“I’m glad you’re on my side, Nash. Get some sleep,” Austin replied, leaning back and closing his eyes as Nash said goodnight. He tried to stop his mind from thinking about everything. They were both too tired to do more thinking or working now. Whatever came next would wait for the next day.

  For now, he needed sleep in order to think clearly. He’d get one of the maps tomorrow and start plotting a route to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. There was no way he could sit around and do nothing but hope for the best. Having the USB and the knowledge about the NWO’s plans made it his responsibility to do something. He could never live with himself if he sat back and watched the world implode. He had to try, even if he failed.

  20

  When Austin awoke the next morning, he felt restless. He couldn’t stay at the house. He needed to get out and do something. He didn’t know what that was, but he wanted to be proactive. He’d go south, he decided. They knew what was to the east. The south was what they needed to explore if his and Nash’s plan to reach the Cheyenne Mountain Complex was going to become a viable option.

  He’d do a little scouting and clear his head. This in mind, he got up with more hope than he’d had the night before, noticing that Nash was still asleep, as were a couple of the other men who crashed in the room. There’d been a bit of a musical chairs situation when it came to the sleeping arrangements. It turned out that a couple of the men were serious snorers, which made it difficult for anyone in the room to get some sleep, leading to more frustration and tension. Harlen and Drew were the worst offenders, but it looked like everyone slept peacefully at the moment. A symptom of the night before’s stress and exhaustion, maybe.

  He quickly pulled on his jeans, glad he could sleep in his underwear now that they had closed doors to sleep behind. He walked out without turning the light on or making any real noise, doing his best to shut the door as silently as possible. It sounded like the whole household was still asleep.

  After a quick glass of water, he headed outside, careful not to disturb Malachi where he lay passed out on one of the couches. Inhaling the fresh air after the rain yesterday, he started on his way to the horse shelter.

  He heard her before he saw her. “Amanda?” he asked when he found her brushing Raven, with Charlie keeping a close watch nearby.

  “Hey! What are you doing up so early?”

  “I could ask you the same thing. What is that?” he asked, pointing to the brush in her hand.

  She smiled. “It’s a curry brush I picked up on our trip to the suburbs—I don’t know if they used it for a big dog or what, but I couldn’t resist grabbing it. So, what’s up? What brought you out here?” she asked.

  He’d been busted. He cleared his throat. “I was hoping to take a little ride,” he confessed.

  Her eyebrows raised and she stopped brushing the horse. “A ride? Where?”

  “South,” he said quietly.

  She eyed him. “South. That’s vague.”

  “I want to do some scouting. We haven’t been in that direction yet. It’s away from the city. I want to see if there’s any rural homes we could scavenge. Maybe there are some farms or ranches we could do some trading with,” he explained.

  She was staring at him like she didn’t believe him. Spending twenty-four hours a day with someone, seven days a week, had made her able to read him well. It made him a little uncomfortable about finessing the truth, too, and reminded him a lot of his wife.

  “Austin, I thought we agreed to stay here, to stay close and avoid any chance run-ins with anyone,” she said.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t agree to that. Everyone else did.”

  She nodded in understanding as she turned back to Raven. “I see.”

  He frowned at her tone, tamping down frustration. “I won’t be gone long.”

  “I’m going with you,” she said, putting the brush in a small plastic grocery bag and hanging it on a tree branch.

  “You are?” he asked with surprise.

  “Yes, I am. We’ll need to get them saddled,” she added.

  “I need to grab another gun,” he said. “I only picked up one for myself on my way out the door.”

  “You do that, and I’ll take care of getting them ready. Maybe we’ll find a nice green pasture for them to graze on,” she said.

  He grinned, suddenly glad she’d be going along for the ride. He felt isolated enough after last night’s discussion. Traveling with Amanda again wouldn’t be a bad thing. “I’ll be back in a few,” he promised, heading back down the small hill towards the house.

