She pushed the thought aside, demanding her mind focus and keep those feelings tucked away where they belonged. She had no business thinking romantically. Plus, she wouldn’t make a hypocrite of herself. At least not this soon. She’d talked with Savannah about her and Malachi, and letting things cool down while they figured out this new world. She wasn’t about to show that she couldn’t take her own good advice.

  Savoring the last drops of her coffee, she spent a few more minutes on her own enjoying the peace before heading into the house to get ready for what she’d internally been referring to as their mission. Going into town would be dangerous, but it had to be done. They needed to know what might be headed their way, and she really wanted to find a change of clothes.

  When she walked inside, Malachi, Austin, and Harlen were in the kitchen. Austin waved her in. She glanced over and saw Wendell sprawled out on one couch, a blanket pulled up to his eyes. Drew was draped on the other couch, still sound asleep.

  “What’s up?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  “It’s going to be us, and apparently Gretchen is coming along,” Austin said.

  Amanda raised her eyebrows with surprise. “Gretchen? Really? No Mike?”

  Harlen nodded. “She wants to look for some plants on the way and Mike offered to stay behind.”

  “Works for me,” Amanda replied.

  “They’ve all agreed to carry guns,” Austin said, looking at her before the others.

  “Good. I think it’s a very good idea.”

  “I’m going to wake Ennis and let him know we’ll be leaving. I’ll retrieve the weapons, as well,” he said.

  Amanda nodded. The weapons were being kept out of plain sight for the time being. It was dangerous to have them all easily accessible. She didn’t like the idea of not trusting the people in the house, but she didn’t know them all that well. They couldn’t risk one of the revivalists deciding to up and leave, and helping him or herself to their weapons supply before they left. They claimed to be peaceful people, but it could be an act, and even the most peaceful among them understood that there were people out there who’d take advantage of anyone they could. Weapons meant self-defense as much as anything. With that in mind, she wasn’t ready to trust any of them wholeheartedly just yet.

  “Do you have packs loaded?” she asked Malachi and Harlen.

  Both men nodded. “We took care of it last night. They’re the go-bags Ennis had here. We took out a few things to make room for any supplies we might find.”

  “Good.”

  “Maybe we can find extra backpacks while we’re scouting,” Malachi added.

  “I hope so. We should have enough for every person here,” Amanda agreed.

  Gretchen walked into the kitchen then, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail and a smile on her face. Amanda thought she looked chipper and ready, though she always had a look of innocent serenity about her. Amanda assumed it had something to do with her firm belief in God and those freckles that gave her such a youthful look. Amanda envied her mindset in some ways, but preferred reality to spirituality.

  There were only four backpacks in the house, which she’d thought had meant someone would be going light, but Gretchen held something else in her hand.

  “What’s that?” Amanda asked the redhead, pointing to the cloth in her hand.

  Gretchen smiled and held it up. “It’s one of those reusable grocery bags. I’m borrowing it to carry any plants I find.”

  Amanda grinned. “Good plan. If there are more of those,” she added, “we could put them in the pack in case we find small supplies that they’d work for.” When Gretchen agreed to find some more and distribute them, Amanda turned back to the men. “I’ll be right back,” she told them, heading off to find Austin.

  Ennis’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. She knocked.

  “Who is it?” Ennis asked, his voice sleepy.

  “Amanda.”

  “Come in,” Austin called out.

  She walked in at the prompt, feeling a little out of place in the room with Ennis still in bed. “Hi,” she said with a friendly smile. She knew he didn’t care for her all that much.

  “Your leg holster is there,” Austin pointed to the dresser.

  Amanda quickly donned it, sliding the Glock into place.

  “Do we have holsters for the others?” she asked.

  Ennis nodded. “I do,” he mumbled, throwing the blankets off and getting out of bed. “Austin will be carrying one of the ARs, as well.”

  Amanda looked at him. “You don’t think that’s too obvious?”

