He wasn’t being taken seriously, either. He knew there was something beyond that door, and no one would listen to him. It was a lot like being back in his college classes. No one wanted to listen to the kid. He was too young to know better than them. People were intimidated by his genius, so they tended to ostracize him right away, never giving him a chance to prove he could be a fun guy to be around. The same thing was happening all over again at the house.

  It really was hard being the smartest guy in the class, or in his case now, the house. He intended to prove he wasn’t wrong, though, and that everyone needed to start taking him seriously.

  “There it is,” he whispered when he crested a hilltop and saw the tiny parking area below the mine.

  He bounded down the hill, anxious to discover the secret behind the door that had been haunting him since he’d first laid eyes on it. He stepped inside the mine without any real hesitation, not hearing any sounds outside of birds. The cool air was welcomed as he slid his hands along the wall by the light of a glowstick. He was confident he could find the first door in the darkness by feeling alone, but the glowstick wouldn’t hurt.

  Nash found the opening and stepped into the room. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could vaguely make out large shapes on all sides—the shelving from before.

  But he only took one step more before he froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He wasn’t alone. He’d been so eager to get to the door, he hadn’t stopped to check the room.

  “Hello?” he whispered, his voice hoarse with the idea that he’d walked into a strange lair for a bear, or something far worse.

  There was a flash of light followed by a muted pop and then white-hot pain erupting in his thigh. Before he had a chance to register what was happening, a strobe light kicked on, followed by the horrible sounds of bullets slamming into the rock and shelving around him. A horrible, pinging sound came next as bullets hit the steel door to his right. Then, all was quiet, and he was left with ringing ears and more pain than he had ever endured in his life.

  Hands gripped his upper arms, and his backpack was ripped from his body along with the gun he’d stashed in his waistband.

  “Take him inside,” a male voice growled.

  Nash blinked, watching the door that had brought him to the mine silently open. It was bittersweet to realize he was finally getting to see behind the door, but would likely not live long enough to do anything about it. Dizzy with pain, he found himself unable to focus on much of anything as his body was dragged into a dark cavern. The steel door he’d been so desperate to get through was slammed shut behind him, and the soft glow of lights revealed he was in a tunnel, going deeper underground. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was smiling. He’d been right.

  “Sit him down and bandage that leg—we need him alive,” a man said from somewhere in the shadows.

  Nash was pushed into a chair, his arms wrenched behind his back and his hands quickly bound. One of the men who’d dragged him into the underground room stepped in front of him, his large frame offset by the room that was filled with more technology than Nash had ever seen in his life. Nash struggled to see around him, staring at the huge flat screen monitors mounted on the far wall.

  “Get a hemostat bandage on that leg; I don’t want him bleeding out before I get a chance to question him,” a man ordered.

  Nash’s vision blurred as he watched one of the men hand a bandage to the guy in front of him. Without any care, a bandage was stuffed inside the hole in his leg, bringing on a whole new level of pain. He screamed, and the sound echoed, but the men around him didn’t react.

  “Where are we?” Nash groaned when he caught his breath, only to be hit with the butt of a gun to the side of his head.

  Tears rushed to his eyes as pain shot through his skull.

  “Shut up! We’ll ask the questions.”

  He felt dizzy and knew he was about to be sick. “I’m going to throw up,” he moaned, only about two seconds before he turned his head to the side and vomited.

  “I’m not cleaning that up,” one of his captors grumbled.

  “Quit crying. That bandage’ll keep you alive, for now,” the man who’d manhandled his leg stated.

  “What do you want?” Nash asked, his brain foggy with pain and what he suspected was blood loss.

  The man from the shadows stepped forward, the glow of the many computer screens in the room illuminating his face and giving him an eerie blue skin tone.

  “I want to know why you’re here and who you are,” the man stated.

  “I came into the mine looking for shelter,” Nash lied.

  “Try again,” the man said.

  Nash moaned, trying to clear his head and keep his thoughts straight. He couldn’t tell them the truth.

  “I’ve been living up here for a while. I was exploring the cave, I mean the mine; I figured there’d be coal and thought I could mine it and sell it to the people in the city,” he said. He could hear himself slurring, and his lips and tongue felt thick, the words difficult to form.

  There was laughter from the other three men in the room. “You were going to mine coal?” one asked incredulously.

  Nash tried to smile. “Yep. I figured it’d be valuable, and I could get rich.”

  He knew it was a ridiculous story. He just had to hope they thought he was that stupid. Stupid might be the only thing that saved his life.

  “You expect me to believe that story?” his interrogator asked.

  Nash blinked, trying to focus his eyes on the man standing a few feet in front of him. The ringing in his ears was subsiding. He could hear muted voices in the background, behind him. He turned his head, looking towards the bank of computer screens, and realized the room was far bigger than he’d initially thought. The tapping sound he’d heard wasn’t natural, either; it was the sound of keyboards.

  “Where am I?” he asked, playing up the concussion he knew he likely had.

  “Remind him where he is,” the interrogator said in a quiet voice.

