“Fine. I’m not going to argue. I’m beat. We kicked butt this time. We made it a whole day early. That’s impressive. Way to hang in there, Wendy,” Ennis said, slapping a hand against Wendell’s arm.

  “Yeah, thanks,” he grumbled.

  Wendell settled in against the tree, his eyes scanning the darkness. He hadn’t been lying—he was wired and couldn’t sleep. Nerves were making his belly feel funny, so that he had to consciously breathe deep and force himself to calm down. He couldn’t look like a wimp. He had to appear strong and like a man who was to be feared.

  He waited a little longer before he made his move, taking a few tentative steps away from the others. If anyone noticed him walking away, he’d say he was going to the bathroom. When no one said anything or attempted to stop him, he kept going. When he put some distance between him and the others, he picked up the pace, heading towards the meeting place. He emerged onto the roadway glancing left and right before stepping into the open.

  “Don’t move!” he heard a man shout.

  Wendell froze, automatically putting his hands into the air. “I’m not armed.”

  “Don’t move.”

  Wendell stayed where he was. A man wearing a black jumpsuit emerged from the shadows, approaching him slowly before patting him down. Wendell knew there was at least one other person waiting in the shadows with a gun on him, and more likely several others.

  “Clear!” the man shouted.

  Zander emerged from the shadows, stepping into the roadway and strolling towards Wendell. Wendell gulped down the lump of fear in his throat. Zander was a scary dude. He knew he was walking a dangerous line, but this felt like his only chance.

  “Zander,” he greeted him, trying to sound cool and unbothered.

  Zander looked him up and down. “You? You’re the one leaving me notes?”

  Wendell cleared his throat. “Yes, I am. I think we can help each other.”

  “How could you possibly help me?” Zander sneered.

  “I’ve told you where to find Austin. I think that’s a huge help,” he stated, finding his voice. “I can take you back to him right now.”

  Zander made a big show of looking around. “Did you bring the USB?”

  Wendell had been afraid that’s what Zander would want. He hadn’t been able to get his hands on it. Austin had the thing locked down tight when Sarah wasn’t using it. They guarded it with their lives.

  “I didn’t, but I think we can work out an agreeable deal,” Wendell offered.

  “Why would I need to work out anything with you? I could kill you right here and be done with it,” Zander said with an evil smile.

  Wendell wouldn’t let him see how afraid he was. “Because I’m the man on the inside. I know the plan.”

  “I don’t need a man on the inside. I need Austin dead and the USB back in my hands,” Zander retorted.

  Wendell shook his head. “I can help you by telling you what they’re doing.”

  “Why would I care? I kill Austin Merryman, and what they’re doing doesn’t matter.”

  Wendell gulped down the lump of fear in his throat. “You can kill Austin, but that won’t stop them. They’ve split up,” he said, feeling like he was onto something. “If this group doesn’t succeed, there’s another out there working on the plan. You need me to know how to take all of them down.”

  Zander examined him, his eyes narrowed, and then he leaned into his face, glaring at him before he spoke. “What are they doing?”

  Wendell knew he was taking a risk, but he had to try. He was putting his life on the line and wanted to be compensated. “We’ll need to work out a deal first.”

  Zander stared at him, his dead eyes creeping Wendell out a little. He might have overplayed his hand, he realized a moment too late.

  “What kind of a deal?” Zander finally asked.

  Wendell breathed a sigh of relief. “I want a job in the NWO. I want the perks. I want an apartment and food to eat,” he said, rattling off his list of demands.

  Zander smirked. “Is that it?”

  “No. I want a guarantee that my friend Ennis won’t be hurt. He’ll be left alone to do what he wants.”

  Zander still observed him, a grin on his face flickering for only an instant before he turned to one soldier and then another as if to gauge their reactions. Then he looked back to Wendell, raising one eyebrow. “And is there anything else you want?”

  “No, that’s it. Food and shelter.”

  “We could probably arrange that. Now, tell me what they’re doing with that USB.”

  That was it, then. He had to trust him and run with it. Wendell had long realized he wasn’t going to get a written contract; he just had to hope Zander was a man of his word and wouldn’t go back on what he’d agreed to. “They’re going to launch missiles at the satellites that are holding nuclear warheads.”

  He couldn’t read the expression on Zander’s face, and didn’t know if it was excitement or incredulity he saw there. Either way, it wasn’t a look that made him comfortable. Zander was a bad, bad man.

  Zander burst into laughter. “Shoot down satellites holding nuclear warheads? Wow. Ambitious. Is that really the information you’re trying to use for trade?”

  “Yes. I’m serious. We’ve walked for days, weeks, trying to get to the computers that are controlling the satellites,” Wendell squealed.

  That seemed to give Zander pause. “What’s on that USB?”

  Wendell finally had his attention. “Lots of stuff. Including codes. Launch codes. They’re going to launch missiles at those satellites.”

  “When?”

  “Soon. We’re checking the computer center tomorrow morning. If it has what we need, we move forward with our mission. If the computers aren’t there or functioning, we’re going on to Boise, where Sarah, I mean Dr. Bastani, thinks there has to be a functioning computer center being used by the NWO.”