  He shrugged. “Obvious might be a good thing. If we encounter anyone, I want them to know we aren’t in the mood to be messed with.”

  She smirked. “Got it.”

  They gathered the three remaining holsters with another Glock, a Beretta, and the smaller thirty-eight semi-automatic for Gretchen. Austin slung the semi-auto rifle over his shoulder before they walked outside to join the rest of the group.

  Amanda watched for Gretchen’s reaction to the rifle on Austin’s shoulder. There was a brief look of shock, but the woman quickly wiped it away. That seemed like a good sign.

  “Here, put these on,” Austin instructed, handing the holsters out.

  Amanda helped Gretchen before giving her a very quick tutorial on how to use the gun. It was smaller than what she’d practiced with, and would be easier for a beginner to handle.

  “I hope I never have to shoot the thing,” Gretchen muttered.

  Austin chuckled. “You and me both. Are we ready?” he asked.

  There was a round of head-nodding before they set off, walking out of the house and straight down the driveway. Amanda took a last look back at the house as they did, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time she laid eyes on it.

  7

  Austin froze, goosebumps popping up over his flesh as his ears strained to identify the exact direction of the noise he’d heard. They’d been walking an hour or so when he’d sensed something or someone.

  “Stop,” he whispered.

  Amanda was the first to do exactly as he’d instructed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Stop!” he hissed again when he saw the other three were still moving.

  Malachi halted, reaching out to touch Harlen’s arm. Gretchen had been staring at the ground, oblivious to anything around her as they walked through the thick forest.

  “Go, that way.” Austin pointed into the trees in the opposite direction of the noise he’d heard.

  Everyone did exactly as ordered, but the sound of their footsteps was equivalent to a stampede of elephants. When they’d gone about a hundred feet into the trees, they all stopped, turning to stare at him.

  “What’d you hear?” Amanda asked.

  “Voices. Men’s voices,” he said.

  “It could have been someone out hunting or looking for refuge,” Gretchen spoke out softly.

  Austin nodded. “It could have been, but I would prefer we saw them first.”

  “I hear them!” Malachi exclaimed.

  “Shh,” Austin scolded.

  “Get down and hide behind the trees. It sounds like there are several of them,” Amanda said, moving to pull the gun from its holster on her thigh.

  Gretchen stared at the gun in Amanda’s hand. “Do I have to?”

  Austin shook his head. “Not yet. If we tell you to shoot, though, do exactly as Amanda told you.”

  Gretchen dropped to her knees behind a thick tree trunk. “I have a confession,” she whispered then.

  Austin’s blood froze, anticipating something horrible. “What?”

  “I know how to shoot,” she admitted.

  Harlen chuckled while the rest of them looked at her in complete shock.

  “What?” Amanda asked.

  “My dad was a cop. He taught me how to shoot. He was killed in the line of duty. I hate guns. I loathe them, and I swore I would never, ever use one,” she said with regret, “but I know how.”

  Amanda offered her a fast smile. “I’m glad you know how to shoot. Hopefully, you won’t have to.”

  “I see one,” Harlen said from where he was crouched about ten feet away, behind the trunk of a massive pine.

  “Where?” Austin asked.

  Harlen pointed. “About two hundred feet to the east. It looks like he’s wearing a jumpsuit,” he said, confusion in his voice. “You know, the kind race car drivers wear?”

  Amanda’s mouth fell open. “No!” she breathed out.

  Austin felt the world tilt briefly and then suddenly right itself. He’d known it was too easy. There was no way a group like the NWO would get taken out so easily, in just one swoop. They were still around, and they were searching for them.

  “No one say a word,” Austin ordered.

  He pulled the rifle from his shoulder, checking to make sure the magazine was locked in tight. None of them moved a muscle as a group of six men fanned out through the forest. They were all carrying the same automatic rifles seen at the tower. Austin glanced at Harlen and Malachi, seeing that both men had the barrels of their semi-automatic handguns trained in the general direction of the men.