  Malachi woke when he came through the door. Austin looked at him but didn’t say a word. He headed for the kitchen instead, grabbing two of the empty water bottles they had saved and quickly filling them with water from the tap. He’d grabbed two for himself, but now that Amanda was going, he wanted to make sure he had enough for her. On top of the water, he also filled a couple of sandwich bags with trail mix from the large can in the pantry before heading towards one of the closets where they had guns stored, not wanting to keep the entire armory in one place.

  He’d only taken the Glock with him when he left the house that morning and decided to keep it light on the guns. He grabbed the Beretta as a second weapon, along with two concealed carry holsters Ennis had stashed. His brother had been a huge proponent of concealed carry, but Austin couldn’t imagine Ennis being the guy who saved the day in an active shooter situation.

  With everything he needed for the quick trip, he walked into the kitchen to find Ennis standing there. Ennis simply looked down at the holsters and pack in his hand and raised an eyebrow. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

  “Yes. That a problem?”

  “Austin, where are you going? Didn’t we decide it wasn’t safe to leave the area?” Ennis growled.

  Austin smirked. “You don’t get to decide what I do and don’t do.”

  Wendell walked into the kitchen with Savannah right behind him. Austin’s plan to make an escape without having to talk to anyone was gone.

  “What’s going on?” Wendell asked, as if it were any of his business.

  Austin walked to his daughter and gave her a brief hug, ignoring the man’s question. “I’m going out of a bit, but I’ll be back tonight,” he told her.

  She gave him a rather chilly return hug and stepped away. “Where are you going?”

  “Out,” he replied with a glance toward his brother. He’d be damned if he’d answer to his brother over every little move he made.

  “You’re being a fool,” Ennis snapped.

  “Because I don’t want to sit around here and wait for someone to find us? Or because I don’t want to be the guy who has the ability to stop what’s happening, but does nothing because I’m too afraid?” Austin demanded. “Besides that, this isn’t some half-cocked mission. I’m just going out to look around.”

  Ennis stepped towards him. “I’m not afraid of anything. I’m thinking about survival. You don’t go out picking a fight you’ll lose if you want to survive.”

  “Dad, please don’t do anything that could get you hurt,” Savannah said in a quiet voice.

  “I’m not doing anything dangerous! Amanda and I are going for a ride, and that’s it,” he said, meeting her eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Savannah.

  “Of course, Amanda is going with you,” Wendell snapped.

  “Excuse me?” Amanda asked, walking into the kitchen behind Wendell.

  Wendell spun around, clearly surprised to see her. Austin smiled. Wendell deserved every awkward moment he found himself in; the guy was constantly in Ennis’s ear about Amanda and himself. He didn’t like either of them, and didn’t miss a chance to try and complain to Ennis about something they’d done, and Austin knew it. Seeing him caught in the act was the only good part about being held up this morning.

  “I only meant, the two of you are always running off together,” Wendell said, looking at Ennis.

  “Running off?” Austin echoed.

  “You aren’t going to let this USB thing go, are you?” Ennis asked.

  Austin shrugged. “Maybe not. That’s my decision since it was entrusted to me.”

  “Not if it affects me!” Ennis growled as he stepped forward.

  “Trust me, I don’t want to do anything that might help you,” Austin sneered, even as that voice in his head told him he was going too far again, all things considered.

  Ennis shook his head. “You never do. It’s all about you. You were always the popular one, the one Mom loved the most. You think any of that matters now? No! It doesn’t! I’m the boss here! This is my house! You’re not the one who calls the shots anymore!”

  Austin clenched his teeth. Vaguely, he was aware of Savannah frowning and disappearing out of the room—he knew she hated to see them fight, and it only added to his frustration that they were upsetting her. When she was gone, he stepped into his brother’s face. “You’ve never had the courage to make a single decision in your entire life. You need me or you’ll sit up here and die.”

  “No, he won’t. Ennis, you don’t have to take this. This is your house,” Wendell said, moving to stand beside Ennis.

