Hank chuckled as he turned away, and it was such a sleazy sound that it made Austin’s skin crawl; he felt like his face might crack from holding the false smile.

  Still, they followed behind the three men walking alongside the cart, and Austin wondered how many guns had been handed out that day. How many more groups were at war with each other, and how long before those groups found Ennis’s supposedly isolated home?

  They’d gone less than a mile when Hank pointed to what looked like an abandoned out-building left over from the pioneer days. The thing was barely standing, its wood rotting and the door held on by old, rusty hinges.

  “Here,” Hank said, looking at Austin and Amanda expectantly.

  Austin took the initiative and slid off of Charlie. Amanda followed suit. The idea that they were walking into a trap crossed his mind, but Hank seemed to have bought his story pretty easily. Maybe a little too easily.

  “Good spot,” Austin commented.

  Hank gave him a look of contempt. “It’s served me well. I suppose you have somewhere better?”

  Austin shrugged. He didn’t want to appear too soft. “Maybe.”

  Hank turned to one of the men. “Grab one of the boxes—that’s all they need.”

  Amanda looked to Austin, her eyes revealing her unease. He smiled, trying to tell her to relax. They had to play it cool.

  “We’ll take whatever you can spare. We’ll be checking in sometime next week per our orders,” Austin said, hoping he sounded like one of them.

  Hank nodded. “Things are heating up down there. They’ll want to know about your progress.”

  “We’ll have a full report,” Amanda assured him.

  “Clint, help me out with this!” the man in the rundown shack hollered angrily.

  Austin didn’t think much about what he was going to do next. He only reacted to the situation. They were standing in front of a building housing a cache of weapons and ammo that could give him and the prepper house dwellers a real advantage.

  He reached for the Glock in his concealed holster. The movement was fast, but not fast enough. Hank dove behind the horse pulling the cart at the same time Austin fired. The bullet slammed into the rotted wood of the cart. Amanda pulled her gun, ready to shoot the men who were bound to come out of the out-building.

  The first one, Clint, appeared in the doorway, confusion on his face. He wasn’t confused for long. Amanda’s excellent targeting dropped him where he stood. Austin dashed to his right, taking aim at Hank and firing again. Hank was proving to be a wily moving target and began rolling over the ground, just making it behind the building as Austin shot up the ground where he’d been a moment before.

  The second man shot through the hole Austin’s bullet had created in the wood shack, narrowly missing Amanda.

  “Go!” Austin shouted at Amanda.

  She dashed to Raven and jumped on, firing at the building at the same time in a move that would have made John Wayne proud.

  “Gun!” she shouted a second before Austin caught a glimpse of the rifle pointing around the back of the building.

  Hank had managed to get his hand on a weapon. Austin moved with speed he didn’t know he had, once again mounting Charlie in a single fluid movement as Amanda laid down cover fire for him. They headed downhill into the trees as Hank unloaded a clip into the forest. Austin winced when he was slapped in the face with a low-hanging branch. Another branch scraped against his arm as they continued their breakneck speed through the heavy trees. The horses were proving to be incredibly agile as they raced away from the sound of the gunshots, or else they were just as frightened as their riders.

  “Whoa,” Amanda called out, slowing Raven as they broke through the trees into what was a park of some sort.

  Austin pulled Charlie to a stop beside her, his heart pounding as he looked around the area, making sure no one was waiting to take them out.

  “What in the world were you thinking?” Amanda scowled at him.

  He shrugged. “I was thinking we could really use that stockpile of weapons.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Next time, talk to me. We could have gone back for it!”

  “Sorry. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

  “That wasn’t an opportunity. That was stupid!” She glowered at him, clicking her tongue and spurring Raven into a slow trot.

  “We need to take a very long way back in case they try to follow us,” Austin warned her.

  She shot him a look. “You think?”

  She was mad, and he didn’t blame her. He’d nearly gotten them both killed, and now Hank knew they were there. He’d be looking for them.

  Surviving two gun battles in the span of a couple hours was enough, though. He was ready to get back to the house and figure out what to do next, though he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be welcomed back to the house.

  He couldn’t let his emotions rule him anymore, he realized. He needed to think, plan, and strategize if he wanted to keep them and his daughter safe and alive.

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered after they’d traveled in silence for nearly an hour. “I wasn’t thinking, and it was stupid of me. It won’t happen again.”

  Amanda looked back at him, and he saw some of the tension had left her face as she nodded back at him. “It’s fine. I think we need to keep this to ourselves for now, though,” she advised.

  He nodded his agreement. “But the house isn’t safe, Amanda; do you see that now?”

  “I get it. You can’t blame any of us for wanting to believe it was, though. I don’t know how you’re going to convince Ennis, either.”

  “I don’t have to convince him. He can stay if he wants to, but I can’t sit back and wait for Hank or one of the other teams to find us, and we both know it’s only a matter of time.”