  Zander looked at him as if he was trying to gauge whether he was telling the truth or not. Wendell stared back, not backing down. Something about the look on his face told Wendell that Austin and Sarah were onto something. For a very brief moment, he wondered if he’d screwed up. What if their plan could work? What if they could have managed to defeat the NWO and return the country to its former glory? Wendell felt sick, but quickly pushed it aside. If Austin was right, Wendell would win. And if Zander defeated Austin, Wendell would still come out on top.

  “I have a better idea,” Zander said with a smile.

  Wendell felt a shiver of cold dread run down his spine. Zander was an evil human being. Wendell knew for certain he was making the right choice by getting on the winning side now before everything blew up—literally—but that didn’t make dealing with the devil any less heart-stopping.

  “I’m game,” Wendell said, hoping it wouldn’t involve him getting killed.

  “You and your buddies go ahead and check out the next computer center, which won’t do you any good, and then, when you get to Boise, I’ll have a little surprise there waiting for them.”

  “Oh?” Wendell replied, his voice much higher than usual.

  Zander grinned. “Yes, I’ll see you there, and you’ll get what you want if you get your group there and keep your friend alive. I want to be the one to kill him, and I want him to see my face when I do it.”

  “But not me, right? You won’t kill me?” Wendell confirmed.

  Zander shrugged. “Do as I ask and, of course, I won’t kill you. I don’t kill those who do me good service, and it seems like you’re falling into that category.”

  Wendell nodded, reassured. “Okay. I’ll see you then,” he said, anxious to get away from the man.

  The guy had evil energy. It practically oozed from his pores. Wendell turned and started to walk back in the direction he’d come from, hoping they didn’t decide to put a bullet in his back and just kill Austin and the group now. He’d thought that would be the plan, or that they’d at least take them into custody now, so he no longer felt like he was walking on firm ground. Nevertheless, he’d played his hand, and he certainly had Zander’s attention.

  Just as he thought he was in the clear, a soldier caught up to him and grabbed hold of his arm as if he were a prisoner instead of a conspirator.

  “What?” Wendell demanded.

  “Hold on. Zander wants to make sure you know what to do when you get your friends to Boise,” the soldier said flatly.

  It took a moment, and then Wendell grinned. He was in.

  25

  Amanda looked at Robin, happy to see he looked better than he had yesterday when they’d first met. She knew she was pushing it by sticking around another day, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon him and his many patients. He was in need, and they were in a position to help.

  “It certainly smells better in here,” Robin said with a faint smile, looking around his makeshift hospital space.

  Amanda chuckled. “Barely, but that’s better than nothing.”

  “Thank you for all you’ve done here. It is a tremendous help,” he said.

  “You mentioned there were antibiotics in the next town?” she asked.

  He examined her expression, apparently surprised she’d bring it up, and then nodded. “Yes. At least, there were. There’s a large hospital there, and up until a month ago, the supplies were being fairly managed by a group of individuals who’d taken charge of the building. They were rationing out supplies and medicine, but I haven’t been able to send anyone to try and get some for us. I’ve barely been able to keep it together here.”

  “We’ll go,” Amanda told him, having been thinking about doing so ever since he’d mentioned it. How could they not?

  “You will?” Robin asked excitedly.

  “Yes. I need to talk to the others, but I think they’ll agree. We are on a deadline and really don’t have a lot of time, but we can hurry, and we have the time to spare. We’ll get there and get back, and then we’ll be on our way.”

  Robin gently grabbed her upper arm and pulled her out of the living room and into the hall. “Amanda, you should take some of the antibiotics, as well, you and the others. Your exposure risk is high.”

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “I took some in the beginning. We’ll see how much is available. If there’s enough, I’ll take another round just to be safe,” he said. “But with all your group is doing, you should make sure you and your people get the first doses.”

  She smiled, appreciating how good and fair this doctor was, and feeling all the more glad they could help. “Good. How far is the hospital exactly?” she asked.

  “About five miles.”

  She grimaced, calculating the time it would take to get there and adding it to the time they had spent already; she hadn’t expected it to be quite so far, and realized she was really cutting it close. They had something like a three-day cushion, but they were eating that up quickly. “We’ve got to go today, then.”

  “Be careful,” he warned her.

  “We will,” she replied, already walking down the hall.

  The others were outside sitting on the lawn, all of them exhausted after having worked through much of the night, boiling water and doing what they could to sterilize the house along with a few of the other houses where the recovered would be returning to live once they could leave the hospital.

  “What’s going on?” Gretchen asked.

  “We’ve got a new mission,” she said, her tone grim.

  “What is it?” Jordan asked.

  “We’ve got to get him those antibiotics. These people won’t make it without it,” she said. “And, honestly, it will be good for us to. We’ll get a round of antibiotics just in case we were exposed while searching this area or traveling, and hopefully have some medical supplies to carry us on our way.”

  They all looked at each other before looking back at her. “Where?”

  “It’s about five miles north,” she said, grimacing as she saw the looks of dread on their faces.

  “Amanda,” Jordan protested.

