird. All dressed in black and covered up with black hoods and masks.”
“Yeah. They had black masks on with a skull design on the bottom part of the mask. I never saw that before.”
“You okay though Ry?” asks Shaun.
“Yeah. They meant no harm to me. I wasn’t threatened by them. I think they were trying to relay a message.”
Shaun says, “Okay good. Let’s get the hell out of here. That’s enough craziness for one day.”
Jon, Matt, Shaun, and I walk back to my SUV. We all put our belongings in the back of my SUV trunk.
I walk to the driver side door of my SUV and see a feather underneath the driver side windshield wiper.
I lift up the driver side windshield wiper blade and grab the feather.
I look down at the feather and examine it.
The feather is white with some light brown and dark brown going down the middle of it and coming out to the sides.
I open my driver side door and get in my SUV.
I show the guys the feather.
“That looks like an owl feather,” says Jon.
I grab the owl patch from my glove box and notice the same light and dark brown coloring on it.
I smile and say, “I think you are right, Jon.”
Shaun shouts, “What’s with all the owl stuff?”
CHAPTER 15
DON’T WASTE THIS
“So, your leader is named Dolan?” asks William.
“Yes sir,” says Tanner.
“Where can we find Dolan?” shouts Jeremy.
William is taken back by Jeremy’s interruption.
“He lives in a huge house off Keene Road. We took over a bunch of homes in a gated neighborhood there,” says Greg.
Jeremy goes to say something, but William says, “Thank you, Greg. What else can you guys tell me about Dolan and your group?”
Tanner starts to cry and says, “We didn’t mean to spray paint your walls and damage your property. Dolan told us to do it.”
Greg looks at Tanner with a look of aggravation.
“Stop crying Tanner. We are responsible for our actions,” says Greg.
“Yes, you are Gregory. Why do you keep listening to what Dolan says?” asks William.
Greg replies, “Because I’m with his group. Dolan isn’t the best guy, but his group keeps us safe. Without them, we would be part of the dead.”
“Are there any adults where you live?” asks William.
“No. Everyone in our group lost their parents. Dolan and his fellow football players survived somehow and kept recruiting every kid that they could find. He has a pretty large group now. Dolan wants to take over your school. He says it doesn’t belong to you,” says Greg.
Jeremy gets pissed and exits the classroom.
William looks at Bruce, and Bruce goes after Jeremy.
“You two will stay here for now. It�
�s much safer here at The Haven then out there,” says William.
Tanner says, “Thank you.”
Jeremy is walking to his room.
Bruce shouts, “Wait up Jeremy!”
Jeremy enters his room and starts grabbing his weapons and body armor chest plate.
“I know what you are planning to do, but it’s not smart to go after Dolan and his group,” says Bruce.
“They attacked us and disrespected this place! It’s only a matter of time until they try to take this place from us!” shouts Jeremy.
Bruce sees Jeremy put his body armor chest plate on and grab a bag full of guns.
“I can’t let you go Jeremy, not alone,” says Bruce.
“Then come with me. I lost my mother and my home already. I’m not losing it again. I’m being proactive this time, not reactive,” says Jeremy.
Bruce sees the fire in Jeremy’s eyes and knows that Jeremy will go with or without help.
“Wait for me Jeremy. Let me get my things, and I will meet you in the parking lot,” says Bruce.
“Okay. I will wait for you outside by my truck,” says Jeremy.
Bruce leaves Jeremy’s room, and Jeremy walks down the hall.
Bruce goes into the classroom where William is talking with Greg and Tanner still.
Jeremy walks into Felix’s bedroom and sees Felix reading a book.
“What’s up Jeremy?” says Felix as he puts down his book.
“Are you doing anything right now?” asks Jeremy.
Felix stands up from his bed and asks, “Nope. What’s up? What’s going on?”
“I’m going to confront the punks that keep messing with our home,” says Jeremy.
James and Ricky hear Jeremy and Felix talking.
Ricky walks over to Felix’s doorway.
“I’m down. Let me get my stuff first,” says Felix.
James walks over to Felix’s doorway and stands behind Ricky.
Jeremy sees James and Ricky standing in the doorway and asks, “You want to come with us?”
James nods his head yes and runs back to his room.
Ricky says, “Of course bro.”
James and Ricky get their weapons and gear ready.
Jeremy, Felix, Ricky, and James exit the school and go outside to the parking lot.
“Who else is coming?” asks Felix.
Jeremy puts his bag down next to his truck and says, “Bruce.”
Fight 4 Us (Book 6): Keeper Page 15