  “I know. I get it,” she said tersely. “And we’ll tell them about this before we all split up. I just don’t think it needs to happen tonight. Things are going to be difficult enough when we get back.”

  She was right, and he dropped the subject. He knew she wanted to settle in and enjoy the home Ennis had built. He didn’t blame her, honestly. It was human nature to want to settle down and feel safe. Unfortunately, they were too close to the heart of the New World Order. They had no choice but to move, and they needed to do it soon.

  22

  Savannah was tired of all the tension and fighting. Her dad had come back late yesterday, still angry and not really talking to anyone. She’d never seen him so angry. The tension between him and her uncle had infected everyone, it seemed, and she didn’t know what to do about it.

  She’d tried to talk to Malachi after the fight yesterday, but he’d told her to mind her own business and let the adults handle things. That had made her madder than ever. She was tired of waiting around for Malachi to be her friend again, and what made things worse was that he acted like he was an adult, and she a child. One way or another, she needed him to take her seriously, and decided to do something she hoped would make him see she wasn’t some silly kid who was always in the way.

  That in mind, she took a quick look in the mirror, making sure her hair was perfect and that she didn’t have anything in her teeth. A new outfit would have been nice, but she wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that she had limited clothing options.

  Ready as she’d ever be, she walked downstairs and found her target. “Hi, Nash,” she said, hoping she sounded airy and light.

  He looked up from the laptop sitting on his lap, where it always was. “Hey, Savannah.”

  She smiled and moved to sit beside him on the couch. “What are you doing?”

  He gave her an odd look. “Working on reviewing the information on the drive, just like I do every day,” he said, somewhat sarcastically, though she supposed she couldn’t blame him after that question.

  “Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked.

  He stared at her for a moment, and then shook away whatever he was thinking. “Why? Don’t you have chores or something to do?” he asked, his eyes going back to the screen.

  She let out a dramatic sigh. “I already did my part. Come on, Nash. It’s a nice day, and I could really use some time out of the house.”

  “Then go,” he mumbled.

  “I can’t go anywhere by myself! Remember, my dad said everyone had to stick close and stick together,” she reminded him.

  Nash took a deep breath and turned to look at her. “You want to go right now?”

  She grinned. “Yes!”

  He tapped a few buttons on the keyboard before closing the laptop. “I should probably put this thing on the charger anyway,” he muttered, standing up from the couch.

  Savannah couldn’t stop smiling. Her plan had to work. She stood and waited for him before following him out the door. As they moved into the yard, she scanned the area, looking for Malachi. If he wanted to ignore her, that was fine, but she was going to show him exactly what it felt like to be ignored all the time.

  “Let’s go up the hill a bit, over to the stream. We could get our feet wet,” she said happily.

  Nash looked at her as if she were crazy. “Get our feet wet?”

  She tugged his elbow forward in the direction of the stream and walked ahead, turning back to speak to him in a way that she hoped would look flirtatious to anyone watching. “Come on. You’ve had your nose in that laptop for almost two weeks. You’re pale. When I first met you, you were tanned, and I could tell you were a guy who liked the outdoors,” she added sweetly.

  He looked at her suspiciously, but followed along. “I have been stuck inside a lot lately,” he agreed.

  “See,” she said, looping her arm around his and tugging him along.

  He willingly followed her around the side of the house. They were all doing their best to avoid making obvious trails, which meant they had to brave the brush and the thistles that grew wild all over the mountain.

  “I did a lot of cave exploration and hiking before all this. I’d planned to spend my whole summer in the mountains,” he said on a sigh.

  “You technically are in the mountains,” she said with a giggle.

  He laughed. “I guess that’s true.”

  A sound to their right grabbed her attention. She glanced over and saw Malachi watching them. He was shirtless, an ax hanging beside him. Clearly, he’d been chopping more wood. It was all he did. Every single day.

  “Where are you two going?” Malachi asked in a gruff voice, stepping out and catching their attention so that Nash paused.

  “We’re going for a walk,” Savannah answered simply, smiling up at Nash even though she could see he was uncomfortable. She’d find a way to make it up to him later, she told herself.

  Malachi looked at their intertwined arms, and then at Nash before he looked back to meet her eyes. She detected the tiniest bit of jealousy, which was exactly what she’d been going for.

  “A walk? You don’t have chores?” Malachi snapped.

  “We’ve finished with ours. Let’s go, Nash,” she said, pulling him up the hill and away from Malachi.

  She could practically feel his eyes boring holes into the back of their heads.

  “You better be careful, Savannah—there are soldiers around!” Malachi called out from behind them.

  Savannah turned to look over her shoulder at him. “Nash will protect me!”

  Malachi clenched his jaw before spinning around and disappearing back into the trees.

  “What was that about?” Nash asked after another moment had passed.

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  “Malachi, Savannah,” he said simply. “What was that about?”

  “I don’t know what’s up with him. He’s the one who chose to volunteer for extra duties. He didn’t have to,” Savannah said.