  They were no match for the ARs, though. They’d be mowed down before any of them could ever get a shot off. All they could do was hope they’d go unseen.

  As if there was some twisted hand of fate hovering above them, a bird directly over their heads called out before fluttering away. The sound spooked the soldiers, who all turned their weapons in the group’s direction. Austin hoped none of them were the nervous sort to shoot at anything.

  “Who’s there? Show yourselves!” one of the men shouted.

  Austin shook his head when his fellow housemates looked to him for guidance.

  “Shoot into the trees; see what runs out,” another one of the men called out.

  He knew it was a ploy. They were trying to scare them into moving.

  “We haven’t done much target practice this week. I bet you we could shoot a moving target,” a man said with a laugh.

  Gretchen whimpered. The sound was barely audible, but in the forest, it was as loud as a ringing bell.

  “There!” a man shouted.

  There was a cacophony of ear-splitting gunfire. Fortunately, Gretchen’s whimper had been slightly misleading. The men were shooting about twenty feet south of where Austin and the others were now lying flat on the forest floor.

  The gunfire stopped as suddenly as it had started. Austin’s heart pounded in his chest as he waited for what would come next.

  “Nothing!” a male voice shouted.

  A thump against the ground drew his attention. He looked to where Amanda was lying prone in a pile of pine needles intermingled with pine cones. She had hit the ground with her palm to get his attention. She pointed behind her, indicating that she wanted to move. He shook his head.

  The men started talking again. Austin dared to lift his head, finding himself not thirty feet from one of the soldiers wearing the signature all-black jumpsuit. The man’s back was to him, but he was too close for comfort. When Austin turned to look back at Amanda, her eyes were wide with fear.

  He used a finger to point away, telling her to take the others and go. She nodded, moving a hand to get Malachi’s attention. Austin kept watch as they silently slid across the forest floor on their bellies. When they were nearly out of sight, hidden by forest foliage and trees, he made his move.

  And he did his best to go undetected, but he was too close to the men.

  “Stop!” one of the soldiers shouted.

  Austin froze, hoping they hadn’t actually seen him. When he looked up, though, there was an ugly black barrel about twelve inches from his forehead.

  “I’m just out here hunting for food,” he said.

  “Get up on your feet!” the man with the gun on him shouted.

  Austin stood slowly, his hands in the air; the AR remained on the ground beside where he stood.

  “Hunting, huh?” another man asked, kicking the gun away from him and removing the handgun from the holster on his thigh.

  “Check out that holster,” an older man grumbled, pointing to Austin’s thigh.

  “Looks a lot like ours, don’t you think?”

  “I’ve been out here, living off the land. I fled the city and have been holed up here for a few weeks, just like you guys said to do,” Austin said, willing them to believe him.

  “Alone?” the older man asked.

  “Yes.”

  He fought the urge to look into the trees to see if Amanda had made it away safely. If he looked, they’d know he was lying and likely open fire. He leveled his gaze at the man with graying hair, much shorter than himself.

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  Austin shrugged, his hands still raised. “I couldn’t tell you.”

  “You always hunt game with a Glock and an AR?” the man asked, eyeing him up and down.

  “It’s all I have. Does the trick,” he replied easily.

  “Why don’t you take us back to your camp. We’d like to see it,” another man said.

  “Why? You told us to flee the city and we did,” Austin shot back.

  The man with the gray hair grinned. “I guess you could say our boss has changed his mind. He’s a little irritated about a recent uprising. We’re out here to find anyone who might try and come after us again.”

  “Again, huh?” Austin replied with a smirk, before he could stop himself.

  “You know, this guy, doesn’t he fit the description of the Merryman dude?” a middle-aged soldier asked, standing watch a few feet away.

  Austin’s heart skipped a beat. They were actively looking for him.

  “Nah, they said that guy was at least two-fifty, much taller, and traveling with a ragtag gang,” the older man said.