  Nash looked up just in time to see the butt of the gun slam into the side of his face. He felt his cheekbone shatter, and then his eye went white with pain when he was struck again. Blackness hovered on the edge of his consciousness, ready to take him under, but he fought it. He couldn’t pass out—he wouldn’t let himself. He felt warm liquid pouring down his face, falling down his neck and soaking the collar of the t-shirt he was wearing.

  “Now, tell me, why are you here?” the man asked again.

  Nash moaned. “I was lost. I wanted coal.” He could barely understand his own words, though.

  It was becoming harder for him to talk, to think. That was their plan, he knew. They were going to beat him into giving up information. He had to be strong. He couldn’t let them know about the house. Passing out would be a blessing, he realized. He had to stop fighting and give in to the blackness. He was almost looking forward to the next blow that would put him out of his misery.

  “You were lost and wanted coal? I don’t believe you. Do you want to live?” the man asked, bending over to look Nash in the one good eye he could see out of.

  “Yes,” Nash said, trying not to whimper.

  “Then tell me why you’re here. Who sent you?”

  “Nobody. Just me,” he managed to get out.

  “You had a gun. Where did you get it from?”

  “House,” he mumbled, before quickly correcting himself. “My house. Denver.”

  In the distance, which sounded much farther away than he knew it to be, he could hear the low voices of two people talking. They were talking about something called the ‘Blackdown Protocol.’ The words danced through his mind. He knew they were significant, but his brain wasn’t working. He couldn’t find the puzzle piece that was somewhere in his mind. The voices continued to murmur, their words not making any sense. One of them kept referring to Blackdown. Nash held onto the word, tossing it around and tucking it away for safekeeping. If he survived the interrogation, that one word was going to be important. He could feel it.

  “I don’t think you understand how serious I am,” the man said.

  “I’m alone,” Nash said, trying to remember what the man had asked him.

  There was a chuckle from his right. “We got that, but why? No one is alone these days.”

  “I’m alone,” he repeated.

  The interrogator stood to his full height, looming over him. “I think it’s going to take a little more persuasion to get this one to talk. This should be fun.”

  The evil grin on his face sent ice through Nash’s veins, and he shut his good eye. Why had he been so stupid? Why had he run off on his own? He wanted to cry, to curl up in a ball and have his mom comfort him. His life couldn’t end this way. It just couldn’t.

  28

  Austin walked into the kitchen where dinner was being served. It had started raining a bit ago, forcing everyone inside. Personally, he’d heard a bolt of thunder and immediately made a mental note to prepare for a power outage. Thinking of it in this situation, he smirked. Old habits died hard.

  The tension was still thick in the air. Everyone was walking on eggshells, worried one of the brothers would either try to kill the other or turn their anger on someone else, and he couldn’t help being embarrassed to be at the center of the drama. He scanned the room as he got food, seeing Ennis sitting at the dining table with Savannah, Wendell, and Tonya. Ennis looked up, glaring at him.

  “Here,” Amanda said, interrupting the stare-off.

  Austin looked away from his brother and took the glass Amanda was offering. “Thanks.”

  He quickly finished dishing up the meal of what was supposed to be chicken fajitas before taking his plate and moving to the living room. All of the seats were taken, so he moved to the stairs, away from everyone else, and sat down on one of the lower steps. Amanda joined him a minute later.

  “Still haven’t talked to him?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  “Nope, and don’t plan on it.”

  “You need to. Do you notice Nash isn’t here?” she pointed out.

  Austin looked up, surveying the living room, and did a quick mental rewind of the kitchen. Damn. She was right. “Has he been back at all?”

  “Not that anyone has seen. He wouldn’t be out in this weather, Austin,” she said in a quiet voice.

  He nodded in agreement. “Maybe he’s mad and blowing off some steam?”

  “What if he’s not mad? What if they got him?” she hissed.

  “He’s a big boy. He knew what he was doing when he left,” Austin said nonchalantly, though he was worried sick about the kid. He’d thought he’d be back by now. Once again, the idea that he could have gone to investigate the cave reared its head, but he shook it off. He wouldn’t have gone alone. He knew better than that.

  “You know things haven’t been okay with him. We need to find him,” Amanda insisted.

  “Amanda, we have to get to the cryptologist’s place. We’re sitting on a ticking time bomb. We have to get her this information,” Austin said. “And if she’s as close as that map suggests, there’s no reason to delay.”

  “Are you actually suggesting we leave Nash out there?”

  Austin took a deep breath. “I’m saying, our priority has to be saving all of us. Bastani might be the key to that.”

  He heard footsteps then, and looked up to find Ennis and Malachi moving towards them. He groaned inwardly, dreading another confrontation. Thankfully, Wendell wasn’t glued to Ennis’s butt at the moment.

  “Malachi is worried about Nash,” Ennis grumbled, not looking directly at Austin.

  “So am I,” Amanda replied.

  “I may have said some stuff to him that I shouldn’t have,” Malachi confessed, looking as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “I’m going to look for him first thing in the morning,” Amanda concluded. “We’ve waited long enough for him to come back on his own.”