  Nash remained quiet as they walked through the trees until they found the anemic creek flowing down the mountainside. It was barely a couple of inches deep.

  “I don’t think that’ll do much to cool us off,” Nash said dryly.

  “We can still get our feet wet,” she replied.

  He didn’t look as excited as she was, but she found a rock to sit on and quickly untied the sneakers she’d been wearing.

  “Savannah, we should be down there at the house, helping. I’m sure there are more chores that need to be taken care of,” Nash said. “There’s always more to be done.”

  “Nash, come on, we deserve a break.”

  He sat down beside her, not moving to take off his shoes. “Savannah, what’s this all about?” he asked bluntly.

  “What? I wanted to get away, and everyone else at the house is so old and boring,” she pouted.

  “You mean besides Malachi?” he asked.

  She shrugged, a sudden lump appearing in her throat. “Malachi is busy.”

  “I might be the third youngest in the house, but I’m eighteen. I don’t think your dad would be happy with us hanging out—alone,” he stressed.

  She chuckled, knowing he was right. “We’re not doing anything.”

  “Savannah, I’m happy to hang out with you, but I really don’t want your dad getting the wrong idea, or you. I’m pretty sure he’d shoot me,” he said. She looked up at him to make sure he was joking, but couldn’t quite tell. She certainly hoped he was joking.

  Looking back to her feet in the water, she shook her head. “Nash, I have to confess something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m not into you. I don’t like you that way. I mean, you’re cute and all, but you’re too old for me,” she said.

  He chuckled. “I get it, Savannah. You like Malachi. Everyone knows you two had a little thing going.”

  She groaned. “Not really. I mean, I thought we did, and then everything happened, and his mom and dad were really against him stepping outside his faith or whatever, and now he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me,” she explained.

  “So, you’re using me to make him jealous,” he grumbled, irritation clear in his voice. “I figured, but that’s a lousy thing to do.”

  She suddenly felt guilty, hearing the clear annoyance in his voice. Put like that, it was pretty lousy—she’d only thought about affecting Malachi and hadn’t considered how it might upset Nash. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings,” she added more quietly.

  He scoffed. “You didn’t hurt my feelings, but I don’t appreciate you dragging me into this. I think you should just tell him how you feel. I’m not a pawn.”

  “I can’t tell him how I feel, Nash! I tried, but he doesn’t want to talk to me,” she whined. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Nash looked at her with open irritation. “Savannah, is he worth the trouble, or is this just because he’s the last guy on earth your own age?”

  She grinned, and felt a little better when he smiled back. “I don’t think he’s the last guy on earth. You don’t think that’s a little over-dramatic? I liked him before everything happened and I think he liked me.”

  “I’m the one who’s being dramatic—ha. Seems to me you’re the one building up drama. What, are you one of those girls who thrives on drama?” he asked.

  Her mouth fell open. “No! I don’t thrive on drama. I’m sorry…” She stared at him another moment, and then looked back to the creek. “Just forget about everything. Forget I said anything.”

  “Savannah, don’t you think we have bigger things to worry about?”

  “Yes, but what good does it do to worry about everything and not have a little fun? I mean, does worrying change anything?” she asked. “I want to be a normal teenager for a day.”

  “You are a normal teenager. The world isn’t normal,” he replied.

  “I’m going to get wrinkles if I sit around worrying all day like everyone else.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think we’re all sitting around worrying and not doing anything. Malachi is ensuring there’s enough wood to keep the house warm all winter long. We can’t rely on the propane. We’ll need that for cooking. I’m reviewing the information on the USB to see if there’s anything that might help us end all of this. You’ve been putting in a hand, too, I know, but the chores don’t stop.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Like you or my dad or even all of us together can actually stop the apocalypse.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to try, or to arm ourselves with knowledge at the very least,” he reasoned.

  After a moment, she nodded. “I suppose.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes more. She wiggled her toes in the cold water, doing her best to try and forget about everything else happening in the world. She tried to imagine herself back home, sitting by the stream near their house.

  “I’ll go along with your little game, but I don’t like it. It’s kind of immature,” Nash finally said on a sigh.

  She put her head back, looking up at the sky. “You’re right. It is immature, and I’m sorry I brought you into it.”

  “I wouldn’t mind having a friend, though. I don’t want to be your friend to make Malachi jealous, but it would be cool to hang out sometimes,” he added quietly. “We’re pretty close in age. I could use a friendship with both you and Malachi, you wanna know the truth.”

  She nodded, looking back to him with a smile. She knew he was a nice guy—maybe something good would come of her dragging him out here if they could start a friendship from it. “I would very much like to be friends. I wasn’t lying when I said there’s really no one else to hang out with.”

  “I get it. It’s cool, but if you don’t mind, I do want to get back to the computer. Thanks for dragging me out of the house, though, even if it was only for a little bit,” he said with a friendly smile.

  “Anytime. Thanks for being a good sport about all this, too,” she offered.

 

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