  Austin glared at him. “Shut up, you weasel.”

  “Don’t talk to my friend like that!” Ennis near shouted, stepping closer to Austin.

  The two brothers faced off, and Austin looked down at his little brother just like he had many times before when they’d been younger. Ennis had always been a hanger-on, and only stood up for himself and wanted his way when it made sense to him. Otherwise, he’d always relied on Austin, and it was getting old.

  Austin pushed him backward. Not hard, but enough to send Ennis back several inches. Ennis glared at him. Austin stared back, daring him to say a word or to try and push back. Austin outweighed him, and they both knew it; he was physically stronger, and he’d outmaneuver him, too.

  “Back off, Ennis,” Austin hissed, even as he heard Amanda make a disgusted sound as she leaned up on the kitchen counter. Maybe they were acting like boys, but this had been a long time coming.

  “Ennis, don’t let him get away with disrespecting you. Everyone will laugh at you and take his side,” Wendell whispered.

  “That’s enough, Wendell. This is between Austin and Ennis,” Amanda scolded him loudly.

  “Shut up!” Ennis and Wendell said in unison.

  Austin watched the smile spread across Wendell’s face as he turned to look at Ennis. The guy had a serious crush on his brother. It made him sick to think that Ennis was so easily manipulated. He was so desperate to be liked that he’d buddied up with a snake like Wendell.

  “You need to get rid of this guy,” Austin commented, eyeing the smaller man whose clothes smelled of alcohol.

  “You need to get rid of that girl,” Ennis snapped back.

  “Fight back!” Wendell encouraged him.

  Austin was about to tell the man to shut up when Ennis shoved him hard in the chest. Austin shoved back, sending his brother into the bar stools lined up under the center island. Ennis lost his balance, but quickly righted himself, glaring at his brother with such animosity that the room felt electric. Even Wendell finally backed off.

  “Don’t even try it,” Austin warned.

  Ennis swung out, clearly trying to hit him. Austin moved to the side, dodging the weak punch. Ennis, encouraged by Wendell, swung again, this time landing a rather soft punch against Austin’s cheek.

  Austin saw red. Weeks of anger and frustration erupted, and he swung his own fist, hitting his brother in the left eye. The feel of bone and flesh under his knuckles was exhilarating, and he reached back, ready to strike again when Amanda stepped in front of him, using her body to push him backwards.

  “Dad! Stop!” Savannah screamed from behind him.

  “Get out, already, you wanna put yourself in danger! Do what you want!” Ennis shouted. “I’m sick of this.”

  “Ennis, please,” Amanda said in a gentle voice.

  “I’m trying to do what’s best for all of us, and you’d see that if you opened your eyes for two minutes!” Austin spat.

  Amanda bodily pushed Austin several feet backward until he was at the door to the pantry. She held up one finger, looking him dead in the eyes. “Stop. It’s over.”

  Austin nodded, finally, seeing the look on his daughter’s face and realizing it had gone too far. She looked heartbroken, and now that the brothers had separated, tears erupted from her eyes and she fled the room. He’d screwed up.

  Before he could figure out what to say to his brother, or even to Amanda, he watched Wendell push Ennis out of the kitchen, whispering in his ear the entire time. The sight made him gag. He pushed Amanda out of the way, ready to go after Wendell; things wouldn’t have gotten nearly so violent if Wendell hadn’t been there to egg his brother on. He was sick of the guy interfering, and wanted to show him just how angry he’d made him. Wendell had clearly encouraged the fight and wanted the brothers at each other’s throats. Austin could see that even if Ennis was too blind to notice just how he was being manipulated.

  “Austin, stop! Don’t let him win. He’s trying to provoke you,” Amanda said, grabbing him by the arm and tugging him back.

  “He needs to be taught a lesson about interfering!” Austin growled.

  “Yes, but not now. Come on, let’s go for that ride,” Amanda said, gently pulling him out of the kitchen.