  “I’m alone,” Austin repeated, his voice even.

  The six men exchanged looks before the man standing directly in front of Austin nodded.

  “We’re going to take you back to headquarters, just to be sure,” he announced.

  “What? Why?” Austin grumbled.

  “Because I like to be sure,” he replied, raising his rifle and aiming it directly at Austin’s chest. “Move, toward us. We’re heading back that way,” he added, gesturing into the trees, directly toward where Austin and his group had originally been heading.

  Austin stepped out of the thick trees, following the man ahead of him. He knew he wouldn’t be coming back. There’d been too many men and women at the tower who had seen him when he’d been brought in. They hadn’t all been killed. It wouldn’t take long before he was identified and killed for taking out their leader—or, rather, one of their leaders.

  He tried not to let himself think about Savannah and what she would go through. He was confident Ennis and Amanda would take care of her, though that was small comfort on the way to one’s own death.

  The men talked amongst themselves as they kept a steady eye on their surroundings. Austin scanned the area, hoping Amanda didn’t try to stage a rescue. They were outgunned, and didn’t stand a chance with the four handguns between them. He stumbled over a root, quickly catching himself.

  “Don’t try anything stupid, or I will shoot you,” the man behind him grumbled, shoving the barrel of the gun into his spine.

  “I tripped,” Austin retorted.

  There was a sharp whistle. Austin assumed it was more of the NWO members filtered throughout the forest. It was only when all of them held their weapons up, forming a semi-circle with Austin in the middle, that he realized they weren’t expecting company.

  “We’ll shoot!” one of the men called out.

  The whistle came again, directly in front of them. A second later, gunfire erupted as all six men opened up, aiming their rifles straight ahead at the unseen whistler. The sound of the gunfire was deafening, disrupting his senses. He struggled to orientate himself as movement attracted him from his periphery.

  It was Amanda. She gestured for him to run, now, while the semi-circle had broken and the men were all focused forward. The gunfire in front of him was the perfect distraction. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted as fast as he could away from the soldiers.

  “Stop!” one of the men shouted, the gunfire suddenly coming to an abrupt halt.

  Another shot rang out, followed by several more. Two of the soldiers dropped where they stood as Austin was pulled into some brush, yanked in by Amanda. He held his breath and looked back, still beside her.

  “We’re under fire!” one of the men shouted, aiming his weapon to fire into the trees where the shots had come from.

  He never managed to get his finger on the trigger. There was a flash of red hair followed by two rapid shots that dropped him where he stood. Bullets came from elsewhere and caught the soldiers’ attention as Austin used the distraction to bolt for the clearly visible shock of red hair; he tackled Gretchen to the ground at the same time bullets began flying over them.

  Several more shots rang out from all around them, and then there was nothing but silence. Austin was afraid to move. He didn’t think he’d been shot, but the eerie silence had him wondering if he’d died or was on the verge of death.

  “You can get off me now,” Gretchen muttered from below him.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, rolling to the side.

  “Clear!” Amanda’s voice rang out.

  Austin jumped to his feet and raced back towards where the men had been. They lay scattered around the forest floor in various poses. All of them dead. Amanda was already kicking guns away from the bodies in case anyone was playing possum.

  He quickly jumped in, picking up the fallen weapons along with all spare magazines and checking for pulses. He looked up to see Malachi and Harlen standing next to each other, staring down at the bodies, stricken looks on their faces.

  “Are they all dead?” Gretchen whispered.

  Austin turned to look at the woman who’d gone pale as a ghost, making her freckles look even more pronounced. “They are.”

  She was shaking her head. “I hated doing that.”

  “I know you did,” he said, and then he reached out and gripped her shoulder, holding his hand there for support until she finally looked up from the bodies and met his eyes. “Thank you. You helped save my life.” He looked around at the group. “Thank you to all of you for saving my life,” he said.

 

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