  Austin shot her a look. “We have to get that information to that woman.”

  “What woman?” Ennis asked.

  “We found some information on the drive that indicates a cryptologist is hiding out nearby, assuming she survived the initial attack and the NWO hasn’t found her. According to the documents, she’s the only one who can decipher the encrypted pages. She might be able to figure out a way to shut this whole thing down,” Austin explained.

  “Seriously?” Malachi asked excitedly.

  Austin nodded. “Yes, which is why I think we need to get to that cryptologist first thing tomorrow.”

  “But Nash may be hurt or waiting on us to find him,” Amanda argued.

  “Where’s this magical woman who’s going to fix the world?” Ennis asked.

  “About twenty miles from here in some dense wooded area, way off the grid,” Austin replied.

  Ennis grimaced. “You’re talking about steep terrain that’s pretty rough. That isn’t a quick trip.”

  “I’ll go,” Malachi immediately volunteered.

  Austin looked at the boy’s face. He understood why Malachi wanted to go. He was feeling guilty over the way he’d treated Nash, and getting away before Nash came back was one way to avoid the confrontation. But he was capable and smart—he’d be an able companion if it came to needing him.

  “Okay,” Austin agreed.

  Amanda narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to look for Nash in the morning.”

  “Good. We’ll split up. It makes more sense. There’s enough people in the house, we can divide and conquer,” Austin replied.

  Ennis shook his head. “The two of you are going to get us all killed. You can’t go running around the mountain. You’re bound to run into someone. What if they follow you or force you to tell them where the house is, where the rest of us are?”

  “We’ll be careful,” Austin replied, not willing to argue the matter.

  “Me, too,” Amanda said.

  “I’ll need the horses,” Austin told her, knowing it was a bold ask.

  Amanda shrugged. “That’s fine. I’m going to head towards the mine. I have a feeling that’s where Nash would have gone. He’s been talking about that place for weeks. Maybe he’s staking it out. It’ll be easier to look for tracks he may have left if I’m walking anyway.”

  “Amanda, Nash is a smart, capable guy. I think he’ll come back on his own,” Austin reiterated, though his gut clenched as he said it. Was he being realistic, or letting his hopes get the better of him?

  “I feel like something’s wrong. I won’t be able to do anything else until I know he’s okay,” she said.

  “I think you’re all being foolish. I guess I’ll stay here and prepare for an attack when one of you gives away our location,” Ennis grumbled.

  Austin grinned. “Good idea. Why don’t you work with a few of the guys on their target practice?”

  “Really?” Ennis asked with surprise.

  “Yes. You’re good at it, and they’ll listen to you. I don’t plan on bringing any trouble back, but it is out there, and we all know it’s coming. Keep these guys sharp. Put someone on watch on the east and south sides. I’m trusting you to keep my daughter safe, Ennis,” Austin said, looking his brother right in the eyes.

  “And you know I will,” he said somberly before turning and walking back into the living room.

  Amanda turned to look at him, a small smile on her face. “Does that mean the two of you have officially made up?”

  “We’re brothers. We fight. We make up. In the end, we’re still brothers,” he said easily, hoping that was the case.

  They didn’t have time for old drama. They were facing something much bigger than their sibling rivalry and were going to have to stick together to survive. Austin looked through the stair rails and saw Wendell glaring at him. He shot his own look of malice right back at the man. Wendell looked away and went to stand by Ennis. The infatuation was disgusting. Austin only hoped his brother could see what was happening and keep his guard up.

  “Malachi, we need to get the bags packed with supplies. We’re going to need enough for three days, just in case the terrain is bad enough to slow us down,” Austin instructed.

  “Take extra water for the horses, just in case,” Amanda added.

  Malachi headed for the kitchen as Austin turned to Amanda. “You’ll need to take extra supplies with you, as well.”

  She nodded. “I will. I can make the trip there and back in a day.”

  “I don’t know if Nash took anything with him. Be prepared to give him food and water, as well,” Austin said quietly.

  “I will. And I will find him, Austin,” she said, reaching out and putting a hand on his knee.

  “He’ll be fine,” Austin said, more for his own sake than Amanda’s.

  29

  It was dawn when Austin walked into the kitchen, grabbing one of the protein bars from the box and quickly tearing it open. He did his best to move quietly through the house, preparing for his trip to find the doctor. Malachi had already gone out to bring the horses around.

  “Be careful,” Amanda whispered, startling him and nearly making him choke on the food in his mouth.

  “I will. You, too. Who’s going with you?” he asked.

  “Probably one of the younger guys.”

  “Keep your gun at the ready,” he ordered her.

  “You do the same,” she said with a smile.

  They stared at each other, a different tension than usual in the room. “I should get out there,” Austin said with what he knew was an awkward grin. “Malachi is anxious to go. Truth be told, I think he’s running from a certain teenage girl.”

  Amanda laughed. “She must be doing something right if she’s got him running.”

 

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