  He took a few deep breaths, but then he nodded. He caught a glimpse of Wendell and Ennis heading into his brother’s bedroom before the door was slammed shut. Malachi was standing off to the side of the living room with Savannah and Gretchen, who had her arm around his daughter’s shoulders. He whispered a quick apology to her before he and Amanda left the house, but she barely nodded in return. He wouldn’t linger, though. A couple of the other revivalists in the house had come downstairs and witnessed the aftermath of the war between the brothers, and they were all looking at him with a mixture of contempt and fear. He’d been made the outcast in a matter of minutes.

  Following Amanda outside, he was a little embarrassed, ashamed that he’d lost his temper, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

  21

  Austin glanced over at Amanda sitting high on Raven’s back as the two of them rode at a leisurely pace away from the house. They’d been riding for thirty minutes or so without saying a word. It was a warm day, but with the shade from the tall trees and the relaxed gait of the horses, the ride was very comfortable. He could hear birds singing and the occasional rustle of leaves as the birds flitted around between branches. He knew Amanda was giving him time to cool off. Things had been tense. That fight had been brewing for some time. He was sure the rest of the house had been feeling the tension between the brothers for days. Wendell’s manipulations had only made things worse.

  “Maybe he’ll leave,” she blurted out.

  “What?” Austin asked, turning to look at her.

  “Wendell. Maybe we can get him to leave. I think things would be so much more relaxed if he was gone. I caught him talking to Harlen yesterday, trying to fill his ear with a bunch of nonsense about things you and Nash were saying. He’s stirring the pot, Austin. He has a purpose, and I’m not sure what it is, but we’d be better off without him.”

  Austin rolled his eyes at the idea of what Wendell might have been doing to rile everyone up. Nothing would surprise him. “The guy’s a weasel. That’s the only word I can come up with. He’s one of the main reasons I don’t want to live at that house indefinitely. He has some weird obsession with my brother, I’ll tell you that; guy’s going to end up killing us all one of these days so he can have Ennis all to himself.”

  Amanda chuckled. “I agree.”

  “I shouldn’t have hit him,” Austin muttered.

  Amanda nodded, catching his eye. “No, but I don’t think it was all that bad. You two have been circling each other since we got here. I’m guessing this rivalry goes back a lot longer than a few weeks.”

  He scoffed. “He’s always been jealous of me. I don’t think Mom liked me better, but Ennis sure thought so. It’s just Ennis that has always been a little different, more needy of her attention and affection, and that fed into it. We have a hard time when we’re together for any length of time, but it’s nothing new.”

  “I don’t have brothers or sisters, but I don’t think a little sibling rivalry is all that rare. I’m going to venture a guess and say having a house full of strangers and trying to survive the end of the world as we know it has created a fair bit more stress than anyone is accustomed to dealing with. We’ll take some time today and maybe tonight, and the two of you can talk—alone. Without me or Wendell around. This is between you guys,” she advised. “Us being there only made it worse, I think, but maybe this morning will have eased some of the tension when we get back. I don’t know if you could see it, but he saw things had gone too far, too.”

  Austin swallowed. “I hope we can work things out. If he wants me gone, I can’t really argue with him. It is his house. But I will do my best to soothe things over for now, for Savannah’s sake.”

  “Did you see that?” Amanda asked, pointing up ahead.

  Austin squinted, looking in the direction she’d pointed. They’d passed the area they were familiar with and were now heading into a combination of younger trees and more brush. They’d been following an old dirt road that looked like it had been used by ATVs more than actual vehicles.

  “I don’t see anything,” he whispered, his guard already up.

  “I swear…” She pointed up ahead again, off to the left of the road.

  Austin nodded, seeing the movement and guiding the horse into the thicker treed area about twenty feet off the road.

  “We’ll leave them here and check it out on foot,” he whispered.

  She slid off Raven and wrapped the reins around a branch as he did the same with Charlie’s. They crossed the road again, moving into the area where the trees were thinned out with trunks that weren’t quite as big, offering less cover.

 

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