  “I know, I know, but we’ve invested this much time into helping them out. We can do this. Plus, remember we might need those antibiotics, as well,” she pointed out more quietly.

  Jordan got to his feet and patted Amanda’s shoulder as if to reassure her that he was on board. “Then we should go now. In our current condition, it’ll take us most of the day to get there and back. Do we know if they’re friendly? Is this going to be a battle?”

  “Robin doesn’t think we’ll have any problems. We’ll evaluate when we get there. He gave me a note with his signature to pass along to the guard at the hospital. It should be enough to get us what we need,” she said. “From the sounds of things, the people running the hospital have been pretty fair and rational; it’s just a question of whether or not they’ve still got enough medicine to go around.”

  “Let’s move then. We ain’t got all day,” Drew said, getting to his feet, as well.

  The rest of them followed suit, quietly discussing the town’s situation. Smart or not, they all knew they were doing the right thing, and that meant something to them.

  But they’d barely gone two miles before they encountered their first hostile. “Get down!” Ezra shouted when the crack of a rifle reverberated through the area.

  Amanda was already on the ground, rolling into the wet grass and weeds, still damp from the brief thunderstorm that had rolled through the area overnight. Tonya’s feet were in her face as she rolled. She was breathing fast, weeds and tiny bits of grass sticking to her face.

  “Where is it coming from?” Amanda hissed.

  “Up ahead. I think they’re behind that big truck,” Ezra whispered from his position about ten feet in front of her.

  “I’m coming up there. Can you get a visual?” she asked.

  “No,” he said.

  Amanda used her elbows to drag herself across the bumpy ground, angling her body to get a better view under the truck. She stared at the pavement, waiting to see a shadow. Ezra handed her the rifle. Everyone knew she was the better shot.

  She took the weapon and rested the butt against her shoulder as she looked for signs of life behind the truck. None of them moved, all of them waiting.

  “There,” Ezra hissed from beside her.

  She saw it, too. She would have preferred a head shot, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She took the shot, hitting her target just below the knee. At the scream, she winced, knowing it had to be an excruciating injury. The man’s rifle hit the pavement a second before he did, writhing and screaming in pain. Amanda took another shot and put the man out of his misery.

  “Don’t move, not yet,” she ordered.

  They waited to see if there was another shooter waiting in the wings. Ezra pulled off the hat he’d made from the kids’ clothes. He tossed it into the air. When it wasn’t shot at, Amanda sighed with relief, giving the rifle back to Ezra to carry. She pulled the handgun from her waistband and got to her feet.

  “Can we get up?” Gretchen asked from behind her.

  “I think it’s safe,” Amanda said, though there was some measure of doubt in her voice. She’d thought it had been safe before they’d been fired on.

  “I thought this was supposed to be an easy mission,” Drew grumbled.

  Amanda scoffed. “So did I. We’ll just be a little more cautious.”

  It was only another mile before they ran into more trouble. This time, they were ready, and managed to avoid the confrontation by quietly taking a wide berth around the area where a group of men seemingly guarded the road.

  They could hear gunfire in the distance now, and Amanda pulled everyone behind a bus. “This is some rough territory. Before we go any further, are you all on board with this?” she asked.

  “Do we have a choice?” Drew mumbled. “We might already be sick. We need those meds as much as those other people do.”

  “We do have a choice,” Amanda said.

  “I say we go. We’ll avoid that part of the city,” Jordan replied.

  “Where’s the hospital?” Drew asked.

  Amanda grimaced. “It’s on the north side of town.”

  He groaned. “Where all the gunfire is coming from.”

  “Yes,” Amanda confirmed.

  She waited, giving them a few minutes to come to their own decisions. She was set on going in, and she couldn’t do it alone with any hope of success, but she wouldn’t pressure them to go with her.

  “We go. We aren’t giving up that easy,” Drew muttered.

  “Then let’s go,” she said, and started moving again. She hated being so exposed, though. There weren’t any trees or any cover in general beyond the scattered sagebrush and defunct vehicles. Still, they kept moving, all of them looking left and right, ready to shoot anything that moved.

  There seemed to be a lull the closer they got to the town—which had had a population of forty-two thousand, according to the sign they passed on the way in. It would have once been a pretty place to live, Amanda reasoned. There were lots of trees and a large park with a huge playground. And the big blue H alongside the four-lane road through the heart of the city told her they were on the right path.

  “Good evening,” she said, smiling to a group of adults sitting outside a barber shop.

  There were some grunts in response. It felt very normal—something she would have expected to see before the EMP.

  “Doesn’t seem so bad now that we’re here,” Drew grumbled.

  “Just keep your heads up,” Amanda warned.

  The hospital came into view. It was four stories tall and covered a large area, but it was nothing like Robin had described. There were no guards that she saw, and in fact it looked like a war zone. If there had been a guard, he was long gone.

  “This isn’t good,” Gretchen said, defeat in her voice.

  A group of teens on skateboards came through the open hospital doors, laughing and cursing as one kicked down a trashcan they passed.

  Amanda felt like she’d been the one kicked. “We should check and see if there’s anything left,” she muttered.

 

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